What has everyone been listening to? I’ve not done one of these for a while so here’s a good few months worth of my listening:

The Pretty Things - Bouquets From A Cloudy Sky box set – discussed at length already

The Liberty Bell – Thoughts And Words 1967 – 1970 LP – Good US garage psych album

The Raunch – Total Raunch 5 track 12” – Great US freakbeat cover versions of Hey Joe and others as well as two originals.

V/A - Last Of The Garage Band Unknowns Vol. 1 & 2 (Crypt) – Just as good (perhaps even better) than previous volumes.

V/A - Back From The Grave Vol.9-10 (Crypt) – Certainly as good as the other volumes – a great scream fest!

V/A - Ciao Baby: Italian Girls Singers of The 60s (Big Beat) – Wonderful ye ye and beat balladry. The Italian language makes it sound even more enticing!

V/A - The Odessey: A Northen Soul Time Capsule 1968-2014 (8xCD + 2 x DVD). I am besotted with this box (and also the Northern Soul feature film soundtrack). Check out for instance Rita & the Tiaras - Gone Like The Wind Is My Love on youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIMSrmVMGYo

Then multiply that kind of sound by 220 tracks, I absolutely love it.

V/A - Nevralgies Particulieres: Fuzzed Up Lost 60s French Punk LP. A very interesting and enjoyable bunch of Frenchies on this vinyl boot. Fuzztone freakery, Gallic ‘Austin Powers’ pop and general up-beat weirdness, needle dropped from original EPs.

V/A - Ultimate Bonehead Vols. 1 & 2 LPs. US 45s only volumes following from the 5 LP Bonehead Crunchers series spanning 1969-76 era self-pressed 45s in a downer, gonzoid hard rock style. If you dig the Michigan Meltdown comps, these go to the same place.

V/A - Strange Land, Strange People: Psychedelic Garage & Heavy Psych From The Golden Voice Label LP. One or two of these are duped on the Ultimate Boneheads above, but here they’re either from masters or very clean vinyl. Excellent assortment of US psych sounds.

V/A – It’s Kewl For Cats: 12 Songs As Heard At The Hip Cat Club LP. Groovy mover 60s 45s favoured at Germany’s Hip Cat Club, not top sound but perfectly acceptable for an underground slab o wax like this.

V/A – Working Class Devils Vol.2 – Fuzz, Vodka & Flowers, Polish Psychedelic LP. I like this even more than the first volume (from the same source as the two volume ‘Wrenching The Wires’ LP set some years back). A few obvious covers, but a lot of original or at least more obscure covers and some genuinely inventive tunes from the Polish 60s and with useful liners.

V/A – Brazilian Nuggets Vol.3 LP – As with Vols 1 & 2, this final (?) volume covers a number of sub-genres with the later 60s early 70s era. If you like the other two then this one will please you also.

V/A – Angel Dust Psychedelia LP. Again, goes some way in the direction of Ultimate Bonehead / Michigan Meltdown. Very grimey sound, but so ‘real’!

Here and incoming or upcoming but not listened to or quite out yet:

Piccadilly Sunshine Part 20

Mixed Up Minds Part 10

Pretenders 1979-99 - 22 disc box set

V/A – Harley Murrell Presents The Best Arizona Garage Bands 1967-70

Badfinger Jap 3 x CD set: Badfinger – Say No More (1981) / Joey Molland – After The Pearl (1983) / Badfinger – Hold On 3” CD single with repro Jap picture sleeve.

Psychedelia 5 x CD box set on Particles (won on ebay for just £16)

Jellyfish - Belly Button / Spilt Milk deluxe edition jap issue on SHM CDs

Wow Paul do you get out at all?

But I was just thinking it was time for one of this topic again - its been a while

Granny and Grandfather - both excellent and both on Wooden Hill (need I say more)

1st Cressida on cd- really good but falls just short of absolute killer LP

Mojo cd of Who covers - really really good surprisingly-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4S6YbELtiB4

On youtube some the excellent Joe Cuba (Latin sixties)-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MenOmqIBmIM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdHu26Hb9Co

Just got Tir na nOg and Howard Eynon (70s Tasmanian acid folk!) but haven't listened o them yet!

Yes, working from home has the benefit of a lot of listening time! I bought the Granny CD on Wooden Hill as a Christmas present for my French brother-in-law a few years back. I was going to get myself one as well, but went for the Record Collector issued vinyl edition instead. Great album.
PM

Jane-Together German 1972 debut album

Black Diamonds-Aust singles from the Festival vaults '65- '69 vol 2 box set

The Bush-Got Bush If You Want It US 60's garage comp of released and previously unreleased material. Singer was later in The Misunderstood in England

Utopia-Utopia #1 (Amon Duul II) German 1973 album In 1973 Amon Duul II split up whilst recording Wolf City. Some continued recording that and others formed Utopia. During the recording of both albums they made up and AD embers ended up playing on some of the Utopia album.

And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead-IX Current Texan band who have been around long enough to have recorded this many albums. Hard to categorise.

Culpeper's Orchard-s/t 1970 Danish band with one Englishman. Debut album.

The Gene Clark No Other Band Members of Fleet Foxes, Grizzly Bear, Walkmen, Beach House + Iain Matthews did a short tour of East Coast U.S. performing Gene Clark's overlooked masterpiece No Other. On You Tube.

Some interesting listening going on there guys!!Yeh its been a while since we have done this,here goes:

Stella-Stella expanded(RPM)Excellent album with 14 bonus tracks,eclectic listening from the years 66-68 from this French anti ye-ye girl(so it states in the liners)

Variations-Nador(culture factory)Absolutely blistering heavy rock released in 1969 from this French quartet with more than a sniff of psychedelia in the air,this marvellous looking cd comes with 7 bonus tracks covering the years 68-71 and are also good.

Nektar-The Boston Tapes(its about music)A cd of Pre first album demos which came as an extra cd to Tab in The Ocean cd from a few year ago,recorded in 1970 and is a pretty enjoyable listen of late 60s early 70s rock,and to my ears Pretty psych in parts too.

Nektar-Journey to the Centre Of The Eye(Eclectic)-Now we're talking a mega spaced out slab of 70s acid rock,Nektar carrying the flag for psych in 1971.

The Truth-Whos Wrong?Mod Bedlam 65-69(RPM)-UK duo who recorded a mixture of stuff....some not too great and relied heavily on covers but even with those moans i did enjoy most of it,particularly Fly Away Bird,Baby Youve Got It and a cover of The Troggs Jingle Jangle,which is pure pop heaven!!!

Agitation Free-2ND(Garden of Delights)German group whose first album Malesch is worth hearing and so is this one from 1973,a mix of really tranquil listening to heavier stuff......a stoners delight!!!!

Los Ovnis-Hippies(Rockbeat)Mexican group who released this one fine slab of garage psych,ive read its from 68 but sounds a couple of year earlier,as for the title of the album"Hippies" it would have you believe this was gonna be mellowed out gear,but its the opposite!!

Vanity Fare-I Live for the Sun(RPM)Just released double cd of all their recordings covering the years 66-76,this is a real mix of stuff,a mixed listen where ive flicked it forward a couple of times....but as a whole this is good uk harmony pop,i surprisingly enjoyed a fare bit of their early 70s releases,imo a must for any 60s pop fan really.

Fire-The Magic Shoemaker(Castle)-this is the 2002 cd version,its been reissued again since that by Esoteric Records,this album from 70 imo is a good psych venturing out too prog etc album.Sometimes i found the vocals kinda grating but the music is excellent all through,the Wooden Hill cd collection is a MUST for any psych fan!!So there!!

Madeline Bell-Doin Things(RPM)1968 album oF uk soul and RnB,this cd includes the full album with 6 bonus tracks and blooming fantastic vocals from Madeline!!Not all to my taste admittedly but i waited forever to get this cd at a reasonable price but so glad i waited.

la Onda De Elia Y Elizabeth-S/T(Vampi Soul)16 track cd featuring songs from their 2 albums from the early 70s,72 and 73 i think,this Colombian female duo recorded airy and very melodic and at times mellow sounds,a definite album for cool summer nights with bottle in hand....excellent stuff!!

Lambert and Nuttycombe-Eternal Rivers:Demos 1969-71(Sunbeam)Actually releaased 2 albums in their lifetime but this as the title suggests are demos...which according to the liners never featured on either album,theres actually 30 songs on here which basically features stripped down demos with both voices and acoustic guitar only.....I have to be honest and say the time i got to track 15 i was slightly bored with it,but i wont take away the vocal harmonies of both men are very good,maybe the 2 albums are worth hearing??

Gilberto Gil-The Sound of Revolution 68-69(cherry red)actually 2 albums on one cd the first "Frevo Rasgado" features Os Mutantes as backing and the second"Cerebo Electronico"has some marvellous fuzzed guitar in parts,i did prefer the second album on this cd,Tropicalia trips out.

Brazilian Guitar Fuzz Bananas-Various 1967-76(WPFC)Whacked out mix of tropicalia and fuzzed out guitars etc,an excellent collection which comes with an informative booklet,something different thats for sure,well tripped out!!

Those shocking,Shaking Days-Indonesian Hard,Psychedelic,Progressive Rock & Funk:1970-78-various(Now Again)Well the title of this comp says it al really,i enjoyed this and was very curios to hear what was on offer,you get what it says on the sleeve,comes with a book full of info and photos of album sleeves etc.A real curio!!

Stark Reality-Acting Thinking Feeling(Now Again)a 3 cd set from this US foursome,now this is an interesting set as it features jazz as a massively influenced sound but its mixed with fuzz and trippy arrangements,i massivly enjoyed cd 2 of the album"Discovers Hoagy Carmichaels Music Shop",the excellent booklet that comes with this tells the whole story of this group and if youre after something a bit different this maybe up your street,all from the years 68-71 i think.

Hey Stu,

I like the Lambert and Nuttycombe albums. The first is pretty acoustic, and on the second they get a bit more produced. I think maybe Lindsey Buckingham may be on one song, if i remember correctly? Or at least some outside folks that were known, even if i can't remember exactly who. And the last song, "Sleep" sounds like one of the mellower songs from the White Album ("Julia", "I Will" "Long, Long.Long" etc. It's got a sort of Lennon vibe to it. I don't play either album all that often, but they both have songs worth hearing.

Joe

MAYPOLE - The Real ( Gear Fab CD )
Investigated this album after a strong endorsement by someone on this forum...
A belter of an album this...hard to categorise...lotta classic rock moves going on here but no lengthy solos or blues based stuff, just a great twin guitar sound..very like Steve Marriot kinda playing...Pagey's rhythm playing comes to mind too...all the band sing great harmonies too...lovely psychy production...this band can really play...highly recommended!!

FOLK IS NOT A FOUR LETTER WORD Vol 2 Compiled by Andy Votel
One of the best comps of any genre I've come across in ages...very eclectic and probably stretching it to call some of it folk really...fave track is Paint A lady by Susan Christie...more of a funky west coast pop sound on this...a class piece...waiting for a copy of this lady's album to come from the states...this is the third copy I've ordered...both sellers cancelled the order due to the disc being damaged...third time lucky....

BIG STAR - Third, Sister Lovers
I'd always heard things like 'difficult third album, divides opinion' about this album implying that the first two was where it was at and the third was an afterthought...not so...it takes a few songs to get going but once it does it's sublime...woodwind, strings, mellotron and loads of slide guitar.
There are no words for this really...mesmerising.

RED CHAIR FADEAWAY - Curiouser and curiouser
Tracked this hard to find album from 1991 down after hearing their inclusion on the Sitar headswirlers set...great album with obvious nods to Loudest Whisper, Mellow Candle etc...because of when it was made, you get the odd reminder that you're listening to something a bit modern...kinda like some obscure record on the 4AD label or something, but the sound of this for the most part is like a mid 70's UK private press acid folk album...maybe they tried to get that sound or maybe they didn't have the money to make it sound modern...whatever the case,
it's great.

PHILWITT & PEGASUS - SAME
Essential UK Pop Psych project by Mark Wirtz feat. such luminaries as Peter Lee Stirling & John Carter...delicious!

There's been other stuff that I'm less enamoured of but that's probably just a matter of personal taste...like I should've checked out Vashti Bunyan's album a little before making a random purchase...not gonna be negative about it coz I'm sure some love it, but just not to my taste...too sparse...just voice and guitar on most songs...not for me... I'm awaiting my Susan Christie album!!