Brian Poole & the Tremeloes - Twist & Shout

All Music Guide

Brian Poole The Tremeloes' second album and their first crediting the group properly (their debut had been an anonymous album of cover versions on Decca's budget Ace of Clubs imprint) appeared in August of 1963, hastily recorded to take advantage of the topfive success of their version of "Twist And Shout"; ironically, the group had been signed by Decca in place of the Beatles and got the impetus to record "Twist And Shout" (which had been in their live set for some time) from the Beatles' debut album Please Please Me. The resulting album isn't much by modern standards, but it isn't bad, either, mostly covers as was the norm at the time apart from one group original, "Keep On Dancing", that was used in the feature film Just For Fun. Poole was too straight a singer in the 1950's teen crooner mode to get very far into the 1960's, but the combined sound of the singer and band, on ballads such as "Don't Be Afraid Little Darlin'", rockers like "Da Doo Ron Ron", or novelty numbers like "Al...leyOop" isn't bad just not overly exciting. This does mostly seem like the kind of rock 'n' roll that the Beatles et al made obsolete, but they try hard, and just when one is expecting the expected, as on "We Know", lead guitarist Rick West will do an interesting solo or the group will interject a harmony flourish out of the Beatles' repertory. - Bruce Eder, All Music Guide Read more Less