Whilst it could never lay claim to being a front-runner of the British psychedelic movement, President Records was nonetheless quick to respond to changing musical tastes when it was launched into the heady midst of swinging London in 1966. In keeping with other independents at the time, President's autonomy allowed it to experiment freely with new artists and saw the label expand into areas which nowadays might be termed Psych Pop. And whilst it's true that President's major successes both at home and abroad were with artists like the Equals, Dorothy Squires and the Symbols, many of its more left-field releases are now beginning to enjoy the recognition which eluded them first time around.
Currently enjoying something of a revival on the collectors' circuit, UK Psych Pop has never been more popular. Eagerly awaited by fans of the genre, Sometimes I Wonder has been carefully compiled with collectors in mind and draws together the cream of President's Psych Pop recordings, most of which have never been released on CD up until now. Comprising both single cuts and rare album tracks Sometimes I Wonder takes the listener on a magical mystery tour through the President vaults, via its offshoots Jayboy and Gemini. Here then are 27 gems by the likes of the Explosion, Rhubarb Rhubarb, Chords Five, Pure Gold, Barbara Ruskin, the Exception, Rick Price & Mike Sheridan, all ranging in eccentricity from the melodic day-tripper pop of the Symbols' Again to the all-out psychotic reaction that is the She Trinity's Climb That Tree.
Expertly compiled by David Wells and bursting with rare memorabilia and photographs, Sometimes I Wonder is essential listening for all Psych Pop devotees.
Marmalade Skies
Artists - Title - Composer
1. Hat And Tie - Finding It Rough (Chris Thomas, Patrick Campbell-Lyons) - 2:50
2. Rhubarb Rhubarb - Rainmaker (Peter Smith, Phil Chilton) - 2:40
3. The Explosive - Cities Make The Country Colder (Tom Northcott) - 3:11
4. Chords Five - Some People (Graham Gouldman) - 2:12
5. The Exception - Don't Torture Your Mind (Roger Hill) - 2:46
6. The Symbols - Again (John Milton, Mick Clarke) - 1:57
7. The Explosive - (Who Planted Thorns In) Miss Alice's Garden (Tom Northcott) - 2:39
8. Sheridan And Rick Price - Lightning Never Strikes Twice (Mike Tyler, Rick Price) - 2:37
9. The Gass Company - Nightmare (Bill Hurd) - 2:54
10.The Cape Kennedy Construction Company - The First Step On The Moon (R. Kelton, Barbara Ruskin) - 4:40
11.Rhubarb Rhubarb - Moneylender (Peter Smith, Phil Chilton) - 2:40
12.The Symbols - (The Best Part Of) Breaking Up (Pete Andreoli, Phil Spector, Vini Poncia) - 2:48
13.The She Trinity - Climb That Tree (Al Hodge, Dick Bland, Richard Leigh, Roger Dell, Steve Cotton, Tony Priest) - 3:35
14.The Exception - Woman Of The Green Lantern (Alan James Eastwood) - 2:49
15.Sheridan And Rick Price - Sometimes I Wonder (Mike Tyler, Rick Price) - 2:41
16.Barbara Ruskin - Pawnbroker Pawnbroker (Barbara Ruskin) - 2:13
17.Pure Gold - Fairground (D. Reid, Kerry Minnear) - 2:34
18.Brian Poole And The Seychelles - Send Her To Me (Alan Dickinson, Chris Hayward, John Bosher, Phil Dillon) - 2:40
19.The Seychelles - Baker's Daughter (Alan Dickinson) - 3:02
20.Rick Price - Daisy Farm Park (Rick Price) - 2:30
21.The League - Hey Conductor (Sonny Flaharty) - 2:34
22.Yellow Taxi - Anna Laura Lee (Barbara Ruskin, Len Praverman) - 2:25
23.The Exception - Jack Rabbit (Alan James Eastwood) - 1:55
24.The Explosive - Step Out Of Line (Russ Harness) - 3:05
25.Rick Price - Talking To The Flowers (Jacqueline Ertel, Terry Slater, Venetia Stevenson) - 2:22
26.Sheridan And Price - Lamp Lighter Man (Mike Tyler, Rick Price) - 2:56
27.The Cape Kennedy Construction Company - Armageddon (D. Baker) - 4:29