Brinsley Schwarz

New Favourites - United Artists 1974

Tracks: 1. (Whats So Funny Bout) Peace Love And Understanding / 2. Ever Since Youre Gone / 3. The Ugly Things / 4. I Got The Real Thing / 5. The Look Thats In Your Eye Tonight / 6. Nows The Time / 7. Small Town Big City / 8. Trying To Live My Life Without You / 9. I Like You I Dont Love You / 10. Down In The Dive / 11. Ive Cried My Last Tear (*) / 12. (Its Gonna Be A) Bringdown (*) / 13. Everybody (*) / 14. Theres A Cloud In My Heart (*)

Comments:

"New Favourites" may not be the very best Brinsley Schwarz album, but it's certainly one that must taken into account. Most people would probably agree that it is the best produced album (Dave Edmunds) - which moreover also contains the group's only true classic; Nick Lowe's "Peace, Love and Understanding" - pure power pop!!

The group is here is generally more Motown inspired, with tracks like "The Real Thing, " "Trying to Live My Life Without You, " "I Like You, I do not Love You" and "Ever Since You're Gone" as good examples of this. Fine music, without being especially memorable.

You could have wished for more in the direction of "Peace, Love and Understanding" - the closest we come to this is with the fine cover version of the early Hollies song "Now's the Time". Otherwise, another very memorable song the pretty country ballad "The Look that's in Your Eye" - also written by Nick Lowe.

An odd number is Mersey-beat pastiche "The Ugly Things" - it may be a tongue in cheek thing - but actually a very nice song. Sad that this should prove to be the last album from the band.

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