Coming Up: 'You Can Walk Across It On The Grass – The Boutique Sounds Of Swinging London,' Box Set Celebrates Mid-60s London Scene


Out in January from Cherry Red Records.

Details:

In April 1966, 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.

The concept of Swinging London – a zeitgeist-capturing collision of the most daring fashions, the coolest actors/models, the grooviest pop music – had already been fermenting for a year or two, but Time’s feature propelled it from well-kept local secret to internationally-acknowledged phenomenon. Over four hours and three CDs, ‘You Can Walk Across It On The Grass: The Boutique Sounds of Swinging London’ documents a scene that, 60 years later, still grips the public’s imagination.

From the notorious Profumo affair that brought down the Government and ended the age of deference to Bobby Moore accepting a still-gleaming Jules Rimet Trophy from Queen Elizabeth in the high summer of 1966, ‘You Can Walk Across It On The Grass’ celebrates a period in which Carnaby Street and the King’s Road seemed to be the centre of the universe.

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), we feature cheeky, kinky singles from such names as Avengers pair Honor Blackman and Patrick Macnee, Twiggy and Mandy Rice-Davies, and a clutch of 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).

With a 48-page booklet that features some fabulous Swinging London images, ‘You Can Walk Across It On The Grass’ is a nostalgia-inducing time capsule of the original Cool Brittania era. Climb aboard for the ride but, in the words of Dave Dee and his pals, “Hold tight!”.

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 

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