cherry red records

SMART SOUNDS by Colin Bell reviewing Wizzard: The Singles Collection, 2CD

by

WIZZARD    The Singles Collection (2CD set)

Firstly, a Happy New Year to all SMARTIES & indeed anyone else reading this review. I was hoping to put this in front of you just prior to Christmas, unfortunately with holiday postal delays my review copy arrived too late for that. But hey, like puppies Wizzard led by the wonderful Roy Wood are not just for Christmas! you can enjoy them all year round, especially if you get your hands on this new 2CD set from 7T’s Records. It’s the latest release in their ongoing ‘singles collections’ many of which have been reviewed in these pages. I have always made no secret of the fact I’m a huge fan of Roy Wood & all his work from The Move, Wizzard, collaborations & solo material. Most people i think are aware of the birth of Wizzard which came about in 1972 after Roy quit the fledgling ELO he had created with Jeff Lynne. Contrary to popular belief, however, there was no big bust up/row between Roy & Jeff who remain friends to this day. It was more to do with arguments with management (the infamous Don Arden) & other matters. And so lets get to the music…The new band made their live debut in August 1972 at Wembley as part of The London Rock & Roll Show. I saw them live for the first time some months later when they played Hastings Pier Ballroom on 9th February 1973 & here i must be scrupulously honest, they were a shambles, much to my disappointment. I can’t remember now whether i was the DJ/Compere on that occasion (i did several around then on The Pier, Gary Glitter & Chicken Shack & several others), it matters little as to whether i was there in an official capacity, or just there…but the band were clearly under rehearsed & all over the place, in stark contrast to when Roy appeared there several years earlier leading The Move. I was expecting a great night, including listening to them perform their debut hit ‘Ball Park Incident’, it was not to be. ‘Ball Park Incident’ kicks off Disc1 of this new release. It was to be the first of 6 Top 10 hits the band achieved, all naturally contained on this compilation. It was pretty obvious to all of us that loved The Ronettes, The Crystals etc that Roy’s vision of the sound of Wizzard owed a lot to Phil Spectors famous ‘Wall of Sound’ All the common tropes that made up that sound were to be found on all the big hits. Reaching their apogee in my view on (my personal favourite) ‘Angel Fingers’ (which you can view & hear at the end of this review). This is followed by the strangely named instrumental ‘The Carlsberg Special (Piano’s Demolished Phone 021 373 4472) composed by keyboard player Bill Hunt including his real phone number! Up next is arguably the bands best known and loved No 1 ‘See My Baby Jive’ which brings back fond memories of going to lunch regularly at Divito’s in St Leonards with Paul Casson back in 1973, Paul would always go straight to the juke box & play it…i even remember it was A3 on the selector…some things stay with you forever…the cheeky instrumental ‘B’ side ‘Bend Over Beethoven follows written by cellist Hugh McDowell. Then its on to the aforementioned personal favourite that is ‘Angel Fingers’ with its wonderful over-the-top production throwing in everything but the kitchen sink! ‘You Got The Jump On Me’ a rather strange offering follows written by bassist Rick Price, a rock stomper, its a bit of a mixed bag. Perennial Christmas classic ‘I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday’ is up next & is shortly followed by the other winter release often forgotten now ‘Rock N’Roll Winter’ which features Roy’s then girlfriend the wonderful Lynsey De Paul on backing vocals. Another single that everyone seems to forget ‘This Is The Story Of My Love’ which only reached a lowly No 34 puts in a welcome appearance, its classic Wizzard & deserved to do much better. The first disc moves towards its  conclusion with the gentle instrumental ‘Dream of Unwin’, a piece I’ve often used as a ‘bed’ on my radio programmes. Disc 2 starts with the excellent invitation of ‘Are  You Ready To Rock’ A glorious confection of big band, swing, jazz & best of all some zany bagpipes! love it. It would be the bands last Top 10 hit reaching No 8. ‘Marathon Man’ an unremarkable instrumental, although featuring some fetching guitar, written by drummer Keith Smart follows, before Roy treats us to another homage to more early rock & roll shenanigans with ‘Rattlesnake Roll’. ‘Indiana Rainbow’ & ‘The Stroll’ credited respectively to Roy Wood’s Wizzard & Roy Wood’s Wizzo Band see the band take a more jazz orientated approach, but its apparent they are running out of steam. The penultimate track ‘Dancing At The Rainbows End’ sees Roy retreat to a more commercial production but it was too little too late and with little airplay and a planned tour cancelled the glory days were over. During their heyday in the early to mid 70’s Wizzard provided us with some classic Glam/Retro hits that will no doubt still be playing on the radio long after this presenter has left this earthly building & quite right too. Enjoy

for more information go to https://www.cherryred.co.uk
Til next time….take care…Colin…

Mick O’Dowd… I was at Wembley for their debut but can’t remember much about it. Screaming Lord Sutch had a bevvy of topless beauties and there was a lot of other big name r’n’r acts. Always loved Roy though and I last saw him in RW’s Army at Eastbourne.

Colin Bell… Mick, There were some big names there, i didn’t see it, but i know some others were Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Billy Fury & a certain new bloke in a silver suit we’d work with shortly afterwards………..

Gerry Fortsch… Mick, My Brother was with me at the gig, we paid for good seats but could not see a thing when we sat down so we pushed our way

Carol Anne… Loved Roy Wood & Wizard

Mick O’Dowd… I’ve managed to get a copy of the show on DVD

 

SMART SOUNDS by Colin Bell reviewing Family – Bandstand – Remastered and expanded edition cd.

by

I was delighted to receive this new re-issue of one of my favourite bands, Family with ‘Bandstand’, Esoteric Records have done a fine job, & as the title states it’s been remastered & expanded. The remastering from the original master tapes is very good, not always the case with classic albums, that some engineers ‘tweak’ too much. The original 9 track album is doubled in size by the addition of an extra 10 bonus tracks drawn from unreleased studio outtakes & 2 tracks from a BBC session from October 1972. On the latter it’s a treat to hear the warm voice of the late great Brian Matthew doing the introductions. My own introduction to Family came to me via their debut album 1968’s ‘Music In A Doll’s House’ released in July 1968. It was played to me by John Peel at his London home where I was returning some records (a long story). I was immediately hooked by this extraordinary voice that came pouring out  the speakers.I had never heard a voice like it. It of course belonged to lead singer Roger Chapman, who was once referred to as sounding like an ‘electric goat’ a somewhat unkind sounding description, but it has to be said remarkably apposite. I think for the majority of rock fans Family are a ‘marmite’ band, you either love Roger’s unique vocal & the bands mix of psyche/rock/jazz/soul/prog/art house elements or you just don’t get on with it at all, & find them irritating to listen to. I think it’s clear already I am a fan & could happily listen to them all day. ‘Music In A Doll’s House’ contained many great tracks, amongst them ‘Old Songs New Songs’, probably the most commercial song on the album which was released as a single although it didn’t trouble the charts. The band would score their first hit the following year in 1969 with the delightful ‘No Mules Fool’ (still a big personal favourite). The band were prolific when it came to recording & ‘Bandstand’ was their 6th album release in just 4 years. The lead track ‘Burlesque’ a mid tempo rocker that showcases Roger’s voice perfectly was also released as a single & became a Top 20 record following in the wake of their other single successes, with the aforementioned ‘No Mules Fool’ ‘ ‘Strange Band’ & ‘In My Own Time’. The second track from ‘Bandstand’ alters tone considerably to tell the story of ‘Bolero Babe’ a symphonic, psyche tinged song with Rogers voiced dialled back to a softer style. Which leads us into the stately (pun intended) ‘Coronation’, Family’s songs contain wonderful stories & this is no exception with its ‘kitchen sink drama’ which, as the accompanying booklet comments, could easily have come from the pen of Ray Davies. The softer side of the band is again on view with the folksy track 4 ‘Dark Eyes’ before we return to a full on Roger & the rocking track 5 ‘Broken Nose’ another social rant which bears careful listening to & musically contains elements of all the genres I described earlier. Then it’s on to my favourite track of the album ‘My Friend the Sun’ a gorgeous whimsical song on which Roger once again displays his softer almost ethereal vocal which floats gently over your senses. I should mention here that the late Linda Lewis later covered the song admirably for her 1977 album ‘Woman Overboard’ & Linda lends her voice as a backing vocalist on ‘Bandstand’. Track 7 ‘Glove’ is another pretty straight rock ballad, featuring some excellent guitar, that builds nicely from a quiet beginning & reminds me a little of ‘In My Own Time’ This is followed by the rant of ‘Ready To Go’ which adopts a more commercial & straightforward path than the bands usual stance. Indeed overall ‘Bandstand’ is probably the bands most commercial & least esoteric album & the one the casual listener may get on best with. Track 9’s ‘Top of the Hill’ closes what was the original albums second side in fine form. Then we are treated to the 10 extra tracks, the highlight’s of which for me are the live versions of ‘My Friend the Sun’ & ‘Coronation’ both demonstrating to the listener, something I already knew, from seeing them several times at The Marquee, which was that Family were a great live band who never disappointed. So there you have it, Esoteric Records very welcome new package, celebrating a wonderful band & a great album. Enjoy

for more information go to https://www.cherryred.co.uk
Til next time….stay safe & warm…..Colin

 

Sue Masters… Such a good album

Peter Fairless… Great track. That Rita and Greta got a lot to answer for

Alan Esdaile… Pete, a lot of drinking and sinking

Pete Prescott…I loved the Weavers Answer, In My Own Time and Burlesque (I used to sing Burlesque in the Reservoir Cats. Sadly I sang it really badly in the Res Cats album. ) One night at the Carlisle two ladies came up and assured us that they were “Rita and Greta !” And knew the band.

Colin Bell… Thanks for sharing Pete, I’ve never heard you sing a Family number, I shall expect a demo at the next SMART meet!

Graham Sherrington… in the car on a very old CD!! my friend the sun.

Nick Bloomfield… I’m a big Family fan! The Weavers Answer which is probably my favourite. Having said that I love Roger’s singing on Shadow on the Wall!

 

SMART SOUNDS by Colin Bell reviewing We Can Work It Out – Covers of The Beatles 1962-1966, Various Artists 3CD Box Set

by

WE CAN WORK IT OUT  Covers Of the Beatles  1962-1966  (3CD Set)    Various Artists
This is the second compilation of Beatles covers I’ve reviewed in these pages. The first back in 2020 was Grapefruit Records ‘Looking Through A Glass Onion’ which covered The Beatles psychedelic songbook from 1966-1972. This new compilation from Strawberry Records takes an extensive look at Beatles covers from what might be termed their ‘beat years’ 1962-1966, before the band became more experimental. The first 2 main thoughts that struck me when i looked at this set were, 1 the sheer number of Beatles tracks that Lennon/McCartney wrote, many of which it’s easy to forget they did, when you’re listening to another artistes cover. And No 2 the vast range of artists that were influenced by the band and put their own spin on many Beatles classics. The diversity of artistes, styles, genres & even languages is quite breathtaking on this new compilation. Boasting 85 tracks across 3 Cd’s there is a huge wealth of talent on display & it must be said some clunkers, that recorded the Fab Fours songs for a quick ‘cash in’.  You can find examples of pop, soul, jazz & even bluegrass sung by artists from all around the world, from France to America & Italy to New Zealand. Such was the influence and the reach of the most influential band in popular music history. Sprinkled throughout the collection are some familiar favourites & well known covers such as Billy J Kramer & The Dakotas ‘Do You Want To Know A Secret’ The Fourmost ‘Hello Little Girl’ Peter & Gordon ‘World Without Love; David & Jonathan ‘Yesterday’ Cilla Black ‘Love of the Loved’ & Petula Clark ‘Rain’ to name but half a dozen. The collection kicks off on Disc1 with a cover of The Beatles debut hit ‘Love Me Do’ delivered by Dick Rivers (a pseudonym for French singer Herve Forneri) who made a name for himself singing covers of Elvis & The Beatles. One of those ‘cash ins’ i alluded to earlier. If i have one small niggle with what is overall a fascinating new compilation i don’t think I’d have chosen to start the listening experience with a cover sang in French. It may be off putting for the casual listener who may then neglect to listen to some real corkers. I’d probably have started with something better known and less esoteric. However, be that as it may, many delights await over the course of Disc1, some highlights being Mary Wells taking a break from the acknowledged Motown sound with her take on ‘Please Please Me’. The Applejacks ‘Like Dreamers Do’ a rather superb jazz big band ‘swing’ instrumental contribution from Count Basie with ‘Hold Me Tight’ Mike Redway (an artist I’d never heard of) who recorded for Embassy Records & ‘I’ll Keep You Satisfied’. And one of my favourite Beatles covers of all time in the shape of the Mamas & Papas ‘I Call Your Name’ (which you can hear at the end of this review. Disc2 starts off gently with a saccharine sweet version  of ‘If I Fell’ performed by an Irish all girl group named The Coterie, another name i confess to never having crossed my radar, but their folk/pop rendition is really quite fetching. Highlights on this disc for yours truly range from Joe Cocker ‘I’ll Cry Instead’ Strawberry Fair ‘Things We Said Today’ Jan & Dean ‘You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away’ (probably my favourite song from ‘Help!’) P J Proby with ‘That Means A Lot’ & the wonderfully named Paraffin Jack Flash Ltd ‘Norwegian Wood’. The prize for the most ‘out there’ track of this whole eclectic collection has to go to Hollywood sex siren Mae West with a frankly barmy version of ‘Day Tripper’ which has to be heard to be believed! Fabulous! Disc3 starts in fine style with one of the best covers of the whole collection with superb and vastly underrated singer Madeline Bell, & her version of ‘You Wont See Me’, which is swiftly followed by kings of pop harmony Tony Rivers & The Castaways & ‘Nowhere Man’, almost better than the original. Elsewhere other highlights for me include Spanky & Our Gang ‘And Your Bird Can Sing’ Jimmy James ‘Good Day Sunshine’ The Cryan Shames ‘If I Needed Someone’ Tempest. a prog rock band unfamiliar to me, with a stonking ‘Paperback Writer’ & Junior Parker with a soulful take on ‘Taxman’ that gives it a whole new vibe. Overall, i think Disc3 contains my favourite collection of the 3 discs & in my opinion is the strongest, but others will have their own favourite. It doesn’t really matter where you land throughout this compilation you are sure to find something interesting, fascinating & sometimes downright wrong! did i mention Mae…..And personally, I could never get into the early 60’s pop ‘crooners like Mark Wynter, but that’s my problem, counselling is available i understand…But seriously, this is a rather wonderful collection that sits nicely next to the psychedelic compilation i mentioned earlier, as a companion piece. As usual the whole package is lovingly put together by Strawberry Records in a hard clamshell box, complete with a full colour, informative booklet covering each track. Enjoy
For more information go to https://www.cherryred.co.uk
Til next time….stay safe & warm……Colin…

SMART SOUNDS by Colin Bell reviewing Arthur Brown: Dance, Expanded and Remastered CD Edition

by

DANCE   (EXPANDED & REMASTERED EDITION)   ARTHUR BROWN

As soon as I hear Arthurs name I cannot escape smiling. When I first went to work in London in 1968 I made what would become a lifelong friend who worked at Track Records in Soho. Over the following years I was in and out of the office in Soho on many occasions. Track’s main artistes were The Who and Jimi Hendrix and then there was Arthur….I was privileged to hear the tracks he recorded, before they were released, for what became the album ‘The Crazy World of Artur Brown’ and the unsuccessful single ‘Devils Grip’ which still remains a personal favourite to this day. The album contained the record that is synonymous with Arthur, which is of course ‘Fire’ and will live on as his legacy forever. A large majority of people never looked past that era and this strange apparition who regularly set fire to his hair! For those that stuck with Arthur, many happy and bizarre experiences on vinyl were to come and reward them with some of probably the most eclectic music ever heard. After the implosion of ‘The Crazy World’ in 1969 Arthur worked with a variety of musicians that made up his Kingdom Come band which released 3 albums of wildly experimental music starting with 1971’s ‘Galactic Zoo Disaster’ and ending in 1973 with ‘Journey’. Arthur intended the 3 albums to form an arc starting with the present state of humankind, moving through the human animal itself and exploring body and mind and concluding with  focussing on the cosmic and spiritual matters that affect us. The avant-garde nature of these albums won him many new admirers and an equal number who thought it was, well…rubbish. If you’ve listened to the albums you will have made up your own mind. Musically they were notable for the prominent use of synthesisers, Mellotron & that strange instrument the Theremin. Kingdom Come never officially disbanded they just sort of withered gradually away, dogged by a combination of the ongoing disdain shown towards them by the music press and poor sales making them commercially unviable. After a couple of years had gone by Arthur returned in 1975 with the subject of this review, his solo album ‘Dance’. This new release by Esoteric Records presents the album remastered (very well) and on top of the original 11 tracks they have included an additional 6 bonus tracks recorded for a BBC Radio 1 ‘In Concert’ recorded in April 1975 to promote it’s original release. In typical Arthur style its gestation was, as ever, with him, a bizarre set of circumstances. He decided to make what was basically a ‘World Music’ album, before that even became a term. The idea was to gather dance styles from around the world and commit the results to vinyl. With this idea in his head Arthur approached none other than Stevie Wonder (backstage at a London concert) to produce it. After the 2 guys held hands in silence for several minutes Stevie agreed to produce. Then Arthur trotted off to Steve Winwoods house in search of a keyboard player…as you would naturally! Steve also agreed to appear on the proposed record. Full of enthusiasm Arthur returned to his record label (Gull Records) in high excitement to announce his success. Unfortunately, as was often the case in his career, Arthur had overlooked some pertinent details, such as the fact that Gull Records were a small label with limited resources and the 2 Stevie’s came with rather large price tags!…..Undeterred, the album still went ahead, albeit in a somewhat less grandiose manner with the help of a bunch of musicians including ex members of ‘The Crazy World’ and Kingdom Come. Depending on your point of view the result was 11 disparate tracks that are either together a glorious mess or simply just glorious….I’m in the latter camp for my sins. From the opening track with Arthur covering The Animals ‘Weve Gotta Get Outta This Place’ set to a heavy disco beat! it’s a wild ride through a mix of tracks covering the marvellous dramatic mid tempo ballad that is ‘Helen With The Sun’ where Arthurs extraordinary vocal prowess soars as only he can & which he contrasts with soft spoken tones. And it is that unique voice that towers above whatever genre Arthur chooses to turn to & on Dance that varies from disco to rock, soul, reggae & synth pop. The albums title track ‘Dance’ is i think quite majestic in the way in which it builds. It’s also a reminder of where Bruce Dickinson adopted his vocal style from (by Bruce’s own admission). Following on from ‘Dance’ is Arthur’s cover of The Stones/Chris Farlowe classic track ‘Out Of Time’ which I don’t think works as well as The Animals cover, but is certainly interesting, i love the horns on it and it bears fruit with repeated listens. The original album comes to a close with track 11 ‘Is There Nothing Beyond God’ a strangely hypnotic composition which boils down to really just a 2 & a half minute repetitive chant. The aforementioned bonus tracks follow & demonstrate what I & anyone else that has seen Arthur perform live can attest to, he can really cut it with that God given voice…or should that be the ‘God of Hellfire’ voice!…This new package comes in a digipack complete with an informative and, for me, highly amusing booklet, setting out the story of the album. Now here’s the man himself…Enjoy.

For more information go to https://www.cherryred.co.uk
Til next time…..take care & stay safe…Colin

 

Mick O’Dowd… Saw him at The Pilot Field when he was still fairly unknown(to me anyway). Give Him A Flower!

Colin Bell… Remember it well, some girls randomly painted flowers all over my face!

Pete Prescott… Fascinating!

Alan Esdaile… Yes his group Kingdom Come wasn’t to everyone’s taste but I got the compilation album ‘The Lost Ears’ and has some great tracks and also loved his performances on Hastings Pier.

Mick Mepham… What a star he is. Saw him several times in the 70s and more recently at the A New Day Festival in Kent. He still has most of his amazing vocal range and still performs brilliantly. His bands have always been great too. His more recent albums are excellent too, Tantric Lover, Magic Hat and the others with various musicians. Most famous performers have that “something” that identifies them. His voice is unmistakeable as are his songs and writing style. One in a million imho. Pardon the over-the-top praise but he’s a huge influence in my life.

Colin Bell… Hi Mick, good to hear from you, thanks for sharing your thoughts!

Mick Mepham… Clive Richardson and I both think very highly of young Arthur. I think the tickets on the pier were 50p. Now THAT’S value…

SMART SOUNDS by Colin Bell reviewing The Rubettes: The Singles 1974-77, 2CD

by

THE RUBETTES     The Singles 1974-1977  (2CD)

The latest band to feature in Cherry Reds 7T’s label ongoing ‘singles series’ release programme is those cheeky chappies in the White suits and caps The Rubettes. There is no doubt whatsoever, they will always be known for their 1974 No 1 European wide hit ‘Sugar Baby Love’. A record that divides most people between those who love it and those that loathe it! Whichever camp you were in at the time you certainly couldn’t ignore it! it was played constantly everywhere. The song actually had quite an interesting background. Written by established songwriters Wayne Bickerton & Tony Waddington it was originally intended as a possible GB entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. It was offered to both Showaddywaddy and ex Move lead singer Carl Wayne who both passed on it. So Wayne & Tony took a bunch of session musicians into the studio and recorded it. The distinctive and remarkable falsetto was provided by singer Paul Da Vinci. When the record subsequently took off (in it’s demo form) with a TOTP performance (with the band a last minute substitute for a planned Sparks slot) the band was shown with Alan Williams (one of the aforementioned session players) performing as lead singer, miming to Paul’s vocal, Paul due to contractual reasons,  having already signed a solo deal with another Record Company (Penny Farthing). Alan would subsequently re-record the single with his (very similar) vocal and mime to that (as was BBC policy at the time) on further TOTP appearances. That is the SBL story and one i have a bit of an issue with, of which more later! It’s easy to think of The Rubettes as a ‘one hit wonder’ but it shouldn’t be forgotten that although SBL was an immense hit, they followed it with 3 more Top 10 hits ‘Juke Box Jive’ (No 3) ‘I Can Do It’ (No 7) & ‘Baby I Know’ (No 10) plus another 3 Top 30 entries with Foe-Dee-Oh-Dee’, ‘Little Darling’ & ‘You’re The Reason Why’, a respectable, if not lengthy chart history. Away from the hits the other tracks spread over this 2CD set don’t settle down into any particular ‘style’ for the band or direction’ as they wander from soft pop ballads, to several Country-tinged numbers, Doo Wop & Sha-Na-Na inspired rock & roll. It’s this lack of any discernable established solid style & progression that the listener/buyer can follow that probably formed the reason that saw their recording career stall within a couple of years. The material chosen to record is pleasant, yet unremarkable and somewhat random. Included are 3 solo singles issued by Alan & John Richardson (the bands drummer) which include a rather fetching version of the Goffin/King classic ‘Take Good Care Of My Baby’ originally a big hit for Bobby Vee, which stands out and could have stood a chance of success with some good promotion. Without going into protracted reasons which space doesn’t allow, the band have had acrimonious falling out’s over the years resulting in Court appearances and 2 versions touring, one led by Alan Williams and the other by Bill Hurd. Disc2 of the set contains tracks featuring Bill such as ‘Fools And Lovers’ & ‘Everybody Knows’ which offer an interesting contrast to Alan’s vocals. The compilation concludes with ‘Cherie Amour’ (not the Stevie Wonder song) with vocals traded between Alan & John and of all the later tracks that followed after their hit period this is i think the strongest example, with shades of SBL and proof that Alan can deliver a good falsetto. Which leads me to conclude this review with that ‘issue’ i mentioned earlier. As is the case with many groups of the 70’s & 80’s The Rubettes are often called on to make guest appearances on TV in Europe on ‘Retro’ shows, especially in Germany, Holland & France. Naturally the producers of these shows want them to perform SBL. So why nearly 50 years on do these TV performances ALWAYS have Alan STILL miming to Paul’s original vocal every bloody time?! Stop it Alan, use your own vocal or credit Paul! My old friend & stalwart member of many years of Manfred Manns Earth Band, Steve Kinch was a Rubette for 3 or 4 years in the late 80’s early 90’s. Steve if you happen to read this review….thoughts on this please? As ever, the compilation as you might expect from 7T’s, comes in a sturdy clamshell box complete with an interesting booklet full of info and photo’s. Enjoy. All together now….Ah…Ah…Ah…Ah…..La!…La!…La!….
for more information go to https://www.cherryred.co.uk
Til next time….take care & stay safe….Colin

 

 

Gerry Fortsch… I remember my mate Graham playing the drums and singing the high bit and he was so loud that he never needed a mike. Keep on Rocking in the Free World.

Merv Kennard… I seem to remember that Sugar Baby Love was written for Showaddywaddy but they turned it down.

Colin Bell… Yes true, full story in my review

Mick O’Dowd… Had a lot of respect for these guys. Made a few floor-fillers in their time!

Steve Kinch… Hi Colin, I think you’ve very accurately summed it up. Re: the “issue” – As you know, much of what the public sees and hears in the pop world is not entirely honest😲 I don’t think The Rubettes are any worse than many other “pop” artists. I did quite a few TV shows with the Rubes… I don’t think TV producers would be interested if the band said, “We want to use this new re-recording”. It’s a sad fact of life that with manufactured pop groups, it’s all about the money and little to do with musical integrity😞.

Colin Bell… Hi Steve, thanks for the reply and insight about The Rubes, yes it’s a sad fact as you say regarding ‘manufactured bands’ It so happens i knew Paul Da Vinci back when SBL was recorded & he was a helluva nice guy who deserves his due recognition.

SMART SOUNDS by Colin Bell reviewing March Of The Flower Children: The American Sounds Of 1967, 3CD Boxset Various Artists

by

MARCH OF THE FLOWER CHILDREN – The American Sounds of 1967   (3CD SET)
As anybody that has ever read any of the thousands of reviews I’ve written over the past 50 + years will know only too well, Psychedelia is my first and enduring musical love. So with apologies to those for repeating the fact yet again! but there’s always new readers to consider. This latest compilation from the ever excellent Grapefruit Records could have been compiled especially for me, and I couldn’t be happier settling in for a smorgasbord of sound lasting 4 hours spread over 3 Cd’s in this spanking collection featuring 85 tracks from some of the greatest names to feature in this mind bending musical genre. All the facets that make up the whole Psychedelic movement can be heard here, from hard acid rock, to folk rock. punk garage, toytown & sunshine pop & whimsical solo entries. Big names include Love, Vanilla Fudge, Young Rascals, Moby Grape, The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Steppenwolf, The Velvet Underground & many more, including the band who first got me hooked in 1966/67 the glorious & unique ultimate garage band The Electric Prunes. It was the latter’s use of twisted, distorted fuzz laden instrumentation on ‘I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night’ (not included) that set me out on my voyage of mind bending musical discovery. The big names mentioned are sprinkled across the compilation which is bolstered in the main by the less well known & some outright obscure bands & artistes, although a lot of whom will be known to fellow aficionados, such as The Seeds, The Cryan Shames, Blue Magoos, The Beau Brummels, The Rare Breed, Strawberry Alarm Clock, Lemon Fog etc. Psychedelia had it’s roots in the Haight Ashbury district of San Francisco and the Hippie movement with artistes like The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin & others in 1966 and by the ‘Summer of Love’ in 1967 reached it’s crescendo on both sides of the Atlantic. Here in Britain, which has been covered by previous Grapefruit compilations relating to 1967,we were listening to the likes of Traffic, Tomorrow, Spooky Tooth, The Nice, Cream etc etc, most of whom had drawn their inspiration from the San Francisco movement, although on the whole British psychedelia often tended to come in ‘softer’ form than its American counterparts. Anybody that’s already into the genre will understand what I’m relating, however for anybody new to the genre or want’s to revisit that most magical and experimental period this new compilation is an ideal starting point. There’s little point in me bombarding you with a lot of names to conjure with, especially for newbies, but here from across the 3 CD’s are, in my opinion, some of the standout tracks. The whole set kicks off on Disc1 with a band that I’ve always loved, The Peanut Butter Conspiracy, with a tasty morsel (see what i did there) with the up-tempo mix of snarling guitar & Fifth Dimension style harmonies that make up their excellent offering ‘It’s A Happening Thing’. This is followed by, what for me, are the ultimate & finest exponents of the whole genre, Love. Arthur Lee’s vocal and lyrics have always had the ability to transport me to another world, here represented by iQue Vida!’ lifted from their superb 2nd album Da Capo. As is common with a lot of Love’s songs on first hearing they sound all sweetness and light, but on closer inspection are often unsettling and menacing, yet always superb. Great to see the inclusion of old friend, the late Tim Rose with the original recording he made of the classic ‘Morning Dew’ still the definitive version as far as I’m concerned. I was working with Tim on some gigs when he sadly and unexpectedly passed away in 2002, a great loss. Elsewhere on Disc1 are great tracks from the underrated Paul Revere & The Raiders, The Lovin Spoonful, The Mothers of Invention, The Kaleidescope, Harpers Bizarre & Eternity’s Children. Disc2 gets us underway with a stunning Prunes type track from a band unknown to me The Zodiac with a track entitled ‘Aries’ replete with a solemn spoken part, interwoven with melding Eastern music with rock, all very dark and mysterious. Then it’s on to a stone cold classic, with the majestic strains of Vanilla Fudge with their famous alternative version of the old Supremes hit ‘You Keep Me Hanging On’, here in it’s edited radio 3minute version as opposed to the full length album version that ran to 7 & a half minutes. This is followed by my all time favourite garage/psyche band, the previously mentioned Electric Prunes with ‘Hideaway’ a ‘B’ side of one of their lesser singles, but nonetheless a great track. The familiar names follow on with Moby Grape & The Stone Poneys with ‘Fall On You’ & ‘Evergreen Part One’ respectively. The track that lends the compilation it’s title follows with the splendid The Seeds and ‘March of the Flower Children’ which sounds more akin to something one of our own homegrown esoteric bands might have produced. Other tracks on Disc2 that stand out come from The Byrds with the seldom heard ‘Lady Friend’ & also The Cyrkle, The Lemon Drops, Captain Beefheart & The Endd amongst others. Disc3 features another personal favourite band with Steppenwolf & ‘The Ostrich’, another seldom heard track. The excellent Strawberry Alarm Clock are represented with ‘Rainy Day Mushroom Pillow’ ( a real psyche title if there ever was one!). Buffalo Springfield with ‘Bluebird’ and The Velvet Underground with ‘White Light/White Heat’ put in welcome appearances. There is an additional plethora of great songs from many obscure and unlikely artists such as Nilsson and surfer boys Jan & Dean! An honorable mention must also go to The Chamber Brothers with their classic experimental ‘Time Has Come Today’, a big personal favourite. The compilation concludes with The First Edition fronted by Kenny Rogers, who would of course become a solo Country superstar later in his career. Here he appears with his band who produced some classics of their own, famously with ‘Ruby Don’t Take Your Love To Town’ the wonderful ‘Somethins Burning’ and the psyche offering ‘Just Dropped In – To See What Condition My Condition is In’ (you can enjoy this in the video at the end of this review). It just remains for me to compliment David Wells once again, the head honcho at Grapefruit Records, for another superb compilation, lovingly compiled and accompanied as ever by an informative booklet crammed with info, photo’s & images. So, draw up a comfortable mushroom to sit on, put on your favourite headband, pass the Hookah and drift awa………y…..enjoy.
for more information go to https://www.cherryred.co.uk
Til next time…stay safe….Colin

Stephen Moran… Great review Colin

Mick O’Dowd… This contains so many bands that I never classed as psych! Maybe that’s why I never caught on to it until recently, through your posts Colin. Great stuff by looks of it and as I say i’ve heard and appreciated a lot of these artists

Colin Bell… Mick, I think to be fair, some of the artists you didn’t class as psyche, ultimately weren’t, but went through a period of experimenting during ’66/’67 before returning to, or moving on to other more suitable genres for them

Mick O’Dowd… Got into a lot of these from the samplers The Rock Machine Turns You On & Thr Rock Machine Loves You. Priced at an amazing (even in those days) 14/6d!

Colin Bell… Mick, Great samplers, really got a lot of people interested and as you say cheap, even then

Pete Prescott… So many bands ! Wow !

Claire Lonsdale… Would love to hear it! X

Alan Esdaile… Some great names here and a good sleeve.

SMART SOUNDS by Colin Bell reviewing Mud: The Singles 1973-80, 3CD Set

by

MUD   THE SINGLES 1973-1980 (3CD SET)
Well guys. that’s been a couple of very nostalgic hours for me this morning, returning to the carefree times of the early to mid 70’s when i was plying my trade as a mobile DJ all over the south of the country. This new collection from Cherry Red Records 7T’s pop label is the latest in their catalogue of ‘singles collections’. What i like about these particular compilations is they arrive in a sturdy clamshell box with each CD in its own cardboard sleeve accompanied by a glossy booklet detailing the tracks, and with a wealth of nostalgic photos of the band and 45 record covers (i remember so well). I’m guessing most people don’t realise Mud were around a long time before hitting the big time in 1973. Formed in 1966 by lead vocalist Les Gray & guitarist Rob Davis, they were joined by Dave Mount on drums & Ray Stiles on bass. For the next 6 or so years they toiled away with no commercial success recording singles for CBS such as 1967’s ‘Flower Power’. It all changed for them in 1973 when they joined Mickie Most’s hit factory that was RAK Records & writers Nicky Chinn & Mike Chapman started penning their hit singles. Chinn & Chapman were incredibly prolific turning out hit singles for Suzi Quatro, Arrows, Smokie, Racey & Sweet amongst many others. As I’ve previously written in other reviews/articles the early 70’s saw pop & rock separate and go in different directions. Some ‘pop’ groups from the 60’s attempted to get more ‘serious’ with a ‘heavier’ sound such as The Tremeloes (and failed). Mud did the opposite, they became a completely unpretentious pop band, maybe the least pretentious one of all. listening to this collection, the tracks running in chronological order (another plus in my book, as you can hear a band develop) is a real nostalgic trip for me. Disc 1 kicks off with their debut hit ‘Crazy’ from early 1973 which is guitar heavy & could easily have been a Sweet single (maybe Nicky & Mike had intended it to be), it’s the same with their follow up hit later that year ‘Hypnosis’ it is again leaning towards a more ‘heavy’ sound. Both were respectable hits clocking in at 12 & 16 respectively. Then closing 1973 things lightened up considerably with their hat trick of hits with ‘Dynamite’ a much lighter singalong party number which did even better chart wise finishing up at No 4. This established the bands template to come. Their next release in early 1974 would be their first No 1 (of 3) & the one everybody will always remember, the ultimate party anthem,’Tiger Feet’. Now here i must pause for a second & thank Les & the boys from the bottom of my heart for ‘Tiger Feet’. I loved doing all the 100’s of gigs i did across, clubs, ballrooms, disco’s, army bases, private parties etc etc back then. However, there was one category pf booking i loathed….weddings!….whenever the agency i got the majority of my gigs from booked me for a wedding gig my heart would sink…Trying to keep everyone amused & on their feet at a wedding where ages range from 2 year old toddlers to 80 year old grannies was never something i looked forward to! If you put a record on for the younger element, the ‘oldies’ would sit & grumble & vice versa when you put Glenn Miller on for them. To the rescue came a little stack of trusted guaranteed across the age range floorfiller’s headed (in my case & no doubt several of my fellow DJ’s) by Mud’s ‘Tiger Feet’ & suddenly all the guests were on their feet singing & dancing themselves silly (the booze & orange squash had probably kicked in as well by then! thank you Mud you covered many a sudden lull in proceedings over the years! Anyway, back to this compilation, hot on the heels of ‘TF’ came the next hit in the shape of ‘The Cat Crept In’ a No 2 record where some of us would delight in changing the lyrics, singing the cat crept in *******! and crept out (my colleagues will no doubt be right with me..). Then came a personal favourite in ‘Rocket’ a number 6 to further a fantastically successful 1974 for the band. ‘Rocket’ brought together all the ‘classic’ Mud tropes, the matching suits, the ‘Mud dance’ & was the record that gave vent to Les’s inner ‘Elvis’ lead vocal (you can witness all this at the end of this review in the attached video). The ‘Elvis’ voice would also be put to further good effect and chart success with ‘Lonely This Christmas’ the bands second No 1 (remember the TOTP edition with Les singing to a ventriloquist dummy on his lap) ending 1974 in spectacular fashion for the band. ‘The Secrets That You Keep’ kicked off another successful year for the band in February 1975, followed by their 3rd No 1 ‘Oh Boy’, a cover of the old Buddy Holly/Crickets number. All these hits plus more you will find on Disc1. By Disc2 the band finished their time at RAK with the release of ‘One Night’ which marked a decline, peaking at a lowly No 32. With a switch to the Private Stock label the bands fortunes sprang back up with the release ‘L’L’ Lucy’ a No 10 for them written by their prime hit writers the aforementioned Chinn/Chapman. This was followed by further chart success with ‘Show Me Your A Woman’ a No 8 that would be their penultimate chart success, the final hit being ‘Lean On Me’ closing 1976. There’s a rather good version of The Mindbenders ‘Groovy Kind of Love’ also on Disc2 which was the first release to be attributed to Les as a solo single, which reached No 32 in February 1977. Mud then moved Record Companies yet again to RCA where they recorded ‘Slow Talking Boy’ a John Kongos song (remember him for He’s Gonna Step On You Again’) but further chart success eluded the band & to all intents and purposes with personnel changes and further label moves it was realistically the end for Mud. Disc3 rounds up the remainder of the bands work as Mud & various side projects for RCA & other labels and opens in lively fashion with rocker ‘Beating Round The Bush’ which is a perfectly fine effort but lacks that ‘magic’ ingredient that gave the band their early success. To be honest the band are sounding tired and out of touch, let’s not forget by now Punk was ruling the world. Covering their contemporaries Showaddywaddys version of ‘Under the Moon Of Love’ doesn’t help in the relevance stakes either. There are some brighter moments scattered throughout Disc3, a cover of Dobie Grays’s ‘Drift Away’ is quite pleasantly passable, but that’s a song you take on at your peril, when Dobie did such an amazing job. So, to summarise, the final disc is probably for completists only. Disc1, as i said earlier brought back a big silly grin to my face and Disc 2 was also very entertaining. I last saw Les quite by chance when visiting my cousin Viv in Portugal in the 90’s, where he had settled a stones throw from the bar run by Viv & her partner. We enjoyed a drink and a natter about the ‘good old days’ for a pleasant hour or so. Sadly, Les went on to develop cancer after leading his version of Les Gray’s Mud for many years, always a great frontman, he passed away in 2004. As always, this new compilation comes well presented in a sturdy clamshell box, complete with aforementioned booklet. I’ve had a very enjoyable mornings reminiscence. Mud have now left the building. Over to you. Enjoy.
or more information go to https://www.cherryred.co.uk/

Til next time….stay safe…..Colin

 

 

Terry Tollan… I did Les Grays 50th birthday party entertainment

Pert Fortsch… Still played by the Hairy Monster. “Lance Collins Retro Roadshow” 👍

Lance Collins… And our clients love to hear it. Last week we kicked off with. You + Me =Love The Undisputed Truth. Followed by Nanu Nanu Daddy Dewdrop. After the gig had people asking where they could find them to download

Mick O’Dowd… As you so rightly say Colin, us DJ’s owed them a great deal in providing floorfillers. Along with the Mud Dance(fingers in your belt loops now!) they provided good clean pure pop! Remember working with them on The Pier and they were a nice bunch of guys as well. The memory button was well and truly pressed when reading this review.

Colin Bell… Mick, as i was writing it i thought i know 3 colleagues who will no doubt be nodding in agreement as the memories came back!

Judy Atkinson… That was a great trip down memory lane

Alan Esdaile… I always remember the gig posters they had, a warning sign with the words ‘Mud On The Road’!

SMART SOUNDS by Colin Bell reviewing Matt Monro: The Complete EMI Recordings 1971-1984, 4CD

by

MATT MONRO   The Complete EMI Recordings 1971-1984  (4CD SET)
It’s going to be impossible for me to get through this review without experiencing a great deal of remembered early emotions. I could have sung ‘Portrait of My Love’ or ‘Softly As I Leave You’ to you when i was aged 8 or 9. I wouldn’t have been able to tell you who recorded the songs. They came to me through my Dad an inveterate whistler & singer at work and around the house, i would listen to him and sing along, he loved Matt and all these years later so do I. This new 4 CD set from Strawberry Records is several hours of blissful recordings from what could be said to be the ‘second coming’ of Matt. As the title says this is his complete output for EMI spanning 1971-1984, which takes the listener up to shortly before Matt’s untimely death in February 1985 aged just 54. There are 4 separate albums, 15 singles, out-takes, rarities, previously unreleased live recordings and alternate mixes. Whenever i see the words ‘new mix’ attached to songs i know from any artist, it often fills me with dread as to what some engineer has done. Here however there is not cause for alarm but indeed for rejoicing as what we have are the finished mixes taken from the original masters as opposed to the ‘rough’ mixes that have been previously issued. Such as with Matt’s second album released on EMI’s Columbia imprint ‘The Other Side of the Stars’ which had sat on a shelf for 2 years before given an inferior release. On that release and other albums like ‘For the Present’ even vinyl dubs had been used previously. Now with this exhaustive new issue the full extent and power of the recordings can be heard as they should be. Matt had originally started his recording career at Decca & Fontana in the mid to late 50’s with little success. It really started for him when he was paired with the great Sir George Martin at EMI in 1959 and they would go on together to produce Matt’s biggest hits like the ones i referred to above. After a highly successful period of record success, international tours and worldwide acclaim, collecting accolades from the likes of Frank Sinatra who described him as ‘the best singer in the world’ in 1966 EMI transferred Matt from their Parlophone label to Capitol Records which necessitated a move to the USA, given that he was by then an international star it would seem a logical move. However the next 4 years up until 1970 were largely filled with frustration for Matt who became increasingly disenchanted, if not angry at his treatment by Capitol, who it has to be said were more concerned with the bottom line rather than allowing him the time he had previously enjoyed to make quality recordings as he had done back in the UK with Sir George. I was astonished to read in the accompanying booklet to this set, how Capitol would send Matt across town to record at another studio whilst they ‘re-mixed’ or ‘overdubbed’ recordings he had made without any regard for how Matt felt. It seemed like a deliberate act to keep him out of the way.. The situation couldn’t go on and by June 1970 Matt had had enough, recorded his last work for Capitol and returned to the UK and back into the arms of EMI & Sir George where he remained for the rest of his career. In 1971 he returned to the studio with Sir George at the helm, however by then Martin was increasingly busier with the independent and highly successful Air Studio’s he had created in Oxford Street & ultimately producing duties would pass to Martin’s close friend and partner in Air Studio’s, John Burgess, a guy i had the pleasure of meeting around 1973 who showed me around the studios. It was at Air in 1972 that a charming occasion took place whilst Matt was recording a cover of The Beatles ‘Michelle’. Normally whilst at work Matt did not encourage family to be in the studio. However, on this occasion his daughter Michele was invited to her puzzlement to be in the control room. Matt was finishing up recording his take on The Bee Gee’s ‘First of May’ (see YT clip at the end of review). With Sir George conducting the orchestra Matt beckoned Michele into the studio and with Sir George counting in the orchestra sang his version of ‘Michelle’ to her live whilst holding her hand. That must have been a wonderful moment. Like many artists songs Matt covered, he could take them and with that unique way of phrasing he had make them his own, as he did with ‘Michelle’ & the aforementioned ‘First of May’ which i actually prefer to the original. Throughout the 90 + tracks spread across the 4 CD’s there are some other cracking covers such as ‘What A Wonderful World’ ‘Over The Rainbow’ ‘I Can’t Stop Lovin You’ to name but 3, sitting amongst a wealth of original songs, and how nostalgic to hear Matt singing ‘let the train take the strain’ reminding you of much loved commercials from years past. For those seeking a full tracklist go over to Strawberry Records page on Cherry Red Records website. I simply don’t have the space to list them all here. But i can say without hesitation there is not a duff track in sight. I admit i could live without the inclusion of foreign language versions of a few songs, but that applies to any artist I’m listening to, it’s not just confined to Matt. When it comes right down to it, every superlative adjective in the dictionary has been used when discussing his wonderful voice over the years. I have no new ones to add. Was he the best ‘crooner’ this country ever produced? As far as this writer is concerned the answer is a resounding yes. One listen to this handsome new compilation will I’ve no doubt convince you of the same. The compilation itself, is beautifully presented as a fold out 5 piece, complete with some excellent colour photos and a very interesting booklet featuring reproductions of album sleeves along with a full account of the period covered. Congratulations Strawberry Records on a truly splendid release. Enjoy.
For more information go to https://www.cherryred.co.uk
Til next time…..stay safe…..Colin

 

Alan Esdaile… What a Voice! Wonderful.

Pete Prescott… One of the very best for me. After Beatles Day I would spend time listening to Matt Monro albums. Wonderful singer. His pronouncement of the name “Michelle” was the only thing he ever did that annoyed me. That’s just me. A “singers singer!”

Sue Skilling… He had a wonderful voice

SMART SOUNDS by Colin Bell reviewing Frijid Pink: The Deram Recordings 1970-1971, 2CD Remastered Edition

by

FRIJID PINK       The Deram Recordings 1970-1971  (2CD)

I’ve been looking forward to this 2CD set from Esoteric Records containing the 2 albums they released on Decca’s ‘progressive’ offshoot label Deram back in 1970 & 1971. Both albums have been re-mastered sympathetically I’m pleased to say & sound great. The band from Detroit will always be known for their 1970 psychedelic rock re-working of traditional song ‘House of the Rising Sun’ using the template recorded by The Animals 5 years previously in 1964. By the time Frijid Pink released their version in early 1970 a lot had changed in the intervening years. Psychedelia had come & gone (almost),  R&B had evolved, Rock & Pop were splitting in different directions & Prog Rock was on the rise. In many ways Frijid Pink were late to the party with their blend of psyche rock & blues & in other ways were on trend with the way rock was evolving. Sadly,  they have long been written off as that ‘one hit wonder’ band with the fuzz driven ‘Sun’ single.  Detroit has always been known mainly for Motown, however it also had a thriving rock scene where ‘Pink’ would share the stage with the likes of The MC5 & The Amboy Dukes. Their self-titled debut album released in February 1970 which forms the first disc in this new set was never bettered by them in my opinion. Comprising 9 tracks, plus the addition of 2 bonus tracks for this release. It is a far more cohesive collection of psyche rock/blues than their subsequent albums. It kicks off in fine style with ‘God Gave Me You’ a melodic rocker that was to have been their debut single before being pulled in favour of issuing ‘Sun’ which although more commercial i think ‘GGMY’ would have probably fared well. Track 2 ‘Crying Shame’ heavilu features the fuzz toned overdriven guitar sound the band would become known for & rocks hard with some driving drums. Track 3 ‘I’m On Mt Way’ switches gears to deliver a fast driving blues number which doesn’t seem out of place or jar with the preceding tracks. Followed by Track 4 ‘Drivin’ Blues’ which continues the vibe in the same vein. Track 5 ‘Tell Me Why’ seamlessly switches back to the emphasis on a hard rocking fuzz laden mid tempo rocker which showcases their distinctive sound. Track 6 lands us back in a rock/blues mix, complete with some excellent drum work on ‘End of the Line’ Track 7 needs no introduction it’s their signature song & Top 10 version of ‘House of the Rising Sun’. Track 8 ‘I Want To Be Your Lover’ delivers more uptempo blues/rock with a fine lead vocal from Tom Beaudry (aka Kelly Green) & more fine drum work from Rick Stevers. The final Track 9 ‘Boozin Blues’ is a laid back number which wouldn’t sound out of place in a John Mayall set with some fine little blues licks tinged with a hint of fuzz & some nifty piano & closes the album in fine style. All in all a very satisfying album & thoroughly enjoyable. Then we come to the 2 ‘bonus tracks’. The final one, Track 11 ‘Music For The People’ which was released as a single the following year in March 1971 is really rather good with its Gospel choir backing, Hammond organ & fine central vocal performance on a mid tempo ballad. The problem for me comes with the preceding Track 10, where the band obviously hoping to repeat the success of ‘Sun’ picked another classic song to re-vamp, in this case ‘Heartbreak Hotel’. An unwise move, frankly it’s a mess, with its clunky mix of Jerry Lee Lewis piano, screaming vocal & overwrought guitar. Somebody should have stepped in & said let’s forget this, but that didn’t happen & I’m not the least surprised it sank without trace. I would love to say Disc2 in this new compilation lives up to Disc1 but in my estimation it just doesn’t. Released only 5 months after their debut album, which seems hasty to saythe least, ‘Defrosted’ featured here in this new release with it’s original 8 tracks plus an additional 4 bonus tracks lacks the cohesion that made the debut album a great listen. It kicks off with some promise with opener ‘Black Lace’ a heavy rock number, with a bluesy element that promises much but ultimately becomes, dare i say it, somewhat mundane. Track 2 ‘Sing A Song of Freedom’ , which although it doesn’t say so here, I’m fairly sure got a single release, is better & harks back to their superior material on Disc1. Track3 ‘I’ll Never Be Lonely’ sounds like the composer has been spending his time listening to ‘Whiter Shade of Pale’ on repeat, let’s just say it’s derivative. The remaining 5 tracks are a hotch potch of numbers, none of which really hang together & do nothing to dispel the lack of any defined direction. I really wish i could be more enthusiastic but by the time i reached instrumental ‘Sloony’ I’m sad to say my interest had waned considerably. However, there is one shining moment that redeems Disc2 & that is the inclusion (as one of the bonus tracks) of ‘We’re Gonna Be There’. Now thereby hangs a tale. Back in 1971 when i was writing my ‘Top Sounds’ column for local newspaper the Hastings Observer i raved about this particular track in my column of Saturday July 10th 1971 when it was then titled ‘When Johnny Comes Marchin Home’ (the  famous old Civil War song). The band had taken the song & like ‘Sun’ put their unique spin on it to great effect. And if any of their single releases was ever going to repeat the success of ‘Sun’ this was the one. Years later i was looking for the track to play on a radio show only to find the band had re-christened it ‘We’re Gonna Be There’ a play on the original lyrics of ‘Johnny’. And cheekilly given themselves a writing credit! Not sure how they got away with that, however I’ve always loved it whatever! I’m thinking maybe I’ll record ‘Rule Brittania’ & call it ‘Rule the Waves’ & grab a writing credit….no probably best not!… In conclusion Frijid Pink have always ranked well in my estimation, especially, as discussed above, for that first album & how many bands can say that Led Zepplin opened for them in Detroit? Frijid Pink can! That & the psychedelic ‘Sun’ bestows everlasting immortality on them. Enjoy.

for more information go to https://www.cherryred.co.uk/
Til next time….stay well….Colin

Lloyd Johnson… Great record!…

Alan Esdaile… Still sounds great.

Nick Bloomfield… Well, I’m ashamed to say that I’d never heard of this band and I absolutely love this cover!

SMART SOUNDS by Colin Bell reviewing Too Much Sun Will Burn: The British Psychedelic Sounds of 1967 Volume 2, 3CD Box Set Various Artists

by

TOO MUCH SUN WILL BURN (The British Psychedelic Sounds of 1967 Volume Two) Various 

I could complete this review in 3 words…just buy it! But that won’t do will it.. That’s just the view of this reviewer who has been in love with psychedelia since it’s apogee in 1967, as any regular reader of my reviews, columns, or listeners to my specialist radio shows will know. Back in 2016, Cherry Red’s psyche label Grapefruit Records released the glorious 3CD set ‘Let’s Go Down And Blow Our Minds’ which was hugely well received ( & reviewed in these pages) now after a long anticipated wait, here 7 years later is its companion piece. Once again the whole 3CD set has been given all the love and attention it deserves. 3 Discs each housed in separate sleeves sporting their own cover designs (& disc designs) housed in a beautiful sturdy clamshell box, accompanied by a lavish 48 page booklet annotated by label boss David Wells, a guy for whom my admiration grows with each release he oversees. The booklet contains many rare photo’s together with sleeve covers & fascinating facts on each track to introduce the reader to the collection, & it kicks off with a quote from John Peel. Which could not be more apt, a) given his well known love of the genre & b) on a personal note, he was to become an early mentor & friend to me back in those halcyon days. So let’s get into all the delights on offer for your ears & senses to revel in. We kick off our lysergic drenched journey on Disc1 with what is probably most people’s’s idea of a classic piece of psychedelia in Traffic’s ‘Paper Sun’ which perfectly sets the scene for the 78 tracks to follow in its wake, over what will be a 4 hour journey down the rabbit hole. Immediately following Traffic is one of my all time favourite psyche bands Tomorrow, with ‘Revolution’ (no not The Beatles track!), the band comprised of several luminaries including Twink (Pink Fairies) & Keith West (of ‘Grocer Jack’ fame). ‘Revolution’ was the follow up to their near hit earlier that year with a cover of Nazareth’s arrangement of ‘My White Bicycle’ awash with ‘phasing’ & backward tape loops & all manner of effects so redolent of the whole scene Tomorrow for me have always been a major favourite & the version of ‘Revolution’ included here arrives in an alternate mix which is a bonus. I should add that many alternate takes, debut appearances & rare nuggets surface throughout the collection, to mine & I’m sure over aficionados delight.  Tomorrow are followed by Caleb ( who will be known to those aforementioned aficionados) an early bandmate along with a certain Reg Dwight in Bluesology, prior to releasing such nuggets as ‘Baby Your Phasing is Bad’ included here, the i think the title says it all! As ever it’s the obscure that delights me, but here Grapefruit Records have done a great job balancing this box set with its plethora of the little known, with the big names such as The Troggs, Elton John, The Strawbs (with Sandy Denny), Eric Burdon & the Animals, The Marmalade, The Flower Pot Men etc. Highlights for me on Disc1 come with some favourite tracks from excellent acts Tintern Abbey, The Syn, The Alan Bown! Johns Children & Hastings Pier stalwarts Episode 6 with ‘Love, Hate & Revenge’ bringing back some happy memories for me of working with the latter many times. And so onto Disc2 which opens with the piercing vibe of ‘Dive Into Yesterday’ by the criminally underrated & largely forgotten band Kaleidoscope, who like so many bands that surfaced at the time didn’t quite make it, but thoroughly deserved to. The Move put in an appearance with one of my favourite ‘B’ sides they ever made, in ‘Wave The Flag And Stop The Train’, which was originally coupled with ‘I Can Hear The Grass Grow’. The Move are joined on Disc2 by other big names The Who, Simon Dupree (& it’s not ‘Kites’!), Procol Harum. The Bonzo’s, DD,DBM&T, Nirvana, The Spencer Davis Group etc Some of the most interesting, & greatest psyche bands put in stellar appearances such as The Attack, The Virgin Sleep, The Mirage & The Artwoods with a special mention to another band i had the pleasure of working with on several occasions, in the shape of Orange Bicycle with ‘Hyacinth Threads’. They were a great band who combined vocal harmony work on par with The Beach Boys combined with intoxicating melodic psyche, a band i could listen to happily all day. As usual when writing about music i love I’m conscious i don’t have the space to discuss EVERY track! (as much as I’d like to), so we must move on to the final disc in the set Disc3. Starting with The Hollies and their foray into psychedelia (headed by Graham Nash) with Top 20 hit ‘King Midas In Reverse’. a great classic, but unfortunately it would also turn out to be the record that would cause the split within the band, that broke them apart with Nash leaving to form CS&N, but that’s a whole other story. Of all 3 discs this one serves up the greatest number of recognisable names with David Bowie, The Idle Race, The Pretty Things, The Small Faces. The Herd The Zombies etc, although you won’t find the ‘usual suspects’ tracks that most compilers put together, another plaudit to David Wells. Amongst the obscure & delightful are contributions from The Creation, The Tickle, Norma Rowe, The Action & Circle Plantagenet. Also, great to see the inclusion of Dave Davies with his second hit follow up to ‘Death Of A Clown’ with, to my mind an equally great record ‘Susannah’s Still Alive’ which sounds better in quality here (it usually sounds muddy) so thanks to whoever cleaned it up. New to me was The Bystanders track ‘Royal Blue Summer Sunshine Day’ a band that usually covered American harmony hits, they later morphed into Man the rock band. I never cease to marvel at all the tracks that surface after all these years that even die hard fans of the genre like me can still be surprised by. The whole collection comes to a close with the wisdom of Pete & Dud & ‘Bedazzled’ which to those of us of a ‘certain age’ brings a warm nostalgic smile. As the compilation alludes to with its title ‘Too Much Sun’. There were many bands in that wonderful ‘summer of love; in 1967 that took flight, some soared to happy heights and were rewarded with fame and glory and some, like Icarus, (the legend, not the band!) flew too close to the sun and crashed and burned to be forgotten. However like the man said, better to crash and burn than slowly fade away….enjoy

for more information go to https://www.cherryred.co.uk

Til next time….stay safe……Colin

Alan Esdaile… Great sleeve Colin and some interesting tracks. 1967 a Great year for music!

Mick O’Dowd… Even me who as you know wasn’t aware of what psych was i’ve actually heard a lot of these bands and hadn’t put them it that pigeonhole! Some great tracks on here

Claire Lonsdale… Lots of my favourite tracks and many more that I have to discover it seems