The Beatstalkers were an odd duck in Britain’s mid-sixties
beat scene. Were they a middle-of-the-road pop group like The Tremeloes?
Sometimes. Were they aggressive, modish noise merchants like The Who? They were
when they were at their best. Were they purveyors of twee quirk? They certainly
were when a pre-fame David Bowie was providing their material. Were they
Scotland’s No. 1 beat group? Well, they were if you trust the title of Sommor’s
new compilation of everything The Beatstalkers recorded.
The band’s lack of a firm identity makes this record an inconsistent
listen. Even its liner notes are up-front about how some of this stuff is not
very good. While Dave Lennox’s sometimes keening vocals can be an issue, material
is the main problem. Bill Martin’s daft “Mr. Disappointing” is truth in
advertising. Bowie’s three contributions are notable only because the writer
(and very audible guest backing vocalist) would go onto much, much, much better
things.
However, when The Beatstalkers are allowed to just do their
thing, which is basically in the Birds/Action/Small Faces vein, they’re good,
and their historical significance is worth mentioning. Along with their
interpretations of those Bowie songs, The Beatstalkers also cut a pre-lyric
version of the garage band staple “I Can Only Give You Everything” (titled
“Base Line” in its instrumental incarnation) and released a really tripped-out
version of Reg King’s “Little Boy” long before The Action’s admittedly superior
version saw the light of day.
Scotland’s No. 1 Beat
Group is also an inconsistent listen because of its varying sources. A
couple of long-lost early demos are of understandably rough quality, and a
number of the proper singles were clearly dubbed from crackly old vinyl. However,
the later singles all sound good, the pressing is nice and quiet, and the extensive
liner notes included on a booklet insert are very well done.
