Rubble is a 20-volume collection of compilation albums originally compiled by Phil Smee for Bam Caruso Records throughout the eighties and early nineties. As its name suggests, it is best thought of as the British version of Nuggets, and similar to that legendary U.S. garage-rock comp, Rubble does an unparallelled job of digging beneath the surface of its subject, in this case, mid-to-late sixties British psychedelia, and uncovering a plethora of forgotten gems in the process. While often associated with "freakbeat," in actuality, Rubble also covers a good amount of beat, mod-pop, garage-rock, psych-rock and early prog-rock. It is an absolutely essential resource for discovering amazing late-sixties Brit-pop obscurities, that, for various reasons, never attained canonization but deserve, nonetheless, to be heard. I will be posting all 20 volumes as separate installments, coupled with a few full albums from artists featured on each compilation or artists that were overlooked by the Rubble compilers, so if you already have the volume featured in a given post, read on because there is much more to be found after the jump!
Past and Present ~ 2003/1986
Tracklist-
01. The Mode- Eastern Music (2:21)
02. Wimple Winch- Marmalade Hair (2:54)
03. The Parking Lot- World Spinning Sadly (2:58)
04. The Pretty Things- Defecting Grey (4:21)
05. Keith West- Kid Was a Killer (2:26)
06. Shotgun Express- Indian Thing (2:57)
07. The Executive- Tracy Took a Trip (2:46)
08. Wimple Winch- Lollipop Minds (3:06)
09. The Talismen- You Break My Heart (2:04)
10. The Pretty Things- Walking Through My Dreams (3:30)
11. Bo Street Runners- Love (2:54)
12. Sons of Fred- Sweet Love (2:51)
13. Wimple Winch- Bluebell Wood (3:27)
14. Idle Race- Knocking Nails into My House (2:21)
15. Spencer Davis Group- After Tea (3:13)
16. Gordon Waller- Rosecrans Boulevard (2:44)
Mediafire
The Mindbenders
Originally founded by Wayne Fontana and named after a 1963 film starring Dirk Bogarde, The Mindbenders, hailing from Manchester, experienced some notable early chart success on both sides of the Atlantic, but as with many of the so-called "British Invasion" bands of the era, their star faded just as quickly. Fontana ended up quitting the band mid-concert in 1965, which left Eric Stewart to take the reigns, and while the band's post-Wayne Fontana work mined a similar soul-tinged Mersey-beat sound, they did, occasionally, attempt to push into less conventional thematic territory on their swan-song, With Woman in Mind. "Schoolgirl," which deals with the social ramifications of teen pregnancy, is a song as frank and gutsy as it is genuinely catchy; however, it predictably got The Mindbenders banned from the BBC, all but guaranteeing the album would flop, fating it to never see release in the U.S. Nevertheless, The Mindbenders' brand of soul-pop, with its light psychedelic touches, is well-worth a listen. Stewart went on, several years later, to form 10cc with Kevin Godley and Lol Creme.
Tracklist-
01. To Be or Not to Be (2:00)
02. Honey and Wine (2:28)
03. Schoolgirl (2:23)
04. Little Piece of Leather (3:04)
05. Shotgun (3:09)
06. I Want Her She Wants Me (2:24)
07. Mystery Train (3:03)
08. Morning After (2:17)
09. Homework (2:57)
10. Airport People (3:13)
11. Cool Jerk (3:15)
12. Ashes to Ashes (2:30)
13. School Girl (Single Version) (2:10)
14. Coming Back (2:55)
15. Blessed Are the Lonely (3:03)
16. Yellow Brick Road (3:05)
17. Uncle Joe the Ice Cream Man (2:24)
18. The Man Who Loved Trees (2:37)
19. Don't Cry No More (Live, German TV) (2:42)
20. Land of 1000 Dances (Live, German TV) (1:43)
21. In The Midnight Hour (Live, German TV) (1:17)
22. See See Rider / Jenny Lenny (Live, German TV) (1:34)
23. A Groovy Kind of Love (Live, German TV) (1:57)
Mediafire
Part I Part IISteve Howe with Bodast
C5 ~ 1990
Following the dissolution of the immensely talented yet commercially ill-fated British psych-band Tomorrow (which also included Keith West and Twink), guitarist Steve Howe formed a short-lived group called Bodast, which, despite rarely playing live, garnered interest from Deep Purple's record label Tetragrammaton, even managing to record an LP (produced by ex-Tomorrow band-mate Keith West), but their deal fell apart due to the label's bankruptcy a short time later, and the album was ultimately shelved until finally seeing release in the early eighties. Sound-wise, Bodast are exemplary of the late-sixties transition from "summer of love"-style psych-rock to what soon became know as progressive rock; as such, this chapter of Howe's career has tended to be overshadowed by both his previous work in Tomorrow and his later work in Yes. Nevertheless, Bodast left behind some strong material, such as "Do You Remember," a memorable rave-up that emphasizes the band's freakbeat origins over their proto-prog aspirations that occasionally weigh down some of the other songs.
Tracklist-
01. Do You Remember (3:37)
02. Beyond Winter (2:53)
03. Once in a Lifetime (3:26)
04. Black Leather Gloves (3:17)
05. I Want You (3:20)
06. Tired Towers (3:06)
07. Mr. Jones (3:06)
08. 1,000 Years (2:40)
09. Nether Street (3:00)
10. Nothing to Cry For (4:07)
Mediafire
The Spencer Davis Group
Universal (Japan) ~ 2007/1966
Formed by the band's namesake along with brothers Steve and Muff Winwood in 1963, Birmingham's The Spencer Davis Group were one of the more dynamic British R&B groups of the mid-sixties. It was bassist Muff Winwood who came up with their intentionally plain yet oddly distinctive name: "Spencer was the only one who enjoyed doing interviews, so I pointed out that if we called it the Spencer Davis Group, the rest of us could stay in bed and let him do them." While known primarily as a singles band, their early albums are littered with R&B-influenced gems thanks to the budding talents of Steve Winwood. Of particular interest on their third album, Autumn '66, is one the band's finest moments, the Jackie Edwards-penned "Somebody Help Me, " a classic mid-tempo burner that is as gritty as it is catchy.
Tracklist-
01. Together 'Til the End of Time (2:54)
02. Take This Hurt Off Me (2:48)
03. Nobody Knows When You're Down and Out (3:55)
04. Midnight Special (2:17)
05. When a Man Loves a Woman (3:11)
06. When I Come Home (2:00)
07. Mean Woman Blues (3:17)
08. Dust My Blues (2:39)
09. On the Green Light (3:09)
10. Neighbor Neighbor (3:22)
11. High Time Baby (2:44)
12. Somebody Help Me (2:03)
13. Gimme Some Lovin' (3:00)
14. Blues in F (3:28)
15. I'm a Man (2:58)
16. I Can't Get Enough of It (3:45)
17. Waltz for Lumumba (Waltz for Caroline) (4:21)
18. Somebody Help Me (U.S. Version) (2:00)
19. Gimme Some Lovin' (U.S. Version) (2:56)
20. I'm a Man (Stereo Mix) (2:39)
Mediafire
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| The Spencer Davis Group, 1964 |
This is a great series of posts. Thank you very much.
ReplyDeleteMetagnathous, ypure welcome. The next freakbeat post will be devoted entirely to the story and first four albums of The Pretty Things
DeleteThank you for reposting this amazing series, I wasn't able to get much of it before the Feds crashed the party.
ReplyDeletehappy, you're welcome. I was really disappointed that the series on the other blog was wiped out. I knew when I started this blog that Rubble would have to be revived, but hopefully even better this time :)
DeleteYES The MindBenders! I am smiling thank you!
ReplyDeletescurfie, I thought you might like that one ;)
DeleteGood to see you returned. Oh, and I'd like to show you my band. Here's a videoclip from the brand new album "My Work Was Not Yet Done":
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kWTBZqhne0&feature=youtu.be
L, thank you! It's good to be back. I really enjoyed "A Song to the Sun"!
Delete