VA - Alphabeat: Pop, Psych And Prog Rock 1967-1970 (2005/2024)

Many of the selections on 'Alphabeat' were not even known to exist before the release of the compilation, and few connoisseurs of obscure late 60s pop, psych and prog will be disappointed with it's contents. Dubbed from a master supplied by a Belgian television company 'Foxy Lady' and 'Toad' were recorded live at a pop festival in mid 1968 and prove The Barrier to be as exciting on stage as on their best singles from the same year, whilst Mississippi impress with their heavy bluesy rock which is lifted from their lone and very rare 45 from 1970. The pigeonholeing of Breakthru as a lightweight pop act through their only single 'Ice Cream Tree' is devastatingly dismissed by the unveiling of 2 incendiary slices of psychedelically inclined rock recorded at a Birmingham studio in late 1967, and an unknown group who recorded at R.G Jones' OAK studios sound uncannily like The Game 3 years on with the slow burning 'First Back From Heaven'. The Pathfinders' 'Pumpkin Lantern' has appeared before on compilations on a number of occasions but thanks to the discovery of another acetate copy, it's presented here in premium quality together for the first time with it's previously ignored but very special rendering of the Bee Gees' 'To Love Somebody'.

Graded Grains have presented psych collectors with a mystery and an enigma since their acetate of 'Animal Magic' and ' Lucifer Sam' was unearthed for 'Chocolate Soup For Diabetics' Volume 3 way back in the early 80s, and such was their dogged obscurity that some came to believe there was no such band called Graded Grains at all. Top Sounds however are able to present 4 tracks recorded on the continent in Paris in December 1969 which beautifully exhibit authentic pop psych with a marked Barrett era Pink Floyd influence, one of which is a later (and much cleaner!) take of the famed 'Animal Magic'. And last but by no means least the legendary blues band Black Cat Bones prove their versatility and deliver an uptempo psych flavoured rocker called 'The Warmth Of The Day',which aside from inclusion on a fairly recent bootleg was only previously been available on the rare 1969 promotional for the QE2 ocean liner'.

Tracklist:
1 The Barrier– Foxy Lady
Written-By – Jimi Hendrix
2 Graded Grains– Gabriel Says Yes
Written-By – Ian Street, John Gregory (5)
3 The Pathfinders (2)– Pumpkin Lantern
Written-By – Fraser Watson, Ronnie Leahy
4 Breakthru– Here Comes The End
Written-By – Booth*, Aflalo*, Garrattley*, Leyland*, Abingdon*
5 Graded Grains– Animal Magic
Written-By – Ian Street, John Gregory (5)
6 Mississippi (2)– Mr Union Railway Man
Written-By – Alex Holt
7 Unknown Artist– First Back From Heaven
Written-By – Unknown Artist
8 Graded Grains– On The Dole
Written-By – Ian Street, John Gregory (5)
9 The Pathfinders (2)– To Love Somebody
Written-By – Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb
10 Graded Grains– Harry The Hermit
Written-By – Ian Street, John Gregory (5)
11 Black Cat Bones– Warmth Of The Day
Written-By – Bob Weston, Paul Tiller
12 Breakthru– Spoonful
Written-By – Willie Dixon
13 The Barrier– Toad
Written-By – Ginger Baker