SINGLES

THE BARRIER-The Tide Is Turning/ Place In Your Heart (Philips)
MIKE BATT-I See Wonderful Things In You/ Mary Goes Round (Liberty)
BEE GEES-I’ve Gotta Get A Message To You/ Kitty Can (Polydor) #1
CHOCOLATE FROG-Butchers And Bakers/ I Forgive You (Atlantic)
THE DEEP SET-Hello Amy/ That’s The Way Life Goes (Pye)
EYES OF BLUE-Largo/ Yesterday (Mercury)
JASON CREST-(Here We Go Round)The Lemon Tree/ Patricia’s Dream (Philips)
KATE-Strange Girl/ I Don’t Make A Sound (CBS)
KIPPINGTON LODGE-Tell Me A Story/ Understand A Woman (Parlophone)
THE MARIANE-You Had Better Change Your Evil Ways/ Like A See-Saw (Columbia)
MELLOW CANDLE-Feeling High/ Tea With The Sun (SNB)
MINDBENDERS-Uncle Joe, The Ice-Cream Man/ The Man Who Loved Trees (Fontana)
THE MOVE-Wild Tiger Woman/ Omnibus (Regal Zonophone)
THE STACCATOS-Butchers And Bakers/ Imitations Of Love (Fontana)
MIKE STUART SPAN-You Can Understand Me/ Baubles And Bangles (Fontana)
SUNDOWNERS-Gloria Bosom Show/ Don’t Look Back (Spark)
TYRANNOSAURUS REX-One Inch Rock/ Salamanda Palaganda (Regal Zonophone) #28
THE WEB-Hatton Hill Morning/ Conscience (Deram)
YOUNG BLOOD-Just How Loud/ Masquerade (Pye)

 

ALBUMS

CREAM-Wheels Of Fire (Polydor) #3
TEN YEARS AFTER-Undead (Deram) #26
THE WEB-Fully Interlocking (Deram)

HAPPENING!

 

WATCHING!

 

REVIEWS

DotBee Gees

I've Gotta Get A Message To You: They are always indulging in sad songs, and indeed this is another. Yet they are not perpetually weighed down with sorrow and inner conflict in their everyday life. Robin and maurice are quite cynical and Barry is as cheerful as any pop star groaning with riches can be under the circumstances. They bear the burden of good looks and wealth with brightness and fortitude that should be examples to us all. As they can't get any better looking, they can only become richer as a result of releasing this fine composition sung with Robin's usual conviction. It is simple left to point out the delights of the uncluttered arrangement, the driving bass line, wailing blues guitar heard faintly in the background, and the overall excellent production. 

DotChocolate Frog

Butchers and Bakers: One important fact emerges on hearing this below average piece of bubble gum pop. It is still far more entertaining than Peter Cook and Dudley Moore being disappointingly camp and boring on TV last Sunday. But what on earth is happening at Atlantic? Have they gone mad resorting to this kind of British-type chart bilge?

DotKate

Strange Girl : Kate isn't a group, it's five blokes, or as the old croakers would say: "Yer can't tell 'em apart these days".
Yus, wot I sez is they should all have done a dose in the army. I had a dose in the army and it infected me with a spirit of conformity and a degree of witlessness that made me the dullard I am today.
Chris Gilby, the lead guitarist, chose Kate when he saw Taming of the Shrew with Liz Taylor as Katrina.
During rehearsals at an empty movie studio in Twickenham actor David Hemmings was filming "A Long Day's Dying" and he used to join them on drums. The group haven't made any appearances yet, but claim influences by blues, folk, jazz and rock music. They ceratinly obtain an interesting sound, that would convince the casual listener that they were an American group on the Electric Flag level.
Unusual chord sequences, haunting blues guitar, simple vocals make the most original release of the week.
Full line-up of the group is Hraitch Garabaldianne (lead vocals), Chris Gilby (lead guitar), Robert Gold (organ), Alfred Turnstall (bass guitar) and Barrie Edwards (drums).
Keep an eye on Kate, it's a bitch of a group!

DotKippington Lodge

Tell Me A Story : One of the most enterprising of today's batch of up-and-coming groups, Kippington Lode infuse bags of life and guts into this beaty item. The boys blend well vocally, and on this disc, they make with a solid infectious beat. I like the rich organ sound, too. Despite the la-la chorus, which encourages the listener to join in, I'm not convinced that the material is quite strong enough for the Chart. But it's a nice clean sound from a group with a lot of potential.

Tell Me A Story: Once more into the breach , dear friends, with this strangely named group that tried once before to become famous pop stars with "Shy Boy" which I thought was quite good. But although this is jolly, pretty and all the other camp adjectives I can think of while suffering from alcoholic's stomach wrench, the world is full of jolly, pretty records that never become hits.

Mindbenders

Uncle Joe, The Ice Cream Man : Written by Graham Gouldman, this is a song about suburban life that's bound to have widespread appeal. It's a story-in-song, with a touch of nostalgia in the lyric, almost like an excerpt from the "Teenage Opera" - except that, of course, the backing isn't as massive. Nevertheless, the Mindbenders are augmented by strings in this number, which jogs merrily along with a bouncy beat - and it showcases some very attractive and ear-catching harmonies from the group. It's an undemanding disc, not difficult to digest - and in view of this, a slightly stronger melody would probably have been beneficial. First class performance. Stands an outside chance.

Uncle Joe, The Ice Cream Man: I'd be only too happy to say this was a hit, but despite the inventiveness of the Graham Gouldman lyrics, it sounds a little sickly and coy. One detects a certain amount of Sgt Pepper influence but this doesn't help. "Euk!"

DotThe Move

Wild Tiger Woman: While not as good as "Fire Brigade" this Roy Wood composition is a good indication of The Move's return to gimmick free music. A sort of boogie beat underpins the guitar, and the vocals have that odd 'wah-wah' effect that is a Move trademark. I don't know many wild tiger women, so I cannot speak from experience, but I once went to a cocktail party with an aggressive cat girl, and if she is anything to go by this should be a hit.

DotTyrannosaurus Rex

One Inch Rock: One of the immortal lines of 1968 is "Oh Deborah, you look like a zebra". It was the work of Marc Bolan the Bopping Imp, who with Steve Peregrin Took has created a track entirely of their own, and are being accepted on a scene otherwise dominated by hard blues bands. They are completely anti-technique at a time when the geniuses of Alvin Lee and Keith Emerson are king, and add a pleasant toasted tea cake in a musical diet normally groaning with roast oxen. The popping bongoes and chattering guitar kick up a humourous racket behind Marc's strangely soulful voice and cute lyrics. By the God of Helmut Zacharias this is a gas and had better be a hit!

DotWeb

Hatton Mill Morning: One wants to say nice things about Web, because they are hard-working and struggling for recognition. Indeed, the singing and arrangement are good, in a poetical, Tim Hardin vein, but the odds are stacked up against it being a hit. Nice, hard-working groups with songs that sound like Tim Hardin at work don't make it, is the cruel truth.

 

 

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