MAGIC MIXTURE - This is The Magic Mixture, 1968 (England, London, heavy psych)(Saga FID 2125)

1968 psych classic which has been much sought after as a fine exponent of the UK's swinging London psych scene. Released on the same label as Guy and David's "Five Day Week Straw People". Like that album this is typical melodic late '60s psych with hammond, screaming wah-wah guitar breaks and Cream-like vocals.

UK heavy-psych classic, originally released on the budget Saga label. The modest cover art and relative band anonymity betray an accomplished collection of twelve original tracks, with solo guitar blasts and zonked harmonies a plenty, anchored by some thunderous Hammond. A blanket of warm, hazy production makes this every bit the equal of labelmates The Five Day Week Straw People, and both nestle comfortably next to the filler-free full-lengths of 'underground' icons Second Hand, Open Mind, The Art, etc."

Originally released on Saga, this superb piece of psychedelic freakbeat should be in every record collection sharing section with UK psych gods like July, Skip Bifferty, Forever Amber, Five Day Week Straw People, The Open Mind and the likes. Even though according to the The Tapestry Of Delights book, the Saga LP's are supposed to have been recorded at a school premises rather than in a proper studio, this album has become a classic of the genre on its own, containing some killer psychedelic sounds delivered mainly by the guitar of leader Jim Thomas and his bandmate Stan Curtis' organ riffs. The line-up was completed with Jack Collins on drums and Melvyn Hacker on bass guitar. The songs are all original Magic Mixture compositions, and they are all excellent samples of what was going on in the UK when the genres who had been en vogue during the '60s (modern jazz, folk, R&B, pop...) were all put into the same cauldron in the search of a special mixture, eventually obtaining some great pop tunes played with a freakbeat edge and some early psychedelic sounds -- all pretty simple and without many gimmicks or studio trickery -- but amazingly lovely and very cool. It is one of the most sought-after Saga releases and one that commands high sums when it shows up on eBay.

Line-up

Jim Thomas - vocals, guitar
Stan Curtis - organ
Melvyn Hacker - bass
Jack Collins [aka Jack McCulloch] - drums


Tracklisting

1. (I'm so) sad 4:15
2. Urge to leave 2:32
3. You 2:58
4. Slowly the day 3:55
5. New Man 3:00
6. Living on a hill 2:57
7. It's allright by me 3:01
8. When I was young 2:55
9. Hey little girl 2:24
10. Tomorrow's sun 3:20
11. Motor bike song 2:33
12. Moon beams 4:02