Rockin' Horse - Yes It Is (1971, You Are The Cosmos - Reissue 2022)(LP)

 Finally! Decades after hearing about this legendary album, the Spanish label, You Are The Cosmos, has re-issued one of the greatest Beatles-influenced pop albums of all time. Back in 1971, the Liverpool-based Rockin' Horse released this album of guitar pop music that has taken on legendary status due to how hard it is to find. Well, now we can all get it and you should. The hype is real. This is a very good album. Listening to this album now is given me similar feeling as the time when I first heard Big Star in the early 80s. In other words, where have you been all my life?! You will play this often!  

Orange Peels - Trespassing (Minty Fresh) (LP, 2018)

 

It is hard to describe Orange Peels. There is a "lushness" to their sound that is unlike other bands. They never disappoint. If you like your melodic pop with sophistication and warmth then this band is probably for you. Trespassing is their seventh album (according to Discogs). They are masters at what they do. It is worth getting everything by them. To get a sense of their sound try the opening track, Camera 2

Creole - Fishers of Man/ Walls of Jericho - 12" 45 rpm (China-Frica - DKR-217) (2021)

 Bond Export has released a solid 12" by Creole. Creole's earlier 45 rpm from 1978,  "Beware", has floated around for years and was readily available a while back. That single was fairly popular as a repress. This single, however, is new to me. The B side, Walls of Jericho, is a quality cut and the better of the two sides. Walls of Jericho starts off fast and uptempo but then shifts downs a gear to a solid roots skank with a piercing horn chart that sounds a wee bit off key. In other words, it is perfect! The A side, Fishers of Man,  is solid but does not capture me as much as the B-side. Overall, a good release and worthy of a place in your roots reggae box. 

Small Faces - Live 1966 (Nice Records) (CD, 2021)

What a treat! I just read about this release in Shindig (the magazine). This CD contains two live shows that were recorded on January 9, 1966 at the Twenty Club in Mouscron, Belgium. It is the earliest recordings of the band in existence.

The band is tight and confident. The groove these guys had when they played live was something else. The RnB influence is front and center and Steve Marriott's vocals are bluesy and passionate. No teenybopper music here!  The lucky few that attended these shows must have been a sweaty mess at the end. This is a must have for any fan of the Small Faces or any fan of 60s British RnB.

Only one bit of warning. The tape is old and has some "lo-fi" moments. In other words, don't expect to hear something as clear as what you would hear from a more recent release. 

 

Various Artists – Across The Great Divide: Getting It Together In The Country 1968-74 (Grapefruit Records, 2019) (3CD box set)

 

The three albums of "country-rock" music that were released in the late 60s serve as the main inspiration for this collection of country-flavored music from British bands during the 1968-74 period. Taking their cue from the albums, The Byrds - Sweetheart of the Rodeo, The Band - Music From The Big Pink, and the Crosby, Stills, and Nash album, many British bands traded in their psychedelic-leanings towards a more rootsy, acoustic guitar-based rock. However, in their transition, they kept their sense of 60's pop melodies.       

Some of the bands in this collection will be familiar to all. For example, there are songs by bands like Fairport Convention, Traffic, the Faces, the Hollies, and Procol Harum. Yet, as is true of all Grapefruit Records' box sets, it is the relatively "unknown" bands that make this box set worth buying. Among the highlights (for me) are songs by Cochise (Velvet Mountain), Unicorn (Sleep Song) , and Matthews Southern Comfort (Touch Her If You Can)