Mascots: 1964-68!

 

A 32-track compilation of their 1960s recordings, including all five of their Swedish Top Ten hits, lots of A-sides, and some B-sides and LP cuts. "Words Enough to Tell You" is top-drawer Merseybeat and better, in fact, than some genuine Merseybeat songs that were international hits. But nothing else here matches that high point, although "A Sad Boy," "When I Return," and "Goodbye" are fair Merseybeat-ish tunes that should be crowd-pleasers among intense British Invasion pop lovers. Too often the production is thin, the English vocals awkwardly accented, and the songwriting slight, and sometimes there's a mawkish Nordic folk-meets-pop/rock vibe. Originals like "Nobody Crying" and "I Close Your Eyes" have a heavy Hollies influence; "I Want to Live," with its moody intensity, frantic rhythms, and undisciplined fuzz guitar break, is by far their wildest outing (and an uncharacteristic one). The later selections tend toward limp pop/rock, and although their earlier recordings are no more original, they're certainly more fun to hear.   - AMG

Listen:Part 1  Part 2

The Aftermath - Friendlier up Here. FREE ALBUM DOWNLOAD

 

A brilliant find over on Bandcamp that I would like to make you aware of and what is more, the band are giving this little gem away for free!!!

The Aftermath's debut album which boasts 3 top 20 singles in Ireland and was voted The Hot Press list of the 250 best Irish albums of all time.

It features guest appearances. from Steve Wickham from The Waterboys on violin, Vyv Long on cello, Helen Turner from The Style Council on piano and Duncan Patterson ex Anathema on Bass.

What some of the papers say:

“The saviors of Irish lad rock.”
The Irish Independent

“Say hello to rock's latest heroes - Who just happen to be Irish”
4/5-METRO NEWSPAPER.

“A record of uncompromising, inspired rock anthems. A stellar debut.”
HOT PRESS.

“The hardest working band in Irish showbiz.”
TOTALLY DUBLIN.

“The record hurtles along in a dizzying myriad of styles but is gratifyingly stuffed full of good tunes... like the Bad Seeds on top form.”
8/10 - AU MAGAZINE 

Download the album free: HERE

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Cherry Twister - At Home With Cherry Twister

 

The title says it all: Cherry Twister are a homespun pop group, and At Home With Cherry Twister is a collection of their homemade demo recordings. Led by frontman Steve Ward, Cherry Twister embody the D.I.Y. ethic of Ram-era McCartney while sounding like they spend lots of time listening to Beach Boys and Big Star records. The guitars are alternately chiming and crunchy all over this one, with gooey, almost sticky-sweet background vocals drenched over every bridge and chorus. The problem is that it sounds better on paper. Like all too many of their peers, Cherry Twister fail to stumble across anything resembling a truly memorable hook (with a few notable exceptions, such as "Meteorite"). And at 16 tracks, the album is an awful lot to swallow, given the lack of an obvious entry point, and given that Steve Ward's rather pinched vocals are an acquired taste. Even with these limitations, At Home With Cherry Twister became one of the most popular guitar pop cult records of the late '90s, showing that Ward's endearingly quirky songwriting and the Twister's devotion to '60s-influenced three-and-a-half minute pop singles certainly reached quite a few listeners.-AMG

 

Listen: HERE

LIVE. The Jam Farewell Concert, Brighton 11/12/82. LIVE

By no means is this a great quality recording, but given the year, the technology available and the gig in question, it is worth a listen!

Start!/It's Too Bad/Beat Surrender/Away From The Numbers/Ghosts/In The Crowd/Boy About Town/Get Yourself Together/All Mod Cons/To Be Someone/Smithers-Jones/Tales From The Riverbank/Precious/Move On Up/Circus/Down In The Tube Station At Midnight/David Watts/Mr. Clean/Going Underground/ In The City/Town Called Malice/Butterfly Collector/Pretty Green/The Gift

 

GET IT:HERE

Nederbeat Dutch Nuggets 63-69 - Vol. 2

Between 1963 and 1969 beat music was really happening in the Netherlands. Renowned bands such as the Outsiders, The Motions and Q65 received a great deal of attention. They got a lot of airplay, resulting in many hits and even more gigs. The familiar Beat sound, which was mainly played by Radio veronica, was contagious and all over Holland people were playing the Beat. Hundreds of musicians rehearsed in attics, sheds and garages. Many bands got the chance to record a single...

Part 1. HERE Part 2. HERE

The Dylans - Spirit Finger

 

The band was formed in early 1990 by former 1,000 Violins guitarist, songwriter, and occasional singer Colin Gregory, now on bass guitar, Jim Rodger (guitar), and Andy Curtis (guitar). They soon recruited Quentin Jennings (keyboards) and Garry Jones (drums), continuing 1,000 Volins sixties-tinged retro style, but with a nod to the "baggy" scene of the time. The band were signed to Beggars Banquet Records' "indie" subsidiary Situation Two (RCA Records in the United States), who released their debut single, "Godlike" in January 1991, which reached the top 10 of the UK Indie Chart.^[2] They subsequently replaced Curtis with Andy Cook, and released follow-up singles "Lemon Afternoon" and "Planet Love", before the band's Stephen Street-produced self-titled debut album was released in October 1991. After extensive touring, the band returned in 1992 with the "Mary Quant in Blue" single, but further line-up changes ensued, with Jones and Jennings leaving, to be replaced by Craig Scott and Ike Glover. With interest in the band growing in the United States, the band were signed to Atlantic Records, moving to the main Beggars Banquet roster in the UK for subsequent releases. Two further singles were followed by the band's swansong 1994 album, Spirit Finger. In the face of disappointing sales, the band split later that year.

Get it:HERE

THE LA's - THE LA'S

When the La's released their debut album in 1990, it made immediate waves in the British pop scene, as well as American college radio. Drawing from the hook-laden, ringing guitars of mid-'60s British pop as well as the post-punk pop of the Smiths, the La's' self-titled first album had a timeless, classic feel. It seemed like effortless music, yet that was not the case. From their inception in 1986, lead singer/guitarist/songwriter Lee Mavers was a perfectionist with a nearly obsessive eye for detail. Consequently, the La's were never able to totally fulfill their promise.

Mavers formed the group in Liverpool with bassist John Power, guitarist Paul Hemmings, and drummer John Timson. On the strength of their demo tapes, Go! Discs signed the band in 1987, releasing the single "Way Out"; it received good reviews, yet it wasn't a chart success. Similarly, the following year's "There She Goes" received good press yet stalled on the charts. With a new lineup featuring bassist James Joyce, guitarist Cammy (born Peter James Camell), and Lee's brother Neil on drums, the La's began recording their debut album that same year. The record didn't appear until 1990. Even though Mavers claimed it was rush released, the Steve Lillywhite-produced The La's received glowing reviews and strong sales; a re-released "There She Goes" entered the U.K. Top 20 and hit number 49 in America. For most of 1991, the band was on tour. At the end of the year, they went back to the studio to record their follow-up. This time, Mavers was in complete control and he took his time to perfect the album, re-recording tracks and rewriting songs. The La's disappeared without a trace from the pop music scene. Mavers and a reconstituted band resurfaced in the spring of 1995, playing a handful of supporting concerts that featured a couple of new songs.

Get It: HERE