THE London Knights | Go To Him | Mike 1965

THE LONDON KNIGHTS – ’Go To Him’ / ’Dum Diddlee Dee’ (Mike Records MK-4200) April 1965

THE London Knights | Go To Him | Mike 1965 | A certain amount of mystery surrounds this disc with some on-line sources suggesting that The London Knights were a group from Los Angeles. The latter information was probably taken from the liners of the CD release ’Hot Generation’ that came out on Big Beat.

’Go To Him’ was co-written by American songwriter Artie Wayne who had arrived in Britain from the States sometime in 1965 to compose songs for various labels.

He was joined by Bess Coleman, who was working as a songwriter as well as being one of The Beatles’ press Officers.

It is believed that a beat group called The Foursights from Leicester recorded ’Go To Him’ for EMI but it was never released in Britain and somehow made it’s way to USA and was released on Mike Records under the name of The London Knights.

minor-key masterpiece

’Go To Him’ is an atmospheric minor-key masterpiece with chiming guitars and eerie background harmonies. Lyrically it’s about betrayal. It’s simply superb, and reminds me of the finer moments of The Searchers and early Poets.

It was first compiled back in the mid 80s on Cicadelic Volume 5 ”1966 Revisited”, then a few years ago on ’Fading Yellow Volume 11”

The song was also recorded by other groups back in ’66. From Australia, Ray Brown & the Whispers, who’s version can be found on the previously mentioned ’Hot Generation’ CD and The Tymes Children, a garage combo from Salem,OR.

The flip ’Dum Diddlee Dee’ is a huge let down and not really worth mentioning in the same breath as the classic jangle pop of ’Go To Him’.