2008 collection from the under-appreciated '60s outfit. Colours launched onto the scene in 1968 with a stunningly glorious Psychedelic masterpiece of L.A studio wizardry. A super group before the name was coined, Colours w... more »as the brainchild of Gary Montgomery and Jack Dalton, two hard-working, former Motown songwriters who also penned songs for The Turtles, Nino & April and The Moon. This magical mystery tour-de-force of Psychedelic Beatlesque Pop also features the talents of Derek & The Dominos bassist Carl Radle. This first-ever CD issue of their long-out-of-print albums (Colours and Atmosphere) is supplemented by long-lost '67 Dalton & Montgomery recordings cut just months before they formed Colours. 1969's Atmosphere features former Beach Boy David Marks around the same time he was a member of The Moon, another band with many connections to Colours. The 16-page colour booklet also includes rare, unpublished photos and comprehensive liner notes that feature the participation of original band members. Now Sounds.« less
2008 collection from the under-appreciated '60s outfit. Colours launched onto the scene in 1968 with a stunningly glorious Psychedelic masterpiece of L.A studio wizardry. A super group before the name was coined, Colours was the brainchild of Gary Montgomery and Jack Dalton, two hard-working, former Motown songwriters who also penned songs for The Turtles, Nino & April and The Moon. This magical mystery tour-de-force of Psychedelic Beatlesque Pop also features the talents of Derek & The Dominos bassist Carl Radle. This first-ever CD issue of their long-out-of-print albums (Colours and Atmosphere) is supplemented by long-lost '67 Dalton & Montgomery recordings cut just months before they formed Colours. 1969's Atmosphere features former Beach Boy David Marks around the same time he was a member of The Moon, another band with many connections to Colours. The 16-page colour booklet also includes rare, unpublished photos and comprehensive liner notes that feature the participation of original band members. Now Sounds.
CD Reviews
AN UNDISCOVERED TREASURE
All You Need Is Sushi | California | 04/08/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I bougnt the LP when it first came out, played it to death, and then spent the next FORTY YEARS searching for it, in LP, cassette, CD, whatever. It never appeared.
So I got my friend Luma to pay some Russians to make us an LP to CD transfer, which was crackly, but at least playable in the car, finally.
And then, miracle of miracles, out comes the REAL CD. This was exceptional pop music, and the extensive liner notes will clue you in to the whole history. As the other reviewer said, it prompts looking into THE MOON, which actually covered a COLOURS song. This is intelligent pop - great arrangements, harmonies and melodies.
I'm taking it with me to the desert island!"
Good day at blackrock, baby
Geoffrey T. Heineman | Pittsburgh, PA USA | 01/16/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I am sooo happy that this Clours comp is finally available. Distinctly remember sitting around several times a week with my sister, her husband, and my wife (the cook, the thief...oops) playing bridge, smoking lots of pot and, of course, listening to Colours (and Emmitt Rhodes too). BUT, they keep pushing my order back, Now it won't be shipped until February. Gosh, I thought it would arrive this week (sob) Bring it on, Amazon! Now I should search for The Moon cd. Highly reccomend the psyhedelia & Beatleness of Colours!"
Great '60s classic rediscovered
Gary Stevens | New York, NY USA | 11/15/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Just brilliant... great '60s pop classic, well packaged by England's great Now Sounds lable, and at 79 minutes you just can't beat the value. Amazing to think I missed this around 1968. Thank god for Amazon for helping make music like this available to many for the first time. If you like Colours you'll love the long lost Fox CD on RPM, For Fox's Sake... Miss them both at your own risk!
Gary Stevens"
Classic psych albums on cd at last
Kevin D. Rathert | Carbondale, IL | 08/19/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Kudos to UK based Cherry Red Records for finally bringing both albums by the extraordinary, talented, pop psych band Colours, to cd, at long last. The New Sounds release includes both "Colours" and "Atmosphere" along with five bonus tracks, for a total run time of 79 minutes. The band included guitarists, Rob Edwards and David Marks, later of The Challengers and The Beach Boys respectively, as well as Derek and the Dominos bassist, the late Carl Radle. The bands two lps, from 1968 and 1969 respectively, both released originally on the Dot label, made little impact upon hitting record shelves, but in retrospect showcase a band of extremely high caliber. Their sound, obviously influenced by The Beatles, ranges from pop psych to downright gritty dead ahead rock and roll. The guitar work throughout is outstanding and its a real shame that neither the albums nor the four related singles made a dent in the Billboard charts, and by 1970 the group had disbanded and its members scattered across the country in differing musical ventures, most notably Marks and Radle who were both quite successful, the latter until his tragic death from an overdose of heroin soon after being booted from Eric Clapton's backing band. Fans of pop psych and psychedelic music in general will be quite happy with this release, and I highly recommend it. Buy it before it disappears. It took nearly 40 years to finally appear on cd who knows how long it will remain in print? Get it while the getting's good."
Amazed and Shocked!
set-top | 03/14/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"That these works have been re-issued! Long forgotten and obscure Gems from a bygone era. Remember thinking when their debut LP on Dot records came out, how 'Beatlesque" it sounded, loved it from the start. "Bad day At Blackrock" alone, is worth the price of admission."
Track Listings (28) - Disc #1