Flowerpot Men - Peace Album / Past Imperfect (1969-70, UK, great psychrockpop, Repertoire CDrip, single flac, cue, log, artwork)

*** Reviewed by great fellow Adamus67 ***

British Group was founded in 1967 by songwriters John Carter and Ken Lewis (Carter-Lewis and the Southerners and The Ivy League, which had three UK Top 20 hits previously).  Carter And Lewis, who wanted to take advantage of the popularity of being fully develop hippie trend to promote peace and love, whose symbol was a flower. Representatives of this trend called child-flowers. When their first single "Let's Go To San Francisco" reached fifth place in the charts, quartet singers session, Tony Burrows, Robin Shaw, Pete Nelson, Neil Landon, became the Flowerpot Men and recorded some good songs, notably "A Walk In The Sky ". The instrumental section, which included Ged Peck (guitar), Jon Lord (organ), Nick Simper (bass) and Carlo Little (drums), the band was accompanied during his tour, but fell apart when the Lord and Simper formed Deep Purple. Burrows returned later to a recording session, London appeared at some time in the band Fat Mattress, while Shaw and Nelson and his team Copyright Carter-Lewis founded by a group of White Plains.

The name was derived from the children's show Flower Pot Men, with the obvious psychedelic era puns on flower power and "pot" (cannabis). This British group was an outgrowth of mid-'60s pop group The Ivy League. Songwriting partners John Carter and Ken Lewis wrote, produced and performed "Let's Go to San Francisco" and licensed it out to Deram, who had an international hit with it as the Summer of Love was just winding down. The pair released four more singles, including one under the moniker Friends.

The duo licensed the recording to Deram Records which suddenly found itself with a full-fledged hit, but with no group to promote it. Carter and Lewis, having no interest in going on the road to promote the record, created the group from a hand-picked collective of recording studio session musicians and vocalists. They continued to write, record and produce all the subsequent recordings for the next three years until the project ended in 1970.

Two previously unreleased albums are available for the first time on one CD from the 60s band that shot to fame with ‘Let’s Go To San Francisco’. The music reflects the moods and styles of the psychedelic late 60s and the early 70s ’concept album’ years. This is essential listening for collectors and lovers of the 60s, as the music draws you back to that distant golden era of Love & Peace.

Peace Album sessions begin in London in 1969. John and Ken sing, record guitars and keyboards (with the help of Peter Barnfather), allying John Ford on bass and Richard Hudson on drums, members of Velvet Opera and Strawbs.

The Peace Album opens Prologue, a remarkable entry into material which has the theme of the album (as the title suggests, peace), developed in eight chapters (songs). Violins, brass and drum rolls intermingle causing the listener to a classical guitar arpeggio, support beautiful vocal harmonies.

These abrupt chaining with Heavy Times, song about the Vietnam War, sustained blows riff guitar / bass, drums and tambourine.

Mythological Sunday is the centerpiece of this album play. It begins with the sound of waves and seagulls. En route to a pop and progressive anthology piece. Everything is there: mellotron, piano, harpsichord, acoustic guitar, ethereal voice with reverb and effect leslie thoroughly, choirs refined to perfection, bearing the battery, words evoking a soothing paradise, mythical and unattainable. The sumptuous title ends with a bombardment, a warrior drum and singing soldiers, while the mellotron takes the introductory sentence. Ultimate!

Difficult to bounce back from such a height. The recovery Donovan Colours remains friendly, nothing more. By the admission of John Carter, in hindsight, it has really why Lewis and incorporated it as such at the Peace Album, apart perhaps from the fact that the song was in the pacifist air.

Blow Away evokes the Byrds, both guitar Micky Keen (a former collaborator of Carter and Lewis invited on this piece) by the vocal arrangement. The words want to "take as far as the sound of gunfire." Definitely another highlight of this disc!

Cooks of Cake & Kindness eyeing the Who level influences. For some, one might think that this is a unique album of the Sell Out.

The sitar is invited to Gotta Be Free, title oriented acid folk with acoustic guitar and tambourine. Simplistic lyrics are indicative of silly charm of the era: "You've gotta be free to live like a bird flying up in the sky" (You have to be free to live like a bird flying in the sky).

Heaven Knows When the song was designed as a miniature rock opera featuring an ordinary guy. In order to raise money to marry his girlfriend, it becomes an assassin during a robbery gone wrong. There is an obvious gap between the light and fragmented pop and heavy lyrics. The influences are many recycling arrangements picking folk to pop symphony Pentangle and the Beatles / Beach Boys.

White Dove, dove, symbol inevitable (cliché, some would say) Peace takes us gently towards the end of Peace Album. Bells ringing for an organ gives a melancholy flavor in this respect. The three and a half minutes could be the single of this album, he had seen the day, as they epitomize the air with sweet melodies which had been secret, during the late sixties.

Epilogue concludes the Peace Album by arpeggio and the song that started it. Brass and violins take their bow, leaving the amateur kind of stuck.

While work on the Peace Album is almost finished, Carter and Lewis learn that Deram not willing to distribute disk: this, according to the box, does not have commercial potential. Prefer the label to sign the musicians who participated in the live version of the Flowerpot Men to launch under a new name, The White Plains. John Carter thinks a moment canvass with another label with the Peace Album, but Ken Lewis into a deep dark depression from which he never recovered, leaving the cutthroat world of music. John Carter continues the adventure alone Flowerpot Men, registering a successor stillborn Peace Album he called Past Imperfect, but eventually give up, relegating the latter bands and the previous project in a drawer to pursue writing music for commercials (you have to pay the bills!). It's all over ... almost.

It was not until the 90s to witness the rebirth of a part of the Peace Album. The Repertoire label contact John Carter to get a best of Flowerpot Men who continue to delight compilations of 60's psychedelic pop. For the occasion, the composer plunges into its archives and provides for the first time some tracks in the album Peace to the public. In 2000, motivated by the best of sales, Carter out all of this forgotten album and its successor Past Imperfect (admittedly less successful), revealing these lost works, evidence of a bygone era where we thought we could change the world with the sole motto of "peace and love". 
Thank you so much Adam for that effort
   
             

I didn't realise this fictitious Flowerpot Men release had been out since 2000 on the Repertoire label but I'm glad it's here!

I have been a fan of John Carter since the "Ivy League" and really got into it when I purchased the "Measure For Measure" double cd overview of his writing, producing career in the 60's.

The Flowerpot Men intrested me the most at first because of the "Beach Boys" influence and obtained the cds "Listen To The Flowers Grow" and "Let's Go To San Francisco" When I heard about the "Peace Album: Past Imperfect" I thought they were two rare albums that were released in the late 60's on one cd and had to get it. Great material, more in the psych later "Beatles" vein than "Beach Boys"

Some of these tracks are scattered on the previous cds I mentioned but are in a concept order. Stand out songs include "Blow away (great 12 string guitar)"These Heavy Times", "Now & Then", "White Dove", "Mythological Sunday", "Brave New World" (last 3 tracks are from previous releases)"Say Goodbye To Yesterday" and "Memories of Tomorrow" (shades of "E.L.O.")

If you like this kind of approach to your music, get this cd!

(~amazon)  By Frank Mersey

Magical 60's psychedelia

These two albums recorded in 1969 and 1970 contain a wonderful diversity of psychedelic folk, pop, and progressive rock music. Using a wide variety of instruments (including guitars, sitars, mellotron, organ, piano, various percussion, as well as richly layered melodic vocal harmonies)the Flowerpot Men have created a unique blend of music reminiscent of the Beatles, Moody Blues, Turtles, Byrds and Saggitarius. I highly recommend this double album set for anyone who enjoys the magical, mystical psychedelic music of the late 60's. By a reviewer (Camp Verde, AZ)

Great 2 on 1

this was a decent hippie san fransisco sounding band from the uk wich featured jon lord ( deep purple) in there line up for a brief time if you are into buffalo springfeild or the strawberry alarm clock then check this out its a cross in there somwhere. By SAXONMAN (hicksville new york)

(~cduniverse)

-Peace Album-

01. Prologue             1:58

02. These Heavy Times         2:42

03. Mythological Sunday     5:44

04. Colours            2:44

05. Blow Away             5:52

06. Cooks Of Cake & Kindness     2:56

07. Gotta Be Free         3:30

08. Heaven Knows When         3:39

09. White Dove             4:09

10. Epilogue             1:38

-Past Imperfect-

11. Now And Then         3:55

12. Say Goodbye To Yesterday     3:02

13. Memories Of Tomorrow     2:35

14. Autumn Love         2:33

15. Morning Prayer         2:41

16. Blues             1:32

17. I Am Me             3:46

18. Journey's End         4:25

19. All You Have Is You     3:01

20. Brave New World         3:14

21. Children Of Tomorrow     7:02

The Flowerpot Men - These Heavy Times

Flowerpot Men:
Arranged By [Strings] – Alan Hawkshaw (tracks: 11 to 21)
Backing Vocals – Ken Lewis (3) (tracks: 11 to 21), Peter Barnfather (tracks: 11 to 21)
Bass – John Ford (2)
Drums, Percussion – Richard Hudson
Engineer – Paul Holland
Guitar – Micky Keen
Producer – Carter (tracks: 1 to 10), John Carter (2) (tracks: 11 to 21), Lewis (tracks: 1 to 10)
Remastered By – Eroc
Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar – John Carter (2)
Vocals, Guitar, Piano – Peter Barnfather (tracks: 1 to 10)
Vocals, Piano, Organ – Ken Lewis (3) (tracks: 1 to 10)
Washboard, Sitar – Richard Hudson (tracks: 1 to 10)
Written-By – Shakespeare (tracks: 11, 13, 15, 18 to 20), Carter (tracks: 1 to 3, 5 to 21),
Lewis (tracks: 1, 2, 5, 9, 10), Barnfather (tracks: 7, 8), Alquist (tracks: 2, 3, 6, 12, 14, 21)

[Rip and Scans by gigic2255]

Link:   454 mb/file

http://www.mediafire.com/file/9vomlkt38vcj1wj/Flowerpot_Men_-_Peace_Album_%26_Past_Imperfect.rar