World of Oz – The World of Oz
One look at the cover for the World of Oz’s sole, self-titled album, and you’d be forgiven for thinking you were in for a pick’n'mix assortment of toytown psych treats. Alas, this is not so.
Aside from the occasional exception, we are in the territory of orchestral-infused flowery pop, which, don’t get me wrong, is no bad thing.
The World of Oz, released in 1969, sees the four Brummies responsible deliver a collection of melodic and instantly likeable songs that steer well clear of anything too far out, but set themselves apart, both lyrically and musically, from the standard pop fodder of the time.
‘The Muffin Man’, the album opener and a minor hit in Holland, lives up to the outlandish album cover with its nursery rhyme lyrics and toytown psych sensibilities. Its equally magical B-side, ‘Peter’s Birthday (Black and White Rainbow)’, is included here as a bonus track.
The rest of the album is given over to a more orthodox brand of flower pop, though one that’s invigorated by the lyrical content, which for the most part maintains an element of fairy tale, childhood innocence.
‘The Hum-GumTree‘ is an exception, being a catchy little number, whose idyllic scene is quickly shattered by some heavy blasts of keyboard, shifting it momentarily into the realms of psychedelic rock. An honour shared by the wonderful ‘Like a Tear’, resplendent in a dressing of Eastern mysticism and eerie guitar, making it the one through and through psychedelic track on the album.
The orchestral elements on some of the tracks also set the songs apart from the realms of ordinary pop, as was the case with The Move’s debut album, and here they’re expertly arranged by Donovan collaborator, and composer, John Cameron.
Repertoire have done a splendid job with the remastered reissue of The World of Oz. Limited to just 2000 copies, the colourful packaging and enclosed booklet are tastier than the contents of a sweetshop and only half as damaging to your teeth. All the singles are included as bonuses, and these boys released a few singles before a lack of commercial success finished them off.
Although far from what I initially anticipated, The World of Oz has enough going for it to keep this weary hack diverted. It’s harmless, very British and harks back to a bygone time when you could quite happily get away with this sort of thing.
The World of Oz is reissued by Repertoire and available to buy from Amazon.co.uk
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