Bitter Fruit & Lost Opportunities - WCPAEB

Recently I have received several comments from folks who are querying my input in regards to the recent 4 CD reissue of The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band's entire Warner Bros./Reprise catalog, on Grapefruit Records (a subsidiary of the British label Cherry Red, managed by David Wells). In addition to the stereo mixes, the deluxe box-set brags the first mono reissues of Part One, Vol. 2, and A Child's Guide To Good And Evil on CD. This reissue has been long-anticipated (I first heard rumors of it at least two years ago) and has made quite a splash upon its release.

Unfortunately, as one might have guessed from the title of this post, the mastering on this reissue is not definitive nor archival in any form, and therefore I will keep my posts for the aforementioned mono mixes active for the time being. Rather than edit those essays with descriptions of the mastering issues present on this 2023 reissue, I figured that I would make a dedicated post to enumerate the problems which kept this compilation from being what it could have been. Hopefully this helps shed some light for folks who are interested in purchasing this box set.

Please note that this is a review and there are no downloads here.
You can purchase this new deluxe reissue (as I did) here: Amazon

The 4 CD box set A Door Inside Your Mind: The Complete Reprise Recordings 1966-1968 was mastered by Alec Palao, a well-known Bay-area musician and producer who has worked on countless projects over the last 30+ years. Most of us have Big Beat and Ace CDs on our shelves that were done with his touch. The mastering is typically signed with boosted treble and added gain, which can sound pleasing on some of these old recordings (e.g. the remixed Frumious Bandersnatch), or other times not so great (e.g. Kak-Ola, as compared to the excellent-sounding original Kak CD).

The West Coast Pop Art recordings on this box set may sound okay on first listen, but when juxtaposed with what they could (should?) have been, the excitement quickly drains. A treble boost is immediately apparent upon listening, with an estimated 3 to 6 dB high shelf starting above 3 kHz.

Approximate EQ differences for the mono mix of Part One, averaged over the entire album.
Original white-label promo LP (green); 2023 remaster (white); effective EQ difference (orange).

The dynamic range of the new remaster is also compromised, which can be heard by a lack of presence on the CD as compared to previous issues. Without close comparison or knowing the sound by heart, though, it would be easy to miss this, even checking the waveforms by eye. The peaks were limited (the audio was compressed), and then for some reason negative gain was added afterwards, while maintaining the clipped peaks. The result is that the mastering has neither the benefits of a boost (higher volume) nor the appeal of a neutral approach (full DR). Below are some example waveform screenshots; you can click to blow these up to full-screen.

"Shifting Sands" (stereo), 2023 remaster, no edits.

"Shifting Sands" (stereo), 2023 remaster, +5.906 dB (bring existing peaks to 0 db).
The clipping on this remaster is now readily apparent.

"Shifting Sands" (stereo), 2001 Sundazed Music SC 6173, no edits.
There is some limiting, but not as severe as the 2023 remaster.

A quick look at the spectrograms reveals excessive levels of dither to the point of noise modulation above ~18 kHz. It is frustrating to see this on CD masters, as dithering is the least audible part of digital mastering and there are no benefits from it being overdone. Nonetheless, the unnecessary reduction in amplitude by an approximate factor of 2 (as seen above) will result in higher quantization errors, increasing the need to dither. 

Dither (noise) added during the CD mastering of "Shifting Sands" (mono), 2023 remaster.

There also appears to be some adaptive noise reduction (NR) which was used on several mono tracks. The digital source files which were used for both the 2017 Jackpot mono LPs and 2023 mono CDs have phase issues that are not present on the original 1967 pressings. These problems are consistent with a damaged tape. In order to cover this up, some light processing was apparently applied in places where the noise fluctuations caused the biggest problems. The differences in noise levels can be seen by comparing the spectrograms from these various masterings.

Spectrogram comparisons for "Shifting Sands" (mono).
Top: original 1967 mono pressing. Tape noise is smooth and consistent throughout.
Middle: 2017 Jackpot LP reissue. Fluctuating tape noise is audible in the master.
Bottom: 2023 remaster. The phase issues remain, with apparent NR above ~12 kHz being used to limit audibility.

While using inferior audio sources for the haphazardly-done remaster, the producers of this reissue still managed to visit this blog to "lift" some scans for their reissue, without any contact given to me. While this blog definitely floats in grey territory, it is still disheartening that these producers did not even care to write a note of thanks for making money off of my hard work and investments. Below is a photo comparison between a scan posted to my blog in January 2022 and the rear sleeve image for the Part One CD included in this box set.

Left: scan from my mono LP, posted to this blog in January 2022.
Right: back cover image of the picture sleeve from 2023 box. Notice the identical splotches of ring wear over the dark areas.

The producers also apparently failed to check the market for previous issues of this material. CD 4 -- the only disc which retains any value, as no previously existing digital versions are available for most tracks -- includes a few single edits which were also included on the 2001 Sundazed CD reissue of Part One. Remarkably, despite the Sundazed versions being mastered from tape with excellent sound, the 2023 Grapefruit versions were seemingly mastered from vinyl, with a low-pass shelf around 14 kHz and only meaningless distortion and artifacts above that. 

Spectrogram comparisons for the mono single edit of "Unfree Child".
Top: 2001 Sundazed CD, mastered from tape with full frequency response.
Bottom: 2023 Grapefruit remaster, with truncated frequency response.

 

In summary, the 2023 Grapefruit Records remasters of the Warner/Reprise catalog of WCPAEB is a bitter disappointment. While in-the-works for years, the producers failed to check appropriate sources, neglected to give appropriate credit for the sources that were used, and degenerated to amateurish mastering faults. The anthology is neither definitive nor archival in nature, and while its sprawling 40-page booklet is a wonderful feature, it fails to make up for the hefty $40 price tag. For the original stereo mixes, the Sundazed CDs remain superior listening sources; for the mono ones, the vinyl transfers available here remain untrumped. I suggest to folks who want to own the original mono mixes to track down one of the various Jackpot LP reissues, which appear to have been uncompressed cuts from the surviving WB masters, despite their faults.

Lee Michaels - Carnival Of Life (1968) [US Original Stereo]

Lee Michaels - Carnival Of Life

Original 1968 USA stereo pressing
A&M Records SP 4140 (Discogs)
~ThePoodleBites rip at 96 kHz / 24 bit + full high-res scans!~

"WTF is that cover?" Now, don't be deceived; if you've never heard this album before, prepare for everything you thought you knew about Lee Michaels to be thrown out the window. "Lee Michaels, on UPV? Seriously?" Yes, I too had a couple of his '70s albums which ended up being donated to the Salvation Army in years passed, but this LP is truly a hidden gem. Disguised behind that stupid face are unexpected fuzz detonations with heroic-dosage-level songwriting, completely in line with other psych rock records of the era. You probably didn't know that Jimi Hendrix and Lee Michaels used to jam the blues together in the 'Electric Church,' nor that Lee Michaels used to share gigs at the Avalon and Fillmore in San Francisco with Country Joe & The Fish and Blue Cheer. Now you do.

Many thanks to my Dutch friend J.T. for turning me on to this great record,
and doubly thanks to the Record Phantom C.F. for his usual essential contributions!

The album begins with the bombastic opener "Hello," complete with blazing fuzz guitars, psychedelic carnie organ in full tremolo, and Michaels recanting lyrics which sculpt a psalm of happiness. For anyone with doubts about this album's greatness, this track should quickly appease them: anyone with functioning ears will immediately realize that this is a superb west-coast psych rock act that's tight, well-rehearsed, and excellently engineered. The second track, "Another One," is apparently a stream-of-thought poem from the acidified head of an elevated Michaels, complete with an instrumental 'inner trip' section of the journey. After the catchy dynamic track "Streetcar," the opening side closes with the sonorous "Love": in my head I am immediately transported to a live show at the Avalon in 1967, with guitars screaming distorted fuzztones, Michaels hollering along, the organ oscillating while drums thrash along in perfect time. What an experience it must have been to see this short-lived group do their live California stint in those days.

Lee Michaels in 1968

One flip and we're treated to five more excellent tracks ("all killer, no filler," as J.T. says). The tracks "Why" and "Tomorrow" are personal favorites, the former using a tack piano during the chorus to excellent effect; it sounds like a carnival indeed. I can't imagine what being at a carnival on acid would be like, going through an existential crisis of personality while half a million enticing lights merge with some clown dressed like a traveling salesman or perhaps something you'd expect out of a John Wayne movie, whirling around as you frantically grasp for a sliver of reality. What a hellish nightmare; it must be like that merry-go-round scene from Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas. This album has much, much better vibes: hope, happiness, youthfulness. It's not nearly as tripped out as what Pink Floyd was doing at this time, for example, but simultaneously that fact makes the Carnival Of Life much more approachable for the layman, yet still very casually enjoyable for the experienced journeyman.

The album continues with "Sounding The Sleeping," building up quietly to the blaring fuzz of before. C.F. pointed out that this song borrows its melodic line from The Mothers' "Let's Make The Water Turn Black," an obvious cue that Frank Zappa and company had influenced nearly every gigging band in the L.A. area. This track eventually fades away much the same way it appeared, before suddenly blasting into the album closer, "My Friends." Drenched in vintage analog reverb and complete with a number of charming backwards sound effects, one must wonder what songs like this sounded like when performed live, which they most certainly were; the closer is quite dreamy and trippy, but I could equally imagine it as a crowd-mover when these guys had their amps cranked up.

Blurb in Record World, November 11, 1967

The secret ingredient to this Lee Michaels debut, if indeed there is one, is probably guitarist Hamilton W. Watt, also known as Hamilton Wesley Watt, Jr., who later became the guitarist for Euphoria, a group that recorded one album for Capitol (A Gift From Euphoria) in the summer of 1968, half a year after Lee Michaels' album had already hit shelves nationwide. Watt's layered guitar tracks on Carnival Of Life were engineered by one Jim Messina (misspelled Mecina), better known for his association with Buffalo Springfield and as a founding member of Poco. Lee Michaels, a keyboardist, most often just sang with this band, while Gary Davis (later of The Comfortable Chair) covered organist duties. Session drummer Eddie Hoh (who worked with The Monkees, Tim Buckley, Kim Fowley, Harvey Mandel, The Flying Burrito Bros., and others) is credited on the album, although he only played on the closing track, with most of the drumming duties being performed by an uncredited David F. Potter, who later became drummer for the Texan psychedelic band Endle St. Cloud In The Rain, the band who shared a label with the Elevators. Bassist John Keski completed the ensemble, a (relatively speaking) little-known musician who played with some other recording artists in the late '70s.

Carnival Of Life first debuted on the west coast around November 18, 1967, to much excitement in the local music press. A review in Record World hailed it simply as a "masterpiece." To put this date in context, well-known S.F. hard rockers Steve Miller and Quicksilver Messenger Service would sign their first record contracts with Capitol a month after this record had already hit California turntables. A nationwide release of Lee Michaels' debut came the following January, with positive reviews appearing in various publications over the next few months. Promo posters were created to hang in some record shops where the album was sold, but lack of psychedelic styling coupled with an ugly cover photo were unhelpful in promoting sales. Some generic "Winter Sköl from A&M Records" ads were placed in Billboard, Cash Box, and Record World that February, but no other promotion was done. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, the record failed to chart.

Review in Record World, January 13, 1968

Review in Cash Box, March 16 & 23, 1968

 

Review in Billboard Magazine, 10 Feb 1968

Lee Michaels, it seems, was not discouraged; Carnival Of Life's pop-oriented producer Larry Marks, who also worked with Sagittarius and Harpers Bizarre, would be dropped as Michaels himself signed a producer contract with A&M in April 1968, a few short months after this album's release, and would move to self-produce his second album Recital later that year. Unfortunately for us, Michaels' sound immediately became quite different. Hamilton Watt was replaced by Drake Levin (later of Brotherhood), that is, on the one(?) track where any guitar appears at all. The rest of Recital was filled with material more in the singer/songwriter and pop-rock vein, and while he would experiment with hard rock later in his career, Michaels' style would never return again to the acid-influenced style found here.

1967 and 1968 were a tumultuous time in music as well as audio engineering, as record companies plotted the public execution of the mono format. At one point, the United States government even launched a probe to investigate the price difference between mono and stereo records as suspected collusion. Cue engineer Howard Holzer, with an invention he called the "compatible stereo generator" (CSG): by applying a relative phase rotation between the two channels of a stereo recording, Holzer claimed that his machine -- which record labels could rent at the mere price of $1000 per month, with a minimum year-long contract -- eliminated the need to make separate mono and stereo mixes, fixing the problem of bloated center channel information in stereo fold-downs. Atlantic (and its subsidiaries) were immediately keen to this, and started preparing new releases using the CSG system, as well as preparing remasters of their back catalog with the same system. A&M was slightly more modest in their approach, but they used this CSG methodology first on a mono version of this very Lee Michaels recording, to prepare a 45 RPM single ("Love" b/w "Sounding The Sleeping") for nationwide release. In the end, three different mono singles from this album appeared, as well as a very rare mono LP, all apparently using the CSG process: therefore, nothing too unique is found upon them. We are now left wondering what Carnival Of Life could have sounded like if an engineer like Jim Messina had been given the opportunity to make a dedicated mono mix for AM radio listeners, which is a question we shall never know the answer to. On the other hand, it makes one less thing for me to have to clean up, which is always a plus.

Original promo-only mono pressing. Above: front and back cover, below: labels

This album has been reissued from the master tapes before. The first digital reissue appeared in 1996 on One Way Records, and largely preserved the dynamic range of the original recording. However, the EQ is noticeably different from the original pressing, which sounds more laid-back and natural by comparison. The last two tracks also suffer prominent noise reduction, which damaged the treble response. A digital remaster has also recently appeared on various streaming platforms, including Qobuz and Deezer, which overall more closely approached the original's sound than the 1996 CD, but was vastly more compressed and dynamically limited. Therefore, despite the tapes of this release clearly still being available, I would argue that original pressings, now 55 years in age, still present the best available sound quality for this California acid excursion.

Since this package apparently had a release on the west coast which preceded its appearance nationwide, one might assume that the Monarch pressings of this LP were the earliest ones on the market and thus have superior sound. The Monarch plant is well-known by audiophiles for their pressings, which were often the best that appeared for many of the California bands (yet people ignore the plethora of terrible styrene 45s that appeared from this facility). This album, in any case, is an outlier. A white-label promotional copy pressed at the Monarch plant was lent to me by the Record Phantom for ripping, which I quickly discovered had high levels of background noise from the use of inferior vinyl. The mono copy pictured above was also from the Monarch plant, and suffers from the same problem. Due to this issue, I purchased a mint-minus stock copy pressed at the Terre Haute plant, which turned out to have superior sound to the other discs I auditioned.

I maintain hope that someday Lee Michaels, perhaps after reading this blog post, will make available flat, high-resolution transfers from the master tapes for all to enjoy. Until that day, this remains the truest available representation of the Carnival Of Life.

Original promo poster which would have hung in record shops at the time of release

Link includes the artwork and various Lee Michaels paraphernalia from this period which I've been able to uncover. The rare promo poster above was scanned in full high-resolution 1200 dpi / 24-bit color, but has been down-sampled for the purposes of this post. If you would like the original 12 GB .psb file, or if you find more Lee Michaels material which is in need of high-resolution scans, please contact me using the email address listed on the side of this page.

Promo photo with paisley and beads, circa 1968

Performers:
- Lee Michaels: piano, organ, harpsichord, vocals
- Hamilton Watt: lead guitar(s)
- Gary Davis: organ
- John Keski: bass guitar
- David Potter: drums (tr. 1-8)
- Eddie Hoh: drums (tr. 9)

Engineered by Jim Messina
Produced by Larry Marks
Album photography by Guy Webster

Vinyl condition: M-
Dynamic range: DR 12

Track listing:
1) Hello -- 4:29
2) Another One -- 4:12
3) Streetcar -- 3:39
4) Love -- 5:12
5) Carnival Of Live -- 3:06
6) Why -- 3:26
7) Tomorrow -- 4:37
8) Sounding The Sleeping -- 4:15
9) My Friends -- 2:42

Equipment Lineage:
– Audio-Technica VMN40ML stylus on AT150MLx dual moving-magnet cartridge
– Audio-Technica AT-LP1240-USB direct drive professional turntable (internal stock preamp/ADC removed)
– Pro-Ject Phono Box S2 Ultra preamp with dedicated Zero Zone linear power supply
– Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 MkII (96kHz / 24bit)
– Adobe Audition CC 2022 (recording)
– iZotope RX 10 audio editor (manual declicking, EQ subtraction, additional adjustments)
– Audacity 3.3.x (fades between tracks, split tracks)
– Foobar2000 v1.6.16 (tagging, dynamic range analysis)

Thanks for taking the time to read my posts and check out my blog. I'd greatly appreciate it if you leave a small comment below. Notes from my readers are what inspire me to keep going. Thanks! 

MEGA: https://mega.nz/folder/ipYUkIzb#uCfo8E2WqK97dV0CMksFHg

Enjoy the Carnival, it's a wild ride!  :)

 

Sexualized teenage hotspot in Fifteen Magazine, June 1968

 

Post-Recital feature in Phoenix newspaper A Closer Look, June 1, 1968

Frumious Bandersnatch - self-titled (1968) [Original EP]

Frumious Bandersnatch - Frumious Bandersnatch

Original 1968 private pressing EP (Discogs)
Muggles Gramphone Works (no #)
~ThePoodleBites rip at 96 kHz / 24 bit FLAC + full high-res scans!~

"... Warner, Winkelman, and Denny put together some of the finest acid guitar playing to come
out of the Bay area ..." ~Vernon Joynson

The Frumious Bandersnatch was a short-lived northern-California band who sadly only released one EP during their brief existence. Nonetheless, that EP is simply one of the most psychedelic recordings to ever escape from the state, or even from the U.S.A., topping a screaming trio of guitars slamming on their whammy bars with exquisite vocal harmonies, impressive bass chops, and hammering drum beats. It is astonishing that these hippies never released a full-length LP: despite a cornucopia of competitive offers, gross mismanagement completely failed them. This disc is good enough that most of the better-known acts from the era fall short, which makes its obscurity equally stupefying. This post marks the digital debut of the original stereo mix for this legendary acid outfit's sole vintage offering.

My deepest gratitude to M.S. and C.F. for their invaluable contributions to this post!

Front of the picture sleeve for the original Frumious Bandersnatch EP

Much has been written about this band over the last 30 years. A great history is detailed in Vernon Joynson's Fuzz, Acid, & Flowers, and there are plenty of music reviews online mentioning the interesting tidbits, for example Richie Unterberger's review on AllMusic. A truncated history is this: 

Originally from Lafayette, California (in Contra Costa County), the band named Frumious Bandersnatch -- a character from Lewis Carroll's short poem "Jabberwocky" -- had changed its name from All Night Flight, and after a hiatus caused by equipment theft, lead guitarist David Denny was joined by local guitarists Jimmy Warner and Bob Winkelman to create a trio of raging fuzz which blew the minds completely out of any heads lucky enough to experience the winding compositions of Frumious psychedelia. Together with bassist Ross Valory and the group's lynchpin drummer Jack King, the ensemble recorded their sole EP in early 1968 and paid for 1000 copies to be pressed up, which flew off the shelves of Bay-area record shops and completely sold out after only a few weeks.

Despite all the positive motion, including gigs at many of the Bay's biggest venues, the group's manager, one Jim Nixon, hampered the group's chances for a major-label record contract, despite several attractive offers. The band lingered for awhile before folding in late 1969. While the Frumious Bandersnatch may have then slowly withered from the scene, its constituents did not; Frumious members went on to play in Faun, the arena-rocking legends Journey, and the Bay-area acid-rock-turned-classic-rock-heros The Steve Miller Band.

Handbills for two performances at the Lafayette Veteran's Hall, 7 & 14 July 1967

While a nice collection of their outtakes and live performances have been released in modern times as Golden Songs Of Libra and A Young Man's Song, nothing on either of these postmortem compilations nears the wonderment from the group's sole vintage vinyl offering. The EP opens with Jack King's "Hearts To Cry," perhaps the single finest moment from the San Franciscan late-1960s music scene. Bass arpeggios are intermixed with a laid-back drum track while the singer narrates his life's struggle, to be what he wants to be: a dream which (he feels) isn't shared by those around him. As the singer brawls, half-singing and half-demanding, the music crescendos, adding vocal harmonies, tearing distorted leads, and eventually erupting into a burst of guitar feedback. The mood changes; the drums become frantic, and a guitar soon picks up the pace, joined by one of the most strange and psychedelic noises I have ever heard coming from a piece of wax, and of which I have absolutely no clue of origin [C.F. suggests it might be an early homemade synth going through an effects pedal]. Soon the trio of guitars is in full force, jamming their lysergic blues with whammy bars slapping so hard that the vibrato strikes my bones when coming out of the speakers. The jam flares into a final reprisal of the opening theme, with the final resounding resolution: "I can sell my soul / as I please!"

After such an immense and spine-chilling introduction to the sound of the Bandersnatch, it's hard to imagine that any group could keep up. Yet, the band nails it with their short, swinging "Misty Cloudy," which closes side 1. The entire flip is devoted to "Cheshire," of course drawing upon the same Alice In Wonderland inspirations as the Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit." Frumious's take, however, is much more complex: a twisted web of different movements manifesting into one compound song. I maintain that early signposts of progressive rock actually appeared in 1968, and not in England but in California, with increasingly complex numbers such as Mad River's "War Goes On" taking the forefront of experimental psychedelia, where spiraling piecewise composition techniques superseded 3-minute pop songs. "Cheshire" is another entry on that list: with a winding time of over 7 minutes, it is comparable to few single-side tracks of the era.

Frumious Bandersnatch & their managers relax outside, ca. Spring 1968
(L to R): Jim Nixon, Ross Valory, Herbie Herbert, Jimmy Warner, Bob Winkelman, Jack King, David Denny

This EP has long been a collector favorite. These recordings saw a CD reissue in 1995 as part of Nuggets From The Golden State: The Berkeley EPs on the British label Big Beat. This reissue, compiled by well-respected writer and engineer Alec Palao, was transferred from analog tapes, with "post-production" done by David Young, who worked on a number of reissues for Ace, Big Beat, and other labels during this period. The sound was engaging, and though it was mastered too loudly, the "master tape sound" was quite satiating for most collectors. Unfortunately this reissue discreetly (conveniently?) failed to mention that the versions on this CD were stereo remixes completely different from the original vinyl, easily differentiated from those original EP mixes by an attentive ear -- that is, for the rare ear that even had one to compare. It's easy to understand how this change went unnoticed until I discovered these covert edits a few years back.

The original vinyl discs, like most private-press records from the 1960s, were not aimed at an audiophile market and suffered from various playback issues, including random thumps and clicks for no apparent reason, even on mint-looking copies. Some discs have pressing bubbles in the wax, while others somehow had part of the record's edge sliced off. I had the opportunity to transfer three different copies of this EP, with the third being the only one yielding blog-worthy audio quality. Despite this, there is still a bit of inner-groove distortion and sibilance present from the original lacquer cut, which I have done my best to minimize without compromising the sound of the original recording. Since there has been no other digital version of this EP on YouTube or elsewhere, this rip presents an instant upgrade for your digital archives.

 

 

Frumious Bandersnatch:

- David Denny: lead guitar, vocals 

- Jimmy Warner: solo guitar, vocals

- Bob Winkelman: rhythm guitar, vocals

- Ross Valory: bass, vocals

- Jack ("Jackson") King: drums, vocals

Recorded at Pacific High Recording Co., Sausalito, California

Engineering: Ken Roe & David Brown

Cover direction: Eric Rumpf

Photography: Don Leeper

Vinyl condition: M-

Dynamic range: DR 12

Track listing:

1) "Hearts To Cry" (King) -- 5:08

2) "Misty Cloudy" (Winkelman) -- 1:59

3) "Cheshire" (King) -- 7:06

Equipment Lineage:
– Audio-Technica VMN40ML stylus on AT150MLx dual moving-magnet cartridge
– Audio-Technica AT-LP1240-USB direct drive professional turntable (internal stock preamp/ADC removed)
– Pro-Ject Phono Box S2 Ultra preamp with dedicated Zero Zone linear power supply
– Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 MkII (96kHz / 24bit)
– Adobe Audition CC 2020 (recording)
– iZotope RX 10 audio editor (manual declicking, EQ subtraction, additional adjustments)
– Audacity 2.x.x (fades between tracks, split tracks)
– Foobar2000 v1.6.16 (tagging, dynamic range analysis)

The full EP is also available on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iuz50wIl4oI&list=PLhEBA51qbhIrq7w_jMavqfcBZPGaoW2Cf

Thanks for taking the time to read my posts and check out my blog. I'd greatly appreciate it if you leave a small comment below. Notes from my readers are what inspire me to keep going. Thanks!
MEGA: https://mega.nz/folder/K1ZVGTKZ#Ya-Wtv5K2RV0l0BdYRFICQ

Enjoy this rare psychedelic treasure!  :)

Handbill for the band headlining The Retinal Circus in Vancouver, B.C., 6-7 September 1968

The Travel Agency - What's A Man / She Understands (1969) [Mono 45]

The Travel Agency - "What's A Man" b/w "She Understands"

Original promotional monaural 45 RPM single
Viva – V-637  (Discogs)
~ThePoodleBites rip in 96 kHz / 24 bit FLAC + full high-res scans~

Two of the best tracks off the self-titled Travel Agency album were picked for inclusion on this promotional 45, which offers unique mono mixes. "What's A Man" is the highlight, with a significantly different mix including extra vocal harmonies and a truncated introduction, where the guitar comes in at an unusual time. The mono "She Understands" is closer to the stereo version, but has earlier fades, more cymbals and less bass. This post offers a significant improvement in sound quality from any previous digital version of these mono mixes.

Much like the superior pressing of their full-length LP, this single was manufactured at the Monarch pressing plant in the band's home turf of southern California. That unfortunately means that this disc was made on styrene, a cheap vinyl substitute which has ensured that these discs all have varying degrees of groove burn today. I used the better of two mint-looking copies to make this digital master, but there were still countless hours of manual work involved in making them sound clean. These files have been in-progress since September 2020! Nonetheless, I'm quite satisfied with the results.

Both of these 45 versions have been compiled on the U-Spaces bootleg California Love-In Volume 2, with inferior sound quality, but have never reappeared from the original tapes in any form. These tracks offer lower fidelity than the stereo LP; this is a result of their manufacture, and not from any restoration technique. "What's A Man" has a treble roll-off around 14.5 kHz, and for "She Understands" it's even lower, around 11 kHz: that's perfectly acceptable for AM radio, but rather disappointing to hear on a hi-fi setup. Still, for fans of this band's music, these alternate versions are absolutely necessary additions to the digital archives, and make very nice bonus tracks. 

Tracks:
1) "Whats A Man" -- 3:16
2) "She Understands" -- 3:04

Vinyl condition: M-
Dynamic range: DR 12

Equipment Lineage:
– Audio-Technica VMN40ML stylus on AT150MLx dual moving-magnet cartridge
– Audio-Technica AT-LP1240-USB direct drive professional turntable (internal stock preamp/ADC removed)
– Pro-Ject Phono Box S2 Ultra preamp with dedicated Zero Zone linear power supply
– Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 MkII (96kHz / 24bit)
– Adobe Audition CC 2020 (recording)
– iZotope RX 10 audio editor (manual declicking, EQ subtraction, additional adjustments)
– Audacity 2.x.x (fades between tracks, split tracks)
– Foobar2000 v1.6.16 (tagging, dynamic range analysis)

B-side also available on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXt0sRtozHc

Thanks for taking the time to read my posts and check out my blog. I'd greatly appreciate it if you leave a small comment below. Notes from my readers are what inspire me to keep going. Thanks!
MEGA: https://mega.nz/folder/SNdQWBxS#XiZRVhKRPlNywE2egitpNw

Enjoy these alternate mixes!

Los Vidrios Quebrados - She'll Never Know I'm Blue / Friend (1966) [Mono Single]

Los Vidrios Quebrados - "She'll Never Know I'm Blue" b/w "Friend"

Original 1966 mono 45 RPM Chilean single

Odeon – MSOD 3759  (Discogs)
~ThePoodleBites rip in 96 kHz / 24 bit FLAC + high-res scans!~

Man, it's been too long since I've made a post here. Over the past few months I've been recording raw rips like a wild man, and hundreds of hours are now stored on my hard drive ready for clean-up. As I slowly began working myself through this backlog, I also borrowed this rare South American 45 from the Record Phantom for a YouTube upgrade, leading to this post.

Both of these songs are non-album tracks and also non-comp, though the A-side is the clear winner entre los dos (the flip sounds like it's being sung by Fes from That '70s Show). Upon playback, the early Beatles records that were in rotation in Chile as much as everywhere are refracted through the voices of Los Vidrios Quebrados (The Broken Glassware) in a contemporary garage beat-pop manner. Despite the poor English, and despite this not being "psych," I figured that it still has a broad enough interest to be shared here.

Many thanks to C.F. for contributing the 45 for this post!  :) 

Vinyl Condition: M-
Dynamic Range: DR 12

Track Listing:
1) "She'll Never Know I'm Blue" -- 2:12
2) "Friend" -- 2:51

Equipment Lineage:
– Audio-Technica VMN40ML stylus on AT150MLx dual moving-magnet cartridge
– Audio-Technica AT-LP1240-USB direct drive professional turntable (internal stock preamp/ADC removed)
– Pro-Ject Phono Box S2 Ultra preamp with dedicated Zero Zone linear power supply
– Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 MkII (96kHz / 24bit)
– Adobe Audition CC 2022 (recording)
– iZotope RX 10 Advanced audio editor (manual declicking, EQ subtraction, additional adjustments)
– Audacity 2.3.4 (fades between tracks, split tracks)
– Foobar2000 v1.6.12 (tagging, dynamic range analysis)

 

The B-side is also available on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQaltuoZL3E

 

Thanks for taking the time to read my posts and check out my blog. I'd greatly appreciate it if you leave a small comment below. Notes from my readers are what inspire me to keep going. Thanks! 

MEGA: https://mega.nz/folder/24kTATAT#wNKMb7de1Z0XQn0T_hqgxA

 

Enjoy!  :)

The Travel Agency - self-titled (1968) [US Original]

The Travel Agency - The Travel Agency

Original 1968 Monarch stereo LP
Viva V-36017  (Discogs)
~ThePoodleBites rip in 96 kHz / 24 bit FLAC + full high-res scans!~

The Travel Agency album is relatively well-known amongst '60s guys, including those who aren't "psych" collectors; nonetheless, I'm ecstatic to read that my slow posting of the Travel Agency tracks to YouTube has triggered several people to get excited enough about this rip to pick up original copies themselves. Despite this not being a truly psychedelic album -- rather, it leans towards the pop-rock side of the spectrum -- it still maintains a wide appeal due to the catchy songwriting, addictive fuzz, and heady cover artwork. I mean, it's hard to see an album cover like this and not get interested. 

Many thanks to M.S. for his top contributions to this post!  :)

It was hard for me to chose a single song below to help you preview this post, since there are a few great contenders. The album starts off with the excellent "What's A Man," an anti-war political question whose organ-and-sound-effects-based introduction more closely resembles the '70s German krautrock scene than anything from California, where this group actually hailed from. This track has been compared by some listeners to Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit," though to my ears only the guitar tone is somewhat similar between the two. Despite the fact that the second half of the song does not really match with its haunting prelude, this track is still a good précis of the band's style, flaunting basic vocal harmonies, laid-back guitar fuzz, and a cyclic, almost Revolver-esque drum+bass style.

The fan-favorite on this album may in fact be the straight-ahead chugger "Cadillac George," a simple feel-good tune with meaningless words and a funky rhythm track that demands restless foot tapping. It is immediately followed by the smoothly flowing "Lonely Seabird," which is perhaps the group's one true claim to psychedelia. Listening to this song I am transported to a foggy day in Golden Gate Park, the salty air reverberating with sounds of some psychedelic band playing in the distance while all the hippies get stoned and dance around with flowers in their hair.

Nothing on side two really stands out to me as much as those three tracks, though "She Understands" -- which was chosen to be the B-side for the album's single -- is probably the effort which comes closest. The lyrics on this album range from great ("What's A Man") to cringe-worthy ("You Will Be There") and everywhere in between. The only song which, to steal a phrase from Brent Marley, really came across as "life-guiding" for me was "Sorry You Were Born," a surprisingly mature track about discovering your meaning in life, and encouraging you to pursue that path. And it's sung in plain English; there's no unnecessary keywords like "inner self" and "expand your mind," which probably made it sound exceptionally square in 1968, but has simultaneously allowed it to age without too much moral degradation.

While copies of this album are not particularly challenging to find, unearthing one that plays mint is not trivial. The Indianapolis pressings are much noisier than the Monarch ones, the latter of which seem to be slightly more rare, but some degree of non-fill on side two seems commonplace. I first ripped this album in 2019 from a previously-sealed Monarch copy in the possession of my friend M.S., but after switching out my over-worn AT150MLx for a new VMN40ML and seeing >10dB of harmonic distortion disappear, I wanted to rip another copy to see if the inner-groove distortion on this LP would improve. Unfortunately that distortion seems to be pressed into the disc itself; still, the sound of this rip is an insane improvement over the treble-boosted, horribly noisy (and NR'd) bootleg CD on Kismet. I hope someday that a properly-remastered reissue from the master tapes will come, but in the meantime, the original pressings are still creamy and clear enough to inspire my listening.

Some nice information about the band has been written on the Rockasteria site.

Vinyl Condition: M-

Dynamic Range: DR 11

Track Listing:

Review from Cash Box magazine, 28 Dec 1968

1) What's A Man -- 5:07
2) Sorry You Were Born -- 3:07
3) Cadillac George -- 4:44
4) Lonely Seabird -- 3:24
5) So Much Love -- 3:03
6) Make Love -- 2:26
7) That's Good -- 7:06
8) I'm Not Dead -- 2:16
9) She Understands -- 3:21

10) Come To Me -- 3:16

11) You Will Be There -- 2:17

12) Old Man -- 2:12

Equipment Lineage:
– Audio-Technica VMN40ML stylus on AT150MLx dual moving-magnet cartridge
– Audio-Technica AT-LP1240-USB direct drive professional turntable (internal stock preamp/ADC removed)
– Pro-Ject Phono Box S2 Ultra preamp with dedicated Zero Zone linear power supply
– Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 MkII (96kHz / 24bit)
– Adobe Audition CC 2020 (recording)
– iZotope RX 9 audio editor (manual declicking, EQ subtraction, additional adjustments)
– Audacity 2.3.3 (fades between tracks, split tracks)
– Foobar2000 v1.6.11 (tagging, dynamic range analysis)

 

Full album also available on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zz7KGOhY3k4

 

Thanks for taking the time to read my posts and check out my blog. I'd greatly appreciate it if you leave a small comment below. Notes from my readers are what inspire me to keep going. Thanks!
MEGA: https://mega.nz/folder/7k5T3L6R#KiH4BFYWc1Bu_Esh8-zKFg

 

Enjoy the music!  :) 

Concert poster for show with Canned Heat, Evergreen Blueshoes, and The Travel Agency
8-11 April 1968 (Easter) at The Kaleidoscope, Hollywood, California

Eddy Detroit With King Heathen - The Philosopher's Journey (1987)

Eddy Detroit With King Heathen - The Philosopher's Journey

Original 1987 Private Pressing
Pan Records – ED 2  (Discogs)
~ThePoodleBites rip at 96 kHz / 24 bit FLAC + full high-res scans!~

Although it was recorded and released in the late-1980s, this album by Eddy Detroit -- his second -- has sounds which are clearly derived from the 1970s UK folk scene. The first comparison that comes to mind is Comus, but "Early One Morning" has very pleasant Incredible String Band vibes and "How Could I?" gets freaky enough at the end to remind me of Oliver, which is awesome. Overall, though, the singing is a bit too nasally and the songs feel too sparse for me. Nonetheless, I figure that there are many who will disagree with my assessment, and given that this is a rare acoustic-experimental prog-folk album which has never been reissued, it fits right in on this blog.

Many thanks to C.F. for supplying this rarity from his archives!

I did the raw transfer for this album in May 2020, before Eddy Detroit passed away on 15 June 2021. May the sound quality of this post do well for his memory. R.I.P.

Track listing:
1) "Ghost Dance" -- 3:44

2) "Time Alone" -- 2:07

3) "Madam Lenormond" -- 2:13

4) "Land Of Lepers" -- 5:41

5) "Early One Morning" -- 3:16

6) "Lot Of Wasteland" -- 2:45

7) "Flying Horses" -- 3:43

8) "Port Of Amsterdam" -- 3:19

9) "Philosopher's Journey" -- 1:52

10) "How Could I?" -- 4:57

11) "Door Mouse" -- 5:06

12) "Flashed On The Pavement" -- 2:37

Vinyl Condition: M-
Dynamic Range: DR 14

Equipment Lineage:
– Audio-Technica VMN40ML stylus on AT150MLx dual moving-magnet cartridge
– Audio-Technica AT-LP1240-USB direct drive professional turntable (internal stock preamp/ADC removed)
– Pro-Ject Phono Box S2 Ultra preamp with dedicated Zero Zone linear power supply
– Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 MkII (96kHz / 24bit)
– Adobe Audition CC 2020 (recording)
– iZotope RX 9 audio editor (manual declicking, EQ subtraction, additional adjustments)
– Audacity 2.3.3 (fades between tracks, split tracks)
– Foobar2000 v1.6.9 (tagging, dynamic range analysis) 

 

Full album also available on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxVtkWsjKXs

Thanks for taking the time to read my posts and check out my blog. I'd greatly appreciate it if you leave a small comment below. Notes from my readers are what inspire me to keep going. Thanks!
MEGA: https://mega.nz/folder/zMEmURKB#PRYUzIUGXA0flQd_IeSqlg

Enjoy ... :)