Puppet on a String

by Rob Flanagan Hot on the heels of Sandie Shaw winning the Eurovision song contest with "Puppet on a String," which also hit the coveted number one spot in the U.K. charts, Pye assembled this package, which carries on the pop/MOR tradition established by Shaw with her previous U.K. releases, Sandie (1965) and Me (1966). Sandie was a regular on the BBC during the lead up to the Eurovision competition finale. Through a voting process, several songs featured here were performed over several weeks, with "Puppet on a String" eventually winning the heats, despite her infamous hatred of the track, which she described as "sexist drivel with a cuckoo-clock tune." There are stronger selections than the title track here, including a revamp of the often overlooked 1964 B-side "I'd Be Far Better Off Without You" and undeniably catchy runner-up in the heats, "Tell the Boys." With a total of 12 tracks, this is an enjoyable listen for Shaw devotees and fans of 1960s pop/MOR at its best.