Luke Haines - Off My Rocker At The Art School Bop 2006 Flac & mp3@320

One of the sharpest and most prolific British songwriters of his generation, Luke Haines -- who began modestly enough in a string of obscure '80s bands, including the Servants -- helmed the glam noir of the Auteurs, the broken funk of Baader Meinhof, and the (mostly) downbeat pop of Black Box Recorder, in addition to releasing material under his own name. During the last seven years of the '90s, Haines issued six albums that ranged from fine to spectacular, from the Mercury Prize-nominated New Wave (1993) to the sleek, bleak How I Learned to Love the Bootboys (1999). After the release of Black Box Recorder's second album, 2000's The Facts of Life (the title track hit the upper reaches of the U.K. singles chart), Haines issued his first true recordings.

Christie Malry's Own Double Entry and The Oliver Twist Manifesto were released within a couple months of each other in mid-2001 -- the former a soundtrack to the darkly comic film of the same name, and the latter a surprisingly effective fusion of Haines' typically snide and downcast melodies over springy hip-hop-oriented production. (The week the disc was released, Haines called for a weeklong National Pop Strike, a period in which any musician could turn in his or her wares and receive amnesty for any and all "crimes" committed against pop.) Two years later, Haines sidestepped a typical best-of release with Das Capital, a set of Auteurs material recorded with orchestral backing. Luke Haines Is Dead (2005), however, summarized Haines' career to that point across a wide span of three CDs containing highlights, B-sides, and radio sessions.

Haines' second proper solo album, Off My Rocker at the Art School Bop, came in 2006. A year later, he published Bad Vibes: Britpop and My Part in Its Downfall, a book that rankled former colleagues (he referred to Auteurs member James Banbury only as "the cellist") and longtime enemies alike. In 2012, Haines released the typically idiosyncratic (and self-explanatory) Nine and a Half Psychedelic Meditations on British Wresting of the 1970s and Early '80s and the career overview Outsider/In: The Collection, followed in 2013 by the conceptual adult fairy tale Rock and Roll Animals and, a year later, by New York in the 70's, another ambitious concept album. In the summer of 2014, he collaborated on a theatrical piece with artist Scott King called Adventures in Dementia: A Micro Opera, whose story centered around a Mark E. Smith (lead singer of the Fall) impersonator's caravan holiday. The brief six-song soundtrack was released in January 2015, with the electronics-driven new conceptual full-length British Nuclear Bunkers arriving that October. His sixth album in seven years, 2016's Smash the System, saw Haines ditching the conceptual architecture of past outings in favor of a more singles-oriented, though no less idiosyncratic, set of new material.(allmusic)

This guy always do interesting and astonishing things and that's what i like in his work.
Enjoy the album, very fine tracks here
                       
                             SB1     Flac p1 & Flac p2        mp3@320

DELETED-DELETED-DELETED-DELETED-DELETED-DELETED-DELETED-DELETED-DELETED-DELETED-DELETED-DELETED-

Hello Folks, a filehoster where i am a customer deleted this week two files from my account. I got a note ''Due to a complaint the files are deleted''. Until today if there was a problem with any posts the artists or the rightholder sended me a mail and i deleted immediately the posts. Everything okay. This is the first time somebody don't talk to me directly but give a complaint to the hoster anonym. I know things like this happen everyday but i ask myself amongst other things: Who was the person or company and, more interesting: Was the reason really a violation of copyrights in any kind or maybe there are other reasons?
I will see how this go on...

Kind regards to all who like what i am doing here...
                                                                                   Frank/SB1

Vanity Fare - The Sun The Wind And Other Things 1968-70 (1991 Repertoire) Flac & mp3@320

Best remembered in the U.S. for the classic "Hitchin' a Ride," harmony pop ensemble Vanity Fare formed in Kent, England in 1968. Comprising vocalist Trevor Brice, guitarist Tony Goulden, bassist Tony Jarrett, and drummer Dick Allix, the group originally dubbed themselves the Avengers; soon local entrepreneur Roger Easterby signed on as manager, orchestrating a contract with the Page One label and instructing the group to cover the Sunrays' "I Live for the Sun" for their debut single. With their sophisticated harmonies and clean-cut image, the Avengers needed a suitably genteel name, remixing the title of William Makepeace Thackeray's most famous novel to create Vanity Fare; "I Live for the Sun" cracked the U.K. Top 20 in the summer of 1968, although it would take the group a year to return to the charts, with "Early in the Morning" reaching the Top Ten on both sides of the Atlantic. Around this time, Vanity Fare jettisoned its tailored suits for neckerchiefs and fashions direct from Carnaby Street; more importantly, they also added keyboardist Barry Landeman,

previously a member of Kippington Lodge, alongside Nick Lowe and Brinsley Schwartz; Landeman would prove the dominant instrumental element in the group's biggest hit, 1969's infectious "Hitchin' a Ride," which sold over a million copies in the U.S. alone. A North American tour was met with little interest, however, and soon after Vanity Fare returned to Britain. Goulden quit, quickly followed by Allix; Candy Choir guitarist Eddie Wheeler and Canterbury Tales' drummer Mark Ellen signed on as their replacements. The new lineup scored a minor hit with 1972's ballad "Better by Far," and concentrated on touring the cabaret circuit, performing as many as 14 dates a week; the grind ultimately forced Jarrett to resign, with former Tranquility bassist Bernard Hagley signing on for "I'm in Love With the World," Vanity Fare's first single for new label Phillips.

In the wake of 1974's "Fast Running Out of World" their recording career screeched to a halt, but the group continued touring, including several passes through Scandinavia. During one trek to Denmark, Brice fell in love and quit the group, with singer Phil Kitto taking his place. Kitto also exited a few years later, with vocalist Kevin Thompson installed as frontman by the time Vanity Fare
recorded 1986's "Dreamer," its first single in over a decade. With 1993's "Rain," their recording career again went into mothballs, but the band continues touring, with singer Steve Oakman replacing Thompson in early 2002. (allmusic)

What i like here on this guys they had very different and good songs in my opinion. Carolina's Comin' Home in my opinion was a top pop song like many others here on the compilation.
Have fun
               SB1      Flac p1 & Flac p2 & Flac p3     -  mp3@320

Great Pop/Sunshine Pop by The Peppermint Rainbow - Will You Be Staying After Sunday 1969 (Rev-Ola 2008) mp3@320

Baltimore's the Peppermint Rainbow got their big break when Cass Elliot of the Mamas & the Papas caught their act at a club in Georgetown, VA, and was impressed enough to help them land a record contract and a management deal. The happy irony is that on their first and only album, Will You Be Staying After Sunday, the Peppermint Rainbow sound much less like the Mamas & the Papas than their rivals on the charts Spanky & Our Gang, right down to their fondness for songs about the first day of the week, and singer Bonnie Lamdin was a dead ringer for Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane. Paul Leka, the producer responsible for the Lemon Pipers' "Green Tambourine," was the man behind the controls for the Peppermint Rainbow's recordings, and his talent for top-shelf sunshine pop with just a hint of psychedelia is very much in evidence here; the group's two hit singles, "Will You Be Staying After Sunday" and "Don't Wake Me Up in the Morning, Michael," boast splendid harmonies and rich, dynamic arrangements that buoy the arrangements with strings, horns, and well-punctuated drumming. Those two songs are the best things on the album, but the rest of the tracks are more than just filler (except for a curious cover of "Green Tambourine" in which Leka appears to have recycled the backing track from the Lemon Pipers' original version). "Pink Lemonade" was the group's first single and should have enjoyed the same success as its siblings, the French-accented "Jamais" has a string arrangement the Left Banke would have been proud of, "Rosemary" features a curious "Asian"-flavored arrangement that melds well with the harmonies, and "Sierra (Chasin' My Dream)" is a welcome detour into folk-rock. Will You Be Staying After Sunday is a pleasant surprise, a solid and thoroughly enjoyable album from an all but forgotten band, and it suggests the Peppermint Rainbow might have had a few more hits in them if they'd lasted long enough to cut a second LP.(allmusic.com)

The Peppermint Rainbow were a project of real great talent and one of the finest bands at their time in this kind of music. What happened? There were a lot of lesser talented bands with big pop careers in that time. Whatever, enjoy this very fine album (only mp3, sorry) of sixties sunshine pop.

Cheers
           SB1         mp3@320

Various Artists - Nuggets - Original Artyfacts From The First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968 (Disc1 original released in 1972 Elektra / Box 1998 Rhino Records) Flac & mp3

If one had to point to a single initial salvo that launched the garage rock revival movement in the 1970s and ‘80s, it would have to be the release of Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968 in 1972. Elektra Records had approached rock critic Lenny Kaye (not yet the guitarist with the Patti Smith Group) with the notion of compiling an album of great, overlooked rock tunes, but what Kaye came up with was something significantly different -- an overview of the great, wild era when American bands, goaded by the British Invasion, began honing in on a tougher and more eclectic rock & roll sound, and kids were reawakened to the possibilities of two guitars, bass, and drums. Coming up with a simple definition of this period and its sound proved daunting -- the word "garage" appears nowhere in the liner notes to Nuggets, and his notion of "the first psychedelic era" quickly fell by the wayside -- but the frequent bursts of fuzztone, Farfisa organ, and vocal sneering in the 27 tunes Kaye selected codified a musical approach that flourished in the mid-'60s,

and at a time when rock was becoming more self-consciously serious and arty, the primal power and sheer sense of fun audible in this music seemed like a minor revelation that became a clarion call to musicians, fans, and music scribes around the world. Nuggets proved to be of seismic importance in the years after its release, but just as importantly, it's a blast to listen to; Kaye's sequencing gives the album the joyous flow of a great afternoon of AM radio, and the album blends hits both big ("Pushin' Too Hard" by the Seeds, "Psychotic Reaction" by Count Five) and small ("You're Gonna Miss Me" by the 13th Floor Elevators, "Hey Joe" by the Leaves) with high-quality obscurities ("Don't Look Back" by the Remains, "It's A-Happening" by the Magic Mushrooms) and early efforts by future stars (Leslie West in the Vagrants, Todd Rundgren in Nazz, Ted Nugent in the Amboy Dukes).

And while many of the garage compilations that would follow would focus relentlessly on the obscure and the noisy, Kaye's set not only demonstrates that some of this stuff actually made the charts, but that there was as much great pop as snotty proto-punk pouring out of America's rec rooms back in the day. And Kaye's liner notes were nearly as important as the music in defining the importance of this music and its era.

Very few "oldies" compilations have had an influence approaching that of Nuggets, and even fewer are as rewarding to listen to; if you care about rock music in the '60s, you need to own this album. [In 1998, Nuggets would be expanded into a superb four-disc box set, but the original two-LP set remains available as a standalone CD release.](allmusic.com)

Great box set by Rhino. There is nothing more to say...

Have fun
              SB1     mp3 p1 & mp3 p2  & mp3 p3 & mp3 p4 & mp3 p5      -   Flac part 1&2   &  Flac part 3&4 & Artwork

                                  

p.s.: Complete artwork inside.

Psychedelic Pop from the 60's...Nuggets II - (Original Artyfacts From the British Empire & Beyond 1964-1969) (2001 Rhino Records 4 CD Box Set Remastered) Flac& mp3

Nuggets, Lenny Kaye's original 1972 compilation of garage and psych, loomed large in the record collectors consciousness, canonizing a portion of rock that was originally laughed off while setting the standard for reissues. Rhino's 1998 box set of the same name expanded the scope of that record, replicating most of the original while gloriously spilling forth over three additional discs -- and, in doing so, it spurred a minor revolution, becoming one of the most talked-about reissues of the last half of the '90s.

Rhino knew there was an audience thirsting for a sequel, and they gave them one in 2001, but they didn't take the easy way out. Instead of offering another round of American garage rockers, they decided to take the road less traveled, compiling four discs of hidden treasures from non-American garage and psych bands. Most of these cuts are from British bands,

but there are also selections from a pre-fame Guess Who, the New Zealand act the Smoke, the Brazilian psychedelia of Os Mutantes, the exceptional Merseybeat stylings of Uruguay's Los Shakers, and the extraordinary Peruvian combo We All Together, among other non-Brit acts. It's a brilliant, even necessary, move, since most of these bands and songs have been only heard only by the most dedicated collectors -- the kind that are willing to risk money based on just hearing a band mentioned, not to hear the group themselves.

Let's face it -- apart from the Status Quo's "Pictures of Matchstick Men," the Small Faces' "Here Comes the Nice," and the Pretty Things' "Rosalyn," the most familiar song here is the opener, the Creation's "Making Time," simply because it provided the indelible soundtrack to Max Fischer's yearbook in Rushmore.

That's four songs out of 109 -- a ratio that should simply entice most die-hard rockers and record collectors, especially since the familiar names (the Move, Them, the Easybeats, the Troggs) are represented by songs that aren't heard all that often. So, the big question is, does Nuggets, Vol. 2 deliver and is it worth spending the money for 100-plus songs you've never heard before? Well, if you're even slightly interested in this, the answer is yes.

That doesn't mean this isn't without its faults -- like any garage rock, if it's listened to in once concentrated burst, it becomes a little samey, which is also a by-product of its biggest flaw, namely how the compilers favor songs that sound like American garage and downplaying the delirious, precious frutiness of British psych. Still, that's a minor complaint, because the simple fact of the matter is this -- there's no better way to fall in love with this music, not just because it does its job so well, it just simply doesn't have any peers. Furthermore, a lot of this stuff is pretty hard to come by (personally, I spent about 150 dollars on a complete Idle Race collection, and it's much better to get their two best songs here). Also, much of the bands here are best heard in this context, since they have a song, maybe three, that were stunners -- and all of these stunners in one place is stunning.(allmusic.com)

Fantastic collection of 60's british pop sound (just a few exceptions). I have put the complete artwork (with book!!!) inside.
If you don't have it yet give it a try. You will like it.
Have fun
              SB1                                       mp3 p1
Flac Part 1&2                                     mp3 p2
Flac Part 3&4 & Artwork                  mp3 p3
                                                           mp3 p4
                                                           mp3 p5

Part Seven! Various Artists - Decca Originals - The Girls' Scene (1999 Decca Records) Flac & mp3

Seventh part of the Decca series ''Decca Originals''. This part is called ''The Girls' Scene'' and Decca had released it in 1999. Like all the volumes of the series this release is also a very fine collection. Hope you will enjoy it. The only fly in the ointment is that i don't have the last two releases ''The Blues Scene'' and ''The Rock'n'Roll Scene''.

Note: You can find the two missing volumes ''Rock'n'Roll Scene'' & ''The Blues Scene'' in the comments. Reader BigGray was so kind to post the links. And here is the artwork for both.

Nevertheless a lot of fun,
Greetings
                SB1         Flac p1& Flac p2           mp3@320 p1  - mp3@320

Missing track 21 added to ''Part Six! Various Artists - Decca Originals - The R&B Scene (1998 Decca Records)''

Hello Folks. If you are someone who downloaded the sixth part of the Decca Originals, The R&B Scene please go back to the post and download the missing 'Track 21 The Plebs - Babe I'm Gonna Leave You'. I added the links in the post.
Cheers 
           SB1

British Pop Psychedelia by Ruperts People - The Magic World Of Rupert's People 1969 (2001 Circle Records) Flac & mp3@320

You'd think compilers would be hard-pressed to squeeze an entire reissue CD out of an obscure non-hit '60s band that had only three singles. This compilation does an admirable job of fleshing out the Rupert's People story to album-length size, though, including both sides of all three U.K. 45s released under the band's name; both sides of the 1967 single by Sweet Feeling, who would evolve into the most significant iteration of Rupert's People; an unreleased late-'60s acetate; three live cuts from 1969; and four live songs from a 1999 reunion gig. It all comes with a teeny-print 16-page booklet detailing the extremely confusing history of the band, which on its most famous single ("Reflections of Charles Brown"/"Hold On") had an entirely different lineup than the one that played on its other releases.

Rupert's People were a second-level British "freakbeat" band, that is, combining psychedelia with British Invasion-styled mod pop. But they were a decent one, approximating a Procol Harum-type sound with "Reflections of Charles Brown," storming soul-psychedelia on "Hold On," and fairy tale psychedelia on "A Prologue to a Magic World" that managed to be charmingly twee instead of embarrassingly twee. The big discovery is the B-side of the Sweet Feeling single, "Charles Brown," which has some lyrical and musical ideas that were reconfigured for the far more famed "Reflections of Charles Brown."

"Charles Brown," however, was quite different in its downright ominous, spooky vibe, spotlighting some of the most creative use of backwards effects to be heard in rock up to that point. The 1969 live cuts (including an unmemorable cover of the Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want") boast a heavier rock sound and aren't too good either musically or fidelity-wise, though "Reflecting" has a neat extended jazzy keyboard-dominated section reminiscent of early Soft Machine. The four 1999 reunion cuts are dispensable, but as they're placed at the end of the CD, they can easily be ignored.(Richie Unterberger)

Fine effort of a not well known british sixties pop/psychedelic/mod band. I am glad that some people have done the work that made possible this CD. Otherwise bands like this and the music they've played would get lost in time. Thanks to this people and to the band for the great music.

Have fun
                Frank     Flac p1  & Flac p2  & Flac p3    -  mp3@320

The Hoodoo Gurus - Magnum Cum Louder ( Vinyl 1989 RCA Records) Flac & mp3@320

1987's Blow Your Cool! found the Hoodoo Gurus adding a considerable amount of polish to their production and toning down their trademark humor in a bid for a wider audience. But in the United States, it didn't pay off; Blow Your Cool! opened few new doors for the Gurus, and they were dropped by Elektra Records. Thankfully, 1989's Magnum Cum Louder found them newly contracted to RCA Records and sounding like their loyal fans loved them to sound -- loud, hooky, and rockin' out with a smile on their collective face. The album's opener, "Come Anytime," was the Gurus' most irresistible pop song since "Bittersweet," and "Another World," "All the Way," and "Baby Can Dance (Pts. II-IV)" proved they hadn't used up all their good hooks in one place. Meanwhile, those wanting something stronger got their fix with a handful of top-shelf rockers, most notably "Axegrinder," "Glamourpuss," "I Don't Know Anything," and "Death in the Afternoon." The high wackiness of Hoodoo Gurus classics like "Hayride to Hell" and "Dig It Up" is still missing from Magnum Cum Louder, but the overall tone is much more relaxed than Blow Your Cool!; Dave Faulkner seems to be having a fun with the songs here, especially the mock-pompous "Axegrinder," the smirking "Glamourpuss," and the baseball saga/music biz metaphor "Where's That Hit." The Hoodoo Gurus also went back to producing themselves, and the audio is full but uncluttered, with a roomy, natural sounding mix that flatters Brad Shepherd's guitars and Mark Kingsmill's drums more than the slicker, sterile sound of Blow Your Cool! Magnum Cum Louder proved that the Hoodoo Gurus knew better than anyone how to make a great Hoodoo Gurus album, and it marked a welcome return to form for the band.(allmusic)

Fantastic band!
Enjoy
         SB1       Flac p1 & Flac p2         mp3@320

Finest Pop Music By Power Popsters Cotton Mather! The Big Picture 2001 (Houston Party Records) Flac & mp3@320

Hello Folks, i'm sorry but i had problems with my internet connection  :-( . I hope it will be stable now.
Here we have a very fine effort by american power pop band Cotton Mather. The album is from year 2001, four years after Kon Tiki. This is no second Kon Tiki and Robert Harrison don't wanted to do that. What he wanted was to make an album with great songs and that is what he had done. Here is a lot fine stuff.

What please me here is that the more quiter songs works that good on the album.
The album was the last for 15 years by the project called Cotton Mather and it was a dignified farewell album...until the arrival of ''Death Of The Cool''. An advisable album if you like fab four inspired power pop.

Enjoy
         SB1                    Flac p1 & Flac p2          mp3@320

Part Six! Various Artists - Decca Originals - The R&B Scene (1998 Decca Records) Flac & mp3

Here is the sixth part of the Decca series. As always fine artists and fine music.

Enjoy
         SB1     Flac p1  &  Flac p2     - mp3@320

p.s.: Track 21 is missing so please download the Flac track here  and the mp3 track here and insert the song into the tracks. Reader des contributed the track for us. Thanks so much, des.