Ultimate Collection, The - Marmalade

People think of Marmalade and they think of a commercial, crap pop band that never made it. The assumption is flawed. These three C.D.`s cover all recordings made by the group from when they changed their unfortunately chosen, (no offence, it`s just they are so not gay), name from Dean Ford and the Gaylords to The Marmalade in 1966 to 1972.

Unfortunately it just misses their best recording period, with Dean Ford at the helm, with ...
...Rockin`, (1973), after which Dean left and Graham Knight, a first class bass, marmalised the good work by turning the group into a Rubettes like outfit.

However, it requires picking through a few cheesy commercial tracks that made the band famous to find some real gems of phsycodelia, rock and ballad that lay in these CD`s.
There is little doubt that some of the early stuff is clearly 60`s-ish and dated, good as a lot of it ... more

People think of Marmalade and they think of a commercial, crap pop band that never made it. The assumption is flawed. These three C.D.`s cover all recordings made by the group from when they changed their unfortunately chosen, (no offence, it`s just they are so not gay), name from Dean Ford and the Gaylords to The Marmalade in 1966 to 1972.

Unfortunately it just misses their best recording period, with Dean Ford at the helm, with a few singles and the excellent album `Our House is Rockin`, (1973), after which Dean left and Graham Knight, a first class bass, marmalised the good work by turning the group into a Rubettes like outfit.

However, it requires picking through a few cheesy commercial tracks that made the band famous to find some real gems of phsycodelia, rock and ballad that lay in these CD`s.
There is little doubt that some of the early stuff is clearly 60`s-ish and dated, good as a lot of it is, but once you move past the middle period of over artful arrangements, the sounds become ever more superb and able to stand the test of time.

On CD 1, `I See The Rain`, a track heralded by Hendrix as the best single of 1967 is sheer brilliance and makes you wonder if it is the same band that made it`s name through covering the 1969 Beatles` `Ob-la-di Ob-la-da`. `Man in a Shop` amazingly original, (for what was incredibly brave for the time to be released as a single), is unique and satisfying beyond belief. Several other tracks show the versatility of the group, including amongst others, covers like Hendrix`s `Hey Joe` the enchanting `Mr. Lion`, `Chains` and all the groups commercial singles.

CD 2 brings the artful Junior Campbell`s brilliance in arrangements to the fore. A mixture of ballads, Beatlesque ditties and powerful orchestral arrangements that do somewhat stifle the band`s soul. But within, `Kaleidoscope` is instantly enjoyable, as I remember. `Fight say the Mighty` and `Can you Help Me` along with the ballads make worthwhile listening.

The last CD finds the band at near it`s best. Junior left, being replaced by Hugh Nicholson, who with Dean Ford`s influence produced some memorable sounds. The singles `Cousin Norman`, `Back on the Road` and `Radancer`, although clearly commercial, are quite listenable and were different in their day. Rock tracks like `I`ve Been Around too Long`, `Empty Bottles` and the unreleased `Jody`, `Middle of the Night` and `Out on a Dark Night`, give an indication of where the band were heading, for they are quite brilliant, well put together tracks that this band unfortunately will never be remembered for. Ballads such as `Mama` and `Sarah` bring Dean`s excellent and unique voice to the fore and are not forgettable. The unreleased tracks are included as bonuses, and though released later on EMI, both by the group and by Dean on his solo album, the haunting `Mr. Heartbreaker (You`re On)` is worth the cost of the CD`s alone.

 

...less