The Cleves - Cleves Plus Rare E.P And Single (1970 new zealand, spanking sunshine psychedelic rock)

The core members of The Cleves were New Zealand born Gaye Brown and her brothers Ron and Graham. All three studied music and formed their own group while in their teens. After adding local lad Milton Lane (rhythm guitar) they became The Clevedonaires ca. 1964. The band's name was taken from their home town of Clevedon, just south of Auckland. According to Bruce Sergent, Lane was replaced by Rob Aicken a few months later, although Vernon Joyson's listing for the group suggests that he came in later.

The Clevedonaires originally played "lightweight folksy music", covering acts like The Seekers, Donovan and the Byrds, and playing church halls and school dances around the South Auckland area. By 1965 they had toughened up their style and were covering tracks by The Who, The Small Faces and The Beatles. Gaye had now started playing organ, allowing Rob Aicken to switch to bass, and they started working the Auckland club circuit. 

In 1966 Auckland promoter Benny Levin signed them to his Impact label. "How You Lied" / "Rooftops And Chimneys" came out in 1966, and "He's Ready" / "Lost Women" and "Funny How Love Can Be" / "Don't Ask Me What To Say" in 1967. To promote the singles, the band appeared on local TV shows The We Three Show and C'Mon. Their final Impact single, a cover of Donovan's "Sunny Goodge Street", backed by the Small Faces' "Up The Wooden Hills To Bedfordshire" was released in 1968, just before they relocated to Australia.

Now renamed The Cleves, they were one of several polished Sydney pop bands of the period (e.g. The Executives, The Affair, Aesop's Fables, The Clik) who featured tight harmonies, sophisticated arrangements and relatively light, pop-oriented repertoire. The Cleves' first Australian single appears to have been a promotional recording made for the Marionette Theatre of Australia's long-running children's production of The Tintookies. This enduringly popular children's show was based on Peter Scriven's 1946 book Little Fella Bindi and The Tintookies. (Scriven also created and performed the puppets for the Sixties TV series Sebastian The Fox and the 1968 short film The Painter). The single was issued on the Marionette label in 1968.

In 1969 the group signed with Festival and issued two singles, "Sticks and Stones" / "Don't Turn Your Back" (September 1969) and "You and Me" / "Cassie" (May 1970), plus two EPs, A Taste of Energy and Music from Michael on Festival's newly formed 'prog' subsidiary Infinity in 1970. Music From Michael  was a sixteen-minute, ten-part suite recorded for the soundtrack of the "Michael" episode of the three-part Australian film Three to Go. "Michael", directed by Peter Weir, won the Grand Prix at the 1970 AFI Awards and it has recently been included on the DVD release of four short films by Peter Weir. (Another segment, "Toula" featured music by Graheme Bond and Rory O'Donohue). Along with the Bee Gees-like track "Don't Turn Your Back", the EP featured songs recorded for the soundtrack, segued together to form a thematic whole, which "combined certain elements of the British music hall tradition (as espoused by The Beatles) with a more esoteric pop flavour a la The Move".

By this time the band was heading in a more progressive musical direction, and they recorded their highly regarded LP, produced by Richard Batchens, in late 1970. Just before it was released (as part of Infinity's first batch of releases in January 1971) The Cleves backed Sydney DJ Donnie Sutherland on a bubblegum pop single with the outlandish title "Bonnie Bonnie Bonnie Na Na Kiss Him Goodbye" (b/w "I Don't Mind") which came out on Martin Erdman's Violet's Holiday label.

The LP, the highly collectable Cleves has been described by Ian McFarlane as "a prime example of where psychedelic pop gave way to a more progressive aesthetic". The album is dominated by "longer tracks, atmospheric organ/fuzzed guitar interplay and tight vocal harmonies (similar to UK bands on the Vertigo label like Cressida and Affinity)". The highlight was their impressive reading of the George Gershwin classic "Summertime". The album has since become one of the most collectible artefacts of Australia's progressive rock era.

"Gaye Brown's spirited vocals are in the manner of Dutch band Earth & Fire, highly regarded songstress Julie Driscoll and Affinity's Linda Hoyle. Tracks like 'Work Out' and 'Time Has Come' are based on a pop framework but are swelled by soaring fuzzed out leads, and Cressida-like keyboard passages. The highlights include an impressive rendering of the George Gershwin chestnut 'Summertime' (shades of Janis Joplin), then the dynamic 'There is a Place' and the more reflective 'For A Time'." -- Ian McFarlane

After the album came out The Cleves were joined for a short time by guitarist Vince Meloney (guitar; ex-Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs, Bee Gees, Fanny Adams). Not long after, Ace Follington (ex-Chain, Country Radio) subsequently replaced Graham Brown on drums. In October 1971, The Cleves moved to the UK (minus Meloney who had by then formed Flite with Leo De Castro) where they became known as Bitch. Before breaking up the band issued three singles, "Laughing", "Good Time Coming" and "Wildcat". These were apparently released  on the Anchor label, distributed by Warner Brothers in the USA. What became of the group members after this time is not known.

Vicious Sloth Collectibles has re-released the Cleves album on CD. Re-mastered from the original tapes, it also includes the songs from the Music From Michael EP as bonus tracks, plus original artwork and liner notes.

Miles-ago

Tracks
1. Work Out - 7:05
2. There Is A Place - 5:00
3. Keep Trying - 5:04
4. Time Has Come - 5:00
5. Summertime - 7:35
6. Wait For A Moment - 3:20
7. For A Time - 6:00
8. Waterfall - 4:58
9. You And Me - 3:17
10.Music From Michael - 16:39

The Cleves
*Rob Aicken - Bass
*Gaye Brown - Vocals, Organ
*Graham Brown - Drums (1964-1971)
*Ron Brown - Guitar
*Ace Follington - Drums (1971-)
*Milton Lane - Rhythm Guitar
*Vince Meloney - Guitar

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Various Artists - Fading Yellow - Vol. 3 (1965-69 us, 22 Shiny Jewels Of Pop-Sike And Other Delights)

Third volume of this great series focuses on US-released pop-sike covering the period 1965 to 1969. Includes many buried treasures including Robbie Curtice's "When Diana Paints The Picture", Eddie Hodges' "Shadows & Reflexions" (later covered by The Action), The Chicago Loop (including Mike Bloomfield and Barry Goldberg pre-Electric Flag) and both sides of the rare single by 10 year old Mark Radice! Fantastic compilation that no 60's collection is complete without. Similarly limited to 1000 copies only.

Artists - Tracks

1. Eddie Hodges - Shadows And Reflexions - 2:57

2. Michael And The Trees - Show You Love Me - 2:25

3. Wiggs Of 1666 - It Will Never Be The Same - 2:17

4. Giant Jellybean Copout - Look At The Girls - 2:35

5. Network - The Boys And The Girls - 2:56

6. Saturday's Photograph - Gentle Lovin' San Francisco Man - 2:57

7. Mark Radice - Save Your Money - 2:39

8. Mark Radice - Wooden Girl - 2:59

9. Voyage - One Day - 2:35

10. River Deep - Shelley Tell Me Why - 2:12

11. Springfield Rifle - Left Of Nowhere - 3:17

12. Lamp Of Childhood - First Time, Last Time - 2:53

13. Trolley - Toy Shop - 2:32

14. East Side Kids - Take A Look In The Mirror - 2:05

15. London Phogg - The Times To Come - 2:59

16. Carnival - I'm Going Home Tomorrow - 2:05

17. Gaitley And Fitzgerald - Seance Day - 2:20

18. Scandal - Girl, You're Goin' Out A My Mind - 2:32

19. Robbie Curtice - When Diana Paints The Picture - 2:47

20. Chicago Loop - This Must Be The Place - 2:31

21. Saturday's Photograph - Summer Never Go Away - 2:08

22. Cadaver - Haven't Got The Time - 2:22

Fading Yellow series..
1965-69  Vol.1 - Timeless Pop-Sike And Other Delights
1965-69  Fading Yellow Vol.2 US Pop Sikes

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Bit A Sweet - Hypnotic 1 (1968 us, stylish psychedelic rock, 2012 Kismet bonus tracks edition)

Bit 'A Sweet promises to be a chart regular with the bright and creative spark branded into 2086, If 1 Needed Someone and How Can 1 Make You See?. They blend all the pop ingredients - strong vocals, rich production and instrumentation, and a special trick with a tune. This LP may well serve as the group's musical calling card, and with their fresh originality and breezy psychedelics, Bit 'A Sweet will top the charts.

Billboard, 29/6/68

Formerly known as The Satisfactions, this hard-hitting Long Island club act were veterans of the local scene when producer-arranger Steve Duboff (who also worked with The Cowsills, The Monkees, The Insect Trust and others) signed to MGM, the band debuted with the 1967 single 'Out of Sight Out of Mind' b/w 'Is It On - Is It Off?' (MGM catalog number K-13695). 

Their sole album was released that May. A likeable blend of psychedelic pop and early synthesizer sounds, it’s presented complete with both sides of their rare 1967 debut 45 (as performed in the movie Blonde On A Bum Trip).

Tracks

1. Speak Softly (Steve Duboff) - 5:10

2. 2086 (Steve Duboff, Art Kornfeld) - 2:50

3. If I Needed Someone (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) - 3:36

4. With Love (Mitch London, Steve Duboff) - 3:50

5. Monday - Tuesday (Steve Duboff) - 1:50  

6. Diamonds Studded Eyes (Russell Leslie, Steve Duboff, Dennis Derespino, Mitch London) - 4:02

7. How Can I Make You See (Art Kornfeld, Bill Cowsill, Bob Cowsill) - 2:40

8. Travel (Instrumental)  (Steve Duboff) - 5:00

9. A Second Time (Steve Duboff) - 8:30

10.Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind  (Doug Morris, Steve Duboff) - 2:36

11.Is It On - Is It Off?  (S. Duboff) - 2:53

Bit A Sweet
*Dennis DeRespino - Vocals, Keyboards, Percussion,  Guitar
*Russell Leslie - Vocals, Drums, Percussion
*Mitch London - Vocals, Bass, Percussion
*Jack Mieczkowski - Vocals, Guitar, Sitar
with
*Steve Duboff - Keybords, Percussion, Production
*Vince Bell - Guitars
*Jimmy "Wiz" Wisner - Strings Arrangements

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Various Artists - Fading Yellow Vol.2 US Pop Sikes (1965-69 us, psychedelic pop gems)

Fading Yellow Volume Two starts out with the creepy sounding folk rock of Disraeli's What Will The New Day Bring which has also been recently compiled on the Storm in the Garage box set on Akarma.

The July Four bring us the more upbeat Frightened Little Girl which was covered by The Happy Balloon on the Siesta compilation Sombrero, a song that was not on The Fine Art Of Ballooning. A spiritual obscurity from the sixties if there ever was one and definitely worth the covering - or listening in its original form which appeared on a Cameo/Parkway 45 in 1967. The July Four also released this song in an instrumental version called Mr. Miff as the B-side to Frightened Little Girl which would be interesting to hear.

I'll Take it Back by Calliope has a similar unearthly harmony trend that we heard on the recordings by Curt Boettcher's Ballroom group or early Jefferson Airplane.

George Edwards original pre-HP Lovecraft tune Never Mind, I'm Freezing which is featured here and that was originally issued on Dunwich, much preferring his cover of The Beatles' Norwegian Wood. There are some guitar strums which sound C86 inspired.

I really enjoyed the anthemic folk rock of The Poor and two Poor songs are featured here including How Many Tears and Come Back Baby.

Curt Boettcher and Keith Olsen released the amazing Don´t Say Now as the b-side to The Night We Fell in Love (released as The Oracle) in 1967. It's a shame that Curt Boettcher's side projects have not been compiled on a legitimate compilation because they keep coming up here and there and astound everytime.

The Holy Mackerel were an early Paul Williams' band. I have yet to hear a full album by them, but thanks to compilations like the recently released Come To The Sunshine and this one, I can hear select tracks by this Richard Perry production called Scorpio Red. Paul Williams also helped c-write the masterful Peppermint Trolley Co. tune Trust with Roger Nichols. Sadly, Trust has yet to appear on a legit compilation, so every version I've heard (including the original vinyl copy) has that surface noise which plagues so much 1960s music. So please someone reissue The Holy Mackerel and Peppermint Trolley Co. albums soon!

The Higher Elevation's tune The Summer Skies was a project of Tim Gilbert, the writing partner of John Carter from the Strawberry Alarm Clock's Incense and Peppermints - they also released an LP as The Rainy Daze. The Summer Skies is a breezy garage pop gem that is about love in the summertime - the best time of year.

Chris and Craig were Chris Ducey and Craig Smith before they worked with The Monkee's Mike Nesmith as The Penny Arkade. Craig Smith wrote a handful of tunes for the likes of Andy Williams, Glen Campbell and the Monkees before he became known as Maitreya Kali and released two of the weirder self released albums (Apache and Inca) from the 1960s and early 1970s. Oddly, his albums included some of the Penny Arkade Not the Freeze tunes along with solo odds and ends.

Chris Ducey (not Bobby Jameson, who recorded an album with Chris Ducey's song titles *only* under the name Chris Ducey/Chris Lucey without the real Chris Ducey's involvement) ended up later working with Chad of Chad and Jeremy.

The early Chris and Craig single from 1966 included Isha (included here) and I Need You and has an interesting middle eastern feel mixed with some mad harpsichord and harmony vocals to it which preceded both The Monkees and Maitreya Kali middle eastern sitar sounds. It sounds like a tune that would've been unearthed by some 80s band like The Primitives or The Bangles.

The Backseat's Where Is Mary sounds like a chant that would've appeared in Willy Wonka or The Wizard of Oz movies. Larry Tamblyn from The Standells set this Utah group up with what must be some sort of veiled reference to drugs.

Not much is known about The Reign but their Sea Of Dreams has a jazzy and upbeat feel to it which makes me think it might be from New England. It almost sounds like it was taken from a private reel tape too and not a 45 but what do I know. Nice soulful fuzzed out break midway through.

And finally, a mystery instrumental Bonus Track is included to close out this volume of Fading Yellow which has a nice chiming strummed guitar bit to it and shimmering soloing which reminds me of the 1980s British movement of bands like Felt. I'm not sure why it must remain a mystery, but it's certainly a gem.
By Patrick (Gullbuy)

Artists - Tracks
1. Disraeli - What Will the New Day Bring? - 3:08
2. Network - Ears of Stone - 2:50
3. Whispers - Knowin' - 2:36
4. July Four - Frightened Little Girl - 2:30
5. Calliope - I'll Take It Back - 2:36
6. George Edwards - Never Mind, I'm Freezing - 2:30
7. Poor - How Many Tears - 2:26
8. Happy Return - I Thought I Loved Her - 3:42
9. Oracle - Don't Say No - 3:07
10.Rites - Hour Girl - 2:49
11.Dynamics - All She Said - 2:39
12.Holy Mackerel - Scorpio Red - 3:05
13.Peppermint Trolley Co. - Trust - 2:40
14.Higher Elevation - The Summer Skies - 2:10
15.Chris and Craig - Isha - 2:17
16.Backseat - Where Is Mary - 2:18
17.Poor - Come Back Baby - 2:32
18.Cascades - I Bet You Won't Stay - 2:24
19.Sound Set - Mind in a Bottle - 2:51
20.Reign - Sea of Dreams - 2:18
21.Look - In a Whirl - 2:30
22.Unknown Artist - Bonus track - 2:28
Track 22, the "Bonus Track" is in fact "Mr. Miff" by The July Four.

Fading Yellow series..
1965-69  Vol.1 - Timeless Pop-Sike And Other Delights

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Cosmic Michael - Cosmic Michael / After A While (1969-70 us, groovy acid psych rock, 2012 digi pak edition)

Late-'60s New York-based flower child Cosmic Michael is one of the scads of ultra-obscure recording artists from the original psychedelic era whose records were swept under the rug of time completely. Copies left from the astonishingly small initial pressings have been trading hands among collectors for obscene amounts of money, ranking Cosmic Michael's crude, handmade psychedelia with records of the same era by MIJ, Gary Higgins, and Kenneth Higney. 

This disc collects both of Cosmic Michael's private press albums, including a 1969 self-titled set and 1970's After a While. Unlike the drifting stoner vibes of most loner psyche records, Cosmic Michael's talent for boogie-woogie rock piano comes through as equally as the acidic jamming. Tunes like "River City," "Salty Jam," and of course "The Heavy Boogie" are mostly showcases for Michael's grooving boogie organ or piano skills, if couched in extremely muddy lo-fidelity recording quality. 

While the self-titled material sees the tunes filled out by a full band, the songs from After a While are of a more stripped-down orchestration, Cosmic Michael's voice in one speaker, piano in the other, and the occasional warbly kazoo or harmonica. While the sparsity of After a While makes it a more eerie affair, it's no less engaging than the fried boogie of the other songs. 

Even for his time, Cosmic Michael was by no means a career musician or even remotely concerned with professionalism in music. This innocence and oblivion are largely what makes these very odd songs such a breath of fresh air. 

by Fred Thomas

Tracks
1. Now That You've Found It - 3:58
2. Salty Jam - 4:09
3. Theme - 3:46
4. Too Much - 2:55
5. River City - 2:11
6. People's Fair - 2:33
7. Mother Earth -  6:48
8. The Heavy Boogie - 4:26
9. Woodstock Nation - 3:04
10.She's My Girl - 3:55
11.Feel Free - 3:36
12.Rock Me - 5:21
13.After a While - 3:19
14.Shake It Loose - 1:30
15.Fine Spaces of Time - 4:30
16.Let Me Be - 3:41
17.Truckin - 3:18
All tracks written by Cosmic Michael

Tracks 1-8 from "Cosmic Michael" 1969

Tracks 9-17 from "After A While" 1970

*Cosmic Michael - Vocals, Piano, Harmonica, Guitar.

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Various Artists - Fading Yellow Vol.1 - Timeless Pop-Sike And Other Delights (1965-69 uk, revealing atmospheric beat psych pop)

This is a fine example of music that arose after the Beatles caught  "A Ticket To Ride". Running the gamut from jolly mid-60s beat-pop through to heavily orchestrated affairs from '69, "Fading Yellow's" overall concept of 'pop-sike' and more so 'other delights' is fully realised. 

Some may argue that by the end of the year a certain type of collector will be becoming hot under the collar on hearing mention of a rare '67  Ken Dodd acetate that features lush orchestration and sustained fuzz guitars! Diddy Men in the sky with diamonds, indeed! Cynicism aside, the psych/pop compilation is clearly becoming far poppier with the passing of time, and such a fine example as "Fading Yellow" sits perfectly on the cusp of the "Rubble" series most commercial selections and the more recent and uneven "Ripples" compilations (albeit a lot more interesting).

It's practically a gem after gem ride too. Mike 'Remember You're A Womble' Batt's mournful, sweeping ballad "Fading Yellow" is the perfect summation of what's on offer and is certainly worthy of having an entire compilation named after it. The strings, warm guitar parts and soft vocalising are sumptuous, and a good indication of what's in store. It really is a solid set, and possibly the greatest pop-psych comp to come out in years. 

Rather than focus on fifth-division acetate pressings of 'four Lancashire lads trying to be Syd Barret' everything included here is well performed pop saturated in that certain late '60s over-the-top production that so regularly gets classified as psychedelia. And there are plenty of obscure choice cuts to satisfy even the most hardened psych-head. Irish four-piece Jon's "Is It Love" has a great rising chorus, some oriental sounding instrumentation and a middle-eight that has a vague feel of the Troggs psych-pop phase. 

Juan & Junior (of Los Brincos fame) sound uncannily like Magna Carta on their whimsical folk-pop cut 'Andurina'. 'Woe, Is Love Dead My Dear?' the b-side of the Koobas rare Danish only 'Sweet Music' 45 sees the 'pudlians getting introspective on their beautifully performed rendition of this Bert Jansch piece (which he also recorded). And amongst the many other strong cuts from the likes of Eddy Howell, Ronnie Bird, Paul & Barry Ryan is American teen trio The Aerovons incredible "World Of You", which was recorded in Abbey Road in 1969. 

This not only rates as one of the best cuts on this album, but is also among the finest late '60s EMI discs (and yes, we're talking Pretty Things and Pink Floyd here too). (Rumour has it that their unreleased 1969 album will soon be available on Flower Machine).

Not only timeless, but in every aspect wonderful too. If only more compilations were as good as this.

by Jon 'Mojo' Mills

Artists - Tracks
1. Kate - Strange Girl - 3:03
2. Dean Ford & The Gaylords - That Lonely Feeling - 2:40
3. Eddie Howell - Easy Street - 3:00
4. Mike Batt - Fading Yellow - 3:44
5. Steff Sulke - Oh, What A Lovely Day - 3:04
6. John Williams - Flowers In Your Hair - 2:42
7. The Zephyrs - I Just Can't Take It - 2:30
8. Jon - Is It Love? - 2:51
9. Koobas - Woe, Is Love My Dear - 2:27
10.The Orange Bicycle - Competition - 2:40
11.The Gremlins - The Only Thing On My Mind - 2:05
12.Quintin E Klopjaeger And The Gonks - The Long Way Home - 2:28
13.Sundragon - Far Away Mountain - 2:57
14.Juan And Junior - Andurina - 3:10
15.Hamlet - She Won't See The Light - 2:08
16.Paul And Barry Ryan - Madrigal - 2:17
17.Phil Cordell - Red Lady - 2:25
18.Ronnie Bird - Sad Soul - 2:54
19.Ronnie Bird - Raining In The City - 2:36
20.Elliot's Sunshine - 'Cos I'm Lonely - 3:07
21.Peter Janes - Do You Believe (Love Is Built On A Dream) - 2:53
22.The Bliss - Lifetime - 2:47
23.The Jackpots - King Of The World - 2:50
24.Members Of Time - Dreamin' - 2:38
25.Aerovons - World Of You - 2:24

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The Purple Hearts / The Coloured Balls - Benzedrine Beat! (1964-70 aussie, fascinating garage beat rock)

All ten songs the Purple Hearts released during their brief lifetime (on 1965-1967 singles) are on this meticulously thorough reissue. It also adds four songs they recorded on acetates in early 1965 prior to their recording deal, as well as seven tracks by the Coloured Balls, the band in which singer/harmonica player Mick Hadley and bassist Bob Dames played in the late '60s and early '70s. 

The Purple Hearts tracks are the ones the collectors who seek this CD out will be most interested in, as they're solid, punky R&B, very much in the mold of the British bands springing up in the wake of the Rolling Stones circa 1964-1965. The cuts are tough and hard-boiled, and will no doubt recall similar, though superior, British acts such as the Pretty Things and the Graham Bond Organisation. 

What makes the Purple Hearts inferior to such acts is that they recorded absolutely no original material, devoting most of their studio performances to covers of songs by the likes of Bond, Paul Butterfield, Bo Diddley, and Muddy Waters. They do, however, pull off a superbly menacing R&B/punk makeover of the spiritual "Early in the Morning," with searing fuzz guitar and voodoo-ish ensemble chanting. Too, their sole 45 to feature cover tunes that weren't well known ("Of Hopes and Dreams and Tombstones"/"I'm Gonna Try") is pretty respectable, though Mick Hadley's vocals aren't quite up to the level of belters like the Pretty Things' Phil May. 

The Coloured Balls tracks (in quite variable sound quality), which are much more in a hard rock/blues-rock/psychedelic/progressive rock vein, are apparently taken from "rehearsals, gigs and local TV appearances" -- the liner notes aren't wholly clear on this point. These songs aren't nearly as interesting as the Purple Hearts' material, and are likewise all covers, this time around of songs by Jethro Tull, Steve Miller, and Fleetwood Mac, as well as blues tunes by Howlin' Wolf and Willie Dixon. 

The 36-page booklet is exemplary, with liner notes featuring vintage photos and first-hand quotes from original bandmembers, properly honoring the Purple Hearts' status as one of the more notable Australian rock acts of the '60s. 

by Richie Unterberger

Tracks
The Purple Hearts
1. Talkin' Bout You (Chuck Berry) - 2:08
2. Louie Louie (Richard Berry) - 3:09
3. Long Legged Baby (Graham Graham Bond) - 2:18

4. Gloria (Van Morrison) - 2:54
5. Here 'Tis (Ellas MacDaniel) - 2:49
6. Long Legged Baby (Graham Bond) - 1:54
7. Of Hopes And Dreams And Tombstones (Joy Byers) - 2:30
8. I'm Gonna Try (J. WilliamsJohnny Williams) - 2:20

9. Early In The Morning (Traditional) - 2:11
10.Just A Little Bit (Del Gordon) - 1:50
11.You Can't Sit Down (Phil Upchurch, Dee Clark, Cornell Muldrow, Jon Sheldon) - 3:04
12.Tiger In Your Tank (Willie Dixon) - 2:09
13.Chicago (Nick Gravenites) - 2:25
14.Bring It On Home (Sonny Boy Williamson) - 2:58

The Coloured Balls
15.A Song For Jeffrey (Ian Anderson) - 5:42
16.Killing Floor (Howlin Wolf) - 2:58
17.Living In The Usa (Steve Miller) - 4:34
18.Bring It On Home (Willie Dixon) - 4:35
19.Long Grey Mare (Peter. Green) - 3:56
20.Living In The Past (Ian Anderson) - 3:12
21.Living In The Usa (Live) (Steve Miller) - 10:13

The Purple Hearts
*Mick Hadley - Vocals, Harp
*Fred Pickard - Guitar
*Lobby Loyde - Guitar
*Rob Dames - Bass
*Adrian Redmond - Drums
*Tony Cahill - Drums

The Coloured Balls
*Michael Shannon - Lead Vocals,
*Mick Hadley - Harp, Vocals, Guitar,
*Peter Miles - Drums,
*Bob Dames - Bass
*Robbie Van Delft - Guitar, Flute

Related Act
1971  Lobby Loyde  Plays With George Guitar

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The Chambers Brothers - Love, Peace and Happiness (1969 us, classic groovie psychedelic funky soul rock)

Like their West Coast contemporaries Sly and the Family Stone, the Chambers Brothers shattered racial and musical divides to forge an incendiary fusion of funk, gospel, blues, and psychedelia which reached its apex with the perennial 1968 song "Time Has Come Today." The Chambers siblings -- bassist George, guitarist Willie, harpist Lester, and guitarist Joe, all of whom contributed vocals -- were born and raised in Lee County, MS; the products of an impoverished sharecropping family, the brothers first polished their vocal harmonies in the choir of their Baptist church, a collaboration which ended after George was drafted into the army in 1952. 

Following his discharge he relocated to Los Angeles, where the other Chambers brothers soon settled as well; the foursome began performing gospel and folk throughout Southern California in 1954, but remained virtually unknown until appearing in New York City in 1965. The addition of white drummer Brian Keenan not only made the Chambers Brothers an interracial group, but pushed their music closer to rock & roll; a well-received appearance at the Newport Folk Festival further enhanced their growing reputation, and they soon recorded their debut LP, People Get Ready. 

by Jason Ankeny

In 1969 the Chambers Brothers released a double vinyl under the title "Love, Peace and Happiness", the first disc contains studio recordings and on the B side there's the same-title classic music piece, while the second disc contains live recordings which took place a year before (1968) at Bill Graham's Fillmore East.

Tracks
1. Have a Little Faith (S. Turner) - 5:11
2. Let's Do It (Do It Together) (S. Turner) - 4:33
3. To Love Somebody (Robin Gibb, Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb) - 4:36
4. If You Want Me To (S. Turner) - 3:58
5. Wake Up (Marvin Hamlisch) - 2:17
6. Love, Peace and Happiness (The Chambers Brothers) - 16:15
7. Wade in the Water (Traditional) - 10:22
8. Everybody Needs Somebody (Joseph Chambers) - 6:28
9. I Can't Turn You Loose (Otis Redding) - 2:56
10.People Get Ready (Curtis Mayfield) - 4:13
11.Bang Bang (Joe Cuba, Jimmy Sabater) - 7:25
12.You're So Fine (Willie Schofield, Lance Finney, Bob West) - 4:38
13.Medley: Undecided / Love! Love! Love! (S. Robin, C. Shavers / T. McRae, S. Wyche, S. David) - 4:04

The Chambers Brothers
*George Chambers - Bass. Vocals
*Joseph Chambers - Guitar, Vocals
*Lester Chambers - Harmonica, Vocals
*Willie Chambers - Guitar, Vocals
*Brian Keenan - Drums

More Chambers Brothers
1967  The Time Has Come

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Peter Kelley - Path Of The Wave (1968 us, remarkable bluesy downer folk rock, Fall Out issue)

If ever there was a "typical" record from what's been retrospectively labeled the "downer folk" genre of the late '60s, Peter Kelley's Path of the Wave might fit that bill as well as any. Records in this style were far from the folk-rock and pop mainstream, however, so it's not exactly a typical late-'60s record per se. 

Kelley sings in a breathy sing-speak in the manner of a far gentler mid-'60s Bob Dylan -- "High Flyin' Mama," for instance, sounds a little like "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" -- but the backings are far sparer and spookier than those heard on most '60s folk-rock singer/songwriter records. At times, however, the gentle vibe glides into something more incoherent and disturbed, like that of a young man skirting some serious psychiatric trouble as he tries to sort out the crossfire of strange thoughts floating around his head. 

The arrangements are largely acoustic, but some mild electric guitar and percussion are heard at times, and "Childhood's Hour" sounds rather like a more aggressive Donovan in its combination of flute and delicately picked acoustic guitar. "The Man Is Dead" opts for blistering blues-rock, but it's not representative of a record that usually presents a troubadour of sorts who sounds like a Dylan wannabe trying to fight down his inner demons. 

It's the kind of approach you'd expect from a privately pressed LP of the era, but actually this came out on a pretty sizable label, Sire, with contributions from famous producer Richard Gottehrer (on viola) and future Bruce Springsteen keyboardist Danny Federici (on organ).

by Richie Unterberger

Tracks
1. Apricot Brandy - 2:54
2. High Flyin' Mama - 3:59
3. Christine I - 2:11
4. All I Needed Was Time - 2:33
5. Childhood's Hour - 7:06  
6. Man Is Dead - 6:57
7. Christine II - 2:45
8. In My Own And Secret Way - 5:12
9. Path Of The Wave - 3:10
All songs written By Peter Kelley

Musicians
*Peter Kelley - Guitar, Vocals
*David Budin - Guitar, Piano, Bass, Saxophone
*Rusti Clark - Viola
*Chuck Colin - Trumpet
*Danny Federici - Organ
*Richard Gottehrer - Viola
*Ed Guzman - Drums
*Harriet Jacoff - Piano
*Jon Lehr - Guitar
*Walton Mendelson - Flute
*Jack Nallon - Bass
*Roy Nievelt - Electric Guitar

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rep>> Black Oak Arkansas - X-Rated (1975 us, hard southern boogie rock, 2021 remaster)

Black Oak Arkansas - X-Rated (1975 us,   2021 remaster)

Utopia - Utopia (1969 us, awesome hard rough psych blues rock, 2004 issue)

Hard blues rock band from California formed and lead by Dennis Rodrigues. They also released another one as Growl (Discreet 2209) 1974. The master tapes were shared with Bob Smith during recording of The Visit album which confirms that Utopia's album was released during 1969 - 70. 

from Fuzz Acid and Flowers

Tracks
1. I Just Want To Make Love To You (Willie Dixon) - 4:06
2. Me 6:08
3. Young And Crazy 2:19
4. Who's This Man 3:24
5. Walking Blues (Traditional) - 7:11
6. Working Man 4:36
7. On My Feet Again 4:01
8. Ain't No Reason 4:33
9. Hound Dog (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) - 4:04
10.I Wonder 3:29
11.Back Stabbin' Woman 2:12
All songs by Dennis Rodrigues except where noted.

Utopia
*Dennis Rodrigues - Vocals, Harp
*Frank Krajinbrink - Guitar
*Gene Lucero - Bass
*Harry Brender A 'Brandis - Guitar
*Danny Mcbride - Drums

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Eden's Children - Eden's Children / Sure Looks Real (1968-69 us, splendid psych rock, bosstown sound, 2006 reissue)

The first album by Boston's most exciting trio, getting rare now as an original, and unavailable to many, it failed to sell after its release despite a good welcome by critics. After more than 40 years the album stands the weight of time and provides nine robust songs with all the fuzz you can ask for, a constant pounding drum beat and even some Eastern influences. The record is probably worth it alone for the great guitar playing of Richard Schamack 'Sham' and its cool psychedelic cover.

Follow up to their seminal 1968 debut, this brings you another example of what the Eden's Children are known for, and why they are openly (even back then) acclaimed as the best Boston band. Led by Richard 'Sham' Schamach's fine guitar playing and backed by the tight rhythm section of bassist Larry Kiley and drummer Jimmy Sturman, the children unload in this album another twelve songs of fuzzy psychedelic sounds. Some people argue this to be even better than their first, but we'll let the listener judge.

Tracks
Eden's Children
1. Knocked Out - 3:16
2. Goodbye Girl - 3:20
3. If She’s Right - 2:34
4. I Wonder Why - 3:29
5. Stone Fox - 3:05
6. My Bad Habit - 2:22
7. Just Let Go - 7:43
8. Out Where The Light Fish Live - 5:05
9. Don’t Tell Me - 4:48
Sure Looks Real
10.Sure Looks Real - 4:29
11.Toasted (Larry Kiley) - 2:05
12.Spirit Call - 2:44
13.Come When I Call - 3:44
14.Awakening - 2:08
15.The Clock’s Imagination - 2:54
16.Things Gone Wrong - 4:06
17.Wings (Larry Kiley) - 2:40
18.Call It Design - 3:20
19.Invitation - 3:36
20.Echoes - 2:20
All songs written by Richard 'Sham' Schamach, except where noted.

Eden's Children
*Richard "Sham" Schamach - Vocals, Guitar
*Larry Kiley - Bass
*Jimmy Sturman - Drums

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Sir Winston And The Commons - We're Gonna Love (1966-67 us, superb garage psych, 1999 purple Vinyl reissue)

If any band personified the epic musical voyage of the '60s it was Sir Winston and The Commons from (where else?) Indianapolis, Indiana. Born in 1963 as a surf combo called the Suspicions, Ron Matelic, Don Basore, Herb Crawford, Joe Stout and John Medvescek rode each subsequent pop culture tsunami as it swept across America: from the English Invasion and jangly folk-rock to snotty garage and sitar-laced psychedelia. 

Changing their name to Sir Winston & The Commons in 1964 at the urging of Bob Kelly, their booking agent, the boys adopted fake English accents for a brief period while playing weekly fraternity keggers at Indiana and Purdue Universities. "Some could do the accent and some couldn't," chuckles Matelic. "We told people we were from different parts of England. But then we'd run into guys we went to high school with, so we said, 'Forget this.'" Matelic relied on the late night radio signal of WBZ out of- Boston to pick up on the hottest new tunes weeks before his peers, insuring Sir Winston continuous bookings at teenclubs sprouting up all over "Naptown," like the Whiteland Barn, the Flame Club, the House Of Sound and the Westlake Beach Club (with an indoor swimming pool and a detachable roof). "There was a club in every corner of town," recalls Matelic. whose band competed for gigs with the Boys Next Door, the Idle Few, Sounds Unlimited and the Dawn Five. 

Sir Winston's new booker, Sonny Hobbs, convinced them to concentrate on original material, which soon garnered a single on Soma Records out of Minneapolis. "We never actually met the Soma people," insists Matelic. "They sent us to Columbia Studios in Chicago to record that single. Herb and I both had fuzz-boxes, so 'We're Gonna Love' was inspired by 'Satisfaction.' The other side, 'Come Back,' we tried to make sound like the Beatles' 'Things We Said Today.'" The crowning achievement of Sir Winston's career must have been "Not The Spirit Of India," a subtle yet peppery ragout from 1967, released on their own label, Nauseating Butterfly! "Herb thought of the label name," smiles Matelic, "the Frisco thing had hit: combine any adjective with any noun." Recording aside, Matelic alleges the most fun the group ever had was on periodic incursions into Chicago. 

"We'd charter two buses to take all our family and friends down there to see us play at The Cellar." The band's ultimate kudo may also have come from that Chitown nitery, considering it was frequented by the Shadows Of Knight and Saturday's Children. "Everybody there thought we were really weird," says Matelic, still proud of the backhanded compliment.

by Prof. Jud Cost

Tracks
1.We're Gonna Love  (Don Basore) - 2:38
2.Come Back Again (Ronald Matelic) - 2:02
3.Not the Spirit of India (Ronald Matelic, Herb Crawford) 2:15
4.One Last Chance (Don Basore) - 2:39

Sir Winston And The Commons
*Joe Stout  - Saxophone
*Herb Crawford - Guitar
*John Medvescek - Drums
*Ron Matelic - Guitar
*Don Basore - Bass

Related Act
1976-77  Anonymous - Inside The Shadow / No Longer Anonymous

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rep>>> The Smoke - The Smoke (1968 us, beautiful colorful psychedelic rock, 2010 Kismet edition)

The Smoke - The Smoke 1968 (kismet 2010)

Keef Hartley Band - Seventy Second Brave (1972 uk, brilliant blues jazz rock, 2009 Esoteric remaster issue)

By the middle of 1971, I had five albums in the can, taken the band on endless tours and played at major festivals including the legendary Woodstock Festival in 1969. I suppose after all that I was getting ready for a change. At the end of 1971 it started to become clear that myself and Gary Thain were following a different musical direction to that of Miller Anderson, but all in a positive way. 

Miller decided to pursue his solo career which, although it was a blow, left me the freedom to get together fresh musicians and essentially make a new start. I set about the task of searching for a great bunch of very different but nevertheless, musically like minded individuals. The gathering together of Junior Kerr on Guitar, Pete Wingfield on Keyboards, Chris Mercer on Sax (who was also a dynamite arranger) and Nick Newell on Sax was the result of that search. 

The respect I had for Gary Thain was immense and to the extent that I made the one and only concession in my recording career. Gary wrote "You Say You're Together Now" and he was insistent that he should sing that number himself. I agreed that he could and, although I honoured that agreement, it wasn't the right decision musically. Saying it was a mistake makes it sound like I'm bitter about that decision which I'm not, but I always wanted the music to come first. 

Pete Wingfield was the most tight fisted person I'd ever met! Whilst sailing to Oslo, we all bought and took seasick pills and we all threw up except for Pete who said "I've paid for it so I'm keeping it". Some months later he released a successful single on the Blue Horizon label called "18 with a Bullet" and every time I bumped into him at a session after that I used to sing "I'm 18 with a wallet - I can't get in there, you won't allow it." It was all in good humour. 

Pete wrote "Hard Pill to Swallow" for the album that also showed off Chris Mercer's horn arrangements, which were both subtle and deep. Junior Kerr was an extremely mellow guy but as a performer he always wanted to be Jimi Hendrix; the ultimate alter ego chameleon. He contributed two songs for the album "Heartbreakin' Woman" and "Don't You Be Long". I'd always loved Chris Mercer's playing when  he was in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. Chris was in the band at the same time as I was so we knew each other and it was great that he agreed to join my brand new 1972 band. 

To get an idea of Chris's talented playing, listen to Roxy Music's "Let's Work Together" - the sax solo in that was Chris Mercer at his very best – he blows it to kingdom come! I knew Nick Newell through Zoot Money's Big Roll Band and one day he approached me and asked if I'd got any work, so I said "Yes, how do you fancy working with Chris Mercer?" and he said "Yeah, I'd love to". Those two got on like a house on fire and some of the brass arrangements were perfected by the two of them huddled together in a corner trying out different voicings for the parts. 

As we all became familiar with what we were doing I got really excited about getting in the studio with this bunch of really talented guys. I couldn't wait! The album title was conceived as usual during the time frame of recording the album and as the year was very soon going to be 1972 and I wanted to keep the Native American theme alive, I came up with "Seventy Second Brave" in a moment of inspiration one evening on the way home from the studio. The album owes as much to John Burns the coproducer as it does to any of the players that were involved. I first met up with John Burns in the editing suite when he worked as an engineer whilst making our previous album "Little Big Band". 

After that he decided to go into producing and had produced one or possibly two Genesis albums before I asked him if he would co-produce and engineer "Seventy Second Brave". On one track, (I'll leave you to decide which it is), we had Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins on backing vocals. You won't find them credited on the album as it was just a case of them strolling into the studio with John Burns and joining in for fun. A nice moment was when Phil Collins took me to one side and said to me "Do you remember the Mayall gig at Wellington Town Hall?" And I said "No" "Well", he said, "we came to see you and loved it because you took the piss out of your own drum solo." You see I was expected to do drum solos and the crowd loved them but I never liked them musically. 

Anyway, the time was approaching when we were going to make the album so we all met up at John Burns' flat and brainstormed the songs making sure that each and every musician had a chance to input their ideas. We had at least half a dozen sessions like this. Not only was this good preparation for working on the album, it was a great insight into how we would work as a live band. We had two and a half weeks of studio time booked (excluded mixing). We played everything live but still used overdubs to enhance the performances. By now most other bands were starting to work in a different way, building up songs one instrument at a time. 

This was all very well but often lost the interplay that you get when musicians are playing together in the same room. We all went in well rehearsed for the recording sessions but when we started gigging it was a different matter - we often had to adapt arrangements to suit the live performances until we were happy with them. Each session was around 10 hours each day over the two and a half weeks. We would possibly abandon a track when we were getting stale and rather than call it a day we would start on another, only to find the juices would start to flow again and reactivate the session with everyone queuing up to do their particular overdub. 

Island Records studio was in Notting Hill Gate and we'd start sessions at around six o' clock in the evening until three in the morning and during the sessions we'd obviously get hungry. We'd give our minder and companion Dell Roll our order for a takeaway and he'd go out in the early hours into an area that, at the time, was problematic with black / white violence. As the only white man walking the streets for miles around; he used to be scared to death! After he got to know the guys in the Caribbean takeaways and they knew what he was doing he could relax a little more. Dell always used to take Blue, my Alsatian dog at the time, with him on these nightly vigils. Blue used to accompany me down to the studio and fall asleep, often in front of the monitor speakers. 

No matter how loud they got (and John Burns would have them falling off the brackets at times) Blue stayed asleep throughout it all. "Seventy Second Brave" was released right at the beginning of 1972 and we toured almost immediately. That took care of the first part of 1972. I then took up the offer from John Mayall to join him on a European tour. I needed a rest and this seemed like an ideal opportunity - a busman's holiday. I've just listened to the album for the first time in a very long time and I must admit that on first listening I thought it was tight even by today's standards and still stands up today musically. 

It reminded me of John Burns getting paranoid whilst miking up my bass drum and I could hear the perfect marriage of Gary Thain's bass and my bass drum that came about from this. We used to get everyone in the control room often after each take so we could all criticise the take and make suggestions so we could improve things with the next take. It reminded me why I enjoyed the music business so much - I got to work with so many talented people.

by Keef Hartley, December 2008

Tracks
1. Heartbreakin' Woman (Junior Kerr) - 4:21
2. Marin County (Chris Mercer) - 3:58
3. Hard Pill To Swallow (Pete Wingfieid) - 5:43
4. Don't You Be Long (Junior Kerr) - 5:16
5. Noctums (Curly Crowe) - 2:04
6. Don't Sign It (Chris Mercer) - 4:28
7. Always Thinkin' Of You (Curly Crowe) - 4:39
8.You Say You're Together Now (Gary Thain) - 3:43
9.What It Is (Curly Crowe) - 1:18

Keef Hartley Band
*Junior Kerr - Guitar, Vocal
*Pete Wingfield - Piano, Vocals
*Gary Thain - Bass, Guitar, Vocals
*Chris Mercer - Tenor Sax, Baritone Sax
*Nick Newell - Alto Sax, Flute
*Keef Hartley - Drums
*Mick Weaver - Organ

Keef Hartley's brands
1968-72  Not Foolish Not Wise
1969  Halfbreed (2008 Esoteric)
1969  The Battle Of North West Six  (2008 Esoteric)
1970  The Time Is Near (2008 Esoteric remaster)
1970  Overdog (2005 Eclectic)
1971  Little Big Band
1972  Lancashire Hustler (2008 Esoteric)
With The Artwoods 
1964-67  Tha Artwoods - Singles A's & B's
1966 The Artwoods - Art Gallery (2009 remaster and expanded)

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Edwards Hand - Stranded (1970 uk, wonderful psychedelic rock with baroque drops, japan remaster)

Having worked with George Martin on their self titled debut, Edward's Hand began recording at Morgan Studios in 1970, attempting to create a harder and more progressive sound than before. There where no nervous second album vibes here! The album is comprised of evocative and intelligent progressive pop songs immaculately produced featuring Edward's and Hand's distinctive harmonies to the fore. 

The second half of the album is effectively a concept of alienation and isolation, covered in the seven minute title track and the twelve minute epic Death Of A Man. which includes an incredible "orchestra duelling-with-moogs" mid section followed by a beautifully majestic and Beatles like coda. Stranded marks its reissue here on CD with the inclusion of the original artwork by Revolver cover artist and long term Beatle friend Klaus Voorman. 

The line drawing of a Southern Sheriff, ties in with the lyrics of Sheriff Myras Lincoln - a song about an American racist policeman - and was subsequently banned and replaced with different artwork by RCA in the US. Clearly more confident and adventurous lyrically on this album, Edward's Hand also had more time with George Martin during the pre-production stages. This preparation time, an intelligent lyric writing team and Georges complex yet concise orchestral arrangements give their second LP a much worldlier and unique feel.

Edwards Hand were the first group that George Martin arranged and produced after The Beatles. This is the band's second album and was originally released in 1970. It features some stunning string arrangements by George Martin from the first sessions to be mixed at his then new Air Studios.

The cover art is a controversial caricature of a US Sheriff by "Revolver" Beatles artist / friend Klaus Voorman. This artwork was banned by the US label and was subsequently replaced with different artwork on the original US pressing of the album. It is re-instated on this release. Edwards Hand were formally the short-lived Picadilly Line who released the ultra rare album The Huge World of Emily Small, whilst Rod Edwards was also a key member of legendary UK folk band Jade. 

Stranded features John Wetton's first guest appearance on an album, just before he joined Family and Jimmy Litherland of Colosseum. The band is virtually the same grouping that backed Marianne Segal and Dave Waite on the legendary Fly On Strange Wings album by Jade.

This preparation time, an intelligent lyric writing team and George's complex yet concise orchestral arrangements give their second LP a much worldlier and unique feel.

Tracks
1. US Flag - 4:51
2. Sheriff Myras Lincola - 6:01
3. Revolution's Death Man! - 4:04
4. Encounter - 2:39
5. Hello America - 2:37
6. Stranded - 7:07
7. Winter - 1:40
8. Death of a Man - 12:11
....i. Die When You Must Die
....ii. The Strife Is O'ef the Battle Done
....iii. He Is Gone
....iv. This May Sound Strange
....v. The Sentence Is Life
All songs written by Rod Edwards and Roger Hand

Edwards Hand
*Rod Edwards - Keyboards, Vocals
*Roger Hand - Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
*James Litherland - Electric Guitar
*John Wetton - Bass
*Clem Cattini - Drums

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Blossom Toes - We Are Ever So Clean (1968 uk, inspired orchestrated psychedelic rock, 2005 japan issue)

Blossom Toes were the twee-est band of all time-- twice as twee as the Dukes of Stratosphear covering "(Listen to the) Flower People" in front of an audience of animated chipmunks, thrice as twee as a Keane painting magically brought to life by a sprinkling of fairy dust and singing the Fluff Fluff Fluff Fluff and Cuddleyness catalogue. Originally the Ingoes, one of ten million British blues bands who desperately wanted to be the Yardbirds, they hooked up with their idols' manager Giorgio Gomelsky; just as flower power was taking off, they were directed to become psychedelicists and change their name, for reasons having less to do with LSD than pounds-shillings-pence. 

The Toes claim their songs were all written by the time somebody played them an acetate of Sgt. Pepper's in the studio. If so, "Penny Lane"/"Strawberry Fields Forever" seems to have hit them like an acid bomb, because virtually every song here can trace its DNA to the Beatles' psychedelic moment, from the harmonies to Kevin Westlake's Ringofied drumming to the quick-changing orchestrations accompanying the chime of their twelve-string guitars to their general sense of persistently tuneful music-hall whimsy as the corridor behind the doors of perception. 

They don't waste time getting around to it, either: The opening track begins with a backwards-guitar fade-in before singer/guitarist Brian Godding exclaims "Look at me I'm you! Look at me I'm you!" Godding was the band's main songwriter, although guitarist Jim Cregan also gets in a couple of good ones, especially "When the Alarm Clock Rings" (later recycled as the closing track of the Nuggets II compilation), and Westlake contributes a song called "The Remarkable Saga of the Frozen Dog", which is as look-at-me-I'm-high as you'd guess. 

And virtually everything on the original album works beautifully-- they'd spent years streamlining their attack on stage, including a stint backing up Sonny Boy Williamson, so the spaced-out playfulness of their lyrics and singing is balanced out by fine, tough musicianship. "Hurry up, sleep, take me/Or I'll be late for tea," they croon, but even as an overdubbed French horn paraphrases the "Penny Lane" coda, Westlake and bassist Brian Belshaw are playing crushingly hard. 

The bonus tracks appended here mostly just demonstrate how quickly the bloom came off the blossom: a few demos and live tracks meant to suggest what the "real" Toes sounded like without the album's ludicrous overdubs (not nearly as much fun), and a forced-sounding cover of Bob Dylan's "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" from a 1968 A-side. Two years later, they made a heavy, dull second and final album, If Only for a Moment, which has also just been reissued; the new edition includes the single "Postcard", the only trace of whimsy that remained in them after Clean. 

The summer of 1967 produced lots of phenomena, and the historical condition for the Blossom Toes to be not just twee but wonderful might have been one of them. The only reasonable response in 2007 to hearing them chirp "I will bring you plastic flowers/You can play with them for hours" in druggy harmony is to conclude that they're a brilliant put-on. But they were for real-- or at least not wholly fictional-- and, for a few gorgeous, candy-colored months, they kicked ass up and down the Royal Parks.

by Douglas Wolk

Tracks

1. Look at Me I'm You (Brian Godding,Giorgio Gomelsky) - 3:55 

2. I'll Be Late for Tea (Brian Godding) - 2:42 

3. The Remarkable Saga of the Frozen Dog (Kevin Westlake) -  3:02 

4. Telegram Tuesday (Brian Godding) - 2:37 

5. Love Is (Brian Godding) - 2:41 

6. What's It For? (Jim Cregan) - 3:03 

7. People of the Royal Parks (Kevin Westlake) - 2:20 

8. What on Earth (Brian Godding) - 2:52 

9 .Mrs. Murphy's Budgerigar (Jim Cregan, Kevin Westlake) - 2:38 

10.I Will Bring You This and That  (Brian Godding)  - 2:55 

11.Mister Watchmaker (Brian Godding) - 2:22 

12.When the Alarm Clock Rings (Jim Cregan) - 2:26 

13.The Intrepid Balloonist's Handbook Vol. 1 (Jim Cregan) - 2:12 

14.You (Brian Godding) - 2:45 

15.Track for Speedy Freaks (or Instant LP Digest) (J. Cregan, B. Godding, G. Gomelsky, K. Westlake) - 1:29

Blossom Toes

*Brian Godding - Guitar, Vocals, Keyboards

*Jim Cregan - Guitar, Vocals

*Brian Belshaw - Bass, Vocals

*Kevin Westlake - Drums

*John "Poli" Palmer - Percussion, Vibraphone

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