Album review: PSYCH! British Prog, Rock, Folk & Blues 1966-1973 (3-CD)

Decca/Universal [Release date 21.06.24]

This 64-song 3-CD/2LP collection highlights a halcyon period for British psych rock and folk stretching from the mid sixties to the early 1970s. During that time Deram was the leading purveyor of the genre and this release will bring back many memories of collecting obscure bands and vinyl during this period. And not least of flamboyant shirts and loon pants.

With an informative liner note from author Mike Barnes, the 3 albums start with the folky/pop roots of psych (Disc 1) and progress to progressive and beyond (Discs 2 & 3). If Disc 1 is a bit primeval for most, unless you are tracing musical lineage for bands like Yes (presaged by The Syn) and The Faces (Small Faces) or The Moody Blues the second and third discs will be of most interest.

Thankfully not the most obvious tracks have been selected. And where else would you get bands called Crocheted Doughnut Ring or Tinkerbell’s Fairydust, or titles like ‘Treacle Toffee World’?

Barnes’ sleeve note reflects that bands developed from playing R&B and soul covers in the sixties to more original material but there is no doubt that much psych of the period was influenced by the U.S. West Coast albeit with an English whimsical twist.

The collection of proto prog is a veritable pot-pourri of the good, the great and the not easily remembered. It is good hearing again bands like Egg which featured Clive Brooks on drums (later with Groundhogs) and Dave Stewart (subsequently with Hatfield And The North).

Jan Dukes de Grey and Aardvark bring back memories of fusty smelling record shops, distinctive album covers and a realisation if the originals were in your collection you’d be sitting on £500.

All the tracks will have some listeners seeking out the original albums, an inevitably expensive hobby, but here at GRTR! we would recommend Mellow Candle and Khan for starters. Or maybe Room, a short-lived jazz rock band whose 1970 album now sells for over £1000.

This collection is available as a 3-CD or 2-LP highlights. It’s a shame the full set couldn’t have been released as perhaps a limited edition vinyl for collectors. The real constraint is truly illustrating prog rock over a 3-CD selection; each track barely reaches four minutes so the connoisseur may feel short-changed.

Psych! is a veritable time-capsule of a creative era in music history, propelled by a great label who were prepared to invest in the weird and the wonderful. Only a handful of artists are still plying their trade now, so hats off to Darryl Way and Caravan. Best enjoyed with an incense stick, bean bag and bong. ****

Review by David Randall

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)