In the late Sixties, the major UK labels – keen to stay abreast of the times without quite understanding what was going on - signed a number of bands that combined the adventurism and surrealism of psychedelia with a concise, radio-friendly pop sensibility. One or two went on to fame and fortune, but the majority failed to find the hit single that would have given them the chance to build and sustain a career.Kent outfit Jason Crest are one of the most admired of those bands, issuing a handful of singles while also recording a batch of tracks – ‘King Of The Castle’, ‘Charge Of The Light Brigade’, ‘My House Is Burning’ and others - that were arguably even more commercial and accomplished but which, for some unfathomable reason, were rejected by the men in suits. A 2-CD set, “A Place In The Sun” assembles all their recorded work in one place for the first time, with the group’s five singles joined by that clutch of superior studio outtakes and, gaining their first-ever CD release, two radio sessions that were independently recorded in the late Sixties prior to the group evolving into Island signings High Broom.Featuring cult classics ‘Black Mass’, ‘Turquoise Tandem Cycle’ and, of course, the Moody Blues-style title track, “A Place In The Sun” is a newly remastered digipak release. It includes a 24 page booklet containing the band’s full story, including quotes from lead singer and chief songwriter Terry Clark and drummer Roger Siggery, as well as a profusion of rare memorabilia and photos. It’s the final word on a band that, given average luck and a following wind as well as an even semi-competent record company, would have been huge.
J**T
Great album
Great album by a great band
S**A
Well worth a listen.
The 1960's is littered with bands and artists who for various reasons never achieved the recognition they deserved. Jason Crest are one such artist and this compilation gathers together everything they put down during their tenure. I applaud Grapefruit Records for continuing to issue collections and albums from the more obscure corners of the 60's.As for the sound it's probably as good as it can be given that everything is sourced from vinyl 45's and acetates of varying quality. It's a shame that the original tapes were unavailable or (more likely) no longer exist as I would love to hear 'Turquoise Tandem Cycle' and 'A Place In The Sun' in particular from cleaner sources, but it's better than not having them at all.Everything is in Mono with the exception of 'Black Mass' which is the Stereo mix that has appeared on other comps. To the best of my knowledge the original Mono mix has never appeared on CD so it's a shame it wasn't put on here with the Stereo as a bonus track.All things considered though it's worth a listen if you're unfamiliar with the band as there are a number of great songs to be found here. 'Turquoise Tandem Cycle' is wonderfully quirky, 'A Place In The Sun' and 'Teagarden Lane' are gorgeous melodies, while 'Juliano The Bull' and the much despised 'Waterloo Road' will stay in your head for a while. Also, the notorious 'Black Mass' may raise an eyebrow or two, with it's hysterical vocal screams eerily anticipating the shriek of many a heavy metal vocalist. I can't decide whether it's a great track or so bad it's good.The enclosed booklet contains an excellent essay that details the history of the band and the second disc of BBC sessions rounds things off nicely.If you're looking to broaden your listening beyond the usual 60's suspects then this is a great starting point. Be sure to check out the Grapefruit re-issues of The Idle Race, The Misunderstood, Apple and The Electric Banana (who were actually The Pretty Things-perhaps THE most criminally underappreciated band of all time-in disguise) as well. You will not be disappointed.
P**.
Arguably THE best unknown band of the 60's
For anyone who likes late 60's psychedelic pop, this 2CD set is a must, there is not a bad track on it. Disc 1 consists of the five original Philips singles plus many unreleased tracks taken from acetates. These tracks were released on a now difficult to find CD around twenty years ago but this 2CD set also includes a disc of their BBC broadcasts previously only issued on an obscure LP.Packaged in an attractive digi pak with an informative booklet, I can't recommend this set highly enough. Buy it, you will not be disappointed.
C**N
A lost classic.
Fantastic album. A genuine lost classic rediscovered.
D**
Jason
All good
C**U
Parfait
Parfait !
A**Z
SI TE GUSTA LA "PSICODELIA" INGLESA
Jason Crest no es que fuera la alegría de la huerta, y siendo una banda Inglesa, se nota esa depresividad netamente británica en sus temas. No llegaron a tener éxito comercial y al final, como muchos otros grupos grupos de la época, se quedaron al principio del camino. "One-hit wonders" como tantos y tantos. Sacaron 5 Singles (10 temas) y eso fue todo. Este Box Set, "The complete Jason Crest" presenta en el CD 1 esos 10 temas + 7 temas extras (Los mismos que la recopilación anterior "Collected works of Jason Crest" + Una revisión del "Black Mass (Dubious mix revision)")En el CD 2 Se pueden encontrar 11 Versiones de estudio de canciones originales de otros grupos como Spooky Tooth, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Sharon Tandy...etc tocadas al estilo (más o menos) de Jason Crest.Viene en formato digipack, bastante bien editado e incluye un libreto de 24 páginas (Contando portada y contraportada del propio libreto) contándote la historia de estos chavales.En definitiva, todo lo que grabaron. Así que si, merece la pena tenerlo a pesar de no ser de lo mejor que se movía en la escena británica de los 60.
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