Yes indeed - celebrations and congratulations all round on this! 
I was wise and advised enough to purchase Tol-Puddle Martyrs' previous release of excellence - "Psyche Out USA," and I have to confess that I was a little sceptical as to whether such a prompt follow up could possibly live up to those high standards. I should have known better than to doubt the song writing prowess, consistency  and prolificness of Mr Peter Rechter, however, as my fears, as it transpires were thoroughly unwarranted!
"A Celebrated Man," is, in fact an excellent collection of songs which sit as comfortably in the here and now as they would in any of the previous 5 decades! Sure, the influences that jump out from the glass - The Kinks, The Beatles, The Small Faces - are all of the 60's generation, but the lyrical content and Mr Rechter's ear for a cunning twist give the work a fully contemporary air at the same time.
On the whole, this is an album that, in times gone by, would have given the record company a proper headache, due to the difficulty they would have had in choosing a single. They're ALL singles - how could you choose? With more hooks in here than a fly fisherman's hamper, each song is a melodic delight.
The album is nicely paced, starting well with the classic 60's riffing through "The Collector'" and "Fast Lane," through the striding striped hipster swagger of  "Where Do We Start?" to the almost insanely infectious finish of "Good News and Sports Reviews," the pumping tightness of "Ain't That a Pity" (a favourite), to the title track finale of "A Celebrated Man," which takes all of the aforementioned influences, chucks them in a good sized multi-coloured stovepipe hat, mixes them with a spoon of finest psychedelia, to create a rare piece of pop music that imply makes life a little better for a few minutes. 
All in all - thoroughly recommended!
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Peter Rechter has put together one of the finest collections of classic sounds that will rock you hard! Every song on this album is a statement that stands on its own...Rarely could you find an album this tight and creative in the 60's! Clearly that is the target of The Tol-Puddle Martyrs, and with this album, Peter and company have clearly scored a bullseye! What a fantastic band Peter! My take? Buy this album and play it nice and LOUD like I am right NOW! STEADY ON!!!
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Tol-Puddle Martyrs “A Celebrated Man” (self-released)
Comprised of all original material (penned by Peter Rechter), “A Celebrated Man” is the kind of record where every tune is radio worthy.”
 
How wonderful it is so many great bands from the sixties have gotten back together and are creating music that is just as good, if not better than what they produced in their heyday. Tol-Puddle Martyrs are no exception, and their most recent album, “A Celebrated Man,” flatly confirms they still have what it takes to light the charts on fire.
 
Made up of lead singer and keyboardist Peter Rechter, guitarist, bassist and vocalist Graham McCoy, guitarist and vocalist Kevin Clancy, guitarist Russell Hogan, bassist Keiran Keogh, bassist Michael Harold, drummer and vocalist Len Gaskell and drummer Ian Langford, the Australian band performs a bright and shiny brand of power pop rock that’s continually pleasing to the ears. Combining old school moves with a contemporary undercurrent, Tol-Puddle Martyrs don’t hesitate to reference bands such as The Beatles, The Kinks, Crowded House and Squeeze, but at the same time they manage to strongly emphasize their own ideas and perspectives.
 
Comprised of all original material (penned by Peter Rechter), “A Celebrated Man” is the kind of record where every tune is radio worthy. The title track of the disc, which features some nice “Penny Lane” styled trumpet work from Bob Harry, flourishes with breezy and buoyant textures. A perennial punchy edge fuels “The Collector,” “Pocket Paradise” bounces with bite and the impossibly catchy “Tell Me Why” is punctuated with a run of clever breaks. Sounding like a long lost George Harrison classic, “The News” is actually a tribute to the dearly departed musician, while “Million Dollar Girl” proves to be another not to be missed cut on the record. Teeming with compact arrangements, mountains of memorable melodies, chiming guitars galore and sparkling vocals by the pound, “A Celebrated Man” is a pop rock treasure.
http://www.lancerecords.com/news2.htm#5
www.myspace.com/tolpuddlemartyrs
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The Tol-Puddle Martyrs are an Australian based group, which evolved from the mid 60's band Peter & the Silhouettes, who released a few singles between 1966-1968. Including: "Claudette Jones", "Time Will Come" and "Social Cell".  Although, not known of or heard of to attain popularity outside of Australia at the time. Over recent years, these original singles have gained monumental status with 60's garage/punk collectors and have been highly regarded among some of the rarest most sought after recordings. Some of which, have sold for abundant collector prices.
 
"A Celebrated Man" is the latest (2009) release by the Tol-Puddle Martyrs and is a continuation of the authentic 60's style psychedelic/garage/pop tunes, that reflects some of the bands original influences from the British Invasion sounds of the mid sixties, that embraces the period and takes you on a journey back in time.
 
Although each song on this album is well arranged and carefully written with a unique individual meaning and story to tell that suggests the pureness and innocence of the sixties pop style of music. It is difficult to classify and break down each song on this album in comparison to one another, as each follow the obvious simplicity of the earlier forms of the 60's style dreamy melodic tunes, we all so commonly refer to as bubble gum!  Instrumentally, the songs are acoustically driven, keyboard-hammond organ drenched with electric fuzz guitar and drums coming to the fore, with 2-3 minute hooks and melodies, spiritually uplifting lyrics & classic vocal harmonies, that leaves you wanting to hear more. However, some of the things that boldly separates this music from a lot of the more obscure yummy GUM pop style melodies, is the majority of the songs on this album strongly possess a raw cutting edge form of the 60's underground garage/punk rock and psychedelic overtones throughout, all of which compliments and harmonizes well together, producing a stellar peculiarity and depth that grabs your attention and keeps you guessing what is next! 
 
In addition to this album being an authentic example of some of the original 60's style underground garage/psych/punk/pop all in one.. producing a boundary less and timeless feel, that is a real musical pleasure to experience. But it is extremely competitive with todays newer forms of garage rock as well! So whether you like the new or older styles, this album will pleasingly suit both and is highly recommended!

Reviewed by: Jan (editor)
09/08/09 http://psychedeliccentral.com/cdalbumreviews/tolpuddlemartyrsreview1.html
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