The Creation - Ostrich Man (1968)

The Creation were formed from the ashes of the beat group The Mark Four, who operated in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire between 1963 and 1966. By late 1963 The Mark Four was a quintet consisting of Kenny Pickett (vocals), Eddie Phillips (guitars), Mick "Spud" Thompson (rhythm guitars), John Dalton (bass), and Jack Jones (drums), and this line-up played regularly in the UK and in Germany, before issuing two non-charting singles on Mercury Records in 1964, 'Rock Around The Clock' and 'Try It Baby'. Dalton then left the band, later joining The Kinks as a replacement for Pete Quaife, and was replaced by new bassist Tony Cooke. Around the same time, Thompson left and was not replaced, and this new four-piece line-up issued two further non-charting singles in 'Hurt Me If You Will' and 'Work All Day (Sleep All Night)'. In April 1966 the group signed a management deal with Tony Stratton-Smith, who promptly suggested replacing Cooke with new bassist Bob Garner, and also asked they change their name. The band took him up on both suggestions, and Pickett came up with the name The Creation, based on a reference he found in a book of Russian poetry. The band's style at this point was loud art pop, similar to early records by The Who, and their first single under the new name was the Pickett/Phillips original 'Making Time', which was the first recording to feature an electric guitar being played with a violin bow, predating the more famous solos by Jimmy Page by some years. The single reached No. 49 on the UK chart, but almost immediately the band suffered another line-up change when Jack Jones was fired and replaced by new drummer Dave Preston, although he was quickly reinstated after the band decided they were unsatisfied with Preston's live work. 

Their next single was released in October 1966, and the more pop-orientated 'Painter Man' became their biggest hit, reaching No. 36 on the UK chart, and breaking the top 10 in Germany. The band took their pop art experimentation even further, with Pickett spray-painting a canvas during their concerts, before a member of the road crew would set fire to the artwork on stage. 'Painter Man' was the last single issued by the original line-up, with Kim Gardner being brought in as their new bassist, and former bassist Bob Garner taking over the lead vocal slot, leaving Kenny Pickett out of the group. This line-up issued its first single in June 1967, but 'If I Stay Too Long'/'Nightmares' was not a success in the UK, although it did well in Germany, and so the band released 'Tom Tom' as a follow-up just in Germany, with their commercial momentum in that country being so strong that an album called 'We Are Paintermen' was released in mid 1967 for the German and continental European market, compiled from previously issued singles and several newly recorded songs. The band tried to break the US market by releasing four singles during late 1966 and 1967, but none of them met with any success, although they continued to remain popular in Germany, Sweden, Denmark and Norway. At the end of 1967 they released 'Life Is Just Beginning' in the UK, but almost immediately afterwards guitarist Eddie Phillips announced his departure, and although he was replaced for several European tour dates by guitarist Tony Ollard, within a matter of weeks vocalist Bob Garner also quit the group, and by February 1968 The Creation had officially ceased to exist. 

However, demand was still strong in continental Europe for Creation records and live shows, and almost immediately after the band disbanded, drummer Jack Jones formed a new Creation line-up, bringing back Kenny Pickett as singer and Kim Gardner as bass player, and bringing in his old bandmate from The Birds, Ronnie Wood on guitar. This line-up debuted with the single 'Midway Down', which was released in the UK and Germany in April 1968, but shortly afterwards the band splintered again, and this time it was for good. 'Bonney Moroney' (sic) and 'For All That I Am' were issued as posthumous singles in Germany in 1968, and that was the end of the band. Despite their early demise and lack of hits, The Creation posthumously became highly influential, acknowledged as an inspiration by Paul Weller, Ride, Pete Townshend, and The Sex Pistols, while Alan McGee named his massively successful record label Creation after them, and took 'Biff Bang Pow!' as the name for his own band. For this album I've gathered together all the singles and b-sides that didn't appear on the 'We Are Paintermen' album, as that record is well worth seeking out in its own right, and I've added in a few previously unreleased recordings that have since surfaced on the many retrospectives, plus a couple of live takes, in particular the full length version of 'That's How Strong My Love Is'. If you have this album plus 'We Are Paintermen', then you have everything that the band recorded in their short career, and yet they influenced so many bands that it's hard to believe that this is their entire recorded output. 

Track listing

01 Instrumental #1 (previously unreleased 1966)
02 Life Is Just Beginning (single 1967)
03 Ostrich Man (previously unreleased)
04 I'm A Man (previously unreleased live recording 1966)
05 Midway Down (single 1968)
06 The Girls Are Naked (b-side of 'Midway Down')
07 Sweet Helen (previously unreleased 1968)
08 Bonney Moroney (German single 1968)
09 Mercy, Mercy, Mercy (b-side of 'Boney Moronie')
10 Sylvette (previously unreleased full take 1966)
11 Life Is Just Beginning (longer un-orchestrated version 1967)
12 For All That I Am (German single 1968)
13 Uncle Bert (b-side of 'For All That I Am')
14 That's How Strong My Love Is (previously unreleased live recording) 
15 I Am The Walker (previously unreleased)

The Boo Radleys - Almost Nearly There (1995)

In 1996 the Boo Radleys released their fifth album 'C'mon Kids', and while the group themselves have said that their aim was to try something new in order to keep themselves fresh and interested, critics accused them of deliberately attempting to scare away the fans they'd picked up with 'Wake Up!'. Early in 1997, the band finalized an American contract with Mercury, and 'C'mon Kids' was released in March, a half a year after its initial British release. Their final album 'Kingsize' came out in 1998, with 'Free Huey!' being released as the first single. Plans were under way to issue the title track as the next single, but while these were being finalised the band decided to call it a day, and broke up in 1999, resulting in the release of 'Kingsize' being cancelled. As we've already seen from posts from Elbow, Wah!, Dodgy and (spoiler alert) The Bluetones, indie bands of the 90's treated their fans really well, with exclusive songs on the flips of nearly all of their singles, although the Boos did reign this in a bit during their later years, and the songs on their EPs seldom found their way onto their albums either. They may have only been around for eight years, but they recorded so much music that it was relatively easy to find three dozen songs that never appeared on their albums to make up this trilogy of posts from a much-missed indie band.  

   
Track listing

01 Friendship Song (b-side of 'Wake Up Boo!' 1995)
02 ...And Tomorrow The World (b-side of 'Wake Up Boo!' 1995)
03 Janus (b-side of 'Wake Up Boo!' 1995)
04 Blues For George Michael (b-side of 'Wake Up Boo!' 1995)
05 This Is Not About Me (b-side of 'It's Lulu' 1995)
06 Tambo (b-side of 'It's Lulu' 1995)
07 Donkey (b-side of 'It's Lulu' 1995)
08 From The Bench At Belvidere (single 1995)
09 Hi Falutin' (b-side of 'From The Bench At Belvidere' 1995)
10 Crushed (b-side of 'From The Bench At Belvidere')
11 Almost Nearly There (b-side of 'From The Bench At Belvidere')
12 The History Of Creation Parts 17 And 36 (b-side of 'Wake Up Boo!' 1995)

I've put 'The History Of Creation Parts 17 And 36' at the end as you'll probably only want to listen to it once. 

The cover uses a photo by Elena Jo Melanson

Audience - Indian Summer (1972)

Audience were a cult British art rock band which was formed in 1969 by Howard Werth on nylon-strung electric acoustic guitar and vocals, Keith Gemmell on alto and tenor saxophone, flute and clarinet, Trevor Williams on bass guitar and vocals, and Tony Connor on drums and vocals. They rose from the ashes of a semi-professional soul band called Lloyd Alexander Real Estate, which had included all the Audience members except Connor, and they released one single under that name in 1967, but when Werth, Williams, and Gemmell decided to form their new band, they thought of Connor. Within weeks of starting rehearsals, Audience had acquired management, a publishing contract, a residency at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, and a recording contract with Polydor, with whom they recorded their first album 'Audience', an acoustic guitar-driven album featuring Gemmell's saxophone often electrically altered to resemble an electric lead guitar and with string and horn arrangements by Andrew Pryce Jackman. The band was dissatisfied with the record company's promotional approach and temporarily moved to Switzerland to avoid involvement in proposed publicity stunts, but by the end of the year they were drawing public and journalistic acclaim for their songs, arrangements, and stage act. After the debut album came out on Polydor, Tony Stratton-Smith of Charisma Records spotted the band supporting Led Zeppelin and signed them up to his label immediately, for which they recorded three albums. Their first two records were not issued in the U.S. until Elektra signed them, when their final two albums were issued in America, and although their 1971 single 'Indian Summer' took them into the lower reaches of the U.S. charts, by this time they were exhausted and fractious, having worked virtually non-stop for three years, and Gemmell left the band in January 1972. The unfinished 'Lunch' album was completed with the help of The Rolling Stones and Mad Dogs and Englishmen brass section, Jim Price and Bobby Keys, following which they went straight back on the road with new members Nick Judd on keyboards and Pat Charles Neuberg on alto and soprano saxophone. The band never recovered from Gemmell's departure, with Williams resigning eight months later, and when Judd received an offer to join Juicy Lucy shortly afterwards, the band folded. 'House On The Hill' has long been a favourite album of mine, including a superb remake of the title track from that unsatisfactory first album, and they were one of the great unsung British progressive rock bands, so if you like the sound of this collection then do check out their albums, and I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Track listing

01 Watcha Gonna Do (When Your Baby Leaves You) (single by Lloyd Alexander Real Estate 1967)
02 Gonna Live Again (b-side of 'Watcha Gonna Do (When Your Baby Leaves You)')
03 Paper Round (previously unreleased 1969)
04 The Going Song (previously unreleased 1969)
05 Troubles (previously unreleased 1969)
06 House On The Hill (original version 1969)
07 The Big Spell (b-side of Belladonna Moonshine' 1971)
08 Indian Summer (single 1971) 
09 Grief And Disbelief (previously unreleased 1972)
10 Hard Cruel World (previously unreleased 1972)
11 Elixir Of Youth (previously unreleased 1972)
12 Buy Me An Island (John Peel session 1972)
13 Trombone Gulch (John Peel session 1972)
14 Barracuda Dan (John Peel session 1972)

Little Quirks - Covers (2020)

I posted a proposed album from Australian folk trio Little Quirks at the beginning of the year as part of this series promoting new bands,and I mentioned in the notes that when they started out they used to busk at food markets, playing covers from The Cranberries, Of Monsters And Men, and Vance Joy. After they'd started to write their own songs they still liked to play covers for fun, often filming themselves and uploading the results to Youtube, and as their repertoire increased they included songs by Coldplay, Green Day, First Aid Kit, and Fleet Foxes, with the latter inspiring them to perform a stunning version of their 'White Winter Hymnal'. Loving the band as I do, I've been collecting these for some time now, and so I think it's about time that I shared some of them, so I've chosen my favourites from the twenty or so that they've uploaded and made this album. It's the perfect way to understand which bands have influenced the girls over the years, and they stamp their own mark on every one of these tracks. It's called simply 'Covers', so that I could adapt the artwork for their 'Cover My Eyes' EP in which to house it, and if you enjoyed their 'Devil's Ivy' album then you must hear this. If you haven't yet experienced this superb band then there's no better place to start, as this could be an easier introduction than just diving in to their self-penned material. 

Track listing 

01 Learn Me Right (Not With Haste) (Mumford & Sons)
02 In The End (Green Day)
03 King And Lionheart (Of Monsters And Men)
04 Hey Ya! (Outkast)
05 White Winter Hymnal (Fleet Foxes)
06 Best Day Of My Life (The American Authors)
07 Flowers In Your Hair (The Lumineers)
08 Zombie (The Cranberries)
09 Hopeless Wanderer (Mumford & Sons)
10 Stay Gold (First Aid Kit)
11 Fix You (Coldplay)
12 Accidentally In Love (Counting Crows)
13 From Afar (Vance Joy)

The Breakaways - That Boy Of Mine (1970)

The Vernons Girls were an English musical ensemble of female vocalists, put together by the Vernons football pools company, eventually settling down to a sixteen strong choir, and recording an album of standards in 1958, and issuing a string of singles throughout the early 60's. In 1962 three of the group decided to break away and form their own trio, and so Betty Prescott, Margo Quantrell and Vicki Haseman left the Vernons and called themselves The Breakaways, because that's what they had done. Heading for London, they found themselves a manager and landed a recording contract with Pye Records, but before they had a chance to record their first single they were roped in to provide backing vocals on Joe Brown and the Bruvvers' 'A Picture of You', which became a top three hit in the spring of 1962. The group’s vocal competence and adaptability soon meant that they were performing back ups for many of the top artists of the day – not just for Pye, but for a host of labels, and it is perhaps as session singers that the girls are best remembered. Their first release under their own name was a somewhat prim version of US girl group the Crystals' 'He's A Rebel', following which Prescott left the group, to be replaced by Jean Ryder. They joined Joe Brown again in the film 'Just For Fun', released in February 1963, and Haseman and Brown hit it off, later marrying and having children, including the 1980's singer Sam Brown. In November 1963 the girls were relaunched with a sexy all-in-black look to promote their new Tony Hatch-penned single 'That Boy of Mine', although for many it's the flip, a version of Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich’s 'Here She Comes' which is the better recording. Quantrell followed in the wake of Wendy Richard and Billie Davis by putting in an appearance on a novelty record by Mike Sarne, 'Hello Lover Boy', but the whole group had already backed 'That Was The Week That Was' comedian Kenneth Cope on his 'Hands Off, Stop Muckin' About' 45 earlier in the year. After backing Joe Brown on a Christmas-themed EP they released their third single 'That's How It Goes' in March 1964, while in France the Vogue label issued a four-track EP consisting of all the songs from the group's second and third singles. 

In 1965 they provided backing vocals for Burt Bacharach, achieving a credit as 'and chorus' on the huge hit 'Trains And Boats And Planes', and they also sang on another of his songs 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart' that same year. Displaying a somewhat curious choice of material, they issued a version of 'Danny Boy' in November 1965, but again it's the b-side that has gone on to be more highly regarded, with the Marty Wilde-penned 'Your kind Of Love' being a fan favourite. 1967 saw the release of the sumptuous 'Sacred Love' on CBS, while session work included providing the vocals for the Tony Hatch Sound’s version of Francis Lai's 'Live For Life', and the following year the group donned pink baby doll dresses to back Cliff Richard on the Royal Albert Hall stage in his bid for Eurovision glory with 'Congratulations'. Another label switch in 1968 failed to get them back in the charts, but the session work continued into the 70's, and the girls provided vocals on the Mark Wirtz Orchestra And Chorus album 'Come Back And Shake Me', with Quantrell giving a fine solo performance on 'I Can Hear Music'. They continued to work as session singers over the following years, both together and individually, and Vicki joined her husband's group 'Brown's Home Brew' in the early 70's, and also recorded as part of the Tree People and the New London Chorale, with The Breakaways formally splitting in the mid-70's. Their catalogue is quite a varied mix of Northern soul stompers, novelty records, well-chosen covers, and credited backing to singers like Russ Loader, but it's their perfect vocal harmonies for which they will always be remembered. 

Track listing

01 He's A Rebel (single 1962)
02 Hands Off, Stop Muckin' About (single by Ken Cope And The Breakaways 1963)
03 Why Am I So Shy (b-side of 'Hands Off, Stop Muckin' About')
04 That Boy Of Mine (single 1963)
05 Here She Comes (b-side of 'That Boy Of Mine')
06 All Things Bright And Beautiful (by Joe Brown & The Bruvvers with The Breakaways 1963)
07 The Holly And The Ivy (b-side of 'All Things Bright And Beautiful')
08 That's How It Goes (single 1964)
09 He Doesn't Love Me (b-side of 'That's How It Goes')
10 Danny Boy (single 1965)
11 Your Kind Of Love (b-side of 'Danny Boy')
12 Don't Go Breaking My Heart (single by Burt Bacharach with The Breakaways 1965)
13 Someone To Talk To (from the film 'Darling' 1965)
14 When Your Heart Is Broken (single by Russ Loader with The Breakaways 1965)
15 Live For Life (single by The Tony Hatch Sound with The Breakaways 1966)
16 Sacred Love (single 1967)
17 I Can Hear Music (from 'Come Back & Shake Me' by Mark Wirtz 1970)

Neu! - Neu! 4 (1986)

In 1985 Michael Rother and Klaus Dinger entered a studio together for the first time in ten years, and started recording tracks for a proposed fourth album by Neu!. The music was recorded and mixed between October 1985 and April 1986 at Grundfunk Studio and Dingerland-Lilienthal Studio in Düsseldorf, and at the Michael Rother Studio in Forst, Germany, but the sessions were not completed and the planned album was abandoned. During the 90's, the first three Neu! albums were made available on CD by Germanofon Records, a dubious label allegedly based in Luxembourg who specialized in unauthorized and illegal reissues of otherwise unavailable krautrock albums, who somehow managed to get the Neu! albums into mainstream distribution. As a response to these bootlegs, Dinger released 'Neu! 4' "in an act of despair", and railed against them in the liner notes. 'Neu! 4' was issued by the Japanese label Captain Trip Records, without Rother's input, knowledge or consent, and he only learned what had happened in a telegram congratulating him on the release of the album. This action by Dinger exacerbated the disagreements between Rother and Dinger, preventing an official CD release of the first three Neu! albums until 2001, of which part of the agreement was that all copies of 'Neu! 4' on Astralwerks in the U.S. and Grönland Records in the UK were to be recalled, and it has been out of print ever since. Despite Rother's continued objection to Dinger's original decision to release 'Neu! 4' and his oft-stated opinion that it isn't a real Neu! album, Rother had no objection to fans buying the CD secondhand, and would always leave open the possibility that it could be reissued legally with his consent in the future. Rother and Dinger did attempt to negotiate such a release after the official reissue of the first three albums, but they failed to reach an agreement, and with Dinger's death in 2008, such an agreement seemed unlikely. In early 2010, Rother announced that he had arrived at an agreement arranged with Dinger's heir, Miki Yui, and had completely remastered the album from original multi-track and master tapes to produce 'Neu! '86', which he termed 'our fourth studio album'. The new album shared several tracks in common with the original release, some of which had been edited or remixed, while others had been removed and replaced with some new pieces which were not on the original release. Both versions have their moments, but the general opinion seems to be that Rother removed a couple of tracks which really should have stayed, and edited some which didn't need it, and so by taking the best tracks from each release and sequencing them following a guide from the HeadHeritage website, here is what I hope is the definitive version of Neu!'s fourth album. The only track I've edited myself is the first one, as Rother's edit cut it down so much that it hardly seemed worth including, while the original could afford to have a couple of minutes shaved off it, and it then makes a nice intro to the album. I've created new artwork based on the original cover, which was so close to what I've come up with that I can't believe that no-one saw it at the time. 

Track listing

01 Intro (Nazionale)
02 Bush Drum
03 Crazy
04 Good Life
05 Schöne Welle (Nice Wave)
06 Wave Naturelle
07 La Bomba (Stop Aparthjid World-Wide)
08 Paradise Walk
09 Flying Dutchman
10 Danzing
11 Drive (Grundfunken)

Thanks to martinf for the suggestion

Julie Grant - When The Lovin' Ends (1965)

Vivien Foreman (aka Julie Grant) was born on 12 July 1946 in Blackpool, Lancashire, and she was a keen performer even as a child, making her British stage debut as one of the Siamese children in the original production of 'The King And I' in London’s West End. After winning a talent contest at Brighton’s Butlin’s holiday camp in 1960 (beating none other than Helen Shapiro), she began singing semi-professionally in working men’s clubs in Leeds, where she then lived. Her father shared an accountant with established star Frankie Vaughan, and Julian Grant arranged an audition for her with a manager in London, giving her a new name based on his own, and she was soon signed to Pye Records. Her debut single 'Somebody Tell Him' was released in April 1962 but failed to sell, and subsequent singles 'So Many Ways' and 'When You're Smiling' suffered the same fate. Frustrated that her talent wasn’t translating into sales, Pye bosses turned to the songbook of up-and-coming writers Gerry Goffin and Carole King, and she cut a version of The Drifters' US hit 'Up On The Roof', which resulted in a UK top 40 hit in January 1963. The follow up, the bouncy 'Count On Me', made the top 30, as Grant hit the headlines over her friendship with The Beatles, and rumoured romance with George Harrison. After a change in style resulted in 'That's How Heartaches Are Made' being a flop, she returned to poppier fare with the 45s 'Don't Let Me Down' and 'Hello Love', but they couldn’t recapture her previous success, despite a national tour with The Everly Brothers and The Rolling Stones. It took the subtler 'Come To Me' in 1964 to see her back in the UK top 40, but by the time of her next release 'Baby, Baby (I Still Love You)' in January 1965, Pye had begun to lose interest in her, failing to adequately promote her next three singles, and when they all failed to chart, her contract was not renewed. Shortly afterwards she joined Spanish group The Zaras as lead singer and began touring mainland Europe and the US. She ended up moving to the States permanently, and now runs her own talent agency. While her first few singles were very much formulaic early 60's pop, around 1964 she started to cover US Motown acts, and from then on her music became more soulful, so this collection concentrates on this later, more sophisticated part of her career. 

Track listing

01 Count On Me (single 1963)

02 Then, Only Then (b-side of 'Count On Me')
03 That's How Heartaches Are Made (single 1963)
04 Cruel World (b-side of 'That's How Heartaches Are Made') 
05 Every Day I Have To Cry (single 1964)
06 Watch What You Do With My Baby (b-side of 'Every Day I Have To Cry') 
07 Lonely Without You (single 1964)
08 As Long As He Knows He's Mine (b-side of 'Lonely Without You')
09 You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You (single 1964)
10 I Only Care About You (b-side of 'You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You')
11 Come To Me (single 1964)
12 Can't Get You Out Of My Mind (b-side of 'Come To Me') 
13 Stop (single 1965)
14 When The Lovin' Ends (b-side of 'Stop') 
15 Giving Up (single 1965) 
16 'Cause I Believe In You (b-side of 'Giving Up')    
17 Baby, Baby (I Still Love You) (single 1965)
18 My World Is Empty (Without You) (b-side of 'Baby, Baby (I Still Love You)') 

Andwella - Every Little Minute (1970)

The Method were a heavy psyche/blues trio who were led by David Lewis, with Nigel Smith on bass and Gordon Barton on drums, and who played around the Belfast area in the mid to late 60's. When the band moved from Belfast to London and signed to CBS Records they changed their name to Andwellas Dream, and recorded a stunning debut psychedelic album 'Love & Poetry' in 1968, with its consistently strong melodies and killer Hendrix-style guitar elevating it to classic status. The band also released three singles for the label, two of which were not taken from the album, and both 'Mrs. Man' and 'Mister Sunshine' are excellent period pieces. In 1970 Dave McDougall joined on keyboards, and the band name was shortened to Andwella, with the band moving to the CBS's Reflection imprint for subsequent releases. The first band-related release on the new label was a privately-issued publisher's demo album of songs that Lewis had recorded solo, in order to raise his profile and hopefully get other artists to ask to record his songs, and it included two tracks that had previously been recorded by the band. Andwella released two albums on Reflection, with the first, 1970's 'World's End', being underpinned by McDougall's lush Hammond organ, and although its sound is less psychedelic than 'Love & Poetry', it's more consistent and contains several outstanding songs. Before the third Andwells album, Lewis produced a record by hippie poet David Baxter, with 'Goodbye Dave' being comprised of instrumentals played by Andwella over which Baxter recited his poems. After replacing the rhythm section with Dave Struthers on bass and Jack McCulloch on drums, the final Andwella album proper was 1971's 'People's People', which was a step closer to mainstream rock, but still an enjoyable album. The band split following its release, with Lewis going on to record a couple of solo albums for Polydor in the 70's, and he also wrote 'Happy To Be On An Island In The Sun', which was a hit single for Demis Roussos in 1976. This album collects together the non-album and rare singles and their b-sides, a couple of out-takes, a brace of tracks from Lewis's publishers album, and an example of Andwella's work on David Baxter's poetry album.

Track listing
           
01 Mr. Sunshine (single 1969)
02 Shades Of Grey (b-side of 'Mister Sunshine')
03 Mrs. Man (Single 1969)
04 Felix (b-side of 'Mrs. Man')
05 Every Little Minute (single 1970)
06 Michael Fitzhenry (b-side of 'Every Little Minute)
07 Miles Away From My Baby (previously unreleased)
08 Paradise Isle (previously unreleased)
09 Hold On To Your Mind (single 1970)
10 Shadows Of The Night (b-side of 'Hold On To Your Mind')
11 Because Of The Love You've Give Me (from 'Songs Of David Lewis' 1970)
12 Holding On (from 'Songs Of David Lewis' 1970)
13 Doors (from 'Goodbye Dave' by David Baxter)

Mind Mountain - Singularity (2015)

Mind Mountain were a Liverpool three-piece who formed in 2011 and quickly established themselves on the local, and increasingly national, scene by gaining a reputation for hammering out improvised and musically accomplished live sets which marry the best of the prog and psych traditions. Yet, along with many of their contemporaries in this rapidly emerging scene, Mind Mountain do not sound like throwbacks or a prog/psych tribute band, and while they take in the likes of Pink Floyd and Black Sabbath, they have very much developed their own sound which I find both gripping and mesmerising. In 2015 the band recorded a eponymously named debut consisting of three tracks, all of which are long and heavy chunks of guitar-led psych rock whose riffage at times would not sound out of place at Donnington. The same year they shared a split single with another favourite band of mine, Carlton Melton, and so their 'Astraeus' takes their recorded output to 36 minutes, or just enough for a shortish album length release. The band have long gone now, but at least we have this record of some great heavy psyche-rock that they recorded while they were around. 

Track listing

01 Void
02 Singularity
03 Dune
04 Astraeus

The Boo Radleys - Very Together (1995)

1993 was a big year for the Boo Radleys, with 'Giant Steps' topping Select magazine's album of the year, and coming second to Bjork's 'Debut' in the NME, and the band also recorded a cover of The La's 'There She Goes' for the soundtrack to the 1993 film 'So I Married An Axe Murderer'. Despite this widespread critical acclaim and a cult fanbase, the Boo Radleys were still largely unknown to the general public by the time the Britpop phenomenon broke into the mainstream in 1995. This changed when the band released the upbeat single 'Wake Up Boo!' in the spring of that year, crashing into the UK Top 10 Singles Chart, and remaining on the chart for two months. Their fourth album 'Wake Up!' was issued in 1995, and was the band's commercial peak, and although they openly hated media-generated movements within music, they did gift 'Oh Brother' to the 'Help' charity album, aimed at raising funds for War Child. 

Track listing

01 As Bound As Tomorrow (b-side of 'I Hang Suspended' 1993)

02 I Will Always Ask You Where You've Been...... (b-side of 'I Hang Suspended' 1993)

03 There She Goes (from the soundtrack of the film 'So I Married An Axe Murderer' 1993)

04 Tortoiseshell (b-side of 'Barney (...And Me)' 1994)

05 Zoom (b-side of 'Barney (...And Me)' 1994)

06 Cracked (Lips, Homesick) (b-side of 'Barney (...And Me)' 1994)

07 I Wanna Be (Touchdown Jesus) (b-side of 'Lazarus' 1994)

08 Oh Brother (from 'Help' charity album 1995)

09 Don't Take Your Gun To Town (b-side of 'Find The Answer Within' 1995)

10 Wallpaper (b-side of 'Find The Answer Within' 1995)

11 Very Together (b-side of 'Find The Answer Within' 1995)

12 The Only Word I Can Find (b-side of 'Find The Answer Within' 1995)

The cover uses a photo by Elena Jo Melanson 

Question for Soulseek-ers

I've noticed a spike in the downloads of the Elton John album 'The World Of Regimental Sgt. Zippo', and as hardly anyone seems to leave comments on the site any more, I'm curious as to what brought that particular album to so many people's attention at the same time. Anyone?

Ian Hunter - Don't Let Go (1981)

When Ian Hunter left Mott The Hoople in December 1974, the remaining members carried on under the name of Mott, adding vocalist Nigel Benjamin to replace Hunter. In March 1975 Hunter kick-started his solo career by joining forces with Mick Ronson, his most frequent collaborator until Ronson's death in 1993, and the first single from his eponymous solo album was the stupendous 'Once Bitten Twice Shy', a top 40 hit in the UK. Despite the success of the single and album, Hunter and Ronson then parted ways professionally, reportedly due to Hunter's refusal to deal with Ronson's manager, Tony DeFries. His second solo album 'All American Alien Boy' came out in 1976, and was a more soul-infused work which featured saxophonist David Sanborn and bassist Jaco Pastorius, with Queen providing backing vocals on one track. 'Overnight Angels' appeared in 1977, produced by Roy Thomas Baker, and featured a heavier guitar sound courtesy of former Bowie sideman Earl Slick. This album was actually never issued in the US, as Columbia Records refused to release it until Hunter had replaced his recently fired manager Fred Heller, but that dragged on so long that it became too late to give it an American release. In 1979 Ronson returned as Hunter's guitarist, and also produced 'You're Never Alone With A Schizophrenic', which featured John Cale and several members of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. Two songs from the album became hits for other artists, with Barry Manilow's version of 'Ships' becoming a top ten US hit in late 1979, while the Presidents Of The United States Of America's 1997 cover of 'Cleveland Rocks' was used as one of the theme songs for The Drew Carey Show. 'Cleveland Rocks' is regarded as an anthem in Cleveland, Ohio, where it is sometimes used as a victory song for the city's sports teams, and Hunter also re-recorded it as 'England Rocks', which was released as a stand-alone single in 1979. Following the live album 'Welcome To The Club' in 1980, which actually included some original studio material as well, Hunter's first album of new material in the 80's was 'Short Back 'n' Sides' in 1981, produced in collaboration with Ronson and Clash guitarist Mick Jones. In the seven years between his eponymous debut and that 1981 record he recorded a number of songs which were held back from release, half of them from the sessions for 'Short Back 'n' Sides', and they are collected here, along with the three studio tracks from 'Welcome To The Club', and the 'England Rocks' single, and they're all up to the standard that we've come to expect from this maverick singer/songwriter.  

Track listing

01 Colwater High (out-take 1975)
02 One Fine Day (out-take 1975)
03 England Rocks (single 1977)
04 Don't Let Go (demo 1979)
05 Alibi (out-take 1979)

06 We Gotta Get Out Of Here (studio recording from 'Welcome To The Club' 1980)
07 Silver Needles (studio recording from 'Welcome To The Club' 1980)
08 Man 'O' War (studio recording from 'Welcome To The Club' 1980)
09 Detroit (out-take 1981)
10 Na Na Na (out-take 1981)
11 I Believe In You (out-take 1981)
12 China (out-take 1981, with Mick Ronson on vocal)
13 Listen To The Eight Track (out-take 1981)
14 You Stepped Into My Dreams (out-take 1981)
15 Venus In The Bathtub (out-take 1981)

The Chantelles - I Think Of You (1968)

In 1958 Iris 'Riss' Long wanted to form a vocal trio with her friend Lynne Abrams, so she put an advert in The Stage for a third member, and received a reply from Mary O'Brien, who joined the group as the third singer in The Lana Sisters. They appeared twice at the Royal Albert Hall and toured with Cliff Richard, Adam Faith, and Morecambe & Wise, and their single 'You've Got What It Takes' became a Top 10 hit in Ireland in 1960. When O'Brien left to pursue a solo career under the name Dusty Springfield, firstly with her brother Tom Springfield and another friend Tim Feild to make The Springfields, and then going solo in 1963, Long left The Lana Sisters and formed The Chantelles with two friends, Sandra Orr and Jay Adams. After establishing a name for themselves as a live act, The Chantelles landed a contract with Parlophone, and in April 1965 they issued 'I Want That Boy' as their first 45, being a cover of a song by little-known US singer Sadina. The confident production and spot-on vocal harmonies generated great interest in the record and it made the top 40 of pirate station Radio London's charts. The follow-up 'The Secret Of My Success' was released that summer, and was something of a disappointment, but the girls bounced back in October 1965 with the release of the pop gem 'Gonna Get Burned', with the flip 'Gonna Give Him Some Love' having since found favour on the UK's Northern soul dance circuit. In 1966 the group was invited to appear in the crime caper movie 'Dateline Diamonds', which also featured Kiki Dee and The Small Faces, and in it they performed 'I Think Of You' and 'Please Don't Kiss Me', both of which were issued as a single in April 1966 to coincide with the film's release. Despite some fine single releases, the group didn't enjoy much chart success following that first 45, and so in 1966 they moved to the Polydor label, who issued 'There's Something About You' later that year. When that too failed to chart they moved labels again, this time to CBS, and in 1967, in a somewhat surprising move, they were asked to record an updated version of the Gershwin standard 'The Man I Love'. Even more surprisingly, the group's second and final single for the label in 1968 wasn't even granted a UK release, with 'Out Of My Mind' only appearing in Germany and the US, where the group were billed as The Chantelles Of London to avoid confusion with the American girl group The Chantels. It was a rather ignominious end to a fine UK girl group, and there were few enough of them around, so enjoy this collection of one of the best of them. 

Track listing

01 I Want That Boy (single 1965)
02 London My Home Town (b-side of 'I Want That Boy')
03 The Secret Of My Success (single 1965)
04 Sticks And Stones (b-side of 'The Secret Of My Success')
05 Gonna Get Burned (single 1965)
06 Gonna Give Him Some Love (b-side of 'Gonna Get Burned')
07 I Think Of You (single 1966)
08 Please Don't Kiss Me (b-side of 'I Think Of You')
09 There's Something About You (single 1966)
10 Just Another Fool (b-side of 'There's Something About You')
11 The Man I Love (Single 1967)
12 Blue Mood (b-side of 'The Man I Love')
13 Out Of My Mind (single 1968)
14 More To Love (Than Moonlight) (b-side of 'Out Of My Mind')
15 Weeping Willow (out-take 1968)
16 Leader Of The Pack (out-take 1968)