DOCTOR BIRD Records of the UK - CD REISSUE LABEL'S DISCOGRAPHY (Alphabetical and Numerical for 2017 to 2019) - A List by Mark Barry...

ALPHABETICAL and NUMERICAL ORDER Discography

For DOCTOR BIRD Records of the UK (2017 to 2019)

CD Reissues covering TROJAN RECORDS and its array of subsidiary labels...

Trojan Records original releases from 1967 to 2019
All CDs feature new ANDY PEARCE Remasters and
TONY ROUNCE and/or LAURENCE CANE-HONEYSETT Liner Notes

ALPHABETICAL ORDER Discography

2017 and 2018 DOCTOR BIRD CD Reissues for Trojan etc.

1. BOB ANDY and MARCIA GRIFFITHS - Young, Gifted And Black/Pied Pier 
(May 2018, Doctor Bird DBCD-014 - Barcode 5013929271432)
Features two albums from 1970 and 1971 - both albums in full

2. ERROL BROWN/THE REVOLUTIONAIRES – Dubb Everlasting/Dub Expression
(November 2017, Doctor Bird DBCD-07 – Barcode 5013929270732)
Features two 1977 and 1978 High Note LPs remastered onto 1CD

3. DAVE and ANSEL COLLINS – Double Barrel 
(June 2018 Expanded CD, Doctor Bird DBCD-016 - Barcode 5013929271630)
Features popular 1971 12-Track LP originally on Trojan plus 15 Bonus Tracks 

4. DESMOND DECKER and THE ACES – Action!/Intensified 
(August 2018 2CD Set, Doctor Bird DBCD-025 – Barcode 5013929272538)

5. DESMOND DEKKER – You Can Get It If You Really Want 
(September 2018 Expanded CD, Doctor Bird DBCD-015 - Barcode 5013929271531)

6. DESMOND DEKKER – Double Dekker 
(November 2018, Doctor Bird DBCD-018 – Barcode 5013929271838)
Features 1973 UK 2LP set on Trojan Records Plus A Bonus Track onto 1CD 

7. PHYLLIS DILLON – One Life To Live 
(September 2018, Doctor Bird DBCD-021 – Barcode 5013929272132)

8. ETHIOPIANS – Reggae Power/Woman Capture Man 
(January 2018, Doctor Bird DBCD-10 – Barcode 5013929271036)

9. MARCIA GRIFFITHS – Naturally/Steppin’ 
(August 2017, Doctor Bird DBCD-002 – Barcode 5013929270237)

Features two 1978 and 1979 albums remastered onto 1CD

10. DERRICK HARRIOTT and THE CRYSTALITES – Psychedelic Train
(October 2017 Expanded CD, Doctor Bird DBCD-05 – Barcode 5013929270534)

11. HARRY J. ALL STARS - Liquidator
(June 2008 Expanded CD, Doctor Bird DBCD-012 - Barcode 5013929271234)

12. JUSTIN HINDS and THE DOMINOES – From Jamaica With Reggae
(February 2018 Expanded CD, Doctor Bird DBCD-09 – Barcode 5013929270930)

13. THE KINGSTONIANS – Sufferer 
(September 2017 Expanded CD, Doctor Bird DBCD-03 – Barcode 5013929270336)

14. THE MAYTALS – Monkey Man/From The Roots 
(July 2018, Doctor Bird DBCD-017 – Barcode 5013929271739)
Features two albums from 1969 and 1973 on Trojan remastered onto 1CD with 3 Bonuses

15. THE PIONEERS – Long Shot/Battle Of The Giants 
(September 2018, Doctor Bird DBCD-019 – Barcode 5013929271937)

16. THE UNIQUES - Absolutely The...Uniques 
(January 2018, Doctor Bird DBCD-011 - Barcode 5013929271135)

17. THE UPSETTERS – The Upsetter/Scratch The Upsetter Again 
(October 2018, Doctor Bird DBCD-022 – Barcode 5013929272231)

18. THE UPSETTERS – Return Of Django/Eastwood Rides Again 
(May 2018, Doctor Bird DBCD-013 - Barcode 5013929271333)

19. VARIOUS – Dancing Down Orange Street [Trojan 1969 LP] 
(September 2017 Expanded CD, Doctor Bird DBCD-04 – Barcode 5013929270435)

20. VARIOUS – Gay Feet, Every Night 
(October 2017 Expanded CD, Doctor Bird DBCD-06 – Barcode 5013929270633)

21. VARIOUS – Greater Jamaica Moonwalk Reggae/Reggay At Its Best 
(October 2018 2CD Set, Doctor Bird DBCDD-030 – Barcode 5013929273030)

22. VARIOUS – Hot Shots Of Reggae 
(November 2017 Expanded CD, Doctor Bird DBCD-08 – Barcode 5013929270831)

23. VARIOUS – King Size Reggae 
(November 2018, Doctor Bird DBCD-026 – Barcode 5013929272637)

24. VARIOUS – No More Heartaches/What Am I To Do? 
(August 2017, Doctor Bird DBCD-01 – Barcode 5013929270138)
Features 2LPs from 1969 and 1970 remastered onto 1CD

25. VARIOUS [Duke Reid/Treasure Isle] – Soul Of Jamaica/Here Comes The Duke 
(August 2018 2CD Set, Doctor Bird DBCDD-024 – Barcode 5013929272439)

ALPHABETICAL ORDER Discography

2019 DOCTOR BIRD CD Reissues for Trojan etc.

1. ROLAND ALPHONSO & THE ORIGINAL ORCHESTRA – ABC Rock Steady (April 2019 Expanded 2CD Set with 43 Bonus Tracks, Doctor Bird DBCDD-023 – Barcode 5013929272330)

2. DENNIS BROWN – Just Dennis/Deep Down (April 2019 2CD Expanded Set, Doctor Bird DBCDD-027 – Barcode 5013929272736)

3. CLINT EASTWOOD and LEE ‘SCRATCH’ PERRY & THE UPSETTERS – Clint Eastwood/Many Moods Of The Upsetters (April 2019 2CD Expanded Set, Doctor Bird DBCDD-034 – Barcode 5013929273436)

4. JOHN HOLT – Like A Bolt (January 2019 Expanded CD, Doctor Bird DBCD-029 – Barcode 5013929272934)

5. DERRICK MORGAN – Moon Hop/Derrick Morgan In London (April 2019 Expanded 2CD Set, Doctor Bird DBCDD-032 – Barcode 5013929273238)

For Lee 'Scratch' Perry – see Clint Eastwood and...

6. VARIOUS – The Down Town Albums Collection [Down Town Label] (February 2019 2CD Set, Doctor Bird Records DBCDD-020 - Barcode 5013929272033)

7. VARIOUS – Greatest Jamaican Beat... (March 2019 2CD Set, Doctor Bird DBCDD-033 – Barcode 5013929273337)

8. VARIOUS – The Treasure Isle Ska Albums Collection (January 2019 2CD Set [4LPs and more], Doctor Bird DBCDD-031 – Barcode 5013929273139)

NUMERICAL ORDER

Discography for Doctor Bird Records of the UK (2017 to 2019)

(Part of Cherry Red)

DBCD-01 – VARIOUS – No More Heartaches/What Am I To Do? [2LPs from 1969 and 1970 onto 1CD] (August 2017, Doctor Bird DBCD-01 – Barcode 5013929270138)

DBCD-002 – MARCIA GRIFFITHS – Naturally/Steppin’ [1978 and 1979 2LPs on 1CD] (August 2017 CD, Doctor Bird DBCD-002 – Barcode 5013929270237)

DBCD-03 - THE KINGSTONIANS – Sufferer (September 2017 Expanded CD, Doctor Bird DBCD-03 – Barcode 5013929270336)

DBCD-04 - VARIOUS – Dancing Down Orange Street [Trojan 1969 LP] (September 2017 Expanded CD, Doctor Bird DBCD-04 – Barcode 5013929270435)

DBCD-05 - DERRICK HARRIOTT & THE CRYSTALITES – Psychedelic Train (October 2017 CD, Doctor Bird DBCD-05 – Barcode 5013929270534)

DBCD-06 - VARIOUS – Gay Feet, Every Night (October 2017 Expanded CD, Doctor Bird DBCD-06 – Barcode 5013929270633)

DBCD-07 – ERROL BROWN/THE REVOLUTIONAIRES – Dubb Everlasting/Dub Expression [1977 and 1978 High Note 2LPs on 1CD] (November 2017, Doctor Bird DBCD-07 – Barcode 5013929270732)

DBCD-08 - VARIOUS – Hot Shots Of Reggae (November 2017 Expanded CD, Doctor Bird DBCD-08 – Barcode 5013929270831)

DBCD-09 - JUSTIN HINDS & THE DOMINOES – From Jamaica With Reggae (February 2018 Expanded CD, Doctor Bird DBCD-09 – Barcode 5013929270930)

DBCD-10 - ETHIOPIANS – Reggae Power/Woman Capture Man (January 2018, Doctor Bird DBCD-10 – Barcode 5013929271036)

DBCD-011 - THE UNIQUES - Absolutely The...Uniques (January 2018, Doctor Bird DBCD-011 - Barcode 5013929271135)

DBCD-012 - HARRY J. ALL STARS - Liquidator (June 2008 Expanded CD, Doctor Bird DBCD-012 - Barcode 5013929271234)

DBCD-013 - THE UPSETTERS – Return Of Django/Eastwood Rides Again (May 2018, Doctor Bird DBCD-013 - Barcode 5013929271333)

DBCD-014 - BOB & MARCIA - Young, Gifted And Black/Pied Pier (May 2018, Doctor Bird DBCD-014 - Barcode 5013929271432)

DBCD-015 - DESMOND DEKKER – You Can Get It If You Really Want (September 2018, Doctor Bird DBCD-015 - Barcode 5013929271531)

DBCD-016 - DAVE & ANSEL COLLINS – Double Barrel (June 2018, Doctor Bird DBCD-016 - Barcode 5013929271630)

DBCD-017 - THE MAYTALS – Monkey Man/From The Roots [2LPs on 1CD] (July 2018, Doctor Bird DBCD-017 – Barcode 5013929271739)

DBCD-018 - DESMOND DEKKER – Double Dekker (November 2013, Doctor Bird DBCD-018 – Barcode 5013929271838)

DBCD-019 - THE PIONEERS – Long Shot/Battle Of The Giants (September 2018, Doctor Bird DBCD-019 – Barcode 5013929271937)

DBCDD-020 - VARIOUS – The Down Town Albums Collection [Down Town Label] (February 2019 2CD Set, Doctor Bird Records DBCDD-020 - Barcode 5013929272033)

DBCD-021 - PHYLLIS DILLON – One Life To Live (September 2018, Doctor Bird DBCD-021 – Barcode 5013929272132)

DBCD-022 - THE UPSETTERS – The Upsetter/Scratch The Upsetter Again (October 2018, Doctor Bird DBCD-022 – Barcode 5013929272231)

DBCDD-023 - ROLAND ALPHONSO & THE ORIGINAL ORCHESTRA – ABC Rock Steady (April 2019 Expanded 2CD Set with 43 Bonus Tracks, Doctor Bird DBCDD-023 – Barcode 5013929272330)

DBCDD-024 - VARIOUS [Duke Reid and Treasure Isle Productions] – Soul Of Jamaica/Here Comes The Duke (August 2018 2CD Set, Doctor Bird DBCDD-024 – Barcode 5013929272439)

DBCD-025 - DESMOND DECKER & THE ACES – Action!/Intensified (August 2018 2CD Set, Doctor Bird DBCD-025 – Barcode 5013929272538)

DBCD-026 - VARIOUS – King Size Reggae (November 2018, Doctor Bird DBCD-026 – Barcode 5013929272637)

DBCDD-027 - DENNIS BROWN – Just Dennis/Deep Down (April 2019 2CD Expanded Set, Doctor Bird DBCDD-027 – Barcode 5013929272736)

DBCD-029 - JOHN HOLT – Like A Bolt (January 2019 Expanded CD, Doctor Bird DBCD-029 – Barcode 5013929272934)

DBCDD-030 - VARIOUS – Greater Jamaica Moonwalk Reggae/Reggay At Its Best (October 2018 2CD Set, Doctor Bird DBCDD-030 – Barcode 5013929273030)

DBCDD-031 - VARIOUS – The Treasure Isle Ska Albums Collection (January 2019 2CD Set [4LPs and more], Doctor Bird DBCDD-031 – Barcode 5013929273139)

DBCDD-032 - DERRICK MORGAN – Moon Hop/Derrick Morgan In London (April 2019 Expanded 2CD Set, Doctor Bird DBCDD-032 – Barcode 5013929273238)

DBCDD-033 - VARIOUS – Greatest Jamaican Beat... (March 2019 2CD Set, Doctor Bird DBCDD-033 – Barcode 5013929273337)

DBCDD-034 - CLINT EASTWOOD and LEE 'SCRATCH' PERRY & THE UPSETTERS – Clint Eastwood/Many Moods Of The Upsetters (April 2019 2CD Expanded Set, Doctor Bird DBCDD-034 – Barcode 5013929273436)

"So Who The Hell Is STACK WADDY? The Complete Works 1970-1972" by STACK WADDY (November 2017 UK Cherry Red 3CD Reissue with 2007 Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

This Review Along With Almost 300 Others Is Available In My

SOUNDS GOOD E-Book on all Amazon sites

1960s and 1970s MUSIC ON CD - Volume 3 of 3

- Exceptional CD Remasters

As well as 1960s and 1970s Rock and Pop - It Also Focuses On

Blues Rock, Prog Rock, Psych, Avant Garde, Underground

Folk-Rock, Singer-Songwriter, Country Rock and more

Just Click Below To Purchase for £3.95

Thousands of E-Pages - All Details and In-Depth Reviews From Discs

(No Cut and Paste Crap)

"...The Meat Pies Are Here..."

Talk about yer British underdog unknowns. I was the Rarities Manager at Reckless Records in Soho for nearly 20 years and Stack Waddy albums on John Peel's Dandelion Records we're not as they say in used-record parlance - growing on the ample side of your Aunty Godzilla's posterior.

Listed in the 2018 Edition of the Record Collector Rare Record Price Guide at £175 each - these grotty slices of early Seventies boogie hedonism must have sold absolute jack at the time (with some diddly squat thrown in for good measure). In fact I’d say I've seen actual physical copies of their February 1971 and October 1972 LPs maybe three times over four decades of collecting and listening. I suppose the egg 'n' greasy chips Ten Years After boogie of Manchester's Stack Waddy just didn't blend in with 1971 and 1972 - years dominated by sensitive singer-songwriters, horizon-expanding Prog Rock and eventually the speckled face-glitter, lip-gloss and boa-scarf prancing of androgynous Glam Rockers.

It didn't help either that with only two original songs on the debut and three on the follow-up (all others were R&B and Blues standards) and their almost deliberate grimy, lo-fi production values courtesy of big fan British DJ John Peel - Stack Waddy felt like little more than a glorified covers band. On the plus side – lead singer, harmonica player and whistling shouter John Knail had a voice that was literally channelling Captain Beefheart's vocal growl on every song - whilst guitarist Mick Stott went Bo Diddley on his undoubtedly physically traumatised guitar. Not a bad combo says you - and you'd be right - at times these low down, dirty, gutbucket versions are like Budgie's no-nonsense aural assault - get in, do the gritty business and leave. But then at other times they simply sound derivative – uninspired and if they extend three-minute wonders to something more drawn out - overstay their welcome entirely. The overall listen is a bit of both, truth be told. To specifics…

This is not the first time for Cherry Red Records and Stack Waddy – CR reissued both albums onto Remastered 'Expanded Edition' CDs back in July 2007 with 9 Bonus Tracks on the debut and 5 on the second. All 14 of those then Previously Unreleased versions have been gathered onto Disc 3 here in 2017. So although there’s technically nothing new here - Cherry Red's slimly packaged triple-disc card pack does offer up a very cool reminder – once more making available genuinely desirable 70ts platters whilst throwing Rarities, Out-Takes and BBC Concert Recordings into the sozzled bargain. Here are the Repossession Blues and Milk Cow Booze...

UK released 17 November 2017 - "So Who The Hell Is STACK WADDY? The Complete Works 1970-1972" by STACK WADDY on Cherry Red Records CDTRED 713 (Barcode 5013929171336) is a 3CD retrospective featuring their two studio albums "Stack Waddy" (1971) and "Bugger Off" (1972) along with Bonus Rarities and plays out as follows:

Disc 1 "Stack Waddy" (35:49 minutes):

1. Road Runner [Side 1]

2. Bring It To Jerome

3. Mothballs

4. Sure 'Nuff 'N' Yes I Do

5. Love Story

6. Susie Q [Side 2]

7. Country Line Special

8. Rollin' Stone

9. Mystic Eyes

10. Kentucky

Tracks 1 to 10 are their debut album "Stack Waddy" - released February 1971 in the UK on Dandelion Records DAN 8003 (no US issue). Produced by JOHN and SHEILA PEEL (credited at Eddie Lee Beppeaux and Miss Pig) - it didn't chart. All tracks are cover versions except "Mothballs" and "Kentucky" which are band compositions

Disc 2 "Bugger Off" (44:04 minutes):

1. Rosalyn [Side 1]

2. Willie The Pimp

3. I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man

4. It's All Over Now

5. Several Yards (Foxtrot)

6. You Really Got Me

7. I'm A Lover, Not A Fighter [Side 2]

8. Meat Pies 'Ave Come But The Band's Not Here Yet!

9. It Ain't Easy

10. Long Tall Sally (Mainly)

11. Repossession Boogie

12. The Girl From Ipanema

Tracks 1 to 12 are their second and last studio album "Bugger Off" ("Bugger Off! on the artwork, "Bugger Off" on the label) - released October 1972 in the UK on Dandelion Records 2310 231 (no US issue).

Disc 3 "Hunt The Stag - Outtakes, Live and Rarities" (62:39 minutes):

1. With One Leap Dan Was By Her Side, 'Muriel' He Breathed

2. Ginny Jo

3. Hunt The Stag

4. Mystic Eyes (Alternative Version)

5. (Almost) Milk Cow Booze

6. Leavin' Here

7. I'm A Lover, Not A Fighter

8. Here Comes The Glimmer Man

9. Nadine

Tracks 1 to 9 first appeared as Previously Unreleased Bonus Tracks on the July 2007 'Expanded Edition' CD Reissue of "Stack Waddy" on Cherry Red CD MRED 318 (Barcode 5013929131828). Tracks 1 and 2 above recorded November 1970 at the Marquee Studios for an aborted 2nd album - Tracks 3 to 10 recorded May 1971 for the same

10. Mama Keep Your Big Mouth Shut (Live At The BBC, 1971)

11. Repossession Blues (Live At The BBC, 1971)

12. Lawdy Miss Clawdy...Meets Sooty 'N Sweep (Live At The BBC, 1971)

13. Jack & Jill Meet Blind Pugh On The Spot (Live At The BBC, 1971)

14. Mama Keep Your Big Mouth Shut

Tracks 10 to 14 first appeared as Previously Unreleased Bonus Tracks on the July 2007 'Expanded Edition' CD Reissue of "Bugger Off" on Cherry Red CD MRED 331 (Barcode 5013929133129). Tracks 10 to 13 recorded liv at The Paris Theatre, 22 July 1971 and broadcast 12 September 1971 by the BBC. Track 14 is a studio version of "Mama Keep Your Big Mouth Shut" that first appeared as an exclusive track on the 1972 Dandelion Records Sampler LP "There Is Some Fun Going Forward" on Dandelion 2485 021

STACK WADDY was:

JOHN KNAIL – Lead Vocals, Shouts, Whistles and Harmonica

MICK STOTT – Guitars

STUART BANHAM – Bass

STEVE REVELL - Drums on "Stack Waddy"

JOHN GROOM – Drums on "Bugger Off"

The slim outer card slipcase houses three singular card repro sleeves (as listed above) and a well laid-out, expertly annotated 20-page booklet with new September 2017 liner notes from NIGEL CROSS. Each of the single card sleeves (no gatefold for the debut unfortunately) contains a CD with the three variants of the Dandelion Records label - the two CBS-distributed colours and the Polydor-distributed variant for the 3rd. The booklet's a feast of memorabilia photos - colour snaps of the four-piece in (drunken) full flow, UK label repo's of the rare 45s for "Road Runner" and "You Really Got Me" along with a unique Euro pic sleeve on Polydor for "You Really Got Me" featuring the cover of Zappa's "Willie The Pimp" on the flipside. 

There's Dandelion Records headed letters announcing the debut 45 of "Road Runner" for July 1970 with the album supposed to arrive in September 1970 (it was delayed until February 1971) and even a poster of the 'Progressive Blues Festival' at the Pavilion Gardens in Buxton, Derby where DJ shaker and maker John Peel saw, loved and signed the band. Peel’s liner notes for the second LP are here as is John Tobler’s article for the underground Zig Zag magazine reviewing the 2nd album in October 1972. The band’s Bassist Stuart Banham also contributes reminiscences.

There is no mention anywhere of mastering so I'm presuming these are the 2007 versions (no engineers named). These LPs were always lo-fi and that's reflected in the Remaster - but the recordings are still punchy and well done with Disc 3 offering up a tantalising prospect of what Stack Waddy might have been had they had more time to crack the markets or perhaps even just used live shows as their released LPs.

Overall - you can't help thinking that much like Humble Pie who would have to wait until November 1971’s "Performance: Rockin' The Fillmore" to unleash their explosive brew on a stunned world (a full four studio albums since 1969 behind them on two different labels) - Stack Waddy must have been an awesome thing on a good night in the live environment. But even die-hard fans of Blues Boogie and Hard Rock would have to admit that both LPs seem ever so slightly muted in terms of sheer excitement – something lost in translation.

The self-titled debut opens with the album's one and only single "Road Runner" - a cover of the Bo Diddley (Eugene McDaniels) classic paired with "Kentucky" on the B-side - one of only two band originals on the album (penned by all four). Dandelion S 5119 was UK issued 24 July 1970 but received little airplay and reputedly had distribution problems because of a change over from CBS to Warner Brothers. Up next came another Diddley Daddy connection - the Jerome Green song "Bring It To Jerome" which had been covered by Diddley on his 1958 Chess Records debut album "Bo Diddley". What strikes you about the opening duel salvo is two things - Knail's rasping almost hysterical Beefheart kind of voice and the raw nature of the band's performance as loosely captured by Peel. 

Stack Waddy reminded you of booze and bars and bands playing with cheap equipment rammed up too loud. Their cover of Jethro Tull's "Love Story" is a clever take on a familiar song, the same for the Cyril Davis shuffler "Country Line Special" - but their decidedly ordinary version of "Susie Q" was done better by Creedence over on Liberty Records (originally a hit for Dale Hawkins). And in a song that should have been bread and butter to the band - their Muddy Waters "Rolling Stone" version is oddly unappetising for such a bulletproof standard. The day is saved by Van Morrison's Them and their "Mystic Eyes" - here turned into a six-minute droning guitar-blaster the Belfast band would have been utterly bemused by. Stack Waddy's debut album ends on "Mothballs" – the album's other original - a sort of second rate Chuck Berry knockoff that's good rather than great and has some really naff production.

While the debut could lay claim to a sheer passion that still reverberates to this day – the band should have seen the writing on the wall. Without their own tunes and an audience for that crash-bang-wallop Stack Waddy sound – LP number two would be the end of them – and it was. Peel rejected the aborted ‘Marquee Studio’ sessions for the second platter as 'too polished' and we can hear them on Disc 3 (he actually had a point). But despite its derivative and slightly desperate title ("Bugger Off! for God's sake) – their second slice of re-booted covers and three originals is far better in my mind that the debut.

For sure a band doing "The Girl From Ipanema" or "Long Tall Sally" in 1972 was already very old hat - Sha Na Na territory – even if Stack Waddy make a convincing and original-sounding stab at both. But the covers of Zappa's "Willie The Pimp" and The Kinks incendiary "You Really Got Me" shine here as does the incredibly Punky opener "Rosalyn" where Stack Waddy feel like The Stooges had a baby with The New York Dolls. There's a wonderful down-home boogie to the Bobby Womack standard "It's All Over Now" (made more famous by The Stones and Rod Stewart) and I can't help thinking it could have been a shoe-in for a second single but by the album’s release Dandelion Records had run out of money and the band run out of love and stamina. Not that it shows on the LP. Their own "Several Yards (Foxtrot)" is pure dirty Rock - grungy guitar over on the left - wailing Harmonica on the right with Knail giving it some "I'm Gonna Booglarize You Baby" growls. A fantastic screw-it-all boogie and chug takes "Meat Pies..." close to Ten Years After at their dirty best (another good original from the band). The vocals are all over the place on "It Ain't Easy" (like Lee Brilleaux of the Feelgoods doing a rough demo) - another messy little boogie beast that feels like fun even now (think Status Quo circa "In My Chair" with Harmonicas). Five and half minutes of their own "Repossession Boogie" shows just how 'Ten Years After' Stack Waddy were – a fantastic little rocker that mixes in Bluesy let-that-boy-boogie-woogie lyrics with huge power chords and frantic Harp – the band on fire as they my-mama-told-me that sucker.

The first nine tracks of Disc 3 are the guts of the aborted second LP and as good as the 'when did you blow in' "Ginny Jo" is - both it (a Ten Years After vibe), the pained "(Almost) Milk Cow Booze" and the stodgy "Hunt The Stag" (a sort of poor man's Black Sabbath) are weak - so it was a smart decision to go with what was released. Their 3:45 minute take on Chuck Berry's "Nadine" sounds like Stack Waddy have just become an embryonic Dr. Feelgood - great fun. Another welcome inclusion for heavy-heavy 70ts nuts is the very grungy studio version of "Mama Keep Your Big Mouth Shut" that turned up as an exclusive on the Dandelion Records LP sampler "There Is Some Fun In Going Forward" - the kind of snarling beast that would get some bands bottled.

STACK WADDY will not be for everyone and that's for damn sure - but those who love their Rock with a nasty, lowdown snarl should look no further...

"Dust On The Nettles: A Journey Through The British Underground Folk Scene 1967-72" by VARIOUS ARTISTS (2015 Grapefruit 3CD Box Set Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"...A Branchy Tree..."

I love box sets like this. Brilliantly put together, chock full of forgotten left-of-centre music that’s worth rediscovering (mostly Acid Folk) and all of it presented in fact-filed style by good guys who genuinely care (compiled by David Wells and John Reed). In terms of Audio and Presentation everything about "Dust On The Nettles" on the Grapefruit Label (a part of Cherry Red Records) feels classy and even features some big-time scoops in Previously Unreleased demos for mighty names like Fairport Convention, The Incredible String Band and Tyrannosaurus Rex.

I know my music from the period (or at least I thought I did) – but I’d happily admit that there are obscurities on "Dust On The Nettles" that have completely eluded my decades of scouring racks – and they’re not the kind of musical creations that should be forgotten either. Some of these rarities number 10 copies (The Moths) or 99 copies (Frozen Tear) while others made it unto decent independent labels like Dawn, Pye, Island, Dandelion, Immediate and Decca. It’s also pleasing to say that apart from a few rough tapes here and there and despite the myriad sources – the audio is exceptionally good throughout - and as you can see from the total playing times – each disc is generously chock to the gills. There’s a ton of stuff on here – so once more with our dandelion stalks and joss sticks unto the pagan green altars (ye heathens of England)...

UK released 29 June 2015 (July 2015 in the USA) – "Dust On The Nettles: A Journey Through The British Underground Folk Scene 1967-72" is a 63-track 3CD Set in a Clamshell Box on Grapefruit CRESEGBOX 030 (Barcode 5013929183001) with a 36-page booklet and pans out as follows:

Disc 1 (78:34 minutes, 20 tracks):

1. Let No Man Steal Your Thyme – THE PENTANGLE (from their debut UK album "The Pentangle" released June 1968 on Transatlantic TRA 162. Also issued in the USA as a 7" single on Reprise 0794, A)

2. Willow’s Song – MAGNET (Recorded in 1972 for "The Wicker Man" Soundtrack LP but not issued)

3. Come All You Travellers – WIGHT (September 1970 French-Only 7" single on French Festival SPX 147)

4. Love Is A Funny Thing – SPIROGYRA [with Barbara Gaskin on Lead Vocals] (on the UK LP "St. Radigunds" released September 1971 on B&C Records CAS 1042)

5. Images Of Passing Clouds – GARY FARR (recorded 1968, Previously Unreleased Demo Version)

6. Peek Strangely And Worried Evening – SYNANTHESIA (on the LP "Synanthesia" released November 1969 on RCA Victor SF 8058)

7. Glass Of Water – BOG & CAROLE PEGG (on the UK LP "And Now It Is So Early: Songs Of Sydney Carter" on Galliard GAL 4017)

8. Winter Is Blue – VASHTI BUNYAN (on the Various Artists Soundtrack LP "Let's All Make Love In London" released July 1968 in the UK on Instant INLP 002)

9. Winter Is A Coloured Bird – COMUS (from the 3-track 7” Single EP "Diana" first released in the UK January 1971 on Dawn DNX 2506 – non-album track).

10. The Seagulls Scream – CHRISSIE QUAYLE (from the 1970 UK LP "Sounds Like West Cornwall" on Sentinel SENS 1001)

11. Stories Of Jesus – CLIVE PALMER (recorded 1967, not originally issued)

12. Amanda – STEVE PEREGRIN TOOK’S SHAGRAT (Recorded circa November 1969, Not Originally Issued)

13. Curious Crystals Of Unusual Purity – BRIDGET ST. JOHN (from the August 1969 UK LP "Ask Me No Questions" on Dandelion S 63750)

14. Roses For Columbus – MARK FRY (from the June 1972 Italian LP "Dreaming With Alice" on ZSLT 70006)

15. Till The Morning Comes – DANDO SHAFT (from the May 1971 UK LP "Dando Shaft" on RCA Neon NE 5)

16. Black Girl – MARY-ANNE (Paterson) (from the April 1970 UK LP "Me" on Joy Records JOYS 162)

17. The Garden Of Jane Delawney (from the May 1970 UK LP "The Garden Of Jane Delawney" on CBS Records S 63837)

18.  Weirdsong Of Breaking Through At Last – PRINCIPAL EDWARDS MAGIC THEATRE (from the February 1971 UK LP "The Asmoto Running Band" on Dandelion Records DAN 8002)

19. Minas Tirith – OBERON (from the August 1971 UK LP "A Midsummer Night's Dream" on Acorn OBE LPS 1)

20. Prisoners, Victims, Strangers, Friends – PAPER BAUBLE (recorded October 1970, Previously Unreleased)

Disc 2 (79:29 minutes, 22 tracks):

1. Pilgrim – GERALD MOORE (recorded 1972, Previously Unissued)

2. River Lane – MELTON CONSTABLE (recorded 1972, Previously Unissued)

3. Way Out Hermit – MOONKYTE (from the November 1971 UK LP "Count Me Out" on Mother SMOT 1)

4. All Things Are Quite Silent – STEELEYE SPAN (from the June 1970 UK LP "Hark! The Village Wait" on RCA Records SF 8113)

5. Upon Reflection – HERON (from the November 1970 UK LP "Heron" on Dawn DNLS 3010)

6. Love Is Come Again – PARCHMENT (from the December 1972 UK LP "Light Up The Fire" on Pye International NSPL 18388)

7. Stargazer – SHELAGH McDONALD (from the September 1971 UK LP "Stargazer" on B&C Records CAS 1043)

8. There Are No Greater Heroes – TONY CARO & JOHN (1972 UK Self-Financed LP "All On The First Day")

9. Visionary Mountain – JOAN ARMATRADING (from the November 1972 UK LP "Whatever's For Us" on Cube Records HIFLY 12)

10. Glow Of The Firelight – TUESDAY (recorded August 1972, Previously Unreleased)

11. Searching For Lambs – WARM GOLD (from the 1972 UK LP "Sounds Like North Cornwall" on Sentinel SENS 1011)

12. Samantha Carol Fragments – BENJAMIN DELANEY LION (from the October 1969 Privately Pressed UK LP "Satori" on Hollick & Taylor, 70 Copies Only)

13. Fotheringay (Demo Version) – FAIRPORT CONVENTION (recorded February 1969, Previously Unreleased)

14. You Know What Has To Be – FROZEN TEAR (Privately Pressed UK 7” single of 99 Copies released September 1969 on RA Records RA 5001. B-side is a cover version of Free's "The Hunter" that was mistakenly credited as the A)

15. Meanwhile Back In The Forest – HUNT, LUNT & CUNNINGHAM (March 1972 UK 7” single on Pye International 7N 45125, A)

16. First Girl I Loved – THE INCREDIBLE STRING BAND (recorded early 1969, Previously Unreleased Demo Version)

17. Halfdan’s Daughter – THE MOTHS (July 1970 UK LP "The Moths" available only on a Deroy Sound Service Test Pressing, 10 copies)

18. The Mutant – TRADER HORNE (from the March 1970 UK LP "Morning Way" on Dawn DNLS 3004)

19. Meeting By The Moonlight Mill – DRY HEART (recorded early 1970, Previously Unreleased)

20. Highways (Misty Mist) – TYRANNOSAURUS REX (recorded August 1967, Previously Unreleased)

21. Gabilan – DUNCAN BROWNE (from the August 1968 debut UK LP "Give Me Take You" on Immediate IMSP 018)

22. Sand All Yellow – KEVIN COYNE (from the November 1972 UK LP "Case History" on Dandelion 2310 228)

Disc 3 (78:50 minutes, 21 tracks):

1. Garden Song – BILL FAY (recorded early 1969, Previously Unreleased Demo Version)

2. Music Of The Ages – C.O.B. [Clive’s Own Band] (from the November 1971 UK LP "Spirit Of Love" on CBS Records S 69010)

3. A Song For The System – EVERYONE INVOLVED (from the 1972 Privately Pressed LP (1000 copies) of "Either/Or" on Arcturus ARC 4)

4. The Colour Is Blue – COUNTRY SUN (from the November 1972 UK Label Sampler LP "There Is Some Fun Going Forward" on Dandelion 2485 021)

5. Silent Village – WILD COUNTRY (from the May 1970 UK 7" single on Trafalgar TRAF1, A)

6. Welcome To The Citadel – MARC BRIERLEY (from the February 1969 UK LP "Welcome To The Citadel" on CBS Records S 63478)

7. The Evil Venus Tree – THE OCCASIONAL WORD (from the February 1970 UK LP on "The Year Of The Great Leap Sideways" on Dandelion DAN 63753)

8. Standing On The Shore – ANNE BRIGGS (from the November 1971 UK LP "The Time Has Come" on CBS Records S 64612)

9. Kind Sir – AGINCOURT (from the 1970 UK LP "Fly Away" on Merlin HF 3)

10. Eagle – MICK SOFTLEY (from the November 1970 UK LP "Sunrise" on CBS Records S 64098)

11. Rosemary Hill – FRESH MAGGOTS (from the September 1971 UK LP "Fresh Maggots" on RCASF 8205)

12. The Happy King – MUSIC BOX (from the 1972 UK LP "Songs Of Sunshine" on Westwood MRS 013)

13. Me And My Kite – FUCHSIA (from the October 1971 UK LP "Fuchsia" on Pegasus PEG 8)

14. Wizard Shep – THE SUN ALSO RISES (from the October 1970 UK LP "The Sun Also Rises" on Village Thing VTS 2)

15. Scarborough Fair – FOLKAL POINT (from the 1972 UK LP "Folkal Point" on Midas MR 003, 500 copies only)

16. Prisoner – MARIE CELESTE (from the Privately Pressed April 1971 UK LP "And Then Perhaps" (No label), 200 copies only)

17. Patrice – SIMON FINN (from the April 1971 UK LP "Pass The Distance" on Mushroom 100 MR)

18. Girl Of The Cosmos – SHIDE & ACORN (from the June 1971 UK LP "Under The Tree" on Solent SM 011, 99 copies only)

19. Elegy To A Dead King – CHIMERA (recorded circa 1968, Previously Unreleased)

20. Silence Returns – BEAU (from the June 1971 UK LP "Creation" on Dandelion DAN 8006)

21. Orange Days And Purple Nights – MOTHER NATURE (from the October 1971 UK 7" single on B&C Records CB 166, A)

The 36-page booklet is beautifully done – each artist gets a detailed paragraph and in most cases their rare albums pictured – the text is also peppered with memorabilia like concert tickets, trade adverts for eclectic labels like B&C Records and Kingdom, double colour plates for Oberon, Heron and Mark Fry with black and whites of all the others. I know the Anne Briggs, Parchment, Heron and Trader Horne album covers fairly well and I've reviewed the likes of Bridget St. John, Dando Shaft and Marc Brierley on quality reissue CDs - but stuff like the Euro releases of Wight and the privately pressed LPs are new to me. The DAVID WELLS liner notes are fabulous – full of details that amaze with pithy observations that tickle your interest for more - while the whole shebang is dedicated to two heroes of the genre who passed in 2014 and 2015 – Clive Palmer of The Incredible String Band and John Renbourn of Pentangle. The audio is by SIMON MURPHY at Another Planet Music and is superb overall (with the occasional dip depending on the rarity of the source).

Disc 1 opens on an absolute winner – Pentangle mixing Traditional English Folk with trippy Rock thereby creating Folk-Rock (or Acid Folk in this case). As Jacqui McShee sings "...a woman is a branchy tree..." and John Renbourn slaps those chiming six strings - the audio on this sucker is awesome – beautifully in your face like 1967's "London Conversation" by John Martyn. It's followed by a clever choice "Willow's Song" – an acoustic ballad from "The Wicker Man" soundtrack (never released at the time) sung by Linda Mackay who played Daisy in the horror movie (apparently Pentangle were lined up to do the music hence the connection). Gary Farr’s track is gorgeous too and so inventive in its rhythms and vocal arrangements. Unfortunately there’s bad tape wobble on the gorgeous Synanthesia track “Peek Strangely And Worried Evening” – as lovely a Folk Rock melody as I’ve ever heard. Former Mr. Fox couple Bob & Carole Pegg make lovely racket on the very Mike Oldfield sounding “Glass Of Water”. Amongst collectors Vashti Bunyan’s sole album “Just Another Diamond Day on Philips in its pretty stippled gatefold has now become a legend for both its Prog Folk musical beauty and its staggering cost (£1500 + to acquire a copy). Here we get Vashti’s equally heralded earlier work at the hands of Andrew Loog Oldham where he teamed her up with members of Immediate’s Twice As Much to produce the spellbinding “Winter Is Blue” for the 1968 “Let All Make Love In London” soundtrack LP. The 8-minute Comus track (EP only) steps away from their usual doom and gloom “First Utterance” songs to offer up a truly fabulous piece called “Winter Is A Coloured Bird” where they come at you like a cross between Deram’s Mellow Candle and Roy Harper on Harvest (a combo that will send shivers down the spine of many). It’s one of those long songs that doe not overstay its welcome but amazes – not just in terms of the acoustic guitar playing but especially the vocal layers – up and down like waves in the sea – inventive and special.

Disc 2 has a gorgeous Previously Unreleased track in “River Lane” by the delightfully titled MELTON CONSTABLE and you can ‘so’ hear why the fantastic trippy Sitar Folk of MOONKYTE commands some astronomical prices on original vinyl (£400 to £600 in a pop-up Spire sleeve). I’ve never been moved by STEELEYE SPAN but the HERON track is superb (literally recorded in a Berkshire field while smoking Lebanese) – very Matthews Southern Comfort in its English Folk-Rock feel as they sing of “...making daisy chains...” Sung by Sue McClellan - “Love Is Come Again” by PARCHMENT is another Sitar trippy jaunt that makes you want to shake your head from side to side as you exit the city rat race. It’s cleverly followed by the beautiful Robert Kirby string arrangements of “Stargazer” and the Sandy Denny-like vocals of SHELAGH McDONALD. Her two albums on Charisma’s B&C Records have steadily risen in value over the years as people discover their Mellow Candle beauty. I wouldn’t have thought of including JOAN ARMATRADING in this compilation – but it’s another smart choice. “Visionary Mountains” from her overlooked 1972 debut LP “Whatever’s For Us” features piano, acoustic guitars and more importantly a Sitar background that lends the track an Acid Folk hippy feel (Manfred Fred covered the song on their 1975 “Nightingales And Bombers” LP). The Fairport demo is excellent if not a little hissy (Denny’s voice still thrills). With a decidedly dodgy band name like HUNT, LUNT & CUNNINGHAM – their lone Pye single “Meanwhile Back In The Forest” sounds like 1960s Jefferson Airplane meets The Mamas and Papas for a 1972 song (and amazingly there’s a publicity photo for them on Page 24 advertising the single). The 5-minute Acoustic Demo of “First Girl I Loved” by The Incredible String Band is gorgeous – a real find – pure and melodic and a sweet professional recording too. I’ve always thought the Trader Horne album a bit of a masterpiece. Apparently named after John Peel’s Nanny – it sounds like Al Stewart Acoustic Folk mixed with Ian Anderson Flute. Roughest audio cut (clearly dubbed from a disc) goes to “Meeting By The Moonlight Mill” by Dry Heart – which is a damn shame because there’s genius in the guitars and doubled-vocal melodies (I’d love to hear a good tape of this). A highly polished Demo of “Highways (Misty Mist)” has Bolan’s high whine giving the song a huge (bit of a sweet find too). Duncan Browne’s magical classical guitar and top-end vocals imbibe “Gabilan” with a beauty that is quite breathtaking at times. Disc 2 ends with a winner – Kevin Coyne’s Folk Rock “Sand All Yellow” where he sings like a strangulated Captain Beefheart warning about over-zealous Doctors and their helpful pills.

Disc 3 has Clive’s Own Band (C.O.B.) giving us the pretty air of “Music Of The Ages” – another massively collectable album and artist. The hippy nonsense of “come little mirror” at the end of “A Song For The System” by Everyone Involved may indeed be a chant too far for many – but better is the Acoustic beauty of Country Sun’s “The Colour Is Blue” where they sound like America or Help Yourself at their most mellow. The audio on the Wild Country track isn’t great (like a bootleg). I’ve reviewed both of the Marc Brierley albums reissued for CD by Esoteric Recordings (see my SOUNDS GOOD Book – Exceptional CD Remasters 1960s and 1970s Volume 2) – and both are lovely. There’s a superb one-two with The Occasional Word and Anne Briggs – two Folk tunes that feel timeless and yet innovative somehow. And on it goes...

Admittedly after a while it can be hard to hear another fay vocal accompanied by a hovering low-breath flute ensconcing lyrics about communing with dandelions, fairies and a set of stones in Bognor Regis – but – and I do mean this - there is so much to discover on here and more importantly – so much to love. Like Blues and Country – Folk Music seems to throw up an unending amount of genius and genuine innovation for a genre that is perceived by many as being locked into only one groove and one sound. The British Underground Folk Scene from those two astonishing decades seems to finally be coming out to play.

Equal in my books to the wonderful Universal 3CD Box Sets covering the Island, Polydor, Decca, Deram and Vertigo Labels of a few years back (I've reviewed them all) – and acting as a sort of complimentary set to the "Love, Poetry & Revolution" 3CD Box Set that mines similar territory (also on Grapefruit) - there is so much to enjoy on "Dust On The Nettles" – there really is.

A dangling conversation indeed... Well done to the boys at Grapefruit for frolicking in the fronds, snorting fennel and dancing naked around the campfire for us (at my age I tend to keep my clothes on)...

This review and many others like it is available in one of my 5 e-books on CD Remasters: 

SOUNDS GOOD: Exceptional CD Remasters 1960s and 1970s Volume 2...

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