Various: Psychedelic Crown Jewels (3 CD Compilation)

 

VARIOUS - PSYCHEDELIC CROWN JEWELS - VOL. 1 1997

This Florida-based outfit tries to out-Nuggets the Nuggets people, and out-Pebbles the Pebbles series,

CYKLE

and pretty much succeeds. There's a lot of wonderful psychedelic punk here -- not lounge-act-in-cool-clothes ersatz bands that certain reissue labels have pushed, but the real article, fuzztone-driven sneering demands to be heard from the likes of acts like the Cykle, out of Lumberton, North Carolina, Majic Ship from Brooklyn, the Faine Jade from Far Rockaway, Queens, New York, the Mystic Tide (a

FIFTY FOOT HOSE

real Yardbirds-type outfit, a la "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago") from Long Island, and the Morning Dew from Topeka, Kansas. Forget 15 minutes of fame, 15 seconds is more like it -- the Farfisa organs swirl, the volume pedals get worked out and worked over hard, and the male (and female punkette) teen angst just melts, bubbles, and overflows like the colored wax going through those tubes at the climax of House of Wax and coming out as music. Just as importantly, the notes are pretty thorough, even where almost nothing is known of a band (like the Bow Street Runners -- hell, the producers of this CD even

MAJIC SHIP

ask for information), and even better, the sound is good and clean; there are disc-source transfers, but they're mostly done with real care. As for the surprises, check out Nancy Blossom's punkoid vocals on the Fifty Foot Hose's "Red Sign Post," which is also so overloaded with feedback that it should have made Hendrix fans take notice (though nobody did in 1968); and then there's "Mary Jane" by the

THE LEMON DROPS

Baroques, released on Chess and immediately banned as a drug song -- with its Howlin' Wolf textured lead vocals and a beat too quick to dance to, it had obstacles that were insurmountable, but being pro-drug wasn't one of them. Not all of it is quite up to this standard, but it's all solid stuff, and no one will regret owning these 75 minutes of music.
(By Bruce Eder)
                   

Various – Psychedelic Crown Jewels - Vol. 1
Label: Gear Fab Records – GF-104
Series: Psychedelic Crown Jewels – 1
Format: CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 1997
Genre: Rock
Style: Garage Rock, Psychedelic Rock

TRAXS

                  

01. Cykle – Walkout (Of My Mind)   2:17
Written-By – James M. Sossamon
02. Majic Ship – Sioux City Blues   2:59
Written-By – Polimeni
03. The Morning Dew – Sing Out   3:02
Written-By – Mal Robinson
04. The Bow Street Runners – Watch   2:12
Written-By – The Bow Street Runners
05. Fifty Foot Hose – Red The Sign Post   2:55
Written-By – Blossom, Roswicky
06. The Baroques – Mary Jane   2:45
Written-By – J. Borgenhagen
07. The Movin' Morpho Me – What's Happened To Me?   2:14
Written-By – D. Rarick
08. The Mystic Tide – You Know It's True   4:43
Written-By – Docko
09. Flat Earth Society – Feelin' Much Better   2:27
Written-By – Kerivan, Dubuque
10. The Lemon Drops – Talk To The Animals   4:17
Written By – Weiss
Written-By – Sidman
11. Faine Jade – The Ballad Of The Bad Guys   4:23
Written-By – Faine Jade
12. Bohemian Vendetta – All Kinds Of High   3:32
Written-By – B.Cooke, T.Camp
13. The Zakary Thaks – Can't You Hear Your Daddy's Footsteps?   2:38
Written-By – Taylor
14. Afterglow – Morning   2:02
Written-By – Tecumseh
15. The Liberty Bell – That's How It Will Be   2:43
Written-By – Tanner
16. Painted Faces – Black Hearted Susan   3:40
Written-By – Schule, O'Neill
17. The Maze – Whispering Shadows   4:20
Written-By – W. Gardner
18. Odyssey – Churchyard   2:54
Written-By – Yovino, Kusy
19. The Human Expression – Who Is Burning?   3:05
Written-By – Quarles
20. The Illusion – I Love You, Yes I Do   2:20
Written-By – The Illusion
21. The Freudian Complex – Lake Baikal   4:42
Written-By – Fischer, Hahne, Hahne
22. Cykle – It's Her   2:01
Written-By – James M. Sossamon
23. Majic Ship – Life's Lonely Road   2:47
Written-By – Garrigan, Nikosey

FLAC SIZE: 684 MB

VARIOUS - PSYCHEDELIC CROWN JEWELS - VOL. 2 1999

              

Whereas the first volume of Psychedelic Crown Jewels contained many slightly higher-profile bands

THE ILLUSIONS

whose songs have shown up on other garage and psychedelic compilations, or that have full-length collections available, the second volume plucks some extremely unknown cuts from the vaults of the latter half of the '60s that have never appeared elsewhere. That can cut both ways: the listener could be treated to some mind-blowing obscurities, made even more mind-blowing by the fact that they have

THE MARAUDERS

remained virtually unheard through the years, or the listener could be subjected to a song that remained an obscurity for good reason. Luckily, Gear Fab's Roger Maglio, with a little help from his friends (Max Waller, Ray Ehmen, Mike Kusiak, etc.), has an uncanny knack for wading through the fuzz-, vile-spewing, teenage punks and general garage mayhem and picking out legitimately great songs and performances. Throw in the fact that everything has been documented and released legitimately with the knowledge, and usually aid, of the musicians featured in the best sound possible with

THE ROCKIN' ROADRUNNERS

comprehensive liner notes, and you have yourself a nice little artifact to while away the day dreaming of girl, girls, and...well...girls. Most of these songs are much more garage rock or fuzz-punk than they are psychedelic. Not so for the wonderful "When You Made Love to Me" by New York's the Prime Mover. The song is a truly unbelievable psychedelic love (or, rather, sex) song with slide guitar and

THE PHANTOMS

windchime percussive effects, as well as intriguing chord changes. The Grapes of Wrath, the Hustlers, the Baroque Monthly, the Barons (with the Paul Revere-type punker, "Drawbridge") and the Jelly Bean Bandits (perhaps the most well-known outfit of the lot) also chime in with excellent cuts, as do Substantial Evidence with uncanny Left Banke-influenced baroque pop on "Death Angel." In

JELLY BEAN BANDITS

comparison to the all-out punkers, the ballads tend to sound a little too tame, and a few of the songs begin to blend into the woodwork. One can only listen to so many organs, fuzz guitars, and horny teenagers at once before wishing for, well, something with subtlety and texture. Like, say,the Rolling Stones. But the best of these songs is truly transcendent. True garage fanatics will, of course, want them all.
(By Stanton Swihart)
                  

Various – Psychedelic Crown Jewels - Vol. 2: 60's Garage Unknowns
Label: Gear Fab Records – GF-123
Series: Psychedelic Crown Jewels
Format:    CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 1999
Genre: Rock
Style: Garage Rock, Psychedelic Rock

TRAXS

                               

01. The Counselors – Love Go Round
Written-By – D. Faiella
02. Joel Tessler – Why
Written-By – Tessler
03. The Northbridge Co – Strange Land, Strange People
Written-By – Dennis Stewart
04. Edwick Rumbold – Come Back
05. The Rockin' Roadrunners – Urban Meadows
Written By – J. Thompson
06. The Mark V – Over You
Written By – W. Henninger
07. The Marauders – Our Big Chance
Written-By – Strawn
08. The Baroque Monthly – You Are Your Only Mystery
Written By – Kelley/Written-By – Masys
09. The Jelly Bean Bandits – Salesman
Written-By – Raab
10. The Menn – Things To Come
Written By – Hamilton/Written-By – Don Bagby, Gray
11. The Hustlers – If You Try
Written-By – Leavitt
12. The Sons Of Joseph – It Won't Rain On Me
Written-By – R. Joseph
13. The Checkmates – Talk To Me
Written By – Cox, Greene, Nix
14. The Rogues, Inc. – People Say
Written-By – C. Stafford, G. Pearson
15. The Illusions – Shadows Of You
Written By – D. Gillon
16. The Prime Mover – When You Made Love To Me
Written-By – J. Pastor, T. Pastor, Jr.
17. The Grapes Of Wrath – Have A Good Time On Me
Written-By – S. Whitehurst
18. The Off-Beats – Tired Of Crying
Written-By – Bill Hopkins
19. Gang Of Saints – Yes, It's Too Bad
Written-By – Mickey Burns, Steve Beall
20. Substantial Evidence – Death Angel
Written-By – R. Zoller
21. The Phantoms – Story Of A Rich Man
Written-By – B. Ashbaugh, G. Soentpiet
22. The Barons – Drawbridge
Written-By – Katt
23. The Joint Effort – The Third Eye
Written-By – Bud Mathis, D. Callens, E. Villareal
24. The Kracker Barrell Komplex – Different Than Me
Written-By – Mark Urbanowski
25. The Rockin' Roadrunners – Go Away
Written-By – D. Morris
26. The Stix And Stones – Bad News
Written-By – L. Sharp
27. The Individuals – She's Gone Away
Written-By – Andy Cahn
28. The Jaguars – Two Can Play
Written-By – Masys
29. The Viceroys  – Five Steps To Hell

FLAC SIZE: 834 MB

VARIOUS - PSYCHEDELIC CROWN JEWELS - VOL. 3 2000

               

The third volume in the stellar Gear Fab series is the second straight to go the route of wholly unknown

THE WYLDE HEARD

singles from garage rock's prime period, 1965-1968. None of the songs or artists has been previously compiled on any of the torrent of like-minded archival collections, which at the very least gives the album a welcome novelty, even if the music contained therein is not necessarily among the best of the genre. For aficionados and collectors who simply cannot get enough sloppy aggression, brilliantly inept and dunderheaded fuzz solos, pounding snares, and snot-nosed, moodier-than-thou attitude, however, Volume 3 is more of what cures you, a potent elixir of angst-ridden garage rock, unsteady folk-rock ballads, and sublimely ridiculous attempts at psychedelia. All of the normal bands are religiously aped.

THE PSYCHOTICS

First-stringers the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Zombies, Left Banke, the Byrds, and the Yardbirds are mimicked ad infinitum, sometimes with a modicum of success, most of the time disastrously. There are some interesting homages to second tier bands like Beau Brummels, the Turtles, and the Rascals as well, and some of the more ambitious bands incorporate elements of soul and R&B, bits of Love or the Chambers Brothers, Bo Diddley's patented rhythms, or Ikettes-style background vocals. For those who think this stuff is nothing but cultural and musical detritus, Volume 3 has plenty of the expected inanities and more rough spots than either of the previous editions in the series. In other words, it makes a frustratingly one-note listen at times and is likely to step on a nerve or two of the unconverted. There

THE KING'S ENGLISH

are a few too many sub-Kingsmen frat-rockers and some unwelcome (to garage fans, at least) ventures into Outsiders/American Breed pop/rock territory, generally handled much more amateurishly and without the commercial polish of those bands. That being said, part of what makes this stuff so endearing to its true fans is the unstudied and youthful untidiness of it all, even the -- no offense meant -- incompetence of the performances. The very amateurishness on display throughout is the primary charm, and even with the generally unvarnished and small-time nature of much of the music, there are still some true pinnacles and sparkling moments, songs that deserve a much better shake than they have

THE PEBBLES

received thus far. The songs that recast Yardbirds-style rave-ups -- particularly the Chimes' terrific "#38" -- are perhaps the most infectious moments, but the most interesting tunes are the ones where you can audibly here the connections being made, the chances being taken. The Sole Survivors' "Love Her So," as an example, teeters on the edge between the pop/rock ballad that it is (as evidenced by the title)

and the more interesting psychedelia (the ominous sway of the chorus, the minor-key chord changes) that it seems to want to be, a rather advanced notion for 1966. Those moments of transition, when you can actually hear the wheels turning in the heads of these kids, are what ultimately make this collection so appealing, even if you have to plow through the jungle to find this music.
(By Stanton Swihart)
            

Various – Psychedelic Crown Jewels - Vol. 3 (More Garage Unknowns)
Label: Gear Fab Records – GF-155
Series: Psychedelic Crown Jewels – Vol. 3
Format: CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2000
Genre: Rock
Style: Garage Rock, Psychedelic Rock

TRAXS

                     

01. The Psychotics – (I'm) Determined   2:50
Written-By – Smith, Marshall, Beck
02. The Cobblestones – Down With It   2:21
Written-By – Pearson, McElroy
03. The Shades – I Need You   2:03
Written-By – Swider, France
04. The Apolloes – Laugh In My Face    2:37
Written-By, Producer  Wayne White
05. The Wylde Heard – Stop It Girl     2:16
Bass – Bill Sutton
Drums – Rod Bednar
Guitar – Paul Burson
Keyboards – Jim Croegaert
Producer – Steve Sperry
Written-By – James Charles Croegaert
06. The Chimes – #38   2:29
Written-By, Producer – Douglas Huber
07. The Barking Spyders – I Want Your Love    2:45
Written By – Perkins-Mackaness
08. The Sole Survivors – Love Her So   3:20
Bass – Richard Cormier
Drums – Rocky Stone
Electric Piano, Organ – Ralph Pieroni
Lead Guitar – Bruce McDonald
Written-By, Rhythm Guitar, Lead Vocals – Dennis Cormier
09. The Cobblestones – Flower People   2:33
Written-By – Lehmann, Pearson
10. Five Bucs – I'll Walk Alone   2:28
Written-By – B. Kerr, C. Rose, S. Hearn
11. Purple Passage – Beyond Reality   4:20
Written By – H. Martinez/P. Martinez
12. The Pebbles – Endless Tears   1:50
Bass – Ray
Drums – Bill Birthhold
Lead Guitar – Ralph Straight
Producer – Ralph P. Hitchcock
Rhythm Guitar – Denny Downey
Vocals, Trumpet – Joe Camuccio
Written-By – D. Downey, J. Camuccio
13. The King's English – It Could Be Bad   2:40
Written-By – R. Miele
14. The Ceptors – I Can't Make It   2:37
Producer – Gil Bateman
Written By – Bateman??
15. The Shades – With My Love   2:48
Written-By – Null, Swider, France
16. The Wylde Heard – Take It On Home   2:56
Producer – Steve Sperry
Written-By – James Charles Croegaert
17. String & The Beans – Come Back To Me   2:15
Guitar – Craig Fulford
Written-By – C. Fulford, R. Robinson
18. TheApolloes – Hey   2:19
Written-By – Jim Youmans
19. The Different Parts – Why   2:59
Performer – Ron Vice
Producer – Allen Schriefer
Written-By, Performer – Steve Broussard
20. The Chocolate Telephone Pole – Let's Tranqualize With Color   2:07
Written-By – A. Zanetis, D. Smith
21. The Movement – Just A Driftin'   2:01
Written-By – Buck Williams
22. Group Therapy – Silhouetted Summer Dream   2:35
Written-By – Peter Gerda Guilkers
23. The Cobblestones – I'll Hide My Head In The Sand   2:41
Written-By – Jim Jacobs
24. The Swingin' Apolloes – Chained & Bound   2:15
Producer – Jim Youmans
Written By – Chester - Lane-Freeman
25. Bed Of Roses–Quiet   4:00
Written By – F. Dash
26. The Whazoos – Inside Of Me   3:08
Bass – Bob Gryziec
Written-By – M.W. Boback
27. The Muffetts – Lost   2:26
Written-By – Steven Farley

FLAC SIZE: 743 MB