The Astral Projection - The Astral Scene (1968) Sunshine Psychedelic Pop (Flac)

 

Composed of studio musicians, most notably the late great guitarist Hugh McCracken, who played with everybody from the Monkees to Simon to Garfunkel to Van Morrison to Steely Dan to John Lennon, the Astral Projection existed for just this one album.

Heavily orchestrated and glistening with birdsong harmonies and melodies, The Astral Scene rests firmly on the soft-rock wing occupied by the Cowsills, the Association and the Blades of Grass. The production values are clean and sparkly, the structures are adventurous enough to prompt repeated spins, and the performances are disciplined and proportioned.
Tracks like “(Mind Flight) Overture – The Airways Of The Imagination,” “The Happening People,” “Accordion Pleated Mind” and “(Astral Exploration)…Overtures, Dreams, Shadows And Illusions” illustrate the group’s positive affirmations to solid effects. Rhythms drift, float and soar, and the textures of the tunes are flush with color and motion. Pumping big brass sounds, string arrangements and flower pop motifs into a single blender, The Astral Scene rolls in as an early indication of new age music. Brain food for the ears, the disc is certainly a curious period piece.

In my opinion this a completely underrated album. Great arrangements paired with good songs and fine vocals. Please give it a try.You want be disappointed if you like this genre.
Cheers
           SB1



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The Oxfords - Flying Up Through The Sky Vol. One & Two '66-'72 Flac

When Gear Fab Records re-released the Oxfords' sole LP from 1970 called Flying Up Through the Sky, fleshing it out with various band ephemera in 2001, it was assumed that it was the last word on the Louisville group, amounting to a complete recorded works. Turns out it wasn't. When the Allen-Martin Recording Studio where the Oxfords tracked their LP (it was called Sambo Recording Studio when the Oxfords worked there) was demolished in 2006, local session musicians Marvin Maxwell and Walker Ed Amick rescued the studio's master tape library from a cruel and forgotten fate at the bottom of the corner dumpster and began the long task of transferring the multi-track masters into the digital domain. One of their discoveries was that the Oxfords had recorded a fair amount of material that hadn't appeared on Flying Up Through the Sky, leading to this second volume of Oxfords tracks from Gear Fab.

Although generally remembered as a sunshine pop band with some psychedelic overtones, the Oxfords emerge on this second helping as a much more versatile band than that, touching down at times close to jazz and what could almost be deemed a kind of proto-country-rock. At other times they sound like a southern version of early Jefferson Airplane, thanks in no small part to the strong and often sultry vocals of lead singer Jill DeMarco. That diversity is impressive, and one can't help but wonder what might have developed had the band stayed together and not called it quits in 1972.

Among the clear highlights on this addenda volume are a speeded up and rocked out version of Richard & Mimi Fariña's "Reno, Nevada," the wonderfully atmospheric "I Can't Remember Your Name," the hard driving "Year of Jubilo" (based on a Civil War-era song by Henry Clay Work), a Mamas & Papas-like cover of Del Shannon's "Runaway," and the very pretty and jazz-inflected backing track called "Underscore" that concludes this collection (and provides a possible clue to what direction the Oxfords may have taken if they had remained together). In all, it makes a nice coda to the first volume and helps paint a larger, clearer picture of what the band was all about.allmusic.com

Yep, that's what allmusic says about it. First time i heard about a second volume i was really surprised because i never had heard about it. I post the both voplumes in one rar file. I hope you like it.
'till next time
                     SB1



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Tandyn Almer - Along Comes Tandyn mp3@320

Renowned for writing the hit "Along Comes Mary" recorded by the Association, Tandyn Almer was ahead of his time and couldn't manage to keep that creative hit momentum going. Since then he has become known as one of the lost pop geniuses of the '60s. Sundazed released Along Comes Tandyn, which contains 15 unreleased demos that capture the early L.A. blend of sunshine and psych pop of the era. The tracks contain elements of the hallucinogenic jangle of the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band's first Reprise album, the early Mamas and Papas -- Almer hung out with John & Michelle Phillips -- Brian Wilson (Almer co-wrote "Sail on Sailor" and "Marcella" for the Beach Boys), Curt Boettcher, and even, on the track "Face Down in the Mud," a combination of the Mothers of Invention and the Association! These demos were recorded quickly and the quality is very good, but, more importantly, the obvious thought and effort that were put into both the musical and vocal arrangements makes you wonder what could have been.allmusic.com

The quality of the demos is really great and the songs are in my opinion fantastic. For me this sound more like a pre production than demos.However if you like 60's sunshine pop you will like this.

In his life Tandyn Almer had not much luck how it seems. Here is a Bio i found at allmusic:

A fascinating and enigmatic footnote to the West Coast pop scene of the late 1960s, pianist, composer, and producer Tandyn Almer is best known for writing the Association's classic "Along Comes Mary." Virtually nothing is known of Almer's origins and upbringing. In 1965, Associate Jules Alexander was hired by producer Curt Boettcher to play on a demo of "Along Comes Mary," and was so impressed by the song he asked if his group could record it officially. Released in 1966, the single emerged as a blockbuster, defining the Association's pioneering harmony pop sound. It should have made Almer one of the hottest songwriters in Los Angeles, but he never again scored a major hit. That doesn't mean he was missing in action, however, any number of obscure psych pop singles bear Almer's writing and production credits, among them the Paper Fortress' "Sleepy Hollow People," the Garden Club's "Little Girl Lost and Found," Pleasure's "Poor Old Organ Grinder," and Dennis Olivieri's full-length Come to the Party. He and Boettcher also teamed to write another Association song, "Message of Our Love," as well as Sagittarius' "Musty Dusty." In 1969, Almer recorded his lone solo single, "Degeneration Gap," for Warner Bros.; he also was credited alongside Brian Wilson as a co-writer on a handful of Beach Boys efforts, including "Sail On, Sailor," and "Marcella."

In the mid-'70s, Tandyn Almer moved to Washington, D.C., taking odd jobs and writing songs, but his bipolar disorder impacted his ability to be consistent within his music or relationships. By the '90s, rumors circulated that he had died. He was alive and penniless, but still writing songs. In 2011 he developed serious health problems, resulting in the partial amputation of his left leg. On January 8, 2013 Almer died at his home in Washington D.C. at age 70. In March 2013, Sundazed released Along Comes Tandyn containing 15 rare demos from the mid-'60s.

Have fun!
               SB1



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Strawberry Alarm Clock - Wake up...It's Tomorrow 1968) 2005 Flac

For their second album, Wake Up...It's Tomorrow, Strawberry Alarm Clock built upon the solid writing and musicianship that inevitably carried over from the Incense and Peppermints project. In retrospect, it is baffling as to why they were relegated to the "one-hit wonders" file, as their most social and musically relevant statements had yet to be made. Stylistically, the material on this album vacillates between the lighter and pop-oriented sides such as "Tomorrow" and the stunningly agile vocal arrangements on

"Pretty Song from Psych-Out" to the exceedingly ominous "Curse of the Witches" and "Nightmare of Percussion." Howard Davis -- whose spoken word narration can be heard during the latter track -- arranged some stunning vocal charts for "Soft Skies, No Lies," "Go Back, You're Going the Wrong Way," and the "future" section of the "Black Butter" trilogy. They are reminiscent of the tight harmonies incorporated by Harpers Bizarre or the retro New Vaudeville Band. Conversely, "Sitting on a Star," "They Saw the Fat One Coming" (which refers to the infiltration of Roy Freeman, a lyricist hired by the band's management), and the first two movements in the "Black Butter" trilogy reflect the group's mod garage rock roots. Here the band projects a more primal sound akin to People or the Chocolate Watchband.

 Have fun
                 SB1




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Mark Eric - A Midsummer's Day Dream 1969

  A Midsummer's Day Dream is treasured by collectors as one of the more perfect blends of soft pop and surf pop, with appropriately accenting vibraphones and French horns, pseudo-studio jazzy/soft pop melodies, "bah bah bah" harmonies, and moody string arrangements reminiscent of Curt Boettcher's productions of Sagittarius and the Millennium. Eric's charming, somewhat imperfect falsetto (in a somewhat obvious homage to Brian Wilson) hints at a subterranean layer of loneliness throughout. His self-penned, broken-hearted Beach Boys-style ballads (think Pet Sounds/Friends) are, in fact, the perfect vehicle for his faltering upper-register voice. Highlights include "California Home" (about a homesick airplane flight away from L.A.); an end-of-summer lament, "Where Do the Girls of the Summer Go"; and "Don't Cry Over Me," with its gorgeous blend of harmonic filigree and sophisticated studio sheen. Eric -- who as an actor appeared on TV's The Partridge Family as the pal of Snake -- apparently never recorded another album.allmusic

Greetings
               SB1



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Seth Swirsky - Watercolor Day 2010

This guy is a giant in the pop songwriter scene for sure. He wrote songs for Taylor Dayne (Two songs reached the billboard pop charts both at Top 7). Other names are Rufus Wainwright, Celine Dion, Al Green, Tina Turner, Eric Carmen, Smokey Robinson, Charles and Eddie and more. He's a real heavyweight pop musician. He was member in the great ''Red Button'' with Mike Ruekberg. They released two wonderful 60's jangle stuff albums.
This is his second solo album from 2010. A real great power pop album. This is what Susanna Hoffs of Bangles fame said about it: ''Watercolor Day is a sonic bouquet of delicious melodies, melt in your mouth harmonies, warm butterscotch guitars that jangle and shine -- made with love and reverence for the music of the golden age of pop -- guaranteed to raise a smile!"
Hope you like it!

Cheers
           SB1


Flac part1
Flac part2

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Doug Tuttle - Doug Tuttle (2014) - Real fine psychedelic pop! (Flac)

Ich habe für dieses Album die Kritik von allmusic.com hinzugefügt. Obwohl mir das Geschwätz über seine zerbrochene Beziehung und dem damit verbundenen Schmerz ....bla bla bla...jammer..bla ... ziemlich auf die Nerven geht. In Bezug auf das musikalische Werk trifft Herr Deming die Sache jedoch ziemlich gut:

There's a long and noble tradition of musicians who've been prompted to create great work through heartbreak (would Roy Orbison have even had a career without getting so bummed out about women?), and lo-fi guitar hero Doug Tuttle has joined the roster with his self-titled solo debut. Tuttle and Rachel Neveu were the founders of the New England indie psych band Mmoss, and they were also a couple; after a pair of fine albums, both the band and their relationship broke up, and as Tuttle struggled emotionally with his newly single status, he began writing and recording a batch of new material that became the album Doug Tuttle. Tuttle doesn't spend all his time drowning in his own tears on this album, but every song touches on the pains of a love gone sour in some small way, and his sorrow is communicated as much by the music as the lyrics (besides, the vocals are often left murky in the album's mix). There's often a dour turn in Tuttle's melodies that registers as sorrow, but this is also top-shelf lo-fi psychedelia, full of strong guitar work (check out his three-minute showcase solo on "Turn This Love"), evocative low-budget production (signal overload, homemade effects gear, and heavy manipulated sound effects), and arrangements that get powerful impact out of small instrumentation (the contrast between the acrobatic basslines and the squeal of the electric organ on "Leave Your Body" is particularly inspired). And it's obvious that Tuttle's greatest influences hail from the mid-'60s through the early '70s, but he's also created an album that sounds original, absorbing, and heartfelt despite its ties to another time and place. While Mmoss created a small but memorable body of work, Doug Tuttle proves their former guitarist has the talent and the vision to create music just as remarkable all by himself; hopefully, he won't have to have his heart broken again in order to deliver another set of music this engaging. (Mark Deming)

Okay, hope you will enjoy Mr. Tuttle. Later today i will come back with some power pop stuff

See you soon
                     SB1

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Kill City Creeps - Kill City Creeps (2011)

As addition to the yesterday postings of 'The Dandelion' i want give you the opportunity to listen to an earlier project of David Poulter. It is the 2011 Ep from 'Kill City Creeps' with the same name. It is more straight psychedelic pop.
No folky sounds here. A good piece of relax psych pop in my opinion. (mp3 bit rate varied 225-280)

See you later
                    SB1




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The Dandelion - Seeds Flowers And Magical Powers Of The Dandelion (mp3@320)

Here's the second album of 'The Dandelions'. Hope you will enjoy it, too.



See you soon
                     SB1






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The Dandelion - The Strange Case Of The Dandelion (2013)

The Dandelion: blooming psychedelia from ex-Dolly Rocker Movement / Los Sundowners / Kill City Creeps member Daniel Poulter.

 

 The Dandelion: groovy reverb, floaty riffs and flourishing folk melodies, it’s wild and free and beckons you to join in.

Released in 2013 the debut LP Strange Case Of The Dandelion is a field of folk and psychedelia you want to run though with arms wide open. Tangled in 60s psych, paisley patterns and garage rock, the potpourri of sounds wafts in with a Strange Case Opening. Short and sweet, its fluster of fuzz and flutes is enough to let the psychedelic aromas loose.  Whirling through the field, I Turned On As You Turned Around makes wreaths of peace and love that dancing flower children wear in organ blossoming Here Comes Love. But, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. A weedy harmonica in Leaving It Behind Blues twirls us towards darker shades and cloudier vocals. Hay fever inducing grooves Paranoid Floyd in a Bliss You Can Hear and Toxic Flower Power & The Ascension To Infinity then free the most intoxicating psychedelic aromas yet and restore peace and love to the field. A garden bed of flower power beats that pollinate without restraint, these tracks seem wilder than a lot of other psych currently sprouting. 

That's what hhhappy.com basically had say about the record.

I love this album and you will  it, too.

 

Cheers

           SB1

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Curt Boettcher - The Complete Singles Collection 2015 (6 Discs @320)

 Producer and composer Curt Boettcher was among the principal architects of the sunshine pop sound of the mid-'60s, his harmony laden, melody rich approach gracing the Top Ten hits of the Association as well as his own projects, including Sagittarius and the Millennium.Born and raised in Wisconsin, he began his career as a folksinger, co-founding the GoldeBriars in 1962; the group's self-titled debut album appeared on Epic two years later. Although the GoldeBriars' complex harmonies anticipated the style of Boettcher's subsequent work, the foursome dissolved after a second LP, Straight Ahead; he then turned to studio work, in 1966 arranging the Association's breakthrough hit "Along Comes Mary." The chart-topping "Cherish" followed and Boettcher also produced the band's debut album And Then, Along Comes the Association; however, the collaboration soon ended and in between producing material for Tommy Roe, Boettcher turned his focus to his own group the Ballroom, recording a long-unreleased LP which finally saw release three decades later on Rev-Ola under the title Preparing for the Millennium. Boettcher then signed on with producer Gary Usher's studio supergroup Sagittarius; 1967's Present Tense also featured contributions from the Beach Boys' Bruce Johnston and Glen Campbell, the latter assuming lead vocals on the classic "My World Fell Down." While recording Present Tense, Boettcher formed the Millennium, which issued its sole album Begin -- the product of what was then the most costly recording session in the history of Columbia Records -- in 1968. After the record's commercial failure, he returned to studio work. 1973 he issued a solo album called 'There's An Innocent Face'. Boettcher passed away in 1987 at the age of 43.

All of the mentioned artists are gathered here in the box and a lot more. This are two parts with 149 tracks. Hope you have a lot of fun with this Box of great 'Sunshinepsychedelicbaroquepop'.

Cheers
           SB1

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BONUS Big Star - Till The End OF The Day 1974 (1974) [FLAC] Bonus Disc 9

These recordings are from a concert at Performance Center Cambridge, Ma. USA - March 31, 1974  

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 Cheers

                  SB1