
DC Editor Adam writes…
Last week in this slot
I blogged about Diana Ross and The Supremes Live At London's Talk of the Town album.
In that post I
suggested that while the album was a lulu, the sleeve seemed rather anonymous.
That's a criticism
that certainly can't be levelled at this album…
A Bit of Liverpool is The
Supremes' third studio album and was released in 1964. As the title would
suggest, The Supremes are paying tribute to their "brothers in song"
from England at the height of The British Invasion.
The "brothers in
song" line is a quote from the linear notes - sleeve notes as they were
called in this country. And here we have a classic of the genre
"Once this record
is turned on," writes prolific Motown sleeve note writer Scott St James, "it
will turn you on, and you won't be able to turn it off."
Groovy!
There's a bit of
Detroit in the mix, too, with Smokey Robinson- and Berry Gordy-penned numbers
included. But there's also a bit of London, in the shape of The Dave Clark Five (Bits and Pieces & Because). Tottenham's finest, The DC5 were huge in America.
Unless, that is, that Motown supremo Berry Gordy made the mistake of just assuming that all British groups came from Liverpool!
Perhaps the most eccentric track comes from
Newcastle and The Animals via New Orleans in a surprising take on The House of the
Rising Sun. Diana puts her back into the vocal with Flo and Mary providing a strident
backing that really underpins the moral of the tale.
And what a sleeve! The
bowler hats! The rolled umbrellas!
Here's the trailer for today's Rock'n'Roll London Walk…

A London Walk costs £10 – £8 concession. To join a London Walk, simply meet your guide at the designated tube station at the appointed time. Details of all London Walks can be found at www.walks.com.










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