Das wars!

Hi folks,

Chad & Jeremy - Before And After 1965 (2002 Sundazed)

Chad & Jeremy's first Columbia album was similar to their previous material (recorded for Ember in the U.K. and licensed by World Artists in the U.S.) in its light British Invasion pop/rock style with folky overtones. There wasn't anything here quite on the level of their previous big hits, "Yesterday's Gone" and "A Summer Song," though the orchestrated ballad "Before and After" would be their final Top 20 single. As a whole the album's a bit of a variety show, the pair proving modestly enjoyable to mediocre at a range of approaches on both originals and outside material. There's the nearly straight folk of "Fare Thee Well (I Must Be Gone)" and Gordon Lightfoot's "For Lovin' Me," more orchestrated pop/rock ballads ("I'm in Love Again," "Tell Me Baby," and a slightly inferior remake of "What Do You Want With Me," which they had already done for Ember), bouncy British Invasion pop ("Little Does She Know," "Say It Isn't True"), the Andy Williams hit "Can't Get Used to Losing You," and even a strained attempt at a British Invasion R&B rave-up ("Evil-Hearted You"). "Why Should I Care" is about the best of the original tunes, though at one point it blatantly rips off a riff from the Zombies' "She's Not There." The 2002 CD reissue on Sundazed doubles the length with an assortment of rare singles, outtakes, and alternate versions. None of these are astounding, but some of the more interesting extras include their B-side-only cover of Dino Valenti's "Pennies," which makes its CD debut; the previously unissued version of the obscure Zombies song "Sometimes"; the Italian-sung "Adesso Si" and "Nessuno Piu Di Me," a Europe-only single in 1966; and both sides of the rare 1966 Chad and Jill Stuart single (Jill Stuart was Chad Stuart's wife), which paired covers of Peter, Paul & Mary's "The Cruel War" and Bob Lind's "I Can't Talk to You."(allmusic.com)


I am a fan of this guys so what can i say about it... Give it a try :-)
Have fun
               Frank

                                                                  Flac  &  mp3@320

Claudine Longet - Love is Blue 1968 (A&M 2002 Remastered)

Claudine Longet's third album continues the middle-of-the-road tendencies of her first two, leading off with an oddly jaunty reinterpretation of "Falling in Love Again," Marlene Dietrich's theme song, whose jaded world-weariness Longet replaces with her own pleasantly insubstantial persona. With its cinematic background noise staging and odd ragtime piano accents, it recalls Harpers Bizarre's playful deconstruction of pre-rock standards. More successful are the straightforward bilingual version of the title track, one of the evergreen tunes of '60s easy listening; the oft-recorded Alan Gordon and Gary Bonner sunshine pop tune "Small Talk"; and a mournful, skeletal version of Randy Newman's little-known early tune "Snow" that's among Longet's finest interpretations of her career. Even better is Longet's take on the Bee Gees standard "Holiday"; Longet's endearingly pitch-poor, lispy vocals are tailor-made for this spooky, unconventional song, which arranger Nick DeCaro gives a suitably off-kilter arrangement featuring a chorus of wordless Longets between the strings and the increasingly florid piano accompaniment. Longet's next album, the masterful Colours, would benefit from even more of this gently psychedelic experimentation.(allmusic.com)


The third album with typical longet pop style. The cover songs are fun, but they don't match the originals. Nevertheless a nice French Pop album of the sixties.
Enjoy
          Frank

                                                                        Flac   &   mp3@320

Psychedelic Folk Rock by Chimera - Chimera 1969 - 1970 (2002 Tenth Planet Records)

Chimera were formed in the late 1960's by West Country girls Francesca Garnett
and Lisa Bankoff.
The line up of musicians supporting the girls often changed and among them
featured artists such as Mal Luker (the Smoke), Bob Weston (Fleetwood Mac),
Nick Mason/Rick Wright (the Pink Floyd) and Wil Malone (Orange Bicycle &
later arranger for The Verve, Simple Minds, Massive Attack etc).
The songs represented here are all mastered from a cassette tape which
is all that survives of the original recordings (Paul Martin - June 2003).
Chimera were signed to Morgan Bluetown records and as so often happens
with record labels they stalled on releases (actually they didn't release
anything), this led to members of the band becoming disheartened with what
should have been a straightforward fairly successful project, without an
impending release several musicians saw little future in Chimera and
they disbanded leaving an array of classic late 60's progressive,
acid-folk songs unreleased.
Nick Mason from Pink Floyd was producer for the band and subtle
similarities can be heard on Pink Floyd's later album
"Dark Side Of The Moon", *especially the guitar work on Peru.(unknown reviewer)

Enjoy
          Frank

                                                                          Flac  &  mp3@320

Sixties Pop: The Grass Roots - Anthology 1965-1975 (1991Rhino) (2 disc)

It may be expensive, and two CDs of their work may seem like overkill, but this double-disc set is the one to get. Not only does it contain every hit and each single, and every B-side, from 1965's "Where Were You When I Needed You" through 1975's glorious "Mamacita," but the sound is extraordinary, far better than on any of the other hits compilations, and provides several revelations about the quality of their work. Highlights, in addition to the expected hits ("Let's Live for Today," "Midnight Confessions," "Two Divided by Love" etc.) include tracks like "Is It Any Wonder," with a chorus as radiant as anything the Mamas and the Papas ever recorded, and the seldom heard, vibrant "Mamacita." If you could never imagine listening to 120 minutes of Grass Roots material (this reviewer couldn't, either), this set will make you feel differently. (allmusic.com)

Great pop sounds from ten years career of the Grass Roots.
Have fun

             Frank

                                                          Flac part1   &  Flac part2        -  mp3@320

British Folk Pop, Folk Pop Rock, Folk psychedelia, .... Dave Waite And Marianne Segal - Paper Flowers 1969 (2004 Lightning Tree)

Prior to taking on a third member to form the folk-rock group Jade, Dave Waite and Marianne Segal performed as a folk duo in the late 1960s, as well as doing a fair amount of recording in studios, at home, and on the radio. None of that material was released at the time, but 22 such previously unissued tracks from 1967-1970 appear on this CD, most of them original compositions, and most of them by Segal (who also takes most of the lead vocals). As Jade's sole album was highly reminiscent of the Sandy Denny-era Fairport Convention, it should come as no surprise that much of the music on this CD is reminiscent of Denny's pre-Fairport folk recordings, though it's somewhat more pop-oriented and not as striking.

At times it seems to be plowing ground somewhere between the early Sandy Denny and the less hip, more folk-pop sound of the Seekers, though to be honest, Segal's voice isn't as distinctive or moving as Denny's, or even as the Seekers' Judith Durham's. Judging from the change of both songwriting and vocal phrasing in some of the later tracks, such as "All the Reasons" and "Rainbow," it seems like Segal might have been heavily influenced by early Joni Mitchell as well, at least after Mitchell's first recordings became available. Three 1969 studio tracks recorded for a possible Polydor single show the duo moving into more of a folk-pop-rock direction with the addition of bass, drums, and string and brass arrangements, though as it happened nothing was issued from those sessions. The body of work on this disc is not as developed as, and certainly more acoustic folk-oriented than, the recordings Waite and Segal would make as part of Jade. And, like Jade, it's not among the most original folk or folk-rock of the era. But it's pleasant period late-'60s British folk-pop, with extensive historical liner notes by Waite and Segal themselves.(R. Unterberger, allmusic.com)

This record is definitely more fun than later works with Jade. Here you can hear a lot of pop besides folk and even slight psychedelic sounds. Also the melodies are not too minor - heavy. I think that Jade limited the diversity and (positive) lightness in favour of a serious image in the British folk business.
The songwriting here is quite simply great. "It's not really fair" is here to be mentioned as representative of a series of great songs. A lost small masterpiece.

Enjoy
         Frank

                                                                        Flac  &  mp3@320 

Rock/Folk Rock/ by Fat Mattress - Fat Mattress II 1970 (1992 Sequel Records)

In the manner of many second albums, Fat Mattress' sophomore outing was similar to, but also inferior to, their debut. Again, Noel Redding didn't take as much as a leadership role as some listeners might have expected given his prior stardom as bassist in the Jimi Hendrix Experience. In fact, he's less of a presence on this record, at least as a composer, his contributions in that regard limited to three songwriting co-credits. And again, the mood is breezy folk-rock-psychedelia with a dash of early progressive rock, though some of the songs on side one in particular have a heavier feel than most of the first album.

The songs aren't even up to the debut's modest standard, however, and the lingering feeling is that of a tolerable but fairly anonymous '60s-turning-into-'70s band with a Transatlantic feel. There's a bit of jazzy influence à la Traffic in songs like "Roamin'" and "At the Ball," and there are some pleasant vocal harmonies. But there's not a single standout tune, and though Redding and his bandmates were no doubt straining to avoid being the answer to a trivia question as to what one of the members had done after playing in one of the world's biggest groups, that's what this music ends up being.(Richie Unterberger, allmusic.com)

Mr Unterberger as i know him... but i don't talk about Mr Unterberger now. What I like about this album is that it was a real band collaboration. Noel Redding has done what he did best: to bring his skills into a project and to make everything else subordinate to it. This ability made him one of the most sought-after sideman of his time in the studio as well as on stage. I like both albums of Fat Mattress and if you don't know them maybe you give this a try.

Enjoy
          Frank

                                                                          Flac   &   mp3@320

 I am very sorry but i posted the wrong version. It is the Sequel release from the UK in 1992, not the Esoteric release. 

You can get the right artwork here:  https://www.discogs.com/de/Fat-Mattress-Fat-Mattress-II/release/3648164 

Pop/Powerpop by Any Trouble - Where Are All The Nice Girls? 1980 (1997 Compass)

Clive Gregson was one of the dozens of singer/songwriters who saw his chance for reaching a larger audience when the new wave scene kicked into gear in the late '70s (there's little arguing that it raised the bar for rock songwriting at a time when such things were sorely needed), and the first album from his group Any Trouble, Where Are All the Nice Girls?, immediately established him as a pop tunesmith of uncommon talent. As a decidedly non-heartthrob looking guy with glasses who recorded for Stiff Records, Gregson was initially tagged as an Elvis Costello rip-off. But heard today, Where Are All the Nice Girls? ironically sounds a bit more like an early Joe Jackson record, with its dry-as-dust production, hyperactive basslines (courtesy Phil Barnes) pushed up front in the mix, and Gregson's fluid vocals, which don't snarl so much as they beg, insinuate, or comment on the passing parade.

As a lyricist, Gregson's perspective as a regular guy done wrong by love was very much his own, and the album's highlights -- the pure pop gems "Second Choice" and "Romance," the tougher and moodier "Playing Bogart" and "Turning Up The Heat," and the heartbroken title cut -- manage to sound intelligent and thoughtful without ever sinking into pretension, and the band tears into these songs with a lean and speedy enthusiasm that speaks of the classicism of pub rock with a healthy dose of punk firepower. Where Are All the Nice Girls? almost seems too willfully modest to earn the moniker of "overlooked classic," but more than 20 years after its release, Any Trouble's debut still sounds fresh, engaging, and exciting, packed with sharp tunes, clever observations, and that rare Bruce Springsteen cover that works. Anyone who loves smart, up-tempo pop with equal measures of brains and heart needs to have this album in their collection.(allmusic.com)

Why this band didn't make it into the circle of successful pop stars in the early eighties is still a mystery to me. Anyway, this is a wonderful collection of great pop songs.
Have fun
               Frank

                                                                              Flac  &  mp3@320

Nick Garrie new links for ''The Nightmare of J.B.Stanislas'' and upgrade ''Nick Garrie - Hamilton - The Lost Songs'' 1968 - 2002 (2006 Rev-Ola)

I think i don't must tell anything about it except maybe new links for the people who don't get the music from yandex. I also added the 2006 release by Repertoire The lost Songs 1968 - 2002 here.
And don't forget: BE FAST!!!

I hope you will enjoy it
                                     Frank

                                                                      Flac   &   mp3@320

At Request: Nick Garrie - The Nightmare of J.B. Stanislas 1968 -1969 (2010 Elefant, 2 Disc Edition)

Nick Garrie's rare pop-psychedelic album is reminiscent of the sunniest and frothiest such British music of the late '60s. In its match of pretty melodies and overtly romantic lyrics with Baroque pop production, it calls to mind the U.K. '60s band Nirvana in some respects, and perhaps fellow youthful singer/songwriter Billy Nicholls. In gutsier moments, you might also think of the very early Badfinger (or the Iveys, the band that evolved into Badfinger) or Thunderclap Newman.

Though his tunes are pretty, they can also veer toward blandness, and his vocals are callow and uncertain enough to make one wonder whether his compositions might have been better served by other singers. Some ill-advised forays into country-influenced material are the album's low points, but those are uncharacteristic. Most of the record is lite pop-psych with a definite Continental flavor, tinged with bittersweetness but never melancholic, evoking pictures of a sensitive late-19th century heir riding in a carriage over cobblestoned streets with top hat and petticoated girl beside him.(R. Unterberger, allmusic.com)

Wonderful album full of great pop songs with lite psychedelia. This is the 2 disc edition of the album with additional demos, singles etc. With complete artwork. Enjoy it!

Have fun
               Frank

                                                                         Flac part1   &  Flac part2  &  mp3@320

Pop Rock/Psychedelic/Sunshine Pop Orpheus - The Best Of Orpheus (1995 Big Beat)

 This double-CD compilation includes almost all of the tracks from their first three albums, as well as a couple from the one they did in 1971 for Bell (by which time Bruce Arnold was the only remaining original member). Over the course of two discs the group is given a more comprehensive and respectful retrospective than they deserve; the lushness turns to mushiness for all but the most rabid sunshine pop fans.

Despite the volume of material, the packaging isn't so hot either. Stray tracks are missing from the first two LPs, and although some of the material is apparently rare and unreleased (as it doesn't appear on the albums), details are not given in the extensive, typically self-aggrandizing liner notes by producer Alan Lorber; in fact, a few tracks are identified as coming from specific albums when in fact they did not appear on those discs. Those tracks include an alternate version of "Can't Find the Time to Tell You"; the peculiar "Anatomy of I've Never Seen Love Like This" (in which Lorber and Arnold, with narration, illustrate how they layered and produced an Orpheus track); and a live version of "Just a Little Bit" (redone on the second LP) by the Villagers, the pre-Orpheus folk duo that included future Orpheusmembers Bruce Arnold and Jack McKenes. The booklet manages to include a lot of information about the band without coming close to conveying a cohesive chronological history.(R. Unterberger, allmusic.com)

Very good two disc set of the nearly five years work of Orpheus. In my ears they had a very own style of pop rock/psychedelic/sunshine pop. Hope you will enjoy

Have fun
               Frank

                                               Flac part1   &  Flac part2     -  mp3@320

Australia Power Pop: Dom Mariani - Rewind And Play 2009 (Liberation Blue)

The former Go Starts/Stems/Someloves singer-songwriter is a walking repository of American garage bands, power pop, R&B, British invasion and classic US ballads. Here he's given himself the opportunity to break out of the mop-top, paisley print, cool guitar mould and let his songs and voice stand up for themselves.He's dusted off 12 of his early glories and overlooked gems and re-imagined them in a warm acoustic light. "With this album," he says, "it's not about styling a band around a certain thing any more." Helped out by keyboard player Nunzio Mondia, DM3's Pascal Bartolone and Majestic Kelp's Stu Loasby, the slower, stripped-back acoustic approach shines a new light on such stalwarts as When It Ends and the swinging 60s flirtation Just Like Nancy. 

Maybe Irish band Them's classic Here Comes the Night could have had a touch more menace but the Someloves' lustrous pop concoctions Melt and Know You Now make lovely sounds. No matter how pure his intentions, Mariani is like a Dalmatian when it hears a fire bell. He can't hold his impulses in check on Sunshine Glove, which is given the full Spanish Stroll/Willy DeVille feel. The same with the Stems hit At First Sight, which is stripped of its retro psychedelia but still chimes with a Byrds-like 12-string. Rewind & Play is ample proof that at the end of the day it comes down to the songs - and Mariani has them in abundance.(Ray Purvis, thewest.com)

Dom Mariani, a seasoned songwriter and singer for seminal Aussie psych-pop legends The Stems, steps forward in the midst of his second age to recount his songwriting career with a collection of stripped-back versions of songs from his catalogue. Normally alarm bells would ring here – aging rocker goes acoustic for a greatest hits play-list – but this is different. Firstly, it should be pointed out that Mariani wrote some genuinely great songs – songs that shine through as true pop statements, regardless of the format in which they’re played. And Mariani has not decided to opt for a super-clean, adult contemporary approach to performing these semi-acoustic numbers.

Instead he’s recruited a band of close friends and perform the songs in a relaxed, rough-hewn way that feels at keel with the garage leanings of the Stems. Highlights here are Melt, a particularly weary and bittersweet rendition of the Them classic Here Comes The Night, and of course, the 12-string-laden power-pop heart-breaker At First Sight, which, like Big Star’s September Gurls, never fails to raise a flutter in the chest. Great stuff.(Aidan Roberts, altmedia.net.au)

For Power Pop fans. Of course!

Enjoy!  Frank

                                                         Flac   &  mp3@320

Psychedelic Pop From Norway: 1 2 6 ‎– Graveyard Paradise:The Complete 1 2 6 & Taboo Recordings 1966-68 (2008 Ugly Things Records)

Hailing from the coldest, northernmost region of Norway, 1 2 6 (One- Two- Six) were inspired by the sounds of the Beatles, the Kinks, the Who and Bob Dylan, but blended these influences with an approach that was distinctly European. The brilliant original songwriting of Asa Krogtoft allied simple beat group arrangements and melodic psychedelic pop with a unique, often surrealistic poetic sensibility.

This 28- track CD anthology includes their complete works: the Curtains Falling album, non- LP singles, demos and rarities, and both singles by Asa ' s post- 1 2 6 band Taboo, all from the original master tapes.
Graveyard Paradise is the first time this material has been released outside of Norway. It includes an amazing array of original music: raw beat group rave- ups, dark folk- rock excursions, post- Revolver/ Pepper psychedelic moves, gorgeous orchestrated pop, and heavier freakbeat sounds.

Great jangly psychedelic pop sounds. I highly recommend this band if you like melodic popsike of the sixties.

Enjoy
          Frank

                                                      Flac part1   &  Flac part2      -  mp3@320

Welsh Folk & Pop by Mary Hopkin - Post Card 1969 (1991 Apple)

It was the British supermodel Twiggy who alerted Paul McCartney to the Welsh singer Mary Hopkin when Apple Records was looking for talent in 1968. The waifish soprano scored a huge worldwide smash with her first Apple single, the melancholy but rabble-rousing ballad "Those Were the Days," in late 1968; it actually knocked the Beatles' own "Hey Jude" out of the number one position in the U.K. Paul McCartney lent Hopkin a further hand by producing her first album and writing her second single, "Goodbye," which was also a hit. More comfortable with refined, precious ballads and folky pop than rock, Hopkin scored several more hit singles in the U.K., although she never entered the American Top 40 again. Her commercial success diminished as Apple's fortunes dwindled in the early '70s.

Paul McCartney produced this debut album of twee but pretty, romantic pop-folk. Besides "Those Were the Days" (which actually originally appeared only on the US version, though it's on the CD reissue now available throughout the world), the highlights are Donovan's "Lord of the Reedy River" and "The Honeymoon Song," which McCartney himself had sung with the Beatles way back in 1963 on the BBC. If there's a fault to be found, it's that there's too high a percentage of pre-rock/pop standards à la "There's No Business Like Show Business." As it turns out this was more due to the leanings of McCartney than Hopkin, who preferred the more simply arranged folk numbers such as the Donovan covers and the Welsh "Y Blodyn Gwyn." Also on board is a rather nice composition, "The Game," by Beatles producer George Martin, who contributed some piano and orchestra conducting to the album. The CD reissue includes George Gershwin/Ira Gershwin's "Someone to Watch Over Me" (which was on the original U.K. version of the LP, but was taken off the American counterpart), as well as the "Those Were the Days" B-side "Turn! Turn! Turn!" and versions of "Those Were the Days" that Hopkin sang in Italian and Spanish.(R. Unterberger, allmusic.com)

A lot of different songs here but the voice and vocal work of Mary Hopkin holds the album convincingly together. Good Job Mary (& Paul)

Enjoy
         Frank

                                                                           Flac   &   mp3@320

Pussy Cat - Boof! The Complete Pussy Cat 1966-1969 (2014 RPM)

Pussy Cat was the most tough sounding of France's '60s ye-ye girls. She looked to Britain for her inspirations, not home-grown, upbeat Gallic pop. She covered Small Faces, the Moody Blues, the Hollies and the Zombies. Her original songs - she was a rarity and wrote her own - were energized, hard edged, melodic and stomping. She put a French twist on the Mod era. BOOF! Is the first-ever Pussy Cat - born Evelyne Courtois - collection to be issued outside France.

Her complete '60s recordings, including two tracks unheard at the time, are collected. As a special bonus, her debut release, a 1965 EP with the band Les Petites Souris is also collected. They were France's first all-girl band. At age 17, she was their guitarist and wrote their songs. She was a pioneer. Pussy Cat took her name from the Tom Jones song 'What's New Pussycat'. She toured France with him. This package is the ultimate tribute to France's one-woman musical dynamo of the 1960s.

Really great collection if you like sixties french girls pop.
Have fun
              Frank

                                                                          Flac   &   mp3@320

Psychedelic Pop 1968: Phluph - Phluph 1968 (2014 Aurora)

Good to very good early psych album that sank in part, due to the Bosstown marketing fiasco. I see others describe it as blues psych and I wonder if they are hearing the same tracks I am. This is Hammond dominated, American psych pop done very well. Speaking of Hammond, the player here is great. Super imaginative, his playing brings to life and adds color to all the tracks but more importantly, his playing turns average tunes into interesting, above average tracks. Continually inventive, he never repeats himself thru the 10 album cuts and two bonus tracks. There is strong songwriting, great harmony vocals, some nice lead licks, well proportioned fuzz and that damn Hammond organ, all of which makes this one and done release by Phluph a very nice psych album. Another in a long list that showed more than enough on their debut to warrant further releases but it wasn't meant to be. In the end, not a bad album to leave as your destiny. Recommended. (heyday2day reader review by rate your music)

I just can second that what heyday2day in his reader review of rateyourmusic.com wrote. And there are a lot of very positive reviews about this album. The album is full of strong songs and it is a pity if the disc is at the end of the last song way too fast. Yes, recommended.
Enjoy
         Frank

                                                                         Flac   &   mp3@320