Here’s a nifty idea from the creative minds at Universal – a 3 CD set
filled with US and UK hits by British musicians. The British Invasion 1963-1967
includes a tune or two from just about every performer of the period who mattered
– Chad and Jeremy, Peter and Gordon, Donovan and Cat Stevens to the Who,
the Kinks, Spencer Davis Group, the Troggs, and even a foursome from Liverpool
called the Beatles. Essentially, this set covers the breadth of the whole scene
– the beat groups, the mod groups, the R&B groups, the duos, the one-hit
wonders, female sirens like Dusty Springfield and Lulu, and male power crooners
like Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck. The liner notes imply the British
Invasion started the minute the Fab Four arrived in New York City some 40 years
ago, but it actually started percolating the year before. The Beatles’ appearance
on the Ed Sullivan Show merely kicked the British Invasion into overdrive. Compared
to similar anthologies, The British Invasion 1963-1967 is plenty comprehensive,
with nuggets like Manfred Mann’s “Do Wah Diddy Diddy” and the Seekers’ “Georgy
Girl” thrown in for flavoring. And while one could cite the absence of the Stones,
Pink Floyd, Cream and other perennial frontrunners as a gap in the linear thread
comprising the track listing, it certainly doesn’t detract from the overall
package as a complete, one-stop solution for British Invasion pundits.
~ Shawn Perry
