|
THE STORY OF OAK
RECORDS
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| TRACK
LIST: |
|
Ready Steady
Go: The Roots Of Oak (Late 1963-Feb.1965)
|
| A1 |
Wild
Oats, The – |
You
Can't Judge A Book By Its Cover
Written-By – Dixon
|
2:27 |
| A2 |
Bo
Street Runners, The – |
Shame
Shame Shame
Written-By – Reed
|
3:07 |
| A3 |
Thyrds,
The – |
Hide
& Seek
Written-By – Ellis
|
2:24 |
| A4 |
A-Jaes,
The – |
I'm
Leaving You
Written-By – White
|
2:20 |
| A5 |
Rats,
The – |
Spoonful
Written-By – Dixon
|
2:21 |
| A6 |
Betterdays,
The – |
Aw
Shucks Hush Your Mouth
Written-By – Reed
|
2:49 |
| A7 |
Five
Of Diamonds, The – |
Route
66
Written-By – Troup
|
2:10 |
| A8 |
Hickory
Stix, The – |
Hello
My Darling
Written-By – Gianitto
|
2:09 |
| A9 |
Jaguars,
The – |
Now
You Wonder Why
Written By – Coleman
|
3:14 |
|
Anyway Anyhow
Anywhere: Oak Branches Out (May 1965-March 1967)
|
| B1 |
'Im
And The Uvvers – |
Wake
Me Now
Written By – Carpark, Chapin
|
2:15 |
| B2 |
Miller
– |
Baby
I Got News For You
Written-By – Miller
|
2:54 |
| B3 |
Act,
The – |
I
Turn To Love You
Written-By – Gowing,
Blake,
Brown
|
2:30 |
| B4 |
Peter
And The Persuaders – |
Cross
My Heart
Written-By – Trent
|
2:29 |
| B5 |
Four
Leaved Clovers, The – |
Alright
Girl
Written-By – Four
Leaved Clovers
|
2:45 |
| B6 |
Game,
The – |
The
Addicted Man
Written-By – Gowing,
Blake,
Brown
|
2:21 |
| B7 |
Kingpins,
The – |
Maybe
Sometime
Written-By – R
Neale
|
2:30 |
| B8 |
Five
Steps Beyond – |
Faint
Heart
Written-By – Winward
|
2:55 |
|
Pipers At The Gates
Of Dawn: Oak Gets Out Of Its Tree (Nov.1967-Aug.1968)
|
| C1 |
Amber
– |
Yellow
And Red
Written-By – Smith,
Read
|
3:53 |
| C2 |
Ice
Show, The – |
I
Remember Susannah
Written-By – Ice
Show
|
3:00 |
| C3 |
Mike
Stuart Span – |
Concerto
Of Thoughts
Written-By – Hobmur/Benmac
|
3:04 |
| C4 |
Lavender
Grove – |
Lavender
Grove
Written-By – Spencer
|
2:39 |
| C5 |
Pneumonia
– |
I
Can See Your Face
Written-By – Pneumonia
|
2:43 |
| C6 |
Keith
Dangerfield – |
No
Life Child
Written-By – Dangerfield
|
3:03 |
| C7 |
Herd,
The – |
Good
Citizen
Written-By – Bown,
Frampton
|
2:49 |
|
Dazed And Confused:
Oak Goes Underground (Late 1968-Jan.1971)
|
| D1 |
Velvet
Frogs, The – |
Jehovah
Written-By – Muchmore
|
7:01 |
| D2 |
Velvet
Hush – |
Lover
Please
Written-By – Velvet
Hush
|
3:54 |
| D3 |
Brew
– |
Play
Your Tune
Written-By – Brew
|
3:51 |
| D4 |
Factory
– |
Time
Machine
Written-By – Tony
Qunta
|
5:55 |
|
|
| CREDITS: |
- Artwork By
[Sleeve Design] – David Anton
- Compiled
By, Other [Album Conceptualised, Researched, Supervised, Co-ordinated,
Annotated, More Or Less Everything Else] – David
Wells
- Remastered
By [Digitally] – Denis
Blackham
|
| NOTES: |
|
Comes in a gatefold cover.
Subtitled as "An Anthology Of Recordings Made At R. G. Jones
(Morden) Limited.".
Tracks presented in the time series and each side has its chapter.
Limited hand numbered edition of 1000.
CD
version of this compilation exists on Tenth Planet's sub label
Wooden Hill in 1999 with slightly different track listing (Cat#:
"WHCD007").
|
|
REVIEW:
|
|
R G Jones' Recording
Studio in Morden, Surrey would probably qualify as a historic landmark
today, if it hadn't been long ago demolished by the local council. The
Rolling Stones and The Yardbirds laid down their earliest demo
recordings there, in 1962 and '63 respectively, and over the course of
the ensuing decade Jones had a steady stream of clients, mostly young
unknowns who left the premises with a handful of acetate demos made on
the studio's in-house disc-cutter. The studio's own Oak label went a
step further, issuing limited run vinyl pressings (usually just 99
copies, to avoid Purchase Tax) which were manufactured at Pye's nearby
pressing plant. These records have become some of the most
sought-after `60s artifacts, not only for their scarcity but because
they contain some of the deadliest R&B and freakbeat ever made, as
The Story of Oak Records amply demonstrates
A 2LP vinyl issue appeared on Tenth Planet in 1994 (see UT#14) but is
now out of print. This CD version is a somewhat curtailed version of
that set, omitting several of the weaker tracks and making some key
substitutions, including the addition of several killers not on the
vinyl edition.
Getting to those first, The Four Degrees provide a raving version of
"Too Much Monkey Business", modelled after The Yardbirds,
but with more teen energy and some bangin' Jerry Lee-style piano work;
I love how the harmony vocal drowns out the lead on the chorus. Also
new here, The Exiles' "Love In the Making" is an excellent
charging beat number and The Phoenix's "You Are The Moon And The
Stars And The Sun" is an upbeat pop-psych winner. However, the
pick of the new bunch are The Gremlins, who give some freakbeat aggro
to the Spencer Davis Group's "High Time Baby" with slashing
amped-up guitar and an aggressive vocal from future Fleur de Lys
member Chris (later Tim) Andrews.
These Solskjaer-style `super subs' enhance an already stellar line-up
that includes R&Beat gems by the likes of The Bo Street Runners
and The Betterdays, freakbeat essentials by The Kingpins and The Game,
and superb psychedelia by Amber and Mike Stuart Span, and not to
forget the delectably mysterioso Velvet Frogs.
Unless you can prove to me you already own every one of these
horrifically rare recordings (stand up, Dr Andy Few?), you are
commanded to buy this.
- Mike Stax (Originally published in Ugly Things #18, 2000)
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LINK:
http://www.discogs.com/Various-The-Story-Of-Oak-Records/release/1783635
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