Eddie Piller Presents: British Mod Sounds of the 1960s, Vol. 2 - The Freakbeat & Psych Years [Purple Vinyl]

Overview

With a CV that consists of being a co-founder of Acid Jazz Records, radio DJ, club owner, and general expert on all things mod, it's clear that Eddie Piller knows his stuff inside and out. After having stewarded compilations of mod music from the 1960s and '80s, he expands his reach a little on Eddie Piller Presents: British Mod Sounds of the 1960s, Vol. 2 - The Freakbeat & Psych Years. As the title would indicate, the artists compiled within stray from the R&B and energetic sounds of the original mod sounds in favor of a more ornate, trippier, and ofttimes weirder approach. As with many comps of this nature, the track list is made up of big names (the Who, the Small Faces -- whose fan club was run by Piller's mother in the '60s -- and Traffic); artists who have garnered loads of cred over the years (the Action, the Creation, Tomorrow); and a boatload of obscure bands ripe for discovery. Some of the best songs culled from this last category include the Accent's folk-meets-metal ripper "Red Sky at Night," the Fruit Machine's "I'm Alone Today," and the End's "Shades of Orange," which makes good use of bongos, music hall trumpets, and super mystical lyrics. Piller does a good job of mixing and matching groups and sounds, flowing easily from jumped-up freakbeat rockers like the Micky Finn's "Garden of My Mind" to the Baroque psych-pop of Warm Sounds' "Nite-Is-a-Comin'" to the Mike Stuart Span's hard psych "Children of Tomorrow" to the overstuffed pop sound of Nirvana's "Rainbow Chaser." It sounds like the work of a skilled DJ throughout, and Piller's background in jazz and soul is reflected by the large number of tracks that have some groove to them. Songs like Graham Bond's "Love Is the Law" or Nucleus' stretched-out jam "Song for the Bearded Lady" don't usually show up on collections like this, and it's nice that the playing field is expanded to include them. Scott Walker doesn't either -- maybe he's too popular -- but his "Montague Terrace (In Blue)" fits like a glove. Especially when it's followed by the 23rd Turnoff's different take on dramatic psychedelia "Michael Angelo." These kind of juxtapositions, Piller's ear for a good song, and the overall high quality of the selections make this a respectable entry in the freakbeat-psychedelic comp sweepstakes. It might have rated a bit higher minus some obvious song selections -- does anyone ever need to hear "Pictures of Matchstick Men" ever again and, as amazing as it is, perhaps a more obscure song by the Who other than "I Can See for Miles" might have been better. That being said, anyone seeking a quick education on what made this era of British pop and underground music so exciting will be well served by dipping into this set. ~ Tim Sendra

Product Details

Release Date:	02/17/2023
Label:	Demon Records
UPC:	5014797907676
Rank:	53479

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Craig   Primary Artist
Graham Bond   Primary Artist
Fire   Primary Artist
Family   Primary Artist
Jan Panter   Primary Artist
Elastic Band   Primary Artist
Fleetwood Mac   Primary Artist
Rupert's People   Primary Artist
Locomotive   Primary Artist
Warm Sounds   Primary Artist
John's Children   Primary Artist
Scott Walker   Primary Artist
The Move   Primary Artist
The Yardbirds   Primary Artist
The Mike Stuart Span   Primary Artist
Apostolic Intervention   Primary Artist
Tintern Abbey   Primary Artist
The Accent   Primary Artist
Aquarian Age   Primary Artist
Jason Crest   Primary Artist
David Bowie   Primary Artist
23rd Turnoff   Primary Artist
Wimple Winch   Primary Artist
The Troggs   Primary Artist
The Who   Primary Artist
Timebox   Primary Artist
Alex Harvey   Primary Artist
Tomorrow   Primary Artist
Brian Auger   Primary Artist
Fairytale   Primary Artist
Dantalian's Chariot   Primary Artist
Truth   Primary Artist
Turquoise   Primary Artist
Felius Andromeda   Primary Artist
Graham Dee   Primary Artist
Mighty Baby   Primary Artist
The Spencer Davis Group   Primary Artist
Apple   Primary Artist
Humble Pie   Primary Artist
Loose Ends   Primary Artist
Sands   Primary Artist
Mark Wirtz   Primary Artist
The Montanas   Primary Artist
Billy Nicholls   Primary Artist
The Californians   Primary Artist
The Cymbaline   Primary Artist
Caleb Quaye   Primary Artist
July   Primary Artist
Satisfaction   Primary Artist
Keith West   Primary Artist
Colosseum   Primary Artist
Sam Gopal   Primary Artist
Vamp   Primary Artist
Quiet Melon   Primary Artist
Peter Wyngarde   Primary Artist
Plastic Penny   Primary Artist
Kaleidoscope   Primary Artist
Nirvana   Primary Artist
The Poets   Primary Artist
The Gods   Primary Artist
Nucleus   Primary Artist
The Open Mind   Primary Artist
Small Faces   Primary Artist
The Sorrows   Primary Artist
The Misunderstood   Primary Artist
The New Breed   Primary Artist
The Fairies   Primary Artist
Ossie Layne   Primary Artist
Icarus   Primary Artist
Paul West & Compass   Primary Artist
The Koobas   Primary Artist
Les Fleur de Lys   Primary Artist
Status Quo   Primary Artist
The End   Primary Artist
The Attack   Primary Artist
Traffic   Primary Artist
The Action   Primary Artist
Terry Reid   Primary Artist
Andy Ellison   Primary Artist
The Birds   Primary Artist
Blonde on Blonde   Primary Artist
The Eyes   Primary Artist
The Flies   Primary Artist
The Ivy League   Primary Artist
Fruit Machine   Primary Artist
Ice   Primary Artist
The Idle Race   Primary Artist
Sound Barrier   Primary Artist
Riot Squad   Primary Artist
Mickey Finn   Primary Artist
Our Plastic Dream   Primary Artist
The Drag Set   Primary Artist
Scots of St. James   Primary Artist
The Kinks   Primary Artist
The Creation   Primary Artist
Eddie Piller   Compiled
Julie Driscoll   Featured Artist

Technical Credits

Kenneth Leslie-Smith   Composer
Stephen Gould   Composer
Terry Dobson   Composer
Carl Smith   Composer
Mike Patto   Composer
John Kelman   Composer
Glyn Havard   Composer
Hubert Pattison   Composer
John Whitney   Composer
Alan Mark   Composer
Derek Griffiths   Composer
Chris Simpson   Composer
Allan Davies   Composer
Phil Sawyer   Composer
Denver Gerrard   Composer
Russell Alquist   Composer
Stuart Hobday   Composer
Hume Paton   Composer
Roger McCabe   Composer
Tony Stratton-Smith   Composer
Geoff Brown   Composer
John Hebron   Composer
Gary Murphy   Composer
John Wood   Composer
Ewan Stephens   Composer
John Gosling   Composer
Ian Willis   Composer
George Money   Composer
Wes Farrell   Composer
Roger Powell   Composer
Pete Townshend   Composer
Peter Green   Composer
Ronnie Lane   Composer
Mark Wirtz   Composer
Jim Capaldi   Composer
Billy Nicholls   Composer
Art Wood   Composer
Tom Newman   Composer
Caleb Quaye   Composer
Mickey Waller   Composer
Jimmy Page   Composer
Keith Relf   Composer
Eddie Piller   Liner Notes
John Alder   Composer
Gus Peters   Composer
Rod Stewart   Composer
Roger Chapman   Composer
Jerry Goldstein   Composer
Ron Wood   Composer
Pierre Tubbs   Composer
Ray Davies   Composer
Jim McCarty   Composer
Richard Norris   Liner Notes
Roy Wood   Composer
Raynard Miner   Composer
Graham Dee   Composer
Patrick Campbell-Lyons   Composer
Ian McLintock   Composer
Donovan Leitch   Composer
Alan King   Composer
Geoffrey Stephens   Composer
Les Vandyke   Composer
Peter York   Composer
Chris Wood   Composer
Phil Kinrade   Audio Master
Terry Schindler   Composer
Malcolm Rabbitt   Composer
Thomas Sidney Boyce   Composer
Mike Evans   Composer
Alan Morgan   Composer
George Alex Spyropoulos   Composer
John Halsall   Composer
Michael Mulligan   Project Manager
Andy Child   Composer
Kenny Jones   Composer
Pamela Barry   Composer
Iain Hines   Composer
Edward Yeadon   Composer
Gait McDermott   Composer
Barry Younghusband   Composer
Bernard Jory   Composer
Rosalind Wirtz   Composer
Terrence Nolder   Composer
James Litherland   Composer
William "Mickey" Stevenson   Composer
Andrew Scott   Composer
Spencer Davis   Composer
Tony Hatch   Composer
Paul Raymond   Composer
Andy Clark   Composer
Andy Summers   Composer
Steve Marriott   Composer
Steve Winwood   Composer
Simon Napier-Bell   Composer
Ian Murray   Composer
Ian McLagan   Composer
Ian Whiteman   Composer
Bobby Hart   Composer
Keith Hopkins   Composer
Bill Wyman   Composer
Gerry Morris   Composer
Eddie Pumer   Composer
Stu Leathwood   Composer
Chris Andrews   Composer
Keith Ellis   Composer
Dave Lambert   Composer
Charlie Barber   Composer
Demetrius Christopholus   Composer
Steve Turner   Composer
Ralph Danks   Composer
Sound Barrier   Composer
Terry Clark   Composer
David MacTavish   Composer
Jimmy Campbell   Composer
Mike Brancaccio   Composer
Pete Hammerton   Composer
John Hollis   Composer
Pete Beetham   Composer
Riots   Composer
Robert Freeman   Composer
David Birkett   Composer
Bob Garner   Composer
Norman Haines   Composer
Rod Lynton   Composer
Jon Child   Composer
Paul Stewart   Composer
Ken Burgess   Composer
Tony Hill   Composer
Eve King   Composer
Jackie Trent   Composer
Karl Jenkins   Composer
Larry Weiss   Composer
Graham Bond   Composer
Francis Rossi   Composer
Eddie Hardin   Composer
Vic Smith   Composer
Eddie Phillips   Composer
Johnnie Dee   Composer
George Harrison   Composer
John Carter   Composer
Jeff Lynne   Composer
John Weston   Composer
John Shakespeare   Composer
Jeff Beck   Composer
Rodger Bain   Composer
Scott Walker   Composer
Peter Daltrey   Composer
Miki Dallon   Composer
Reg King   Composer
Martin Stone   Composer
David Bowie   Composer
Stuart Calver   Composer
Alex Harvey   Composer
Brian Bennett   Composer
Tony Murray   Composer
Gary Jackson   Composer
Marc Bolan   Composer