Various Artists: Halcyon Days - 60s Mod, R&B, Brit Soul & Freakbeat Nuggets, 3CD Box Set

Strawberry is a new Cherry Red imprint. Picking up where the mighty RPM Records have left off, Strawberry will shine a light on collectible 60s and 70s recordings, from themed compilations to single artist anthologies and occasional album reissues.

Halcyon Days is inspired by RPM’S bespoke compilations Looking Back, Keep Lookin’ and Night Comes Down. It charts the development of mod friendly beat music across three CDs from the jazzy R&B of Chris Farlowe, Duffy Power with Graham Bond and Zoot Money that opens disc one through horn laden Brit soul from Jimmy James, Geno Washington and The Richard Kent Style, ska from Mickey Finn & The Blue Men, girl group pop from The Chantelles and fuzz drenched freakbeat from The Pretty Things and The Worrying Kynde. On disc three the influence of psychedelia becomes apparent on offerings by Jason Crest, July and Dantalian’s Chariot.

Bands featured include The Animals, The Yardbirds, The Kinks, The Pretty Things, The Creation, The Action, The Artwoods, John’s Children, The Spencer Davis Group, Brian Auger & The Trinity and The Fleur De Lys.

There are early singles from future super stars David Bowie and Rod Stewart plus early recordings from Jimmy Page with Mickey Finn & The Blue Men and alongside Jeff Beck in The Yardbirds, Steve Howe in The In Crowd, Greg Lake in The Shame and Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker in The Graham Bond Quartet. Mick Fleetwood drums for The Bo Street Runners, future Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore backs Heinz, his Purple bandmate Jon Lord is organist in The Artwoods, Rolling Stone Bill Wyman produces The End and Denny Laine later to join Paul McCartney in Wings sings with The Moody Blues.

Producer Mike Hurst opens his archives allowing us to include freakbeat nuggets from The Australian Playboys, The Human Instinct, The Favourite Sons, Double Feature and The Oscar Bicycle plus orchestrated pop gems from the soulful Truly Smith, psychedelic The Alan Bown!, Swedish mods The Tages and dramatic singing twins Paul & Barry Ryan.

First time on CD rarities include British R&B, soul and mod beat tracks from The Athenians, The Fingers, The Candy Dates, Barney J. Barnes & The Intro, Kevin ‘King’ Lear, Dorian Gray, Barry St. John, Ray French, Laris McLennon and Sleepy plus there are previously unissued recordings by The SW4, The Union and The Trendbender Band.

Includes a booklet with track by track annotation, crammed full of rare pictures including gig posters, sheet music and band photos.

Track List:

DISC ONE:
1. BUZZ WITH THE FUZZ – Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds
2. WHAT’D I SAY - Duffy Power with The Graham Bond Quartet
3. BIG TIME OPERATOR – Zoot Money’s Big Roll Band
4. DON’T BRING ME DOWN – The Animals
5. SHAKE - Rod Stewart
6. LITTLE BITTY PRETTY ONE – Ronnie Jones
7. I FEEL ALRIGHT – Jimmy James & The Vagabonds
8. JUST A LITTLE MISUNDERSTANDING – The Richard Kent Style
9. NUMBER ONE - The Stormsville Shakers
10. SEE SAW - The Union *
11. HARLEM SHUFFLE – The Mike Cotton Sound
12. I CAN’T STAND IT – The Athenians
13. ALL I NEED - Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band
14. I’VE BEEN WEEPING AND CRYING – Laurel Aitken
15. TRY ME - Laris McLennon
16. WELL I DO - The Candy Dates
17. SHAME, SHAME, SHAME – The SW4 *
18. I LOVE THE WAY YOU WALK – Tony Rivers & The Castaways
19. LOOK AWAY - The Fingers
20. HUSH YOUR MOUTH – Mickey Finn & The Blue Men
21. EVERYTIME I DO – Rupert & The Red Devils
22. LOOKING FOR MY BABY (SKA BEAT VERSION) - Laurel Aitken
23. CAN'T STAND THE PAIN – Barney J. Barnes & The Intro
24. WATERMELON MAN – The Mark Wirtz Orchestra & Chorus
25. BABY NEVER SAY GOODBYE – The Bo Street Runners
26. (YOU GOT) THE POWER OF LOVE – Kevin 'King' Lear
27. GONNA GET BURNED – The Chantelles
28. GOTTA BRAND NEW MAN - Barry St. John
29. STUPIDITY - The Trendbender Band *

DISC TWO:
1. BIFF, BANG, POW – The Creation
2. SHE’S GOT EVERYTHING (MONO SINGLE MIX) – The Kinks
3. DO ANYTHING YOU SAY – David Bowie
4. I TAKE WHAT I WANT – The Artwoods
5. BUZZ THE JERK – The Pretty Things
6. BO STREET RUNNER (SINGLE VERSION) - The Bo Street Runners
7. STROLL ON - The Yardbirds
8. WALTZ FOR A PIG – The Graham Bond Organisation (A.K.A. The Who Orchestra)
9. TIGER - Brian Auger & The Trinity
10. MR. PEARLY - Kevin 'King' Lear
11. GET GOIN' BABY - Dorian Gray
12. LEAVIN’ HERE - The Favourite Sons
13. COME ON GO (DEMO) – Force Four
14. GLORIA'S DREAM (SINGLE MIX) – Belfast Gypsies
15. REMEMBER THOMAS À BECKET – John’s Children
16. WHY – The End
17. GIMME LITTLE SIGN – Rainbow Ffolly
18. NO PROBLEM - Phillip Goodhand-Tait & The Stormsville Shakers
19. MAKIN' MY MIND UP – Katch 22
20. COME ON BABY – Double Feature
21. HE CAN WIN – The Moody Blues
22. AM I GLAD TO SEE YOU – The In Crowd
23. DIGGIN’ FOR GOLD – David John & The Mood
24. I’M NOT A BAD GUY - Heinz
25. GOT THE BLAME - The Worrying Kynde
26. YOU'VE GOT SOMETHING – Paul’s Troubles
27. WALKING DOWN A BACKSTREET – Dorian Gray
28. GUN ME DOWN – Ray French
29. SHE’S DANGEROUS – The Secrets
30. GREEN DOOR (MONO SINGLE MIX) - Wynder K. Frog

DISC THREE:
1. HALCYON DAYS – The Tages
2. LOOK AT THE VIEW – The Action
3. ONE GIRL CITY - Fleur De Lys
4. I'M A MAN – The Web
5. MOONSHINE (STEREO) – The Spencer Davis Group
6. MRS. BAILEY'S BARBECUE AND GRILL - Sleepy
7. HOLD ON – Jason Crest
8. BABY GET YOUR HEAD SCREWED ON - Double Feature
9. THE ROOM REVOLVES AROUND ME - The Oscar Bicycle
10. DREAMS DON’T BOTHER ME – The Shame
11. TECHNICOLOUR DREAM (MONO SINGLE MIX) – The Alan Bown!
12. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME – Truly Smith
13. KEEP IT OUT OF SIGHT – Paul & Barry Ryan
14. YOUR WAY TO TELL ME - Plastic Penny
15. THE STAMPING MACHINE (DEMO) - July
16. SAD - The Australian Playboys
17. PINK DAWN - The Human Instinct
18. BABY YOU'RE NOT TO BLAME – Plastic Penny
19. FOOL FROM UPPER EDEN – Andy Ellison
20. 53 SUMMER STREET - Turquoise
21. YES - Grapefruit
22. FOURPENNY BUS RIDE – Dantalian’s Chariot
23. DOCTOR ROCK (SINGLE MIX) - Apple
24. PEOPLE! LET'S FREAK OUT (SINGLE MIX) - The Freaks Of Nature (Alias Belfast Gypsies)
25. ENGINE 4444 – Quiet Melon
26. PICTURE OF HER – The Spencer Davis Group
27. I'M COMING 'ROUND (TO HER WAY OF THINKING) – Kris Ife
28. REST CURE – The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown