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.
2012 marks the 50th anniversary of the arrival of 17 year old Ray Woolf after emigrating to New Zealand from Essex. After entering the Oriental Ballroom to check out The Keil Isles, 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.
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 (Auckland) 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.
An important component to Ray’s legacy was his recording work with The Newsounds during 1965, and with The Avengers during 1967 (the Auckland Avengers - not the Wellington group). Both groups with Ray on vocals are featured at length on this collection: the soul and R ‘n’ B stylings of The Newsounds and the edgy pop sounds of Ray Woolf and The Avengers, including their 1967 Loxene Gold Disc finalist “Crystal Ball”.
The CD comes with a 12 page booklet which traces Ray’s career from singing in skiffle bands in the UK as a 13 year old schoolboy, through to his illustrious career in New Zealand which now spans 50 years.
1.All Night Worker
2.La La Lies
3.You
4.It's the same old Song
5.I'll turn to stone
6.Crystal Ball
7.Bengal Tiger (with the Brew)
8.Little things that happen (unreleased)
9.Summertime
10.Over You
11.The One in the Middle
12.A Girl like You
13.Be My Baby
14.Everybody gets to go to the Moon
15.From Atlanta to Goodbye
16.I'll follow the Sun
17.Just like Eddie
18.If You were a Rock'n'Roll Record
19.Genie
20.Ain't that a Shame (unreleased)
21.I've just gotta have You
22.Creole Baby
23.Wait for Me
24.Things
25.That Friday Feeling
26.Fortune Teller
27.That's Why
28.Mack the Knife (unreleased)
29.Radio Hauraki Ad - Peter T (unreleased)
