BLOSSOM TOES
We Are Ever So Clean (CD; 2LP; Sunbeam)
If Only For A Moment (CD; 2xLP;Sunbeam)
To dyed-in-the-wool Blossies obsessives such as myself, their shabby treatment at the hands of posterity
has been a wounding miscarriage of justice, so to see their two peerless albums finally receive
an official and sympathetically-handled remastering and reissue job is sweet vindication.
I've lived with and deeply loved my mono vinyl copy of their
1967 debut album We Are Ever So Clean since I bought it from Weymouth's sadly-missed record
shop Handsome Dick's in 1982, and I can gleefully attest to the fact that Dave Blackman's mastering
job on the reissues is a revelation, spacious and expansive without sacrificing any of the vibe,
magic or cohesion.
Tiny but significant differences abound – a snatch of extra vocal over the coda of 'Look At Me I'm You',
a full-term ending for 'The Remarkable Saga Of The Frozen Dog', the curious omission of the 'yay'!
in the middle of 'What On Earth' – and the extra clarity had me gobsmacked anew
at the punch of the band's performances and the cinematic flourishes of David Whitaker's extraordinary
string and brass arrangements.
Novitiates reading this should be forcefully made aware
at this juncture that We Are Ever So Clean is one of the key texts in British psychedelia,
regardless of its supposedly calculated provenance as a forced leap aboard the paisley bandwagon
(see the Blossom Toes article elsewhere in this issue for details). You can't hide sheer class
and you can't fake talent, and the quality of the songwriting, singing and playing on Clean
is so consistently high that it eats alive a good 95 per cent of 1967's collective output.
Yep, it's that good.
Breathtaking live versions of 'Mister Watchmaker' and 'Love Is',
included among the 10 bonus tracks, blow the peculiar misconception that the band couldn't perform
the Clean tracks live 'clean' out of the water, appropriately enough. Meanwhile, their irreverent
Small Faces-style nose-thumbing deconstruction of Dylan's' I'll Be Your Baby Tonight' finally makes
an overdue reappearance, complete with asthmatic 'harmonica' which was actually produced by Blossies
co-founder Brian Godding playing his Telecaster with a violin bow.
The second Blossom Toes album, 1969's If Only For A Moment, is the one the band members stand
by as being the most representative of what they were about and how they sounded live, and in its
freshly-remastered form it's a glorious monster.
Forged in the first instance from the crucible of creativity which accompanied the Blossies'
rediscovery of themselves as a hard-edged guitar band, it sounds today like a masterclass in the assemblage
of supple, inventive and credible rock riffs – the exact point in time at which the dual lead guitar
motif was noisily birthed.
Guitarists Godding and Jim Cregan really worked on the details
throughout this period, and their dovetailing lines have an almost architectural grace about them.
'Peace Loving Man' is the place where King Crimson and The Mothers Of Invention euphorically meet,
but the pure-toned filigree of 'Kiss Of Confusion' and 'Indian Summer' display the band's ability
to turn down the wick yet still glow with the incandescent brightness of true inspiration.
If Only For A Moment's seven bonus tracks include the deathless hit-that-never-was, 'Postcard',
plus its compelling jazz-inflected B-side 'Everyone's Leaving Me Now'. The reissues of both Moment
and Clean also include demos recorded by the band in Polydor Studios which are major
archeological finds for aficionados of late '60s UK pop and rock and an unthinkably generous treat
for Blossies fans – the equivalent of finding a winning lottery ticket inside that Fabergé egg you
discovered at a jumble sale.
To paraphrase myself earlier on: yep, that good.
www.sunbeamrecords.com
Marco Rossi
JACKIE DeSHANNON
High Coinage: The Songwriters Collection 1960-84 (Raven; CD)
Another compilation from Glenn A. Baker and the good folks at Raven containing 26 tracks in chronological
order but highlighting the vast number of other songwriters that Jackie either covered or co-wrote with.
This of course reads like a who's who of great songwriters and it is interesting
to note early 1964 and 1966 tracks by Randy Newman and Warren Zevon respectively, as well as great
versions of 'High Coin' by Van Dyke Parks and 'What Ever Happened To Happy'
by Bonner and Gordon.
Of course Jackie's own compositions hold up equally well in such esteemed company and it is
refreshing that the usually compiled big hits are missing thus providing a different perspective
on Jackie's writing. As usual Glenn A. Baker does his best to include non anthologised b sides
such as Bobby Womack's 'What Is This', the rare Columbia b side 'All Night Desire' and the even
rarer 1984 Audiotrax side 'Possible Dream'
which despite its now dated synth backing is worth the price of admission alone. All in all a great
addition to the DeShannon discography, now if only someone could release a recording of the wonderful
concert she gave at Dingwalls in 2006.
www.ravenrecords.com.au
Pat Curran
THE ELASTIK BAND
The Elastik Band (Digital Cellars; CD)
Most people will know The Elastik Band from their original sounding and lyrically contentious single 'Spazz'
as compiled on both the original double LP and box set cd reissue Nuggets set. With lines
like 'get up boy, I said get up, people are gonna think, said are people gonna think you're spazz'
it is not surprising there would and has ever since been debate as to the actual intent, voicing and
attribution of that lyric. Even weirder perhaps is that no-one from the band seems ever to have
been tracked down for comment or explanation. Indeed the disc ends with an Australian radio broadcast
of 'Spazz' after half of which, the DJ pulls the disc and apologises for the lyrical content,
claiming not to have screened the disc before its inclusion in the programme. The group did however
issue other singles on (Kapp) (and one in their former incarnation as This Side Up on Century).
'Spazz' in fact was evidently a foray into different territory as every other track (even the one or two
novelty tracks like 'Popcorn') is a glorious and often shimmering west coast pop and rock delight.
Byrdsian guitar picking and an excellent harmonised vocal blend see the 20 shortish tracks on the disc
glide through the 55 minutes they occupy like an uninterrupted suite of ear candy.
It takes several listens to differentiate them I found as each one effortlessly slides between the ears.
Once you get familiarised however, songs like 'Fire and Desire', 'Turn Your Head', 'All I Need'
and 'Mixed Emotions' and some very nice light moments as in 'The Word Is You' become very good
friends indeed. There's even a very nice acoustic guitar duo piece called 'Pauper's Fugue'.
There are some general liner notes that give us a band history overview and tell us the band supported
the usual luminaries of the day all around their native California; Jefferson Airplane, Country Joe
and the Fish, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Grateful Dead etc.
The tracks date between 1967 and 1969 and all are in excellent sound quality, although they are
in that split channel stereo that gives you the singer in one ear and the drums in the other etc.
This is an excellent set of eye opening quality songs if, like me, all you've ever heard by the group
is 'Spazz'. Not only that but tantalisingly, a booklet photo of a UNI label acetate lists five tracks
not included on the cd, so maybe there will be more to come?? If you're a west coast, soft pop
or generally tasteful 60s music fan, you really need to check this out. It's my discovery of the year
so far, simply delicious.
www.digital-cellars.com
Paul Martin
THE FOUR KING COUSINS
Introducing (El; CD)
Much beloved by the compilers of Japanese issued soft –rock compilations this four piece
group walks the very thin line between sublime harmony sunshine pop and easy
listening without straying too far over to the latter. Produced, arranged and conducted in 1969
by David Axelrod using his pseudonym Lex de Azevedo, this 10-track album may be short on playing time
but is high on quality.
Tina, and Cathy Cole, Carolyn Thomas and Candy Wilson were
the daughters of The King Sisters arguably one of the most technically accomplished vocal groups to emerge
from the big band era. After appearing with their parents in the highly successful The King Family
television show the four-piece harmony group branched out on their own and recorded this album.
Ranging between well known hits like 'God Only Knows' (a beautiful version) and 'Walk On By'
and lesser known soft pop gems from the Roger Nicholls' song book 'Love So Fine' written with Tony Asher
(of Pet Sounds fame) and 'I Fell' written with Paul Williams, this album is a delight and would
be ideal summer sunshine listening (for our late summer).
www.elrecords.co.uk
Pat Curran
MELANIE
Born to Be/Affectionately Melanie (Edsel; CD)
A long overdue reissue of Melanie's first two albums which have
been out of print for many years and reissued to coincide with her 60th birthday (boy this
makes me feel old.) The first album released in 1969 some months prior to her ecstatic reception
at Woodstock, where she followed Ravi Shankar and wowed the crowd with her song 'Beautiful People',
was produced by her husband Peter Schekeryk and featured all her own compositions except for an
assured reading of Bob Dylan's 'Hey Mr Tambourine Man'. The album introduces us to the quirkiness
that Melanie became renowned for with 'Animal Crackers', 'Christopher Robin (is saying his prayer)',
adapted from A.A.Milne, and 'Bo Bo's Party' as well as her influences, as the opening track 'In the Hour'
with its accordion backing is very Edith Piaf. Overall, an assured debut.
'Affectionately' released some months after Woodstock
contained five tracks recorded at Wessex Studios London with Donovan's arranger
John Cameron and again features all Melanie compositions except for 'Soul Sister Annie' written by Tommy Kaye
which doesn't suit her style at all. The album was a definite step forward containing 'Tuning My Guitar'
and the aforementioned 'Beautiful People' and pointed the way towards the breakthrough, which would
come with her next album. It is good to see these albums back in circulation. Highly recommended.
www.demonmusicgroup.co.uk
Pat Curran
THE NEW BREED
The New Breed Wants You! (Frantic; CD)
Mid-60s Sacramento king pins, The New Breed, have been partially compiled by the Collectibles label
in the past whilst their 'Want Ad Reader' and 'Green Eyed Woman' were staple inclusions on many garage
reissue comps in the 1980s. Only now however, has all their disparate material been pulled together
and put in one place.
Being the Joey D / Alec Paolo partnership that put it there, as with the So Cold
compilation reviewed elsewhere, you know it's going to be polished. In the booklet, Paolo tells
the story of The New Breed's rise and fall from folk singers through garage rebels to harmony vocal
group with a strong country edge when they morphed into Glad. It's the usual story of (near obsessive)
local popularity not translating into regional let alone national exposure, missed opportunities,
small labels unable to give potential breakout singles the support they needed etc.
The 28 page glossy booklet is also festooned with great live and publicity photos,
label scans, posters and memorabilia making for a great package. Musically, I suspect the group
were infinitely better live than most of their earlier recorded legacy implies. If we regard this
as an archival package, which the love and attention given to it clearly states it is, it's a gem.
Without the context and on its own merits, you'll be hitting the skip button quite a bit I fancy.
On the back of a burgeoning breakout with their debut 45, the garage R&B 'Green Eyed Woman'
that never quite made it, the group's label, Diplomacy (having rejected an offer by Warner Brothers
to lease the single's master) instructed them to record an album ASAP, loosely based around the theme
of 'woman'.
As was the way in those days immediacy was privileged beyond artistry
and the potential (and never released) album contained a bunch of stiff sounding covers
'Oh Pretty Woman', 'The Girl Can't Help It', 'Miss Ann', 'Bald Headed Woman' etc.
However, it has to be said the sound quality of the disc is excellent and however
many times you already own 'Green Eyed Woman' or 'Want Ads Reader', you won't have them in as sparkling
and crisp a sound as they appear here. These, along with both takes (one with a different vocal)
of their beautiful Mercury 45 of Cilla Black's 'I've Been Wrong Before' are sublime.
The group latterly abbreviated their name to The Breed, but having finally recorded an album's worth of
their own material under the guidance of former Ikon Records engineer, Erik Wangberg, they were surprised
(and dismayed) to see it released under the name of 'Glad', a name Wangberg had apparently come up with.
Anyway, it is the five Glad bonus tracks that really show their astounding development, the most well
known of which is the 45 'Johnny Silver's Ride' (allegedly about John Lennon).
Increasingly uncertain about their direction, bassist and vocalist Tim Schmit
left to take up an offer to join The Eagles and never looked back whilst most of the rest of the group
reformed as Redwing, recording several successful albums through to the mid 1970s.
If you're a Sacramento '60s fan or just love quality archival releases, this won't
disappoint at all. If you just want to hear the group out of curiosity, this may not represent an
investment for you. It is also worth noting that the disc includes two silent (with records dubbed on)
movies of The New Breed performing live at Hughes Stadium and most curiously, a volleyball game with
Public Nuisance!! A third video shows The New Breed's appearance on the short-lived Malibu-U TV show.
I'm not sure if the Glad's Feelin' Glad album has been reissued, but if not, it ought to be.
So in essence, a patchy musical legacy, but a great archival release.
Paul Martin
THE PIRATES
Shakin' At The Beeb, BBC Session s 1976 –'78 (Castle; 2-CD)
These sessions demonstrate that years of playing on the road with Johnny Kidd had made The Pirates into
a really tight, professional live band, with a full sound for a basic three- piece.
The band split after Kidd's death in the mid-'60s, only to reform in the late '70s, gaining considerable
admiration from the punk bands and their audiences. The Pirates specialised in the pre-Invasion rock'n'roll
they knew so well. Perhaps if the band had got back together a couple of years earlier they could have
had had an even bigger impact on the nascent British pub-rock scene. As it is, guitarist Mick Green
influenced many a young guitarist with his staccato style and seemingly effortless licks.
It's a shame that this collection is for completists who need everything
The Pirates ever recorded. Multiple versions of several songs are included, from different radio sessions
and concerts. The trouble is that they aren't radically different from each other.
One version of 'Drinking Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee' is fine, but four are way too many! Similarly, there are
four takes of 'Shakin' All Over' and three of 'Johnny B. Goodes' Good'.
It's difficult to listen to a CD all the way through when the same songs keep cropping up.
Most of the songs also appear in studio versions on the bands' late '70s LPs.
The music? Thirty years down the line, many of the songs have become such ubiquitous
standards I find it difficult to have a perspective on them. The likes
of 'Talkin' About You', 'I'm A Man', 'Milk Cow Blues' and 'Johhny B. Goode' are almost a part of me.
What you have here are 46 tracks of raw, traditional rock'n'roll and British R&B played sharp
and straight by a band on top form.
www.sanctuarymusic.co.uk
Phil Suggitt
STAINED GLASS
Crazy Horse Road (Fallout; CD)
This is Great. The 1968 Capitol album by this three piece San Jose group augmented by the A and B
sides of the five singles they made prior to the album. Jim McPherson, Bob Rominger and Dennis
Carrasco had a local hit in 1966 with a cover of The Beatles' 'If I Needed Someone'
on the RCA label and recorded three more excellent singles
for the label without success including Mann and Weill's 'We Got A Long Way To Go'
before signing with Capitol and releasing two albums the first of which is included in its entirety.
The album was produced by John Gross and
Max Hoch with help from Nickolas Venet and with arrangements by Lex de Azevedo a pseudonym for David Axelrod
of Electric Prunes fame. The album is entirely self-written and encompasses a variety of styles.
The first track 'I Sing You Sing' along with tracks seven and nine could be outtakes from the
first Buffalo Springfield album while the second track 'Finger Painting' could be The Monkees.
The whole album is thoroughly enjoyable and a great slice of late sixties pop/rock with some great
guitar and psychedelic overtones.
The added bonus tracks of the aforementioned singles make for a great package
and Fallout is to be congratulated for making it available.
www.soundlinkmusic.com
Pat Curran
TUESDAY'S CHILDREN
Strange Light From The East: The Complete Recordings (Revola; CD)
They shared members with 'Birds And the Bees' faves Warm Sounds; their most well known 45
'Strange Light From The East' was actually recorded by cult psychsters Second Hand. Both myths are wrong.
Tuesday's Children (who would morph into one of the early prog rock era's better acts, Czar in 1969)
were a group from North London, their most famous member being Phil Cordell. They cut six
singles for four labels, all deserving of chart action, all of which unceremoniously flopped.
This is their legacy, an 18-track anthology of varying styles (including an aborted advertising song
for Mr Kipling cakes!).
Phil Cordell was the group's main songwriter in their early period from 1966-'68 before leaving for a
solo career. It is a 1966 B side he wrote, 'Summer Leaves Me With A Sigh' that is their crowning moment
in my opinion. Mid paced with a simple ringing two-chord fuzz guitar motif throughout, it strides
confidently across most of their other work. In close contention however, albeit stylistically different,
is their sole Mercury label 45 from 1968, 'She'. It's a Martin Ware composition from the post-Cordell line up
and is an orch-pop beauty sat melodically in The Herd's 'From The Underworld' territory. The flip is a great
orch-pop arrangement of The Rokes 'Bright Eyed Apples' making it a double headed winner for softies like me!
Their most famous (to most collectors) 45 is the CD's title track 'Strange Light From The East',
a 1967 Cordell penned number. I never rated this I must say. Pleasant as it is,
it sounds as the group looked for the promotional photo session, like a pantomime act.
Taking the Chinese (just look at the Aladdin type theatrical outfits they're got up in on the CD front
cover!) rather than the Indian modal scale to define 'east' for uninformed westerners rather undermines it.
Compared to Cordell's 'Red Lady' added here as a bonus track, the difference is clear to all ears.
Moving towards the end of their career and the decade, Tuesday's Children morphed into Czar,. Their 1969
Fontana album is miles away from their vocal harmony pop tunes. However, the inclusion of a previously
unissued transitional track from 1969 'Doubtful Nellie' shows how even in the midst of "going heavy",
the group made an out of kilter melodic ballad, Stafan Granados tells us in his useful career
overview of the group, harking back to their old days. The 7.5 minute progressive instrumental
'Ritual Fire Dance' had been a feature of the group's act since 1968 we're told even when they were still
performing their pop set. The rest of the songs veer between harmony pop and blue-eyed club soul.
None of which are particularly outstanding but all deserved better than they fared. In general this set is,
apart from being wholly enjoyable, a fascinating insight into the transition made by the chart aimed
pop group into something heavier and hairier as the '60s turned to the '70s.A definite winner.
www.revola.co.uk
Paul Martin
WILKINSON TRI-CYCLE
Wilkinson Tricycle (Fallout; CD)
Another obscure gem from the good folks at Fallout. Originally issued in 1969 on the US Columbia
subsidiary Date, not a great deal seems to be known about David Mello (guitar), Richard Porter
(bass) and Michael Clemens (drums) who make up the group. Self-written except for a cover
of 'Leavin' Trunk' by Sleepy John Estes, this is a great album combining blues, great guitar workouts,
psychedelia and more overtly commercial material. Produced by Warren Schatz and Stephen Schlaks
who also produced the great Yesterday's Children album on Map City, two tracks also contain strings
and horns conducted by Ralph Affoumado. Highlights include the rockin' opener ' What Of I'
(also covered by the aforementioned Yesterday's Children) and the wonderful 'David's Rush', which features
one of the great string arrangements. Five of the eight tracks last over five minutes long giving
the band ample time to stretch out which they do to powerful effect making this a great listen.
Highly recommended.
www.soundlinkmusic.com
Pat Curran
VARIOUS
Greek Beat Greats: Wild World Vol.4 (Gyro; CD)
This is a kicking comp of 29 beat era cuts from an underestimated country. As every liner note
for a Greek track or comp is at pains to point out, Greece was the land of the Shake (as in Zoe &
The Stormies 'Let's Shake It Baby' here) and did not produce screaming fuzz monsters. That doesn't
mean there's no fuzz to dig however as George Lookas's 'Little Girl' attests. There is though,
more often, charming hooks and guitar motifs to enjoy such as in The Airboys' 'I Feel Alone'
or equally charming vocal melodies such as the chorus of The Riddles' 'Alone Alone' (did any
of these guys ever get a girlfriend I wonder?). The collection is not without it's moody R&B
sides either such as The Stormies' 'Dilly Dilly' or Tammy & The Sounds' 'Story Of A Tramp'.
There's also the Shake rhythm instros such as The Pacifics' 'Another Chance' (before becoming 'alone'
presumably) which combines a strong guitar lead line with a rinky-dink organ. There are a few cursory
introductory liners to set the scene, but no detail. Overall, a pleasing and fun long play collection
of mid-'60s beat which should be enjoyed in the spirit it was made.
Paul Martin
VARIOUS
Mix A Fix Disc Nite: UK Floor Fillers Vol.2 (Psychic Circle; CD)
This is a cool comp of British blue-eyed soul dancers, mainly erring on the tough side.
Great contributions form Haydock's Rockhouse in the title track, Eddie's Crowd's 'Baby Don't Look Down'
and The Mojos' later, best and much sought after single 'Until My Baby Gets Home'
kick the set off.. The Mojos track employs a very nice raw guitar break and flourishes throughout,
with a strong soulful vocal, a cracking 45. Of curiosity value at least, is the inclusion of the decidedly
mod-soul sounding 'Out Of Place' by the obscure George Paul Jefferson, a Fontana 45 from 1968,
replete with horn section. Who were they? Apparently they were a later line up of the majestic
Him and The Others of 'She's Got Eyes That Tell Lies' immortality. There's a hell of a stylistic
change happened in the two intervening years, that's for sure. Gene Latter's 'My Life Ain't Easy'
has been compiled before recently, but is one of the tougher sounding 45s here. Another oddity
is Gidian's 'Fight For Your Love'. Gidian was a Glasgow fridge salesman discovered by Ken Dodd
no less in 1966! He has a strong voice for sure a la The Commitments. Another cool inclusion
is a further great side from Louisa Jane White in 'Speak The Truth (and Shame The Devil)',
a later MCA single, every bit as cool as her Phillips era and recently comped 'Truth In My Tears'.
There's one over represented track in the form of Don Fardon's 'Coming On Strong', but the bulk of this
collection are uncompiled pleasers that any soulful and mod eared collector will want to check out,
it's a strong comp.
www.soundlinkmusic.com
Paul Martin
VARIOUS
Nothing Comes Easy: 20 Hard-Edged Stompers From The British Beat Era (Psychic Circle; CD)
Here comes another useful collection of obscure singles form the Psychic Circle label.
These selections all date from 1965-'66. It's the usual period blend of R&B, mod soul and pop beat.
Not quite all are Brits as Sweden's The Panthers with 'I'll Be Pleased' testifies. From 1965,
at track eight it sounds a lot harder and punchier than the seven tracks that precede it. I could do
without The Rats' 'Gimme That Wine' which sounds like an early '50s black American R&B number a la
Wynonie Harris and doesn't translate well when performed by a bunch of white English kids for whom beer
would be a much more obvious choice than wine. The rest however are largely positive and pleasing.
The Luvvers (as in Lulu and the) delight with their 'Most Unlovely', which has
a great fuzz motif and guitar, break and is indeed a long over looked jewel. Others that stand out are
The Times' 'Tomorrow Night', The Zephyrs' 'Wonder What I'm Gonna Do', Ten Feet's 'Got Everything But Love'
(the A side to the slightly more well known 'Factory Worker'), The Liverpool Five's take of
'I Can Only Give You Everything', and Rey Anton & The Peppermint Men's 'Nothing Comes Easy'.
All good, tough mod beat and worth shelling out for on their own. In general, a good comp that grows
in appreciation with each play, especially once you're several tracks in.
www.soundlinkmusic.com
Paul Martin
VARIOUS
So Cold!!! (Frantic; CD)
With American garage collections I find, the packaging is as important as the content or it becomes
just too often like treading water. One thing Frantic Records always do well is the CD booklet.
Put together by Joey D and Big Beat's Alec Paolo, you know it's going to deliver. This is no exception.
Stuffed to the gills with detailed liner notes and band pics, you've got your interactive component ready
to read in conjunction with your best listening ears on! Billed as the follow up to both
Frantic's previous
Sacramento comp The Ikon Records Story and Big Beat's own The Sound Of Young Sacramento,
this one pushes further in the same direction. The fuzz kicks in from the start with The Marauders'
'Our Big Chance' and with The Fugitives' 'Blowing My Mind' standing out in the early part of the comp
as a full on charge. There's groovy swinging R&B with Gear One's 'The One In The Middle' and moody,
teen downer ballads as in The Opposite Six's 'Why Did You Lie'. All the colours of the teen garage rainbow
are here spread over 30 tracks. If you doubted that the world really needed another US garage compilation,
this one offers more than enough integration of visual spectacle, historical and cultural context
and aural satisfaction to be able to reply in the affirmative.
Paul Martin
