Bohemian Vendetta: Bohemian Vendetta 1968 + Enough! (Compilation)1997

 

Bohemian Vendetta was formed as the Bohemians in 1966 in Long Island, New York.  Their original lineup consisted of Arthur Muglia (also known as Brian Cooke) on lead vocals and organ, his cousin Victor Muglia on bass, Randy Pollock on rhythm guitar, Richard Martinez on lead guitar, and Richie Sorrento on drums. Initially the band had a strongly blues-based sound, reminiscent of Pretty Things, and the Shadows of Knight. From Long Island's Lynbrook, future member Nick Manzi had played in a number of bands in the area, including the Cavaliers. He and Faine Jade had formed the Rustics who recorded "Cant' Get you Out of My Heart" b/w "Look at Me" for the Ye Old King Label.After the Rusics broke up Manzi joined the Bohemians, replacing lead guitarist Richard Martinez, who went on the join the Cats Meow, who recorded a few singles for Decca. In 1967 the Bohemians changed their name to Bohemian Vendetta. More personnel changes were to come that year. After Nick Manzi's entry, Randy Pollock switched from guitar to bass, and Chuck Monica replaced Richie Sorrento on drums. Bohemian Vendetta played at venues such as the Action House with such bands as the Vagrants and Vanilla Fudge.
                             

A melee of fuzzy guitars, screeching Vox Contintental, thick fuzz, angst, acid, and pure energy make Bohemeian Vendetta’s album one of the best garage finds ever reissued. It’s maybe no masterpiece, waiting to change your life or blow your mind, but it is the essence of rock music, and too powerful to miss out on. After a series of ripping beat demos and a single for United Artists, even scoring a tv spot on Dick Clark’s Rate-A-Record, the Long Island bred Bohemians got a shot at a full LP on the legendary Mainstream label in 1968. Given the chance, this small group of teenage acid punks let loose with their monster, penning some excellent original numbers and warping a couple of very popular covers. The label delayed their album and hardly promoted it, relegating Enough to the cracks in the floor, but it screams.
            

While the album’s lead-off, Riddles & Fairytales is a little too good for words, songs like I Wanna Touch Your Heart combine a healthy Rnb feel with psychedelic interludes, and suprisingly well played vocal backups. Love Can Make Your Mind Go Wild shows the band could write and sing tunes on par with The Remains, adding their own touch with the fuzz lead breakdowns. And narrated segments and operatic interludes in numbers like Deaf Dumb & Blind and Paradox City reveal the band’s psychedelic tendencies. The two non-originals are daring and disturbingly drawn-out cover versions of Satisfaction and House of the Rising Sun. It makes you wonder why modern groups fear the notion to cover songs of their contemporaries – it’s part of the tradition of rock and roll, and so many rediscovered garage bands make that exceedingly clear.
                    

After their album went nowhere, members of Bohemian Vendetta formed the backing band for Faine Jade. Today the record is available on an anthology put out by Distortions Records, including all the singles leading up to the album and unreleased acetates. There are also several fairly recent LP reissues. Enough is strange, but a record to reaffirm your love of garage rock. Over the intervening years since their breakup, Bohmian Vendetta's work has been included on several anthologies. Their song "Enough" was included on the 1979 Ear-Piercing Punk compilation put out by Greg Shaw's Bomp! Records, then later on Essential Pebbles, Volume 1 . "All Kinds of Highs" has also been reissued on compilations. In 1998 the band's complete work, including their 1968 album and all of their acetates, was released on the Enough anthology. Bohemian Vendetta probably is a good candidate for the quintessential acid garage band. That is to say they don't take home the first prize unopposed, but they do manage to stumble onto some inspired sounds from time to time. I'm sure your friends will give you cool points for pulling this one out on vinyl (and there is a 180-gram reissue somewhere out there).
                      

BOHEMIAN VENDETTA - BOHEMIAN VENDETTA 1968
                

Bohemian Vendetta – Bohemian Vendetta
Label: Not On Label – S 6106
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Unofficial Release, Stereo
Country: ?   
Released: 1968   
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock

SIDE A.

                               

A1. Enough  2:40
A2. Riddles & Fairytales   2:56
A3. (She Always Gives Me) Pleasure   4:11
A4. All Kinds Of Highs   3:36
A5. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (Written-By – Jagger - Richard)    5:22
A6. Paradox City   2:11

SIDE B.

                               

B1. Half The Time   2:37
B2. Love Can Make Your Mind Go Wild    2:43
B3. The House Of The Rising Sun (Arranged By – B. Cooke, T. Camp/Written-By – Trad.)   5:21
B4. Images (Shadow In The Night)   1: 52
B5. Deaf, Dumb & Blind   3:30
B6. I Wanna Touch Your Heart   2:48

LINE - UP

Bass – Victor Muglia
Direct Metal Mastering By – H P
Drums – Chuck Monica
Lead Guitar – Nick Manzi
Organ, Lead Vocals – Brian Cooke
Rhythm Guitar – Randy Pollock
Written-By – B. Cooke (tracks: A1 to A4, A6 to B2, B4 to B6), T. Camp (tracks: A1 to A4, A6 to B2, B4 to B6)

NOTES

No information about the label on cover, spine or labels.

MP3 @ 320 Size: 95 MB
Flac  Size: 215 MB

BOHEMIAN VENDETTA - ENOUGH! 1997
              

Bohemian Vendetta – Enough!
Label: Distortions Records – DR 1038
Format: CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 1997
Genre: Rock
Style: Garage Rock, Psychedelic Rock

TRAXS

              

01. The Bohemians – Like Stoned    2:45
02. The Bohemians – Irresistible    2:50
03. The Bohemians – All Kinds Of Lows & All Kinds Of Highs    2:19
04. The Bohemians – I Don't Go That Way    2:17
05. The Bohemians – How Does It Feel?    2:52
06. Bohemian Vendetta – Enough    2:41
07. Bohemian Vendetta – Half The Time    2:40
08. Bohemian Vendetta – I Wanna Touch Your Heart    2:24
09. Bohemian Vendetta – Images    1:52
10. Bohemian Vendetta – Charity Killjoy    2:30
11. Bohemian Vendetta – The House Of The Rising Sun   5:41
(Arranged By – Cook, Camp/Written-By – Traditional)
12. Bohemian Vendetta – Riddles & Fairytales    2:54
13. Bohemian Vendetta – (She Always Gives Me) Pleasure    4:12
14. Bohemian Vendetta – All Kinds Of Highs    3:40
15. Bohemian Vendetta – (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction   5:23
(Written-By – Jagger-Richard)
16. Bohemian Vendetta – Paradox City    2:13
17. Bohemian Vendetta – Love Can Make Your Mind Go Wild    2:44
18. Bohemian Vendetta – The House Of The Rising Sun   5:23
(Arranged By – Cook, Camp/Written-By – Traditional)
19. Bohemian Vendetta – Images (Shadow In The Night)    1:50
20. Bohemian Vendetta – Deaf, Dumb & Blind    3:30
21. Bohemian Vendetta – I Wanna Touch Your Heart    2:29
22. Bohemian Vendetta – Riddles & Fairytales (45 Version)    2:41

LINE - UP

Backing Vocals – Nick Manzi, Randy Pollock (tracks: 4)
Bass, Backing Vocals – Victor Muglia
Drums – Chuck Monica (tracks: 5 to 22), Richie Sorrentino (tracks: 1 to 4)
Lead Guitar – Nick Manzi (tracks: 5 to 22), Richard Martinez (tracks: 1 to 4)
Lead Vocals – Brian Cooke (tracks: 1 to 12, 14 to 22), Victor Muglia (tracks: 13)
Lead Vocals [Shared Lead Vocals] – Nick Manzi (tracks: 17)
Organ, Tambourine, Maracas – Brian Cooke
Rhythm Guitar – Randy Pollock
Written-By – B. Cooke (tracks: 1 to 10, 12 to 14, 16, 17, 19 to 22), T. Camp (tracks: 1 to 10, 12 to 14, 16, 17, 19 to 22)

NOTES

Tracks 12 to 21 originally released on LP in 1968 as Bohemian Vendetta - Bohemian Vendetta.

MP3 @ 320 Size: 165 MB
Flac  Size: 383 MB

The Alley Cats: Nightmare City 1981 + Escape From Planet Earth 1982

 

The Alley Cats are a Los Angeles, California-based punk rock trio formed in 1977. The original line-

up, featuring Randy Stodola (guitar and vocals), Dianne Chai (bass and vocals) and John McCarthy (drums), was a fixture of the early L.A. punk rock scene. Signed to Dangerhouse Records alongside other seminal California-based punk bands including the Bags, Black Randy and the Metro Squad, and X, they released their first single "Nothing Means Nothing Anymore" backed with "Give Me a Little Pain" on March 30, 1978. They are among the six bands featured on the 1979 compilation album Yes L.A. and appear in the 1982 film Urgh! A Music War.
                    

The Alley Cats were regular performers at such Los Angeles venues as Club 88, Hong Kong Café, The

Masque, and the Whisky a Go Go. Their earliest output -- the single "Nothing Means Nothing Anymore" -- was released on Dangerhouse Records (the independent that once boasted such legendary acts as the Avengers, the Bags, and X).
                          

They then jumped ship to Time Coast, which released their follow-up singles, as well as their first

album, Nightmare City, in 1981. Their final album (on major label MCA), Escape from the Planet Earth, hit stores in 1982, and was the last heard from the trio until 1985, when the group emerged again with extra members as the Zarkons. In 2007, a CD/DVD anthology (simply titled 1979-1982) containing most of the band's work was released on the Laugh.com label
                              

In 1985 Stodola and Chai tried to start again, as The Zarkons. They recorded "Riders in the Long Black

Parade" with McCarthy. After that McCarthy was changed by Terry Cooley and with lead vocalist, named Rente as quartet they recorded "Between The Idea & The Reality… Falls The Shadow". As "The Zarkons", they released two albums, Riders In The Long Black Parade (1985) and Between the Idea & the Reality…Falls the Shadow (1988), before disbanding in 1988.
                         

After a 20-year hiatus, Stodola reformed the trio and currently performs as The Alley Cats along with Apryl Cady (bass and vocals) and Matt Laskey (drums).

THE ALLEY CATS - NIGHTMARE CITY 1981
                     

The Alley Cats – Nightmare City
Label: Time Coast Records – none, LaughDome Records – none
Format: CD, Album, Reissue, Remastered
Country: US
Released: 2008
Genre: Rock
Style: Punk, Alternative Rock

TRAXS

01. Nightmare City    2:56
02. Night Along The Blvd.    2:52
03. One More Chance To Survive    3:17
04. King Of The Street Fights    3:46
05. Today    3:02
06. Nothing Means Nothing Anymore    3:31
07. Too Much Junk    2:15
08. Give Me A Little Pain    2:44
09. Black Haired Girl    2:08
10. When The World Was Old    2:52

MP3 @ 320 Size: 69 MB
Flac  Size: 171 MB

THE ALLEY CATS - ESCAPE FROM PLANET EARTH 1982
                        

Alley Cats – Escape From The Planet Earth
Label: MCA Records – MCA 5333
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1982
Genre: Rock
Style: Punk

SIDE A.

A1. Escape From The Planet Earth    3:08
A2. It Only Hurts The First Time    3:17
A3. Breath Of The Barfly    3:23
A4. Bitter Fruit    2:32
A5. Waiting For The Buzz    3:15

SIDE B.

B1. Night Of The Living Dead    4:03
B2. Naked Souls    2:50
B3. The Hotel    4:05
B4. After The Funeral    3:10
B5. Just An Alley Cat    3:26

MP3 @ 320 Size: 80 MB
Flac  Size: 238 MB

Flamin' Groovies: Gonna Rock Tonite! The Complete Recordings 1969-1971" ( 3CD Box Set) + Sneakers 1969 + Rockfield Sessions 1989

 

Flamin' Groovies is an American rock band that formed in San Francisco in 1965, originally co-led by Roy Loney and Cyril Jordan. After the Groovies released three albums, on Epic (Supersnazz) and Kama Sutra (Flamingo and Teenage Head), Loney left the band in 1971. He was replaced as co-leader by

Chris Wilson, and the band's emphasis shifted more toward British Invasion power pop. 1968's Sneakers, was recorded on 4-track and mixed in about eight hours total and featured Jordan (guitar, vocals), Loney (vocals, guitar), Alexander (bass, harmonica, vocals), Lynch (guitar, harmonica, vocals) and Mihm (drums). As a result of its success, they were signed to a contract by Epic Records; at about the same time, their manager leased The Fillmore from Bill Graham, and they became managers of the venue, which introduced them to a much wider variety of music, including The Stooges and Alice Cooper.
                          

During this period, they released 1969's Supersnazz. In Loney's words, the album was "all over the

map" and "kinda grasping at every possible straw"; it contained both re-creations of 1950s rock and roll and more melodic songs that anticipated the power pop movement of the 1970s—a genre to which the Flamin' Groovies would eventually contribute significant work. However, the album's low sales led to their release by Epic. They then started doing national tours, and their further exposure to Detroit's musical scene "hardened up our sound a whole lot", in Loney's words.
                   

At the instigation of Richard Robinson (a journalist and the Groovies' future producer), the Groovies

then signed to Kama Sutra Records for their next two albums, 1970's Flamingo and 1971's Teenage Head. Jordan was unhappy with the sound quality of Flamingo." Teenage Head is listed in the 2006 book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, and Mick Jagger reportedly compared the album favorably to the Rolling Stones' contemporaneous Sticky Fingers.
                 

Finally in 1975, Greg Shaw from Bomp! became the Flamin' Groovies' manager and arranged for them to sign to the new (but poorly distributed) label Sire Records, headed by Seymour Stein. Due to that,

the Groovies returned to the UK and recorded and released (in 1976) Shake Some Action, again produced by Edmunds, which included the same recordings of two songs ("Shake Some Action" and "You Tore Me Down") that United Artists had passed on in 1972 but Stein loved. The album received rave critical reviews, similar to Teenage Head. The Groovies continued to tour continually and were supported by the Ramones and The Stranglers at the Roundhouse in London on July 4, 1976 (which was coincidentally the US's bicentennial) in the latter band's first ever appearance in the UK. This concert has been widely noted as a seminal moment in the development of punk rock.
                  

The Flamin' Groovies were one of the great unknown and unappreciated bands of the 1970s, but their

influence was undeniable and their albums have a way of coming back into print every decade or so. Grapefruit's Gonna Rock Tonite! pulls together the band's first three albums along with a bunch of bonus tracks taken from live-in-the-studio sessions done in 1971. 1969's Supersnazz finds them exuberantly tripping through rock & roll's back pages with revved-up covers of Eddie Cochran, Huey "Piano" Smith, and Little Richard songs and delivering originals that show just how well the group had learned their lessons.
                   

Powered by Roy Loney's happily insane lead vocals, Cyril Jordan and Tim Lynch's powerful guitar attack, and the rock-solid bass/drums partnership of George Alexander and Danny Mihm, the band

were equally adept at cranking out good-time rockers ("Love Have Mercy"), barrelhouse blues ("The First One's Free"), baroque pop ("A Part from That"), and breezy surf jams ("Around the Corner"). After bouncing to a new label and playing shows with the Stooges and MC5, the band returned on 1970's Flamingo with a stripped-down, grungy sound and supercharged tunes that had none of the polish of those on their debut. Loney sounds manic, Jordan and Lynch rip off jagged solos, and the band punch like heavyweight fighters.
                      

                   
Tracks like "Comin' After Me" and "Second Cousin" are unhinged rockers, "Headin' for the Texas

Border" is riff heavy and pounds like a migraine, their take on Little Richard's "Keep a Knockin'" gives their Detroit counterparts a run for their money, and "Roadhouse" ends the album with a jolt of punk energy and noise. The album is uneven and weighed down by the corny country weeper "Childhood’s End" and the sappy ballad "She's Falling Apart." That's not an issue with 1971's Teenage Head, an album that truly deserves its classic status.
                     

The title track is a timeless shot of punk attitude, metallic guitar crunch, and rock & roll fire, "High

Flying Baby" sounds like Captain Beefheart high on nitrous oxide, "Yesterday’s Numbers" is heart-felt folk-rock, and "Whisky Woman" is the kind of late-night ballad the Stones were writing at the time. Add the echoing rockabilly gem "Evil Hearted Ada," the laid-back and countrified "City Lights" (which has one of Loney's best vocals), and a high-energy cover of Randy Newman's "Have You Seen My Baby?" that really should have been a hit single to the mix, and it's pretty much a perfect album.
                  

UK released 22 February 2019 (1 March 2019 in the USA) - "Gonna Rock Tonite! The Complete

Recordings 1969-71" by FLAMIN GROOVIES on Grapefruit CRSEGBOX051 (Barcode 5013929185104) offers their second, third and fourth albums Remastered onto 3CDs in a Clamshell Box Set with Seventeen Bonus Tracks (Singles and Outtakes)
                    

FLAMIN' GROOVIES - GONNA ROCK TONITE!

             

Flamin Groovies – Gonna Rock Tonite! (The Complete Recordings 1969-71)
Label: Grapefruit Records – CRSEGBOX051, Grapefruit USA – CRSEGBOX051
Format: CD, Album, Reissue, Remastered, Box Set, Compilation
Country: Europe
Released: 2019
Genre: Rock, Blues
Style: Garage Rock, Rock & Roll, Blues Rock, Rhythm & Blues

                  

FLAMIN' GROOVIES - SUPERNAZZ 1969       

                        

  
01. Love Have Mercy   4:28
Written-By – Loney
02. The Girl Can’t Help It   3:30
Written-By – Troup
03. Laurie Did It   3:50
Written-By – Loney
04. A Part From That   1:58
Written-By – Jordan, Loney
05. Rockin’ Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu   2:42
Written-By – Smith
06. The First One’s Free   3:40
Written-By – Loney
07. Pagan Rachel   1:54
Written-By – Loney
08. Somethin’ Else / Pistol Packin’ Mama    (3:44)
08.1.  Somethin’ Else
Written-By – Cochran, Sheeley
08.2. Pistol Packin’ Mama
Written-By – Dexter
09. Brushfire   3:15
Written-By – Jordan, Loney
10. Bam Balam   1:49
Written-By – Jordan, Loney
11. Around The Corner   4:08
Written-By – Jordan, Loney
       

BONUS TRACKS   

12. Rockin’ Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu (Single Version)   2:36
Written-By – Smith
13. The First One’s Free (Single Version)   3:36
Written-By – Loney
14. Somethin’ Else (Single Version)   2:06
Written-By – Cochran, Sheeley
15. Laurie Did It (Single Version)   3:49
Written-By – Loney

LINE - UP

CYRIL JORDAN - Lead Guitar, Vocals and Acoustic Guitar
TIM LYNCH - Lead Guitar, Cello, Vocals and Harmonica
MIKE LANG - Keyboards
GEORGE ALEXANDER - Bass, Vocals and Harmonica
DAVID MIMH - Drums and Percussion

MP3 @ 320 Size: 110 MB
Flac  Size: 264 MB
    
FLAMIN' GROOVIES - FLAMINGO 1970

                 

  
01. Gonna Rock Tonite   4:49
Written-By – Loney
02. Comin' After You   3:26
Written-By – Jordan, Loney
03. Headin' For The Texas Border   5:10
Written-By – Jordan, Loney
04. Sweet Roll Me On Down   2:13
Written-By – Jordan, Loney
05. Keep A Knockin'   2:16
Written-By – Penniman
06. Second Cousin   3:21
Written-By – Loney
07. Childhood's End   2:26
Written-By – Loney
08. Jailbait   4:14
Written-By – Jordan, Loney
09. She's Falling Apart   4:32
Written-By – Loney
10. Road House    5:38  
Written-By – Jordan, Loney

Bonus Tracks (Recorded Live in Studio A 13/1/71)

    
11. Shakin' All Over   5:38
Written-By – Heath
12. That'll Be The Day   2:24
Written-By – Holly, Allison, Petty
13. Louie Louie   6:50
Written-By – Berry
14. My Girl Josephine   2:11
Written-By – Domino & Bartholomew
15. Around And Around   3:06
Written-By – Berry
16. Rockin' Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie 'Flu    3:02  
Written-By – Smith
17. Going Out (Version 1)   3:11
Written-By – Loney

MP3 @ 320 Size: 153 MB
Flac  Size: 428 MB
       
FLAMIN' GROOVIES - TEEENAGE HEAD 1971   

                    

01. High Flyin' Baby   3:32
Written-By – Jordan, Loney
02. City Lights   4:27
Written-By – Jordan, Loney
03. Have You Seen My Baby?   2:51
Written-By – Newman
04. Yesterday's Numbers   4:00
Written-By – Jordan, Loney
05. Teenage Head   2:52
Written-By – Jordan, Loney
06. 32-20   2:06
Written-By – Jordan, Loney
07. Evil Hearted Ada   3:22
Written-By – Loney
08. Doctor Boogie   2:32
Written-By – Jordan, Loney
09. Whisky Woman   4:48
Written-By – Jordan, Loney
       

BONUS TRACKS

    
10. Scratch My Back   4:51
Written-By – Moore
11. Carol   3:17
Written-By – Berry
12. Rumble   3:12
Written-By – Wray, Grant
13. Somethin' Else   3:02
Written-By – Cochran, Sheeley
14. Walkin' The Dog   3:24
Written-By – Thomas
15. Going Out (Version 2)   3:43
Written-By – Loney

LINE - UP for "Flamingo" and "Teenage Head" was:

 
CYRIL JORDAN - Lead Guitar, Slide Guitar, Percussion and Vocals
TIM LYNCH - Lead Guitar, Cello, Percussion and Vocals
ROY LONEY – Guitar, Lead Vocals and Percussion
GEORGE ALEXANDER – Bass and Percussion
DAVID MIMH – Drums, Percussion, Piano and Organ

Guests:

Commander Cody plays Piano on three "Flamingo" album tracks - Comin' After Me, Keep A Knockin' and Second Cousin
Jim Dickinson plays Piano on three "Teenage Head" album tracks - High Flyin' Baby, City Lights and Have You Seen My Baby?

MP3 @ 320 Size: 123 MB
Flac  Size: 352 MB  

NOTES

Tracks 1-1 to 1-11 originally released as The Flamin' Groovies - Supersnazz
Tracks 1-12 and 1-13 originally released as The Flamin' Groovies - The First One's Free / Rocking Pneumonia And Boogie Woogie Flu
Tracks 1-14 and 1-15 originally released as The Flamin' Groovies - Somethin' Else / Laurie Did It
Tracks 2-1 to 2-10 originally released as The Flamin' Groovies - Flamingo
Tracks 2-11 to 2-16 and 3-14 originall released on The Flamin' Groovies - Still Shakin
Track 2-17 and 3-12 originally released on The Flamin' Groovies - Flamingo
Tracks 3-1 to 3-9 originally released as The Flamin' Groovies - Teenage Head
Tracks 3-10, 3-11, 3-13 and 3-15 originally released on The Flamin' Groovies - Teenage Head

FLAMIN' GROOVIES - SNEAKERS 1968 & ROCKFIELD SESSIONS 1989
      

Flamin' Groovies – Sneakers & Rockfield Sessions
Label: AIM – AIM 0002 CD, AIM – Collect 1/2
Format: CD, Compilation, Reissue
Country: Australia
Released: 2000
Genre: Rock
Style: Garage Rock, Psychedelic Rock

SNEAKERS

                

  
01. Golden Clouds    2:53
02. The Slide    4:00
03. Prelude In A Flat To Afternoon Of A Pud    1:22
04. I'm Drowning    2:05
05. Babes In The Sky    1:50
06. Love Time    2:50
07. My Yada    2:10

ROCKFIELD SESSIONS       

                   

  
08. Married Woman   3:45
Mellotron – Cyril Jordan
Steel Guitar – Dave Edmunds
Written-By – Frankie Lee Sims
09. Get A Shot Of Rhythm & Blues   2:25
Backing Vocals – Dave Edmunds
Written-By – Thompson
10. Little Queenie   3:00
Piano – Dave Edmunds
Written-By – Berry
11. Slow Death   4:15
Producer – Cyril Jordan
Written-By – Jordan, Loney
12. Shake Some Action   4:30
Written-By – Wilson, Jordan
13. You Tore Me Down   2:30
Written-By – Wilson, Jordan
14. Tallahassee Lassie   2:15
Producer – Cyril Jordan
Written-By – Crewe, Slay, Picariello

LINE - UP

Bass Guitar, Vocals – George Alexander (tracks: 8 to 14)
Bass, Vocals – George Alexander (tracks: 1 to 7)
Drums – Danny Mihm (tracks: 8 to 14)
Guitar – James Ferrell (tracks: 8 to 14)
Lead Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals, Effects [Rhythm Effects] – Cyril Jordan (tracks: 8 to 14)
Lead Guitar, Vocals – Cyril Jordan (tracks: 1 to 7), Tim Lynch (tracks: 1 to 7)
Lead Vocals, Guitar – Roy Loney (tracks: 1 to 7)
Percussion – Danny Mihm (tracks: 1 to 7)
Vocals – Chris Wilson (tracks: 8 to 14)

MP3 @ 320 Size: 97 MB
Flac  Size: 264 MB  

Phluph: Phluph 1968

 

Phluph was a short-lived psychedelic band from Boston, Massachusetts, USA, late 1960s, releasing one

album and two singles. Members included Benson Blake IV, Lee Dudley, Joel Maisano, and John Pell. Phluph were like many one-offs during the psych era - faceless, nameless, and a $1 cutout bin special (back in the day, that is...). On the clueless Verve label, and lost in the shuffle with many of their Boston ("Bosstown Sound") contemporaries, Phluph went away with barely a murmur. Starts off more in typical psych rock territory.
                            

But then it takes an interesting turn towards the weird by A3 'In Her Way' (though perhaps not weird

enough). One distinguishing characteristic of Phluph's sound is the prominent use of organ. Has that carnival sound, like The Doors, but the similarities end there. Some surprising fuzz guitar outbursts too. Even a rare progressive rock move here and there. A very good listen that grows on you over time.
                      

Their self-titled album is filled with trippy lyrics, heavy organs, and nice guitar work. Phluph were

slightly more commercial than the majority of the Bosstown Sound’s bands. Verve, being a predominatly jazz based label, did not know how to promote the band properly. Or perhaps it was because Phluph were part of the ill-fated "Bosstown Sound" scene which caused such a furore in the music industry at that time.
                                     

 
The “Bosstown Sound” was started as a publicity campaign by producer Alan Lorber, aiming to market

the various Boston based psychedelic bands on MGM’s books (The Ultimate Spinach, Eden’s Children etc) as being part of one singular movement. The idea was to rival the burgeoning San Francisco scene as well as the Mersey-Beat sound that was being imported from across the Atlantic. Unfortunately the rock critics and the underground took umbrage at what they deemed was a shallow corporate attempt at selling the counter-culture back to them as a package.
                              

There was strong anti-establishment feeling at this time because of the Vietnam War, and this helped to fuel the fire against the Boston scene. This coupled with the subsequent pressure from those on the West Coast who declaimed them as frauds, meant that many of the bands became black- listed, never getting the sales figures that they deserved.
Phluph never survived the backlash and disappeared, leaving behind their sole album cut for Verve in 1968. Since its rediscovery the album has garnered some disparaging reviews from some quarters, yet has been lauded by others.

LINE -UP
                               

Lee Dudley (vocals, drums)
Ben Blake (vocals, guitar)
John Pell (vocals, bass)
Joel Maisano (vocals, organ)

Phluph – Phluph
Label: Akarma – AK 147
Format: CD, Album, Reissue, Unofficial Release 2022   
Released: 1968
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock

TRACKS

01. Doctor Mind    2:51
02. It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry    2:41
03. In Her Way    3:03
04. Another Day    4:40
05. Girl In Tears    3:10
06. Ellyptical Machine    2:30
07. Lovely Lady    5:50
08. Death Of A Nation    2:30
09. Love Eyes    6:56
10. Patterns    2:33

BONUS TRACKS       

    
11. Another Day (Stereo Single)    2:50
12. Doctor Mind (Stereo Single)    2:57

MP3 @ 320 Size: 104 MB
Flac  Size: 240 MB