Group 1850 - Dream of the Future

 

Short bio:
Group 1850 was a psychedelic rock band from the Netherlands, considered by many to be one of the finest acid rock acts Europe has ever produced. The band was founded in 1964 in Hague, using the name Klits, renaming themselves Group 1850 in 1966 when their debut single, "Misty Night/Look Around", appeared on the tiny Yep label. Though few copies were pressed, it established them as one of Holland's most original bands (alongside the Outsiders and Q65) and they soon signed to Philips. More singles ensued, in a highly psychedelic vein, including the brilliant "Mother No-Head".

Their debut album, "Agemo's Trip to Mother Earth", appeared in late 1968. The album's concept is incomprehensible, but its superb songs and musicianship have ensured its lasting cult reputation, and it has been called one of the most truly psychedelic albums ever recorded. A UK release did not help the band gain a footing outside Holland, and Philips dropped them soon afterwards. Their next album, 1969's "Paradise Now", appeared on the Dutch Discofoon label in 1969 and was only marginally less acid-influenced than its predecessor. The band were sporadically active through the 1970s, especially notable were another excellent single, 1971's "Fire/Have You Ever Heard", and  the largely instrumental album "Polyandri" in 1975.


My introduction to Group 1850 was the track "Mother No-Head", one of the stand out tracks which appeared on the compilation album "The Rubble Collection 5" released in the early 90s. I heard nothing else by the band until I bought the reissue of their first album on CD, which came out on the Pseudonym label in 1997. Not really knowing what to expect, I wasn't too impressed by the first couple of tracks (I'm still not a great fan of those 2 songs which is why they don't appear on this anthology) but the rest of the album is mostly excellent. I say mostly because track 3, the 13+ minutes of "I Put My Hands on Your Shoulder" was partially ruined (for me) by the 5 minutes of spoken word/phased drum solo in the middle of the song. I've taken the step of removing that part from the song, which I'm sure some of you will find quite unforgiveable! Sorry, but I prefer my edited version.

The bio states that "Agemo's..." is "one of the most truly psychedelic albums ever recorded". Not sure about that statement, I can think of several other albums from the 1960s that are more "truly" psychedelic. Personally, I think the 2 albums afterwards are better, "Paradise Now" has no weak tracks whatsoever so it was tough choosing which tracks to include here. "Polyandri" saw the band evolving into a more progressive rock sound, but for me has a couple of weak tracks. A shame this was their final studio album, it would've been interesting to hear how much further they would have evolved with future releases.

All of the tracks featured here can be found on the excellent 8 CD box set "Purple Sky: The Complete Works and More" which was released in 2019. As well as the 3 studio albums it also incudes 2 live albums, plus 2 CDs which features all of their singles plus various demo recordings & outtakes. An added bonus is the solo album recorded by Peter Sjardin recorded in 1969 but not released until 1982. As usual origin of each track & year of release is tagged in the music files and in the download file. I hope you enjoy!


  1. Mother No-Head (3:24)
  2. Frozen Mind (3:38)
  3. Refound (3:04)
  4. ?! (6:55)
  5. Fire (2:28)
  6. Pumping Up the Rubber Trees (3:11)
  7. You Did It Too Hard (2:10)
  8. Sun Is Coming (So We're Calling You) (2:59)
  9. I Know (La Pensee) (3:10)
10. Hunger (4:55)
11. Dream of the Future (2:32)
12. Cages (5:17)
13. Zero (3:28)
14. Reborn (3:04)
15. Lonelyness (2:01)
16. We Love Life (Like We Love You) (4:27)
17. Silver Earring (4:10)
18. Have You Ever Heard (3:33)
19. I Put My Hands on Your Shoulder [short version] (7:32)
20. Friday I'm Free (2:52)
21. Thousand Years Before (4:31)

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Dedicated to You... (Manerg's Canterbury Mix)

 

Deviating from my usual compilations/anthologies, I originally asked my pal Manerg if he wanted to do his own "Desert Island" mix. After thinking about it he came back to me with an idea for doing a compilation of bands who were either originators or inspired by the Canterbury Sound. I agreed it would be an excellent idea, he's much more of an expert on the Canterbury Scene than me. I asked him to say a few words on this mix.

Manerg wrote:

"The tracks and bands I chose for this compilation are what I think is the natural organic movement of the style. The DNA and its mutations if you like. Starting with the originators, members of Soft Machine and Caravan forming the band that was the source of the genre, that band being The Wilde Flowers. The Canterbury Sound was an amalgam of free jazz, classical, pop and a dose of psychedelia. The early Mothers of Invention albums can also be heard as an influence.

The Canterbury Scene spread its tentacles further afield, many groups and artists in The Netherlands, France, Italy and Spain and all points of the compass have 'that sound', which has travelled throughout the years always remaining underground. Some musicians linked to the scene have at times raised their head above ground and even had a modicum of chart success, Robert Wyatt and Dave Stewart (not The Eurythmics guy but a member of National Health) being examples. The latter had a hit with a cover of Lesley Gore's 'It's my Party', accompanied by Barbara Gaskin, who was once a member of Canterbury group Spirogyra (not the jazz funk outfit).

The Canterbury Sound is still alive and thriving. The last few tracks on this mix are recent recordings by bands that pay homage and wave the flag for a scene that even its original movers and shakers can't quite describe.

Vive l'école de Canterbury"

  1. Caravan - Cecil Rons (4:05)
  2. The Soft Machine - Why Are We Sleeping? (5:32)
  3. Kevin Ayers - Song for Insane Times (4:01)
  4. Khan - Stargazers (5:32)
  5. Uriel - Garden of Earthly Delights (2:44)
  6. Egg - A Visit to Newport Hospital (8:24)
  7. Spirogyra - A Canterbury Tale (4:04)
  8. Matching Mole - Instant Kitten (4:59)
  9. Robert Wyatt - Little Red Robin Hood Hit the Road (6:08)
10. Moving Gelatine Plates - London Cab (7:30)
11. Cos - Fanfan la Tulipe (2:38)
12. Supersister - She Was Naked (3:43)
13. Hatfield and the North - Fitter Stoke Has a Bath (7:33)
14. National Health - Clocks and Clouds (6:42)
15. Daevid Allen and Kramer - Song for Robert (3:49)
16. Homunculus Res - La Cabala (3:58)
17. The Winstons - Nicotine Freak (4:31)
18. Magic Bus - Distant Future (7:06)
19. Big Hogg - Little Bear (1:16)

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Edgar Broughton Band - Behind the Dusty Doors

Bio:

Formed in 1968 in Warwick, England, the Edgar Broughton Band were part of the late 60s British underground blues boom. Led by the Broughton brothers, vocalist/guitarist Edgar Broughton and drummer Steve Broughton, and fleshed out by bassist Arthur Grant and on 3 of their albums guitarist Victor Unitt (who also briefly served with The Pretty Things), they were contemporaries of Groundhogs, Hawkwind, and The Pink Fairies, but were unique within the movement due to their radical political consciousness (which is highly pertinent). Their political aim was said to be 'subverting what's above'. Their bluesy and psychedelic hard rock, combined with their politics, led to their frequent inclusion in the bracket of protopunk..

The band was clearly strongly influenced by Captain Beefheart , as evidenced, for example, by "Apache Dropout. This is a clear tribute to, and endorsement of, "Dropout Boogie" from Beefheart's first album (Safe as Milk), as well as a somewhat more tongue in cheek allusion to "Apache" (a big '60's hit for the Shadows). Perhaps best known for their chant: "Out Demons, Out!" which was always played at length, with variations for political leaders on both sides of the 'pond'. Performing this at Keele University they handed out spray cans and the union bulding was covered in graphiti police arrived and a riot ensued. In May 1971 they released possibly their finest work: their eponymous third album, which contained the classic "Evening Over Rooftops" (again with strings by David Bedford which Edgar Broughton called "stunning"). Mike Oldfield also featured on "Thinking Of You".

For me, one of the most underrated bands of the 1970s, but I always found their albums somewhat frustrating. You'd be guaranteed several excellent tracks on each album, but for me there were always a few tracks I either didn't care for or really disliked. On some occasions they'd have tracks split into 2, 3 or 4 parts where I'd like one part and not the rest. 2 examples from the album "Oora" are on this collection. "Exhibits from a New Museum" segued into "Green Lights", the latter of which I have removed. I noticed on one of their compilations they did the reverse! "Pretty" was originally part of 4 tracks, "Face from a Window/Pretty/Hi-Jack Boogie/Slow Down", of which I only liked the 2nd part so I edited accordingly. 

There have been compilations of this band before, but again they featured tracks I really had no time for, so I decided to make my own compilation comprising of tracks from their debut "Wasa Wasa" released in 1969 up until 1976's "Bandages". This collection also deviates slightly from my previous ones, there was at least one more track from each album I wanted to include, but keeping each compilation at under 80 minutes I just didn't have room. So, for one time only, I've included a "bonus" disc containing those tracks. One other thing, is there an uncensored version out there of the track "There's No Vibrations But Wait!"? I've yet to find one. The alternate version is uncensored so I decided to add it as the final track on the bonus disc.

As per usual, info containing track origin & year of release is tagged in the music files and in the download file. Stay safe, and I hope you enjoy this slightly expanded collection!

Disc 1:
  1. Get Out of Bed/There's Nobody There/Side by Side (3:42)
  2. Crying (5:12)
  3. Mr. Crosby (2:07)
  4. Aphrodite (4:03)
  5. Madhatter (6:14)
  6. John Wayne (3:11)
  7. Roccococooler (3:08)
  8. Why Can't Somebody Love Me (4:44)
  9. Sister Angela (0:39)
10. Apache Dropout (Peter Jenner version) (3:02)
11. Evening Over Rooftops (4:58)
12. Double Agent (2:53)
13. It's Falling Away (4:49)
14. Hotel Room (4:03)
15. There's No Vibrations But Wait! (4:09)
16. Thinking of You (2:03)
17. I Want to Lie (4:34)
18. Exhibits from a New Museum (4:06)
19. Totin' This Guitar (1:40)
20. House of Turnabout (3:08)
21. Love in the Rain (3:43)
22. Up Yours! (2:59)

Disc 2:
  1. Death of an Electric Citizen (6:04)
  2. Psychopath: a) The Psychopath b) is for Butterflies (6:45)
  3. Out Demons Out (4:46)
  4. Pretty (2:57)
  5. Love Gang (2:58)
  6. Don't Even Know Which Day It Is (4:19)
  7. Chilly Morning Mama (4:31)
  8. There's No Vibrations But Wait (alternate version) (4:13)

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Kinks Kollektion 1965-1972

Followers of this blog will know most of my comps aim to celebrate artists who've been somewhat underappreciated over the years, and to bring them a bit more exposure. Well, with today's comp I guess many would think that's the total opposite! But, while The Kinks are widely appreciated for releasing several excellent singles over the years, there are many overlooked gems to be found on their albums. This collection features no (hit) singles, mostly album tracks or outtakes from album sessions.

Like many who knew of the band, I never really took much notice of the albums, something I didn't rectify until I bought in 2004 the deluxe CD reissue of their (to me) finest album, "The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society" which was originally released in 1968. I now have every Kinks album up to 1978's "Misfits" (I really didn't like any of their albums after that), though the quality in their albums dipped somewhat after "Muswell Hillbillies" in 1971. Maybe I'll do another comp, featuring tracks from the much derided mid/late 70s releases, as there are still plenty of excellent songs to be found on each.

For this collection I decided to concentrate on their peak album years. Eagle-eyed fans will notice I've picked no tracks from their first album. Like most artists in the early 60s, albums seemed like an afterthought, only brought out to promote the successful singles from them, and consisted of way too many cover versions. With each release The Kinks mastered the art of making an album, I have a couple of tracks from their second and third albums, but for me their first consistently good album was 1966's "Face to Face". My two favourite albums by them are 1967's "Something Else by The Kinks" and the aforementioned "Village Green", so unsurprisingly tracks from those albums feature the heaviest here.

The origin of this collection started back in 2008, for a music site on which I was quite an active member. One of the members made a request for others on the site to compile their own "best of" of certain artists, as an introduction for those who knew very little of their work. Initially I made 3 compilations, 2 were of The Fall and 1 was of Tim Buckley. Some other member made a Kinks comp and while it had excellent choices, for me it had way too many familiar singles and somewhat missed the point. So I decided I'd make my own compilation of their lesser known songs. The tracklisting here is almost the same as the original I made, but I've replaced 4 tracks which I'm not too fond of anymore (if anyone wishes to know which tracks I removed and replaced with, feel free to ask!) and kept almost the same track order.

As per usual, info containing track origin & year of release is tagged in the music files and in the download file. Once more thanks to Manerg for his advice with choosing the cover art and the title. Stay safe, and I hope you enjoy!


  1. 20th Century Man (5:55)
  2. Do You Remember Walter (2:23)
  3. Fancy (2:26)
  4. Love Me Till the Sun Shines (3:20)
  5. Where Did My Spring Go? (2:08)
  6. Denmark Street (1:59)
  7. Nothin' in the World Can Stop Me Worryin' 'Bout That Girl (2:43)
  8. David Watts (2:38)
  9. Rosemary Rose (1:58) 
10. People Take Pictures of Each Other (2:11)
11. Have a Cuppa Tea (3:42)
12. Lazy Old Sun (2:44)
13. The Way Love Used to Be (2:12)
14. Time Will Tell (2:33)
15. Last of the Steam-Powered Trains (4:09)
16. Shangri-La (5:19)
17. No Return (2:00)
18. Get Back in Line (3:00)
19. Little Miss Queen of Darkness (3:13)
20. Wicked Annabella (2:40)
21. Here Comes Yet Another Day (3:54)
22. Rainy Day in June (3:12)
23. Some Mother's Son (3:24)
24. Harry Rag (2:15)
25. Big Sky (2:49)
26. Muswell Hillbilly (4:56)

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Psychedelic Obscurities Volume 6

 

I received an email the other day saying my One Drive will be deleted due to inactivity... Totally forgot I had a One Drive so re-activated it and found a "short" list I'd made about 8 years ago of about 50 psych songs I'd put together for some comp or other. Some of them featured on future Oozings, and a good few of them are included here in the now resurrected Psychedelic Obscurities series. I don't think there will be any more Oozings, just not finding enough quality material from bands not featured on previous volumes. So, there'll be plenty more of these to come! Info containing track origin & year of release is tagged in the music files and in the download file. I hope you're all still keeping safe, and enjoy this latest volume.

  1. Clear Light - They Who Have Nothing (2:32)

  2. Survival - The World Is a Bomb (2:26)
  3. The Freak Scene - Behind the Mind (2:16)
  4. Ro-d-Ys - Love Is Almost Everywhere (3:09)
  5. Christmas - Just Suppose (4:27)
  6. Earth and Fire - Seasons (4:06)
  7. Sam Gopal - Midsummer Night's Dream (2:12)
  8. Stained Glass - Soap and Turkey (2:35)
  9. The Twilights - Devendra (1:48)
10. Laghonia - Bahia (4:22)
11. The Merchants of Dream - (We Are) Dream Vendors (2:55)
12. The Blades of Grass - Satin Slipper (2:01)
13. The Changin' Tymes - Hark the Child (5:32)
14. The Damnation of Adam Blessing - Dreams (4:52)
15. Los Dug Dug's - Cual es tu Nombre (3:06)
16. The Baroques - Purple Day (2:48)
17. Snow - Song of the Sirens (4:07)
18. Mother Sunday - You Don't Understand (4:34)
19. Eden's Children - Sure Looks Real (4:25)
20. Gale Garnett and The Gentle Reign - The Trip Note Song (4:32)
21. Os Brazões - Espiral (3:31)
22. Salvation - Love Comes in Funny Packages (2:53)
23. The Tremeloes - Instant Whip (4:35)

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Desert Island Psych

 

After the recent batch of artist anthologies, I figured I'd compile something much simpler. For a few years now I've had the idea of compiling a "Desert Island Disc", where I'd be cast away on a remote island but have just one CD of favourite tracks over the years to listen to. I came to the conclusion it'd be an almost impossible task as there'd be way too many songs to consider, but you never know one day I may attempt it. So, to simpify things, I decided to go with compiling my favourite psych tunes from the 60s & 70s on to one disc. These would be tracks that I loved when I first heard them, and have never got tired of listening to, which would be handy if stuck for several years on this island!

After much deliberating, realising not such a simple task after all, I managed to whittle it down to the 20 tracks listed here. There's no obscurities as such to be found, and quite a few of these tracks will be very familiar to many of you. Once again great thanks to Manerg for finding the excellent cover artwork for this project, I hope you all enjoy!

  1. Mighty Baby - Egyptian Tomb (5:27)

  2. The Seeds - Bad Part of Town (3:25)
  3. The Pretty Things - Defecting Grey (4:27)
  4. The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band - Until the Poorest of People Have Money to Spend (2:16)
  5. Kim Fowley - Wildfire (4:09)
  6. Sweetwater - My Crystal Spider (3:51)
  7. Pink Floyd - Vegetable Man (Peter Jenner mix) (2:29)
  8. The Byrds - Draft Morning (2:55)
  9. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Electricity (3:05)
10. The Animated Egg - Sock It My Way (3:21)
11. The Beautiful Daze - City Jungle (5:45)
12. The Monkees - Porpoise Song (extended version) (4:10)
13. The United States of America - The Garden of Earthly Delights (2:39)
14. Love - Your Mind and We Belong Together (4:22)
15. The Factory - Try a Little Sunshine (3:32)
16. Kaleidoscope - Dive Into Yesterday (4:44)
17. Euphoria - Did You Get the Letter (5:33)
18. Fifty Foot Hose - Rose (5:05)
19. MC5 - Looking at You (2:46)
20. Twink - Ten Thousand Words in a Cardboard Box (4:29)

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