David McWilliams: Reaching For The Sun: The Major Minor Anthology 1967-1969, 2CD Digipak

• First complete anthology of late 60s recordings by highly-regarded Irish singer/ songwriter.

• Includes his best-known song, the huge European hit 'Days Of Pearly Spencer', as well as more than a dozen tracks making their CD debut.

At the height of the protest singer boom that spawned the likes of Dylan and Donovan, Irish-born music industry heavyweight Phil Solomon received a demo tape from a young Ballymena-based singer/songwriter by the name of David McWilliams.

Sensing the possibilities, the entrepreneur added McWilliams to his Irish-based roster of acts (The Bachelors, The Dubliners, Van Morrison's Them, etc) and placed the youngster on his fledgling record label Major Minor.

Launched in a blaze of publicity in mid-1967, McWilliams coupled voguish songs about social deprivation with lighter, more romantic material, with producer and occasional Beatles/ Rolling Stones associate Mike Leander providing the striking string arrangements.

Success was immediate: three charting albums were released in the space of eight months, with 'Days Of Pearly Spencer' – a swirling, cinematic slice of psychedelic pop/folk – becoming a huge hit single across Europe.

However, that punishing schedule and a puzzling lack of financial reward saw a disillusioned McWilliams turn his back on the music industry in 1969, although he would return after a three-year sabbatical to resume his career elsewhere.

A 2-CD set, ‘Reaching For The Sun’ is the first-ever compete anthology of David's Major Minor recordings. It includes mono and stereo versions of his signature tune 'Days Of Pearly Spencer' alongside more than a dozen tracks making their CD debut, including 'Who Killed Ezra Brymay', only released at the time in America.

TRACK LISTING

DISC ONE
1 GOD AND COUNTRY
2 REDUNDANCY BLUES
3 THE SILENCE IS SHATTERED
4 HIROSHIMA
5 QUESTION OF IDENTITY
6 TIME OF TROUBLE
7 ECHO OF MY HEART
8 IN THE EARLY HOURS OF THE MORNING
9 I'LL BE HOME
10 LEAVES THAT FALL
11 TWILIGHT
12 HEY SALLY SALLY
13 REACHING FOR THE SUN
14 SHEELO GONE SO LONG
15 MIDNIGHT SUN
16 PRETTY BIRD
17 DAYS OF PEARLY SPENCER
18 CAN I GET THERE BY CANDLELIGHT
19 FOR JOSEPHINE
20 HOW CAN I BE FREE
21 BROWN EYED GAL
22 MARLANA
23 FOR A LITTLE GIRL
24 LADY HELEN OF THE LAUGHING EYES
25 TIME WILL NOT WAIT
26 WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH ME
27 THERE'S NO LOCK UPON MY DOOR
28 TOMORROW'S LIKE TODAY

1-16 The album Singing Songs By David McWilliams (UK Major Minor MMLP 2, June 1967, mono-only)
17-28 The album Vol. 2 (UK Major Minor SMLP 10, released October 1967)

DISC TWO
1 THREE O'CLOCK FLAMINGO STREET
2 HARLEM LADY
3 FOUR SEASONS
4 TURN HOMEWARD STRANGER
5 LETTER TO MY LOVE
6 CITY BLUES
7 REFLECTIONS
8 POVERTY STREET
9 AND I'M FREE
10 SEPTEMBER WINDS
11 YOUNG MAN'S DREAM
12 BORN TO RAMBLE
13 THIS SIDE OF HEAVEN
14 MR. SATISFIED
15 THE STRANGER
16 FOLLOW ME
17 OH MAMA ARE YOU MY FRIEND
18 I LOVE SUSIE IN THE SUMMER
19 WHO KILLED EZRA BRYMAY
20 FIORI NEL VENTO (Poverty Street, Italian language version)
21 CORRERAI, CORRERAI (Mr. Satisfied,
Italian language version)
22 UN SASSO NEL CUORE (Intangible, Italian language recording)
23 LO STRANIERO (The Stranger, Italian language version)
24 HARLEM LADY (mono version)
25 DAYS OF PEARLY SPENCER (mono
version)

1-12 The album Vol. 3 (UK Major Minor SMLP 11, released February 1968)
13-14 Single, UK Major Minor MM 561, released May 1968
15-16 Single, UK Major Minor MM 592, released January 1969
17-18 Single, UK Major Minor MM 616, released June 1969
19 Single, US Kapp K 929, released July 1968
20-21 Single, Italian CBS 3583, released June 1968 22-23 Single, Italian CBS 4087, released March 1969
24-25 Single, UK Major Minor MM 533, released October 1967