A JOINT EFFORT
Final Effort (Radioactive; CD)
     Released on Canada's University Of Brunswick's privately pressed label Little in 1974, this apparent student hippy band fluently combine UK folk rock of the Fairport's school ('Winter') and bluegrass ('Molly And The Tenbrooks') with the rural American country rock sound so readily associated with all chilled-out long haired kids of the era. And boy, it's pretty nice throughout if rustic/country rock rings your bell… my only gripe is the sound, which is either the result of a poor live recording or a needle drop from a worn record. Nevertheless, it's a decent example of pot infused '70s student life.
www.radioactiverecords.com
Jon 'Mojo' Mills

PETE ANDERS AND VINCE PONCIA
Masterworks (Brilltone Productions 2-CD)
     A double CD which explores the works of this duo from 1961 to 1967 in a variety of guises.
Disc one (not in chronological order) starts with seven tracks from The Tradewinds, the As and Bs of their three singles for Red Bird and a slower alternate version of the wonderful 'New York's A Lonely Town'. This is followed by 'Hold Me Tight' which the duo recorded as The Treasures under the aegesis of Phil Spector and which he released on his subsidiary label Shirley (named after his sister). The rest of disc one is made up of early 1961 tracks recorded on Kapp by the duo as part of the doo wop group The Videls, 14 previously unreleased tracks from '63 which are in a variety of styles and some of which are quite weak
it has to be said, the single 'Hand Clappin' Time' written with Doc Pomus and released in '63 and both sides of  singles issued individually by Vince and Pete in'62.
     Disc two 1966 –'67 is much stronger encompassing the albums the duo released as The Tradewinds and The Innocence for Kama Sutra. This is really good harmony pop, some of it written with and by Don Ciccone of the wonderful Critters for whom the duo produced some singles. The remaining dozen tracks
are similar harmony drenched numbers issued under a variety of names and culminating in four unreleased Tradewinds tracks from 64/65 including 'Mary Ann' recorded by The Crystals.
     This set does not include any of the LP the duo cut for Reprise in '69 as it is outside the time frame but with 64 songs 19 of them unreleased this is a treasure trove for fans of the duo, including as it does material which would be very difficult if not impossible to find all collected in one place.
www.deadog.com/page/DDR/PROD/APW888a
Pat Curran
 
JACKIE DESHANNON 
Songs (RPM; CD)
     Latest in the wonderful reissues of Jackie DeShannon albums from RPM is Songs the sole album she recorded for Capitol in 1971 having left Liberty/Imperial after ten years with the labels. The informative sleeve notes by head Appreciation Society honcho William George tell how she initially recorded with producer Chips Moman in Memphis but the tracks (included as bonus material here) were strangely never released at the time.
     These bonus tracks include an ace version of Van Morrison's 'And it Stoned Me', Goffin and King's 'Child of Mine'and 'Live Till you Die' by Emitt Rhodes one of three songs given a gospel treatment. The album Songs was recorded in April '71 with Eric Malamud producing although he himself credits Jackie with eighty percent of the production. The pair tried to attain a "laid back" feel so recorded "live" in the studio. Standout tracks include Dylan's 'Lay [Lady] Baby Lay', Jackie's own 'Salinas', 'Sunny Days' by arranger and future husband Randy Edelman and the wonderful l'International' by Gallagher and Lyle.
     With her voice in great shape throughout, the inclusion of the previously
unreleased tracks make this a special reissue indeed.
www.rpmrecords.co.uk
Pat Curran

ELLIS
Riding On The Crest Of A Slump / Why Not? (Evangeline; CD)
     Steve Ellis had more than five minutes of fame with the extremely popular post-mod blue-eyed soul/rock band The Love Affair, but as the '60s ended and he dabbled with new bands and a solo career the hits dried up. Of course a lack of later success doesn't mean his talent had faded; quite the contrary, Ellis's voice had a new depth and his own compositions, 'El Doomo' and 'Tune For Brownie' in particular, aired a far deeper sensibility than the marketed pop that had made him. Backing the singer under the Ellis name was old mod era mate Zoot Money (bearded and beered up) and a selection of other musical city boys moved out to the country. The two Ellis albumsRiding On The Crest Of A Slump (1972) andWhy Not? (1973) both explore a mixture of Band-esque rural rock, post-psych acoustic pieces, bluesy singer songwriter styles and a hefty dose of funky, soulful rock. The overall effect was not dissimilar to The Faces or Humble Pie; and what with Roger Daltrey's production work and some impressive songs the neglected Who associate Billy Nicholls also springs to mind.
     Both albums are nothing short of exceptional and British rock's most overlooked voice is in fine form throughout. Essential.
www.evangeline.co.uk
Jon 'Mojo' Mills

FIVE DAY RAIN
Five Day Rain (Nightwings; CD)
     The band formally known as Iron Prophet became Five Day Rain in 1970. Under this name nine tracks for an album were recorded but ultimately never released. The tracks survived only on aceteates. These were released on CD over a decade ago. However, this was done apparently without the permission of either ex-group members or the illustrator John Hurford whose drawing formed the cover of that edition. Here we have the group's complete output with the full co-operation of FDR's Rick Sharp (who intends putting a version of FDR together this year) whose recollections and narrative form the liner notes and John Hurford who has designed the new sleeve art. Additionally, there are some bonus tracks. These comprise principally four tracks recorded at the time of the proposed album but left out of the project. They are considerably heavier than the FDR acetate album and are said to be more reminiscent of the older Iron Prophet sound. Sharp touched these up with some guitar overdubs in late 2005, which surprisingly give them an edge rather than detracting from them. There is also a cover of Bob Dylan's 'Too Much of Nothing'. This edition has been remastered from the acaetates and has a good sound quality throughout.
     Essentially, FDR's sound is guitar led and keys supported progressive pop. There are psych influences such as the phased vocal that runs throughout the nicely psych 'The Reason Why'. Also of a jazzy psych persuasion is the 11 minute instrumental wig-out 'Rough Cut Marmalade'. Other tracks like 'Antonia' have nice psych touches in the compressed fuzz guitar sound. This is a classic 'on the cusp' psych-prog album that deserved its release. It's the sort of classic album of its type we now associate with budget bin labels of the time like Deram Nova but which are now much sought after. Overall, there's something here for you whether your proclivities lean towards either psyche or early progressive. The liners are informative and funny and as always with Nightwings products, the packaging is visually attractive and well presented. If you know the FDR album already, this represents a good upgrade. If you have not heard it but are tempted by the description, don't be shy, take the plunge!
www.nightwings.org
Paul Martin

BOBBIE GENTRY
The Delta Sweete/Local Gentry   (Raven; CD)
     Following on from the success of their 2002 An American Quilt compilation
that re-ignited interest in the sultry southern songstress Glen A Baker's Raven label have had the good sense and taste to reissue Bobbie's second and third albums from 1968 (her first being available on Collectible's The Golden Classics of Bobbie Gentry) The Delta Sweete released in March 1968 is a loose concept album about contemporary life in the American South, consisting of eight Gentry originals and four blues standards linked by baroque string arrangements by Jimmy Haskell and Shorty Rogers. This is wonderful stuff with Bobbie's sultry southern accent combining equally well with the swampy ambience of 'Big Boss Man' and 'Parchman Farm' and the chamber like 'Jessy 'Lisabeth' and 'Refractions'.
     The album failed to sell and the follow up Local Gentry was quickly recorded and released in October 1968. The blues covers were replaced by exemplary readings of three Lennon and McCartney songs 'The Fool on the Hill', 'Eleanor Rigby' and 'Here there and Everywhere'. Bobbie only wrote five tracks and a quarter of the album was recorded in London.
     With three bonus tracks The Classics IV's 'Stormy', Donovan's 'Skip Along Sam' and a version of 'Away in a Manger' from a 1969 Capitol Christmas album, this is a must have for Bobbie's fans and lovers of classic girl singers alike. Let's have albums four and five soon please.
www.ravenrecords.com.au
Pat Curran

THE GRATEFUL DEAD
Rare Cuts and Oddities 1966  (Grateful Dead Records; CD)
     Jerry Garcia often said that in the beginning Pig Pen was the driving force behind the Dead and this release from the band's own label featuring rehearsals and live tracks with a couple of demos thrown in for good measure certainly bears this out. This is the sound of primal Dead emerging from the swamp with a raw gritty almost garage sound that fans of the early Stones and Pretty Things will love, yet on some tracks there are still touches of that classic SF guitar sound .Highlights include Jerry singing lead on 'Promised Land. The first known versions of 'Not Fade Away', 'Big Railroad Blues' and 'Good Lovin''. The alternate chorus to 'Cream Puff War'and some very rare Pig Pen sung tunes.Amid the large doses of R 'n B are the
traditional ballad 'Betty and Dupree' (the inspiration for 'Dupree's Diamond Blues'), Dorsey Burnette's 'Hey Little One' and a superb studio demo of 'Silver Threads and Golden Needles' highlighting the diverse influences that influenced the embryonic group. This is a tour de force. Wonderful stuff played with energy, joy and a love of the material by a hungry vibrant Dead at the beginning of their 'long strange trip'.Highly Recommended to Deadheads and non-Deadheads alike.
stores.musictoday.com
Pat Curran

THE GUESS WHO
Let's Go (Randy Bachman.com; CD)
     From the Randy Bachman archives, an 18 track compilation of early Guess Who cuts circa 1967 when they were the house band for Let's Go Canadian Broadcasting Corporations answer to Shindig. At their lowest ebb being penniless as the result of a disastrous trip to Britain, the show enabled the band to regroup and gain a national following by airing various original songs among the many and varied cover versions they had to perform. With eight of the 18 tracks covers The Guess Who show their versatility by performing creditable versions of such diverse fare as 'Touch Me', 'Along Comes Mary', 'Time of the Season'and 'White Room'. Among the original trcks are their hits 'No Time'and 'These Eyes'and the whole package along with informative sleeve notes by John Einarson is a gift to fans of an underrated
band. Let's have volume two soon please.
www.randybachman.com
www.cduniverse.com
Pat Curran

ROD ST JAMES
Has Anybody Seen The Superstar (Radioactive; CD)
     The predominantly soul based Paula label issued the enigmatic Rod St James attempt at the singer songwriter market in the early '70s. Although loved by the cut 'n paste DJ brigade because of the title track (which fuses electric guitar and latin beats with a funky vocal) this is an album of two halves that sits somewhere uncomfortably between two genres… undecided if its James Taylor, Steely Dan or Stevie Wonder. It's not quite that erratic, but the songs are definitely third division and a solid album needs more than few grooves.
www.radioactiverecords.com
Jon 'Mojo' Mills

MAJOR ARCANA
Major Arcana (Radioactive; CD)
     Opening track 'Western Wind' has to be one of the finest Americana/Irish styled cuts from the post-psycedelic era, easily as good as Hearts & Flowers et al. So I had high expectations for Major Arcana's 1976 album after being ignited by such a superb opening... unfortunately by trying to cover too many styles the band seem to lose the race after such a wonderful start. That's not to say that the mix of blues, rock, psych, classical influences falls completely flat.. but still... consider it a disappointment.
www.radioactiverecords.com
Jon 'Mojo' Mills  

MOONKYTE
Moonkyet (Sunbeam; CD)
     John Peel loved it and, perhaps in relation to this, Yorkshire heads Moonkyte's 1971 album is now viewed as something of a classic. It may be worth a lot of money, and for that matter, a by the books example of UK hippy sounds, but for me the songs are little more than average. Sure, it has the right ingredients; folky vocals ala Ian Anderson, tick; a little bit of sitar, tick; flutes and esoteric ancient instruments, tick; a dose of psychedelia; tick. But where're the tunes? It's all rather inept and lacking in thought, even if 'Jellyman' does resemble Syd at his most cranky.
www.sunbeamrecords.co.uk
Jon 'Mojo' Mills  

THE ORION EXPRESS
The Orion Express (Radioactive; CD)
     Acceptable Allman Bros influenced southern rock with smoky searing blues permeations, tough vocals and piping hammond…. that is, if you like that kinda vibe. Released in 1975.
www.radioactiverecords.com
Jon 'Mojo' Mills

THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS
Gold (Polydor; 2-CD)
     AT LAST, a comprehensive 2CD cross label chronologically ordered history of Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield the Brothers Righteous. Disc one comprises 15 R & B tracks from their early Moonglow period and the following nine tracks are the hits they cut with the mighty Phil Spector. All sounding great but
probably owned by all their fans.
     Disc two is where it starts to get interesting.Beginning with 10 tracks from their Verve period, it then covers their break up with five Bobby Hatfield solo tracks from a proposed but unissued solo LP and fiveminor hits by Bill Medley including the awesome 'Peace Brother Peace' which is worth the admission
price alone.
     A single by Bobby Hatfield and Jimmy Walker from the Knickerbockers (who when they weren't cloning The Beatles were cloning the Brothers) leads to the final three hits they had when they reformed and recorded for Haven records including 'Rock 'n Roll Heaven' which is presumably where Bobby Hatfield who unfortunately died in 2003 is residing now.
     With informative sleeve notes and good sound this is a must for all fans of the Dynamic Duo.
Pat Curran

THE SIDETRACK
Baby (Radioactive; CD)
     Shindig writer Patrick sums up this unreleased Elektra album rather eloquently in a review which can be read at his superb Acid Archives portal (http://www.lysergia.com/AcidArchives/) and I completely agree with his sentiment. To reiterate: The Sidetrack'sBaby was recorded as a demo, although it sounds finished to me, for Elektra in 1968. The band may be from Vancouver, but then again I also hear the avant/art persuasion of fellow Elektra act Ars Nova. Their combination of an odd mix of UK styled academic baroque pop -- think Forever Amber, Nirvana and The Zombies meets yanks The Left Banke -- with experimental flourishes and an almost psych exploitation soundtrack edge add up for a rather unique listening experience. Although not necessarily gelling as a whole I find the overall product most compelling and recommend the curious to investigate further. The question 'why was this shelved' bears asking?
www.radioactiverecords.com
Jon 'Mojo' Mills

BERT SOMMER
The Road To Travel (Revola; CD)
     Ahhhhhhh… let your guide take a deep breath…. When a 1969 production from star of Hair the musical, the forgotten shining light at Woodstock, one time member of The Left Banke, writer for The Vagrants and owner of bountiful curls seamlessly twists the essence of Tim Buckley, Donovan and the kind of factory produced sunny pop penned for The Monkees by Neil Diamond and sung by Mickey Dolenz into something a little more intense I know I've stumbled across a lost gem that will fulfil the needs of late 60s bendy pop heads.
     The Road To Travel paints all manners of shades and textures, Sommer's lyrics veer towards the metaphysical, although the songs themselves are never hard to pick up on and the production's combination of the ornate and bare bones acoustic guitar never goes overboard. 'And When It's Over' and 'Brink Of Death' are the perfect Sommer songs, beautifully effete yet dark. Wonderful!
www.revola.co.uk
Jon 'Mojo' Mills

SPIRIT
Son Of Spirit/Farther Along (BGO; 2-CD)
     Please allow me to jump off my high horse. A few months back I claimed thatSpirit Of '76 was the last great album Randy and associate Ed made. Well, by gum… may I retrace my steps?Son Of Spirit, recorded shortly after the epic doubleSpirit Of '76, contains a number of pop orientated numbers, occasionally erring towards the beautiful. Believe me kids, the spiritually kissed California was still a force to be reckoned with. And it must be noted that in 2006 this album sounds almost contemporary. The effect laden guitars and floating vocals are particularly unique, having more in common with the psychedelic jangle of The Stone Roses than bombastic '70s rock.
     Farther Along recorded the following year (that's 1976 for those crap at maths) is practically a reformation of the 1960s line-up, and man, other than the comical disco atrocity 'Atomic Boogie' it's a fine album.Sardonicus… arranger David Blumberg is back on board supplying some edifying strings (check out the gorgeous orchestral version of 'Nature's Way' that closes the album) and the band seem at ease playing FM friendly soft-rock with a subtle '60s psychedelic-pop dressing. Yes, it's smooth and a little glossy, but it's clearly Spirit in shape and form.
www.bgo-records.com
Jon 'Mojo' Mills

TIMBERCREEK
Hellbound Highway (Radioactive; CD)
     Very competent rural Dead meets country-pop Eagles effort, released in 1975 as a private pressing by long haired Californian hippies. Good sound, good playing and there're even some goods songs. If you like rural rock CSNY, The Band etc you could do worse than buying this… only 100 copies of the vinyl ever appeared, so I guess the Timbercreek renaissance starts here.
www.radioactiverecords.com
Jon 'Mojo' Mills

TWIGGY AND LINDA THORSON
A Snapshot Of Swinging London (El; CD)
     I do enjoy this kind of 1960's high campery. Twiggy was never a singer, but the couple of 45s she made do have something kooky and groovy going on.Avenger Linda Thorson packs more of a serious, sensual pop kitten punch – well, a little bit anyhow -- with her Kenny Lynch penned productions. They're all quite good too, although Linda's attempt at carrying a soulful voice is no match for her stunning looks. Bordering on Eurovision commerciality this won't heighten the senses, but it's certainly fun… and the ridiculous 'Wishful Thinking' is a classic for all the wrong reasons. A guilty pleasure.
www.elrecords.co.uk
Jon 'Mojo' Mills

VARIOUS
California Love In Vol.4 (U Spaces CDR)
     The ever resourceful U Spaces group have come up with the fourth volume (a fifth and final volume is in production and is promised to be popsike fest!) of the wonderful California Love In series. This time round the emphasis oscillates between folk rock and heaviness. As always, none of the cuts have been compiled commercially before, although a few inevitably turn up on private collector CDRs, but who can keep track of those! Looking Glass's 'Kathy's Dream' kicks off the set and is the most psychedelic track on the disc, good guitar runs with an urgent riff. Pre-Moby Grape outfit The Frantics feature twice with the Byrds-a-like 'Someday' and the much more Grape-like sounding 'Human Monkey'. Black Sheep's 'I'm Feeling Down' is a splendid folk rock winner with harmony vocals and lots of jingle jangle; definitely a highlight of the set. The Karpetbaggers' 'The Fire I Feel Inside' rises up out of nowhere like a prairie whirlwind. On the heavy side, a real keeper is Wildwood's 'Free Ride', a solid guitar riff with heavy, thick keys overlaying it and throaty vocal to finish it off! A real rarity is Family Scandal's take on 'October Country'. Produced by Kim Fowley for his Living Legend label, it hits all the right spots and is another slice of heaviness you really should hear. The Aquamen's 'Line And Track' is a punchy harmony vocal and driving rhythm version of this traditional number whilst John English III & The Heathen's 'Some People' is a light and whispy ballad. This is the flip to their Sabra label 'I Need You Near' (compiled on Boulders #7) a copy of which recently sold on eBay for $7,600!! Elsewhere there are good contributions by Crystal Image, Mother's Worry and Damon amongst others. A great volume in a fine series. Rarities collectors should get this now. As always, the U Spaces comps are for trade only and strictly not for sale.
launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/U-SPACES
Paul Martin

VARIOUS
La Beat Bespoke Vol.2 (Circle Records; CD / LP)
     I've been itching for a volume 2 in this series ever since I was smitten by volume 1 which was one of my compilations of the year at the time. Finally, we have the goods, this time on the independent Circle Records label. The 16 track LP and 20 track CD editions have similar packaging (e.g. slip in card case) and design (the rent-a-model photos) as Vol.1. Musically, New Untouchables club DJ Rob Bailey has managed to find another dance friendly batch of rarities that follow on very well from his first comp. This time however, there is some breathing space between tracks and the set is not DJ sequenced for continual play as was Volume 1. Both Mary McCarthy's 'You Know He Did' and The Martells' 'Time To Say Goodnight' have recently appeared on the all-girl volume of Radioactive's New Rubble vol.5: Scratch My Back comp, and Christie Luame's 'Rouge-Rouge' has been comped before but the others are all revelations. The set begins with several groovy funksters that are defined by the fuzztone guitar and rockin' rhythm sections; Poppy's Haunted House's 'Dude', Jimmy Thomas's 'Springtime', The Light Nites' 'One, Two, Boogaloo' and The Palace Guards' 'Gas Station Boogaloo Downtown' all kick hard in this direction and set the ball rolling nicely. Closure comes from this direction in the form of Paul Nicholas's 'Run Shaker Life' a fabulous slice of late '60s white boy soul rock with a vocal you would imagine too big for the likes of Nicholas, but he brings it off magnificently. In between there are pop dancer gems such as Shere Khan's 'Little Louise', The Moody Five's 'Blue Tail Fly', a real winner this one, Brunetta & The Balubas 'Baluba Shake' (which I'm sure I've heard before but think where), the enigmatic Dick Turpin's 'Madeline' and the big sound of Louisa Jane White's 'Truth in My Tears'. All in all, if you enjoyed Volume1, you can buy this volume with confidence, it has quality all over it. Buy it direct from the New Untouchables website.
www.newuntouchables.com
Paul Martin