Customer Reviews

Hallucinations: Psychedelic Pop Nuggets From The WEA Vaults

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Ok, so here it is... not so much the 5th disc to the original Rhino _Nuggets_ box as maybe its kid brother -- immature, to be certain, with plenty to learn... but irrepressibly charismatic, and despite your quick inclination to banish him from the room, once you've allowed him to stay, his presence enhances the proceedings in ways you never imagined.

AN IMPORTANT NOTE... before you even consider paying what the sh!+$tain dealers are charging for used copies of this now-out-of-print disc, enter the word "nuggets" as a search term on this site, and keep clicking until you find an import with a title (and track lineup) strikingly similar to this one. Kudos to the folks at Rhino not only for compiling these discs, but for having the good taste and sense to torpedo those who seek to imprison great music for monetary gain.

You can have too much of a good thing, and there are a lot of psychedelic compilations out there; every small-town high school band who cut an acetate, it seems, are now resurrected as some lost garage fuzz n'frenzy masterpiece-great testament to the teen spirit and the endeavour of record collectors,but rather wearying on even the enthusiastic devotee...So this new comp from the great Nuggets staple (and you know what that means devotion to detail) is a return from the Mid-West to the relative mainstream rock of the day-or rather when the major West Coast studios threw time,money and excessive productions at all manner of beat/folk-rock/ harmony-pop outfits to weird them out for the balmy chart pop environment 1966-'68. Think Strawberry Alarm Clock rather than Elevators and you have the mettle of this expensive looking and beautifully presented trawl of lysergic-candy pop (insert you your own epiphet for this era, I'm sure you have thought of one). Personal choices...aside from the Monkee's gorgeous, absurd Porpoise Song (in a 'lost' mono mix); World Column and the great Lee Mallorey-another artist who only really begins to make sense in hindsight,no?. A lush compilation in more ways than one of material that is now applauded as psychedelic pop but which any self-respecting hippie of the time would have laughed out of court.

Producer Andrew Sandoval has pulled together twenty-four superb psych-pop tracks from the WEA vaults, including sides culled from master tapes of Warner, Reprise, Loma, Atco, Valiant, and Cotillion. The focus is on singles, with a few album tracks mixed in, and primarily from artists who were either unknown, or were stepping outside their regular domain for an experimental run down the psychedelic highway. Some of the best known names here are those of the session producers, including Lenny Waronker, Jerry Yester, Don & Phil Everly, Don Adrissi, Jimmy Bowen, Joey Levine, Curt Boettcher, and Richard Perry.

Better known artists, like The Tokens, are represented by sides that step away from their familiar hits, and the one-off singles and rare album tracks explore lesser known sides of the commercial psych boom. Though recorded in proper studios for major labels, these tracks still temper their hit-seeking with a healthy dollop of experimental. The key years of 1966 through 1968 yield an entire program of psych-tinged folk and sunshine rock, heavy on the harmonies and studio craft.

Highlights include the trippy vocals, space sounds and discothèque beat of Baker Knight's "Hallucinations," the raga jangle of Adrian Pride's "Her Name is Melody," the funky "Straight Aero" by Jeff Thomas, the jugband-styled harmonies of MC^2's "My Mind Goes High," the Sgt. Pepper-esque "Lucifer" from future Ohio Express mastermind Joey Levine, and the droning "Hell Will Take Care of Her" from Brass Buttons. Fans of the mid-80s paisley underground, particularly The Rain Parade, early Bangles and Three O'Clock, will find this volume familiar and compelling.

'60s folk fans will want to check out the Curt Boettcher-produced cover of Bob Gibson and Phil Ochs' "That's the Way It's Gonna Be," complete with a variable-speed guitar and backward koto instrumental break. Songwriter Paul Williams' debuts as a performer on The Holy Mackerel's "Wildflowers," complete with Leslie-fied lead vocals, and the original mono single mix of The Monkees' "Porpoise Song" makes it's CD debut. Producer Sandoval lovingly documents each side with details on the band and the circumstances of the track's creation. The insert booklet also includes many photos and label reproductions, and the purpose-built tri-fold digipack features a neat pop-art color wheel. Originally issued by Rhino Handmade as "Hallucinations: Psychedelic Pop Nuggets from the WEA Vaults," this has been reissued with a minor track change in the UK under the title, "My Mind Goes High." [©2005 hyperbolium dot com]

This particular collection is a cache of major-label psychedelic-pop gems. Practically all of these songs are very obscure and unknown, although the Association had a minor hit with "Pandora's Golden Heebie Jeebies" and Monkees fans will be familiar with "Porpoise Song". You probably never heard any of the other songs here. Most of the songs are pop songs with some of the trappings of psychedelic music. Most of the songs are quite enjoyable, especially if you like '60s pop music. I especially like "Hallucinations" and "Straight Aero". Fans of '60s pop music should enjoy this CD.

Hallucinations: Psychedelic Pop Nuggets From The WEA Vaults
Label: Rhino Handmade
Catalog#: RHM2 7821

01. Baker Knight & The Knightmares - Hallucinations
02. The Misty Wizards - It's Love
03. The Next Exit - Break Away
04. The Collectors - Looking At A Baby
05. Adrian Pride - Her Name Is Melody
06. The Association - Pandora's Golden Heebie Jeebies
07. The World Column - Lantern Gospel
08. Tom Northcott - Who Planted Thorns In Miss Alice's Garden
09. John Wonderling - Man Of Straw
10. Ellen Margulies - The White Pony
11. Jeff Thomas - Straight Aero
12. M.C.2 - My Mind Goes High
13. Brass Buttons - Hell Will Take Care Of Her
14. The Salt - Lucifer
15. Kim Fowley - Strangers From The Sky
16. The Electric Prunes - Antique Doll
17. The Bonniwell Music Machine - Astrologically Incompatible
18. The Tokens - How Nice?
19. The Coronados - Your Love Belongs To Everyone
20. Lee Mallory - That's The Way It's Gonna Be
21. The Glass Family - House Of Glass
22. The Holy Mackerel - Wildflowers
23. The Monkees - Porpoise Song
24. The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band - Smell Of Incense

A nice 24 song compilation CD and all, but it appears to be an exact track-by-track reissue of the (also) Rhino released various artists repressing of their 'My Mind Goes High: Psychedelic Pop Nuggets' title {see my review}. My guess is maybe this one was re-released a couple of years later when copies of the previously mentioned CD became out-of-print. I liked the other disc's cover better.