One of the most overlooked bands of the British Invasion, the Sorrows offered a tough brand of R&B-infused rock that recalled the Pretty Things (though not as R&B-oriented) and the Kinks (though not as pop-oriented). Their biggest British hit, "Take a Heart," stopped just outside the U.K. Top 20; several other fine mid-'60s singles met with either slim or a total lack of success. With the rich, gritty vocals of Don Fardon, taut raunchy guitars, and good material (both self-penned and from outside writers), they rank as one of the better British bands of their era, and certainly among the very best never to achieve success of any kind in the U.S. After their sole LP (also titled Take a Heart), they issued a couple of singles with psychedelic and Dylanesque overtones, and had somehow relocated to Italy in the late '60s, where they played out their string with material in a much more progressive (and less distinctive) vein. Don Fardon had a Top 20 hit in America with a pre-Raiders version of "Indian Reservation" in 1968.
01 - Baby 02 - No, No, No 03 - Take A Heart 04 - She's Got The Action 05 - How Love Used To Be 06 - Teenage Letter 07 - I Don't Wanna Be Free 08 - Don't Sing No Sad Song For Me 09 - Cara-Lin 10 - We Should Get Along Fine 11 - Come With Me 12 - Let Me In 13 - You've Got What I Want 14 - Let The Live Live 15 - Pink Purple Yellow And Red 16 - My Gal 17 - Nimm Mein Herz 18 - Sei Mein Girl 19 - Mi Ci Spezza Il Cuore 20 - Vivi
The Ivy League were an English trio, created in 1964, who enjoyed two Top 10 hit singles in the UK Singles Chart in 1965. The group's sound was characterised by rich, three-part vocal harmonies. The Ivy League was formed by three session singers with an extensive vocal range, John Carter, Ken Lewis (both previous members of Carter-Lewis and the Southerners) plus Perry Ford. They were first heard doing background vocals for The Who on their hit single "I Can't Explain" in November 1964 but after that the Who's producers entrusted John Entwistle and Pete Townshend with the backing vocals. The original members released just one album, 1965's This is the Ivy League – panned in the music press as disappointing, with its excessively wide spread of musical styles and material. This is a German release from 1980 with 14 bonus tracks.
01 - Almost Grown 02 - That's Why I'm Cryin' 03 - Floral Dance 04 - What More Do You Want 05 - Lulu's Back In Town 06 - We're Having A Party 07 - Don't Worry Baby 08 - Make Love 09 - Don't Think Twice It's Alright 10 - Funny How Love Can Be 11 - My Old Dutch 12 - Dance To The Locomotion
Bonus tracks
13 - Tossing And Turning 14 - A Girl Like You 15 - Tomorrow Is Another Day 16 - One Day 17 - Rain Rain Go Away 18 - Arrividerci Baby 19 - Wait A Minute 20 - I Could Make You Fall In Love 21 - In The Not Too Distant Future 22 - When You're Young 23 - The Holly And The Ivy League 24 - Once In Royal David's City 25 - Good King Wenceslas 26 - Silent Night
The psychedelic group Ill Wind released just one album, and even though it was for a fairly big label (ABC), it was indeed ill-distributed and heard by few at the time. Like a number of late-'60s bands from Boston, Ill Wind suffered from the lack of a consistent musical direction and uneven material and production that didn't make the most of the bandmembers' assets, though there was some instrumental and vocal talent in the group. Their album, Flashes, was a tense, brooding stew of folk-rock and freaky psychedelia that didn't quite coalesce, with the stirring, assertive vocals of Conny Devaney the best ingredient. Although it was produced by one of the best producers in 1960s rock, Tom Wilson (who had worked with Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, the Mothers of Invention, and others), it didn't do much, and the Ill Wind disbanded at the end of 1968, though the group re-formed for a few months in 1970.
01 - Walkin' And Singin' 02 - Sleep 03 - Little Man 04 - Dark World 05 - L.A.P.D. 06 - High Flying Bird 07 - Hung Up Chick 08 - People Of The Night 09 - Full Cycle 10 - Illwind 11 - You're All I See Now 12 - It's Your Life 13 - People Of The Night 14 - R.U. Write 15 - Tomorrow You'll Come Back
A lost late 60s gem from Reprise Records, the only album ever recorded by this young band from the Greenwich Village scene!. There's a great post-folk feel to the set, warm harmonies and a bit of acoustic instrumentation to show the influence of the earlier generation, but a bit more focus on the tunes overall, and a subtle dose of soul that's really nice. Jon Lind is the lead vocalist, and he's totally great, with almost a Rascals-like approach to his music, especially when harmonizing with Peter Gallway, the other vocalist in the group. Instrumentation includes acoustic and electric guitar, keyboards, and even a bit of flute, and the tracks include the incredible "Eden Rock", a sweetly tripping number that easily rivals Kenny Rankin's best work! 01 - Fast Freight 02 - One Or The Other 03 - Good Lady Of Toronto 04 - Eden Rock 05 - County Time Rhymes 06 - Calamity Jane 07 - Nice Folks 08 - Cockeyed Shame 09 - Faithful Be Fair 10 - In Hollywood 11 - Angel LINK
Swift Rain were from El Paso, Texas and were formed by Mike Ciccarelli (Vocals, Rhythm Guitar, Slide Guitar), Andre Bonaguidi (Vocals, Drums,Percussion), Frankie Sotelo (Vocals, Rhythm Guitar, Keyboards) and Paul E. West (Vocals,Bass Guitar). This album was recorded in Memphis at Royal Studio. Coming Down generating favorable critical buzz and Swift Rain was subsequently hired to serve as the opening act for Mountain on an upcoming American tour. After the album was released on Hi Records, Swift Rain would only last another two-three months. The band did not re-sign with Hi Records and moved to Los Angeles where play the last days at the Sewers Of Paris nightclub right off Hollywood Boulevard. 01 - You're Gonna Come Down 02 - United 03 - Everybird 04 - Broken Love 05 - Nancy's Song 06 - Yo Soi Tuyo 07 - Everywhere (In My Town) 08 - If You Feel 09 - Silver Paper 10 - For La Hudala 11 - The Laplander LINK
Steamhammer was a blues-rock band from Worthing, England. The band was founded in 1968 by Martin Quittenton (guitar) and Kieran White (vocals, guitar, harmonica). The first stable lineup consisted of Quittenton, White, Martin Pugh (guitar), Steve Davy (bass), and Michael Rushton (drums). Mk II was the second album of Steamhammer. Not selling as many records as they had hoped, Steamhammer nevertheless became a top European open-air attraction, mainly due to their excellent live performance. For over two hours each night they would provide instrumental improvisations, exemplarised by the guitar work of Martin Pugh and the harmonica of Kieran White. In summer 1969, Martin Quittenton left the band, followed by drummer Michael Rushton. They were replaced by Steve Jolliffe (saxophone, flute) and Mick Bradley (drums). Jollife's feel for precise arrangements and jazz influences especially inspired the recording of this second Mk II album. Going beyond the boundaries of traditional blues forms, the band members applied their musical creativity and imagination without the need for technical trickery.
01 - Supposed To Be Free 02 - Johnny Carl Morton 03 - Sunset Chase 04 - Contemporary Chick Con Song 05 - Turn Around 06 - 6 8 For Amiran 07 - Passing Through 08 - Down Along The Grove 09 - Another Travelling Tune 10 - Fran And Dee Take A Ride 11 - Junior's Wailing (Single Version - Bonus Track) 12 - Windmill (Bonus Track) 13 - Autumn Song (Bonus Track) 14 - Blues For Passing People (Bonus Track)
