Legacy rests mainly with Petula hits
Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 01/10/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Tony Hatch became famous as a result of Petula's hits, many of which he wrote or co-wrote. Petula had almost abandoned recording in English, focusing instead on her French career, when Tony revived her British career with Downtown, which made her famous in America. Nine of the tracks here are by Petula but more of her tracks could have been. The truth is that, once you look beyond Petula, Tony's success as a songwriter was limited although he was also a record producer and manager. Even some of the songs that became hits for others had originally been recorded by Petula, most notably Call me (a hit for Chris Montez but represented here by a Foundations cover).
Tony's first success as a songwriter was with Look for a star, a UK top ten hit in 1960 for Gary Mills. A cover by the Brook Brothers is included here. Apart from his hits with Petula, his biggest UK success was with Where are you now my love. Recorded by Jackie Trent (who married Tony in 1967), it gave her a number one hit in 1965. Mally Page (Jackie's sister) and Ninette (Tony's sister) also sing tracks here, Mally appearing both solo and as lead singer of Two of each, later renamed Sweetcorn. Other British ladies of the sixties, rarely heard these days, include Sandra Barry, Julie Grant, the Breakaways (a trio of ex-Vernon girls), the Baker twins and Sue Nichols (later a successful TV soap opera actress) can all be heard here.
Tony successes as a songwriter for male acts included Joanna (Scott Walker) and Sugar and spice (Searchers). Other notable male acts to be heard here are the Settlers, the Montanas (from Wolverhampton, not Montana), Joey Loren, the Overlanders and Mark Wynter.
This is a fascinating collection of British sixties music, full of little-heard but wonderful obscurities. Nevertheless, the strongest collection of Tony's songs is to be found in a Petula compilation, where you get the original and best versions of his classic songs."
The English Bacharach
Peter Durward Harris | 06/27/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Most 60's pop fans in the USA dont have a clue who Tony Hatch is, I only remembered him on the credits on the Petula Clark albums I have collected from the 60's. At the time he was the ultimate staffer - a writer/producer/A&R director who could do it all. This 2-CD set collects most of his best productions for Pye Records in the 1960s and showcases his many talents. Besides the hits for The Searchers, Petula Clark and his (ex?) wife Jackie Trent (who should have been a big star here in the USA, what a great voice!). There are many one shots here that should have been as big as "Downtown" along with some strange comedy hits by the likes of Benny Hill! A great and interesting compilation for 60's pop fans."
Track Listings (30) - Disc #1