Monday, December 22, 2008

V.A. - The Golden Road - The Electric Coffee House Vol. 2 (2008)



A little while back, the Psychic Circle label took a journey back to the time when American folk music discovered electric rock and pop. The result was The Electric Coffee House compilation. That turned out to be one of the label's most successful albums, so consequently they've been having another delve into that hallowed region of chiming guitars, righteous harmony and garage joy. Once again, Psychic Circle is delighted to present an intriguing selection of obscurities: some primitive, some sophisticated, some psychedelic, some full of pop sensibility, but all of it with an essential, omnipresent undercurrent of folk tradition, albeit filtered through amplifiers and pick-ups, but there nonetheless. You'll hear from Ian Whitcomb's kid brother, Chuck Berry's favorite backing band, the man who wrote "Mr. Bojangles," a future member of Poco, a band featuring the young Bruce Cockburn, and a whole lot more besides. Come travel The Golden Road, let your mind wander free and let your freak flag fly. Compiled by legendary psych musician and Psychic Circle label-head, Nick Saloman (The Bevis Frond).

Track Listing

1. Let's Take a Walk in the Woods - Welch
2. You Gotta Stop - Ray
3. Hey Girl - Rice
4. Smiling - Steirling
5. Right on Time - Cotton
6. It's Been a Long Time - Shuput
7. The Way She Smiles - Romano
8. Look at Me - Allison
9. Clouds - Vosburg
10. Land of Make Believe - Flannery
11. Bird Without Wings - Cockburn
12. In & Out - Dalton
13. Lost Sea Shanty - Walker
14. I'll Be There - Keske
15. Make Me Over Again - Gorky
16. Where Are You - Roof
17. Fair One - Orvis
18. What's It All About - Cisco
19. Let's Get Together - Powers
20. Parade of Uncertainty - Pacheco

The Golden Road: The Electric Coffee House, Vol. 2: Further Travels into Unexplored Rock Te

V.A. - I Gotta Be Me - 20 Garage Missiles From The USA - Who Needs Tomorrow Vol. 2 (2008)



Organ drenched, fuzzy garage genius from the 60s US scene -- one of the best comps yet from Psychic Circle!!! I Got To Be Me is full of buzzing, r&b fueled garage rock from all over the mid-to-late 60s US -- most tunes really dripping with the trippy organ washes, and searing in the electric guitar department -- but it's no mere proto-punk batch of fiery singles. The musicianship and vocals are of top shelf talent, despite the singles being by-and-large obscure -- cut for bigger labels like Atco, United Artists, Roulette, Phillips and Capitol as well as a number of lesser knowns companies and imprints. Includes in killer take on the Howlin' Wolf standard "Smokestack Lightning" by Group Axis, "I Gotta Be Me" by Kevin Coughlin, "Good Good Lovin" by Les Hou-Lops, "HE's Not Your Friend" by Dee Jay & The Runaways, "Big Mama" by Gobby Simms & The Simers, "Turn Around" by Blue Wood, "Inside Out" by The In Crowd, "Fool That I Am" by Bobby Saint Clair, "Haunted By Your Love" by The Outsiders, "Doubt" by Hex and more. 20 tracks in all. (Dusty Groove)

Track Listing

1. Smokestack Lightning - Howlin' Wolf
2. I Gotta Be Me - Hirth
3. Good Good Lovin' - Brown
4. He's Not Your Friend - Lee
5. It's Only a Dream - Eden
6. Big Mama - Simms
7. Like My Girl - Ford
8. Without You - Carbone
9. Turn Around - Geiger
10. I'm a Man - McDaniel, Elias
11. Southbound Freeway - Somberg
12. Get It On/Wilde Childe Freakout - Morrow
13. Inside Out - Rambo
14. Should We or Shouldn't We - Chalfant
15. Hey You, Hey Me - Cartey
16. You Do Me Wrong - Hachey
17. Fool That I Am - Kalina
18. Haunted by Your Love - King
19. Salt 'N' Pepper - Colonna
20. Doubt - Hex

I Gotta Be Me: 20 Garage Missiles from the USA

V.A. - Cosmarama - Blow Your Cool Vol. 2 (2008)


Heavy thunder and lumbering psyche jams from the Psychic Circle label -- Volume 2 in the Blow Your Cool series -- heavy atmosphere and psychedelia from the UK & European scenes of the late 60s & early 70s! The tunes on Cosmarama are on the heavier side without getting weighed down in hard rock cliches, and bring about the thicker atmosphere in cathartic fashion -- with a few trippier, organ and lyrics led tunes to balance it out the fuzziness and thumping tendencies. Titles include "Cosmarama" by Distant Jim, "In Your Room" by Carriage Company, "All I Need" by Kingdom, "In Your Life" by The Tower, "Daybreak" by Back Street Band, "Old Songs New Songs" by Big Wheel, "I'll Try" by Electric Food, "Free" by The Petards, "Hod Rod Queen" by Castle Farm, 'Give Me Back" by Richard St Clair & Forum and more. 20 tracks in all. (Dusty Groove)

Track Listing

1. Cosmarama - Austin
2. In Your Room - Kent
3. All I Need - Edwards
4. In Your Life - DeGroot
5. Daybreak - Bellis
6. Old Songs New Songs - Chapman
7. Shotgun Express - Englebert
8. Widow Woman - Jones
9. Devil Woman - Weeda
10. Get off My Life Woman - Covay
11. Feline Woman - Pussy Wagon
12. Man in Back - Vion
13. I'll Try - Hesslein
14. Kings of Galaxy - Borgers
15. Free - King
16. Hot Rod Queen - Benike
17. Half Past Dead - Bekky
18. Love Song - Scott
19. Earth - Chips
20. Give Me Back - St. Clair

Cosmarama: Blow Your Cool, Vol. 2