David And Jonathan David & Jonathan CD

With typical show-biz logic, David & Jonathan was the stage name for a duo comprised of two guys named Roger -- Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway. Boasting smooth harmonies and lush melodies that suggested a less adventurous variation on the Walker Brothers, David & Jonathan were solidly in the more polished and studio-bound camp of the 1960s British pop scene, and were protégés of George Martin, who lent his production expertise to their recordings. The jolly irony was that while David & Jonathan's biggest hit was a cover of the Beatles' "Michelle," Cook and Greenaway's greatest success would come as songwriters, and there are a number of tunes here that will be immediately familiar to fans of '60s pop, but not in these recordings, particularly "You've Got Your Troubles," "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart," and "Green Grass." Still, Cook and Greenaway could sing every bit as well as they could write, and this 25-song overview of their career as recording artists is fine and pleasing stuff. The songs are consistently strong (most of them originals, though there are some well-chosen covers on hand), Martin's production and arrangements are smart and imaginative (if more melodramatic than his work with the Fab Four), and overall this is guaranteed to bring a smile to anyone who likes U.K. pop from the British Invasion era, proving not all contract songwriters should be discouraged from recording their own material. While the audio quality is variable (the flaws on a few tracks are noted in the liner notes), most of these tracks are to be prized, and Kingsley Abbott's liner notes are both fun and informative. ~ Mark Deming

David and Jonathan are the hit artist alter ego of songwriters Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway. As writers between 1965 and 1973 they wrote 25 UK top ten hits, plus many others around the world, for the likes of the Fortunes, Cliff Richard, Hollies, Blue Mink & the Drifters. All the hits and versions of hit songs for others, mentioned above, are present on this new compilation of the best of David and Jonathan, compiled with the assistance of messers Cook and Greenaway. RPM. 2006.

Personnel: Roger Cook, Roger Greenaway (vocals).

Liner Note Author: Kingsley Abbott.