jazzrocks

What do the Beatles have to with the Monks? I don't understand why make the comparison. Other people made great albums and were not noticed is it the Beatles fault that it was not popular or influential. It's not like underground groups were coming up with the melodies or using really obscure musical sources and fusing it the way the Beatles did. Were underground rock groups composing songs with sitar, tabla, backward guitar, and using the Dorian Mode that is related to some ancient raga rather than the western form "Love You To".

The Beatles did more artistically on "Tomorrow Never Knows" in this one song than currents bands have done (and will do) in their entire careers. It blows my mind that Revolver was done on a 4 track mono soundboard. I'm a musician myself and have some understanding of recording equipment but they did this with 4 track technology. Tomorrow Never Knows they began experimenting with tape loops effects, musique-concrète, backward music, repetition drum & bass sound, and all in one song which influenced modern electronica.

Originality is no great virtue in rock'n'roll. Some of the best and most original artists tear the music down to its simplest components and rebuild from that foundation... Beatles in 1963, Ramones in 1976, Nirvana in 1990.

TheCellarTapes

My right to reply is here mate
http://www.musicbanter.com/classic-r...tml#post617574

TheCellarTapes

The Ugly's - The Quiet Explosion
(2004)



Tracks

1 Wake Up My Mind 2:50
2 Ugly Blues 3:02
3 It's Alright 2:16
4 A Friend 2:14
5 A Good Idea 2:54
6 The Quiet Explosion 2:40
7 End of the Season 2:55
8 Can't Recall Her Name 2:40
9 And the Squire Blew His Horn 3:36
10 Real Good Girl 3:04
11 I See the Light 3:37
12 Mary Colinto 3:04
13 This Is Your Mind Speaking 2:16
14 Love & Best Wishes [BBC Session] 2:59
15 Morning [BBC Session] 3:02
16 All That Glitters 3:52
17 Hey Grandma [BBC Session] 3:07
18 Speakly Weekly 3:08
19 Summertime Blues [BBC Session] 2:47
20 She Comes in Colours [BBC Session] 3:01
21 Mary Colinto [Alternate Version] 3:02
22 Ill Wind That Blows 2:28
23 Roses in the Rain 5:32


Formed from the ashes of late fifties band The Dominettes; The Ugly’s were formed in Birmingham, England in 1963. Signed to Pye in 1965, their line-up would alter over the years featuring a whole host of Brumbeat figures, while still maintaining continuity with the wonderful vocal and writing style of Steve Gibbons.

Despite a number of quality releases and recordings throughout their seven year existence, they never released an album. That was until 2004, when The Quiet Explosion was released on Sanctuary, fully documenting The Ugly’s output between 1965 and 1969 and more.

The album begins with The Ugly’s first single; Wake Up My Mind was released in 1965 on Pye. It’s a rather pleasant song on first listen however after analysing the lyrics, you’ll find it’s actually quite a hard edged protest song. The flip side to this single is track 2; Ugly Blues cannot really be taken serious as it’s quite a quirky and humorous song, I like it just the same.

Track 3 and 4 are however far from novelty, these two songs were the follow up single and B-Side, and really this 1965 release in particular should have propelled The Ugly’s forward. It’s Alright and A Friend are fine compositions, it could be said pre-empting 1966’s Face to Face by The Kinks a year in advance. And indeed thanks to the emergence of pirate radio, the band witnessed a short term surge of interest after this release.



The difficulty for The Ugly’s was translating this new found popularity into single sales. The story goes that this release may well have destroyed the charts on the week of its release but for the strike action taking place by major distributors at the time, thus devastatingly restricting its availability in the shops.

In early 1966, The Ugly’s were once again out to make an impact, and after the previous release it was now a make or break moment. The "mistake" of the choice made for this third single has been documented; the band pushed for A Good Idea and placed The Quiet Explosion as the flip side. History has stated that this may have been an error of judgement, however this compilation highlights very clearly that both songs are actually marvellous gems.

Despite the obvious talent, The Ugly’s were dropped from Pye in 1967. But soon were picked up by CBS who released a one off single, the live favourite And The Squire Blew His Horn, once again taking The Ugly’s into the realms of novelty, but I think successfully coming out the other side with credibility still intact, if anything for mocking fox hunting so brilliantly.

There was one more single recorded on MGM in 1968, I See The Light is nothing short of being absolutely stunning, a demo of this song recently was purchased for just over a £1,000. The reason for this high valuation? MGM in the end never released this splendid song making it quite a rare press nowadays. But luckily for you dear reader, you don’t have to break the bank to hear the wonders of this song, its available on this compilation.

In all there are 23 tracks on this compilation, it includes all the A and B sides, as well as some marvellous unreleased stuff. The Ugly’s were a superb and versatile group who really should have made it in the music industry, but alas the breaks needed were sadly not forthcoming. As it happens, all the members of this band pretty much did make it in the end, but with other bands you already know.

TheCellarTapes

Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From the First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968
(1972)



Tracks


What can I say about Volume One of the Nuggets compilation that hasn't already been said, this album after all is still one of the most important purchases I have ever made.

The cheap price tag of this collection is quite frankly daft, but with an array of quality songs from relatively unknown bands being quite literally immense on this compilation, as a starting point you cannot really do much better. So in short, you have no excuse, you need to have this compilation in your collection now.

Originally compiled and released in 1972 on the Sire Record label, by Elektra Records founder Jac Holzman with help from Lenny Kaye, Nuggets has become a superb gateway into the 1960's Psychedelic and Garage scenes of the United States, and in particular the vibrant West Coast scene.

I play at least 3 songs from this record every week on my radio show and since my purchase, have expanded my collection buying albums from bands which featured on this compilation and strangely even bands that didn't. Bands which before I bought Nuggets, I never even knew existed, but whom I now consider to be producers of some of the finest songs from the period.

At the time this record was released, compilations were the reserve of the greatest hits from the biggest acts. But Holzman and Kaye took a different view; their work here was to place the spotlight on acts which may have otherwise easily been overlooked by history, which makes this compilation even the more staggering.

I could list all the quality songs on this compilation, but that would mean just listing the entire track list, but I’m going to try and condense the highlights.

The album begins with the title track from 1967’s I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night) by The Electric Prunes, which as mentioned previously in this journal is a stunning fuzzy opener written by the queens of the underground, Nancy Mantz and Annette Tucker.



Next up is 1965’s Dirty Water by Los Angeles group The Standells, a veiled protest song; it probably has the catchiest hook on the record. Track 9 is also from Los Angeles and is instantly memorable; Pushin’ Too Hard by The Seeds is a relentless rampage from 1966, it won’t win awards for lyrical content but certainly follows the winning formula of what makes a garage classic so marvellous.



More underground hooks follow, the most well known is probably Liar Liar by Minnesota group, The Castaways. On first listen it may appear jolly and upbeat, but I’m starting to think that this song is rather dark and sinister. The same can be said for the output of Texas Garage Greats The 13th Floor Elevators. Their breakthrough from 1966 You’re Gonna Miss Me can of course be found on this compilation.

The next track which probably deserves a mention is Hey Joe, a fast paced early version from 1965 by Los Angeles group The Leaves, at present this is my favourite song on this compilation and in my view makes a mockery of the Jimi Hendrix version…..controversial I know.



There are of course examples of pure filth to be had on this compilation as well, namely from Michigan with The Amboy Dukes covering 1935’s Big Joe Williams number Baby, Please Don’t Go, a song made famous by British group, Them. Say what you want about Ted Nugent, but with this song he certainly has napalmed this classic to the depths, wonderful. More filth follows from San Jose, with the brilliant Lets Talk About Girls by The Chocolate Watchband, this song should probably come with a health warning.

And there I shall stop, to be fair I could have written tonnes about every song on this compilation, but that would probably ruin the surprise. Its easy to say that this album is a "must have" as such comments are used all over the shop on this World Wide Web thingy, but seriously if you don't own this album, you are missing out on a whole new world of music.

But that said this album should not be considered the definitive, but more a starting point. Buy this album and start saving straight away, because you're going to need a bigger boat.

TheCellarTapes

The 49th Parallel - 49th Parallel
(1969)



Tracks

1 Now That I'm a Man 2:33
2 Get Away 2:34
3 Eye to Eye 2:56
4 Missouri 3:28
5 Lazerander Filchy 3:02
6 (Come on Little Child &) Talk to Me 2:59
7 (The) Magician 3:43
8 Twilight Woman 2:32
9 Close the Barn Door 3:13
10 The People 2:51

The 49th Parallel were a Garage band formed in 1966, originating from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Originally signed to Gaiety Records, they had minor success with the foot tapper Labourer in 1967, selling fairly well in their native Canada. A couple more singles were released the following year, before the band got to work on their debut LP.

The self titled 49th Parallel was released in 1969 on Maverick, it was the band's finest hour containing some well rounded songs, cut with a hard garage edge but yet remaining firmly a record for the post Psychedelic 1969 era. A bag of allsorts; some of the songs found here could quite easily be from an R&B songbook; some could have been written in a basement in 1966; and some are quite the bluesy number.

Starting with the opening track, Now That I'm a Man is a rather understated opener, a simply formed song that strikes you with niceness, which doesn't do the listener any harm, far from it in fact. Track 2 entitled Get Away; is thumping with its brass section and has that all important hook, which will leave you begging for more. This really is good stuff from a band that not many folk could say they have heard of.



Eye to Eye, Talk to Me and Missouri are truly 1969 records, with their hard-edged licks showing like razor blades to the listener, the latter song infact will I'm sure have you thinking of The Doors, but with an overall structure and vocal arrangement that will leave you in ore of The 49th Parallel, it truly is a marvellous song.

Did I say before that this album was post psychedelic? Well track 5, Lazerander Filchy probably belongs in a Surrey garden in the middle of Spring, it is truly gorgeous. There's another attempt at 1967 with The Magician, another triumph.

If by now you are in any doubt and still remain unsure as to whether you should purchase this album. Well Pacemaker Records in 2006 re-released this glorious album, with an expanded track list, taking it from 10 to 21 songs. This reissue contains not just the original album but also the singles from 1967/68, including the strong garage efforts Labourer and Goodtime Baby.

This quite simply is a no brainer.

TheCellarTapes

The Time Box - Beggin' 1967-1969: the Sound of London's Mod/Club Scene
(2008)



Tracks

1. I Wish I Could Jerk Like My Uncle Cyril
2. I'll Always Love You
3. Soul Sauce
4. Waiting For The End
5. Save Your Love
6. Your Real Good Thing Is About To Come To An End
7. Come On Up
8. Woman That's Waiting
9. Beggin'
10. Walking Through The Streets Of My Mind
11. Don't Make Promises
12. Girl Don't Make Me Wait
13. Leave Me To Cry
14. Gone Is The Sad Man
15. Eddie McHenry
16. Barnabus Swain
17. Baked Jam Roll In Your Eye
18. Poor Little Heartbreaker
19. Stay There
20. Country Dan And City Lil
21. Love The Girl
22. Tree House
23. You've Got The Chance
24. Black Dog
25. Yellow Van
26. Promises
27. Timebox

The Time Box were formed in 1966, straight out of art school in Southport, Lancashire. Primarily a London based outfit, despite a couple of line up changes and internal issues, the band were constantly making quality music in the late sixties whilst touring all the major establishments in the city, most noticeably The Marquee. Indeed they even toured nationally with The Small Faces at their height, yet this quality band sadly never made an album, and never earned the success that they ultimately deserved.

A big Mod favourite, with this compilation from RPM we finally get the chance to hear what all the fuss was actually about, with a quality array of recordings on offer here from The Time Box.

Signed to the Deram wing of Decca between 67 and 69, they made several releases; however they struggled to gain exposure outside of the club and University circuits. But for a band that seamlessly managed to fuse jazz with Pop with such astounding results, it’s difficult to understand how they were so wilfully ignored and overlooked.

With this release I count at least eleven tracks, which will not disappoint in the slightest, and a further sixteen, which would pass as good strong stuff. Why this band never made an album as The Time Box, I will never know.



The stand out tracks include the title track; Beggin' is a cover of a Four Season's song, and they not only do it justice but make the song their own. This song in particular should have at least launched the band into stardom.

If that is not enough, Gone is The Sad Man, the brilliant Girl Don’t Make Me Wait and Eddie McHenry will certainly have you in a mini rage about people’s misguided ignorance towards this band. That’s just four songs by the way; seriously it’s no exaggeration to say this is a whole can of gems, which deserves attention from one and all.

The Time Box though came to a form of end in 1969. However they went on to form Patto (named after Time Box’s lead singer Mike Patto), that band would go on to release three albums in the 1970’s.

But thanks to this Time Box compilation from RPM, their output from the Sixties will never be over shadowed by their apparent glory years of the 1970's, and will indeed highlight actually how good this band really were in their prime, the 1960's.

TheCellarTapes

The Small Faces - The Autumn Stone
(1969)



Tracks



After the success of Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake in 1968, The Small Faces began work on their third release with the Immediate record label, but halfway through these recordings the band was left in total chaos with the departure of their charismatic front man, Steve Marriot.

During this turbulent period, the record label was also going through some traumatic times with a severe cash flow problem, certainly not helped with the demise of one of its key acts.

In 1969, to improve their fortunes as a label, Immediate decided to use The Small Faces anyway to try and improve their cash flow and released the first ever double LP for the label, The Autumn Stone. It celebrated the works of this once great band, from their early raw R&B days on Decca right through to their sad demise in 1968 where they were creating some impeccable Psychedelia.

As you’d expect, the hit singles are littered throughout this album, All or Nothing, Lazy Sunday, Sha-La-La-La Lee, Itchycoo Park, Hey Girl and Whatcha Gonna Do About It, truly marvellous classics which would be more than enough for any greatest hits package, but The Autumn Stone is much more than that.



22 songs in all can be found on the album, beginning with the brilliant Here Comes the Nice and the beautiful Steve Marriott penned The Autumn Stone; a song which cements the fact that Marriott and The Small Faces were much more than people ever gave them credit for, a beautiful creation.

My personal favourites are also found here, The Universal, a song originally recorded in Marriott’s back garden with bits added on later, which reached a disappointing 16 in the UK charts, but to this day remains a wonderful little number. As is Afterglow (of Your Love), the unofficial last single by The Small Faces and a truly lovely song.

There are also a couple of live recording which were recorded on The Small Faces final tour before breaking up, including a rather exuberant performance of If I Were a Carpenter.

Despite the fact that the birth of this release was quite possibly a cynical ploy by a struggling record label to cash in on a band that had broken up, I think is irrelevant. What we have here is the ultimate compilation of The Small Faces’ output. Despite a few challenges in later years from other labels, this compilation still remains the first port of call for anybody interested in discovering what The Small Faces were about.

And as The Small Faces were one of the finest bands ever to play a note or two, the most important question to ask would be why on earth would you not want to have this album in your collection?

Bulldog

I need to catch up with this thread again. That Nuggets compilation is quite frankly the shizz (as you say, one of the most important albums anyone can lay hands on), and I've been after a good Faces album for quite a while now. Haven't heard of Timebox or the 49th Parallel, so I'll have to look into those sometime too.

Again, great reviews man. Keep up the good work eh.

TheCellarTapes

Andy Votel - Well Hung
(2008)



Tracks



It’s safe to say that The Cellar Tapes would not exist if it was not for those enthusiasts who spend most of their time at the back of record and charity shops trawling through the dustbins looking for the discarded, the forgotten, the overlooked, the records declared pointless and pulpable. One such saviour of many an obscurity is fellow Mancunian and Twisted Nerve founder, Andy Votel.

In 2008, Andy Votel on his Finders Keepers label continued his form for unearthing gems from near nothingness by releasing Well Hung – Funk Rock Eruptions from Beneath Communist Hungary – Volumes 1……that’s right……. Hungary. Contained within are some of the most spectacular examples of obscurity compiled together since the appearance of Nuggets in 1972. 20 tracks in all are to be had here, dating between 1968 and 1975, all Hungarian, all Communist and all marvellous.

Hungarian musicians in the Communist 1960’s and 1970’s were not your typical musicians from the period. Because they were fed on a diet of mostly illegal and scarce drips from the West, their interpretation of Rock n Roll music is quite truly unique due to the need to fill in the gaps with their own input whilst in relative isolation. What followed was quite literally an explosion of creativity and very often, sheer genius.

The album begins with one of the best entrances you could ever imagine from an act you’ve never heard of; Ringasd El Magad No.2 by Anna Adamis & Gabor Presser, really does set the listener up for the rest of the album, from its brilliant drum solo opening to its funky riff throughout, superb.



Track 2 takes us to 1968 and to a band called Omega Redstar and their number Egy Lany Nem Ment Haza (which translates as She Did Not Come Home). Omega Redstar (later to be known as just Omega) were one of the few Hungarian acts who managed to beat restrictions and tour outside of Hungary, playing in countries both in the East and the West alike. They have three tracks in all on this compilation, with track 18, Felbeszakadt Koncert from 1969 being the most thumpingly brilliant.

More wonders from 1960’s Hungary comes with Track 3; A Penz by one of Hungary’s most talented yet sadly one of the country’s biggest “could have beens” Metro from 1969, as well as Track 14; which comes from 1968 by Nemenyi Bela & Atlantis with Kinai Fal (or The Wall of China in English), almost certainly a classic if brought to you by a band from England from the same year.

All these sixties groups from Hungary came from a boom in all things Beat in Budapest’s freakishly vibrant club scene in the mid sixties, what a scene it must have been. As this compilation proves, members of these groups would go on into the seventies dancing to their own tunes and setting a new standard for Rock n Roll.



What Andy Votel has brought to us with this compilation is the story of a whole generation of musicians who were never known let alone remembered, yet with their spirit for adventure, their perfect and well structured grooves, matched with an air of rebellion, they really were a group of talented musicians who can no longer be ignored,

Buy this today and be prepared to be amazed.

TheCellarTapes

The Sopwith Camel - Hello Hello
(1967)



Tracks



Formed in San Francisco in 1966, The Sopwith Camel were one of the first of Psychedelic groups coming out of the city to sign to a nationwide record label. The accolades for this band don't stop there; they were also one of the first of the San Francisco bands to enter the top 40, and in 1967 to follow up the success of this first single, they named their debut LP after the song and released the tremendous Hello Hello on the Kama Sutra label.

But saying all that, you still have probably never heard of The Sopwith Camel, which considering how wonderful their debut album is; is something that you might want to address. Coming to the fore with their melodic, whimsical, vaudevillian style, The Sopwith Camel were very different from their San Franciscan counterparts.

They were not really a psychedelic band like The Jefferson Airplane, and they weren't The Beau Brummels, they were really out on their own falling somewhere between sunshine pop and the trippy stuff.

This album also demonstrates that the Camel weren't some kind of poor man's Lovin' Spoonfuls either; a band that they shared the same record label as well as the same producer, Erik Jacobsen, this comparison is sometimes unfairly thrown at this band in my opinion. But in my view The Sopwith Camel were far more interesting than just a cheap imitation of another act.

Their debut, Hello Hello starts with the title track, a very whimsical and beautiful effort that sets the standard for the entire album. There is however some exceptions to the vaudevillian style of The Sopwith Camel. Track 2 Frantic Desolation and Track 7 Cellophane Woman are bluesy and have some gorgeous garage like qualities to them.



In some ways The Sopwith Camel were rather experimental, but that said, not one of these songs crosses 3 minutes and not one of these songs loses that art school feel that oozes throughout the record, but is that necessarily a bad thing?

What we have here is a record containing 30 minutes of early Prog Rock which is more than an interesting listen; it is very much something that will keep you entertained for the duration.

Shortly after this release however, The Sopwith Camel split up, but reformed in 1972; one of many splits and reunions across the years. But it must be said, that in 1967 they left us a right treat, a record that never grows tiresome, which is full of interest and is a thoroughly joyous listen, a lost gem if ever there was one.