What A Groovy Day – The British Sunshine Pop Sound 1967-1972

Detailed examination of the British Sunshine Pop sound during its late 60s/early 70s heyday. Four-hour compilation with 87 tracks including hits, misses, rarities, and previously unreleased material.

Although the lushly arranged, harmony-based late 60s Sunshine Pop sound is most readily associated with America in general and the sun-kissed California region in particular, the reality is that it was always an international phenomenon.

The three-CD set, What A Groovy Day, is a thrilling four-hour celebration of Britain’s contribution to the genre, ranging from household names (The New Seekers, Cliff Richard, Petula Clark, The Hollies, Herman’s Hermits) to terminally obscure acts like Infinity and The Mellow Yellow, who failed to release anything at the time.

Naturally, our compilation includes contributions from the two uncrowned kings of the 60s British harmony pop sound, vocalist Tony Rivers (who provides us with our title song) and studio all-rounder John Carter, represented as both performer and songwriter.

Other highlights come from posthumously-acclaimed Sunshine Pop maestros Design, a trio of music library recordings by the largely overlooked but hugely talented backroom auteur Barbara Moore and, perhaps most intriguingly of all, the first-ever release of The Sweet’s first demo recording, cut when they were still known as Sweetshop.

Housed in a clamshell box featuring a lavish 48-page booklet, ‘What A Groovy Day’ is a fascinating exploration of a sound that, more than 50 years after its unacknowledged-at-the-time heyday, is still causing endless ripples in the musical gene pool. Grab yourself an instant dose of aural summer sunshine!

Track Listing:

DISC ONE

"WHAT A GROOVY DAY" – Harmony Grass

"GENTLEMEN OF THE PARK" – Episode Six

"LIKE THE TIDE, LIKE THE OCEAN" – Force West

"AT THE THIRD STROKE" – The Piccadilly Line

"ALEXANDER BELL BELIEVES" – Alexander Bell

"PAINTING THE DAY" – Chuckles

"SHE WON’T SHOW UP TONIGHT" – John Carter

"SUNSHINE GAMES" – The Tremeloes

"I’VE GOT YOU ON MY MIND" – Dorian Gray

"FLY PARADISE" – Barbara Moore

"MR. PSEUDO-FABULOUS" – Weavers Green

"DROPPING OUT" – The Orange Bicycle

"THE COMPANY I KEEP" – Ken Smart

"YOYO THOUGHTS" – Philwit & Pegasus

"MAKE UP YOUR MIND" – The Bystanders

"SATURDAY’S CHILD" – The Spectrum

"GEORGY GIRL" – The Seekers

"GOING HOME" – Agincourt

"LOONIN’" – The Wilson Malone Voiceband

"SUMMER DREAMING" – Tony Rivers & The Castaways

"MUM AND DAD" – Pinkerton’s Colours

"BIRDS AND BEES" – Warm Sounds

"WHEN JEZAMINE GOES (demo version)" – Marty Wilde

"SOME OTHER SOMEDAY" – West Coast Consortium

"THE SOUND OF THE SUMMER" – The Chocolate Watch Band

"GENTLY AS YOU FEEL" – The Flies

"COLOUR MY WORLD" – Petula Clark

"EARLY MORNING SUN" – The Californians

"WHY SHOULDN’T I?" – Jason Cord

"BYE BYE BABY" – The Symbols

DISC TWO

"LITTLE ONE" – The Episode

"COLOURED MILE" – Design

"MY DOOR NO. 4 (aka LONELY HIGHWAY)" – The Mirage

"LOOKS LIKE RAIN" – Majority One

"LISTEN TO THE MAN" – Robbie

"A NIGHT TO BE REMEMBERED" – Dawn Chorus

"ALL ON A SUMMER’S DAY" – Butterscotch

"SMILE A LITTLE SMILE FOR ME (US single version)" – The Flying Machine

"MONTAGE" – Jefferson

"IN MY MAGIC GARDEN" – Tinkerbell’s Fairydust

"SOFTLY WHISPERING I LOVE YOU" – David & Jonathan

"I’M COMING BACK" – Sparrow

"EVERY LITTLE MOVE SHE MAKES" – White Plains

"FRIENDS OF MINE" – The Zombies

"STAINED GLASS WINDOW" – Simon Dupree & The Big Sound

"WE CAN HELP YOU" – The Alan Bown!

"C’MON MARIANNE (alternative version)" – Grapefruit