Australian ModPowerpopGarageRock by: Happy Hate Me Nots - Time And The State (2011 Hate Mail Records) Flac & mp3

Never thought we'd see a sophomore Happy Hate Me Nots album, let alone one this good from the get-go. First they re-formed in 2006 after 15 years missing, while compiling an exhaustive 41-track, double-CD Aussie anthology The Good That's Been Done (every track from their two great EPs, seven singles, lone LP -- 1988's Rob Younger of Radio Birdman and New Christs-produced Out -- plus tons of unreleased goodies.

Now the zippy Sydney rockers come back strong on Time; their first record in two decades, it's a triumphant, true follow-up to their last, best, 1991 mini-LP A Place to Live. Frontman Paul Berwick always had the big time, stick-to-the-ribs tunes -- as he really had to, given his terra firma in a 1979-1980 All Mod Cons (the Jam), "What Do You Know" (Buzzcocks), and Jeopardy (the Sound) style, albeit crispy/crunchy, open-ended, driving, and infectious. Nothing has changed: from the opening "Son of a Star," Berwick tests his upper range á la old joys like "Don't Move Too Far" showing no wear. The ringing guitars pulsing in "Today" and closing "Foggy River," striking "Find the Time," and Birdman/Lime Spiders-slamming "Wait," and "I Want to Go" similarly rip-roar anew through a familiar, biting, post-Saints post-punk pop pulse they helped establish Down Under with God, Trilobites, Stems, and Eastern Dark, etc.

And for balance, Berwick's bunch try hyper funk and spacey folk tracks while evoking Blue Öyster Cult razzle-dazzle on the classic rock-nodding "Our Space." Absolutely gripping.

These guys sound on this album as if they are yet five years younger as on their debut around 25 years ago. Absolutely powerful, melodic, straight through the wall forward. No fillers here. Wonderful songs, great production, wonderful album.

Enjoy
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Power Pop from New York City: Frank Bango - Touchy Feely (2013 Sincere Recording Co) mp3@320 only

New York City-based singer and songwriter Frank Bango's accessible, classic-sounding pop songs sound refreshingly familiar, almost as if they came out of another less frantic and noisy era. All of this is by design, since Bango and his longtime co-writer, Richy Vesecky, have always aimed for a kind of Brill Building approach in their songs. Handling all steps of the process D.I.Y., from writing, producing, and recording to distribution and marketing, Bango has released four albums on his own Sincere Recordings imprint since 1994, I Set Myself on Fire Today, Fugitive Girls, The Unstudied Sea, and The Sweet Songs of Decay.(allmusic.com)

Frank Bango is a quirky but melodically inventive sole power-pop proprietor with a knack for memorable riffs.  He casts a wide net and pulls in a lot of fish.  You can hear the George Martin influence on “Defensless'” horns and the lovely loopy keyboards, and a touch of Beatles on the lovely “Not a Word” with its ingenious melody and quivering guitar.  “Too Lazy To Love You” is a wistful, sunny-day top-down anthem and “Kissing Bugs” features in an indelible guitar riff.  Hint of Byrds on the chiming “What Kind of Saturday Is This?” and “Astronaut I’m Not.” While not as memorable as Fugitive Girls this is a damn fine album. (Mike Baron in popgeekheaven.com)

If you don't know Frank Bango you should give him a try.

Have fun
    
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Beatlemania(c)? Ringo Starr - Ringo Rama (2003 Koch Records) Flac

At first: I will post this only in Flac. Please don't ask me for mp3. It's a lot of software all over the web you can use for converting. Thanks for understanding.

As i said yesterday i want to post the albums Ringo Starr released over the years (and decades) in his career. I won't do that chronologic but how it comes in my heart and soul. I asked in the headline ''Beatlemania(c)?'' and i answer the question by myself: Beatlemania? Definitely YES because there are a lot people from the first generation of fans and Beatlemaniacs who are still alive.

And all the following generations of fans all around the world who love the music. You see, enough people for a Beatlemania if we all would be a little younger, lol. Beatlemaniac? A definitely YES because the Beatles are my all time forever and ever favourite band. And the  Beatles changed the developement of popular music completely. Pop music would sound different today without the influence of the fab four.

And most important to me, it changed my musical way in my life. There were and are moments in my life where i feel that and it touched and still touch my soul so ''hard''. I have no better words for that.  Just another Beatles maniac :-).

Okay, enough love stories i start with the Ringo album ''Ringo Rama'' released in 2003. The album have very strong songs and different emotions and to me it is a very good album and makes a lot of fun. Listen yourself.

Enjoy
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Australia's & New Zealand's GaragePopModBeatRock Of The '60s: Various - Sixties Downunder 1988-2000 Vol2 (1990 Raven Records) Flac & mp3@320

Good morning, Ladies and Gentleman here we go with the second volume and some very well known artists we can find here like The Easybeats, Normie Rowe, The Groop, The Masters Apprentices and some more and a lot of fine artists with very strong songs. Hope you will enjoy it.

Have fun
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Ringo Starr - Photograph - The Very Best Of Ringo (2007 Capitol Japan) Flac & mp3@320

Hard as it is to believe but there has not been a proper Ringo Starr hits collection since the first, 1975's Blast from Your Past -- that's not counting 1989's Starr Struck: Best of Ringo Starr, Vol. 2, which was designed as a companion to that earlier set -- until 2007's Photograph: The Very Best of Ringo Starr. Blast from Your Past was released just five years after his debut, Sentimental Journey, but it ignored that collection of pop standards, along with much of its country cousin Beaucoups of Blues, winding up as a collection of highlights of 1973's Ringo and 1974's Goodnight Vienna, with a few non-LP hit singles rounded up within the LP's tight ten-track, 30-minute span.

Ringo kept recording after Blast, working his way through several labels and ill-advised phases before settling into a nice, easy groove with 1993's Time Takes Time, but he stopped having hits not long after 1975, after the Elton John/Bernie Taupin "Snookeroo" climbed all the way to number three, capping off a remarkable streak of seven Top Ten singles. After that, the crash was fast: "Oo-Wee" was pulled off of Vienna and stalled at 31, then there was just one more hit -- "A Dose of Rock & Roll," peaking at 26 in 1976 -- before a five-year wait until the George Harrison-written "Wrack My Brain" limped to 38 in 1981 before Ringo disappeared from the charts.

His '90s comeback may have never dented Billboard, but it is represented on the 20-track Photograph, which also contains all the aforementioned singles (apart from "Oo-Wee," no great loss) and the entirety of Blast from Your Past, albeit presented in a different running order. This doesn't just make for a compilation that's longer than the 1975 set, it makes for one that's better, since it adds the terrific "(It's All Down to) Good Night Vienna" to the mix, along with the amiable 1976 cover of Bruce Channel's "Hey Baby," a duet with Buck Owens on "Act Naturally" from 1989, and a well-chosen selection from each of Time Takes Time, 1998's Vertical Man, 2003's Ringorama, and 2005's Choose Love.

This may not hit all the great stuff from the early '70s -- after all, the whole of Ringo is exceptionally strong -- but it does cut out all the real embarrassing stuff from the late '70s and just concentrates on the good latter-day material that holds its own with the best of his '70s hits. Far from merely being songs that are good when graded on a curve, these hits have aged really well, especially his originals: "It Don't Come Easy," the thundering glam rocker "Back Off Boogaloo," the cheerfully post-Beatles autobiography of "Early 1970" and "Photograph," his gorgeous collaboration with George, which lends this comp its title and ranks as among the very best post-Beatles songs by any of the Fab Four.

That tune proves Ringo could deliver music every bit as memorable as his colleagues and much of this excellent, long overdue compilation is at a similar high standard. [Photograph: The Very Best of Ringo Starr also includes entertaining track-by-track commentary from Ringo and was also released in a deluxe edition that contains a wonderful DVD with the videos for "Sentimental Journey," "It Don't Come Easy," "Back Off Boogaloo," "You're Sixteen," "Only You (And You Alone)" (which also features Harry Nilsson), and "Act Naturally," along with an ad for Goodnight Vienna.](allmusic.com)

I want to post in the next weeks the complete official released albums by Ringo Starr. I think he is underrated. This album is called the very best of Ringo Starr but i think that is just the half truth. A lot of his music he have released in his career is at least on the same level like the songs here on this compilation in some cases much stronger. I will try to post an album a day and hope you will enjoy it.

Cheers
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Australia's & New Zealand's GaragePopModBeatRock Of The '60s: Various - Sixties Downunder 1988-2000 Vol1 (1988 Raven Records) Flac & mp3@320

Hola Folks, like i said earlier today i want to post a small four disc series with great bands and singers from the wonderful Australia/New Zealand. The compilation by Raven Records is full with different styles of downunder pop music from the sixties and i think you will like it. I post everyday one volume.

Raven Records' ambitious four-volume Sixties Downunder series, which collects singles released between 1964 and 1970 by Australian and New Zealand pop bands, is a Nuggets for the Fosters crowd, and illustrates once again how pervasive the Beatles and the other British Invasion groups were in a post-1963 world.

Nothing here puts a revelatory new spin on the jangling garage band sound of the times, but as this first volume shows, it certainly doesn't diminish it either. There are a couple of familiar names here, most notably the Easybeats and the Bee Gees, but they're represented by relatively obscure sides, including the wonderful "Sorry" by the Easybeats and "Spicks & Specks," an odd bit of early cosmic philosophy from the Bee Gees. All and all, this first installment is a very nice start to an interesting series. (allmusic.com)

Here we go
Enjoy
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Garage Pop/Psychedelic Pop: Teddy And The Pandas - Basic Magnetism 1969 (2002 Tower Records) Flac & mp3

Teddy and the Pandas were an American garage rock band formed in 1963 as the Sensations in Beverly, Massachusetts. The band originally consisted of Al Lawrence on vocals, Billy Corelle on bass guitar, Ralph Cooper on drums, Joe Daly on lead guitar, and Dick Winters on saxophone. Shortly thereafter, the group added Dick Guerrette on keyboards, and guitarist William "Teddy" Dewart, while Winters moved on. In 1964, Jerry Labrecque replaced drummer Ralph Cooper, finalizing the line-up that was to become known as Teddy and The Pandas.
Teddy and the Pandas released five singles from 1966 to 1968, in addition to one album. During their heyday, Teddy and the Pandas toured with The Beach Boys, The Dave Clark Five, The Lovin' Spoonful, and Paul Revere & The Raiders, and were also part of Gene Pitney's 1966 tour. In addition to their appearance on Where the Action Is, the band performed on Cleveland's Upbeat TV television program.
Excluding a handful of appearances on 1980s compilation albums, the music of Teddy and the Pandas has generally been unavailable since the group's disbanding in 1969.(wiki)

Boston garage combo Teddy and the Pandas formed in early 1964, originally comprising guitarist Teddy Dewart (the group's nominal leader), singer Al Lawrence, rhythm guitarist Joe Daley, bassist Billy "Sonny" Corelle, keyboardist Dickie Guerrette, and drummer Jerry LaBrecque. Daley left the lineup soon after its inception, but the remaining members were far more serious about the endeavor -- steady gigging in North Shore communities like Danvers, Gloucester, and Manchester quickly established Teddy and the Pandas as a teen favorite, and in fact they grew so popular that they even formed their own corporation and hired legal representation, accountants, and a PR consultant. They also traveled with a four-man road crew. In late 1965, the band entered Ace Recording Studios to cut their debut single, the Dewart-penned "Once Upon a Time" -- issued on the local Coristine label. In the spring of 1966 the single reached the Top Ten on Boston radio stations WMEX and WBZ, its unique sound due largely to Guerrette's snap decision to abandon his keyboard in favor of a harpsichord left in the studio by members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. "Once Upon a Time" was such a hit throughout the northeast that the Musicor label signed to re-release the single nationally, although it stalled at number 134 on the Billboard charts. Session vocalist Toni Wine and guitar ace Hugh McCracken lent their skills to Teddy and the Pandas' second Musicor effort, "We Can't Go on This Way" -- another local smash, it fell just shy of the national Hot 100. The band spent the fall of 1966 on a six-week tour in support of Musicor superstar Gene Pitney, also appearing on the Dick Clark television series Where the Action Is.

Teddy and the Pandas' third Musicor single "Searchin' for the Good Times" was also their last -- its label-mandated psychedelic trappings were a poor fit with the band's raw, energetic sound, and the record went nowhere. The group then landed at Capitol's Tower affiliate, but their lone full-length, 1967's Basic Magnetism, likewise suffered from a forced psychedelic sound. By the time the album was released, Dewart had left the band to attend college, and Paul Rivers was tapped to assume lead guitar duties before Teddy and the Pandas called it quits a few months later. The classic five-member lineup reunited for the first time on October 7, 1983 in Danvers, Massachusetts, and 15 years later they began work on their first new recordings in over three decades -- 2002 also saw the release of Rarities and Forgotten Gems, a collection of previously unreleased demos and alternate versions from Teddy and the Pandas' heyday.  (allmusic)

Mark a very friendly guy from the area of the band contributed this fine album to the blog.  Thanks a lot for this, Mark !
On the disc are all four singles by the band, two songs from acetates and the complete album. 20 songs all in all. And here are some real great songs on the disc. And in my opinion the album don't suffered from a ''forced psychedelic sound''. Sure it's a different sound but nevertheless the album is a very good one. Just my two cents. I hope you enjoy

Have fun
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Sunshine/Harmony Pop by The Happenings - The Greatest Golden Hits (2001 Wounded Bird Records) Flac & mp3@320

Bio:
The '60s pop outfit the Happenings enjoyed a three-year run of several hit singles late in the decade. Formed in 1961 in Patterson, NJ, the group has seen their lineup change from time to time, but founding member/lead singer Bob Miranda has been a constant member through it all. Soon after, the Happenings began scoring hit singles, including such number ones as "See You in September" and "I Got Rhythm," as well as other moderate hits ("Go Away Little Girl," "My Mammy," and "Girl on a Swing," among others). In addition to their singles, the Happenings issued several full-length recordings, including 1966's self-titled debut, 1967's Psycle, and 1969's Piece of Mind, performed on such popular TV shows as The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson, The Smothers Brothers Show, and The Merv Griffin Show, and shared the concert stage alongside such notables as the Beach Boys, Roy Orbison, Joan Rivers, John Denver, the Drifters, and the Kingston Trio, among others. In the '90s, Miranda formed a new version of the Happenings, playing out live alongside members Bob Kulik and George Rizzi.(allmusic.com)

Album:

The Happenings, the '60s vocal group known for their updated, four-part harmony arrangements of pop standards, scored a series of hits, starting in the summer of 1966 with their Top Ten revival of the Tempos' 1959 Top 40 hit "See You in September." The Happenings recorded for fellow vocal group the Tokens' label, B.T. Puppy Records. In the summer of 1968, after they had placed eight singles in the Hot 100, B.T. Puppy issued the 12-track LP Golden Hits!, which collected those eight hits -- "See You in September" and the group's other Top Ten, "I Got Rhythm"; the Top 20 hits "Go Away Little Girl" and "My Mammy"; and the chart entries "Goodnight My Love," "Why Do Fools Fall in Love," "Music Music Music," and "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" -- as well as three non-charting singles, "Girl on a Swing," "Randy," and "Sealed With a Kiss," and a previously unreleased revival of "Tea for Two." In 1969, B.T. Puppy switched distributors from Jubilee Records to Warner Bros., and in the shuffle the Happenings ended up on Jubilee. After issuing their Piece of Mind LP, Jubilee decided to compile its own Happenings hits collection and released an album called Greatest Hits that duplicated much of the contents of the previous year's Golden Hits! disc.

Fast-forwarding 32 years brings us to this CD reissue on Wounded Bird Records, its tracks licensed from that great repository of old record catalogs, Rhino. Wounded Bird has combined the contents of the Happenings' Golden Hits! and Greatest Hits albums for Greatest Golden Hits, eliminating the many duplications, of course. What is left might easily have been called "Golden Hits! [Bonus Tracks]" since it is actually the 12 tracks from Golden Hits! with a couple more non-charting singles ("Girls on the Go," "Crazy Rhythm") and a couple of B-sides ("You're in a Bad Way," "He Thinks He's a Hero") added at the end. The Happenings' last chart single, a medley of "Where Do I Go/Be-In/Hare Krishna" from the Broadway musical Hair, released on Jubilee, is not included; all the added tracks are from 1966-68 and were originally released on B.T. Puppy. And with a running time of only 42 minutes, the album cannot be called the best possible single-disc Happenings CD. As of its release in 2001, however, it could be called the only one, and that counts for plenty.(allmusic.com)

If you are not familiar with the Happenings this is a good starter.
Enjoy it
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Various Artists - Garage Beat '66 Vol.7 ''That's How It Will Be'' (2006 Sundazed Records) Flac & mp3@320

The garage band era of the mid-'60s was the modern equivalent of a folk movement, as seemingly every town in America had a half dozen or more energetic, ragged, and often musically challenged young rock combos vying for weekend gigs and small independent record deals. These bands frequently made up for what they lacked in ability and originality by an abundance of verve and self-perceived panache, and if they did manage to make a record, it was usually derivative and crude, but often fascinatingly so, even if few of these releases ever so much as dented a regional playlist.

These are the kinds of musical artifacts that Sundazed has collected in its Garage Beat series, of which this is the seventh volume. Subtitled That's How It Will Be!, this installment features a heavy dose of sneering, attitude-laden garage singles (over half of them from Texas bands) recorded in 1966 and 1967, including the Mad Hatters' "La Bamba"-like "I'll Come Running," the Outcasts' "I'm in Pittsburgh and It's Raining," which works off a patented shave-and-a-haircut Bo Diddley rhythm, and Detroit's own the Unrelated Segments with a pair of sneering gems from 1967, "Where You Gonna Go?" and "Cry, Cry, Cry."

Nothing here would have toppled the Beatles or the Rolling Stones back in the day, but now, some 40 years on, these tracks still sound wonderfully snotty and free of annoying finesse. What a time it was.(allmusic.com)

Hello Folks, you see here is Vol. 7 of the fine garage series by Sundazed and ...you guess it it's the last one. But it's not the end of posting series of more or less interesting pop music from the past. I will later tday start a new series of the sixties. If you are interested stay tuned. Okay i hope you have a lot of fun with the Garage Beat'66.

Enjoy
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Beatlesque Power pop: Kenny Herbert - The Last Song In Abbey Road (2005 self released) Flac & mp3@320

The last song in Abbey Road recording Abbey Road studio 2 was the best studio I have ever worked in and an occasion I will remember all my life.
The actual ambience and natural acoustics in this studio are by far the very best I have heard. Just to have recorded in the place the Fab Four had done it all was a unique and unforgettable experience.

David Paton who plays bass on the Album has worked at Abbey Road before in the 70's and had Alan Parsons as his engineer, in fact recorded a No.1 song 'January' which he wrote and recorded.

 He then went on to play with Macca on Mull of Kintyre, then Elton John for 8 years. On all these songs I have tried not to copy the Beatles (which is impossible) but to keep the feel of all the great melodies from the 60's. On track 8 on the Last song in Abbey Road, 'I don't know why' I hired string players from one of the best London orchestras.

On the site of the original Cavern there is a statue to the Beatles, and as the inscription says 'four lads who shook the world'. John, Paul, George and Ringo. The Beatles have, and always will be the single biggest musical influence for myself and the rest of the boys throughout our lives. After finishing the album in Studio 2, Abbey Road we visited Liverpool, were we gave a impromptu 'live' performance in the back room of the White Star Bar which is on that famous winding road called Mathew street. The White Star is a timeless, friendly bar were the Beatles used to go to write songs and even today you still get the good feeling and atmosphere of the real Liverpool from a time gone by. We can only hope that places like this will always remain unchanged for as long as is possible. The live Mersey music that once belted out from the Cavern is no more, but one thing is certain...the songs and melodies will be listened to and enjoyed forever"
• We are again playing this August at the World Beatle Convention on BBC Merseyside in Liverpool. The Beatles convention happens on the last weekend of August every year an attracts Bands for all over the world....Unmissable if you are a fan!!

(Kenny Herbert)

He then went on to play with Macca on Mull of Kintyre, then Elton John for 8 years. On all these songs I have tried not to copy the Beatles (which is impossible) but to keep the feel of all the great melodies from the 60's. On track 8 on the Last song in Abbey Road, 'I don't know why' I hired string players from one of the best London orchestras.

Kenny Herbert is a musician from Edinburgh, Scotland and had worked with a lot of different musicians. But you will always hear his love for the Beatles and the sound of the ''british invasion''.

Enjoy
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If you like the music of Kenny Herbert take a look here

Australian GaragePsychedelic2008SixtiesPowerPopStyle Music by: Green Circles - Tavistock Road (2008 Off The Hip Records) Flac & mp3@320

Can't find a review about the record so i will give you a few infos. The band is from South Australia and releasing records since around 2000. This album was released in 2008. Green Circles are: Roy Beaumont, guitars ; John Gilbert, drums/​percussion/​vocals ; Mark Gilbert, lead vocals/​tambourine ; Andrew Piper, guitars/​ukulele/​harmonica/​vocals.

For this record additional musicians helped recording the album: Jamie Woolaway, Brian Adamson, Ben Gilbert, Emily Gilbert, Evie Piper.

The album is influenced by different music styles like 60s garage, Psychedelia, Power pop. I love it really much and recommend it. Maybe you give it a try...

Have fun
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