Bubblegum Lemonade - Some Like It Pop (2013)

For me this is a great piece of pop music and i love this kind of music. Let us hear what the prof's from radio show and blog '' The Sound Of Confusion'' says about it:

Releasing an album that's short on surprises isn't often seen as a bonus, more a lack imagination or ideas, or worse still, a retread of what the band in question has done before. This third full-length from Lawrence McClusky's Bubblegum Lemonade project doesn't offer much that you won't have heard from previous records, including those by his other band, Strawberry Whiplash. In this instance, this familiarity is a blessing, not a curse, as the prolific songwriter never fails to write strong tracks and, as the title suggests, pop melodies are not in short supply; obviously a crucial factor when making music that fits the indiepop bracket. Given the fact that 'Some Like It Pop' was released just a fortnight after Lou Reed's passing, the Velvet Underground-inspired artwork probably wasn't planned as a tribute to a lost legend, it was planned as a nod to a living great and a influence, and has now become more poignant than intended.


It's difficult not to fall back on chalices such as "honeyed" when describing just how pretty a song like 'Don't Hurry Baby' is, but from the backing vocals to the layers of guitar to (that word again) the melody, that's exactly what this is. The title could be a reference to the similarly perfect pop of The Beach Boys' 'Don't Worry Baby'; they're another influence it's difficult to avoid. 'Dead Poets Make Me Smile' is pure '80s guitar-pop that would probably be considered a classic had it been released in that decade. It's not all sunshine and flowers though; 'First Rule Of Book Club' has a more pensive vibe and 'You Can't Go Back Again' talks about the destruction of someone's past that has "turned to dust", however this is quickly followed by the splendid, dreamy single 'Have You Seen Faith?' which again sparkles like a glitter ball in the bright daylight. Another particularly bright spot is 'Your Valentine (Takes me Back In Time)' which has an extra buzz about it and is perfect single material, oh, and you don't go calling a song 'She Brings The Sunshine' if it's to be downbeat and sorrowful. 'Some Like It Pop' won't change the world, but it will make it seem like a better place for forty minutes or so.
Musically, you could take the twinkling opening of first track 'This Is The New Normal' and find a direct lineage back to songs like 'Sunday Morning', but the jangling guitars follow a different path, proving that the usual reference points of The Byrds, Big Star, Flying Nun Records and C86 are as important as the Velvets. Plus there's something distinctly Scottish feeling about adding violin to guitar tunes of this nature, thanks in part to Belle & Sebastian. While we're on the subject of common references, the lovely 'It's Got To be Summer' has a Jesus & Mary Chain feel, minus the feedback overload. All of the above could indicate that this is just another decent indiepop album, and in a way that's true, yet the calibre of songs is what will make you keep returning for repeat helpings, and the lack of filler is also a crucial factor. This is a solid collection, with the only real criticism being that some of the melodies are close to other McClusky compositions, but on the flip side, it shows that there is a definite individuality here, and being able to blindly recognise a band fairly quickly in a scene as crowded as the indiepop world can only be a good thing.

Hope you have the same fun with this record like i do and i think you know where the link is...

Cheers
           SB1

The Yearning - Dreamboats & Lemonade (2014)

British orchestral indie entity styled after early girl group melodrama and '60s chamber pop.
 
British songwriter/producer Joe Moore began the Yearning in 2012, modeling his orchestral pop songs after the teenage tragedies and melodramatic heartbreaks of early girl groups and '60s chamber pop. Moore enlisted lead vocalist Maddie Dobie to bring his songs to life and crafted his nostalgic studio compositions in the style of Bacharach and the Beach Boys, enlisting a host of session musicians. The Yearning first appeared in the form of several mini-LPs, beginning with 2012's Jukebox Romance and following it in 2013 with Still in Love, both on Elefant Records. A full-length surfaced in 2014 in the glowing harmonies and throwback tones of Dreamboats & Lemonade. It was followed in 2016 by the more melancholy Evening Souvenirs, which featured the Cotswold Voices choir on select tracks.
The album is in m4a format.

Cheers
           SB1


New Link m4a

Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas!

Hello everybody out there on this very special day (whatever this means for every individual person). For me the day began after a cup of coffee immediately with work. My lovely wife gave the  instructions and i had to do it...last arrangements in the living room (where we will celebrate the christmas eve) like decorate the room and the christmas tree and any other little things.
But i like to do things like that, because it is for a great lovely and beautiful meeting in the evening with the family and beloved friends. The good news for me is: It is strictly forbidden for me to enter the kitchen. :-) !!!

Okay Ladies and Gentleman i wish all of you a wonderful Christmas celebration with good friends and family. Full of harmony and good good good GOOD VIBRATIONS. I hope all will have a nice day.


 My post for today is a collection of Power pop songs . I did the collection by myself. It's called ''SB's Power pop Collection Vol.1''. I think it is a little bit more personally post for this special day.
If you like it grab it - if not take my best wishes for christmas.

Here is the tracklist for the collection:


01 The Finkers - This Time It's Love
02 Feel - She Makes the Make-Up Look Good.mp3
03 Martin Luther Lennon - I Own the World.mp3
04 The Shazam - The Concept.mp3
05 Starclock - Yo Pussycat.mp3
06 The Royalties - Bring It On.mp3
07 The Syrups - Miss I Don't Understand You.mp3
08 Turnback, The - Beyond Belief.mp3
09 Brainpool - Ready! Steady! Go!.mp3
10 Big Kid - When I Met the Girl.mp3
11 The Shelters - Birdwatching.mp3
12 Farrah - Do You Ever Think of Me.mp3
13 The Innocents - Your Precious Touch.mp3
14 Brainpool - Holidays.mp3
15 The Waking Hours - Whispered News.mp3
16 The Struts - Put Your Money On Me.mp3
17 Jason Falkner - Do Ya.mp3
18 Lisa Mychols - Hearts Beat in Stereo.mp3
19 The Struts - Put Your Money On Me.mp3
20 Myhr, David - Loveblind.mp3
21 Ashley, Corin - Geez Louise.mp3
22 Merrymakers, The - I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better.mp3
23 DM3 - Can't Get What You Want.mp3
24 Millard Powers - She's So Clean.mp3
25 The Sun Kings - Only a Night.mp3


Okay, the link is in the comments

Three cheers
See you
             SB1

Bobby Jameson - Color Him In (1967) (produced by Curt Boettcher) [FLAC][2006 Reissue]

Jameson was a mysterious figure who might be most known for recording a Mick Jagger-Keith Richards composition that the Rolling Stones never released, "All I Want Is My Baby," on a 1965 single. This is one of his two albums, and it's much more a Californian-sounding, faintly psychedelic-speckled pop/rock record than a British Invasion one. Produced by Curt Boettcher, it's an odd LP, not so much for its weirdness -- it's not that weird -- as its strange juxtaposition of 1966-1967 rock styles. Jameson writes intense songs of soul-searching and questioning, yet the tunes are dressed up in rather normal good-time Southern California pop/rock arrangements, with cheerful female backing vocals that verge on the too-chipper, sometimes to the point of annoyance.

At times, his sly, mind-rushing-to-keep-pace-with-the-tongue lyrics recall early Arthur Lee, particularly on "The New Age," where the phrasing is extremely similar to the kind Lee used on early Love tracks like "You I'll Be Following." "Windows & Doors" also bears an early Love influence. Yet "I Love You More Than You Know" could almost be Philadelphia blue-eyed soul, so straight-sounding is it, while "Jenny" isn't far from easy listening lounge lizard crooning, without much apparent irony. It's an interesting, but not terribly interesting, mildly eccentric pop/rock album with a dash of flower power. It's not, incidentally, nearly as good (or Love-influenced) as another rare LP of roughly the same time, Chris Lucey's Songs of Protest and Anti-Protest, that is apparently the work of Jameson under a pseudonym.

West Coast folk-rocker Bobby Jameson is best known -- or, perhaps, not known at all -- for Songs of Protest and Anti-Protest, the sought-after cult LP he recorded under the alias Chris Lucey. Born Robert Parker Jameson in Geneva, Illinois, Jameson cut his debut single, "I Wanna Love You," for the Talamo label in early 1964. The record was a regional hit, and even earned him an appearance on American Bandstand. Although the follow-ups "Okey Fanokey Baby" and "All Alone" went nowhere, Jameson nevertheless captured the attention of Rolling Stones producer Andrew Loog Oldham, and in late 1964 he flew to London to record the Decca single "All I Want Is My Baby," co-written by Oldham and Stones guitarist Keith Richards. (The B-side, "Each and Every Day of the Year," credits authorship to Richards and Mick Jagger.) After a 1956 one-off for the Brit imprint, "I Wanna Know," Jameson returned to Los Angeles, where he befriended producer Marshall Lieb. At this time Lieb was in the midst of helming the debut Surrey Records release by folkie Chris Ducey, but with the album covers already printed and the disc ready to ship, contractual snafus forced the project into limbo. Lieb coerced Jameson into writing and recording a new batch of tunes based on Ducey's existing song titles, and after some creative tinkering with the cover art, Songs of Protest and Anti-Protest -- now credited to Chris Lucey and, for reasons unknown, featuring a photo of Rolling Stone Brian Jones -- finally hit retail. Promoted via what was then the most expensive and lavish Billboard advertising supplement ever printed, the album -- a deeply idiosyncratic psych-folk opus closely resembling the classic early LPs by Arthur Lee and Love -- nevertheless proved a commercial flop; in the U.K., it appeared under Jameson's own name and a different title, Too Many Mornings, but still stiffed. Jameson did not resurface until mid-1966, releasing "Gotta Find My Roogalator" -- arranged by Frank Zappa, and recorded with L.A. session virtuosos including Carol Kaye on bass and Larry Knechtel on piano -- on Pat Boone's Penthouse label. He then signed to Verve, where the Our Productions team of Curt Boettcher, Jim Bell, and Steve Clark helmed his 1967 LP Color Him In.

But that's not the end of the story of Bobby Jameson.This guy had a really hard life .He told his story from his view on his blog. Take a look. The adress is bobbyjameson.blogspot.com. Bobby Jameson died in may 15th 2015 at the age of 70.

I will post the ''Chris Lucey's Songs of Protest and Anti-Protest'' at a later date if there is any interest.
The link as always in the comments


Cheers
           SB1

The Astral Projection - The Astral Scene (1968) Sunshine Psychedelic Pop (Flac)

 

Composed of studio musicians, most notably the late great guitarist Hugh McCracken, who played with everybody from the Monkees to Simon to Garfunkel to Van Morrison to Steely Dan to John Lennon, the Astral Projection existed for just this one album.

Heavily orchestrated and glistening with birdsong harmonies and melodies, The Astral Scene rests firmly on the soft-rock wing occupied by the Cowsills, the Association and the Blades of Grass. The production values are clean and sparkly, the structures are adventurous enough to prompt repeated spins, and the performances are disciplined and proportioned.
Tracks like “(Mind Flight) Overture – The Airways Of The Imagination,” “The Happening People,” “Accordion Pleated Mind” and “(Astral Exploration)…Overtures, Dreams, Shadows And Illusions” illustrate the group’s positive affirmations to solid effects. Rhythms drift, float and soar, and the textures of the tunes are flush with color and motion. Pumping big brass sounds, string arrangements and flower pop motifs into a single blender, The Astral Scene rolls in as an early indication of new age music. Brain food for the ears, the disc is certainly a curious period piece.

In my opinion this a completely underrated album. Great arrangements paired with good songs and fine vocals. Please give it a try.You want be disappointed if you like this genre.
Cheers
           SB1



link in the comments

The Oxfords - Flying Up Through The Sky Vol. One & Two '66-'72 Flac

When Gear Fab Records re-released the Oxfords' sole LP from 1970 called Flying Up Through the Sky, fleshing it out with various band ephemera in 2001, it was assumed that it was the last word on the Louisville group, amounting to a complete recorded works. Turns out it wasn't. When the Allen-Martin Recording Studio where the Oxfords tracked their LP (it was called Sambo Recording Studio when the Oxfords worked there) was demolished in 2006, local session musicians Marvin Maxwell and Walker Ed Amick rescued the studio's master tape library from a cruel and forgotten fate at the bottom of the corner dumpster and began the long task of transferring the multi-track masters into the digital domain. One of their discoveries was that the Oxfords had recorded a fair amount of material that hadn't appeared on Flying Up Through the Sky, leading to this second volume of Oxfords tracks from Gear Fab.

Although generally remembered as a sunshine pop band with some psychedelic overtones, the Oxfords emerge on this second helping as a much more versatile band than that, touching down at times close to jazz and what could almost be deemed a kind of proto-country-rock. At other times they sound like a southern version of early Jefferson Airplane, thanks in no small part to the strong and often sultry vocals of lead singer Jill DeMarco. That diversity is impressive, and one can't help but wonder what might have developed had the band stayed together and not called it quits in 1972.

Among the clear highlights on this addenda volume are a speeded up and rocked out version of Richard & Mimi Fariña's "Reno, Nevada," the wonderfully atmospheric "I Can't Remember Your Name," the hard driving "Year of Jubilo" (based on a Civil War-era song by Henry Clay Work), a Mamas & Papas-like cover of Del Shannon's "Runaway," and the very pretty and jazz-inflected backing track called "Underscore" that concludes this collection (and provides a possible clue to what direction the Oxfords may have taken if they had remained together). In all, it makes a nice coda to the first volume and helps paint a larger, clearer picture of what the band was all about.allmusic.com

Yep, that's what allmusic says about it. First time i heard about a second volume i was really surprised because i never had heard about it. I post the both voplumes in one rar file. I hope you like it.
'till next time
                     SB1



link in the comments

Tandyn Almer - Along Comes Tandyn mp3@320

Renowned for writing the hit "Along Comes Mary" recorded by the Association, Tandyn Almer was ahead of his time and couldn't manage to keep that creative hit momentum going. Since then he has become known as one of the lost pop geniuses of the '60s. Sundazed released Along Comes Tandyn, which contains 15 unreleased demos that capture the early L.A. blend of sunshine and psych pop of the era. The tracks contain elements of the hallucinogenic jangle of the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band's first Reprise album, the early Mamas and Papas -- Almer hung out with John & Michelle Phillips -- Brian Wilson (Almer co-wrote "Sail on Sailor" and "Marcella" for the Beach Boys), Curt Boettcher, and even, on the track "Face Down in the Mud," a combination of the Mothers of Invention and the Association! These demos were recorded quickly and the quality is very good, but, more importantly, the obvious thought and effort that were put into both the musical and vocal arrangements makes you wonder what could have been.allmusic.com

The quality of the demos is really great and the songs are in my opinion fantastic. For me this sound more like a pre production than demos.However if you like 60's sunshine pop you will like this.

In his life Tandyn Almer had not much luck how it seems. Here is a Bio i found at allmusic:

A fascinating and enigmatic footnote to the West Coast pop scene of the late 1960s, pianist, composer, and producer Tandyn Almer is best known for writing the Association's classic "Along Comes Mary." Virtually nothing is known of Almer's origins and upbringing. In 1965, Associate Jules Alexander was hired by producer Curt Boettcher to play on a demo of "Along Comes Mary," and was so impressed by the song he asked if his group could record it officially. Released in 1966, the single emerged as a blockbuster, defining the Association's pioneering harmony pop sound. It should have made Almer one of the hottest songwriters in Los Angeles, but he never again scored a major hit. That doesn't mean he was missing in action, however, any number of obscure psych pop singles bear Almer's writing and production credits, among them the Paper Fortress' "Sleepy Hollow People," the Garden Club's "Little Girl Lost and Found," Pleasure's "Poor Old Organ Grinder," and Dennis Olivieri's full-length Come to the Party. He and Boettcher also teamed to write another Association song, "Message of Our Love," as well as Sagittarius' "Musty Dusty." In 1969, Almer recorded his lone solo single, "Degeneration Gap," for Warner Bros.; he also was credited alongside Brian Wilson as a co-writer on a handful of Beach Boys efforts, including "Sail On, Sailor," and "Marcella."

In the mid-'70s, Tandyn Almer moved to Washington, D.C., taking odd jobs and writing songs, but his bipolar disorder impacted his ability to be consistent within his music or relationships. By the '90s, rumors circulated that he had died. He was alive and penniless, but still writing songs. In 2011 he developed serious health problems, resulting in the partial amputation of his left leg. On January 8, 2013 Almer died at his home in Washington D.C. at age 70. In March 2013, Sundazed released Along Comes Tandyn containing 15 rare demos from the mid-'60s.

Have fun!
               SB1



link in the comments

Strawberry Alarm Clock - Wake up...It's Tomorrow 1968) 2005 Flac

For their second album, Wake Up...It's Tomorrow, Strawberry Alarm Clock built upon the solid writing and musicianship that inevitably carried over from the Incense and Peppermints project. In retrospect, it is baffling as to why they were relegated to the "one-hit wonders" file, as their most social and musically relevant statements had yet to be made. Stylistically, the material on this album vacillates between the lighter and pop-oriented sides such as "Tomorrow" and the stunningly agile vocal arrangements on

"Pretty Song from Psych-Out" to the exceedingly ominous "Curse of the Witches" and "Nightmare of Percussion." Howard Davis -- whose spoken word narration can be heard during the latter track -- arranged some stunning vocal charts for "Soft Skies, No Lies," "Go Back, You're Going the Wrong Way," and the "future" section of the "Black Butter" trilogy. They are reminiscent of the tight harmonies incorporated by Harpers Bizarre or the retro New Vaudeville Band. Conversely, "Sitting on a Star," "They Saw the Fat One Coming" (which refers to the infiltration of Roy Freeman, a lyricist hired by the band's management), and the first two movements in the "Black Butter" trilogy reflect the group's mod garage rock roots. Here the band projects a more primal sound akin to People or the Chocolate Watchband.

 Have fun
                 SB1




link in the comments

Mark Eric - A Midsummer's Day Dream 1969

  A Midsummer's Day Dream is treasured by collectors as one of the more perfect blends of soft pop and surf pop, with appropriately accenting vibraphones and French horns, pseudo-studio jazzy/soft pop melodies, "bah bah bah" harmonies, and moody string arrangements reminiscent of Curt Boettcher's productions of Sagittarius and the Millennium. Eric's charming, somewhat imperfect falsetto (in a somewhat obvious homage to Brian Wilson) hints at a subterranean layer of loneliness throughout. His self-penned, broken-hearted Beach Boys-style ballads (think Pet Sounds/Friends) are, in fact, the perfect vehicle for his faltering upper-register voice. Highlights include "California Home" (about a homesick airplane flight away from L.A.); an end-of-summer lament, "Where Do the Girls of the Summer Go"; and "Don't Cry Over Me," with its gorgeous blend of harmonic filigree and sophisticated studio sheen. Eric -- who as an actor appeared on TV's The Partridge Family as the pal of Snake -- apparently never recorded another album.allmusic

Greetings
               SB1



link in the comments

Seth Swirsky - Watercolor Day 2010

This guy is a giant in the pop songwriter scene for sure. He wrote songs for Taylor Dayne (Two songs reached the billboard pop charts both at Top 7). Other names are Rufus Wainwright, Celine Dion, Al Green, Tina Turner, Eric Carmen, Smokey Robinson, Charles and Eddie and more. He's a real heavyweight pop musician. He was member in the great ''Red Button'' with Mike Ruekberg. They released two wonderful 60's jangle stuff albums.
This is his second solo album from 2010. A real great power pop album. This is what Susanna Hoffs of Bangles fame said about it: ''Watercolor Day is a sonic bouquet of delicious melodies, melt in your mouth harmonies, warm butterscotch guitars that jangle and shine -- made with love and reverence for the music of the golden age of pop -- guaranteed to raise a smile!"
Hope you like it!

Cheers
           SB1


Flac part1
Flac part2

mp3 link in the comments

Doug Tuttle - Doug Tuttle (2014) - Real fine psychedelic pop! (Flac)

Ich habe für dieses Album die Kritik von allmusic.com hinzugefügt. Obwohl mir das Geschwätz über seine zerbrochene Beziehung und dem damit verbundenen Schmerz ....bla bla bla...jammer..bla ... ziemlich auf die Nerven geht. In Bezug auf das musikalische Werk trifft Herr Deming die Sache jedoch ziemlich gut:

There's a long and noble tradition of musicians who've been prompted to create great work through heartbreak (would Roy Orbison have even had a career without getting so bummed out about women?), and lo-fi guitar hero Doug Tuttle has joined the roster with his self-titled solo debut. Tuttle and Rachel Neveu were the founders of the New England indie psych band Mmoss, and they were also a couple; after a pair of fine albums, both the band and their relationship broke up, and as Tuttle struggled emotionally with his newly single status, he began writing and recording a batch of new material that became the album Doug Tuttle. Tuttle doesn't spend all his time drowning in his own tears on this album, but every song touches on the pains of a love gone sour in some small way, and his sorrow is communicated as much by the music as the lyrics (besides, the vocals are often left murky in the album's mix). There's often a dour turn in Tuttle's melodies that registers as sorrow, but this is also top-shelf lo-fi psychedelia, full of strong guitar work (check out his three-minute showcase solo on "Turn This Love"), evocative low-budget production (signal overload, homemade effects gear, and heavy manipulated sound effects), and arrangements that get powerful impact out of small instrumentation (the contrast between the acrobatic basslines and the squeal of the electric organ on "Leave Your Body" is particularly inspired). And it's obvious that Tuttle's greatest influences hail from the mid-'60s through the early '70s, but he's also created an album that sounds original, absorbing, and heartfelt despite its ties to another time and place. While Mmoss created a small but memorable body of work, Doug Tuttle proves their former guitarist has the talent and the vision to create music just as remarkable all by himself; hopefully, he won't have to have his heart broken again in order to deliver another set of music this engaging. (Mark Deming)

Okay, hope you will enjoy Mr. Tuttle. Later today i will come back with some power pop stuff

See you soon
                     SB1

link in the comments

Kill City Creeps - Kill City Creeps (2011)

As addition to the yesterday postings of 'The Dandelion' i want give you the opportunity to listen to an earlier project of David Poulter. It is the 2011 Ep from 'Kill City Creeps' with the same name. It is more straight psychedelic pop.
No folky sounds here. A good piece of relax psych pop in my opinion. (mp3 bit rate varied 225-280)

See you later
                    SB1




link in the comments