And so we come to the third edition of the ‘Sweet Relief’ series, here subtitled ‘Love Is Everywhere’. I am fortunate enough to have all three in my collection, and like the last edition this is also a double CD (the first was a triple!). So, we have 27 songs showcasing some of the best power pop and psychedelic acts from around the globe. Some of these songs appear on CD for the first time, are out of print, or are previously unreleased and there is comment on every act by Jeremy Morris in the booklet detailing something about the band or song, as well as always providing contact details. And if that wasn’t enough, all of these albums are raising money for a charity that provides financial aid to victims of natural disasters. To the casual passer by probably the most well-known act would be the Pete Best Band (yes, he of the Beatles), but there are quite a few names here that I recognise along with quite a few that I don’t. There is really only song out of the 27 that I’m not a fan of (The Records’ previously unreleased “Gimme Coca Cola” from 1978), and there are some that I was just blown away by. Probably the two favourites are The Mayflowers and the fuzzed distorted guitar on “Move Over” which contains a riff that just blows the mind, especially when combined with the superb vocals (Japanese? Really? They sound as if they come from San Fran!) along with Mark and the Spies and “Gimme Your Love”. I’ve been listening to quite a bit of The Hollies recently and this definitely fits within that genre.
The last word probably belongs with Jeremy. “I spent three years sorting through stacks of underground music picking out the best tunes I could find. Sit back and listen to what a perfect radio station might sound like in a perfect world!” Well, the world isn’t perfect so you won’t find these songs on a radio station anywhere near you soon, but by going to www.jamrecordings.com you can get this for yourself.
