What does it sound like?:
The third in David Wells’ enjoyable series of themed boxsets on Grapefruit Records, this follows logically from 1967 (when pop was delightfully all over the place) and 1968 (when studios went crazy on phasing) to present the psychedelic pop sound of 1969. But what really was psychedelic pop in that year, and is this a good showcase? This is another well-presented and enjoyable volume that is aimed at the genre-obsessive listener, but the problems of amassing record-collecting obscurities with some bigger names to present a snapshot of the era are starting to show. Thus, Procol Harum (“A Salty Dog”) The Move, The Pretty Things and Status Quo stand out form the other 70-or-so group of local heroes, the unlucky, the also-rans, and never-stood-a-chance groups. Highlights include bootleg favorites like the glorious title track by The Factory (think the Who meets a Pink Floyd B side) Fresh Air’s proto-Glam “Running Wild”), the fuzzed-up Orange Machine, Lemmy singing with Sam Gopal, and the Scottish legends The Writing on the Wall. But the problem here is the emphasis on ‘pop’. For the decision to sidestep the prog, blues or heaviness of 1969 records means you are left with a lot of material that sounds more like the social club/cabaret circuit than the stuff of the underground: Green Union’s cover of “She Said She Said” being particularly painful.
What does it all *mean*?
The pop/rock divergence was only just setting in by 1969 (most bands except for Led Zep and Pink Floyd still did singles), but perhaps the “pop” sounds were not really “psychedelic” because that was happening elsewhere? Moreover, aside from reggae, ska or soul, Brit pop in ’69 was starting to get a bit Pickettywitch. All compilations like this are at the mercy of what is easily licensable, and the overall lack of EMI or Decca based bands suggests that these were off limits.
Goes well with…
Companion sets “Let’s Go Down and Blow our Minds” and “Pictures in the Sky”
Release Date:
Might suit people who like…
old Rubble LPs or have lost their aging copies of the “Acid Drops, Spacedust, and Flying Saucers” compilation.
I often pick up this sort of comp for pennies on amazon marketplace, a year or few after release. Worth it even if I only rip a couple or three tracks and re-use the box. If you look at enough, amazon starts making ever more obscure wonders pop up in recommendations. Old and long dormant portuguese blogspots often feature these curiosities too.
I love these releases being a lover of ’60’s garage rock/psychedelia/that British whimsical stuff. So I have the 3 box sets in this series, doubt you’ll pick these up for pennies retro, they hold their price well.
Good review @Pessoa, but I may now stop buying these comps because I reckon I may have every track three times over. Never can be arsed to cross check. Hey Moose, you have plenty time on your hands, I have a little job for you…..
Yeah, I have been buying these sorts of comps for 30 years now, and the well has somewhat run dry (although, conversely, some other material seems to have disappeared).
Pink Floyd released a single in 1968, The Nile Song, but only in France, New Zealand and Japan (with a different B side).
Let’s pause and think about that for a moment. They had the whole world to go at, including the U.S. and the entirety of Europe, but chose to only release a record in France, New Zealand and Japan. Was it a kind of trial to see if it sold and was, therefore, worth releasing elsewhere? It’s a heavy track, unlikely to be played much on the radio.
Oops. I meant 1969, of course.
Good point: I want to hear the mono mix of The Nile Song, which was another thing left off that box set.By the way, those Japanese Floyd 45s go for a bomb in second-hand shops over here.
I suspect that yer Floyd didn’t want to release it as a single at all, but didn’t have the control over what got put out by EMI’s overseas branches and affiliates that they did in the UK. There are quite a few album track singles that came out in the USA but not in the UK.
The A-sides of UK Pink Floyd singles were always non-album tracks, right up until “Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)” in 1979, according to the book I’ve just perused. But I could have sworn there was a single of “Money” on the pub jukebox where I used to go, back in the mists of time..
As someone who was around at the time (I was 19 in 1969), I find it amazing that there is so much to still discover from when I was actively listening to music, haunting record shops, listening to the radio and looking to discover new sounds. It is great that this stuff gets to see the light of day, and this was really enabled by the CD and, I guess, streaming.
Having said all that, some of these mega sets are a tough listen at times and you can see why the song/act sunk without trace or didn’t get a release. Sometimes less is indeed more.