Various Artists - New Moon's In The Sky (The British Progressive Pop Sounds Of 1970) (2019) [3CD]

Like the late ’60s that had just come to a shuddering close, 1970 was a confusing time for music in the U.K. (and everywhere else too). Psychedelia was fading out, bubblegum was on its last bounce, prog was getting fired up, and bands were getting heavier, moving to the country, and searching for mellow vibes. An expansive overview of the year would make for some very eclectic listening; the Grapefruit label chose to narrow the scope down just a bit on their three-disc collection New Moon’s in the Sky: The British Progressive Pop Sounds of 1970. The bands they chose were operating on the fringes of the pop scene; some of them were old hands like Honeybus, the Marmalade, and the Hollies, some were superstars caught on the rise (the Sweet), and the large majority of them were lost to the sands of time. Check names like Rusty Harness, Hard Meat, Ancient Grease, or She Trinity, and if you remember them, you were probably a member. Some of these obscure groups provide highlights: Stray’s “Around the World in Eighty Days” is rambling, post-Byrds psych-pop; the Seychelles’ “I Will Be There” is a fun mashup of swinging ’60s pop and easy listening vocal harmonies; Affinity’s tender Brit-folk ballad “United States of Mind” is one of the few songs with a female vocalist; Bachdenkel deliver an amazing proto-metal fantasy rocker with some truly fiery guitar leads on “An Appointment with the Mater”; and Putney Bridge come through with a grown-up stick of bubblegum on the singsong “What’s It All About.” Along with these lost gems are fun songs by bands on the cusp of prog but not quite there yet (Barclay James Harvest’s rollicking “Good Love Child”), settling into their denim-clad role in life (Status Quo’s “Shy Fly”), dipping into metal by way of some evil psych-blues (UFO’s “Treacle People”), or getting ready to launch into space (Hawkwind’s folky “Hurry on Sundown”). Overall, the songs chosen for the set show that there was a healthy bit of experimentation and freedom in the air and everyone here took a deep breath. If a band wanted to make music that sounded like an elevator ride to the moon soundtracked by the Beach Boys — Harmony Grass’ “I’ve Seen to Dream” — they went for it. If they thought slapping some unhinged Syd Barrett-style guitar freak-out on a grooving country-rocker worked — Kevin Ayers & the Whole World’s “Singing a Song in the Morning” — they let it rip. It makes for an extremely fun collection of musical weirdness that’s tied together by a strong pop sensibility. No matter how weird the song, these groups still thought they had a chance at a hit. Of course, there are no hits here, but the collection itself is a smash. A few decades too late for the bands, yet just in time for lovers of oddball pop, off-kilter productions, and stylistic leaps of faith. ― by Allmusic

CD 1
01. Procol Harum – Piggy Pig Pig – 04:46
02. Barclay James Harvest – Good Love Child – 05:08
03. Five Day Rain – Good Year – 04:02
04. Hawkwind – Hurry On Sundown – 04:57
05. Stray – Around The World In Eighty Days – 03:38
06. The Humblebums – All The Best People Do It – 03:02
07. Magna Carta – Give Me No Goodbye – 03:10
08. Cressida – Winter Is Coming Again – 04:44
09. Tim Andrews – Tiny Goddess – 02:39
10. Angel Pavement – Jennifer – 02:19
11. Harmony Grass – Ive Seen To Dream – 03:16
12. Penny Arcade – The Two Of Us – 03:10
13. River – California Here I Come – 03:20
14. Canticle – My Minds Eye – 02:18
15. Plastic Penny – Celebrity Ball – 02:42
16. Patto – Time To Die – 02:58
17. The Sweet – Mr McGallagher – 02:45
18. The Seychelles – I Will Be There – 02:44
19. The Good Vibrations – Call Me Lightning – 02:21
20. The Tremeloes – Me And My Life – 03:09
21. Kevin Ayers – Singing A Song In The Morning – 02:54
22. The Flying Machine – The Flying Machine – 02:39
23. Love Sculpture – In The Land Of The Few – 03:22
24. She Trinity – Climb That Tree – 03:38

CD 2
01. The Marmalade – Kaleidoscope – 04:07
02. Honeybus – Under The Silent Tree – 04:02
03. Putney Bridge – Whats It All About – 03:15
04. Jawbone – Across The Universe – 03:47
05. Atomic Rooster – Devils Answer (Demo Version) – 04:01
06. The Fox – Lovely Day – 03:27
07. Blonde On Blonde – Castles In The Sky – 03:28
08. Curved Air – Blind Man – 03:33
09. Meic Stevens – Rowena – 03:08
10. Lifeblud – Bridge – 02:24
11. Rusty Harness – Goodbye – 02:57
12. Ancient Grease – Time To Die – 04:06
13. U.F.O – Treacle People – 03:25
14. The Smoke – Playing With Magic – 03:05
15. The Others – Mr Dieingly Sad – 02:41
16. David And David – In The City – 03:14
17. Steamhammer – Levinia – 03:22
18. Fickle Pickle – Sam And Sadie – 02:17
19. The Regime – Mr And Mrs Franklin – 02:04
20. The Hollies – Mad Professor Blyth – 02:17
21. Yellow Taxi – Anna Laura Lee – 02:27
22. Paper Bubble – Mother Mother Mother – 03:06
23. Andromeda – Step This Way – 04:03
24. The Fut – Have You Heard The Word – 04:32

CD 3
01. Warhorse – St Louis – 03:50
02. Bachdenkel – An Appointment With The Master – 05:17
03. Status Quo – Shy Fly – 03:48
04. Andrew Bown – Tarot – 02:26
05. Octopus – Thief – 03:36
06. Affinity – United States Of Mind – 02:46
07. Doctor Father – Umbopo – 05:32
08. This Side Up – Together In The Night – 03:01
09. The Gods – Hes Growing – 02:28
10. Hard Meat – Through A Window – 04:00
11. Iron Maiden – Ned Kelly – 03:12
12. The Move – What – 06:42
13. Sheridan And Price – Lightning Never Strikes – 02:39
14. Flashman – Hard Selling Woman – 02:30
15. Airbus – Alias Oliver Dream – 02:55
16. Killing Floor – Soon There Will Be Everything – 03:53
17. Love Street – Rock And Roll Woman – 02:54
18. Savwinkle And Turnerhopper – Your Mother Thinks Im A Hoodlum – 03:18
19. Fire – Flies Like A Bird – 03:58
20. Danny McCulloch – Colour Of The Sunset – 02:41
21. The Ghost – Indian Maid – 04:23
22. Bill Oddie – On Ilkla Moor Baht At – 03:55

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