TIMEBOX FEATURING MIKE PATTO & OLLIE HALSALL
''THE DERAM ANTHOLOGY''
1998
DECCA
COMPILATION
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1/Gone Is the Sad Man/Halsall, Patto
2/Barnabus Swain/Halsall, Patto
3/Treehouse/Halsall, Patto
4/Leave Me to Cry/Halsall, Patto
5/Don't Make Promise/Halsall, Patto
6/Yellow Van/Halsall, Patto
7/You've Got the Chance/Halsall, Patto
8/Real Good Thing/Simone
9/Beggin'/Farina, Gaudio
10/Black Dog/Halsall, Patto
11/Baked Jam Roll in Your Eye/Halsall, Patto
12/Stay There/Halsall, Patto
13/A Woman That's Waiting/McCarthy, Zagni
14/Eddie McHenry/Halsall, Patto
15/Poor Little Heartbreaker/Halsall, Patto
16/Country Dan and City Lil/Halsall
17/Promises/Halsall, Patto
18/Come on Up/Cavaliere
19/Love the Girl/Halsall, Patto
20/Girl Don't Make Me Wait/Huff
21/Walking Through the Streets of My Mind/Hess, Milrose
22/Timebox/Halsall, Patto
23/Waiting for the End/Halsall, Patto
24/Misty/Carmichael
REVIEW
by Jon "Mojo" Mills/ALLMUSIC
Timebox's 1968 blue-eyed soul take on the Four Seasons' "Beggin'" may be the most known of their Deram output, but it is on other recordings from 1967-1969 -- all featured on this album -- that their unique style is defined. Both sides of the fives singles Deram released are featured, including the soul-meets-Summer of Love ode "Walking Through the Streets of My Mind"; a perfect approximation of Philly Soul, "Girl, Don't Make Me Wait"; the haunting Beatlesque psychedelia of "Gone Is the Sad Man"; through to the novelty pop of "Baked Jam Roll in You Eye"; and its ferocious hard-rocking, almost punk, flip "Poor Little Heartbreaker." All of these, and the remaining singles sides, are very, very good! But the real meat of this collection, however, is to be found among the unreleased sessions that were meant to make up a 1968 album. Here, the magic of the Patto/Halsall songwriting partnership clearly comes to light. And astoundingly over half of the 24 tracks on this album consist of these often bootlegged wonders. "Barnabus Swain," "Tree House," and "Eddie McHenry" all fit in neatly with the finest pop-psych sides of the era. Whereas the later, hard rock numbers "Black Dog," "Stay There," and "Timebox" are the perfect vehicle for Hallsall's coarse lead guitar and Patto's soulful voice, while more straight-ahead pop, instrumental jazz, and rock are tackled with as much verve and passion. The Deram Anthology is a wonderful testament to Patto and Halsall -- now both dead -- and should help put Timebox in the top league of 1960s rock, which they so much deserve.