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 "Itchypoo 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 Faces version (sung not by Stewart but by Chris Farlowe) of "Handbags and Glad rags": "They told me you missed school today, So I suggest you just throw it all away, The handbags and glad rags that your granddads had to sweat, So you could buy." Very British, very Immediate.
by Becky Byrkit
Tracks
Disc 1
1. The McCoys - Hang On Sloopy (Russell, Farrell) - 3:04
2. The McCoys - I Can't Explain It (Feldman, Goldstein, Gottehrer) - 2:27
3. The Fifth Avenue - The Bells Of Rhymney (Davies, Seeger) - 2:52
4. The Fifth Avenue - Just Like Anyone Would Do (Jimmy Page) - 2:20
5. Nico - I'm Not Sayin (Lightfoot) - 2:49
6. Nico - The Last Mile (Oldham, Page) - 2:29
7. Gregory Phillips - Down In The Boondocks (South) - 2:37
8. Gregory Phillips - That's The One (Oldham, Page) - 2:38
9. The Masterminds - She Belongs To Me (Dylan) - 2:44
10.The Masterminds - Taken My Love (Meakin, Cassidy) - 2:46
11.The Poets - Call Again (George Gallacher, Paton) - 2:23
12.The Poets - Some Things I Can't Forget (Gallacher, Paton) - 1:50
13.The Strangeloves - Cara-Lin (Feldman, Goldstein, Gottehrer) - 2:31
14.The Strangeloves - (Roll On) Mississippi (Feldman, Goldstein, Gottehrer) - 2:26
15.Van Lenton - Gotta Get Away (Crompton, Jones) - 2:48
16.Van Lenton - You Don't Care (Crompton, Jones) - 2:08
17.The Factotums - In My Lonely Room (Carter-Lewis, Ford) - 2:00
18.The Factotums - Run In The Green And Tangerine Flaked Forest (Oldham) - 2:18
19.Golden Apples Of The Sun - The Monkey Time (Mayfield) - 2:51
20.Golden Apples Of The Sun - Chocolate Rolls, Tea And Monopoly (Oldham) - 2:29
21.Barbara Lynn - You Can't Buy My Love (Billy Babineaux, Bobby Babineaux) - 1:56
22.Barbara Lynn - That's What A Friend Will Do (B. L. Ozen) - 2:31
23.John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers - I'm Your Witchdoctor (Mayall) - 2:10
24.John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers - Telephone Blues (Mayall) - 3:56
25.Glyn Johns - Mary Anne (Lordan) - 2:37
26.Glyn Johns - Like Grains Of Yellow Sand (Johns, Oliver) - 3:02
27.Mick Softley - I'm So Confused (Softley) - 2:50
28.Mick Softley - She's My Girl (Eden) - 1:57
29.Mockingbirds - You Stole My Love (Graham Gouldman) - 2:40
30.Mockingbirds - Skit Skat (Graham Gouldman) - 2:02
Disc 2
1. Chris Farlowe - The Fool (Hazlewood) - 3:03
2. Chris Farlowe - Treat Her Good (Deighton) - 2:00
3. Joey Vine - Down And Out (J. Levine) - 2:51
4. Joey Vine - The Out Of Towner (J. Levine) - 2:31
5. Jimmy Tarbuck - Someday (Hodges) - 2:18
6. Jimmy Tarbuck - Wastin' Time (Jagger, Richard) - 2:28
7. The Variations - The Man With All The Toys (Wilson) - 2:11
8. The Variations - She'll Know I'm Sorry (Raven) - 2:33
9. Les Fleur De Lys - Moondreams (Petty) - 2:27
10.Les Fleur De Lys - Wait For Me (Jimmy Page) - 2:22
11.The McCoys - Fever (Cooley, Davenport) - 2:48
12.The McCoys - Sorrow (Feldman, Goldstein, Gottehrer) - 2:03
13.The Factotums - You're So Good To Me (Brian Wilson) - 2:07
14.The Factotums - Can't Go Home Anymore My Love (D. Gerrard) - 2:10
15.Chris Farlowe - Think (Jagger, Richards) - 3:35
16.Chris Farlowe - Don't Just Look At Me (Oldham, Russell) - 2:43
17.The Poets - Baby Don't You Do It (Holland, Dozier, Holland) - 2:27
18.The Poets - I'll Come Home (Gallacher, Paton) - 2:06
19.Charles Dickens - So Much In Love (Jagger, Richard) - 2:43
20.Charles Dickens - Our Soul Brothers (Oldham) - 2:37
21.Goldie - Going Back (Goffin, King) - 2:27
22.Goldie - Headlines (Oldham) - 3:37
23.Tony Rivers And The Castaways - Girl Don't Tell Me (Wilson) - 2:44
24.Tony Rivers And The Castaways - Girl From Salt Lake City (Wilson) - 1:58
25.The McCoys - (You Make Me Feel) So Good (Zehringer) - 3:15
26.The McCoys - Ko-Ko (Feldman, Goldstein, Gottehrer) - 2:17
27.The McCoys - Up And Down (Lambert, Pegues) - 2:36
28.The McCoys - If You Tell A Lie (Feldman, Goldstein, Gottehrer) - 1:58
29.The London Waits - Softly Softly (The Theme From The BBC-TV Series) (Fry) - 2:35
30.The London Waits - Serenadio (Italian Serenade) (Spiegel, Wild) - 2:54
Disc 3
1. The Turtles - You Baby (Sloan, Barri) - 2:16
2. The Turtles - Wanderin' Kind (Kaylan) - 2:06
3. Les Fleur De Lys - Circles (Townshend) - 3:02
4. Les Fleur De Lys - So Come On (Smith, Sawyer) - 1:49
5. Twice As Much - Sittin' On A Fence (Jagger, Richard) - 3:10
6. Twice As Much - Baby I Want You (Rose, Skinner) - 2:14
7. The McCoys - Runaway (Feldman, Goldstein, Gottehrer) - 2:35
8. The McCoys - Come On, Let's Go (Valens) - 2:38
9. Chris Farlowe - Out Of Time (Jagger, Richard) - 3:31
10.Chris Farlowe - Baby Make It Soon (Oldham, Woolfson) - 2:16
11.Twice As Much - Step Out Of Line (Rose, Skinner) - 3:05
12. Twice As Much - Simplified (Rose, Skinner) - 3:52
13.The McCoys - Don't Worry Mother (Your Son's Heart Is Pure) (Feldman, Goldstein, Pomus) - 2:42
14.The McCoys - I Got To Go Back (And Watch That Little Girl Dance) (A. Alexander) - 2:28
15.Chris Farlowe - Ride On Baby (Jagger, Richard) - 2:45
16.Chris Farlowe - Headlines (Oldham, Greenslade) - 3:09
17.Twice As Much - True Story (Rose, Skinner) - 2:16
18.Twice As Much - You're So Good To Me (Oldham, Rose, Bell, Skinner) - 2:30
19.P.P. Arnold - Everything's Gonna Be Alright (Oldham, Skinner) - 3:07
20.P.P. Arnold - Life Is But Nothing (Rose, Skinner) - 3:45
21.Chris Farlowe - My Way Of Giving (Lane, Marriott) - 2:32
22.Chris Farlowe - You're So Good For Me (Oldham, Rose, Bell, Skinner) - 2:14
23.Twice As Much - Crystal Ball (Shuman, Fagan) - 2:45
24.Twice As Much - Why Can't They All Go And Leave Me Alone (Rose, Skinner) - 2:55
25.The Apostolic Intervention - (Tell Me) Have You Ever Seen Me (Lane, Marriott) - 1:59
26.The Apostolic Intervention - Madame Garcia (Shirley) - 2:51
27.Nicky Scott - Big City (Dan Walsh, Johnny Walsh) - 2:29
28.Nicky Scott - Everything's Gonna Be Alright (Oldham, Skinner) - 3:20
Disc 4
1. Nicky Scott - Backstreet Girl (Jagger, Richard) - 2:29
2. Nicky Scott - Chain Reaction (Rose, Skinner) - 2:10
3. The McCoys - I Got To Go Back (Berns, Barry) - 2:42
4. The McCoys - Dynamite (Feldman, Goldstein, Gottehrer) - 2:10
5. P.P. Arnold - The First Cut Is The Deepest (Stevens) - 3:06
6. P.P. Arnold - Speak To Me (Oldham, Greenslade, Hurst) - 2:14
7. Mort Shuman IV - Monday Monday (Phillips) - 2:36
8. Mort Shuman IV - Little Children (McFarland, Shuman) - 2:52
9. Chris Farlowe - Yesterday's Papers (Jagger, Richard) - 2:11
10.Chris Farlowe - Life Is But Nothing (Rose, Skinner) - 4:02
11.Small Faces - Here Come The Nice (Lane, Marriott) - 2:56
12.Small Faces - Talk To You (O'Sullivan, Lane, Marriott) - 2:06
13.Marquis Of Kensington - The Changing Of The Guard (Mills, Leander) - 2:24
14.Marquis Of Kensington's Minstrels - Reverse Thrust (Leander) - 1:56
15.Murray Head - She Was Perfection (M. Head) - 2:47
16.Murray Head - Secondhand Monday (M. Hurst, M. Head) - 2:15
17.Australian Playboys - Black Sheep R.I.P. (Gerrard) - 2:44
18.Australian Playboys - Sad (Peacock) - 2:54
19.P.P. Arnold - The Time Has Come (Korda) - 2:40
20.P.P. Arnold - If You See What I Mean (Hurst) - 2:07
21.Chris Farlowe - Moanin' (Timmons, Hendricks) - 2:34
22.Chris Farlowe - What Have I Been Doing (Alcock, Crane) - 3:06
23.Small Faces - Itchycoo Park (Lane, Marriott) - 2:46
24.Small Faces - I'm Only Dreaming (Lane, Marriott) - 2:23
25.Warm Sounds - Sticks And Stones (Younghusband, Gerrard) - 3:20
26.Warm Sounds - Angeline (Younghusband, Gerrard) - 2:35
27.The Nice - The Thoughts Of Emerlist Davjack (O'List, Emerson) - 2:48
28.The Nice - Azrial (Angel Of Death) (Emerson, Jackson) - 3:45
Disc 5
1. Rod Stewart - Little Miss Understood (D'Abo) - 3:39
2. Rod Stewart - So Much To Say (D'Abo, Stewart) - 3:14
3. P.P. Arnold - (If You Think You're) Groovy (Lane, Marriott) - 2:55
4. P.P. Arnold - Though It Hurts Me Badly (Arnold) - 4:19
5. Small Faces - Tin Soldier (Lane, Marriott) - 3:20
6. Small Faces - I Feel Much Better (McLagan, Lane, Marriott) - 3:56
7. Billy Nicholls - Would You Believe (Paul) - 2:42
8. Billy Nicholls - Daytime Girl (Nicholls) - 2:43
9. Small Faces - Lazy Sunday (Lane, Marriott) - 3:03
10.Small Faces - Rollin' Over (Lane, Marriott) - 2:10
11.Chris Farlowe - Handbags And Gladrags (D'Abo) - 3:24
12.Chris Farlowe - Everyone Makes A Mistake (Alcock, Crane) - 2:00
13.Chris Farlowe - The Last Goodbye (D'Abo) - 2:50
14.Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds - Paperman Fly In The Sky (Alcock, Crane) - 2:45
15.P.P. Arnold - Angel Of The Morning (Chip Taylor) - 3:18
16.Outer Limits - Great Train Robbery (Christie) - 3:38
17.Outer Limits - Sweet Freedom (Christie) - 3:00
18.The Nice - America (Bernstein, Sondheim) - 6:19
19.The Nice - The Diamond Hard Blue Apples Of The Moon (Emerson, Jackson) - 2:46
20.Small Faces - The Universal (Lane, Marriott) - 2:43
21.Small Faces - Donkey Rides A Penny A Glass (McLagan, Lane, Marriott) - 2:49
22.Duncan Browne - On The Bombsite (Bretton, Browne) - 2:46
23.Duncan Browne - Alfred Bell (Bretton, Browne) - 4:36
Disc 6
1. Chris Farlowe - Paint It Black (Jagger, Richard) - 2:59
2. Chris Farlowe - I Just Need Your Loving (Alcock, Crane) - 3:12
3. The Nice - Brandenburger (Davison, Emerson, Jackson) - 4:24
4. The Nice - Happy Freuds (Emerson, Jackson) - 3:26
5. Amen Corner - (If Paradise Is) Half As Nice (Fishman, Battisti) - 2:44
6. Amen Corner - Hey! Hey! Girl (Fairweather-Low) - 3:02
7. Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds - Dawn (Bruce Waddell, Steve Hammond) - 3:47
8. Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds - April Was The Month (Alcock, Crane) - 3:57
9. Michael D'Abo - (See The Little People) Gulliver's Travels (D'Abo) - 2:33
10.Michael D'Abo - An Anthology Of Gulliver's Travels (Part Two) (D'Abo) - 1:08
11.The McCoys - This Is Where We Came In (Feldman, Goldstein, Hobbs, Zehringer, Gottehrer, Zehringer, Brandon) - 1:37
12.Small Faces - Afterglow (Of Your Love) (Lane, Marriott) - 3:21
13.Small Faces - Wham Bam Thank You Man (Lane, Marriott) - 3:18
14.Fleetwood Mac - Man Of The World (P. A. Green) - 2:51
15.Earl Vince And The Valiants - Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonight (Spencer) - 2:39
16.Amen Corner - Hello Susie (Wood) - 2:34
17.Amen Corner - Evil Man's Gonna Win (Fairweather-Low) - 4:00
18. Humble Pie - Natural Born Bugie (Marriott) - 4:15
19.Humble Pie - Wrist Job (Marriott) - 4:14
20.Amen Corner - Get Back (Lennon, McCartney) - 2:52
21.Amen Corner - Farewell To The Real Magnificent Seven (Fairweather-Low) - 6:27
22.The Hill - Sylvie (Waddell, Hammond) - 3:21
23.The Hill - The Fourth Annual Convention Of The Battery Hen Farmers Association (Part II) (Waddell, Davey, Robinson, Hammond) - 4:35
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