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The Birds - The Collector's Guide To Rare British Birds (1966)

Track listing:
  1. You're On My Mind 2:49
  2. You Don't Love Me (You Don't Care) 2:06
  3. Leaving Here 2:42
  4. Next In Line 2:45
  5. No Good Without You Baby 2:39
  6. How Can It Be? 2:58
  7. You're On My Mind (Demo) 2:26
  8. You Don't Love Me (Demo) 2:32
  9. Say Those Magic Words 3:15
  10. Daddy Daddy 4:10
  11. Run Run Run 3:33
  12. Good Times (La Poupée Qui Fait Non) 3:23
  13. Say Those Magic Words (Instrumental) 3:17
  14. Daddy Daddy (Alternate Version) 4:08
  15. La Poupée Qui Fait Non 3:38
  16. Run Run Run (Alternate Version) 3:03
  17. Daddy Daddy (Instrumental) 3:59
  18. Granny Rides Again 2:59
  19. That's All I Need 1:30

Notes

This is an astonishingly lively and exciting collection, coming from a band that scarcely sold any records in their own time and are known today for their name and their line-up, but not their music. The stuff here is as crunchy and grinding as the early Who material, and if the band's own songwriting isn't as distinctive, the style of the performing is more appealing. The songs range from some hot Ron Wood originals ("You're On My Mind," "Next In Line," "That's All I Need") to covers of obscure Motown songs and Pete Townshend material. Think of the Kinks from "Long Tall Sally," the Yardbirds from "A Certain Girl," or the Who from "The Good's Gone" and that's the dominant sound here — curiously, their cover of Townshend's "Run Run Run" starts out as though it's going to turn into "My Generation." Ali MacKenzie sounded like a punkier Roger Daltrey, and Ron Wood's playing was a delightful compendium of rhythm fills and angular blues licks that must've been devastating on stage. There's also an unlisted bonus track on the CD — at the risk of spoiling the surprise, it's their number from the Deadly Bees, which seems not to have survived as a formal, free-standing studio master.

- Run Run Run 1 (Pete Townshend) -previously unreleased, March 1966
- Good Times (Michel Polnareff) -The Doll Who Said No with alternative lyrics,
June 1966
- Say Those Magic Words (Doc Pomus/Mort Shuman) -alternative version,
June 1966
- Run Run Run 2 (Pete Townshend) -alternative version, March 1966
- Daddy Daddy (RW/Tony Munroe) -backing track, March 1966
- Granny Rides Again (RW) -previously unreleased, December 1966
- That’s All I Need For You (RW/Tony Munroe) -lifted directly from The
Deadly Bee’s-movie (with dialogue!), January 1966
Line-up: RW (gtr)/Tony Munroe (gtr)/Ali McKenzie (voc & harm)/
Kim Gardner (bass)/Pete McDaniels (dr)