Blow My Mind! The Doré-Era – Mira Punk & Psych Legacy – Various Artists

Three of the quirkier imprints from Hollywood’s heyday in the mid-1960s were the record labels Doré, Era and Mira. Like most seasoned indie producers in that epoch, their owners Lew Bedell, Herb Newman and Randy Wood struggled to get to grips with the onslaught of rock’n’roll activity that followed in the wake of the British Invasion. But amongst each company’s catalogue of R&B, pop schlock and novelty discs were a number of outstanding garage and proto-psych 45s that today are sought-after collectors’ items.

“Blow My Mind: The Doré-Era-Mira Punk & Psych Legacy” collects together the best of this venerated repertoire in a power-packed set that also constitutes the first official reissue for many oft-bootlegged titles. Cuts like ‘The Thief’, ‘Slander’ and ‘I’ll Blow My Mind’ would be expensive to acquire in their original, minutely-pressed incarnation. Here, with top-notch sound and extensive annotation, these totemic garage rock items shine brighter than ever.

There is the expected quota of attitude-laden classics such as ‘My Baby’s Barefoot’, ‘Just Wanna Be Myself’ and the incredibly snotty ‘So What!!’, along with less heralded gems by bands such as South Hampton Story, the Puddin’ Heads, Yesterday’s Tomorrow and the Search. An unexpected bonus is a superb unreleased cut by ‘Hey Joe’ hitmakers the Leaves, along with off-beat garage-psych titles by Simon T Stokes, the Outlaw Blues and the Wrench.

“Blow My Mind!” is the natural sequel to Big Beat’s recent, well-received collection “Lost Innocence” and is an essential purchase for the dedicated garage head.

01  My Baby’s Barefoot – The Syndicate

02  Do Me A Favor – The Leaves

0 3 Gotta Hold On – The No-Na-Mees

04  The Thief – The Motion

05  So What!! – The Lyrics

06  Leave Me Behind – South Hampton Story

07  Big City Blues – Simon T Stokes

08  The Other Half – Yesterday’s Tomorrow

09  Worryin’ Kind – The Regents

10  She Touched My Soul – John Winfield Jr

11  Slander – Ty Wagner

12  Now You Say We’re Through – The Puddin’ Heads

13  They Can’t Hurt Me – The Lyrics

14  I’ll Blow My Mind – Spencer’s Van Dykes

15  I’m Gonna Dance – The Decades

16  The Day Is Hard – The Wrench

17  Climate – The Search

18  Just Wanna Be Myself – The No-Na-Mees

19  Non-Stop Blues – The Outlaw Blues

20  Shame – The Front Page & Her

21  Forget Me Girl – The Bees

22  She’s Gone – The Tormentors

23  It’s No Use – Basil & The Baroques

24  To Make A Lie – Unknown Artist

25  Cobwebs – Simon T Stokes

Release Date:

Format: CD Album