"Beggars Banquet" by THE ROLLING STONES (2002 Abkco 'Hybrid SACD/DSD' CD Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"...Pass Through Here Again..."

When the Decca label side of the Stones 60ts catalogue first came out on CD in 1986 on London - it was not the greatest moment for the new format. Thankfully this 2002 reissue acknowledges that previous travesty and advises that after 'long and painful' searches through tape vaults on both sides of the Atlantic - both time and technology had caught up enough to warrant a proper stab at it again - and man what a result. Both 1968's "Beggars Banquet" and the follow-up genius of "Let It Bleed” in 1969 shine on these 'hybrid' reissues. Here are the street fighting details...

Euro released August 2002 on Abkco 8823012 (Barcode 042288230120) - it's a straightforward transfer of the album (39:47 minutes):

1. Sympathy For The Devil

2. No Expectations

3. Dear Doctor

4. Parachute Woman

5. Jigsaw Puzzle

6. Street Fighting Man [Side 2]

7. Prodigal Son

8. Stray Cat Blues

9. Factory Girl

10. Salt Of The Earth

Tracks 1 to 10 are the album "Beggars Banquet" - released December 1968 in the UK on Decca LK 4955 (Mono) and SKL 4955 (Stereo) and in the USA on London LL 3539 (Mono) and PS 539 (Stereo). Only the Stereo mix is used.

The UK album had plain white artwork on its laminated gatefold sleeve – apparently a reaction by Decca UK to the furore over the infamous American 'toilet sleeve'. As this CD is US-based it uses the 'toilet sleeve' as its artwork. The three-way foldout card digipak sleeve has basic track details on the furthest inside flap, an explanation on the SACD/DSD compatible CD and process on the second flap as well as the inner UK gatefold sleeve artwork used underneath the see-through tray (and as the label of the CD itself). There’s also a small square 'Certificate Of Authenticity' with 2002 originals for the 'Inaugural Edition Hybrid Disc 2002' which is numbered on the rear black and white photo (6) with lyrics to the "Jumpin' Jack Flash" B-side "Child Of The Moon" printed on one side. I believe each of these original 'Inaugural' inserts are numbered up to 12 or more. 

Made by Sony and Phillips - the SACD/DSD Hybrid Disc actually has two layers - the first contains the normal CD playback - but the other layer has a SACD remaster which will automatically come on if your machine has SACD playback facilities (it doesn't require a special machine to play this disc). Given a careful transfer and remaster by Steve Rosenthal, Teri Landi and Bob Ludwig - the sonic transformation of Jimmy Miller's original production is awesome. Let's get to that...

Right from the opening moments of "Sympathy For The Devil" with its sleazy rhythms and shotgun flicking guitars - you know you're in the presence of something special. By the time the chants of "Ooh Ooh" snake their way in – you're totally won over (Anita Pallenberg, Marianne Faithful, piano player Nicky Hopkins and Producer Jimmy Miller are all in their as well as most of the Stones on the Backing Vocals). "Sympathy For The Devil" is an Audio triumph and what a storming opener it is too (no wonder it gets used in so many movies). Things get even better with the Bluesy acoustic "No Expectations" where Keith Richards strums a restrained but melodic Acoustic - while Brian Jones plays a blinder on Slide (this is easily one of my favourite Stones track – lyrics from it title this review).

We get the inevitable drugs and debauchery song in "Dear Doctor" where Mick Jagger pleads rather caustically "...there's a pain where there once was a heart..." Thrown into the mix is Nicky Hopkins doing a gin-soaked piano, Dave Mason of Traffic playing guitar and Brian Jones once again anchoring the song with an ever-present warbling harmonica. We then get down and dirty with "Parachute Woman" where the Stones go Blues Rock as only they can. Without any thought for technology – the track is pure feel - mean and gritty with Keith giving it some grungy Slide (usually Brian Jone's domain). Side 1 ends with more of the same Bluesy Grit as "Jigsaw Woman" talks of tramps with eye-catching clothes and gangsters with Lugers who go home to their family after a hard day's killing while Mick just wants to do his Jigsaw Puzzle in peace.

I've never worked out if the opening guitar sound to "Street Fighting Man" is pure genius or crappy Production values (quite possibly a bit of both). Whatever history tells us - one minute into the song and you just know it's a stone cold classic. Released as a single in the USA with a rare picture sleeve that was immediately withdrawn – it would have been nice to see that rarity pictured in the digipak. At least Brian Jone's Sitar playing comes out of the mix a bit clearer as does Nicky Hopkin's clever piano refrain during the song fade-out (he contributed so much to this album and "Let It Bleed"). "Prodigal Son" feels like an old-timey spiritual the way Jagger sings it but the remaster has done little to Jone's Harmonica, which is still way back in the mix. Still don't know who the girl is that playfully says "Ah!" at the beginning of the swaggering "Stray Cat Blues" – a tune about ladies wanting to join the band in post gig celebrations while the naughty Rollers don’t ask too many questions about their dates of birth (how did they get away with that crap). After the slightly sleazy bravado of "Stray Cat Blues" – the genuinely sweet "Factory Girl" manages to be that cool thing in the Rolling Stones repertoire – a pretty song. Family's Rick Grech plays Violin on it while Traffic’s Dave Mason adds a Mandolin backbeat with Charlie Watts playing Tabla instead of Drums (giving the song a softer touch). Keith's endearing whine opens the shared Lead Vocals on the album closer "Salt Of The Earth" where they want to "...raise a glass to the hard-working people..." - how decent of them. It features The Watts Street Gospel Choir from Los Angeles – a group of unemployed kids getting their moment of fame. The Audio on this track is the best I’ve ever heard it and ends the album on a high...

Whether you go for the 2002 SACD/CD Hybrid issue (now available for as little as a fiver from some online retailers) or plumb for the prettier but more expensive Japanese SHM-CD from 2010 which uses the 2002 remaster but also offers the white UK artwork as part of its repro sleeve – either way you’re on a winner. And The Stones would only get better with the three studio albums that followed - "Let It Bleed" (1969), "Sticky Fingers" (1971) and "Exile On Main St." (1972). Yank that chain baby...

"Ian Levine's Solid Stax Sensations" by VARIOUS ARTISTS (2015 Ace/Kent-Soul CD – Duncan Cowell Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"...You're My Only Temptation..."

I love enthusiasm. Take "Your Love Is Strange" by The Dramatics. British DJ and Northern Soul devotee IAN LEVINE practically endangers his undergarments when describing the song - calling it "Awesome Detroit" and "So Cooooooool!" And when its incessant hooky groove (that literally gets under your skin) combines with the stunning gravel-for-breakfast lead vocal of Ron Banks – I have to say that the obsessed Englishman is absolutely on the money. Rave on my son...

"Solid Stax Sensations" is brilliant stuff – a stormingly good CD compilation in a sea of lesser competitors. Mostly made up of American Stax and Volt singles from 1969 to 1974 – you get 25 primo tracks - lesser-heard gems sitting nicely alongside Club favourites and one Previously Unreleased Stax outtake. It also boasts truly wonderful Audio and a double-album's value for money at 73 minutes. Here are the solid sender details...

UK released 31 July 2015 (August 2015 in the USA) – "Ian Levine's Solid Stax Sensations" by VARIOUS ARTISTS on Ace/Kent-Soul CDKEND 435 (Barcode 029667243520) breaks down as follows (72:58 minutes):

1. And I Love You – BOBBY WHITLOCK (1968 USA 7" single on Hip HIA-8001, A)

2. Ain't No Need Of Crying – THE RANCE ALLEN GROUP (1974 USA 7" single on Truth TRA-3210, A)

3. Can You Win – CHARLENE (1970 USA 7" single on Paradox PAR-105, B-side to "Love Changes")

4. (Let Hurt Put You In The) Loser's Seat – JONI WILSON (1971 USA 7" single on Volt VOA-4070, A)

5. You're My Only Temptation – ROZ RYAN (1970 USA 7" single on Volt VOA-4040, A)

6. City Of Fools – COLETTE KELLY (1969 USA 7" single on Volt VOA-4018, A)

7. Hang On – ANNETTE THOMAS (1972 USA 7” single on Stax STA-0118, A, from the film “Class Of ‘74”)

8. If You Look Into My Eyes – PROUD AS PUNCH (1970 USA 7" single on Stax STA-0081, A)

9. I Refuse To Be Lonely – THE STINGERS (1969 USA 7" single on Stax STA-0035, A)

10. The Man In The Middle – WILLIAM BELL (1973 USA 7" single on Stax STA-0157, A)

11. I Still Love You – THE T.S.U. TORONADOES (1969 USA 7" single on Ovide 243 and Volt VOA-4030, A)

12. Habit Forming Love – REGGIE MILNER (1969 USA 7” single on Volt VOA-4028, A)

13. Put Me In The Mood – SYLVIA & THE BLUE JAYS [Previously Unreleased, 2015]

14. Where Would You Be Today – ILANA (1971 USA 7" single on Volt VOA-4064, A)

15. Special Kind Of Woman – PAUL THOMPSON (1970 USA 7" single on Volt VOA-4042, A)

16. One More Chance – MARGIE JOSEPH (1969 USA 7” single on Volt VOA-4012, A)

17. Your Love Was Strange – DRAMATICS (1972 USA 7” single on Volt VOA-4029, A)

18. Cool My Desire – THE CHEQUES (1969 USA 7” single on HIP HIA-8014, A)

19. The Stars – BARBARA LEWIS (on the 1970 US LP "The Many Grooves Of Barbara Lewis" on Enterprise ENS 1006 and a 1991 UK Reissue 7" single on Horace's HRH-007, B-side to "I'll Never Stop Loving That Man" by Carla Lewis)

20. The Whole World's A Picture Show – THE NEWCOMERS (1974 USA 7" single on Truth TRA-3213, A)

21. I Know A Man Who – THE RANCE ALLEN GROUP (1973 USA 7" single on Gospel Truth GTA-1212, A)

22. The Whole Damn World Is Going Crazy – JOHN GARY WILLIAMS (1974 USA 7" single on Stax STA-0205, A)

23. Since I Lost My Baby's Love – MAJOR LANCE (1972 USA 7" single on Volt VOA-4069, A)

24. If I Give It Up, I Want It Back – DAVID PORTER (1971 USA 7" single on Enterprise ENA-9037, A)

25. Gonna Make It Alright – THE RANCE ALLEN GROUP (1973 USA 7" single on Gospel Truth GTA-1208, A)

The 16-page booklet features wildly enthusiastic liner notes from Genre Lover and Expert IAN LEVINE (a well respected UK Soul Music DJ) - and to say his joy at this music shines through is like saying Picasso liked the odd cube. Levine’s heart and life is in this music and his impeccable taste comes shining through time and time again. As much of the Volt and Gospel Truth stuff from 1969 to 1972 (both Stax subsidiary labels) is pretty much a mystery to most – the newcomer is going to love this feast of Northern Soul while the old hands will admire the clever choices and the pace of the sequencing. This is a fabulous Soul CD to listen to – tracks like the joyous "Where Would You Be Today" by Ilana (a Van McCoy tune on which he also sings backing vocals) or the impossibly expensive yet utterly brilliant "Special Kind Of Woman" by Paul Thompson are proper knockouts.

You also have to mention the superb AUDIO – remastered to perfection by DUNCAN COWELL. Cowell has been an Audio Engineer for Ace compilations for years now and handled most of the brilliant Blue Horizon label CDs of which I’ve reviewed at least 20. The sound is warm, full of presence and hits you time and time again. When you play "The Whole Wide World's A Picture Show" by The Newcomers – vocals, brass, guitars, rhythm section and strings – it all sits centre stage and feels alive and full of well – Soul. Thankfully the compilation avoids anything that's Disco masquerading as Soul (the latest tracks being 1974 with the earliest 1969) and it’s a good strategy (all killer – no filler). There's a heavy bias towards Northern Soul dancers like the wicked groove of "City Of Fools" by Colette Kelly ("...love behind every door...") and "I Still Love You" by The T.S.U. Toronadoes (deliberately spelt that way). Levine calls the wonderful William Bell socially conscious track "The Man In The Street" as being "P for perfect" – and I’d agree. Another sweetheart mid-tempo tune is "You're My Only Temptation" by Roz Ryan (titles this review) while the Previously Unreleased "Put Me In The Mood" by Sylvia & The Blue Jays was probably canned because of its "...ain't gonna let you kiss me unless you put me in the mood..." racy lyrics. And who can resist the gorgeous vibe to "Since I Lost My Baby's Love" by Major Lance – sounding utterly stupendous here too.

Stax compilations are ten-a-penny in truth and with The Complete Stax/Volt Singles Volume 2 and 3 Box Sets (9 and 10 discs) now reissued in 2015 and selling for below forty quid (I’ve reviewed both) – you could argue that it would simply be better to bulk up and make your own compilations. But that's to miss the point. "Ian Levine's Solid Stax Sensations" has been made with real love, affection and expertise - and when you groove to the lovely Barbara Lewis album cut "The Stars" – resistance is not just futile but silly. And would we want it any other way. Way to go Ian – time to get the talcum powder tins at the ready again...

"Love, Poetry And Revolution: A Journey Through The British Psychedelic And Underground Scenes 1966 to 1972" by VARIOUS ARTISTS (2013 Grapefruit 3CD Mini Box Set) - A Review by Mark Barry...

This Review Along With Hundreds of Others Is Available In My

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"...Flying In Purple Ships To The Sun..."

Collated by collectors for collectors – "Love, Poetry & Revolution..." is not your usual run-of-the-mill 60ts trawl through the mushroom-fields of Psych and British Beat – it goes deep and comes up trumps (and even has a hidden bonus track on Disc 3). There's an absolute ton of detail to get through so once more unto the lysergic lava lamps of love (and that's just the left leg baby)...

UK released November 2013 (December 2013 in the USA) - "Love, Poetry And Revolution: A Journey Through The British Psychedelic And Underground Scenes 1966 to 1972" by VARIOUS ARTISTS is a 66-track 3CD Mini Box Set on Grapefruit CRSEGBOX025 (Barcode 5013929782501) and breaks down as follows:

Disc 1 (78:51 minutes):

1. Pretty Colours – DEEP FEELING (not originally issued, recorded circa October 1966)

2. Find The Hidden Door – THE MISUNDERSTOOD (not originally issued, recorded circa June 1966)

3. Am I Glad To See You? – THE IN CROWD (not originally issued, recorded circa October 1966)

4. Day And Night – THE DRAG SET (March 1967 UK 7" single on Go Records AJ 11405, A)

5. A Strange Light From The East – TUESDAY'S CHILDREN (January 1967 UK 7" single on King KG 1051, A)

6. The Wedding Of Ramona Blair – THE MIRAGE (May 1967 UK 7" single on Phillips BF 1571, A)

7. Tread Softly For The Sleepers – THE HI-FIS (April 1967 German 7" single on German Star Club 148 578, A)

8. Mr. Second Class – THE SPENCER DAVIS GROUP (December 1967 UK 7" single on United Artists UP 1203, A)

9. Busy Bee – TINTERN ABBEY (previously unissued demo version, recording circa July/August 1967)

10. I’ll Be Late For Tea – BLOSSOM TOES (previously unissued demo version, recorded circa August 1967)

11. Devil's Grip – THE CRAZY WORLD OF ARTHUR BROWN (September 1967 UK 7" single on Track 604 008, A)

12. Mrs. Gillespie's Refrigerator – SANDS (September 1967 UK 7" single on Reaction 591 017, A)

13. Don’t Go 'Way Little Girl – THE SHAME [featuring Greg Lake of ELP on Lead Vocals] (September 1967 UK 7" single on MGM 1349, A)

14. Rosemary's Bluebell Day – THE PICADILLY LINE(not originally issued, recorded Autumn 1967)

15. Two Little Ladies (Azalea And Rhododendron) – CROCHETED DOUGHNUT (October 1967 UK 7" single on Polydor 56204, A)

16. Second Production – THE MIKE STUART SPAN (nor originally issued, recorded October 1967)

17. Cheadle Heath Delusions – FELIUS ANDROMEDA (November 1967 UK 7" single on Decca F 12694, B-side of "Meditations")

18. Just Another Day – NEON PEARL (not originally issued, recorded late 1967)

19. Jagged Time Lapse – JOHN'S CHILDREN (October 1967 UK 7" single on Track 604010, B-side to "Go Go Girl")

20. Man In Yellow – ONE IN A MILLION (not originally issued, recorded circa December 1967)

21. Crushed Purple - JADE HEXAGRAM (not originally issued, recorded early 1968)

22. I Am Nearly There – DENIS COULDRY & THE NEXT COLLECTION (February 1968 UK 7" single Decca F 12734, B-side of "James In The Basement")

23. Story Book – THE ALAN BOWN! (March 1968 UK 7" single on MGM 1387, A)

24. Naughty Boy – SIMON'S SECRETS (April 1968 UK 7" single on CBS Records 3406, A)

25. Phoebe's Flower Shop – THE CORTINAS [later became Octopus, see Disc 3] (May 1968 UK 7" single on Polydor 56255, A)

26. Child Of The Sky – THE DEVIANTS (on the June 1968 privately pressed UK LP "Ptooff!" on Underground Impresarios IMP 1)

Disc 2 (75:40 minutes):

1. Morning Sun – THE SPENCER DAVIS GROUP (on the June 1968 UK Stereo LP "With Their New Face On" on United Artists SULP 1192)

2. Ebaneezer Beaver – THE MIRAGE (not originally issued, recorded March 1968)

3. Amanda Jane – WEST COAST CONSORTIUM (not originally issued, recorded mid 1968)

4. Teagarden Lane – JASON CREST (not originally issued, recorded mid 1968)

5. Winter Afternoon – THE FLIES (not originally issued, recorded late 1968)

6. You've Got To Hold On – THE DEVIANTS (October 1968 UK 7" single on Stable ST 5601, A)

7. Nightmare – THE CRAZY WORLD OF ARTHUR BROWN (November 1968 UK 7" single on Track 604 026, A)

8. Peacock Dress – SUN DRAGON [featured Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, Keyboardist Jon Lord and Drummer Ian Paice of Deep Purple] (on the November 1968 UK LP "Green Tambourine" on MGM Records CS 8090)

9. Jabberwocky – PETER HOWELL & JOHN FERDINANDO (on the January 1969 UK LP "Alice Through The Looking Glass" on SNP Records LP 11/12)

10. Bits Of Your Life, Bits Of My Life – FOREVER AMBER (on the January 1969 privately pressed UK LP "The Love Cycle" (99 copies) on Advance M ADV 00101)

11. Strange Ways – PLEASE (not originally issued, recorded 1969)

12. We'll All Be Spacemen Before We Die – THE LIVERPOOL SCENE (not originally issued, recorded February 1969)

13. Castles – SERENDIPITY (not originally issued full-length version, recorded early 1969)

14. The Makers – THE SORROWS (on the 1968 Italian-Only LP "Old Songs New Songs" on Italian Miura MIU 10011)

15. A Fairy Tale – SECOND HAND (not originally issued demo version, recorded 1968)

16. Oh Strange Man – INFORMATION (March 1969 UK 7" single Beacon BEA 121, B-side of "Orphan")

17. Love – SHY LIMBS [featuring Greg Lake of ELP on Lead Vocals with Robert Fripp of King Crimson on Guitar] (May 1969 UK 7" single on CBS Records 4190, B-side of "Reputation")

18. Tomorrow Today – HARDIN & YORK [ex Spencer Davis Group] (May 1969 UK 7" single on Bell BLL 1064, A)

19. Venetian Glass – INFINITY (not originally issued, recorded 1969)

20. What The Dickens – MIC READ [Mike Read] (not originally issued, recorded 1969)

21. Santa Lucia – RESPECT (not originally issued, recorded 1969)

22. Iridescent Butterfly – FAT MATTRESS (September 1969 UK 7" single on Polydor 56352, B-side of "Naturally")

Disc 3 (78:52 minutes):

1. Magic Potion – THE OPEN MIND (August 1969 UK 7" single on Phillips BF 1805, A)

2. Red Lady – PHIL CORDELL (September 1969 UK 7" single on Warner Brothers WB 8001, B-side to "Pumping The Water")

3. Whitchi Tai To – TAICONDEROGA [featuring Malcolm Mortimer the Drummer with Gentle Giant and Brian James of The Damned] (November 1969 UK 7" single on Beacon BEA 143, A)

4. Hurry On Sundown – HAWKWIND ZOO [Hawkwind] (not originally issued demo version, recorded late 1969)

5. Lament For The Earth – PRINCIPAL EDWARDS MAGIC THEATRE (December 1969 UK 7" single on Dandelion S 4405, B-side of "Ballad (Of The Big Girl Now And A Mere Boy)")

6. Ritual Fire Dance – CZAR (not originally issued, recorded February 1970)

7. Have You Heard The Word – THE FUT (March 1970 UK 7" single on Beacon BEA 160, A)

8. Fillin' A Gap – PAPER BUBBLE (on the March 1970 UK LP "Scenery" on Deram SML 1059)

9. Butterfly – THE FOX (on the June 1970 UK LP "For Fox Sake" on Fontana 6309 007)

10. Images Blue – COMPLEX (not originally issued demo version, recorded July 1970)

11. Rainchild – OCTOPUS (on the April 1971 UK LP “Restless Night” on Penny Farthing PELS 508)

12. Careful Sam – T2 (not originally issued, recorded late 1970)

13. Laughing 'Til Tomorrow – SIMON FINN (on the April 1971 UK LP "Pass The Distance" on Mushroom 100 MR 2)

14. Creation – BEAU (on the June 1971 UK LP "Creation" on Dandelion DAN 8006)

15. End Of The Seasons – BILL NELSON (on a November 1971 privately pressed UK LP "Northern Dream" on Smile LAF 2182, 300 copies only)

16. The Witch – MARK FRY (on the June 1971 Italian-only LP "Dreaming With Alice" on ZSLP 70006)

17. Evil Island Home – KEVIN COYNE (on the November 1972 UK LP "Case History" on Dandelion 2310 228)

18. I Am The Walrus – LOL COXHILL (on the 1971 UK 2LP set "Ear Of Beholder" on Dandelion DSD 8008) – HIDDEN TRACK sung by kids

Each CD has a different logo – the All-Seeing Third Eye for Disc 1, a Large-Winged Butterfly for Disc 2 and Guitarist with Flowers for Disc 3. The clamshell box is sturdy enough but the 36-page booklet is truly a thing of beauty and factoid wonder (well done to Andy Morten at Pepperbox). Compiled by reissue heroes David Wells and John Reed – every song gets properly elaborate paragraphs which are themselves sided by wads of label Repros - elusive British 45s – quality black and white and colour publicity photos - trade adverts - gig posters – album covers – clothing boutiques and even two gorgeous babes with 'Soft Machine' painted on their bellies as they make their way through the London Soho night to a 'far out' gig. SIMON MURPHY has done the transfers and remasters at Another Planet Music and as you imagine the Audio varies wildly – especially given the source and of course the crudity of some 60ts recordings. Excluding those songs dubbed from discs out of necessarily and sheer rarity – the quality is superb time and time again. Besides I was enjoying it too much to nitpick…

Disc 1's two openers from Deep Feeling and The Misunderstood are in far better Audio quality than I had expected (both are unreleased) – incredibly clean and rocking in all the right ways. We enter pure hippy territory with Tuesday's Children's "A Strange Light From The East" and while good its nothing to the genuinely brilliant "Tread Softly For The Sleepers" by Britain's The Hi-Fis who had a two year residency in Germany where they produced two singles and an album (what a kick-ass tune this is). Tim Hardin replaced Steve Winwood in The Spencer Davis Group and on the excellent "Mr. Second Class” you can hear why – vocally similar to the mighty Steve – Hardin’s larynx suited their particular form of driving-organ 60ts Rock (fantastic solo too). The audio on Tintern Abbey's “Busy Bee” is rough for sure but anything new by them is likely to cause a frenzy of excitement amongst collectors. Other nuggets on here include the wild guitar on otherwise Monkees-melodic Mrs. Gillespie’s Refrigerator and ELP's Greg Lake on Lead Vocals for the Janis Ian cover version of "Don't Go 'Way Little Girl" by The Shames. Genius choices go to the 'creepy-then-wild' obscure B-side "I Am Nearly There" by Denis Couldry, the swirl of "Second Production" by The Mike Stuart Span (what a discovery), the impossibly pretty 60ts pop of "Phoebe's Flower Shop" by The Cortinas and the equally sweet acoustic strum of the slightly sinister "Child Of The Sky" by The Deviants as they tell us about "...an ancient prophet...dragged off by his heels..."

Disc 2 opens with a barnstormer – the wild organ and guitars of "Morning Sun" by The Spencer David Group (with Tim Hardin on vocals) stamping its huge-sounding Psych authority on proceedings. Things get even better with a stunning demo find in "Ebaneezer Beaver" by The Mirage which if it had made its way onto a 7" single would surely be pushing £500 plus in 2015. It has a very Beatles "Blue Jay Way" phased guitar throughout and screams full-on post Sgt. Peppers influence. Things go melodic on another wonderful find – the accomplished "Amanda Jane" by West Coast Consortium – fleshed out with a Mellotron and Classical Guitar. By the time we hit "Teagarden Lane" by Jason Crest – you're beginning to think Disc 2 by itself should win an industry award. The follow-up to Arthur Brown's "Fire" was the completely forgotten "Nightmare" – an inventive slice of screaming-voice-and-organ Beat Boogie that doesn't deserve its tanked-2nd-single historical tag. Deep Purple fans will want Sun Dragon's "Peacock Dress" which featured Ritchie Blackmore (Guitar), Jon Lord (Keyboards) and Ian Paice (Drums) as the backing band. The hippy claptrap and whimsy of "Jabberwocky" is a trip too far for me – far better is yet another cool find in "Strange Ways" by Please – a band that featured Peter Dunton of The Gun (what a great melody). And genius inclusion has to go to "We'll All Be Spacemen Before We Die" – a brill piece of doom-laden spoken Psych preceded by Cape Canaveral giving its enthusiastic countdown to the Apollo Missions. It has wild guitars and goes right out there (lyrics from it title this review). Other winners include the Italian-only release from The Sorrows called "The Maker" which features thrashing guitars, drums and even a deeply buried Sitar across its no-holes barred six and half minutes of Freakbeat mayhem. Hardin & York's "Tomorrow Today" is a fantastic inclusion - Vocalist Eddie Hardin and Drummer Peter York used to be with The Spencer David Group after Steve Winwood left and this upbeat track features a superb Joe Cocker's Grease Band feel to its piano, organ and backing singers melody - and you wonder why it wasn’t a hit at the time. The Shy Limbs UK 45 is booked at £70 but I’ve seen it make twice that easily whenever it hits the marketplace. It contains both Greg Lake (Lead Vocals) and Robert Fripp (Guitar) of King Crimson with Fripp rocking out in that peculiar way of his. Noel Redding's Fat Mattress recorded the very Traffic-influenced "Iridescent Butterfly" for their debut LP but it ended up as the B-side to "Naturally" with the song's writer Neil Landon on Lead Vocals.

Disc 3 opens with the speaker rattling Stooges-Punk of "Magic Potion" by The Open Mind (formerly the Mod band The Drag Set) – a wicked grunge-rock groove that surely had Iggy Pop reaching for the superlatives. From that we go into a very cool slice of choppy dancing pop – the brill B-side "Red Lady" by Phil Cordell (great choice). The indefinable Taiconderoga is a misspelling of Ticonderoga – a town in New York State) and features Malcolm Mortimer of Gentle Giant with none other than Brian James of The Damned (who was Brian Robertson at the time). Unexpected beauty comes in the shape of Hawkwind's "Hurry On Sundown" (then known as Hawkwind Zoo) featuring here in a lengthier demo variant (what a discovery). We finally arrive at what most resembles Prog in the shape of Czar doing the Love Sculpture's "Ritual Fire Dance". Sounding so much like John Lennon that Yoko Ono tried to copyright "Have You Heard The Word" by The Fut in 1985 as a JL song – it now turns out to be the Australian band Tin Tin who recorded it at a drunken studio session in the summer of 1969. Whatever way you look at it – the giggling and screaming aside – it’s a wicked tune and so post-Beatles solo it’s not true (you kind of wish it was a Lennon song). By the time we get to Paper Bauble, Fox and the Dandelion Label acts, Beau and Kevin Coyne we’ve moved across Folk Rock, Avant Garde and into Prog again. The T2 track is dubbed from Acetate and so correspondingly rough – but a more than worthy inclusion. But the real winner on here is Mary Fry's ludicrously rare "Dreaming With Alice" LP which was released in Italy only on an obscure subsidiary of RCA. His sitar-drenched Acid-Folk "The Witch" is stunning stuff – like the Incredible String Band doing LSD and letting rip on the Sitar and Flute (nice). And it all ends on a Hidden Bonus Track from Lol Coxhill's double album "Ear Of Beholder" where kids from 2 to 13 sing a genius and funny version of "I Am The Walrus" by The Beatles complete with Lol on the maracas! It’s mad, bad and stoned out of its tiny mind(s)! And would we have it any other way…

So there you have it. I've come to the party late on this one but I'm glad I did. It won't be everyone's cup of soothing Camomile (Psych and Acid Folk never is) - but Box Sets like this are not just a labour of love for their compilers (David Wells and John Reed) – they’re genuinely worthy of our attention - because the track choices are both smart and new to even the most diehard genre lover (Discs 2 and 3 are simply brilliant).

Put "Love, Poetry And Revolution..." high on your 'to buy' list. And remember Pipers At The Gates Of Croydon...as the button on your sister's smock used to say...drop acid and not bombs...