"Round And Round: Progressive Sounds Of 1974" by VARIOUS ARTISTS – Featuring Renaissance, PFM, Man, Keith Christmas, Barclay James Harvest, Gravy Train, Procol Harum, Robin Trower, Gong, Peter Hammill, SAHB, Camel, Caravan, Hawkwind, Neutrons, Be Bop Deluxe, Traffic, Hatfield & The North, Refugee, Todd Rundgren's Utopia, Daryll Way's Wolf, Stackridge, Jethro Tull, Nektar, Kayak, Strawbs, Greenslade, Jack Bruce (of Cream), Kevin Ayers and Quicksand (June 2023 UK Esoteric Recordings 4CD 51-Track Compilation in a Clamshell Box Set with Paschal Byrne Remasters – Part of the Underground/Progressive Sounds Of Series of 3CD and 4CD Box Sets for Each Year from 1968 to 1975) - A Review by Mark Barry...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ROUND-PROGRESSIVE-SOUNDS-1974-CLAMSHELL/dp/B0C28G7VJ6?crid=3DS8J0OOD0R4W&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.6I67F8dl6c3f3LW4gci8hg.9zPeC_onL6Sh09Z4s1YztVCPYW0_SSVOCvDKw7QQzP0&dib_tag=se&keywords=5013929483194&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1737030765&sprefix=5013929483194%2Caps%2C90&sr=8-1&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.95fd378e-6299-4723-b1f1-3952ffba15af&linkCode=ll1&tag=mabasreofcdbl-21&linkId=c677e7e51416af756560c1da39bf03c0&language=en_GB&ref_=as_li_ss_tl

RATINGS:

Overall: ***

Presentation: ***

Audio: **** to *****

"…City In My Head…"

Maybe I'm getting old. I was so looking forward to this. But if I'm truthful – and as evidenced by this 51-Track 4CD Clamshell Box Set from Esoteric Recordings of the UK - 1974 Prog Rock was not nearly as sexy as my addled spaghetti-looped spongiform excitedly remembers it (and I lived for this stuff back then).

The other downer is of course licensing rights - which I presume Esoteric was not able to get – thereby denying us big guns some of which went all the way to No.1 or Top 10 at least (a very big deal back in the day). Commercial and scene-monster albums like "Crime Of The Century" by Supertramp, "Relayer" by Yes, "Hamburger Concerto" by Focus, "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway" by Genesis, "From The Mars Hotel" by The Grateful Dead, both "Red" or "Starless And Bible Black" by King Crimson, "Hergest Ridge" by Mike Oldfield, "Country Life" by Roxy Music, "Journey To The Center Of The Earth" by Rick Wakeman (of Yes) and "Phaedra" by Tangerine Dream – all AWOL. And there are other odd omissions (admittedly less well-known artists) like Fruupp, Tempest, Wally, Seventh Wave, Nucleus with Ian Carr, Soft Machine, Matching Mole or even the two Gryphon albums on Transatlantic Records – not here either. 

And if we are going to get Rock Artists with a slightly Proggish twinge like Budgie and Robin Trower (love both tracks, they lift proceedings considerably) – then how about Wishbone Ash or Jeff Beck or T. Rex or 10cc or Trapeze or even Fusion and Keyboard Experimental people like Billy Cobham and The Mahavishnu Orchestra or the future-transformative Kraftwerk and their "Autobahn"? They all fit in my book. But do we need crap like the Traffic album or doubling up of album tracks when other artists could have been highlighted. Anyway, let us deal with what we do have, because there's lots to discuss (that is good) and not just decry…

UK released Friday, 30 June 2023 - "Round And Round: Progressive Sounds Of 1974" by VARIOUS ARTISTS on Esoteric Recordings ECLEC42831 (Barcode 5013929483194) is a 51-Track 4CD Compilation in a Clamshell Box Set with 4 Mini LP Style Card Sleeves, a 48-Page Colour Booklet that plays out as follows:

CD1 (76:07 minutes):
1. Freefall – CAMEL (5:54 minutes) - from their second studio album "Mirage" – released March 1974 in the UK on Decca/Gama Records SML 1107 – featuring Peter Bardens and Andy Latimer – see also Track 5 on CD 4 from the same LP

2. Negative Earth – BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST (5:32 minutes) – from their fourth studio album "Everyone Is Everybody Else" released June 1974 in the UK on Polydor 2383 286 and September 1974 in the USA on Polydor PD 6508) – more BJH see also Track 12 on CD2

3. Skating Away (On The Thin Ice Of A New Day) – JETHRO TULL (3:58 minutes) – from their seventh studio album "WarChild" - released October 1974 in the USA and UK on Chrysalis Records CHR 1067 (same catalogue number for both countries). This song also appeared on their "M.U. Best Of Jethro Tull" hits album in January 1976 – see also Track 11 on CD2 from the same "WarChild" LP

4. Flying – QUICKSAND (4:23 minutes) – from their debut and only album "Home Is Where The Heart Is" – released February 1974 in the UK on Dawn Records DNLS 3056 – featured James Davies - later with Alcatraz in 1977 on United Artists)

5. Didn't Feel Lonely Till I Thought Of You – KEVIN AYERS (4:11 minutes) – from his sixth album "The Confessions Of Dr. Dream And Other Stories" - released May 1974 in the UK on Island ILPS 9263 - Featuring Guitars by Mark Warner (of Quantum Jump) and Sam Mitchell (of Uncle Dog) with Solo by Ollie Halsall (of Patto), Percussion by Rupert Hine and Vocals by Doris Troy, Rosetta Hightower and Joanne Williams

6. Black September - DARRYL WAY'S WOLF (4:50 minutes) – from the album "Night Music" – released November 1974 in the UK on Deram SML 1116 – features John Hodkinson of IF on Vocals, John Etheridge of Soft Machine on Guitar with Darryl Way on Keyboards and Violin – see also Track 11 on CD3 from the same LP

7. Son Of "There's No Place Like Homerton" – HATFIELD AND THE NORTH (10:13 minutes) – from the debut album "Hatfield And The North" – released March 1974 in the UK on Virgin V 2008 – Keyboards by Dave Stewart – for more Hatfield And The North – see also Track 8 on CD3

8. Jets At Dawn – BE-BOP DELUXE (7:19 minutes) – from the debut album "Axe Victim" – released June 1974 in the UK on Harvest SHVL 813 – written by and featuring Bill Nelson

9. Keep It Down – JACK BRUCE (3:42 minutes) – ex-60ts power trio Cream, from his fourth solo album "Out Of The Storm" – released November 1974 in the UK on RSO Records 2394 143 – features Steve Hunter (of Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels and Lou Reed fame) on Guitars, Jack Bruce on Vocals, Bass, Keyboards and more with Lyrics by Pete Brown (of Battered Ornaments)

10. Foothills – KEITH CHRISTMAS (4:00 minutes) – from his fourth album "Brighter Days" – released October 1974 in the UK on Manticore K 53503 – Guests include Greg Lake of ELP and Pete Sinfield of King Crimson (both Produced, Greg Lake for Foothills, Manticore is Emerson, Lake & Palmer's Label), Neil Hubbard of Juicy Lucy and Kokomo on Guitars, Ian McDonald of King Crimson and Centipede on Piano, Pete Solley of Paladin on Keyboards, Ray Warleigh of The Keef Hartley Band on Saxophone, Henry Lowther on Trumpet and more – see also Track 1 on CD3 from the same LP

11. Virgin On The Ridiculous – CARAVAN (6:53 minutes) – from the album "Caravan & The New Symphonia" – released April 1974 in the UK on Deram SML-R 1110 – featuring Pye Hastings and Arrangements by John Bell and Martyn Ford – see also Track 3 on CD4 from the same LP

12. Master Builder – GONG (6:20 minutes) – from the album "You" – released October 1974 in the UK on Virgin V 2019 – featuring Steve Hillage, Hi T. Moonweed and Pierre Moerlen – see also Track 10 on CD4 from the same album

13. Hero & Heroine (Early Mix Version) – STRAWBS (3:24 minutes) – original version from their seventh album "Hero And Heroine" released February 1974 on A&M SP-3607 (USA) and April 1974 on A&M Records AMLH 63607 (UK) - featuring Dave Cousins, Dave Lambert, John Hawken (ex-Nashville Teens and Renaissance), Chas Cronk and Rod Coombes (ex-Stealers Wheel) – This Early Mix Version Appears To Be PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED – see also Track 4 on CD2 (another Early Mix Version)

14. God Speed The Plough – STACKRIDGE (5:30 minutes) – from the album "The Man In The Bowler Hat" – released February 1974 in the UK on MCA Records MCG 3501 (released as "Pinafore Days" in the USA on Sire SASD-7503 with two different tracks neither of which apply to this box) – features Andy Davis, Keith Gemmell and Mike Evans – see also Track 8 on CD2 from the same LP

CD2 (78:34 minutes):
1. Fidgety Queen – NEKTAR (4:08 minutes) – from the album "Down To Earth" – released October 1974 in the UK on United Artists UAG 29680 – features Roy Albrighton on Guitar and Lead Vocals, Taff Freeman on Keyboards and Vocals with Guest Vocals from Bob Calvert of Hawkwind – see also Track 12 on CD3 from the same LP

2. Tapeworm – PETER HAMMILL (4:22 minutes) – from the album "In Camera" – released August 1974 in the UK on Charisma CAS 1089 – Hammill (of Van Der Graaf Generator) plays all instruments except drums – for more PH see also Track 7 on CD4 from an album earlier in that year

3. Staircase To The Day – GRAVY TRAIN (7:31 minutes) – from the album "Staircase To The Day" – released July 1974 in the UK on Dawn DNLH 1 – features Norman Barrett and John D. Hughes – see also Track 5 on CD 3 from the same LP

4. Round And Round (Early Mix Version) – STRAWBS (4:46 minutes) - original version from their seventh album "Hero And Heroine" released February 1974 on A&M SP-3607 (USA) and April 1974 on A&M Records AMLH 63607 (UK) - featuring Dave Cousins, Dave Lambert, John Hawken (ex-Nashville Teens and Renaissance), Chas Cronk and Rod Coombes (ex-Stealers Wheel) – This Early Mix Version Appears To Be PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED – see also Track 13 on CD1 (another Early Mix Version)

5. Zoom Club – BUDGIE (9:53 minutes) – from their fourth studio album "In For The Kill" - released June 1974 in the UK on MCA Records MCF 2546 – featuring Burke Shelley, Tony Bourge and Pete Boot

6. I Can't See Where The Light Switch Is – STEVE SWINDELLS (3:22 minutes) – from the album "Messages" – released May 1974 in the UK on RCA Victor LPL1 5057 – features Danny Thompson of Pentangle on Double Bass

7. Joie De Vivre – GREENSLADE (8:27 minutes) – from their third album "Spyglass Guest" – released August 1974 in the UK on Warner Brothers K 56055 - featuring Dave Greenslade [ex Chris Farlowe and The Thunderbirds and Colosseum], Dave Lawson [ex The Web and Samurai], Tony Reeves [ex Colosseum] with Andrew McCullock [ex King Crimson and Fields] - and guests Andy Roberts [ex Everyone, Plainsong and Grimms], Clem Clempson [ex Bakerloo, Champion, Colosseum and Humble Pie] with Graham Smith from String Driven Thing

8. The Last Plimsoll – STACKRIDGE (4:32 minutes) - from the album "The Man In The Bowler Hat" – released February 1974 in the UK on MCA Records MCG 3501 (released as "Pinafore Days" in the USA on Sire SASD-7503 with two different tracks neither of which apply to this box) – features Andy Davis, Keith Gemmell and Mike Evans – see also Track 14 on CD1 from the same LP

9. Mother Russia – RENAISSANCE (9:21 minutes) – from the album "Turn Of The Cards" – released July 1974 in the UK on BTM Records BTM 1000 – features Annie Haslem on Vocals and John Taut on Keyboards  – see also Track 2 on CD4 from the same LP

10. Dream Gerrard – TRAFFIC (11:05 minutes) – from their seventh studio album "When The Eagle Flies" – released September 1974 in the UK on Island Records ILPS 9273 – features Steve Winwood and Jim Capaldi – see also Track 9 on CD3 from the same LP

11. Bungle In The Jungle – JETHRO TULL (3:37 minutes) - from their seventh studio album "WarChild" - released October 1974 in the USA and UK on Chrysalis Records CHR 1067 (same catalogue number for both countries). This song also appeared on their "M.U. Best Of Jethro Tull" hits album in January 1976 – see also Track 3 on CD1 from the same "WarChild" LP

12. Mockingbird (Live) – BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST (7:30 minutes) – from the 2LP set "Live" – released November 1974 in the UK on Polydor 2683 052 – featuring John Lees on Guitar and Vocals, Wooly Wolstenholme on Keyboards and Vocals with Les Holroyd and Mel Pritchard on Bass and Drums – for more BJH see also Track 2 on CD1

CD3 (77:11 minutes):
1. Brighter Day – KEITH CHRISTMAS (6:17 minutes) - from his fourth album "Brighter Days" – released October 1974 in the UK on Manticore K 53503 – Guests include Greg Lake of ELP and Pete Sinfield of King Crimson (both Produced, Greg Lake for Foothills, Manticore is Emerson, Lake & Palmer's Label), Neil Hubbard of Juicy Lucy and Kokomo on Guitars, Ian McDonald of King Crimson and Centipede on Piano, Pete Solley of Paladin on Keyboards, Ray Warleigh of The Keef Hartley Band on Saxophone, Henry Lowther on Trumpet and more – see also Track 10 on CD1 from the same LP

2. Scotch Corner – MAN (9:09 minutes) – from their eight album "Rhinos, Winos And Lunatics"- released May 1974 on United Artists UAG 29631 in the UK - featuring Deke Leonard, Malcolm Morley, Mickey Jones, Ken Whaley and Terry Williams 

3. Exit – MAN (1:16 minutes) – as per Track 2

4. The World Became The World – PFM (4:48 minutes) - Italian Prog Group initially called Premiata Forneria Marconi – shortened to PFM – from the album "The World Became The World" – released June 1974 in the UK on Manticore K 53502 – see also Track 9 on CD4 from the same LP

5. Starlight Starbright – GRAVY TRAIN (4:27 minutes) - from the album "Staircase To The Day" – released July 1974 in the UK on Dawn DNLH 1 – features Norman Barrett and John D. Hughes with Pete Solley of Paladin on Keyboards as a Guest – see also Track 3 on CD2 from the same LP

6. Drunk Again – PROCOL HARUM (4:32 minutes) – Non-LP Track from March 1974 UK 45-single on Chrysalis CHS 2032, B-side of "Nothing But The Truth" – written by Gary Brooker with Lyrics from longtime PH-associate Keith Reid

7. Ritt Mickley – REFUGEE (4:55 minutes) – from their Debut and only Album "Refugee" – released April 1974 in the UK on Charisma Records CAS 1087 - featuring Bassist Lee Jackson and Drummer Brian Davison (both ex-The Nice) with Keyboardist Patrick Moraz - later with Yes for "Relayer"

8. Let's Eat (Real Soon) – HATFIELD AND THE NORTH (3:17 minutes) – Non-LP Track, November 1974 UK 45-single on Virgin VS 116, A-side

9. Graveyard People – TRAFFIC (6:07 minutes) - from their seventh studio album "When The Eagle Flies" – released September 1974 in the UK on Island Records ILPS 9273 – features Steve Winwood and Jim Capaldi – see also Track 10 on CD2 from the same LP

10. Trust In The Machine – KAYAK (6:08 minutes) – from their debut album "Kayak" – released October 1974 in the UK on Harvest SHSP 4036 – featuring Max Werner on Keyboards, Johan Slager on Guitars, Cees Van Leeuwen on Bass and Pim Koopman on Percussion

11. The Envoy – DARYLL WAY'S WOLF (6:29 minutes) – from the album "Night Music" – released November 1974 in the UK on Deram SML 1116 – features John Hodkinson of IF on Vocals, John Etheridge of Soft Machine on Guitar with Darryl Way on Keyboards and Violin – see also Track 6 on CD1 from the same LP

12. Early Morning Clown – NEKTAR (3:24 minutes) - from the album "Down To Earth" – released October 1974 in the UK on United Artists UAG 29680 – features Roy Albrighton on Guitar and Lead Vocals, Taff Freeman on Keyboards and Vocals with Guest Vocals from Bob Calvert of Hawkwind – see also Track 1 on CD2 from the same LP

13. Living In The World Today – THE NEUTRONS (6:13 minutes) – from the album "Black Hole Star" – released September 1974 in the UK on United Artists UAS 29652

14. The Psychedelic Warlords – HAWKWIND (6:51 minutes) - from their fourth studio album "Hall Of The Mountain Grill" – released September 1974 in the UK on United Artists UAG 29672 – features Dave Brock, Nik Turner, Del Dettmar and Lemmy (later of Motorhead)

15. Adventures In A Yorkshire Landscape – BE-BOP DELUXE (3:25 minutes) - from the debut album "Axe Victim" – released June 1974 in the UK on Harvest SHVL 813 – written by and featuring Bill Nelson

CD4 (77:43 minutes):
1. Utopia Theme – TODD RUNDGREN'S UTOPIA (14:30 minutes) – from the album "Todd Rundgren's Utopia" - released October 1974 in the USA on Bearsville BS 6954 and November 1974 in the UK on Bearsville K 55501. "Utopia" (aka "Utopia Theme") was recorded live at The Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia in November 1973 - the rest of the album is studio

2. Black Flame – RENAISSANCE (6:26 minutes) – from the album "Turn Of The Cards" – released July 1974 in the UK on BTM Records BTM 1000 – features Annie Haslem on Vocals and John Taut on Keyboards  – see also Track 9 on CD2 from the same LP

3. Mirror For The Day – CARAVAN (4:31 minutes) – from the album "Caravan & The New Symphonia" – released April 1974 in the UK on Deram SML-R 1110 – featuring Pye Hastings and Arrangements by John Bell and Martyn Ford – see also Track 11 on CD1 from the same LP

4. Bridge Of Sighs – ROBIN TROWER (5:04 minutes) – ex-Procol Harum - from his second solo studio album "Bridge Of Sighs" - released April 1974 on Chrysalis CHR 1057 – features James Dewar of Stone The Crows on Vocals and Bass – album also produced by Matthew Fisher of Procol Harum

5. Lady Fantasy – CAMEL (12:45 minutes) - from their second studio album "Mirage" – released March 1974 in the UK on Decca/Gama Records SML 1107 – featuring Peter Bardens and Andy Latimer – see also Track 1 on CD1 from the same LP

6. Paradox – HAWKWIND (5:29 minutes) - from their fourth studio album "Hall Of The Mountain Grill" – released September 1974 in the UK on United Artists UAG 29672 – features Dave Brock, Nik Turner, Del Dettmar and Lemmy (later of Motorhead)

7. Red Shift – PETER HAMMILL (8:13 minutes) - from the album "The Silent Corner And The Empty Stage" – released February 1974 in the UK on Charisma CAS 1083 – Hammill (of Van Der Graaf Generator) plays Guitars, Keyboards and Bass - Guest Guitar by Randy California of Spirit – for more PH see also Track 2 on CD2 from an album later in that year

8. Anthem – THE SENSATIONAL ALEX HARVEY BAND (aka SAHB) (7:44 minutes) – from their third studio album (as SAHB) "The Impossible Dream" - released October 1974 in the UK on Vertigo 6360 112 – features Zal Cleminson on Guitar, Hugh McKenna on Keyboards with Vicki Silva on Backing Vocals

9. Just Look Away – PFM (4:04 minutes) - Italian Prog Group initially called Premiata Forneria Marconi – shortened to PFM – from the album "The World Became The World" – released June 1974 in the UK on Manticore K 53502 – see also Track 4 on CD3 from the same LP

10. A Sprinkling Of Clouds – GONG (8:57 minutes) - from the album "You" – released October 1974 in the UK on Virgin V 2019 – featuring Steve Hillage, Hi T. Moonweed and Pierre Moerlen – see also Track 12 on CD1 from the same album

The Four Mini LP Card Sleeves are pretty (a slightly altered carousel image on each) but not really indicative of what's going on inside. And on initial glance the 48-Page Booklet is stuffed to the gunnels with info – mostly the written word (see photos). But it's oddly unsatisfying because (for instance) when the hugely experienced compiler John Reed ran Sanctuary (John has done literally hundreds of CD reissues across the last three decades) – even their fold-out inlays for a lesser-known musical hero like say Long John Baldry or Alexis Korner or Andy Roberts had collages of relevant photos because that gave you a feel for the release and the artists and especially the period involved. The visuals, in short. 

Despite MARK POWELL (Compiled and Annotated by) pouring on the learned-factoids - there is barely a single photo for each artist – a handful of LPs pictured – no ticket stubs – no concert posters from the trades – no memorabilia - fan involvement – it’s all a bit dry frankly and strangely passionless. Then when you read the scholarly text – you find that each is a career summary of the band/artist that barely deals with the actual track on the box – like these are generic biogs prepped in advance that can be slotted in when needed. Bluntly – where's the feel for Prog Rock or 1974? 

Others have also complained (as I said earlier) about two-tracks to most artists from the same album - when the name-net could and should have been thrown wider. The PASCHAL BYRNE Remasters are excellent throughout though – Esoteric has been reissuing these names in 2 and 3 and 4CD Extended Editions for years now – so each listen is a full-on 24-bit digital transfer from original tapes - full of details revealed and oomph where needed. To the actual music…

Peter Bardens and Andy Latimer profile Camel's second album "Mirage" in two places – the Track 1 guitar-driven "Freefall" on CD1 and a popular choice in "Lady Fantasy" over on CD4 (Track 5). This doubling-up for bands and their 1974 albums happens a lot (Jethro Tull, Keith Christmas, Renaissance, Caravan, Be-Bop Deluxe, Hawkwind, PFM and so on) – with Barclay James Harvest and Peter Hammill (of Van Der Graaf Generator) both having different albums in 1974 - while Hatfield And The North get an album and a stand-alone 45 - Procol Harum just a rare B-side. I would admit that CD1 only truly comes alive for me with the brilliant "Skating Away (On The Thin Ice Of A New Day)" from Jethro Tull – it and that other single "Bungle In The Jungle" from their "WarChild" album impressing mightily (gorgeous Audio on both – Steve Wilson ahoy). 

There was a white label LP dated December 1973 for the lone Quicksand album "Home Is Where I Belong" on Dawn Records - but it did not appear until February 1974. From South Wales and on the go since 1970 – the first two minutes of their "Flying" initially sounds more like tripping in 1967 (if you know what I mean) as the treated vocals float from speaker-to-speaker. If you are on a first listen - then little will prepare you for Ollie Halsall of Patto letting rip as warbling-notes guest guitarist on the brilliant Kevin Ayers track "Didn't Feel Lonely Till I Thought Of You". Peppered with relationship disintegration, drug addiction references and its Hell - his Island Records debut album "The Confessions Of Dr. Dream And Other Stories" has always been a masterpiece to me and I wish Esoteric had included even one of the Parts of the title track from Side 2 (but alas). Time to calm things down with the surprisingly lovely "Black September" – Darryl Way and his band Wolf producing a memorable melody that in so many ways has little to do with Prog Rock. 

Time for some ten-minute marathons – Hatfield And The North (took their name from a road sign on the M1 that I used to see on the way up to the Holyhead Ferry) and their "Son Of "There's No Place Like Homerton"" being proper out-there Keyboards and Horns Prog – a sort of Colosseum meets Greenslade saunter through moods – up and down and back again (lovely Remaster too). I know Bill Nelson and his power trio Be-Bop Deluxe is not for everyone – radio singing love songs as soldiers come home across fields in their "Jets At Dawn" track from the admired "Axe Victim" debut on Harvest Records. Ex-Cream Bassist Jack Bruce gives us "Keep It Down" – a clumsy Funk-Rock brute that is done for by badly echoed guitar that makes it feel terribly dated. Keith Christmas gives us "Foothills" - the better of two tracks from his "Brighter Days" album – the title track being awful over on CD3. "Foothills" is essentially a David Crosby of CSNY vibe done to Acoustic Guitar and superb Synth soloing – a bit of a discovery. The Caravan track "Virgin On The Ridiculous" is live and yet has superb audio – a pretty song that I know deep-core Canterbury fans admire. Steve Hillage and his teapot men of Gong strike with the first of two Trippy workouts - "Master Builder" from "You" – the kind of Virgin Records LP that got traded a lot and was the very epitome of an adventurous pocket-money splash. CD1 goes out with Strawbs and Stackridge – Dave Cousins going all Marillion vocals with a different mix of "Hero & Heroine" – a tad heavy-handed if you ask me. Stackridge were always a band with a great name and album titles, but damn if it wasn’t difficult to sell their records because their identity confused most punters. The Folkish Piano, Violin and Flute of "God Speed The Plough" is an accomplished instrumental that ends CD1 with gorgeous audio and a touch of compositional wild. 

Most of us could probably do without the silly German-Vocal rant at the beginning of the Nektar inclusion "Fidgety Queen" that opens CD2 – best program it to the opening guitar riff at 24-seconds which is wickedly good - even if the dodgy on-the-make lyrics make you wince and the whole thing feels like a ham too far. Peter Hammill of Van Der Graaf Generator fame gets number two in the equally clumsy "Tapeworm" – posturing Euro Rock I could do without. Things mellow with Gravy Train and their Genesis sounding (Flute and Acoustic of Foxtrot) "Stairway To The Day" while we get another Early Mix Version of a Strawbs cut that gives the Box Set its name "Round And Round" – heavy emphasis on the synth and guitar. I like it actually – Cousins singing of ever-spinning wheels while the boys Rock out in that Strawbs way behind him. 

I love all things Budgie – a power-trio from Wales who were on MCA Records from 1971. They were Rawk-Rock – gritty and grimy (produced by Roger Bain of Black Sabbath fame) – but often engaged in long tracks that required Guitarist Tony Bourge to go off into clever tangents that could be construed as slightly Prog. "Zoom Club" is one of those stretches from their fourth studio album "In For The Kill" and you can so hear why Metallica covered one of their songs. I suspect for Progsters this Budgie guitar whig-out will be fun and a welcome respite from all the po-faced seriousness. Things soften considerably with Steve Swindells and his soft Clifford T. Ward-ish "I Can't See Where The Light Switch Is" – a rather lame song that is not helped by unmemorable vocals despite Danny Thompson of Pentangle plucking some lovely Double-Bass support (never could sell that LP). A hundred times better is Greenslade showing just how accomplished they had become with their fourth and best album on Warner Brothers "Spyglass Guest". Their Side 2 opener "Joie De Vivre" unfortunately has Bassist Dave Lawson on Vocals (Dave Greenslade on Keyboards) which was always their weakness despite the prettiness of the eight-minute trek - and worse - the seriously beautiful instrumental that closed Side 1 of the LP called "Siam Seesaw" is AWOL here – that song alone would have benefitted this Box Set greatly by its presence.

Stackridge offer us Rock vaudeville with "The Last Plimsoll" – a bad business tale of third parties and smarties doing things that ranker while Renaissance contemplates history with their piano-dramatic "Mother Russia". The lacklustre seventh Traffic album on Island Records "When The Eagle Flies" was a one-pound no-no for years when I worked the racks at Reckless Records. But at least the ambling "Dream Gerrard" offers moments of their former magic in those Steve Winwood funky keyboard fills – but of course – like so much of their seventies output - overstays its welcome – only two and half minutes in - starting to feel decidedly like LP filler to get them to the finish line. The last two on CD2 – Jethro Tull and the live Barclay James Harvest are not particularly interesting either – despite the improved audio.

CD3: "Brighter Day" is supposed to be some Funky jab at Mental Health problems of the nation but only ends feeling strangulated and hammy. Welsh band Man offer us two in a row from their popular "Rhinos, Winos And Lunatics" album of 1974 on United Artists – one a nine-minute opus "Scotch Corner" followed by a pointless one-minute Outro called "Exit". The guitarists in the band get to let rip on "Scotch Corner" sounding not unlike a twin-guitar-battling Wishbone Ash. Italian Prog-balladeers PFM had the cache of Manticore Records to promote them – a label owned and associated with Prog-Rock superstars Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Their "The World Became The World" borrows a lot from Procol Harum (who appear a few tracks on) while Gravy Train get their second outing with the wind-and-synths guitar chug of "Starlight Starbright" sounds uncomfortably like Spinal Tap at times. 

Non-LP Procol Harum B-side "Drunk Again" is a surprisingly raucous affair – boogie from the kings of Mellotron melodramatics. Future Yes keyboard whizz Patrick Moraz (replacing Rick Wakeman) was in Refugee before the Yes epic "Relayer" beckoned later that eventful year. Heavy bass synth notes crank out a funky jagged beat ala Greenslade for "Ritt Mickley" – but I found their stuff accomplished for sure but outside the endless soling - strangely soulless. Despite the witty lyrics, The Hatfield And The North stand-alone 45-single is too slight for my tastes while the second Traffic cut "Graveyard People" feels like a sloppy Steve Winwood trial run for "Arc Of A Diver" but not in a good way. CD3 hits us with more Euro sounds with Kayak – but honestly, I found the Darryl Way entry hard work. Far better is the acoustic lovely melody from Nektar called "Early Morning Clown" – a welcome respite. The guitar chug of the Neutrons speaker-to-speaker "Living In The World Today" track sets up the listen for more of the same by Hawkwind and Be-Bop Deluxe – the Hawk Lords sounding like Neanderthals waking up with hangovers while Bill Nelson of Be-Bop Deluxe is their sedate probationary office talking through their problems.

CD4 opens with a barnstormer I love – the live "Utopia Theme" from Todd Rundgren and his band of the same Utopia name. Recorded live in November 1973 in Atlanta (the only track on the album that is live, all the rest is studio), I cannot imagine how the audience took all its brand-new 13-plus minutes in – but they did. And during superb synth and guitar breaks (ala King Crimson) challenging them throughout – applauded loudly - because they caught the great riffage and knew it was an accomplished piece of Prog Rock even if it was 'A True Wizard' new. There are more clever ideas and unexpected musical breaks in this beast than there are in Rush songs – and I mean that as a compliment (lyrics from it title this review). 

Renaissance and Caravan offer us more sedate Canterbury-scene pieces in "Black Flame" and "Mirror For The Day" - the latter being live also (from their "Caravan And The New Symphonia" album). Renaissance always had that pretty melody thing about them and their acoustic-gorgeous "Black Flame" reflects that - Annie Haslem on warm Lead Vocals with John Taut providing tasteful Piano and Harpsichord accompaniment - all of it in beautiful Remastered Audio. Strings and Mood open the live Caravan offering "Mirror For The Day" - a deliciously accomplished piece of music - morning has come again - here comes that song again. It's almost Pop in certain places - Lady backing singers following the ebb and flow. Fantastic Rock is my description of Robin Trower's breakthrough album "Bridge Of Sighs" which was subject to a 50th Anniversary 3-Disc Chrysalis Box Set of its own in May 2024. Here Powell smartly offers us the very-Hendrix drifting-Prog riffage of the title track "Bridge Of Sighs" - James Dewar (formerly of the mighty Stone The Crows) giving us Soul-Rock Lead Vocals while Reg Isidore locks in that Drumming backbeat. It's a welcome Rock-ish intrusion that swishes to its end on a sea of wash-me-clean melodramatic Mellotron. 

Always a popular tune on "Mirage" - Camel stump up "Lady Fantasy" from their second Deram album - so 1974 Prog with its Guitars vs. Keyboards in-yer-face combo. I can remember when mid-Seventies Hawkwind was considered to be a bit of a joke - a droning guitar band already past their sell-by-date. Second offering from them is "Paradox" - Brock and Turner and Lemmy giving it some of their distinctive chug from their underrated "Hall Of The Mountain Grill" album on United Artists (how I loved that gatefold artwork and inner sleeve). They recorded it 'live' 26 January 1974 on the Pye Mobile unit and its raw almost pre-Punk guitar energy is the point. I know some have no time for it but I can tell you now (from Reckless Records sales experience) - Hawkwind have diehard admirers who will swear by this up-yours wall of Space Rock sound and will duel you to the death to prove it. After such an assault, we need some semblance of calm - no such luck. Peter Hammill's inner weird comes a-slinkering in with "Red Shaft" - all echoed Vocals - Sax jabs - and shimmering Percussion sounds atop doomy lyrics - yikes.

We romp to the end of CD4 with Drums and Fife from the greatly missed Oliver Reed of Scottish Rock - Alex Harvey. His Sensational Alex Harvey Band (SAHB) gives us one of those uneasy and unnerving builders he and his pirate-troupe were so good at - a history tale from "The Impossible Dream" album on Vertigo - Harvey's wild almost shouting vocals complimented by a painted-faced Zal Cleminson on Guitar while Hugh McKenna bashes those piano keys. It isn't as good as most everything on "Tomorrow Belongs To Me" - his genuine breakthrough album in 1975 - but it is a reminder of why we loved him and his band in the Seventies - fun and strangely moving too. Time to contemplate and trip out for the last two - Italy's PFM give us the pretty acoustic plaintive ballad "Just Look Away" - while Steve Hillage's Gong goes straight for the drugged-up keyboard jugular with "A Sprinkling Of Clouds" - a fantastic trippy instrumental that is off on a hand-painted teapot to a Universe near you for six minutes with a tie-dye teeshirt as your captain (yum yum).

Even with two outtake mixes from a band I loved (Strawbs) - I would admit - I was unusually disappointed by "Round And Round...1974" (hence the 3-star rating). 

But make no mistake - both novices and old-hands should cop that there's lots to love here, loads to discover and bluntly, Esoteric Recordings are to be worshipped for keeping that side of this ever-inventive (yet once maligned) music genre alive. Here's to the bearded next one...

Underground Sounds Of / Progressive Sounds Of CD SERIES

Clamshell Box Set Compilations from Esoteric Recordings of the UK

Individual 3CD and 4CD Sets by Various Artists for the Years 1968 to 1975

Mark Powell Compilations / Paschal Byrne Remasters / 48-Page (or more) Booklets

(James Collins Remasters for 1975 only)

Underground Sounds Of for 1968-1971 

Underground and Progressive Sounds Of for 1972

Progressive Sounds Of for 1973, 1974 and 1975

1968 - "Revolution: Underground Sounds Of 1968"
22 February 2019 UK 52-Track 3CD Box Set on Esoteric Recordings ECLEC32662 (Barcode 5013929476202)

1969 - "Banquet: Underground Sounds Of 1969"
25 June 2021 UK 52-Track 3CD Box Set on Esoteric Recordings ECLEC52752 (Barcode 5013929476585)

1970 - "Taking Some Time On: Underground Sounds Of 1970"
30 July 2021 UK 57-Track 4CD Box Set on Esoteric Recordings ECLEC42767 (Barcode 5013929476783)

1971 - "Breakthrough: Underground Sounds Of 1971"
18 November 2021 UK 54-Track 4CD Box Set on Esoteric Recordings ECLEC42779 (Barcode 5013929477988)

1972 - "Blowing Free: Underground and Progressive Sounds Of 1972"
24 June 2022 (delayed from 27 May 2022) UK 55-Track 4CD Box Set on Esoteric Recordings ECLEC42799 (Barcode 5013929479982)

1973 - "Wind Of Change: Progressive Sounds Of 1973"
13 Jan 2023 (delayed from May 2022) UK 48-Track 4CD Box Set on Esoteric Recordings ECLEC42823 (Barcode 5013929482395)

1974 - "Round And Round: Progressive Sounds Of 1974"
30 June 2023 UK 51-Track 4CD Box Set on Esoteric Recordings ECLEC42831 (Barcode 5013929483194)

1975 - "Ring The Bells And Sing: Progressive Sounds Of 1975"
30 August 2024 UK 46-Track 4CD Box Set on Esoteric Recordings ECLEC42883 (Barcode 5013929488342) – Mastered by James Collins

"I Don't Think It Will Hurt If You Smile" by NORMA TANEGA – 1971 Second Studio Album on RCA Victor Records UK (no US issue) featuring Musician Mike Maran, Producer Don Paul and Arranger Nick Harrison (31 January 2025 UK Ace Records Expanded Edition CD Reissue with Four Bonus Tracks - Two 1971 Library Music Rarities and Two Previously Unreleased – Nick Robbins Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Norma-Tanega-Dont-Think-Smile/dp/B0DPJ4QF7S?crid=1LHX76EIJIV1T&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.cSkmv34HbUHODGKVQ9IbDpDGt-A2bjCEcHghdODIcbAQemlbruNF9GjUD-P0h_uuQljQXJw-EJ0RzbIgBYOQNpqEiOk8_gu_odsIUGKgOabXR3jsOYcs1X11CoMXmRyRrHi0t89yBHTki1jsnF9kUQ.Es6hWNAtGzUe53v_PrE1MtMZH6tjtLHFXg7FxocB8SI&dib_tag=se&keywords=norma+tanega+cd&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1736535649&sprefix=norma+tanega+cd%2Caps%2C106&sr=8-2&linkCode=ll1&tag=mabasreofcdbl-21&linkId=031ed2969708b4d5a55c8d2df8515908&language=en_GB&ref_=as_li_ss_tl

RATINGS:

Overall ****

Audio ****

Presentation *****

"…Fragments Of You And Me…"

Bubbly and giggling Californian Norma Tanega was famously a London lover to Britain's Dusty Springfield for five years (late Sixties to the early Seventies) when such a relationship (let alone the union of two musicians) was both physically dangerous and a very definite commercial no-no (Dusty lived in terror of being outed). Tanega also wrote songs for Dusty scattered across albums and flipsides. But in the last seven years especially (we are here in January 2025) – Norma's 1971 Lesbian Love Letter Album to Dusty has acquired hero worship amongst lost-gems aficionados. And at times you can hear why.

Despite its rather caustic (maybe even sensing doom up ahead) title – Norma's "I Don't Think It Will Hurt If You Smile" album is a deeply romantic homespun Folk outing with some Sunshine Pop, Baroque and Chamber Music Harpsichord thrown into the mix - flourishes that feel more Flowers In My Hair 1967 than Led Zeppelin 1971 where levees are breaking to the sound of whacked drum kits and droning harmonicas. It doesn't help either that five of its sixteen tracks are kind of pointless instrumentals or that one only-ok song is represented twice ("What More In This World Could Anyone Be Living For"). For me - to appreciate the I'm in love truth coursing through its pretty veins – I programmed my own Norma Tanega album (you can see the list below) – and that – even if I say so myself - is a very lovely thing indeed.

When this second studio album of hers was released in the late spring of 1971 by RCA Records UK (no one seems to know its actual release date, probably May or June 1971) - a confused and probably disinterested RCA had already floated the songs "Nothing Much Is Happening Today" and "Antarctic Rose" as a 45-single in April 1971 on RCA Victor RCA 2072. But it sold zip and is now as rare as the Vinyl LP. There is not (nor has there been) a 1971 US equivalent of the album and the single was UK-only too. In fact, up until 1971, Norma was famous for one chart 45 in February 1966 in the States on New Voice Records called "Walkin' My Cat Named Dog" which was a minor hit (March 1966 in the UK on Stateside SS 496). 

In the booklet - the few trade-newspaper reviews Ace were able to reproduce make much of her five-year absence from the music scene – describing her as a nomad. In fact - as you read the tiny newspaper print - you can feel the reviewer fighting the inherent negativity in the 45-single song title used to promote the album - "Nothing Much Is Happening Today" - by calling her new music on RCA as not nothing much – but actually good. Truth was (as Bob Stanley gleans in the liner notes) - the LP would have been and was hard to market given its scattergun approach – too many instrumentals and not enough radio-friendly three-minute ditties to coax the Top of the Pops crowds. So - forgotten it was - probably in UK remainder bins by November 1971 with a 'drastically reduced to 78p' sticker stuck on its laminate sleeve. 

There was a May 2022 Norma Tanega 2CD/2LP compilation called "I'm The Sky: Studio and Demo Recordings 1964-1971" issued on Anthology Recordings ARC084 (Barcode 184923608427) that scattered most of the album across two discs - but this 31 Jan 2025 variant appears to be the first reissue on CD of the album proper. So old Ace Records of the UK have pulled off a wee bit of a coup here by being the first company to reissue the album "I Don't Think It Will Hurt If You Smile" on CD - and this time - as a Remastered 'Expanded Edition' with Four Bonus Tracks – two of which are from an uber rare Library Music LP (also 1971) and the other two are Previously Unreleased.

A word to the wise first. In the Record Collector Rare Record Price Guide of 2018 (not so long ago) – this album is not even listed at a value of £15. How time has changed. Enterprising dealers and Folk-Prog Folk-Pastoral seekers have stumbled on an album I couldn't give away in the racks of Reckless in Soho for decades and are now asking £400 or more on auction sites. Is it worth that much wonga on original vinyl – no not really. But is it any good? I say a relieved yes - especially in a selected-songs program mode that cuts out some of the faff (more of that at the end of the review). Let's get to the details…

UK released Friday, 31 January 2025 - "I Don't Think It Will Hurt If You Smile" by NORMA TANEGA on Ace Records CDTOP 1653 (Barcode 029667111522) is a 20-Track CD Reissue and Remaster of her 16-Track 1971 UK album on RCA Victor Records (unissued in the USA) with Four Bonus Tracks that plays out as follows (51:07 minutes):

1. Now Is The Time [Side 1]
2. Beautiful Things
3. Illusion
4. Cowfold (Instrumental)
5. Magic Day
6. Hampton Court (Instrumental)
7. What More In The World Could Anyone Be Living For (Version 2)
8. Clapham Junction (Instrumental) [Side 2]
9. Elephants Angels And Roses
10. Antarctic Rose 
11. Stranger
12. Barrell Organ Blues (Instrumental)
13. Nothing Much Is Happening Today
14. What More In This World Could Anyone Be Living For (Version 1)
15. Upper Osterley (Instrumental)
16. A Goodbye Song
Tracks 1 to 16 are her second studio album "I Don't Think It Will Hurt If You Smile" – released (May or June) 1971 on RCA Victor SF 8217 in the UK (no US issue). Produced by DON PAUL – it did not chart

BONUS TRACKS:
17. Barrel Organ
18. Alternator Man
19. Upside Down Town 
20. Magic Day (Demo)

NOTES:
Two of the four bonus tracks on this CD reissue (Tracks 17 and 18) were originally part of three instrumentals featured on a 1971 24-Track UK Library Music LP called "Period/Pastoral/Solo Instruments – Moog/Dramatic" on Standard Music Library ESL/121. The other (third) instrumental was "Cowfold" – which showed up on Side 1 of the "I Don't Think It Will Hurt If You Smile" LP

Side 1 of that Library Music LP was called "Period/Pastoral/Solo Instruments" while Side 2 was "Moog/Dramatic" – her three were on Side 1. Track 19 of the Bonuses is another harpsichord instrumental called "Upside Down Town" while Track 20 "Magic Day (Demo)" is also Previously Unreleased. The Demo of "Magic Day" is a Vocal Take with less instruments than the LP cut. Just as lovely as the issued ballad on the album - for me "Magic Day (Demo)" is undoubtedly the prize previously unreleased track on this timely CD reissue/remaster.

Long-standing Audio Engineer for Ace Records NICK ROBBINS has done the transfers and the Audio is sweet – warm and lovely – as much of the album demands. For sure there are some ragged top-end edges here and there – but for the main – this feels like an upgrade of a forgotten album that deserves audio TLC. BOB STANLEY handles the liner notes to the 12-page booklet and gives an excellent history of her career whilst quoting references on the recordings – singles pictured between the text etc. The usual bang-up-job from Ace. To the music…

The idea that this is a lost classic or masterpiece is stretching credulity for me. But – and I do mean this – I have re-sequenced the album into 11 tracks instead of its original cluttered 16 and included in that rejigger is a repeat of the "Magic Day" track albeit in Demo form. I use only one instrumental of the five on the original (wasted spaces in my mind), dropped the two versions of "What More In This World Could Anyone Be Living For", added the Demo Version of "Magic Day" (to make that the doubled-up track instead). The album title comes from lyrics in "Illusion" and reflects the romanticism of the lyric-songs. 

The album opens with "Now Is The Time" – an attempt at a singer-songwriter Rock Song maybe ala Carole King or even Vinegar Joe – but the electric guitars feel heavy-handed on what is essentially a Folk album. Thankfully better is to come. "Beautiful Things" and "Illusion" are where the LP lights up – sweet and heartfelt ballads that employ strings and the musical talents of Mike Maran – the man who oversaw the whole LP (his reminiscences of recording are in the booklet). The first of five instrumentals rears its intrusive head - "Cowfold" having been used on the Library Music LP described above that also appeared in 1971. The only instrumental I have time for here is "Clapham Junction" - a harpsichord ditty that features her infectious giggle and laugh (Ace used it on the "London A to Z…" CD compilation of 2023 curated by Bob Stanley). Again, things pick up.

As I play this truly warm Remaster of "Magic Day" – it is a gorgeous song and should have been the single - "…I am so very happy…to be able to call you my friend…" and "…evening rainbows shine across her face…ring around the sun the world is falling into place…" and "…you gave me a dazzling day…a sky full of music and fairytale delights…" It is one of the sweetest and most celebratory Gay love songs I have ever heard. The demo in the bonuses is just as beautiful. There is a slight harshness to the acoustic guitars of "Antarctic Rose" – a tale of blue lips and minus ten degrees below in Iceland – Aurora Borealis lights enchanting and lonely at the same time. 

There is little doubt about the depth of her love in the Harpsichord gorgeous and upbeat "Elephant Angels And Roses" – lyrics like "…I think about you…angels inside awake when I touch you…everything I see is a fragment of you and me…" or how about "…love is a playground…world is a big zoo…elephants mingle with angels and roses…love is you…" There is a slightly fazed soft trippy Sunshine Pop acoustic guitar touch to "Stranger" – her song full of empathy – full moon tenderly. 

So, there you have it. Not quite the undiluted masterpiece of yesterday dealers are assuring you it is - but nonetheless - there is a loveliness and charm to Norma Tanega's "I Don't Think It Will Hurt If You Smile" (especially in a programmed rejigger) that just couldn't happen in a sinister-ridden 2025. And with a decent Audio Remaster and booklet that explains and appreciates her contributions - once again Ace Records of the UK have done collectors a solid. 

Innocently, perhaps even naively, Tanega sang "…I am a stranger to this time…but the space of loving knows no tears…" back in the receding mists of 1971 just before her union with that beautiful British icon ended shortly after. This excellent CD reissue captures some of that 'Magic Day' that lasted five years and meant so much to Norma (she passed in December 2019, Dusty in March 1999). Investigate...

PS: Controversy time - my suggested 11-Track 'alternate album' by Norma Tanega is called "The You Of Us". The title I've chosen comes from lyrics in the song "Illusions". I've tried a few combinations, but this one makes for such a lovely listen. You can sequence it from the CD tracks suggested below (total playing time of 33:04 minutes).

Side 1 (Program CD Tracks 2, 3, 8, 5 and 10):
1. Beautiful Things
2. Illusion
3. Clapham Junction (Instrumental)
4. Magic Day
5. Antarctic Rose

Side 2 (Program CD Tracks 9, 11, 13, 1, 20 and 16):
1. Elephants Angels And Roses
2. Stranger
3. Nothing Much Is Happening Today
4. Now Is The Time
5. Another Magic Day
6. A Goodbye Song

PPS: Why is the Fly Records logo on the rear inlay of this Ace CD?

"American Baroque: Chamber Music And Beyond 1967-1971" by VARIOUS ARTISTS – Featuring The Merry-Go-Round (with Emitt Rhodes), Montage (with Michael Brown of The Left Banke), The Stone Poneys (with Linda Ronstadt), The Association, H.P. Lovecraft, Nico, The Monkees, Bonnie Dobson, Nora Guthrie, The Fun & Games, The Common People, Steve Martin (of The Left Banke), Rosebud with Judy Henske, Jerry Yester and Craig Doerge, The Pleasure Fair, John Randolph Marr, Blades of Grass and more (31 January 2025 UK Ace Records CD Compilation of Duncan Cowell Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/American-Baroque-Chamber-Beyond-1967-1971/dp/B0DPJ9KTKN?crid=1K49FSSCN5II9&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.hLJmS61SSIHnMLK0V-vAaA.mebzYqV7OCqNcQGn43P_4bdU1WDVHjJbBuia8k9eBec&dib_tag=se&keywords=029667112321&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1736351561&sprefix=029667112321%2Caps%2C126&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=mabasreofcdbl-21&linkId=1b18f415f677c00dc2d4190b288d9055&language=en_GB&ref_=as_li_ss_tl

RATINGS: 

Overall ****

Audio ****

Presentation *****

"…Satin Slipper…"

American Baroque, Chamber Music and even its side-dishes like 60ts and 70ts Pastoral Folk, Sunshine Pop and Operatic Rock have been done before by Rhino, Sundazed and Ace Records of the UK (four such Ace CD comps are advertised on the rear inlay beneath the see-through disc tray inside – see list below). 

All Harpsichords, Cellos, Woodwinds, layered lush Harmony Vocals and talk of getting it together man with your fellow (well) man – means that some of these entries in late January 2025 could be considered ever so slightly naff. This is a world between 1967 and 1971 where bands were called The Blades Of Grass, Eternity's Children, The Pleasure Fair and The Neon Philharmonic - and mushrooms were not being used for Soup during November (or any other month). But a great reissue label like Ace and compiler Bob Stanley beg to alter our preconceived notions (at the doors of perception you understand) – and on second and a third listen – these men of virtually no potbellies, tasteful hairpieces and Mensa type wisdom have more than a point. 

There is some fantastic stuff on here – names you may not know granted - but still 71:08 minutes and 24-slices of inventive arrangements and complex harmonies that swirl and swoop and impress – and on occasion – even move. Much to discuss, to the smooth and trippy details…

UK released Friday, 31 January 2025 - "American Baroque: Chamber Music And Beyond 1967-1971" by VARIOUS ARTISTS on Ace Records CDTOP 1657 (Barcode 029667112321) is a 24-Track CD Compilation of Remasters that plays out as follows (71:08 minutes):

1. You're A Very Lovely Woman – THE MERRY-GO-ROUND (from the October 1967 US LP "You're A Very Lovely Woman" on A&M Records SP 4132 in STEREO – band featured Emitt Rhodes (later solo career), Bill Reinhart of The Leaves and Joel Larson of The Grass Roots)

2. I Shall Call Her Mary – MONTAGE (April 1968, US 45-single on Laurie LR 3438, A-side – includes Michael Brown of The Left Banke)

3. Raggedy Ann – JOHN RANDOLPH MARR (from the March 1970 US LP "John Randolph Marr" on Warner Bros/Seven Arts WS 1844 in STEREO – once a Guitarist with the Louis Prima band – Produced by Nilsson House Productions)

4. Tulu Rogers – APPALOOSA (from the July 1969 US LP "Appaloosa" on Columbia CS 9819 in STEREO – featuring John Compton)

5. Turnaway – THE PLEASURE FAIR (from the October 1967 US Debut LP "The Pleasure Fair" on Uni Records 73009 in STEREO – songs arranged and produced by David Gates of Bread)

6. Different Drum – STONE PONEYS featuring LINDA RONSTADT (September 1967, US 45-single on Capitol 2004, A-side – a Mike Nesmith song (of The Monkeys) featuring Don Randi on Harpsichord)

7. Emily's Illness – NORA GUTHRIE (November 1967, US 45-single on Mercury 72753, A-side – Nora is Woody Guthrie's Daughter and Arlo Guthrie's Sister – for the B-side "Home Before Dark" – see Track 21)

8. Barefoot Gentleman – THE ASSOCIATION (from the March 1968 US LP "The Association's Birthday" on Warner Bros/Seven Arts WS 1733 in Stereo – A Jerry Yester and Skip Camel song – Jerry Yester would be in Rosebud with Judy Henske – see Track 24)

9. Land Of Sensations & Delights – J.K. & Co. (from the July 1968 US LP "Suddenly One Summer" on White Whale WWS 7117 in STEREO – J.K. is John Kaye of Nuggets fame)

10. Blue Jack Of Diamonds – H.P. LOVECRAFT (from their September 1968 second LP "H.P. Lovecraft II" on Philips PHS-600-279 in STEREO)

11. Time – BONNIE DOBSON (from the August 1969 US Debut LP "Bonnie Dobson" on RCA Victor LSP-4219 in STEREO)

12. Satin Slipper – THE BLADES OF GRASS (from the November 1967 US Debut LP "The Blades Of Grass Are Not For Smoking" on Jubilee JGS 8007 in STEREO)

13. My Silent Symphony – CHRIS and PETER ALLEN (from the April 1968 US LP "Album Number 1" on Mercury SR-61166 in STEREO – Chris Bell and Peter Allen)

14. Mr. Webster – THE MONKEES (from the January 1990 US CD Compilation "Missing Links Volume 2" on Rhino R2 70903 – Barcode 081227090326 – an earlier 1967 outtake from the "Headquarters" LP sessions featuring Harpsichord and Oboe abandoned for a re-record)

15. Again Again - ETERNITY'S CHILDREN (from the April 1968 US Debut LP "Eternity's Children" on Tower Records ST-5123 in STEREO)

16. My Plan – RUSS GIGUERE (from the April 1971 US LP "Hexagram 16" on Warner Bros WS 1910 in STEREO – ex The Association – track features Vocals by Jerry Yester also ex The Association and partner with vocalist Judy Henske of Rosebud (see Track 24))

17. The Fairest Of The Seasons – NICO (from the October 1967 US Debut Solo LP "Chelsea Girl" on Verve V6-5032 in STEREO – song written by Gregory Copeland and Jackson Browne – band features The Velvet Underground – Lou Reed, John Cale and Stirling Morrison - with Jackson Browne also contributing Keyboards and Guitar before his first solo album of 1972)

18. Other Times – TOM NORTHCOTT (January 1968, US 45-single on Warner Bros 7160, B-side of "1941" – arranged by Leon Russell, Produced by Lenny Waronker and Leon Russell – A-side is a Harry Nilsson cover version - "Other Times" is a Northcott original)

19. You Lied – THE NEON PHILHARMONIC (from the January 1969 US Debut LP "The Neon Philharmonic" on Warner Bros/Seven Arts WS 1804 in STEREO)

20. Close To Carmel – THE FUN AND GAMES (from the December 1968 US Debut LP "Elephant Candy" on Uni Records 73042 in STEREO)

21. Home Before Dark – NORA GUTHRIE (November 1967, US 45-single on Mercury 72753, B-side of "Emily's Illness" – Nora is Woody Guthrie's Daughter and Arlo Guthrie's Sister – for the A-side – see Track 7)

22. I Have Been Alone – THE COMMON PEOPLE (from the August 1969 US Debut LP "Of The People / By The People / For The People by The Common People" on Capitol ST-266 in STEREO – Arranged and Produced by George Hudson Manager of The Seeds and The Lollipop Shoppe)

23. Two By Two (I'm Losing You) – STEVE MARTIN (February 1971, US 45-single on Buddah BDA 219, A-side – Lead Singer with The Left Banke – one of two songs by Steve Martin and Left Banke band members featured in a movie called Hot Parts)

24. Lorelei – ROSEBUD (from the July 1971 US LP "Rosebud" on Reprise/Straight Records RS 6426 in STEREO – featuring Jerry Yester and Judy Henske – also included Craig Doerge on Vocals and Keyboards – longtime collaborator with Jackson Browne)

NOTES: All Tracks in STEREO except Tracks 7, 12, 18, 21 and 23 in MONO

Once again long-time associate to Ace Records – compiler BOB STANLEY – has gone deep and wide for the listen. The visuals are a feast too. Paragraphs on each artist are accompanied by tasty Stereo LP sleeves, rare US 45-single labels, trade advert and more. Page 2 (for instance) of the stuffed-to-the-gunnels 20-page booklet is a montage of four US album sleeves from Bonnie Dobson, J.K. & Co, Appaloosa and The Pleasure Fair – titles that are not exactly growing on UK trees no matter how enlightened the shire might be. That Linda Ronstadt was the Lead Singer for The Stone Poneys and that Nico is accompanied by The Velvet Underground is obvious detail for most of us - but that John Kaye of Nuggets 2LP fame is the J and K in J.K. & Co or that Steve Martin is not the famous comedian or actor - but the singer with The Left Banke is cool revelation. Uber-experienced Audio Engineer DUNCAN COWELL had handled the transfers and all is tickety-boo – nice too to hear all that Sixties Stereo that gives the harmonies such extra oomph. To the tunes…

While the Emitt Rhodes led Merry-Go-Round track "You're A Very Lovely Woman" is a very pretty opener – it is roundly trounced on the melody front by Montage and their "I Shall Call Her Mary" – a truly gorgeous tune aided by Michael Brown of The Left Banke. I recall seeing the John Randolph Marr US LP when I worked at Reckless Records Rarities in Soho resplendent in its Seven Arts label design from Warner Brothers with that interesting Nilsson House Productions credit on the rear. But Jan and Dean painted cover or not - "John Randolph Marr" never sold probably because no one knew what this 1970 US obscurity sounded like and to be honest -  Nilsson albums interested very few punters back in the Nineties vinyl comeback years. But his "Raggedy Ann" utilises cello strings vs. chamber music arrangements rather beautifully and is an astute inclusion.

John Compton of Appaloosa sings of a lady in love with Sebastian Bach – more plucked strings and Dylan-deep reams of lyrics – another good offering. So clever arrangements for The Pleasure Fair as they go all Mamas and Papas with a Harpsichord on their truly lovely "Turnaway". Time for an actual hit – Linda Ronstadt dominating The Stone Poneys and their classy and still fresh-sounding "Different Drum" (written by Michael Nesmith of The Monkees). Woody Guthrie's Daughter and Arlo Guthrie's Sister – a US Trade review once described Nora Guthrie and her seriously unsettling Nov 1967 45 "Emily's Illness" as a "…touching plaintive ballad…" – and if you want drug addiction, suicide, self-mutilation and societal duplicity all wrapped up in the lyrics then I suppose you're belly-aching all the way. With words that are frankly brutal and done in an unnerving coquettish chanteuse kind of a way (no doubt on purpose) – it is brilliant, timely and a genius inclusion even if I never want to hear its horror story ever again (nice one Nora). The rather fay B-side that ends the comp is more Vashti Bunyan than Lou Reed in a temper.

So much part of the Baroque and Chamber Music scene – The Association and their fourth album "…Birthday" contains the rapturous "Come On In" (I have it on a Rhino CD) – Bob Stanley arguing that it's a God-like 60ts melody and I completely concur (shame it isn't on here actually). So big shoes for their "Barefoot Gentleman" (from the same 1968 album) to live up to and it just about does. Layer after layer of vocals arranged into speaker separation for maximum effect are pumped up by an almost Phil Spector Wall of Sound rhythm section – but make no mistake - parts of "Barefoot Gentleman" are as sublime as The Mamas & The Papas at their best or The Beach Boys tapping into Brian Wilson melodic genius. Slowing down to things outside your mind (and such wonderful sights) – "Land Of Sensations & Delights" by J.K. & Co. (John Kaye of Nuggets fame and his pals) tell us of a land that is cleaner. It has tree-filled mountains and virgin snow peaks as the Harpsichord and Piano combine (very hippie man, but very nice too). 

Chronicling an obsessively fussy teller they saw in a Hollywood Bank they frequented, The Monkees version of "Mr. Webster" offered up here dates from the summer of 1967 during the sessions for the "Headquarters" LP. It has Oboe and Harpsichord predominating - but when they decided to re-record using their own players and instruments – it got left in the can as an outtake until Rhino included it as one of four Bonus Tracks on the January 1990 CD compilation "Missing Links Volume Two" (also issued in the EU/UK on Rhino 0630 14930-2 – Barcode 706301493021). That compilation is long-since deleted (pricy too) so a smart inclusion here by Ace. Formerly known as a Folk group called The Phantoms out of Cleveland, Mississippi – a relocation to California in the mid Sixties saw them add singer Linda Lawley and reinvent themselves as the Sunshine-Psych-Baroque four-piece ensemble Eternity's Birthday – their self-titled debut of 1968 considered a classic (hence the near £200-ish price tags for either Mono or Stereo LP). Produced by genre champions Keith Olsen and Curt Boettcher (groups like Sagittarius, The Millenium, Summer's Children, The Ballroom and The GoldeBriars) – "American Baroque: Chamber Music And Beyond 1967-1971" offers us the Side 1 opener "Again Again" (off the Stereo LP) written by Bob Tinker. And what a strange little brute it is. Stanley describes the song in his notes as uneasy – an apt description and aurally – you can so hear why Psych and Chamber Music nutters want the whole platter- never mind a lonesome entry like this one. 

Of the three songs renowned singer-songwriter Jackson Browne contributed to the Nico debut solo album "Chelsea Girl" of October 1967 on Verve Records (it followed on from "The Velvet Underground & Nico" ground-breaker album in late 1966) – Ace have chosen the opener for Side 1 "The Fairest Of The Seasons" (her album also includes his own 1972 debut LP classic "These Days" which has been covered by loads of artists after Nico). Her band mates from The Velvets (Lou Reed, John Cale and Sterling Morrison) are on their too – the whole album vibe a very Pastoral, Baroque, Chamber Music, Folk Chanteuse affair – her deep German droning vocals fitting right in. Info-wise: Jackson Browne's co-writer on "The Fairest Of The Seasons" song was Greg Copeland who would have to wait for his own solo album "Revenge Will Come Back" in 1982 on Geffen Records which JB produced - 10 years after Jackson had his solo debut in 1972 on Asylum Records – a label David Geffen started and owned (what a web). Canadian Folkie Tom Northcott signed to Warner Brothers as a possible next big thing – the 45-single "1941" being one of two Harry Nilsson covers he did – the other being "Rainmaker". Ace has chosen the Harpsichord and backwards sound effects B-side of "1941" - Tom's own "Other Road" where his vocal style could even be mistaken for a woman or a Monkee with a clamp on his nuts (nice). 

For its first two-minutes-ish of its 3:25 minutes playing time – The Neon Harmonic (Keyboardist Tupper Saussy and Singer Don Gant) give us the brilliantly orchestrated Operatic Rock of "You Lied" – a melodramatic over-the-top Scott Walker-esque pleader complete with oodles of earnest strings interlocked with Piano and Harpsichord. But about 1:50 minutes in – the style veers off into dead stop – then a melodic flourish – then a wildly experimental fast-paced Psych finish that sounds like an embryonic Hawkwind (maybe they sent an Acetate to England). What a trip baby and a fab inclusion! Ace even located a Neon Philharmonic poster (along with a H.P. Lovecraft one) that are so rare – Page 17 for NH. 

Speaking of discoveries – Track 23 gives us Steve Martin – no not the comedian and film star – but the Vocalist with The Left Banke. His "Two By Two (I'm Losing You)" was apparently recorded for a 1971 movie called Hot Parts which featured Andy Warhol ward Ultra Violet. It was a Left Banke recording as the band had reformed and settled differences but for some reason was issued as the A-side of a Steve Martin solo single on Buddah Records BDA 219 which of course sank without a trace despite its gorgeous melodic strength. Sounding like a vocal cross between Emitt Rhodes of The Merry-Go-Round meets Colin Blunstone of The Zombies meets Chris Bell of Big Star – "Two By Two (I'm Losing You)" should have caught a break on some plug list somewhere – but unfortunately not so in a crowded 1971 release schedule (the label is pictured on Page 8). 

"American Baroque..." potters on to its musical end with The Common People and their plaintive "I Have Been Alone" – a 1969 Capitol LP that will put you back over £150. In a I may need to get out more tidbit: The Common People album was produced and arranged by the eccentric George Hudson – aka Lord Tim Hudson – one time Manager of The Seeds and The Lollipop Shoppe - but who was also one of the bird voices in Disney's The Jungle Book where George Sanders (as Sheer Khan) serenades Mowgli with 'That's What Friends Are For' (you see how you needed to know that). Nora Guthrie shows up again with the B-side of Track 7 and Jerry Yester with former floor-stomper singer Judy Henske as the band Rosebud also do plaintive with the lovely but slightly underwhelming "Lorelei". Job done.

As I said earlier – such a compilation (and one that is so genre-specific) – is an acquired taste – but I was shocked and pleased and more importantly – made some lovely discoveries – something that is hard to do in these CD saturation days. And for this old codger indeed Grateful that he isn't Dead – these trailblazers can come to my chamber any day of the week. 

Now let me get those Satin Slippers and commune with nature (wee-wee on a tree in the back garden as I badmouth younger neighbours). Recommended…

Other Titles of Interest by Ace Records 

On the Baroque, Chamber Music and Sunshine Pop Sound

Of The 60ts and 70ts

1. Happy Lovin' Time: Sunshine Pop From The Garpax Vaults
29 June 2015 UK CD on Ace/Big Beat CDWIKD 328 (Barcode 029667432825) – 24 Tracks

2. Tea And Symphony: The English Baroque Sound 1968-1974 
31 January 2020 UK CD on Ace CDCHD 1562 (Barcode 029667096928) – 22 Tracks
31 January 2020 UK 2LPs on Ace XXQLP2 064 (Barcode 029667000864) – 23 Tracks (One Bonus)

3. Trip On Me: Soft Psych & Sunshine 1966-1969
30 September 2020 UK CD on Ace/Big Beat CDWIKD 351 (Barcode 029667105927) – 24 Tracks

4. London A To Z: 1962 to 1973
29 September 2023 UK CD on Ace CDTOP 1638 (Barcode 029667109024) – 24 Tracks