Various Artists: All Things Bright And Beautiful - The UK Pop Explosion 1967-1969, 3CD Box Set

• A four-hour, 3CD anthology of the late 60s British pop scene during the early years of Radio 1.

• Big hits and intriguing misses from some of the biggest acts and most prominent writing/ production teams of the era.

In 1967, British pop radio underwent a seismic change when the pirate stations that had ruled the airwaves over the previous couple of years were declared illegal by an Act of Parliament and replaced by a national station controlled by publicly-funded broadcaster the BBC.

The arrival of Radio 1 saw the British pop scene remade in the station's own image, with a new wave of songwriting and production teams competing to create bright, brassy, relentlessly upbeat tracks that would be embraced by Radio 1's all-important playlist.

While The Love Affair, The Herd, The Tremeloes and The Foundations were among the groups who made the headlines, the key figures were really the backroom auteurs: names like Tony Macaulay, Howard Blaikley and arranger Keith Mansfield were all integral to the new, homogenised pop radio sound.

‘All Things Bright And Beautiful: The UK Pop Explosion’ is a 3CD, four-hour celebration of this pivotal period in British pop history, with a huge number of key hits – including several featured in the opening hour of Radio 1's first broadcast – joined by more minor successes and some 45s that received considerable airplay but nevertheless failed to make the grade.

Housed in Grapefruit's standard clamshell box packaging with a 48-page booklet and track- by-track annotation, it's another essential purchase for any late 60s pop aficionado.

TRACK LISTING

DISC ONE

1  FLOWERS IN THE RAIN - The Move

2  SIMON SMITH & THE AMAZING DANCING BEAR - Alan Price Set

3  YOU'RE ALL THINGS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL - Neil Christian

4  I LIVE FOR THE SUN - Vanity Fare

5  SMOKEY BLUE'S AWAY - A New Generation

6  BABY NOW THAT I'VE FOUND YOU - The Foundations

7  THANKS - J. Vincent Edward

8  LET'S LIVE FOR TODAY - Living Daylights

9  CARRIE ANNE - The Hollies

10  ROUND, ROUND - Jonathan King

11  I'M A BOX (MUM-MUM-MUM) - The Hi-Fi's

12  FRIENDS – Arrival

13  HOUSE FOR SALE - Val McKenna

14  SLOW MOTION (demo version) - Sweetshop

15  EVERYTHING I AM - Plastic Penny

16  SHAME, SHAME - Magic Lanterns

17  WONDERBOY - The Kinks

18  MR. BLUE - Force West

19  THE LAMENT OF THE CHEROKEE RESERVATION INDIAN - Don Fardon

20 A WALK IN THE SUNSHINE - Davey Payne & The Medium Wave

21 SAMANTHA'S MINE - The Spectrum

22  LITTLE BIT O' SOUL - Candy

23  SOMETHING HERE IN MY HEART (KEEPS A TELLIN' ME NO) - The Paper Dolls

24  I THINK I NEED THE CASH - The Secrets

25  THE GLORIA BOSOM SHOW - The Sundowners

26  IN A MOMENT OF MADNESS - The Flower Pot Men

27  EXCERPT FROM “A TEENAGE OPERA” - Keith West

DISC TWO

1  BRINGING ON BACK THE GOOD TIMES - The Love Affair

2  THE BOAT THAT I ROW - Lulu

3  BEAUTIFUL DREAMS - Twiggy

4  BABY COME BACK TO ME - Simon De Lacy

5  WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH JULIET - The Wheels

6 COME BACK AND SHAKE ME - Clodagh Rodgers

7 MARCH - Cindy Ann Lee

8  SIGN ON THE DOTTED LINE - Gene Latter

9  PLEASE LET ME HIDE - The Skatalites

10 A WAY OF LIFE - The Family Dogg

11  WIDE SMILES - The Episode

12  PEANUTS AND CHEWY MACS - The Cymbaline

13  THE SILENT SUN - Genesis

14 AND THE RAINS CAME DOWN - U.K. Jones

15  LOVELY LORETTA - The Merseys

16  I THOUGHT YOU THOUGHT - Chuckles

17  LOVIN' THINGS - The Marmalade

18  COOL IT - The Quotations

19  BAUBLES AND BANGLES - Mike Stuart Span

20  WOULD YOU BELIEVE WHAT I SAY – The Unit (Unit Four Plus Two)

21 GIMME GIMME GOOD LOVIN' - Whichwhat

22  HOOKEY - The Eggy

23  (IF PARADISE IS) HALF AS NICE - Amen Corner

24  WHAT'S IT TO YOU - The Chocolate Watch Band

25  MICKY - Twinkle

26 ANYBODY AT THE PARTY SEEN JENNY - Tony Ritchie

27  GONE ARE THE SONGS OF YESTERDAY - Circus

28  GENTLE PEOPLE Pts. 1 and 2 - Violent Thimble

DISC THREE

1  ELOISE - Barry Ryan

2  I DON'T WANT OUR LOVING TO DIE - The Herd

3  MYSTERY LADY - The Mirage

4  (HERE WE GO ROUND THE) LEMON TREE - Jason Crest

5  PENELOPE BREEDLOVE - Dave Christie

6  JESAMINE - The Casuals

7  ROUND GOING ROUND - Grapefruit

8  PUBLICITY GIRL - The Gnomes Of Zurich

9  LAST NIGHT IN SOHO - Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick And Tich

10  I REMEMBER - Harmony Grass

11  EVERYTHING'S GONE WRONG - Tony Hazzard

12  BLUEBERRY BLUE - Sun Dragon

13  GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY (demo version) - Outer Limits

14  I CAN'T LET MAGGIE GO - The Honeybus

15  LET'S TAKE A TRIP DOWN THE RHINE - Apple

16  DING DONG BELL - Yellow Pages

17  HUMA-LUMA - The Carlew Choir

18  THINGS YOU DO - Sons And Lovers

19  WHILE WE'RE FRIENDS - Katch-22

20  THE TURTLE TORTOISE AND THE HARE - Guy Darrell Syndicate

21  I SEE RED - Steve Rowland

22 ANGELINE - Warm Sounds

23  DRIVE, DRIVE, DRIVE - Jimmy Henderson Set

24  JUST ONE THING - The Roll Movement

25  BRIGHT-EYED APPLES - Tuesday's Children

26  EVENINGS WITH CORRINA (SO LONG AGO) - The Picadilly Line

27  EVEN THE BAD TIMES ARE GOOD - The Tremeloes