The Mike D'Abo Collection Vol 1 - Handbags & Gladrags

Subtitled "album singles rarities 1964-1970," this is a good 22-track collection of solo material from the singer most known for his late-'60s stint in Manfred Mann, filled out by some singles he did in the mid-'60s with A Band of Angels prior to joining Manfred Mann. Actually the six A Band of Angels tracks, taken from their four 1964-1966 singles, are among the most interesting songs, including a ferocious R&B/pop/rock number, "Me," that mixes the Pretty Things, Small Faces, and Merseybeat. The other A Band of Angels items are less distinguished, but include some fair Mersey-styled cuts, as well as the enjoyably melodramatic pop of "Too Late My Love." Half of the CD is comprised of his 1970 solo LP, D'Abo, a fair cross between blue-eyed soul and laid-back early-'70s singer-songwriting, with a lot of Randy Newman and Ray Charles influences peeking through, along with an occasional resemblance to Paul McCartney. That material is more competent than memorable, although it does include d'Abo's own version of his "Handbags and Gladrags," more famous as sung by Rod Stewart. The disc is filled out with the 1969 Immediate single "See the Little People," the 1970 Bell single "Miss Me in the Morning"/"Cinderella Arabella," and the previously unreleased 1970 track "Because You Are." None of those are too great either, the singles sounding much like (unsurprisingly) late-'60s Manfred Mann and "Because You Are" rather like, again, Randy Newman.