The Sorrows - Old Songs New Songs (1966-80) (2009) 2CD

The first-ever official reissue of this legendary Italian-only late Sixties album! British freakbeat/garage R&B giants the Sorrows relocated to Italy in 1966, recording the album Old Songs New Songs a couple of years later for a small independent label based in Milan. Now extremely rare as an original pressing, this new, band-approved reissue features the album in sparkling sound quality and adds an extra 100 minutes of music, nearly all of which is previously unreleased. Among the highlights are the magnificent heavy psychedelia of the band's aborted early 1968 Pye single 'Which Way'/'My Way Of Thinking', the theme song to the cult Italian spy caper Ypotron, a couple of movie collaborations with soundtrack maestro Ennio Morricone, and even an entire late 1968 demo album that, following the departure of two group members, was eventually scrapped and replaced by Old Songs New Songs! Completed by a previously unheard live gig from 1980 that proved the Sorrows' savage garage band instincts were fully intact a decade later, this package features new, extremely detailed sleevenotes concerning their time in Italy, with fresh band quotes and some superb, previously unpublished photos. This incredible 2CD package is the final word on the band's lengthy but previously little-documented Italian sojourn!

"This is the final word on the Sorrows, dating from their later Italian period. Disc one is the real keeper here, coupling the rare Cream/Hendrix inspired '69 LP Old Songs New Songs in great sound with the addition of nine rare and unreleased tracks from the same period. The spy film theme 'Ypotron' is a freakbeat jewel and 'Which Way' and 'My Way Of Thinking' from a '68 acetate are sublime psych gems, up there with the greatest of the genre. Disc two is not essential but adds interest as wider documentation. There's a nine track demo album, featuring some great band originals and alternate takes as well as rather less thrilling extemporisations of Bee Gees, Animals, Beatles and Traffic songs. A 1980 live reunion reflects the band's mid-60s stage repertoire but other than spirited renditions of 'Let Me In' and 'Take A Heart', this is mainly a rock 'n' roll revival show. The booklet and David Wells' liners are immaculate and make clear sense of the convoluted story of this undervalued band." (Shindig!)

"To most 60s pop fans, the Sorrows are known as one-hit wonders with a rough sound and a surly attitude, featuring the soon-solo talents of Don Fardon - himself a one-hit wonder with 'Indian Reservation', but perhaps best known for being six foot, seven-and-a-half inches tall. And that's it. Long after Fardon split, however, some of the band grabbed a last chance (for an extended holiday, at least) and relocated to Italy in 1966 to try and cash in on an Anglophilic scene. During this footnote era, they did achieve some squealing success as a placebo live draw, and hung around for years playing Family and Traffic songs, plus numbers by the ex-pat rockers who made up a bewildering, revolving cast list (two relatively major players are remembered only as "Kit" and "Rod"). They recorded singles for a tiny Italian indie label and, eventually, an LP. Old Songs New Songs is rare, inevitably hailed as a legendary cult classic. This two-disc set contains a complete bonus demo album and various 45 sides, including the sole outstanding track 'Ypotron' - feed-backing freakbeat recorded in '66 for an Italian spy caper movie."