While the first two CDs in this series cover more obscure recordings of the psychedelic era, this volume, drawn from the vaults of EMI, includes some better-remembered artists, such as the (Jimmy Page-era) Yardbirds, the Pretty Things (here with songs from their seminal concept album S.F. Sorrow), and Tomorrow. Also on hand are future stars Dave Edmunds in Love Sculpture and Jeff Lynne in the Idle Race. The collection includes some first-rate examples of British psychedelia -- such as Tomorrow's "My White Bicycle," and July's "Friendly Man," and "We Are the Moles" (by, of course, the Moles) -- but also reaches a bit forward to a time when the music became heavier and less far out, hence the Gods' hard-hitting "Real Love Guaranteed" and Love Sculpture's storming hyperdrive version of Khachaturian's "Sabre Dance." (Love Sculpture's other entry here, "In the Land of the Few," is an overlooked gem.) There are also some not-very-psychedelic pop sounds, in the Kippington Lodge tracks (which are the weakest things here) and Lemon Tree's "It's So Nice to Come Home." Keith West's orchestrated magnum opus "Excerpt From 'A Teenage Opera'" can't be called psychedelic either, but it and most everything here has an engaging period feel and expansive spirit. The only track that really doesn't seem to belong is David Bowie's "You've Got a Habit of Leaving," a "freakbeat" single recorded in 1965 (two years before anything else on the collection) when he was still using his original name, Davy Jones. Altogether, an enjoyable journey. ~ Stephen Raiteri, All Music Guide
Track ListingTrack# Title Artisttime 1 My White Bicycle Tomorrow [1]2 Skeleton and the Roundabout Idle Race3 In the Land of the Few Love Sculpture4 Kites Dupree, Simon & The Big Sound5 Mr. Armageddon Locomotive6 You've Got a Habit of Leaving Davy Jones & the Lower Third7 Excerpt from "A Teenage Opera" West, Keith8 Rumours Kippington Lodge9 It's So Nice to Come Home Lemon Tree10 Real Love Guaranteed Gods11 We Are the Moles, Pt. 1 Moles12 Friendly Man July13 S.F. Sorrow Is Born Pretty Things14 I See July15 Lady on a Bicycle Kippington Lodge16 On a Saturday West, Keith17 Worn Red Carpet Idle Race18 Strawberry Fields Forever Tomorrow [1]19 She Says Good Morning Pretty Things20 Hey Bulldog Gods21 William Chalker's Time Machine Lemon Tree22 Little Games Yardbirds23 Puzzles Yardbirds24 Sabre Dance Love SculptureCreditsKeith West Performer Simon Dupree & The Big Sound Performer Kippington Lodge Performer The Lemon Tree Performer The Moles Performer The Gods Performer The Idle Race Performer Locomotive Performer Love Sculpture Performer The Pretty Things Performer Tomorrow Performer The Yardbirds Performer
Track ListingTrack# Title Artisttime 1 My White Bicycle Tomorrow [1]2 Skeleton and the Roundabout Idle Race3 In the Land of the Few Love Sculpture4 Kites Dupree, Simon & The Big Sound5 Mr. Armageddon Locomotive6 You've Got a Habit of Leaving Davy Jones & the Lower Third7 Excerpt from "A Teenage Opera" West, Keith8 Rumours Kippington Lodge9 It's So Nice to Come Home Lemon Tree10 Real Love Guaranteed Gods11 We Are the Moles, Pt. 1 Moles12 Friendly Man July13 S.F. Sorrow Is Born Pretty Things14 I See July15 Lady on a Bicycle Kippington Lodge16 On a Saturday West, Keith17 Worn Red Carpet Idle Race18 Strawberry Fields Forever Tomorrow [1]19 She Says Good Morning Pretty Things20 Hey Bulldog Gods21 William Chalker's Time Machine Lemon Tree22 Little Games Yardbirds23 Puzzles Yardbirds24 Sabre Dance Love Sculpture
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