Follow up to the 2022 release ‘Deep In The Woods’ (curated by Richard Norris (Beyond The Wizards Sleeve/The Grid)

The sequel, ‘The Magic Forest’ is another triple CD set assembling rare cuts and cult favourites from the worlds of psychedelic, pastoral and funky folk from 1968-1975.

Boasting some overlooked gems from long collectable acts such as Mellow Candle, Forest, Agincourt, Knocker Jungle, Zior and many more.

Housed in a 3 CD digipack in a striking wraparound collage by Lyndon Pike.
Celebrating the collision of traditional folk with new psychedelic studio techniques, new and exotic textures, and a developing groove. It's a wide and broad range of styles, drawing from folk, its oral storytelling tradition, and also from jazz, beat, rhythm and blues, and the more mind opening sounds of psychedelia.

‘Pushin’ Too Hard’ is a 94-track celebration of 1960s garage punk, a retrospectively named genre first compiled on Lenny Kaye’s seminal 1972 collection ‘Nuggets’.

This is raw, exciting music with tons of attitude - fuzz guitars, swirling organs, wailing harmonicas, thumping drums and tough vocals are plentiful.

In the mid 1960s, teenage rock ‘n’ roll groups proliferated throughout the USA, often inspired by ‘British Invasion’ bands such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Yardbirds as well as US styles including surf, blues and folk rock. Most towns and cities had local scenes revolving around dance parties, clubs and ‘battle of the bands’ contests and many of the bands here were regional royalty but never broke nationally.

Key bands featured include The Seeds, The Sonics, The Standells, The Shadows Of Knight, The Thirteenth Floor Elevators, Love, The Electric Prunes, Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band, We The People and ? & The Mysterians.

There are national US Billboard Hot 100 hits from Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs – ‘Wooly Bully’ (#2), The Strangeloves – ‘I Want Candy’ (#11), The Castaways – ‘Liar, Liar’ (#12), The Beau Brummels – ‘Just A Little’ (#15), The McCoys – ‘Fever’ (#7), The Bobby Fuller Four – ‘I Fought The Law’ (#9), Paul Revere & The Raiders – ‘Just Like Me’ (#11), The Barbarians – ‘Are You A Boy Or Are You A Girl’ (#55), Love – ‘My Little Red Book’ (#54) , The Knickerbockers – ‘One Track Mind’ (#46) and The Seeds – ‘Pushin’ Too Hard’ (#36) presented here in a longer unedited version.

Rarities from The Blue Beats, The Dirty Wurds, The Apparitions, The Bedlam Four and The Jackals are released here on CD for the first time while many other tracks have never been released in the UK before.

TRACK LISTING

DISC ONE
1.The Rangers – Justine
2. Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs – Wooly Bully
3. The Strangeloves – I Want Candy
4. The Barbarians – Are You A Boy Or Are You A Girl
5. The Denims – I’m Your Man
6. The Castaways – Liar, Liar
7. The Remains – Why Do I Cry
8. The Beau Brummels – Just A Little
9. The Seeds Featuring Sky Saxon – Pushin’ Too Hard (Unedited Version)
10. The Leaves – Too Many People (Single Version)
11. The Front Line – Got Love (Trident Version)
12. The Brogues – I Ain’t No Miracle Worker
13. The Standells – Rari (Extended Version)
14. The Spades – You’re Gonna Miss Me
15. The Lyrics – So What!!
16. The Mad Hatters – I Need Love
17. Don & The Goodtimes – Little Sally Tease
18. The Coastliners – Alright
19. The McCoys – Fever
20. The Bobby Fuller Four – I Fought The Law (Single Version)
21. The JuJus – You Treat Me Bad
22. The Girls – My Baby
23. The Raymarks – Louise
24. The Emperor’s – I Want My Woman
25. Paul Revere & The Raiders – Just Like Me
26. Liverpool Five – Heart (Album Version)
27. The Bad Seeds – A Taste Of The Same
28. Merrell & The Exiles – She’s Gone
29. The Bees – Forget Me Girl
30. The Misunderstood – Don’t Break Me Down
31. The Seeds – Out Of The Question (Version 1, Take 1)

DISC TWO:
1.The Thirteenth Floor Elevators – Tried To Hide (Single Version)
2. Love - My Little Red Book
3. The Mojo Men – She’s My Baby (Autumn Version)
4. The Electric Prunes – Ain’t It Hard
5. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band – Diddy Wah Diddy
6. Dirty Wurds – Mellow Down Easy
7. The Outcasts – I’m In Pittsburgh (And It’s Raining)
8. The Knickerbockers – One Track Mind
9. Rocky & The Riddlers – Flash And Crash
10. The Dimensions – Knock You Flat
11. The Unusuals – I’m Walking, Babe
12. The Shadows Of Knight – Dark Side
13. We The People – Mirror Of Your Mind
14. Sterling Damon – Rejected
15. The Soothsayers – Please, Don’t Be Mad
16. The Esquires – Judgement Day
17. The Century’s – Hard Times
18. The Sonics – You Got Your Head On Backwards
19. Link Wray & The Raymen – Hidden Charms
20. The Misunderstood – Thunder ‘N’ Lightnin’
21. Zakary Thaks – She’s Got You
22. The Squires – Going All The Way
23. The Blue Beats – Extra Girl
24. The Free-For-All – Show Me The Way
25. Chris Morgan & The Togas – There She Goes
26. The Executioners – I Want The Rain (Vocal)
27. Limey & The Yanks – Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind
28. The Apparitions – She’s So Satisfyin’
29. The Hustlers – If You Try
30. The Echoes Of Carnaby Street – No Place Or Time
31. Sparkles - No Friend Of Mine
32. Velvet Illusions – Velvet Illusions

DISC THREE
1.The Standells – Barracuda
2. We The People – You Burn Me Up And Down
3. The Rationals – I Need You
4. The Other Half – Mr. Pharmacist
5. Neal Ford & The Fanatics – Shame On You
6. The Choir – It’s Cold Outside
7. The Newbeats – Top Secret
8. The Fire Escape – Love Special Delivery
9. ? & The Mysterians – Girl (You Captivate Me)
10. The Third Bardo – I’m Five Years Ahead Of My Time
11. Ken & The Forth Dimension – See If I Care
12. The Off-Beats – Tired Of Crying
13. The Mistics – Why Baby Why
14. The Headstones – Bad Day Blues
15. Roy Junior (Roy Acuff Jr.) – Victim Of Circumstances
16. The Sparkles - Hipsville 29 B.C. (I Need Help)
17. The Jackals – Love Times Eight
18. The Galaxies IV – Piccadilly Circus
19. Front Page News – Thoughts
20. Fenwyck – Mindrocker
21. The Jefferson Handerchief – I’m Allergic To Flowers
22. The Buddhas – Lost Innocence
23. The Ohio Express – Try It
24. Tidal Waves – Action! (Speaks Louder Than Words)
25. The Liberty Bell – For What You Lack
26. Thursdays Children – You Can Forget About That
27. The Jades – Come Back
28. The Checkmates – Talk To Me
29. The New Yorkers – Again
30. Georgy & The Velvet Illusions – Mini Shimmy
31. The Bedlam Four – No One Left To Love

An essential mix of 34 mod favourites and rarities from 1964-1967.

Modernists loved the latest R&B, blues and soul sounds coming from US cities such as Chicago, Memphis and Detroit and when British groups started playing their own interpretations in clubs and dancehalls they gained their own mod followings, their music remaining popular on the mod scene today.

Side 1 of this bespoke collection spotlights the British R&B scene and features a founding father of British blues Alexis Korner with the rare ‘Taboo Man’ alongside ace mod tracks from The Bo Street Runners, The Others, Mickey Finn and The Blue Men (featuring a youthful Jimmy Page on harmonica) and more.

Side 2 starts with British R&B groups developing their own sound by turning up their guitars, employing distortion, feedback and fuzz pedals to take the music in a new direction. Highlights include the Joe Meek produced ‘Crawdaddy Simone’ by The Syndicats (described as proto punk because of its ferocity), The In Crowd’s snarling ‘Things She Says’ and The Artwoods’ fuzz drenched mod favourite ‘I Take What I Want’ featuring future Deep Purple organist Jon Lord on organ. Denny Laine (later of Wings) sings with The Moody Blues calming things down with some soulful beat.

Side 3 focuses on UK soul music - Rod ‘the mod’ Stewart backed by The Brian Auger Trinity takes on Sam Cooke’s ‘Shake’, the godfather of ska Laurel Aitken proves he’s also a natural soul man with his floor filling version of The Mar-Keys’ ‘Last Night’ and the amazing Barry St. John sings the funky ‘Gotta Brand New Man’. Popular club acts Lucas & The Mike Cotton Sound and Carl Douglas & The Big Stampede would regularly bring the house down at mod clubs and also feature.

Side 4 includes mod club dancefloor smashes from The Spencer Davis Group and Rupert’s People (AKA mod group Fleur De Lys) while mod heroes The Action go psychedelic with ‘Look At The View’. A moonlighting Jeff Beck of The Yardbirds plays on John’s Children’s ‘But She’s Mine’ and there are brilliant singles revered by freakbeat and psych collectors such as Double Feature’s ‘Baby Get Your Head Screwed On’ and The Drag Set’s ‘Day And Night’.

Rarities from The Trendbender Band and The Union (featuring Elmer Gantry) appear on vinyl for the first time.

TRACK LISTING

Side 1
1.the Bo Street Runners – Bo Street Runner (single Version)
2. The Others – Oh Yeah
3. David John And The Mood – Bring It To Jerome
4. Mickey Finn And The Blue Men – I Still Want You
5. Ronnie Jones And The Night-timers – I Need Your Loving
6. The Second Thoughts – Seventh Son
7. James Royal – Work Song
8. Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated – Taboo Man
9. The Trendbender Band – Unchain My Heart
Side 2
1. The Syndicats – Crawdaddy Simone
2. The In Crowd – Things She Says
3. The Boys Blue – You Got What I Want
4. The Rocking Vicars – It’s Alright
5. The Artwoods – I Take What I Want
6. The Favourite Sons – That Driving Beat
7. The Moody Blues – And My Baby’s Gone
8. The Stormsville Shakers – Number One
9. The Union – See Saw
Side 3
1.rod Stewart – Shake
2. Laurel Aitken And The Soul Men – Last Night
3. Barry St John – Gotta Brand New Man
4. The Soul Brothers – Good Lovin’ Never Hurt
5. Lucas & The Mike Cotton Sound – Ain’t Love Good, Ain’t Love Proud
6. J.j. Jackson – But It’s Alright
7. Carl Douglas & The Big Stampede – Something For Nothing
8. Wynder K Frog – Turn On Your Lovelight
Side 4
1. The Spencer Davis Group – Looking Back
2. Double Feature – Baby Get Your Head Screwed On
3. Scots Of St. James – Tic Toc
4. The Attraction – She’s A Girl
5. John’s Children – But She’s Mine
6. The Drag Set – Day And Night
7. Rupert’s People – Hold On
8. The Action – Look At The View