Plain and Fancy: Various Artists - The Perfumed Garden (1966-72 uk, stunning compilation of beat psych blues hard rock, 2009 five disc box set)

Rare British singles of the psychedelic and mod eras contains cuts that are so hard to find that some music historians of the era have never seen or heard them. No, it's not Children of Nuggets, nor is it Electric Sugar Cube Flashbacks, but there is some great stuff here -- all of it is at least worth hearing: Vamp's "Floatin'," Open Mind's "Magic Potion," and Nimrod's "The Bird" are just three examples of a slew of psychedelic and mod tunes to be found here.

The second of the Perfumed Garden series contains some better-known (in terms of obscurities, anyway) psych, mod, hard rock, and garage rock singles from the period. For starters, there's the first Deviants A-side, "I'm Coming Home," Les Goths' "Turn Over," and the Eyes masterpiece "When the Night Falls." Other, lesser-known cuts, such as Les Fleur de Lys' "Mud in Your Eye," Drag Set's "Day & Night," and Gary Leeds & Rain's "Francis" are also here, making this perhaps the most satisfying volume in the series.

Collectors of rare British psychedelic, hard rock, and mod pop had been looking for many of these singles for ages. Included among the many obscurities are the Groundhogs' "Sad Go Round," Barry Mason's "Over the Hills," and the Longboatmen's "Take Her Anytime." The rest is up to par with the first two volumes, rounding out a collection of rare '60s tunes that is essential for those who consider themselves connoisseurs of the era.

by Thom Jurek

Tracks
Disc 1
1. Factory - Try A Little Sunshine - 3:43
2. Eyes - You're Too Much - 3:24
3. Syn - Grounded - 2:24
4. Nimrod - The Bird - 3:15
5. Smoke - Sydney Gill - 3:32
6. Birds - No Good Without You Baby - 2:42
7. Shy Limbs - Reputation - 3:34
8. Game - It's Shocking What They Call Me - 2:42
9. Frame - Doctor Doctor - 2:45
10.Mandrake Paddle Steamer - Strange Walking Man - 3:11
11.French Revolution - Nine Til Five - 2:31
12.Vamp - Floatin' - 2:35
13.Syndicates - Crawdaddy Simone - 3:12
14.Sands - Listen To The Sky - 3:46
15.Tintern Abbey - Vacuum Cleaner - 3:06
16.The Craig - I Must Be Mad - 2:49
17.Open Mind - Magic Potion - 3:33

Disc 2
1. Kult - No Home Today - 2:46
2. Eyes - When The Night Falls - 2:34
3. Poets - Baby Don't You Do It - 2:27
4. Ace Kefford Stand - For Your Love - 5:42
5. Ruperts People - Reflections Of Charles Brown - 4:15
6. Thane Russal And Three - Security - 2:42
7. Deviants - I'm Coming Home - 5:57
8. Fleur De Lys - Liar - 3:20
9. Kult - Mister Number One - 3:28
10.In Be Tweens - You Better Run - 2:37
11.Uglies - I See The Light - 3:37
12.Glen Athens And The Trojans - Let Me Show You How - 4:29
13.Gary Leeds And Rain - Francis - 3:01
14.Les Goths - Turn Over - 3:46
15.Drag Set - Day And Night - 2:16
16.Fleur De Lys - Mud In Your Eye - 3:00
17.Accent - Red Sky At Night - 3:16

Disc 3
1. Longboatmen - Take Her Anytime - 2:54
2. Miller - Baby I Got News For You (Oak Version) - 2:58
3. Les Goths - Out Of The Sun - 2:47
4. Shyster - Tick Tock - 2:45
5. Majority One - Get Back Home - 2:46
6. Groundhogs - Sad Go Round - 3:06
7. Herbal Mixture - Please Leave My Mind - 2:38
8. Pete Sully And The Orchard - Evil Woman - 2:42
9. Adams Recital - No Place For The Lonely People - 2:48
10.Cedars - For Your Information - 2:39
11.Wolves - Lust For Life - 3:00
12.Actress - It's What You Give - 2:31
13.Reign - Line Of Least Resistance - 3:01
14.Barry Mason - Over The Hills - 3:02
15.Boeing Duveen And The Beautiful Soup - Which Dreamed It - 2:30
16.Andwella's Dream - Felix - 4:17
17.Serendipity - Through With You - 3:50
18.Rupert's People - Hold On - 3:30