Blimey! There's stuff that goes back months here, but none of these releases are being put into this one summarised section to indicate that they're sub-standard in any way (although, some are of course). Rather, some of this material is of borderline interest, or else, well known pop that doesn't merit an analytical SD dissection
     As well as re-releasing some slightly obscurer '60s albums, Varese Sarabande (www.varesevintage.com) also deal with typical High Street collections which contain good, even great, music which we all know and adore, but certainly won't be rushing out to buy. Their Rock & Roll: The First 50 Years series features a multitude of hits. The'50s edition offers 'Blue Suede Shoes', 'Mack The Knife', 'Summertime Blues' and 23 others whilst the early '60s companion features all manner of doo-woppers, bobby soxers and white teethed pop singers, ranging from The Everly Brothers to Lou Christie and Gene Chandler. Of a similar ilk are their Good Rockin' Tonight (25 Rock & Rhythm Classics) and 25 Original Garage Rock Classics, a strong collection featuring SD faves 'Outside Chance', 'Liar Liar' and 'Journey To The Center Of Mind' among others. The thing is that this badly packaged comp appears to be clearly aimed at the golden oldie nostalgia crowd rather than fans. Likewise, the straight re-issue ofTHE ZOMBIES' I Love You singles compilation cannot be faulted but is something anyone with the box set or any one of dozens of other comps can live without. Finally on Varese are three soul/R&B discs. JACKIE WILSON with BILLY WARD & HIS DOMINOESThe Essential Masters scoops up the '50s King and Federal 45s. The Very Best of FATS DOMINO is slightly misleading as it contains a selection of tracks from Domino's three early-mid '60s albums that weren't hits at all. Still, the music is most enjoyable and bridges the gap between rock and roll and driving soul. PEGGY SCOTT & JO JO BENSON's great southern soul sounds will be familiar to anyone au fait with the genre, and whilst there's no faulting the obvious The Very Best Of it adds nothing new to their legacy! As I said, these are superb as introductory CDs, but will provide the hardened fan next to nothing. Maybe for the parents or kids then. The Folk Music Collection: In The Wind is a decent 18 track compendium of American folk music that traces the movement from Woody Guthrie through to the early '60s folk group scene of The Chad Mitchell Trio and The New Christy Minstrels. If you liked A Mighty Wind (the Spinal Tap crew's affectionate mockery of US 60s folk music which Varese have actually parodied with their artwork here) you'll hear exactly what they were mimicking.
     Sanctuary Records (www.sanctuaryrecordsgroup.co.uk) is a huge label that covers a myriad of styles, genres and musical quality. As you may know our very own Shindig! We Set The Scene album will be released on the label on January 24^th, and Sanctuary have been behind the Doin' The Mod, Ripples and Psych Pstones series, not to mention corking packages by Skip Bifferty, The Smoke, Nazz, The Sorrows and so on. But it also serves the masses. The Sixties Album (a huge 3-CD box) is representative of this end of their output, and has even been advertised on TV. You get hits galore and good music, but it's not one for the SD elite. Both THE TREMELOES and THE FOUNDATIONS also receive huge career spanning 3-CD collections that are both too in-depth for the casual fan and not focused enough for the collector. Still, if you want lots. You'll get lots with these. Also of marginal interest are the two ANIMALS '80s comeback albums – Greatest Hits Live and The Ark. And I did say marginal? If you want the good stuff pick up The Decca Years as reviewed earlier.
     If seeking to learn about 50's country, SD scribe Dave Penny's Sick, Sober & Sorry 3-CD box will be a superb primer for the genre. Featuring the big hits of '51-'53 the 84 track Sanctuary/Indigo set covers the best known works of big names such as Hank Williams and Lefty Frizzell.
          Does anyone want to hear JEFF BECK's involvement with mid-'70s UK fusion? No? I thought as much. Still, if you do happen to have such a strange inkling be sure check out The Complete UPP as it contains all you'll want. Some of this is okay, notably the soulful 'It's A Mystery', but Ian Dury & The Blockheads did the same thing better and with humour! And why psych-man David Wells has written the liners is beyond me. But then I suppose bills have to be paid. Closer to home for the '60s/'70s loving Mr Wells (well he is one of us) is the RENAISSANCE double CD set that he compiled and wrote notes for. Innocents & Ilusions compiles the first two albums that were the culmination of Relf's and McCarty's departure from The Yardbirds. And by jove, they really did want to move away from rock and indulge in far more complicated form of music didn't they?! Once you use the skip button to bypass all of the completely OTT classical piano leanings (and there are a lot) you will find some good song segments, but it's a task. Far more less demanding is Dangerous When Sober: A Potted History Of MICHAEL CHAPMAN 1966-1980.     Consisting of only live and demo recordings of the Yorkshire born UK folky this may not be the best collection to start with, but fans of the dour, gravely voiced singer will find much to cherish. THE SOFT MACHINE Man In A Deaf Corner on the other hand offers very little to treasure. Consisting of pre-Softs' lo-fi freeform jazz from '63, three even lower-fi demos of the classic Allen line up and a selection of live recordings from the second line-up, this album gels together about as well as ice cream and gravy. The CHRIS FARLOWE Immediate collection Handbags And Gladrags however is spot on. If you don't own the earlier double Castle set this quality 27 track single collection is a much needed purchase. Earlier in the Summer mod father Eddie Pillar produced and presented a TV show called SOUL which traced the evolution of youth culture and mod on the London music scene, the CD soundtracks to the episodes were mentioned earlier in the year, but we forgot to mention The Acid Jazz Generation (the early '90s music of     cappuccino drinking goatie wearers). Features likely candidates like James Taylor Quartet, Corduroy, Mother Earth, Young Disciples and Jamiroquai.
     Angel Air's (www.angelair.co.uk) first MIKE HURSTProducers Archives was a hotch potch selection of recordings from the long standing producer's back catalogue. Likewise, Volume 2 1965-1984, sequences the legendary New Zealand psych band Human Instinct's phenomenal take on The Byrds' 'Renaissance Fair' alongside bloody Lena Zavaroni, singing topless model Sam Fox and Shakin' Stevens! The Truly Smith's groovy '60s girl pop and the morose 'Come Away Melinda' by Barry St John are both pretty good, but let's be as pleasant as possible about this collection, and just say it's best avoided – unless you want some rare Shakin' Stevens '79 recordings that is!
     The Spencer Davis Group may have never recovered commercially after Steve Winwood quit, but that didn't stop them making some really decent UK psych-pop as the '60s drew to a close. Gluggo (the '73 album the band recorded when they reformed, now re-released on www.cherryred.co.uk) doesn't leave such a nice taste in the ears! Eager to sound contemporary the hard/boogie rock bandwagon is jumped upon with little thought. There's a nice piano led ballad ('Don't Let It Bring You Down') but that really is about it. Avoid. EDDIE HARDIN's solo album Home Is Where You Find It (www.rpmrecords.co.uk) (from two years earlier) is far, far better. On this album you can hear why ole Spencer chose Eddie to replace little Stevie – both possess powerful voices and the ability to pen decent tunes. Hardin's debut strictly follows the singer-songwriter canon, with West Coast country and soul influences, lots of earnest Grand Piano, subtle orchestration and heartfelt vocals. The odd rocker is also on display, which yes, recall Winwood and Humble Pie. In other words, it's a strong early '70s effort. And if early '70s singer songwriters are your thang this is heartily recommended. Produced by Deep Purple's Roger Clover, STRAPP's sole '76 album, released on Harvest, mixes in the quirky keyboard dominated, spiky eccentricity of Roxy Music with the beery proto-punk edge of Mott The Hoople resulting in a not unlikeable, but not particularly memorable rock album.
     Finally, a few new artists. BIG CIRCLE's Things May Change features crafted melodies backed by chugging guitars. It's way better than most American power pop bands, and will please fans of Cheap Trick, Smithereens and The Shazam. Good stuff. Mail glazeday@yahoo.com. THE BADGE combine '60s influences with a crisp modern day power pop/psych sound. Their new three song Detour EP features a variety of sounds from heavy garage to ballads. Very Pro. Very honed. Will they bother the charts? Of course not! (www.detour-records.co.uk) FRANK LEE SPRAGUE faithfully captures the sound of the music that his album is named after. And Merseybeat sounds just like it!     It gets a bit too much of a one trick pony, but Sprague does indeed pen a tune or two worth merit that I'm sure Macca would approve of. (www.wichitafallsrecords.com) The next two albums should please fans of indie pop in the Belle & Sebestian school, both are Swedish too. SEASHELLS' Remains Of Something Sweet (www.quince-records.com)is pure '86 indie, and if you like jangle and soft vocals, you'll find this most enjoyable. Swedish sung ALF comes from a similar place, with just a bit more of an edge, and more tunes. I recall some chat about Augustibrev on the SD list sometime ago, and it was all positive. I particularly like the baroque 'Kom', which has something of the Duncan Browne about it.
www.doloresrecordings.com
Jon 'Mojo' Mills