The Mojo Men - Not Too Old To Start Cryin' (The Lost 1966 Masters) 2008 Big Beat Records- Flac & mp3

For a minor mid-'60s San Francisco garage/folk-rock/psych group with very limited national success, the Mojo Men certainly recorded a hell of a lot of material. This compilation contains no less than two dozen previously unreleased 1966 recordings, cut in the uneasy period between when their original label, Autumn, had bit the dust, and they had yet to release tracks with their next company, Reprise. It's no less than the fourth CD of material from the group that's been issued, with no duplication between the discs.

For that reason, even some enthusiastic '60s/San Francisco collectors might wonder whether it's only of peripheral, completist-only interest. It's definitely not, however; a little surprisingly, it has much of the best stuff they ever did, with only a few of the songs that would be re-recorded at Reprise. Far more than their earlier, more garage/British Invasion-inclined recordings prior to the entrance of drummer/singer Jan Errico into the lineup, it has a folk-rock/slightly psychedelic feel somewhat akin to the pre-Grace Slick work of Jefferson Airplane.

Too, it's nonetheless less precious and slick than their more polished (if occasionally fine), baroque rock-influenced Reprise material. Bittersweet, wistful folk-rock with mild garage and psychedelic tinges (and more than a touch of the Beau Brummels) is the main vibe on this strong set of mostly original material, highlighted by the ones on which Errico's stirring, yearning vocals -- the best qualities she brought into the band from her former outfit, the Vejtables -- are prominent.

While some of the tunes are rather run of the mill, the best of them are really good, including the Beau Brummels-style "Is Our Love Gone"; "Not Too Old to Start Cryin'," represented by two versions (and later redone for Reprise); and, above all, "You Didn't Even Say Goodbye," where Errico's singing is a match for Signe Anderson at her best. Even the oddball cover arrangements of "She Cried" (formerly a hit for Jay & the Americans) and the late-'50s Bell Notes rocker "I've Had It" are cool. You could even make an argument for this as the best Mojo Men CD, despite the absence of their only two songs to make appreciable national noise, "Dance with Me" and "Sit Down, I Think I Love You."

One of my favourite bands of that time and genre. Why the band never managed it to reach the top is hard to understand for me. The band had all what the successful bands had and a little more. However, give it a try if you don't know the band.

Enjoy it
             SB1   Flac part1  &  Flac part2  &  Flac part3  - mp3@320

Various Artists - The Girls Want The Boys! ~ Sweden's Beat Girls 1964-1970 (2016 Ace Records) Flac & mp3

Another post where the women and girls play the leading part. But in a complete different kind of music.
Ace gathered here 24 songs performed by swedish female artists. The most well known artists are here for shure Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad from ABBA fame. All the other names i never have heard.

The songs are performed around the half in swedish language and the other half in english. Some of the songs were hits by other artists and will performed here in swedish language. The songs are from the years 1964 till 1970. I think this is for collectors and lovers for this kind of obscure sixties stuff. I added also the LP artwork (it's different). The longplayer have only 12 tracks,
the cd here 24 tracks. If you like it grab it.

Have fun
              SB1     Flac part1  &  Flac part2    -  mp3@320

Three Girls Of The Sixties Doing Two First Class Albums Of Pop/Psychedelic/Baroque/Soul/Folk/R'n'B. Had A Monster Single(without success) And Sang For Jimi Hendrix. Here Are The Cake!!!

The Cake - More of the Cake (First & Second Album of 1967 & 1968) Rev-Ola 2007 (Original Recordings Remastered) Flac & mp3

Appearing during the waning days of the girl group era and as psychedelia was starting to make a major impact on the charts, the Cake were a trio who bridged the gaps between the two styles, fusing fresh but soulful harmonies with music that embraced the more adventurous aspects of late-'60s pop. The Cake were formed in New York City in 1966 by Eleanor Barooshian (aka Chelsea Lee), Jeanette Jacobs, and Barbara Morillo. Jacobs and Morillo had been performing together as an a cappella duo, and they met Barooshian during an engagement at The Scene, Steve Paul's legendary Greenwich Village rock club.

(Barooshian was also a regular performer at The Scene, and sang a duet with Tiny Tim during a show there that popped up in the counterculture documentary film You Are What You Eat.) Managers Charlie Greene and Brian Stone heard the Cake and took them to Los Angeles, where they landed a deal with Decca Records. The trio's first album, simply entitled The Cake, was produced by Jack Nitzsche with arrangements by Harold Battiste; released in 1967, it featured several tunes that re-created the Phil Spector "Wall of Sound" production style with uncanny accuracy, but also included some upbeat R&B workouts and a handful of string-driven baroque pop tunes with a psychedelic undercurrent.

The group also contributed to the writing of four of the album's songs, rare in the world of girl groups. The Cake toured in support of the album and landed an appearance on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, and in 1968 they released a second LP, A Slice of the Cake. The sophomore album narrowed the group's musical focus to the folk-rock and psychedelic pop facets of their personality, and this time out Barooshian, Jacobs, and Morillo helped write seven of the LP's ten tunes.

While the two albums would become collectors' items years later, they were not commercially successful at the time, and by the end of 1968 the Cake had broken up. Barooshian (changing her name to Chelsea Lee) and Jacobs continued to work together, contributing backing vocals to the Jimi Hendrix album Electric Ladyland and touring and recording with Ginger Baker's Air Force and Dr. John.

Chelsea Lee also recorded an album with Tetsu Yamauchi, a former member of both Free and the Faces. Morillo continued performing with a variety of groups, including the Act, Nightflyte, and Bambu; she's currently the leader of Barbara Morillo and Shrine. Sadly, Jeanette Jacobs died in 1980 at the age of 30. In 2006, Chelsea Lee and Barbara Morillo performed together as the Cake for the first time since 1968 as part of a Jimi Hendrix memorial show in New York City.(allmusic.com)

Good day Folks, hope all of you have a good start into weekend. We have here at the moment 29 degrees Celsius and the sun is laughing. But i want to say some words about The Cake. I really love this albums because it is a lot different sounds here. And the songs are very good presented on the records. High class vocal arrangements. The solo voices are high class, too. The songwriting of a lot of the songs is in my opinion top notch. The Rev-Ola release is really nice done with a lot pics and big liner notes.
 Enjoy
          SB1       Flac part1  &  Flac part2   -  mp3@320

Psychedelic Pop/Rock: Octopus - Restless Night 1970 (2003 Air Mail Archive ) Flac & mp3

Octopus' origins lay in Hatfield, 30 miles from London, and a mid-'60s quartet called the Cortinas (the name came from an English Ford compact car), made up of Paul Griggs (guitar), Nigel Griggs (bass), Brian Glassock (drums), and Rick Williams (guitar). By 1967, the Cortinas had moved from Brit beat into pop-psychedelia and cut one single ("Phoebe's Flower Shop") for Polydor without success. The following year, the quartet renamed and redirected itself and Octopus was born. The band earned a support spot to Yes which was, itself, an up-and-coming group at the time. They also appeared on stage with acts like Status Quo and Humble Pie, and were discovered by Troggs bassist Tony Murray, who helped get them a record deal with independent producer Larry Page, who was the Troggs' manager.

Octopus was signed to Penny Farthing and released a single, "Laugh at the Poor Man" b/w "Girl Friend," in 1969. Midway through the recording of their debut album, Restless Night, Glassock and Williams quit the band, and it was a re-formed Octopus, with John Cook on keyboards and Malcolm Green on the drums, that finished the record with Murray producing. The resulting LP was popular in Hatfield but never found an audience anywhere else.
Restless Night was a surprisingly pop-oriented affair considering Murray's regular gig. The music is on the smooth, commercial pop side, with the psychedelic elements mostly in the fuzztone guitar and organ flourishes, mixed with the music's general melodic nature. The band was good enough to get booked into the Marquee Club in London in 1969, but their career arc was far more shallow than that of heavier weight contemporaries such as King Crimson. The group pressed on for another two years, including tours of Europe, but disbanded in 1972.

John Cook later joined Mungo Jerry, while Malcolm Green and Nigel Griggs later became members of Split Enz.
See for Miles reissued Restless Night with extra tracks off of their singles in the 1990s. This group has nothing to do with the band named Octopus that recorded for ESP at the end of the 1960s, or the more recent band of the same name.(allmusic.com)

This is a very good Psychedelic Pop/Rock album. Why the band don't reached more success is an enigma of its time then. The band had all what could bring them to the top. A strong album, a good company, management. Everything looked good but the band failed to chart. I think the album came two years to late. In 1970 the first glam bands made it in the charts and psychedelic pop was over its climax. Nevertheless a very good pop album with a lot catchy popsike melodies.

Enjoy it!
              SB1 Flac part1   &  Flac part2       - mp3@320

Various Artists - Gerry Goffin & Carole King - Something Good From The Goffin & King Songbook (Ace Records 2012) Flac & mp3

Gerry Goffin and Carole King were such prolific songwriters (usually working as a team) throughout the 1960s, and so frequently interpreted, that you could probably fill up a lot more than three CDs of covers of their compositions. It was hard to predict how many volumes would be in this series when this CD was released in 2012, but the third volume of Ace Records' compilations of interpretations of material by Goffin & King is another mix of hits and (more often) rarities/obscurities, all recorded in the '60s.

There are a few big hits here (the Chiffons' "One Fine Day," Freddie Scott's "Hey Girl," the Drifters' "At the Club," the Cookies' "Don't Say Nothin' Bad About My Baby"), as well as a couple pretty famous recordings by the Byrds ("Goin' Back") and the Cookies' Earl-Jean ("I'm Into Something Good," a small 1964 hit made into a much bigger British Invasion one by Herman's Hermits). But much of the rest will be new even to the average dedicated record collector, even though plenty of the artists are famous.

Even some of the tracks that look familiar at first glance are not the hit versions, like Bobby Vee's "It Might as Well Rain Until September" (written for him but a hit for Carole King herself); Dion's "Take Good Care of My Baby" (actually recorded by him before Bobby Vee's hit rendition, without the introductory verse heard on Vee's single); and the Everly Brothers' "Chains" (recorded in 1962, but not issued until 1984).

The double-edged sword is that there's usually quite a gap in quality between the famous hits and the other tunes. Even though many of the cuts are by hitmakers like Rick Nelson, Skeeter Davis, Bobby Goldsboro, the Tokens, and Tony Orlando, in the company of genuine Goffin & King classics they'd come off as filler. Though versions of "The Loco-Motion" by Dee Dee Sharp and "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" by Bunny Sigler make for a change from yet another compilation to feature the ones done for huge hit singles by Little Eva and the Shirelles, in comparison to the originals, they're perfunctory. On a more interesting note, it's unusual that a couple songs made it onto British singles, one by U.K. star Billy Fury ("I'd Never Find Another You," which made the Top Five on the charts in his native country in 1961), though the Eccentrics' rare "What You Got" is a generic British Invasion throwaway.

In addition, a few little-known solid efforts are sprinkled throughout the set, like Lesley Gore's bouncy "The Old Crowd" (the B-side of her hit "She's a Fool"), and the Monkees' "Sweet Young Thing" proto-country-rock-psychedelia (written by Goffin & King with Mike Nesmith) is distinguished by its eccentricity if nothing else. In sum, the anthology might be more for the collector with a scholarly bent than the average '60s pop fan.

But such listeners will greatly appreciate the liner notes, which examine the origins of these mostly uncelebrated recordings in great detail, complemented by rare period photos and illustrations.(allmusic.com)

I said my opinion about the quality of the Goffin/King -Various Artists releases by Ace Records as i posted another Goffin/King collection here some days or weeks ago.
Have fun
               SB1  Flac part1  & Flac part2    -  mp3@320

Psychedelic Rock By: Beacon Street Union - The Eyes Of The Beacon Street Union - The Clown Died In Marvin Gardens (1968)

With a moniker like the Beacon Street Union, potential consumers are readily assured that this quintet is one of the more overtly psychedelic contributions from the era of the Beantown/Bosstown Sound. In fact, it was little more than MGM Records' heavy and nationally hyped "Bosstown Sound" -- which was aimed at creating an East Coast version of the burgeoning San Francisco Bay Area scene -- that gave the band a platform to begin with. Ultimately, the overexposure backfired on the label, which eventually turned on the combo once the stunt had run its course. A similar fate also befell a number of long lost Boston-based groups such as Ultimate Spinach and Eden's Children. Armed with a savvy production staff including the likes of Wes Farrell and Val Valentin, much of the musicality is obscured with sonic non sequiturs.

These range from the rapid juxtaposition of brief spoken word vignettes -- perhaps inspired by Frank Zappa's musique concrète cum rock & roll -- to the more traditional excessively echoplexed music and vocals. Standout originals include the punkish attitude of "Sadie Said No" as well as the pseudo tripped-out ambling of "Mystic Morning." Those tunes come off much more convincingly than the hokey covers of Chuck Berry's "Beautiful Delilah" or Brownie McGhee's "Sportin' Life" -- which the BSU disturbingly credit as an original composition. The second LP unfortunately did not fare much better.

There are a few rays of brilliance such as the funky rocker "Now I Taste the Tears," which is offset by the campy narrative "May I Light Your Cigarette." The extended workout on the disc's closer, "Baby Please Don't Go," proves that the band had legitimate musical potential underneath the layers of hype, with a raw exhilaration akin to the Velvet Underground. This single-CD edition contains both BSU long-players -- The Eyes of the Beacon Street Union (1968) and The Clown Died in Marvin Gardens (1968). The original unit centered on the trio of John Lincoln Wright (vocals), Wayne Ulaky (bass/vocals), and Richard Weisburg (drums), all of whom contributed to the original material on both albums. The trifecta also scored an additional underground classic, Come Under Nancy's Tent (1970), under the moniker of the Eagle. All three LPs and related 45-only tracks are available on the three-CD State of the Union (2001) box set.(allmusic.com)

You will find on this two albums good songs and ideas and you will find weaker stuff. This is Psychedelic Rock and the both records are far better as the review say. You will not get popsike stuff like for instance Strawberry Alarm Clock here. But if you are in Psychedelic Rock from the last quarter of the sixties you will find some real nice stuff here. 'The Eyes Of The Beacon Street' is a very good album in my opinion. (f.i. 'Blue Avenue', South End Incident, Green Destroys The Gold, just to name a few songs). 'The Clown Died In Marvin Gardens' starts with three strong tracks and than... like from out of nowhere 'Blue Suede Shoes'...??? I confess for me hard to understand why this song is at this place of the playlist. Next one, 'A not very august afternoon' is an average song with the organ in the musical center. Followed by an (also average) blues theme called 'Now i taste the tears' with strings and a blues licks spreading electric guitar. 'Baby please don't go' a nearly 17 minutes lasting version of that old blues classic, sometimes ecstatic, followed by quiet parts but in my opinion not really needed on the album. First album 4 big stars out of 5 and for the second album 3 out of 5. All in all three quarter of this 'Two albums on one disc' release are very good and the last quarter is a weak story.

Enjoy it!
Cheers
           SB1   Flac part1  &  Flac part2  &  Flac part3       -  mp3@320

mp3 links added!

Hello Folks, i added the promised mp3 links for The Thanes and for The Tomcats in the posts from yesterday.

Have a nice day and a relaxed weekend,
kind regards
                   Frank

Second Album By The Great Essex Green: The Long Goodbye 2002

The Essex Green's second album continued in the Elephant 6 spirit of their debut: music highly reminiscent of pop-psychedelia of the last half of the 1960s, though not slavishly revivalist. It's the vibe of those times (and much more the pop than the psych) that informs the record, rather than the aping of specific formulas. At the same time, comparisons to those vintage days are going to be inevitable, and there's a little bit of a pastiche feel to the result, though it's brought off with upbeat wit. Certainly the arcing pop/rock harmonics of Badfinger and the Beach Boys are echoed in one of the better cuts, the opening "By the Sea." A Moe Tucker-type drum pattern helps make "The Late Great Cassiopia" sound a little like the Velvet Underground gone power pop, "Lazy May" has a little bit of Lee Hazlewood's oddball cowboy pop/rock, "Old Dominion" fuses late-'60s country-rock Byrds with the cheesy exotica of early-'60s Joe Meek productions, and "Berlin" sounds like it might have been cut after some intense listening to psych-folk-rockers Kaleidoscope's "Please." Indeed, there's a great deal of variety to the record, something that sets them apart from the vast majority of the bands that pay homage to the '60s, but also something that keeps them from developing a distinct identity. One way to do that might have been to give more emphasis to the lead vocals of Sasha Bell, whose confidently cheery style makes her by far the best singer in the group(allmusic.com)

If you want an album like the first EG longplayer you're wrong here. 'The Long Goodbye' is quite different compared to the debut album. You will not hear any fuzz guitars here or a sixties style vox organ. Nevertheless, this lady and the boys are great. Real great!

Enjoy
         SB1  Flac part1   &   Flac part2       -  mp3@320

Great Psychedelic Pop By: The Essex Green - The Essex Green EP 1999 Vinyl 24/96 Flac & mp3

Bands of the Elephant 6 collective usually fall into two categories: those who function simply as rock historians recreating the sounds of the '60s (Of Montreal anyone?) and those who are able to extrapolate those influences into originality (the brilliant Olivia Tremor Control, Elf Power).

From the first song on the EP, the effervescent "Fabulous Day," the Essex Green firmly place themselves into the second group. So while their pop is heavily indebted to the likes of the Kinks and the Strawberry Alarm Clock, they manage to measure in just enough originality to eclipse mimicry, making the Essex Green's music at once familiar and innovative, classic and fresh.

As with their full-length, The Essex Green is a consistent listen, with each of the five tracks possessing a definite hook and embodying a different variation on summer of love era pop.(allmusic.com)

Searched through my HDD's today and found some nice treasures. This is the first i ever heard by the Essex Green and it's nice to see allmusic.com have done a nice critic.

Enjoy
          SB1    Flac part1    &   Flac part2           -  mp3@320

Sorry but artwork is hard to find!

The Tomcats - Running At Shadows - The Spanish Recordings 1965-1966 (2016)

The Tomcats were a London-based quintet (originally named The Thoughts), who, in turn, were formed out of the remnants of a skiffle band called the Playboys. Among those passing through one early line-up of the Tomcats was John "Speedy" Keen, who played drums in the band. The group didn't have any significant success in England, but in 1966 they accepted an offer to perform in Spain with what proved to be their final line-up, which was drawn from a band called Second Thoughts. They were a hit in their live performances in Spain and suddenly found an eager audience for their music--the band charted four EPs of material that ranged from covers of contemporary hits ("Paint It Black" etc.) to Spanish language songs. The group returned to England in 1967, and, keeping the same line-up, altered their sound and their name to July. A 1997 CD called The Tomcats from the Essex label collects the best covers from their four Spanish EPs and fills it out with the contents of a 1964-vintage EP by the Second Thoughts.

Some days ago i posted here on the blog the psychedelic pop album by  July - July from 1968. This band here the Tomcats with the same line-up changed their name and voila...the psychedelic pop band July was born. The Tomcats sound is in a more garage kind of sound but also very well done.
Give it a try and listen. I will post the mp3 link tomorrow.
kind regards
                    SB1   mp3@320   &  Flac
p.s.: Can someone help with the original RPM artwork?
p.p.s.: Take a look in the comments folks, Reader Jerry did an upgrade for the artwork.

The Thanes - Downbeat And Folked Up 2002 (Screaming Apple Records) Flac

2002 album of the Scottish beat legends the THANES, we can't hardly find the right words for it. The THANES have be around since 1987 and certainly belong to the very few really important bands of todays garage and beat scene. Hailing from Edinburgh, they have released tons of records on the coolest labels around, such as SUNDAZED, CORDUROY, MISTY LANE, LARSEN and DISTORTIONS to name but a few. The THANES of this ultra-modern age conjure up ever more new and always interesting twists and turns from their basic garage band vision. They are extending their collective antennae, reaching but further, sometimes bringing a new reaffirmation of a deeper folk-rock stance with evocative vocal harmonies and a jangling 12-string: to wit, there are covers by Bob Dylan, and The Beau Brummels, played out with true heart and soul.

A few choice examples of the group`s mega-fixation with groups that existed in Holland thirty-odd years ago have also been selected for inclusion. One of the best is their interpretation of "I`m A Fool" originally performed by The Sandy Coast. Stomping and gyrating is also encouraged with original beat-style creations such as "It Can Never Be", "The Next One", and the furious buzz of the LP opener "That`s The Story Of Your Life". No other current band is able to combine all these musical elements of the sixties in such a perfect way. "Downbeat & folked up" is masterpiece of modern beat music and will not just take the hearts of all the sixties-devotees by storm. One hell of an album! ( The Thanes LP review / Myspace)

This is a wonderful album full of jangle beat sounds. Great band!!! Don't miss it
Have fun
               SB1    Flac part1  &  Flac part2

                         mp3@320

Classic Power Pop: The Smithereens - Especially For You 1986 (1992 Capitol) Flac & mp3

The Smithereens' superb full-length debut Especially for You marries an unapologetically nostalgic affection for the melodic crunch of the British Invasion era with an equally unapologetic helping of postmodern melancholia.

 

In tandem with Don Dixon's moodily atmospheric production, Pat DiNizio's lovelorn lyrics and world-weary vocals reveal the dark underbelly of his otherwise crisply infectious songs, lending standout tracks like "Strangers When We Meet," "Behind the Wall of Sleep," and the minor hit "Blood and Roses," both a unique flavor and an immediate familiarity.

What can i say about this classic? I think ...highly recommend!

Have fun
               SB1       Flac part1  &   Flac part2   -   mp3@320