Embassy label - The Typhoons - Beatles hits 1963/1964

This month a series of budget cover versions. These records were released mainly between 1960 and 1966, although in the UK the Top Of The Pops series continued deep into the 1970s.
One of the most collectable labels became Embassy. It was the houselabel of British department store Woolworth and their "beat group" were The Typhoons. In fact, there was not such a group as The Typhoons. Their "lead singer" was a session singer called Ray Pilgrim, a former big band singer, who also recorded under dozens of aliases. For the rest The Typhoons were whoever was available for a session in the Oriole studio in New Bond Street (London).
Oriole was taken over by CBS in 1965 and soon after Woolworth decided to stop selling budget records as the standard of living was rapidly rising and people could afford "the real thing".
Ironically CBS revived the Embassy name for a series of budget albums (by the original artists) most of them reissues of CBS albums.

Rating: ***