Music Reviews Sixties Beat and Pop Sounds

Graham Gouldman – The Graham Gouldman Thing (Rev-Ola)

Graham Gouldman - The Graham Gouldman Thing (Rev-Ola)
Graham Gouldman - The Graham Gouldman Thing (Rev-Ola)
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Graham Gouldman on Modculture? Of course – because The Graham Gouldman Thing has been reissued on CD by those lovely folk at Rev-Ola.

If you’ve heard of Graham Gouldman, you’ll know him from one of three places:

1. As a contributing act to the Mod Scene compilation on Decca
2. As a songwriter of some note in the mod to late 1960s
3. As a member of ’70s dullards 10CC.

The Graham Gouldman Thing straddles the first of those two, offering up some 60s beat (with a slightly psych-y twist), as well as reworking some of those classic tunes he wrote for others with his own personal spin. The result is a very listenable album. In fact, it’s really good. Which is all the more surprising when you consider that this album wasn’t even deemed good enough for a UK release ‘back in the day’.

But it’s no longer a crate digger’s dream, it’s out on remastered CD with new liner notes from both Gouldman himself alongside Andy Morten, ready to win an all-new audience of devotees.

So it should, as there are some great tunes on here. First off, the stuff you’ll know. Bus Stop, which Gouldman wrote for The Hollies, gets a string arrangement (hint of Eleanor Rigby certainly in there), while No Milk Today sounds like a mash-up with the Left Banke (not a bad reference point for much of this album, if that’s what you’re looking for). Pick of the bunch though is the rework of For Your Love, with this version, which just sounds superbly funky – check it out under this review to hear it for yourself.

Elsewhere, baroque and a touch of pomp abound on the likes of Impossible Years, My Father and Pamela, Pamela, with some moody grooves courtesy of Behind The Door and Who Are They, a touch of jaunt via Pawnbroker and Upstairs Downstairs and a sampler’s dream in the form of Chestnut – funk, with the odd stab of organ.

All of it of a high standard and while perhaps not a classic, The Graham Gouldman Thing is something that fans of late ’60s grooves and slightly leftfield ’60s pop will lap up. If that’s you, it’s out now.

Find out more at the Amazon website

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