Archive label, CHERRY RED RECORDS have just released a wonderful double CD that will resonate with all sorts of different groups of music collectors – lovers of 60s pop, the mod brigade, fans of cult UK producer Joe Meek and, importantly from our perspective, collectors of classy 60s Brit pop covers of classic soul tunes.
The album is ‘Please Stay’ from second generation Merseybeat band, The Cryin’ Shames. The band were formed in Liverpool in 1963 and were originally called The Bumblies. They were part of the second wave of Merseybeat bands who came just after the Beatles Blitzkrieg. The Bumblies were an authentic mod band and their live shows featured plenty of enthusiastic soul covers along with what was to be later dubbed “freak beat”.
They auditioned for maverick UK music producer, Joe Meek who liked what he heard and after a deal had been struck, the boys released their debut single – a sombre, haunting cover of the Drifters’ ‘Please Stay’. It was a minor hit (indeed producer Meek’s final chart entry). The B side, by the way, was called ‘What’s News Pussycat’ – not the Tom Jones classic; rather a mash up of the sound of the Stones and Bob Dylan! The band’s second single was another sombre affair – ‘Nobody Waved Goodbye’ with the beaty ‘You’ on the flip. And that was that. The Cryin’ Shames released just those two 45s – though a later offshoot – Paul And Ritchie And The Crying Shames released one further single while one time band member Derek Cleary formed a band called Friendly Persuasion who released a Meek-produced single.
Hardly enough there for a double CD – however, with access to Joe Meek’s archive (lovingly known as the “Tea Chest Tapes”), the team at Cherry Red have dug out a mass of unreleased recordings to create a massive 50 tracker on the Cryin’ Shames and their offshoots!
What you get are (of course) all the single releases, alternative takes of those tunes (there are five takes of ‘Please Stay’ as an example), the original audition songs, lots of material that Meek and his team cut on the band but never got round to releasing, live recordings and BBC sessions. Thus, amongst a myriad of 60s treasures, covers collectors can enjoy energic versions of things like Chris Kenner’s ‘Land Of 1,000 Dances’, The Marvelettes’ ‘I’ll Keep Holding On’, Marvin Gaye’s ‘Your’e A Wonderful One’ and ‘No Good Without You Baby‘ and the Temptations’ ‘My Girl’ alongside covers of Bob Dylan and Jagger/Richard offerings. Then there’s all the band’s original songs – a mix of classic Merseybeat with a hint of embryonic psychedelia. It’s a quite a cocktail – and I can assure you as someone who was actually there at the time – this sonic cocktail is the authentic sound of mid 60s mod club land – a heady, nostalgic brew!
This album comes with detailed notes from the Joe Meek Society’s Craig Newton and the booklet includes rare band photos and pictures of original tape boxes. Out now!
