LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

She's Leaving Home Sunshine Superman A Whiter Shade Of Pale LTTS The Koan Tallyman The Sitar and The Rose Translove Airways (Fat Angel) Within Without You Flower Power Bonus Tracks - Indian Dance No.2 Romantic Scene No.1 The Wild One Pop Spot Viva La Tamla Motown Pageing Sullivan In 1965 Big Jim Sullivan took his first lesson on the Sitar from a Professor at a London College of Ethnic Music. Going to a music school must have been a novel idea as Big Jim had been playing guitar on sessions since 1957, resulting in his presence on more UK hits than anyone else. His tuition was also taken from a famous Indian player who had been studying for many years (the first two years in India are spent solely on the Tabla before they touch a Sitar) and gave Jim the necessary insight to be a creditable player. The result was Jim being asked to record even more sessions as the Sitar became a de rigeur instrument on virtually all mid 60's rock pop records. He taught Jimmy Page, took his Sitar over to George Harrison's Esher pad to enlighten the Beatle. So we come to 1967 and Mercury Records decide to cash in on the raga craze and take from Big Jim an entire LPs worth of where Sitar met Rock. The contents are a perfect blend of late 60's pop with the Tabla & Sitar sound and arrangements. A compliment is repaid when Jim does a version of Harrison's Within Without You and also from Sgt Pepper Jim ethni-sises She's Leaving Home. you also get some great Sullivan originals such as The Koan and Flower Power. Bonus tracks are included from two albums Big Jim made with Production Library De Wolfe Music - The Sounds of India DWLP 3060 and The Wild One DWLP 2974. On them Big Jim is accompanied by John McLaughlin and Jimmy Page. This collection stands up anyway with collectors but it happens that now in 2002 we are once more in the grip of Eastern influence in our popular culture. More Bollywood film music is being collected together for the western music market, Lloyd Webber launches his Bollywood Musical this year, so to have an album actually called Sitar Beat on the market is rather timely.