Various Artists - Piccadilly Sunshine Part Two (1966-71 uk, pop psych and more flavours)

"British pop-psych" can be defined in so many different ways that one approaches judging the value of a compilation described as such with some trepidation. It's fair to say, however, that the 20 rarities here are not all that similar to what some listeners might think of as British pop-psych, whether they're thinking of giants like the Sgt. Pepper's-era Beatles, respected cult bands like Tomorrow, or even more pop-inclined exponents of the genre like the early Bee Gees. 

This is truly more pop at its core than psychedelic, and that might also be said of the early Bee Gees -- but, alas, the quality (and even the strangeness factor) is not on par with vintage Bee Gees. These items are more like late-'60s-era U.K. pop with some mild psychedelic dressing in the arrangements (often of the orchestral variety) and lyrics. Only this era could have generated a song titled "The Fantastic Story of the Steam-Driven Banana," to take the most egregious example represented on this anthology (on a 1968 single by Legay). 

That angle isn't necessarily a drawback, except that the material here is usually fairly mediocre, to be blunt, and below the standard even of the usual rarity CD comps on this theme, let alone the hits and cult classics of the genre. The lack of too-catchy tunes or overly clever lyrics can't compensate for the more imaginative and sometimes odd arrangements, but some of the more noteworthy tracks include Peppermint Circus' pleasing pop-soul-psych mixture on "Keeping My Head Above Water" (though this cut in particular seems not to have been transferred to CD at a consistent speed); the aforementioned "The Fantastic Story of the Steam-Driven Banana," which slightly recalls some of the wackier electric keyboard-driven pop-psychedelia of U.S. bands like the Mystery Trend; Alexander Bell's "Alexander Bell Believes," which is, even by this style's lofty standards, a quite fey and precious observational narrative based on a vintage historical character; and Bill Kenwright & the Runaways' fairly good cover of a little-known Motown song, "I Want to Go Back There Again" (originally done by Chris Clark). 

Collectors looking for obscure connections to stars might want to hear the Cat Stevens-penned, sardonic "Never Play a B Side" (a 1968 single for Sasha Caro); Perfect People's Manfred Mann-written 1969 single "A House in the Country"; and Bubblegum's 1968 45 "Little Red Bucket" (written by Harry Vanda and George Young of the Easybeats), though none of these songs is up to the caliber of the more renowned work of the composers. 

by Richie Unterberger

Artists - Tracks
1. K.G. Young - Spider - 2:52
2. Sasha Caro - Never Play A B Side - 2:48
3. Gentry - Sing Me A Sad Song - 2:44
4. Peppermint Circus - Keeping My Head Above Water - 2:38
5. Legay - The Fantastic Story Of The Stream-Driven Banana - 3:00
6. George Bean - The Candy Shop Is Closed - 2:32
7. Wishful Thinking - I Want You Girl - 2:39
8. Suspect - Belinda - 2:45
9. Perfect People - House In The Country - 1:58
10.Barbara Ruskin - Pawnbroker, Pawnbroker - 2:13
11.Chris McClure - Hazy People - 2:11
12.Bubblegum - Little Red Bucket - 3:11
13.Kool, The - Step Out Of Your Mind - 2:38
14.Alexander Bell - Alexander Bell Believes - 3:06
15.Roger Denison - She Wanders Through My Mind - 2:05
16.George Bean - Smile From Sequin - 2:23
17.Gervase - Pepper Grinder - 2:42
18.Bill Kenwright And The Runaways - I Want To Go Back There Again - 2:41
19.Mike Raynor And The Condors - Turn Your Head - 2:58
20.Zuider Zee - Provocative Child - 1:56

The Piccadilly Sunshine flavours 
1968-70  Piccadilly Sunshine Part 1

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Timebox - Beggin' (1967-69 uk, marvelous mod beat psych with jazzy soul drops, RPM bonus tracks release)

Timebox Beggin' album comprising essentially intelligent, genre-bending late '60s British Pop laced with a surreal sense of humor and regular flashes of maverick unpredictability. Mod Jazz/Pop outings and Blue Eyed Soul populate the first half of our complete overview, with Psychedelic nuggets and blasts of proto-Hard Rock (plus a few that defy categorization) inflecting the second - and all recorded within a two year span, with much of it unreleased at the time.

Timebox originally started at an art college in Southport when Peter Halsall, Clive Griffiths and Chris Holmes decided to swap their art for music. After trying out several vocalists, all of whom proved unsuitable, John Gee, manager of London’s famous Marquee Club, recommended, Mike Patto who was singing with the London Youth Jam Orchestra, a 24-piece big band at the club. Supposedly, Mike was asked to join the group after a jam session at the Playboy Club. Mike accepted the offer and started working with the band in mid 1967. They quickly became know as a "groups group", and their stage act garnered admiration from many of their contemporary musicians, who for obvious reasons are always the hardest to impress. This alone should attest to the musical skill and unique sound of the band's live performances.

In 1970 Patto was formed consisting of the remaining members of TimeBox, Mike Patto (vocals), John Halsey (drums), Ollie Halsall (guitars and vibes), and Clive Griffiths (bass), and was signed to the newly formed Vertigo label, they recorded their first album live in studio with producer Muff Winwood.

This release is actually quite similar in content to the 1998 collection The Deram Anthology, but with a crucial difference. Unlike that previous release, this includes both sides of their first two singles (both done for the Piccadilly label before they moved to Deram); the only track it's missing from The Deram Anthology is a cover of "Misty." It thus replaces The Deram Anthology as the most comprehensive Timebox compilation, including both sides of all seven of their singles, as well as a good 13 tracks that were unreleased in the '60s (though all of those previously appeared on The Deram Anthology).

The four Piccadilly cuts, unsurprisingly, are more oriented toward straight R&B-soul than their later work on Deram, including a blue-eyed soul number ("I'll Always Love You") and three instrumentals (among them a cover of Dizzy Gillespie's "Soul Sauce") with elements of soul, blues, Latin, and ska.

The other recordings show them, like many late-'60s British bands with similar roots evolving from soul-R&B roots to more progressive sounds that, if not quite all-out psychedelic, certainly showed the influence of the psychedelic era.

For all their reputation among audiences of the time and some collectors, none of this showed them making a leap to the fore as innovators in the way bands like, say, Procol Harum and Traffic with somewhat similar roots did. Their forte was heartfelt, wistful, blue-eyed soul-pop ballads; an attempt at Kinks-like whimsy ("Eddie McHenry") didn't work well, and their moves into harder rock-influenced directions weren't married to very memorable material.

That makes Timebox a talented but marginal part of the late-'60s British rock scene, but certainly there's never going to be more thorough documentation of their recordings than this anthology. 

by Richie Unterberger

Tracks
1. I Wish I Could Jerk Like My Uncle Cyril (Timebox) - 2:04
2. I'll Always Love You (Holland, Dozier, Holland) - 2:58
3. Soul Saucen (Gonzales, Gillespie) - 2:58
4. Waiting For The End - 2:23
5. Save Your Love (Tew, Schroeder) - 2:39
6. Your Real Good Thing's About To Come To An End (Hayes, Porter) - 3:11
7. Come On Up - 3:08
8. A Woman That's Waiting (Zagni, McCarthy) - 2:57
9. Beggin' (Gaudio, Farina) - 2:50
10.Walking Through The Streets Of My Mind (Hess, Milrose) - 2:51
11.Don't Make Promises (Tim Hardin) -  3:11
12.Girl, Don't Make Me Wait (Huff) - 2:33
13.Leave Me To Cry - 3:18
14.Gone Is The Sad Man - 3:45
15.Eddie McHenry - 2:46
16.Barnabus Swain - 2:49
17.Baked Jam Roll In Your Eye - 3:23
18.Poor Little Heartbreaker - 2:45
19.Stay There - 2:50
20.Country Dan And City Lil (Halsall) - 2:17
21.Love The Girl - 2:21
22.Tree House - 2:55
23.You've Got The Chance - 3:52
24.Black Dog - 3:01
25.Yellwo Van - 2:51
26.Promises - 2:06
27.Timebox - 3:13
All songs by Mike Patto and Ollie Halsall unless otherwise written.

Timebox
*Chris Holmes - Keyboards
*Clive Griffiths - Bass
*Ollie Halsall - Guitar, Vibes, Vocal
*John Halsey - Drums, Percussion
*Mike Patto - Lead Vocals

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Aardvark - Aardvark (1970 uk, great heavy progressive rock, 2011 remaster)

The group Aardvark remains one of those numerous bands who released a single album in the early seventies and subsequently sunk without a trace. However the band still retain a certain amount of interest amongst progressive rock enthusiasts because of their particular heavy styled progressive rock that was completely keyboard based with the band making do without the use of any guitar. 

The band itself was a studio band with most compositions entrusted to the hand of Dave Skillin and were based in the Midlands. Strangely enough, though the band dispensed with any guitars, they had trouble with the recruitment of a keyboardists and one could say that they were mainly a studio band with very little live dates to their name. 

Because of their very brief history, very little can be said about the band and it is their album that speaks volumes for what they were all about. However, there are a couple of interesting anecdotes related to this band and for those musos who try to connect musicians and bands through the ages, Aardvark had a number of musicians who would later go on to make names for themselves with various other outfits. 

The album was released in 1970 on the Deram Nova label in both mono and stereo versions as (S)DN 17 with a value on today's market of 50.00 British sterling. Though titled Aardvark, it is also known as Put It In Your Pipe And Smoke It. In all probability the title was withdrawn because of its obvious drug references, with the title track reduced to just Put It In You Pipe. 

Steve Milliner previously played keyboards with Black Cat Bones, a London based blues-rock based band who only released one album during their brief tenure together. The band is rather more well-known because both Paul Kossof and Simon Kirke played in the band before leaving to form legendary band, Free. 

Dave Skillin would eventually join prog-band Home, another Forgotten Sons candidate whilst I could not find anything related to Frank Clark. Stan Aldous is also known for the work he had done previously with garage band Odyssey. 

Throughout the brief Aardvark history, the band also went through a number of keyboardists. Amongst these one finds Paddy Coulter, Dave Watts, who would later play with Jackson Heights and Affinity and the late Peter John Wood. Wood would go on to play with Quiver, The Sutherland Brothers, Al Stewart and Natural Gas. 

The band Aardvark are also involved in one of the myths of British psychedelia. The group Tintern Abbey only released one single throughout their recording span, Beeside/Vacuum Cleaner, for Deram (DM 164) in 1967. Considered as one of the most collectable items from this particular musical period, it has long been rumoured that the band had recorded a second single, How Do I Feel Today which was never released yet which was supposedly circulated amongst collectors. 

In fact the single was never recorded and the name of the single was actually an unissued Aardvark single that was meant to be released on independent label as Rubble 12. However the tapes were lost by Deram and the band used the name of the Aardvark title, created a fictitious cover and thus deceived countless numbers of psychedelic fans all over the world!

by Nigel Camilleri

Tracks
1. Copper Sunset - 3:17
2. Very Nice Of You To Call - 3:39
3. Many Things To Do - 4:20
4. Greencap - 6:02
5. I Can't Stop - 5:26
6. Outing - Yes - 9:50
7. Once Upon A Hill (Stan Aldous) - 3:03
8. Put That In Your Pipe And Smoke It - 7:13
All songs by Dave Skillin except where noted.

Aardvark
*Stan Aldous - Bass
*Frank Clark - Drums
*Steve Milliner - Keyboards, Recorder, Vibraphone
*Dave Skillin - Vocals

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The Deviants - Ptooff! / Disposable (1967-68 uk, impressive underground psych, proto punk)

Talk today about Britain's psychedelic psyxties, and it's the light whimsy of Syd Barrett's Pink Floyd, the gentle introspection of the village green Kinks, Sgt. Pepper, and "My White Bicycle" which hog the headlines. People have forgotten there was an underbelly as well, a seething mass of discontent and rancor which would eventually produce the likes of Hawkwind, the Pink Fairies, and the Edgar Broughton Band. It was a damned sight more heartfelt, too, but the more some fete the lite-psych practitioners of the modern age, the further their reality will recede. 

Fronted by journalist/author/wild child Mick Farren, the Deviants spawned that reality. Over the years, three ex-members would become Pink Fairies; for subsequent reunions, sundry ex-Fairies would become honorary Deviants. And though only Russell Hunter is present on Ptooff!, still you can hear the groundwork being laid. the Pink Fairies might well have been the most perfect British band of the early '70s, and the Deviants were their dysfunctional parents. 

In truth, Ptooff! sounds nowhere near as frightening today as it was the first (or even 21st) time out; too many reissues, most of them now as scarce as the original independently released disc, have dulled its effect, and besides, the group's own subsequent albums make this one look like a puppy dog. But the deranged psilocybic rewrite of "Gloria" which opens the album, "I'm Coming Home," still sets a frightening scene, a world in which Top 40 pop itself is horribly skewed, and the sound of the Deviants grinding out their misshapen R&B classics is the last sound you will hear. 

Move on to "Garbage," and though the Deviants' debt to both period Zappa and Fugs is unmistakable, still there's a purity to the paranoia. Ptoof! was conceived at a time when there genuinely was a generation gap, and hippies were a legitimate target for any right-wing bully boy with a policeman's hat and a truncheon. IT and Oz, the two underground magazines which did most to support the Deviants (Farren wrote for both), were both publicly busted during the band's lifespan, and that fear permeates this disc; fear, and vicious defiance. It would be two years, and two more albums, before the Deviants finally published their manifesto in all its lusty glory -- "we are the people who pervert your children" -- during their eponymous third album's "People Suite." But already, the intention was there. 

by Dave Thompson

The first and only single that The Deviants cut in the sixties, this pairing was taken off their highly uneven, amusing and at times terrifying album, “Disposable.” And it acts as a succinct overview of that album: the A-side featuring lead vocalist Mick Farren bellowing, braying and screaming his lyrics of twisted drug revelations while an equally screaming and blistering fuzz guitar gets turned in by Sid Bishop. The guitar solo is by far one of his most unbridled: a churning, splintery mass of sharpened noise, and it’s every bit as good as his racket making on their debut album, “PTOOFF!.” Since that point, personnel had shifted as several roadies joined on vocals as well as a three-man rhythm section: Russell Hunter on drums with Sandy Sanderson and Mac McDonnell on bass -- sometimes simultaneously. 

From the moment Hunter’s drums bursts in to drive the thing down all the way to the end as awesomely-bad-for-the-fuck-of-it harmonica wailing flies overhead, a head-creasing, sideways/backwards/every-which-way near constant guitar sprays with over-sustaining, over-fuzzed out ferocious power. It screams and screams along as Farren is straining at the leash of his sanity, which is soon fraying into the slightest of threads as his lyrics are, at best, discernable with ever other line. More by its reckless display of bottled anger uncorked than anything approaching musicianship, “You’ve Got To Hold On” is an explosive punk track and its undyingly recklessness and incorrigible extremities were (and still are) astonishingly ahead of their time.

“Let’s Loot The Supermarket” is a methedrine-ravaged, brain-damaged, Dylan-banged piano and acoustic guitar accompanied sing-a-long with an undeniable aura of cracked and chewed lips, greasy hair of a crowded studio fogged in with compressed B.O. It’s a total “revolution for the hell of it” anthem, and they’d be singing it over burning trash cans in Powis Square if the empire ever fell. But here in the studio, Farren can barely sing by the middle section, fumbling over the lyrics and distracted by the backing vocal entourage of roadies and musicians, who are hardly helping matters. 

Everybody is completely ragged from their time spent speeding and waiting around during playback for 48 hours. They’re out of tune, out of time, out of their minds and couldn’t care less. You wouldn’t, either. Pretty soon, infectious laughter kicks in (and the ass of) the overall resigned feel of the piece, and soon the entire studio is laughing like Bedlam inmates. You’ll start laughing, yourself. A bittersweet harmonica blows into the coda over half-assed handclaps and more laughter. You can almost see them struggling to remain standing (According to legend, even engineer Andy Johns couldn’t control things in the studio, because he too was spiked with enough methedrine to kill an elephant.)

by The Seth Man, March 2001

Tracks
Ptooff! 1967 
1. Opening (S. Bishop, M. Farren, R. Hunter, C. Rees, S. Sparks) - 0:08
2. I'm Coming Home (Sid Bishop, Mick Farren, Russell Hunter) - 5:59
3. Child Of The Sky (Farren, C. Rees, Hammond) - 4:32
4. Charlie (Sid Bishop, Mick Farren) - 3:56
5. Nothing Man (M. Farren, Moore) - 4:21
6. Garbage (Sid Bishop, Mick Farren, Russell Hunter) - 5:36
7. Bun (Cord Rees) - 2:42
8. Deviation Street (Mick Farren) - 9:01
Disposable 1968
9. Somewhere to Go (Mick Farren, Duncan Sanderson) - 7:23
10.Sparrows and Wires (Sid Bishop, Stephen Sparkes) - 0:52
11.Jamie's Song (Mick Farren, Russ Hunter) - 3:34
12.You've Got to Hold On (Mick Farren, Russ Hunter, Sid Bishop) - 3:51
13.Fire in the City (Mick Farren, Duncan Sanderson) - 2:58
14.Let's Loot the Supermarket (Mick Farren) - 2:30
15.Pappa Oo Mao Mao (Al Frazier, C.White, S. Harris, T. Wilson Jr.) - 2:32
16.Slum Lord (Mick Farren, Sid Bishop) - 2:15
17.Blind Joe McTurk's Last Session (Mick Farren) - 1:19
18.Normality Jam (D. Hughes, D. Sanderson, M.J. McDonnell, R. Hunter) - 4:19
19.Guaranteed to Bleed (Duncan Sanderson, Tony Ferguson) - 3:46
20.Sidney B. Goode (Sid Bishop) - 0:51
21.Last Man (Mick Farren) -5:44

Deviants
*Mick Farren – Lead Vocals, Piano
*Sid Bishop – Guitar, Sitar
*Cord Rees – Bass, Spanish Guitar
*Russell Hunter – Drums, Vocals
*Duncan Sanderson, Stephen Sparkes, Ashworth - Vocals

1969  The Deviants 3 

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Riverson - Riverson (1973 canada, folk psych, west coast style harmonies with incisive guitar to magical effect, Kismet 2012 reissue)

Riverson were a short-lived folk, psych band from Montreal, Quebec. They fortunately left us with one hell of an album and three 45's in very limited quantities and all are highly sought after. The album cracks my top 100 Canadian albums of all time. Due to the high quality, amazing lineup of talent, and rarity, the value of this record has been steadily increasing over the past 20 years - now a NM copy will set you back about $400-$500 if you can find one. A sealed copy sold for $320 back in '03. That copy has likely doubled in value.

The gatefold album was released on Columbia ES 90136 in 1973 and was accompanied by "Clear Night b/w Winter Garden" on Columbia C4-3077; "Eleanor Rigby b/w Can't Live Without You" on Columbia C4-3093; and "Sittin' - Waitin' b/w Chances" on Columbia C4-4003; the latter featuring two non-album tracks. All album tracks were original tunes, except for the one Beatle cover.

The band members were Frankie Hart (Freedom North, Life) on piano, acoustic guitar, recorder, lead vocals on "Can't Live Without You"; Rayburn Blake (Mashmakhan) on Acoustic guitar, electric guitar, banjo, lead vocals on "Clear Night"; Brian Edwards (Mashmakhan) on bass, lead vocals on "Stoney Day" and "Between the Lines"; and Graham Lear (Santana, Paris Black, Truck, Paul Anka, REO Speedwagon) on drums. Raymond Blake was with the Quebec band Le Triangle and released a rare 45 picture sleeve in the mid 1960's entitled "2 Miroirs b/w Les Montagnes Russes" on Gamma AA-1042. Both Rayburne Blake and Brian Edwards played and released "Transition" on Polydor 2424 071 with Cliff Edwards (member of the Five Bells) in the same year as the Riverson album, 1973. Rayburn Blake then went on to record with the Lisa Hartt Band, releasing "Starwatcher" on Rising RRLP 104 in 1976.

The Riverson album was produced by John Williams. It was recorded at Manta Studios in Toronto, Ontario. The engineer was Lee de Carlo. Produced by Riverson and Lee de Carlo. Management was Terry Flood. The album design was by Bob Lemm Promotional Agency Inc. The cover was by Freeman Patterson / Inside - Junior Brunet.

Enjoy this critical piece of our Canadian musical history.

by Robert Williston

Tracks
1. Clear Night (Rayburn Blake) - 3:06
2. Winter Garden (Brian Edwards) - 3:19
3. Eleanor Rigby (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) - 4:14
4. I'll Be There (Brian Edwards) - 3:15
5. Empty Sky (Rayburn Blake, Brian Edwards, Franki Hart) - 4:31
6. Take Me (Rayburn Blake) - 2:55
7. Stoney Day (Brian Edwards) - 4:28
8. Between the Lines (Brian Edwards) - 4:10
9. Can't Live Without You (Franki Hart) - 3:07
10.Medallion Castle (Brian Edwards) - 4:27
11.Hermit Glen (Rayburn Blake) - 3:06
12.Sittin' Waitin' - 3:41
13.Chances - 2:21

Riverson
*Franki Hart - Vocals
*Rayburn Blake - Guitar
*Brian Edwards - Bass
*Graham Lear - Drums

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Various Artists - Piccadilly Sunshine Part 1 (1968-70 uk, pop psych and other flavours, 2009 Past and Present release)

The Piccadilly Suns series sets foot into the deep and wondrous valleys of British Pop music culture. Daring to bring forth the once overlooked and sadly neglected songs that were laid to waste in a saturated wonderland of suburban teenage pop. Join us as we tiptoe barefoot and trip through the late 19605 and early yos in Great Britain's vast and glorious, cultural dustbin. Stepping amongst the twenty flower-powered trippers presented here, together we shall lovingly restore them their former glory.

Let us begin...

by Nick Saloman

Artists - Tracks
1.Jason James – Miss Pilkington’s Maid - 2:34
2.Peppermint Circus – I Won’t Be There - 2:49
3.Roger Bloom’s Hammer – Polly Pan - 2:47
4.Alan David – Flower Power - 3:15
5.Studio Six – Falling Leaves - 3:02
6.The Magicians – Slow Motion - 3:01
7.Tin Tin – He Wants To Be A Star - 2:13
8.The Cups – Good As Gold - 2:49
9.Billy Boyle – Pisces Man - 2:40
10.Sounds Inc. – Dead As A Go-Go - 3:55
11.Svensk – Dream Machine - 2:48
12.Christopher – The Race - 2:24
13.Merlin Q – Love’s Beautiful - 2:43
14.Mighty Joe Young – Why Don’t You Follow Me - 2:17
15.The Nocturnes – Fairground Man - 2:27
16.Mixture – Never Trust In Tomorrow - 2:17
17.Mood Of Hamilton – Why Can’t There Be More Love - 3:34
18.Jon – Polly Sunday - 2:15
19.Tony Fabian – Girl Of The Night - 2:08
20.Tim Andrews – Sad Simon Lives Again - 2:40

The Past and Present compilations
60-70's  Floor Filler Killers / New Directions Vol. 3
60-70's  Mind Expanders Vol.2
1967-74  Psych Bites Vol.1
1968-74  Psych Bites Vol.2
1969-73  Up All Night

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Phluph - Phluph (1968 us, beautiful bosstown psychedelia with baroque shades)

Hailing from Boston in the late sixties, Phluph recorded their one and only album for the Verve record label before drifting off into obscurity. One wonders why such a talented group never achieved success in the music industry.

Perhaps Verve, being a predominatly jazz based label, did not know how to promote the band properly. Or perhaps it was because Phluph were part of the ill-fated "Bosstown Sound" scene which caused such a furore in the music industry at that time.

The “Bosstown Sound” was started as a publicity campaign by producer Alan Lorber, aiming to market the various Boston based psychedelic bands on MGM’s books (The Ultimate Spinach, Eden’s Children etc) as being part of one singular movement.

The idea was to rival the burgeoning San Francisco scene as well as the Mersey-Beat sound that was being imported from across the Atlantic. Unfortunately the rock critics and the underground took umbrage at what they deemed was a shallow corporate attempt at selling the counter-culture back to them as a package.

There was strong anti-establishment feeling at this time because of the Vietnam War, and this helped to fuel the fire against the Boston scene.

This coupled with the subsequent pressure from those on the West Coast who declaimed them as frauds, meant that many of the bands became black- listed, never getting the sales figures that they deserved.

Phluph never survived the backlash and disappeared, leaving behind their sole album cut for Verve in 1968. Since its rediscovery the album has garnered some disparaging reviews from some quarters, yet has been lauded by others.

In all honesty Phluph is not as ground breaking or experimental as other albums from that era but nevertheless it still stands as a great slice of psychedelic pop.

It is an album very much of its time, combining all the elements most people would expect from a late sixties piece; fuzz guitar, close harmonies, thinly veiled drug references in the lyrics and a heavy amount of organ grinding.

Sadly the sleeve notes don’t reveal which band member played which instrument, but working on the assumption that all organists from the sixties looked like Ray Manzarek, one can probably ear mark the chap with the enormous glasses and cunning haircut as being the man in charge of the keys.

And what a player the organist was. Just as Manzarek was the musical genius and driving force behind the Doors, so too the organist on this album steers the group to safety, manipulating the instrument in every way possible in order to draw from it all possible sounds.Whether it’s conjuring up mournful paranoia for “Girl in Tears” or propelling the group through the brilliant “Patterns” or the Beatles-esque “Ellyptical Machine”, the guy on the organ holds the day.

He even gets a freak out on the bizarre “Love Eyes”. This tune also boasts a haunting guitar solo which DJ Shadow sampled for his Private Press LP. Apart from those moments of genius the rest of track doesn’t hold up to much scrutiny.

“In Her Way” has got to be the pick of the bunch. Spaced out vocal harmonies and jangling guitar chords open the song before the band gets into a bass heavy groove.

The shimmering organ fades in and out under the bass line, before the track moves on to a great fuzzy guitar solo, with the guitarist making the instrument sound like a busted sitar. It’s a near perfect 3 minutes of psychedelic pop.

In the liner notes on the original LP there is a quote about the band from Cashbox Magazine: “We can’t see anything that could possibly hold back a group like this.When their reputation catches up with their ability, Phluph may very well be famous throughout the world”.

Unfortunately something did stand in their way and all the potential from such a talented bunch was never fully realised. In a different world maybe they would have been given a chance to become more than just a bargain bin relic

by Gerard Fannon

Tracks
1.Dr. Mind - 2:51
2.It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry - 2:41
3.In Her Way - 3:03
4.Another Day - 4:40
5.Girl in Tears - 3:10
6.Ellyptical Machine - 2:30
7.Lovely Lady - 5:50
8.Death of a Nation - 2:30
9.Love Eyes - 6:56
10.Patterns - 2:33

Phluph
* Lee Dudley - Vocals, Drums
* Ben Blake - Vocals, Guitar
* John Pell - Vocals, Bass
* Joel Maisano - Vocals, Organ

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Norman Greenbaum - Spirit in the Sky: The Best Of (1967-77 us, wonderful colorful rock with west coast psych, folk and jazz tunes, 2009 Repertoire digi pack issue)

Norman Greenbaum was born November 20, 1942, in Malden, MA. He began his musical career while a student at Boston University, playing area coffeehouses before relocating to the West Coast during the mid-'60s and forming a kind of psychedelic jug band dubbed Dr. West's Medicine Show and Junk Band. After issuing the 1966 single "The Eggplant That Ate Chicago," which fell just shy of reaching the Top 50, the group disbanded, and Greenbaum subsequently formed a series of short-lived acts before finally returning to his solo career in 1968. 

A year later he issued his debut LP, Spirit in the Sky, releasing several unsuccessful singles before reaching the Top Three with the smash title track, which sold some two million copies. It proved to be Greenbaum's only hit, however, as follow-ups like 1970's "Canned Ham" and the next year's "California Earthquake" tanked; after the release of 1972's Petaluma, he retreated from music to focus on his California dairy farm, but returned to show business during the mid-'80s in a managerial capacity, also promoting a number of concerts. 

by Jason Ankeny

"Spirit in the Sky" was a classic one-shot hit: an unforgettable fuzz guitar riff, those eerie descending glissando psychedelic guitar effects, a soulful female backup chorus, and a rare gospel-rock song that explored a religious theme without sounding dogmatic or sappy. Greenbaum had more depth than the usual one-shot artist, but the fact is that he never came up with anything else remotely on the level of "Spirit in the Sky," as this 15-song anthology demonstrates. 

He was a witty, droll songwriter with slightly absurd tunes that didn't quite descend into novelty, as on "Canned Ham" and "The Day the Well Went Dry." Selections from his early-'70s Reprise albums comprise most of half of this disc, and they're amiable, mildly humorous good-time rock that isn't even as penetrating as the rawer and goofier stuff he did before his solo career as the leader of Dr. West's Medicine Show & Junk Band. Four Dr. West songs are on this CD, including the minor 1966 hit "The Eggplant That Ate Chicago," as well as a previously unreleased 1977 recording, "The Day They Sold Beer in Church." 

by Richie Unterberger

Tracks
1. Spirit in the Sky - 3:59
2. California Earthquake - 3:09
3. Lucille Got Stealed - 3:55
4. Canned Ham - 2:51
5. Tars of India - 2:58
6. Marcy - 3:11
7. Hook and Ladder - 2:44
8. Rhode Island Red - 2:47
9. Junior Cadillac - 3:33
10.Skyline - 3:12
11.Jubilee - 2:58
12.Milk Cow - 3:01
13.Back Home Again - 2:43
14.Titfield Thunder - 5:04
15.Damper - 2:58
16.I.J. Foxx - 4:18
17.Petaluma - 2:42
18.Country Lad - 2:22
19.The Day the Well Went Dry - 2:37
20.Jigsaw (Greenbaum, Kane) - 2:33
21.Weird - 2:26
22.Daddy I Know - 2:56
23.Gondoliers, Shakespeares, Overseers, Playboys and Bum - 2:20
24.The Day They Sold Beer in Church - 4:02 .
All song by Norman Greenbaum except where noted.

Musicians
*Norman Greenbaum - Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
*Russell DaShiell - Guitar
*Doug Kilmer - Bass
*Norman Mayell - Drums
*Robbie Robinson - Guitar
*William Truckaway - Synthesizer
*Stephen Busfield - Guitar
*Russell DaShiell - Guitar
*Bill Douglass - Bass
*Dan Hicks - Percussion
*John McFee - Steel Guitar
*Bill Meeker - Drums
*Dan Paik - Mandolin
*Stovall Sisters - Vocals
*Rita Abrams - Vocals
*John Casey - Dobro
*Ry Cooder - Mandolin, Slide Guitar
*Henry Diltz - Glockenspiel
*Mark Naftalin - Accordion
*Richard Olsen - Clarinet
*Fritz Richmond - Bass, Jug, Washboard

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Downliners Sect - Sect Appeal (1980 uk, tough boogie pub rock vibes)

The Downliners Sect originally rode to fame in the early 60's as one of the top UK's pioneering rhythm ‘n’ blues outfits. Purveying their own band of blues mainstream, citing influences from Muddy Waters, to Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley. This is well documented in the history of rock music. The Downliner's Sect rode in on a later wave of stardom. This time riding in on their influencing of others, is a lesser known rock parentage fact. By the later 1960's the rhythm ‘n’ blues scene had given over to soul. 

This modern black music inspired the UK's music scene to find it's own Stax ‘n’ Motown souls. Whilst the soul club and discotheque scene developed, more was going on elsewhere too. Psychedelia. Flower Power, avant garde jazz, - all this music each with it's own identity. Amongst this myriad musical world, rhythm ‘n’ blues perhaps seemed 'history'. After dallying with folk rock and commercial driven pop the 'Sect' called it a day. Lurking under all these musical world stages, new roots were developing, a vibrant rock, rhythm and blues scene giving birth to what todays music history books call 'Canvey Island R’n’B,', verging pub rock and pre punk. 

The underground music press were well latched on to the scene, and by the time the major music mags were doing the rounds, interviewing bands, regularly the 'Downliners Sect' were being cited as a major influence and inspiration. Listening to The Feelgoods. The Kursal Flyers and Ace this new worlds stage beckoned these early practitioners to reform. Now were talking 1976. Don Craine with ex 'Black Cat Bones' Paul Tiller were established doing the rounds as 'Loose Ends' a duo on the folk blues acoustic scene. Keith Grant had spent time in 'Magnet' after his earlier 70's band 'Punchin'Judy' a Transatlantic signed group which included drummer Alan Brooks. Alan became the 'Sects' drummer in their 1989 line up and today still holds down their drum stool. Terry Gibson's rock ‘n’ roll revival band "The Hellraisers" were coming to a natural conclusion. 

Terry's agent had picked up the buzz on the interest in the Downliners whilst Don to was pretty wised up with what was going on. He'd met Keith at a 'Loose Ends" gig, and by then Terry had made contact. Rounding up John Sutton their original drummer, the five met for rehearsals. Studios somewhere in Chelsea. Terry's agent soon had them, working The Hope ‘n’ Anchor, Dingwalls, The Nashville Rooms in Fulham and other familiar pub rock joints where their original aggressive approach to R’n’B had dwelled with their aspirant followers. John Sutton became their first casualty. He realized not long before reforming he decided to remain with Jazz. Paul Holm auditioned in 1977. He'd worked with the 'Syndicates' and 'Bluegology. Soon on the horizon a new single and album deal loomed. A UK single launched their new recording era. "Showbiz" and "Killing Me" hit the shops in November 1977 showing up in the underground charts. 

Double publicity came their way in the underground press. The same year their original 1964 album just re-released also chartered. Before John left the band, they had laid a few selections of their songs together in demo form. Within their new album they included reworkings of these earlier demo songs. "Showbiz" originally released in 1979 it is now available with extra tracks on Indigo CD IGOCD 2084. With new drummer Paul Holm, the band toured Germany, but by the release of "Showbiz" Paul had left. Keith was touring in France before the Sect reformed, he'd met 'Killing Floor' drummer Rod De'Ath. Eventually Rod went on to join Rory Gallagher's band with Killing Floor's keyboard player Lou Martin. Terry knew Rod as well, he became the bands choice to join. 

With 'Showbiz' available, the Sect toured Germany, promoting the album. Returning to the UK, they signed with Ronnie Scotts agency, touring the UK club and college circuit then into 1980 touring Norway. Over the tours the band built a tape collection of their concerts. Titled "Live in the 1980" the tour performances were eventually issued becoming their 'new' 2nd album. On returning to England, they recorded four tracks at Rod De'Ath’s own studios at Pebble Beach in Hastings. All were penned by the band. Don Craine recalls: "We spent a great time doing the four tracks, sensibly to get a record deal. 

The record companies were interested in us, but interested in doing with us our old rhythm ‘n’ blues stuff from the sixties! We never did, we tried to get a deal like we did with "Showbiz" for new material! Two of the tracks were issued in the States on a special limited edition single". 'Sect appeal' relives the 1980's concert album of the band's hard driving R’n’B classics and shows why the record moguls in 1980's wanted more of this for their record buying clientele. The four studio tracks issued here together for their first time show why the band's decision was right in 'sticking to their- guns' for their own idea for a deal for their newly written compositions. 

All the songs on 'Showbiz' had brought together all the groups writing talents. Most written by Keith, some co-written with Don. Keith collaborated with Terry on two here from the Pebble Beach sessions. Of their song writing, Terry today recalls: "Keith's a great song writer. I'll always say that. I think if somebody had put their time and money into our band in our early days we could have been as big as The Kinks or whatever. Keith over the years has written some good songs". The Downliners Sect influence on rock music continues. Today Terry (Gibson) Clemson leads his own TT's rock ‘n’ roll trio, whilst Keith, Don ‘n’ Paul's Downliners continue to excite the forever hungry R’n’B audiences around the world.

by Peter Moody

Tracks
1. You Ain't Done Me Right (Take 2) (Gibson, Grant) - 3.22
2. Blue Night (Tiller) - 4.19
3. Colour Coded Red (O'Donnell) - 2.22
4. Rhythm 'N' Booze (Unknown) - 2.57
5. Got My Mojo Working (Foster) - 2.52
6. Bloodhound (Bright) - 1.41
7. Sect Appeal (Collier) - 2.10
8. Baby What's On Your Mind (Reed) - 2.00
9. Love Potion No.9 (Leiber, Stoller) - 2.32
10. Loose End (Tiller) - 3.10
11. Back In The USA (Berry) - 2.53
12. Wee Wee Baby (Turner, Johnson) - 3.51
13. Sweet Little Sixteen (Berry)- 3.05
14. Hoochie Coochie Man (Dixon) - 4.03
15. Nursery Rhymes (McDaniel) - 4.54
16. Bright Lights Big City (Derward, Russell) - 2.25
17. Shake Your Money Maker (Williamson) - 3.23
18. Route 66 (Troup) - 2.45
Tracks 1-4 recorded at Rod De'Ath's Studios, Pebble Beach, Hastings: May 1980
Tracks 5-18 recorded live concerts in London and Norway; Spring 1980

Downliners Sect
*Don Craine - Vocals, Guitar
*Terry Gibson - Guitar, Vocals
*Keith Grant - Vocals, Bass
*Paul Tiller - Vocals, Harp, Percussion
*Rod De'Ath - Drums

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1964-66  Sectuality

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Various Artists - Phantom Guitars: A Cool Collection of Twangin' Instrumentals (1961-64 uk, sharp spooky garage beat 'n' roll, Psychic Circle release)

One of England's first noteworthy rock group was the Shadows, and their polished instrumental style, with Hank Marvin's twanging Stratocaster leads way out in front, set a template that a great many U.K. bands would follow until the Beatles and the Rolling Stones upended everything in 1963. 

Nick Saloman of the Bevis Frond delivers another enjoyable look back at the history of U.K. pop with Phantom Guitars: A Cool Collection of Twangin' Instrumentals from the UK 1961-1964, which collects 25 rare selections from the days when Duane Eddy, Jorgen Ingmann, and Lonnie Mack were still forces to be reckoned with on the pop charts. If you're looking for startling originality, there's little to be had here, but if you dig ringing single-note leads with plenty of string bending and whammy-bar action, this disc is 56 minutes of aural manna from heaven. 

Dennis Newey's "Title Unknown" gets high marks for wit, familiar melodies get a workout on "Temptation" by Bobby Taylor and "Bizet as It Were" by the Players, "Circlorama" from the Champions salutes a little-remembered innovation in motion-picture technology, and the Violents and Group X both deserve to be cited for their remarkably cool names, even if their music didn't quite live up to the billing. As with the lion's share of releases from Saloman's Psychic Circle label, this set includes well-written liner notes that pass along what's known about the artists, and the mastering is good despite these rare recordings being sourced from vinyl discs. 

The instrumental rock scene was a vitally important part of the rise of homegrown British rock, and if this deals in obscurities rather than hits, Phantom Guitars documents how pervasive this sound once was, and how many great pickers were making the rounds in the early '60s. 

by Mark Deming

Artists - Tracks
1. The Falcons - Stampede - 2:23
2. The Krew Kats - Jack's Good - 2:28
3. The Phantoms - Phantom Guitar - 2:32
4. Bobby Taylor - Temptation - 2:20
5. The Hunters - The Storm - 2:10
6. Dennis Newey - Title Unknown - 2:29
7. The Executives - No Room For Squares - 2:21
8. The Nu-Notes- Fury - 1:58
9. The Cougars - Fly-By-Nite - 1:44
10.The Champions - Circlorama - 2:11
11.The Fentones - The Mexican - 2:30
12.The Gimmicks - Am I Worth It? - 2:42
13.Dunhill And Weiser - Red Leather Jacket - 2:19
14.The Packabeats - The Traitors - 2:34
15.The Planets - Jungle Street - 2:25
16.The Johnny Howard Group - Mind Reader - 2:13
17.Rhet Stoller - Big City - 1:58
18.The Players - Bizet As It May - 1:54
19.The Violents - Ghia - 2:03
20.Group X - Crossbeat - 2:24
21.The Barons - Cossack - 2:44
22.Bob Miller And The Millermen - Trouble Shooter - 2:00
23.The Vengers - Shakedown - 2:02
24.The Gladiators - Tovarich - 2:08
25.The Royal Showband (Waterford) - The One Nighters - 2:00

Psychic Circle compilations
1966-72  With The Sun In My Eyes
1968-72  White Lace And Strange
1968-72  The Room Of Loud Sounds
1964-69  Realistic Patterns Orchestrated Psychedelia
1965-69  Wednesday Morning Dew 
1965-70  The Electric Coffee House 
1965-70  The Golden Road The Electric Coffee House Vol.2
1969-74  Blow Your Cool: 20 Prog Psych Assaults
1969-74  Lovin’ Fire 20 Obscure Gems
1970-77  A Visit To The Spaceship Factory

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Savage Grace - The Complete Savage Grace (1970-71 us, great hard psych rock, double disc edition)

The band that called itself Savage Grace was biting off a lot, even by heightened late 60's standards. As their name suggests, they aimed to contain all the extremes of that heady era. Tempered by the famously discerning and demanding Michigan audiences of the time, the group's live performances made full use of the  high energy principles that distinguished the Detroit scene.  

But that was only a part of of Savage Grace’s sublime design. The core trio that began playing bars on the Motor City's east side as the Scarlet Letter couldn't have been less like your customary neighbourhood rock band. Guitarist/vocalist Ron Koss was a streetwise kid who’d cut his teeth playing  with local r&b heavyweights the Midnighters, Marv Johnson and Wilson Pickett. Keyboard maestro  John Seanor was the product of classical education, while drummer Larry Zack aspired to Jazz. 

When they added precipices 18 year old bassist/vocalist Al Jacquez to complete the quartet  rechristened Savage, his unschooled hard rock energy was the ideal complement to this perfectly imperfect union of styles. The collective sound forged by these four individuals was not simply a composite. It was a fluid changing thing, as each musician’s voice challenged for a place in the stylistic mix. The resulting tension was not always confined to the art, but it produced a music that, although meticulously composed, sounded like it was being redefined each time it was played. 

Commercially speaking of course Savage Grace left themselves an awful lot of cracks to fall though, and fall they did after only two albums. Luckily we have the safety net of history, from which nothing of merit escapes. And now that dreams seem at a premium, it becomes increasingly important to remember a time when people didn't worry about living large, they dreamed large, and the rest followed.

by Ben Edmonds 

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Come On Down (R. Koss) - 4:22

2. Lady Rain (J. Seanor) - 5:10

3. Dear Lenore (R. Koss) - 5:27

4. All Along The Watchtower (B. Dylan) - 5:46

5. Hymn To Freedom (O. Peterson, H. Hamilton) - 5:24

6. 1984 (R. Koss, J. Seanor) - 3:22

7. Night Of The Hunter (R. Koss) - 4:34

8. Turn Your Head (R. Koss) - 5:57

9. Ivy (R. Koss) - 4:08

Disc 2
1. Mother's Son (J. Seanor) - 3:48
2. Tinboy (J. Seanor) - 3:39
3. Sandscript (A. Jacquez, J. Jones) - 3:19
4. Roll River Roll (R. Koss, J. Seanor) - 1:59
5. Yonder (R. Koss) - 5:10
6. She's A Woman (R. Koss) - 4:05
7. Macon, Georgia (J. Seanor, R. Koss) - 3:54
8. Blindman (J. Seanor, R. Koss) - 3:55
9. She Comes And Goes (R. Koss, J. Seanor) - 3:12
10. E'lana (J. Seanor) - 1:46
11. Lady Of The Mountain (J. Seanor) - 4:43

Savage Grace
*John Seanor - Piano, Harpsichord
*Larry Zack - Drums, Percussion
*Al Jacquez - Lead Vocals, Bass
*Ron Koss - Lead Vocals, Guitar

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13th Floor Elevators - Easter Everywhere (1967 us, psychedelic masterpiece, Charly extra tracks edition)

After a line-up switch in July 1967, the Elevators entered the recording studio with a brand new rhythm section and a batch of recently written songs. International Artists were prepared to spend a lot of money on the second LP which was intended to break the group nationally. Almost two months were spent arranging and recording the material in Houston's Andrus Studios, where one of the first 8-track recorders were utilized.

Released in November 1967, "Easter Everywhere" remains to this day an astonishing achievement. Most Elevators fans regard it their masterpiece, and Tommy Hall has referred to it as "our special purpose". The unique soundscape from the first LP has been broadened and elements of folk, Indian music and west coast acidrock have been added. The new rhythm section, featuring bass player Dan Galindo and drummer Danny Thomas, bring a loose, jazz-flavored groove to the tracks. The result is a rich, eclectic tapestry of psychedelia held together by Roky Erickson's intense vocals reciting Tommy Hall's lyrics. Some say the musical sounds remind them of listening to a Mexican tambora on many Cancun vacations.

The LP opens with "Slip Inside This House". Probably the most influential Elevators song alongside "You're Gonna Miss Me", it is an 8-minute journey through Eastern-influenced rock and visionary lyrics that remains unparallelled. The song became an instant favorite among fansand critics, and I A edited it for an improvised 45 release though it was in no sense top 40 material.

Chugging along on top of a raga-influenced guitar riff invented by Roky Erickson, the music is pushed through a series of metamorphoses by Thomas' recurring hi hat-kicks and Galindo's insistent bass lines. Halfway through the song Stacy Sutherland enters with a beautiful, lyric guitar solo. The song's complex, asymmetric structure (AABACDAABAABCDA) seems to be patterned on Bob Dylan's epic "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)", where long skillfully rhymed verses are interspersed with shorter refrain-like passages. The ending of each verse with a recurring phrase -- the song title -- is reckognizable from Dylan's "Gates Of Eden" and "Desolation Row", or indeed any number of songs from the folk tradition.

The structural influence aside, Tommy Hall's lyrics owe little to Dylan in terms of content and imagery. The whole attitude is different from Dylan's surreal street-poetry which mixes high and low in a tradition of Whitman-Williams-Ginsberg, throwing in a bit of amphetamine-driven namedropping and wordplay as well. Hall's poetry is solemn, visionary and controlled. Examing the Anglo-Saxon literary tradition, it is in fact hard to pin down Hall's sources of inspiration. One has to reach far back, beyond modernism and symbolism to the Romantics and Victorians. It is here, in the final incarnations of poetical Classicism.

by Patrick "The Lama" Lundborg

Tracks
1. Slip Inside This House (T. Hall, R. Erickson) - 8:03
2. Slide Machine (Powell St. John) - 3:43
3. She Lives (In A Time Of Her Own) (T. Hall, R. Erickson) - 2:58
4. Nobody To Love (S. Sutherland) - 3:00
5. Baby Blue (B. Dylan) - 5:17
6. Earthquake (T. Hall, R. Erickson) - 4:51
7. Dust (T. Hall, R. Erickson) - 4:02
8. Levitation (T. Hall, S. Sutherland) - 2:41
9. I Had To Tell You (Clementine Hall, Roky Erickson) - 2:28
10.Postures (Leave Your Body Behind) (T. Hall, R. Erickson) - 6:30
11.Splash 1 (C. Hall, R. Erickson) - 4:21
12.Kingdom Of Heaven (Powell St. John) - 3:33
13.You're Gonna Miss Me (R. Erickson) - 3:42
14.Reverberation (Doubt) (T. Hall, S. Sutherland, R. Erickson) - 3:23 .
15.You Don't Know (Powell St. John) - 2:35
16.Fire Engine (T. Hall, R. Erickson) - 3:00
17.Monkey Island (Powell St. John) - 2:42
18.Roller Coaster (T. Hall, R. Erickson) - 5:41 .
19.Levitation (Instrumental) (T. Hall, S. Sutherland) - 4:11
20.I Don't Ever Want To Come Down (Unidentified) - 2:41
Tracks 11 to 14 recorded Live In Texas, 1967
Tracks 15 to 18 recorded Live In San Francisco, 1966

13th Floor Elevators
*Roky Erickson – Vocals, Rhythm Guitar, Harmonica
*Tommy Hall – Electric Jug
*Stacy Sutherland – Lead Guitar
*Dan Galindo – Bass
*Danny Thomas – Drums
Additional Musicians
*John Ike Walton – Drums ("She Lives", and "Levitation")
*Ronnie Leatherman - Bass ("She Lives", and "Levitation")
*Clementine Hall - Backing Vocals ("I Had To Tell You")

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Rodriguez - Coming From Reality (1971 us, brilliant 2nd album, psychedelic folk rock, 2009 Light In The Attic issue)

Quite a change from Rodriguez's first album Cold Fact. On Cold Fact Rodriguez sang bitter, disillusioned songs about slums, drug abuse and broken love affairs. Something in between the two albums obviously changed his point of view because Coming From Reality consists mainly of love songs. And not the cynical odes to past affairs of Cold Fact - these ones are full-blown. 

And even the social comment songs on the album seem less bitter and more resigned. The strings have been laid on with a heavy hand, on some tracks providing the only backing to Rodriguez's guitar and voice. But the voice shines through and the clever poetry on some tracks is as incisive as ever. Song to song we explore a great talent musician and have the chance -even almost four decades later-  to discover his bright music.

by Roger Crosthwaite

Tracks
1.Climb Up On My Music - 4:43
2.A Most Disgusting Song - 4:43
3.I Think Of You - 3:19
4.Heikki's Suburbia Bus Tour - 3:15
5.Silver Words - 2:04
6.Sandrevan Lullaby-Lifestyles - 6:37
7.To Whom It May Concern - 3:15
8.It Started Out So Nice - 3:46
9.Halfway Up The Stairs - 2:17
10.Cause - 5:27
11.Can't Get Away  - 3:57
12.Street Boy  - 3:47
13.I'll Slip Away  - 2:53
All songs by Sixto Rodriguez
Bonus tracks 11-13

Musicians
*Rodriguez - Vocals, Guitar
*Chris Spedding - Guitars
*Tony Carr - Bongos
*Phil Dennys - Keyboards
*Jimmy Horowitz - Violin
*Gary Taylor - Bass
*Andrew Steele - Drums

1970  Rodriguez - Cold Fact (1970 remaster)

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Rodriguez - Cold Fact (1970 us, superb folk psych, 2008 remaster edition)

Dipped sweetly in the psychedelia of the sixties, this the first album from a mysteriously unknown artist, mingles simply folk guitar with astonishing lyrics about drugs, depression and inner city blues. Rodriguez’s distinct nasal voice ambles through a dozen simple tunes addressing the turbulent backdrop of America in the sixties and does so with such impressionable beauty that it has catapulted him into cult status in many far flung corners of the globe. Such is the demand, that both Cold Fact, and the second album Coming From Reality (re-released in 1976, in South Africa only, as After The Fact), have now been remastered on CD format, some 20 years later.

For many, this album is one magnificent trip, lost in the haze of hippiness, and indeed the album is laced with narcotic references, but as far as talent goes, Cold Fact is a remarkable album perfect for idealists and dreamers. The obsessive I wonder, perhaps the best known of the album’s tracks, is a simple tune that mirrors the type of questions you’ve always wanted to ask of certain people and never had the courage, but it is the album’s ultra-trippy opening number, Sugar Man which really lends the album and air of intrigue. Others such as Crucify Your Mind, Jane S. Piddy and Forget It are both poignant and subtly beautiful.

However, it is the album as a whole, it’s poetic lyrics and the bohemian fueled mystery surrounding it that makes it so appealing to several generations, even years after the artist signed off with the words thanks for your time, then you can thank me for mine and after that’s said, forget it.

This album, in short, eventually becomes part of your lifestyle.
by Andrew Bond

Tracks
1. Sugar Man - 3.45
2. Only Good For Conversation - 2.25
3. Crucify Your Mind - 2.30
4. This Is Not A Song, It's an Outburst: Or, The Establishment Blues - 2.05
5. Hate Street Dialogue - 2.30
6. Forget It - 1.50
7. Inner City Blues - 3.23
8. I Wonder - 2.30
9. Like Janis - 2.32
10.Gommorah - A Nursery Rhyme - 2.20
11.Rich Folks Hoax - 3.05
12.Jane S. Piddy - 2:54
All songs by Sixto Rodriguez

Musicians
*Rodriguez - Vocals, acoustic guitar
*Dennis Coffey - Electric guitar
*Mike Theodore - Keyboards
*Andrew Smith - Drums
*Bob Pangborn - Percussion
*Bob Babbitt - Bass
*Detroit Symphony (Leader Gordon Staples) - Strings
*Carl Reatz - Horns - 3 Trombones, Baritone Sax
*Childrens Choir on "Gommorah"
*- The children's choir were family of Joyce [Vincent] and Telma [Hopkins] (who later became Dawn)

1971  Rodriguez - Coming From Reality (2009 remaster)

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Various Artists - A Visit To The Spaceship Factory (1970-77 uk, 20 gems from the early years of prog, 2007 Psychic Circle)

Once again our intrepid vinyl hound, Jamie Romer, has scoured the land in his quest to excavate more undiscovered psycho-prog stunners. This new selection bears testament to his endeavours. We present 20 ear-watering morsels that will hopefully thrill and entertain in equal measure.Wander the dimly lit corners of the Spaceship Factory, an establishment designed to produce vehicles that could take you from the geometric wallpaper of your room to the far side of your electric dreams. 

It wasn't in production for very long, but while it was operating it not only did it manufacture million-selling models such as Yes, Black Sabbath and Jethro Tull, but it brought you the brash rock of Treetops, the polished guitar wizardry of Israeli progsters Jericho, the fuzzed-up dirt of Jesse Hector's proto-punk outfit Helter Skelter, and countless other designs now being re-appraised or still waiting to be recognised. The conveyor belts may be still, the furnaces may be cold, but the ships still fly to the stars.

by Nick Saloman

Tracks - Artists
1. Why Not Tonight - Treetops - 3:19
2. Greenfields - Mousetrap - 2:47
3. That Don't Help Me None - Deadwood - 4:05
4. Just Look Around You - Fuzzy Duck - 3:58
5. So Come On - Jericho- 3:57
6. Tadpole - Incredible Hog - 3:32
7. It's Happening to Me and You - Mouse - 2:52
8. I Need You - Helter Skelter - 2:30
9. Sarabande - Beggars Opera - 4:28
10. Spirit of Joy - Kingdom Come - 3:26
11. Just a Game - Little Big Horn - 4:19
12. Bring It on Home - Strange Fox - 3:20
13. Air - Onyx - 4:00
14. Spaceship - Spontaneous Combustion - 3:20
15. Evil - UFO - 3:36
16. Ladder - Sheephouse - 3:22
17. Ska Child - Pussy - 3:06
18. People Come, People Go - Axe - 3:05
19. Do You Wanna Know - Sunchariot - 4:09
20. Nervous Shakin' - Kansashook - 3:11

Psychic Circle compilations
1966-72  With The Sun In My Eyes
1968-72  White Lace And Strange
1968-72  The Room Of Loud Sounds
1964-69  Realistic Patterns Orchestrated Psychedelia
1965-69  Wednesday Morning Dew 
1965-70  The Electric Coffee House 
1965-70  The Golden Road The Electric Coffee House Vol.2
1969-74  Blow Your Cool: 20 Prog Psych Assaults
1969-74  Lovin’ Fire 20 Obscure Gems

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