Kaleidoscope - A Dream For Julie (1971)

Having performed since 1963 under the name The Sidekicks, the band changed their name to The Key in November 1965, before settling on the name Kaleidoscope when they signed a deal with Fontana Records in January 1967. The group originally consisted of Eddy Pumer on guitar, Steve Clark on bass and flute, and Danny Bridgman on drums, and vocalist Peter Daltrey, who also played organ, and joined the band in March 1964. Most of their songs were Pumer/Daltrey originals, with their first single 'Flight From Ashiya'/'Holidaymaker' being released in September 1967, quickly followed by the band's debut album 'Tangerine Dream' four months later. The single got quite a bit of radio airplay but failed to reach the charts, and so a new single was released in 1968, with neither side of 'Jenny Artichoke'/'Just How Much You Are' being taken from the album, but despite being a particularly catchy number, it also failed to chart. Their second album 'Faintly Blowing' was released  in 1969, and this time the band’s sound was heavier, although the tracks still included psychedelic elements with notably fairy-tale lyrics, but once again it failed to reach the charts. After the failure of 'Faintly Blowing', they released two more singles which were songs by other writers and, after a radio session in BBC Maida Vale Studios, the band never again appeared as Kaleidoscope. By the end of the decade, with the failure of their last single 'Balloon' still hanging over them, the band moved on with their new manager, DJ David Symonds, and re-emerged with the same lime-up as Fairfield Parlour. Despite the fact that they were now being called a progressive rock band, their music didn’t change much and still included fairy-tale lyrics with psychedelic harmony vocal. The band’s first single as Fairfield Parlour was 'Bordeaux Rose', which was released in April 1970 on the legendary Vertigo label, and despite the fact that it got a considerable amount of radio airplay, it fared no better chart-wise than their previous incarnation. After releasing a couple more singles, the band issued the 'From Home To Home' album in August 1970, and at the same time as they were heavily involved in this, they were asked to record the theme tune for the Isle of Wight Festival, 'Let the World Wash In', and so as not to detract from the album release they recorded and released two songs under the name of I Luv Wight, although they did open the festival as Fairfield Parlour. 

The band’s second album was 'White Faced Lady', which they financed independently and recorded in Morgan Studios in London, but attempts at finding a record company to issue it failed and the album was shelved until 1991, when it was released under the name Kaleidoscope on their own label. Despite their lack of commercial success at the time, Kaleidoscope's reputation has grown enormously over the intervening years, and they are now acknowledged as one of the finest UK psychedelic bands of all time, with original copies of their poorly-selling albums changing hands for huge sums. As both bands had the same line-up, I'm combining them for this post, and as they released so many non-album songs under both band names, there is easily enough rare material to put together a stunning album, which both celebrates and enhances the reputation of a group that it took half a lifetime to be appreciated for the ground-breaking band that they were. Some of these songs were only ever played on Top Of The Pops, and therefore suffered that bane of music-lovers everywhere, the DJ talking over the intro, so I've painstakingly patched them so that we now have complete versions of the songs, and hopefully you can't spot the joins.    

Track listing
                  
01 A Dream For Julie (single 1968) 
02 Jenny Artichoke (single 1968)
03 Just How Much You Are (b-side of 'Jenny Artichoke')
04 Balloon (single 1969)
05 Do It Again For Jeffrey (single 1969)
06 Jump In My Boat (from Top Of The Pops 1969)
07 Let The World Wash In (single as I Luv Wight 1970) 
08 Mediaeval Masquerade (b-side of 'Let The World Wash In')
09 Just Another Day (single as Fairfield Parlour 1970)
10 Caraminda (b-side of 'Just Another Day' single as Fairfield Parlour 1970)
11 Song For You (b-side of 'Just Another Day' single as Fairfield Parlour 1970)
12 I Am All The Animals (b-side of 'Just Another Day' single as Fairfield Parlour 1970)
13 Baby, Stay For Tonight (as Fairfield Parlour, previously unreleased)
14 Eye Witness (as Fairfield Parlour, from the soundtrack of the film 'Eyewitness' 1970) 
15 Long Way Down (as Fairfield Parlour, from Top Of The Pops 1971)
16 Diary Song (as Fairfield Parlour, from Top Of The Pops 1971)
17 The Matchseller (as Fairfield Parlour, from Top Of The Pops 1971)

Kaleidoscope - Egyptian Candy (1970)

The Kaleidoscope were formed in 1966 by David Lindley, Solomon Feldthouse, Chris Darrow, Chester Crill, and John Vidican. Lindley was an experienced performer on a variety of stringed instruments, notably the banjo, and he joined up with Feldthouse to begin performing as a duo, David and Solomon. They later met Chester Crill and invited him to join their band, and by the end of 1966 they'd added Darrow and Vidican, dropped the definite article, and become Kaleidoscope. The group was founded on democratic principles, with no leader, and they began performing live in clubs, winning a recording contract with Epic Records. The first single, 'Please', was released in December 1966, and their first album 'Side Trips' was issued the following year. It was produced by Barry Friedman, and showcased the group’s musical diversity and studio experimentation. It included Feldthouse's 'Egyptian Gardens', Darrow’s 'Keep Your Mind Open', and a cover of Cab Calloway's 'Minnie the Moocher', highlighting their unusual musical tastes and sense of humour. A lot of their music fused Middle-Eastern music with rock in longer pieces such as 'Taxim', and they soon became the go-to band for psychedelic festivals. They performed in many different styles, including rock, blues, folk and jazz, and their non-album singles are a good example of this diversity, which is why I've put together this album. As well as singles and b-sides, we also have a collaboration with Larry Williams and Johnny 'Guitar' Watson, and a couple of songs recorded in 1969 and gifted to Michelangelo Antonioni for use in his 'Zabriskie Point' film. The band split up shortly after supporting Cream on their farewell tour, but they left behind a body of work which sits up there with the very best of West Coast psychedelic music, so enjoy this collection of rare songs from throughout their career.

Track listing

01 Midnight Man (out-take from 'Side Trips' sessions 1967)
02 Why Try (single 1967)
03 Little Orphan Nannie (b-side of 'Why Try')
04 Elevator Man (b-side of 'Please' 1967)
05 Rampe Ranmpe (b-side of 'I Found Out' 1967)
06 Just A Taste (single 1968)
07 Egyptian Candy (previouosly unreleased 1968)
08 Nobody (single with Larry Williams & Johnny 'Guitar' Watson 1967)
09 Hello Trouble (b-side of 'Just A Taste')
10 Love Games (previously unreleased 1968)
11 Stefan (out-take from 'Incredible' sessions 1969)
12 Brother Mary (from Zabreskie Point' soundtrack 1970)
13 Mickey's Tune (from Zabreskie Point' soundtrack 1970)