To Sir With Love(The Complete Mickie Most Recordings) - Lulu Album (Double) Review

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Album (Double) Review

Lulu stats:first hit at 15 with 'Shout'(UK no.7),US chart topper To Sir With Love (from film of the same name)age 18,won Eurovision Song Contest with Boom Bang-A-Bang age 20,first UK number one with Relight My Fire (guesting with Take That) age 44.

Just released on EMI Catalogue is a mammoth 39 track compilation from 60's pop 'shouter' and icon, Marie McDonald Lawrie aka Lulu.These Mickie Most recordings only cover the 'Swinging-Sixties,and why not,it was the birth of popular music as we know it today.This is the time Mickie Most made his reputation,working with a galaxy of stars from the era.There's no Shout,but it contains six singles,the frenetic dance track The Boat That I Row,Let's Pretend,Me,The Peaceful Heart,Boy,I'm A Tiger,sickly Euro winner Boom Bang-A-Bang,several B-sides and a number of rare and unreleased tracks.Starting with the 1967 US number one from the film To Sir With Love starring Sidney Poitier as the cool East End teacher trying to win hearts and minds,in which Lulu appeared.If you're not conversant with most of the tracks,you'll be impressed with the songwriting contributions.

My late friend Tim Rose gets his co-credit on track 2 Morning Dew.Other luminaries such as Lennon and McCartney,Harry Nilsson,Bob Dylan,The Bee Gees(obviously-she was once married to Maurice Gibb)Burt Bacharach,Leiber-Stoller all throw in their weight behind a very comprehensive collection.The inclusion of foreign language songs comes as no surprise,as there are a few Lulu songs with German titles from the early 70's.Predictably,the production is thin and edgy,but remember it was Britain in the 60's.It doesn't,however,lose any of its oomph or impact,and is worthy of sitting alongside other comp's from the era.

Elly Roberts