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+1/2 -- Late-90 remakes from great '60s British Invasion ban

hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 05/07/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"The British Invasion is littered with a surprising number of bands that failed to find a measure of fame to match their talent. The Tremeloes actually managed a pair of endearing U.S. harmony pop hits (covers of the Four Seasons' "Silence is Golden" and Cat Stevens' "Here Comes My Baby"), but only in 1967 as the UK was ceding ground to US sounds, and beat pop was transitioning to freakbeat and psychedelia.



The group showed amazing resiliency throughout its history, finding its greatest commercial success after the departure of their lead singer, Brian Poole, fashioning cover hits of The Beatles ("Hello Sunshine"), Cat Stevens ("Here Comes My Baby"), and a Four Seasons B-side ("Silence is Golden"). They continued to notch UK hits throughout the '60s, but at decade's end disavowed their pop history and released the self-written (and self-consciously "heavy") "Master" LP.



With their new direction a commercial flop, the band turned to the cabaret and oldies circuits where their earlier material still drew crowds. This mid-90s CD features re-recordings of their two biggest hits, both of which are competent but fail to capture the radio magic of the originals (themselves, widely reissued on British Invasion compilations and Tremeloes anthologies from Rhino, Castle and Sequel). Also included are other titles from throughout their post-Poole era, including the country "Hello Buddy" and the glam "You Can't Touch Sue."



All of this is well sung, with the group's harmonies intact, but the production is often a notch too modern, distracting from the group's period style and material. With the band's original recordings widely available, this volume is reallyonly for completist superfans. Everyone else should pick up "The Very Best of Brian Poole and the Tremeloes" for the early Decca sides, and Castle's "Very Best of the Tremeloes" for the post-Poole years on CBS. Those wanting a whole lot more of the post-Poole material should check out the 82-track "Here Comes My Baby: The Ultimate Collection." 2-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [©2007 hyperbolium dot com]"