Various Artists - Sweet Floral Albion. 23 Pop & Psych Gems (@320)

 

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Various Artists - Sweet Floral Albion. 23 Pop & Psych Gems 

23 pop & psych gems picked by Dave Thubron the editor of e-line magazine 'Sweet Floral Albion' - the bible for everything UK Psych. Most of this stuff has been uncomped (on cd) or is darn near impossible to track down. Okay theres a few duffers (or fillers) but greatness pervades and theres always something to surprise you. A few mentions then. In '67 Sir Henry & His Butlers, ostensibly a beat group from Denmark, found a sitar and in `Pretty Style' created a track so mad that even Pebbles had to comp it. Australia's premier beat band The Easy Beats cover `Peculiar Hole In The Sky' - originally by fellow countrymen The Valentines, it is considered a choice moment in Australian Psych. The Uglies' 'Mary Cilento' is a fab, slab of pop with a hook so great that a certain Paul Weller, nearly a decade later, transformed `Mary Cilento' into `David Watts'. I might of course be wrong (apologies to Mr. Weller for any presumptions) but check Mary out and see if you don't start singing `wish I could be like David Watts'. Nirvana's `Oh! What A Performance' is is simply put great pop. The genuine surprise award goes to (the unintentionally hillarious) Brothers Gibb and their whacked out helium, sitar driven (demo) 'Deeply, Deeply, Deeply Me' which Mr. Thubron so aptly describes as 'Peter Sellers on mescalin'. The whimsical 'Tea & Toast Mr Watson' (Dennis Couldry & Smile) shows more than a passing nod to early Pink Floyd. `It's Lonely Out There' by The (pre-glam) Sweet distinguishes itself with some brief stinging guitar. Pasha's 'Pussy Willow Dragon' puts me in mind of Fifth Dimension's `Up, Up & Away.' Noel Redding's `Fat Mattress' do a spot of whistling while `Walking Through A Garden' - highly recommended for an afternoon spent down at the allotment. Fruit Machine's 'Cuddly Toy' which to some ears will be gorgeous swelling pop and to others' (mine included) ugly, sinking pap. The Rokes (from London & superstars in Italy) produce this comps' highlight `When The Wind Arises' - for the anorak whose life is in the detail, the track was originally titled `Il Vento' and sung by Lucio Battisti and imho is just as great The Rokes' cover. The final track, weighing in at an impressive 11 minutes, will appease noise fans who'll no doubt appreciate Ilford's The Gun. They literally 'Take Off' anything not securely fastened by cement as they cruise mercilessly torwards the outlands known as 'Prog.' All in all a choice buy for those who appreciate the ethos behind `Past & Present' & `Psychic Circle'

 01. The Universals - Green Veined Orchids 

 02. Made In Sheffield - Amelia Jane 

 03. Sir Henry & His Butlers - Pretty Style 

 04. Zoot - Little Roland Lost 

 05. The Easybeats - Peculiar Hole In The Sky 

 06. Nirvana - Oh! What A Performance 

 07. The Ugly's * - Mary Cilento 

 08. Normie Rowe - Sunshine Secret 

 09. The Simple Image - Spinning, Spinning, Spinning 

 10. Kevin Ayers - The Clarietta Rag 

 11. The Pentad - Don't Throw It All Away 

 12. Eyes Of Blue - Never Care 

 13. Bee Gees - Deeply, Deeply, Deeply Me 

 14. Denis Couldry - Tea & Toast, Mr Watson 

 15. The Sweet - Mr. McGallagher 

 16. The Sweet - It's Lonely Out There 

 17. Pasha - Pussy Willow Dragon 

 18. The Dave Clark Five - Lost In His Dreams 

 19. Fat Mattress - Walking Through A Garden 

 20. The Fruit Machine - Cuddly Toy 

 21. The Rokes - Hold My Hand 

 22. The Rokes - When The Wind Arises 

 23. The Gun - Take Off 

* The Ugly's are credited wrongly as The Uglies on the cover (see cover of their official) http://www.discogs.com/viewimages?release=1324713

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