Various: Try A Little Sunshine (The British Psychedelic Sounds Of 1969) 2018

 

THE  FACTORY

1967 was undoubtedly the high-water mark of the era, but the psychedelic genre’s influence lingered for some while afterwards. Nevertheless, there were significant changes during that period, and by the end of the decade the British music scene had largely polarised into two distinct camps: the influence of the counterculture saw the burgeoning college/university circuit grow as “serious” pop evolved into rock, while the more exploitative, commercial element of the industry reacted to the success of manufactured bands like The Monkees to instigate a sub-genre dismissively dubbed bubblegum.

JASON  CREST

That dichotomy saw the British pop and rock scene exhibit a strong element of musical schizophrenia, as can be heard on Try A Little Sunshine: The British Psychedelic Sounds of 1969, the latest instalment in Grapefruit’s acclaimed late Sixties series. A significant number of great, heavily lysergic records were still appearing (if psychedelia was dead, clearly nobody had told the likes of The Factory, Fleur de Lys or Jason Crest), but the musical template did mutate.

STATUS  QUO

The Attack’s chunky mod-pop vignettes gave way to Andromeda’s power trio riffing, Status Quo moved from day-glo popsike to a looser, bluesier approach, The Pretty Things reluctantly left behind their neglected masterpiece S. F. Sorrow to explore more introverted territory, Grapefruit traded their gossamer-light harmony pop template for a relatively stripped-down sound, and Colin Giffin eschewed The End’s psychedelic dreamscapes to dabble in post-‘Eleanor Rigby’ baroque pop.

BARCLAY  JAMES  HARVEST

In addition to such cornerstone creations, our overview ranges from ultra-commercial (but still unsuccessful) bubblegum-flecked singles by the likes of Pure Gold, Balloon Busters and Strawberry Jam to the arrival of prog-rock underground groups such as Woody Kern, Pussy and the righteously-obscure Irish band Taxi.

We also feature some of the more pop-oriented folkies/singer-songwriters, including Ralph McTell’s attempt at a summer pop hit single and Marc Brierley’s sitar-laden non-LP nugget ‘Flaxen Hair’, while a number of harmony pop acts (Harmony Grass, Tapestry, Angel Pavement, The Orange Bicycle and others) were eager to move with the changing times. For other, more commercially successful bands like The Spencer Davis Group, Procol Harum and The Move, it was a case of attempting to maintain their high-profile status while also showing signs of progression.

THE  SPENCER  DAVIS  GROUP

The year 1969 was a confusing time for bands and music fans alike in the U.K. The psychedelic wave of the previous few years had crested but was still strong, bubblegum had snuck in through the cracks, prog was in its early phase, and groups were cranking up the amps and getting harder. The whole year felt like the White Album had exploded, changed the game for existing bands, and spawned many new bands in its wake. Not that everything can always be credited to or blamed on the Beatles, but they cast a long shadow.

PRETTY  THINGS

With an excellent series of compilations covering the U.K. music scene year by year, the Grapefruit label had their work cut out for them, and they come through like champs on Try a Little Sunshine: The British Psychedelic Sounds of 1969. The three discs are packed with examples of all the various strains of psychedelic rock that were streaming wildly out of clubs and radios -- by well-known artists like the Pretty Things, Dave Davies, Procol Harum, and Status Quo, but mostly the collection is peopled by almost-weres and total nobodies who were lost to time.

ANDROMEDA

It's an eye-opening assortment of songs and sounds that rewards intense listening with a raft of gems like Tapestry's fuzzy lollipop of a bubblegum jam "Who Wants Happiness" and Tuesday's Children's warped baroque pop nugget "Doubtful Nellie." Or Jason Crest's bonkers dark psych freakout "Black Mass." Or Consortium's sunshine pop stunner "The Day the Train Never Came." One could pick a track at random and come up with a winner, or at least something quite interesting. Even the duff tracks are worth hearing just to get the proper context for the era.

PROCOL  HARUM

Sure, it misses a lot of the big names of the time, but Try a Little Sunshine doesn't need them to be a definitive musical lesson that's also tons of fun, and just the thing to throw on when one needs to be transported to another era.
                      

Various - Try A Little Sunshine (The British Psychedelic Sounds Of 1969)
Label: Grapefruit Records – CRSEGBOX047
Series: The British Psychedelic Sounds Of – 1969
Format:    3 x CD, Compilation Box Set
Country: UK
Released: Aug 31, 2018
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock
                   

DISC 1.

                               

                    
01. The Factory – Try A Little Sunshine
Written-By – Pantry
02. Shy Limbs – Reputation
Written-By – Dickenson
03. The Beatstalkers – Little Boy
Written-By – King
04. The Spencer Davis Group – Letters From Edith
Written-By – Fenwick
05. The Montanas – Roundabout
Written-By – Elcock, Rowley
06. Cliff Wade – Sister
Written-By – Wade
07. Barclay James Harvest – Brother Thrush
Written-By – Lees, Holroyd, Pritchard, Wolstenholme
08. Wild Silk – (Vision In A) Plaster Sky
Written-By – Mayer, Moseley
09. Consortium – The Day the Train Never Came
Written-By – Simpson
10. The Bliss – Lifetime
Written-By – Pegg, Berry, Hurn
11. Strawberry Jam – This Is To A Girl
Written-By – Girling, Legood, Dale, Sando, Phillips
12. Audience – River Boat Queen
Written-By – Werth, Williams
13. Gentle Influence – Captain Reale
Written-By – Pawley, Needler
14. Procol Harum – A Salty Dog
Written-By – Brooker, Reid
15. Angel Pavement – Green Mello Hill
Written-By – Beckerman
16. Peter Howell & John Ferdinando – The Walrus And The Carpenter
Written-By – Ferdinando, Howell
17. The Move – This Time Tomorrow
Written-By – Morgan
18. Jason Paul – Shine A Little Light Into My Room
Written-By – Gorgoni, Weinstein
19. The New Formula – Stay Indoors
Written-By – Carey, Dodd
20. Fresh Air – Running Wild
Written-By – Holding
21. The Sorrows – Dogs And Cats
Written-By – Davies
22. Pussy – We Built The Sun
Written-By – Clark, Beckerman
23. The Hammers – Baby And Me
Written-By – Holmes, Holmes
24. Paper Bubble – Being Human Being (Alternative Version)
Written-By – Crane, Brake
                      

MP3 @ 320 Size: 199 MB
Flac  Size: 410 MB

DISC 2.

                       

01. Writing On The Wall – Child On A Crossing
Written-By – Smith
02. The Orange Machine – Dr Crippen's Waiting Room
Written-By – Greeley, Crowley
03. The Orange Machine – Liar
Written-By – Potter, Haworth
04. The Mooche – Seen Through A Light
Written-By – Tatum
05. Sam Gopal – It's Only Love
Written-By – Willis
06. Grapefruit – Deep Water
Written-By – Alexander
07. Pan Pipers – Stop
Written-By – Mooney
08. Fortes Mentum – Marrakesh
Written-By – Beckerman
09. Marc Brierley – Flaxen Hair
Written-By – Brierley
10. Colin Giffin – Changes In Our Time
Written-By – Giffin, Lynch
11. Dave Davies – Creeping Jean
Written-By – Davies
12. Tapestry – Who Wants Happiness
Written-By – Moses
13. Grand Union – She Said, She Said
Written-By – Lennon-McCartney
14. Scrugg – Only George
Written-By – Kongos
15. Ralph McTell – Summer Come Along
Written-By – McTell
16. Nirvana – It Happened Two Sundays Ago
Written-By – Spyropoulos, Campbell-Lyons
17. Tuesday's Children – Doubtful Nellie
Written-By – Cordell
18. Ewan Stephens – Mindless Child Of Motherhood
Written-By – Davies
19. Woody Kern – Biography
Written-By – Sanderson, Wheat, Kenton, Harris
20. Balloon Busters – Alcock And Brown
Written-By – Mason, Howard/Blaikley
21. Edwards Hand – Magic Car
Written-By – Edwards, Hand
22. The Good Ship Lollipop – How Does It Feel
Written-By – Stephenson, Bellis
23. Shere Khan – No Reason
Written By – Yelland
24. Trader Horne – Morning Way
Written-By – Dyble

                            

MP3 @ 320 Size: 193 MB
Flac  Size: 385 MB

DISC 3.

                           

01. Jason Crest – Black Mass
Written-By – Clark, Dobson
02. The Orange Bicycle – Last Cloud Home
Written-By – Dove
03. The Explosive – (Who Planted Thorns In) Miss Alice's Garden
Written-By – Northcott
04. The Spectrum – Just What I Was Looking For Today
Written-By – Goffin/King
05. Status Quo – The Price Of Love
Written-By – Everly, Everly
06. 1984 – This Little Boy
Written-By – Rickards
07. The Deviants – Death Of A Dream Machine
Written-By – Rudolph
08. Andromeda – Day Of The Change
Written-By – Du Cann
09. Homer's Knods – Mr Rainbow
Written-By – Hopkins, Burgess, Wirtz
10. Pretty Things – You Might Even Say
Written-By – May, Waller
11. Freedom – Cry Baby Cry
Written-By – Lennon-McCartney
12. The Humblebums – Saturday Roundabout Sunday
Written-By – Connolly
13. Bill Fay – We Want You To Stay (Demo Version)
Written-By – Fay
14. Harmony Grass – What A Groovy Day
Written-By – Rivers
15. The Freshmen – Mr Beverly's Heavy Days
Written By – Shipp
Written-By – Stirling
16. Eyes Of Blue – Little Bird
Written-By – Francis
17. The Onyx – Tamaris Khan
Written-By – Fletcher/Flett
18. Five's Company – The School Boy
Written-By – Broadbridge
19. Davey Payne & The Medium Wave – Looking Towards The Sky
Written-By – Sutton, Pain, Swan, Taylor
20. Pure Gold – Fairground
Written By – Fernay, Lowe, Lucas
21. Fat Mattress – Petrol Pump Assistant
Written-By – Landon, Redding
22. Second Hand – Good Old '59 (We Are Slowly Gettin' Older)
Written-By – Elliott
23. Taxi – Counting Time My Way
Written-By – Nevin, Ervin
24. Bobak, Jons, Malone – Burning The Weed
Written-By – Johns, Bobak, Malone
25. Cape Kennedy Construction Company – Armageddon
Written-By – Baker
                       

MP3 @ 320 Size: 199 MB
Flac  Size: 421 MB