Anita Harris - London Life (1967)

Anita Harris was born on 3 June 1942 in Midsomer Norton, Somerset, and was the great niece of music hall entertainer Ida Barr. She began her professional career at the age of 8 as an ice skater, working seasons in Naples and Las Vegas, before joining the vocal harmony group The Cliff Adams Singers. In 1961, while still in her teens, she recorded her first single 'I Haven't Got You' with the John Barry Orchestra, going on to audition for Mike Margolis, who agreed to manage her, and who has produced her records almost exclusively ever since, with the couple marrying in 1973. She signed to Vocalion in 1964 to record the Margolis composition 'Lies', switching to Decca the following year, and then to Pye Records, where she stayed for a couple of years. While at Decca, she took part in the 1965 San Remo song contest in Italy, appearing alongside Dusty Springfield, Kiki Dee and Petula Clark, and performed her entry 'L’amore è Partito', later releasing it as a single to little success. Her time at Pye showcased her range, from the melancholy 'I Don't Know Anymore', to the more laid-back Bacharach/David compositions 'Trains And Boats And Planes' and 'London Life, while 'Something Must Be Done' was an upbeat stomper, and a fan favourite. In 1966 she moved from Pye to CBS, and as well as releasing singles with them, they also issued her first album 'Somebody's In My Orchard', which won the Music Critics' Album of the Year for 1966. The four-track EP 'Nursery Rhymes For Our Times' was a collection of modern fables for adults, and was a charming diversion for Harris, featuring covers of The Beatles' 'Eleanor Rigby' and Cher's 'Bang Bang', alongside two original jazz-themed compositions, 'Old Queenie Cole' and the superb 'B.A.D For Me'. Her first major chart success came in 1967 with 'Just Loving You', written by Tom Springfield at the suggestion of his sister Dusty, and it reached number 6 in the UK top 40, earning a double gold disc and staying in the charts for over a year. The follow up 'The Playground' stalled just outside the top 40, but has since become a northern soul dance floor filler, while 'Anniversary Waltz' proved more successful, reaching number 21 in the UK in early 1968. Saucy lead roles in two Carry on films, 'Carry On Doctor' and 'Follow That Camel', cemented her stardom, and she appeared on radio, TV, cinema and in theatres over the following years, but the chart success changed the focus of her music, and she became a strictly middle-of-the-road singer, abandoning the superb jazz stylings of some of her earlier recordings, which was a great shame as she was a fine jazz vocalist. She was still releasing records up to 2003, but this collection concentrates on her early work, and if you do remember her from her TV appearances in the 70's then you might be surprised at just what a gifted jazz singer she was when she started out. 

Track listing

01 I Haven't Got You (single 1961)
02 Mr. One And Only (b-side of 'I Haven't Got You')
03 Lies (single 1964)
04 Don't Think About Love (b-side of 'Lies')
05 L'amore è Partito (single 1965)  

06 Trains And Boats And Planes (single 1965) 
07 Upside Down (b-side of 'Trains And Boats And Planes')
08 I Don't Know Anymore (single 1965)
09 When I Look At You ‎(b-side of 'I Don't Know Anymore')
10 London Life (single 1965)
11 I Run To Hide (b-side of 'London Life')
12 Who's Foolish (single 1966, from the film 'Death Of A Woman')
13 Something Must Be Done (single 1966) 
14 Funny Kind Of Feeling (b-side of 'Something Must Be Done')
15 B-A-D For Me (b-side of 'The Playground' 1967)
16 Danger Route (from the film 'Danger Route' 1967)
17 Old Queenie Cole (from the EP 'Nursery Rhymes For Our Times' 1967)
18 Men (from the Marble Arch compilation 'Anita Harris' 1967)
19 Moody Soul (from the Marble Arch compilation 'Anita Harris' 1967)