"Real life's
peculiar, way things are happening
Mountains like embers, glowing and smoldering
Following, wallowing, deep in the void
Slowly but surely you start coming close to
it....."
S*F*A*
SWEET FLORAL ALBION
THE JOURNAL OF UK PSYCHEDELIA
no.: 14 * date: January 2003 * price: 50 dinar
E-mail: sweetfloralalbion@hotmail.com
Online at: Marmalade Skies "The home of British
Psychedelia" :
http://www.marmalade-skies.co.uk/sweetfloralalbionindex.htm
CONTENTS:
O- EDITORIAL:
Killing the music with..."love?"
O- NEWSDESK
O- LE LIVRE PSYCHEDELIQUE- Book Review
O- OUT IN THE COLD
O- DAVID BOWIE
O- 'HOT, COLD & CUSTARD'
O- PROTO-GLAM: A MINI FOLLOW UP
O- WHAT THE PAPERS SAID
O- "TWICE AS nice but not MUCH psych!"
O- IN ARCADIA
O- 'THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT...'
O- BILLY FURY GOES PSYCH!
O- P/REVIEWS
O- 'FAMILY' FAVOURITES
O- PSYCH DISCOGRAPHY
O- LETTERS
****************************************************************
EDITORIAL:
***CDRs MP3s & File Shares ~ Killing the music
with..."love?" by Jim Mac and Dave Thubron***
A love of
music can me a mighty powerful thing. It can turn into a
collecting obsession, grow from a hobby which occupies a small
part of your life, until it becomes your whole life (yes, a lot
of us have been there!).
Whilst the compulsive hunt for new head-sounds is understandable,
and the "any format as long as I can hear it" approach
is both cool and logical (especially for those of us who don't
have the requisite bread/time/patience to restrict ourselves
solely to original pressings), things nowadays are well 'n' truly
getting out of hand. Back in the day it was "home taping is
killing music". Now, it's "new technology is murdering
the reissues scene".
Whilst no-one ought to be disapproving on moral grounds, or
otherwise, of digital repros of long-out-of-print or
never-reissued tracks, after all, the artist should be happy
people still care; the CDR/minidisc/tape
manufacturers count their dough; and Joe & Joan Public get to
dig something they'd otherwise maybe never hear....
BUT in recent months, this obsessive "do it on the
cheap" & "I want it all" demand of some folks
is becoming a bit of a pain. Here's one truly scandalous example:
someone has actually loaded the recent entire Mark Wirtz
'Pop Works' set (put out with so much LOVE by Mark Frumento) on
their server for downloading by any greedy old so and so. It was
most likely done with unselfish motives.
And now the Jagged Time Lapse series have began to circulate in
counterfeit form. Now, it was cool when this stuff was restricted
to friends, but when the door was opened to admit the hungry, the
world washed in...and then out,
with as much freebies as they could carry!
Choicest tracks from brand new comps appear in
"Files" sections on Yahoo groups pages...
The whole thing stinks. Especially when somebody out there has
taken a lot of time, love and dedication getting something
released. Some small companies now have to think long and hard
and often don't even bother to reissue material at all. We deal
with record companies all the time, and from some of the smaller
ones the words "What's the point in issuing this?" are
becoming to sound like an all too familiar mantra these days.
Only this week, we had an e-mail from a bloke wanting to know if
we'd be up for a trade. Yeah maybe. But all the releases he
mentioned were in the shops as we speak! We were polite and sent
him away, but I know what I wanted to tell him. You can
understand it if the release is unavailable, or say some rare BBC
stuff, but when it's still available...jeez.
The most recent case of this is in relation to The Fox. No sooner
had we (and others) announced plans for a reissue of the
classic LP, than the emails begging for CDR copies began to
come in! What an absolute joke! Wait another month and you'll be
able to buy it for around ten quid. Or is £10 too much, when you
can get it for the price of a CDR blank?
Sorry if this upsets people, but it needs saying. I'm sure the
big mutha labels are OK, but some of the smaller guys are
starting to feel the pinch.
If you want to see as many quality reissues and comps
(underground and overground)in 2003 as you did this year- and it
was a truly great year- please think about what you download.
Every action has a reaction. You dig?
********************************************************************
***NEWSDESK***
FOX LATEST:
Release date for the RPM CD issue of The Fox's classic album has
been confimed as 20th January 2003.
*****************************************************************
'POP-IN'
NEW COMP:
Make sure you
check out this fine Limited-availability compilation of
left-field pop treasures.
Available exclusively from elevatorpop@yahoo.co.uk
(See Review below)
MORE
INTERNET PSYCH RADIO:
Ashley Norris
writes -
"I have stuck a second station up on 'Live 365' called
'Spinning Wheel':
http://www.live365.com/stations/297993
Think of it as 'Strange Things' to Choc Soup FM's 'Rubble' and
you'll get the picture.
It is essentially all the unreissued, rare and generally fun
stuff from the darkest recesses of my my hard drive
Guaranteed fuzz-guitar free, it features loads of jolly toytown
sing-alongs from the likes of AeroVons, Tin Tin, Piccadily Line,
The Cuppa T, Forever Amber, Peter Sarstedt, Cymbaline, Herman's
Hermits, Mindbenders, Graham Gouldman and the Bee Gees.
Some of it is great - some of it not".
MAXWELL
PLUMB'S ANAL, Sorry ANNUAL REVIEW!
Sir Maxwell
Plumb OBE NSU NIB, renowned musicologist and devotee of strange
sins and even stranger sounds, has published his review of the
psych releases of 2002. Second only in readership popularity to
The Times "Top 100
Richest" list, it is the benchmark by which the music
industry now sets its
standard. Check it out at-
http://www.marmalade-skies.co.uk/maxwell_2002.htm
CHOC
SOUP FM ~ FESIVE FIFTY:
Ashley Norris
(yes, him again!)writes:
You never quite got over 'Fading Yellow' did you? Its soft
summery psych sounds dominate the first "SFA/Choc Soup FM
festive fifty" providing eight of its tracks and of course
the winner from The Aerovons.
From the moment the poll opened the American teenagers were
always going to scoop top spot. Around half of the voters listed
the song.
Appropriately, the 'Sweet Floral Albion' house CD performed well
with 'Amelia Jane' a clear second place. There were also plenty
of votes for tracks from the Aussie psych comp 'Peculiar Hole in
the Sky', and, while we're talking non-Brits, a good showing for
the recently issued Moon album on Rev-Ola and Aussies Normie Rowe
and Steve and Stevie (will someone please reissue this album!).
A big thank you to all who voted.
You can hear the Festive Fifty in full each day from Christmas
Eve to January 2nd at 7pm (UK time) and again at 7pm (PST) on
Chocolate Soup FM - www.live365.com/stations/chocolatesoup
1 The AeroVons - World Of You (Fading Yellow 1)
2 Made in sheffield - Amelia Jane (Sweet Floral Albion)
3 Honeybus - Francoise (Flies like a Bird)
4 Phil Cordell - Red Lady (Fading Yellow 1)
5 Normie Rowe - Sunshine Secret(Sweet Floral Albion)
6 Robbie Curtice - When Diana Paints a Picture (Fading Yellow 3)
7 Chad and Jeremy - Rest In Peace (Of cabbages and Kings)
8 Dave Miller Set - Mr. Guy Fawkes (Peculiar hole in the sky)
9 Paul & Barry Ryan - Madrigal (Fading Yellow 1)
10 Chris Hodge - We're on our way (Ebenezer Goode)
11 Mike Batt - Fading Yellow (Fading Yellow 1)
12 Zion de Gallier - Geraldine (Mark Wirtz Pop Works)
13 Ronnie Bird - Sad Soul (Fading Yellow 1)
14 Consortium - Colour Sgt. Lillywhite (Haunted)
15 The Rokes - When the wind arises (Sweet Floral Albion)
16 Brendan Philips - Something's Happening Outside (Oddities 2)
17 The Action - Climbing up the wall (Rolled Gold)
18 Peter Sarstedt - Frozen Orange Juice (Peter Sarstedt)
19 Easybeats - Peculiar Hole In The Sky (Sweet Floral Albion)
20 Ruperts People - A Prologue to a Magic World (Magic World)
21 Executives - Moving in a circle (Peculiar hole in the sky)
22 Mark Wirtz - Sandy (Mark Wirtz Pop Works)
23 Eyes of Blue- Never Care (Sweet Floral Albion)
24 Blue Aces - That's Allright (We're not what we appear to be)
25 The Smoke - Sydney Gill (alt. ver.)(High In A Room: The
Anthology)
26 The Bliss - Lifetime (Fading Yellow 1)
27 Mindbenders - Yellow Brick Road (Jagged Time Lapse 4)
28 The Action - In my dream (Rolled gold)
29 Lloyd's World - Brass Bird (Peculiar hole in the sky)
30 Orange Bicycle - Last cloud home (Jagged Time Lapse 2)
31 The Moon - Brother Louis Love Colony (The Moon)
32 The Iguana - Imagine This (Peculiar Hole In The Sky)
33 Steve and Stevie - Shine (Various bootlegs)
34 Eddie Hodge - Shadows And Reflections (Fading Yellow 3)
35 Argosy - Mr Boyd (Rubble 20)
36 Juan & Junior - Andurina (Fading Yellow 1)
37 Peter Sarstedt - Blagged! (Peter Sarstedt)
38 Smoke - Girl in the park (High in a room)
39 Grapefruit - Yes (Colour me pop)
40 AeroVons - Resurrection (AeroVons)
41 The Onyx - It's All Put On (Ripples 8)
42 Nirvana - Oh! What a Performance (Sweet Floral Albion)
43 Justin and Karlsson - Somewhere they can't find me (Ready
Steady Stop)
44 The Jackpots - King Of The World (Fading Yellow 1)
45 Gary Aston - His Lordship (Ripples 8)
46 Paradise Hammer - She is Love (Papermen in the sky)
47 Barry Booth - Mole (Diversions)
48 Nick Garrie - Nightmare of JB Stanislas (Nightmare of JB
Stanislas)
49 Countdown - Alexandrina The Great (Jagged Time Lapse 4)
50 Anan - Madena (Haunted)
MARMALADE
SKIES:
Congratulations
to Jim Mac. After only 3 years, the number of hits on the
Marmalade Skies site has just topped 100,000! A great achievement
for the best UK Psych site on the net!
***LE LIVRE PSYCHEDELIQUE - Book Review by Jon Kerr***
Colin Thompson: Falling
Angels. A Red Fox Book: London 2001 ISBN:009 943 2986
I thought a children's book would make a pleasant change from the
rock/fashion titles we usually profile in SFA.
This book has all that we love about UK psych - whimsy,
poignancy, surreality, breathtaking beauty and an indefinably
triptafabulous atmosphere.
'Falling Angels' is a short illustrated story about Sally a
little girl who can fly, and her relationship with her dying
grandmother. A simple tale delivered in a matter of tone which
reinforces the wide-eyed magical aura:
"The first time Sally flew was before she could even
crawl" The illustrations form a veritable feast for
the eyes. Seemingly ordinary things like a row of houses, an
eiderdown, wallpaper on an elderly woman's bedroom, a sailing
ship... are transmuted in the white heat furnace of love and
imagination into pure fairytale gold -
Bosch and Escher meet in a Dalinian world where Syd Barrett's mum
is Queen.
Ultimately this story reminds us all that ironically the only way
"out" is "in", inwards into the Kingdom of
Heaven, by indicating to us the Garden of Eden from which we are
all ultimately banished. This book can be read as a companion to
'Rosie Can't Fly' by Sleepy (CBS 3838, released 11/68) a song
about a little girl who could fly but loses the talent as she
slowly grows and drowns in the mundanities of the real (material)
world and its anti-nature "hamster on a wheel" life
ethic. I am sure that Colin Thompson had not such psychedelic
intention when he created this wonderful book (although how can
you be sure when another of his books ('Sid The Mosquito')reads -
"Ethel the Chicken is busy trying to persuade the world she
is not an orange" (know just how she feels!), but
nevertheless we ought still to be glad that he had such a vision.
Pretend you're buying it for your kids (or grandchildren) then
instead indulge yourself.
There's more where this came from. Check out www.colinthompson.com
The author seems like a really nice guy and he's
written/illustrated plenty of other really groovy books.
***LYRICS***
'Rosie Can't Fly' - SLEEPY
Rosie was in the backgarden playing quietly and imagining
What it would be like to have wings and fly around
Thinking how stupid it is to walk around
When you can fly like this and travel to anywhere you please
A million miles is nothing when you can fly like the wind in the
trees
Rosie can't fly
Sometimes she sits on the garden wall holding her teddy bear's
hand
Dreaming she can watch petals as they grow
Wishing she could find out just where they go
When the winter comes and everybody's cold there's snow on the
ground
Think how fresh and clean it would be with Rosie flying around
Rosie can't fly
Now Rosie hasn't got time to dream
Just to buy new clothes and
keep them clean
Where is our Rosie that flew all 'round the moon
Sometimes she thinks that she has grown up too soon
And now she's looking after Rosies of her own
And wondering whether dreams will pass them by
She's in a social prison now and wishing she could get away and
hide
Rosie can't fly
Rosie has forgotten how to fly...
Rosie has forgotten how to fly...
Rosie has forgotten how to fly...
Rosie has forgotten how to fly...
Rosie has forgotten how to fly...
.................
***OUT IN THE COLD*** by Paul Cross
NICK GARRIE - 'The
Nightmare Of J.B. Stanislas'
This is one of the rarest records of the period and has barring
one track ('Wheel Of Fortune'), remained unheard outside a lucky
few collectors and fans who jealously guard the precious artefact
against illegal reproductions. The album is comprised of twelve
tracks, the vast majority of which should appeal to lovers of
lite popsyke and symphonic pop. Its closest musical relatives are
most probably Twice As Much, Piccadilly Line or Duncan Browne's
immediate recordings, so it ought to appeal especially to those
of a Fading Yellow persuasion. Here's a quick run thru' the
tracks. It opens with the title track, an unusual and top-notch
orchestrated pop affair that is decorated with some mesmerising
psychy touches where the song threatens to dissolve into the
haze. 'Can I Stay With You' is vaguely Sarstedtian, genuinely
warm, with flute, cellos and snare drums weaving together -
"Cigarettes, magazines/Perforated Chinese dreams...",
whilst 'Bungles' Tours' is an overtly commercial piece, with
popsyke overtones and the tiniest hint of the Idle Race on a bad
day. 'David's Prayers' is simple, a folkish acoustic guitar-lead
ballad with sweeping orchestral overdubs.
'Inkpot Eyes' is bleak and depressing, Leonard Cohen in a pop
framework.
'The Wanderer (NOT the Dion classic!) has a melodic similarity to
The Chi-Lites' 'Too Good To Be Forgotten', with perhaps hints of
Glen Campbell or Nilsson. Fans of Peter Sarstedts' fashionable
left-field gems may appreciate 'Stephanie City', a francophile
cut which tells of a prostitute and her loves (ooh er!) and could
quite easily have stood an outside chance of becoming a
hit. 'Little Bird' is pretty and 'Deeper Tones Of Blue' is now't
special. 'Queen Of Dreams' (NOT the Straubs track!!) is frankly
too awful to be allowed to exist (think Shakin' Stevens in a
profoundly down home mood and you're still not close to how bad
this is!). 'Wheel Of Fortune' one of the albums stand out tracks
(it wouldn't have been comped otherwise, would it now?). The
album closes as the day itself does, with 'Evening'. This is a
nice pop piece, with some wobbliness, most especially towards the
end of the song. It is quite unnerving and personally, I like it
a lot.
Although 'The Nightmare Of J.B. Stanislas' is far from a
masterpiece, it possesses enough charm and style (and great
rarity!) to justify its inclusion amongst the Premier League of
mega collectibles. Don't expect phasing or fuzz or backwards
sitars. What you get are delicate, seductive pop vignettes akin
to Peter Daltrey's softer moments; melancholic, singer-songwriter
wistfulness with lashings of strings. A quiet, understated and
under-heard treasure trove.
It must be stated here - once and hopefully for all - that the
info (re. Garrie's "real name" and "career")
in 'The Tapestry Of Delights' is embarrassingly off the mark,
well, total tripe to be precise, naively cribbed from a rather
silly "joke" in 117.
'Tapestry' is rather dismissive of the album, as they often are
of material of which they have no knowledge. It remains only to
ask - Nick Garrie, where are you now?
+ STOP PRESS + STOP PRESS + STOP PRESS + STOP PRESS +
No sooner are we readied for press, than the following happens...
Korean label Acid Ray has just reissued the above album on CD,
the cat no is
5506. So now finally, you can all get to dig it.
MAJORITY
ONE - 'Majority One'
Majority One
were the latter Europe-based manifestation of Hull-based
five-piece The Majority, who had recorded a mixed bag of singles
for Decca, and a wonderful continental-only piece of
Beatles-esque perfection entitled 'Charlotte Rose'; and then
under their newly truncated name, 'Get Back Home' a classic fuzz
bustin' freakbeat-psych hybrid. This LP, one of the finest by a
UK group of the period, is very much a product of the '66-'68
pop-psych era despite its late recording/release date. 'Feedback'
is a fine bubble fuzzer and a great way to start the album, it's
followed by 'Rainbow Rocking Chair' majestic and sublime
Beatles-style psych ballad, and yet another song which utilises
the flight motif as a metaphor for the LSD experience. "Up
there in the sky, the lands above the clouds are far
below.../When my plane is upside down, it looks like as if I'm in
a rainbow rocking chair".
Wobbly vocals sandwich a singalonga-pop affair that is 'A
Cigarette A Cup Of Tea' - inane and yet quite wonderful. 'I
Nearly Died' is very much Bee Gees in derivation, a ballad with
gorgeous backing. From the same sessions as
'Charlotte Rose' comes 'Looks Like Rain', a light as air shard of
wistfulness all spangled with harmonies. 'Glass Image' is the
happy progeny of a marriage of fuzz, strings and double-tracked
vocals. 'Because I Love You' (the B side of 'Get Back Home') is a
ballad with phased vocals.
Pleasant and although not as good as it could have been it ain't
as bad as some think either. Popsyke that's sort of Quo-ish and
Bee Gee-ish is delivered in 'Love Came Today' one of the best
tracks o the album. 'Depths
Of My Mind' is great pop, embellished with some tasty guitar.
Pop with harpsichord? Got any? And some phasing?
Yes!
Got any Moody Blues ethereal 'armonies?
Yes, Guv! 'I Don't Mind The Rain' and 'I See Her Everywhere' is
another baroque-popper, this time with cellos an' all. 'Roger La
Frite' (who was he?) is heavy prog pop with a great freaked-out
section which merges with 'Revelation', which short and trippy,
is the perfect end to an almost perfect album.
***DAVID BOWIE***
Let me introduce you to
the gang
Johnny plays the sitar, he's an existentialist
Once he had a name, now he plays our game
You won't feel so good now that you've joined the gang
Molly is the model in the ads
Crazy clothes and acid full of soul and crazy hip
Someone switched her on, then her beam went wrong
Cause she can't switch off now that she's joined the gang
Arthur is a singer with a band
Arthur drinks two bottles just before he goes on stage
Look at Arthur rave, all the kids are paid
They want to see the croaking man who joined the gang
You won't be alone, we've all got beery grins
It's a big illusion but at least you're in
At least you're in
This club's called The Web, it's this month's pick
Next month we shall find a place where prices aren't so stiff
15 bob a coke, 'fraid that's past a joke
This is how to spend now that you've joined the gang
This is what to do now that
you're here
Sit round doing nothing all together very fast
Psychedelic stars, throwing down cigars
They're picking up the joints now that they've joined the gang
...........High camp and rather silly? Yes, but also an essential
1967 contemporary document. A satirical snapshot of some of
"swingeing" London's most obvious excesses and
deficiencies.
'Silver Treetop School For Boys'
Here's the town in which I live, Petunia Green
Here's the shop and here's the man who sold me laces for my shoes
There is Mr.Marcus Bowles they say he's mad
'Here's the battle that I won' at
Silver Treetop School For Boys
Pearly days were good as gold
An apple here an apple there
And everywhere a 'Yes sir', 'No sir'
They made me roll the cricket pitch once a day
I've never been so happy than at
Silver Treetop School For Boys
The mowing machine was leaving small piles of grass
The wind had blown some blades into the pipe of Mr.Marcus
Bowles
This manic teacher fell upon the cricket field
Smiling, laughing, rolling about at Silver Treetop School For
Boys.
"Hey there" they call in the staff room
They call in the canteen "Hey come and look at what I
found"
A thousand boys and Masters sitting
On the cricket ground at
Silver Treetop School For Boys"
The English master thought he was a purple mouse
And the Head, who's usually sad, was swinging from a tree
Mr.Brown the Physics man is off his head
And everyone just loves the grass at
Silver Treetop School For Boys
Lalalalalalala lalala lalalalalalalalala lalalalalalalalala
lalalalalalalalala
..........A truly wonderful piece, inspired by a drugs scandal at
a top school (which as it is the alter mater of one of our
contributors we shall refrain from naming & shaming!).
Bowie's original demo has never surfaced, but two versions, both
brilliant in their different ways are well known. The version by
The Beatstalkers was ridiculously excluded from the RC Psych
Trip, together with its great popsyke B Side- incorrectly listed
in 'The Tapestry of "Delights"(sic)' as "Sugar
Coated Man"!!! Whatever did the writer have on his mind???
Ooh la!
'Silver Treetop School For Boys' - Discography:
DAVID BOWIE/RIOT SQUAD - 'Silver Tree Top School For Boys'.
Demo, recorded May 1967. Remains unreleased to this day.
SLENDER PLENTY - 'Silver Tree Top School For Boys'/'I've Lost A
Friend And
Found A Lover' (Polydor BM 56189) Released September 1967.
THE BEATSTALKERS - 'Silver Treetop School For Boys'/'Sugar
Chocolate
Machine' (CBS 3105) Released December 1967.
***'HOT, COLD & CUSTARD', by Scott Charbonneau***
PETER & GORDON - 'Hot,
Cold & Custard' (Capitol ST 2882, USA Only)
By the time this album was released in late 1968 Peter &
Gordon were not much more than a rapidly receding memory in the
minds of a fickle and rapidly expanding listening public;
victims, as they were, of changing tastes and times. It had been
a good 18 months since their last significant US hits, where they
were always more popular, and those gifts from John and Paul were
now 4 years old which was more like a lifetime when considering
all the changes that had taken place in pop music since 1964.
Peter and Gordon themselves had not been immune to those changes;
nestled amidst the latest hit single and middle of the road
standards that would constitute a typical album of theirs one
would find songs from some of the hipper contemporary writers
such as Phil Ochs or Cat Stevens and there would usually be at
least one self penned track. Inevitably such moments would
provide the albums' high points which made it all the more
frustrating, because you were left with the sense that Asher and
Waller were hipper than 'Lady Godiva' and 'Knight In Rusty
Armour' may have suggested. With the duo's recent lack of success
then, Capitol just quietly snuck 'Hot Cold & Custard' onto
the market. Sales must have been poor; after all this was when
Cream, Hendrix, the Doors and the Airplane were all at their
peak. As the LP was never, to the best of my knowledge, released
outside of the US, it is still largely unknown, with few people
being aware of its' existence. More's the pity, as 'Hot Cold
& Custard' is easily the best LP Peter & Gordon ever
made, the only album you can listen to all the way through
without embarrassment and the only LP to be of interest to SFA
readers. Nine of the eleven songs come from the pens of our
dynamic duo and they also had a hand in the production and
arrangement processes. On past albums, Peter & Gordon
originals would be jointly credited; here they write
individually. Peter Asher's five contributions are more
adventurous musically and lyrically, displaying some nodding
familiarity with some of the accoutrements of the psychedelic
culture; no surprise there as he was a part owner of the Indica
bookshop. With its backward drum loop and strange, farting horn
arrangement 'I Feel Like Going Out' serves notice that this will
not be your typical Peter & Gordon LP. Some beautiful
harmonies in the dreramlike middle section enhance the song,
making it one of the best things they ever recorded.
Setting music to an e. e. cummings poem, 'Freedom Is A Breakfast
Food' would seem to be a treatise on the random order of things;
in other words things are what they are so don't waste too much
time thinking about them. 'The Magic Story Of The Park Keeper And
His Fairy Godmother' tells the tale of a quiet, unassuming lad
who becomes transformed and now "waters the flowers by
day/but wears them out at night." 'The Quest For The Holy
Grail' sums up the spirit of 1967 when earnest young heads the
world over were engaged in a search for a certain
something, often indefinable, or unattainable, that they felt
would bring them enlightenment or peace of mind. 'Uncle
Hartington' could best be described as a particularly vile
relation of the Mindbenders' 'Uncle Joe The Ice Cream Man'.
Gordon Waller's four contributions to the LP are more
straightforward and accessible and, not surprisingly, adhere more
closely to what one could regard as the Peter and Gordon sound.
Indeed, Capitol released several of his tracks in a vain attempt
to restore the duo to US chart prominence. Pride of place goes to
'You've Had Better Times' which possesses a strong R & B feel
that almost approaches a rave up at times. Some surprisingly
forthright lyrics as Gordon chastises a woman who must always be
"one jump ahead/of people who get on your bed." Still,
he is not without conflict as he laments "that isn't how I
want to see you/I really want to say I need you."
'Never Ever' runs a close second with its' baroque feel and nice
use of dynamics; clearly this is the track that had the greatest
hit potential. 'Sipping My Wine' is a pleasant
cod country ballad and 'Cos You're A Star', with its' cautionary
tale of a man who has spent himself broke in order to keep his
girl in the lifestyle to which she's become accustomed, ends the
album on a fun, up-tempo note.
The two non-original tracks illustrate the difference between the
old and new Peter and Gordon. Originally recorded by The Gants,
who came close to a hit with it the previous year, 'Greener Days'
is a terrific song that fits seamlessly with the original
material.P & G's arrangement remains faithful to the original
and they deliver a terrific performance vocally. 'She Needs
Love', originally recorded by Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders
in 1965, sticks out like a sore thumb as it sounds like something
they were forced to record, and none too enthusiastically at
that. Sadly, at the time of release 'Hot Cold & Custard' was
a case of too little, too late for Peter and Gordon as their
lightweight image was too much to overcome. Consequently, this is
an album that a lot of people have yet to hear, an oversight that
will hopefully be rectified soon.
***PROTO-GLAM: A MINI FOLLOW UP, by Johnny Hortus***
Here is another example of
the sub-genre about which I wrote in last month's SFA.
THE
MATCHMAKERS - 'Two Timing Man'.
This is a
prime example of Mark Wirtz's genius for musical synthesis &
fusion, and ergo the perfect bridge between Mr. & Mrs.
Lennon's 'Instant Karma' with its echoed, heavy rhythn track;
bubblegum catchiness; and late-era psych pop influences, all
built on a foundation of vintage rock'n'roll to form the
prototypical stomping glam sound. Marvelous stuff and "quite
unique", as Cilla would say.
PS ~ by Dave Thubron:
Note: I think these
"proto-glam" and the new genre as a whole are well
worth investigation. For a start, it's been hitherto ignored by
fans/historians/musicologists et al; and from our perspective it
shows the direction one branch of music took at the close of the
psych era. As many former psych musicians went on to play in glam
bands as went on to prog, although to be imprecise, the poppier
bands went glam and the rockier ones went prog - although of
course this is not always true, witness Simon Dupree's unlikely
volte face from raver's fave pin up to leader of prog bores
Gentle Giant.
The debatable contention which states that progressive rock was
the exclusive, natural and ultimate destination for psychedelic
music, could just as easily be applied to glam. After all, T.
Rex, Sweet and Mud who had one and all, to differing degrees,
flirted with Flower Power, went on to become teenybopper
darlings.
Tangerine Peel are another case where an earlier psych-pop sound
was traded in for proto-glam riffs, but then they were an advance
party for the Mike Chapman's assault on the charts.
Consider the hand claps in The Loot's 'She's A Winner'. Could
glam have sounded in the way it did without such material?
***WHAT
THE PAPERS SAID: PART ONE: READERS' LETTERS, Selections by Jim
Mac***
From Record Mirror (June 29th, 1968):
The Bee Gees record "Jumbo" has failed to make the top
20, and with the steady decline of all their records - each one
not even reaching the former discs positions in the charts - I
believe that the Bee Gees are on the
downward path. Originally, most of their success can be
attributed to the fact that people felt sorry for them over the
deportation question. Think of their meteoric rise to fame, all
the publicity, the big tours with an
orchestra; doesn't it all remind you of the career of the Walker
Brothers?
Their popularity and chart placings suddenly took on a downward
trend; and they couldn't even get their records into the top 20
in the end. I'm afraid that the fate of "Jumbo" is
significant fact - and I make this prediction : Bee Gees and
fans, the End is Near!
Brain Woods, Dovercourt, Essex.
The Idle Race say they will give 50 per cent of their royalties
of their new record to the Conservative party, "In the name
of the young people of this country" I will not soil this
page by entering into the political issues
involved, but this, in my view, is the final degradation of the
pop scene.
Of course there have been groups deriding politicians - that's
free speech.
But to sell records on the basis of political sympathies brings
the pop business down to gutter level. And as for "the young
people of this country", most of whom don't have the vote
anyway, I'm sure they'd rather have the money go to Oxfam, or
somewhere where it would do some good!
Politics is for politicians - it must be kept out of pop.
Stephen Robinson, Worcester Park, Surrey.
From 'Record Mirror', August 3rd, 1968:
I am sure I speak for a great many when I say I shall miss The
Seekers. Not only were they a wonderful musical group, but both
their appearance and manners were a great example to the youth of
today. Perhaps I am a "square", but you can keep your
hippies and such like. To me the Seekers were always among the
real "beautiful people".
Victor C. Timmons, London, SW1
***WHAT THE PAPERS SAID: PART TWO: CLASSIC REPRINTS - THE MOVE***
Here, two contemporary
press reports recount very different but closely-related moments
in the career of The Move. As T.S.Eliot wrote in 'East Coker',
and with which Ace Kefford would doubtless concur: "In my
beginning is my end"
From the 'NME', February 11, 1967:
JEREMY
PASCALL goes to a recording session with THE MOVE
Outside the
thick, soundproof doors a red light glows behind the word
"RECORDING", punched out of a metal plate.
I push the heavy door to and walk into the tiny control room.
Inside it is very hot, the floor is littered with torn-up pieces
of tape, old newspapers, empty coke bottles and members of the
Move listening to play-backs of a
recently-cut track.
The control room is a mass of complex equipment. Along one wall
is a massive mixing machine with about four hundred switches,
knobs, controls and dozens of snakey leads. In the middle are
exposed tape spools that give the machine the appearance of a
computer.
In front of the main control panel, looking like a Mexican bandit
from "The Magnificent Seven," in faded jeans, black
boots, maroon silk shirt, fur jerkin and with the ensemble
completed by a villainous drooping 'tash,' sits independent
producer Denny Cordell.
Denny devotes all his concentration to the play-back,
occasionally muttering comments to sound engineer Gerald Chevin
on his left.
Before Denny and Gerald is a console with dials, sliding
"faders," counters and sixty switches set into it. Move
manager Tony Secunda and lead singer Carl Wayne explain the
functions of this bewildering machine to me.
The studio is split into three parts. First the control room and
then, behind thick walls, the actual studio area itself. This is
a large impersonal room which looks like an empty school hall.
Strewn around are chairs, music stands, amps, screens, mikes, a
couple of pianos and an organ. Right in the centre, sitting on a
high stool, with headphones clamped to his ears through which he
can hear the original track,
is bass-man Chris "Ace" Kefford.
Chris is dubbing or superimposing a "slide fuzz bass
riff" - which means that he strikes a chord and runs his
fingers all the way down the finger-board of his guitar.
Chris does it once, does it twice and yet a third time. He has to
concentrate hard to get it just right. He takes a short break and
rubs his eyes - he's been recording several hours already.
He tries it again, Denny Cordell stops him to tell Chris what he
really wants. "Yeah fine. But bring it right down -
gaaawoonggg. Just slide, no hang-over"
I can't understand the jargon but it seems to register with Chris
because the next take satisfies even Denny the perfectionist.
Carl Wayne explains that on each tape there are four tracks.
"On the first track we record rhythm with rhythm guitar,
bass and drums. That's the kind of basis from which we work, that
lays it down. On another track we record the lead guitar and on
the third we put the vocal. This leaves us one track to fit
extras.
"If we want to put more tracks on after that we reduce those
four tracks to one and then use the remaining three. Simple. Get
it?"
I nodded dumbly, more from being polite than from accuracy!
Now it's Carl's turn to do some work. He steps into a glass-side
booth that partitions off a corner of the studio. Inside he, too,
clips a pair of phones on to his head and stands in front of a
huge mike. We in the control room can't hear a thing and as a
result Carl looks like a hairy goldfish mouthing silently on the
other side of the glass.
Carl makes the take first time and all the boys assemble to hear
the play-back. Everybody chips in comments and suggestions.
"Don't you think we could play that one twice to the
bar?"
"I like that take."
"Yeah, I think it's quite good."
"I still think it could be more original." This last
from Tony Secunda, ever-striving for the unorthodox.
"Not bad, fellers, but let's try it just one more time. And
let's have some quiet, huh? Some cats are trying to work."
Denny's word is final.
All this hard work is too much for me. The heat is stifling, and
the ciggie smoke so dense I can hardly see across the room. As
Carl and I leave to get a drink Denny is saying:
"Take two. Ready Chris? Right, we're running you now."
Carl breathes a sigh of relief to be in the air again and
comments with typical Birmingham understatement "When you've
been in there for ten hours or more things can become a trifle
strained!"
From the 'NME', April 27, 1968:
WHEN
A MOVE MOVES OUT Five people are left with a challenge
The bubble of musical and personal frustration that was the
five-piece Move has burst. The clashof personalities, the
animosities and squabbles have come out into the open - leaving
Chris "Ace" Kefford as The Move out in the cold while
Carl, Roy, Trev and Bev go their way as one. For all five of them
now the future bristles with opportunities countered by the dread
of failure...possibilities that the fans will reject the new look
Move...possibilities that they will choose to forget the Move who
went solo.
And of all of them it is Ace who must view the future with the
most suspicion; with whom fear of failure will be most acute.
Since he first left the group (then only temporarily) some three
weeks ago due to illness, Ace has been recuperating at his
newly-acquired country cottage ten miles from Birmingham. But he
hasn't been idle.
Last week he told me he had written eight numbers and hoped to go
into a studio shortly in the hope that one of them would provide
his first solo single.
I tackled him on the reasons for the split. "It has been
going on basically for about two years now. I am a moody person
and highly strung and I had this nervous breakdown" said
Ace. "There was always a great deal of animosity amongst us.
"Towards the end when I was out of the group for a while I
sensed that they wanted me out as well.
"The whole atmosphere had gone back to what it was at the
beginning with the other four as mates and me not getting along
with them. As soon as I felt this atmosphere coming back I
thought it best not to return."
While the Move was playing as four and Ace was recovering from
his illness he went to watch them on a date in Birmingham.
FRIENDLY:
"We were chatting and drinking and getting on well and I
thought that they played just as well that night as when I was in
the group. It sounded pretty good to me and I told them so."
I asked Ace if he felt any musical frustration while in the
group.
"Everybody in the Move was in the same position," he
replied. "I was writing songs and we weren't doing any of
them. Perhaps they didn't think they were good enough.
"But I still thought I wanted to try them and that did bring
me down a bit."
But he emphasised that it was the clash of personalities that was
the main reason for the break.
And what of the future? "At one time I didn't want to stay
in the business
but thought what else could I do if I did quit.
"I thought I might as well go on my own and record my own
numbers because at least I will be doing what I enjoy doing.
"No I'm not too worried about the future or fans' reactions
because the fan mail I got in the Move was always to me
individually. It is hard to say about the future because you can
never predict whether a thing will be a
hit. I will just try and do my best. If it flops it won't mean
the end.
"But I am happy because it is like getting out of a job that
doesn't give you the opportunities for what you think you can do.
I didn't really enjoy the job I was doing"
Ace was emphatic that he wouldn't be joining any other group.
"I just couldn't. If I had an offer from a top group to play
as bass guitarist or sing I would turn it down.
"I want to do something entirely on my own. It is up to me
now and me alone." And with only him to take the blame for
failure or the credit for success is how Ace prefers it.
Meanwhile the remaining Moves are excited and
optimistic about what the future holds for them.
High among their plans is the promotion of two young Birmingham
songwriters, Dave Morgan and Richard Tandy, who have been signed
to a new company the group has formed to handle writers.
"There is such a lack of good song writing talents around
and people are always asking us for material so we thought we'd
look around for good writers," said Carl Wayne.
"We cut four numbers last night. One was a sort of Procol
thing and the other would have been great for Paul Jones.
"When we have about twenty on tape we will start offering
them round. This boy Dave Morgan is fantastic. He has a sort of
Dylan influence to him."
Dave is with another Birmingham group the Uglies who, Carl says,
have a singer like a "static Mick Jagger."
"Dave's output is tremendous," offered a sleepy Trevor.
"He turned up with about thirty songs in a folder and the
following session he turned up with thirty more. He's written
about 250 songs so far and he's only a young bloke, same as
us."
Carl quickly pointed out though that Roy and only Roy would
continue to write "A" sides for the Move and while on
the subject I asked what progress was being made to come up with
a follow up to "Fire Brigade."
"We're doing some recording tonight though what we will be
doing we don't yet know," said Carl. "We asked Roy to
write something but we don't know if he's got anything yet. He
gets lazy at times and we have to tell him to get
on with it."
I asked the much maligned Roy if he had come up with anything. He
nodded and said he had penned a new number the previous night.
That accounted for his sleepy disposition.
We were joined by the group's manager Tony Secunda and the talk
turned to
the LP, at No 15 in the NME Albums Chart. "We recorded one
track with a full
orchestra and just threw it away because we felt it wasn't
right," said
Tony.
Carl added: "You see we worked on it over a period of
eighteen months and the stuff we had done at the beginning kept
getting out of date." Said Trevor; "We threw away
enough stuff for a second album."
All agreed however that they were pleased with the finished
product, although because the group's change in directions they
felt that the next album would be completely different.
And we leave it at that - with Carl, Trev, Roy and Bev headed for
new horizons. Good luck to them - and to Ace too!
*** "TWICE AS nice but not MUCH psych!", by Amanda Cohen***
Over the past couple of
decades the once solid and inflexible definition of
"psychedelic" music has been tossed on an ocean of
innumerable amateur revisionists, struck the rocks, rolled over,
finally broke apart and sank beneath the icy waters of
uncertainly. Instead of a new definition arising from the
wreckage, the absence of clear critical consensus has engendered
only blurred boundaries and a notable lack of clarity. Somewhere
along the line, music that was once essential to the scene
(particularly when I were a lass in the late 60s) - ISB,
Tyrannosaurus Rex, Fairport, even Donovan...has been junked by
the know-alls and heretical mods who try to run the scene like
it's their own private ego-empire; and elsewhere attempts have
been made by some parties to sneak (especially those
well-disposed towards orchestrated pop), Twice As Much into the
psych canon via the backdoor. It seems that nowadays almost
anything recorded between 1966 and 1970 may be brought under the
psychedelic umbrella, including such formerly beyond the pale
acts such as Vanity Fair, The Tremeloes, The Searchers and The
Casuals.
Certainly not in my personal canon of acid soundtracks. I
know from bitter experience that listening to these sounds whilst
tripping would cause me to have a real bummer! The epicentre has
most assuredly moved away from rock/folk to pop. A situation
which at least allows us to examine the impact that psychedelic
motifs had on the world of mainstream pop.
Twice As Much were in many respects the most fully-realised and
closet adherent to the Oldham/Immediate "pocket symphonies
for the kids" blueprint: a blend of The Beach Boys and pre
psych-era folk pop duos together with an
admixture of MOR, Broadway and Phil Spector; and although
somewhat hampered by some god-awful material, which sometimes
leaves them sounding inane and very dated, they still managed to
deliver impressive pop, if at times too swiftly slipping into
slickness (try saying that without your dentures in!), and
although they never wigged-out or even broke into a sweat their
music displays elements that are associated with certain strains
of popsyke - not least of which is the overall prissiness, a
disdainful, self-consciously cultured middle class school boy's
version of pop, all embroidered and effeminate (relatively
speaking if contrasted with the snarling, rutting rituals of
R&B) - which should appeal to fans of the genre. My personal
choice of their most interesting moments are as follows:
'Night Time Girl' - Lush westcoast style, high camp with some
flourishes of atonal electric guitar. As used in Peter
Whitehead's 'Tonite Let's Make Love In London'.
'Why Can't They All Go And Leave Me Alone?' - The angst ridden
cry of the martyred grammar school boy. All was not always
idyllic in the summer of '67. Twice As Much's most competent 45
side. Prettified by hippie finger cymbals and cello, its slow
pace adds to the overwhelming sense of claustrophobia and
anxiety.
'Step Out Of Line' - Another of Immediate's excursions into
Shangri-Las/"Wall of Sound" territory.
'Play With Fire' - A masterpiece. Lyrical brilliance from the
Stones (under the pseudonyms which sound suspiciously like two
forms of modi sexualis prohibited in some US states, viz. Nanker
& Phelge). Gorgeous Floyd/Japanese styled organ, wood blocks,
drum rolls, xylophone, a thermo-nuclear explosion, staccato
rhythm ... all build an edifice around the gleeful
malevolence and undisguised spitefulness: "Your old man took
the diamond and tiaras by the score/Now she gets her kicks in
Stepney, not in Knightsbridge anymore..."
'Green Circles' - Their most overtly "psychedelic"
recording, and another masterpiece. It's akin to some of the
tracks on Billy Nicholls' 'Would You Believe' marred only by a
fluffed vocal harmony two lines into the first verse. It
invites comparison with the four versions by The Small Faces that
are in the public domain * , in particular, the the "slow
version", with which it has the greatest aural similarity.
This in many ways is a finer, certainly subtler and more softly
lysergic creation than the Small Faces' two extant versions,
decorated with harpsichord, strings, over echoed drums which
accelerate towards the brass-tinged finalé.
* These different versions/mixes - Mono, Stereo, "Slow
version" and "U.S.A mix" - are all available on
Castle's magnificent twofer 35th Anniversaty repackage of The
Small Faces- 'Small Faces' 1967 Immediate LP (CMDDD 553).
By way of an aside...
By thinking in a truly broad church way, in a more genuinely
"sixties" mind-set, we should readmit ISB,
Tyrannosaurus Rex, Fairport & Donovan to their rightful
place, so that we can get a truer picture of UK psychedelia, and
also begin to discover a continuation of the genre outside its
usual reserve of 60s pop, at least until the advent of Punk, and
then on thru the 1981 revival, and beyond...
The main problem, I guess, is the terminology. Three terms are
commonly used (but are they universally understood???)-
"Psychedelic", "Underground",
"Hippie". All three share as many overlaps as
exclusions. For example, whilst Syd's Floyd were Psychedelic,
Underground and Hippie, the Beatles of 1967 were Psychedelic and
Hippie, but far too high-profile to be Underground. Edgar
Broughton was both quasi-Hippie and Underground but was he
particularly Psychedelic? The Quo were Psychedelic but never
Hippie or Underground....
***IN ARCADIA, by Stuart Robertson***
ARCADIUM - 'Breathe
Awhile' (Middle Earth MDL 302) 1969.
Also reissued on CD (Repertoire Records).
This stoned, freaked-out album will have some psych enthusiasts
spitting the words "This is Prog!" Well if you do, you
would be half-right (or half-wrong) for this has got one foot in
the up-and-coming land of prog, whilst the other is firmly
planted in the land of psych(albeit more of a downer vibe); and
as this will appeal to the long-haired freak in many of
us, it may not appeal to the enthusiasts of the soft and light
side of psych!( believe you me!)
MIGUEL SERGIDES- vocals & guitar (actually wrote all the
material on this, God knows were HIS head was at!). Arcadium were
signed to the small underground label Middle earth. As for the
name ARCADIUM it ain't got nothing to do with places with fruit
machines( groan,get him off) but is derived from the ancient
Greek paradise- Arcadia, but this is not a history lesson so
let's shifty onto the sounds. This album starts with the best
song, and even though it lasts for 11 minutes, surprisingly
it works real well as this is 11 minutes of stoned heaven(or in
this albums case hell).
What's the title of this monster?(patience dear boy)well
it's 'I'm On My Way', which tells you everything you need
to know about this song. It starts with some finger picking
guitar, this gives a floating effect which is soon joined by some
to-the-fore stoned, dreamy organ; but you're put into a false
state of mind as it soon becomes more menacing with a spookily
muted chiming bell and strange effects from the guitar. This song
is intelligently put together and it builds its way up to a
crescendo of guitar, drums and organ giving the feeling of just
about getting to where you wanna go (remember the title of the
song) then the crescendo stops, and we're back into the finger
picking guitar but this time accompanied by creepy vocals and
BANG!! we're introduced to a scorching sooped up guitar solo and
again the floating organ. The song builds itself up to a climax
(ooh matron) once more, and
brings itself down again with the haunting refrains of "I'm
on my way!"(I thought they got there already!), which is
unexpectedly followed by 2 minutes of solo groovy, jazzed-up
organ solo which dies down as the trip has reached its peak...
This was one rollercoaster of a number. How do you carry on like
this? Well, with a number called 'Poor Lady', which is quite an
upbeat number (for this album anyway!) and firmly belongs in the
psych/prog crossover territory. It consists of some well
-utilised, haunting backing vocals which go great with some at
times anguished, heart-felt vocals which rise throughout this
album; but it keeps that stoned vibe going with bursts of rocking
acidic guitar accompanied by booming bass. After listening to
those first 2 tracks you know you ain't going on some fluffy trip
skipping through daisies. Which brings us on nicely (or in this
case nastily) to track 3 - 'Walk On The Bad Side'. What can you
say aboutthis? Well, I can tell you this is one heavy acid rocker
dominated throughout by organ and screeching guitar. It's on
songs like this that you can hear prog taking over, but it works
well in this context as it isn'tsome show off with his
head up his own arse. This one has got a bad and menacing vibe,
what with lyrics like "I can give you life" (which
permeate throughout the album), which turns into a 2 minute
guitar and organ freak out! Someone give me a
seat,please! As we continue this hazardous journey into 'Woman Of
A Thousand Years', which is a delight that's comprised of flanged
vocals accompanied by swirling organ and crazed acid guitar licks
with echoed refrains of "woman of a thousand
years" from the backing vocalists, disturbing indeed but I'm
afraid we must carry on to the next song. 'Change Me' has a more
progressive feel due to the vocals which can sometimes grate as
they have that melodramatic operatic feel which became so
prominent in progdom. This is mercifully saved by some magical
organ playing.
Then we're back to that woman again with 'It Takes A Woman',
which starts with some acoustic guitar, and same again you think
yeah this is mellow then.... WALLOP! it turns into a heavy psych
rocker which points the way forward to the rock guitar sound of
the 70s (unfortunately), with the organist playing the same key
over and over again and the guitarist obviously having a free
rein. Surprisingly this ends quietly with organ and soft acoustic
guitar.
Well, how do you end an album that's been as much of a
rollercoaster of emotions as this? With a song titled 'Birth,
Life And Death' of course! This is another long number. It starts
with an air raid siren, followed by more
mad axe playing throughout the number - which again can be a bit
overbearing as we go into Led Zep territory - this is a freak out
of a number, but perhaps spoilt slightly by the guitar which
gives it that 70s feel; but I could imagine this being played at
Middle Earth, with swirling-strobing-piercing-the-brain lights
and the long haired freaks
grooving on down in their own acid-inspired world (Hey wake up
Stuart,you've gotta finish this article! ~ Dave.]... anyway 5
minutes into the song we're met with some singing (I don't know
what he's on about though, do you?), and
he's struggling to be heard over the dominant organ and strong
drumming which ends with the eerie refrain of "Goodbye my
world..." ringing in your ears. And here we are at the end,
feeling kinda tired and drained; for to be
honest this album is quite a hard listen in some parts, but this
adds to the whole atmosphere of what this is about. If any album
can make you feel like that then it's a success.
This is an album showing the downside of the vibe that was
permeating in the drug culture at the end of the sixties. Not
everything was rosey in the garden of their mind!
As I said at the beginning
this WILL NOT be everyone's cup of tea, the prog elements in this
may put off a few folk, but it represents the opposite extreme of
psych music than that which at the moment is the prevailing style
- the poppier and whimsical end of things. And this album
certainly ain't that!!!
As a side note, the CD reissue contains the single from '69:
'Sing My Song'/'Riding Alone' (Middle Earth MDS102) which
basically follows in the same vein as the album, although a tad
softer!
*** 'THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT...' by Jamie Driscoll***
Confusion justifiably
surrounds the correct attribution of this LP. This is due to the
fact that the front of the sleeve of the LP (Gemini GME 1002,
1970) states the artists to be - SHERIDAN/PRICE, the spine -
SHERIDAN/RICK PRICE whilst the labels read RICK PRICE AND
SHERIDAN! So, take your pick!!!!
What's in no doubt is that Rick Price (in 1970, lately of The
Move, soon to be in Mongrel, Wizzard, etc) and Mike Sheridan
(formerly of The Nightriders, and Mike Sheridan's Lot)created a
beautiful album (despite what our arch nemesis 'The Tapestry of
Delights' would have you believe!), housed in a slightly
peculiar, understated (read "cheap"!) sleeve
(supposedly designed by Rick Price too), a gatefold job, the
front of which is buff coloured like a civil service envelope, on
which within an ornamental border the title is engraved in Gothic
script. The rear of the sleeve is taken up by a portrait photo of
the guys, their belligerent, short tempered expressions belying
the material housed within.
None of these tracks break through the 3 minute barrier. All is
concise, thoughtful and resolutely crafted post-psych pop.
There's also something of a theme running through a great deal of
the tracks-childhood sadness, loss, emptiness, nostalgia.
'Davey Has No Dad' is a classic piece, very much a product of the
"Honeybus School of British Melancholia", a poignant
tale of an illegitimate little boy (similar in tone to 'Tracey
Smith'). 'Lightning Never Strikes' is a song written by Mike
Sheridan (although due to a galling clerical error mistakenly
credited to Roy Wood!) which was of course recorded in identikit
fashion by The Move. 'Bitter Sweet' is high qualify chamber pop,
as is the well-known 'Tracey Smith' which follows.
'Sometimes I Wonder' is frankly magnificent - driving and
forceful but never ham fisted, it gets to the crux on a wave of
brass. 'Tomorrow's Child' closes side one. It is yet another
melodic beauty. Pantryesque with pretty flute touches, some
dreamy acoustic guitar and an aura redolent of early 70s
hairspray TV commercials. 'Face In My Window' is a lovely 24 ct.
pop gem - the feel and lyrics are like 'Tracey Smith' continued
with fab brooding strings; this is followed by the ballad 'Will
You Leave Me Behind', which has some sublet pop/waltz touches.
'Beautiful Sally' must have been the inspiration for Randy
Vanwarmer's 'Just When I Needed You Most' - although it's far,
far, far better than this comparison suggests, and would not have
been out of place on The Iveys' 'Maybe Tomorrow' album, where it
could have quite happily sat alongside that other Sally. Straight
pop stylistically of a 1968 vintage, nice falsetto harmonies and
flute ending is on offer with 'On The Moon'. 'Picture Box' is
another lovely ballad. "Open your eyes to the beautiful
scenes / A garden of sunshine, a garden of dreams..."
lyrically reminiscent of some of the more introspective,
self-deprecatory and nostalgic moments on, another intricate 1970
pop treasure - Fairfield Parlour's 'From Home To Home'; and 'Lamp
Lighter Man', comped on Circus Days..., closes the album in fine
fashion on a barrage of superb distorted guitar.
If you love late 60's pop (and I guess you must if you read
SFA!), I can recommend this LP unreservedly, you'll love it
dearly.
If however, you already love this album, then congratulations!
your life must truly be a rich and enjoyable one!
Compilation appearances of above LP tracks:
'Tracey Smith'- 'Circus Days', vol. 6 (CD).
'Lamp Lighter Man'- 'Rubble', Vol. 8: "All The Colours Of
Darkness" (LP), and 'Rubble', vol. 4 (CD).
'Sometimes I Wonder'- 'Jagged Time Lapse' vol. 4 (CD).
'Lightning Never Strikes Twice'- 'The Electric Lemonade Acid
Test' vol. 1 (LP).
It may also be worth mentioning the following related (non-LP)
tracks:
SHERIDAN - 'Follow Me Follow'/'When Love Breaks Your Heart'
(Gemini GMS 001) 1970
The A-side is a low-key version of The Idle Race track, and the
B-side is a very short ballad.
RICK PRICE - 'Top Ten Record' (Gemini GMS 017) 1970 [Note:
mistakenly listed as "1971" in Tapestry]
Quite a bizarre track, irresistibly catchy, and yet rather tacky
and irritating. Intended as a joke/novelty disc, its inherent
grooviness can't fail but shine through... The B-side is
'Beautiful Sally'.
It's also curious that 'Davey Has No Dad'/'Bitter Sweet' (Gemini
GMS 012) 1970 was issued as a RICK PRICE solo, even though both
tracks are from the jointly-credited LP.
Note also that a CD comp from a few years back, which included
the 'This Is To Certify That...' LP, totally screwed-up the
LP's running order, and then to make matters worse still, listed
the tracks with titles mixed up! What a bleeding mess.
It is also curious that the vocal register on a number of the
Rick Price songs on the above LP, is higher than on the 45s and
'Talking To The Flowers' LP, as a result I guess, of accelerating
the vocal track to raise pitch.
MIKE SHERIDAN/RICK PRICE ~ ROCK FAMILY TWIGS, by Paul Cross:
1. MIKE SHERIDAN:
1958 -
Michael Tyler joins BILLY KING AND THE NIGHTRIDERS, after first
changing his own name to Mike Sheridan.
By 1963 -
Mike Sheridan (MS) has become front man. Band now known as MIKE
SHERIDAN AND THE NIGHTRIDERS -
MS (lead vocs.)
Alan Johnson (lead gtr.)
Dave Prichard (gtr./vocs.) (from THE PLANETS)
Brian Cope (bs.)
Roger Spencer (drms.) (from THE HOUND DOGS)
Late-1963 -
Brian Cope leaves, replaced by -
Greg Masters (bs.) (from THE DOMINATORS, and THE G MEN)
1964 -
Alan Johnson leaves, replaced by -
Roy Wood (from GERRY LEVENE AND THE AVENGERS, a band which also
included Graeme Edge, future Moody Blues drummer.)
c. January 1966 -
Roy Wood leaves, joins THE MOVE, replaced by -
Johnny L. Mann (from CARL WAYNE AND THE VIKINGS)
c. Mid '66 -
MS leaves, forms MIKE SHERIDAN'S NEW LOT -
MS (lead vocs.)
Pepe Oliver (gtr.)
Terry Wallace (gtr.) (from CARL WAYNE AND THE VIKINGS)
Colin Timmins (bs.)
Roger Spencer (drms.) soon replaced by -
Joe Dignam (drms.)
Band continues until end of 1966, sans MS, as THE NIGHTRIDERS -
Johnny L. Mann leaves, replaced by -Jeff Lynne (from THE
ANDICAPS/ANDY CAPS, and THE CHADS - formerly THE SUNDOWNERS)
[c. 1968] -
MS associated with SIGHT AND SOUND -
Geoff Turton (gtr./vocs.)
RP (gtr.)
Dave Pritchard
Joe Valentine (drms.)
Other members at one time or another included: Grant Kearney,
Peter Smith, Ken Underwood, Bob Doyle, Geoff Turton, and Tony
Collinge.
1969 -
MS goes solo.
1969-1970 -
MS works with Rick Price, whilst still solo (and Rick is still a
member of THE MOVE).
1970s -
MS reforms THE NIGHTRIDERS as a live act.
2. RICK PRICE:
Late 1962 -
Rick Price (b. 1944) joins THE CIMARRONS -
Band members include -
lan Hicks, Maurice Preece, Peter Withers, "Thatch",
Dave Spilsbury, Malcolm Turner, John Shepherd, Cal Denning (John
Fletcher), and Lee Zenith (Ray Hyde).
c. mid 1966 -
Rick Price(RP) joins SIGHT AND SOUND (originally called THE
SOMBREROS. Name changed soon after RP joined)
Geoff Turton (gtr./vocs.)
RP (gtr.)
Dave Pritchard
Joe Valentine (drms.)
Other members at one time or another included: Grant Kearney,
Peter Smith, Ken Underwood, Bob Doyle, Geoff Turton, and Tony
Collinge.
January 1969 -
RP joins THE MOVE (some sources say March 1969, but RP says
January)
1969-1970 -
RP records with Mike Sheridan, whilst still a member of THE MOVE
(and MS is still solo).
February 1971 -
RP leaves THE MOVE, briefly goes solo.
August 1971 -
RP joins MONGREL, which evolves into WIZZARD
Early 1975 -
RP leaves WIZZARD
Late 1977 -
RP joins THE WIZZO BAND, newly formed by Roy Wood
1980s -
RP continues recording, with Dianne Lee, Jim Davidson, etc.
For further reading, vide the profile in SFA 10 of RICK
PRICE's 1971 solo LP: 'Talking To The Flowers', another psych
fave (dismissed by Rick Price as "complete crap"!
Musicians eh? What do they know!).
And do check out the following link for a thoroughly enjoyable
autobiographical text by Rick Price-
http://martinkinch.members.beeb.net/rick.html
(Look out for a future SFA article "The Beeb's Psych
Treasures".)
***BILLY FURY GOES PSYCH by Johnny Hortus***
Bet you never thought
you'd find ol' Billy bub in Sweet FA, eh?
Billy was from an earlier period than that which produced the
freshly permed and Dayglo-clad psychsters of 1967. Ever since
those Beatle fellers had come along and spoilt everything,
Billy's glory days as Larry Parnes' golden boy were
numbered. Instead of running with the cutting wave of
musical fashion as he had in '61, he was by '67 lagging miles
behind, and his tenure on chart success was well 'n' truly
over... and out. He was fast becoming an anachronism. But
'Suzanne In The Mirror' (Parlophone R 5634 released 09/67), like
its closest living relative 'Cowman, Milk Your Cow' (by Adam
Faith, like Billy another refugee from the Brylcreem era) was an
attempt to come to terms with the advent of psychedelia and is as
much a treasure and benchmark (although ostensibly a beat ballad)
of that fabled year and of Abbey Road, as many of the
high-profile "classics".
Issued to complete indifference barring the odd review; a nice
example of which is herewith reproduced in full for your
delectation:
BILLY
GOES PSYCHEDELIC
At one time
Billy Fury was always singing about girls, but this is his first
with her name in the song title for a long time.
But I really can't see the change helping him to a chart
comeback, even though he has modernised by adding a touch of
psychedelia. As usual his thousands of fans will snap it up.
His song deserves a wider audience.
***LYRICS***
Suzanne In The Mirror, by
BILLY FURY
Mesmerised by your pair of eyes
I started walking in the sky
Looking through a velvet screen
I focused on times gone by
Once before, I drifted home
It seems such a long time ago
Oh, but age has whitened memories
Like the winter scene, I know
You make me want a lot of things,
Like Suzanne in the mirror
But will you break the glass of desire
Like Suzanne in the mirror
Resurrected in willow time
My thoughts weep on my chest
Swimming through remorse and pride
The tides seem to come out best
So the invitation of your eyes
Fades in the mist and the gloom
And I want to cry out for their help
But they fade back in the room
You make me want a lot of things,
Like Suzanne in the mirror
But will you break the glass of desire
Like Suzanne in the mirror
You make me want a lot of things,
Like Suzanne in the mirror
But will you break the glass of desire
Like Suzanne in the mirror
***PREVIEWS***
We start the new year in
fine fashion, with two newies from Sweden's finest purveyor of
quality sounds. Both volumes are HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by SFA,
jam-packed as they with Fading Yellow's sweet dose of
"popsike and other delights"! Both due for release at
the end of January 2003:
FADING
YELLOW vol 4 "LIGHT, SMACK, DAB" -UK 60´s Pop-sike and
other delights...
(Flower Machine Records) CD Comp.
1.THOUGHTS AND WORDS - Morning sky
2.THE PICCADILLY LINE - At the third stroke
3.THE MAJORITY - Charlotte Rose
4.THE J. & B. - There she goes
5.THE PLAYGROUND - The girl behind the smile
6.FRABJOY & RUNCIBLE SPOON - Animal song
7.PIPES OF PAN - Monday morning rain
8.THE TOYSHOP - Send my love to Lucy
9.THE CANDLELIGHT - That´s what i want
10.THE EPICS - Henry Long
11.FINDERS KEEPERS - Light
12.MARTIN MARTIN - Imagine
13.THE YOUNG BROTHERS - Mirror, Mirror
14.ROBBIE CURTICE - The Soul of man
15.THE ALAN BOWN - All i can
16.JASON PAUL - Shine a little light into my room
17.THE CALIFORNIANS - Can´t get you out of my mind
18.WAYNE FONTANA - The Impossible years
19.WAYNE FONTANA - In my world
20.JOHN BROMLEY - If you are there with me
21.THE GIBSONS - You know i need your loving
22.DAVE BERRY - And I have learned to dream
23.THE MAJORITY - Wait by the fire
24.DAVID McNEIL - Linda
25.ROBBIE CURTICE with TOM PAYNE - Gospel Lane
FADING
YELLOW vol 5 - GONE ARE THE DAYS - UK 70-73 Pop-sike and other
delights...
(Flower Machine Records) CD Comp.
1. HIGH SOCIETY - Tell me now
2. GARRY BENSON - Holly
3. ANGEL PAVEMENT - When will i see June again
4. MIKE BATT - Wendy
5. TUESDAY - Sewing machine
6. TOAST - Summer of Miranda
7. SUNCHARIOT - You´re lovely
8. VIGRASS & OSBORNE-Forever autumn
9. ROCK CANDY - Magic horse
10.GRACIOUS - Once on a windy day
11.DESIGN-The Minstrel´s theme
12,MAJORITY ONE-I see her everywhere
13.ALMOND MARZIPAN - Summer Love
14.BILLY NICHOLLS - This song is green
15.ABEL FLETCHER-You won´t se me go
16.CATS EYES - Come away Melinda
17.MARVIN, WELSH & FARRAR - Tiny Robin
18.PLAYGROUND-The Rain, the Wind and other things
19.MAXWELL & NICHOLSON - Trees and Things
20.MICKY JONES & TOMMY BROWN-Alice
21.RICHARD BARNES - High flyin´ electric bird
22.ABEL FLETCHER-Esmeralda
MARMALADE - 'Kaleidoscope' (Castle) CD.
(Due for release March 2003)
1. I see the rain (single version)
2. Kaleidoscope
3. Mess around
4. Man in a shop
5. Butterfly
6. Laughing man
7. It's all leading up to Saturday night
8. Otherwise it's been a perfect day
9. Station on Third Avenue
10. Hey Joe
11. Mr. Lion
12. There ain't no use in hanging on
13. Chains
14. Fight say the mighty
15. Mr. Tambourine Man
16. Time is on my side
17. Dear John
18. And yours is a piece of mine
19. Can you help me
20. I see the rain (album version)
***REVIEWS***
POP-IN VOLUME ONE: Choice
Cuts From The Other Side of Mainstream UK pop
1966-70 (Elevator Music Co. ELCD001)CD Comp.
GRAPEFRUIT - Elevator
PLASTIC PENNY - Your Way To Tell Me To Go
THE MINDBENDERS - Uncle Joe The Ice Cream Man
LOVE AFFAIR - Lincoln County
THE CASUALS - Caroline
THE BEE GEES - Sir Geoffrey Saved The World
PAUL & BARRY RYAN - Keep It Out Of Sight
DAVE DEE, DOZY, BEAKY, MICK & TITCH - Still Life
THE MIRAGE - Mystery Lady
THE MERSEYS - So Sad About Us
THE PICADILLY LINE - At The Third stroke
WARM SOUNDS - Birds And Bees
THE BLUE JEANS - Hey Mrs. Housewife
GERRY MARSDEN - Gilbert Green
THE HERD - Miss Jones
WAYNE FONTANA - The Words Of Bartholomew
GRAHAM GOULDMAN - Bus Stop
THE NERVE - Satisfying Kind
THE IVEYS - And Her Daddy's a Millionaire
CAT STEVENS - A Bad Night
LOCOMOTIVE - Roll Over Mary
AMEN CORNER - Run Run Run
THE ALAN BOWN! - Technicoloured Dream
KIPPINGTON LODGE - Shy Boy
TONY HAZZARD - Fade Away Maureen
From the striking cover work in, this is a real beauty.
Very much in the same ball park as 'Color Me Pop' comes this 25
track set of sub-psych/left-field material. It attests to the
brilliance of the material produced in that multicoloured overlap
which Amanda Cohen describes elsewhere in this very issue as the
point where psychedelic motifs added splashes of colour to and
influenced mainstream pop "......."
There's plenty of bendiness here, but no fully wigged-out
freakiness. So what? We get plenty of Brit Pop of the finest
calibre, mostly frothy, full-filled and unabashedly exuberant,
but never inane ephemeral or crass.
In dull old 2002, these songs really are sounds from another era.
An era in which were produced 45s which lacked pretension (at
least by later standards), but possessed an absolute genius for
stylish pop.
This assortment of hand-picked treats (which includes plenty of
BIG names) captures the sheer enjoyment that only late-60s UK pop
can engender, by offering up 25 of its finest moments, which
include 'Caroline' by The Casuals, a dead ringer for the
Move (it was written/produced by Roy Wood, which explains it),
The Merseys symphonic version of The Who's 'So Sad About Us', Cat
Stevens' heavily-phased Mike Hurst produced 'A Bad Night'. The
highly recommended 'Keep It Out Of Sight', one of the Ryan
brothers' most neglected recordings. A real Cecil B. De Mille
opus albeit camp/kitsch right down to the soles of its
Cuban-heeled boots! 'Still Life' - man, those guitar licks!!! And
many other jewels.
Listening to this on a miserable drizzly grey freezing cold
Saturday morning, I'm sure the sky turned blue and the sun came
out... (PC)
Available exclusively from elevatorpop@yahoo.co.uk
FLY
ME TO THE EARTH
(Complied By Tony The Tyger). (USA) CDR Comp.
The Petards-Tartarex
Shades of Morley Brown-Pretty Blue Bird
Tangerine Peel-Trapped
Serpentine-Round and Round
The Tower-In my life
Santa Maria-Donne-Moi Ton Coeur et ta fleur
Haydon Wood-The House beside the mine
Gloria-So Good to dance
Marty Wilde-Shelley
Boudewijn De Groot-Picknick
Zen-I'm Tired again
The Daisy Clan-Glory Be
5 Gentlemen-Mets du sucre dans ton café
Boots-No part of it
The Tower-Captain Decker
The Tower-Steps into Space
Wellington Arrangement-Love
Morgen-She's the nite time
The Names & Faces-The Killer
The Tony Hendrik- Honey Sunny Baby
The Act of Creation-Yesterday Noontime
The News-The Boy who only smiles
Noel Odom & the Group-I can't see nobody
Gloria-Tides of Life
The Wallace Collection-Fly me to the earth
An intelligent and charming international selection, pretty much
in the same vein as volume One of 'Collecting Peppermint Clouds'.
25 tracks, of mostly bright & breezy material, include 4 gems
from SFA-hero Boudewijn De Groot (both solo and as part of The
Tower); a gem (the title track of this comp) by Bruxelles
virtuosos, The Wallace Collection; classics from The Petards and
Morgen; one of the Netherlands' greatest ever recordings - 'The
Killer' (and we ain't jokin'!); and UK gems from Haydon wood,
Tangerine Peel, Marty Wilde and Shades Of Morley Brown.
Very nice indeed! (PC)
Available exclusively from TSanc43763@aol.com
KIMLA
TAZ - 'Kimla
Taz'(Japan: Birdman BMRD-21002) CD.
1. Tomorrow (1968)
2. See You In The Morning My Friend (1968)
3. Stop Messin' Around (1976)
4. I Need You (1976)
5. Crossroads (1976)
6. Gloria (1976)
Kimla Taz have long been spoken of in hallowed tones. They're the
stuff of psych legend as well as being an important finishing
school for Welsh rockers. Sadly the aural truth is rather less
stellar than the legend promised, but the scarcity of surviving
material is hardly a surprise. With its groovy front cover photo
of the late 60s line-up, this CD is being aimed squarely at the
psych/underground fan hungry for mega obscurities - that's you
& me pal. Unfortunately, that hunger won't be satisfied by
this CD set.
Only 2 tracks here are of any interest from an SFA perspective -
the first
two. Both are pretty ragged and typify hundreds of similarly
acetate-only late 60s recordings. The other tracks are pretty
awful and best avoided.
Whether you decide to fork out around £13, essentially for 2
trax and a nice bit of packaging, is for you to decide. But as
genuinely obscure slices of long lost UK psych go, they are both
highly recommended.
Just a shame my belly is still rumbling. (PH)
********************************************************
As part of our 'Fave Things' series, Andrew "Fingers" Fish presents his choices. All of which are by the same band - Leicester's finest sons, Family!
***'FAMILY' FAVOURITES***
(Left
to Right) : Charles Whitney, Roger Chapman, Harry Overnall, Jim
King
(Seated) Ric Green
I love my family, and I
love Family 9the band). What can I say? For me, they were the
best British band around the years '67-'71, recording some of the
most adventurous and brilliant 45s and LPs this country has ever
made. Live they were electrifying, truly - a much overused word -
AWESOME.
Summa cum laude:
'Face In The Cloud'
Family's trippiest cut. This goes very nice with Afghani hash!
From the 'Family Entertainment' LP.
'The Weaver's Answer'
A fantastic song. My favourite is the version found only on the
'Strange Band' EP (Reprise RS 27009) 1970, and never reissued
contrary to what it says in 'The Tapestry of Delights' book.
My favourites change all the time, but these are my current
choices. I've included some overlooked tracks and different
versions.
'Me My Friend'
Words fail me. It's so amazing...
Magna cum laude:
'See Through Windows'
The BBC version, transmitted on Brian Matthew's show 07/09/68 is
totally amazing!!! In fact all their BBC session trax and 1967
demos are fabulous, and deserve a high-quality reissue!
'Summer '67'
Beautiful. Off the 'Family Entertainment' LP.
'Voyage'
"What do I see on my journey of truth..." I dunno mate,
but what you'll hear is Mellotron, bendy sax, fiddle, phasing,
effects, an awe inspiring Chapman vocal performance and some
cosmic lyricising...
Cum laude:
'Var. On A Theme Of Me My Friend'
As good as whole LPs by some other bands, but at less than half a
minute long, it's easily dismissed as "arseimg around with a
sitar"! Surely not! In a similar vein I could easily have
chosen the longer (38 secs!) and equally fab, 'Var. On A Theme Of
The Breeze'.
'The Chase'
The opener to 'Music In A Doll's House'. A solid gold treasure.
This is NOTHING like popsyke!
'Observations From A Hill'
The version from the 'Old Songs, New Songs' LP. A remix, with a
lead vocal by Roger Chapman, replacing that of Ric Grech on the
earlier version.
From a psych perspective Family should be ranked amongdt the very
greatest exponents of the genre, if only for the following-
They were the most competent early users of the Mellotron (check
out the Mike Batt-arranged 'Mellowing Grey' if you don't believe
me!).
Some of the finest phasing cut to vinyl.
A most alluring synthesis of East & West. 'The Breeze' is
fine example of this - finger cymbals, Eastern scales & drone
all weave together, overlaid with a plucked string replicating
the tune of Big Ben's chimes...'3 x Time' - Any track which goes
thru so many changes and includes a cello played to sound like a
kazoo(!), hypnotic drones and a blkast of the national anthem
cannot be ignored!
Whilst on the subject of Family, mention must be made of the
following website -
http://members.aol.com/songforme/
A very fine site, which includes contemporary reviews, press
releases, photos, lyrics, discography, band history...It's the
perfect blueprint for what such a site should be. HIGHLY
RECOMMENDED!
***PSYCH DISCOGRAPHY: Pt. 3***
GRANNY'S INTENTIONS
'The Story Of
David'/'Sandy's On The Phone Again' (Deram DM 158) 1967.
'Julie Don't Love Me Anymore'/'One Time Lovers' (Deram DM 184)
1968.
'Never An Easy Thing'/'Hilda The Builder' (Deram DM 214) 1968.
A sadly overlooked band, especially in the UK. In Eire they're
better known of course. We love the first 3 singles, which bear
little resemblance to the loose, Tull-ish blues rock of the
'honest Injun' LP (Deram SML 1060) 1970!
'David' is pretty close to Procol territory; 'Never An Easy
Thing' is typical 1968 pop (think Love Affair, Marmalade
A-sides); whilst Hilda', a peculiar girl who must have caused her
parents no end of worry, is a popsyke
groover with phased percussion.
Obviously not everyone agrees with us (most especially not
bleedin 'Tapestry'!), as this inadvertently hilarious lunatic
rant, sent to the Irish equivalent of the Radio Times proves-
from the 'RTE Guide', Aug 23, 1968:
20 Minutes With...
I have never written to a newspaper before, and didn't think that
anything would ever move me to write. I regret that it should be
annoyance and not satisfaction that motivates me. Last week's
television programme, 'Twenty Minutes With Granny's Intentions,'
was disgraceful. It should never have been transmitted on a
national network.
I am as partial as the next (I am only 20) to pop music, but I
would emphasise the word 'music,' which is I presumewhat Granny's
Intentions thought they were making in this programme. It is not
always a valid
complaint that the words of a pop song make [such] little sense
they are sometimes unnecessary. But one is entitled atleast to
hear them, and furthermore, one is entitled to hear the music.
In last week's programme I could hear neither words or music. The
songs took second place to the gyrations of the lead singer in
the intrusive, eccentric lighting of the set. Mind you, I am
prepared to believe that the lighting man (or the director)
realised that Granny's Intentions were so bad they couldn't carry
on the programme without gimmicks. What a pity. And I couldn't
even enjoy Jon Ledingham's singing, so awful was the taste left
by
the Intentions. Give us less of this
-BAD INTENTION, Dublin.
Note: Jon Ledingham did a guest turn on the show. He also
recorded under the name of Jonathan Kelly, and was
(unsurprisingly) the central figure in Jon, the Peter
Eden-produced psych-pop outfit.
As an aside, and on the same theme of the Irish reaction to
rock...
From Northern Ireland- 'TV POST' Aug 14, 1968:
Regarding the article, "On the Town" in TV Post of July
31 by Robert W. Hume, about showbands performing at "all
out" volume levels:-
These would-be vocalists-cum-instrumentalists are so lacking in
talent that to cover up their inadequacies in this field they
have to play at diabolical ear-splitting levels.
I once heard a group (much against my better judgement) in Co.
Monaghan, playing through their sound reproducer at an "all
out" volume when suddenly the sound reproducer broke down
and it was then and only then one could hear their pathetic
bleatings.
As a visual comparison, it reminded me of a small piece of fried
fish smothered in a large lump of flour batter and served up to
look big.
In conclusion, even the least technically minded person realises
that to play at these high sound levels renders both music and
lyrics unintelligible.
W.H. Donaldson, Portadown.
TOPO
D. BIL -
'Jam' (Charisma CB 116) 12/69.
As mentioned in Rob Chapman's seminal Mojo "Codsike"
article (which we rate as one of the best ever pieces of writing
on UK Psych). This track, issued on the back of 'Witchi Tai Po'
in an attractive period sleeve, was a collaboration between Chris
Squire (Syn,Yes), Keith Moon, Tony Kaye, and Legs Larry Smith
& Roger Ruskin Spear of the Bonzos. It is as some of these
names suggest, rather mental. A piano-lead nursery chant and a
manic psych-out. Described elsewhere as "A psychedelic
classic, with paisley patterned tongue firmly in cheek". A
comment with which we fully concur.
THE
SUNDOWNERS -
'Blue-Green Eyes' (US: Decca 732497)1968.
Ok, this is the American band and not the Brits of the same name.
Even so, it's a deadringer for the UK psych pop sound. And we are
proud to include the guys as honorary Brits. It's in glorious
stereo, irresistibly catchy, punchy and PHASED TO THE MAX! Fab
stuff! Also on their 'Captain Nemo' Lp (IS: Decca DL 75036).
BIG thanks to Mark J in the ole US of A for turning us on to
this!
THE
RONNIE JAMES REINCARNATION - 'Is This The Only Life You Ever Had?'
(US:
Decca 32469)1969.
In the same vein. Here's another Yankee Doodle Dandy who cut such
a convincing UK-styled psych treasure that he has actually been
reported elsewhere to be a bona fide Englishman.
Great pseudo-philosophical hippie claptrap lyrics set over
another track that's awash with phasing phasing phasing!
JOYCE'S
ANGELS -
'Flowers For MY Friends'/'Rodney Reginald Smithfield Harvey
Jones' (Major Minor MM 526) 1967.
'Rodney Reginald Smithfield Harvey Jones' is phased popsyke of
the very, very highest order (see the lyrics transcribed
below)! A Kinks-style character song extremely similar to 'Colour
Sergeant Lillywhite' written / produced by Jack Scott. Even in
the Gay/camp annals of swinging London psych, this "sticks
out" (oooh pardon me!) for its sheer exuberent poofishness.
Bloody brilliant stuff! Think: Murray Melvin's camp cameo in
'Smashing Time'!
The A-side ('Flowers For My Friends') is great stuff too - the
sweet floral essence of 1967!!!
Look out for Rodney (and his chums!) in a forthcoming comp!
GILBERT - 'Mr. Moody's Garden (Major Minor
MM 613)1968.
Here's another from Major Minor. Gilbert O'Sullivan (for yes, it
is he- Gasp!) turned out this wondrous slice of popsyke whimsy,
whilst still an unknown. It was reissued under his full name on
Columbia (DB 8967) in 1971, on the back of his first chart
successes. By that date is was well out of fashion and sank like
a stone.
File somewhere between Barry Booth and er....???
***LYRICS***
'Rodney Reginald
Smithfield Harvey Jones' - Joyce's Angels
Here he comes again, that funny little man
Frowning, always looking as important as he can
Oh, it's Rodney Reginald Smithfield Harvey Jones
Without him what could we do? God only knows!
He goes mincing by, swinging his umbrella
Eyes towards the sky, looks like Cinderella
But it's Rodney Reginald Smithfield Harvey Jones
Without him what could we do? God only knows!
Who would push those pens all day
Rub the writing off the wall?
Who would have his whole life full
By red tape in Westminster Hall?
And then in the evening when his day is done
Sinks into obscurity 'cause he's just a lonely man
Poor old Rodney Reginald Smithfield Harvey Jones
Without him what could we do? God only knows!
Oh it's Rodney Reginald Smithfield Harvey Jones
Without him what could we do? God only knows!
Who would push those pens all day
Rub the writing off the wall?
Who would have his whole life full
By red tape in Westminster Hall?
And then in the evening when his day is done
Sinks into obscurity 'cause he's just a lonely man
Poor old Rodney Reginald Smithfield Harvey Jones
Without him what could we do? God only knows!
Rodney Reginald Smithfield Harvey Jones
Rodney Reginald Smithfield Harvey Jones
Rodney Reginald Smithfield Harvey Jones
....................................
***LETTERS***
Hallo there, Dave
Tom Winter here, ex-Motives, ex-Opus ex-a bunch of other groups
and ex-hausted from rummaging around in cardboard boxes full of
old photos and pieces of paper since the day he sent your Motives
article to BJ, who's had him scanning things ever since.
Well, after discovering your delightful e-zine (in the shape of
that number 5) I found to, my "wow, man" - type
surprise,
the lyrics of "No presents for me" featured in number
12.
I can't say they started reels of Panavision memory rolling (that
probably proves I was there) but they did bring to mind a brief
"involvement" with Pandamonium.
It must have been one of those intense chance meetings which used
to occur (and I'd like to believe still do) in the Gioconda on
Denmark St where, it seemed, for every tea served another group
was formed......like the one I recruited the afternoon of the
14-Hour TD (having heard that a fully equipped stage would be
available there) and christened "The Imbecile Illusion of
Happiness":
Paul Korda on vocals, the drummer and bass-player from the
Attack, two chicks blowing bubbles and Richie Blackmore, who
declines (can't blame him) to remember the episode.
The Gio' was a marvellous place.
But I hear the muffled voice of Kenneth Williams from one of
"the cardboard boxes of my mind" (what a splendid album
title) wheezing "Thirty-five years! Thir-irty-fi-ve
years!" reminding me that I am, actually, allergic to
nostalgia.
So, where was I ... Pandamonium, yes, seeing the lyrics reminded
me that I had known one of the lads briefly
(I can't remember his name) and that he (or was it his Dad... who
managed the group...?) had asked me
to draw something for the release of their brand-new single
"No presents for me". I don't remember whether it was
meant for an ad or a flyer (what did we call what are now called
flyers?) or whether it was ever used at all.
Never mind, here it is for your amusement, along with the
visiting card I was given, which still bore the group's original
name "The Pandas"......and, while we're in that
particular cardboard box, another drawing I did (at whose behest
I know no more) for the first Marquee gig of the C-JAM Blues.
Thanks, doc. It was good to get that out me attic.
Have fun and ... Power to the SFA!
:-)t
Hi Guys!
Many thanks for the super review in SFA13; if you need any other
information on the book, or indeed anything that you think I can
help you with, please don't hesitate to contact me either by
reply to this e-mail, or the address on the back of the book!
By the way, I self-published TDBY because I couldn't get a
publisher; so I researched, typeset, designed and paid for 1,000
copies to be printed as well, so it's great that fellow fans such
as yourselves appreciate the book!
Thanks again,
Steve Ingless
Hi there Dave,
Re. your highly enjoyable run-through in SFA 11 of Rick Price's
superb 'Talking To The Flowers' LP:
I though you might be interested to learn that the likely
inspiration behind the decision to cover Jimmie
"Honeycomb" Rodgers 'It's Over' was not the original,
but a cover version by Terry Lindsay (a Detroit-based female
vocalist who also recorded as Theresa Lindsay). A highly
emotion-charged mid-tempo US soul track, that was licensed for UK
release to President Records (issued on 45 b/w 'One Day Up Next
Day Down', PT 232)1969. This was also included on the sampler LP
'Keep The Faith' Volume One (where her surname is mis-spelt as
"Lindsey"), issued on Joy Records (Joys 223)in 1970.
(As an aside, Joy was the same label which put out The Sundae
Times oddball
'Us Coloured Kids' LP.)
President, Joy and Gemini (the latter issued the Rick Price
album) were all owned by impresario Ed Kassner (he also owned Jay
Boy. All labels were run by Kassner, together with his son
David). So it's quite probable that given these coincidences, the
choice of track was actually made by the guv'nor, rather than the
artiste. Such as we are all only too aware, are the ways of the
music bizz.
Best wishes to you,
Joel Morgenstern.
***********************************************************************
SWEET FA - the world's
only periodical devoted to UK PSYCHEDELIA - is published monthly.
EDITOR - Dave Thubron
DEPUTY EDITOR - The Rt. Hon. Paul St. James Cross
CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE- Scott Charbonneau, Amanda Cohen, Paul
Cross, Jamie Driscoll, Paul Hodges, Johnny Hortus, Jim McAlwane,
Stuart Robertson.
DISCLAIMER.
Please note:-
As some very minor confusion has (allegedly) arisen around the
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and unequivocably that SFA has no connection whatsoever with any
other fanzines, be they living or deceased.
And most especially not with any zine that used a number for a
name.
C'mon I ask you, does anyone believe such a connection is very
likely???
~ Dave Thubron.
All contents copyright (c).
Extracts from the NME, copyright (c.) NME, 1967.
All other contents, copyright (c.) SFA, December 2002.
SFA is a non-profit making & non-capital generating
publication. No part of the contents may be reproduced for gain.
It's for "educational purposes" only.
Mess with us and we'll come round in the middle of the night and
stuff a bat right up yer nightdress.
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