.................................the blog nobody reads: "The Immediate Singles Collection" - Vols 1-6

This is really interesting and TWILIGHTZONE does it again with the compilations of rarified source material . . . . . . Immediate were the most interesting label and the singles were as varied as Cat Stevens to PP Arnold, even Nico to Rod Stewart’s early work, even mod origins of The Small Faces to Chris Farlowe and to the more rarefied beginnings of The John Mayall Bluesbreakers, The Nice and Fleetwood Mac and even Jimmy Tarbuck (yes really! - Americans he was a friend of The Beatles and sometime comic after trying a career as a singer. His daughter is the brilliant writer and comedienne Liza Tarbuck). All go to show that eclectic mix and then some as the accompanying text explains written and reviewed by Becky Berkit

The orchestrations here and the Andrew Loog Oldham productions reveal a fascinating side to early British pop and is well worth check not only for the singers and several band’s beginnings but the songwriting and arrangements too

"The Immediate Singles Collection" - cd 1

This extravagant six-CD set documents the astonishing life span of the first pop independent label in the U.K., Immediate Records. Founded in 1965, Immediate flipped, flopped, and staggered its own way, competing against unhip American labels like EMI and Decca until late 1969...

...The label, and the documentary CD set, showcases in particular the Small Faces, who enjoyed a brief U.K. number one hit, Ogden's Nut Gone Flake. More familiar to American listeners will no doubt be the three-chord sock-hop favorite "Hang on Sloopy" by the McCoys, and a number of covers of familiar American folk-rock hits are present as well. The esoteric collector will appreciate inclusions by such café balladeers as the Poets and Les Fleurs-de-Lis, also signed by Immediate before the advent of the swinging London sound, marked by the Rolling Stones revolution and other mod developers influencing the pants off the tiniest studio cover bands. Immediate also helped sculpt the success of anguished bellower Chris Farlowe, soon to be joined by the similarly throaty vibrato of PP Arnold and, of course, manager/producer Andrew Oldham's best toss of the dice, the Small Faces, whom he ripped away from Decca. By the fourth disc, you are, in fact, in the throes of swinging London, featuring Farlowe's heart-stopping "Yesterday's Papers" and Arnold's "The First Cut Is the Deepest," written by the much-in-demand Cat Stevens. Most of the music is minimal and often out of tune, production at an early-time low, replete with tinny echoes and accidental outtake moments. The most successfully recorded instruments seem to be the sitars, baroque strings, and arpeggio harpsichord riffs that "translate" well under Immediate's studio circumstances. Notable moments: Small Faces' "Here Comes the Nice" and "Itchycoo Park," Murray Head's "She Was Perfection," and the Marquis of Kensington's Kinks/new vaudeville hybrid, "Changing of the Guard." This is a luxurious, overcollected document that could be easily managed on one museum-piece disc, although it would be hard cull dozens of small contributions by say, drop-ins Nico, Rod Stewart, and Mick Fleetwood. The jewel on the record is without question the Mike D’Arbo written (sung not by Manfred Man but by Chris Farlowe) of "Handbags and Glad Rags":

"They told me you missed school today
So what I suggest you just throw them all away
The handbags and the gladrags
That your poor old granddad
Had to sweat to buy you."

Very British, very Immediate.

- Review by Becky Byrkit

disc 1:
1 Hang On Sloopy - The McCoys 2 I Can't Explain It - The McCoys 3 The Bells Of Rhymney - The Fifth Avenue 4 Just Like Anyone Would Do - The Fifth Avenue 5 I'm Not Sayin' - Nico 6 The Last Mile - Nico 7 Down In The Boondocks - Gregory Phillips 8 That's The One - Gregory Phillips 9 She Belongs To Me - The Masterminds 10 Taken My Love - The Masterminds 11 Call Again - The Poets 12 Some Things I Can't Forget - The Poets 13 Cara-Lin - The Strangeloves 14 (Roll On) Mississippi - The Strangeloves 15 Gotta Get Away - Van Lenton 16 You Don't Care - Van Lenton 17 In My Lonely Room - The Factotums 18 A Run In The Green And Tangerine Flaked Forest - The Factotums 19 The Monkey Time - The Golden Apples Of The Sun 20 Chocolate Rolls, Tea & Monopoly - The Golden Apples Of The Sun 21 You Can't Buy My Love - Barbara Lynn 22 That's What A Friend Will Do - Barbara Lynn 23 I'm Your Witchdoctor - John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers 24 Telephone Blues - John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers 25 Mary Anne - Glyn Johns 26 Like Grains Of Yellow Sand - Glyn Johns 27 I'm So Confused - Mick Softley 28 She's My Girl - Mick Softley 29 You Stole My Love - The Mockingbirds 30 Skit Skat - The Mockingbirds

disc 2:
1 The Fool - Chris Farlowe 2 Treat Her Good - Chris Farlowe 3 Down & Out - Joey Vine 4 The Out Of Towner - Joey Vine 5 Someday - Jimmy Tarbuck 6 Wastin' Time - Jimmy Tarbuck 7 The Man With All The Toys - The Variations 8 She'll Know I'm Sorry - The Variations 9 Moondreams - Les Fleur De Lys 10 Wait For Me - Les Fleur De Lys 11 Fever - The McCoys 12 Sorrow - The McCoys 13 You're So Good To Me - The Factotums 14 Can't Go Home Anymore My Love - The Factotums 15 Think - Chris Farlowe 16 Don't Just Look At Me - Chris Farlowe 17 Baby Don't You Do It - The Poets 18 I'll Come Home - The Poets 19 So Much In Love - Charles Dickens 20 Our Soul Brother Th - Charles Dickens 21 Going Back - Goldie 22 Headlines - Goldie 23 Girl Don't Tell Me - Tony Rivers & The Castaways 24 The Girl From Salt Lake City - Tony Rivers & The Castaways 25 Don't Worry Mother, Your Son's Heart Is Pure - The McCoys 26 Ko-Ko - The McCoys 27 Up And Down - The McCoys 28 If You Tell A Lie - The McCoys 29 Softly Softly - The London Waits 30 Serenadio - The London Waits

disc 3
1 You Baby - The Turtles 2 Wanderin' Kind - The Turtles 3 Circles - Les Fleur De Lys So Come On - Les Fleur De Lys 5 Sittin' On A Fence - Twice As Much 6 Baby I Want You - Twice As Much 7 Runaway - The McCoys 8 Come On Let's Go - The McCoys 9 Out Of Time - Chris Farlowe 10 Baby Make It Soon - Chris Farlowe 11 Step Out Of Line - Twice As Much 12 Simplified - Twice As Much 13 (You Make Me Feel) So Good - The McCoys 14 Everyday I Have To Cry - The McCoys 15 Ride On Baby - Chris Farlowe 16 Headlines - Chris Farlowe 17 True Story - Twice As Much 18 You're So Good For Me - Twice As Much 19 Everything's Gonna Be Alright - P.P. Arnold 20 Life Is But Nothing - P.P. Arnold 21 My Way Of Giving - Chris Farlowe 22 You're So Good For Me - Chris Farlowe 23 Crystal Ball - Twice As Much 24 Why Can't They All Go And Leave Me Alone - Twice As Much 25 (Tell Me) Have You Ever Seen Me - The Apostolic Intervention 26 Madame Garcia - The Apostolic Intervention 27 Big City - Nicky Scott 28 Everything's Gonna Be Alright - Nicky Scott

disc 4

1 Backstreet Girl - Nicky Scott 2 Chain Reaction - Nicky Scott 3 I Got To Go Back - The McCoys 4 Dynamite - The McCoys 5 The First Cut Is The Deepest - P.P. Arnold 6 Speak To Me - P.P. Arnold 7 Monday Monday - Mort Shuman Iv 8 Little Children - Mort Shuman Iv 9 Yesterday's Papers - Chris Farlowe 10 Life Is But Nothing - Chris Farlowe 11 Here Comes The Nice - The Small Faces 12 Talk To You - The Small Faces 13 The Changing Of The Guard - Marquis Of Kensington 14 Reverse Thrust - Marquis Of Kensington's Minstrels 15 She Was Perfection - Murray Head 16 Secondhand Monday - Murray Head 17 Black Sheep R.I.P - The Australian Playboys 18 Sad - The Australian Playboys 19 The Time Has Come - P.P. Arnold 20 If You See What I Mean - P.P. Arnold 21 Moanin' - Chris Farlowe 22 What Have I Been Doing - Chris Farlowe 23 Itchycoo Park - The Small Faces 24 I'm Only Dreaming - The Small Faces 25 Sticks And Stones - Warm Sounds 26 Angeline - Warm Sounds 27 The Thoughts Of Emerlist Davjack - The Nice 28 Azrial (Angel Of Death) - The Nice

disc 5:

1 Little Miss Understood - Rod Stewart 2 So Much To Say - Rod Stewart 3 (If You Think You're) Groovy - P.P. Arnold 4 Though It Hurts Me Badly - P.P. Arnold 5 Tin Soldier - The Small Faces 6 I Feel Much Better - The Small Faces 7 Would You Believe - Billy Nicholls 8 Daytime Girl - Billy Nicholls 9 Lazy Sunday - The Small Faces 10 Rollin' Over (Part Ii Of Happiness Stan) - The Small Faces 11 Handbags & Gladrags - Chris Farlowe 12 Everyone Makes A Mistake - Chris Farlowe 13 The Last Goodbye - Chris Farlowe 14 Paperman Fly In The Sky - Chris Farlowe 15 Angel Of The Morning - P.P. Arnold 16 Great Train Robbery - The Outer Limits 17 Sweet Freedom - The Outer Limits 18 America - The Nice 19 The Diamond Hard Blue Apples Of The Moon - The Nice 20 The Universal - The Small Faces 21 Donkey Rides, A Penny A Glass - The Small Faces 22 On The Bombsite - Duncan Browne 23 Alfred Bell - Duncan Browne

disc 6:

1 Paint It Black - Chris Farlowe 2 I Just Need Your Loving - Chris Farlowe 3 Brandenburger - The Nice 4 Happy Freuds - The Nice 5 (If Paradise Is) Half As Nice - The Amen Corner 6 Hey Hey Girl - The Amen Corner 7 Dawn - Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds 8 April Was The Month - Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds 9 (See The Little People) Gulliver Travels - Michael D'abo 10 An Anthology Of Gulliver's Travels (Part Two) - Michael D'abo 11 This Is Where We Came In - The McCoys 12 Afterglow Of Your Love - The Small Faces 13 Wham Bam Thank You Man - The Small Faces 14 Man Of The World - Fleetwood Mac 15 Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonite - Earl Vince & The Valiants (Fleetwood Mac) 16 Hello Susie - The Amen Corner 17 Evil Man's Gonna Win - The Amen Corner 18 Natural Born Bugie - Humble Pie 19 Wrist Job - Humble Pie 20 Get Back - The Amen Corner 21 Farewell To The Real Magnificent Seven - The Amen Corner 22 Sylvie - The Hill 23 The Fourth Annual Convention Of The Battery Hen Farmers Association (Part 2) - The Hill

Links to relevant pages here:

The Immediate Singles Collection CD 1

The Immediate Singles Collection CD 2

The Immediate Singles Collection CD 3

The Immediate Singles Collection CD 4

The Immediate Singles Collection CD 5

The Immediate Singles Collection CD 6