Burn and Shine's Top 30 of 2011.

Merry Christmas Folks!

Usually on or around Christmas Day I post a compilation with some of my favorite tunes of the year here at Burn and Shine. This year I squeezed 30 songs onto my year-end compilation. I did so by fudging it a bit. My #1, very favorite song of the year did not make the cut. The brilliant "Johnny Kwango" by the Bevis Frond is just over five minutes long, and I decided to put the nearly equally as awesome "More To This Than That" (it clocks in at 1:45!) on here so I could share a few more tracks from a great year. "Johnny Kwango" is featured in video form at the end of this post, if you'd like to hear it. I uploaded the clip to Youtube because nobody else had-- sorry for the intermittent zoom effect, I'm a complete novice when it comes to videos.

Because I've noticed that the number of Downloads is inversely proportional to the length of my blog post, I won't say much else about this compilation or the year in music except there were so many great releases this year, that I toyed with putting together two more comps. Maybe at some point those will make an appearance along with a list of my Favorite Albums of 2011. Enough babbling.

Happy Listening!

Burn and Shine's Top 30 of 2011:

01. The Bevis Frond, "More To This Than That"
02. The Decemberists, "Down by the Water"
03. Wild Flag, "Future Crimes"
04. Those Darlins, "Waste Away"
05. The Night Marchers, "All Hits"
06. The Bats, "It's Not the Same"
07. The Red Button, "Caught in the Middle"
08. Brilliant Colors, "Hey Dan"
09. Tommy Keene, "Deep Six Saturday"
10. R.E.M., "That Someone is You"
11. PJ Harvey, "The Last Living Rose"
12. Iceage, "You're Blessed"
13. Woods, "Any Other Day"
14. Surfer Blood, "Miranda"
15. Milk Music, "Out of My World"
16. Crystal Stilts, "Through the Floor"
17. Sonny & the Sunsets, "I Wanna Do It"
18. Jonny, "Candyfloss"
19. Ducktails, "Hamilton Road"
20. Motel Beds, "Surfjerk"
21. Dum Dum Girls, "Wrong Feels Right"
22. Vivian Girls, "I Heard You Say"
23. Tim Cohen, "Don't Give Up"
24. Army Navy, "Feathered"
25. Crooked Fingers, "Black Candles"
26. Times New Viking, "Ever Falling In Love"
27. La Sera, "I Promise You"
28. Shirk Circus, "Understanding"
29. Guided by Voices, "The Unsinkable Fats Domino"
30. J Mascis, "Too Deep"

Total Time 1:19:10

Download it here: Burn and Shine's Top 30 of 2011

And here's my Favorite Song of the year: "Johnny Kwango" by The Bevis Frond:

Merry Christmas!

Hey Folks, thought I'd go ahead and share the latest volume of Christmas Redux. I've noticed that last year's Christmas post has been getting a lot of hits lately, so maybe everyone is ready to start listening to Christmas music. If you are new to this blog, and are looking for Christmas tunes, be sure and click the "Xmas" tag at the end of this post and check out the five previous volumes in this series.

I also wanted to give everyone the heads up on what's in store here at Burn and Shine over the next few months. Sometime around Christmas Day, I will post my favorite tracks from 2011. In January, I've got something really special planned. Check out this video:



I must admit, when I put that video together I was thinking that I was going to start my 1977 series in January. Instead, I have decided to finally post my Proto-Punk series first. So look for Sunday Punks to start in January-- it's going to be massive! For now though, enjoy the Christmas tunes.

Happy Listening!


Christmas Redux Six:

01. Aztec Camera, "Walk Out to Winter"
02. Best Coast & Wavves, "Got Something for You"
03. Adam Kempa, "Jingle Bells"
04. The Hepsters, "Rockin' & Rollin' With Santa Clause"
05. Don Kriss, "It's Christmas"
06. The Majority, "All Our Christmases"
07. The Yobs, "Run Rudolph Run"
08. The Only Ones, "Silent Night"
09. The Alan Milman Sect, "Punk Rock Christmas"
10. Three Aces and a Joker, "Sleigh Bell Rock"
11. The Beach Boys, "The Man With All the Toys"
12. Los Straitjackets, "O Come All Ye Faithful"
13. Parenthetical Girls, "Carol of the Season"
14. Matt Black & the Double Bugs, "Punky Xmas"
15. Bouquet of Veal, "It's Christmas"
16. The Krayolas, "Christmas Time"
17. The Ravens, "Blue Christmas"
18. The Recital, "And Your Boy Can Drum"
19. Will Yates, "You Didn't Get Me Anything for Christmas"
20. The Reigning Sound, "That's All I Want"
21. Sufjan Stevens, "I Saw Three Ships"
22. John Cale, "Child's Christmas in Wales"
23. Three Hour Tour, "Peace On You"
24. Crocodiles & Dum Dum Girls, "Merry Christmas, Baby (Please Don't Die)"
25. Iggy Pop, "White Christmas"

Total Time: 1:00:18

Download it here: Christmas Redux Six

1986.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, which means it's time for me to celebrate songs that are a quarter century old. This is the third installment, please see 1984 and 1985 for the first two discs in this ongoing series.

1986 has a little bit of meaning for me, as it was the year I graduated from high school. It is also the year I went to boot camp, had my heart broken by the New York Mets and bought my first car (how I miss you VW Golf!). By the next year, I would be out in sunny San Diego, in a land of great radio. 91X in San Diego was where I heard a lot of the bands represented here for the first time. This was before "X" meant "EXTREME". I still hate that word.

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Listening!

01. Drivin'n'Cryin', "Scarred But Smarter"
02. R.E.M., "Superman"
03. The Smithereens, "Behind the Wall of Sleep"
04. The Windbreakers, "Don't Wanna Know"
05. Bodeans, "Fadeaway"
06. The Go-Betweens, "Spring Rain"
07. The Woodentops, "Get It On"
08. Elvis Costello, "I Hope You're Happy Now"
09. Steve Earle, "Guitar Town"
10. The Godfathers, "I Want You"
11. The Triffids, "She's Sure the Girl I Love"
12. fIREHOSE, "Brave Captain"
13. Moving Targets, "Faith"
14. Dumptruck, "Alone"
15. Yo La Tengo, "The Cone of Silence"
16. Scruffy the Cat, "Buy a Car"
17. Billy Bragg, "Levi Stubb's Tears"
18. The Feelies, "Let's Go"
19. XTC, "Earn Enough for Us"
20. The Housemartins, "Happy Hour"
21. That Petrol Emotion, "It's a Good Thing"
22. Tommy Keene, "Places That Are Gone"
23. Don Dixon, "Southside Girl"
24. New Salem Witch Hunters, "Falling"
25. Trotsky Icepick, "The Gaslight"

Total Time: 1:15:36

Download it here: 1986

Human Switchboard!

A recent discovery for me, but as my good friend Laura might say, they're my new favorite band! Just got the fabulous anthology which Bar None Records has so lovingly put out. Read all about it here: Human Switchboard.

I went looking for the title track on YouTube, but only found a live version. I decided to upload my first video to that site ever. Here's hoping I don't get taken down by the internet police. It's a pretty basic still shot video, but at least you get to hear the song, which by the way, is not the remastered version but rather a vinyl transfer I found on the interweb a few months ago. Enjoy!

Eleventh Dream Day!

Congratulations to all the babies who have been or will be born later today. My own daughter missed being an 08/08/08-baby by three days. I don't have a compilation for you today, but I will leave you with a video of a very under-appreciated band: Eleventh Dream Day.

Our Band Could Be Your Life: The Soundtrack

Today we celebrate the Tenth Anniversary of Michael Azerrad's excellent tome, Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes From the American Indie Underground 1981-1991. As you can see from that handy link, I'm a little late to the party: apparently there was an actual party in NYC celebrating the book's birthday. Not knowing about this event, I decided to reread Our Band a few weeks ago. I flipped to the copyright date page, and realized it had been nearly a decade since I first read it (I'm pretty sure I read it in '02 or '03). As I made my way through, I thought I needed to do some sort of tribute to the book here at Burn and Shine.

I decided to make a companion compilation. The NPR article I posted above mentions that the book "was all about these obscure rock bands from 30 years ago". Having lived through this period, I don't really think of any of those bands as "obscure". I don't claim to have been riding this wave from the beginning, but I remember Black Flag playing Chattanooga, even if I was too lame to have gone. Then it hit me: 30 cussing years! When I was just getting into these bands in the mid/late 80's, I knew very little about the popular music of the 50's let alone, the stuff that was bubbling under the mainstream. So there is a generation of potential rock geeks out there who may not have ever heard any of these bands. Well I've got you covered!

I'm pretty sure all of the artists featured in the book have appeared on previous Burn and Shine compilations (one of these days I'm going to catalog all the songs/artists I've used in this here blog, but till then, I'll just have to rely on my increasingly unreliable memory). So instead of talking about the tracks I've selected, let me give you a list for further investigation for each band featured in the book.

Black Flag (Los Angeles): Kind of tricky, there is not one definitive album to recommend as the Flag had several lead singers and went through some distinct artistic phases. Start with the fabulous Pre-Henry Rollins compilation The First Four Years. Then of course you need Damaged, and finally My War.

Minutemen (San Pedro): Double Nickels on the Dime (1984), but if you like this, you're going to want everything.

Mission of Burma (Boston): Signals, Calls and Marches EP (1981). Both the Ryko and Matador versions of this add the totally essential "Academy Fight Song" single, for that reason it gets the slight nod over 1982's, Vs, the only studio long player released during their initial lifespan of 1980-83 (MoB have since regrouped and put out a handful of good to great albums).

Minor Threat (Washington D.C.): Finally an easy one! All you need (and all they recorded) is nicely compiled on Complete Discography.

Hüsker Dü (Minneapolis): Okay, I'll go with 1984's Zen Arcade, but really you cannot go wrong with pre-Warner's Dü (and I stand by their major label albums too).

The Replacements (Minneapolis): Sticking with the 1984 theme, start with Let It Be. Though few bands have recorded three back-to-back albums as brilliant as Let it Be, Tim and Pleased to Meet Me (the latter two on a *shudders* major label).

Sonic Youth (New York): The longest continually running band featured in the book, Sonic Youth also has the most daunting discography. Start with Daydream Nation (1988). Then if you like the noisy parts go backwards to their indie releases, or if you like the more pop-like tracks go forward toward their Geffen output.

Butthole Surfers (San Antonio): My personal fave is Rebrandt Pussyhorse (1986).

Big Black (Chicago): Another easy one, The Rich Man's Eight Track Tape (1987) as it compiles all of the essential Big Black Recordings on one handy disc.

Dinosaur Jr. (Boston): My favorite album is You're Living All Over Me (1987), but a great starting point would be Ear Bleeding Country: The Best of Dinosaur Jr., released by Rhino in 2001 shortly before the reunion shows and subsequent albums. I rarely suggest starting with a best-of compilation, but this one compiles songs from their indie releases and the cream of their major label output as well as some important non-album singles.

Fugazi (Washington D.C.): 13 Songs (1990) was my introduction to the mighty Fugazi, and it's still my favorite. It includes their first two EPs, and for my money Fugazi was never better. Repeater and Steady Diet were pretty great too, but after that they got a little too post-rock for my taste.

Mudhoney (Seattle): My favorite of the Seatle bands. If you already know "Touch Me I'm Sick" (featured on my compilation below), then jump on over to their last album released on Sub Pop, Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge (1991)-- the perfect blend of grunge and pop.

Beat Happening (Olympia): Hmmmm . . . One of these bands is not like the others. That would be the quirky Beat Happening. I've heard plenty of people scoff at the fact that BH were included in this book. I would venture to say that no other band on this list puts a smile on my face quite like Beat Happening. Sure, Johnson's booming baritone is an acquired taste, and Heather Lewis's voice isn't always on key, but damn put them together . . . and it just knocks my socks off. If you are a fan of twee, but don't know this band, then go ahead and indulge in the Crashing Through box set (2001) which compiles just about every note recorded by Beat Happening-- you'll thank me later. If you are new to this sound, then start with the pop-perfection of Jamboree (1988). If that record doesn't do anything for you, then there is no need for further investigation.

Alright, on to today's comp. I've sequenced the comp in the same order that they appear in the book. The only band that is featured here that does not have a chapter in OBCBYL is Ian MacKaye's pre-Minor Threat band, the Teen Idles. When an artist had multiple singers, I tried to include an example of each. Some of the bands only had one singer, but I made sure and gave everyone at least two tracks as it didn't seem fair.

Happy Listening!

Our Band Could Be Your Life: The Soundtrack

01. Black Flag, “Nervous Breakdown” [1978]. (Keith Morris)
02. Black Flag, “Jealous Again” [1980]. (Chavo Pederast)
03. Black Flag, “Six Pack” [1981]. (Dez Cadena)
04. Black Flag, “Rise Above” [1981]. (Henry Rollins)
05. Minutemen, “Tension” [1981].
06. Minutemen, “Little Man With a Gun in His Hand” [1983].
07. Mission of Burma, “Max Ernst” [1981]. (Roger Miller)
08. Mission of Burma, “That’s How I Escaped My Certain Fate” [1982]. (Clint Conley)
09. The Teen Idles, “Sneakers” [1981].
10. Minor Threat, “I Don’t Wanna Hear It” [1981].
11. Minor Threat, “Think Again” [1983].
12. Hüsker Dü, “It’s Not Funny Anymore” [1983]. (Grant Hart)
13. Hüsker Dü, “In a Free Land” [1981]. (Bob Mould)
14. The Replacements, “Takin’ a Ride” [1981].
15. The Replacements, “We’re Coming Out” [1984].
16. Sonic Youth, “Kill Yr Idols” [1983]. (Thurston Moore)
17. Sonic Youth, “Brave Men Run (In My Family)” [1985]. (Kim Gordon)
18. Sonic Youth, “Eric’s Trip” [1988]. (Lee Ranaldo)
19. Butthole Surfers, “Butthole Surfer” [1984].
20. Butthole Surfers, “Creep in the Cellar” [1986].
21. Big Black, “Passing Complexion” [1986].
22. Big Black, “Heartbeat” [1987].
23. Dinosaur Jr, “Repulsion” [1985]. (J. Mascis)
24. Dinosaur Jr, “Lose” [1987]. (Lou Barlow)
25. Fugazi, “Waiting Room” [1988]. (Ian MacKaye)
26. Fugazi, “Margin Walker” [1989]. (Guy Picciotto)
27. Mudhoney, “Touch Me I’m Sick” [1988].
28. Mudhoney, “Into the Drink” [1991].
29. Beat Happening, “Cast a Shadow” [1988]. (Calvin Johnson)
30. Beat Happening, “In Between” [1989]. (Heather Lewis)

Total Time: 1:17:19

Download it here: Our Band Could Be Your Life: The Soundtrack

Psychedelic Sundaze #13

When I first mentioned I was working on this series (way back in July), I thought it would be 10-discs and 200 tracks-- about the same as the two Nuggets box sets. As I continued to work on it, it got a little longer. I finally settled on 12 volumes, but as I posted them here, I kept finding stuff that I had missed-- either in my collection or via some of the GREAT Psychedelic blogs that are out there. So I made one more playlist for these tracks and figured I'd just keep them handy and if I had enough for another volume I'd just tack it on at the end. Well I ended up with 26 more tracks. I'm sure the Burn and Shine book is not closed on this era, but this final volume with it's 26 tracks will put it to bed for awhile.

A few quick tidbits about the bonus disc selections. First, our cover boys The Action, make an appearance with a song from an album that did not get an official release until 2002, Rolled Gold. Usually when you hear these so-called, "Great Lost Albums" they really aren't that great. Not so with this one. RG is the real deal, and should have put the Action in the upper echelons of the British Invasion.

One of the last tracks I selected for this compilation is the Big Star track titled "Psychedelic Stuff", which is really a Chris Bell track. This was featured on the Big Star box set that came out a couple of years ago. Even if you have the three proper Big Star albums, you need this set-- it was lovingly done.

The series closes out with a track written and sung by Bill Wyman. I believe it was the first such song in the Rolling Stones discography (was there another?). It was featured on their terribly underrated album Their Satanic Magesties Request, which I'll go on record here saying that it's a better album than Sgt. Pepper's.

Oh, one more thing. My three year old daughter has discovered the Monkees. I have the first season on DVD, and we've been watching them with her. I did not remember "Take a Giant Step" from their first album, written by Goffin & King. It would have been on here, but I had already zipped the file when we watched that particular episode. Anywho, I thought I'd share it via a youtube clip:




Happy listening!

Tiny Purple Fishes: A Trip Through the First Psychedelic Era (Bonus Disc)

01. The Monks, “Shut Up” [1966]. U.S./Germany
02. Alice Cooper, “Changing Arranging” [1969]. U.S. (Michigan)
03. The Blades of Grass, “I Love You Alice B. Toklas” [1967]. U.S. (New York)
04. Shocking Blue, “Love Buzz” [1969]. Netherlands
05. The Golden Dawn, “Evolution” [1968]. U.S. (Texas)
06. Plastic Penny, “Wake Me Up” [1968]. U.K. (England)
07. Del Shannon, “Silver Birch” [1968]. U.S. (born in Michigan)
08. The Clouds, “I’ll Go Girl” [1968]. U.K. (Scotland)
09. Ultimate Spinach, “Ego Trip” [1967]. U.S. (Massachusetts)
10. Andromeda, “Day of the Change” [1969]. U.K. (England)
11. The Attack, “Colour of My Mind” [1967]. U.K. (England)
12. Dean Carter, “Rebel Woman” [1967]. U.S. (Illinois)
13. Graham Gouldman, “Impossible Years” [1968]. U.K. (England)
14. GTO’s, “The Ghost Chained to the Past, Present and Future (Shock Treatment)” [1969].
15. The Everly Brothers, “So Lonely” [1966]. U.S. (Kentucky)
16. Savage Resurrection, “Someone’s Changing” [1968]. U.S. (California)
17. Bodast, “1,000 Years” [ca. 1969]. U.K. (England)
18. Synanthesia, “Fates” [1969]. U.K. (England)
19. New Colony Six, “Let Me Love You” [1967]. U.S. (Illinois)
20. The Great Society, “Free Advice” [1966]. U.S. (California)
21. The Action, “Brain” [ca. 1968]. U.K. (England)
22. Love Sculpture, “River to Another Day” [1968]. U.K. (Wales)
23. Sons of Adam, “Feathered Fish” [1966]. U.S. (California)
24. Halfnelson, “Saccharine and the War” [1968]. U.S. (California)
25. Big Star (Chris Bell), “Psychedelic Stuff” [ca. 1968]. U.S. (Tennessee)
26. Bill Wyman, “In Another Land” [1967]. U.K. (England)

Total Time: 1:14:36

Download it here: Tiny Purple Fishes, (Bonus Disc)

Psychedelic Sundaze #12

This week's installment of TPF, has a couple of distinct threads running through it. The first is it features three bands that are generally considered as the forerunners of Heavy Metal. Deep Purple (Pictured Above), Blue Cheer, and Steppenwolf were all instrumental in the development of "Heavy Metal" as a viable genre.

A second trio of bands featured here, were part of the so-called "Bosstown Sound": The Beacon Street Union, Eden's Children and Orpheus. Critics have not been to kind to these bands or the idea that the "Bosstown Sound" could ever have been as crucial to Rock & Roll as the San Francisco Sound. While none of these bands put out records on par with Santana (also featured on TPF12) or the Jefferson Airplane, they did put out some interesting records. Definitely worth a listen for anyone interested in the Psychedelia, and certainly as good or better as some of the second tier San Fran acts.


Happy Listening!

Tiny Purple Fishes: A Trip Through the First Psychedelic Era, Vol. XII

01. The Other Half, “Wonderful Day” [1968]. U.S. (California)
02. The Dave Clark Five, “When” [1965]. U.K. (England)
03. La De Das, “All Purpose Low” [1967]. New Zealand
04. Thor’s Hammer, “Heyrdu Mig Goda” [1967]. Iceland
05. Blue Cheer, “Gypsy Ball” [1968]. U.S. (California)
06. Pink Floyd (Waters), “Julia Dream” [1968]. U.K. (England)
07. Steppenwolf, “None of You’re Doing” [1968]. U.S. (California)
08. The Beacon Street Union, “My Love Is” [1968]. U.S. (Massachusetts)
09. Eden’s Children, “Awakening” [1968]. U.S. (Massachusetts)
10. Orpheus, “So Far Away In Love” [1968]. U.S. (Massachusetts)
11. Twink, “Ten Thousand Words in a Cardboard Box” [1970]. U.K. (England)
12. Santana, “Shades of Time” [1969]. U.S. (California)
13. The Wilde Flowers, “Impotence” [1966]. U.K. (England)
14. The Sorrows, “Pink, Purple, Yellow and Red” [1967]. U.K. (England)
15. Deep Purple, “Shield” [1968]. U.K. (England)
16. Spooky Tooth, “Bubbles” [1968]. U.K. (England)
17. The Spiders, “Back” [1970]. Mexico
18. The Moving Sidewalks, “Crimson Witch” [1968]. U.S. (Texas)
19. The 23rd Turnoff, “Leave Me Here” (Single Version) [1967]. U.K. (England)
20. Gandalf, “Can You Travel in the Dark Alone” [1968]. U.S. (New Jersey)

Total Time: 1:00:04

Download it here: Tiny Purple Fishes, Vol. XII

Halloween Tunes!

Well the masses have spoken (well 14 of you anyway!), so I'll go ahead and post my annual Halloween compilation today. This edition of Candy Apples & Razor Blades has a little punkier flavor than most. I don't want to let the cat out of the bag but I've got some cool stuff in store for 2012. Parts of this compilation will serve as kind of a preview of what's in store here at B&S.

Happy Listening!

Candy Apples & Razor Blades: Even More Music for All Hallow's Eve, Vol. 4

01. Kristen Hersh, “Your Ghost” [1992].
02. Screaming Lord Sutch, “Jack the Ripper” [1963].
03. Dead Moon, “Graveyard” [1988].
04. Jay Reatard, “Blood Visions” [2006].
05. Destroy All Monsters, “Vampire” [1974].
06. The Effigies, “Haunted Town” [1981].
07. Guadalcanal Diary, “Ghost on the Road” [1985].
08. Jackie Morningstar, “Rockin’ the Graveyard” [1959].
09. New York Dolls, “Frankenstein” [1973].
10. The Dutchess & the Duke, “I Am Just a Ghost” [2008].
11. The Misfits, “Halloween” [1981].
12. Barrence Whitfield, “Bloody Mary” [1985].
13. Blood, Sweat & Tears, “Lucretia Mac Evil” [1970].
14. DoubleHappys, “Moss Monster” [1985].
15. Social Distortion, “The Creeps” [1982].
16. The Sleepy Jackson, “Vampire Race-Course” [2003].
17. Laughing Clowns, “Ghost Beat” [1981].
18. Stiv Bators, “Evil Boy” [1979].
19. Roky Erickson, “Creature With the Atom Brain” [1979].
20. Mary Timony, “Look a Ghost in the Eye” [2002].
21. The King Khan & BBQ Show, “Zombies” [2006].
22. The Dentists, “Back to the Grave” [1985].
23. Dean Carter, “Shadow of Evil” [ca. 1967].
24. Brats, “Zombie People” [1979].
25. The Jam, “Ghosts” [1982].

Total Time: 1:13:49

Download it here: Candy Apples & Razor Blades, Vol. 4

Psychedelic Sundaze #11

Okay, there is less than 24 hours left to vote in the poll, currently 12 of you have voted and it looks like you want the new Halloween compilation ASAP. If that stays the same by tomorrow, look for the new comp later this week-- Wednesday probably.

As for today's comp, I'll just say a quick word about Creedence Clearwater Revival-- whose lead singer, John Fogerty, is this weeks cover star. Again, not really a band that springs to mind when you think "Psychedelia", though they were one of the most well known artists during this era. This particular track, "Gloomy", has one of the hallmarks of Psychedelia: the backwards guitar. A near perfect example of that technique.

Happy Listening!


Tiny Purple Fishes: A Trip Through the First Psychedelic Era, Vol. XI

01. The Human Beinz, “Flower Grave” [1967]. U.S. (Ohio)
02. Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Gloomy” [1968]. U.S. (California)
03. McCully Workshop Inc, “Why Can’t it Rain” [1969]. South Africa
04. Sarolta Zalatnay, “Egy Szot Se Szoli” [1970]. Hungary
05. Iron Butterfly, “Most Anything You Want” [1968]. U.S. (California)
06. Vanilla Fudge, “Where is My Mind” [1968]. U.S. (New York)
07. The Steve Miller Band, “Brave New World” [1969]. U.S. (California)
08. John’s Children, “Just What You Want – Just What You’ll Need” [1967]. U.K. (England)
09. Tommy James & the Shondells, “I Am a Tangerine” [1967]. U.S. (Michigan)
10. The Amboy Dukes, “Why is a Carrot More Orange Than an Orange” [1968]. U.S. (Michigan)
11. Zakary Thaks, “Mirror of Yesterday” [1967]. U.S. (Texas)
12. Earth Island, “Seasons of Our Lives” [1970]. U.S. (California)
13. The Bonniwell Music Machine, “Absolutely Positively” [1968]. U.S. (California)
14. Big Brother & the Holding Company, “All Is Loneliness” [1967]. U.S. (California)
15. Blood, Sweat & Tears, “Meagan’s Gypsy Eyes” [1968]. U.S. (New York)
16. Bubble Puppy, “Lonely” [1969]. U.S. (Texas)
17. Giles, Giles & Fripp, “Newly Weds” [1968]. U.K. (England)
18. The Factory, “Try a Little Sunshine” [1969]. U.K. (England)
19. Sagittarius, “Glass” [1967]. U.S. (California)
20. The Lovin’ Spoonful, “Coconut Grove” [1966]. U.S. (New York)

Total Time: 1:00:34

Download it here: Tiny Purple Fishes, Vol. XI

Psychedelic Sundaze #10

Well we are hitting the final stretch for our Tiny Purple Fishes Series-- just three more volumes after today. This will take us through the end of October, which poses a bit of a dilemma. As some of you may know, Halloween has a significant meaning here at Burn and Shine, as the first playlist I posted here was a Halloween Compilation. Over the last few weeks, the most popular blog entry here at Burn and Shine has been last year's Halloween post. The fourth volume of Candy Apples & Razor Blades is ready to go, but I haven't decided when I'm going to post it. Since there are three comps worth of Halloween Tunes already available, I'm leaning toward posting it on Monday, October 31, once all the TPF comps are posted, but I will leave it up to my faithful readers to decide. Somewhere near the top right corner is a poll, please take a moment to vote when you want the new Halloween Comp posted, thanks!

Okay enough new buisness: a few words about today's Psychedelic platter.

First, I would like to call your attention to track #12. The band is Rust, but I'm not sure exactly where they are from. There seems to be some confusion on this point, and if any of you know definitively, please leave me a comment, as I have read conflicting reports. They released this album on a German label, but they sing in English. I've seen them described as British Psyche, and cannot find a mention of what city they might have been based. Here's a blurb about them at Aural Innovations.

Today's comp features the third and final Beatles' track for TPF, "Fixing a Hole", which is a McCartney track from one of the landmarks of British Psychedelia: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Not one of my favorite Fab Four albums (as I've said before, I prefer the pre-facial hair Beatles!), but it does have its moments, this relatively underrated track being one of them.

Mars Bonfire (aka Dennis Edmonton), is credited as writing one of the most well-known songs of the Psychedelic era: "Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf (his brother was the original drummer). This particular track is culled from his second solo album, Faster than the Speed of Life, and is worth tracking down for fans of psychedelia.

Finally, I'd like to highlight a band with a horrible name, Electric Banana (is that a euphemism for vibrator?). Had never heard this record before I started compiling tracks for this series, which is weird because I went through a fairly extensive Pretty Things phase about ten years ago. This is, for all intents, the Pretties under another name. Not sure why a band who never really hit it big (especially true over here in the U.S.) would put out some first rate music under another name, but that's exactly what they did for some low budget films. According to AMG it was because they needed money? Maybe it was a way to hide the money from their label? I'm purely speculating. Anyway, there is a compilation of Electric Banana tracks that is absolutely glorious. Track it down!

Happy listening!


Tiny Purple Fishes: A Trip Through the First Psychedelic Era, Vol. X

01. The Monkees, “Porpoise Song (Theme From Head)” [1968]. U.S. (California)/U.K. (England)
02. Dantalian’s Chariot, “Sun Came Bursting Through My Cloud” [1967]. U.K. (England)
03. Syd Barrett, “Baby Lemonade” [1970]. U.K. (England)
04. Bobby Jameson, “Jamie” [1967]. U.S. (California)
05. Kim Fowley, “Me” [1967]. U.S. (California)
06. Skip Spence, “Little Hands” [1969]. U.S./Canada (California, but born in Ontario)
07. Bob Smith, “Please” [1970]. U.S. (California)
08. The Deep, “Pink Ether” [1966]. U.S. (Pennsylvania)
09. Mars Bonfire, “Sad Eyes” [1968]. Canada
10. The Association, “Pandora’s Golden Heebie Jeebies” [1967]. U.S. (California)
11. Afterglow, “Afternoon” [1968]. U.S. (Oregon/California)
12. Rust, “Think Big” [1969]. (Not sure see notes above)
13. Procol Harum, “Magdalene (My Regal Zonophone)” [1968]. U.K. (England)
14. Arzachel, “Garden of Earthly Delights” [1969]. U.K. (England)
15. Kevin Ayers, “Gemini Child” [1970]. U.K. (England)
16. Electric Banana, “I See You” [1967]. U.K. (England)
17. Faine Jade, “Cold Winter Sun” [1968]. U.S. (New York)
18. The Music Machine, “Point of No Return” [1966]. U.S. (California)
19. The Beatles, “Fixing a Hole” [1967]. U.K. (England)
20. The Troggs, “Cousin Jane” [1968]. U.K. (England)

Total Time: 1:00:15

Download it here: Tiny Purple Fishes, Vol. X

Psychedelic Sundaze #9

This volume of Tiny Purple Fishes is easily the most varied, in terms of number of countries represented, so far. While England and the U.S. still dominate, there are no less than five other countries represented: The Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Peru, Scotland and Wales. As I've said before, when putting these comps together I try not to consider countries of origin for the artists represented on each edition. I do consider other things, such as trying not to put too many well known artists on one compilation or grouping together bands whose names are similar (check out the three "Smoke" bands on TPF #7 or the two "Elastic/k" bands on this week's disc).

In addition, I find it interesting that three of the American bands here have ties to Oregon. In fact, Oregon actually outnumbers New York on this comp and has just as many bands represented as California. In recent years, Portland has garnered a lot of attention as a hip place for indie bands to relocate to, but it has a rather long history of great Rock & Roll, which may have all started with this great garage band.

Happy Listening!

Tiny Purple Fishes: A Trip Through the First Psychedelic Era, Vol. IX

01. Hunger, “Colors” [1969]. U.S. (Oregon)
02. The Golden Earrings, “You Break My Heart” [1966]. The Netherlands
03. Pink Floyd, “See Emily Play” [1967]. U.K. (England)
04. Sam Gopal, “Midsummer Night’s Dream” [1969]. U.K. (England)
05. New Dawn, “Dark Thoughts” [1970]. U.S. (Oregon)
06. Blue Öyster Cult, “Then Came the Last Days of May” [1972]. U.S. (New York)
07. Left Banke, “Lazy Day” [1967]. U.S. (New York)
08. Them, “You Just Can’t Win” [1965]. U.K. (Northern Ireland)
09. The Serpent Power, “Gently, Gently” [1967]. U.S. (California)
10. The Stowaways, “Just a Toy” [1967]. U.S. (North Carolina)
11. Laghonia, “Someday” [1971]. Peru
12. One In a Million, “Double Sight” [1967]. U.K. (Scotland)
13. The Leaves, “Codine” [1967]. U.S. (California)
14. The Summer Sounds, “Small World” [1969]. U.S. (Massachusetts)
15. The Elastik Band, “The Darkest Corner” [ca. 1967]. U.S. (California)
16. Elastic Band, “Crabtree Farm” [1969]. U.K. (Wales)
17. Van Dyke Parks, “Palm Desert” [1968]. U.S. (Born in Mississippi)
18. The End, “Dreamworld” [1969].
19. Paul Revere & the Raiders, “Get Out of My Mind” (Demo Version) [ca. 1967]. U.S. (Idaho/Oregon/California)
20. Black Sabbath, “Planet Caravan” [1970]. U.K. (England)

Total Time: 59:59

Download it here: Tiny Purple Fishes, Vol. IX

Psychedelic Sundaze #8

As you probably know, Jimi Hendrix was born in Seattle, but moved to England to form the Jimi Hendrix Experience (pictured above). The impact and inventiveness of Hendrix' guitar playing has been recounted by countless journalists since his demise in 1970. The story of David Vorhaus, another expat, has not been disseminated quite as thoroughly. In the grand scheme of Rock & Roll, however, his band White Noise might have been every bit as influential as the Experience. Especially considering, for better or worse, how important the synthesizer became as an instrument in rock music. If you are interested in the history of electronic music, I urge you to check out Vorhaus' story here: Sound on Sound: David Vorhaus.

Happy Listening!


Tiny Purple Fishes: A Trip Through the First Psychedelic Era, Vol. VIII

01. Pisces, “Dear One” [1969]. U.S. (California)
02. Traffic, “Heaven Is in Your Mind” [1967]. U.K. (England)
03. The Moon, “Someday Girl” [1968]. U.S. (California)
04. White Noise, “Love Without Sound” [1969]. U.S./U.K.
05. July, “My Clown” [1968]. U.K. (England)
06. Popcorn Blizzard, “Missing You” [1968]. U.S. (New Jersey)
07. Crystal Circus, “Don’t Say I Didn’t Warn You [ca. 1967]. U.S. (California)
08. Les Fleur De Lys, “Gong With the Luminous Nose” [1968]. U.K. (England)
09. Harry Nilsson, “She Sang Hymns Out of Tune” [1967]. U.S. (New York)
10. Thuderclap Newman, “Look Around” [1969]. U.K. (England)
11. The Ugly Ducklings, “Not For Long” [1966]. Canada
12. The Strawberry Alarm Clock, “Rainy Day Mushroom Pillow” [1967]. U.S. (California)
13. Tages, “It’s in a Dream” [1967]. Sweden
14. Chad & Jeremy, “Rest in Peace” (Single Version) [1967]. U.K. (England)
15. Status Quo, “Paradise Flat [1968]. U.K. (England)
16. The Jimi Hendrix Experience, “Love or Confusion” [1967]. U.S./U.K.
17. The Vejtables, “Anything” [1966]. U.S. (California)
18. The Count Five, “Revelation in Slow Motion” [1968]. U.S. (California)
19. SRC, “Black Sheep” [1968]. U.S. (Michigan)
20. Bill Fay, “Some Good Advice” [1967]. U.K. (England)

Total Time: 59:40

Download it here: Tiny Purple Fishes, Vol. VIII

Psychedelic Sundaze #7

We are officially past the halfway point in our Tiny Purple Fishes series. Originally intended as a 12-part series, I decided to expand it by one more disc, so those of you who stick with it will get 13 volumes of TPF-- 260 tracks! A lot to chew on, which is why I decided to keep the individual discs at 20 tracks and about an hour. The goal was to sort of mimic the specialty show format on a college radio station. Though I wish I was able to broadcast a show, this method has its advantages. Namely, you don't have to listen to me babble.

Speaking of babbling, here are a few thought on this weeks compilation.

It may sound naive, but when I started compiling songs for this series, I really thought the U.K. would dominate. That does not seem to be the case. Once again the American bands outnumber the rest of the world on Volume VII. I guess it should make sense, as the U.S. is quite a bit larger than the U.K. There were so many bands making their own personal Psychedelic masterpieces across the U.S. and, in particular, California. Not to slight the U.K. as there was a lot going on there too, but it just seems like the U.K. bands are generally better known. I mean, why is it that having been an avid collector of Rock & Roll for most of my 43 years, that I only just recently discovered a band as great as Michigan's The Rationals?

Merrel Fankhouser is another American artist that should have been more successful. This is actually the second Fankhouser track on TPF: he was on last week's comp with his first band Fapardokly. There's also a John Uzonyi (of Peacepipe) and Steve Morgen (of Morgen), who might have been America's answer to Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton under different circumstances.

As for the well known British bands in this series, few are bigger than The Who. Probably not the first (or even the tenth?) band you would mention while discussing Psychedelia, but I challenge you to find a better example then "Disguises" by anyone else.

Happy Listening!


Tiny Purple Fishes: A Trip Through the First Psychedelic Era, Vol. VII

01. The Smoke [U.S.], “Cowboys and Indians” [1968]. U.S. (California)
02. The Who, “Disguises” [1966]. U.K. (England)
03. The Millenium, “There Is No More To Say” [1968]. U.S. (California)
04. Os Mutantes, “Panis et Circenses” [1968]. Brazil
05. Morgen, “Welcome To the Void” [1969]. U.S. (New York)
06. Joe Byrd & the Field Hippies, “You Can’t Ever come Down” [1969]. U.S. (California)
07. Lazy Smoke, “How Was Your Day Last Night” [1968]. U.S. (Massachusetts)
08. The Peanut Butter Conspiracy, “Living, Loving Life” [1968]. U.S. (California)
09. The Idle Race, “Morning Sunshine” [1968]. U.K. (England)
10. Lost & Found, “Let Me Be” [1968]. U.S. (Texas)
11. The Rationals, “Gave My Love” [1965]. U.S. (Michigan)
12. Kak, “Rain (Single Version)” [1969]. U.S. (California)
13. Peacepipe, “The Sun Won’t Shine Forever” [ca. 1970]. U.S. (California)
14. Merrel Fankhauser and (His Trusty) H.M.S. Bounty! “Madame Silky” [1968]. U.S. (California)
15. Rainbow Ffolly, “Sighing Game” [1968]. U.K. (England)
16. Lothar & The Hand People, “L-O-V-E (Ask For It By Name)” [1968]. U.S. (Colorado)
17. Mystic Siva, “Find Out Why” [1971]. U.S. (Michigan)
18. Hawkwind, “Children of Man” [1971]. U.K. (England)
19. Quicksilver Messenger Service, “Pride of Man” [1968]. U.S. (California)
20. The Smoke [U.K.], “Have Some More Tea” [1967]. U.K. (England)

Total Time: 1:00:24

Download it here: Tiny Purple Fishes, Vol. VII

Psychedelic Sundaze #6

Not one but two non Anglo-American bands make an appearance on volume six of TPF: Q65 from the Netherlands (singing in English) and Steppeulvene from Denmark (singing in their native tongue). As you may suspect, the Danish band took their name from the same Herman Hesse novel that a more famous Los Angeles band used for their moniker. The California Steppenwolf will be gracing Psychedelic Sundaze in a few weeks.

One of the more interesting acts represented this time around is the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band. Here's some trivia about the Bonzo's that may help you some day if you happen to be on Jeopardy. They played a song in the Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour film. The name of that song? "Death Cab for Cutie".

Our cover star this week is the beautiful Grace Slick. Believe it or not, before I started searching for pics for this week's compilation, I had never seen this one before. I would imagine it is pretty famous. This is the second Jefferson Airplane track featured on TPF, the first being the Marty Balin penned "Today" on Vol. III.

Happy Listening!

Tiny Purple Fishes: A Trip Through the First Psychedelic Era, Vol. VI

01. The Grateful Dead, “Rosemary” [1969]. U.S. (California)
02. Silver Apples, “Oscillations” [1968]. U.S. (New York)
03. Q65, “I Was Young” [1969]. Netherlands
04. The Electric Prunes, “The Great Banana Hoax” [1967]. U.S. (California)
05. Arthur Brown, “Time” [1968]. U.K. (England)
06. David Bowie, “Karma Man” [ca. 1967]. U.K. (England)
07. The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, “Piggy Bank Love” [1967]. U.K. (England)
08. Frank Zappa, “Mom & Dad” [1968]. U.S. (California)
09. Captain Beefheart, “Beatle Bones ‘N’ Smokin’ Stones” [1968]. U.S. (California)
10. The Mandrake Memorial, “Hear I Am” [1968]. U.S. (Pennsylvania)
11. The Standells, “All Fall Down” [1967]. U.S. (California)
12. The Gants, “Grenner Days” [1967]. U.S. (Mississippi)
13. The Seeds, “Two Fingers Point at you [1967]. U.S. (California)
14. Family, “Scene Through the Eye of a Lens” [1967]. U.K. (England)
15. The Remains, “Heart” [1966]. U.S. (Massachusetts)
16. Shadows of Knight, “Dark Side” [1966]. U.S. (Illinois)
17. Steppulvene, “Kvinde Kom Ud” [1967]. Denmark
18. Wimple Winch, “Rumble on Mersey Square South” [1967]. U.K. (England)
19. Jefferson Airplane, “Two Heads” [1967]. U.S. (California)
20. The Beach Boys, “’Til I Die” [1971]. U.S. (California)

Total Time: 59:30

Download it here: Tiny Purple Fishes, Vol. VI

Psychedelic Sundaze #5

Happy Labor Day Weekend everyone! This week's disc kicks off with the Fourmyula, a great band from New Zealand who I only recently discovered. Apparently they were positively huge in their homeland, but they barely registered a blip anywhere else. Unfortunate, as they had a slew of singles that rivaled anything by the bands that dominated the U.S. charts during the British Invasion. "Come With Me", by the way, was their first single and it spent three weeks in the #2 slot in New Zealand.

One of the biggest bands to emerge from the L.A. scene finds a spot here. The Doors' "Take It As It Comes" is not very 'psychedelic', but it is is easily my favorite Doors' song. Manzarek's trademark keyboard sound is all over this one, even if it errs on the garage-side of psychedelia.

The Beatles make their second appearance on TPF, this time with the lovely George Harrison penned "Only a Northern Song".

Finally, this comp ends with a most unlikely choice. Cleveland's Mirrors are generally associated with the Proto-Punks. This track was released in 1975-- well outside what is generally considered the First Psychedelic Era. But "Shirley", the A-side of the only record released during the band's lifetime, channels the best of the original Psychedelic Era without sounding retro. The B-side, "She Smiled Wild" is a little more proto-punk (and I swear, some day I'm going to feature the Proto-Punks here at Burn and Shine!). If'n yer interested, check it out:

Find more artists like Mirrors at Myspace Music

Happy Listening!

Tiny Purple Fishes: A Trip Through the First Psychedelic Era, Vol. V

01. The Fourmyula, “Come With Me” [1968]. New Zealand
02. The Baroques, “Iowa, A Girl’s Name” [1967]. U.S. (Wisconsin)
03. Blues Magoos, “Love Seems Doomed” [1966]. U.S. (New York)
04. Caravan, “Ride” [1968]. U.K. (England)
05. Clear Light, “Sand” [1967]. U.S. (California)
06. Fever Tree, “Where Do You Go?” [1968]. U.S. (Texas)
07. The Charlatans, “I Saw Her” [1966]. U.S. (California)
08. The Guess Who, “Clock on the Wall” [1966]. Canada
09. Beau Brummels, “Magic Hollow” [1967]. U.S. (California)
10. Fapardokly, “Gone To Pot” [1966]. U.S. (California)
11. The Chocolate Watchband, “She Weaves a Tender Trap” [1966]. U.S. (California)
12. Gong, “Tried So Hard” [1971]. France/Australia/U.K. (England)
13. Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera, “What’s the Point of Leaving” [1968]. U.K. (England)
14. The Doors, “Take It As It Comes” [1967]. U.S. (California)
15. Lee Hazlewood, “In Our Time” [1967]. U.S. (Born in Oklahoma)
16. The Move, “Blackberry Way” [1968]. U.K. (England)
17. The Nice, “Daddy Where Did I Come From” [1968]. U.K. (England)
18. The Beatles, “Only a Northern Song” [1968]. U.K. (England)
19. The Lemon Drops, “Learn To Fly” [1968]. U.S. (Illinois)
20. Mirrors, “Shirley” [1975]. U.S. (Ohio)

Total Time: 59:48

Download it here: Tiny Purple Fishes, Vol. V

Psychedelic Sundaze #4

Okay, we're back to a mostly evenly split compilation between the U.S. and the U.K. with one Dutch band thrown in for good measure. Interestingly, we also get our first Scottish artist represented on TPF: Donovan. Actually that's not quite true, as I know that Cream's Jack Bruce is Scottish but I put Cream down as English, because they formed in London. France also makes an appearance, in quite an interesting way.

If you do not know the story behind Philippe Debarge, then by all means check it out over at Technicolor Web of Sound. The short and the skinny of the story is that Debarge had some money and he befriended The Pretty Things and funded a fantastic album, on which he sang and the Pretties backed him up. Sounds like a recipe for disaster but Debarge can really hold his own behind the microphone.

Vol. IV's cover boys, The Yardbirds, are most famous for producing three of most innovative guitarists of the Rock & Roll era. Their real ace in the hole, might have been original member, bassist/composer Paul Samwell-Smith, who co-wrote many of the Yardbirds' finest tunes including the one featured here from Roger the Engineer, which would be the last Yardbirds' album before his departure.

This edition of TPF kicks off with a band that actually gained some notoriety by sharing their name with a much more famous band. In 1991, I had never heard of the original Nirvana, but I remember reading that there was a psychedelic band from the U.K. which had already used the name. It was probably 10 years later before I actually heard The Story of Simon Simopath, which is one of the earliest examples of a Concept Album. A great album in its own right.

Happy Listening!


Tiny Purple Fishes: A Trip Through the First Psychedelic Era, Vol. IV

01. Nirvana (U.K.), “Pentecost Hotel” [1967]. U.K. (England)
02. Mighty Baby, “Egyptian Tomb” [1969]. U.K. (England)
03. The Misunderstood, “My Mind” [1966]. U.S. (California)
04. Tyrannosaurus Rex, “Chariots of Silk” [1969]. U.K. (England)
05. The Red Krayola, “Green of My Pants” [1969]. U.S. (Texas)
06. The Rising Storm, “Frozen Laughter” [1967]. U.S. (Massachusetts)
07. Billy Nicholls, “Would You Believe? [1968]. U.K. (England)
08. The Outsiders, “It Seems Like Nothing’s Gonna Come My Way Today” [1968]. Holland
09. The Yardbirds, “He’s Always There” [1966]. U.K. (England)
10. The Mystery Trend, “What If I [1966]. U.S. (California)
11. The Mystic Tide, “Why” [1965]. U.S. (New York)
12. The Tremeloes, “What a State I’m In” [1966]. U.K. (England)
13. The Mojo Men, “Evelyn Hope” [1968]. U.S. (California)
14. Donovan, “Super Lungs” [1966]. U.K. (Scotland)
15. The Velvet Underground, “Sunday Morning” [1967]. U.S. (New York)
16. Philippe Debarge w/ The Pretty Things, “All Gone Now” [1969]. France/U.K. (England)
17. Eric Burdon & the Animals, “No Self Pity” [1968]. U.K. (England)
18. Fifty Foot Hose, “If Not This Time” [1968]. U.S. (California)
19. The Moody Blues, “Peak Hour” [1967]. U.K. (England)
20. Index, “Rainy Starle” [1968]. U.S. (Michigan)

Total time: 59:58

Download it here: Tiny Purple Fishes, Vol. IV

Psychedelic Sundaze #3

When I put these TPF compilations together, I did not really attempt to balance them geographically. The first two volumes in the series were pretty evenly split between American and British acts. As I was jotting down the track listing for Vol. III, I noticed a decidedly American flavor-- as it turns out, only five of the twenty tracks are British.

Even more interesting, this compilation kicks off with five consecutive tracks from the L.A. Scene. California completely dominates this comp, with L.A. stealing the show with seven tracks, including the important compilation positions of opener, closer and cover star (that of course, is Love's Arthur Lee pictured above).

One of the non-California, American bands featured here, however, has a little more in common with the U.K. The Aerovons were hugely influenced by the Brits, and in particular their heroes the Beatles. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then the John, Paul, George and Ringo would blush right through the Aerovons sole long player, Ressurection, which did not see the light of day until 2003. I chose the title track here, because it is the most Beatle-like track on the album. Listening to it the first time back in '03 when RPM lovingly released it, I found it to be a sub par, Beatles' ripoff. But damn if it didn't get stuck in my head. As I learned more about the band, I soon had a change of heart. Tom Hartman, was only 17-years old when this track was recorded, and did I mention he produced it? And oh, by the way, he got to record it at Abbey Road Studios? Not too shabby for a kid from St. Louis.

Batting in the two-slot here, is a song that was featured here at Burn and Shine about a year ago when I posted AMC's The Walking Dead trailer. One of the biggest hits featured in this series, the Walker Brothers took this wonderful track all the way to #13 on the Billboard charts. For the life of me, I don't know why this song doesn't get more love when critics discuss the greatest songs of all time. I would put it right up there with "Be My Baby", "Waterloo Sunset" and "A Day in the Life".

Happy Listening!

Tiny Purple Fishes: A Trip Through the First Psychedelic Era, Vol. III

01. Buffalo Springfield, “Out of My Mind” [1966]. U.S./Canada (California)
02. The Walker Brothers, “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore” [1966]. U.S. (California)
03. She, “Braids of Hair” [ca. 1970]. U.S. (California)
04. Jan & Dean, “Yellow Balloon” [1966]. U.S. (California)
05. Love, “She Comes In Colors” [1967]. U.S. (California)
06. The Nazz, “Letters Don’t Count” [1969]. U.S. (Pennsylvania)
07. The Rascals, “Find Somebody” [1967]. U.S. (New York)
08. The Creation, “Life is Just Beginning [1967]. U.K. (England)
09. H.P. Lovecraft, “Moubius Trip” [1968]. U.S. (Illinois)
10. The Small Faces, “Long Agos and Worlds Apart” [1968]. U.K. (England)
11. Jefferson Airplane, “Today” [1967]. U.S. (California)
12. The Pretty Things, “Trust” [1968]. U.K. (England)
13. The Honey Combs, “It Ain’t Necessarily So” [1964]. U.K. (England)
14. The Aerovons, “Resurrection” [ca. 1969]. U.S. (Missouri)
15. Moby Grape, “Sitting by the Window” [1967]. U.S. (California)
16. The Rolling Stones, “She’s a Rainbow” [1967]. U.K. (England)
17. Gary Lewis, “Jill” [1967]. U.S. (California)
18. Country Joe & the Fish, “Porpoise Mouth” [1967]. U.S. (California)
19. The Fugs, “Ah, Sunflower Weary of Time” [1965]. U.S. (New York)
20. Tim Buckley, “Hallucinations” [1967]. U.S. (California)


Total time: 59:44

Download it here: Tiny Purple Fishes, Vol. III

Psychedelic Sundaze #2

I got so caught up in explaining the new series last week, I said nary a word about the the artists or tracks on the first volume. As has been the case lately, I won't do a track-by-track commentary, but I will single out a few highlights.

Notes on Tiny Purple Fishes, Vol I:

The first disc (which can be found here!) in this series kicks off with the acid-folk of New York's Holy Modal Rounders. "Hesitation Blues" is a traditional folk tune, with some not-so-traditional, lyrics added. This track from 1964, contains the first recorded use of the word "psychedelic" in a pop song, so I thought it would be an appropriate way to kick off the series.

The first disc is pretty evenly split between American and British acts with two Australian bands thrown in for good measure, although the Bee Gees had moved to London by 1967. Speaking of London, you'll notice some of the giants from the British invasion, including the biggest of them all, the Beatles. The fab four will make three appearances on TPF, the first of which is the John Lennon penned "Tomorrow Never Knows". Here in an early version, which can be found on the Beatles' Anthology 2. According to Steve Turner in A Hard Day's Write, Lennon was attempting "to create in words and sounds a suitable guide track for the LSD experience"-- the very definition of psychedelic music.

The most well known of the American bands listed here would probably be Austin's 13th Floor Elevators, who's charismatic leader, Roky Erickson, was the cover boy for Tiny Purple Fishes, Vol. I; and one of the first acid-casualties of the Rock & Roll era.

Vol. I closes with one of my favorite songs ever, the beautiful "Beechwood Park" by the Zombies. A song that was usurped to great effect by Knoxville Power-Poppers, Superdrag on the opening track from their neo-psychedelic masterpiece Head Trip In Every Key:



Notes on Tiny Purple Fishes, Vol. II:

Volume II kicks off with my favorite band. According to Ray Davies, the Kinks never wrote a psychedelic song. That may be true in the sense that they never set out to write a psychedelic song, but there are a number of Kinks' tracks that I would consider to be at least in the ball park of psychedelia. Two of which have already been used on comps here at Burn and Shine: "Lazy Old Sun" and "Wicked Anabella". I've picked another Kinks' track for inclusion on TPF, the lovely "Lavender Hill" which was an outtake from the Village Green sessions.

Though I'm not a big fan of guitar-gawd, Eric Clapton, I do tend to like some of the projects he was involved with during the early part of his career, Cream being one of them. His "Tales of Brave Ulysses" gets the envious honor of giving me the title for the Tiny Purple Fishes series.

Volume II hosts the first non-Anglo group on TPF, Israel's The Churchills, whose lead singer Stan Soloman was actually Canadian, and he sounds remarkably like Cream's Jack Bruce. Although there will be a few tracks on subsequent volumes sung in other languages, I must admit to owning very little psychedelic music (or any genre of music for that matter) from around the globe.

On the cover of Vol. II, is the first incarnation of the Soft Machine (from Left: Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers and Mike Ratledge). Not as well known over here in the States, but the Soft Machine might have been as influential as Pink Floyd in the U.K. The Richard Wright penned, "Remember Day" is also included on Vol. II-- the first of three Pink Floyd tracks which will be featured on TPF.


The closing track here is a fairly obscure track from a Boston band, Earth Opera. Those of you who know me, probably remember that I'm a huge Red Sox fan, so the title of this song certainly intrigued me. Presumably written during or just after the "Impossible Dream" 1967 season, the song itself has very little to do with baseball, but is a wonderful, early example of psychedelic prog.

Happy Listening!


Tiny Purple Fishes: A Trip Through the First Psychedelic Era, Vol. II

01. The Kinks, “Lavender Hill” [ca. 1968]. U.K. (England)
02. The Turtles, “Me About You” [1967]. U.S. (California)
03. Cream, “Tales of Brave Ulysses” [1967]. U.K. (England)
04. It’s a Beautiful Day, “Girl With No Eyes” [1969] U.S. (California)
05. Pearls Before Swine, “Uncle John” [1967]. U.S. (Florida)
06. We the People, “St. John’s Shop (Early Version)” [ca. 1966]. U.S. (Florida)
07. Blossom Toes, “What’s It For” [1967]. U.K. (England)
08. J.K. & Co., “Little Children” [1967]. U.S. (Nevada)
09. Kaleidoscope, “Keep Your Mind Open” [1967]. U.S. (California)
10. Soft Machine, “Save Yourself” [1968]. U.K. (England)
11. The Byrds, “Draft Morning” [1968]. U.S. (California)
12. Leaf Hound, “Growers of Mushrooms” [1971]. U.K. (England)
13. Mouse & the Traps, “Requiem for Sarah” [ca. 1967]. U.S. (Texas)
14. Music Emporium, “Velvet Sunsets” [1969]. U.S. (California)
15. The Churchills, “Pictures in My Mind” [1968]. Israel
16. The David, “Time M” [1968]. U.S. (California)
17. The Five Day Week Straw People, “Five Day Week Straw People” [1968]. U.K. (England)
18. The Majority, “Wait By the Fire” [1967]. U.K. (England)
19. Pink Floyd (Richard Wright), “Remember Day” [1968]. U.K. (England)
20. Earth Opera, “The Red Sox Are Winning” [1968]. U.S. (Massachusetts)

Total time: 59:52

Download it here: Tiny Purple Fishes, Vol. II

Psychedelic Sundaze #1

“Psychedelia represented rock ‘n’ roll at its most breathtakingly adventurous and innovative—and sometimes, at its most foolish. While the most self-conscious experiments of the mid and late ‘60s have dated badly, the best psychedelic rock had an exhilarating recklessness that has been difficult to recapture in the ensuing decades.”—Richie Unterberger

If you are a fan of Rock & Roll and are over the age of fifteen, then you probably have an opinion regarding the original Psychedelic Era. Whether you love it or hate it, I suspect that the first part of the above quote by Richie Unterberger probably resonates with most of you. It’s the last dependent clause that I am going to try tackle during this series. Perhaps I will even go a little further, and claim that virtually all great (and not-so-great) rock movements since this era owe a huge debt to the Flower Power Crowd. Prog, Heavy Metal, Punk, Post-Punk, Post-Rock, Shoegaze, Lo-Fi, Brit-Pop, Indie, Electronica—all can be directly linked to this era.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have been on quite a psychedelic binge over the last several weeks. For the record, I’m not talking about doing hallucinogenic drugs. I have, however, been digging through my collection and scouring the internet for some of the best music from the First Psychedelic Era, which for the purposes of this series is roughly 1966-1970, though there will be a few outliers.

As with some of the other genre series I’ve done here at Burn and Shine, there are many great commercially available compilations out there which mine the same territory. Of course, Rhino has put out at least two definitive box sets, chronicling the U.S. garage scene and the (mostly) U.K. psychedelic scene: Nuggets I and II. If you are completely new to this era, I would certainly suggest you start with those first. I have, I think, made sure that none of the songs on my compilations are found on either of those. In addition, I have a great box set from a few years ago that further explored the U.K. scene from the editors at Mojo Magazine: Acid Drops, Spacedust & Flying Saucers: Psychedelic Confectionery from the UK Underground 1965-1969. This one, unfortunately, looks as though it is out of print. It would be, should you run across it, another worthwhile investment for anyone serious about getting to know this genre, and you will find none of those tracks on my Psychedelic compilations.

There are many, slightly more obscure, commercially available psychedelic series/comps (Pebbles, Rubble, Fading Yellow, Trash, Teenage Shutdown, etc.). I cannot guarantee that the songs I’ve chosen for my compilations won’t be found on those, because frankly, I haven’t heard all of them. It generally seems that on those niche comps, they tend to feature bands that maybe put out just a few singles (or even just one track). For the most part, I’ve tried to use artists that made albums or at least produced an album’s worth of material. So as is usually the case here at Burn and Shine, if you are a hardcore fan of this genre, you probably are not going to find much here you haven’t heard before. For those of you relatively new to this era, this should be a great jumping off point. All of the big names of the era will be represented, as will many, many unheralded acts. Feel free to use these discs as a road map to track down some great records.

As for the music, my tastes tend to err on the pop side of the ledger, as many of you well know. Some of these songs may not sound all that psychedelic to your ears. If they had been released during some other era, I wouldn’t feel the need to classify them as such. I’ve very little patience for studio wankery, so these tracks will be somewhat tame. If “psychedelic” doesn’t seem to fit, then maybe “mildly trippy” might be a better way to describe them. It may come as a surprise, but I’m not a big fan of the sitar, so that particular instrument of hippiedom, might be somewhat under-represented here (though it does make a few appearances). In general, I like my psychedelic music to be a little more melancholy than fey. Lyrics are never really important to me when listening to music (other than that there are some), and I would imagine there are quite a few lyrics contained here that will make even Jim Morrison fans cringe. I’m much more concerned with harmonies and pop hooks—these, you should find in spades here.

As always, I’d be curious to hear your thoughts on psychedelic music and this era in particular. Just leave me a comment. Thanks, and Happy Listening!

Tiny Purple Fishes: A Trip Through the First Psychedelic Era, Vol. I

01. The Holy Modal Rounders, “Hesitation Blues” [1964]. U.S. (New York)
02. The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, “Shifting Sands” [1967]. U.S. (California)
03. Condello, “Dr. Tarr Professor Fether” [1968]. U.S. (Arizona)
04. The United States of America, “The Garden of Earthly Delights” [1968]. U.S. (California)
05. Colours, “I Think of Her (She’s On My Mind)” [1968]. U.K. (England)
06. 13th Floor Elevators, “She Lives (In a Time of Her Own)” [1967]. U.S. (Texas)
07. Skip Bifferty, “Come Around” [1968]. U.K. (England)
08. Tomorrow, “Hallucinations” [1968]. U.K. (England)
09. The Beatles, “Tomorrow Never Knows (Mark I)” [1966]. U.K. (England)
10. The Bee Gees, “Every Christian Lion Hearted Man Will Show You” [1967]. Australia
11. The Hollies, “Heading for a Fall” [1967]. U.K. (England)
12. The C.A. Quintet, “Colorado Mourning” [1968]. U.S. (Minnesota)
13. The Godz, “1 + 1 = ?” [1966]. U.S. (New York)
14. The Cowsills, “Mr. Flynn” [1967]. U.S. (Rhode Island)
15. Spirit, “Dream Within a Dream” [1968]. U.S. (California)
16. The Neighb’rhood Childr’n, “Feeling Zero” [1968]. U.S. (Oregon)
17. The Deviants, “I’m Coming Home” [1967]. U.K. (England)
18. Forever Amber, “On My Own Special Mountain” [1969]. U.K. (England)
19. The Easybeats, “Land of Make Believe” [1968]. Australia
20. The Zombies, “Beechwood Park” [1968]. U.K. (England)

Total time: 1:00:21

Download it here: Tiny Purple Fishes, Vol. I

Celebrating 20 Years of the Elephant 6!

Hey Folks, I'm still on a psychedelic bender. For the last several weeks I've been listening to tons of old favorites from the first Psychedelic Era plus lots of stuff I never heard. I'm in the process of compiling one heck of a Psychedelic Pseries for Burn and Shine, which will probably start the first weekend in August. So be on the lookout for Burn and Shine's Psychedelic Psundays-- the series is tentatively scheduled for ten kaleidoscopic volumes. More on that when we get there!

In the meantime, I had started to put together a little Elephant 6 playlist a few years ago that I never quite finished. While listening to all this classic era Psych-Pop and the Paisley stuff I posted earlier this month, I got to wondering how the third (fourth?) wave of Psychedelia compared. So I listened to my unfinished, Elephant 6 playlist, and I was pleasantly surprised how well this stuff has held up.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the Elephant 6, it is a loose conglomerate of dozens of like-minded bands who have a knack for pop hooks and love for the killer B's of the 60s (Beatles, Beach Boys and Byrds) as well as the Velvet Underground, Syd Barrett and the Zombies. The most well-known of the E6 are probably Neutral Milk Hotel, the Apples in Stereo and the Olivia Tremor Control, as the masterminds of each of those bands (Jeff Mangum, Robert Schneider and Will Cullen Hart, repectively) are credited with founding the Collective. Depending upon who you ask, the next tier of E6 bands might include: Elf Power, Beulah, and Of Montreal. Which band is most important is sort of a moot point, as all of the players in these bands tend to show up on each others releases and at each other's shows. There has even been an Elephant 6 Orchestra playing shows in recent years.

I haven't spent a whole lot of time with these bands over the last few years. Frankly, as many in the E6 "scene" moved toward a more danceable/electronic version of Psychedelia, I sort of lost interest. But for awhile there in the late 90's and early 00's, it seemed like every new record I bought had some affiliation with the E6, or they were at least favorably compared to the Collective in the reviews I read.

According to some sources, the Elphant 6 Recording Co. is currently in its 20th year of existence. I was actually a little late to the E6 party. It was near the end of 1998 when I started hearing the chatter about Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea on a Guided by Voices email list I followed. I remember going to Chad's Records here in Chattanooga (when it was still over on Lee Hwy) and buying both NMH records on vinyl. Not necessarily so anymore, but the vinyl versions of albums used to be cheaper than CDs. I still had a tape deck in my car, so I would usually buy the vinyl and then slap it on a Maxell cassette, which is exactly what I did with the two NMH albums-- one album per side. Needless to say, I listened to that tape a lot.

Neutral Milk Hotel was my gateway to a whole new world of Psychedelic Indie Pop. Every time I went to a record store there after, I combed the used bins for bands associated with the Elephant 6. A short while later, I actually got a job at a record store in Knxoville and was DJing at WUTK, so finding these records became a lot easier (downloading was in its infancy and I didn't know what an mp3 was), though I must admit I haven't heard everything-- not even close. In fact, when I mentioned this project on a message board, someone recommended a band I completely missed back in the day, Secret Square, and they make an appearance here with the lovely, Hillarie Sydney penned, "Sparkly Green Couch".

Okay, I won't bore you anymore with rock history lessons. If you are interested in learning more about the Elephant 6, then check these links out (as well as the Wiki Article I posted above):

The AV Club: A Beginner's Guide to the Elephant 6

Pop Matters: An Oral History of the Elephant 6

The Official Elephant 6 Website

Otherwise, Happy Listening!


Transparent Dreams: A Glimpse at the Elephant 6 Co.

01. Neutral Milk Hotel, “Everything Is” 7” Single [1993]
02. The Apples in Stereo, “Shine a Light” from Tone Soul Evolution [1997]
03. The Olivia Tremor Control, “California Demise (3)” from Black Foliage: Animation Music [1999]
04. Beulah, “Score From Augusta” from When Your Heartstrings Break [1999]
05. Secret Square, “Sparkly Green Couch” from Secret Square [1995]
06. Essex Green, “Mrs. Bean” from Everything is Green [1999]
07. Dressy Bessy, “Look Around” from Pink Hearts Yellow Moons [1999]
08. The Gerbils, “Meteoroid From the Sun” from The Battle For Electricity [2001]
09. Elf Power, “O What a Beautiful Dream” from A Dream in Sound [1999]
10. Great Lakes, “Some of Shelley’s Blues” from The Distance Between [2002]
11. The High Water Marks, “Good I Feel Bad” from Songs About the Ocean [2004]
12. Instruments, “Bird Song” from Billions of Phonographs [2002]
13. Sixth Great Lake, “Cannon Beach” from Up the Country [2001]
14. The Ladybug Transistor, “Perfect for Shattering” from Argyle Heir [2001]
15. Marbles, “Pyramid Landing” Originally from a cassette-only release in 1993. This is the remastered version from Pyramid Landing and Other Favorites [1997]
16. The Minders, “Hooray for Tuesday” from Hooray for Tuesday [1998]
17. The Frosted Ambassador, “Untitled (track #4)” from The Frosted Ambassador [1999]
18. Of Montreal, “Baby” from Cherry Peel [1997]
19. The Essex Green, “Chester” from The Essex Green EP [2000]
20. The Sunshine Fix, “Age of the Sun” from Age of the Sun [2002]
21. Ulysses, “Falcon” from 010 [2004]
22. Circulatory System, “Joy” from Circulatory System [2001]
23. The Apples in Stereo, “Winter Must Be Cold” from Fun Trick Noisemaker[1995]
24. The Music Tapes, “Majesty” from Music Tapes for Clouds and Tornadoes [2008]
25. Marshmallow Coast, “Ancient Chinese Secret” from Seniors and Juniors [1999]
26. 63 Crayons, “Go Now April” from Good People [2004]
27. Von Hemmling, “Never Alone” from Von Hemmling [Cassette-only 1993]
28. Chocolate USA, “The Boy Who Stuck His Head in the Dryer (and Whirl'd Round 'n' Round) from Smoke Machine [1994]
29. Pipes You See, Pipes You Don’t, “Million Pieces” from Individualized Shirts [2001]
30. Jeff Mangum, “I Love How You Love Me” from Orange Twin Sampler [2002]

Total Time: 1:19:20

Download it here: Transparent Dreams: A Glimpse at the Elephant 6 Co.

June Salutes You, Robert Pollard #2!

Hey Folks, here's part two of my three part series on Robert Pollard. I'm already late, and I don't have the energy to do the track by track commentary. Instead, I've just tried to jot down the relevant info for you, just in case you want to do some further investigating. Disc One in this series was one of the most downloaded comps here at Burn and Shine last year, so if you haven't yet checked it out please do.

Before we get to the new comp, though, I've got a little added bonus this year. I've finally converted an old NPR story that I had recorded on cassette, and I thought I'd share it here. It probably dates from about 1995. The sound quality is not great: I'm pretty sure that my original copy was a second or third generation recording. It was also my first time using the Audacity software to covert the recording to mp3. Still, it is well worth a listen if you are at all interested in Pollard's back story. It really gives you a great overview in under seven minutes! I used to put this at the beginning of primer tapes when I was trying to covert my friends to the brilliance of Guided by Voices. Check it out:



Okay, onto the new comp. Same rules as last year. Nothing off of Bee Thousand or the The Best of Guided by Voices compilation released on Matador Records in 2003, and very little from the 21st century (nothing recorded post-2002 on this one). I'm not a huge fan of Pollard's recent work, but if you'd like to sample some of the newer stuff, my friend and blogger People are Leaving, has put together a couple of good comps recently which would fill in the gaps: Boston Spaceships Collection and Best of Robert Pollard 2006-2009.

Happy Listening!

Your Trail is Quite a Puzzle – A Robert Pollard Primer (Disc 2)

01. “Deaf Ears” by Guided by Voices, originally released on “The Official Ironmen Rally Song” single, 1996.

02. “Wondering Boy Poet (Piano Version)” by Clinton Killingsworth, originally released on Suitcase: Failed Experiments and Trashed Aircraft, 2000 (recorded circa 1993).

03. “Eureka Signs” by Guided by Voices, originally released on Universal Truths and Cycles, 2002.

04. “They’re Not Witches” by Guided Voices, originally released on Alien Lanes, 1995.

05. “As We Go Up, We Go Down” by Guided Voices, originally released on Alien Lanes, 1995.

06. “Jane of the Waking Universe” by Guided Voices, originally released on Mag Earwhig! 1997.

07. “Your Name is Wild” by Guided Voices, originally released on Under the Bushes Under the Stars, 1996.

08. “Flat Beauty” by Robert Pollard, originally released on Not in My Air Force, 1996.

09. “Now To War” by Guided Voices, originally released on Mag Earwhig! 1997.

10. “Choking Tara (Creamy Version)” by Guided Voices, originally released on Everything is Nice: The Matador 10th Anniversary, 1999 (originally recorded circa 1997).

11. “The Terrible Two” by Styles We Paid For, originally released on Suitcase: Failed Experiments and Trashed Aircraft, 2000 (originally recorded 1993).

12. “Child” by Leon Lemans, originally released on Suitcase 2: American Superdream Wow, 2005 (recorded circa 2002).

13. “Top Chick Silver Chord” by Guided Voices, originally released on Tonics and Twisted Chasers, 1996.

14. “In Previous Trials (Stingy Queens)” by Guided Voices, originally found on the fan-made rarity compilation, 30 Songs, 2004 (recorded circa 1995).

15. “Stifled Man Casino” by Airport 5, originally released on Tower in the Fountain of Sparks. 2001.

16. “There Are Other Worlds” by The Constant Going Forward, originally released on Suitcase 3: Up We Go Now, 2009 (originally recorded for the film The United States of Leland circa 2001).

17. “Long Distance Now” by Guided Voices, originally released on Sandbox, 1987.

18. “Captain’s Dead” by Guided Voices, originally released on Devil Between My Toes, 1987.

19. “Wrecking Now” by Guided Voices, originally released on Do the Collapse, 1999.

20. “Like I Do” by Guided Voices, originally released on Forever Since Breakfast EP, 1986.

21. “Class Clown Spots a UFO” by Royal Canadien Mustard, originally released on Suitcase 3: Up We Go Now, 2009 (recorded circa 1988).

22. “Red Gas Circle” by Guided Voices, originally released on Propeller, 1992.

23. “Fly into Ashes by Guided Voices, originally released on Hold on Hope EP, 2000.

24. “If We Wait” by Guided Voices, originally released on Sunfish Holy Breakfast EP, 1996.

25. “Paper Girl” by Guided Voices, originally released on Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostagia, 1989.

Total Time: 57:06

Download it here: Your Trail is Quite a Puzzle: A Robert Pollard Primer (Disc Two)