The Billy Fury Years Reviewed

To coincide with the 30th anniversary of the passing of 60s pop icon Billy Fury, singer Michael King has taken a show out across the UK paying tribute to the sound of Fury.

I caught Michael's show in Cardiff the other week and was impressed by the Mike and his band's ability to recreate the sound of the late singer whose voice I heard quite frequently growing up listening to my mum's record collection.

An excerpt from my review:

"The experience was enhanced with a multimedia screen depicting highlights from Billy Fury’s musical career with an array of TV clips and album covers, while the band performed in the foreground. At one point the screen featured the legend performing in a leather jacket a similar poise reflected on stage by King highlighting his likeness to Fury. 

Highlights included a power performance of Run to My Lovin’ Arms and a rocking delivery of Just Because which saw King catch Fury’s personality whilst bringing his own charm to the proceedings."

After the show I had the pleasure of briefly meeting Michael and his band who kindly signed my programme.

Michael informed me they are planning to tour again with the show next year, so if you get the chance to see Michael performing as Billy Fury, it will be a magical experience!

Read my full review for The Billy Fury Years. St David's Hall, Cardiff

Prior to the concert, I also interviewed Billy's former drummer and ex-Tornado Clem Cattini who gave me some first hand recollections of the man himself:

“Funnily enough he was quite a shy guy,” says Clem.“Then when he got on stage he was outgoing. People say he was the British Elvis Presley. He was Billy Fury, he didn’t copy anybody.”

Read my interview with Clem Cattini :  Billy Fury remembered in new tribute show - Clem Cattini interview

Retro Vinyl: Music For Pleasure Index

Here's a list of releases I've featured on Retrospace from the Music For Pleasure label, it is by no means a comprehensive list of Music For Pleasure releases but might prove useful if you want some more information on the albums...

1970
MFP1388 Walkin' With The Shadows, The Shadows
MFP1420 All My Love, Cliff Richard

1971
MFP5218 The Most Of Animals, The Animals

1972
MFP5252 The Hollies, The Hollies

1975
MFP50227 Big Bond Movie Themes, Geoff Love And His Orchestra

1982
MFP50499 The Best of The Monkees, The Monkees

Retro Vinyl: Most Of The Animals (Music For Pleasure, 1971)

In the early 1970s Music For Pleasure released a collection of vinyl albums under the title The Most Of ...

The Most Of... celebrated the production of EMI producer Mickie Most who during the 1960s worked with many celebrated acts including Julie Felix, Herman's Hermits, Lulu and The Animals.

The title The Most Of Animals was used on several compilations featuring the 1960s Newcastle-Upon-Tyne beat combo from as early as 1965.

However, this compilation originates from 1971, and was such a popular seller on the MFP label, it avoided the deletion axe well into the late 1980s (when I purchased my copy).

Most Of The Animals features four fabulous singles including 1964's The House Of The Rising Sun (a chart-topper in the UK and US) and the essential 1965 smash We've Gotta Get Out Of This Place as well as the bands versions of Bo Diddley's Roadrunner and Ray Charles' Hallelujah I Love Her So. 

There are also two stunning Eric Burdon compositions including I'm Gonna Change The World and the incredible For Miss Caulker, a song which appeared as a B Side on Bring It on Home To Me.

I particularly love this albums raw energy and as far as blues groups go from the 60s I think they were up there with the best, House Of The Rising Sun, particularly is still one of the greatest singles ever recorded (and groundbreaking at the time for been over 4 minutes long).

The album later got a reissue on Music For Pleasure on CD with additional tracks, however some fans might also be aware that another worthy Animals collection is also available entitled A's B's and EP's which features a lot of the bands early singles and EP output and a large majority of tracks featured on The Most Of Animals.

Check out more on The Animals past and present at The Animals Official Website

Retro Vinyl: The Voice Of Winston Churchill (Decca Records,1965)

The 1960s was a decade for variety as far as the long play record was concerned.

1965 particularly was a year where releases by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones alongside the soundtrack to The Sound of Music ruled the album chart supreme.

However one of the most unusual chart entries that year was undoubtedly  a recording featuring the voice of a former Prime Minister which headed to No.6 in the album charts following Winston Churchill's death in January 1965.

Decca records had previously released a 12 LP anthology of collected speeches and narrative by Churchill, however this release culled from that collection consisted of several of Churchill's speeches made between 1940 and 1944  including Fight On The Beaches, Some Chicken.. Some Neck and The Infernal Combustion Engine.

Nearly half a century after Churchill's death,  several of these speeches still make rousing listening, while Churchill's appointment to form a government in the event of World War II is almost humorous as it is dramatic.

The historical events of five years is squeezed into some 45 minutes with dramatic classical music bursts provided with dramatic effect by Cyril Ornadel's orchestra. The musical bursts almost give a flavour of what would come much later with Jeff Wayne's War Of The Worlds and almost create a storytelling feel to the album.

No doubt this LP commemorating Churchill proved popular amongst anyone old enough to remember the heady days of two decades previous. It proved a keepsake to those who felt they knew Churchill through the medium of radio during World War II and the albums peak at number 6 in the LP charts in 1965 proved a momentous occasion, if only for the fact that it paved the way for  speech albums and audio books in the future.

• On the recent passing of  former PM Margaret Thatcher, current UK Prime Minister David Cameron referred to the Iron Lady as the greatest Prime Minister of the 20th Century. I would suggest Mr Cameron digs a copy of this album out and listens to how Mr Churchill spearheaded Great Britain through the darkest hour of the 20th century,  a reminder of the darker days the UK faced during the 1940s.