British Mod Pop, Freakbeat, R'n'B, Blue Eyed Soul: The Primitives - Maladjusted 1964-1967 (2001 Castle Music)

After having done a fantastic job with the Sorrows (fellow Pye signing who eventually found success in Italy), Sequel did a similarly magnificent job with the Primitives, who uncannily enough followed an identical career path. Maladjusted's 28 cuts gather everything the Primitives recorded between 1964-1967, including second singer Mal Ryder's pre-Primitives 45s, a rare French EP, and the entire Italian Blow Up album. The CD succinctly charts the band's progression from Pretty Things-styled R&B through mod-tinged freakbeat and raucous blue-eyed soul. Due to the Rolling Stones and the Beatles wowing the world bands such as the Primitives, who sprang up during the height of the "big two," were unfortunately left by the wayside. Until now, the Primitives have been relocated to the annals of cult freakbeat; hopefully this concise collection should raise the profile of this fabulous mid-'60s act. (Jon Mills, allmusic.com)

 Maladjusted rounds up their work during this 1964-67 period, featuring everything from those previously-mentioned releases plus an alternate version of the French EP's lead track, 'Oh Mary', the entire Blow Up album and a couple of related solo 45s from the group's long-term frontman Mal Ryder who, along with early fan John Taylor, has provided invaluable help in piecing together the legend of the band.

The Primitives evolved in 1964 out of British beat boom hopefuls The Cornflakes (previously known as The Rising Sons), whose typically cheesy post-Beatles handle didn't prevent them building up a sizeable fan base on the Oxford live circuit. As the Cornflakes, they won the Plaza Cinema beat group contest in Northampton, a competition that proved to be of twofold importance in their embryonic career: the contest's first prize was a two-year contract with the Pye label, while Cyd Cipin, who ran the local Plaza, was so impressed by the group that, in conjunction with his brother Mayer and their associate Leslie Jaffa, he became their manager.

A namechange to The Primitives gave a more accurate indication of the group's brand of long- haired , Pretty Things-styled driving R&B under their new name, they signed to Pye in autumn 1964. At this juncture, The Primitives' line-up consisted of lead vocalist Jay Roberts (real name Jeffrey Farthing), Geoff Eaton (aka Geoff Tindall) on lead guitar, the curiously-named John E. Soul (rhythm guitar, harmonica), RogerJames (bass) and Mike Wilding (drums). (David Wells, theprimitives.com)

 The band played fine R'n'B, blue eyed soul, freakbeat and mod pop style music. Jay Roberts had a great voice and often pushed the songs to their limit. Marvelous band. Enjoy.(Frank)

Flac 

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Sixties Beat, Pop Rock, British Invasion; The Allusions - Anthology 1966-68 (2003 Canetoad)

Fans of the early- and mid-'60s Merseybeat sound (the Beatles, Gerry & the Pacemakers, the Searchers, etc.) will probably love this 21-song compilation, which assembles the Allusions' complete recorded output over a four-year period.

At their best, as on "Gypsy Woman," they had a fresh, original sound somewhere midway between the romanticism of the Beatles, the dynamism of the Kinks, and the Who's early ballads, with a unique vocal sound and good attack on their instruments. "Fever (Burns My Brain)" is a strange, yet workable, mix of two seemingly conflicting themes, a harsh, smooth farewell main lyric bridged by an achingly beautiful chorus reminiscent of Gerry & the Pacemakers vocally and the Zombies instrumentally.

"The Dancer" is one of those odd low visibility numbers, like "I'll Remember the Night" by the Roulettes (whom these guys also resemble) that are such smooth and catchy examples of the Merseybeat sound that they belong on any anthology of the era and the music.

"Roller Coaster Man" sounds like a Searchers outtake or a Gerry & the Pacemakers reject, with a guitar part that resembles "You Can't Do That." "Looks Like Trouble" owes a bit to "I Feel Fine" in its intro, although it also includes a thoroughly American garage-band style guitar break. Some of the later numbers, such as "Roundabout," are less interesting as songs, although even this wimpy ballad offers a catchy chorus and, overall, resembles nothing less than a decent Micky Dolenz-sung Monkees song.

And "I'll Be Home" is the kind of song with which Ringo Starr could have done wonders, especially with the Beatlesque harmonies at the end of each line. The album's later songs are an interesting mix of subdued, moody ballads and high-energy rockers, such as "I Gotta Move," which may be the most Kinks-like cover of a Kinks track that you will ever hear. This disc's sound quality is excellent and the annotation extremely thorough.(Bruce Eder, allmusic.com)

A nice collection by this ausralian band. Enjoy.(Frank)

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British Psychedelic Pop; Beaulieu Porch - Beaulieu Porch (2012 Tillsammans Records)

Beaulieu Porch is an English psychedelic pop band formed by multi-instrumentalist / singer-songwriter Simon Berry in 2010. The debut single, 'The Colour 55/Navy Blue' came out to rave reviews on limited edition coloured vinyl, through The Peppermint Hill record label on St Valentine's day 2011. Described by Phil Istine in Shindig ! magazine as ''the sort of thing we live for here at Shindig ! Towers'', the single was enthusiastically played by Tom Robinson on BBC 6, citing the strong Sgt Pepper influence. The Beatles influence was also picked up by Ashley Norris on POPJUNKIETV, saying ''this is proper Strawberry Fields territory. Think floaty psychedelia, dreamy vocals, extended bizarre codas - the kitchen sink, basically. And it is brilliant…''
Beaulieu Porch was named Psychedelic Band Of The Year 2010 in the Bamboo Sticks Internet Radio Awards and the first eponymously named full length album was released on digital download by Bandcamp in March 2012.(Last Fm)

 Beaulieu Porch is Simon Berry. He released his debut self-titled Beaulieu Porch album in 2012 to a clamour of appreciation and critical praise. It appeared in several 'Best Of 2012' lists in magazines and blog sites and was placed at number 5 in an online poll of the best psychedelic albums of the 21st century. The follow up release, "we are beautiful", is an obliquely autobiographical album of contemporary, orchestral baroque pop-psych songs, full of ambitious arrangements and enduring delights. (sputnikmusic.com)

Simon Berry has certainly delivered some of the best pop psychedelic albums of recent decades over the past eight years. Yes, decades. But maybe I only think that because I'm a huge fan of Beaulieu Porch, lol. I chose this album simply because it is the debut album of Beaulieu Porch. Berry's influences are manifold, but he can't get past the Beatles either, as you can hear very impressively in the song ''Love 80'' or also in ''Gemini In Golden Grove''. Give it a try if you like psychedelic pop. Enjoy.(Frank)

Flac (zippy)                                                                        Flac (M)

mp3@320 (zippy)                                                              mp3@320 (M)

                                                  pass: SB1

Broken Track 16 from the here posted album ''Key - Fit Me In'' 1978 (2007 Rev-Ola)

Hello, folks,
here's a short info about the ''Key - Fit Me In (2007 Rev-Ola)'' album I posted in the last days. Track 16 is broken and I tried to fix it. Also asked on other blogs about the track, but without success.

POTR reader 'Oldie' now found this on youtube:  Quote; ''When I was putting together the CD reissue of the astonishing Fit Me In album Volker dug up this demo to add as a bonus track. Unfortunately the CD master had an error that cut the song short. Here it is in full...'' (Uploader Mark Frumento)
If someone is interested in the complete track (unfortunately only in youtube quality), here is the
link for the complete song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqdEQ2ZtJDI&feature=youtu.be
Unfortunately I can't do more at the moment. I ask for your understanding.

If any of you have the complete track 16 ''Shoukd We Ever Meet Again'', I and surely all interested readers would be very happy about a link (lossless please).
I wish all of you a nice day
Frank

Psychedelic Pop/Rock, Freakbeat; Les Fleur De Lys ‎– Reflections (1997 Blueprint)

Sprawling 24-track comp of the rare recordings of this enigmatic band. Includes 14 songs issued under the Les Fleur de Lys name, singles that they issued under the Rupert's People, Chocolate Frog, and Shyster pseudonyms, and releases on which they backed Sharon Tandy, John Bromley, and Waygood Ellis. It goes without saying that such a manic hodgepodge is geared toward the hardcore collector market. But if you like mid-to-late '60s mod-psych, it's a decent item to have around, with some sparkling (occasionally crazed) guitar work, unusually constructed tunes that sometimes meld soul and psychedelia, and nice harmonies. "Circles" and "Mud in Your Eye" are first-rate pounding mod guitar tunes; "Gong With the Luminous Nose" is pop-psych at its silliest; "Reflections of Charlie Brown" is pop-psych at its most introspective; and Sharon Tandy's "Daughter of the Sun" is a lost near-classic with witchy vocals and sinister psychedelic guitar. (Richie Unterberger, allmusic.com)

The band was just great. Why? Listen to it. There was no other band like the Fleurs who often drew their creativity from the frequent changes of band members. Great ballads, great rock, great guitars, great fun. Enjoy.(Frank)

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'60s Psychedelic/Baroque Pop: John Bromley - Songs 1969 (2009 Rev-Ola)

Listen to this track by British songwriter and lost Macca-esque psychedelia creator John Bromley. It’s “So Many Things”, a 1969 song as taken from his sole album Sing. On that album, and on this song, he is backed by The Fleur De Lys, his labelmates at the time. That band in turn was something of a rearguard to the British Invasion, launching in 1964, but never quite reaching the heights of their fellow beat combos who’d made the trip across the Atlantic.

The Fleur De Lys had trolled the edges of the ’60s rock scene, with touches from Chas Chandler, Andrew Loog Oldham’s Immediate Records, and Jimmy Page who had produced one of their singles, “Moondreams”. As you can hear, their sound had morphed into a classic Beatlesque stew with not just a few Who references, with the band having once recorded Pete Townshend’s “Circles” in 1966.

Bromley was primarily a songwriter, penning tunes for singer Jackie DeShannon. By the end of the decade, he was encouraged by Polydor to collect some of his singles together, including this one, for a full length album – Sing.  Appropriately, it’s Bromley’s voice that stands out here, with lyrics that touch on a very important ingredient to be found on a certain kind of psychedelia that was in it’s last phase by the time this song had been recorded.

This song is rich with contrast, between the clanging guitar and the sweetness of the strings. You can practically hear the kaleidoscopic colours in this tune, as should be expected in a psych tune. The key ingredient here is the childlike nostalgia that this song evokes, lyrically speaking. For me, that’s what makes this something of a lost British psychedelic classic. It rings with hazy reminiscence that can be found in the best of the genre.(thedeletebin)

The writer of the lines above describes a song, but he gives the feeling very well that Bromley's music was in the sixties. On 'Songs' you can find the complete 'Sing' album and a number of songs that are in no way inferior to the album. Who doesn't know the album, here is the opportunity to listen to it. Enjoy.(Frank)
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Marvelous Heavy Psychedelia - Folk Rock/Pop From Canada; The Jarvis Street Revue - Mr. Oil Man 1970 (2000 Pacemaker)

“Back in 1970, up in the cold North of Ontario, Canada hailed a group that had already had prophetic visions of the corporate, strictly-business, profit-driven, polluting, oil addicted, don’t let the environment-get-in-the-way-of-a-buck bullshit world that we currently live in. Their epic title track “Mr. Oil Man” spoke of 'oil being slick in the Gulf Of Mexico' and 'Mr. Oil Man, you’re killing all the fish again, you ruin all that water again,' fully equipped with sounds of splashing water and trippy effects. I could go on and on about how great the record is..." —Helios Chrome

Poised between Toronto and Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Ontario became the refuge for every touring band in Canada; a mandatory break while crossing the perilously vast Canadian Shield. No doubt, Canada’s vastness can be heard in much of the Northernly musical output. There is perhaps no better example of this than Thunder Bay’s Jarvis Street Revue. Their lone LP, leased to Columbia for release in 1971, leaves no one untouched by the band’s sheer avalanche of psychedelic heaviness, wasted acid leads and harrowing vocals. Every song is laced with a conviction born from the physical landscape they called home. Jarvis Street Revue spent (literally) a month of Sundays recording the album and bouncing tracks to create effects. “Chuck Williams was so freaked out, he used to leave the room,” Jarvis leader and Neil Young running mate Tom Horricks said. “It was so anti-establishment.” Creative and far-seeing... and not without some chemical support. The albums's (and band's) concern with the environmental—including bold statements on the use and abuse of the oil reserves, rapacious business men, and the depletion of Earth’s natural resources—were truly visionary.(lionproductions.org)

 The band played their very own kind of psychedelic rock/pop. And they did that damn well. The songs never come along ''ordinary'' and in the song 'Sally's Hymn' you can feel a real deep mysticism. The original album with ''only'' six songs already offers a wide range. But this one gets a bit bigger with seven additional tracks. The band had the ability to enhance their songs wonderful with small ideas.
 
I really like the album. The bonus tracks go more in a folk rock/pop direction. Sweet Eyed Satin Lady'' and ''Better Things To Do'' i.e. are very nice pop songs and you can't believe it's the same band like on the first six tracks. But this shows the abilities of the band. Enjoy.(Frank)

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Marvelous Psychedelic Pop; The Floor - The 1st Floor 1967 (2005 Radioactive)

The only album by the Danish band the Floor is heavily derivative of 1967 British pop-psychedelia, to the point where most knowledgeable listeners would simply assume the musicians were British if not informed otherwise. (Indeed, a few of the songs were written or co-written by expatriate Englishman John Inglis, although he wasn't a member of the band.) There are observational story-songs; upbeat pop/rockers with a mild vaudevillian/music hall bounce, à la some of the work from the period by the Beatles and the Kinks; Baroque/classically influenced strings; some flower power-tinged lyrics, and an eclecticism that runs from relatively straight rock to self-consciously arty compositions. It might not be the most original piece of work, in the literal as well as musical sense, since little of the material was written by the band. But it's nonetheless decent, tuneful material with some attractive vocal harmonies, and it's more varied than many such records from the time. Some of the tracks are forgettable, yet others are a fair way above average, including the delicately folky "Hush," which has a beguiling winding melody, and "Thinking Mr. Jones," whose "I'm Only Sleeping"-like backward guitar features prominently in a tale of domestic infidelity that's very English in its gentility. "A Rainbow Around Us" rocks harder than most of the album, and is one of its highlights, with its mixture of sunny pop harmonies and well-oiled British Invasion/folk-rock-influenced jangling guitar. (Richie Unterberger, allmusic.com)

To cut a long story short; versatile, wonderful sixties pop psychedelia, very good arranged, never boring. A very good pop album. Enjoy.(Frank)

 

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Sixties Pop by The Jackpots - Jack In The Box 1967-68 (2003 Universal)

I have found almost nothing that looks like a review on the net except this short wiki note about the band:
''The Jackpots was a Swedish progressive-styled pop group, located in Gothenburg. They made two albums, in 1967 and 1968. They became more popular in Belgium and Denmark. The Jackpots also sang in four-voice harmonies, something as can heard in "Jack In The Box", where backwards recording techniques were used, which for that time, had an impressive sound. Graham Gouldman and Eric Stewart, later of 10cc, contributed with songs for the Jackpots. Perry Ford who was a member of the English pop trio, Ivy League, also contributed with Lincoln City.''

The band mainly played cover songs. Which was a shame, because the band had extraordinary abilities. They were a very good pop band and I can highly recommend this collection because the songs all make a strong impression and really make a lot of fun. Enjoy.(Frank)
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Psychedelia, Beat, Garage, Pop; The Outsiders - Strange Things Are Happening The Complete Singles 1965-1969 (2002 RPM)

Prior to the 2002 release of this compilation, everything done by the Outsiders was well-represented on CD except for the bulk of their singles. That was a shame, as their dozen 1965-1969 singles contained much of their best work. That gap is entirely rectified by this exemplary compilation, which includes both sides of all dozen of their 1965-1969 singles.

 Although some of these had appeared as bonus tracks on CD reissues of the albums The Outsiders, C.Q., and C.Q. Sessions, a bunch of these hadn't, including some of their very best songs. Among those songs would be the wistful continental folk-rock of "Summer Is Here"; "Monkey on Your Back," one of their most lyrically challenging pieces; the gentle folk-rock of "I've Been Loving You So Long," "Teach Me to Forget," and "Don't You Worry About Me"; and the downright berserk experimental punk of "I'm Only Trying to Prove to Myself That I'm Not Like Everybody Else."

There's much more here to bolster their claim to the title of best '60s rock group to hail from a non-English-speaking territory, like the Pretty Things-style rave-up "You Mistreat Me"; the sexy pounder "Touch"; the Eastern European-influenced minor-keyed punk-folk-rock of "Sun's Going Down"; and the gloomy psych-punk of their final 45, "Do You Feel Allright"/"Daddy Died on Saturday." While the 1968 single "Cup of Hot Coffee" might be their poppiest and weakest effort, it's long been their hardest track to acquire, and its availability on CD is welcome.

Die-hard collectors might want to note that the take of "Touch" here is the original single version, not the other take included on previous Outsiders compilations, while the mixes of "I Don't Care" and "You Remind Me" are the single versions, not the ones heard as bonus tracks to the C.Q. CD reissue. The extensive liner notes include many insightful quotes from Outsiders singer Wally Tax. (Richie Unterberger, allmusic.com)

Nothing to add to Mr Unterberger's review of the fantastic single collection. Enjoy.(Frank)

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Late '60s Psychedelic Pop, Garage, Pop Rock; The Novells - That Did It! 1968 (2005 Radioactive)

Since I didn't find a review of the album, I quickly said a few words about the album.
The first thing I noticed was that there seems to be no CD re-release, except that unofficial release by Radioactive. I looked already some years ago for a rerelease but found nothing.
This is absolutely incomprehensible to me because the band delivered a really outstanding album in 1968.

The album is full of really good songs and you won't find fillers here. Great psychedelic pop from time to time with rough edges make the album imho a little jewel, which was unfortunately forgotten by time. I hope that a good label will release the album again as a cd re release. By the way, Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart wrote the liner notes for the album in 1968. And after i heard the album for the first time i understood why. Highly recommended. Enjoy.(Frank)

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'70s Rock Pop by pop icon Michael Brown; The Beckies - The Beckies 1976 (2015 Real Gone Music)

Although the Beckies' only album was an identifiably Michael Brown creation in the pleasing, unpredictable melodies and chord changes, it doesn't measure up to his achievements as keyboardist/songwriter with the Left Banke, Stories, and Montage. The group is rather faceless, the production on the cold and sterile side, and the compositions not as arresting as Brown's finest.

As is often the case with his work, it's the slower and midtempo numbers that come off best, such as "Fran" and "One of These Days" (the cut that's closest to matching the best moments on the Stories albums). The harder it rocks, the more it falls into a generic mid-1970s sound. (Richie Unterberger, allmusic.com)

How do you measure the quality of an album? By the other works of the artist / band? Other albums of other artists? Sure, you can do that of course. But in my opinion it doesn't make sense most of the time.
I think you can only measure an album against yourself (I know it's hard not to be influenced by other works of the respective artist).

Michael Brown 2013

 And if I do that now with this 'Beckies' album, I can only come to the conclusion that Michael Brown made a great album here. To name single songs here would lead to having to name almost every song on the album. And now to bring Brown's other works into play: Of course the 'Beckies' album is certainly not the best Brown has created. Nevertheless, he created an album in 1976 that is an above-average good album overall. And it's fun. That's what counts for me. Just my two cents. Enjoy.(Frank)

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Psychedelic Pop/Soft Prog; The Souls Of Inspyration - The Souls Of Inspyration (1970 Columbia) Vinyl

"Winners of the 1970 musical competition at Quebec's 'Man And His World' (former site of Expo '67), this quartet subsequently played for two weeks at Expo '70 in Osaka, Japan and upon their return recorded this, their sole LP release, for the Canadian branch of Columbia Records. As with labelmates Jarvis Street Revue and It's All Meat, press runs for these LP's numbered in the four-digit range at best, nowhere near the quantities US counterparts The Byrds or Mitch Miller (or heck, even Hampton Grease Band) commanded, and all have become sought-after psychedelic arty-facts. So, what about the music you ask? A melodic bridge betwixt late psych and early prog, with a solid foundation of organ and driving rhythm, well-placed stinging guitar leads, and forceful vocals saying everything and nothing simultaneously. 33 minutes, seven tracks and not a loser in the bunch. (forcedexposure.com)

This soft psych/prog album from canadian band 'The Souls Of Inspyration'' sounds surprising european. Good work. Enjoy.(Frank)

Flac (zippy)                                                                    Flac (M)                                                              

mp3 (zippy)                                                                   mp3 (M)

                                     pass: SB1

Great Italian Psychedelic Pop/Bubblegum, Pop-prog: The Underground Set (Nuova Idea) - The Underground Set 1970 (2012 Flawed Gems)

Behind the Underground Set name hid, for contractual reasons, the musicians from Nuova Idea. But surely the mastermind behind them was composer Gian Piero Reverberi, who was also the producer of Le Orme.

The Underground Set were often thought to be an English group, their first album having been issued in many European countries. It's interesting to notice that the group has been mentioned as English in Vernon Joynson's Tapestry of Delight book.

But in an interview with Paolo Siani on the Italian Musikbox magazine, the drummer was one of the first to reveal that the musicians playing on this band's two albums were in fact Nuova Idea, as Radio Records (the label on which the first album and the singles appeared) was distributed by their label Ariston at the time.

Mainly instrumental, with just some choral vocal parts, the albums are typical of a late 60's organ-led psychy pop sound and some tracks were used as TV film themes. (discogs.com)

It's hard for me to give the music a clear label, but I don't think that's important either. The album is just great imho. Pop, psychedelia, easy listening, prog, bubblegum, rock, all mixed together to a wonderful album that does homage to the early seventies. Viva Italia :-) Enjoy.(Frank)
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U.S. Power Pop; The Nerves - One Way Ticket (2008 Alive Records)

The Nerves were a great band with lousy timing -- they were a top-notch power pop trio who emerged on the L.A. rock scene in 1977, just as punk was becoming the next hipster sensation and about 18 months before the hookier end of new wave would have given them a shot at the big time.

Peter Case went on to a memorable career fronting the Plimsouls and as a solo act, Paul Collins made a pair of great records as the leader of the Beat, and Jack Lee's tune "Hanging on the Telephone" became a hit for Blondie, making it abundantly clear that the Nerves' potential was very real and all three members could write and sing great songs, but during their all-too-brief existence the band self-released just one 7" EP and supported it with a D.I.Y. tour before falling apart.

One Way Ticket is by no means the album the Nerves never got to make, but at least it gathers the scraps the band left behind in one convenient package. The four songs from the legendary Nerves EP are all here, along with two other studio tracks intended for a follow-up single that was never released, another stray studio recording, a pair of home-recorded demos, and seven rough but exciting live tunes from a Nerves gig in Illinois.

A Case and Collins living room tape, a pair of relevant post-Nerves tunes by the Jack Lee Band, and an embryonic version of the Plimsouls round out the package. Several of Collins' songs would later appear on the first Beat album, and Case's tunes show the smarts and energy he'd bring to the Plimsouls, but it's Lee's work that's the real standout on this disc, and it makes one wonder how his career fizzled out after just one solo album.

The piecemeal nature of One Way Ticket makes this a somewhat uneven listening experience, but the high points are pure, hooky bliss; the first seven songs sound like the first side to a terrific album, and the live recordings confirm that this band knew how to make their music work on-stage. One Way Ticket is a fine tribute to a band that came and went too quickly, and if you love '70s power pop, this is archival stuff that practically demands a place in your library. (Mark Deming, allmusic.com)

Everybody who is in '70s Power Pop or only love high class pop music will grab this collection full of the scraps by a pop band full of power and energy. These three guys were brilliant. Enjoy.(Frank)

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