Curator Mike Patricola and the Smiling C label – the team behind Voice of Love – are back. Pipe Dreams is the title of the new compilation, due for release on 23 October. It features 19 forgotten songs, recorded between the late 1970s and the mid-1980s, which are – well – a bit of a tearjerker. Literally. Side A features classic yacht rock, Side B surf disco, Side C showcases more intimate ‘tropical troubadours’, and Side D rounds things off with yacht rock.
Not Only Surfin’ U.S.A
The artists featured hail not only from the USA, but also from Australia, Japan, Canada, France, the Bahamas and Hawaii. The compilation presents yacht rock not as a style confined to California, but as a global aesthetic. On ‘Coconuts Wind’, the Japanese artist Twin Cosmos weaves a Lennon-esque melody into a balmy sea breeze. Pierre Rochette from Montréal drifts off into a dream on ‘On The Beach’ with African rhythms and disco guitar grooves.
Pressed on black vinyl, the record comes in a luxurious, die-cut gatefold sleeve with spot varnish and is available exclusively from HHV on the European mainland. The artwork is by Charles Bals and is based on the photograph ‘Breaking Wave’ by Lex Thompson.
