Nigel Mentzel's Spirit of the Sixties Posters

Nigel Mentzel's
Spirit of the Sixties
Posters

by PFA Publishing


This section of my Poster Gallery covers posters that were made by Nigel Mentzel.

Nigel Mentzel was a British poster collector that I met back in the 1970s. Back then, if you collected posters, you looked for ads in the back of magazines for people selling posters, and I must have seen one of Nigel's ads.
Nigel would send me copies of his catalogs of posters for sale, and I would look them over with interest. We corresponded frequently (he in the U.K. and I in the U.S) and we discussed posters, sometimes even sending each other photographs of rare posters in letters. He had a nice variety of posters for sale in his catalogs, and I would often order posters from him. Here are pictures of one of Nigel's catalogs: [page 1] [page 2] [page 3] [page 4]

Nigel has been maligned over the years for selling posters as originals when they were, in fact, reproductions or completely fabricated posters. And, I admit, I bought a few from him that I thought were originals only to find out later, that they were not. It was disappointing, no doubt, but I make no judgment, one way or the other, on this. That's the way it goes, sometimes, with this hobby. But I also bought numerous posters from him that, although they are not originals, are really beautiful posters.
Nigel was a big admirer of the 1960s psychedelic period and the amazing posters that were made during that period. As a fan and collector, he had numerous posters made that were either copies of original posters that were very hard to find, or ones that imitated art from the psychedelic era. He called them his "Spirit of the Sixties" posters. They were all exquisitely made taking into account various printing methods and design ideas of the late 1960s.

Nigel sadly passed away in 2016 (while trying to obtain a legal high by taking a legal drug called a Cherry Bomb) and he will be missed. In an attempt to catalog his posters, this is a gallery of most of the various posters Nigel had made.

None of these posters are original concert posters.

This listing is divided onto three parts:
1) Original Art posters - these are posters that were commissioned by Nigel, created by artists copying the techniques of the psychedelic 1960s.
2) Reproduction posters - copies of original posters that were reprinted.
3) Poster Reproductions with alterations - copies of original posters in which the art was copied, and other art/information added.

Any comments, corrections or additions to this listing would be appreciated.

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Spirit of the Sixties posters

  1. Original Art Posters

    1. All You Need is Love poster
    2. California League of Sexual Freedom Annual Dance poster
    3. Festival of the Flower Children poster
    4. Glastonbury poster
    5. Jimi Hendrix Experience poster
    6. Jimi Hendrix Purple Haze poster
    7. Isle of Wight Festival poster
    8. Monterey International Trips Festival poster
    9. Pink Floyd poster
    10. Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band Psychedelic Music poster
    11. Stones-Zappa poster
    12. Syd Barrett poster
    13. T. Rex poster
    14. Through the Looking Glass poster
    15. Wear Your Dreams poster
    16. Woodstock-These Are the Days My Friend! poster

  2. Reproduction Posters

    1. Flight to Lowlands Paradise 2 poster
    2. Jimi Hendrix Experience-Fillmore Auditorium poster
    3. Jimi Hendrix Shrine poster
    4. 13th Floor Elevators poster
    5. Velvet Underground-Avalon poster
    6. The Who-Cow Palace poster
    7. The Who-Grande poster

  3. Poster Reproductions with alterations

    1. Bob Dylan poster
    2. 14 Hour Techncolour Dream poster
    3. Magical Mystery Tour - Love Life poster
    4. Middle Earth Love Festival poster
    5. Mystical Pantomimes 1968 poster
    6. Stones in the Park poster
    7. UFO Club poster


Original Art Posters


All You Need is Love poster

1a) All You Need is Love poster
Poster Artist: Lisa Fraity, 1992
Poster Size: 27 1/8" x 19 11/16"
PT: .0047"
Notes: A 1996 psychedelic poster.



California League of Sexual Freedom Annual Dance poster

1b) California League of Sexual Freedom Annual Dance poster
Date & Venue: California Hall, San Francisco, March 5, 1967
Bands: The Doors, Captain Beefheart, 13th Floor Elevators, Kaleidoscope, Strawberry Alarm Clock
Poster Size: 23 7/16" x 16 3/8"
PT: .0053"
Notes: A poster celebrating the California League of Sexual Freedom Annual Dance. Not a real concert.
One of Nigel's "Spirit of the Sixties" posters.



Festival of the Flower Children poster

1c) Festival of the Flower Children poster
Date & Venue: Woburn Abbey, July 6-7, 1967
Bands (listed on the poster): Jimi Hendrix, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Fleetwood Mac, John Mayall Blues Breakers, Al Stewart, Roy Harper, Family, Donovan, Janis Joplin.
Poster Artist: Lisa Fraity, 1990
Poster Size: 33 5/8" x 22 7/16"
PT: .0062"
Printing Information: Blacklight inks.
Notes: A 1991 poster for the Festival of the Flower Children. An actual festival, but a made-up poster with completely different bands.
The original festival took place on August 26-28, 1967, and featured the following bands: Kinks, Small Faces, the Move, Eric Burdon, Jeff Beck, the Bee Gees, Denny Laine, Alan Price Set, Marmalade.



Glastonbury poster

1d) Glastonbury poster
Date & Venue: Glastonbury, England
Poster Size: 25" x 16 7/8"
PT: .0027"
Printing Information: Multicolored lithographic print on silver foil coated paper. Printed in gradation from red to blue to red.
Notes: A poster celebrating Glastonbury in England. One of Nigel's "Spirit of the Sixties" posters.



Jimi Hendrix Experience poster

1e) Jimi Hendrix Experience poster
Bands: Jimi Hendrix Experience
Poster Size: 24" x 18 15/16"
PT: .0065"
Notes: One of Nigel's "Spirit of the Sixties" posters.



Jimi Hendrix Purple Haze poster

1f) Jimi Hendrix Purple Haze poster
Bands: Jimi Hendrix
Poster Size: 22 7/8" x 15 7/8"
PT: .0067"
Notes: One of Nigel's "Spirit of the Sixties" posters.



Isle of Wight Festival poster

1g) Isle of Wight Festival poster
Date & Venue: Isle of Wight, England, August 1970
Bands (listed on the poster): Free, Moody Blues, The Who, Donovan, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Procol Harum, Joni Mitchell.
Poster Artist: John Kelly
Notes: A 1987 poster for an Isle of Wight festival that never happened. Wishful thinking (The Who, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix) by Nigel.



Monterey International Trips Festival poster

1h) Monterey International Trips Festival poster
Bands: The Who, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Janis Joplin, Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, the Animals, Canned Heat, the Byrds, Country Joe & the Fish, Mamas & the Papas, Otis Redding, Simon & Garfunkel, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Buffalo Springfield, Booker T & the MGs, Al Stewart, Paupers, Lou Rawls, etc.
Poster Artist: Dan Abbott, 1967, copyright Nigel Mentzel, 1987.
Poster Size: 23" x 17"
PT: .0057"
Printing Information: Multicolored offset lithograph on paper, using metallic inks.
Notes: One of Nigel's "Spirit of the Sixties" posters.



Pink Floyd poster

1i) Pink Floyd poster
Bands: Pink Floyd
Poster Artist: R.M. Bancroft
Poster Size: 23" x 18"
Printing Information: Offset lithograph using blue ink.
Notes: A 1989 poster of Pink Floyd with Syd Barrett. Limited edition of 500. Signed and numbered.



Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band Psychedelic Music poster

1j) Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band Psychedelic Music poster
Poster Size: 23 3/8" x 15 11/16"
PT: .0061"
Notes: A poster celebrating The Beatles Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. The face on the poster was copied from Oz Magazine.



Stones-Zappa poster

1k) Stones-Zappa poster
Bands: The Rolling Stones, Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention
Date & Venue: Lyceum Theatre, London, England, October 15
Poster Size: 15: x 23"
PT: .0045"
Notes: One of Nigel's "Spirit of the Sixties" posters.



Syd Barrett poster

1l) Syd Barrett poster
Poster Artist: Christian Paris (?)
Poster Size: 23 3/8" x 16 15/16"
PT: .0047"
Notes: Listed in Nigel's catalog as a poster of Syd Barrett.



T. Rex poster

1m) T. Rex poster
Poster Size: 23 5/8" x 17 3/16"
PT: .0038"
Notes: One of Nigel's "Spirit of the Sixties" posters.



Through the Looking Glass poster

1n) Through the Looking Glass poster
Date & Venue: Roundhouse, London
Bands: The Doors
Poster Artist: Lisa Fraity
Poster Size: 26 7/16" x 19 7/16"
PT: .0044"
Printing Information: Multicolored offset lithograph on paper with gold metallic ink.
Notes: A 1991 poster celebrating the Doors concert at the Roundhouse in London in 1968. One of Nigel's "Spirit of the Sixties" posters.



Wear Your Dreams poster

1o) Wear Your Dreams poster
Poster Artist: Nigel Mentzel
Poster Size: 24" x 17"
Printing Information: Offset lithograph using black and silver inks.
Notes: One of Nigel's "Spirit of the Sixties" posters. No such festival ever took place.



Woodstock-These Are the Days My Friend! poster

1p) Woodstock-These Are the Days My Friend! poster
Date & Venue: Max Yasgurs Farm, Near Bethel, Upstate, New York, August 15-17, 1969
Poster Size: 23 11/16" x 16 15/16"
PT: .0067"
Printing Information: Multicolored offset lithograph.
Notes: One of Nigel's "Spirit of the Sixties" posters.


Poster Reproductions


Flight to Lowlands Paradise 2 poster
December 28, 1968

2a) Flight to Lowlands Paradise 2 poster
Date & Venue: Jaarbeure-Margriethal, Utrecht, Netherlands, December 28, 1968
Bands: Pink Floyd, etc.
Poster Size: 23 3/8" x 16 7/16"
PT: .0057"
Notes: A 1980s reprint of the Flight to Lowlands Paradise 2 poster.



Jimi Hendrix Experience-Fillmore Auditorium poster

2b) Jimi Hendrix Experience-Fillmore Auditorium poster
Date & Venue: Fillmore Auditorium, June 20, 1968
Bands: Jimi Hendrix Experience
Poster Size: 24 15/16" x 17"
PT: .0074"
Notes: A reprint of a poster originally done by Hapshash & the Coloured Coat.
Credit line at the bottom right reads:
"FINE ARTS LIMITED EDITION PRINTS USA 1980."



Jimi Hendrix Shrine poster

2c) Jimi Hendrix Shrine poster
Date & Venue: Shrine Auditorium, February 10, 1968
Bands: Jimi Hendrix Experience
Poster Size: 21 7/8" x 13 15/16"
PT: .0064"
Notes: A reprint of a Jimi Hendrix poster.



13th Floor Elevators poster
September 30, 1968

2d) 13th Floor Elevators poster
Date & Venue: Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco, September 30, 1968
Bands: 13th Floor Elevators, Quicksilver Messenger Service
Poster Size: 19 7/16" x 13"
PT: .0055"
Notes: A reprint of the 13th Floor Elevators at the Avalon Ballroom poster.



Velvet Underground-Avalon poster

2e) Velvet Underground-Avalon poster
Bands: Velvet Underground, Jefferson Airplane, Captain Beefheart
Date & Venue: Avalon Ballroom, October 18, 1968
Poster Size: 14 1/16" x 20 1/8"
PT: .0043"
Notes: A reprint of an Avalon Ballroom poster.



The Who-Cow Palace poster

2f) The Who-Cow Palace poster
Bands: The Who
Date & Venue: Cow Palace, San Francisco, California, November 20, 1973
Notes: A poster reprint on white paper. This was the famous concert when Keith Moon passed out during the set, and a drummer from the audience was brought on stage to play drums with The Who.
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Notes: Also printed on red paper.
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Notes: Also printed on blue paper.
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Notes: Also printed on purple paper.



The Who-Grande poster

2g) The Who-Grande poster
Bands: Who, Janis Joplin, Frank Zappa, the Byrds, Country Joe & the Fish
Date & Venue: Grande Ballroom, Detroit, Michigan, May 9-11, 1968
Poster Size: 22" x 12 7/16"
PT: .0056"
Notes: A Grande Ballroom, Michigan poster reprint.


Reproduction Posters with alterations


Bob Dylan-Royal Albert Hall poster

3a) Bob Dylan-Royal Albert Hall poster
Date & Venue: Royal Albert Hall, London, England, May 26-27, 1966
Bands: Bob Dylan
Printing Information: Offset lithograph using red ink.
Notes: This poster was based on an original 1966 poster by Marijke Koger. The title, "Bob Dylan" as well as the venue and dates have been added to the poster.



14 Hour Techncolor Dream poster

3b) 14 Hour Techncolor Dream
Date & Venue: Alexandra Palace, London, England, April 29, 1967
Bands: Pink Floyd, etc.
Poster Size: 25 1/4" x 17 3/4"
PT: .0041"
Notes: One of two different commemorative posters made by British poster collector Nigel Mentzel in the 1970s. This one is purple and orange. He also made one in yellow and blue.
One of Nigel's "Spirit of the Sixties" posters.

The original poster for the 14 Hour Techncolor Dream was altered by adding John Lennon's name to the list of performers (fifth up from the bottom between the names "mothers of invention" and "yoko ono"). John Lennon's name does not appear on original concert posters for the event.
There have been at least two other reprints of this poster over the years, one originating in Canada, and one from California. Both appear to be unauthorized.



Magical Mystery Tour - Love Life poster

3c) Magical Mystery Tour - Love Life poster
Poster Size: 24 1/8" x 18 1/8"
PT: .0075"
Printing Information: Multicolored lithograph on gold or silver foil coated paper.
Notes: This poster art was copied from an original Marijke Koger poster from 1966, entitled Love Life. The colors have been changed, and the words "Magical Mystery Tour" have been added.
One of Nigel's "Spirit of the Sixties" posters.



Middle Earth Love Festival poster
May 3, 1967

3d) Middle Earth Love Festival poster
Date & Venue: Middle Earth, London, England, May 3, 1967
Artist: Based on an original 1968 drawing by Johnny Hurford. Additional text by Nigel Mentzel.
Bands: Pink Floyd, the Move, Soft Machine, Arthur Brown
Poster Size: 23" x 17 5/16"
PT: .0053"
Printing Company: Magic Garden Posters 1979
Printing Information: Offset lithograph. Found on purple, blue, red or pink paper.
Notes: A made-up poster made up by British collector Nigel Mentzel. Based on a Johnny Hurford poster. One of Nigel's "Spirit of the Sixties" posters.
At the top of the poster, it says: "Love Festival with Pink Floyd at Middle Earth."
This is a fake concert poster for a show that never took place.
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The Human Family poster by Johnny Hurford:

Notes: Original 1968 poster by Johnny Hurford, titled The Human Family.
It was created for the theater group called The Human Family that was run by Jack Henry Moore out of the Arts Lab in London in the 1960s.
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Middle Earth Love Festival poster (blue)

Poster Size: 23 x 17 5/16
PT: .0074"
Notes: A copy of the fake Middle Earth Love Festival poster on blue paper. Also found on pink, red, or white paper.
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Nigel Mentzel:

Notes: A picture of Nigel Mentzel with some of his posters. Photo by Jonathan Hill.
Mentzel is holding a copy of the Middle Earth Love Festival poster.
To his left is a copy of the Pink Floyd UFO poster from June 2, 1967 that he reprinted.
To his right is a copy of the CIA / UFO poster that he reprinted.



Mystical Pantomimes 1968 poster

3e) Mystical Pantomimes 1968 poster
Bands: Incredible String Band, The Doors
Poster Size: 24" x 16 5/16"
PT: .0056"
Notes: The art for this poster was copied from the 1968 Incredible String Band poster by Hapshash and the Coloured Coat. The colors have been altered a bit, and the words "The Doors" were added in the lower right.



Stones in the Park poster

3f) Stones in the Park poster
Date & Venue: The Rolling Stones Free Concert, Hyde Park, London, England, July 5, 1969
Poster Size: 25 3/16" x 17"
PT: .0046"
Notes: The art for this poster was copied from the 1967 Tomorrow poster for My White Bicycle by Hapshash and the Coloured Coat. The text on the poster was replaced by the words "Stones in the Park" and the venue and date.



UFO Club poster
June 2, 1967

3g) UFO Club poster
Date & Venue: UFO, The Blarney Club, 31 Tottenham Court Road, London, England, June 2, 1967
Artist: Based on an original poster by Jacob And The Coloured Coat (Michael English & Nigel Waymouth)
Bands: Pink Floyd
Note: A British poster collector named Nigel Mentzel redid this poster in the 1980s. One of Nigel's "Spirit of the Sixties" posters.
He copied the art from the original poster, but enlarged the name Pink Floyd and put it at the top of the list of bands on the poster.
These posters were unauthorized reprints, and were sold by Nigel via mail order.
Nigel told me that the original printing of his poster was in red, pink, blue and gold (pictured above).
He then did a second printing using the colors red, orange, yellow and gold (pictured below).
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Mentzel print #2:

Note: A second printing of the UFO poster by Nigel Mentzel. Made in the 1980s.
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Mentzel print #3:

Poster Size: 24" x 18"
PT: .0079"
Note: A Third printing of the UFO poster by Nigel Mentzel.