VA - Paisley Pop (Pye Psych [& Other Colours] 1966-1969) @ VBR

 

 Review by Stephen Constantelos  

As the liner notes say, English paisley pop "sat around in gray municipal libraries doodling until closing time, or bus station cafes drawing patterns on the misted up windows of our Technicolor mindscapes." Here are Pye's more obscure contributions to the genre, highlighted by a couple of hitmaking bands (the Flying Machine, the Status Quo), but otherwise featuring those who never quite.... Still, this is a strong set of tunes ranging from the fey meanderings of "The Bitter Thoughts of Little Jane" by Timon (complete with small orchestra) to raucous pop-punk from the Montanas. There is indeed much variety here: the trance-like electric folk musings of Trader Horne, sunnier sounds from the likes of the Rainbow People, and the proto-Morrissey ravings of Schadel. The common denominator is that it is all tinged with a slightly off-kilter wistfulness and given to lyrical flights of fancy. The two best songs are "Tamaris Khan" by the Onyx, driven by a menacing guitar and a smashing chorus, and "I Wonder Where My Sister's Gone" by the unheard of Anan, featuring many mixing effects in its brutally surreal beauty. Some of the rest cloy even the keenest of sweet tooths, but for those who enjoy British psychedelia with a definite Syd Barrett stamp, here's the place to find it. Non-completist '60s collectors will find this album a convenient collection of often rare songs of the genre on one compact disc.

1.The Ugly's - The Quiet Explosion (2:41)

2.Timon - The Bitter Thoughts Of Little Jane (2:20)

3.Gates Of Eden - Too Much On My Mind (2:26)

4.Scrugg - I Wish I Was Five (3:19)

5.Consortium - All The Love In The World (2:49)

6.Neil Christian - You're All Things Bright And Beautiful (2:57)

7.The Kytes - Blessed (2:33)

8.Schadel - Goodbye Thimble Mill Lane (3:15)

9.The Flying Machine - Smile A Little Smile For Me (2:59)

10.The Rainbow People - Dreamtime (2:25)

11.The Bystanders - Cave Of Clear Light (3:43)

12.Scrugg - Lavender Popcorn (2:18)

13.Anan - I Wonder Where My Sister's Gone (2:51)

14.The Status Quo - Black Veils Of Melancholy (3:13)

15.Blinkers - Dreams Secondhand (2:56)

16.The Uglys - A Good Idea (2:54)

17.The Montanas - That's When Happiness Begins (2:11)

18.The Onyx - Tamaris Khan (2:51)

19.The Settlers - Major To Minor (2:57)

20.Fresh Air - Stop Look Listen (2:29)

21.Gentle Influence - Captain Reale (3:00)

22.Trader Horne - Morning Way (4:27)

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