VA - Spirit Of Joy, Tales From The Polydor Underground 1967-1974 [2008] (3 x CDs)

 

POLYDOR UNDERGROUND

VA - Spirit Of Joy, Tales From The Polydor Underground 1967-1974 [2008] (3 x CDs)

Hot on the heels of "Strange Pleasures" (the second 3 CD Decca/Deram box set of late 60's/early 70's underground sounds) Universal Music has again let Esoteric Records boss Mark Powell loose in its vaults. After issuing similar box sets of Vertigo material and the aforementioned Decca/Derams, Mark (teamed again with maestro Paschal Byrne at the mixing desk and the highly creative Phil Smee in the design room) has produced another excellent offering. As with the aforementioned releases, the packaging is first rate. The 3 CDs come in their own mini fake aged LP sleeves accompanied by an informative 48-page booklet with a section per artiste and plenty of rare photos/original album covers. In his introduction, Powell also gives a history of the label and how it came to acquire the MGM Verve catalogue, Giorgio Gomelsky's Marmalade label and its links with Track and Reaction which allow this boxset a far wider selection of material than would have applied to the main Polydor imprint alone.

Polydor was not however a label I associated with the "underground". After all it was, at heart, a major German classical label and its pop/rock roster included mega selling bands such as Cream (on Robert Stigwood's Reaction imprint) and the Who (on the Who management's Track label) both of which feature strongly here. This set also boasts top 10 singles by Thunderclap Newman, Julie Driscoll and Arthur Brown - so hardly qualification as an underground label. However, the inclusion of material by Ladbroke Grove's Pink Fairies, unknowns like the Web and Second Hand plus obscure singles by Van Der Graaf Generator (slightly manic) and Jethro Tull go a long way to establishing real underground credentials. As a German Label Polydor also had a fair sprinkling of European bands: Golden Earring, Focus, Tangerine Dream, Faust, Supersister and Aphrodite's Child. Although euro bands tended to enjoy limited credibility in the UK back in the day, the selections here are all worthy inclusions showing highly skilled musicianship. 

All in all, fewer unearthed obscure gems than its predecessors and whilst the selections will inevitably not, please everybody this is another highly enjoyable, well-conceived and executed package. (Amazon)

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Also, you can find these here:

VA - Strangely Strange But Oddly Normal, An Island Anthology 1967-1972 [2005] + Strange Pleasures, Further Sounds of the Decca Underground [2008] (6 x CD's)

https://butterboycompilations.blogspot.com/2021/10/va-strangely-strange-but-oddly-normal.html

VA - Legend Of A Mind, The Underground Anthology [2003] (3 x CD's)

https://butterboycompilations.blogspot.com/2021/10/va-legend-of-mind-underground-anthology.html

VA - Time Machine A Vertigo Retrospective [2005] CD1 + CD2 + CD3

https://butterboycompilations.blogspot.com/2019/05/va-time-machine-vertigo-retrospective.html

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Track list

CD1

01 Crazy World Of Arthur Brown Prelude - Nightmare 3:29

02 Crazy World Of Arthur Brown Fire Poem 1:51

03 Crazy World Of Arthur Brown Fire 2:55

04 Creation How Does It Feel To Feel 3:06

05 Soft Machine Feelin', Reelin', Squealin' 2:52

06 Eric Burdon & The Animals Good Times 3:01

07 Fairport Convention It's Alright Ma, It's Only Witchcraft 3:14

08 Cream We're Going Wrong 3:27

09 Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity This Wheel's On Fire 3:33

10 Jethro Tull Sunshine Day 2:25

11 Taste Born On The Wrong Side Of Time 3:57

12 Van Der Graaf Generator People You Were Going To 2:46

13 Who Dogs 3:04

14 Caravan Grandma's Lawn 3:24

15 Second Hand Reality 8:42

16 Eric Burdon & The Animals All Is One 7:48

17 Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity Road To Cairo 5:16

18 Aphrodite's Child Magic Mirror 2:53

19 Van Der Graaf Generator Firebrand 4:08

20 Cream Deserted Cities Of The Heart 3:38

CD2

01 The Who Amazing Journey 4:29

02 Jack Bruce Weird Of Hermiston 2:21

03 Audience Banquet 3:35

04 Julie Driscoll Break Out 5:16

05 Thunderclap Newman Something In The Air 3:56

06 John Mclaughlin Extrapolation 3:54

07 Supersister She Was Naked 3:44

08 The Tony Williams Lifetime One Word 3:46

09 Taste Sinner Boy (Live At The Isle Of Wight Pop Festival) 5:29

10 Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come Gypsy Escape 7:35

11 Ginger Baker's Air Force Let Me Ride 4:24

12 Rory Gallagher Can't Believe It's True 7:16

13 Supersister No Tree Will Grow (On Too High A Mountain) 7:39

14 The Pink Fairies War Girl 4:34

15 Pete Townshend Time Is Passing 3:27

16 Tangerine Dream Sunrise In The Third System 4:22

17 Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come Spirit Of Joy 3:09

CD3

01 Pink Fairies Prologue 1:22

02 Pink Fairies Right On, Fight On 7:59

03 Who Naked Eye 5:28

04 Jack Bruce There's A Forest 1:46

05 Jack Bruce Morning Story 4:56

06 Brian Auger's Oblivion Express A Better Land 5:32

07 Web I Spider 8:38

08 Faust Meadow Meal 8:03

09 Rare Bird Epic Forest 9:12

10 Medicine Head Rising Sun 4:44

11 Golden Earring Are You Receiving Me 9:32

12 Barclay James Harvest The Great 1974 Mining Disaster 4:40

13 Focus Hocus Pocus 6:41

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