1. TONY RIVERS & THE CASTAWAYS-"Girl Don't Tell Me" U.K. Immediate IM 027 1966
Tony Rivers was (and still is) the uber British Beach Boys fan. He cut three different Beach Boys covers and this was his first (which featured a version of "Salt Like City" on the flip!). It's probably my favorite of the lot here. It's harmonies are incredible and I think they're actually better the original because there's so many layers. The production is incredible leading me to believe it was handled by the sessions engineer Glyn Johns and NOT Andrew Loog Oldham.
https://youtu.be/LxEWvxQGiXU?si=t2J5fo9F9u6yqR7b
2. THE ANDREW LOOG OLDHAM ORCHESTRA-"I Get Around" U.S. Parrot 45-PAR 9745 1965
In 1965 Andrew Loog Oldham Orchestra released an LP of Beach Boys covers on one side and Four Seasons covers on the other titled "East Meets West" in the U.S. Most of the numbers are rather tepid instrumentals but this version of "I Get Around" is interesting because it's got some very ratty fuzz guitar and occasional high vocals and tinkling pianos and let's not forget the murky bass (possibly John Paul Jones?).
https://youtu.be/v1LDyw13924?si=x7Ji_f-98ccTHHDE
3. THE ROB STORME GROUP-"Here Today" U.K. Columbia DB 7993 1966
The final Rob Storme single was this competent take on "Here Today" (covered by several other 60's British bands like The Art Movements, The Factotums, The Seftons etc). It's delivered faster than the original kicking off with an almost heavy sense of urgency, driving beat and decent harmonies. It's a perfect example of how to do a cover: leave some things intact in their replication and make the rest your own.
https://youtu.be/NhSoApGOsBg?si=64tu64UanC7vf6Hf
4. THE FACTOTUMS-"You're So Good To Me" U.K. Immediate IM 022 1966
Alongside Tony Rivers The Factotums carry the mantle of Britain's most prolific 60's Beach Boys fans covering three different compositions in 1966. This was their first Beach Boys cover, it's fairly close to the original though the production gives it an almost proto-Bubblegum feel (think The Archies). The vocals are not as intricate as some of their other releases but they give it a decent show of things, just not something I would play too often.
https://youtu.be/GFatzckSVaE?si=fLtS5GgopU5IM3_e
5. THE SUMMER SET-"Farmer's Daughter" U.K. Columbia DB 8004 1966
U.K. foursome The Summer Set were purveyors of the American "West Coast" sound so it was only fitting that they would cover a Beach Boys track (curiously they were also The Top Ten Allstars in Germany where they issued no less than four other Beach Boys covers!). This track originally released by Brian and the boys on their 1963 "Surfin' USA" LP and is deftly handled thanks to top notch production by Spencer Lloyd Mason and sounds more like a church choir than a rock n roll band thanks to it's minimal somber orchestration bringing the band's vocal prowess to the front!
https://youtu.be/bUxSCUYxxdU?si=zK5Yw7XZXvuRFmcw
6. THE FACTOTUMS-"In My Room" U.K. Piccadilly 7N.35333 1966
As mentioned above The Factotums covered three Beach Boys tunes. This was the flip of their reading of "Here Today". This was the band's third single and the first of four releases for Piccadilly records. I'm going to be ultra critical here because "In My Room" is hands down my favorite Beach Boys tune, but The Factotums do a halfway decent version of it, though they really don't do much but try and replicate it I will have to say it's pretty even handed.
https://youtu.be/eLXIF_Ob7Co?si=C4WdvAGfwxPyka3O
7. TONY RIVERS AND THE CASTAWAYS-"God Only Knows" U.K. Columbia DB 7971 1966
Tony's final Beach Boys cover was issued five months after the above profiled double sider on Immediate. Of course it's got nothing on the original but it's still nothing short of amazing. Tony and the boys vocals are razor sharp and the arrangement (anyone know who was responsible for it?) is equally brilliant!
https://youtu.be/8InitbAuJ6k?si=FlngBAMaI3oUJNiK
8. PEANUT-"I'm Waiting For The Day" U.K. Columbia DB 8032 1966
This one is an interesting choice because it wasn't covered by several artists in Britain like "Here Today". Peanut was a Trinidad born U.K. based singer who cut several singles (she was also later known as Katie Kissoon). This was her third 45, produced by Mark Wirtz (dubbed "the German Tony Hatch" by Keith West of Tomorrow). Wirtz applies his famous "toy town psych" production to the track which includes everything including the kitchen sink making this a merry little romp that bears little resemblance to the original!
https://youtu.be/-fIZqENbAkE?si=DMhJd80i_Rrc8k-N
9. PETULA CLARK-"J'ai Pas Le Temps (No Go Showboat)" France Disques Vogue V.45-1255 1965
Here's a MEGA obscure Brian Wilson composition originally cut by The Timers in 1963 (with Brian and Mike Love on vocals). Petula cut this version in French where it was issued as a B-side, it eschews the high falsettos of the original and has your typical mundane Ye-Ye feel to it. It's not horrible but it's nothing to write home about either....
https://youtu.be/GrADR4LR92I?si=UY9dzu5ywqJ8mti7
10. DANI SHERIDAN-"Guess I'm Dumb" U.K. Planet PLF.106 1966
One of the most collectible singles on Shel Talmy's short lived Planet records label is this cover of "Guess I'm Dumb" by the female vocalist Dani Sheridan. The vocals are silky smooth and the production is incredible with subtle strings, brass etc. Powerful stuff!! No wonder it's so much moolah!
https://youtu.be/tnl0hRNnpao?si=AbA0_tAIF7twPwA6
All scans courtesy of 45cat.com
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