When
the Beatles
released "Penny Lane" in early 1967, it struck a tinkling, twinkling chord with a generation of budding English eccentrics, oddballs, and bandwagon jumpers. Suddenly everyone and their Uncle Arthur embraced music hall-inspired, psychedelically inclined vignettes about little old ladies, tottling trains, precocious kiddies, and other topics previously deemed not very "rock & roll." It was a rock-ribbed group indeed who could withstand the urge to join in; even the mighty
Stones
fell prey to the charms of toytown in a weak moment. The kids at heart who run
Grapefruit Records
feel no shame to hold a soft spot for this sound, and
Climb Aboard My Roundabout! The British Toytown Pop Sound 1967-1974
is a cornucopia of harpsichords, vocal harmonies, bubblegum-sticky melodies, corner-pub piano thumping, and Mellotron whirl. From bands as big as
the Kinks
,
David Bowie
, and
the Spencer Davis Group
to small-fry groups such as
Dragonmilk
Kidrock
the Cortinas
Persimmon's Peculiar Shades
and a bunch --
the Mindbenders
the Shadows
Tomorrow
the Idle Race
-- who land somewhere in between, the collection makes a case that this mostly overlooked, sometimes derided variant of psychedelia is just as wonderfully weird and tuneful -- and brilliant -- as any other strain. Yes, it can be childish, it can be silly, and some of the songs here stretch the boundaries of believability, but that's all part of the charm. Who would be such a tough nut not to be swept away by the creaky falsetto and swinging beat of
the Wimple Winch
's "Lollipop Minds" or the gentle mod clang and thrilling vocal harmonies of
Scrugg
's "Lavender Popcorn." Who wouldn't be tickled by the rollicking good nature of
Magic Valley
's "Uptight Basil" or the drunken singalong at sea of
the Alan Bown!
's "Mutiny." Who wouldn't be moved by
Harmony Grass
' nostalgic ballad "Happiness Is Toy Shaped" or
Tim Andrews
' lachrymose "Sad Simon Lives Again." Hard-hearted bums who don't believe in magic, that's who! Everyone else is free to proclaim
Mark Wirtz
-- creator of both
Keith West
's "Excerpt from a Teenage Opera" and his own "(He's Our Dear Old) Weatherman," two pinnacles of the sound -- the honorary mayor of Toytown and start looking for their own little gingerbread house to move into. Maybe it's on the side of town that skews a little tougher and where the neighbor might be
Ambrose Slade
(later to drop the Ambrose), or maybe it's the twee side where
Friends
rouse the block with a chorus of "Piccolo Man" every morning. No matter where one ends up, this collection will be the perfect soundtrack to a life well lived. Fine for listening straight through on a tangerine-colored Sunday afternoon spent wandering -- either a meadow or bustling city streets -- it's also an invaluable source for further discovery. In fact, one would be hard-pressed to find a compilation more focused, more well curated, or more enjoyable than this. ~ Tim Sendra