this a schmaltzy classic. Newman’s gorgeous ‘Snow’, later covered by Harry Nilsson and Lisa Minnelli, is the stand out track, and producer Lenny Waronker’s use of a full orchestra and The Wrecking Crew (who’d played on the debut) as backing for Harpers Bizarre’s fey, multi-layered vocals, creates an extraordinary fusion of Broadway musical and Disney movie soundtrack. Chris Twomey
THE HILLMEN The Hillmen Floating World CD
The Hillmen were a South California- based progressive bluegrass quartet organised in 1962 and led by teenage mandolin prodigy
Chris Hillman, who later was a founding member of both The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers. Joined by the Gosdin brothers, Vern and Rex (on guitar and bass respectively), along with banjo whiz Don Parmley, The Hillmen proved popular on the Los Angeles folk circuit, attracting the attention of local producer Jim Dickson who recorded this material in ’63 and ’64 with Elektra Records in mind but had to settle for eventual issue on the ill- distributed Together label in ’69. All that said, the music and vocal
harmonies are full of a youthful enthusiasm and sense of adventure rarely heard anymore–from thrilling instrumentals such as ‘Wheel Hoss’, the band original ‘Blue Grass Chopper’ and ‘Salt Creek’ to Dylan covers (‘When The Ship Comes In’ and ‘Fare Thee Well’) and folk circuit standards like ‘Copper Kettle’ and ‘Ranger’s Command’, this is country-rock aborning. Gary von Tersch
PETER JAY & THE JAYWALKERS Jaywalkin’: The Singles 1962-1965 RPM CD
Inspired by the across-the-pond sounds of Duane Eddy and The Ventures, teenage drummer Peter Jay formed his
instrumental-oriented beat combo in the early ’60s. Featuring guitarist Pete ‘Buzz’ Miller, both sax and bass duos and a dynamic stage act, the group signed with Decca in 1962 and had immediate success with the dance favourite ‘Can Can 62’, produced by the mercurial genius Joe Meek. Further releases, however, despite their inventiveness failed commercially and even a label change (to Piccadilly) mattered not. The A and B-sides collected here range
from great to so-so. When left to their own devices, particularly on further classical take- offs (‘Poet And Peasant’ and ‘The Parade Of The Tin Soldiers’) or on Jay originals such as ‘Red Cabbage’ (think ‘Green Onions’), ‘Caroline’ and ‘Jaywalkin’’, the chemistry is there. Lack of a gifted vocalist (until Terry Reid joined up in ’66) and mediocre material doomed this early incarnation. Gary von Tersch
JERRY LEE LEWIS A Whole Lotta Jerry Lee Lewis Salvo 4-CD box set In this issue of Shindig! alone, there will be artists who, maybe unknownst to them, owe a mighty musical debt to the dam- busting pioneering of Jerry Lee Lewis AKA The Killer. If there’s any who fancy themselves as ‘wild men’, here’s the original hell-raising, bad ass rock ’n’ roller – no contest.
Rather than some public domain rag-
bag, this four-CD collection (complete with 70-page book) skilfully traverses the great man’s career from his 1956 Sun Records debut, ‘Crazy Arms’, through no less than 105 remastered tracks to the late ’80s, catching Jerry at various stages of his turbulent career, including heartbreak country, confessional gospel and blazing rock ’n’ roll – all the hits and much more.
The best thing about Jerry Lee is that he can’t help himself, slipping in his personal asides or lewd chest-beating at the slightest chance, flaying his piano with unmatched natural dexterity. There’s only one Killer; and here he is. Kris Needs
Peter Jay (second from right) & The Jaywalkers: off the wall
JACQUES LOUSSIER You Only Love Once Harkit CD Arguably best known for his cool jazz arrangements of Bach, Jacques Loussier was no stranger to the world of film
soundtracks by the time he came to work on this little known French feature in 1967. Released there as Tu Seras Terriblement Gentile (Gentle Love in the UK, You Only Love Once in the US) for all the obscurity of this the sole venture into directing by former dancer Dirk Sanders, Loussier’s score is a glorious period piece that perfectly captures the joie de vivre of Paris pre May ’68.
Styled as a self-transforming landscape of dizzy Hammond grooves, pop-psych, ye- ye, punchy brass and lush sweeping orchestration, at times it all feels like a potent blend of equal parts Francis Lai and Michel Legrand while at others (most notably on ‘Clara’s Jerk’ with its combination of tubular bells and spacey electronic keyboards) the reference points are more Pierre Henry meets Ennio Morricone. C’est magnifique! Grahame Bent
TOM NORTHCOTT Sunny Goodge Street: The Warner Bros Recordings Rhino Handmade CD It’s rather sad that a Tom Northcott ‘best of’ set should be named after another writer’s song but it’s his decidedly European take on
Donovan’s ode to pot and jazz that became Northcott’s biggest success during a two-year run at Warners and the song with which he remains most closely associated. The Vancouver-born singer/songwriter had a number of
Canadian releases under his belt before ‘Goodge Street’ hit in 1967 but their down home charms pale in comparison to the widescreen productions he cut at Warners with Lenny Waronker and Leon Russell. This set gathers a dozen 45 sides including Nilsson’s ‘1941’ and ‘Rainmaker’, Dylan’s ‘Girl Of The North Country’ and Northcott’s own pop-psych creations, ‘Who Planted Thorns In Miss Alice’s Garden?’ and ‘Cities Make The Countries Colder’ plus a pile of excellent unreleased recordings, and presents them in a beautiful 10” folio sleeve, complete with letterpress-printed newspaper insert and promo photos. Andy Morten
CLODAGH RODGERS Come Back And Shake Me RPM CD Written off as a one hit wonder (though she actually notched up four) and a Eurovision flop (though she came a respectable
fourth), time hasn’t been too kind to Clodagh Rodgers’ reputation. This CD, which rounds up her late ’60s and early ’70s output with ace US songsmith Kenny Young, should help restore her place as a prime purveyor of Brit girl pop. It’s crammed full of bubblegum delights
like the incessantly catchy ‘Come Back And Shake Me’, a hugely fun mix of Tamla beats, fuzz guitar and heavy brass. The selections from her first album are the standouts here with a neat mix of covers of pre-Clodagh Kenny Young classics – ‘Captain Of Your Ship’ and ‘Under The Boardwalk’ – alongside quality Nancy Sinatra-esque tunes like ‘I’m A Fantasy’ and ‘The Colors Are Changing’. If you have a sweet tooth and are in the right mood, this is lots of fun and more deserving of your attention than you might think. Ashley Norris
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