SINGLES
THE
ACT-Here Come Those Tears Again/ Without You (Columbia)
BEE GEES-Massachusetts/ Barker of The UFO (Polydor) #1
CIRCUS-Sink Or Swim/ Gone Are The Songs Of Yesterday (Parlophone)
CRAZY WORLD OF ARTHUR BROWN-Devils Grip/ Give Him A Flower
(Track)
DEAD SEA FRUIT-Love At The Hippiedrome/ My Naughty Bluebell
(Camp)
THE FAIRYTALE-Lovely People/ Listen To Mary Cry (Decca)
FLEUR-DE-LYS-I Can See The Light/ Prodigal Son (Polydor)
THE GOLDEN FLEECE-Athens 6 A.M/ Gift From Syracuse (Decca)
HOLLIES-King Midas In Reverse/ Everything Is Sunshine (Parlophone) #18
THE IDLE RACE-Imposters Of Lifes Magazine/ Sitting In My
Tree (Liberty)
KALEIDOSCOPE-Flight From Ashiya/ Holidaymaker (Fontana)
MARMALADE-I See The Rain/ Laughing Man (CBS)
DAVID McWILLIAMS-Days Of Pearly Spencer/ Harlem Lady (Major
Minor)
MINDBENDERS-The Letter/ My New Day And Age (Fontana)#42
MOODY BLUES-Love And Beauty/ Leave This Man Alone (Decca)
NIRVANA-Pentecost Hotel/ Feelin Shattered (Island)
PEEP SHOW- Your Servant,
Stephen/ Mazy (Polydor)
PICCADILLY LINE-Emily Small(The Huge World Thereof)/ Gone Gone
Gone (CBS)
PROCUL HARUM-Homburg/ Good Captain Clack (Regal Zonophone) #5
RENAISSANCE-Mary Jane/ Daytime Lovers (Polydor)
SANDS-Mrs Gillespies Refrigerator/ Listen To The Sky
(Reaction)
SLENDER PLENTY-Silver Tree Top School For Boys/ Ive Lost A
Friend And Found A Lover (Polydor)
THE SYN-Flowerman/ 14 Hour Technicolour Dream (Deram)
TANGERINE PEEL-Every Christian Lion-Hearted Man Will Show You/
Trapped (UA)
TOMORROW-Revolution/ Three Jolly Little Dwarfs (Parlophone)
23RD TURNOFF-Michael Angelo/ Leave Me Here (Deram)
THE VIRGIN SLEEP-Love/ Halliford House (Deram)
ZOMBIES-Friends Of Mine/ Beechwood Park (CBS)
ALBUMS
THE
KINKS-Something Else (Pye) #35
AL STEWART-Bedsitter Images (CBS)
HAPPENING!
The
Beatles film their “Magical Mystery Tour” in Kent, London and the West
Country of England.
The
Rolling Stones sack Andrew Loog Oldham as their manager/producer.
Radio
1, the BBC’s new pop music station begins broadcasts. The first record
played is ‘Flowers In The Rain’ by The Move.
British
Prime Minister Harold Wilson sues The Move after he is featured on a
suggestive postcard used to promote their latest single “Flowers In The
Rain”. Song composer Roy Wood loses all of his royalties after the group
lose the case. The postcard had been a stunt dreamed up by their manager
Tony Secunda without the group’s knowledge.
Donovan’s
new single “There Is A Mountain” has lyrics taken from a 16th Century
Japanese haiku poem.
The
Rolling Stones promo film (based on “The Trials Of Oscar Wilde”) for
their latest single “We Love You”; is banned by the BBC.
Marc
Bolan forms acoustic duo Tyrannosaurus Rex with percussionist Steve Took.
The
Soft Machine had temporarily moved to France to be involved in Alan Zion’s
production of Picasso’s “Desire Attrape par le Queue”. When they
returned to Britain, Daevid Allen was refused re-entry on various grounds of
passport and appearance deficiencies. The group play at the Edinburgh
Festival as a trio while Allen returned to France where he eventually formed
Gong.
The
Gods re-group with a line-up that features 3 future members of Uriah Heep,
however bassist Paul Newton soon quits to join Spice. Greg Lake (ex-Shy
Limbs), from Bournemouth, replaces him.
Melody
Maker report that The Syn have been offered six months work for 1968 in Las
Vegas, Japan and Australia!
Former Procol Harum members Bobby Harrison and Ray Royer announce the formation of their new group, Freedom.
John
Peel brings his Perfumed Garden to Tiles Club with a proposed weekly Sunday
spot beginning on the 24th, however the club closes down following a meeting
of its creditors on Tuesday 26th.
Cliff
Richard is reported to be very interested in appearing in the proposed film
of the Mark Wirtz/ Keith West “Teenage Opera” project.
BBC1
TV “Billy Cotton’s Music Hall”-Tremeloes (9th)
Southern
ITV “New Release”-Bee Gees (8th)
Southern
ITV “Where It’s At”-The Move (15th)
German
TV “Beat Club”-Small Faces, Manfred Mann, Cat Stevens, Bee Gees, Twice
As Much, Keith West (23rd)
Tomorrow
record TV and Radio appearances in Belgium.
Dutch
TV “Moef Ga Ga”-Jeff Beck (Recorded 14th, Broadcast 29th)
BBC
TV “Dee Time”-Small Faces (5th), The Herd (7th), Flowerpot Men (14th),
Bee Gees (23rd), Traffic (30th)
BBC
SESSIONS-Bee Gees (24th, Easy Beat-30th, Saturday Club),
Eric Burdon &
The Animals (4th, Monday, Monday), Bystanders (2nd, Saturday Club),
Flowerpot Men (23rd, Sat Club-28th, Pop North), Jimi Hendrix Experience
(18th, Monday, Monday), The Herd (28, Pop North),
Kaleidoscope (21st, Monday
Monday), Manfred Mann (2nd, Saturday
Club-27th, Easy Beat--30th, Pete Murray’s People),
Marmalade (2nd, Saturday Club-10th, Easy Beat-21st, Pop North), Mindbenders
(16th, Saturday Club), Moody Blues (20th,
Easy Beat), The Move (7th, Pop North-17th, Easy Beat),
The
Spectrum (8th, Joe Loss Show), The Symbols (9th, Saturday Club)
WATCHING!
Pink
Floyd play a short tour of Denmark & Sweden (10th to 14th), followed by
3 gigs in Ireland (15th-17th).
The
Moody Blues begin a 3 month long U.S tour, during which they perform their
“Days Of Future Passed” concept album at the Hollywood Bowl, accompanied
by the Stan Kenton Orchestra.
UFO
Festival featuring Pink Floyd (1st & 2nd), Crazy World Of Arthur Brown
(1st), Tomorrow (1st), Soft Machine (2nd), The Move (2nd), Denny Laine
(2nd).
Middle
Earth-Soft Machine, Majestic Heads, Frustration plus “A Bucket Of Blood”
(16th), Denny Laine’s Electric String Band, Tyrannosaurus Rex (23rd-their
debut) Picadilly Line (23rd), Graham Bond, Third Ear Band (24th), Fairport
Convention (18th, 25th) and on the 30th, once again there was the
opportunity to “Turn on to The Fairport Convention and Dreamland Express,
plus Herbal Mixture and John Peel”.
Marquee-The
Dream (2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th), Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band (3rd), Crazy
World Of Arthur Brown (4th, 11th, 18th), Ten Years After (4th, 22nd),
Timebox (5th, 12th, 19th, 26th), Picadilly Line (6th, 13th, 20th, 27th), Syn
(7th), Studio Six (7th, 18th), Denny Laine & the Electric String Band
(8th), The Gods (8th), Herbal Mixture (9th), Social Deviants (10th, a
Perfumed Garden showcase with John Peel), Nite People (11th), Marmalade
(14th, 21st, 28th), Remo Four (15th), Iveys (16th), The Move (19th), Mud
(23rd), Orange Bicycle (24th), Pandemonium (24th), Jeff Beck Group (26th),
The Third Eye (30th)
Pink
Flamingo-Grannie’s Intentions (17th), Paper Blitz Tissue (9th, 23rd)
Speakeasy-Pink
Floyd (19th)
Tiles
club-Fortunes, Chicken Shack (1st), Magic lanterns, Downliners Sect (2nd),
Riot Squad (3rd), The Gass (6th), Graham Bond Organisation, The Knack (8th),
Happy Magazine (9th), The Gass (13th), Symbols (14th), Simon Dupree & The Big Sound, Floribunda Rose
(15th) , Ferris Wheel, Mike Stuart Span, The Workshop (16th), Tangerine Peel
(17th), The Gass (20th), Human Instinct (21st), Pink Floyd (22nd), The Roll
Movement (23rd), John Peel's Perfumed Garden (24th)
Uppercut
Club-Creation (2nd), The Maze (3rd), Tremeloes (9th), Neat Change (10th), The Maze (17th), Granny's Intentions (23rd), Shame
(24th), The Kult (29th), Unit 4 Plus 2, Skip Bifferty (30th)
Saville
Theatre-Eric Burdon & the Animals, Denny Laine, Dantalian's Chariot (10th),
John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Fleetwood Mac, Long John Baldry (17th), Traffic, Nirvana, The Smoke,
Wynder K Frog
(24th)
UFO
at the Roundhouse-Eric
Burdon & The Animals, Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation (8th), Soft Machine, Family (15th), Dantalian’s
Chariot, Exploding Galaxy, Social Deviants (22nd), Jeff Beck Group, Ten
Years After (29th)
Bluesville,
Manor House-Fleetwood Mac (1st), John Mayall (8th), Eric Burdon & New
Animals (15th), Dantalion’s Chariot (29th)
Happening
44- Mabel Greer's Toyshop (7th), Sam Gopel (sic), Social Deviants (9th), “Environmental Evening” with Fiveacre Light Show and Happenings
(14th), Cliff Charles Blues, Nervous System (16th), Third Ear Band (21st),
Social Deviants, 117 (23rd), Sam Gopal, Brothers Grimm (28th)
Klook’s
Kleek-The Nice (21st)
Ram Jam Club- Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac (9th)
Whiskey
A Go-Go-Wages Of Sin (7th), Katch 22 (14th, 28th)
Flamingo,
Ballymena-Pink Floyd (16th)
Milano’s,
Bangor-Tremeloes (23rd)
Battersea Nags Head- Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation (11th)
Beaconsfield
Youth Club-Simon Dupree & The Big Sound (22nd)
Starlight
Ballroom, Belfast-Pink Floyd (15th)
Bexley Black Prince- Amboy Dukes (3rd), John Mayall (10th)
Biggleswade Conservative Club- Wages Of Sin (23rd)
Birmingham
Oldhill Plaza-The Move (30th)
Birmingham Penthouse- Band Of Joy (2nd)
Sports
Centre, Bracknell-Jeff Beck Group (16th)
Cambridge Moulin Rouge- Wages Of Sin (8th)
Carlisle Cosmo- Floribunda Rose (24th)
Corn
Exchange, Chelmsford- Keith West withTomorrow (9th), Crazy World Of Arthur Brown (16th),
Pink Floyd (23rd)
Coften Country Club- Band Of Joy, Virus (1st)
Arcadia
Ballroom, Cork-Pink Floyd (17th)
Starlite
Ballroom, Crawley-Small Faces (24th)
Cromer Royal Links Pavilion- Floribunda Rose (3rd)
Doncaster
Top Rank-Tremeloes (8th)
Dunfermline Kinema- Spectrum (24th)
Dunstable
California Ballroom-Simon Dupree & The Big Sound (2nd), The
Troggs (9th), Tremeloes (15th), Symbols (16th), Human Instinct
(22nd), Amen Corner (29th)
Eastbourne Catacombs- Moody Blues (13th)
Barrie
Hall, Edinburgh-Soft Machine (1st)
Edmonton,
Cooksferry Inn-Jeff Beck Group (25th)
The
Nice play their first gig after leaving PP Arnold at the Big C club in
Farnborough (1st)
Folkestone
Toft’s-The Marmalade (30th)
Grays
Tech College-The Herd (29th)
Great Yarmouth Garibaldi- Wages Of Sin (9th)
Great Yarmouth Tower Ballroom- Wages Of Sin (10th)
Greenford
Starlite-Breakthru (27th)
Gaiety
Ballroom, Grimsby-Small Faces (22nd)
Queen’s
Rink Ballroom, Hartlepool-Jeff Beck Group (22nd)
Hastings
Pier-Small Faces (3rd)
St
George’s Ballroom, Hinckley-Jeff Beck Group (30th)
Town
Hall, Holyhead-Mindbenders (22nd)
Ricky
Tick Club, Hounslow- Crazy World Of Arthur Brown (9th), Tomorrow (16th)
Skyline
Club, Hull-Pink Floyd, The Dimples, The Rats (28th)
Kettering WMC- Wages Of Sin (11th)
5th
Dimension, Leicester-Tomorrow (2nd), Ten Years After (22nd), Family (23rd),
Chris Farlowe (24th), Amboy Dukes (25th), Pink Floyd (27th), Eyes Of Blue
(28th), Amen Corner, The Attack (29th)
Leicester
Nite Owl-Pesky Gee (2nd, 30th)
Nutty
Club, Leytonstone-Marmalade (17th)
London Les Cousins- Roy Harper (9th)
London Tottenham Court Road Horseshoe- Pentangle (10th)
Nautilus
Club, Lowestoft-Jeff Beck Group (9th)
Luton Beachcomber- Wages Of Sin (12th)
Maidenhead, Pearce Hall- Crazy World Of Arthur Brown (2nd)
Winter
Gardens, Malvern-Jeff Beck Group (5th)
Manchester Drokiweeny- Denny Laine & Electric String Band (17th)
New
Century Hall, Manchester-Jeff Beck Group (2nd)
Manchester Twisted Wheel- Action (23rd)
Imperial
Club, Nelson- Tomorrow (23rd), Pink Floyd (30th)
Newport
College-Bee Gees (27th)
Nottingham Beachcomber Club- Mike Stuart Span (3rd)
Nottingham Boat Club- Artwoods (17th)
Brittania
Rowing Club, Nottingham-
Crazy World Of Arthur Brown (3rd),
Action (9th), Jeff Beck Group (15th)
Pontypool
ICI Fibres Club-The Move (29th)
Town
Hall, Rugby-“Flower Power Lovin’ Night” with Jeff Beck Group, The
Kleek, The Future (8th)
Salisbury City Hall- Simon Dupree & The Big Sound (21st), Hamilton & The Movement, Jigsaw (30th)
Loon
Mojo Club, Sheffield-Tomorrow (10th)
Southgate, Royalty Ballroom- The Syn (5th)
Floral
Hall, Southport-Flowerpot Men (23rd)
Tabernacle,
Stockport-Jeff Beck Group (3rd)
Fiesta,
Stockton-Eric Burdon & The Animals (24th-30th)
Silver
Blades Ice Rink, Streatham-The Move (4th)
Tottenham
Royal-Small Faces (29th)
Uxbridge,
Burtons-Alan Bown (2nd)
Wishaw Belfry- Penny Peep Show, Sight & Sound (25th)
Pacific
Hall, Wolverhampton-Bee Gees (22nd)
Wood
Green Fishmongers Arms-John Mayall (12th), Ferris Wheel (19th)
Assembly
Hall, Worthing-Pink Floyd (21st)
REVIEWS
Circus
Gone Are The Songs Of Yesterday: A heavy plod beat combines with a harpsichord, horns and impassioned bluesy solo vocal in this intriguing number. Fascinating scoring. Produced by Mike D'Abo.
The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown
Devil's Grip: There is an element of pantomime demon in this evil tale of the attempts of the world to put a devil's grip on everybody, including Mr Brown. Lyrically and melodically there is nothing particularly revolutionary happening, but the atmosphere is exciting. Arthur sings in his strange and hideous fashion, while the organist and drummer freak-out admirably. Well, I like it anyway.
Devil's Grip: Yes, I love this one. Anyone who's ever seen Arthur Brown work will know what to expect--good, strong pounding beat, powerful voice and an excellent production by Pete Townshend and Kit Lambert. Stands a very good chance of being a big one.
Hollies
King Midas In Reverse: What exactly is the origin of this idea of making records that come from out of the blue skies? Forsooth now The Hollies skip gaily through the white cloud with another even greater, more beautiful sound to follow through the valleys and up the hills as the music of the pied pipers and seahorse strings echo back into the sky. The colourful army of summoning brasses and flutes, so sensitively arranged by Johnny Scott, gives this new Hollies composition the very edge, the very sunburst that's necessary to bless such an excellent, burstingly climactic song. This is fresh, young Hollies to warm your heart--and blast the chart.
King Midas In Reverse: Pop's consistent hit-makers have done it again! It must go shooting up. Opens gently enough and builds beautifully to a really dramatic finale with everything happening--a real mind blower!
Idle Race
Imposters Of Life's Magazine: How many more times are we going to hear speeded up trumpets squealing out of massed session men? About a dozen times a week for the next three months I suppose. There's a touch of The Move about this group, and a touch of The Stones as well. It certainly has the Pop 30 sound but it doesn't add anything to what so many groups are doing. A pity because they obviously went to a lot of trouble. One good original idea would have made a lot of difference.
Imposters Of Life's Magazine: Reminds me very much of I can Hear The Grass Grow with voices recorded in a tissue box. Funny little instruments pop in and out and make it rather jolly.
Imposters Of Life's Magazine : The boys generate a tingling, quivering sound in this highly original up-beat number. Unusual lyric set to a strident, earthy backing, and quite a good tune, too.
Kaleidoscope
Flight From Ashiya : A big find for Fontana are Kaleidoscope, a new pink Freudian group from London. Their first single Flight From Ashiya is pretty damned supernatural baby, and I love it. In fact I played it three thousand times on the trot as I mastered transcendental medication with the rats in the attic. You can practically smell the Ally Pally incense on this freeky, compelling record, with its pounding belly-rumble bass line, beautiful shimmering, attacking guitar work, and apostolic harmonies to blow all minds. Definately for tomorrow! Kaleidoscope write their own material and if it's all half as groovy, as this, we're in line for some wonderous works.
Flight From Ashiya: The first time I played this one I didn't quite know what to think about it, but after a few spins I found a certain fascination in it. The type of song which reminded me of something that Jonathan King might have been involved with. Maybe not terribly commercial but very intriguing.
Moody Blues
Love And Beauty: The Moodies' Fly Me High met with great success up and down the country from pop fans who caught on to the catchy melody. This new sound is bigger and better but isn't quite as catchy, maybe because of its complexity. Written by Mike Pinder the sound is deep and echoey boosted well by strings, a dipping bass, and the big full vocal sound. A pretty, sweeping sound of a record crashing through the rain-clouds and full of surprises. It could be a giant hit providing it gets enough plugs to allow us to become familiar with the sound and lyrics. They're continuing to make good, good sounds.
Nirvana
Pentecost Hotel: I can't make up my mind about this. Strange eastern sounds, a mid-record change of mood, a lead singer with the confidential style of Steve Marriott and a good bit of record engineering make this an impressive first single. I like it anyway.
Pentecost Hotel: Please excuse me while I go quietly mad about this group and about this record. I loved their first, which was a beautiful piece called Tiny Goddess. This is equally lovely and in a way unbelievably ethereal. They are certainly a group to watch for. They write their own material, which is far ahead of most. It's a sound wild and unearthly. What I especially love is the way they make things sound grand and disturbing. The production on this beats all with a madness on strings at the end that reminds me of Pat Arnold's First Cut Is The Deepest. Please go out and buy this and listen and love. They deserve to be recognised for their writing in an age when lesser talent has more notice taken of it.
Piccadilly Line
Emily Small: "On The Third Stroke" was a nice record and now The Line follow it up with a less forceful, gentler little song. This slowly builds into a catchy and groovy number. The sound is clear and clean and there's sensible use of brass which cuts nicely into the sound without drowning it. Lazy sound, good lyrics and who knows, maybe a giant hit?
Emily Small: A rhythmic ballad about a girl who's drifting through life without realising her full potential. Catchy beat and an inspired lyric--but like so many discs, the tune's gone for a burton!
Procol Harum
Homburg: There's very little to say about something beautiful while you are still bathing in its radiance and absorbing its being. How can you criticise a record whose words have not yet been learnt by heart and mind and understood? This is the follow-up you have all been waiting for. It is a sad song that sweeps over you like waves of energy and loneliness and life and "signposts that cease to sign," and so much more. An honest, incredible sound!
Homburg: This follow-up to Harum's No 1 could well have been titled A Paler Shade Of White, because it's very similar to the group's first disc. The chordal structure is much the same--and so is the fusion of contempary lyrics with a Bach-Handel fugal strain. But whereas the last one owed a lot to Air On A G String, this latest effort seems to lean heavily on Sheep May Safely Graze. The main melody line is taken by a clanking piano, with that spine-tingling organ playing a background role--and the beat, emphasised by crashing cymbals, is more pronounced than before. It's another disc that gets right into your blood--obviously a smash!
Homburg: The first time I heard this nearly two months ago I really couldn't see any close association with Whiter Shade... though, of course, now listening to it properly and not in those odd circumstances it is clearly a close follow-up. And why not indeed? It is equally well done with lovely piano that you sometimes get on really good French instrumental records. I like the words on this much better than Whiter, probably because I could understand these rather bitter lyrics and I really never fully understood was Whiter was all about although as an atmosphere piece it couldn't be beaten. Obviously a lot of the novelty is lost but you will find this a well made record and worth having around, so buy it.
The Syn
Flowerman: A reminiscent melody but rather well produced - la la lah treatment of the title word
Tomorrow
Revolution: "Happiness is hard to find, we just want peace to blow our minds", and once again the sky opens and the music pours into the world, heralding today, Tomorrow with a twisting, licking ocean of sounds. Written by lead singer Keith West and guitarist Steve Howe the song planes on several levels incorpating a riddle at the beginning, a building, running fade-out from Steve, a rousing and chirping brass band and a deep urging chorus, with guitar patterns weaving through the calling vocals. Tomorrow have made a complex, driving record full of power and feeling and it should chase Keith's "Opera" success up the chart and out into the sunlight for all to dig.
The 23rd Turnoff
Michaelangelo: Sounds like someone got hold of a highly original lyric, and then scored it in brilliant Deram style--but somehow forgot about the melody.
Michaelangelo: A very well-written song, done excellently with a kind of controlled sadness. I really enjoyed the words of this which made me feel sorry. Yes!
Virgin Sleep
Love c/w Halliford House: Dreamy sort of drawled treatment here. Something compelling about it but the actual number is a bit draggy.
Love: Has a moody, mystical quality, enhanced by its Eastern-type chord structures and sitar effects. Unusual and not everyone's cup of tea.
The Zombies
Friends of Mine: This group seldom gets the success it deserves from British fans and in an attempt to remedy that I'm told the boys have taken six months off to re-think their pop approach. Here they make excellent use of their harmony talents on this happy, driving number. Could well be the break they're looking for, hope so.