VA - Psychedelic States - Florida In The 60's Vol1 (2000); Vol 2,3 (2001)

As a continuation of Gear Fab's trawl through the backwaters of the '60s American teen movement, new series Psychedelic States, rather like AIP's mammoth High in the Mid Sixties, focuses on regional band scenes. This, the first volume, investigates mid- to late-'60s music from Florida, collecting together the area's movers and shakers -- many of which have never been compiled. And with 28 songs that take in a huge array of styles, the venture is for the main part very successful. The Canadian Rogues' Northwest punk sound and the Shades' far more polished pop style show that in Florida it wasn't only one style that the local youths took to. "Xcedrin Headache # 69" (Mouse & the Boys), one of the most wigged-out numbers here, is an urgently snarled, drugged-out plea with searing fuzz guitar and a stomping beat. As psychedelic '60s punk goes, it doesn't get any better than this! The obscure Miami outfit the Fewdle Lords take a baroque influence, while the Maundy Quintet excel as purveyors of soft folk-rock with a Byrds feel. The Squiremen's dramatic pièce de résistance ("Who in the World") airs just how the influences of the likes of the Beatles, the Left Banke, and Nazz gave bands who had previously been playing garage rock something to really test their skills with in the latter half of the decade. Their effort fuses melody with melancholy to create the kind of spine-tingling intensity that the Choir were achieving at the same time up in Cleveland. And in a completely different field, the manic semi-instrumental "Miss Blue Three Quarter (3/4)" by Neighbourhood of Love is among the toughest punk riffery to be heard -- ever! For the majority of this collection, the mixture of folk-rock, garage punk, psychedelia, and pop show that although Florida has never really been praised as one of America's most regarded regions for '60s rock, it was, in fact, quite happening.

*****

1 Keep in Touch Canadian Rogues 2:18
2 You're Gonna Cry Berkely Five 2:18
3 World Burlington Squires 1:49
4 Who Loved Her? The Shades 2:12
5 Undertaker's Theme Doctor T., Undertakers 2:20
6 Xcedrin Headache #69 Mouse & the Boys 3:22
7 No Place or Time Echoes Of Barnaby Street 2:12
8 Cheating Joshua Dyke 2:41
9 Farewell to Today and Tomorrow Fewdle Lords 3:53
10 Shadows Echo 2:23
11 Grim Reaper Twelfth Night 1:57
12 2's Better Than 3 Maundy Quintet 2:32
13 High Wednesday (I'll Stay With You) Blues Messengers 2:12
14 She's Coming on Stronger The Outsiders 2:21
15 You Lied Dark Horsemen 1:45
16 Who in the World Squiremen 2:59
17 Can't Go on This Dead Beats 2:42
18 I Talk to the Sun Rare Breed 2:34
19 I Know The Illusions 2:25
20 She Means All the World to Me Magic Circle 2:09
21 Not This Time Jackson Investment ... 2:06
22 Miss Blue Three Quarter Neighborhood Of Love 2:25
23 I Can Feel It Flower Power 2:07
24 I'll Get by Without You Members 2:40
25 Please Agree Mysteries 2:38
26 I Will Make History Surprize 2:25
27 Ain't a Shame Wave 2:22
28 Searching Undertakers 2:38

*****

LINK

As usual, there are a few cuts that are pretty tedious going on the second installment of Gear Fab's fab Psychedelic States series, but a greater number that are where it's at, or at least where it was for hip teens in 1960s Florida. Vol. 2 actually marks a slight improvement from the first volume because, while it has fewer absolute highs on the order of Neighborhood of Love's irresistible punker "Miss Blue Three Quarter" or the stunning free-form psych of Blues Messengers' "High Wednesday," it is a bit more consistent overall. And even the most mediocre tunes are usually redeemed by whiplash rave-ups, boiling freak-outs, or fuzz solos. There are fine approximations of Dave Clark Five (the Tropics), the Rascals (the wonderfully named Little Willie & the Adolescents), and the Zombies (Sounds Unlimited), and even a pretty decent pale Archie Bell imitation (the Mind's Eye). There are some nice Rolling Stones-worthy riffs (the Missing Links' "Run and Hide," although the riff outshines the actual song), professional-quality folk-rock (the Birdwatchers), and cheeky lyrical allusions (prostitution, on the Lost Generation's "I'd Gladly Pay"). And some of this truly is snot-nosed and amateurish in the actual spirit of the words: the Mods featured a pair of 12 year olds, including the lead vocalist! After awhile you're bound to grow weary of the horny, girl-done-me-wrong sentiments, yet that is also what makes this stuff so much fun. And then there are some truly breathtaking, two-minute, spit-and-venom should-a-been classics: the Rockin' Roadrunners' "Down," on which the band coaxes some amazing psychedelic sounds out of their guitars; the unhinged Arthur Brown craziness of the Purple Underground's bad-trip "Count Back"; and Cosmic Camel's brilliantly titled gothic, lo-fi psych-raga, "The Suzanne Love Mirage." The most interesting thing on here may be the Soul Trippers' version of "King Bee," on which the teen quintet sounds as if, by God, it has managed to borrow the soul of an old bluesman. (Local radio stations stopped playing it when they found out the band was white.) Not even the early Stones or Yardbirds could manage that trick. Some of this is, frankly, brain-cell-depleting stuff. But then who needs those anyway. ~ Stanton Swihart, All Music Guide

*****

Psychedelic States - Florida In The 60s Vol. 2
1. Tropics - "I Want More" (2:31)
2. Lost Generation - "I'd Gladly Pay" (2:45)
3. Epics - "Cruel World" (2:20)
4. Rockin' Roadrunners - "Down" (2:23)
5. Little Willie and the Adolescents - "Looking for Love" (2:00)
6. Souldiers - "Would You Kiss Me?" (1:59)
7. Purple Underground - "Count Back" (2:38)
8. Ravens - "Reaching for the Sun" (2:48)
9. Plant Life - "Flower Girl" (2:54)
10. Me and the Other Guys - "Everybody Knew But Me" (2:43)
11. Cosmic Camel - "The Suzanne Love Mirage" (2:33)
12. Chain Reaction - "G.Y.S. (Get You Some Lovin')" (3:33)
13. Deep Six - "Last Time Around" (2:38)
14. Esquires - "Heartaches Stay the Night" (2:19)
15. Mods - "Empty Heart" (2:22)
16. Sounds Unlimited - "Nobody But You" (2:35)
17. Mind's Eye - "Mind's Eye Theme" (1:57)
18. Missing Links - "Run and Hide" (3:01)
19. Barons - "Reach for the Sky" (2:08)
20. Birdwatchers - "It's to You I Belong" (2:37)
21. Soul Trippers - "King Bee" (2:05)
22. Emotions - "That's Not True" (2:34)
23. Emotions - "Sometimes" (1:53)
24. Shy Guys - "Black Lightening Light" (4:32)
25. Burgundy Blues - "I'll Get You Back Again" (2:53)
26. Hustlers - "My Mind's Made Up" (1:46)
27. Ron and the Starfires - "Why Did You Cry?" (2:21)

*****

LINK

Is at it again on the third volume of their Psychedelic States series, rounding up the last remaining pearls (at least one would imagine) from the oyster that was '60s Florida garage psych and, surprisingly, coming up with yet another pretty solid edition. There is still roughly the same percentage of gold-to-dross as there was on the first two volumes in the series, but volume three is arguably the most listenable collection from beginning to end. The filler is just a little bit more likeable than before, and while there are not many lost masterworks of psychedelia in the order of Neighborhood of Love or Blues Messengers from the previous editions (the Fantastic Group's "Land of Lakes" being one, the Cavemen's unnerving "It's Trash" being perhaps the only other competitor), there is at least half an album's worth of consistently fine garage and pop/rock nuggets. The quality might have to do with the number of holdovers from the original two CDs. For instance, Bernie Leadon and Don Feldner's the Maundy Quintet are back, as is Cosmic Camel (on the deliciously gothic "The King's Winetaster"), the Twelfth Night, the Fewdle Lords, and several others. In addition the great Orlando-based We the People makes their first appearance here (although "My Brother the Man" is a shade repetitive compared to the band's strongest sides), as do the notable Painted Faces. Aside from those conspicuous examples, of course, there is not a lot of what you could label as originality in the music and some of the tunes are frankly rather nondescript, yet such shortcomings are routinely filled with a sloppy aggression and enthusiasm that brings the era back in all its kaleidoscopic glory. As before, the CD is strictly recommended to garage rock devotees, but that considerable group will find a wealth of previously unreleased treasures here that is reason enough for the digging. ~ Stanton Swihart, All Music Guide

*****

Psychedelic States - Florida In The 60s Vol. 3
1. Cavemen - "It's Trash" (2:06)
2. Modds - "Don't Be Late" (2:11)
3. Maundy Quintet - "I'm Not Alone" (2:47)
4. Cosmic Camel - "The King's Winetaster" (2:23)
5. Jester IV - "She Lied (I Know Why)" (2:13)
6. Dark Hoarsemen - "Girl, Stand By Me" (2:42)
7. We the People - "My Brother, the Man" (2:12)
8. Clefs of Lavender Hill - "One More Time" (2:40)
9. Dr. T & the Undertakers - "Times Have Changed" (2:19)
10. Powers Uv People - "Miss Dove" (3:34)
11. 2/3s - "2/3 Baby" (3:29)
12. Rare Breed - "In the Night" (2:49)
13. Tasmanians - "Baby" (2:21)
14. Noah's Ark - "Paper Man" (2:18)
15. Invaders - "She's a Tiger" (2:15)
16. Burlington Squires - "Back Up" (2:12)
17. Dalton Gang - "Our Love" (2:03)
18. Novas - "Please Ask Her" (2:10)
19. Minority - "High Flyer" (2:03)
20. Montells - "You Can't Make Me" (2:17)
21. Painted Faces - "I Lost You in My Mind" (2:16)
22. Fantastic Group - "Land of Lakes" (2:29)
23. Twelfth Night - "I Don't Believe You" (3:01)
24. Rovin' Flames - "How Many Times" (1:53)
25. Generation Gap - "Plastic Faces" (2:52)
26. Shades - "Sights" (2:27)
27. Fewdle Lords - "I Know" (2:12)
28. Hungry I's - "Half Your Life" (2:45)
29. Inner Thoughts - "1,000 Miles (Cheating On Me)" (2:56)

*****

LINK

VA - Psychedelic States - Colorado In The 60s 2CD

Psychedelic States - Colorado In The 60s CD 1
1. The Monocles - Psychedelic (That's Where It's At)
2. The Soothsayers - I Don't Know
3. The Poor - She's Got The Time (She's Got The Changes)
4. Magic - Stomach
5. The Poor - My Mind Goes High
6. The Chasers - Unchain My Heart
7. White Lightnin' - Leaves
8. Boenzee Cryque - Candy Coated Lady
9. The Teardrops - Sweet, Sweet Sadie
10. The Obvious - Here I Stood Before You
11. The Ceeds - Louie, Come Home
12. The Fogcutters - It's My World
13. The Trolls - That's The Way My Love Is
14. The Doppler Effect - God Is Alive In Argentina
15. The Teeny Titans - Don't Cry Girl
16. The Chasers - Believe Me
17. Our Gang - Rapunzel
18. The Soothsayers - Please Don't Be Mad
19. The Chandells - We Are The Ones
20. The Trolls - I Don't Recall
21. Eighth Penny Matter - Moment In Time
22. The Misirlous - Barney Oldfield
23. The Soul - Have It All Your Way
24. The Soothsayers - Black Nor Blue

***

Psychedelic States - Colorado In The 60s CD 2
1. The Elopers - Music To Smoke Bananas By
2. The Obvious - I Don't Believe
3. Jade - I'm Leaving You
4. The Flameouts - I Won't Cry
5. Superband - Acid Indigestion
6. The Moonrakers - Ode To Miss Representation
7. Lothar & The Hand People - TV Weatherman
8. Boenzee Cryque - I've Never Known A Girl
9. Penetration - The Longer You Hang Around
10. Golden Gate Doorknob - Grass Roots
11. Eighth Penny Matter - Rain
12. The Soothsayers - Do You Need Me?
13. The Ceeds - Motherless Children
14. White Lightnin' - Blue Man (Peace Of Mind)
15. Collection - Face The Really
16. The Higher Elevation - Odyssey
17. Big Bird & The Steam Shovel - (What's Happening At) The Psychiatrist
18. The Flameouts - Fun Girl
19. The Fantastic Zoo - Light Show
20. The Ceeds - Too Many People
21. The Fabulous Raindrops - People Need A Beat
22. The Fogcutters - That's Where I'll Be
23. The Misirlous - Who Killed The Goose That Layed The Golden Egg?
24. The Ceeds - You Won't Do That

******

Part 1

Part 2

VA - Psychedelic States - Arkansas In The 60's, (2006)

Psychedelic States series, which collects vintage '60s garage rock singles on a regional, state-by-state basis, affords an utterly fascinating look into a time in the U.S. when every basement and garage seemed to have a band rehearsing in it, the visible (and audible) explosion of a true suburban folk movement. Most of the rare and regional singles included in these compilations are badly recorded, poorly performed, and clichéd and derivative at almost every level, which, of course, is probably why they're so prized by collectors. This volume, which spotlights the raw razorback garage bands of Arkansas, is heavy on spirit and energy but runs pretty low on originality (and even lower on recorded sound quality). Most of these groups follow the template of the opener, "Baby You Don't Care," by the Light Brigade, which is fast, simple and full of fuzz guitar. The oddly titled "Plight of the Yearner" by the Fone Book sounds a bit like the Lovin' Spoonful after a long and debilitating drinking jag. The Esquires' rushed and ragged "Sadie's Way" could be the very early Kinks on meth. Then there's the Vipers' "In Vain," which wasn't even a badly engineered single but is instead taken direct from a reel-to-reel demo tape recorded in -- you guessed it -- a garage. Not that there isn't talent and potential here to go with the unbridled energy. "He Don't Love You" by the Romans sounds like it could have been a national hit if it had only been better recorded, and "Love Can Be So Fine" by the Magic Sounds shows a Beatlesque flair for melody and harmony. Even at that, nothing gathered here could be deemed essential outside of the historical phenomenon of the '60s garage band explosion, which is often more fun to ponder than actually listen to when all is said and done. That Gear Fab is making this stuff available is marvelous, though, not so much because a perfect lost rock gem might turn up one day on one of these collections (it doesn't seem likely) but because this is really the sound of suburban America singing circa 1965-1967. It's folk music of a sort, the voice of a national community that had no idea it was a community. It didn't matter if you were a garage band in Arkansas or Indiana, Boston or San Diego. Come Saturday night you plugged in, turned up, and pretended it was Shea Stadium. It may have been history on a very small stage, but it was history, and it rattled plenty of windowpanes. ~ Steve Leggett, All Music Guide
******

1. The Light Brigade - Baby You Don't Care
2. The Romans - You Do Something To Me
3. The Fone Book - Plight Of The Yearner
4. The Wig/Wags - I'm On My Way Down The Road
5. The Chaps - Tell Me
6. The Rubber Band - Forever Friday
7. Dutch Masters - The Expectation
8. The Esquires - Sadie's Ways
9. The Romans - I'll Find A Way
10. The Egyptians - Steppin' On Up
11. The Culls - Midnight To Six Man
12. The Spires Of Oxford - But You're Gone
13. The Magic Sounds - Love Can Be So Fine
14. The Bar Boys - Hit The Road Jack
15. The Reknown - It Ain't Alright With Me
16. The Rubber Band - Below Up, Above Down
17. The Mercenaries - Take It All
18. Paul Allen - Cash For Your Trash
19. Rick Durham & The Dynamics - I Got My Eyes On You
20. The Reknown - Leave
21. The Vipers - In Vain
22. The Chaps - Remember To Forget Her
23. The Egyptians - Suzanne
24. The Shadows - It Breaks My Heart
25. The Romans - He Don't Love You
26. The Light Brigade - Lonnie's Song
27. The Mercenaries - Things Found Here
28. Five By Five - Apple Cider

*****

LINK

The Lee Kings - Complete Collection

Lee Kings-Complete Collection/01-It's Not Right.  

Lee Kings-Complete Collection/02-Lost My Girl.  
Lee Kings-Complete Collection/03-I Still Love You.  
Lee Kings-Complete Collection/04-I've Got A Way Of My Own.  
Lee Kings-Complete Collection/05-Tears Fell.  
Lee Kings-Complete Collection/06-Give Me Just Another Beer.  
Lee Kings-Complete Collection/07-Gonna Keep Searchin'.  
Lee Kings-Complete Collection/08-Smile For Me.  
Lee Kings-Complete Collection/09-Don't Go, Please Stay. 
Lee Kings-Complete Collection/10-Shake.  
Lee Kings-Complete Collection/11-The Trees Are Talking.  
Lee Kings-Complete Collection/12-Why, Why, Why.  
Lee Kings-Complete Collection/13-Stop The Music.  
Lee Kings-Complete Collection/14-It's Rainin'.  
Lee Kings-Complete Collection/15-Sticks And Stones.  
Lee Kings-Complete Collection/16-Que Sera, Sera.  
Lee Kings-Complete Collection/17-Like A Rolling Stone.  
Lee Kings-Complete Collection/18-L.O.D.  
Lee Kings-Complete Collection/19-Always And Ever.  
Lee Kings-Complete Collection/20-High-Heel Sneakers.  
Lee Kings-Complete Collection/21-Rock 'n' Roll Music.  
Lee Kings-Complete Collection/22-Lonesome Town.  

Lee Kings-Complete Collection/23-Always And Ever( 1st Version)  
Lee Kings-Complete Collection/24-Flickor Bak I Bilen.  
Lee Kings-Complete Collection/25-On My Way.  
Lee Kings-Complete Collection/26-Coming From The Ground.  
Lee Kings-Complete Collection/27-Orient Express. 
Lee Kings-Complete Collection/28-The Trees Are Talking.  
Lee Kings-Complete Collection/29-Hot Dogs. 
Lee Kings-Complete Collection/30-Come On Home.

****

LINK

VA - Psychedelic States - Alabama In The 60's, Vol.2 (2002)

1. The Chimes - #38
2. The Vikings - Come On And Love Me
3. The Mishaps - Under My Thumb
4. The Stolen Children - Set Me Free
5. The "In" - Just Give Me Time
6. George Wallace, Jr. - Think!!
7. This Side Up - Sun Arise
8. The Distortions - Smokestack Lightning
9. The Outlets - Love Doesn't Happen In A Day
10. The Movement - Just-A-Driftin'
11. The Tikis - Somebody's Son
12. String & The Beans - Come Back To Me
13. The Preachers - Inspiration
14. The Citations - Better Stop Your Lying
15. The Outer Mongolian Herd - Hey Joe
16. The Swingin' Lamp Liters - Get Away
17. The W.C. Dorns - I Need You
18. The Bassmen - I Need You
19. The Hackers - Keep On Running, Girl
20. The K-otics - Double-Shot
21. The Weejuns - I Spy
22. The Male - You're Playing With Fire
23. The Lost Chords - I Want To Be Her Man
24. The Stolen Children - I'm Alive
25. The Versatiles - Somethin' Like A Man

******

LINK

VA - Psychedelic States - Alabama In The 60's, Vol.1 (2002)

Whole series is taken on Torrents.ru

Partly tracklists on Chocoreve

THANKS !!!!!!!

By this fifth installment, it had already become quite clear the logic that reissue label Gear Fab used to put together the CDs in its Psychedelic States series. The modus operandi entails recovering as many obscurities and unknowns as possible from the maw of the '60s on a regional basis and presenting them, for better or worse, to the public no frills. If rather more than fewer of the songs tend to lean toward the "for worse" side of the spectrum, so be it. Even the stinkers tend to be loveable in their hormonal, beetle-booted, eczematous mediocrity, instant time capsules to transport the listener to a halcyon rock era when virtually every suburban garage and Elks club came stocked with its own Beatles or Rolling Stones manqué no matter how remote or unlikely the region in which they were situated. In the case of this entry in the series, those garages were located in tumultuous Alabama, a hotbed for political turmoil during the era, yes, but not usually considered a haven for rock. With this album, though, Alabama teens quite famously make a case for their state. There are really no out-and-out lost classics here as on other Psychedelic States CDs, but the hack, adenoidal, insolent misses are actually fewer per capita than the intriguing-to-wonderful cuts (tracks by the Versatiles, the Rites of Spring, Randy & the Holidays, the Seeds of Time, and the Rockin' Rebellions are particularly worthwhile, if not all psychedelic), a nice flip-flop of prevailing States ratios. One can almost listen to the album clean through, a high recommendation indeed. More than the other CDs in the series, this collection has a heavy R&B and blues flavor, quite natural for music that originates in the Deep South, which perhaps accounts for its maintenance, for longer stretches of playing time, of a more distinct and gritty spunk. Finally, it should be said that Gear Fab provides the featured artists with compensation and credit, often for the first time. That in itself makes Alabama in the 60,s, Vol. 1 a worthwhile relic for those dedicated to the rock music of the era. ~ Stanton Swihart, All Music Guide
1. Cyclothymia
2. Your Love - The Yardleys,
3. Home at Last - Days of the Week
4. Green Knight - The Movement
5. I'm Leaving You - The Jerks
6. Midnight Gray - The Dedications
7. Comin' on Back to Me - Rites of Spring
8. Walkin' the Dog - The Tories
9. I Need You - The Stolen Children
10. Bye Tyme - The Changin' Tymes
11. Red Invasion - The K-Pers
12. Tell Her No - Sheffield's Gate
13. Judge and the Jury - Molly Judges
14. Can't You Stop It Now - Mixed Emotions
15. She Lied - The Bittersweet
16. Paul Revere 250 - Randy & the Holidays, Randy & the Holidays
17. Shadows of You - The Illusions
18. I Won't Have to Worry - The Lost Chords
19. She Can't Be Won - The Very-ations,
20. I'm Leaving Here - The K-Otics
21. Reflections of Charles Brown - Mickey Buckins, ,
22. She's Been Travelin' Around the World - Seeds of Time
23. Come Back to Me - The Mad Lads
24. Why Can't I Dream? - This Side Up
25. I'm No Good - The 5
26. By My Side - Rockin' Rebellions
27. Funny Kinda Day - Fox & the Huntahs
28. Gotta' Go Now - The 5c Stamp
29. Maybe Later - The O-Men & Their Luv

****

LINK

VA - Back From The Grave, Part 4 (1996)

LINK

VA - Back From The Grave, Part 3 (1996)

1. Jesters Of Newport - Stormy [from Vol.5]
2. The Henchmen - Livin' [from Vol.5]
3. The Tigermen - Close That Door [from Vol.5]
4. The Aztex - The Little Streets In My Town [from Vol.5]
5. The Hatfields - The Kid From Cinncy [from Vol.5]
6. The Nobles - Something Else [from Vol.5]
7. The Shames - My World Is Upside Down [from Vol.6]
8. Long John & The Silvermen - Heart Filled With Love [from Vol.6]
9. The Keggs - Girl [from Vol.6]
10. The Beaux Jens - She Was Mine [from Vol.6]
11. The Shames - Special Ones [from Vol.6]
12. The Savoys - Can It Be [from Vol.6]
13. The Golden Catalinas - Varsity Club Song [from Vol.6]
14. Billy & The Kids - Say You Love Me [from Vol.6]
15. Shandels - Caroline [from Vol.6]
16. Shandels - Mary Mary [from Vol.6]
17. The Abandoned - Come On Mary [from Vol.6]
18. Treytones - Nonymous [from Vol.6]
19. The Syndicate - The Egyptian Thing [from Vol.7]
20. Tombstones - I Want You [from Vol.7]
21. The Moguls - Another Day [from Vol.7]
22. The Puddin' Heads - Now You Say We're Through [from Vol.7]
23. Worlocks - I Love You [from Vol.7]
24. The Hush Puppies - Look For Another Love [from Vol.7]
25. The Bugs - Slide [from Vol.7]
26. The Syndicate - My Baby's Barefoot [from Vol.7]
27. The Bends - If It's All The Same To You [from Vol.7]
28. The Hush Puppies - Hey, Stop Messing Around [from Vol.7]
29. The Cliques - So Hard [from Vol.7]

*****

LINK

VA - Back From The Grave, Part 1 (1996)

LINK

VA - Back From The Grave, Part 2 (1996)

LINK

 

Human Instinct - Pins In It (1972) New Zeland

This is at least an improvement over the interminable Stoned Guitar, with a much more concerted attempt to write songs and go for a somewhat more wide-ranging scope of early-'70s progressive rock than the heavy blues-psychedelia that dominated their first albums. This may have been due to the absence of songs by non-member Jesse Harper, who wrote much of the material on the first two Human Instinct LPs. It's still not that good, however. It is routine hard-progressive-psychedelic early-'70s rock, perhaps good enough to give them headliner (and later cult) status in New Zealand but bottom-of-the-bill ranking in the U.K and U.S. The decision to cover Pink Floyd's "The Nile Song" is certainly unusual; this would have been considered kinda nuts in England and America, but perhaps not as odd in more remote New Zealand, where audiences would have been less likely to be familiar with the original version. It doesn't match the Pink Floyd rendition, though.

***

LINK

The Human Instinct - Stoned Guitar (1970) New Zeland

The Human Instinct's second album, lamentably, serves as an exhibit of how early '70s heavy, bluesy rock has dated more poorly than almost any other rock genre. All but one of the half-dozen songs stretches over the seven-minute mark, with lot of space given over to Billy TK's sub-Hendrix and -Clapton guitar noodlings. No, you don't get many covers of Dennis Wilson's "Black Sally," but their interpretation does not do the Beach Boy many favors. When the rather attractive acoustic ballad "Tomorrow" (on which TK does not play) comes on, it's a shock of relief. But then it's on to the closing ten-minute live cover of Rory Gallagher's "Railway and Gun," a suitable endpiece for this period piece.

*****

1 Black Sally

2 Stoned Guitar

3 Jugg-a-Jug Song

4 Midnight Sun

5 Tomorrow - its my....

6 Railway and Gun

******

LINK

Human Instinct - Singles (1966-1971) New Zeland

One of New Zealand's most popular hard rock/psychedelic bands of the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Human Instinct never broke into the international market, despite a couple of concerted attempts to do so in England. The group evolved from the Four Fours, which had some hits in New Zealand in the mid-1960s, including "Moon Blues," the instrumental "Theme from an Empty Coffee Lounge," and "Go Go." The last of these was a fair beat number that made #12 in New Zealand in September 1966, the same year the Four Fours supported the Rolling Stones on the visiting superstars' second New Zealand tour. In August of that year, the Four Fours sailed to England to try and make an entree into the British pop scene, changing their name to the Human Instinct on the way. In London, the Human Instinct got to play under numerous star groups as a support act. After three Mercury singles stiffed in 1967, they recorded for Deram under producer Mike Hurst and made a couple more unsuccessful 45s. Some of these—the most renowned is "Day in My Mind's Mind"—have surfaced on specialist British sixties rock reissues, and show a competent but rather colorless psychedelic-sprinkled pop band with accomplished vocal harmonies. Drummer Maurice Greer, it has been written, declined a chance to play in Jeff Beck's group before the Human Instinct returned to New Zealand. Upon the band's return their personnel and sound were radically reorganized, with only Greer left from the UK lineup. The most significant addition was guitarist Billy Tekahika, who played under the name Billy TK. Partly because of Tekahika, the Human Instinct embarked on a far heavier psychedelic direction, influenced heavily by the wah-wah and distortion of Jimi Hendrix. Some of the material on their early 1970s albums on Pye was supplied by non-member Jesse Harper, a tape of whom allegedly impressed Hendrix himself. The later incarnation of the Human Instinct did go to England again to try and widen their audience, and again failed. The Human Instinct's cult reputation rests largely upon their first three albums in the 1970s, which have been reissued on CD by Ascension in Australia. Without denying the band's importance in New Zealand, where talented hard rock guitarists were rarer than they were in bigger countries, the records are so-so, or worse, blues-rock-psychedelia that offer little appeal or charm for the collector, despite Billy TK's abilities on guitar. Maurice Greer was still keeping a lineup of the Human Instinct going and recording in the late 1990s.

******

01 - Cant Stop Around 2:3302 - I Want To Be Loved By You My F 2:2603 - The Rich Man 2:3804 - Illusions 2:2205 - Go Go 2:0006 - I Cant Live Without You 2:2307 - A Day In My Minds MInd 2:1108 - Death Of The Seaside 2:3009 - Renaissance Fair 2:2210 - Pink Dawn 1:5711 - I Think Ill Go Home 3:1712 - You Really Got Me 3:2713 - Midnight Sun 4:1614 - Idea 4:3515 - Black Sally 4:2916 - Tomorrow 4:2117 - Rainbow World 4:1718 - Highway 2:1919 - Texas Sparrow 2:4020 - Children Of The World 2:31

*****

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VA - Flashback Vol.1 (1980, Vinyl All)

LONG LIVE THE TORRENTS.RU...

Thanks and GO !!!

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VA -Flashback Vol.2 (1980)

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VA- Flashback Vol.3 (1981)

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Flashback Vol.4 (1981)

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VA- Flashback Vol.5 (1982,)

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VA- Flashback Vol. 6 (1982)

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MC5 - High Time (1971)

MC5 were nearing the end of their long and bumpy trail when they cut High Time in 1971, and it was widely ignored upon initial release. While it lacks the flame-thrower energy and "off the man!" politics of Kick Out the Jams or the frantic pace and "AM Radio of the People" sound of Back in the USA, High Time sounds like MC5's relative equivalent to the Velvet Underground's Loaded, their last and most accessible album, but still highly idiosyncratic and full of well-written, solidly played tunes. Fred Smith's "Sister Anne" and "Skunk (Sonically Speaking)" bookend the album with a pair of smart, solidly performed hard rockers (bolstered by fine horn charts), and Wayne Kramer's "Poison" ranks with the best songs he brought to the band (he later revived it for his solo album The Hard Stuff). For a group that was apparently on the verge of collapse, MC5 approach this material with no small amount of skill and enthusiasm, and Geoffrey Haslam's production gives the band a big, punchy sound that suits them better than the lean, trebly tone of Back in the USA. It's interesting to imagine what MC5's history might have been like if High Time had been their first or second album rather than their last; while less stridently political than their other work, musically it's as uncompromising as anything they ever put to wax and would have given them much greater opportunities to subvert America's youth if the kids had ever had the chance to hear it.

*****

1. Sister Anne
2. Baby Won't Ya
3. Miss X
4. Gotta Keep Movin'
5. Future/Now
6. Poison
7. Over And Over
8. Skunk (Sonically Speaking)

*****

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Elderberry Jak - Long Overdue (1970)

West Virginia has never exactly been a hotbed of great rock & roll music, but a number of burnished gems have been extracted from this famous coal-mining region down through years, few and far between as those may have been. Of the few, Elderberry Jak's sole 1970 album may shine with the most luster of all, and quite probably still remains the state's most significant and single finest contribution to the hard rock pantheon. And quite a contribution it indeed turns out to be, as this straight reissue from Gear Fab helps us to hear. Elderberry Jak may be all but forgotten outside the borders of West Virginia, but they were, for a short time, something like heroes in their home region (indicated by the admiring liner notes by journalist Tim Lilley), and Long Overdue makes clear that current memories definitely are not infallible. In fact, the album's best moments hold their own rather well against such heavyweights of the era as the Guess Who, Three Dog Night, the James Gang, and Grand Funk Railroad, among others, all bands to which the Jak bears passing or incidental resemblance, and, frankly, at times surpasses. That particularly goes for the singing of Joe Cerisano, an inspiring holler that is every bit the equal of white soul men like Burton Cummings, Robert Lamm, and, especially, Paul Rodgers, even Robert Plant in its more manic moments, though Cerisano never drifts toward the hyperbolic, unlike Led Zeppelin's frontman. The band is nearly their vocalist's match in skill. Tom Nicholas had a chunky guitar tone that was close kin to Joe Walsh's viscous playing. Dave Coombs' basslines are wonderful, near-virtuoso things, while Joe Hartman pounded a novel (at the time) double-bass drum setup that gave the music its devouring rumble. It was an accomplished power-trio equally capable of playing the odd delicate ballad ("Inspired," "My Lady") or breezy, romantic grooves endemic only to the era ("Going Back Home," "Forrest on the Mountain") then letting loose with blood-cooking electric jams like the awesome "Vance's Blues" or the near-metal "Restless Feeling," always shot through with considerable soul. And somehow Elderberry Jak impossibly managed to turn Procol Harum's "Wish Me Well" into a blazing white-hot piece of legitimate funk, only matched on the ofay side of the fence by Grand Funk's "Nothing's the Same." Not bad for four kids from Appalachia

http://www.allmusic.com

******

1 Going Back Home
2 Forrest on the Mountain
3 Vance's Blues
4 Inspired
5 Restless Feeling
6 Wish Me Well
7 Mr. Sun
8 My Lady
9 Changes
10 You're the One

*****

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The Family Tree - Miss Butters (1968)

While Bob Segarini is a hero to pop obsessives thanks to his bright, rollicking work with the Wackers and his superb solo album Gotta Have Pop, his recordings with his early group the Family Tree are a different and more sophisticated kettle of fish. The Family Tree's sole LP, 1968's Miss Butters, was a concept album at a time when that was still a very novel thing, and the LP boasted intelligent, beautifully crafted songs bolstered by polished, thoughtful production from Rick Jarrard and imaginative arrangements by George Tipton. Miss Butters was recorded while Jarrard and Tipton were working on another ambitious exercise in chamber pop, Harry Nilsson's Aerial Ballet, and a few of the same session musicians play on both albums, while Nilsson collaborated with Segarini on one of the album's tunes, "Butters Lament." While it would be going a bit overboard to suggest Miss Butters is a better album than Aerial Ballet, in many respects time has been kinder to the Family Tree's effort; Nilsson's work, fine as it is, is sometimes hampered by an air of nostalgia for an era that he never saw, but Segarini's songs evoke their time and place with a more potent and less self-conscious tone, and the tale of the sad life and times of an elderly school teacher remain poignant and effective without schmaltz. Suggesting a middle ground between the Kinks' The Village Green Preservation Society and the best sides of the Left Banke, Miss Butters is a lovely, overlooked triumph of '60s chamber pop, and it documents a facet of Bob Segarini's talent that isn't evident on much of his later work.

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01. Birthday
02. Melancholy Vaudeville
03. Any Other Baby
04. Sideshow
05. Mrs. McPheeny Has Flu
06. Butter's Lament
07. Simple Life
08. Slippin' thru My Finge
09. 9 to 3
10. Lesson Book Life
11. Nickelodean Music
12. Miss Butters
13. The Underture
14. Keepin' A Secret [Bonus]
15. Do You Have The Time [Bonus]
16. She Had To Fly [Bonus]
17. He Spins Around [Bonus]

*****

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Fever Tree - San Francisco Girls (1968-70)

This CD not only contains Fever Tree's 1968 self-titled debut long-player, but also an additional seven previously unreleased sides, including a live version of the group's sole charting effort (it reached number 94), "San Francisco Girls (Return of the Native)." The initial incarnation featured Rob Landes (keyboards/woodwind), Dennis Keller (vocals), John Tuttle (percussion), E.E. Wolfe (bass), and Michael Knust (guitar), as well as their patrons Scott Holtzman -- who was one of Houston's top pop DJs -- and his wife Vivian Holtzman. The pair were no strangers to music publishing, either, having worked with the likes of Tex Ritter and even Walt Disney during the 1930s and '40s. Not only did they provide promotional and presumably financial assistance, they also wrote several of the band's best tunes, including the aforementioned "hit" "San Francisco Girls (Return of the Native)." In addition to strong originals, Fever Tree also chose exemplary covers. Among them are Buffalo Springfield's "Nowadays, Clancy Can't Even Sing," Wilson Pickett's "Ninety-Nine and a Half (Won't Do)'," and an intriguing medley of the Beatles' "Day Tripper" and "We Can Work It Out." This particular coupling is worth mentioning as the songs in question were the respective "A" and "B" sides of the same 45 rpm single. Contrasting the psychedelic pop leanings are the introspective "The Sun Also Rises," as well as the brilliantly noir and surreptitious "Unlock My Door." Internal conflict began a history of perpetual personnel alterations for Fever Tree, with both Landes and Tuttle leaving prior to the second outing, Another Time, Another Place (1969). No specifics on the bonus material are given; however, the inclusion of Al Jarreau's "You Don't See Me" -- which wasn't issued by the jazz vocalist until the late '70s -- leads to the conclusion that the supplementary sides are from subsequent incarnations. Although the liner info could be considered skimpy at best, the sound quality is thoroughly excellent. Since the band's first two LPs are available on the two-fer title Fever Tree/Another Time Another Place (1997), San Francisco Girls (2003) is more for the hardcore collector and enthusiast rather than the casual listener.

******

01. San Francisco Girls (Return Of The Native) (4:02)
02. The Sun Also Rises (2:47)
03. Come With Me (Rainsong) (3:52)
04. Nowadays, Clancy Can't Even Sing (3:00)
05. Unlock My Door (3:51)
06. Ninety-Nine And One Half (2:50)
07. Man Who Paints The Pictures (2:36)
08. Imitation Situation (Tocatta Fugue) (4:07)
09. Filigree & Shadow (3:59)
10. Day Tripper - We Can Work It Out (3:32)
11. Grand Candy, Young Sweet (1:54)
12. Puppet Master (4:14)
13. Don't Come Crying To Me (2:28)
14. You Don't See Me (3:26)
15. Party Anytime (3:29)
16. San Francisco Girls (Live Version) (6:56)
17. Houston Post Radio Commercial 1967 (1:02)

*******

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V.A. - ENGLANDS TOP 14 OF POP vol. 18

FROM JANCY

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V.A. - Original Beat aus England Folge 17

FROM JANCY

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