TheCellarTapes

Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity - Open
(1967)



Tracks

1 In and Out 3:06
2 Isola Natale 5:27
3 Black Cat 3:23
4 Lament for Miss Baker 2:37
5 Goodbye Jungle Telegraph 6:12
6 Tramp 4:04
7 Why (Am I Treated So Bad) 3:33
8 A Kind of Love In 2:32
9 Break It Up 3:00
10 Season of the Witch 7:51

Brought together out of the remnants of Steampacket, a rhythm and blues outfit whose other members included Rod Stewart and Long John Baldry; Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger and The Trinity would go on to become the ultimate proponents of Psychedelic Jazz. Their finest moment together would come in 1967, with the release of their debut, entitled Open; it really is a unique piece of 1967’s London this one.

Open begins with a sawing noise (as in a man cutting wood), which than goes into some marvellous lounge action, this is Brian Auger and The Trinity, perfect instrumental stuff with a brass section thrown in, In and Out is followed with another Auger instrumental, Isola Natale is again another loungesque tune which is just fabulous and well worth the money alone.

But this album really kicks in by track three; Black Cat begins with a cuckoo clock followed by Auger screaming in a count in, and BANG! We’re off! This song is by far my favourite from this album and is just staggering stuff, perhaps one of the best songs from the sixties. I’m not really sure how I can even begin to do this song justice by just using boring old words, but let’s just say that after one listen you may need some help to pick up your chin from the floor, glorious, wonderful and magnificent all rolled into one.

We’re kind of brought down to earth by a lovely solo piano instrumental from Auger on Lament for Miss Baker, this is lovely sweet stuff but probably only goes to demonstrate how truly strange and odd this album is at times, for from here it goes into the six minute progressive exotic jazz rampage of Goodbye Jungle Telegraph. From track three to the end of this song, you will be sure to sit there believing you may have bought some funky, jazzy compilation, but alas not, you have merely bought an album like no other.



But what of Julie Driscoll? Well for the flip side she finally makes her entrance, and what an entrance it is ladies and gentlemen; Tramp, the first of these tracks is just proper mod and is very impressive, her voice is belting and with a backing band like Brian Auger and The Trinity, you just know that they must have been very happy with themselves back when this album was being made, all boxes are ticked here. This is reaffirmed with Why (Am I Treated So Bad), the electric A Kind of Love In, and the fabulous Break It In.

The original album finishes with a pleasurable 8 minute beastie, a cover of Season of The Witch, which is nice! But in later years Open has been subject to a reissue, with modern versions of this album we have the wonderful inclusion of some of the belting singles from this fine act during 67 and 68. The finest and probably best known is This Wheels on Fire, this Bob Dylan cover reached number five back in the day.



For me there is little doubt, combining all the best bits of Psychedelia with the Avant-Garde whilst mixing in Jazz with R&B, what Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger and The Trinity have done is make the ultimate popular jazz album. Firstly if you’re new to jazz, this is a perfect place to start, but with all the other elements rolled in, if you’re just a music lover in general, you will not be going too far wrong in purchasing this marvellous record.

boo boo

Great call on Arthur, possibly The Kinks' finest moment. And Nuggets, what an excellent compilation, do you only have the one disc or do you have everything from the 3 disc boxset?

Anyway, despite being the massive Steve Howe fan, I don't actually have a Tomorrow album, that one is on my wishlist.

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It's only knock n' knowall, but I like it

http://www.last.fm/user/kingboobs

TheCellarTapes

The Now Generation - The Legendary Spar Recordings
(2007)



Tracks

1. Come On On
2. This Town
3. Daytona Darlin'
4. Wise Like Solomon
5. My Bonnie
6. Whole Summer Through
7. Uptown Downtown
8. Wooly Bully
9. Little Bit Of Soul
10. Truckstop
11. Sideroad
12. Crawl Along The Sand
13. Big Windy City
14. Sure Gonna Miss Her
15. Indian Giver
16. You're Slipping Away From Me
17. Rainy Night In Georgia
18. What Difference Does It Make
19. Making A Fool Of Myself

The Now Generation were really a fictional band led by the late great and vastly underrated Bobby Russell, a songwriter from Nashville in Tennessee. Their principle output was sound-alike recordings for the Spar Record Label, created by Tennessee's finest session musicians partaking in various sessions in the studio just off Nashville's Music Row.

Although that all sounds pretty horrid, in 1967 the band released quite the LP, their self titled debut would be a departure from the made up band's normal output. It contained on the whole material written by Bobby Russell, the majority of which luckily can be found on this release, and you know what, it’s actually quite good.

Re-released in 2007 with extensions on SPV Records, The Legendary Spar Recordings is Bobby Russell at his finest, with some brilliant original material. The first two songs on this album are great catchy numbers and the best on the record despite sounding awfully familiar, Come On On and This Town frankly are solid gold efforts, worthy of anybody’s playlist, but there are some other strong efforts written by Bobby Russell to be found here as well. Daytona Darling is upfront Surf, Big Windy City could have been penned for Roy Orbison, and Uptown Downtown is very Dion.

But this retrospective sound of Surf music and Orbison was hardly cutting edge post `66 and as a result the original LP was a low seller. In subsequent years, The Now Generation were no longer a vehicle for Bobby Russell to write as originally intended, and instead the band reverted solely to covers, some of which can be found on this album, the best of which is most definitely their version of You Showed Me.



It depends what you are after I suppose, this album could be described as evidence of a sixties record label out to make some easy money off some covers and sound-alike records, or as I like to think, this is purely a collection of some splendid quirky songs that are harmless on the ears which are actually a rather good listen.

One more thing before you consider your options with this album, it should also be said that Bobby Russell once kept a draw full of cheques made out to him from Spar Records that he couldn't be bothered to cash in, so perhaps this wasn't about the money after all.

beszpilman

What an amazing thread this is! It should take my youth to listen to those plus all it's gonna interest me in.

I find it completely unexpected that you're reviewing brazilian albums, and with as much of your soul as any other, that's great! I currently own a 1970 album by Os Mutantes, A Divina Comédia Ou Ando Meio Desligado, and planned to give it a listen sometime soon (haven't even once yet), after your featuring their debut I think it may be a better place to start off. I always feel better starting from a band's debut when that's a good option.

I'd love to get a recommendation for where to start with The Beach Boys, maybe based on my favorite tracks from listening to a compilation (such a mistake going with a compilation first, oh well!). My favorites are in my recent post at my member's journal. They have done so many studio albums, I'm still pondering if I should go through all the discography in chronological order.

Keep the old school goodness coming!

Music Nut

Outstanding thread of my favorite music decade
thanks

Flower Child

I have really given this thread a good look. I'm so glad I have, because your reviews have led me to some of my new favorite bands and songs. In particular, The Electric Prunes. And I have found the reviews over the albums that I am familiar are full with good observations and interesting facts. It is my goal to listen to all of these albums you have mentioned, even though I've had some trouble finding some so far! Keep up the great reviews

NumberNineDream

That is the most eye-opening thread I've read until now. I've even started a "to have" list after reading this. I hope that wasn't all of it.

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TheCellarTapes

Jacques Dutronc - Et Moi Et Moi Et Moi
(2009)



Tracks

1 Et Moi, Et Moi, Et Moi 2:55
2 J'Ai Mis un Tigre dans Ma Guitare 2:19
3 Mini-Mini-Mini 1:53
4 Les Gens Sont Fous, Les Temps Sont Flous 3:03
5 Les Play Boys 3:08
6 Sur une Nappe de Restaurant 2:15
7 On Nous Cache Tout, On Nous Dit Rien 2:34
8 Les Cactus 2:40
9 L' Opération 3:09
10 L' Espace d'Une Fille 2:45
11 L' Idole 2:42
12 Les Petites Annonces 2:46
13 J'Ai Tout Lu, Tout Vu, Tout Bu 1:39
14 Les Rois de Réforme 2:27
15 Hippie Hippie Hourah 3:11
16 L' Augmentation 2:34
17 La Métaphore 3:19
18 La Métamorphoses 2:27
19 L' Opportuniste 2:42
20 Proverbes 4:18
21 Je Suis Content 2:34
22 Le Responsable 2:33

Born in Paris in 1943, Jaques Dutronc was a naturally talented musician, learning the piano and the violin whilst just a little lad, but he soon progressed! If you’re from France you might think it bizarre that Jacques Dutronc is not that well known in the UK, in fact there has only ever been one album that has successfully brought together all of this marvellous man’s output from the 1960’s, and even more strangely it has only just recently been released. With Et Moi Et Moi Et Moi released on RPM in 2009, this figurehead of popular French culture finally gets his chance to shine in the Anglosphere.



Lets be honest, the chic filled glory of the 1960’s French music scene is something really to behold by any music lover, its actually really difficult to find a dud album from the sixties amongst the multitude of singers and producers from across the English Channel, but with this compilation, any thoughts of Serge Gainsbourg or the yé-yé girls must surely take a back seat to the talents of Jacques Dutronc, a man who literally had it all in his musical arsenal.

This compilation begins with the title track, Et Moi Et Moi Et Moi was Dutronc’s first big hit in France back in 1966, and it is easy to see why, a song which certainly swaggers and oozes marvellousness combining the best of Anglo Rhythm and Blues with a French twist. And to be fair, on looking through the sleeve notes, its easily noticeable that this man was at one point the coolest man alive, with a repertoire to match. Three more songs joined this opening single on Dutroncs first EP, thankfully all of these songs can be found on this compilation, these include the excellent J’ai Mis Un Tigre Dans Ma Guitare, the RnB effort of Mini Mini Mini and the brilliantly garagey Les Gens Sont Fous, Les Tamps Sont Fous, quite the EP, shifting 300,000 copies back in 1966.



On the back of such success, it was only natural that more EP’s would follow, giving Dutronc permission to paint an even broader canvas, for example songs like Les Playboy sounds more like a musical number, whilst On Nous Cache Tout, On Nous Dit Rien sounds like something that would be at home at a Northern Mod club. Currently my favourite track on here is L’espace D’une Fille, a sweet little number that warms the heart even if I don’t know what the words mean.

On first listen to this album you are instantly hit with a sense that life cannot get any better, you’ll feel like you have bought a little treasure and indeed you have, by the tenth listen you will no doubt have convinced yourself that Jacques Dutronc is one of the greatest musicians ever to have lived. There honestly is not one bad track on this album, providing us Anglo folk with yet another example of the brilliance of the French music scene of the 1960’s. All in all, a guaranteed winner for your music collection! And another great unearthing job by RPM Records with great linear notes included.

TheCellarTapes

Count Five - Psychotic Reaction
(1966)



Tracks

1 Double-Decker Bus 2:00
2 Pretty Big Mouth 2:09
3 The World 2:11
4 My Generation 3:05
5 She's Fine 2:12
6 Psychotic Reaction 3:06
7 Peace of Mind 2:19
8 They're Gonna Get You 2:28
9 The Morning After 1:57
10 Can't Get Your Loving 1:45
11 Out in the Streets 2:26

Formed in San Jose in 1965 and only lasting a mere two years, Count Five were just another chapter of the splurge that was the west coast Garage explosion of the mid sixties. Easily dismissible as a one hit wonder, many collectors and experts would argue that bands like The Seeds, The Standells and The Chocolate Watchband left much more of a lasting memory than Count Five ever did. But I reckon this band might be worth another look.

In 1966, Count Five released their one and only LP, named after their big hit. It’s probably easier and lets be honest, fitting, to begin therefore with that inspiring song which has made Count Five famous throughout the ages. The title track of Psychotic Reaction is a thing of beauty, a pure garage classic which is one of the few songs from the garage era that I think could be played to the uninitiated and instantly convert them, it has everything, an unstoppable rhythm and beat, a hypnotic guitar and one of the most brilliant pieces of harmonica play ever conceived, an English R&B standard with a bit of American grit, marvellous.



Now at this point, many observers would stop there, but I reckon a band that created a song as glorious as Psychotic Reaction, might have a few more aces up their sleeve. And indeed the album does have its moments; there is the sleazy Pretty Big Mouth, a song which does the job. More garage pleasantries follow with The World and Out In The Street. The best song outside the big hit though is They’re Gonna Get You, which includes some well placed high pitched singing. But Count Five were no Sonics, away from these highlights they do struggle to make that leap to the next level, but that in some ways is part of their charm.

It goes without saying that perhaps Psychotic Reaction is not one of thee landmark garage albums like Here Are The Sonics or No Way Out, but I have to say that it is certainly a tier two must have after your toe is well and truly happy in the water. For me Psychotic Reaction does have enough moments on it to keep your attention and does merit a purchase from the more advanced sixties garage connoisseurs out there, quite a freakishly decent listen actually.

jacklovezhimself

FANTASTIC!
I love this album with a passion, and it's a shame their next album was such a mistake.
If you ever get a chance, or if you can even find it, Lester Bangs wrote an absolutely insane review about the album that you should definitely check out.

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