Psychedelic House of Sunshine & Baroque Delights

60s Psych Pop Treasures - vol 11

2011-12-30T10:18:00.000-08:00

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1. The Tikis - If I've Been Dreaming

2. The Basement Wall - Picture On Page 10

3. His Majesty's Coachmen - Where Are You Bound

4. The Baroque Monthly - You Are Your Only Mystery

5. A New Generation - She's A Soldier Boy

6. The Ragges - If I Had Something

7. The Epics - Just How Wrong You Can Be

8. The Knack - Dolly Catcher Man

9. The Heard - Laugh With the Wind

10. Benjamin Carry Ltd - Old Man

11. Jade Hexagram - Crushed Purple

12. Saturday's Children - I Hardly Know Her

13. Squires - Tomorrow Tomorrow

14. The Revolvers - Like Me

15. Glass Candle - Keep Right On Living

16. The Love Ins - That's All She Wrote

17. The Myddle Class - Free As The Wind

18. Grains Of Sand - Nice Girl

19. The Factory - Two People

20. Denny Laine's String Band - Ask the People

21. The Cannons - Day To Day

22. The Rainy Day Friends - Thru My Painted Window

60s Psych Pop Treasures - vol 10

2011-12-13T07:54:00.001-08:00

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1. The Summer Set - What Are You Gonna Do

2. The Motleys - My Race Is Run

3. The Starlites - Good Morning Mr. Milkman

4. Fairchilds - Thinkin' About Me

5. The Brothers Cain - Pupil Alexander

6. The Jones Boys - Seashore Dreamin

7. Hogarth - Suzie Is Getting Married

8. The Bobcats - Can't See For Looking

9. The Imaginations - Summer In New York

10. The Art Movement - I Love Being In Love With You

11. The Trillium - Queen Alice

12. Science Poption - Lady Of Leisure

13. Playboys Of Edinburg - Sanford Ringleton V Of Abernathy

14. The Beauchemins - My Lovin' Baby

15. The Thomas Group - I've Got No More To Say

16. Pan Pipers - Stop

17. The Primates - She

18. The Golden Horizon - Dear Emily

19. Sky - The Weather Forecast

20. The Pop Art - Rumplestilskin

21. The Back Alley - Soda Pop Man

60s Psych Pop Treasures - vol 9

2011-08-17T09:24:00.001-07:00

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60s Psych Pop Treasures - vol 9

1. 49th Parallel - Twilight Woman

2. The Revelles - Little Girl

3. The Jackals - Linda Come Lately

4. The Breeze - The Rainmaker

5. The Julian Kirsch - Clever Little Man

6. The Actress - It's What You Give

7. Group Therapy - Magic In The Air

8. Tony Ritchie - Anybody At The Party Seen Jenny

9. The Full Treatment - Just Can't Wait

10. Sight And Sound - Little Jacky Monday

11. The Mongrels - Good Good Man

12. The Loot - Whenever You're Ready

13. Cat's Pyjamas - Camera Man

14. The Fourth Dimension - Rainy Day

15. The Fault Line - Did You Hear About The End Of The World

16. The Sound Carnival - I Wish I Could Tell You

17. Cat's Eyes - Where Is She Now

18. The Unforscene - Little Toy

19. The Cleves - Sticks And Stones

20. The Music Combination - Crystal

21. Jim Valley - Maintain

22. Pete Sully & Orchard - Evil Woman

23. Sweet Rolle - Squares & Triangle

24. The Look - In A Whirl

25. The Sidekicks - Miss Charlotte

26. The Us - How Can I Tell Her

60s Psych Pop Treasures - vol 8

2011-08-14T02:20:00.001-07:00

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60s Psych Pop Treasures - vol 8

1. The Young Idea - Room With A Wiew

2. The Chocolate Watch Band (UK) - Requiem

3. Frabjoy & Runcible Spoon - I'm Beside Myself

4. The Virgin Sleep - Comes A Time

5. The Silver Eagle - Theodore

6. Dave Austin - You Outside

7. Cardboard Orchestra - Yes I Heard A Little Bird

8. The Act Of Creation - Yesterday Noontime

9. The Tate Gallery - Newspaper Man

10. The Symbols - (The Best Part Of) Breaking Up

11. Sandy Coast - Back To The City

12. The Outer Limits - Great Train Robbery

13. Fountain Of Youth - Sunshine On A Cold Morning

14. Phul Wainman - Going Going Gone

15. The Merseys - Dreaming

16. Roger Bloom's Hammer - Polly Pan

17. Dry Ice - Mary Is Alone

18. Katch 22 - Making My Mind Up

19. The Bunch - Birthday

20. Goldrush - Somebody's Turning On The People

21. West - Summer Flower

60s Psych Pop Treasures - vol 7

2011-08-10T09:34:00.000-07:00

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60s Psych Pop Treasures - vol 7

1. The Bystanders - Royal Blue Summer Sunshine Day

2. Prince And Walsh - The House Of Ilene Castle

3. Penny Peeps - Curly, The Knight Of The Road

4. Turnstyle - Riding A Wave

5. The Trodden Path - Don't Follow Me

6. The Mindbenders - Uncle Joe, The Ice Cream Man

7. Love Sculpture - River To Another Day

8. Shades Of Morley Brown - Pretty Blue Bird

9. Peppermint Circus - Keeping My Head Above Water

10. The Jensens - Deep Thinking

11. Pattern People - Take A Walk In The Sun

12. The Nerve - Satisfying Kind

13. The Epic Splendor - It Could Be Wonderful

14. The Everpresent Fullness - Darlin' You Can Count On Me

15. Sixpentz - Imitation Situation

16. The Flies (UK) - Alexander Bell Believes

17. The Hifis - Thread Softly For The Sleepers

18. The Roman Numerals - Matchstick In A Whirlpool

19. King Biscuit Entertainers - (The Courtship Of) Priscilla Brown

20. The Berkeley Kites - Hang Up City

60s Psych Pop Treasures - vol 6

2011-07-31T09:04:00.001-07:00

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60s Psych Pop Treasures - vol 6

1. San Franciso Earthquake - Hold The Night

2. The Laurels - Threepence A Tune

3. Warm Sounds - Angeline

4. Pandamonium - Today I'm Happy

5. Central Nervous System - Alice In Wonderland

6. The Others - My Friend The Wizard

7. The Montanas - Take My Hand

8. Arnim-Hamilton - Pepperman

9. The Cadaver - Haven't Got The Time

10. Tim Andrews - Sad Simon Lives Again

11. The Trolley - Toy Shop

12. The Decision - Constable Jones

13. The Tuesday Club - A Goddess In Many Ways

14. Boystown - Hello Mr Sun

15. Ronnie Burns - Picadilly Pages

16. Six Mile Chase - Never In A Month Of Sundays

17. Rhubarb Rhubarb - Rainmaker

18. The Other Voices - May My Heart Be Cast Into Stone

19. The Sugar Canyon - On Top Of The World

20. The Empty Vessels - Low Toby

21. The Brentwoods - Yeah, Yeah, No, No

60s Psych Pop Treasures - vol 5

2011-07-28T14:34:00.001-07:00

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I made this compilation trying to combine elements from 3 albums that defined the 60s pop psychedelia: Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds", Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and Zombies' "Odessey And Oracle". Using only very obscure bands and songs that failed to reach the charts in that era. You'll be surprised to find the quality of this compilation, all the songs are carefully picked to create the ultimate 60s pop perfection experience and I really think this is one of the best 60s psych pop mix tape you'll find on the net. All the 26 songs are from 1967 and 1968. I consider this my "White Album" of obscure 60s pop psychedelia. It's hard to pick some obvious highlights, all the songs are very good and catchy as hell with harmonies, guitars and choruses that could stuck in your head for days. I put a lot of work and passion into selecting the songs that made the final cut, so I hope you'll enjoy this compilation.

Vol 5

1. Common Market - Wings

2. The Ravin' Blue - Colors

3. The Gibsons - The Magic Book

4. The Magic Ring - Little Mary Sunshine

5. The Proposition - Two Faced Madonna

6. Joyce's Angels - Flowers For My Friends

7. Forest Authority - Childhood Friends

8. The Milky Way - Sunshine Daffodils

9. Morning Sun - Let's Walk In The Woods

10. The Flower Pot - Mr Zig Zag Man

11. The Joint Effort - Mary On A Go-Round

12. The Conservatives - Miami

13. The "New" Sound Spectrum - Summer Girl (Now That Summer's Over)

14. The In-Keepers - Everytime

15. Harry's Group - Under My Umbrella

16. A New Generation - Sadie And Her Magic Mr Galahad

17. Particular People - What's The Matter With Juliet

18. The 13th Power - I See A Change Is Gonna Come

19. Milk - Angela Jones

20. The Marshmellow Highway - Loving You Makes Everything Alright

21. Bats - Listen To My Heart

22. Special Delivery - Hello Love

23. Living Daylights - I'm Real

24. The Chelsea Boys - Little Boy Blue

25. Dukes Noblemen - City Of Windows

26. The Nite People - Is This A Dream

60s Psych Pop Treasures - vol 4

2011-07-27T07:22:00.000-07:00

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60s Psych Pop Treasures - vol 4:

1. Circus - Do You Dream

2. The Brain - One In A Miliion

3. State Of Micky & Tommy - Sunday's Leaving

4. Pinkerton's Colours - Mum And Dad

5. Persimmon's Peculiar Shades - Coplington

6. The Virginia Wolves - Rose Peddles Everywhere She Goes

7. The Kytes - Frosted Pane

8. The West Coast Delegation - Mr Personality Man

9. Double Feature - Just Another Lonely Night

10. The Marianne - As For Marionettes

11. The Laughing Wind - The Bells

12. Tales Of Justine - Albert

13. The Neat Change - Sandman

14. The U.S. Males - Come Out Of The Rain

15. Crocheted Doughnut Ring - Happy Castle

16. Two & A Half - I Don't Need To Tell You

17. Toby Twirl - Romeo And Juliet

18. The Clockwatchers - Make Me Not Love You

19. The Truth - Jingle Jangle

20. Still Life - What Did We Miss

60s Psych Pop Treasures - vol 3

2011-07-26T07:40:00.000-07:00

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60s Psych Pop Treasures - vol 3:

1. Fargo - Sunny Day Blue

2. Lavender Hill Express - Visions

3. Strawberry Children - Love Years Coming

4. Hi-Revving Tongues - You'll Find Me Anywhere

5. The New Mix - Ever Brighter

6. The Cymbaline - Matrimonial Fears

7. The Castels - Rocky Ridges

8. The Magicians - Lady Fingers

9. Sounds Around - Red, White & You

10. Pop Workshop - Punch And Judy Man

11. Wishful Thinking - I Want You Girl

12. The Fox - Hey Mr. Carpenter

13. The Swinging Blue Jeans - Rumours, Gossip, Words Untrue

14. Kippington Lodge - Tomorrow Today

15. Gary Walker & The Rain - The View

16. Sidewalk Skipper Band - Cynthia At The Garden

17. The Orphans - This Is The Time

18. The Onyx - You've Gotta Be With Me

19. The Illusions - Wait Till The Summer

20. The Epics - Travelling Circus

60s Psych Pop Treasures - Vol 2

2011-07-23T05:18:00.000-07:00

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60s Psych Pop Treasures - Vol 2

1. The Mirage - Is Anybody Home

2. The Fredric - Henry Adams

3. Made In Sheffield - Amelia Jane

4. The Churls - Princess Mary Margaret

5. Glitterhouse - Princess Of The Gingerland

6. Barclay James Harvest - Mr. Sunshine

7. The Higher Elevation - The Summer Skies

8. The Hung Jury - Buses

9. Los Mac's - Anne Marie

10. Our Plastic Dream - Encapsulated Marigold

11. The Hinge - The Village Postman

12. The Vectors - Paisley Haze

13. Phluph - Doctor Mind

14. Carnival Connection - Alfred Appleby

15. The Escorts - Sitting By A Tree

16. Life 'N' Soul - Peacefully Asleep

17. Dantelian's Chariot - Sun Came Bursting Through My Cloud

18. The Lemon Drops - I Like You

60s Psych Pop Treasures - Vol 1

2011-03-06T06:01:00.000-08:00

60s Psych Pop Treasures is all about obscure psychedelic pop songs compiled for your listening pleasure. The songs are carefully picked to create the perfect pop compilation on each volume. So expect to find lots of melodic unknown gems inside the playlists.

Looking forward to know what you think of this and your comments are welcomed.

Vol 1

1. The Factory - No Place I'd Rather Be

2. Grisby Dyke - The Adventures of Miss Rosemary LaPage

3. Los Brincos - Peque? Pajaro

4. The Staccatos - Whisper Words

5. The Pussyfoot - Hasty Words

6. Bit 'A Sweet - 2086

7. The Fourmyula - Mr. Harris

8. Orange Bicycle - Amy Peate

9. Master's Apprentices - Elevator Driver

10. Saturday's Photograph - Gentle Lovin' San Francisco Man

11. The Merseys - Change Of Heart

12. The Daily Flesh - The French Girl

13. The Gloomys - Westend Station

14. West Coast Consortium - Colour Sergent Lillywhite

15. Chances Are - What Went Wrong

16. The British North-American Act - Baby Jane Days and Nights

17. The Avengers - Flower Girl

18. The Motions - Memories O' Fair Hired Lady

Focal Point - First Bite of the Apple: The Complete Recordings (1967-1968)

2009-08-28T10:37:00.000-07:00

Focal Point released one fair pop-psychedelic single in 1968, "Sycamore Sid"/"Love You Forever." "Sycamore Sid" was typical of much British rock of the time in its sketch of an eccentric character, played out against a pleasant medium-tempo power pop arrangement combining hard rock guitar riffs, organ, and piano. "Love You Forever" was an altogether more romantic, dainty piece, like a woozy update of late-'50s/early-'60s teen rock ballads. A few other unreleased Focal Point tracks that have surfaced have similar fey, never-never land textures (indeed one of their songs was called "Never Never"), albeit with nice mild pop melodies and psychedelic-influenced organ/guitar arrangements.The Liverpool band's Beatles/Apple connection arose in 1967 when vacationing songwriters Paul Tennant and Dave Rhodes came across Paul McCartney, who was walking his dog in London's Hyde Park. McCartney actually gave them the name and number of Terry Doran, who was then starting Apple's music publishing company (Apple had yet to start its record label). After hearing the pair play some songs in his office, Doran was impressed enough to record some demos with the duo, which he played to Brian Epstein and John Lennon. Epstein suggested that the two form a band called Focal Point, and although he died shortly afterward, Tennant and Rhodes did form the group in Liverpool and sign a contract with Apple Publishing. Apple even rented the group a flat in London and gave them access to a recording studio in the Apple office for cutting demos. They got a contact with Deram and recorded their single, but after it made few waves, Apple's interest in the band seemed to peter out, and they never recorded again. (AMG).

Tracklist:

1. Miss Sinclair; 2. Sycamore Sid; 3. Hassle Castle; 4. Never Never; 5. Lonely Woman; 6. Far Away from Forever; 7. Love You Forever; 8. Tales from the Gpo Files; 9. McKinley Morgan the Deep Sea Diver; 10. Falling out of Friends; 11. Girl on the Corner; 12. Goodbye Forever; 13. This Time She's Leaving; 14. 'Cept Me; 15. Miss Sinclair [Demo Version]; 16. Miss Sinclair [Alternate Version]; 17. Hassle Castle [Demo Version]; 18. Never Never [Alternate Version]; 19. Reflections [Demo Version]; 20. Reflections

Horses - Horses (1969)

2009-04-11T10:15:00.000-07:00

Not quite the forgotten gem that record-collector hype has long maintained, Horses nevertheless has a lot going for it, especially for a one-shot, studio-only curio. The nucleus of the group that created the LP had its genesis in the excellent mid-'60s bubblegum-psychedelic outfit the Rainy Daze, which had a minor, Top 100 hit with the camouflaged ode to marijuana, "Acapulco Gold," in 1967. Denver radio host David Diamond had moved to Los Angeles in 1965 to kick off a new rock format called "Boss Radio" and brought the band with him. The tightly formatted, hits-only nature of his new gig didn't sit well with Diamond, so he soon moved over to KBLA, where he quickly became one of L.A.'s hippest and hottest radio personalities with the development of the psychedelic program The Diamond Mine, the beginning of the looser, more free-form underground FM radio. Frank Zappa was a fan and frequent listener, and it was Diamond's suggestion to the Doors that resulted in an international hit with the edited version of "Light My Fire." He also was the first to spin such classic songs as the Seeds' "Pushin' Too Hard," Iron Butterfly's "In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida," Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'," the Stone Poneys' "Different Drum," the Rolling Stones' 17-minute "Goin' Home," and, yes, the Rainy Daze's "Acapulco Gold." Diamond played an important role during the band's life-span, convincing an increasingly erratic Phil Spector to sign them to a management contract and then, when the significant publicity push Spector had planned didn't pan out, arranging a deal with UNI, which released the group's fine LP. The quintet's catalysts were Tim Gilbert, the lead vocalist and guitarist, and John Carter, the lyricist. The two developed into one of the more interesting minor songwriting team's of the era. They scored a huge, Number One hit with Strawberry Alarm Clock's "Incense and Peppermints," and placed compositions with Yankee Dollar and the intriguing David Axelrod-produced West Coast outfit Hard Water (famous, fellow ex-Colorado surf/instrumental unit Astronauts in disguise), but Carter and Gilbert's pet project was the quasi-psychedelic, hard rock group Horses, which they built from scratch along with Diamond after all three relocated to San Francisco in 1969.
The Rainy Daze broke up following several post-LP singles on the Turtles' label, White Whale. Carter and Gilbert, meanwhile, had written an entire album, and now needed a band to record it. With Diamond, they held auditions and ultimately assembled Dave Torbert on bass, Scott Quigley and Matt Kelly on guitars, Chris Herold on drums, and lead singer Rich Fifield. Fifield was replaced midway through the recording sessions with an unknown 18-year-old kid, Don Johnson, in his first professional gig. The resultant, self-titled album was a strong effort, mixing tongue-in-cheek counterculturalisms ("Class of '69" was a carefully couched song about a sex act) and hippie-fied country elements into its hard rock, but also, unfortunately, came out on White Whale just at the moment that the label was beginning to come undone. (AMG).

Tracklist :

1. Freight Train; 2. Class of '69; 3. Birdie in a Cage; 4. Nothing at All; 5. Cheyenne; 6. Run Rabbit Run; 7. Country Boy; 8. Overnight Bag; 9. Horseradish; 10. Asia Minor; 11. Wind

Picadilly Line - The Huge World Of Emily Small (1967)

2009-04-05T11:05:00.000-07:00

The British group might be more famed for evolving into Edwards Hand, who had a couple albums produced by George Martin. Before that, however, Picadilly Line put out an obscure album on CBS, 1967's The Huge World of Emily Small, in the lightest and poppiest side of the British pop-psychedelic style. They also did a couple non-LP singles, one of which, "Yellow Rainbow," was written by then-Hollie Graham Nash.

The Picadilly Line's sole album is one of the recordings that most epitomizes what has been retrospectively dubbed the "toytown" school of British psychedelia by collectors. That is, the songs bounce along daintily; the vocal emphasis is on high harmonies; the lyrics are sometimes populated with observations of British everyday life and characters, sprinkled with a coat of whimsy; and the arrangements benefit from touches of baroque orchestration. It's executed here, however, with a fey, twee touch that makes the Zombies' Odessey and Oracle, for instance, sound rough 'n' ready by comparison. It's thus going to be too light even for some British psychedelic pop enthusiasts, but it's not quite the most saccharine entry in the genre, though it's undeniably precious. There's a folky lightness that keeps this from being too wide-eyed and childish, sometimes sounding a bit like Simon & Garfunkel gone toytown, though with some similarities to both the 1967-era Beatles and '60s California pop in the vocals and arrangements. The covers of Bob Dylan's "Visions of Johanna" and the Everly Brothers' "Gone, Gone, Gone," however, seem misplaced in these surroundings. (AMG).

Tracklist :

1. Emily Small (The Huge World Thereof); 2. Silver Paper Dress; 3. At The Third Stroke; 4. Can You See Me; 5. Your Dog Won't Bark; 6. How Could You Say You're Leaving Me; 7. Gone Gone Gone; 8. Twiggs; 9. Tumble Down World; 10. Visions Of Johanna; 11. Come & Sing A Song; 12. Her Name Is Easy

Plastic Penny - Currency (1969)

2009-03-31T09:19:00.000-07:00

Plastic Penny were an unremarkable late-'60s British group who made the U.K. Top Ten in early 1968 with "Everything I Am," a labored ballad augmented by strings, that wasn't even one of their best songs. Much of their material was psychedelic pop with hints of encroaching prog-rock, sometimes recalling the Who a bit, elsewhere going into more fey story-songs. Their guitarist, Mick Grabham, would play with Procol Harum for a few years in the 1970s.

Plastic Penny's second album offers various shades of British psychedelic pop that aren't near either the top or bottom of the class. It left the impression of a group who were good musicians, but not ones who had exceptional material or a markedly identifiable style. Beatlesque psychedelic pop that was lighter than the Beatles was the main ingredient, perhaps with elements of the Bee Gees and the poppiest facet of the Who as well, though there was more organ involved in Plastic Penny's arrangements than there was in those of any of these other groups. Sometimes the keyboard-driven sound had shades of Procol Harum and Traffic. It's respectable listening, but not a record to win commendations for originality; "Give Me Money" in particular is a shameless imitation of the Who and the Move in their circa 1967 power pop days, albeit a pretty good one. The inclusion of a couple instrumentals (the closing "Sour Suite," lasting eight minutes, and "Currency") with a heavier, more improvised-sounding organ-grounded approach, as well as mediocre covers of "Hound Dog" and "MacArthur Park," raises the suspicion that the group really didn't have enough material ready to make an album, even though those instrumentals aren't bad. Serious Elton John fans, however, will be interested in collecting this record for the presence of an early Elton John-Bernie Taupin composition, "Turn to Me," that Elton John never recorded. The way Plastic Penny do it, it sounds like an early Badfinger track. (AMG).

Tracklist :
1. You Way To Tell Me Go
2. Hound Dog
3. Currency
4. Caledonian Mission
5. Mcarthur Park
6. Turn To Me
7. Baby You're Not To Blame
8. Give Me Money
9. Sour Suite
10. She Does
11. Celebrity Ball

The Paper Garden - The Paper Garden (1968)

2009-03-26T11:52:00.000-07:00

A decent if somewhat candy-coated effort in the pop-psychedelic vein, combining cheerful sunshine pop sensibilities with some hard-edged psychedelic playing. It all falls somewhere between the Beatles' Revolver album and the Zombies' Odessey & Oracle (the latter especially on "Man Do You" and "Raven"), with some Sgt. Pepper-type layered choruses and overdubbed strings and other instruments. The question is how well it represents the sound of the Paper Garden -- and that begs the larger question behind the purpose of recording an LP; The Paper Garden dates from a period when the answer to that question was starting to change. According to the account of singer/guitarist Joe Arduino, the New York City-based quintet had a solid stage repertory established from performances at colleges in the Northeastern United States in 1967 and 1968, when they got the chance to cut this album under the auspices of British producer Geoff Turner, who was working at Musicor in New York at the time -- presented with that opportunity, the members ended up writing a whole new body of songs for the occasion; thus, the album become a new, self-contained artistic statement rather than a representation of the music by which they'd first attracted attention and defined themselves. The songs are filled with catchy tunes played on a mix of virtuoso electric lead and acoustic guitars -- with the occasional sitar, courtesy of rhythm guitarist Sandy Napoli -- and violin, string orchestra, trumpet, and trombone embellishment, and the lead singing coming down somewhere between Paul McCartney and Colin Blunstone with the backing usually very Lennon-esque. The group had three talented songwriters in their ranks whose work was worth hearing and the 27-minute running time isn't even a problem -- the content is substantial enough to make this a nicely full sonic meal and one of the most enjoyable albums of the psychedelic era. The 2002 Gear Fab CD reissue offers glittering sound and includes full annotation and credits, and is recommended to those who enjoy the Zombies' Odessey & Oracle album, or the Merry-Go-Round/Emitt Rhodes' releases. (AMG).

Tracklist :
1.Gypsy Wine
2.Sunshine People
3.Way Up High
4.Lady's Man
5.Mr. Mortimer
6.Man Do You
7.Raining
8.I Hide
9.Raven
10.A Day

Harmony Grass - This Is Us (1969)

2009-03-24T10:56:00.000-07:00

A late-'60s band that anticipated Prelude's highly commercial harmony vocals, Harmony Grass evolved out of Tony Rivers & the Castaways. They were signed to RCA a year after being formed in Essex, and scored aTop 30 British hit with "Move in a Little Closer Baby."

Harmony Grass' sole LP has a few songs from their late-1960s singles (including "Move in a Little Closer," their only British hit), and it's also filled out by a few Tony Rivers originals and an assortment of covers. This odd, occasionally impressive and sometimes saccharine mix of pop/rock casts the group among the few British exponents of sunshine pop. Sometimes the airplane-commercial harmonies and cheeriness is vacuous. On the other hand, Rivers proves himself a competent emulator of the Beach Boys' most upbeat material on "Summer Dreaming" and "My Little Girl," as well as the Pet Sounds era on "I've Seen to Dream." On yet another hand, with "Chattanooga Choo Choo," "Tom Dooley," and the weird "(It Ain't Necessarily) Byrd Avenue," the group sounds like a college glee club, here to entertain for your social function, backed by extremely competent studio musicianship. On "Ballad of Michael," Rivers grapples with somewhat more serious lyrical themes in a tale of a philandering bachelor, but the song also finds him trying to squeeze too many words into too little space. (AMG).

Tracklist :
1. Move in a Little Closer Baby
2. My Little Girl
3. What a Groovy Day
4. I've Seen to Dream
5. (It Ain't Necessarily) Byrd Avenue
6. Chattanooga Choo Choo
7. Good Thing
8. Mrs Richie
9. Summer Dreaming
10. I Think of You
11. Ballad of Michael
12. Tom Dooley
13. What Do You Do When Love Dies

Blues Section - Blues Section (1967)

2009-03-21T07:14:00.000-07:00

Blues Section is considered a seminal and ground-breaking band in Finnish rock music. They started in 1967, formed around the vocalist Jim Pembroke, a British expatriate song-writer now living in Finland. The other members of the band were Eero Koivistoinen (saxophone), Ronnie Österberg (drums), Hasse Walli (guitar), and Måns Groundstroem (bass). Their influences came among all from John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and Jimi Hendrix, who had played a sensational gig in Helsinki in May 1967. One can also hear in Pembroke's British-flavoured song-writing some echoes from The Beatles and The Kinks. Blues Section released a self-titled album late 1967 on Helsinki's Love Records. In 1968 Groundstroem and Pembroke left the band, being replaced by Pekka Sarmanto and (another British vocalist) Frank Robson, respectively. Also Koivistoinen would leave the band during the same year, and by the end of 1968 Blues Section was over. The Blues Section members would continue in such acclaimed progressive rock bands as Wigwam and Tasavallan Presidentti. Eero Koivistoinen was to become an internationally acclaimed jazz musician, and Hasse Walli would discover world music, playing in such bands as Piirpauke.

Tracklist :
1. Paint It Michael And Others, Maybe
2. Answer To Life
3. The Day The Bird Of Paradise Looked Down Trough A
4. Wolf At The Door
5. End Of A Poem
6. Please Mr. Wilson
7. Once More For The Road
8. The East Is Red
9. Carpets And Bags And Balls
10. Apartment 51
11. Call Me On Your Telephone
12. Hey Hey Hey

Kensington Market - Aardvark (1969)

2009-03-19T23:18:00.000-07:00

The Kensington Market were a Toronto band that recorded two albums in the late 60s off the Warner Brothers label. Their first album, Avenue Road appeared in 1968 and was greeted with great acclaim. Avenue Road was a modest effort that was noteworthy for a few reasons, it featured decent pop instincts and solid songwriting. In 1969 the band released their final lp titled Aardvark. After the release of this disc the band broke up a few months later, leaving behind a much stronger lp than their debut.
Aardvark is a weird and wonderful mini masterpiece in which much of the Kensington Market’s reputation rests. This time out there were no silly jugband tracks and many of the album’s ideas are fully formed and well thought out. Some of the songs, like the beautifully trippy Cartoon and the ahead-of-it’s-time Help Me, use primitive synthesizer in all the right ways. Help Me sounds like a lost Flaming Lips track with its open arrangement and blissed out guitar playing. Side I Am would have had radio potential had it not been for the experimental Smile-era Beach Boys intro. It’s a stunning pop song with Penny Lane horns, fine vocals and that special, inspiring 60s magic. Other tracks like Think About The Times and If It Is Love have more of a meloncholy air but are equally excellent and reveal a more pessimistic side of the band. The experimental Americana of Half Closed Eyes is another standout composition that’s superb in an early morning folk-strum Dylan way with unusual synthesizer flourishes.
Aardvark requires a few close listens to sink in but it really is a great Beatles influenced pop album by an underrated band. (RisingStorm.net).

Tracklist :
1. Help Me
2. If It Is Love
3. I Know You
4. The Thinker
5. Half Closed Eyes
6. Said I Could Be Happy
7. Ciao
8. Ow-ing Man
9. Side I Am
10. Think About The Times
11. Have You Come To See
12. Cartoon
13. Dorian

The Shamrocks - Smoke Rings Around the Cadillac (1964-1967)

2009-03-18T10:47:00.000-07:00

The Shamrocks were the most succesfull Swedish beat group in Europe during the 60's. They never made it into the Swedish charts, but they were popular in Germany, France, Netherlands and Japan. It all started in 1962 when the Shamrocks were founded. 1963 was the year of beeing part in several talent competitions. The result were a few bookings and the first recording for EMI - "Jag Har Bott Vid En Landsvag/Petite Fleur". In 1964 a new lineup (still with founding members Bjorn and Ian) won a competition: they were elected "The Beatles of Stockholm" and got a recording contract with "Karussell Records". They recorded "We Gonna Make It" and "A Lonely Man", both songs written by themselves.

In 1965 they became famous with the Renegades song "Cadillac". The song failed the Swedish charts but made it all over Europe. The band went on tour in Finland, Sweden and in 44 towns in Germany. In 1966, the band toured again on the continent and played 14 days in "Star Club Hamburg". In July, the band recorded in Hamburg, in three days, their first LP - "Smokerings". A lot of TV shows and gigs in France, Netherlands, Finland, Sweden and Germany were done in 1967.

To enter the UK market, a few songs were recorded in London and published later in '67 on the LP "Shamrock A Paris". Somewhere in the summer of the same year, founding member Jan Granaht (guitar) quit the band. The remaining band members decided to go on as a trio. Germany, France and Denmark saw the new Shamrocks shows with a lot of visual effects (fireworks, smoke-screens, bengal fires etc.).

In 1968, Kent Risberg (guitar) left the band to settle in Bonn, where the band spent a lot of time between their touring on the continent. Two weeks later, Shamrocks were back on the road again in Germany and France with Jonny Wallin on guitar. Then the band return home to Sweden and after a long due rest , Bjorn and Dieter (founding members) decided to make one last "thanks and farewell" tour in Germany. During this tour, Bertil Petterson was playing guitar. The story of the Shamrocks ended at the end of the 60's when the great beat era came to an end.

Tracklist :
1. We Gonna Make It
2. A Lonley Man
3. Skinny Minny
4. A Mountain Of Silver
5. Cadillac
6. Easy Rider
7. And I Need You
8. Zip-a-dee-doo-dah
9. La La La
10. Things Will Turn Out Right Tomorrow
11. Balla Balla
12. Oxford Street 43
13. Don't Say
14. Nobody Cares About Me
15. Days
16. Smokerings
17. See Me Coming
18. I'm On The Outside Locking In
19. Please Don't Cry (For Me)
20. Gipsy Lullaby at 1030
21. Missconception
22. I'm Ready For The Show
23. Cadillac (Paris version)
24. How The Time Flies
25. Travelin' Man
26. The Smiling Kind
27. Don't You Know She's Mine
28. Daytime Nightime
29. Rich Life

The Tremeloes - Here Come the Tremeloes (1967)

2009-03-15T07:30:00.000-07:00

It's difficult for anyone who has heard them not to like -- or even love -- the Tremeloes. They were one of the more prodigiously talented British pop/rock bands of the '60s, and they threw that talent into making amazingly catchy and well-crafted singles that lit up the charts and radio on both sides of the Atlantic for four years running, from 1966 through 1970.
Yet, the Tremeloes are also one of the least-known and least-respected of '60s English bands. The precise reason for the lack of respect is difficult to pin down, except perhaps that their timing was off, as far as making the most of their success. They generally didn't write their own material and they cut their best singles long after the British Invasion (and the mystique surrounding the bands that were part of it) had ended. Yet, ironically, the Tremeloes are also one of the longest surviving English rock & roll bands, still playing regularly more than 40 years after the group's founding.

Here Come The Tremeloes may be the best "forgotten" British album of the 1960's, at least for sheer fun. When Brian Poole quit the Tremeloes in 1966, the conventional wisdom was that the band would soon fold. Instead, with bassist Chip Hawkes and drummer Dave Munden handling the lead vocals, they put out a string of hit singles and this LP on British CBS, which made No. 15 in England (in America, it appeared as Here Comes My Baby on Epic Records). The music is a mix of upbeat rockers ("Here Comes My Baby"), "Good Day Sunshine"), covers of American soul ("Loving You (Is Sweeter Than Ever)"), and unexpectedly strong originals, highlighted by the psychedelic-garage textured "What A State I'm In," and even a killer rendering of "You," an early song by one Gilbert O'Sullivan that's not only catchy but features some fierce fuzz-tone playing from guitarist Rick Westwood. None of it was the most challenging music coming out of England in 1967, but it's all utterly enjoyable, catchy pop-rock with a sharp edges in some of the playing, tempos, and singing. (AMG).

Tracklist :
1. Here Comes My Baby
2. Run Baby Run
3. My Town
4. Round And Round
5. What A State I'm In
6. Loving You
7. Good Day Sunshine
8. You
9. Let Your Hair Hang Down
10. Shake Hands
11. When I'm With Her
12. Even The Bad Times Are Good

The Fredric - Phases and Faces (1968)

2009-03-14T06:08:00.000-07:00

From Grand Rapids, Michigan, the Fredric issued a rare, limited-run album in the late '60s, Phases and Faces, that's highly valued in some collector quarters. It would be ultimately inaccurate to call this garage psychedelia; it's too clean-cut and poppy, with conscientious harmonies, guitar-organ interplay, and light lovelorn lyrics. They were a very young group, and it shows in the callow songwriting, despite the well-executed arrangements. The single "Red Pier" made some modest local noise, and by 1970 they were signed to Capitol, who changed their name to the Rock Garden. They disbanded shortly after beginning their relationship with Capitol; drummer-vocalist David Idema eventually had a hit as David Geddes, "Run Joey Run." (AMG).

Lead vocalist Joe McCargar and guitarist Bob Geis were high school mates playing in a local band. When their existing drummer and guitarist quit, shortly before a gig, they drafted in Steve Thrall, with whom they immediately struck up an accord. In the days that followed, David Idema - a family friend - and Ron Bera were added, and the band began to rehearse extensively.They soon caught the eye of a booking agent, who got them a support slot for U.K. duo Harper and Rowe, who were doing a U.S. promotional tour. Harper and Rowe, didn't want to be upstaged by a local support, so the band changed their name to The Fredric on their way to the first gig in Fredric, Michigan. They soon developed a good local reputation, and opened shows for The Box Tops, Tommy James and The Shondells, and Yellow Balloon amongst others.

Tracklist :
1. Federal Reserve Bank Blues
2. The Girl I Love
3. All About Judi
4. Henry Adams
5. Morning Sunshine
6. Taggin'
7. Cousin Mary Knows
8. My Yellow Tree
9. Red Pier
10. Old Fashioned Guy
11. Born in Fire
12. Saturday Morning With Rain

Tinkerbells Fairydust - Tinkerbells Fairydust (1969)

2009-03-14T00:15:00.000-07:00

Originally known as the Rush, Tinkerbells Fairydust was a late 60s English pop-psych ensemble that changed their name in 1967 upon the release of their debut single (an outstanding cover of Spanky & Our Gang's 'Lazy Day' b/w 'In My Magic Garden'). Band members included Steve Maher (guitar, vocals), Stuart Attride (guitar, keyboards, vocals), Gerry Wade (bass, vocals), Barry Creasy (drums, vocals), Charlie Wade (drums, vocals), Eileen Woodman (organ, vocals) and Dave Church (vocals).
In 1968, they released a second single ('Twenty Ten' b/w 'Walking My Baby') which didn't chart high in the U.K., but managed to become a #1 hit in Japan. In 1969, they briefly worked with Idle Race and future ELO guru Jeff Lynn to release a final single ('Sheila's Back In Town' b/w the Lynn penned 'Follow Me Follow'). That same year they released a self titled LP, which had a limited issue of 500 copies and now goes for thousands of dollars on the collectors market. The album includes some original material as well as some great covers, including the previously released 'Lazy Day' and Joe Cocker's 'Marjorine'. Unfortunately, the group split soon after the record's completion.

Tracklist :
1. 20-10
2. In My Magic Garden
3. Marjorine
4. You Keep Me Hanging On
5. The Worst That Could Happen
6. Never My Love
7. Lazy Day
8. Every Minute Every Day
9. Whole World
10. They Didnt Believe Me
11. Happy
12. Sheila's Back In Town
13. Jeff's Boogie

Turquoise - The Further Adventures of Flossie Fillett: The Complete Recordings (1966-1969)

2009-03-11T13:10:00.000-07:00

A quick listen to Turquoise with no knowledge of their background will surely bring two names immediately to mind: the Kinks and the Who. So, it should be no surprise that Turquoise were not only influenced by their British peers but were close associates, friends of Ray and Dave Davies, produced by Dave for their first demos -- when the band was still known as "the Brood" -- and produced by Keith Moon and John Entwistle for their second round of pre-professional recordings. Turquoise released two singles for Decca in 1968 before disbanding and those two singles, like much British pop-psych, earned them a cult of some size, eventually leading to Rev-Ola's 2006 release of The Further Adventures of Flossie Fillett: The Complete Recordings which collects both sides of those two singles -- "53 Summer Street"/"The Tales of Flossie Fillett" and "Woodstock"/"Saynia" -- along with all the other demos, unreleased cuts and alternate takes the group left behind. More than any other band from the late '60s, Turquoise modeled themselves after mid-period Kinks, circa Something Else and Village Green Preservation Society to the extent that singer/songwriter Jeff Peters (who wrote almost all of the band's recorded work, usually in collaboration with Ewan Stephens) even penned his own tune called "Village Green." Like the Kinks, Turquoise were distinctly, defiantly British in subject matter and approach -- among their unreleased items is a knees-up stomp-along called "Sunday Best" reminiscent of the Small Faces (and oddly prescient of Blur's "Sunday Sunday") -- often sounding fey and campy yet managing to stay away from being overtly twee, and even if their melodies could sigh and swirl in psychedelic colors, they never were that trippy: they were grounded by acoustic guitars that jangled like Ray Davies' on Something Else and they had ragged harmonies and a pop sense reminiscent of the brothers Davies. And when Turquoise broke free of the Kinks -- as on the absolutely terrific "Woodstock" which barrels forward on a moddish Motown beat and has a wicked Dylan impression on the chorus -- they're quite terrific, but when they were close to the Kinks, which they were for most of their career, they're merely good, even if not especially memorable. But for fans of British pop of the '60s that was obsessed with being British -- whether that means the Kinks, the Small Faces, mod-era Who or parts of the Move -- The Further Adventures of Flossie Fillett provides just enough unheard gems to be worthwhile. (AMG).

Tracklist :
1. Tales of Flossie Fillett
2. Flying Machine [Second Version]
3. Sister Saxophone
4. 53 Summer Street
5. Sea Shines
6. Village Green
7. Saynia
8. Sunday Best
9. Woodstock
10. Stand Up and Be Judged
11. Woodstock [First Reduction]
12. Flying Machine [First Version]
13. Leana [Backing Track]
14. What's Your Name
15. Mindless Child of Motherhood
16. You're Just Another Girl (As the Brood)
17. Wrong Way (As the Brood)
18. Turquoise 1968 Christmas Record

Rainbow Ffolly - Sallies Fforth (1968)

2009-03-10T10:53:00.000-07:00

Thirteen examples of pleasant, mid-tempo, mildly amplified psychedelic pop, most of them owing some considerable debt to the influence of the Beatles' Rubber Soul and Revolver (though not their production), with some of the nutsy brand of humor that Giles, Giles, & Fripp later traded in. This is basically Paul McCartney-influenced psychedelia, not only in the tone and texture of the lead vocals, but the retro style of songs like "I'm So Happy," with some vaguely progressive touches that make one think of the more ornate tracks off of Bee Gees' 1st. "Montgolfier" is a folky/trippy, deliberately antiquated cut that intersects somewhere midway between the early psychedelic Bee Gees and the early work of Amazing Blondel. The group also had the temerity to write and record a bouncy number called "Drive My Car" that sounds McCartney-esque (even anticipating the scatting on the latter's "Heart of the Country") without ever sounding at all like the Beatles' song of that name. Other cuts, such as "Goodbye," contain elements that anticipate Simon & Garfunkel's "So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright." It's all under-produced, which makes the attempted guitar flourishes on "Hey You" seem a bit anemic, but imparts a nicely lean and trippy sound to "Sun Sing." Every track here was essentially a demo, a fact that may explain why the album never found an audience in an era when layer upon layer of overdub was the norm -- but it is pretty, in a minimalist sort of way. (AMG).

Obviously influenced by labelmates The Beatles, the sole album of Rainbow Ffolly is a psychedelic delight of the first order. Lush, inventive arrangements and sharp winning melodies are presented in a truly wide range of styles at once sophisticated and witty. It can be said without exaggeration that this album exceeds on musical grounds the period piece value of many of its contemporaries. Great use of sound-effects contributes to its excellence, while the feeling is so thoroughly English as on few other albums. A single with "Drive My Car" on the flip, which is not the Lennon/McCartney song, sank without a trace and no further recordings were made. The vast diversity and the great accessibility make it hard to understand why this album was completely ignored, but it makes completely clear why it is as sought-after as it is.

Tracklist :
1. She's Alright
2. I'm So Happy
3. Montgolfier
4. Drive My Car
5. Goodbye
6. Hey You
7. Sun Sing
8. Sun and Sand
9. Labour Exchange
10. They'm
11. No
12. Sighing Game
13. Come or Go

The Lemon Pipers - Jungle Marmalade (1968)

2009-03-09T12:20:00.000-07:00

The Lemon Pipers were a 1960s /psychedelic pop band from Oxford, Ohio known chiefly for their song "Green Tambourine", which reached number one in the United States in 1968. The song has been credited as being the first bubblegum No.1 hit and ushering in the bubblegum pop era.

The band, formed in 1966 from two Oxford bands, Ivan and the Sabres and Tony and the Bandits comprised singer Ivan Browne (b. 1947), guitarist William Bartlett (b. 1946), keyboardist Robert G. "Reg" Nave (b. 1945), drummer William Albaugh (1948-1999), guitarist Ron Simkins (b.1948) and New Zealand-born bassist Steve Walmsley (b. 1949).
The band played a mix of blues and rock jams regularly in Oxford clubs and a Cincinnati underground rock venue, the Ludlow Garage, and released a single on the Carol Records label, "Quiet Please". In late 1967 they were offered a recording deal by a talent scout from Buddah Records and moved to New York.
Working with producer and songwriter Paul Leka, the group’s debut on Buddah was a Bartlett composition, "Turn Around and Take A Look". When the song failed to make the charts, the label approached Leka and his songwriting partner, Shelley Pinz, who were working out of an office in the same Broadway building as Buddah, to come up with a song. The pair wrote "Green Tambourine" and the band reluctantly recorded it. The song entered the Billboard Hot 100 at the end of 1967 and hit No.1 in February 1968. The song peaked at No. 7 in the UK and was also a hit worldwide.
Its success led to pressure being placed on the band by the label to replicate the song with an identical follow-up and in March the band released another Leka/Pinz song, "Rice Is Nice", which peaked at No. 46 in the US and No. 41 in the UK in May. The band had little enthusiasm for either song, however, dubbing them "funny-money music" and recording them only because they knew they would be dropped by Buddah if they refused.
Their pop success created what Nave has described as "the duality of the Lemon Pipers": "We were a stand-up rock 'n' roll band, and then all of a sudden, we're in a studio, being told how to play and what to play."
The chasm between the label’s aspirations and the band’s own musical tastes became apparent on the Lemon Pipers’ debut album, Green Tambourine (1967). Produced by Leka, the album contained five Leka/Pinz songs and the band-written free-form and extended blues-inspired tracks "Fifty Year Void" and "Through With You" (the latter bearing influences of The Byrds and running to more than nine minutes). Writing in Bubblegum is the Naked Truth, Gary Pig Gold commented: "It was the Pipers’ way with a tough-pop gem in the under-four-minute category which was most impressive by far: 'Rainbow Tree', 'Shoeshine Boy' and especially 'Blueberry Blue' each sported a taut, musical sophistication worthy of The Move and, dare I say it, even the Magical Mystery Beatles."
The band recorded a second album for Buddah, Jungle Marmalade, which again showed both sides of the band – another Leka/Pinz bubblegum song, "Jelly Jungle", (released as a single and peaking at No. 51 in the US), a version of the Carole King/Gerry Goffin song "I Was Not Born to Follow" (released in 1968 by the Byrds) and an 11-minute, 43 second epic, "Dead End Street/Half Light".
The band left the Buddah label in 1969 and later dissolved.

Tracklist :
1. Jelly Jungle
2. I Was Not Born to Follow
3. Everything Is You
4. Catch Me Falling
5. Hard Core
6. Love Beads and Meditation
7. I Need Someone
8. Mirrors
9. Wine and Violet
10. Dead End Street/Half Light

The Young Rascals - Once Upon a Dream (1968)

2009-03-07T10:54:00.000-08:00

After releasing three classic garage blue-eyed soul records, the Rascals felt a need to expand their sound, become a bit more ornate, and take in the influence of psychedelia. In early 1968 they released Once Upon A Dream, a vague concept lp inspired by recent albums Pet Sounds and Sgt. Pepper’s. The concept is a bit unclear to me but I believe each track is supposed to represent a different dream. The group’s vocal arrangements were some of their most ambitious to date and where the previous three albums had been excellent collections of album tracks and singles, Once Upon A Dream hangs together quite well as an album - a finished product if you will.
Once Upon A Dream opens up with a fairly well known track, Easy Rollin’. Easy Rollin’ is one of the mini classics on this album and stands out from previous Rascal outings in that it’s more roots influenced with edgy acoustic guitars, harmonica, and B-3. The production on this song is remarkable: one can hear birds chirping in the background and the band itself seems to have more space and breathing room. Other tracks like the dreamy Silly Girl and zany Rainy Day are psychedelic pop songs that have strings and horns in the mix. These sweet, confectionery treats give way to harder edged psych rockers Please Love Me and It’s Wonderful. Please Love Me harks back to the band’s mid 60s garage soul period but has wonderful flute and swirling fuzz guitar effects. Other great songs are the soul-blues of Singin’ The Blues Too Long which has a clear Ray Charles influence, and the great, overlooked blue-eyed soul classic, My World. My World is notable for including female backup singers as well as the Rascals’ own excellent vocal arrangement.
The Rascals would release other good albums after Once Upon A Dream but few pop records from the time are as instantly memorable and sophisticated as this. At the time, the album’s production and sound were considered a triumph. This is a true classic and should be part of any serious rock n roll collection. (RisingStorm.net).

Tracklist :
1. Intro/Easy Rollin'
2. Rainy Day
3. Please Love Me
4. It's Wonderful
5. I'm Gonna Love You
6. My Hawaii
7. My World
8. Silly Girl
9. Singin' The Blues Too Long
10. Sattva
11. Finale Once Upon A Dream

White Plains - My Baby Loves Lovin' (1993)

2009-03-05T09:24:00.000-08:00

The British group White Plains had a big hit single in 1970. "My Baby Loves Lovin" was a bubblegum classic that features the ubiquitous vocals of Tony Burrows and a bouncy, happy, and decidedly British pop sound. The group formed when the the Flowerpot Men, best known for the dippy, bubble-psych hit "Let's Go to San Francisco," decided a name change and a stylistic change were in order. Burrows was in the last incarnation of the Flowerpot Men and he carried over into the initial White Plains lineup; as did pianist Pete Nelson, bassist Robin Shaw, and Ricky Wolff, who was proficient on guitars, keyboards, flute, and saxophone. The group soon recruited drummer Roger Hills and lead guitarist Robin Box, both of whom had played backing Peter & Gordon and Paul Jones.
On October 26, 1969, the band recorded four tracks from which "My Baby Loves Lovin'" was picked as the single. Released on January 9th of 1970 on Deram, the single zoomed up the charts in the U.K., eventually landing in the Top Ten. It also hit big in the U.S., reaching number 13 on the Hot 100. Burrows never was a real member of the group, he only sang lead at that initial session (which was actually intended as a Flowerpot Men session until the brains behind the group decided on the switch). The band carried on as a five-piece, releasing three more singles in 1970 and eventually a self-titled album. The album sold respectively in the U.K. but only reached number 166 on the U.S. charts after a skimpy four-week run. The album as well as all their singles were produced by the prolific duo of Roger Greenaway and Roger Cook. They also wrote most of the songs. They guided the sound of White Plains away from the trippy harmony pop of the Flowerpot Men towards a more adult and softly rocking sound. Their output was neatly split between light-hearted and chugging, kiddie pop tunes like "My Baby Loves Lovin'" and "Sunny Honey Girl"; and mainstream pop songs like "You've Got Your Troubles" and "Young Birds Fly," which are bathed in strings and masses of choir-like vocals that wrap around the emotional, Neil Diamond-esque lead vocals.
The group kept plugging away, releasing three singles in 1971 and a sophomore album, When You Are a King, none of which did much on the charts. The next three years found them losing a member, Ricky Wolff was replaced by organist Ron Renolyds, and releasing more singles (two in 1972, three in 1973, and one in 1974); including the cowbell driven "Ecstasy," which is notable for being the rare track written by Roger Cook without Roger Greenaway. However, the band was never able to recapture the success of their first single and in 1974 White Plains left Deram, and in 1976 recorded one last single, "Summer Nights," and stopped recording. After some time apart, most of the band regrouped and began touring the oldies circuit. (AMG).

Tracklist :
01. I've Got You On My Mind (2:46)
02. When Tomorrow Comes Tomorrow (3:56)
03. Taffeta Rose (2:27)
04. (I Remember) Summer Morning (3:46)
05. To Love You (2:34)
06. In A Moment Of Madness (2:53)
07. My Baby Loves Lovin' (2:51)
08. Today I Killed A Man I Didn't Know (3:27)
09. You've Got Your Troubles (4:21)
10. Show Me Your Hand (2:44)
11. Young Birds Fly (2:26)
12. Sunny, Honey Girl (3:12)
13. Lovin' You Baby (3:14)
14. Julie Do Ya Love Me (2:40)
15. Every Little Move She Makes (2:56)
16. When You Are A King (2:55)
17. Gonna Miss Her Mississippi (3:06)
18. Carolina's Comin' Home (2:35)
19. I Can't Stop (3:05)
20. Dad You Saved The World (3:01)
21. Step Into A Dream (2:28)
22. Does Anybody Know Where My Baby Is? (2:42)
23. Julie Anne (3:03)
24. Ecstacy (3:15)

The Grass Roots - Let's Live for Today (1967)

2009-03-03T11:44:00.000-08:00

Released in the spring of 1967, Let's Live for Today was almost a musical throwback, steeped in folk-rock, which was fairly passé at the time, rather than psychedelia, but that's what makes it so appealing to listeners today. Listeners in 1967 were probably disappointed that there was nothing on the album as dramatic or memorable as the title track, but everything else is solid folk-rock with a pretty hard edge, which allows it to stand quite well alongside rival releases by the Beau Brummels, the Cryan Shames, the Blue Things, et al. Most of the music here is derived from the P.F. Sloan/Steve Barri songwriting and production team, spiced with four surprisingly strong originals — mostly drawn from the original demo tape that they submitted as the 13th Floor — by the band members themselves. The Sloan-Barri numbers are smooth, hook-laden folk-rock "Things I Should Have Said," "Is It Any Wonder," some of it with a garage band edge, and with elements of mild pop psychedelia ("Wake Up, Wake Up") occasionally manifesting themselves. Sloan and Barri's production gave the music a polish that made it thoroughly commercial without entirely losing sight of the band's fervor; the Grass Roots, only a few months out of playing bowling alleys, rose to the occasion in the singing and the basic playing, but they were also in the hands of two producers who knew how to add such embellishments as an unobtrusive harpsichord or flute over a garage band workout like "Tip of My Tongue," and who also took full advantage of stereo separation. The latter made this album a real treat for the fans, who bought it and got to hear the playing by Sloan (who contributed some guitar), Creed Bratton, and Warren Entner, and the singing by all of them (especially on "Is It Any Wonder") in vivid detail. Also surprising are the group originals, such as Entner and Bratton's "Beatin' Round the Bush" and Bratton's rocking "House of Stone," each of which is a match musically for most of the Sloan-Barri numbers. Admittedly, the lyrics on Sloan and Barri's songs are somewhat more sophisticated than those on most of the group originals, but the simpler words on the latter firm up this album's rock & roll credentials. (AMG).

Tracklist :
1. Things I Should Have Said
2. Wake Up, Wake Up
3. Tip of My Tongue
4. Is It Any Wonder
5. Let's Live for Today
6. Beatin' Round the Bush
7. Out of Touch
8. Won't You See Me
9. Where Were You When I Needed You
10. No Exit
11. This Precious Time
12. House of Stone

Blossom Toes - We Are Ever So Clean (1967)

2009-03-02T09:22:00.000-08:00

They never had any commercial success in the U.K. or the U.S., but Blossom Toes were one of the more interesting British psychedelic groups of the late '60s. Starting as the Ingoes, just another of thousands of British R&B/beat bands of the mid-'60s, the group hooked up with legendary impresario Giorgio Gomelsky (early mentor of the Stones and manager of the Yardbirds and Soft Machine, among others) in 1966. Gomelsky changed their name and put them on his Marmalade label. Their 1967 debut LP was miles away from R&B, reflecting an extremely British whimsy and skilled, idiosyncratic songwriting more in line with Ray Davies. After some personnel changes, the group released their second (and final) album a couple years later. Another extremely accomplished work, it was markedly different in character than their first effort, showing a far more sober tone and heavier, guitar-oriented approach. The group broke up at the end of the decade; members Brian Godding and Brian Belshaw formed the equally obscure B.B. Blunder, and Godding became active on the fringes of the British experimental rock scene.

Imagine the late-'60s Kinks crossed with a touch of the absurdist British wit of the Bonzo Dog Band, and you have an idea of the droll charm of Blossom Toes' debut album. Songwriters Brian Godding and Jim Cregan were the chief architects of the Toes' whimsical and melodic vision, which conjured images of a sun-drenched Summer of Love, London style. With its references to royal parks, tea time, watchmakers, intrepid balloon makers, "Mrs. Murphy's Budgerigar," and the like, it's a distinctly British brand of whimsy. It has since been revealed that sessionmen performed a lot of these orchestral arrangements, which embellished the band's sparkling harmonies and (semi-buried) guitars. But the cello, brass, flute, and tinkling piano have a delicate beauty that serves as an effective counterpoint. The group sings and plays as though they have wide grins on their faces, and the result is one of the happiest, most underappreciated relics of British psychedelia. (AMG).

Tracklist :
1. Look at Me I'm You
2. I'll Be Late for Tea
3. The Remarkable Saga of the Frozen Dog
4. Telegram Tuesday
5. Love Is
6. What's It For?
7. People of the Royal Parks
8. What on Earth
9. Mrs Murphy's Budgerigar
10. I Wil Bring You This and That
11. Mister Watchmaker
12. When the Alarm Clock Rings
13. The Intrepid Balloonist's Handbook, Vol. 1
14. You
15. Track for Speedy Freaks (Or Instant LP Digest)

The Marmalade - Reflections of the Marmalade (1970)

2009-03-01T06:05:00.000-08:00

Marmalade is one of those groups that just seems to endure. They are best remembered today for one record, their cover of the Beatles' "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," although they charted number one records and even Top Ten American singles into the 1970s. The group, especially as constituted up through the early '70s, had many sides, including white soul, harmony dominated pop/rock, and progressive pop, all very much like the Beatles in their middle years. However, it was their cover of a Beatles song, oddly enough, that weighed down their reputation.
In point of fact, they did somewhat resemble the Beatles musically, having started out as a band of teenagers eager to play hard rock & roll; like the Beatles, they developed a great degree of sophistication in their singing and playing, but they never had the freedom to experiment with the different sides of their music. Ironically, in their prime, their career arc most resembled that of the Tremeloes, who made incredibly well-crafted pop/rock but were never taken seriously.

The group re-emerged in the winter of 1969 after nearly a year of inactivity with "Reflections of My Life," a daring original by Campbell and Ford incorporating pop/rock and harder progressive elements, including some superb guitar work. It topped the English charts six weeks after its release, in the final week of January 1970, and became a Top Ten American single as well. They followed this up with the equally appealing (though less successful) "Rainbow," which charted in both England and America.
These twin hits were followed by the LP Reflections of the Marmalade, which proved to be something less than a success, owing to the sheer diversity of sounds on it that ranged from soulful rockers and harmony dominated progressive-sounding material to their covers of singer/songwriter-type repertory. The LP never found an audience in England, but did in America, where it was retitled Reflections of My Life and reached number 71. (AMG).

Tracklist :
1. Super Clean Jean
2. Carolina On My Mind
3. I'll Be Home (In A Day Or So)
4. And Yours Is A Piece Of Mine
5. Some Other Guy
6. Kaleidoscope
7. Dear John
8. Fight Say The Mighty
9. Reflections Of My Life
10. Life Is

The World of Oz - The World of Oz (1969)

2009-03-01T02:12:00.000-08:00

The World of Oz were a British psychedelic pop band that enjoyed a short string of successful singles in Europe. Between those major charting records in Holland and a lot of good press at home, the release of an album was planned -- yet they managed to throw it all away with an unexplained split. All four original members -- Tony Clarkson (bass, vocals), David "Kubie" Kubinec (organ), Christopher Robin (guitar, piano, vocals), and David Reay (drums) -- hailed from Birmingham, and had been parts of that city's burgeoning pop/rock culture for varying amounts of time. Clarkson had several years' experience playing in various bands, and had also performed on the European continent. Kubinec had spent two years working mostly in Germany as a member of the Pieces of Mind, doing a mixture of R&B and soul. Reay and Robin (real name Christopher Evans) had played in a band called the Mayfair Set, working in Germany for a year before returning to Birmingham late in 1967, where they broke up. The pair decided to form a new band, and Kubinec and Clarkson were recruited through advertisements in musician magazines. In January of 1968 they formed the group, the "Oz" name and imagery fitting in with the trippy ambience of the late '60s.

This album was, for many years, a choice and expensive collectable in the U.K. and elsewhere, mostly owing to its sheer obscurity -- the group had virtually ceased to exist by the time the 12" vinyl platter made it into record shops on either side of the Atlantic, and it disappeared soon after. But The World of Oz has more than rarity or obscurity to recommend it -- it actually works on two levels, the original album's 11 songs holding up as first-rate sunshine pop, strongly reminiscent of the Bee Gees' Horizontal and Idea albums, while more select parts of the record document a band that was regarded as one of the more promising to come out of late-'60s Birmingham. On the softer side of the music, "Beside the Fire" recalls "World" from the former album, while "Jackie" is strongly reminiscent of any number of early Robin Gibb-sung ballads, and that is hardly to be considered negative criticism. The group does reveal a somewhat heavier sound on "The Hum-Gum Tree," which was also their third single -- the thicker-textured guitar and bass work are probably closer to what this group sounded like on-stage, while the haunting "With a Little Help" mixes a restrained orchestral accompaniment and Beatlesesque harmonies, it's a great compromise between their pop and rock aspects. The music may sometimes seem a bit fey and light, but as with the Bee Gees on Horizontal, one does get a strong sense of a band with some solid chops there beneath the harmonies and orchestral flourishes. "Mandy-Ann" works even better as a horn-and-harmony driven piece with the rhythm section coming to the fore, though one wishes that the producers had avoided one annoying punctuating sound-effect. (AMG).

Tracklist :
1. Muffin Man
2. Bring The Ring
3. Jackie
4. Beside The Fire
5. Hum Gum Tree
6. With A Little Help
7. We've All Seen The Queen
8. King Croesus
9. Mandy Ann
10. Jack
11. Like A Tear
12. Willow's Harp

The Flower Pot Men - Let's Go to San Francisco (1967)

2009-02-28T10:50:00.000-08:00

This British group was an outgrowth of mid-'60s pop group the Ivy League. Songwriting partners John Carter and Ken Lewis wrote, produced and performed "Let's Go to San Francisco" and licensed it out to Deram, who had an international hit with it as the Summer of Love was just winding down. The pair released four more singles, including one under the moniker Friends. None were hits and the group dissolved in 1970. Though they were extremely derivative of the then-au courant West Coast sound (especially the post-surf Beach Boys), the group managed to come up with some worthwhile tracks that showed a talent for smooth pop in a variety of modes (folkish, progressive, psychedelic, etc.) albeit with little rock backbone.

The most comprehensive collection around, this has all their singles (most notably, the extended version of the Pet Sounds-influenced title track and a fantastic 1968 B-side, "You Can Never Be Wrong,") and 11 tracks not released until the '80s and '90s, some from an aborted album project. Though it can't really be called essential, much of the Flower Pot Men's legacy will nevertheless be enjoyable to lovers of '60s pop, who will be able to spot traces of the Beach Boys, the Turtles, the Left Banke, the Easybeats, the Zombies, the Move, the Moody Blues and others. (AMG).

Tracklist :
1. Let's Go to San Francisco (Pts. 1 & 2)
2. A Walk in the Sky
3. Am I Losing You
4. Man Without a Woman
5. You Can Never Be Wrong
6. Piccolo Man
7. Mythological Sunday
8. In a Moment of Madness
9. Young Birds Fly
10. Sweet Baby Janes
11. Journey's End
12. Silicon City
13. Busy Doin' Nothing
14. White Dove
15. Let's Go to San Francisco pt.1
16. Let's Go to San Francisco pt.2
17. Cooks of Cake and Kindness
18. Gotta Be Free
19. Heaven Knows When
20. Brave New World
21. Children of Tomorrow

The Paupers - Magic People (1967)

2009-02-27T10:07:00.000-08:00

In 1967 the great band from the North released their debut record. The Paupers, along with the Guess Who, were one of the first Canadian bands to capitalize on the British Invasion. They started releasing singles in 1965 with a lineup consisting of Denny Gerrard (Bass), Skip Prokop (Drums), Bill Marion (Guitars) and Chuck Beal (Guitars). Prokop and Marion handled all the songwriting chores on their first clutch of singles.
Their early sound was a classy mixture of roots music, blues and folk-rock (think early Byrds or Lovin’ Spoonful crossed with the Blues Project circa 1965). The band began rehearsing 14 hours a day, honing their setlist and evolving into one of the tightest bands around. They hit the hip Yorkville District of Canada, playing to packed out venues daily and in return this gained them immense popularity. Rumor has it that the Paupers blew the mighty Jefferson Airplane off stage one night. In 1966/1967, Bill Marion exited the band for reasons unknown, prompting the Paupers to recruit Adam Mitchell. Mitchell (guitar and vocals) proved to be an excellent songwriting partner for Prokop, and at this point the band set out to create their debut lp.
Magic People has a good mid 60’s sound and is anchored by the band’s folk-rock leanings. There are a trio of good psychedelic sunshine pop fuzz rockers on the record. These songs, Magic People, It’s Your Mind and Think I Care, are highlighted by Prokop’s distinct drum patterns, special guitar effects, and great raga soloing. The only dud on the album is One Rainy Day, which is a jaunty good time Lovin’ Spoonful rocker. The remaining six songs are good to great folk-rockers, that recall the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield and the Beau Brummels. The catchy You and Me feels like a throw back to a 1965 Byrds or Brummels folk-rock sound. Tudor Impressions is excellent, reflective, and abstract, including horns, sparkling accoustic guitars and a Beach Boys-like harmony pop ending. Black Thank You Package and My Love Hides From Your View have a great outsider feel. Black Thank You Package has a distinct, exciting intro and a catchy chorus while My Love Hides is an absolute haunting masterpiece of acid-folk. (RisingStorm.net).

Tracklist :
1. Magic People
2. It's Your Mind
3. Black Thank You Package
4. Let Me Be
5. Think I Care
6. One Rainy Day
7. Tudor Impressions
8. Simple Deed
9. My Love Hides Your View
10. You And Me

Paul Revere and The Raiders - Revolution! (1967)

2009-02-26T11:35:00.000-08:00

No other rock & roll band has experienced the rollercoaster ups and downs in reputation that Paul Revere & the Raiders have known across 40 years in music. One of the most popular and entertaining groups of the 1960s, they enjoyed 10 years of serious chart action, and during their three biggest years (1966-69) got as much radio play as any group of that decade, sold records in numbers second only to the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, and received nearly as much coverage in the music press of the period (which included a lot of teen fan magazines) as the Beatles or the Rolling Stones. Yet when most histories of rock started getting written, Paul Revere & the Raiders were scarcely mentioned -- at best, they were usually a footnote to the boom years of the late '60s.

If not as consistently a knockout as Spirit of '67, Revolution! is nevertheless right on its heels, containing as it does an even greater degree of pop experimentation within the form. Suffice to say that this group managed to make the transition from the simple, tough R&B-flavored rock they helped found to the more psychedelic popcraft/acidic majesty that soon unfolded behind the 1964-1965 Beatles' lead. And if Spirit is the Raiders' Revolver, then Revolution! is their less wacked-out Sgt. Pepper. Beginning with one of their most supreme moments — the rough-and-tumble, aggressive yet amazingly catchy "Him or Me — What's It Gonna Be" — the LP takes the same twists and turns as its predecessor through a multitude of entertaining styles, from the sharp laze blues of "Reno" to the quintessential upbeat smack of "Mo'reen" and especially "Gone-Movin' On." Through it all, bandleader Mark Lindsay is a minor marvel. Lindsay may not have been blessed with a classic pop voice croon, but his exciting lower-range grunt and snarl compliments his upper-range prettier voice in a way that adds bushels of unfiltered attitude. His gutsy, versatile style totally blends with the rough edges of both the production and playing, which belies the more gilded pop moments. Lindsay is the glue that holds what would have been a willy-nilly collection together. Truly 1967 was the most magical year in pure pop history. But if many with-it fans have already bathed in the unbelievable sonic pleasures of that year, far too few have given the Raiders their rightful place in this pantheon, even though they certainly held such a place in their time. There can be no reason for this oversight to continue, for here is the evidence once again laid bare. (AMG).

Tracklist :
1. Him Or Me (What's It Gonna Be)
2. Reno
3. Upon Your Leaving
4. Mo'reen
5. Wanting You
6. Gone - Movin' On
7. I Had A Dream
8. Tighter
9. Make It With Me
10. Ain't Nobody Who Can Make It Like Leslie Can
11. I Hear A Voice

Stained Glass - Crazy Horse Roads (1969)

2009-02-25T11:37:00.000-08:00

The wonderful world of Crazy Horse Roads, released in 1969 by Stained Glass, has been unjustly forgotten with the passing of time. The band started out life covering Beatles songs in San Jose, California. Their first single, a cover of the Beatles’ If I Needed Someone was released in 1966. It was a respectable cover of the Beatle’s classic though the flip was better, being a moody folk-rock original.
The single tanked, prompting the band to quickly release the self-penned My Buddy Sin later on that year. My Buddy Sin was an excellent folk rock song with wailing harmonica, soaring harmonies, sharp lyrics and an acid tinged production. This single failed to attract attention despite it’s quality, forcing the band to record a brill building classic for their next 45.
In the 1960’s, artists and rock bands depended on the success of the single to grant them artistic and creative control/freedom (making albums). We Got A Long Way To Go was a huge local hit, well executed, pleasant enough and professional, though betraying the band’s roots and creative aspirations. A few other decent though commercially unsuccessful singles followed in the psychedelic pop vein. Eventually the band was granted freedom to record two albums on the Capital label.
Crazy Horse Roads is a unique effort, and much different from their jam oriented Aurora album. There are some solid psych pop songs (Night Cap, Twiddle My Thumbs and Fingerpainting), soul rock (Two Make One and Fahrenheit), galloping country-rock (Horse On Me) and hard folk-rockers (Light Down Below, Doomsday, I Sing You Sing, and Soap and Turkey). Doomsday really stands out as the lost mini classic though, with some huge vibrating fuzz riffs, hard strumming accoustic guitars, tight harmonies and a psychedelic production. Night Cap is also a really good bouncy, twisted psych pop song with a British influence. You never know whats coming next throughout the album and the band’s sound resembles Moby Grape, HMS Bounty and Buffalo Springfield.

Jim McPherson, the founding member of Stained Glass, went on to form Copperhead with Quicksilver’s John Cippolina. Together they made one expensive (for the time), quality album that was overlooked in it’s day. (RisingStorm.net).

Tracklist :

1. I Sing You Sing; 2. Finger Painting; 3. Soap and Turkey; 4. Twiddle My Thumbs; 5. Fahrenheit; 6. Nightcap; 7. Horse on Me; 8. Two Make One; 9. Light Down Below; 10. Piggy Back Ride and the Camel; 11. Doomsday

The Tokens - Intercourse (1971)

2009-02-24T09:46:00.000-08:00

This Brooklyn doo wop group was originally known as the Linc-Tones when they formed in 1955 at Lincoln High School. Hank Medress, Neil Sedaka, Eddie Rabkin, and Cynthia Zolitin didn't have much impact in their early days recording for Melba. They later disbanded, but Medress re-formed the group in 1960 as the Tokens. Brothers Phil and Mitch Margo and Jay Siegel were now the members. They recorded for Warwick in 1960, then had their one glorious hit in 1962, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." It was based on the South African Zulu song "Wimoweh," and reached number seven on the R&B chart while topping the pop surveys. The Tokens formed their own label in 1964, B.T. Puppy, but weren't able to keep the hits coming very long, although "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" remains a standard.

The Tokens are generally thought of as the vocal group who brought their "Lion Sleeps Tonight" hit to yet another generation through the success of The Lion King. But what we have here is the great lost Tokens album, recorded in 1968 and promptly turned down by Warner Bros. To fill a contractual obligation, a few hundred copies were pressed up -- in a slightly altered form -- and the album pretty much remained an interesting catalog sighting before its CD-era reissue. What we also have here is a White doo wop group delivering an album that falls somewhere between Pet Sounds and Sgt. Pepper's. No wonder Warner didn't know what to make of it; previous attempts by other doo woppers at updating their sound produced some of the most laughable examples that the genre has to offer. But everything on here works in a very organic manner: all of the songs follow a neat continuum and could easily be termed as a humanistic song cycle, each one surrounded by late-'60s Beatlesque production values, right down to the massively compressed drum sounds and omnipresent tape saturation. Trippy, loopy, and totally of its time, classic doo wop this is not; great, however, it is. (AMG).

Tracklist :
1. It's Amazing to Be Alive
2. Droplet of Water
3. Bathroom Wall
4. Animal
5. Greenfields
6. Wonderful Things
7. Commercial
8. Gray Is Gray
9. Waiting For Something
10. I Could Be
11. Girl on 6
12. I Want to Make Love to You
13. In and Out
14. Stereo
15. You Loser You Fool
16. It's Amazing to Be Alive - Reprise
17. Some People Sleep

Dead Sea Fruit - Dead Sea Fruit (1967)

2009-02-23T10:10:00.000-08:00

Combining the deadpan wit of the Bonzo Dog Band and the social-conscious lyricism of the Kinks, Dead Sea Fruit helped to bring the British Invasion of the 1960s to France. Formed in 1966, the group spent three years based in Paris thrilling French audiences with their hook-laden songs. Although all but two members relocated to Dakar, Senegal, electric bassist/guitarist/vocalist Arthur Marsh, who had replaced founding member Christopher Hall in early 1967, returned to England after three months when club owners demanded that they stick to cover tunes. Dead Sea Fruit reached their apex in 1967, when their tongue-in-jowl single, "Lulu, Put Another Record On," reached the top position on the British music charts. Their self-titled album was released the same year. (AMG).

Tracklist :

1.The 815 And The 545; 2. Lulu, Put Another Record On; 3. Psychiatric Case; 4. Mr. Barman; 5. Matters; 6. Seeds Of Disconcent; 7. I'll Come With You; 8. I've Been Away Too Long; 9. Mr. Coffee Pot; 10. Time Waits For No One; 11. I Should Have Guessed; 12. Kesington High Street

Ro-D-Ys - Earnest Vocation (1968)

2009-02-22T05:21:00.000-08:00

The Ro-d-ys were from the northern part of The Netherlands and were formed somewhere around 1965. The name Ro-d-ys was chosen after they heard there already was a band called The Rowdies. There very first single, released in 1966 flopped saleswise but got a lot of airplay. Their lucky break came with the follow up single "Take Her Home" in 1967. The succes continued with their best known single "Just Fancy" which was a hit late summer/early autumn 1967. In 1968 more quality singles were met with increasing lack of succes and after one more failed attempt with the beautiful and haunting single "Winter Woman" early 1969 the group called it quits. They released two albums, "Just Fancy"in 1967 and "Earnest Vocation" in 1968. If you like sixties rock with influences from The Beatles, The Kinks & The Yardbirds then this is it.

1968 had to be the year of the Ro-D-Ys.They released their more experimental psychedelic album Earnest vocationwich was produced by Hans van Hemert wich also produced the albums by Q65 and Group 1850.
The album was somewhat a concept album based around the story of The Little John by Frederik van Eeden(wich was a 19th/20th century writer) - a fantastical adventure of an everyman who grows up to face the harsh realities of the world around him and the emptiness of hopes for a better afterlife, but ultimately finding meaning in serving the good of those around him.
The album sold good,but the singles didn’t get any attention.

Tracklist :

1. Unforgettable Girl
2. Isn't It a Good Time
3. Love Is Almost Everywhere
4. Robinetta
5. No Place Like Home
6. Everytime a Second
7. Earnest Vocation
8. Easy Come, Easy Go
9. Look for Windchild
10. Let It Be Tomorrow
11. Dr. Sipher
12. Peace Ants

Thorinshield - Thorinshield (1968)

2009-02-21T14:33:00.000-08:00

Thorinshield is sometimes labeled a sunshine pop band by collectors, but though they share some traits with Californian sunshine pop artists, they had a more straightforward, less lightweight rock flavor than many acts given that label. On their sole, obscure, self-titled album (from 1968), the influences of the melodic rock and vocal harmonies of the 1966-1967 Beatles are evident, as are some of the ornate orchestration, production trickery, and trippily optimistic-romantic lyrics that were becoming in vogue throughout much pop music by the late '60s.

In any given era, there are numerous albums by rock musicians who've obviously assimilated styles and ideas by many leading figures of the period, but don't synthesize them in a particularly interesting way. Such was the case with Thorinshield's only album, where elements of the psychedelic Beatles, the Byrds, California harmony pop groups, and singer/songwriters jostle side by side, but the songs themselves aren't too notable. It's pop-folk-rock sung, played, harmonized, and produced with late-'60s Los Angeles craftsmanship, and if you're looking for stuff that's well-executed with those traits, it has its pleasing qualities. You'd be hard-pressed to say much about what makes this stick out from the crowd, however, and at times the inspirations become kind of obvious. "Brave New World" sounds like a mating of the Byrds, Donovan, and the Mamas & the Papas, for instance; "The Best of It" shades those colors with something of a more mainstream pop slant to the songwriting; "Prelude to a Postlude" nods to earnest singer/songwriters of the time by Bob Lind, Tim Hardin, and the like, though again with a more mainstream approach; and "One Girl" is a pretty blatant, if decent, cop of 1966-1967 Donovan. (AMG).

Tracklist :

1. Life Is a Dream ;2. Brave New World; 3. Wrong, My Friend; 4. Here Today; 5. Pleasure Time; 6. The Best of It; 7. Daydreaming; 8. Light That Love Brings; 9. Prelude to a Postlude; 10. One Girl; 11. Collage of Attitudes

The Peep Show - Mazy (1967-1968)

2009-02-21T04:57:00.000-08:00

16 Track compilation of British psychedelic pop band whose 1967 single 'Mazy' has long been regarded as a classic in the genre. All tracks were recorded in 1967/1968 and the most are previously unreleased. The album was officially released in 1999.

The Peep Show were purveyors of very decent psych fare indeed. Decidedly darker in tone and far less acid-driven than many of their contemporaries, the band remain something of an enigma. Songs such as Your Servant Stephen and Esprit De Corps marked them out as oddballs even then; but then with the former dealing with a man’s plea to his pregnant girlfriend’s father and the latter with the inadequacy felt when comparing oneself to a Battle Of Britain pilot, it’s not overly surprising. Although not necessarily in-tune with the kids, The Peep Show, in the space of no-more than a year, recorded a series of solid psych tracks, one of which, Mazy, is now rightly regarded as a classic. It’s for songs such as Do Not Wait for Better Times, Morning and the wonderful When You're Getting Tired, however, that the band should be remembered.
Satirical, pessimistic and peculiarly English, The Peep Show are in a fine tradition that stretches from The Kinks to The Smiths. The wilful difference of much of the material here will surprise those expecting another just another psych reissue. These guys were genuine mavericks and, 40 years on, they still sound refreshingly different. (Record Collector).

Tracklist :
1. Your Servant Stephen
2. Mazy
3. Big Giant Man
4. Lost My Lover
5. Lovey Dovey Feeling
6. Silver Queen Of The Screen
7. When You're Getting Tired
8. Rum Sensation
9. Called And Chosen
10. Esprit De Corps
11. The Hovercraft Song
12 . Goodbye Child
13. Morning
14. Do Not Wait For Better Times
15. Mazy # 2
16. My Friends And I

Herman's Hermits - Blaze (1967)

2009-02-20T12:21:00.000-08:00

Herman's Hermits were one of those odd 1960's groups that accumulated millions of fans, but precious little respect. Indeed, their status is remarkably similar to that of the Monkees and it's not a coincidence that both groups' music was intended to appeal to younger teenagers. The difference is that as early as 1976, the Monkees began to be considered cool by people who really knew music; it has taken 35 years for Herman's Hermits to begin receiving higher regard for their work. Of course, that lack of respect had no relevance to their success: 20 singles lofted into the Top 40 in England and America between 1964 and 1970, 16 of them in the Top 20, and most of those Top Ten as well.

While Herman's Hermits couldn't keep up with the revolutionary sounds created in 1967 by the Beatles, Cream, or Jimi Hendrix, they did manage to release pop records that steadily revealed maturity, especially evident on Blaze, their final MGM studio release. At the helm once again was producer Mickie Most, who incorporated production (and studio musicians) on par with his burgeoning Donovan hits (whose "Museum" is covered here) and similar sounding material by the Hollies. The lyrical content continued to mature with Ray Davies-style subject matter previously highlighted by "There's a Kind of Hush" and "Dandy." Unfortunately, the teen idol image of front man Peter Noone was becoming a double-edged sword, as he was starting to be replaced by a new generation of teen idols, while not being able to make the transition into hip 1967. The original cover, a kaleidoscopic view of the band members in Sgt. Pepper-type threads, wasn't enough to regain their declining credibility. Blaze has a short running time at only five songs per side but includes great lost pop songs like "Last Bus Home," "I Call Out Her Name," and "Upstairs, Downstairs." MGM put out The Best of Herman's Hermits, Vol. 3 and called it a day with the band, leaving Blaze to languish as an unappreciated pop gasp. (AMG).

Tracklist :
1. Museum
2. Upstairs, Downstairs
3. Busy Line
4. Moonshine Man
5. Green Street Green
6. Don't Go Out Into The Rain
7. I Call Out Her Name
8. One Little Packet Of Cigarettes
9. Last Bus Home
10. Ace, King, Queen Jack

Edwards Hand - Edwards Hand (1969)

2009-02-19T09:16:00.000-08:00

Originally formed in 1967 as Picadilly Line by Rod Edwards and Roger Hand, English psychedelic pop group Edwards Hand released three albums before disbanding in the mid-'70s (1968's The Huge World of Emily Small [as Picadilly Line] featured the talents of Danny Thompson, Alan Hawkshaw, Jan Barber, Herbie Flowers, and Harold McNair). The group's highly collectible eponymous debut was produced by George Martin, who worked with very few pop acts outside of the Beatles. The record received its share of critical acclaim, earning comparisons to the Bee Gees, as well as the aforementioned Fab Four. Stranded (1970) and Rainshine (1973) were also produced by Martin.

Because Edwards Hand were one of the few pop-rock acts other than the Beatles who were produced by George Martin in the late 1960s, their obscure self-titled debut album has generated some rough comparisons to the Beatles' own work. It's true that the harmonies, melodies, and orchestrations bear some similarity to those heard on the very most pop-oriented of the Beatles' productions, though in truth there's a stronger resemblance to the ornate pop-psychedelia of the late-1960s Bee Gees. Throwing those names into the hat so quickly, though, is a little misleading and might spark hopes for a buried treasure that's better than it is. For the actual songs are certainly coyer and more saccharine than the compositions of the Beatles, and even make the Bee Gees' late-'60s stuff sound melancholy and a little hard-edged. It's more something of a combination of Beatles/Bee Gees-lite with poppier, soaring, sometimes fruity orchestral arrangements -- most likely Martin's strongest contribution to the record -- and more of a middle-of-the-road/sunshine pop/toytown psychedelic influence than the Bee Gees (and certainly the Beatles) admitted. Certainly some of the lyrics make one blanch a bit on the printed page, with their fey references to picture books, kings and queens, bringing flowers in the morning, walking down London's Charing Cross Road, magic cars, and the like. If you like those elements, of course, there are things to enjoy about this record. It has reasonably catchy though not stunning melodies, good duo vocal harmonies, and an ambience that captures something of the most innocuous side of the Swinging London/flower power era. It does sound best, however, when it gets most serious and Bee Gees-like, "If I Thought You'd Ever Change Your Mind" and "Orange Peel" being two examples. (AMG).

Tracklist :

1. Banjo Pier; 2. Friday Hill; 3. Episodes, Being The First Part; 4. Close My Eyes; 5. House Of Cards; 6.If I Thought You'd Ever Change Your Mind; 7. Characters Number One; 8. Orange Peel; 9. Sing Along With The Singer; 10. Magic Car; 11. Days Of Our Life

The Gosdin Brothers - Sounds of Goodbye (1968)

2009-02-18T07:22:00.000-08:00

Despite a strong association with the Byrds, the Gosdin Brothers' progressive blend of bluegrass and country-rock never found its way to a popular audience, though Vern Gosdin would later become one of country's more acclaimed vocalists.

The Gosdin Brothers' obscure 1968 LP Sounds of Goodbye is an overlooked country-rock milestone, and one that owes as much to the sound of the 1966-1967 era Byrds as it does to country music. That's unsurprising, perhaps, given that the Gosdins helped out a lot on Gene Clark's debut solo album in 1967, and sometimes shared bills with the early Byrds, as they shared the same management. In truth, this will appeal far more to the early Byrds fan than to the straight country fan. That's not damning with faint praise, far from it; it's actually high praise. It's a fair guess, too, that anyone who likes Gene Clark's early work will enjoy this record, as it has a similar low-key, hurt, vulnerable mystique to the melodies, vocals, and harmonies. The material, though sometimes average, is also sometimes outstanding, as on "Love at First Sight," which actually comes quite close to the classic 1966 Byrds jangle rock sound; the melancholy, graceful "She's Gone," with the kind of unexpected compelling chord changes you'd expect from the Gene Clark songwriting school; and "The Victim," with its pungent burned-by-love lyrics, and an odd (though not displeasing) dash of psychedelic echo on the chorus. The covers cast an eclectic net ("Catch the Wind," "Let It Be Me," the Everly Brothers' "Bowling Green") and are not as distinctive as the originals, but even so there's an excellent reading of Ewan MacColl's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face." (AMG).

Tracklist :

1. Sounds of Goodbye; 2. Tell Me; 3. There Must Be a Someone (I Can Turn To); 4. Woman's Disgrace; 5. Multiple Heartaches; 6. Love at First Sight; 7. The Victim; 8. Uncommitted Man; 9. Catch the Wind; 10. She's Gone; 11. No Matter Where You Go (There You Are); 12. Hangin' On; 13. Wishing; 14. Louisiana Man; 15. I'll Live Today; 16. For Us to Find; 17. One Hundred Years from Now; 18. Bowling Green; 19. I'll Live With God (To Die No More); 20.The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face; 21. Love of the Common People; 22. She Still Wishes I Were You; 23. Had a Lot of Friends; 24. Let It Be Me .

The Mystic Astrologic Crystal Band - The Mystic Astrologic Crystal Band (1967)

2009-02-17T07:46:00.000-08:00

A third-tier late-'60s L.A. psychedelic outfit, the Mystic Astrologic Crystal Band were not as weird as their name indicated. They were, more to the point, as trendy as their name led one to believe, recording common-denominator psychedelic pop for the GNP label that emulated much of the form, but delivered little in the way of lasting content. Steve Hoffman wrote all of the group's material, which largely consisted of passable emulations of the Association, the Seeds, and much of the L.A. psychedelic pop that fell between these extremes. Their sound is so anonymous, in fact, that one suspects they were only playing psychedelic music because it was fashionable -- if it were 12 years later, they may have opted to wear skinny ties and sound like the Knack instead. Perhaps that's too harsh an assessment, but there's not much to put your back against on their albums, despite their status as collector's items. (AMG).

Tracks :
1. Factory Endeavour
2. Early Dawn
3. Antagonizing Friend
4. Barnyard Philosophy
5. Flowers Never Cry
6. Geometry Alley
7. October Sunshine
8. Le Vent
9. Publicly Inclined
10. Yesterday Girl

Mortimer - Mortimer (1968)

2009-02-16T08:30:00.000-08:00

Despite the reputation surrounding their highly sought-after 1968 LP, New York quartet Mortimer are probably best remembered for their association with The Beatles' Apple empire. Indeed they recorded a whole album with Peter Asher in 1969 which remains unreleased to this day, largely due to the arrival of Allen Klein at Apple and his culling of several projects. It wasn't the first time that Klein had axed the release of an album by the band. In 1966 the pre-Mortimer garage rock band The Teddy Boys were signed to the Cameo Parkway label where they issued two fine and furious singles and cut an album's worth of material. Klein entered the picture at Cameo in 1967 and nixed the release of the album. Regardless of these misfortunes, The Teddy Boys were hot property in the New York clubs and were soon signed up by B, B & D Productions, a company co-run by Englishman Daniel Secunda, brother of notorious UK pop manager Tony Secunda. They installed the band at their trendy manhattan night club, Arthur, and gave them a flat where they wrote new material in a more acoustic and melodic vein. An album was duly recorded for Mercury using this acoustic approach and a couple of promo singles lifted. The irresistable opener "Dedicated Music Man" received heavy airplay in the New York area and the album reportedly sold 35,000 copies. Secunda suggested the band visit England in the summer of 1968 and they did so, securing the Apple contract almost immediately when George Harrison heard them play a floor show in the Apple offices. But that's another story.

Tracks :

1. Dedicated Music Man; 2. Where Dragons Guard The Doors; 3. Would You Believe; 4. Singing To The Sunshine; 5. Mortimer's Theme; 6. Take Your Troubles; 7. To Understand Someone; 8. Waiting For Someone; 9. Life's Sweet Music; 10. Yes We Know

Tages - Studio (1967)

2009-02-15T07:12:00.000-08:00

Tages (pronounced “tah-guess”) are universally known as the best sixties pop band from Sweden. They struck it big early, hitting the Swedish #1 with “Sleep Little Girl” in 1964! Their efforts in the psychedelic era would be their last. Studio should sit comfortably next to masterpieces of the year, a few notches closer to Odessey & Oracle than Sgt. Pepper and not very far at all from the following year’s Birthday Party. Thanks to the tape cuts, orchestration, harmonies, and studio tricks, it even sounds like they got their hands on a copy of Brian Wilson’s unreleased Smile tapes. Certainly, anybody willing to spend enough time exploring all the rabbit holes in the Beatles catalog owes themselves a trip through this marvelous record.
The album opener, Have You Seen Your Brother Lately, proves how apt the name “Studio” is for such a creatively produced statement. Few won’t be sold within the first few seconds, hearing a looping string quartet surrender to a commanding rhythm highlighted by pounding drums and boxy plucked bass lines. Delicate touches of grand piano and kazoo bust open the door to an album rife with auditory treats and excellent craftmanship. Vocals are good, reminding me of an edgier Colin Blunstone, with plenty of fine backup parts.
But Studio is a diverse affair, It’s My Life, the 2nd track growls out dark guitar distortions straight from the Move arsenal under workout vocal leads. The drums stand out, consistently providing ahead-of-their-time and vicious beats. Tunes are often loaded with orchestration, like the soft ballad, People Without Faces, and bouncier brass marches like What’s The Time and She’s Having A Baby Now. Tasteful psychedelic treatments abound in backwards guitar leads, weird stomp boxes, and sound effects sprinkled throughout the record. Songs are short pop winners, maybe missing some of the excellent songwriting of their contemporaries, but the entrancing production really makes up for the lack of a better bridge or two. Members of the Tages would form Blond in 1969 but disband by 1970. (The Rising Storm.net).

Tracks :
1. Have You Seen Your Brother Lately
2. It's My Life
3. Like a Woman
4. People Without Faces
5. I Left My Shoes at Home
6. She's a Man
7. Seeing With love
8. Created by You
9. What's the Time
10. It's in a Dream
11. She's a Having a Baby Now
12. The Old Man Wafwer

We All Together - 2 (1974)

2009-02-15T04:06:00.000-08:00

The Peruvian band We All Together, though unknown beyond a core cluster of cultists, was among the prime exponents of Beatlesque pop/rock in the early '70s. Led by singer and frequent composer Carlos Guerrero, who (along with some other members) had been in the Peruvian rock band Laghonia, they released two albums (singing in English) in the first half of the '70s. These were fashioned after the lighter side of the late-'60s Beatles, particularly in the vocal harmonies, melodic tunes and sophisticated arrangements blending keyboards, acoustic guitars and electric guitars in a graceful manner. Although Lennon, McCartney, and for that matter, Harrison's influence, show up in We All Together's work, they had more of an affinity for McCartney's engaging melodicism than for the other members of the Fab Four, to the point of covering some obscure, early McCartney solo tunes.

Their second and final album strongly echoes late-period Beatles, particularly Paul McCartney; in fact, it often seems pitched about midway between the 1969-70 Beatles and the beginning of McCartney's solo career. Although it's hard to shake the nagging feeling while listening to this CD that it's somehow been created by a cover band who got access to discarded early-'70s McCartney demos, it's a convincing and enjoyable emulation of Lennon & McCartney's pop-rock craftsmanship, if more lightweight, less cogent and personal, and lacking in truly world-class tunes. It's on a much higher plateau than Klaatu, for instance. And the Beatles aren't the sole point of reference; guitar riffs on "Follow Me If You Can," for instance, have been altered just enough from Yes' "Roundabout" to avoid plagiarism, while the full guitars and harmonies on many cuts will appeal to many a Badfinger fan. The CD reissue has five bonus cuts, some quite worthwhile. On "Rock of Ages," they offer a surprisingly convincing raunchy rocker, in contrast to their usual midtempo blends of voice, guitar, piano, and some orchestration; Carlos Guerrero's "Together Forever" and "It's Us Who Say Goodbye" are in the mold of folky White Album ballads like "I Will" and "Julia"; and there's a faithful version of McCartney's "Band on the Run," not exactly a common cover choice for bands of the time. (AMG).

Tracks :
1. Persons And Faces
2. Who Knows
3. Littlw Boy
4. Silly Roadman
5. Cloudy Night
6. Ozzy
7. Beautiful People
8. Follow Me If You Can
9. I'd Like Her To Be Mine
10. She's So Sweet
11. Rock Of All Ages
12. Band On The Run
13. Nadie Me Ama Como Tu
14. Together Forever
15. It's Us Who Say Goodbye

The Buckinghams - Portraits (1968)

2009-02-14T03:57:00.000-08:00

If everyone on the northwest side of Chicago who claims to have hung out with the Buckinghams during their heyday had faithfully bought all their releases, the rock group might have sold more records than the Beatles. Popular attractions while still in high school, the quintet changed its name from the Pulsations to the Buckinghams to reflect the British Invasion craze and signed with Chicago's USA Records in 1966. Backing Dennis Tufano's buoyant lead vocals with prominent harmonies and punchy soul-styled brass, the group came across the wistful "Kind of a Drag," and in short order, the Buckinghams had a million-selling pop chart-topper on their hands. They quickly graduated to recording for Columbia. As long as songwriter Jim Holvay supplied more material of the same high quality as "Kind of a Drag," the Buckinghams were sitting pretty. Holvay cowrote "Don't You Care," "Hey Baby (They're Playing Our Song)," and the pseudo-psychedelic "Susan," and they all proved to be major hits for the band. The group's R&B roots surfaced on a vocal adaptation of Cannonball Adderley's jazz standard "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy," their second-biggest hit. But the Buckinghams' fortunes soon changed drastically -- one of the top-selling rock groups of 1967, they managed only one hit after early 1968, and by 1970 the group was kaput. Two original members, guitarist Carl Giammarese and bassist Nick Fortuna, have since revived the Buckinghams for oldies tours. (AMG).

Tracks :
1. C'Mon Home
2. I Love All Of The Girls
3. We Just Know
4. We Just Know - Reprise
5. Inside Looking Out
6. Hey Baby (They're Playing Our Song)
7. Susan
8. The Mail
9. Big Business Advisor
10. Have You Noticed You're Alive
11. Have You Noticed You're Alive - Reprise
12. Just Because I've Fallen Down
13. Any Place In Here
14. Any Place In Here - Reprise

Honeybus - Story (1970)

2009-02-13T14:57:00.000-08:00

The story of Honeybus is almost a cautionary tale. Considering that most have never heard of them, it's amazing to ponder that they came very close, in the eyes of the critics, to being Decca Records' answer to the Rubber Soul-era Beatles. The harmonies were there, along with some catchy, hook-laden songs and usually tastefully overdubbed brass and violins. The pop sensibilities of Honeybus' main resident composers, Pete Dello and Ray Cane, were astonishingly close in quality and content to those of Paul McCartney and the softer sides of John Lennon of that same era. What's more, the critics loved their records. Yet, somehow, Honeybus never got it right; they never had the right single out at the proper time, and only once in their history did they connect with the public for a major hit, in early 1968. Their best known lineup consisted of Pete Dello (vocals, keyboards, guitar), Ray Cane (vocals, bass, keyboards), Colin Hare (rhythm guitar, vocals), and Pete Kircher (drums, vocals), with Dello and Cane writing most of their songs. Dello and Cane, songwriting partners and ex-members of various minor early-'60s rock bands, most notably Grant Tracy & the Sunsets, were the prime movers behind Honeybus.

In March 1968, "I Can't Let Maggie Go" b/w "Tender Are The Ashes" became the third Honeybus single and the one which would ensure their place in the history books. "Maggie" captures the Honeybus ethos perfectly with it's baroque arrangement and fragile harmonies. Dello wrote both sides with "Tender" continuing the series of harder flip sides.The single hit number 8 in the UK and became a huge hit in dozens of territories but the resulting merry-go-round of gigs, press and TV conflicted with Dello's vision. He saw Honeybus as essentially a studio project and had had enough of life on the road during the early 60's. With a record in the top ten, the record company screaming for a follow-up and album and widespread adulation, Pete Dello quit his own group.Such a blow would have signalled the end for most bands but the remaining members of Honeybus were more resourceful than that. First, they recruited Jim Kelly on vocals and guitar, then set about recording a follow-up to "Maggie". Before Dello's departure, both "I'm A Gambler" and live favourite "Francoise" had been mooted, but his compositions were now unavailable.It was six months until Cane's "Girl Of Independent Means" b/w the group composition "How Long" featuring Kircher on lead vocals was released. A great upbeat single featuring brass and an insistent hook, "Girl" nevertheless failed to sustain the group's success. The song was probably too far removed from it's predecessor and was released too late to register.Next, Cane came up with "She Sold Blackpool Rock" which appeared in May 1969 with Colin Hare's first recorded composition "Would You Believe" on the flip. "Blackpool" is a charming, string-laden piece which possibly tries too hard to emulate "Maggie". The single flopped in the UK but sold well in Europe, prompting the recording of an Italian language version.The band had virtually called it a day by summer 1969 but at Terry Noon's insistence the sessions continued and soon they'd completed an album's worth of new material. Pete Kircher left the group during the sessions to join Englebert Humperdinck's touring band and was replaced by Lloyd Courteney and old friend Bob Henrit, now with Argent.The album was eventually released without promotion in February 1970, by which time Honeybus was no more. Rather confusingly titled Story it remains a classic of the era, twelve shining gems written mostly by Cane with a couple from Hare. Blending Beatlesque pop ("She's Out There"), folk ("He Was Columbus"), country ("Ceilings No 1" and "Ceilings No 2", the same song played at different tempos), baroque pop ("She Said Yes") and gentle psychedelia ("Under The Silent Tree").

Tracks:
1. Story
2. Black Mourning Band
3. Scarlet Lady
4. Fresher Than The Sweetness In Water
5. He Was Columbus
6. Ceilings No. 1
7. Under The Silent Tree
8. She's Out There
9. She Said Yes
10. I Remember Caroline
11. How Long
12. Ceilings No. 2

Forever Amber - The Love Cycle (1969)

2009-02-13T09:27:00.000-08:00

There’s a tangible aura about “lost albums”, something that draws you into their parallel universe. Beyond high-profile items such as the Beach Boys’ Smile and Prince’s Black Album are a wealth of “private pressings” issued in tiny quantities by local bands; almost all are half-baked, classics only to the socially challenged obsessive. Forever Amber’s The Love Cycle, though, resides in a secret garden all of its own, bursting with unfettered melodic glee and the pop experimentation prevalent in the provinces in 1968.
Originally they were an act called the Country Cousins, gigging at Cambridgeshire air bases for homesick Americans. By 1967 they were driving to gigs in a psychedelically painted ambulance – the new moniker was an abbreviation of Forever Ambulance. Meanwhile, the 18-year-old accountancy student John Hudson was spending his lunchtimes writing songs for the group’s sole album in a rehearsal room above a shop in Cambridge.
Hudson had ambition. The Love Cycle’s 16 songs, like Pet Sounds, cover a relationship sequentially from first meeting to grim denouement. He found a studio to fit his £200 budget below a musical instrument shop in Hitchin. The album was recorded in a marathon 19-hour session on a Sunday in September 1968, and the band made great use of the profusion of riches upstairs; glockenspiel, penny whistle, a wah-wah pedal, and plenty of harpsichord.
Years of harmonising had created a group with five strong lead singers, though Mick Richardson’s woody, middle-class delivery stands out. English as tuppence, The Love Cycle has a distinctly Grantchester Baroque atmosphere – the nearest comparisons are the Zombies and neighbours Pink Floyd, though the naive yearning of songs such as Bits of Your Life and Going Away Again are pretty much their own.
Only 99 copies were pressed and flogged off at gigs to the lucky few. The drummer Barry Broad sold his only copy recently and recarpeted his entire house with the proceeds.
John Hudson went on to run his own accountancy firm. Of the band, only Chris Parren turned pro, ending up as the keyboard player on George Michael’s Careless Whisper, which outsold The Love Cycle by roughly three million copies. (Times Online).

Tracks:
1. Me oh My
2. Silly Sunshine
3. Bits of Your Life, Bits of My Life
4. For a Very Special Person
5. The Dreamer Flies Back
6. Misunderstood
7. Better Things Are Bound To Come
8. On a Night In Winter
9. On Top of My Own Special Mountain
10. Mary (the Painter)
11. All the Colours of My Book
12. Going Away Again
13. A Chance to Be Free
14. I See You As You Used to Be
15. Letters From Her16. My Friend
16. My Friend

Marc Brierley - Welcome to the Citadel (1968)

2009-02-12T10:19:00.000-08:00

A minor player on the late-'60s British folk-rock scene, guitarist and singer/songwriter Marc Brierley made a couple of albums in the late '60s that were somewhat in line with the folk-pop-rock Donovan was making around the same time, though they were milder and far less distinctive. Brierley made his recording debut in 1966 with a five-song acoustic EP for Transatlantic Records that was similar in nature to the early acoustic recordings of Donovan and Bert Jansch. His 1968 debut LP, Welcome to the Citadel, expanded his arrangements into light folk-rock and touches of orchestration, with Tony Reeves and Mike Travis (who'd just toured with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers) as the rhythm section. One-time Donovan manager Ashley Kozak produced 1969's more melodic Hello, which moved toward slightly fuller pop/rock arrangements, though as on its predecessor these sometimes had a Baroque flavor. Other than a couple of non-LP singles in 1969 and 1970, that would be Brierley's entire recording career, as he retired from music in 1973. All of Brierley's recordings are contained on the two-CD compilation Autograph of Time: The Complete Recordings 1966-1970. (AMG).

Tracks :
1. The Answer Is
2. Vagabond Of Sleep
3. Matchbox Men
4. Over The Hills
5. Symphony
6. Take Me For A Ride On Your Aeroplane
7. Welcome To The Citadel
8. Hold On, Hold On, The Garden Sure Looks Good Spread Out On The Floor
9. Autograph Of Time
10. Sunlight Sleepers Song
11. Making Love
12. Time Itself
13. And Who Would But Think
14. Thoughts & Sounds

The Merry-Go-Round - The Merry-Go-Round: You're a Very Lovely Woman - Live (1967)

2009-02-12T08:39:00.000-08:00

The Merry-Go-Round were formed in Los Angeles during the summer of 1966 when Palace Guard drummer Emitt Rhodes left that band and began rehearsing in the Rhodes family garage with his high-school buddy Gary Kato. After a couple weeks with friends Mike Rice and Doug Harwood on bass and drums, respectively, the duo hooked up with a couple of L.A. movers: bassist Bill Rinehart had played in the Leaves and drummer Joel Larson with the Grass Roots, and both had been in the short-lived Gene Clark Group in 1966 and later played on Clark's classic 1967 album, Gene Clark with the Gosdin Brothers. Rhodes, Kato, Rinehart, and Larson recorded demos that attracted label attention and led to a deal with A&M. "Live" was released as a single in early 1967 and quickly became a huge hit in L.A., and eventually reached number 63 in the Billboard singles chart. The B-side, "Time Will Show the Wiser," became somewhat well known too, as Fairport Convention cut a version on their 1968 debut album.

The Merry-Go-Round's self-titled 1967 album is a breathtaking blend of chiming folk-rock guitars, British Invasion harmony vocals, baroque pop arrangements, and pure pop songcraft that sounds daisy fresh in 2009. The Beatles are a huge influence, and there is plenty of McCartney in Emitt Rhodes' sweet vocals and their vocal harmonies. You can hear the Byrds a bit, some Left Banke (especially on the sweeping orchestral pop gem "You're a Very Lovely Woman"), some L.A. garage on rockers like "Where Have You Been All My Life" and "Lowdown"; the group definitely didn't exist in a vacuum. But there are some songs that are quite unique and original like "Time Will Show the Wiser" with its otherworldly sped up and backward guitars and enchanting melody, the bouncy and warm hit single "Live," and "Had to Run Around," an exquisite ballad whose tender beauty foreshadows Rhodes' classic 1970 Emitt Rhodes album. These songs, and the overall quality of the songs and the group's loose and earthy playing, help lift the album above the pack and should lead to it being mentioned in the same breath as Love's first album or Buffalo Springfield's first when talking about classic American debut albums of the '60s. (AMG).

Tracks :
1. Live
2. Time Will Show the Wiser
3. On Your Way Out
4. Gonna Fight the War
5. Had to Run Around
6. We're in Love
7. You're a Very Lovely Woman
8. Where Have You Been All of My Life
9. Early in the Morning
10 .Low Down
11. Clown's No Good
12. Gonna Leave You Alone

The Twilights - Once Upon a Twilight (1968)

2009-02-11T08:53:00.000-08:00

A clear case could be made for citing The Twilights’ Once Upon a Twilight as Australia’s greatest pop-psych album. Although almost totally ignored on its original release in June 1968, the album now takes its place among the best of the genre (MOJO magazine’s 2004 Special Edition on Psychedelia listed Once Upon a Twilight as one of the great unheralded World Psych albums).
Between 1966 and 1967 The Twilights enjoyed eight Top 40 hit singles. Near-perfect pop-psych gems like ‘9.50’, ‘Young Girl’, ‘Time and Motion Study Man’, ‘The Way They Play’, ‘Cathy Come Home’ and ‘Comin’ on Down’ remain some of the finest moments in Australia’s 1960s musical legacy. The Twilights had gained much inspiration and experience on their trip to the UK (October 1966 to February 1967), during which they recorded three tracks at EMI’s Abbey Road Studios with in-house producer Norman Smith (Pink Floyd, The Pretty Things): a cover of The Hollies’ ‘What’s Wrong with the Way I Live’, ‘9.50’ and ‘Young Girl’. Upon returning to Australia , the band set about recording what was to be their greatest (and final) LP.

Just what is it that makes The Twilights’ Once Upon a Twilight such an important pop-psych artefact? First and foremost is the quality of the songs themselves, with nearly all having been written by the band’s resident musical genius, guitarist Terry Britten. Secondly, under the guidance of producer David MacKay, the band recorded the album as a complete work, so that even today it displays a unity of purpose and holistic purity not generally achieved elsewhere. Thirdly, the sound of the album boasts all the trappings of period psychedelia, with all manner of studio trickery from echoed harmonies and gentle phasing to vocals fed through rotating Leslie cabinets.
After the break-up of The Twilights, lead singer Glenn Shorrock went on to join Axiom and later, the internationally famous Little River Band. Britten became an in-demand session player and producer for the likes of Cliff Richard (for whom he co-wrote ‘Devil Woman’, ‘Carrie’ and ‘Green Light’), as well as a highly successful songwriter (Christie Allen, Tina Turner, Michael Jackson).

Tracks:
1. Once Upon A Twilight
2. What A Silly Thing To Do
3. Bessemae
4. Stop The World For A Day
5. Mr. Nice
6. Take Action
7. Blue Roundabout
8. Devendra
9. Found To Be Thrown Away
10. Tomorrow Is Today
11. The Cocky Song
12. Paternosta Row

The Five Americans - Progressions (1967)

2009-02-11T04:58:00.000-08:00

The Five Americans' third album, Progressions, lives up to its title. The group, which had gained success with the pounding frat rocker "I Saw the Light" and the bubbly pop hit "Western Union," began to show some real artistic growth as they stretched out and explored new sounds. Some of the tracks sound like more assured versions of their earlier efforts — the bubblegummy "Zip Code" (the attempted follow-up to "Western Union"), the tender folk-rock of "(But Not) Today," the sparkling pop of "Stop-Light" — but they also incorporate some harder guitar rock on "Black Is White — Day Is Night," Kinks-y baroque pop psych on "Rain Maker," and blue-eyed soul on "Come on Up." They also ditched the at times too slick sound achieved by producer Dale Hawkins, took over the production chores themselves, and did a fine job of creating a full and rich sound with just enough experimentation to keep things unpredictable. Progressions is a substantial leap of quality for the group; with the right push, it could have been big. Instead it is a hidden gem that fans of fine '60s pop should seek out and savor. (AMG).

Tracks :

1. Stop-Light

2. Con Man

3. Black Is White-Day Is Night

4. (But Not) Today

5. Come on Up

6. Zip Code

7. Rain Maker

8. Sweet Bird of Youth

9. Evol-Not Love

10. Somebody Help Me

11. Call on Me