This hugely anticipated collection (Toytown Recordings TT-1001 / 2004) was causing murmurs on the psych scene for several months prior to its arrival and now I understand why. These obscure (and I mean obscure) European 45s are drawn mostly from the catalogues of pioneering indie imprints Poplandia, Accion, Bocaccio and others, Spanish counterparts to the likes of Immediate, Penny Farthing and Page One if you will. Spanning the years 1969 to 1974, the selection is inspired to say the least and it manages to wipe the floor with most self-professed ‘psychedelic’ compilations in one fell swoop by virtue of being, well… fucking weird. Casting all concessions to the listener’s mental safety aside, the plainly sadistic Mr Toytown casually throws full-on gonzoid lunacy (Christophe’s five minute lobotomy-fest ‘Da Da Song Part 1’, Big Cherry’s hilarious yet nuts ‘Come In Bonzo’), relentless hard rock (Schizo’s frankly disturbing ‘Schizo And The Little Girl’, The Honest Men’s two-chord drone through The Beatles’ ‘Help!’ – I kid you not), candy-coated Mark Wirtz soundalikes (Napoleon’s irresistible ‘Jimmy Joe’, Barry Wigley’s Carry On-style romp ‘Brother Jack’), mutant folk hybrids (Demsey & Dover’s ominous ‘Emptiness Of Mind’, Children Of The Morning’s, er, ‘Children Of The Morning’) and rip-roarin’ psych pop (J Bastos’ ‘Alice’ – essentially a lysergic DDDBM & T thrashing ‘I Feel Free’ – The Electric Machine’s wah-wah smothered ‘Samantha’s Coming Home’) into his big pot and gives it a stir with his weird stick without pausing for so much as one single reassuringly familiar band or artist name. I like their style. When you emerge, blinking into reality, with the aptly-named Panics’ ‘Come With Me’ still echoing round your head, you may discover that you’ve been staring at a daddy longlegs for 70 minutes and, in the process, it’s somehow “borrowed” some of your brain cells and made itself a cup of tea. Don’t worry. Things like that happen every day in Toytown.(Andy Morten in "Shindig")
Tracklist:
1. Christophe - Da Da Song Part 1
taken from the single Da Da Song Part 1/Part 2 (Poplandia P-30502) 1969
Line-up incl.: Daniel "Christophe" Bevilacqua.
Origin: Paris (France)
2. Schizo - Schizo And The Little Girl
taken from the single
Schizo And The Little Girl/Paraphrenia Praecox (SFP 44005) 1972
Line-up: Olivier Pamela (vcls), Richard Pinhas (gtr, synth), Pierrot Roussel (bs), Patrick Gauthier (piano), Georges Grunblatt (synth), Coco Roussel (drms). Band origin: Paris (France)
3. J. Bastos - Alice
taken from the single Holy Goly Girl/Alice (Bellaphon BF 18055) 1971
Line-up incl.: J. Bastos [real name Rolf Steitz] (vcls).
Origin: Cologne (North Rhine-Westphalia/Germany)
4. Honest Men - Help
taken from the single
Help/Who You Got To Love? (EMI-Odeon J-006-24.412) 1971
Line-up: Henk Bruinewoud (gtr, vcls), Aloys van der Zwaan (gtr, vcls), Simon Duivelaar (gtr, vcls), Johan Aldenkamp (bs, vcls), Martin Hofman (flute, vcls), Henny Lubben (drms). Band origin: Enschede (Overijssel/Netherlands)
5. Electric Machine - Samanta Viene A Casa
taken from the single
Maní Caliente/Samanta Viene A Casa (RCA 3-10884) 1973
Line-up incl.: Charlie 'Levy' Leroy. Band origin: Argentina
6. Big Cherry - Come In Bonzo
taken from the single
Give A Dog A Bone/Come In Bonzo (Penny Farthing PEN 812) 1973
Line-up: unknown. Band origin: UK
7. Black Swan - Go Where The Rain Goes
taken from the single
Da Ga De Li Da/Go Where The Rain Goes (Polydor 2056123) 1972
Line-up incl.: Billy Bridge [real name Jean-Marc Bridge).
Band origin: Paris (France)
8. White - Sing Little Bird
taken from the single Life Is Love/Sing Little Bird (RCA Victor 40.049) 1972
Line-up incl.: Henri Sere (bs), Gilbert Einaudi (perc, vcls).
Band origin: Cannes (France)
9. Mike Y Toti - De Nata, Fresa Y De Limon
taken from the single
De Nata, Fresa Y De Limón/La Lección [Ekkoleg] (Explosion E-34507) 1973
Line-up: Mike Kennedy [real name Michael Kögel] (vcls), Toti (vcls).
Band origin: Madrid (Spain)
10. Barry Wigley - Brother Jack
taken from the single
Walk On The Grass/Brother Jack (Accion AC-10.0922) 1972
Line-up incl.: Barry Wigley (vcls). Origin: Hull (Yorkshire/UK)
11. Napoleon - Jimmy Joe
taken from the single
Keep On Loving Me/Jimmy Joe (Poplandia P-30507) 1970
Line-up incl.: Roger Wallis (lead vcls). Band origin: Stockholm (Sweden)
12. Morning Glory - Marjory Daw
taken from the single
Green On The Other Side Of The Mountain/Marjory Daw
(Chapter One CH 148) 1971
Line-up incl.: Peter Lee Stirling. Band origin: London
13. Ginger Ale - Sugar Suzy
taken from the single Scoobidab/Sugar Suzy (Injection 134541) 1971
Line-up: Steve Allet (vcls), Rick Beekman (gtr), Ron Bijtelaar (bs), Fred van Zegveld (organ), Will Luikinga (flute, sax), Richard de Bois (drms).
Band origin: Amsterdam (Noord Holland/Netherlands)
14. Dorians - Torch Song
taken from the single Torch Song/Worm Conquers All (Belter 07-848) 1970
Line-up: John Unger (vcls), Bill Loop (gtr), Bob Nixon (bs), Mike Bets (drms).
Band origin: Kingsville (Ontario/Canada)
15. Jumbo - I'm Leaving Today
taken from the single
He Goes Blabla/I'm Leaving Today (Injection 134546) 1972
Line-up: Kees de Blois (gtr, vcls, sax), Hans Schotel (bs), Martin Achterberg (vcls, gtr, organ), Fred de Groot (drms).
Band origin: Rotterdam (Zuid Holland/Netherlands)
16. Demsey & Dover - Emptiness Of Mind
taken from the single Little Car Of Mine/Emptiness Of Mind (BP06-046) 1973
Line-up incl.: Charles Dumolin. Band origin: Brugge (West Flanders/Belgium)
17. Tucky Buzzard - You're All Alone
taken from the single You're All Alone/Free Ticket (Hispavox CP-86) 1971
Line-up: Jimmy Henderson (vcls), Terry Taylor (gtr), David Brown (bs), Nick Graham (keyb'ds), Chris Johnson (drms). Band origin: London
18. Sunshine - Worshippin' The Sun At Dawn
taken from the single
Melody Lady/Worshippin' The Sun At Dawn (EMI J-006-95.383) 1974
Line-up incl.: Freddy Meyer. Band origin: Paris (France)
19. Children Of The Morning - Children Of The Morning
taken from the single
Hey America, America/Children Of The Morning (Bocaccio B-32519) 1973
Line-up incl.: Norman David [aka Shel Shapiro]. Band origin: Rome (Italy)
20. Edelweiss - Sunday
taken from the single
Balada A Un Amor Perdido/Sunday (Top Records MO-1336) 1973
Line-up incl.: Eduardo Marti. Band origin: Madrid (Spain)
21. Panics - Come With Me
taken from the single
Hippopotamus/Come With Me (Goma Carrère G-1036) 1974
Line-up incl.: Peter Dreamoos, Paul Baile. Band origin: France
Get it here (Artwork included)
Listen to Napoleon - Jimmy Joe
Listen to The Dorians - Torch Song
