The Rembrandts - Untitled 1992 (Flac)

Even though they became best known for recording "I'll Be There for You," the theme song to the smash NBC sitcom Friends, the Rembrandts were actually rather successful back in 1990 with their self-titled debut album, which produced a Top 20 hit in "Just the Way It Is, Baby." The duo of songwriter Danny Wilde and Phil Solem, both originally in the Los Angeles band Great Buildings, forged a Beatles-tinged brand of pop/rock with ringing guitars and fresh harmonies that found favor with radio programmers across the country, as well as Friends co-producer Kevin Bright. The Rembrandts were invited to record a theme song for the show, which they completed in three days; after the show became a hit, radio demand for a full-length version was overwhelming, and one was added to 1995's LP at the last minute. While the song was an instant radio smash, topping Billboard's airplay chart for eight weeks, it was never released as a retail single, which makes its overall chart peak of number 17 somewhat deceptive. LP, meanwhile, went platinum. The band followed in 1998 with Spin This, this time under the name Danny Wilde & the Rembrandts. During the new millennium, and five years after their biggest hit, Wilde and Solem picked things up where they left off for a classic and rejuvenated rock sound on 2001's Lost Together.(Steve Huey allmusic.com)

The Rembrandts was a fine Pop band from the early nineties with a string of hits over the years. I love the relaxed sound of the band and the songwriting is also top notch imho. I will post more of Rembrandts albums in the next days.
Enjoy
         SB1 Flac

Fine Bubblegum Pop by the 1910 Fruitgum Company!

1910 Fruitgum Company - Goody Goody Gum Drops/Indian Giver 1968/69 Flac

The prototypical bubblegum group, the 1910 Fruitgum Company was the brainchild of Buddah Records house producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeff Katz, also the masterminds behind such phenoms as the Ohio Express and the Music Explosion. The Kasenetz-Katz formula was a simple one: they enlisted anonymous studio musicians (in this case, vocalists Mark Gutkowski and Joey Levine -- also the singer in the Ohio Express -- along with guitarists Frank Jeckell, Pat Karwan, and Chuck Travis, horn player Larry Ripley, and drummers Rusty Oppenheimer and Floyd Marcus), and prolifically recorded lightweight, fluffy pop songs which found an eager audience in fans looking for an alternative to the edgier rock music of the late '60s. With the 1910 Fruitgum Company, the Kasenetz-Katz team scored their first major hit, the 1968 Top Five smash "Simon Says," launching the bubblegum craze; that same year they also scored with the singles "1, 2, 3 Red Light" and "Goody Goody Gumdrops," all three issued as title tracks from the group's first trio of LPs. 1969's "Indian Giver," the title cut from the Fruitgum Company's fourth album, was their last Top Five hit, and after one last LP, Hard Ride, the group disbanded; some of its members later resurfaced in the Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus.(allmusic.com)

I know that music like bubblegum pop is only for lovers of bubblegum pop music. All others will never listen to this kind of music. You love it or you hate it. I love it! That means i don't mlisten to bubblegum 24 hours a day but if i listen to it, it's a lot of fun.
We have here two albums on one disc. ''Goody Goody Gum Drops'' from 1968 and ''Indian Giver'' from 1969. I will give no review for this two discs, because...you love it or you hate it.

Cheers
           Frank  Flac

New link for Sweeney Todd - Sweeney Todd 1975 (Flac)

I posted a new link for the first Sweeney Todd album here: link . It is limited until Feb.15th.
Cheers Frank

New link till May, 15th is up!

Keith Allison - In Action - The Complete Columbia Sides Plus! (1967-1970, 2014 Expanded Reissue) mp3@320

Texas-born guitarist/bassist/vocalist Keith Allison has had a career woven into the very fabric of American rock & roll and pop/rock since the mid-'60s. Born Sydney Keith Allison and raised in San Antonio, he was already attracting notice locally in his mid-teens in high school, not only with his prowess on the guitar but also his looks, which made him nearly a dead ringer for Paul McCartney. It was when he moved to Los Angeles in the mid-'60s that his career began to take off. He passed briefly through the lineup of the Crickets, and worked with such figures as Roy Orbison and Ray Peterson, but his big break came about, ironically, because of his looks. His resemblance to McCartney got him noticed one night when he was hanging out at the Whisky a Go Go, while the crew for the rock & roll showcase Where the Action Is was filming. He was caught on camera, and then was asked to return to the Where the Action Is set, becoming a fixture in their audience scenes. He subsequently became friends with both Mark Lindsay of Paul Revere & the Raiders and Allison's fellow Texan Michael Nesmith of the Monkees. Allison could be heard playing harmonica on the Monkees' self-titled 1966 debut album, and later played guitar on the Headquarters album. Additionally, he recorded with Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart on their A&M Records sides.

In 1967, Allison was signed to Columbia Records and cut one album, Keith Allison in Action, produced by Gary Usher. It was a well-produced pop/rock effort, including renditions of the Lindsay co-authored "Good Thing," the Where the Action Is theme song "Action, Action, Action" by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, Donovan's "Catch the Wind" and "Colours," Ray Charles' "Leave My Woman Alone," and Neil Diamond's "Do It."

Alas, the single off the album, "Louise," authored by the Rising Sons' Jesse Lee Kincaid (with a B-side of "Freeborn Man," co-written by Allison and Mark Lindsay), failed to chart. But he kept busy playing on three subsequent Monkees albums, The Birds, the Bees & the Monkees and Head (both 1968) and Instant Replay (1969). And in 1969, he actually joined Paul Revere & the Raiders, playing organ, guitar, piano, and bass, as well as providing some vocals for Hard 'n' Heavy (With Marshmallow). He was with the group for the next three years, collaborating as a songwriter with Lindsay on the album Collage, an effort to move the band into the 1970s (which, sad to say, failed commercially). He remained with them, playing guitar and bass, on the Indian Reservation album, and also found time to play on Al Kooper's Easy Does It, as well as working with Tommy Roe, Ronnie Hawkins, Johnny Rivers, and the vocal duo Spring. Allison devoted his time to acting over the next few years, but in the 1980s he returned to music, and continues to perform in the 21st century -- he's a longtime member of the Waddy Watchel Band, and also played bass on Last Man Standing, the 2007 album by rock & roll legend Jerry Lee Lewis. In 2014, the In Action was given an expanded reissue on Real Gone Music, with several non-LP single sides included as a bonus.

Hello Folks, hope you had a good start into the weekend. I had a day with a lot of work and i'm tired now. Will lay down my head to sleep now. Tomorrow more posts.
Have a good night all
                                  SB1 mp3@320

The Carousels - Love Changes Like The Seasons (2014) mp3@~250vbr

'Highlands-based combo The Carousels echo the likes of Teenage Fanclub or Whiteout with a dose of The Beatles' 'Please Please Me' thrown in for good measure on countrified rocker 'Call Along The Coast'.' Drowned In Sound

'The Carousels deliver an important reminder that it's quite possible to be psychedelic without overloading the eardrums, opting instead for a Byrds-flavoured twelve-string jangle.' Louder Than War

'Melodious and up-tempo, the Live Revolution rendition of The Carousels' Mayflower blows its studio recording out of the water. With vocals perfectly spun among sunshower guitars and heady percussion, intricacy is intensified in the live arena yet made to sound effortless.' Britpop News

'Moving more in to the more pop arena, the octahedron of sound is squared up with The Carousels, whose song craft is very reminiscent of the Liverpool band Shack in their pomp around the release of the HMS Fables album.' Qromag


The album will be released on cd and digital worldwide (on Northern Star Records) and on vinyl (through Sugarbush Records). The album contains 7 brand new recordings alongside selected highlights of the previous self-released CDRs 'Sweet Northern Light' and 'Call Along The Coast.'

The Carousels take influence from Gene Clark, The Byrds and Gram Parsons and have been compared to fellow Scots Teenage Fanclub, Whiteout and the Cosmic Rough Riders. They have received multiple plays and Song of The Day on KEXP Radio for Marianne and have received airplay by Steve Lamacq on BBC6 Music.

The Carousels have appeared on Northern Star's legendary Psychedelica series alongside the Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Black Angels, The Hiss, The High Dials and many others. Having supported the Telescopes at the 2013 Northern Star Weekender, the band were asked back for 2014 after a rousing performance which led to an appearance on 'Live Revolution' the vinyl only release featuring live highlights from the Weekender. The band have also played the Cavern Club in Liverpool 3 years on the run as part of the International Pop Overthrow Festival alongside The Junipers and bands featuring ex-members of The La's.(all taken by deejay.de)

Wonderful album full of Folk, Power Pop, Psychedelic Pop, Teenage Fanclub sounds,..what more can i say? Scottish boys do world class pop music. Don't miss it!

You can buy the record here and here


Have fun
               Frank  mp3

New York Power Pop 2: Sorrow - Love Too Late (1981 Vinyl) Flac

Here like promised the second album of New York Power Popsters Sorrow. In my ears it sounds harder than the debut. I think 'Love Too Late' is far better as some media said then. Give it a try, you will not disappointed (i think).
Best regards
                   Frank  Flac

Power Pop from New York City! Sorrows - Teenage Heartbreak 1980

A tough but tuneful new wave pop band from New York City, Sorrows (no "the," please) were formed by guitarist and singer Arthur Alexander in 1977 a few months after the breakup of his influential power pop combo the Poppees. With tongue slightly in cheek, Alexander described his vision for Sorrows as "ABBA meets the Sex Pistols," and he recruited his former Poppees bandmate Jett Harris to play drums in the new group, along with guitarist Joey Cola and bassist Ricky Street. Sorrows soon made a name for themselves on the New York club scene, regularly playing CBGB's, Max's Kansas City, and other hip night spots, and in 1979, the band landed a record deal with Pavilion Records, a division of CBS. But while their debut album, 1980's Teenage Heartbreak, earned enthusiastic reviews and became a cult favorite among pop obsessives, the label's promotion was minimal and the record sold poorly. For their second album, 1981's Love Too Late, Sorrows were paired up with legendary producer Shel Talmy, who in the mid-'60s had worked with the Who, the Kinks, the Creation, and the Easybeats; unfortunately, the idea of working with Talmy was better than the results, and the album didn't fare as well with critics and sold no better than they debut. Sorrows broke up in the mid-'80s and the albums fell out of print, never appearing on CD as they became the stuff of legend among fans of '80s pop.

In 2010, Bomp! Records released Bad Times Good Times, a collection of demos and alternate versions of material from Sorrows' debut album; Alexander also announced that Sorrows were playing a handful of reunion shows to support the new album's release, with the possibility of new recordings in the offing.(allmusic.com)

 This is a wonderful Power Pop album. All what you need from an early 80's Power Pop effort, here you get it. Have fun with turn on the volume on 10!
Cheers
          Frank  Flac

I post the second album later!

The Small Faces - Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake

There was no shortage of good psychedelic albums emerging from England in 1967-1968, but Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake is special even within their ranks. The Small Faces had already shown a surprising adaptability to psychedelia with the single "Itchycoo Park" and much of their other 1967 output, but Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake pretty much ripped the envelope. British bands had an unusual approach to psychedelia from the get-go, often preferring to assume different musical "personae" on their albums, either feigning actual "roles" in the context of a variety show (as on the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album), or simply as storytellers in the manner of the Pretty Things on S.F. Sorrow, or actor/performers as on the Who's Tommy. The Small Faces tried a little bit of all of these approaches on Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake, but they never softened their sound. Side one's material, in particular, would not have been out of place on any other Small Faces release -- "Afterglow (Of Your Love)" and "Rene" both have a pounding beat from Kenny Jones, and Ian McLagan's surging organ drives the former while his economical piano accompaniment embellishes the latter; and Steve Marriott's crunching guitar highlights "Song of a Baker."

Marriott singing has him assuming two distinct "roles," neither unfamiliar -- the Cockney upstart on "Rene" and "Lazy Sunday," and the diminutive soul shouter on "Afterglow (Of Your Love)" and "Song of a Baker." Some of side two's production is more elaborate, with overdubbed harps and light orchestration here and there, and an array of more ambitious songs, all linked by a narration by comic dialect expert Stanley Unwin, about a character called "Happiness Stan." The core of the sound, however, is found in the pounding "Rollin' Over," which became a highlight of the group's stage act during its final days -- the song seems lean and mean with a mix in which Ronnie Lane's bass is louder than the overdubbed horns.

Even "Mad John," which derives from folk influences, has a refreshingly muscular sound on its acoustic instruments. Overall, this was the ballsiest-sounding piece of full-length psychedelia to come out of England, and it rode the number one spot on the U.K. charts for six weeks in 1968, though not without some controversy surrounding advertisements by Immediate Records that parodied the Lord's Prayer. Still, Ogdens' was the group's crowning achievement -- it had even been Marriott's hope to do a stage presentation of Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake, though a television special might've been more in order.(allmusic.com)

Here is the classic album of the band.
Enjoy!
          Frank     Flac

Brian Wilson - Brian Wilson 1988 (Flac)

Here is the first official solo album by Brian Wilson. The disc is the original 'Sire records' release. Here is Eugene Landy ( his doctor... ) and A.Morgan, the wife of Landy with songwriting credits. On the later 2000 release they had to removed.
Greetings  Frank   Flac
    

Brian Wilson - Imagination 1998

 Brian Wilson - Imagination
This is the second official solo album by Brian Wilson, pop genius of the Beach Boys. It was released 1998, 10 years after his first solo album 'Brian Wilson'. I will post it later, too.
 Enjoy
         Frank   Flac

Comeback for the Pretties! The Pretty Things - Cross Talk (1980) Flac

Who would have thought it? Reunited after splitting in the mid-'70s, the Pretty Things return with a new wave album. It's not what anyone might have expected, but it's very far from a disaster. The stop-on-a-dime arrangements and natural power show them to be well-seasoned, and Phil May, with an extremely mannered voice, comes across as a taunting frontman. In fact, you tend to feel that if Thin Lizzy had eased up on the metal, they might have made an album very much like this -- great, catchy songs based in R&B and old rock & roll ("Lost That Girl") -- but with the tongue firmly in cheek (check the Sting imitation on "No Future") while pandering to fashion. But when the results are as good as the jangly "Office Love" or "I'm Calling," you really don't care where the tongue's residing. There's a sense of history about the '50s drums on "Falling Again" that no young bucks could ever match, nor could they come close to the band's overall professionalism or stinging guitar work of Peter Tolson. Any of these ten tracks would have made a great single and by rights should have returned the band to major-name status.

But justice is thin on the ground in music and instead it became one of the lost Pretties albums -- a shame, since in its own lighter way, it's every bit as good as their classic albums of a decade earlier. Some reunions don't work; this one just roars. (allmusic.com)

It was a very strong album by the band in 1980. Very powerful songs. Recommendable.
Have fun
               Frank
Flac

The Motors - Approved By The Motors Lp 1978 Flac & The Virgin Years (Four albums) mp3

After several years in England's pub rock scene, ex-Duck Deluxe members Nick Garvey and Andy McMaster formed the Motors in 1977 with vocalist Bram Tchaikovsky and drummer Ricky Slaughter. Their first album was a splendid piece of guitar-driven pop/rock highlighted by the single "Dancing the Night Away." Approved By was the album that earned them the U.K. hits "Airport" and "Forget About You"; the record saw the band's songwriting improving with forceful melodies and invigorating performances.

After that record, the Motors split up; Garvey and McMaster used the band's name for the 1980 album Tenement Steps, which didn't equal the spark of their first two records. The Motors' second album shows a marked improvement over their debut, with a stronger melodic base and catchier songs including the British hits "Airport" and "Forget About You." [The 2006 CD version adds three bonus tracks.]

 I thought about which Motors efforts i should post and i will post now the ''Approved...''album in Flac and  '' The Motors - The Virgin Years'' with four albums in mp3. So something for everyone here, flac lovers and mp3 lovers. I think we all can live with that. Hope you like it and if there is interest here in the community i will post the solo albums from guitarist and vocalist Bram Tchaikowsky in the next days. Okay , here we go
Cheers
           Frank 
Approved by the Motors Flac

The Virgin Years mp3@320