KALEIDOSCOPE/FAIRFIELD PARLOUR
Please Listen To The Pictures (Circle)
Reviewed by Alan Wright

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Kaleidoscope are without a doubt one of my favorite British psychedelic exponents, and are not to be confused with the U.S. '60s band of the same moniker, or the Mexican '60s band for that matter. Originally known as the Sidekicks, Kaleidoscope only put out two LPs (both brilliant), before morphing into Fairfield Parlour and releasing a few more singles and the excellent From Home To Home album. Incidentally, the band also recorded a "concept album" called White Faced Lady, but upon completion the label went bust and the record was shelved until being finally released in 1991! This compilation is culled from BBC sessions the band did between 1967-70. Their adventurous psych-pop is full force on nuggets like "Flight From Ashiya," "The Murder of Lewis Tolani," "Dive Into Yesterday," "Snapdragon," "A Dream For Julie," and previously unheard gems like "Jump In My Boat" and "Balloon." The sound quality is excellent with the exception of four tracks from off-air home recordings that suffer from distortion and such. The Fairfield Parlour tracks include the gorgeous mellotron and sitar flavored "Bordeaux Rose" and two versions of the lovely "Free." The booklet accompanying the CD is jam-packed full of photos and info.

[Pick this up at www.geocities.com/sunnysidecircus/bbc.html.]

© 2004 - Alan Wright