Australias '60s Popstars: The Easybeats - Easy 1965-1966 (1992 Repertoire Records) Flac & mp3@320

Their first album, not available outside Australia until the 1990s. The Vanda/Young songwriting partnership had yet to dominate the band in their early days, and most of the (entirely original) material here comes from the pens of George Young and singer Stevie Wright. It's more Merseybeatish and less oriented toward power-pop and staccato guitar attacks than their subsequent releases, which isn't really detrimental; it doesn't scale the peaks the band would shortly climb, but neither does it have the overdone good-time mania that made some of their efforts hard to take in more than limited doses.

A fairly consistent, if not incredibly remarkable, relic from the Beat era, with some very Beatlesque tracks, including "It's So Easy," "I Wonder" (on which Harry Vanda sounds a lot like a young George Harrison circa "Do You Want to Know a Secret"), and cuts that could pass for the Searchers ("I'm Gonna Tell Everybody"), Gerry & the Pacemakers ("Hey Girl," "A Letter"), the Merseybeats ("Cry Cry Cry"), the Kinks ("You'll Come Back Again"), and Peter & Gordon ("Girl on My Mind").

Stuck in the middle of all of those delightfully derivative treasures is the most defiantly original track off the album, and (not coincidentally) their first big Australian hit, "She's So Fine," which doesn't sound like anything else here, pulsing with energy, a hot pumping bass part, and a ferocious guitar break. The Repertoire Records CD reissue enhances the original album significantly with the addition of eight bonus tracks, including five jewels from the Vanda/Young songwriting team.(allmusic.com)

A fine compilation by Repertoire with a lot of very good songs here.

Have fun
              Frank                              Flac p1  &  Flac p2          mp3@320

At Request: Lee Hazlewood Industries - There's A Dream I've Been Saving 1966 - 1971 4 Discs (2013 Light In The Attic Records) Flac & mp3

Lee Hazlewood fans have seen a bounty of reissues and compilations issued over the past decade with anthologies of his MGM and Reprise singles, and albums appearing with some regularity. Light in the Attic has always gone deeper. It has released comps and catalog items from his LHI label, his work with Duane Eddy, and more. But they've outdone themselves with There's a Dream I've Been Saving: 1966-1971, a box set seven years in the making documenting the complete history of LHI (Lee Hazlewood Industries). Two of its four audio discs provide Hazlewood's complete recordings for the label, many equal to those he cut earlier in his career.

The other two offer highlights from his artist roster: there are tracks by the International Submarine Band (w/ Gram Parsons), Suzi Jane Hokom (while a recording artist, she was also was one of the first notable female record producers; the Beatles wanted to work with her but Hazlewood nixed it), Kitchen Cinq, Honey Ltd., Ann-Margret, Virgil Warner, the Aggregation, Hamilton Streetcar, Lynn Castle, and more. Fans may be familiar with most of his recordings, but there is much that will be new to many. One thing his artists had in common was, no matter how different from one another stylistically, all benefitted from top-flight production -- from Hazlewood, Hokom, or staff producers -- assistance from in-demand arrangers like Jack Nietszche, and session players who included Earl Palmer, Carol Kaye, and other members of the Wrecking Crew. Ninety-five percent of this material was painstakingly remastered from original analog masters, the rest from pristine vinyl sources. Also included is a region-free DVD of director Torbjörn Axelman's strange 1970 Hazlewood film, Cowboy in Sweden, transferred from the 16mm negative into HD with remastered sound and available for the first time.

The included book is stellar: 172 hardbound pages in a beautiful 12x12 presentation that offers a complete history of LHI, with input from various artists and staff -- not all of it flattering -- interviews with Hazlewood and Hokom, profiles of 27 artists, an album-by-album breakdown, a timeline, and loads of rare color photos.

While this is for hardcore Hazlewood fans, it's more than that, too: Hazlewood, a wildly successful producer, songwriter, and recording artist, took his money and became his own boss. That he eventually failed had as much to do with the stakes LHI was competing against as its naive business model. There's a Dream I've Been Saving is a prime cultural artifact documenting a high point in an independent era in pop recording, production, and D.I.Y. aesthetics. It deserves a Grammy for content and design.

This 4 Disc compilation (no DVD here) shows a lot of the work as producer and as a performer. Hazlewood made Nancy Sinatra a star. First in the US and a little later nearly worldwide. He often had gone his own ways. Often he stumbled often he stood up again.

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              Frank     Flac p1  & Flac p2             mp3 p1  -  mp3 p2  -  mp3 p3  -  mp3 p4

Great '60s Nederbeat: The Motions - Introduction To The Motions -Their Own Way 1965-66 (2001 Pseudonym Records) Flac & mp3@320

A pretty typical Dutch "beat" group of the 1960s, the Motions were pretty popular in their native land, releasing seven albums and over 27 singles in their eight-year career. Far from the best Dutch group, and far from the worst, most of their hits were fairly ordinary fare, ranging from dippy folkish ballads to tough mod rockers.

Their best cut is the positively ferocious mod stomper "Everything That's Mine" (1966), with a searing feedback break worthy of the early Who. They're really most remembered for their lead guitarist and songwriter, Robby van Leeuwen, who left in 1967 to form Shocking Blue, and penned that group's international smash, "Venus."(R.Unterberger, allmusic.com)

It's a pity that it seems there is not more to say about the band as three words. And i don't remember the band ''really most  for their lead guitarist and songwriter, Robby van Leeuwen, who left in 1967 to form Shocking Blue, and penned that group's international smash, "Venus''."
I remember the band most of their music, here in this collection for instance of their songs from the first album ''Introductions for the Motions' 1965 and the fourth ''Electric Baby'' from 1969. The guys was really a good pop/beat/mod/garage band from the Netherlands. Now i will think about a little of Shocking Blue, lol.

Have fun
               Frank                         Flac p1  &  Flac p2             mp3@320

Psychedelic Pop Rock from '68: Southwind - Southwind 1968 (2015 Big Pink Records, Mini Lp disc, Korean Remaster) Flac & mp3@320

Country-rock unit Southwind comprised singer/guitarist John Martin, singer/bassist Jim Pulte, organist Phil Hope and drummer Eric Dalton. Originally formed at the University of Oklahoma as a rockabilly combo called the Disciples, in 1967 the group relocated to Los Angeles at the suggestion of musician friend Fontaine Brown, adopting the more contemporary moniker Southwind and significantly expanding their sound to incorporate elements of British Invasion-inspired pop, psychedelic rock and traditional country.

Signing to the tiny Venture label, in 1968 Southwind issued their self-titled debut; Brown soon replaced Hope as a fulltime member of the band, with a move to Blue Thumb preceding their 1970 follow-up Ready to Ride, in part recorded live at the Fillmore West. 1971's What a Strange Place to Land, meanwhile, spotlighted a more pronounced blues influence than past efforts.

Southwind disbanded soon after the record's release; swapping his birth name for his nickname "Moon," Martin went on to back Linda Ronstadt, later recording a series of solo albums and writing the Robert Palmer smash "Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)." Pulte also cut a pair of 1972 solo LPs for United Artists before disappearing from the music scene.(allmusic.com)

Hello Folks, first post today is US band Southwind who released several albums. This is their debut album and it's really a good one. Fine Arangements in the songs and very well done vocal performance by the whole band. They had pop and rock and also psychedelic influences from what they created their songs. Great album and lovely mini lp package.

Have fun
               Frank    Flac p1 & Flac p2          mp3@320

Psychedelic Garage Pop: The Kitchen Cinq - Everything But 1967 (2012 O-Music) Flac & mp3@320

The Kitchen Cinq undoubtedly have one of the best “bad pun” names in rock ’n’ roll. A five piece garage/pop band from Texas, their name plays off the French word for five “cinq,” which of course is pronounced approximately the same as “sink.” The title of their only LP takes it a step further, but is really a misnomer as the album is hardly eclectic, offering instead straight-ahead ’60s pop similar to the Beau Brummels and the New Colony Six (there’s that number thing again!).

The story of the Kitchen Cinq begins in the early ’60s in Amarillo, Texas, when Mark Creamer asked Jim Parker to replace a recently departed rhythm guitarist in his band, The Illusions. Shortly thereafter, a single was recorded and released by Dot Records, featuring Parker’s “Brenda” as the A-side. In search of a more memorable name and one more in line with group’s regional sense of humor, the Illusions became the Y’Alls. Another single, a cover of the Beatles’ “Run for Your Life” was released in 1966 on Ruff, shortly before the band relocated to Los Angeles and began  work with legendary producer/songwriter Lee Hazelwood. Once signed to LHI (Lee Hazelwood Industries), Hazelwood and then girlfriend and record producer Suzi Jane Hokom insisted the band change their name once more, hopefully to something a little hipper. Thus, the Kitchen Cinq. The personnel for all three groups, however, remained the same: Creamer and Parker on guitar and vocals, Dale Gardner on bass, Dallas Smith on guitar and Johnny Stark on drums.

Though Hazelwood was certainly involved, it was Hokom who actually produced the Kitchen Cinq for LHI (as she would, just a few weeks later, produce Safe at Home for The International Submarine Band). The sessions for Everything But . . . were held at Gold Star Studios and featured some of the famed Wrecking Crew (including Glen Campbell, Hal Blaine and Carol Kaye).  And right down the hall, the Buffalo Springfield were working on sessions for their second album.

As noted above, Everything But . . . is straight-ahead ’60s pop. The opening track, “You’ll Be Sorry Someday,” is a raga rock song with a nearly single note melody and several dramatic pauses between “you’ll be sorry” and “someday.” One of the highlights of the record is the fuzz-guitar rave-up “Determination,” which sounds like a cross between the famous Monkees Kellogg’s jingle and very early Merseybeat (fuzz guitar notwithstanding). “Please Come Back to Me” is a solid pop song matching an upbeat verse with a more reflective chorus in a style similar to San Francisco’s Beau Brummels. “Young Boy” is a bluesy folk rock song with very traditional folk harmonies.

“If You Think” is reminiscent of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and, while catchy, seems incomplete with a bridge that sounds, frankly, out of place. The closing track, “Need All the Help I Can Get” is Hazelwood’s contribution and bears his trademark spooky pop sound. The album is rounded out by covers of Neil Diamond’s “Solitary Man,” Buffy Ste. Marie’s “Codine,” Gene Pitney’s “Last Chance to Turn Around,” the Beau Brummel’s “Still in Love with You Baby,” and the Hollies’ “I Can’t Let Go.” All credible; none really essential.

LHI released three singles from Everything But . . .: “You’ll Be Sorry Someday” backed with “Determination” and “If You Think” and “Still in Love with You Baby” both backed with the non-album track, “(Ellen’s Fancies) Ride the Wind.” All three singles had limited regional success, but neither charted nationally. Three additional singles followed (one on LHI and two on Decca) and that was it for the Kitchen Cinq. Creamer, Parker and Stark then formed the much heavier band, Armegeddon., who released a single LP on Jimmy Bowen’s Amos label. Parker and Stark then went on to play on Them’s self-titled 1970 album and the follow-up In Reality. In the second half of the ’70s, Parker shifted to country music, most notably writing two big hits for John Anderson.(popgeekheaven.com)

                                                                       FLAC & mp3@320

This is a very fine psych pop album. It's a contribution by Mark, a very friendly guy from the Boston area. Thanks for that Mark.
Enjoy
          SB1

Keith West's Moonrider - Moonrider 1975 (2011 RPM Records) Flac & mp3@320

Singer/songwriter Keith West is most known for his work in the fine cult 1960s British psychedelic band Tomorrow, as well as for the big U.K. hit single he scored as a solo artist while in the group, "Excerpt from a Teenage Opera." He did continue to record for quite a while after Tomorrow broke up, however, both as a solo artist and, in the mid-'70s, as part of Moonrider. He was the main songwriter on Moonrider's self-titled album, though it also had some material by ex-Family/Animals guitarist John Weider; the group also included bassist Bruce Thomas, who would soon join Elvis Costello's backup band, the Attractions.

Despite the relative wealth of well-known names for such an obscure group, however, Moonrider's album is somewhat unexpectedly ordinary mid-'70s mainstream rock. Although West and Weider were in notable psychedelic/progressive rock acts, the feel is surprisingly American-influenced; indeed, on "Having Someone," America (without the "n") influenced so much of it that the track recalls America (the band).

It's a bit of a jolt to hear a British group bearing such prominent traces of mid-'70s California country rock and soft rock, with some similarities to the Eagles and Crosby, Stills & Nash in both the songs and harmonies. The songs are pleasant and jovial spins on these styles, but lack bite and originality, occasionally toughening things up mildly with bluesy or funky licks. [There's no faulting the packaging on the 2011 CD reissue on RPM, however, which adds lengthy historical liner notes with plenty of quotes from West.

It also has five bonus tracks, including a previously unreleased West demo of a song that didn't make the album, "Baby Blue," and both sides of two solo singles West did for Deram in 1973 and 1974, the A-sides of which ("Riding for a Fall" and "Havin' Someone") would be re-recorded on the Moonrider album. The B-side of the 1973 single, "Days About to Rain," is notable as one of the most dead-on early-'70s Neil Young soundalikes ever cut.]

This is no bad album but i was a little perplexed at the time i listened the first time to the album. Very american country rock/pop influenced. However give it a try if you haven't heard it.

Have fun
               SB1                       Flac p1 & Flac p2  & Flac p3            mp3@320

Canterbury Fair - Canterbury Fair 1967 - 1969 (1999 Sundazed) Flac & mp3@320

The Canterbury Fair was a band from Fresno California that recorded between 1967 to 1969. The band, led by John and Philip Hollingsworth, skillfully employed keyboards and a fuzz bass to create a monstrous epic sound of swirling tapestries of mind-bending music that was way ahead of its time. Canterbury Fair created a sound the was reminiscent of the Doors but contained elements of the Left Banke and Love.

The unique thing about this band is that no one played guitar in the band, the entire sound was based around the organ as the lead instrument together with drums bass and vocals. This collection of 10 songs includes the A-side of the ultra-rare single, "Song On A May Morning" originally released on the small local Koala label as well as the group's never-before-heard full-length album that was recorded but never released and one live track recorded during the band's hey day.

The CD package contains in depth information on the band together with rare photographs and reproductions of concert posters. Another long lost legendary band finally resurrected for all to hear.(allmusic.com)

As i listened the first time to the band i thought tey are a british band. Maybe because of the name. Until today this collection of songs impressed me very much and the band was way ahead of its time. Without a doubt.

Enjoy it!
             SB1                       New Flac link 1   &   New Flac link 2       -  new mp3 link@320

R'n'B, Mod, Pop, Psychedelic Sound! The Stormsville Shakers - One And One Is The Complete Recordings 1965-67 (2015 RPM Records) Flac & mp3@320

These guys were the classic blue-eyed soul club band, fitting in the same bill as others that made the circuit in the mid sixties. Think of the first singles of the Alan Bown Set, Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers or Zoot Money's Big Roll Band, although they may not sound as tight and professional as their most well known cousins.

The material released by the Stormsville Shakers is a mixed bag: blue-eyed soul, mersey beat, pop with horns Los Bravos' style, the dull track oriented to the charts, a ghostly ballad in French and even a couple of R&B/freakbeat/soul stompers (Gettin' Ready & Number One) that sound really amazing and totally caught my ear.

When they changed their name and became "Circus", the band went a bit more pop in the same vein as The Love Affair. Surprisingly, here the best material are the unreleased tracks, which sound more psych and innovative following the path opened by The Who and others, with good guitars, interesting song-writing and some unexpected sounds (a flute!). These last tracks could perfectly fit in a Rubble-style popsike comp.

If you are a fan of the Brit club blue-eyed soul sound of '65 & '66, this album is a recommended purchase. But if you are looking for something outstanding and memorable, then you may keep looking somewhere else. The Stormsville Shakers were a good band, but they didn't record any piece of musical history. BTW, the sound quality is rather good, but don't expect a sublime listening experience: it seems as if the original masters were lost or not in the best shape.(amazon customer review)

This is a fine pop collection with recordings of the Stormsville Shakers, Phillip Goodhand-Tait, and the renamed Stormsville Shakers then called ''Circus'' in '67. I love this sound and the compilation have a lot of ear candy.

Enjoy
          SB1                                    Flac p1  &  Flac p2            mp3@320

 

Ringo Starr - Stop And Smell The Roses 1981 (1994 Right Stuff Records) Flac & mp3@320

The idea, back in 1980, was to resurrect Ringo Starr's recording career by the same method that it had been launched with the Ringo album in 1973 -- by having his fellow Beatles and other well-known friends help out. John Lennon was working on a song called "Nobody Told Me," and George Harrison had one ready to go.

Then Lennon was murdered in December. His Ringo song languished (his own version would be released in 1984), while Harrison took his tune back and rewrote the lyrics for what became his own hit, "All Those Years Ago." Then Ringo's label, Portrait, lacked enthusiasm for the album, and he moved on to Boardwalk. Finally released as Boardwalk 33246, Stop and Smell the Roses was Ringo's strongest and most effervescent album since Goodnight Vienna, containing two good songs by Paul McCartney and one by George Harrison -- "Wrack My Brain," which became Ringo's final Top 40 hit -- along with music by Harry Nilsson, Ron Wood, and Stephen Stills.

Long out of print, Stop and Smell the Roses reappeared on Capitol's The Right Stuff reissue label on September 6, 1994, with six bonus tracks, reflecting the changes made in the album from its original, unreleased version, that increased the album's length by nearly 70 percent and demonstrated that the later song selection was better.(allmusic.com)

Ringo Starr started with this album very strong in the eighties and it is im my opinion an album with a lot songs who stands the test of time. Very very good!

 Enjoy
         SB1                                       Flac p1 & Flac p2            mp3@320

VA - Fuzz, Flaykes & Shakes Vol.6 - Come On In To My World (2002 Bacchus Archives) Flac &mp3@320

The music on this sixth volume of Fuzz, Flaykes & Shakes is mostly very fine, but the names of the groups also stand out: Thackeray Rocke, Randy & the Rest, Those Guys, A Group Called Eve, West Minister, the Tasmanians, King James & the Royal Jesters, the Bucket City Distortion Racket...bands knew how to get attention in those days with their names. The catchy, fuzzed-out punk of "Bawling" by Phoenix, AZ-spawned Thackeray Rocke makes a suitable opening, but it's eclipsed by the punchier "Confusion," the work of the Birmingham, AL-based Randy & the Rest. Cleveland's A Group Called Eve was probably too languidly folk-rock oriented for their own good, in a city that spawned the Outsiders and the Choir, but "Within a World of You" should have done better than the obscurity in earned. Omaha, NE -- or the corner that West Minister resided in -- must have been in a time warp, because the fuzz-driven "Bright Lights, Windy City" seems three years out of date for a 1970 release (which makes it perfect for this collection). The best song on this set, however, has to be "Feathered Fish" by the Sons of Adam, some of whose members also went on to longer and more lucrative careers than almost anyone else who worked on any of these sides. But a lot of the rest could easily have fared well on radio, and on the national charts -- "The Night Is Almost Gone" by the Delicate Balance has lots of drama and some great hooks; "I Lied" by the Bucket City Distortion Racket isn't far behind; and "The Children Have Your Tongue," from This Generation, whose female lead singer provides a welcome contrast with everything else here. Some of the rest, such as "The Life of a Day" by the Bridge, and "Come in into My World" by the Endd -- which is rescued in its second half -- seem like self-indulgent mood pieces, more appropriate as B-sides than A-sides. And some of it is too generic, such as the Insects' "Then You Came My Way," which manages to sound like a lot of other folk/rock-based garage rock of the period. But mostly what's here is highly worth hearing, more than once, and the annotation is amazingly thorough, given the lack of information about a lot of the people behind this music. And as usual with this series, the sound quality is excellent.

A very fine sixth vol. of the series and i think you will like it.

Have fun
               SB1                            Flac p1  &  Flac p2           mp3@320