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- Released: January 2005
- Format:2-disc CD
- Rating: 8/10
- Cat.no.: 5603692
Lulu stats: First hit at 15 with Shout (UK No.7), US chart topperTo Sir With Love (from film of the same name) age 18, won EurovisionSong Contest with Boom Bang-A-Bang age 20, first UK No.1 withRelight My Fire (guesting with Take That) age 44.
Just released on EMI Catalogue is a mammoth 39-track compilation from ’60s pop’shouter’ and icon, Marie McDonald Lawrie aka Lulu. These Mickie Mostrecordings only cover the ‘Swinging-Sixties’, and why not, it was the birth ofpopular music as we know it today.
This is the time Mickie Most made his reputation, working with a galaxy ofstars from the era. Theres no Shout, but it contains six singles, the freneticdance track The Boat That I Row, Lets Pretend, Me, The Peaceful Heart,Boy, Im A Tiger, sickly Euro winner Boom Bang-A-Bang, several B-sidesand a number of rare and unreleased tracks.
Starting with the 1967 US No.1 from the film To Sir With Love starringSidney Poitier as the cool East End teacher trying to win hearts and minds, inwhich Lulu appeared. If youre not conversant with most of the tracks, youllbe impressed with the songwriting contributions.
My late friend Tim Rose gets his co-credit on track 2 Morning Dew. Otherluminaries such as Lennon and McCartney, Harry Nilsson, Bob Dylan, The Bee Gees(obviously – she was once married to Maurice Gibb), Burt Bacharach and Leiber-Stollerall throw in their weight behind a very comprehensive collection.
The inclusion of foreign language songs comes as no surprise, as there are afew Lulu songs with German titles from the early ’70s. Predictably,theproduction is thin and edgy, but remember it was Britain in the ’60s. It doesnt,however, lose any of its oomph or impact, and is worthy of sitting alongsideother compilations from the era.
WeblinkLulu Official.com
The full list of tracks included are :
Disc 1.
1. To Sir With Love
2. Morning Dew
3. You And I
4. Rattler
5. Day Tripper
6. Love Loves To Love, Love
7. To Love Somebody
8. The Boat That I Row
9. Lets Pretend
10. Take Me In Your Arms And Love Me
11. Best Of Both Worlds
12. Dreary Days And Nights
13. You And I (mono single version)
14. Me, The Peaceful Heart
15. Lookout
16. Boy
17. Sad Memories
18. Im A Tiger
19. Without Him
20. Boom Bang A Bang
21. March
22. Boom Bang A Bang (French version)*
23. Boom Bang A Bang (Italian version)*
Disc 2.
1. Show Me
2. Mighty Quinn
3. My Ain Folk
4. Where Did You Come From?
5. Gimme Some Lovin
6. I Started A Joke
7. Why Did I Choose You?
8. The Boy Next Door
9. Come September
10. A House Is Not A Home
11. Cry Like A Baby
12. Betcha
13. I Cant Go On Living Without Your Love
14. Are You Ready For Love?
15. This Time*
16. I Keep Forgettin*
(* Previously unreleased)
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.