The Rubble Collection, Vol. 2 - Pop-Sike Pipe Dreams

Just as the first volume of Bam Caruso’s Rubble Collection introduced mod revivalists to the pre-psychedelic genius of Wimple Winch, Vol. 2—Pop Sike Pipe Dreams follows suit with three more of the band's tunes. “Marmalade Hair” is the catchiest of these, while “Lollipop Minds” plays like a companion piece to “Atmospheres,” replete with a shared melody. More interestingly, the hard-grooving instrumental “Indian Thing” by The Shotgun Express boasts a young Peter Green on guitar and Mick Fleetwood on drums. But The Pretty Things’ “Defecting Grey” is the compilation’s most psychedelic standout. Following a whimsical verse with nursery rhyme melodies, a growling electric guitar erupts alongside pounding drums and backmasked leads. And with frontman Phil May’s sneering vocal attack, the forward-thinking chorus of this 1967 recording has more in common with proto-metal than freakbeat. There's also The Spencer Davis Group; Steve Winwood had left in 1967 to form Traffic, and Eddie Hardin took over singing duties. This let the band deviate from hard-driving R&B for the more English-steeped psychedelia of “After Tea.”