West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band volume 1 [Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

West Coast Pop Art Experimenta | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 17, 1997)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Sundazed Music Inc.
• ASIN: B000003H1A
• Also Available in: Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #232,910 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Something You Got

2. Work Song

3. Louie, Louie

4. Don't Break My Balloon

5. You Really Got Me

6. Don't Let Anything!!! Stand In Your Way

7. I Won't Hurt You

8. If You Want This Love

9. Insanity

10. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue

11. She Belongs To Me

12. She Surely Must Know (Previously Unissued)

13. Sassafras

14. She May Call You Up Tonight

15. One Day (Previously Unissued)

16. Funny How Love Can Be (Previously Unissued)

17. Obviously Bad

18. Endless Night (Previously Unissued)

19. Tell Me What You Want To Know(Previously Unissued)

20. Just You & Me (Previously Unissued)

See all 22 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Before their four Reprise albums in the '60s, they privately released this album, one of the most highly sought after collector's items ever. This 1997 reissue on Sundazed adds eight previously unissued bonus tracks: 'One Day', 'Funny How Love Can Be', 'Endless Night', 'Tell Me What You Want To Know', 'Just You & Me', 'Chimes Of Freedom', 'Scuse Me Miss Rose' & 'She Surely Must Know'. 22 tracks total, all recorded in Beverly Hills, 1965-1967. The group's full name is West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A mixed bag of trips..., May 25, 2000

By 

boeanthropist "Philip Welsh" (Cambridge, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band volume 1 (Audio CD)

Sundazed Records deserves about 9 thousand gold stars for, if nothing else, the utter omprehensiveness of the reissues they've been orchestrating these past few years. So many other labels (Ryko, Rhino, etc.) will shamelessly skim a few choice session cuts off and then stick them on promo-only releases, to be sold by used record shops for ridiculous sums down the line...

In the case of the WCPAEB's "Volume One" it's a mixed (though never unsatisfying) blessing: they were kids, they were plonking away in their home studio, they just happened to know how to record it decently. So we get the complete (or very nearly so) recorded output of the pre-totally-dominated-by-Bob-Markley band: a handful of covers (Dylan, The Left Banke, The Kinks, and a version of "Louie, Louie" so utterly straightforward and charming I've come to prefer it even to Julie London's sultry take on that wizened frat standard), a handful of instrumental and/or sketched versions of what would later become WCPAEB standards (compare this version of "I Won't Hurt You" with the heartbeat-percussioned later version on the first Reprise album), and a few examples of Markley's lyrics as they were beginning to bacterially colonize the fledgling group's pieces ("Don't Let Anything Stand In Your Way" especially).

Markley, by the way, gets a much harsher and subjective rogering in the liner notes than should be the case -- if you like the band, go seek out the two consecutive issues of Ptolemaic Terrascope (from late '98 and early '99) which tell the band's absolutely bizarre story in much broader and more revealing detail. And by all means, until someone sees fit to give us a decent re-ish of the five "proper" (ha!) WCPAEB albums, get ye hence and seek thyself out copies of the 2 illegit British CDs on which the 4 WCPAEB albums succeeding this one have been reintroduced to the ungrateful public (and count your lucky chickens if you know someone with a copy of "Markley: A Group")...

Like so many other 60s psych bands, their story is in some ways far, far stranger than the music they managed to record and release -- a fact which calls for the unleashing of a heavily-annotated 4-CD box set of all their heard and unheard music (lord knows what sits growing oxide mold down there in the Reprise vaults) -- Rhino Handmade perhaps? -- for the 17 or 18 of us who would actually purchase the thing. Until that sunny day, however, this'll do your ears fine...

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Reissue of Extremely Rare Album, September 15, 1998

By 

J. Melbourne "john_of_x" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band volume 1 (Audio CD)

This is the first legitimate reissue of the absurdly rare debut LP the WCPAEB made for the FIFO label in the mid sixties. The band were put together by Michael Lloyd, Shaun & Danny Harris and included Bob Markley. The latter was somewhat older than the others (30-ish) and had a mysterious role explained in the copious liner notes. The LP probally had fewer than a thousand pressings and was never distributed and consequently was nearly forgotten.

The group subsequently signed with Reprise where they made their reputation with three brilliant LPs (Part One, Volume 2:Breaking Through, Voume III: A Child's Guide To Good And Evil) that are regarded as Psychedelic landmarks. Two further LPs were made (Vol IV: Where's My Daddy, Markley: A Group) with similar personnel, the last credited to Bob Markley solo.

In their day, however, they were written off as Bandwagon jumpers, and it was only because of a reputation amongst collectors in Europe that their music was re-evaluated. Word of mouth told of a Legendary Unreleased Album, which was partly fulfilled when Raspberry Sawfly released an album with the same title in the early 80s. Consisting of most of the FIFI LP it also added three other tracks. Next Edsel released a Best Of. Finally in the 90s saw the bootleg relissue of most of their catalogue.

This CD then contains all of the FIFO LP (plus the three Legendary bonuses)and a host of other unreleased tracks. In truth the album is a mixed bag,containing many covers plus two tracks they subsequently re-recorded for Reprise. The sound is Garage but nevertheless compelling. The paradox today is that the WCPAEB's rarest LP is the only one legitimately available.

If you've not heard the WCPAEB before, try to find A Child's Guide first, but if you know them and love them then buy this CD.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting early effort, April 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band volume 1 (Audio CD)

This album is an interesting early effort, but lacks the polish of WCPAEB's later releases. I really wish someone would put them out on CD!!