VA - Spirit Of Joy Tales From: The Polydor Underground 1967-1974 (2008) @ Flac

A triple box set sampler taking 50 tracks released by Polydor Records between the 1967 and 1974, including songs by by Audience, Arthur Brown, Jack Bruce, Cream, Pink Fairies, Soft Machine, The Who, Tony Williams' Lifetime, John McLaughlin and many more, including some early recordings by familiar names. Oddly, arguably the major innovator of the period  , Jimi Hendrix is not included...

VA - Spirit Of Joy Tales From The Polydor Underground 1967-1974 (2008)

CD 1

 01. The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown - Prelude - Nightmare 

 02. The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown - Fire Poem 

 03. The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown - Fire 

 04. The Creation - How Does It Feel To Feel 

 05. Soft Machine - Feelin', Reelin', Squealin' 

 06. Eric Burdon & The Animals - Good Times 

 07. Fairport Convention - It's Alright Ma, It's Only Witchcraft 

 08. Cream - We're Going Wrong 

 09. Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity - This Wheel's On Fire 

 10. Jethro Tull - Sunshine Day 

 11. Taste - Born On The Wrong Side Of Time 

 12. Van Der Graaf Generator - People You Were Going To 

 13. The Who - Dogs 

 14. Caravan - Grandma's Lawn 

 15. Second Hand - Reality 

 16. Eric Burdon & The Animals - All Is One 

 17. Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity - Road To Cairo 

 18. Aphrodite's Child - Magic Mirror 

 19. Van Der Graaf Generator - Firebrand 

 20. Cream - Deserted Cities Of The Heart 

CD 2 

 01. The Who - Amazing Journey 

 02. Jack Bruce - Weird Of Hermiston 

 03. Audience - Banquet 

 04. Julie Driscoll - Break Out 

 05. Thunderclap Newman - Something In The Air 

 06. John Mclaughlin - Extrapolation 

 07. Supersister - She Was Naked 

 08. The Tony Williams Lifetime - One Word 

 09. Taste - Sinner Boy (Live At The Isle Of Wight Pop Festival) 

 10. Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come - Gypsy Escape 

 11. Ginger Baker's Air Force - Let Me Ride 

 12. Rory Gallagher - Can't Believe It's True 

 13. Supersister - No Tree Will Grow (On Too High A Mountain) 

 14. The Pink Fairies - War Girl 

 15. Pete Townshend - Time Is Passing 

 16. Tangerine Dream - Sunrise In The Third System 

 17. Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come - Spirit Of Joy

CD 3 

 01. The Pink Fairies - Prologue 

 02. The Pink Fairies - Right On, Fight On 

 03. The Who - Naked Eye 

 04. Jack Bruce - There's A Forest 

 05. Jack Bruce - Morning Story 

 06. Brian Auger's Oblivion Express - A Better Land 

 07. The Web - I Spider 

 08. Faust - Meadow Meal 

 09. Rare Bird - Epic Forest 

 10. Medicine Head - Rising Sun 

 11. Golden Earring - Are You Receiving Me 

 12. Barclay James Harvest - The Great 1974 Mining Disaster 

 13. Focus - Hocus Pocus 

"Hot on the heels of "Strange Pleasures" (the second 3 CD Decca/Deram box set of late 60's/early 70's underground sounds) Universal Music has again let Esoteric Records boss Mark Powell loose in its vaults. After issuing similar box sets of Vertigo material and  Decca/Derams, Mark (teamed again with maestro Paschal Byrne at the mixing desk and the highly creative Phil Smee in the design room) has produced another eackaging is first rate.  

Powell also gives a history of the label and how it came to acquire the MGM Verve catalogue, Giorgio Gomelsky's Marmalade label and its links with Track and Reaction which allow this box set a far wider selection of material than would have applied to the main Polydor. 

But Polydor was not however a label associated with the "underground". After all it was, at heart, a major German classical label and its pop/rock roster included mega selling bands such as Cream (on Robert Stigwood's Reaction imprint)and the Who (on the Who management's Track label) both of which feature strongly here. This set also boasts top 10 singles by Thunderclap Newman, Julie Driscoll and Arthur Brown - so hardly qualification as an underground label. However the inclusion of material by Ladbroke Grove's Pink Fairies, unknowns like the Web and Second Hand plus obscure singles by Van Der Graaf Generator (slightly manic) and Jethro Tull go a long way to establishing real underground credentials. As a German Label Polydor also had a fair sprinkling of European bands: Golden Earring, Focus, Tangerine Dream, Faust, Supersister and Aphrodite's Child. Although euro bands tended to enjoy limited credibility here in the UK back in the day, the selections here are all worthy inclusions showing highly skilled musicianship and being very light on dodgy english vocals.

All in all, fewer unearthed obscure gems than its predecessors and whilst the selections will inevitably not please everybody (eg I could ask why no Blossom Toes or other Marmalade label bands which would have boosted the underground feel) this is another highly enjoyable, well conceived and executed package."~Alick Jeffery (amazon)

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