2012 marks the 50th anniversary of a skinny quiffed 17 year old by the name of Ray Woolf on his first night out in his new home town of Auckland after emigrating here from Daggenham, Essex with his parents.
Fifteen minutes after entering the Oriental Ballroom to check out The Keil Isles, a cocky Ray asked if he could sing a few songs with the band. After two songs, the club owner offered him regular work, and Eldred Stebbing, who was there that night, offered him a recording contract with his Zodiac label. Two weeks later Ray found himself opening for Helen Shapiro on her 1962 tour of New Zealand.
Ray Woolf The Sixties Collection concentrates on the quiff and paisley periods and delves deep into his sixties catalogue which encompassed 17 singles. Criminally only 3 of these tracks have ever been re-issued in any format.
This new collection puts paid to that oversight with a vengeance, and includes all of his sixties singles and most of the B-sides, which see Ray effortlessly gliding from Rock ‘n’ Roll to pop, and from R ‘n’ B and soul to avant-garde psych rock as exemplified on The Brew’s standout 1967 single “Bengal Tiger” with Bob Gillett.
Three unreleased tracks are featured on this collection: a lively 1964 recording of “Ain’t That A Shame”, a version of “Mack the Knife” and the self written heavy psych screecher “Little Things That Happen”. At one stage this track was to be a Ray Woolf & The Avengers single but the group chickened out after deciding that it might be too way out for their fans.
This significant piece of New Zealand music history has been sitting on the shelf since 1967 and debuts on this collection.
Label: Frenzy Music – FRENZY 100, Ode Records – FRENZY 100
Format:
CD, Compilation
Country: New Zealand
Released: 2012
Genre: Rock
Style: Pop Rock, Beat
Tracklist
1 Ray Woolf And The Newsounds– All Night Worker
Written-By – R. Thomas*
2 Ray Woolf– La La Lies
Written-By – P. Townshend*
3 Ray Woolf– You
Written By – R. Sullivan
4 Ray Woolf– It's The Same Old Song
Written-By – Holland/Dozier/Holland*
5 Ray Woolf– I'll Turn To Stone
Written-By – Holland/Dozier/Holland*, Taylor*
6 Ray Woolf– Crystal Ball
Written-By – Shuman*, Fagin*
7 The Brew– Bengal Tiger
Written-By – Bob Gillett
8 Ray Woolf– Little Things That Happen
Written-By – Belton*, Stradwick*, Nutsford*, Woolf*, Blomfield*
9 Ray Woolf And The Newsounds– Summertime
Written-By – DuBose/Heyward*, Gershwin/Gershwin*
10 Ray Woolf And The Newsounds– Over You
Written-By – Orange*, Tousaint*
11 Ray Woolf And The Newsounds– The One In The Middle
Written-By – P. Jones*
12 Ray Woolf– A Girl LIke You
Written-By – Brigati*, Cavaliere*
13 Ray Woolf– Be My Baby
Written-By – Spector, Greenwich & Barry
14 Ray Woolf– Everybody Gets To Go To The Moon
Written-By – J. Webb*
15 Ray Woolf– From Atlanta To Goodbye
Written-By – L. Carr*, R. Ehlert*
16 Ray Woolf– I'll Follow The Sun
Written-By – Lennon/McCartney*
17 Ray Woolf– Just Like Eddie
Backing Band – The Invaders*
Producer – John Hawkins
Written-By – Goddard*
18 Ray Woolf– If You Were A Rock & Roll Record
Written-By – Jay Goodis
19 Ray Woolf– Genie
Written-By – Unknown Artist
20 Ray Woolf– Ain't That A Shame
Written-By – Dave Bartholomew, Fats Domino
21 Ray Woolf– I've Just Gotta Have You
Written-By – Bodie*
22 Ray Woolf– Creole Baby
Written-By – Lavelli*
23 Ray Woolf– Wait For Me
Written-By – Lavelli*
24 Ray Woolf– Things
Written-By – B. Darin*
25 Ray Woolf– That Friday Feeling
Written-By – Glyn Tucker*
26 Ray Woolf– Fortune Teller
Written-By – B. Hurdon*, D. Hurdon*
27 Ray Woolf– That's Why
Written-By – Westberry*
28 Ray Woolf– Mack The Knife
Written-By – B. Brecht*, K. Weill*, M. Blitzstein*
29 Ray Woolf & The Avengers– Radio Hauraki Ad
