LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

• Vinyl: 180-gram black vinyl
• Edition: All-analogue audiophile pressing
• Packaging: Deluxe laminated gatefold sleeve with rare photographs and detailed notes by WCPAEB authority Tim Forster
• Recordings: Rare singles and related recordings made before, during and after the group's career

Companion is an extensive collection of rare recordings connected with The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band and its individual members. Rather than repeating material from the group's familiar Reprise albums, the compilation follows the musicians through obscure solo singles, early groups, studio projects and recordings made after the band's dissolution.

The opening section concentrates on Bob Markley's musical activities before the formation of WCPAEB. His early Warner Bros. singles “Will We Meet Again?,” “Tia Juana Ball,” “Summer's Comin' On” and “It Should've Been Me” reveal his original ambitions as a pop singer, years before he became the group's lyricist, vocalist and highly unconventional public figure.

Further early productions include the garage novelty of Lucifer & The Peppermints, the rhythm-and-blues recordings issued under the Bobby Rebel name and Judy Brown's “I'm Such a Fool.” Tracks by Sonny Knight and The Rogues broaden the picture of the Los Angeles studio and club environment from which the band emerged.

The Laughing Wind recordings are especially important. Featuring Michael Lloyd and brothers Shaun and Danny Harris, the group provided the musical foundation for the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band before Markley became involved. “Good to Be Around,” “Don't Take Very Much to See Tomorrow,” “John Works Hard” and “The Bells” already display the melodic songwriting, close harmonies and folk-rock atmosphere that would shape the later band.

The collection also includes WCPAEB's early recordings of “Sassafras” and “I Won't Hurt You,” followed by a contrasting version of the latter performed by Neo Maya. These tracks demonstrate how the group's songs moved between different singers, arrangements and studio projects during a particularly creative period in Los Angeles psychedelic music.

The later sides explore projects involving Michael Lloyd and other members of the band's wider circle. Boystown, California Spectrum, Rockit and Brigadune move between orchestrated pop, sunshine harmonies, psychedelic rock and early-seventies studio experimentation. The sequence concludes unexpectedly with Halim El-Dabh's avant-garde electronic composition “Leiyla and the Poet,” emphasising the wide range of sounds surrounding the WCPAEB story.

Spanning 29 tracks across two heavyweight records, Companion offers a revealing alternative history of one of the most mysterious American psychedelic groups. Its combination of elusive singles, related projects and detailed archival presentation makes it an essential supplement to the band's original albums.

Track listing:

LP 1 – Side A

1. Bob Markley – Will We Meet Again?
2. Bob Markley – Tia Juana Ball
3. Bob Markley – Summer's Comin' On
4. Bob Markley – It Should've Been Me
5. Lucifer & The Peppermints – The Green Itch Got the Bear
6. Lucifer & The Peppermints – Money Back Guarantee
7. Bobby Rebel – Valley of Tears
8. Bobby Rebel – Teardrops from My Eyes

LP 1 – Side B

1. Judy Brown – I'm Such a Fool
2. Sonny Knight – A Swingin' Door
3. Sonny Knight – If You Want This Love
4. The Rogues – Wanted: Dead or Alive
5. The Laughing Wind – Good to Be Around
6. The Laughing Wind – Don't Take Very Much to See Tomorrow
7. The Laughing Wind – John Works Hard
8. The Laughing Wind – The Bells

LP 2 – Side C

1. The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band – Sassafras
2. The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band – I Won't Hurt You
3. Neo Maya – I Won't Hurt You
4. Boystown – Hello Mr. Sun
5. Boystown – End of the Line
6. California Spectrum – She May Call You Up Tonite
7. Rockit – Blame It on the Pony Express
8. Rockit – Amblin'

LP 2 – Side D

1. Brigadune – I'll Cry Out from My Grave (God I'm Sorry)
2. Brigadune – Misty Mornin'
3. Brigadune – My Wife Likes To
4. California Spectrum – Rainbo
5. Halim El-Dabh – Leiyla and the Poet