Magic Box (The Loved Ones album)

Magic Box (also known by its cover title as The Loved Ones' Magic Box) is the debut and sole studio album from Australian rock band The Loved Ones. Released in Australia in October 1967, it has since become a cult favourite amount fans of Australian rock music.

Magic Box
Studio album by The Loved Ones
Released	October 1967 (1967-10)
Recorded	1966 - 1967
Studio	Armstrong Studios, Melbourne, Australia.
Genre	Rock
Label	W&G Records(1967 original label) Astor (1972 reissue) Raven (1985 reissue) Karussell (1995 CD issue)
The Loved Ones chronology
The Loved Ones (EP) (1966) Magic Box (1967) Live On Blueberry Hill (1987)
Singles from Magic Box
""The Loved One"/"This Is Love"" Released: May 1966 ""Sad Dark Eyes"/"The Woman I Love"" Released: December 1966 ""A Love Like Ours"/"The Lovely Car"" Released: April 1967 ""Love Song"/"Magic Box"" Released: August 1967

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Everybody's	mixed[1]
Allmusic	[2]

Background

Released during the same month that The Loved Ones had officially broken-up, their label W&G Records compiled an album that consisted of previous songs from the Blueberry Hill EP (omitting 'This Is Love'), the first three singles recorded and released in 1966-67, new songs recorded in 1967 for the album and some warm-up rehearsals of rock n roll standards.

Released in October 1967, it was one of the first Australian rock albums to be released in stereo and has never been out of print since its first release.

Reception

The album received mixed contemporary reviews criticising the production and that the selection of songs did not representing the band's sound: "...50 percent of it harks back to the jazz scene of the 30s, and through it runs a silver thread of genius. Pity."[3]

Since its release the album has acquired a cult following. Though Allmusic gave the album a 4.5 star, writer Richie Unterberger said: "The rest of the material is usually less fearsome and innovative, though much of it still carries an air of subdued menace.".

The album was included in the 2010 book, '100 Best Australian Albums'.[4][5]

Track listing

Original 1967 LP release

The original track listing of the album. The album appeared in this configuration on both the mono and stereo releases on W & G Records and the stereo release in 1972 on Astor Records. It was later reissued again with this original track listing as a limited Record Store Day Australia release in 2019 on pink vinyl by Universal Music Australia. However the masters used were neither the original mono or stereo ones, but the left channel only masters used for the Raven Records vinyl and CD reissues.

Side A

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Magic Box"	1:58
2.	"Shake, Rattle & Roll"	3:14
3.	"More Than Love"	2:09
4.	"Everlovin' Man"	2:12
5.	"Blueberry Hill"	2:38
6.	"Love Song"	2:12

Side B

No.	Title	Length
1.	"A Love Like Ours"	2.10
2.	"The Woman I Love"	3:14
3.	"I Want You To Love Me"	2:42
4.	"The Loverly Car"	1:56
5.	"Sad Dark Eyes"	2:14
6.	"The Loved One"	2:45

CD Reissues

The album was reissued in 1985 on Glenn A. Baker's label Raven Records with a different track order and bouns tracks. However, when the album was remastered only the left hand channel of the stereo master was used. This means some instruments and an intro to 'Sad Dark Eyes' (an electric piano in the right hand channel) are missing on the Raven Records release. The 1995 Karussell compact disc uses the Raven Records master as its source, meaning the true stereo or mono version of Magic Box has never been released on compact disc or reissued to vinyl since 1972. Both CD reissues included a Wild Cherries rehearsal take of 'Without You', which has been incorrectly attributed to the Loved Ones.

1985 Raven reissue

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Loved One"	2.45
2.	"Everlovin' Man"	2:08
3.	"Sad Dark Eyes (missing 7 seconds of the intro)"	2.14
4.	"A Love Like Ours"	2:10
5.	"Love Song"	2:12
6.	"Blueberry Hill"	2.38
7.	"Shake, Rattle & Roll"	3:14
8.	"This Is Love (Bonus track from the "Blueberry Hill" EP)"	2:25
9.	"Magic Box"	1.58
10.	"More Than Love"	2:09
11.	"The Woman I Love"	1:58
12.	"The Loverly Car"	1:56
13.	"I Want You To Love Me"	2:45
14.	"(I'm No Good) Without You (Rehearsal) (this track is actually by the Wild Cherries NOT the Loved Ones)"	3.47
15.	"Everlovin' Man (Live at Festival Hall, Melbourne, April 23, 1967)"	2:08
16.	"Ongo Bongo Man (Gerry & The Joy Band)"
17.	"Rave On (Gerry & The Joy Band)"
18.	"Oh Lonesome Me (Gerry & The Joy Band)"
19.	"My Name Is Earl (Gerry & The Joy Band)"

1995 Karussell reissue

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Loved One"	2.45
2.	"Everlovin' Man"	2:08
3.	"Sad Dark Eyes"	2.14
4.	"A Love Like Ours"	2:10
5.	"Love Song"	2:12
6.	"Blueberry Hill"	2.38
7.	"Shake, Rattle & Roll"	3:14
8.	"This Is Love"	2:25
9.	"Magic Box"	1.58
10.	"More Than Love"	2:09
11.	"The Woman I Love"	1:58
12.	"The Loverly Car"	1:56
13.	"I Want You To Love Me"	2:45
14.	"(I'm No Good) Without You (Rehearsal) (This track is actually The Wild Cherries NOT The Loved Ones)"	3.47
15.	"Everlovin' Man (Live at Festival Hall, Melbourne, April 23, 1967)"	2:08
16.	"Sad Dark Eyes (Live at Festival Hall, Melbourne, April 23, 1967)"	2:25
17.	"The Loved One (Live at Festival Hall, Melbourne, April 23, 1967)"	3:32

Personnel

• Gerry Humphrys – vocals
• Rob Lovett – guitar, bass
• Ian Clyne - electric piano, organ
• Kim Lynch - bass
• Gavin Anderson – drums

• Treva Richards – electric piano
• Danny DeLacey – guitar

References

1. "Hot LP Of The Week". Everybody's. Sydney, Australia: Australian Consolidated Press. November 1967.
2. Allmusic review
3. "Hot LP Of The Week". Everybody's. Sydney, Australia: Australian Consolidated Press. November 1967.
4. "110 Best Australian Albums by Toby Creswell". Hardie Grant Books. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
5. O'Donnell, John; Creswell, Toby; Mathieson, Craig (1 November 2017), The 110 Best Australian Albums, Hardie Grant Books, ISBN 978-1-74379-361-9

External links

• MILESAGO: Australasian Music & Popular Culture 1964-1975