UMC
Selected by long-time collector and compiler Phil Smee – the man who coined the term ‘freakbeat’, no less – here are 14 impossibly rare killer freakbeat and psychedelic sides, presented over seven 45rpm singles, all with authentic reproduction labels and sleeves. Obtaining the original 7"s would take a lifetime to collect and set you back over £10,000. Originally released between 1965 and 1969, the singlesized booklet in the box tells you everything you need to know about these no-hit wonders. Freakbeat fans will delight at the inclusion of Wimple Winch’s seminal Save My Soul, while other fuzz-drenched mayhem is on offer from The Eyes, The Fleur De Lys and Ronnie Wood’s The Birds. Sure, the psych-pop of Tintern Abbey and Kaleidoscope was probably influenced more by a window of opportunity than the doors of perception; nevertheless, the trippy phasing, backwards tapes and Mellotrons offer a brilliant acid-tinged 60s flashback.