The Transmission of The Variant Readings of The Quran

The Majority issued eight U.K. singles on Decca between 1965 and 1968 without reaching the British charts, though they were a reasonably accomplished band, especially in the vocal harmony department. This CD has everything from those singles with the exception of the 1967 cover of the pop standard "I Hear a Rhapsody," omitted at the specific request of the group (and described as "horrific" in the liner notes). The Majority sounded more American than the typical British Invasion band, with harmonies and, usually, material more in line with U.S. pop/rock acts like the Beach Boys and sunshine pop groups than most of their U.K. peers. While it's fairly enjoyable stuff, it's easy to hear why they became a sort of "in-between" group, with too much going for them to get dropped from their label, but not enough going for them to score hit records…

This album was released on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the North Sea Jazz Festival. It contains live recordings of John Patitucci, Spyro Gyra, Russ Freeman & The Rippingtons, B.B. King, Chick Corea, Robben Ford and Gary Burton. All songs were recorded live during various editions of this festival.

As overworked a phrase as `Beatlesque' is, it nonetheless fittingly describes the sound of the Knickerbockers, one of the many American groups smitten by the English sound in the mid-60s. But it ought to be argued that rather than simply being Beatle imitators, the Knickerbockers were in fact the first great `powerpop' combo, in that they played concise, melodic rock with power.
One listen to this compilation should convince even the most skeptical observer of that fact. The group made their name in the early part of their career with their ability to sound like other people, but once they hit their stride with the material presented here, the Knickerbockers came into their own as purveyors of classic (and timeless) 60s pop…