The Flame - The Flame 1970 (2004) Flac

Although you'd be hard-pressed to discern their heritage, the Flames (they'd soon drop the "s" to avoid confusion with James Brown's backup band) emerged out of the rich South African/Malaysian pop scene as a superb cover combo. They even scored a number one with an update of the Impressions' R&B classic "For Your Precious Love." It wasn't until after the quartet -- consisting of siblings Edries "Brother" Fataar (bass/vocals), Rutle-in-waiting Ricky Fataar (drums/vocals), and Steve Fataar (guitar/vocals), as well as Blondie Chaplin (guitar/vocals) -- had moved to England and were gigging around London that Al Jardine convinced fellow Beach Boys co-founder Carl Wilson to sign the Flame to the Beach Boys' Brother Records label. The eponymously monikered platter would become their best-known thanks to Ricky and Chaplin's association as part-time members of the Beach Boys circa the mid-'70s. During the drawn out legal and political processes that would allow them to earn a living Stateside, the Flamecollaborated with Wilson (producer) and Beach Boys' engineer of choice Steve Desper to craft this ten-song collection, which reflected the overwhelming similarities and obvious inspiration to the Beatles' post Rubber Soul (1965) period.

Particularly, Lennon and McCartney's progressive and keenly developed compositional style, which surfaces here as a running motif throughout the whole work. The rockers range from the effervescent "See the Light" -- which is reprised at the conclusion of the effort in a slower, slinkier, and definitely funkier interpretation -- to the edgier "Make It Easy," "Get Your Mind Made Up," and ominous "Hey Lord." Conversely, they ably pull off the lolloping and lovely "Lady" -- which is a gentle send-up of cowboy westerns -- while "Don't Worry, Bill" is equal measures of Fab Four and fellow power pop revivalists Big Star. When Chaplin and Ricky Fataar briefly joined the Beach Boys early-'70s touring company, the selection was offered coupled with the SMiLE (1967) track "Wonderful" as "Wonderful/Don't Worry Bill." A version of said can be found on the Beach Boys' Endless Harmony (1998) anthology. Other sides worthy of note include the languid "Highs and Lows" and the powerfully anthemic "Another Day Like Heaven." In 2006 Fallout Records issued a "needle drop" CD incarnation of The Flame. While better than nothing at all, it is a poor substitution for the proper remastering that the platter most certainly deserves. 

 Marvelous, Beatles influenced pop music. An album i love so much. Enjoy!

Limited link till March, 19th, 2017  Flac

Ted Mulry - Falling In Love Again (1971) Flac

Ted Mulry first came to the attention of the music industry when he sent a demo of some of his own compositions to Albert Productions in Sydney. The company persuaded him to become a recording artist and he soon rose to fame as a solo singer/songwriter with his own composition, the pop ballad "Julia", which made the Australian charts in 1970. He followed that with "Falling in Love Again", a song by The Easybeats songwriting team Harry Vanda & George Young, which was a major hit in 1971.

Mulry was a prolific songwriter, and a number of bands and artists, including John Farnham and Alison MacCallum, recorded his songs. Most notably, rock band Sherbet had a hit with his song, "You're All Woman". He travelled to England in 1972 and recorded a single there under the name Steve Ryder but returned to Australia soon after. During his time as a solo artist he released two albums, Falling in Love Again and I Won't Look Back.

This album is a typical late sixties/early seventies pop production and it found success with some single hits. I love this kind of music and maybe you do, too.

Kind regards
                     Frank
 New Link

10cc - Deceptive Bends SHM-CD edition (1977/2014) Flac

When Kevin Godley and Lol Creme left 10cc in 1976 to pursue a solo career, many thought it was the death knell for the group. However, Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman kept the group alive as a duo (with the assistance of percussionist Paul Burgess) and turned in a surprisingly solid album with 1977's Deceptive Bends. It may lack the devil-may-care wackiness that popped up on previous 10cc albums, but it makes up for it by crafting a series of lush, catchy pop songs that are witty in their own right.

Deceptive Bends also produced a pair of notable hits for the group: "Good Morning Judge" told the comical tale of a career criminal over a hook-laden, surprisingly funky pop backing while "The Things We Do for Love" was an irresistible Beatles pastiche that showcased 10cc's mastery of pop vocal harmonies. "People in Love," a surprisingly straightforward ballad built on a gorgeous string arrangement, also became a modest chart success. The remainder of the material doesn't stand out as sharply as these hits, but each of the tracks offers up plenty of naggingly catchy pop hooks, oodles of catchy riffs, and surprising twists in their arrangements. Highlights among the non-hit tracks include "Marriage Bureau Rendezvous," a satire of dating services set to a lilting soft rock melody, and "You've Got a Cold," a portrait of illness-influenced misery set to a percolating pop melody. The only place where Deceptive Bends slips is on "Feel the Benefit," the lengthy medley that closes the album. Its excessive length and hazy lyrics make it less satisfying than the album's shorter tunes, but it is kept afloat by a catchy, mock-Spanish midsection and some lovely string arrangements. All in all, Deceptive Bends is the finest achievement of 10cc's post-Godley and Creme lineup and well worth a spin for anyone who enjoyed Sheet Music or The Original Soundtrack.

Hello Folks thank God it's friday lol. Two days of leisure and i love that :-)! Here we go with 10cc, a real strong band in the tradition of great songwriting and the wllingness of experience. These guys was one of my absolute favourites in the 70's. This is the first album without Kevin Godley and Lol Creme which did projects after the breakup with a lot of success. For me i love more the things of Graham Gouldman. From the sixties until today he wrote a giant string of wonderful songs. With 10cc and also in his solo projects. He is a real gifted musician (like the other three guys, too). But sorry, i wander from the subject. This is a very strong record in every sense. So i hope you will like it and have a lot of fun. By the way this is the japanese SHM-CD edition from 2014.

Cheers
           Frank       Flac

Cotton Mather - Death Of The Cool (2016) Flac

Cotton Mather, the power pop group led by Robert Harrison, released one of the most impressive under-the-radar classic albums of the '90s, Kontiki. It hit right in the sweet spot between the melodies of the Beatles and the flash of the Who, the clang of the Raspberries, and the sneaky wit of Squeeze, with one wonderful song after another. It was a hard mark to surpass for any band, and after trying a couple times and getting close, the band folded up shop in 2013. Harrison never stopped making music, putting out interesting psych-pop albums under the name Future Clouds & Radar. After an expanded reissue of Kontiki saw the light of day in 2012, Harrison decided to give Cotton Mather new life. Inspired by his studies of the I Ching, he set about writing a song for each of the 64 hexagrams. The initial batch he recorded with a new cast of musicians (and Whit Williams from the earliest incarnation of the band) form the first Cotton Mather album in 15 years, Death of the Cool. It kicks off with the romping "The Book of Too Late Changes," a track that seems designed to announce with no question that the band is back and hasn't lost a step over the years.

The cascading drums, sharply jangling guitars, and Harrison's reliably Lennon-esque vocals make the song sound lifted right off side two of Kontiki. The production is a bit less polished, there's no Brad Jones magic touch here, but it makes up for it with the immediacy. The rest of the album charts a course from swirling psych-pop ("Close to the Sun") to tender country-rock balladry ("The Middle of Nowhere," the sticky sweet "Candy Lilac"), chamber pop melancholy ("The Land of Flowers," "Child Bride"), and strutting late-'60s pop ("Queen of Swords"), with every stop along the way as melodic and cunning as the best power pop can be. Throughout, Harrison's gifts are as strong as ever and the album stands on equal ground with the Cotton Mather back catalog. Not quite as breathtaking as Kontiki, but that would be too much to ask for. Landing just short of that mark is nothing to sneeze at and each and every fan of power pop should make sure to rejoin team Cotton Mather for this fine album, and for the next 53 songs too.

Yep, 15 years later...15 years more lines on my face...lol...congrats Mr Harrison for ''Death Of The Cool''. I had give up to wait for a new Cotton album and after that long time...wow he come back with this effort...and wins. Great album, great fun, great feeling to have Cotton Mather back...a tour?...in Germany...that's too much of hoping for a little wonder...but who knows...:-) :-) :-) :-) :-)... five of six smiles for ''Death Of The Cool''...
Enjoy and have a good night
Frank
New link

Candy - Demos 1986/1987 mp3

I had no clue this exists. Today i searched my HD for a completely different thing (a classic musicpiece) and i stumbled over this. This are twelve completely different tracks as the album i post a few days ago. As i found it i thought it will be demos for the only album they released but how it looks this are really twelve other songs. No clue from where i got it. Okay hope some of you will enjoy it. The soundquality is really good. The audioquality is mp3@vbr around 256.
If you listen to this don't waste to much hairspray lol. I'm just kidding.
Have fun
              Frank  link

Tracks: 1) Number One 2) The Girl I Love 3) Matinee 4) Champagne 5) Sound Of A Broken Heart
             6) Dance America 7) M.O.N.E.Y.  8) Every Day Is Saturday Night 9) Johnny Was An Angel
             10) Change The World 11) Goodbye Goodtimes 12) My Favorite Star

Crabby Appleton - Crabby Appleton 1970 (2002) Flac

After departing from Curt Boettcher's various studio-based groups -- the Millennium, Sagittarius, et al. -- guitarist/vocalist Michael Fennelly struck out on his own. In 1969, Fennelly went to Thee Experience, a Sunset Strip club, where he met the members of Stonehenge, a blues-oriented group whose lineup included Casey Foutz (keyboards), Hank Harvey (bass), Felix "Flaco" Falcon (percussion), Phil Jones (drums), and an unknown guitarist/lead vocalist. Stonehenge were, at the time, being scouted by a friend of their manager's, Elektra A&R man David Anderle, who had told the band that -- in order to get a record deal -- they would probably have to replace their lead singer, as he didn't write songs and clearly wasn't up to par with the rest of the band. Members of Stonehenge and Fennelly hit it off and, as Fennelly's "To Claudia on Thursday," a Millennium single, was getting airplay in L.A. at the time, the band thought he might be the perfect collaborator. They took the idea to Elektra, who agreed, and they formally invited Fennelly to join the band. They soon changed their name to Crabby Appleton (the name of a villain in a cartoon which aired during the Captain Kangaroo Show in the '50s and '60s) and began recording their first album.

The eponymous Crabby Appleton, produced by Elektra house producer Don Gallucci (from Don & the Good Times and Touch), was released in 1970. The band enjoyed some success with a hooky single, "Go Back," which peaked at number 36 in June 1970 after five weeks on the charts. Over the next two years, subsequent singles by the band failed to catch fire. The group's second album, Rotten to the Core, found the band stretching out in different directions, but it failed to connect with its intended audience, and the band decided to break up. In 1973, Fennelly moved to England and began to focus on a solo career. He released two solo albums -- 1974's Lane Changer, produced by ex-Zombies bassist Chris White (the album also featured another Zombie, Rod Argent, on synthesizer), and 1975's Stranger's Bed, produced by Denny Bruce -- though he never achieved the kind of success that everyone expected.

The debut was a great work by Fenelly and the band. I love it but this is a complete other sound as the things Michael Fenelly had done with Curt Boettcher and the projects in which he was involved.
This record have some real great songs and i recommend to give it a try.

Frank
Flac

Paul Cook & Steve Jones - Odds And Sods 1978 - 1980 (Demos (with friends)mp3@320

Don't be surprised folks, i know that's not really ''pop'' but since the first time i listened to the ''Pistols'' i loved her. Not the ''Pistols'' with Sid (sorry...) but the band in the early days with Matlock, Rotten, Jones and Cook. The ''Bollocks'' is a classic record and the band had a big stake in the record.
Anyway, we all know the end of the band and naturally Sid's. Sad story.
This are demos from nearly two years and they sound very well. A lot of friends play also here with the guys. Sham 69, Joan Jett, Phil Lynott, Chrissie Hynde... Okay if you like music like that grab it. It's in mp3@320 'cause i don't own the original cd.
Have fun
              Frank
mp3@320

The Zombies - The EP Collection( 6ep's) 1992 Flac

The Zombies EP Collection, from the See for Miles label, contains the British Invasion bands biggest hits from 1964 through 1966, including "Tell Her No," "Time of the Season," and, in both mono and stereo, "She's Not There." While this collection does an effective job chronicling the hits, Big Beat's 2000 release The Singles Collection: A's & B's, 1964-1969 is superior as it goes further into their catalog and contains "Care of Cell 44," "Beechwood Park," "Friends of Mine," and "Maybe After He's Gone" taken from their 1968 masterpiece Odessey and Oracle.

Hello folks, hope you have a nice day. Here are 26 songs from the most creative years of the band.
It is a nice collection and i can recommend it. Five of the ep's are ''Decca'' releases and the only one from ''RCA Victor'' is ''Bunny Lake A Disparu''with songs for a film by Otto Preminger. Okay, hope you will enjoy it and here we go.
Cheers
           Frank
Flac

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