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VARIOUS ARTISTS “Planet Mod—Brit Soul R&B And Freakbeat From The Shel Talmy Vaults” (Big Beat Records XXQLP2052)
Brand new 2-LP set pressed on 180g RED VINYL, housed in a heavy-duty gatefold sleeve.
Shel Talmy is a name that any discussion of the significant stewards behind British pop’s mid-60s purple period will immediately bring to mind. Were it only for his early supervision of the Who, he would still remain a mod hero. Add the dozens of other records and artists – from best-sellers such as the Kinks to obscurities along the lines of the Mickey Finn – with which he was involved, and his role in bringing forth the most powerful examples of the genre becomes unequivocal. Even a venture that was ostensibly a failure – his bespoke label, Planet Records – has acquired semi-mythical status amongst the mod cognoscenti, thanks in part to its association with Talmy’s great white hope, the Creation.
Rather than recycling the over-familiar, the new “Planet Mod” compilation digs deep into Talmy’s rarely tapped tape vault to uncover many other fabulous examples of a genre that wields considerable influence to this day. The core of 1960s modernist taste was always black America, but in recent decades the voracious appetite of genre practitioners finds not only rock, but home-grown soul and even pop squeezed within mod’s defining parameters. Certainly, several American artists are represented, including two of the acknowledged greats of US R&B. In a scenario that is all too frequent for Talmy, there is also at least one future superstar within the assembled cast. And on the other side of the coin, we have early, unsuccessful yet exciting recordings from two vocalists who would both go on to have massive UK hits in the 1970s and 1980s, albeit with essentially family-friendly fare.
The Thoughts, Untamed, Wild Uncertainty, Tribe, Corduroys and John Lee’s Groundhogs all recorded for Planet, while others such as the Trackers and Pros & Cons were independent productions Talmy farmed out to major labels. There are rare early compositions from Bowie (Kenny Miller’s ‘Take My Tip’) and Bill Wyman (the Preachers’ ‘Goodbye Girl’), while the beans are spilled on mysterious outfits the Total and the Soul Brothers. Several tracks are alternate takes or versions, including a demo version of the New Breed’s sought-after ‘Unto Us’ and a rollicking studio jam by Goldie & the Gingerbreads. Indeed, over half the contents of “Planet Mod” are previously unreleased.
This is the first of several Ace/Big Beat collections drawn from the Shel Talmy archives, compiled and annotated by Alec Palao, with forthcoming volumes focused on his beat and girl group productions. All come with thoroughly loaded booklets that provide unprecedented detail upon this remarkable man’s activities in that magic era.
Factory-sealed from new.
Tracks:— A1–The Untamed Daddy Long Legs (Alternate version) A2–Kenny Miller Take My Tip (Alternate take) A3–The Thoughts Call Me Girl A4–Screamin' Jay Hawkins Stone Crazy A5–The Groundhogs I'll Never Fall In Love Again A6–John Lee Hooker Mai Lee B1–The New Breed Unto Us B2–Ray Gates Have You Ever Had The Blues (Alternate version) B3–The Pros And Cons Why Do You Stand In My Way B4–The Tribe Don't Let It Be B5–The Corduroys Too Much Of A Woman B6–The Untamed I'm Leaving C1–The Soul Brothers Searching C2–The Preachers Goodbye Girl C3–John Lee Hooker Over You Baby C4–Goldie & The Gingerbreads The Skip (Alternate version) C5–Tony Christie And The Trackers Life's Too Good To Waste C6–The Untamed I'm Going Out Tonight D1–The Tribe The Gamma Goochie D2–The Thoughts Pretty Girl D3–The Pros And Cons Mary Ann D4–The Total Think D5–A Wild Uncertainty Broken Truth D6–The Soul Brothers Goodbye So Long