Galactic Ramble

★★★★★ Edited By Richard Morton-Jack GALACTICRAMBLE.COM. £60

Every notable UK pop, rock and jazz record released and reviewed between 1963-75?

A foolhardy enterprise is largely achieved in this huge (920 pages) and hugely enjoyable survey of the output of a very busy period between Please Please Me and the first glimmer of punk. Morton-Jack and his team of 11 cheerful obsessives compile clips of contemporary reviews, then add their own present-day assessments of every British album from Aardvark to Zyder, from cornerstones of the canon to the unlit crannies of British jazz, via every Ferris Wheel, Moonkyte and Skip Bifferty. The contemporary reviews are often fascinating (the British magazine Cream was brutal!) and there are hundreds of ads and promo flyers reproduced. The modern reviews are enthusiastic, honest summaries, unafraid to prod the odd sacred cow. It’s like browsing a longabandoned record shop with an extraordinary inventory and an amiably knowledgeable staff. Yes, you’ll spot some omissions and anomalies, but if you’re at all fascinated by this chunk of British musical history – and who reading this isn’t? – you will not regret owning a copy.