YOU MAY not know the name Ivor Raymonde, but if you know Dusty Springfield's 'I Only Want To Be With You' or The Walker Brothers' 'Make It Easy On Yourself', you have heard his work.
Ivor Raymonde was a key figure in 1960s British pop, co-writing, producing, or providing the orchestral arrangements for many of that era's best loved hits. He is also the father of Cocteau Twins bassist, and founder of independent label Bella Union, Simon Raymond. Now the son pays tribute to his later father (Ivor passed away in 1990 ), with Bella Union releasing this 26 track collection that spans all areas of his father's work.
There are the classics - Dusty's exuberant, evergreen, 'I Only Want To Be With You', which Raymonde co-wrote; Billy Fury's wonderful, melodramatic 'Halfway To Paradise', with orchestra conducted by Raymonde; and two from The Walker Brothers - 'Make It Easy On Yourself' and 'My Ship Is Coming In'. This is before Scott fell under the spell of Jacques Brel, but in Raymonde's orchestral arrangement (the former ) and production (the latter ), there are hints of what is to come.
Paradise also boasts a number of fascinating oddities - Tom Jones 'Little Lonely One' from when the Welshman had still to hit his stride; David Bowie's delightfully camp 'Love You 'Til Tuesday', when his horizons extended no farther than being a light entertainer (you can imagine Bowie giving a big wink, all jazz hands, and going 'Ta dah!' at the end ) - Low and "Heroes" this is not. By contrast there is a stinging, garage rock, proto-psychedelic take on '(I'm Not Your ) Stepping Stone', by The Flies.
Paradise - The Sound Of Ivor Raymonde is a delightful trip into both a golden age of British pop, from a man who oversaw and helped create many of its great songs.
