The Hollies - Butterfly 1967/2014 from the ''British Beat 50th Paper Sleeve Collection'' Flac

This late 1967 album found the Hollies making some modest adjustments to the psychedelic era: occasionally trippy studio effects, a sitar on their most psychedelic track ("Maker"), songs that didn't always deal with boy-girl relationships. In fact, however, the group's focus remained where it usually was: modest but pleasing, similar-sounding catchy tunes with high harmonies and strumming guitars.
It's not remarkable or essential, but it's certainly pleasant enough, and a bit better than their earlier 1967 LP, Evolution, with some of their better album-only cuts ("Postcard," "Pegasus," "Butterfly," "Away Away Away"). With some track alterations, the record was issued in the U.S. as Dear Eloise/King Midas in Reverse; the U.K. edition, as collectors should note, has a few songs that were never released in the States ("Pegasus," "Elevated Observations?," "Try It"). (allmusic.com)

Hello Friends, i had a busy 'Family Day' today so i had no time to post some music. I want to post here now the ''Butterfly'' album of the Hollies original released in '67 (as mentioned in the review in the US it was called ''Dear Eloise/King Midas In Reverse''). This is from a series called  ''British Beat 50th Paper Sleeve Collection'' from 2014 and it is in original mono, stereo and two bonus tracks.
The ''British Beat'' edition is a series of 14 Hollies albums. You can get more infos from discogs  here.  If you are interested in an other album please comment. I don't have all but nearly all. The albums are mono/stereo and with bonus tracks.
Okay i hope you had a nice weekend and you enjoy the Hollies   Flac
Cheers
           Frank 

Hoodoo Gurus - Electric Soup- The Singles Collection(1992) Flac

Electric Soup is a 19-track Australian-only collection of the band's best singles. And although the Hoodoo Gurus made several fine albums, this collection shows the band in the best light, with their catchiest and best-loved songs. An excellent distillation and the best introduction to this sorely underrated brand of Aussie-pop.

This is the singles collection of the gurus from 1992 and all their finest songs until '92 are here gathered. You will have a lot of fun :-)!
 

Enjoy
          Frank  Flac

Nick Heyward - Rollerblade (A Hard Days' Nick Single) 4 Track single mp3

This is a wonderful Power Pop four track single by Nick Heyward from Haircut 100 fame.

Tracklist:
1 Rollerblade
2 If I Needed Someone
3 Nowhere Man
4 All My Lovin'

Viel Spass
                 Frank   mp3@320

Sheer Agony - Masterpiece (2015)

The Montreal trio Sheer Agony debuted in 2011 with a promising single, but unlike most bands who release every last note they've recorded, they declined to flood the market with recordings. Only a couple more releases surfaced before their debut album Masterpiece arrived in 2015. A track record like that suggests that the group may comprise slackers or perfectionists -- a spin through the album leads one to the opinion that they are definitely the latter. From the opening "Anthony Ivy," a wobbly chamber pop gem that would have fit easily on the Bee Gees' first album, through to the swooning ballad "A Flight," which ends the album in a fluffy cloud of ennui and second-hand smoke, they demonstrate complete mastery of the rock & roll form in its many guises. Whether bopping along merrily on power pop gems, digging deep into nocturnal balladry, kicking up some dust on scrappy rockers, or conjuring up the ghost of Mink DeVille or half the Stiff lineup (Nick Lowe, Wreckless Eric), the boys never take a wrong step. The simple guitar-bass-drums lineup is augmented by the occasional keys and some production trickery (Joe Meek style, nothing modern), topped off by the note-perfect, sometime sneering, sometimes pleading vocals of Jackson MacIntosh. It's a template used by loads of bands, but most of them don't do it quite as well as Sheer Agony. Every song on Masterpiece is a finely honed example of how to do things the right way -- write lyrics that are funny and true, record your guitars with a minimum of fuss, leave some space for the tunes to breathe, mix up the tempos and moods to create a nice flow. Spoon are probably the best example of this in the modern age; Sheer Agony could get to that level if they keep making albums as tough, smart, and hooky as this. Even if they crap out before they do anything else at all, they will have left behind a record that very nearly lives up to its title.(allmusic.com)

Canada seems to be the country where very good pop musicians grows on trees. Sheer Agony is a further innovative pop band from the land of the maple leafs. This is no pop with too much sugar on it but with a lot of good ideas in the songs and the songwriting. Maybe here comes the next...
Enjoy
         Frank   Flac

Andy Kim - Andy Kim 1974 & 2 bonus tracks mp3@320

Andy Kim enjoyed major success on the pop charts as a singer, songwriter, and producer in the 1960s and '70s before experiencing a career resurgence in the new millennium. Born Andrew Youakim, he was the son of Lebanese expatriates who had settled in Montreal, Canada and run a grocery store. As a youngster, Youakim developed a passion for music, and when he turned 16, he left home with just $40 to his name, heading to New York City with a dream of breaking into the music business. He cut a few singles for several labels with no particular success before he met the noted songwriter and producer Jeff Barry who, with Ellie Greenwich, had penned several major hits for Phil Spector.
Barry was impressed enough with a song the young man had written, "How'd We Ever Get This Way," to sign him to Steed Records, a label run by Barry. Youakim streamlined his name to Andy Kim and "How'd We Ever Get This Way" became a Top 20 hit in the United States and Canada in 1968. That same year, Barry was one of the writers and producers brought in to make music for the Archies, a fictive rock group appearing in an animated television series based on the popular comic book series. With Barry, Kim co-wrote two of the Archies' biggest hits, "Sugar Sugar" and "Jingle Jangle," and he also sang on some of the Archies' sessions, though Ron Dante was the primary lead vocalist for the "group." In 1969, Kim scored another solo hit, "So Good Together," and the following year he hit the Top Ten with a cover of "Baby I Love You," which Barry had co-written for the Ronettes. In 1974,, Kim rose to the top of the Billboard charts with the single "Rock Me Gently," but despite this success, his brand of simple, well-scrubbed pop, influenced both by bubblegum and the Brill Building songwriters, was falling out of favor; this would prove to be his last major hit in the United States.

Believing his image and reputation were holding him back, Kim released an album in 1980 under the name Baron Longfellow; it was a modest success, and a second Longfellow album, Prisoner by Design, followed in 1984. However, it was in 1995, when Kim appeared at the Kumbaya Festival in Toronto (an annual fundraising event for AIDS charities) that he met Ed Robertson of Barenaked Ladies and discovered that a member of Canada's biggest group was a longtime Andy Kim fan. It was through Robertson that Kim learned he was held in high esteem by many noted Canadian musicians, and Kim found himself writing songs with Robertson and Ron Sexsmith, as well as appearing on-stage with Canadian indie rockers Broken Social Scene. In 2005, Kim, who has long been involved in charity work, launched the Andy Kim Christmas Show, an annual fundraising concert held at Toronto's Mod Club, in which Kim is joined on-stage by a number of Canadian pop stars ranging from Luke Doucet to Alex Lifeson of Rush, to perform seasonable material.

I always loved what Andy Kim have done. Archies stuff and all his works under his name are really good pop music. I remember the first time i heard his versions of ''Baby, I Love You'' and ''Be My Baby'' i was totally blown away. I put this two tracks as bonus in the post.
Have fun
              Frank     mp3

Teenage Fanclub ‎– A Catholic Education (1990) Flac

Hard to believe now, but Teenage Fanclub first attracted critical attention for a record far removed from the sparkling power pop on which their fame largely rests -- with its gloriously sloppy and sludgy sound, their debut album A Catholic Education instead prefigures the emergence of grunge, its viscous melodies and squalling guitars owing far more to Neil Young than Big Star.

With not one but two songs dubbed "Heavy Metal," it's pretty obvious where A Catholic Education is coming from; the title track (also here in duplicate) is a surprisingly snarky attack on the church (at least for a band not exactly renowned for its political agenda), while the great "Everybody's Fool" is a merciless scenester put-down without any of the gentle sarcasm that characterizes similarly themed efforts like Bandwagonesque's "Metal Baby." Regardless, for all its glaring differences in attitude and approach, there's no mistaking the effortless melodicism that remains the hallmark of all Teenage Fanclub records -- in particular, the opening "Everything Flows," for all its meandering abrasiveness, is still as good as anything the band ever recorded, and that's saying something.

 Teenage Fanclub in 1990. It's a long time ago and to me that year was no good year, personally...but time goes by and everything can change...everyday, right?! Puuuh... enjoy that record!

Cheers                                                                                                                                                                   Frank  New Flac link

John Pantry “The Upside Down World Of John Pantry” 1967-1970(2009 Wooden Hill) Psychedelic Pop (Flac)

John Pantry is one of those artists that deserves to be heard by more people, especially those who value melodic British pop.  He released one decent solo disc in the early 70s (which has not been reissued as of this date) before delving into the world of Christian music.  Prior to that, he had been a talented studio engineer for IBC Studios (working with Eddie Tre-Vett), producing for the likes of Donovan, The Small Faces, The Bee Gees, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, and Cream.  He was also a member of Peter & The Wolves, an accomplished mid 60s pop group from Leigh-on-Sea/Southend and had a major hand with many other IBC studio projects of the time: the Factory, Sounds Around, Wolfe, The Bunch and Norman Conquest.
In 2009, Wooden Hill released a double disc set of Pantry’s late 60s/early 70s work.  It includes singles/tracks from all the above groups plus numerous outtakes and demos.  If anything, this set (53 tracks!) illustrates the depth of Pantry’s talents.  Besides being a savy studio technician, Pantry was a gifted songwriter and vocalist and an accomplished musician (he played the keyboards).  The earlier tracks stem from one of Pantry’s first groups, Sounds Around.  These guys played straight pop with slight soul and psych influences – they released two singles in 1966-1967.  Peter & The Wolves came shortly after Sounds Around’s demise (they were essentially the same group).  This is the group with which Pantry is most associated, along with The Factory.  Peter & The Wolves released several singles and lasted into the early 70s.  This group’s most productive period was probably the years of 1967-1969, where they released a string of pop gems:  a good, upbeat blue-eyed soul number titled “Still”, the superb Emitt Rhodes like “Woman On My Mind” and several tuneful psych pop creations, “Lantern Light,” “Birthday,” and “Little Girl Lost And Found” being the best in this style.
It was around this time that John Pantry was asked to write two tracks for The Factory, a legendary psychedelic group who had previously released the classic “Path Through The Forest” 45.  Pantry wrote and sang lead on the two Factory standouts, “Try A Little Sunshine” and the more folk-like “Red Chalk Hill.”  “Try A Little Sunshine” is the heaviest song on this comp, a classic that mixes Who power with Moody Blues spaciness.

During this period Pantry took advantage of free studio time and recorded a slew of demos.  While the sound quality is slightly below par, the power of popsike gems like “Battle Of Trafalgar,” “Pitsea Pub,” “Wash Myself Away,” and “Mississippi Paddleboat” cannot be denied.   Most of the material spanning these two discs strongly recalls Paul McCartney, Emitt Rhodes/The Merry-Go-Round and a more cheerful, punchy Bee Gees.  Wooden Hill exercised quality control (no duff tracks to be found) and should be commended for reissuing this great anthology.

This is just fantastic. John Pantry was one of the great guys in psychedelic pop in the sixties. This double disc shows a significant view of his work. You will love it if you are a fan of psychedelic/sunshine pop of the sixties. WOW!!!
 Have fun
                Frank   Flac

The I Don't Cares (Westerberg/Hatfield) - Wild Stab 2016 mp3

Like so many things Paul Westerberg touches, the Replacements reunion of the mid-2010s didn't end in explosion or tears: it merely faded away, coming to a conclusion somewhere in Europe sometime in the summer of 2015. The rumored album never materialized but Westerberg resurfaced swiftly, popping up at the start of 2016 with Wild Stab, an album he recorded with Juliana Hatfield under the name the I Don't Cares. The two Gen-X heroes harmonize and trade lines throughout but the scales are tipped ever so slightly in Westerberg's direction, supporting the story that Wild Stab's origins lie in demos Paul started but never finished. Then again, it's true that it never felt like Westerberg completed any of the digital EPs he knocked off in the 2000s; these were records that were intended to keep him dwelling on the margins where he feels most comfortable. Wild Stab is certainly not polished -- from its thin, tinny audio to the cheerful cacophony of shout-along vocals, it's proudly ragged -- but it feels unified, benefiting from the editing and instigation of Hatfield. Even when her voice isn't heard, her presence is felt in how Wild Stab emphasizes sharp hooks and smart songwriting, but the striking thing about the album is how it feels buoyant, an emotion that doesn't come easy to either member of the I Don't Cares. Operating as a team, Westerberg and Hatfield lighten each other's load, encouraging one another to tell corny jokes and make noise, tossing out the occasional fully formed tune along the way. Sometimes these songs take the shape of a bit of brooding but usually they're knockabout pop and old-time rock & roll running at the pace of an old Rockpile record. All the mess, from its demo-quality fidelity to its throwaways, is intentional and the album is better for it: it's two old pros having a good time, so it's hard not to have a good time too.

A fine relaxed effort and an album that makes really fun. I often listen to it in my car because it just makes fun and driving in my car is fun, too :-).
Enjoy
         Frank   mp3

The Jetz - The Anthology 1977 - 79 (2011) Flac

This is a further wonderful power pop band of the seventies who never rose to fame because there were no promotion at the time for the band by E.M.I. And the band is GREAT. You should give these guys a listen. I know you will enjoy!

Cheers
           Frank    Flac

Lost & Found - Everybody's Here 1968 (2009 13 Track Edition) mp3

The 13th Floor Elevators were the biggest thing on the Texas psychedelic scene in 1967, and far and away the most successful act on International Artists Records, so it's no great shock that Houston's Lost & Found, who were signed to IA in the wake of the Elevators' hit single "You're Gonna Miss Me," bore a certain resemblance to Roky Erickson's crew of inner space explorers. It didn't hurt that the Elevators befriended Lost & Found during their early days as the Misfits (thank the fates they changed their name, leaving the moniker open for Glenn Danzig a decade later), or that they were persuaded to cover the Elevators' "Don't Look Down" during the sessions for their first (and only) album, Everybody's Here. However, this album suggests the band was best served when they were trying to clear a musical trail of their own. Vocalist Peter Black was woefully incapable of replicating Erickson's feral howl no matter how hard he tried (and his attempt to mimic Bob Dylan on the title track was no better), but on poppier tunes like "I Realize" and "Forever Lasting Plastic Words," he summons up a fine folk-rock croon, and at its best, the guitar interplay between Black and Jimmy Frost suggests John Lennon and George Harrison as much as anyone in the psychedelic Southwest.

The extended blues workout "Zig Zag Blues" takes six minutes to go nowhere in particular, and the trippy final cut, "Living Eye" (named for a hip Houston nightspot of the day), is only a bit more interesting, but there was a great folk-rock band lurking within Lost & Found that rises to the surface for a few pleasing moments on Everybody's Here -- too bad no one was around to encourage them in that direction back in the day, especially since the band called it quits by mid-1968, with Peter Black and bassist James Harrell going on to form another act beloved by fans of Texas psychedelia, Endle St. Cloud.(allmusic.com)

Glenn Danzig, John Lennon, George Harrison? ...whatever, this is psychedelic garage with an interesting sound. Sure they are heavily influenced by the 13th Floor Elevators, but nevertheless they have a selfhood in her songs. You decide! Take it or...
Have fun
               Frank
mp3@320

The Strawberry Alarm Clock - The World In A Sea Shell 1968 (2005) Flac

The third long-player from Strawberry Alarm Clock runs the gamut of pop music. This unfortunately detracts from the album's cohesion instead of unifying it. As with their previous release Wake Up...It's Tomorrow, The World in a Sea Shell offers a few criminally overlooked tracks. However, for the most part, the contents vacillate between the saccharine sweetness of the mid-tempo opening track "Sea Shell" and the overly orchestrated "An Angry Young Man" and "Home Sweet Home." Any cohesive momentum from the first two LPs has seemingly been discarded for the external input of different writers. Increasingly, the band began to turn externally for material. This was partially due to pressures from producers Bill Holmes and Frank Slay, who brought in Roy Freeman to write lyrics for the band because -- in the words of bassist and composer George Bunnell -- "they thought we were awful at it." Contributions also come from the somewhat unlikely team of Carole King and Toni Stern. "Blues for a Young Girl Gone" and "Lady of the Lake" are akin to the stuff the pair was concurrently writing for the likes of the Monkees. Both suffer the double-edged sword of having such a strong voice written into them. They end up sounding more like the Mike Curb Congregation than any of the other material on the disc. Saving the album are the kitschy "Barefoot in Baltimore," as well as the lost rock & roll masterpiece "Love Me Again" -- a spirited number that could easily be mistaken for a discarded Buffalo Springfield track. The latter features the return of the classic Strawberry Alarm Clock noir vibe -- replete with haunting vocal harmonies, over-amped fuzz guitar leads, and harpsichord-drenched accents that drive the tune front to back. The fitting "Eulogy" is a final group effort and draws on the same strengths as "Pretty Song from Psych-Out" and "The Curse of the Witches" from Wake Up...It's Tomorrow.

Nice album of the Clock. Hope you enjoy.
Good Night
                  Frank  Flac
 

Ryan Hamilton - Hell Of A Day 2015 Flac

Ryan Hamilton of People on Vacation and Smile Smile fame has crafted himself an impressive début solo album, though one that rarely strays from what he’s best at. The album is packed with impressive hooks, big choruses and of course Ryan’s distinctive floaty, melancholic vocal style.
Hell of a Day starts off strong with “Be Kind, Rewind,” an absolute summer anthem. It’s a shame that Hell of a Day is released so late in the season, because “Be Kind, Rewind” is the kind of tune that sounds even better in a hazy, sun soaked atmosphere. This songs’ trumpets suit Hamilton’s voice perfectly and its a shame they aren’t utilised more heavily throughout the rest of the album.

Other highlights include “Four Letter Verb”, an emotional ode to a relationship growing stale. The lyrics tell a brilliant, believable tale that is backed up by upbeat guitar power chords twinned with twinkling background riffs. Hamilton’s voice fits these reflective, downbeat lyrics perfectly yet the positive pop style of the song almost make you forget what he’s actually singing. “Freak Flag” is another high point, featuring one of the best choruses on the release.
Hell of a Day is a very nostalgic album and that is never more obvious than on “Records and Needles”, an unabashed lyrical tribute to Hamilton’s rock n roll heroes included Elvis, John Lennon and Tom Petty. The song itself has an old fashioned sound to it with a brilliant, bluesy guitar riff and a  simple “Ba Ba Da” element to the chorus to boot. “Medicine” is another song with a rock ‘n’ roll feel to it featuring again a blusey, Chuck Berry inspired riff alongside a fun, cheerleader style chorus.
Most of the songs on Hell Of A Day are based around relationships; there are three references to love in the ten song titles alone. Though it’s a decent theme and Hamilton is capable of crafting some interesting lyrics around it, by the end of the album it does get a little draining, like a pop rock Ed Sheeran.

The only problems with Hell Of A Day are that it’s not really distinctive enough from People on Vacation to warrant being a separate project; add in some of his part time bandmate Jaret Reddick’s vocals and many of these songs could be Vacation releases. “Respond to my Email” is a particularly Reddick-ian song, with lines including “respond to my email you bitch,” “unfriended and blocked” and “I know you can check it you’ve got an iPhone and a MacBook Pro.” This comes off as childish and unsuitable for an album that is otherwise a fairly mature project.
Plus, whilst the highlights are very strong, the album does have several weaker points, like “Take It On The Run” and “I Love You A Lot;” these songs aren’t terrible, they’re just quite boring. They’re not innovative, there’s nothing interesting in the musicianship and whilst distinctive, Hamilton’s voice alone isn’t enough to carry a song with no other plus points.

Still, these aren’t massive criticisms of an album that is at the end of the day a very strong collection of well crafted pop rock tunes by a seasoned pro. Fans of any of Hamilton’s other work will find plenty to love on Hell of a Day as will any fan of emotional lyrics or big choruses.(rocksins.com)

Power pop catchy as hell..like ''Hell Of A Day'' by Ryan Hamilton. This is his first solo album and it's
a real fine pop album. Don't miss it if you like wonderful melodies and good working songs.
Have fun
              Frank    Flac