The Sorrows – ‘Pink, Purple, Yellow And Red: The Complete Sorrows’ (2021)
The Sorrows story spanned five years in its original incarnation, divided into two distinctive eras, first as a garage based R&B band in the UK, then as a psychedelic rock group in Italy.
The Sorrows history and recordings have previously been documented, but never in one package, a feat accomplished with the release of ‘Pink, Purple, Yellow And Red’, a four disc box set on Cherry Red Records’ Grapefruit Records imprint.
Disc one starts with six singles released between January 1965 and August 1966, on the Piccadilly label by The Sorrows in their original incarnation of vocalist Don Fardon, lead guitarist/vocalist Pip Whitcher, rhythm guitarist/vocalist Terry Jukes, bassist Phil Packham and drummer Bruce Finlay, although Jukes was replaced by Wez Price following the release of the band’s debut 45 ‘I Don’t Wanna Be Free’. The singles are fine examples of an edgy, garage influenced R&B band although their debut and its followup ‘Baby’, failed to chart. Their third release ‘Take A Heart’ reached #21 in the UK. Like its predecessors the tune had a heavy R&B riff joined by gorgeous vocals from Fardon and Whitcher. Although further singles failed to hit an album was released in December, 1965, aptly titled ‘Take A Heart’, combining single sides with three previously unreleased tracks. The album has numerous highlights such as the title track and ‘Baby’ which features a nicely restrained lead line and probing solo. Also notable are the non-single sides recorded for the LP. ‘She’s The Action’ is a driving rocker with its Kinks style lead line. ‘Cara-Lin’ has a punk vibe as the lead guitar enters and exits, with a solo reminiscent of The Kingsmen. ‘Come With Me’ is an all out, in-your-face proto-punk rocker. The album failed to sell and the band changed musical direction with Whitcher, Finlay and Price joined by guitarist Roger Lomas, Price moving to bass and the group relocating to Italy. It was this quartet that, in June, 1967, released ‘Pink, Purple, Yellow And Red’ a song presented to them by an Italian songwriter who had the basic melody but no lyrics. The band added English lyrics, the four colors allegedly representing the stages of an acid trip. The tune features revved up fuzz guitar, its trippy lyrics joining a heavy psychedelic rock riff. The b-side ‘My Gal’ offers more fuzz guitar with chunky rhythm licks and playful vocals. The disc ends with two mid-tempo rockers recorded in 1965-1966 that went unreleased at the time, a 1966 re-recording of ‘Baby’ that is more uptempo and thirty seconds longer than the original version and five tracks recorded in 1964 with producer Joe Meeks, four previously unreleased, that show the band’s R&B and blues roots.
Disc two opens with the stereo version of the ‘Take A Heart’ album. Two tracks recorded in collaboration with movie director Ennio Morricone are followed by a tune used in the Italian James Bond style movie ‘Ypotron’, filled with feedback from Roger Lomas’ guitar from beginning to end, its thundering bass line leading up to a feedback drenched solo with the repeated chant of the song’s title. Two unreleased 1968 demos written by guitarist Chuck Fryers, who along with vocalist/keyboardist Chris Smith joined Price and Finlay in a short lived incarnation of the band are included: ‘Which Way’ features swirling lead guitar and a tight rhythm section, with the repeated lyrics “which way am I going, which way no one’s showing” adding to the track’s mystique, while ‘My Way Of Thinking’ is dominated by Fryers’ psychedelic guitar, an insistent riff and delicate vocals. The disc closes with German versions of ‘Take A Heart’ and ‘We Should Get Along Fine’, and Italian versions of three tracks from the band’s R&B days as well as the Italian version of the title track to this box set.
Disc three begins with the 1969 album ‘Old Songs, New Songs’ recorded by the quartet of Smith, Fryers, Price and Finlay for the Italian Miura label. The opening track ‘Same Old Road’ is a pop-psych tune, with guitar and organ to the fore. A cover of Family’s ‘Hey Mr. Policeman’ features an extended wah wah driven solo, the tune’s outro filled with feedback. A trippy yet mellow cover of Traffic’s ‘Heaven Is In Your Mind’ follows. ‘Mary J.’ is an acoustic guitar and flute led slice of psychedelia. ‘Hey Hey’ is a gentle tune, its lysergic lyrics leading to a wah wah aided solo as the song builds to a heavy close. ‘The Makers’ is a slice of psychedelic rock describing the dichotomy of life with such lyrics as “I am the maker of wonderful things….I am the one, I am the one….I am the maker of terrible things”, featuring an acoustic guitar and sitar outro. A cover of ‘Dear Mr. Fantasy’ features Fryers’ dreamy guitar soaring over a relaxed groove. ‘Rollin’ Over’, a Small Faces cover, has a stinging guitar and organ intro, Finlay’s drum break leading to a guitar solo with Hammond organ adding texture to R&B style vocals. A cover of The Hollies’ ‘Listen To Me’ in Italian showcases the light side of the band with its gentle piano and vocal harmonies. ‘6 Ft. 7 ½ Inch Shark Fishing Blues’ is a reference to founding vocalist Don Fardon with keyboard and harp intro leading to a heavy guitar riff reminiscent of The Yardbirds complete with a rave outro. ‘Old Songs, New Songs’ is another Family cover, a haunting tune with its pounding piano beat leading to a rave up with mouth harp accompanying Fryers’ climbing solo as the song and album draw to an end. Italian versions of ‘Listen To Me’ and its b-side ‘Each And Everyday’ are followed by the single versions of ‘Hey Hey’ and ‘6 Foot 7 ½ Inch Shark Fishing Blues’ in English. Singles done by Roger Lomas and his band The Eggy in 1968 and Lomas and Pip Whitcher’s group Renegade in 1974 close out the disc.
Disc four opens with nine tracks recorded as an acetate intended for release as ‘Old Songs, New Songs’ by Smith, Price and Finlay joined by two musicians claiming to be former members of The Yardbirds, namely mouth harpist, vocalist, sitarist Kit Towson and guitarist Rod Davies. ‘Hey Hey’, written by Chuck Fryers, is a delicate psychedelic rocker. A cover of the Bee Gee’s ‘New York Mining Disaster 1941’ is keyboard driven, with flute and acoustic guitar intro. ‘Answer My Questions’, is a mid-tempo guitar driven rocker written by Towson and Davies. ‘Dear Mr. Fantasy’ features vocal harmonies and a wah wah driven solo. A cover of The Beatles’ ‘We Can Work It Out’ features more gorgeous vocal harmonies. ‘The Makers’ has a Small Faces feel of ‘Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake’ vintage with Davies’ guitar screaming, leading to a sitar aided solo, yielding a raga feel. ‘Heaven In Your Mind’ is laid back, with acoustic guitar and piano accompanying vocal harmonies before a wah wah driven solo picks up the pace. ‘Dogs And Cats’ has a prog rock feel and a driving beat. ‘Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood’ is given the Vanilla Fudge treatment, with slowed down keyboards to the fore. The disc closes with eleven tracks from a 1980 reunion performance by Whitcher, Price, Packham and Finlay. The show was recorded at the Mercer Arms in Coventry. The set mixes covers of Carl Perkins, Chuck Berry, Jimmy Reed, Jerry Lee Lewis, Sonny Boy Williamson, Ray Charles, John Lennon and Manfred Mann with ‘A Little Rock n Roll’ a Whitcher/Lomas tune released under the Renegade moniker, a guitar showcasing snappy rocker, showing the promise held by that incarnation of The Sorrows and a rocking take on ‘Let Me In’, a 1966 single from the band, before ending with a rousing, rollicking take of the group’s sole hit ‘Take A Heart’ bringing the band full circle, showing the tightness of the group, the perfect closer to their live performance and this compilation.
‘Pink, Purple, Yellow And Red: The Complete Sorrows’ comes in a clamshell box and includes a 32 page full color booklet featuring full track listing, an extensive essay by David Wells and is illustrated throughout with photos of the band, newspaper clippings, album and single artwork and other memorabilia. The ninety four tracks include every known recording by The Sorrows as well as extant recordings by group members, making this absolutely the last word on The Sorrows. The recordings have never sounded better thanks to the mastering job of Gil Hemmingway at The Wax Works. This set will be of interest to fans of 1960’s R&B, pop rock and psychedelic rock as well as rock music of the period in general and comes most highly recommended.
Kevin Rathert
The Sorrows – ‘Pink, Purple, Yellow And Red: The Complete Sorrows’ (Grapefruit Records, 2021)
