The Flies Complete Collection 1965-1968

rom the opening riff of the Flies’ hard-edged debut single for Decca, ‘(I’m Not Your) Stepping Stone,’ you might think that here was a band who were destined for glory—possibly even fame and fortune. But their story, like that of many awe-inspiring UK underground bands from the 1960s, was not a success story. Yes, the Flies had a few other releases on Decca and RCA, none of which attained any chart success. If not for the inclusion of this one slab of fuzz psychedelia on the legendary compilation “Chocolate Soup for Diabetics”, the Flies would perhaps have remained unknown to devotees of the 1960s psychedelic scene. This collection contains everything by the Flies—released and unreleased—including demo versions, and alternates, plus a sampling of their the In-Sect “Direct From England” pre-Flies exploitation album from 1965 as a bonus. Fat 20-page booklet is packed with detailed notes on the band, original Decca promotional materials, and plentiful photos.

From the opening riff of the Flies’ hard-edged debut single for Decca, ‘(I’m Not Your) Stepping Stone,’ you might think that here was a band who were destined for glory—possibly even fame and fortune. But their story, like that of many awe-inspiring UK underground bands from the 1960s, was not a success story. Yes, the Flies had a few other releases on Decca and RCA, none of which attained any chart success. If not for the inclusion of this one slab of fuzz psychedelia on the legendary compilation “Chocolate Soup for Diabetics”, the Flies would perhaps have remained unknown to devotees of the 1960s psychedelic scene. Still, this was a band that played major gigs with the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd, the Moody Blues, and Traffic, and were a big part of the mayhem at the legendary 14-hour Technicolour Dream event in London in 1967; this is a band whose key members founded bands like Please, T2, Bulldog Breed, Gun, and Infinity, and whose producer was Ivor Raymonde, who co-authored and arranged Dusty Springfield’s big hits for Philips (and also sired Cocteau Twins’ bassist Simon Raymonde). Although commercial success eluded them, it is fitting that the Flies have now achieved cult fame—their singles, which range from freakbeat to Mark Wirtz-esque pop/psych, merit the acclaim, and their introspective demos are perhaps even better.

Contains everything by the Flies—released and unreleased—including demo versions, and alternates, plus a sampling of their the In-Sect “Direct From England” pre-Flies exploitation album from 1965 as a bonus. Fat 20-page booklet is packed with detailed notes on the band, original Decca promotional materials, and plentiful photos.

• Released: 4/25/10
• Format: CD
• Format Detail: CD
• Internal ID: JIT
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