Artist	Song
Keith West	Grocer Jack
Tomorrow (w/ Mark Wirtz)	Mr. Rainbow
Kippington Lodge	Shy Boy
Tomorrow	Auntie Mary's Dress Shop
Tomorrow	Incredible Journey Of Timothy Chase
Mark Wirtz	(He's Our Dear Old) Weatherman
The Sweetshop	Barefoot & Tiptoe
Keith West	On A Saturday
Mark Wirtz	Dream Dream Dream
Astronaut Alan & The Planets	Cellophane Mary-Jane
Mark Wirtz	Mrs. Raven
Aquarian Age	10,000 Words In A Cardboard Box
Kippington Lodge	Rumours
Mark Wirtz	What's Good For The Goose
Samantha Jones	Today Without You
Krimson Kake	Feelin' Better
Roger James	Something Wonderful
Philwit & Pegasus	My What A Lovely Day It's Been
Mark Wirtz	Trambouline
Mark Wirtz	America Sundae
Mark Wirtz	Hasn't It Been A Heavy Day
Mark Wirtz	Silverlake Ripple
Mark Wirtz	Salty Water
Mark Wirtz	Bye Bye Sadie
Mark Wirtz	Love Is Eggshaped
Mark Wirtz	Saving It For A Rainy Day
Mark Wirtz	Nothing Lasts 4ever

Comment:

Hot on the heels of my recent ode to the soft-rock, sunshine-pop sounds of U.S. singer/songwriter/producer Kurt Boettcher, here's my tribute to his U.K. counterpart Mark Wirtz - perhaps far less known than Boettcher, but no less a genius of kitsch. Starting out in the early 60s producing limp pop and sappy bubblegum covers (not included here), Wirtz achieved (semi-)fame producing psychedelic upstarts Tomorrow (probably best known for the insanely trippy "My White Bicycle," as well as for being the original band for future Yes guitarist Steve Howe). Wirtz, both on his own and with Tomorrow vocalist Keith West, started work on a rock opera of sorts, but it fizzled out. He went on to produce assorted sunshine pop acts with a slight psyche edge (only "10,000 Words In A Cardboard Box," a great lost classic, tips the scales into true psychedelia), most of which is pretty obscure (save for Kippington Lodge, the original Nick Lowe/Brinsley Schwarz band).
In the early 70s, Wirtz relocated to L.A., issuing a series of obscure but charming solo albums that merged infectious and undeniably cheesy sunshine pop most reminiscent of Harry Nilsson (and maybe early solo McCartney) with kitschy bachelor pad lounge music. Those albums are out of print, but a couple recent compilations cull the highlights. Wirtz then dropped out of the biz for a couple decades, returning last year where he left off, with the cheesy but intermittently sweet Love Is Eggshaped - a concept album about the course of a love affair (which, alas, had already been done a couple years earlier by Of Montreal, a band that shares some similar sensibilities).

Is this fun as all get-out? You betcha.

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