LES FLEUR DE LYS
''REFLECTIONS''
1997
65:49
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1 Circles 03:06
2 Mud In Your Eye 03:04
3 Gong With The Luminous Nose 02:37
4 Sugar Love 02:08
5 Hold On 03:13
6 Prodigal Son 02:01
7 One City Girl 02:47
8 Daughter Of The Sun 03:56
9 TickTock 02:46
10 I Can See The Light 03:01
11 Liar 03:21
12 I Forgive You 02:41
13 So Come On 01:53
14 Hammerhead 01:32
15 Stop Crossing The Bridge 02:04
16 I Like What Im Trying To Do 02:17
17 Hold On 03:31
18 Butchers And Bakers 02:55
19 Wait For Me 02:24
20 Reflections Of Charlie Brown 04:16
21 Brick By Brick 02:30
22 I've Been Trying 02:45
23 Moondreams 02:30
24 So Many Things 02:18
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Bass Guitar – Gary Churchill (tracks: 19, 23), Gordon Haskell (tracks: 1 to 6, 8 to 10, 13, 14, 16, 17, 20, 22, 24), Tago Byers (tracks: 7, 11, 12, 15, 18, 21)
Drums – Keith Guster
Guitar – Bryn Haworth (tracks: 3 to 12, 14 to 18, 20, 21, 24)
Lead Guitar – Phil Sawyer (tracks: 1, 2, 13, 22)
Guitar, Vocals – Frank Smith (tracks: 19, 23)
Keyboards – Alex Chamberlain (tracks: 19, 23), Pete Sears (tracks: 2, 22), Pete Solley (tracks: 5, 17, 20)
Guitar – Jimmy Page (tracks: 1, 13)
Vocals – Tony Head (tracks: 7, 11, 12, 15, 18, 21)
Vocals, Rhythm Guitar – Chris Andrews (tracks: 2, 5, 8, 17, 20, 22)
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REVIEW/AMG
Richie Unterberger
Sprawling 24-track comp of the rare recordings of this enigmatic band. Includes 14 songs issued under the Les Fleur de Lys name, singles that they issued under the Rupert's People, Chocolate Frog, and Shyster pseudonyms, and releases on which they backed Sharon Tandy, John Bromley, and Waygood Ellis. It goes without saying that such a manic hodgepodge is geared toward the hardcore collector market. But if you like mid-to-late '60s mod-psych, it's a decent item to have around, with some sparkling (occasionally crazed) guitar work, unusually constructed tunes that sometimes meld soul and psychedelia, and nice harmonies. "Circles" and "Mud in Your Eye" are first-rate pounding mod guitar tunes; "Gong With the Luminous Nose" is pop-psych at its silliest; "Reflections of Charlie Brown" is pop-psych at its most introspective; and Sharon Tandy's "Daughter of the Sun" is a lost near-classic with witchy vocals and sinister psychedelic guitar.
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BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Richie Unterberger
Although several of their singles are coveted by collectors of '60s British rock, Les Fleur de Lys remain obscure even by cult standards. That's partly because they never came close to getting a hit, but also because their furious pace of lineup changes makes their history very difficult to trace, and also precluded any sense of consistent style or identity. The group did release a number of fine singles in the mod-psychedelic style that has become known as "freakbeat," with more of a soul music influence than most such British acts.
Les Fleur de Lys changed lineups about half-a-dozen times during their recording career, which roughly spanned 1965-1969. Drummer Keith Guster was the only constant member; some of the musicians passing through went on to commercial success with Journey and Jefferson Starship (keyboardist Pete Sears) and King Crimson (bassist Gordon Haskell). At the outset, they recorded a couple of singles for the Immediate label that were produced by Jimmy Page (there remains some controversy about whether he played guitar on these as well). A cover of the Who's "Circles" featured the fluid, slightly distorted guitar lines that would become Fleur de Lys' most distinguishing characteristic. The 45s made no commercial impact, however, and Fleur de Lys helped sustain themselves in the late '60s by backing relocated South African singer Sharon Tandy.
Continuing to record intermittently on the side, the band managed a few decent slabs of freakbeat with "Hold On," "Mud in Your Eye," and their most psychedelic outing, the memorably titled "Gong with the Luminous Nose. As if the musical chairs of personnel weren't enough, they further confused record buyers with tracks issued under different names like Shyster and Chocolate Frog, as well as playing on singles by Tandy, Waygood Ellis, and John Bromley. One single issued under the moniker Rupert's People, the Procol Harum-like "Reflections of Charlie Brown," became a European hit of sorts; subsequent singles by Rupert's People, however, are not Fleur de Lys playing under an assumed name. The confusing saga came to an end in the late '60s. Several of the group's better tracks repeatedly showed up on collector-oriented reissues of rare '60s British rock, and an entire CD of their work was issued in 1996.
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TO THE TOP
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''REFLECTIONS''
1997
65:49
********************
1 Circles 03:06
2 Mud In Your Eye 03:04
3 Gong With The Luminous Nose 02:37
4 Sugar Love 02:08
5 Hold On 03:13
6 Prodigal Son 02:01
7 One City Girl 02:47
8 Daughter Of The Sun 03:56
9 TickTock 02:46
10 I Can See The Light 03:01
11 Liar 03:21
12 I Forgive You 02:41
13 So Come On 01:53
14 Hammerhead 01:32
15 Stop Crossing The Bridge 02:04
16 I Like What Im Trying To Do 02:17
17 Hold On 03:31
18 Butchers And Bakers 02:55
19 Wait For Me 02:24
20 Reflections Of Charlie Brown 04:16
21 Brick By Brick 02:30
22 I've Been Trying 02:45
23 Moondreams 02:30
24 So Many Things 02:18
********************
Bass Guitar – Gary Churchill (tracks: 19, 23), Gordon Haskell (tracks: 1 to 6, 8 to 10, 13, 14, 16, 17, 20, 22, 24), Tago Byers (tracks: 7, 11, 12, 15, 18, 21)
Drums – Keith Guster
Guitar – Bryn Haworth (tracks: 3 to 12, 14 to 18, 20, 21, 24)
Lead Guitar – Phil Sawyer (tracks: 1, 2, 13, 22)
Guitar, Vocals – Frank Smith (tracks: 19, 23)
Keyboards – Alex Chamberlain (tracks: 19, 23), Pete Sears (tracks: 2, 22), Pete Solley (tracks: 5, 17, 20)
Guitar – Jimmy Page (tracks: 1, 13)
Vocals – Tony Head (tracks: 7, 11, 12, 15, 18, 21)
Vocals, Rhythm Guitar – Chris Andrews (tracks: 2, 5, 8, 17, 20, 22)
********************
REVIEW/AMG
Richie Unterberger
Sprawling 24-track comp of the rare recordings of this enigmatic band. Includes 14 songs issued under the Les Fleur de Lys name, singles that they issued under the Rupert's People, Chocolate Frog, and Shyster pseudonyms, and releases on which they backed Sharon Tandy, John Bromley, and Waygood Ellis. It goes without saying that such a manic hodgepodge is geared toward the hardcore collector market. But if you like mid-to-late '60s mod-psych, it's a decent item to have around, with some sparkling (occasionally crazed) guitar work, unusually constructed tunes that sometimes meld soul and psychedelia, and nice harmonies. "Circles" and "Mud in Your Eye" are first-rate pounding mod guitar tunes; "Gong With the Luminous Nose" is pop-psych at its silliest; "Reflections of Charlie Brown" is pop-psych at its most introspective; and Sharon Tandy's "Daughter of the Sun" is a lost near-classic with witchy vocals and sinister psychedelic guitar.
********************
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Richie Unterberger
Although several of their singles are coveted by collectors of '60s British rock, Les Fleur de Lys remain obscure even by cult standards. That's partly because they never came close to getting a hit, but also because their furious pace of lineup changes makes their history very difficult to trace, and also precluded any sense of consistent style or identity. The group did release a number of fine singles in the mod-psychedelic style that has become known as "freakbeat," with more of a soul music influence than most such British acts.
Les Fleur de Lys changed lineups about half-a-dozen times during their recording career, which roughly spanned 1965-1969. Drummer Keith Guster was the only constant member; some of the musicians passing through went on to commercial success with Journey and Jefferson Starship (keyboardist Pete Sears) and King Crimson (bassist Gordon Haskell). At the outset, they recorded a couple of singles for the Immediate label that were produced by Jimmy Page (there remains some controversy about whether he played guitar on these as well). A cover of the Who's "Circles" featured the fluid, slightly distorted guitar lines that would become Fleur de Lys' most distinguishing characteristic. The 45s made no commercial impact, however, and Fleur de Lys helped sustain themselves in the late '60s by backing relocated South African singer Sharon Tandy.
Continuing to record intermittently on the side, the band managed a few decent slabs of freakbeat with "Hold On," "Mud in Your Eye," and their most psychedelic outing, the memorably titled "Gong with the Luminous Nose. As if the musical chairs of personnel weren't enough, they further confused record buyers with tracks issued under different names like Shyster and Chocolate Frog, as well as playing on singles by Tandy, Waygood Ellis, and John Bromley. One single issued under the moniker Rupert's People, the Procol Harum-like "Reflections of Charlie Brown," became a European hit of sorts; subsequent singles by Rupert's People, however, are not Fleur de Lys playing under an assumed name. The confusing saga came to an end in the late '60s. Several of the group's better tracks repeatedly showed up on collector-oriented reissues of rare '60s British rock, and an entire CD of their work was issued in 1996.
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TO THE TOP
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