Various Artists – Nowhere Men 4 - British Beat 1964-68 (2001)

The big problem British bands of the time faced was that there were three major bands—you all know which ones—that dominated the scene, along with about twenty other great bands that couldn't overshadow the three mentioned earlier (Manner Mann, The Yardbirds, or The Animals, to name a few), and then a multitude of groups condemned to remain in the background, achieving the occasional hit and little else.

This collection focuses on this last group of bands: people who made good songs and who, I believe, have been increasingly appreciated over time, with some even becoming legendary. They almost never recorded LPs and had to settle for releasing singles, which is precisely what these four volumes comprise.

I think the list of bands is extremely interesting and covers different styles beyond the generic "Beat" genre. We find good R&B, exciting freakbeat tracks, some psychedelia, crushing pop-psych, and mod bands. Many versions of great classics, as was common at the time, and the three versions of "Dylan" are surprising.

I won't single out any particular band out of courtesy, and also because I think this collection has a virtually unparalleled consistency; it's clear the author dedicated considerable time to compiling these four volumes. I highly recommend reading the booklet that accompanies the records, as it contains very interesting information, and you'll see that some of these bands are actually big names in music.

As for these records, as is often the case, there isn't much information available. Apparently, they were released in 1993 by the French label "Beat Club International LTD," although it seems to be a phantom label, as the records have no labels or anything. I finally discovered that they were given away at a record fair held in Paris on October 2, 1993.