The Honeycombs - All Systems Go 1965 (1990 Repertoire Records) Flac & mp3@320

Mostly renowned for their 1964 Top Five hit "Have I the Right," the Honeycombs in their hit-making years were pretty much a vehicle for producer Joe Meek and the songwriting-management team of Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley. The group was originally formed in Hackney during November of 1963 by guitarist Martin Murray. His day job was managing a hair salon, and when he formed the band, he brought along his assistant, Anne Margot Lantree, who was nicknamed "Honey" and used that on-stage -- she played drums, a true rarity among female musicians in those days, and, with her good looks, was a double attention-getter. Her brother John Lantree joined on bass, and Alan Ward played lead guitar. And for a lead vocalist, they had Dennis D'Ell (born Denis Dalziel). Their original name was the Sheratons (some sources list it as the Sherabons) -- something Murray remembered seeing on the side of a van -- and they got a three-times weekly gig at a pub called the Mild May Tavern, on Balls Pond Road in London's East End.
Visually, the group was highlighted by Lantree's presence at the drums, her good looks topped by a then-fashionable beehive hairdo. Rhythm guitarist and leader Murray also added to the appealing eccentricity of the band's look with his bespectacled presence -- to see him on the cover of their albums, one would think he was the group's accountant, but what made the picture even better was that he was a great player in his own right. At that time, their music consisted entirely of R&B and rock & roll standards interspersed with instrumentals.

They were lucky enough to be spotted at the Mild May Tavern by Alan Blaikley, then a BBC employee and one half of an aspiring songwriting team. Blaikley and his partner Ken Howard had written a song called "Have I the Right" that they were trying to get recorded by the right group. And he was most impressed with the Sheratons' sound, and by the size and enthusiasm of the teenage crowds that they drew. And it was soon after that producer Joe Meek entered the picture. A "mad genius" in the recording field, Meek already had a pair of major successes to his credit with "Tribute to Buddy Holly" by Mike Berry & the Outlaws, and the international hit "Telstar," by the Tornados -- he was always on the lookout for songwriters and for groups that could benefit from his expertise. The Sheratons auditioned for Meek and he liked both the group and the Blaikley/Howard song -- or, more properly, what he thought he could do with them. He found the Sheratons' sound something he could work with and shape his own way -- equally important, the bandmembers themselves were willing to play along with his sometimes wild and unorthodox recording techniques; they even added their collective footstomps to a key rhythm phrase on the finished version of "Have I the Right," recorded in multiple overdubs as the five members pounded their feet in unison on the staircase in the residential building where Meek kept his home studio. The record was released on the Pye label, but not before the quintet changed its name.
Sources differ as to whether it was Meek, Pye Records managing director Louis Benjamin, or the bandmembers who brought about the name change to the Honeycombs. But one consequence of the new name was to reinforce the attention paid to their most unusual visual asset, Honey Lantree at the drums. After an initial stall midway in the charts, the single was picked up by the renowned pirate station Radio Caroline, and "Have I the Right" reached number one in England (and also, subsequently, in Australia, South Africa, and Japan as well) and number four in America. With bee-sting guitar leads and D'Ell's wobbling vocals, which sounded like a Gene Pitney unable to hold notes, "Have I the Right" was a single that one either loved or hated, but couldn't forget. The relatively faceless group afforded Meek perhaps his fullest artistic expression in the studio; all the Honeycombs' singles and albums feature variable-speed vocals, ghostly organ, unpredictable runs, majestically thudding drums, and super-compressed sonics. A self-titled album, all but one of the songs written by Blaikley and Howard, followed in October of 1964, and in between the single and the LP's release there was a frantic ten months of international touring, television appearances, and shooting spots in jukebox movies, made more complicated when Murray broke his leg. And amid that flurry of work, the group managed a couple more minor American hits -- "Is It Because" and "I Can't Stop," the latter a killer little pop/rock number -- but their fortunes in their own country soon began to fade. "Is It Because" and their rendition of the Ray Davies-authored ballad "Something Better Beginning" barely made it into the Top 40, although the Honey Lantree-sung "That's the Way" reached number 12.

The Honeycombs weren't exactly one-hit wonders, though they never found anything to match "Have I the Right" in sheer impact on listeners and radio around the world. But as a result of that single, their debut album attracted enough interest to get released outside of England. The American version, identical except in title to its U.K. counterpart, was released in the United States by Vee-Jay Records -- which had scored big by licensing the Beatles' early singles in 1963 -- on its newly created Interphon imprint, and, in fact, was the only LP ever issued on that label. The group's sound was a strange combination of influences -- Ward's ringing, stinging lead guitar, paired with John Lantree's bass, Murray's driving rhythm guitar, and Honey Lantree's drumming (all displaying a larger-than-life sound) generating a thumping beat, combined to form a sonic texture strongly reminiscent of the Tornados, Meek's previous resident band. And placed behind D'Ell's weirdly quavering yet impassioned vocals, and all of that often ornamented with what sounded like an outsized roller-rink organ, the effect was sonically mesmerizing.
The Honeycombs' records all seemed to possess an almost manic emotional edge, even by the standards of the British Invasion. Between the outsized sound of the musicians and D'Ell's vocals, "Color Slide" and "Once You Know" seemed to embody the kind of passionate desperation that characterized many a teen crush, and each was a frantic, crisply metallic-sounding pop-symphony paean to romance as only the young seem to rush into and drown in it -- like Phil Spector in steel. The ballad "Without You It Is Night" treaded on Roy Orbison's quasi-operatic territory, while "That's the Way" -- offering Honey Lantree's singing -- gave a slightly more cheerful, upbeat outlook on romance. And all of it, with Meek's trademarked sound compression, hit the listener subliminally like a punch in the chest.

As rapidly as their success came, so the band began to fall apart after less than a year. Frustrated by their inability to repeat their debut success, Martin Murray quit the group he'd organized and led in November of 1964 and started a new band, the Lemmings, who managed to get out one single on Pye before disappearing. He then went solo with one 45 release to his credit. His replacement, Peter Pye, who'd previously sat in on the band's sessions during Murray's convalescence, joined as a permanent member in late 1964 and the group continued, cutting quite a few singles and two albums before Meek's death in early 1967 effectively finished the group as well. Their fortunes had faded long before that in England and America -- by 1965, rock & roll had moved past the sound that the Honeycombs were known for, but it was just then that their popularity soared in northern Europe, Germany, and, especially, Japan and the Far East. They toured to rousing audience response and their records were soon aimed at those markets as well. This shift coincided with Howard and Blaikley's decision to move Honey Lantree out from behind the drum kit and into center stage (Viv Prince of the Pretty Things stepped into the drummer's spot on-stage). It was a long time to their second album, All Systems Go, which didn't see the light of day until November of 1965; by that time, Blaikley was doing most of the songwriting solo and had only four compositions represented; and that same month, in Japan, an album called Honeycombs in Tokyo was issued.

All Systems Go included a cover of one Ray Davies' song, "Emptiness," which was apparently never recorded by anyone else. And Honeycombs in Tokyo featured several rarities, including the group's recordings of "I'll Go Crazy," "She's About a Mover," "Wipe Out," "Lucille," "Kansas City," "Goldfinger" and "What'd I Say," most of which seemed to represent their original stage act more accurately than the content of their two more widely circulated albums did. The group's fortunes declined considerably after 1965, however, and Howard and Blaikley -- who would later place songs with Lulu and Elvis Presley, amongst others -- by then had turned their attentions to a new discovery, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich, who were more in synch with the post-Merseybeat taste of the times. From 1966 onward, Honey Lantree and her brother, still comprising the rhythm section, were leading a version of the group called the "New Honeycombs," whose lineup included Rod Butler (lead guitar, vocals), Colin Boyd (vocals, guitar), and Eddie Spence (keyboards, vocals). and ended up playing the cabaret circuit, the last refuge of past-their-prime rock & roll acts. Meek's suicide in 1967 closed the door to chances of any further recording success, and they disbanded, though D'Ell released a pair of 45s for British CBS and Decca that same year. D'Ell (who passed away from cancer in 2005) later worked with bluesier, less pop-oriented bands, and also fronted several latter-day versions of the Honeycombs into the '90s, a time when Murray also resumed using the name (sometimes as "Martin Murray's Honeycombs") in cabaret settings. Murray eventually secured his rights to the name and reorganized a version of the Honeycombs in 2004, though later in the second half of the decade there was an ongoing dispute between him and several other interim members, who were using the name the "New Honeycombs.

Was Joe Meek overrated or was he an underrated genius? I think he was a music lover with some different ideas to produce records.
Have fun
              Frank     Flac p1 & Flac p2           mp3@320

Part Five! Various Artists - Decca Originals - The Beat Scene (1998 Decca Records) Flac & mp3

Here comes ''The Beat Scene'' from the Decca series ''Decca Originals - The Scene''. And like all volumes so far this one is wonderful, too. It's a good cross section of the Decca Beat artists at the time then. The whole series have 9 volumes as far as i know. I'm sorry i have only seven volumes,
because i wasn't real interested in ''The Blues Scene'' and ''The Rock'n'Roll Scene'' in the past. Maybe there is a kind soul who have the missing two volumes in lossless and would share them with us. If so, please send me an email and i will post it here. That would be very much appreciated.
Aaaawwwright... here comes ''The Beat Scene''!

Enjoy it,
            Frank    Flac p1 & Flac p2     -  mp3@320

Fourth and last part of the Rhino series: Various Artists - One Kiss Can Lead to Another: Girl Group Sounds Lost and Found Vol.4 (2005 Rhino) Flac & mp3@320

Hello Folks the weekend is near and i am hope for a relaxed one. The last week was rather stressful for me. All i need now is a slightly swingin' hammock, some cool drinks, sweet swet music and than close my eyes and dive into my fantasies. Here come some sweet sweet music by the nice Rhino series ''One Kiss Can Lead To Another''. It's the last volume of the four disc box.

If you have the first three discs this one won't disappoint you, too. 30 great tracks by fantastic female artists from the sixties. I also put the artwork in this post (except the booklet). Hope you will have fun,
cheers
          Frank    Flac p1 & Flac p2    -  mp3@320      Artwork all 4 discs   

All 4 Volumes

Sunshine/Psychedelic Pop: The Flower Pot Men - Let's Go To San Francisco 1967 (1993Repertoire ) Flac & mp3@320

This British group was an outgrowth of mid-'60s pop group the Ivy League. Songwriting partners John Carter and Ken Lewis wrote, produced and performed "Let's Go to San Francisco" and licensed it out to Deram, who had an international hit with it as the Summer of Love was just winding down. The pair released four more singles, including one under the moniker Friends. None were hits and the group dissolved in 1970. Though they were extremely derivative of the then-au courant West Coast sound (especially the post-surf Beach Boys), the group managed to come up with some worthwhile tracks that showed a talent for smooth pop in a variety of modes (folkish, progressive, psychedelic, etc.) albeit with little rock backbone.(allmusic)

Although in big parts Beach Boys clones they have made a lot of good psychedelic pop and i like their most stuff.
Enjoy
         Frank   Flac p1 & Flac p2  & Flac p3       mp3@320

The Attack - About Time! - The Definitive MOD POP Collection '67 - '68 ( 2006 RPM) Flac & mp3@320

The Attack (thanks to an ever growing legion of collectors dedicated to the vibrant sound of mid- to late-'60s Swinging London) have a far larger fan base now than they ever did during their existence. Indeed their unique brand of guitar-heavy, mod-rock qualifies them as one of the finest examples of (the over used term) freakbeat. Hence over the last 15 years there has been an abundance of vinyl bootlegs and inclusions on such psychedelic/freakbeat compilations as Rubble! The founders Richard Shirman (the only original member to stay with the group throughout all of the lineup changes) and Gerry Henderson were originally in a group called the Soul System, whom, for the best part of a year, had a very unstable lineup.

In early 1966, the remnants of the crumbling group were joined by Bob Hodges on organ, David John (not David John of David John & the Mood, but Davy O'List under alter ego) on guitar, and Alan Whitehead (on loan from Marmalade) on drums. They soon came to the attention of entrepreneur (gangster?) Don Arden, who then signed them to Decca and changed their name to the Attack. Their debut single released in January 1967 was an extremely anglicized cover of "Try It," an American hit for both the Standells and Ohio Express, whose versions were exemplar of the sneering garage sound. However, the Attack's powerful vocals, pop art guitar, and the underbelly of a warm Hammond created a similar atmosphere to the Small Faces (also managed by Don Arden), the Birds, and the Creation. Shortly after the single was released, Davy O'List was handpicked by Andrew Loog Oldham to join the Nice (who were to act as the backup group for newly acquired American Soul singer P.P. Arnold) and quit the group in late February. Meanwhile, Shirman, a regular visitor to the London clubs had been keeping a watchful eye on a young guitarist he had seen jamming with Jimmy Page. Shortly thereafter John Du Cann (mainstay, and songwriter) was introduced into the group. As a follow-up to "Try It," a version of "Hi-Ho Silver Lining" was then released, but Jeff Beck got the hit first in Britain in 1967.

The third 45, "Created By Clive"/"Colour of My Mind," backed a foppish sub-Kinks-style number with a fairly groovy mod-psych tune penned by DuCann. Kenny Harold (bass) and Geoff Richardson (guitar) left shortly after the disappointment of "Created By Clive," leaving John as the only guitarist. Jim Avery (who later went on to the revolutionary Third World War) was drafted in on bass, with Plug (whom later went on to Welsh acid rock outfit Man) still on drums. After yet even more disappointment surrounding the "Magic in the Air" single (Decca refused its release on the grounds of it being too heavy), Plug and Jim Avery left the ranks to be replaced by Roger Deane (bass) and Keith Hodge (drums). The final single, released in early 1968, was "Neville Thumbcatch," a fruity mod-pop tune with spoken narration, like a lesser counterpart to Cream's "Pressed Rat and Warthog." Decca's deal with the Attack expired after that single, with a projected fifth 45, "Freedom for You"/"Feel Like Flying," remaining unreleased. Both sides of that single, as well as seven Attack demos recorded around that time, are included on Angel Air's CD reissue of the rare 1968 album by the Five Day Week Straw People, a studio-only outfit that was led by DuCann.

There is also a compilation of the Attack's post-Decca sides entitled Final Dayze, featuring these tracks and more unreleased material (also on Angel Air). Before Decca (who wanted to keep the Attack as a pop act) parted with the group over the continued heavy nature of their newer material, the group had already entered the studio and begun work on the Roman Gods of War album. Both the artwork and a number of songs were completed, but unfortunately the label recorded over the tapes and lost the photos after they dropped the group. DuCann became the dominant creative force in the group prior to their 1968 breakup, and the likes of the unreleased "Mr. Pinnodmy's Dilemma" and "Strange House" showed the group developing a heavier rock sound, although still maintaining a sense of British mod-psych whimsy. DuCann would continue to explore a heavier direction with his subsequent group Andromeda, and joined Atomic Rooster in the '70s.

Great Mod band with a fine pop appeal and really good songs. DuCann kicked the band to a higher level in the times then. 5 Vespas out of possible 6 ! roaar roaaar.

Enjoy
         Frank      Flac p1 & Flac p2         mp3@320

Squeeze - Squeeze 1978 (1997 Remaster A&M) Flac & mp3

It's hard to envision a scenario more nightmarish than the one that faced Squeeze when they headed into the studio to record their first album. Armed with a promising debut EP called Packet of Three, Squeeze signed with A&M and teamed the group with underground star John Cale, who helmed debuts by the Stooges and the Modern Lovers and would seemingly be a good fit as a producer (not to mention that the band took its name from Squeeze, the final album by Cale's Velvet Underground, albeit an album recorded long after he and Lou Reed had both left the band). He was anything but. Cale terrorized Squeeze, throwing out all of their existing material and insisting that they write new music on the spot, preferably songs that followed his half-baked idea of positioning the group as a bunch of "Gay Guys," after his suggested title for the album.

Despite the bodybuilder on the cover -- the one who presumably represents the bodybuilder on "Strong in Reason" -- and a very healthy dose of sex in the lyrics, Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook didn't steer the band in that direction, but did push Squeeze to a tense, chaotic sound that brought them closer to punk than perhaps they actually were. Often, it's hard not to read that coiled nervous energy as a reaction to the impossible situation they were trapped within -- sometimes, this was to their benefit, as it gives "Sex Master" some true menace and invigorates the Motown bass bounce of "Remember What," but it also results in the band knocking out atonal, assaultive jumbles like "The Call" and the self-consciously strange instrumental "Wild Sewerage Tickles Brazil," both seemingly written to impress John Cale. They may have impressed Cale, but not A&M, who opted to add two Squeeze-produced tracks to the final album: the frenetic "Bang Bang" and "Take Me I'm Yours." Tellingly, these were the two songs here that truly hinted in the tight, sharp, and tuneful direction that they would soon follow and, not so coincidentally, they were the two singles pulled from the record.(Mr Erlewine, allmusic)

I don't shed a word about the review. On the album there are a lot things the band later used on many songs and albums. And in 1978 this was one of the better so called New Wave albums. And this is by far not their best album as we know, it is their first. Probably here were ten top 5 pop hits too little on the album for some people. Try it yourself

Enjoy Frank     Flac p1 & Flac p2    -   mp3@320

Various Artists - One Kiss Can Lead to Another: Girl Group Sounds Lost and Found Vol.3 (2005 Rhino) Flac & mp3@320

The third part of the wonderful Rhino series with 30 further titles of great songs performed by female artists of the sixties.

Enjoy!
          Frank        Flac p1 & Flac p2         mp3@320

Part Four! Various Artists - Decca Originals - The Freakbeat Scene (1998 Decca Records) Flac & mp3

Good Morning, Good Day or Good Evening Folks, you will not believe it but it's true. Here in the ''wild west'' :-) of Germany we have today 35 degrees Celsius in the shade. Every move is hard work, lol.

Okay all you music lovers here is part four of the Decca ''The Scene'' series. It is the Freakbeat volume. Like from all of the seven volumes i know from this series this one is also a very fine collection. I hope you will enjoy it and if your neighbours are dancers why not turn the volume to 10... ;-)

Have fun
              Frank       Flac p1 & Flac p2        mp3@320

Psychedelic Pop classic album by Paul Parrish - The Forest Of My Mind 1968 ( 2014 Now Sounds) Flac & mp3

Paul Parrish's debut is a bright, excellently produced LP filled with remarkable sunshine-dipped folk-pop songs along the lines of Donovan. Replete with flute, strings, and slight psychedelic effects, the album gets by on the strength of Parrish's songs, especially tracks like "English Sparrows," "Suzanne," and "Flowers in the Park."

Each track is ripe with rainbow-colored imagery and the requisite amount of forest/meadow scenarios. You'd want to dismiss it as merely kitsch if Parrish's vocals weren't so sweet and persuasive -- in the end, you're singing along and holding hands with whoever might be near.

Even the covers of the Beatles' "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" and the Holland-Dozier-Holland classic "I Can't Help Myself" fail to disappoint, and instead help put the album further into a detached yet pleasant, love-struck, and extremely wide-eyed version of psychedelic sunshine pop.(allmusic)

This is a fantastic album of psychedelic pop with soul and really great sounds.
Don't miss it and take a trip over the rainbow bridge  :-)
Enjoy
         Frank   Flac p1  &  Flac p2      mp3@320

Blackfoot Sue - Strangers 1977 (1995 Repertoire) Flac & mp3

Blackfoot Sue's album Strangers is the strongest of her three efforts. The album wasn't released in 1974 because of no success. Only a few singles were released till 1975. In 1977 the band call it quits.
It's a pity that the album wasn't released in 1974.

Enjoy
         Frank       Flac p1  & Flac p2       mp3@320

Blackfoot Sue - Nothing To Hide 1973 (1995 Repertoire) Flac & mp3

Blackfoot Sue was a British pop/rock group of the 1970s whose members were Tom Farmer (b.1952 03 02, Birmingham, England) (bass, keyboards, vocals), his twin brother Dave Farmer (b.1952 03 02, Birmingham, England) (drums), Eddie Galga (b.1951 09 04, Birmingham, England) (guitar, keyboards), and Alan Jones (b.1950 01 05, Birmingham, England) (guitar, vocals). Their "Standing in the Road" was a U.K. Top Ten hit in 1972, but they were written off as a teen sensation and broke up in 1977.( allmusic.com)

Blackfoot Sue have done some very fine songs in their career and i think the band was completely misunderstood by the critics. I will post ''Strangers'' later or tomorrow, too.

Enjoy
         Frank             Flac p1 & Flac p2     mp3@320

 

Pop Legends Mariani & Easter: DM3 - Dig It The Most (1997 Bomp Records) Flac & mp3@320

Mitch Easter produced most of the 20 tracks assembled for this release, which mines the currents of classic power-pop with its tightly constructed, harmony-heavy songs. The mood is perennially upbeat, with occasional imaginative folk-rock or psychedelic twists. It doesn't break new ground, but power-pop is itself such a self-consciously classicist form that it might be unreasonable to expect anything more of a 1990s band devoted to the style. It's energetically, confidently performed, and bound to please Yellow Pills subscribers, which for acts such as these is probably reward enough(allmusic)

Power Pop Legends Dom Mariani and Mitch Easter worked together in 1997. The result is '' Dig It The Most'', an classical Dom Mariani effort. The straight forward rockers and poppers shows Mariani and band in best shape. In songs like ''Something heavy'' or ''Fair Weather Friend'' the influence of Easter is good to hear.
Here are a lot of songs who are really great. Sometimes i thought in the past it was a matter of course for the audition that Mariani did strong albums. I am not sure if the work from Mariani is really appreciated by the audition  how he and his work it have deserved. Howoever, this is a very fine work and i highly recommend it.

Cheers
           Frank       Flac p1 & Flac p2 & Flac p3    -  mp3@320