These two slabs are one of the best 80s compilations of UK 60’s underground, R&B, Freakbeat and Psych [next to ‘Chocolate Soup For Diabetics’, The Perfumed Garden and ‘Rubble’ comps]. Issued in ’89 LPs by AIP Records [known for ‘Highs in the mid 60’s’, ‘Pebbles’] as repacked versions of ‘Electric Sugarcube Flashbacks’ vols 1&2 from ’83, now with better genre sellection. Vol.3 is R&B/Freakbeat oriented collection featuring groups as The Wheels, Southern Sound, Brand, Chicago Line, Mickey Finn, Nix Nomads, The Beat Merchants, The Smoke… while Volume 4 contains [now a classic] Psych/Freakbeat of The Pandamonium, The Factory, Herbal Mixture, Skip Bifferty, Les Fleur De Lys, The French Revolution, Big Boy Pete… Many of these groups became ‘famous’ after such comps and had their own particular reissues.
For me this was a real cool entrance into fantastic world of British 60’s underground rock some 25 years ago. Even thought they omited many seminal UK freakbeat groups as The Eyes, The Sorrows, Action, John’s Children, The Birds, The Attack, and after so many years and zillions of simmilar comps, these two are still my favs [especially vol.4]. Vol.3 is a Vinyl rip while Vol.4 has enhanced sound from best possible sources. Try A Little Sunshine!
SURFADELIC 