Various - Mojo Presents - Acid Drops, Spacedust And Flying Saucers - Psychedelic Confectionary From The UK Underground 1965 - 1969 (2001)

 

SYD BARRETT

Just when you thought the mine of obscure 60's British psychedlia had been stripped, MOJO magazine's merry music geeks have gleefully assembled one of the best collections of the genre.

THE YARDBIRDS

Amazingly, only a relative handful of selections cross over with Rhino's recent and similar "Nuggets II" box--so if you're a hardcore collector, it won't be too over-spendy to scoop up both. Sound quality is as good as you can expect, keeping in mind that 1) you are dealing with 1960's studio technology, and 2) many of these songs are so obscure that the only existing copies are probably on vinyl sources!

WORLD OF OZ

Wisely, MOJO does mix in some Who, Kinks, Animals, Yardbirds, etc., giving the collection a nice historical balance and context for the more casual music fan. A winner!

THE NICE

Four CD set covering UK psychedelia from 1965-1969, compiled by Mojo writer Pat Gilbert. Includes one-hit wonders & psychedelic obscurities alongside acts such as The Who, The Move, The Kinks, Donovan, Hollies, The Small Faces & many more. 72 tracks in all.

THE SPENCER DAVIS GROUP

Although perhaps a little too similar to volume two of the highly regarded Nuggets series, Acid Drops, Spacedust, & Flying Saucers, compiled by the fine folks at Britain's (in fact, the world's) finest music magazine, Mojo, is the perfect introduction to the rise and fall of British psychedelia.

PROCOL HARUM

Rather than chart the influence of British music on its surroundings and colonies (as done by Nuggets) Acid Drops takes an easier route. The Nuggets collection focused on all manner and strains of the old empire's R&B, freakbeat, mod, and psychedelic scenes, whilst Acid Drops dissects and inspects the solely British mutation from beat/pop (signified by the Kinks' quasi-raga "See My Friends") into full-blown psychedelia (from the most commercial to most underground of guises).

THE PRETTY THINGS

For the hardened collector and avid fanatic, Space Dust will bring few surprises. There's a hefty weight of British hits and a delve through the type of major-label material that missed the mark at the time but has since become legendary through contributor Phil Smee's '80s psychedelic compilation series, Rubbles, that anyone bitten by the bug will be familiar with.

THE WHO

What will make purchase of this -- it must be said, rather cheaply packaged box -- essential is the superior sound quality (all tracks have been remastered at Abbey Road) and the interesting liner booklet, which if not a little skimpy, features a superb essay in which Jon Savage chronicles the evolution and devolution of British music's most quirky, imaginative, and brief of genres.

THE KINKS

Alongside the short running time (why the hell have EMI held back to only 18 tracks per CD, whilst Rhino made the effort to fill their Nuggets set to spilling point?) and minor quips, like the edited beginning of the Smoke's tremolo-infused classic "My Friend Jack" and the inclusion of the pretty much non-psychedelic "Granny Takes a Trip" by jug band the Purple Gang, this is still a very decent set which takes into account the different sides of U.K. psych.

THE INCREDIBLE STRING BAND

And as said, although rather preliminary for those seeking new thrills, this holds the very essence of the cause and effect the genre had on the changing face of the British music scene from 1965-1969. Practically none of this music has aged badly, and for some reason, however pompous and ridiculous a lot is, it still sounds as invigorating as the day it was recorded. Timeless. ~ Jon 'Mojo' Mills,

HOLLIES

One of the great things about 1960s music is that there were so many wonderful tracks may not have been huge hits but remain worthy of a listen even now in the 21t century. The advent of the CD has meant that so many wonderful sounds that disappeared for years are now available again, opening up the archives for bands who many had forgotten or never knew in the first place.

ERIC BURDON & THE ANIMALS

This is like discovering rare gems. There are songs that certainly deserve a much wider audience and even artists who are well-known now making their first outings. Like the earlier Nuggetts II collection, Acid Drops, Spacedust & Flying Saucers is an absolute treasure trove of frequently less-known music.

DONOVAN

Again like Nuggetts II, Acid Drops has a mix of well-known tracks, well-known artists and the blatently obscure. What they have in common is they bring back great music so everyone can listen again or for the first time even.

BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST

All in all, this collection may overlap with Nuggetts II for some tracks but it provides a large number of other tracks that are not available elsewhere. Essential for fans of late 1960s music.
                     

Various - Mojo Presents - Acid Drops, Spacedust And Flying Saucers - Psychedelic Confectionary From The UK Underground 1965 - 1969 (2001)
Label: EMI – 07243 5 35078 2 4, Universal – 07243 5 35078 2 4
Format: 4 x CD, Compilation Box Set
Country: UK
Released: 2001
Genre: Rock, Pop
Style: Garage Rock, Psychedelic Rock
                   

DISC 1.  DOWN TO MIDDLE EARTH

 

 
01. McGough & McGear - "So Much in Love" (4:02)
02. Aquarian Age - "10,000 Words in a Cardboard Box" (3:26)
03. The Nice - "Flower King of Flies" (3:18)
04. Rupert's People - "Dream on My Mind" (3:25)
05. Shy Limbs - "Reputation" (3:33)
06. Tintern Abbey - "Vacuum Cleaner" (3:06)
07. The David - "Light of Your Mind" (2:51)
08. The Misunderstood - "I Can Take You to the Sun" (3:40)
09. Grapefruit - "Dear Delilah" (2:28)
10. Procol Harum - "Shine on Brightly" (3:33)
11. Bamboo Shoot - "The Fox Has Gone to Ground" (2:52)
12. The Who - "Armenia City in the Sky" (3:13)
13. Focus Three - "10,000 Years Behind My Mind" (2:16)
14. Timebox - "Gone Is the Sad Man" (3:44)
15. World of Oz - "Peter's Birthday (Black and White Rainbows)" (2:55)
16. The Tickle - "Subway (Smokey Pokey World)" (2:42)
17. Felius Andromeda - "Meditations" (4:10)
18. Warm Sounds - "Nite Is a-Comin'" (3:01)

Flac Size: 324 MB

DISC 2.  GANDALF'S GARDEN  

                 

01. Kaleidoscope - "Flight from Ashiya" (2:41)
02. July - "The Way" (4:15)
03. Incredible String Band - "Witches Hat" (2:34)
04. Donovan - "Celeste" (4:10)
05. Ramases & Selket - "Mind's Eye" (2:42)
06. The End - "Shades of Orange" (2:41)
07. Virgin Sleep - "Love" (2:25)
08. Barclay James Harvest - "Pools of Blue" (3:09)
09. Tales of Justine - "Monday Morning" (3:23)
10. Billy Nicholls - "Girl from New York" (3:19)
11. The Accent - "Red Sky at Night" (3:14)
12. Mick Softley - "Am I the Red One" (2:31)
13. Orange Bicycle - "Laura's Garden" (3:15)
14. Caleb - "Baby Your Phrasing Is Bad" (3:18)
15. Amazing Friendly Apple - "Magician" (3:23)
16. Moles - "We Are the Moles (Part 1)" (4:34)
17. 23rd Turnoff - "Michael Angelo" (2:25)
18. Bill Fay - "Screams in the Ears" (3:25)

Flac Size: 286 MB

DISC 3.  MUSHROOM SOUP   

                

01. Purple Gang - "Granny Takes a Trip" (2:36)
02. The Smoke - "My Friend Jack" (3:07)
03. Idle Race - "Imposters in Life's Magazine" (2:18)
04. Pretty Things - "Talkin' About the Good Times" (3:44)
05. Donovan - "Hurdy Gurdy Man" (3:12)
06. Spencer Davis Group - "Time Seller" (2:52)
07. Denny Laine - "Say You Don't Mind" (3:10)
08. The Move - "I Can Hear the Grass Grow" (2:58)
09. Kinks - "See My Friend" (2:43)
10. Peter Cook & Dudley Moore - "The L.S. Bumble Bee" (2:45)
11. Yardbirds - "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago" (2:57)
12. Small Faces - "Green Circles" (2:42)
13. Hollies - "King Midas in Reverse" (3:08)
14. David McWilliams - "The Days of Pearly Spencer" (2:34)
15. The Herd - "From the Underworld" (3:19)
16. Eric Burdon & the Animals - "Sky Pilot" (7:38)
17. Traffic - "Paper Sun" (4:13)
18. Simon Dupree & the Big Sound - "Kites" (3:45)

Flac Size: 334 MB

DISC 4.  ROUNDHOUSE GHOSTS  

                 

01. The Attack - "Colour of My Mind" (2:29)
02. Allen Pound's Get Rich - "Searchin' in the Wilderness" (3:19)
03. Fire - "Father's Name Was Dad" (2:33)
04. Orange Machine - "Dr. Crippen's Waiting Room" (3:03)
05. Penny Peeps - "Model Village" (2:54)
06. Fairytale - "Run and Hide" (2:31)
07. Mandrake Paddle Steamer - "Strange Walking Man" (3:13)
08. Status Quo - "When My Mind Is Not Alive" (2:49)
09. Poets - "In Your Tower" (2:32)
10. Sands - "Listen to the Sky" (3:46)
11. Syd Barrett - "Octopus" (3:46)
12. Apple - "Otherside" (3:18)
13. Flies - "I'm Not Your Stepping Stone" (2:41)
14. Herbal Mixture - "Machines" (2:04)
15. Tomorrow - "Revolution" (3:48)
16. Sorrows - "You Got What I Want" (2:00)
17. Koobas - "Royston Rose" (3:52)
18. Sam Gopal's Dream - "Escalator" (2:51)

Flac Size: 291 MB