Mark Wynter scored his first hit pop single at the age of seventeen in 1960 with "Image of a Girl" on the Decca label, paving the way for future U.K. smashes like "Venus in Blue Jeans" and "Go Away Little Girl."  By the end of the decade, he had taken his first steps towards an enduring theatrical career with a lead role in the musical Phil the Fluter.  Flash-forward to 2016, and after decades onstage in such diverse musicals as Robert and Elizabeth, Cats, On the Twentieth Century, and Phantom of the Opera, Wynter returned to the milieu of his youth by undertaking his first pop tour in over 50 years.

A comprehensive new 3-CD, 95-song anthology from Cherry Red's RPM imprint, Venus in Blue Jeans: The Pop Years 1959-1974, chronicles Wynter's distinguished career in music from teen idol to West End star, during which time he interpreted songs by the illustrious likes of Tony Hatch and Jackie Trent, Carole King and Gerry Goffin, Burt Bacharach and Hal David, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Randy Newman, and others.  This splendid collection draws on Wynter's pop recordings through 1974 - all of his Decca A and B sides, and his complete Pye output - plus performances from rare cast albums and almost 20 previously unreleased tracks drawn from the artist's archives.

The first disc begins with a previously unreleased rendition of the early Neil Sedaka/Howard Greenfield rock and roll tune "I Go Ape" recorded in 1959, the same year that the teenaged singer born Terence Sidney Lewis made his public debut at a charity function hosted by Cliff Richard.  (Terence's manager had suggested the same change so there was no confusion with the Americans Jerry and Jerry Lee Lewis!)  Decca Records' Dick Rowe signed the newly-christened singer with the clean-cut good looks and appealing, choirboy voice in 1960.  Wynter's very first single, a cover of The Safaris' American doo-wop ballad "Image of a Girl," went to No. 11 on the British chart.  His sophomore single, the breezy "Kickin' Up the Leaves," was penned for him by Lionel Bart, and fared almost as well when it made the top 25.  Wynter proved himself adept at both teen-oriented rock-and-roll and straight balladry, and his versatility would eventually make him an ideal performer in musical comedy.  A couple of previously unreleased tracks, both from 1961, demonstrate this clearly - the Matt Monro-esque swinger "No More Broken Hearts" and the lushly orchestrated ode, "You're Everything Beautiful."

Wynter remained on Decca through mid-1962 (though the label continued releasing material recorded by him into 1963), having made an important connection there.  At Decca, he recorded the song "Presence of Mind," composed by a certain Mark Anthony - a.k.a. Tony Hatch.  (This song, alas, isn't included on this set.)  Hatch was working in A&R at Pye Records when he was contacted by Dick Rowe.  His Decca counterpart made the unusual proposition that he "trade" Wynter to Pye in exchange for Kathy Kirby.  Hatch immediately thought of a perfect song for the teen idol, and sealed the deal.  Before long, Wynter had made his Pye debut with Howard Greenfield and Jack Keller's "Venus in Blue Jeans."  Jimmy Clanton's recording would go to No. 7 in the U.S., but Mark's made No. 4 in the U.K., proving Tony Hatch's instincts to be typically impeccable.  Disc One of this set features songs from the movie Just for Fun, plus subsequent chart hits like Goffin and King's "Go Away, Little Girl" (a hit for Steve Lawrence in the U.S.) and Barry DeVorzon and Bodie Chandler's "Shy Girl" (recorded stateside by The Cascades) as well as Tony Hatch originals like "Please Come Back to Me," "It Can Happen Any Day," "Running to You," and "I Can't Remember Her Name."  In addition to his A&R duties, Hatch also often served as Wynter's musical director on records.

Wynter's Pye period from 1963-1966 comprises the whole of Disc Two plus a couple of rare tracks from a split album with Joe Brown (including a version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "A Fellow Needs a Girl," looking forward to Wynter's theatre career) and soundtrack cuts from the film Just for You.  During this time, Wynter was adjusting to the rapidly changing sound of music.  He tackled songs by Jackie DeShannon ("Can't Help Forgiving You"), Randy Newman ("Looking for Me"), Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil ("Cindy's Gonna Cry"), P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri ("Can I Get to Know You Better," produced by Andrew Loog Oldham and arranged by Tony Hatch), and closer to home, John Lennon and Paul McCartney ("And I Love Her").  His theatrical leanings were reflected by a cover of Hugh Martin and Timothy Gray's "Forever and a Day," from their Broadway musical High Spirits and a previously unreleased version of the sweetly lilting "Happiness" from You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown.  Wynter also recorded original songs (B-sides "It's Love You Want" and "I'm Living in a Dream"), standards ("The Very Thought of You") and even folk offerings ("Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You," later famously reinvented by Led Zeppelin) during this prolific and creatively searching period.

The third disc of this collection takes the listener from 1966-1974 in addition to presenting a number of rarities.  Single selections include a lesser-known Tony Hatch/Jackie Trent composition, "You Made Me What I Am," which was paired in 1966 on 45 RPM with a Jerry Ragovoy/Bert Berns tune, "One Girl."  Wynter departed Pye in late 1968, after his releases on the label had dwindled to a trickle, but returned in 1974 for a fine one-off single which is included here: Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood's "You Turn Me On" (a.k.a. "For the Peace of All Mankind") b/w the country staple "He'll Have to Go," popularized by the late Jim Reeves.  Also included on this disc are a pair of unique tracks from a 1967 budget album released on Pye's Marble Arch imprint: Bacharach and David's dramatic "Another Tear Falls" and Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway's "Land of Dreams."  A number of recordings made for television specials are also featured, including more Beatles covers ("All My Loving" and "Things We Said Today" and favorites ranging from "Moon River" to Goffin and King's "I Can't Stop Thinking About You" as a duet with Kathy Kirby.

Disc Three raises the curtain on Wynter's remarkable theatre career, too.  It presents both the pop and cast album versions of the memorable ballad "Where is She?" from David Heneker's brassy 1969 musical Phil the Fluter as well as the showstopping "Good Money."  (Even in its cast album version, the beautiful "Where is She?" displays period pop overtones.)  Three tracks are drawn from the EMI Starline recording of Cyril Ornadel and Norman Newell's score to Aladdin.

Venus in Blue Jeans: The Pop Years 1959-1974 supersedes 2000's Go Away Little Girl: The Pye Anthology as the finest anthology of Wynter's work, containing its 56 tracks and then some.  It's accompanied by a colorful 24-page booklet loaded with Graham Hunter's essay; introductions by Wynter, Tony Hatch and Tim Rice; memorabilia; and credits with discography for all tracks. It's housed in a small slipcase, with each disc in its own individual paper sleeve.  Simon Murphy at Another Planet Music has remastered the collection.  It's a stellar summation of some of the best years from the talented vocalist and performer, and a capsule of the varied sound of pop music in the 1960s with choice detours to the West End.  Encore, encore!

Mark Wynter, Venus in Blue Jeans: The Pop Years 1959-1974 (RPM RPMBXM 546, 2017) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1

1. I Go Ape (rec. 1959, previously unreleased)
2. Image of a Girl (Decca F 11263, 1960)
3. Glory of Love (Decca F 11263, 1960)
4. Kickin' Up the Leaves (Decca F 11279, 1960)
5. That's What I Thought (Decca F 11279, 1960)
6. Dream Girl (Decca F 11323, 1961)
7. Two Little Girls (Decca F 11323, 1961)
8. Exclusively Yours (Decca F 11354, 1961)
9. Warm and Willing (Decca F 11354, 1961)
10. Girl for Ev'ry Day (Decca F 11380, 1961)
11. The Best Time for Love (Decca F 11380, 1961)
12. You're Everything Beautiful (rec. 1961, previously unreleased)
13. No More Broken Hearts (rec. 1961, previously unreleased)
14. Heaven's Plan (Decca F 11434, 1962)
15. In Your Heart (Decca F 11434, 1962)
16. Angel Talk (Decca F 11467, 1962)
17. I Love Her Still (Decca F 11467, 1962)
18. Venus in Blue Jeans (Pye 7N 15466, 1962)
19. Please Come Back to Me (Pye 7N 15466, 1962)
20. Go Away, Little Girl (Pye 7N 15492, 1962)
21. That Kinda Talk (Pye 7N 15492, 1962)
22. Aladdin's Lamp (Pye 7N 15511, 1963)
23. It Can Happen Any Day (Pye 7N 15511, 1963)
24. Happy with You (Pye NEP 24167, 1963)
25. Vote for Me (Pye NEP 24167, 1963)
26. Shy Girl (Pye 7N 15525, 1963)
27. Because of You (Pye 7N 15525, 1963)
28. Running to You (Pye 7N 15554, 1963)
29. Don't Cry (Pye 7N 15554, 1963)
30. In Summer (Pye NEP 24176, 1963)
31. To Love and Be Loved (Pye NEP 24176, 1963)
32. I'm a Lucky Guy (Pye NEP 24176, 1963)
33. I Can't Remember Her Name (Pye NEP 24176, 1963)

CD 2

1. It's Almost Tomorrow (Pye 7N 15577, 1963)
2. Music to Midnight (Pye 7N 15577, 1963)
3. A Fellow Needs a Girl (Golden Guinea LP GGL 0179, 1963)
4. Cinnamon Sinner (Golden Guinea LP GGL 0179, 1963)
5. The Boy You're Kissin' (Pye 7N 15595, 1964)
6. I Learned a Lot from You (Pye 7N 15595, 1964)
7. Only You (And You Alone) (Pye 7N 15626, 1964)
8. It's Love You Want (Pye 7N 15626, 1964)
9. Answer Me (Pye 7N 15658, 1964)
10. I Wish You Everything (Pye 7N 15658, 1964)
11. Love Hurts (Pye 7N 15686, 1964)
12. Can't Help Forgiving You (Pye 7N 15686, 1964)
13. And I Love Her (Pye 7N 15716, 1964)
14. Forever and a Day (Pye 7N 15716, 1964)
15. I'm Coming Back to You (Pye NEP 24185, 1964)
16. In My Imagination (Pye NEP 24185, 1964)
17. Looking for Me (Pye NEP 24185, 1964)
18. Cindy's Gonna Cry (Pye NEP 24185, 1964)
19. Can I Get to Know You Better (Pye 7N 15771, 1965)
20. Am I Living in a Dream (Pye 7N 15771, 1965)
21. Someday (You'll Want Me to Want You) (Pye 7N 15861, 1965)
22. Here Comes Summer (Pye 7N 15861, 1965)
23. Babe I'm Gonna Leave You (Pye 7N 15994, 1965)
24. The Very Thought of You (Pye 7N 15994, 1965)
25. Before Your Time (Pye 7N 17051, 1966)
26. Something About You (Pye 7N 17051, 1966)
27. I'll Always Love You (rec. 1965, previously unreleased)
28. Let Me Hide You Away (rec. 1965, previously unreleased)
29. Happiness (rec. 1966, previously unreleased)
30. We'll Sing in the Sunshine (Pye 7N 17122, 1966)
31. Pencil and Paper (Pye 7N 17122, 1966)

CD 3

1. You Made Me What I Am (Pye 7N 17124, 1966)
2. One Girl (Pye 7N 17124, 1966)
3. I'll Hold You in My Heart (previously unreleased)
4. Please Love Me Forever (Pye 7N 17438, 1967)
5. The Best Thing in My Life is You (Pye 7N 17438, 1967)
6. Another Tear Falls (from Marble Arch LP MAL 647, 1967)
7. Land of Dreams (from Marble Arch LP MAL 647, 1967)
8. For All Me Know (rec. 1967, issued in stereo 1991)
9. Love Sweet Love (based on Beethoven's Pathetique Sonata) (rec. 1967, previously unreleased)
10. Love is a Sweet Thing (rec. 1967, issued in stereo 1991)
11. She's a Woman Now (Pye 7N 17651, 1968)
12. Bless Your Little Heart (Pye 7N 17651, 1968)
13. You Turn Me On (For the Peace of All Mankind) (Pye 7N 45336, 1974)
14. He'll Have to Go (Pye 7N 45336, 1974)
15. A Hundred Pounds of Clay (from Australian television special Exclusively Yours, 1961 - previously unreleased)
16. Up a Lazy River (from Australian television special Exclusively Yours, 1961 - previously unreleased)
17. Walk Right Back (with Patsy Ann Noble) (from Australian television special Exclusively Yours, 1961 - previously unreleased)
18. Old Oaken Bucket (from Australian television special Exclusively Yours, 1961 - previously unreleased)
19. I Can't Stop Talking About You (with Kathy Kirby) (rec. 1964 from TV special, previously unreleased)
20. Goodnight (rec. 1965, previously unreleased)
21. Moon River (rec. 1966 for television special A Tale of Two Rivers, previously unreleased)
22. Things We Said Today (rec. 1966 for television special A Tale of Two Rivers, previously unreleased)
23. All My Loving (rec. 1966 for television special A Tale of Two Rivers, previously unreleased)
24. The Girl That I Adore (rec. 1967, previously unreleased)
25. Where is She (Mono Single Version) (Philips BF 1822, 1969)
26. Good Money (Mono Single Version) (Philips BF 1822, 1969)
27. Where is She (Cast Album Version) (from Phil the Fluter, Philips LP SBL 7916, 1969)
28. The Parable of Love (from Aladdin, EMI Starline SRS 5147, 1972)
29. Everybody Needs (from Aladdin, EMI Starline SRS 5147, 1972)
30. Looking for My Love (from Aladdin, EMI Starline SRS 5147, 1972)
31. Say Hello to Yesterday (Mono) (from film Say Hello to Yesterday, 1970)