Genre: psych
Rating: **** (4 stars)
Title: This Is the Magic Mixture
Company: Saga
Catalog: FID 2125
Year: 1968
Country/State: London, UK
Grade (cover/record): VG / VG
Comments: UK pressing (thin cover) with a couple of creases, though this is one of the best sounding Saga pressings I've heard (they're usually pretty lame)
Available: 1
GEMM Catalog ID: 5139
Price: $200.00
Based on a couple of glowing reviews I'd see over the years, this forgotten release is one I'd been trying to find for quite some time. Given it never saw an American release, it took some time and effort to track down copy. At the same time, being somewhat cynical it was probably only natural that I wasa bit apprehensive about the album ... guess I've become accustomed to thinking along the lines "crap, another over-hyped piece of dullness." Luckily that wasn't the case here.
Other than what I gleaned from the liner notes accompanying 1968's "This Is the Magic Mixture", I can't tell you too much about the band. Serving as lead singer, lead guitarist and writer (all 11 tracks were credited to him), Jim Thomas was apparently the front man. Thomas along with drummer Jack Collins, keyboardist Stan Curtis and bassist Melvyn Hacker all apparently played in a number of earlier bands before coming together as the London-based Magic Mixture. Signed to the small Saga label, their 1968 LP proved surprisingly diverse and enjoyable though to be perfectly honest this wasn't a Pink Floyd-styled psych romp that some dealers would have you believe ... In fact one of the album's charms was it's versatility. I've seen it advertised as being psychedelic and that's true - to a degree. Powered by Thomas' nifty gruff voice and tasteful guitar (the jazzy performance on 'Urge To Leave' sounded like something from Carlos Santana's catalog), songs such as 'Slowly the Day', 'New Man' and 'Living On a Hill' (the latter sporting another great guitar solo) certainly incorporated modest psych influences. That said, strong melodies and Thomas' distinctive vocals gave the album a distinctive commercial sheen. Elsewhere 'You' sounded like a Cream-styled rocker, while '(I'm So) Sad' and 'It's Alright By Me' could have been ripped from a Spooky Tooth album. To my ears the only misstep was the dreadful 'The Motor Bike Song'. Apparently meant to be funny but sung in a heavy cockney accent it just irritated my American ears. Definitely one that grows on you the more you play it and an interesting precursor to Thomas' mid-1970s work with Charlie (see separate entry).
"This Is the Magic Mixture" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) (I'm So) Sad (Jim Thomas)
2.) Urge To Leave (Jim Thomas)
3.) You (Jim Thomas)
4.) Slowly the Day (Jim Thomas)
5.) New Man (Jim Thomas)
6.) Living On a Hill (Jim Thomas)
(side 2)
1.) It's Alright By Me (Jim Thomas)
2.) Hey Little Girl (Jim Thomas)
3.) Tomorrow's Sun (Jim Thomas)
4.) Motor Bike Song (Jim Thomas)
5.) Moon Beams (Jim Thomas)