Brett Smiley - Breathlessly Brett 1974 (released 2003) mp3@320

Though he released just one single, made just one TV appearance, and has barely been sighted in public in over a quarter of a century, Brett Smiley can rightfully claim to rank among the true legends of glam rock. American born, but a thoroughbred Anglophile, Smiley (that is his real name, incidentally) spent four years with the touring company of the stageshow Oliver before moving into pop music.
In 1972, an aspiring manager tried launching him on the U.K., only to find there was no room past the then-prevalent mania for the Osmonds and David Cassidy. Smiley returned to the U.S., moving between Seattle, Hollywood, and New York, and recorded a set of demos with future Knack supremo Doug Fieger's band Sky. They failed to land a deal, but did catch the ear of Andrew Loog Oldham, former manager/producer of the Rolling Stones.
In early 1974, Oldham arranged a 100,000 dollar record deal with the U.K. Anchor label; Smiley's debut single, the effervescent "Va Va Va Voom" was recorded in London with Steve Marriott laying down some blistering guitar. They then traveled to Nashville to begin work on an album -- the sessions moved to New York and back to London before the set was completed. In the meantime, Smiley made his TV debut on Britain's Russell Harty - Plus that October and was pictured on the cover of the music paper Disc.

"Va Va Va Voom," however, bombed in the U.K. and a projected U.S. release through Sire fell apart soon after. Anchor then withdrew their support, shelving the album release before the recordings had even been paid for.
Smiley returned to the States, where he now lives in New York and continues to perform on a semi-regular basis. He reunited with Oldham during the late '80s for a handful of recordings, but they, too, remain unreleased. (allmusic.com)

allmusic.com review:

Brett Smiley was a legend in glam rock circles, but a legend only to those who lived through the times or fanatically dug through old, yellowed copies of Melody Maker, NME, and Disc, seeking to re-create the times. Such is the fate of a singer whose only album was shelved following a disastrous performance of a heavily hyped single. Smiley deserved better, but fate has been kind to him, since his longstanding cult reputation led to the much belated but still celebrated release of his scrapped 1974 album, Breathlessly Brett, on RPM in 2003. Its release was tied into RPM's Lipsmackin' 70s series, which debuted with Velvet Tinmine, a collection of glam and glitter singles forgotten to all but die-hard record collectors. Smiley comfortably fit into this category, of course, and his storied bomb, "Va Va Va Voom," received its CD debut there, whetting the appetite for this disc. Everybody who's

heard the collection or the single will know what to expect, and will be delighted with what they get -- a fabulously fey, coyly campy, and smashingly swishy glam pop album; it's Bowie and Bolan filtered through Judy Garland and performed by the prettiest boy to sigh into a microphone in the '70s. These are precisely the ingredients for a cult classic, of course, but it's hardly something that would have burned up the charts, unless it hit at precisely the right moment and was sold to the hilt.
Smiley did have Andrew Loog Oldham, the man who sold the world the Rolling Stones in the '60s, behind him, producing his record, pushing his image, and selecting his material. Oldham often had his finger on the pulse of pop currents and his genius was promotion, but he was simply off here. He was a little late on the glam bandwagon, he relied too heavily on Smiley's gorgeous visage, he bizarrely encouraged Smiley to play up MOR and traditional pop links (he covers "Young at Heart," names one original "April in Paris," and adds "Over the Rainbow" to the end of his cover of the Four Tops' "I Can't Help Myself"), and when it didn't sell, he jumped ship immediately.

To be frank, this music minces and swishes so much and has so much old-fashioned theatricality that it's hard to see how it would have been a big hit, no matter how pretty Smiley is or how catchy each of these songs are. But these are all the reasons why Breathlessly Brett is a delight for obsessive glam fans and unrepentant pop record collectors. It's the kind of record where even the bad moments -- and there are undeniably silly patches -- have a kind of absurd charm, such as ending a fizzy, trashy glitter-bubblegum album with "Young at Heart," or how Smiley twists the words of "I Want to Hold Your Hand" to "You got that something/You got that hand." But the real strength of the album is in Smiley's original songs. Prior to this, it seemed like he peaked early with "Va Va Va Voom" and its B-side, the tremendous Ziggy Stardust rip "Space Ace," but the rest of the originals are on par with these two peaks: "Highty Tighty" speeds by on sleazy horns and a tight, sexy rhythm; "April in Paris" has a foppish swagger like the best Marc Bolan, while "Pre-Columbian Love" kicks like a good T. Rex rocker; "Run for the Sun" is Roxy Music for the teen set; "Queen of Hearts" has a Baroque art pop spaciness that proves Smiley was not just a keen alchemist, but was developing a voice of his own.
Though he continued to write and record demos over the years, he never had a chance to follow through on the promise of this LP, since after all the hype, it simply vanished. Fortunately, RPM has unearthed this buried treasure and, in doing so, proves that the legend surrounding Brett Smiley was not wrong.

Pretty good glam rock/pop record from 1974. If i'm in the mood for listening glam, this record is

always on the shortlist. If you like glam this is for you and you will love it.

Brett Smiley died january 8th in 2016 at age 60.

Frank    mp3@320

Focal Point - First Bite Of The Apple 1968 (2005) mp3@320

Focal Point released one fair pop-psychedelic single in 1968, "Sycamore Sid"/"Love You Forever." "Sycamore Sid" was typical of much British rock of the time in its sketch of an eccentric character, played out against a pleasant medium-tempo power pop arrangement combining hard rock guitar riffs, organ, and piano. "Love You Forever" was an altogether more romantic, dainty piece, like a woozy update of late-'50s/early-'60s teen rock ballads. A few other unreleased
The Liverpool band's Beatles/Apple connection arose in 1967 when vacationing songwriters Paul Tennant and Dave Rhodes came across Paul McCartney, who was walking his dog in London's Hyde Park. McCartney actually gave them the name and number of Terry Doran, who was then starting Apple's music publishing company (Apple had yet to start its record label). After hearing the pair play some songs in his office, Doran was impressed enough to record some demos with the duo, which he played to Brian Epstein and John Lennon. Epstein suggested that the two form a band called Focal Point, and although he died shortly afterward, Tennant and Rhodes did form the group in Liverpool and sign a contract with Apple Publishing. Apple even rented the group a flat in London and gave them access to a recording studio in the Apple office for cutting demos. They got a contact with Deram and recorded their single, but after it made few waves, Apple's interest in the band seemed to peter out, and they never recorded again. Both sides of the single, as well as two outtakes from the recording session and a demo, appear on the CD compilation 94 Baker Street: The Pop-Psych Sounds of the Apple Era 1967-1969.

  Although the Focal Point put out just one single (1968's "Sycamore Sid"/"Love You Forever," included on this CD), they did record about an album's worth of unreleased material. This 20-track compilation has (in addition to the aforementioned 45) all of it, though a few of the half-dozen bonus cuts are previously unissued demos and alternate versions of some of the songs. If the principal section of the disc is to be considered a facsimile of what the album might have been like had it been issued, you can see why it might not have been considered as quite demanding of official release at the time, but also how it can certainly be appreciated these days by late-'60s psychedelic pop collectors. The group were very much in the dreamily fanciful storytelling/observational school of British psychedelia, though with a little darker and more melancholy edge than many such outfits. Echoes of the 1967-era Beatles, Zombies, and, more specifically, Bee Gees and Hollies are often present, and while the songs aren't superb, they're pleasing in a low-key, broodingly ethereal sort of way. It falls between those cracks of not being distinctive enough to command much attention, yet promising enough to show potential of developing into something more worthwhile. Like many such groups then and since, however, they didn't get the opportunity to do so. Unlike many such special-interest reissues from the era, the sound quality of most of the material is very good, though it's a little shakier on some of the demos and alternates.

Hello folks, later more. No time at the moment!!! Enjoy
Frank
mp3@320

D.L. Byron - This Day And Age (1980) Flac

An obscure but absolutely essential example of late-'70s/early-'80s power pop, D.L. Byron's This Day and Age easily ranks with the best work of contemporaries like Pezband, Graham Parker, and the Jam. On this, his debut album and only officially released full-length record for Arista, Byron rages through a set of first-rate original compositions (in later years Byron became a successful hit songwriter for other artists) with the flailing guitar fury of a prototypical angry young man. While some artists fitting this description tend to get bogged down in politics, Byron remains true to the power pop credo of "girls, girls, girls" and delivers one biting examination of failed (or failing) romantic relationships after another. The energy level on This Day and Age remains high throughout the album's ten songs, due in part to the top-notch rhythm section, which includes some then-members of Billy Joel's touring band. Legendary producer Jimmy Iovine keeps the sound simple, crisp and up front, wisely avoiding many of the tricks that make other albums from this period sound so dated. Those listeners only familiar with D.L. Byron's much mellower 1998 comeback album Exploding Plastic Inevitable may find This Day and Age a bit too punk rock, but any lover of pure power pop should make every effort possible to find this stunning high point of the genre.

Wonderful power pop album from the beginning of the eighties. I love this kind of power pop. Here, a real good songwriter in  a traditional style, there, on the other hand a slight new wave style of the arrangements and (imho) a quite proper production. For me his best album. Have fun
Bis bald
             Frank    Flac      

Candy - Whatever Happened To Fun... (1985) Flac

Candy was a quartet of young L.A. power-popsters from the '80's hair-band era, whose members included guitarist Gilby Clarke (later of Guns N' Roses and Rock Star Supernova) and vocalist/pianist Kyle Vincent (who is now a solo artist). Candy's chief songwriter was bassist Jonathan Daniel, who later formed Electric Angels with drummer John Schubert. Although Candy existed from 1981 until 1987, they released only one album, Whatever Happened To Fun..., in 1985. Candy didn't achieve much widespread success in their day, but they have acquired a posthumous following. Their album is currently out of print in the U.S., but it was reissued on CD in the U.K. on the Rock Candy label in 2012.(rarebird.net)

excerpt from the back cover: Signing a record deal with the powerful PolyGram operation, the sole album was recorded at Criteria studio in Miami with producer Jimmy Ienner (Raspberries, Bay City Rollers) and set out an impressive stall fusing a flamboyant mixture of power pop and glam rock. Issued in 1985, the album sold not a jot at the time, yet has subsequently become an in demand item amongst aficionados of the 80's LA glam scene and not without a good reason.

Oki doki, glam mixed with power pop is what you get with Candy. And this is really a great 80's pop record. Hope you will enjoy.
 Frank
Flac 

Luke Haines - Outsider/in The Collection 2012 (2 disc edition) mp3@320

The slightly naff title of this budget two-disc Luke Haines compilation suggests that following the success of the old grouch’s very funny books, the time has come for a reappraisal of his music by the mainstream. I couldn’t agree more. The Auteurs are possibly the most what-if British group of their era. Imagine if Blur had tanked after Modern Life Is Rubbish or Suede folded after Bernard Butler left. Okay, the Auteurs made it to three albums – How I Learned To Love The Bootboys being a Haines solo effort in all but name – but there’s definitely a sense of unfinished business to their oeuvre. Fed into the increasingly desperate hype machine of the early Nineties weekly music press too early to properly catch the wave that became Britpop, by the time that wave crested, Haines’s muse had steered so far from the shipping lanes of commercial acceptability that it seemed as if she were deliberately trying to sabotage his chances of opting for early retirement. Unsurprisingly, from our vantage point 15 years later the Steve Albini-produced After Murder Park and the eponymous Baader-Meinhof album stand among Haines’s best work, but it was around ’96-’97 that most commentators not unreasonably wrote him off as forever destined to wear the cult hood.
And so here we are, give or take a Black Box Recorder (for the second time unrepresented on a Haines compilation). If you’re already a fan then you don’t need either this review or its accompanying album, so I’ll address the former to an imaginary reader who – like myself three years ago – has grinned her way through the hilarious savagery of Bad Vibes and wants to find out whether Haines can walk the walk as well as he talks the talk. In a world that still – inexplicably – lacks a straightforward one-disc Auteurs best-of, the only competition Outsider / In faces is Hut/EMI’s three-disc Luke Haines Is Dead extravaganza (2005), still available for slightly more than twice the new compilation’s modest asking price. In terms of raw quantity, the new one represents better value (18p per track as opposed to 22p, or roughly 5p per minute versus 7p, fellow autists). And in one sense the quality’s not an issue: I’ve yet to catch up with a couple of his post-Auteurs albums, but – silly remixes aside – all the evidence I’ve heard suggests that Haines doesn’t 'do' weak tracks, which simplifies the compiler’s task considerably.

In another qualitative sense, though, I’d suggest that the Haines-curious opt for Luke Haines Is Dead. While both compilations have the 'hits' (or lack of them) amply covered, LHID tends to go for alternate versions: single mixes, radio sessions, you know the kind of thing. The doozy of these is the April ’94 live Radio One Evening Session broadcast, whose versions of 'The Upper Classes', 'Chinese Bakery' and 'New French Girlfriend' piss gleefully all over their studio counterparts, and there’s plenty else to go at. The average Auteurs B-side, for example, is better than many acts’ entire output. Now, in the parallel universe where the Haines-curious gives whichever compilation a cursory listen and thinks 'well, there you go, Luke Haines: not bad, quite interesting' before getting back with the Killers, this wouldn’t make an awful lot of difference to anything. But in yer actual extant universe – the one in which few songwriters rival Haines for melodic and lyrical invention or lack of stylistic complacency – it’s only a matter of time before she sets about acquiring his entire back catalogue, so she may as well save the 'canonical' versions for later and hear them in the context of their parent albums. Oh, and LHID has considerably wittier sleeve notes from Haines, whatever you think of the Paul Morley-on-autopilot ones here.
Lest anybody mistake this for a (sorry) lukewarm review, I’ll break with DiS etiquette and 'award' Outsider / In a whopping nine gold stars, for emphasis, the missing one serving to indicate that where Haines compilations are concerned there is such a thing as even more superlative.(Chris Trout/dronedinsound.com)

Luke Haines is an artist i like very much. I like the lyrics (most) and love the sound. For a lot people it's not really ''pop'' i think. Anyway, from the 34 tracks here 20 are with the Auteurs. This is a really cool collection and i hope you like it, too.
Cheers
           Frank
mp3@320

A New World Record 1977 !!!

The Electric Light Orchestra - Out Of The Blue (1977) Flac

The last ELO album to make a major impact on popular music, Out of the Blue was of a piece with its lavishly produced predecessor, A New World Record, but it's a much more mixed bag as an album. For starters, it was a double LP, a format that has proved daunting to all but a handful of rock artists, and was no less so here. The songs were flowing fast and freely from Jeff Lynne at the time, however, and well more than half of what is here is very solid, at least as songs if not necessarily as recordings. "Sweet Talkin' Woman" and "Turn to Stone" are among the best songs in the group's output, and much of the rest is very entertaining. The heavy sound of the orchestra, however, as well as the layer upon layer of vocal overdubs, often seem out of place. All in all, the group was trying too hard to generate a substantial-sounding double LP, complete with a suite, "Concerto for a Rainy Day." The latter is the nadir of the album, an effort at conceptual rock that seemed archaic even in 1977. Another chunk is filled up with what might best be called art rock mood music ("The Whale"), before you finally get to the relief of a basic rocker like "Birmingham Blues." Even here, the group couldn't leave well enough alone -- rather than ending it on that note, they had to finish the album with "Wild West Hero," a piece of ersatz movie music that adds nothing to what you've heard over the previous 65 minutes. In its defense, Out of the Blue was massively popular and did become the centerpiece of a huge worldwide tour that earned the group status as a major live attraction for a time. [Out of the Blue was reissued in 2007 as a 30th Anniversary Edition with new photos, liner notes, and three bonus tracks, including "The Quick and the Daft," "Latitude 88 North," and a home demo of "Wild West Hero."]

This is the double disc edition of 1986. I love nearly all the works of Jeff Lynne so it will give more stuff in the future. I have add some nice ELO wallpapers in the artwork from artist Martin Driver. Really nice.
Kind regards
                    Frank
Flac

Grapefruit second time: Grapefruit - Around Grapefruit 1968 (2005 Repertoire Records) mp320

Here is the debut album of the band. I posted the review by Richie Unterberger in my most recent post. The album is released in 1968. In my opinion a marvelous pop album of his time.

Here in the artwork you will find the ''liner notes'' of the original vinyl release, i mentioned also in my earlier Grapefruit post, written by a guy named Derek Taylor.
For me it is all a little bit curious. But maybe some of you know more about it.
Like i said before the music is real fine and i hope you have ........FUN!
Kind regards
                    Frank         mp3@320

What happened between Terry M and Grapefruit? Grapefruit - Around The BBC 1968/69 (Flac)

Like the fruit after it was named, Grapefruit's debut album was at times too sweet, but was on the whole a promising and worthy effort. Devoted almost wholly to songs written by leader George Alexander, the record featured tuneful, upbeat mid-tempo late-'60s British rock with good harmonies, creative ornate arrangements, and a very slight and very sunny psychedelic tinge. Certainly similarities to the Paul McCartney-penned tracks from the Beatles' own psych-pop era are evident, and if George Alexander's songs weren't in nearly the same league as McCartney's, well, no one working the style was in McCartney's league. Grapefruit was at their best on the occasional songs in which they reached into slightly darker and more melancholy territory, particularly when they made creative use of strings, organ, baroque keyboards, and Mellotron, as on "This Little Man" and "Dear Delilah" and the instrumental "Theme for Twiggy."

The latter tune sounds like something that could have been killer had words been devised; as it is, it seems like something that wasn't quite seen through to completion. There's also the Four Seasons cover "C'mon Marianne," which, although it wasn't one of their better tracks, was (along with "Dear Delilah") one of their two small U.K. hits. The CD reissue on Repertoire adds "Dead Boot," the non-LP B-side of "Dear Delilah."(allmusic.com R.U.)

As you read this is not the review for ''Around the BBC'' but for ''Around Grapefruit'' the debut album of the band which i post also in a few minutes. Please read the ''info'' which is included in this post. Sounds interesting together with the ''liner notes'' from the original vinyl which ''wrote'' by Derek Taylor from ''Around Grapefruit''.What happened then there between Terry Melcher and the band? Maybe anybody of you can help me wit this question?! Never read this kind of liner notes...or did i get some wrong because of my english speaking? Anyway here comes ''Around The BBC'' and a little later ''Around Grapefruit''.

Cheers
           Frank
Flac

Big Hello - Apples And Oranges 2001 ( 1st and 2nd album) m4a

After neo-power pop group the Elvis Brothers disbanded, drummer/songwriter Brad Elvis formed a new outfit in late 1994, which he dubbed Big Hello. Despite a rash of early personnel changes, the band built a following in its hometown of Chicago and around the Midwest through extensive touring. The remainder of the lineup eventually settled on vocalist Chloe Orwell, guitarist Johnny Million, and bassist Tom Atteberry. In addition to contributing to several power pop compilations, Big Hello gained increased exposure through hosting Chicago Pop Mondays, a highly

successful series of concerts at the Beat Kitchen. In December 1996, Big Hello released a limited-edition, cassette-only live recording entitled Live Via Satellite...Girl, which made a strong impression on local power pop fans. In early 1998, the Break-Up! label issued the group's Girl Versus Boy Verses EP, which in months was the best-selling release in the company's history; the full-length Apple Album followed on Parasol that same year.

This is the double disc edition of the first two albums. Inside is front/back of the single albums and the covers of the double disc edition. The files are in m4a format.
Bis bald
           Frank

m4a

Machine fixed! Here we go: Captain Sensible - The Universe Of Geoffrey Brown (1993) mp3

A Captain Sensible LP is a rare event. Since his first two albums appeared in 1981 and 1982 while he was still in the Damned, only 1989's Revolution Now and this new effort have been released. Not that it's completely his fault; this new work was completed over two years ago -- it stinks when a legend of this ability can't find someone willing to issue an already recorded album. Nonetheless, the good Captain doesn't fail us and never has. While not as strong as Revolution Now, all of his usual goofy, nostalgic neo-psychedelic guitar tricks and surprisingly crafted pop tunes are in place and sound 1993 despite his most retro prank yet: "Damned" if this isn't a concept album about one Geoffrey Brown, whose sedate corporate life is turned topsy-turvy when now-extinct aliens start leaving warning messages on his computer screen about our similar self-inflicted demise.

The concept is amusing, listening to Brown's wife, co-workers, and friends abandon him as a crackpot only for the government to recognize his value in the end. It combines two common Sensible themes: our own self-destructive impulses and the ostracizing of folks who go against accepted practices and actually dare to use their own brains; can there be any other truly lasting positive message from the supposedly (not really) nihilistic (actually really fun) punk days that loony-tunes like Sensible helped found? And such glitzy tunes as "Holiday in My Heart," "Street of Shame," and the title track claw their way into your affections in a few plays.

The man can write -- like his pal Robyn Hitchcock, only much more consistently and without the nonsense lyrics, Sensible loves a pop song, knows one when he hears one or writes one, and has 30 years of great pop song riffs and styles stored in his brain to compose his own. Ever since the Damned's masterful Strawberries revealed his prowess, he's been loved by those in the know: He's one-third ridiculous clown, one-third lovable English eccentric incapable of growing old, and one-third (barely noticed as a result) great artist. Sensible has made some of the happiest, most enjoyable tunes around ever by a musician so scoffed at, and this is another ambitious yet modest gem from a true personality original.(allmusic.com)

To me this is my favourite album of the Capt'n. A lot power pop inside, psychedelic pop also. If you don't know this album try it. This is completely another kind of pop than e.g. ''Women And Children First''.
Later more
                 Frank
mp3@320

Hello there...

Hello friends and folks, guys and gals. Hope you have a nice saturday morning and a tasty breakfast. My machine make problems and at the moment i try to fix it. I'm working on it nearly the whole morning and this is a real f... ..! Have to do some little things yet and hope it will work again without any problems. Sorry for that! Okay see you later with some good music ( i hope)
cheers
          Frank

Everybody wants? Everybody wants! The Struts - Everybody Wants (2014) Flac

Originally released in 2014, the debut long player from the Derbyshire-based rockers is an unapologetic blast of earworm-heavy, modern rock/punk-pop in a neo-glam wrapper, and as cocksure as it is calculated. Imagine a Slade-crazed, real life version of Russell Brand's Infant Sorrow (the band from Get Him to the Greek) fronted by a man who delivers each and every "R" with a brazen alveolar trill in a voice that's an amalgam of Freddie Mercury, Dee Snider, Noddy Holder, and David Johansen. Everybody Wants is not a subtle album. It's all pomp, circumstance, bluster, and nasty, sugary goodness; an 11-track set (13 on the 2016 U.S. reissue) of hook-laden, radio-ready party songs that embrace both sleaze and cheese. Luke Spiller is a born frontman. He's got the Jagger swagger, but where Mick's antics invoked the American south, Spiller is a purely East Midlands creation, and like the Darkness' Justin Hawkins, his flamboyant English delivery will likely be the barometer listeners use to gauge the duration of their stay.

The songs themselves are largely formulaic, but delivered with such gusto that it's easy to forgive the chicanery behind them. Bawdy, ballsy, silly, and sweet, standouts like "Could Have Been Me," "Roll Up," and "Kiss This," not to mention a couple of new gems on the 2016 reissue -- "These Times Are Changing" and "Ol' Switcheroo" -- will likely appeal to a wide range of pop enthusiasts. From the Buckcherry fan to the One Direction fan, there's a little bit of something for everyone on the aptly named Everybody Wants.

This record is just fun, fun, fun and paaaaaaaaarrrrty! A real good Glam'n'punk'n'popandroll'nglitterfunsoundz rrrecord. Highly recommend if your party need a shot of fun fun fun. Great Glam Pop!!!
Cheers
           Frank
rrrFlac