DAVIE ALLAN & THE ARROWS
Devil’s Rumble: Anthology ’64-’68 (Sundazed; 2-CD)
     At last. A double CD chronicling the output of one of the busiest guitarists in Hollywood. As we know Allen took surf, garage and psych and dosed it all in fuzz and trem, and for that is one of the cited guitarists of the era. In his liners The Sethman articulates well the history and atmosphere of the songs and the chronology of the comp impressively charts the move from surf to free form guitar. As good as it all is the lengthy CD format doesn’t bring out the best in the records and the music soon becomes very samey. Some recordings really haven’t stood the test of time either, and now sound plain goofy.
     Nevertheless, everything you want and more is on this double disc, which will serve even the most ardent Allen fan. Vroom! Vroom!
www.sundazed.com
Jon ‘Mojo’ Mills

ANDWELLAS DREAM
Love And Poetry (Vinyl Japan; CD)
     Amazingly, despite having personally owned three different pressings of Love And Poetry over the years, this is the first ever official re-issue of Andwellas Dream’s 1969 CBS long player. The big improvement here is the excellent sound quality that exposes plenty of hidden touches previously lost in the murk of dubious vinyl transfers.
     The album itself is a true classic of late 60s British rock. It’s poised right on the cusp of the dwindling strains of psychedelia and the emerging progressive scene but is played with all the fury and abandon of early Jimi Hendrix Experience or ’66 Creation. Dave Lewis’ songs run the gamut from Traffic-inspired pop-psych nonsense (‘Clockwork Man’), immaculate acoustic lysergic whimsy (‘Midday Sun’), searing acid rock (‘Sunday’), rambling freeform blues (‘Cocaine’), commercial cowboy rock ('Man Without A Name') and string-laden anthemic pop (‘Take My Road’) with his expert guitar work and warm, soulful vocals dominating. Gordon Barton’s frantic faster-than-light drumming enlivens many of the tracks and there’s an inherent charm about the occasionally wobbly performances - you can’t escape the sense that the whole thing was cut in an afternoon between Tremeloes sessions with an eye on the clock and a hand on the Scotch.
     Essential.
www.vinyljapan.demon.co.uk
Andy Morten

ARS NOVA
Ars Nova (Sundazed; CD)
     So okay, it took The Move to perfect ‘Fields Of People’ and Ars Nova’s kooky eccentricities may be an acquired taste, but there really is a lot more to this group of artistic pranksters’ sole ’68 Elektra album than writing and recording a song that The Move covered. Actually, their ancient instrumentation and classically inspired changes appear to have made quite an impact on Roy Wood, steering him towards more ambitious arrangements and a greater use of folk instruments. There are some brilliant aspects to Ars Nova too (interesting sounding vocals, a complete sense of adventure, and a psychedelic persuasion not unlike fellow Elektra “head” bands Love and Clear Light) but they didn’t take off, and still haven’t really caught on with today’s psych crowd. Yes, it is very New York clever. Sure, it’s not that instant either. But this album really is worth checking out, and a definite grower.
www.sundazed.com
Jon ‘Mojo’ Mills

THE DEEP
Psychedelic Moods (Radioactive; CD)
     Ex-New Christy Minstrel Rusty Evans’ one off studio project The Deep blend snarling garage (The Seeds-like ‘Color Dreams’) and mournful folk rock (‘When Rain Is Black’) with minimal pop, punctuated by weird sound effects and purposefully drug laced lyrics. It’s all a bit too strange, but ‘Trip #76’ is actually rather good. Although I know that The Deep have the legions of fans in the garage/psych fraternity I can’t but help hearing this album as more of a deconstructionist arty joke (which perhaps it was) than anything freaky or psychdelic. A curio, but no great shakes!
www.radioactiverecords.com
Jon ‘Mojo’ Mills

FRESH AIR
A Breath Of Fresh Air (Radioactive; CD)
     Now I love this. And I mean love it. Fresh Air possessed a bloody powerful singer in the form of Marc Piscitelli who confidently carries this superb ’69 heavy pop album with his controlled, booming voice; but it’s not all down to the vocals alone, this band is fucking powerful. The copious amount of driving overdriven guitar and floating Hammond add a psychedelic edge to the proceedings with a big thump. Mainly up tempo, these short, sharp, powerfully executed songs will please fans of such bands as The Attack, late period Choir… and, orrghhh, anyone with good taste! Superb mod rock made in America! I rate this one a lot. High advised.
www.radioactiverecords.com
Jon ‘Mojo’ Mills

THE GLITTERHOUSE
The Almost Complete Recordings ’66-’74 (Moogy Music; CD)
           Best known as the band featured on the Barbarella soundtrack, and in psych circles for the delicate 'Tinkerbell's Mind' (Fading Yellow) New York's The Glitterhouse (a white band fronted by a black-man-that-wrote-sprightly-pop) made some pretty, instant records on the commercial side of the psych-pop spectrum. This 23-track (80 min) home produced vanity project (compiled and released by organ player Moogy Klingman) features the Bob Crewe produced album spectacular Colorblind-First Edition ('68); the three Glitterhouse tracks from the Barbarella soundtrack; two pre-Glitterhouse singles ('66-'67) by Pop Art and The Dave Heenan Set (super garage/psych); demos recorded for Crewe; a few home recordings and a '74 re-union cut by Klingman in the studio that he ran with Todd Rundgren.
         Although little of their repertoire comes close to the laconic pop of 'Tinkerbell's Mind' (and enjoyable as they are, some tracks veer too far  into bubblegum territory) this is a superb set crying out for an official release.
www.moogymusic.com
Jon 'Mojo' Mills

THE TONY JACKSON GROUP
Watch Your Step: The Complete Recordings 1966-1967 (Castle; CD)
     I bought the Bam Caruso Tony Jackson Bam Caruso album in the early ‘90s and was blown away by this ex-Searchers’ frantic freakbeat version of ‘Fortune Teller’. At that time in my mop top youth The Searchers were way too tame; but man, this was different. Sure Byrdsesque numbers, such as the splendid ‘You’re My Number One’, had the trademark Searchers’ chiming guitar sound and harmonies; but it had more guts than the singer’s previous band. Jackson had a unique voice, which he even turned to soul (‘Never Leave Your Baby’s Side’).
     Essentially the Bam Caruso vinyl album with bonus cuts Watch Your Step chronologically charts Jackson’s career from the post-Searchers ’64 Pye sides through to the sought after ’67 Italian EP (a mod-beat classic featuring inspired renditions of the Raiders’ ‘Just Like Me’ and The Small Faces’ ‘Understanding’).
     Fuzzy freakbeat, garage, folk-rock, beat, UK club soul… this has got the lot.
www.sanctuaryrecordsgroup.co.uk
Jon ‘Mojo’ Mills

RICK NELSON
Rick's Rarities 1964-1974 (Ace; CD)
     During the first half of the '60s Nelson hung onto the previous decade's coat-tails, recording music in the vein of the Everly's country based pop, but by '65 a prominent folk-rock/protest influence became apparent ('Freedom & Liberty' being a fine example of this transitionary period). After further more straight country efforts Nelson's career path once again took a prompt turn; this time towards big brassy pop in the Bacharach vein. Of most interest to SD-ers however (along with some great Another Side Of... and Perspective-era single sides and unreleased tracks) is the absolutely incredible '69 Decca single 'Promises', a driving rock song in the Buffalo Springfield mould! Closing with some blissed-out hippy sensibility (the unreleased Stone Canyon Band country-rock/soft-popper 'California Free') this compilation shows exactly how much changed in ten years!
www.acerecords.uk
Jon 'Mojo' Mills

PIG NEWTON & THE WIZARDS FROM KANSAS
Still In Kansas (Rockadelic; LP)
     Dating from the time when this fine mid-west hippy band were still using the Pig Newton prefix Still In Kansas consists of eight ‘68/’69 recordings and demos for the band’s ‘70 Mercury album (which I gave a rave review in July 2003). Bearing an acidified semblance to Quicksilver and the Airplane the first versions of ‘High Flying Bird’, ‘She Rides With Witches’ and ‘Codine’ have the confidence of a band hitting their stride, whilst the drifting ‘Clouds Of Exchange’ flits between jazzy Byrdsian     passages, some trippy wah-wah and inspired drumming (in fact, recorded in a Church).
www.rockadelic.com
Jon ‘Mojo’ Mills

PANDAMONIUM
The Unreleased Album (Radioactive; CD)
     This shelved album by the regarded late ‘60s psych-pop band was recorded in ’70 as a follow up to the band’s writing duo’s Thoughts And Words album project. The bold and bright pop sounds that squarely aimed for the hit parade, notably ‘Sit And Watch The Sunshine’, certainly out weigh the superb psychedelia of ‘I Am What I Am’, but there’s no disputing Bob Ponton and Martin Curtis’ ability to pen crafted pure pop with instant melodies. This has been widely booted recently, but the sound is great here.
www.radioactiverecords.com
Jon ‘Mojo’ Mills

THE PENNY ARKADE
Not The Freeze (Sundazed; CD)
     I like this, I like this a lot. That’s not something I can always say about every Sundazed release, but this one is bang on the money. A whole bunch of unissued recordings that can truthfully be said to be criminally unreleased at the time.
     Mike Stax eloquently tells the band’s story in detail in the booklet but suffice to say this disc tells its own aural story. Fab West Coast sounds recorded in 1967-‘68 that veer from the country inflected folk rock of the openers ‘Lights Of Dawn’ and ‘Country Girl’ to the shimmering reverb guitar-led, light psych sounds of ‘Color Fantasy’. ‘Thesis’ is on another tip again, a largely acoustic number with a most intriguing chord sequence that makes you want to keep hitting the replay button. ‘Not The Freeze’ is a thirteen minute epic that welds sections contributed by different band members into an epic whole, whilst an early shorter version features as a bonus track and shows how the construction was undertaken. ‘Love Rain’ is a great fuzz tone pop-siker whilst ‘Sick And Tired’ is a delicious garage pop number and ‘Sparkle & Shine’ is in an appealing 3/3 time signature. OK, there’s also the obligatory faux ragtime revival number ‘You Couldn’t Conquer Me’ (perhaps the only 60s genre yet to be compiled!) that stinks somewhat, but it’s the exception not the rule.
     In general the set has a strong sense of aural authenticity to the era, the way you would like it to sound anyway if the choice was yours. There’s the kind of variety in the songs as mentioned above that will please both West Coast acid heads and soft pop fans alike. Find the happy medium between these extremes and you’ve probably got as close to the sound as you can without hearing it.
     Go and buy it now, you won‘t be disappointed!
www.sundazed.com
Paul Martin

POCO
Pickin' Up The Pieces / Poco (Beat Goes On; 2-CD)
     What can I say? You like Buffalo Springfield, right? You like late 60's country-rock too? Well call me a step ahead, but if you read these reviews, and I'm taking it for granted that you do, then you are more than likely already acquainted with these two fine albums. If you've missed out, Poco were the band Richie Furay formed when the Springfield split. And yes, debut Pickin' Up The Pieces ('69) is certainly a lot more representative of the Springfield than CSN ('Calico Woman' wouldn't have sounded out of place on ... Again.) Although the '70 follow-up, Poco, garnered the band their first hit, it was essentially cut from the same cloth, featuring tender ballads and uptempo rockers with a country twang, but the short flirtation with funky soul was not altogether successful (the lengthy 'El Tonto De Nade, Regrasa' takes its groove far too far). All said and done though, these are still mightily impressive country-rock artefacts deserving a place in everyone's collection. More pics and ephemara in the booklet would have been appreciated, and the two reduced album sleeves on the cover are just plain wrong, but there's really little to moan about this good value set of classic LA country-rock.
www.bgo-records.com
Jon 'Mojo' Mills

RICK PRICE & MIKE SHERIDAN
This Is To Certify: The Gemini Anthology (President; 2-CD)
     I’ve had Price & Sheridan’s This Is To Certify That for years on CDRs, dubbed from vinyl, grey area reissue CDs etc. Finally, we have at long last got the whole shebang from the master tapes and what a difference it makes. The sound on these two discs is immaculate compared to what has preceded them.
     Disc one delivers the Price & Sheridan album along with three non-albums sides. If you know this album you don’t need any more justification to buy it than the fact it now exists in this format. For the uninitiated, this 1970 album was originally released on President’s Gemini subsidiary label. It’s twelve songs are largely shining late 60s progressive pop jewels, many of which have found their way onto compilations; ‘Lightning Never Strikes’ (on Electric Lemonade Acid Test Volume One), ‘Tracey Smith’ (on Rubble 19), ‘Sometimes I Wonder’ (also on ELAT and the title of President’s pop-sike CD comp of a couple of months back), ‘Lamp Lighter Man’ (on Rubble 8). The list goes on and the sound I say again, is wonderful on the ears. Of the extra tracks Rick Price’s ‘Top Ten Record’ is amusing, a rye look at formulaic chart fodder whilst Mike Sheridan’s rendition of The Idle Race’s ‘Follow Me Follow’ and ‘When Love Breaks Your Heart’ are delicious pop pleasers.
     Disc two contains two solo Rick Price albums, both from 1971. Talking To The Flowers has long been a prized and valued album amongst collectors, though some may hear it as a bit of mixed bag. Standouts include ‘Butterfly’ ‘Daisy Farm Park’ ‘Talking To The Flowers’ and ‘Who Am I’. A short album (less than 30 minutes) of short songs, but none of them wasted, all good ‘serious’ pop. The next twelve tracks comprise an unreleased album, so this is the first time anyone has ever heard them. This collection is no mere filler either, it deserved to be reissued. If you already know ‘Talking To The Flowers’ then you will be very pleased with this one as it flows in much the same vein. There are clusters of other people’s songs, notably Jimmy Webb (‘Galveston‘) and Glen Campbell (‘Love Is A Lonesome River’) which come across surprisingly well and not at all country as you might expect. The jewels here though are ‘Dream’ (a Sheridan number), ‘Hey Little One’ (also cut by Glen Campbell - obviously a major influence here), the pop-siker ‘I Can Get Found’, ‘Caroline’ and ‘Turn Around’ all of which are as one with Talking To The Flowers, lovely stuff. Album and CD closer ‘We Believe In Jesus’ has a very Peter Eden feel to it (think the Tenth Planet anthology of his work), very English.
     Good packaging and the full story behind Price & Sheridan’s writing partnership as told by David Wells make this an all-round delight, buy and cherish it.
www.president-records.co.uk
Paul Martin

QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE
Shady Grove/Solid Silver (Beat Goes On; CD)
     On third album Shady Grove (’69) the major league San Fran acid rockers QSM were joined by Brit keyboard session legend Nicky Hopkins. Adding much gravitas to Cipolina’s wonderful guitar work Hopkins keys featured strongly, with album finale ‘Edward (The Mad Shirt Grinder)’ working as a mass instrumental piano/organ wankathon, suitable per’aps for Traffic but tiresome in this context. Thankfully the song based pieces more than save virtuoso overload: ‘Shady Grove’ rocks hard with Cipolina’s guitar cutting through and a punky/Stonesy vocal (the junky bluesy Stones’ sound is prevalent across much of the album) whilst ‘Flute Song’ marks the record’s second strand, the floating, sad, eerie side. For me, ‘Flute Song’ achieves psychedelic perfection (coincidentally contemporary Swedish psych-rock band Soundtrack Of Our Lives recapture the essence of the qualities of ‘Flute Song’ and ‘Flashing Memories’ most admirably. The cosmic spirit lives on!)
     The second CD of this set, for some unknown reason, features QSM’s ’75 comeback album Solid Silver. Great things weren’t to follow (what with punk around the corner) but the album succeeds in combining the QSM trademark sound with rock and Eagles-like country-rock. The ode to hippydom ‘Cowboy On The Run’ and mellow country rocker ‘The Letter’ are great, ‘I Heard You Singing’ recalls the styling of ’68 and ‘Flames’ bridges QSM’s acid rock with typical ’75 styled bar-room rock. As a comeback this really works, and doesn’t deserve all of the flak it has received over the years.
www.bgo-records.com
Jon ‘Mojo’ Mills

THE RIOT SQUAD
Jump! (Castle; CD)
     The mod boy band. Assembled by svengali Larry Page on the back of The Kinks’ success the hand picked Riot Squad (including a young Mitch Mitchell) were dressed up in dandy mod gear, produced by Joe Meek, and primed for the big time. It didn’t happen though. And no, they certainly were not The Kinks. But… their weird Georgie Fame and The Action meets Freddie & The Dreamers and The Honeycombs style does have something unusual about it. ‘I Take It That We’re Through’ in particular resonates with that batty Meek charm.
www.sanctuaryrecordsgroup.co.uk
Jon ‘Mojo’ Mills

STARRY EYED AND LAUGHING
That Was Now And This Is Then… (Aurora; 2-CD)
     They could have been The Beatles… or more precisely The Byrds. London’s SE & L utilised the 12-string Rickenbacker at a time when “jangle” was out and “loud” was in. Calling them Byrds copyists would be very unfair but damn, these boys sure did get the sound. Even Mr McGuinn approved. Despite this, they were unfairly lumped in with the mid-70s pub rock movement and served their apprenticeship with the likes of Ducks Deluxe and Kilburn & The High Roads. Signed to CBS in ‘74, they cut two albums, Starry Eyed & Laughing (with its incredible opener ‘Going Down’) and the slightly less coherent Thought Talk which are both included here alongside pre-album recordings (including a spine-tinglingly Byrds-y ‘The Chimes Of Freedom’) and alternate takes from the band’s own archive.
     Ricky-toting 60s nuts The Flamin’ Groovies, Tom Petty, The Records, REM and The Rain Parade followed but SE & L were among the first revivalists and remain one of the best. Sublime West Coast harmonies, astounding twin guitar attacks and a typically English pre-punk snottiness define their work and whether this was then or that was now, it’s wonderful stuff.
aurora_music@hotmail.com
Jon ‘Mojo’ Mills & Andy Morten

DAVE WAITE & MARIANNE SEGAL
Paper Flowers (Lightning Tree; CD)
     Lightning Tree’s re-issue of Jade’s 1970 folk-rock classic Fly On Strangewings was one of last year’s highlights, attracting rave reviews at every turn. Paper Flowers is a prequel of sorts, comprising no less than 20 demos and live recordings and three complete, fully orchestrated studio recordings cut by Jade members Dave Waite and Marianne Segal between 1967 and ’69 and only recently unearthed on the back of the renewed interest in their work.
     Having come through the ranks of the UK university folk scene alongside such luminaries as Sandy Denny, Bert Jansch and John Renbourne, the duo were essentially a folk act who slowly began incorporating Marianne’s original compositions into their set alongside new pieces by Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell while ousting the more traditional material. While the folk ambience is inescapable, there’s a particularly English thread here as well as a transatlantic pop element that recalls The Mamas & The Papas and Peter, Paul and Mary. Folk pop if you will.
     The acoustic cuts are interesting, occasionally inspired twists on these various formats but it’s in the trio of polished studio recordings that immediately pre-date the Jade album that you’ll find the heart of this release. ‘Paper Flowers’ is as bright and breezy as the West Coast soft-pop acts it so closely emulates, ‘It’s Really Quite Alright’ is the greatest song Tony Hazzard never wrote and ‘I Can’t Love You More’ is a deliciously MOR pop duet that should have been huge in the summer of ’68.
     Previously unseen photos and reminiscences from Dave and Marianne themselves make this an exemplary release from this fine label.
www.mariannesegal-jade.com
Andy Morten

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Femmes de Paris Volume 3
Gentleman de Paris (both FGL; CD)
     We’ve always supported French pop here and these two new inclusions are nice bookends to Swinging Mademoiselle and other such national round ups of sexy, coy and novel pop. Of the chicks, Christine Delarouche’s ‘La Porte Á Coté’ and Zouzou’s delightful reading of Dutronc’s ‘Tu Fais Partie Due Passé’ are really beautiful yet somehow tragic. Remember, this is the only nation able to make 60’s girl pop sound like high art; nouvelle vague pop all the way Monsieur . Lots of pensive singing, tinkling harpsichord and swinging grooviness ensues. There’s always something incredibly kitsch (and highly enjoyable) about hearing a mademoiselle purr her way through a tune in heavily extenuated tongue. It’s more than cute.
     Although not quote on par with the Femme vols the first in the Gentleman de Paris series features some decent songs in a variety of styles: Eric Charden’s ‘Le Jour, La Muit, Le Jour’ features a ripping fuzztone and stabbing horns; Jean-Claude Brialy et Serge Gainsbourg get all spooky with the slow and funky ‘Boomerang’; Jacques Filh’s ‘Je Drague Au Drug’ is frankly bonkers, and great for it, whilst the 5 Gentlemen’s folk-rock homage ‘Dis-nouse-Dylan’ (featured on Pebbles 12: The World) is a melodic, if wimpy, slice of garage jangle. Two thorough rides for Gaellic connoisseurs.
www.fglmusic.com
Jon ‘Mojo’ Mills

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Land Of A Thousand Dances: Special Soul & Funk Edition (Kent; CD)
     These 26 chronologically compiled winners just don’t, and won’t, let go! Hair cuts may have changed from quiff to ‘fro and the beats and bass lines certainly got tighter between the time of the solid groove of Rufus Thomas’ ‘Land Of A Thousand Dances’ (’64) and The Fatback Band’s synth laced funk ‘Are You Ready (To Do The Bus Stop?)’ (’75); but the same message is clear in both: dance and have good time.
     Rather like the new Sue comp (reviewed later) Land Of A Thousand Dancers is brimming with poundin’ early/mid-‘60s soul/R&B cuts that were favoured by the pilled-up mods of London’s clubs: ‘The Matador’ (Major Lance), ‘The Boomerang’ (Don Covay), ‘The Push, Push, Push’ (Jerry Williams), ‘Jerk It’ (The Gypsies). All superb organic R&B based soul cuts that sound brilliant together. As the comp progresses northern soul fave ‘That Beatin’ Rhythm’ (Richard Temple) gives way to the proto-funk of Harvey Scales & The Seven Sounds’ ‘Broadway Freeze Pts 1 & 2’, and once James Brown has shouted ‘Let A Man Come In And Do The Popcorn’ Jackie Lee, Parliament and The Johnny Otis Show get very, very funky!
     This set works amazingly well and clarifies one thing: black American knew how to have a good time pre-disco, pre-gangsta.
www.acerecords.co.uk
Jon ‘Mojo’ Mills

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Mod Meeting Volume 3 (Dr No; LP)
     So, a third volume in an ongoing series of the rare and unusual in British mod beat. Standouts this time include The Habits’ ‘Need You’, a nice beaty number and Hamilton & The Movement’s rare second 45 for CBS, their mod take on ‘Really Saying Something’. The Rokes’ ‘Ride On’ is late beat with a twist of backwards guitar in the intro and outro to show what direction the times were taking (The Rokes seldom let you down). The Secrets’ ‘I Suppose’ is a good mid tempo tune (led by Cliff Ward later to become Clifford T Ward of course, see September reviews) and The Shadows’ ‘67 instrumental ‘Scotch On The Rocks’ where Hank B Marvin plays like a wannabe Jimmy Page with the phasing pedal. Elsewhere staple names crop up in the shape of Just Four Men’s two tasteful offerings (‘Don’t Come Any Closer’ and ‘There’s Not One Time’); The Mockingbirds (‘How To Find A Lover’ and ‘I Never Should Have Kissed You’); Billy J Kramer & The Dakotas US-issued ‘I’ll be Doggone’ (on Imperial) and the Mindbenders ‘Off And Running’ are all worthwhile.
     There’s nothing outstanding on here, but still a pretty good selection overall, certainly enough to hold my attention anyway.
www.heyday-mo.com
Paul Martin

VARIOUS ARTISTS
What Does A Girl Do?: Femme Pop From The President Vaults (President; CD)
     The first time I put this on, the first four tracks almost blew my head off! Linda Cumbo’s ‘Did You Ever Lose Your Mind (Over A Boy)’, The Twilights’ ‘I Have The Right’, Terry & The Tunisians’ ‘Tom-Tom’ and The Chelmars’ ‘Jigsaw Puzzle’ are essential listening. Some of this comp has been dubbed from vinyl and the added in-your-faceness of this is all too apparent. These sides date from between 1960 and 1965 and are drawn from the American President and related label vaults (Joy, Duel, Shell, Select and Seville). Unless you’re a girl pop obsessive, you won’t know any of these names with the possible exception of Marcie Blane (more popular in Germany in which language she also recorded and who has her own English language anthology due out on President in the near future). This collection has all the zest and feistiness lacking in the Garpax girl comp reviewed last month. It would be hard to pick a standout track on this comp as each of them is such a winner!
     There are a few slower or lighter numbers. Slow fuse burners include Little Gigi’s ‘I’m Hurt And So Is My Heart’, the sophistication of Pat Jarvis’s ‘Guess Who I’m Fooling’ and ‘The Soul of My Man’, and a pre-‘Nitty Gritty’ fame Shirley Ellis when still using her full name of Elliston in ‘Love Can Make You Know’. The majority of these jewels however are full throttle accelerated nitro! With a name like The Kittens you might expect demure coyness, but not a bit of it ‘The Sweetest Boy’ and ‘Too Nice Tonight’ are dynamite. Millie Foster’s ‘Love Wheel’, The Chelmar’s female doo-wop revivalist ‘Confess’ or the Canadian Allen Sisters ‘Larry’ are all musical rocket fuel to the ears.
     If you only buy one 60s girl pop comp this year, make it this one, it kicks ass! Volume two at your earliest convenience please Mr President.
www.president-records.co.uk
Paul Martin

VARIOUS ARTISTS
The UK Sue Label Story Volume 3: The Soul Of Sue (Kent; CD)
     When I was a wee strapping lad of 13/14 I danced to many of these records at various mod runs and South Coast Soul dos. Sue records struck a chord, and its tough R&B and soul sides (mixed in with eclectic jazzy sounds, which to me at least, conjured up an early 60’s Martini soaked Tiviera atmosphere) allowed my friends and I to divorce ourselves from the 80’s mediocrity we were growing up in. Plus, listening to such alive music from a past age made us feel truly separated from the synth pop of the Duranies. We were mods: members of an exclusive club (although looking back now there were so many of us that the club was about as exclusive as McDonalds!). You can’t get anymore mod than Sue though, and in the 80’s it was our label! Pocket money was spent on expensive singles, 45s were borrowed, and most importantly, danced to. Ace’s third (all are essential) Sue collection focuses solely on the cream of the label’s soul output (but you do get some R&B too). ‘Harlem Shuffle’ (Bob & Earl), ‘Nightrain’ (James Brown), Hurt By Love (Inez Foxx), ‘The Last Minute Pts. 1 & 2’ (Jimmy McGriff), ‘I Can’t Stand It’ (The Soul Sisters), ‘Hitch Hike’ (Russell Byrd); all the classic are here, and then some. Okay, important/favourite tracks are missing; but a second volume is planned, and who can really complain about these 25 tracks? Guy Stephens certainly was a major mover!
www.acerecords.co.uk
Jon ‘Mojo’ Mills

ZERFAS
Zerfas (Radioactive; CD)
     For every inept, embarrassing vanity pressing that wouldn’t have had a hope in hell in breaking through, turn up rare things like this which are as good as the work of any major label band. Although only 18-19 year old kids when they recorded this mature effort in ‘73 Zerfas sound like seasoned pros. Having taken six months to record and perfect, the outcome of the album is astounding. Sounding a little like a cross between late period UK psych (a dash of the Beatles, Procol Harum and a hint of Yes circa ‘69) and laid back “get it together” San Fran hippy rock, this concept of sorts conjures up the desolation of America’s vast Midwest, filtered through some highly creative young minds. The closing section of final track ‘The Piper’ leaves you wanting more. This really is something special, and what I view as a major psych discovery that everyone should own.
www.radioactiverecords.com
Jon ‘Mojo’ Mills