Browse by Label: FRANTIC RECORDS

Artist:	VA
Title:	The Ikon Records Story
Label:	FRANTIC RECORDS
Format:	2CD
Price:	$25.00
Catalog #:	FRAN 2323CD

"The Ikon Records Story is another lavish double disc set, this time focused on one of the most obscure yet enigmatic independent labels of the mid-1960s: Sacramento's Ikon Records. Ikon Enterprises was a studio and production set-up based in California's capital that existed for just a brief few years between 1963 and 1966, yet was ground zero for every teenaged aggregation that could convince their parents to fork over the cash needed with which to enshrine their progeny's adolescent warblings on a shiny vinyl 45s. These cool, cryptic items, issued on the studio's custom label, are impossibly rare discs that feature pure, unadulterated teenaged mid-1960s rock'n'roll in its varying forms, whether they be surf, R&B, instrumental, folk-rock, raw garage, Brit-Inv, or spy-themed novelty. Several Ikon singles are coveted items within the rarified echelons of garage-collectordom: those by Madd, Inc, the Knightsmen, Prophets, Shondells and others are singles that regularly fetch big bucks on the very few occasions they are ever offered for sale. The Ikon Records Story has been in the works for many years, but the recent serendipitous discovery of all the labels cutting masters for Ikon releases now enables the Frantic team to deliver up an unprecedented 60 tracks of primo material, virtually all reissued for the first time, and thus unlike most archival collections, the sound quality is second to none. Additionally, various band members have opened their files to provide unreleased material, as well as fill in the story behind this mysterious imprint. The 28-page full color booklet is jammed to the gills with photos and memorabilia, in addition to a lengthy note from top garage expert Alec Palao examining the Ikon saga in tremendous detail."

Artist:	COLOURS
Title:	Voluptuous Doom
Label:	FRANTIC RECORDS
Format:	2CD
Price:	$26.00
Catalog #:	FRAN 3333CD

"For fans of over-orchestrated Anglophilic pop-psych, it doesn't get much better than this. Hailing from Chico, California -- and not to be confused with the inferior group of the same name on Dot Records -- Colours sprang from the loins of '60s punk legends the Boy Blues in 1967 and crafted an album's worth of quirky, baroque-infused material, laden with luscious harmonies, tantalizing textures and an intriguing lyrical bent. The band journeyed to LA in 1968 and recorded for Johnny Rivers' Soul City label, produced by Armin Steiner with arrangements by Marty Paich. Comparisons to the Bee Gees' Odessa, Love's Forever Changes or the Beach Boys' Smile only partly describe the rich sonic tapestry Colours wove. But cruelly, the album was never released, and the band broke up shortly afterward. Now with Voluptuous Doom, we can revel in the full glory of Colours. Boasting superb sound, bonus live tracks recorded at SF's famed Matrix, and lengthy liner notes by expert Alec Palao, it's a stupendous package. But wait -- in customary Frantic Records style, you also get a full second disc of 1970 material by successor band Christian, stripped down but equally tuneful. Prepare to gorge on the sonic feast that is Voluptuous Doom and Colours." Includes 12-page booklet.

Artist:	NEW BREED, THE
Title:	The New Breed Wants You!
Label:	FRANTIC RECORDS
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	FRAN 4343CD

"Finally, Sacramento's legendary New Breed get the full anthology they have deserved for so long. The Breed is best known as the alma mater of future Poco/Eagles bass player Timothy B. Schmit, but this punchy quartet was actually a fine group in their own right, with several collectable singles to their name, including the popular garage band items 'Green Eye'd Woman' and 'Want Ad Reader.' The New Breed Wants You! contains 24 tracks from 1965-68, including all their 45 sides, unreleased material from aborted single and album projects, and several cuts by the combo's latterday incarnation, Glad. As an added bonus, there are three video segments including footage of the band miming on an L.A. pop show in 1967! The package's deluxe 28-page booklet is crammed with mostly unseen pix, many in color, plus a definitive New Breed history by NorCal '60s expert, Alec Palao. Any fan of quality mid-'60s teenaged rock 'n' roll will want to snap up The New Breed Wants You!"

Artist:	VA
Title:	Up From The Grave: North Valley Garage 1965-1968
Label:	FRANTIC RECORDS
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	FRAN 5353CD

"In the mid-'60s, the northern end of California's Central Valley threw up a plethora of hot punk discs. For such an isolated area, the roll call of garage greats enshrined in vinyl from towns like Chico, Marysville and Yuba City is unprecedented -- Drusalee & the Dead, Boy Blues, Caretakers, Next Step, Graveyard Five and Madd, Inc, to name just a half-dozen -- and these are some of the rarest 45s known to man. From Sacramento up to Redding, the North Valley crawled with outlaw rock'n'rollers, and the best are captured on Up From The Grave. Much of this jam packed collection features singles released by the regions one visible record company, Frantic/Vardan, a small cache of fabulous and obscure discs by the likes of Mystic and Psycho that have captivated collectors imaginations ever since. Detailed liner notes by '60s punk expert Alec Palao tell the story of this amazing time in California's rock'n'roll past, while the booklet is a colorful overdose of pix and ephemera in the trademark Frantic style." Includes 28-page booklet. Other artists include: D. Witherspoon & Future, Sonny Oliver & The Statics, Bob Smith, Big Timers, and Custer & The Survivors.

Artist:	VA
Title:	So Cold!!! Unearthed Mid 60's Sacramento Garage
Label:	FRANTIC RECORDS
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	FRAN 8383CD

"After the tremendous reaction to our exhaustive Sacramento '60s anthology The Ikon Records Story, Frantic Records is proud to present an equally-rockin' 30-track bumper bundle of classy '60s punk from California's capital, 1965-67, the result of a decade of sleuthing, So Cold!!! spotlights some of the best vintage punk, folk-rock and garage pop you are likely to hear, all from the raging suburban punk scene that engulfed Sacramento and its environs during the halcyon daze of the mid-1960s. Though So Cold!!! features several rare single sides that have not appeared on CD before, the vast majority of this power-packed collection is previously unreleased. The program ranges from the city's big groups like the Marauders, the Fugitives and Gear One, to obscure but dynamic punkers from the Squires, Sel-Sync and Mods. A major coup was locating the rare handful of recordings by local legends Plague, Ltd. and The Heard. Once again we feature detailed liner notes from '60s punk expert Alec Palao, plus a parade of eye-popping pix n' visuals. So Cold!!! is one garage compilation that is definitely not to be missed!"

Artist:	GUNGE
Title:	Feel It!
Label:	FRANTIC RECORDS
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	FRAN 9393CD

"One of these days I'm gonna kill everybody! Chico, California's raw-assed sons of sonic anarchy, Gunge come on with the attitude of the Stooges and the ear-bleeding riffery of first-album Blue Cheer. That's Gunge, not grunge, but fans of both those groups will find much to enjoy in the contents of Feel It!, which features a wild set of demos recorded in 1968 that have lain undisturbed until now. Featuring sundry illuminati from the North California Valley garage scene, had Gunge gotten a release back in the day, they would now be celebrated as hard rocking pioneers. Their sound is a rough-hewn, brutally honest assault that -- as the eye-popping artwork implies -- literally pisses over most recent hard rock/psych reissues. Feel it!"

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