Part of My Past

• Artist: Simon Dupree
• Rating:
• Release Date: April 27, 2004
• Genre: Rock

Review

This is an amazing CD reissue, three times over -- for psychedelic music buffs, British R&B and soul enthusiasts, and fans of the progressive rock band Gentle Giant (which evolved out of Simon Dupree & the Big Sound). And it's also incredibly long overdue. Best-known for their Oriental ersatz pop-psychedelic classic "Kites," Simon Dupree & the Big Sound actually started out as a blues and R&B-based outfit, not too different from the Spencer Davis Group. This double-CD set covers their complete EMI output, most of which has never been reissued, and almost all of which is very impressive (and even manages to intersect obliquely with Apple Records' orbit). The group's early soul-oriented sides are killers, exciting, totally convincing pieces of British-made R&B that, in the case of "Love" and "Medley: 60 Minutes of Your Love/A Lot of Love," should have placed them head-to-head with the likes of Steve Winwood and the Spencer Davis Group. Even when they move into a slightly trippier sound, on "There's a Little Picture Playhouse," the group still utilizes a basic soul backing. And "Kites," coming along in the middle of the first disc, is such a radical departure from everything before it, that it's astonishing to hear in this context, even knowing the song well -- the rest of the CD is made up of trippy psychedelic ballads with Mellotron accompaniment, often with punchy acoustic rhythm guitars. It's all very pretty and inventive in a pop context, and rivals or surpasses the psychedelic sides of Rainbow Ffolly and most other EMI artists of the era this side of the Beatles and maybe the Move. The highlight of the group's post-"Kites" output was the single "Part of My Past," which was recorded during sessions for what was to have been their second album, Once More Unto the Breach, Dear Friend. That entire unreleased album is here, as the first 16 tracks on Disc Two, and they are a wonder -- the best parts include a gorgeous pop-psych ballad called "What in This World" that doesn't even have a songwriting credit; "Wha Cha Gonna Do," with its "Strawberry Fields Forever" opening and impassioned vocals; the almost-lewd "Don't Make It So Hard (On Me Baby)," with a vocal that was a holdover from the group's soul era; the bouncy, vaguely Bee Gees-like "Kindness"; and the trippy, spacey "Castle in the Sky," one of the finest pieces of psychedelic pop/rock ever to come out of EMI (or, more properly, never to come out from EMI -- until now). The latter should have been another "King Midas in Reverse," but thanks to the failure of "Part of My Past," the whole LP was shelved. The rest of the second disc is comprised of a short string of disappointing pop/rock singles -- vaguely reminiscent of the late-'60s Hollies -- imposed upon the group by their management, concluding with their extrovert rendition of the James Taylor-authored "Something in the Way She Moves Me," backed with a progressive-sounding, organ-heavy B-side, "I'm Going Home," authored by Reginald Dwight in the period before he became Elton John. This is followed by the complete contents of the group's only released LP, Without Reservations, which repeats the same R&B-era singles and B-sides (i.e., their pre-"Kites" work) from Disc One, only in their punchier mono mixes. The remastering is impeccable, the packaging beautifully illustrated with period photos of the band, and thorough annotation by David Wells. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide

Tracks

CD 1

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
I See the Light [Stereo]	Johnny Durrill, Norm Ezell, Michael Rabon	Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(2:19)
It Is Finished	Paul Smith, Evelyn King	Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(3:03)
Reservations [Stereo]		Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(2:26)
You Need a Man [Mono Version]	Paul Smith, Evelyn King	Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(2:31)
Day Time, Night Time [Stereo]	Mike Hugg	Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(2:17)
I've Seen It All Before [Mono Version]	Paul Smith, Evelyn King	Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(2:49)
Medley: 60 Minutes of Your Love/A Lot of Love	Homer Banks, Isaac Hayes, David Porter	Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(4:37)
Love [Stereo]		Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(3:06)
Get Off My Bach [Stereo]	Evelyn "Champagne" King	Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(2:03)
There's a Little Picture Playhouse [Stereo]		Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(2:15)
What Is Soul [Stereo]	Ben E. King, Bob Gallo	Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(2:36)
Teacher, Teacher [Stereo]	Simon Dupree	Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(2:06)
Amen [Stereo]		Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(2:27)
Who Cares [Stereo]	Evelyn "Champagne" King	Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(2:35)
Kites [Stereo]	Hal Hackaday, Lee Pockriss	Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(3:45)
Like the Sun Like the Fire [Stereo]	Paul Smith, Evelyn King	Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(2:28)
For Whom the Bell Tolls [Stereo]	Paul Smith, Evelyn King	Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(3:08)
Sleep [Stereo]	Simon Dupree	Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(3:03)
Part of My Past [Stereo]	Evelyn King	Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(3:20)
This Story Never Ends [Stereo]		Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(2:10)
Thinking About My Life [Mono Version]		Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(2:35)
Velvet and Lace [Mono Version]		Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(2:12)
We Are the Moles, Pt. 1 [Stereo]	Evelyn "Champagne" King	The Moles	(4:32)
We Are the Moles, Pt. 2 [Mono Version]		The Moles	(2:45)
Broken Hearted Pirates [Mono Version]		Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(2:41)
She Gave Me the Sun [Mono Version]		Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(2:38)
The Eagle Flies Tonight [Mono Version]		Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(2:25)
Give It All Back [Stereo]		Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(2:42)

CD 2

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Stained Glass Window [Stereo][#]	Gary Zekley	Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(2:07)
Please Come Back [Mono Version][#]		Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(2:42)
Light on Dark Water [Mono Version][#]	Evelyn King	Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(1:54)
What in This World [Mono Version][#]		Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(3:13)
What Cha Gonna Do [Mono Version][#]	Evelyn King	Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(2:48)
Don't Make It So Hard (On Me Baby) [Mono Version][#]	Eddie Floyd	Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(3:03)
Kindness [Mono Version][#]		Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(2:32)
Castle in the Sky [Mono Version][#]	Evelyn King	Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(2:46)
Loneliness Is Just a State of Mind [Stereo][#]	Evelyn King	Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(2:56)
Laughing Boy From Nowhere [Mono Version][#]		Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(2:50)
You [Mono Version][#]		Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(2:13)
Can't You See [Stereo][#]		Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(2:50)
Now [Stereo][#]		Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(2:29)
Rain [Stereo][#]		Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(3:19)
Something in the Way She Moves [Stereo][#]		Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(2:36)
I'm Going Home [Mono Version][#]	Elton John, Bernie Taupin	Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(3:44)
Medley: 60 Minutes of Your Love/A Lot of Love [Mono Version]	Homer Banks, Isaac Hayes, David Porter	Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(4:37)
Love [Mono Version]		Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(3:06)
Get Off My Bach	Evelyn "Champagne" King	Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(2:02)
There's a Little Picture Playhouse [Mono Version]		Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(2:15)
Day Time, Night Time	Mike Hugg	Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(2:32)
I See the Light [Mono Version]	Johnny Durrill, Norm Ezell, Michael Rabon	Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(2:23)
What Is Soul [Mono Version]	Ben E. King, Bob Gallo	Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(2:36)
Teacher, Teacher [Mono Version]	Simon Dupree	Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(2:12)
Amen [Mono Version]		Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(2:26)
Who Cares [Mono Version]	Evelyn "Champagne" King	Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(2:33)
Reservations [Mono Version]		Simon Dupree, Big Sound Authority	(2:31)

Credits

Simon Dupree (Main Performer), John Burgess (Producer), Chris Gunning (Arranger), Chris Gunning (Conductor), Peter Mew (Remastering), David Paramor (Producer), Dave Wells (Liner Notes), Dave Wells (Sleeve Notes), Jonathan Peel (Producer), Hugh Gilmour (Artwork), Tim Chacksfield (Research), Tim Chacksfield (Project Coordinator), Big Sound Authority (Performer)