The Four Pennies' rare second (and final) LP, from 1966, was a pretty weak and stylistically uneven collection that found them pursuing unsatisfying versatile directions that were way behind the British Invasion times. There were beat ballads that approximated a sub-
Searchers Merseybeatish vibe ("Cryin' Inside," "I'm on My Own"); crummy jazz-tinged comedy-rock ("She Didn't Say Yes"); slow pop tunes that seemed to be aiming for a
Roy Orbison mood ("It Is No Secret"), but with less agreeable sentimentality; undistinguished pop tunes with gloppy orchestration ("Without Love"); and unmemorable covers of a Latin-flavored number ("Maracabamba") and traditional folk tunes. And in 1966, certainly few pop or rock listeners could have been pining for a revival of "Wild Goose" (a huge smash for
Frankie Laine in the early '50s). Even for devoted British Invasion collectors, this LP has to be considered a bottom-of-the-pile priority. ~ Richie Unterberger