Customer Rating:  
Summary: fine assortment of hits geared toward the casual fan
Comment: Gold: British Invasion is a fine two CD set that gives us so much to remember from "The British Invasion." The music is very high quality throughout and the sound is excellent, too. I also like the artwork.
The Beatles show off with "Ain't She Sweet;" the arrangement for this sounds awesome; The Beatles perform this so well. Peter & Gordon deliver "World Without Love" as they harmonize perfectly; and the guitars and percussion work wonders for this number. Peter & Gordon always sounded strong together; but when they sing "World Without Love" I really like how they sound. I predict that you will enjoy this number also.
Gerry & the Pacemakers score a huge hit with their "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying;" I always smile when I hear this because of the beauty of this number. Gerry & The Pacemakers sing and play this beyond perfection. There's no doubt that Gerry & The Pacemakers were a strong group with great talent; this song certainly proves it. There's also Dusty Springfield doing her hit entitled "Wishin' & Hopin';" Dusty sings this like only she could and this has always been another one of my very favorites from this era. Dusty's voice is as clear as a bell; and her excellent diction enhances her performance all the more.
The Walker Brothers come out strong when they perform "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore);" they bat this one straight out of the ballpark with some mighty fine musical accompaniment. The Troggs also sound great when they do their number "Wild Thing;" the minor chords and their manner of performing "Wild Thing" makes this number shine brightly!
The Seekers do "Georgy Girl" up right with a perfect arrangement; and of course there's Procol Harum doing their huge hit "A Whiter Shade Of Pale." "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" has a very lush musical arrangement including what sounds like an organ to embellish this number even further. I'm very impressed!
Lulu also sings another of my favorite numbers--and a huge hit for her--"To Sir With Love." Lulu's voice is also as clear as a bell; and she delivers this song passionately with all her heart and soul. Excellent!
Overall, major fans of music from "The British Invasion" will have these tunes already. Other people will correctly complain that there's nothing here by some pretty major groups including The Stones, The Kinks and The Yardbirds! I think this could be because of copyright issues; but I cannot be certain of that. I have to take off a star for that to make this a four star review. I would give this set three stars but what we get is such high quality throughout that I'll give it four stars anyway. Casual fans of music from "The British Invasion" will probably get the most out of this two CD set.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Mixed Blessings
Comment: There are a lot of great ole songs on this album that give me great joy to play. I didn't give this five stars because of the song slection in total analysis. Considering the bountiful number of treasured songs that came in the British invasion, I was shocked to hear some duds on this album. They could have replaced those with some much better samples of the invasion. They could also have expanded the invasion another year or two in the timeline to say 68. The songs by Gerry & the Pacemakers alone, make this worth the purchase, and actually 80% of the songs are great. You'll enjoy it, but it could have been even better.
Customer Rating:
Summary: OLDIES that never fade
Comment: I have enjoyed so many different types of music throughout the years and the older songs still have a fond place in my heart. Some of the songs will forever put a smile on my face, no matter how old I get. This CD contains so many of those good songs.
Troggs, Hollies, Searchers, Donovan, Seekers, The Who, Eric Burdon and the Animals...all great artists!
Customer Rating:
Summary: cool tunes
Comment: This album has really hip sounds and the lyrics are far out. It has a groovy beat and it's easy to dance to....
Seriously, I really dig John Lennon's vocal on "Ain't She Sweet." This is very classic ultra-Early Beatles. This track was the first thing about this disc that got my attention, but there are also many other great hits, absolute staples of the British Invasion era music:
Freddie and the Dreamers' "I'm Telling You Now", The Hollies' "Bus Stop" and "Game of Love", "Groovy Kind of Love," "Ferry Cross the Mersey"....This CD has many of the most important recordings of that magical era. Essential
And the CD quality of the music means this is the best I've ever heard some of these songs sound. It's also interesting to hear Cat Stevens doing his own version of his "First Cut Is the Deepest" hit.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great compilation including some hard-to-find tracks
Comment: I originally ordered this as a gift for a friend, but after listening to her copy, bought it for myself. The 2 disc collection offers an excellent compilation, including some that are indispensible and others that are very hard to find without buying an entire album by the artist. Most of the tracks sound as good as you're likely to ever hear them, considering their age and the technological limitations of the time. As always with such compilations, one can quibble over the inclusion or exclusion of certain songs, but this collection is essential for any fan of British rock of the 60's and 70's.
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