Ringo Starr - Starr Struck - The Best Of Ringo Starr Vol.2 (1989 Rhino Records) Flac & mp3

A follow-up compilation to Blast From Your Past, Starr Struck gathered together the better tracks from Ringo Starr's less successful albums originally released between 1976 and 1983. "A Dose of Rock 'N' Roll" and "Wrack My Brain" were Top 40 singles, and the album contained specially written songs by Ringo's Beatle colleagues.

The album also marked the first U.S. release for four songs from Ringo's 1983 album Old Wave. The result was a good substitute for five Ringo albums that were out of print when it was released, but no match for the hit-filled Blast From Your Past.(allmusic.com)

Vol.2 of the best by Ringo from the last (then) 20 years of his solo work. A lot good songs here. Attention is a favourite of mine and really one of his best songs in my opinion. I think to match Blast From your Past with Starr Struck is not possible except on the flat how much hits the albums have. But that don't say much. Sure, it's all pop music nevertheless here is an other kind of pop on this album. The conclusion: Ringo have done (and do) good pop music.

Enjoy it
             Frank                         New Flac link 1   &  New flac link 2       -  New mp3@320 link

Various - Girls With Guitars (2004 Ace Records) Flac & mp3@320

To clear up some inevitable confusion right off the bat, this does not feature the same music as the 1989 LP compilation also titled Girls With Guitars, which came out on Impact, a subsidiary of Ace, the same label that put out the 2004 CD also titled Girls With Guitars [Ace]. The 1989 Impact LP bearing this title was devoted entirely to '60s female British acts, with the exception of Goldie & the Gingerbreads, an American band who were based in Britain in the mid-'60s. The 2004 Ace CD called Girls With Guitars [Ace] has 24 entirely different tracks, all of them by American-'60s girl groups, many (though not all) of whom played their own instruments. Goldie & the Gingerbreads appear on the 2004 Girls With Guitars [Ace] as well, but are represented by four mid-'60s tracks that don't appear on the 1989 Girls with Guitars LP. Got all that? Moving on to the music, it's okay and usually competent enough to avoid categorization as mere novelty. But it's not great -- it's mid-level period-'60s rock (actually from 1963-70), reflecting girl group, soul, British Invasion, and pop-rock trends of the day. Some of it has the raw guitar rock approach associated with garage rock, but not all of it does, by any means. Few will have heard of any of these acts, save perhaps Goldie & the Gingerbreads (whose tracks are only so-so); one-time Ikette Pat Powdrill, represented by an atypical (for her) piece of typical 1966 L.A. flower power pop/rock, "They Are the Lonely"; and, perhaps, She, who got some notoriety decades later after Ace issued a CD of that garage band's material. There's also Lonnie Mack, who's not a woman, of course, but whose "Sticks and Stones" featured vocals by women singers the Charmaines. Some of the standout tracks are the Beatlettes' "Only Seventeen," one of the most British Invasion-influenced songs on the disc (as if you couldn't tell from the group's name), though some of the melody borrows liberally from Lesley Gore's "She's a Fool"; "Help Me Boy," the Daughters of Eve's awkward, gender-adjusted cover of the Animals' hit "Help Me Girl"; the Girls' moody 1965 single "My Baby"/"My Love"; and the 2 of Clubs' version of Petula Clark's "Heart" (which actually charted in Billboard in the "bubbling under" section of the Hot Hundred in 1966), a song strong enough that it's hard to ruin, though both Clark and the Remains did better versions. This anthology will benefit from much stronger distribution than the many volumes in the Girls in the Garage series, the best-known anthologies of the small-'60s girl group/garage group genre. But to be honest, if you cherry-picked the best tracks from that series into one or two volumes, you'd have collections that would blow Girls With Guitars [Ace] out of the water.(Richie Unterberger, allmusic)

The girls are great. Wonderful collection of women in pop and rock. The tracks are well selected and nearly no fillers on the disc. Well done work by Ace Records.

Have fun
               Frank                  New Flac link 1   &  New Flac link 2      - New mp3@320 link

Garage Rock The See No Evils - Inner Voices (2016 Heavy Soul Records) Flac & mp3@320

The debut album from exciting new Leeds 4 piece The See No Evils.
Twelve tracks that deliver a sound rooted in a 60's pop/garage sound, but with a modern twist which delivers the tunes from retrogression.
The two previous singles have proven that the band take influences from many genres over many years, be it 60s garage, 50 b-movie or 70s punk - no one track sounds the same.Expect chiming guitars, impassioned vocals and songs that wont leave you bored.

                                    

Very strong songs here: Naturally this is retro but must it be always bad because of that? I think no and the band shows that they have a sound which is not just a copy of the sixties.

Enjoy
          Frank                                 Flac p1    &   Flac p2    -  mp3@320

Last part: VA - Fuzz, Flaykes & Shakes Vol.7 - You Make Me Lose My Mind (2002 Bacchus Archives) Flac & mp3

Fuzz, Flaykes, & Shakes, Vol. 7 is a wild compilation of 18 rare fuzz punk and gnarly garage rock from the mid-'60s. The rarities included on Vol. 7 include "The Guy With the Long Liverpool Hair" by the Outsiders, "You Make Me Lose My Mind" performed by Mark V, "Love Muscle" performed by the Spirits of Blue Lightning, and "Poor Boys Always Weep" by the Lazy Eggs. The compilation and research for this series were provided by Dionysus Records honcho Lee Joseph with liner notes by Mike Stax, who pumps out one of the best and longest-running garage zines, Ugly Things. This is a must-have for all garage fanatics.(allmusic.com)


Dear Folks, here comes Vol.7 and it's the last volume of the series. Time to say goodbye, lol. I hope you have fun with the music of this seven discs and you could discover some great stuff for you.

Enjoy!
          Frank                                   Flac p1  & Flac p2          mp3@320

The Easybeats - Friday On My Mind 1966-'67 (1992 Repertoire) Flac & mp3@320

Friday on My Mind, produced by Shel Talmy and recorded in England, captures the Easybeats at just about their peak, combining all of the best elements in the evolution of their sound under one cover. The Easybeats were still one of the most energetic outfits in rock music, with a raw, highly animated guitar attack, but they were trying (and largely succeeding with) ever more complex vocal harmony parts and some staccato guitar harmony as well that was pretty impressive, and at this stage they were working with a brace of gorgeous Harry Vanda/George Young originals.

The ubiquitous title track is in excellent company, surrounded by an array of mid- to late-60's British rock treasures: a killer garage punk rendition of "River Deep, Mountain High," with a superb performance by Stevie Wright and what sounds almost like a sitar buried somewhere in the midst of the crisp electric guitars;

"Do You Have a Soul," with its abrupt tempo changes, cascading choruses, chiming guitars, and hooks that seem to flow into each other effortless; "Saturday Night," with more sitar-like sounds beneath the radiant choruses and rhythm guitar hooks; the dramatic, angst-ridden "You Me, We Love," on which Vanda's guitar playing becomes as intense as Wright's wrenching vocal performance; "Pretty Girl," with its crunchy rhythm guitar sound and catchy lyric hooks and choruses; and "Made My Bed Gonna Lie in It," a punk anthem nearly as catchy and well-played as "I'm Not Like Everybody Else." Not everything on this album is as successful as these cuts, but it is all good listening, even the eerie, original album finale, "See Line Woman." In fact, only the rendition of Leiber and Stoller's "Hound Dog" may be out of place, and even it works as a change of pace. The label of "Australia's Beatles" may have proved an overstatement to some, but one can get a good look at its basis on this album -- it's loaded with actual and potential hit singles, yet it doesn't come off as lightweight in any way.

A really great pop album by the Easybeats.
Enjoy
         Frank                                   Flac p1  &  Flac p2          mp3@320

Australias '60s Popstars: The Easybeats - Easy 1965-1966 (1992 Repertoire Records) Flac & mp3@320

Their first album, not available outside Australia until the 1990s. The Vanda/Young songwriting partnership had yet to dominate the band in their early days, and most of the (entirely original) material here comes from the pens of George Young and singer Stevie Wright. It's more Merseybeatish and less oriented toward power-pop and staccato guitar attacks than their subsequent releases, which isn't really detrimental; it doesn't scale the peaks the band would shortly climb, but neither does it have the overdone good-time mania that made some of their efforts hard to take in more than limited doses.

A fairly consistent, if not incredibly remarkable, relic from the Beat era, with some very Beatlesque tracks, including "It's So Easy," "I Wonder" (on which Harry Vanda sounds a lot like a young George Harrison circa "Do You Want to Know a Secret"), and cuts that could pass for the Searchers ("I'm Gonna Tell Everybody"), Gerry & the Pacemakers ("Hey Girl," "A Letter"), the Merseybeats ("Cry Cry Cry"), the Kinks ("You'll Come Back Again"), and Peter & Gordon ("Girl on My Mind").

Stuck in the middle of all of those delightfully derivative treasures is the most defiantly original track off the album, and (not coincidentally) their first big Australian hit, "She's So Fine," which doesn't sound like anything else here, pulsing with energy, a hot pumping bass part, and a ferocious guitar break. The Repertoire Records CD reissue enhances the original album significantly with the addition of eight bonus tracks, including five jewels from the Vanda/Young songwriting team.(allmusic.com)

A fine compilation by Repertoire with a lot of very good songs here.

Have fun
              Frank                              Flac p1  &  Flac p2          mp3@320

At Request: Lee Hazlewood Industries - There's A Dream I've Been Saving 1966 - 1971 4 Discs (2013 Light In The Attic Records) Flac & mp3

Lee Hazlewood fans have seen a bounty of reissues and compilations issued over the past decade with anthologies of his MGM and Reprise singles, and albums appearing with some regularity. Light in the Attic has always gone deeper. It has released comps and catalog items from his LHI label, his work with Duane Eddy, and more. But they've outdone themselves with There's a Dream I've Been Saving: 1966-1971, a box set seven years in the making documenting the complete history of LHI (Lee Hazlewood Industries). Two of its four audio discs provide Hazlewood's complete recordings for the label, many equal to those he cut earlier in his career.

The other two offer highlights from his artist roster: there are tracks by the International Submarine Band (w/ Gram Parsons), Suzi Jane Hokom (while a recording artist, she was also was one of the first notable female record producers; the Beatles wanted to work with her but Hazlewood nixed it), Kitchen Cinq, Honey Ltd., Ann-Margret, Virgil Warner, the Aggregation, Hamilton Streetcar, Lynn Castle, and more. Fans may be familiar with most of his recordings, but there is much that will be new to many. One thing his artists had in common was, no matter how different from one another stylistically, all benefitted from top-flight production -- from Hazlewood, Hokom, or staff producers -- assistance from in-demand arrangers like Jack Nietszche, and session players who included Earl Palmer, Carol Kaye, and other members of the Wrecking Crew. Ninety-five percent of this material was painstakingly remastered from original analog masters, the rest from pristine vinyl sources. Also included is a region-free DVD of director Torbjörn Axelman's strange 1970 Hazlewood film, Cowboy in Sweden, transferred from the 16mm negative into HD with remastered sound and available for the first time.

The included book is stellar: 172 hardbound pages in a beautiful 12x12 presentation that offers a complete history of LHI, with input from various artists and staff -- not all of it flattering -- interviews with Hazlewood and Hokom, profiles of 27 artists, an album-by-album breakdown, a timeline, and loads of rare color photos.

While this is for hardcore Hazlewood fans, it's more than that, too: Hazlewood, a wildly successful producer, songwriter, and recording artist, took his money and became his own boss. That he eventually failed had as much to do with the stakes LHI was competing against as its naive business model. There's a Dream I've Been Saving is a prime cultural artifact documenting a high point in an independent era in pop recording, production, and D.I.Y. aesthetics. It deserves a Grammy for content and design.

This 4 Disc compilation (no DVD here) shows a lot of the work as producer and as a performer. Hazlewood made Nancy Sinatra a star. First in the US and a little later nearly worldwide. He often had gone his own ways. Often he stumbled often he stood up again.

Have fun
              Frank     Flac p1  & Flac p2             mp3 p1  -  mp3 p2  -  mp3 p3  -  mp3 p4

Great '60s Nederbeat: The Motions - Introduction To The Motions -Their Own Way 1965-66 (2001 Pseudonym Records) Flac & mp3@320

A pretty typical Dutch "beat" group of the 1960s, the Motions were pretty popular in their native land, releasing seven albums and over 27 singles in their eight-year career. Far from the best Dutch group, and far from the worst, most of their hits were fairly ordinary fare, ranging from dippy folkish ballads to tough mod rockers.

Their best cut is the positively ferocious mod stomper "Everything That's Mine" (1966), with a searing feedback break worthy of the early Who. They're really most remembered for their lead guitarist and songwriter, Robby van Leeuwen, who left in 1967 to form Shocking Blue, and penned that group's international smash, "Venus."(R.Unterberger, allmusic.com)

It's a pity that it seems there is not more to say about the band as three words. And i don't remember the band ''really most  for their lead guitarist and songwriter, Robby van Leeuwen, who left in 1967 to form Shocking Blue, and penned that group's international smash, "Venus''."
I remember the band most of their music, here in this collection for instance of their songs from the first album ''Introductions for the Motions' 1965 and the fourth ''Electric Baby'' from 1969. The guys was really a good pop/beat/mod/garage band from the Netherlands. Now i will think about a little of Shocking Blue, lol.

Have fun
               Frank                         Flac p1  &  Flac p2             mp3@320

Psychedelic Pop Rock from '68: Southwind - Southwind 1968 (2015 Big Pink Records, Mini Lp disc, Korean Remaster) Flac & mp3@320

Country-rock unit Southwind comprised singer/guitarist John Martin, singer/bassist Jim Pulte, organist Phil Hope and drummer Eric Dalton. Originally formed at the University of Oklahoma as a rockabilly combo called the Disciples, in 1967 the group relocated to Los Angeles at the suggestion of musician friend Fontaine Brown, adopting the more contemporary moniker Southwind and significantly expanding their sound to incorporate elements of British Invasion-inspired pop, psychedelic rock and traditional country.

Signing to the tiny Venture label, in 1968 Southwind issued their self-titled debut; Brown soon replaced Hope as a fulltime member of the band, with a move to Blue Thumb preceding their 1970 follow-up Ready to Ride, in part recorded live at the Fillmore West. 1971's What a Strange Place to Land, meanwhile, spotlighted a more pronounced blues influence than past efforts.

Southwind disbanded soon after the record's release; swapping his birth name for his nickname "Moon," Martin went on to back Linda Ronstadt, later recording a series of solo albums and writing the Robert Palmer smash "Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)." Pulte also cut a pair of 1972 solo LPs for United Artists before disappearing from the music scene.(allmusic.com)

Hello Folks, first post today is US band Southwind who released several albums. This is their debut album and it's really a good one. Fine Arangements in the songs and very well done vocal performance by the whole band. They had pop and rock and also psychedelic influences from what they created their songs. Great album and lovely mini lp package.

Have fun
               Frank    Flac p1 & Flac p2          mp3@320

Psychedelic Garage Pop: The Kitchen Cinq - Everything But 1967 (2012 O-Music) Flac & mp3@320

The Kitchen Cinq undoubtedly have one of the best “bad pun” names in rock ’n’ roll. A five piece garage/pop band from Texas, their name plays off the French word for five “cinq,” which of course is pronounced approximately the same as “sink.” The title of their only LP takes it a step further, but is really a misnomer as the album is hardly eclectic, offering instead straight-ahead ’60s pop similar to the Beau Brummels and the New Colony Six (there’s that number thing again!).

The story of the Kitchen Cinq begins in the early ’60s in Amarillo, Texas, when Mark Creamer asked Jim Parker to replace a recently departed rhythm guitarist in his band, The Illusions. Shortly thereafter, a single was recorded and released by Dot Records, featuring Parker’s “Brenda” as the A-side. In search of a more memorable name and one more in line with group’s regional sense of humor, the Illusions became the Y’Alls. Another single, a cover of the Beatles’ “Run for Your Life” was released in 1966 on Ruff, shortly before the band relocated to Los Angeles and began  work with legendary producer/songwriter Lee Hazelwood. Once signed to LHI (Lee Hazelwood Industries), Hazelwood and then girlfriend and record producer Suzi Jane Hokom insisted the band change their name once more, hopefully to something a little hipper. Thus, the Kitchen Cinq. The personnel for all three groups, however, remained the same: Creamer and Parker on guitar and vocals, Dale Gardner on bass, Dallas Smith on guitar and Johnny Stark on drums.

Though Hazelwood was certainly involved, it was Hokom who actually produced the Kitchen Cinq for LHI (as she would, just a few weeks later, produce Safe at Home for The International Submarine Band). The sessions for Everything But . . . were held at Gold Star Studios and featured some of the famed Wrecking Crew (including Glen Campbell, Hal Blaine and Carol Kaye).  And right down the hall, the Buffalo Springfield were working on sessions for their second album.

As noted above, Everything But . . . is straight-ahead ’60s pop. The opening track, “You’ll Be Sorry Someday,” is a raga rock song with a nearly single note melody and several dramatic pauses between “you’ll be sorry” and “someday.” One of the highlights of the record is the fuzz-guitar rave-up “Determination,” which sounds like a cross between the famous Monkees Kellogg’s jingle and very early Merseybeat (fuzz guitar notwithstanding). “Please Come Back to Me” is a solid pop song matching an upbeat verse with a more reflective chorus in a style similar to San Francisco’s Beau Brummels. “Young Boy” is a bluesy folk rock song with very traditional folk harmonies.

“If You Think” is reminiscent of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and, while catchy, seems incomplete with a bridge that sounds, frankly, out of place. The closing track, “Need All the Help I Can Get” is Hazelwood’s contribution and bears his trademark spooky pop sound. The album is rounded out by covers of Neil Diamond’s “Solitary Man,” Buffy Ste. Marie’s “Codine,” Gene Pitney’s “Last Chance to Turn Around,” the Beau Brummel’s “Still in Love with You Baby,” and the Hollies’ “I Can’t Let Go.” All credible; none really essential.

LHI released three singles from Everything But . . .: “You’ll Be Sorry Someday” backed with “Determination” and “If You Think” and “Still in Love with You Baby” both backed with the non-album track, “(Ellen’s Fancies) Ride the Wind.” All three singles had limited regional success, but neither charted nationally. Three additional singles followed (one on LHI and two on Decca) and that was it for the Kitchen Cinq. Creamer, Parker and Stark then formed the much heavier band, Armegeddon., who released a single LP on Jimmy Bowen’s Amos label. Parker and Stark then went on to play on Them’s self-titled 1970 album and the follow-up In Reality. In the second half of the ’70s, Parker shifted to country music, most notably writing two big hits for John Anderson.(popgeekheaven.com)

                                                                       FLAC & mp3@320

This is a very fine psych pop album. It's a contribution by Mark, a very friendly guy from the Boston area. Thanks for that Mark.
Enjoy
          SB1

Keith West's Moonrider - Moonrider 1975 (2011 RPM Records) Flac & mp3@320

Singer/songwriter Keith West is most known for his work in the fine cult 1960s British psychedelic band Tomorrow, as well as for the big U.K. hit single he scored as a solo artist while in the group, "Excerpt from a Teenage Opera." He did continue to record for quite a while after Tomorrow broke up, however, both as a solo artist and, in the mid-'70s, as part of Moonrider. He was the main songwriter on Moonrider's self-titled album, though it also had some material by ex-Family/Animals guitarist John Weider; the group also included bassist Bruce Thomas, who would soon join Elvis Costello's backup band, the Attractions.

Despite the relative wealth of well-known names for such an obscure group, however, Moonrider's album is somewhat unexpectedly ordinary mid-'70s mainstream rock. Although West and Weider were in notable psychedelic/progressive rock acts, the feel is surprisingly American-influenced; indeed, on "Having Someone," America (without the "n") influenced so much of it that the track recalls America (the band).

It's a bit of a jolt to hear a British group bearing such prominent traces of mid-'70s California country rock and soft rock, with some similarities to the Eagles and Crosby, Stills & Nash in both the songs and harmonies. The songs are pleasant and jovial spins on these styles, but lack bite and originality, occasionally toughening things up mildly with bluesy or funky licks. [There's no faulting the packaging on the 2011 CD reissue on RPM, however, which adds lengthy historical liner notes with plenty of quotes from West.

It also has five bonus tracks, including a previously unreleased West demo of a song that didn't make the album, "Baby Blue," and both sides of two solo singles West did for Deram in 1973 and 1974, the A-sides of which ("Riding for a Fall" and "Havin' Someone") would be re-recorded on the Moonrider album. The B-side of the 1973 single, "Days About to Rain," is notable as one of the most dead-on early-'70s Neil Young soundalikes ever cut.]

This is no bad album but i was a little perplexed at the time i listened the first time to the album. Very american country rock/pop influenced. However give it a try if you haven't heard it.

Have fun
               SB1                       Flac p1 & Flac p2  & Flac p3            mp3@320

Canterbury Fair - Canterbury Fair 1967 - 1969 (1999 Sundazed) Flac & mp3@320

The Canterbury Fair was a band from Fresno California that recorded between 1967 to 1969. The band, led by John and Philip Hollingsworth, skillfully employed keyboards and a fuzz bass to create a monstrous epic sound of swirling tapestries of mind-bending music that was way ahead of its time. Canterbury Fair created a sound the was reminiscent of the Doors but contained elements of the Left Banke and Love.

The unique thing about this band is that no one played guitar in the band, the entire sound was based around the organ as the lead instrument together with drums bass and vocals. This collection of 10 songs includes the A-side of the ultra-rare single, "Song On A May Morning" originally released on the small local Koala label as well as the group's never-before-heard full-length album that was recorded but never released and one live track recorded during the band's hey day.

The CD package contains in depth information on the band together with rare photographs and reproductions of concert posters. Another long lost legendary band finally resurrected for all to hear.(allmusic.com)

As i listened the first time to the band i thought tey are a british band. Maybe because of the name. Until today this collection of songs impressed me very much and the band was way ahead of its time. Without a doubt.

Enjoy it!
             SB1                       New Flac link 1   &   New Flac link 2       -  new mp3 link@320