Yes It Is (Phillips: LP, 1970)
Straight away I should say that there are good, sincere Shindiggin' people out there striving to get this little beauty reissued who are currently attempting to negotiate the licensing (you know who you are!) so this is not a rant at them! No, this is more of a lament that no one has recognised this gem as ripe for reappraisal before now and to bring it to your collective attention so that you all rush out and buy it when it does finally become available again.
But why would you want to do that? Well, historically this album is a musical high point for Liverpool following the decline of Merseybeat. The one name that constantly recurs in these still under-researched Liverpudlian years is Jimmy Campbell. "Who?" you
might well exclaim. Well Campbell is perhaps one of the most under-appreciated composing talents Merseyside ever produced. Those of you in possession of the recent
Unearthed Merseybeat CD comp will have two songs by The Kirkbys, Campbell's first group and The Swingin' Blue Jeans' version of his stunning 'Keep Me Warm (Til The Sun Shines)'; if you've heard the late 60s recordings of Billy Fury on the
Rough Diamonds And Pure Gems collection you were listening to virtually a CD's worth of Jimmy Campbell songs (although he is cruelly uncredited as such); if you have any of the post-Merseybeats Merseys 45s they include Jimmy Campbell songs such as 'Penny In My Pocket' and 'Dreaming'; if you are a fan of the 23rd Turnoff's 'Michaelangelo', which has become ubiquitous on UK psych comps over the years, this is Jimmy Campbell himself.There can be few talents of Campbell's level who have remained so seriously underrated over the years. His first two solo albums Son Of Anastasia for Fontana and Half Baked for Vertigo are two very different creatures - the former a delicate, nostalgic and largely acoustic set (including a lovely re-working of 'Michaelangelo'), the latter a largely electric, grandiose work featuring bombastic orchestration and back-up from members of Badfinger. Neither garnered commercial or critical success at the time though Half Baked was half-heartedly reissued on CD by Repertoire a few years ago.
Rockin' Horse was a short-lived group co-founded by Campbell and Billy Kinsley, former Merseybeat and Mersey (see the connection?). The songs on Yes It Is, their sole album, are heavily influenced by both the direct simplicity of the 1964 model Beatles and the rasping, metallic edge of Lennon's contributions to Abbey Road and Let It Be. The emphasis is most definitely on 'influenced by' as the originality of the material is Campbell's alone. The songs vary from the impassioned testifying of 'Don't You Ever Think I Cry' to the catchy single 'Julian The Hooligan', which could serve as the other bookend to the Beatles' 'Hey Bulldog'. It's slow and melancholic piano introduction is suddenly steamrollered by a blinding first class pop/rock riff that refuses to relent or leave your head for days! 'Stayed Out Late Last Night' and 'Delicate Situation' are beautiful odes to the human condition whilst opener 'Biggest Gossip In Town' (another failed 45) is a great period pop tune which blends the sentiments and approach of Liverpool's (then) recent musical past with a thoroughly contemporary feel.
Yes It Is is not only aurally beautiful but historically important for the insight it provides of what was happening in Merseyside pop music at a time when the rest of the world regarded it as passé. Campbell's musicality and contribution to the period's pop music has been criminally overlooked in the past, but just now there is a groundswell of interest in him and a rediscovery of his wonderful music. It is from this belated interest that the current attempt to give Yes It Is and hopefully his other solo work (particularly the stunning Son Of Anastasia) the deluxe reissue treatment is taking place.
A well marketed introductory 'best of' CD would be a decent start to make more people aware of the man's work. Here's hoping!
Paul Martin