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** We will happily publish more than one review of each album.....don’t let that stop you **

Paul Roland - Burnt Orchids

1985

Aftermath Scoop 2

Track List:

Death Or Glory, Burnt Orchids, The Puppet Master, Captain Blood, Cairo, Green Glass Violins, Funhouse, Ghost Ships.

Review:

Another of Britains best kept secrets is the genius that is Paul Roland who’s unique haunting style conjures up images of eccentric Edwardian England and opium crazed gents, visions of terryfying automaton fill your mind as you listen to the truly poetic lyrics. With a musical style quite unlike anyone else, except possibly Syd Barrett (lyrically) this is grand stuff indeed. The last track ‘Ghost Ships’ is well up there in my all time top songs, truly chilling stuff......

Reviewed by pOoTer.

Paul Roland - Danse Macabre

1985

Bam-Caruso Kiri 052

Track List:

Witchfinder General, Madam Guillotine, The Great Edwardian Air-Raid, The Hanging Judge, Still Falls The Snow, Matilda Mother, Gabrielle, Reqiuem, Buccaneers, In The Opium Den, Twilight Of The Gods.

Review:

Yet another sinister adventure into the fantastical mind that is Paul Roland and yet another stunning album full of tales of eccentricity, murder and sea dogs. 11 haunting and evocative tracks who’s high points include The Great Edwardian Air-Raid and Witchfinder General. This is another awesome album from the great master of the Baroque.

Reviewed by pOoTer.

Paul Roland - A Cabinet Of Curiosities / Happy Families

1988

Gaslight Records

Track List:

Madhouse, Wyndham Hill, Jumbee, Gary Gilmores Eyes, Burn, Walter The Occultist, Demon In A Glass Case, The Curate Of Cheltenham, Journey To The Pole, Nursery Crimes, Cousin Emilia, Builder Of Follys, The Best Years Of Our Lives, Aunty, Animal Crackers, Beau Brummel, Alices House, Go Down You Muderers, Happy Families, Jumbee, Stranger Than Strange.

****Submit a review?****

Peanut Butter Conspiracy - The Peanut Butter Conspiracy Is Spreading

1967

Columbia (9454)

Track List:

It's a happening thing, Then came love, You can't be found, Twice is life Second hand man, Why did I get so high, Dark on you now, Market place, You should know, Most up till now, You took to much.

****Submit a review?****

Peanut Butter Conspiracy - The Great Conspiracy

1968

Columbia (9590)

Track List:

Turn on a friend, Lonely leaf, Pleasure, Too many do, Living, loving life, Invasion of the poppy people, Captain living dream, Ecstacy, Time is after you, Wonderment.

Review:

The PBC produced three albums. They peaked on this, their second, where the mix of lighter Mamas and Papas-style pop harmonies and up-tempo rock was just right. This session contains the occasional slower, dramatic work (like “Ecstasy”), but it’s mostly meaty beaty power pop with lush harmonies and slick guitar work. Another of Gary Usher’s highly professional productions from this period, it doesn’t have the massed audio trickery of some of his other efforts of the time, they just play it straight.
Sandy Robinson was the vocal star. She didn’t quite have Grace Slick’s power, but she was seductive, sensuous and controlled. The group also boasted powerful vocal harmonies and huge guitar talent. The playing varies between slightly eastern flavoured passages, blues, and
West-coast flavoured acidy licks. The overall sound is very similar to the Airplane at their jamming, rocking best, with more emphasis on guitar work. ‘Too Many Do,’ to take just one example, contains all the very best of these influences.
‘Captain Sandwich’ and ‘Invasion of the Poppy People’ are quirky examples of their hopes for a more pop following. They work well, and fit in nicely with the more serious stuff. Here is a band that wants you to have a bit of fun in between the more reflective songs. ‘Living Dream’ is a hybrid between the two influences, serious and rocky but with a Mamas-and-Papas lyrical feel as well (‘We live just to learn, are we finally learning to live?’). ‘Ecstasy’ is a return to the more dramatic side of the bands’s talents. The lyrics are deep, meaningful and beautifully executed, with dramatic pauses, powerful lead guitar, and gentle acoustic guitar flourishes.
I can't understand why this group didn't achieve greater acclaim.
There’s plenty happening here to feed your head, a very positive and airy album, ideal for long summer evenings. It’ll help you cool down when the sidewalk’s hotter than a match head.

Reviewed by DoctorDark

Peanut Butter Conspiracy - For Children All Ages

1969

Challenge (2000)

Track List:

Now, The loudness of your silence, It's alright, What did I do wrong, Out in the cold again, Back in L.A., Gonna get you home, Have a little faith, Try again, Think.

****Submit a review?****


Perth County Conspiracy - Does Not Exist
1970

Track List:
Midnight Hour, Epistle of the Borderliner, Easy Rider, Truth & Fantasy, Don't You Feel Fine, You Have The Power, Keeper of the Keys, Lady of the Country, Listen to the Kids, Trouble on the Farm, Excerpt form "as you like it", The Dancer, Crucifixation Cartoon.

Review:
“Do you want to know what I know?
…Close your mouth and open up your mind!”

Perth is a rural county in the Canadian territory of Ontario. In the late 60’s Perth County became the ideal place for hippies to leave the cities and set up their communes. The Perth County Conspiracy was just such a band. A merry band of men, women and children (and a few dogs and cats) who set about recording their brand of stoned-hippie-acoustic-psych-folk.

“Do you care to keep your head in motion….
Close your eyes and open up your ears…”

'Does Not Exist' manages to capture the PCC’s communal vibe by equipping the songs with campfire noises and singing crickets. This album is full of duelling guitars, wonderful harmonies and haunting melodies. Hell, there’s even some spoken prose and a Shakespearean excerpt thrown in for good measure. The music swirls into your head and doesn’t leave.

“Floating in a seashell you can watch the sea swirl and fall broken to the sand”

At times 'Does Not Exist' could very easily be accused of pretentious hippie bullshit, however on closer inspection this album encapsulates perfectly the very stoned, lysergic folk vibe in which it was recorded.

“Who you are is only an illusion and what you are determined by your fears”

'Does Not Exist' is a textured, layered, multi-faceted gem of an album and at times one of sheer beauty and poetry. It should come with a sticker advising the listener not to approach the album as a collection of songs...it is an album, which demands to be heard from start to finish. I’m not entirely sure what the trip is all about, however every time I listen to it I am so pleased I have participated.

“Come to the edge.
(well uh, we might fall)
Come to the edge
IT’S TOO HIGH!
Come to the edge
And he came…and they pushed and he…. FLEW!”

Submitted by BlueMagoo - March 2004

Phantom's Divine Comedy - Phantom's Divine Comedy Part 1
1974
Radioactive Records
Track List:
Intro: Tales From A Wizard, Prelude: Devils Child, Calm Before The Storm, Half A Life, Spiders Will Dance (on your face while you sleep), Wizard: Black Magic/White Magic, Merlin, Entrance: Stand Besdide My Fire, Welcome To Hell.
Review:
Imagine if you threw Screaming Jay Hawkins, Screaming Lord Sutch, Alice Cooper, Jim Morrison, Arthur Brown, JRR Tolkien and fantasy artist; Frank Frazetta into a blender and proceeded to mix them all together. What do you think the end result would be? ‘Phantom’s Divine Comedy’ album might just be the answer.
With its lyrics about wizards, sorcery, and black magic this could very well descend into cheap vaudeville, however, for some very odd reason the whole thing seems to work!
Musically, at times, the album veers dangerously close to early 70’s prog-metal, but the group somehow manage to keep the thing afloat so instead of becoming a backdrop for a cheesy Hammer Horror film it actually funks and rocks its way from start to finish.
Although the lyrics may be somewhat corny, trite and pretentious with all its mythical fantasy talk (sung by a vocalist who sounds like a cross between Jim Morrison and Arthur Brown); this is rather surprisingly a very endearing album and is definitely worth investigating.

Reviewed by BlueMagoo - June 2003



Phantasia - A Psychedelic
1969
Ton Um Ton
Track List:
I Must Have You, Transparent Face, I’d Like To Give Life Another Try, A Stumbling Dragon, Chasing Now The Flying Time, Holly Hocks, Ride Me, I’m Alive.
****Submit a review?****

Phantasia-I Talk To The Moon
1969
Ton Um Ton
Track List:
Winter Wind, I Talk To The Moon, Feather Edge, Genena, Willow Creek, I’d Like To Give Life Another Try, I Talk To The Moon (alternate), Winter Wind (alternate), Chasing Now The Flying Time, The Saddest Song I Know.
****Submit a review?****

Pink Floyd - Arnold Layne 7”

1967

Columbia DB 8156

Track List:

Arnold Layne, Candy And a Current Bun.

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Pink Floyd - Piper At The Gates Of Dawn

1967

Columbia SCX 6157

Track List:

Astronomy Domine, Lucifer sam, Matilda mother, Flaming, Pow R.Toc.H, Take up thy stethoscope and walk, Interstellar overdrive, The gnome, Chapter 24, The scarecrow, Bike.

Review:

"Music seems to help the pain
Seems to motivate the brain..."

The Pink Floyd had been gigging through most of 1966, basing their sound around Syd's weird guitar playing and prolific songwriting. Add to this Richard Wright's often Eastern-sounding modal keyboards, Nick Mason's drumming, relying heavily on thudding tomtoms to produce a powerful jungle beat, and Roger Waters' throbbing bass, and inventive backing vocals. Early in their career, Syd had been fascinated with the 'performance-art' group AMM who played (to put it briefly) a mixture of avant-garde jazz and electronics, with a radio and other 'props' in their instrumental line-up.
They didn't so much play music, as make sculptures in sound. Syd developed this approach in his playing, relying heavily on chromatic runs up and down the neck, shifting in and out of time and key, bottleneck sliding over the strings, all fed through his treasured Binson echo unit. The band had started out with an R&B sound (check out 'King Bee,' one of their earliest
recordings, available with the 'Fish Out Of Water' booklet) and used the AMM influence to mould this basic sound into something weird but still recognisable as rock - just. Add the innovation of the lightshow, to create an encompassing audio-visual environment that enveloped the audience, and hey presto! British Psychedelic music is born.

They signed their recording deal with EMI on March 1 1967 and went into the studio the same day. They began working on an album. However, not all was going well with the group. By June 2, on the occasion of a UFO gig, Peter Jenner (their manager) noticed that Syd didn't seem to recognise him and had acquired a vacant stare. There are reports that Syd was not being well looked after at this time and it has been alleged that LSD was daily being
dropped into his morning coffee by those he was living with. On July 18 1967 the final master of 'Piper' was delivered to EMI, and on August 5th it was released to an expectant public. It was about this time that Syd was beginning to 'lose it' on stage, he would stare into space, his arms hanging limply by his side, his guitar unplayed, as the band performed essentially as a three piece. Old friend Dave Gilmour was brought in to help out.
On Friday 26th January 1968 the new Pink Floyd played their first gig without Syd at Southampton University. Pink Floyd version 1 was over. Their legacy was three singles, this album, plus a couple of extras that appeared on 'Saucerful of Secrets' and various bootlegs. The Floyd's debut album marked the end of chapter one of their career, and is the defining album of the psychedelic genre.
Others may have predated 'Piper,' some of them classics, like 13th Floor Elevators, but 'Piper' is the benchmark of the psychedelic sound.

It's surprising that the Floyd's radically different approach didn't go way over the heads of the pill-popping, flower powered, bell-bottomed young trendies of Swinging London. After all, they didn't exactly write love songs. One song was about being ill in bed ('Take Up Thy Stethoscope').
Another was about a Scarecrow who stood in a field where barley grows, another about a Gnome having a big adventure, and a mouse called Gerald pops up in another. Hardly boy-meets-girl, nor was it teenage angst. Musically, too there are a lot of tense moments, and it's hard to take it all in on the first listen. But the pop music world, already reeling from the impact of Sergeant Pepper, was about to be rocked yet again.

The appeal was that you could visit fantastic other worlds, with hardly any effort. In 'Interstellar Overdrive,' for example, you could go floating through vast expanses of space in your faster-than-light craft just by closing your eyes and listening. Past planets, nebulae, galaxies, gazing in awe, the sights bounded only by your own imagination, but shaped by bleeps, echoes, crashing distorted fuzz guitar and keyboards, the pounding rhythm section fading in and out of the mix giving the feeling of relentless surging forward to some yet undiscovered wonder. Incidentally, the riff that opens and closes the track was inspired by Pete Jenner humming a line from Love's 'Little Red Book' to Syd. The mono version clocks in at 9:42, but time seems to disappear into a black hole when listening to it.

Another world is that of childhood fantasy, the mystery of stories inhabited by gnomes, scarecrows, kings who rule mythical lands, bedtime stories read by a mother to her wide-eyed child. Again, it is so easy to enter this world - 'you only have to read the lines of scribbly black and everything SHINES.' Then there is a completely surreal world, as exemplified by 'Pow R Toc H,' an instrumental punctuated by the weird vocalisations ('Ch
chhhhhhhhhh!' 'Doi Doi') and monkeyish gibbering of Waters and Barrett (I think), and the chaotic clicks, clangs, pings and scrapes at the end of 'Bike' followed by an absurd tape loop of duck quacks.

Much of the Pink Floyd's later work has a dreamy, floating sort of feel, but this album has a lot of energy, fast tempo, changing rhythms and abrasive attack. There was a profound change in the band after Syd's departure, and I'm not going to join the debate about whether it was for better or worse. You can check out Barrett's solo work, some of it reviewed on these pages, and the rest of the Floyd's work, at a record shop near you, then decide for yourself.
I believe both have their imperfections and their moments of brilliance.

Oft may you travel in the realms of gold, but remember the cautionary tale of the boy who got lost in the woods.

Reviewed by DoctorDark - February 2002

Visitors comment on this review:

The review of Piper at the Gates of Dawn states that it is surprising  the music of the early Floyd didn't go over the heads of the trendy London crowd.
The freaks who attended UFO, where the Floyd were house band, were often well schooled in art,literature and childlike escapism-all essential ingredients for the world the Floyd were exemplary in conjuring. They were jealously guarded as The Underground Band-it is telling that The NME stated at the time-"Pink Floyd -the Kings new clothes"
I always attended UFO and Middle Earth gigs-but it was in the provinces where Floyd had a hard time-constantly being jeered,having beer cans and coins thrown at them-London was where they were most cherished.

Rusty Cat Sneazin - February 2002

Pink Floyd - Relics

1971

Starline SRS 5071

Track List :

Arnold Layne, Interstellar Overdrive, See Emily Play, Remember A Day, Paintbox, Julia Dream, Careful With That Axe Eugene, Cirrus Minor, The Nile Song, Biding My Time, Bike.

****Submit a review?****

Pink Floyd - Saucerful Of Secrets

1968

Columbia SCX 6258

Track List :

Let There Be More Light, Remember A Day, Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun, Corporal Clegg, A Saucerful of Secrets, See Saw, Jugband Blues.

Review:

I don't know how easy it was for the group, but as a fan it was VERY easy to look forward to the follow-up to "Piper." I wanted more, that was for sure, and in the heady days of 1968 it was easy to think that the next one would come trotting out shortly after the first. We were hungry for psychedelia in those days and we had no idea how hard it was to produce a top flight psychedelic album. More than great thanks go out to the band for producing this masterpiece...
The sequel opened up with "Let There Be More Light" and the very certain and funky bass riff from Roger Waters, quickly joined by keyboard trills from Richard Wright, led me to believe this would be just as good as the debut.
The science fiction lyrics which would identify the Floyd for almost the rest of their career were evident on this first track. Manic keyboards and huge guitar breaks from the newly joined Gilmour signify this as a great Floyd work.
Then we have one of Syd's parting moments on slide guitar and Water's floaty vocals on "Remember A Day" "--- go away........" What he was planning to do? I suppose so. Nick Mason's drumming, there one minute and gone the next, plus Syd's ethereal guitar and Richard's keyboards, show that they were maturing as a group whether Syd was on board or not.
Then there's "Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun" Waters on bass and vocals, Wright on ethereal keyboards. Let's not forget the great psychedelic contribution these two made. This is gentle, lovely psychedelic music.  This is very relaxing and the vibes really hit the spot. "Corporal Clegg" was a bit of a wake-up call, though. You'll find it difficult to enjoy  this one but the balance it gives to the album has to be appreciated. A sad ballad  about WW2 which we would like to forget. Corporal Clegg had a wooden leg. His wife was just as much of a victim so let's not forget all the other victims of a war. Heavy stuff, a precursor to some of the Floyd's more serious songs, e.g. "The Wall." And Norman, I'd love to hear what you have to say about this..
Then it all goes mad with "Saucerful of Secrets" - it starts out very quiet but gradually builds up to a climax. Don't forget this was a 12 minute track in the days of 3-minute singles. It's very much Richard Wright's centrepiece to begin with, prepared piano, weird noises which could be anything, and a gradual, growing crescendo. Then, after a sudden silence, Mason's drums fade in. It's interesting that most of this album is the established members of
the group, giving Gilmour time to ease himself into the group. Very democratic and likeable if this represents the true situation. Maybe they're not so bad after all. Loads of mellotron and choral vocals make this a great track. Note Gilmour's very understated slide guitar at the end. ....
"See-Saw" is, according to Roger Waters one of the most boring songs ever written. OK. it's a bit too laid back, but has a few happy moments. Perhaps best to skip over this one.
"Jugband Blues" however, is a great track, combining the adventurous feel of "Corporal Clegg" with the much more laid back approach of Syd in his final days with the band. It starts with a melancholy verse from Syd, then we have a brass band lifting us into a different, mad dimension, very reminiscent of "Bike" but a little bit more finely honed. Then it all comes back down to Syd asking his final questions of the band:

"And The Sea Isn't Green
And I Love The Queen
And What Exactly Is A Dream
And What Exactly Is A Joke?"

Reviewed by DoctorDark - April 2002

Pink Floyd - More

1969

Columbia SCX-6346

Track List :

Cirrus Minor, The Nile Song, Crying Song, Up the Khyber, Green is the Colour, Cymbaline, Party Sequence, Main Theme, Ibiza Bar, More Blues, Quicksilver, A Spanish Piece, Dramatic Theme.

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Pink Floyd - Ummagumma

1969

Harvest

Track List :

Astronomy domine, Careful with that axe Eugene, Set the control for the heart of the sun, A saucerful of secrets, Sysyphus (parts 1-4), Grantchester meadows, Several species of small furry animals gathered together in a cave and grooving with a pict, The narrow way (parts 1-3),
 The grand Vizier's garden party - part 1; Entrance - part 2; Entertainment, part 3; Exit

Review:

Pink Floyd basically had three different stages: (l) It's genesis, with the twisted genius of Syd Barrett at the helm, (2) The late sixties/early seventies version with the quintessential lineup of Waters, Mason, Wright and Gilmour, and (3) the post-Waters version.  While fans of Floyd tend to bicker over which stage was best, I believe that Ummagumma stands out as their best work in retrospect.
I know Dark Side of the Moon is their most lauded work, but that is when they got too commercial.  Ummagumma came out as a double album, one record featuring them live in concert and the other showcasing the solo talents of each of the four band members.  The live album is the standout, and if you ever saw them do these tracks in concert at this stage of their career, then you caught one of the more memorable moments in rock music.  "Astronomy Domine", a Barrett tune, is simply awesome.
When I saw them do this in concert, Wright utilised a joystick that was able to rotate the sound 360 degrees around the arena, which was surrounded by speakers.  Equally stunning is their closing opus, "Saucerful of Secrets". Strap in for warp speed. The studio album is unique too, with the contributions by David Gilmour and Richard Wright probably being the best. 
Roger Wright's cut of "Several Species of Small Furry Animals . . ." has to be one of the strangest cuts ever put on wax, and is best heard while listened to in total darkness.
 
This album came out when Floyd had a cult status, and before the commercial success of Dark Side of the Moon evolved them into something else, which for my taste, lacked the power and imagination as demonstrated on Ummagumma.

Submitted by Lawrence A. Strid www.bsdlegal.com

Pink Floyd - Atom Heart Mother

1970

Harvest

Track List:

Atom heart mother; (a) Fathers shout - (b) Breast milk - (Mother fore) - (d) Funky dung - (e) Mind your throats please - (f)Remergence, If, Summer '68, Fat old sun, Alan's psychedelic breakfast, Rise and shine, Sunny side up, Morning glory.

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Pink Floyd - Meddle

1971

Harvest

Track List:

One of these days, A pillow of winds, Fearless (interpolating 'you'll never walk alone'), San Tropez, Seamus, Echoes.

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Plan 9 - Plan 9

1984

New Rose - Rose 41

Track List :

Try To Run, Its One Thing To Say, Flashback, Echoing Sunshine, 5 Years Ahead Of My Time, Hideaway, You Don’t Want Me, Green Animals, Lookin’ At You.

Review:

The original masters of retro 60’s punk, Plan 9 take no prisoners with their evil brand of psych and punk. An almost better than the Third Bardo’s 5 Years Ahead Of My Time sits alongside a cool cover of the MC5’s Lookin’ At You suurounded by original material in this multi guitar experience. Buy this then buy Ive Just Killed A Man, I Don’t Want To See Any Meat and you will know what this excellent bad are all about.

Reviewed by pOoTer.

Plan 9 - Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere

1986

Enigma/Pink Dust 72182

Track List:

Green Animals, (Living In A World Of) Full Colors, Coloring In The Dark, Opium Night, Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere.

****Submit a review?****

Plan 9 - I’ve Just Killed A Man - I Don’t Want To See Any Meat (Live)

Midnight MRLP

Track List:

Intro Poem, Dealing With The Dead, I’m Gone, Gotta Move, I Like Girls, Step Out Of Time, Looking At You, B-3-11, Try To Run, I Can Only Give You Everything.

****Submit a review?****

Plasticland - Vibrasonics From Plasticland (EP)

1981

Scadillac SC-3001

Track List :

Pushy, The Prince's Playroom, Too Many Fingers, Standing In A Room.

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Plasticland - Plasticland

1984

Bam-Caruso Kiri 034

Track List :

Alexander, Disengaged From The World, Her Decay, The Glove, Sipping The Bitterness, The Garden In Pain, Elongations, Driving Accident Prone, Wallflowers, Euphoric Trap Door Shoes, Pop! Op Drops, Sections, Rattail Comb, Posing For Pictures, Magic Rocking Horse.

****Submit a review?****

Plasticland - Wonder Wonderful Wonderland

1984

Pink Dust 72063-1

Track List :

No Shine For The Shoes, Gloria Knight, Transparencies Friends, Fairytale Hysteria, Don’t Let It All Pass By, The Gingerbread House, Flower Scene, Processes Of The Silverness, Non-Stop Kitchen, Grassland Of Reeds and Things, Gloria Knight (reprise), Wonder Wonderful Wonderland.

****Submit a review?****

Plasticland - Salon

1987

Pink Dust 72179

Track List:

Go A Go-Go Time, What Am I To Say, It's A Dog's Life, A Quick Commentary On Wax Museums, Abcessed Words To Climb,  House, (The Lie Of ) Great Sedan Pinocchio, We Can't, Serene It's True, Reserving The Right To Change My Mind, The Window Sills, Don't Antagonize Me.

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Plasticland & Twink - You Need A Fairy Godmother (Live)

1988

Midnight MIRLP 144

Track List:

The snake, Do it, 10,000 words in a cardboard box, Mama keep your big mouth shut, Psychedelic punkeroo. Seize the time, Alexander.

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Plasticland - Confetti

1989

Midnight 145

Track List:

Processes Of The Silverness, In My Black And White,  Pop! Op Drops, Fairytale Hysteria, House, Disengaged From The World, The Mushroom Hill, Euphoric Trapdoor Shoes, Let's Play Pollyanna, A Grassland of Reeds And Things, Wonderwall, Disengaged From The World, The Mushroom Hill.

****Submit a review?****

Plasticland - Mink Dress and Other Cats

1995

Timothy's Brain TB-102

Track List:

You Were Such A Bad Time,  In My Black And White, I'm Gonna Emphasize, Pushy, The Prince's Playroom, Too Many Fingers, Standing In A Room, A Change In You, Mink Dress, They Wore Sequined Masks, The Lady Is No Lady, Some Ghost Ship, Lollipop, Headlice Rags And Arrogance, Baby Scissors, Color Appreciation, Market Place of Zesty Zeal, The Mushroom Hill, Office Skills, Skipping Down The Nature Trail.

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Plasticland - Dapper Snappings (Limited vinyl edition of 2000 copies)

1995

Repulsion 010

Track List:

Craved Blue Memorandum, High School Nurse, Make Yourself A Happening Machine, The Bunny Bear, When You Get Subliminal, You Get Sublime, Radiant Fuzzbox Wig, Probing, Let's Play Pollyanna, Passing Over Rollercoaster, House Of Worms, Cookies With The Vaudeville Glaze.

****Submit a review?****

The Plastic Cloud - The Plastic Cloud

1969

Allied Records

Track List :

Epistle To Paradise, Shadows Of Your Mind, Art's A Happy Man, You Don't Care, Bridge Under The Sky, Face Behind The Sun, Dainty General Rides, Civilization Machine

Review:

Ok, firstly, lets set the record straight, I love Canada, I have been there many times.  It is a beautiful, friendly, and fascinating nation. Now, as much as I love the country, I hate to admit that I have rarely found a band from the Maple Leaf nation who have impressed me.  I don't know what it is, perhaps it is the influence of their mother country, or maybe it is the dominance of their southern neighbour, I just don't know.  But Canadian musicians seem to lack a true sense of identity. Of course, I know this is a great generalization, but it is true.  Until now. Thirty-three years ago, in Canada of all places, a band named The Plastic Cloud recorded one of the all-time great psych albums EVER.  This is one of the hippest, and fuzziest-psych monsters I have come across in a VERY long time.  That isn't to say it is heavy, it is not.  It is, however, chocker full of hippie harmonies and melodies, and with some of the most superb, and trippiest fuzz guitar ever recorded in Canada, the USA, the UK, hell the world for that matter. There is no point singling out a specific track, they are all wonderful and equally as good as the other. 
This is a real gem and I am so glad it hails from Canada!

Reviewed by Blue Magoo - July 2002

Playn Jayn - Friday The 13th

1984

A&M JAYN13

Track List :

You weren’t born you were created, In your eyes, Bits of gold, Crystal ball, If I stsyed where I was I wouldn’t be where I am, I’m the only one for me, Strange but true, Pleasant surprises, Rockin’ hearse.

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Playn Jayn - Five Good Evils

1985

ABC LP5

Track List :

I love you like I love myself, Letter from the other side, Sixty seconds too late, Why’s your kind so blind?, Five good evils, Dig my own grave, Silk and satin, It doesn’t mean I’m not there, Juliette, Something died, Having a good time (Ain’t no crime).

****Submit a review?****

Poets - Wooden Spoon 7"single.

1967

Decca (F 12569)

Track List :

Wooden spoon, In your tower

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Poisoned Electrick Head - Same

1992

Probe

Track List :

Immortal, The Unborn, What Ya Gonna Be Son?, Garden Of Eden, Creature Feature, 20th Century Man/Presidents Reply, Mortal

Review:

Welcome to the terrifying world of Poisoned Electrick Head which just has to be included here for its shear awesomeness. Captain Beefheart meets The Cardiacs down a dark alley, a heinous fight ensues and an evil omnipotent monster crawls out into the night......I dare you to see this band live, you will be blown away visually and sonically. The lights are down, a lone synth starts a church organ like reprise, the stage starts to fill with people over seven feet tall who silently take up their positions. The lights come up and you are presented with something from an HR Giger nightmare, monstrous alien masks adorn the band who start playing. Minutes later two straight jacketed and masked lunatics hurl themselves onto the stage and each grab a mike and the monster is unleahsed.
There is nothing quite like it anywhere on earth.

Reviewed by pOoTer

Poisoned Electrick Head - Unmistakeably Rainbow Trout

????

Eye

Track List :

****Submit a review?****

Pretty Things - Deflecting Grey 7” Single

1967

Columbia (db 8300)

Track List :

Deflecting Grey, Mr.Evasion

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The Pretty Things: 1967-1968 Singles: Defecting Grey/Mr Evasion/Talking About The Good Times/Walking Through My Dreams

Released between: 1967-1968
EMI
 
Review:
FACT:  The Pretty Things created some of the greatest music of the 1960's. Everyone knows (or should know) their story from scuzzy R&B rockers to creators of some of the finest British psychedelia ever recorded. These singles came about between their weak third album ("Emotions") and their classic fourth album ("SF Sorrow"). There is no doubting that "Defecting Grey" is one of the greatest psychedelic singles of the 1960's. Rumour has it that it was originally in the regions of 8 to 15 minutes long. However, EMI suggested to the band that they cut it down to just under 5 minutes or else it would never recieve radio airplay. What one would do to hear that original mammoth recording! The song starts off with Wally Allan's thunderous bass before a kaleidoscopic background of guitars, bells, organ, and sitars while Phil May begins singing about "sitting alone on a bench with you, mirrored above in the sky".  One minute later and lead axe-man, Dick Taylor burns the floor with some seriously severe fuzz-induced mayhem while Twink beats the skins like a crazed jungle tribesman.  This pandemonium lasts all of 40 seconds before it is back to the heartbeating bassline, swirling sitar and gentle guitar plucking.  Absolute bliss! "Defecting Grey" is a mini psychedelic opera. The music twists, and turns as Phil tells us the story about one man's life.  It was a prelude to what was to come on their fourth and greatest album, "SF Sorrow".
The other singles here, are all competent psych numbers which are proof that when the Pretties were good, they were quite simply the best!
 
Rated: "Defecting Grey"- (5 Cubes), "Mr Evasion"- (Cubes), "Talking About The Good Times"- (4 Cubes), "Walking Through My Dreams"- (3 Cubes)

Reviewed by Flaming Groovy - January 2002

Pretty Things - S.F.Sorrow

1968

Columbia (sx/scx 6306)

Track List :

S.F.sorrow, Bracelets of fingers, She says good morning, Private sorrow, Balloon burning, Death, Baron Saturday, I see you, The journey, Well of destiny, Trust, Old man going, Lonliest person.

Review:

What can one say about an album that has been written about so many times. It is the truly great albums of this world that allow you to remember where you were when you first heard it.  I remember the day I first heard "SF Sorrow" as if it were yesterday. It was 1986 and I was sitting in the front room of a friend of a friends house in Cleveland, Ohio. The guy put on this album and it literally blew me away. To this day "SF Sorrow" sounds as fresh and alive to me as it did when I first heard it. A true psychedelic classic and as we all know, the original and best rock opera (many times better than "Ogden's"). Without this, The Who would never have made "Tommy".
If you have yet to hear it, you have yet to live.

Reviewed by Flaming Groovy - January 2002

The Purple Gang - Granny Takes A Trip

1967

Transatlantic

Track List :

Granny Takes a Trip,

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The Purple Gang - Strikes

Essential ESM CD636

Track List :

Auntie Monica, Bootleg Whisky, Viola Lee Blues, The Wizard, Mr Aldred Jones, Granny Takes a Trip, Overseas Stomp, Freightliner,  The Sheik, Rising Sun, Kiss Me Goodnight Sally Green, Carlo's Circus, Madam Judge, Brown Shoes, The King Comes Riding.

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