Ace
dipped into the
Decca
vaults a couple of times but 2016's
Scratch My Back! Pye Beat Girls 1963-1968
is the first time they've dug through the swinging sounds of
Pye
's female acts of the '60s. Dating as early as 1963 and as late as 1968 -- aka, the golden age of British pop -- this compilation feels like it's anchored in the mid-'60s, a place where the pop is heavily orchestrated but not stuffy; most of these 24 tracks contain a lightness of spirit and many are often clever. Sometimes, things get plenty strange -- the weirdest moment is, of course,
Glenda Collins
' "It's Hard to Believe It," a 1967 recording beloved by
Joe Meek
cultists -- but usually this is bouncy, jubilant pop equal parts freakbeat,
Beatles
,
Bacharach
, and
Motown
, the kind of thing that's bound to bring joy to listeners of a certain stripe. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine