The Two Sides Of – JOHN LEYTON***

Voodoo Woman/Can’t You Hear The Beat/Fabulous/Thunder & Lightning/Oh Lover/I Don’t Care If The Sun Don’t Shine/(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons/That’s A Woman/Walk With Me My Angel/That’s How To Make Love/Magic Of True Love/Its Goodbye Then

The Two Sides of John Leyton was the sole album release from this early sixties actor turned temporary teen idol. His first four top twenty singles, including the UK No. 1 Johnny Remember Me, were magnificent atmospheric songs produced by the legendary Joe Meek. None of them are on this LP, so a compilation CD of his work is a much better investment.

“It contains three Geoff Goddard titles, which are remarkable for their distinctive windswept melodrama, which Leyton's edgy swooping vocal style superbly defines. Lovers of early 60s British pop will find all the composite ingredients of the era herein; plucked double bass, pizzicato and glissando strings, galloping beats on the snare drums, female contralto backing vocals and huge choruses.”

“With initial production handled by Joe Meek, John would enjoy a major hit with Johnny Remember Me, whilst the Two Sides album was intended to showcase his talents as both a rock 'n' roll and ballad singer.”

“The Two Sides Of John Leyton, shows the talents of the producer Joe Meek, rather than the singing talents of John Leyton. After having a hit with Johnny Remember Me, it was time to rush an album out for John Leyton, or so it seemed. This was Joe Meek’s turn to show what he could do, and from the opening of Voodoo Women to the end track of Its Goodbye Then, this LP is probably the best thing to come out of England before The Beatles."

“Not much of a singer, his hits are most notable for Joe Meek's inventive production, which utilized ghostly female backup vocals, variable-speed pianos, and swirling wind effects. Most of Leyton's earliest, and most successful, material was written by Geoff Goddard, heavy on loner melodrama, it often used pseudo wild west galloping rhythms and lyrical themes."

“The sounds created by Joe Meek are like an aural Christmas tree. Many wonder how he achieved this in the recording studio in his flat without the benefits of the digital age. John Leyton was not a great singer, but the total production values of his hits, and the Two Sides LP, were a revelation at the time.”