From 1964, six budget "covers" from the Top Six label. And, from the looks of the catalog number (Six 1), this was the label's first issue. Woo hoo.
As cheap sound-alikes go, these are pretty decent, even if the anonymous musicians on I Want to Hold Your Hand blow the lyrics early on ("When I say that someday, I want to hold your hand"). Someday??
Singer: When I say that someday, I want to hold your hand.
Girl: Someday, huh?
Singer: Yeah, maybe in a few months or so. I'll have to check my hand-holding schedule.
Girl: How romantic.
Of course, it's supposed to be, "When I say that something: I want to hold your hand." "That something," of course, being the desire in question ("I want to hold your hand"). Aren't you glad we cleared that up?
And... another fake Burt track to add to our collection: Twenty-Four Hours from Tulsa, sung by...? It's not a bad cover at all, even if ? is a little too laid back in his vocalizing. I don't know who he's trying to sound like. A half-awake Tom Jones, maybe?
Click here to hear: Fake Hits from England
I Want to Hold Your Hand
Twenty-Four Hours from Tulsa
Hippy, Hippy Shake
Glad All Over
I'm the One
Needles and Pins
No artists credited; Top Six 1; 45 rpm EP, England, 1964.
Lee
4 comments:
Didn't Elton John get his start doing stuff like this?--Bill
The Beatle and Dave Clark Five covers, are quite decent. Crown issued a Beatles cash in record with "I Want To Hold Your Hand", no cover version sounds worse than that rendition!
Top Six the brainchild of Australian musician/ former male model Bill Wellings who went on to be a record label entrepreneur. Created the label Top-6 and Top Ten Spectacular before hooking up with EMI Music For Pleasure to create a series of successful covers albums. The first Top Six EP sold 100,000 copies. He went around in a van selling them to small grocers shops.
Bill,
Yes, for the Avenue label. I have a few of those, including a great cover of the Beach Boys' version of "Cottonfields."
Gilmarvinyl,
I'd love to hear that. I didn't know Crown was still doing pop covers at that point. Then again, everyone was cashing in on the Beatles, including the legit labels. It's amazing their actual records sold so well, given the sheer number of fake versions.
Radioman,
Thanks for the information! I figured those sold well, since so many of them are still around. Some folks, never having spotted one before, conclude they're quite rare, but no such luck.
Post a Comment