Lossless links added to The Monarchs - Make Yer Own Fun

Hello Folks a nice guy have send me the lossless files for the Monarchs. I added the links into the Monarchs post.

Cheers
           Frank

The Monarchs - Make Yer Own Fun (2001 Shock Records) mp3@320 & Flac

You might recognise Monarchs leader Brad Shepherd as guitar-wielder for the Hoodoo Gurus, one of Australia's finer commercial success stories of the 1980s and the band that put guitar back on the mainstream airwaves. Or you might recall him as Chris Masuak's understudy in the Hitmen, one of the best Detroit-orientated jukeboxes to do the Oz pub circuit. Or, if you're a afficinado of Australian punk and have a longer memory, you might recognise him from Brisbane's smoking noise commandos, the Fun Things. After hearing this album, you're going to think of him as one of The Monarchs. No contest.

This is the best Australian release of the year so far, shading Asteroid B612's opus "Readin' Between the Lines" and streets ahead of any other contenders. Put simply, this is heartfelt, honest-to-goodness, Rock Action with lashings of pop smarts. The Monarchs may only have been around a few years and have put in less miles than some of the above-mentioned bands (a reflection of the number of rock venues around in the 00's more than anything else) but "Make Yer Own Fun" is a well-rounded, fully-realised effort. And, for the most part, a lot of fun.
There's more than a shade of the Gurus here (a couple of songs actually having been rejected by that band - a mark of the strength of material produced by that band's main man, Dave Faulkner, rather than a negative). Like the Gurus, these Monarchs know the value of a good hook and catchy chorus - no more evident on a cut like "Nobody's Perfect" - and like the Gurus, The Monarchs are a musical sponge, unashamedly grabbing bits from all over the place. There are lashes of dodgy Oz pub rock, Detroit grime, acid psych and '70s metal poking through the mix. No mere pack rats, the Monarchs manage to make the spare parts their own.

Still on the spare parts analogy, what's a real rock album without a song about cars? "69 Monaro" fits the bill: Taut guitars and a chick chorus that's a perfect homage to the premier Down Under muscle car. This is a tune that reaks of burning rubber and black GT stripes. I look forward to hearing it constantly blaring out of the speakers of a thousand hoon-mobiles at traffic lights this summer (instead of that fucking stupid "doof doof" music).
"Loud" is just that. The band's first single, "2001", is here in all its word salad glory and, as good as a taste that was, it's by no means the strongest cut. That could well be the bombastic "Amen, Brother", with its infectious chorus. Or "Give It Up For the Band", the smartest dumb song I've heard in many a month. "I'm On Drugs" is nasty rock, done like the Hellacopters might wish they could.

The Greg Hitchcock-Brad Shepherd Guitar Show might be the main attraction (and they cook up a storm) but there are some clever lyrical moments, too, throughout to keep you thinking ("Satan's in my pocket/And he's shouting you a drink" in "For One Night" springs to mind). Murray Shepherd on drums and Andy Kelly on bass are no slouches either (love a mix with lots of bottom end).

Diverse as this album is, it all hangs together well. A nod for that must go to producer Cameron McCaughley who's managed to bring a warmth and live feel to this album. The odd studio effect (phased outro on "Yer Moving On", crowd ruckus on "For One Night") adds to the package, rather than distracts.

The diversity is no more evident than on "Stalker Waltz", which marks the halfway point. It's a bizarre ditty, ostensibly about the sex life of a TV weatherman who must remain nameless. Also out of the rock fast lane is the closing "Unimaginable", a deeply-personal song that cuts to the quick and leaves a lump in the throat. All looped noises and treated vocals, it wouldn't be out of place on a "White Album"-period Beatles release.
You can keep your Scandi pretenders - these vets are the REAL rock Monarchs. Can the kids handle Real Rock these days? I want it to be the case - let's hope the label does too and puts some real push behind this, 'cos it's too good to sink without a trace in the black hole of some Sanity/HMV chainstore. This is truly the soundtrack for an Australian summer. (i94bar-dev-info)

Powerful Garage Power Pop without any chance to escape!
Catchy melodies and drivin' guitars makes this a lot of fun.

Enjoy
         Frank           mp3@320         Flac p1  &  Flac p2

Garage/Power Pop: Kevin K - The Favourite Songs Of Mark R (mp3)

Hello Folks, today i will start with two powerful PowerPop/Garage bands. The first one is an artist i posted some days ago here on the blog, Kevin K.
Today it's a little special because i had a few days ago a chat conversation with Mark R. a band member of the New York City backing band of the wonderful Kevin K. In this talk i asked him about his favourite tracks by Kevin K. He told me and so later i did a sampler of the favourite tracks by a band member of Kevin K. I do this as a mark of my esteem for the music of Kevin K and hope you will like it, too. If you like the music of Kevin K please buy the music here  here and a lot other places in the net. (Frank)

Play loud for maximum fun!
Cheers
          Frank          mp3@160~192

Timebox - The Deram Anthology (1998 Decca Records) Flac & mp3@320

The roots of Timebox lay in local band Take 5 in 1965 in Southport, a small northern English coastal town (situated near Liverpool). After a succession of interpersonal incidents, which led to the vocalist quitting, the band was left in disorder. Fellow local act the Music Students (who featured 15-year-old drummer Peter Halsall, a great drummer who was also proving himself on a majesty of other instruments) were facing similar problems. Halsall, Chris Holmes (piano), and Kevan Foggerty (vocals) teamed up with Clive Griffiths as Take 5 and, very soon after, turned professional and headed towards London. Taken under the wing of the George Cooper agency, they were soon working on package tours with the Kinks, the Small Faces, Tommy Quickly, and Lou Christie, as well as striking up a residency at the legendary the Whiskey a Go Go. With two singers leaving (Liggett quit, then Frank Dixon unfortunately contracted tuberculosis) U.S. singer John Henry was drafted in and the band changed their name to Timebox -- an American term for a prison cell.

Signed to Piccadilly in February 1967, their debut single, "I'll Always Love You" b/w "Save Your Love," produced by John Schroeder, was released and displayed an early jazz-tinged, soulful talent.
Following this, more turns of fate occurred, with ex-G.I. Henry being whipped back off to the U.S.A by officials and Dean going down with tuberculosis (a spooky repeat). That April, the strictly instrumental 45 "Soul Sauce"/"I Wish I Could Jerk Like My Uncle Cyril" showed the band walking similar lines to Manfred Mann: airing competence but little imagination. Mike Patto, who had played with the Bo Street Runners and the Chicago Line (along with ex-Pretty Thing Viv Prince), joined Timebox after a few illustrious jams and took on a prominent role as vocalist and songwriter. When yet another drummer (Foggerty) quit, things once again went astray; luckily, however, the stool was soon filled by ex-Felder's Orioles' drummer John Halsey. Peter Halsall (now commonly known as "Ollie") was displaying a high degree of aptitude on guitar, as well as regular diversions into the vibes. His trademark sound of both searing guitar and mellow vibes was to the fore in the ensuing records.

Timebox soon became a hot live act. Many who saw them claimed Timebox to be one of the first rock bands in London to really explore jazz in a rock context. A wonderful performance at the Windsor Jazz Festival on August 12, 1967, caught the eye of Decca producer Gus Dudgeon, who immediately signed them to the label's subsidiary Deram. The first 45, a fantastic version of Tim Hardin's "Don't Make Promises," was backed by the even better Ollie original "Walking Through the Streets of My Mind," which combined sharp blue-eyed soul harmonies with a psychedelic arrangement. The follow-up -- again a classic example of British soul -- was a cover of the Four Seasons' "Beggin" and reached number 38 in the charts.

At the sessions that produced the hit, a slew of unreleased material -- some of the band's best -- was also recorded and airs the beginning of the Patto/Halsall songwriting partnership. All of these unreleased songs are compiled on The Deram Anthology and are essential listening for anyone with the slightest interest in quality late-'60s rock. The problem was that even Deram viewed Timebox as a pop band, and so the more experimental songs were left in the can while the silly sing-a-long tune "Baked Jam Roll in Your Eye," written for fun when the band members were drunk, was the next release in March 1969. It's styling was a little too late for the era of novelty psychedelia, and of no interest to the more rock-oriented record buyer; the flip-side, the tough "Poor Little Heartbreaker," would have been a far better choice.

By the summer of 1969, things were turning sour. The final release, "Yellow Van," was a great record and polite enough for airplay, but was banned due to the nature of the lyrics. This really was the end of the road for Timebox who had had a hard time at the best of times. The nucleus of the band merged into Patto, who released three albums in the 1970s.

Fine anthology of the band!
Enjoy it
             Frank                       Flac p1  &  Flac p2  &  Flac p3        -  mp3@320

Psychedelic Pop by Elephant Stone - The Three Poisons (2014 Hidden Pony Records) mp3@320

This is the third Longplayer by the band after debut 'The Seven Seas' and 2013 release 'Elephant Stone' named like the band. All the good things of the last release are gathered here, too and maybe a little more. But that's a question of taste. Hope you have fun.

Enjoy
         Frank           mp3@320

Jason Falkner - Presents Author Unknown 1996 Flac & mp3@320

You may remember Jason Falkner from helping out buddy Eric Matthews craft a tasty bit of pop music in 1995. Well, he's done it again, only all by himself this time. Writing, producing, singing, and playing nearly everything except the occasional guitar overdub (and strings), Jason has released a one-man pop tour de force. Hooks abound and won't let you down. The more you listen, the more you'll find yourself humming along. Standout tracks include "I Go Astray" and "Don't Show Me Heaven," but all are worthy of a listen. It's good ol' pop music. Better still, it's good music.(allmusic.com)

Bio (excerpts)

 A onetime member of the West Coast neo-psychedelic bands the Three O'Clock and Jellyfish, Jason Falkner went out on his own by 1996, playing jagged power pop with impeccable arrangements, a clue to both his classically trained childhood and additional time spent working on the first LP by another classical popster, Eric Matthews. Born in Los Angeles in 1968, Falkner grew up listening to West Coast pop bands like Love and Crosby, Stills & Nash but later began taking piano lessons in preparation for a classical career. Pop music regained control of his life when he discovered his sister's punk/new wave collection, and Falkner began playing the guitar, later appearing in several bands from his high school.

Not long after graduation, Falkner joined the Three O'Clock, leaders of the Los Angeles paisley underground scene, for their major-label debut (but sixth LP overall), 1988's Vermillion. Though solid, the album was unfortunately their last, and the band broke up soon after.
Later followed Jellyfish. After just one album he leaves the band and recorded with The Grays the pop classic Ro Sham Bo in 1994. After working with Eric Matthews around' 96 he recorded his first solo work Presents Author Unknown also in 1996. ( excerpts of allmusic and by me)

In the world of pop/power pop music the name Jason Falkner guarantees 100% top notch songs, guitar work, studio work...everything of his efforts in music business are always on a top level. And that's the reasons why he enjoy this great reputation. I am a real fan of Jason Falkner because i'm a guitarist for a very long time, too and he inspired me with his play since i heard him for the first time.
If you love Power Pop music and you don't know the album give it a try.

Have fun
Cheers
           Frank       Flac p1  &  Flac p2    - mp3@320

At Request... The Stoneage Hearts - Guilty As Sin (2005 Alive Records) mp3@320

This Australian trio features vocalist/guitarist Dom Mariani (Stems, DM3), who replaced Danny McDonald and wrote five of the songs; bassist Ian Wettenhall, who also contributed songwriting and lead vocals; and Mickster on drums. They're hardly the only garage revival band around, but they're definitely one of the better ones. Guilty as Sin's first half-dozen tracks hold up particularly well, displaying a relatively strong sense of melody and musicianship while avoiding the common garage rock pitfall of similar-sounding songs blending together to form an indistinct blur. "Green with Envy" is an especially memorable track with its catchy chorus, cut-short rhythms, and Mariani's fine guitar playing, and the band makes good use of its freakbeat-garage-psychedelic influences on other songs as well. Their inspiration does run a bit thin near the end, and their remake of the Creation's "Biff Bang Pow" is credible although not really necessary, but the band knows how to kick out the fuzz-fueled jams(allmusic.com)

A lot of great songs here. My favourites are  'Your Smile', 'Trouble Girl', 'Rock'n'Roll Boys & Rock'n'Roll Girls'.

Enjoy
         Frank              mp3@320

GarageSurfPower Pop by The Barracudas - Drop Out With The Barracudas 1981 (2005 EMI Gold Release, Remastered) Flac & mp3@320

Thematically, the Barracudas pushed hard a Southern California surf-rock image on their debut -- there's the cover photo, for one, and then there's a good chunk of the songs. Titles like the demi-hit singles "Summer Fun," "California Lament," "On the Strip," and "Surfers Are Back" are self-explanatory, while the deliciously campy "His Last Summer," detailing one dude's final big wave with Brit-accented asides, has got to win an award for being one of rock's best fake-tragedy stories. However, the Barracudas were more accurately a sharp balance between the harder-edge of new wave power pop and a freewheeling, mid-'60s L.A. revivalism. Rather than peeling off Dick Dale or Ventures-style riffs, or even trying much for the Beach Boys' early sound, the foursome combined some surf-tinged work with the Byrds' ringing exuberance, Love's more frazzled early garage stomps, and the kind of punk collected on Nuggets. When it all works, it rises from mere tribute status to being its own groovy kick, often resembling a more specifically '60-fixated version of the Church. Everything is original on Drop Out, though sources of inspiration aren't far off at any turn, however reused and remade. "Codeine" has a more epic swoop and cautionary feel than the Sonics gave to "Strychnine," and "I Saw My Death in a Dream Last Night" isn't quite the Electric Prunes, but the same sort of not-quite-borrowing crops up song for song, and not too badly at that. Some songs, such as "I Can't Pretend" and "This Ain't My Time," have just enough of a crisp kick to remind you that they were recorded in 1980 rather than 15 years earlier. Generally speaking, though, one song title sums up the entire fun spirit of Drop Out: "I Wish It Could Be 1965 Again." [EMI's 2005 reissue of the album adds five B-sides (including one of the band's signature songs "Surfers Are Back!") and seven songs recorded in 1981 but never released.](allmusic.com)

Greatest Garage Pop band of all times? At least one of the best if it's possible to assess things like that. However they were a great band!
Enjoy
          Frank     Flac part1  &  Flac part2 -  mp3@320

L.A. Power Pop: Arlo - Stab the Unstoppable Hero (2002 Sub Pop) mp3@320

Combining the aesthetics of power pop, grunge, and hard rock, Los Angeles' Arlo has spawned a big album with big hooks, big harmonies, and an even bigger guitar attack that should endear them to the vast American teenage wasteland. Classic rock influences abound, especially when the band barely stops short of cobbling the all-too-familiar octave riff of the Knack's seminal new wave anthem "My Sharona" in "Runaround." Cuts such as "Culture," "Little American," and "Working Title" all explode with the most unflappable characteristics of modern rock radio currency, namely adolescent angst meshed with raging hormones and wandering spirits.

The odd time signature in title track underpins a tale of despair that belies the infectious singalong chorus. Stab the Unstoppable Hero is an enjoyable and youthful romp that proves the kids are all right after all.(allmusic.com)

Real fine guitar pop with a lot melody
Have fun
              Frank              mp3@320

Kaleidoscope (UK) - Dive Into Yesterday 1967 - 1969 (1996 Fontana) Flac & mp3

In 1996 the British Fontana label issued a best-of for the U.K. band Kaleidoscope with the appropriate title of Dive Into Yesterday, after the first track. It is a wonderful journey containing a 12-page booklet chock full of photographs, extensive liner notes, and 23 original recordings from 1967 to 1969, all evolving over the course of the disc. The music is dramatically different from the box released in 2000, The Fairfield Parlour Years, on the Burning Airlines/NMC label, and helps put this important ensemble's work into perspective.

"Flight From Ashiya," "Dive Into Yesterday," and "The Murder of Lewis Tollani" are among those culled from the album Tangerine Dream, while "Poem" and other titles come from the follow-up, Faintly Blowing. With the music made during sessions for both albums combined on this single disc, it's a generous helping of a band whose sound lives up to their name. "Snapdragon" oozes that fusion of folk music and psychedelic rock which probably had a great impact on the Move.

It certainly sounds like Chumbawamba borrowed heavily from this particular song for their 1997 hit "Tubthumping." The innovative "(Love Song) For Annie" also displays sounds that would work their way into influencing future records by other groups. These are the compositions of guitarist Eddie Pumer and vocalist Peter Daltrey (singer Daltrey also coordinated this reissue) performed with their comrades, bassist Steve Clark and drummer Dan Bridgman. Dick Leahy produced the music, which was digitally remastered by Roger Wake. Everything is in pretty much chronological order, starting with the title track, one of seven songs from 1967.

Three performances are from 1968 -- "A Dream for Julie," "Jenny Artichoke," and "Just How Much You Are" -- though they are tracked at eight, 16, and 17 inside the flow of the 13 songs from 1969. Track five, "(Further Reflections) In the Room of Percussion," is outstanding, and according to the liner notes it is a remix by Dick Leahy of "In the Room of Percussion" made for the B-side of the Dutch release of "Flight of Ashiya." Seventy-six and a half minutes is a generous helping of music on this release, music which goes through different moods and flavors, demanding repeated listening. As it may be the first introduction to the band for many, Phil Smee's liners could be a little more helpful and precise. He discusses the final single, "Balloon," but it is not included here or on The Fairfield Parlour Years.

Daltrey sounds a bit like Dylan on "The Feathered Tiger" -- Dylan surrounded by cosmic sounds, the music complex, creative, and always interesting. "Do It Again for Jeffrey," from the March 1969 sessions which produced the album Faintly Blowing, along with over six minutes of the song "Music," conclude the album with melody and innovation. The presentation is powerful and impressive, with period-piece color photos on the front and back of the booklet.(allmusic)

The british band Kaleidoscope was in my ears completely underrated.
Dive Into Yesterday is a real strong compilation and shows the band from their nearly best side.
5 'yellow sunshines' from 6 possible 'yellow sunshines' :-)

Enjoy it
             Frank   mp3 part1   &  mp3 part2       - Flac

Keith - The Adventures Of Keith 1969 (2008 RPM) Flac & mp3

"Alone on the Shore" opens the third album by Keith, the one name handle for James Barry Keefer. The shimmering pop that was created by Bobby Hebb producer Jerry Ross and arranger Joe Renzetti on the first two Mercury discs is replaced by original compositions and the arrangement of the meticulous Larry Fallon. Fallon is credited for arranging The Looking Glass hit "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl," however, he is the actual producer on that disc.

He is one of the industry's underrated talents, and he allows Keith's band of David Jiminez (guitar), Joe Coyle (ryhthm guitar), Dave Fiebert (bass), and Rick Fox (drums) to experiment in ways that are admirable. This LP plays more like latter day Donovan, another one-name pop maestro. "Alone on the Shore" and "Trixon's Election" are heady pop tunes, maybe too deep for Top 40 at the time. Even Buffalo Springfield knew enough to temper their politics with radio friendly music. The sounds here are an intriguing mixture of '60s garage rock with British pop, flavors of The Beatles, The Small Faces, Kaleidoscope UK, and other psychedelic rockers.

The production by Ted Daryll allows this group to stretch out. "Waiting to Be" is five minutes and thirty eight seconds of psychedelic jam. Keith wrote only one song on his second album, none on his first, so RCA Records showed some kind of faith in the artist allowing him to compose/co-write all ten titles on The Adventures of Keith. These are adventurous tunes, and worth listening to. It's a natural progression from the second album's Jimmy "Wiz" Wisner's (yes, the one and the same from Tommy James & the Shondells sessions), arrangement of the Spanky & Our Gang hit "Making Every Minute Count" to the short one minute and fifty six second "Melody," which begins like a track from one of the first two Keith albums, diving into the progressive nature of this recording, and back to the pop sensibilities of the first two LPs.

"The Problem," which is the last song on side one, was issued as a single with the excellent "Marstrand," the first track of side two. "Elea-Elea" is another five minute plus track, and one of the album's standouts. Great melody and all the indications that Keith should have been a major, major pop star. Where Donovan had Led Zeppelin performing on "Hurdy Gurdy Man" and the Jeff Beck Group behind him on "Goo Goo Barabajagal" helping churn out the hits, Keith and his band crafted an album perfect for FM radio, perhaps a bit ahead of its time for an artist known for covering the Hollies. But Keith's musical direction here is impressive and reiterates how clever his three Top 40 hits prior to this release really were.

Great british sixties psychedelic pop . In my opinion a little underrated.
I recommend Keith if you are in british pop/pop psychedelia of the sixties.

Have fun
               Frank    Flac p1  &  Flac p2       -  mp3@320

Jackie DeShannon - What the World Needs Now Is...The Definitive Collection (1994 EMI Remastered) Flac & mp3

Jackie DeShannon's work is actually too diverse to be satisfactorily captured on an anthology, even one that includes 28 tracks, as this one does. Still, considering how hard the one DeShannon anthology that might be better than this one is to find (the Australian import Pop Princess), this has to be cited as the recommended first purchase. Focusing on her output for Liberty between 1959 and 1970, it has all the essentials: her two Top Ten hits, the minor hits like "A Lifetime of Loneliness," and the original versions of "Needles and Pins" and "When You Walk in the Room," and a host of fine girl group, ballad, folk-rock, and singer/songwriter flop singles.

From the collector's viewpoint, the most interesting songs are the rarities. The six previously unreleased tracks include the exuberant "Breakaway," a hit for Irma Thomas; the rocker "Dream Boy," cut in 1964 in Britain with Jimmy Page on guitar; and a cover of Tim Hardin's "Reason to Believe." A couple of interesting rarities are "For Granted" (from the little-seen movie C'mon, Let's Live a Little) and the 45 version of "Splendor in the Grass," a somewhat sloppy folk-rock performance on which DeShannon was backed by the Byrds.(allmusic.com)

A fantastic collection, maybe the best till now.
Have fun
               Frank   mp3@320 P1 & mp3@320 P2            - Flac