This box set of UK psych-pop was released by the folks at Mojo Magazine in 2001.....it has it's moments, including some VERY mainstream acts (with, in some cases, some of their very lesser available work) and also some inclusions that are HIGHLY questionable.....not the greatest set I've ever heard, but again, trying to keep the overlap to a minimum.....Disc 1 (GOTTA include these goofball subtitles) "Down to Middle Earth (wait they get MUCH sillier) brings us widely known Procol Harum, The Nice, and even The Who (!), but to the credit of the programmers these are some VERY rare tracks by each of them, what possible good, say, would it do any of us to include, say "Whiter Shade of Pale"? The Who track ("Armenia City In the Sky") is, let us say, " not great", but like yesterday's Doors inclusion, at least it is something
Disc Two ("Gandalf's Garden", geez) again, gives
us a few rare tracks by some well knowns, Donovan's "Celeste" is a better choice for a comp than something more obvious like "Atlantis" or "Sunshine Superman", The Incredible String Band (who, in all honesty I am not all THAT familar with) give us "Witches Hat", July's "The Way" is interesting, but the oddball highlight is without a doubt "Magician" by Amazing Friendly Apple, out there to be sure. The track by Caleb ("Baby Your Phrasing is Bad") is almost criminally over-comped, but it's a forgiveable sin to get, also, The Moles "We Are the Moles" and "Screams in My Ears" by Bill Fay, among others.
The third disc ("Mushroom Soup") kicks off with an awful track from Purple Gang called "Granny Takes a Trip", there are also really lame stuff from Peter Cook & Dudley Moore and Denny Laine. It also includes a version of The Smoke's often comped "My Friend Jack" which, in this version, has the beginning hacked off which renders it useless...another bitch I have about this c is petty, as it is the inclusion of the very common "Hurdy Gurdy Man" from Donovan and "I Can Hear the Grass Grow" by the Move, which while common as dirt are both (in my opinion) awesome tracks, and "Sky Pilot" from the Animals, which is one of my very fave 
One problem.....when I started loading the CD's, I
foundout that both Discs 3 AND 4 were all dicked up, Disc 3 stopping at Track 15, which omits the tracks from The Animals ("Sky Pilot!"), Traffic, and Simon Dupree & The Big Sound........Disc 4 was WORSE, with only 13 of the 18 tracks available (God knows how this shit happens sometimes).....so THAT left out Herbal Mixture, Tomorrow, The Sorrows, Koobas, and Sam Gopal Dream.......now, to demonstrate that this stuff, for the most part, isn't THAT super-rare (some is, bear with me a minute, I think I'm trying to make a point), I was able to extract each and every one of those tracks from OTHER CD sources, The Animals, Traffic, imon Dupree, Herbal Mixture, and Koobas from their original albums, and The Sorrows and Tomorrow from other comps......BUT I cannot locate "Escalator" by Sam Gopal Dream.....I cannot even find the Sam Gopal disc that I KNOW I have (somewhere), but even if I could find it I don't know if "Escalator" is on it (it does not really ring a bell)......BUT I did go the extra mile and HAND PROGRAM 7 of 8 tracks, I am such the goddamn man it amazed even me, but I have a request, just ONE track, if any friends out their have "Escalator" by Sam Gopal, PLEEEEEEZE upload and share it......again, so that anyone who WANTS this whole set can get it and blah blah blah.......
Sometimes this blog is a pain in my ass, but I really DO like doing it (I STRIVE for something each day, at least, with varying rates of success), and the reasons I've bored ya with before.....I want
DISC 02-01 KALEIDOSCOPE-Flight From Ashiya/02 JULY-The Way/03 INCREDIBLE STRING BAND-Witches Hat/04 DONOVAN-Celeste/05 RAMASES & SELKET-Mind's Eye/06 END-Shades of Orange/07 VIRGIN SLEEP-Love/08 BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST-Pools of Blue/09 TALES OF JUSTINE-Monday Morning/10 BILLY NICHOLLS-Girl From New York/11 THE ACCENT-Red Sky at Night/12 MICK SOFTLEY-Am I the Red One/13 ORANGE BICYCLE-Laura's Garden/14 CALEB-Baby Your Phrasing Is Bad/15 AMAZINGLY FRIENDLY APPLE-Magician/16 MOLES-We Are the Moles/17 MICHAELANGELO-23rd Turnoff/18 BILL DAY-Screams In My Ears
DISC 04-01 THE ATTACK-Colours of My Mind/02 ALLEN POUND'S GET RICH-Searchin In theWilderness/03 FIRE-Father's Name Was Dad/04 ORANGE MACHINE-Dr Crippin's Waiting Room/05 PENNY PEEPS-Model Villiage/06 FAIRYTALE-Run and Hide/07 MANDRAKE PADDLE STEAMER-Strange Walking Man/08 STATUS QUO-When My Mind Is Not In Love/09 POETS-In Your Tower/10 SANDS-Listen to the Sky/11 SYD BARRETT-Octopus/12 APPLE-The Other Side/13 FLIES-I'm Not Your Steppin Stone/14 HERBAL MIXTURE-Machines (different source used)/15 TOMORROW-Revolution (different source used)/16 THE SORROWS-You've Got What I Want (different source used)/17 KOOBAS-Royston Rose (different source used)/18 SAM GOPAL DREAM-Escalator (so, help a brother out?)
Interesting set, not the greatest, but interesting....probably could pare the highlights down to about a disc and a half easilly and not miss a beat, but that is often the case is it not?