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The Merseybeats - The Very Best Of The Merseybeats (Karussell) (1966)

Track listing:
  1. I Think Of You 2:32
  2. Don't Let It Happen To Us 2:08
  3. Wishin' And Hopin' 2:35
  4. I Love You, Yes I Do 2:27
  5. I Stand Accused 2:48
  6. Last Night (I Made A Little Girl Cry) 2:10
  7. Long Tall Sally 2:07
  8. It Would Take A Long, Long Time 2:03
  9. Milkman 1:57
  10. It's Love That Really Counts 2:02
  11. The Fortune Teller 2:04
  12. Mister Moonlight 2:06
  13. Hello Young Lovers 2:06
  14. He Will Break Your Heart 3:05
  15. Really Mystified 2:04
  16. Good' Good Lovin' 2:14
  17. Don't Turn Around 2:18
  18. See Me Back 2:06
  19. Jumping Jonah 2:14
  20. All My Life 2:27

Notes

This is one of a series of superb mid-priced reissues drawn from the Polygram catalog by their Karussell imprint. It's comparable to Fontana's earlier best-of, but less expensive, and its 20 songs cover a major part of the band's history, right up to the point where they changed their name to the Merseys in 1966 and left Fontana -- all of their singles plus three numbers, "Long Tall Sally," "He Will Break Your Heart," and "Hello Young Lovers," drawn from EPs and their one LP. The sound is, as expected, pure Merseybeat, and a healthy mix of solid, aggressive playing and surprisingly polished vocalizing -- even their hard-rocking numbers, like "I Stand Accused," which is highlighted by Tony Crane's ornate guitar flourishes, boasts soaring harmony vocals, and they also do a convincing version of "Long Tall Sally" amid the harmony numbers. There's not a bad song here, and the mastering brings out the deepest sound in John Gustafson's bass work, and the crunchy side of Aaron Williams' rhythm guitar.