Ultimate Turn on

The U.K. label Big Beat delivers once again with this truly Excellent 2cd set. This release actually surfaced in 2007 but I missed it back then but am now totally Ecstatic about discovering this Treasure Trove of The Music Machine's finest collection of the group's 1st incarnation. Disc one tracks in at over 75 minutes and includes 28 tunes that capture the truly Excellent sound by the original, definitive line-up. The 2nd disc contains 20 previously unissued recordings of rehearsals, demos, and early alternate mixes. To cap off side 2, there are 2 enhanced Video clips from 1966 taken from T.V. station KHJ-TV's show "Boss City". Altogether, disc 2 tracks in at over 52 minutes. The group consisted of Sean Bonniwell who wrote all of the group's original tunes and also sang Lead Vocal, rhythm guitar, and horn. Essentially, Sean was the leader of The Music Machine. Other members of the group included; Mark Landon on Lead guitar, Doug Rhodes on keyboards, bass, flute, and horn, Keith Olsen on Bass and vocals, and Ron Edgar on drums and vocals. I remember buying the L.P. when it came out in 1966 and over time, the music by the groups only seems to have held up extremely well. Of course, their only real hit was "Talk Talk", which is one minute and 57 seconds of aggressive perfection. But this fine collection captures so much more with the deeper tracks provided here. I have played the cd over 20 times in the past 2 weeks and find myself playing it with strong anticipation daily. Besides the big hit, I have discovered new gems that eluded me some 45 years ago. Other excellent tracks include: "Masculine Intuition", "The People In Me", "Come On In", and "Trouble". This collection captures the strong Chemistry that the group owned which was truly amazing. The 2nd disc of previously unreleased tunes gives the listener an inside glimpse of their recording process. Even the cover tunes sound truly their own on this release. They cover Neil Diamond's "Cherry Cherry", The Beatles's "Taxman", Ma Rainey's "CC Rider", and an excellent version of "Hey Joe". Later singles such as "The Eagle Never Hunts The Fly" and "Double Yellow Line", which were both recorded in 1967, have only improved over time. The collection provides both Stereo and Mono mixes of the L.P. and even though the sound is excellent on both versions, it is the Mono mix that best captures their full sonic blast. To go along with the musical collection, this package also provides an Excellent 28 page annotated booklet written by Alec Palao. The interviews are truly informative and revealing, as all original 5 members are interviewed. This is especially poignant due to the fact that Sean Bonniwell died of lung cancer on Dec. 20, 2011. All of the band's inside story is indeed fascinating. Some of the more interesting tidbits reveal such facts as it was Keith, himself, who built fuzzboxes to specifically have their own sound and to be different than other groups, which really kept their unique fuzztone sound. Also, the members of the group stressed the fact that Sean was All Business and worked very diligently on their songs. It was Sean's idea to wear all black garb, including the black glove, wearing strange medals around their necks, and even dying their hair black! Sean displayed a maturity in his songs which was rare in Rock music, both strongly dense & openly compelling, creative and tight. The interviews talk about how they would watch "stoned" groups play before them and then they would quietly set up their equipment an totally blow every other group off the stage. They were totally locked-in and NOBODY could outplay them live! All in All, this 2cd set is a revealing, enjoyable, and masterful collection of 60's fuzztone and solid chemistry! MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!! SMRZ!!

Forty years after Sean Bonniewell and his band the Music Machine hit the AM radio airwaves with their smash hit, the two minute blast of roaring guitar and organ rage known simply as "Talk Talk" UK reissue specialty label, Big Beat, under the divine guidance of psychedelic rock guru Alec Palo, present Bonniwell and company in ultimate fashion. The original lp is lovingly stretched to a two disc collection. Disc one contains the original album in both mono and stereo versions, as well as non-lp singles. The second disc is filled with previously unissued tracks, a total of 22, ranging from rehearsal and demo recordings, as well as alternate versions, original mixes, and to top the package off two video clips. The highlights are far too numerous to mention, but along with the hit single, killer album tracks such as "Masculine Intuition" and "The People In Me" show the band at its punk rock best. The band also shines on covers such as the Beatles "Taxman" and ? and the Mysterions "96 Tears." The 48 audio and 2 video tracks add up to a real "ultimate" presentation of a band that was years ahead of its time. The hefty booklet, with liner notes by Palao and full of previously unreleased photos also paints an accurate portrait of the band's instant rise to fame equally rapid fall from grace. Unable to follow up their smash single the band imploded with Sean Bonniwell carrying on as Bonniwell's Music Machine, but never again approaching the fame and fortune of their signature song. Listening to "The Ultimte Turn On" it is apparent that the band's unique sound was worthy of a much better fate. However, in the heady days of the mid 1960s bands were only as popular as their latest hit, and the Music Machine all too quickly became just another "one hit wonder" band. This despite killer tracks such as a rocking cover of "Hey Joe." Such was the fickle music industry of the mid to late 1960s. Filled with fuzz guitars, swirling organs, and full of punk attitude, the Music Machine deserved a much better fate. But it was not to be. However, treat yourself to this wonderful collection and travel back into time via Sean Bonniewell and the magical Music Machine.

Garage Band makes good, they were Great. I really like their music - you can't compare this band to any other band during their time period, they didn't sound like anybody else out there. I highly recommend this album, because they were different and sounded great doing it. Essentially, Sean was the leader of The Music Machine. Other members of the group included; Mark Landon on Lead guitar, Doug Rhodes on keyboards, bass, flute, and horn, Keith Olsen on Bass and vocals, and Ron Edgar on drums and vocals. their only real hit was "Talk Talk", which is one minute and 57 seconds of aggressive perfection. But this fine collection captures so much more with the deeper tracks provided here. Other excellent tracks include: "Masculine Intuition", "The People In Me", "Come On In", and "Trouble". They cover Neil Diamond's "Cherry Cherry", The Beatles's "Taxman", Ma Rainey's "CC Rider", and an excellent version of "Hey Joe".

Everything you need from The Music Machine. I would have given it 5 stars were it not for a couple of cheesy covers; the originals, however, are among the best garage-psych tunes ever released.

Un bon gros double CD qui contient l'intégrale (et plus encore) du super petit groupe mené par Sean Bonniwell qu'était The Music Machine. Surtout connu pour leur petit classique garage "Talk Talk", le groupe mérite beaucoup mieux que d'être réduit à ce seul titre, toute jolie déflagration excitante soit-elle. Le premier CD contient tous les enregistrements officiels du groupe, soit 16 titres sortis en 1965 et 1966, avec également les versions mono de 12 titres. Armé d'un orgue plus farfelu que Farfisa, The Music Machine faisait surtout vrombir une guitare fortement gonflée à la fuzz, de façon singulièrement brutale pour l'époque. Un vrai plaisir sur le furieux "Trouble", très Them, mais dans le genre proto-hard, "The Eagle Never Hunts The Fly" se pose carrément là, avec pas mal d'années d'avance. Ailleurs, le groupe sonne quasiment comme des Doors avant l'heure: écoutez "Come On In" ou sa reprise de "Hey Joe" (antérieure à Jimi Hendrix), c'est assez troublant. D'autant plus quand on sait que le groupe est originaire de Los Angeles, ville d'origine également, tiens tiens, de Morrison et consorts. Ça donne à réfléchir. The Music Machine se révèle aussi pas manchot du tout quand il s'agit de composer des morceaux bien foutus, pop en dedans mais qu'ils délivreront avec une énergie toute rock. Pour s'en convaincre, "The People In Me" et "Absolutely Positively" font preuve de beaucoup de charme. Il y a aussi des ballades un peu surannées et des reprises superfétatoires ("96 Tears", "CC Rider"). En vérité, est-ce parce qu'il est encore trop tôt, mais le groupe semble hésiter à suivre une direction franche. Il a des intuitions, de la suite dans les idées, mais se refuse à y adhérer totalement. Pourtant, The Music Machine affiche bel et bien des éléments totalement précurseurs et novateurs pour l'époque. Le deuxième CD renferme quant à lui 20 démos ou mixes précoces ainsi que deux clips visionnables sur ordi. On trouve certains titres absents du premier CD et l'ensemble est brut, énergique et hautement recommandable. Ça peut peut-être faire beaucoup pour ce groupe de seconds couteaux mais "The Ultimate Turn On" est sans doute la meilleure manière d'appréhender correctement The Music Machine. Qui n'a donc pas fait que "Talk Talk" comme fait d'arme notable. La preuve. Très valable pour les amateurs de groupes garage sixties car The Music Machine en est un fameux.

Oh YEH!