The Moon - Without Earth And The Moon 1968 Flac

Moon were a sort of second-tier supergroup in the late 1960s, led by pianist and songwriter Matthew Moore, drummer and producer Larry Brown (late of the Bel-Aires and Davie Allan & the Arrows), and ex-Beach Boy David Marks on guitar, with Andy "Drew" Bennett on bass (Bennett was replaced by the time of the group's second album by David Dawson, formerly of Hearts & Flowers). For all that pedigree, though, Moon received little support from their label, Imperial Records, and the group's two albums, 1968's Without Earth and 1969's Moon, went virtually unheard when they were released. Fans of period pop psychedelia found the albums irresistible, however, and the group has enjoyed a kind of low-key cult status ever since, leading to Rev-Ola's reissue of both albums on one CD, along with a handful of bonus tracks that include a couple of mono 45 mixes and three tracks from Moore's pre-Moon band, Matthew Moore Plus 4. Sounding a bit like a low rent version of the Zombies or the Left Banke, it is easy to see why fans of baroque-'60s pop are so enamored of Moon, but like many bands from the era who fell under the influence of the Beatles, the absence of strong songs and melodies all too often renders the heavily phased and string-laden arrangements forgettable as soon as the next track begins. Not that the group doesn't get close to |pop-psych heaven here with songs like "Someday Girl," the goofy, sitar-laced "Brother Lou's Love Colony," or the ultra-Beatlesque "Give Me More" (all from Without Earth), it's just that the swirl of the arrangements can't hide the fact that none of these songs are particularly front line. The songs from the second album, Moon, fare better, as Brown (both albums were recorded at his Continental Sounds studio) cuts back a bit on the orchestration and Moore simply delivers better material, like the haunting, beautiful "Lebanon" or the intriguing "Life Is a Season," which has Moore singing lines like "comprehension wields the sword that kills the fear" with agile, melodic ease. Also worth mentioning is the reincarnation revenge song "Pirate," which has a plot line so bizarre that it can't help but be memorable. When all is said and done, one wishes Moon had gotten a crack at a third album, since they were clearly inching toward the kind of uniqueness that might have allowed them to rise above their influences.

 Wonderful pop album (actually two, Without Earth 1968 and Moon 1969) full of fine strings, brass and several voices who sounds just great...if you like this kind of music. The music is obviously quite strong influenced by the four boys from Liverpool.

Enjoy it
            Frank   expired
                                   Limited till March, 20, 2017

Top notch Power Pop of the '90s! DM3 - Road To Rome 1996 (Flac)

DM3 - Road To Rome (1996)

Power pop fans have occasionally pointed to this, Australian outfit DM3's sophomore release, as one of the best pop albums to come out of the mid-'90s and one of the cornerstone albums of the '90s Australian pop movement. Both may be true to varying degrees: Road to Rome is possibly the "classic" disc in the late-'90s Australian power pop scene, which included similarly talented bands like Ice Cream Hands, Even, Challenger 7, and Michael Carpenter. While the debit of Australian power pop is that it often favors slavish imitation over solid songwriting, Dom Mariani's ear for a hook is what makes Road to Rome stand out. Well, that and Mitch Easter's arena-ready production. Sounding like the Plimsouls playing with Badfinger and the Who, Mariani cranks it to ten more than a few times here. It lends songs like the excellent "Please Don't Lie" or the riff-heavy "Soultop" a glossy, almost '80s stadium rock vibe -- in a good way.

Sure, sometimes DM3 can get a little derivative and rest on their skinny tie-shaped laurels, but for the most part the chunky riffage and Easter's boomy production will be more than enough to please anyone who is motivated enough to seek this album out in the first place.(allmusic.com)

This album have hooks, CATCHY hooks. It's full of pop, it rocks like hell, it makes you jumpin' around and dancing, and it makes you sing a long if you listen to it. Drivin' in my car is double fun with an album like this in the player. 7 stars out of 5.
The link is limited till 20 March 2017!
Have fun
              Frank  Flac

The Ides of March - Ideology 1965-1968 (2000) Flac

This collection of 1965-1968 material, taken from rare regional singles along with a couple of previously unreleased tracks, is far removed from the Ides of March's horn-rock era (as heard on their 1970 hit "Vehicle"), both chronologically and stylistically. When they started, the Ides were a Chicago teen band, recording mostly original songs heavily influenced by folk-rock and the British Invasion, although a few of these cuts do use brass. In general that's good news (and preferable to the horn-rock of their later career), but the harmony-heavy pop/rock of this early work isn't too exciting. In common with several other groups from the Chicago and Midwest areas, the group favored a rather clean-cut, Americanized take on British Invasion bands like the Beatles and the Hollies, though the folk-rock of the Byrds is heard in the guitar arrangements especially. The local Chicago hits "You Wouldn't Listen" (which made number 42 nationally) and "Roller Coaster" are here, but to be tough about it, there's not enough light and shade here to put the Ides on the level of good British Invasion bands, or even of good British Invasion-influenced bands from the same region, such as the New Colony Six.

More to the point, there's too much light and not enough shade; although the harmonies are fairly impressive and the execution polished, the material is too often sunnily bland. The great exception to that is the riveting, raw folk-rocker "I'll Keep Searching," buried on a B-side, which has great bittersweet melodic hooks, melancholy harmonies, and dramatic stop-start tempos. The disc includes two 1965 songs that they recorded as the Shondels on a super-rare self-released 45, as well as the previously unreleased originals "One and One Does Not Make Three" and "I'll Take You Back." The latter of these, an uncommonly moody tune, is actually a highlight of the collection.

Hope you will enjoy.
Cheers
           Frank    Flac

New link for The Hollies - At Abbey Road 1963 - 1966 (Remastered 1997)

I added also a second link for The Hollies - At Abbey Road 1963 - 1966 (Remastered 1997) Flac in the posting from 2 March 2017.
Bis später
               Frank

New link for The Yardbirds- Over Under Sideways Down (Roger The Engineer)(Ten Bonus Tracks) 1966 (1998 Repertoire) Flac

New link for The Yardbirds- Over Under Sideways Down (Roger The Engineer)(Ten Bonus Tracks) 1966 (1998 Repertoire) Flac

 Hello friends of pop music i added a second download link to ''The Yardbirds - Over Under Sideways Down (Roger The Engineer) (Ten Bonus Tracks) 1966 (1998 Repertoire) Flac
Cheers Frank

The Beau Brummels - The Beau Brummels '66 (japan issue

While it has gotten a bum rap in the wake of their subsequent masterpieces, the San Fran-based Beau Brummels major-label debut -- simply titled Beau Brummels 66 -- includes a dozen solid remakes of concurrent pop, folk, and rock tracks. The lineup consisted of Ron Elliott (guitar/vocals), Sal Valentino (vocals), Ron Meagher (bass/harmonica/guitar/vocals), Declan Mulligan (guitar/harmonica/vocals), John Petersen (drums/vocals), and for a brief time Don Irving (guitar), who filled in for Elliott. In an era marred by marginal (at best) cover bands, the Beau Brummels reveal considerable talents as interpreters of other people's hits -- although none of these selections are destined to surpass the originals. Of the three Beatles-related entries, the Paul McCartney-penned "Woman" -- which Peter & Gordon took into the Top 20 -- is the most appealing. The delicate baroque arrangement serves the storyline well and the combo's natural penchant for effortlessly adopting the British Invasion style ultimately contributes to the authenticity of this version. They arguably one-up the Byrds' "Mr. Tambourine Man" by including Bob Dylan's alternate verses.

Paul Simon's "Homeward Bound" is treated sensitively, but the intimacy is lost once the robust choir chimes in during the chorus. One rather unanticipated gem is the dark menacing overhaul of "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'." With creepy minor chords crawling through the song, it has a sense of foreboding that isn't easily dismissed. In the same vein, the update of Sonny Bono's "Bang Bang" takes on an ominous mantle of uncertainty. Less convincing are the Beau Brummels' spin on "Play with Fire" from the Rolling Stones songbook, while "Louie, Louie," "Hang on Sloopy," and the inconsequential "Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter" uniformly detract more than they add to the proceedings. In short order, Elliott and Valentino would reestablish themselves as the creative force behind the unit and reappear with the highly lauded Triangle (1967) and Bradley's Barn (1968) platters. (allmusic.com)

 My opinion: The Brummels showed here they were really fine interpreters of then well known songs and hits by other artists. The longer the album's spinning around the more i liked it. Fine work.
I think i will post some more works of the band because they wre real great in my opinion. Hope you will like it.
Cheers
           Frank  Flac