Summer’s here and the time is right . . . for a carefully-curated compendium of late 1960s California sunshine from the vaults of several hallowed West Coast indie labels and production houses.
Big Beat’s Trip On Me: Soft Psych & Sunshine 1966-69 features 24 pop-psych nuggets replete with a healthy dose of dulcet harmony, jazz-tinged charts and studio freakery. All were recorded in Hollywood or the San Francisco Bay Area for collectable labels like Mira and Era or maverick outfits such as producer Gary S Paxton and SF’s Trident Productions.
The legendary Curt Boettcher appears not only as producer but also as backing vocalist on several cuts, as well as featured artist on a fascinating demo. Collectable obscurities such JP Rags, the Pretty People and A Thousand Faces are joined by sunshine pop staples The Forum, Primrose Circus and Filipino female quintet The Third Wave, who are represented by two rare early recordings.
Drawn from unreleased masters and session tapes with top-notch sound quality, and detailed liner notes revealing the facts behind such unheralded acts as the Lollipop Fantasy, Candy Company and A Small World, Trip On Me is an essential purchase for 60s pop fanciers of all persuasions.
1. SOUL SUNRISE - JP Rags
2. TRIP ON ME - The Forum
3. NIKI - The Third Wave
4. GOING TO SAN DIEGO - The Pretty People
5. THE LIFE YOU LEAD - A Small World
6. A THOUSAND FACES - The Thousand Faces
7. SUGAR STONE - The Candy Company
8. LAZY BONES - The Tricycle
9. PS CALL ME LULU - The Primrose Circus
10. OUT IN THE OPEN - The Justice League
11. MEADOWS AND FLOWERS - Curt Boettcher
12. SONG RIDER - The Pretty People
13. SOMEDAY SUNDAY - The Gettysbyrg Address
14. ROAMIN' - The High
15. THREE KINGFISHERS FERRIS WHEEL – The Third Wave
16. GO TO TRY AND PUT OUT THE SUN - The Forum
17. BELLS OF SAINT BARBARA - JP Rags
18. RICHARD AND ME - Evergreen Tangerine
19. TINKLING GLASSES - Tomorrow's World
20. SOMEWHERE - The Tricycle
21. LITTLE BALLOON LADY - The Gallery
22. SUMMER FLOWER (SHE'S ON MY MIND) – The Crystal Set
23. IT'S A GROOVY WORLD - The Lollipop Fantasy
24. UNTIL NOW - Augie Moreno
