Sixties Pop; The Bee Gees - Brilliant From Birth 1963 - 1966 (1998 Spin, Festival Records) (2 disc, 63 Songs) Flac & mp3@320

At last, a comprehensive collection of everything the group recorded in their "Australian years," from 1963 to 1966, before their move to England and rapid ascent to international stardom. These two CDs -- an entirely different package from the similarly titled, but much shorter, compilation 1963-1966: Birth of Brilliance -- include 63 songs, some of which are quite familiar to Bee Gees fans via numerous reissues, but some of which were hard to find outside of Australia, or indeed anywhere.

Actually, this turns out to be a mixed blessing, since the rarer tracks are usually way less interesting than the numerous fine Beatlesque ones (such as "Peace of Mind," "Wine and Women," "I Want Home," "All of My Life") that have been pretty easy to acquire on U.S. repackages. There are, for instance, a bunch of fairly horrible MOR pop and country covers, presumably dating from circa 1963. Although it has sometimes been claimed that the Bee Gees sounded like the Beatles by coincidence because they grew up in Manchester, on the basis of this evidence, it seems unquestionable that they deliberately revamped their sound into a Fab Four vein after the Beatles became huge. There are some cool rarities like the moody, folk-rockish "Lonely Winter" and good quality TV broadcasts of Beatles, Lovin' Spoonful, and Dave Clark Five covers (their take on the DC5's "Can't You See That She's Mine" is surprisingly good).

It's also good to have comprehensive (and typo-filled) liner notes covering the Australian period, but the utter lack of specific recording/release dates and sources for any of the tracks is exasperating.

A fine, interesting compilation of the Bee Gees with a lot really special stuff. The collection shows a slightly different view of the band's first years. Hope you will enjoy it, too.

Have fun
               Frank

       Flac &  mp3@320

Psychedelic Pop by Dantalian's Chariot - Chariot Rising 1967 (1996 Woodenhill Records) Flac & mp3@320

A close facsimile of what Dantalian's Chariot's unreleased album would have sounded like, taken from ten tracks recorded in 1967, several of which were previously unissued. "Madman Running Through the Fields" is essential listening for anyone who likes Pink Floyd, with its happy-go-mad lyrics, astral organ, Syd Barrett-esque guitar, and sudden quiet breaks into pastoral flute passages. Nothing else here is nearly as striking, but it's decent, somewhat prototypical early underground British psychedelia, though the songwriting can be kind of forced. The wistfully ebullient "Sun Came Bursting Through My Clouds" (the B-side of "Madman") is probably their best secondary effort; instrumentally oriented explorations like "Soma" and "This Island" get freakier.(Richie Unterberger, allmusic.com)

A wonderful collection of psychedelic songs and highly recommended. If you don't know and/or haven't got the album yet, grab it.
Enjoy
         Frank

                                                          Flac   &  mp3@320

Sixties Garage-Pop/Rock/Beat/: The Liverpool Five - Arrive & Out Of Sight 1964 - 1967 (2000 Rock-In-Beat Records) Flac & mp3@320

The Liverpool Five is one 1960s band that is ripe for rediscovery. The fact that they've slipped through a few cracks may have to do with their odd history -- after starting out in England, the quintet spent most of a year in Germany and touring the Far East and effectively became an American group just as their recording history began in a serious way. Formed in Liverpool, England, in 1963, the original Liverpool Five lineup was Steve Laine on vocals, Ken Cox on guitar, Ron Henley on keyboards, Dave Burgess on bass, and Jimmy May on drums and vocals. They cut one single, "Lum D' Lum D' High" b/w "Good Golly Miss Molly," for the Pye Records budget Piccadilly label that was released in England, but their main base of activity in 1964 and 1965 appears to have been Germany and Asia, where their German-based manager kept them touring. They managed to release a single of their own on German CBS in 1964 under the name of the 5 Liverpools, but otherwise were largely invisible as a recording act. After an extended tour of Asia, the group made their way to Los Angeles in 1965 and eventually ended up in Spokane, Washington. Ironically, it was on the far coast of the United States, far from their home, that they were finally signed to a major label in 1965 and got a contract with RCA-Victor Records.

The Liverpool Five released a half-a-dozen singles over the next two years and a pair of LPs, all of which displayed an extraordinary degree of musical dexterity -- they could sound as American as the Remains or the Standells in their approach to playing, -- a solid garage punk sound with some unusual melodic touches -- and then turn around and cut cockney novelties like "What a Crazy World (We're Living In)" or romantic rock ballads like their version of Curtis Mayfield's "That's What Love Will Do," where they sound like the Roulettes, and follow that with a shouter like "Just a Little Bit." Dave Burgess exited the group to get married in 1967 and was replaced by future Kingsmen member Freddie Dennis; Ron Henley left and was replaced first by Mark Gage and then by Gary Milkie, but the group soldiered on, scarcely skipping a beat. The band charted nationally only once, with a version of Chip Taylor's "Any Way That You Want Me," and left behind some other superb white soul sides that managed to embrace both American punk and British beat elements, before they finally called it a day in 1970. The Liverpool Five Arrive is one of the best garage punk albums of 1966, with a startlingly honest and vivid, soulful edge (highlighted by a beautiful handful of Curtis Mayfield covers) amid the fuzztone guitars and pounding, roaring rhythm section. Its follow-up, Out of Sight, is even better, with harder playing and better singing, laced with some unexpected lyricism.(allmusic.com)

Both albums are here on one disc. Like the most bands who played in Germany or other european countries with a permanent engagement for several months they must played a lot of cover versions. These bands were the replacement for the originals and their hits in the dancehalls.I think that is the main reason why they played also cover songs. I agree with the review - the second album is the stronger one but that's only my opinion. They were a real good band and maybe you give it a try.

Have fun
               Frank

                                                            Flac    &    mp3@320

VA - Psychedelia - A Herbal Mixture Of Psychedelic Remedies And Freakbeat Fantoms (5 Disc Box) Part 2 & 3 Flac & mp3@320

Hello Folks,
i hope you have fun with the first part of this fine 5 disc box. Here comes now part 2 & 3. I can say really every disc is very strong and the whole box make a lot of fun. I think all of you who downloaded the first part and the artwork yesterday know what great bands awaits you.
Enjoy your day
                        Frank

                 Disc 2 Flac  &  disc 2 mp3@320  -  Disc 3 Flac  &   Disc 2 mp3@320