Curtis Baker & The Bravehearts - "By Hook Or By Crook" (2:55)
Floyd James & The GTs - "The Switchback" (3:01)
Review: Original Gravity serve up yet two more contemporary soul tracks; sides A and B on this latest 7" are shared by Curtis Baker & The Bravehearts and Floyd James & The GTs respectively. The A's 'By Hook Or By Crook' recounts the all-to-relatable feeling of stopping at nothing to get what one wants, while 'The Switchback' ups the big beats and big halls for a roomy guit-funk come mod romp. Yet another delight to add to the OG Newtonians' pile.
Review: For a classic 7" that makes you wish you could have experienced the rock and roll and blues heyday, these two dusty gems by Lavern Baker and Jackie Wilson are a great start. Taken from 1960, "Bumble Bees" by Baker is a chiming, doo-wop sing-a-long love song with a tastefully disgruntled character, while Baker & Wilson provide the excellent and X-rated "Think Twice", which sings about taboo topics like cocaine, pussy and reefa. It also boasts lyrics like 'son of a bitch', 'I aint gonna kiss your ass no more' and 'I've had enough of your shit' - not to mention the other out-there obscenities for the time which include references to oral sex. Lil Kim and Khia - eat your heart out!
Review: This is a vinyl release of the original soundtrack for Joe 90, a 1968 British science-fiction television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. The soundtrack was composed and conducted by Barry Gray, a prolific British composer who worked on many of Anderson's shows, such as Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. The soundtrack features Gray's distinctive style of orchestral music, blending classical influences with jazz and pop and electronic elements. The release includes 24 tracks selected from the show's score, pressed on two LPs with orange and blue vinyl, and also features new artwork by illustrator Eric Chu, depicting the main character Joe McClaine and his many eccentric gadgets.
Review: Initially put forward as a potential Beatles single during the mid 1990s 'Anthology' period but shelved due to objections from George Harrison, 'Now and Then' has been trailed as the iconic band's 'final single'. It's re-emergence now in finished form (it was completed partially using AI, but also some studio trickery by Giles Martin) ties in with the reissue of the band's two 1973 'best of' compilations (the so-called 'Red' and 'Blue' collections). Like their two singles of the 90s, it features Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and the late George Harrison finishing off an early 70s John Lennon demo, with a little help from producer Jeff Lynne. It comes backed with a freshly remixed, 'proper' stereo version of their debut single, 'Love Me Do', thus completing the band's musical journey once and for all.
Review: Billed as "the last Beatles song", though originally stemming from a solo piano home demo recorded by John Lennon in 1979, 'Now & Then' was first considered to be used as the band's third reunion single for their 1995-96 retrospective The Beatles Anthology, following 'Free As A Bird' and 'Real Love'. Shelved for decades before eventually being completed by Lennon's surviving bandmates, the recording now finally sees the light of day, on a variety of limited double A-side 7" vinyl complimented by the band's debut single 'Love Me Do', as well as this CD single and retroactively being included on the tracklist for the upcoming half-speed remaster of their 1967-1970 Blue Album compilation. With additionally penned lyrics from McCartney, and Lennon's voice extracted from the original demo recording using the same AI-backed audio restoration technology that was commissioned by director Peter Jackson for his acclaimed 2021 documentary The Beatles: Get Back, this is one final slice of audible greatness.
Review: There are as many opinions on 'Now & Then' as there are people, but regardless of your own thoughts on this revived Lennon sketch there's no denying the arrival of the final Beatles single has been one of the major musical events of 2023. Collectors and completists, meanwhile, of which we gather The Beatles have more than a few, will be trampling on top of each other to get hold of these Japanese editions of the single.
Review: The Beatles' EP From Us To You #3 captures a 1964 BBC session that encapsulates the band's early charm and infectious energy. Featuring a whopping ten tracks, it was recorded in the BBC's Paris Studios in Regent Street, London and fact fans will note that 'Honey Don't which was later included on the album Beatles For Sale and sung by Ringo, here features John on the vocals. Elsewhere the EP captures the band's irresistible melodies and tight harmonies with three of the tunes originally penned by the band's favourite rockabilly star Carl Perkins. Each song is a testament to The Beatles' enduring influence on popular music and overall serves as a timeless reminder of the band's unmatched creativity which continues to this day with new AI-produced singles that the much talked about one earlier in the year.
Review: The second BBC bank holiday Beatles special From Us To You was recorded on February 28, 1964, at BBC Piccadilly Studios and it aired a month later on Easter Monday, March 30. Hosted by DJ Alan Freeman, the set featured The Beatles' debut performance of 'You Can't Do That,' which had been recorded just two days earlier. Initially considered for their next single, it was later placed as the B-side to 'Can't Buy Me Love,' which came in March of that year. Bonus tracks included here from the August 1964 show are 'Boys' and 'Long Tall Sally,' which serve to highlight the band's evolving repertoire and their energetic live performances during this period.
Review: The Blue Flames' self-titled EP comes on 7" and follows up the well-received A Snapshot In Time CD compilation from last year. The group's singles are archetypal 50s and 60s soundtracks and have become highly in demand and collectible. Their proto-mod sound is truly distinctive and shines though her with tunes that have never before been available on vinyl. They are instrumentals as the lead singer had been told it was best for him to not sing outside of live shows. They come recorded in mono, like much music of the time, and with liner notes from Dean Rudland and all sound fantastic.
Review: Formed in Harrow in 1964, The Bo Street Runners were a short-lived r&b blues-hued garage rock band that reflected the signs and sounds of the time. Standing up to their peers pretty well, it's a case of instability killing the cat rather than a lack of ideas, with nine members going through the lineup in the two years the group were officially active for. Among them were future Fleetwood Mac drummer, Mick Fleetwood and vocalist Mike Patto, who some may remember from outfits such as Spooky Tooth, Patto and Boxer. Bo Street Runners is one of just four singles the troupe did for Decca, a brief back catalogue that culminated in a single extended player. This is a small but insightful introduction to their sound and a clear sign of just how good they were.
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