Mel Taylor And The Magics - In Action (1966 us, terrific garage surf, 2013 japan remaster)

A great little album of 60s instrumentals – played by a small guitar-heavy group led by drummer Mel Taylor, who's got a really heavy driving sound! The notes say that Taylor has been featured on hundreds of records during the 60s – and given that his sound here is a lot like Hal Blaine on some of Blaine's instrumental albums from the time, we're almost wondering if Taylor's not a name-de-date for Blaine. This is just speculation, though – but the sound of the record is great if you dig Blaine's rocking instrumental albums from the same time. Titles include "Watermelon Man", "Bullseye", "Bongo Rock", "Skokiaan", "The Creeper", "A Taste Of Honey", "Drums A Go Go", "No Exit" and more. 

Mel Taylor was born in Brooklyn, New York, on September 24, 1933, the first child of Grace and Lawrence Taylor. His mother"s family was Russian/Eastern European Jewish, and his father"s family was from the Tennessee/North Carolina area, with English, German, Dutch and Cherokee roots. His early years were spent in Brooklyn but, in the summer of 1939, his father took him back to the family home in Johnson City, TN, for the first of many visits. His father, grandfather and uncles all played guitar or banjo, and Mel became used to music being an integral part of his life. Back in New York, he joined the Police Athletic League and excelled in the 100-yard dash. He also developed a lifelong passion for the Dodgers baseball team.

Mel"s interest in the drums began early, too. His mother remembered him banging on pots and pans with knitting needles, then drumsticks. In school, he joined the drum and bugle corps, and marched in the Macy"s parade. His inspiration came from big bands and especially Gene Krupa, whom he heard on the radio and whose style he began to copy.

In his early teens, Mel moved permanently to Tennessee where he attended high school. After trying out for the football team, he found he preferred marching in the band instead. He joined the Navy at the age of 17 and, after basic training in the Great Lakes region, was posted to Pensacola where he was assigned to a crash crew for the Navy pilots" training facility.

After leaving the Navy, Mel returned to Tennessee where he started playing music on local radio and TV shows. His younger brother, Larry Taylor (later bass player with Canned Heat), remembers that Mel played rhythm guitar and sang back-up on a rockabilly TV show in Johnson City with Eddie Skelton. He later played drums with Joe Franklin"s group, and even appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show -- or rather his arm did, as that was all anyone could see of him when the show aired! He also played guitar and sang on his own (very) early morning radio show, as "Mel Taylor and the Twilight Ramblers".

Mel moved his family, including 4 small children, out to California in 1958. During the day, Mel worked LA Grand Central Market, as a meat cutter – a trade he had learned in Tennessee. By night however, he played drums in clubs around the L.A. area and became quite sought after. Soon he was able to quit his day job, and graduate to session work in the recording studios. His early credits include "The Monster Mash" with Bobby "Boris" Pickett, "The Lonely Bull" with Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass (for which he was paid $10!), various cuts with Buck Owens, and many more. He also became house drummer at the famous Palomino Club in North Hollywood.

In the late 1950"s and early 1960"s everyone in the music business frequented the Palomino – and often sat in with the house band, so Mel had the opportunity to meet and play with many hit artists. One night in 1962, The Ventures came to the Palomino after doing a TV show in Hollywood, but without their drummer, so Mel obliged and played "Walk Don"t Run" with the group. Later, The Ventures asked him if he would be interested in joining them, as their original drummer was unable to travel. Shortly thereafter, they called Mel in to do some recording and, a few months later, to go on the road with them. From 1963 on, Mel became known as The Ventures" drummer, recording and performing with them for more than 32 years, traveling all over the US, to Europe and to Japan, where The Ventures" annual tour is considered a major cultural event.

In July 1996, while on tour in Japan with The Ventures, Mel was diagnosed with pneumonia, but subsequently a malignant tumor was found in his lungs. He continued to play until August 1, so that a replacement drummer could be found for the balance of the tour. On August 2, Mel returned to Los Angeles for further testing but the cancer was so fast-moving that, after less than 10 days at home, he died very suddenly on August 11. He leaves a legacy of hundreds of recordings that continue to be enjoyed by millions of fans.

The Ventures

Tracks
1. Drums A-Go-Go (Buff) - 2:25
2. From Russia with Love (Bart) - 2:47
3. The "In" Crowd (Page) - 2:44
4. Bullseye (Hamilton) - 2:13
5. Bongo Rock (Epps, Egnoian) - 2:10
6. Skokiaan (Glazer, Msarurgwa) - 2:24
7. Watermelon Man (Hancock) - 2:45
8. Harlem Nocturne (Robin, Hagen) - 3:01
9. A Taste of Honey (Marlow, Scott) - 2:27
10.The Creeper (Wilson, Taylor, Bogle, Edwards) - 2:24
11.No Exit (Hamilton) - 1:59
12.Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White (Louiguy, David) - 2:56

*Mel Taylor - Drums

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Ptarmigan - Ptarmigan (1972-74 canada, impressive progressive folk rock)

Ptarmigan was formed in 1970 when Michael Bieling introduced guitarist James Lithgow to vocalist / recorder player, Glen Dias. They began writing songs with Bieling accompanying on congas & soon added Dennis Lelonde on alto sax, piano & vocals; Monte Nordstrom on 12 string guitar & vocals with a second percussionist, Shawn Mullins. The sextet performed on Vancouver lsland & eventually came to the attention of the renowned flautist Paul Horn who had moved to Victoria, BC to escape the rigours of life in Los Angeles. He was impressed with the group's unorthodox style & encouraged the band to stay in touch. When the group fragmented with Lithgow & Bieling departing Peter Wheeler, an American percussionist, joined the band. Eventually Lelonde dropped out of the line-up & when plans were made to travel across Canada, the ensemble was reduced to the duo of Dias & Nordstrom who purchased train tickets to Toronto & set out on the road. The first stop was Winnipeg & their first dates at the Ting Tea Room.

They began writing new material immediately, developing harmony structures & establishing their eerie west coast sound. After two months on the Winnipeg scene the duo continued by train to an extended stay with the Macauley family in Scarborough. They auditioned unsuccessfully at Grumble's & The Riverboat in Toronto & ended up spending Halloween collecting candy for the Children's Hospital. They performed at The Fiddler's Green appearing with Leon Redbone & the Downchild Blues Band. A visit to Hamilton turned into several weeks followed by a return trip to Winnipeg & the Ting, where they performed for Christmas & New Years, both memorable if strange occasions. A late night jam with members of Lighthouse occurred during this time. A van trip across Northern Ontario ensued in January 1972 with Gary McKeehan, an independent CBC actor/producer & also a manager for Perth County Conspiracy (does not exist). 

They eventually ended up at McKeehan's rural home (near Stratford, where they visited at the Black Swan). A trip to Chicago was attempted but the two young men were turned back at Detroit due to their long hair, odd luggage & low supply of funds. They returned to Mckeehan's & plans were made to go to Ottawa following up on an invitation made by Rob Putt, (an audio technician they had met in Winnipeg). They continued on to Toronto by bus & were now without sufficient funds to carry on. After a night at the YMCA, one bus ticket for Ottawa was purchased & the 2 musicians flipped a coin to determine who would take the instruments on the bus & who would hitchhike the 500 miles through the sub-zero blizzard. 

Glen lost the toss & watched as Monte rode out on the Greyhound to Ottawa, 10 hours away. Monte was met in Ottawa by Rob Putt & had already secured a gig at a hippy cafeteria called The Kitchen Cinq, when Glen arrived some 5 hours later looking like the abominable snowman in his battered fur coat. Ottawa turned out to be an excellent environment for Ptarmigan. After a stay with Rob's family the duo moved into The Pestalozzi which was described as a 21 story vertical commune, fuil of radicals, artists, freaks & university types who congregated downstairs in the Kitchen Cinq listening to acoustic music & rattling their cutlery. An audition was arranged at Le Hibou and the duo was hired to open for Lenny Breau (who happened to be Monte's guitar idol and became one of his major influences).

The duo opened two shows a night for the week and Monte's 18th birthday was celebrated in The Ting Tea Room. The first stop was Winnipeg & their first dates at the Ting Tea Room. They began writing new material immediately, developing harmony structures & establishing their eerie west coast sound. After two months on the Winnipeg scene the duo continued by train to an extended stay with the Macauley family in Scarborough. They auditioned unsuccessfully at Grumble's & The Riverboat in Toronto & ended up spending Halloween collecting candy for the Children's Hospital. They performed at The Fiddler's Green appearing with Leon Redbone & the Downchild Blues Band. A visit to Hamilton turned into several weeks followed by a return trip to Winnipeg & the Ting, where they performed for Christmas & New Years, both memorable if strange occasions. A late night jam with members of Lighthouse occurred during this time. A van trip across Northern Ontario ensued in January 1972 with Gary McKeehan, an independent CBC actor/producer & also a manager for Perth County Conspiracy (does not exist).

It took that amount of time to find a label willing to release unusual project. Finally Paul leased the recording to Columbia of Canada who manufactured & released the Lp (& single "Go Dancing" b/w "Vancouver") in early 1974. Between the time of the recording & the release of the Ptarmigan LP Glen & Monte had not been very active musically. In fact the partnership had effectively been ended. The conflict of personality which had been there from the onset came to the fore & waiting a year for the release did not ease the tension. Faced with promoting the project they attempted to put their differences aside. 

They performed for a week opening for the Paul Horn Quintet at the Egress in Vancouver & did a series of small shows on Vancouver Island. Monte asked a talented friend, David Aston to join the group on bass guitar & they rehearsed. He was enthusiastic that they were starting to co-write. A drummer was added & a premiere concert was arranged by Horn. The show went on but the drummer really wasn't suitable for the band so it was agreed that a replacement should be found. More rehearsals took place. A few weeks later David was tragically killed in a car accident & a devastated Monte walked away from the Ptarmigan project for the last time. Glen Dias went on to develop a career as an actor / singer in musical theatre while Monte continued to write & record solo material with a variety of musicians including former ptarmigans Michael Bieling and James Lithgow. 

After Ptarmigan folded, Glen Dias travelled to San Francisco, Tucson & New Orleans, making club appearances & performing as a busker. Relocating to Toronto, he pursued a career in musical theatre & landed roles in various productions including Jesus Christ Superstar, Les Miserables & Napoleon. He has also appeared as a studio musician on recordings by Kathy Stack, Roger Lee, Ray Montford, Angels For Tea, Geoff Bennett, Zombo Zombo, Mardi Jayde and Ani Coutino, among others. In 1999 Glen Dias released his first solo CD entitled "Tip of the Iceberg", recorded with his band The Polarity Bears". (with a new version of "Go Dancing"). He also owns Elizagoth, a medieval store. Monte Nordstrom has recorded an onegoing series of eclectic albums for Groovedigger Records: Silhouette of Our lnsanity 1978; Voodoo Rage '80-83; Nothing More Better '89-92,self-titled '94; Sunday Healing Service '94; Northstream '96, Live at JBI '98, and Sou'Wester '99. Since 1980 he has supported himself by performing music & continues to be based on Vancouver Island. He also contributes a feature column to Cosmic Debris Musicians Magazine. 

Canadian-Music 

Tracks
1. Go Dancing - Rise - 0:25
2. Go Dancing - Go Dancing - 5:16
3. The Island (Part One) - Introduction - 1:58
4. The Island (Part Two) - Preamble - 0:37
5. The Island (Part Three) - Main Theme - 6:29
6. Vancouver (Part One) - Reflections - 2:55
7. Vancouver (Part Two) - The City - 2:36
8. Night Of The Gulls (Part One) - On The Water - 0:51
9. Night Of The Gulls (Part Two) - On The Wind - 3:10
10.A Hymn To The Ocean And A Great Northern Lake (Part One) - Ocean Song - 6:15
11.A Hymn To The Ocean And A Great Northern Lake (Part Two) - Afternoon Rain - 0:50
12.Coquihalla - 9:49
All songs by Glen Dias and Monte Nordstrom

Musicians
*Glen Dias - Lead Vocals, Alto, Tenor Bass Recorder, Incidental Percussion
*Monte Nordstrom - Vocals, 12 Strings Guitar,  Vocals
*Kat Hendrikse - Drums
*Dave Field - Acoustic Bass
*Richard Mayer - Electric Bass

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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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