Various Artists: Let The Electric Children Play - The Underground Story of Transatlantic Records, 3CD

• NEW REMASTERED 3 CD CLAMSHELL BOX SET VARIOUS ARTISTS ANTHOLOGY DOCUMENTING THE UNDERGROUND ERA OF TRANSATLANTIC RECORDS BETWEEN 1968 - 1976


• NEARLY FOUR HOURS OF MUSIC FROM ARTISTS INCLUDING ALAN HULL, STRAY, THE DEVIANTS, PENTANGLE, MICK FARREN, JODY GRIND, THE HUMBLEBUMS, MARSUPILAMI, GERRY RAFFERTY, SKIN ALLEY, UNICORN & MANY MORE


• FEATURING A LAVISHLY ILLUSTRATED BOOK & EXTENSIVE ESSAY ON THE TRANSATLANTIC LABEL & ARTISTS FEATURED IN THE BOX

Esoteric Recordings are proud to announce the release of a new deluxe 3CD which tells the story of the so- called “underground” era of one of Britain’s great independent record labels of the 1960s & 1970s, Transatlantic Records.

In the heady atmosphere of the late 1960s, the sea change in British popular music spearheaded by the Beatles experimentation on the Sergeant Pepper album and swiftly followed by the likes of Cream, Pink Floyd, Traffic, Family, Procol Harum, Jethro Tull and a host of groups and musicians who followed in their footsteps led to the album being seen as the medium in which “serious” musicians would explore and develop their craft. The apparently disparate genres of blues, jazz, rock, folk and even world music were fused together by many diverse acts all of whom were eager to be regarded as “progressive” in their musical approach. The so-called “underground” audience eagerly consumed this music, which sat alongside the social changes that were also taking place.

In the UK the major labels established imprints such as Harvest, Vertigo and Deram to market music to this audience, inspired by the vision of independent labels such as Island Records. Another, smaller British independent label also swiftly tapped in to this new musical movement, Transatlantic Records. This proudly independent imprint, founded in 1961 by Nat Joseph, looked beyond its initial folk, jazz and blues output to sign a distinctly quirky and diverse roster of “underground” acts. Between 1968 and 1976 Transatlantic explored all aspects of the “progressive” and “underground” scenes; from the “heavy” groups such as The Deviants, Jody Grind, Little Free Rock and Stray, to the acts on the fringes of folk and rock such as Pentangle, Mr Fox, Alan Hull, The Humblebums, Gryphon and Carolanne Pegg, to jazz rockers such as Circus and Marsupilami.

Featuring over three and a half hours of newly re-mastered music over three CDs, “Let the Electric Children Play” documents the fascinating story of a unique period in the history of one of Britain’s most eccentric labels. This deluxe anthology also includes a lavishly illustrated booklet with new essay and artist biographies housed in a clamshell boxed set.

Track List:

DISC ONE:
1. WE CAN SWING TOGETHER – Alan Hull
2. II B.S. - Circus
3. MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S HAPPENING- The Sallyangie
4. LIGHT FLIGHT - Pentangle
5. BILLY THE MONSTER - The Deviants
6. PAINT IT BLACK – Jody Grind
7. NORWEGIAN WOOD - Circus
8. OBADIAH’S GRAVE – Alan Hull
9. LUCIFER’S CAGE – Gordon Giltrap
10. ONCE I HAD A SWEETHEART - Pentangle
11. METAMORPHOSIS EXPLOSION – The Deviants
12. SATURDAY ROUNDABOUT SUNDAY (SINGLE VERSION) - The Humblebums
13. MAKIN’ TIME - Little Free Rock
14. MONA (A FRAGMENT) – Mick Farren
15. PLASTIC SHIT – Jody Grind

DISC TWO:
1. ALL IN YOUR MIND - Stray
2. BORN TO BE FREE - Marsupilami
3. WE’VE HAD IT – Jody Grind
4. MICE AND RATS IN THE LOFT - Jan Dukes De Grey
5. HOMAGE TO THE GOD OF LIGHT – Peter Bardens
6. AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS - Stray
7. MENDLE – Mr. Fox
8. PRELUDE TO THE ARENA - Marsupilami
9. DON’T EVER GIVE UP TRYING - Unicorn
10. REFLECTION - Pentangle
11. SKIN VALLEY SERENADE – Skin Alley

DISC THREE:
1. TEAR DOWN THE WALL – Peter Bardens
2. SON OF THE FATHER - Stray
3. DON’T COUNT ME OUT – Gerry Rafferty
4. NICK’S SEVEN – Skin Alley
5. SONG FROM THE 4th ERA - CMU
6. A DISTANT THOUGHT, A POINT OF LIGHT - CMU
7. THE UNGODLY - Decameron
8. FAIR FORTUNE’S STAR - Carolanne Pegg
9. MOVE IT (SINGLE VERSION) - Stray
10. SHELTER - Renia
11. OPENING MOVE - Gryphon
12. JOURNEY’S END - Decameron
13. CRIMINAL WORLD - Metro