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Twink & the Technicolour Dream — Think Pink II
(Cherry Red Explore Rights Management ExM024, 2015, CD / LP / DL)

Twink — Think Pink III
(Cherry Red Explore Rights Management ExM025, 2018, CD / LP / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2023-02-27

Think Pink II Cover artThink Pink III Cover art

Few musicians played a more important role in the British psychedelic movement of the late 60s than John Alder, known as Twink. As a member of such seminal bands as The Fairies, Tomorrow, and The Pretty Things, he connected a number of the most prominent artists of the era, becoming (among other things) a great nexus for games of Six Degrees. In 1970 he released Think Pink, an eccentric slab of DIY music that’s become a cult classic. After decades of other projects, he recorded a sequel in 2015, joining together with an Italian band called The Technicolour Dream and some guests. He had first worked with The Technicolour Dream a couple years previously for You Reached for the Stars (2013). The core lineup is Twink (vocals, drums, guitar), Marco Conti (bass, vocals), Fabio Porretti (guitar), and John Povey (keyboards, percussion, vocals — a fellow Pretty Things alum); guests include Dane Stevens of The Fairies, Dave Duhig of Jade Warrior, Dani Speakman of Hawkwind, Dionne Corona of Moonchild, Walter Monnen of Lehmon, and John Altman. The result is thirteen tracks of charming and quirky psychedelic rock, mostly on the gentle side, with jangly guitars, catchy melodies, and heartfelt (if often wryly oblique) lyrics. This is not the kind of psychedelic rock built on heavy riffs — the obvious reference is The Pretty Things rather than Jimi Hendrix. This is no nostalgia trip, either. While the Spirit of ‘69 is alive and well here, the sound is sincere and organic, never forced or imitative or jaded. Of course, the participation of several veterans of the original time helps, and Twink is the perfect center for this free-flowing outpouring of music.

There was another collaboration with The Technicolour Dream, Sympathy for the Beast (2019), but let’s move our attention to the third installment of Think Pink, which originally came out in 2018 and puts Twink in the company of Andrew McCulloch of The Sons of Mod and Ed Sykes, whom Twink worked with in Star Sponge Vision. Twink is credited solely with vocals and songwriting (no drums), so this is a much different vibe than on the previous volume. Not that it’s a sleepy or even mellow affair — many of the songs feature energetic acoustic guitar strumming and good electric guitar work. Listening to the nine tracks, you get the feeling of hanging out with friends as they make music in someone’s living room. “Lydia Ladybird” is positively bouncy and includes an understated electric piano part; “Fountain” is a loping piece of space rock that could almost be an acoustic Hawkwind song; and “Planet 39” has a pulsing acoustic guitar part and embellishments from a sitar. These two followups to Think Pink are entertaining proof that Twink is one musician from the 60s who can still produce valid music without succumbing to modern trends or altering his artistic personality.

Filed under: New releases, 2015 releases, 2018 releases

Related artist(s): Twink (John Alder)

More info
http://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/twink-think-pink-3-cd
http://johntwinkalder.bandcamp.com/album/think-pink-ii

 

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