Three D Radio announcer, Megan Cat (up until recently with her husband, the late Peter Brat) lives in "The BratHaus" a rural seaside home about 100km from Adelaide on South Australia's scenic Fleurieu Peninsula.
Veteran musician Peter, and artist/musician Megan, were long-time DJs on Three D Radio 93.7fm
, Adelaide's eclectic independent music station.
Together Peter & Megan, known as "The Cat and The Brat" created this blog to allow listeners to review the playlists of their radio show, "Technicolour Dreaming" , watch clips of selected songs and simply join them in the enjoyment of their favourite music... psychedelia, 60's garage,
surf, punk/post-punk, pop, folk-rock, glam, 'Krautrock', goth, 80's electro... and much more!
But The Cat is carrying on the tradition, with guest co-presenters, and "Technicolour Dreaming" will continue in the same format, drawing from the huge "Cat & Brat" music collection, with the addition of new releases and reissues to keep things current. The Brat is hugely missed, but the show must go on, as he wanted...

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Technicolour Dreaming



This edition’s featured compilation is a 3-CD boxset released in 2013 by Grapefruit Records in the UK called "Love, Poetry and Revolution: A Journey Through the British Psychedelic and Underground Scenes 1966-72" which has mostly rare and unreleased tracks by obscure bands, many of which have never appeared on compilations, or indeed anywhere, before. Yet many of these tracks are real gems which deserve to be heard by a much wider audience – for example, Deep Feeling were comprised
of some of the best musicians in the UK. They later went on to renown in bands such as Traffic, Spooky Tooth, Mott the Hoople, Blossom Toes, Family and more, yet the tracks they recorded for a debut album and single were left unreleased and untouched until 2012. Indeed, the track we played, “Pretty Colours”, is arguably one of the finest examples of mid-60’s English psychedelia, yet it remained unheard until recently, so for us, this is the best reason for record companies to release, and us to buy these types of compilations. This music should be heard! The rest of the show was comprised of more recent releases from the likes of the Black Ryder, Worthless, Les Limiñanas and Crystal Jacqueline plus the title track from the outstanding new LP from Swedish band the Amazing, as well as a smattering of older songs by artists such as the Strawberry Alarm Clock, Lost & Found and Traffic, before finishing with New Yorker Amen Dunes from the recently released “Cowboy Worship” EP .....
..... so here is the playlist plus some related clips .....

the Strawberry Alarm Clock - The World's On Fire      ("Incense and Peppermints" LP 1967 USA)
the Black Ryder  - Seventh Moon      ("The Door Behind the Door" LP 2015 Australia/USA)


the Luck of Eden Hall - This is Strange      ("Alligators Eat Gumdrops" 2012 USA)   
Les Limiñanas - Tu Es À Moi        ("(I've Got) Trouble In Mind: 7" And Rare Stuff 2009/2014" compilation 2014 France)
Tintern Abbey - Do What You Must      (demo acetate recorded 1968, taken from "What's The Rush, Time Machine Man? Psychedelic Jumble Volume 1" compilation 2007 USA)
Wesley Fuller - Melvista      (7" single [b-side to Change Your Mind] 2015 Melbourne, Australia)


the Horrors - Still Life       ("Skying"  2011 UK)
the Amazing - Picture You      ("Picture You" 2015 Sweden)


the Orange Drop - Electric Sitar Beat      ("Drone Pop" EP 2014 Philadelphia USA)


the Dandelion - On a June Morning      ("Going Steady Mixtape #5" compilation 2015 Adelaide, Australia)
Crystal Jacqueline - Siren      ("The Rainflower" 2015 Wales, UK)
Claudio Cataldi - Here She Comes Now [Velvet Underground cover]      ("Fruits de Mer Records presents ‘Strange Fruit and Veg’ - promo 2" compilation 2015 UK)
Sapphire Thinkers - I Feel a Bit Strange      ("From Within" 1968 USA)


Worthless - Dee Minor      ("All my Friends are Stone" LP 2015 UK)
Traffic - Coloured Rain      ("Mr Fantasy" LP 1967 UK)


COMPILATION OF THE WEEK
"Love, Poetry and Revolution: A Journey Through the British Psychedelic and Underground Scenes 1966-72" 2013 Grapefruit Records     

the Liverpool Scene- We'll All be Spacemen Before We Die      ("the Amazing Adventures of..."  compilation 2009 – taken from “Love, Poetry and Revolution...” compilation, disc 2)


Tuesday's Children - A Strange Light from the East      (7" single 1967 – taken from “Love, Poetry and Revolution...” compilation, disc 1)


Beau - Creation      ("Creation" LP 1971 UK – taken from “Love, Poetry and Revolution...” compilation, disc 3)
Deep Feeling - Pretty Colours      (recorded 1966 UK, unissued, released on “Pretty Colours” anthology 2012 – taken from “Love, Poetry and Revolution...” compilation, disc 1)


the Sorrows - The Makers      ("Old Songs, New Songs" LP 1969 UK – taken from “Love, Poetry and Revolution...” compilation, disc 2)
Crocheted Doughnut Ring - Two Little Ladies (Azalea  and Rhododendron)      (7" single 1967 – taken from “Love, Poetry and Revolution...” compilation, disc 1)


the Apricot - Too Far Behind     ("A Forestful of Threes" LP 2011 Norway)
Lost and Found - When Will You Come Through      (7" single 1968 USA)


Amen Dunes - I Know Myself (Montreal)        ("Cowboy Worship" 2015 USA)



Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Technicolour Dreaming



This edition’s “Compilation of the Week” is an ongoing series put out by the UK’s Particle Records called UPSIDE DOWNColoured Dreams From The Underworld : 1966-1971”, the latest of which, Volume 3, was released only a couple of months ago. It is a cornucopia of mostly obscure late-60’s Australasian psych pop, with a few “hits” and lesser-known songs by well-known artists thrown in. It’s a fascinating glimpse of the New Zealand and Australian “pop scene” of the era, with extensive liner notes accompanying each volume, and though we had some difficulty finding film clips from the period to go with the songs we chose, hopefully we’ve managed to give you an idea of those sounds. Furthermore, we featured other Sixties’ songs from around the world during the course of the show, as well as recent releases from the likes of Melbourne’s Wesley Fuller, Scotland’s Dr Cosmo’s Tape Lab and Iceland’s Singapore Sling, plus Sendelica’s brilliant version of Pink Floyd’s “The Nile Song”, taken from Fruit de Mer Records recent Barrett/Floyd tribute double-CD compilation “A Momentary Lapse of Vinyl”. We finished with 1969’s uber-psychedelic “Cold Spider” by C. A. Quintet from their brilliant “Trip Thru Hell” album before saying adieu until next week.....
..... so here is the playlist plus associated eye candy.....

Cary Grace - Cirrus Minor [Pink Floyd cover]      ("Fruits de Mer Records presents : A Momentary Lapse of Vinyl" tribute compilation 2014 UK)
Pinkunoizu - I Said Hell You Said No      ("The Drop" 2014 USA)


Sagittarius - Hotel Indiscreet       (7"single 1968 Los Angeles, California USA)
Wesley Fuller - Change Your Mind      (7"single 2015 Melbourne, Australia)
Mick Ronson - Only After Dark      ("Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" LP 1974 UK)
Sendelica - The Nile Song [Pink Floyd cover]      ("Fruits de Mer Records presents : A Momentary Lapse of Vinyl" compilation 2014 UK)
Singapore Sling - You Drive Me Insane      ("The Tower of Foronicity" 2014 Iceland)


Crocodiles - Jet Boy, Jet Girl [Elton Motello cover]    (bonus track on "Sleep Forever" 2010 USA)
White Fence - Nero (Has a Lot to Think About)      (split 7"single [with Jack Name] 2014 USA)
Allah-Las - Buffalo Nickel      ("Worship the Sun" 2014 California, USA)


the Green Pajamas - With A Flower in Her Hair      ("Summer of Lust" LP 1984 USA)
the Chemistry Set - The World Is Hollow and I Touched the Sky     ("This Day will Never Happen Again" 2010 UK)
Rhubarb Rhubarb - Rainmaker      (7"single 1968 UK)
Barrington Davis - Raining Teardrops      (7"single 1966 Sydney, Australia)
Lotus - Lotus 1     (7"single 1971 Australia)


Johnny Young - Craise Finton Kirk [Bee Gees cover]      ("Surprises..." LP 1968 Australia / UK)


            ## COMPILATION OF THE WEEK ##
UPSIDE DOWN Coloured Dreams From The Underworld : 1966-1971Volumes 1-3

the Twilights - Lotus      (7"single b-side [to Sand in the Sandwiches] 1968 Adelaide, Australia – taken from “Upside Down...” Vol 1)


the Gremlins - Kingsforth Hemmingseen      (7"single 1968 Auckland, New Zealand – taken from “Upside Down...” Vol 2)
Long Grass - Sunshine to Burn      (7"single 1971 Australia – taken from “Upside Down...” Vol 3)
the Groop - Seems More Important to Me      (7"single 1967 Melbourne, Australia – taken from “Upside Down...” Vol 2)


the Atlantics - Light Shades of Dark [Part 1]      (7"single 1969 Australia – taken from “Upside Down...” Vol 3)
Ronnie Burns - Exit Stage Right      (7"single 1967 Melbourne, Australia – taken from “Upside Down...” Vol 1)


Dr Cosmo’s Tape Lab - The Secret of Tibetan Grapefruit Is...      ("Ever Evolving Lounge" 2014 USA)


Mayfly - Blue Sofa       ("Mayfly" LP 1973 Netherlands)


Ty Wagner - I'm a No-Count      (7”single 1965 USA)
Park Avenue Playground - The Trip      (7"single b-side (to I Know) 1968 USA)


the Byrds – Why?        (7"single b-side [to Eight Miles High] 1966 USA)
the C. A. Quintet - Cold Spider       ("Trip Thru Hell" LP 1969 USA)



Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Technicolour Dreaming



For our “Compilation of the Week” we decided to go with one of our favourite Artist Anthologies – Donovan’s “Try for the Sun : The Journey of Donovan”, a 3 CD + 1 DVD box-set with a 58 page book, released in 2005.  It’s housed in a luscious purple faux-velvet box, so we normally keep it safely locked away to avoid damage, but we couldn’t resist giving it an airing this week. The DVD features a previously unreleased 1970 documentary titled “There Is An Ocean” about Donovan, accompanied by family, friends and band mates, cruising around the Greek Islands on his yacht, stopping to give impromptu performances on the beach to curious onlookers – we couldn’t find it on youtube to show you, but maybe you’ll have better luck. Also this week, we featured pre-releases by California’s Moon Duo and UK band Worthless plus the regular mix of new and old tracks from both Australia and around the world to share with you. So, until next week.....
..... here is the playlist plus some visual aids....

Hills - Master Sleeps      ("Master Sleeps" 2011 Göteborg, Sweden)
Moon Duo - Night Beat     ("Shadow of the Sun" 2015 California, USA)


Courtney Barnett - History Eraser      ("World Cafe Sessions EP" 2012 Melbourne, Australia)


the Blue Giant Zeta Puppies - Laughing Stock [Love cover]      (recorded 2013 Wales, UK – taken from "The Active Listener presents : Forever Changing - A Tribute to Love's ‘Forever Changes’" compilation 2014 New Zealand)
Ian Skelly - I See You      ("Cut From a Star" 2013 Scotland, UK)
Trolley - The Calico Cat      ("Things That Shine and Glow" 2011 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA)


Love Affair - Up from the Skies [Hendrix cover – previously unreleased]         (recorded 1968 Melbourne – taken  from “A Magical Mystery Tour 1967-1971 : The David Fraser Tapes” compilation 2001 Australia)
the Flower Travelling Band - Satori [Enlightenment]     (“Satori” LP 1971 Japan)


the Twilights - Paternosta Row      ("Once Upon a Twilight" LP 1968 Adelaide, Australia)


Forever Pavot - Miguel el Salam     (7"single 2015 Paris, France)
Will Z. - Nefle      ("New Start" 2015 Belgium)
Love, Hippies and Gangsters - This is What We Want      ("Sun Over Babaluma" EP 2015 London, UK)


Flyying Colours - Not Today      (single 2014 Melbourne Australia)


Beaulieu Porch - To Be Unicorn      ("The Carmelite Divine'"2015 UK)


Buried Feather - Time It Takes       (7”single 2012 Melbourne, Australia)
July - The Way     ("July" LP 1967 UK)


Glass Skies - Spirits      ("Glass Skies" EP 2014 Adelaide, Australia)


The Dunes - Badlands      ("Bad:Lands" EP 201 Adelaide, Australia)


  # COMPILATION OF THE WEEK #
"Try For the Sun - The Journey of Donovan" boxset

Donovan - Sunny South Kensington     (“Mellow Yellow” LP 1967 USA/UK  – taken from "Try For the Sun - The Journey of Donovan" compilation boxset 2005 UK – Disc 1)
DonovanBarabajagal [Love is Hot]     (7”single 1969 UK – taken from "Try For the Sun - The Journey of Donovan" compilation boxset 2005 UK – Disc 2)


DonovanSeason of the Witch   (“Sunshine Superman” LP 1966 USA/UK – taken from "Try For the Sun - The Journey of Donovan" compilation boxset 2005 UK – Disc 1)


Donovan - Celia of the Seals      (7”single 1970 UK – taken from "Try For the Sun - The Journey of Donovan" compilation boxset 2005 UK – Disc 3)
Donovan - The Fat Angel        (“Sunshine Superman” LP 1966 USA/UK – taken from "Try For the Sun - The Journey of Donovan" compilation boxset 2005 UK – Disc 1)


Worthless - Pizza Break      (from the pre-release of "All My Friends Are Stone" LP 2015 UK)
White Candles - Tire-moi des mes reves       (7"single b-side [to Monolith] 2015 Philadelphia, USA)