Psychedelia Original Album Series

          I ordered a 5 CD set called Psychedelia from eBay. It includes The Gods, Idle Race, Tomorrow, July, and the last Yardbirds album. It's only $17 shipping included, coming from Malaysia. Originally I was looking for an Alice Cooper collection and almost bought a 5 or 10 CD set until I realized I couldn't listen to that whacker so much; a ‘greatest hits’ of his early stuff would do and I still might buy one. 

          I got "Psychedelic"; the set of 5 original albums yesterday and listened to two on my two-way to class last evening; Tomorrow with Steve Howe and The Idle Race with Jeff Lynn. I like Tomorrow better. Jeff Lynn brought Idle Race to the Move and ELO; you can see his style repeated and is a bit boring to know he hadn't added much over the years. I would not vote him in the RnR Hall of Fame for that reason. Funny that writing this I accidentally engaged the iTunes and am listening to Traffic's first great album as I write. 

          I also considered getting Original Series 5 CD sets of Bonzo Dog Band, Incredible String Band, and Alice Cooper, each $20 including shipping to Taiwan, but purchased none.

          I listened to the remaining three CD’s from the “Psychedelia Original Album Series” on my ride to and from Shengang yesterday. I liked July the best; it featured Tom Newman on vocals and guitar; he’s the producer of Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bell albums and a solo artist. “Creation” by The Gods has a Wurlitzer heavy organ with thick harmonies with Hensley who went on to sing, play and write in Uriah Heep; he wrote “Easy Livin’” among others. It’s more progressive rock gothic than Psychedelia. The Yardbirds “Little Games,” an album that apparently wasn’t released until 2003, was not really Psychedelia but for a few sound effects. Jimmy Page’s guitar was clearly evident, especially on “White Summer,” an instrumental that sounded like Black Mountain Side with its Indian raga feel. Of all five CD’s “July” is my favorite (too bad it was not recorded in stereo) closely followed by Tomorrow. 
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