Somethin' Else!!

Originally released in EMI's budget line, Something Else is remarkable within the band's 1960s catalog in that it marks the first serious attempt to gather together some of the group's best-known rarities -- and, as such, it catches the band executing some of the better tricks in their repertoire. Opening with both sides of the group's first-ever 45, back when they were still called the Drifters, the album marches on through a chain of previously uncollected B-sides -- "Quatermaster's Stores," "Back Home," and "The Breeze and I" among them -- before acknowledging a third Greatest Hits collection wouldn't be along any time soon, by picking up two of their final singles. Neither the doomy "Tomorrow's Cancelled" nor the whimsical psych-lite of "Dear Old Mrs Bell" particularly sparkle in comparison with the earlier material, but their inclusion is welcome regardless. Something Else was neither conceived nor compiled with the modern collector in mind, and has, of course, been effortlessly superseded by countless collections since then. Still, it's a fascinating and even courageous attempt to give Shadows fans something new for their money -- a generosity which subsequent compilations were going to be hard-pushed to match. [Magic's 2006 edition included bonus tracks.] ~ Dave Thompson|