The Fairies

The Fairies only recorded three singles, but on those 45s are three tunes that rate with the very wildest British R&B of the mid-'60s. These sides, and "Get Yourself Home" in particular, were very close to the frenetic, wild-eyed approach employed by the Pretty Things at the same time. The resemblance between "Get Yourself Home" and the Pretty Things is not entirely coincidental. The Pretty Things had recorded this as a possible third single, but ultimately rejected it for release, and it was picked up by the Fairies (the Pretty Things' own version was finally issued on CD in the 1990s). The Fairies were first known as Dane Stephens and the Deepbeats, Stephens being the lead singer. Songwriter Geoff Stephens (no relation to Dane) helped arrange for them to do sessions for Decca, resulting in the debut single "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright," a cover of the Bob Dylan composition. The flipside, "Anytime At All," was far closer to the Fairies' true R&B-rock personality, with its harmonica, maracas, and jagged guitar. It was written by Geoff Stephens, quite an oddity considering that Stephens would find success with overtly sentimental pop material such as Dave Berry's "The Crying Game" and the New Vaudeville Band's "Winchester Cathedral." The next single, "Get Yourself Home"/"I'll Dance," was a peak treasure of obscure British Invasion R&B, particularly the A-side, which was written by Johnny Dee (who had also written the Pretty Things' hit "Don't Bring Me Down"). With its hoarse Phil May-like vocal, "Get Yourself Home" could well be mistaken for a bona fide Pretties track. The band's momentum was derailed around this time, though, when Dane Stephens fell asleep while driving, hit a car, and deaths resulted from the accident. Stephens didn't have a driving license, and...