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Plain and Fancy

Music gives soul to universe, wings to mind, flight to imagination, charm to sadness, and life to everything.

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Sunday, February 28, 2016

John Hammond - Sooner Or Later (1968 us, classy electric blues rock)



"Sooner Or Later" is John  Hammond's second Atlantic LP originally released in 1968. The material selected did testify to his good taste. Ten songs of electric blues boogie with a rocking band featuring songs written by Chester Burnett, John Lee Hooker, Elmore James, Willie Dixon, Sonny Boy Williamson - all done the funky and electrifying. A respectably hard-hitting electric blues set, comfortably integrating piano and (on occasion) Willie Bridges' saxes into the arrangements. “Sooner Or Later” was Hammond’s final effort in the sixties.


Tracks
1. Crosscut Saw (R. G. Ford) - 2:43
2. How Many More Years (Chester Burnett) - 3:13
3. Sooner Or Later (Jimmy McCracklin) - 2:14
4. Shake Your Moneymaker (Elmore James) - 1:56
5. Sugar Mama (John Lee Hooker) - 4:13
6. Nine Below Zero (Sonny Boy Williamson) - 2:43
7. Dust My Broom (Elmore James) - 2:24
8. Evil Is Going On (Willie Dixon) - 3:38
9. That's Alright (Jimmie Rogers) - 3:20
10.Don't Start Me Talking (Sonny Boy Williamson) - 2:31

Musicians
*John Hammond - Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals
*Willie Bridges - Tenor, Baritone Saxes
*Gordon Fleming - Piano
*George Stubbs - Piano
*Herman Pittman - Bass
*Charles Otis - Drums

1965  John Hammond - So Many Roads (2005 remaster)
1967  John Hammond - I Can Tell (with bonus tracks)
1970-72  John Hammond - Source Point / I'm Satisfied (2007 remaster)
1973  Bloomfield, Hammond, Dr.John - Triumvirate (Japan expanded edition)

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Thursday, February 25, 2016

Climax Blues Band - Gold Plated (1976 uk, astonishing blues funk rock, 2013 bonus tracks remaster)



Since the last tranche of Esoteric Climax Blues Band reissues were reviewed here we have had the sad news of Pete Haycock's death, and he now joins co-founder Colin Cooper in that great 12-bar line up in the sky. This series of reissues by Esoteric Recordings has provided a fitting if unintended tribute.

Gold Plated was, until many years later, both my entry and exit point where following the career of the Climax Blues Band was concerned. This was courtesy of the band's biggest hit Couldn't Get It Right which was released in the late autumn of 1976. A few weeks later the seismic shift of punk burst on to the U.K. scene and well-crafted blues funk was consigned to the dumper by those of us who were the right age at the right time and in the right place. This was a shame, because Gold Plated, the band's ninth album, was a set of finely crafted funky moves, of the kind favoured at the time by the likes of Kokomo and the Average White Band, with some well-seasoned blues chops never far below the surface.

If you look at the chart trajectory of their previous albums, you can see a slow but steady upwards progression in the States, albeit in the foothills of the chart mountain, and unfortunately no action to speak of back home. The band decided to popularise their take on the blues by stirring in the funky ingredients, and it worked, as Gold Plated turned out to be the high point in their career charts-wise, peaking at no. 27 in the U.S.A., and even making an appearance in the charts over here.

CBB came to the funk from their blues background, where the two bands I mentioned above had soul dancin' shoes. Dem blooze are still well represented on this highly polished record, produced once again by Mike Vernon. Although the record has a very sophisticated American sound, it was actually mostly recorded in the decidedly English setting of Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire. The band's U.S. label decided the record needed a hit and this turned out to be a song written in no time at all and included on the album without Vernon's participation, recorded separately in London. The off the cuff nature of "the hit" is apparent when listening to the album, but it remains irresistibly catchy to this day. 

The album opens with the radio friendly Together and Free, and already fans of the band must have been taken aback by the change in the group's sound, but the usual high quality musicianship and writing meant that this was probably only a fleeting reservation. Mighty Fire combines the blues chops with the new-found funky dance moves with some panache, and many rugs are cut to the precise and at the same time loose-limbed Chasin' Change, which exemplifies the AWB comparison.

Despite its title, Berlin Blues is more of an R&B belter in the mould of the Allman Brothers than a straight blues workout. "The hit" we've already mulled over, and it is testament to its sharps hooks that it reached the dizzy heights of no.3 in the States and no.10 over here.

We have to wait until Rollin' Home for the first out-and-out blues number, and even that is not a traditional 12-bar, adding in some Stax soul for good measure. The guitar on this is quite magnificent by the way! Sav'ry Gravy is a slow funk shuffle, and the album concludes with Extra, which rolls out some more down home boogie for our delectation. The "gold plated" of the album name also refers to Pete Haycock's Veleno guitar, and great fun was had by the guitarist reflecting the spotlight back into the audience, no doubt!

The bonus tracks include a session for the John Peel show, and without the benefit of studio production embellishments the sheer professionalism of the band stands out. It cannot have been long after that session that punk took over, ironically given its first radio exposure by Peel, and the Climax Blues Band were never as high profile again, but that does not detract from a highly crafted and fun album. 
by Roger Trenwith


Tracks
1. Together And Free - 3:52
2. Mighty Fire - 4:49
3. Chasing Chase - 4:18
4. Berlin Blues - 3:27
5. Couldn't Get It Right - 3:17
6. Rollin' Home - 3:12
7. Sav'ry Gravy - 4:52
8. Extra - 3:37
9. Fat Mabellene (Single B Side) - 3:14
10.Together And Free (Single Edit) - 3:16
11.Chasin' Change (Extended Take) - 5:16
12.Shadow Man (Previously Unreleased) - 1:24
13.Couldn't Get It Right (BBC Radio One John Peel Session) - 3:11
14.Chasin' Change (BBC Radio One John Peel Session) - 4:41
15.Together And Free (BBC Radio One John Peel Session) - 3:58
16.Mighty Fire (BBC Radio One John Peel Session) - 5:06
All songs written by Climax Blues Band
Bonus Tracks 9-16

The Climax Blues Band
*Colin Cooper - Vocals, Alto, Tenor Saxes, Rhythm Guitra, Clarinet
*Pete Haycock - Vocals, Lead Guitar. Slide, Acoustic Guitars
*Richard Jones - Keyboards, Guitar, Vocals
*Derek Holt - Vocals, Bass Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Electric Piano
*John Cuffley - Drums, Percussion

The Climax Long Hard Road
1969  The Climax Chicago Blues Band (2013 remaster and expanded)
1970  A Lot Of Bottle (2013 remaster and expanded)
1971  Tightly Knit (2013 remastered with bonus tracks)
1972  Climax Chicago - Rich Man (2013 bonus track remaster) 
1973  Climax Blues Band - FM Live (2013 remaster)
1973-79  Climax Blues Band - Live Rare And Raw (2014 Release)
1974  Climax Blues Band - Sense Of Direction (2013 remaster and expanded)

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Sunday, February 21, 2016

The Tropics - As Time's Gone (1965-69 us, awesome garage folk psych, 2013 vinyl edition)




Regarding The Tropics, Tom Petty is unequivocal: “In 1965 [they] were the biggest band in Florida. I watched them in awe.” Starting out in Tampa Bay in 1963 as a hornaugmented showband, by mid-decade they’d slimmed down, toughened up and focused in on their primordial essential selves. Their 1965 debut single, I Want More, could be The Searchers tumbling down a scree; similarly, It’s You I Miss, a 1966 B-side, is a gleaming beat ballad with tough-tender harmonies and vision-obscuring tremolo guitar: When You Walk In The Room’s evil twin.

Both are included on this spellbinding compilation, alongside flailing folk-rockers such as For A Long Time, suggestive of The Beau Brummels trying on The Byrds’ trousers, and attacked with the unmitigated gusto that was The Tropics’ birthright. Then there’s You Better Move, with hoodlum harmonica, crotch-itch maracas and pimply hormones in perfect balance and accord. A gleefully unconstrained vocal eventually succumbs, completely, to orgiastic primal screams. Best of all, 1967’s clanging, palpitating As Time’s Gone is the actual quintessence of 60s garage punk: like The Chocolate Watchband checking themselves out in a mirror and masturbating furiously. Talkin’ Bout Love, the band’s final single from 1969, heavy-treads through vanilla sludge with its molten Hammond and avid white-soul vocals. It still rules, though.
by Oregano Rathbone


Tracks
1. As Time's Gone (Albert Von Schweikert, Karl Lamp) - 2:16
2. You Better Move (Buddy Pendergrass, Dave Burke) - 2:39
3. For A Long Time (Travis Fairchild) - 2:34
4. Time (Take The Time) (Charlie Souza, Sandy Phelps) - 2:02
5. I Want More (Phil Gernhard, Tropics) - 2:27
6. It’'s You I Miss (Charlie Souza) - 2:37
7. Black Jacket Woman (Tropics) - 2:31
8. This Must Be The Place (Charlie Souza) - 1:52
9. Talking ‘'Bout Love (George Soule, Paul Davis) - 2:22
10.Laughing Again (Sonny Lamp) - 2:41
11.Goodbye My Love (Lamar Simington, Leroy Swearingen, Bob Mosley) - 2:43
12.Hey Little Girl (Travis Fairchild) - 2:24
13.The Prism (Sonny Lamp) - 2:29
14.Toy Soldier (Charlie Souza) - 2:56

The Tropics
*Mel Dryer - Vocals
*Buddy Pendergrass - Keyboard, Guitar
*Eric Turner - Lead Guitar
*Bobby Shea - Drums
*Charlie Souza - Bass

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Thursday, February 18, 2016

Smokin' Willie - Smokin' Willie (1972 us, rough heavy psych, 2006 Radioactive edition)



Basement heavy psych, recorded in early 70's. Rough fuzz guitar, substantial organ and hooting vocals. Original LP released in about 500 copies. Album including one original composition written by bass player Jim Sarvis and five covers.


Tracks
1. Hot Blooded Mama (Jim Sarvis) - 4:58
2. A Whiter Shade Of Pale (Gary Brooker, Keith Reid, Matthew Fisher) - 4:00
3. Evil Ways (Clarence "Sonny" Henry) - 5:50
4. Get Ready (William "Smokey" Robinson) - 7:50
5. House Of The Risin' Sun (Traditional) - 5:27
6. Vehicle (Jim Peterik) - 2:24

Personnel
*Smokin' Willie - Guitar, Organ, Vocals
*Jim Sarvis - Bass, Harp, Vocals
*Ron Frye - Drums, Vocals

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Monday, February 15, 2016

Sweet Marie - Sweet Marie 1 (1970 us, great bluesy funky psych rock, 2015 issue)



By the mid-'60s singer/guitarist Sonny Lathrop had made a minor name for himself as a member of Mickey and The Invaders and The Starfires (see separate entries).  Along with a wave of other California-based acts (Merrell Fankhauser, Jimi Hendrix, Quicksilver Messenger Service, etc.), the late-'60s found Lathrop living and working in Hawaii.  Teaming up with drummer Willy Bims and singer/bassist Prince Teddy, as Sweet Marie the trio began to attract local attention, eventually being signed by the small California-based Yard Bird label.

The band made their recording debut with the 1970 single "Remember Mary" b/w "Don't You Understand?" (Yard Bird catalog number YDB-70-1314), and seemed poised on the edge of success when Liberty Records acquired national distribution rights, reissuing the 45 (Liberty catalog number 56215).  Unfortunately, the single vanished without a trace.  In the meantime, Yard Bird financed an album.  Recorded in Honolulu, Hawaii 1970's self-produced "Sweet Marie 1" offered up a great slice of guitar-propelled rock.  Interestingly, splitting vocal chores, Lathrop and Teddy provided the band with the ability to handle  distinctively different styles. 

Regardless of who was handling vocals, the material was peppered with some first rate guitar (check out the jazzy "Goin' Down the Road").  Now the bad news.  While they may have been one of the best bands in Hawaii, little on the album was particularly original or innovative.  It's a good, if somewhat pedestrian rock set that you're liable to like if you enjoy Hendrix.  As for dealers that are advertising it as being psych, or progressive ... nope!  Signed to a small label such as Yard Bird guaranteed limited sales, though the band apparently made enough money to buy a nightclub on the island of Oahu.


Tracks
1. Remember Mary (D. Bennett) - 3:26
2. Standin' By The River (D. Bennett) - 2:36
3. Sweet Pea (D. Bennett) - 2:21
4. Don't You Understand (S. Lathrop) - 2:11
5. If You Love Me (D. Bennett) - 3:48
6. Thru Rusty Windows (S. Lathrop) - 1:30
7. Walk Marie (S. Lathrop) - 2:02
8. Coin' Down The Road (D. Bennett) - 4:37
9. Dr. Feelgood (W. Lewis, S. Lathrop) - 3:33
10.Willy Bims (Solo) (W. Lewis) - 3:42
11.Bugalusa Baby (D. Bennett) - 5:11
12.It's Your Love (S. Lathrop) - 2:56

Sweet Marie
*Prince Teddy - Vocals, Bass
*Sonny Lathrop - Vocals, Guitar
*Willy Bims - Drums

1971  Sweet Marie - Stuck in Paradise

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Saturday, February 13, 2016

The Stroke Band - Green And Yellow (1978 us, exciting art punk power rock, 2014 edition)



Green And Yellow is the collected recordings of legendary lost 1970s Deep South freaksters, THE STROKE BAND. Seen and heard, until now, by only a few South Georgia pot heads, rednecks, sheriffs, strippers, and intoxicated U.S. Marines. Fronted by Bruce Joyner – a swamp rat synthesis of Buddy Holly, Bryan Ferry and Jerry Lee Lewis – The Stroke Band were an art-punk aberration to anything else happening in South Georgia in 1978 – 79. This Anthology Recordings re-release of the Green and Yellow album is the first in any form since the private press LP came out in 1978. The Green And Yellow digital and CD releases include the original Green And Yellow album; plus the band’s only live performance at Joe’s Cellar – a notorious strip club in Albany, Georgia; and a set of demos and psychotic improvs from their Cork House headquarters in Valdosta.

Singer and band leader Bruce Joyner, who signed to Sire Records with The Unknowns in 1981 and has released several acclaimed solo albums since 1983; Don Fleming, guitarist for the Stroke Band, who went on to front his own bands Velvet Monkeys and Gumball, and produced albums for Sonic Youth, Teenage Fanclub, Hole, Screaming Trees, Andrew W.K.; Mark Neill, guitarist for The Stroke Band and The Unknowns, who is a renowned recording producer and engineer, in 2011 he won a Grammy for his production of the Black Keys Brothers album; and Green And Yellow album producer Robert Lester Folsom, whose own album Music and Dreams from 1976.


Tracks
1. Don't Get Angry (Joyner) - 2:51
2. Green And Yellow (Joyner, Fleming, Sikes, Jones) - 2:42
3. Fiction/Non-Fiction (Fleming) - 2:54
4. Spaced (Joyner) - 2:49
5. Gun Fighting Man (Joyner, Fleming, Sikes, Jones) - 3:40
6. Rat Race (Joyner, Jones) - 2:53
7. Janie's Linving In A Cell (Fleming) - 2:29
8. Son Of Sam (Joyner, Jones) - 2:32
9. Latin Melodies (Joyner) - 2:47
10.The Waves Rush In (Joyner, Fleming, Sikes, Jones) - 5:32
11.Jesus In A Trenchcoat.5:39
12.Don't Get Angry (Joyner) - 2:44
13.Green And Yellow (Joyner, Fleming, Sikes, Jones) - 2:42
14.Damn! Bam! (Fleming) - 2:05
15.Rock Star (Crawford, Joyner, Fleming, Sikes) - 3:59
16.Spaced (Joyner) - 2:52
17.At The Hop (Joyner, Fleming, Sikes) - 1:10
18.White Trash Girls (Joyner, Fleming, Sikes) - 2:19
19.Screamin' In The Middle Of A Dark Room (Joyner, Fleming, Sikes) - 4:35
20.The Songsters (Joyner, Fleming, Sikes) - 3:14
21.Rhodesian Love Song (Joyner, Fleming, Sikes) - 5:42
22.The Law Is Watching You (Joyner, Fleming, Sikes) - 5:32

Personnel
*Bruce Joyner - Vocals, Synthesizers, Percussion
*Don Fleming - Guitar, Bass, Synthesizers, Percussion
*Rusty Jones - Guitar, Bass
*Robert Folsom - Acoustic Guitar, Moog, Percussion
*Max Sikes - Drums
*Alva Dickerson - Guitar
*Danny Heitzhausen - Bass
*Jerry Williams - Moog

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Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Tucker Zimmerman - Ten Songs (1969 outstanding folk psych rock, 2015 bonus tracks remaster)



When David Bowie placed Tucker Zimmerman’s 1969 album Ten Songs by Tucker Zimmerman on a list of his 25 favorite albums – alongside acknowledged classics by The Velvet Underground, James Brown, Little Richard and even Steve Reich – readers of the 2003 list could have been forgiven for wondering, “Who is Tucker Zimmerman?”  It’s taken some time, but the RPM label has finally unearthed Ten Songs by Tucker Zimmerman – in an expanded edition that could now be titled Seventeen Songs.

Zimmerman’s collection of self-penned, forceful folk-rock was produced by Bowie’s frequent collaborator Tony Visconti, who also played on the album.  But the superstar artist’s connections to Zimmerman didn’t end there.  The future Spiders from Mars – then known as Ronno after lead guitarist Mick Ronson – released Zimmerman’s “Fourth Hour of My Sleep” on a Visconti-produced single.  And Zimmerman had actually played Bowie’s Beckenham Arts Lab, jokingly billed as cousin to Robert Zimmerman, a.k.a. Bob Dylan!  (All kidding aside, Bob’s influence on Tucker can be detected in the harmonica and guitar work throughout the album.)

Zimmerman came to Britain from America in 1968 with a degree in music theory and composition under his belt as well as a songwriting credit on a Butterfield Blues Band album.  Gigging throughout Europe under various names, he attracted the attention of EMI’s Regal Zonophone imprint.  Regal Zonophone paired him with Visconti, who had been producing for the label, and the pair recorded a reported 80 demos.  A single was initially released, “The Red Wind,” featuring Zimmerman supported by future Beach Boy Ricky Fataar on drums, Visconti on bass and Rick Wakeman, later of Yes, on organ and piano.  Though the single didn’t make waves, the label proceeded with an album.  Wakeman and Visconti joined another impressive cast of musicians including drummer Aynsley Dunbar and guitarist/sitar player Shawn Phillips for Ten Songs.

The atmospheric, haunting and edgy folk-rock of Ten Songs, like “The Red Wind,” failed to catch on with the public.  Tucker Zimmerman would make five more albums through 1983 even as Ten Songs gained collectable cachet.  RPM’s reissue adds seven bonus tracks including the mono and stereo versions of “The Red Wind,” non-album B-side “Moondog,” and four previously unreleased recordings from the period.  Kieron Tyler has provided the excellent new liner notes and Simon Murphy has remastered from Rob Keyloch’s transfers from the original analogue tapes.
by Joe Marchese 


Tracks
1. Bird Lives - 3:56
2. October Mornings - 3:37
3. A Face That Hasn't Sold Out - 4:33
4. The Roadrunner - 5:42
5. Children Of Fear - 4:55
6. The Wind Returns Into The Night - 5:35
7. Running, Running From Moment To Moment - 2:55
8. Upsidedown Circus World - 3:26
9. Blue Goose - 6:28
10.Alpha Centauri - 5:44
11.The Red Wind - 3:35
12.Moondog - 5:17
13.La Rinascente  - 2:50
14.Non C'e Niente Mai - 3:33
15.En Memoire De Jean Genet - 3:45
16.Les Visions De Rimbaud - 3:43
17.The Red Wind - 3:38
All songs written by Tucker Zimmerman
Bonus Tracks 11-17

Musicians
*Tucker Zimmerman - Vocals, 12 String Guitar, Harmonica, Organ, Mellotron, Harpsichord
*Tony Visconti - Bass, Guitar, Vocals
*Aynsley Dunbar - Drums
*Shawn Phillips - Guitar, Sitar
*Rick Wakeman - Organ, Piano
*Rick Fataar - Drums, Percussion
*Terry Cox - Drums, Congas
*Marie Claire - Vocals

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Thursday, February 4, 2016

Various Artists - The Immediate Singles Collection (1966-69 uk, amazing compilation, six discs box set)



This extravagant six-CD set documents the astonishing life span of the first pop independent label in the U.K., Immediate Records. Founded in 1965, Immediate flipped, flopped, and staggered its own way, competing against unhip American labels like EMI and Decca until late 1969. The label, and the documentary CD set, showcases in particular the Small Faces, who enjoyed a brief U.K. number one hit, Ogden's Nut Gone Flake. More familiar to American listeners will no doubt be the three-chord sock-hop favorite "Hang on Sloopy" by the McCoys, and a number of covers of familiar American folk-rock hits are present as well. 

The esoteric collector will appreciate inclusions by such café balladeers as the Poets and Les Fleurs-de-Lis, also signed by Immediate before the advent of the swinging London sound, marked by the Rolling Stones revolution and other mod developers influencing the pants off the tiniest studio cover bands. Immediate also helped sculpt the success of anguished bellower Chris Farlowe, soon to be joined by the similarly throaty vibrato of PP Arnold and, of course, manager, producer Andrew Oldham's best toss of the dice, the Small Faces, whom he ripped away from Decca. By the fourth disc, you are, in fact, in the throes of swinging London, featuring Farlowe's heart-stopping "Yesterday's Papers" and Arnold's "The First Cut Is the Deepest," written by the much-in-demand Cat Stevens. 

Most of the music is minimal and often out of tune, production at an early-time low, replete with tinny echoes and accidental outtake moments. The most successfully recorded instruments seem to be the sitars, baroque strings, and arpeggio harpsichord riffs that "translate" well under Immediate's studio circumstances. Notable moments: Small Faces' "Here Comes the Nice" and "Itchypoo Park," Murray Head's "She Was Perfection," and the Marquis of Kensington's Kinks, new vaudeville hybrid, "Changing of the Guard." 

This is a luxurious, overcollected document that could be easily managed on one museum-piece disc, although it would be hard cull dozens of small contributions by say, drop-ins Nico, Rod Stewart, and Mick Fleetwood. The jewel on the record is without question the Faces version (sung not by Stewart but by Chris Farlowe) of "Handbags and Glad rags": "They told me you missed school today, So I suggest you just throw it all away, The handbags and glad rags that your granddads had to sweat, So you could buy." Very British, very Immediate. 
by Becky Byrkit


Tracks
Disc 1
1. The McCoys - Hang On Sloopy (Russell, Farrell) - 3:04
2. The McCoys - I Can't Explain It (Feldman, Goldstein, Gottehrer) - 2:27
3. The Fifth Avenue - The Bells Of Rhymney (Davies, Seeger) - 2:52
4. The Fifth Avenue - Just Like Anyone Would Do (Jimmy Page) - 2:20
5. Nico - I'm Not Sayin (Lightfoot) - 2:49
6. Nico - The Last Mile (Oldham, Page) - 2:29
7. Gregory Phillips - Down In The Boondocks (South) - 2:37
8. Gregory Phillips - That's The One (Oldham, Page) - 2:38
9. The Masterminds - She Belongs To Me (Dylan) - 2:44
10.The Masterminds - Taken My Love (Meakin, Cassidy) - 2:46
11.The Poets - Call Again (George Gallacher, Paton) - 2:23
12.The Poets - Some Things I Can't Forget (Gallacher, Paton) - 1:50
13.The Strangeloves - Cara-Lin (Feldman, Goldstein, Gottehrer) - 2:31
14.The Strangeloves - (Roll On) Mississippi (Feldman, Goldstein, Gottehrer) - 2:26
15.Van Lenton - Gotta Get Away (Crompton, Jones) - 2:48
16.Van Lenton - You Don't Care (Crompton, Jones) - 2:08
17.The Factotums - In My Lonely Room (Carter-Lewis, Ford) - 2:00
18.The Factotums - Run In The Green And Tangerine Flaked Forest (Oldham) - 2:18
19.Golden Apples Of The Sun - The Monkey Time (Mayfield) - 2:51
20.Golden Apples Of The Sun - Chocolate Rolls, Tea And Monopoly (Oldham) - 2:29
21.Barbara Lynn - You Can't Buy My Love (Billy Babineaux, Bobby Babineaux) - 1:56
22.Barbara Lynn - That's What A Friend Will Do (B. L. Ozen) - 2:31
23.John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers - I'm Your Witchdoctor (Mayall) - 2:10
24.John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers - Telephone Blues (Mayall) - 3:56
25.Glyn Johns - Mary Anne (Lordan) - 2:37
26.Glyn Johns - Like Grains Of Yellow Sand (Johns, Oliver) - 3:02
27.Mick Softley - I'm So Confused (Softley) - 2:50
28.Mick Softley - She's My Girl (Eden) - 1:57
29.Mockingbirds - You Stole My Love (Graham Gouldman) - 2:40
30.Mockingbirds - Skit Skat (Graham Gouldman) - 2:02


Disc 2
1. Chris Farlowe - The Fool (Hazlewood) - 3:03
2. Chris Farlowe - Treat Her Good (Deighton) - 2:00
3. Joey Vine - Down And Out (J. Levine) - 2:51
4. Joey Vine - The Out Of Towner (J. Levine) - 2:31
5. Jimmy Tarbuck - Someday (Hodges) - 2:18
6. Jimmy Tarbuck - Wastin' Time (Jagger, Richard) - 2:28
7. The Variations - The Man With All The Toys (Wilson) - 2:11
8. The Variations - She'll Know I'm Sorry (Raven) - 2:33
9. Les Fleur De Lys - Moondreams (Petty) - 2:27
10.Les Fleur De Lys - Wait For Me (Jimmy Page) - 2:22
11.The McCoys - Fever (Cooley, Davenport) - 2:48
12.The McCoys - Sorrow (Feldman, Goldstein, Gottehrer) - 2:03
13.The Factotums - You're So Good To Me (Brian Wilson) - 2:07
14.The Factotums - Can't Go Home Anymore My Love (D. Gerrard) - 2:10
15.Chris Farlowe - Think (Jagger, Richards) - 3:35
16.Chris Farlowe - Don't Just Look At Me (Oldham, Russell) - 2:43
17.The Poets - Baby Don't You Do It (Holland, Dozier, Holland) - 2:27
18.The Poets - I'll Come Home (Gallacher, Paton) - 2:06
19.Charles Dickens - So Much In Love (Jagger, Richard) - 2:43
20.Charles Dickens - Our Soul Brothers (Oldham) - 2:37
21.Goldie - Going Back (Goffin, King) - 2:27
22.Goldie - Headlines (Oldham) - 3:37
23.Tony Rivers And The Castaways - Girl Don't Tell Me (Wilson) - 2:44
24.Tony Rivers And The Castaways - Girl From Salt Lake City (Wilson) - 1:58
25.The McCoys - (You Make Me Feel) So Good (Zehringer) - 3:15
26.The McCoys - Ko-Ko (Feldman, Goldstein, Gottehrer) - 2:17
27.The McCoys - Up And Down (Lambert, Pegues) - 2:36
28.The McCoys - If You Tell A Lie (Feldman, Goldstein, Gottehrer) - 1:58
29.The London Waits - Softly Softly (The Theme From The BBC-TV Series) (Fry) - 2:35
30.The London Waits - Serenadio (Italian Serenade) (Spiegel, Wild) - 2:54


Disc 3
1. The Turtles - You Baby (Sloan, Barri) - 2:16
2. The Turtles - Wanderin' Kind (Kaylan) - 2:06
3. Les Fleur De Lys - Circles (Townshend) - 3:02
4. Les Fleur De Lys - So Come On (Smith, Sawyer) - 1:49
5. Twice As Much - Sittin' On A Fence (Jagger, Richard) - 3:10
6. Twice As Much - Baby I Want You (Rose, Skinner) - 2:14
7. The McCoys - Runaway (Feldman, Goldstein, Gottehrer) - 2:35
8. The McCoys - Come On, Let's Go (Valens) - 2:38
9. Chris Farlowe - Out Of Time (Jagger, Richard) - 3:31
10.Chris Farlowe - Baby Make It Soon (Oldham, Woolfson) - 2:16
11.Twice As Much - Step Out Of Line (Rose, Skinner) - 3:05
12. Twice As Much - Simplified (Rose, Skinner) - 3:52
13.The McCoys - Don't Worry Mother (Your Son's Heart Is Pure) (Feldman, Goldstein, Pomus) - 2:42
14.The McCoys - I Got To Go Back (And Watch That Little Girl Dance) (A. Alexander) - 2:28
15.Chris Farlowe - Ride On Baby (Jagger, Richard) - 2:45
16.Chris Farlowe - Headlines (Oldham, Greenslade) - 3:09
17.Twice As Much - True Story (Rose, Skinner) - 2:16
18.Twice As Much - You're So Good To Me (Oldham, Rose, Bell, Skinner) - 2:30
19.P.P. Arnold - Everything's Gonna Be Alright (Oldham, Skinner) - 3:07
20.P.P. Arnold - Life Is But Nothing (Rose, Skinner) - 3:45
21.Chris Farlowe - My Way Of Giving (Lane, Marriott) - 2:32
22.Chris Farlowe - You're So Good For Me (Oldham, Rose, Bell, Skinner) - 2:14
23.Twice As Much - Crystal Ball (Shuman, Fagan) - 2:45
24.Twice As Much - Why Can't They All Go And Leave Me Alone (Rose, Skinner) - 2:55
25.The Apostolic Intervention - (Tell Me) Have You Ever Seen Me (Lane, Marriott) - 1:59
26.The Apostolic Intervention - Madame Garcia (Shirley) - 2:51
27.Nicky Scott - Big City (Dan Walsh, Johnny Walsh) - 2:29
28.Nicky Scott - Everything's Gonna Be Alright (Oldham, Skinner) - 3:20


Disc 4
1. Nicky Scott - Backstreet Girl (Jagger, Richard) - 2:29
2. Nicky Scott - Chain Reaction (Rose, Skinner) - 2:10
3. The McCoys - I Got To Go Back (Berns, Barry) - 2:42
4. The McCoys - Dynamite (Feldman, Goldstein, Gottehrer) - 2:10
5. P.P. Arnold - The First Cut Is The Deepest (Stevens) - 3:06
6. P.P. Arnold - Speak To Me (Oldham, Greenslade, Hurst) - 2:14
7. Mort Shuman IV - Monday Monday (Phillips) - 2:36
8. Mort Shuman IV - Little Children (McFarland, Shuman) - 2:52
9. Chris Farlowe - Yesterday's Papers (Jagger, Richard) - 2:11
10.Chris Farlowe - Life Is But Nothing (Rose, Skinner) - 4:02
11.Small Faces - Here Come The Nice (Lane, Marriott) - 2:56
12.Small Faces - Talk To You (O'Sullivan, Lane, Marriott) - 2:06
13.Marquis Of Kensington - The Changing Of The Guard (Mills, Leander) - 2:24
14.Marquis Of Kensington's Minstrels - Reverse Thrust (Leander) - 1:56
15.Murray Head - She Was Perfection (M. Head) - 2:47
16.Murray Head - Secondhand Monday (M. Hurst, M. Head) - 2:15
17.Australian Playboys - Black Sheep R.I.P. (Gerrard) - 2:44
18.Australian Playboys - Sad (Peacock) - 2:54
19.P.P. Arnold - The Time Has Come (Korda) - 2:40
20.P.P. Arnold - If You See What I Mean (Hurst) - 2:07
21.Chris Farlowe - Moanin' (Timmons, Hendricks) - 2:34
22.Chris Farlowe - What Have I Been Doing (Alcock, Crane) - 3:06
23.Small Faces - Itchycoo Park (Lane, Marriott) - 2:46
24.Small Faces - I'm Only Dreaming (Lane, Marriott) - 2:23
25.Warm Sounds - Sticks And Stones (Younghusband, Gerrard) - 3:20
26.Warm Sounds - Angeline (Younghusband, Gerrard) - 2:35
27.The Nice - The Thoughts Of Emerlist Davjack (O'List, Emerson) - 2:48
28.The Nice - Azrial (Angel Of Death) (Emerson, Jackson) - 3:45


Disc 5
1. Rod Stewart - Little Miss Understood (D'Abo) - 3:39
2. Rod Stewart - So Much To Say (D'Abo, Stewart) - 3:14
3. P.P. Arnold - (If You Think You're) Groovy (Lane, Marriott) - 2:55
4. P.P. Arnold - Though It Hurts Me Badly (Arnold) - 4:19
5. Small Faces - Tin Soldier (Lane, Marriott) - 3:20
6. Small Faces - I Feel Much Better (McLagan, Lane, Marriott) - 3:56
7. Billy Nicholls - Would You Believe (Paul) - 2:42
8. Billy Nicholls - Daytime Girl (Nicholls) - 2:43
9. Small Faces - Lazy Sunday (Lane, Marriott) - 3:03
10.Small Faces - Rollin' Over (Lane, Marriott) - 2:10
11.Chris Farlowe - Handbags And Gladrags (D'Abo) - 3:24
12.Chris Farlowe - Everyone Makes A Mistake (Alcock, Crane) - 2:00
13.Chris Farlowe - The Last Goodbye (D'Abo) - 2:50
14.Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds - Paperman Fly In The Sky (Alcock, Crane) - 2:45
15.P.P. Arnold - Angel Of The Morning (Chip Taylor) - 3:18
16.Outer Limits - Great Train Robbery (Christie) - 3:38
17.Outer Limits - Sweet Freedom (Christie) - 3:00
18.The Nice - America (Bernstein, Sondheim) - 6:19
19.The Nice - The Diamond Hard Blue Apples Of The Moon (Emerson, Jackson) - 2:46
20.Small Faces - The Universal (Lane, Marriott) - 2:43
21.Small Faces - Donkey Rides A Penny A Glass (McLagan, Lane, Marriott) - 2:49
22.Duncan Browne - On The Bombsite (Bretton, Browne) - 2:46
23.Duncan Browne - Alfred Bell (Bretton, Browne) - 4:36


Disc 6
1. Chris Farlowe - Paint It Black (Jagger, Richard) - 2:59
2. Chris Farlowe - I Just Need Your Loving (Alcock, Crane) - 3:12
3. The Nice - Brandenburger (Davison, Emerson, Jackson) - 4:24
4. The Nice - Happy Freuds (Emerson, Jackson) - 3:26
5. Amen Corner - (If Paradise Is) Half As Nice (Fishman, Battisti) - 2:44
6. Amen Corner - Hey! Hey! Girl (Fairweather-Low) - 3:02
7. Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds - Dawn (Bruce Waddell, Steve Hammond) - 3:47
8. Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds - April Was The Month (Alcock, Crane) - 3:57
9. Michael D'Abo - (See The Little People) Gulliver's Travels (D'Abo) - 2:33
10.Michael D'Abo - An Anthology Of Gulliver's Travels (Part Two) (D'Abo) - 1:08
11.The McCoys - This Is Where We Came In (Feldman, Goldstein, Hobbs, Zehringer, Gottehrer, Zehringer, Brandon) - 1:37
12.Small Faces - Afterglow (Of Your Love) (Lane, Marriott) - 3:21
13.Small Faces - Wham Bam Thank You Man (Lane, Marriott) - 3:18
14.Fleetwood Mac - Man Of The World (P. A. Green) - 2:51
15.Earl Vince And The Valiants - Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonight (Spencer) - 2:39
16.Amen Corner - Hello Susie (Wood) - 2:34
17.Amen Corner - Evil Man's Gonna Win (Fairweather-Low) - 4:00
18. Humble Pie - Natural Born Bugie (Marriott) - 4:15
19.Humble Pie - Wrist Job (Marriott) - 4:14
20.Amen Corner - Get Back (Lennon, McCartney) - 2:52
21.Amen Corner - Farewell To The Real Magnificent Seven (Fairweather-Low) - 6:27
22.The Hill - Sylvie (Waddell, Hammond) - 3:21
23.The Hill - The Fourth Annual Convention Of The Battery Hen Farmers Association (Part II) (Waddell, Davey, Robinson, Hammond) - 4:35

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Monday, February 1, 2016

The Mickey Finn - Garden Of My Mind (1964-67 uk, awesome mod freak beat with blues flame, 2015 issue)



This British cult band with Mod leanings, The Mickey Finn only put out a handful of singles, and it’s the first time that these (plus a couple of previously unavailable demos) have all been collected together. They were arguably the first British band to try their hands at ska- with their cover version of Bo Diddley’s Pills, included here. A very different interpretation to the rock & roll version by New York Dolls a few years later, this is also the band’s true debut, credited to Mickey Finn and The Blue Men, and also featuring a pre-Zeppelin Jimmy Page on harmonica on both sides of the single. (Although Page played some live dates with the band and was photographed with them, he was never an official member).

Before it was abbreviated, the same band name was also used for their false debut, the instrumental Tom Hark, another ska number (which was made famous a decade and half later by Piranhas, who added lyrics to it). It’s false because the band claim they had no involvement in the making of this record. Despite this, it is still included in the collection, probably because their name is on the original record. Elsewhere we have the R&B stomp that is I Still Want You, the cracking Mod-psych banger that’s the title track of this set, and my personal highlight, the freakbeat head-spinner, Time To Start Loving You.

The Mickey Finn covered a lot of musical ground in their short-lived career, and despite their modest vinyl output. It’s a shame they didn’t record more. An album would have been nice, but they never got around to actually making one: so in the absence of this, it’s good to have the singles all in one place. And the sleeve notes feature an insightful interview with the surviving members of the band. 
by Arash Torabi


Tracks
1. Pills (Ellas McDaniel) - 2:37
2. I Still Want you (Mickey Waller, Alan Mark) - 2:28
3. Garden Of My Mind (Mickey Waller, Alan Mark, Bernard Jory) - 2:32
4. Night  Comes Down (Shel Talmy, Jon Mark) - 2:12
5. Hush Your Mouth (Jimmy Reed) - 2:38
6. Time To Start Loving You (Mickey Waller, Alan Mark, Bernard Jory, Richard Brand, Fluff Cooke) - 2:41
7. Ain't Necessarily So  (Ira Gershwin, George Gershwin, DuBose Heyward) - 3:19
8. If I Had You Baby (Lori Burton, Pam Sawyer) - 1:51
9. The Sporting Life (Chris Radmall, Shel Talmy) - 2:32
10.Because I Love you (Mis-Credited As I Do Loveyou) (Billy Stewart) - 2:09
11.Reelin' And A'Rockin' (Chuck Berry) - 2:23
12.Stagger Lee  (Lloyd Price, Harold Logan) - 2:28
13.Poverty  (Dave Clark, Pearl Woods) - 3:20
14.Miss Jane  (Bernard Jory) - 2:59
15.God Bless The Child (Billie Holiday, Arthur Herzog) - 2:32
16.Tom Hark (Rupert Bopape) - 2:20
17.Please Love Me (Alan Hawkshaw) - 2:19

Personnel
*Mickey Waller - Guitar
*Richard Brand - Drums
*John Buckett - Bass
*John Cooke - Keyboards
*Alan Mark - Vocals
*Mick Stannard - Bass
*Rod Clark - Bass
*Bernie Joy - Bass
*Jimmy Page - Harmonica

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