Summerland has the same eerily compressed production values featured on the brilliant psychedelic work of Pete Miller, his vocals slathered in echo and almost crawling out from beneath the music. But whereas that vocal effect worked to perfection on his trippiest work, in the more conventional pop-demo setting of Summerland, it instead exposes his limitations as a singer, perhaps the only reason he never became a well-known figure in the Brit-pop world of the '60s. That is quibbling, to say the least, because his vocals, while not rangy, are still full of warmth and alluring mystery. But otherwise, there is no logical explanation for such a criminal oversight in the annals of rock & roll. Miller was an astoundingly unique songwriter -- possibly one of the most weirdly idiosyncratic from the era -- and that is plenty evident even on the more "commercially" oriented material collected on this reissue. All the songs were written and recorded between February 1966 and February 1968, the same stretch during which he was also virtually inventing (or at least helping to invent) oddball British psychedelia, and the music strongly reflects that sonic influence. So as usual, even his mainstream-targeted music is not exactly flying straight. Summerland, however, like most of his other work, squarely hits the bull's-eye. Miller runs through galloping psychedelia ("Where Did It Go?," with its freakish guitar solos), angst-filled pop ballads, lurching rock, even proto-country-rock lopes on "Forget Me Not" and "Sweet Talk Town," as well as the expected British invasion beat music influences on the excellent "Oh Miss Halliday," with each song spotlighting his extensive melodic skill. The amazing thing about the music (besides its diversity), though, is that it doesn't really sound like any music that came before or after it, and it is not at all beholden to the main influences of its era. If not as readily accessible to the public, Miller was every bit as individual in his way as the Beatles or Bob Dylan were in theirs, which is saying something indeed. Some of these songs are touched by a far-out mysticism, but generally, he penned a set of lyrics that were much more grounded in early romance, particularly of the teenage variety, and are far more straightforward than his trippy, Edward Lear-by-way-of-Joe Meek opuses. And Summerland isn't as consistently exceptional as his psychedelic collections -- maybe partly because one expects glorious eccentricity from Miller -- but it often reaches significant highs that make his neglected reputation all the more tragic. ~ Stanton Swihart, All Music Guide
Tracks
Track Title
Composers
Performers
Time
Where Did It Go?
Pete Miller
Pete Miller
(2:57)
The In Things
Pete Miller
Pete Miller
(3:32)
Time Has No Meaning
Tony Webster, Pete Miller
Pete Miller
(3:19)
Time and Time Again
Pete Miller
Pete Miller
(2:20)
Forget Me Not
Pete Miller
Pete Miller
(3:58)
Who Cares About the Moon?
Pete Miller
Pete Miller
(3:08)
Soho Solitaire
Pete Miller
Pete Miller
(3:44)
Sweet Talk Town
Pete Miller
Pete Miller
(2:45)
Peter Pan
Pete Miller
Pete Miller
(2:30)
Willow Tree
Pete Miller
Pete Miller
(3:30)
Antoinette
Pete Miller
Pete Miller
(2:31)
Fiesta Time
Pete Miller
Pete Miller
(2:30)
Listen Girl
Pete Miller
Pete Miller
(2:34)
Oh Miss Halliday
Pete Miller
Pete Miller
(2:28)
Credits
Mickey Waller (Drums), Robert Newton (Drums), David Wells (Liner Notes), Tony Webster (Vocals), Pete Miller (Bass), Pete Miller (Guitar), Tony Webster (Guitar), Pete Miller (Producer), Robert Newton (Percussion), Tony Webster (Composer), Pete Miller (Percussion), Peter London (Organ)
