Guide to British Music of the 1960s

May 2002

CD Review

Rupert's People - The Magic World of Rupert's People

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Rupert's People have gained more prominence lately through inclusion on a couple of excellent compilations and an appearance at a New Untouchables reunion in 1999. Circle Records has brought together a number of recordings by this "mysterious" group and they are now available as the group's first-ever album. This is a mix of singles, b-sides, live tracks and tracks recorded at the 1999 reunion.

Rupert's People are best described as an unusual band. They never seemed to have a stable line-up and even their best known track Reflections of Charles Brown was recorded by most of Les Fleurs de Lys. However, maybe they were the band that would have been huge had a certain Whiter Shade of Pale not preceded the classical tones of this single. 

The Magic World certainly does reflect the near-psychedelic style of Rupert's People even if their songs were not as strong as the era's best-known tracks. However, listen to some of what is included on this CD and you will wonder why you hadn't heard of them before. A personal favourite is Hold On which is, like Charles Brown a recording made with the extensive help of Les Fleurs de Lys. This is superb track that demands a much wider audience than it has had to date. 

The live tracks from 1999 are a strange addition as they are mostly covers of well-known songs. It is good to hear them and Rupert's People do them justice but it does highlight their own lack of material. Maybe it would have been better to have included live versions of the singles and b-sides, assuming they were played at the reunion. 

This is a curio that deserves its place in a CD collection if you enjoy late 1960s British music. Somehow the mystery surrounding the group actually adds to their charm.

Circle Records CPW C103

To order this CD visit www.circlerecords.co.uk