Just One More Chance Anthology 1965-1968

Leeds group the Outer Limits were active during the height of the British Invasion, touring and striving for greatness during a four-year span between 1965 and 1968 before going their separate ways. In their time, the Outer Limits toured with Jimi Hendrix, played gigs opening for the Who, and released just three singles as they moved from blues- and skiffle-influenced sounds to mod and freakbeat inclinations, and got into mildly psychedelic chamber pop in their final days. Just One More Chance: The Anthology 1965-1968 offers an in-depth profile of this obscure band, with 37 studio tracks, demo recordings, alternate versions, and the like. Their earliest tunes show an affinity for the Northern soul phenomenon happening in the mid-60s, with songs like "My Baby Loves Me" and the bands first single, "When the Work Is Through," incorporating horn sections and powerful, danceable rhythms along with pop affectations like group harmonies and snappy melodies. They mirror the Kinks on the moody garage pop of "Misery" and tip their hat to both Motown and the Beatles on "She Said." The Outer Limits transitioned from Merseybeat-informed styles to freakbeat and mod-pop numbers like the jumpy party-starter "Help Me Please" and their organ-driven 1967 single "Just One More Chance." Over a dozen previously unreleased demos offer a sense of how much the band were experimenting with their sound. "Someday Somehow" is jaunty piano pop, and the demo version of "Great Train Robbery" is a stripped-down preview of the intricate orchestral chamber pop version that would appear on their final single. The Outer Limits were a hardworking and creatively tireless group during their brief run. Hearing them change with the times over the course of these unreleased tracks and rarities helps trace the evolution between the scant few official songs they released in their time and paints a clearer picture of a fascinating group operating in the shadows of a pop music renaissance. ~ Fred Thomas