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The British Invasion (Minus Some of Its Major Players)

Steve Vrana | Aurora, NE | 03/02/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Overall, this is a satisfying collection of some of the biggest songs of the British Invasion. However, there are some issues to consider:1) This 3-CD set is just under two hours in length. Why isn't it simply a 2-CD collection? Put 1964-65 (all of disc one and disc two, tracks 1-8) on one disc, and 1966-67 on the other. [Of course, the obvious answer is you can't charge as much for a 2-disc set.]2) When I think of the British Invasion, I think of the songs by British acts that were huge hits in America. At least a dozen of these songs (though hits in England) didn't even dent the Top 40 here, like The Merseybeats "I Think of You" or The Move's Flowers in the Rain." And if you're going to include The Yardbirds (and you should), give us "For Your Love" or "Heart Full of Soul," not "Little Games." The same with Cilla Black. Her lone U.S. hit was "You're My World," not "Anyone Who Had a Heart." And while "Nights in White Satin" was released in 1967, it didn't crack the Top 40 in the U.S. until 1972! A better choice would have been to include "Go Now!" from 1965.3)I'm sure it had to do with licensing, but to add to the previous reviewer's list, where are The Bee Gees? The Rolling Stones? Them? Petula Clark? And if you couldn't get the rights for The Beatles Capitol material, just leave them out. "Ain't She Sweet" is a 1961 recording and it only charted in 1964 because anything in 1964 by The Beatles sold records. Besides, The Beatles would still be represented by Silkie's cover of "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away," and by the songs they wrote for Billy J. Kramer and Peter & Gordon.4)It would have been nice to have each artist represented by only one or two songs. Did we really need all three of The Troggs U.S. hits? [Besides "Love Is All Around" didn't chart here until 1968, which is outside the time frame of this collection.] This could have made room for other British Invasion classics like The Easybeats' "Friday on My Mind," Unit 4 + 2's "Concrete and Clay," and The New Vaudeville Band's "Winchester Cathedral." [In fact, a 3-CD set could conceivably hold four hours of music, and these 54 tracks clock in at under two hours.]However, looking at the big picture, this collection gives you some of the biggest hits--and most frequently anthologized ("You Really Got Me," "Wild Thing")--along with some forgotten gems ("Diane," "Have I the Right?"). If you're in need of a British Invasion fix, this will do the trick. RECOMMENDED"

Sure, it could be better, but this is still a solid overview

Lawrance M. Bernabo | The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota | 02/04/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Granted, trying to put together a set of CDs to represent the British Invasion is opening a Pandora's box because it is pretty easy for any music fan to complain about the songs that got away. Anybody who has built their music library through CD clubs knows that the Beatles and the early Rolling Stones are not to be had by such means and this strict control over their music extends to hit collections. Consequently, any look at the British Invasion is going to start in a monumental hole because of those two glaring omissions, and including "Ain't She Sweet" from when the Beatles backed up Tony Sheridan as a "Beatles" song only underscores the problem. You should know that "British Invasion: 1963-1967" is also missing tracks from another trio of major artists that crossed the Pond during that time, namely the Dave Clark Five, Herman's Hermits, and Petula Clark. But even if the class is less than half full, what is left is still pretty good and any true music fan should have other CDs in their collection that will help fill in the gaps.



One of the nice things about this 3-CD set from Hip-O is that there is a thematic approach with each disc, although there is also serious overlap. Disc 1 covers the early days of Merseybeat, the original sound of the British Invasion. Combining elements of both American rock & roll and R&B with British skiffle, this was the sound of the earliest Beatles records ("Please Please Me" and "Love Me Do"). Named for the Mersey River in Liverpool, other groups from the city played in the same style: Gerry & the Pacemakers ("Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying"), Billy J. Kramer ("Little Children"), and the Searchers ("Needles and Pins"). If the Beatles are not really here, at least Lennon & McCartney are writing a song for Peter & Gordon or being covered by Silkie (on the next disc).



Disc 2 shows the growing sophistication of both pop and hard rock by early 1964 when more R&B oriented bands like the Rolling Stones, the Kinks ("A Well Respected Man"), Manfred Mann ("Doo Waa Diddy") and the Zombies ("She's Not There") took over, along with pop groups like the Hollies ("Bus Stop") and the Fortunes ("You've Got the Troubles"). Of course, the Beatles had already abandoned the Merseybeat sound as they made their seminal albums "Rubber Soul" and "Revolver." My standard rule of thumb with hits collections is whether each disc can give you at least five choice songs to add to your music library, and chances are of the three in this collection this one is where you will come out ahead the most because you probably have nothing by the Honeycombs ("Have I the Right?"), Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames ("Yeh Yeh"), or the Merseys ("Sorrow").



Finally, Disc 3 shows the influences of psychedelia but mainly details the wide variety of the British music scene by 1967. Along with Engleburt Humperdinck ("Release Me") and Lulu ("To Sir With Love") you also have early Traffic ("Paper Sun") and early Cat Stevens ("The First Cut is the Deepest"), along with Procol Harum ("A Whiter Shade of Pale") and the Moody Blues ("Nights in White Satin"). When you compare that last track, the final one in the collection, with the first ones, you can see exactly how far British music had come in such a relatively short period of time. Again, you will find some nice little songs that chances are you have not heard before, such as Wayne Fontana's "Pamela, Pamela," as well as ones you probably have not heard for a while, such as Move's "Flowers in the Rain."



Ultimately, "British Invasion: 1963-1967" is a potato chip collection. You are not going to be satisfied, even after you listen to all 54-tracks. Not only will you miss the groups that have been omitted, but for the ones that are included hearing one song will remind you of another. If you think of the Animals, for example, three songs immediately come to mind and "See See Rider" is not one of them, and the same thing applies to "Little Games" representing the Yardbirds. Relatively few artists get more than one bite of the apple: Billy J. Kraemer and the Dakotas, Dusty Springfield, Gerry & the Pacemakers, the Who, the Kinks, Donovan, the Spencer Davis Group, and Cat Stevens. But one clear sign that the people who put this collection knew what they were doing was that in addition to the obvious inclusion of "Wild Thing" for the Troggs, they also have "Love Is All Around," which was actually more representative of the group's sound. We can all quibble about the breadth and depth of these 54-tracks, but at the very least this is still a sound introduction to this revolutionary musical period."

More like a Scouting Party

Lawrance M. Bernabo | 03/16/2004

(2 out of 5 stars)

"This 3 CD set is too limited. It's more like a scouting party than a full blown invasion. A better choice would be the 9 volume "The British Invasion: The History of British Rock" from Rhino. There are 20 cuts on each CD and is way more comprehensive. If you are simply looking for some of the early British groups this one is marginally passable, but for the best in-depth compilation go for the Rhino set."