LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

The Dolly Catcher is a highly original little effort from the British answer to BurtBacharach, '60s "easy" legend John Schroeder.Schroeder is probably best known for his production work, becoming assistant toColumbia Records label chief Norrie Paramor in 1958 and producing the Eurovisionrunner-up in the same year, Pearl Carr and Teddy Johnson's Sing Little Birdie.During his time at Columbia Schroeder discovered the 14 year-old Helen Shapiro,writing her first hit, Please Don't Treat Me Like A Child and sharing an Ivor Novelloaward with co-writer Mike Hawker for another Shapiro hit, Walkin' Back ToHappiness. After a short stint with Columbia, Schroeder spent 2 productive years atOriole, at the time the UK's only truly independent label, before departing for Pye,where he enjoyed immediate success with the Rockin' Berries, the Ivy League andSounds Orchestral, an instrumental orchestra that enjoyed commercial successwith the song, Cast Your Fate To The Wind. During his Pye years, Schroeder wrotefor and produced artists such as Status Quo, Geno Washington and renewed hisassociation with Helen Shapiro.In The Dolly Catcher, (the curious title probably has something to do with pulling"dolly birds", or girls) which is widely recognised as an "easy" classic, Schroedermanaged to merge fuzz guitar and organ with sweeping strings and brass producingan album that is always interesting, and at times, genuinely ground breaking,particularly in the form of his legendary take on Lucy In The Sky With Diamondswhich he covered in such an original wayTrack Listing1.The Dolly Catcher2.San Francisco (Flowers In YourHair)3. Explosive Corrosive Joseph4. To Wendy With Love5. Epistle To Dippy6. She'd Rather Be With Me7. Softly Softly Catchee Dolly8. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds9. I Was Made To Love Her10. Up, Up and Away11. But She Ran The Other Way12. Things I Should Have Said