ARTIST: The Prisoners
TITLE: Hurricane: The Best of the Prisoners
YEAR RELEASED: Compilation
CHART ACTION: None
SINGLES: Hurricane, There’s a Time, Whenever I’m Gone, Shine on Me
OTHER SONGS YOU MAY KNOW: Oh, no.
LINEUP: Graham Day, James Taylor, Allan Crockford, Johnny Symons
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT: UK retro-garage / mod band didn’t have much success but had influence and a true retro sound.
SOME WORDS, PHRASES AND CLAUSES ABOUT THIS RECORD: The Jam had mined a neo-mod sound when they first arrived on the scene, and the Prisoners followed a few years later, planting themselves firmly in the 60’s garage-mod scene with the use of a Vox Continental and a retro feel to their originals.
They didn’t find a lot of success in the record shops, but they were leaders of a scene that influenced quite a few later bands, due to their sharp sounds, organ work, and melodies.
The Prisoners weren’t as mannered or pretentious as some of the US revivalists, and this sincerity helps their records.
NOTES & MINUTIAE: They released two of their records on their own label, and they weren’t happy with the results of their other two albums
IS THERE A DELUXE VERSION: There’s a version not streaming with four extra tracks.
GRADE: B+: This collection has made me want to explore their entire catalog in full. So those reviews will happen in due course.