Search - Fourmost :: Best of

Was hoping for more-no hidden gems

Doug Hazlewood | Victoria, TX | 07/27/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I was eagerly awaiting this CD since I had read of its impending release, but I had hoped to read some reviews first. I ended up getting a free promo copy by surprise after I had pretty much decided NOT to get it after listening to the snippets on Amazon.



It wasn't as bad as I feared based on the clips and I was already familiar with a few of the cuts. Beatle fans should know of the connection and the two songs they gave to the Fourmost. I have their original UK EP and the two other cuts on it were nice. So I had my hopes up before I checked out the song clips.



I had been looking on and off for their out-of-print "Best of the EMI Years" CD and am glad I didn't spend any big bucks on it. The two early Lennon-McCartney compositions ("Hello Little Girl" and "I'm in Love") are really good and I'd say a bit more than half of the CD is pretty good. But, like a lot of early British Invasion stuff, I guess the reason some of these acts didn't go farther isn't a mystery if you delve deeper into their catalog.



There are three novelty-type numbers and one was a hit in the UK ("Girls Girls Girls".) One cover song was fairly weak ("Baby I Need Your Loving") and I'd say tracks 5,7,8,11,12,13,15,20,22,31 & 32 are just OK. The cover of the Four Seasons' "Dawn" is no improvement over the original and doesn't add anything.



Some of the few rock songs they cover are good-"The Girl Can't Help It" & "Heebie Jeebies," both Little Richard numbers. It reminds me of getting the Swinging Blue Jeans "Hippy Hippy Shake: The Definitive Collection" CD and hoping to find more cool stuff like "Hippy Hippy Shake" and "Good Golly Miss Molly." Just like here, I had already heard the cream of the crop.



I remember the two original Dave Clark Five LP's I had when I was a kid and being terribly disappointed at the filler they stuck on their LP's. Most tracks besides the singles were either instrumentals or forgettable. I guess The Beatles spoiled me.



If you are a Beatle fan, not a bad buy at this price, especially if you don't have the two main cuts on CD already. Otherwise, no revelations here and nothing to get them noticed from the rest of the crowd of the same era. I had hoped for better, but not a bad collection."

It's all relative

Gordon Pfannenstiel | Russell, KS United States | 12/22/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Hey, this ain't the Beatles. The Fourmost established their reputation as a tight, exciting act in Liverpool alongside the Beatles, incorporating a cabaret-styled humor in their act BEFORE they were forced to go cabaret. They relied totally on outside material, and certainly didn't know how to cope when Merseybeat ended by the end of '65.



What they are is good example of prime Merseybeat, even on a goofy tune like Girls, Girls, Girls. The Beatles did much the same thing with Searchin' early in their career (though, unlike the Fourmost, they didn't actually release it on record, though they did commit it to tape at their Jan, '62 Decca audition). If you buy prudently, this disc is under $10.00, including shipping. There are enough good songs, IMO, to justify the price, and, at 33 songs, you certainly can't say the record company was stingy.



If you like Merseybeat and aren't expecting the Beatles, you'll be pleased with this disc."

An obscure but talented Liverpool group of the sixties

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 08/13/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Compilations of music by other Liverpool groups appear at regular intervals but although the Fourmost had six UK hits including two that made the top ten, compilations of their music appear only rarely. The appearance of this one is therefore particularly welcome.



Their first two hits came from the Beatles songbook, these being Hello little girl (UK top ten) and I'm in love (UK top twenty). Their third and biggest hit, A little loving, peaked at number six in the UK, Their chart career was completed by three minor hits, these being How can I tell her, Baby I need your loving (originally recorded by the Four Tops) and Girls girls girls (originally recorded by the Coasters). That last hit showed the fun side of their music - it's the kind of song that Freddie and the Dreamers might have recorded. Nevertheless, although they liked to do fun songs (Auntie Maggie's remedy, which closes the set, is another example) most of their music is solid, sixties pop music of the highest quality.



Apart from their own hits, this compilation includes covers of Yakety yak, Why do fools fall in love, Some kind of wonderful, The in crowd and Here there and everywhere as well as many excellent but obscure songs.



If you enjoy music by such groups as Gerry and the Pacemakers, Herman's Hermits and Freddie and the Dreamers, you should add the Fourmost to your collection."