| Sunshine
Pop and Psych Pop & Rock Albums from the 60's & early 70's |
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info appears in each listing. More details in reminder
at bottom of page. |
Heaven Bound with Tony Scotti - Breaking Up Is Hard To Do -
What can we say? This is an absolute MUST for Sunshine Popsters. This
vocal group consists of three brilliant producers, Tony Scotti, Michael
Lloyd and Tommy Oliver along with Eddie Medora all exquisitely supporting
the beautiful lead vocals of Joan Medora. There were two issues of this
album both in 1972, the first simply called Heaven Bound with Tony Scotti.
The replacement of one song (Lennon & McCartney's I Will) gave the
album the title for it's second issue, Breaking Up Is Hard To Do, an
awesome cover of the Sedaka - Greenfield classic. The lush vocal arrangements
at times sound like Brian Wilson was not only directing, but participating
in them. There are several other unique and beyond delightful covers.
A Green Tambourine-ized version of the folk classic Five Hundred Miles
and Sunshiney versions of Steve Stills' Bluebird and Neil Young's On
The Way Home. Not only that but other songs include the less well known
Paul Williams - Roger Nichols song I Kept On Loving You. Another delicious
contribution comes by way of Mike Curb's Open Up Your Heart. And there's
yet another A-list songwriter contribution from Terry Cashman and Tommy
West. The CD has all of the tracks from both issues of the album and
also includes the group's first non-LP 1971 single, one side of which
was their 'theme song' Heaven Bound written by Hatch (we're presuming
it's Tony). Condition of albums before transfer was VG++ to NM and the
bonus single was VG+ to VG++. It all audio cleaned up beautifully. Album
tracks and B-side of the bonus single are stereo. Oddly, the A-side
of the bonus single is mono. To see the complete track listing click
here. |
| Rejoice!
- Self Titled Album - While we wished that more of the tracks
were more like the Sunshine Pop gem Golden Gate Park, we were not disappointed
at all. The Steve Barri produced album also features the Soft-Psych-Folk
classic, Gardens Of Chelsea. The rest of the album bridges all of the
styles of hippie-dom from Psych to Sunshine to Blues all gracefully
traversing the river of Folk. Melodically nothing misses the mark and
the lyrics are well written, poetic and often deep but never cloyingly
so. Oh - and the strings were arranged by the brilliant Jimmie Haskell.
The VG++ Stereo LP has been beautifully audio cleaned. |
The Pleasure Fair - Possibly the last production job by a
pre-Bread David Gates is a wonderful Baroque/Psych tinged Sunshine Pop
album from 1967 that includes future Bread member Robb Royer. Like most
Sunshine Pop albums of the era there are varied styles that include
a gorgeous cover of The Beatles The Things We Said Today. There are
three other covers that are better than most including a charming version
of the theme from Barefoot In The Park and a creatively inspired if
only okay Neo-Vaudeville version of Come To The Sunshine. Still, some
of the original songs are the stars here including both sides of the
first single, Morning Glory Days and the psychy Fade In Fade Out. Both
excellent sides of a non-LP single from 1968 are bonuses. (I'm Gonna
Have To) Let You Go is a Carole King style ballad a'la No Easy Way Down
and gives Michele Cochrane a fabulous solo in the spotlight. The flipside
Today is another wonderful original in the vein of the Baroque/Psych
album tracks like Nursery Rhyme. This is another essential for fans
of Collage, Design, Euphoria, The New Society and The Status Symbol
(scroll down for all of them). Condition of album before transfer was
VG+ to VG++ and the bonus single was VG++ to NM. It all audio cleaned
up beautifully. Album tracks are stereo and the bonuses are mono. To
see the complete track listing click
here. |
| The
Sugar Bears - Presenting / Introducing The Sugar Bears - DO
NOT JUDGE THE MUSIC BY ITS COVER! Looking at the album cover and knowing
that The Sugar Bears were cheesey cartoon cereal trademarks would make
one tend to expect a page out of Kazenetz-Katz sounding something akin
to Simon Says or Chewy Chewy. Not that there's anything wrong with bubblegum
but what one gets here is a deliciously produced Sunshine Pop experience
that will make you SMILE from start to finish. It features excellent,
melodic songwriting by Mike Settle, Baker Knight, Michael McGinnis,
Mitch Murray. There are even a couple of delights written and apparently
sung by a young, pre-rasp Kim Carnes who did the vocals for Honey Bear
and took the lead on her enchanting songs Feather Balloon and It's A
Good Day. We can't say enough about this good feeling album other than
you've got to get on board to know what it means to ride The Happiness
Train. Right On! To see complete track listing, click
here. The VG++/NM Stereo LP has been beautifully audio cleaned.
By the way, we called it Presenting / Introducing because the front
/ back of the original cover are at exactly those odds. |
The New Society - The Barock Sound - With an abundance of
thee's & thou's and titles boasting words like methinks and prithee
- enough to choke Will Shakespeare - we were explainably skeptical but
with only one listen, we were transformed into believers! This melodious
late 1966 brainchild of Randy Sparks made up of auditioned singers and
musicians is the perfect marriage of Sunshine-Psych-Pop-Folk-Rock taking
the Baroque to what might have been an extreme that astonishingly works
impeccably. The song styles are varied due to the contribution of several
writers and that makes the festivities work even better. Crisp production
with even a couple of tracks arranged by legend Jack Nitzsche, harmonious
singing and great songwriting - it's all very compelling. Fans of Collage,
Design, Euphoria and The Status Symbol (scroll down for all of them)
will definitely want to add this one to their collections. Condition
of vinyl before transfer was VG++ to NM. Album tracks are stereo and
the bonus is mono. To see the complete track listing click
here. |
| Dave
Antrell - 1970 Amaret Album with two bonus tracks - The 'Doctor
of Doo-Wop' released this little known Sunshine Pop/Singer Songwriter
album in 1970 and a final single in 1972. The uptempos are swaths of
pure Sunshine that evoke perhaps a bit of Good Morning Starshine Oliver
while the sensitively written and performed ballads evoke the Jean side
of Oliver or even a Tim Hollier-ish quality. It's just fantastic from
the opening pure Sunshine track Straight From A Rainbow to the closer,
the fuzz laden B-side of Dave's final single, Friends Give Me The Strength
To Carry On. Ballads like Her World Of Sweet Petend and Karen will make
tears well up in your eyes, if not make you weep. And the delicious
Baroque Sunshine, Children Of The Sun (our current favorite) appears
to be addressing the issue of child abuse long before the subject became
high profile. Just fantastic start to finish. Condition of the LP was
VG++/NM and the bonus single was NM. All thirteen stereo tracks have
been beautifully audio cleaned. |
| The
Hombres - Let It Out - Yet another one we can't figure out
a reason for it not having been reissued. This CD features the entire
stereo album along with the non-LP B-side of Let It Out, four additional
Verve Forecast sides and two sides released in 1969 on Sun. How can
we describe it? Kinda funky, kinda charming, kinda silly. Well played
and almost always, fun. Their roots are in Buddy Holly, surf and hot
rod and evolve into a garage style potpourri of those roots. There is
a more than respectable, near epic version of Gloria. Their semi dreary
rendition of The Everly's So Sad was not one of our faves though. Originals
in the styles we mentioned above: Little 2 + 2, Hey Little Girl, Mau
Mau Mau and non-LP B-side Go Girl Go...these seem to be the stand-outs
for us. And of course possibly one of the first stoner pop hits, Let
It Out! Condition of vinyl before transfer was VG++ to NM and all beautifully
audio cleaned. The album tracks are Stereo and the 6 bonus tracks are
Mono. To see the full track listing, click
here. |
|
The Lewis & Clarke Expedition - Colgems Album plus three bonus tracks
- Another one we can't figure out a reason for it not having
been reissued seeing as Lewis of Lewis & Clarke is actually music
legend Michael Martin Murphy. This album is like so many of its day,
an eclectic potpourri of styles all painted with the same sonic palette
throughout. From the Sunshine Pop of Windy Day and novelty early Youngbloods-ish
Spirit Of Argyle High to the dreamy psychedelia opus House Of My Sorrow,
the Garage-y Neo-Vaudeville of Everybody Loves A Fire and deeper message
songs like Freedom Bird and the Memorial to the American Indian which
includes a version of Indian Reservation...it's just a well rounded
and satisfying Sunshine Psych Pop album from start to finish. Condition
of vinyl before transfer was VG++ to NM and all beautifully audio cleaned.
The album tracks are Stereo and the 3 bonuses are Mono. To see the full
track listing and original liner notes by Lester Sill, click
here. |
| Euphoria
- 1969 Heritage Album - Here is another minor masterpiece that
fell through the cracks. From the way the music makes you feel the band
is aptly named and is another group that falls into the post Mamas and
Papas category. However, like The Split Level, Collage and The Status
Cymbal (see below for all three), the writing, production and singing
are their own thing making it unique and about as far from being copy
cat as can be. Key here is the exemplary production value. Classy and
lush. No clunkers either! All of the songs are winners and this is a
gem from start to finish so it's silly to single out any particular
tunes. Fantastic. Condition of the vinyl was VG++ to NM. Eleven stereo
tracks beautifully audio cleaned. |
|
The Status Cymbal - In The Morning - Another melody-filled
Sunshine Folk Pop album of merit is now available from Sort Of. All
songs were penned by trio member Tom Porter (except one with co-writer
McBride) and while his writing is deft and often exemplary the album
may have been elevated to minor masterpiece if it had been infused with
a couple songs from outside sources. Mind you, it is still a fantastic,
melodious album, beautifully sung and a brilliant representation of
Sunshine Folk Pop that had been revolutionized by The Mamas & Papas
just a year before. Among my favorites are the opener Kinks/Peter &
Gordon-esque Mr. Thompson, sitar infused neo Vaudeville Having Fun Again
("Skipping through the scenery, admiring the greenery..."),
Monkees-esque Lovin' Day, the Beatles meets Mary Hopkinesque The Rain
And Me and the lilting, nearly impossibly beautiful bonus track From
My Swing, a treasure that will make Sunshine hearts weep. And by the
way, the album was produced by Felton Jarvis who produced Elvis Presley,
John Hartford and our very own Lonesome Rhodes,
among others. The VG++/NM vinyl has been audio cleaned. The 12 album
tracks are Stereo and the 2 bonuses are Mono. |
| Orange
Colored Sky - 1968 UNI Album plus 3 Bonus Tracks - After the
first listen I wasn't sure but after a few more listens I was absolutely
convinced. This album is an eclectic and utterly infectious treat. It
treads to and from Sunshine, Psych and Pop with effortless ease that
is probably the result of writer/arranger/organist Walter Slivinski's
versatilitiy as a songwriter. Also of note is that there are three lead
vocalists. Tony Barry, bassist Jack Skinner and Larry Younger (who sounds
like an odd cross between Dennis Yost and Ronnie Spector) seem to have
no ego problems alternating in the spotlight. In fact, on one of the
bonus tracks, Another Sky, it sounds like all three are switching off
on different parts which is heaven to my arrangement sensitive ears.
I said eclectic. Here's how: There is exemplary Sunshine Pop in, among
others, The Sun And I, Knowing How I Love You and Mr. Peacock. The band
proves it can go down and dirty into Psych-ville with Just Like Humpty
Dumpty and Don't Do As I Do (which should have been called Hypocrite).
There's a lovely easy, breezy Pop ballad, The Shadow Of Summer and a
big drama ballad Everyday I Love You More that sounds like a page out
of Dusty Springfield or Scott Walker's songbook. L.A. has a jazzy Sunshine
vibe and there's even a rinky tink quasi neo vaudeville song, I'm Taking
Her To Dinner. Above and beyond all of this, there is something ultra
endearing about a band that has so much faith in itself that they have
self references in four of their songs...in case you didn't know, Happiness
is Orange Colored Sky! Condition of the vinyl was VG++ to NM. The album
tracks are stereo and the bonus singles are mono. All have been beautifully
audio cleaned. |
|
The Hubbels - The who? I had no clue and still have very few.
All I know is this is a sensational Sunshine infused Psych-Folk masterpiece.
I heard the unknown classic The Hippy Dippy Funky Monkey Double Bubble
Sitar Man from a collection a friend of mine played for us and immediately
investigated. I found a beautiful copy of the album thinking perhaps
there would be some liner notes to tell us something about this duo
but all I found out was that all the songs were written by Robert Hubbel.
And ingeniously and creatively written both lyrically and musically.
The singing is also brilliant. Both Hubbels double tracked their beautiful,
well matched voices giving them a full, rich sound. The production is
evocative of Jefferson Airplane's crisp, sparkly acoustic Embryonic
Journey. Several of the tracks have a bluesy bent but didn't trigger
my blues allergy at all...it just all works from the Sunshiney opening
tracks to the closing psychedelic exclamation point made by The Hippy
Dippy Funky Monkey Double Bubble Sitar Man. Condition of vinyl was VG++/NM.
The stereo album has been audio cleaned. |
|
The
Will-O-Bees Greatest Hits - The who's what? We couldn't resist
calling this The Will-O-Bees Greatest Hits because frankly (in our opinion)
at least 10 of the 12 sides the group recorded between 1966 and 1969
were definitely chart-worthy, if not hit-worthy. Indeed, they only had
one chart record which could barely be called a hit since it peaked
at #95, and the loss was ours. In addition to their 'hit', It's Not
Easy, the group recorded versions of four other terrific Barry Mann
& Cynthia Weil songs including two excellent versions of Mama Cass
songs (that may have come first). The group was in the mold of Peter,
Paul & Mary only somewhat, shall we diplomatically say, hipper?
That put them closer in category to The Mamas & Papas and that similarity
is evoked in the production of a few of the tracks. One track, If You're
Ready is pure Garage. Another track, Looking Glass is horn driven Sunshine
Psych so if you think you'll be getting all folk, guess again. Average
condition of vinyl was VG+. All tracks are mono and audio cleaned. To
see the complete track listing and liner notes, click
here. |
| Sort
of Proudly Presents The Cuff Links |
|
|
Chris and Peter Allen - Chris and Peter Allen's Album #1 - Before
he honestly loved us and went to Rio in the 70's Peter Allen along with
partner Chris Allen (real name Chris Bell) recorded as The Allen Brothers
and then as Chris and Peter Allen. Their 1968 album on Mercury is here
on CD for the first time. The album includes terrific sunshine pop originals
like the Kasha - Hirschhorn penned 10 Below, the marvelous Chris Montez-esque
Just Friends along with sunshiney covers of a variety of material like
the then current Next Plane To London and a zesty rendition of A Man
And A Woman. Of interest are two somewhat out there medleys. The first
un-aptly called Medley #2 is a psychedelic sunshine combo of (friends
of Judy, take note) We're Off To See The Wizard and Puff (no pun intended)
The Magic Dragon. It's entrancingly enchanting - a slice of teeney bopper
fag heaven on acid a'la 1968. The second un-aptly titled is Medley #1
which is the rain medley. Actually this would've been a terrific Nino
and April-esque (or Nino and Nino if you will) version of Come Rain
Or Come Shine but for some odd reason they seem to have almost belatedly
decided to slap The Rain, The Park and Other Things into the middle...complete
with a different time signature. Even though it doesn't make much sense
other than the rain theme, we don't love it any less. For bonus tracks
we've included two sides of a single from 1966. Condition of vinyl before
transfer was VG++ for the stereo album and mono single sides as well.
Beautifully audio cleaned. To see complete track listings and the original
liner notes by Johnny Carson, click
here. |
| The
Hobbits - A Collection - Here are the first two of The Hobbits
exemplary Psychedelic Sunshine albums, Down To Middle Earth and Men
And Doors The Hobbits Communicate, on one CD plus one Hobbits and four
solo Jimmy Curtiss bonus tracks. There is little more to say lest this
brief description turn into an epic extolling the brilliance (for the
most part) of these sadly uncelebrated albums. Both albums were VG++
stereo. Four of the five bonus tracks were VG++ mono and the fifth VG++
stereo. All beautifully audio cleaned. To see the track listing and
production credits, click here. |
The Hardy Boys - Both - Here are both albums by the REAL band
that played the music behind the animated TV series The Hardy Boys that
aired from 1969 to 1971. Do not fear, this isn't bubblegum (not that
bubblegum is something to fear) - but this is too sophisticated. Though
tracks like Namby Pamby on the first album, Here Come The Hardy Boys
may seem to easily fall into the bubblegum category, as a whole this
is essentially sunshine pop. The sound becomes a bit more rock and rolly
on the second album, Wheels but everything qualifies delightfully as
sunshine especially through some exquisite tracks like Where Would I
Be and I Hear The Grass Singin', the latter co-written by pop goddess
Ellie Greenwich. Condition of vinyl before transfer is as follows: Here
Come The Hardy Boys NM; Wheels VG+. Beautifully audio cleaned. Both
albums are stereo. To see complete track listings, click
here. |
Phluph - PSYCHED OUT TO THE MAX! - There is little we can say
about Phluph's amazing eponymous 1967 album, other than to cite a review
that calls it "a minor psychedelic gem" (to read the full,
insightful and highly accurate review by melodylaughter, click
here. We will parrot the sentiments of melodylaughter when he calls
the keyboardist a genius to which we add he is a virtuoso. Indeed the
musicianship of the whole band is a cut WAY above many of their peers.
Another Day is an opus masterfully completed in under 5 minutes (the
single version retains the 'opus' quality and clocks in at under 3).
If there is a sort of dorkiness about the album, it is assuaged by the
musicianship and the tightness of the songwriting. If one's hokey alarm
is sounded by the song Doctor Mind, need we remind you that if in hands
other than Brian Wilson's, Good Vibrations would have been the essence
of corn pone? We've included the mono/edited single versions of Doctor
Mind and Another Day as bonus tracks. Audio cleaned. Condition of vinyl
before transfer was VG++. The album is stereo and the singles are mono. |
| The
Split Level - Divided We Stand - One wonders why this band
came and went with nary a whisper. Perhaps they were too exquisite -
and fun - and intelligent - to get anyone's attention. Sort of like
Pentangle meets Peter, Paul & Mary cum Mamas and Papas
- with sparkles of humor in just the right places...anyone have a better
analogy? The group sort of follows the natural evolution from Greenwich
Village coffee house folk into the realm of Baroque Sunshine. Confused
yet? Anyway, the songs are amazing and eclectic in styles from folk
to soft rock, some peppered with Gregorian-esque and raga flavors. Yet
despite the array of flavors, they all sound like they belong together.
The driving, hook laden pop songs include Hangin' Out, Right Track and
You Can't Go, certainly worthy of top 40-dom circa 1969. In fact, all
of the songs are hook laden. The scathing anti-war Speculator, the serio-comic
editorial on the state of pop music, Equipment and the eerily etherial
and way ahead of its time Looking At The Rose Through World Colored
Glasses vibes out as almost pre-Thompson Twins. The songs are all original
except Margo Guryan's stunning Think Of Rain. The group sings beautifully
together with a high production value. The original 13 song Near Mint
LP is stereo and we've audio cleaned it. PS: We found that the flip-sides
of two of their singles were non-LP B-sides but didn't include them
here. They are excellent songs but the production was very different
from this album and we didn't want to 'taint' the experience of the
album just to have a couple bonuses. Those B-sides are available on
two of the Sunshine Collections,
Undiscovered Sunshine and
Delayed Sunshine. |
Queen Anne's Lace - The original soft Sunshine Pop album released
in 1969 on Coral Records with two bonus tracks gleaned from their additional
single on Mona-Lee Records. The album contains the obligatory Beatles,
Bacharach - David & Paul Simon versions which, while marvelous,
are not the gems of this package. In the liner notes Anne Phillips name
is touted again and again as a talented writer, arranger, producer yet
there are only very few of her co-compositions on the album and they
are far and above the star attractions. There are also two songs written
by someone named Peter Cofield that sent up our 'hokey alert' signals
and have not aged well in space that would have been better occupied
by more of Ms. Phillips songs. Still, all-in-all an extremely satisfying
Sunshine Pop experience that we are proud to present. To see complete
track listing and liner notes, click
here. Condition of vinyl before transfer: Album: NM-; Single: VG+.
Album tracks are stereo, bonus tracks are mono. |
The
Sugar Shoppe - AT LAST!!! The Sugar Shoppe's original Capital
LP on CD along with two bonus tracks from their Epic single of Laura
Nyro's Save The Country b/w Easy To Be Hard (from Hair). This group
was among the best of the Mamas and Papas/5th Dimension inspired boy/girl
vocal groups of the era. The album is excellent with songs written by
Donovan, Tony Hatch & Jackie Trent and Bobbie Gentry with several
exemplary songs written by the group's mastermind Peter Mann with a
couple co-written by group members Laurie Hood and Victor Garber (who
went on to Broadway and Hollywood success). Exquisitely audio cleaned.
Album tracks are stereo, single bonuses are mono. |
| The
Merchants Of Dream - Strange Night Voyage - Another of those
marvelous concept 'pop operettas' that abounded in the wake of Jimmy
Webb's beautiful balloon that landed in the yard that went on &
on. This Strange Night Voyage is a big fat psych sunshine tribute to
Peter Pan with nods to Alice In Wonderland and The Wizard Of Oz. The
conception of this album is co-credited to George "Shadow"
Morton. Fans of Wichita Fall will definitely want to take this
trip...and vice-versa. Condition of vinyl before transfer was VG+ stereo.
Audio cleaned. |
Tim Hollier - Message To A Harlequin - Tim Hollier's 1969
solo debut is a stunning example of Sunshine infused power folk Baroque/Singer
Songwriter ...or something. Shades of Moody Blues, Balladeering Bee
Gees and Peter Sarstedt (whom he had played for). Whatever you want
to call it, it's gorgeous. Though seven of the tracks are now available
on a Tim Hollier anthology, here you can have the entire stereo album
intact. Condition of vinyl before transfer was Near Mint. |
| Peggy Lipton - Not only was she a gorgeous, sultry flower child but she could act! And not only could she act, but she could sing - really. Yes, and she could also write and well hold a candle to her idols Laura Nyro and Carole King (who she tributized here a couple of years before Carole released her Tapestry album with her own version of Natural Woman). So Peggy Lipton was visionary as well! This is her debut album from late 1968 with two bonus tracks that were singles in 1970. We're so excited about this disc that we can't help turning this description into a mini review. As mentioned previously, this album tributizes her idols Laura Nyro and Carole King. All of the non-original songs were written by Laura or Carole (with either Goffin or Stern). The choices are exemplary. She chose Stoney End two years before Streisand took it to the top ten. She also chose two other great yet rarely covered Nyro songs, Flim Flam Man and Lu. For her Carole King songs (aside from her excellent version of the well worn Natural Woman) Peggy scores big points not only for choosing It Might As Well Rain Until September but for the lustrous ballad interpretation... possibly producer Lou Adler's idea. Another wonderful and obscure Carole King song is Lady Of The Lake. And Peggy's own compositions exemplified by Let Me Pass By and San Francisco Glide show her to have an evocative lyrical and melodic inspiration to rival her idols. Peggy's voice is lilting and soulful and her writing has the quiet depth she exuded on screen. No wonder she and Quincy matched up. To see the full track listing, click here. The album was Near Mint as was one of the singles. The final single was VG+. Beautifully audio cleaned. |
Punch - We don't know much about this fabulous foursome except
their first names...and we don't even know which name belongs to who!
It seems this group was poised for some big time success with a first
album released on A&M in 1971 followed by a label change to Bell
in '72. The best they did was bubble under the hot 100 with one of the
lesser tunes on the album. But let's not talk about the lesser. Let's
talk about the more-er. The album opens with a scintillating rendition
of Paul Simon's Why Don't You Write Me that absolutely foretells the
coming of ABBA. They also do a gorgeous cover of Lennon & McCartney's
Blackbird. And not to be biased, they come across with a rockin' version
of George Harrison's While My Guitar Gently Weeps. Among the remaining
original songs there are a couple more covers including a scrumptous,
sumptuous rendition of Lesley Duncan's Love Song which on its own merit,
makes this album a veritible must. The last song on the album is a another
pre-ABBA-esque song, a rousing anthem called Open Highway. But WAIT!
There's more! We included a bonus track from 1972, the beautiful Barry
Mann penned I Heard You Singing Your Song which was done by the Partridge
Family in one of their episodes. All produced by Bones Howe. Audio cleaned
STEREO. Condition of vinyl before transfer: Album: VG; Single: NM. |
| Lally
Stott - Chirpy Chirpy, Cheep Cheep - Lally who? Well, one day
we were moved to see who did the original version of Chirpy Chirpy,
Cheep Cheep. Was it Mac and Katie Kissoon or Middle of the Road? Neither!
It was Lally Stott. Yes, THE Lally Stott. This prompted us
to pick up the single which was so terrific we sought out the LP. Here
is the full 1971 album - an enchanting, at times odd and always unique,
sunny pop gem that few seem to know or care about. The cheerful and
peculiar vibe of Chirpy Chirpy, Cheep Cheep finds it's way into several
other tracks. Other tracks almost evoke John or Julian Lennon at their
most introspective and some tracks will evoke a sense of Marmalade or
Sweet...and on & on. We've included the rockin' non-LP B side of
the single for good measure. Condition of vinyl before transfer: LP
was VG+ stereo and the bonus single was VG++ mono. |
|
The Pastors - Lettermen & Osmonds fans rejoice! Here come
the Pastors. While the Pastor brothers 1973 album straddles the fence
between Sunshine Pop, Easy Listening and White Bread R&B; Sunshine,
Schmaltz and vocal harmony fans can meet at the gate. The album opens
with a gorgeous, lilting version of the Sunshine staple She Let's Her
Hair Down (Early In The Morning) which had chart versions by The Tokens,
Gene Pitney and Don Young as well as an album cut by The Cuff Links
(numerous other covers surely abound). Several of the songs are white
R&B rousers like Hey, Did You Give Some Love Today or mid-tempos
like the Lambert - Potter penned Rose By Any Other Name, that fall firmly
into Osmonds territory. There is a five plus minute Lettermen-esque
opus medley of America's I Need You, The Moody Blues' Isn't Life Strange
and Nilsson's Without You that is brilliant in conception and execution.
Other excellent covers include the Paul Williams - Roger Nichols penned
Monkees charter Someday Man and a la-la packed Cat Stevens cover of
Wild World. On the bonus track, the boys give away their Vegas affiliation
sounding like male Andrews Sisters (or three male Bette Midlers) on
the bodacious swing cover of Louis Prima's Robin Hood - fantastic. Our
favorite is Solitude which is like a luscious love letter to being alone
and savoring it. To see the complete track listing and liner notes,
click here. Condition of all
vinyl before transfer was VG++ to NM and beautifully audio cleaned. |
| Mercy
- Love Can Make You Happy - The surprisingly delightful LP
by Mercy includes their mega smash Love (Can Make You Happy). Also featured
are some tracks that one might fear would make this a "cover album".
But this idea is foiled when one hears the original turns the group
and its arrangers take on standards. For example a lovely choral version
of Sounds Of Silence and a vocal version of Love Is Blue with not a
word sung, only ahh ahhs and doo doos. Other covers include respectable
renditions of Forever (the 2nd single), Never My Love and Come Softly
To Me, a somewhat cheesey version of Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da and a psychedelicized
version of Aquarius. Add to these a couple of delicious originals; Heard
You Went Away and Walking By and you've got another good addition for
easy breezy Sunshine collections. UPDATED!: We came
across a third a non-LP single called Hello Baby and have added it to
the disc. Condition of vinyl before transfer was VG++. Beautifully audio
cleaned. The 12 LP tracks are stereo and the single is mono. |
2
of Clubs - 9 X 2 of Clubs - In Cincinnati in 1966 & 67
two girls, Linda Parrish and Patti Valentine recorded a grand total
of 9 terrific tracks and at last, they're together on one disc for the
first time. Their first single is a classic cover of Heart, the one
& only garage track recorded by Petula Clark. Not only is it a cover
of a Petula Clark song, it was co-written by the one & only Pet
herself. Many think 2 of Clubs' version outshines Pet's outstanding
rendition. The flip-side, My First Heart Break is another outstanding
track co-written by Linda who wrote or co-wrote all of their wonderful
flip-sides. Among the tracks is the chart single Walk Tall (Billboard
#92) written by Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss, which was performed by
Sandra Dee in the 1967 film "Doctor, You've Got To Be Kidding".
Other tracks include Let Me Walk With You written by Barry Mann &
Cynthia Weil and an uncommon version of the Barry - Greenwich - Spector
classic River Deep - Mountain High. 2 of Clubs land somewhere between
Post Coffee House Girl Folk and Garage, Psych and Sunshine Pop/Rock
making theirs a sound unique to them. Condition of vinyl before transfer
was Mint to VG+. Beautifully audio cleaned. Mono. |
Smith - Minus-Plus - The group called Smith's second
and as yet unavailable album also includes the fab bonus track of female
lead singer Gayle McCormick's solo rendition of "You've Really
Got A Hold On Me". Here is yet another great example of a wailing
female rock/blues vocalist who did it without all that raspy Joplinesque
screaming (see Lottie Golden above). Though the male leads are great,
one wonders why Gayle was not singing lead on all the album tracks as
she was responsible for their hit. Beautifully co-produced by Joel Sill
& Steve Barri, one of the male lead vocalists sounds almost exactly
like Stephen Stills and the instrumentation and production of those
tracks sound like they could have come from Stephen's first two solo
albums. Other male lead tracks are reminiscent of Three Dog Night. Condition
of vinyl before transfer was NM-. Beautifully audio cleaned. All tracks
are stereo. |
| Sally Field - Star of The Flying Nun - YIPES!! - Okay, so you were wondering when this was going to come out on CD. We were getting tired of holding our breath so here it is as a vinyl transfer. The liner notes by then editor of 16 Magazine declared that Sally's singing career was off to a flying start. Thud. As a vocalist, Sally lands somewhere between Nancy Sinatra and Patty Duke - if a bit more melodious than either - but nevermind - just one listen will have hypoglycemics on a sugar high for over a week. Supported by the Bob Mitchell (Children's) Choir, Sally delivers the 13 original and 4 bonus ultra-sunshiney inspirational and Christian songs the only way you would want to hear them. This is perfect for parents longing to instill something of worth into their kids before rap ensnares them into the devil's army. It's also a must for bubblegumsters and sunshinesters. Two of the bonus tracks are with fellow sisters Madeleine Sherwood & Marge Redmond! LP tracks are STEREO - sorry, the bonuses are mono. Condition of vinyl before transfer was Near Mint. Beautifully audio cleaned. |
Sun - Inquire Within - A REAL CD! Our graphic artist is also a singer and songwriter and if you're into stuff like The Golden Lost consider this The Golden Found. This CD was released on Air Mail Recordings in Japan under the title of one of the songs, "It's A Smiley Face World" which received a coveted John Lennon Songwriting Contest award. Brilliantly produced by Daniel Wise (James Taylor, Marie Frank, Joan Osborne and dozens more). The vibe is 60's. All orders come with a bonus track, Sun's delicious cover of The Beatles' "I'm Happy Just To Dance With You" recorded for Bullseye Records' Beatles tribute. $15.00 includes shipping USPS in continental USA. Also available as digital downloads at CD Baby (no bonus track), click here. |
A reminder: Except where noted these CD-R's were recorded from vinyl and have NOT been remastered from original tapes. The recordings that have been audio cleaned or have had a degree of digital noise reduction are noted in the description. Prices are subject to change. For more information: contact us and please put the title you're interested in in the subject bar. |
If "My Vinyl Transfers" looks like a catalog, it is part of my graphic design portfolio as an example of catalog layout design. |
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