Technicolour Dreaming

Some new releases, some recent favourites plus a further bunch of “classics from the past” [in our minds at least] all go towards providing the regular formula for an episode of Technicolour Dreaming, and indeed all are present and correct here this week. In particular, we were excited to find in our PO Box the long-awaited second album by the Fast Camels, “Dead Rooms and Butterfly Dreams” as it’s been quite a while since they delivered their brilliant 2007 debut “The Magic Optician”. Despite personnel changes along the way, the band has continued to play live intermittently in their native Scotland and elsewhere, but no recordings were released until now. It was definitely worth the wait though, for, like their debut, it sounds more enticing every time we spin it and we believe you’ll agree that it’s another prime slice of 21^st century psych-pop. Another such delicious slice came in the form of a [very] limited CD edition of “The Soft Focus EP”, previously only available digitally on Bandcamp etc, by Tasmania’s Violet Swells. They’ve created quite a buzz with these songs, especially lead single “Jupiters Garden”, even getting a rave-up in premier UK psych magazine “Shindig!” – not bad for a young band who only had their first live show a few months ago! Also on the show, our “Band of the Week” feature saluted Australia’s late, lamented Belles Will Ring, whose three albums and assorted singles will continue to enrich our musical vistas. Throw in some Kak, Pere Ubu, Luna, Morgan Delt and a plethora of others, and that was the show. Until we meet again next week .....

..... here is the full playlist, with moving pictures..... 

the Red Crayola (with the Familiar Ugly) – Hurricane Fighter Plane / Free Form Freakout         (“The Parable of Arable Land ” LP 1967 Texas, USA)

Verma – The Traveller         (“Sunrunner” 2014 Chicago, USA)

the Myrrors – Solar Collector         (“Solar Collector” EP 2014 Arizona, USA)

Alpha Waves – Vampiric Vultures         (“Distopia” EP 2014 Hamburg, Germany)

Pere Ubu – Non-alignment Pact         (“The Modern Dance” LP 1978 Ohio, USA)

Night Beats – Outta Mind         (“Sonic Bloom” 2013 USA)

Luna – Superfreaky Memories         (“The Days of Our Nights” 1999 USA)

the Fast Camels – Cecilia Deal        (“Dead Rooms and Butterfly Dreams” 2014 Scotland, UK)

James McKeown & the Negative Drivers – See the Rain [Marmalade cover]         (recorded 2013 Wales, UK for “The Active Listener Record Store Day 2013” compilation 2013 New Zealand)

Violet Swells – Into the Ether         (“The Soft Focus EP” 2014 Tasmania, Australia)

the Triptides – Throne of Stars         (“Colors” EP 2014 Indiana, USA)

**  BAND OF THE WEEK – Belles Will Ring  **

Belles Will Ring – The River         (“Crystal Theatre” 2011 Sydney, Australia)

Belles Will Ring – Mad Love      (“Mood Patterns” 2007 Sydney, Australia)

the Velvet Underground – Venus in Furs      (“The Velvet Underground & Nico” LP 1967 New York, USA)

Kak – Trieuology      (“Kak” LP 1967 California, USA)

Kingdom of the Holy Sun – A Go Go      (“Kingdom of the Holy Sun” 2012 California, USA)

Demons of Negativity – Resurrection      (“These Dogs Live in the Garage” LP compilation 1988 Boston, USA)

the Ceyleib People – Changes      (“Tanyet” LP 1967 USA)

the Dolly Rocker Movement – What’s That Sound      (7”single 2007 Sydney, Australia)

Frumious Bandersnatch – Hearts to Cry      (“Frumious Bandersnatch” EP 1967 San Francisco, USA)

the Syssys – Jump Back      (7”single 1967 Adelaide, Australia)

unknown [possibly the Wild Colonials] – Junior Newsgirl      (acetate 1964 Australia – taken from “Devil’s Children : Vol.3” compilation 2002 Australia)

the Laughing Leaves – Tree People      (“Off Our Tree” EP 2014 Perth, Australia)

Morgan Delt – Mr Carbon Copy      (“Morgan Delt” LP 2014 California, USA)

Obscured By...

 Perhaps it was the weather, but the majority of today’s show came from the currently cooler climes of the northern part of the planet where it is approaching winter, whilst here in Adelaide it was a very warm 37 degrees C - yet still the music brought to you by the Cat & the Brat was hot regardless of locale! We went from New Zealand via Australia with the Cleves and heard Steve Kipner’s Tin Tin before heading over to Europe with Deuter and venturing into the Swedish psychedelic underground of the late 80’s with S.T.Mikael before returning to the UK and the Human League. It would not of course be Obscured by...  without a few ‘odd’ tracks which this week included songs about puppies, both dead and alive, plus Nico’s take on all things Germanic. We also investigated US punk/new wave from, primarily, Boston and Cleveland and then, dropping back a decade, looked mainly at the Californian hotspot which gave us so many great bands like the Electric Prunes and the Turtles, before finishing with a Davy Jones from the UK who was not a Monkee, but instead a certain Mr David Jones who later traded under the surname of ‘Bowie’...

So far so good, so now check out the full playlist.....

the Sundowners – Baby Jane [Applejacks cover]      (7”single 1964 Auckland, New Zealand)

the Feelgoods – Le Soliel      (7”single 1966 Australia)

the Cleves – Don’t Turn Your Back      (7”single b-side [ to Sticks & Stones] 1969 NZ/Aust.)

Tin Tin – She Said Ride      (‘Tin Tin’ LP 1970 Aust.)

Buffalo Drive – Morning Good Day      (7”single 1972 Adelaide, Aust.)

Stafford Bridge – Passing Lines      (7”single b-side [ to Song for a Blind Man] 1972 Aust.)

Mythos – Oriental Journey      (‘Mythos’ LP 1972 Germany)

Deuter – Soham      (‘Aum’ LP 1972 Germany)

S.T. Mikael – Bom Bom Mahedev      (‘Visions of a Trespasser’ LP 1989 Sweden)

the Human League – Dreams of Leaving      (‘Travelogue’ LP 1980 UK)

Locomotive – Mr Armageddon      (7”single 1969 UK)

Napoleon XIV – Photogenic, Schizophrenic You      (‘They’re Coming to Take Me Away, Ha Ha!’ LP 1966 USA)

Odgen Edsel – Dead Puppies      (‘Stuffed’ LP 1977 Nebraska, USA)

Walter Steding – Hound Dog [Elvis cover]      (‘Walter Steding’ LP 1980 USA)

John Cale – Heartbreak Hotel [Elvis cover]      (‘June 1^st, 1974’ live LP 1974 UK/France)

Nico – Das Leid Der Deutschen      (‘The End’ LP 1974 UK)

the Lyres – I want to help      (7”single 1983 Boston, USA – taken from ‘DIY –Massachusetts Avenue: The Boston Scene 1975-1983’ compilation 1993 USA)

Neats – 6      (‘Propeller Product’ EP 1981 Boston, USA)

Thrills – Hey! [not another face in the crowd]      (7”single 1979 Boston, USA)

Harry Toledo & the Rockets – Busted Chevrolet      (‘Harry Toledo & the Rockets’ EP 1977 New York, USA)

Pere Ubu – Final Solution      (orig. 7”single 1976 Cleveland, USA – taken from ‘Max’s Kansas City’ compilation LP 1976 USA)

the Mirrors [aka the Styrenes] – Drano in my Veins      (demo 1975 Cleveland, USA – taken from ‘Babylon’s Burning: the Rough’n’Ready Rise of Punk Rawk 1973-1978’ boxset compilation 2007 UK)

the Electric Eels – Jaguar Ride      (demo 1975 Cleveland, USA)

DMZ – You’re Gonna Miss Me [Roky Erikson cover]      (‘DMZ’ EP 1977 Boston, USA)

the Trillium – Queen Alice      (7”single 1968 Rochester, New York, USA)

the Lexington Avenue – The Bird Collector      (7”single 1968 Canada)

the Electric Prunes – Hideaway       (‘Underground’ LP 1967 California, USA)

the Turtles – Grim Reaper of Love      (7”single 1966 California, USA)

Nunchez’s – Open Up Your Mind       (7”single 1966 Chicago, USA)

W.C.Fields Memorial Electric String Band – Hippy Elevator Operator       (7”single 1966 Los Angeles, USA)

Davy Jones & the Lower Third – You've Got a Habit of Leaving      (7”single 1965 London, UK)