THE BEAT MERCHANTS "The Beat Goes On" 1965

Listening to this 19-song compilation of official singles and demo tracks by the Beat Merchants, one just wants to ask, "What the hell went wrong?" Based on these sides, these guys had it all, a distinctive guitar attack, nicely coarse vocals, and a ton of collective charisma, but they never made it as a recording act…...Whether they're engaging in Beatles-like balladry ("Was Before") or going head-to-head with the Rolling Stones on Muddy Waters' "Messin' With the Man," the Beat Merchants were making entertaining, exciting, and interesting records; even "Does It Show," a sub-Who hard rock ballad, is utterly diverting, and the best of the cuts here, "Pretty Face," "Moanin'," "Reasons," "So Fine," "On a Summer Day," "Pretty Thing," and "Not Guilty" -- the latter a sneering punk anthem from very late in their history, which shows they still had what it took as players and songwriter in 1966, without a recording contract to their names -- are as good as any archival releases by the Yardbirds and the Kinks et al. (Mike Eder, Allmusic Guide)
Read all about The Beat Merchants in Ugly Things magazine, by Mike Stax
http://www.circlerecords.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33&Itemid=43

trax:
01 Pretty Face 02 Was Before 03 Hippy Hippy Shake 04 Moanin' 05 All She Wants Is Me 06 Reasons 07 Talkin' About You 08 So Fine 09 On A Summer's Day 10 She Said Yeh 11 Come On & Tell Me 12 Fortune Teller 13 So Fine 14 Pretty Thing 15 What Have I Done 16 Messin' With The Man 17 Does It Show 18 Rich Girl 19 Not Guilty
…originally served by Gyro1966...