DAVID AND JONATHAN SCX 6031 (-66) UK

One-off LP from this Bristol duo consisitng of no others than Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway, together or apart responsible for a large number of big selling and well known hits, among them 25 UK top ten. Too much to go through all here, following are just a couple of early ones - "You've Got Your Troubles", "Green Grass", "I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman", "The Way It Used To Be", "Melting Pot", "My Baby Loves Lovin", "Gasoline Alley Bred", "Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress", "I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing"...and many many more. After writing the "You've Got Your Troubles" and "This Golden Ring" UK hits for The Fortunes they teamed up with George Martin to do a cover of "Michelle", a Rubber Soul cut not released on single by Beatles in US or UK at the time. Apart from reaching #1 in Canada and #11 in UK, that also became their only US charter at #18, while "Lovers Of The World Unite" got to #7 in UK and managed #42 in Australia. They continued to do fairly well downunder for a while, but for the rest of the world that was it. Kind of ironic that the biggest selling recording by one of Britains most renowned songwriting duos was a cover version. You'd think that had someting to do with their recorded outcome at large back then, but judging from this album it wasn't so. Produced by George Martin, who also arranged the "Michelle" and "Yesterday" cuts. Style is contemporary orchestrated British pop, rather kind and smooth with a scent of "Swinging London", ranging somewhere between The Fortunes and Peter & Gordon. Vocals are soothing with a fair share of high-pitch. The stereo mix is excellent and the audo tophole. All the above put together makes it very good listening. Maybe not the most exciting, but a fine sign of the times. This version was originally also issued in Italy (Columbia CPSQ 511). US/Canadian 12-track, as "Michelle" (Capitol T/ST 2473), omitted "See Me Cry", "Be Sure" and "A Little Like You", replacing them with "Lauging Fit To Cry". To my knowledge non of the versions made it to CD, though some of it can be found on the 23-track 2006 UK CD "David & Jonathan". Many of the cuts also showed up on the UK vinyl compilation "Lovers Of The World Unite" (See For Miles Records CM 129). Premiere UK had label as shown here and laminated flip-back cover.