You Got Me Hooked! More Marylebone Beat Girls.
Label: Ace.
Format: CD.
During the sixties, many singers and groups made the journey to EMI House, in Marylebone, in the heart of London’s West End. The meeting that they were about to have, they knew, had the potential to transform their lives. At stake, was that all-important recording contract.
While it was tantalisingly close for some, securing a recording contract was as likely as finding gold at the end of the rainbow. Others didn’t have the necessary star quality. As a result, the dream was over. All their hard work had been vain. The weeks, months and years they had spent travelling the country, and singing and in pubs and clubs had been for nothing. With their dream in tatters, reality was about to hit home, and they were faced with finding a job outside of music. The tedium of the 9 to 5 grind beckoned. They were the unlucky ones.
The lucky ones travelled in hope to EMI House, and carried themselves with an air of expectancy. They realised that this was their time, and that they knew were going to leave EMI House having secured that all-important recording contract. These singers and groups were the lucky ones. This includes those that feature on ‘You Got Me Hooked! More Marylebone Beat Girls,’ which was recently released by Ace.
‘You Got Me Hooked! More Marylebone Beat Girls’ is the latest instalment in the series. It features twenty-six tracks were released on the Parlophone, Columbia and HMV labels, whose headquarters were in Marylebone, in London’s West End. Each of the artists that feature on the compilation made the journey to EMI House.
Many of the artists and groups that journeyed to EMI House were young, and just embarking upon a musical career. Most of them, were just teenagers, and had never been near a recording studio. Some of them, had never been to London, which between 1964 and 1969 was very different to the provincial towns many of the artists came from. This must have been a shock to their system.
Other artists on ‘You Got Me Hooked! Marylebone Beat Girls,’ took everything in their stride. This included watching as the British Invasion bands arrived in America, and transformed music stateside.
They also watched as flower power and the psychedelic revolution arrived in London. Suddenly, happenings were the order of the day, where groups like Pink Floyd provided the psychedelic soundtrack.
By then, some of the artists on ‘You Got Me Hooked! Marylebone Beat Girls’ including Alma Coogan and Barbara Ruskin’s careers were well underway. They had already released a couple singles, and enjoyed a degree of success. Some of these artists, would go on to enjoy long and successful careers. However, others weren’t so successful, and there was no gold at the end of the musical rainbow.
For the artists and groups that provide the twenty-six songs on ‘You Got Me Hooked! Marylebone Beat Girls’ their fortunes varied. Some became familiar faces, and even became household names. Others didn’t enjoy the same success, and only recorded a couple of singles. These will be new names to many people.
However, they join some familiar faces on ‘Marylebone Beat Girls 1964-1967.’ This includes Alma Coogan, Helen Shapiro, Julie Driscoll, Barbara Ruskin, Millicent Martin and Elkie Brooks. They’re joined by Friday Browne, Emma Rede and Jane Hillery, plus groups like The Soulmates, Liza and The Jet Set and The Three Bells. These are just a few of the artists on ‘You Got Me Hooked! Marylebone Beat Girls, which transports the listener back to the sixties.
Opening the compilation is Alma Cogan’s single, ‘Shakes and Sails.’ It was released on Columbia, in 1965, and was written by Chris Curtis of The Searchers. Cogan delivers a powerful vocal against a hard-rocking backing track.
During the early sixties, Helen Shapiro was one of Britain’s most successful female vocalists. However, by the end of the decade, she wasn’t enjoying the same success. She had recorded ‘I’m Going Out (The Same Way I Came In)’ in 1967. It wasn’t released until 1998, when it featured on her album ‘Helen Shapiro At Abbey Road. This heartachingly beautiful song with a vocal full of emotion returns for an encore on the compilation.
In the sixties, Liza Strike was a member of two girl groups. The London-based singer made her recording debut with The Jet Set in 1965. They released ‘You Got Me Hooked’ on Parlophone. A year later, Liza and The Jet Set, as they were now billed, released ‘How Can I Know.’ Later in 1965, the group evolved, and with new members, became The Soulmates. They released four singles including ‘Too Late To Say You’re Sorry,’ on Parlophone in 1965. Later, the song was covered by Darlene Love. While The Soulmates singles weren’t sucessful, the group were popular on the live circuit. However, Liza Strike later found success when she was one of the backing vocalists on ‘Dark Side Of The Moon,’ which became one of the biggest selling albums of all time.
A disappointing inclusion on the compilation is ‘From Now On’ by Liverpudlian warbler Cilla Black. It was the B-Side her 1967 single ‘I Only Live To Love You’ on Parlophone. One listen and you’ll realise why it was consigned to the B-Side. It’s 1 minute 49 seconds of your life you’ll never get back.
The Liverpool-based trio The Three Bells’ recording career began in 1960 at Pye, where they released two singles. By 1964, The Three Bells had signed to Columbia, and in 1964, and they set about promoting the trio. They made appearances on various British television shows, promoting the two singles they released. Their debut was a cover of Goffin and King’s ‘Softly Is The Night,’ which was released in 1964. On the B-Side was ‘He Doesn’t Love You,’ where the group kick loose. Then in 1965, the group released ‘Someone To Love’ as a single. On the flip side was an impassioned cover of Ben E King’s ‘Cry No More.’
Elkie Brooks is, without doubt, one of the biggest names on the compilation, and features twice. She released ‘He’s Got To Love Me’ on HMV in 1965. It’s a slick and soulful hidden gem. Then in 1966, Brooks covered Lesley Gore’s ‘All Of My Life’ for her third single. Tucked away on the B-Side as ‘Stop The Music.’ It features a hurt-filled, soul-baring, powerhouse of a vocal that’s delivered against a pounding arrangement.
In 1967, Barbara Ruskin released ‘Come In To My Arms Again’ as a single. She had written the song and it was released on Parlophone. It features sultry and heartfelt vocal delivered against a string-drenched arrangement.
Back in 1966, Vashti Bunyan embarked upon a solo career. She was billed as Vashti, when she released her debut single ‘Train Song.’ It features an understated arrangement that features just cello, acoustic guitar and double bass. This is the perfect accompaniment to a beautiful, ethereal vocal. Closing the compilation is the B-Side, ‘Love Song’ which has a pastoral arrangement and a vocal that’s tender as Vashti lays bare her soul on this confessional. It’s a hidden gem, and like ‘Train Song’ is one of the highlights of You Got Me Hooked! More Marylebone Beat Girls.
While a lucky few artists enjoyed a successful career, commercial success was fleeting for other singers and groups. Often, commercial success eluded artists. This led to many a career that was all too brief, and promise that went unfulfilled. It was a case of what might have been.
Some artists and groups only released one or two singles, before calling time on a career that promised much. It was a case of what might have been. A reminder of this is You Got Me Hooked! More Marylebone Beat Girls which is the latest instalment in Ace’s Beat Girls’ series.
Just like previous instalments in the series, it’s a mixture of hits, hidden gems, near misses, B-Sides and album tracks. The result is a compilation that may be of interest to music lovers interested in the music of the sixties Beat Girls.
You Got Me Hooked! More Marylebone Beat Girls features a mixture of familiar faces and new names. Some of the artists and groups have featured on previous instalments in this series. Others make their debut. The result is a musical voyage of discovery, which features twenty-six tracks recorded during what was a golden era for British pop.
You Got Me Hooked! More Marylebone Beat Girls.
