GARGAGE & BEAT #7
     Messr Letcher's GAB is becoming a benchmark of what 'zines should be about. Fandom! Modern garage/surf bands feature strongly, Massimo Del Pozzo of Misty Lane is interviewed, current B-Movie/Trash director John Michael McCarthy dishes the dirt, David Coyle covers the Hamburg Mersey scene, Will Shade (of Ugly Things and Shindig! fame) furrows through the Sundazed re-releases and there's a stash of reviews, including a rave mention for #6 of our very own rag... A nice addition to the lessening amount of US garage 'zines.
www.garageandbeat.com
Jon 'Mojo' Mills

NO KIND OF SUPERSTAR #3
     Spilled a few words in #6 about Carl and his well-versed 'zine, and here's the follow-up from last summer. As is the way with Carl, whether it's new jangly guitar-pop or '60s garage and psych, he covers it. The mag is kinda like Bucketful Of Brains, only without contemporary singer-songwriters and the pillars of the Alt.Country movement. Carl and co-horts (including Shindig! scribes Lenny Helsing and Phil Suggitt ) know their stuff, and if a different angle than purist 'zines appeals, this varied read will keep you informed. Features: CD vs. Vinyl, A-Z of Bubblegum, European Psychedelia in the '90s, Wild Weekend #3, Procol Harum and Ars Nova, along with an eclectic selection of reviews.
Jon 'Mojo' Mills

THOSE WERE THE DAYS: 
AN UNOFFICIAL HISTORY OF THE BEATLES' APPLE ORGANIZATION 1967-2002
Stefan Granados (Cherry Red Books)
     Considering the exhaustive amount of literature available on virtually every waking moment of the Beatles' lives, it's surprising that the Apple Empire has received such little attention. Richard Di Lello's seminal 1970's warts 'n' all inside story 'The Longest Cocktail Party' is still considered the last word on the subject but that could be about to change.
     We won't dwell on the Beatles angle; fans know the facts already. Suffice to say that Granados has interviewed many of the prime movers within the organization (though sadly not Neil Aspinall) to provide insightful sound bites and recollections without really unearthing any shock revelations. The inevitable transition from the carefree spirit and wide-eyed faith, not to mention the wanton hedonism and business naiveté, of Apple's early days to the brooding darkness and back stabbing of the Allen Klein era is evoked perfectly.
     The real point of interest here for most Shindiggers must be the chronicling of the lesser-known acts who passed through the Apple machine, mostly in it's early days as a music publisher and fledgling record label. John's Children, Grapefruit, Brute Force, Fire, Mortimer, Trash, The Sands and Focal Point earn almost as many column inches as The Iveys/Badfinger, Jackie Lomax, Mary Hopkin and the usual suspects.
     And I bet you didn't know that Paul Jones' 1967 freak-pop B-side 'The Dog Presides' was recorded with a backing band featuring Paul McCartney, Jeff Beck and Paul Samwell-Smith!
     A must for fans of the Beatles and the late 60's UK underground alike.
Andy Morten

UGLY THINGS #20      Well, what is there to be said about Ugly Things? We all know it's the top of the pile for '60s coolness, that it gets bigger with each issue and features some of the finest writers and fanatics of the 'wild sounds from past dimensions!' this side of heaven! The new issue runs to 192 pages and features an astounding string of features on The Yardbirds psychedelic saga, part one of The Misunderstood story and loads of smaller articles on the usual diverse subject matter than runs from The Treniers through to Roy Harper and Eater! The huge review section is as informative as ever, featuring a number of pen-smith Mike Fornatale's comical musings! Amazing!
     www.ugly-things.com
Jon 'Mojo' Mills

TRY IT #7      Now this is how things were done before the internet, DTP packages and polished fluffiness... Trevor turns in a 30-page selection of reviews of recent classic re-releases, scribbling words of praise and honesty. Some of the albums are really old, but in the 'zine tradition of old, Trevor and his photocopier turn out whatever he wants... This is personal and refreshing: a reminder of when 'zines weren't magazines!
     T. Davidson, 161 Gilmerton Dykes Crescent, Edinburgh EH17 8JG, Scotland
Jon 'Mojo' Mills

THE WHO: ANYWAY ANYHOW ANYWHERE
The Complete Chronicles
Andy Neill & Matt Kent (Virgin Books)
     Thanks to Sara I got this for my birthday in December. It's a corker and a necessity for all '60s music bookcases! But for me to call this blubbering piece of writing a review would be ridiculous, as I've hardly dipped into this book at all - IT'S MASSIVE, AND NOT ONE TO READ ON THE BUS OR TUBE! However, what I have looked at has been astounding. The huge selection of unseen photos and clippings are enough reason to own this, even if you don't read it cover to cover. Like The Beatles Anthology and Bill Wyman's new Stones book Rolling With The Stones (which came out the same time as this Who chronicle) it's not a book to be read in the sense of a novel or biography, but one to dip into and savour when the mood takes you. Wanna know where The Who played on your birthday? It's here... Wanna know their agenda in '67? It's here! Wanna see pages and pages of fab shots? They're bountiful! Andy and Matt have spent years on this, and it shows! A masterwork!
Jon 'Mojo' Mills