Hi again folks, well the new release from Top Sounds has landed (great timing eh?), and I do think its one of the best yet!

VARIOUS ARTISTS – “17 FROM MORDEN – A Path Through The Forest Of OAK Records 1964 – 1967” (TOP SOUNDS TSLP 008 / TSSCD 008)

TSLP 008 VINYL album with 16 page booklet
TSSCD 008 COMPACT DISC with 24 page booklet

Vinyl
UK £22.00 including postage
Europe £25.00 including postage
USA / Canada / Rest of World £29.00 including postage

CD
UK £12.50 including postage
Europe £15.50 including postage
USA / Canada / Rest of World £16.50 including postage


VARIOUS ARTISTS
“17 FROM MORDEN – A Path Through The Forest Of OAK Records 1964 – 1967”

TOP SOUNDS TSLP 008 / TSSCD 008

Top Sounds Records return to the compilation format with 17 From Morden, which collects together seventeen tracks all recorded at R.G Jones’ legendary studio in South London during the mid 1960s. Only two selections have previously been released and all the tracks have been extracted from OAK label acetates, the inhouse imprint of R.G Jones which has fired and enthused collectors of rare 60s music for decades. 17 From Morden illustrates the evolution of British beat during the mid 1960s, with muscular Rhythm and Blues, tough beat, blue eyed Soul and Mod flavoured rock. The Ancient Britons and the Roosters cover familiar R ‘n’ B standards with much verve, whilst the Cindicate with their blistering attacks on ‘I’m Mad Again’ and ‘Respectable’ have justifiable claim to recording the ultimate unreleased British R ‘n’ B single. The Southern Sounds, St James Infirmary and the Ramblers loudly explore that genre with their own compositions and the Night Society do a fine job of replicating the early American garage sound. The Candydates invigorate with some serious fuzzed out heavy beat whilst the Spirit Feel and the Old Berkeley Squares admirably knock out their own interpretations of American Soul and pop tunes. Moving in the Mod rock direction the Gabb and the Locomotion tear through ‘One More Heartache’, ‘Finger Poppin’ and the Young Rascals’ ‘Come On Up’. Then there’s the obligatory unknown group with the moody ‘Take Her Any Time’ styled masterpiece ‘I Need Your Loving Now’… and more!
All the music has been restored to the best possible standards and 17 From Morden is available on both limited edition vinyl and CD. The LP comes with the usual sixteen page booklet whilst the CD has a twenty four page tome.

Paypal payments as usual to virginsleep@aol.com, if you’d like to pay by some other method please get in contact. Please use the ‘pay to friends and family’ option if possible (if its still there!)

virginsleep@aol.com
nevillethumbcatch@yahoo.co.uk.

Thanks for the heads up on this Greg. Where did you see the ad, it's not on Top Sounds web site (yet) and a basic Google search finds nothing. By the way, re Oak Records The Tenth Planet 2 x LP and Wooden Hill CD collections have quite a different range of tracks on them although sharing some of the same titles. So not just a CD edition of the vinyl. Will be adding this new CD to them.

Keep safe

PM:slightly_smiling_face:

I just ordered a copy of the CD edition from Virgin sleep address. These are physically available as of now, not postponed due to lockdown etc just in case anyone was wondering.

PM:slightly_smiling_face:

where is it on the site. how do you order it. cheers

Hi folks, well its me who's put out '17 From Morden' and its a different entity entirely from the Tenth Planet / Wooden Hill releases, with no repeat tracks. One on the '17 From Morden' tunes appeared on an 'Oddities' years ago, and the Night Society track was released by Greg on a Dig The Fuzz album, everything else has been heard by about 7 people since the 60s! My web guy is slow to move so no update yet, and the albums and CDs have literally been here a week hence the non appearance so far on the web. My designer put the sleeve on his own site and thats how word first got around. I shall be putting it on ebay etc this week but if anyone wants a copy privately my email address details etc are in the promo blurb in Mr Wisdoms first post in this thread.
Get it guys its a cracker!
All the best
Nigel

I told Nigel I'd say a few words here if I liked the CD and I do, so here they are:

17 From Morden – A path through the forest of Oak Records 1964-1967

Predominantly from 1964 (with a few later soulful movers thrown in and a wannabe freakbeater), this set is a good summary of the first wave British blues boom. All dubbed from Oak acetates by bands no-one has ever heard of, they clearly deserved a wider hearing. Their competence suggests they had already paid their dues playing the local scout hut and school hall circuit and were now proper club playing bands. Many of these artists would have been at home down the Flamingo Club or the Marquee.

There seems to be a good degree of original material and even the covers sound cool and energised, not just generic by the numbers copies. The sound quality is as excellent as the selections here and to think these acetates all come from one collector! Thank you sir for sharing.

The booklet has the Oak Record label shots and a good deal of band info where diligent sleuthing in the local press and national music inkies revealed tiny ads for third on the bill gigs by some of the acts and even contact with one or two ex-band members. If you dig the first wave r’n’b Brits, the Eel Pie Island set, Cops ‘n’ Robbers, The Artwoods etc., then you will certainly find this 40 minute set delivers.

PM:slightly_smiling_face:

Nice one Paul, much appreciated and thanks for posting that,though - despite some recording dates lacking - I'd say probably two thirds of the album was done from 65 to 67. Its now on ebay and other places very soon, meanwhile here's a sampler video of just a few of the tunes of the 48 minutes of music...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XO4hejNykYY

Will there be a follow up venturing into psychedelia?

Well I'd like there to be, we'll have to see what the future brings,,,

Website now updated, plus its on Discogs, ebay and Amazon at the moment.

http://topsoundsrecords.co.uk/home.html