Various Artists - Psych Bites, Vol. 1 (1967-74 aussie, dynamic acid freak rock)

Australians have a well-deserved reputation for liking their rock & roll hard, heavy, and without a lot of gingerbread, and it should come as no surprise that a lot of their psychedelic stuff doesn't dwell much on peace, love, and flowers.

In fact, the 20 rare tunes collected on Psych Bites, Vol. 1: Australian Acid Freakrock 1967-1974 don't sound all that psychedelic, but like early hard rock with a dash of heavy blues and progressive rock added for flavoring. "Midnight Witch" by Ash bears more than a passing resemblance to Black Sabbath (though without their monolithic impact), Helium's "Don't Think Twice" is a bluesy stroll with guitar work that wins the Leigh Stephens award for being clumsy and brilliant at the same time, Freshwater's "Satan's Woman" shifts back and forth between major and minor keys as the titular succubus weaves her spell, Chook's "Tables Turn" is fast and thunderous, and the Dave Miller Set's "No Need to Cry" is a lean rocker with plenty of tough guitar soloing.

Most of these tracks were cut for independent Aussie labels, and with rare exceptions, the material is well-produced and musically solid; the music speaks of the early '70s rather than the late '60s (which makes sense, since only one song was cut before 1970), and while there's a vague counterculture sensibility in this music, the unspoken message is to rock out and boogie, not to explore the avenues of the mind, and taken at face value, this music succeeds admirably.
by Mark Deming

Artists - Tracks
1. Flake - Under The Silent Tree - 3:53
2. Doug Parkinson In Focus - Then I Run - 2:59
3. Barry McCaskell And Levi Smith Clefs - Love Like A Man - 3:20
4. Pirana - Here It Comes Again - 2:48
5. Long Grass - Anywhere You Wanna Go - 2:21
6. Freshwater - Satan's Woman - 3:00
7. Ash - Midnight Witch - 4:03
8. Chook - Cold Feet - 3:07
9. Michael Turner In Session - Patterns Of My Life - 2:57
10.Dave Miller Set - No Need To Cry - 6:12
11.Ticket - Awake - 5:19
12.Rashamra - Antelope - 3:15
13.Flake - Breadalbane - 5:19
14.Helium - Don't Think Twice - 3:49
15.Isherwood - Willy The Weeper - 2:10
16.Healing Force - The Gully - 3:53
17.Headband - Stay With Me - 3:30
18.Ash - Warrant - 2:58
19.Chook - Tables Turn - 3:13
20.Doug Parkinson In Focus - Purple Curtains - 2:24

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John Kay – Forgotten Songs And Unsung Heroes / My Sportin' Life (1972-73 canada, wonderful acoustic classic rock with country shades, 2008 remaster)

Now that John Kay has shed the burden of Steppenwolf, I suppose that it’s safe to assume that Forgotten Songs and Unsung Heroes is an accurate portrait of his present musical state.

On his first solo album, Kay does not actually commit himself to any particular style. Instead, he picks and chooses material with great variety.

Armed only with a test pressing dated February 22, 1972, and a barren sheet on which is typewritten the names of the songs and their personnel, the first impression one gains is one of simplicity. The numbers are extremely simple, and vocal work definite, with the instrumentation adding to the impact of the lyrics.

Ahhhh, the lyrics… they seem to infer a choice on Kay’s part of express himself in a more personal light that any other he has done. I recall when they would say, no one lives for just one day/ Don’t save dreams that can’t be sold/Don’t chase rainbows, just their gold/ Tried it my way, tried it mine/ I won the race before my time/ But golden trophies, fancy toys, don’t compare to childhood joys.

I suppose some thought that with the dissolving of Steppenwolf, Kay would retire to a solo performer – performing material identical to that of Steppenwolf, but with a new situation that would be more economically fulfilling, shall we say. All I can reply to these materially-minded people is that not one of these tracks could have been successfully recorded by Steppenwolf. This music and Steppenwolf are two separate entities.

Kay obviously has definite roots in Country and Western music. In “I’m Movin’ On,” a Hank Snow tune from the 1950?s, the man sounds so at home and comfortable crooning, “So I’m movin’ on, I’m rollin’ on/ You’ve broken your vow and it’s all over now, so I’m movin’ on” that it’s a wonder he didn’t become famous as a lead singer in a C & W band, and use hard rock for his solo album, rather than vice versa.

The diversity in the album is extended still further in the Robert Johnson standard, “Walkin’ Blues,” a shuffle that comes off well as a showcase for Kay’s weather-worn vocal work and restrained, tasteful bottleneck work.

The late Richard Farine and Hank Williams are tapped for “Bold Marauder” and “You Win Again” respectively – the latter of which I must bashfully indicate as my own personal favorite.

This album is exactly as the title suggests, Forgotten Songs and Unsung Heroes. The forgotten songs being John Kay tunes that weren’t suitable as “Steppenwolf material.” The unsung heroes being: A brilliant young Indian songwriter by the name of Patrick Sly whose “Many a Mile” opens the album; Hank Williams, who to the younger set means nothing but a hazy singer who sang “hick music,” and of course Robert Johnson, the bluesman who started it all. These talents of yesterday seem to have been lost in the “pop” culture.

In this excellent low-keyed album, John Kay tries to give a little exposure to the ones who deserve it, and at the same time try and vent a side of himself unfamiliar to the record-buyer.

The material is not new territory for Kay. The tendency toward the styles unveiled in this LP have been evident in most of the early Steppenwolf albums, but the delivery is cleaner, more definite, but most important of all … confident.
by Cameron Crowe, (San Diego Door) March 30, 1972  – April 13, 1972

Tracks
Forgotten Songs And Unsung Heroes 1972
1. Many A Mile (Patrick Sky) - 4:26
2. Walk Beside Me (John Kay) - 5:12
3. You Win Again (Hank Williams) - 4:01
4. To Be Alive (John Kay) - 4:55
5. Bold Marauder (Richard Farina) - 5:04
6. Two Of A Kind (John Kay) - 5:58
7. Walkin' Blues (Robert Johnson) - 2:44
8. Somebody (John Kay) - 4:04
9. I'm Moving On (Hank Snow) - 3:06
My Sportin' Life 1973
10.Moonshine (Friend Of Mine) (Les Emmerson) - 2:48
11.Nobody Lives Here Anymore (John Kay) - 4:02
12.Drift Away (Mentor Williams) - 4:10
13.Heroes And Devils (Kerry Chater, Renée Armand) - 3:08
14.My Sportin' Life (John Kay) - 5:19
15.Easy Evil (Alan O'Day) - 3:36
16.Giles Of The River (Donald Fagen, Walter Becker) - 3:37
17.Dance To My Song (John Kay) - 4:07
18.Sing With The Children (Ron Davies) - 6:40

Musicians
Forgotten Songs And Unsung Heroes 1972
*John Kay - Vocals, Guitars
*Kent Henry - Lead Guitar
*Hugh O'Sullivan - Keyboards
*George Biondo - Bass
*Penti Glan - Drums
My Sportin' Life 1973
*John Kay - Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals
*George Biondo - Bass
*Bill Cooper - Bass
*Daryl Dragon - Keyboards
*Stan Farber - Vocals
*Venetta Fields - Vocals
*Whitey Glan - Drums
*Kent Henry - Guitar
*Gloria Jones - Vocals
*Larry Knechtel - Keyboards
*Danny Kortchmar - Guitar
*Russ Kunkel - Drums
*Sherlie Matthews - Vocals
*Gene Morford - Vocals
*Alan O'day - Keyboards
*Richard Podolor - Keyboards, Mandolin
*Leland Sklar - Bass
*Hugh Sullivan - Keyboards
*Mike Utley - Piano

More John Kay....
1968  John Kay and the Sparrow 

 
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Turquoise - The Further Adventures Of Flossie Fillett (1966-69 uk, bright mod beat psychedelia, Rev Ola release)

Cult UK pop-psych heroes Turquoise burst forth from Muswell Hill with two of the most perfectly formed pop singles of 1968 then went the way of so many of their contemporaries and vanished back to the building sites and tax offices of north London.

But this story goes a lot deeper than that... Friends and neighbours of Ray and Dave Davies, Ewan Stephens, Vic Jansen and Jeff Peters would watch with envy as The Kinks rose to global fame during the mid-1960s, eventually forming a band of their own. A little of the brothers’ influence inevitably rubbed off on The Brood (for ‘twas they) with Dave producing demo sessions for them and touting the results round the labels to no avail.

Through Dave, they were soon being managed by John Mason, the infamous ‘car dealer to the stars’, who had his clients Keith Moon and John Entwistle produce another session for them in 1967. Mason then hooked The Brood up with another of Mason’s clients, Tom Keylock, The Rolling Stones’ tour manager, who, along with Kirk Duncan of the Spencer Davis agency, secured them a recording contract with Decca, a publishing deal with Apple and a name change to Turquoise.

The next few months were spent rehearsing at the Stones’ space in London’s Docklands, visiting various London recording studios, running with The Who and The Kinks and generally having a ball being young pop stars in swinging London. Although only two singles appeared – “53 Summer Street”/”Tales Of Flossie Fillett” and “Woodstock”/Saynia”, now much-loved classics of the psychedelic pop genre - the band cut several tracks during this time which remained unreleased until now.

However, the lack of a hit single and the fickle nature of the pop business inevitably resulted in Turquoise’s premature demise in 1969. Ewan Stephens forged a solo career, cutting further singles for Decca while Jeff Peters and latter day Turquoise member Barry Hart formed the hard-rockin’ Slowbone who cut the album “Tales Of A Crooked Man” in 1974. “The Further Adventures Of Flossie Fillet” brings together every surviving recording made by The Brood and Turquoise between 1966 and 1969, including a virtual album’s worth of prime 1968 pop in a Kinks/Who/Small Faces/Move style as well as alternate versions and demos.

It features liner notes by noted psych/Apple authority Stefan Granados and brand new in-depth interview material with Turquoise main man Jeff Peters. The complete surviving recordings by this cult north London pop-psych act, most of which have never been heard before! Features the much-loved singles “53 Summer Street”, “Tales Of Flossie Fillett”, “Woodstock” and “Saynia”! Mates of The Kinks, The Who, Apple and the Spencer Davis agency.

Ultra-hip credentials! Beautifully re-mastered in the usual Rev-Ola style! In-depth liner notes by Stefan Granados featuring brand new interview material with Turquoise main man Jeff Peters. Stuffed to the gills with fantastic original photos and memorabilia from the band’s own archives !A landmark release and a MUST for all fans of quality UK ‘60s pop, pop-psych, The Kinks, The Who, Small Faces, The Beatles…Hell, everybody really!

Tracks
1. Tales of Flossie Fillett - 3:04
2. Flying Machine (Second Version) - 3:05
3. Sister Saxophone - 3:10
4. 53 Summer Street - 2:52
5. The Sea Shines (Peters) - 4:01
6. Village Green (Peters) - 2:23
7. Saynia - 2:52
8. Sunday Best (Peters) - 2:41
9. Woodstock - 3:29
10.Stand Up and Be Judged (Duncan) - 2:52
11.Woodstock (First Reduction) - 3:24
12.Flying Machine (First Version) - 3:06
13.Leana - 2:53
14.What's Your Name (Unknown) - 2:54
15.Mindless Child of Motherhood (Davies) - 3:34
16.You're Just Another Girl (As the Brood) - 2:27
17.Wrong Way (As the Brood) (Peters) - 3:31
18.The Turquoise 1968 Christmas Record (Turquoise) - 1:52
All song by Jeff Peters and Ewan Stephens except where indicated.

Turquoise
*Jeff Peters - Lead Guitar, Piano
*Barry Hart - Guitar
*Ewan Stephens - Drums
*Vic Jansen - Bass
*Geoff Syrett - Guitar

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rep>>> SRC - Lost Masters (1970-72 us, detroit raw garage psych rock)

SRC - Lost Masters (1970-72 us, detroit raw garage psych rock)

Evol - Evol (1970 us, psychedelic folk rock with excellent vocal harmonies, 2011 digi pack issue)

Evol was born in 1968, at the Seabreeze Lounge, in Huntington, West Virginia. The original members were Randall Hackney, Mike Blair, Roger Caines, and Roger Dillon. Over the next two years, the band began developing its identity; their sound became unique in the Tri-State area.

By 1970, the Seabreeze had far outgrown its space, and "Papa Ross" Scarvelli moved his business a few blocks away to a huge building, which he called the Club Romair. The crowd followed and grew. EVOL was the only band in the entire area to play the difficult stuff: Black Sabbath, Uriah Heep, Grand Funk Railroad, and about anything else that required genuine talent to play.

During the early years at the Seabreeze, guitarist and song writer Jeff Hanichen sat in with the band on a very regular basis. In fact, he became known as the unofficial fifth member. In the fall of 1970, the band signed a contract with a music company in Nashville, Tennessee. At the same time, Jeff officially joined EVOL as guitarist and song writer. The band now added original music to its list of music no one else played.

The company the band signed with was operated on a shoestring budget by an engineer for Columbia Records, but he was able to secure studio time at Nugget Studios in Goodletsviite (outside Nashville). The album took about ten days, twelve hours a day to finish, at which time four of the guys returned to Huntington to prepare to go on the road. Jeff was writing for two other groups, and had to stay behind for a few more weeks. Upon their return home, Roger Caines left the group and Dave Tatum joined as the drummer.

These are the four members that went to the Rose Garden, in Huntington's Ritter Park, to shoot the album cover. Consequently Jeff is not on the cover. Jeff left the band in 1971, and the remaining four continued to tour and play locally until 1977. Randall eventually retired from a cable company, Mike retired from construction work, Dave, the youngest, still works for Nabisco, and Jeff is a retired history professor.

He is now a Baptist minister. Roger Caines and Roger Dillon are both deceased, and no other information is available on either. As is with the case of most musicians from this period of time, the surviving members remain close and in contact with each other. Over the years, Jeff Hanichen has written over five-hundred songs; at least eleven of them will finally be heard by someone other than friends and family!!
by Jeff Hanichen, West Virginia, December, 2011

Tracks
1. Part Of Reality (Randall Hackney) - 3:27
2. For The Sake Of Reality - 2:53
3. Unlucky Guy - 2:50
4. I Told A Lie - 2:30
5. I Just Don't Care To Dance - 3:25
6. You Shall Be Saved - 2:14
7. If I Am Strong - 2:34
8. Get Out Of My Mind - 2:17
9. Speak Your Mind - 2:43
10.There Will Come A Day - 2:47
11.Good Morning Girl - 2:55
12.Day Of Sorrow - 2:41
All songs written by  Jeff Hanichen unless otherwise stated.

Evol
*Randall Hackney - Lead Guitar
*Mike Blair - Bass Guitar
*Jeff Hanichen - 12 String Guitar
*Roger Dillon - Organ, Harpsichord
*Dave Tatum - Drums

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Gold - Gold (1969 us, amazing west coast psychedelic rock)

In 1971 Gold was one of the hottest bands in San Francisco without an LP. Bill Graham was booking them to open for 10 years After, Big Brother & the Holding Company, Hot Tuna and more. Eventually he called their management into his office and let them know that he needed bands that had an LP out with airplay. In 2002, Gold's Album "Mission Rock" recorded in '71 was released. After 32 years, finally the LP Graham had wanted to hear!

Gold, a real San Francisco band had Mission District origins in 1967. To gain attention, the band often did benefit gigs for good causes, something they learned from watching the career of Country Joe & The Fish. They played twice for prisoners at the San Francisco County Jail, and also at San Quentin State Prison. In 1971 they played at an anti-Vietnam War Moratorium rally at Golden Gate State Park which drew over 150,000, sharing the bill with Big Brother & The Holding Company. Also, in 1970 they played at a notorious Hells Angels party along with Big Brother, Full Tilt Boogie and Janice Joplin. Not only were they receiving good support from Bill Graham, but also received favorable reviews from the San Francisco Chronicle & Examiner.

The only thing holding them back during those days was not having an LP, but they did manage to get some airplay right along with Santana and The Grateful Dead from an audio cassette they had sent in to local FM radio stations.

Country Joe McDonald took a great interest in the Band and worked with them on a number of projects. he even helped them release a 45...the classic "Summertime" b/w "No Parking". The single went pretty much unnoticed, however they did receive some airplay on top 40 stations in California and Utah.

Guitarist Ed Scott founded what was to become Gold in 1967. Known at the time as The Lost Cause, featuring Larry Walton on lead guitar, they went through several names including Golden Gate, and then finally Gold (as in Acapulco Gold). As the years progressed, new members came and went. The band finally broke up in September, 1973 due to frustration over lack of finding a good label and the usual ego tripping issues that cause most bands to fall... For a garage band they actually went very far and played on some big stages with some mighty huge acts...
MyFirst-Band

Tracks
1. No Parking - 2:35
2. High On Love - 4:03
3. Righteous Road - 2:49
4. Summer Dresses - 2:26
5. Conquistadore - 5:16
6. Heavy - 2:48
7. Elizabeth - 4:33
8. I Saw You - 2:38
9. PSB - 5:47
10.Filet Of Soul - 5:40

Gold
*Ronald Coco -Vocals
*Ed Scott - Guitar
*Joe Bajza - Guitar
*Louis Gorseau - Drums
*Joe Mancada - Bass
*Dennis Cabral - Percussion
*Percy Nicholson - Congas

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Various Artists - The Electric Coffee House (60's us, garage psych folk gems, Psychic Circle release)

Up until the Beatles struck, America led the way in pop music. Suddenly the tables had turned and 'The British Invasion bands' took control. American kids invigorated by this no-nonsense, self-written approach, formed bands in every town.

This is what gave rise to the garage band phenomenon. Snotty youths modelling themselves on The Stones, The Beatles, The Kinks et al produced the primitive anthems now so beloved by collectors across the globe. Yet, there was another thread that came from a distinctly different angle. This was the 'folk rock' movement, heralded by The Byrds and The Beau Brummels.

Basically it was born from the collision of the American coffee house scene withjiritish pop. The Byrds had been the first to successfully combine traditional folk with the (angle of The Searchers twelve string sound, and before long there was a plethora of similarly minded musos swapping their acoustics for Rickenbackers and growing Brian Jones hairdos.

This compilation comprises 20 tracks by bands who were taking this path into the mid sixties haze. Some of it is pop, some of it is bluesy, some of it is primitive, but all of it has that underlying folk feel. Before long Dylan would plug into the mains and Jefferson Airplane would transform their folk roots into fully-fledged psychedelia.

But for now, we hope you'll enjoy this journey through an intriguing and often overlooked field of '60s music. I guess if it needs a label it's 'garage folk', but let's forget about compartmentalisation, and just tune in to a time when it all seemed new and exciting down at 'The Electric Coffee House'.
by Nick Saloman

Artists - Tracks
1. Tiffany System - Wayward One - 1:57
2. The Energy Package - See That I Come Home - 2:19
3. Tommy Jay - Springtime's Coming - 2:17
4. Finders Keepers - Raggedy Ann - 3:03
5. Rick Jarrard - High Coin - 3:03
6. Clefs Of Lavender Hill - First Tell Me Why - 2:18
7. The Guilloteens - I Don't Believe - 2:36
8. The Sound Of The Seventh Son - I'll Be on My Way - 2:47
9. Jeremiah - Goin' Lovin' with You - 1:52
10.The Iguanas - This Is What I Was Made For - 2:19
11.Vinnie Basile - Gypsy Girl - 1:59
12.The Yankee Dollar - Reflections of a Shattered Mind - 2:39
13.Starbuck - Let Your Hair Hang Long - 2:46
14.The Hi-Five - You'll Never Know What's in My Heart - 2:21
15.The Chessmen - Running Wild - 2:03
16.Peck's Bad Boys - Silver Dawn - 2:17
17.The Stream Of Consciousness - Till You're Through - 2:15
18.Keith Murphy An The Daze - Slightly Reminiscent of Her - 2:17
19.The Scandal - There's Reasons Why - 2:25
20.The Gants - I Wonder - 2:13

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John Kay and the Sparrow - John Kay and the Sparrow (1968 canada, strong psychedelic rock with blues and folk traces)

Steppenwolf leader/founder John Kay is perhaps the most overlooked early contributor to the musical style that would become heavy metal and hard rock. Kay was the first rocker to use the phrase heavy metal in a song, in one of metal's first great anthems: Steppenwolf's 1968 classic "Born to Be Wild." Born Joachim Fritz Krauledat on April 12, 1944, in the section of Germany that was once known as East Prussia, it was the American rock & roll that he heard on U.S. Armed Forces radio after his family moved to East Germany that fueled his interest in music.

After relocating to Toronto, Canada, in 1958, Kay became even more transfixed by rock & roll -- leading to Kay picking up the guitar, writing songs, and playing in local bands. In the '60s, Kay founded the Sparrow, a rock outfit who played both Canada and the U.S., but received little attention. The group had fallen apart by 1967, but with a new, harder-edged style of rock beginning to conquer the charts and airwaves (Cream, Jimi Hendrix, and the Yardbirds), Kay decided to pursue this direction with his next band, Steppenwolf (titled after Hermann Hesse's novel of the same name).

After moving to Los Angeles, the fledgling band was signed to Dunhill and recorded their self-titled debut, issued in 1968. The album became a sizeable hit, as "Born to Be Wild" was unleashed on an unsuspecting record-buying public, becoming one of rock's most instantly identifiable and enduring hits of all time. After the track was used in the 1969 cult classic movie Easy Rider, it subsequently appeared in countless other movies and TV commercials over the years and was covered by numerous other bands (Blue Oyster Cult, Slade, Crowded House, and the Cult).
by Greg Prato

Before Steppenwolf hit with "Born to Be Wild," there was a blues band out of Canada called the Sparrow. Not only is the future growl of John Kay subdued on this record, so are the bellowing sounds that became organist Goldy McJohn's trademark. The John Kay composition "King Pin" has an almost jazz piano playing against the harp. With drummer Jerry Edmonton, McJohn, and Kay, this is three-fifths Steppenwolf, and it comes off as Steppenwolf lite.

Guitarist Dennis Edmonton, the drummer's brother, composes or co-writes five of the songs, where John Kay wrote four. Dennis Edmonton's "Chasin' Shadows" is psychedelic pop, very British sounding, and gives indications of the trippy style he would develop. When he left the band he became Mars Bonfire and penned "Born to Be Wild,," released on his own CBS album Faster Than the Speed of Life. "Green Bottle Lover," written by both Edmonton brothers, is even more psychedelic and rocking.

The liner notes are terrible, giving little information about this historic disc, leaving it to the music. Where John Kay's "Twisted" starts off the festivities with the boogie-woogie blues that seems indicative of the Sparrow, the final track, "Isn't It Strange" by St. Nicholas and Dennis Edmonton, goes full throttle with the psychedelia. A very interesting collection of sounds exhibiting two musical sides, only hinting at what they would develop when they hooked up with producer Gabriel Mekler to eventually crank out about a half a dozen Top 40 hits on Dunhill.
by Joe Viglione

Tracks
1 Twisted (J. Kay) - 2:14
2 Goin' To California (J.  Kay) - 2:24
3 Baby, Please Don't Go (Williams) - 3:12
4 Down Goes Your Love Life (D. Edmonton, N. St. Nicholas) - 2:00
5 Bright Lights, Big City (J. Reed) - 3:07
6 Can't Make Love By Yourself (D. Edmonton) - 2:24
7 Good Morning Little School Girl (S.B. Williamson) - 3:53
8 King Pin (R. Jones, M. Mann) - 2:57
9 Square Headed People (J.  Kay) - 2:29
10 Chasin' Shadows (D.Edmonton) - 3:19
11 Green Bottle Lover (D.Edmonton, J. Edmonton) - 2:38
12 Isn't It Strange (D. Edmonton, N. St. Nicholas) - 2:28
13 Tomorrow's Ship (D.Edmonton) - 3:08
14 Twisted (J.  Kay) - 2:59
15 Goin' To California (J.  Kay) - 2:25
16 Hoochie Coochie Man (W. Dixon) - 4:34
17 The Pusher (H. Axton) 5:18
18 Goin' Upstairs (J.L. Hooker) - 5:46
19 Tighten Up Your Wig (J.  Kay) - 3:10
20 Too Late (N. St. Nicholas) - 2:33

John Kay and the Sparrow
*John Kay – Rhythm Guitar, Lead Vocals
*Dennis Edmonton (Mars Bonfire) – Lead Guitar, Vocals
*Nick St. Nicholas – Bass, Vocals
*Goldy McJohn – Keyboards, Vocals
*Jerry Edmonton – Drums, Lead Vocals

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Paul Revere And The Raiders - Mojo Work Out (1963-65 us, garage 'n' roll, Sundazed double disc edition)

In 1964, at the peak of British Invasion fervor, Columbia Records turned to the Pacific Northwest for some red, white & blue musical ammunition to fire at the invaders and found it in the form of a group of frock-coated, tri-corner capped rowdy, if not revolutionary, R&B rebels, Paul Revere & The Raiders. Fresh from the musical pressure cooker of the Northwest circuit of teen dance clubs, American Legion halls, roller rinks and gymnasiums, the Raiders were raw and rockin', ready to take on all comers with a ton of talent and a healthy dose of enthusiasm to fill in any gaps in the talent department. While the Dick Clark pop machine would eventually round off their rough edges during their tenure as the house band on the afternoon TV series Where The Action Is, the Raiders of '64 were a pounding pile of party.

Mojo Workout! is the recorded equivalent of an all night kegger. Combining the Raiders' debut album, Here They Come!, with a collection of outtakes, singles, and unreleased live recordings, this is the Raiders I knew as a young Seattle teenager, and the Raiders the country might have missed if they didn't pay enough attention soon enough. These pre-"Kicks" kids didn't have any messages to offer, or any pretensions at all. It's pure rockin' R&B, and it's terrific from start to finish. These two discs are all the party rock you'll ever need.

Excellent notes, full release and session notes and vintage photography complete the package nicely, but it's really all about the music, and the music is all about fun. Read if you will, but listen you must!

by Shaun Dale

Tracks
Disc 1
1. What'd I Say - (previously unreleased) - 5:05
2. Louie, Louie - 3:41
3. Night Train - (previously unreleased) - 4:47
4. Peter Gunn - (previously unreleased) - 4:15
5. Money (That's What I Want) - 3:42
6. Louie, Go Home - (previously unreleased) - 2:50
7. Crisco Party / Walking The Dog - 6:22
8. Fever - (previously unreleased) - 4:05
9. Whole Lotta Nothin' - (previously unreleased) - 3:32
10.Twist and Shout - (previously unreleased) - 3:50
11.You Can't Sit Down - 3:51
12.Don't Be Cruel - (previously unreleased) - 3:37
13.Do You Love Me - 3:36
14.Don't You Just Know It - 3:37
15.Oh Poo Pah Doo - 3:09
16.Over You - (previously unreleased) - 2:14
17.Big Boy Pete - 2:56

Disc 2
1. Louie, Louie - 2:44
2. Night Train - 2:56
3. Have Love Will Travel - 2:32
4. Louie, Go Home - 2:45
5. Mojo Workout - 2:24
6. Over You - 2:15
7. Swim - 1:56
8. Irrestible You - 3:41
9. Comin' Home Baby - 5:01
10.Maybelline - 2:48
11.I'll Be There - 4:09
12.Big Boy Pete - 2:20
13.You Were Wrong - 2:25
14.High Heel Sneakers - 2:50
15.My Wife Can't Cook - 2:29
16.Blue Fox - 2:32
17.Searchin' - 2:36
18.Whole Lotta Shakin' - 3:05
19.Sweets For My Sweet - 2:30
20.Sometimes - 2:44
21.Gone - 1:51
22.These Are Bad Times (For Me and My Baby) - 2:56
23.Fever - 2:54
24.Time Is on My Side - 2:40
25.A Kiss to Remember You By - 2:18
26.Have Love Will Travel - (alternate take) - 2:53
27.Louie Go Home - (alternate take) - 3:23

Paul Revere and the Raiders
*Paul Revere - Organ
*Mark Lindsay - Lead Vocals
*Drake Levin - Lead Guitar
*Phil "Fang" Volk - Bass Guitar
*Mike "Smitty" Smith"  - Drums

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The John Schroeder Orchestra - The Dolly Catcher (1967 uk, groovy orchestrated lounge psychedelic pop, Radioactive release)

Arranged by John Cameron, The Dolly Catcher, (the title refering to pulling "dolly birds", or girls) is widely recognised as an "easy" classic and Schroeder manages to merge fuzz guitar and organ with sweeping strings and brass producing an album that is always interesting, and at times, genuinely ground breaking.

We get some great covers versions (Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, San Francisco, Up, Up and Away) along with some storming original tunes.John Schroeder ("the British answer to Burt Bacharach") is probably best known for his production work, becoming assistant to Columbia Records label chief Norrie Paramor in 1958 and producing the Eurovision runner-up in the same year, Pearl Carr and Teddy Johnson's Sing Little Birdie.

During his time at Columbia Schroeder discovered the 14 year-old Helen Shapiro, writing her first hit, Please Don't Treat Me Like A Child and sharing an Ivor Novello award with co-writer Mike Hawker for another Shapiro hit, Walkin' Back To Happiness.

After a short stint with Columbia, Schroeder spent 2 productive years at Oriole, at the time the UK's only truly independent label, before departing for Pye, where he enjoyed immediate success with the Rockin' Berries, the Ivy League and Sounds Orchestral, an instrumental orchestra that enjoyed commercial success with the song, Cast Your Fate To The Wind. During his Pye years, Schroeder wrote for and produced artists such as Status Quo, Geno Washington and renewed his association with Helen Shapiro.”

Tracks
1. The Dolly Catcher - 1:56
2. San Francisco (Flowers In Your Hair) - 3:20
3. Explosive Corrosive Joseph - 2:39
4. To Wendy With Love - 2:41
5. Epistle To Dippy - 2:28
6. She'd Rather Be With Me - 2:09
7. Softly Softly Catchee Dolly - 2:31
8. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds - 3:11
9. I Was Made To Love Her - 3:08
10.Up, Up And Away - 2:07
11.But She Ran The Other Way - 2:50
12.Things I Should Have Said - 2:13

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Savoy Brown - Raw Sienna / Looking In (1969-70 uk, great hard blues rock, 2005 BGO remaster)

The "Raw Sienna" a high-water mark by the band, finds them softening their rougher edges and stretching out into jazz territory, yet still retaining a blues foundation. There's not a bad cut here, with enough variety (bottleneck slide, acoustic guitar, horns, and strings) to warrant frequent late-night listenings. "A Hard Way to Go," "Needle and Spoon," and "Stay While the Night Is Young" are especially strong, as are two instrumental numbers.

Unfortunately, leader Kim Simmonds lost his greatest asset when vocalist Chris Youlden quit for an ill-fated solo career after this recording. Youlden had one of the most distinctive voices in British blues, and Savoy would never fully recover from his exit.
by Peter Kurtz

Savoy Brown's blues-rock sound takes on a much more defined feel on 1970's Looking In and is one of this band's best efforts. Kim Simmonds is utterly bewildering on guitar, while Lonesome Dave Peverett does a fine job taking over lead singing duties from Chris Youlden who left halfway through the year. But it's the captivating arrangements and alluring ease of the music that makes this a superb listen.

The pleading strain transformed through Simmonds' guitar on "Money Can't Save Your Soul" is mud-thick with raw blues, and the comfort of "Sunday Night" is extremely smooth and laid back. "Take It Easy" sounds like it could have been a B.B. King tune as it's doused with relaxed guitar fingering. The entire album is saturated with a simple, British blues sound but the pace and the marbled strands of bubbly instrumental perkiness fill it with life.

Even the Yardbirds-flavored "Leaving Again" is appealing with its naive hooks, capped off with a heart-stopping guitar solo. This album along with Street Corner Talking best exemplify Savoy Brown's tranquilizing style.
by Mike DeGagne

Tracks
Raw Sienna 1969
1. A Hard Way To Go (Chris Youlden) - 2:21
2. That Same Feelin' (Kim Simmonds) - 3:40
3. Master Hare (Kim Simmonds) - 4:52
4. Needle And Spoon (Chris Youlden) - 3:20
5. A Little More Wine (Chris Youlden) - 4:55
6. I'm Crying (Chris Youlden) - 4:19
7. Stay While The Night Is Young (Chris Youlden) - 3:10
8. Is That So (Kim Simmonds) - 7:43
9. When I Was A Young Boy (Chris Youlden) - 3:05
Looking In 1970
10.Gypsy (Kim Simmonds) - 1:00
11.Poor Girl (Tony Stevens) - 4:08
12.Money Can't Save Your Soul (Dave Peverett, Kim Simmonds) - 5:32
13.Sunday Night (Kim Simmonds) - 5:24
14.Looking In (Dave Peverett, Kim Simmonds) - 5:19
15.Take It Easy (Dave Peverett, Kim Simmonds) - 5:44
16.Sitting An' Thinking (Kim Simmonds) - 2:53
17.Leavin' Again (Dave Peverett, Kim Simmonds) - 8:30
18.Romanoff (Kim Simmonds) - 1:04

Savoy Brown
1969 Raw Sienna
*Chris Youlden - Vocals
*Kim Simmonds - Guitars
*Bob Hall - Piano
*Roger Earl - Drums
*Tony Stevens - Bass
*"Lonesome" Dave Peverett - Guitars
1970 Looking In
*Kim Simmonds - Guitar, Piano
*Lonesome Dave Peverett - Vocals, Guitar
*Roger Earl - Drums
*Tony Stevens - Bass
Guest Musician
*Owen Finnegan - Congas

1967-68  Savoy Brown - Shake Down / Getting To The Point 

1974  Savoy Brown - Boogie Brothers

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T. Rex - Great Hits The A Sides (1972-77 uk, fabulous glam rock)

"If there is going to be any revolution in pop, it must come from the young people and if you ignore them, you are cutting yourself off from the life-supply of the rock music force."
(Marc Bolan, November 1970)

By the end of 1970, it was clear that the apparent revolutionary power of the rock underground was going nowhere. Its stars, increasingly enslaved by the chemical favours that came their way, had begun to die off; their riches and fame set them apart from the movement they were meant to represent; and their fashions and music had been assimilated into the wider culture.

They'd become another brick in the wall they once wished to tear down. Marc Bolan, although very much a part of the British underground, never fully bought into the politics of the counter-culture. As the driving force of Tyrannosaurus Rex, a duo which played — cross-legged on Indian rugs — at UFO, Middle Earth and as many outdoor festivals as they could possibly manage, Bolan massaged the underground's escapist wing. He looked like an elfin rag-doll, spoke in a precious whisper, wrote reams of fanciful poetry and sang like a quavering priest from an alien land.

And, unlike many of his contemporaries, he rarely ventured far from the simple songwriting that had inspired him as a youth: three chords were usually enough. Much has been made of Bolan's transition from underground folkie to teen idol, but through his eyes, it was all part of the mosaic of fantasy. In fact, he was fond of saying that his post-1,970 pop career was far more honest than the days when he spun Tolkienesque tales to the hippie hordes, and perhaps he was right.

After 1970, Marc Bolan no longer fed the addled heads of wayward undergraduates; instead, he activated an entire generation of teenagers, setting the controls for as far as they could think. Like the Beatles fans a decade earlier, they screamed, but they also dreamed. Through his image, he encouraged a symbolic refusal of ordinariness, just as his own heroes Elvis Presley and Jimi Hendrix had done.

 He once said, "I don't lead an everyday life, but that's nothing to do with being a rock star. I've always been like that." A generation of pop fans took him at his word, and began to create their own personae. It was particularly gratifying, then, to later discover that dozens of gaily-attired punk musicians were inducted into a pop way of life by his example.

The songs on this CD document every single released by T. Rex between January 1972 and August 1977, a period which began with a string of surefire chart-toppers, and ended with his death in a car crash on 16th September 1977. By that time, his successes were hard-earned, but his knack for conjuring irresistible three minute epics out of a clutch of simple chord shapes and a few choice phrases never left him.

Tracks
1. Telegram Sam - 3:44
2. Metal Gum - 2:.26
3. Children Of The Revolution - 2:27
4. Solid Gold Easy Action - 2:20
5. 20th Century Boy - 3:38
6. The Groover - 3:21
7. Truck On (Tyke) - 3:06
8 Teenage Dream - 4:56
9. Light 0f Love - 3:14
10.Zip Gun Boogie - 3:18
11.New York City - 3:55
12.Dreamy Lady - 2:52
13.London Boys - 2:19
14.I Love To Boogie - 2:14
15.Laser Love - 3:35
16.To Know You Is To Love You (To Know Him Is To Love Him) (Phil Spector) - 2:43
17.The Soul 01 My Suit - 2:37
18.Dandy In The Underworld - 3:49
19.Celebrate Summer - 2:36
All Songs Written By Marc Bolan, except wher noted.

Musicians
*Marc Bolan -  Guitar, Lead Vocals
*Mickey Finn -  Percussion (1969 - 1974)
*Steve Currie -  Bass (1970 - 1976)
*Bill Legend -  Drums (1971 - 1973)
*Gloria Jones -  Keyboards, Vocals (1973 - 1976)
*Jack Green -  Guitar (1973 - 1973)
*Dino Dines -  Keyboards (1973 - 1977)
*Davy Lutton -  Drums (1973 - 1976)
*Miller Anderson -  Guitar (1976 - 1977)
*Herbie Flowers -  Bass (1976 - 1977)
*Tony Newman -  Drums (1976 - 1977)

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Blodwyn Pig - Pigthology (2004 uk, fine blues rock)

Blodwyn Pig the British rock band formed by Mick Abrahams (vocals, guitars, formerly of "Jethro Tull") Jack Lancaster (saxes, flutes, violin and wind controllers) Andy Pyle (bass), and Ron Berg (drums), have released an anthology featuring re-recorded and re-mastered recordings of the band's most beloved and successful songs "Dear Jill" "See My Way" "Drive Me" and previously unreleased materials.

Blodwyn Pig in its first form was a legend in rock history hitting the top of the LP charts in Britain and elsewhere around the world. The members received new inspiration when Cameron Crow used the recording of "Dear Jill" in his movie "Almost Famous". The original BLODWYN PIG consisted of Mick Abrahams, vocals, guitars. Jack Lancaster, sax, flutes, violin and wind controllers. Andy Pyle, bass and Ron Berg drums and was later joined by "Jethro Tull's" Clive Bunker on drums.

Many bands credit Blodwyn Pig with being a huge influence at the start of their careers. One member of Aerosmith was recently quoted in Rolling Stone as saying "there wouldn't have been an Aerosmith if there hadn't been a Blodwyn Pig" and there are many fan sites across the Internet which still attest to the band's popularity.

The band played alongside Led Zeppelin, The Who, Procul Harem, BB King, Miles Davis, Janis Joplin, Pink Floyd and Joe Cocker at the Isle of Wight rock festivals, the Reading rock festival. The "Pig" completed two successful American tours playing venues like Fillmores, numerous universities and the LA Forum. Some of the recordings on Blodwyn Pig's," Pigthology" are from this period as well as later recorded songs from their first two albums.

Pigthology was produced, compiled and mastered by Jack Lancaster and Mick Abrahams.
CDBaby

Tracks
1. See My Way - 4:28
 2. Baby Girl - 3:50
 3. Dear Jill - 6:27
 4. Monkinit - 4:40
 5. Drive Me - 2:42
 6. The Change Song - 3:31
 7. Cosmogification - 5:06
 8. Same Old Story - 2:35
 9. Hound Dog - 2:18
 10.Sly Bones - 2:10
 11.It's Only Love - 3:32
 12.Stormy Monday - 6:46

Blodwyn Pig
*Mick Abrahams - Vocals, Guitars
*Jack Lancaster - Saxes, Flutes, Violin, Wind Synths,
*Andy Pyle - Bass
*Ron Burg - Drums

Other Mick Abrahams Blodwyn Pig selected works.
1969  Ahead Rings Out (remastered and expanded edition) 
1970  Blodwyn Pig - Getting To This
1971  Mick Abrahams

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rep>>> Savoy Brown - Shake Down • Getting To The Point (1967-68 uk, classic blues rock, 2005 bouble disc remaster)

Savoy Brown - Shake Down • Getting To The Point  1967-68 (BGO 2005)

Paul Butterfield - North South (1981 us, funky blues rock, japan edition)

Butterfield the blues harp master would keep busy with session work through the end of the 1970s, and toured with the Band's Levon Helm and his RCO All Stars.  Paul Butterfield remained signed to Bearsville Records, and made his proper solo debut in 1976, releasing  "Put It In Your Ear" in Los Angeles with renowned sessioneers like Chuck Rainey, Timothy Drummond, James Jameson, Fred Carter, Jr., Ben Keith, Eric Gale and Bernard Purdie, as well as Levon Helm and Garth Hudson of The Band.

“North South” (referring to 1966’s “East West”) was recorded in 1981 at Hi Records’ Royal Recording Studios in Memphis, and was produced by the legendary Willie Mitchell. It features Hi’s rhythm and brass sections playing throughout.  In a sense it's not a bad album, but it’s far out from the older recordings, not even to his most recent, but judging the situation and the period production with the overuse of synthesizers and stuff like that I think it sounds pleasant.

In 1986 he released his last album, "The Legendary Paul Butterfield Rides Again". Butterfield died in May 1987 at the age of 45, suffering a heart attack that was probably brought on by years of drug and alcohol abuse.

Tracks

1.I Get Excited (Bradley, Fisher) - 3:34

2.Get Some Fun in Your Life (Turner) - 4:00

3.Footprints on the Windshield Upside Down (Carlisle, McClinton) - 3:20

4.Catch a Train (Bradley, Fisher) - 2:56

5.Bread and Butterfield (Toles) - 4:28

6.Living in Memphis (Turner) - 4:07

7.Slow Down (Cobb) - 4:38

8.I Let It Go (To My Head) (Fuller, Toles) - 2:54

9.Baby Blue (Greenfield, Sedaka) - 5:07

Musicians

*Paul Butterfield - Harmonica, Vocals

*Steve Cobb - Bass, Percussion

*Eddie Fisher - Drums

*Jack Hale - Trombone

*James Hooker - Piano

*Wayne Jackson - Trumpet

*Andrew Love - Tenor Sax

*Willie Mitchell - Horn Arrangements, Percussion, String Arrangements

*Erma Shaw - Vocals

*Michael Toles - Guitar, Horn Arrangements, Piano, String Arrangements, Synthesizer, Vocals

*Julius Bradley - Vocals

Paul Butterfield's back pages

1964 -1969 Paul Butterfield's Blues Band (Their first 5 albums by request)

1966-68  Strawberry Jam

1970  Live 

1971  Sometimes I Just Feel Like Smilin' 

1973  Paul Butterfield's Better Days

1973  It All Comes Back (Japan Edition)

1976  Put It In Your Ear

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rep>>> The Outlaw Blues Band - Breaking In (1969 us, tasteful blues rock with jazzy soul feel)

The Outlaw Blues Band  - Breaking In 

(1969 us, tasteful blues rock with jazzy soul feel)

Various Artists - Wednesday Morning Dew Realistic Patterns, Vol. 2 (60's us, pleasing psychedelic trip out )

Psychic Circle's second collection of rare "Orchestrated Psychedelia from the USA" manages to be more satisfying than the first; like Realistic Patterns, Wednesday Morning Dew has precious little to do with genuine psychedelic rock, but as a collection of pop tunes which revel in the lysergic influences of the late '60s, it's fun and engaging stuff. Jeff Monn, who as a member of the Third Bardo sang one of the great garage-psych tunes of all time ("Five Years Ahead of My Time"), shows off a more ambitious side on the more polished but similarly intense "She Is There for Me." New York City rockers the Majik Ship are represented by one of the stellar moments from their self-titled album, the moody and tastefully arranged "Sunday Morning Dew."

Secret Agents of the Vice Squad not only had a great name, they managed to twist "Hang on Sloopy" into an homage to the Left Banke, with the likeably odd "I Saw Sloopy." The Shambles' "World War II in Cincinnati" boasts what must be one of the most cryptic drug references of the era, but the Baroque pop arrangement is unmistakably pleasurable; "Follow Us" by Summerhill is an even more impressive and ambitious Baroque pop rarity, and a real stunner.

Silk from Cleveland deliver a solid bit of horn-infused blue-eyed soul on "Not a Whole Lot I Can Do," which features future heartland rock cult hero Michael Stanley on guitar. And though the contributions from the Second Time and the Peppermint Rainbow aren't especially obscure, they're fine tunes that sound great in this context. Fans of heavy psych will find this too diluted for their taste, but if you have an ear for pleasantly off-kilter '60s pop, Wednesday Morning Dew will make you feel very good indeed.
by Mark Deming

Artists - Tracks
1. Bloomsbury People - Have You Seen Them Cry - 3:32
2. Erik - Child of the Sea - 2:22
3. Majic Ship - Wednesday Morning Dew - 2:55
4. Fallen Angels - Room at the Top - 2:41
5. Shambles - World War II in Cincinatti - 2:52
6. Wayne Stewart - If You Could Be Him Instead - 2:16
7. Summerhill - Follow Us - 3:47
8. Stony Brook People - There's Tomorrow - 2:43
9. The Bag - Nickels & Dimes - 2:31
10.Secret Agents of the Vice Squad - I Saw Sloopy - 1:58
11.Peter Courtney - Dr. David's Private Papers - 2:23
12.Green Lyte Sunday - If You Want to Be Free - 2:41
13.Hearts And Flowers - Tin Angel - 4:23
14.Five By Five - Too Much Tomorrow - 2:35
15.Jeff Monn - She Is There for Me - 2:02
16.The Second Time - Listen to the Music - 2:48
17.Nova Local - If You Only Had the Time - 2:19
18.Silk - Not a Whole Lot I Can Do - 3:06
19.Hook - There's Magic in the Air - 2:19
20.Peppermint Rainbow - Pink Lemonade - 2:08

More from the Artists
Erik Heller - Look Where I Am 1968 
Majic Ship 1970

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The Mystic Astrologic Crystal Band - Flowers Never Cry (1967-68 us, marvellous psychedelic rock)

Normally when someone is asked to write something about a recording group, they  find little or no difficulty in doing so. However,  this is not the case with The Mystic  Astrologic, Crystal Band!!! I say this as  the group truly is a paradox and yet everything  the name implies! Still, the group also  is Steve Hoffman due to the fact that it was  wholly conceived in his own mind originally,  (in fact one of his compositions contained  herein, "Geometry Alley" makes reference  to just such a band) and then brought to fruition  after many months of auditioning, rehearsing  and recording!!

Steve Hoffman, (the only band member I will dwell on for this, their first album)  was discovered by his Manager and Producer,  Clancy B. Grass III, in a little known  teen-age club in West Covina round 1966. At that time he simply walked up to Mr. Grass and said. "I write great songs and you have got to listen to them!  It only took one song to prove that here was  a potential "giant" as far as the recording  industry was concerned, and from that point  on the two of them have worked together to  create this album!!

It has been a long time in  the making, and yet when you listen to the  variety of songs and instruments...the approach  given to each composition individually,  etc.; you will see that it has without a  doubt been time well spent!!!  During the course of recording this album,  many people associated with the entertainment  industry, including disk-jockeys, record  company executives, motion picture producers  and so on have heard one or more of  the selections in various stages of completion  and the consensus of opinion has been that  this group has all the qualifications necessary  to become the largest, most successful  group ever to come from the U.S.A.

In fact, it  has been suggested that The Mystic  Astrologic, Crystal Band could be the "heir apparent"  to the throne currently held by The  Beatles!!! A very big statement, but listen  to Steve’s songs, hear what he has to say  and how the band says it. pay attention to  the musicianship of the group and then you  too will be saying "Why couldn't they?"...  with no reply as there is no reason why they  couldn't!!! I have been associated with the  recording industry for some time now and  having had several Top 10 hits in this country  I feel I can say to you that contained  herein are the greatest sounds ever to be put  together by an American group for more  than five or six years!!!
by Albeth Paris 

Tracks
1. Factory Endeavor - 2:30
2. Early Dawn - 2:05
3. Antagonizing Friend - 2:27
4. Barnyard Philosophy - 2:06
5. Flowers Never Cry - 2:18
6. Geometry Alley - 2:29
7. October Sunshine - 2:00
8. La Vent - 3:04
9. Publicly Inclined (To Blow Her Mind) - 2:42
10.Yesterday's Girl - 2:40
11.The M.A.C.B. Theme - 2:17
12.Sunbeams and Rainbows - 2:55
13.I Think I'll Just Lie Here and Die - 2:22
14.Gaberdene Square - 3:32
15.Ah Ha Ha Ha - 2:33
16.Krystalize - 2:35
17.Today - 1:58
18.Yellow Room - 2:45
19.Authors - 3:20
20.It's Strange - 2:40
21.Only Time - 2:46
22.Oatmeal Quicksand - 1:01
All songs by Steve Hoffman

The Mystic Astrologic Crystal Band
*Steve Hoffman - Vocals, Sitar, Bass, Keyboards
*John Leighton - Vocals, Bass, Guitar
*John Moreland - Lead Guitar
*Bob Phillips - Drums, Percussion
*Ron Roman - Vocals, Percussion

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Outlaw Blues Band - The Outlaw Blues Band (1968 us, unique blend of blues, rock, jazz, and soul, 2000 digipak release)

Outlaw Blues Band - The Outlaw Blues Band

(1968 us, unique blend of blues, rock, jazz, and soul, 2003 digipak release)

Various Artists - Realistic Patterns Orchestrated Psychedelia (60's us, psychedelic gems)

Over the past several years, smaller niche markets have started to become more DIY oriented as the bigger label support crumbling beneath their feet. Among the genres most notably contributing to the niche are soul/R&B, funk, jazz, and the enormous number of psychedelic nugget compilations. With so many reissue labels and compilations floating around, it’s hard to decipher which ones are actually worth the high price tags that smaller labels are forced to charge.

It all comes down to the compiler and the staff’s passion behind these labels—we’ve all learned that Numero dig up some of the tastiest nuggets, Soul Jazz create some of the best retrospective period compilations in the business, and you can always turn to Trunk for the sounds that are from another planet. It usually only takes one release to make or break these labels, and after a solid couple dozen releases on Psychic Circle, they may have finally laid their permanent mark with Realistic Patterns: Orchestrated Psychedelia from the USA.

As mentioned, one of the most important elements in reissue labels are the compilers and the heads of the labels themselves, and Psychic Circle has one of the better teams behind the drawing board. The label is owned by Steven Carr (one owner of Radioactive) and the compiler is Nick Saloman, lead man of ‘60s psych-revivalists the Bevis Frond. Finding a topic to keep an audience interested in buying a compilation from a semi-obscure label is the true test—and orchestrated psychedelia is by and large the cleverest release from Pyschic Circle yet.

Ochestrated psychedelic cuts were usually those in the ‘60s that got thrown to the wayside as cheap b-sides or corny off-shoots from respectable bands. Saloman proves that something other than fuzzy guitars and pummeling drums can fit within the pallet of psychedelia, and he does it with the help of 20 bands that understood quality arrangements. Featuring artists ranging from the unknown to the obscure collector all the way to deep cuts by bands like the Moon—which featured Matthew Moore (who worked with Leon Russell and Joe Cocker) and former Beach Boy David Marks—the attention to detail in the compiling of tracks for Realistic Patterns is imposing and laudable.

While some cuts, such as Burned’s “All Those Who Enter Here”, which was released on a temporary subsidiary of Mercury, and Bubble’s “I Call Her Lady” on Dot Records (both released as one-off 45s only), are nearly unknown to any normal record collector, there are cuts that will prove to familiar to the everyday psych-collector. Present is one of the best examples of orchestrated psychedelia, the 31st of February’s classic baroque-style cut “Pedestals”, which features future Allman Butch Trucks behind the kit (Greg and Duane were also known to sit in with the band), while Tim Widle’s “Popcorn Double Feature” provides the original of the Searchers’ smash hit, written by Larry Weiss (also responsible for “Rhinestone Cowboy”—quite the change of pace).

Realistic Patterns does follow suit to a nagging trend in obscure compilations, and that is a lack of research. While folks like Numero have gained their recognition for the deep research put into the tracks they compile (the backstories contained in the liner notes are often just as interesting as the tracks), Psychic Circle is willing to put out a track they can find little to no information on. It can only make one wonder if they really put the time into doing deep research to find the info. For example, the liner notes behind the track “I Had the Notion” by the Sound Solution claims, “Well, here’s a great track from a clearly excellent band, and I could find absolutely nothing about them.”

But if these backstories and discoveries are part of the reason people buy these compilations, then how are they clearly excellent? This isn’t to shortchange the effort put into Psychic Circle’s compilations, but more extensive research for the liner notes would be a definite encouragement for purchasing these comps in the future. While Realistic Patterns: Orchestrated Psychedelia from the USA has its commonplace flaws, it’s strength of track selections and precise compiling should leave Psychic Circle as a go to label for tracks that are obscure, but also full of substance.

Steven Carr and Nick Saloman have built the right foundations for a fantastic adventure into the world of compilations, and if they continue to grow, there is no doubt they will find themselves a place in the niche of ever-growing DIY compilation labels.
by John Bohannon

Artists - Tracks
1. Burned - All Those Who Enter Here -  3:03
2. Subterranean Monastery - Realistic Patterns -  2:40
3. Moon - Brother Lou's Love Colony -  3:57
4. Bubble - I Call Her Lady -  3:19
5. Compass - Her Sadness Primer -  2:17
6. Tim Wilde - Popcorn Double Feature -  3:03
7. Sound Solution - I Had The Notion -  2:29
8. Mystic Astrologic Crystal Band -Yesterday Girl -  2:43
9. Byzantine Empire -Snowqueen -  2:24
10.A Handful - Dying Daffodil Incident -  2:35
11.Douglas Fir - Jersey Thursday -  2:19
12.Gregg Shively - Dominique Is Gone -  3:15
13.Nobody's Children - Don'tcha Feel Like Cryin' -  2:09
14.Balloon Farm - Hurry Up Sundown -  2:53
15.Dunn And McCashen - Lydia Purple -  3:22
16.The Visions - Small Town Commotion -  2:29
17.Drake - Glory Train -  2:25
18.31st Of February - Pedestals -  2:28
19.Natty Bumpo - Theme From Valley Of The Dolls -  2:13
20.Little Boy Blues - Mr. Tripp Wouldn't Listen -  3:45

For DanP and all of my FRIENDS who supporting our effort for more than three years....

More from the Artists here:
Douglas Fir - Hard Heartsingin' 1970
The Moon - Without Earth And The Moon 1968-69
The Mystic Astrologic Crystal Band - Flowers Never Cry 1967-68

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