David McWilliams - Reaching For The Sun: The Major Minor Anthology 1967-1969

Two CD set. First complete anthology of late 60s recordings by highly-regarded Irish singer/ songwriter. Includes his best-known song, the huge European hit 'Days Of Pearly Spencer', as well as more than a dozen tracks making their CD debut. At the height of the protest singer boom that spawned the likes of Dylan and Donovan, Irish-born music industry heavyweight Phil Solomon received a demo tape from a young Ballymena-based singer/songwriter by the name of David McWilliams. Sensing the possibilities, the entrepreneur added McWilliams to his Irish-based roster of acts (The Bachelors, The Dubliners, Van Morrison's Them, etc) and placed the youngster on his fledgling record label Major Minor. Launched in a blaze of publicity in mid-1967, McWilliams coupled voguish songs about social deprivation with lighter, more romantic material, with producer and occasional Beatles/ Rolling Stones associate Mike Leander providing the striking string arrangements. Success was immediate: three charting albums were released in the space of eight months, with 'Days Of Pearly Spencer' - a swirling, cinematic slice of psychedelic pop/folk - becoming a huge hit single across Europe. However, that punishing schedule and a puzzling lack of financial reward saw a disillusioned McWilliams turn his back on the music industry in 1969, although he would return after a three-year sabbatical to resume his career elsewhere.