The Factory recorded two psychedelic singles in the U.K. in the late 1960s -- unnoticed at the time, now fetching more than a hundred pounds among collectors -- that combined psychedelia with power pop harmonies. They were discovered by Brian Carroll, an engineer in one of London's leading studios, IBC. With his colleague Damon Lyon Shaw, he was looking to enter production, so they cut their teeth on the youthful Factory, whose three members included a 16-year-old drummer and 17-year-old guitarist. Their first single, Path Through the Forest, a respectable piece of hard psychedelia with commendably creative guitar and vocal distortion, came out on MGM in the U.K. in late 1968.

The Factory's only other single, Try a Little Sunshine, was written for them by John Pantry (a songwriting friend of Carroll's), and issued by CBS in late 1969. It sounded a little like a mating of the Who and the Moody Blues (in the best sense of that combination), with its crunching guitar chords and catchy, wistful vocal harmonies. Like its predecessor, it was heard by few, and the group disbanded shortly afterward. That was too bad, as they had considerable promise, considering their youth and the quality of their two 45s. Both sides of their two singles, as well as a couple of unreleased demos, were assembled for the Path Through the Forest mini-CD in 1995. ~ Richie Unterberger, Rovi