V.A: Just A Bad Dream: Sixty British Garage & Trash Nuggets 1981-89 (2018)

Cherry Red Records is a British independent record label founded by Iain McNay in 1978. The label has released recordings by Dead Kennedys, Everything But the Girl, The Monochrome Set, and Felt, among others, as well as the compilation album Pillows & Prayers. In addition to releasing new music, Cherry Red also acts as an umbrella for individual imprints and catalogue specialists.

 https://www.cherryred.co.uk/

Cherry Red was listed by Music Week as one of the UK’s top ten record companies in Q1 2015 for sales of artist albums.

Cherry Red grew from the rock promotion company (similarly named after the song "Cherry Red" by

The Groundhogs) founded in 1971 to promote rock concerts at the Malvern Winter Gardens. In the wake of the independent record boom that followed the advent of punk rock, founders Iain McNay (who remains company chairman) and Richard Jones released the label's first single, "Bad Hearts" by punk band The Tights in June 1978.

Cherry Red's early roster included releases by Morgan Fisher under various pseudonyms, using a small studio installed in his Notting Hill flat, as well as material licensed from The Hollywood 

Brats, Destroy All Monsters and The Runaways. The latter was the label's biggest seller until McNay invested $10,000 in the recording of the debut studio album by San Franciscan political punk band Dead Kennedys. Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables (1979) and its attendant singles sold well worldwide. New A&R head Mike Alway had promoted the Snoopies venue in Richmond, London and been involved with the Scissor Fits, and signed groups including The Monochrome Set, Everything But The Girl, Eyeless in Gaza, Felt, and Five Or Six.

McNay aspired for Cherry Red to be a label that offered a space for artists who would otherwise not

fit the image of some of the more succinctly defined and stylised independents. "Cherry Red Records was always about musical individuality, diversity, character, commitment and passion," he stated in 2008. It also marketed other smaller independent record labels, like Bristol's Heartbeat Records, which recorded the Glaxo Babies.

[AllMusic Review by Tim Sendra

The underground U.K. music scene of the early '80s was dominated by post-punk and new wave, but percolating below the surface were several scenes that looked back to the past for inspiration. Loads of bands were besotted by the garage punk sound of the mid-'60s, the rockabilly sound of the '50s, and the '60s mod scene, and when they filtered it through punk it came out sounding trashy more often than not. Cherry Red's "Just a Bad Dream: Sixty British Garage & Trash Nuggets 1981-1989" gathers up the various threads of this very loosely defined scene, and over three discs does a fine job of capturing the raucous sounds of the era.

Chief early movers on the scene were the raw beat group lovers Thee Milkshakes, jumped-up mods the Prisoners, the garage-meets-surf Stingrays, and psychobilly wildmen the Meteors, and they are all represented.

All the sounds that were scuttling through the underbelly are represented nicely by well-chosen tracks. There are loads of psychobilly, mod, and garage rock with some truly inspired revivalists behind the mikes. Anything with Lenny Helsing involved is sure to be great tracks here by the Green Telescope ("A Glimpse") and the Thanes ("Don't Let Her Dark Your Door") are highlights.

The same with the man who is the poster child for the scene, Billy Childish. Along with Thee Milkshakes, there are plenty of Childish-related bands on hand, including the Delmonas with theirThee Mighty Caesars' "Little by Little." During this early part of the era covered by the set, Alan McGee's Creation Records dipped into psych and garage in their early days, with the Jesus and Mary Chain's brilliant cover of Syd Barrett's "Vegetable Man" and the Jasmine Minks' rollicking "What's Happening" on hand to inject some noise pop into the proceedings.

great early girl group-inspired "He Tells Me He Loves Me" and

The three discs are filled with fun romps like Ug and the Cavemen's silly "Go Gorilla," slick rockers like the Tall Boys' "Ride This Torpedo," swirling psych-pop like the Delmontes' "So It's Not to Be," and the Wolfhounds' howling punk blast "LA Juice." The wide scope of the bands gives an idea of how wide-ranging and diverse the scene was, even within its narrow confines. Only a few duds here and there as well as some dodgy moments of misogyny that could have been skipped keep this from being a classic box set. As it stands, it's merely great, which should be enough to inspire some serious revisitation of an era that was unique and produced a lot of wild and swinging sounds.]

3CD set charting the UK’s 1980s Garage Rock revival, otherwise known as Trash. Sixty of the finest must-have scene hits, lesser known deep cuts and underexposed nuggets.

All of the key players! Including Thee Milkshakes, The Sting-Rays, The Cannibals, The Prisoners, The Barracudas, The X-Men, The Tall Boys, The Jesus And Mary Chain, The Meteors, The X-Men, The Playn Jayn and many, many more…
Sixty of the finest must-have scene hits, lesser known deep cuts and underexposed nuggets.
Produced in association with The Sting-Rays’ Alec Palao
“I was there” sleevenotes from Mike Spenser, Lenny Helsing and Vic Templar.
Remarkable ‘comic book’ design and packaging makes this a must-see, must-hear, must-have set!

Sometimes, a disparate crowd of random influences and a handful of scene-makers coalesce out of nothing, and before you know it a movement is happening. So it was in the UK in the early-to-mid- ‘80s, when an unlikely set of bands resurrected the spirit of mid-‘60s Garage Rock.
Fusing that sound with elements of the pre-Fab Four, Psych, Mod, Rockabilly and Psychobilly, and greasing the wheels of this new machine with a thick slab of post—punk sensibility, bands across the UK began to shout and holler like they hadn’t in years,

capturing their work on often rough and ready recordings, issued on Big Beat, Hangman, Hit Records, Media Burn, Creation and other equally fried labels. From London, Medway and the South East to Edinburgh and beyond, the Trash movement spread, quickly reaching out into mainland Europe and beyond. Here in the UK, Trash finally enjoyed its moment in the sunshine in 1984, when four of the scene’s key bands appeared on Channel 4’s flagship music show The Tube.

Spiky, brash, loud and unfettered by delusions of grandeur, this is the sound of the post punk UK

music scene looking backwards whilst moving forwards. Not for the faint-hearted, sure, and always likely to tell you where you can stick it, but this is a sound that has stuck. The garage and trash scene, albeit under different names and sprinkled with a layer of post-Millennial self-awareness, continues to thrive around the world. Wherever one finds guitars, amplifiers and the primal spirit, one finds Trash.

Packed full of rarities and collectibles – the Medway Valley and

Billy Childish related material is currently particularly sought after – ‘Just A Bad Dream’ will appeal to fans of ‘80s Psychedelia, Mod Revival, Indie, Psychobilly and, of course, the ‘60s Garage Rock that influenced so many of these artists.

Various Artists

Just A Bad Dream: Sixty British Garage & Trash Nuggets 1981-89, 3CD Clamshell Boxset

Label: Cherry Red ‎– CRCDBOX63

Format: Box Set, Album, Clamshell

3 × CD, Compilation

Country: UK

Released: 23 Nov 2018

Genre: Rock

Style: Alternative Rock, Indie Rock, Garage Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Psychobilly

CD 1.

01. Thee Mighty Caesars: Little By Little

Written-By – Billy Childish

02. The Cannibals: Submarine Song

Written-By – Mike Spenser

03. The Barracudas: Next Time Around

Written-By – R. Wills

04. The Sting-Rays: June Rhyme

Written-By – Alec Palao

05. The Sid Presley Experience: Hup Two Three Four

Written-By – Coyne, Bartle, Murphy, Coyne

06. The Prisoners: What I Want

Written-By – Graham Day

07. The Bugs: Just A Bad Dream

Written-By – Lloyd Tripp, RIchard Smith

08. The Green Telescope: A Glimpse

Written-By – Lenny Helsing

09. The Dentists: Writhing On The Shagpile

Written-By – Jones, Matthews, Murphy, Collins

10. Ug And The Cavemen: Go Gorilla

Written By – Coggins, Gottheardt

11. The Vibes: I Hear Noises

Written-By – Gary Boniface

12. Biff Bang Pow!: The Whole World Is Turning Brouchard!

Written-By – Biff Bang Pow!

13. The Aardvarks: Drive Me Wild

Written-By – The Aardvarks

14. The Margin Of Sanity: Get What I Can

Written By – Mark Storey

15. The Discords: Little Miss Misfit

Written-By – Pete Dodson

16. The Mild Mannered Janitors: Dirty Jean

Written-By – The Mild Mannered Janitors

17. Blow-Up: 125

Written-By – Burgess, Peter

18. Auntie Vegetable: Stroll On

Written-By – Mann, Maurice, Bradshaw

19. The Inmates: Mr Unreliable

Written-By – Staines

20. Naz Nomad And The Nightmares: Just Call Me Sky

Written-By – Bryn Merrick, Christopher Millar, Dave Vanian, Roman Jugg

MP3 @ 320 Size: 127 MB
FLAC  Size: 358

CD 2.

   

01. Sexton Ming: You Can't Polish A Turd

Written-By – Sexton Ming

02. The Escalators: Munsters Theme

Written-By – Mosher, Marshall

03. The Jesus And Mary Chain: Vegetable Man

Written-By – Syd Barrett

04. The Tall Boys: Ride This Torpedo

Written-By – Nigel Lewis

05. The Thanes: Don't Let Her Dark Your Door

Written-By – Lenny Helsing

06. Bananamen: The Crusher

Written-By – Bob Nolan

07. The X-Men: Talk

Written-By – Miles Aldridge

08. Emptifish: I Want That Girl

Written-By – Emptifish

09. The Morticians: I Don't Care

Written-By – Redfern

10. The Meteors: Swamp Thing

Written-By – P Paul Fenech

11. Jasmine Minks: What's Happening

Written-By – J. Shepherd

12. Nutmeg: And In England They're Going Mental

Written-By – Hobbs, Scurrah, Palastanga, Dalpra

13. Prime Movers: Livin' In My Own Nightmare

Written-By – Graham Day

14. The Mindreaders: Fever In My Pocket

Written-By – Cale, Reed, Tucker, Morrison

15. King Kurt: Nervous Breakdown

Written-By – Mario Roccuzzo

16. The Stayrcase: I Know You Lied

Written-By – Alan McLean

17. The Daggermen: One More Letter

Written-By – Taylor, Smith

18. The Psylons: Waiting Nation

Written-By – Edwards, Packer, Wyatt, Grech

19. The Wigs: The Dead

Written-By – Michael James

20. Thee Headcoats: Young Blood (Live)

Written-By – Billy Childish

MP3 @ 320 Size: 140 MB
FLAC  Size: 417 MB

CD 3.

   

01. The Playn Jayn: You Weren't Born You Were Created (Live)

Written-By – Jones

02. Thee Milkshakes: Brand New Cadillac

Written-By – Vince Taylor

03. The Surfadelics: Don't Be Sorry

Written-By – Lancaster, Lupton, Lee, The Surfadelics, Bernstein

04. Marionette: Too Far Gone

Written-By – Marionette

05. The Beatpack: No Great Shakes

Written-By – Simon Harvey

06. The Unholy Trinity: Rock And Roll Traitor

Written-By – The Unholy Trinity

07. The Delmonas: He Tells Me He Loves Me

Written-By – Childish, Hampshire

08. The Wolfhounds: LA Juice

Written-By – Bolton, Callahan, Clark, Golding

09. Revolving Paint Dream: Garbagebrain

Written-By – A. Innes

10. Clapham South Escalators: Leave Me Alone

Written-By – P Paul Fenech

11. The Primevals: My Emancipation

Written-By – Michael Rooney

12. Change Lings: Shelter From The Rain

Written-By – David Callahan

13. The Surf Rats: Plutonium Mind Shock

Written-By – Gary Marston

14. The Golden Horde: The Curse

Written-By – Simon Carmody

15. The Delmontes: So It's Not To Be

Written-By – The Delmontes

16. The Gruffmen: Farmer John

Written-By – Terry, Harris

17. The Krewmen: The Hell Train

Written-By – Cole, McMillan

18. Sunglasses After Dark: Hellhag Shuffle

Written-By – Harkness, Mitchell, Steadman, Cohen

19. The Jackals Of Fresh Kid: Ringing In My Ears

Written By – O'NeilWritten-By – Clark, Tyack

20. The Screaming Dead: This Is The End Of The World (Demo)

MP3 @ 320 Size: 146 MB
FLAC  Size: 412 MB

Clear Light: Clear Light 1967. Reissue: 2002

Clear Light was an American psychedelic rock band that was formed in Los Angeles, California in 1966. The group released one studio album, Clear Light. It was met with moderate national success before the group disbanded.

In 1966, The Brain Train formed and was managed by Sunset Strip hipster Bud Mathis. They recorded one single – "Black Roses", written by Wolfe Dios, (aka: Wolfgang Dios, now residing and recording in Toronto, Canada) – before changing their name to Clear Light and signing to Elektra Records. Guitarist Bob Seal felt the name should be changed to coincide with the single. Clear Light shared its name with a potent form of LSD, although Seal states the name came from his studies of Eastern philosophy. The Doors' producer Paul A. Rothchild took over management of the band.

To say nineteen sixty-seven had been a good year for Elektra Records would be an understatement.

Their decision to diversify into the field of rock music after over a decade immersed in the world of esoteric folk music had really begun to reap rewards. Hit records by the likes of the Doors and Love had garnered them an enviable reputation and by the fall of that year they were about to release a slew of classic records. Amongst an embarrassment of riches, which included the Doors’ ‘Strange Days,’ Love’s ‘Forever Changes’ and Tim Buckley’s ‘Hello and Goodbye,’ was an underrated artefact of that heady summer of love? Featuring a motley collection of Sunset Strip long hairs flanking one of the freakiest freaks ever to grace a record sleeve, the cover of Clear Light’s debut album release was guaranteed to make the casual record buyer look twice.

Those turned on souls who were captivated enough to fork out the required cash must have been delighted when they put stylus to vinyl and unleashed the music pressed within. Featuring a mixture of delicate folk

rock musings coupled with bombastic psychedelia delivered with dramatic flair and more time changes than you could shake a leg to, Clear Light was clearly a product of the Elektra school of acid rock, evoking highly favourable comparisons with both Love and the Doors. Unfortunately for Clear Light they were overshadowed by the high profile successes of their Elektra stable mates and didn’t achieve the critical and popular recognition that they deserved.

The core members of Clear Light were Bob Seal, lead guitarist and vocals, Robbie "The Werewolf" Robison, rhythm guitar and vocals, Doug Lubahn bass and vocals, Dallas Taylor drums, and Michael Ney on an atypical second set of drums. The original line-up was featured in the 1967 motion picture The President's Analyst, with Barry McGuire cast as their leader and vocalist.[5] They soon added Cliff De Young on lead vocals[4] and this is the version of the band seen on their only album cover. However, sometime during the recording process, often described as "brutal", Paul Rothchild was not happy with Robison's guitar playing skills and pressured the group to remove him - he was replaced by keyboard player Ralph Schuckett.

In what has been called the band's finest hour, drunken customers in a Park Avenue club heckled them so brutally that Ralph Schuckett, the usually gentle organist, hurled a few choice words back at them. The band walked off the stage, retired to the Albert Hotel, and woke up in the morning to find that they had become underground heroes.

Clear Light was released in September 1967 and peaked at number 126 on the Billboard pop albums chart. It combined elements of folk, rock, psychedelic, and classical music. It is an AMG music pick. While the album was not a success at the time, it was creative, coherent and competent. The album featured the unique characteristic of including two leading drummers on their tracks. The album also includes three tracks written by guitarist Bob Seal.

A notable track from the Clear Light album, was "Mr. Blue," a psychedelic version of a folk song written by Tom Paxton and a popular request on underground radio at the time. Lasting over six minutes, the rather sinister, psychedelic song is considered a classic of the genre.[3] Its lyrics, which alternate between spoken word and song, include verses opening with such lines as, "Good morning, Mister Blue, we've got our eye on you," "Step softly, Mister Blue, we know what's best for you," and "Be careful, Mister Blue, this phase you're going through ...."

The album also included a reworked version of "Black Roses", released as a single, and some of guitarist Bob Seal's psychedelic folk-rock songs, namely "With All in Mind" and "They Who Have Nothing." It had some success in England, but was largely ignored in the U.S, reaching number 126 on the Billboard album chart. Paul Rothchild then pressured the other members of the band to fire Bob Seal" Seal was replaced by ex-Fug Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar; Cliff De Young was soon to follow, and after having started work on a second album the group disbanded in 1968. Two tracks from the sessions for the second album surfaced in 2006, "Darkness of Day" and "What a Difference Love Makes"; the latter showed the group moving into more commercial territory due to Kortchmar's influence.

[ AllMusic Review by Matthew Greenwald

Kind of a minor league version of the Doors, Clear Light were a West Coast phenomenon, and although they didn't last too long, were an interesting group. A very good slice of Los Angeles psychedelia, Clear Light were a six-piece band that combined folk, rock, psychedelia, and even a touch of classical to their sound. The end result, though, is a little ponderous and pretentious, but strangely listenable. The big hit off this album (produced by Paul Rothchild and engineered by Bruce Botnick) was "Mr. Blue," a psychedelic folk song written by Tom Paxton.

It's over six-minutes long and a bit overbaked, but it does have an odd appeal. The finer moments are guitarist Bob Seal's psychedelic folk-rock songs, namely "With All in Mind" and "They Who Have

Nothing." Singer Cliff DeYoung went on to have a successful acting career, bass player Doug Lubahn played on the early Doors albums, Dallas Taylor went on to drum for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and John Sebastian, and keyboardist Ralph Schuckett became one of the more popular West Coast session players and arrangers. A lot of talent in a short-lived ensemble. Dated but charming West Coast psychedelia.]

Label: Collectors' Choice Music ‎– CCM-271-2
Format: CD, Album, Reissue
Country: US 1967
Released: 2002
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock, Classic Rock

Musicians

Cliff De Young - vocals

Bob Seal - guitar, vocals

Douglas Lubahn - bass

Ralph Schuckett - keyboards

Dallas Taylor - drums

Michael Ney - drums

TRACKS

01. Black Roses     2:08

02. Sand     2:37

03. A Child's Smile     1:33

04. Street Singer     3:15

05. The Ballad Of Freddie & Larry     2:00

06. With All In Mind     3:00

07. Mr. Blue     6:24

08. Think Again     1:37

09. They Who Have Nothing     2:33

10. How Many Days Have Passed     2:20

11..Night Sounds Loud     2:25

MP3 @ 320 Size: 74.3 MB
FLAC  Size: 220 MB

The Nomads: Showdown (1981 - 1993) 1994

The Nomads are a Swedish garage punk band founded in 1981 by Hans Östlund, Nick Vahlberg, Joakim Tärnström, and Ed Johnson. Today, Östlund and Vahlberg are the only members left of the original line-up.

The band plays music influenced by the MC5, The Stooges, Roky Erickson, The Cramps, The Ramones, New York Dolls, and other early garage rock and punk bands. The Nomads have been an influential band in the Scandinavian garage rock and punk scenes, inspiring bands such as The Hives, Hellacopters, Gluecifer, and many others.
After releasing a number of records in the 1980s the band toured extensively and built a large fanbase without any significant rotation on either radio or television. During the years, touring and recording have decreased but The Nomads still play a number of shows every year in the Scandinavian region.

In 2001 the band celebrated their 20th anniversary with a gig in Stockholm that included appearances by members from Bob Hund, Sator, The Flaming Sideburns, Robert Johnson and Punchdrunks, as well as members of the original line-up.

[Artist Biography by Todd Kristel

Based in Stockholm, the Nomads have stood out from other garage rock revivalists because of the intensity of their performances and the wide range of their influences, which extend beyond the usual

'60s bands to encompass '70s punk, heavy metal, rockabilly, and blues. Their first release was a crude remake of the Sonics' "Psycho"; the band pressed 500 copies of this self-financed single in 1981 but had to discard 50 copies because of defects.
They followed this with another single, a blistering rendition of "Night Time" by the Strangeloves, and received wider recognition with their first mini-album, Where the Wolf Bane Blooms.
 

In 1984, they conducted their first European tour and garnered attention in the United States for their Outburst album. Despite successful attempts to broaden their sound, such as using horns on a recording of Jeff Conolly's "She Pays the Rent" and a trashy synthesizer on the Suicide-influenced "My Deadly Game," they have not managed to gain more than a small cult following in the States; this may be because they have recorded only a limited number of original songs. Nonetheless, they have managed to create some genuinely exciting, if not particularly innovative, music.]

 AllMusic Review by Todd Kristel

This 42-song, two-CD box set features material recorded by the Nomads from 1981 through 1993. The first CD features the best tracks from the band's albums and singles, while the second CD consists primarily of rarities, outtakes, and live performances.

Most of their songs are remakes, and even the originals are indebted to other musicians; for example, "Where the Wolf Bane Blooms" borrows the guitar line from "Borderline" by DMZ, "Call off Your Dogs" was written for the band by Jeffrey Lee Pierce of the Gun Club and Peter Case of the Plimsouls, and "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" features guest lead guitar by Johnny Thunders. While the group may not be innovative or original, they are a very good garage punk cover band, as proven by their fiery renditions of songs by the Strangeloves ("Night Time," Standells ("Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White"), Tommy Bell ("Swamp Gal"), and others. Overall this is a solid, entertaining collection, but it's probably too extensive for someone who isn't already a dedicated fan.

This record full of singles and rarities from their period 1981-1993 was released in 1994 only on double CD format, and now finally sees the light on remastered deluxe edition. Triple LP with trifold cover, full of awesome photos, interviews texts, etc.

Here we find their own tracks as well as amazing covers from such a wide range of artists... and it even includes the track Jeffrey Lee Pierce from The Gun Club wrote for The Nomads, as well as the cooperation of Johnny Thunders in the studio with them. A brutal exposure of the variety and extreme sound of this legendary and seminal band which is still alive and kicking and delivering killer records and concerts.

The Nomads: Showdown (1981 - 1993)

Label: Sympathy For The Record Industry ‎– SFTRI 333

Format: 2 × CD, Album, Compilation

Country: US

Released: 1994

Genre: Rock

Style: Garage Rock

CD1

01. The Way (You Touch My Hand) [3:21]

02. I'm 5 Years Ahead Of My Time [2:33]

03. Lowdown Shakin' Chills [3:39]

04. Milkcow Blues [4:17]

05. Rat Fink A Boo-Boo [1:35]

06. Real Gone Lover [2:24]

07. Where The Wolf Bane Blooms [2:17]

08. Bangkok [2:47]

09. Don't Tread On Me [3:21]

10. She Pays The Rent [2:04]

11. 16 Forever [3:29]

12. Call Off Your Dogs [2:49]

13. Knowledge Comes With Death's Release [2:49]

14. Surfin' In The Bars [2:56]

15. Temptation Pays Double [2:23]

16. Swamp Gal [4:31]

17. Fire And Brimstone [5:07]

18. Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls [3:22]

19. My Deadly Game [4:29]

20. Wimp [2:56]

MP3 @ 320 Size: 146 MB

FLAC Size: 479 MB 

CD2

01. Psycho [2:21]

02. Night Time [3:44]

03. Boss Hoss [2:15]

04. Rockin' All Through The Night [1:51]

05. Have Love Will Travel [2:44]

06. Showdown [2:23]

07. Real Cool Time [5:08]

08. Sometimes Good Guys Don'T Wear White [2:36]

09. I'm A Ding Dong Daddy [2:02]

10. Teenage Letter [2:46]

11. Red Cadillac And A Black Moustache [3:16]

12. Driving Sideways On A Oneway Street [2:02]

13. You're Gonna Miss Me [3:38]

14. Stranded On A Dateless Night [2:32]

15. Big Sandy [1:34]

16. This Ain't The Summer Of Love [2:18]

17. Frying Pan [2:33]

18. Salvation By Damnation [3:01]

19. The Next Big Thing [4:17]

20. I Have Always Been Here Before [3:55]

21. Cinderella [2:52]

22. Motorhead [2:21]

MP3 @ 320 Size: 143 MB

FLAC Size: 471 MB

PERSONEL

    Backing Vocals – Ebba Forsberg (tracks: 1-17, 1-19), Gustaf-Adolf Krantz (tracks: 2-16), Kissettes (tracks: 1-11), Mats Ernström (tracks: 1- 9), Per Ahlen (tracks: 1-17)

    Bass – Joakim Tarnström (tracks: 1-10 to 1-16, 2-13 to 2-18), Nick VahlBerg (tracks: 2-1 to 2-4)

    Bass, Backing Vocals – Björne Fröberg (tracks: 1-17 to 1-20, 2-19 to 2-22)

    Drums – J. Ericson (tracks: 1-17 to 1-20, 2-19 to 2-22)

    Guitar – Joakim Tarnström (tracks: 2-1), Johnny Thunders (tracks: 1-18)

    Guitar, Vocals – Hans Östlund (tracks: 1-14, 1-18, 1-19, 2-4, 2-18)

    Organ, Percussion – Frank Minarik (tracks: 1-1 to 1-19, 2-6 to 2-21)

    Saxophone – Peder Carlsson (tracks: 2-1)

    Synthesizer – Magnus Gehlin (tracks: 1-17)

    Trumpet – Helperin (tracks: 1-10)

    Vocals, Guitar – Nick Vahlberg

Clearlight: Les Contes Du Singes Fou 1977 - Forever Blowing Bubbles 1975

CLEARLIGHT - LES CONTES DU SINGES FOU 1977

Clearlight is a French progressive rock band from the 1970s, although their best known work was produced in England, and released by a major British record company. While progressive rock is an appropriate overall genre for the band, much of their work delves into other genres including psychedelic music, jam band music, symphonic rock, space rock, jazz fusion, and new-age music.

Clearlight consists of pianist and composer Cyrille Verdeaux alongside other musicians, who are usually guest participants with no compositional input, except on a couple of occasions, like the second album Forever Blowing Bubbles, where bassist Joël Dugrenot had virtual co-leader status, composing two of the tracks, or Visions, which prominently featured Didier Malherbe (formerly of Gong) and Didier Lockwood (formerly of Magma and Zao) as soloists. 

Clearlight has rarely performed live. In 1975, Virgin sent a variation of the Forever Blowing Bubbles band on the road supporting Gong, but it broke up soon afterwards following Verdeaux's decision not to relocate to England as Virgin insisted he did - which ended his relationship with the label.
Les Contes du Singe Fou (roughly translated, Tales of the Mad Monkey) is a progressive rock album by Clearlight, released in 1977 on Isadora Records in France.

Returning again to France, Clearlight turned to conceptual space rock with science fiction lyrics. (The lyrics do not have anything to do with a mad monkey, however.) Les Contes du Singe Fou is the only Clearlight album in which vocals and lyrics play a significant role. In reverse of the previous album, the title is in French, but all lyrics are in English. This is not apparent from the cover, which contains no song titles on the outside. English Lyrics with French translations are printed on the cover's gatefold. Musically, the album contains psychedelic, new age, and jazz fusion elements.

In April 1978, a new version of the band was unveiled at the Olympia in Paris, a performance intended to be followed by a proper tour to promote Visions, but lack of interest from promoters dictated otherwise. In the 1980s, the name was largely retired as Verdeaux concentrated on albums released under his own name, although there was another one-off performance at an electronic music festival in 1988 featuring Verdeaux and regular collaborators Christian Boulé and Tim Blake. In the 1990s, Verdeaux began recording under the Clearlight name again.

His latest release, 2014's Impressionist Symphony, again features all three Gong members who had appeared on Clearlight Symphony.

TRACKS

01. The Key - The Outsider     [0:05:17.49]

02. The Key - A Trip To The Orient     [0:05:45.04]

03. The Key - Lightsleeper's Despair     [0:02:40.06]

04. Solioque    [0:05:21.09]

05. Time Skater - Prelude    [0:01:50.44]

06. Time Skater - Countdown To Eternity    [0:04:28.73]

07. Time Skater - The Cosmic Crusaders    [0:09:11.66]

08. Stargazer    [0:02:32.42]

09. Return To The Source    [0:03:41.13]

Personnel

Cyrille Verdeaux – piano, harpsichord, organ, ARP Odyssey, timbales

Ian Bellamy – vocals

Didier Lockwood – violin, bass violin

Yves Chouard – guitars

Francis Mandin – ARP Odyssey

Tim Blake – EMS and VCS3 synthesizers

Joël Dugrenot – bass

Serge Aouzi – drums, percussion

Produced by Joël Dugrenot

Flac Size: 241 MB
MP3 @ 320 Size: 97.8MB

CLEARLIGHT - FOREVER BLOWING BUBBLES 1975

Forever Blowing Bubbles ditched the Gong members of Clearlight Symphony and now included a bunch of new musicians, who I'm not familiar with. But there are guests, including none other than King Crimson violinist David Cross, plus the Northettes (Amanda Parsons, Ann Rosenthal), some female vocalists, Bruno Verdeaux (presumably Cyrille's brother), Christian Boule, Gilbert Artman (Lard Free, he also appeared on Clearlight Symphony, as well as Boule) etc.

Clearlight  was mainly a project of keyboardist Cyrille Verdeaux. Forever Blowing Bubbles ditched the Gong members of Clearlight Symphony and now included a bunch of new musicians, who I'm not familiar with. But there are guests, including none other than King Crimson violinist David Cross, plus the Northettes (Amanda Parsons, Ann Rosenthal), some female vocalists, Bruno Verdeaux (presumably Cyrille's brother), Christian Boule, Gilbert Artman (Lard Free, he also appeared on Clearlight Symphony, as well as Boule) etc. 

Just imagine what would happed if Steve Hillage's albums had a more symphonic bent and included piano and Mellotron. The first cut, "Chanson" is a vocal track, but the next piece, "Without Words" features some nice use of electric piano and ARP 2600 synth, before going in to a Hillage-like jam. At the end it ends with some Hammond organ that makes me think of Pink Floyd. "Way" starts off with Mellotron and wordless voices, before the piano and David Cross' violin kicks in. I really love how those synths kick in near the end and everything starts speeding up (thanks to speeding up the tape).

Just imagine what would happed if Steve Hillage's albums had a more symphonic bent and included piano and Mellotron. The first cut, "Chanson" is a vocal track, but the next piece, "Without Words" features some nice use of electric piano and ARP 2600 synth, before going in to a Hillage-like jam. At the end it ends with some Hammond organ that makes me think of Pink Floyd. "Way" starts off with Mellotron and wordless voices, before the piano and David Cross' violin kicks in. I really love how those synths kick in near the end and everything starts speeding up (thanks to speeding up the tape).

The second half of the album don't quite live up to the greatness of the first half, still not bad. "Et Pendant Ce Temps La" seems to be a Clearlight theme that gets recycles, because I heard that theme used on the Delired Cameleon Family album (which is basically another Clearlight album, which is a no-brainer, if you enjoy Clearlight, you'll enjoy Delired Cameleon Family, simple as that). "Narcisse et Goldmund" finds the band exploring a chanson style of music, with female vocals (in French), but what serparates this song from real French chanson is the presence of Mellotron. The last cut, "Jungle Bubbles" is basically synth bubble sounds.

TRACKS

01. Chanson

02. Without Words

03. Way

04. Ergotrip

05. Et Pendant Ce Temps La

06. Narcisse et Goldmund

07. Jungle Bubbles

08. Sweet Abisinthe (Bonus Track)

09. Without Words (Melotron Remix) (Bonus Track)

10. Flute Aquatique (Bonus Track)

Import reissue of keyboardist Cyrille Verdeaux's second album as Clearlight Symphony, originally released in 1975. Forever Blowing Bubbles release in the UK gave Clearlight the international recognition they deserved. Featuring Joel Dugrenot (ex-Zao), violinist David Cross (King Crimson) & guitarist/flutist Jean Claude d'Agostini (Magic Circus).
 Featuring the bonus tracks 'Sweet Absinthe', 'Without Words' (Mellotron Remix) & 'Flute Aquatique'. 2001.

 Personnel

Cyrille Verdeaux – grand piano, harpsichord, synthesizer, organ, glockenspiel, Mellotron, gongs, congas
Joël Dugrenot (ex-Zao) – bass, lead vocals
Jean-Claude d'Agostini ( Magic Circus) – electric guitar, 12-string guitar, flute in C
François Jeanneau – saxophones, flutes
Bob Boisadan – electric piano, organ, synthesizer
Chris Stassinopoulos – drums, congas
David Cross ( King Krimson) – violin, electric violin
Christian Boulé – cosmic guitar
Gilbert Artman – percussion, drums, maracas, vibraphone
Amanda (Parsons) and Ann (Rosenthal, of the Northettes who are mentioned in the thank-yous; see Hatfield and the North) – celestial choir
Bruno Verdeaux – synthesizer, aquatic congas
Brigitte Roy – vocals (on "Narcisse et Goldmund")

Flac Size: 322MB

MP3 @ 320 Size: 127MB