Pop/Powerpop by Any Trouble - Where Are All The Nice Girls? 1980 (1997 Compass)

Clive Gregson was one of the dozens of singer/songwriters who saw his chance for reaching a larger audience when the new wave scene kicked into gear in the late '70s (there's little arguing that it raised the bar for rock songwriting at a time when such things were sorely needed), and the first album from his group Any Trouble, Where Are All the Nice Girls?, immediately established him as a pop tunesmith of uncommon talent. As a decidedly non-heartthrob looking guy with glasses who recorded for Stiff Records, Gregson was initially tagged as an Elvis Costello rip-off. But heard today, Where Are All the Nice Girls? ironically sounds a bit more like an early Joe Jackson record, with its dry-as-dust production, hyperactive basslines (courtesy Phil Barnes) pushed up front in the mix, and Gregson's fluid vocals, which don't snarl so much as they beg, insinuate, or comment on the passing parade.

As a lyricist, Gregson's perspective as a regular guy done wrong by love was very much his own, and the album's highlights -- the pure pop gems "Second Choice" and "Romance," the tougher and moodier "Playing Bogart" and "Turning Up The Heat," and the heartbroken title cut -- manage to sound intelligent and thoughtful without ever sinking into pretension, and the band tears into these songs with a lean and speedy enthusiasm that speaks of the classicism of pub rock with a healthy dose of punk firepower. Where Are All the Nice Girls? almost seems too willfully modest to earn the moniker of "overlooked classic," but more than 20 years after its release, Any Trouble's debut still sounds fresh, engaging, and exciting, packed with sharp tunes, clever observations, and that rare Bruce Springsteen cover that works. Anyone who loves smart, up-tempo pop with equal measures of brains and heart needs to have this album in their collection.(allmusic.com)

Why this band didn't make it into the circle of successful pop stars in the early eighties is still a mystery to me. Anyway, this is a wonderful collection of great pop songs.
Have fun
               Frank

                                                                              Flac  &  mp3@320

Nick Garrie new links for ''The Nightmare of J.B.Stanislas'' and upgrade ''Nick Garrie - Hamilton - The Lost Songs'' 1968 - 2002 (2006 Rev-Ola)

I think i don't must tell anything about it except maybe new links for the people who don't get the music from yandex. I also added the 2006 release by Repertoire The lost Songs 1968 - 2002 here.
And don't forget: BE FAST!!!

I hope you will enjoy it
                                     Frank

                                                                      Flac   &   mp3@320

At Request: Nick Garrie - The Nightmare of J.B. Stanislas 1968 -1969 (2010 Elefant, 2 Disc Edition)

Nick Garrie's rare pop-psychedelic album is reminiscent of the sunniest and frothiest such British music of the late '60s. In its match of pretty melodies and overtly romantic lyrics with Baroque pop production, it calls to mind the U.K. '60s band Nirvana in some respects, and perhaps fellow youthful singer/songwriter Billy Nicholls. In gutsier moments, you might also think of the very early Badfinger (or the Iveys, the band that evolved into Badfinger) or Thunderclap Newman.

Though his tunes are pretty, they can also veer toward blandness, and his vocals are callow and uncertain enough to make one wonder whether his compositions might have been better served by other singers. Some ill-advised forays into country-influenced material are the album's low points, but those are uncharacteristic. Most of the record is lite pop-psych with a definite Continental flavor, tinged with bittersweetness but never melancholic, evoking pictures of a sensitive late-19th century heir riding in a carriage over cobblestoned streets with top hat and petticoated girl beside him.(R. Unterberger, allmusic.com)

Wonderful album full of great pop songs with lite psychedelia. This is the 2 disc edition of the album with additional demos, singles etc. With complete artwork. Enjoy it!

Have fun
               Frank

                                                                         Flac part1   &  Flac part2  &  mp3@320

Pop Rock/Psychedelic/Sunshine Pop Orpheus - The Best Of Orpheus (1995 Big Beat)

 This double-CD compilation includes almost all of the tracks from their first three albums, as well as a couple from the one they did in 1971 for Bell (by which time Bruce Arnold was the only remaining original member). Over the course of two discs the group is given a more comprehensive and respectful retrospective than they deserve; the lushness turns to mushiness for all but the most rabid sunshine pop fans.

Despite the volume of material, the packaging isn't so hot either. Stray tracks are missing from the first two LPs, and although some of the material is apparently rare and unreleased (as it doesn't appear on the albums), details are not given in the extensive, typically self-aggrandizing liner notes by producer Alan Lorber; in fact, a few tracks are identified as coming from specific albums when in fact they did not appear on those discs. Those tracks include an alternate version of "Can't Find the Time to Tell You"; the peculiar "Anatomy of I've Never Seen Love Like This" (in which Lorber and Arnold, with narration, illustrate how they layered and produced an Orpheus track); and a live version of "Just a Little Bit" (redone on the second LP) by the Villagers, the pre-Orpheus folk duo that included future Orpheusmembers Bruce Arnold and Jack McKenes. The booklet manages to include a lot of information about the band without coming close to conveying a cohesive chronological history.(R. Unterberger, allmusic.com)

Very good two disc set of the nearly five years work of Orpheus. In my ears they had a very own style of pop rock/psychedelic/sunshine pop. Hope you will enjoy

Have fun
               Frank

                                               Flac part1   &  Flac part2     -  mp3@320

Australia Power Pop: Dom Mariani - Rewind And Play 2009 (Liberation Blue)

The former Go Starts/Stems/Someloves singer-songwriter is a walking repository of American garage bands, power pop, R&B, British invasion and classic US ballads. Here he's given himself the opportunity to break out of the mop-top, paisley print, cool guitar mould and let his songs and voice stand up for themselves.He's dusted off 12 of his early glories and overlooked gems and re-imagined them in a warm acoustic light. "With this album," he says, "it's not about styling a band around a certain thing any more." Helped out by keyboard player Nunzio Mondia, DM3's Pascal Bartolone and Majestic Kelp's Stu Loasby, the slower, stripped-back acoustic approach shines a new light on such stalwarts as When It Ends and the swinging 60s flirtation Just Like Nancy. 

Maybe Irish band Them's classic Here Comes the Night could have had a touch more menace but the Someloves' lustrous pop concoctions Melt and Know You Now make lovely sounds. No matter how pure his intentions, Mariani is like a Dalmatian when it hears a fire bell. He can't hold his impulses in check on Sunshine Glove, which is given the full Spanish Stroll/Willy DeVille feel. The same with the Stems hit At First Sight, which is stripped of its retro psychedelia but still chimes with a Byrds-like 12-string. Rewind & Play is ample proof that at the end of the day it comes down to the songs - and Mariani has them in abundance.(Ray Purvis, thewest.com)

Dom Mariani, a seasoned songwriter and singer for seminal Aussie psych-pop legends The Stems, steps forward in the midst of his second age to recount his songwriting career with a collection of stripped-back versions of songs from his catalogue. Normally alarm bells would ring here – aging rocker goes acoustic for a greatest hits play-list – but this is different. Firstly, it should be pointed out that Mariani wrote some genuinely great songs – songs that shine through as true pop statements, regardless of the format in which they’re played. And Mariani has not decided to opt for a super-clean, adult contemporary approach to performing these semi-acoustic numbers.

Instead he’s recruited a band of close friends and perform the songs in a relaxed, rough-hewn way that feels at keel with the garage leanings of the Stems. Highlights here are Melt, a particularly weary and bittersweet rendition of the Them classic Here Comes The Night, and of course, the 12-string-laden power-pop heart-breaker At First Sight, which, like Big Star’s September Gurls, never fails to raise a flutter in the chest. Great stuff.(Aidan Roberts, altmedia.net.au)

For Power Pop fans. Of course!

Enjoy!  Frank

                                                         Flac   &  mp3@320

Psychedelic Pop From Norway: 1 2 6 ‎– Graveyard Paradise:The Complete 1 2 6 & Taboo Recordings 1966-68 (2008 Ugly Things Records)

Hailing from the coldest, northernmost region of Norway, 1 2 6 (One- Two- Six) were inspired by the sounds of the Beatles, the Kinks, the Who and Bob Dylan, but blended these influences with an approach that was distinctly European. The brilliant original songwriting of Asa Krogtoft allied simple beat group arrangements and melodic psychedelic pop with a unique, often surrealistic poetic sensibility.

This 28- track CD anthology includes their complete works: the Curtains Falling album, non- LP singles, demos and rarities, and both singles by Asa ' s post- 1 2 6 band Taboo, all from the original master tapes.
Graveyard Paradise is the first time this material has been released outside of Norway. It includes an amazing array of original music: raw beat group rave- ups, dark folk- rock excursions, post- Revolver/ Pepper psychedelic moves, gorgeous orchestrated pop, and heavier freakbeat sounds.

Great jangly psychedelic pop sounds. I highly recommend this band if you like melodic popsike of the sixties.

Enjoy
          Frank

                                                      Flac part1   &  Flac part2      -  mp3@320

Welsh Folk & Pop by Mary Hopkin - Post Card 1969 (1991 Apple)

It was the British supermodel Twiggy who alerted Paul McCartney to the Welsh singer Mary Hopkin when Apple Records was looking for talent in 1968. The waifish soprano scored a huge worldwide smash with her first Apple single, the melancholy but rabble-rousing ballad "Those Were the Days," in late 1968; it actually knocked the Beatles' own "Hey Jude" out of the number one position in the U.K. Paul McCartney lent Hopkin a further hand by producing her first album and writing her second single, "Goodbye," which was also a hit. More comfortable with refined, precious ballads and folky pop than rock, Hopkin scored several more hit singles in the U.K., although she never entered the American Top 40 again. Her commercial success diminished as Apple's fortunes dwindled in the early '70s.

Paul McCartney produced this debut album of twee but pretty, romantic pop-folk. Besides "Those Were the Days" (which actually originally appeared only on the US version, though it's on the CD reissue now available throughout the world), the highlights are Donovan's "Lord of the Reedy River" and "The Honeymoon Song," which McCartney himself had sung with the Beatles way back in 1963 on the BBC. If there's a fault to be found, it's that there's too high a percentage of pre-rock/pop standards à la "There's No Business Like Show Business." As it turns out this was more due to the leanings of McCartney than Hopkin, who preferred the more simply arranged folk numbers such as the Donovan covers and the Welsh "Y Blodyn Gwyn." Also on board is a rather nice composition, "The Game," by Beatles producer George Martin, who contributed some piano and orchestra conducting to the album. The CD reissue includes George Gershwin/Ira Gershwin's "Someone to Watch Over Me" (which was on the original U.K. version of the LP, but was taken off the American counterpart), as well as the "Those Were the Days" B-side "Turn! Turn! Turn!" and versions of "Those Were the Days" that Hopkin sang in Italian and Spanish.(R. Unterberger, allmusic.com)

A lot of different songs here but the voice and vocal work of Mary Hopkin holds the album convincingly together. Good Job Mary (& Paul)

Enjoy
         Frank

                                                                           Flac   &   mp3@320

Pussy Cat - Boof! The Complete Pussy Cat 1966-1969 (2014 RPM)

Pussy Cat was the most tough sounding of France's '60s ye-ye girls. She looked to Britain for her inspirations, not home-grown, upbeat Gallic pop. She covered Small Faces, the Moody Blues, the Hollies and the Zombies. Her original songs - she was a rarity and wrote her own - were energized, hard edged, melodic and stomping. She put a French twist on the Mod era. BOOF! Is the first-ever Pussy Cat - born Evelyne Courtois - collection to be issued outside France.

Her complete '60s recordings, including two tracks unheard at the time, are collected. As a special bonus, her debut release, a 1965 EP with the band Les Petites Souris is also collected. They were France's first all-girl band. At age 17, she was their guitarist and wrote their songs. She was a pioneer. Pussy Cat took her name from the Tom Jones song 'What's New Pussycat'. She toured France with him. This package is the ultimate tribute to France's one-woman musical dynamo of the 1960s.

Really great collection if you like sixties french girls pop.
Have fun
              Frank

                                                                          Flac   &   mp3@320

Psychedelic Pop 1968: Phluph - Phluph 1968 (2014 Aurora)

Good to very good early psych album that sank in part, due to the Bosstown marketing fiasco. I see others describe it as blues psych and I wonder if they are hearing the same tracks I am. This is Hammond dominated, American psych pop done very well. Speaking of Hammond, the player here is great. Super imaginative, his playing brings to life and adds color to all the tracks but more importantly, his playing turns average tunes into interesting, above average tracks. Continually inventive, he never repeats himself thru the 10 album cuts and two bonus tracks. There is strong songwriting, great harmony vocals, some nice lead licks, well proportioned fuzz and that damn Hammond organ, all of which makes this one and done release by Phluph a very nice psych album. Another in a long list that showed more than enough on their debut to warrant further releases but it wasn't meant to be. In the end, not a bad album to leave as your destiny. Recommended. (heyday2day reader review by rate your music)

I just can second that what heyday2day in his reader review of rateyourmusic.com wrote. And there are a lot of very positive reviews about this album. The album is full of strong songs and it is a pity if the disc is at the end of the last song way too fast. Yes, recommended.
Enjoy
         Frank

                                                                         Flac   &   mp3@320

West Coast Sunshine Pop Rock Psychedelia :-) Earth Island - We Must Survive 1970

Little-known West Coast band, from Hollywood, California, USA. They made the one album in 1969 produced by Kim Fowley.

Quote from a blog "Hello, my name is Billy Gene Liska and I was surprised to discover my album on so many web sites for sale. I played lead guitar and vocals and co wrote the songs. We were not a canadian band, we were from hollywood california and bassist Skip Battin did not play on the album. The album was recorded at “Larabee Studios” in hollywood in the coarse of two weeks. That was our first time in a recording studio,1969."(from discogs)

A really wonderful album with pop, rock, sunshine pop and psychedelia sounds.
If you don't know the band give it a try.

Enjoy
         Frank

                                                                         Flac   &   mp3@320

Sixties Garage Rock By The Stowaways - In Our Time 1967 (1995 Collectables)

The Stowaways were a promising quintet who managed to leave behind an album's worth of impressive material on Calvin Newton's Justice Records label, based in Winston-Salem, NC. Tim Tatum was the lead singer, equally adept at lyrical Beatles covers or harder punk sounds, and the rest of the band was Tommy O'Neal on lead guitar, Paul Quick on rhythm guitar, Ken Knight on bass, and Ken Tanner at the drums. They had versatility and a knack for playing vocal and instrumental hooks for all they were worth, with a sound that intersected the Rolling Stones and the Beau Brummels at different moments.(allmusic)


Sixties garage band with some really good songs here.
Hope you have fun
                              Frank

                                                                        Flac   &  mp3@320

Answer to Anonymous...

Hello, Anonymous, what do you think I'm gonna do? First of all, I'll tell you how I see it: If you're really one of my favorite blogs, why don't you write publicly under your blogname? Why are you threatening me anonymously? Why are you anonymously threatening to send someone to smash my face in? Why are you threatening to report the blog? What do you think will happen?  If you want to report the blog, do it. Do whatever you want. And we both know who you are. You think that's all right to post mp3 files (because you like them) but not Flac? Can you tell me the difference, please.  To me you sound like preaching water and drinking wine. Next one you say is i am being arrogant. Tell me where i was arrogant. On the other hand, you're threatening me with sending someone to my home to smash my face in. And you think that's okay? And a guy like you tell me my behaviour is harmful for the blogger scene? What can i say more? Nothing! And i don't want to say more. Do whatever you want. If you want report the blog, do it. Apparently people like you can only act destructively if they don't get their will and are insulted. Your comment just show me how full of hate you are.
People like you will not tell me what i have to do or not.