So What! The Brits Are Rocking, Vol. 7

Johnny Kidd passed away in 1966 but along with his group The Pirates he is still remembered as one of the all‐time greats of British beat. Singing in his natural accent rather than an Elvis‐influenced drawl marked him out as something different among British rockers of the time but he also wrote or co‐wrote many of his early sides including the stone‐cold classic Shakin' All Over.  Wilko Johnson, The Who, The Hollies and Tom Jones have all cited Kidd and his Pirates as a musical influence, and was David Bowie's 1974 space pirate look a nod to one of his early musical heroes? Certainly, the band's theatrical stage act replete with 30 ft x 20 ft UV pirate galleon backdrop, pistols, cutlasses and pirate costumes would have appealed to the young David Jones on the several occasions he crossed paths with Kidd between 1963 and 1966.

Of course the props and presentation would have been meaningless without quality music to back it up, and while they usually didn’t see the chart action they deserved, Johnny Kidd and The Pirates released a series of powerful and interesting 45’s between 1959 and 1966. This compilation highlights Kidd’s work with the original seven‐piece Pirates line‐up, the ‘Mark 2’ Pirates responsible for Shakin’ All Over and the equally celebrated ‘Mark 4’ Green, Spence, Farley combo. Both sides of Kidd’s excellent 1962 solo single (Hurry On Back To Love b/w I Want That) are included, and with the added bonus of six early BBC Radio performances, this set provides a superb introduction to one of the truly legendary and influential British beat groups of the pre‐Beatles era.

Track listing: 01 Feelin' 02 So What 03 Linda Lu 04 I Can Tell 05 Longin' Lips 06 I Want That 07 A Shot Of Rhythm & Blues 08 Weep No More, My Baby 09 Shakin' All Over 10 Restless 11 Growl 12 Hurry On Back To Love 13 Let's Talk About Us 14 Please Don't Touch 15 Big Blon' Baby 16 You Got What It Takes 17 Please Don't Bring Me Down 18 Yes Sir, That's My Baby 19 Magic Of Love 20 If You Were The Only Girl In The World 21 That's All You Gotta Do 22 My Babe 23 Growl 24 I Go Ape (vocal: Tom Brown) 25 Brian Matthew Talks To Johnny 26 Restless 27 Setarip 28 Never Mind (vocal: Mike West) 29 Please Don't Touch 30 Brian Matthew Talks To Johnny 31 Weep No More, My Baby 32 Brian Matthew Talks To Johnny 33 If You Were The Only Girl In The World 34 Shakin' All Over