rep>>> Alan Trajan - Firm Roots (1969 uk, remarkable organ driving psych folk rock)

Frustratingly little is known about Alan Trajan, whose sole LP has become one of the rarest singer-songwriter recordings of the late 1960s. Born Alan Robertson in Livingston, outside Edinburgh, he became an accomplished barrelhouse / boogie-woogie pianist in his teens and was part of Edinburgh’s fertile music scene in the late 1960s, where he made friends with David McNiven, leader of the much-loved folk trio (later duo) Bread, Love & Dreams. 

When Decca producer Ray Horricks (perhaps best known for his seminal work with guitarist Davy Graham) spotted the latter at the Edinburgh Festival in 1968, he signed them up, and McNiven introduced him to Robertson. Much taken by his distinctive keyboard style and soulful voice, Horricks offered him the chance to record too.

Featuring heavy organ and searing electric guitar parts on tracks like Speak To Me, Clarissa (addressed to a girl who has OD’d) and the propulsive One Tends To Get Bitter Now And Again, mellower numbers such as the beautiful Thoughts (featuring Graham) and a heartfelt cover of David Ackles’ Down River, as well as three good-timey Dylan covers, which reflected his long apprenticeship playing in pubs, it’s a varied and unusual collection whose surreal lyrics and frequently despairing atmosphere ensured poor sales when it appeared on MCA in 1969. 

Robertson was prevailed upon by his manager to change his name to Trajan for the LP’s release (he believed Robertson sounded too Scottish, and decided that the expansionist Roman Emperor’s name was more distinctive), but neither it nor the extracted 45 (Speak To Me, Clarissa / This Might Be My Last Number) sold, and he soon reverted to his real name.

Having contributed memorable organ parts to Bread, Love and Dreams’s classic Amaryllis LP in 1970, he went on to forge a partnership with Scottish blues singer Tam White, with whom he made a musical TV series for Grampian in the early 70s, before relocating to London. 

There he played in innumerable pubs and became part of legendary jazzer George Melly’s band for many years, but his hard-drinking landed him in prison and he died of liver disease at the start of this century. It is to be hoped, however, that this first CD issue of Firm Roots will focus attention on his overlooked gift as a musician and singer-songwriter, one whose idiosyncratic compositions straddled soul, folk, pop, psychedelia and progressive rock at a time when few were daring to be as diverse.

Tracks
1. Speak To Me, Clarissa - 4:09
2. One Tends To Get Bitter Now And Again - 2:18
3. Thoughts - 2:36
4. Highway 51 Blues (Bob Dylan) - 1:57
5. This’ll Drive You Off Your Head - 2:16
6. Mental Destruction - 2:35
7. Time - 3:08
8. Down River (David Ackles) - 3:43
9. Corinna, Corinna (Bob Dylan)  - 2:40
10.This Might Be My Last Number - 2:30
11.Girl From The North Country (Bob Dylan)  - 2:19
12.Charles Russell, Gtr., Vcl. & Harmonica - 4:00
All songs by Alan Trajan except where noted.

Musicians
*Alan Trajan - Vocals, Keyboards, Piano, Organ
*Davy Graham - Guitars
*David McNiven - Guitars, Keyboards

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rep>>> MC5 - Kick Out The Jams (1969 us, superb classic rawk 'n' roll, 2009 japan SHM remaster)

There is no way to get at the music without taking the whole context of the music too - there is no separation. We say the MC5 is the solution to the problem of separation, because they are so together. The MC5 is totally committed to the revolution, as the revolution is totally committed to driving people out of their separate shells and into each other's arms.

I'm talking about unity, brothers and sisters, because we have to get it together. We are the solution to the problem, if we will be just that. If we can feel it, LeRoi Jones said, 'feeling predicts intelligence." The MC5 will make you feel it, or leave the room. The MC5 will drive you crazy out of your head into your body. The MC5 is rock and roll. Rock and roll is the music of our bodies, or our whole lives - the resensifier, Rob Tyner calls it. We have to come together people, "Build to a gathering," or else. Or else you are dead, and gone.

The MC5 will bring you back to your senses from wherever you have been taken to hide. They are bad. Their whole lives are totally given to this music. They are a whole thing. They are a working model of the new paleocybernetic culture in action. There is no separation. They love together to work together, they eat together, fuck together, get high together, walk down the street and through the world together. There is no separation. Just as their music will bring you together like that, if you hear it. If you will live it. And we will make sure you hear it; because we know you need it as bad as we do. We have to have it.

The music is the source and effect of our spirit flesh. The MC5 is the source and effect of the music, just as you are. Just as I am. Just to hear the music and have it be our selves, is what we want. What we need. We are a lonely desperate people, pulled apart be the killer forces of capitalism and competition, and we need the music to hold us together. Separation is doom. We are free men, and we demand a free music, a free high energy source that will drive us wild into the streets of America yelling and screaming and tearing down everything that would keep people slaves.

The MC5 is that force. The MC5 is the revolution, in all its applications. There is no separation. Everything is everything. There is no thing to fear. The music will make you strong, as it is strong, and there is no way it can be stopped now. All power to the people! The MC5 is here now for you to hear and see and feel now! Give it up - come together - get down, brothers and sisters, it's time to testify, and what you have here in your hands is a living testimonial to the absolute power and strength of these men. Go wild! The word is yours! Take it now, and be one with it! Kick out the jams, motherfucker!

And stay alive with the MC5!

by John Sinclair, from original album notes, Friday, December 13th 1968. 

Tracks
1. Ramblin' Rose (Fred Burch, Marijohn Wilkin) - 4:15
2. Kick Out The Jams - 2:52
3. Come Together - 4:29
4. Rocket Reducer No. 62 (Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa) - 5:41
5. Borderline - 2:45
6. Motor City Is Burning  (Al Smith) - 6:04
7. I Want You Right Now (Colin Frechter, Larry Page) - 5:31
8. Starship (MC5, Sun Ra) - 8:15
All songs written and composed by MC5 except as stated.

MC5
*Rob Tyner – Lead Vocals
*Wayne Kramer – Lead, Rhythm Guitar, Lead Vocals (Ramblin' Rose)
*Fred "Sonic" Smith – Rhythm,  Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals
*Michael Davis – Bass, Backing Vocals
*Dennis Thompson – Drums

1970  Back In The USA (Japan SHM)
1971  High Time (2013 Japan SHM)

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rep>>> Focal Point - First Bite Of The Apple (1967-68 uk, fantastic psych rock with folk and baroque traces, 2005 release)

Keen Followers of the 1960s Rock scene have become used to tales of long lost tapes and unissued recordings that have seemingly disappeared forever. Every so often, however, a cache of "lost" recordings does surface.

In subsequent years, the finally crafted pop-psych of "Sycamore Sid" helped earn the group a reputation for being one of the more intriguing- and most elusive- UK bands of the sixties. Yet nothing more was heard from Focal Point until 2002, when two previously unreleased tracks recorded at the same session as their Deram single appeared on the compilation CD 94 BAKER STREET which features artists who were signed to The Beatles' Apple Music Publishing company. Both, "Never Never" and "Girl on the corner" confirmed that "Sycamore Sid" was no fluke and that FOcal Point were perharps one of the great lost English pop groups of the 60's.

Since then, Paul Tennant, Dave Slater and Tim Wells of Focal Point have scoured lofts and basements across England in an effort to uncover tracks that were recorded during Focal Point's 1967-1968 heyday but were misplaced during ensuing decades. FIRST BITE OR THE APPLE represents the fruit of their labours. In addition to the four songs recorded for Deram in early 1968, FIRST BITE OF THE APPLE includes a number of tracks that were recorded independently at an 8-track studio in Manchester in late 1968.

by Stefan Granados

Tracks
1. Miss Sinclair - 2:29
2. Sycamore Sid  - 2:39
3. Hassle Castle  - 3:39
4. Never Never  - 3:27
5. Lonely Woman  - 3:31
6. Far Away From Forever - 3:42
7. Love You Forever - 2:56
8. Tales From The GPO Files - 2:19
9. McKinnley Morgan The Deep Sea Diver - 3:10
10.Falling Out Of Friends (Paul Tennant, Dave Slater, Tim Wells) - 3:29
11.Girl On The Corner - 2:22
12.Goodbye Forever (Dave Slater, Paul Tennant, Tim Wells) - 2:29
13.This Time She's Leaving (Dave Slater, Paul Tennant, Tim Wells) - 3:22
14.'Cept Me - 2:28
15.Miss Sinclair - 2:38
16.Miss Sinclair - 2:57
17.Hassle Castle - 3:02
18.Never Never - 3:04
19.Reflections - 2:54
20.Reflections - 2:59
All songs by  Paul Tennant, Dave Rhodes except where noted.

Focal Point
*Paul Tennant - Vocals, Guitar
*Dave Rhodes - Guitar, Vocals
*Neil MacDonald - Guitar, Backing Vocals
*Dave Slater - Bass
*Ray Gobin - Drums
*Dave Hardbattle - Drums, Backing Vocals
*Tim Wells - Keyboards
*Lionel Morton - Vocals
*Cosmo - Guitar
*Ted Hesketh - Drums

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rep>>> Tucker Zimmerman - Ten Songs (1969 us, outstanding folk psych rock, 2015 bonus tracks remaster)

When David Bowie placed Tucker Zimmerman’s 1969 album Ten Songs by Tucker Zimmerman on a list of his 25 favorite albums – alongside acknowledged classics by The Velvet Underground, James Brown, Little Richard and even Steve Reich – readers of the 2003 list could have been forgiven for wondering, “Who is Tucker Zimmerman?”  It’s taken some time, but the RPM label has finally unearthed Ten Songs by Tucker Zimmerman – in an expanded edition that could now be titled Seventeen Songs.

Zimmerman’s collection of self-penned, forceful folk-rock was produced by Bowie’s frequent collaborator Tony Visconti, who also played on the album.  But the superstar artist’s connections to Zimmerman didn’t end there.  The future Spiders from Mars – then known as Ronno after lead guitarist Mick Ronson – released Zimmerman’s “Fourth Hour of My Sleep” on a Visconti-produced single.  And Zimmerman had actually played Bowie’s Beckenham Arts Lab, jokingly billed as cousin to Robert Zimmerman, a.k.a. Bob Dylan!  (All kidding aside, Bob’s influence on Tucker can be detected in the harmonica and guitar work throughout the album.)

Zimmerman came to Britain from America in 1968 with a degree in music theory and composition under his belt as well as a songwriting credit on a Butterfield Blues Band album.  Gigging throughout Europe under various names, he attracted the attention of EMI’s Regal Zonophone imprint.  Regal Zonophone paired him with Visconti, who had been producing for the label, and the pair recorded a reported 80 demos.  A single was initially released, “The Red Wind,” featuring Zimmerman supported by future Beach Boy Ricky Fataar on drums, Visconti on bass and Rick Wakeman, later of Yes, on organ and piano.  Though the single didn’t make waves, the label proceeded with an album.  Wakeman and Visconti joined another impressive cast of musicians including drummer Aynsley Dunbar and guitarist/sitar player Shawn Phillips for Ten Songs.

The atmospheric, haunting and edgy folk-rock of Ten Songs, like “The Red Wind,” failed to catch on with the public.  Tucker Zimmerman would make five more albums through 1983 even as Ten Songs gained collectable cachet.  RPM’s reissue adds seven bonus tracks including the mono and stereo versions of “The Red Wind,” non-album B-side “Moondog,” and four previously unreleased recordings from the period.  Kieron Tyler has provided the excellent new liner notes and Simon Murphy has remastered from Rob Keyloch’s transfers from the original analogue tapes.

by Joe Marchese 

Tracks
1. Bird Lives - 3:56
2. October Mornings - 3:37
3. A Face That Hasn't Sold Out - 4:33
4. The Roadrunner - 5:42
5. Children Of Fear - 4:55
6. The Wind Returns Into The Night - 5:35
7. Running, Running From Moment To Moment - 2:55
8. Upsidedown Circus World - 3:26
9. Blue Goose - 6:28
10.Alpha Centauri - 5:44
11.The Red Wind - 3:35
12.Moondog - 5:17
13.La Rinascente  - 2:50
14.Non C'e Niente Mai - 3:33
15.En Memoire De Jean Genet - 3:45
16.Les Visions De Rimbaud - 3:43
17.The Red Wind - 3:38
All songs written by Tucker Zimmerman
Bonus Tracks 11-17

Musicians
*Tucker Zimmerman - Vocals, 12 String Guitar, Harmonica, Organ, Mellotron, Harpsichord
*Tony Visconti - Bass, Guitar, Vocals
*Aynsley Dunbar - Drums
*Shawn Phillips - Guitar, Sitar
*Rick Wakeman - Organ, Piano
*Rick Fataar - Drums, Percussion
*Terry Cox - Drums, Congas
*Marie Claire - Vocals

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rep>>> Argent - Circus (1975 uk, melodic art prog jazz rock, 2008 japan remaster)

In 1975 Argent made his most progressive and balanced album entitled "Circus". The Hammond organ (omnipresent on earlier records) has almost disappeared in favour of the electric piano (Fender Rhodes and Hohner), Mellotron, Grand piano and the famous Moog synthesizer. 

The album shows great sense of dynamics and splendid shifting moods: lush symphonic in "Circus" (swirling piano and flowing, a bit fiery electric guitar) and "Highwire" (great guitarsolo, culminating in a duel with Rod's Moog), slow and dreamy in "Clown" and "Shine On Sunshine" and fluent and powerful in the swinging "The Trapeze" (great skills on the Fender Rhodes piano) and "The Jester" (biting guitar and a funny piece of boogie woogie piano). Despite good critics the sales were poor but nowadays this fine album deserves renewed attention. 

by Erik Neuteboom

Tracks
1. Circus - 3:45
2. Highwire - 9:05
3. Clown - 5:50
4. Trapeze (Jim Rodford) - 8:48
5. Shine On Sunshine - 4:02
6. The Ring - 1:20
7. The Jester - 3:35
All compositions by Rod Argent except where noted

Argent
*Rod Argent - Keyboards, Vocals
*John Grimaldi - Lead Guitar, Cello, Mandolin, Violin
*Bob Henrit - Drums
*Jim Rodford - Bass
*John Verity - Rhythm Guitar, Bass, Vocals

1970  Argent - Argent (Japan remaster)
1971  Argent - Ring Of Hands (Japan remaster)
1972  Argent - All Together Now (Japan remaster)
1973  Argent - In Deep (Japan remaster)
1974  Argent - Encore Live in Concert  (Japan remaster)
1974  Argent - Nexus (Japan remaster)
Related Act
1973  John Verity Band (Digipack issue)

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rep>>> Sam The Sham And The Pharaohs - The MGM Singles (1965-73 us, awesome garage roots 'n' roll, 2011 digi pack release)

These days, Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs are best remembered for such infectious ’60s hits as “Wooly Bully” and “Lil’ Red Riding Hood,” and for the sartorial splendor of turbaned frontman/organist Sam the Sham (née Domingo Samudio) and his bandmates. But the one-of-a-kind Memphis-by-way-of-Texas quintet produced a large and highly original body of R&B/blues/Tex-Mex/garage tunes that established them as one of the greatest singles bands of the 1960s. While the band’s wacky humor and flamboyant visual image may have threatened to brand them as a novelty act, their raw exuberance, rootsy grit and playfully subversive streak made it clear that Sam and his Pharaohs were the genuine article.

Throughout the second half of the ’60s, Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs turned out a lengthy string of killer seven-inchers. Many of those singles boasted non-album B-sides that were as memorable as their better-known A-sides. Now, for the first time ever, Sundazed Music has gathered both sides of every one of the band’s original MGM Records singles on these lovingly packaged compact disc collection. The sizzling set includes such immortal Pharaohs classics as “Wooly Bully,” “Lil’ Red Riding Hood,” “Ju Ju Hand,” “Ring Dang Doo,” “Red Hot,” “The Hair on My Chinny Chin Chin,” “How Do You Catch a Girl” and “(I’m in With) The Out Crowd,” along with an amazing assortment of rare non-album B-sides, solo efforts and side projects. These long-out-of-print gems have been sourced from the original MGM masters and sound better than ever!!! 

Sundazed  

Formed in Dallas and led by a dynamic turban-wearing lead singer and organist named Domingo Samudio, Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs were a garage bar band gone huge (it has been long rumored that they could play six hours straight without repeating a tune), and by mixing blues, R&B, and Tex-Mex together with a loopy sense of humor and sly lyrics, they stomped into pop history with the iconic party anthem “Wooly Bully,” which hit the number two spot on the pop charts right in the middle of the British Invasion in 1965. 

Aside from that record, though, and “Li’l Red Riding Hood” a year later in 1966, the group wouldn’t have that kind of chart success again, and Samudio and his band went down into most people’s annals as a one-hit wonder. This irresistible set, which collects all of the Pharaohs’ singles and B-sides for MGM Records between 1965 and 1968, plus Samudio's 1973 comeback single for the label (he had left MGM for Atlantic in 1970, only to return for that one release), proves there was a lot more to the story. 

Tracks like “Ju Ju Hand” (from 1965), “(I’m in With) The Out Crowd” (also 1966), “Banned in Boston” (1967), and “Old MacDonald Had a Boogaloo Farm” (1968) all display a delightfully subversive joy in being wryly silly, and they don’t get in the way of dancing, either. Oh, and then there's the wonderful kiss-off single "I Couldn't Spell !!*@!" from 1968 -- no, Sam the Sham was far from being a one-hit wonder and the romping, stomping proof of that is collected here. 

by Steve Leggett

Tracks
1. Wooly Bully (Domingo Samudio) - 2:22
2. Ain’t Gonna Move (Stacy Davidson, Stan Kesler) - 2:05
3. Jujuhand (Domingo Samudio) - 2:06
4. Big City Lights (Stacy Davidson, Stan Kesler) - 2:39
5. Ring Dang Doo (Bob Tubert, Joy Byers) - 2:22
6. Don't Try It (Domingo Samudio) - 2:21
7. Red Hot (William Emerson) - 2:16
8. A Long Long Way (Paul Gibson) - 1:58
9. Li'l Red Riding Hood (Ronald Blackwell) - 2:41
10.Love Me Like Before (Domingo Samudio) - 2:44
11.The Hair On My Chinny Chin Chin (Ronald Blackwell) - 2:35
12.(I'm In With) The Out Crowd (Domingo Samudio) - 2:15
13.How Do You Catch A Girl (Ronald Blackwell) - 2:19
14.The Love You Left Behind (Domingo Samudio) - 2:30
15.Oh That's Good, No That's Bad (Dewayne Blackwell) - 2:18
16.Take What You Can Get (Domingo Samudio) - 2:16
17.Black Sheep (Bob McDill) - 2:48
18.My Day's Gonna Come (Stacy Davidson, Stan Kesler) - 1:59
19.Banned In Boston (John Morier) - 2:56
20.Money's My Problem (Frank Carabetta, Anthony Gerace) - 2:23
21.Yakety Yak (Jerry Lieber, Mike Stoller) - 2.02
22.Let Our Love Light Shine (Domingo Samudio) - 2:36
23.Old MacDonald Had A Boogaloo Farm (Dallas Frazier) - 2:44
24.I Never Had No One (Domingo Samudio) - 2:42
25.I Couldn't Spell !!*@* (Wayne Thompson) - 2:22
26.The Down Home Strut (Frank Carabetta, Domingo Samudio) - 2:14
27.Fate (Domingo Samudio) - 3:34
28.Oh Lo (Domingo Samudio) - 2:57

Musicians
Tracks 1-8
*Samuel Domingo - Vocals, Keyboard
*Ray Stinnet - Guitar
*Dave Martin - Bass
*Butch Gibson - Saxophone
*Jerry Patterson - Drums
Tracks 9-26
*Samuel Domingo - Vocals, Keyboard
*Tony "Butch" Gerace - Bass, Vocals
*Billy Bennett - Drums, Percussion
*Andy Kuha - Guitar, Vocals
Tracks 27,28
*Lorraine Gennaro
*Jane Anderson
*Fran Curcio

Related Acts
1971  Domingo "Sam" Samudio - Hard And Heavy (2013 remaster)

1971  Ray Stinnett - A Fire Somewhere (2012 Digipak) 

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Domingo "Sam" Samudio - Hard And Heavy (1971 us, exciting classic rock melted with r 'n' b vibes, 2013 Real Gone issue)

Sam the Sham pulled the plug on the Pharoahs toward the end of the '60s and set out playing blues on his own, grinding away to little notice until Atlantic head honcho Ahmet Ertegun decided to give him a shot in 1971. 

Unlike many of the acts Ertegun signed at the time, Sam the Sham had a reputation as a novelty singer -- and rightly so, given the silliness that fueled "Wooly Bully" and "Ju Ju Hand" -- so he might not have seemed an easy fit for Atlantic, but Sam, who began using his last name Samudio at the time of the 1971 release of Hard and Heavy, possessed a forceful, bluesy growl, and the garage stomp of the Pharoahs wasn't too far removed from the Tex-Mex rock & roll of the Sir Douglas Quintet. 

Clearly, Ertegun heard the promise that lay within Samudio and he poured a lot of energy into Hard and Heavy, hiring producer Tom Dowd -- who was riding high on the success of his work with the Allman Brothers and Derek & the Dominos -- and bringing in the Dixie Flyers (featuring Jim Dickinson) and the Memphis Horns, while finding a guest spot for Duane Allman. Half the record consisted of originals, half of covers of classic blues, rock & roll, and Randy Newman, all comprising a wide-ranging vision of American music. 

At times, the Memphis Horns are a bit too splashy -- their refrains on "Homework" recall Blood, Sweat & Tears -- and sometimes the grooves are a little too densely packed, leaving very little room for anybody to breathe, but there's also an appeal in how Hard and Heavy is overstuffed. The ridiculous number of musicians does indeed give the album a hard, heavy feel, something that gives such driving workouts as "Relativity" or Tex-Mex two-steps as "Don't Put Me On" some real grit. 

Throughout it all, Samudio displays some impressive vocal chops -- it's not a surprise that he can belt out "Lonely Avenue," but he digs into the marrow of Newman's "Let's Burn Down the Cornfield" -- and the unwieldy supergroup is always impressive, kicking out this earthy rock & roll with guts and no small amount of pizzazz. 

All in all, Hard and Heavy holds its own with its early-'70s peers -- the aforementioned Dowd-produced Allman and Clapton LPs, the pair of records Doug Sahm cut for Atlantic a few years later -- so why isn't it better known? Well, there was no promotion for it, and after it faded away, Samudio returned to novelties and then retired from active rock & roll duty. 

The 2013 Real Gone reissue -- the first time the album has appeared on CD, also includes a non-LP single of "Me and Bobby McGee" featuring Duane Allman on guitar -- allows this little-heard gem the opportunity to finally get some overdue attention. 

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Tracks
1. Homework (Otis Rush, Al Perkins, Dave Clark) - 2:21
2. Relativity (Domingo Samudio) - 3:16
3. Lonely Avenue (Doc Pomus) - 2:50
4. I Know It's Too Late (Traditional) / Starchild (Domingo Samudio) - 6:22
5. Let's Burn Down The Cornfield (Randy Newman) - 2:48
6. Sweet Release (Boz Scaggs, Barry Beckett) - 4:51
7. Key To The Highway (Charles Segar, Willie Broonzy) - 2:10
8. Don't Put Me On (Domingo Samudio) - 2:32
9. 15 Degrees Capricorn Asc (Domingo Samudio) - 4:39
10.Goin' Upstairs (John Lee Hooker) - 5:10
11.Me and Bobby McGee (Fred Foster, Kris Kristofferson) - 3:36

Musicians
*Sam Samudio - Vocals, Guitar, Mouth Harp
*Freddy Hester - Acoustic Bass
*Jim Dickinson - Piano, Guitar
*Mike Utley - Organ
*Charlie Freeman - Guitar
*Tommy McClure - Bass
*Sammy Creason - Drums
*Wayne Jackson - Trumpet, Flugelhorn
*Andrew Love - Tenor Sax, Flute
*Ed Logan - Tenor Sax
*James Mitchell - Baritone Sax
*Roger Hopps - Trumpet
*Jack Hale - Trombone
*The Sweet Inspirations - Background Vocals
*Duane Allman - Dobro, Guitar

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rep>>> Kaleidoscope - Tangerine Dream (1967 uk, classy delicate psychedelia with baroque traces, 2005 japan and repertoire remastered and expanded editions)

One of the masterpieces of Britain’s early psych era, Tangerine Dream has no weaknesses: the songwriting and arrangements are terrific, the vocals are good, the balance between melody, mood and experiment is ideal, and even the recording quality is top-notch. This is the sound of 1967’ 

by Patrick Lundborg, Galactic Ramble 

‘Kaleidoscope are one of the most fondly-remembered of the more cultish UK psych-pop bands… Tangerine Dream remains an essential period piece’ 

by David Wells

‘Neatly capturing the optimism and experimentalism of the celebrated summer of 1967, Tangerine Dream is melodic, whimsical, very English and perfectly suited to the mood of the time’

by Q Magazine

Tracks
1. Kaleidoscope - 2:14
2. Please Excuse My Face - 2:11
3. Dive Into Yesterday - 4:46
4. Mr. Small, The Watch Repairer Man - 2:43
5. Flight From Ashiya - 2:40
6. The Murder Of Lewis Tollani - 2:47
7. (Further Reflections) In The Room Of Percussion - 3:19
8. Dear Nellie Goodrich - 2:46
9. Holiday Maker - 2:29
10.A Lesson Perhaps - 2:42
11.The Sky Children - 8:05
12.A Dream For Julie (Mono) - 2:47
13.Just How Much Are You (Mono) - 2:14
14.Jenny Artichoke - 2:40

Lyrics by Peter Daltrey, Music by Eddy Pumer

Repertoire 2005 Bonus Tracks

12.Flight From Ashiya - 2:38

13.Holiday Maker - 2:27

14.A Dream For Julie - 2:45

15.Please Excuse My Face - 2:08

16.Jenny Artichoke - 2:34

17.Just How Much You Are - 2:11

Music by Eddy Pumer Lyrics by Peter Daltrey

Kaleidoscope
*Eddy Pumer - Lead Guitar, Keyboards
*Steve Clark - Bass, Flute.
*Dan Bridgman - Drums, Percussions.
*Peter Daltrey - Lead Vocals, Keyboards

1967-69 Kaleidoscope - Dive Into Yesterday
1970  Fairfield Parlour - Home to Home

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rep>>> The Bluethings - Blow Your Mind (1963-67 us, awesome garage beat folk psych, 2007 double disc set)

The Blue Things got together in 1964 as the Blue Boys in Hays, Kansas, where Mike Chapman, Richard Scott and Rick "Laz" Larzalere were members of the Barons, a popular group led by Jim Fetters. The band was Chapman's idea and he came up with the name. In the early days they wore blue suits onstage. Before the Barons Chapman had played with the Upbeats while attending Salina High School and Bethany College in Lindsborg. Between the Upbeats and the Barons, Mike made a short trip to California, where he played with Pat & Lolly Vegas of Redbone and the Marketts before returning to Kansas. After choosing music over school Mike's dad gave him $100 toward his trip to the coast.

Prior to the Barons, Richard Scott had played with a Manhattan jazz trio, a short-lived blues band, an earlier version of the Barons, a band called the Spinners, and he had played for three years with the Flippers (later known as the Fabulous Flippers) in Hays until his health forced him to drop out. While with the Flippers Scott made at least one trip to a recording studio, but the work didn't get beyond acetate. With Richard on bass, Mike on lead guitar and Laz on drums, the three Blue Boys would often open for the Barons, then join the others onstage. 

The three decided that to complete the break from the Barons they needed a rhythm guitar player who could sing. They found more than that when they auditioned Mike Chapman's roommate Val Stecklein. Mike and Val performed as a folk duo around Hays when other obligations allowed, and Stecklein had played with Scott in a rock band called the Dukes back in 1958 before turning his back on rock and roll for folk music.   Val had already recorded a demo of two original songs, "Desert Wind" and Nancy Whiskey", at Damon Studios in Kansas City with the Hi-Plains Singers and an album with a Ft. Hays State College group called the Impromptwos. 

The album was recorded by Lawrence's Audio House on December 8, 1963 in the Ft. Hays State Memorial Union's Black and Gold Room. The Impromptwos was a group of fourteen singers, with eight doubling as instrumentalists. Stecklein was the featured vocalist on the album, singing four songs and playing guitar. His photo appears on the back of the album's cover. While in the Impromptwos, Val wrote songs, and the group performed three of them at the "Poise 'n' Ivy" concert in February 1964. After Val had moved on to the Blue Boys, the Impromptwos released a second album, "The Impromptwos Hit The Road", in the spring of 1964.

The Blue Boys spent the summer of 1964 touring much of Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado with their folk rock/Merseybeat sound. That summer they signed up with Jim Reardon, who had been selling sweatshirts in Holly, Colorado, for management, and he took them to John Brown of Mid-Continent Entertainment. They were booked out of Reardon's home in Beloit initally, and then out of Manhattan the following fall and winter. When Brown moved Mid-Continent to Lawrence, so he could attend the University of Kansas, Reardon and the Blue Boys followed.

Cicadelic-recs  

Let the Blue Things Blow Your Mind is easily the biggest single-release Blue Things collection ever (or likely to be) compiled. The two-disc set contains no less than 65 tracks spread across two-and-a-half hours, including 16 unreleased cuts and three radio ads (for the Blue Things, not by the Blue Things). Since this does have everything from their sole album and all of their non-LP A-sides and B-sides, one hesitates to point out some relatively minor problems, especially since the LP and 45s comprise some of the finest obscure mid-'60s American folk-rock and early psychedelia. Still, those flaws are the kind of things completists might want to know about. 

First, the unreleased versions of the outtakes "Desert Wind" and "Waiting for Changes" are distinctly inferior to the previously issued versions of these songs (which are not included on this anthology), missing some backup vocals in each case. While it's good for collectors to have the 45 version of "I Must Be Doing Something Wrong," with an oboe (missing from the LP version) that's alternately effective and irritating, ultimately it's not as good as the oboe-less one. The mix of "Now's the Time," a jangly folk-rock highlight of the group's LP, sounds oddly flat and unbalanced. And while all the previously unreleased material is a boon for Blue Things fans, much of it's devoted to relatively slightly different versions of songs that have already seen the light of day elsewhere, either on official mid-'60s Blue Things releases or reissues that dug up some unissued stuff. 

The previously unheard tracks do include a good straight-out rock & roll number from a 1964 session ("Punkin' Doodle") and a nice version of "I Can't Have Yesterday" with a significantly different folk-rock arrangement than the official LP rendition, but the hit covers from a December 1966 session are fairly uninteresting. And finally, though the 24-page booklet offers lengthy liner notes and lots of photos, it somehow fails to include songwriting credits anywhere. Do all these picky complaints mean you should avoid this release? Of course not; there's lots of fine music here that will appeal to both the general folk-rock/psychedelic/garage fan and the Blue Things devotee. 

Val Stecklein shines as one of the era's finest overlooked singers and songwriters throughout most of the program, and many listeners looking for something that crosses the Byrds, Beau Brummels, and early Beatles will be pleased and excited if they haven't yet come across the group. Still, the general fan's better off trying to find the 2001 CD reissue of their sole LP (on Rewind, with non-LP bonus tracks from mid-'60s singles). Additionally, the completist should also know for all this two-CD set's generous length, it doesn't quite have everything, a few outtakes remaining available only on some earlier Blue Things LP and CD collections on the Cicadelic label. 

by Richie Unterberger 

Tracks

Disc 1

The Blueboys

1. Punkin' Doodle - 1:59

2. Ain't That Lovin' You Baby (Jimmy Reed) - 2:43

3. P's And Q's (Mike Chapman, Val Stoecklein) - 1:31

4. Love's Made A Fool Of You (Bob Montgomery, Buddy Holly) - 2:01

5. Silver And Gold - 2:06

6. La Do Da Da (Dale Hawkins, Stanley Lewis) - 2:14

7. Just Two Days Ago (Richard Scott, Val Stoecklein) - 2:22

The Bluethings

8. Mary Lou (Jacqueline Magill, Ronnie Hawkins) - 2:02

9. Your Turn To Cry - 1:28

10.Pretty Things -Oh - 2:12

11.Just Two Days Ago (Richard Scott, Val Stoecklein) - 2:19

12.Baby, My Heart (Sonny Curtis) - 2:11

13.Ain't That Lovin' You Baby (Jimmy Reed) - 2:09

14.Pennies (Traditional) - 2:31

15.Since You Broke My Heart (Don Everly) - 2:36

16.So You Say (Richard Scott) - 2:12

17.Silver And Gold - 2:18

18.It Ain't No Big Thing Baby - 2:17

19.You Can't Say We Never Tried - 2:14

20.High Life (Mike Chapman, Val Stoecklein) - 2:42

21.Now's The Time - 2:28

22.Desert Wind - 3:06

23.Weep No More My Lady - 2:01

24.I Must Be Doing Something Wrong (Mike Chapman, Richard Scott, Val Stoecklein) - 2:12

25.Look Homeward Angel (Wally Gold) - 2:20

26.Pennies (Traditional) - 2:39

27.Silver And Gold - 2:19

28.Since You Broke My Heart (Don Everly) - 2:37

29.La Do Da Da (Dale Hawkins, Stanley Lewis) - 2:44

30.Alright! (Jerry Ross, Lester Vanadore) - 2:13

The Hi-Plains Singers(W/Val Stecklein) 

31.Nancy Whiskey - 2:38

32.Desert Wind - 2:53

The Bluethings

33.You Can't Say We Never Tried - 2:17

34.1965 Concert Radio Ad #1 - 0:29

Songs 1,5,9,10,17,18,19,21,22,23,27,31,32,33 written by Val Stoecklein

Disc 2

1. High Life (Mike Chapman, Val Stoecklein) - 2:16

2. Girl From The North Country (Bob Dylan) - 2:25

3. Doll House (Marge Barton) - 2:26

4. It Ain t No Big Thing Baby - 2:18

5. Ain't That Lovin' You Baby (Jimmy Reed) - 2:31

6. I Can t Have Yesterday - 2:32

7. Now s The Time - 2:13

8. The Man On The Street (Wayne Carson) - 2:17

9. Honor The Hearse (Ronnie Self) - 2:12

10.Waiting For Changes - 2:56

11.I ll Make It Up To You - 2:42

12.Sounds Of Yesterday - 2:22

13.Hollow - 2:03

14.The Coney Island Of Your Mind (Mike Chapman, Val Stoecklein) - 2:13

15.The Orange Rooftop Of Your Mind (Mike Chapman, Val Stoecklein) - 2:47

16.One Hour Cleaners (Mike Chapman, Richard Scott, Val Stoecklein) - 2:44

17.You Can Live In Our Tree (Steven Clay Wilson, Val Stoecklein) - 3:05

18.Twist And Shout (Bert Russell, Phil Medley) - 2:44

19.You Took The Fight (Richard Scott) - 3:18

20.Caroline (Richard Scott) - 2:30

21.Hey Joe (Billy Roberts) - 3:02

22.Talk Talk (Sean Bonniwell) - 1:49

23.I m A Man (Ellas McDaniel) - 1:46

24.My Generation (Pete Townshend) - 3:20

25.Somebody Help Me (Jackie Edwards) - 2:01

26.Yes My Friend (David Barnes, Jim Ford) - 1:54

27.Can t Explain (Arthur Lee) - 2:26

28.Doll House (Marge Barton) - 2:31

29.I Can't Have Yesterday - 2:21

30.1966 Concert Radio Ad #2 - 0:34

31.Mid-Continent Productions Radio Ad,1966 - 0:14

Songs 4,6,7,10,11,12,13,29 written by Val Stoecklein

Tracks 10-14 perfomed as Val Stoecklein

The Bluethings
*Val Stecklein - Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
*Rick 'Laz' Larzalere - Drums
*Richard Scott - Bass, Vocals
*Mike Chapman - Lead Guitar, Vocals
*Bobby Day - Drums

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rep>>> Freedom - Freedom (1970 uk, fantastic hard psych, 2000 edition)

Freedom's album 'Freedom' original released on vinyl in 1970. This is the follow up album to 'At Last' and is the 2nd album from the power trio of Bobby Harrison, Roger Saunders and Walter Monagham and has been a long sought after item by collectors. Roger Saunders struggle with cancer in early 2000 came to a sad end and the British Rock scene lost an excellent and underrated guitarist.

'Freedom' shows a more mature, rehearsed group where a lot of emphasis was put on vocal harmonies. "We all sang" Harrison said. "We were all lead vocalists so though we were a three piece band we had a pretty big sound". If anyone should find a certain USA West Coast Influence on this Freedom album, Harrison would agree. "That was what we were aiming at I suppose. We were touring a lot in US at that time, supporting Jethro Tull and then we returned to the UK touring with Black Sabbath and Curved Air". Freedom disbanded in 1972 with Bobby forming Snafu.

Tracks
1. Nobody (Bobby Harrison, Roger Saunders) - 3:57
2. In Search Of Something (Bobby Harrison, Roger Saunders) - 6:23
3. Dusty Track (Roger Saunders, Walt Monaghan) - 7:55
4. Man Made Laws (Bobby Harrison, Roger Saunders) - 3:25
5. Ain't No Chance To Score (Bobby Harrison, Roger Saunders) - 5:41
6. Pretty Woman (Paul Williams) - 5:39
7. Freedom (Bobby Harrison, Walt Monaghan, Roger Saunders) - 5:12
8. Frustrated Woman (Bobby Harrison, Walt Monaghan, Roger Saunders) - 4:59

Freedom
*Bobby Harrison - Vocals, Drums
*Roger Saunders - Guitar, Vocals
*Walt Monaghan - Bass, Vocals

1969  Freedom - Nero Su Bianco / Black On White
1969  Freedom - Freedom At Last (2004 remaster)

1971  Freedom - Through The Years (2004 remaster)
1972  Freedom - Is More Than A Word
1973-74  Snafu - Snafu / Situation Normal

1975  Bobby Harrison - Funkist

1978  Nobody's Business - Nobody's Business (2007 bonus tracks remaster)

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