Paul Hillery has long been a on the trail of 'Folk, Funk & Trippy Troubaours' and last year released a complilation of the same name on the Re:Warm label as 'Volume 1' in black vinyl (and blue, to match the stunning cover).
So, fully expecting a 'Volume 2' and we then see that he's on BBE switching from cool blue to hot of orange/yellow of 'We Are The Children Of The Sun' with another incredible selection of electronic, folk, soft/yacht rock, Balearic, Latin lounge ambient tunes that so fit the mood.
So this new compilation keeps this winning formula with BBE re-issues by, Will & James Ragar's 'As The Day Grows Tired' (what a great title to open up with) followed by Forest's 'Crazy Days' which is the way to set the tone.
Apart from the Greg Foat Band track (apparently a previously unreleased version of 'Milk And Honey' featuring Kat Barnard), all the other artists/tracks are new to me as that's what you want in a compilation.
As you might expect there's more than a hint of West Coast trippy folk-pop-jazz CSNY/Byrds like Varela's 'Come and Take Me by the Hand' or Cunningham Corner's 'Free And Easy' that hits more than just the Grateful Dead psychedelic fans out there (previously just a rare 45 and now in all its Part 1&2 5 minute glory) or the stunning 'Moonshine' by Orion from 1987 but sounds more like '67 (also, there's a touch of June Tabor about it).
And flute gang jazz-dancers, here's the Patrick Forge/G. Peterson classic 'More Than Hope' to match all their other goodies - Wendy Grace is the lost "Janet Lawson"? And those two would not be amis if they had 'Kayenta Crossing' by William Easton Ensemble in their chill out warm up section.
It's a triple LP's worth/18 tracks so you might not be the biggest fan of all of it but with the skill of Hillery, you feel like the new areas of 80s/Euro/funk/pop/AOR need further investigation or even the Level 42 'tribute' one hit wonders Corill (Who?)
If you're looking for some modern day social comment, there's Garth Fletcher's 'Peace Train' and Mark Capanni's 'If Life Was A Ferris Wheel' (careful, both of these are ear worm growers) but the one to fall in love with as you're next favourite track, Aria Rostami's 'Golden Hour'.
You get the idea, this album is packed full of goodies and 90% of them are only available on this compilation or at incredible crate digging cost so get it while you can.
Can we expect more from the "esteemed collector and vinyl hunter" after Hillery's previous compilation, 'We Are The Children Of The Sun' and now 'Once Again, We Are The Children Of The Sun'? Well, it shines on the righteous so I suspect so but I wonder what the follow up is going to be called.
And as mutual fans of Drift record store in Totnes here's his Paul's mix to celebrate the album's release: Drift'in with Paul Hillery
Artist: Various Artists
Title: Once Again We Are The Children Of The Sun
Release date: 31st March, 2023
Label : BBE Music
Catalog Number : BBE708 LP / CD / Digital / Bandcamp
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