PETER & GORDON: "Knight In Rusty Armour"

Original released on LP Capitol ST 2729

(US, 1967)

Peter & Gordon really ground out more albums in a brief time than they should have. That was true of many 1960s artists, of course, and not many of them were up to the pressure as much as the Beatles were. This LP is an unexceptional assortment of pop/rock from various angles, much of it sounding pretty passé by early 1967 standards (and in fact one of the better tracks, the folky original "I Would Buy You Presents," had been used as a B-side back in 1964). The British-quaint novelty title track was their final American Top 20 hit. Otherwise, there was too much overblown orchestration on songs that weren't great to start with. While it's a testament to their taste that they covered obscure songs by Jackie DeShannon ("A Boy With Nothing" and "Colour Blue") and P.F. Sloan & Steve Barri ("My First Day Alone"), these were not notable works by those composers. Their version of Phil Ochs' "The Flower Lady" isn't bad, though, and is interesting both because it predates the release of Ochs' own rendition, and is one of the relatively few covers of Ochs material by a mid-1960s rock act. (Richie Unterberger in AllMusic)

You Are Invited For Tea

Original released on LP Capitol ST 2747

(US, 1967)

When "In London for Tea" was issued in 1967, many of Peter & Gordon's peers from the first wave of the British Invasion - foremost among them their sometime-hit song suppliers, the Beatles - were changing and innovating new styles at a furious pace. In that environment, this album seemed an outdated exercise in treading water, with the duo neither advancing their sound nor finding particularly interesting material. Perhaps that was inevitable for an act that, on this LP at least, didn't write any of their own songs with the exception of Gordon Waller's country tune "Red, Cream and Velvet." But although it did include their final U.S. Top 40 hit in the quaintly bouncy, overtly British "Sunday for Tea," the album was otherwise a patchy mix of soul, orchestrated ballads, and mild British Invasion pop. It was also populated with too many covers of then-recent hit records, among them the Searchers' "Goodbye My Love," the Fortunes' "You've Got Your Troubles," James & Bobby Purify's "I'm Your Puppet," the Jaynetts' "Sally Go 'Round the Roses," and Hank Locklin's country smash "Please Help Me, I'm Falling." The duo do sing well throughout, and if you just love their harmonies and Gordon Waller's melodramatic lead vocal style, that might be reason enough to find and enjoy this record. (Richie Unterberger in AllMusic)

"A World Without Love" By PETER & GORDON

EP EMI 7EPL 14.175 (SPAIN, 1965)

PETER & GORDON: "IN TOUCH WITH"