P.J. Orion & The Magnates are a prep-Garage band formed by Jeremiah Milbank III (lead guitar, vocals), Aristedes George Embiricos (bass guitar), Peter John Goulandris (rhythm guitar, lead vocals) and Peter Nicholas Goulandris (drums). The band members belonged to wealthy Greek shipping families (hence Magnates) and were students at the Groton prep school in Massachusetts. Of the numerous so-called prep Rock Garage albums to be released on small or private labels by prep school students in the mid-'60s, the self-titled one by P.J. Orion & The Magnates, recorded in New York City, is among the better ones. Though very rare in its original pressing, the record became fairly well-known among '60s Garage Rock collectors after getting reissued in the mid-'80s by "Eva Records".
01 - As Tears Go By 02 - We Gotta Get Out Of This Place 03 - Eve Of Destruction 04 - Under The Boardwalk 05 - Sheila 06 - Love Minus Zero 07 - What Have They Done To The Rain 08 - Bells Of Rhymney 09 - Gloria
The band were based in Greenwich Village, having relocated from Washington DC when they were known as The Button, (which was the final incarnation of The Hangmen). The Button line-up included drummer Bob Berberich who returned to DC, teamed up with two other ex-Hangmen and Nils Lofgren to form Paul Dowell and The Dolphin and later Grin. Graffiti's sole album was in some ways typical of numerous obscure psychedelic one-shots on fairly big labels in the late '60s: over-ambitious lyrics, a kaleidoscope of styles that butted heads as often as it blended, emulation of several passing psychedelic trends pioneered by bigger groups, and an absence of really good songs. All that said, as such albums go, it's better than average, though hardly noteworthy. That's kind of faint praise, but at least Graffiti were less ponderous than many such bands, with a sort of gossamer lightness to much of their material. As for what styles they mined, they're hard to pin down, though they're fairly influenced by West Coast psychedelia of the era, with some of the vocal harmonies so high that one can mistakenly think there was a woman in the group (there wasn't). Bits of jazz, classical guitar, blues-rock, psychedelic effects, and vocal harmonies both sunshine pop and Gregorian seep through from time to time as the band floats through ever-shifting melodies and styles. The songs and instrumental solos do tend to go on too long, however, and the songwriting isn't memorable. (AMG) 01 - Father Protector 02 - The Capture Of Me - Life Blood 03 - Interlude - 1 - Jingle Jangle Woman 04 - New Life - Girl On Fire - Cold Water - Love In Spite 05 - Ugly Mascara 06 - He's Got The Knack LINK
Newburgh, New York psych-punks the Jelly Bean Bandits formed in 1966. Singer Billy Donald, guitarist Jack Dougherty, bassist Fred Buck, keyboardist Michael "Mr. Addams" Raab, and drummer Joe "Laredo London" Scalfari originally operated as "the Mirror", regularly packing area nightspots like the local Trade Winds, Poughkeepsie's Buccaneer Nightclub, and Burlington, Vermont's Red Dog. In due time, they recorded a three-song demo reel that resulted in a three-album recording contract with Mainstream Records, however, unknown to Mainstream, these three songs represented the sum total of the Jelly Bean Bandits' repertoire, forcing the band to write enough additional material to flesh out a full-length LP in the course of a week. Their obscure psych rock debut album, recorded in less than 12 hours is as bizarre as it is tastefull. Every tune is interesting and worth the price of admission with a jelly bean mix of garage rock, punk, R&B and psychedelia.(DYHT) 01 - Country Woman 02 - Generation 03 - Poor Precious Dreams 04 - Another August Revisited 05 - Going Nowhere 06 - Happiness Girl 07 - Goodtime Feeling 08 - September Rain 09 - Neon River 10 - Plastic Soldiers 11 - Say Mann 12 - Tapestries LINK
The Count Five was a 1960s garage rock band from San Jose, California, best known for their Top 10 single "Psychotic Reaction". The band was founded in 1964 by John "Mouse" Michalski (lead guitar) and Kenn Ellner (harmonica, vocals), two high school friends who had previously played in several short-lived outfits. After going shortly under the name The Squires, and several line-up changes later, the Count Five were born. Roy Chaney took over bass duties, John "Sean" Byrne played rhythm guitar and lead vocals, and Craig "Butch" Atkinson played drums. The Count Five gained distinction for their habit of wearing Count Dracula-style capes when playing live. The band members were rejected by several record labels before they got signed to the Los Angeles-based Double Shot Records. "Psychotic Reaction" was released as a single, peaking at #5 in the U.S. charts in late 1966. The band got along for about another year, but dropped out of view altogether when their only hit had fallen from public memory. Another setback to a potential career in the music business was the decision of the five members (who were between the ages of 17 and 19) to pursue college degrees.
01 - Psychotic Reaction 02 - Double Decker Bus 03 - Pretty Big Mouth 05 - My Generation 06 - She's Fine 07 - Peace Of Mind 08 - They're Gonna Get You 09 - The Morning After 10 - Can't Get Your Lovin' 11 - Out In The Street 12 - Teeny Bopper, Teeny Bopper 13 - You Must Believe Me 14 - Contrast 15 - Merry-Go-Round 16 - Declaration Of Independence 17 - Revelation In Slow Motion 18 - Mailman
The Flamin' Groovies were an American rock music band of the 1960s and 1970s. They began in San Francisco in 1965, founded by Ron Greco, Cyril Jordan and Roy Loney. They are perhaps best known for their song "Shake Some Action", which was later featured in the 1995 movie Clueless. The group have been called one of the forerunners to punk rock. The Groovies disbanded in 1992. This is 1991 a compilation of Skydog label singles. 01 - River Deep, Mountain High 02 - So Much In Love 03 - And Your Bird Can Sing 04 - She Don't Care About Time 05 - Do I Love You 06 - Sweet Little Rock 'n' Roller 07 - Slow Death 08 - Let Me Rock 09 - Dog Meat 10 - Jumping Jack Flash 11 - Blues For Phylis 12 - Can't Explain 13 - Little Queenie 14 - Feel A Whole Lot Better 15 - Paint It Black 16 - Shake Some Action LINK
Bread was a rock band from Los Angeles, California. They placed 13 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart between 1970 and 1977 and were a primary example of what later was labeled soft rock, releasing a string of well-crafted, melodic soft rock singles. The band consisted of David Gates (vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, violin, viola, percussion), Jimmy Griffin (vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion), Robb Royer (bass, guitar, flute, keyboards, percussion, recorder, backing vocals), Mike Botts (drums; joined in 1970), and Larry Knechtel (bass, guitar, keyboards, harmonica; replaced Royer in 1971) 01- Make It With You 02- Dismal Day 03- London Bridge 04- Anyway You Want Me 05- Look What You've Done 06- It Don't Matter To Me 07- The Last Time 08- Let Your Love Go 09- Truckin' 10- If 11- Baby I'm-A Want You 12- Everything I Own 13- Down On My Knees 14- Just Like Yesterday 15- Diary 16- Sweet Surrender 17- The Guitar Man 18- Fancy Dancer 19- She's The Only One 20- Lost Without Your Love LINK
Released 1978 MCA records, Produced by Chips Moman
01 - Everybody Loves A Rain Song 02 - Blues River 03 - Come On Out & Tell Me 04 - Wishful Thinking 05 - Dusty Roads 06 - She's Rolling Over & Over 07 - Just Out Of Reach 08 - There's No Love Like A First Love 09 - Sweet Young America 10 - Aloha
One of the "Three Kings of the Blues Guitar" (along with B. B. King and Freddie King), Albert King stood 6' 4" (192 cm) and weighed 250 lbs (118 kg) and was known as "The Velvet Bulldozer". He was born Albert Nelson on a cotton plantation in Indianola, Mississippi. During his childhood he would sing at a family gospel group at a church. One of 13 children, King grew up picking cotton on plantations near Forrest City, Arkansas where the family moved when he was eight. He began his professional work as a musician with a group called In The Groove Boys in Osceola, Arkansas. He also briefly played drums for Jimmy Reed's band and on several early Reed recordings. Influenced by blues musicians Blind Lemon Jefferson and Lonnie Johnson, but also interestingly Hawaiian music, the electric guitar became his signature instrument, his preference being the Gibson Flying V, which he named "Lucy". Born Under a Bad Sign is a blues album recorded between 1966 and 1967, and released in 1967 by Stax Records. This was the first album Albert King recorded on Stax, and the title song became a blues standard. 01 - Born Under A Bad Sign 02 - Crosscut Saw 03 - Kansas City 04 - Oh, Pretty Woman 05 - Down Don't Bother Me 06 - The Hunter 07 - (When I Lost My Baby) I Almost Lost My Mind 08 - Personal Manager 09 - Laundromat Blues 10 - As The Years Go Passing By 11 - The Very Thought Of You LINK
Lulu Kennedy-Cairns, OBE, best known by her stage name Lulu, is a Scottish singer-songwriter, actress, and television personality who has been successful in the entertainment business from the 1960s through to the present day. She is most famous worldwide for her hit "To Sir, with Love" and in the UK for "Shout". The first-ever collection of Lulu's recordings for Decca from 1964 to 1967. The tracks are taken from two albums, a scarce EP and a raft of singles including two rare German-language tracks. Several of the recordings include session work from the legendary Jimmy Page. This is a selection (30 tracks), of the 2009 42 tracks - 2CD release of RPM Records. 01 - Shout! 02 - Can't Hear You No More 03 - Dream Lover 04 - Forget Me Baby 05 - Heatwave 06 - Here Comes The Night 07 - I Am In Love 08 - Night Time Is The Right Time 09 - Nothing Left To Do But Cry 10 - That's Really Some Good 11 - The Trouble With Boys 12 - What's Easy For Two Is Hard For One 13 - Chocolate Ice 14 - He Don't Want Your Love 15 - I'll Come Running Over 16 - Leave A Little Lulu 17 - Satisfied 18 - Stealing My Love From Me 19 - Surprise Surprise 20 - Try To Understand 21 - After You 22 - Call Me 23 - Don't Answer Me 24 - Lies 25 - Tell It Like It Is 26 - Tossin' And Turnin' 27 - When He Touches Me 28 - You Touch Me Baby 29 - You'll Never Leave Her 30 - What A Wonderful Feeling LINK
Bobby Vinton is an American pop music singer of Polish origins. Vinton is the only child of a locally popular bandleader, Stan Vinton. At 16, Vinton formed his first band, which played clubs around the Pittsburgh area. With the money he earned, he helped finance his college education at Duquesne University, where he studied music and graduated with a degree in musical composition. While at Duquesne, he became proficient on all of the instruments in the band: piano, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, drums and oboe. Vinton's birthplace of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania is also the birthplace of Perry Como. His hometown named two streets, Bobby Vinton Boulevard and the shorter adjoining Bobby Vinton Drive, in his honor. Canonsburg town fathers had plans to erect a statue in his honor, but Vinton vetoed the idea noting that the $100,000 planned cost could go to far more important town needs. 16 Most Requested Songs is a collection of 16 Top 40 hits that Bobby Vinton had for Epic Records in the sixties. It is the last of 29 collections in the 16 Most Requested Songs series that was released by Epic. 01 - Blue Velvet 02 - Tell Me Why 03 - To Know You Is To Love You 04 - Take Good Care Of My Baby 05 - There! I've Said It Again 06 - Coming Home Soldier 07 - Over The Mountain, Across The Sea 08 - Halfway To Paradise 09 - Please Love Me Forever 10 - Blue On Blue 11 - L-O-N-E-L-Y 12 - Just As Much As Ever 13 - I Love How You Love Me 14 - My Heart Belongs To Only You 15 - Mr - Lonely 16 - Roses Are Red (My Love) LINK
B.J. Thomas - 1969 - Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head Billy Joe "B. J." Thomas is an American popular singer known for his chart-topping hits in the 1960s and 1970s. Thomas was raised in and around Houston, Texas, graduating from Lamar Consolidated High School in Rosenberg. Before his solo career, Thomas sang in a church choir as a teenager then joined the musical group The Triumphs. During his senior year he made friends with Roy Head of Roy Head and The Traits. The Traits and the Triumphs held several Battle of the Bands events in the early 1960s featuring Head and Thomas. In 1966, B. J. Thomas and The Triumphs released the album, I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry (Pacemaker Records). The album featured a hit cover of the Hank Williams song, "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry". It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. In the same year, Thomas released a solo album of the same name (Scepter Records). The 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid featured Thomas performing the Burt Bacharach/Hal David song "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head", which became the number one song on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1970. Sales of this disc also exceeded one million copies, with Thomas being awarded his third gold record. 01 - Little Green Apples 02 - Rainfrops Keep Falling On My Head 03 - This Guys In Love With You 04 - If You Ever Leave Me 05 - Guess I'll Pack My Things 06 - If You Must Leave My Life 07 - The Greatest Love 08 - Do What You Gotta Do 09 - Mr. Mailman 10 - Suspicious Minds LINK B J Thomas - 1981 - Some Love Songs Never Die
This album, released in 1981, did not chart. 01 - Some Love Songs Never Die 02 - While The Feelings Good 03 - I Recall A Gypsey Woman 04 - You Are The Song (inside Of Me) 05 - There Ain't No Love 06 - Keep The Night Away 07 - Love Of The Common People 08 - The Lovin' Kind 09 - Lay A Little Lovin' On Me 10 - Statue Of A Fool LINK
Bobby Goldsboro is an American country and pop singer-songwriter. He had a string of hits from 1962 to 1982, including 5 releases that achieved sales of over one million copies. Goldsboro was born in Marianna, Florida. In 1956, Goldsboro's family moved 35 miles north from Marianna to Dothan, Alabama. He graduated from Dothan High School in 1959, and later enrolled at Auburn University. Goldsboro left college after his second year to pursue a musical career. He played guitar for Roy Orbison from 1962 to 1964, while releasing a few unsuccessful singles. Muddy Mississippi Line was released in 1969 in the UA label. 01 - Lodi 02 - Jean 03 - Don't It Make You Wanna Go Home 04 - Everybody's Talkin' 05 - Proud Mary 06 - Time Good, Time Bad 07 - Mornin' Mornin' 08 - Lisa Was 09 - Graveyard Of My Mind 10 - Muddy Mississippi Line 11 - Sweet Caroline 12 - Broomstick Cowboy LINK
Bobby Goldsboro - 1970 - All Time Greatest Hits (1990)
This is a 1990 reissue of a early 70s release previously titled The 10th Anniversary Album.
01 - Honey 02 - Watching Scotty Grow 03 - Autumn Of My Life 04 - Little Things 05 - It's Too Late 06 - See The Funny Little Clown 07 - Summer (The First Time) 08 - Straight Life 09 - And I Love You So 10 - With Pen In Hand
Stack was formed in Los Angeles in 1967 from a Surf act called "The Vandells" ("Rick Gould", lead guitar) and another local act called "Wabash Spencer Band" aka "The Fabs" ("Bill Sheppard" - vocals, "Bob Ellis" - drums, "Buddy Clark" - bass guitar, "Kurt Feierabend" - rhythm guitar). They rehearsed and played at Long Beach's "Marina Palace", and its owner, Bill Robertson, became their manager. While playing one night at the "Marina Palace", Stack was offered a recording contract with "Mike Curb"'s "Sidewalk Productions". They signed and 8-year deal with the company that gave them virtually nothing besides the opportunity to record their music. It did, however, enable the band to record "Above All" at several Los Angeles studios in 1969; unfortunately for the band, the album was shelved, and Stack became a tax write-off for "Sidewalk Productions", with no recourse other than to call it quits since they were still under contract. 01 - Poison Ivy 02 - Only Forever 03 - Da Blues 04 - Cars 05 - Everyday 06 - Valleys 07 - Time Seller 08 - Hot Days 09 - Do It LINK
The Hook was a late sixties So. Cal. band that had a minor cult hit, "Son of Fantasy", that has to be one of the great neglected "heavy" rock tunes of the late sixties underground/garage band/psychedelica pop music movement. If you didn't live in So.Cal. at that time then you probably haven't heard of the band, but if you appreciate the stylings of such bands as The Standells, The Chocolate Watch Band, The Blues Magoos, The Seeds, The Leaves, etc., then you will eat this up with a spoon. They were a power trio, and the names of some of the tunes on this CD will tell you a lot about their musical philosophy ("Everything's Groovy", "Turn Your Head", "Plug Your Head In"). Their lead guitarist had a style very similar to Leigh Stephens of Blue Cheer, and while they can be compared to that band in some respects, they really did have their own style, fuzz tone/reverb and all. (Lawrence A. Strid)
01 - Homes 02 - Lookin? For You 03 - You Know I Do 04 - Turn Your Head 05 - Son Of Fantasy 06 - Dr. B. & His Friends 07 - Plug Your Head In 08 - Everything?s Groovy 09 - Garbage Man 10 - Dimples
Poco is an American country rock band originally formed by Richie Furay and Jim Messina following the demise of Buffalo Springfield in 1968. The title of their first album, Pickin' Up The Pieces, is a reference to the break-up of the Springfield. Throughout the years Poco has performed in various groupings, with the latest version still active today. The Forgotten Trail (1969–74) is a 2-CD collection of the greatest hits of Poco recorded during the group's work for Epic Records, which included their first eight albums (through Cantamos). Although this collection does not include most of Poco's biggest hits, which came after the group's move to ABC Records, it also contains both sides of a non-LP single, three remixes, three alternate takes and six unreleased tracks, all of which came from Richie Furay's original time in the band. In particular, the album includes an alternate acoustic version of Poco's first hit, Jim Messina's "You Better Think Twice", and four previously-unreleased songs from the Crazy Eyes sessions, including Furay's "Believe Me", which later became a hit for the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band.
Disc 1
01 - Pickin' Up The Pieces 02 - Grand Junction 03 - Consequently, So Long 04 - First Love 05 - Calico Lady 06 - My Kind Of Love 07 - Hard Luck 08 - Last Call (Cold Enchilada #3) 09 - Honky Tonk Downstairs 10 - Hurry Up 11 - You Better Think Twice 12 - Anyway Bye Bye 13 - I Guess You Made It 14 - C'mon 15 - Hear That Music 16 - Kind Woman 17 - Just For Me And You 18 - Bad Weather 19 - You Better Think Twice 20 - Lullaby In September
Disc 2
01 - You Are The One 02 - From The Inside 03 - A Good Feelin' To Know 04 - I Can See Everything 05 - And Settlin' Down 06 - Blue Water 07 - Fool's Gold 08 - Nothin's Still The Same 09 - Skunk Creek 10 - Here We Go Again 11 - Crazy Eyes 12 - Get In The Wind 13 - Believe Me 14 - Rocky Mountain Breakdown 15 - Faith In The Families 16 - Western Waterloo 17 - Whatever Happened To Your Smile 18 - Sagebrush Serenade
British prog rock act Skin Alley were a farsighted collaboration between Thomas Crimble (keyboards/bass/vocals), Alvin Pope (drums), Krzysztof Henryk Justkiewicz (keyboards), and Bob James (sax/guitar). Formed in the late '60s, they made inroads quickly and found themselves signed to CBS for their self-titled debut in 1969. That album, and its 1970 follow-up, To Pagham & Beyond, saw the band in top prog form -- a pastiche of folk, jazz, and rock that, although well traveled by this time, managed to delight more than a few critics with its freshness and vitality. Crimble and Pope moved on later that year and were replaced by Nick Graham (formerly of The End, Tucky Buzzard, and Atomic Rooster) and Tony Knight (ex-Bronx Cheer), respectively. With new members in place, Skin Alley's sound took on a more polished, mainstream approach and began prominently featuring the complex string, woodwind, and brass arrangements of Graham. Their jazz-rock fusion sound was still there, but with decidedly more polish and sophistication.(AMG) 01 - Living In Sin 02 - Tell Me 03 - Mother Please Help Your Child 04 - Marsha 05 - Country Aire 06 - All Alone 07 - Night Time 08 - Concerto Grosso (Take Heed) 09 - (Going Down The) Highway LINK
This psychedelic album are among the most sought-after artefacts of British psychedelia. Only 99 copies of the album by this Blackpool-based band were pressed. Despite the fact the debut album was recorded in November 1970 it sounds like it's straight out of the Summer of love. Basically we're talking echo-laden organ-driven garage psychedelia which is marred only by poor sound quality. Eight of the eleven compositions were penned by Steve Coe and a guy called Mitchell, two were Steve Coe compositions and the finale, Live For The Minute, was the product of a Coe-Shakespeare songwriting collaboration. This has lots of fine guitar organ interplay. Other highlights are Witch's Spell and Storm On The Way, both notable for some punchy organ work and strong vocals and Self Declaration, which has lots of fuzzy guitar and cheesy organ. A couple of tracks, Josie and Madamoiselle Jackie veer more towards pop with a commercial edge.(CGR)
01 - Funny Feeling 02 - Message From The Year 2000 03 - Green-Eyed Lucy 04 - Josie 05 - Witch's Spell 06 - Norwegian Butterfly 07 - Self Declaration 08 - Images Blue 09 - Storm On Way 10 - Mademoiselle Jackie 11 - Live For The Minute 12 - Hush 13 - Images Blue (Alternate Version) 14 - Green-Eyed Lucy (Alternate Version) 15 - Norwegian Butterfly (Alternate Version)
"Jay and Gary Leavitt, along with Bobby Herne, made their first musical rumblings in 1966 as the Cobras, releasing the New England garage classic "I Wanna Be Your Lover"/"Instant Heartache". Fast-forward to 1970 and the brothers, joined by Ralph Mazotta (ex-Lazy Smoke) and Harold Perino Jr. (aka "Maris"), transformed into the hard psychedelic aggro Euclid, signed to Bob Thiele's Flying Dutchman subsidiary Amsterdam and were one of the few (only?) "rock" releases on either label (a notable exception being the rare Minx soundtrack by The Cyrkle). Herne, manning the producer's chair (a role he would later repeat for The Shaggs' Philosophy Of The World LP), created a "bad trip" spiked with backwards tape effects, darkly-phased vocals, all instruments set to "pummel" and an album title certainly eligible for the "truth in advertising" award!" (Rockadrome) 01 - Shadows Of Life-On The Way-Bye Bye Baby 02 - Gimme Some Lovin' 03 - First Time Last Time 04 - Lazy Livin' 05 - 97 Days 06 - She's Gone 07 - It's All Over Now LINK
Following a single release that failed to generate interest, the debut album by the Iveys was all but cancelled. It limped into several European territories and collected dust. Undeterred, the band switched out a member and changed its name to Badfinger and went back into the studio. Seven of the songs on this album found their way onto the Badfinger debut, "Magic Christian Music,” released at the end of 1969. This is the remastered album issued in 1992 by Capitol Records in the U.S. 01 - See-Saw, Granpa 02 - Beautiful And Blue 03 - Dear Angie 04 - Think About The Good Times 05 - Yesterday Ain't Coming Back 06 - Fisherman 07 - Maybe Tomorrow 08 - Sali Bloo 09 - Angelique 10 - I'm In Love 11 - They're Knocking Down Our Home 12 - I've Been Waiting 13 - No Escaping Your Love 14 - Mrs Jones 15 - And Her Daddy's A Millionaire 16 - Looking For My Baby LINK
Transatlantic Railroad never released an album during their lifetime at the tail end of the 60's. This CD is the first airing of this music since it was recorded. The group formed at San Rafel High School in Marin County in 1965. The original line-up was Steve Myers (guitar), Kent Housman (guitar), Jamie Kindt (bass) and Ron Vanbianchi (drums). The group recorded two tracks for a planned souvenir album which was not released. Mark Finch became lead vocalist in 1967 and the group released a single in 1968. At this time they also recorded material for an album but this was not released. The album material was released in 2001. "Camp Towanga" opens the album with a song that incorporates rock, jazz and blues. "Fried Chicken Blues" being an excellent up-tempo blues based song with some fine acid guitar. The guitar and keyboards which stand out on this album, with most tracks having some great examples of both."Good Times" ends the album with an up-tempo ballad similar to The Electric Prunes. 01 - Camp Towanga 02 - Fred Chicken Blues 03 - Tehama Steet Song 04 - Elephant 05 - Old English 800 06 - Irahs 07 - Good Times LINK
