2022 Psychedelic / Garage Journal Vol. 1 - Complete

The Love Generation - Montage. 1968 Imperial (LP). Thrift shop pickup in Cheyenne, Wyoming (Oct). The Love Generation are pure unadulterated Sunshine Pop. Similar to The Association, Sagittarius, The Millennium, and The Free Design. The latter is - by far - my favorite of this type of saccharine infused pop. The odd thing is you'd think a band from Los Angeles would have a better feel for the style than a group from Buffalo, New York. Unfortunately The Love Generation is too orchestrated, sweet, and sappy to appreciate. Over-engineered. Ultimately it gets down to the songwriting, and the only track I took notice of is 'Love is a Rainy Sunday'. Good on the whole, but inessential. 

Eric Burdon & The Animals - Love Is. 1968 MGM (2xLP). This was a straggler from the RT collection. Sprawling double set with cover tunes that go into extended jams. Fairly dull but has some good ideas and instrumentation. I far prefer The Twain Shall Meet from this era though. (May)

The Zombies. 1965 Parrot (LP). Another RT remnant languishing in the listening box. An almost perfect copy too. I had a pretty beat one that I sold at one of the shows, and I didn't really pay attention to it then. For 1965, this was groundbreaking stuff. 'She's Not There' is brilliant. But mostly this is pop music from an earlier era. Of historical interest, but not really my thing. (May)

*Trigon - Emergent. 2005 HeavyZenJazz (CD). Collection revisit (Apr). For cosmic blues jamming, I feel that Trigon perfected that sound on this effort. It never really gets boring, and the production is first rate. It's not a sloppy run through. This might be the gold standard of the late era groups doing this kind of thing. Not progressive in the slightest, just plug in and wail.

*Montage. 2001 Sundazed (1969) (CD). Thrift shop find (Mar). Montage is essentially the third Left Banke album, and is orchestrated Baroque Pop. There's some wonderful melodies interspersed throughout, and recalls a more innocent time. A New York City that didn't exist even then, but provided a fanciful departure for listeners. Fine reissue with extensive liner notes and four relevant bonus tracks, though two are instrumental arrangements of songs on the LP. The overall package makes it a keeper.

Spacemen 3 - Taking Drugs To Make Music To Take Drugs To. 2018 Superior Viaduct (1986) (LP). In the early 90s when me and my running set were uncovering every stone looking for obscure prog and psych, this title stood out with its most outrageous and hilarious title. We never did hear it back in the day, though maybe one of the guys secured a cassette dub of it. So when a heavily marked down new sealed copy showed up, I nailed it. And this is the extended 2 LP version that includes even more outtakes. The album itself is just that, and was recorded in 1986. Eh, I wasn't very impressed. Pretty basic guitar trio alt-rock stuff. More like 1966 garage revival than cutting edge neo psychedelia. The album doesn't live up to its name. Should have been called Drinking Coffee To Make Music To Drink Coffee To. (Mar)

* - Keeping for the collection

2021 Psychedelic / Garage Journal Vol. 4 - Complete

The New Colony Six - Attacking a Straw Man. 1969 Mercury (LP). More from the 25 cent grab at Independent (Nov). This is the 4th album from The New Colony Six, a Chicago area garage band that moved into the Baroque pop psych area at the end of their career. I tend to enjoy Popsike as it is, though this has some of the usual novelty styled sounds that require skip over. There's extensive use of horns (good) and strings (not so good), along with some lovely flute. Nice album, but inessential.

*Eric Burdon & The Animals - The Twain Shall Meet. 1968 MGM mono promo (LP). From RT (Oct). I finally found the Animals album I was looking for. I've loved 'Monterey' since I was a kid, and most of this album matches that quality. I love that part in 'Monterey' where the band's rhythm is driving wildly, and Burdon is doing his usual declarative vocals, and at one point he just says "fly" with spacing before and after. Seems like one of those recording mistakes that they left in. It's so perfect. This promo version is actually very rare, as it's the only US mono pressing they did. 

*The Bee Gees - Holiday / Every Christian Lion Hearted Man Will Show You. 1967 ATCO (SP). From RT (Sep). I've already forgotten the a) side, but the b) side is really trippy - not a sound one usually associates with The Bee Gees. Loaded with mellotron and medieval chanting. What? How this ended up on a single, even for a B side, is craziness.

*The Yardbirds - I'm Not Talking / Shapes of Things. 1966 Epic (SP). From RT (Sep). The b) side is one of The Yardbirds iconic tracks, and I believe it was only released as a single originally. The a) side comes from the album For Your Love, and has a very nice guitar riff. 

Don & The Goodtimes - Sweets For My Sweet / Hey There Mary Mae. 1966 Dunhill (SP). Thrift shop find (Sep). Don & The Goodtimes were a garage band from Portland, Oregon. Big fat beats, and each side has a nice jangly electric guitar solo. A bit like the Stones from this era. Good, but inessential.

*The Spencer Davis Group - I'm a Man / Can't Get Enough Of It. 1967 United Artists (SP). After throwing Davis under the bus below, this 45 came up from RT as well (Sep). But as mentioned, I love 'I'm a Man', just one of those great energetic funky tracks that you always want to hear when in a public setting. The b) side is probably my second favorite Davis tune. Great, both on one 45.

Spencer Davis Group - I'm a Man. 1967 United Artists stereo (LP). From RT (Aug). Love the cover. Musically it's a bummer - put this in the same category as The Animals. Back then, it does seem the A&R guys really did know the best tracks. 'I'm a Man' is super, and groundbreaking for its day (though I still prefer Chicago's version). The rest is pretty boring British r'n'b pop. Comes in as a disappointment. 

Cream - Live Cream Volume II. 1972 ATCO (LP). From RT (Aug). Cream was always better in a live situation, and this album is one more example of that. First place to feature the almost 14 minute jam 'Steppin Out' (I think). The whole album is excellent of course. At some point in my life, this album swept through, but this is my first time to own it. 

The Numbers - Anthology '64-'67. 1983 Voxx. An odd one from the RT collection (Aug). For some unknown reason in the 1980s, bands felt compelled to make up a 60s past and claim their recordings are archival. The Numbers, on the back cover, has the most detail of any band trying to do this back then. Of course it's easy to disprove, and they weren't trying that hard to deceive. As for the music, it sounds all the world like an indie 1980s band. There's nothing 60's garage or psych about this. So we're a long way from Plasticland here. This is a waste of time, really. 

Nazz - Nazz Nazz. 1969 SGC (LP) red vinyl. From RT (Aug). Too bad I didn't get much out of this listen. Fairly ordinary psych garage, especially for 1969. There's a long track here, but it doesn't really gel as a cohesive whole. It's been stitched together. Nothing radical and no memorable songs. It has a pleasant sound like most psych albums do, but nothing that transcends the good. 

The Blues Project - Live at Town Hall. 1967 Verve (LP). From RT (Aug). Similar in many ways to the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, The Blues Project is taking traditional blues out for a psychedelic run. Nowhere is this more apparent than the proto Krautrock 'Electric Flute Thing'. Still, it's mostly blues rock, and some of the improvisations go nowhere. This is their second live album, and it's the first album for me to hear, having once owned a copy of Projections but unfortunately it wasn't in playable condition. 

Traffic. 199? Island (CD) (1968). Been looking for this one in the wilds on LP, but no such luck. I found this CD last week at a thrift shop (Jul), and it's NM, so why not try it via this medium instead? I believe this is the first time for me to hear Traffic's second album all the way through. This appears to be another album that I'm supposed to like, but I'm not feeling it. On that topic of feeling, the one song I recognize from this set is 'Feelin' Alright', which seems to receive unanimous approval as a great song. I never liked it and I still don't. Sometimes I wonder if I'm even part of the human race... Other than the hard rocking 'Pearly Queen', I can live without the first six tracks. It does get better from B2 to B4, before going to back to their folk and blues rock ways on the final track. Albums like this have to survive on the quality of the composition. And this one doesn't make the cut for my tastes. Good only. 

Moby Grape. 1967 Columbia stereo (LP). Another one from RT (Jul). Yet another one of those classic psychedelic era albums that the majority (i.e. those from that era) insists is brilliant, and we all must agree on that right? (shrug). I just don't hear anything that warrants gaga-isms. Moby Grape is another album that you can tell came out of the folk music movement of the mid 60s. Really not that far from The Byrds here, minus their truly psych numbers like 'Eight Miles High'. As for the songs, I didn't recognize a one of them, which is usually a good thing. But in this case, the album kind of blows by without notice. I would still categorize it overall as good, but like with many of these 60s San Francisco groups, the legend is questionable. It's a 2 eye Columbia original with a beautifully preserved poster. But alas, it's still a second press, as the "middle finger" has been airbrushed out. Bummer.

The Who - Happy Jack. 1967 Decca mono (LP). From the RT collection (Jul). I had never heard the album proper, but was familiar with a couple of the tracks, especially the title song. I find The Who at this stage more charming than dangerous. For 1966 (original release date), they were definitely beginning to branch into different directions. Very good for its vintage, though not something I need to hold onto. This seems to be the theme with me and The Who at this stage of my life. Happy Jack is the US release, and the track itself is not on the original UK edition (known as A Quick One). By the time the album hit these shores, 'Happy Jack' was a successful single so they appended it onto the album and changed the name (no way in 1967 were the censors going to allow "A Quick One"). It replaced a track called 'Heatwave' which I'm not sure I've heard before.

* - Keeping for the collection

2021 Psychedelic / Garage Journal Vol. 2 - Complete

45's from the RT collection (Apr)

The Nickel Revolution ‎- Oscar Crunch / What Do You Want To Be (Nothing). 1968 Philips promo (SP). First we have The American Revolution, and now we're rebelling against (or for) nickels. Let's just hope no one names their band Nickelback. Yea. This one almost didn't get past the sample, as the A) side is just stupid. B) side is nice melancholic psychedelia. It just needed a fuzz break, and I probably would have kept it. They just let the premise keep going throughout unfortunately. 

The Sweet Bippies ‎- Bubblegum Music / Love, Anyway You Want It. 1968 A&M promo (SP). I think we can presume the name of this band came from the Laugh-In gag. It was, after all, a huge hit in its day. And the band is completely transparent about who they are on 'Bubblegum Music'. The b) side is similar, but I'm digging the organ and echoed voices. Not enough here to keep though. 

The Peanut Butter Conspiracy ‎- I'm A Fool / It's So Hard. 1968 Columbia promo (SP). I've read some good things about this band, so I was pretty excited to hear this one. I like me some soft psych, but this seems more geared towards the Vegas set. I'm reading reviews that suggest this 45 is an outlier. OK, that's good.  

---end 45s

These all came from the RT collection (Feb-Apr)

The Great Society with Grace Slick - Conspicuous Only In Its Absence. 1968 Columbia (LP). For some reason I had it in my head that The Great Society were pre-Jefferson Airplane and that they were a folk rock act. Wrong on both accounts - well sort of. When sampling the record for condition, I heard something completely different than expected, and put it in the listening stack. Last night came that full listen. Recorded in 1966, these live shows are more akin to The Butterfield Blues Band than anything else. A variation of Indo-rock, and very psychedelic for its era. The facts that I had discombobulated were of course that Jefferson Airplane were indeed the folk rock band starting out. And - of course - Grace Slick then famously became their lead singer just as they were going psychedelic on Surrealistic Pillow. All of Side 1 is great as are the last two tracks of Side 2. Included in the premier selection would be the true originals of 'Somebody to Love' and 'White Rabbit'. The cover highlights what a dream babe Slick was back then. She didn't age well, however. Hard livin' woman. 

The City - Now That Everything's Been Said. 1968 Ode (LP). Carole King could be looked at as a younger female contemporary of Burt Bacharach. She learned her trade at the Brill Building, and has a very high number of top hits credited to her name. Unlike Bacharach's optimistic melodies juxtaposed against Hal David's oftentimes sad lyrics - King comes across as a woman scorned. Because she is a woman scorned. As with Janis Joplin, King isn't my kind of girl. I had high hopes for this album, thinking the group effort and a recent relocation to sunny California would have changed her outlook and music. Nope. It just sounds like it should have been King's debut instead. Boring.

*Morning Glory - Two Suns Worth. 1968 Fontana promo (LP). If only RT had been a psych collector, we'd be sitting on a collective goldmine. Even when I do find anything that is psych related (1 in a 100), it's usually from a "name" band such as The Byrds or Stones or Beatles, or even the Velvet Underground. Morning Glory is the first psych obscurity I've found on LP from him (45s are a different story). They are a completely new name to me as well, and I have a pretty good knowledge of psychedelic. Coming from the Bay Area, and fronted by a strong female vocalist, this will earn the Jefferson Airplane comparison. And it's true to an extent. But Morning Glory is much more psychedelic, with electric guitars way out in front. The songwriting is good as well. The production is weird - it's truly stereo, in that sometimes only one speaker will be working. In any case, I really enjoyed this one. 

The Animals - Animalization. 1966 MGM (LP). Here's the second one from RT's stacks. This is a year later than Animal Tracks, but is very similar in construct. In fact, this record didn't have any recognizable songs, or at least less recognizable. I didn't go for this title either. We'll see if he has anything later.

The Animals - Animals Tracks. 1965 MGM (LP). This is their 3rd album. And it's the US release which is completely different than the UK release of the same name. I recognize two tracks from this: 'We Gotta Get Out of This Place' and 'Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood'. Those aren't my favorite Animals songs to begin with, but they are by far the best songs here. The rest is boring British blues. So this one isn't for me, but I know there are some that will be.

The Byrds - Mr. Tambourine Man. 1965 CBS (UK) (LP).This is the first - of probably many more - of a background project I have going with RT's collection. It was messy enough, but he also had tons of loose albums stored all over the place. And empty covers. So I built out a spreadsheet to combine as I find them. I have a long way to go, with trash bags filled with vinyl, and covers stacked elsewhere. I asked him how it happened. "I couldn't be bothered to find the cover, so I didn't". We're not all wired the same, that's for sure. Fortunately most of the vinyl is in fine shape (Colorado is a cool dry place, if it was Texas they'd be ruined), but just need a cleaning. Anyway, that leads us to The Byrds debut, a very fine British original at that (cover and vinyl both in excellent shape). Most of the songs sound pretty much the same here, and you all know at least a couple of these. It becomes apparent that The Byrds were like a combo of same era Beatles with the early 60s Greenwich Village folk scene. This album, more than any other by The Byrds, explains why RT was a fan. Definitely not of interest for me, but glad to have heard it all the way through. (Mar)

The Road. 1969 Kama Sutra (LP). The Road were a psychedelic band based in Buffalo, New York. Out of the 12 tracks, only three are originals, which is usually a turn off for me. Not sure if the band lacked confidence to go forth with their own material or the label was just looking for a compilation of hits. In either case, once I heard the Zombies' opener 'She's Not There', I knew the band's arrangements were going to be unique enough to warrant a full listen. Organ and electric guitar are out front, and there's some horns as well. An enjoyable listen throughout. I would have rated it higher had the band performed more originals. (Feb)

* - Keeping for the collection

2021 Psychedelic / Garage Journal Vol. 1 - Complete

The next are 45s from the RT collection (Jan-Feb)

*The Byrds - Turn! Turn! Turn! / Eight Miles High. 19?? Columbia (SP). Another comp of two hits. 'Eight Miles High' (1966) might be my favorite of the trippy 60s singles, at least by a mainstream artist. No question this track influenced a host of European psychedelic progressive artists including Group 1850, probably even Pink Floyd honestly. The a) side (1965) is another insufferable hippie hymn, though not quite as bad as The Buffalo Springfield's contribution. (Feb)

*The Animals - The House of The Rising Sun / I'm Crying. 1968 MGM (SP). Another one of those "pairing of hits" 45s (Golden Circle, MGM calls it). Both of these are from 1964 and could be considered game changers. I didn't recognize 'I'm Crying', but it's got their patented sound. They were way ahead of their time. (Feb)

*The Buffalo Springfield - Rock 'n' Roll Woman / For What It's Worth. 19?? Atlantic (SP). This is one of those "Oldie Series" 45s that combined two hits into one. You ever hear a track for like 100 years, that you kind of liked, but never knew who it was? That's what happened to me with 'Rock n Roll Woman'. I probably would have said it was by CSNY. Well I got the S part right lol. OK, you know this song too. I like it. On the other hand 'For What It's Worth' is one of the most insufferable 60s hippie hymns of all time. This is their "I was there" track. Look at us - we're so great. Cue the girl with the flower in her hair. Puke. Keeping it anyway, because of the first track. Maybe I'll use the B side to drive guests away when they've worn out their welcome. (Feb)

Manfred Mann - If You Gotta Go, Go Now / The One in the Middle. 1965 Ascot (SP). I know painfully little about Mann really. I know his more proggy stuff from the 70s, but this guy has dozens of releases from the 60s that have completely eluded me. This is pretty good garage/mod/beat music. Getting a bit too basic for me to hold onto though. (Feb)

The Beatles - I Feel Fine / She's a Woman. 1964 Capitol (SP). Both of these tracks can be found on the Beatles '65 album. Beatles at their garage-y best. (Feb)

*Donovan - Sunshine Superman / The Trip. 1966 Epic (SP). Donovan is one of the more recognized folk artists dabbling in psychedelia. For late 1965, 'Sunshine Superman' is definitely ahead of its time. 'The Trip' unfortunately doesn't live up to its name, and is rather ordinary folk rock with some jangly electric guitar. 

Bob Landers with Willie Joe and his Unitar ‎- Cherokee Dance / Unitar Rock. 1956 Specialty (SP). The Unitar is an early example of fuzz it would appear (in 1956!). 'Cherokee Dance' is a bit silly with the vocals, but the guitar is cool. The flip is an instrumental and pretty cool for the era. 

The Sparkles - Jack and the Beanstalk / Oh, Girls, Girls. 1966 Hickory promo (SP). Looks like these guys are from Levelland, Texas. Those are my old stompin' grounds when attending college in Lubbock. This would be one of the last places you'd think to find a garage band within its population. But then again, there was Buddy Holly... In any case, we have yet another example of a rockin' nursery rhyme. The other side is straight up garage. Of interest to genre fans.

The Tradewinds - Catch Me in the Meadow / I Believe in Her. 1966 Kama Sutra promo (SP). The Tradewinds were a chart topping band from Providence, Rhode Island who put out quite a few singles (but only one album). The a) side is sunshine pop whereas b) has a definite Beach Boys harmony surf sound. Good on the whole. 

---end RT 45

The Standells - The Shake / Peppermint Beatle. 1964 Liberty. This one comes from a picker in eastern Colorado, and I bought this from one of his summer sales (2020/Jan). The Standells were from Los Angeles and have a solid reputation among garage collectors. This one's pretty early in their career and is more geared toward the early rock n roll dancefloor. Sock hop music. Not really for me.

Everyman - It's a Pushbutton World / Eternal Youth. 1967 Main Line. This obscurity I picked up at a real record store in Rapid City, South Dakota a few months ago (2020/Jan). From Cleveland, Everyman is ostensibly a protest folk album. But it has psychedelic lyrics and the a) side features some interesting musique concrete. 

The Gants -  Road Runner / My Baby Don't Care. 1965 Liberty promo. This SP goes back to a very large 45 estate sale collection in Castle Rock in the summer of 2019 (Jan). It was from a former radio DJ in the Denver area. I bought a pile. I kept a few, sold many others, and still have some in my record show bin. This is from the latter, where it's going back. The a) side is an RnB dancer whereas the b) side is - no surprise - heavily influenced by same era Beatles. The Gants were from Mississippi.

* - Keeping for the collection