Freakbeat obscurities the Living Daylights seemed relegated to lost-band status, with the occasional great song turning up on a collection and historians noting that they were the first group to issue an English-language version of the post-beat classic "Let's Live for Today." Sadly, the record they cut in 1967 was never released until 2022, when Grapefruit Records issued it for the first time as
Let's Live for Today: The Complete Recordings with both mono and stereo versions of the album plus single tracks. The record was restored with stunning clarity and power, and the liner notes clear up the formerly murky details of the band's existence, getting the membership right and detailing the raw deal they got from their publisher and label. It's hard to fathom that seemingly everyone involved with the group on the business side was so cloth-eared that they couldn't hear just how good the album was. The songs that leaked out to comps over the years -- "Today," of course, but also "I'm Real," "Jane," and "Always with Him" -- gave a tantalizing glimpse of a band that was a combo of great players, singers, and writers. "I'm Real" is a stomping post-mod rocker with an insistent hook and some great falsetto vocal work, "Jane" struts like a confident
Kinks, and "Always with Him" is a brilliant blend of harmony pop and freakbeat excitement. All three songs could have been hits and have been bright spots on the collections they ended up on. The rest of the album has some similarly shiny gems; their producer
Caleb Quaye penned the moody ballad "Cos I'm Lonely" and the band deliver it with an oddly menacing brand of melancholy. The romping "Up So High" is another song by the band's Garth Watt-Roy that could have been a contender. Its scorching guitar solo, pop art sound effects, and pummeling beat propel it to the level of
the Creation's best work, which is the highest praise. The record is let down a little by the two
Beatles covers -- which were forced on the group by the higher-ups -- but the band put them across well enough. Their version of
Doris Troy's "What'cha Gonna Do About It" is a pleasant trifle that shows off the strength of the vocals, both lead and harmony, but it feels like a mistake, especially when the band were writing such good songs themselves. Subtract the covers, add a few more Watt-Roy written songs, actually release it, and this would be firmly in classic territory. As it is, the collection is pretty close to revelatory and should be studied and enjoyed by all who consider themselves freakbeat aficionados. ~ Tim Sendra