Baby Dancing” / “Letter From A Coward” (Sunday Morning Records) 1982

This is the second time in a week that short-lived neo psychedelic group The High Tide have been featured on ‘Acid Revolver,’ this time with their first record on presumably their own self-financed label.

The record was only available from The Regal and Sweet Charity, in Kensington Market. Probably sold at gigs too, but it is quite rare and one worth locating.

“Baby Dancing” was re-recorded for the psych compilation ‘A Splash Of Colour’ then renamed “Dancing In My Mind.” This earlier version is a lot less polished and contains some synth which I didn’t detect on the WEA release.

The swirling Syd Floyd era farfisa keyboards, or some such compact organ, is still the trippy ingredient making this number really stand out, the female backing vocals are deeper in the mix but tambourine clattering is featured and heard a lot more.

The other side “Letter From A Coward” sounds more contemporary eighties than harking back to mid-sixties Britain but it has it’s moments with some weaving organ and the guitar tone is particularly good.

Credit is due to ‘Steve’ who designed the record label, his illustration of a forlorn floppy-fringed boy predates anything from the jangle indie scene later in the decade.