''The Voice'' Scott Walker - Scott 4 (1969) (1992 Fontana) Flac & mp3

Walker dropped out of the British Top Ten with his fourth album, but the result was probably his finest '60s LP. While the tension between the bloated production and his introspective, ambitious lyrics remains, much of the over-the-top bombast of the orchestral arrangements has been reined in, leaving a relatively stripped-down approach that complements his songs rather than smothering them.

This is the first Walker album to feature entirely original material, and his songwriting is more lucid and cutting. Several of the tracks stand among his finest. "The Seventh Seal," based upon the classic film by Ingmar Bergman, features remarkably ambitious (and relatively successful) lyrics set against a haunting Ennio Morricone-style arrangement.

"The Old Man's Back Again" also echoes Morricone, and tackles no less ambitious a lyrical palette; "dedicated to the neo-Stalinist regime," the "old man" of this song was supposedly Josef Stalin. "Hero of the War" is also one of Walker's better vignettes, serenading his war hero with a cryptic mix of tribute and irony. Other songs show engaging folk, country, and soul influences that were largely buried on his previous solo albums.

Scott Walkers best album in the sixties and in my opinion by all of his efforts.

Enjoy
         Frank




                              Flac p1  &  Flac p2          -  mp3@320

Sandie Shaw - Reviewing the Situation 1969 (2004 EMI)

On her last album of the '60s, Shaw proved that she was hipper than a lot of people would have suspected. Moving away from the usual light pop and MOR, she chose a set of covers heavy on material by the likes of Bob Dylan, the Lovin' Spoonful, the Rolling Stones ("Sympathy for the Devil"!), Led Zeppelin's "Your Time Is Gonna Come" (double exclamation point!), Donovan, Dr. John, and the Bee Gees.

Which doesn't mean it's a great album. It's thoughtfully arranged and energetically delivered, but Shaw's slight, wispy voice is as ill-suited for some of the material as a nun is for the mosh pit. Hearing her attempt even the slightest hint of funky menace, as on "Sympathy for the Devil" and Dr. John's "Mama Roux," is apt to induce snickers, however heartfelt the endeavor might have been. On the other hand, there's a nifty, slinky, jazzy cover of the Beatles' "Love Me Do," and her version of the Spoonful's "Coconut Grove" is also good. [The 2004 CD reissue on EMI adds two bonus tracks: a cover of Paul McCartney's "Junk"" and "Frank Mills" from Hair.](allmusic.com

)

Sandy Shaw, british star of the sixties and early seventies.had her biggest hit with ''Puppet on a string''. This album here is quite different.

Enjoy
         Frank      Flac p1  & Flac p2        - mp3@320

Paul Williams - Songs for the Family of Man: A Collection 1969-1979

Paul Williams was one of the biggest stars of the '70s, the kind of celebrity who was famous for being famous, as so many guest hosts of The Muppet Show were, and he authored such standards as "An Old Fashioned Love Song," "We've Only Just Begun," and "Rainy Days and Mondays." This would seem to be a substantial résumé, surely enough to warrant at least one comprehensive compilation of his solo recordings, but Williams has never had such a collection until Raven's 2006 set Songs for the Family of Man: A Collection 1969-1979.

Easily the best Williams collection yet assembled - largely because it's the only one of its nature - this chronicles the decade where Paul Williams was a large presence in pop, either as a songwriter or a musician himself, all through his own recordings. This means that it has versions of "An Old Fashioned Love Song," "We've Only Just Begun," and "Rainy Days" cut after the hit versions by Three Dog Night and the Carpenters, but that doesn't diminish the effect of this compilation, which begins with a cut from his time as the leader of the Holy Mackerel in 1969 and ends with a trio of tracks from his 1979 album A Little on the Windy Side. In context here, they help illuminate his considerable melodic skills, which are certainly soft and commercial, yet are some of the strongest commercial soft pop of the early '70s.

As the decade rolled on, Williams began to emphasize softness over pop, which makes some of the music toward the end of this collection a little too schmaltzy, but that only means that this traces the arc of his career accurately. Besides, it doesn't linger too long on the schmaltz: the bulk of this collection, the first 18 tracks, were cut before 1975, when he balanced his knack for soft, sweet pop with imaginative productions, such as the light, rolling "Out in the Country" or the fuzztoned guitars that drive "The Family of Man."

If this doesn't quite establish Paul Williams as a '70s maverick, it does something almost as good: it makes a case for his considerable talents as a commercial songsmith and record maker. Cut for cut, his 1970 solo debut Someday Man is a better record, but that lacks the big hits and is too sunbaked and post-hippie to be a true document of the '70s. This, in contrast, is, which makes Songs for the Family of Man the introductory overview that Paul Williams has long needed.(allmusic.com)

There is nothing more to say about this man except maybe this: The true king of pop in the seventies was Paul Williams.
Enjoy
          Frank       Flac p1   & Flac p2  &  Flac p3         - mp3@320

Lesley Gore - My Town My Guy And Me 1965 Flac & mp3

Lesley Gore's fifth album (not counting her first greatest-hits collection) was her last fairly strong non-greatest-hits LP, and the last to feature a reasonable standard of material. Only the title cut was a significant hit, and not a huge one at that (stalling outside of the Top 30). As usual, there were a number of goodies for fans inclined to dig beyond the 45s of this very singles-oriented artist. "Before and After" was a nice Van McCoy ballad that had already been a big hit for Chad & Jeremy, and several numbers had a nice Phil Spector-like production with somewhat more pop-oriented material and vocals than Spector favored, like "What's a Girl Supposed to Do?," "I Cannot Hope for Anyone" (previously done in French by Françoise Hardy as "Je N'Attends Plus Personne"), and "Baby That's Me."

The Spector-esque touches on the final two songs are unsurprising given the production by frequent Spector associate Jack Nitzsche, who really pulled out all the son-of-Spector stops for "What Am I Gonna Do With You," which sounds like a Ronettes or Crystals track with Gore vocals. Everything else is outclassed by the deviously playful "You Didn't Look Around," which has catchy hooks and an assertively melodramatic vocal on par with Gore's best hits. Her vocal performance on that song and some others, too, indicated that she really was making some strides as a singer into more mature and full phrasing, though she faltered as always when she went into straight adult pop (on "The Things We Did Last Summer").

This is actually a fairly good album in sum, and not all of the good songs show up on It's My Party: The Mercury Anthology (though they're all on the It's My Party! box set on Bear Family), making it a desirable acquisition for Gore fans.(allmusic.com)

Certainly not her strongest effort but nevertheless some goodies here and if you like Lesley this will be no question for you.
Enjoy it
             Frank         Flac      -    mp3@320

Sixties Psychedelic Pop: The Appletree Theatre - Playback 1968 (2009 remastered, Rev-Ola) Flac & mp3

Appletree Theatre was the group name of brothers John and Terry Boylan, starting in 1968. They made one album, Playback, which attracted cult attention, after which John became a producer of, among other people, the Eagles, and Terry became a solo artist under the name Terence Boylan.

Playback is divided into three acts, an overture, and an epilogue, with the full-length songs linked by dialogue and snatches of music, sometimes given distorted sonic treatment. That's a style that became trendy during the Sgt. Pepper era, but really wasn't strictly necessary for a set such as this, which in the main consists of fairly conventional songs mixing folk-rock, pop/rock, light psychedelia, and orchestrated sunshine pop. The music is pleasant and fitfully unusual, with the Beach Boys-ish psych-lite of "Hightower Square" recalling the better moments of Sagittarius.

There are also lilting, folky, pensive tunes like "Saturday Morning" and "I Wonder If Louise Is Home" that would probably find favor with fans of mildly adventurous 1960s pop/rockers like Emitt Rhodes. Obviously the interludes and jarring bits of country-pop and soul-rock were intended as components of a quasi-psychedelic mosaic. But they often end up distracting from the group's forte, which is nice, dreamy, bittersweet psychedelic-tinged folk/rock/pop, as heard on the closing "What a Way to Go." (allmusic.com)

A really good album of psychedelic pop.
Recommendable,
                          Frank    Flac p1  &  Flac p2          -  mp3@320

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