Various Artists - Marylebone Beat Girls 1964-1967 / Various - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

2016 collection. Located in London's West End, Pye Records boasted a super stable of female talent. Released hot on the heels of our recent Love Hit Me! Decca Beat Girls collection, Scratch My Back! Pye Beat Girls comprises two-dozen peachy selections from Pye and sister tag Piccadilly's 1960s output. The compilation is titled after the opening track by Jan Panter, a Mark Wirtz-produced must-have for those who prefer their girl-pop records beefed up with a dose of fuzz guitar. Tony Hatch, the most successful of Pye's in-house producers, is represented by cherry-picked titles by the Breakaways, Petula Clark, cult favorite Sandra Barry, the Baker Twins and Julie Grant. 'Heart' has to be the rocking-est track Petula ever recorded, so much so that it was covered in the USA by garage band the Remains.

Various Artists - Beat Pop / Various [COMPACT DISCS] date 05/01/2008

Limited 180gm orange vinyl LP pressing in a heavy duty sleeve with comprehensive notes and rare photos on the inner bag. This follow-up to our recent Love Hit Me! Decca Beat Girls and Scratch My Back! Pye Beat Girls releases comprises superior 60s she-pop from the EMI group of record labels - Parlophone, Columbia and HMV - headquartered in Marylebone in the heart of London's West End. Most of the female acts signed by EMI were teenagers completely tuned in to the current pop trends. Scottish duo the McKinleys, R&B club habituée Julie Driscoll, talent show winner Billie Davis and Midlands pub singer Beverley Jones took original material from London's Tin Pan Alley and American covers and gave them an abrasive, vigorous kick that made for fabulous 45s. They may not have had quite the Polish of their US counterparts, but the rough 'n' ready sound of the Marylebone Beat Girl was precisely her appeal. Among the many highlights are 'Dancing Yet', a Dobie Gray-style discotheque number by Liza & the Jet Set; 'Like The Big Man Said' by Toni Daly, a cover of Italian star Caterina Caselli's 'L'uomo D'oro' with edgy English lyrics by Peter Callander; and Billie Davis' groovy gender-switched update of Chuck Willis' R&B nugget 'Whatcha' Gonna Do'.