Take a Beau
The Beau Brummels in 1964 (clockwise from top): John Petersen, Sal Valentino, Ron Meagher, Ron Elliott, Dec Mulligan Opposite: New Beaus – the original line-up in 1964
When Laugh, Laugh hit the US Top 20 in early 1965, many Americans thought they were hearing the latest British Invasion band. The intoxicating blend of major and minor melodies, the bittersweet harmonies, even the Beau Brummels name – all sounded more like Liverpool than California. So did their Top 10 follow-up, Just A Little, spotlighting a haunting mix of electric and acoustic guitars, paced by Sal Valentino’s heart-rending vocals.
Although they did have an Irishman in their initial ranks, The Beau Brummels were from San Francisco. While these were their only two big hits, they recorded a boatload more material over the next five years, moving from Merseybeat-inspired sounds to folk-rock, orchestrated psychedelia, and country-rock. They’re the only group that worked closely with both Sly Stone and Randy Newman before either of those icons became famous.
All the recordings they released in the 60s, and a lot of what they didn’t release, are on the 8CD box, Turn Around: The Complete Recordings 1964-1970. Boasting 228 tracks, it’s astonishing in both its quantity and range, from rudimentary 1964 demos to some of the earliest country-rock cut in Nashville.
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Esta historia es de la edición October 2022 de Record Collector.
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WINDOWS ON THE WORLD
At the peak of their powers in the early 70s, by 1975 there were signs that Led Zeppelin were burning out, and their legendary appetite for excess, not to mention stadium-straddling, mythically charged, epically inclined hard rock, might be waning.
HI-FIDELITY?
Running a record shop is a dream for many music aficionados. Steve Burniston investigates how to run a successful one
THE ENGINE ROOM
The unsung heroes who helped forge modern music
UNDER THE RADAR
Artists, bands, and labels meriting more attention
45 SHEFFIELD 45s
Continuing our celebrations of RC's 45th birthday and following on from our look at the best 45s to come out of Manchester, Liverpool, Bristol and Glasgow, we focus on the urbanisation formerly known as Steel City: Sheffield. Close to the (Nether) Edge: Jeremy Allen
Finished Symphonies
In the late 80s, Shelleyan Orphan made rarefied, ravishing, precious (both meanings) baroque pop, all chamber quartet accompaniment and literary reference points, like an 18th century Cocteau Twins.
"BLACK BRITISH PEOPLE HAD SOMETHING TO SHOUT ABOUT"
Breaking new ground for black music in Britain from his teenage years in Matumbi in the early 70s, Dennis Bovell went on to become one of reggae's most highly regarded producers, helping popularise lovers rock. He also played a pivotal role in post-punk's experimental incorporation of dub influences on records like The Slits' Cut and The Pop Group's Y. As new compilation, Sufferer Sounds, reaches back to his early days to compile some of his best early dub plates, Lois Wilson gets the full backstory from one of British music's most enduring forces.
FRENZY REUNITED
Swindon's finest musical export, XTC were also one of the most quietly influential British bands, setting a template for Britpop while pioneering a brand of left-field guitar pop – from herky-jerky invention to consummate craftsmanship – that has spawned many imitators.
Paperback Blighters - The books every record collector should read.
The books every record collector should read. Vinyl, you may have heard, has made a big comeback. In 2022, sales of vinyl albums surpassed compact discs (CDs) for the first time in more than three decades in terms of global revenue, racking up more than $1.2bn.
"Beware the Savage Lure/of 1984..." - David Bowie is one of the most venerated musicians ever. But even he had his bad periods.
David Bowie is one of the most venerated musicians ever. But even he had his bad periods. For many, 1984 remains the nadir of his Phil Collins” phase; an artistic/sartonial/tonsorial disaster area. But was it really that awful? Forty years on, Matt Phillips explores Bowie's so-called annus horribilis.
