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Johnny Kidd & The Pirates - The Classic And Rare (See For Miles) (1966)

Track listing:
  1. I Want That 2:29
  2. So What 2:27
  3. Feelin' 1:59
  4. Please Don't Touch 1:54
  5. Restless 2:12
  6. Let's Talk About Us (#1) 3:22
  7. The Birds And The Bees 2:04
  8. It's Got To Be You 2:26
  9. Some Other Guy 2:29
  10. Let's Talk About Us (#2) 2:23
  11. Shakin' All Over 2:25
  12. I'll Never Get Over You 2:10
  13. Send Me Some Lovin' 3:09
  14. The Fool (#2) 3:09
  15. Please Don't Touch (#2) 2:06
  16. Hungry For Love 2:16
  17. A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues 1:59
  18. Your Cheatin' Heart 3:18
  19. My Babe / The Pirates 2:47
  20. Castin' My Spell / The Pirates 2:24
  21. Big Blon' Baby 2:05
  22. Big Blon' Baby (#2) 1:50

Notes

Cliff Richard and Billy Fury may be better-known worldwide, but Johnny Kidd & the Pirates' "Shakin' All Over" is the absolute classic masterpiece of early British rock & roll. Its snaky, minor-key groove is not quite like anything that had been heard in America at that time, suggesting possibilities for British innovation that were later borne out by the Beatles and their contemporaries. In a Bill Haley twist, Kidd fell out of favor when the new beat groups arose, in part because of his allegiance to old-school rock & roll, although he did try to adapt. Classic and Rare has several U.K. hits ("Shakin' All Over," "I'll Never Get Over You") as well as B-sides, album tracks, and unreleased cuts that show Kidd's later attempts at British Invasion-style rock ("Send Me Some Lovin'"), blue-eyed soul ("It's Got to Be You"), and regressive rock & roll revivalism (such as a 1964 re-recording of "Big Blon' Baby"). The rarities may appeal to collectors, but in combination with the hits, they create an inconsistent and meandering program made worse by odd sequencing.