At The Groovy Cellar: RPM Reveals "Another Splash of Colour: New Psychedelia in Britain 1980-1985"

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Mention psychedelia and chances are you're transported to a certain patchouli-scented period in the late 1960s, a hazy period of high times and boundary-breaking musical creativity. The spirit of psychedelia didn't die with the advent of glam, hard rock or disco, however, though it may have been submerged for a time. In 1981, the 13-track album A Splash of Colour chronicled Great Britain's "New Psychedelia" with '60s-influenced cuts from The Mood Six, Miles Over Matter, The High Tide, The Marble Staircase and others. Cherry Red's RPM label has recently reworked and reconfigured that landmark LP into a 3-CD box set appropriately entitled Another Splash of Colour: New Psychedelia in Britain 1980-1985.

Most of the tracks from the original collection are here, but the purview has been greatly expanded for this new set. Born in clubs such as The Groovy Cellar and The Clinic, the New Psychedelia movement espoused beliefs of peace and love that few were willing to express in 1981 London, and took a page from both fashion and the underground music scene of the mid- to late-1960s. DJ Clive Jackson, a.k.a. The Doctor, presided over The Clinic (naturally!) with a full-blown happening of flowers and candles. Color and flamboyance were proudly displayed in both music and dress. Early proponents of this new/old style represented on Another Splash of Colour include The Mood Six and Miles Over Matter; soon various other influences were being incorporated into the New Psychedelia. The Earwigs brought a punk sensibility, while The Silence created their own riff on New Wave. The Marble Staircase and The Barracudas both bore the strains of the "mod" sound. The Times leaned towards pre-Swinging London pop. Nick Nicely, well-versed in both electronica and psychedelia, utilized an embryonic form of scratching on his cult favorite "Hilly Fields (1892)." The New Psychedelia could accommodate all of these disparate influences, as heard on the 64 eclectic tracks on Another Splash of Colour.

The New Psychedelia movement didn't last long; Neil Taylor's comprehensive liner notes essay describes a critical backlash to the release of the original A Splash of Colour compilation in 1981, with many critics at the time feeling the subgenre was all hype. Yet as this box abundantly proves, the '60s-inspired tracks recorded by many of these bands today feel more timeless than much contemporary music of the same 1980-1985 period. "New Psychedelia" didn't last long, but the psych flavor continued to reverberate via the music of Echo and the Bunnymen, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure, and others. Creation Records, early home to The Jesus and Mary Chain, indulged some psych-influenced bands too including label founder Alan McGee's own Biff Bang Pow! (heard here with "A Day Out with Jeremy Chester"). (Cherry Red anthologized Creation on a splendid 2015 box set, Artifact: The Dawn of Creation Records.) Across the pond, the Paisley Underground scene (The Dream Syndicate, Rain Parade, etc.) drew its own inspiration from many of the same sources as the British New Psychedelia.

Many eclectic names can be found on this set. Robyn Hitchcock, whose career continues to thrive today, is heard on this set with his solo "It's a Mystic Trip," and his band The Soft Boys is also represented with "Only the Stones Remain." Post-punk hero Julian Cope offers the raw 1984 single "Sunspots." Elvis Costello might not have represented the neo-psych movement, but his band The Attractions (a.k.a. Steve Nieve, Bruce Thomas and Pete Thomas) got into the act with their own brand of '60s-influenced pop rock. Their B-side "Slow Patience" is featured here. Science fiction/fantasy author Michael Moorcock has often dabbled in music, collaborating with the likes of Hawkwind and Blue Oyster Cult. His band The Deep Fix gets a slot here with "Brothel in Rosenstrasse." Most of the songs on the box are originals, though Naz Nomad and The Nightmares' cover of The Electric Prunes' "I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)" is a highlight. Though The Doctor with his band The Medics had a chart-topper in 1986 with a cover of Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit in the Sky," that recording falls out of the timeframe of this set. Instead, the Medics are featured with a demo of "Barbara Can't Dance."

Another Splash of Colour is housed in a compact clamshell box, handsomely designed by Andy Morten, with each disc packaged in its own mini-sleeve. The original A Splash of Colour labels have been nicely adapted for each CD. Simon Murphy has remastered each track. Neil Taylor's sterling essay in the colorful, thick 40-page booklet is a definitive account of the New Psychedelia movement and its aftermath; all that's lacking in this splendid presentation is more detail about each of the artists as well as discographical annotation for each track. This mind-expanding anthology is available now from RPM Records at the links below!

Various Artists, Another Splash of Colour: New Psychedelia in Britain 1980-1985 (RPM BX 530, 2016) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

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