This is an amazing reissue, three times over -- for psychedelic music buffs, British R&B and soul enthusiasts, and fans of the progressive rock band Gentle Giant (which evolved out of Simon Dupree & the Big Sound). And it's also incredibly long overdue. Best-known for their Oriental ersatz pop-psychedelic classic "Kites," Simon Dupree & the Big Sound actually started out as a blues and R&B-based outfit, not too different from the Spencer Davis Group. This double-CD set covers their complete EMI output, most of which has never been reissued, and almost all of which is very impressive (and even manages to intersect obliquely with Apple Records' orbit).
The group's early soul-oriented sides are killers, exciting, totally convincing pieces of British-made R&B that, in the case of "Love" and "Medley: 60 Minutes of Your Love/A Lot of Love," should have placed them head-to-head with the likes of Steve Winwood and the Spencer Davis Group. Even when they move into a slightly trippier sound, on "There's a Little Picture Playhouse," the group still utilizes a basic soul backing. And "Kites," coming along in the middle of the first disc, is such a radical departure from everything before it, that it's astonishing to hear in this context, even knowing the song well -- the rest of the CD is made up of trippy psychedelic ballads with Mellotron accompaniment, often with punchy acoustic rhythm guitars. It's all very pretty and inventive in a pop context, and rivals or surpasses the psychedelic sides of Rainbow Ffolly and most other EMI artists of the era this side of the Beatles and maybe the Move.
The highlight of the group's post-"Kites" output was the single "Part of My Past," which was recorded during sessions for what was to have been their second album, Once More Unto the Breach, Dear Friend. That entire unreleased album is here, as the first 16 tracks on Disc Two, and they are a wonder -- the best parts include a gorgeous pop-psych ballad called "What in This World" that doesn't even have a songwriting credit; "Wha Cha Gonna Do," with its "Strawberry Fields Forever" opening and impassioned vocals; the almost-lewd "Don't Make It So Hard (On Me Baby)," with a vocal that was a holdover from the group's soul era; the bouncy, vaguely Bee Gees-like "Kindness"; and the trippy, spacey "Castle in the Sky," one of the finest pieces of psychedelic pop/rock ever to come out of EMI (or, more properly, never to come out from EMI -- until now).
The latter should have been another "King Midas in Reverse," but thanks to the failure of "Part of My Past," the whole LP was shelved. The rest of the second disc is comprised of a short string of disappointing pop/rock singles -- vaguely reminiscent of the late-'60s Hollies -- imposed upon the group by their management, concluding with their extrovert rendition of the James Taylor-authored "Something in the Way She Moves Me," backed with a progressive-sounding, organ-heavy B-side, "I'm Going Home," authored by Reginald Dwight in the period before he became Elton John. This is followed by the complete contents of the group's only released LP, Without Reservations, which repeats the same R&B-era singles and B-sides (i.e., their pre-"Kites" work) from Disc One, only in their punchier mono mixes. The remastering is impeccable, the packaging beautifully illustrated with period photos of the band, and thorough annotation by David Wells.
by Bruce Eder
Tracks
Disc 1
1. I See The Light (John Durrill, Michael Rabon, Norman Ezell) - 2:16
2. It Is Finished (Evelyn King, Paul Smith) - 3:01
3. Reservations (Albert Hammond) - 2:24
4. You Need A Man (Evelyn King, Paul Smith) - 2:30
5. Day Time, Night Time (Mike Hugg) - 2:15
6. I've Seen It All Before (Evelyn King, Paul Smith) - 2:47
7. Medley: 60 Minutes Of Your Love / A Lot Of Love (David Porter, Isaac Haye, Homer Banks) - 4:35
8. Love (Jackie Edwards) - 3:04
9. Get Off My Back (Evelyn King, Ray Shulman) - 2:01
10.There's A Little Picture Playhouse (Eric Hine) - 2:13
11.What Is Soul (Ben E. King, Bob Gallo) - 2:35
12.Teacher, Teacher (Derek Shulman, Philip Shulman, Ray Shulman) - 2:04
13.Amen (Sam Cooke) - 2:25
14.Who Cares (Evelyn King, Ray Shulman) - 2:34
15.Kites (Hal Hackaday, Lee Pockriss) - 3:44
16.Like The Sun Like The Fire (Evelyn King, Paul Smith) - 2:26
17.For Whom The Bell Tolls (Evelyn King, Paul Smith) - 3:06
18.Sleep (Derek Shulman, Eric Hine) - 3:01
19.Part Of My Past (Evelyn King, Paul Smith) - 3:17
20.This Story Never Ends (Eric Hine, Ray Shulman) - 2:08
21.Thinking About My Life (Derek Shulman, Ray Shulman) - 2:34
22.Velvet And Lace (Derek Shulman, Ray Shulman) - 2:11
23.We Are The Moles (Part 1) (Derek Shulman, Ray Shulman) - 4:30
24.We Are The Moles (Part 2) (Derek Shulman, Ray Shulman) - 2:43
25.Broken Hearted Pirates (Michael Anthony) - 2:39
26.She Gave Me The Sun (Derek Shulman, Philip Shulman, Ray Shulman) - 2:36
27.The Eagle Flies Tonight (Tony Hazard) - 2:22
28.Give It All Back (Derek Shulman, Philip Shulman, Ray Shulman) - 2:41
1. Stained Glass Window (Don Grady, Gary Zekley) - 2:05
2. Please Come Back (Yaniv Shulman) - 2:41
3. Light On Dark Water (Evelyn King, Paul Smith) - 1:52
4. What In This World (Unknown) - 3:11
5. What Cha Gonna Do (Evelyn King, Paul Smith) - 2:46
6. Don't Make It So Hard (On Me Baby) (Willia Parker, Eddie Floyd) - 3:01
7. Kindness (Unknown) - 2:30
8. Castle In The Sky (Evelyn King, Paul Smith) - 2:44
9. Loneliness Is Just A State Of Mind (Evelyn King, John King, Paul Smith) - 2:55
10.Laughing Boy From Nowhere (Derek Shulman, Philip Shulman, Ray Shulman) - 2:48
11.You (Derek Shulman, Philip Shulman, Ray Shulman) - 2:11
12.Can't You See (Derek Shulman, Philip Shulman, Ray Shulman) - 2:49
13.Now (Derek Shulman, Philip Shulman, Ray Shulman) - 2:27
14.Rain (Derek Shulman, Philip Shulman, Ray Shulman) - 3:18
15.Something In The Way She Moves (James Taylor) - 2:35
16.I'm Going Home (Elton John, Bernie Taupin) - 3:42
Without Reservations LP (Mono) 1967
17.Medley: 60 Minutes Of Your Love / A Lot Of Love (David Porter, Isaac Hayes, Homer Banks) - 4:35
18.Love (Jackie Edwards) - 3:04
19.Get Off My Bach (Evelyn King, Ray Shulman) - 2:00
20.There's A Little Picture Playhouse (Eric Hine) - 2:13
21.Day Time, Night Time (Mike Hugg) - 2:31
22.I See The Light (John Durrill, Michael Rabon, Norman Ezell) - 2:21
23.What Is Soul (Ben E. King, Bob Gallo) - 2:34
24.Teacher, Teacher (Derek Shulman, Philip Shulman, Ray Shulman) - 2:11
25.Amen (Sam Cooke) - 2:24
26.Who Cares (Evelyn King, Ray Shulman) - 2:31
27.Reservations (Albert Hammond) - 2:30
The Simon Dupree And The Big Sound
*Phil Shulman - Alto, Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet, Trumpet, Mellophone, Piano, Percussion, Vocals
*Eric Eric Hine - Keyboards, Mellotron
*Derek Shulman - Vocals
*Tony Ransley - Drums
*Ray Shulman - Bass
*Peter O'Flaherty - Bass
1974 Gentle Giant - The Power And The Glory (2014 24/96 remaster)
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