You Can Walk Across It On The Grass - The Boutique Sound Of Swinging London: Clamshell Box

Theres absolutely no doubt that London was one swinging town in the mid-60s. The fashion, films, and especially music of the era reflected the changes ripping through society as well as helping to push them forward. You Can Walk Across It on the Grass: The Boutique Sounds of Swinging London is Grapefruit Records attempt at creating a soundtrack for what one might have heard on a day out hitting the shops on Carnaby Street or a night spent club-hopping. Over the course of three discs, the label does a fantastic job collecting all sorts of songs that range from snappy easy listening tracks to gritty blues rave-ups, mod freak-outs to sultry girl group ballads, and a variety of great tracks by bands both world-famous and familiar only to obsessives. It may not be an exhaustive survey of every avenue of sound artists traveled down during the decade, but it does send the listener back in time quite convincingly in ways that are both pleasingly obvious and excitingly obscure. In the former category are tracks by big names like the Who, the Kinks, David Bowie, Tom Jones, the Moody Blues, the Yardbirds, and Dusty Springfield along with appearances by the kind of bands -- the Action, Manfred Mann, Petula Clark, the Animals -- that a set like this would feel unfinished without. The songs chosen are properly obscure or at least not the same old hits that always get aired. More excitingly to anyone without an advanced degree in mid-60s Brit-pop are the myriad of selections that satisfy the latter half of the equation previously mentioned. The set is loaded with gems like Peanuts girl group dramatic take on the Beach Boys "Im Waiting for the Day," the Odysseys super-dramatic slice of MOR pop "How Long Is Time," Les & Paul Barretts charmingly twee bubblegum nugget "Julie Brown Loves Captain Cook," Jimmy James & the Vagabonds grooving "I Wanna Be (Your Everything)," and loads more of the kind of tracks that often elude compilations. Also mixed in are swinging orchestral interludes, paeans to mod icons and pirate radio, the theme song to The Avengers, goofy novelty tunes, and an appearance by one of the scenes most famous faces, Twiggy. Her contribution, "When I Think of You," is a storming girl group rocker featuring strings, jangling guitars, and, amazingly, what sounds like a distorted bassoon taking front and center. Its exactly the kind of sparkling, surprising, and gloriously strange song that typifies the era, and its just one of many tracks that help make this set a delight. The compilation balances nostalgia, discovery, and fun perfectly while serving as a reminder of just how excitingly flashy and stylish the sounds that made up the time and place could be when at their best. ~ Tim Sendra