Tinkerbell's Fairydust

Tinkerbells Fairydust emerged in the late 1960s as a British ensemble whose name could easily mislead collectors into expecting another delicate U.K. psychedelic pop act. In reality the bulk of their output aligned more closely with American sunshine pop, though a handful of tracks did lean psychedelic. Their catalog also incorporated several straightforward, rather conventional renditions of lightweight late-1960s U.S. harmony pop and rock hits. Collectors gravitate chiefly toward the rarer psychedelic numbers, yet the group managed to release only three singles across 1967–69, all on Decca. Among them, the 1968 single “Twenty Ten” stands out as a minor-key, harmony-rich example of light psych distinguished by gentle wah-wah guitar and hazy organ textures. The B-side of their debut 45, “In My Magic Garden,” offered a milder blend of psychedelia-tinged harmony pop that remains agreeable.

Decca prepared a self-titled Tinkerbells Fairydust LP in 1969 that gathered four of the six tracks previously issued on singles together with nine additional recordings. The album advanced only to test pressings and never reached the marketplace. A CD edition finally appeared in the late 1990s; while it retains both “Twenty Ten” and “In My Magic Garden,” the remaining material largely comprises unremarkable light harmony pop-psych pieces that position the band as the British counterpart to American outfits such as the Happenings.