Crystal Blue Symphonies: The Psychedelic Years
April 27, 2009

Product Description
Wow, another in our splendid series of overlooked Psychpop...and what a corker it is! In Europe at least, Tommy James is kind of the forgotten man of the 1960s...hit after hit, and what's available in Europe? Nothing much! After a run of megahits that included ‘Mony Mony’ (come on, everyone remembers that!), Tommy was ready to unleash his very own psychpop masterpieces…two fabulous albums released in short order, "Crimson and Clover" and "Cellophane Symphony"…veritable orgies of bendy pop, psych extravaganzas, early Moogs, theremins and tremolo!

These are two albums long overdue for the Rev-Ola treatment and here they are both in one handy place!

Crimson & Clover
1. Crimson And Clover
2. Kathleen McArthur
3. I Am A Tangerine
4. Do Something To Me
5. Crystal Blue Persuasion
6. Sugar On Sunday
7. Breakaway
8. Smokey Roads
9. I'm Alive
10. Crimson And Clover (Reprise)

Cellophane Symphony
11. Cellophane Symphony
12. Makin' Good Time
13. Evergreen
14. Sweet Cherry Wine
15. Papa Rolled His Own
16. Changes
17. Loved One
18. I Know Who I Am
19. The Love Of A Woman
20. On Behalf Of The Entire Staff And Management

Amazon USA:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001UJSTOO/?tag=imwan-20

Amazon UK:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001UJSTOO/?tag=imwan-21

I already have a twofer of those on Rhino.

Tommy James
October 26, 2009

Product Description
From the childlike psychedelia of the cover, with it's upward dripping colours, to the tough sound of the tracks, this is a new departure for Tommy James, as he waves his 3 album restless farewell to his label of many years, Roulette Records.

The album was cut at music business hub 1650 Broadway, backed partly by the Shondells and partly by "Neon", a group Tommy was producing for Paramount Records, who were to become his new studio and touring band. Their hard, gutsy style was perfect for Tommy's new musical persona which now relied more heavily on rhythm and a grittier guitar sound. The result was a masterpiece of underground New York pop, in the same ballpark as The Velvet Underground's "Loaded"...despite producing a couple of hit singles, this excellent album has had nowhere near the currency of Tommy's work with The Shondells...until now....

Customer Review
This LP, Tommy James' first solo effort, has been reissued before as part of a two-fer on James' own Aura imprint, but Rev-Ola does a fine job with this new UK release. It's a short album (about 27 minutes), so Rev-Ola adds both sides of James' subsequent single, in mono, as bonus tracks.

That single was James' version of "Church Street Soul Revival," which he and Ritchie Cordell had written and previously produced for the Exiles, backed with the original version of "Draggin' the Line," sans horns. The credits here state that both tracks "were originally released as non-LP single Roulette 7103 in 1970." Not exactly. It was Roulette 7093. After the release of "Adrienne," "Draggin' the Line" was revamped with horns added and issued as the A-side of Roulette 7103, backed with "Bits and Pieces." While both songs issued on Roulette 7093 were indeed non-LP at the time, both were included on James' subsequent LP, "Christian of the World," but there, "Draggin' the Line" has the added horns. This CD marks the first time the original version, without horns, has been reissued since it appeared on the B-side of Roulette 7093. So, collectors will appreciate its inclusion, but others will likely be misled by Rev-Ola's write-up for the CD stating that it includes the "hit single," which has the horns, while this version does not. But don't let that deter you. This is a great LP which won't disappoint even a casual fan.

1. Ball And Chain
2. Meet The Comer
3. Midnight Train
4. Light Of Day
5. Come To Me
6. I Lost My Baby
7. Lady Jane
8. Quicksilver

— Bonus Tracks —
9. Draggin' The Line [Original Mono Single Version Without Horns: B-Side Of Roulette 7093]
10. Church Street Soul Revival [Original Mono Single Version: A-Side Of Roulette 7093]

Amazon USA:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002NV9AD2/?tag=imwan-20

Amazon UK:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002NV9AD2/?tag=imwan-21

2010 is shaping up to be a Tommy James year and that is a good thing!

Groovy!

Has anyone heard these? If so, how do they sound compared to older versions?

Picked up "Tommy James" which I had never heard before, except "Draggin' the Line." It's pretty good -- not a great album, but better than I expected.

Sorry, I can't compare the sound to any previous versions, but it sounds really good for an old recording.