CHRIS DEDRICK
Wishes (Beatball; CD)
Prior to The Free Design's final album Chris Dedrick took a shot at a solo career with 1972's delicate Wishes.     Although much of the accompaniment was performed by the very same band that would continue to record and tour with The Free Design the most noticeable difference here is the lack of the sibling trio's dense choral harmonies. Dedrick on his own while often similarly effete gets the chance to rock more -- with the funky progressive/jazz/funk work-out 'Begin Work' straddling a wholly new territory - and as a solo singer his gentle, clear voice takes on a different character. Inspired by the singer songwriter movement Wishes is actually still closer to The Free Design in form and content than Elton John.     With its borderline contemporary classical and jazz motifs, intelligent song craft and top notch production values this is an album to truly win over the hearts of soft-pop fans.
    Korean label Beatball have done an absolutely beautiful job with the packaging and design too. Housed in a white cardboard gatefold sleeve that hold the CD and a booklet with detailed liners by The Free Design site's webmaster Robbie Baldock; it's as sleek and refined as the music within. Free Design, Beach Boys and intelligent pop fans look to no further. A must.
www.beatballrecords.com
Jon 'Mojo' Mills

THE DIRECT HITS
House Of Secrets (Blamm; CD)
    I bought The Direct Hits' 'Christopher Cooper' from a chap called Gary Donaldson in '86 at one of the first James Taylor Quartet gigs in Chandler's Ford. I was 15 and a wee mod kid… ahh, the memories. Even then, psychedelia was registering somewhat and I liked The Direct Hits approach… even if one of them did have a horrid mullet.
    Years have passed without me hearing the band, due to ditching all of my "80s mod" 45s, and then I discover the CD reissue of the band's House of Secrets album. And it really is good material. After 20 odd years I was presently surprised. Discounting a slight '80s production it's psych-pop/beat all the way with nice harmonies and a decent Bee Gees rip. Sure, they're not in the same league as The Prisoners, but The Direct Hits are still certainly worth investigating, or as the case may be, reinvestigating.
blammrecords@aol.com
Jon 'Mojo' Mills

DENNY DOHERTY
Waiting For A Song (el; CD)
    One of the finest pop voices of the 60's out shines The Mamas & Papas' final effort with his pleasing solo album. Featuring backing vocals from the tender Michelle Phillips and unfortunately Mama Cass' last performance, Waiting For A Song contains savvy FM friendly pop akin to Glenn Campbell's similarly inclined country/folk/soul/rock concoctions or Mike Nesmith's less country moments. A '67 period Beatles feel can even be heard on 'Together', but it's the country-pop groove of 'Goodnight And Good Morning' that best represent where Denny was coming from in the early '70s.
www.elrecords.co.uk
Jon 'Mojo' Mills

FAT WATER
Fat Water (Radioactive ;CD)
    Another obscurity pulled from the archives by Radioactive. Radioactive only charge you mid price, but don't add any extra tracks or liner notes so who knows what or who this aggregation was or were. Seemingly from the cover shot, they were four blokes, a girl and a bottle of whiskey! Musically, they sit somewhere between Grootna, the Airplane and January Tyme. The vocals are shared by both a male and a female vocalist individually and indeed par for the time, group harmonies. The guitar is jaunty and blues edged in places, springy and jangly in others with a Hammond organ much to the fore on songs like 'I Can Be Happy'. There's the country rock style ballad 'It's Not The Same' and the novelty ditty of 1.01 duration that is 'Guitar Store'. Songs like 'Wayback' and 'I Can Be Happy'are their strongest and are solid jangly and pacey guitar movers.
    Overall, I'd recommend this one for fans or 'rural rock', folk rock, soft pop and west coast stuff, phew that covers some bases, but it's a grower and increasingly sounds a bit like The Rose Garden if that group had been a rock band instead of a folk pop one. It has its rather odd moments, but overall, a good and worthwhile listen.
www.radioactiverecords.com
Paul Martin

FOCAL POINT
First Bite of the Apple (Kissing Spell; CD)
    First Bite of the Apple provides twenty surprisingly pleasant UK pop-psych tracks representing the "complete" lost recordings of Apple Publishing darlings Focal Point. This CD will be a welcomed addition to anyone who was first introduced to Focal Point via the five recordings released on the superb 94 Baker Street - The Pop Psych Sounds of the Apple Era `67-`69.' For this reviewer, Grapefruit's demo of 'Lullaby' and Focal Point's 'Never Ever,' were clearly the highlights of the entire set. 'Never Ever' was even more of a surprise, as the sound is far dreamier than the only released Focal Point single: 'Love You Forever/Sycamore Sid [Deram, 1968]. A rough demo version of 'Never Ever' provides a glimpse into the genesis of the final version.
    Unfortunately, nothing on First Bite of the Apple eclipses the tracks that were previously released on 94 Baker Street - how could it? That being said, there are ample reasons to seek out this underdog release of 2005. The Focal Point CD, along with the 23rd Turnoff CD, The Dreams of Michelangelo,' are bittersweet affairs. Both CD's are beautiful and lovingly produced, but they leave one wondering what could have been had fate turned out differently. Originally, Terry Doran, head of Apple Publishing, had suggested bringing in Lennon and McCartney to add some backing to the demos. One offer was to bring George Harrison into the studio to add sitar to the Revolver-like 'Far Away from Forever.' Paul and Dave were so insecure at that point that they turned down the offer! Would Beatles direct involvement change the success of Focal Point? Probably not, but it would certainly increase the curiosity factor today.
    We are left with the remnants that make up 'Bite of the Apple.' The wistful 'Hastle Castle,' is surely the only other song in pop music, in my memory, to rhyme castle and hastle, other than The Hollies' 'Eleanor's Castle.' Chalk it up to the psychedelic times. Don't be put off though, as Focal Point offer up better moments with 'Miss Sinclair.' The potential single was why Paul Tennant and David Rhodes were signed by Terry Doran after a chance park rendezvous with McCartney and his dog Martha. It was originally recorded by Alan Price, who, instead chose to release 'Simon Smith and his Dancing Bear' instead. 'Miss Sinclair's' verses seem vaguely reminiscent of The Turtles' 'Happy Together.' A delightful slice of UK pop! The starker Apple demo acetate is included for good measure and demonstrates just how a song evolves from a rough draft to a full fledged pop single.
    'Sycamore Sid' has long been considered a bit of a psychedelic classic. Perhaps many of those who discovered the single more recently believed that it was all about Syd Barrett. Besides the difference in the spelling of the names, the subject matter is actually about British blues godfather John Mayall. Paul had read a story about Mayall's youth and how he had moved out of his family home and decided to live in a tree house. Inspiration comes from the strangest places. The classic Deram B-side is nothing like the rest of the Focal Point cannon. 'Sycamore Sid,' 'Love You Forever,' 'Girl on the Corner' and 'Never Ever' were all soured from the original Decca master tapes.
    The real undoing of Focal Point would be the same fatal blow that would start the slow unwinding of The Beatles themselves. Brian Epstein's untimely death in 1967 meant that Focal Point's fate would now be in the hands of Terry Doran. Terry and John Lennon were preoccupied with new Apple affairs and new hopefuls Grapefruit. As Apple, as a company, blossomed and then wilted, so did the fortunes of Focal Point.
    Does this CD neatly wrap up the Focal Point story? Not quite. There were another twenty-two Focal Point demo tracks listed as being held by Apple Publishing, but, so far, it appears that these have been lost for all time.
    First Bite of the Apple is one of the best of the genre released in 2005.
www.heyday-mo.com
Simon Sinclair

SHAUN HARRIS
Shaun Harris (Rev-Ola; CD)
    The artist's blank expression says it all. For an album Capitol intended to market as a singer-songwriter pop record, a sleekly produced one at that, the vacant mug shot of Shaun Harris on the cover - which bares more than a passing resemblance to Frankenstein's monster - indicates something is afoot. This isn't pretty boy deep a la James Taylor. Shaun Harris was just too kooky to release a middle of the road record. Certainly, the rich production, sweet melodies and pop sensibilities would not have sounded out of place amongst 1973's biggest selling albums. It was tailor made for FM radio. Yet, when listening with a keen ear it becomes apparent that this at first pretty collection of songs is a songbook of despair. The WCPAEB weirdness which Harris claims to have endured but never liked was still present; with old pals Michael Lloyd and brother Danny also on board it was like the old band had been freed from their Faustian pact with wealthy nut Bob Markley.
The country-tinged pop and mellow West Coast sentiments heard on the trio's ingenious band's later works is laced with a clear '70s studio production (provided by key players from The Wrecking Crew) brimming with strings, Rhodes, acoustic and electric guitars and crisp clean rhythm tracks. The esteemed Ma and Pa Harris even contribute some intense orchestration to the beautiful 'Canadian Ships'. If it wasn't for Dark Side Of The Moon being released on the same day and Capitol foregoing a marketing campaign for the serious young artist's debut album, things could have been decidedly different. Or then again, things this interesting, imaginative and creative usually pass casual listeners by. Shaun Harris didn't breakthrough, but it's a fascinating, masterful work, which as a musical statement succeeds on all counts.     Another rich and rewarding patch to add to the ever unfolding WCPAEB tapestry. Look out for a Rev-Ola Michael Lloyd compilation later this year.
www.revola.co.uk
Jon 'Mojo' Mills

JUDY HENSKE & JERRY YESTER
Farewell Aldebaran (Radioactive; CD)
    Judy Henske and her prodigous producer/musician husband Jerry Yester released the boundary breaking, intense, creepy Farewell Aldebaran in 1969 on Frank Zappa's Straight Records. Radioactive's re-issue marks the album's first release on CD, which has recently been receiving stellar reviews in the British music monthlies. It certainly is an enchanting and artistic effort befitting reappraisal in the 21st Century as well. Even if the album may be pigeon holed as psychedelic there's really very little from the era to compare it to; perhaps at a push Yester's productions with Tim Buckley could be mentioned, as a number of tracks do have a similarly dense orchestration, but the sheer collision of classical and jazz influences with acid-folk, rock/R&B and synth experimentation brings a lot more to the table. Somehow the bleaker moments remind me of Big Star's Sister/Lovers in their jarring, depressing undercurrent.
    And indeed Farewell Aldebaran isn't an easy or instant listen, but once its initial strangeness passes you'll find a lot to enjoy. A step further from what Yester achieved with The Lovin' Spoonful and Tim Buckley, the soft-psych and folk motifs are thrown forward in time, creating a melange of sound that travels past Roxy Music and Ultravox into a void of its own. Quite remarkable.
www.radioactiverecords.com
Jon 'Mojo' Mills

MAJORITY ONE
Rainbow Rocking Chair: The Definitive Collection 1969-1971 (RPM; CD)
    After eight 45s for Decca between 1965 and 1968 as 'The Majority' and bugger all chart action to show for them in the UK, the group relocated to France and added 'One' to their name. Signing to the Pink Elephant label, they recorded between 1969 and 1971, a lone LP and a clutch of singles, some under various flags of convenience such as 'Black Label' and 'Rocky Cabbage'. All are grouped together here for the first time. The full story of the group and its migration is told by Stefan Granados in his informative and detailed liners and resolves once and for all the oft asked question about the Majority's role in the first Barry Ryan solo album and tour. Some of the former Majority's singles have been compiled in the past, though some still await their inclusion. Three of the songs on the collection, 'A Hard Day's Night' (a very erudite and beautifully vocalised version), an alternative version of 'Friday Man' and 'Charlotte Rose' were recorded as The Majority, but are included here as they were released under the Majority One name.     The Majority One LP, Tuba, was not an album proper, but a collection of sessions recorded during 1970-'71. By its release, the band had split. Nonetheless there is a good sense of cohesion to it.     The group were seasoned and able musicians and singers and the album has a progressive pop feel to it in places and a definite popsike strain in others. 'Glass Image' has a very Dutch sound (think Zen circa the Hair album) whilst 'I See Her Everywhere' and 'It Looks Like Rain' are quintessential English chamber orchestrated ballads. 'Rainbow Rocking Chair' is also a superbly introspective popsike ballad that speaks of the age just passing rather than the one just dawning. 'Depths Of My Mind' is a great meld of pop and rock that duals stylistically between the verse and chorus. The one question mark against this reissue is the exclusion of two of the original LP tracks. There is plenty of room to have included them both. 'I Nearly Died' is a morose ballad which if not one of the group's best numbers, is by no means bad. Even more strange is the omission of the LP's closing track 'Roger La Frite / Revelation'. For these, you will need to track down the stand alone Tuba album CD reissue which is doing the rounds at the moment. I have to take issue with the assertion in the liners that 'Roger La Frite' is a '…pedestrian hard rock workout…' Hard rocking it may be but there's nothing pedestrian about it. It's an intelligent and progressive guitar led piece, which includes several snazzy movements over its 6.47 duration, much in the vein of say The Sorrows 'The Makers' on their Old Songs, New Songs album and like that number, 'La Frite' as the finale to the LP, points to a direction the group may have moved forwards in had they not split. The LP opener (and track 15 on this CD reissue) 'Feedback' is a fuzztone guitar led winner that also stands somewhat adrift from the majority (sorry!) of Majority One's work, as does the world renowned 'Get Back Home' (that opens the CD) but are none the worse for that.
    Anyway, enough about omissions, what you do get included here which you won't find anywhere else, are a bunch of worthwhile bonus tracks. These include the unreleased 'Letter From The Queen', recorded at the same time as the Tuba sessions. A pleasant acoustic ballad, it needs a fuller band arrangement to make it work to its best advantage, but as a skeleton it belongs here. The side project Black Label recorded a cover of Badfinger's 'No Matter What' which is a solid and professional version. Additionally both sides of the post Majority One, Rocky Cabbage single are included. 'Freedom' is a punchy percussive and fuzztone driven pop number whilst 'Bird Must Learn To Fly' is a mellow ballad which has a vague 'Rainbow Rocking Chair' vibe going on in the mix. Overall, a very nice and well presented package even if it is slightly less than definitive. Now we just need someone to put all 16 of The Majority's Decca sides in one place.
www.rpmrecords.co.uk
Paul Martin

NATURAL ACOUSTIC BAND
Learning To Live / Branching In (BGO; CD)
    This young Glaswegian trio released these two albums for RCA in 1972 and 1974. Resolutely indebted to the hippy folk wave (which hep cats these days now call 'Acid Folk') Learning To Live and Branching In are impressive, if unremarkable, acoustic folk/pop/rock efforts that evoke Magna Carta - who guitarist Tim Hoy would later join - and the harmony light folk of US acts ala The Rose Garden. In short, the band's subtle blend of male and female harmonies is an amalgamation of the Peter, Paul & Mary school of folk with hippy mysticism formulated under the influence of the Fairport explosion. For a bunch of 17-21 year olds the album's occasional shortcomings may be overlooked with a strong, lush production more than making up for these minor failings. The second album stands out in particular with its weaving of gentle pop, firmer band based performances and surprising psych rocker 'Is It True Blue? (There's Nothing Wrong With Electricity)'. Possessors of an unfortunately crappy name, the Natural Acoustic Band are further recommended listening for 2006's latest freshmen to the Vashti Bunyan University of naïve hippy dippy optimism.
The ideal remedy for post Xmas malaise.
www.bgo-records.com
Jon 'Mojo' Mills

NANCY PRIDDY
You've Come This Way Before (Rev-Ola; CD)
    Oh man, 'Ebony Glass' has to rate alongside The Third Bardo's 'Rainbow Life'. Yes indeedy kids, cute blonde girls could do warped garage-psych as well. Actress, one time folkie and mother of Christina Applegate, Nancy Priddy released the all encompassing You've Come This Way Before for Dot records in late '68. A record that touched upon on all out psych-pop, folk, sunshine pop, R&B/gospel and soul… Badly promoted, falling into no particular category the album bombed soon to become a bargain bin staple of the early '70s… What was it? No one cared.
    And now, in a far more forgiving era it's been rediscovered by a new bunch of hipsters. Attracted by the surly girly vocals and fantastic studio productions it's finally achieving the kind of 'cult status' it deserves. At Shindig! we have always adored things that defy categorisation … The Priddy album is one such artefact and if you like our stance you'll love this hybrid folk/jazz/pop/psych/R&B gem too. To think that the groovy, almost throwaway, dance tune 'My Friend Frank' belongs to the same set of songs as The United States of America-like 'And Who Will You Be Then' is unbelievable. A truly forward thinking album that should top your shopping list for the New Year.
www.revola.co.uk
Jon 'Mojo' Mills

THE SEVENS
The Sevens (The Sevens; CD)
    Back in July '05 I reviewed the vinyl reissue of this famous 1965 garage album. Now there is also a new CD version. This edition supersedes previous CD reissues because of the sound quality, and also because it adds six single sides from '65/66 plus three unissued tracks (from the 1965 LP sessions). So if you're going to buy this album on CD, this is the edition to get, not least because this reissue originates from the band itself. It's being distributed solely by Feathered Apple Records in Switzerland and it is they who you should contact to get hold of it (see links below).
    The six single sides are 'Little Girl I Know', 'My Mother' (a snotty youthful "life's not fair" assault on parenthood that was once a ubiquitous inclusion on any Euro garage comp…. "My mother don't like no Rolling Stone…" etc), 'Balla Balla', 'Seven', 'Run Me Down' (an atmospheric number) and 'I'm Not The Right'. The three unissued 1965 tracks are all cool and by the sounds of them are from the unproduced demos (see July LP review on the group's attitude to the finished article). 'Beggin' Me To Stay' and 'I Can't Understand' are both good beat fair but it is 'It's All Over Tonight' that stands out, a raver almost on par with 'My Mother'. There's a great booklet with ample liner notes but sadly only in German (though I'm told there are plans to reprint these in English as well). Nonetheless if you don't read German there're some cool b/w band pics to gawp at whilst listening. A nice package and good to have all these in one place.
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/featheredapple/
featheredapplerecords@balcab.ch
Paul Martin

THOUGHTS AND WORDS
Thoughts & Words (Radioactive; CD)
    Deciding to title their album after the inspirational Byrds' song 'Thoughts & Words' Bob Ponton and Martin Curtis soon discovered that Liberty were also labelling the duo with the same name. It could have been worse. Released in mid-'69 Thoughts And Words sees the guys behind The Pandemonium in a far more introspective mood, equally inspired by friend Sandy Denny's folk guitar tunings, producer Mike Batt (who was practically a member) and Ray Davies' social laments. 'Morning Sky' the album opener and single is the most upbeat and memorable number. Taking its cue from The Byrds jangle folk-rock the song gears-up the rhythm bridging late '60s power pop with a rockin' Brit feel. A winning formula. The majority of the rest of the material is folk based acoustic pop with a relaxed feel. If not outstanding, it's pleasant mood music, greatly helped by Batt's arrangements; particularly the baroque 'Back In 1939'.
www.radioactiverecords.com
Jon 'Mojo' Mills

VARIOUS ARTISTS
A Day In A Mind's Mind (EMI New Zealand; CD)
    Nice one! 29 tracks, many you'll know, but these are all from the masters. Not only that but there's a good clutch of unissued recordings from the archives of the Switched On Scene show broadcast on Hastings 2ZC Radio (that's in NZ not East Sussex!) by engineer David Lindsay and DJ Keith Richardson. These include a trio of winners by Troubled Mind. 'The Devil Is A Woman', 'Finders, Keepers' and 'Keeping It Down' sound like the sort of thing you might expect the UK's Kingpins to have been demoing on Oak records. Moody, anguished vocal, organ to the fore and a flourish of psychedelia and crashing guitar chords here and there, lovely stuff and a great find. Likewise two songs by Hawks Bay's Identity show just what was missed at the time. 'Just Out of Reach' is heavy on the fuzz pedal and the reverb with a great gum chewing sidewalk cruising hook. 'In Her Power' uses the reverb without the fuzz for a similar type of song, both these are great punkers and deserved to be heard at the time. 40 Watt Banana's 'Nirvana' was a released single and made #2 on the Fiji hit parade! Once heard, forever sought after on everyone's wants list. It's a brilliant sitar laden groover with a professional execution, cool and uncomped til now. Chapta's 'Journey To The Sun' came at the end of the 60s but carries a similar vibe to 40 Watt Banana: 'Would you like to come with me on a journey to the sun?' Additionally there are all the greats we know and love in our mini-universe, Ray Columbus's 'Kick Me', Human Instinct's 'Renaissance Fair', Larry's Rebels 'Dream Time', House Of Nimrod's 'Psychothartic' etc. There's also a great booklet with liners and band pics in colour and a lovely label design on the CD. Whoever is behind this flurry of activity at NZ EMI (see also the 'Top of The Dial' review from a few months back), good on 'em. Now I want to hear all those 'Switched On Scene' archive tapes pllleeaaase!! You can buy the CD at the on-line address below, you won't regret it.
http://www.amplifier.co.nz/release/18177/various_artists_a_day_in_my_minds_mind.html;jsessionid=41C6A01C5C18626EE1709CD661FEB3BD
Paul Martin

VARIOUS ARTISTS
California Love In Vol.3 (U Spaces; CDR)
    Another winning bunch of mainly uncomped west coast tracks from the 'for trade only' U-Spaces discussion group. If you aren't in on this yet, join them at the URL below and open a wealth of great US comps full of great numbers you often won't find elsewhere. This third volume of CLI is topped and tailed with two instrumental tracks by The Aggregation. 'Maharishi' is a delightful lounge corp number with a punchy undertow that also appeared on their LP in a slightly different form as 'Change'. Power's 'She Is The Color' has the kind of organ intro that could turn into The Doors or Procul Harum depending on the player's mood. It turns out to be a moody ballad. Zone 26 feature twice with 'As The World Turns Cold', a cool mid paced mover with a lead fiddle line running over it whilst 'We Chose To Walk' keeps the fiddle player in a supportive role. Yankee Dollar's 'Mucky Truckee River' has a clear female lead vocal with an almost MOR feel to the tune, but which stays just the right side of baroque folk pop. Chocolate Tunnel's 'Ostrich People' has a nice backward guitar intro and thereafter drifts along nicely as a Summer breeze. People's 'Riding High' is a soft pop ditty with a definite stride. All these numbers are pleasers and compiled with love for the music.
    Overall, these sort of collector comps are what informs the commercial reissue of a lot of titles and where the grass roots fans operate most intensely. On top of that it's just great fun and a never ending source of discovery. More power to them.
http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/U-SPACES
Paul Martin

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Fragments Vol.2: A Collection of USA Obscurities 1965-1970 (U Spaces; CDR)
    Another great U-Spaces collector 'for trade only' initiative is the Fragments series. Volume 2 is every bit as cool as its predecessor. This volume has a whole lot of folk rock and hard, moving sounds on it. The Daybreakers 'Afterthoughts' is a pleading folk rocker that really jangles. Ditto the Human Beingz 'Spider Man' albeit a cleaner sound, but just as jangly and sub-Byrdsian! The Ravin' Blue's 'Colors' is chirpier and puts a good pop quotient into the mix. The Five Americans turn up twice here (did they ever make a bad record?) 'Con Man' and 'Generation Gap' are both great numbers, both from '68; the former is a moody popsiker that has a certain anglophile vibe to it. The latter is a rockin' CCRish little ditty documenting the social question of the time. The In-Keepers' 'Daily News' is a nice soft pop number with a tension in its undertow that explodes like sherbet on your tongue in the chorus. Hardwater also feature twice with 'City Sidelwalks': "The fruit of my labour is a second-floor apartment with a broken elevator and a view of concrete sky". 'Plate Of My Fare' is a country-soft pop number with a bubblegum chorus, it works well. Love Society's 'Wanda' is a heavier number with good guitar work that appears on the flip of their cover of Simon & Garfunkel's 'America'. Research 1-6-12's 'Lip Smackin' Good' is a spider stalking the fly type number that creeps up you as you listen. They also made a mixed quality album that dipped and rose erratically, unlike their singles. DMZ's 'Somewhere In Between' is an echoey vocal style soft pop pleaser with light production. Flower Pot' 'Zig-Zag Man' is a great studio flower power exploito pop number by Mike Deasy that makes you smile.("Can you see the flowers in my hair").
    In the round, another great collection from the U-Spaces group, good work guys.
http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/U-SPACES
Paul Martin

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Garage Beat '66 Vol. 4: I'm In Need (Sundazed; CD)
Garage Beat '66 Vol. 5: Readin' Your Will (Sundazed; CD)
Uptight Tonight: The Ultimate 60s Garage Collection (Big Beat; CD)
    Discounting the Shindiggers with all encompassing garage record collections these are fantastic garage comps to please new kids on the block.     Sundazed and Big Beat have both seen fit to eradicate the shoddy sound and presentation of the1980s garage comp with their all encompassing collections of the tracks that matter. All three CDs are filled with classics and well-known garage punk songs, so if like me you own 98% of this stuff elsewhere there's not a great deal in point in rebuying the greatest hits of your garage collection, but if a new reader and new to the genre these are ideal starting points. The sound is loud and punchy the notes and pics great and the music… well, what can I say?... it's fantastic. Although I listen to more and more soft and gentle music as the days grow older it was the garage-punk bug that started Shindig! mag rolling. And these old friendssound just as vibrant, youthful and real as the first time I heard 'em… 'Foolish Woman' (The Oxford Circle). 'Suzy Creamcheese' (Teddy & His Patches). 'I Can't Make A Friend' (The Vagrants). 'No Friend Of Mine' (The Sparkles). 'Where You Gonna Go' (The Unrelated Segments). '1-2-5' (The Haunted). 'I'm In Need' (The Others). 'Good Times' (Nobody's Children). 'Don't Blow Your Mind' (The Galaxies IV). 'It Happens Everyday' (The Lemon Drops). 'Never Existed' (The Basement Wall)… the list is exhaustive. Sundazed even throw in a first timers to entice the elite. Good work all round. www.sundazed.com
www.acerecords.co.uk
Jon 'Mojo' Mills

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Love, Peace & Poetry: Turkish Psychedelic Music (QDK Media; LP/ CD)
    This series just gets better and better. I wasn't that sold on some of the earlier volumes, but the more recent volumes from Africa, Brazil and Mexico are a delight. This latest volume of Turkish music keeps up the gold standard.
    Sixteen tracks include names you'd expect like Erkin Koray (who provides a lovely haunting ballad 'Yagmur') and Mogollar appear. There's also Edip Akbayram with 'Yakar Inceden Inceden', a spot on Turkish psychedelic song you may recognise from elsewhere (I know I've heard it comped before). But if you're interested in him, I can recommend his 2xLP self-titled set on Shaddocks, it's full of cool stuff. Selda's 'Ince Ince Bir Kar Yagar' and 'Bunden Sonra' are a delight. Her full name is Selda Bagcan and she specialised in psyching up the old traditional folk songs that made so many of Turkey's great numbers of the 1960s and 1970s. Erkin Tackin's 'Gitmek Dustu Bana' gets into even stranger territory with a folk sounding number which gets the progressive rocked up treatment, jazz trumpets blazing then psyche guitar! This stuff still sounds amazing after thirty years and I never tire of hearing it.
http://www.normal-records.com
Paul Martin

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Setting The Trends Vols 1 & 2 (The Nutshell; CDs)
    Top mod dancefloor sounds from Europe and the UK. Some you will know well, others you won't. The sound is pretty good for CDR comps and with over 25 songs apiece you can't really go wrong. My favourites… The Pebbles' 'Seven Horses In The Sky', a wonderful dose of horn-laden pop-rock from a prolific Belgian band ripe for further investigation. The always great Tages' 'Those Rumours' see the Swede sensations midway between The Beatles and Who. Nicole Croiselle turns in a powerful Ye Ye called 'We Got A Thing'. Los Salvajes typify the strident garage soul sound the Spanish excelled at with their classic 'Vivir Sin Ti'. Shanes' 'Chris-Craft No. 9 is a dose of pop perfection from these young Swedes and it has more than a bit of The Hollies about it. Further Spanish delights from Los Brincos' with their Revolver-like 'El Pasaporte'. The Mascots' 'The Winner', another Swede-beat gem, recently covered by our pals The Thanes. Storming UK club soul-beat from The Detours. Johnny Devlin's unique take on 'Hurtin''. Warren Davis Monday Band's 'Without Fear' takes note of Procol Harum and their quality pop. Pennsylvania Sixpence's 'Midweek Excursion' (the flip of 'Love Of The Common People') is a Troggs type psych-pop groover. Kris Iffe (featured in Shindig #7 as leader of The Quiet Five) turns in a tough version of 'Hush'. Dave Anthony's Moods' Talking To The Rain' is full of Eastern charm and UK pop moodiness. The ever-great Koobas 'Sweet Music', which is just that, and finally the natty instro by The Roulettes 'Jackpot'… A good selection of predominantly mid-'60s material that will keep you in the mood while sprucing yourself up for a night on the tiles.
http://www.nut.shell.homepage.ms
Jon 'Mojo' Mills

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Swirling Echoes: Obscure Greek bands from the '70s (Anazitis; LP, 400 copies only)
    It's all Greek to me. Yes I did want to say that as it would indeed be Greek to everyone else. A delightful vinyl package of Greek underground tracks very much in the style of the Spanish Andergraun Vibrations compilation (see August '05 reviews). Don't be put off by the descriptive blurb on the label's website (see below), which rather underplays (oddly) what's on this, this is good stuff. OK, track one - Bourboulta's 'Popular Song' kicks off with a cowbell (one that's on the neck of a cow in a field I mean not on a drum kit!), you're thinking ooh-err sounds a bit too rural that, maybe only 'popular' with shepherds. Then the fuzz guitar kicks in and you know you can put the asthma inhaler away, everything's going to be alright. And indeed it is. There's layers of what sound like well home-recorded demos or budget studio recorded 45s on here that can be beautifully crafted vocal numbers such as The Brothers' 'Why?' or Page-like progressive blues in IHO's 'The Lawyer'. Presentationally, this is something of an art object as well. The LP comes in a yellow sleeve formed like an LP postal mailer or a Fed Ex package. Inside is a glossy fold-out poster with pics and liners (alas only in Greek) along with the English names/titles of the acts caught on the wax. In addition to the 10 track LP, you get a bonus double sided 45 featuring two great attacking tracks by Kastores' 'The Unknown Beggar' and 'War Is The Murderer'. The timeline is 1973-'78, but it all sounds c.1971. On the grander scale you can view this as the sound of young Greece emerging from eight years of the self-imposed isolation from the rest of Western Europe by the Greek Colonel's junta (1967-'74). As an artefact it's a great object and nicely presented, culturally it's a strong marker for resurgence and reintegration and musically it's a joy if you like early '70s underground sounds that are guitar dominated without being heavy metal or light progressive melodies.
    I'd love there to be more volumes of this, but as a one-off it's an important package and certainly one for the more musically inquisitive.
http://anazitisirecords.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=29&products_id=639
Paul Martin

RONNIE VON
Ronnie Von (Discos Renevacio; LP)
    Who?? Well, he seems to have been pretty big in Brazil (or is that Brasil?). There's a website devoted to him at http://www.facluberonnievon.com.br/Discografia.html. From what I can make out, he was a singer then became a screen actor and later a TV presenter, but as I don't read Portuguese I can't say for sure. The upshot is that in the late 1960s, Von recorded a trio of hip and happening LPs, the fourth of which is here reissued with another two slated for reissue sometime in '06.
    Soundwise, the nearest thumb-nail comparison I can think of is Timothy Clover's Harvard Square Affair LP (another baroque beauty still criminally overlooked for official reissue) with light dollops of tropicala in the mix (if you don't know the TC album, it's an orchestrated baroque pop beauty). The first track (and one other later on) 'Meu Novo Cantar' on Von's album kicks off with a spoken monologue in Portuguese. I'd love to have a translation for this. If anyone can oblige, please contact Shindig Towers. On first hearing it can be off-putting, especially if you don't know the lingo, as you don't know where if anywhere it's going to go, but rest assured it develops ultimately into a great tune. There are what sound like pretty straight, even cheesy moments as in 'Nada De Novo' and 'Labios Que Bejei' which are two parts of a (very short) whole. However, these are more than compensated for by the morose beauty of the light tropicalist numbers like 'Contudo, Todavia' and the baroque chamber orchestrated'Espelhos Quebrados'.
    It's the sort of eclecticism you associate with tropicala but ever so winsomely. Play it a few times and you will find yourself won over. Soft pop fans should get it post haste.
www.w-voelkel.de
Paul Martin