Timebox - The Deram Anthology (1998 Decca Records) Flac & mp3@320

The roots of Timebox lay in local band Take 5 in 1965 in Southport, a small northern English coastal town (situated near Liverpool). After a succession of interpersonal incidents, which led to the vocalist quitting, the band was left in disorder. Fellow local act the Music Students (who featured 15-year-old drummer Peter Halsall, a great drummer who was also proving himself on a majesty of other instruments) were facing similar problems. Halsall, Chris Holmes (piano), and Kevan Foggerty (vocals) teamed up with Clive Griffiths as Take 5 and, very soon after, turned professional and headed towards London. Taken under the wing of the George Cooper agency, they were soon working on package tours with the Kinks, the Small Faces, Tommy Quickly, and Lou Christie, as well as striking up a residency at the legendary the Whiskey a Go Go. With two singers leaving (Liggett quit, then Frank Dixon unfortunately contracted tuberculosis) U.S. singer John Henry was drafted in and the band changed their name to Timebox -- an American term for a prison cell.

Signed to Piccadilly in February 1967, their debut single, "I'll Always Love You" b/w "Save Your Love," produced by John Schroeder, was released and displayed an early jazz-tinged, soulful talent.
Following this, more turns of fate occurred, with ex-G.I. Henry being whipped back off to the U.S.A by officials and Dean going down with tuberculosis (a spooky repeat). That April, the strictly instrumental 45 "Soul Sauce"/"I Wish I Could Jerk Like My Uncle Cyril" showed the band walking similar lines to Manfred Mann: airing competence but little imagination. Mike Patto, who had played with the Bo Street Runners and the Chicago Line (along with ex-Pretty Thing Viv Prince), joined Timebox after a few illustrious jams and took on a prominent role as vocalist and songwriter. When yet another drummer (Foggerty) quit, things once again went astray; luckily, however, the stool was soon filled by ex-Felder's Orioles' drummer John Halsey. Peter Halsall (now commonly known as "Ollie") was displaying a high degree of aptitude on guitar, as well as regular diversions into the vibes. His trademark sound of both searing guitar and mellow vibes was to the fore in the ensuing records.

Timebox soon became a hot live act. Many who saw them claimed Timebox to be one of the first rock bands in London to really explore jazz in a rock context. A wonderful performance at the Windsor Jazz Festival on August 12, 1967, caught the eye of Decca producer Gus Dudgeon, who immediately signed them to the label's subsidiary Deram. The first 45, a fantastic version of Tim Hardin's "Don't Make Promises," was backed by the even better Ollie original "Walking Through the Streets of My Mind," which combined sharp blue-eyed soul harmonies with a psychedelic arrangement. The follow-up -- again a classic example of British soul -- was a cover of the Four Seasons' "Beggin" and reached number 38 in the charts.

At the sessions that produced the hit, a slew of unreleased material -- some of the band's best -- was also recorded and airs the beginning of the Patto/Halsall songwriting partnership. All of these unreleased songs are compiled on The Deram Anthology and are essential listening for anyone with the slightest interest in quality late-'60s rock. The problem was that even Deram viewed Timebox as a pop band, and so the more experimental songs were left in the can while the silly sing-a-long tune "Baked Jam Roll in Your Eye," written for fun when the band members were drunk, was the next release in March 1969. It's styling was a little too late for the era of novelty psychedelia, and of no interest to the more rock-oriented record buyer; the flip-side, the tough "Poor Little Heartbreaker," would have been a far better choice.

By the summer of 1969, things were turning sour. The final release, "Yellow Van," was a great record and polite enough for airplay, but was banned due to the nature of the lyrics. This really was the end of the road for Timebox who had had a hard time at the best of times. The nucleus of the band merged into Patto, who released three albums in the 1970s.

Fine anthology of the band!
Enjoy it
             Frank                       Flac p1  &  Flac p2  &  Flac p3        -  mp3@320

Psychedelic Pop by Elephant Stone - The Three Poisons (2014 Hidden Pony Records) mp3@320

This is the third Longplayer by the band after debut 'The Seven Seas' and 2013 release 'Elephant Stone' named like the band. All the good things of the last release are gathered here, too and maybe a little more. But that's a question of taste. Hope you have fun.

Enjoy
         Frank           mp3@320

Jason Falkner - Presents Author Unknown 1996 Flac & mp3@320

You may remember Jason Falkner from helping out buddy Eric Matthews craft a tasty bit of pop music in 1995. Well, he's done it again, only all by himself this time. Writing, producing, singing, and playing nearly everything except the occasional guitar overdub (and strings), Jason has released a one-man pop tour de force. Hooks abound and won't let you down. The more you listen, the more you'll find yourself humming along. Standout tracks include "I Go Astray" and "Don't Show Me Heaven," but all are worthy of a listen. It's good ol' pop music. Better still, it's good music.(allmusic.com)

Bio (excerpts)

 A onetime member of the West Coast neo-psychedelic bands the Three O'Clock and Jellyfish, Jason Falkner went out on his own by 1996, playing jagged power pop with impeccable arrangements, a clue to both his classically trained childhood and additional time spent working on the first LP by another classical popster, Eric Matthews. Born in Los Angeles in 1968, Falkner grew up listening to West Coast pop bands like Love and Crosby, Stills & Nash but later began taking piano lessons in preparation for a classical career. Pop music regained control of his life when he discovered his sister's punk/new wave collection, and Falkner began playing the guitar, later appearing in several bands from his high school.

Not long after graduation, Falkner joined the Three O'Clock, leaders of the Los Angeles paisley underground scene, for their major-label debut (but sixth LP overall), 1988's Vermillion. Though solid, the album was unfortunately their last, and the band broke up soon after.
Later followed Jellyfish. After just one album he leaves the band and recorded with The Grays the pop classic Ro Sham Bo in 1994. After working with Eric Matthews around' 96 he recorded his first solo work Presents Author Unknown also in 1996. ( excerpts of allmusic and by me)

In the world of pop/power pop music the name Jason Falkner guarantees 100% top notch songs, guitar work, studio work...everything of his efforts in music business are always on a top level. And that's the reasons why he enjoy this great reputation. I am a real fan of Jason Falkner because i'm a guitarist for a very long time, too and he inspired me with his play since i heard him for the first time.
If you love Power Pop music and you don't know the album give it a try.

Have fun
Cheers
           Frank       Flac p1  &  Flac p2    - mp3@320

At Request... The Stoneage Hearts - Guilty As Sin (2005 Alive Records) mp3@320

This Australian trio features vocalist/guitarist Dom Mariani (Stems, DM3), who replaced Danny McDonald and wrote five of the songs; bassist Ian Wettenhall, who also contributed songwriting and lead vocals; and Mickster on drums. They're hardly the only garage revival band around, but they're definitely one of the better ones. Guilty as Sin's first half-dozen tracks hold up particularly well, displaying a relatively strong sense of melody and musicianship while avoiding the common garage rock pitfall of similar-sounding songs blending together to form an indistinct blur. "Green with Envy" is an especially memorable track with its catchy chorus, cut-short rhythms, and Mariani's fine guitar playing, and the band makes good use of its freakbeat-garage-psychedelic influences on other songs as well. Their inspiration does run a bit thin near the end, and their remake of the Creation's "Biff Bang Pow" is credible although not really necessary, but the band knows how to kick out the fuzz-fueled jams(allmusic.com)

A lot of great songs here. My favourites are  'Your Smile', 'Trouble Girl', 'Rock'n'Roll Boys & Rock'n'Roll Girls'.

Enjoy
         Frank              mp3@320

GarageSurfPower Pop by The Barracudas - Drop Out With The Barracudas 1981 (2005 EMI Gold Release, Remastered) Flac & mp3@320

Thematically, the Barracudas pushed hard a Southern California surf-rock image on their debut -- there's the cover photo, for one, and then there's a good chunk of the songs. Titles like the demi-hit singles "Summer Fun," "California Lament," "On the Strip," and "Surfers Are Back" are self-explanatory, while the deliciously campy "His Last Summer," detailing one dude's final big wave with Brit-accented asides, has got to win an award for being one of rock's best fake-tragedy stories. However, the Barracudas were more accurately a sharp balance between the harder-edge of new wave power pop and a freewheeling, mid-'60s L.A. revivalism. Rather than peeling off Dick Dale or Ventures-style riffs, or even trying much for the Beach Boys' early sound, the foursome combined some surf-tinged work with the Byrds' ringing exuberance, Love's more frazzled early garage stomps, and the kind of punk collected on Nuggets. When it all works, it rises from mere tribute status to being its own groovy kick, often resembling a more specifically '60-fixated version of the Church. Everything is original on Drop Out, though sources of inspiration aren't far off at any turn, however reused and remade. "Codeine" has a more epic swoop and cautionary feel than the Sonics gave to "Strychnine," and "I Saw My Death in a Dream Last Night" isn't quite the Electric Prunes, but the same sort of not-quite-borrowing crops up song for song, and not too badly at that. Some songs, such as "I Can't Pretend" and "This Ain't My Time," have just enough of a crisp kick to remind you that they were recorded in 1980 rather than 15 years earlier. Generally speaking, though, one song title sums up the entire fun spirit of Drop Out: "I Wish It Could Be 1965 Again." [EMI's 2005 reissue of the album adds five B-sides (including one of the band's signature songs "Surfers Are Back!") and seven songs recorded in 1981 but never released.](allmusic.com)

Greatest Garage Pop band of all times? At least one of the best if it's possible to assess things like that. However they were a great band!
Enjoy
          Frank     Flac part1  &  Flac part2 -  mp3@320

L.A. Power Pop: Arlo - Stab the Unstoppable Hero (2002 Sub Pop) mp3@320

Combining the aesthetics of power pop, grunge, and hard rock, Los Angeles' Arlo has spawned a big album with big hooks, big harmonies, and an even bigger guitar attack that should endear them to the vast American teenage wasteland. Classic rock influences abound, especially when the band barely stops short of cobbling the all-too-familiar octave riff of the Knack's seminal new wave anthem "My Sharona" in "Runaround." Cuts such as "Culture," "Little American," and "Working Title" all explode with the most unflappable characteristics of modern rock radio currency, namely adolescent angst meshed with raging hormones and wandering spirits.

The odd time signature in title track underpins a tale of despair that belies the infectious singalong chorus. Stab the Unstoppable Hero is an enjoyable and youthful romp that proves the kids are all right after all.(allmusic.com)

Real fine guitar pop with a lot melody
Have fun
              Frank              mp3@320

Kaleidoscope (UK) - Dive Into Yesterday 1967 - 1969 (1996 Fontana) Flac & mp3

In 1996 the British Fontana label issued a best-of for the U.K. band Kaleidoscope with the appropriate title of Dive Into Yesterday, after the first track. It is a wonderful journey containing a 12-page booklet chock full of photographs, extensive liner notes, and 23 original recordings from 1967 to 1969, all evolving over the course of the disc. The music is dramatically different from the box released in 2000, The Fairfield Parlour Years, on the Burning Airlines/NMC label, and helps put this important ensemble's work into perspective.

"Flight From Ashiya," "Dive Into Yesterday," and "The Murder of Lewis Tollani" are among those culled from the album Tangerine Dream, while "Poem" and other titles come from the follow-up, Faintly Blowing. With the music made during sessions for both albums combined on this single disc, it's a generous helping of a band whose sound lives up to their name. "Snapdragon" oozes that fusion of folk music and psychedelic rock which probably had a great impact on the Move.

It certainly sounds like Chumbawamba borrowed heavily from this particular song for their 1997 hit "Tubthumping." The innovative "(Love Song) For Annie" also displays sounds that would work their way into influencing future records by other groups. These are the compositions of guitarist Eddie Pumer and vocalist Peter Daltrey (singer Daltrey also coordinated this reissue) performed with their comrades, bassist Steve Clark and drummer Dan Bridgman. Dick Leahy produced the music, which was digitally remastered by Roger Wake. Everything is in pretty much chronological order, starting with the title track, one of seven songs from 1967.

Three performances are from 1968 -- "A Dream for Julie," "Jenny Artichoke," and "Just How Much You Are" -- though they are tracked at eight, 16, and 17 inside the flow of the 13 songs from 1969. Track five, "(Further Reflections) In the Room of Percussion," is outstanding, and according to the liner notes it is a remix by Dick Leahy of "In the Room of Percussion" made for the B-side of the Dutch release of "Flight of Ashiya." Seventy-six and a half minutes is a generous helping of music on this release, music which goes through different moods and flavors, demanding repeated listening. As it may be the first introduction to the band for many, Phil Smee's liners could be a little more helpful and precise. He discusses the final single, "Balloon," but it is not included here or on The Fairfield Parlour Years.

Daltrey sounds a bit like Dylan on "The Feathered Tiger" -- Dylan surrounded by cosmic sounds, the music complex, creative, and always interesting. "Do It Again for Jeffrey," from the March 1969 sessions which produced the album Faintly Blowing, along with over six minutes of the song "Music," conclude the album with melody and innovation. The presentation is powerful and impressive, with period-piece color photos on the front and back of the booklet.(allmusic)

The british band Kaleidoscope was in my ears completely underrated.
Dive Into Yesterday is a real strong compilation and shows the band from their nearly best side.
5 'yellow sunshines' from 6 possible 'yellow sunshines' :-)

Enjoy it
             Frank   mp3 part1   &  mp3 part2       - Flac

Keith - The Adventures Of Keith 1969 (2008 RPM) Flac & mp3

"Alone on the Shore" opens the third album by Keith, the one name handle for James Barry Keefer. The shimmering pop that was created by Bobby Hebb producer Jerry Ross and arranger Joe Renzetti on the first two Mercury discs is replaced by original compositions and the arrangement of the meticulous Larry Fallon. Fallon is credited for arranging The Looking Glass hit "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl," however, he is the actual producer on that disc.

He is one of the industry's underrated talents, and he allows Keith's band of David Jiminez (guitar), Joe Coyle (ryhthm guitar), Dave Fiebert (bass), and Rick Fox (drums) to experiment in ways that are admirable. This LP plays more like latter day Donovan, another one-name pop maestro. "Alone on the Shore" and "Trixon's Election" are heady pop tunes, maybe too deep for Top 40 at the time. Even Buffalo Springfield knew enough to temper their politics with radio friendly music. The sounds here are an intriguing mixture of '60s garage rock with British pop, flavors of The Beatles, The Small Faces, Kaleidoscope UK, and other psychedelic rockers.

The production by Ted Daryll allows this group to stretch out. "Waiting to Be" is five minutes and thirty eight seconds of psychedelic jam. Keith wrote only one song on his second album, none on his first, so RCA Records showed some kind of faith in the artist allowing him to compose/co-write all ten titles on The Adventures of Keith. These are adventurous tunes, and worth listening to. It's a natural progression from the second album's Jimmy "Wiz" Wisner's (yes, the one and the same from Tommy James & the Shondells sessions), arrangement of the Spanky & Our Gang hit "Making Every Minute Count" to the short one minute and fifty six second "Melody," which begins like a track from one of the first two Keith albums, diving into the progressive nature of this recording, and back to the pop sensibilities of the first two LPs.

"The Problem," which is the last song on side one, was issued as a single with the excellent "Marstrand," the first track of side two. "Elea-Elea" is another five minute plus track, and one of the album's standouts. Great melody and all the indications that Keith should have been a major, major pop star. Where Donovan had Led Zeppelin performing on "Hurdy Gurdy Man" and the Jeff Beck Group behind him on "Goo Goo Barabajagal" helping churn out the hits, Keith and his band crafted an album perfect for FM radio, perhaps a bit ahead of its time for an artist known for covering the Hollies. But Keith's musical direction here is impressive and reiterates how clever his three Top 40 hits prior to this release really were.

Great british sixties psychedelic pop . In my opinion a little underrated.
I recommend Keith if you are in british pop/pop psychedelia of the sixties.

Have fun
               Frank    Flac p1  &  Flac p2       -  mp3@320

Jackie DeShannon - What the World Needs Now Is...The Definitive Collection (1994 EMI Remastered) Flac & mp3

Jackie DeShannon's work is actually too diverse to be satisfactorily captured on an anthology, even one that includes 28 tracks, as this one does. Still, considering how hard the one DeShannon anthology that might be better than this one is to find (the Australian import Pop Princess), this has to be cited as the recommended first purchase. Focusing on her output for Liberty between 1959 and 1970, it has all the essentials: her two Top Ten hits, the minor hits like "A Lifetime of Loneliness," and the original versions of "Needles and Pins" and "When You Walk in the Room," and a host of fine girl group, ballad, folk-rock, and singer/songwriter flop singles.

From the collector's viewpoint, the most interesting songs are the rarities. The six previously unreleased tracks include the exuberant "Breakaway," a hit for Irma Thomas; the rocker "Dream Boy," cut in 1964 in Britain with Jimmy Page on guitar; and a cover of Tim Hardin's "Reason to Believe." A couple of interesting rarities are "For Granted" (from the little-seen movie C'mon, Let's Live a Little) and the 45 version of "Splendor in the Grass," a somewhat sloppy folk-rock performance on which DeShannon was backed by the Byrds.(allmusic.com)

A fantastic collection, maybe the best till now.
Have fun
               Frank   mp3@320 P1 & mp3@320 P2            - Flac

Rachel Sweet - Fool Around 1978 + Extra Tracks (2007 Stiff Records) Flac & mp3

If Stiff Records wanted to market Rachel Sweet as an ironic sex symbol, they succeeded only at the irony of forbidden fruit; the picture of her on the back of this disc in a rugby shirt and jeans, head cocked, hands on hips, could grace the cover of Lolita's next edition.

Sweet was fully sweet 16 in 1978, though, and pictures aside, "the little girl with the big voice," as the bosses billed her, lived up to that description. Belting, whooping, pleading, and near-weeping through the speakers, she rides the crest of Liam Sternberg and his Spector-ized production (that feel of a marching brass band keeping warm on a snowy morning), embodying the tough, rowdy sides of Brenda Lee and Wanda Jackson, though not so genre-bound as the latter. Sternberg's "Wildwood Saloon" and Elvis Costello's letter-perfect "Stranger in My House" hearken back to Sweet's childhood country records, but Carla Thomas' gleeful "B-A-B-Y," Del Shannon's mournfully up-tempo "I Go to Pieces," and Dusty Springfield's desperate "Stay Awhile" pulsate into new life through her throat, a crackerjack band including Brinsley Schwartz and Lene Lovich swirling faithfully along.

Another Sternberg original, "Who Does Lisa Like?," opens with, "Sittin' around in the Firestone parking lot/It's alright!," and climaxes by insisting on the primacy of the title question over starvation in India and war in Baghdad. Only a true believer touched with the power of imputing her true belief could run that one back for a touchdown.

Great pop album and highly recommend.
Enjoy
         Frank     Flac p1  &  Flac p2           - mp3@320

@ Request: Elephant Stone - The Seven Seas (2009 Elephants On Parade) mp3@vbr

Elephant Stone is a neo-psychedelic outfit led by Rishi Dhir, formerly of the High Dials. Its music incorporates the influence of British Invasion bands like the Kinks and the Beatles, as well as Indian classical music, which Dhir was paying particular attention to when he formed the band in Montreal in 2008.

With Dhir singing lead and handling nearly a dozen instruments, help from several guests including producer Jace Lasek, and no shortage of breezy melodies, Elephant Stone released its debut album, The Seven Seas, in 2009 on Dhir's own Elephants on Parade label (with Fontana Distribution). The Glass Box EP followed in 2010 via Elephants on Parade and 360 Degree. The group signed with Canada's Hidden Pony for 2013's self-titled Elephant Stone. Settling into a regular lineup of Dhir, Gabriel Lambert on guitar, and Miles Dupire-Gagnon on drums, Three Poisons arrived in 2014, also on Hidden Pony. The trio released Elephant Stone's fourth LP, Ship of Fools, with Burger Records in 2016.(allmusic.com)

I will post more of ES in the next days.
Have fun
              Frank         mp3@vbr 

p.s.: All of you feel free to upgrade if you have a better audio file!

Even - Even (2007 Rubber Records) Flac & mp3

Even are exactly what they are and what Ashley Naylor wants them to be -- a band whose members love their Beatles, their ELO, their power pop, their hints of roots music appreciation. It's all in there and they're not only not hiding it; they revel in it. It would be pointless to criticize something that they're precisely aiming for, no less so than any number of acts exploring their own favorite genres almost to a fault. Even the song titles hit the trick moment for moment -- "I Am the Light," "Keep on Burning," "The Fool Who Makes You Sad" -- and are all spot-on.Even is going to be a treat, but there's still something to be said for trying to push oneself creatively -- and, ultimately, that's just not in evidence here.

Naylor's yearning vocals, the tuneful guitar crunches, the flanged vocals and buried string swells on "Only One" -- it's all designed to slot them in alongside bands ranging from the Shoes to Cheap Trick to Redd Kross to Teenage Fanclub to Jellyfish, and it's well in line with what he's been doing leading Even all these years. But so perfected is this approach now that there's almost little to say; Even as an album is such a flawless example of what Naylor aims for that it's almost something to admire and regard with appreciation more than anything else.

When a song like "Superstition Blues" is exactly the kind of stylishly formal exercise one might guess, down to the twang in the vocals as much as the guitars and mouth harp, what more can be done but to acknowledge it for what it is? So if any of this sounds like it would appeal, then Even is going to be a treat, but there's still something to be said for trying to push oneself creatively -- and, ultimately, that's just not in evidence here.

Enjoy Even
                  Frank      Flac p1 &  Flac p2           - mp3@320