The Honey Pot, once described by someone as Fruits de Mer's house band, they have been an absolute joy to work with over the years, creating and contributing to so many FdM projects, and this is Icarus Peel and Crystal Jacqueline's own selection of tracks from the last decade or so - a mixture of original songs and covers, together with three tracks that haven't appeared on the label before INCLUDING a storming live version of 'White Rabbit' from their last appearance at the Half Moon in Putney.

Some of the tracks were attributed to The Honey Pot on release, some to Crystal Jacqueline and The Honey Pot, but they all feature the band in full flow.

This series of 'Introduction' CDs is starting to grow rather nicely and this one was an essential addition to the list for me - here's the full track listing...

1. Egyptian Tomb 4:20 (Mighty Baby) from 'Crystal Jacqueline and The Honey Pot' double 7"
2. Tick Tock 3:45 (The Fleur de Lys) from 'Crystal Jacqueline and The Honey Pot' double 7"
3. Sweet Orange Sunshine 3:42 (Peel) from 'The 13th Dream of Dr. Sardonicus - Day One' compilation CD
4. Annabella 5:20 (Fear, Fraquet, Peel, Wyatt) from 'Games For May' 4CD compilation
5. Games For May 4:55 (Peel) from 'Games For May' 4CD compilation
6. Love Is Green 4:45 (Peel) from 'Ascending Scales' double LP
7. Rainy Day Mushroom Pillow 6:17 (Strawberry Alarm Clock) from 'Ascending Scales' double LP
8. Kites 7:02 (Simon Dupree and The Big Sound) from 'Ascending Scales double LP
9. Dreams 8:03 (Tonton Macoute) from 'I Talk To The Wind' double 7"
10. Sympathy 3:49 (Rare Bird) from 'I Talk To The Wind' double 7"

bonus tracks
11. Venice 9:02 (Peel, Budge) from The Honey Pot album, 'The Secret'
12. White Rabbit 6:36(Jefferson Airplane) - recorded live at the Half Moon, January 2022
13. Shangri-La 6:52 (The Kinks) - recorded in 2023, exclusive to this compilation

here's a review from Dimensions in Space and Sound...
MIGHTY BABY were of course descendants of The Action (Paul Weller and Phil Collins were fans). And there is a mighty fine version of their ‘Egyptian Tomb’ on this most welcome compilation due to hit the streets later in April, but already up for pre-order (reasonably priced as usual at £8 for a CD including P&P); the wah-wah guitar solo is particularly enjoyable. The artists also show they are more than capable of writing notable originals including ‘Sweet Orange Sunshine’ and ‘Love is Green’, the former a folkish ballad with backwards sounding guitar giving it a psychedelic edge, the latter heavily redolent of early FAIRPORT CONVENTION. I am a bit protective of RARE BIRD, having been an avid fan since first hearing their magical “Epic Forest”, and working backwards then forwards, intent on collecting every single thing by them. Covering ‘Sympathy’, their only hit seems a bit reductionist (after all haven’t the mighty MARILLION already covered this?). However, I was blown away by this reinvention and expansion to incorporate a repetition of the word ‘sympathy’ just to make the message crystal clear (Sorry about that!) and the addition of an organ led ‘orchestral’ passage before a biting guitar solo, an excellent interpretation to qualm my reservations.

‘Tick Tock’ is an unusual choice for a cover as the record was disowned by LES FLEUR DE LYS at the time (They had changed their name to Shyster and this song was a Polydor B-side in 1967). However, everything they touch is all the better for it, with a suitably intense and strident 6½ minute version of ‘White Rabbit’, the song first recorded by Grace Slick and the Great Society, then by JEFFERSON AIRPLANE; the rocket-fuelled instrumental section is memorable. The crowning glory for me is a 6:50 version of THE KINKS’ ‘Shangri-La’. I’d call it ‘the exotic extended version’, the risk in playing around with such a classic song well worth taking as the musicians give it the full psychedelic treatment, with a hard centre with some rocking organ and wild, reverberated guitar; absolutely stellar.

Don’t miss this one!

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