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.

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.

THE NEW DAWN - THERE'S A NEW DAWN

When it comes to discussing music we are quick to make comparisons to something that might be more relatable to whoever we are addressing.  "X sounds like a combination of Y and Z therefore you will be interested in it."  Something along those lines.  This is all fun and games, but more often than not I feel this style of discussion is merely reducing the topic at hand to a lesser degree to it's mentioned counterpart.  It is still a great entry level discussion tactic which is valued, but we can do better than that.

As for the record at hand... I will sum up The New Dawn's 1970 accidental masterpiece as "a depressed Roy Orbison flees to the Pacific Northwest in 1966 and records a lofi record in a garage..."

For the full scoop check out the article that was published in Ugly Things Issue 28 provided by Jackpot Records here.