TANGERINE DREAM

KALEIDOSCOPE was a very popular band name to use in the 1960s. There was the American country rock band from Los Angeles, another harder rocker one from Puerto Rico, one from Switzerland and even another one from Thailand but the most famous of all the KALEIDOSCOPE bands was this London based act that started out as The Sidekicks in 1963 then two years later became The Key but once they scored a contract with Fontana Records changed their name to KALEIDOSCOPE and released two albums. Under this moniker the quartet of Peter Daltrey (vocals, keyboards), Eddy Pumer (guitar), Steve Clark (bass) and Danny Bridgman (drums) played together from 1967-1970 before changing the name once again to Fairfield Parlour and then I Luv Wight.

The band's debut TANGERINE DREAM was released in 1967 and followed the first single "Flight From Ashiya" which lamented about an impending plane crash thus showcasing the band's propensity for whimsical and unconventional lyrics accompanied by typical 60s psychedelic rock sounds. Despite emerging from England, KALEIDOSCOPE sounded more in tune with the California Haight-Ashbury scene. Ironically a much more famous band from Germany would adopt the name of the album and become one of the pioneers of electronic music but that's another story altogether!

This album of 11 tracks featured the earliest sounds of the psychedelic pop scene with jangly Byrds-like guitar work, catchy pop hooks in the vein of The Beatles or The Pretty Things and an overall beat and garage rock sound structure. Devoid of many psychedelic effects or even significant trippy keyboard / organ contributions the album doesn't sound as psychedelic as the cover leads us to believe. The opening "Kaleidoscope" ushers in the clear focus on pop hooks above all else. Sounding like a more refined version of The Monkees in many ways, the track features the hallmark vocal harmony effect that the 60s offered in abundance along with a busy piano and surf rock style of drumming along with the jangle guitar effects. The second track "Please Excuse My Face" shifts more to a Kingston Trio type of folk only with silly lyrics.

The tracks do display a bit of variety with "Dive Into Yesterday" propelling more into rock territory sounding a bit like something The Pretty Things would prefect on their masterpiece "SF Sorrow" so it's very likely KALEIDOSCOPE provided some inspiration in that band going the direction they did. "Mr Small, The Watch Repairer Man" adopts a clear influence from The Who's early albums however "Flight From Ashiya" takes on a darker and more menacing tone. Once again a precursor to The Pretty Things style. The other standouts are the track "A Lesson, Perhaps" which features only an acoustic classical guitar and spoken narrative whereas the closing "The Sky Children" showcases a more nuanced 8-minute dreamy epic tale that epitomizes the psychedelic rock style of the era.

While many tout TANGERINE DREAM as one of the quintessential psychedelic masterpieces of the era, i have to admit that i really don't get all the hype. Sure it's a nice pleasant album with memorable pop-infused hooks and decent performances. It's also a clear indicator of the psychedelic pop that would evolve in the next couple of years but at the same time it's a bit cliche and pales in comparison to what The Beatles and Pink Floyd were cranking out the same year. Even the works of Donovan, The Beach Boys, Procol Harum, The Left Banke and even The Monkees had crafted beautiful psychedelic albums by 1967. In the big scheme of things i find KALEIDOSCOPE's debut album TANGERINE DREAM to be somewhat down the list of my top 60s psych pop releases but it certainly has its following and is indeed a pleasant listening experience. Just don't expect to be blown away. This is no "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club" or even "The Piper Of Dawn's Gate."

3.5 rounded down