Nancy Sinatra - Nancy In London 1966 (1995 Sundazed) Flac & mp3

The change of locale for Nancy Sinatra's third album didn't change her approach much: it's dominated by humdrum covers of contemporary pop and rock hits and pop standards, with some second-rank Lee Hazlewood country songs thrown in, though his compositions "Friday Child" and "Summer Wine" (the second of which is a Sinatra/Hazlewood duet) are strong, moody highlights.

The four bonus tracks, taken from singles, outclass the original LP: "100 Years," "You Only Live Twice" (the single version), "Tony Rome," and her cringingly dated duet with her father, "Life's a Trippy Thing."(allmusic)

If you like the sound of Sinatra/Hazlewood you can't go wrong here.
Enjoy
         SB1                        Flac p1  &  Flac p2    - mp3@320

XTC - Fossil Fuel 1996 (The XTC Singles 1977-92) 1996 Virgin Records Flac & mp3@320

Fossil Fuel: The XTC Singles 1977-1992 is a splendid double-disc set that runs through every one of the group's 31 A-sides, from the nervy "Science Friction" to the lush, sighing "Wrapped in Grey." Between those two songs, XTC's craftsmanship grows remarkably fast -- based on the edgy pop of their new wave singles "Statue of Liberty," "This Is Pop," "Are You Receiving Me?," and "Life Begins at the Hop," it's hard to believe that they would later write the subtle, near-pastoral Beatles, Kinks, and Beach Boys pastiches of "Love on a Farmboy's Wages," "Great Fire," and "Grass."

And those songs just scratch the surface of the terrific pop singles available on Fossil Fuel: "Making Plans for Nigel," "Ten Feet Tall," "Generals and Majors," "Towers of London," "Respectable Street," "Sense Working Overtime," "This World Over," "Dear God," "The Mayor of Simpleton," "King for a Day," and "The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead" are wonderful songs and forgotten classics. Although XTC continually made carefully constructed albums, they were a dynamite singles band, releasing songs that were tightly constructed and impossibly catchy.

They never had hits, because their unabashed pop was never in fashion; plus, Andy Partridge's voice was too pinched and his lyrics frequently too cerebral. But XTC's music stands as some of the best and most influential pop of their era, and nowhere is that more evident than on Fossil Fuel.(almusic.com)

Hello Folks, i start today with another one of my top 10 favourite british pop bands. I had think about it what i could post from the band and the answer was a single collection. And what's a better single collection of the first 15 years by XTC as Fossil Fuel? This collection is full of real great songs and real good songs. And i think everyone of us who love the band will have its very personal favourites. And to all who don't know the band i think this is a good collection to start.

Have fun
              SB1    Flac -   mp3@320 p1 & mp3@320 p2

Flac links added! Various Artists - Children Of Nuggets - Original Artyfacts From The ll Psychedelic Era 1976-1996 (2005 Rhino) Full artwork Flac & mp3@320

                          Okay Folks, i added the Flac links for the ''Children Of Nuggets''.
                          Have fun
                                        SB1

The Spongetones - Beat Music 1982 (2008 Air Mail Records) Flac

One of the most underrated power pop bands of the '80s, the Spongetones released several albums of effortlessly catchy guitar pop that captured the feel of '60s British Invasion pop with remarkable accuracy and innocent charm. While they never received much critical or commercial attention, their music has aged much better than most power pop of the era (late '70s and early '80s), and among specialists they're highly revered not only for their studio prowess but also for their spirited live shows.

They are one of the few bands that gracefully carried on past the "skinny tie" fad into the '90s and beyond -- not as strict revivalists but as something unique. The band, comprised of Steve Stoeckel (vocals, bass), Pat Walters (vocals, guitar), Jamie Hoover (vocals, guitar), and Rob Thorne (drums), began as a covers band in Charlotte, NC in the early '80s. They signed to the Ripete label in 1982 and released their first full-length, Beat Music, the same year, following with the Torn Apart EP in 1984 -- the latter featuring esteemed guests Don Dixon, Mitch Easter, and R.E.M. on handclaps. Stoeckel temporarily left the band, returning in 1991.

By 1987, it seemed the Spongetones wanted to distance themselves from their revivalist reputation, leaving Ripete in favor of the independent Triapore and recording probably their most experimental and most un-Spongetones album, Where-Ever-Land. The album, produced by Don Dixon, flirted with garage rock, psychedelia, and the more fashionable jangle pop -- all in all it marked a more muscular and harder-edged approach. The experiment failed for the most part and was short-lived. The band signed to Black Vinyl Records (owned by power pop icons Shoes) and found a true home in 1991. There they created, in the mold of their first two releases, possibly their most focused Mersey pastiche, Oh Yeah! Textural Drone Thing followed in 1995. In addition to regular band activities, Jamie Hoover released a solo album, Coupons Questions and Comments, for Triapore in 1990, and also formed the Van Delecki's with Bryan Shumate, releasing Letters from the Desk of Count S. Van Delecki on Permanent Press in 1996. After a five-year band silence, the Spongetones finally returned in 2000 with the album Odd Fellows. Number 9 followed in 2005.(allmusic)

I posted the album some time ago imp3. Here is now the album in Flac.
Enjoy
         SB1    Flac part 1   &   Flac part 2

Various Artists - Children Of Nuggets - Original Artyfacts From The ll Psychedelic Era 1976-1996 (2005 Rhino) Full artwork Flac & mp3@320

As its title makes clear, Children of Nuggets is the first Nuggets release to stretch beyond the '60s heyday of garage rock and psychedelic music. Instead of once again returning to that seemingly bottomless well -- which has not only brought the original 1972 double LP, Nuggets, but such imitators as the Pebbles and Rubble series, plus Rhino's expanded four-disc 1998 box set and its 2001 sequel, which focused on singles from the U.K. and around the world -- the four-disc box Children of Nuggets is devoted to bands from the '70s, '80s, and '90s (but primarily the '80s) that were inspired by the original Nuggets LP, along with other trashy, intoxicating rock and guitar pop from the '60s. They weren't just inspired by this music -- they patterned themselves after it, from the sound to the look of classic garage psych.

This might seem like a dodgy proposition, either as music or for the subject of an exhaustive retrospective like this, but the garage and psych revival of the '80s -- which also encompassed such diverse but related movements as power pop, British C-86 indie pop, the paisley underground, punk-blues, cowpunk, and surf rock -- was a surprisingly fertile scene, as this absolutely terrific box set proves. Far from sounding monotonous, Children of Nuggets has a tremendous variety of sounds, styles, and attitudes. As producer Alec Palao states in his introductory liner notes, the idea was to adhere to Lenny Kaye's idea for the original Nuggets LP, which was to "compile together the good tracks from all those albums that only have one good track," not caring whether the featured songs adhered to a strict definition of what was or was not garage or psych.

Of course, Palao and his co-producer, Gary Stewart, and their assistants on this project do have a template to follow and not just because there are bands that were tagged at the time as '60s revivalists. They have Kaye's work to guide them; plus they have the work of Greg Shaw, the journalist and record label head who championed this music at first in his fanzine, Who Put the Bomp, and then on his Bomp and Voxx labels. Stewart salutes Shaw at the conclusion of the booklet for Children of Nuggets, and in a way, this set does function as a tribute to the music Shaw helped shepherd during the '80s, since it celebrates all kinds of '60s-inspired guitar pop made in the post-punk years -- music that arguably wouldn't have existed without Shaw's input.

Yet, as the best music should, the music on Children of Nuggets transcends such behind-the-scenes particulars and exists simply as flat-out great music. Sure, there are some bands that faithfully re-create the sounds of the '60s, but most of the groups are inspired by the '60s, picking up their favorite elements -- whether it's dirty, raunchy guitars, jangling 12-strings, sweet harmonies, trippy swirling guitars, or catchy choruses -- and assembling them in a manner that sounds fresh, new, and invigorating.

Yes, some of the production sounds a little tied to its time, but no more than the singles from the first two Nuggets boxes. What matters is that this box crackles with energy and is filled with great songs, whether they're hard rock & roll, tongue-in-cheek neo-psychedelia, Beatles and Byrds homages, dreamy, mysterious indie pop, or straight-up power pop. There are a handful of big names here, but only the La's are represented with anything close to their best-known song -- not only that, but "There She Goes" is the only thing here that could be called well known.
The other big names are represented by some of their earliest and, in many cases, best songs: there's "(I Thought) You Wanted to Know" and "If and When" by Chris Stamey & the dB's, the Smithereens have "Strangers When We Meet" and "Beauty and Sadness," Primal Scream are captured in their pre-Screamadelica incarnation with "Gentle Tuesday," the Posies show a strong British Invasion bent on "I May Hate You Sometimes," Teenage Fanclub's "Metal Baby" is pulled from their cult classic, Bandwagonesque, while the Bangles show up with their earliest songs, "The Real World" and "Getting out of Hand," which was released under the name the Bangs.

A few songs here show up regularly on '80s comps -- the Hoodoo Gurus' "I Want You Back," the Lyres' "Help You Ann," the Spongetones' "She Goes out with Everybody," the Church's "The Unguarded Moment" -- but most of this is devoted to bands that had one or two songs that were staples on college radio and are now forgotten to all but the die-hard underground garage rock fans. Now that they're part of this compulsively listenable set, they help define the canon of underground rock and pop of the post-punk years: surrounded by other bands of a similar mind and vision, these songs sound like forgotten classics. And that's why Children of Nuggets is such a resounding success -- it not only shines a light on the bands that carried the torch for this kind of music in the '80s, this box, like the original double LP, helps rescue worthy bands from the scrap heap of history and, in the process, becomes an essential piece of rock history itself.


Fantastic box full of great bands and songs.
Enjoy
         SB1
mp3 p1
mp3 p2
mp3 p3
mp3 p4
mp3 p5
mp3 p6

                    Flac part 1  &   Flac part 2  & Flac part 3

Alternative Flac download links:   Alt link 1  &  Alt link 2  &  Alt link 3 & Alt link 4

In case the bigger Flac links make problems use the alternative links please.

Byrds influenced jangle pop country americana sound: Kontiki Sound - The Greatest Show On Earth

The Byrds’ wingspan of influence stretched across three full decades and flew through the sounds made by some of the most important bands in the history of rock, including Big Star, the Jayhawks, R.E.M., Matthew Sweet, Hüsker Dü, Echo and the Bunnymen and countless others. For a time it was de rigueur – if not downright cliché – to see the Byrds name-checked in almost any band’s bio. They were part of the holy trinity of influential B-named bands: Beatles, Beach Boys, and Byrds.

But to everything there is a season, and an apparent decline in the band’s influence on popular music seemed to coincide with the deaths of two of its original members, Gene Clark (in 1991) and Michael Clarke (1993). Notwithstanding this decline, the Byrds have always flown high and commanded serious respect among certain pockets of fans and bands alike – folks in Northern England especially, for some reason. Since 1990, we’ve seen the likes of the La’s, the Stone Roses, the Coral and Shack flying the jangle-pop flag. Since 2007, Kontiki Suite, a talented sextet from England’s Lake District, has continued in this tradition, evidence of which can be readily found on their sophomore release, "The Greatest Show On Earth".

As with their debut release (2013’s "On Sunset Lake"), Kontiki Suite proudly flies its Byrds banner via some obvious stylistic hat-tips to 1968’s "The Notorious Byrd Brothers". This time out, the band boasts a batch of impressive new Rickenbacker-based janglers (mainly from the pen of guitarist Ben Singh) and a tougher sound from the rest of the band (Jonny Singh, lap steel guitar; Marcus Dodds, guitar; Mario Renucci, bass; Chris Brown and Craig Bright on drums and percussion respectively). The result is a cohesive, 50-minute flight high above exquisitely atmospheric psych/country-rock/chamber pop soundscapes.

The opening moments of guitar/rim shots in the rousing, Golden Smog-like opener “Bring Our Empire Down” recall David Crosby’s serene “Dolphin’s Smile,” after which some Neil Young-like crunch is thrown in as the song gathers steam. “My Own Little World” features the kind of textured ‘n’ trippy triple-guitar interplay (including lap steel and 12-string Rickenbacker) that characterizes the overall tone of the album – tone that is often upended by deliciously abrupt shifts in tempo: the lads in Kontiki Suite are more than happy to jolt you out of the hypnotized state in which they deftly placed you. Occasional, judiciously chosen blasts of harmonica tug on the same heartstrings as in Big Star’s “Life is White.”

“Free From Sound” and “Here for You Now” are tremendous pop songs, the kind of tracks that, back in the day, would’ve jumped out of an AM radio and grabbed you by the throat. The former features a keening pedal steel hook that’s hell-bent on becoming your next earworm. The latter blends a “Ticket To Ride” beat with power-poppy rhythm reminiscent of Gene Clark’s evergreen “I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better.”

Elsewhere, the band flexes its muscle on two lengthy guitar workouts, “Burned” (with its nod to Younger Than Yesterday’s “Renaissance Fair”) and the slow-burning “Under the Rug,” while “All I Can Say” shows the effortlessness with which Singh’s vocals can reconcile an ostensibly bouncy rhythm with a melancholic melody. In places he sounds uncannily like Gary Louris. Fans of "Sound of Lies"-era Jayhawks would feel right at home with this release.

Ultimately, "The Greatest Show On Earth" reveals increased depth, both in Ben Singh’s writing and the band’s collective vision. Kontiki Suite has created much more than a simple paean to the legacy of the Byrds; they have taken vital steps in forging a legacy of their own. (The Active Listener)

                         

Great album by the band. If you like what you hear you can buy the album here

Enjoy it
            SB1     Flac p1 & Flac p2   -  mp3@320

Sparks & Franz Ferdinand together! FFS - FFS (Deluxe Edition, Domino 2015) Flac & mp3

A long time in the making as well as a complete surprise on its arrival, the self-titled debut from FFS -- the collaboration between Franz Ferdinand and Sparks -- is the work of two great, and distinctive, acts at the top of their game. In fact, FFS works so well because these groups aren't carbon copies of each other. Over the years, Sparks brainy shape-shifting has touched on glam and new wave, two of the styles that were most influential on Franz Ferdinand's suave dance-rock, but that's just the tip of their musical iceberg. What the bands do share -- jaunty wit and a flair for indelible choruses -- gives FFS plenty of fertile common ground. These songs are inspired, even-handed combinations of all of their strengths, whether Ron and Russell Mael lend a dash of weirdness to Franz Ferdinand's spiky hooks, as on "Call Girl," or the Glaswegian outfit adds some heft to Sparks' flights of fancy on the satirical "Police Encounters" or the hyperactive "So Desu Ne." FFS' strongest moments bring passion to its abundant cleverness. Somewhat perversely and sometimes poignantly, the supergroup is at its best when singing about different kinds of solitude. "Piss Off," the first song Sparks sent Franz Ferdinand back in 2004 after the release of their debut album, is a cheerfully antisocial anthem for those who'd rather be alone. "Collaborations Don't Work"'s self-referential duet turns into a duel, with Alex Kapranos and Russell Mael trading barbs like "I don't need your navel gazing/I don't like your way of phrasing." However, the best showcase for their vocals is the brilliant opening track "Johnny Delusional." At once grandiose and self-deprecating, it's a vivid portrait of unrequited love that combines Kapranos' smooth baritone and Mael's anxious counter tenor like a juxtaposition of fantasy and reality. Similarly, FFS boasts so much personality that character sketches like "Dictator's Son," which tells the story of a despot's offspring who is more into creature comforts than tyranny, also rank among the standouts. A near-perfect blend of Sparks and Franz Ferdinand's skills, FFS is a collaboration that works very well and offers just about everything a fan of either band could want.(allmusic)

As i heard about the collaboration of Sparks and Franz Ferdinand i couldn't believe that. But it was true and that's good. To me as a long time fan of Sparks the album remembers me partly to their finest works of the seventies and eighties. I am not really familiar with Franz Ferdinand. I knew the first album but that was it. To me the album sounds sometimes like an Sparks album with the production done by the FF band. I know that this is not the case. It would be interesting for me to know what a Franz Ferdinand fan, who's not familiar with the Sparks, think about the album. For me it is a very nice surprise how strong the album is. If you haven't heard it give it a try.

Cheers
           SB1   Flac p1 & Flac p2 & Flac 3          mp3@320

Glam Pop!!! Foxy Shazam - Foxy Shazam (2010)

With a love for the musical excess of Meat Loaf and Queen, Foxy Shazam storm flamboyantly into the night with their third album, the eponymously titled Foxy Shazam. While the band is incredibly talented (especially the piano playing of Sky White), the show is really all about mustachioed frontman Eric Nally. Over the course of the album, Nally’s performance is an homage to the theatrical bombast of charismatic greats like Freddie Mercury and Russell Mael (with Nally bearing an eerie resemblance to the former). Backing up his big voice is the rest of the band, consisting of the standard rock setup plus piano and horns. The music combines the relentless drive and positivity of Andrew W.K. with the dramatic flair of Jim Steinman, with sweeping guitar riffs pushing the songs forward while the piano brings a pop sensibility to the whole thing. Given how big the presence of the music is, it’s really a testament to Nally’s over the top persona that he’s able to stand out among everything that’s happening in the background while somehow never feeling forced. Nally sings like a pop hero on songs like “Killin’ It” and “Wanna-Be Angel,” as if he’s confident he’s a superstar and whether or not anyone else knows it is inconsequential. With such a classic combination of pop and rock, this is an album that’s just dripping with crossover appeal, with big hooks for the radio and enough rock and emotion for the post-emo crowd to sink its teeth into.(allmusic.com)

At first: here are great musicians at work. The whole album is a musically hommage to Rock'n'Roll, to rock heros, to R'n'R lifestyle and always with a wink. You think automatically to the guys with long curly hair, too tight glittering pants, guitar pose, screaming girls and aftershow parties where no one gets out alive, except he or she is a real rock'n'roller.
The band plays a kind of glam rock/pop (what else..) and they do it really good. The voice of Nally often recall to Freddie Mercury. This album not only makes a lot of fun, here are also very good songs on the album.
Enjoy it!
             SB1  Flac p1  & Flac p2          - mp3@320

ModPopPowerPopRock? The Queen Annes - Released! (2016 Green Monkey Records) Flac & mp3@320

Mod Pop: Queen Annes Released!

From the late 70’s right through to the mid 90’s, some of the greatest bands in power pop history were from Seattle. Bands such as Exploding Hearts, Super Deluxe, Sparkler and the greatest Seattle power pop band of all time, The Heats.
Not to be overlooked in the power pop craze at the time, Mod Pop counterparts The Queen Annes released a cassette in the early 80’s entitled Something Quick. I recall really enjoying their sound, one that had all the drive and unbridled energy of The Who. The way I understand it, they tried to follow up on the release in 1997 with a full length LP entitled Revenge. However, like so many worthwhile recordings of that time, the project was shelved.
Until Now.
Thanks to the folks at Green Monkey Records, Revenge has been unveiled in all its splendor… but re-titled as Released!. With Released!, The Queen Annes offer up a variety of styles and influences that prove to be broader in scope and so much more entertaining than their earliest work. It’s a shame that it didn’t find it’s way to the marketplace back in ’97.

The Who influence is still there of course, as on “Circus Train”, the opening track. This song has jangle to spare and the horns in the beginning are a nice touch. “She Swims Sideways” is an interesting psych-pop number and sounds almost as if it could be a Jeff Kelly composition. “What’s It All About” is another favorite and has the lyrical feel and DIY treatment of a good dBs song.
Other highlights include “It’s Not My Life” with its sideways Motown feel and well placed horns, “Kiss Me I’m Dead” (another psych-pop song that reminds me of The Green Pajamas a little bit – just a little bit). There’s a couple of great cover tunes too. The Bee Gees’ “Harry Braff” and the Brian Wilson composition “This Whole World” are great covers, the latter showing us that these guys could have been a really good harmony group if they had wanted to.

Finally, “Lady of the Waves” is a very pleasant acoustic track that offers another new texture to a very diverse, engaging record.
Whether you remember The Queen Annes or not, Released! should not be missed.(powerpopnews.com)

I needed two or three spins and than the album kicked me ....
Give it a try
                   SB1  Flac p1  &  Flac p2  -   mp3@320

Classic Power Pop by The Posies - Dear 23 (1990 Geffen Records) Flac & mp3@320

Ken Stringfellow and Jonathan Auer, the leaders of the Posies, expressed genuine big-league pop ambitions with minor-league budgets on their early releases, so it's not especially surprising that their first album for a major label, Dear 23, found them laying on all the baroque textures that they couldn't afford on their own dime. Sounding a bit like a modernized version of the Hollies with a studio sound that crossed The White Album with Big Star 3rd, Dear 23 kicks off with two pleasing slices of glossy power pop, "My Big Mouth" and "Golden Blunders" (the latter of which was covered by an actual Beatle, Ringo Starr, doubtless a major thrill for these guys).

But by the time track four rolls around ("Any Other Way"), power has taken a cigarette break, and the album drifts into a mid-tempo dreamland where everything is either pretty and contemplative or pretty and a bit morose. (Though in all fairness, the rocking "Help Yourself" does pop up in the later innings to punch things up). Dear 23 is packed with too much good stuff to escape the notice of any true pop obsessive -- Auer and Stringfellow write great songs, their harmonies are nothing short of superb, and the arrangements and production (by the band in collaboration with John Leckie) are imaginative and flawlessly executed.

However, for all the craft, there isn't a lot of passion or heart in this music; the long hours in the studio getting the sounds right seem to have squeezed out the soul of the music. Dear 23 offers all the proof you could ask for that the Posies were major talents. However, it also made them sound like they weren't especially fun to be around or compelling to hear from, and that ultimately sinks the album.(allmusic)

I can't believe it is 27 years ago since the Posies released this album. I know it like today as i saw the cover for the first time. I buyed it immediately and since that day the album is a part of me.
Have fun
              Frank    Flac p1  & Flac p2       - mp3@320

Brix gone solo! Adult Net - The Honey Tangle 1989 (Fontana) Flac & mp3@320

This 60s revivalist pop band from the UK was fronted by Laura Elise (aka ‘Brix’) Smith (b. California, USA), performing a dual role after she relocated to England, when she was also a member of husband Mark E. Smith’s band, the Fall. The Adult Net was inaugurated in 1985 when Brix, who was brought up in Hollywood, took the phrase from a line in ‘Stephen’s Song’, from the Fall’s The Wonderful And Frightening World Of. She had previously worked in Rage and Burden Of Proof. In contrast to the Fall, whom many noted she pushed in a more commercial direction, Adult Net concentrated on vocal harmony and bubblegum pop which harked back to Smith’s Californian roots, and the Beach Boys in particular. Her accomplices at one time included three ex-members of the Smiths; Andy Rourke, Mike Joyce and Craig Gannon, the line-up that saw the band make their live debut.

Hastily arranged in order to impress Geffen Records, the band nevertheless acquired a contract from Fontana Records. ‘Incense And Peppermints’ (Strawberry Alarm Clock) and ‘Edie’, a tribute to the Andy Warhol protégé, attracted plenty of press attention but few record sales. A cover version of the Grass Roots’ ‘Where Were You’ preceded The Honey Tangle, an album of seamless and occasionally sickly pop. The line-up had transformed to include Clem Burke (ex-Blondie) and James Eller (ex-The The), while Gannon was retained from the earlier formation. A previous album, recorded in 1987 for Beggars Banquet Records and titled Spin This Web, remained unreleased. As Honey Tangle, named after a racehorse, was released, the personal and professional split between Brix and Mark E. Smith became public. Subsequently a version of Donovan’s ‘Hurdy Gurdy Man’, featuring new boyfriend Nigel Kennedy on violin, was shelved when Fontana dropped the band in October 1990.

Smith laid low for a while before tentatively rehearsing with Hole as replacement bass player. In 1995 she returned to the Fall to guest on that year’s Cerebral Caustic, having temporarily made up with one-time husband Mark E. Smith.

Something must Brix have fascinated to the name ''Smith''. But the ex members of the Smiths had gone and Mark, too. But this very fine effort still sounds great.

Have fun
              SB1     Flac p1  & Flac p2    -  mp3@320

Earth Quake - Two Years In A Padded Cell (1979 Vinyl Beserkley)

Most listeners who remember them think of Earth Quake as a mid-'70s band, but the group's roots go back a decade earlier. Indeed, the band started out as part of the mid-'60s band scene in San Francisco, where -- originally known as Purple Earthquake -- they were more than a little bit unusual. The most visible groups working in the city at the time tended to put a combined druggy/folkie spin on electric music, but Earth Quake, consisting of John Doukas (vocals), Robbie Dunbar (guitar, piano, vocals), Stan Miller (bass, vocals), and Steve Nelson (percussion, vocals), were more of a power-pop-cum-hard-rock outfit. They were much closer in spirit to the Flamin' Groovies or the Chocolate Watchband than, say, to the Grateful Dead. They were good enough to attract the attention of Matthew King Kaufman, an aspiring manager who hoped to carry them to national fame and, toward that end, landed them a contract with A&M Records in 1970. At the time, A&M, which had specialized mostly in MOR pop and light jazz releases, was signing some acts with harder and more diverse sounds (it was around the same time that Tarantula was added to their roster), and Earth Quake was among the first hard rock bands on the label. Unfortunately, the label never knew how to market them, and a pair of albums -- a self-titled debut and Why Don't You Try Me? -- failed to ignite any interest from the public. They left the label in 1972, frustrated with their lack of success, though there was one fortuitous event during this period that enabled both the band and their manager to move past this experience in short order -- for reasons that are not exactly clear, the makers of the movie The Getaway (1972), a high-profile, big-budget (and highly successful) thriller starring Steve McQueen and Ali McGraw, used some of the band's music without getting all of the necessary clearances from the parties involved. When the smoke cleared, this accident proved profitable for the band and, even more so, for their manager.

Kaufman used a portion of the settlement money to set up his own record label, Beserkley Records, in 1973. And Earth Quake, along with Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers, the Rubinos, and Greg Kihn, comprised the core of the company's roster. Their debut album for the new label, Rockin' the World, was assembled from live performances and captured the group -- now a five-piece with the addition of Gary Phillips (late of Copperhead) on guitar and vocals -- in some pretty inspired moments, and got them more notice than either of their A&M LPs had. They became something of the house band at Beserkley, playing behind Richman on his signature tune, "Roadrunner" (a song that, as much as any other, defined what he and the label were about). Their later records for the label also included backing vocals by Greg Kihn. The group's final album, Two Years in a Padded Cell, showed up in 1979, and the band finally called it quits a couple of years later. In 2003, two decades after that breakup, a pair of compilations -- Purple: The A&M Recordings (Acadia), assembling their two A&M albums, and Sittin' in the Middle of Madness (Castle), covering the Beserkley recordings -- were released, showcasing the two halves of their history.(allmusic)

My first impression as i heard the album was that i thought where the hell they want to go? Real good pop songs here and also harder songs. Maybe they never reached the top because of the different directions they played on their albums. Is it power pop? In some songs definitely but here is like i said before harder 70's stuff on the album, too. Try it by yourself.
Enjoy
          SB1             Flac p1  & Flac p2    -  mp3@320