RICHARD BERRY
Have "Louie" Will Travel - The 1956-62 Recordings (Ace Records; CD)
     Even if he had not been responsible for the original version of sixties garage rock anthem 'Louie Louie', Los Angeles-based singer and musician Richard Berry was still assured a place in rock 'n' roll history. He commenced his recording career in the early 1950s with such vocal harmony groups as The Flairs, before singing lead on The Robins' early success 'Riot In Cell Block #9' and playing 'Henry' in Etta James' debut hit 'The Wallflower' (AKA 'Roll With Me, Henry'). In 1955 he formed a new backing group, called The Pharaohs (sic), and joined the local Flip label where he wrote and recorded his career song with backing from L.A. session regulars including former Nat 'King' Cole guitarist Irving Ashby. 
     This CD leads off with that important recording followed by fifteen more Flip recordings in more of a doowoppy vein, including the Louie follow-up 'Have Love Will Travel'. There are also a couple of tougher R&B-bordering-on-Soul cuts in the shape of 'Sweet Sugar You' and 'No Room' which prepares the listener for the last 14 tracks on the CD, licensed from Gary Paxton and issued in the early 1960s on such labels as K&G, Paxley, Smash and Warner Brothers. Also included are some fascinating previously unissued demos of 'Well Done', 'Dreams Of An Angel' and the haunting 'Weep No More'.
     The packaging is the usual Ace presentation with a 16-page booklet peppered with rare photos and label-shots, and an interesting essay from Eric Predoehl; the producer/director of the upcoming documentary The Meaning Of Louie and administrator of the bonkers www.louielouie.net website. Berry, who died in 1997, once poignantly reflected that "Louie Louie' is like Frankenstein's Monster - everyone remembers the monster, but no one remembers Baron Frankenstein!" Give this CD a listen and, like me, you may end up preferring the Baron's subtler - and certainly more articulate - creation to that garage-created monstrosity by The Kingsmen in Portland, Oregon in 1963!
www.acerecords.co.uk
Dave Penny

OSCAR BROWN JR
Kicks! - The Best Of Oscar Brown Jr (BGP Records; CD)
     "Permit me to introduce myself; the name is Mr Kicks. I dwell in the dark dominion, away down by the river Styx. The Devil has sent me here because I'm full of wicked tricks and I'm such a popular fellow among all you lunatics!", so begins this wonderful compilation from Ace subsidiary BGP, drawn from Oscar Brown Jr's four US Columbia albums issued between 1960 and 1963, taking in older jazz influences such as 'Straighten Up And Fly Right' and 'Signifying Monkey', standards like 'One For My Baby' and 'It Ain't Necessarily So', more contemporary adaptations of Cannonball Adderley, Bobby Timmons and Miles Davis tunes, and much original material.
     The terminally hip and unclassifiable Mr Brown was born in Chicago in 1926 and took up music following an abortive spell as a law student and his national service in the US Army. He managed to get some of his compositions recorded by Mahalia Jackson and Max Roach before he was signed to Columbia in 1960. His first, and most celebrated album Sin And Soul included probably his most famous songs 'Dat Dere' and 'Work Song', both of which became anthems of the Acid Jazz scene of the 1980s.
     Other highlights include the erotic 'The Snake', the ever-optimistic 'But I Was Cool', Duke Pearson's 'Jeanine' and 'Hazel's Hips', the latter a clever story about the waitress at Oscar's favourite restaurant; "Hazel's eyes are divine and her hair is so fine, but her hips...bring the tips!"
     Dean Rudland provides the well-researched booklet notes and these together with his compilation provide a highly satisfactory starter for the Oscar Brown feast which you will be sure to demand once you have dipped your bread in this gravy: the four Columbia albums on a couple of two-fer CDs would be just great, please Ace!
www.acerecords.co.uk
Dave Penny

SIMON DUPREE & THE BIG SOUND
Part Of My Past: The Simon Dupree & The Big Sound Anthology (EMI; 2-CD)
     Well just when you feel righteous in ignoring the corporates, something like this turns up and at a budget price too! Everything Simon Dupree & The Big Sound did is covered in a handy double CD set which includes 16 previously unreleased tracks! CD1 pretty much charts the territory the earlier Rockin' Beat anthology did, all the singles and their released album (Without Reservations, 1967) only you get it in both stereo (on disc 1) and mono (on disc 2) and the aural differences are significant, so well worth having. All the singles, A's & Bs are there as well of course, along with the unreleased follow-up album (provisionally titled Once More Unto The Breach Dear Friends). 
     If you only know the group from 'Kites', then you'll need to think again. Simon Dupree & The Big Sound (there was no Simon Dupree by the way) were essentially a club soul band striving for sophistication and progression. This comes through strongly on the singles and perhaps less so on the Without Reservations album. Numbers such as 'There's A Little Picture Playhouse' are clever lyrically and veering towards pop rather than soul proper. Brothers Phil, Derek and Ray Shulman formed the nucleus of SD&TBS. They hailed (like the late and much revered Alex Harvey) from Glasgow's (then) notorious Gorbals area. Persuaded and cajoled into recording material they weren't always happy with (though it all sounds great to me), they strove but never made a significant chart impact until 'Kites'. 'We Are The Moles' Parts 1 & 2 is here as well (the full story of which and the band in general are in the liner booklet by David Wells and band members). This proving to be a flash in the pan, the group stopped looking to the charts at the end of decade and plumped for prog instead, transforming incongruously into Gentle Giant.
     The 16 unreleased tracks on disc 2 are the real story here however. These show the group in a more progressive mood. Did you know they wrote and recorded 'Castle In The Sky'? (as later recorded by Blonde On Blonde on their second album and comped on Circus Days). The majority of these 16tracks are heavily swathed in melotron and are beautiful on the ears. The aforementioned 'Castle In The Sky', 'Light On Dark Water', and 'What In This World' for instance are a delight. These additions are worth the cost alone (£7.99 on Amazon UK!!). I can't personally fault this delicious collection and YOU can't afford to ignore it.
Paul Martin

THE HUSTLERS
The Hustlers (Gear Fab; CD)
     Although only cutting one official 45 in '66 -- the great Byrds/Beatles inflected folk-punk stomp (included here) 'If You Try'/'My Mind's Made' -- this young Florida based band recorded a number of acetates, and one later 45 in '70 under new name The Dard. Opening with a crackly space instro -- recorded as The Quiet Four -- this 17 track CD then cuts to the chase with 11 acetates recorded across 1964-66, alongside the mentioned 45 releases. Although the fidelity is at times poor the songs display a maturity and melody that few garage bands possessed - the closest comparisons being The Gants, E-Types, Enfields, Gestures. There're plenty of minor-key, well-sung numbers that were crying out to be recorded properly, but alas weren't. Post-'66 they kept up with the times and ably handled jangling psychedelia . By the end of their career the lads were untouchable and Dards' 'Sounds Of Life' (brainy Macca post-psych with a Zombies ambience) and 'I Know' (warbly bubble psych) is a fine close to a sadly overlooked band.
     Much kudos to Jeff Lemlich and Ray Ehmen for getting this project off the ground! The Hustlers should be spoken about in more than hushed tones. Classify as: could've been, should've been BIG!
www.swiftsite.com/gearfab
Jon 'Mojo' Mills

MAGNA CARTA
Ages & Seasons (Snapper; 2-CD)
     Let's get the bad points over and done with. What the fuck are Snapper playing at? Here, the great Magna Carta (well, punkeroos I love 'em anyway) have been given a weighty released without any care taken in coordinating the project whatsoever. Look at the cover... It's a bloody crappy digital image of a log knocked out in five minutes in Photoshop. Disgusting! The liners at least give some information, but there aren't any photographs or shots of the four albums included on the two discs, or any logical information regarding the albums.... To find anything out you have to work your way all the way through the poorly placed text... and even then, facts are scant. All in all this is a shambles... A royal cock-up... A thorn in the side of the Acid Folk genre... But thankfully the trio's wistful music saves this release from being a failure. Chris Simpson penned a majestic bunch of songs. Starting out in 1969 (and still going now, in one form or another) Magna Carta embraced child friendly sitar inflected psych-folk (even in '71), the British folk song, San Franciscan harmonies, mellow country rock and stepped just the right side of pastoral prog-pop, with Rick Wakeman supplying virtuoso keyboards on a number of album tracks. In 1970 that was as trendy as you got! I love this pastoral whimsy. And have done since I was 16 - my love of garage punk was a mask! Nahh, only joshing, but I really always have had time for late '60s/'70s Acid Folk. ... especially Magna Carta. This set kicks off with the band's second album, and their first for Vertigo, 1970's Seasons (a gentle Simon & Garfunkel style folk, and at times swinging pop set - and of course it was a concept of sorts), the follow-up Songs From Wasties Orchard is a much better album - and pretty psych-folk in places. CD2 features the renowned Lord Of The Ages (the most prog - but prog in a good Moody Blues way) and a slightly misplaced album from '77, Martin's Café (which is by no means bad, but not a patch on the other three) closes the set. 
     So.... here're three great albums, and bad packaging aside the sound is good... but it's at times like these that I would really advise picking up the original albums. 
     I place Magna Carta right near top rung of my baroque/folk-psych pantheon. If like me, you crave orchestration, bendy guitar solos, flutes, woodwinds, sitars and gentle hippy vocals you need this... if you're a balding teenage caveman or beat freak, like get outta here....
www.snappermusic.com
Jon 'Mojo' Mills

THE MAISONETTES
Heartache Avenue: The Very Best Of The Maisonettes (Cherry Red; CD)
     The Maisonettes enjoyed a short-lived chart success when their single 'Heartache Avenue' reached #7 in the UK charts in January 1983. After three more 7' were released, they released the full-length Maisonettes For Sale at the end of that year. A few more post-album tunes and they were done, but folks, The Maisonettes were one of those rare joys that defy reference points; there's nothing that comes to mind that sounds anything like them. Their songs were alternatingly bouncy and potent, occasionally soulful, and many of them capturing the spirit of Top 40 radio without evoking memories of anything on the airwaves, in large part due to Lol Mason's (formerly of City Boy) pliable voice and the tight background singing of Carla Mendonca and Elisa Richards. I can't think of any other band whose songs take you on such an emotional roller coaster, playing your mind like an accordian and possibly rendering it permanently stretched.
     Heartache Avenue: The Very Best Of The Maisonettes contains every known track the group recorded, and there are more gems here than there are at Tiffany's. For example, 'Addicted', although not a single, was as catchy as any of the tracks that was.'Sticks and Stones' is an amazingly mournful tale underscored by various keyboards that will tug at your heartstrings and thunderous drums which bring home the song's philosophy. 'Hot Club' will make you feel like you're out for a night of dining and dancing, and 'This Affair' conveys the guilt progression of the unfaithful by ever increasing in intensity; by the last go-round the howling background vocals and cacophonous instrumentation serve as a musical conscience. The best songs are among the all time greats, like 'Nightmares', which is intense, dark, and ultimately catchy, and 'Where I Stand', a gem of a single which is guaranteed to be liked by virtually anyone you play it for with its bouncy backbeat, handclaps, a healthy dose of 'ba ba bas', and a chorus more infectious than the 1908 flu; you'll curse the radio gods for not making it #1!
     This CD contains four tracks which, according to liner note writer and head of Ready, Steady, Go Records, David Virr, 'you haven't heard before' (not true, I bellow, as I have the 7' on which one of them resides). The best of these are 'Two Can Have A Party,' which is a combination of bouncy pop and Northern Soul, and the extremely delightful 'Working For The Man'. Heartache Avenue is a genuine treasure from a band who, without this release, may have been doomed to be forgotten. 
www.cherryred.co.uk
David Bash

NINO & APRIL
All Strung Out (Rev-Ola; CD)
     Quite how we managed to overlook this little gem on it's release late last year is anybody's guess but, in our undying quest to leave no stone unturned, here it is… better late than never.
     Brother and sister act Nino Tempo and April Stevens scored a US number one in late 1963 with 'Deep Purple' then spent the next three years reeling from the effects of the British invasion, the folk-rock explosion and the dawn of psychedelia. They took a giant step forward with their late 1966 single 'All Strung Out', a cathedral-sized production which recalls both Phil Spector's work on 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'' and Brian Wilson's recent era-defining 'Good Vibrations' and made a respectable #26 on the Billboard chart. 
     The All Strung Out album followed in 1967 and contains a mixed bag of standards, outside material and original compositions. White Whale staffers David Gates and Warren Zevon contribute the lilting opener 'You'll Be Needing Me Baby' and 'Follow Me' (a hit for Zevon under his Lyme & Cybelle guise) respectively. John Dalton and Gary Montgomery of the band Colours (who also penned songs for The Moon, The Committee and The Hamilton Streetcar among others) came up with 'Help You To See' and the Beatlesque 'Out Of Nowhere'. Unusually, considering the nature of the record and the time it was cut, the only standard on offer is April's lush reading of Bobby Hebb's 'Sunny'. The rich instrumentation and string arrangements are dense without being suffocating and lend the whole record an air of greatness which it's sales at the time sadly didn't reflect.
     This edition utilises Nino and Bones Howe's intended mix of the album which has never surfaced on prior re-issues, adds a clutch of post-album single sides including an alternate version of Nino's rather wonderful 1968 solo outing 'Boys Town' and the usual in-depth interviews and liners we've come to expect from Rev-Ola.
www.revola.co.uk
Andy Morten

THE PANDORAS
Stop Pretending (Rhino Handmade; CD)
     The Pandoras burst onto the L.A. scene in the early '80s with a cool retro garage tune called 'Hot Generation,' and forged their standing as the most rockin' female band in the land with their follow-up album, It's About Time. Los Angeles stalwarts Rhino Records took great interest in the band and quickly signed them, resulting in the 1986 release of Stop Pretending. Though there had been several personnel changes throughout The Pandoras existence, the one anchor that always remained was their lead singer/songwriter/guitarist Paula Pierce, whose mission was to show the world that a girl could take control just as well as the boys. Pierce's songs lived by the 'three F's'; she'd find a guy, fuck him, and if he didn't fit into her plans or if he 'didn't satisfy' she'd forget him, and Stop Pretending communicated this message with some downright snotty garage ravers that do the genre proud. Echoes of bands like Paul Revere & The Raiders and The Remains abound on this disc, and although the production tends to be a bit glossier than is usually the case with garage music, it never detracts from the overall experience. Pierce screams and snarls defiantly on tunes like 'I Didn't Cry','You Don't Satisfy', 'The Way It's Gonna Be' and 'It Felt Alright,' and the band, featuring future Muffs frontwoman Kim Shattuck on bass, keyboardist Melanie Vammen, and drummer Karen Blankfeld, provide a gusty backbone. Other tunes like the Northern Soul-flavoured 'Anyone But You' and the jangly 'Stop Pretending' (also recorded by Pierce's former band Action Now) display further musical acumen, and 'In And Out Of My Life (In A Day)' was the perfect choice as a single with its 'I Can't Explain' riffs and ultra-catchy chorus.
     This reissue appends 10 bonus tracks, including 'The Hump,' the singles' b-side which was ostensibly about a dance, but well…along with several demos which showcase the band in their pure, raw form; some of these were offered to Elektra Records in alternate versions, but were turned down for being too…uh…primal.
     Sadly, Paula Pierce died of an aneurysm in 1991, but this reissue of Stop Pretending will help ensure that The Pandoras legacy will long live on. 
www.rhinohandmade.com
David Bash

CHUCK & MARY PERRIN
The Last Word (Rev-Ola; CD)
     More sibling-based shenanigans (see the earlier review Nino & April) from the lovely people at Rev-Ola, this time from the backwoods of Illinois where blond brother and sister duo Chuck and Mary Perrin cut two albums of fragile, baroque folk-pop in 1968 and 1969.
     The most immediate thing you'll notice is the staggeringly high quality of the recordings. The crystal clear reproduction belies its origins as demos intended for snagging a record deal. Instead, the industrious Chuck released and distributed the albums (1968's Brother And Sister and 1969's Next Of Kin) on his own Webster's Last Word label and masterminded the successful hootenanny nights of the same name.
     Brother And Sister is the more traditional of the two, containing readings of Donovan's 'Circus Of Sour', John Sebastian's 'Younger Generation' and Eric Andersen's 'Violets Of Dawn' alongside Chuck's own slightly skewed takes on the folk sound. Next Of Kin presages the singer-songwriter style that would consume all in the early 70's, augmenting Chuck's florid Paul Simon-style acoustic guitar work with a full electric band on several tracks. Most of the strongest material appears here. 'Bye Bye Billy', 'Dedication' and the ironically titled 'This Is A Happy Song' (sample lyric: 'I'm so miserable without you / it's almost as bad as having you here') are shot through with a streak of melancholy so wide it would be unmanageable in the hands of most writers. Here, however, it takes on an almost pacifying quality, reflecting the cold and crisp rural Christmas atmosphere in which it was cut.
     The lyric that stopped this listener in his tracks and continues to choke me every time I hear it comes from 'Fugacity', written by the Perrins' friends and folk duo, Pat and Victoria Garvey: 'To grow old is to change and to change is to be new / to be new is to be young again / I barely remember when.' The melody alone could melt your heart. 
     If you like your folk music intense, visceral, bordering on the pop side and overflowing with vivid word play, look no further.
www.revola.co.uk
Andy Morten

THE RATS
The Fall And Rise: A Rats Tale (Angel Air; CD)
     The fact that Mick Ronson cut his teeth in Hull's finest R&B/freakbeat/psych/blues-rock combo The Rats is clearly the reason why such focus has been dedicated to the band over the years. Indeed, this CD is a straight re-issue of a previous Angel Air package released in 1998 -- the only difference being a new cover, and a lengthier set of liner notes. Musically the band took the same path that every other young aspiring beat band travelled -- starting as snot-nosed Stones/Animals R&B upstarts ('Spoonful'), stopping off to become bedecked in flowery shirts and get psychedelic ('The Rise And Fall Of Bernie Gripplestone' - a great recording full of backward guitar and phasing, which unfortunately didn't even make it to acetate) and thus ended their short journey with a heavy take on the organic soul/R&B template.
     The pre-Ronson garage punk inflected R&B (he joined in '66) is decent, the brief foray into psychedelia, without doubt the most successful, and the material The Rats returned to (with a name change to Treacle) was The Jeff Beck Group in everything but name. 'Morning Dew' and 'Mick's Boogie' were a direct lift from the master's book. 1969 saw a return to The Rats moniker and with it came the layered guitar sounds Ronson would bring to The Man Who Sold The World session.
     Completely unoriginal by the book renditions of the genres embraced. Even though The Rats displayed some greatness they were just another band, doing music not unlike everyone else's and the market-place was crowded.
www.angelair.co.uk
Jon Mills

BERGEN WHITE
For Women Only (Rev-Ola; CD)
     File this one under 'albums I thought had a snowball's chance in hell of being reissued', and with this in mind, a little background is in order. Bergen White was a songwriter and arranger based in Nashville who'd done background vocals on several sides for Hit Records, a budget label who released cover versions of songs which were currently on the charts, all done by studio cats under noms de plum that sounded like the bands they were aping --- e.g. The Mummies for The Zombies. Soon afterward he released a couple of 45s under his own name, which led to a meeting with Shelby Singleton of SSS Records, the label who would release For Women Only in 1970.
     For Women Only had the kind of schmaltzy cover art that destined it both for obscurity and the easy listening bins, but what a magnificent album it is! Try to imagine what a David Gates solo album might have sounded like had it been recorded in 1969! In other words, beautiful but with enough cool musical flourishes to make it kinda hip. In fact, a couple of the songs on the album were penned by Mr. Gates, while others were written by the likes of Mann & Weil, Teddy Randazzo, and Mickey Newbury, along with White himself. For Women Only is filled with breathtaking string arrangements, baroque-flavoured guitar and keyboard flourishes and White's expressive high tenor. Tracks like 'She Is Today', 'It's Your Time,' 'Look At Me' and 'The Bird Song' should find their way onto lists of soft pop favourites, 'On And On', and 'It's Over Now' could have easily fit on the first Partridge Family album (the one where some of the tracks were sung by studio cats, not David Cassidy), and 'Lisa Was' is one of the most heart-tugging tearjerkers you'll ever hear; if you're not bawling by the end of that one, you ain't got no heart.
     This reissue is fleshed out by several pre-album bonus cuts, on which White's natural Southern accent is more noticeable. Of these, the Pet Sounds influenced 'Don't Keep Me Waiting' and the dark 'What Would You Do In My Place' would surely have been worthy of inclusion on the original album. With the addition of very informative and devoted liner notes by Steve Stanley, For Women Only should take its rightful place as a soft pop classic. 
www.revola.co.uk
David Bash

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Come To The Sunshine: Soft Pop Nuggets From The WEA Vaults (Rhino Handmade; CD)
     First things first: it's great to see the producers of this CD use the term 'soft pop' instead of the Japanese-favoured 'soft rock', a phrase which calls to mind groups like Bread or Seals and Crofts who, although fine outfits in their own right, don't really conjure the correct aural image of this style of music. Soft pop has been labelled 'music without genitals' (by yours truly, actually, but completely with love), and though many collectors of '60s music have snubbed their nose at it because it's…well…soft, there's no way one can deny the amazing vocals and tantalizing arrangements that most soft pop practitioners possess. Come To The Sunshine, which culls from the rich crop of Warners-associated obscurities, is a veritable rainbow of amazing soft pop, mostly unheard by even the hardiest of collectors.
     It would take at least a soft-covered book (pun intended) to write about every track deserving of mention, so let's concentrate on the absolute best of the lot, as well as a few other notables. Exemplars include the psychedelic flavoured 'Candy Apple, Cotton Candy' by Pat Shannon; 'A Whole Lot Of Rainbows' by The Salt, which merges several disparate styles into a seamless whole; 'Love-In' by The Morning Glories, which features a lead vocalist who sounds like Brian Wilson circa-2004 (I kid you not!); 'Our Dream' by The Munx, a group whose name conjures punk images but are most assuredly soft; the Boettcher-esque 'Silver And Sunshine (How Wonderful Is Our Love)' by The Looking Glass; the ultra-sophisticated 'Wounded' by The Cookies (yes, those Cookies, of 'Chains' fame!); 'Hung Up On Love' by The Other Voices; and the dizzying 'Beverly Hills' by Uncle Sound, a group featuring the aforementioned Seals and Crofts. Among some of the household names on Come To The Sunshine are Harpers Bizarre, who turn in the title track with their signature showtunes-meets-pop sound; The Everly Brothers, whose 'Talking To The Flowers' forays them into unfamiliar territory, albeit with their most-familiar harmonies; The Association with their classic 'Come On In'; Dino, Desi, and Billy, whose bossa nova Beach Boys styled 'Tell Someone You Love Them' is really groovy; and The Monkees with a nice take on Paul Williams' 'Someday Man'. Perhaps the one track that will most surprise SDers is 'Discrepancy' by The Bonniwell Music Machine - who knew they lacked the balls to do a soft track like this??
     The cover art of Come To The Sunshine is first rate as well, as jack-of-all-trades Steve Stanley created a wheel-oriented design, which will recall the Buddah Records Dial A Hit LP, and the extremely informative liner notes by Andrew Sandoval round out the package. All in all, Come To The Sunshine may be the best compendium of soft pop the world has yet to hear (or see).
www.rhinohandmade.com
David Bash

VARIOUS
Conquer The World! Rare Global Mod-Beat-Garage Punk 1965-1968 (Psychodelic; LP)
     I'm a sucker for these comps, especially when they're on coloured vinyl (this one's orange). Bright, colourful and full of label, band and pic sleeve reproductions on the cover, this is a great collection of beat from around the world (as opposed to just Europe as many "world" comps often are).
     Other than one or two examples, this is are not full of the usual suspects. Sweden still has much to yield it would seem as United Nations' 'The Daily News' proves. Billed as Sweden's first psychedelic single (mainly because of the groovy ending) this features middle-eight consisting entirely of the sound of a press machine running at full tilt! Even the obligatory US inclusion is well obscure; former rockabilly Ronnie King & The Passions driving 'Girl, Break Away' from '66. I loved the South African Hobos (see also the Savage South Africa comp) who's 'Hasie' is a rough old Afrikaans beater from a newly discovered acetate. Even little Luxembourg is represented in the Eric Thomace & The Chaps' 'You're Untrue' (a basic garage pop number with a charm all its own). Another outing here for Singapore's Stray Dogs 'Mum's Too Pampering', but even better is the same country's The Trailers whose fuzz drenched yelling vocal led 'Don't Laugh (You'll Cry)' is probably Singapore's most primal '60s offering. Baris Manco accompanied by Belgium's Les Mistigris are memorable with the minor key syncopated beat number 'Bien Fait Por Toi' (someone please get a '60s Manco anthology together, everything I've heard by him is just superb). Even the Spanish entry here is a Basque beauty combining their equivalent of the bagpipes (titter ye not missus) with a great driving beat number in Los Archiduques' 'Lamento De Gaitas' whilst Chile's Los Angeles Salvajes pump along nicely with 'Sicodelico' and the Phillipines Eddie Poeregrina & The Blinkers add a very nice major-minor chord based beat ballad in 'Love For Sale'. 
     All in all a very interesting and above all, fun 16 track comp, which every mid 60s garage head will want to own, roll on Volume 2!
Paul Martin

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Garage Beat '66: Vols. 1-3: Like What, Me Worry?, Chicks Are For Kids, Feeling Zero… (Sundazed; CD)
     Bloody great songs. Great sound. Great pics… but any SDer who has bowed down at the altar of the mop-top wearing '60s fuzz deities for more than a few years (and let's face it, that's every single one of us) will own practically everything on these three volumes in one form or another already (and unfortunately, the few unreleased/obscure additions are nothing to get het up about). On the other hand a myriad of garage compilations that claimed to have unearthed previously uncompiled rough diamonds have added few, memorable classics to the garage canon. With Garage Beat '66 Sundazed have taken the Nuggets' box set approach in compiling superb direct-from-the-master-tape-recordings of a plethora of mid-'60s teen hokum. The tracklisting is nearly faultless too and garage lovers have little to complain about, I just wonder what audience is being targeted. Hopefully those ignited by the latest garage craze unaware of the genre's forefathers will inspect this series - with tracks from The Music Machine, The Sparkles, The Bold, The Ugly Duckings, The Litter and The Remains along with some equally as impressive lesser known acts, this is a near definitive who's-who of '60s garage, and there's little to shake a stick at - but I sincerely doubt that the hardened fan will find a reason to lay down their hard earned cash on recordings they already possess. Of course, the mastering and sound are probably the best way you'll hear these songs, but is this really enough to warrant a purchase? Still, if money comes out of your ears and you want some solid garage collections - reminiscent of our own dear PJ deejaying down at The Dirty Water - these CDs will be good companions for long train and car journey. Now That's What I Call Garage Beat '66!
www.sundazed.com
Mike Maroon

VARIOUS
Garage Beat In Florence (Beat.It; CD)
     The independent record label anthology reissue was for many years something confined to the USA where they flourished. Then came Australian reissue label Canetoad's focus on the Go! and other Oz 60s labels. More recently of course, RPM in the UK have been doing sterling work in investigating the UK indie label scene. However, what we have here is an Italian label. I say label, but it was more of a crossword puzzle magazine! All 28 of these recordings were issued as freebie seven-inchers with the Nuova Enigmistica Tascabile (NET) crossword puzzle magazine in Florence during 1966. Sometime in the mid-'60s it seemed like a good idea to boost sales by using the discs to document Florence's budding beat scene. Needless to say none of the acts received any royalties, but were glad for the opportunity to record. This they did at Giuliano Giunti and Roberto Gramigni's Studio Due opened in early 1966, using an innovative two-track recorder. The cost of production for the magazine however had to be lowered to keep it a profit making enterprise so cheap plastic was used to press on with just a modicum of vinyl added as a gesture! Throughout 1966 recordings and records were made successfully until November 3rd that year when the great Florentine flood destroyed Studio Due and the equipment and instruments of most of the bands and artists featured on the disc. 
     This is therefore more than your average garage comp, it's a snapshot of a scene that would otherwise never have been captured and compiler Giuseppe Pinni (formally drummer with Noi Tre, featured here) has spent ten years searching out the original discs and researching the players and groups for compilation. The devotional nature of the project is reflected in the exquisite packaging, far beyond the normal call of duty for a garage comp. The disc is housed in a CD single jewel case (the label side is made to look like a shiny 45) and fits snugly into a card slip case along with a glossy CD sized 40pp booklet in which the story of Net and the Florence scene is documented along with the groups who appear (Spettri, Telstars, Tremedi, Paolo 'Danny' Tofani, Billy & I Cani Fedeli, Noi Tre, Facce Di Bronzo and The Fellows). The booklet is in both English and Italian and boasts a wealth of both b/w and colour pics of the groups, a sumptuous thing indeed.
     As for the music, the majority is beat varying from the basic to the beautiful. The exception to the beat basics would be 'Danny' (aka Paolo Tofani), a sort of Italian Todd Rungren, who was an experimental recorder and multi-instrumentalist who later went on to much greater fame in Italy, but is captured here with his first recordings. These are singer-songwriter in content and at times comes across like Jake Holmes on prozac (I mean that as a compliment!) and sound two years ahead of the game in 1966. Beat-wise, Noi Tres' 'Un Posto Dove' is a beautiful folk rock ballad strongly reminiscent of the best Nederbeat treatments a la The Scarlets, Cavaliers or Relax label era Sandy Coast. Their live "outside" recording which closes the disc purports to date from '66, but sounds more like '68 with its intricate guitar decoration over a monster riff. Their 'Non Piangete Lo Son Contento' is also a great folk rock ballad and all three examples are more than garage, this is an art form. 
     Elsewhere The Telstars, who kick off the disc with two cuts, sound rather muffled and ephemeral at first (as does Danny's first number which is track three), leaving you to wonder what's going on here and will I like it, but later develops into something far better. The Fellows were a protest group and their two contributions have a folkies gone electric feel to them. Six of the discs tracks though recorded for NET have until now been unreleased.
     Overall the theme is uneven, unsurprisingly given the nature of the medium etc, but given the context and history (these are crucial to the listening experience here I would suggest) this is a mini-treasury from a bygone world (literally if you consider the flood wiped it out). There's even a very nice family tree of bands at the back. Hats off to Snr.Pini, you have done a service to us all sir!
Paul Martin

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Gary Crowley Presents… Where The Action is (Discotheque; CD)
     Everyone's favourite squeaky voiced Weller acolyte Gary Crowley does a top job in compiling a 40-track double CD of mod favourites - CD1 succinctly covers Swinging London; CD2 is the young gifted and black set. Okay, there are no surprises. I would imagine that the majority of SD readers are more than au fait with '60s mod classics than most (heck, 2/3's of the editorial team were mods at birth - well, nearly) and that this competent release will pull no surprises. But then this set does wholly achieves what it intends. Side one kicks off with The Birds' 'Leaving Here', The Creation's 'Biff Bang Pow', The Sorrows' 'You've Got What I Want' and Fleur De Lys' 'Circles', whilst CD2 features Robert Parker's and Tommy Tucker's all-time classics 'Let's Go Baby Where The Action Is' and 'Hi Heel Sneakers', amongst a wealth of mid-60s soul and ska… absolutely no complaints with the product then, but where my criticism lies is in the lack of track-by-track annotation. The converted won't be buying this, so it'd have been nice to think that at least the new kids on the block and clueless fat-lagered-Oasis blokes who get pulled in could find out some facts about the recordings and artists on this stellar selection. There's nowt wrong in education. Nevertheless, Crowley's brief introduction extols his love of mod and his choices, if a little conservative and obvious, are faultless. Then again, the corkers always beat so much of the obscure-rare-as-hen's-shite!
     Mods-greatest-hits-compiled-by-a-bloke-from-the-BBC-who's-never-been-shy-about-mod, if you like…
www.sanctuaryrecordsgroup.co.uk
Jon 'Mojo' Mills

VARIOUS
Glitterbest: 20 Pre Punk Glam Terace Stompers (RPM; CD)
     As the subtitle implies, this comp deals with something of a twilight zone. With the gap narrowing between pub and punk rock and the lip-glossed pouting (male that is) prima donnas of the middle '70s soon to be eclipsed by Sham (69) rather than Glam, the musical pallet became rather hazy. Here for your delectation I am delighted to inform you are a veritable plethora of memorable performances across the years 1971-1976 that document this era.
     Many of these cuts are right on the money for my own youthful transition from erstwhile headbanger to gobbing punk. The framework is all here; The Hammersmith Gorillas gargantuan thrashing of The Kinks' 'You Really Got Me' (see Jon 'Mojo' Mills piece on the HG's Jesse Hector in Shindig! #4 in the back issues section of this website for a bigger picture - chunks of the interview have been used for the Glitterbest liners; of particular note is Jesse's description of his mod/skinhead/rocker hybrid hairdo) to streetwise rock-a-boogie in Ducks Deluxe's 'Coast To Coast' and Chris Spedding & The Vibrators' 'Pogo Dancing'. These were a hipper Radio Luxembourg rather than a Radio 1 soundtrack to the times that were a changin' (again) around the sort of Flamin' Groovies' 'Shake Some Action' era cusp riding rock pop. Elsewhere American Jam Band's 'Jam Jam' or Trevor White's 'Crazy Kids' not to mention Streak's 'Bang Bang Bullet' all put their boots (in) where someone else's mouth is! The Hollywood Brats' (from Essex!) 'Sick On You' closes the show as the most obvious punk pointer -- although it was recorded as early as 1973 (!) in a NY Dolls stylee. An altogether heady mix of terrace stomp and puckish pomp. Whether feather boas or Doc Martens symbolise your preference here, you'll want to add this to your junkshop glam collection in a hurry!
www.rpmrecords.co.uk
Paul Martin

VARIOUS
Northwest Battle Of The Bands: Vol. 4 (Big Beat; CD)
     Forgoing the delicious go-go girls for the cover art of this series, this latest volume of Big Beat's ongoing documentation of the pacific North-West sound of the mid 60s, sports a groovy posed shot of Don & The Goodtimes on an orange background. This disc contains no less than 30 garage nuggets of one hue or another with the emphasis this time on unreleased material from the Jerden vaults.
     Woody Carr & The Entertainers kick off with an explosive drum sound on 'I Think I Love You' followed by the well-known New Yorkers' 'Mr Kirby'. But it is some of the beauties from the unreleased material that form the main interest. Merilee & The Turnarounds' (a group who split up in public after an argument about the positioning of an amplifier on stage) 'Would I' is a deliciously breezy soulful folk-rock hybrid whilst The Mercy Boys' 'The Way I Am' gives it some 'Louie Louie' and is all "don't try to change me girl". Biggest standout is perhaps The Brave New World's 'Fire Girl', a great fuzztoned beater with a psyched-up guitar vibe and whispered chorus. The Dynamics' 'High' that closes the set is a great staccato riffed on the beat cryer and The New Yorkers' unissued 'She's Gone' is a nice jangly and whiney folk rock number.
     As usual the liners are by Alec Palao and there are copious group and label shots throughout the accompanying booklet. I would love to have seen all four of these volumes issued as a long box set a la Nuggets, collectively they are probably the definitive statement about the mid-'60s North-west sound, though I'd love to see a psychedelic volume in the series. If you liked any or all of the other the volumes you'll love this one too. Oh, and the Don & The Goodtimes number 'Stop Telling Lies' is a cool home demo!
www.acerecords.co.uk
Paul Martin

VARIOUS
Psychodelicias Volume 7: Nineteen South American Surf & Instro Greats From The 60s (What's That Sound; CD-R)
     Ostensibly the final volume in this tasty series (see last month for review of the other six volumes). However, I hear there is potentially a Vol. 8 and even Vol. 9, depending on availability of material so watch this space! This seventh volume might have been more usefully titled 'Instrodelicias' as it is an entirely instrumental volume and doesn't continue in the same pop/sike mode of its predecessors (as indeed, it was not intended to).
     Here we have a mainly surf based instro set heavily dominated by Los Holys and Los Belkings. Those quaintly named Los Bonny Boys Hots are back again along with unknowns like Los Jaguars, Los Derbys and Los Incas Modernos. One or two number such as Los Holys' 'Spectro I' have a more instro-hipsters a go-go feel about them and in general this is a pleasant comp if not as interesting as some of the others in the series. This does at least prove that the surf guitar sound was not restricted to the USA or Australia and if that's the kind of sound you like, then this is a pretty good garage sounding collection of the idiom. Completists (like me!) will want this. As with the other volumes, this is free there is only nominal charge for postage and materials so you have no cause to complain! 
psychodelicias@hotmail.com
Paul Martin

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Spinning Wheel Volume 3 (Sheroo; CD)
     This third instalment of the Spinning Wheel series takes an even more cosmopolitan swipe through the world of paisley pop than its predecessors. Something of a Eurovision song contest for the soft-sike masses.
     First up, representing the UK, are several of the scouse mafia: Cilla's worringly acid-friendly 'Abysinnian Secret', The Merseys' Lovin' Spoonful sound-a-like 'Dreaming' and Billy Fury's 1968 weird-out 'Going Back To Germany', the latter two written by Liverpool maverick Jimmy Campbell. Also of note are The Vipps with the moody and magnificent 'Wintertime', Timon's little-known second single 'Now She Says She's Young', Tony Hazzard's non-album pop gem 'Everything's Gone Wrong' and Odyssey's Poets-with-strings ballad 'How Long Is Time'.
     From across the pond we have the chirpy Philly rock of Elizabeth's 'Not That Kind Of Guy', beatific big band psych with The Troll's 'Mr Abernathy', Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls style easy/rock from The Feminine Complex's 'I Won't Run' and frantic jazz-tinged baroque pop with Chrysalis' 'What Will Become Of The Morning'.
     And as if that wasn't enough, our European friends manage to dominate this set without so much as tipping the ash from their Gitanes. Francoise Hardy takes Nirvana's 'Tiny Goddess' to places it surely shouldn't be allowed to go, The Shanes' 'Chriscraft No 9' is a strong contender for being the greatest Swedish single of all time, Italians The Underground Set provide the obligatory party scene soundtrack with 'Arcipelago' and Spanish heroes Los Iberos remind me you that we may see the sun pretty soon with 'Summertime Girl'.
     A pan-generic, multi-cultural, smile-tastic collection of bright and breezy pop and psych goodies!
sheroo@blueyonder.co.uk
Andy Morten

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Thee Cave Comes Alive: Songs From the Lost 'What Wave' Fanzine Tapes (Action; CD)
     Here's a compilation album featuring a whole heap of global garage groups from the dark days of the 1980s, and early 1990s. Most of them have long since called it a day now, but there are one or two that are still checking the oil and motoring onto their next gig in someplaceville. George Rigas, a garage devotee/archivist from Greece (he also used to play in The Walking Screams) who maintains the website Thee Cave is responsible for the project's instigation. 
     What Wave magazine originated from Canada, hosted by Dave and Rena O'Halloran for over 10 years and 20-odd issues, and it's from the individual compilation tapes that were part of some issues of the 'zine that these tracks are taken from. 
     The set kicks off in fine style with The Royal Nonesuch, from whom great things were hoped, but then of course they split up before you could say boo! Theirs is a snarly, R&B-fuelled garage sound as witnessed on their two ultra-fast 'n fuzzed-up selections, 'She's So Satisfyin' and 'Talkin 'Bout Love'. The Creatures (also known by their Of The Golden Dawn suffix) get to grips with The Snaps' lysergically-inspired 'Polka Dotted Eyes' and give us a taste of their own in 'The Acid Test'. Then there's The Gruesomes, who perform a fairly rudimentary version of The Young Tyrants' superb 'I Try'. Also hailing from the land of the maple-leaf, The Haunted and The Guess Who are The Chessmen, featuring guitar/vocalist/spy freak and all-round nice guy Dan Beer, who's 'Pretty Girl' digs in with some harp-wailin' rhythm'n'beat sounds. The Chessmen also released a self-titled LP featuring some great tracks for the Zapp label before the 1990s begun. 
     Rochester, NY was famous in 1980s garage circles for spawning garage heroes The Chesterfield Kings, but it also housed The Projectiles, featured here with two cuts 'Little Girl' and 'I'm Alone'. NYC's The Ultra 5 perform an exercise in neat B movie sludge with the almost-instro sleaze of 'Go Baby Go'. The Mystic Eyes' 'She Put Me Down' begins like an another rendition of an oft-repeated garage riff - nicked from The Kinks and The Who etc - but actually settles into something altogether better than you imagine it will, a real grower as they say. 
     From the UK we are treated to The Tyme Eliment, a Huddersfield bunch with tons of great garage potential but, again, unfortunately called it a day much too soon. 'Tell Me' is a good snotty garager with vocals by Simon Harvey, who later joined up with London-based rebels The Beatpack, this time playing guitar. The Beatpack also feature on Thee Cave Comes Alive, but with a somewhat lackadaisical version of Q65's 'I Despise You'. Now it must be said that the 'Pack could be magic on stage at times. Other times they could get quite chaotically over-the-top too - but they were also capable of the odd deranged flash of beat brilliance in the studio. Check out their two 45s and lone LP they made for Screaming Apple if they're still in print.
     'Lolita' is by French group The Cryptones and comes off as cool garage-punk'n'roll with some extra fuzzy rumblings, the track also featured on an EP that appeared with Abus Dangereux magazine. 
     Elsewhere, The Boy From Nowhere do a no-great-shakes take on 'Heart Full Of Soul, while Finland's garage veterans The Cybermen display a bit of attitude on their 'Why Doncha Like It'. 
     I don't know if everything here is absolutely necessary, but at least it gives the listener a taste of what went on in these cassette-with-fanzine times that were important for a lotta neo-garage band recorded action, but are for the most part now gone gone gone! 
http://users.otenet.gr/~Riva28/Preview/
Lenny Helsing

VARIOUS
U-Spaces: Lost Sixties Delights Vol.1 (U-Spaces; CD-R)
     The American U-Spaces website and discussion group seemingly have a mission; find and compile every known (and unknown!) obscure '60s 7" with a bendy psych guitar sound, a garage feel or sheer exuberance of one kind of another that has hitherto evaded capture on vinyl or CD reissues! These the group call U-Spaces projects.
     Firstly, their Psychedelic Archaeology series has, at last count, achieved double figures with the release of the 10th volume (see the below review). Hot on its heels comes the new Lost Sixties Delights (geddit!) series of which Vol. 1 is now available, Vol. 2 soon will be and a third volume is in preparation. A further series of uncomped 60s material will be called The Light Show and a 5 CDR BBC Top Gear sessions set of various artists is also in preparation. Not only are all these amazing collections closely scrutinised to ensure that as far as possible, nothing already compiled elsewhere slips through, but they are also completely free as you can only get these discs by trading other CDRs for them. There are even some breezy liner notes and cover art you can download from the website. As with the Psychodelicias series (see my review of the new Vol. 7 earlier), this is a labo(u)r of love purely in order to get great sounds into more ears without ripping anyone off. So, a big round of applause please for all those involved in this excellent effort. 
     Now onto the current LSD volume mentioned in the strapline. This (as are all the U-Spaces discs), is a full-length, long-play set of 27 long-gone 45s. The contents are predominantly American, and represent a good mix of pop, garage, psych and just plain good groovy sounds. Faves for me are Fever Johnny's 'Zombie', Crystal Empire's 'Sour Milk Sea', The Hobbits' 'Pretty Young Thing', The Bluebeards' 'Come On-A- My House', Yankee Dollar's 'Reflections Of A Shattered Mind', and The Front End's 'The Real Thing', but really there's not a duffer on here. These are comps made by selection and approval of the group as a whole. Would you like 'em? Well if you dig Mr. Tony 'The Tyger' Sanchez's themed outputs on CD-R for instance, you'll love these too. I dare you not to in fact, they're cool, and they're free for trade, what's not to like!! A big salute to all concerned in these ongoing projects at U-Spaces, a superb example of how the collective input and working together of like-minded enthusiasts can achieve wonderful results.
(Web/Email links at bottom of following review)
Paul Martin

VARIOUS
U-Spaces: Psychedelic Archaeology Volumes 1-10 (U-Spaces; CD-Rs)
     By the standards of DIY compiling, this is a mammoth series (though Psychodelicias is looking to catch up!). Each volume contains between 24 and 30 previously unreissued 45s and have their own downloadable colour sleeve artwork. These are mainly American, although Volume 8 is largely British (see my Lost Sixties Delights review above for more info on U-Spaces, or indeed visit their website).
     It would be impossible to do an exhaustive review of all 10 comps here, so I'm just gonna dive in at various points for you. Remember, these are strictly not for sale and are for exchange only. No-one profits economically, everyone gains musically, long-live archaeology! 
     Starting with Volume 8, just because it is rather an exception to the others, there are some fine UK tracks here. Kicking off with Ipsissimus's 'Lazy Woman' a great freakbeating blues rocker that sets an excellent tone. Adam, Mike & Tim's rendition of Paul Simon's 'A Most Peculiar Man' from 1966 features an early appearance of sitar (courtesy of Big Jim Sullivan who also produced the single). Ranee & Raj's 'Rainbow Land' is all toytown pop whilst two welcome numbers from the always interesting relocated from Lebanon to Britain group, The Cedars make previously uncomped appearances with 'I Don't Know Why' and 'I Like The Way'. Producer Biddu contributes a vaguely bendy pop pleaser in 'Look Out, Here I Come' and The Nerve, who I've always loved, turn up with the unheard light beat popper 'It Is'. A somewhat eclectic but essential volume to get for all UK pop and late '60s sound fans.
     Some of the most immediately standout tracks in the series for me were the excellent cluster of Neal Ford & The Fanatics tracks; 'Mary Wanna Marry Me' (Vol. 1); Movin' Along (Vol. 3); Pain (Vol. 7); 'You Made Me A Man' (as Neal Ford's Factory) (Vol. 9); 'For You', 'Woman' and 'Good Men' (all as The Fanatics) (Vol. 10). These all have a strong beat and vocal and catchy hooks. Elsewhere you get little gems like Rose Garden's only 45 'Here's Today' (not included on the recent CD reissue of their only album) likewise for Boettcher fans, Sagittarius's 'Virgo' (both Vol. 4). Vol. 3 opens with a radio promo spot for the Peter Fonda film The Trip which rather sets the tone for the disc which includes the great Owen B's 'Nowhere To Run' and Velvet Seed's 'Flim-Flam Man' a real corker. Volume 5 includes T.I.ME's 'What Would Life Be Without It', a great moody folky rocky soft popper and Giant Crab's 'Listen Girl' and 'E.S.P' (will someone please reissue their two great and eclectic pop monster albums Goes Forth and Cool It Helios, long overdue and a whole slew of non-album 45s sides to add as bonuses, fingers out please!).
     Really there's not room to do justice to some of the gems you'll find in here, so if any of the above sound remotely attractive, get in touch with U-Spaces (below) and organise a set of these wonderful discs, there's hours of cool listening pleasure to be had across the discs and represent the best bargain you're ever likely to come across, a real Aladdin's Cave and a testament of devotion by those involved in screening these gems for their anonymity to reissue comps!
VelvetFogg@aol.com
http://members.aol.com/velvetfogg/HTML/U-SPACE.htm
http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/U-SPACES/?yguid=11017107
Paul Martin