Four-hour anthology of recordings that anticipated the late 70s Power Pop movement
While the early 70s musical landscape in Britain was largely dominated by introspective singer/songwriters, Bubblegum Pop and underground Rock bands, a handful of acts bravely continued to pursue the classic mid-60s group sound.
With the aid of increasingly sophisticated recording studios, they majored in crisp, muscular, hook-laden three-minute pop songs, bursting with chiming Rickenbacker guitars, irresistible choruses and Beatles/Beach Boys-inspired close harmonies.
A few (Slade, Pilot, the ill-starred Badfinger) found commercial success, but the likes of Starry Eyed And Laughing, Shape Of The Rain and Octopus proved to be the right bands at the wrong time – too late for the British Invasion that had swept America in the mid-60s, too early to hitch a ride on the late 70s Power Pop bandwagon.
Featuring Badfinger, Slade, The Move, Stealers Wheel, Pilot, Dave Edmunds, Brinsley Schwarz, Honeybus, The Kinks, The Who, etc
‘Miles Out To Sea’ assembles the pick of these recordings, with household names and hit singles (including The First Class’s classic Beach Boys cop ‘Beach Baby’) joined by cult Power Pop names (Rockin’ Horse, Liverpool Echo, Pagliaro) obscure one-off 45s (Atlantis, Fresh Air, Big Star-soundalikes Rotten To The Core), cuts from privately-pressed or non-UK albums (Rusty, Shakane, Majority One, Ironbridge) and many unreleased-at-the-time tracks (including pre-Records band The Fabulous Ratbites From Hell and a previously- unissued demo by pre-Rusty act Sheephouse, who cut a collectible Decca single).
Featuring a clamshell box design that houses a lavishly-annotated and illustrated 48-page booklet, ‘Miles Out To Sea’ is a fascinating document of a musical genre that would only really be identified and cherished after the fact. File under Pure-Pop-For-Then-People.
Look out for UK Subs: Yellow Leader – Double 10″ Colour Vinyl Edition
• Double 10” of the Punk legend UK Subs’ 2015 album back on vinyl for the first time since its original release.
• The album tracklisting has been restored to its full running order of 18 tracks – previous vinyl editions had to cut four tracks due to running times.
• Disc One has been pressed on red vinyl and Disc Two has been pressed on turquoise colored vinyl.
• Includes the ‘Sin City Blues’ single.
• With a brilliant homage to the famous artist Roy Lichtenstein gatefold sleeve including all the lyrics.