Customer Reviews

Get Ready to Fly: Pop-Psych From the Norman Petty Vaults

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4 star:		(1)
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The description above just about says it all so I'll keep it short and sweet. ACE/BIG BEAT and ALEC PALAO have out done themselves.I own a LOT of Psych/Garage Comps and this is the most enjoyable and best sounding of them all!! Absolutely ALL KILLER AND NO FILLER.Petty was the MAN!!

Back in the late sixties I was stationed at Cannon AFB near Clovis, NM. Through mutual acquaintances, I met Bill Jones (who is quoted in the CD booklet) and, over a two year period, helped him do light shows for some local Clovis bands, which were mostly managed by Dan Miller. One was the Lodestone Rode, most of whose members became the version of the Apple Glass Cyndrum that has two of the best cuts on this CD. I believe on one occasion we did lights for Group Axis, and also once for the The Tyme of Day at a concert which featured several bands. It certainly was an interesting and edgy time in the evolution of American popular music, and this CD generally captures that atmosphere. Not every cut is successful. The Fireballs, who could be a good band with more conventional rock material, seem woefully unauthentic on "Groovy Motions." The Cyndrum and Group Axis acquit themselves well here, and I had forgotten what a good song the Tyme of Day's "Listen to What is Never Said" was. Though I was aware of several Canadian groups coming to Clovis to record with Norman Petty, many of these bands from there and elsewhere in the US are unknown to me. Of those, I am particularly impressed with The Frantics, The Cords, White Lightin', and The Hooterville Trolley. At that time in the late sixties, Clovis, New Mexico, was probably unique among towns of its size in having such an interesting music scene. Of course so much of that was due to Norman Petty and his studio, made famous by the pioneering rock work he did with Buddy Holly. I'm glad that Big Beat has given me the opportunity to hear these groups and their mostly forgotten takes on psych-pop.

my personal opion is that this does not define a great set of psychedelic music rather a misrepresentatin of bad 50's cut's like stuff buddy holly would have left on the floor however the last two songs are worth there money. perhaps if amazon allows you should download those songs. else keep going if your looking for psychedelic music. my suggestions are nuggets 2, the deep six, the essential pebbles and the yankee dollar or whale feather.

Who knew so many western bands were out there getting freakiy and recording so well in the late 1960s?

There are a lot of psych compilations out there. If you're lucky, you get four really good songs per disc. This one, however, is a revelation. Skip the first track and go straight to "No Silver Bird," with a keyboard which is exciting and sinister in the best sense. The Frantics' "Just for a While" is also worth the disc by itself, proving that piercing fuzz guitar and song hooks can go together quite well, thank you. The variety of musical styles in the disc is impressive. "Jolyn" mixes sweet harmonies with a strong psych band. I could go on and on, but just take my word and buy it. The best CD I've heard all year, psych or otherwise.