Rare Bird - Epic Forest (1972 uk, exceptional prog rock)

Rare Bird formed in London in 1969 and rapidly became one of the standard-bearers for the new neo-classical, keyboard-driven strain of British progressive rock. Whilst eschewing the pompous on-stage approach of ELP and Yes, they exhibited an equally impressive musical pedigree. Unusually, they included no guitarist, the four-man line-up consisting of organ, electric piano, bass guitar and drums. 

Classically-trained organist Graham Field’s songwriting and bassist Steve Gould’s powerful, soulful voice yielded an immediate UK and pan-European hit single in “Sympathy”, and this line-up subsequently recorded two moderately well-received but sparingly purchased albums. Field then announced his departure and the Bird was forced to re-fledge. Moving from one extreme to the other, it became a twin-lead-guitar outfit, though retaining pianist Dave Kaffinetti, with Gould upgrading from four strings to six and new second guitarist/singer Ced Curtis giving them fine opportunities for harmonies, both instrumental and vocal.

The first album to feature the new roster appeared in 1972, its title a skit on Epping Forest, a sylvan suburb of the capital. It displays two of the dominant threads of mainstream UK rock music of the time: the melodic guitar-driven soft-rock approach of bands in the Wishbone Ash mould and the soaring close-harmony vocals lifted from Californian good-time outfits such as CS&N. With two first-class singers and the extra dimension provided by Kaffinetti’s organ, piano and synth work, it’s probably fair to say that this incarnation of Rare Bird transcends the Wishbone template. 

Sadly, unlike the latter this didn’t translate into gratifying record sales: possibly their change of direction alienated their original prog-rock supporters, whilst a potential new soft-rock fan base may have wrongly construed them as old, po-faced art-rockers. Such are the vagaries of rock fame! They certainly achieved more penetration in Europe than at home, whilst recognition in America eluded them almost completely. The Bird flew haltingly on for a further four years, suffering several further changes of personnel and releasing two further albums to modest critical acclaim but little commercial success before bowing to the punk-powered inevitable.

Having recorded more material for Epic Forest than required for a conventional single-disc vinyl release and not wishing to shelve any of the completed tracks, Rare Bird adopted the then novel tactic of pressing three of these as a maxi-single included free with the album. The twelve tracks, totalling over sixty minutes of music, exhibit a uniformly high quality in the writing, singing, playing and production. Up-tempo and languid compositions alternate, electric and acoustic guitars predominate, but the support from Kaffinetti’s keyboards and the rhythm section of Paul Karas on bass and Fred Kelly on kit is unerringly solid. 

The two opening tracks set out the menu; I love the simple, powerful bass riff that drives “Baby Listen” and the ensemble guitars and harmonies on the much softer “Hey Man”. There are some harder touches; on “Turn It All Around”, they even move mildly into riff-rock territory, Zeppelin style, after a deceptively quiet intro. The extended instrumental interludes on the nine-minute title track and on the ten-minute closer “You’re Lost” were clearly as enjoyable for the musicians as they will be to the listener, on the evidence of their final whoops of satisfaction on the latter’s fadeout.

by Len Liechti

Tracks
1. Baby Listen - 3:24
2. Hey Man (Andy Curtis, Steve Gould, Dave Kaffinetti, Fred Kelly) - 5:52
3. House in the City - 4:24
4. Epic Forest (Andy Curtis, Steve Gould, Dave Kaffinetti, Fred Kelly) - 9:11
5. Turning the Lights Out - 4:38
6. Her Darkest Hour - 3:32
7. Fears of the Night - 3:17
8. Turn It All Around - 4:43
9. Title No. 1 Again (Birdman) - 6:05
10.Roadside Welcome - 4:20
11.Four Grey Walls - 3:54
12.You're Lost - 10:07
13.Devils High Concern - 2:49
14.Sympathy (Single Version) - 2:34
15.What You Want to Know (Alternative Version) - 3:31
Words and Music by Ced Curtis, Dave Kaffinetti, Fred Kelly, Paul Karas, Steve Gould except where stated.

Rare Bird
*Ced Curtis - Guitar
*Steve Gould - Bass, Guitar, Saxophone, Vocals
*Paul Holland - Guitar, Percussion, Vocals
*Dave Kaffinetti - Keyboards, Organ, Piano, Synthesizer
*Paul Karas - Bass, Vocals
*Fred Kelly - Drums, Vocals

1969  Rare Bird - Rare Bird (2007 Esoteric remaster bonus tracks issue)
1970  Rare Bird - As Your Mind Flies By  (2007 Esoteric remaster bonus tracks issue)

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Pugh's Place - West One (1969 holland, marvelous hard prog)

Pugh's Place is a progressive rock group formed in Leeuwarden, Fryslan. Hans Kerkhoven played in a local band called Example in 1965. This band turned into Pugh's Place. In the beginning they played covers by Steve Winwood, The Stones, The Yardbirds and The Kinks. But soon they started to write their own material and the music style changed to progressive rock. A debut album is released in 1969, which is called West One. This is followed by a single in 1970, Nothing is real / The horoscope . The band toured the Netherlands during 1970 an 1971. When two band members left the for studies, it was the end of Pugh's Place.

Pugh Place's music is not very complex and can best be described as proto prog. Influences are sixties beat groups and the sound also reminds of early Jethro Tull and Focus. The album opens with a fantastic cover of the Beatle song "Drive my car". It is a heavy rendition with a proggy flute solo and a great hammond sound. All the ingredients on this track will be used throughout the whole album. So you hear a lot of flute, organ and heavy guitars. Another great track is "Give me good music". It starts with a funky bass line but ends very proggy. The rest of the album contains good music, but it is no masterpiece however.

Pugh's-Place

Tracks
1. Drive My Car (J. Lennon, P. Mccartney) - 7:03
2. Old Private John (J. Ottevanger, N. Kalma) - 4:39
3. Give Me Good Music (J. Van Der Heide, N. Kalma) - 5:50
4. Secret (J. Van Der Heide) - 4:22
5. The Prisoner (J. Van Der Heide) - 4:21
6. Undesirable (J. Van Der Heide, N. Kalma) - 4:10
7. Lady Power (J. Van Der Heide, N. Kalma) - 6:10

Pugh's Place
*Hans Kerkhoven - Lead Guitar, 12 String Guitar, Acoustic Guitar
*Jan Ottevanger - Bass Guitar
*Nanne Kalma - Vocals, Vibes, Acoustic Guitar
*Jan Van Der Heide - Guitar, Flute, Vocals
*George Snijder - Drums
*Henk Kooistra - Organ

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Lighthouse - Sunny Days (1972 canada, magnificent jazz prog rock)

The title track to the Sunny Days album became one of Lighthouse's two Top 40 hits, peaking at number 34 in November of 1972. Sunny Days was the band's seventh album, yet their full-scale sound and spirited rock & roll style was still very much intact. The saxophone and trombone work that gave them the label as a poor man's Chicago can be found streaming through songs like "Silver Bird" and "Letter Home," while "Broken Guitar Blues" became one of their hardiest efforts, receiving quite a bit of air play on Canadian radio stations. 

But brighter melodies, like that found on "You Girl," and soulful, root-and-branch tunes like "You Give to Me" and "Letter Home" make this one of the last solid outings by Lighthouse, and the last by percussionist and singer Bobby McBride. That's not to say that the albums that followed (One Fine Light, Can You Feel It, Good Day) are poor, but Sunny Days contains a certain intangible quality that emerges from Skip Prokop especially, and from the accomplished, full-scale sound that arises from the brass and strings, which somehow doesn't penetrate as strongly on future albums. 

by Mike DeGagne

Tracks
1. Silver Bird (Ralph Cole) - 3:02
2. Sunny Days (Skip Prokop) - 4:19
3. You Girl (Skip Prokop) - 4:11
4. Beneath My Woman (Skip Prokop) - 7:03
5. Merlin (Bob McBrode, Skip Prokop) - 4:29
6. Broken Guitar Blues (Ralph Cole) - 4:30
7. Letter Home (Howard Shore) - 4:15
8. You Give To Me (Larry Smith) - 7:24
9. Lonely Places (Paul Hoffert) - 3:20

Lighthouse
*Dick Armin – Electric Cello
*Ralph Cole – Guitar, Vocals
*Don Dinovo – Electric Violina
*Paul Hoffert – Keyboards, vibes, congas, canary
*Bob McBrode – Acoustic Guitar, Percussion, Vocals
*John Naslen – Trumpet
*Skip Prokop - Acoustic Guitar, Percussion, Drums, Vocals
*Howard Shore – Flute, Alto, Tenor Sax, Vocals
*Larry Smith – Trombone, Mellophonium, Vocals
*Alan Wilmot – Bass
*Louis Yacknin - Bass

Lighthouse
1971  One Fine Morning
1973  Can You Feel It?  (2008 RDI issue)
Related Acts
1967  The Paupers - Magic People
1968  The Paupers · Ellis Island  (2008 remaster)
1969  The Live Adventures Of Mike Bloomfield And Al Kooper
1969  Michael Bloomfield with Nick Gravenites & Friends - Live At Bill Graham's Fillmore West (2009 remaster and expanded) 

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The Sons Of Champlin - Loosen Up Naturally (1969 us, exciting tight jazz blues psych rock)

Although the Sons of Champlin made their recording debut with the single "Sing Me a Rainbow" on Verve Records in 1967, it has taken them another two years to release this, their first album, which means they are late out of the starting blocks as far as psychedelic San Francisco rock bands are concerned. They try to make up for that with a major statement, a double-LP running over an hour. 

They also distinguish themselves immediately in terms of their instrumentation and arranging style. If the San Francisco sound is defined by simple folk-style song structures extended by long guitar solos, this is something entirely different. The Sons take their inspiration from R&B and jazz, to which they then apply the psychedelic treatment. There is a talented lead guitarist in Terry Haggerty, but he has to fight for space in the songs with Bill Champlin, who plays organ and saxophone, as well as multi-instrumentalist Geoff Palmer, whose arsenal also includes saxophone, though he may also break out a mean vibraphone, as he does in "Get High." 

The horns are unusual in a San Francisco band and incline toward the coming sound of Blood, Sweat & Tears, although that outfit is far more pop-oriented. The Sons are perhaps better understood as fundamentally a jazz band, with their multiple soloists and complicated arrangements. Over all the furious playing, Champlin displays a gritty R&B vocal style, but the melodies are less important than the arrangements and the soloing. 

Champlin's lyrics tend toward the philosophical with many references to being "free," and when he uses that word, he clearly is not just referring to personal liberty, but also to "free" playing, which is what the band does, particularly on the sidelong closing track, appropriately called "Freedom." Loosen Up Naturally, like many other double albums, probably could have been boiled down to a strong single LP, but the very concept of the band on this recording, as embodied in the title, is to spread out and blow, and that takes some space. the Sons of Champlin give the listener a lot to take in on their full-length debut, and they give themselves several interesting directions to pursue in the future. 

by William Ruhlmann

Tracks
1. 1982-A - 3:50
2. The Thing To Do - 4:45
3. Misery Isn't Free - 4:13
4. Rooftop - 3:42
5. Everywhere - 3:45
6. Don't Fight It, Do It! - 4:15
7. Get High - 7:45
8. Black And Blue Rainbow - 3:18
9. Hello Sunlight - 4:20
10.Things Are Gettin' Better - 5:50
11.Freedom - 14:45
All compositions by  Sons Of Chaplin

The Sons Of Champlin
*Bill Bowen - Drums
*Tim Caine - Saxophone
*Bill Champlin - Guitar, Keyboards, Saxophone, Vocals
*Terry Haggerty - Guitar, Vocals
*Geoffrey Palmer - Keyboards, Bass, Saxophone, Vocals
*Al Strong - Bass

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Rainbow Band (Midnight Sun) - Rainbow Band (1970-71 denmark, brilliant psych, prog jazz rock, bonus tracks edition)

Midnight Sun originally went under the name Rainbow Band and released an album with that name too, before switching to Midnight Sun. Their first LP with their new name was weirdly enough just a re-recorded version of their first record as Rainbow Band! Anyway, "Midnight Sun" is a really good album, melting jazz, blues and energetic rock into a '70s sound. 

It's quite obvious with such influences that the band had listened a lot to bands like Chicago and Blood, Sweat & Tears, but didn't end up sounding like them at all. "Talkin'" is a superb opener to the album, fusing the bluesy vocals of Alan Mortensen with an irresistible rhythmic theme dominated by Niels Brψnstedt's el-piano and Bent Hesselman's jazzy sax-riffs. The hard rocking and jam-oriented instrumental section turns the spotlight over to Peer Frost's razor-sharp guitar. "King of the Sun" has a pretty similar structure, but with a much lighter feel where the outstanding and tight solo-parts are what really save the track. 

The ballad "Nobody" is based around some eerie piano-chords, but increases the tempo during the instrumental passage where the piano veers into some classical influences too. "Where You Going to be" is in a more straightforward rock-fashion, but with a great mid-tempo groove and a jazzy sax-solo. "B.M." is a short instrumental written by bassist Bo Stief, and is mostly a showcase for his skills on acoustic bass. "Sippin' Wine" is the band from their lightest and least interesting side, with some clear influences from Blood, Sweat & Tears. 

The complex, intense and energetic 15-minute "Living on the Hill" is on the contrary the highlight of the record. It should also be mentioned that the band had a very good and thoroughly active drummer in Carsten Smedegaard. Guitarist Frost also surprises a bit here by turning into a classical-influenced heavy metal-styled guitar-solo in the middle of the song, followed by some even more aggressive jamming. 

The album closes in a far more peaceful way with Hesselman's instrumental "Rainbow Song" where he plays a beautiful theme on flute while some Mellotron turns it into the only slight symphonic moment on the record. This is definitively one of the Danish '70s rock albums you should check out. 

Vintage-prog

Tracks
1. Where Do You Live (Bisgaard, Brøndsted) - 4:26
2. King Of The Sun (Hesselmann, Levy, Mortensen) - 5:05
3. Nobody (Brondsted) / B. M. (Stief) - 7:46
4. Where Are You Going To Be (Hesselmann, Levy) - 2:48
5. Living On The Hill  (Frost, Bisgaard) - 14:12
6. Rainbow Song (Mortensen) - 3:50
7. Talking (Brondsted, Mortensen) - 5:04
8. King Of The Sun (Hesselmann, Levy, Mortensen) - 4:29
9. Nobody (Brondsted) - 4:56
10.Where Are You Going To Be (Hesselmann, Levy) - 5:32
11.B. M. (Stief) - 2:34
12.Sippin' Wine (Mortensen) - 3:07
13.Living On The Hill (Frost, Bisgaard) - 14:48
Album version 2 tracks 7-13

Rainbow Band (Midnight Sun)
*Lars Bisgaard - Vocals (1-6)
*Allan Mortensen - Vocals (7-13)
*Bent Hesselmann - Sax, Flute
*Peer Frost - Guitar
*Niels Brondsted - Piano
*Bo Stief - Bass
*Carsten Smedegaard - Drums

1972/74  Midnight Sun - Walking Circles / Midnight Dream

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Midnight Sun - Walking Circles / Midnight Dream (1972/74 denmark, spectacular jazz prog rock)

Denmark's Rainbow Band was formed in late 1969 as a supergroup consisting of Peer Frost (ex-Young Flowers), Lars Bisgaard (ex-Maxwells), Carsten Smedegaard (ex-Beefeaters), Bent Hesselmann and the former jazz players Niels Bronsted and Bo Stief (they had backed American jazz musicians at Copenhagen's Café Montmartre). The idea was to play jazz-influenced progressive rock in the style of Burnin' Red Ivanhoe and Traffic's second album. These influences were strongly evident on their 1970 album.

 It's a very good effort, still very indicative of the hippie era. The rhythm section still produced the powerful 60s beat, forcing Peer Frost to squeeze out some of his best guitar solos. Lars Bisgaard was replaced by Allan Mortensen (ex-Tears) at the end of 1970. A Canadian group was already using the name Rainbow Band, which forced the Danish group to change their name into Midnight Sun in July 1971. Surprisingly enough, they decided to remake their first album instead of moving on to new material.

"Walking Circles" and "Midnight Dream" are their second and third albums. This is well-crafted progressive jazz with plenty of funky rhythms with great guitar and occasional tight brass that hits the spot. The Walking Circles album features cover art by Roger Dean, as did their debut. Pear Frost is said to be Denmark’s finest guitarist from this time period. Some similarities to 60’s era Traffic and Burning Red Ivanhoe. 

The powerful instrumental "A La Turca" from "Walking Circles" has many trademarks of Midnight Sun at their best; melodic, jazzy saxophone and piano blended with heavy riffs and some outstanding soloing. This level of quality continues in "The Way of Zen", but in a very different musical frame, as this is a laidback and atmospheric ballad based mostly around the piano and some ethereal flute. 

Stief's acoustic bass also makes a return here. But the record unfortunately decreases into mediocrity again with "I've Got A New Mind" that opens the second side in a not very promising way. Luckily, the band goes back to form for the rest of the album. "Winds Gonna Blow" opens with some beautiful, jazzy flute-themes and also has a nice string-arrangement that further enhances the strong melody. Definitively one of the best on the record. The title-track is the most complex piece here, with the el-piano playing one of the main roles. "I'm Living A Dream" is very short but good, mid-tempo jazzy song that closes this partly uneven but still worthwhile album. 

Vintage-prog

Tracks
Walking Circles 
1. Can You Hear The Music Play (Lasse Helner, Peter Helner) - 3:57
2. Country Song (Stief, Lauridsen) - 5:12
3. A La Turca (Hesselmann) - 4:47
4. The Way Of Zen (Andy Levy, Lauridsen, Frost) - 3:49
5. I've Got A New Mind (Andy Levy, Lauridsen, Bronsted) - 4:23
6. Winds Gonna Blow (Andy Levy, Bronsted) - 5:40
7. Walking Circles (Andy Levy, Bronsted) - 7:21
8. I'm Living A Dream (Andy Levy, Bronsted) - 1:37
Midnight Dream
9. Midnight Dream (Andy Levy, Lauridsen, Niels E. Skovgaard) - 5:02
10.Country Days (Andy Levy, Lauridsen, Bronsted) - 2:10
11.Me And I (Lauridsen, Bronsted, Sander) - 1:55
12.Send Me Flowers Every Morning (Lauridsen, Bronsted) - 3:46
13.I'll Love You, I'll Leave You (Andy Levy, Bronsted) - 3:06
14.Batum (Traditional, arranged By Bronsted) - 4:12
15.The Same Dream (Andy Levy, Lauridsen) - 3:19
16.When You Sleep Alone (Andy Levy, Hesselmann) - 4:35
17.Where Ever You Are (Lauridsen, Bronsted) - 8:40
18.How I Love You (Lauridsen, Sander) - 4:00

Midnight Sun
*Peer Frost Johansson - Guitars
*Niels Bronsted - Piano
*Bent Hesselmann - Sax, Flute
*Bo Stief - Bass
*Carsten Smedegaard - Drums
*Frank Lauridsen - Vocals, Harmonica
*Jens Elbøl Nielsen - Bass
*Peter Kragerup - Strings
*Finn Ziegler - Violin
*Simon Koppel - Congas
*Jannie Høegh, Lasse Helner, Sanne Salomonsen - Vocals

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Three Dog Night - Captured Live At The Forum (1969 us, groovy psych rock)

Captured Live at the Forum was so ubiquitous that it turned up with astonishing regularity in the collections of kids who did a lot of acid and suburbanite teens who otherwise listened to the Carpenters and the Partridge Family. And with good reason: it was the album that proved this band was more than a radio phenomenon; that they could (and did) make as great music on stage as they did on their records, and their reputation was made from it. 

The Harmony material is a little less intense. The band had settled into a formula by then, a little more than a year later, and was more pop-focused, but they could still pile on virtuosity to match the versatility, and it's great to hear this material with the kind of presence it deserved in playback, so you can see why even some of the more questionable moments. 

by Bruce Eder

Tracks
1. Heaven Is In Your Mind (Jim Capaldi, Steve Winwood, Chris Wood) - 3:23
2. Feelin' Alright (Dave Mason) - 4:55
3. It's For You (John Lennon, Paul Mccartney) - 2:02
4. Nobody (Beth Beatty, Dick Cooper, Ernie Shelby) - 3:03
5. One (Harry Nilsson) - 3:37
6. Chest Fever (J.R. Robertson) - 7:02
7. Eli's Coming (Laura Nyro) - 3:45
8. Easy To Be Hard (Galt MacDermot, James Rado, Gerome Ragni) - 4:25
9. Try A Little Tenderness (Jimmy Campbell, Reginald Connelly, Harry M. Woods) - 6:08

Three Dog Night
*Mike Allsup - Guitar
*Jimmy Greenspoon - Keyboard
*Danny Hutton - Vocals
*Chuck Negron - Vocals
*Joe Schermie - Bass
*Floyd Sneed - Drums
*Cory Wells - Vocals

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Various Artists - Fairytales Can Come True (1966-72 europe, harmony pop with psychedelic feel, four discs set)

How many forgotten and “uncomped” European pop-psych gems from the late ‘60s can there still be? Judging by this excellent compilation from Nick Soloman’s (the one-man neo-psych band known as the Bevis Frond) imprint label Psychic Circle, the answer is: a lot. 

Following close on the heels of last year’s critically lauded Volume One in the “Fairytales” series, Fairy Cakes For Tea: Fairytales Can Come True delivers another 20 addictive morsels (mostly British) of melodic, and at times seriously danceable, “popsike” confectionary for your delectation without opening the door too wide to the wondrous world of whimsical “toytown” psychedelia. - (Which, let’s face it, is a acquired taste.) - But if you do take up the Youth’s invitation on the mellow “Meadow of My Mind” to “Come wading with me / In the babbling brook of my mind”, taken from the unknown crackle-and-hiss acetate version of a Deram-released obscurity, you won’ regret it. 

Further listening will unwrap candy-coated nuggets ranging from the Starlites’ poptastic “Good Morning Mr. Milkman” to the Hammond organ swinger “Look Out Girl”, a P.F. Sloan cover done by one Lloyd Banks or the almost Elizabethan madrigal of Scott Henderson’s “Saturday Night People” and a scintillating, beefed-up version of the much-covered classic “Spooky” by unknowns Sasperella. The real icing on this particular fairy cake, however, is provided by folk-rock duo Peter and Gordon wigging out on the groovy “I Feel Like Going Out”. The rest of the album pleasantly floats, skips and meanders through a cotton-candy universe without a dud tune. A rare treat indeed.

by Alan Brown

The idea of this compilation is to present obscure British recordings from the late '60s that had a definite psychedelic feel, but also had a lot of harmony pop influence at work as well. Often this led to a particularly precious branch of psychedelia dubbed (long after the fact) by some collectors as "toytown" music, in part because of a preoccupation with British character sketches, childhood nostalgia, and fantasy that was largely absent from American psychedelic rock.

There's some of that here, but fortunately this largely steers clear of excessively precious and twee material, though some of it does have the good-time bounce that leaked down to so many bands from the circa-1967 Beatles and Kinks. None of these were hits or anything close to it, of course, but some general '60s collectors might actually recognize some of the musicians, particularly the Searchers (represented by a fairly respectable, and seldom anthologized, late-'60s 45, "Umbrella Man");

Jackie Lomax, as leader of the Lomax Alliance; Los Bravos, of "Black Is Black" fame (here heard covering the Easybeats' song "Bring a Little Lovin'"); Ian Matthews, heard on the Pyramid's breezy "Summer of Last Year," recorded shortly before he joined Fairport Convention; and Hedgehoppers Anonymous and the Roulettes, both of whom had a little U.K. success on record in the '60s. 

What's most impressive about this compilation, however, is that there's a fair amount of variety in the selections, encompassing an obscure Troggs cover (Barry Benson's "Cousin Jane"), almost raw folk-rock (Hedgehoppers Anonymous' "Daytime"), sub-Walker Brothers balladeering (the Virgil Brothers' "Look Away"), and nearly baroque moodiness with influence from both classical music and Beach Boys harmonies (Fred Lloyd's "Kissed Him," Dreams' "A Boy Needs a Girl," and Dave Christie's "Penelope Breedlove"). If you want more singsongy sugary stuff, that's here, too, but not so much so that listening to the CD gets to be an overly sickly sweet experience. It's definitely an anthology for deep U.K. psych specialists, but likely one of the better ones in this subgenre to ever be compiled.

by Richie Unterberger

Tracks

Disc 1

Tracks - Artists

1. Summer Of Last Year - The Pyramid - 3:07 

2. Bring A Little Lovin' - Los Bravos - 2:25 

3. Kissed Him - Fred Lloyd - 2:04 

4. See The People - The Lomax Alliance - 2:14

5. Cousin Jane - Barry Benson - 2:35  

6. A Boy Needs A Girl - Dreams - 2:28  

7. Mary Ann She - Grisby Dyke - 2:56  

8. Fairy Tales Can Come True - San Francisco Earthquake - 2:29  

9. Trees - Gallagher & Lyle - 2:28 

10.Umbrella Man - The Searchers - 2:57 

11.Penelope Breedlove - Dave Christie - 2:37 

12.Nine To Five - Promise - 2:10  

13.Keeping My Head Above Water - Peppermint Circus - 2:36 

14.Look Away - The Virgil Brothers - 2:39 

15.Upside Down Inside Out - The Snappers - 2:51  

16.Pumpkin Mini - Katch 22 - 2:32  

17.Just Another Wedding Day - Brian Connell And The Roundsound - 2:46 

18.Saturday Town - Darlings - 1:55  

19.Daytime - Hedgehoppers Anonymous - 2:28 

20.Help Me To Help Myself - The Roulettes - 2:40

Disc 2 Fairy Cakes For Tea

Tracks - Artists

1. Honey Do - Crackers -  2:33

2. Mr. Smith - The Foresters -  3:00

3. Meadow of My Love - The Youth -  2:35 

4. Good Morning Mr. Milkman - The Starlites -  2:18 

5. Look Out Girl - Lloyd Banks -  3:02 

6. Never an Everyday Thing - Roek`s Family -  2:45  

7. Saturday Night People - Scott Henderson -  2:07  

8. I'm on My Way - Dave Andrews And The Sugar -  2:02  

9. Spooky - Sasperella -  3:24  

10.Driftwood - The Factotums -  2:45   

11.Listen to My Heart - The Bats -  3:06 

12.Unbrella - 14 -  2:12 

13.Fantastic Fair - The Guards -  2:50 

14.Holly Golightly - Fluff -  2:22 

15.Values - Peter -  2:06  

16.Fairy Cakes for Tea - Mike Quinn And The Breadcrumbs -  2:04  

17.I Feel Like Going Out - Peter & Gordon -  2:38

18.I Thought You Thought - Chuckles -  2:28

19.People People - Oliver Norman -  2:42 

20.Gotta Find You - Rescue Co. No 1 -  3:07

Disc 3 Let`s Ride

Artists - Tracks

1. Sight And Sound - Little Jackie Monday - 2:17

2. Winston G - Riding With The Milkman - 2:12

3. Hurbert Thomas Valverde And The HT`s - We Don`t Care - 2:31

4. Royalty - Let`s Ride - 2:51

5. Les Irresistibles - My Year Is A Day - 3:01

6. Stoics - Earth, Fire, Air And Water - 2:28

7. Grand Union - Slowly But Surely - 3:06

8. Barry Benson - I Can Wait - 2:21

9. Graham Bonney - Mixed Up Baby Girl - 1:44

10.Katch 22 - Don`t Bother - 1:59

11.My Kind Of People - Nobody Knows Why The Butterfly Died - 2:42

12.Mike Batt - Mary Goes Round - 2:15

13.The Chanters - Mississippi Paddleboat - 3:32

14.Des James - City Street - 2:24

15.Unit 4+2 - Booby Trap - 2:43

16.Tony Hazzard - The Sound Of The Candyman`s Trumpet - 2:38

17.The Newmens - What Ya Doin Down There - 3:01

18.Dave Christie - Love And The Brass Band - 2:36

19.White Lining - Back In the Sun - 3:22

20.Equipe 84 - 29th September - 2:26

Disc 4 We All Love the Human Race 
Tracks - Artists
1. The Blue Sound of Love - Alan Dell - 5:00
2. Changes in Our Time - Colin Giffin - 3:18
3. The Maze of Yesterday - Projection - 2:27
4. Lonely Man - Justin's Timepiece - 2:28
5. Hiding Behind My Smile - Iberos - 2:46
6. Little Maid's Song - Sasha Caro - 2:54
7. Makin' Love to Him - Tim Andrews, Paul Korda - 2:10
8. Letter to Josephine - Haystack - 2:49
9. Heart Trouble - Eyes Of Blue - 2:33
10.I Feel No Pain - Newby - 2:34
11.Movie Star - Cherry Smash - 3:14
12.We've Got a Groovy Thing Going - Ola And The Janglers - 2:15
13.Latisha - Dave Berry - 2:31
14.Maker of Mistakes - Chris Andrews - 2:37
15.Wish You Were Here - Darlings - 3:03
16.Six Angels & Three Girls - Modus Vivendi - 2:34
17.We All Love the Human Race - Wayne Fontana - 2:02
18.She Does - Plastic Penny - 3:05
19.I Don't Want You (Any More) - John Burness - 2:06
20.Morning - Jack Carter - 2:17

Psychic Circle compilations
1961-64  Phantom Guitars: A Cool Collection of Twangin' Instrumentals
1966-72  With The Sun In My Eyes
1968-72  White Lace And Strange
1968-72  The Room Of Loud Sounds
1964-69  Realistic Patterns Orchestrated Psychedelia
1965-69  Wednesday Morning Dew 
1965-70  The Electric Coffee House 
1965-70  The Golden Road The Electric Coffee House Vol.2
1966-72  We Can Fly
1969-73  Cosmarama
1969-74  Blow Your Cool: 20 Prog Psych Assaults
1969-74  Lovin’ Fire 20 Obscure Gems
1970-77  A Visit To The Spaceship Factory

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Joy Unlimited - Schmetterlinge (1971 germany, excellent concept fusion progressive rock, bonus tracks issue)

This group began their life as Joy and The Hit Kids, fronted by the talented female vocalist Joy Fleming, and they released four singles on Decca in 1967 and 1968. Their name was changed into Joy Unlimited in 1969, and five further singles were released on Polydor in 1969 and 1970. 

Polydor also released their first album Overground (1970), a befitting title, as it contained 12 short pop-blues rock songs, clearly inspired by Janis Joplin. For this reason, it is a bit dated today and only completists should investigate. 

By then, the group was a sextet. Schmetterlinge ('butterflies') was a solid step in a progressive direction. Indeed a very versatile album, ranging from the gutsy Joplin blues of "Rankness" via free jazz improvisations like "Sensual Impressions" to excellent progressive rock songs like "Rudiment". This album saw the arrival of a seventh member: Cord Kothe. 

The arrangements were refined, benefiting from the group's strong musical muscle. This, and both of the subsequent albums, contained ballet music! The female vocals placed Joy Unlimited in the European tradition of bands like Sandrose, Circus 2,000 and Earth & Fire. 

However, this was to change when Joy Fleming departed to start a solo career in 1972.

Cosmic Dreams At Play 

Tracks
1. Contacts
.a.Rudiment (Heck, Nagel, Herkenne, Hofgen) - 4:27
.b.Connection (Kindl, Metz, Strube) - 1:30
.c.That's The Key (Kindl, Kothe, Herkenne, Hofgen) - 2:32
.d.For You And Me (Kindl, Kothe, Herkenne, Hofgen) - 1:40
2. Manifestations
.a.Suppression (Heck, Kothe) - 2:55
.b.Rankness (Strube, Heck, Strube) - 2:37
.c.Face Of War (Kothe, Hofgen) - 3:28
.d.Free (Kindl, Metz, Nagel) - 2:08
.e.Sensual Impressions (Kothe, Nagel) - 7:14
.f.Quintessence (Heck, Metz, Kothe, Strube) - 2:35
3. Emotions
.a.Eden Park (Heck, Kindl, Metz, Nagel) - 2:58
.b.Metamorphosis (Kindl, Strube, Herkenne, Hofgen) - 3:08
.c.In Search For The Last Word (Heck, Nagel, Herkenne, Hofgen) - 1:59
.d.Rising Mind (Kindl, Kothe, Herkenne, Hofgen) - 2:55
.e.Eden Park Again (Heck, Kindl, Metz, Nagel) - 1:44
4. Neckarbrücken-Blues (Metz, Heck) - 3:20
5. All Heaven And All Earth Are Silent (Heck, Kindl, Kothe, Traylor) - 8:13
6. Silver Gun (Swin Pors, Derring, Kothe, Traylor) - 4:32
7. Peace Train (Stevens) - 3:58
Bonus tracks 4-7

Joy Unlimited
*Joy Fleming - Vocals
*Han Herkenne - Drums, Percussion
*Albin Metz - Trumpet, Bass
*Roland Heck - Organ, Piano, Vibes, Marimba, Percussion, Vocals
*Dieter Kindle - Bass, Guitar, Percussion
*Gerd Kothe - Saxes, Flute
*Klaus Nagel - Guitar, Woodwind, Tympani, Percussion, Flute

1970  Joy Unlimited (Overground)

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Joy Unlimited - Joy Unlimited "Overground" (1970 germany, marvelous funky psych blues rock, 2007 fallout release)

This psych-tinged German crew are best-known for 1971’s progressive Schmetterlinge (‘Butterflies’) LP, but their 1970 debut was just as good. Confusingly released as Overground at home, Turbulence in the UK and Joy Unlimited in the United States, it’s a superb blend of psych, funk and pop, boasting the powerhouse vocals of Joy Fleming, an array of guitar and organ textures and breaks and samples galore. This release here, contains three rare bonus tracks.

“The career of Joy Unlimited started at the Mannheim Conservatory during 1965. Writing film scores and appearing with the Beatles, the Flock, Tom Jones, John Mayall and Henry Mancini have been but a few of their TV and radio appearances. After topping the German polls two years in succession, the group are in demand all over the Continent, and after their appearance at the Dusseldorf Jazz And Pop Festival, Joy Unlimited made this album, their first to be released in England, actually entitled Turbulence. All arrangements are done collectively by the group. The additional brass was scored by Dieter Reith, the bass guitarist and saxophone player of Joy Unlimited”. 

original UK sleevenotes, 1970

“Joy, of Joy Unlimited, is one incredible singer. Her performances create a truth and believability in melody, lyrics and emotion that is all too rare in rock music. The group, which is led by guitarist Klaus, is a tight, knowing, energetic band, comprised of Roland on organ, Dieter on guitar, Albin on bass and Hans on drums. This combination has produced music that set them as top group of the year in 1968 and 1969, as determined by the German music poll, and has got a straight line to groovin’ ears all around the world. Getting it together takes time and talent. They’ve got it together so that you can get it. Now that you’ve got it, enjoy it! In this business a combination of energy, feeling and extraordinary talent is a pure joy… truly a Joy Unlimited”.

original US sleevenotes, 1970

Tracks
1. Save Me Save Me (Young, English) - 2:26
2. Groove With What You’ve Got (Burns, Vegas) - 2:22
3. All Together Now (Lennon, McCartney) - 2:36
4. I Hold No Grudge (Badale, Clifford) - 3:11
5. Feelin’ (Faltermeier, Zauner, Nagel) - 2:45
6. Take Me To The Pilot (John, Taupin) - 2:30
7. Have You Met Anyone Lately? (Bernstein, Millrose) - 2:27
8. It’s Not Alright (Heck, Herkenne) - 2:39
9. I Just Made Up My Mind (Hawkshaw) - 2:25
10.Mr. Pseudonym (Kindl, Herkenne) - 3:48
11.Mr. Slater (Fletscher) - 2:34
12.Helpless Child (Heck, Herkenne) - 3:14
13.Sunshine (Heck, Herkenne) - 2:16
14.Oh Darlin’ (Lennon, McCartney) - 3:17
15.Daytime Nighttime (Hugg) - 3:04
Bonus tracks 13-15

Joy Unlimited
*Joy Fleming -Vocals
*Klaus Nagel - Guitar, Flute, Vocals
*Dieter Kindl - Bass, Sax, Vocals
*Roland Heck - Keyboards, Vocals
*Albin Metz - Bass, Trumpet, Trombone
*Hans W. Herkenne - Drums

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