Skip!

Florence, 19th October 1587: Francesco de Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany dies with his wife under suspicious circumstances. His brother Ferdinando inherits the title, leaves the monkhood for worldly aspirations including finding a wife. On 2nd May 1589, he married Christine of Lorraine, granddaughter of Catherine de Medici, mother of the King of France. As was the custom at European courts, the wedding was accompanied with splendid festivities, each one outshining the last, to convey the image of the new monarchy.

Many genuine psychedelic enthusiasts feel like heading for the hills when the phrase "psychedelic pop" rears its head in reviews, especially when used in connection with British bands of the late '60s - one gets sonic images of tinkling harpsichords and trippy pop/rock tunes. Skip Bifferty's self-titled LP is one of the notable exceptions - oh, they're cheerfully spaced out, and their music is heavily ornamented with bells, echo, and all manner of sound effects, but at its core, this was a ballsy, hard-playing band that recognized the need for a solid rock & roll base to this kind of music. They might not exactly have been the Rolling Stones but they could have given the Idle Race or the Creation a run for their money. "Guru" is the trippiest number here, a tabla-laden piece of minimalist psychedelia that's all voices chanting and pounding percussion, and it works…

Digitally remastered and expanded edition of this 1968 album. They may have been downgraded over the intervening years to a retrospectively-acclaimed, collector-type act, but at the time, Skip Bifferty were genuine contenders: significant radio support for their singles, heavyweight management and afforded Next Big Thing status by the weekly pop papers. This self-titled album now comes expanded with nine bonus tracks including 'Jesus Smith (The Other Side Of)', the band's semi-legendary, hitherto-lost debut studio recording, plus two versions of 'Skizoid Revolution', a song that has previously only been available with a guest vocal from Alan Hull. 23 tracks. Cherry Red.