Subtitled "The Golden Age 1961-1966", Viper's second compilation of rare Merseybeat sounds focuses on the time when The Beatles ruled the airwaves and anyone with the hint of a Scouse accent was taken seriously in the beat group arena.
And, like its' predecessor, "Unearthed Merseybeat" again presents us with a sizeable cache of sonic jewels. Sure, they are often partially obscured by the dirt and grime of the best part of four decades out of the public domain, but with a bit of loving care and buffing up by the Viper boys, their patina again begins to shine through.
There are 20 tracks in all, running the gamut from freshly-minted covers from familiar names (The Swinging Blue Jeans, Gerry & The Pacemakers and The Merseybeats) through to local obscurities who often defy the ravages of time and turn in tunes that sometimes usurp their better-known neighbours.
Good examples of this are the likes of THE CORDES and THE FOUR JUST MEN. The latter would later mutate into the psych/ Who-style power of Wimple Winch (see "Volume 1"), but in this incarnation from 1964, they give us "Friday Night": a tough, wailing rocker that transcends the grubby quality with ease. The Cordes, meanwhile, are a terrific find. They are possibly the absolute Merseybeat enigmas: aside from a fearsome live reputation, sod all is known about them, yet their "Clarabella" is a memorably great rave up.
Even better, though, is Jimmy Campbell and his band THE KIRKBYS. The name gives away the area of the 'Pool the band hailed from, and his two tunes here ("Penny In My Pocket" and "Bless You" from 1966) again make you shake you head with disbelief that his band never broke through on a national scale. The first is a gutsy, proto-La's style rocker and "Bless You" proves The Kirkbys could pull off a spangly, neo-Byrds-y ballad with serious aplomb. I don't know if enough recordings exist, but a full Kirkbys collection would be warmly received round these parts, that's for sure.
Elsewhere, further interest abounds. DENNY SEYTON & THE SABRES' two selections intrigue for different reasons. The first, "Karen", showcases a forgotten local songwriting talent called Bob Pryde, while their cover of Johnny Cash's "Big River" proves that country music could be naturally integrated into lean, stomping Merseybeat. John Lennon is widely quoted as saying "I heard country and western before I heard rock'n'roll" and the Scouse tradition for assimilating the best of Americana shines through here, as it does on EARL PRESTON & THE TT'S raunchy slash through "Bony Moronie", which sounds like a forerunner of the tracks on the first Rolling Stones LP and urinates over the Flying Burrito Brothers' version in the process.
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And talking of reinventions, THE DELMONTS also get into the act with a tough, growling, blues-harp imbued versh of Elias McDaniel's "Before You Accuse Me". Your reviewer is probably most familiar with Creedence Clearwater's version of the song, but The Delmonts really give it a kick up the arse, as do Ringo's old muckers RORY STORM & THE HURRICANES with their tasty crunch through Carl Perkins' "Lend Me Your Comb."
Funnily enough, the least inspiring things here are probably the Swinging Blue Jeans and Pacemakers' tunes. Both bands submit two, but their faithful versions of the likes of "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" (Pacemakers) and surf instrumental "Walk Don't Run" add little of value to the blueprints. I'd also be less inclined to take THE NEWTOWNS to heart. They leaned towards the bigger production values of the time with their covers of Burt Bacharach's "Please Stay" and - unlikely as it may seem - "Over The Rainbow". Mind you, this latter is obvious last-dance-of-the-night smoocher material and it's performed with heartbreaking sensitivity these days by Wayne Coyne's Flaming Lips, so maybe I shouldn't be so quick to dismiss.
Besides, any such historical collection is bound to be stained with the odd blemish, so we shouldn't be excessively harsh, especially when "Unearthed Merseybeat Volume 2" is overall an essential second raid of the Merseybeat vaults. Once again, it seems, the Viper boys are playing Santa stuffed with a bulging sack of illicit goodies for the discerning head. Let's hope you've been a good boy/ girl this year and maybe you'll get a pleasant surprise come Christmas morning too.
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