This CD is a wonderful surprise from
Beat Goes On
. Not that
Dave Berry
didn't deserve the reissue of his first two albums, but neither
nor its follow-up,
One Dozen Berrys
, was remotely the best album -- or even among the better albums -- to come out of the mid-'60s British beat boom.
Berry
's heart was in the right place when it came to
R&B
and
rock & roll
, and he had a voice, but as a stylist he was at a disadvantage to rivals such as
Chris Farlowe
Zoot Money
. Still, he had some good instincts (when he followed them) and a strangely compelling sound, courtesy of producer
Mike Smith
and an array of musicians who, in addition to
Frank Miles
from his own band
the Cruisers
, included
Jimmy Page
Big Jim Sullivan
. The mix of
country
pop
sounds juxtaposed with serious
(including the killer
"I Love You Babe"
and the wrenchingly compelling
"Baby, It's You"
) may be off-putting, but that diversity is more a sign of the times in which these two albums were made than any indication of weakness in the execution -- truth is, the diversity of sounds here calls up flashes of
the Beatles
, even if
doesn't make the switch in genres as smoothly as the Liverpool quartet did. Even the presence of
ballads
such as
"The Girl from the Fair Isle"
isn't a disadvantage --
Paul McCartney
was putting the same kind of material onto
' albums by way of
Meredith Willson
songs -- and followed by the searing
blues-rocker
"Go On Home,"
it's not a bad showcase for
's range. Ultimately,
"Go On Home"
must be considered one of the cuts that makes this CD worth every cent, and the
ballad
is an unexpected bonus. Even the next number, a rhythm guitar-driven slow
called
"Everybody Tries,"
is a perfect little beat-era
soft rocker
of the kind that
the Roulettes
or any number of serious bands did on their albums. The notes by
John Firminger
stay very close to the two albums at hand and their production. The sound is excellent, and considering what the original vinyl versions of either of these albums would cost today, the CD is a bargain. ~ Bruce Eder