THE ROSE COLORED CORNER PODCAST NO. 3

TRACKLIST:

01 THE SUNSHINE TROLLEY 'IT'S GOTTA BE REAL' 

02 THE SUNSHINE TROLLEY 'COVER ME BABE' 

03 THE ASSOCIATION 'LIKE ALWAYS' 

04 THE ASSOCIATION 'SIX MAN BAND' 

05 THE MUSIC MACHINE 'DOUBLE YELLOW LINE' 

06 THE MUSIC MACHINE 'ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY' 

07 STAINED GLASS 'SOAP AND TURKEY' 

08 STAINED GLASS 'LADY IN LACE' 

09 PHIL CORDELL 'RED LADY' 

10 PHIL CORDELL 'PUMPING THE WATER' 

11 COTTON CANDY 'BILLY' 

12 COTTON CANDY 'FOR ANYBODY THAT WANTS TO BE YOUR FRIEND' 

13 CHAMAELEON CHURCH 'CAMILLIA IS CHANGING' 

14 CHAMAELEON CHURCH 'YOUR GOLDEN LOVE'

THE ROSE COLORED CORNER PODCAST NO. 2

Once again this comes a few months late, I'm a certified slacker..  The Rose Colored Corner Podcast No. 2 features another selection of 45RPM singles straight from my personal copies.  In mono of course and sounding BOSS.  There are a few record store day pickups in here as well as a few choice originals I picked up this past summer.

There will no doubt be another podcast coming as I have added more gems to my collection in the current season, but who knows when that will happen.

TRACKLIST:
01 THE GIANT JELLYBEAN COPOUT "AWAKE IN A DREAM"
02 THE GIANT JELLYBEAN COPOUT "LOOK AT THE GIRLS"
03 THE LIVING CHILDREN "CRYSTALIZE YOUR MIND"
04 THE LIVING CHILDREN "IT'S OVER"
05 THE SANDPIPERS "GLASS"
06 THE SANDPIPERS "IT'S OVER"
07 ADRIAN LLOYD "LORNA"
08 ADRIAN LLOYD "GOT A LITTLE WOMAN"
09 THE MICKEY FINN "THE GARDEN OF MY MIND"
10 THE MICKEY FINN "TIME TO START LOVING YOU"
11 THE MIKE STUART SPAN "CHILDREN OF TOMORROW"
12 THE MIKE STUART SPAN "CONCERTO OF THOUGHTS"
13 BILL SODEN "AN ECHO IN YOUR MIND"
14 BILL SODEN "RAINY DAY"

BILL SODEN - AN ECHO IN YOUR MIND / RAINY DAY, APRIL 1967

This mellow and moody double sider features two great originals from the mystery man himself.  As mentioned in my previous post Bill Soden released a small handful of singles in the late 60's which were unsuccessful to say the least.  This was a highly sought after disc for me, mostly for the melancholy slice of brilliance 'Rainy Day' which I first heard on Fading Yellow vol. 11.  This downtrodden tune features some delicate acoustic guitar picking, tasteful orchestration and most importantly some wonderful songwriting and vocal delivery.  Some haunting harmonies are added near the end of the song making it a truly breathtaking piece.  Everyone can relate to a song about a rainy day, and sometimes simplicity gives way to indescribable complexity.  Such is the case with 'Rainy Day'.

'rainy day go far away
i'm tired of blues i've gone through
lonely nights, eight thousand sights
of times i once knew..

..transparent dreams, not what they seem 

float by in shades of grey"

Simply amazing..

The plug side, 'An Echo In Your Mind' was unheard of before I located a copy of the original single and to my knowledge isn't available anywhere else.  It's a very easygoing acoustic/folk tune, a bit of a downer once again, but that just adds to the charm.  It's really no surprise that this record didn't generate much airplay though it did receive a brief review in Billboard Magazine.  Both sides will be featured on my next podcast in all their monophonic glory so don't miss that..

MID DAY RAIN - WELCOME TO THE RAIN / FRIDAY MOURNING, 1970

Mid Day Rain are presumably a studio group, this being their sole release on RCA records sometime in 1970.  I have no information on the origins or personnel involved (aside from the label info) which is a quite impressive feat given that it's 2016 and obscurity is becoming obscure in its own right.  On to the music.

The warm, rich sounds of 'Welcome To The Rain' really seep into your mind as passages of flute and effected guitar wash over a distinguished drum and bass.  Rounding out this lush soundscape are the smooth vocals/harmonies and classy orchestration making this a production worth remembering.

The flipside 'Friday Mourning' is more of the same, and I mean that in the very best way possible.  This track is so lush and dreamy, you'd have to be a real asshole not to like it..  I'm very happy to own a copy of this, and I wouldn't hesitate to pick up the promo version if one turns up.

Both sides can be found on my most recent podcast where I converted them to mono.  I'm sure some folks would be unhappy about this, but I think it sounds quite lovely.

THE GIANT JELLYBEAN COPOUT - AWAKE IN A DREAM / LOOK AT THE GIRLS, APRIL 1968

This one-off record from studio project Giant Jellybean Copout is a critical example of the late 60's harmony laden pop nugget.  They don't make them like this anymore folks.  In fact, I would go as far as to say that even with all of the current resources and convenience NO ONE in this day and age is capable of pulling off harmonies like this, but back to the story..

Plug side 'Awake In A Dream' takes Beach Boys imitation to the extreme and sounds like the best song that Brian Wilson and Co. never recorded.  Those harmonies really are exceptional and apparently were executed by one man, Mr. Robert Dileo.  This song was later used on The Critters Touch And Go album using the same backing track and new vocals.  A common misconception seems to be that this record was a side project of the Critters, though it turns out it was solely the brainchild of Bob Dileo.

Flipside 'Look At The Girls' is just as good, if not better than 'Awake In A Dream' and features more sugar coated heavenly harmonies and some nice loungey production.  This side was included on Fading Yellow Vol. 3.

THE ROSE COLORED CORNER PODCAST

Here's the latest monophonic mixtape of select 45's recently featured on the blog.  All tracks sourced from vinyl of course.  ENJOY

TRACKLIST:
01 JENNIFER'S FRIENDS "VISIONS"
02 JENNIFER'S FRIENDS "IN THE LAND OF MAKE BELIEVE"
03 ELECTRIC PRUNES "I'VE GOT A WAY OF MY OWN"
04 ELECTRIC PRUNES "WORLD OF DARKNESS"
05 CRESCENT SIX "NIGHTMARE"
06 CRESCENT SIX "AND THEN"
07 MIKE KONSTAN "THIS TIME"
08 MIKE KONSTAN "MY LOVELY ONE"
09 MID DAY RAIN "WELCOME TO THE RAIN"
10 MID DAY RAIN "FRIDAY MOURNING"
11 BILL SODEN "SOAKIN' UP SUNSHINE"
12 BILL SODEN "OLD TIME MOVIES"
13 MIKE WALLACE "MANDARIN"
14 MIKE WALLACE "NATURAL HIGH"

MIKE WALLACE - NATURAL HIGH / MANDARIN, 1970

Here's another one I found unexpectedly in the wild recently.  In fact I couldn't believe my eyes.  I  had this one saved in my Ebay search for quite a while...  Anyways, Mike Wallace was a UK native though the British release is much harder to find than this US version and is priced accordingly.

'Natural High' is an upbeat Kinks sounding number with a simple but effective guitar riff and some orchestration. The author goes on about being high on life for 3 plus minutes, getting 'stoned on the sun and the moon and the stars' and that sort of jazz.  It's a very fun and catchy song which went nowhere on the charts in late 1970.  The flipside 'Mandarin' is a decent mid-tempo pop song with slight folk/country leanings sounding much of it's era.  Both of these cuts will be featured on ROSE COLORED CORNER EPISODE 4.

JENNIFER'S FRIENDS - IN THE LAND OF MAKE BELIEVE / VISIONS, JUNE 1968

I unexpectedly picked up this single today for cheap and thus was quite pleased.  I've had this record on my wantlist for some time now, and wasn't expecting to find it down the street in a local shop.

Jennifer's Friends are mysterious unknowns who cut this lone single for Buddah Records in 1968.
On the topside you have 'In The Land Of Make Believe', an Easybeats cover which is somewhat similar to that version, though it does add some looseness and spontaneity to the mix making it standout.  It's a great orchestrated pop song that you might file next to your later period Left Banke singles.

The flipside 'Visions' is my pick, a real mind trip which slows the tempo down quite a bit.  Swirling organ, deep bass, vocal harmonies and even a bit of harmonica illustrate this slow burner with dreamlike effervescence.  There's even a killer fuzztone guitar outro which fades the song into oblivion.  Great stuff..

BILL SODEN - SOAKIN' UP SUNSHINE / OLD TIME MOVIES, JULY 1968

I picked up this Bill Soden single based on the strength of his earlier releases, namely the way cool sitar laced pop sike gem 'My Mermaid And Me' and the stunning orchestrated folk ballad and personal favorite 'Rainy Day'.  Both of these tracks were released on the Compass label in 1967 and can be found on Fading Yellow comps respectively..  Adding to the curiosity was the absence of any info regarding this single on the net, not even a Youtube clip which is pretty impressive in 2016!  It's one of those records that's neither common nor a collectors item..

After obtaining and listening to this 45 I'm left with slight disappointment, but only on account of the greatness found on his earlier singles.  Bill Soden seems to have taken a heavy Lovin' Spoonful/John Sebastian approach on this record.  In fact, 'Soakin' Up Sunshine' basically comes off as a direct ripoff of 'Daydream'.  The resemblance is uncanny and while 'Daydream' was a smash hit for The Lovin' Spoonful in 1966, 'Soakin' Up Sunshine' sunk without a trace 2 years after the fact.   Absolutely no disrespect to Bill Soden as this record gets lodged into your ears just as any great pop song does.  'Old Time Movies' is executed in similar fashion giving off a slight Nashville influence.   Bill Soden would go on to record a fourth and final single on yet another label, Cotillion, later in 1968.

THE ELECTRIC PRUNES - I'VE GOT A WAY OF MY OWN / WORLD OF DARKNESS

Well, another record store day came and went and the world is left with a new pile of overpriced waste that will soon be forgotten.  Among the rubble were a few releases that sparked my interest, and like a mindless junkie I went down to the local dealer and got my fix.  I'm fortunate enough to live in a city where the supply is plentiful so I had no trouble getting the goods for a reasonable price.

One of the releases of interest was this Electric Prunes single put out by Sundazed.  This 45 features two scrapped songs from 1966 using the previously unavailable mono mix.  In addition they fashioned a killer label replicating an 'era-correct' promotional release from Reprise.  This was the main selling point for me, and I appreciate that the folks at Sundazed recognize how important the label is to the 60's vinyl fetishist.

The Prunes treatment of 'I've Got A Way Of My Own' which was a tune previously recorded by The Hollies is a favorite of mine, and it's a treat to own on 45.  I actually enjoy the stereo mix, but mono is always nice to hear.  'World Of Darkness' is a great group original that could have easily fit within either of their first two albums making this a truly great double sider.  Here's what frontman James Lowe had to say about it:

"The Electric Prunes were searching for a sound and style that we could capture on record.  Maybe you don't know exactly who or what you are until you lay it down seriously?  Someone suggested a Hollies song, "I've Got a Way Of My Own," as a warm-up.  I remember Preston Ritter doing a press-roll through the entire take.  4-track tape, no edits back then...and we tried it three times through, I think.  How he had any arms left after that escaped me!  We were still trying to establish the band-and decided the harmonies were better left to other groups, so we never officially released the cut.

Mark and I wrote "World Of Darkness" after seeing the Beatles on TV, I think... we recorded it as a demo-and never came back to fix some 'timing' errors.  Oddly, NOW I like those little bumps the most!  They are kind of "youth-don't-give-a-shit" moments!"