Eclipse ReissuesVarious Eclipse July 24th 2006
‘Eclipse’: A brand new old fashioned record label headed by Saint Etienne's Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs launches…After the success of their compilation The Trip last year, Wiggs and Stanley decided to take matters into their own hands, and Universal Music Catalogue happily gave them an imprint that lay dormant in the vaults – ECLIPSE – for the much-loved pop duo to raid the far corners of the company’s archives. And that's a big old archive – at their fingertips they have the listings for Philips, Decca, A&M, Island, Polydor, Mercury, ABC, Dunhill, MCA and many more. They will work alongside the catalogue department to produce individual works of stunning musical beauty. The first of Eclipse’s releases come in the form of offerings from Dusty Springfield, The Peddlers, Chris Montez and a damn fine UK Beat Girls compilation. 1. THE PEDDLERS: ‘SUITE LONDON’The Peddlers were labelled - somewhat unfairly - as a middle of the road outfit, possibly because Roy Phillips blues-drenched voice and the trio’s line-up came off with a sophisticated jazz edge. Also their 1968 CBS album ‘Three In A Cell’ was for many years a charity shop staple, suggesting that its popularity at the time had been followed by exile into the world of the unfashionable. But it was ‘Suite London’ which showcased a style of atmospherics on the slow tracks that saw their version of Alan Lerner’s ‘On A Clear Day’ being sampled by freak funk outfit and London club pioneers Sandals for their 1992 single ‘Nothing’. However it was the strange combination of The Peddlers with The London Philharmonic Orchestra, recorded as their final album with the band’s original line-up, that was the true find. Whilst ‘Suite London’ is quite clearly a homage to London, this is not strictly a concept album: certain tracks evoke and pay obvious homage to the great city, whereas the rest of the album builds up a cinematic atmosphere. ‘I Have Seen’, a five minute epic of strings, electric piano, organ, drums and bass, is just one of the album's high spots. That the Zero 7 – who after all are considered to be an electronic dance act - version of this should sound almost exactly the same as the original is a testament to how ahead of its time this band were. Eclipse’s Peddlers package doesn’t end there however, as they have gathered up 6 tracks that appeared as singles whilst the band were back at Philips. Track Listing:
2. DUSTY SPRINGFIELD: ‘COMPLETE A&B SIDES: 1963-1970’A vision in monochrome, eyes sooty with mascara, hair piled up to perfection, and a sequinned dress so glamorous that it suggests we could barely inhabit the same planet: the high contrast photo that adorned the cover of Dusty Springfield's Greatest Hits was iconic. In it's so-sharp black and white, there was much mystique - it was as much about what you couldn't see - which is exactly as it should be. These days Dusty is a gay icon, seemingly celebrated for her troubles and insecurities as much as she is for her records. For those who like pop music to have myth and legend, the ability to take you over the rooftops and out of your skin, the run of 45s on this compilation is all you really need to know about Dusty Springfield. After all, she was a perfectionist. While contemporaries cranked out two, even three albums year, Dusty would agonise over each one and only released five during the sixties. As for singles... the unerring quality of the b-sides says it all. It's easy to say that they were good enough for other people's a-sides, because frequently they were. No rush-released covers of Those Were The Days, or half-baked songs with the manager's name in the credits, not for Dusty. Time has proved her instincts right. From the moment she heard The Exciters' Tell Him on a '63 New York trip and dissolved The Springfields, to her prescient recordings in Philadelphia seven years later, Dusty never let udown. Her quality control and other-worldly talent has leant the songs on this compilation timelessness. They will never grow old. Viva La Springfield! Tracklisting: CD1:
CD2:
3. ‘GIRLS ARE AT IT AGAIN: UK BEAT GIRLS 1964-1969’ The Brit girl emerged at the tail end of America’s pop renaissance and on the brink of a British beat boom, sweetly situated between the Ronettes and the Rolling Stones, and in the care of producers and writers who thrived on pop’s endless possibilities. Up until 1963, female singers had to make do with Brenda Lee hand-me-downs and obvious American standards. Even Helen Shapiro, EMI’s proud bastion of the 1961 teenage girl, still exemplified the adult vision of pop. It would take an influx of self-contained boy bands and fanatical producers to overthrow the old guard and redefine the music biz in British terms—with American pop as a point of reference rather than the template. Once England found its edge, the productions—whether homemade or American-ripped—bore a distinctive U.K. sound. Producers and writers raised on America’s vast palette of pop showed a determination to outdo their U.S. competition and found willing guinea pigs in scores of singing schoolgirls. Together they breathed new life into female pop, spiking the Tin Pan Alley formula with folk, beat, and boundless Britpop dreams. Quality was always high, and the hunger for a hit audible on every release. Come 1964, one could barely keep track of the legions of girls waiting to get on tape. Girl pop reproduced at a frightening rate, but without a Brian Epstein or Andrew Loog Oldham to whisk you from the coat check counter to Friday night appearances on Ready, Steady, Go!, there was no thanking your lucking stars for many of these gals. The pop charts were swift and unjust, barring even the most fabulous of 45s from a fair shot. Thus the no-name Brit girl quickly settled back into her civilian life, It is driven and dedicated girl pop collectors who slaughtered the Brit girl inferiority myth and prompted reissue labels to revisit the vaults for the rare masters. Following the Here Come The Girls and Dream Babes compilations, Girls Are At It Again drives the Brit Girl argument even further, with its all access pass to the Polydor, Philips, Fontana, and Mercury labels where lives the overlooked artifacts from Tracy Rogers, Claire Francis, and Diane Lancaster. As those of us who have ventured beyond Cilla and Sandie well know, so much of the good stuff hails from these lesser-known ladies.
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4. CHRIS MONTEZ: ‘CALL ME: THE A&M YEARS’ Chris Montez, born Ezekiel Christopher Montanez in Hawthorne, California to Mexican parents, is best known in the UK for his classic 1962 rocker Let’s Dance. Previously unknown on these shores, he had already established a successful touring career in the USA - inspired and influenced by Ritchie Valens (who he had met for 15 minutes as a young teenager), by the age of 17 he was a true Chicano rock pioneer. He toured alongside Sam Cooke and Smokey Robinson in 1960 and had his first single She’s My Rockin’ Baby. Following the massive success of Let’s Dance in the UK, Some Kinda Fun hit the Top Ten at the end of January 1963. This coincided with a UK tour in which Chris headlined over a popular young English group called The Beatles. His press officer for the tour was the even younger Andrew Loog Oldham. Fond memories remain of this tour as Chris recalls: “Paul and George had disappeared for a day or two and when they Many of the songs on this compilation, despite being standards, were unknown to Chris, but most were perfected in just a few takes. Songs which would seem Tracklisting:
Beyond these initial four releases are untold riches. Expect regular batches of four at a time. The artwork will always be beautiful, the notes neat and informative, from real music lovers and the best pop writers around, for real music lovers everywhere. For press enquiries contact: Ruth Clarke ruth@bestest.co.uk 020 7608 4596 |