Over a four-year span in the mid-60s, vocalist Glenda Collins and producer Joe Meek crafted a run of songs that may not have made a huge splash on the charts, but theyve stood the test of time to cement Collins status as one of the more interesting non-Beatles-influenced pop singers of the era. Matching Meeks trademark production wizardry with Collins clear and ringing vocals, the nine singles are a breezily dramatic mashup of vocal pop sweetness, girl group toughness, and early rock & roll innocence. None of the original singles are featured on Baby It Hurts: The Holloway Road Sessions 1963-1966, instead all the tracks are alternate takes, session recordings, demos, and bits of ephemera culled from the legendary archives of tapes Meek squirreled away in a tea chest. Cherry Red does a fine job presenting the results: the first disc consists of alternate takes of the singles in order, most of which are missing final overdubs, feature guide vocals, or are slowed down to their original tempo -- Meek had a tendency to boost the pitch a little to make the records sound more exciting. Also included are different versions of a handful of tracks that werent released at the time but have shown up on collections over the years. The second disc is a wealth of songs with alternate vocals, unused takes, backing tracks, and even an a cappella track. Disc three recovers a session where Collins teamed with fellow Meek artists the Riot Squad to run through a selection of covers of Motown songs and other hits of the day, segues into a selection of discoveries that were previously unreleased -- including a cover of the Beatles "This Boy" retitled "This Girl" and the rollicking "Hear That Train A Coming," which shows off Collins at her most soulful -- then ends with a bunch of songwriting demos and alternate takes. The collection provides a fascinating glimpse into Meeks process while also showcasing both Collins fine vocals and the studio groups such as the Outlaws and Tornadoes who provided such fine backing. While it might seem like overkill to have so many different versions of songs here, its worth a slow trawl through the set to uncover some real gems -- like the previously unused tracks found on disc three and rough-and-ready takes on some of the songs that almost sound like garage rock. Its also worth hearing the Meek-sung demos once just to be able to marvel at how such a tuneless singer could have a part in creating such good music. His lack of vocal prowess is more than made up for by his ear and skill at picking collaborators. His partnership with Glenda Collins produced some classic singles, and this look behind them is fascinating, even if one isnt a Meek fanatic. ~ Tim Sendra

Rovi