Piccadilly Sunshine, Pt. 14: British Pop Psych and Other Flavours 1965-1969

Now in its 14th installment, Britain's enduring Piccadilly Sunshine compilation series has been dishing out obscure late-'60s U.K. pop gems since its inaugural disc in 2009. At 20 songs per disc, you'd think the bottom of the barrel would have been reached, but Pt. 14, which focuses on 1965-1969, still has some worthy surprises. The songs featured here generally skew more toward pop than psych combining many of the ornate production styles of the era -- glittering harpsichords and string sections -- with upbeat melodic tunes of the sunshine variety. The strident "Friday Kind of Monday" by Finders Keepers bounces along like some castaway from a Move album, and the Checkmates' "Every Day Is Just the Same" is a lovely, wistful classic. Not every track hits home, but there are enough winners here to make you wonder just how many more great lost tunes are still lying in wait on rock's ocean floor. ~ Timothy Monger