Andy Kim - How'd We Ever Get This Way (1968) @320

Absolutely underrated Topnotch Pop-Bubblegum album from 1968. Let's hear what Thomas Stephen Erlewine says about it:
Andy Kim's 1968 debut How'd We Ever Get This Way showcased his knack for commercial pop music, pitched partway between bubblegum and Brill Building tradition, often recalling both the effervescence and moodiness that marked Neil Diamond's '60s work for Bang. Brill Building mainstays Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich produced those recordings, and after their partnership soured, Barry started writing with Kim on a regular basis, eventually signing him to his fledgling label, Steed. How'd We Ever Get This Way was Kim's debut, consisting entirely with material he co-wrote with Barry, and it's an excellent example of hooky mainstream pop from the late '60s: bright, melodic and well-constructed, from its composition to its productions. At times, it may sound strikingly like Diamond -- "Just Like Your Shadow" recalls "Solitary Man," right down to the mournful horns that come in on the second verse; "Love That Little Woman" bounces along on handclaps and maracas just like "You Got to Me" -- it does so without ever sounding imitative; it sounds like the work of a singer/songwriter with similar gifts, sharpened and honed by Diamond's producer. That producer also happened to be a producer for the Monkees, and there are echoes of that group as well; it's easy to imagine "Circus" as sung by Micky Dolenz and the skipping "Shoot 'Em Up Baby" is just gimmicky enough to work well on TV. At times, the music edges toward the middle-of-the-road (the swelling strings on "Pretty Thing") and sometimes it bears traces of psych-pop, but it never goes too far in either direction. With the exception of the dreamy, dramatic closer "Resurrection," which is notable and excellent in its own way, this is late-'60s pop at its lightest and brightest, and cut for cut it's one of the strongest records of its kind, thanks to songs as irrepressibly catchy as "How'd We Ever Get This Way" and sweetly understated as the McCartney-esque "Ordinary Kind of Girl."
I hope you'll enjoy it
See you
             SB1

link in the comments

Bill Lloyd - Feeling The Elephant (1987) @320

Power pop from the mid eighties. Bill Lloyd is a real master of pop. Here is what Stewart Mason from allmusic.com says: Bill Lloyd's first solo album was actually released in 1987, predating the Nashville native's association with Radney Foster in the mainstream country act Foster and Lloyd. However, at that time, it appeared on the tiny Boston indie Throbbing Lobster, just as that label was breathing its last. Thoughtfully, Atlanta's DB Records picked up Feeling the Elephant after Foster and Lloyd's commercial breakthrough and reissued it in a new cover with slightly improved sound. Good thing, too, because Feeling the Elephant beats the pants off of Foster and Lloyd's fine but annoyingly slick albums. Recorded as (mostly) one-man band demos between 1983 and 1986, the ten songs on Feeling the Elephant range from Big Star wistful jangle ("This Very Second") to Marshall Crenshaw roots pop ("Lisa Anne"), with side trips into the funky rock of "I Wanna Sit and Watch the Credits Roll" and the ghostly psychedelia of "Everything's Closing Down." It's hard to believe that this wasn't originally recorded as an album, because there's a flow and organic unity to these well-sequenced songs that makes Feeling the Elephant a more satisfying listen than most power pop albums. The slightly new wavish, Let's Active-like title track and the ultra-catchy jangle popper "Nothing Comes Close" are particular highlights, but this is a power pop joy from start to finish.

Have fun and enjoy this great piece of pop music!

link in comments

The School - Loveless Unbeliever (2010) mp3 & Loveless Unbeliever (2016 25th Elefant Anniversary Reissue) Flac

This band is best medicine against rainy days, homesick blues, loneliness, lover's grief and a lot of other bad gifts from life. It's fun fun fun! In my opinion no filler here.
The band is from Wales and formed in 2007. They signed a contract with spanish label Elephant records and after a series of singles they released the album ''Loveless Unbeliever'' in 2010. Second album was ''Reading too much into things like everything'' in year 2012. Latest album is ''Wasting away and wondering'' which was released in autumn 2015. All three records are really lovely ''fun music'' And i like them much. Hope you have fun too.

The mp3 link is in the comments!             Flac part1 & Flac part 2

Comments are very welcome!!!

Open Up The Gates...

So, hier ist er endlich. Mein erster eigener Blog. Lange hat's gedauert, aber letztendlich habe ich's dann doch gemacht. Die Idee selber war schon vor ca einem Jahr geboren...aber bis ich dann auf die Bahn gekommen bin..naja!
Was wird euch und mich erwarten ? Wie der Header ja schon sagt viel Power pop, Sechziger Sachen, Popsike, Garagenpop, eigentlich alles mit geilen Melodien und feinen Arrangements. Was es nicht geben wird, ist der Kirmesklamaukpop der einem aus den Mainstream Medien entgegenjammert.

Ich habe lange überlegt, ob ich die Seite in deutscher Sprache mache oder doch eher in meinem gebrochenen Englisch. Ich werde es erstmal mit beidem versuchen und schauen wie's läuft.
Das meiste, dass ich posten werde, habe ich selber aus dem Internet. Ich halte das für legitim, auch wenn da sicher die Meinungen auseinandergehen. Ich denke, letztendlich geht es darum auf gute Musik aufmerksam zu machen. Natürlich werde ich auch eigene Sachen posten, aber wie gesagt das ist der wesentlich kleinere Teil. Ich hoffe wir werden Spass haben, also lassen wir die Spiele beginnen. Ich habe zum Einstieg drei verschiedene Sachen rausgesucht, die ich morgen im Laufe des Tages online stelle und hoffe das ein oder andere wird euch gefallen.
Bis demnächst
                       SB1


So here it is at long last...my first own blog.It took ages but in the end i did it.The idea was born around one year ago but i needed time 'cause my ass won't come up faster.
What will you and me expect? Like the header say a lot of Power pop, sixties stuff, popsike, garage pop, actually all with a lot melodies and great arrangements. You won't find here silly mother...... pop (sorry can't find a good translation for the german word).
I have well-thought-out for a long time if i do the blog in german or in my broken english language cause there are not a lot music pages in german. I think i will do it in both languages. Let's see what time will bring.
Most of my posts i will do i get myself from the internet. For me that's okay but i know that there are different positions about it. My opinion is that good music should be shared to let the people know what(which ?) great music is around. Sorry about my english...
Of course i will post my own CD's too. But from all i want post it will be just a small amount. Okay that's just for information. I hope we will have fun so let the games begin. For the beginning i have three different pieces of music that i upload tomorrow during the course of the day and i hope you will enjoy.
See you
             SB1