SINGLES
THE
ACT-Just A Little Bit/ The Remedies Of Doctor Brohnicoy
(Columbia)
THE ATTACK-Neville Thumbcatch/ Lady Orange Peel (Decca)
THE AVENGERS-Everyone’s Gonna Wonder/ Hold My Hand
(Parlophone)
ERIC BURDON/ANIMALS-Sky Pilot Parts 1 And 2 (MGM) #40
CAT’S PYJAMAS-Baby I Love You/ Virginia Water (Direction)
CHRISTOPHER COLT-Virgin Sunrise/ Girl In The Mirror (Decca)
CREATION-How Does It Feel To Feel/ Tom Tom (Polydor)
EIRE APPARENT-Follow Me/ Here I Go Again (Track)
ANDY ELLISON-It’s Been A Long Time/ Arthur Green (Track)
GASS COMPANY-Everybody Needs Love/ Nightmare (President)
GRAPEFRUIT-Dear Delilah/ The Dead Boot (RCA) #21
THE GROOP-Woman, You’re Breaking Me/ Mad Over You (CBS)
NICKY JAMES-Would You Believe/ Silver Butterfly (Philips)
JASON CREST-Turquoise Tandem Cycle/ Good Life (Philips)
KALEIDOSCOPE-A Dream For Julie/ Please Excuse My Face (Fontana)
THE KINSMEN-Glasshouse Green, Splinter Red/ It’s Started To
Rain Again (Decca)
DENNY LAINE-Too Much In Love/ Catherine Wheel (Deram)
THE LOOT-Don’t Turn Around/ You Are My Sunshine Girl (CBS)
THE MAJORITY-All Our Christmases/ People (Decca)
MANFRED MANN-Mighty Quinn/ By Request…Edwin Garvey (Fontana)
#1
THE MOVE-Fire Brigade/ Walk Upon The Water (Regal Zonophone) #3
THE MOVEMENT-Tell her/ Something You Got (Pye)
BILLY NICHOLLS-Would you Believe/ Daytime Girl (Immediate)
THE NOCTURNES-A New Man/ Suddenly Free (Columbia)
NORMAN CONQUEST-Two People/ Upside Down (MGM)
ONE IN A MILLION-Fredereek Hernando/ Double Sight (MGM)
OSCAR BICYCLE-On A Quiet Night/ The Room Revolves Around Me (CBS)
PERSIMMON’S PECULIAR SHADES-Watchmaker/ Coplington (Major
Minor)
PETER AND THE WOLVES-Lantern Light/ Break Up, Break Down (MGM)
THE PLAGUE-Looking For The Sun/ Here Today, Gone Tomorrow (Decca)
PLASTIC PENNY-Everything I Am/ No Pleasure Without Pain, My Love
(Page One) #6
SPOOKY TOOTH-Sunshine Help Me/ Weird (Island)
THE STATUS QUO-Pictures Of Matchstick Men/ Gentleman Joe’s
Sidewalk Café (Pye) #7
SUNDRAGON-Green Tambourine/ I Need All The Friends I Can Get
(MGM) #50
TIMON-The Bitter Thoughts Of Little Jane/ Ramblin’ Boy (Pye)
TOBY TWIRL-Harry Faversham/ Back In Time (Decca)
THE VIRGIN SLEEP-Secret/ Comes A Time (Deram)
WARM SOUNDS-Nite Is A-Comin’/ Smeta Murgaty (Deram)
YELLOW BELLOW ROOM BOOM-Seeing Things Green/ Easy Life (CBS)
ALBUMS
THE
WHO-Sell Out (Track) #13
VARIOUS-Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush-Original Soundtrack
(UA)
HAPPENING!
WATCHING!
REVIEWS
Eric
Burdon & The Animals
Sky Pilot (Parts 1 & 2) : Sky Pilot is the name given to a US Air Force chaplain and, as you might expect, this has a basic war theme. It relates the thoughts of a young man plunged into battle, but with the dictum "Thou Shalt Not Kill" uppermost in his mind. As with all Eric's work, it's passionately delivered--his vocal is meaningful and gripping. Set to a mid-tempo beat, it's brilliantly scored with fanfare trumpets and Mozart-like flutes. Like "San Franciscan Nights" it has an abortive opening (bagpipes, this time!) that the DJs will tend to do without. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but it's topical and strangely fascinating. If it clicks, it could be really big, but me...I'm none too optimistic.
Christopher
Colt
Virgin Sunrise : A philosophic deep-thinking lyric which, though absorbing, is a wee bit involved. Startling backing with shuffle beat and unusual instrumentation. Reminiscent of Donovan in his enigmatic days. Needs a lot of spins before it begins to register.
The
Creation
How Does It Feel To Feel : Slog, bash, thump, bump and crump. Creation batter along with a dirty sound that will want a touch of your creativity. While somewhat lacking in melodic content, I feel the sensual rhythms and pagan chanting combined with some robust guitar work adequately compensate for any aesthetic deficiencies, and will appeal to those of us inclined to tap our feet and jerk our elbows while seated, and cavort freely while in an upright position. Capital.
Eire
Apparent
Follow Me : Hard hitting groupy music from a top Irish group who made an impact on the recent Move-Hendrix tour. Piano rumbling under the stomping guitar, and the vocalist's Four Tops inspired shouting make a healthy noise, without being wildly distinctive.
Andy
Ellison
It's Been A Long Time : Most interesting feature of this disc is that it comes from the soundtrack of the movie "Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush". It's a poignant, almost sad, song--with the scoring of sighing cellos, solo trumpet and muffled tambourine establishing a suitably plaintive mood. The descriptive lyric is impressively performed by Andy. A good disc, though it loses a little out of context.
Grapefruit
Dear Delilah : Grapefruit look good, sound good, and by golly they are good! But can it be your simple reviewer has been influenced by one of those advance build-ups that occasionally stir the scene? We've seen pictures of them, and there was the star-packed reception for them last week attended by your actual Beatles. "Haven't you heard Grapefruit yet?" is the shocked cry that greets me at every turn. Better stick to the facts. A gentle song, somewhat Bee-Geeian in concept, clever production involving strings, organ and the Small Faces wind-tunnel (y'know, that funny wow-wow noise) and excellent vocalising. Yes, despite the resistance building up inside due to excessive ear-bashing, I agree Grapefruit are good and deserve a hit.
Dear Delilah : Well, here it is--the group formed and run by The Beatles' own Apple company. And a thoroughly intriguing disc it is too. A well-written and tuneful song that could easily catch on, competently handled by Grapefruit, and with an imaginative classically influenced scoring. Full of light and shade, though I found the gimmicky oscillations in the chorus distracting. The Beatle associations could well do the trick here. Certainly a promising debut.
Jason
Crest
Turquoise Tandem Cycle : Not a new artist, but a new group. And Jason Crest make quite an impact with their debut disc. It's a slowish number with classical undertones, and the lyric is enigmatic and thought provoking. There's a steady thump-beat and-- most fascinating of all--a sort of wowing pipe-organ that permeates the whole disc. If it wasn't for the rather low melody content, this could have hit with the force of a Procol Harum. In any event, it might still catch on.
Kaleidoscope
A Dream For Julie : They produced an interesting album recently and have been heavily involved in MM mailbag correspondence on the subject of JRR Tolkien. One thing is clear, there is no Hobbit influence here. A simple, readily communicative beat, West Coast sounding guitar and bass and good London vocals. I won't insult them by calling them psychedelic, but they seem to be an experimental group left over from that curious phase in pop history, with something new and fresh to offer.
A Dream For Julie : Presumably nothing to do with Julie Rogers! The lyric's confused and mixed up, rather as you'd expect in the daydreams of a young girl. Recorded on echo, with raucous twangs, it sounds like a cross between Dave Dee and The Who! Catchy tune.
Denny
Laine
Too Much In Love : The first part of this disc, with throbbing conga drums and repetitive lyric, reminded me of Donovan's "There Is A Mountain", but it develops in much more complex style, skilfully employing guitar twangs, violins, cellos and backing voices.
The
Loot
Don't Turn Around : This claims to be positively the last song about flowers--it's about the hippies who bedecked themselves with flowers to prove that they were different, when all the time they're the ones who were conforming. The cynical lyric is effectively handled by The Loot, with liberal sprinklings of falsettos. Strong classical influences in the orchestration.
Manfred
Mann
Mighty Quinn : This is a new Dylan song, and thoroughly intriguing it is too. Mike D'Abo handles the lyric forcefully, with fascinating harmony support from the other lads--and there's a punch-packed backing, in which walloping drums and organ are prominent. The melody isn't outstanding but there's more than enough in the lyric and the superb performance to guarantee a deserved Chart return for Manfred.
The
Move
Fire Brigade : Sound the alarm! The incendiary men of the Move are about to set the chart ablaze with an uncontrollable hit! On all levels, it's an example of how to produce a pop single. Roy Wood's lyrics are cleverly constructed and amusing--about a girl "who can set the place on fire"--while the backing has a great Eddie Cochran-type rock 'n' roll feel. Fire engine sound effects add to the fun. In the past the Move produced bigger and better publicity than hits. Now they are living up to their pop promise.
Fire Brigade : Not quite as strong melodically as "Flowers In The Rain" but it's equally as good performance and impact-wise. It pounds along at a driving pace, with a bouncy beat enhanced by guttural twangs reminiscent of the early Duane Eddy. The vocal is handled with spirit and fire (no pun intended), and is offset by some colourful falsetto chanting. To complete the picture there's a rattling tambourine ensuring that the beat doesn't flag for one instant. The instant appeal will guarantee its success, but I'd have welcomed a slightly more memorable melody.
Billy
Nicholls
Would You Believe : A powerful and compelling rhythmic ballad, sung with a sense of urgency by Billy, but the real credit goes to producers Steve Marriott and Plonk Lane for creating such a sensational sound behind the vocal. It's always fluctuating, ever changing, and you never know what to expect next--there's strings, fanfare brass, thundering drums, concertina and a fugal choir reminiscent of the Swingle Singers. Really makes you sit up and take notice.
Nocturnes
A New Man ; An attractive mid-tempo ballad with a well conceived lyric, pleasantly sung by this promising group--the boys and girls interchange lines most effectively. Their performance is splendidly offset by a great organ sound in the backing. Worth hearing!
Spooky
Tooth
Sunshine Help Me: Whew, this one's a real blockbuster! An incredible piece of soul singing, with Spooky Tooth pouring out all the pent-up emotions in his body. And if that weren't enough, the vitally urgent backing almost sets the disc alight--a great organ sound, gospel chanting and a contagious walloping beat that'l send the discotheques into ecstasies. Great for dancing, and makes inspiring listening.
The
Status Quo
Pictures Of Matchstick Men : The ingredients here are an ear-catching vocal blend, a wowing organ, strange oscillations, an underlying throbbing beat and an intriguing lyric.
Sundragon
Green Tambourine: A lengthy intro of cascading strings and mandolin effects establishes a lavish mood for this atmospheric beaty ballad. Snappy rhythm, whistleable tune, glowing harmonies, exotic lyric. Very easy on the ear. Give it a spin!
Toby
Twirl
Back In Time/ Harry Faversham: Reveals a high degree of professionalism and individuality for a hitherto unknown group. First track is an exhilerating, upbeat piledriver, with an engrossing lyric and scintillating falsetto harmonies from the boys, plus biting brass and rattling tambourine. Vigorous and lively but could have done with a stronger tune. The flip is the side I prefer. In this story-in-song, Harry dreams of being Sir Galahad. Amusing, with a jogging beat and catchy tune.
Warm
Sounds
Nite Is A-Comin': A fat, beaty sound, shouting vocals prodded along by solid guitar and drums. Not particularly original, but useful for parties, annoying old men with on pub juke boxes, and testing your hi-fi equipment.
Nite Is A-Comin': In an effort to re-establish themselves, Warm Sounds have tried slick jazzy stylings and dated Good-Time. Now they come up with a sizzling, strident, big-bash offering, laden with twangs, maraccas, a pulverising beat and frantic drumming--plus a touch of psychedelia. The boys' incredible vocal dexterity is still in evidence, though this type of number doesn't do them full justice.
The
Who
Sell Out: A great new album from the Who, still one of the most important groups on the scene.
