The Loot

After hearing their complete output, the often used description of The Loot as “minor-league Troggs” seems ridiculous.
Though they do come from the same Andover, Hempshire, neighborhood and there are some undeniable similarities brought in by the ex-Troglodyte, Dave Wright, there are also a couple of tunes that The Troggs could’ve only dreamt of.
The sunny side of their 1966 debut single, graced with the freakbeat-ish r’n’b number Baby Come Closer, would’ve been enough to put them on the mod-beat map forever, but there was more goodies to come. On the b-side, there was a way calmer, jangly beat ballad Baby, a formula to which they return only once more, for the beautiful Save Me, another b-side, that was eventually withdrawn.

Unlike the title of the second single suggests, Whenever You’re Ready is not The Temptations cover, but it still IS an upbeat blue-eyed soul type, (almost) followed by an unreleased piece of mod-popsike stomp called I’ve Just Gotta Love You, and then came another freakbeat “creation” in the form of She’s A Winner, with Ronnie Bond behind the desk, bringing in more Trogg-relations.
On the musical side, what Wright brought in from his previous experience is most audible in I Got What I Want, and also in You Need Someone To Love, with just a dash of The Yardbirds too, as well as on the b-side of their last 1969 single, where they kinda recall the Troggs-goin-psychedelic with Radio City.

The a-side has them moving along with the times, offering a slightly heavier r’n’b “experience” of the Caleb Quaye-written (it’s rumored that he occasionally provided some guitar licks too) Try To Keep It A Secret.
The one single that doesn’t really live up to the standard (or it might be more correct to say that it’s a bit out of concept) is the bubblegummy popiske of Don’t Turn Around (could’ve been a perfect single for DDBM&T), backed with the pseudo sunshine pop of the appropriately titled You Are My Sunshine.
Oh, and did I mention that all of the singles came out on Larry Page’s, Page One label?
[Released by Radioactive 2004]

Fine sixties pop stuff related to the Troggs. But in my ears the Loot had more ''pop'' in her songs and more variety and range. Recommended!
Frank
mp3@320

What do you prefer? Mp3 or Flac?

Hello Folks, just a short question and i want asking you to give me a short comment which format do you prefer for the postings. I'm personally like Flac very much for different reasons. But it's for me more important what you like, because you are the users who have to handle it. For that reason once again my asking: please give a short comment about your preferred format. That's all i need from you :-)
Cheers
          Frank

The Who - The Singles 2011 (SHM Cd Japan) Flac

I think this band to introduce is not really necessary. Originally released in 1984. It was released worldwide except for North America. Why? No clue! It contains 16 tracks and had good sales worldwide. The 2011 Japan shm release contains 26 tracks.

For me it is a fine collection of songs by the band. Not in a ''best of'' way but in a historical. And for me it is more of a benefit than a disadvantage that several sources were used. Some people had criticized it. For me, i don't want listen to a rock song from 1965 i.e. in absolutely  highsuperstereoquadropower  hightechfidelity.
I need it more in line with the times and LOUD. But it's only my opinion.


 To me it's fine and   maybe also for  you.

Cheers
           Frank
New Flac

Power Pop Collection Vol.3

VOL.3

Here is the third Power Pop Collection made with heart & Fun. Hope you will like it like the first two collections. I tried to make it interesting but after a definite time my head turning around in circles lol. But like i said, it's also a lot of fun. Okay here is the tracklist:

01 Baby it's you - Phil Seymour
02 The Basement - Green Beetles
03 Plastic Moon Rain - The Moptops
04 Someone like you - Blue Shoes
05 What are we gonna do? - The Stanleys
06 The Great Persuader - Private Jets
07 I don't wanna lose the feeling - The Pranks
08 Baby don't let go - The Roulettes
09 Effortless Lee - The Tomorrows
10 This Time Around - Blue Cartoon
11 Burned - Walter & The Dairy Kings
12 Alright - Cast
13 Nothing Lasts Forever - Copperpot
14 All Of Our Crimes - Headset
15 Pretty Penny - The Solicitors
16 Tinnitus - The Rioteers
17 I'd Rather Be - Myracle Brah
18 Sonny Boy - Owsley
19 Penelope Wilde - Idle Jets
20 Radio - Superdrag
21 Walking Out On Love - Beat
22 Time Warp - Rosenbergs
23 The Better Part - Vegas With Randolph
24 Starfighter - Rock Bottom
25 Hanging On - The Vinyl Skyway
26 When The Lights Are Out - Slade               

 Except of four tracks all is mp3@320
 I hope you have fun
 Frank  

60's Psych pop from Down Under: Peculiar Hole in the Sky - Pop Psych from Down Under ('66 - '69) ('73) 2002

The Australian pop-psychedelia scene of the late '60s was more akin to the British pop-psych scene than the American one, though it borrowed from both of those cousins. Really, however, it wasn't as distinctive as either, nor did it have many tunes to rate on par with the best of those from the U.K. or U.S. Nonetheless, this 27-track anthology of Oz pop-psych from 1967-1970 does cover a scene that's rarely been noted by rock collectors or historians, particularly outside of Australia. Licensed from the Festival label (with the exception of a couple of tracks from Clarion Records), there aren't any names that will strike instant chords with the international pop connoisseur, though some of the writers and performers found wide fame in other contexts.

Foremost among those is Bon Scott, who, prior to joining AC/DC, sang on the Valentines' "Peculiar Hole in the Sky," which in turn was written by Harry Vanda and George Young of the Easybeats (who released their own version shortly afterward). Vanda-Young also wrote R. Black & the Rockin' V's' "Walking & Talking," never recorded by the Easybeats, though that song's just OK. Other noted writers are behind some of the better tracks. Mick Bower of the Masters Apprentices, one of the greatest Australian rock bands, wrote the Bucket's very Cream-styled "I Can't Help Thinking of You." Graham Gouldman penned his usually classy pop on Normie Rowe's "Going Home," produced by legendary British impresario Giorgio Gomelsky. Barry Gibb authored Jon's anxious "Upstairs, Downstairs," which sounds much like the Bee Gees' own circa-1966 recordings. Overall, though, the songs tend toward the ordinary with a touch of weirdness in material, sometimes with lingering British Invasion, mod rock, and sunshine pop influences. Once in a while a cut does jump out as worthy of attention, like the Executives' dreamy yet disquieting "Moving in a Circle" with its eerie organ and wispy vocal by Carole King (not that Carole King).(allmusic.com)

27 tracks from Down Under of the years 1966 - 1973( one song). More exactly actually '66 - '69 with one exception. Anyway this is a nice collection of the popsike and related styles bands of Oz from the middle to the late sixties. The songs show a wide range of the genre. And that means not ''a few good songs, a few average and some bad songs. This collection is on a high level of real good songs. But
folks...you know in the end it's all a question of taste. Give it a try and you will not regret it.

Cheers
           Frank   New mp3 link

The Lemon Pipers - Love Beads And Meditation '68 (both buddha albums) 2008 mp3@320

The band was formed in 1966 by student musicians from Oxford, Ohio, who had played the college bars with their previous groups that included The Wombats (Nave), Ivan and the Sabres (Browne) and Tony and the Bandits (Bartlett, Albaugh and Dudek). The band played a mixture of blues, hard rock and folk rock, with a few covers from Byrds and The Who. They gigged regularly in an Oxford bar called The Boar's Head, and Cincinnati underground rock venues, The Mug Club and later The Ludlow Garage, and released a single on the Carol Records label, "Quiet Please". The original band existed as a quartet, and then gained notoriety by reaching the finals in the Ohio Battle of the Bands at the Cleveland Public Auditorium in 1967, losing out to the James Gang.

The band then recruited Miami University student Browne as frontman, and also engaged Ohio music-industry impresario Mark Barger, who steered the Lemon Pipers to Buddah Records, then run by Neil Bogart. The Lemon Pipers, relying in part on advice from Barger, agreed to enter into a recording contract and music publishing deal with Buddah. The group began playing larger auditorium and concert hall venues around the US, including an appearance at Bill Graham's Fillmore West in San Francisco on the same bill with Traffic, Moby Grape and Spirit on March 21, 1968. Buddah's plans for the group focused on bubblegum pop rather than rock, and the Lemon Pipers joined a stable already containing Ohio Express and the 1910 Fruitgum Company. Paul Leka was assigned to be their record producer.
Buddah did not know how to handle the band at first and the group's debut on Buddah was a Bartlett composition, "Turn Around and Take a Look". When the song failed to make the charts, the label asked Leka and his songwriting partner, Shelley Pinz, who were working out of a Brill Building office on Broadway, to come up with a song. The pair wrote "Green Tambourine" and the band reluctantly recorded it. The song entered the Billboard Hot 100 at the end of 1967 and reached No. 1 in February 1968 on the Billboard and Cashbox charts. The song peaked at No. 7 in the UK Singles Chart, and was also a hit worldwide. It sold over two million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the Recording Industry Association of America (R.I.A.A.) in February 1968.

The success of "Green Tambourine" caused the label to put pressure on the group to stay in the bubblegum genre, and in March 1968 the band released another Leka/Pinz song, "Rice Is Nice", which peaked at No. 46 on the US Billboard charts, No.42 on the US Cashbox charts and No. 41 in the UK in May. The band had little enthusiasm for either song, however, dubbing them "funny-money music" and recording them only because they knew they would be dropped by Buddah if they refused. "Ordinary Point of View", written by Eric Ehrmann and featuring a Bartlett country solo, was recorded, but rejected by Buddah. Disenchanted with Buddah and the music industry, Ehrmann stopped writing songs and went on to become one of the early contributors to Rolling Stone magazine. As is common with the music associated with the 1960s, a few copyright and royalties issues connected with the previous owner of Buddah Records inherited by current owners of the Kama Sutra music publishing catalog and Lemon Pipers songs remain unresolved.
The Lemon Pipers evolution from 1960s rock music into a gold-record bubblegum band created what Nave has described as "the duality of the Lemon Pipers": "We were a stand-up rock 'n' roll band, and then all of a sudden, we're in a studio, being told how to play and what to play."

The chasm between the label’s aspirations and the band’s own musical tastes became apparent on the Lemon Pipers’ debut album, Green Tambourine. Produced by Leka, the album contained five Leka/Pinz songs, as well as two extended tracks written by the band, "Fifty Year Void" and "Through With You" (the latter, written by Bartlett, bearing influences of The Byrds and, according to the original LP label, running 8:31 in length). "Ask Me If I Care" written by Ehrmann, was also featured. Like Lemon Pipers' members Nave and Albaugh, Ehrmann was a member of the Kappa chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. Writing in Bubblegum is the Naked Truth, Gary Pig Gold commented: "It was the Pipers’ way with a tough-pop gem in the under-four-minute category which was most impressive by far: "Rainbow Tree", "Shoeshine Boy" and especially "Blueberry Blue" each sported a taut, musical sophistication worthy of The Move and, dare I say it, even the Magical Mystery Beatles

The band recorded a second album for Buddah, Jungle Marmalade, which again showed both sides of the band – another Leka/Pinz bubblegum song, "Jelly Jungle", (released as a single and peaking at No. 51 on Billboard and No. 30 on Cashbox in the US), a version of the Carole King/Gerry Goffin penned song "I Was Not Born to Follow," and an 11 minute, 43 second epic, "Dead End Street"/"Half Light".

The band left the Buddah label in 1969 and later dissolved. Bartlett, Walmsley and Nave formed Starstruck, whose recording of a Lead Belly song, "Black Betty" was reworked by Super K Productions producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeff Katz, and released in 1977 under the name of Ram Jam, featuring Bartlett. Browne moved to California to continue playing music, Walmsley played bass around Oxford. Bartlett became despondent and reclusive following the death of his wife Dee Dee. Nave became a jazz disc jockey and played organ occasionally with The Blues Merchants in southwestern Ohio venues.
Drummer Bill Albaugh died on January 20, 1999, at the age of 53.

Classical bubblegum/sunshine band/project. Really great songs here on both albums. If you're in BubbleSun you can't passing by at this.
Cheers
          Frank    mp3@320

.

Second and third album ! The Buckinghams - Time & Charges (1967) & Portraits (1968) 2011 (Reissue) Flac

Born and bred in Chicago, Illinois, the Buckinghams were one of the most successful groups of 1967. The band started the year off on a banner note, as they netted a No. 1 hit single with their first single “Kind of a Drag” — distributed by the regional USA label and appeared on their debut album of the same name.
By the time 1967 drew to a close, the Buckinghams scored 4 more Top 40 winners. And what an amazing feat that was, in light of the truckloads of incredible records arriving in the bins that fabled year. Revolution was in the air with acts like the Doors, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Procol Harum, and Jefferson Airplane hawking psychedelic commodities. Although the Buckinghams traveled a different route than these bands, they were uniquely forward thinking in their own right.

Shortly after Kind of a Drag sent the band into orbit, they relocated to the Columbia label, where they cut a pair of excellent albums, Time and Charges and Portraits. Now, the always on-the-spot Sundazed Records has again reissued the platters as a solitary set, and here they are …
Released in the spring of 1967, Time and Charges opens up with “Don’t You Care,” which peaked at No. 6 on the national charts. Constructed of crooning horns, breezy boyish vocals and a plush finish, there was no way a tune this catchy could fail. The album also includes the band’s slinky, soul-drenched cover of Cannonball Adderley’s “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” that seized the Top 5 that summer. Flooded with engaging tempos, complex movements, and a strict anti-war message, “Foreign Policy” is an elaborate progressive rock piece, and a beautiful version of John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s “I’ll Be Back” exerts a nip of a jazz feel.

The tail end of 1967 saw Portraits land on the shelves. Featured among the prizes on the collection are “Hey Baby (They’re Playing Our Song)” and “Susan,” which reached No. 12 and No. 11 respectively. Both these tasty tunes represented the sound and style the public came to know and love of the Buckinghams. Sweeping harmonies, reminiscent of the Beach Boys, combined with brassy horn arrangements and potent melodies were the magical ingredients directing the popularity of the band. But as their albums indicated, the band was adventurous and as daring as the best of the bunch. Rife with stinging guitar leads and rattling rhythms, “Just Because I’ve Fallen Down” is a particular mind-blower heard on Portraits while the rest of the record involves a nice balance of pure pop and horn rock.

Blessed with great vocals, solid chops and the tunes to match, the Buckinghams were an A-Grade band. Filled with songs that are fun, imaginative, arty, thought-provoking and just plain good, Time and Charges and Portraits are satisfying on every conceivable level.(Beverly Paterson)

Enjoy!
          SB1      Flac

The Kinks- You Really Got Me - The Best Of The Kinks (1980) 1999 Flac

The original release of this ''best of'' (the years '64-'67) was in 1980 by Pye records. This is the ''Castle Records'' release of 1999. What can i say? 20 songs from the first years of her career. I think most of you will have these songs but it is a good start if someone don't know the band.
I will post in a few days the ep's of the band with also a lot of strong stuff. Okay have fun and we
see (hear) later
Frank    Flac

Episode Six- Love, Hate, Revenge (The Singles a & b's, rarities, demos, live recordings) Flac

Anyone arriving from another planet who saw this and the other various collections out on Episode Six could be forgiven for thinking that the band was a major part of the 1960s British rock & roll scene -- they could even be forgiven, after hearing a lot of the contents of this double-CD set, for again assuming that the band was a fixture on the charts, radio, and television. And even this reviewer is at a loss to explain how Episode Six never managed to chart a record, even in England, based on the contents of the first disc in this double-CD set, which contains their single A- and B-sides from 1964 through 1968.

But the fact is that they didn't, and that the raison d'etre for this and the other CDs of their work is explained in the big, violet-hued sticker on the jewel case that advises, "File Under 'Deep Purple'." This is all solidly commercial and eminently listenable British pop/rock of its era, and very nicely done, whether they were belatedly emulating a Merseybeat sound ("Put Yourself in My Place") or trying to sound like the Beach Boys ("Mighty Morris Ten" -- a sort of U.K. answer to "409"). The title track is a cool piece of psychedelic pop/rock, complete with a jangling fuzz tone-laden lead guitar part and exquisite choruses adjacent to Ian Gillan's lead vocals. Most of what's here has been out before somewhere else, but that doesn't make this fascinating for fans of the period of music in which this band worked, or devotees of Deep Purple's history -- everything here is at least as relevant (and perhaps easier to take on its own musical terms) as, say, Ritchie Blackmore's work with the British instrumental outfit the Outlaws or Jon Lord's work as part of Santa Barbara Machinehead; the fact is, this is the one precursor unit to Deep Purple that should have charted records in the middle/late '60s.

Disc two, designated "Rarities, Demos, and Live Recordings" is even better and more interesting, showing some of the rougher and more intriguing edges of their sound that got smoothed down in the process of completing their singles.

Certainly, no first-tier U.K. band of the time ranked below, say, the Hollies or the Move would feel defensive about anything on this disc, with the possible exception of the one digression here to harmony pop, "The Way You Look Tonight." (allmusic.com, Bruce Eder)

Hello folks, please don't be put off by the association with ''Deep Purple'' like i did it in the past. That was a big mistake by me. This band was a great ''British Invasion, Psychedelic/Garage, British Psychedelia'' band. This is a great collection of her work in the sixties. From garage beat to psychedelic pop further to a little more progressive style at the end of the band they had a lot of great songs.Surprisingly they sound in some songs very american influenced (Love is a swinging thing, Steal your heart). Anyway this was a top notch sixties pop band. Enjoy it!

Frank     Flac

Shapes & Shadows – Psychedelic Pop And Other Rare Flavours From The Chapter One Vaults 1968-72 (

Shapes & Shadows – Psychedelic Pop And Other Rare Flavours From The Chapter One Vaults 1968-72

If the latter part of the 1960s is your bag music-wise, you might want to check out Shapes & Shadows – Psychedelic Pop And Other Rare Flavours From The Chapter One Vaults 1968-72.
It’s another Cherry Red collection, this one via the Grapefruit imprint and a single disc collection of 26 tracks. According to the write-up, the Chapter One label, founded by songwriter Les Reed in 1968, had a couple of minor hits, but is perhaps more interesting for its misses – music that is now in serious demand from collectors and has cropped up on compilations of late in bits and pieces.

Hier noch ein Betthupferl zu später Stunde. Ich verabschiede mich mit einem freundlichen ''Gute Nacht'', denn ich geh' jetz ins Bett.
Sleep well
                 Frank

mp3@320 

Brett Smiley - Breathlessly Brett 1974 (released 2003) mp3@320

Though he released just one single, made just one TV appearance, and has barely been sighted in public in over a quarter of a century, Brett Smiley can rightfully claim to rank among the true legends of glam rock. American born, but a thoroughbred Anglophile, Smiley (that is his real name, incidentally) spent four years with the touring company of the stageshow Oliver before moving into pop music.
In 1972, an aspiring manager tried launching him on the U.K., only to find there was no room past the then-prevalent mania for the Osmonds and David Cassidy. Smiley returned to the U.S., moving between Seattle, Hollywood, and New York, and recorded a set of demos with future Knack supremo Doug Fieger's band Sky. They failed to land a deal, but did catch the ear of Andrew Loog Oldham, former manager/producer of the Rolling Stones.
In early 1974, Oldham arranged a 100,000 dollar record deal with the U.K. Anchor label; Smiley's debut single, the effervescent "Va Va Va Voom" was recorded in London with Steve Marriott laying down some blistering guitar. They then traveled to Nashville to begin work on an album -- the sessions moved to New York and back to London before the set was completed. In the meantime, Smiley made his TV debut on Britain's Russell Harty - Plus that October and was pictured on the cover of the music paper Disc.

"Va Va Va Voom," however, bombed in the U.K. and a projected U.S. release through Sire fell apart soon after. Anchor then withdrew their support, shelving the album release before the recordings had even been paid for.
Smiley returned to the States, where he now lives in New York and continues to perform on a semi-regular basis. He reunited with Oldham during the late '80s for a handful of recordings, but they, too, remain unreleased. (allmusic.com)

allmusic.com review:

Brett Smiley was a legend in glam rock circles, but a legend only to those who lived through the times or fanatically dug through old, yellowed copies of Melody Maker, NME, and Disc, seeking to re-create the times. Such is the fate of a singer whose only album was shelved following a disastrous performance of a heavily hyped single. Smiley deserved better, but fate has been kind to him, since his longstanding cult reputation led to the much belated but still celebrated release of his scrapped 1974 album, Breathlessly Brett, on RPM in 2003. Its release was tied into RPM's Lipsmackin' 70s series, which debuted with Velvet Tinmine, a collection of glam and glitter singles forgotten to all but die-hard record collectors. Smiley comfortably fit into this category, of course, and his storied bomb, "Va Va Va Voom," received its CD debut there, whetting the appetite for this disc. Everybody who's

heard the collection or the single will know what to expect, and will be delighted with what they get -- a fabulously fey, coyly campy, and smashingly swishy glam pop album; it's Bowie and Bolan filtered through Judy Garland and performed by the prettiest boy to sigh into a microphone in the '70s. These are precisely the ingredients for a cult classic, of course, but it's hardly something that would have burned up the charts, unless it hit at precisely the right moment and was sold to the hilt.
Smiley did have Andrew Loog Oldham, the man who sold the world the Rolling Stones in the '60s, behind him, producing his record, pushing his image, and selecting his material. Oldham often had his finger on the pulse of pop currents and his genius was promotion, but he was simply off here. He was a little late on the glam bandwagon, he relied too heavily on Smiley's gorgeous visage, he bizarrely encouraged Smiley to play up MOR and traditional pop links (he covers "Young at Heart," names one original "April in Paris," and adds "Over the Rainbow" to the end of his cover of the Four Tops' "I Can't Help Myself"), and when it didn't sell, he jumped ship immediately.

To be frank, this music minces and swishes so much and has so much old-fashioned theatricality that it's hard to see how it would have been a big hit, no matter how pretty Smiley is or how catchy each of these songs are. But these are all the reasons why Breathlessly Brett is a delight for obsessive glam fans and unrepentant pop record collectors. It's the kind of record where even the bad moments -- and there are undeniably silly patches -- have a kind of absurd charm, such as ending a fizzy, trashy glitter-bubblegum album with "Young at Heart," or how Smiley twists the words of "I Want to Hold Your Hand" to "You got that something/You got that hand." But the real strength of the album is in Smiley's original songs. Prior to this, it seemed like he peaked early with "Va Va Va Voom" and its B-side, the tremendous Ziggy Stardust rip "Space Ace," but the rest of the originals are on par with these two peaks: "Highty Tighty" speeds by on sleazy horns and a tight, sexy rhythm; "April in Paris" has a foppish swagger like the best Marc Bolan, while "Pre-Columbian Love" kicks like a good T. Rex rocker; "Run for the Sun" is Roxy Music for the teen set; "Queen of Hearts" has a Baroque art pop spaciness that proves Smiley was not just a keen alchemist, but was developing a voice of his own.
Though he continued to write and record demos over the years, he never had a chance to follow through on the promise of this LP, since after all the hype, it simply vanished. Fortunately, RPM has unearthed this buried treasure and, in doing so, proves that the legend surrounding Brett Smiley was not wrong.

Pretty good glam rock/pop record from 1974. If i'm in the mood for listening glam, this record is

always on the shortlist. If you like glam this is for you and you will love it.

Brett Smiley died january 8th in 2016 at age 60.

Frank    mp3@320

Focal Point - First Bite Of The Apple 1968 (2005) mp3@320

Focal Point released one fair pop-psychedelic single in 1968, "Sycamore Sid"/"Love You Forever." "Sycamore Sid" was typical of much British rock of the time in its sketch of an eccentric character, played out against a pleasant medium-tempo power pop arrangement combining hard rock guitar riffs, organ, and piano. "Love You Forever" was an altogether more romantic, dainty piece, like a woozy update of late-'50s/early-'60s teen rock ballads. A few other unreleased
The Liverpool band's Beatles/Apple connection arose in 1967 when vacationing songwriters Paul Tennant and Dave Rhodes came across Paul McCartney, who was walking his dog in London's Hyde Park. McCartney actually gave them the name and number of Terry Doran, who was then starting Apple's music publishing company (Apple had yet to start its record label). After hearing the pair play some songs in his office, Doran was impressed enough to record some demos with the duo, which he played to Brian Epstein and John Lennon. Epstein suggested that the two form a band called Focal Point, and although he died shortly afterward, Tennant and Rhodes did form the group in Liverpool and sign a contract with Apple Publishing. Apple even rented the group a flat in London and gave them access to a recording studio in the Apple office for cutting demos. They got a contact with Deram and recorded their single, but after it made few waves, Apple's interest in the band seemed to peter out, and they never recorded again. Both sides of the single, as well as two outtakes from the recording session and a demo, appear on the CD compilation 94 Baker Street: The Pop-Psych Sounds of the Apple Era 1967-1969.

  Although the Focal Point put out just one single (1968's "Sycamore Sid"/"Love You Forever," included on this CD), they did record about an album's worth of unreleased material. This 20-track compilation has (in addition to the aforementioned 45) all of it, though a few of the half-dozen bonus cuts are previously unissued demos and alternate versions of some of the songs. If the principal section of the disc is to be considered a facsimile of what the album might have been like had it been issued, you can see why it might not have been considered as quite demanding of official release at the time, but also how it can certainly be appreciated these days by late-'60s psychedelic pop collectors. The group were very much in the dreamily fanciful storytelling/observational school of British psychedelia, though with a little darker and more melancholy edge than many such outfits. Echoes of the 1967-era Beatles, Zombies, and, more specifically, Bee Gees and Hollies are often present, and while the songs aren't superb, they're pleasing in a low-key, broodingly ethereal sort of way. It falls between those cracks of not being distinctive enough to command much attention, yet promising enough to show potential of developing into something more worthwhile. Like many such groups then and since, however, they didn't get the opportunity to do so. Unlike many such special-interest reissues from the era, the sound quality of most of the material is very good, though it's a little shakier on some of the demos and alternates.

Hello folks, later more. No time at the moment!!! Enjoy
Frank
mp3@320