Artist: Joe Brown
Title: The Joe Brown Story
Country: UK
Year Of Release: 1993
Label: Piccadilly-Sequel Records
Genre: Rock, Pop, Stage & Screen
Quality: FLAC (tracks+.cue, log,)
Duration: 54:11 + 58:57

Tracklist:
CD1:
01. People Gotta Talk (mono) (2:14)
02. Comes The Day (mono) (2:12)
03. Savage (Part 1) (mono) (2:07)
04. The Darktown Strutters' Ball (mono) (2:14)
05. Swagger (mono) (2:14)
06. Jellied Eels (mono) (2:33)
07. Shine (mono) (2:00)
08. The Switch (mono) (2:06)
09. Crazy Mixed Up Kid (mono) (2:01)
10. Stick Around (mono) (2:24)
11. I'm Henery The Eighth, I Am (mono) (1:57)
12. Good Luck And Goodbye (mono) (2:25)
13. Pop Corn (mono) (2:16)
14. A Picture Of You (mono) (2:21)
15. A Lay-About's Lament (mono) (2:28)
16. Talking Guitar (mono) (1:56)
17. Lonely Island Pearl (mono) (2:01)
18. Your Tender Look (mono) (2:13)
19. The Other Side Of Town (mono) (2:22)
20. It Only Took A Minute (mono) (1:57)
21. All Things Bright And Beautiful (mono) (1:54)
22. That's What Love Will Do (mono) (2:25)
23. What's The Name Of The Game (mono) (2:33)
24. Castin' My Spell (live) (mono) (2:16)
25. What A Crazy World We're Living In (live) (mono) (1:00)
CD2:
01. Hava Nagila (The Hora) (live) (mono) (1:50)
02. You Can't Lie To A Liar (live) (mono) (2:06)
03. Sweet Little Sixteen (live) (mono) (3:00)
04. Nature's Time For Love (mono) (2:04)
05. The Spanish Bit (mono) (2:09)
06. Sally Ann (mono) (1:56)
07. There's Only One Of You (mono) (2:34)
08. Walkin' Tall (mono) (2:29)
09. Hercules Unchained (mono) (1:36)
10. You Do Things To Me (mono) (2:36)
11. Everybody Calls Me Joe (mono) (2:43)
12. Don't (mono) (2:07)
13. Just Like That (mono) (2:20)
14. Teardrops In The Rain (mono) (2:14)
15. Lonely Circus (mono) (2:42)
16. Sicilian Tarantella (mono) (1:53)
17. Sea Of Heartbreak (mono) (2:49)
18. Mrs. O's Theme (mono) (2:09)
19. Little Ray Of Sunshine (mono) (3:03)
20. Your Loving Touch (mono) (2:17)
21. A Satisfied Mind (mono) (2:56)
22. Th' Wife (mono) (2:25)
23. The Rich Man's Son And The Poor Man's Daughter (mono) (2:25)
24. With A Little Help From My Friends (mono) (2:35)
25. Show Me Around (mono) (1:58)

The Joe Brown Story is the definitive Brown collection, with two CDs and 50 songs spanning 1959-1967, including all ten of the British chart hits he rang up during that period. Brown definitely holds a spot as one of the most important pre-Beatles British rock performers, but that's a pretty relative distinction. This compilation makes for a very erratic listening experience, veering from unbearably hokey music hall-style novelties and ethnic-flavored instrumentals to average country-flavored pop tunes and some -- not an immense amount -- of flat-out rock & roll. Brown was a good guitarist, but his vocals often leaned toward the self-consciously humorous (and not all that funny) side, and his material was not terribly strong. You could have sliced this in half without losing much, making sure to retain the highlights. Those would include his most famous hit, "A Picture of You," which the Beatles covered (with George Harrison on lead vocals) in 1962 on one of their first BBC performances; "Your Tender Look," translated and covered with greater effect in France by Françoise Hardy; "Sally Ann" and "Everybody Calls Me Joe," which have more swagger than most of his singles; and, if only for its historical interest, his rocked-up "I'm Henrery [sic] the Eighth I Am," which predated Herman's Hermits' hit rock rendition of that tune by four years. The comprehensive liner notes will be of particular value to American listeners, few of whom are likely to be familiar with his career.