Ivor Raymonde - Paradise - [VINYL]

Classic singles like Billy Fury's "Halfway To Paradise", Dusty Springfield's "I Only Want To Be With You" and The Walker Brothers' "Make It Easy On Yourself" would not have been hits without Ivor Raymonde. As their arranger, and in the case of "I Only Want To Be With You" songwriter too, he shaped the final recordings. He decided on the orchestration and backing vocals, chose the instruments and determined what was heard on the radio - and what record buyers bought. Paradise: The Sound Of Ivor Raymonde is a long-overdue celebration of Ivor Raymonde, collecting his work as an arranger, musical director, producer, singer and songwriter. The story of a British musical great is told for the first time. Billy Fury, Dusty Springfield and The Walker Brothers are heard. So is the only vocal performance for which Ivor Raymonde received a credit on a record label. He worked with the pre-fame David Bowie and Tom Jones. He spotted the potential of Los Bravos, steering them into the charts with "Black Is Black". Near-misses and obscurities made with Brit-girls Cindy Cole and Helen Shapiro, the soulful Sonny Childe and confrontational proto-psychedelic London band The Flies are as fantastic as the hits. With these and more, Paradise: The Sound Of Ivor Raymonde distils the essence of the magic of Ivor Raymonde.