Marmalade - Kaleidoscope - the psych pop sessions

hey all :

well , i got my links all set back up & now i can start posting new stuff.
here is yet another killer psych pop lp , tho this one i ripped from the cd.
band is "marmalade" & these are thier earlier tracks , right up there w/ the beatles , zombies , hollies & all other great bands from that era. all these tracks came out before thier one hit wonder "reflections of my life" , an LP which i will be posting soon !
enjoy this one !
[ next up , the lemon pipers & orpheus best of , both from cd`s as well ]

Marmalade - Kaleidoscope - the psych pop sessions - 2003/Castle - 224 kbps - 110 MB

1. I See The Rain (Single Version)
2. Kaleidoscope
3. Mess Around
4. Man In A Shop
5. Butterfly
6. Laughing Man
7. Its All Leading Up To Saturday Night
8. Otherwise Its Been A Perfect Day
9. Station On Third Avenue
10. Hey Joe
11. Mr Lion
12. There Aint No Use In Hanging On
13. Chains
14. Fight Say The Mighty
15. Mr Tambourine Man
16. Time Is On My Side
17. Dear John
18. And Yours Is A Piece Of Mine
19. Can You Help Me
20. I See The Rain (Album Version)

*NEW LINK ADDED [1-1-07]

download -- here @ mediafire

& . . . . . . -- here sendspace

The Dukes of Stratosphear - 25 O`Clock - 1985

hey all :


what can ya say on this one ? as most psych fans know , this is actually XTC incognito.
perfect neo-psych.
will do their second one as well soon.
all trax from wax ! -- enjoy , this one is great.

the dukes say its time
.. its time to visit the planet smile
.. its time the love bomb was dropped
...its time to eat music
...its time to kiss the sun
...its time to drown yourself in a soundgasm
...its time to dance throught he mirror
the dukes declare its 25 o`clock !

produced with love by john leckie , swami anand nagara and the dukes`
captured gently at chapel lane studios , hereford.

sleeve art - sir john johns
ink - the technicolor prophet of mars
trouble & type - the serif of knotting`em


REVIEW :

"After the total commercial failure of their last two album Mummer and The Big Express, XTC decided to try their hand at something a little different. Assuming the name The Dukes of Stratosphear and various different pseudonyms for themselves (Andy Partridge became Sir John Johns, Colin Moulding morphed into The Red Curtain, Dave Gregory became Lord Cornelius Plum and temporary member Ian Gregory adopted the name E-I-E-I Owen), the band set out to create an EP of songs based on the music of the 60s which they had grown up listening to.

It sounds like a fairly simple concept but the music the Dukes produced was not merely comedic parody in the vein of the Rutles. Although the bands sense of humour is prominent throughout, the songs that resulted from the project are superb and created with a great deal of love, care and respect for the artists they are inspired by. It's a lot more expert than a simple "Let's pretend to be the Beatles" sort of thing. Right down to muffled samples, backward sounds, hidden whispers and specific chords, each song is crammed full of references to bands of that glorious decade.
[ more here ]
-- source/rateyourmusic.com -- [ madmanmunt ]

• The Dukes of Stratosphear - 25 O`Clock [EP] - 1985 - Virgin Records - 320 kbps - 53 MB
• includes high rez front/back cover scans !

• 1 - 25 O'Clock
• 2 - Bike Ride to the Moon
• 3 - My Love Explodes
• 4 - What In the World?
• 5 - Your Gold Dress
• 6 - The Mole From the Ministry

download @ -- here --

The Stories - About Us - `73 [mike brown]

hey all :
here is yet another installment in my "killer one hit wonder" LP`s !
this one comes from mike brown & co. - "the stories" - mike brown some might know was the genius behind the left banke & created such masterpieces as "pretty ballerina" & "walk away renee". ya , there is some pedigree behind this one !the hit here is "brother louie" which barely even made it on this platter! 1`st pressings contain a 45 with the track & later it was added as the last track , side two but wasnt listed on inside cover w/ other trax ! i have never seen a copy with the 45 , but have seen some without the track altogether.

*noteworthy is the killer KICK DRUM sound at intro of brother louie , WOW , crank this one - also the interplay between the lead guitar & strings in louie as well ~ this is a spendid LP that power pop fans will love ~
this is thier second album -- mike brown (who quit the band before this album was done) and ian lloyd write some great material, and steve love really shines on guitar. the LP has more of a hard-rock feel, and the best cuts on here are "Darling", "Hey France", "Please Please", "Believe Me", and "Top Of The City". their hit "brother louie" is also on here, but that was cut after mike quit, and it has nothing to do with the band's style or sound. brian madey does good drumming on here too.
[ i also have the other two stories lp`s as well as the left banke`s pretty ballerina/walk away renee & ian lloyds solo LP`s ! all of which will be transferred soon - ].


**Please visit Ian Lloyd @ Ian Lloyd for NEW music & a rare , limited 3 track EP that is availiable now...Ian has re recorded brother louie even & it will be released soon as well. -- thanks ~




"all trax from wax" [tr] - transferred by da` shaman - 2006

• THE STORIES - ABOUT US - KAMA SUTRA - `73 - 256 KBPS - 63 MB
• includes front/inside cover high rez scans

• 1. Darling
• 2. Don't Ever Let Me Down
• 3. Love Is in Motion
• 4. Hey France
• 5. Please, Please
• 6. Changes Have Begun
• 7. Circles
• 8. Believe Me
• 9. Words
• 10. Top of the City
• 11. Down Time Blooze
• 12. What Comes After
• 13. Brother Louie

download -- here --

Spanky & our Gang - sunday mornin ` long version +

hey all :

ok , in lue of time constraints here are the two tracks not otherwise availiable
off the greatest hits lp , "everybody`s talkin" & the long version of "sunday mornin`" !
from sunday mornin : "your in for a rude awakening man , when the long hairs take over the world". . . . . :)

[ almost a thousand downloads on this one so far -- wow !! - will do the spanky LIVE LP soon , hang tough kidz ]

NEW LINK !

download -- here --

Climax - featuring sonny geraci - `72

hey all :
here is a lost classic from the 70`s. one of my first installments into my great "one hit wonder" lp`s. some of you older kids might remember the hit "precious & few" , well here is the full LP , very scarce & never released on cd. hard to pin down , but has elements of pop , soul & rock.
the horns & strings fight for their respective places in the sonic landscape while sonny wails over it all , sounding at times like a male facsimile of CHER.
Prog fans will enjoy the bombastic , rambunctious "merlin' , albeit edited version ..:(
this LP has something for everyone , i personally love the ballads. this is one my faves - a real grower - get it while its hot
great lyrics & thoughts throughout , very inspiring in this day & age.

lovingly transferred from the original vinyl by da` shaman.
"all trax from wax"

ENJOY `

[ more killer "one hit wonder" Lp`s coming soon - jigsaw , pilot , etc. ]



INFO :
Formed in 1970 in Los Angeles, California, Climax was a band most noted for their 1972 classic hit song "Precious and Few". Climax consisted of Marc Gordon, Larry Cox, John Stevenson, Walter Nims, and Sonny Geraci. The band is considered a one-hit wonder because no other releases gained much widespread success. However, Climax was not a typical "one-hit wonder". Lead singer Sonny Geraci, who was formerly the front-man for the 1960s garage rock band The Outsiders (of "Time Won't Let Me" fame), later sang on a number of hit studio recordings with other artists. Furthermore, it is interesting to note that keyboardist John Stevenson wrote the song "Rock and Roll Heaven." Climax decided to sell the recording rights to The Righteous Brothers who turned the song into one of the pop classics. Though "Precious and Few" was the band's only major hit recording, Climax has played a somewhat influential role in the wider arena of rock music.
One pressing of the LP has surfaced with 2 additional tracks, Hard Rock Group was inserted between Life & Breath & I've Got Everything and a 5:20 version of Park Preserve (Single was 3:47) was inserted between If It Feels Good-Do It and Merlin. Sonny Geraci has said that it was a first pressing. The record label didn't want the heavier songs on the album. Without them the only heavier song you get is Merlin which in turn was edited. (longer version unavailable) Apparently the original version of Merlin was between 5:30 and 6:00. Edited out was a longer, more drawn out intro and more than half of the original guitar solo. This version was shortened even before the first pressing. After Precious & Few's chart success, they wanted the album more AM sounding. The band was disappointed because they were more into the rock sound." -- WIKIPEDIA

• CLIMAX - FEATURING SONNY GERACI - `72 - 68 MB - 320 KBPS

• *includes high rez front/back/lyrix/images/ scans for you printer freaks , you know who you are !

• * 1 Life & Breath
• * 2 I've Got Everything
• * 3 Prelude
• * 4 Picnic In The Rain
• * 5 Face The Music
• * 6 Precious & Few
• * 1 It's Coming Today
• * 2 Rainbow Rides Are Free
• * 3 If It Feels Good-Do It
• * 4 Merlin
• * 5 Postlude
• * 6 Child Of December

download -- here --

The Peppermint Rainbow - Will You be Staying After Sunday - `69

hey all :

here is another great sunshine pop lp from the 60`s. Lemon Piper producer Paul Leka produced this one as well as even wrote a few trax. includes a great cover of green tamborine ..
lovely vocals & melodies on this one , a must for any sunshine pop / psych pop fan.

ALL TRAX FROM WAX - transferred by da` shaman -

REVIEW :

"What happens when you take elements from two of Spanky & Our Gang's hits -- "Sunday Morning" and "Sunday Will Never Be the Same" -- create a sequel, and let veteran producer Paul Leka oversee the concept? You get a brilliant Top 35 hit from April of 1969, "Will You Be Staying After Sunday," by this little-known group out of Baltimore, the Peppermint Rainbow. Sisters Pat Lamdin and Bonnie Lamdin, singing in unison, sound like Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane, and the song has the same soaring melodic style that made "Sunday Will Never Be the Same" so precious two years prior to this. Leka would hit again in November of 1969 with Steam's "Na Na, Hey Hey, Kiss Him Goodbye," and has an impressive résumé ranging from Gloria Gaynor to songwriter Tim Moore's Behind the Eyes, and he hits a 90 percent with this album, which has a number of potential hits, from "Walking in Different Circles" to "I Found out I Was a Woman." The Lamdin sisters have a wonderful style, dipping into a Mamas & the Papas mode for "And I'll Be There" (Spanky McFarlane, after all, replaced Mama Cass in a latter-day Mamas & the Papas). There are more references to "Sunday" here, as well as on "If We Can Make It to Monday," a sequel to "Will You Be Staying After Sunday," written by the same songwriters. Paul Leka composed "Green Tambourine" for the Lemon Pipers, and it appears here as well, though in not as refined a form as the 1967 hit, this version a bit more folky. "Run Like the Devil" is the one turkey on here, one of the guys in the band not being able to hold his own on vocals, but with material by Barry Manilow/American Breed songwriter Scott English and superb production by Leka, the Peppermint Rainbow deliver a truly smart and entertaining pop album." -- AMG

• THE PEPPERMINT RAINBOW - WILL YOU BE STAYING AFTER SUNDAY - DECCA - `69 - MP3 @ 320 KBPS - 60MB
• *includes high rez front/back cover scans

• 1 - Will You Be Staying After Sunday
• 2 - If We Can Make It to Monday
• 3 - Pink Lemonade
• 4 - And I'll Be There
• 5 - Run Like the Devil
• 6 - Jamais
• 7 - Don't Wake Me Up in the Morning, Michael
• 8 - Walking in Different Circles
• 9 - Sierra (Chasin' My Dream)
• 10 - Green Tambourine
• 11 - Rosemary
• 12 - I Found out I Was a Woman

download -- here --

Electric Light Orchestra - TIME - `80 - remastered

hey all !

this is one of my fave ELO recordings. very different than anything they did before or after.
its a conceptual piece about space-time & the future.
many of the songs flow into one another , some great ballads here !
let me know what ya think if you have never heard this !

REVIEW :

"TIME (1981) is a very ambitious and important album in the tradition of ELO's 1974 masterpiece, ELDORADO. Sonically, it is much different, with the chill of synths replacing ELDORADO's warm washes of orchestral grandeur. Nonetheless, the two albums both touch very profoundly and effectively on the potency of dreams. "Twilight" is an incredibly powerful statement musically and lyrically...it's one of the greatest techno-rockers ever recorded. Certainly, it was a pioneering track in terms of much of the synth-rock that followed throughout the 80's and 90's, though few of those other other bands were ever able to match ELO's excellence. (Keyboardist Richard Tandy proves once again on TIME that he belongs in the pantheon of great rock instrumentalists.) "Yours Truly, 2095" is funny, sad, prophetic, and disturbing all at once. "Ticket to the Moon" begins with a great melancholy line: "Remember the good old 1980s/When things were so uncomplicated." It's the perfect sc-fi weeper love song. "The Way Life's Meant to Be," "Here is the News," and "21st Century Man" were all hits in England, and should have been smashes in the U.S. All of them are insightful lyrical observations on the human condition, with all the pop brilliance of a Phil Spector or Brian Wilson masterpiece. "Rain is Falling" is one of a series of cathartic Jeff Lynne "rain" songs, which surface on a number of ELO's albums. The pinnacle of the album is "Hold On Tight," which is one of the most effective inspirational rockers ever recorded. It's got a good beat, and you can think to it. As one listens to the entire TIME album, what appears at times to be a bleak meditation on the future finally breaks free into the sunlight of hope for a better tomorrow. At least, that's the way life's meant to be." -- amazon


Just on the border of your waking mind
There lies... another time
Where darkness & light are one
And as you tread the halls of sanity
You feel so glad to be
Unable to go beyond
I have a message
From another time...

• ELO - TIME - EPIC - 1980 - MP3 @ 256 kbps - 98 MB
• includes front / back cover scans :

tracklisting :

• 1. Prologue
• 2. Twilight
• 3. Yours Truly, 2095
• 4. Ticket To The Moon
• 5. The Way Life's Meant To Be
• 6. Another Heart Breaks
• 7. Rain Is Falling
• 8. From The End Of The World
• 9. The Lights Go Down
• 10. Here Is The News
• 11. 21st Century Man
• 12. Hold On Tight
• 13. Epilogue
• *14 - The Bouncer
• *15 - When Time Stood Still
• *16 - Julie Doesnt Live Here
• * = bonus trax

download -- here --

Terry Jacks - Seasons in the Sun - `74 - BELL

here is another request ::
-- so everyone knows the song , but has everyone heard the full LP ?
here it is in its entirety.
try & hang in there for the second side, my fave !
Sail Away even has his sweet wife singing on it !

• all trax from wax , transferred by da` shaman !
• TERRY JACKS - SEASONS IN THE SUN - `74 - BELL - MP3 @ 320 kbps - 55MB
• includes high rez front/back cover scans !
  

• 1 - concrete sea
• 2 - im gonna love you too
• 3 - pumpkin eater
• 4 - again & again
• 5 - since you broke my heart
• 6 - fire on the skyline
• 7 - the love game
• 8 - im so lonely here today
• 9 - its been there from the start
• 10 - sail away
• 11 - seasons in the sun

download -- here --

Fun & Games - Elephant Candy - UNI - 1969

hey all :

here is a great pop sike band from legendary producer Gary Zekely. he also produced yellow balloon , the clique & others.
i love this LP , there is a great beach boys cover of "dont worry baby" which is one of my fave BB trax & they do it justice !
title track is hilarious , one can only imagine what they are refering to , lol.
this is a must have LP to any pop psych fan.
and as an extra bonus "for me" -- along with "the clique" , this stuff originates from texas , where i reside.

* for fans of : the turtles , the clique , spanky & our gang , yellow balloon , left banke

here is more info than u need :

"Genius harmony pop from Fun & Games -- a group who only cut one album in their brief career, but it was a doozy! The set's got a simple, honest sort of approach to Sunshine Pop -- a bit less polished than most of the California crowd, but still with a similar use of larger arrangements in pursuit of a greater vision. Gary Zekley is the real genius here -- as he handled all production and most of the songwriting -- in a way that's instantly personal, yet which also has the best blend of dreamy modes that we love from other groups of the generation. Fun & Games almost have the charm of Spanky & Our Gang, but without any of their "old timey" sort of gimmicks -- and the group nicely trade between simple catchy pop tunes, and others that have a more introspective, deeper feel."

"The Fun and Games' Elephant Candy is an exemplary harmony pop and bubblegum album dating back to the late '60s. Its popularity today (especially among soft pop collectors, who have helped pushed copies of the LP into the upper strata of the marketplace) can be traced directly to the group's involvement with über-talented Los Angeles singer/songwriter/producer Gary Zekley. Zekley (who passed away in 1996) had previously struck gold as a songwriter/producer for a group called the Yellow Balloon, co-writing eight of that group's 11 LP tracks, including the hit song "Yellow Balloon." Zekley had already written or co-written (often with his songwriting partner, Mitchell Bottler) numerous soft pop hits, including "Like a Summer Rain" for Jan & Dean and the original version of "Superman" by the Clique (later covered by R.E.M.). By 1968, Zekley's success had led him to be introduced to a California-by-way-of-Texas group called the Fun and Games by UNI Records president Russ Regan. Unlike several of Zekley's groups -- which were mostly a vehicle for Zekley and Bottler's songs, and mostly utilized session musicians -- the Fun and Games were a real group. Nevertheless, Zekley took control of their destiny, and ended up producing the group's sole album, 1969's Elephant Candy, co-writing seven of the 12 songs featured on the album. Elephant Candy wasn't as successful as Zekley's previous efforts, however, and spawned just one Top 100 hit, "Grooviest Girl in the World." Today, many soft pop and bubblegum fans like to point out the song's unintentionally hilarious lyrics, during which the singer sums up his excessive compliments to the groovy girl by stating, "And I'm a guy with impeccable taste" (as if she should be flattered that such an amazing guy would be tossing compliments her way -- such an ego!). It is rather unfortunate that this album hasn't been reissued in the U.S. on compact disc, although "Grooviest Girl" (and other tracks) have appeared on numerous compilation albums, including 25 All-Time Greatest Bubblegum Hits." -- All Music Guide


ALL TRAX FROM WAX -- transferred by da` shaman

• FUN & GAMES - ELEPHANT CANDY - UNI - 1969 - mp3 @ 320 kbps - 57 MB
• [ includes front/back cover high rez scans ! ]

• 1 - SADIE
• 2 - GROOVIEST GIRL IN THE WORLD
• 3 - CLOSE TO CARMEL
• 4 - TOPANGA CANYON ROAD (ALBUM VERSION)
• 5 - TUESDAY , TUESDAY
• 6 - GOTTA SAY GOODBYE
• 7 - DONT WORRY BABY
• 8 - ELEPHANT CANDY
• 9 - SOMETHING I WROTE
• 10 - WAY SHE SMILES
• 11 - IT MUST HAVE BEEN THE WIND
  

download -- here --

Randy Vanwarmer - The Best of the Bearsville Years - `79 - `83

Hey all :

I love music for its discovery , & i like to share some of these great discoveries with others that may not have my curious nature. these might be more selfish sharings , if you will...:)
i got into randy a few years ago after buying his debut LP.
Some of you may remember Randy Vanwarmer , best known for his top 10 hit "just when i needed you most". well , thats not his only great song !
his voice is just haunting , any fan of soft rock will love this. alot of his songs lean toward the melancholy , isolated & misunderstood [ i guess thats everyone eh ? ]
Randy did four lp`s for Bearsville records. i have compliled here my fave tracks off these four lp`s !
all four were made within the span of four years. randy has a very distinctive voice , although i have heard he sounds like christopher cross - ok , sometimes for sure.
there are some really great songs on this comp , my *faves being the first track & last track !
the first track will stop you in your feet. starts out with nothing but randys voice "

"where will you go ,
when all your anchores rust away ,
so will you hold on ?
the mountains where you stand ,
will crumble into sand ,
and you`ll be washed away
if your not falling free"

this track is almost 10 minutes long & definately the most experimental track here.

In early 2003 Randy was diagnosed with Leukemia and he underwent a bone marrow transplant at The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle Washington. There were many complications following the transplant and Randy died in his sleep Monday round midnight.
His music is his gift and he gave it to us all.
please enjoy it !
Ron Vanwarmer --- January 12, 2004 [ go build your rocket ]

• RANDY VANWARMER - BEST OF THE BEARSVILLE YEARS - COMPILED BY AKASHAMAN -- mp3 @ 192 kbps - 82 mb - ALL TRAX FROM WAX.
  

• TERRAFORM : `80
• 1 - terraform*
• 2 - farther along
• 3 - all we have is tonight
• 4 - doesnt matter anymore
• WARMER : `79
• 5 - just when i needed you most
• 6 - your light
• 7 - call me
• THE BEAT OF LOVE : `81
• 8 - suzi found a weapon
• 9 - always night
• 10 - babel / dont hide
• 11 - i guess it never hurts to hurt sometimes
• 12 - dont wake me up
• THE THINGS THAT YOU DREAM : `83
• 13 - the things that you dream
• 14 - gonna build me a rocket*

download -- here --

The Paupers - Ellis Island - Verve - `68

hey all :

here is a cool psych record from Canada , a request fullfilled. These guys did two Lp`s ,
here is thier second. i will get to thier debut , magic people soon as well.
really good stuff here , let me know what ya think !
transferred from the original wax by da` shaman --



REVIEW :

Ellis Island, the second album by the Paupers, contains a front cover color photo of the four bandmembers inserted on a Sgt. Pepper-style collage by Ollie Alpert. Inside the LP is a very psychedelic black-and-white picture of the group, which also features 16 single photos of Cambell, Mitchell, Prokop, and Beale -- photos which you can cut out to make a flick book. Like a trendy flicker ring with more sustain, you can see the Musicians move in the optical illusion if you follow the instructions. Problem with this concept was that there was no Andy Warhol to splash his name on the cover and get the idea some attention à la the famous banana cover. If Verve had difficulty understanding the Mothers of Invention and the Velvet Underground, where the Paupers fit in was anybody's guess. Adam Mitchell takes seven of the nine lead vocals as the band touches on a variety of psychedelic styles, beginning with "South Down Road." This opening track plays like Procol Harum battling the Electric Prunes -- it's eight and a half minutes of acid blues on an interesting album by an interesting crew. Mitchell's originals, four co-written with Skip Prokop, are an odd bunch. It seems Procol Harum won the war on the first song because "Cairo Hotel" sounds like they've now taken on Kaleidoscope U.K. in a battle of the bands. The intellectual display quickly disappears when the country comedy of "Another Man's Hair on My Razor" brings side one to a close. OK, it's amusing, but despite all the Sgt. Pepper trappings, there's no "Lucy in the Sky" in these grooves. Al Kooper guest stars on keyboards, and maybe they should have taken his "This Diamond Ring" and jumped the gun on Frijid Pink by reinventing that pop classic with a wall of distortion. Side two's opener, "Numbers," could be "Eight Miles High" meets Simon & Garfunkel's "Fakin' It." "Numbers," with its Strawberry Alarm Clock guitars and Janis Joplin bassist-to-be Brad Campbell singing lead, is jarring, but that's the rule on this album. Campbell would go on to track I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! and Pearl with Joplin, as well as Joplin in Concert. That live album was collected and assembled by Elliot Mazer with some of the tracks recorded by Fred Catero, both men involved with the Paupers' Ellis Island project. Interesting to note the credible resumés involved in this esoteric project. Skip Prokop's one solo composition is also his one vocal. The man who would perform on Live Adventures of Al Kooper and Mike Bloomfield and create the band Lighthouse does an off-key Keith Moon-style vocal over a dreamy track, the Small Faces phase shifting meets...you guessed it...Procol Harum. This track is minus the fuzz guitars, instead employing the strings, piano, and effects, giving the listener some breathing room. Adam Mitchell takes the vocals back from here on out -- it's a dramatic "Yes I Know" written by Campbell, Prokop, and Mitchell, six minutes and 23 seconds of more psychedelic blues. This music would've been a blessing for the latter-day Blues Magoos and Electric Prunes, groups who moved away from these types of sounds, much to the chagrin of their fans. Without the hit singles those groups enjoyed, the Paupers' Ellis Island never got the attention it kind of deserved. It is both vintage and obscure, which could make it quite collectable at some point in time. ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide

• THE PAUPERS - ELLIS ISLAND - VERVE - 1968 - 256 KBPS - 75MB - includes high rez front cover scan & live shot

• 1 - south down road
• 2 - cairo hotel
• 3 - cant go on
• 4 - another man`s hair on my razor
• 5 - numbers
• 6 - oh that she might
• 7 - yes i know
• 8 - ask her again
• 9 - julliana

download -- here --

Bread - On The Waters - 1970

hey all :

here is a request. great LP , definately one of thier best. there are some great ballads on here & great guitar.
beautiful harmonies as always from gates & co.

transferred from the original wax by da` shaman - mp3 @ 320 KBPS - 73 MB
includes high rez scans of front , back covers + liner notes.


REVIEW :

"Bread broke big with their second album, thanks to David Gates' sentimental soft pop classic, "Make It With You" -- the song that set the standard for sensitive mellow pop ballads for the '70s and for years to come. Its pull is strong, but it's a bit misleading, since the group hardly just turns out a series of these lovely, luxurious pop tunes throughout the record. In fact, with the considerable assistance of Robb Royer and James Griffin, the group actually rocks it harder than Crosby Stills & Nash (if not CSNY, true enough), and they continue to show that the diversity and range of material they demonstrated on their debut was no fluke. If anything, "Make It With You" doesn't set the pace for the rest of the record, since even the softer moments, such as "Look What You've Done," isn't as lushly mellow as that -- there is more coloring through the guitars, and the songwriting has more edge and melody than that. Of course, this is hardly a hard rock record, but it's a first-class Californian pop record, one that is as blissful as a sunset when it lays back, and as incandescent as a day at the beach when the tempo is sprightly." -- AMG

BREAD - ON THE WATERS - 1970 ELEKTRA - VINYL TRANSFER - 320 kbps -

• 1. Why Do You Keep Me Waiting
• 2. Make It With You
• 3. Blue Satin Pillow
• 4. Look What You've Done
• 5. I Am That I Am
• 6. Been Too Long on the Road
• 7. I Want You With Me
• 8. Coming Apart
• 9. Easy Love
• 10. In the Afterglow
• 11. Call on Me
• 12. Other Side of Life

download -- here --

Spanky & our Gang - `67 Debut

hey all :

we are going backwards in time , here is the debut spanky LP , 1967.
now that i have listened to all three lately , i dunno which one i like best , they are all really good !
spanky can really sing her heart out , she really is on in brother can you spare a dime !
only one i could really do without is the leaving on a jet plane one, oh well.
this is a real solid debut !

• transferred from the original wax @ 320 KBPS by da` shaman
• includes high rez scans of front / back - 70MB

REVIEW :

The group's debut LP demonstrates what can go wrong, even with a group enjoying a trio of hit singles. Though those hits are here, the album is the least representative of what the group was about and a mixed bag for fans, presenting a trio of widely available hits, six or seven fine tracks currently unavailable elsewhere, and two musical lapses that between them account for nearly one-third of the running time. Spanky & Our Gang started out in Chicago with a sound somewhere midway between the original Jefferson Airplane and the original Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, a folk-rock ensemble with a few jazzy twists and some funny between-song sketches. For their first year at Mercury Records, however, and especially on this LP, producer Jerry Ross used the group as an instrument of his own, turning them into a virtual clone of the Mamas & the Papas on a big portion of this album. Vocally most of the album is outstanding, the harmony singing absolutely radiant on the familiar hits "Sunday Will Never Seem the Same" (which featured an opening vocal vamp devised by Malcolm Hale), "Lazy Day," and "Making' Every Minute Count," and the popular B-sides "Commercial" and "It Ain't Necessarily Bird Avenue"; "5 Definitions of Love" captured some of the group's penchant for off-beat humor and some glorious harmony singing that has a strangely archaic feel, like a piece of medieval music (somehow anticipating elements of the sound that Gentle Giant, of all groups, would later create). The latter track, written by Bob Dorough, also pointed the way toward their future: Dorough and his songwriting/producer partner Stuart Scharf would be their producers the next time out. "Brother Can You Spare a Dime" is the most controversial song here, an unfinished track that was stuck onto the album by Jerry Ross in the process of rush-releasing the record and getting it above 30 minutes running time, with nothing but an awkward guide vocal, never intended to be heard by the public, from Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane; along with the four-minute rendition of "Ya Got Trouble" from Meredith Willson's The Music Man, which might've worked well on stage (and was a more immediate satire in 1967, closer to the movie's release and the run of the original show), it's the nadir of the record. The successful album tracks include a pair of gems with soaring harmonies, "If You Could Only Be Me," where they're singing and playing with a lot of heart despite the presence of a string section; "Leaving on a Jet Plane," the latter beautifully embellished with a punchy folk-rock sound, closer to the Byrds or the Beau Brummels than to Peter, Paul & Mary's hit; and the closer, a rocking, bluesy rendition of Jo Mapes's "Come and Open Your Eyes." Mapes, a big-voiced folk singer who started out in the early '50s, is all but forgotten today, but she made network television appearances during the '50s and cut records for Kapp, and was a major influence on Mary Travers, among others ---- AMG



SPANKY & OUR GANG - `67 DEBUT - MERCURY RECORDS

• 1. Lazy Day
• 2. It Ain't Necessarily Bird Avenue
• 3. Ya Got Trouble (In River City)
• 4. Sunday Will Never Be The Same
• 5. Commercial
• 6. If You Could Only Be Me
• 7. Making Every Minute Count
• 8. 5 Definitions Of Love
• 9. Brother Can You Spare A Dime?
• 10. Distance
• 11. Leaving On A Jet Plane
• 12. Come And Open Your Eyes (Take A Look)

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Spanky & our Gang - Like to get to Know You - `68

hey all :

ok , as promised here is the 2nd full length LP from Spanky & our gang , "like to get to know you".
this is prob my 2nd fave by them.
california sunshine pop at its finest !
transferred from the original wax by da` shaman.

MP3 @ 320 KBPS - 65 MB - includes high rez front & back cover scans

enjoy !


Review :

Spanky & Our Gang had been unhappy with various aspects of their self-titled debut album, and as a result they recruited two new producers, Stuart Scharf and Bob Dorough, who were more in sympathy with how the group actually sounded. Recorded somewhat on the fly, Like to Get to Know You was the first album to reflect what the group considered their own sound, and was harder-rocking, bluesier, and more inventive in its folk stylings than anything on their debut album. The mix of sounds was actually quite startling in its own time and is engaging even 30 some years later, with various top New York and Los Angeles-based session musicians and a cadre of Chicago bluesmen adding their talents to the band's core instrumentalists. Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane gives convincing and honest performances, and Lefty Baker acquits himself well as a singer. The group opens new vocal territory on the six-part harmony "Sunday Morning," and they do arguably the best cover ever of Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne," which dazzles with its tempo changes and the sheer variety of timbres employed. Side two of the original album was actually a prelude to their next LP, containing elements of conceptual rock and made up of songs that segue thematically from one to another. As an album, Like to Get to Know You was of its time, a conceptual record that was finely executed and fascinating to hear; it was perhaps taken a little less seriously, given the image of Spanky & Our Gang for light pop/rock. It's worth rediscovering, either on the original vinyl or on the 1999 Japanese-imported CD. -- AMG

• 1. The Swingin' Gate
• 2. Prescription For The Blues
• 3. Three Ways From Tomorrow
• 4. My Bill
• 5. Sunday Mornin'
• 6. Echoes (Everybody's Talkin')
• 7. Suzanne
• 8. Stuperflabbergasted
• 9. Like To Get To Know You / Chick-A-Ding-Ding
• 10. Stardust / Coda (Like To Get To Know You)

download -- here --

Spanky & our Gang - Without Rhyme or Reason - `69

hey all !

here is my fave LP by Spanky & our Gang ; psych pop at its best ; total high production on this. a real headphone trip ... vocals arrangements & harmonies are out of this world , even a bit of fuzz guitar here & there. have alot more from these guys too , will probably up "like to get to know you " soon too ~
transferred this from the original wax , sounds great !
HIGH REZ LP art included.
transferred @ 320 KBPS , only the best for my kidz - 73 MB

let me know what ya think blokes !



"The best (though not the best selling) of the group's three original albums, Without Rhyme or Reason (which is also sometimes known as Anything You Choose/Without Rhyme of Reason) was their most ambitious creation and the album of theirs that holds up best on CD, a 40-minute soundscape in which songs drifted from one into the other. The wryly cynical "Leopard Skin Phones (cleverly describing the needs of the modern recording process) slides into a Little Brother Montgomery narrative, which dissolves to Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane giving her best blues performance ever on "Mecca Flat Blues," a co-creation of her and Montgomery; the smooth, relaxed title track with it '50s pop-jazz style harmonies, which leads into "1-3-5-8 (Pedagogical Round #2), a more musical successor to "My Bill" from the previous album and segues effortlessly into the wordplay of "Jane" (sung by Malcolm Hale, his only lead vocal on this album), which manages to recall the Serendipity Singers at their most playful, this is the prelude to "Since You've Gone," which starts out as an ethereal ballad but ends as an impassioned, screaming (yet elegantly produced) rocker reminiscent of the Grass Roots from the same period; "Anything You Choose" may be the hardest rock song the sextet ever recorded, and it precedes the romantic, folk-pop/rock styled "And She's Mine," written and sung by bassist Kenny Hodges; "Yesterday's Rain" was a valiant attempt at an upbeat, serious philosophical song, the other side of early hits like "Sunday Will Never Seem the Same" and "Lazy Day"; Hoagy Carmichael's "Hong Kong Blues" gets a lean, fresh treatment, a lively, busy vocal arrangement without too much instrumental embellishment; and "Nowhere to Go" isn't much more than a song fragment, but it makes a compelling intro to "Give a Damn," enhancing the familiar single. In contrast to their prior two albums, Without Rhyme or Reason contains no major hits, and none of the songs off of it ever charted seriously, although "Give a Damn," which closes it, nearly made the Top 40 despite a radio ban over the use of the word "damn" in its title and chorus; thus, it was their poorest selling album. The group hardly played at all on most of the record but provided their most elaborate vocals arrangements, and it proved to be their most lasting creation apart from the hit singles. The death of Malcolm Hale on October 30, 1968, during the recording of the album, coupled with the group's satisfaction over what they'd achieved musically, resulted in the decision to disband in the early 1969, soon after the release of Without Rhyme or Reason." -- AMG



SPANKY & OUR GANG - WITHOUT RHYME OR REASON - MERCURY - `69 - 73 MB

• 1 - Leopard Skin Phones (Baker - Hodges) 2:55
• 2 - But Back Then (Little Brother Montgomery) 1:08
Mecca Flat Blues (Montgomery - McFarlene) 3:21
• 3 - Without Rhyme Or Reason (Landsman - Dorough) 2:29
• 4 - 1-3-5-8 (Pedagogical Round #2) (Dorough) 1:09
Jane (Scharf) 3:08
• 5 - Since You've Gone (Scharf) 4:35
• 6 - Anything You Choose (Scharf) 2:46
And She's Mine (Hodges) 2:34
• 7 - Yesterday's Rain (Baker) 3:20
• 8 - Hong Kong Blues (Carmichael) 3:45
• 9 - Nowhere To Go (Scharf) 0:50
Give A Damn (Scharf) 3:33

download -- here --