Them / The Complete Them 1964-1967 / 3CD set with rarities

Enjoy all of Them with this three-disc anthology, The Complete Them 1964-67, billed as the most thorough collection of Van Morrison’s early studio and live performances ever assembled.

This is the first release via an exclusive licensing deal struck between Sony Music Entertainment’s catalogue division Legacy Recordings and Morrison’s own Exile Productions earlier this year. The set consists of all the tracks recorded for The Angry Young Them (1965) and Them Again (1966) albums, plus singles, demos, live sessions, rarities and alternate takes from the period 1964-1967, many of which are previously unreleased. As you would expect, all 56 tracks across the three CDs have been remastered and the discs come with a 16-page booklet featuring new commentary on Them by Van Morrison.

Taking their name from a 1954 science-fiction horror film, Them formed in Belfast in the early Sixties. Their original five-man line-up consisted of Morrison (lead vocals, saxophone, harmonica), Alan Henderson (bass guitar), Ronnie Millings (drums), Billy Harrison (guitar, vocals) and Eric Wrixon (keyboards). Within weeks of their first live performance in 1964 at Belfast’s Maritime Hotel, they were the hottest band in Northern Ireland’s capital, with crowds drawn by Van Morrison’s charisma and the band’s spontaneous interpretations of R&B, blues and soul music.

Decca Records signed, er, Them up and brought them to their studio in West Hampstead, London, for their first recording session during which they recorded their debut single – Don’t Start Crying Now (which was coupled with One Two Brown Eyes), Van classic Gloria (which was later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999) and their take on Bo Diddley’s You Can’t Judge a Book by It’s Cover and more.



It soon became apparent that Them was really Him – Van Morrison – plus a backing band. Consequently various session musicians were brought in as and when required to augment the line-up during the band’s short-lived career before Van officially went solo.

Indeed, the second Them single – a version of Big Joe Williams’ Baby Please Don’t Go (c/w Van’s original composition Gloria) – featured Jimmy Page on guitar.

In December 1964, Them appeared for the first time on television, along with the Rolling Stones on Ready Steady Go! and by March the following year they had a Number Two UK chart hit with Here Comes the Night. Them joined the so-called British Invasion of the US in 1965, charting Stateside with Here Comes the Night and Mystic Eyes.

Their two albums were released in quick succession in the UK and US – The Angry Young Them in June/July 1965 respectively, with Them Again following in January/April 1966. The April release of the second album Stateside preceded a US tour where they enjoyed an historic residency at the Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles (The Doors were their opening act) and headlined at the Fillmore in San Francisco before Morrison left the group later that year.

This retrospective on his early work caps a momentous year for Van Morrison, who turned 70 in August. Previously, in June he was awarded an honorary knighthood for ‘services to the music industry and to tourism in Northern Ireland’ and the Johnny Mercer Award at the Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala in New York City.

The Complete Them 1964-1967 is released on 4 December 2015.

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CD1: (1964-1965)

1. Don’t Start Crying Now
2. One Two Brown Eyes
3. Baby Please Don’t Go
4. Gloria
5. Philosophy
6. Here Comes The Night
7. All For Myself
8. One More Time
9. How Long Baby
10. Mystic Eyes
11. If You And I Could Be As Two
12. Little Girl (album version)
13. Just A Little Bit
14. I Gave My Love A Diamond
15. You Just Can’t Win
16. Go On Home Baby
17. Don’t Look Back
18. I Like It Like That
19. I’m Gonna Dress In Black
20. Bright Lights, Big City
21. My Little Baby
22. (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66
23. (It Won’t Hurt) Half As Much

CD2: (1966-1967)

1. Could You Would You
2. Something You Got
3. Call My Name (album version)
4. Turn On Your Love Light
5. I Put A Spell On You
6. I Can Only Give You Everything
7. My Lonely Sad Eyes
8. I Got A Woman
9. Out Of Sight
10. It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue
11. Bad Or Good
12. Hello Josephine
13. Don’t You Know
14. Hey Girl
15. Bring ’Em On In (album version)
16. Richard Cory
17. Friday’s Child
18. The Story Of Them Part 1
19. The Story Of Them Part 2
20. Baby What You Want Me To Do
21. Stormy Monday Blues
22. Times Getting Tougher Than Tough

CD3: (Demos, Sessions & Rarities 1964-1967)

1. Don’t Start Crying Now (demo) – Previously Unissued
2. Gloria (demo) – Previously Unissued
3. One Two Brown Eyes (demo) – Previously Unissued
4. Stormy Monday Blues (demo) – Previously Unissued
5. Turn On Your Love Light (alternate version) – Previously Unissued
6. Baby Please Don’t Go (Take 4) – Previously Unissued
7. Here Comes The Night (Take 2) – Previously Unissued
8. Gloria (Live on BBC’s “Saturday Club”) – Previously Unissued
9. All For Myself (Live on BBC’s “Saturday Club”) – Previously Unissued
10. Here Comes The Night (Live on BBC’s “Saturday Club”) – Previously Unissued
11. Little Girl (version one)