I Take It That We're Through Anthology 1965-1967

A 3-CD anthology of a 1960s mod-beat group that at times included music legends such as Mitch Mitchell and David Bowie.

It includes the A- and B-sides of their seven singles (four of which were produced by Joe Meek) as well as 54 tracks from Meek’s “Tea Chest Tapes,” two tracks from a newly discovered acetate pressing, four demos from the time David Bowie was a member of the band, and the 1967 acetate album “Making Up For Lost Time,” which is being released on CD for the first time here.

Includes 41 previously unreleased tracks—including previously unheard songs (some featuring singer Flip)—as well as another 14 tracks that have never before appeared on CD.

The original lineup of The Riot Squad played the kind of jazzy R&B and soul that was all the rage among the Mods of the 1960s—as heard on singles like “Anytime” and “I Wanna Talk About My Baby.” Later, a new lineup signed a contract with producer Joe Meek and broadened their musical horizons: Their repertoire now ranged from beat pop (“Cry, Cry, Cry”) and Middle Eastern-influenced freakbeat (on the classic “I Take It That We’re Through”) to folk-rock (on an early version of “It’s Never Too Late To Forgive” from the “Tea Chest Tapes”) and even proto-flower-power (on the wonderful track “Walking On Ice”).

Also included are recordings for a planned album titled “It’s A Riot!”, which was intended to be a musical collaboration between singer Glenda Collins and The Riot Squad—a project that was never completed, however, due to Meek’s death. The group subsequently came under the influence of David Bowie, who recorded demos with them in 1967—including a cover version of the Velvet Underground classic “I’m Waiting For My Man.”

All tracks on this 3-CD anthology have been remastered by Alec Palao. Several recordings, which were originally available in the “Tea Chest Tapes” only as separate two-track recordings, are presented here in a “stereo mix” in which the vocals are positioned centrally in the soundstage.