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Track Listings
| 1. NOW WE'RE THRU' |
| 2. THERE ARE SOME |
| 3. That's The Way It's Got To Be |
| 4. I'll Cry With The Moon |
| 5. I Am So Blue |
| 6. I Love Her Still |
| 7. Call Again |
| 8. Some Things I Can't Forget |
| 9. Baby Don't You Do It |
| 10. I'll Come Home |
| 11. Wooden Spoon |
| 12. In Your Tower |
Product Description
CD Description
· Mean, moody and utterly magnificent, in 1964 the Poets were the best thing to come out of Scotland since Denis Law. Managed and produced by Rolling Stones svengali Andrew Loog Oldham, between October 1964 and January 1966 the group released a quintet of classic singles, ranging from the aggressive mod pop of `That's The Way It's Got To Be' and `Baby Don't You Do It' to the Top Forty hit `Now We're Thru'', whose haunting minor key melody, edgy lead vocal, eerie Celtic drone, clanging acoustic twelve-string guitar, keening backing vocals and general air of quiet menace encapsulated the Poets' unique, spellbinding appeal.
· Without the massive hit single that their excellence deserved, the Poets fragmented in early 1966 after the departure of lead singer and chief songwriter George Gallacher. However, a revised line-up bounced back in fine style the following year with `Wooden Spoon' b/w `In Your Tower' - another unaccountable flop, but now widely acknowledged as a seminal British freakbeat/psychedelic record.
· Taken from the Decca and Immediate archives, this first-ever official Poets anthology features the group's entire released output during their 1964-67 glory days, proving beyond any shadow of doubt that, despite their relative lack of commercial success, the Poets were one of the most vital bands to emerge from the British beat boom.
Product Description
2011 anthology collecting their entire recordings during their 1964-1967 heyday! Killer Scottish freakbeat/psych outfit managed & produced by Andrew Loog Oldham.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
It may have only reached number 31, but The Poets' debut single 'Now We're Thru' was one of the more unusual records to break into the UK Top 40 during 1964, a period when the charts vibrated to the sounds of Merseybeat and rhythm and blues. Rolling Stones manager Andrew Oldham clearly felt that The Poets' haunting sound presented something different, signing the band to Decca Records and bringing them to London from Glasgow.
In what is yet another welcome release from the Grapefruit label, we get the A- and B-sides of all six Poets singles, and although this CD offers just 28 minutes of music, it works out a lot cheaper than trying to track down original copies of these 45s, which apart from 'Now We're Thru' all failed to chart; a shame, as there is worthy stuff here.
While the band's third single, 'I am So Blue', continued the echoey, forlorn direction of the debut, other singles like 'That's The Way It's Got To Be' and the highly collectable 'Wooden Spoon' pursued a harder-edged course, clearly falling under the banner of what has come to be known as Freakbeat: 'Wooden Spoon''s flip-side, 'In Your Tower', with its Indian flute embellishments, is an example of that genre's quest to create unusual sounds and wed them to ostensibly commercial songs. Apparently, The Poets' excellent cover of Marvin Gaye's 'Baby Don't You Do It' was produced by Paul Raven - aka Gary Glitter - and although the group felt that he remixed it without their approval, the record's ghostly backing vocals, distant-sounding guitar breaks and propulsive beat create an infectious blend all the same; I think it's my favourite on here, despite the band's misgivings.
As one would expect, the booklet contains a pretty decent history of The Poets, which features comments from the surviving group members, documenting their line-up changes, reasons for their overall lack of success, and how personnel drifted into other Scottish bands such as hit-makers Marmalade and the Apple Records act Trash.
As I say, you don't get a lot of tracks for your money. But, considering what these singles sell for on the collectors' market, this CD makes for a perfectly acceptable alternative to open-wallet surgery, shining a light on a somewhat enigmatic act from the British Beat Boom.
In what is yet another welcome release from the Grapefruit label, we get the A- and B-sides of all six Poets singles, and although this CD offers just 28 minutes of music, it works out a lot cheaper than trying to track down original copies of these 45s, which apart from 'Now We're Thru' all failed to chart; a shame, as there is worthy stuff here.
While the band's third single, 'I am So Blue', continued the echoey, forlorn direction of the debut, other singles like 'That's The Way It's Got To Be' and the highly collectable 'Wooden Spoon' pursued a harder-edged course, clearly falling under the banner of what has come to be known as Freakbeat: 'Wooden Spoon''s flip-side, 'In Your Tower', with its Indian flute embellishments, is an example of that genre's quest to create unusual sounds and wed them to ostensibly commercial songs. Apparently, The Poets' excellent cover of Marvin Gaye's 'Baby Don't You Do It' was produced by Paul Raven - aka Gary Glitter - and although the group felt that he remixed it without their approval, the record's ghostly backing vocals, distant-sounding guitar breaks and propulsive beat create an infectious blend all the same; I think it's my favourite on here, despite the band's misgivings.
As one would expect, the booklet contains a pretty decent history of The Poets, which features comments from the surviving group members, documenting their line-up changes, reasons for their overall lack of success, and how personnel drifted into other Scottish bands such as hit-makers Marmalade and the Apple Records act Trash.
As I say, you don't get a lot of tracks for your money. But, considering what these singles sell for on the collectors' market, this CD makes for a perfectly acceptable alternative to open-wallet surgery, shining a light on a somewhat enigmatic act from the British Beat Boom.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
For those of us of a certain age The Poets were part of our growing up. Remember the tracks are approximately 45 years old and without the benefits of modern recording technology they still have an utterly unique sound that stands up well against modern offerings. Give The Poets a serious listen.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Five stars - at least - for the music, but there is so much missing. Try seek out their "In Your Tower" CD on Strike 001 from 1995 instead. It has 20 tracks, including all those here. And although it reveals how they finally ended up sounding much like so many other groups, their charm was still there.
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