The Executives - Complete Anthology 1966-1970

First released December 2016
50th Anniversary Edition!

Disc One

01 - Wander Boy

02 - You’re Bad

03 - My Aim Is To Please You

04 - Bad Reputation

05 - Sit Down, I Think I Love You

06 - Don’t You Sometimes, Baby, Find That I’m On Your Mind

07 - It’s A Happening World

08 - Moving In A Circle

09 - Dedicated To The One I Love

10 - Friday’s Child

11 - Fly, Through This Happening World

12 - Watermelon Man

13 - Windy Day

14 - This Town Ain’t The Same Anymore

15 - Skippy Theme

16 - Orange, Violet, Yellow, Purple, Red & Green

17 - Groovin’ With Coca Cola

18 - Skippy Corn Flakes

Disc Two

01 - Christopher Robin

02 - Summerhill Road

03 - Take Care Of Your Smile

04 - Parenthesis

05 - Got My Woman

06 - Hey Jude

07 - Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

08 - Cinderella Rockefellar

09 - Requiem: 820 Latham

10 - Mamas And Papas Medley (Monday Monday / Dream A Little Dream Of Me / Dedicated To The One I Love / Creeque Alley)

11 - Hair Medley (Hair / Air / Walking In Space / Aquarius / Let The Sunshine In)

12 - Hey Man

13 - You’re Gonna Love Me

14 - You’re Gonna Love Me (Drum Solo)

DVD – Bandstand

01 - Dedicated To The One I Love

02 - A World Of Our Own

03 - The Carnival Is Over

04 - With A Little Help From My Friends

05 - The Legend Of Xanadu

06 - Sit Down, I Think I Love You

07 - My Aim Is To Please You

08 - The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore

09 - The 5th Dimension Medley (Never Gonna Be The Same / Requiem: 820 Latham / Aquarius / Let The Sunshine In)

==About The Executives==

The Executives might well be remembered as the band with the right sound but the wrong image. At their late sixties peak, they were singing Blood, Sweat & Tears songs while looking like The Platters! In an era dominated by growing opposition to the Vietnam War, psychedelic clothing, Hair (and long hair!) and the post-Pepper Beatles, The Executives always seemed several steps behind, yet musically they were way out in front; one of the most multi-talented, musically ambitious and distinctive outfits of the day.

Today they are remembered—when they are remembered at all—as a vocal group, perhaps because that was how they first appeared on Brian Henderson’s Bandstand back in 1967, but the truth is, they were arguably the most musically capable band on the Sydney live circuit. The musical background of the band was staggering. Publicity from the era states proudly that, between them, they played 31 instruments—alto sax, balalaika, baritone sax, bass, bass sax, clarinet, cornet, drums, flute, glockenspiel, guitars, harmonica, harpsichord, lute, mandolin, marimbaphone, melodica, organ, pacific island ethnic drums, piano, recorder, rhythm percussion, soprano sax, spinet, tenor sax, trombone, trumpet, ukulele, vibes, violin and xylophone—and they used that musical mastery to good effect on their records, which have an artistry and a polish the equal of anything coming out of Los Angeles or London at the time.

Great musicians then, and great singers, but they also showed great skill in choosing songs and, later, at writing them. They all sang—exquisite, perfectly executed vocal harmonies were their trademark—resulting in fabulous song arrangements that often improved upon the originals. But while they had no trouble cracking the market in their Sydney hometown, success eluded them on a national level, particularly in the important music centre of Melbourne where, despite three promising tours, a perplexing lack of radio airplay prevented them from achieving the status they deserved.

Presented here are all their recordings released between 1966 and 1970.

==About this compilation==

For this anthology I've used tracks from the 1989 CD "The Happening World Of The Executives" augmented with transfers from the best vinyl sources that I've been able to acquire. My aim is to present the best sound quality that I can, hence the use of CD tracks, which sound like flat tape transfers. Mind you, my LP transfers do sound very similar to the CD equivalents.

Now, please keep in mind that Aussie recording techniques during the 1960s were quite primitive...for example, in many instances "stereo" means "mono shifted a bit to the left/right to make it seem stereo". Tape dropouts are the norm, not the exception, although I have meticulously repaired the major dropouts that existed on the CD and LP transfers. Further, the mastering of the "On Bandstand" album tracks was also very uneven; the first three tracks on side one were recorded at the primitive NATEC Sound Studios for transmission on Brian Henderson’s Bandstand, and lacked fidelity and bass. The two medleys are also quite thin and sibilant. I have made a slight EQ adjustment to the first three "On Bandstand" tracks to bring them back into line with the others.

RECOMMENDED TRACKS: It's A Happening World; Sit Down, I Think I Love You; My Aim Is To Please You; You're Gonna Love Me and Christopher Robin.

==SHARED WITH THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE BAND AND ITS MANAGEMENT==

==Vinyl transfer and 24bit mastering by Q==

Source:
CD1 T09: Festival stereo LP "The Executives" - SFL-932,813 (SMX 26427 SFL932813-1)
CD1 T15, 16: Umbrella Entertainment DVD "Skippy Vol 1" - DAVID0215
CD1 T17: EMI EP "Things Go Better With Coca-Cola" - EMI PRS 2028 (7XS 6363)
CD1 T18: Unknown
CD2 T03: EMI Custom single - 7XS-6629
CD2 T06-08, 10-11: Festival stereo LP "On Bandstand" - SFL-933,546 (SMX 32587 2A)
CD2 T14: Warner Bros DVD "Rabbit, Run"
All other tracks: Festival CD "The Happening World Of The Executives" - D 19011

DVD: Umbrella Entertainment DVD "The Best Of Bandstand 1967-1970" - DAVID2988

Hardware
- Project 6perspeX Turntable
- Goldring 1022GX Cartridge
- Project SpeedBox II Quartz-Generated Electronic Speed Regulator
- Denon PMA-1520AE Integrated Amplifier

Software
- Audition 3.0.1 (audio capture and editing)
- ClickRepair (audio editing)
- iZotope RX Advanced (resampling and dithering to Red Book audio specifications)
- DVD Shrink 3.2

Artwork included

Info and Artwork (3mb)
CD 1 (235mb)
CD 2 (301mb)
DVD (1.3GB)