GERRY MARSDEN-Gilbert Green/Gilbert Green US Columbia 4-44309 1967
Poor Gerry Marsden, him and The Pacemakers were passed by Brian Epstein over to Aussie impresario (along with Billy J. Kramer) Robert Stigwood and like Kramer, he became the beneficiary of Stigwood's latest sensation's The Bee Gees and their vast trove of songs. Marsden's solo debut after jettisoning The Pacemakers was a track called "Please Let Them Be" issued in the U.K. in June of '67 (CBS 2784). It was not issued in the United States. His next 45 was a cover of an unreleased Brother's Gibb track called "Gilbert Green" issued in Britain in August of 1967 (CBS 2946) and issued in the U.S. the following month in both a double sided promo form (as in today's subject) and with it's flip side eschewing the British B-side "What Makes Me Love You" in favor of his solo debut U.K. A-side "Please Let Them Be".
"Gilbert Green" would not sound at all out of place on The Bee Gee's LP "The Bee Gees 1st" nestled in between the likes of "Craise Finton Kirk Royal Academy Of Arts" or "Cucumber Castle". It suits Marsden's voice but in retrospect to his previous recordings one can't help but get the feeling that he sounds, well, uncomfortable? Regardless it's lavishly orchestrated and musically reminds me of one of the many unsung pop-psych acts on Decca or Deram in '67-68 (I can easily imagine it being a Toby Twirl or The World Of Oz song), which I guess is what makes it enjoyable for me. Sadly there were to be no more Gerry Marsden singles issued in America after this, but he would soldier on through the 60's in the U.K. later moving from CBS to NEMS.
"Gilbert Green" was issued on a CD compilation of 60's Bee Gee's covers from 2004 by Castle Music titled "Maybe Someone Is Digging Underground: The Songs Of The Bee Gees".
Hear "Gilbert Green":
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