The Things – ‘Coloured Heaven’ (Expanded Deluxe Edition) (2024)
For those old enough to remember, the mid-1980s experienced a complete deluge of records by groups from all across the USA, with many infatuated, fixated, obsessed — take your pick — by the music of the mid and late 1960s.
I heard, then grew to love quite a few of them; beginning with the Crawdaddys, the Chesterfield Kings, and Lyres … before being consumed by the likes of the Unclaimed, Tell-Tale Hearts, Fuzztones, Morlocks, and others. Many more names also seemed to be inspired by original ’60s “Nuggets”-like garage and beat group sounds which most of the groups already mentioned above were into, plus a few who were obviously more psychedelically inclined — groups like Plasticland and, although in a different sounding vein — less slavish perhaps in their overall approach — groups like the Rain Parade and the Dream Syndicate.
Another LP lay lurking in the record racks at that time, that myself and most of my like-minded pals of the time, as I recall, never took a chance on. That record was ‘Coloured Heaven’ by the Things. In fact, until this fabulous, newly remastered and extended reissue recently appeared on Italy’s Misty Lane / Teen Sound imprint, not only had I forgotten all about it, but, I’m somewhat ashamed to say, I don’t think I ever actually even heard the album before. Of course, all that has now changed.
Formed in and around Los Angeles, California in 1983, the Things were the brainchild of guitarist/vocalist and keyboards player Steve Crabtree — he was also the group’s songwriter. Roy McDonald, who would later go on to play for both Redd Kross and the Muffs, was the group’s drummer. Pete Rouch was the bassist in the group. They specialized in songs which had a melodic bent and included strong pop hooks, in an attempt to echo the kind of sound and feel of such famous ’60s groups like the Beatles and the Byrds. Sometimes with spangly/trebly Rickenbacker guitar to the fore. The Things excelled at this type of composition as can be heard on such as the gloriously executed opening tracks, ‘Eyes Of A Child’ and ‘I Won’t Be There’. There’s also similar goings-on in ‘She Came Out Of The Sky’. And then there’s the small matter of the totally blissed-out psychedelic title track — one of the most different sounding tracks on the album — and a real standout for sure. It comes across as a more mannered, modernist version of the Strawberry Alarm Clock if they’d merged with London’s early eighties style indie art-pop groovers the Television Personalities. Well, maybe not quite but it’s certainly getting close; with a little bit of that rural U.S. psych-pop atmosphere thrown in; which can also be heard scattered across some other tracks. Then it’s back to some full-blown Love/Byrds type jangle for ‘It’s Over’, including some really great drumming from McDonald. The excellent ‘Why Am I Waiting’ and ‘It Seems To Be Raining’ provide us with even more fascinating garage and psych sounds; the latter also adding in some fine backwards guitar for good measure.
In other passages, maybe just the odd bridge here and there plus one or two buoyant choruses, you can also detect some seventies power pop shapes which groups like the Raspberries, and later Flamin’ Groovies were good at throwing about — maybe these were also favorites on the Crabtree turntable. ‘Coloured Heaven’ was only supposed to be a demo tape to show off the kind of songs Steve and the Things were working on, but Greg Shaw at Bomp / Voxx was convinced it was strong enough to be released as it was. The album also included a couple of really great, inspired cover versions, ‘Out Of Time’ by the Rolling Stones and the Yardbirds / just about any U.S. garage band you care to mention set staple, ‘Mr. You’re A Better Man Than I’.
When Crabtree and Teen Sound were making plans to re-release the album, it was agreed to include three extra songs to make this new edition into a solid fourteen-track collection. Both ‘Oh Yeah’ and ‘You Are The One’ are brilliant additions, the former featuring a cool, poppy new wave Ramones-type sound complete with handclaps. The two of them — as a single perhaps — could’ve been huge radio hits if the wind was swinging their way.
The whole album from start to finish is eminently thrilling, with a plethora of great and inspired sounds happening; some truly surprising and breathtaking moments across a wealth of magical songs most of which include lead and backing vocals which are nothing short of magnificent. And they include the most gorgeous harmonies. This newly pressed-up edition of ‘Coloured Heaven’ arrives with a few fresh slants to the original artwork, plus an inner sleeve with printed lyrics, and a cool double-sided insert featuring on one side an interview with Steve Crabtree, and on the other side various quotes and reviews, including reminiscences from Roy McDonald, as well as Julie Patchouli from the Pandoras and some glowing praise from one of our great modern garage and psychedelic ambassadors, thee Knight Of Fuzz Templar himself, the late, great Timothy Gassen (who, lest we forget also led a garage/psychedelic group of his own out in Tucson, Arizona, the Marshmallow Overcoat).
I was gonna end by saying that I’ve been a first-class fool for not buying and getting into ‘Coloured Heaven’ when it was first released in 1984, but then I got to thinking, hey isn’t it great that I’m getting to dig it and love it right now for the first time — an amazing forty years on down the line in 2024 — and surely each new listen will reveal to me more of its hidden depths and inherent beauty!
Lenny Helsing
The Things – ‘Coloured Heaven’ LP (Expanded Deluxe Edition) (Misty Lane / Teen Sound, 2024)
