Avengers - Best Of. CD. (Ascension Records - 0266878) Impressive 60's Kiwi pop psyche group, led by songwriter Chris Malcolm. Twenty five track compilation album of all the hits. Includes "What Price Love", "Midnight Visitation", "Love Hate Revenge" and "Night Time"

Avengers - Electric Recordings. CD. Impressive 60's Kiwi pop psyche group. A talented bunch of guy's guided by the song writing skills of American hippy Chris Malcolm. Well produced US styled psyche, cool arrangements and some surreal backing vocals. 8 page booklet with band's history and rare pics.

Bari & The Breakaways - Let's Take A Sea Cruise. CD. (Ascension Records - 0266881) 1966 debut album from the Beatles inspired Rhythm and Blues outfit, originally from New Zealand. Includes their UK hit "Sea Cruise." Originally credited only as The Breakaways, this album includes tracks written by original singer Bari Gordon who left the group earlier that year. One of the many bands of the time who's lead singer was also their drummer, in this case Bryan Beauchamp, the Breakaways went through numerous line up changes recording only two albums. Twenty nine track album includes "I Can't Explain", "Dancing In The Street" and "As Tears Go By"

Blerta - The Return Trip. CD. (Ascension Records - 0266890) Accompanying soundtrack album to the New Zealand low budget road movie "Blerta: The Return Trip." Blerta (Bruno Lawrence Electric Revelation and Travelling Apparition.) were an informal group of artists, musicians and actors who toured New Zealand and had their own TV show at the start of the '70's. Despite numerous line up changes and little early financial success, the group have become a cult hit. This twenty one track album is a compilation of their earlier singles and album tracks, first compiled in 2001.

Chicks - Very Best Of. CD. (Ascension Records - 0266887) Twenty track compilation of the New Zealand group. Includes the tracks: Timothy/Best Of Both Worlds/Tweedledee/The Hucklebuck/Hang On Sloopy/Be Bop A Lula/River Deep Mountain High/Roll Over Beethoven/Do It Again/He's My Guy/Cumala Be Stay/I Gotta See My Baby Everyday/Master Jack/Something Here In My Heart/You Won't Forget Me/

Fourmyula - Very Best Of. CD. (Ascension Records - 0266898) Twenty tracxk compilation album from one of the pioneering New Zealand Rock Bands. Formed from The Insect, this band were one of the first groups to succeed in their national charts with original compositions, rather than UK or American cover songs in the late sixties. This album covers their short career from '67 to '71, including their time as Pipp and has elements of their singles and three albums. Includes "Otaki", "Mr Whippy", "Forever" and "Have You Heard The News"

Hi-Revving Tongues - Tropic Of Capricorn. CD. (Ascension Records - ANCD 029) New Zealands best '60's psychedelic band who had all the trappings of classic flower power psych. This reissue of their 1967 debut includes phasing, UK styled psych harmonies spiraling fuzz guitar,mad phasing and swirling spooky keyboards. The album includes originals such as the classic title track as well as strong covers of Procol Harum's "Conquistador" and "Kaleidoscope". Any serious '60's psych freak should check this album out!Highly recommended.

Human Instinct - Burning Up Years. LP. (Ascension Records - ANLP002) Classy trippy progressive Hendrix like heavy acid blues prog rock from the later line-up of the New Zealand band who briefly settled in the UK in the late '60s. This early '70's album features compositions by the legendary Jesse Harper (who made a similar and rare acid rock album) as well as a storming version of "You Really Got Me" by The Kinks. Killer acid guitar work!

Human Instinct - Pins In It. CD. (Ascension Records - ANCD 004) Legendary late '60s New Zealand band who were briefly resident in the UK and released some cool pop psych (featured on Rubble) before going back to NZ in the early '70s to join up with Mauri guitarist Billy T.K. Incredible Hendrix like heavy prog/blues psych with lashings of acid fried guitar and a superb cover version of Floyd's "Nile Song". Simply brilliant!

Human Instinct - Singles 1966-1971. CD. (Ascension Records - ANCD017) As the title suggests, this is a compilation of singles from the New Zealand psych band who came to the UK for fame and fortune in the late '60's. Featuring the bands well known early UK singles such as the fab "A Day In My Mind's Mind" and "Pink Dawn" as well as later material from the Billy TK "Hendrix" period, this is a great overview of the band's career and fills the gap nicely. Contains non album material.…

Human Instinct - Stoned Guitar. CD. (Ascension Records - ANCD 003) Human Instinct were a band from New Zealand that briefly settled in the UK in the mid-sixties before returning to NZ to record three albums. As the title suggests, this is an album of heavy progressive psychedelic bluesy guitar that draws heavily on Jimi Hendrix influences, featuring some particularly wild playing from Billy TK. The title track is a real monster with wild phased,fuzz guitars.

Insect Trust - Insect Trust. CD. (Ascension Records - ANCD031) Classic 1968 debut release from the USA. Featuring the sweet vocals of Nancy Jefferies and a whole cast of accompanying musicians including electric guitars, percussionists, banjo players and a woodwind section, this is a curious blend of dreamy electric folk music and very trippy psychedelia that sits on a mushroom somewhere between The Airplane, and Kaleidoscope. An album that has long been awaiting a reissue and highly recommended.

Kim Fowley - Born To Be Wild. CD. (Ascension Records - ANCD015) Kim oozes bad boy biker menace on this 1968 collection of largely bizarre cover versions including the title track, "Hello, I Love You", "Classical Gas", "Soul Limbo" and even "Pictures Of Matchstick Men". Weird and wacky. As usual by Mr Fowley it's got a creepy underlying current and a fab chick cover to boot!

Kim Fowley - Outrageous. CD. (Ascension Records - ANCD0015) Official reissue of this 1968 album. Frightening strangeness and intensity/insanity from one of the USA's more eccentric performers. With a band that includes "Born To Be Wild" author Mars Bonfire on guitar, "Outrageous" comes across like a heavy acid rock band fronted by a psychotic Jim Morrison!! A classic drug addled album and contains the classic "Bubblegum". Kim's finest moment?

La De Das - The Happy Prince. CD. Quite possibly the first rock opera ever, originated from the Australian La De Das. Originally conceived in late '66, it would not be released until mid '69 and only enjoy moderate sales (but rave reviews.) Unsuprisingly, EMI were reluctant to record such an ambitious album, that at the time had no comparison. Somehow they talked them around and it was made. This twenty three track album contains two versions of The Happy Prince, one version with and without the narration of Adrian Rwawkins. This is a fascinating comparison into how the album could have sounded just as a normal collection of songs. Important in the history of Rock and also a damn fine album. Includes: "Lullaby", "Covered By Gold", "Winter Song" and "Swallow, Little Swallow."

La-De-Da's - How Is The Air Up There? 1966-67. CD. (Ascension Records - ANCD018) Nice compilation from one of New Zealand's leading rock bands from the sixties. Very similar to early Rolling Stones, this features both of their first two albums as well as a whole host of singles A and B sides. Plenty of well known covers here ("Little Red Book", "Got My Mojo Working", "Gimme Some Loving", "I Put A Spell On You") as well as a number of group compositions. 29 tracks in all.

Larry's Rebels - Greatest Hits. CD. One of New Zealand's most versatile and successful 60's groups. Between 1966 & 1968 they scored a string of Top 10 hits, with styles ranging from organ driven R&B to catchy mod pop, fuzzed up garage to loopy psychedelia. This is their definitve collection of songs highly entertaining.

Mary Jane - Various. CDR. (Ascension Records - 001) Great compilation of very rare 60's tracks that covers all kind of drug abuse from Stu Mitchell's creepy spoken word track "Acid", Mike Cliffords "Mary Jane",Them's acid masterpeice "Walking in the Queen's Gardens",The World with "Pot Party" through to Owen B's "Zig Zag Man" and more.Get ready,can you feel it coming on yet?

Master's Apprentices - A Toast To Panama Red. CD. (Ascension Records - ANCD 008) Official reissue of the Masters best album from 1972 and perhaps one of the best heavy progressive/psych rock albums of the era. Titled after a particularly fine strain of hash, this is an epic piece of guitar led psychedelic / cosmic progressive rock. Superbly structured epic shards of inspired guitar music that are underscored with a melancholic stream of despair... beautiful stuff that brings tears to your eyes..... Fabulous sound quality.

Master's Apprentices - Choice Cuts (Official Remaster). CD. (Ascension Records - ANCD 006) Official remastered issue of this stunning Aussie '70s prog/psych album. The MA began to adopt a more experimental progressive acid rock direction on this release, but still retained the shorter song based formula of their '60s recordings. The result is powerful LSD drenched rock with fluid guitars and excellent songs, including the classic "Our Friend Owsley Stanley III"......

Master's Apprentices - Complete Recordings 1965-1968. CD. (Ascension Records - ANCD 010) A 23 track collection from the beat pop/freakbeat days of Australia's finest rock band, featuring all of the first album. Later to become giants of the progressive/psychedelic scene, these early recordings not only include the all time classic "War or Hands Of Time" but also showcase the raw talent latent in this quintet. Group originals sit perfectly alongside rocking covers of songs by Chuck Berry, Wilson Pickett, Smokey Robinson and Lennon & McCartney.

Master's Apprentices - Masterpiece. CD. (Ascension Records - ANCD 005) Official reissue of The Masters second album. Gone was the pure R'n'B sound and in it's place was a sound that fused whimsical rock with psychedelia and pop in a fashion similar to many late '60s UK bands. A fine transitional album......

Pleazers - Definitely Definitive Pleazers. CD. (Ascension Records - ANCD020) More mid-sixties Aussie rock with this compilation of 28 of the finest from this Brisbane band. Plenty of beat pop and rock 'n' roll covers here, from "Bald Headed Woman", "Gloria" and "Land Of A Thousand Dances" to "Da Doo Ron Ron" and "Dancing In The Streets." A nice collection. BARGAIN PRICE.

Ray Columbus & The Invaders - Greatest Numbers. CD. (Ascension Records - ANCD028) New Zealand beat pop, rock and R&B from one of the most popular and successful '60's bands from that continent. 30 tracks recorded between 1964/5 that include "Shakin' All Over," "Poison Ivy," "Willie & The Hand Jive," "I Wanna Be Your Man," "I Saw Her Standing There" and plenty more.

Simple Image - Spinning Spinning. CD. This album gathers together for the first time all the band's output for the HMV label in the 60's. All the singles including the number 1 title track, B-Sides and two unreleased groovers.

Space Farm - Space Farm. CD. (Ascension Records - ANCD027) This 1972 album from New Zealand is quite legendary in Antedeluvian circles and features Harvey Mann ex Human Instinct. It's a fine example of hard and heavy progressive power rock in a Hendrix style and well worth a reissue. This is the original mix in the original sleeve from the master tapes (unlike the reissue from a few years ago that included some re-recorded material)

Steve & The Board - …And The Giggle Eyed Goo. CD. (Ascension Records - ANCD025) Sixteen track album from the '60's Australian six piece beat group. Only one copy available. One of the few groups of the time given a chance to record their own material in Oz (the singers dad ran the label!), Steve & The Board had a knack of writing highly successful cheeky / snotty garage tunes similar to the attittude in the early Beatles films that appealed to the teenage masses. Friendly with the Bee Gee's who were on the same label, a number of the members at some time featured as sessioners on their '60's albums and it explains their fine cover version of "Little Miss Rhythm & Blues" Includes: "I Call My Woman Hinges 'Cause She's Something To Adore", possibly the worst titled song of all time.

Top Of The Dial - Various. CD. (Ascension Records - 0266877) Bumper fourty seven track compilation of all the best of New Zealand pop from the '60's. Includes commercials, brief links from the DJ's of the day and their most popular jingles. Features The Avengers, The Chicks, The Action, Tommy Aderley, Keith Richardson and Classic Affair.

Underdogs Blues Band - And Beyond. CD. (Ascension Records - ANCD019) 1968 debut album from this fine New Zealand group who sound like Cream meets The Doors. The band play some excellent covers of songs like "Oh Pretty Woman", "Yonder Wall", "It Hurts Me Too" and a psych version of "Hey Gyp" as well as some good group compositions. The album features fine keyboards and guitar work throughout. Bassist Neil Edwards later joined Human Instinct.

Valentines - Peculiar Hole In The Sky. CD. (Ascension Records - CDANSI 3) Great compilation of material from the original AC/DC frontman Bon Scott's former band. Enormously successful in their home-country of Australia, until a rather embarassing drug-bust trashed all that. The nine tracks on 'Peculiar Hole in the Sky' bring together all four 7" singles released between 1967-1968, all on the Clarion label, also included are an outtake from those sessions, a cover of the Stax classic 'Sookie Sookie' and the definitive version of the Vanda/Young orchestral psych pop masterpiece 'Peculiar Hole in the Sky'. Trivia 101: The Easybeats version of this tune was only ever intended as a demo (never to be released) to be used as a guide for the Valentines for whom the song was written.

Zodiac Records Sampler - 1964 - 1972. CD. (Ascension Records - ANCD 034) Mined from the vaults of New Zealand label Zodiac Records here is a retrospective of 1964 to 1972. Starting with beat boomers Ray Columbus & The Invaders and ending with acid tinged progressive rockers Hi-Revving Tongues and Space Farm this CD is packed with loads of killer freakbeat, Kiwi rock, garage punk in between. Over 75 minutes long, nine tracks on CD for the first time and some major rarities.

© Delerium Music 2008. Web Site written and maintained by Matt Platts for Paragon Digital. Please see www.vatloophole.co.uk for information on why we closed down.