The Ragamuffins - Don't Be Gone Long - Tollie (1964)

I owe YouTube user sunshinetunes67 a thank you for turning me on to this moody, atmospheric slice of vocal pop. I found a nice clean copy of Don't Be Gone Long, improving the fidelity a bit over the current version on YouTube. This type of song would nearly vanish shortly after 1964 thanks to those pesky mop headed quartets. Gary Zekley wrote and produced for many acts in the 60s, including the Clique, Mama's and the Papa's and Spanky and Our Gang.

The Ragamuffins - Don't Be Gone Long - Tollie (1964) 

The Ragamuffins - Don't Be Gone Long - Tollie (1964) 

Bern Elliott - Good Times - Decca & London (1964)

According to Wikipedia, we have Phil Smee, a music journo, to thank for coining the term Freakbeat in the 1980s to describe the harder edged, post-British Invasion pop sound. To my ears, Bern Elliott's Good Times definitely fits snuggly into the Freakbeat category, with the song's in-the-red soul vocals and spooky reverbed organ. Although Good Times never appeared on Greg Shaw's Bomp/AIP Freakbeat compilations, possibly because it had been reissued on larger labels by this time, it would have been a worthy addition.

Bern Elliott - Good Times - Decca & London (1964) 

Bern Elliott - Good Times - London (1964) 

Johnny Sandon - Some Kind Of Wonderful - Pye (1964)

Some Kind of Wonderful (mislabeled Some Kinda Wonderful) is Johnny Sandon's cover of the Drifters 1961 classic written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. While Sandon's does not top the Drifters version in originality, the recording is gorgeous and full of British beat energy, bravado and walloping production. The original 45 is scarce. Fortunately, it was beautifully preserved and reissued in 1991 on the Best of Tommy Quickly (which is now also hard to find) and later on the Beat Beat Beat 5 CD series.

Johnny Sandon - Some Kind Of Wonderful - Pye (1964) 

Johnny Sandon - Some Kind Of Wonderful - Pye (1964)