Search - Cliff Bennett :: At Abbey Road 1963-1969

British sixties R+B

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 10/09/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The history of pop music is full of injustices, but one of them is that Cliff Bennett only has two UK top ten hits to his credit, these being a cover of One-way love (Drifters) and Got to get you into my life, which Paul McCartney wrote especially for Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers. The Beatles also recorded the song and their version can be found on the Revolver album. Between the two top ten hits, there was one minor UK hit - I'll take you home (another Drifters cover), which is not included here.



Despite that modest chart history, Cliff's music is seen as an integral part of the British sixties music scene, possibly on the strength of his live performances. This compilation represents the best of his music. Most of the tracks here are covers of American songs so it is no surprise that Cliff made no impact in America. On the other hand, most of the Americans whose songs appear on this collection had far less success in Britain than in America.



On this collection, you will find covers of Always (a fascinating re-working of the old Irving Berlin classic), Another Saturday night (Sam Cooke), Who's cheating who (Little Milton), I can't stand it (Soul sisters), Good times (Easybeats), I take what I want (Sam and Dave), Roadrunner (Bo Diddley), When something is wrong with my baby (Sam and Dave), Ain't love good ain't love proud (Jimmy James and the vagabonds) and many others.



Some people are wary of cover versions, but Cliff was brilliant at them. Other British R+B bands of the time, such as the Animals and the Spencer Davis Group, gained wider recognition, especially in America, but Cliff's music is just as good as theirs."