Answer to Anonymous...

Hello, Anonymous, what do you think I'm gonna do? First of all, I'll tell you how I see it: If you're really one of my favorite blogs, why don't you write publicly under your blogname? Why are you threatening me anonymously? Why are you anonymously threatening to send someone to smash my face in? Why are you threatening to report the blog? What do you think will happen?  If you want to report the blog, do it. Do whatever you want. And we both know who you are. You think that's all right to post mp3 files (because you like them) but not Flac? Can you tell me the difference, please.  To me you sound like preaching water and drinking wine. Next one you say is i am being arrogant. Tell me where i was arrogant. On the other hand, you're threatening me with sending someone to my home to smash my face in. And you think that's okay? And a guy like you tell me my behaviour is harmful for the blogger scene? What can i say more? Nothing! And i don't want to say more. Do whatever you want. If you want report the blog, do it. Apparently people like you can only act destructively if they don't get their will and are insulted. Your comment just show me how full of hate you are.
People like you will not tell me what i have to do or not.

British Psychedelia by Complex - Complex 1971 (1999 Wooden Hill)

Complex were an English band formed in 1968 consisting of lead guitarist Brian Lee, lead vocalist and drummer Tony Shakespeare, bass guitarist Lance Fogg and rhythm guitarist Tony Fisher. 
After some initial personnel changes, in early 1970 the line-up consisted of Brian, Tony (Shakespeare) and Lance with the addition of Steve Coe on keyboards. They were based in Blackpool in North-West England. In November 1970 they cut their first album, entitled simply "Complex". 
Originally devised as a demonstration record (demo) for bringing the band to the attention of major record companies for the purpose of obtaining a recording contract, it was recorded at "107 Studio" in St. Annes, engineered and mixed down by Graham Atkinson.

99 (vinyl) copies of the album were pressed by Craighall Studios in Scotland. The reason for such a limited release was the imposition of Purchase Tax on quantities greater than 99.
The album went on to become quite famous in "psych" album circles - "... one of the 'Holy Trinity' items of rare British psychedelia ..." and recently fetching $13-14000 on eBay for each copy. An unauthorised bootleg was made in 1991 but the quality was poor. 

A 1999 limited-edition re-release was authorised by the band on Wooden Hill records (Vinyl and CD versions). This was of much better quality soundwise and was quickly sold out. In 2012, Spanish label Guerssen reissued the album on 180g vinyl, with the original artwork.

It's a pity it was never recorded as a ''real'' album. Nevertheless absolutely recommendable. 
Have fun
              SB1

                                                   Flac part1  &  Flac part2    -  mp3@320   

The Hassles - The Hassles 1967 (1992 EMI)

On the Hassles' self-titled debut, the band displayed a naive enthusiasm and a slightly better-than-average blue-eyed soul, covering several hits and standards like "A Taste of Honey," "Fever," and "You've Got Me Hummin'," as well as Traffic's "Coloured Rain" in standard Rascals style. Most of the album is nothing spectacular, but a pair of Billy Joel's tracks -- "Every Step I Take (Every Move I Make)" and "I Can Tell" -- show a budding songwriting talent, with the material fitting in quite nicely alongside established songs. [In 1992, the album was reissued on CD as part of EMI's "Legends of Rock & Roll" series with a generous eight bonus tracks recorded around the same time. The disc was pulled off the market shortly after its release at the request of Joel, who still seems embarrassed by his juvenilia despite the charm of the album.](allmusic.com)


A nice pop album and i hope you will enjoy

SB1

                                                                      Flac  &  mp3@320 

Late '60s Pop from Sweden: Blond - The Lilac Years 1969 (2003 Universal AB)

Tommy Blom left Swedish band tages in 1968, however the surviving members of the bands line up Danne Larsson rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist, Anders Töpel Lead guitarist and backing vocalist Lasse Svennson Drummer and backing vocalist, together with Tages bassist Göran Lagerberg leading the new project, that came to be known asBLOND named after the Bob Dylan LP Blonde on Blonde together with their old producer they went into full force to try once more to record an album, and they decided to do this over in England. The Lilac years, is an ace grand production, that goes deep trough fields of rock n and pop, blues jazz, and even deeper into folk music, to me one never senses the absence of their former front man Blom, 
Lagerbergs grand melodic genius who now comes into light more than ever before, and while tages was a group of tight direct yet perfect little nuggets, with blond, the band becomes a bit braver, and manages to move out even more of the pop nugget frames and successfully emerges into even bigger arrangements at places, were they either go into more epic lengths around 6 or 7 minutes ( as on the albums title track, the folk rock  arranged retitled Swedish folksong de sålde sina hemman, or the groovy blues jam Caroline complete with hand drums and percussion flowing throughout the track ) and if not they manages to take their shorter songs trough many fantastic levels as well, notable on the fantastic Sailing Cross The Ocean that crosses between swing rock, raga rock and folksy/waltz crossings.

At first glance The Lilac Years might seem stiffer and more forced than Tages late 60s, But really the songs never loose their touch, and a lot of effort was put in the production, that it must have been exhausting, but hard work paid of as BLOND put out a complete and awfully strong effort, thick, but filled with melodic genius, and really stellar musicianship, and a great ambition to hit of grand, and make a grand production, with all ideas given space to flow trough, in magnificent arrangements, this album also features ace arrangements from the London symphony orchestra, that sweeps along on striking songs such as the magnificent “flowers in the morning” also recorded by  British Cilla Black the same year(although under a different title If I thought you’d ever change your mind), and by Swedish Doris, a few years later, a strong beautiful ballad that captures a great melodic sense and that captures one to a great extent, during its three minutes of play time. 
It features some gripping organ work to, and together with Deep inside my heart, they are the two strong ballad numbers that balance a already colourful and strong production, we have top ace rock n roll, on songs such as _six white horses; with mean guitars (some overdubbed by Anders Nord) and HoW can I pray when I don’t believe Pick on a Buss 
swaying Pschycadelic folk lost child reminiscent of Crosby stills and Nash a bit in the arrangement , we have country and western  touches in Sun in her hand featuring banjo plucking and such together, together with a flowing piano, and orchestra and organ, 
And we have a jazz swing rocker in The Girl I Once Had with killing brass thrown in and some really ace boogie rhythm and neat vocal delivery.

Neat upbeat flowing is all over in I Wake up and call and Time is Mine in the end it comes of as a warmly crafted ambitious album, a colourful and truly ace production, that should be considered as a real gem, that really captures the time of the late 60s well, as well as being a strong and very creative effort, and this should to be  considered as one of the top albums of the 60s, and perhaps it should have been, if the group toured more, and the album was spread more widely.

Apparently it did not turn out this way, as some members left the group to go for military service, and other projects came in crossing their path, but before the group dissolved in 1971,  Björn  Linder and Anders Nord came in as substitutes (the two had made some overdubs on the album tracks Caroline and six white horses for the album) Nord wouldn’t stay around for too long,  but Linder was around long enough to feature on the blond single were they’ve backed Örjan Ramberg on  the Balladen Om Killen single release, produced and written by Lagerberg, that captures the moody feel of a restless teenager, looking back in reflective and nostalgic mood which is also featured on the CD. While this line up never got to play live in front of an audience Nords substitute came to be Björn Töpel, Anders Töpels kid brother. Lost Child/How can I play when I don’t believe came as the groups last single, and in between they also managed to perform on Swedish TV , which was recorded in December 69, and broadcasted in December the following year, and these recordings are also included on the CD of course, three CD ROM video tracks of the performances also come as bonus, among them a great reading of the bands hit The Weight 
which is also featured in audio CD format.

This is just a great disc filled with brilliant music, probably unknown to many people, but some real talent not to be missed, It surpasses many 60s sounds during the same time, and is top class efforts trough and trough to me Many of the lyrics were with assistance from Adrian Moar and some occasions someone called   K.J Green unfamiliar writers to me, but they certainly seem to know their stuff, as for producer Anders Hennriksson and Lagerberg, melodic brilliance of the top notch type (as already noted)
If you can find this, 
enjoy(Jan Freidun review at rateyourmusic.com)



There's nothing to add. The record is a really great pop album from beginning to end. If you like pop music from the sixties you will get a real gem with this album.
Viel Spaß
             SB1

                                                                Flac   &   mp3@320

Power Pop From Australia: The Summer Suns - Summer Suns (2008 House Of Wax)

The Summer Suns (1985-1996) were part of the vanguard of the perth pop scene in a truly halcyon era. They played a melodious blend of '70s influenced power pop and '60s folk rock and featured a revolving door line-up of most of perth, western australia's premier pop musicians including dom mariani (Stems, Someloves, DM3), gary chambers (The Stems), pascal bartolone (DM3) and featured the songwriting/vocal talents of mainman kim williams.
A great collection of 22 songs from various releases by the band who are hard to find. The musicians here are all legends of pop music in Australia and surely also to a lot of pop fans all over the world.

Have fun
                Frank

                                                              Flac    &    mp3@320

Sixties Garage Pop: Rock Shop - Mr. Lee's ''Swingin Affair Presents 1968 (2006 Radioactive)

Honestly, I don't know much about the band. Apparently the band came from California and was by a mysterious'' Mr Lee'' in L. A. discovered and managed. You can read the legend about it on the back cover of the album. The album was released in 1968 and became one of the many undiscovered little treasures of the late sixties. A really good garage pop album with tasteful arrangements and sometimes very good pop songwriting. Nothing in the songs is overloaded and it seems that the band has arranged according to the motto'' Less is more''. Recommendable.

Enjoy
         Frank

                                    Flac part1  &  Flac part2  -   mp3@320

After almost 30 years, there's finally a definitive document of one of the first San Francisco psychedelic groups -- or, at least, as definitive a document as surviving tapes allow. This compilation assembles 23 tracks from their demos for the Kama Sutra and Autumn labels, as well as a couple of later sessions recorded at San Francisco area studios. Much of this material has been bootlegged previously, on both vinyl and tape, but here it appears in its best fidelity to date by far.

Those expecting psychedelic fireworks will be surprised. There's some acid-soaked folk-rock here (most notably "We're Not on the Same Trip" and "I Saw Her," the two best cuts), but on the whole, it's much more of a travelog of roots music, with white blues, jug band, folk, country, and music hall influences much more to the fore. Sure, the Charlatans never really got the opportunity to flex their muscles in the studio, but it's also true that they didn't possess either the songwriting or instrumental chops to rival the Jefferson Airplane or Moby Grape.

If you gear your expectations to the appropriate level, there's plenty of good-time mid- to late-'60s Bay Area rock to savor here. Big Beat's meticulous packaging and programming also ensures that an important chapter in psychedelic/San Francisco music has been properly presented for the first time.(allmusic)

The Charlatans were one of the San Francisco bands in the times of Haight Ashbury and the commercial emergence of the hippie movement in the mid-sixties. San Francisco was also the place where the Charlatans found their greatest recognition. Mostly of course at their gigs. They never found the commercial success with their records that made other SF bands famous worldwide. Nevertheless, they recorded a number of great songs.
Big Beat brings together a series of demos in really outstanding quality and presents the band here in an impressive way. Big Beat has also included a first-class booklet.
Have fun and enjoy

                                Frank

                              The Charlatans (US) - The Amazing Charlatans (1996 Big Beat) 

                                         Flac part1  &  Flac part2        -  mp3@320

Many, many psychedelic groups were active in Texas in the late '60s. This compilation devotes one side each to two of them, the Lemon Fog and the Nomads, Houston bands that both recorded for the small Orbit label. No, this stuff isn't going to redefine anyone's idea of garage or psychedelic music, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth paying attention to if you like those styles a lot. Each band takes a lot of its cues from Californian psychedelia and folk-rock, the influence of the Doors being especially prominent on a few cuts; others sound something like a garage Buffalo Springfield. These were two different groups, and though they might take offense at the comment, they don't differ from each other much; the Lemon Fog are somewhat heavier. (allmusic.com)

22 tracks of psychedelic garage rock from Texas 1966 til 1968. A very fine collection!

Enjoy

         Frank

      Various Artists - Three O'Clock Merrian Webster Time Texas Psychedelic Bands 1966-68 

    

                                                           Flac part1  &  Flac part2       -  mp3@320

This replaced Collectables' mid-'90s collection, The Best of Sandy Posey, as the best overview of the artist's 1960s material, and hence the best Posey record available. It has 23 tracks where The Best of Sandy Posey has only 14, and has extensive liner notes with quotes from Posey herself, whereas the Collectables release had typically (for that label) scant annotation. Actually The Best of Sandy Poseydoes have four songs that don't appear on A Single Girl, but the latter album does include the hits that anyone searching for a Posey best-of would demand: "Born a Woman," "Single Girl," "What a Woman in Love Won't Do," and "I Take It Back." Though on the whole the music is rather unadventurous, in its time it struck a peculiar chord: countrypolitan songs that on occasion crossed over to the pop audience (sometimes even in Britain) in a big way, with some echoes of rock, soul (particularly on "What a Woman in Love Won't Do," "One Man Woman," and "Hey Mister"), easy listening pop, and dippy submissive teen idol/girl group vocal flavors that were anachronistic by the time these were made in 1966-1968. There are some big name writers here -- Dan Penn-Spooner Oldham, John D. Loudermilk, and Joe South -- but their contributions aren't nearly as memorable or biting as the songs for which they're most famous. Even though many of these tracks frankly aren't striking, there are some fair non-hits here, particularly those that go into some (for countrypolitan) unusually brooding pop melodies, like "Shattered" and "Patterns."(allmusic.com)


The most songs of this very fine collection are from the 1966 to 1968 years. Personally, I prefer this period of her career where she mainly performed pop songs.

Frank

                                         Flac   &  mp3@320  

A Swiss '60s band that have sometimes been mistakenly identified as a British group due to their 1968 single "Dream Machine," a quite catchy and enjoyable facsimile of British flower pop with high harmonies, psychedelic lyrics, and driving guitars. The band had actually been recording since 1965, and established themselves as one of Switzerland's best and most popular groups. That's a status that isn't conferred upon most, Switzerland being a small country. Much of their first LP (1966) was filled with covers of popular rock hits. These were interpreted, however, with a brash energy that makes the record stand out above the scores of similar covers-oriented albums produced around the globe during the era. "Dream Machine" was a more original effort, and an album from 1968, View to Heaven, also had a more pronounced folk and psychedelic feel than their earliest outings. Les Sauterelles continued recording all the way into the early '70s, and several of their songs (notably "Dream Machine") surfaced on collector-oriented reissues in the '80s. (allmusic)

In my opinion, this is a typical European sixties album with that certain charm attached to the better albums. The band tried to sound international which, of course, didn't work out, but that's the charm of many songs. On the album there are some really good songs but also some weaker songs can be found here. What still fascinates me so much about these bands today is that it was a typical European sound, but Dutch bands sounded different from German bands. This in turn differs from Austrian or Polish ones. Swedish bands had a more pop oriented sound as in example Norwegian bands. All this despite the geographical proximity. And all in all, it was an interesting stew of European pop music in the 1960s.

Hope you will enjoy

                                 Frank

                                                    Les Sauterelles - View To Heaven (1968)

                                            Flac part1 & Flac part2         -  mp3@320

Synthesis is an apt name for an album that, like its predecessor, A Scratch in the Sky, proved the Cryan' Shames to be among the most versatile mainstream pop/rock groups of the late '60s. Versatile does not mean great, though, or especially interesting, and can also mean an absence of a solid identity. This record is more eclectic than it is exciting, though the material is well arranged and the group were accomplished harmony singers in particular. On "Greenburg, Glickstein, Charles, David Smith & Jones" they get heavy; with the cover of Hoagy Carmichael's "Baltimore Oriole," they get jazz/folk-rock progressive; on "It's All Right," it's jaunty country-rock; on "First Train to California," there's an almost-self-conscious straining for an MOR AM radio hit. The segueing together of tracks and occasional insertion of spacy instrumental and production flourishes indicate that they wanted to leave the impression of making a progressive statement. But it sounds for the most part like 1960s AM radio filler trying to get hipper with a touch of the far-out, the problem being that 1960s AM radio filler intrinsically cannot get too hip or far out. The 2002 Sundazed CD reissue of this odd mix of sunshine pop and mild pop-psychedelia adds eight bonus tracks. No less than six of them are single versions of tracks from the LP; the other two present both sides of their 1969 single, "Bits and Pieces"/"Rainmaker," which matched a country-rock original with a Harry Nilsson cover.(Richie Unterberger, allmusic)

A good pop album of the late sixties and if you like sixties sunshine/radio pop this is for you.
Hope you enjoy
                        SB1

                                       The Cryan' Shames - Synthesis 1969 (Sundazed 2002)

                                            Flac  &  mp3@320         

When singer Susan Taylor joined Don Williams and Lofton Kline in Strangers Two in 1964, the group redid the math and changed its name to the Pozo-Seco Singers, and soon had a recording contract with Columbia Records. Specializing in non-topical folk, pop, and country material (which set them apart from similar but more politicized acts of the day like Ian & Sylvia and Peter, Paul and Mary), the Singers recorded two albums, 1966's Time and 1967's I Can Make It with You, before Kline left, and the third and final Pozo-Seco album, Shades of Time, also released in 1967, featured Williams and Taylor as a duo. Williams went solo in 1971, becoming a big country star in the 1970s and 1980s, while Taylor retreated from the limelight. This Rev-Ola set pairs the first two albums and tosses in a pair of non-album singles as bonus tracks, and essentially duplicates 1996's pairing of these same two albums by Collectors' Choice with different cover art. It's a pleasant set, smooth and easy, and it won't ruffle anyone's feathers, and it probably won't alter anyone's opinion of the Pozo-Seco Singers either. Highlights include the group's one real hit, a version of Chip Taylor's "I Can Make It with You," the odd Williams' original called "Diet," and a wonderful re-imagining of the Beatles' "If I Fell" that hints at what the Pozo-Seco Singers might have become had they stayed together as a trio.(allmusic.com)

Wonderful collection by The Pozo-Seco Singers. I think all of you american readers here will know this band. All of the members were great musicians but only Don Williams rose to fame later in the
american country music scene.
Hope you have fun
                              Frank


The Pozo-Seco Singers - Time for the Poco-Seco Singers  The Complete 1966 Recordings (2009 Rev-Ola)

                                                  Flac  &  mp3@320