The Atlantics: The Explosive Sound (Aust, Amazing Surf Compilation)

This is a bit cornball compared to their best stuff -- a few of the numbers are surfizations of standards like "Secret Love," and though most of the material is original, the frequent allusions to folk melodies sometimes make this sound like the kind of surf band you'd find playing in a Greek restaurant. There's plenty of nifty guitar work, though, and only a couple of cuts are on The CBS Singles Collection, making this a nifty supplement to that compilation. The original Australian LP is far harder to find than the German CD reissue, which adds some bonus cuts.

UFFFFFFFFFFF.....this is the special edition with bonus tracks and extra cuts...that were`not included in the vinyl edition. Dig it.


LINK: SHAKING STREET ...IT HAS THAT BEAT

The Five Emprees: Little Miss Sad (1965/68,Us,Compilation)

INFO ABOUT THIS ALBUM

The Five Emprees' sole album was a typically thrown-together effort for a mid-'60s band that had some local success, surrounding the regional hit debut single title track with its B-side; both sides of their second 45; and a bunch of cover versions. Actually every song on the LP was a cover version, save for the B-side of that second single, "Why." "Little Miss Sad" itself, a cover of an obscure Addrisi Brothers single, is pretty good pop-oriented garage rock with a foot in early-'60s pre-Beatles sounds. Unfortunately the Five Emprees never did match it, and most of the rest of the album was filled with too-hastily recorded, thinly produced unimaginative covers of familiar songs by the likes of Chuck Berry, Roy Orbison, and the Zombies. The greater effort they were able to invest in the production and performance of their singles is evident on not only "Little Miss Sad," but also the three other tracks from their initial pair of 45s, "Hey Lover," "Hey Baby," and "Why." There's a glimmer of promise in those sides, which are likable if modest poppy garage, but it's not enough to make the album too interesting overall.

Here...exclusive... Their complete studio recordings from 65 till 68.
Superb covers repertoire. Highly Recommended.
The Five Empressions would become better-known in history as the Five Emprees, who had a major hit in the Chicago area with their cover of the Addrisi Brothers' "Little Miss Sad," which rose to number 74 in the national charts.
You`ll find more info about the band here and here too.



LINK: PRETTY WOMAN RACK THE ...

The Rationals: Singles and more... (Us, 60s Superb Garage Rock from Detroit)

As garage bands go, the Rationals were almost too good to be true.

Of all the Michigan talent that flirted with stardom but never got invited to the party, there is probably no other band of the era so beloved and still so mourned as Ann Arbor's The Rationals. Certainly, here was a group that deserved fame and fortune but, incredibly, failed to get the notice and air-play that should have landed them among the best recording acts of alltime. They were that good.

Blessed with a sterling vocalist, a brilliant guitarist who could more than hold his own as a singer, an inventive bass player and a propulsive drummer, The Rationals infused their stratified, garage-rock with rich vocalizing and harmonies, making local hit records out of a series of rhythm & blues nuggets such as "Leavin' Here", "Hold on Baby", and Otis Redding's "Respect" (their 45 pre-dating the Vagrants version and providing the inspiration for Aretha's) as well as an incredibly soulful take on Goffin-King's "I Need You" — which may be the finest version of that song ever waxed. The Rationals also had a fierce stage act that was the cornerstone of their fan following around Detroit and environs. One of the highlights of their live performances during the height of their popularity was a stunning soul-song medley built around Tony Clarke's "The Entertainer" that was truly a show-stopper, unleashing every element in their talent arsenal.

As local heroes, they are legend but The Rationals never caught that big break which would have let them cash in and grab the prominence of their contemporaries and friends like Bob Seger (who contributed singing and arranging on some of their singles) and the MC5. By most accounts, it appears that the same management that helped lead them from their early Kinks/Beatles influenced stylings ("Little Girls Cry", "Feelin' Lost") toward the harder rhythm and blues that became their trademark also, probably inadvertently, kept them just shy of the payoff: Instead of freeing the band to work with other producers, their manager Hugh "Jeep" Holland (A-Square Productions) apparently couldn't let go when the recording opportunities came and squandered several chances for the group to land a major label deal.

More singles of this amazing band...from the same place were giants saw the light...SRC and Mc5 among others... yeah... dig it ! ! ! A must ! ! !

LINK: BOUT TO GET ME ! ! !

The Music Machine: Beyond the Garage (Us, Great Compilation)

In 1998 Sean Bonniwell joined the Fuzztones on 45 for an updated rendition of The People In Me (Misty Lane 046). More recently he has published an autobiography called Beyond The Garage.

The original classic Music Machine line-up included Keith Olsen (bs), Mark Landon (gtr), Ron Edgar (drms), Doug Rhodes (organ) with Sean Bonniwell on vocals. All dyed black mop tops and black clothes - they were cool personified. They released one album in 1966 called 'Turn On'. By the time of the follow up Bonniwell Music Machine (1967), Bonniwell had sacked his original band.

To collect the complete history of the Music Machine you need to grab a hold of the following essential CDs. The debut album 'Turn On', was released as 'the very best of' on Collectables Records in 1999. 'Beyond the Garage' (Sundazed) includes the second album plus a stack of unreleased gems by both MM line ups and the recently released 'Ignition' raids the vaults for more high quality tracks.

Buy this album -

LINK: ME, MYSELF AND I ! ! !

Equipe 84: Stereoequipe (1968, Italian Beat)

Probably the most famous italian beat group from the 60's, and with a long career starting with a debut single in 1964, Equipe 84 lasted until mid 70's and also had a (slightly) prog influenced period.

This four piece from Modena was for the italian teenagers the local answer to the Beatles, and they had a long series of hit singles between 1966 and 1969 with such classics as Io ho in mente te, Auschwitz, Bang bang, 29 settembre (that also had an english sung release in USA and UK), Un angelo blu, Tutta mia la città.

The band had its first crisis in 1970 with original member Franco Ceccarelli leaving the group and drummer Alfio Cantarella arrested for drug possession, being replaced for a short time and a single by ex-Rokes drummer Mike Shepstone; later, with the help of another guest drummer, Franz Di Cioccio (from I Quelli, then Premiata Forneria Marconi), they released what is usually considered their most progressive album, Id.

This, their fourth album, was less song-based than their previous works, and contained ten tracks with dynamic arrangements and some orchestral passages. Not a real prog album, this has some good tracks like Il re dei re and the long Un brutto sogno, but for many italian listeners the characteristic voice of Maurizio Vandelli is too tied to their beat period for this to be convincently considered a prog album.

LINK: STEREOEQUIPE 84

The Who: BBC Sessions (1965/73)

A fine compilation of 1965-73 BBC performances, the majority of the tracks hailing from 1965-67, although some are drawn from 1970 and 1973. As one of the best live bands ever, the Who as expected come through pretty well in the live-in-the-studio environment, although the arrangements usually stick close to the records. Most of the songs were done by the group for studio releases as well, but there are a few covers that they never put on their albums or singles at the time, making this essential for the fan. Those numbers include the obscure James Brown tune "Just You and Me, Darling," "Dancing in the Street," ""Good Lovin'," and "Leaving Here" (although a mid-1960s studio version of that last song was eventually released).


Of the other tracks, particularly worthwhile are "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere," with its extensive feedback solo, quite a challenge to do live in May 1965; "The Good's Gone," which has a fuzz solo not on the studio version; and the 1970 performance of "Shakin' All Over," which might be the best rendition of that concert staple that they ever did. This does not have a few BBC songs that have shown up on bootlegs; particularly unfortunate exclusions are "So Sad About Us," "Summertime Blues," and their 1966 cover of the Everly Brothers' "Man with Money."



Buy this album in your local Cd Store.

LINK: "MAN WITH MONEY"