Sapphire Thinkers - From Within (1968)

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Excellent 1968 Californian band who with their mix of male and female vocalists and fuzz lead guitar bear comparisons with Yankee Dollar or Peanut Butter Conspiracy. If anything this band are better than those acts and their album features some excellent harmonies and nice trippy touches - in particular the Doors like keyboards and backward effects.

Other than Vernon Joynson's entry in Fuzz, Acid and Flowers and his very similar summary of the album in "Flashback", used in the sleeve notes for the CD re-issue, there is very little information on this excellent band and their work. Joynson's summary from the sleeve notes was as follows "...similar to Jefferson Airplane and Peanut Butter Conspiracy...based in LA, they were probably Californian. The album contains some pleasant vocal arrangements/harmonies and nice touches of acid and fuzz guitar and is recommended". I couldn't agree more. If it's light and breezy West Coast psych inflected pop you're looking for, then this band make all the right moves. In addition to melodies and male/female vocal harmonies to rival The Mamas & The Papas, and a groovieness in the vein of Ultimate Spinach, there's a few more things that really stand out on the album for me. These are the technically brilliant snappy keyboard backing on most tracks, the stunning lead guitar breaks that really lift several of the tracks, and the sprinkling of flute over the album. The standout tracks are the title track "From Within" and the amazing "I Got To You" which is contains the best harmony work on the album and some beautifully introspective guitar pieces. Yet another talented bunch of musicians that never received the attention they deserved.

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(info from CGR)

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01. Melancholy Baby - 2.14

02. I Feel A Bit Strange, - 2.44

03. Get Along Boy - 1.54

04. Blues On You - 3.05

05. From Within - 3.24

06. I Got To You - 2.47

07. Not Another Night - 2.53

08. Let Her Come In - 2.18

09. Please Understand - 2.57

10. Blind With A Borrowed Light - 2.31

11. There's A Woman - 2.41

12. Doin’ Alright - 4.48

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Size: 63.9 Mb

Bitrate: 256 mp3

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Chicken Shack - Accept Chicken Shack (1970)

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This British blues-rock group is remembered mostly for their keyboard player, Christine Perfect, who would join Fleetwood Mac after marrying John McVie and changing her last name. Although they were one of the more pedestrian acts of the British blues boom, Chicken Shack was quite popular for a time in the late '60s, placing two albums in the British Top 20. The frontperson of Chicken was not Perfect/McVie, but guitarist Stan Webb, who would excite British audiences by entering the crowds at performances, courtesy of his 100-meter-long guitar lead. They were signed to Mike Vernon's Blue Horizon label, a British blues pillar that had its biggest success with early Fleetwood Mac.

Chicken Shack was actually not far behind Mac in popularity in the late '60s, purveying a more traditional brand of Chicago blues, heavily influenced by Freddie King. Although Webb took most of the songwriting and vocal duties, Christine Perfect also chipped in with occasional compositions and lead singing. In fact, she sang lead on their only British Top 20 single, "I'd Rather Go Blind" (1969). But around that time, she quit the music business to marry John McVie and become a housewife, although, as the world knows, that didn't last too long. Chicken Shack never recovered from Christine's loss, commercially or musically. Stan Webb kept Chicken Shack going, with a revolving door of other musicians, all the way into the 1980s, though he briefly disbanded the group to join Savoy Brown for a while in the mid-'70s.

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(info from CGR)

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01. Diary Of Your Life - 3.04

02. Pocket - 3.22

03. Never Ever - 2.42

04. Sad Clown - 2.40

05. Maudie - 2.52

06. Telling Your Fortune - 4.22

07. Tired Eyes - 2.05

08. Some Other Time - 3.05

09. Going Round - 2.30

10. Andalucia Blues - 2.19

11. You Know You Did You Did - 2.24

12. She Didn't Use Her Loaf - 2.11

13. Apple Tart - 3.10

14. Hideaway (Instrumental Bonus) - 5.07

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Size: 83.5 Mb

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Sage - Sage By Sage (1970)

This ultra-rare album of psyche and southern rock from Miami outfit, Sage, Sage By Sage appeared on the Illusion label (CM2004) in 1970. Not much is known about either the band or its label, although it is widely rumoured that Illusion was some sort of a tax scam with albums by Sage and stable mates Hopney being given away or destroyed immediately upon release. There probably is more than just a small grain of truth in this rumour, as this particular album is spectacularly rare and almost never comes up for sale. Sage By Sage is a strong album with some first-rate playing and excellent song writing. There's the decidedly southern boogie feel of the Allman Brothers about much of the instrumentation on the album, with the songs being reminiscent of, amongst others, Dr Hook or the Sutherland Brothers."

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(info from CGR)

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1. My Girl - 3.10

2. Lovely Lady - 4.06

3. Don´t Stop Loving Me - 4.09

4. No One But You - 3.52

5. I´m satisfied With You - 3.26

6. I Believe In You - 4.26

7. Morning Dove - 5.54

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Bitrate: 256 mp3
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Krokodil - Swamp (1970)

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A most tuneful and infectious album forever hampered by its unfortunate position within the discography of these Swiss krautrockers. This 1970 release shows a band in flux between the scorching boogie-blues workouts of their eponymous debut and the massive stoned psych action of their third album masterpiece ("An Invisible World Revealed," see below). Many German groups attempted to sing in English to broaden their audience and virtually all failed miserably. "Swamp," on the other hand, reveals itself to be one of the more interesting examples of this phenomena, venturing into Van Morrison, Fairport Convention, and even Wailers territory. Meanwhile, the rest of the band was experimenting with sitars, flutes and avant percussion. With the fantastic packaging we've come to expect from Second Battle Records, plus three bonus selections from 1969, including trailer music for a film entitled "Stenhaufmadchen", recalling early Pink Floyd.

Compared to the band's debut album, "Swamp" presents a less blues orientated sound. This time the Swiss KROKODILes put much more emphasis on virtuosity. Thus Hardy Hepp's violin and far-eastern sitar sounds gained more importance. The timeless melodic writing also brought a different kind of appeal. A great artistic development for the band without ever drifting into the mellow waters of pop clichés! All recordings are digitally re-mastered, and in addition there a two unreleased tracks and a rare soundtrack title as a bonus. Digipak!

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(info from CGR)

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01. Get Your Personality Together - 3.08

02. Light Of Day - 5.19

03. Sunlights Beautiful Daughter - 5.43

04. Tell Me What You Want - 2.59

05. Blue Flashing Circle - 3.27

06. Snow White And Blue - 4.09

07. Human Bondage - 8.00

08. Gipsy Man - 3.48

09. That`s What I Do - 2.56

10. Stehaufmädchen - 2.07

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Size: 82.5 Mb

Bitrate: 256 mp3

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Art - Supernaturally Fairy Tales (1967)

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A 'progressive' outfit Art later evolved into Spooky Tooth in October 1967 with the addition of Gary Wright. Their finest moment was What's That Sound, which was a rehash of Buffalo Springfield's superb For What It's Worth. It's now quite hard to obtain but was included on Island's You Can All Join In compilation.
Their album is adventurous and quite unique British psychedelic rock. It's quite primitive in places, but utilises a wide range of instruments with plenty of sound effects and variety, although side two is a bit nondescript. Guy Stevens handled the production duties. It's well worth a spin.
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01. I Think I'm Going Weird - 3:21
02. What's That Sound (For What It's Worth) - 2:49
03. African Thing - 4:06
04. Room With a View - 3:40
05. Flying Anchors - 2:43
06. Supernatural Fairy Tales - 3:36
07. Love Is Real - 3:19
08. Come on Up - 3:01
09. Brothers, Dads and Mothers - 3:29
10. Talkin' to Myself - 1:41
11. Alive Not Dead - 2:14
12. Rome Take Away Thee - 3:00
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Size: 72.1 Mb
Bitrate: 256 mp3
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Sam Apple Pie - Sam Apple Pie (1969)

Digitally remastered edition from the duo of Sam "Tomcat" Sampson and Gary Fletcher, who went on to join The Blues Band.

This collectable debut album from 1969 is augmented with a the mono version of the single "Tiger Man" and it's b-side "Sometime Girl".

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(info from Internet)

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1. Hawk - 4.08
2. Winter Of My Love - 7.16
3. Stranger - 4.28
4. Swan Song - 7.12
5. Tiger Man (King Of The Jungle) - 2.24
6. Something Nation - 4.00
7. Sometime Girl - 4.02
8. Uncle Sams Blues - 2.38
9. Annabelle - 5.20

10. Moonlight Man - 7.19

11. Tiger Man - (single mix, mono) - 2.24

12. Sometime Girl - (single mix, mono) - 4.00

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Size: 100 Mb
Bitrate: 256 mp3
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The Peanut Butter Conspiracy - Spreading From Ashes (1965-67)

Wafting in on a warm Californian breeze comes this magical collection of rare tracks, previously unheard demos and out-takes from one of Los Angeles’ prime exponents of psychedelic folk rock, the PEANUT BUTTER CONSPIRACY.
Spanning their career 1965-67, from pre Peanut Butter outfit the Ashes through to their Columbia Records era, this collection is an Aladdin’s cave of priceless musical gems from one of the most prolific song writing teams of the time, John Merrill and Alan Brackett. Add the intoxicatingly beautiful vocals of Barbara “Sandi” Robison to the mix, and you have a perfect blend that produced some of the most outstanding music to emerge from the mid-60s Sunset Strip scene.Having cut their musical teeth in the early 60s folk scene, Merrill and Brackett were able to bring sophisticated vocal harmonies to the burgeoning psychedelic sound when they teamed up with Barbara Robison and formed the Ashes (who also featured future Jefferson Airplane drummer, the late Spencer Dryden). This collection marks the first appearance of the Ashes’ rare Vault label 45s on CD, allowing the pleasure of hearing the original recording of the Peanut Butter Conspiracy’s Dark On You Now, as well as the showcase of Barbara’s vocal talent, Roses Gone. Among the previously unreleased Ashes cuts is a marvellous interpretation of the traditional folk song Hangman, which neatly represents the groups origins, whilst giving an indication of things to come with it’s extended instrumental jam. In addition to the early Ashes material, the Vault Peanut Butter Conspiracy recordings are also included, among them the standout Big Bummer with its myriad time changes and acid-toned guitar. Some other highlights are demos for songs that didn’t make it to Peanut Butter Conspiracy albums; not because they weren’t of a sufficient standard, but because the group was coming up with so much high quality material they couldn’t fit it all on. Tracks like Enchanted World and Naturally (Wintry Ways) are wonderful, even in their stripped-down form, while the fully realised recordings of Eventually, Light Bulb Blues, Moment Of Happiness and the amazing, flower-powered Flight Of The Psychedelic Bumble Bee would have been quite at home on either of their Columbia albums.

The disc closes with a live version of You Should Know recorded in 1967 which demonstrates what an impressive live experience the Peanut Butter Conspiracy must have been, with tight vocal harmonies and an instrumental break that shows the group stretching out beyond the boundaries of the studio recording. With the usual copious liner notes courtesy of Alec Palao, and rare, never before seen photos, this is an essential addition to the Peanut Butter Conspiracy catalogue and a must have CD for any aficionado of West Coast psychedelia.

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01. Time Is After You - 2.50
02. Love’S Last Ground - 2.11
03. Is There Anything I Can Do? - 2.28
04. Eventually - 1.51
05. Dark On You Now - 4.00
06. Winds Up High - 2.15
07. Free - 2.59
08. Big Bummer - 2.45
09. Light Bulb Blues - 2.17
10. Let’S Take Our Love - 2.10
11. Enchanted World - 2.08
12. I’M Falling - 2.38
13. Flight Of The Psychedelic Bumble Bee - 2.00
14. Foolhearted Woman - 3.16
15. Shirley Can You Come Out & Play - 2.47
16. 1-9-6-7 - 1.59
17. So Lonely - 2.57
18. Floating Dream - 2.10
19. Shuffle Tune - 2.15
20. Moment Of Happiness - 1.41
21. Hangman - 2.56
22. Roses Gone - 2.48
23. Make Someone Happy - 2.06
24. Naturally (Wintry Ways) - 4.26
25. Taste Of Something New - 3.02
26. You Should Know (Live) - 5.37
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Size: 129 Mb

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Fraction - Moon Blood (1971)

"This 1971 release on the Angelus label (Angelus 571) was limited to only 200 copies, so originals are worth a small fortune. Fraction, with vocalist Jim Beach bearing an uncanny vocal resemblance to Jim Morrision (although he was singing on Sunset Strip long before Morrison took to the stage), were often compared favourably with the Doors, although their quasi-religious message would probably not have found favour with the recently-departed Morrison. Indeed, this rather fine album was once famously described as the album the Doors probably wished they had made! Underpinned by guitarist Don Swanson's superb Ritchie Blackmorestyle guitar work, this is an album full of beautiful psychedelia, acid and hard rock, at once emblematic of the era but not dated by its association. The five original compositions are all of the highest quality and the contribution of Beach's Morrison-esque vocals place a stamp of originality on the recording that endures from beginning to end."

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01. Sanc-Divided - 3.52

02. Come Out Of Her - 4.57

03. Eye Of The Hurricane - 8.55

04. Sons Come To Birth 5.26

05. This Bird - 4.38

06. Sky High - 3.24

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Size: 59.3 Mb

Bitrate: 256 mp3

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