Various - A Band For All Seasons (4CD)

Hugely enojoyable 4CD set of psych covers.

The promo of this set landed through my letterbox a few weeks back in the era now described as “pre-lockdown”. Since then the world appears to have shifted on its axis and we have this new strange reality. Given the gravity of the situation, what seemed important before the coronavirus crisis hit can now seem trivial, and it's tempting to put music in that box, along with football, luxury food items, and whether or not ITV is able to film Coronation Street. But, there's a counter argument - culture helps us make sense of the world, it keeps us sane, occupied, and entertained. That vital role should not be underestimated. Before the lockdown, I enjoyed listening to this set very much on my daily commute. Since then it's become something of a talisman to help me get through each day. I think you would enjoy it too.

Anyway I'll shut up about the coronavirus now and tell you about this compilation. Fruits de Mer released an amazing triple vinyl compilation a couple of years back. The Three Seasons featured 27 tracks, all covers of songs from the years 1967, 1968 and 1969. It sold out almost instantly so if you want a copy, be prepared to pay an inflated price via Discogs. The good news is that FdM released an expanded 4CD edition at the end of March under the title A Band For All Seasons: Songs From the Four Seasons of Love 1966-1969. The collection features a mind-blowing 61 tracks, many from HD-approved acts such as Moon Goose, Crystal Jacqueline, Schizo Fun Addict, Fuschia,Jack Ellister, Anton Barbeau and Nathan Hall. But that's just the tip of this iceberg.

Expect to hear well known psych-pop tracks getting a modern makeover along with lesser known gems that will open up new avenues of discovery. If, like myself you missed out on the pychedelic era by being born too late, this compilation will take you down musical rabbit-holes you never even knew existed and be introduced to a globe-spanning array of current bands who are not only enthralled by music from the late-'60s but use it as a starting point to take their own music to new and exciting places. Also included is a 24 page booklet to aid your enlightenment. Joy doesn't even begin to describe. A quick look at the FdM website tells me it's now sold out via their mail-order, though you should hopefully be able to track down a copy via secondary sellers.

Click here for Fruits de Mer Records.

Click over the jump below to see the full tracklisting.

CD1
1. The Past Tense - Magic In The Air (originally by The Attack : recorded 1967)
2. Anton Barbeau – Sunshine Superman (originally by Donovan : VERY late 1965!)
3. Campbell Stokes Sunshine Recorder - Amelia Jane (originally by Made In Sheffield : 1967)
4. LoveyDove - Bedazzled (originally by Drimble Wedge and the Vegetations : 1967)
5. Jack Ellister - Aquarius (originally by The Zodiac:Cosmic Sounds : 1967)
6. Rob Gould - Granny Takes A Trip (originally by The Purple Gang : 1967)
7. Mark McDowell - Up The Wooden Hills To Bedfordshire (originally by The Small Faces : 1966)
8. The Electric Prunes - 7 and 7 is (originally by Love : 1966)
9. Moonweevil - Child Of The Sky (originally by The Deviants : 1967)
10. Kris Gietkowski - A-Minor Explosion (originally by Don Shinn : 1966)
11. Jay Tausig - Time Has Told Me (originally by Nick Drake : 1968)
12. Starlings Planet - The Story (originally by Please : 1968)
13. Bhopal's Flowers - I Feel Free (originally by Cream : 1966)
14. Spygenius - Paper Sun / Love Is Only Sleeping (originally by Traffic / The Monkees : 1967)
15. The Jeremy Band - Pictures Of Matchstick Men (originally by Status Quo : 1968)
16. Cat Frequency - Flameout (originally by 101 Strings : 1968)
17. The Yardbirds - Think About It (live in 2016) (originally by The Yardbirds : 1968)

CD2
1. The Locker Room Cowboys - We Love You (originally by The Rolling Stones : 1967)
2. King Penguin - White Bird (written in 1967, released by It's A Beautiful Day : 1969)
3. Aunt Cynthia's Cabin - Solitary Man (originally by Neil Diamond : 1966)
4. The Luck Of Eden Hall - Reflected (originally by Alice Cooper : 1968)
5. The Honey Pot - Kites (written by Hackaday/Pockriss; recorded by The Rooftop Singers / Simon Dupree and the Big Sound : 1967)
6. London Underground - Mercy, Mercy, Mercy (originally by Cannonball Adderley : 1966)
7. Mysterious Clouds featuring Your Friend - Mobius Trip (originally by H.P. Lovecraft : 1968)
8. Permanent Clear Light - Refugees (originally by Van Der Graaf Generator : 1969)
9. Cary Grace - 1983...(A Merman I Should Turn To Be) (originally by the Jimi Hendrix Experience : 1968)
10. Echo Train - Portland '69 (originally by Hunger : 1969)
11. Moon Goose - It Ain't True (originally by Faine Jade : 1967)
12. July - My Clown (live in 2016) (originally by July : 1968)

CD3
1. Sidewalk Society - A Saying For Today (originally by The Action : 1968) (4:04)
2. Jay Tausig - Let No Man Steal Your Thyme (trad. recorded by Anne Briggs : 1963 / Pentangle : 1968)
3. Magic Bus - Tribal Gathering (originally by The Byrds : 1967)
4. Proud Peasant - Down At Circe's Place (originally by Touch : 1968)
5. Icarus Peel's Acid Reign - Beck's Bolero (originally by Jeff Beck Group : 1966)
6. The Green Ray - Dusty (originally by John Martyn : 1968)
7. Ex Norwegian - Winter (originally by Family : 1968)
8. Consterdine - Fly (originally by J.K. & Co : 1968)
9. The Gold Needles - The Smell of Incense (originally by West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band : 1967)
10. I Am Voyager 1 - I Never Asked To Be Your Mountain (originally by Tim Buckley : 1967)
11. Elfin Bow & Gary Lloyd - Autumn Stone (originally by The Small Faces: 1968)
12. The Telephones - I Can Hear The Grass Grow (originally by The Move : 1967)
13. Fuchsia - See Emily Play (originally by Pink Floyd : 1967)
14. The Purple Gang - Boon Tune (originally by Syd Barrett : 1967)
15. Mr.Armageddon and the Suicide Society - We Are Normal (originally by The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band : 1968)
16. Vert:x - Emotions (originally by Love : 1966)

CD4
1. Chad and Jeremy - Rest In Peace (unplugged) (originally by Chad and Jeremy : 1967)
2. Schizo Fun Addict - Dedicated To The One I Love (originally by The "5" Royales : 1957 / The Mamas and The Papas : 1967)
3. Hanford Flyover - Just Another Day (originally by Neon Pearl : 1967)
4. Us and Them - What Did You Do To My Life (originally by Neil Young: 1968)
5. Nathan Hall - Please Read Me (demo) (originally by the Bee Gees: 1967)
6. Cat Frequency - Ski-ing (originally by George Harrison : 1968)
7. The Alain Pire Experience - Only A Northern Song (originally by the Beatles : 1967)
8. Cranium Pie - Baby You're A Rich Man (originally by The Beatles : 1967)
9. LoveyDove - Gently As You Feel (originally by The Flies : 1967)
10. Crystal Jacqueline Acoustic Band - Granchester Meadows (originally by Pink Floyd : 1969)
11. Back Street Carnival - Pretty Song from 'Psych-Out' (originally by The Strawberry Alarm Clock : 1968)
12. Claudio Cataldi with Aldo Ammirata - White Light, White Heat (originally by the Velvet Underground : 1968)
13. The Lemon Clocks - Crimson & Clover (originally by Tommy James & The Shondells : 1968)
14. Marc Brierley - Welcome To The Citadel (solo in 2018) (originally by Marc Brierley : 1968)
15. I Am Voyager 1 - Sky Children (originally by Kaleidoscope : 1967)
16. The Pretty Things - Loneliest Person (live at the Half Moon in 2010) (originally by The Pretty Things : 1968)