RAVE SUX 1214 (-68) UK SAMPLER

There are many reasons to love compilations, collections and samplers. Sometimes you actually get "The best of", "Greatest Hits", "Best tracks", or whatever they're called and that's worth a lot. The ones that intrigues me most are those with one-offs by odd groups, alternate takes or mixes, or cuts that would cost you an arm and a leg to get on '45 or original album. This LP is a cornucopia of such goodness. Some of the groups or artists here are unknown to me and for a few there's no information on the net, so I'm doing the best with what I got. //Phil Upchurch Combo - "You Can't Sit Down" pt1/pt2. 1961 sax driven instrumentals - pt 1 was a big US hit for The Dovells 1963 with vocals, but this original didn't do that well.// Kings and Queens - "I Can Feel It". A -65 recording, uptempo dance number with powerful vocals. Sounds very much Northern soul.// Fortunes - "Loving Cup". They had success a few years earlier, but this 1968 '45 - produced by Mike D'Abo - didn't chart.// Sky - "Air-o-plane Ride"/"The Weather Forecast". A/B sides of a non charting '45. Nice bubblegum psych.// Spencer Davis Group - "Mr Second Class", from "With Their New face On" album.// Hopscotch - "Look At The Lights Go Up". Very good -68 mod psych. Didn't sell back then, but got a revival in the 90ies and still cherished by later day mods and collectors.// Easybeats - "Land Of Make Believe"/"Hello How Are You", both from the "Vigil" album.// Little Anthony and The Imprerials - "Yesterday Has Gone" from the -67 "Reflection" album. Cupids Inspiration had a massive UK hit with a cover of the song 1968.// Carl Douglas and The Big Stampede - "Sell My Soul To The Devil". Non charting '45 from the guy who five years later got a million seller with "Kung Fu Fighting". Soul gospel with odd agenda.// Spencer Davis Group - "After Tea", non-LP pop psych '45.// The Short Kuts - "Your Eyes May Shine". Memphis band with a Northern soul favorite.// Vince Edward - "It's The Same Old Song". '45 B-side. It's the Holland-Dozier-Holland composition, but totallly different from the Four Tops version. Faster up-tempo with fuzzed guitars, haunting bass and a psych solo - very powerful.// Sari and The Shalimars - "It's So Lonely Being Together". Know nothing about the group or the song other than it was Northern soul.// That's it. Most of the tracks are true stereo, maybe all but a few have dense mixes, making it hard to distinguish. Good audio anyway. To my knowledge there were no other issues than this first UK with label as shown here and laminated flip/back cover. (SÄM*)