SINGLES
ERIC
BURDON/ANIMALS-Good Times/ Ain’t That So (MGM) #20
BYSTANDERS-Pattern People/ Green Grass (Piccadilly)
CUPPA-T-Miss Pinkerton/ Brand New World (Deram)
DANTALIAN’S CHARIOT-Madman Running Through The Fields/ The
Sun Came Bursting Through My Cloud (Columbia)
THE FAIRYTALE-Guess I Was Dreaming/ Run And Hide (Decca)
BILL FAY-Some Good Advice/ Screams In The Ears (Deram)
THE FLOWERPOT MEN-Let’s Go To San Francisco Parts 1 & 2
(Deram) #4
STEVE FLYNN- Mr Rainbow/ Let's Live For Tomorrow (Parlophone)
JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE-Burning Of The Midnight Lamp/ The Stars
That Play With Laughing Sam’s Dice (Track) #18
THE HERD-From The Underworld/ Sweet William (Fontana) #6
THE LOOT-Whenever You’re Ready/ I Got What You Want (CBS)
THE LOVIN’-Keep On Believing/ I’m In Command (Page One)
CECIL McCARTNEY-Hey Aleuthia I Want You/ Liquid Blue (Columbia)
CECIL McCARTNEY-Om (Columbia)
MANFRED MANN-So Long Dad/ Funniest Gig (Fontana)
GERRY MARSDEN-Gilbert Green/ What Makes Me Love You (CBS)
THE MOVE-Flowers In The Rain/ (Here We Go Round) The Lemon Tree
(Regal Zonophone) #2
THE MOVEMENT-Head For The Sun/ Mr Man (Big T)
THE ORANGE BICYCLE-Hyacinth Threads/ Amy Peate (Columbia)
ROLLING STONES-We Love You/ Dandelion (Decca) #8
THE ROLL MOVEMENT-I’m Out On My Own/ Just One Thing (Go)
SKIP BIFFERTY-On Love/ Cover Girl (RCA)
SMALL FACES-Itchycoo Park/ I’m Only Dreaming (Immediate) #3
THE SMOKE-If The Weather’s Sunny/ I Would If I Could But I
Can’t (Columbia)
THE SPECTRUM-Portobello Road/ Comes The Dawn (RCA)
SVENSK-Dream Magazine/ Getting Old (Page One)
TRAFFIC-Hole In My Shoe/ Smiling Phases (Island) #2
WARM SOUNDS-Sticks And Stones/ Angeline (Immediate)
THE WHO-The Last Time/ Under My Thumb (Track) #44
WORLD OF OZ-King Croesus/ Jack (Deram)
ALBUMS
PINK FLOYD-Piper At The Gates Of Dawn (Columbia) #6
HAPPENING
The other leading Pirate station Radio Caroline vows to carry on
broadcasting and moves its main office from London to Holland.
WATCHING!
,
Dantalian's Chariot (31st)
REVIEWS
Dantalian's
Chariot
Madman Running Through The Fields : Great. Very good. There's 23 shillings worth there! A very personal record for Zoot Money, I think. It's the best record of the bunch this week. I hope it's a commercial success for him. There's nothing like having a principle - and then the whole thing happening for you. He's been sweating for a long time with this big clown image. But he's said more here than than on all the other's put together. I see they've written it themselves - which seems to be the trend. I strongly advise everybody to buy this one!
Madman Running Through The Fields : This group cloaks, to some extent, the old Zoot Money Big Roll Band - they've already got a following and this new style sound could click the first time out. Strong guitar, and a bit of messiness in other places, but it builds well and with ingenuity. Original to say the least. Flip side: More relaxed and sort of beautiful.
The Fairytale
Guess I Was Dreaming : An arresting vocal blend from this new group, coupled with a lyric that holds the attention. Mid-tempo with some startling gimmick sounds, plus a novelty fade-in opening.
Bill
Fay
Some Good Advice: A husky-voiced newcomer who writes his own material. This has a philosophic lyric, which sounds rather contrived.
Steve
Flynn
Mr Rainbow: Nice one. From the pen of Keith West and Mark Wirtz, the opera people, is a great disc from a new artist. Produced, arranged and conducted by Mark this is a gay, happy, sighing sound gradually building into and almost ecstatic and very lovely, full of love, fifth-dimension, finale. Wirtz's beautifully pieced together orchestra soars and roars beneath Steve's gentle vocal and the whole thing sets up the grooviest vibrations and the deepest desire to see Mr Flynn and his good, good friends with a big, big hit.
The
Herd
From The Underworld : A remarkable disc, with a modern lyric based on the legend of Orpheus, in which the girl runs away from her lover and gets herself killed. Opens with tolling bells, then breaks into mid-tempo. It's beautifully scored and very tastefully done, featuring lead singer with echo chanting. The most serious and thoughtful composition yet from the Howard-Blaikley team, and The Herd do it full justice. Could happen if it gets enough exposure. Don't miss it.
From The Underworld : Big Ben, or a near relation, opens this moody bit of writing. This is well conceived but just misses out. Most promising, however.
The
Move
Flowers In The Rain: A clap of thunder and the sound of pelting rain herald this medium pacer, which marks the debut of Regal Zonophone in its new pop guise. It's a simple and unpretentious tune, with a lyric about a chap lying in bed and philosophically watching the rain chucking it down outside. So you'd hardly describe it as a flower-power song, despite the title. The beat is snappy and infectious, and I like the flute solo behind the vocal. It's one of those melodies you find yourself whistling subconsciously, and its very simplicity should enable it to click fairly quickly.
Flowers In The Rain: Getting better all the time, The Move's latest sound grows out of the clapping thunder and pouring rain into an explosive, winning sound all the way. This flower power slanted Roy Wood composition must see them hurtle back into the Top 10. The sound marks a general expansion all round the group, plus rousing horns and wavering reeds peeping through their solid and expressive vocal screen--led by Carl Wayne, and splintering into Wood's whining middle break. The flip, "Lemon Tree" is another beautiful Wood composition which leaves us with a double-A sided hit, hit, hit.
Pink
Floyd
Piper At The Gates Of Dawn (album): Syd Barrett penned all of the songs on this album with little help from the rest of the group. The psychedelic image of the group really comes to life, record wise, on this LP which is a fine showcase for both their talent and the recording technique. Plenty of mind blowing sound, both blatant and subtle here, and the whole thing is extremely well performed.
Piper At The Gates Of Dawn (album): Syd Barrett takes 10 of the 11 composing credits, is lead guitar and vocalist on this new-sound-seeking album, which varies the music from outer-space (Astronomy Domine) to Arable (Matilda Mother) to jazz (Pow R Toc H). The rasping guitar is much to the fore, and the vocals are largely distorted. Shouts and raving laughs come in suddenly and there is some raving organ from Rick Wright in Muddy Waters' (sic!) Take Up Thy Stethoscope And Walk. And one very long track, Interstellar Overdrive, takes up most of side two with its weird, extra loud overtones. Nicky Mason's drum effects on Scarecrow are good too.
The
Rolling Stones
We Love You / Dandelion: A sinister and dramatic explosion by the mystical circle of the world's pop empire. A meeting of the heads of pop, the Stones and their friends in a heads-back and shouting peal of joy at the freedom of the Stones from their threatened incarceration. At the commencement of the operation that must have blown the recording studio into smoking pieces, comes the sound of a jailer's footsteps, the jingling of keys and the crash of a cell door shutting. The Stones and their highly recognisable friends chant the message while what sounds like a mellotron, piano, drums and cymbals move to a monstrous majestic climax like a Soul Ravel. The second A-side, 'Dandelion', continues with a prettier song, considerably more commercial and once again the Stones benefit from some nice vocal harmonies and Charlie Watts, if that is indeed the gentleman at the drums, batters with compulsive force that will probably make this the more saleable side. Each track ends with a segment of the other side's introduction. Both sides are considerably too much.
Skip
Bifferty
On Love : Group create quite a big sound, either in the falsetto range or lower down. A strong, above-average beater. Plenty guitar.
On Love : I've been receiving a lot of advance publicity about Skip Bifferty, so I've been expecting something special. Can't say that I've got it though, because the twangs/tambourine/maraccas sound is patently early Stones. The pouting lead singer is a bit Jagger-ish too, but at least the falsetto harmonies are a bit different, and the 'loving' lyric is up to date. It's frantic and frenzied!
Small
Faces
Itchycoo Park : Change of style for The Small Faces here. Set to a bouncy, jog-trotting beat, there's almost a touch of Good-Time about it. Very simple in construction, both lyrically and musically, it registers quickly. Steve handles the lovin' lyric in subdued, almost tongue-in-cheek style, while the other boys are chanting "It's all too beautiful" incessantly. Suddenly, in the middle, there's an unexpected switch to psychedelia, with startling oscillations and vibrations, but it's only momentary, and then we're back to the basic jog-trotting. Highly commercial!
Itchycoo Park: They seem to be achieving their aim of getting together as a powerful force in the happy, creative field of pop music. This is a complete gas--lyrics, sound, feeling and all. Don't know where "Itchycoo Park" is but it sounds like a nice place. Maybe they will take us there via an enormous hit record. Hang-up noises carefully placed en route include a strange noise like a seashell in the ear, and you can't get stranger than that!
Smoke
If The Weather's Sunny: Fear and dread seized me on hearing this. Was I in fact playing the B-side by mistake? But lo, there was the familiar A mark that helpful record companies stamp on their products to help reviewers assess their work. Having dug 'My Friend Jack Eats Sugar Lumps' which should have been a giant hit for The Smoke, I am most disappointed with this sort of 'Show Me The Way To Go Home' la la la, doo doo doo song.
Svensk
Dream Magazine: Opens with cathedral-like organ, then breaks into a slow beat. There's a haunting tune, a reflective lyric and a rich, full sound in the backing--the organ's particularly fascinating.
Traffic
Hole In My Shoe: Stand by for the one of the biggest hits of 1967! Master Stevie Winwood's group have presented us with a sound that can only be described as beautiful. It combines a childlike charm with hypnotic strength that will be held in the arms of the chart for weeks on end. Briefly - there is an elephant-like clodhopping beat while guitarist Dave Mason sings the fairytale lyrics and plucks a gentle sitar. A mellotron happens in the backing with a pretty flute, and then - surprise, a six-year-old girl intones some verse giving a touch od psychedelic Walt Disney. The production - by Jimmy Miller - is a minor epic and deserves mass recognition. 'Smiling Phases' on the B-side is a blues bash by Stevie as an offering to his old fans, it's all too nice.
Hole In My Shoe : An incredible disc from the Traffic, which you need to hear many times before the full impact hits you. Opens with sitar effect coupled with flute, then breaks into a steady mid-tempo in which piano and organ are prominent. The lyric is deep-thinking and slightly surrealistic, and there's an enchanting passage when a young girl takes over the vocal. And as for all the complex effects, with noises like waves breaking and peculiar oscillations, well, you can't say this isn't progressive!
Warm
Sounds
Sticks and Stones : I think most people were surprised and delighted at the Warm Sounds' recent chart debut, because of its jazz leanings. This new one is an obvious concession to the commercial market. It's almost Good-Time, with a bouncy jog-trot beat, honky-tonk piano, whistling chorus, muted trumpet and wailing 1920's type sax. Must say I prefer the more modern sound of the team's first hit, but this is very good of its kind.
World
of Oz
King Croesus: Every now and then in popland there is an 'event'. A new group is launched and wise journalists catch fast trains to the Cornish Riviera, book a single room at the Black Pig, take a draught of sleeping potion and turn the light out, until the new group has passed--hitless--overhead. For those unfortunates who remain in the firing line, there is a barrage of sincere telephone messages announcing the greatest group the world has ever known, a plague of photographs and a glut of phoney stories, designed to be sprayed at an unsuspecting public. Here is such a new group. Can this mean the end of the civilised world as we know it? Make records by all means chaps, but for God's sake spare us the promotion campaign. PS. It's a mid-tempo rockaballad--quite nice. Or as Roger Camp says: "Fits well."
