The First Cuts Are The Deepest: Cherry Red Collects Mike Hurst's "Recordings, Productions, and Songs" on 4-CD Set

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As a songwriter, producer, singer, and musician, Mike Hurst has earned his place in the pop pantheon. A member of The Springfields alongside Dusty Springfield and her brother Tom, Hurst later formed a band with Jimmy Page (The Methods) and produced hits for Cat Stevens, P.P. Arnold, Manfred Mann, The Spencer Davis Group, Fancy, Showaddywaddy, and others. Late in 2021, Cherry Red's Strawberry imprint celebrated Hurst's musical legacy with a 4-CD collection, In My Time: Recordings, Productions, and Songs 1962-1985 curated by Hurst himself.

Mike Hurst received his big break when his mother answered an advertisement seeking a singer-guitarist for a "well-established vocal group." That group was The Springfields, and Tom and Dusty were duly impressed with his audition. He was just 20 when he scored his first hits on both sides of the Atlantic with "Silver Threads and Golden Needles" in the U.S. and "Island of Dreams" in his U.K. home. When Dusty departed The Springfields to make her own dreams come true, Hurst was also signed to Philips as a solo artist. Disc One of this collection presents all ten single sides released by Hurst in 1964-1965 plus a non-LP track from his subsequent Capitol affiliation in 1971 and four sides from his Philips return in 1977-1978. He'd soaked up country influences while recording in Nashville with The Springfields, and his early Philips recordings reflect his immersion into that sound as well as the influence of Gene Pitney, whose hit "Half Heaven, Half Heartache" Hurst covered. The disc is rounded out by The Springfields' "Silver Threads" and "Island of Dreams" plus a grab bag of rarities: a 1969 orchestral version of Lalo Schifrin's "Mission Impossible" theme, a demo with Manfred Mann's Mike D'Abo, and three previously unreleased solo demos.

The second disc offers both of Hurst's Capitol albums, Home (1970) and In My Time (1971). On Home, the singer-songwriter was joined by an A-team of musicians reportedly including keyboardists Rod Argent of The Zombies and Jon Lord of Deep Purple, bassists John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin and Herbie Flowers, saxophonist Tubby Hayes, and guitarist Big Jim Sullivan. On a set of original songs plus Stephen Stills' "Hung Upside Down," Hurst touched upon folk, rock, pop, psychedelic, and baroque sensibilities. In My Time, featuring an equally stellar cast including Clem Cattini, B.J. Cole, Ray Fenwick, and Nigel Olsson and Dee Murray of Elton John's band, was in a more pronounced country-rock vein. This disc has one bonus track, Hurst's own version of Cat Stevens' "I Love My Dog."

Stevens' debut single, "I Love My Dog" was produced by Hurst in 1966. Unfortunately, Stevens' recordings weren't available for inclusion here. Discs 3 and 4 do, however, offer an array of songs produced by Hurst for other artists. The 50 songs on these discs demonstrate his tremendous versatility, with his productions in service of the artist rather than the other way around. Highlights include a previously unreleased P.P. Arnold demo of her 1967 Immediate classic "The First Cut Is the Deepest," the psych-pop single "She Was Perfection" from a pre-Jesus Christ Superstar Murray Head, Paul and Barry Ryan's rendition of Cat Stevens' "Keep It Out of Sight," The Spencer Davis Group's U.K. top 40 hit "Mr. Second Class," and Roy Wood's "Curly" from his band, The Move.

Moving into the '70s, the compilation includes Fancy's hit remake of "Wild Thing," The Bachelors' 1977 revival of Jackie DeShannon's "Children and Flowers," The Four Tops' ABC single version of Graham Gouldman's Yardbirds hit "For Your Love," Shakin' Stevens first U.K. hit "Hot Dog," and Cilla Black's shimmering "Heart Get Ready for Love" from her Modern Priscilla album. Along with the familiar favorites, In My Time also showcases curios such as Lena Zavaroni's take on "Here You Come Again." The late Scottish singer recorded the Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil tune, a 1977 chart-topper for Dolly Parton, for her Presenting Lena Zavaroni album that year, but it was unreleased until 2004.

In My Time naturally suffers for the lack of songs that couldn't be included such as the original "First Cut Is the Deepest," Manfred Mann's "The Mighty Quinn," and Cat Stevens' early recordings with Mike Hurst. But the absence of those difficult-to-license tracks notwithstanding, it makes for an impressive overview of the versatile producer-artist's career. It's all packaged in a ten-panel digipak containing a 20-page booklet with liner notes by Lois Wilson and credits/discography for each track. Simon Murphy has remastered. In My Time: Recordings, Productions, and Songs 1962-1985 is available now from Cherry Red/Strawberry at the links below.

Mike Hurst, In My Time: Recordings, Productions, and Songs 1962-1985 (Cherry Red/Strawberry CRJAMC005, 2022) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1 - The Singles

The Banjo Song (Philips BF 1295, 1963)
Any Chance for Me (Philips BF 1295, 1963)
Any Time That You Want Me (Philips BF 1319, 1964)
Carol Anne (Philips BF 1319, 1964)
Half Heaven, Half Heartache (Philips BF 1353, 1964)
Look in Your Eyes (Philips BF 1353, 1964)
The Last Time You'll Walk Out on Me (Philips BF 1389, 1965)
Something Told Me (Philips BF 1389, 1965)
Show Me Around (Philips BF 1424, 1965)
I'm Running Away (Philips BF 1424, 1965)
I Couldn't Wait to Tell You (Capitol CL 15688, 1971)
Mexican Melody (Philips (Germany) 6003 615, 1977)
For Always (Philips (Germany) 6003 615, 1977)
Carol, Please Come Home (Philips 6003 691, 1978)
Sweet Darlin' (Philips 6003 691, 1978)
Silver Threads and Golden Needles - The Springfields (Philips 326522 BF, 1962)
Island of Dreams - The Springfields (Philips 326557 BF, 1962)
Mission: Impossible - Mike Hurst Orchestra (first issued on Drivetime, Angel Air SJPCD125, 2003)
Going, Going, Gone (Demo) - Mike Hurst and Mike D'Abo (first issued on Production Archives Vol. 3, Angel Air SJPCD302, 2009)
My Babe (Demo, with The Blue Flames) (*)
So Close (Demo, with The Blue Flames) (*)
You Tear Me Up (Demo) (*)