In an endeavour to be taken as a 'serious' albums band Mr. Fantasy's UK release did not include any of the three Top 10 singles. The US release Heaven is in Your Mind fixed this, but take care when purchasing as mono and stereo CD versions exist. In and out guitarist Dave Mason shines, with Steve Winwood on vocals/organ a rising star.
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Incense and Peppermints The Strawberry Alarm Clock 1967 [Uni]
With a classic swirling psych organ and some trippy bubblegum vocals the title track was a smash #1 hit. In their search for artistic credibility it was probably also their doom, destined to be thought of as a lightweight pop outfit. Time has been kind to the album however, and another listen shows these guys had plenty going for them.
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H P Lovecraft H P Lovecraft 1967 [Philips]
Topnotch outfit from Chicago named for the famous horror writer, the sound on this album inspired by Lovecraft's "macabre tales and poems of Earth populated by another race". Best known for the George Edwards/Dave Michaels lead vocal pairing, the band's debut is classic period psych tinted with some ear-pleasing folk and jazz.
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Butterfly The Hollies 1967 [Parlophone]
One of the better British pop groups of the 60s, known for their catchy songs and high-pitched vocal harmonies featuring Allan Clarke and Graham Nash. The 1997 Sundazed CD release Dear Eloise/King Midas in Reverse features the original UK album with three additional tracks that appeared on the US release. Best psych track: 'Maker'
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Nazz Nazz 1968 [Screen Gems]
A nifty piece of garage power-pop psychedelia featuring a young Todd Rundgren getting his start in the music business. 'Open My Eyes' was one of the best on the Nuggets set, while elsewhere Rundgren does his best to outdo Hendrix and Clapton. The early version of 'Hello It's Me' sounds slightly out of place, but a fine album nevertheless.
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Begin The Millennium 1968 [Columbia]
Producers Curt Boettcher and Gary Usher whipped up this group out of the remains of Sagittarius and somehow convinced Columbia to invest heavily in recording an album. The production shows, with some tight psych-pop nuggets interspersed with the odd bit of spacier stuff. A total flop commercially, more than a few in the industry noticed.
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Picturesque Matchstickable Messages The Status Quo 1968 [Pye]
Before they became one of the UK's top 70s boogie bands Status Quo was a fairly run-of-the-mill pop-psych outfit. The classic 'Pictures of Matchstick Men' (US #12) and the bright-eyed 'Ice in the Sun' both broke into the UK Top 10, but the album itself failed to chart. After abandoning psychedelia, by 1973 their ship had well and truly come in.
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An Apple a Day Apple 1969 [Page One]
Groovy UK psychedelic pop that probably just missed the boat. 'The Otherside' has since become a retro-fave, with a couple of other strong tracks making for a pretty nice, if lightweight, package. Founded in Cardiff by guitarist Rob Ingram and bassist Jeff Harrad the band only made one LP before realising psychedelia was on the wane.
