Mungo Jerry - In The Summertime: The Best Of

Ray Dorset’s merry crew are remembered here through a chipper 60 minutes’ worth of jugband whimsy, reaching for the Chuck Berry riffs when spirits flag. Blowing the Grateful Dead and Captain Beefheart off the stage as they made their festival debut in Hollywood, Staffs in 1970, they were remarkable for being the band with one of the best known and unforgettable No 1s of all time (In The Summertime), and also one of the least known and most forgettable (Baby Jump). However, their organic confections, although undeniably easy on the ear, ultimately couldn’t sustain commerciality. One only can wonder what would have happened if Elvis hadn’t died and had actually sung Feels Like I’m In Love, the Kelly Marie chart-topper that Dorset had originally written for him. But that, of course, is another story.