Any UK psych collector with a functioning cerebellum knows all about the enduring worth and unfathomable obscurity of the Blossom Toes brand; yet comparatively few are aware that the Blossies were bona fide French pop stars in a previous incarnation: the proverbial toast of Paris. As The Ingoes, the band held down a rapturously-received residency across the pond in Le Bus Palladium throughout 1965/66, counting deified luminaries such as Salvador Dalí and Sean Connery among the hyperventilating throng.
Sunbeam’s instructive compilation delightfully traces the typical trajectory of a jobbing 60s beat group, moving from the squeaky E-string swoops and excitable ride cymbal of the Shadows-derived Fast Eddie to the floppy-fringed close harmonies of I Don’t Want You and Thank You All The Same. By the time we hit a giddy live version of Rufus Thomas’ Jump Back, The Ingoes have fully assimilated the crowd-slaying Yardbirds rave-up technique and are audibly tugging at the improvisatory leash. Highlights en route include incredibly game if patently phonetic French and Italian-language versions of Help! (Au Secours and Se Non Mi Aiuti Tu, respectively), and a cheerfully unpretentious attempt to instigate a dance craze in Viens Danser Le Monkiss – which pre-empts the terrace stomp of The Self-Preservation Society from The Italian Job.
