Additional information
This German release of the rare Canadian Capitol LP Don't Make Me Over not only contains the original dozen tracks from this long lost album, but 19 extra bonus tracks culled from various European singles, and previously unreleased material. With the exception of the title track of the album, which was a U.K. hit single, material from this Canadian album, originally released in 1966, has never been available in any form before this release. The original dozen album tracks on this second Canadian album by the band, features mainly R&B-styled covers that include the Lovin' Spoonful's superb "Do You Believe in Magic," Lennon & McCartneys' "This Boy," as well as a couple of original songs written by bandmembers in the same style. The bonus material is the real gem of this collection and contains many obscure single tracks and unreleased material recorded from 1963 to 1974. During this period the band began experimenting with a variety of musical styles, and the singles the band released ranged from the typical R&B covers to pop and even psychedelic music with the remarkable Woolfson-written single "What Have They Done to Hazel?" released on Columbia in 1968. Some of the tracks on this album have surfaced on other compilations by the band, but most are very obscure and unavailable anywhere else. There is even a single recorded by the band in 1970 when they changed their name for a brief time to Music Motor and tried their hand (albeit rather dismally) at glam rock. The Swinging Blue Jeans continued recording and releasing singles, and an album, up until 1975, but the band is best remembered as one of the original British Invasion bands of the mid-'60s. The sound quality on this album is superb but the liner notes are very sketchy and do not go into much detail about the music sources or the history surrounding each track. None the less, this set is a must for any fan of the music of this era and a real gem for Swinging Blue Jeans' fans. ~ Keith Pettipas
