Akashaman`s Kosmos

Welcome to the Kosmos

2010-07-07T18:54:00.012-06:00

i created this blog to share some of my collection ... i have over 3,500 lp`s.

i am using an old vintage marantz 1150D amp [ thanks pa ! ], Yamaha YP-D4 turntable , seasound SOLO EX soundcard , & Cubase 5 to do all transfers.

this seems to capture the warmth of vinyl as well , which is really nice !

most of my wax is real clean so i hope to get some clean transfers.

maybe some recordings will be cd transfers , but the majority will be scare psych LP`s.

i have about a thousand cds , many of which are OOP & obscure enuff to share.

i have noticed alot of really obscure stuff being posted here & there. i will try & fill in the cracks as best i can , but i am sure there be someone / somewhere who beats me to the punch , so to speak. i just dont wanna waste time with something that is already avaliable , so i will try & keep my posts as original as feasable. all lp`s could range a bit in style , but most will be pop in nature.

all files are the result of my own effort & time , from my own personal collection. no files here are borrowed or otherwise mirrored & or cloned.

i expect the same reciprication.

LASTLY IF YOU LIKE/LOVE ANY OF THESE LP`S , PLEASE SEEK IT OUT & BUY IT `

enjoy your time in the kosmos & if ya take time to download the music , take time to let me know what ya think please!

aka`

well................

2010-07-06T08:53:00.002-06:00

sad to say the blog will be in limbo for an indefinite period of time. had to move out of deep ellum in downtown dallas , now i am in BFE wylie texas - yee haw. should be able to restore contact at some point & start back up.. -- will try & keep current files updated throughout tho ; if u find a dead link , just make a comment about it & i will RE UP ! ! also will try & keep in touch some via the chat box on front pg - spin on kidz !

Michele - Saturn Rings - `69

2010-05-06T07:48:00.000-06:00

OK kids , i still havent got turntable hooked up & all , but i thought i would share some kewl
lps i have found over the yrs @ various blogs , credit where credit is due ! this one produced by Curt Boettcher i believe ! great folk-psych pop ! -- enjoy

I’m going to say this album is great, but let’s be clear: folk-psych is always tricky, precisely because how much you get from it will depend on how much you can stand outdated sentiments. That said, a glut of reissues have refocused attention on long-neglected late-sixties works, and I thought this one, at least, was worth highlighting. Michele O’Malley’s only album is certainly a mixed bag; wedged between haunting gems are quirky folk tunes and reed-driven MOR jazz ballads. If you can navigate the Head Shop-isms, though, oh wow are there some great songs here. It shouldn’t be that hard; Michele’s voice is pretty dynamic, wrenching between full-timbre wailing and clipped, sweet phrasings, and her backing band includes excellent Mothers of Invention alums like Elliot Ingber and Lowell George (who, interestingly, never actually played together in that group).

Not that this sounds much like Captain Beefheart (Ingber’s band at the time) or Little Feat (George’s seventies outfit). Michele exists somewhere between Judee Sill, Vashti Bunyan and Tim Buckley, which (obstacle number one) becomes apparent only after the first song, the oddly-chosen “Would You Like To Go.” The song is a predictable hippy presentation of the world: “Would you like to go / back to the land that you and I once knew?” Prophets playing electric guitar? Check. Choruses of angelic hosts sing hallelujah with portable phonographs made in Japan? Check. I see – it’s about a psychedelic Macy’s! The reductive portrait of humanity is only made more annoying by the burying of Michele’s vocals in a swarm of lazy instrumentation and chorused singing. Fortunately, “Blind As You Are” has Michele exerting more influence; even if the lyrics are still a bit mystified with their own mysticism, her lilting vocals lead into a sped-up mid-section, and the interplay between flutes, piano, and bass is intoxicating. Towards the end, the switch is flipped on the hippiedelia: “You can die / as blind as you are / Nobody’s gonna care.”

In quick succession, “Song to a Magic Frog” defies its ludicrous title, turning out to be my favorite song on the album. Michele unfolds the line “Will you ever / will you ever know?” over a steadily building arrangement that never overshadows the power of her naked voice, spiking her own syllables with the spelunking proficiency of a Rita Lee or Joni Mitchell. “Frog” is followed by the brilliant Eastern-tinged “Fallen Angel”; clanging percussion and violin swirl as Michele bends her voice like Tim Buckley on Starsailor, three years before that particular monster would be unleashed on the world. Both songs are excellent, but even more enticing is how their two extremes are almost mutually exclusive, and the dynamic range Michele reaches between the two is pretty fascinating.

Of course, the excellence is deflated somewhat by obstacle number two, the quirky “Spinning, Spinning, Spinning.” Opening with a flute/reed duet, Michele brings the straight-folk inflection to overwrought lyrics like, “A cripple taught me how to dance / A blind man taught me how to see / A fallen angel taught me how to fly / And a prisoner taught me to be free.” True story: a rabid dog taught me how to gnaw my own face off. The song is particularly sad given that two songs later “Musty Dusty” fulfills the straight-folk quota for the album without the teeth-grinding lyrics, allowing Michele to wind a slight child imitation over sighing violins and guitars as she details her attic-exiled toys. “Know Yourself” relies a bit too much on the jazz-glut verse structure, a curious vehicle used by many adult contemporary artists wherein the band simply plays drippy chords while the singer sings pretty with pretty much no melody, but then suddenly, out of the blue, we launch into this majestic honky tonk chorus and the song is awesome for a brief moment before becoming all drippy again. The chorus is so good it seriously saves the song, but it’s a shame that the verses weren’t crafted with the same attention to detail.

“Lament of the Astro Cowboy” throws a McCartney bass line under a psychedelic workout that bounces Michele’s voice all over the spectrum; she chokes clipped shrieks and growls bluesy Slickisms without skipping a beat. “White Linen” marries Foxtrot sensibility to a “Wooden Ships” attitude, and Michele works the Scott Walker out of her system, baroquing her delivery over beautiful piano structures and undulating tempos. “Misty Mirage” is lovingly stripped down, hinging on a series of gushing background harmonies as the chorus winds out. The lyrics are a bit paltry, but the song as a composition is a pretty hot joint, ascending at its coda to a dog pile of overdubbed Micheles cycling over a triumphant drumbeat. The album closes with “Believe You,” another strong vocal performance, uniting a country lilt with a rock approach. It’s similar to the effect achieved by Pink Floyd’s work on the soundtrack for Zabriskie Point.

Saturn Rings are dust, and this is a dusty album. I’m pretty sure you could sync it up with Passenger and everything would seem kosher. Even the ending has a similar effect to that of that film: over fading guitars, a voice intones, “Come. Come listen.” And…silence. If these are the sorts of things labels like Fallout can unearth from the late sixties, then I hope the silence surrounding their existence will cease.
[ Mark Abraham ]

Michele - Saturn Rings - `69 - MP3 @ 192

   01 - Would You Like to Go
   02 - Blind as You Are
   03 - Song to a Magic Frog
   04 - Fallen Angel.
   05 - Spinning, Spinning, Spinning
   06 - Know Yourself
   07 - Musty Dusty
   08 - Lament of the Astro Cowboy
   09 - White Linen
   10 - Misty Mirage
   11 - Believe You

DOWNLOAD : -- HERE --

Brian Hyland - 70 - UNI Records

2010-04-05T12:17:00.000-06:00

Brian Hyland and Del Shannon celebrate the success of the

Shannon-produced Hyland album on Uni Records in 1971

ok , back to the pop. this one is really nice , i remember gypsy woman from when i was young - cool song. the reast of the lp is decent as well , great harmonies & arrangements. dell shannons production doesnt hurt either ! enjoy

Del Shannon's sublime production of Brian Hyland on this 1970 album titled after the singer resulted in the Hyland's eighth hit (and one of his three biggest). The cover of Curtis Mayfield's "Gypsy Woman" is totally commercial and totally wonderful, as is this album. Of the eleven tunes there are five Del Shannon/Brian Hyland co-writes, all pretty incredidble, from "Lorrayne" to "Drivin' Me Crazy," a hit waiting to happen. The version of Larry William's "Slowdown" sounds nothing like The Beatles, if anything it anticipates the "New Wave" about to come. "You & Me" is another strong original from the producer / performer team, but the surprise of the album is the breadth of Hyland's artistry. He and Del Shannon play guitars alongside the drums of Russ Kunkel, bass of Leland Sklar, and sweeping string arrangements of George Tipton, but it is the work on the rhythm and blues numbers that is outstanding. A stirring reading of the Benson/Pettite title that became B.B. King's signature tune, The Thrill Is Gone (with more of Tipton's magical string work), is as memorable as the Bernstein/Sondheim medley of "Maria" and "Somewhere" which opens the album. If only engineer Dave Hassinger put some of this sparkle into the grooves of his latter day Electric Prunes released on ABC. This crew takes Berry Gordy's "Lonely Teardrops" and make it a performance, not just a cover of a Jackie Wilson hit. Hyland's only composition without Del Shannon as a collaborator, "Mail Order Gun," is an interesting look at suicide a few years before Elton John's "I Think I'm Going To Kill Myself," but it can't touch "On The East Side," a Del Shannon/Brian Hyland original that cries out for The Hollies. The album is a real work of art full of hooks, musicianship, and the pop star's familiar voice in territory that should have made him a huge star. "Gypsy Woman" is the chestnut here, and quite the herald for an album that should have been a monster. Irresistable and tremendous. [ amg ]

Brian Hyland - 70 - UNI Records
all trax from wax - akashaman - 2010
MP3 @ 320 kbps - includes high rez scans

A.
Maria -Somewhere
Lonely Teardrops
On The East Side
Lorrayne
Mail Order Gun
The Thrill Is Gone
B.
Gypsy Woman
I'm Without You
Slow Down
Drivin' Me Crazy
You And Me

DOWNLOAD -- HERE --

Jim Stafford - `74 - MGM

2010-04-05T11:24:00.001-06:00

ok time for comedic break , ha - i think i am showing my age here. this guy was all over the radio when i was growing up. always thought he was hilarious. recently found this LP & thought i would share .
maybe i`ll start posting a comedy LP every now & then. i have most of carlin`s old stuff , some cheech & chong & such - good idea ?
anyway , for those who never heard of this bloke , check out "wildwood weed" & "swamp witch" ! ha - oh & LOBO helped produce this , go figure !

Jim Stafford's self-titled debut album gave him four Top 40 chart singles, with the schoolboyish charm of "Spiders and Snakes" reaching the highest at number three in July of 1973. His friendly voice and novelty style of songwriting actually carried some well-deserved weight, especially throughout the lesson-teaching lightheartedness of "Swamp Witch," a well-crafted story song, and again on the laughable "My Girl Bill." "Wildwood Weed" sticks with Stafford's love of playing with words, and non-hits like "I Ain't Sharin' Sharon" and "16 Little Red Noses and a Horse That Sweats" carry on with the same type of innocent jocularity that ran amuck throughout the mid-'70s, bolstered by artists like Ray Stevens and CW McCall.

Personnel: Jim Stafford (acoustic guitar, banjo, harmonica, vocals);
Richard Bennett (guitar); Slyde Hyde (trombone); Gallagher (whazoo); Alan Lindgren (keyboard, synthesizer); Emory Gordon (bass); Dennis St. John (drums); Alan Estes (conga).
Recorded at Producer's Workshop, Sound Lab and Master Sound, Atlanta, Georgia.------------- All songs written or co-written by Jim Stafford.

Jim Stafford (Music Performer)
Lobo (Producer)
Phil Gernhard (Producer)
Michael Lietz (Sound Engineer)

Jim Stafford - `74 - MGM
all trax from wax - akashaman - 2010
MP3 @ 320 kbps
includes high rez scan

L.A. Mamma (2:24)
I Ain't Sharin' Sharon (2:14)
Medley: Mr. Bojangles/A Visit With An Old Friend (5:10)
Wildwood Weed (2:41)
16 Little Red Noses And A Horse That Sweats (3:54)
Spiders And Snakes (3:07)
Last Chant (3:19)
My Girl Bill (3:13)
Nifty Fifties Blues (3:03)
Real Good Time (3:33)
Swamp Witch (3:48)

DOWNLOAD -- HERE --

The Shocking Blue - Colossus - `70

2010-04-04T21:44:00.000-06:00

here we go ! - the debut LP on colossus , sister LP to the post below , Tee Set. this is a great lp as well. these guys could really play , lots of change ups groovin goin on here. um , fuzz acid & flowers here , need i say more ? - don`t make em like this anymore , oh i hear nirvana covered love buzz , dunno.

Pop history has often seen invasions. The most powerful and renown was the British invasion of American pop music in 1963, when the Merseybeat groups led by The Beatles swept across the new world followed by more R&B orientated British bands like The Stones. Each invasion creates new energy and offers fresh inspiration to a music scene lying in idle sleep.
The spearhead of the brief 'Dutch invasion' of the early Seventies was Shocking Blue. They conquered the international charts with their self-penned hit single ‘Venus'. This song not only made the European Top Ten but also reached the Number One position in the US on December 6, 1969 and stayed eight weeks in the Top Ten.
The Shocking Blue had been formed in 1967 by guitarist Robbie van Leeuwen, a veteran of a well-known Dutch rock band The Motions. But the eye-and-ear-catching attraction of the band was the dark-haired singer Mariska Veres. Her soul-tinged voice gave the music a distinct R&B sound that was often compared with The Small Faces. Shocking Blue successfully combined Beat and R&B with psychedelic elements of the time like Indian sitar and odd production techniques.
After some inconsequential recording work, they signed with the Pink Elephant label and released 'Venus' in 1969. They recorded successfully well into the mid-seventies and had more international hits with 'Mighty Joe' and 'Long And Lonesome Road' (both in 1970). The Shocking Blue released their first LP also in 1969 titled, ‘At Home', and it featured, of course, the million-seller ‘Venus'. 1970 saw two album releases with 'Scorpio's Dance' and 'Hello Darkness', the latter containing the above mentioned singles 'Mighty Joe' and 'Long And Lonesome Road'. The German Metronome issued the next album in 1971 with the confusing title 'Third Album' which was followed by the studio production of 'Inkpot' and a live album a year later.
For the 1973 'Dream On Dreamer' and 'Eve And The Apple' the line-up changed slightly. Bass player Klaasje van der Wal was replaced by Henk Smitskamp. Finally in the mid-seventies The Shocking Blue disbanded after a very successful career.
Their first hit 'Venus' became an all-time evergreen and was re-recorded by the British pop trio Bananarama in 1986 (produced by Stock/Aitken/Waterman). It, again, made a huge impact on the international charts and showed the hit potential of this song. [ Ulf Marquardt ]

Lineup :
Mariska Veres (voc)
Robby Van Leeuwen (g, sitar)
Klaasje Van Der Wal (b)
Cornelius Van Der Beek (dr)

The Shocking Blue - Colossus - `70
all trax from wax - akashaman - 2010
MP3 @ 320 kbps - includes high rez scans

A.
Long and Lonsesome Road
Love Machine
The Butterfly And I
Venus
California Here I Come
Poor Boy
B.
Mighty Joe
Boll Weevil
Acka Raga
Love Buzz
I'm A Woman
Send me a Postcard

DOWNLOAD -- HERE --

Tee Set - Ma Belle Amie - `69 - Collosus

2010-04-04T18:54:00.000-06:00

ok , here is some more older pop psych for ya ~! some might remember title track here "ma belle amie" - was a pretty big hit here in the states in `70 i believe. this is a really great record & one of two on the same label i am posting next. the other one is "shocking blue" with hit venus on it - these are the first two records to come out on colossus records. enjoy !

Tee Set was a pop rock band formed in 1966 in Delft, Netherlands.
The group recorded a single in 1969 entitled "Ma Belle Amie", which was a hit in their native country, selling over 100,000 copies. The group released an album in the United States on Colossus Records in 1970 entitled Ma Belle Amie, which reached #158 on the Billboard 200 chart, just as the single took off in America, eventually reaching #5. The single sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. In the Netherlands, the next single "She Likes Weeds" attained #1 there. However, the track was banned in the U.S., because it was said to refer to using drugs. However, the title was taken from the film The Ipcress File. A follow-up single, "If You Do Believe in Love", hit #81. The group disbanded in 1975, but briefly reunited in 1979 and 1983.
Their former lead singer Peter Tetteroo died in September 2002 from liver cancer, at the age of 55.

Ma Belle Amie,
You were a child of the sun and the sky
And the deep blue sea.
Ma Belle Amie,
Apres’ tous les beaux jours je te dis merci merci.
You were the answer to all my questions,
Before we’re through,
I want to tell you that I adore you
And always do.
That you amaze me by leaving me now to start anew.
Ma Belle Amie,
I’m in love with you.

Let the bells ring,
Let the birds sing.
Let’s all give my substitute a big cheer.
Let the bells ring,
Let the birds sing.
For the man after him waits here.

Arranged By, Organ - Hans van Eijck
Bass - Franklin Madjid
Drums - Joop Blom
Guitar, Flute, Banjo - Dill Bennink
Producer, Lead Vocals - Peter Tetteroo

Tee Set - Ma Belle Amie - `69 - Collosus
all trax from wax - akashaman - 2010
MP3 @ 320 kbps - includes high rez scans

A1 Ma Belle Amie
A2 What Can I Do
A3 Walk On By My Door
A4 I Don't Want To Know
A5 Charmaine
A6 Finally In Love Again
B1 If You Do Believe In Love
B2 Since I Lost Your Love
B3 Long Ago
B4 Here In My House
B5 Bring A Little Sunshine
B6 Magic Lantern

DOWNLOAD -- HERE --

Vanity Fare - Early in the Morning - Page One Records - `70

2010-04-04T11:00:00.001-06:00

back with some fun pop , really love this LP ! lots of harmonies with tons of stlye ~ most of you will remember hitchin` a ride , but check out "in my lonely room" AND TITLE TRACK as well , for another GROOVY treat !
this one will leave ya smilin - enjoy

Best remembered in the U.S. for the classic "Hitchin' a Ride," harmony pop ensemble Vanity Fare formed in Kent, England in 1968. Comprising vocalist Trevor Brice, guitarist Tony Goulden, bassist Tony Jarrett, and drummer Dick Allix, the group originally dubbed themselves the Avengers; soon local entrepreneur Roger Easterby signed on as manager, orchestrating a contract with the Page One label and instructing the group to cover the Sunrays' "I Live for the Sun" for their debut single. With their sophisticated harmonies and clean-cut image, the Avengers needed a suitably genteel name, remixing the title of William Makepeace Thackeray's most famous novel to create Vanity Fare; "I Live for the Sun" cracked the U.K. Top 20 in the summer of 1968, although it would take the group a year to return to the charts, with "Early in the Morning" reaching the Top Ten on both sides of the Atlantic. Around this time, Vanity Fare jettisoned its tailored suits for neckerchiefs and fashions direct from Carnaby Street; more importantly, they also added keyboardist Barry Landeman, previously a member of Kippington Lodge, alongside Nick Lowe and Brinsley Schwartz; Landeman would prove the dominant instrumental element in the group's biggest hit, 1969's infectious "Hitchin' a Ride," which sold over a million copies in the U.S. alone. A North American tour was met with little interest, however, and soon after Vanity Fare returned to Britain. Goulden quit, quickly followed by Allix; Candy Choir guitarist Erica Wheeler and Canterbury Tales' drummer Mark Ellen signed on as their replacements. The new lineup scored a minor hit with 1972's ballad "Better by Far," and concentrated on touring the cabaret circuit, performing as many as 14 dates a week; the grind ultimately forced Jarrett to resign, with former Tranquility bassist Bernard Hagley signing on for "I'm in Love With the World," Vanity Fare's first single for new label Phillips. In the wake of 1974's "Fast Running Out of World" their recording career screeched to a halt, but the group continued touring, including several passes through Scandinavia. During one trek to Denmark, Brice fell in love and quit the group, with singer Phil Kitto taking his place. Kitto also exited a few years later, with vocalist Kevin Thompson installed as frontman by the time Vanity Fare recorded 1986's "Dreamer," its first single in over a decade. With 1993's "Rain," their recording career again went into mothballs, but the band continues touring, with singer Steve Oakman replacing Thompson in early 2002. ~ [ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide ]

Vanity Fare - Early in the Morning - Page One Records - `70
all trax from wax- akashaman - 2010
http://akashaman.blogspot.com/
MP3 @ 320 kbps
includes high rez cover scans

early in the morning
in my lonely room
music , music , music
man child
i live for the sun
hitchin` a ride
highway of dreams
(i remember) summer morning
four strong winds
you made me love you
hey baby

DOWNLOAD -- HERE --

Roger Glover & Guests - The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast - `75 - Polydor

2010-04-01T12:50:00.003-06:00

ok , here is another really cool conceptual piece ala planet earth or intergalactic band stuff ! this one features deep purples roger glover at the helm , with guest stars ; ronnie james dio , david coverdale, glenn hughes & more ! this one is pretty amazing AND very diverse -- the songs kinda all run together so u get a full side A & side B , hard to cut each song & i thought it might detract : OH & hehe , thats really DIO ! - enjoy ~ !

Of all the multitudinous highways and byways down which the enterprising Deep Purple collector can travel, none, perhaps, is so surprising as The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast, Purple bassist Roger Glover's first "solo" album, and -- almost incidentally -- one of the most delightful children's records ever made. Yes, a children's record. In 1973, Glover was approached about creating a musical adaptation of artist Alan Aldridge and poet William Plomer's book of the same name -- a commission that surprised him, but which he nevertheless accepted. The book itself is delightful and, while Glover's work is unquestionably more heavily flavored by the near-psychedelia of the illustrations, the spirit of the text is retained as well, to create an album that stands among the few truly successful musical adaptations of an existing story yet committed to vinyl. Although Glover, as the album's premier composer, takes the bulk of the credit for this success, his co-conspirators, too, merit praise. Convening what resembles one of the greatest all-star lineups in heavy metal history -- and then banning them from even glancing toward their usual territory -- Glover is joined by Purple stalwarts David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes, future Rainbow frontman Ronnie James Dio, session stars Eddie Hardin and Tony Ashton, soul singer Jimmy Helms, Roxy Music's Eddie Jobson and John Gustafson, and three quarters of funk-rock aspirants Fancy. Each was given his own role to play and the resultant album is a tremendous mishmash of musical styles, from folky balladeering to psychedelic whimsy, but leaning most heavily toward an early-'70s pop/rock vibe -- for some reason, one could imagine the early Queen spending an awful lot of time listening to The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast. Given the heavily narrative nature of the project, it is best listened to in one session -- a handful of tracks certainly exist more to carry the tale than make a musical impact. Highlights, however, leap out from across the platter, with the macabre "Old Blind Mole" and the positively buoyant "Love Is All" the twin extremes around which the action revolves. Gustafson's hard rock "Watch out for the Bat," meanwhile, must surely have induced nightmares within the album's younger fans, while Dio's closing "Homeward" all but predicts the course of arena rock during the '80s. [The original vinyl packs 19 tracks; the 25th-Anniversary CD adds one, the European B-side "Little Chalk Blue," together with a fabulous enhanced multimedia clip ("Love Is All" again) taken from a projected animated TV series. It's a great package, as well as a chance to reacquaint yourself with one of childhood's most treasured tales.] ~ [ Dave Thompson, All Music Guide ]

If there is one word to describe this album, it is MAGICAL! The music and lyrics are woven together to create a musical journey into a magical fairytale land. The listener drifts away to another time and place, a place of animals and insects in the forests and meadows all preparing for the grand ball. Conceived, written, and directed by Roger Glover of Deep Purple fame, this is brilliant stuff. There are 20 short songs which flow together perfectly to tell the hopes, dreams, desires, and feelings of the various characters as they approach the grand event. One might think that on such a massive project with so many artists involved, that too many cooks might spoil the soup. This is definitely NOT the case. For example, each vocalist is perfectly suited to the type of song he/she is singing and to the character he/she represents. And althiugh numerous various instruments are employed, they are never employed so indulgently that they get in the way of each other or clutter up the total sound. The production quality is very good and for the most part the mix of instruments is just about right. This is a far cry from the hard rock of Deep Purple, but it is a refreshing change and definite "classic" that should find a comfortable home in anyone's CD collection, whether you are a fan of Barry Manilow or Led Zeppelin.
[ amazon ]

Roger Glover & Guests - The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast - `75 - Polydor
all trax from wax - akashaman - 2010
MP3 @ 320kbps - includes high rez cover scans

Side A
1 Dawn 1:18
2 Get Ready 2:07
3 Saffron Dormouse and Lizzy Bee 1:24
4 Harlequin Hare 1:26
5 Old Blind Mole 1:13
6 Magician Moth 1:34
7 No Solution 3:16
8 Behind the Smile 1:59
9 Fly Away 2:22
10 Aranea 1:37
11 Sitting in a Dream 3:40
Side B
12 Waiting 3:06
13 Sir Maximus Mouse 2:40
14 Dreams of Sir Bedivere 4:41
15 Together Again 1:36
16 Watch Out for the Bat 1:41
17 The Feast 1:46
18 Love Is All 3:17
19 Homeward 4:17
DOWNLOAD - -- HERE --

New Mirror Site

2010-03-28T13:52:00.002-06:00

With all the things goin` on in the world , i thought it prudent to set up a mirror site :
set your bookmarks - if anyone knows any other "cool" host blogsites , please let me know !
Mirror Site = Akashaman`s Kosmos II

Rabbitt - A Croak And A Grunt In The Night - Capricorn Records - `77

2010-03-28T09:56:00.006-06:00

ok ,as promised here is the 2nd & last Rabbitt LP from 77. this one might be better , hard to say they both are so good. came out pretty clean , lp is in ex shape ! - turn it up ~ enjoy

Musicians:
Trevor Rabin: Vocals, guitars, piano, electric piano, harmonica, tubular bells, string arrangements, producer
Neil Cloud: Drums, percussion
Duncan Faure: Vocals, rhythm guitar, organ, piano
Ronnie Robot: Bass
Margaret Singana: Guest vocals on 'Tribal Fence'
Patric van Blerk: Producer
Julian Laxton: Remix engineer
Peter Thwaites and Greg Cutler: Engineers
Release information:
South Africa: 1977, Jo'Burg Records, TJL 13014
* USA & Canada: 1977, Capricorn , CP 0190

Comments:

'Tribal Fence' is a cover of the Freedoms Children track from the album Astra. The Rabbitt version features the incredible vocal talents of Margaret Singana, who was the lead singer on The Warrior album by Ipi 'N Tombia in 1973. Trevor has worked with Margaret on a number of her albums.
Margaret Singana also recorded a very powerful version of 'Tribal Fence' which is available on the Lady Africa compilation CD.
The Rollers re-recorded 'Working For The People' in 1980 (on 'Voxx'). Similarily, Rabin re-did 'Hold On To Love' as 'Hold On To Me' for his 1989 solo album 'Can't Look Away', which featured Duncan Faure on backing vocals.
-- Hannes, Bay City Rollers Discography website

Review:

I was a little young when Rabbitt were at their peak and had not yet developed an interest in music. All I remember about them was my grandmother complaining about the racket these long haired boys were making when they appeared on Pop Shop. So when I came across "A Croak.." about a year back, I though I'd better check out what the fuss was all about.
My initial reaction was that they are not as hard rock as I expected. There are hints of Jazz in the intro to "Everybody's Cheating" but the over all feel of the album is one of 70's glam rock which I suppose it was. The use of the piano on a number of tracks is reminiscent of Billy Joel and Elton John of the same era.
There are some nice rock ballads and some quite tuneful pop numbers some almost Beatles-esque. One highlight for me is the cover of Freedoms Children's "Tribal Fence" where they are joined by Margaret Singana. It is a up tempo version and one I find less "busy" than the Freedoms Children version, but does not have the same depth as the original.
"A Love You Song" is the vehicle for a great guitar work out for (I presume, as the album I bought didn't have any sleeve notes) Trevor Rabin and is the other highlight of the album. You can see why supergroup Yes took him on.
Overall this is a solid album but I must say that I was a little disappointed. I guess you had to be there to have really appreciated this, or maybe my grandmother just psychologically scarred me for life. [John Samson, July 2000]

Rabbitt - A Croak And A Grunt In The Night - Capricorn Records - `77
all trax from wax - akashaman - 2010
MP3 @ 320 kbps - includes high rez cover scans

Tracks:

T.C. Rabin In D-Minor (Rabin) [0.24]
I Sleep Alone (Rabin) [2.52]
A Croak And A Grunt In The Night (Rabin/van Blerk) [2.37]
Everybody's Cheating (Rabin/van Blerk) [4.10]
Sugar Pie (Rabin) [3.22]
Searching (Rabin) [4.13]
Working For The People (Rabin/Robot/Faure/Cloud) [4.21]
Pollyman (Rabin) [2.23]
Schumann (Trad. arr. Rabin) 0.21]
Hold On To Love (Rabin/van Blerk) [4.06]
Dingley's Bookshop (Faure) [2.10] theme from a TV series
Never Gonna Ruin My Life (Rabin) [0.56]
Tribal Fence (MacKay) [3.51] featuring Margaret Singana
Gift Of Love (Rabin/van Blerk/Robot) [3.44]
Lonely Loner Too (Faure) [3.35]
Take It Easy (Rabin) [3.40]
A Love You Song (Faure) [1.46]

DOWNLOAD -- HERE --

Rabbitt - Boys Will Be Boys - `76 - Capricorn Records

2010-03-27T10:07:00.013-06:00

DAMN THESE GUYS WERE GOOD ! i know , u never heard of them but i bet you have heard of YES , eh ? well , trevor rabin played in yes , singer/guitarist - well this was his first band , from south africa !
from what i understand they were quite the stir back in the day ! [google that shit ! ] screamin girls the whole bit ! - check them out & let me know what YOU think - i friggin love this LP -------- oh & i have their 2nd one up next ,[ if i start getting some feedback ?!] so there :P : total power pop & the like here KIDZ ~ does it get any better than this ? not any more

Comments:
Locomotive Breath
Rabbitt covered the Jethro Tull classic 'Locomotive Breath' in 1972 and released it as a single. It was number 96 in the LM Radio Top Hits of 1972. I guess you could say it was a runaway smash!
Patric van Blerk engaged Trevor on a session to play guitar on a version of Jethro Tull's 'Locomotive Breath' he had wanted to do. The recording session had Errol Friedman playing guitar (Ronnie Robot's brother), Fransua Roos on keyboards (who did the arrangement), Lou "Moose" Forer (from Suck) on bass and Cedric Samson on drums. The single was put out under Rabbitt and took off into the charts (it made the LM top ten).
-- The History Of Contemporary Music Of South Africa(1994, Toga)
The lyrics were "cleaned-up" for the SA censors: "his woman and his best friend" were now "travelling to the sun" and "the all-time winner" had got him by..."the hands"!
When Rabbitt re-recorded this track in 1975 for the 'Boys Will Be Boys!' album, the original Jethro Tull lyrics returned; a brave move at the time!

Rabbittmania

This is great rock album, but unfortunately the "rabbitt-mania" that followed the boys appearances on the then brand-new medium of TV, meant that serious rock music-lovers ignored the band because they "only attracted 14-year old groupies". I was sixteen and liked "14-year old groupies" so it was cool!
What a pity, though for some, to miss out on such rock classics as 'Hard Ride', 'Lifeline', 'Savage', etc.

Charlie

'Charlie', was a huge radio hit, but did very little to win over the rock fans.
"As dogs go you're groovy
not as predictable as some
but you're not as paranoid as Lady Marmalade
and really much more fun"

I knew Rabbitt, and so far as I know, Charlie was Trevor's dog, but I'm not certain of this.

-- Mandy Vose, September 1999

I co-produced this track with Patric van Blerk and Charlie is not a 'dog'. He is actually Patric's close friend and partner [Charles Coetzee]. 'Lady Marmalade', lyrics from the song, is their persian cat.
-- Julian Laxton, November 1999

Awards

'Boys Will Be Boys' became a gold record (25 000 copies sold) faster than any other South African record.
Rabbitt won a Sarie award, the South African equivalent of a Grammy award, for Best Contemporary Pop Music.
Engineer Julian Laxton, producer Patric van Blerk, and Trevor himself all received Saries. Trevor's was for best arranger.
Nearly all these great tracks (and others) can be found on Rabbitt - The Hits CD released by Gallo in 1996.

Review:
Kurt Shoemaker, Texas, May 2001

If I had heard Rabbitt's 'Boys Will Be Boys' before hearing Rabbitt's 'The Hits' the boys would have lived up to my expectations for a rockin' band. Before I bought 'The Hits' I had heard 'Charlie' and knew that they had covered 'Locomotive Breath', so after all the praise sung about Rabbit I expected some power pop of higher proof than on 'The Hits'.
'The Hits' is a nice CD at a nice price, but the rocking content is somewhat diluted by slower, sentimental numbers. Ballads are all well and good, but if 'Boys Will Be Boys' is typical of their other albums, Rabbitt would be better served by a reissue program of LPs on CD. I expected something rockier and 'The Hits' is a tad on the glossy side.
However, 'Boys Will Be Boys' rocks. It is not raw rock, but rather has the polished production I associate with their sound (at times reminiscent of 10cc). 'Boys Will Be Boys' should be a listener's introduction to Rabbitt, to be followed by 'The Hits'. It has creative songs and wonderful musicianship.
Six of the ten songs from 'Boys Will Be Boys' are on 'The Hits', but their impact there is diluted by the number of wistful, pretty songs on 'The Hits'. In their original line-up, the songs on 'Boys Will Be Boys' add up to a nice rocking album with a few slower interludes that set apart the up-tempo numbers.
The four songs on 'Boys Will Be Boys' that are not on 'The Hits' mostly git up and go. Songs like 'Something's Going Wrong with My Baby' and 'Looking for the Man' add jump to the album. Overall, 'Boys Will Be Boys' is like a 33 minute rocking live set that also has a few slow numbers thrown in for close dancing.
Don't get me wrong, Rabbitt's 'The Hits' is essential to my South African music collection -- just as 'Boys Will Be Boys' is essential music, too. This album rules, ok?
[ rock.co.za/files/rabbitt_boys.html ]

Musicians:
Trevor Rabin: Vocals, guitars, keyboards, producer, arranger
Neil Cloud: Drums, percussion
Duncan Faure: Keyboards, lead vocals on 'Hard Ride'
Ronnie Robot: Bass

Patric van Blerk: Producer
Julian Laxton: Producer, engineer
Strings by Pro Arte, led by Bram Verhoef
Solo violin on 'Hard Ride' by Godfrey Rabin (Trevor's father)

Rabbitt - Boys Will Be Boys - `76 - Capricorn Records
all trax from wax - akashaman - 2010
MP3 @ 320 kbps - includes high rez cover scan

Tracks:
Something's Going Wrong With My Baby (Rabin) [4.45]
Savage (Rabin) [4.43]
Lifeline (Rabin/Van Blerk) [6.00]
Locomotive Breath (Ian Anderson) [3.35]
Hard Ride (Rabin) [4.05]
Baby's Leaving (Rabin) [2.20]
Eventides (Rabin) [2.34]
Looking For The Man (Rabin/Van Blerk) [4.00]
Death Of Tulio (Rabin) [0.22]
Charlie (Rabin/Van Blerk) [2.35]

DOWNLOAD -- HERE --

Sky - Dont Hold Back - `70 - RCA Records

2010-03-27T09:49:00.004-06:00

well , this one is for knack fans ...wait , were there any knack fans ? ha - just joshing , this is a great LP with `ol doug on bass & vox. ya , we lost him recently , so here is my tribute to the man & his mission ! - let me know what u think of tis 70`s gem ! - take off and fly will ya ?

I have to admit here that I was never a huge fan of the Knack. It would be accurate to say that in 1979, ‘My Sharona’ was nothing less than a blight on my senior year of high school, the kind of song that sent me flying to change the radio dial whenever it came on. It wasn’t until a few years later, when I heard their cover of the Kinks’ ‘The Hard Way’ that I softened in my appraisal of the band (which would have happened eventually since they were right up my power pop alley).
Anyway, it was early last year, on a digging/DJing trip to Washington DC that my man DJ Birdman turned me on to the fact that the Knack wasn’t Doug Fieger’s first band. That honor goes to the group you’re hearing today, Sky.
Fieger came of age in Detroit, where in the late 60s, he apparently sent a letter off to uber-producer Jimmy Miller (Rolling Stones, Traffic among many others) and suggested that if he were ever to come to the Motor City, he should drop in and hear Fieger’s band, that being Sky. Miller took him up on his offer, and at the ripe old age of 17, Fieger and his bandmates were spirited off to the UK where they recorded their debut album, ‘Don’t Hold Back’ in 1970. They would record a second LP with Miller (this time back in the States) before breaking up in 1972.
I grabbed the Sky album out of sheer curiosity, but was blown away when I actually heard it. Doug Feiger and his bandmates were making music with the same kind of proto-power pop sting as contemporaries like Big Star and the Raspberries. This is not to suggest that they sound anything like either of those bands, but rather that the benefit of hindsight suggests that they were all sailing in the same general direction.
The sound of Sky is a mix of 1970-appropriate heavy guitars, mixed with some great hooks. They were clearly ahead of their time, which is probably what doomed them to obscurity.
The three tunes featured today are fairly representative of the sound of that first album. ‘Goody Two Shoes’, ‘How’s that Treating Your Mouth Babe’ and ‘One Love’ all have the same tight, choppy guitar riffs that with a tiny bit less of the ‘stadium filling’ vibe would resurface as the decade progressed with Grin, Dwight Twilley, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers i.e. the earlier, rockier end of what would eventually morph into new wave and power pop.
I don’t know if any of the Sky material has ever been reissued on CD, but it ought to, since it’s quite good.
I hope you dig it, and you raise a glass in memory of Doug Fieger. [ larry ]

Sky - Dont Hold Back - `70 - RCA Records
all trax from wax - akashaman - 2010
MP3 @ 320 kbps
- includes high rez cover scans

Goodie Two Shoes
Take Off And Fly
Rockin' Me Yet
I Still Do
Make It In Time
One Love
There In The Greenbriar
How's That Treating Your Mouth Babe
Homin' Ground
Feels Like 1000 Years

DOWNLOAD -- HERE --

The World of Terry Jacks and The Poppy Family - `76 - London Records

2010-03-26T07:03:00.004-06:00

Man i love these guys ! partridge family meets the manson family , ha - the poppies can get pretty dark for such a flowery band ..... don`t let this one fool ya. for those who havent heard much of da poppies , u will be amazed - the production is really good with lots of cool sounds drifting in & out half the time. they always did a lot with so little. terry was a great writer , producer. and susan`s voice is just haunting ! doesnt get any better than this one kids ! let me know what ya think !
[ cause i got more poppies ! ] ------------- where is everyone at ? ! lol

Susan Jacks' voice became highly recognizable when "Which Way You Goin' Billy" climbed the charts in 1970, and her husband hit number one in 1974 after they divorced with a remake of a song once performed by the Kingston Trio, "Seasons in the Sun." The meticulous songwriting, production, and arranging skills of guitarist/mastermind Terry Jacks (who later had a huge solo hit with the classic pop single "Seasons in the Sun") lift these recordings above the work of many of the group's better-known contemporaries. Singer Susan Jacks has a beautiful voice that sometimes sounds like (but predates) Karen Carpenter, but is eminently more soulful. Although characterized in the liner notes as a "soft pop" band, the Poppy Family was also capable of a somewhat tougher sound that sometimes recalled Surrealistic Pillow-era Jefferson Airplane and folkier material in the Kenny Rogers & the First Edition/Roger McGuinn vein. Throughout, Jacks frames the songs with creative, if often dated, arrangements that compare favorably to his obvious influences, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and Phil Spector.

The World of Terry Jacks and The Poppy Family - `76 - London Records
all trax from wax - akashaman - 2010
MP3 @ 320 kbps - includes high rez cover scans

seasons in the sun
i`m gonna love you too
today i started loving you again
remember the rain
the love game
shadows on my wall
sail away
where evil grows
if you go away
rock n roll
of cities and escapes
someone must have jumped
i`m so lonely here today
a good thing lost
concrete sea

DOWNLOAD -- HERE --

The Cyrkle - Neon - `69 - Columbia

2010-03-25T19:15:00.000-06:00

i havent forgotten about the 60`S pop ! here is some old cyrkle for yaz - they dropped their red rubber balls & experimented a bit. fun ride - enjoy

The band was formed by guitarists and lead singers Don Dannemann and Tom Dawes (bass guitar), who met while studying at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. The other members were Earl Pickens on keyboards and Marty Fried on drums. They were originally a "frat rock" band called The Rhondells but were later discovered and managed by Brian Epstein, who was better known as manager of The Beatles. Epstein's partner was New York attorney Nathan Weiss, who heard the band in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on Labor Day in 1965. He became their manager and renamed them. John Lennon provided the unique spelling of their new name, which is a reference to the circular roundabout located in downtown Easton. They were produced by John Simon.
In the summer of 1966, they opened on fourteen dates for the Beatles during their U.S. tour. On August 28, they headed the opening acts performing prior to The Beatles at Dodger Stadium. The other artists who appeared were Bobby Hebb, The Ronettes, and The Remains Before touring with The Beatles, The Cyrkle had a successful engagement at the Downtown Discotheque in New York City
The Cyrkle is best known for their 1966 song "Red Rubber Ball," which went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was co-written by Paul Simon of Simon and Garfunkel and Bruce Woodley of The Seekers. It was released on the Columbia record label. The band had one more Top 20 hit, "Turn-Down Day," later in 1966. After the release of their debut album, Red Rubber Ball, they recorded a second album, Neon, in late 1966, and a movie soundtrack, The Minx, in 1967. They followed that with various singles and then disbanded in late 1967.
Both Dawes and Danneman became professional jingle writers after The Cyrkle disbanded. Dawes later wrote the famous "plop plop fizz fizz" jingle for Alka-Seltzer. Danneman wrote jingles for Continental Airlines and Swanson Foods. He penned the original 7Up Uncola song In 1977, Dawes produced Foghat [ wiki]

Tom Dawes – (born July 25, 1944, Albany, New York – died October 13, 2007, New York, New York) – lead vocals, lead guitar, bass
Don Dannemann – (born May 9, 1944, Brooklyn, New York) – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Marty Fried – (born Martin Fried, 1944, Wayside, New Jersey) – drums, vocals – (now[when?] a bankruptcy lawyer in Southfield, Michigan)
Earle Pickens – keyboards (first album) – a general surgeon in Gainesville, Florida)
Michael Losekamp – keyboards, vocals (second album) – an engineer for AT&T and an active musician in Columbus and Dayton, Ohio)
Jon Alexander – (born April 29, 1950), Brooklyn, New York (keyboards)

There are some excellent cuts on this album as well as a few clunkers. During that time of the 60's many a band tried some sort of novelty and the Cyrkle was no exception. Problem Child and Weight of Your Words come to mind.
However there was some beauty. Michael Losekamp singing The Visit (She Was Here) is a great track. Maybe it should have been a release. I Wish You Could Be Here, In my opinion just never received the air time it should have. It is a beautiful song and Don Dannemans voice made a good song better.
Terry's Theme and Camaro give the album some good balance.
Don't Cry No Fears, No Tears Coming Your Way, might have been a top twenty song had it been released.
All in all it is a good album and a die hard Cyrkle fan would want this for their collection.

The Cyrkle - Neon - `69 - Columbia
all trax from wax - akashaman - 2010
MP3 @ 320 kbps - includes high rez cover scan

1. Don't Cry, No Fears, No Tears Comin' Your Way
2. The Visit
3. Weight of Your Words
4. I Wish You Could Be Here
5. It Doesn't Matter Anymore
6. Two Rooms
7. Our Love Affair's in Question
8. I'm Happy Just to Dance With You
9. Problem Child
10. Please Don't Ever Leave Me
11. I'm Not Sure What I Wanna Do

DOWNLOAD -- HERE --

Emitt Rhodes - Dunhill Records - `70

2010-03-25T19:01:00.002-06:00

i have no idea why i havent posted this LP yet , probably cause i know most of you have it , ha - this is one of my FAVORITE moments in record collecting when i found this one for the first time - it blew me away & for 50 cents , ha .- pure pop here , ala MR C From the B`s ! pure greatness - OH & he recorded this at home as well , played all instruments !
*** even says "recorded at home" on the dead wax ! with fancy scrolls around the lettering. very cool ~ !
enjoy ~ [ PS , I HAVE THE CD VERSION OF THIS , IT SUX - THERE IS NO PUNCH - YOUR WELCOME ]

***********

Why Emmit Rhodes is not a household name is beyond me. After his 60s Byrds/Beatles experiment Merry Go Round, he spent the early 70s making do it yourself, McCartney pop.
This may sound derivative, but Rhode's writting and craftsmenship are so above parr, whether he has transended his influences is irrelevent. The music simply sounds THAT good.
Most of his songs are short, piano driven confections. His guitar leads have tbe spare bite of George Harrison, but without large studio productions behind them, making them more even more powerful. When he plays bass-and he plays everything on his albums- his slides and fills are unusual, often leaving space and sneaking in right behind or ahead of the beat. But the playing is so natural, Rhodes makes it seem like his timing choices are the only correct options.
His writting is melodic, which lends itself to the spareness of his music. Like McCarteny, he has an instinctive feel for melody--this music works on the heart, not the head. Like looking at Chinese art, you'll appreciate the simplicity, and then find it is not so simple.
If you are not sold, consider this: when I was a kid my best friend and I used to trade records, 100s of them. This is the only album we would have physical tug of wars over. I won--don't worry. I have since made him a copy. [ amazon ]

Emitt Rhodes - Dunhill Records - `70
all trax from wax - akashaman - 2010
MP3 @ 320 kbps - includes high rez cover scan

1. With My Face on the Floor
2. Somebody Made for Me
3. She's Such a Beauty
4. Long Time No See
5. Lullabye
6. Fresh as a Daisy
7. Live Till You Die
8. Promises I've Made
9. You Take the Dark Out of the Night
10. You Should Be Ashamed
11. Ever Find Yourself Running
12. You Must Have

DOWNLOAD -- HERE --

Psychedelic Psoul - The Freak Scene - `67 Columbia Records

2010-03-25T08:11:00.003-06:00

i thought i heard someone say bring the freak back !? - ha , well - this one is pretty far out kids. this is a reissue not an original - sounds great ! some heavy bass on this one - headphones if ya got em ! - enjoy [ 134 downloads & NO COMMENTS ! whats wrong with u peeps ?! ]

This is quintessential extreme example of early experimental psy. Very obscure, so information is sparse but I’d guess it came out quite early in 67. The bass playing is original and unusual and dominates the mix in an album dominated by lyrics and bass. The vocals and vocal production (thin, nasal and processed) is the albums main weakness. Despite its faults and lack of good songs, its still somehow works and remains a fascinating and unusual micro-selling psy gem. [ mykepsych ]

Having enjoyed some success with their 1966 studio project The Deep, the following year the song writing/performing team of Mark Barkan and Rusty Evans decided to take another stab at making some money off of the public's growing interest in psychedelia and political activism. Signed by Columbia, the duo pulled together most of the studio pros who'd worked with them on the earlier project (reportedly including guitarist David Bromberg), resulting in the release "Psychedelic Psoul".
A lot of critics have labeled this as nothing more than a sophomore The Deep release. There are clearly similarities between the two albums, but I'll tell you that (contrary to popular opinion) I think The Freak Scene project is the stronger of the two. Material such as 'The Subway Ride Thru Inner Space', 'Butterfly Dream' and 'My Rainbow Life' offered up a great mixture of over-the-top psych lyrics, stoned vocals and wild studio production effects. The biggest difference with the earlier album was that tracks such as '... When In the Course of Human Events (Draft Beer, Not Students)' and 'Behind the Mind' added a bit of social and political commentary to the acid-drenched mix. It may be an exploito offering, but it's first rate exploito and is actually better than 75% of the non-exploito competition. [ RDTEN1 ]

at first listen i thought this one was a sham. it sounds slapped together in a drug-fueled weekend, using sound effects and flower power poetry/messages to make it stand up as psychedelic.
one day i was in such a mood that this was the only album i felt like listening to, and so i did over and over, and that is where it happened. i realized that i really enjoy this one, despite it's usually half-assed songwriting and slapdash feel/recording.
one thing about the sparse instrumentation is that the excellent bass playing practically carries the whole band. guitars usually stay in the background, and everything else, sans vocals & feedback/sound effects, take a back seat to the always prominent bass playing.
i can't give this more than 3 and a half because for every great tune ["a million grains of sand", "behind the mind", "butterfly dream"] there are one or two throwaway tunes ["subway ride thru inner space", "mind bender"] though the whole thing whizzes by quickly, 12 songs in a half an hour, so i'm more intrigued by the record as a whole, rather than being disappointed by a track i don't like. i love these kind of albums.
for those who like the pop in their sike, ideas, rather than some poorly recorded garage band content to just thrash away at "hey joe", this one may be of interest to you. [ a owens ]

Psychedelic Psoul - The Freak Scene - `67 - Columbia Records
all trax from wax - akashaman - 2010
MP3 @ 320 kbps - includes high rez cover scan

1 A Million Grains of Sand
2 "When In Course Of Human Events" (Draft Beer, Not Students) / Interpolation: We Shall Overcome
3 Rose of Smiling Faces
4 Behind the Mind
5 The Subway Ride Thru Inner Space
6 Butterfly Dream
7 My Rainbow Life
8 The Center of My Soul
9 Watered Down Soul
10 Red Roses Will Weep
11 Mind Bender
12 Grok!

DOWNLOAD -- HERE --

Max Webster - Universal Juveniles - Mercury - `82

2010-03-23T13:00:00.004-06:00

well , goin a bit out of order but here is the last ! max webster LP , with rush starring on one track , battle scar. more guitar oriented than previous , some mighty licks here-in , ha
enjoy

Terry Watkinson [ KEYS ] has left at this point leaving Kim to pretty much run the show. Watkinson does play on the song "Battle Scar" but it wasn't recorded at the same time as the rest of the album. Gotta love the album cover with Mitchell on the run wearing a bright yellow body suit with white boots on. Haha. "In The World Of Giants" opens with some speed of light guitar work from Kim before the rest of the band comes in. Not a bad uptempo tune. "Check" is one of my top three songs on here. It's a short pedal to the metal rocker. Guitar riffs to open as Kim tells his story with passion.Classic WEBSTER. "April In Toledo" has grown on me somewhat. I like the chorus and those earlier words "She's taking a break from my face." "Juveniles Don't Stop" is a straight forward rock tune. "Battle Scar" doesn't sound like it belongs for a reason.We have two bands in the studio(RUSH & MAX WEBSTER) playing this song together, so it's much more powerful.It opens with low end guitar and bass as heavy drums come in and then Kim starts to sing. Geddy comes in vocally 1 1/2 minutes ripping it up with those high pitched screaming vocals like he did in the seventies.Check him out 4 1/2 minute in as well. Great finale to this one. A friend of mine saw MAX WEBSTER at "Maple Leaf Gardens" on New Years eve play this song, and he watched in amazement as Geddy came out on stage playing his teardrop bass, and then he started to sing to the roar of the home town faithful. "Chalkers" features some nice bass throughout. The title of the album comes from a line in this song. "Drive And Desire" opens with some nice drum work as guitar comes in grinding then vocals.Good tune. "Blue River Liquor Shine" is my other top three track along with "Battle Scar" if your keeping track at home.Drum intro as vocals and strummed guitar follows.Something uplifting about this track.I think it's Kim's soaring vocals actually. "What Do You Do With The Urge" features in your face vocals with lots of piano. The best parts of "Cry Out Your Life" are the guitar solos before 3 minutes and 5 minutes in. I would suggest any of their four earlier albums to this one,but RUSH fans will want to hear "Battle Scar" for sure. [sinkasotentree ]

Max Webster - Universal Juveniles - Mercury - `82
all trax from wax - akashaman - 2010
MP3 @ 320kbps - includes high rez scans

Line-up / Musicians

Kim Mitchell - guitars and vocals
Garry McGracken - drums
Dave Myles - bass
Pye Dubois - lyrics

also playing:
Geddy Lee , Neil Peart , Alex Lifeson and Terry Watkinson on "Battle Scar"
Dave Stone - synths
Doug Riley - piano

1 - In the World of Giants
2 - Check
3 - April In Toledo
4 - Juveniles Don't Stop
5 - Battle Scar
6 - Chalkers
7 - Drive and Desire
8 - Blue River Liquor Shine
9 - What Do You Do With the Urge
10 - Cry Out Your Life

DOWNLOAD -- HERE --

Max Webster - Hangover [DEBUT] - Mercury Records - `76

2010-03-23T10:59:00.003-06:00

OK : as promised , here is the max webster debut ~ next up , "universal juveniles" with battle scar on it ! then i might do kim mitchells solo with go for a soda on it ;
these guy are pretty bizarre , so hang on - fans of prog & quirky /zanny / smart music in general will digg this. all i know is kim mitchell can play his ass off , as can rest of band [ their own asses respectively ! ]
ha -- enjoy

Line-up / Musicians

Paul Kersey - drums
Mike Tilka - bass
Kim Mitchell - guitars and vocals
Terry Watkinson - keyboards and vocals

Debut album from one of the most original groups coming from Canada, and certainly a bloody stunner that stayed in the subconscious of almost every teenager from Toronto, but of all Canada as well. This writer remembers being a fan as far back as possible, buying the debut album and playing it until the vinyl became almost transparent. These guys were all very exciting on stage with their energetic music, stage antics (leader Mitchell being a very athletic young man) and their imaginative and original songwriting. They even managed to get the girls started with their glitter outfits. Webster (these guys were looking for a name like Jethro Tull - this is the only real explanation about their name) was always the thing of two songwriters even though guitarist Mitchell was much more prolific than keyboardist Watkinson, but Mitchell's tracks were always written with Pye Dubois' lyrics (Rush fans will remember him) and the group found a home on Anthem Records, which is also well known to us progheads.
How could any teen getting drunk and ignore the opening Hangover track (to which the weird square heads refer to on the artwork). This track, starting out on a heavily distorted and feedback guitar is a stunning start and a fitting intro into the crazy world of Max Webster. To describe their sound is rather uneasy as they could range from early Queen, have 10 CC's best inspirational moments, with quirky songwriting The Cars would not have denied. Not very progressive you might say, but please bear with me for Webster is always changing tempo, sometimes cramming so many idea into one track that others groups would make a whole album out one of their songs. Their constant rhythm changes were quite impressive, almost (certainly IMHO) progressive but the typical chord progressions of what made classic prog bands their trade is a bit absent in their albums. Hangover is then followed by another killer track Here Among The Cats, another live favorite and also a fave of mine (since back then all young dudes were the cats). Next is a rather different-sounding (because written by KB-man Watkinson) followed a typical slow Webster track - there will be a few in the following albums, but they were quite at ease with those too, even if their forte were full-blown rock party tracks. The first wax side is ended by another stunner (and maybe the definitive pop side of Webster) with the stunning Toronto Tontos, which came some seven years before The B-52's Rock Lobster. A stunning témoignage that these guys were also ahead of their time, this track is truly a joyful moments of musical delirium.
The second side starts with one of the obsessions from the quartet, their lunatic bizarrerie, as if they were coming of our natural satellite planet, the Moon: for the next four albums, there will always be a track making reference to it, maybe explaining how lunatically strange these guys could be. This is another highlight of the album but hardly the only one, since most of the first side of the album are classics. Only Your Nose Knows and the lengthy (almost 8 min) Lily are also excellent and typical tracks while Summer's Up has a bit of Zappa feeling in it.
Maybe this group is not a prog icon per se, but all progheads loving intelligent rock and pop should get a load of this superb band that never got the recognition it deserved until it was dying. [ sean trane ]

more reviews here - www.progarchives.com

Max Webster - Hangover
Studio Album, released in 1976
All Trax From WAX - akashaman - 2010
MP3 @ 320 kbps includes high rez scans ; front / back / lyrix / kim !

Songs / Tracks Listing :

1 - Hangover (4:36)
2 - Here among The Cats (3:07)
3 - Blowing the Blues Away (3:33)
4 - Summer turning Blue (3:05)
5 - Toronto Tontos (3:40)
6 - Coming Off The Moon (3:38)
7 - Only Your Nose Knows (4.16)
8 - Summer's Up (2:45)
9 - Lily (7:42)

DOWNLOAD -- HERE --

The Box Tops - Non Stop - Bell Records - `68

2010-03-23T07:35:00.002-06:00

well , as most of you know , we lost alex chilton recently so i thought it befitting to lay one of thier lp`s on yaz !
this one is pretty good ! prob the hardest one to find as well. hope u guys enjoy it ! [ sorry its a little scratchy folks ! ]

The Box Tops -- or more precisely Alex Chilton and producer Dan Penn -- were treading water on the third album to be churned out under the group's name in less than a year. The usual blue-eyed soul dominates the program, without anything on the order of "Cry Like a Baby" or "The Letter," although with "I Met Her in Church," Penn and songwriting partner Spooner Oldham were probably trying for something on that level. Sometimes the moods are a bit on the bluesy side ("Choo Choo Train," "Rock Me Baby"), at others on a gentler and poppier one ("Rollin' in My Sleep"). For the first time Chilton had the opportunity to write an LP track, and with "I Can Dig It," he brought out his most gravelly voice for an average midtempo soul belter. That's nothing compared with "Yesterday Where's My Mind," in which he sounds like he's trying to out-gravel the most sandpaper-voiced white singer of the era, Tim Rose; in fact, the track bears more than a passing similarity to "Morning Dew," one of the songs Rose interpreted on his debut album. "Sandman," a luscious ballad by the composer of "The Letter," Wayne Carson Thompson, is the most interesting little-known cut. Overall, though, this, like all of the Box Tops' albums, is a middling product with its share of filler. [The 2000 reissue on Sundazed adds five bonus tracks: two of them mono single versions (of "Choo Choo Train" and "I Met Her in Church"), the others from non-LP 45s. Those non-LP items include a Randy Newman cover ("Let Me Go") on which Chilton sounds like Paul Jones of Manfred Mann, and another of Chilton's earliest self-penned numbers, the soul-pop ballad "Since I Been Gone.."] -- [ amg ]

The Box Tops - Non Stop - Bell Records - `68
all trax from wax - akashaman - 2010
MP3 @ 320 kbps - includes high rez cover scan

Choo Choo Train

I'm Movin' On

Sandman

She Shot A Hole In My Soul

People Gonna Talk

I Met Her In Church

Rock Me Baby

Rollin' In My Sleep

I Can Dig It

Yesterday Where's My Mind

If I Had Let You In

DOWNLOAD -- HERE --

MAX WEBSTER - High Class In Borrowed Shoes - Anthem Records - `77

2010-03-21T08:06:00.007-06:00

well , i think its time to bring back the ROCK after these last few mellow lp`s ! those of u that know of max are already smiling ! well , keep on smiling , the debut is up next ! - if u really wanna have a good time , know that i have all of max`s lp`s + most of kim`s solos , :P [ yes that includes that KILLER song with geddy lee & KIM`S "might as well go for a soda" ! ] begging helps .:) - guitar players note that kim can play his ass off ! very underated shredder ! have fun
enjoy this one !

MAX WEBSTER - High Class In Borrowed Shoes - Anthem - ANR-1-1007
Studio Album, released in 1977
all trax from WAX - akashaman - 2010
MP3 @ 320kbps - includes high rez cover scans +

Songs / Tracks Listing

1 - High Class In Borrowed Shoes (4:00)
2 - Diamonds Diamonds (3:18)
3 - Gravity (4:53)
4 - Words To Words (3:34)
5 - America's Veins (4:08)
6 - Oh War! (4:25)
7 - On The Road (3:25)
8 - Rain Child (4:22)
9 - In Context Of The Moon (5:13)

Line-up / Musicians
Mike Tilka - bass
Kim Mitchell - guitars and vocals
Terry Watkinson - keyboards and vocals
Garry McCracken - drums

Max are best described as classic rock meets frank Zappa
and this album shows Max at there wacky best
"the title track", "gravity","in context with the moon"
"america's veins"
and the brilliant "Oh war"are classic hard rock with more changes within the song then usual (thanks to the zappa influence)
Words to words and "On the road" are a couple of fine ballads and exemplify the talents of fifth member lyricist Pye Dubois
We also get the first taste of the fine singing voice
Of keyboardist Terry Watkins with the moody melodic "Rainchild"
Also this is Kim Mitchell at his best certainly one of the most underated guitarists he smokes ninety percent of the householdnames Kim's voice is underated as well as he shows versatility between ballad "Diamonds, Diamonds" compared to
hard rocker "Oh War" - [ andy - amazon ]

[ Review of album by Martin Popoff, taken from his book " The Collectors Guide to Heavy Metal - Volume 1: The Seventies" ]
Max Webster - High Class In Borrowed Shoes - (Anthem '77)

The one unifying factor coursing through Max Webster's magnificent
premiere was a rural warmth that evoked images of. I dunno. carved
cherry wood. In comparison, High Class In Borrowed Shoes, although no
heavier, evokes a sheen of polished aluminum, with its bright,
uncompromising headphone-ready drum sound, its everlite, dewdropped
piano work, and its painstakingly perfect execution. But High Class
sails the same passionate seas of wanton adventure, offering arguably
four metal or hard rock works, most panoramic, scorching and insistent
being America's Veins and the swooping and snatching title track, the
song improbably combining boogie and pomp until circumstance breeds good
fortune. Lyricist Pye Dubois, although not an official noise-making
member of the band (in the great tradition of The Dead's Robert Hunter),
continues to be the Max Webster's philosophical engine and perfect,
crucial soulmate to Kim Mitchell's fluid guitar mathematics, Pye
offering memorable yet cryptically cast aspersions on society's ills and
man's monologue with respect to his allotted space. And as was the case
with the debut, all points of the compass lead to the heart no matter
what the action level, the album scrubbed clean then chiming by way of
elegant Terry Watkinson keyboard work, and absolutely top-of-the-line
pride in craftsmanship on the part of the whole circus. It seems almost
a mixed symbol that the band would so plainly embrace controversy with
the gender-bending weirdness of the cover art, given that all parties
involved, including producer Terry Brown, worked so hard to make Max's
challenges so warmly inviting and simultaneously so state-of-the-art. It
basically stands as more evidence that the complexities of both Max's
message and its medium were beyond marketing comprehension, and
unfortunately, as history would bear out, beyond the market.

DOWNLOAD -- HERE --

Harry Nilsson - Nilsson sings Newman - Pickwick Records - 70

2010-03-20T10:09:00.004-06:00

ok kids , back to the early stuff. this one has been said that it should be ranked up there with pet sounds & the like ! it is an epic session. with harry doin all vocals & randy all music & piano its really is a poignant affair. really low key , not too much goin on - so harrys voice really shines here. it really is one of his best vocal recordings , the man could really sing , ha
this one goes best with your fave beer ! as always , turn it up !

************

Nilsson is dead, while Newman now scores movies like his illustrious forbears. Back in the day, however, for one brief, shining moment, the two aspiring songsters united for this still-unrecognized masterpiece. While each participant was well-skilled in singing and songwriting, Nilsson, arguably the better singer, sang, while Newman, arguably the better songwriter, provided the songs and played piano. Neither was well-known to the public, despite chart successes recognized by at least a sliver of the industry. The resulting album was well-reviewed at the time, but failed to click with the buying public. Mine own vinyl copy was purchased at a garage sale a few years after its release; even then it was a radio station freebee with the signature "Jim Sloane" scrawled in Magic Marker on the album's cover. After a few listens, the album became a frequent play for me and vivid enough to provide me, as a budding high school film maker, with the inspiration for several (unmade) animated films. As I listen to it now, at least two decades removed from my initial infatuation, I find that the album holds up quite well. More lieder recital than "rock'n'roll record," points must be given for sheer timelessness. These two took songwriting seriously; they weren't only in search of the latest hit, though both saw chart success, but each also seemed to pursue songwriting for its own sake. Fact is that I still prefer the versions on this album to several of the tracks on Newman's debut; Nilsson's spontaneous studio-smarts and seeming emotional directness as a singer trump Newman's painstaking orchestral arrangements and studious Fats Domino mumble. Take this, then, as a qualified rave. If you've ever responded to either of these artists, or to great song themselves, then give this a try. I don't think you'll be disappointed. - [ AMAZON ]

Harry Nilsson - Nilsson sings Newman - Pickwick Records - 70/79

all trax from wax - akashaman 2010

MP3 @ 320 kbps

1 Vine Street
2 Love Story (you and me)
3 Yellow Man
4 Cowboy
5 Caroline
6 I'll Be Home
7 (So hard) Living Without You
8 Dayton Ohio 1903
9 So Long Dad

DOWNLOAD -- HERE --

Spellbound - EMI records - `78

2010-03-20T09:49:00.007-06:00

ok , i got nothing on these guys , but this is a great session here ! i guess its kinda southern rock , but i wouldnt pigeon-hole it there ! . very melodic , lots of keys & vocals.
top notch production & playing ~ these guys had thier shit together for sure : enjoy -- let me know if u heard of this one ! -
this one cost me a whole dollar ! i bought it mainly cause of the nice shiny colored embossed logo - they dont make em like dat anymore - ha ! - OH , and it sounds good really loud

Spellbound - EMI records - `78
all trax from wax - akashaman 2010
MP3 @ 320kbps - includes high rez cover scan

Spellbound is :
* Bill Burgess
* David Lenchner
* Ralph Carter
* Barry Fast
* James Preston

Just Not A Fool
Our Time Will Come
The Eyes Of Mary
Let It Down Easy
Raise That Silver
Rumor At The Honky Tonk
A Taste Of The Devil
The Way That You Do
The best Is Yet To Come
The Light That Shines

DOWNLOAD -- HERE --

James Griffin & Co. - `74 - Polydor Records

2010-03-20T09:14:00.002-06:00

here is one for bread fans. found this recently , and had to share. its really good !
a lot of ballads , but its all well produced & top notch players. - enjoy ~

James Griffin & Co. - `74 - Polydor Records
all trax from wax - akashaman 2010
MP3 @ 320 kbps - includes high rez cover scans !

Breakin' Up Is Easy
Someday
Love You Till the Cows Come Home
She Knows
Father and Son
You'll Get Along
Lifeline
Goin' Back to Boston
Only Now
Love to Light the Way

This is an incredible album from start to finish. One point before going into the songs in depth. Many people have made a point that David Gates wrote all the sugar sweet ballads for the group and Jimmy Griffin wrote more of the punchy material. I think this is so innaccurate. Gates could write rock and wrote some of the heaviest rock by Bread's standards - 'let your love go' and 'mother freedom' were heavier than anything I can hear Jimmy having done. And Jimmy wrote some incredible ballads during Bread's tenure.
This album shows the soft side of Jimmy's writing and each song is absolutely beautiful and poignant. I am so pleased to have purchased ot and would recommend anyone who likes the melodic beautiful ballads of bread to scoop this up, while it is still available.
All the songs are ballads, except for 'love you till the cows come home', which is a really fun rocker. 'She knows' is just about the best song Griffin ever wrote, with beautiful sentimental words and a subtle orchestral backing. On par with this is 'Only now', equally as soft and beautiful.
'Father and son' is a really catchy song, featuring John Miles of all people- (talented guy who wrote 'music'). It seagues into a protracted middle eight ballad section of the song, then reverts back to the up-tempo main section. again, excellent lyrics and really memorable.
'Love to light the way' is an amazing piano ballad with an excellent electric guitar solo. Great falsetto singing and really soothing. 'Breaking up is easy' is also a piano ballad in a similar vein.

DOWNLOAD -- HERE --

Sparklehorse - Its a Wonderful Life - 2001

2010-03-16T12:45:00.005-06:00

well folks , we lost another good one. the main man behind sparklehorse commited suicide about a week ago. i thought it would be fitting to post an lp of his. i happen to have this one & its one of his best. very minimal music , lo-fi if u will but very spacey & poppy. for those who have never heard them , enjoy ; for those that know of this band , enjoy the LP bonus track ! -
R.I.P. Sparklehorse's Mark Linkous

***************

Focus can be a difficult thing to maintain in art. Once you've begun creating something, it's easy to find yourself off on some tangent you never saw coming. It takes a certain amount of discretion, and often, a certain amount of objective distance, to decide which roads to continue down and which ones to abandon. In music, this is, of course, where producers come in. Their job is essentially to stop the artist from getting carried away with a questionable idea and to moderate decisions about direction and material.

Past Sparklehorse efforts have been plagued by a certain lack of focus. This doesn't mean they weren't good records-- in fact, 1998's Good Morning Spider was something of a creative triumph, even in spite of its general disorganization. That said, though, hiring an outside producer (not to mention fully ridding himself of all drug habits) seems to have done Sparklehorse frontman Mark Linkous a great deal of good. Superproducer Dave Fridmann has developed a certain Midas Touch over the years, imbuing nearly every album he works on with a distinctive sonic character, and It's a Wonderful Life has his fingerprints all over it.

The most focused Sparklehorse effort yet, the album flows along with the grace of a river occasionally stirred by a rapid or two. The half-songs and quickly squelched ideas of Linkous' past releases are absent in favor of fully fleshed pieces stuffed full of mellotrons, optigans, orchestrons, and sundry humming keyboards. Only once is its flow is only badly disrupted. (We'll get to that in a second.)

The majority of It's a Wonderful Life brims with electro American gothic ballads and fuzzy purees of lo-fi and hi-fi aesthetics. There aren't really any out-and-out rave-ups like "Pig" or "Happy Man," but a few of the mid-tempo numbers display enough bite for commercial radio play. (I'm asking too much, aren't I?) "Gold Day" snags the ear with a concise melodic hook and some snazzy mellotron flutes. And Linkous' defiantly surrealist approach to lyrics is in full effect here, with all manner of references to smiling babies, organ music, birds, and celestial bodies.

In fact, some of the lyrics are so surreal that it's hard to imagine they're even metaphors for anything. When Linkous implores, "Can you feel the rings of Saturn on your finger?" in the Vic Chesnutt-cast-adrift-in-a-post-modern-sound-collage number "Sea of Teeth," it's hard to believe that there's much hidden meaning behind it. Animal imagery also abounds; bees, poison frogs, roosters, dogs, doves, and horses all pop up on the first track. How exactly the line, "I'm full of bees that died at sea," proceeds logically to the title refrain of, "It's a wonderful life," is questionable at best, but the claustrophobic mix of optigan, static, chamberlin, and Linkous' plaintive delivery redeems the lyrical content with beautiful production and shimmering instrumentation.

The soulful PJ Harvey duet "Piano Fire" picks up the energy a bit, proffering lyrical imagery of dusty organs and pianos washing up on beaches, amid a heavily distorted guitar racket and subtly employed electronics. In different places, It's a Wonderful Life conjures recent Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev, and Grandaddy, all bands who operate in roughly the same headspace as Linkous. The quietly bleeping "Apple Bed," in particular, recalls some of The Sophtware Slump's more elegiac moments.

Unfortunately, there's that one aforementioned sore thumb that interrupts the otherwise smooth flow of the album, so allow me to preface my next statement with the following diatribe: I love Tom Waits. His music is rarely short of brilliant on some level, and I've long admired his position as one of the most fearless, innovative, and downright unique songwriters on the planet. The man's craft is his genius personified, and I can't get enough of it.

So why does his contribution to It's a Wonderful Life suck so much? "Dog Door" is a miserable distraction. Imagine you're floating down a peaceful river on a raft. It's just you, the trees, the birds, and the fish. You don't have a care in the world. Then, suddenly, the violent hillbillies from Deliverance swoop down out of nowhere, pelting you with rocks and shouting an unmemorable phrase over and over again in an annoying, processed falsetto. That is "Dog Door." Allow me now to sulk like a denied child.

The flow of the album actually picks back up rather easily after "Dog Door" finally, mercifully ends, returning to the eerily placid fare that characterizes the rest of the proceedings with "More Yellow Birds." Soon after, "Babies on the Sun" closes things on a tired, but musically inventive note, with burbling electronics and looped string samples supporting typically cryptic lyrics.

It's a Wonderful Life is a strong offering for Sparklehorse, largely shaking off the excesses of past efforts (maddening Tom Waits collaboration aside) in favor of cohesion and structure. The focus unfortunately keeps Linkous from accessing any truly awe-inspiring standout moments like the ones on past records, but the overall result is a lot more rewarding in the long term.

— Joe Tangari, September 30, 2001

Sparklehorse - Its a Wonderful Life - 2001

all trax from wax - akashaman - 2010
MP3 @ 320kbps

It's a Wonderful Life
Gold Day
Piano Fire
Sea of Teeth
Apple Bed
King of Nails
Eyepennies
Dog Door
More Yellow Birds
Little Fat Babies
Devil's New
Comfort Me
Babies on the Sun
maxine

DOWNLOAD -- HERE --

The American Breed - Lonely Side of the City - `68 , acta records

2010-03-08T08:55:00.003-06:00

this one is not that obscure , but will be nice for completist
another installment of the american breed. this one is all out gloomy , ha - kinda ironic with all the sunny vocals , but there ya go.
might go good on a rainy day or if you are goin through a miserable breakup :(

"The final American Breed album is as gloomy inside as it looks outside on the cover. This isn't a negative review by any means. Each track seems to be a puzzle piece in the life of a depressed person.
"Always You" begins with a bass guitar played with a pick and that signature snare drum sound. Enter some sparse piano chords and Gary's fragile voice.
The album progresses into more flowery topics but always leans toward the sadness in relationships. Their version of Paul Williams' "To Put Up With You" (also found on Paul's debut lp) is watered-down bubblegum. Complete with "bum-bum-bum-bum" sing a long refrain. "Another Bad Morning" could have easily been rerecorded by Roxy Music, for it sounds just like them. "Partners in Life" is very reminiscent of The Beatles "Elenore Rigby" dealing with old age and death.
Who knows what would have been had the Breed stayed together long enough for another lp? They did manage to release 2 more monsterous flop singles (1) "Hunky Funky" A Chuck Colbert sung soul jumper and (2) "Private Zoo" a sizzling acid-rock-lite
tune with fuzz guitar."

The American Breed - Lonely Side of the City - `68 , acta records
all trax from wax by akashaman 2010
MP3 @ 320 kbps - high rez cover scan

1. Always You
2. Walls
3. Partners in Love
4. Out in the Cold
5. Love Is Just a State of Mind
6. New Games to Play
7. I've Got to Get You Off
8. Another Bad Morning
9. What Can You Do When You're
10. River of No Regrets

DOWNLOAD -- HERE --

City Boy - Young Men Gone West - `77 , mercury

2010-03-07T13:34:00.001-06:00

ok , here is yet another CITYBOY installment !
and yet another great album. sad music this good never got just credit. my fave tracks are bordello night , young men gone west & millionare , but they all are great !

"Young men gone west" was the first City Boy album to see a change in the line up, with Tony Braunagel sitting in on drums for the departed Roger Kent. Braunagel would not actually join the band though, and no drummer is credited on the album sleeve.

This album does not quite follow the pop ethos of ten songs, five on each side of the album, but only in that there are six tracks on side two! Apart from that, what we have here is sophisticated pop of the 10CC variety, pure and simple. There is a sort of overall concept to the album which mainly focuses on a young man's experiences with ladies of ill repute.

The opening "Dear Jean (I'm nervous)" is the longest and best arranged song on the album, with a fine guitar ending. Incidentally, the LP sleeve mixes up the track order of the first two songs, showing the second song "Bordello night" as the opener. The 10CC similarities are most evident on tracks such as "Honeymooners" with its clever lyrics and jaunty, shuffling melody and "The runaround" which features high range melodies.

It is difficult to pick out highlights here, if one track appeals to you, chances are they all will. The theme of the album though is rather appropriate, as here City Boy are being led astray from any prog sensibilities which might have been present on their earlier albums, into the crowed arena of sophisticated pop. - [easy livin]

City Boy - Young Men Gone West - `77 , mercury
all trax from wax - by akashaman - 2010 ~
MP3 @ 320 kbps - high rez cover scan

1. Bordello Night
2. Dear Jean (I'm Nervous)
3. Honeymooners
4. She's Got Style
5. Bad for Business
6. Young Men Gone West
7. I've Been Spun
8. One After Two
9. Runaround
10. Man Who Ate His Car
11. Millionaire

DOWNLOAD -- HERE --

Stardrive featuring robert mason - `74 , columbia records

2010-03-07T11:45:00.004-06:00

ok , found this one recently & its so far out there i had to post it at the kosmos !
the moog obviously wasnt good enuff for this guy , he had to build his own synth & he named it "STARDRIVE". AND he sure knows how to play it : prog fans delight , synth fans delight , space rock fans in general delight ; this one smokes... hang on tight .

found this info on the web , ha !

*************

STARDRIVE IS A ROCK GROUP.
It is named for the power that propels a moving body to the speed of light -- the velocity at which matter ceases to be matter and becomes pure energy.This energy is the source of STARDRIVE's musical aesthetic.
And at the center of STARDRIVE's energy is a man and a machine bonded in an organic relationship that signals the future for us all -- a time when machines are true extensions of our feelings.
The man is Robert Mason.
The machine, which he built, is literally the most advanced keyboard instrument in existence. It is an electronic synthesizer that combines the infinite musical possibilities of studio systems like the Moog, the Arp, and the Buchla, but with one very important difference .......... Mason's machine has an incredible, real-time, live performance capability. And when man and machine play perform, they are one.
STARDRIVE's idiom is rock unlike anything ever performed before.
It is wailing and pounding and flowing and ebbing and ethereal and hypnotic........ with brilliant, sensuous whirlpools of light and color and texture. It is basic and emotional, almost a tactile thing. And it is very hard to forget, once you've experienced it.
When STARDRIVE begins to play and you begin to listen---sit back and really listen. You're taking the next step outward...... a journey where time takes on a new dimension. A journey through the infinite possibilities of music.

about robert mason

His formal musical background began at the prodigious age of twelve. He studied piano and composition at the Mannes and Julliard Schools in New York City, at the same time studying privately with several contemporary composers. During these years, he composed and conducted a lot of music - a remarkable feat, but unsatisfying for Mason as an effective means of musical expression.
He graduated from the Oberlin Conservatory, with a bachelor's degree in composition, and began exploring outward, composing tapes at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center. Later, he worked with Morton Subotnik at the New York University Electronic Music Workshop, playing with composers Steve Reich and Paul Bley. It was around this time that he began searching for something beyond the musical limitations of the Moog, Arp and Buchla synthesizers.
Each step along the way he added something to his musical insights and sensibilities: mixed-media concerts at the Electric Circus, arranging for rock bands, joining Free Life Communications (a collective of New York's top instrumental musicians), and collaborating with several dance groups at the Space for Innovative Development in New York. It was at this time that Mason completed the major developments of his performance synthesizer, and started assembling the personnel for a group.
STARDRIVE is the culmination.
What also brought him to this point is the persistent feeling that "electronic music has been limited in its development on one extreme by the dry hand of intellectualism the on the other, by musical hacks looking for a gimmick to suck in a pop audience. They don't play electronic music any more than my instrument can play without me".
What really makes Mason different from anyone else in music today - pop or so-called 'pure electronic' - is that he is equally at home in the European musical tradition, the rock and blues idiom, and the world of electronic music.
He also believes that "electronic music will grow more in an emotional climate, because human beings can have energy relationships with machines. Right now, it's an all or nothing situation for me. Either I can use what I presently have - a direct linkage of my fingers to electronic infinity- or else find a machine that responds directly to my thoughts. Do you know how fantastically spontaneous that would be - to have a telepathic instead of of mechanical relationship with an instrument?"
"Maybe these notions are 21st century ideas. Who knows, they'll probably seem antiquated to a 22nd century musicologist. But tfiiat's show biz."'

Hornplayer TREVOR KOEHLER doubles on soprano and baritone sax, as well as flute and brings to STARDRIVE a rare dynamism and versatility. He was voted ##1 (baritone sax) in the 1970 Jazz & Pop Critic's Poll. And his range of experience extends from country and western to the outer limits of musical expression. Most recently, he has played with the Gil Evans Orchestra and the Insect Trust.
Guitarist STEVE KHAN has worked with people like Tim Buckley, Paul Anka, the Friends of Distinction and the Jazz Crusaders. He's a perceptive and forceful player with a fluid style that wastes no effort.
Drummer, BARRY LAZAROWITZ is a seasoned studio musician who's played with Chuck Jackson, Peter Thom, Janis Ian and James Moody, among others. His fantastic energy output is channeled into a remarkably articulate precision sound.
JOHN MILLER is not only an extraordinary bass player, he's one of the best known in New York. Equally at home in rock, jazz and even classical music, he's played with Tim Buckley, Dreams, Pete Seeger, Chico Hamilton and Richie Havens

STARDRIVE is THE ELECTRONIC MUSIC BAND.
We are building toward a higher future, one in which music will be ultra-technological and yet truly human. The path is clear - man's collective knowledge is immense and continues to expand - unless we make music with it, it will only serve itself and stifle our joy - and without this joy a future harmony of men and machines is impossible.
The music of STARDRIVE is truly a music of all races and cultures. Not an eclectic tapestry of styles, it is a unified sound-form that cuts through social barriers and cultural categories. This sound will eventually communicate to the entire planet. It is the music of Marshal McCluhan's global village and of Buckminster Fuller's spaceship earth.
Perception of time is the most revealing aspect of a man's total philosophy. The West's constant urge for recapitulation, the East's embrace of the aimless flow; these are the polar opposites that conflict in the conscioussness of every man. The music of STARDRIVE expresses both these time-perceptions simultaneously; the listener's conscioussness becomes a balanced composite. This is the normal frame of mind for the citizen of the future.
Electronic sound is the key to these changes of music and mind. After thousands of years, there finally exists a new sound vocabulary capable of profoundly re-arranging our thinking processes. The electronic equipment STARDRIVE uses is the most advanced of its kind; never have machines been so attuned to muscular responses, never before have mind and body come so close together.

STARDRIVE, THE ELECTRONIC MUSIC BAND, is aware of all this. We are continually projecting our largest and smallest dimensions through the harmonious rhythm of sound.
- Robert Mason

Stardrive featuring robert mason - `74 , columbia records
all trax from wax by akashaman - 2010 -
MP3 @ 320kbps
includes high rez cover scans !

********

1. Funkascensions
2. Ballad I
3. Jupiterjump
4. Pulsar
5. Ballad II
6. Air Sauce
7. Ballad III
8. Journey

DOWNLOAD -- HERE --

Rotary Connection - Aladdin - `68 - cadet concept records

2010-03-06T08:02:00.000-06:00

top download of the kosmos here @ over 4,000 so far ! back to the top it goes , enjoy this one a real mind blower.
OMG , he actually came back. ha
internet has been down , sorry kids.
but i am back with a heavy hitter ,
if this one doesnt blow your mind ,
chances are its already been blown.
this lp was recorded in chicago in the
summer of `68.tons of horns , heavy
arrangements & fuzzed out leads ,
soaring vocal harmonies - wierd chitter chat ,
earth shattering drums / bass , this lp has it all.
every time i hear it , i like it more.
its quite simply "the bomb"
let me know what "you" think.
oh & thats not me shreddin on "paper castle" ,
even tho it sounds like it , lol.
what were they thinkin ?

"Rotary Connection -- the celestial Chicago group that featured the voice of a young Minnie Riperton, and production by the god-like Charles Stepney! This lp is completely unique -- a mad blend of soul, rock, jazz, and lots of stunning studio touches. Tight rhythms and bassy grooves meet with strings and soul -- and the result is a majestically floating approach to pop that's never been duplicated again! More than a few cuts have some really nice drums in them -- funky where you wouldn't expect, and in a good way"

ha , this one is guaranteed to put a smile on your face , & 40 yrs later , its the same old shit & nothing has changed.!!?

highlights - teach me how to fly , let them talk , **aladdin , magical world & paper castle

rotary connection - aladdin - `68 cadet concept records - MP3 @ 320 kbps - 85 MB
"ALL TRAX FROM WAX" transferred by da` shaman - 2007
* high rez cover art , liner notes included

trip II
1. Life Could
2. Teach Me How To Fly
3. V.I.P.
4. Let Them Talk
5. I Took A Ride (Caravan)

trip II [ cont.]
6. Aladdin
7. Magical World
8. I Must Be There
9. I Feel Sorry
10. Paper Castle

DOWNLOAD - -- HERE --

Intergalactic Touring Band - `76 - Passport Records

2010-03-06T02:58:00.000-06:00

DON`T FORGET ABOUT THIS ONE !

ok , here is yet another lost gem from the 70`s. this one is more in the art rock / prog rock vein , similar to yes & early prog pioneers. very expansive , proposterous piece , bordering on rediculous , but this is what i personally love about it. over the top in many ways , but still very enjoyable for those into conceptual pieces & storylines.
here is a rundown of some players involve here , including a pre "bat out of hell" meatloaf !
* Brian Cuomo: keyboards, orchestral arrangement on "Robot Salesman" and "Love Station"
* Larry Fast: synthesizers, mellotrons and vocoder, prepared effects on "Starship Jingle"
* Paul Marchetti: drums and percussion, primitive percussion on "Universal Zoo/Why"
* David Scance: acoustic and electric guitars, backing vocals on "Silver Lady", group vocals and electric guitar on "A Planet Called Monday/Epilogue"
* Peter Sobel: bass, backing vocals on "Silver Lady", primitive percussion, additional vocals and prepared effects on "Universal Zoo/Why?", acoustic guitar on "Reaching Out" and "Robot Salesman", additional percussion on "Love Station"
* Rod Argent: lead vocal on "Silver Lady"
* Steve Barth: lead vocal on "First Landing"
* Danny Beckerman: orchestral arrangement on "Universal Zoo/Why", "First Landing" and "A Planet Called Monday/Epilogue"
* David Bedford: orchestral arrangement on "Heartbreaker", "Space Commando" and "Love Station"
* "The Boss": effect vocal on "Universal Zoo/Why"
* Arthur Brown: lead vocal on "Universal Zoo"
* Ryche Chlanda: electric guitar on "Robot Salesman"
* Clarence Clemons: sax solo on "Love Station"
* Irene Conrad: effect vocal on "Silver Lady"
* Dave Cousins: lead vocal on "Heartbreaker"
* Jim Cuomo: lead vocal on "Robot Salesman"
* Frank D'Agostino: group vocals
* Stephen Gaifas: orchestral arrangements on "Silver Lady", "Starship Jingle", "Heartbreaker", "Space Commando", "Robot Salesman" and "Love Station"
* Bill Guerra: additional vocals on "Universal Zoo/Why?"
* Annie Haslam: all vocals on "Reaching Out"
* Mighty Joe Young Intile, B.E.: tympani on "Reaching Out", additional percussion on "First Landing"
* Percy Jones: fretless bass on "Why" and "Keeper Keep Us"
* Ben E. King: lead vocal on "Love Station"
* Joel Krantz: group vocals, lead vocal on "Why"
* Jeffrey Leynor: lead vocal on "Epilogue"
* Wil Malone: orchestral arrangements on "Approach", "Silver Lady", Starship Jingle", "Reaching Out", "First Landing" and "Keeper Keep Us"
* Pepe Marchello: lead vocal on "Starship Jingle"
* Meatloaf: lead vocal on "Keeper Keep Us"
* Rick Parfett: lead vocal on "A Planet Called Monday"
* Passport Munchkins: additional vocals on "First Landing"
* Janis Pendarvis & Friends: background vocals on "Love Station"
* Anthony Phillips: acoustic guitars on "Reaching Out"
* Frank Prescod: bass on "First Landing" (with Peter Sobel), "Robot Salesman" and "Love Station"
* Harry Rabinowitz: conductor of London Symphony Orchestra on "Approach", and members of the LSO on "Reaching Out"
* Marge Raymond: Silver Lady vocal on "Silver Lady"
* Francis Rossi: lead vocal on "A Planet Called Monday"
* Marty Scott: backing vocals on "Silver Lady", primitive percussion and additional vocals on "Universal Zoo/Why?", electric autoharp and prepared effects on "Starship Jingle", additional percussion on "Space Commando"
* Mr. Snips: lead vocal on "Space Commando"
* Shelly Thompson: group vocals
* John Tropea: electric guitar on "Love Station"
* John Zangradno: flutes on "Starship Jingle" and "Heartbreaker"

The Inter-Galactic Touring Band is a wonderful combination of rock music and science fiction that takes us on an imaginary romp through the cosmos. Special sound effects, mostly performed by Larry Fast of the Synergy® Electronic Music label accentuate the experience and add realism to the entire work.

Each song tells a different story. All of them are awe-inspiring. If you like science fiction, you will enjoy the ideas presented in these wonderful stories. The music is impeccably arranged and performed and some of the best vocal artists were chosen to sing the scores. (Such as Meatloaf and Status Quo )

fan site here with more info than you need : I G T B

Intergalactic Touring Band - `76 - Passport Records - 320 kbps - 88.8 MB
*includes high rez front cover art

1. Approach
2. Silver Lady
3. Universal Zoo/Why?
4. Starship Jingle
5. Heartbreaker
6. Reaching Out
7. First Landing
8. Space Commando
9. Robot Salesman
10. Love Station
11. A Planet Called Monday/Epilogue
12. Keeper Keep Us

download -- here --

tommy roe - its now winters day - `69 - abc records

2010-02-27T06:42:00.004-06:00

i already posted tommy roes phantasy LP , here is another in the same vein. pretty trippy stuff ! - vocal arrangements by curt boettcher - of association & tons more / need i say more ? he also did percussion & who knows what all , ha . this album is really good ! here is a lossless share. have the mono lp , but its too noisy !
i really love this album. i give it 5 stars MF ! -- ! there is a lot to listen to , they had fun with this one in the studio ! - TURN IT UP !!!!

***

This album takes me back to the winter of 1967. Here Tommy Roe musically embraces the more experimental atmosphere of the period just prior to the Summer of Love and creates a gem of mod/pop/rock with tinges of psychedelic influence. While Tommy Roe wrote or co-wrote all the tunes, the production of the album is heavily influenced by Curt Boettcher who produced the classic Association hits "Along Comes Mary" and "Cherish". Boettcher is credited with Vocal Arrangements although the liner notes indicate he was involved with a large part of the production of the album.

While this album is all Tommy Roe, you can hear similarities to other artists of that era. "Leave Her" is a good pop/rock opener with a Lou Christie-type feel. There's a tinge of early Neil Diamond in "Aggravation" and "Misty Eyes", two other pop/rockers.

"Long Live Love" and "Nightime" have a message similar to the non-comedy songs of Ray Stevens ("Mr. Businessman"/"Unwind") with the theme of slowing down and appreciating life.

"Golden Girl" is a pop love ballad with a Tin Pan Alley tint that could easily have been done by Davy Jones.

"Sing Along With Me" is a sunshiny-sweet 60's pop song (remember the Coke commercials teaching the "world to sing") which (for me at least) can get a little old.

"Moontalk" is a unique pre-moonlanding gem (written just as the Gemini program was winding down and the Apollo program was starting up) about the romantic ramifications of landing a man on the moon. I don't know of any other song that ever tackled this topic.

"Have Pity on Me" is a bluesy torch song which I don't remember liking that much back then, but now I see it as something that could be done by the Blues Brothers.

"Cry on Crying Eyes" is not a typical Tommy Roe song having a darker feel of a love gone wrong and reminds me of the later hits of the Turtles.

"Sweet Sounds" is a nice song is probably the tune closest to a typical Tommy Roe hit ("Sheila", "Hazel", et al.). It was released as a B-side single ("Moontalk" as the A-side). Perhaps the record would have charted better with Tommy Roe's core fans if the sides had been reversed.

The title cut - "It's Now Winters Day" - is my favorite cut. It evokes wintertime imagery and could have become a seasonal Christmas song. I find similarities in this track to the songs on the recent Kenny Loggins "December" album. Quite a nice track.

The bonus track, "Kick Me Charlie" is the B-side of the "It's Now Winter's Day" single and is a good rocking cut from that era.

According to the liner notes (which are quite informative), this album was not embraced by Tommy Roe's fans. It was a departure, less pop/bubblegum and frankly, was a more mature album. I think anyone interested in Tommy Roe, the styles of the Association, Lou Christie, early Neil Diamond or the mod/pop/pre-psychedelic period on the eve of the Summer of Love might want to give it a listen. [bruce d. davis]

tommy roe - its now winters day - `69 - abc records
LOSSLESS

1. Leave Her
2. Moontalk
3. Aggravation
4. Golden Girl
5. Misty Eyes
6. Have Pity on Me
7. Sing Along with Me
8. Long Live Love
9. Nightime
10. Cry on Crying Eyes
11. Sweet Sounds
12. It's Now Winter's Day

DOWNLOAD -- HERE --

tommy roe - its now winters day - `69 - abc records

dick hyman - the electric eclectics of - `69 - command records

2010-02-26T20:07:00.003-06:00

alright !
here is another request. gotta luv this one. all out MOOG from the man himself , mr. dick hyman ~ i am still seeking his 2nd one on command , the orange one !
but this one rox - very experimental & vintage .. this one is real fun !
enjoy

*********************

Dick Hyman. Tell me this guy did not get beat up in school because of his name! Yet, somehow he managed to survive and become a prolific musician, multi-keyboardist, and film composer. Though he is best known for his talent at capturing the keyboard sounds of the past, some of his earliest work was with giant Moog synthesizers.

The Electric Eclectics of Dick Hyman is a snapshot of some of the earliest Moog music, at the height of Moog-mania. Moog albums were popping up everywhere, thanks to Switched-On Bach, and Gershon Kingsley’s cheesy psychedelic Moog albums. This CD captures that era in all its glory(?). The tracks range from the goofy to hardcore lounge synth work that will bring a smile to your face. Hyman’s tunes may sound a little dated, but that’s part of their charm, and his playing is nothing if not virtuosic.

Several cuts foreshadow the music of recent electronica artists. “Topless Dancers of Corfu” is cheesy as hell, with its squawky synth sound, and European folk dance melody. Yet, Hyman was doing something that nobody had really done before, making pop music with the giant Moog modular synthesizer. “The Legend of Johnny Pot” is cheesy, too, but the songs have a retro appeal. In fact, you’ll hear some sounds and grooves that would be right at home on some modern lounge electronica.

“Four Duets in Odd Meter” are more experimental. The sound choices are more “far-out”, sounding odd, if not quite spacey. The track has an improvised feel, and it explores continous key changes and complex rhythms.

Listen to “The Minotaur”, and you can hear where Keith Emerson cribbed some of his ideas. The track starts with a primitive drum machine track, and some early sequenced bass. On top of this, Hyman plays a short tune, and then plays variations and improvisations on the theme. The sound he uses sounds very familiar…think “Lucky Man”. Hyman’s improvisational style on “The Minotaur” seems to anticipate the chromatic style that Emerson made popular a few years later. He also uses lots of octave jumps, with the notes sliding from one octave to another. This is one of the most listenable cuts on the album because of the great playing. It’s also interesting as one of the earliest examples of jazz-rock synthesizer improvisations.

Several other improvised tracks explore other territory, from a quiet, almost ambient track, that will remind some listeners of Raymond Scott’s work, to a funky take on James Brown’s “Give it up, turn it loose”.

Not a classic, but nevertheless enjoyable listening and an interesting record, The Electric Eclectics of Dick Hyman is old enough to be appreciated for what it is, well-crafted pop electronica from the early days of electronica.

dick hyman - the electric eclectics of - `69 - command records

all trax from wax - akashaman - 2010

MP3 @ 320 kbps - includes high rez scans of front/back - inside covers ~!

Topless Dancers Of Corfu
The Legend Of Johnny Pot
The Moog And Me
Tap Dance In The Memory Banks
Four Duets In Odd Meter
The Minotaur
Total Bells And Tony
Improvisation In Fourths
Evening Thoughts

DOWNLOAD -- HERE --

Very Best of Orpheus - 2001 - CD

2010-02-24T09:10:00.006-06:00

here is another request. i have 3 orpheus lp`s , but they are pretty common via da blogs. so here is the best of from cd , still @ 320 !
[ MIGHT STILL GET TO THE FULL LENGTH LP`S , SO HANG TOUGH , NOT AT TOP OF LIST THO ]
enjoy

*****

Orpheus is a Worcester, Massachusetts-based rock band that enjoyed popularity in the 1960s and early 1970s. In recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in the avant guard band. Original members included guitarist/vocalists Bruce Arnold and Jack McKennes, bass guitarist Eric "The Snake" Gulliksen, and drummer Harry Sandler but many others have since been a part of the group. Orpheus recorded three albums and four singles for MGM Records produced by musical legend Alan Lorber, including their best known hit, Can’t Find The Time, though it was later work that came to actually define the band.

Very Best of Orpheus - cd , 2001
MP3 @ 320kbps , includes scans ~

1-Can't Find the Time
2-I've Never Seen Love Like This
3-Walk Away Renee
4-To Touch Our Love Again
5-Joyful
6-By the Size of My Shoes
7-Congress Alley
8-I'll Stay With You
9-Me About You
10-Brown Arms in Houston
11-Never in My Life
12-I Can Make the Sun Rise
13-I'll Fly
14-Just a Little Bit
15-Big Green Pearl
16-Tomorrow Man

DOWNLOAD -- HERE --

Kasenetz-Katz Super Circus - `69 , buddah records

2010-02-23T15:07:00.006-06:00

ok kids ; this one is by request ; a bit of bubblegum for ya , from the leaders of the pack -- Kasenetz-Katz ! - enjoy ~

Future bubblegum producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeff Katz met at the University of Arizona, where Katz was attending on a football scholarship and Kasenetz was one of the managers on the football team. Upon leaving the University, Katz returned to New York and received a call from Kasenetz who was living on the West Coast. Kasenetz asked Katz to come out west and join him in starting a new business, something in the music business. Katz didn't know a thing about the business and had no intention on moving to California. So Kasenetz moved to New York and the two started to manage acts in Greenwich Village. One of the groups, the Palace Guards, were signed to Mercury and a single was produced. Kasenetz and Katz didn't like the results and figured they could do a better job of producing. And that's how they started producing!

They met up with Neil Bogart at Cameo and followed him to Buddah, his new label. Once set, K&K were responsible for Little Bit O' Soul by The Music Explosion (for Laurie Records) and -- with their first project for Buddah -- the 1910 Fruitgum Company. The group was one of a billion garage bands back then, but K&K gave them a new name and a song: Simon Says, a #4 hit in early 1968. They continued their initial success by having studio musicians play instead of the group only keeping singer Mark Gutkowski for the hits 1-2-3 Red Light and Indian Giver. Working with the Ohio Express and Joey Levine in the same manner, at the same time, they produced the massive hits Yummy, Yummy, Yummy and Chewy, Chewy.

The Buddah label took off and this inexperienced production team was now dominating the charts. The Express followed with Down At LuLu's and Mercy and Levine handled vocals for Quick Joey Small (Run Joey Run) for the Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus and Bubble Gum Music for the Rock 'N' Roll Dubble Bubble Trading Card Company of Philadelphia 1914 (whew!). Probably the most respected song of Bubblegum was Gimme Gimme Good Lovin' by Crazy Elephant and the list goes on. Admittedly, Bubblegum music is a small niche of pop but imagine if one production team produced The Beatles, Rolling Stones and The Who . . . well, that's the impact Jerry Kasenetz and Jeff Katz had on the charts and on your big sister and brother's transistor radio.

Probably the most endearing quality of the duo was their willingness to get product out on the streets as soon as they could. Only an A-side recorded? No problem! They'd quickly write Sticky, Sticky, the simplest song of all time or Pow Wow a pre-recorded song played backwards! Call it psychedelic experimental if you want, but don't think for a minute that Bubblegum didn't try to push pop farther than it had ever gone. They even orchestrated a Bubblegum concert at Carnegie Hall and recreated the event in the studio in order to release a good sounding "live" album.

"Those two were difficult to work with," said Ohio Express guitarist Doug Grassel. "It was strictly a money game with them. They'd tell us, 'Keep it simple. Hurry up. You're costing us money. They'd tell us what songs to play. And if we didn't like a particular song, they'd say something like, 'Who do you think you are? Jimi Hendrix?'"

By 1972, Bubblegum lost its flavor with the public and Kasenetz and Katz tried to move on. They produced a slew of mid-western rock groups and found little success until Ram Jam had a hit with Black Betty in 1977. Like most, if not all of the Bubblegum participants, K&K haven't resurfaced since. Maybe they'll be surfing the net one night and find a site dedicated to Bubblegum and . . .

check out what they are up to now ! kasenetz and katz all-stars

Kasenetz-Katz Super Circus - `69 , buddah records
all trax from wax , by akashaman - 2010
MP3 @ 320kbps - includes high rez front cover scan

Quick Joey Small
Let Me Introduce You
Easy to Love
Log in Fire
Shake
I'm in Love with You
New York Woman
Up in the Air
I Got It Bad for You
Down at Lulu's
The Super Circus

DOWNLOAD -- HERE --

Planet P Project - Pink World - 1984

2010-02-14T23:07:00.000-06:00

hey all :

here is another obscurity , the classic conceptual underground double LP ..
some may remember , some may not know.
engineered by the same guy that did "the wall" -- Nigel Jopson.
i found this treasure back in the 80`s , so i kinda grew up on this one.
i rank it up there with elo`s "out of the blue" both in scope & magnitude.
its rather lengthy & a tough chew , but if you are into the sci-fi , space rock conceptual all out sort of vibe , this will be your new treasure.

tony carey had a couple hits b4 this ; a fine , fine day & why me ?
he also played keyboards with ritchie blackmore & ronnie dio in rainbow.
pink world was conceived shortly after his departure from rainbow & carey wrote, plays & produced the whole project.
one of my all time faves , i actually have this on double PINK vinyl !

transfered from CD MP3 @ VBR , 111 MB

enjoy

let me know what ya think !

"and the minute men stood as we knew they would & the world went temporarily sane - the radio said "my god , cover your head & get out of the pourin` rain"

*******

"Still a one-man show, Tony Carey, under the banner of Planet P Project, again teamed with producer Peter Hauke for this 1984 follow-up to the self-titled debut of the prior year. It's a sprawling, ambitious double album with a sketchy plot line revolving around Artimus, a boy who doesn't speak, and a Cold War-inspired Armageddon. Like it's predecessor, the music features a heavy emphasis on synthesizers, although there's also a good dose of guitar, giving it appeal to rock fans. Carey infuses Pink World with solid melodies, and there's plenty to enjoy on tracks like the surging title cut, the brooding "What I See," and the folk-tinged "A Boy Who Can't Talk." And, to his credit, despite the somewhat cumbersome premise, Carey manages to keep it all from getting too pretentious. Pink World is a curiously interesting work that has managed to achieve a certain cult status." -- AMG

"this record is one of the greatest of the concept albums made in the class of Pink Floyd's The Wall or The Who's Tommy, comparable only in the type of the album, not the story. Pink World is fascinating in how it interprets the subconscious terrors of the cold war into a coherent artistic work. The imagery is fascinating and speaks to Tony Carey's talent. To make sense of what the story is about, you have to realize that Tony Carey is at least nominally a Native American and his culture placed premium value on visions and storytelling, the other part of it is that at the time he recorded the album he lived in West Germany, that in an event of al all out Nukewar was going to bear the brunt of the US/Soviet Armor/Artillery/Nuclear/Chemical Biological exchange in which the main casualties were going to be civilians. In general terms, the gist of the story is about a messianic visionary leading the survivors of the nuclear holocost across the devastated landscape, much as shamans in the pre-historic times attempted to lead their fellow tribesmen out of starvation. It is unfortunate that this album did not receive greater acclaim or that Tony Carey did not have his own band or worked with other artists since greater artistic collaboration would have created a stronger piece. The fact that the album played on all of the fears of Tony Carey's generation, and yet did not receive greater acceptance is a good argument against the concept of Collective Unconsciousness as postulated by Dr. Jung. Finally, his last laugh is that Artemis was the goddess of hunting in Greek panthenon, and historically, the oldest worshipped deity in ancient Greece, mayhaps even The Goddess. Mona Lisa has her smile, Buddha has his, and so does Tony Carey." --- amazon

*********
PLANET P PROJECT - PINK WORLD : 1984 - MCA

tracklisting :

1. In the Woods
2. To Live Forever
3. Pink World
4. What I See
5. To Live Forever, Pt. 2
6. Power
7. In the Forest
8. Boy Who Can't Talk
9. Stranger
10. What I See, Pt. 2
11. Shepherd
12. Behind the Barrier
13. Pink World Coming Down
14. Breath
15. This Perfect Place
16. What Artie Knows
17. In the Zone
18. Behind the Barrier, Pt. 2
19. March of the Artemites
20. This Perfect Place, Pt. 2
21. Letter From the Shelter
22. What Artie Knows, Pt. 2
23. One Star Falling
24. Baby's at the Door
25. Requiem
26. Boy Who Can't Talk, Pt. 2

download -- here --

Planet P Project `- 84 , Geffen - - [ QUIEX II PRESS ]

2010-02-14T18:45:00.011-06:00

OK , veering off course a bit , but here is the second planet p installment.
i already posted the second , pink world - double !
i figured it was fitting being 2010 & all. there is a line in Why me that goes
"the last man to be here-was never heard from again-he won't be back this way till 2010...!! - and now I'm riding on a fountain of fire-with my back to the earth-I go higher and higher-why me? " ! -- so , here i am , ha -
for those that never heard this , your in for a real treat. especially if you are into spacey sci-fi rock , with lots of keys , layers & mood shifting imagery.
it doesnt get much better than this. i am proud to say that when this came out in `84 , i was delivering pizzas & the why me song was a huge hit , yes; it was my fave song that year ! - oh , & i have the cd , but this is ripped from a QUIEX II Press of the vinyl [ IT REALLY SOUNDS GREAT , WAX WAS REAL CLEAN ! ], + 2 bonus trax takin` from CD ! tony wrote & played most everything here & even produced it , it is an amazing recording !
enjoy ~

"Back in the 1980's, Tony Carey had enough musical and lyrical ideas in him that he split his output into two different outlets. Songs about individuals and stories at a personal level were released under his own name, while songs about societies and technology issues were released under the name "Planet P Project". This album was the first one for the PPP, released on Geffen records. There were a few spacey music videos which got a fair amount of airplay on MTV, back in the early days of MTV when it still had something to do with "music". I *thnk* there was a video for "Static" which got some video-play, but the video that most people will remember was one for "Why Me?".
"Static" is a song that views a world after some major man-made disaster, generally believed to be a nuclear war but never specifically mentioned as such. With lyrics such as: ``But you can't believe it, where did all the people go? A finger on the button -- static on the radio''. It's a wistful song of loss and tragedy on a grand scale.
I have always liked the song "King for a Day", which talks about those people with a insatiable thirst for power and writing their name in history. ``Build me a castle, and throw a parade. Put my name in stone, so the words won't fade. Start a religion, and name it for me. Build me a city, and give me the key! I'm king for a day, and can do no wrong...''. But in some ways it is also a commentary on the societies who *WANT* to crown their own kings for a day, one king after another.
Another interesting song is "Armageddon", which in some ways is a revisiting of the end-of-world theme from "Static". I am probably reading into this song that Tony wasn't meaning to write, but to me this song is about the major failing of modern society's success with technology. While we keep making tremendous strides in technology, societies are still hell bent on destroying each other (or themselves, for that matter). The main line from the song is simply, ``Armegeddon, oh no. Armageddon -- you came too soon''. Mankind might have the brainpower to solve all of it's problems, but not the willpower.
"Why Me?" is the song that got the most airplay. It's about an astronaut being launched on a very long-term space mission. With lines like: ``Thinking about the girl I left behind -- Houston can you hear me, or have I lost my mind? Why Me? Why Me?'', and ``The last guy to be here was never heard from again -- he won't be back this way until 2010 !! !''.
That gives you a basic idea of the lyrical theme of the album. It's a theme that resonated well back in the early 1980's, but it also works quite well in this post-9/11 world. The cold war may have faded away, but societies as a whole still face (and generate!) the same old problems.
Many people like to label this under progressive music, but to my mind that isn't quite right. The *theme* is obviously similar to what Pink Floyd might write on a bleak day, and Tony Carey does also have a great talent for writing and performing music. And it is a "concept album", which one might expect from progressive music. But each of the songs here is more like a pop song. They may have much better instrumental work than 98% of pop songs, but they are still short memorable songs. They have a standard structure of verses and a chorus, and each one can stand by itself. You don't need to listen to the whole album for any of these songs to make sense. Admittedly, the lyrics are not "sweet pop happy bubblegum" themes, but it seems a bit wrong (to me) to think of this as a progressive album. But I can understand why people say that. The instrumental work here is excellent, and he has the right voice for singing these themes."

Planet P Project - [tony carey/x-rainbow] `- 84 , Geffen - [ QUIEX II PRESS ]
ALL TRAX FROM WAX [ save bonus trax ] - by akashaman , 2010

MP3 @ 320 as always !

Static – 4:04
King for a day – 3:57
I won't wake up – 3:46
Top of the world – 4:34
Armageddon – 4:20
Why me? – 4:06
Power Tools – 3:59
Send it in a letter – 3:52
Adam and Eve – 3:36
Only you and me – 3:22
Tranquility base (bonus track - from cd) – 1:55
Ruby (bonus track from cd) – 3:59

DOWNLOAD -- HERE --

The Rose Garden - Atco - `68

2010-02-13T09:56:00.010-06:00

ok i brought the pop psych back , ha -- man i tripped when i saw this as i knew it was old ; really good shape too - from 68 ~
pretty good lp , but i am surprised they didnt get sued by the byrds for copping thier guitar tones , haha - its uncanny how similar they sound , i am talking jangly , jangly , jangly ! - but there is a nice blend of male & female vox here that reminds us of mamas & papas too.
not much fuzz guitar on this one , u get the idea. it really brings back the times tho , my faves are : next plane to london & flower town !
enjoy --

The Rose Garden's only album is a fair but unmemorable pop-folk-rock record, able in its emulation of the Byrds' 12-string guitar sound with some competent stirring male-female vocal blends. Indeed this contains some of the most blatant mimicry of Roger McGuinn's style that you'll find, without nearly as much of McGuinn's imagination. Far more pop-oriented than the Byrds, the record was also handicapped by the absence of original material; the sole song bearing writing credits of group members, "Flower Town" (on which Kim Fowley also somehow manages to squeeze into the credit line), is in fact an adaptation of the traditional folk song "Portland Town." Big Byrds collectors, though, might want to keep an eye out for this not-too-easy-to-find LP as it contains two Gene Clark songs that never appeared anywhere else, "Till Today" and "Long Time." Neither of these songs are wonderful, but they're okay and better than the rest of the album (save the hit "Next Plane to London"), with "Till Today" bearing a countryish feel not unlike some of the songs on Clark's debut album. In other curious footnotes, three of the tunes were co-written by Pat Vegas, later to rise to fame as part of Redbone, while "Look What You've Done" was co-written by Bob Johnston, who at that time was producing superstars Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash.

The Rose Garden - Atco - `68
ALL TRAX FROM WAX - AKASHAMAN - 2010
MP3 @ 320 - includes front/back/label high rez scans !

1 - Next Plane to London
2 - I'm Only Second
3 - February Sunshine
4 - Coins of Fun
5 - Rider
6 - She Belongs to Me
7 - Flower Town
8 - Till Today
9 - Look What You've Done
10 - Long Time

tons more info on band , history , pics , 45`s - very kewl - see link below !!

--- The Rose garden ---

DOWNLOAD -- HERE --

David Werner - Whizz Kid - `74 - RCA Records

2010-02-12T10:26:00.004-06:00

ok folks :
here is another one that got lost ! - i know there are a couple shares out there on this , but i bet they dont sound as good ! HA
this is a lost Glam type LP , think bowie , mott the hoople & the like.
its a shame these great LP`s never get the recognition they deserve , but i guess thats why i am here ! enjoy this one whizz kids !

Werner takes a more measured tack than his flashier brethren, though Mark Doyle's and Max Kendrick's guitars can pounce and snarl with the best of them. Songs alternate between mid-tempo rockers and plaintive ballads like "The Lady in Waiting" and "It's Too Sad," which offers encouragement to a lonely person ("but you're no one's clown/'cause they're the ones that have to grow"). "One More Wild Guitar" opens the album decisively, casting its rocker-versus-fogeyish-parents lyric as a coming-of-age story -- a theme he further develops on "The Death of Me Yet" and the title track ("everything I try to say somehow comes out crazy"). The musicianship isn't flashy, but it's first-rate throughout (especially Doyle and Kendrick, who carry most of the load). Werner addresses his inner life on the winsome "Love Is Tragic" and "A Sleepless Night," in which a rebuffed lover plays for more time. As if to ensure he's not playing things too straight, Werner trots out another Bowie-esque touch -- "Plan 9," a one-minute, free-associative spoken-word piece. The public may not have known how to read him, but David Werner was a distinctive artist, which may have worked against him. His style's definitely an acquired taste, but you'll never forget it once you hear it.
Whizz Kid remains the best known of his three albums, probably because everyone who ever owned it during it's day never paid more than a dollar or two tops for it. Whizz Kidd was one of the most golden of all cut-outs during The Golden Age Of Cut-Outs 1972-1980. EVERY greater cut-out bin across the country, whether it be a record store, a K-Mart, or your corner drug store, ALWAYS had plenty of copies of Whizz Kid.

David Werner - Whizz Kid -`74 RCA Records
ALL TRAX FROM WAX - by akashaman - 2010 - MP3 @ 320 kbps

One More Wild Guitar
Whizz Kid
The Lady in Waiting
The Ballad of Trixie Silver
It's a Little Bit Sad
Love Is Tragic
Plan 9
Counting the Ways
The Death of Me Yet
A Sleepless Night

DOWNLOAD -- HERE --

Brian Protheroe - Pinball -- Chrysalis, 1974

2010-02-10T16:25:00.007-06:00

wow , well the story behind this lp for me. the song "pinball" was recently posted by per gessle of Roxette who is one of my facebook friends - he posted it as a song of the day thing. i had never heard the song & checked it out. i really liked it. . fast forward a couple weeks & i am browsing through some records at half priced books & came across the full length Pinball LP ! - its really amazing to me that there are still gems like this yet to be found. not a dud on this one. on the whole its very ambitious & takes from many influences , i hear - beach boys , beatles , bob welch , steve miller , 10cc , queen , bowie , nilsson , emmitt rhodes - et al , ha.
i think there will be a few folks REALLY surprised to see it , as i could see how this would be a great re visit ! -- me , i am hearing it for the first time !
i am calling lost epic here ! - love to hear your own stories !!
headphones ~ ....:)

" Prior to his career as an actor on the silver and small screen in Britain, Brian Protheroe was a pop singer/songwriter primarily inspired by Paul McCartney, something that he was not alone in during the early '70s. He sits comfortably alongside such British troubadours as Elton John, Al Stewart, and Gilbert O'Sullivan, and obscurities like John Howard, who along with Protheroe was revived on RPM's excellent soft rock installment in their Lipsmackin 70's series, 2003's Zigzag: 20 Junkshop Soft Rock Singles 1970-1974. Protheroe's exquisite "Pinball" opened up Zigzag, setting the wheels in motion for EMI's 2006 set, Pinball and Other Stories, the first CD compilation of Protheroe's work to see release on CD. Unlike Howard, who truly was a maverick, Protheroe was quintessentially English in his understatement and impeccable taste, borrowing the best from McCartney, whether it's his ballad style or his enduring taste for vaudeville camp. But far from being a mess of affectations and influences, Protheroe was a sharp craftsman of soft pop, blessed with a gift for melody and a wry wit, along with possessing a fondness for lush, layered productions that makes him a quintessentially '70s singer/songwriter, yet the craftiness behind his music means that this collection of highlights from his '70s albums is far from a mere artifact: the craft helps these songs transcend their era of origin even if the sound of the recordings effortless evokes its time. Which, of course, is a large part of the appeal of Pinball -- this smartly selected collection of highlights showcases Protheroe at his best as a pop craftsman, and even if he's hardly the genius of McCartney, or as commercial as either Elton or O'Sullivan or as eccentric as Stewart, fans of any of those four '70s pop songwriters will find this pretty close to irresistible. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine "

Released in 1974, Pinball was a very minor hit (number 22 for a week) in the UK. It had no chart action in the US. It is the title cut of an album also called Pinball, which like the non-hit single tends toward the quiet, introspective side of glam. Protheroe did two more albums and they stiffed harder than his debut. One of the reasons for Protheroe's lack of success is that he was at heart an actor and would rather spend his time on stage doing Shakespeare, Chekhov, and Pinter than playing the ol' sing song. Thus Pinball, as his other records, was made between acting gigs. Protheroe's last big theatrical splash? He played Saruman in The Lord of The Ring

Brian Protheroe - Pinball -- (Chrysalis, 1974) CHR1065
MP3@ 320 kbps - includes back cover / lyrics high rez scan !
[ cause these lyrics are kewl - ha ]
ALL TRAX FROM WAX - AKASHAMAN - 2010

1. Clog Dancer
2. Money Love
3. Moon Over Malibu
4. Mickey Dollar Dreams
5. Goodbye Surprise
6. Pinball
7. Kinotata
8. Changing My Tune
9. Monkey
10. Lady Belladonna
11. Fly Now
12. Interview / Also In The limelight
13. Wrong Kinotata

DOWNLOAD -- HERE --

Cryan Shames - A Scratch in the Sky - `67 - Columbia Records

2010-02-10T07:21:00.005-06:00

ok kids , here is the second cryan shames LP. i think its a bit better , trippier than synthesis I JUST POSTED , go figure. i know this isnt that hard to find , but here it is at 320 ! - let me know what ya think if ya have time - OH , ALSO LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THE NEW FILE SHARING SITE , like how kewl is that ? forget about deleted files !!

aka`

Cryan shames - a scratch in the sky - `67
MP3 @ 320 kbps

1. A Carol for Lorelei
2. The Sailing Ship
3. In the Cafe
4. Mr. Unreliable
5. The Town I'd Like to Go Back To
6. Up on the Roof - The Cryan' Shames, Goffin, Gerry
7. It Could Be We're in Love
8. Sunshine Psalm
9. I Was Lonely When
10. Cobblestone Road (She's Been Walkin')

Just like scientists posturing the existence of an unknown particle or detecting a planet through its gravitational pull, you knew this had to exist - a Chicago psychedelic pop-rock album. Okay, maybe you did not know it, but it does exist and if you can accept the fact that the Cryan' Shames never had an original idea in their entire lives, you'll enjoy A Scratch in the Sky. The album succeeds because Fairs and new bassist Lenny Kerley did a great job writing hooks, coming up with catchy melodies, and getting the group's vocal harmonies into shape. Instead of the Byrds, the Chicagoans now echoed West Coast harmony groups like the Beach Boys and the Association, as well as British psychedelia. So, the group gathered up every conceivable instrument they could play, and went on a psychedelic pop-rock binge. A Scratch in the Sky is not a masterpiece by any means, but it was more cutting edge than Paul Revere and the Raiders ever got. The band's flexibility is apparent, from happy little tunes like "The Town I'd Like to Go Back To" and the cosmopolitan "In the Cafe," to more Beach Boys influenced songs like "It Could Be We're In Love." The group had enough chops to successfully venture into more rock territory ("Sunshine Psalm" and the humorous "Dennis Dupree from Danville") and their psychedelic jams are rather, erm, pretty (the intricate "The Town I'd Like to Go Back To"). Fairs and Kerley just cranked out a pile of fine pop songs such as "A Carol for Lorelei", "In the Cafe", "Cobblestone Road" and the tripped out "The Sailing Ship," among those already mentioned, and the band's playing is credible and detailed enough to enable the Fairs/Kerley songwriting team to present all this without it coming off as crude. Sure, there is plenty of outright copying: "Mr. Unreliable" is a fine Beatles knockoff and "I Was Lonely When" is a dead-on impression of a Marty Balin led Jefferson Airplane track, and there's an unnecessary cover of the Goffin/King "Up on the Roof". Still, if you like psychedelic pop-rock (or think you might) check this out - it's rather good, even if unoriginal. (Isaac Guillory (guitar) replaced Stone as well.)

DOWNLOAD -- HERE --

cryan shames _ synthesis _69_columbia records

2010-02-09T18:57:00.003-06:00

Here is another new find , great pop psych LP by Cryan Shames ~
fans of association , byrds , and cowsills will dig this one !

cryan shames _ synthesis _69_columbia records
MP3 @ 320 kbps
all trax from wax _ ripped by akashaman_2010

01 - Greenburg, Glickstein, Charles, David , Smith & Jones
02 - Baltimore Oriole
03 - It's All Right
04 - Your Love
05 - A Master's Fool
06 - First Train To California
07 - The Painter
08 - Sweet Girl Of Mine
09 - 20th Song
10 - Let's Get Together
11 - Symphony of the Wind

In the mid to late 1960's, Chicago was a boom town for bands that broke nationally-The Buckinghams, Spanky and Our Gang, The New Colony Six, The Ides Of March, The American Breed, and The Shadows Of Knight.
Although their national success didn't quite match those groups, the Cryan' Shames were hugely popular in the Chicago area and the upper Midwest and received lots of airplay on local radio. Their three Columbia LP releases were essential records of the time if you lived in the area.
Their last album, "Synthesis", is part of the Sundazed reissue series of the group's catalog. It features the original eleven song line-up (along with six single or mono versions of those tracks) and two songs previously unavailable on album.
It's always been a mystery why leader James Fairs' final contribution to the group, "First Train To California", wasn't a monster hit single. It featured an exciting vocal performance by the group and interesting production. Other highlights include the hard edged "Greenburg, Glickstein, Charles, David Smith & Jones"; the percussive "20th Song"; a country styled "Your Mother Should Know"/Beatle homage entitled "It's All Right"; the moody "Baltimore Oriole"; a vocal workout on "Let's Get Together"; and Lenny Kerley's ultra romantic "Your Love".

DOWNLOAD -- HERE --

The Flying Machine_1969_Janus Records

2010-02-09T11:57:00.006-06:00

ok kids , i am still alive , ha - recently found this GEM , forgot all about the hit ! thats always fun. whats a great song , the whole lp is actually quite good. fans of pop psych & bubblegum will really enjoy this one ~

The Flying Machine_1969_- Janus Records
ALL TRAX FROM WAX - transferred by akashaman - 2010 - MP3 @ 320kbps
includes high rez cover scans !

1- SMILE A LITTLE SMILE FOR ME
2- MARIE TAKE A CHANCE
3- WAITING ON THE SHORES OF NOWHERE
4- THAT SAME OLD FEELING
5- THERE SHE GOES
6- BABY MAKE IT SOON
7- BROKEN HEARTED ME, EVIL HEARTED YOU
8- A THINGS CALLED LOVE
9- MY BABY'S COMING HOME
10- SEND MY BABY HOME AGAIN

This was a British studio rock band not to be confused with the American folk-rock group “The Flying Machine” with “James Taylor” that was also formed in the 1960’s. The members were “Stewart Coleman” on bass, “Steve Jones” on lead guitar and vocals, “Samuel Kemp” on autoharp and vocals, “Anthony Newman” on rhythm guitar and vocals and “Paul Wilkinson” on drums. Jones was not the same “Steve Jones” who later would be a member of “The Sex Pistols” and “Neurotic Outsiders” even though they were both from England. “Flying Machine” formed by “Pye” records producer/songwriter “Tony Macaulay” and producer/songwriter “Geoff Stevens”. Macaulay was the co-writer of “The Foundations” biggest US hit “Build Me Up Buttercup” that peaked on the US singles pop chart at #3 in 1969. Coleman, Kemp and Newman had both been members of “Pinkerton’s Assorted Colours” also known as “The Pinkertons”, Wilkinson had been with “The Peeps” and “The Sabres” and Jones had also been with “The Sabres”. “The Pinkertons” formed in 1964 in Rugby, England as “The Liberators” but changed the group name after adding their newest member “Samuel Pinkerton Kemp”.

“The Pinkertons” had one charting hit in the UK in “Mirror, Mirror” with “She Don’t Care” on the flip side that peaked at #8 in 1966 there. Their next release “Don’t Stop Loving Me Baby” backed by “Will You” but it failed to chart. Their manager “Reg Calvert” was killed in June and “Decca” records decided to drop them from the company. They then decided to change their style and group name and add 2 additional members and became “Flying Machine” in 1969. The group’s music was a combination of bubblegum, pop, rock and psychedelia. They next signed a contract with "Congress" records in the US and with "Pye" records for Canada and overseas distribution. They released "Smile A Little Smile For Me (Rosemarie)" with "Maybe We've Been Loving Too Long" on the B-side on 4 October. It peaked at #5 on the US pop singles chart and sold over a million copies going gold. In December they released “"Send My Baby Home Again" backed by "Look At Me, Look At Me" but it failed to make the charts. On 24 February 1970 their next release debuted on the charts titled "Baby Make It Soon" with "There She Goes" on the B-side.

Even though Macaulay had composed the song another British group by the name of “Marmalade” recorded and released it as a B-side the year before “Flying Machine”. “Marmalade’s version was on the flip side of “Time Is On My Side” on “Epic” records but it failed to make the charts. “Flying Machine” had their version peak at #87 on the US pop singles chart. The group next switched record companies in the US signing with the “Janus” label. They released 2 albums on their new label this year in "Smile A Little Smile For Me" and "The Flying Machine". Only their self-titled album made the charts and it peaked at #179 on the US pop album chart. They released only 1 single this year on “Janus” in "Hanging On The Edge Of Sadness" with "My Baby's Coming Home" on the B-side but it failed to chart. In 1971 they released a 2 album set titled "Down To Earth With The Flying Machine The Complete Recordings" but it failed to chart. They also issued one final single on “Janus” this year in "Hey Little Girl" backed by "The Devil Has Possession Of My Mind". “Hey Little Girl” was not the same version of the song recorded by “Dee Clark”, “Del Shannon”, “Foster Sylvers”, “Major Lance”, “The Techniques” or “The Syndicate Of Sound”. All the other versions of the song by these artists made the US pop charts except for their version.

Shortly after the release of their final record on “Janus” the group decided to split-up. Wilkinson went on to play drums for the short live Canadian punk rock group “Red Tide”. He would later play in the 5-piece nu-metal group “Sphere” as one of 2 drummers in the group. Newman would later play for “T. Rex”, “Sounds Incorporated” and “Three Man Army”. In 2004 “Castle Music America” records released a 2-CD, 5-track compilation titled “Flight Recorder From Pinkerton’s Associated Colours To The Flying Machine” which also failed to make the charts. This group’s 2 US charting singles are listed below.

1. Smile A Little Smile For Me (Rosemarie)/Maybe We’ve Been Loving Too Long - Debut 10/04/69, Peaked at #5 (GOLD)
2. Baby Make It Soon/There She Goes – Debut 02/21/70, Peaked at #89

DOWNLOAD -- HERE --

"VINYL" -- Documenatry_ Alan Zweig_2000

2010-02-01T09:20:00.006-06:00

ok folks :

gonna get back into the swing of things soon. just ordered a new cartridge for my turntable , then we can start getting more lp`s up !
in the meantime , here is a hard to find doc about record collecting & collectors.
i hope i never get this bad , ha. these DOODS are truly serious -- anyway this film is quite amusing -- enjoy

"Excellent, excellent film about record collectors from the perspective of a film maker AND record collector. What's so unique about Alan Zweig's documentation, is that he includes his own person in it, sometimes filming a location and himself in a mirror, or speaking directly to the audience about his private and personal thoughts. The other record collectors portrayed in this 110 minutes movie are beyond belief; can you imagine someone seriously claiming to collect EVERY song ever made? Or being able to tell the tracklists of ALL of his ten-thousands of albums by heart? "Vinyl"will blow your mind beyond the subject of sheer record collecting. It's a study on human obsessions in general."

download ---- HERE --

City Boy - Book Early - `78 - Mercury Records

2009-10-09T09:50:00.006-06:00

OK kids , another installment in the City Boy archives ! here is 1978`s "book early" LP!
highlights ! : [ summer in the schoolyard , goodbye laurelie , raise your glass , beth , & moving in circles ]

"Book early" was the album which finally brought commercial success for City Boy, in the form of a hit single. "5705" will be familiar to anyone who was listening to pop music in the late 1970's, its early use of a digital dial tone sound instantly distinguishing it in that crowded market. The song was in fact originally called "Turn on to Jesus", but while the record label loved the melody, they felt that the theme would cause problem when it came to radio play. The band rewrote the lyrics and the rest is history. While the general perception of the band is (rightly) that of one hit wonders, the follow up single "What a night", also appears on some versions of this album.

With new drummer Roy Ward now installed, the line up is restored to a six piece. The songwriters once again are primarily Steve Broughton and Lol Mason but the rest of the band contribute here and there.

Book Early starts with "5.7.0.5," a Queen/ELO hybrid, and the rest of the album follows suit pretty closely -- but this time City Boy adds more pop elements to their sound and drops the soft rock feel that was prevalent on much of Young Men Gone West. The result is quite enjoyable, especially on tracks like "Raise Your Glass (To Foolish Me)," "Cigarettes" and "Dangerous Ground." Book Early is City Boy's most energetic, if not their best.

City Boy - Book Early - Mercury Records
Studio Album, released in 1978
MP3 @ 320 kbps - high reZ scans included / lyrix

Songs / Tracks Listing :

1. 5.7.0.5. (3:10)
*8. Summer In The Schoolyard (3:52)
*3. Goodbye Laurelie (3:10)
*4. Raise Your Glass (To Foolish Me) (2:57)
5. Cigarettes (5:30)
6. What A Night (2:57)
7. Do What You Do, Do Well (3:29)
8. World Loves A Dancer (3:24)
*9. Beth (2:45)
*10. Moving In Circles (4:05)
*11. Dangerous Ground (4:53)

Total Time: 40:12

Line-up / Musicians
- Steve Broughton / guitar, backing vocals
- Chris Dunn / bass, acoustic guitar
- Lol Mason / lead vocals
- Mike Slamer / acoustic & electric guitars
- Max Thomas / keyboards
- Roy Ward / drums, backing vocals

Guest musicians:
- Merle Anger / guitar
- Roy Babbington / bass
- Robert John Mutt Lange / bass
- Greg Mathieson / keyboards

Produced By: Robert "Mutt" John Lange [ HELL YA ! ]
Recorded At: Rockfield Studios, Monmouth, South Wales
Engineered By: Robert John Lange, Ted Sharp, Neil Ross, Gary Edwards
Mixed At: The Record Plant, Los Angeles, California
Cover Art: Richard Haughton

Releases information
LP Vertigo 9102 028
LP Mercury SRM 1-3737

DOWNLOAD : -- HERE --

Bonzo Dog Band - Tadpoles - Imperial Records - `69

2009-10-03T07:37:00.004-06:00

ha , ok just in time for halloween here is Bonzo Dog Band , & monster mash !
if u never heard these guys , your in for a real treat ! what a riot !
i have alot of their stuff , will post more - request what`s needed ?!
enjoy kids:

While this is not The Bonzo's greatest work (that title belongs to URBAN SPACEMAN, also known as THE DOUGHNUT IN GRANNY'S GREENHOUSE), it is, along with their GORILLA, among some of most innovative and hilarious musical satire ever produced. After all these years, this is not only still funny, it's actually quite enjoyable as music. The musicianship is deceptively complex and accomplished, while the lyrics rival anything to come out of British comedy, Monty Python included (various members of The Python and the Bonzo's worked on each other's projects). Although most of the songs are originals, there is one cover, 'Monster Mash,' which will be more familiar to some listeners (of a certain age) than the Bobby Pickett version. The eclectic range of music here, inspired by several decades of changing styles, makes this recording endlessly entertaining: We are transported to the Late 20's/early 30's ('Tubas In The Moonlight,' 'By A Waterfall,' 'Doctor Jazz') the late 50's/early 60's ('Monster Mash,' 'Canyons Of Your Mind,' the latter a cheeky Elvis send-up), and on towards the age of heavy metal (the guitar work on 'Mr. Apollo'). The Spirits of Spike Jones and His City Slickers are invoked by zany ditties such as 'Hunting Tigers Out In India' and 'Ali-Baba's Camel,' complete with sound effects and vocal asides. 'Shirt' pokes fun at man-on-the-street interviews, and 'Ready-Mades' would be at home on any number of '60's psychedelic rock albums (a strange combination of Bee Gees, Beatles and early Pink Floyd). Songs like 'Tubas' and 'Waterfall' seem to anticipate the rise of the more serious, reverential careers of Ry Cooder (his JAZZ album), John Fahey (OLD-FASHIONED LOVE and AFTER THE BALL), and Leon Redbone (his entire catalog). For fans of important memorabilia from the '60's and early '70's, British comedy up to the present, and musical parody of any kind, this is indispensible. It is becoming hard-to-find, so get it soon! --- [ dustyart - amazon.com ]

Bonzo Dog Band - Tadpoles - Imperial Records - `69
MP3 @ 320 kbps - all trax from wax !
includes high rez cover scans

"Hunting Tigers Out in Indiah" - 3:06
"Shirt" - 4:28
"Tubas in the Moonlight" - 2:23
"Dr. Jazz" - 2:40
"Monster Mash" - 2:59
"ready-mades" - 3:09
"Ali-Baba's Camel" - 2:31
"Laughing Blues" - 3:44
"By a Waterfall" - 3:08
"Mr. Apollo" - 4:20
"Canyons of Your Mind" - 3:03

DOWNLOAD : -- HERE --

Meatloaf - Bat out of Hell - `77 - [collectors edition cd]

2009-10-02T08:59:00.003-06:00

this one is not too rare , but this is kinda a remaster , so might be an upgrade. sounds great here. -- came out in `77 when i was 12. i had the cassette ! it was a summer fave , brings back some magical memories now a days , hope it does for you too if u havent heard it in a bit !

"Those who dismiss this undeniably popular album due to puerile lyrics (generally leveled at this album's sequel), over-the-top production, and Meat Loaf singing so passionately about such adolescent themes as a badly written farce totally miss the point. This is an album that pokes fun at all the rock and roll pretensions that had crept into rock music over the years (Townshend can you hear me?), and it succeeds wonderfully.
There's no doubt about it. BAT OUT OF HELL takes all these adolescent themes, mostly raging hormones, and builds, with operatic flair and lots of kitsch, this preposterously silly album which never-the-less struck a chord with a great many people. BAT OUT OF HELL is a concept album, but it doesn't carry all the serious connotations that such a label implies. This is Steinman taking all these broad-way musical conventions and hiring Meat Loaf, who could belt out vocals like no one else, and giving these teen-age angst-ridden years such a ridiculous setting that you can't help but laughing at the idiocy of what people thought were so important in their youth.

Steinman's and Meat Loaf's chief critics generally site the bombast and blowing up teen-age angst with such an operatic flair. They miss the point. I will always stand behind Steinman's position as an artist because he uses all these so called "weaknesses" for effect. It's a very silly album, but then, it's supposed to be. Even the cover-art is ridiculous. It's all about that bad boy/girl image that's so laughably fake that no one takes them as any real threat. Most call it "Just a phase they're going through."

Steinman shows how the youth, when they begin taking themselves seriously as adults, are so concerned with issues that as people grow up realise, while important, aren't so damned dramatic as they made it out to be. [The album cover]. I'm sure most people remember wanting to do something out of the norm just so they can appear to be so tough and independent, and looking back are glad they outgrew it. This could be music or fashion or whatever. The whole album describes that state of young people wanting "bad boy" image which is really, really hooky.

What makes this such a good album is even though it's all about that awkward transition phase between childhood and adulthood, Steinman deals with real issues, and surprisingly well at that. It's the very clear craftsmanship and the obvious "weaknesses" that are actually the strengths that makes this such a strong album. Although I've never though BAT had a straight-forward narrative, the title track (my personal favorite of both albums) introduces the type of characters we'll be seeing. The very last track tells of an individual who did make it past this phase and into maturity.

One of the more interesting things about BAT OUT OF HELL is its position on sex. Steinman's lyrics have a very perceptive view of what sex is, and shockingly it's much more along the lines of what Christianity teaches. Although you cannot conclusively say BAT OUT OF HELL promotes sex only in marriage, it gives several portraits, with very distinct imagery, that suggests that the youth get so tied up in sex that they don't care at all about each other. The sexual urges has destroyed or drastically hurt most of the relationships depicted on BAT OUT OF HELL with the single exception of the last track.

To me, "For Crying Out Loud" has always been the key track to BAT OUT OF HELL. The six songs that go before depict these youth, so bound up in folly they don't know or show real love, continually broken and hurt in their relationships. In "For Crying Out Loud," however, an individual, ravaged with age, has finally found some one to love at last. They're no longer concerned with sex just for pleasure but they've found actually found a love.

There's such a jump in the age of Steinman's characters between the first six tracks and "For Crying Out Loud" that it BAT OUT OF HELL actually serves as a warning that if you don't grow up then you'll miss so much of what life has to offer. The first six tracks describe all the misadventures and stupid, malicious acts that these kids do, and then "Paradise By the Dashboard Light" transitions the characters from that song into old age, still without love. "For Crying Out Loud" then begins and is the only song dealing with an old person, and do to the transition provided in the previous song, it's reasonable to believe that Steinman wants to show what a lifetime of immaturity and bad boy posturing will get you. Steinman moves to the very heart and moral core of the record. This is where they discover that they don't have all the time in the world like they thought (in "Heaven Can Wait"). In the end, they also discover healthy sexuality as well, and are mature enough to raise their own children.

It's all these different facets that make BAT OUT OF HELL such a fascinating listen and an amazing artistic triumph. Most of this album's critics are so far off base they look positively asinine.

Those who are looking for a surprisingly deep and moral record that has a great sense of dramatic flair, this is for you." -- [ MAC - amazon.com ]

Meatloaf - Bat out of Hell - `77 - [collectors edition cd]
MP3 @ 320 kbps - Cover scans

"Bat out of Hell" – 9:48
"You Took the Words Right out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)" – 5:04
"Heaven Can Wait" – 4:38
"All Revved Up with No Place to Go" – 4:19
"Two out of Three Ain't Bad" – 5:23
"Paradise by the Dashboard Light" – 8:28
Performed by Meat Loaf & Ellen Foley
"For Crying Out Loud" – 8:45

DOWNLOAD : -- here --

The Bridge - In Blue - `72 - Buddah Records

2009-09-29T16:43:00.003-06:00

ok , here is the last LP by the brooklyn bridge , but they dropped the brooklyn by now , ha. - tons of harmonies & horns here my friends. these hippies are wailing like theres no tomorrow , ha.
these guys definately had an influence on chicago ! in fact , the last track "man in a band" is an all out jam-fest , rivaling anything blood sweat & tears , chicago ever did. !
Cream’s “I Feel Free” also gets the Bridge’s harmony and horns treatment on this album as well.
i`m not a big fan of the horns myself , but these guys are good , there is no doubt.
a bit of fuzz here & there , bottomline ; hippies on a farm , high as hell jammin , lol. --
sorry , this lp not as clean as ideal ~ but still fine when they kik it in....

more : BB here

The Bridge - In Blue - `72 - Buddah Records
MP3 @ 320 kbps - includes high rez scans , front cover / band

"Bruno's Place"
"I Feel Free"
"School Days"
"Baby What You Want Me To Do"
"Glad To See You Got Religion"
"Uptown"
"Hospital Lady"
"Man In A Band"

DOWNLOAD : -- HERE --

Crack the Sky - Safety in Numbers - `78 - Lifesong Records

2009-09-29T12:13:00.005-06:00

i never heard of this band until 1991. i was living in st. croix & met this kid who gave me the cassette. he told me if i was a rush fan , i had to check this band out , i would be blown away. and i was. if you don`t live up north , you like me , have probably never heard of this band. this is IMO , their peak of powers. it is simply greatness. any fan of art rock , prog rock & the like will enjoy this one - my fave tracks are safety , long nights & nuclear
~ here is a sample lyric.
"somethings wrong from the moon my friend , somethings wrong from the moon. as i gaze down upon you my friend , somethings wrong from the moon - poor little man , you`ve been run down" -- enjoy ~

It's generally a bad sign when the lead singer quits a band in the middle of an album, especially when that singer wrote every song on the band's previous two albums. It is therefore somewhat surprising that Safety in Numbers was not merely a good album, but one which rivals Crack the Sky's award-wining first release. Though departing leader John Palumbo contributed a few vocals before quitting the band, new singer Gary Lee Chappell and other bandmembers filled in nicely on a mix of Palumbo's songs and new tunes written by guitarist Rick Witkowski and various partners. The two songs written by Palumbo aren't even the best -- that distinction would have to go to "A Night on the Town (With Snow White)," a delightful piece that mixes styles from the 1920s and progressive rock in a way that is probably unique. There are other lyrical gems here too, including the grim title cut and the sarcastic concert favorite "Lighten Up McGraw." Palumbo's "Nuclear Apathy" is five minutes of good song stretched to eight minutes, though the splendid guitar work and inspired arrangement does much to redeem the error. Taken as a whole, Safety in Numbers showed that there was more to Crack the Sky than John Palumbo, and that the band was ready to carry on in high style. -- AMG

Crack the Sky - Safety in Numbers - LP Lifesong #35041 (1978)
MP3 @ 320 KBPS - includes scanned lyrics

- John Palumbo / lead vocals (tracks 1 & 2)
- Gary Lee Chappel / lead vocals (tracks 3 - 8)
- Jim Griffiths / guitars, harmonies
- Rick Witkowski / guitar, harmonies
- Joe Macre / bass, harmonies
- Joey D'Amico / drums, harmonies

1. Nuclear Apathy (8:32)
2. Long Nights (3:59)
3. Flashlight (4:45)
4. Prelude to Safety in Numbers (1:15)
5. Lighten Up McGraw (5:08)
6. Give Myself to You (3:23)
7. A Night on the Town(With Snow White) (3:25)
8. Safety in Numbers (6:41)

DOWNLOAD - -- HERE --

Mouth & MacNeal _ How Do You Do ? - `72 - Phillips Records

2009-09-28T13:03:00.007-06:00

ok , so i am back; figured out how to log back in , lol.
well , here is an oldie. i know some of you remember the hit "how do you do?". great song from this dutch band. dont have much else on them , but here it is !
isolation written by john lennon / rosianna by cashman , pistilli & west ~

Mouth & MacNeal - How do you do ? - `72 - Phillips Records
MP3 @ 320 kbps - includes high rez cover scans

1- A.B.C.
2- I Almost Lost My Mind
3- I Heard It Through the Grapevine
4- Hey, You Love
5- Remember (Walking in the Sand)
6- Rosianna
7- Why Did You, Why?
8- How Do You Do?
9- Land of Milk and Honey
10- Tell Me World
11- It Happened Long Ago
12- Isolation

DOWNLOAD :-- HERE --

The Amboy Dukes - Journey to the Center of the Mind - `69 - Mainstream records - Mono

2009-05-25T10:33:00.002-06:00

Ted Nugent named his band after an R & B outfit that had recently disbanded, saying "I thought it was a cool name". He was unaware that 'The Amboy Dukes' was also the title of a book about a 1950's street gang from Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Ted has also claimed to be unaware that the lyrics to 'Journey...' had stong allusions to psychedelic drug use, as does the collection of vintage pipes on the album's cover. I regard Nugent as being especially astute, and as a young man probably realized that using acid-tinged imagery would further the chances of success for a psychedelic rock band. For most of his associates however, being in a psychedelic rock band must have implied psychedelic drug use, and this resulted in significant conflicts between the anti-drug Nugent and the remaining Dukes.

If you're still reading, you're probably wondering about the album itself. There aren't a whole lot of highlights, save the title track, which features one of the finest electric guitar performances of the psychedelic era, matched by some of the finest psychedelic lyrics ever penned, matched by one of the heaviest bridge segments ever committed to vinyl, tape, or digital stock. Only three other songs really deserve mention, track number 5 (which closed out side one of the original vinyl release), 'Dr. Slingshot', which features overlapping vocal lines from lead singer John Drake and rhythm guitarist Steve Farmer (who, together with Nugent, penned all the songs on the disc), and a great lead guitar riff from Nugent. Unfortunately, Nugent's talent on the six-string are only occasionally put on display, such as on track 12, 'I'll Prove I'm Right', where his fine picking underlies another strong vocal performance from Drake. The band relies much more on the psychedelic imagery of its lyrics rather than Nugent's axe, a highly questionable choice given the quality of the lyrics (on 'Why Is a Carrot More Orange Than an Orange', for instance, we are offered other deep questions such as, "Why are you greener than green?"; go figure). If it's of interest, the tracks on the second side of the disc segue into one another, and while the liner notes claim they collectively tell "a story", the plot is hard to discern. The final track, 'Conclusion', does reintroduce the 'Journey...' melody, and for a few moments brings back Nugent's sterling guitar lines, but it's a case of too little too late. There is a bonus track offered on the Repertoire versions of the disc, the 7" follow up to 'Journey...', a shameless ripoff of its predecessor titled 'You Talk Sunshine, I Breathe Fire'. Despite its obvious origins, it stands as perhaps the fourth best track offered here.

The liner notes are rather sparse, although the reproduction of the original 1968 back album cover is interesting as it gives nods to "Felix and Eddie of the Young Rascals" and "The Mothers of Invention" for their influence over the Dukes. No lyrics and no running times for the songs are offered, though the track listings appear three times. The disc is in short supply, so you won't be finding it in bargain bins. It commands a rather steep price, especially considering that it really contains only one standout song. Too bad it's one of the finest from 1968.

The Amboy Dukes - Journey to the Center of the Mind - `69 - Mainstream records - Mono - MP3 @ 320 kbps - w/ high rez cover scans

1 Mississippi Murderer
2 Surrender to Your Kinks
3 Flight of the Byrd
4 Scottish Tea
5 Dr. Slingshot

one track :

6 Journey to the Center of the Mind
7 Ivory Castles
8 Why Is a Carrot More Orange Than an Orange
9 Missionary Mary
10 Death Is Life
11 Saint Philip's Friend
12 I'll Prove I'm Right
13 Conclusion

DOWNLOAD : -- HERE --

Blond - Fontana Records - `69

2009-05-20T13:59:00.006-06:00

ok kids - this is a pretty kewl record ! very rare & obscure. nice poppy melodic style , another one rescued from beneath the cracks !
enjoy !

aka`

Blond grew out of the Swedish band Tages, arguably the finest Swedish '60s rock group. After lead singer Tommy Blom left in the late '60s, they changed their name to Blond, the chief creative force being bassist/songwriter Goran Lagerberg (who had also sang some lead in Tages). Blond's 1969 album The Lilac Years was recorded in London and released in both Europe and the United States (where it was simply called Blond). Similar to the later recordings of Tages, and perhaps a bit more Anglo-pop-oriented than Tages, the album was a respectable though unexceptional effort with echoes of the Hollies, the Beatles, the Easybeats, and the like. At times it got into moody, almost early art rock-like textures, particularly on the lengthy title track, though the general mood was upbeat cheery pop/rock. They could have easily passed for a British (or even American) group, but never made significant inroads into the English-speaking market. Two new members replaced a couple of the ex-Tages, lead guitarist Anders Topel and rhythm guitarist Danne Larsson, after the album was recorded (but before it was released). Blond disbanded in 1970.

Blond's sole album is grinning, Anglo-fied pop/rock -- almost with a transatlantic feel at times, so accomplished and slick is the execution -- that might appeal to fans of early Badfinger, the late-'60s Easybeats and Hollies, and more esoteric cult faves like the Idle Race. The accent is on the "might appeal," because Blond really didn't have as strong an identity as any of those groups. Also, their material wasn't as good as the best songs recorded by the Swedish group they grew out of, Tages. It's pleasant, artfully produced, late-'60s British-styled pop/rock with a touch of the Baroque (plenty of orchestration) and psychedelic, but not much sticks in the memory banks. Certainly the best track is "The Lilac Years," a rather out-of-character, moody epic with classical-influenced organ. When the good-timey vibe is leavened by some melancholy here and there in other spots, as on "I'll Bring You Flowers" (which has more of that early Procol Harum/late Zombies-type organ), the results are again more fetching and affecting.

Blond - Fontana Records - `69 - MP3 @ 320 kbps - w/ high rez scans
ALL TRAX FROM WAX

1. Deep Inside My Heart
2. Sailing Across the Ocean
3. Six White Horses
4. Time Is Mine
5. The Girl I Once Had
6. The Lilac Years(De Salde Sina Hemman)
7. I Wake Up and Call
8. I Pick Up the Bus
9. There's a Man Standing in the Corner
10. I Will Bring You Flowers in the Morning
11. Caroline

[new link]
DOWNLOAD : -- HERE --

Dennis Yost & the Classic IV - Golden Greats - `69 - Imperial Records

2009-05-20T09:51:00.005-06:00

During a 5 year period beginning in 1966, Dennis Yost, the voice of THE CLASSICS IV, had 4 gold singles to his credit. His gold records include "Spooky," "Stormy," "Traces" and "Everyday With You Girl."

Without a doubt Dennis possessed one of the most beautiful voices ever to be on record. Even the hard rockers liked his voice. It was undeniably part of the soundtrack of the 60's. My favorite is "Stormy"

Here's a bit of bio on Dennis:

He began his musical career in Jacksonville, Florida playing drums with high school friends, calling themselves "The Echoes." In the early 1960s, he joined a group that would become known as "The Classics." Members included the founder, Wally Eaton, plus James Cobb and Joe Wilson. The group achieved certain notoriety with a small hit titled "Pollyanna" written by Joe South, not to mention Dennis was one of few drummers standing up and drumming while also singing lead. When the band learned of another group from New York City that had a small amount of success with a song titled "Til Then," using the same name, they quickly changed their name to "The Four Classics," and eventually "The Classics IV."

Sadly, Dennis died at age 65 in December last year. His music will never be forgotten.

CINCINNATI – Dennis Yost, lead singer of the 1960s group the Classics IV, has died in an Ohio hospital. He was 65.Yost died Sunday (December 7, 2008) at Fort Hamilton Hospital in Hamilton, about 30 miles northwest of Cincinnati. He died of respiratory failure, hospital spokeswoman Marielou Vierling said.

Dennis Yost & the Classic IV - Golden Greats - `69 - Imperial Records
MP3 @ 320 kbps - w/ high rez scans - ALL TRAX FROM WAX

1. everyday with you girl
2. spooky
3. 24 hours of loneliness
4. mary ,mary row your boat
5. something i`ll remember
6. change of heart
7. stormy
8. traces
9. sunny
10. strange changes
11. waves
12. soul train

DOWNLOAD : -- HERE --

The Thorns - - 2003 - Sony Records

2009-05-17T07:55:00.005-06:00

this is a bit different than my usual postings , but still pretty obscure & is transferred from wax still !
shawn mullins , pete droge & matthew sweet together for the CSNY in modern times.
in fact any fan of Crosby, Stills & Nash ,The Byrds , America , Bread , George Harrison , or Tom Petty will dig this one !
killer harmonies & songs. i really love this lp , its a real grower. dont listen to the naysayers , these songs are epic & timeless.

aka`

The history of rock is scattered with the wreckage of supergroups who turned out to be less than super (and one or two who turned out OK). The Thorns were built in the tradition of the supergroup, though the members are actually less than superstars. Two of the three Thorns, Pete Droge and Shawn Mullins, are best known as one-hit wonders (1994's "If You Don't Love Me, I'll Kill Myself" and 1998's "Lullaby," respectively), while the third, Matthew Sweet, has had a career with one great album (1991's Girlfriend) and a few uneven ones. From their soaring vocal harmonies, chiming guitars, classic rock songs, and plaintive lead vocals, the obvious comparison to make is that the Thorns are a junior-league Crosby, Stills & Nash or a more earnest Traveling Wilburys (with whom they share drummer Jim Keltner). Indeed, comparisons to classic rock acts come easily: America, the Beach Boys, Bread, Crosby, Stills & Nash (no Young), Fleetwood Mac, the Jayhawks (whose "Blue" the band does a near note-perfect cover of on the album), and Tom Petty are clearly influential. The Petty comparison is particularly useful because over half the songs on The Thorns sound like they could have shown up on a recent Tom Petty album. "Long Sweet Summer Ground," "No Blue Sky," and especially "Runaway Feeling" have the straight-ahead, chunky rhythm of late-period Petty, as well as the chiming guitars and, above all, the drawled, laconic vocals (Droge at times sounds like he's channeling Petty's voice). That reliance on late-period Petty gets wearying, and it sounds at times like the threesome were more interested in replicating a classic rock band than producing any classic tracks. The most successful songs are those that either embrace their influences so fully that they become glorious reproductions or those that dispense with the idol worship altogether. In the first category is "Think It Over," a sure hit for CSN or America if they had recorded it in the late '60s or early '70s that glides along on lush harmonies and a resigned yet hopeful lead vocal, underpinned by a graceful back-porch rhythm and some Beach Boys-style bass harmonica. It also benefits from what many of the songs here lack, a memorable melody. In the second category are two Sweet songs that venture to interesting places outside the group's somewhat restricted sound. "Thorns" is a fun and bouncy garage rocker that has a bit of attitude and fun; the backing vocals are a real kick. "Now I Know" is a near a cappella song with the group vocals backed by restrained strings. The harmonies, as they are throughout the entire record, are beautiful, and the song is quite affecting and unique. The Thorns have a warm and inviting sound, with entrancing harmonies, but too often there's no substance behind the sound. In fact, despite the good songs and decent performances, it's difficult to escape that classic letdown-by-a-super(ish)group-again feeling.

The Thorns - - 2003 - Sony Records - MP3 @ 320 kbps
ALL TRAX FROM WAX

1. Runaway Feeling
2. I Can't Remember
3. Blue
4. Think It Over
5. Thorns
6. No Blue Sky
7. Now I Know
8. Dragonfly
9. Long, Sweet Summer Night
10. I Told You

DOWNLOAD : -- HERE --

Leon Russell & Marc Benno - Asylum Choir II , `72 Shelter Records

2009-05-16T12:01:00.006-06:00

I remember this LP as a child. my mum had it. good stuff , although not as good as the debut , still very enjoyable... salty candy prob my fave here.

aka`

Initially kept in the can until Leon Russell started hitting his stride in the early '70s, Asylum Choir II is an artifact from 1967-1969. This was a fertile time for music. All the popular themes of the times show up here: protests of the Vietnam war in Down on the Base and Ballad for a Soldier; notes on the political scene and corporate profit-making in the face of the war in Sweet Home Chicago, Tryin' to Stay Alive, Lady in Waiting, and Straight Brother; and, of course, love in Hello Little Friend (which would later prove a hit for Joe Cocker when Leon was running that show). The tracks sound fairly dated in part because many songs were so topical.
Although Leon Russell is credited as contributing bass, guitar, piano, keyboards, vocals, and being the producer while Marc Benno is credited as a performer and producer, the music does not suffer from the "Winwood" syndrome, which occurs when one musician tries to do everything and the resulting product sounds flat and uninspired. Quite the opposite, the music, for the most part, is jaunty and full-bodied.
For example, on Straight Brother, the sound is a rich pastiche of fiddle, wah-wah, percussion, bass, and some great vocals from, I would guess, Rita Coolidge (set up in the Intro to Rita). Which also begs the question: who else is making some uncredited guest appearances? I find it hard to believe the late Carl Radle only served as a photographer and never plugged in his bass here. Could one of the drummer Jims (Gordon or Kneltner) be sitting in, too? No doubt, there are quite a few uncredited performers lurking on this recording, perhaps uncredited because of contract issues.
Russell, who was just gaining his musical footing about the time this album was orginially recorded, wrote some great lyrics and sings with great verve. His vocals, veering from ragged to howling, still can conjure chills on Straight Brother. And his keyboard playing is articulate and quirky, a harbinger of what was yet to come.

Leon Russell & Marc Benno - Asylum Choir II , `72 Shelter Records - MP3 @ 320 kbps w/ high rez cover scans
ALL TRAX FROM WAX !

1.Sweet Home Chicago
2.Down On The Base
3.Hello Little Friend
4.Salty Candy
5.Tryin' To Stay 'Live
6.....intro TO Rita
7.Straight Brother
8.Learn How To Boogie
9.Ballad For A Soldier
10.When You Wish Upon A Fag
11.Lady In Waiting

DOWNLOAD : -- HERE --

George Harrison - Wonderwall Music -`68 - Apple Records

2009-05-16T10:27:00.004-06:00

Fancy finding a copy of this that is still playable !
well , i did & here it is !
enjoy

aka`

The first Beatle solo album -- as well as the first Apple album -- was a minor eruption of the pent-up energies of George Harrison, who was busy composing this offbeat score to the film Wonderwall as Magical Mystery Tour raced up the charts. With the subcontinental influence now firmly in the driver's seat, the score is mostly given over to the solemn, atmospheric drones of Indian music. Yet, as a whole, it's a fascinating if musically slender mishmash of sounds from East and West, everything casually juxtaposed or superimposed without a care in the world. Harrison himself does not appear as a player or singer; rather, he presides over the groups of Indian and British musicians, with half of the cues recorded in London, the other half in Bombay. The Indian tracks are professionally executed selections cut into film cue-sized bites, sometimes mixed up with a rock beat, never permitted to develop much. Touches of Harrison's whimsical side can be heard in the jaunty, honky tonk, tack piano-dominated "Drilling a Home" and happy-trails lope of "Cowboy Museum," as well as a title like "Wonderwall to Be Here." Occasionally, the overt footsteps of a Beatle can be heard: "Party Secombe" is a medium-tempo rock track that should remind the connoisseur of "Flying"; "Dream Scene" has Indian vocals moving back and forth between the loudspeakers over backwards electronic loops. As this and Harrison's second experimental release, Electronic Sound, undoubtedly proved, pigeonholing this Beatle was a dangerous thing.

George Harrison - Wonderwall Music -`68 - Apple Records - MP3 @ 320 kbps
ALL TRAX FROM WAX !

1. Microbes
2. Red Alady Too
3. Tabla and Pakavaj
4. In the Park
5. Drilling a Home
6. Guru Vandana
7. Greasy Legs
8. Ski-Ing
9. Gat Kirwani
10. Dream Scene
11. Party Seacombe
12. Love Scene
13. Crying
14. Cowboy Music
15. Fantasy Sequins
16. On the Bed
17. Glass Box
18. Wonderwall to Be Here
19. Singing Om

DOWNLOAD : -- HERE --

The Turtles - The Battle of the Bands - `68 - White Whale Records

2009-05-16T09:25:00.006-06:00

the turtles cover the gamet in styles here. truly a talented band , this one includes the hits elenore , & you showed me !
enjoy

aka`

I remember first hearing this album in the late 70's, and from the very beginning I knew I was hooked.

12 songs, 12 different artists, all performed by The Turtles.

This band had such a diverse lineup of singers and creative forces that an album like this had to happen for them.

Too bad the mindset at the label was hostile, demanding results and hits, but meanwhile there was internal band/manager problems and with that pressure, this was the result, and as another Amazon reviewer said perfectly, it's the American version of both The Beatles' "White Album" & "Sgt. Peppers'" as they were both concept albums and very musically forward.

Here's the 12 tracks:
1. The Battle of the Bands, by 'The U.S. Teens featuring Raoul' - very introductory, lets the listener know he or she is in for a big treat, kinda like the opening of Sgt. Pepper's, but not as noisy
2. The Last Thing I Remember, the First Thing I Knew, by 'The Atomic Enchilada' - very trippy, very sixties, but I think this was the intention, to let everyone know they are part of that whole hip stuff, too
3. Elenore by 'Howie, Mark, Johny, Jim & Al' - the anchor song of the whole album. A bit of history first: their label, White Whale, wanted another hit record like "Happy Together" a year back, so to get the label off their backs, Howard Kaylan wrote a novelty song he knew they wouldn't like - he wrote it as a joke expecting them to immediately reject it, and to add insult to injury , he deliberately reversed the chord progressions of "Happy Together" and then added dumb lyrics like "you're my pride and joy, et cetera" and "gee I think you're swell," even rhyming "groovy" with "movie". However, even the band was surprised that the label loved it so much it was released as a single and it went to #6. Strange...
4. Too Much Heartsick Feeling by the 'Quad City Ramblers' - Some good old-fashioned Austin Texas country music here, complete with drippy corny lyrics, slide guitar and a spoken solo in the middle of the song - "honey, I want you, and I believe you want me toooooo"... perfect.
5. Oh, Daddy! by "The L.A. Bust '66" - progressive rich White boy blues, with Chippy asking Daddy to bail him out of the joint on a "trumped-up" drug charge. The song is actually pretty good lyrically and is one of the better upbeat drug tunes out there, complete with an New Orleans jazz band celebrating his release at the 1:46 mark.
6. Buzzsaw by 'The Fabulous Dawgs' - Heavy guitar fuzz and a Hammond organ scream throughout this slow burner - then the chorus - "Buzzzzzzz sawwwww..." - a quick song, complete with a DJ screaming that after a "pause for the cause" there'll be more.
7. Surfer Dan by 'The Cross Fires' (actually the name of the band is a tip of their hats to their past, as Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman from The Turtles' first started in a surf band in the early 60's as "The Crossfires from The Planet Mars") - as The Beatles had their tribute song to the Beach Boys with "Back In The USSR", so The Turtles paid tribute to not only their past but to the whole surf rock genre with what has to be the ultimate surf rock song! It has cool cars, cool kids, cool lyrics, with the music and singing and the spirit all just right. One of the best tracks on the album.
8. I'm Chief Kamanawanalea (We're the Royal Macadamia Nuts) by 'Chief Kamanawanalea and his Royal Macadamia Nuts' - his has got to be one of the strangest yet most put together jam songs ever constructed. The title alone is a pun, a dirty joke and a come on all at the same time! It's one of the strange songs that segue to another song, kinda like they way The Beatles "Revolution #9" did.
9. You Showed Me by 'Nature's Children' - very sixties, with a very well created mellow vibe. You can hear violins and cellos and electronic organs all meshing and mixing together. This song was a follow-up hit for them after the monster of 'Elenore'. It's actually very sensual, lyrically too.
10. Food by 'The Bigg Brothers' - It seems more like a grocery list of everything the band had eaten until a sudden break in the music, and then a recipe for pot brownies is introduced! It seems that the lists of bookend the pot brownie only let us know they had the munchies before and after, and the sound of Alka-Seltzer takes us home!
11. Chicken Little Was Right by 'Fats Mallard and the Bluegrass Fireball' - very sunny bluegrass country music indeed, but with strange sinister undertones about the actual kidnapping of the sky. Very wild.
12. Earth Anthem by 'All' - according to an Wikipedia entry, "The final song, "Earth Anthem", was notably recorded at 3:00 A.M. by candlelight, to capture the exact mood the Turtles wanted." I have to admit, it seems as if the band, instruments and all, were drifting off into space as they floated above us and everyone else's problems.

The album is short at under 45 minutes, but it's cohesive, fun, and thought-prevoking on some levels.

Even though many bands were trying to re-create the sound of the very first REAL original concept album, 1966's "Pet Sounds" by the Beach Boys (and a year later the formentioned Beatles albums), this album comes the closest to being that answer from another room, and if you've heard "Pet Sounds," too you know that I'm right!

(Now if you want to go way back, if you listen to the inspiration for "Pet Sounds" - The Beatles' "Rubber Soul" - then you'll get where I'm coming from as far as REAL musical progression, not just one-upmanship on the Beatles part in 1967 and '68.)

In the final analysis, if you gave me a choice for something that challenges me versus something that has been listened to over and over and over until the meaning behind it is lost, I say give me the Turtles and give me "The Battle of The Bands."
[ John J. Martinez - amazon]

#1 The Battle of the Bands (Harry Nilsson, Chip Douglas) – 2:14 (The U.S. Teens featuring Raoul)
#2 The Last Thing I Remember, the First Thing I Knew – 2:55 (The Atomic Enchilada)
#3 Elenore – 2:31 (Howie, Mark, Johny, Jim & Al)
#4 Too Much Heartsick Feeling – 2:43 (Quad City Ramblers)
#5 Oh, Daddy! – 2:45 (The L.A. Bust '66)
#6 Buzzsaw – 1:59 (The Fabulous Dawgs)
#7 Surfer Dan – 2:42 (The Cross Fires)
#8 I'm Chief Kamanawanalea (We're the Royal Macadamia Nuts) – 1:34 (Chief Kamanawanalea and his Royal Macadamia Nuts)
#9 You Showed Me (James McGuinn, Gene Clark)– 3:16 (Nature's Children)
#10 Food – 2:40 (The Bigg Brothers)
#11 Chicken Little Was Right – 2:47 (Fats Mallard and the Bluegrass Fireball)
#12 Earth Anthem (Bill Martin) – 3:54 (All)

DOWNLOAD : -- HERE --

Leon Russell & Marc Benno - Asylum Choir - Look Inside , `68 Smash Records

2009-05-16T08:48:00.007-06:00

Pretty groovy LP by leon & bro , marc benno. is icicle star tree the coolest song u never heard or what ? ! :) 2nd LP on da way as well !
enjoy !

aka`

long-lost Psychedelic album from 1968 by this duo featuring Leon Russell. Poised between his past as a top Wrecking Crew session man (Phil Spector, The Byrds, Sonny And Cher) and assistant to Liberty A&R head Snuff Garret, and his future as a '70s Rock superstar, Russell teamed up with his Texas Psych buddy Marc Benno to work with Gene Clark, Harpers Bizarre and Gary Lewis in their new studio. In between sessions, they created this unusual and breathtaking album. A great lost nugget by one of the major Rock superstars!

Leon Russell & Marc Benno - Asylum Choir , `68 Smash Records - MP3 @ 320 kbps
w /high rez cover scans - ALL TRAX FROM WAX

1. Welcome to Hollywood
2. Soul Food
3. Icicle Star Tree
4. Death of the Flowers n
5. Indian Style
6. Episode Containing 3 Songs: NY Op/Land of Dog/Mr Henri the Clown
7. Thieves in the Choir
8. Black Sheep Boogaloo

DOWNLOAD : -- HERE --

Morning Glory - Two Suns Worth - `68 , fontana

2009-05-16T08:28:00.007-06:00

rare psych pop gem here on fontana lable. in the vein of early jefferson airplane !
digg in kids.

aka`

California group Morning Glory released one album, 1968's Two Suns Worth, that was heavily influenced by Jefferson Airplane and the Mamas & the Papas, particularly in its female-male vocal blends. More psychedelic than the Mamas & the Papas, and poppier than the Airplane, it featured lead vocals by Gini Graybeal on a set of almost entirely original material, the majority written by bassist/rhythm guitarist/singer Bob Bohanna (though some other members contributed in that regard as well). Producing was Abe "Voco" Kesh, most known for his work with Blue Cheer.

Lineup:

Gini Graybeal (vocals)
Bob Bohanna (bass)
Larry Gerughty (organ)
Daniel NuDelman (lead guitar)
Allen Wehr (drums)

side 1)

1.) Need Someone (Bob Bohanna) - 4:28
2.) I Cry (Bob Bohanna) - 2:34
3.) Hey Little Girl (Bob Bohanna) - 2:22
4.) Stone Good Day (Bob Bohanna) - 4:00
5.) Even When I'm Up I'm Down (Daniel NuDelman) - 5:20

(side 2)

1.) Jelly Gas Flame (Daniel) - 4:38
2.) I See a Light (Daniel NuDelman - Gini Graybeal) - 3:12
3.) Live For Today (Bob Bohanna) - 3:12
4.) Point Of No Return (Larry Gerughty) - 5:02
5.) So Glad Being Here (Bob Bohanna) - 3:37

DOWNLOAD : -- HERE --

Neon - s/t - `70 - Paramount Records

2009-05-16T07:45:00.005-06:00

This is a rare psych pop lp , produced by tommy james & king. some really great stuff here , much in the vein of early tommy james. i know this has been posted recently as well , but here it is again , lol.

aka`

“Their prime claim to fame seems to rest with the fact their 1971 debut album was produced by Tommy James and Bob King (the pair also handled musical arrangements and contributed one song to the set). "Neon" is actually a surprisingly good heavy rock album, with Crabtree penning the majority of the material, the set offered up a nice blend of guitar rock (”Mountain Baby“ - ignore the ponderous drum solo) and more commercial moves (check out the Tommy James and the Shondells-styled harmonies on ”Hold Back My Tears”). Personal favorites were the band's cover of James' “Dark Is the Night“ (always liked that 1960s sitar sound), the rocker ”Can't Stop Myself (From Loving You)” and the mildly psychedelic “Magic Man”. Listening to the album a couple more times, the set sounds like something The Shondells might have done had the ever elected to go for a tighter, AOR audience - that's meant as a compliment.

Neon - s/t - `70 - Paramount Records -- MP3 @ 320 kbps , w/ high rez scans -- ALL TRAX FROM WAX !

1.Mountain Baby
2.Hold Back My Tears
3.Dark Is The Night
4.Can't Stop Myself (From Lovin' You)
5.Magic Man
6.Nobody Nowhere
7.Funny Kind Of Feelin'

DOWNLOAD : -- HERE --

The Moray Eels Eat the Holy Modal Rounders - `68 - Elektra Records

2009-05-16T07:27:00.004-06:00

OK kids , here is some tasty vintage psych ! sure doesnt get much more "far out" than this one my good friends. a bit left of center for my taste , but super cool none the less ! This is one is hard to come by as well these days .... grab it while its hot !
aka`

In the mid- to late '60s you couldn't get much further underground in the ever-expanding world of rock music than the Fugs -- unless of course you were one of the Holy Modal Rounders, i.e. folk musicians Peter Stampfel and Steve Weber. The Rounders started out in the same early-'60s New York folk and jug scene as Ed Sanders and Tuli Kupferberg, and had crossed paths numerous times. Stampfel and Weber will be eternally remembered for "Bird Song," which was prominently featured in both the movie Easy Rider and its soundtrack. It's also the opening cut on The Moray Eels Eat the Holy Modal Rounders, an album way beyond anything else considered to be "far out" at the time. Released in 1968 on Elektra, the 13 tracks are highlighted by such otherworldly compositions as "Werewolf," "My Mind Capsized," "The STP Song," and "Half a Mind." Unabashed in its own eccentricity, this set is similar to their 1967 ESP release Indian War Whoop in that it combines acoustic traditional American folk, blues, and hillbilly music regurgitated by crazed folkie acidheads experimenting with electric instruments. Following the disc's release, Stampfel said this album reflected producer Frazier Mohawk's musical taste more so than the band's. The Modal duo are assisted, in this case, by playwright Sam Shepard on tambourine, Richard Tyler on piano, and John Wesley Annis on bass and drums. As good luck would have it, the Water label unleashed this CD on the public for the first time in 2002 with two previously unreleased bonus tracks. Absolutely essential.

The Moray Eels Eat the Holy Modal Rounders - `68 - Elektra Records
MP3 @320 kbps , w/ high rez sacns -- ALL TRAX FROM WAX !

1. One Will Do for Now

2. Take-off Artist Song

3. Werewolf

4. Interlude

5. Dame Fortune

6. Mobile Line

7. The Duji Song

8. My Mind Capsized

9. Interlude 2

10. Half a Mind

11. The Pledge

DOWNLOAD : -- HERE --

Andy Kim - How'd We Ever Get This Way - `68 , Steed Records

2009-05-16T06:27:00.006-06:00

lucky enuff to run across this gem recently ! really fun poppy stuff ala tommy james , tommy roe , etc. this one will really grow on ya !enjoy .....aka` [ oops on da scan , i fix ! , lol ]

Andy Kim's 1968 debut How'd We Ever Get This Way showcased his knack for commercial pop music, pitched partway between bubblegum and Brill Building tradition, often recalling both the effervescence and moodiness that marked Neil Diamond's '60s work for Bang. Brill Building mainstays Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich produced those recordings, and after their partnership soured, Barry started writing with Kim on a regular basis, eventually signing him to his fledgling label, Steed. How'd We Ever Get This Way was Kim's debut, consisting entirely with material he co-wrote with Barry, and it's an excellent example of hooky mainstream pop from the late '60s: bright, melodic and well-constructed, from its composition to its productions. At times, it may sound strikingly like Diamond -- "Just Like Your Shadow" recalls "Solitary Man," right down to the mournful horns that come in on the second verse; "Love That Little Woman" bounces along on handclaps and maracas just like "You Got to Me" -- it does so without ever sounding imitative; it sounds like the work of a singer/songwriter with similar gifts, sharpened and honed by Diamond's producer. That producer also happened to be a producer for the Monkees, and there are echoes of that group as well; it's easy to imagine "Circus" as sung by Micky Dolenz and the skipping "Shoot 'Em Up Baby" is just gimmicky enough to work well on TV. At times, the music edges toward the middle-of-the-road (the swelling strings on "Pretty Thing") and sometimes it bears traces of psych-pop, but it never goes too far in either direction. With the exception of the dreamy, dramatic closer "Resurrection," which is notable and excellent in its own way, this is late-'60s pop at its lightest and brightest, and cut for cut it's one of the strongest records of its kind, thanks to songs as irrepressibly catchy as "How'd We Ever Get This Way" and sweetly understated as the McCartney-esque "Ordinary Kind of Girl."

Andy Kim - How'd We Ever Get This Way - `68 , Steed Records
MP3 @ 320 kbps , w/high rez scans
ALL TRAX FROM WAX !
1. How'd We Ever Get This Way
2. Shoot 'Em Up, Baby
3. Sunday Thunder
4. Ordinary Kind of Girl
5. Just Like Your Shadow
6. Pretty Thing
7. Love That Little Woman
8. Do You Feel It, Too?
9. You Got Style
10. You Girl
11. Circus
12. Resurrection

DOWNLOAD : -- HERE --

Robin Gibb - Robin`s Reign - `70 - Atco Records

2009-05-16T06:05:00.006-06:00

phooey , i dont care what the critics say about this one , i love it !
very rare indeed this one : i couldnt believe when i found it , think it was 5 bucks too ! anyway , fave tracks here mother & jack & down came the sun !
love the drum machines eh ?
lol

Although not many people remember it today, there was a moment when the Bee Gees' lineup literally exploded into pieces — in the wake of the 1969 double-LP Odessa, the sibling music trio split, first into two parts, with Barry Gibb and Maurice Gibb initially retaining the Bee Gees name, and later into three parts, as even they stopped working together. You can judge the depth of the antipathy felt between Robin Gibb and his brothers from the lyrics in "Most of My Life," the last song on the album at hand, which are steeped in bitterness. Ironically, amid a ton of solo activity by all three brothers that resulted from these breakups, Robin's Reign by Robin Gibb was the only full-length solo effort by any of them to see the light of day commercially, and it has never been reissued on CD, despite the fact that it contained a number two U.K. hit in "Saved By the Bell." What is here is almost as much a "lost" Bee Gees creation as the two-man lineup's Cucumber Castle album, notwithstanding Barry Gibb's protestations at the time that the songs weren't up to a standard that would have allowed him to sing on them — the main problem is the "almost." Cucumber Castle was strong enough as a body of music that it only needed the addition of Robin Gibb's voice to have qualified as a classic '60s Bee Gees effort, and even as it stands there's enough good music on it to justify its presence in the CD catalog. Much of Robin's Reign, however, needed just a little bit more work on the composition side — perhaps the input of another of the Gibb siblings — to reach that same standard. On the first side, "August October" and "Gone Gone Gone" could have passed muster on any of the group's late-'60s albums, and "The Worst Girl in This Town" on a sonic level is as great an achievement as a Bee Gees cut in everything but name (complete with Maurice Gibb's presence — he's also elsewhere on the album, as is drummer Colin Petersen). But too many of the songs (and "Down Came the Sun" is a perfect example), although very pretty, don't quite go anywhere — they lack a second idea, or a middle eight, or something, to take them to the ending without being predictable. The record also ended up being a bit disjointed and confusing, as Robin Gibb and his manager announced it with several songs that never made it onto the record, while others that weren't announced were present. Among the most unusual of the latter was "Mother and Jack," a calypso-flavored piece that was sort of Robin Gibb's answer to the two-man Bee Gees' "I.O.I.O.," and ended up on the B-side of "Saved By the Bell." The presence of two different conductors and arrangers, Zack Lawrence and Kenny Clayton (along with Gibb's arrangement of one song), didn't help unify the result. And for the record, Lawrence came closest to emulating the most densely produced Bee Gees sound. "Mother and Jack" offered possibilities for a new, leaner, different sound, but as it was, the album couldn't get far enough away from the Bee Gees' own roots to count as more than a footnote — albeit an often beautiful and reasonably entertaining one — to their history. He would do better, and generate more lasting music, with his subsequent solo albums in the decades to come.

Robin Gibb - Robin`s Reign - `70 - Atco Records
MP3 @ 320 , w/ high rez scans - ALL TRAX FROM WAX

1. August October
2. Gone Gone Gone
3. The Worst Girl in This Town
4. Give Me a Smile
5. Down Came the Sun
6. Mother and Jack
7. Saved By the Bell
8. Weekend
9. Farmer Ferdinand Hudson
10 Lord Bless All
11.Most of My Life

DOWNLOAD :
-- here --

Neil Diamond - Brother loves ...-`69

2009-05-16T05:48:00.006-06:00

well , here ya go kids ; yes its neil diamond ! love the title track here & dig in [ how did they do that organ stutter effect ? lol ]
all in all this is great stuff !

Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show is the name of Neil Diamond's fourth studio album. Four months after the title cut became a #22 hit, Diamond recorded and released a new single, "Sweet Caroline", which reached #4. Because of its popularity, this song was added to the end of later pressings of the album, which was also given a new sleeve.

Lyrical Interpretation

The song tells the story of Brother Love, an evangelist who travels from town to town preaching. In the middle of the song, Diamond gives a sermon in typical evangelical style.

Controversy

Some evangelical groups in the American South encouraged the boycotting of this song and of Diamond as they thought that this song denigrated and insulted evangelists and the evangelical movement. When Diamond explained in an interview that it was, contrary to their understanding of it, a celebration of Gospel music and the evangelical style of preaching and worship, the controversy subsided.

Single mix

The original 45 mix of the title cut differs from the album version. One difference is that it is in mono. Also, during the second verse, Neil's vocal has been overdubbed onto the lead vocal, creating a harmony. Immediately after "take my hand in yours", bells have been added to the piano part. Extra reverb is used throughout the song. Finally, the fade is longer, includes a rattling tambourine and, most prominently, the horn section is mixed much louder than on the album version. All of Diamond's CD compilations have used the album mix.

Neil Diamond - Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show - `69 , UNI Records
MP3 @ 320 , w/ high rez cover scans
ALL TRAX FROM WAX - AKASHAMAN

1. "Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show" – 3:27
2. "Dig In" – 2:41
3. "River Runs, New Grown Plums" – 1:58
4. "Juliet" – 2:51
5. "Long Gone" – 3:18
6. "And The Grass Won't Pay No Mind" – 3:33
7. "Glory Road" – 3:19
8. "Deep In The Morning" –3:04
9. "If I Never Knew Your Name – 3:17
10. "Memphis Streets" – 2:40
11. "You're So Sweet, Horseflies Keep Hangin' 'Round Your Face" – 3:13
12. "Hurtin' You Don't Come Easy" – 2:30

DOWNLOAD -- here --

The Marbles - Cotillion -`70

2009-05-15T17:41:00.003-06:00

Another great pop gem in the vein of tin tin & the bee gees. in fact a couple of bee gee tracks are covered here as well as the famous "storybook children" , i think this was thier hit here eh ?
of course graham bonnet , singer here went on to play with ynqwie malmsteen & alkatrazz !

The Marbles are well known to serious Bee Gees fans for covering a number of Bee Gees compositions, as well as being produced by Barry Gibb. Those expecting a sort of Bee Gees Jr., however, will be sorely disappointed by the Marbles' sole, eponymous album, even if five of the 12 tracks were penned by the Brothers Gibb. It's a far more blustery, orchestral brand of pop/rock than the relatively tender one mastered by the Bee Gees in the late '60s, even when they're doing some songs the Bee Gees themselves recorded back then (like "I Can't See Nobody" and "To Love Somebody"). Most blustery of all is Graham Bonnet's overbearing voice, which sounds a bit like a cross between Tom Jones and the Righteous Brothers, painting mental pictures of some tuxedoed guy sweating it out on the northern England cabaret circuit, his bulging neck muscles turning red with the effort. The pop and soul covers -- including "A House Is Not a Home," "Storybook Children," and "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" -- are rendered schmaltzy by both the vocals and arrangements. The Marbles' few attempts at their own songwriting (numbering only three) are better though not great, convincingly emulating the bittersweet aspects of the early Bee Gees, though sometimes with even more ornate orchestration than the Bee Gees employed. It's of most interest to Bee Gees fans, though, for the inclusion of three Brothers Gibb compositions the Bee Gees didn't record at the time on their own records: "Only One Woman" (a number five British hit), "The Walls Fell Down," and "By the Light of a Burning Candle." They're characteristic of the Bee Gees' late-'60s style, but given such a bombastic treatment that you can't help wishing that the Bee Gees had done them instead. The 2003 CD reissue on Repertoire adds six bonus tracks, including mono single versions of four tracks from the LP and two 1969 B-sides.

The Marbles - Cotillion -`70 - MP3 @ 320 - high rez cover scans

1. I Can't See Nobody
2. House Is Not a Home
3. Storybook Children
4. Daytime
5. By the Light of a Burning Candle
6. Stay With Me Baby
7. Only One Woman
8. To Love Somebody
9. Breaking Up Is Hard to Do
10. Elizabeth Johnson
11. Little Laughing Girl
12. Walls Fell Down

DOWNLOAD -- HERE --

Strawberry Alarm Clock - Wake Up .... It`s Tomorrow - `68 UNI Records

2009-05-15T16:43:00.005-06:00

The second & best from these boyz ! This is one of my faves of the new post coming your way. love the poppiness here & the great hooks. super production as well : turn this one up ! fave trax , sit w/ guru & song from psych out !

For their second album, Wake Up...It's Tomorrow, Strawberry Alarm Clock built upon the solid writing and musicianship that inevitably carried over from the Incense and Peppermints project. In retrospect, it is baffling as to why they were relegated to the "one-hit wonders" file, as their most social and musically relevant statements had yet to be made. Stylistically, the material on this album vacillates between the lighter and pop-oriented sides such as "Tomorrow" and the stunningly agile vocal arrangements on "Pretty Song from Psych-Out" to the exceedingly ominous "Curse of the Witches" and "Nightmare of Percussion." Howard Davis -- whose spoken word narration can be heard during the latter track -- arranged some stunning vocal charts for "Soft Skies, No Lies," "Go Back, You're Going the Wrong Way," and the "future" section of the "Black Butter" trilogy. They are reminiscent of the tight harmonies incorporated by Harpers Bizarre or the retro New Vaudeville Band. Conversely, "Sitting on a Star," "They Saw the Fat One Coming" (which refers to the infiltration of Roy Freeman, a lyricist hired by the band's management), and the first two movements in the "Black Butter" trilogy reflect the group's mod garage rock roots. Here the band projects a more primal sound akin to People or the Chocolate Watchband. [ amg ]

Strawberry Alarm Clock - Wake Up ... It`s Tomorrow - `68 UNI Records - MP3 @ 320 - high rez scans of front/back covers
ALL TRAX FROM WAX !

1. Nightmare of Percussion
2. Soft Skies, No Lies
3. Tomorrow
4. They Saw the Fat One Coming
5. Curse of the Witches
6. Sit With the Guru
7. Go Back, You're Going the Wrong Way
8. Pretty Song from Psych-Out
9. Sitting on a Star
10. Black Butter, Past
11. Black Butter, Present
12. Black Butter, Future

DOWNLOAD -- HERE --

Libido - killing some dead time - `97 - fire/velvel records

2008-09-03T15:13:00.009-06:00

ok kids ; here is another lost gem from over 10 yrs ago !
still sounds fresh to me : norweigen power pop at its best.
i even included a couple bonus trax from cd singles. annies song [ john denver cover ! ] & a crazy song called "inner beauty is a lame comfort when you`re fuck bored - television divine" , lol -- noisy little track , but try & stay tuned to `till the last part , telelevision divine ! - sweet !
this singer can really wail , wow. tons of melodic hooks & smashin` guitars.
turn it up loud & proud please.
fave trax - supersonic drug , overthrown , magic mushroom night ! , annies song

Libido - killing some dead time - `97 - fire/velvel records - MP3 @ 320kbps

1. Overthrown
2. Supersonic Daydream
3. Strange News
4. Crash Out
5. In My Shadow
6. Blow
7. Remarkably Abnormal (Good Intentions)
8. Revolving
9. Molest Me
10. Comfort
11. God's Guest List
12. Magic Mushroom Night
+
13.inner beauty is a lame comfort when you`re fuck bored - television divine
14.annies song

[ Alex Steininger - in music we trust ]

Hailing from Norway, Libido is Even Johansen on vocals and guitar, Cato Eikeland on bass, and Jorgen Landhuag on drums. Playing pop-rock, sometimes emphasizing the rock and sometimes the pop, they churn out some very catchy moments on their debut release, KILLING SOME DEAD TIME.

"Overthrown" grabs you right from the beginning, creating hooks and a great beat within the first eight seconds. Soon the vocals come in and the song takes on a whole new life, while still recognizing the old one. The vocals are clear, smooth, and add nice flavor to the music. The lyrics, dealing with the ever-so-popular men/women relationship, are brought out by the vocals, which make every word ring in your head and sound interesting each time. The drums and the bass work together nicely, giving the song depth and character. When the chorus comes in, you'll be drawn even closer to the song and feel even more love for it. Getting the listeners attention from the beginning is hard to due, but keeping it throughout is even a harder task. With "Supersonic Daydream" they manage to keep the listener happy with another pop-rock number. The verses are decent, sometimes losing the interest of the listener, but when the "supersonic" intoxication of the chorus hits, you'll know why you keep listening. The vocals turn the pitch up a bit, while the band spills out hooks, and together magic happens. "Crash Out" mixes slow verses with a bit more rock-based chorus. The verses are slow and enchanting, possessing a dreamy quality to them, but with the dreamy quality comes sleepiness and boredom. While listening to it, I found myself easily distracted and I was paying attention to other things, but when the chorus hit my attention once again focused back on the song. After a few trips down the same road, the song now has my full attention each time I listen to it. "Revolving" takes a minute for the vocals to come in, as well as for the song to really start. Another song where they create a slow verse and then build on their rock parts during the chorus. But this time they end the song with an emphasis on the rock, which is really nice, and kept me interested in the number. Ending with "Magic Mushroom Night," they close the CD out another dreamy pop number, very 'Brit-pop,' and a nice way to finish.

Libido can write good pop-rock numbers. It's nice to see them taking sides once in a while, as well, because it helps bring out certain parts of the song more. The contrast is also nice, and to hear them focus on pop for a bit and then turn around and do the same for rock creates a feeling of never knowing what to expect, which helps keep the music lively and entertaining. They are best when they focus on the rock side, but when their pop side is pouring out of the speakers no one will think any less of them. A good, solid band who will definitely be making their impact felt on modern rock radio in the near future. I'll give this album a B+.

download -- here --

Binocular - 2001 - maverick

2008-08-30T07:57:00.004-06:00

hey all :

ok , here is some pure pop for ya. the production could not be any slicker on this , pure genius.
this one fell through the cracks to no surprise. industry sucks , this came out in the midst of boy bands & the like. too bad. pretty damn discouraging for indie musicians & the like - if something this great can be left behind , how many other great artist are not getting the recognition they deserve ? i think its just a shame , that why i am here ...:)

this came out on madonnas maverick label with a fair amount of hype.
still , have you heard of it ?
i digress , dont get me started ! just download the damn thing , turn it up & wonder why talent like this isnt universally known !

***************

- dave ben - amazon

I first heard of Binocular from the show Smallville. The song "You" was played during the first season. The song has a great 80s feel with a nice guitar solo at the end. I wanted to find out everything I could about this guy, but there really isn't too much information about him. The story is out there about how he was a guitar prodigy and how he made the album, but not much else. Actually finding the CD was very difficult. I had to download some of the songs from a P2P network before I found a copy in a local CD shop.
The album is an amazing journey from the first track to the last. There are no throwaway tracks here. I won't go into each specific song, but my personal faves are "You", "Everything Turns Around" and "Wait Until" although you can't really go wrong with any of them.
Musically, the album goes down easy like sugar. He makes good use of echoes, synthesizers, guitars, and even his own background vocals. He did everything on the album. The lyrics have a simple almost adolescent quality about them. But that's not to say he's lyrically challenged like Avril or some other teenage lyricists out there. His lyrics are simple sounding, nothing particularly poetic, but soothing all the same. And they even tell the story of how the album was made - all the struggle and sacrifice.
I give Binocular my highest recommendation. I've played the CD to many of my friends and they have all loved it. They tried to get the CD as well, but are currently unsuccessful. So they've copied mine. If you can get your hands one on, consider yourself lucky. I don't think the album did too well, although I'm not sure why. The album was never promoted in the least way on radio or anything. The song "You" would have been a hit, I'm sure. All of the songs are so friendly to the ears. I feel almost guilty listening to them, as if I'm secretly listening to pop music. Anyway, I pray that he makes another album because if he does, I'll buy ten copies and give the rest to my friends. He's an artist who definitely deserves his due.

*********

aka`

Binocular - 2001 - maverick - MP3 @ 320 kbps

1. You
2. Never
3. Everything Turns
4. Deep
5. You Were The One
6. Gone Away
7. Don't Say Goodbye, Say Goodnight
8. Fire Burns Bright
9. Let Me Fly So Long
10. Wait Until
11. As The End Of The World
12. Paradise Dub

DOWNLOAD : -- HERE --

School of Fish - Human Cannonball - `93

2008-08-27T11:45:00.006-06:00

someone flooded my comment fields with a request for this cd. i figured despite his overzealousness , i would share it anyway , lol.
it is a great cd , by a band that only made two.
the lead singer has since passed , RIP. i have all his solo cds i might be persuaded to add here as well sometime !?

this came out during the initial onset of the grunge era. but i dont think its that grungy.
in fact , i think its better than all that shite that came out at that time save for jellyfish , which no one knows about anywhoo....but came out same year as this.

this one really grows on ya ! fave trax :

"Take Me Anywhere", "1/2 a Believer", "Stand in the Doorway", and "Kerosene"

turn it up !!

aka`

School of Fish - Human Cannonball - `93 - MP3 @ 320 kbps - 110 MB

1. Complicator

2. Take Me Anywhere

3. 1/2 a Believer

4. Fountain

5. Fuzzed and Fading

6. Blackout

7. Everyword

8. Jump off the World

9. Drop of Water

10. Drag

11. Stand in the Doorway

12. Kerosene

DOWNLOAD -- here --

& -- here -- [ thanks ]

Babylon Zoo - the boy with the x-ray eyes - `96

2008-07-10T07:33:00.004-06:00

space rock at its best ! came out in `96 this is the dreamchild of jas mann.
he wrote , recorded & played most everything on here.
one of my fave obscure cds ever !
lots of layered sounds , keys , & heavy guitars.

****

The trip-hoppy euro-pop of St. Etienne also comes to mind as one component of this fascinating, kitchen-sink acquired-taste hybrid out of Wolverhampton, England. Add unique lead distortion achieved by plugging a cheap, second-hand guitar and amp straight into the mixing desk, and a variety of vocal and instrumental sound effects that create a cross between Tommy James and the Shondells' "Crimson and Clover" and low-budget, sci-fi horror flick special effects, and you have some insight into the mind of 24 year old part Asian/part Native American vocalist/writer/producer Jas Mann.

A dash of rave, a sprinkle of Sisters of Mercy-like Goth, an undercurrent of Bowiesque Glam, and through this sonic jam soars the yearning, child-simple siren melodies of "Zodiac Sign" and the title track. An electro-pop cornucopia, done on the cheap and with a knowing wink, Babylon Zoo is a magpie speaking in tongues while deftly decorating its nest with glittering, borrowed baubles.

Babylon Zoo - the boy with the x-ray eyes -`96 - MP3 @ 320 kbps

Animal Army
Spaceman
Zodiac Sign
Paris Green
Confused Art
Caffeine
The Boy With The X-Ray Eyes
Don't Feed The Animals
Fire Guided Light
Is Your Soul For Sale?
I'm Cracking Up I Need A Pill

download --->-- here --

Chroma Key - [ Kevin Moore ] Dead Air For Radios

2008-07-10T06:55:00.006-06:00

well , my PC & stereo are still divorced , so here are some killer , obscure cds for yall. this 1st one is the debut cd by legendary dream theater key player , kevin moore.
he played on the 1st two DT cds.[ images & awake ] this is nothing like that tho. more floydian & ambient..lots of piano & samples , textures. this one will really grow on ya !

***

[amg]
Onetime Dream Theater keyboardist Kevin Moore left that band after three albums to pursue his own project, Chroma Key. Stripping away the metallic elements of Dream Theater's sound, Chroma Key is more influenced by '70s prog-rock and early-'80s synth-pop, particularly the most ethereal, ambient-flavored components of each -- artists like Brian Eno, Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel, and Talk Talk's Mark Hollis. The first Chroma Key project was recorded with Fates Warning rhythm section Joey Vera (bass) and Mark Zonder (drums), as well as guitarist Jason Anderson; titled Dead Air for Radios, it was released in 1998 in Europe and the following year in the U.S. on Fight Evil Records.

Chroma Key - dead air for radios - `98 - MP3 @ 320 kbps

1. "Colorblind" - 4:51
2. "Even the Waves" - 6:33
3. "Undertow" - 4:49
4. "America the Video" - 4:29
5. "S.O.S." - 5:24
6. "Camera 4" - 3:49
7. "On the Page" - 4:21
8. "Mouse (Now Watch What Happens)" - 5:10
9. "Hell Mary" - 4:02

DOWNLOAD - -- here --

New England --- `78 Demo`s

2008-03-07T08:26:00.008-06:00

this is a request. just goes to show you how crucial money, production & mastering is on a finalized "album". if you A / B this demo cd with thier debut , its amazing how well paul & co. did on it !
oh & candy , i will be there & even when i`m away are all ones you havent heard ! enjoy ~ aka

new england `78 demos -
MP3 @ 320 kbps
includes high rez art

1 - Alone Tonight
2 - Nothing To Fear
3 - Candy
4 - I Will Be There
5 - Shoot
6 - Don't Ever Wanna Lose Ya
7 - Hello Hello Hello
8 - Even When I'm Away
9 - Searchin'
10 - Turn Out The Light

[ re-upped ! ]download -- here --