Ryan Hamilton - Hell Of A Day 2015 Flac

Ryan Hamilton of People on Vacation and Smile Smile fame has crafted himself an impressive début solo album, though one that rarely strays from what he’s best at. The album is packed with impressive hooks, big choruses and of course Ryan’s distinctive floaty, melancholic vocal style.
Hell of a Day starts off strong with “Be Kind, Rewind,” an absolute summer anthem. It’s a shame that Hell of a Day is released so late in the season, because “Be Kind, Rewind” is the kind of tune that sounds even better in a hazy, sun soaked atmosphere. This songs’ trumpets suit Hamilton’s voice perfectly and its a shame they aren’t utilised more heavily throughout the rest of the album.

Other highlights include “Four Letter Verb”, an emotional ode to a relationship growing stale. The lyrics tell a brilliant, believable tale that is backed up by upbeat guitar power chords twinned with twinkling background riffs. Hamilton’s voice fits these reflective, downbeat lyrics perfectly yet the positive pop style of the song almost make you forget what he’s actually singing. “Freak Flag” is another high point, featuring one of the best choruses on the release.
Hell of a Day is a very nostalgic album and that is never more obvious than on “Records and Needles”, an unabashed lyrical tribute to Hamilton’s rock n roll heroes included Elvis, John Lennon and Tom Petty. The song itself has an old fashioned sound to it with a brilliant, bluesy guitar riff and a  simple “Ba Ba Da” element to the chorus to boot. “Medicine” is another song with a rock ‘n’ roll feel to it featuring again a blusey, Chuck Berry inspired riff alongside a fun, cheerleader style chorus.
Most of the songs on Hell Of A Day are based around relationships; there are three references to love in the ten song titles alone. Though it’s a decent theme and Hamilton is capable of crafting some interesting lyrics around it, by the end of the album it does get a little draining, like a pop rock Ed Sheeran.

The only problems with Hell Of A Day are that it’s not really distinctive enough from People on Vacation to warrant being a separate project; add in some of his part time bandmate Jaret Reddick’s vocals and many of these songs could be Vacation releases. “Respond to my Email” is a particularly Reddick-ian song, with lines including “respond to my email you bitch,” “unfriended and blocked” and “I know you can check it you’ve got an iPhone and a MacBook Pro.” This comes off as childish and unsuitable for an album that is otherwise a fairly mature project.
Plus, whilst the highlights are very strong, the album does have several weaker points, like “Take It On The Run” and “I Love You A Lot;” these songs aren’t terrible, they’re just quite boring. They’re not innovative, there’s nothing interesting in the musicianship and whilst distinctive, Hamilton’s voice alone isn’t enough to carry a song with no other plus points.

Still, these aren’t massive criticisms of an album that is at the end of the day a very strong collection of well crafted pop rock tunes by a seasoned pro. Fans of any of Hamilton’s other work will find plenty to love on Hell of a Day as will any fan of emotional lyrics or big choruses.(rocksins.com)

Power pop catchy as hell..like ''Hell Of A Day'' by Ryan Hamilton. This is his first solo album and it's
a real fine pop album. Don't miss it if you like wonderful melodies and good working songs.
Have fun
              Frank    Flac

Old Manchester...Inspiral Carpets - The Singles (US Release) 1995 Flac

After the Stone Roses and Happy Mondays, Inspiral Carpets were arguably the third most popular band to emerge from the late-'80s/early-'90s Madchester scene. Like the Charlatans UK, they weren't quite as innovative as the city's two standard-bearers, relying less on the contemporary dance club beats that became Madchester pop's identifying signature. They did, however, share a fascination with trippy psychedelia, particularly the Farfisa organ-drenched sound of Nuggets-style garage rock from the '60s, which set them apart from their peers. It also enabled them to tinker with their sound once the Madchester fad had passed, and the group continued to score hits right up to their mid-'90s breakup.
Inspiral Carpets were formed in the Greater Manchester town of Oldham by guitarist Graham Lambert -- who'd been playing around the area since 1982 -- and vocalist Stephen Holt, who soon both recruited drummer, Craig Gill. The group began to settle on a permanent lineup in 1986 when Farfisa organist Clint Boon joined up, before bassist Dave Swift came into the fold the following year. '60s-influenced garage punk-style demo tapes, recorded at Boon's studio, helped to get the band noticed in Manchester, as did local support slots with the Bodines and Spacemen 3. Clever merchandising also helped the band out financially; they sold T-shirts featuring their smoking-cow logo and their slogan "Cool as F*ck," which got them media attention when a student wearing the shirt was arrested for violating obscenity laws. Their first national release came in 1988 with the Plane Crash EP on Playtime Records, but when that label's distributor went out of business later that year, the band set up their own imprint, Cow Records, which was financed mostly by T-shirt sales. The first release on Cow was the 1989 EP Trainsurfing, which got the band even more national attention. At this point, Holt and Swift -- not keen on professional careers involving lots of time and travel -- decided to leave, and were replaced by vocalist Tom Hingley (ex-Too Much Texas) and bassist Martyn Walsh. With their arrival, the band's Madchester-compatible style began to crystallize, as evidenced on the new lineup's first release, the swirling, organ-driven psychedelic tune "Joe" (May 1989). The single caused a stir in the indie underground that only intensified with the follow-ups "Find Out Why" and "Move," and after being courted by several major labels, the band wound up signing with the large London-based indie Mute.

Inspiral Carpets' debut album, Life, was released in the spring of 1990. Their first single for Mute, "This Is How It Feels," hit the British Top 20 and landed them a TV appearance on Top of the Pops; the follow-up, "She Comes in the Fall," reached the Top 30. The band recorded sessions with DJ John Peel and appeared at that year's Reading Festival, helping make Life a sizable hit. After releasing the Island Head EP late in the year, the band completed its next full-length, the darker The Beast Inside, which appeared in the spring of 1991. For the supporting tour, the band hired future Oasis mastermind Noel Gallagher as a roadie. Inspiral Carpets scored their biggest chart hit in the spring of 1992 with "Dragging Me Down," which appeared on their third album, Revenge of the Goldfish, released later that fall. Although it produced three more Top 40 singles and got the band a bigger overseas audience, the album was issued when the Manchester scene's moment was perceived to have passed. Next, the group returned to a more basic garage/psychedelic sound for 1994's Devil Hopping. It was generally well received, with the singles "Saturn 5" and "I Want You" (the latter a duet with the Fall's Mark E. Smith, who did not appear on the album version) returning them to the Top 20. In late 1995, Mute released a compilation called The Singles, and soon after, it was announced that label and band were parting ways. Inspiral Carpets split not long after; Boon formed the Clint Boon Experience, while Hingley formed a group called the Lovers with Jerry Kelly of the Lotus Eaters. Hingley went solo in late 2000, issuing the acoustic album Keep Britain Untidy.

After an eight-year hiatus, the band re-formed for two well-received sold-out tours in 2003, and this reappearance also brought the appropriately titled single, "Come Back Tomorrow," a recording culled from a 1995 session. Also issued that year was the three-disc compilation Cool As, which brought together all of the band's singles and promo videos to date, plus a selection of B-sides. A DVD of an April 2003 show, Live at Brixton Academy, appeared in early 2004. Although Inspiral Carpets continued to be a going concern over the next few years, its members also furthered their careers outside the band, with Gill founding Manchester Music Tours, Lambert pursuing concert promotion, Boon DJing on XFM Manchester, Walsh providing music marketing advice, and Hingley teaching performance art. The years 2007 and 2008 brought further tours after the release of a digital-only rarities compilation, Keep the Circle.

Following a rather public split on social media, by the end of February 2011 Hingley was no longer part of the band, and that August it was announced that Holt was returning to front Inspiral Carpets for the first time in 23 years. Sporadic international live shows were announced before the band issued the single "You're So Good for Me" on Record Store Day in April 2012, and they followed this a year later with "Fix Your Smile." In April 2014, Cherry Red Records re-released the Holt-fronted, 1987-recorded demo album Dung 4, which had previously only been available on cassette for a short while in the late '80s. The greater news was the band's decision to expand its reunion to the studio, which meant that the original lineup featuring Stephen Holt recorded their first-ever studio album two decades after forming. This record, naturally called Inspiral Carpets, appeared to strong reviews in the fall of 2014.(allmusic.com)

The Inspiral Carpets were a great band in her heydays. I can't remember another band who sounded so '60's stylish and psychedelic and are not retro. It was her naturally sound in the early to mid nineties. In this time to me they were maybe the best british band on the isle. ...than came Oasis...but that's another story. Enjoy the fantastic Inspiral Carpets
Greetz
          Frank   Flac

Frosted (Jane Weidlin of Go-Go's) - Cold 1996 Flac

Unfortunately lost somewhere along the way amidst sporadic Go-Go's reunions (though Charlotte Caffey does help write a slew of the songs) and less-worthy commercial alternative big-hitters, Frosted's debut and sole album was a near-perfect pop-punk treat. Jane Weidlin assembled a great crew to back her up, which they do with enthusiasm, while she herself does some of her best non-Go-Go's work to date: sharp, bratty, and smart all at once. Vocally, she favors the high end throughout -- almost squeaky if one's being uncharitable -- but she controls and uses it so well that such would be a bad judgment. Her lyrics wryly and wisely touch on everything from female role playing to emotionally useless males. She's also canny enough to vary the musical mix from the start; opener "Dis-Integrated" kicks right along in perfect shout-along style, but has a lovely break right in the middle -- just sweet, wordless vocals and a soft bed of ambience.

Co-producer Marc Waterman, who also engineered, really helps bring out the full impact of the quartet; everything is bright, chunky, and radio-friendly without being gooey mainstream glop. The other three members do a fine job throughout, providing some great shout-along backing vocals as well as punching out the songs. Drummer Lance Porter is especially noteworthy, with a good ear for a crisp, danceable rhythm (check out his tight work on "Never," as well as the handclaps, soaring chorus, and great guitar solo). The lyrics are a scream as well: "You can't turn dogsh*t into art/I would never write a song -- about you." More than once some of the music suggests what might have happened for the Cranberries if they had avoided MOR swill and pumped up the feedback some more -- a good example being the way Weidlin stretches out the title of "Call Me Crazy."

 Very good pop rock album by Jane Wiedlin and the band.
Enjoy
         Frank  Flac

The Growing Concern - The Growing Concern (1969) 2004 Flac

This self-titled album by The Growing Concern curiously first saw the light of day in 1969 on Bob Shad's Mainstream label, an imprint more familiar to jazz and blues fans than devotees of psych/pop. Shad, who had worked as an A&R man for Mercury, Savoy and Emarcy in the '50s, working with the likes of Sarah Vaughan, Blue Mitchell and Curtis Fuller, had the fortune to sign the then-unknown Big Brother And The Holding Company, whose contract, along with that of the band's vocalist Janis Joplin, Shad wisely sold for a not-insignificant sum to Columbia. Perhaps Shad thought he was going to repeat his commercial triumph with The Growing Concern. However, the band was a different proposition altogether with its emphasis on beautiful vocal harmonies and fantastic guitar and organ work rather than the Joplin-dominated R&B of Big Brother. Consequently, Shad only allowed the group into the studio on a single occasion, dropping them from the label after this, their eponymous debut. All in all, this is a fine album.

The support of vocalists Bonnie MacDonald and Mary Garstki are an intrinsic part of the band's distinctive sound, and the songs contributed by organist Dan Passaglia, bassist John Pedley and guitarist Ralph Toms are more than equal to the offerings from more illustrious contemporaries such as Mike Hugg ("Mister You're A Better Man Than I") or Stephen Stills ("Sit Down I Think I Love You"). The album, which is brilliantly recorded, is of a consistently high musical quality and the band surely deserved a better fate than the obscurity that Shad's indifference consigned them to.(forcedexposure.com)

Psychedelic/Sunshine pop with some darker lyrics as usual for this kind of music.
Enjoy!
          Frank  Flac 

Bert Sommer - The Road To Travel 1968 (2006 Rev-Ola) Flac

Bert Sommer is often referred to as the lost star from Woodstock. Those who have only seen the documentary film, or heard the two sets released from the 1969 festival can be forgiven, however, if they are utterly unfamiliar with his name. Sommer was one of a tiny handful of performers who played the festival but never accrued career success, much less fame and fortune, coming out of it. Sommer was born in 1949, and grew up on Long Island. He was drawn to folk music as well as to pop and rock, and became part of the orbit of musicians that coalesced around that New York suburb's music scene. He was a natural musician who was self-taught on the guitar and piano, and who also wrote songs. By his mid-teens, he had become close to Michael Brown, later of the Left Banke, with whom he frequently performed in the early years. But he also traveled in circles that included Leslie West's much harder rocking band the Vagrants, for whom he wrote several songs.

His first moment of potential fame as a performer came amid the tumultuous first year or so the Left Banke's fame, when Sommer replaced original lead singer Steve Martin on the single "And Suddenly." But the original lineup was back together soon after that, and that single -- which, thanks to the controversy (including a lawsuit) over the lineup and the use of the name, was never on any of their albums -- was more of a curio in their output than one of its highlights. Sommer was drawn to acting, as well, and by 1968 he had landed the role of "Woof" in the musical Hair, replacing Steve Curry, who had originated the role -- with his frizzed-out Afro, wide, open features, and gentle, cheerful demeanor, he seemed the epitome of genial hippie-dom in the prime days of the counter-culture.

He also landed a recording contract with Capitol Records in 1968 which led to the recording of an album, The Road to Travel, with Artie Kornfeld. That release, like so many other folk-cum-singer/songwriter recordings tried by Capitol in those years (records by Jake Holmes and Hilton Valentine come to mind), died on the vine. But his relationship with Kornfeld, who later became one of the prime movers behind the Woodstock Festival, seemed to pay off with interest on August 15, 1969 when Sommer took the stage in front of several hundred thousand people to perform.

Based on the recorded evidence, his performance was a match for much of the rest of the music displayed that day and that weekend. Sommer performed 10 songs at Woodstock, and the audience enjoyed what he did, though through a combination of technical malfunctions and record-company politics, until 2009 he was never included in any of the commercial releases, on film or record, to come out of the event. Warner Bros. ended up grabbing the rights to everything out of Woodstock, and Sommer, as a Capitol artist, would never gain a spot even on either of the album sets, not even on Woodstock 2, which was used to tie up loose ends (he was aced out of the movie on technical grounds, and by the time Woodstock 2 appeared, he -- unlike his fellow hippie/folkie Melanie -- had faded into obscurity, so he lost out twice).

Artie Kornfeld recorded him a second time on his own Eleuthera Records, but Inside Bert Sommer never sold. Sommer seemed to take all of this in stride, and during the mid-'70s returned to acting, this time on television as part of the Kroft Supershow. He cut more music later in the decade, and subsequently moved to upstate New York, where he continued to perform and write songs until his death, from a chronic respiratory illness, in 1990. He has retained a cult following across the decades, similar to other prematurely departed singer/songwriters of his era, such as Tim Hardin and Tim Buckley. In 2009, as part of the releases to mark the 40th anniversary of Woodstock, the first official release of Sommer's performance at the festival could be heard on the six-CD Woodstock: 40 Years On: Back to Yasgur's Farm. (allmusic.com)

Bert Sommer was a gifted musician with great voice and his marvelous songwriting skills. I don't understand until today why he don't rose to fame. To stay at the example of Woodstock: If i see which average performers (i'm serious) rose to lifelong fame, the more i can't understand the deafness of audiences. I highly recommend this guy and his music.
Enjoy it
             Frank  Flac