When Cherry Red Records launched their Strawberry Records subsidiary in 2020, they knew they’d need something impressive to kick start what would technically be a successor to the excellent RPM label. Their inaugural release ‘Halcyon Days’ tapped into an accessible selection of mod and soul cuts, very much in the spirit of RPM’s ‘Looking Back’ series. Needless to say, fans of the style – and of that series of RPM box sets – were thrilled with the result. A second box of mod and soul cuts from Strawberry – 2021’s ‘I Love To See You Strut’ – was pretty much as solid, and at other times, the label’s well curated products – box sets celebrating “the music of Black Britain”, 60s and 70s club soul classics, and even dipping their toes into the world of psychedelic folk (normally the remit of sister label, Grapefruit) – have also been considered very welcome fare.

As its artwork more than suggests, ‘Get Ready For The Countdown’ takes another dip into the world of mod, soul and freakbeat, and the three disc, eighty six track collection shares a rather pleasing array of classic cuts, alongside some cult names and obscurities. In terms of all round quality, it’s a set that rivals the earlier ‘I Love To See You Strut’.

Disc one gets off to a cracking start with a couple of numbers that’ll be familiar to everyone, though not necessarily in the versions presented. The classic ‘Roadrunner’ (best known and loved in a perfect recording by Jr. Walker & The All Stars) gets put through its paces by The Pretty Things in a raw, garage rock infused performance that’s big on reverb, and even bigger on hard edged guitar twang. With an incendiary vocal that values power over melody, it shows up the Zombies’ version for the polite public school outing it is. In the hands of The Graham Bond Organisation, ‘Long Tall Shorty’ flaunts a tight rhythm, while various organ blasts add an atonal edge and channel the harmonica for best feature, and an intermittent sax helps to blur the lines between blues and soul. In terms of driving R&B, it’s superb, even if it ultimately sounds like Tommy Tucker’s ‘Hi Heel Sneakers’ with a different set of lyrics. A Bond associate, Jack Bruce appears with a rare, early solo cut ‘Rootin’ Tootin’. As R&B tracks go, it’s musically great, since it takes the heart of the Spencer Davis Group, adds a semi-jazzy sax part, counters that with some sharp harmonica, and – as you would expect – tops everything with a superb bassline, but it doesn’t necessarily challenge the future Cream man in any way. That said, his blend of vocals and bass provides an interesting insight into a legend in the making, and the same could be said for Alex Harvey’s performance on ‘Curtains For My Baby’. His voice is unmistakable, but his overall presence, sedate. Even so, his natural tones fit well with a swinging rhythm that takes the mod-friendly elements of R&B and fuses a familiar style with proto-prog/folky flute and a walking bassline that sounds more like it would be at home on a music-hall recording. It’s sort of fitting, then, that when this number increases in volume during the second half, the bass and vocals take on more of a theatrical mood. Those looking to find the genesis of the more “out there” Sensational Alex Harvey Band recordings will certainly find this interesting.

No strangers to a good 60s compilation, The Artwoods (featuring Ron Wood’s arguably less famous brother, Art) drop in with some top R&B sounds on ‘Be My Lady’, an instrumental jam that’s all chiming guitars and swirling organ sounds, and although it doesn’t have the enduring qualities of something like ‘Green Onions’, it’s very much cut from a similar cloth, ideal for dancing, and absolutely bustling with a retro charm. Venturing into even more traditional mod club fare, The Creation’s take on ‘Cool Jerk’ doesn’t quite have the verve of The Capitols’ recording, but between a vocal that sounds like a Paul Jones cast-off and some great guitar work, it has a charm of its own that makes this number stand up, no matter how many times you’ve heard it covered. The Living Daylights’ tune ‘What’cha Gonna Do About It’ isn’t actually a cover of the Small Faces classic, but is just as enjoyable in its own right. The epitome of mid 60s easiness, the vocal harmonies and main melodies have links with the Merseybeat sound, to the point where the moments that aren’t reliant on three part harmonies sound as if they’ve been lifted from a Pacemakers session. In terms of 60s fare, it’s massively predictable, but never bad. It was due to be released in 1967, by which time, a lot of music fans had moved on to more complex, psychedelic sounds. Poor old Living Daylights already sounded like a relic from 1964 at this point. ‘What’cha Gonna Do…’ remained unreleased until 2022, but everything has its moment to shine, of course, and without resorting to anything flashy, this is now a track that actually works rather nicely in the context of this set.

A track that might be familiar to regular buyers of archive material from the late 60s, The Syn’s ‘Grounded’ presents a very loud drum part set against chiming guitars that evoke the blues-edged psych material of the era. As the freakbeat oriented tune unfolds, it becomes very clear why The Syn had a residency at London’s Marquee club throughout 1967, sharing stages with artists as diverse as The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Spencer Davis Group and Love Affair. Beneath the more rudimentary guitar work, future Yes bassist Chris Squire gives the performance most of its muscle, weighing in with a great performance, partially taking the lead. There’s much less of a jazz leaning in comparison with Yes circa 1969, but it’s clear to hear how his dominant style already aimed to take the aggression of John Entwistle into far artier places. For lovers of things that are on the cusp of psychedelia but still retain a strong beat group aesthetic, this track is a must-hear. You’ll find another member of Yes lurking on The In Crowd’s 1965 b-side ‘I Don’t Mind, a sultry number that straddles beat and soul with a bright guitar sound joining a huge vocal. It isn’t as good as something in a similar vein from James Brown & The Famous Flames, obviously, or even a stab at something similar by Small Faces – Keith West is no match for Steve Marriott, vocally – but fans of guitarist Steve Howe will still enjoy peering through this small window into his past, particularly since a few notes in his all too brief solo capture a very familiar jazz tone. [As has been well documented, by 1967, The In Crowd had changed their name to Tomorrow, and would eventually become forever associated with their classic psych track ‘My White Bicycle’.]

An instant classic The Chantelles’ ‘Out of My Mind’ blends beat group sounds with really huge sounding vocals, to create something that falls squarely between the worlds of the Zoot Suit and the easy listening fare that would be used as radio filler in the late 60s, and the equally captivating ‘Never Ever’ by The Action adds something else interesting to this anthology, even though the track is ultimately flawed. The number utilises a strong vocal with a few well placed harmonies against a very Pete Townshend inspired guitar part, weaving some very tight sixties grooves. The use of heavy trombone on this track is much less impressive, however; although the absolutely bloody massive parps that are dropped in as musical bridges are distinctive, they’re not very melodic. By the time the brass is used to flesh out the coda, the trumpets and trombones are in danger of drowning out a great hook. Still, as misguided as some of the brass is, it’s definitely worth revisiting, and acts as a reminder of a band who really should have been bigger. In terms of channelling The Who, The Action are outdone by the lesser celebated Plastic Penny. In terms of not hiding their influences, ‘Give Me Money’ (taken from the band’s 1969 LP ‘Currency’) is as subtle as a brick in the face. The drums clatter like Keith Moon on ‘Substitute’; a couple of the guitar riffs veer really closely to a couple of other Who tunes circa ‘A Quick One’, and even the backing vocals could pass as something from a mid 60s Daltrey/Entwistle in their prime. Plastic Penny aren’t in the same league when it comes to a guitar solo, though. The end product here has a decent tone and even a reasonable melody, but none of the pure anger that Pete’s best work from the period could convey. Nevertheless, this rather obvious homage ranks among this box set’s greatest tunes.

Another highlight comes courtesy of The Mike Cotton Sound who inject a world of sassy horns into an upbeat R&B workout on ‘Got My Eye On You’. Although the brass elements aim to be the key feature here, there’s also a real charm coming from the Peter Noone-esque vocal and a busy but all too brief organ solo that could rival Georgie Fame at his peak. Another very familiar compilation name, Tony Rivers & The Castaways hammer through ‘Baby What You Want Me To Do’ with enthusiasm, but their mix of beat group sounds, harmonies and nods to older rock ‘n’ roll fare doesn’t quite summon up the power of the Elvis version from his ’68 Comeback Special. It’s never bad, but considering how Tony appears to be a mainstay of sets like this, there’s a feeling that something better could have been chosen to represent his work. The lesser known Karl Stuart & The Profiles strike gold on a similarly harmony-heavy number ‘Not The Girl In A Million’. Despite mining some predictable beat group sounds, the Scottish act blends really confident vocal and bluesy harmonica in a way that has a really powerful sound. You’ll have heard similar fare from the fab four and other Mersey based groups, but there’s a tightness here that makes it sound like Karl and friends should have been big shots. Wynder K. Frog are one of those bands who’ve certainly achieved more fame from these kind of anthologies than they did during their active years, and as usual, it’s a pleasure to hear something else from them here. ‘Incense’ is loaded with a rhythm that sounds like something from an Elvis soundtrack circa ’64, but a busily stabbed organ, a bit of reverb and extra brass brings something that has roots in light entertainment further into the mod and freakbeat universe. As this short track progresses, the organ solo gets more manic, and although the end result sounds like three dozen things you’ll have heard previously, it’s still hard not to be impressed by the energy served up on this LP cut from ’66.

Elsewhere, The Little Darlings thunder through the Bo Diddley-tastic ‘Easy To Cry’, a number absolutely bursting with late 50s riffs and a layer of garage rock distortion that pre-dates the noises made by The Deviants. In retrospect, it sounds generic, save for the primitive recording techniques – it makes the Stones debut sound like the perfect pop shared on The Beatles’ ‘Help!’ LP – and it’s easy to hear why this would’ve seemed rather exciting in 1965. The Little Darlings’ only other release ‘Little Bit O’ Soul’ gets a welcome re-release here too, and despite showing a smoother band musically – the bass is higher in the mix, and the arrangement reaches a little harder to capture more of a pop sound with an organ borrowed from Chris Montez’s classic ‘Let’s Dance’ and an R&B bassline – the rough and ready production still makes them sound like the garage rock sensation that never was. A household name, The Moody Blues share another R&B banger that revels in frenetic drumming and sassy harmonica. A world away from the prog rock behemoth the band would soon become, and not even sounding much like the band who’d share the perfect pop of ‘Go Now’ around the same time this recording was made, ‘Bye Bye Bird’ proves that Manfred Mann and Graham Bond weren’t the only big names delivering busy R&B fare aimed at a predominantly white crowd. In retrospect, this is a little more disposable than other stuff from the mid 60s, but the harmonica work remains impressive throughout.

For keen collectors of mod sounds, a previously unreleased early version of The Birds of Prey’s ‘City Lights’ shows off a rougher sounding take of the track later released as part of Joe Meek’s extensive tea chest tapes. It’s a little predictable, and the vocal is rather wayward, but fans of the rawer R&B sounds of the mid 60s will find something enjoyable here. Likewise, The Tomcats’ enthusiastic rendition of Graham Gouldman’s ‘For Your Love’ will serve a more than enjoyable alternative to the well worn Yardbirds hit, guaranteed to please mod and beat fans everywhere. The Tomcats may have lacked some of The Yardbirds’ musical chops, but they make up for that by injecting a few vocal shouts, giving their performance more of an impromptu quality. At the thin end of the wedge, The Athenians’ take on ‘Louie Louie’ sounds truly uninspired, almost like a royalty-free version of the omnipresent Kingsmen number. It has to be said that nobody really needs to hear ‘Louie Louie’ again, unless it’s The Stooges bowing out their last gig of 1974 with utter contempt for their unappreciative audience, and this version isn’t likely to win the overplayed track any new fans. Thankfully, that’s sequenced next to one of this box set’s most exciting recordings: ‘I’ll Try’ by The Web.

Very little seems to be known about The Web, other than that they recorded a three track session for Ember Records in January 1964, which remained unreleased for years. Two tracks from that session find a home within this set, and they’re absolutely brilliant. ‘I’ll Try’ is a powerful R&B workout that sounds like something from the Kinks debut, only super-charged, and with a busy harmonica joining the heavily twanged guitars. It’s very much the sound of a band ready to take the mid 60s by storm, and at a time before The Who’s big breakthrough, it’s hard to gauge why this wouldn’t have been good enough for release. Showing a different side to The Web, the slow, almost bluesy ‘Crawling Black Spider’ appears to have its inspiration drawn from ‘I’m A King Bee’, but despite being derivative of a lot of material from the era, it isn’t without charm. The drumming is solid; although the lead guitar is thin, it manages to sound better than a couple session takes by Little Jimmy Page from around the same time, and the harmonica work is strong, without being intrusive. Even taking the predictable nature of this tune into consideration, the talent is clearly there, and The Web should’ve been given a fair crack at a career. [Archive music fans please note, this is not [The] Web who would later record the ‘I Spider’ album before splitting and partially becoming prog band Greenslade.]

The recording quality leaves a little to be desired, given that the brass cuts through a slightly swampy sound in a way that further highlights the lack of separation between the instruments, but for lovers of Kiki Dee’s Fontana era recordings, Marilyn Powell’s ‘Showdown’ adds a similarly jaunty, soul inflected piece of pop that’s pure mid-60s, and following suit, although played very safely, Jeannie Dee’s cover of the classic Supremes side ‘Come See About Me’ captures a similar spirit. Dee’s recording is never going to win your affections over the Supremes cut, but she gets full marks for enthusiasm. Opting for pure energy ‘Captain Man’ by Miki Dallon sounds like a rocket powered Small Faces augmented with a light entertainment brass section. The fusion of styles creates something huge. Although you’d think Dallon’s massive voice and a huge amount of parp would be the big draw here, it’s impossible not to be immediately drawn in by a frantic bass line which goes a long way to pushing this mod/soul hybrid further into the “dance-able” category.

A familiar name from those earlier RPM mod/soul boxes, The Favourite Sons hammer their way through Allen Toussaint’s ‘Fortune Teller’. The track will be familiar to almost everyone via versions recorded by The Stones and The Hollies, but this recording from ’65 (unreleased until 2003) is one of the best. It’s much rawer than the Stones take, and much closer in terms of energy to The Merseybeats’ version. It has more of a garage rock quality that really pushes a harsh sounding guitar and drums to the fore, and presents a band with a real sense of drive. Much like those Web recordings, in retrospect, it’s a mystery as to why this hadn’t impressed their record company at the time of recording. …And if you enjoy this, then more beat heavy fare courtesy of other compilation regulars Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera and The Mirage should also appeal when presenting a fairly predictable blend of beat and proto-psych.

‘Like I’m A Clown’ by the much celebrated Dana Gillespie presents a great soul vibe alongside a harder beat group sound. The version shared here is a previously unreleased “acetate recording” and although isn’t as full sounding as the final album cut from ’68, it doesn’t feel drastically different. For fans, it’ll definitely be considered “nice to have”, of course. The Merseys’ take on ‘So Sad About Us’ doesn’t have the same oomph as The Who’s original cut, but it is respectful and more than competently played. Those looking for Who-esque sounds will actually be better served by The Kirkby’s ‘Keep Me Warm (Till The Sun Shines)’ which flaunts Townshend-esque power chords against a more pop friendly vocal and teases several elements that sound like they were lifted from a vintage Ray Davies composition, and The Betterdays’ ‘I Don’t Want That’ which appears to fall squarely between the more melodic aspects of the ‘My Generation’ album, and the most beat-centric tracks on The Kinks’ debut. Although you might think a band daring to call themselves My Generation might be similarly cool, their recording of ‘Keep Left’ never rises beyond a bluesy stomp, taking the guts of John Lee Hooker and smothering the blues with a clanging guitar. It’s fine for what it is, but The Yardbirds run rings around these guys. [Despite being name-checked several times in the excellent booklet, Keith Relf and the lads don’t get a look in this time around.]

Another deeper cut, The Boys Blue ‘Take A Heart’, sounds like it’ll be little more than a competent mod friendly tune, but is quickly given a lift by some sultry brass, and for lovers of horns everywhere, it’s definitely worth lending an ear, as is Seth Martin’s ‘Look At Me’ which takes the light entertainment orchestration to extremes, but the Ronnie Hazelhurst-ish pomp sounds superb against a high toned vocal. Mike Wade’s ‘Two Three Four’ would be in the same category due to its impressive brass work, but unfortunately Wade renders the track unlistenable with his bargain bin Tom Jones vocal… Very much a case of “close, but”, it’s a handy reminder that these mod-centric comps aren’t always perfect.

There’s a lot of cult stuff nestled alongside the familiar names here, but perhaps nothing more cult than two songs credited to “unknown artist”. Only the source is given, and these recordings are culled from Joe Meek’s massive archive of tea chest tapes. Joe Meek tape #734 contains an instrumental called ‘Night Train’, which is absolutely brilliant. From the outset, a driving sound showcases a tight rhythm section at work; their role is relatively simple, but nothing more is called for. Against the incredibly 1962 backdrop, a then-futuristic sounding keyboard delivers a repetitive riff, with a tone that’s unmistakably from a Meek production and a melody that might’ve suited the Tornadoes. The main feature comes from a superbly played sax, akin to a low budget Jr. Walker. It’s easy to imagine this sound-tracking any number of early 60s teen/rock ‘n’ roll films, and after a couple of plays, it sounds like something that should’ve padding out 60s comps since the mid 80s. ‘Let’s Go Baby (Where The Action Is)’ from Joe Meek tape #1446 is a little pedestrian by comparison, and on the Robert Parker number, the featured mystery band sound like The Spencer Davis Group warming up. There’s still more than enough for mod music die-hards to enjoy, however. In some ways, these archive gems might have been more at home on Cherry Red’s ‘Too Far Out: Beat, Mod & R&B from 304 Holloway Road 1963-1966’ set (released in February 2025), but if their inclusion here encourages people to give that set a listen – it’s arguably one of the best Joe Meek Chest Tapes archive releases – then it’s all good.

Even when this set shares more pedestrian 60s fare – as with with ‘Grade ‘A’ Girl’ by The Hi-Fi’s and The Cryin’ Shames’ ‘I’ll Keep Holding On’ – ‘Get Ready…’ still manages to be one of those anthologies that feels compelling, largely because there’s a feeling that any brief lulls will be offset by the discovery of something fun. With five box sets released via the now defunct RPM label and two more from their Strawberry Records imprint, you’d think that Cherry Red Records would have exhausted the amount of decent mod and Brit soul sounds available on an affordable licence. But, no: ‘Get Ready For The Countdown’ is another full on treat for the ears; another almost indispensable collection of retro nuggets that fans of all cool mod and soul sounds really shouldn’t be without. Quite how they’ve managed to keep the quality so high after so long is surprising, but in terms of pocket-friendly box sets, even with a few iffy tunes found within, this is another keeper.

February-April 2025