Steve Brett & the Mavericks recorded three unmemorable singles for Columbia in Britain in 1965, in a country-influenced pop/rock ballad style. The material was passé by the standards of the mid-'60s, instead sounding like a throwback to the pop/rock ballads of the late '50s and early '60s, and showing a heavy Elvis Presley influence in particular. Steve Brett bore some vocal resemblance to British Presley-influenced singers such as Gordon Waller (of Peter & Gordon) and Adam Faith. The singles were tame and flopped, but are remembered because the Mavericks included guitarist and backing vocalist Noddy Holder, who would later join Slade. All six of the songs from the three Steve Brett & the Mavericks singles were reissued on the CD A Genesis of Slade, which features a couple dozen rare tracks by bands in which members of Slade played before Ambrose Slade formed. ~ Richie Unterberger