When examining the enormous influence of The Beatles, one factor stands out and that’s the peerless songwriting team of Lennon and McCartney. The greatness of their partnership also extends to the covers of their music over the years. This three-CD, 75-track compilation offers an exhaustive, comprehensive, and fun collection of covers of the music of The Beatles, which also includes the songs of George Harrison.
The set is housed in a clam-shell box and spans covers of songs written between 1964 and 1966, suggesting that a second volume is a very real possibility. All the recordings here are from the 1960s, except for one from 1970 and one from 1974.
The set includes some covers we’ve heard before by the likes of Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas, Cilla Black, Peter & Gordon, Joe Cocker, and The Mamas & the Papas. The Billy J. Kramer track included here is “Do You Want to Know A Secret.” He also had a big hit with “Bad To Me,” but the cover of that song included here is by Mike Redway.
Cocker’s track, “I’ll Cry Instead,” is from 1964, long before he broke big and had hits with more well-known covers of songs from The Beatles, and features Jimmy Page on guitar. Along with Kramer, Black, and Peter & Gordon, others that were part of The Beatles’ inner circle, such as Alma Cogan and Glyn Johns, also contribute.
There are also lots of British Invasion-era tracks by Kenny Lynch, The Fourmost, Tommy Quickly, The Kestrels, The Applejacks, P. J. Proby, Petula Clark and others. Lynch was the first to cover a Lennon and McCartney track (“Misery”). He would have another Beatles connection in 1973, when he would be one of the people featured on the album cover of the Paul McCartney and Wings album Band on the Run. The first cover of a George Harrison song (“Don’t Bother Me”) is included here by Gregory Phillips.
More unusual covers that work well include French versions of the group’s songs by Dick Rivers, Claude Francois, Frank Alamo, and two from Les Lionceaux. Jazz versions cover the gamut and include tracks from Count Basie, Steve Marcus, and a real gem (“The Word”) from Gary McFarland and Gabor Szabo. Along with The Mamas & The Papas, the vocal group contributions work particularly well and include tracks from The 5th Dimension, The Free Design, and Spanky and Our Gang.
The Beatles were heavily influenced by R&B, soul, and Motown and in a delightful payback, artists from those musical areas such as Mary Wells, The Supremes, and Junior Parker turn in some inspired covers. Artists who are both actors and singers, such as Noel Harrison, Mae West, and Liza Minnelli, prove their range on timeless covers of the music of The Beatles. There are also covers from two surf artists (The Ventures, Jan & Dean). There’s also a country cover from The Charles River Valley Boys.
The track from Duffy Power and the Graham Bond Quartet (“I Saw Her Standing There”) is significant, as the group’s lineup on this recording includes Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker, and John McLaughlin. Elvis Costello’s father (Ross McManus) was part of the jazz music scene of the time and he is on two tracks, as part of the Baconeers and using the pseudonym Frank Bacon. McManus, along with The Baskervilles and Les Lionceaux, are the only artists with two tracks included here. Standout covers that round out this box include music from the Buckinghams, The Crickets (without Buddy Holly), Davey Graham, Madeline Bell, and Jose Feliciano.
The songs here are mostly taken from UK singles and albums, even in the case of music from America, Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, Holland, France, Germany, and Italy. While the sound overall is quite good, there’s no doubt that there are many tracks not taken directly from original tapes and the thin sound of digital music on CD is evident in spots.
The set comes with a 36-page booklet that is filled with single, EP, and album sleeves, along with period photos and informative liner notes. All this music collected in one place is nice to have, but the addition of such a well-conceived booklet really makes this box set something special. Let’s hope there is a second volume and it’s released soon.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
A+
