Unknown Mystery 60's Group

Unknown Mystery 60's Group Volume I (Distortions) was released in 1997. The songs on the CD were found on a reel to reel tape at an outdoor flea market in Philadelphia. Nothing was known about the group except for the song titles, which were written on the tape box. The two photos on the CD were inside the tape box as well. Members of the "unknown group" were asked to contact the record label for their royalties and further contract negotiations.

In 2001, Octopus Records decided to track down the combo responsible for such gems as "Birdhouses", "Percival", and "Are You Mad At Me". Requests for info about the unknown group were placed in the classified sections of various Philadelphia Newspapers. A number of respondents (fans, neighbors, and relatives) provided clues that led Octopus to the band's drummer and archivist, currently living in Spain, who generously supplied Octopus with missing details, photographs, and tapes that made the Unknown Mystery 60's Group Volume II possible. Unfortunately, one concession to the members had to be granted before the release of Volume II: the identity of the band would have to remain anonymous. Why? The expatriate, serving as a spokesman for the others, replied: "It's more or less Bob Dylan's line: "I was so much older then. I'm younger than that now."

Thanks to the band archivist in Spain, another volume of brilliant songs by the "Unknown Group" was released by Birdhouse Records in July 2007. Mastered from the original tapes, this collection of 12 Love Songs showcases the band at the height of their songwriting and musical powers. Birdhouse Records has also taken over distribution of Volumes I & II.

UNKNOWN MYSTERY 60’s GROUP REVIEWS:

"An intriguing cavalcade of Pete Townshend vim and chiming, early-Todd Rundgren sweetness…"
VOX Magazine

"It's exactly the kind of thing cults are made of"
The Bob

"Acoustic-electric psych pop with quirky songwriting and tight harmonies"
Record Collector

"This UNKNOWN 60'S MYSTERY music is WAY tasty stuff indeed"
Mr. Fab's Pop Blab
Not Lame Recordings

For those unfamiliar with the story, a quick recap: Volume 1, issued in late '97 by Distortions, claimed to be tracks found on an unlabelled reel of tape purchased at a Philadelphia flea market. Volume 2 claims to be more "lost" recordings from the private collection of the drummer, tracked down by our friends at Octopus, somewhere in the isles of Spain. Okay, whatever. I don't buy that crap for a minute, and even a casual listen to the tracks on this disc will reveal that this stuff wasn't recorded anywhere NEAR the time-frame claimed in the liners (mid '70s), but that doesn't matter at all. This a top-drawer collection of fucking EXCELLENT Beatles-style pop tunes, sung with a wry wit and a genuine ear for pop hooks. "Timothy," my favorite track on the record, details the adventures of a guy misdiagnosed by an inept optometrist, who persists in wearing the wrong glasses so he can keep smoking pot for his ever-worsening glaucoma. "Dark Side of the Sun" recalls the cracked pop of Syd Barrett's Madcap Laughs LP, and" The Great Northeast," "Morrell Park," and "(I Wanna Do Anything) But Look For A Job" detail the boredom and disappointment of life in mid-America with a unique sense of humor, along with the impossibly catchy hooks. This is a great record, far and away better than anything coughed up by a major label in the last I don't know how many years, so why persist in the transparent "artifacts" thing? If I was writing songs this uniformly excellent, I'd want CREDIT for 'em. This is unreservedly recommended for fans of the Beatles, Todd Rundgren and similar pop geniuses. Great, great stuff.
Rob Branigan
Dead Flowers