West Coast Consortium
★★★
All The Love In The World, Complete Recordings 1964-1972
GRAPEFRUIT. CD
Everything by ill-fated, misleadingly named Londoners.
Since they hailed from north London, West Coast Consortium were rather cynically named, but by 1969, when they had their only hit – the pert Number 22, All The Love In The World – they had already shortened themselves to Consortium and the dumper was beginning to beckon. Signed to major label Pye as X-IT – and then re-christened by production and songwriting hit machine Tony Macauley – their blend of sweet harmonies, crisp pop, Robbie Fair’s plaintive vocals and, on Colour Sergeant Lillywhite amongst others, edgier hints of psychedelia, they were a safe bet. Yet they didn’t manage to release an album during their shambolic career. The sleevenotes vaguely cite “outside influences” as the cause of WCC’s demise, but these three sparkling discs, mostly comprising albums which never made it past the acetate stage, suggest someone missed a trick somewhere along the line.