Another interesting collection, You Can Walk Across It On The Grass – The Boutique Sounds Of Swinging London box set.
It’s another from Cherry Red, which seems to be really going for it over the coming months. It’s just a shame that some of these boxes don’t make the cut before Christmas. This is another January 2024 release.
The box is described as a ‘celebration of the mid-60s Swinging London scene’ and, as such, has quite a broad remit. Yes, there’s some club-friendly mod R&B/soul here, but also ‘era-defining pop’ and cult TV/film themes of the era. Everything that made up the soundtrack of the era.
The title? In April 1966, the American magazine Time ran a front-page feature, captioned ‘You Can Walk Across It On The Grass’, that proclaimed London to be the most swinging city in the world and leader of contemporary pop culture. So it kinda stuck.
Era-defining hit singles from The Kinks, The Who, Small Faces, Manfred Mann and The Troggs are joined by solo performers (Tom Jones, Dusty Springfield, etc) and a plethora of groups that played their brand of R&B/soul/jazz at such clubs as The Flamingo, The Cromwellian, The Scotch of St. James and, of course, The Marquee.
In addition to various young mods-about-town (The Action, The Creation, David Bowie), there are singles from such names as Avengers pair Honor Blackman and Patrick Macnee, Twiggy and Mandy Rice-Davies, and instrumentals that were hits in their own right (‘I Was Kaiser Bill’s Batman’) or gained popularity as TV/radio themes (The Avengers, Man In A Suitcase).
All of that is finished off with a 48-page booklet that features both words and Swinging London images. The release date is 19th January 19 2024, and the price for this 3-CD box set is £23.99.
You can get it from Amazon or Rough Trade.
TRACK LISTING
DISC ONE
1 A TOUCH OF VELVET, A STING OF BRASS – The Mood-Mosaic
2 HOLD TIGHT! – Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich
3 WHY DON’T I RUN AWAY FROM YOU – Kiki Dee
4 I WANNA BE (YOUR EVERYTHING) – Jimmy James & The Vagabonds
5 WHEN I THINK OF YOU – Twiggy
6 THEME FROM “THE AVENGERS” – The Laurie Johnson Orchestra
7 KINKY BOOTS – Patrick Macnee & Honor Blackman
8 EMERGENCY 999 – The Alan Bown Set
9 INVITATION – A Band Of Angels
10 5-4-3-2-1 – Manfred Mann
11 GOOD MORNING LITTLE SCHOOLGIRL – The Yardbirds
12 THAT LITTLE OLD HEARTBREAKER ME – David John & The Mood
13 GIRL DON’T TELL ME – Tony Rivers & The Castaways
14 DOLLY CATCHER MAN – The Knack
15 LITTLE BY LITTLE – Dusty Springfield
16 SHE SHOT A HOLE IN MY SOUL – Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band
17 I DON’T WANNA KNOW – The Mike Cotton Sound
18 YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT BABY – The End
19 IN MY LONELY ROOM – The Action
20 I REALLY LEARNT HOW TO CRY – Zoot Money’s Big Roll Band
21 MOCKINGBIRD – Glenda Collins with The Riot Squad
22 ON THE BALL (THEME FOR THE WORLD CUP) – The John Schroeder Orchestra
23 SHE SAID YEAH – Neil Christian & The Crusaders
24 LONDON LOOK – The Hi-Fis
25 WALKING DOWN THE STREET – Electric Banana
26 WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL – John Carter
27 I’M GONNA PUT SOME HURT ON YOU – Phillip Goodhand-Tait & The Stormsville Shakers
28 CHRISTINE – Miss X
29 YOU’VE GOT WHAT IT TAKES – Mandy Rice-Davies
30 DON’T BLOW YOUR COOL – The Caravelles
DISC TWO
1 I CAN’T CONTROL MYSELF – The Troggs
2 CAN’T HELP THINKING ABOUT ME – David Bowie with The Lower Third
3 TRY AND STOP ME – The Creation
4 VIVA LA TAMLA MOTOWN – The London Studio Group
5 NEW DIRECTIONS – Dave Anthony’s Moods
6 DEDICATED FOLLOWER OF FASHION – The Kinks
7 SHE’S A LIAR – The Shots
8 CAROLINE – The Fortunes
9 A MAN IN A SUITCASE – Ron Grainer
10 HELP ME GIRL – Eric Burdon & The Animals
11 I LIKE WHAT I’M TRYING TO DO – Waygood Ellis
12 WADE IN THE WATER – The Graham Bond Organisation
13 I’M A BOY – The Who
14 RED WHITE AND YOU – Sounds Around
15 PUT YOURSELF IN MY PLACE – Episode Six
16 MR. FRANTIC – Bluesology
17 LITTLE GAMES – Des James
18 CHILLS AND FEVER – Tom Jones
19 TAKE ME TO THE DANCE – Twinkle
20 I WAS KAISER BILL’S BATMAN – Whistling Jack Smith
21 BIG CITY – The Artwoods
22 LITTLE GIRL – John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton
23 LOOKING BACK (single version) – The Spencer Davis Group
24 BECAUSE I LOVE YOU (aka I DO LOVE YOU) – The Mickey Finn
25 SORROW (demo version) – The Merseys
26 IF TREES COULD TALK – Samantha Juste
27 PORTOBELLO ROAD – The Spectrum
28 JULIE BROWN LOVES CAPTAIN COOK – Les & Paul Barrett
29 MORNINGTOWN RIDE – Stan Butcher, His Birds & Brass
30 WHAT’CHA GONNA DO ABOUT IT – The Mirage
31 LONDON – MY HOME TOWN – The Chantelles
DISC THREE
1 FRIDAY ON MY MIND – The Easybeats
2 THE COST OF LIVING – The Downliners Sect
3 THE HUSTLE – Basil Kirchin & John Coleman
4 CRAZY FEELING – Carl Douglas & The Big Stampede
5 DO THE DOG – Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames
6 I’LL GO CRAZY – The Untamed
7 I GET EXCITED – Moon’s Train
8 I’M OUT – The Richard Kent Style
9 HENRY’S PANTER – Wynder K. Frogg
10 WHATCHA GONNA DO ABOUT IT – Small Faces
11 I’M FOLLOWING YOU – The Syn
12 I’M GETTIN’ TIRED (OF DRINKIN’ AND GAMBLIN’ ETC) – Jack Bruce
13 TOWN TALK – Ken Woodman & His Piccadilly Brass
14 IF YOU NEED ME* – The Union
15 I’M OUT OF MY OWN – The Roll Movement
16 WHERE DID MY HEART GO – The Good Time Losers
17 GET OUT OF MY WAY – The Drag Set
18 DON’T YOU IGNORE ME – The Extreem
19 DON’T STOP AND STARE – Gary Farr & The T-Bones
20 LOSE YOUR MONEY (BUT DON’T LOSE YOUR MIND) – The Moody Blues
21 CHEAT AND LIE – Miki Dallon
22 HAVEN’T THEY GOT BETTER THINGS TO DO – The Profile
23 SHE’S A RAVER* – Dana Gillespie
24 I’M WAITING FOR THE DAY – Peanut
25 I’M BACK* – The Good Things
26 NOT THE SORT OF GIRL YOU TAKE TO BED (alternative version) – John’s Children
27 HOW LONG IS TIME – The Odyssey
28 THE MUSIC GOES ROUND – The Jeeps
29 WE LOVE THE PIRATES – The Roaring 60’s
30 PAGEING SULLIVAN – The London Studio Group
31 LOVE YA ILLYA – Angela & The Fans
32 ENGLAND SWINGS – Petula Clark
