@Request: Lolas - Something You Oughta Know 2004 (2006 Jam Rec) mp3

Something You Oughta Know doesn't stray far from the immaculate bubblegum/jangle pop assault of the Lolas' previous releases. The Alabama combo are high-scoring students of the genre, and each heady blend of tight Byrds-like harmonies and Cheap Trick swagger is instantly catchy and deliciously transparent -- in a good way. They've got enough Gary Glitter/ELO rave-ups ("Little Deedra"), Nuggets-infused fist-pumpers ("Jungle Girl"), and sugary ballads ("Light Up Every Doorway") to satisfy the rottenest of sweet tooths, and despite the ultracompressed, a little too bright and radio-ready -- for 1977 that is -- production, they all work. Sure, it's just retro power pop and it's all been done before, but if hearing it filtered through the ears and amps of a band whose heaviest lyric is "since you've been gone, my guitar won't stay in tune" doesn't put a smile on your face, then you're just plain jaded.

A further album with very fine Power Pop by the Lolas.
Recommendable.
Cheers
           Frank    mp3@320

Australian Garage by the Lords Of Gravity - The Curse Of Icarus (2012) Flac

Lords Of Gravity are Australia’s Premier Garage-Punk outfit!!!  The four-piece outfit deliver the finest example of 1960’s pop-punk and surf influenced rock’n’roll! Including members of The Stoneage Hearts, The Crusaders, Hands Of Time, The Finkers, The Seminal Rats.

Heavily influenced by the sixties garage bands these guys are not retro, they sound like they are from the sixties. Garage Rock at its best.
Enjoy it loud
Cheers   Frank     

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           mp3@320

Lolas - Let's Rock Rave & Shout

Alabama-based power pop/bubblegum combo the Lolas formed in 1998 around vocalist/guitarist Tim Boykin (ex-Shame Idols), drummer Mark Reynolds, and bassist Walon Smith. They debuted with the Ballerina Breakout LP a year later, and followed it with Silver Dollar Sunday in 2001.

Both albums were issued through the indie Jam! Between albums the Lolas did some touring, and recorded a blisteringly faithful version of "Color Me Impressed" for the 2001 Replacements tribute on Facedown entitled Left of the Dial. 2004 saw the release of Something You Oughta Know, again on Jam!.(allmusic.com)

Like all albums of the Lolas this is also a top notch effort. Great guitars and great songs which are inspired in sixties garage sound. This is really a great but very underrated band. Highly recommended. And this time again with artwork! :-)
Have fun
               Frank  mp3@320

Power Pop: Lolas - Doctor Apache (2006 Wizzard In Vinyl Rec) mp3

This is the fifth release by the Lolas and this is finest power pop. A very nice album that reminds me sometimes a little bit of the Shoes. Tim Boykin and the band are in high shape here. For Power Pop lovers a must. Sorry no artwork :-(
Enjoy
         Frank  mp3@320

The Golden Gate - Year One (1968 (2009, Now Sounds) Flac

Year One album for sale by Golden Gate was released Aug 11, 2009 on the Now Sounds label. Billy Carlucci and Reid Whitelaw were a pair of New York-based songwriters who, after kicking around the business for several years, hit paydirt in 1968 when they wrote the tune "Goody Goody Gumdrops" for the 1910 Fruitgum Company. Year One songs It was the first of a string of pop songs the team would write for the Kasenetz-Katz bubblegum empire, and they formed a bubblegum act of their own, Marshmallow Way, who cut an album for United Artists.

Year One album for sale But by 1970, Carlucci and Whitelaw had ambitions to make music that was classier and more mature, and they signed a deal with Audio Fidelity Records for their new project. Year One CD music The Golden Gate combined polished pop tunes and a production that matched the well-crafted pop/rock of acts like the Buckinghams with horn-based arrangements in the manner of Chicago and Blood, Sweat & Tears. The Golden Gate's one and only album, YEAR ONE, is a notably more ambitious and less gimmicky work than Carlucci and Whitelaw had delivered in the past; with a handful of top studio musicians backing them up and the vocal group the Tradewinds adding background harmonies, YEAR ONE's craft is impeccable (beyond a few shaky vocal moments that reveal these guys were songwriters first), and the production and arrangements are a canny reflection of both the style of the day and the studio-centered pop background of the composers/bandleaders.

Billy Carlucci and Reid Whitelaw were a pair of New York-based songwriters who, after kicking around the business for several years, hit paydirt in 1968 when they wrote the tune "Goody Goody Gumdrops" for the 1910 Fruitgum Company. It was the first of a string of pop songs the team would write for the Kasenetz-Katz bubblegum empire, and they formed a bubblegum act of their own, Marshmallow Way, who cut an album for United Artists. But by 1970, Carlucci and Whitelaw had ambitions to make music that was classier and more mature, and they signed a deal with Audio Fidelity Records for their new project.

The Golden Gate combined polished pop tunes and a production that matched the well-crafted pop/rock of acts like the Buckinghams with horn-based arrangements in the manner of Chicago and Blood, Sweat & Tears. The Golden Gate's one and only album, YEAR ONE, is a notably more ambitious and less gimmicky work than Carlucci and Whitelaw had delivered in the past; with a handful of top studio musicians backing them up and the vocal group the Tradewinds adding background harmonies, YEAR ONE's craft is impeccable (beyond a few shaky vocal moments that reveal these guys were songwriters first), and the production and arrangements are a canny reflection of both the style of the day and the studio-centered pop background of the composers/bandleaders.
  
Very good sunshine/bubblegum with brill building influence. To me a strong effort. Strong melodies and the horn arrangements are very tasteful. Very good effort.

Have fun
               Frank    
                                                FLAC

Ringo Starr - Photograph: The Very Best Of Ringo Starr (2007 Capitol) Flac

Hard as it is to believe but there has not been a proper Ringo Starr hits collection since the first, 1975's Blast from Your Past -- that's not counting 1989's Starr Struck: Best of Ringo Starr, Vol. 2, which was designed as a companion to that earlier set -- until 2007's Photograph: The Very Best of Ringo Starr. Blast from Your Past was released just five years after his debut, Sentimental Journey, but it ignored that collection of pop standards, along with much of its country cousin Beaucoups of Blues, winding up as a collection of highlights of 1973's Ringo and 1974's Goodnight Vienna, with a few non-LP hit singles rounded up within the LP's tight ten-track, 30-minute span. Ringo kept recording after Blast, working his way through several labels and ill-advised phases before settling into a nice, easy groove with 1993's Time Takes Time, but he stopped having hits not long after 1975, after the Elton John/Bernie Taupin "Snookeroo" climbed all the way to number three, capping off a remarkable streak of seven Top Ten singles.

After that, the crash was fast: "Oo-Wee" was pulled off of Vienna and stalled at 31, then there was just one more hit -- "A Dose of Rock & Roll," peaking at 26 in 1976 -- before a five-year wait until the George Harrison-written "Wrack My Brain" limped to 38 in 1981 before Ringo disappeared from the charts. His '90s comeback may have never dented Billboard, but it is represented on the 20-track Photograph, which also contains all the aforementioned singles (apart from "Oo-Wee," no great loss) and the entirety of Blast from Your Past, albeit presented in a different running order. This doesn't just make for a compilation that's longer than the 1975 set, it makes for one that's better, since it adds the terrific "(It's All Down to) Good Night Vienna" to the mix, along with the amiable 1976 cover of Bruce Channel's "Hey Baby," a duet with Buck Owens on "Act Naturally" from 1989, and a well-chosen selection from each of Time Takes Time, 1998's Vertical Man, 2003's Ringorama, and 2005's Choose Love. This may not hit all the great stuff from the early '70s -- after all, the whole of Ringo is exceptionally strong -- but it does cut out all the real embarrassing stuff from the late '70s and just concentrates on the good latter-day material that holds its own with the best of his '70s hits.

Far from merely being songs that are good when graded on a curve, these hits have aged really well, especially his originals: "It Don't Come Easy," the thundering glam rocker "Back Off Boogaloo," the cheerfully post-Beatles autobiography of "Early 1970" and "Photograph," his gorgeous collaboration with George, which lends this comp its title and ranks as among the very best post-Beatles songs by any of the Fab Four. That tune proves Ringo could deliver music every bit as memorable as his colleagues and much of this excellent, long overdue compilation is at a similar high standard.

[Photograph: The Very Best of Ringo Starr also includes entertaining track-by-track commentary from Ringo and was also released in a deluxe edition that contains a wonderful DVD with the videos for "Sentimental Journey," "It Don't Come Easy," "Back Off Boogaloo," "You're Sixteen," "Only You (And You Alone)" (which also features Harry Nilsson), and "Act Naturally," along with an ad for Goodnight Vienna.]

Very good compilation of Ringo songs taken (the most) by his albums he had released in his career till 2007. Ringo Starr is just great. He was a part of the greatest band in pop music of the 20th century. He is a great musician. He had a lot of hits. This man don't must not to prove anything to anyone. But exactly this makes ''Photograph''. It shows me (once again) what a great artist and humorous human being he is.
Have fun
               Frank   Flac

Manfred Mann - The Singles Plus (1963 - 1966) (1987 EMI) Flac

This 25-song CD (originally a shorter LP called The Singles Album) is a handy collection of the band's most well-known English tracks from 1963 through 1966, plus their B-sides and some songs off of EPs that charted high in the U.K. Except for the final three songs -- "Groovin'," "Can't Believe It," and "Did You Have to Do That?," none of which are that easy to find on compilations -- it's all assembled in chronological order from their debut single "Why Should We Not" to 1966's "You Gave Me Somebody to Love."

The notes by John Tobler are a bit superficial, and the American EMI Manfred Mann: The Definitive Collection is a little more adventurous. Also, the sound here doesn't match the presence and clarity of more recent 24-bit transfers. Nonetheless, this is a respectable compilation for the novice or the casual fan. The presence of the B-sides, including lost gems like "What Did I Do Wrong" (a killer Chess-style blues number written by Tom McGuinness) and the Goffin/King-authored "Oh No Not My Baby" (one of Paul Jones's greatest R&B-style performances), assures that one gets a truer picture of the band's output and their focus on R&B, jazz, blues, and folk, than the A-sides by themselves would provide.

Enjoy!

          Frank  Flac  Link expire 2017-04-15

Psychedelic Garage Pop: The Boston Tea Party - The Boston Tea Party 1968 (2010 Dogtoire) Flac

The Boston Tea Party actually happened in beautiful, downtown Burbank, where five young guys got together in 1963 to strike out for their own brand of musical independence. Truly revolutionary in spirit, the group is unique in that it has no “leader”. Each of the members, all accomplished musicians, contributes his share of musical ideas. The result of this communal effort is an infinite variety of messages with more precise musicianship, more exciting performances, than might have happened under the tutelage of a single driving force.cares. As does every member of the group.

Richard DePerna, bass guitarist and arranger, insists that the group’s in-person sound be as excellent as their recorded performances. Mike Stevens, lead guitarist, writes much of the material which is original, topical and abundant in richly poetic imagery. Organist Robert DePerna and Drummer Dave Novogroski are the men responsible for holding together The Boston Tea Party’s tight ensemble sound. Travis Fields, lead singer–who also writes material for the group–has that rare gift of addressing the listener in a very personal way. 
Visually, The Boston Tea Party is a knock-out (you’ll see them in a forthcoming American-International film) in costumes of the 1775 era. But there the gimmicks end. After all is said and done, it’s the music–a pure, unique, accomplished sound–of The Boston Tea Party that’s going to make history.”(somerecords.wordpress.com)

Nice Garage Pop from 1968.
Enjoy
         Frank   Flac

Seventies English Folk Pop/Rock Unicorn - Too Many Crooks 1976 (2006 AirMail Records Japan) Flac

Unicorn was a seventies Folk Pop/Rock band with influences of american bands. This album is widely regarded as her best. The album is typically produced as a child of the seventies. The songs communicate a warm feeling and the instruments are very well arranged.

In spite of the american influences they never sound like an american band. A very relaxed album. With a nice version of ''No Way Out Of Here'' from David Gilmour of Pink Floyd fame who also produced the band.

Cheers
           Frank      Flac1  You need both links! Link2 

Paul Bevoir - The Happiest Days of Your Life 1992 mp3

Paul Bevoir did his best to keep the British mod revival going well into the '80s as the main creative force behind the charmingly determined Jet Set and as the underground movement's leading songwriter, contributing perfectly crafted '60s-style pop songs to the Candees, Melvyn and the Smartys, and Dee Walker.

After the Jet Set released their first LP, There Goes the Neighborhood in 1985, Bevoir released his first solo album, The Happiest Days of Your Life backed by the Family Way. The album received some acclaim in the British press but he kept his solo work in the background while he continued to push on with the Jet Set until they disbanded in 1988. Bevoir formed Smalltown Parade in 1990, releasing two albums before breaking up. In 1994, Bevoir resurfaced, releasing Dumb Angel for the Tangerine Label.

Well known as member of the fantastic Jetset he did really great albums after he leave. This is one of his wonderful stuff. This album 6 stars out of 6!
Enjoy it
             Frank  mp3@320

Wondermints - Kaleidoscopin' Exploring Prisms Of The Past (2009) mp3

Formed in Los Angeles in 1991, the Wondermints slowly built a reputation as a cornerstone in the city's pop underground. While the band's status grew, several members individually made names for themselves as expert sidemen, eventually elevating the Wondermints to a sort of underground supergroup. Big names in the industry, such as Eric Carmen and former Dramarama member Chris Carter (who subsequently became the band's manager), started to take note, finally paying off when Brian Wilson recruited them as part of his backing band for his comeback to the stage in 1999.
Beginning as a collaboration between keyboardist Darian Sahanaja and guitarist Nick Walusko, the Wondermints released a series of home-recorded cassettes and by 1992 enlisted the talents of bassist Brian Kassan. Drummer Mike D'Amico entered the fold a year later and the quartet continued to release homemade recordings. Toy's Factory Records of Japan found interest in the band and in 1995 released their first official album, the contents of which were compiled from the home recordings, but right around the time of this release, Kassan chose to leave the ranks.

Regardless, given the greater exposure, the Wondermints secured places on several tribute and compilation albums. Multi-instrumentalist Probyn Gregory agreed to fill the slot Kassan had vacated, and in the fall of 1996 the group released The Wonderful World of the Wondermints, a record entirely of covers -- something of an abnormality for a group's second outing. They followed The Wonderful World of the Wondermints with a track for the immensely successful Mike Myers film Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. Penned by Sahanaja, the track opened up the doors to the Wondermints' first stateside distribution deal, with EMI, and in 1998 the group finally released their first official non-compilation all-original album, Bali, to fantastic reviews. A year later, the Wondermints released the EP Cellophane.

When Brian Wilson enlisted the band for his surprising resurgence as a live performer, the Wondermints were exposed to the masses as the meat of his backing band. The collaboration proved so successful that Wilson brought the band out in 2000 to perform the classic Pet Sounds live in its entirety, then again on world tours in 2001 and 2002. The group found time amidst this heavy touring to record Mind If We Make Love to You, released in 2002, which featured, naturally, a guest appearance from Wilson. The Wondermints and Wilson took 2003 off from touring and Darian Sahanaja joined Heart for their summer tour before work on Wilson's 2004 solo release, Gettin' in Over My Head, began.

Wilson again took the Wondermints out on tour in early 2004, debuting the lost Beach Boys masterpiece SMiLE over 30 years after the project was initially abandoned, and was so invigorated with the performances that he announced plans to release a re-recorded version of SMiLE with the Wondermints. This time he made due on this promise, as the album was released on Nonesuch in the fall of 2004, officially rocketing the Wondermints to sizable importance in the history of rock & roll. Kaleidoscopin': Exploring Prisms of the Past appeared in 2009.

This is great top notch Pop/Power Pop in any and every way. Really fantastic songs and heavenly arrangements. Brian Wilson couldn't do a better choice as these guys. Highly recommended.

Cheers
           Frank  mp3 link1   You need both links!   mp3 link2

Psychedelic Pop/Rock: The Exception - The Eagle Flies on Friday; Complete Recordings 1967-1969 (RPM 2014) Flac

Hailing from Birmingham, The Exception, who began life as The Exceptions, were a pop trio formed in 1967, who released a total of seven singles and one LP in their two and a half year lifespan.  The band was unique in that it was led by drummer and lead vocalist, Alan “Bugsy” Eastwood, who also penned most of the band’s songs, and employed vibes as an essential part of their sound.  Eastwood was joined by guitarist Roger Hill and bassist Dave Pegg.  RPM Records, UK, gives The Exception the royal treatment on this compilation which not only contains the band’s complete recorded output, but five previously unreleased tracks, thus totaling 26 tracks with a run time of more than 70 minutes.

The set opens with the title track, issued in March, 1967 on the CBS label, under their original moniker, The Exceptions.  Featuring vibraphone and a blazing guitar solo by Roger Hill, this may well be the high water mark for the band’s releases.  The tune’s title referred to the eagle’s head on US currency and Friday being payday for most workers, so the “eagles fly on Friday.”  Unfortunately, the meaning was lost on most UK record buyers and in turn the single failed to sell.  CBS released a second single, but it suffered a similar fate and the remainder of the group’s singles and its long LP were released on the President label.  At this point the trio’s original bassist, Dave Pegg, left the band, eventually joining Fairport Convention and then Jethro Tull.  Pegg was replaced first by John Rowland and later Malcolm Garner.

On stage The Exception were a blues based band, and their fifth single, “Tailor Made Babe” reflects this with its barrelhouse blues piano leading the way.  The b-side “Turn Over The Soil” features stinging guitar bursts courtesy of Roger Hill, and is definitely one of the highlights of this retrospective, seting the tone for the bands’ later recordings such as “Jack Rabbit” which features psychedelic guitar work by Hill.

The band was given artistic control on their first and only LP, and the resulting album “The Exceptional Exception” released in February, 1969, certainly deserved a better fate than it experienced.  Highlights include the psychedelic “Don’t Torture Your Mind” written by Hill, as well as inspired Eastwood tracks such as “Mrs. Cocaine” and “Woman Of The Green Lantern.”  Unfortunately, Eastwood became restless and left the band, effectively marking the end of The Exception although Hill and Garner did carry on with a new drummer and Hill taking over on lead vocals, by May, 1969, The Exception were no more.

Thanks to project manager John Reed and sound engineer Simon Murphy, “The Eagle Flies On Friday” is a wonderful package for fans of mid to late 1960s pop music.  The group’s tasteful use of vibes and wonderful tinges of psychedelic guitars as well as Eastwood’s unique lyrics set it apart from its contemporaries and definitely makes this collection worth exploring.  The accompanying 16 page color booklet featuring complete track annotations and informative notes by Reed are icing on the cake for this release.  As always, the folks at RPM Records live up to their motto, “By Collectors For Collectors.”

Review made by Kevin Rathert/2015

 

Enjoy it!

Cheers

           SB1   Flac1  You need both links!  Flac2