The Very Best of Billy J. Kramer. EMI Gold. 0946 3 11974 2 0
A compilation of 29 tracks. When asked to make a comment for the CD, Billy said, “The 60’s were the most magical period in the history of rock and roll and I am proud to have been a part of that era. I will always be indebted to Brian Epstein, John Lennon and Paul McCartney for all that they did for me.”

Although Billy recorded a number of Lennon/McCartney compositions, his biggest hit was ‘Little Children’, a number he discovered himself and one which Brian Epstein didn’t want him to record. Billy told me that when he was looking for another number to record he went to Blackpool to see Paul and asked him if he could give him a song, Paul offered him ‘Yesterday’ but Billy turned it down.

The tracks are: I’ll Keep You Satisfied; Do You Want To Know A Secret? Call Your Name; Sneakin’ Around; Second To None; Bad To Me; The Cruel Sea (track by the Dakotas); Magic Carpet; Over; I’ll Be On My Way; Sugar Babe; It’s Up To You; Little Children; From A Window; It’s A Mad Mad World; Neon City; Trains And Boats And Planes; It’s Gotta Last Forever; That’s The Way I Feel; I’ll Be Doggone; We’re Doing Fine; Forgive Me; The Millionaire; Humdinger; My Girl Josephine; Take My Hand; San Diego; Ships That Pass In The Night; You Can’t Live On Memories.

Sanctuary and its Subsidiaries
There are a number of CDs available from Sanctuary Records and its subsidiaries which contain tracks from various Liverpool artists and groups who recorded in the mid-Sixties.

These include a series of three double-CDs in a series which cover the early British music scene of the 1960s, beginning with:

BeatBeatBeat: Volume One:
The Mersey Sound & Other Mop Top Rarities: 1962-1963. CMDDD282
Disc One includes: ‘Sweets For My Sweet’, the Searchers. ‘It’s All Been A Dream’, the Searchers. ‘Lies’ Johnny Sandon & the Remo Four. ‘On The Horizon’, Johnny Sandon & the Remo Four. ‘(Do The) Mashed Potato’, the Undertakers. ‘Everybody Loves A Lover’, the Undertakers. ‘Tip of My Tongue’, Tommy Quickly. ‘Heaven Only Knows’, Tommy Quickly.

Disc Two includes: ‘I Don’t Care’, the Chants. ‘Come Go With Me’, the Chants. ‘Yes’, Johnny Sandon & the Remo Four. ‘Magic Potion’, Johnny Sandon & the Remo Four.’ ‘What About Us’, the Undertakers. ‘Money (That’s What I Want)’, the Undertakers. ‘Sugar & Spice’, the Searchers. ‘Saints And Searchers’, the Searchers. ‘Don’t Lie To Me’, Jeannie & the Big Guys. ‘Boys’, Jeannie & the Big Guys. ‘Kiss Me Now’, Tommy Quickly & the Remo Four.’ ‘No Other Love (Could Ever Be The Same)’, Tommy Quickly & the Remo Four. ‘I Could Write A Book’, the Chants. ‘A Thousand Stars’, the Chants. ‘Needles And Pins’, the Searchers. ‘Saturday Night Out’, the Searchers.

Fab Gear BeatBeatBeat. Volume Two CMDDD 397 is a double disc compilation
Of interest to enthusiasts of the Mersey Sound are several tracks on Disc One: They are: ‘Everybody Knows’, Gregory Phillips and the Remo Four; ‘Closer To Me’, Gregory Phillips and the Remo Four; ‘Sixteen Tons’, Johnny Sandon; ‘The Blizzard’, Johnny Sandon; ‘Just A Little Bit’, the Undertakers; ‘Stupidity’, the Undertakers; ‘I Want You’, Jeannie & the Big Guys; ‘Sticks And Stones’, Jeannie & the Big Guys.

The tracks of Mersey artists on Side Two are: 

‘Prove It’, Tommy Quickly with the Remo Four; ‘Haven’t You Noticed’, Tommy Quickly with the Remo Four; ‘All My Loving’, the Trends; ‘Sweet Little Miss Love’, the Trends; ‘He Doesn’t Love Me’, the Breakaways; ‘I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate’, the Remo Four; ‘Peter Gunn’, the Remo Four.

Also of interest are the two tracks by Jimmy Nicol & the Shubdubs. Jimmy deputised for Ringo Starr on the first leg of the Beatles world tour and the tracks are ‘Humpty Dumpty’ and ‘Night Train.’

Gregory Phillips was a 16-year old singer from Essex and Pye Records had Liverpool’s leading instrumental group the Remo Four provide backing for him on the two tracks on this compilation.

The late Johnny Sandon, former lead singer with the Searchers and the Remo Four covers Tennessee Ernie Ford’s ‘Sixteen Tons’ and Jim Reeves’ ‘The Blizzard.’ The Trends were a Mersey group who settled in London under the management of Terry Oates and Tony Ponte and covered the Lennon & McCartney number ‘All My Loving.’ The Undertakers almost had a hit with their recording, which reached No. 49 in the charts – but the annual holiday at the pressing plants meant that no more copies of the record were pressed and their chance to climb up the charts slipped away.

Mop Top Pop BeatBeatBeat. Volume Three CMDDD 517
Another double disc compilation. Disc One features ‘Don’t Throw Your Love Away’, the Searchers; ‘I Pretend I’m With You’, the Searchers; ‘You Might As Well Forget Him’, Tommy Quickly; ‘It’s As Simple As That’, Tommy Quickly; ‘Then I’ll Be Home’, the Chants; ‘She’s Mine’, the Chants; ‘You’re A Wonderful One’, the Trends; ‘The Way You Do The Things You Do’, the Trends. 

Disc Two includes ‘Sally Go Round The Roses’, The Remo Four; ‘I Know A Girl’, the Remo Four; ‘Donna Means Heartbreak’, Johnny Sandon & the Remo Four; ‘Someday We’re Gonna Love Again’, the Searchers; ‘No One Else Could Love You’, the Searchers.

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