CALEIDOSCOPIO ROCK USA ANNI ’60
La “UNI Records” nacque nel 1966, fondata da Music Corporation of America (MCA) come nuova etichetta dedicata principalmente alla musica rock e psichedelica, sotto il nome esteso di “Universal City Records”, per il fatto che la sede centrale della MCA si trovava nell’area “Universal City”, in San Fernando Valley, contea di Los Angeles, California. Il logo era semplicemente l’abbreviazione UNI, da ciò la denominazione corrente “UNI Records”, dunque l‘etichetta veniva solitamente chiamata UNI Records. Dal 1967 svettò in pieno splendore con Russ Regan, assunto per il reparto promozionale della UNI, poi rapidamente salito alla carica di direttore generale dell’etichetta. Nel 1972 la MCA volle fondare una “major” con il proprio nome e riunì gli artisti della Decca/Coral, della Kapp e della UNI nella nuova etichetta MCA. Si segnala che la UNI spaziava da rock psichedelico a jazz, soul, country. Tra gli artisti celebri notiamo Neil Diamond, Elton John e Bill Cosby. Russ Regan scoprì il “garage group” Strawberry Alarm Clock, cui si aggiunsero tra gli altri The Druids of Stonehenge, Alexander’s Timeless Bloozband e American Blues. Regan divenne poi presidente di “20th Century Records” e passò anche a “PolyGram”. Nel biennio 1988-89 la UNI riprese brevemente il logo completo “UNI Records”, ma nel 1990 risultava già riassorbita da MCA. Nel 2003 “Geffen Records” assorbì MCA e tuttora gestisce i cataloghi UNI. Si elencano qui i soli 45 giri “UNI [Records]” di garage rock, psych rock e acid rock tra 1967 e 1970:
– THE DAILY FLASH “The French Girl [I-II]” (55001) [1967];
– THE RAINY DAZE “That Acapulco Gold / In My Mind Lives A Forest” (55002) [1967];
– THE FACTORY “Smile, Let Your Life Begin / When I Was An Apple” (55005) [1967];
– HAMILTON WALKER “Graveyard Shift / You Must Be The One” (55010) [1967];
– THE RAINY DAZE “Good Morning, Mr. Smith / Discount City” (55011) [1967];
– THE BOENZEE CRYQUE “Still In Love With You Baby / Sky Gone Gray” (55012) [1967];
– STRAWBERRY ALARM CLOCK “Incense And Peppermints / The Birdman Of Alkatrash” (55018) [1967];
– THE DRUIDS OF STONEHENGE “A Garden Where Nothing Grows / Painted Woman” (55021) [1967];
– THE BOENZEE CRYQUE “Watch The Time / You Won’t Believe It’s True” (55022) [1967];
– EMIL RICHARDS AND THE FACTORY “No Place I’d Rather Be / Do Biddely” (55027) [1967];
– PATRICK AND PAUL “Love Country / Big City Blues” (55030) [1967];
– THE LOOKING GLASS “Virginia Day’s Ragtime Memories / What Am I Doing Cryin’?” (55034) [1967];
– THE SONICS “Anyway The Wind Blues / Lost Love” (55039) [1967];
– THE VISIONS “Small Town Commotion / Keepin’ Your Eyes On The Sun” (55042) [1967];
– STRAWBERRY ALARM CLOCK “Tomorrow / Birds In My Tree” (55046) [1967/68];
– THE YELLOW PAYGES “Our Time Is Running Out / Sweet Sunrise” (55043) [1968];
– ALEXANDER’S TIMELESS BLOOZBAND “Love So Strong (Guitar Song) / Horn Song” (55044) [1968];
– THE LOLLIPOP SHOPPE “You Must Be A Witch / Don’t Close The Door” (55050) [1968];
– MICHAEL PROCYSZYN “Me And Little Mary-O [I-II]” (55054) [1968];
– STRAWBERRY ALARM CLOCK “Sit With The Guru / Pretty Song From Psych-Out” (55055) [1968];
– THE HOOK “Son Of Fantasy / Plug Your Head In” (55057) [1968];
– FEVER TREE “San Francisco Girls (Return Of The Native) / Come With Me (Rainsong)” (55060) [1968];
– THE YELLOW PAYGES “Judge Carter / Childhood Friends” (55072) [1968];
– STRAWBERRY ALARM CLOCK “Barefoot In Baltimore / An Angry Young Man” (55076) [1968];
– THE PLEASURE FAIR “(I’m Gonna Have To) Let You Go / Today” (55078) [1968];
– MICHAEL PROCYSZYN “The World Went Around And Around / Charlie’s Rainbow” (55079) [1968];
– MARS BONFIRE “Ride With Me Baby / Tenderness” (55081) [1968];
– FUTURE “The Shape Of Things To Come / 52%” (55082) [1968];
– ORANGE COLORED SKY “Orange Colored Sky / The Shadow Of Summer” (55088) [1968];
– THE YELLOW PAYGES “Crowd Pleaser / You’re Just What I Was Looking For Today” (55089) [1968];
– STRAWBERRY ALARM CLOCK “Sea Shell / Paxton’s Back Street Carnival” (55093) [1968];
– FEVER TREE “What Time Did You Say It Is In Salt Lake City? / Where Do You Go?” (55095) [1968];
– MICHAEL J. JAMES “She Needs The Same Things I Need / Thinking To Myself” (55096) [1968];
– THE FUN AND GAMES “The Grooviest Girl in The World / It Must Have Been The Wind” (55098) [1968];
– THE YELLOW PAYGES “The Two Of Us / Never Put Away My Love For You” (55107) [1968];
– GIANT CRAB “Hi Ho Silver Lining / Hot Line Conversation” (55094) [1969];
– GIANT CRAB “Believe Or Not / Lydia Purple” (55103) [1969];
– EAST SIDE KIDS “Is My Love Strong / Taking The Time” (55105) [1969];
– FIELDS “Bide My Time / Take You Home” (55106) [1969];
– STRAWBERRY ALARM CLOCK “Miss Attraction / (You Put Me On) Stand By” (55113) [1969];
– STRAWBERRY ALARM CLOCK “Good Morning Starshine / Me And The Township” (55125) [1969];
– GIANT CRAB “Cool It / Intensify My Soul” (55134) [1969];
– FEVER TREE “Love Makes The Sun Rise / Filigree And Shadow” (55146) [1969];
– THE YELLOW PAYGES “Vanilla On My Mind / Would You Mind If I Loved You” (55153) [1969];
– SMOKE “Choose It [I-II]” (55154) [1969];
– GIANT CRAB “E.S.P. / Hot Line Conversation” (55155) [1969];
– SUNDAE FUNNIES “Baby, I Could Be So Good At Loving You / See Things My Way” (55157) [1969];
– STRAWBERRY ALARM CLOCK “Desireé / Changes” (55158) [1969];
– CHARITY “Never Change Your Mind / I Still Love You” (55159) [1969];
– THE GREAT LOVE TRIP “Noah / Why Can’t We Be” (55163) [1969];
– FEVER TREE “Clancy / The Sun Also Rises” (55172) [1969];
– THE YELLOW PAYGES “Slow Down / Frisco Annie” (55176) [1969];
– STRAWBERRY ALARM CLOCK “Starting Out The Day / Small Package” (55185) [1969];
– STRAWBERRY ALARM CLOCK “I Climbed The Mountain / Three” (55190) [1969];
– THE YELLOW PAYGES “Follow The Bouncing Ball / Little Woman” (55192) [1969];
– FEVER TREE “Catcher In The Rye / What Time Did You Say It Is In Salt Lake City?” (55202) [1970];
– THE YELLOW PAYGES “I’m A Man / Home Again” (55225) [1970];
– FEVER TREE “I Am / Grand Candy Young Sweet” (55228) [1970];
– DAYBREAK “I Could Have Heard The Crying / Good Morning Freedom” (55234) [1970].
Gian Marchisio
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