Just in time for Xmas! Rare early '70s Brain release in official fold out CD digi-pak form, featuring bands playing Christmas related material. Don't let this put you off.
This is a collection of mind blowing acid rock and progressive mayhem. Features Irus, Dies Irae, Joy Unlimited and more! Fantastic festive stoners. WOW (an office favourite)!
01 – Enjoy 02 – We’re Your Friends, Man 03 – Pheromones 04 – Lead On 05 – In The Leaves 06 – Little Orchestras 07 – Growing 08 – A Hard Way To Learn.
the Freak Emporium 1. Libido - evolution 2. Marcel - god rest ye mary gentlemen 3. Joy unlimited - All heaven and all earth are silent 4. Virus - mary meets tarzan 5. Dies Irae - silen night 6. Libido - come on everybody 7.
Ardo dombec - heavenly rose 8. Dies Irae - shepard's song 9. Ardo dombec - open the door, open your mind 10. Virus - x-mas submarine 11. Flute & voice - Ecce Navicule 12. Libido - come on everybody - special radio version. Personnel: JACK GEISINGER bs, gtr A B ANDREW KEILER vcls A B LOUIS MCKELVEY gtr A B DAVE WYNNE drms A B BOB O ISLAND (BOB PARKIN) keyb'ds B WALTER ROSSI gtr B ALBUM: 1(B) INFLUENCE (ABC ABCS 630) 1968 Formed as a quartet in late 1966, this act have an interesting and almost global pedigree.
English-born singer Andrew Keiler moved firstly to South Africa in 1964 and together with Irish-born guitarist Louis Campbell McKelvey played in the Johannesburg R&B outfit The Upsetters. McKelvey left this act in late '65, to join The A-Cads, although he was too late to appear on their album, despite being pictured on the sleeve. Andrew Keiler too left The Upsetters, recording a solo album in late 1965 before moving to Montreal in late 1966, along with McKelvey and fellow A-cad, Hank Squires.
In Canada, Squires moved into production working with The Haunted, amongst others, and McKelvey briefly played with Les Sinners and Our Generation before reuniting with Keiler in Influence. Czech-born bass player Geisinger came in from the Soul Mates and English-born drummer Dave Wynne was recruited from The Haunted.
To complete the line-up, two other former Soul Mates, Rossi and Island joined after playing on a Wilson Pickett tour in June 1967. The band then relocated to the US. David Wynne recalls:- 'We played Montreal in the Spring of '67, then went to Toronto Village and played one of the clubs there until September when we went to New York and cut the album with ABC. McKelvey was involved in production. Afterwards we were offered another deal by Columbia which was turned down by the band, and at that point I left and went back to Canada and school.
You were right about the album, but it may have had a little impact. Our publicist at ABC was dating Peter Townshend and reportedly he liked the opera idea.
As musicians and artists the Influence really outclassed anything else around - Walter Rossi as I said was a superb guitarist. You should have heard us live.' 'The entire band except me had done hard time with mature audiences. Not many Canadian musicians had had the experience of recording in or touring the U.S.
As Wally, Jack and Bobo had with Wilson Pickett. They were also all seasoned musicians.
(I heard, from Buddy Miles I think, that Steve Cropper had said he thought Wally the better guitarist). It was also innovative, and had confidence that it was cutting edge and could compete on any stage. Toronto Village in Summer 1967 was great - lots of talent and a real buzz. The imbalance in the band was that we had two front men, Bobo and Andy, and while it was never pushed I think after I left that it became an issue - I bridged both sides and may have helped keep some of it together.
At the time there seemed enough room for everyone, but it was really an amalgam of two bands in one - the Wally, Jack, Bobo and Louis and Andy. Yum Yum who replaced me was definitely associated with the former group. I had started the band with Louis, but felt much more at home musically with Wally, Jack and Bobo. I was not a fan of British drummers (Baker, Moon) but American black funk and jazz drummers. I think I mentioned the time at the Barrel, where watching and talking to Rashid Ali (Coltrane's second drummer with Elvin Jones) and hearing new wave drumming was a priceless clinic.' Their album makes it easy to understand why they chose their name, as it is more or less a hodgepodge of styles without much consistency.
Many satirical elements betray the strong influence of Zappa, on whom they clearly lean too heavily. Nevertheless their love of discordant riffs and 'wrong' modulations works brilliantly on at least two tracks: We Are Here, a sour masterpiece on lost love and Natural Impulse. Lyrically Zappa is omnipresent as becomes hearable in the choice of admittedly transitional subject-matter such as sodomy (on County Fair) and the longing of the gentry to mingle with the peasants (on Sir Archibald). Parodies on The Marcels, Little Richard and the hippie-movement in general sound dated, although they probably were modern in 1968. Worth trying, but don't pay too much.
After Influence broke up, McKelvey and Geisinger played in the Canadian band Milkwood. Geisinger later left Milkwood for Luke and The Apostles. Rossi meanwhile, played with The Buddy Miles Express briefly before joining Geisinger in Luke and The Apostles. Walter Rossi later played with Charlee, Moonquake and Bombers. Jack Geisinger also later played with Moonquake, Rockers and Crescent Street Singers. Bob Parkin committed suicide in 1970.
Walter Rossi is also rumoured to have played on an album by Thee Muffins in 1966. (Nick Warburton/Marcel Koopman/Vernon Joynson/Tertius Louw) Kindly submitted by Unicorn. Special thanks! Garage rock and some nice flower psychedelia (with the usual ingredients of farfisa organ and loads of fuzz guitar) from the very early hippiedays by this widely unknown Californian band.
Most of the songs were written by Ron Elliott of the BEAU BRUMMELS, but the band doesn´t sound 'folky'. Tracklist: 1 Hey, I´m Lost 2:32 2 Left Hand Girl 2:27 3 No Matter What You Say 2:46 4 Smile Smile Smile 1:52 5 I´m A Fool 2:35 6 I Call Her Name 2:45 7 She Is Love 2:14 8 Going Home 2:07 9 I Like Her 1:56 10 Hey, Im Lost (different version) 2:31 11 Puppetmaster 3:48 12 If You Believe 2:27 13 Tell Me Please 2:07 14 You Know All I Want 1:56 Review kindly contributed by Unicorn. Special thanks! Review by Unicorn: Who are Damin Eih, A.l.k and Brother Clark you may ask yourself and so do i. Hardly anything is known about these lads, but their only LP, a private pressing from 1973 is something you should not miss.Mostly acoustic and gentle, but highly trippy and mystic this is the real collector´s stuff. I really love this record and i am sure you will too.so download, 'Take Off Your Eyes' and fly.More information welcome!
(Note: the tracks on the LP go into one another, so the parted tracks often don´t have a clearly defined beginning or end. This effect will disappear if you hear it as a whole) Tracklist: 1 Tourniquet 2:17 2 Sing A Different Song 4:17 3 Take Off Your Eyes 5:40 4 Soft Margins 4:45 5 Thundermice 3:52 6 Monday Morning Prayer 0:38 7 Gone 4:40 8 Marching Together 3:36 9 Kathryn At Night 3:391 0 Party Hats & Olive Spats 3:24 11 Return Naked 1:57 Review kindly submitted by Unicorn. Special thanks! 3rd full length by this progressive psych-rock band from Greece is their masterpiece.
Ceremony of innocence creates dreamy atmospheres with male and female vocals, swirling organ, strong electric guitar leads and floating flute parts.(from: psychedelic music net) Combining dreamy atmospheres, sublime male and female vocals, swirling organs, sweeping guitars and lush flute arrangements as well as being beautifully packaged in a deluxe triple fold-out book-like CD Box, this is an awesome record with only 1000 copies pressed. (from: freakemporium) Tracklist: 1 Smoke Supended In The Still Air 5:05 2 The Rabbit Under The Teardrop´s Shade 3:32 3 Shadows Of Daylight 4:31 4 The Reaper´s Paper Boat 4:28 5 Hew A Dream In The Twilight 5:33 6 Haze Secrets 5:01 7 A William Blake´s Song 3:59 8 Fairies Waltz 4:29 Kindly submitted by Unicorn. Special thanks! Check them out at their website. The first record Creme and Godley released after their departure from 10cc is a monumental, ambitious work that lasts nearly 2 hours - and it is one of my favourite records of all time.
It was published 1977 in an expensive 3LP-box, probably too expensive for a number of possible buyers. I still remember it being the most expensive record i ever bought. 1991 followed a double-CD edition limited to 3000 worldwide. It was impossible to get it in a normal record shop, at last i found a used copy in a specialty shop in a foreign country and again i had to pay a real nice sum for it. With a price policy like that it is no wonder that the record always was quite rare, which is a pity because it is so wonderful.At the beginning and the end there are 2 very long instrumental parts. The first with extensive use of the gizmo, a device the two had invented to change sounds of electric guitar, from which they thought it would revolutionize the rockmusic world. But as far as i know nobody else except them ever used this thing.
The second at the end 'Blint´s Tune' is a parody of a classic symphony knitted together from stolen musical themes from beginning to end. Inbetween you find an audioplay with interwoven musical snippets. The story deals about Mr.
Blint, a mad musician in a wheelchair who is the only person being able to save the world from going down with his music based on his weird theories (but 'Blint´s Tune' reveals that it is nothing but rubbish).The whole thing is very intelligent and extremely funny from beginnig to end, the music is better than everything from them that followed on later albums. My favourite is 'Sailor', a tune that impresses with it´s simplicity.This is a masterpiece that should have a place in the top ten rock records of all time! Review kindly contributed by Unicorn.
Special thanks! Local New Jersey demo-release (200 made in 1971) from Victoria, a band and album beyond rare, fantastic, conceptual psych-beauty. Sometimes dreamy, sometimes totally wild underground-psych, this release features female vocals, titanic horns and distorted guitars. Sweet tunes turn into dark psych-power.
Totally stoned. This amazing album was first released on the Seven Little Indians label (before it became Shadoks Music) eight or nine years ago as a limited-edition with a red velvet cover and golden engraved artwork. A 500-copy limited-edition CD, also in red velvet, was sold out in a few months. Besides Jungle, this album is a famous Little Indian release.
![Son Son](/uploads/1/2/5/4/125492925/164783176.jpg)
If you like Moby Grape you should check this one out. The album has remained unreleased until a few years ago.TOTALLY STONED! -forcedexposure.com- Brand new CD reissue of this very obscure (200 made, only 5-6 copies known to be in the hands of collectors) New Jersey demo recording (1969-71) from three guys and one girl intent on surfing the same kind of electronically enhanced harmony waves generated by United States Of America, C.A.
Quintet, even early Velvets. Beautifully baked atmosphere here - on first listen Alex described it as almost doo-wop in its lunar/swoon quotient - that compares with early Paisley Underground moves from Opal and Rainy Day crossed with wild, testifying brass, high arcs of unison vox ala Jefferson Airplane and blats of black fuzz.volcanictongue.com- Personnel incl: SHARON BARTON A MAUREEN DEIDELBAUM A GREG RUBAN A CHERYL SIMPSON A ALBUMS: 1(A) VICTORIA (No label) 1971 R5 2(A) KINGS, QUEENS & JOKERS (No label) 197? R5 NB: (1) was a demo album issued in a plain white jacket. (2) is an alternate pressing of (1), with the title shown rubber-stamped on the front of the sleeve. (2) contains fewer tracks than (1). (1) reissued in Germany (Little Indians #7) 1997, in a red velveteen jacket with gold foil embossed print, and on CD by the same label with several previously unreleased bonus tracks. Rare local New Jersey private press, with an 'odd' sound created by this largely female group and featuring horns prominently on several tracks.
Two hundred copies of the album were pressed in 1971, and Ruban distributed a quantity of them through Europe while on a motorcycle trip in the early seventies. Victoria may be connected in some manner to Dirty Martha. One track, Ride A Rainbow has also resurfaced on Love, Peace And Poetry, Vol. (Clark Faville / Max Waller). Ruthann Friedman’s chief claim to fame is having written The Association’s 1967 hit “Windy.” Less well known, however, is Constant Companion, her sole solo album recorded for Reprise in 1969.
Water’s reissue of the album seems timed to follow the success of other recently-rediscovered female singer-songwriters (Vashti Bunyan, Judee Sill) and the resurgence of ’60s-inspired folk in general. Constant Companion, however, is no mere nostalgia trip, nor is its re-release a case of opportunistic bandwagoning. While Friedman’s music will undoubtedly be grouped with that of Bunyan and her present-day heirs (Devendra Banhart, for one), she has little in common with them. Contrary to what her song titles (“Piper’s Call,” “Fairy Prince Rainbow Man”) might suggest, she doesn’t indulge in idyllic flower-power folk. While Constant Companion doesn’t immediately elicit comparison to any particular artist, it is perhaps closest in spirit to the first two albums of Friedman’s Reprise labelmate Joni Mitchell.
Like Mitchell, Friedman is a skilled guitarist and gifted songwriter, attributes that separate her from the era’s horde of would-be folkies. She possesses a deep, powerful voice, and her impressive vocal control suggests that she may have been classically trained. In other words, she’s no amateur dilettante who got lucky enough to record a one-shot album, but rather a fully mature and practiced artist.
The songs on Constant Companion cover a range of styles, from Simon and Garfunkel style folk (“People”) and Mitchell-inspired psychedelic ruminations (“Fairy Prince Rainbow Man,” “Danny”) to jazz-inflected pop (“Morning Becomes You”). The arrangements are sparse, consisting solely of Friedman’s acoustic guitar and voice, with the exception of lead guitar by Peter Kaukonen (brother of Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna’s Jorma, and creator of Constant Companion’s cover art). Friedman’s wide stylistic range suggests that the suits at Reprise may have been a little too eager to force her into the role of “the next Joni”; several of her songs cry out for further orchestration (the fingerstyle guitar intro to “Looking Back Over Your Shoulder” being one case in point).
While they work as acoustic compositions, they may have benefited from more complex arrangements, as does the post-album single “Carry On (Glittering Dancer),” a quirky track that indulges in Van Dyke Parks-style baroque orchestrations (apparently Parks and Friedman were briefly an item, and he executive produced the track.) Given the fact that Friedman hasn’t recorded anything since, Constant Companion can hardly help but evoke imaginings of what might have been had she stayed in the business longer. As it stands, though, the album is a fine effort, and its rescue from the archives is certainly to be applauded.Dusted- Track Title 1. Topsy-Turvy Moon 2. Piper's Call 3. Fairy Prince Rainbow Man 4.
Too Late To Be Mourning 5. Ringing Bells 6. Looking Back Over Your Shoulder 7. Morning Becomes You 9. Peaceable Kingdom 10. Look Up To The Sun 13.
Carry On (Glittering Dancer).Bonus Track Length Line Up and Credits Ruthann Friedman - Vocals, Guitar Peter Kaukonen - Improv Electric Guitar on Morning Becomes You Van Dyke Parks - Executive Producer Carry On (Glittering Dancer) Ed Thrasher - Art Direction (Original Release). Judee Sill was a true original. A singer-songwriter with a wealth of influences and a fascination with religion, she referred to her work as 'country-cult-baroque.'
She was the first artist signed to David Geffen's Asylum label, and, along with Joni Mitchell and Carole King, exemplified the breezy 'Laurel Canyon Sound' of the early '70s. Sill scored moderate hits with 'Lady-O' (originally written for The Turtles) and 'Jesus Was A Cross Maker' and released two albums - 1971's Judee Sill and 1973's Heart Food - before suffering chronic pain and eventually dying of a drug overdose at age 35. Sill grew up in Oakland, California, and began playing piano at age three. A troubled family life and brushes with the law landed her in reform school, where, as church organist, she developed the gospel style that would characterize her future recordings. After a stint in college and three down-and-out years of addiction, she cleaned up and began work on her dream of becoming a songwriter.
She spent a short time penning songs for The Turtles' production company before signing her own deal with Asylum. For her self-titled debut, Sill gathered a production team that included Jim Pons and John Beck of The Leaves, as well as engineer/producer Henry Lewy, known for his work with Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, The Flying Burrito Brothers, and Leonard Cohen.
Her guitar playing provides the foundation for most of the songs, joined by various combinations of pedal steel, strings, and brass. 'Jesus Was A Cross Maker,' built on a bed of Sill's gospel-flavored piano, was produced by Graham Nash and crafted as a single.
Rich with cosmic imagery and ambiguously spiritual lyrics, the songs on Judee Sill often blur the line between the earthly and the divine. Beautiful folk-rock album with psychedelic touches.Thoughtful, earnest, acoustic guitar-led folk ballads.
Backing on the album came from psychedelic legends Mighty Baby. With vinyl copies changing hands for hundreds of pounds, it's finally available on CD, showing itself to be a lost gem of British acid folk. Robin Scott's 1969 album Woman from the Warm Grass was very much in the mold of many British folk-ground artists of the time who were gingerly making the transition to a folk-rock sound. In fact, in material and presentation, Scott was fairly similar in feel to a few other artists that producer Sandy Roberton worked with, including, Keith Christmas,.
Scott's vocals and songs were earnest and verbose, with the reflective fragile moodiness (and yearning, sometimes florid romanticism) found in many British folk/folk-rock singer/songwriters of the era, from and on down. As artists in this genre go, Scott's pleasant and reasonably interesting, though not distinguished. He and Roberton do vary the arrangements, sometimes opting for just solo acoustic guitar and voice, at others using full rock backing from the band. Generally, the unplugged tracks work better; 'The Sound of Rain,' with subdued orchestration backing the acoustic guitar, has the sort of narrative-oriented mystical acid folk pioneered by, while 'Song of the Sun' has the poetic wordy gray melancholy very particular to this period of British folk. So there's a lot here for listeners who dig this particular micro-style in general, with the notable exception of an overwhelmingly strong vocal or songwriting individuality, though Scott's likable enough. The 2006 CD reissue on Sunbeam adds a nice bonus cut from a BBC session, 'Tattoed Lady,' that doesn't appear on the original album in any form.
This track has lead singing by Scott's girlfriend of the time, Penny Lamb (with Scott on guitar and vocal harmonies), and a slightly brighter, poppier, and more melodic feel than the material that had been recorded for the LP. Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide Tracklist: 1. The Sailor 2. Song of the Sun 3. The Sound of Rain 4. The Day Begins 6.
Woman From The Warm Grass 7. I Am Your Suitcase Lover 8. Mara's Supper 9. Point Of Leaving 10. The Purple Cadger 11. Tattooed Lady Bonus Track. 'Satori' is the second album, after they had changed their name.
It contains five long songs, titled 'Satori Part I-V'. The whole album had a very special atmosphere.
It's not easy to describe, maybe mystical, dark and melancholic are some words I like to drop. In some songs, as in 'Satori Part I', they play some kind of a proto epic Doom, brutal heavy riffs with nice tempo-changes. The clear and high voice of singer Joe completes this great song. But it's different to BLACK SABBATH. I think, you can hear, that FLOWER TRAVELLIN' BAND are strongly influenced through ancient Japanese/Eastern music. Like the second song 'Satori II', an instrumental, which starts with a hypnotic psychedelic guitarsound and then turns into a instrumental part with Eastern percussion. But the song doesn't 'freak-out' into a endless jam.
The band played still very compact. 'Satori III' is a very doomy instrumental. The song is like a crossover between Doom/Heavyrock and this typical ancient touch. It changes into a heavy groovy part which goes into something experimental and then back to the opening theme with an oriental-like ending. Really fantastic!
'Satori IV'starts more progressive to change then into a groovy Blues part with a harmonica. Joe had a very unique vocal-style on 'Satori Part V', maybe not everybodys flavour. The album closes with this song, that goes more in it the Heavy-Prog direction.
At least, the production sounds very clear and powerful. Finally,I will give you the advice to discover the world of FLOWER TRAVELLIN' BAND, if you're into early 70's Heavyrock. The original is not easy to find, but there is a CD re-release on WEA, only released in Japan. Review taken from cosmiclava.de/FLOWERTRAVELLINBAND.27.0.html. The second album from 1970 is an exceedingly more pastoral effort than the band's self-titled debut. As many of the Bay Area groups — most notably the Grateful Dead with Workingman's Dead and American Beauty — had begun to do, the band realigns its sound from the dark psychedelia of its earlier works and into a lighter and earthier country-flavored rock. Marrying Maiden does, however, continue highlighting both the sextet's stellar instrumental proficiencies as well as vocals — featuring the entire band — throughout.
Not as good as their selftitled debut but still very enjoyable music. Tracklist: 1. Don and Dewey 2. The Dolphins 3. Essence of Now 4.
Soapstone Mountain 6. Waiting for the Song 7. Let a Woman Flow 8. It Comes Right Down to You 9. Good Lovin' 10.
Do You Remember the Sun? Their fourth album (second for Warner/Reprise) released in 1970 continued the tradition of psychedelic dreamy poetic musing and added a small orchestra of strings to add a classical feel. The album features songs written by Tom Rapp whilst living in Holland including the superb 'The Jeweler'.
Subversive, tender, moving, goofy, maddening, and profound PBS and Tom Rapp created some of the best and timeless musical poetry of the '60's and '70's. From the Movie of the Same Name 3.
Rocket Man 4. God Save the Child 5. Song About a Rose 6. Tell Me Why 7. Riegal 10.When the War Began http://rapidshare.com/files/6626496/PearlsBeforeSwine-TheUseOfAshes1970.rar. Perhaps the best known of the Irish bands' albums, this 1973 release was a concept album, detailing one of ancient Erin's most famous folk tales. Combining mournful traditional Celtic music with long haired rock was a masterstroke which can be heard to fine effect on this reissue.
An album that appeals to folk rock and progressive rock fans alike. By any standards this album is a masterpiece of quality celtic rock. Concept albums rarely work, but this does so spectacularly. It tells the ancient legend of a cattle raid in Ulster in prehistoric times, using traditional tunes as the basis of the songs and mixing traditional instruments such as fiddle, pipes and concertina alongside the standard rock format. There is a flow and coherence which is truly marvellous. Even more remarkable is that they repeated the feat with the Book of Invasions a few years later. It is helped by the fact that the band are musicians of the highest order, but their strength is the magic of the songs and tunes which are constructed quite perfectly.
There are no fillers and no tracks which fall below the general standard of excellence. The stand out tracks include Dearg Doom, with its phenomenenal riff which makes it a disco hit 30 years later, Faster Than the Hound and Charolais. Comparisons have been made with Jethro Tull, largely due to the extensive use of the flute, but Jim Lockhart plays it even better than Ian Anderson, good though he is. (progarchives.com) Tracklist: 1. Maeve's Court 3. You Can't Fool The Beast 6. Dearg Doom 7.
![Download Bevis Frond Son Of Walter Rar Download Bevis Frond Son Of Walter Rar](/uploads/1/2/5/4/125492925/185372030.jpg)
Ferdia's Song 8. Gae Bolga (1:23) 9.
Cu Chulainn's Lament 10. Faster Than The Hound 11. The Silver Spear 12. More Than You Can Chew 13. The Morrigan's Dream 14.
Time To Kill http://rapidshare.de/files/13937468/Horslips-TheTin1973.rar. Eccentric, prolific British singer/songwriter Roy Harper is a legend on the U.K. Folk-rock scene.
He began recording in the late 1960s, as something of a cross between Bob Dylan's troubadourism and Syd Barrett's freewheeling, wild-eyed visions. Though Harper has had an impact on British rockers who gained greater fame (he's feted in Led Zeppelin's 'Hats Off To Roy Harper,' sings lead on Pink Floyd's 'Have a Cigar,' and was a major influence on Jethro Tull), his mix of folk and prog-rock has earned him a niche all his own in the pantheon of British songwriters. Tracklist: 1. Sgt.Sunshine 2. She's the one 3. In the time of water 4. Composer of life 5.
One for all 6. Exercising some control 7.
McGoohan's blues 8. Manana http://rapidshare.de/files/12890347/RoyHarper-Folkjokeopus1969.rar. 1968 debut from the US psychedelic rock band. A dark haunting classic album that contains 'Fresh Garbage,' 'Uncle Jack,' 'Mechcanical World,' and 'Elijah' all laced with superb guitar work, vocal harmonies and production. Randy California's guitar is always in evidence, but it's the band interplay and sense of space that makes this one of the great debut albums of the genre.
The original lineup of the group was Randy California (guitars), Jay Ferguson (vocals), Mark Andess (bass), California's stepfather, drummer Ed Cassidy, and keyboard player John Locke. The new band was originally named the Spirits Rebellious (after a book by Khalil Gibran) but was soon shortened simply to Spirit. All but Locke had been part of the band The Red Roosters in 1965. California (then still known by his birth name of Randy Wolfe) had also played with Jimi Hendrix (then known as Jimmy James) in Jimmy James and the Blue Flames for three months in 1966. Ed Cassidy is notable as one of the most accomplished drummers in rock and was instantly recognizable by his shaven head and proclivity to wear black. He was considerably older than the rest of the group (he was born in 1923). His earlier career was primarily in jazz and included stints with Cannonball Adderley, Gerry Mulligan, Roland Kirk and Lee Konitz prior to joining Spirit, he was a founder member of Rising Sons with Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder.
Following a period of gigging around Los Angeles, the group attained quite a reputation. Brian Berry, the brother of Jan Berry (of Jan & Dean), heard the group and made arrangements for them to record a demo. The demo eventually made its way into the hands of Lou Adler, who was in the process of forming a new record label, Ode Records, which was distributed by Epic Records. The group's first album, Spirit, was released in 1968. Though it didn't spawn any hit singles (the track Mechanical World was released as a single with a humorous label on the 45 which lists the playing time as merely being 'very long', despite the fact that it is prematurely faded in order to shorten its length a bit, but it missed the Top 100), it was a substantial underground hit, making it to #31 on the charts and staying on the charts for over 8 months. Following the relative success of their first album, they capitalized on it with a single, I Got A Line On You.
Released slightly before their second album, The Family That Plays Together (which came out in November of 1968), it became their biggest hit single. They also went on tour that year, with Led Zeppelin opening for them (who were obviously listening to the headliners, as they were known to cover Fresh Garbage in concert, used the Theremin after seeing Randy use a model that he had mounted to his guitar, and would later appropriate the Spirit instrumental Taurus for their Stairway To Heaven. Taken from Wikipedia Tracklist 1. Fresh-Garbage 2. Uncle Jack 3.
Mechanical World 4. Girl In Your Eye 6. Straight Arrow 7.
Topanga Windows 8. Gramophone Man 9. Water Woman 10. The Great Canyon Fire In General 11. Veruska Bonus 13. Free Spirit Bonus 14. If I Had A Woman Bonus 15.
Elijah Alternate Take - Bonus. Balaklava is one of the most extraordinary, sublime and sophisticated protest albums of 1968. To many, this album represents Tom Rapp's surrealist song-craft in perfection. Not a foot-stamping anti-Vietnam war album but a complex and psychedelic masterwork that touches on Tennyson and Tolkien in a sublime metaphorical fashion. Tom Rapp is among the most erudite, intellectual songwriters of the American '60s era. The psychedelic folk band Pearls Before Swine was the brainchild of singer, composer and cult icon Tom Rapp, born in Bottineau, ND in 1947; after writing his first song at age six, he later began performing at local talent shows, and as a teen bested a young Bob Dylan at one such event. Upon relocating to Melbourne, FL, Rapp formed Pearls Before Swine in 1965, recruiting high school friends Wayne Harley, Lane Lederer and Roger Crissinger to record a demo which he then sent to the ESP-Disk label; the company quickly signed the group, and they soon travelled to New York to record their superb 1967 debut One Nation Underground, which went on to sell some 250,000 copies.
The explicitly anti-war Balaklava, widely regarded as Pearls Before Swine's finest work, followed in 1968; the group - by this time essentially comprising Rapp and whoever else was in the studio at the moment - moved to Reprise for 1969's These Things Too, mounting their first-ever tour in the wake of releasing The Use of Ashes a year later. Two more albums, City of Gold and Beautiful Lies You Could Live In, followed in 1971; moving to Blue Thumb, Rapp resurfaced as a solo artist with 1972's Stardancer, but upon the release of Sunforest a year later he then retired from music, subsequently becoming a civil rights attorney. Frequently cited as a key influence by the likes of Damon & Naomi, the Bevis Frond and the Japanese psych band Ghost, Rapp made an unexpected return to live performance in mid-1998 when he appeared at the Terrastock festival in Providence, RI, joining son Dave and his indie-pop band Shy Camp; he soon began work on 1999's A Journal of the Plague Year, his first new LP in over two decades.
Constructive Melancholy, a retrospective of Pearls Before Swine's tenure on Reprise, also appeared that same year. This sparked renewed interest in the band, with Water music releasing a box set of the Reprise material in 2003 (Jewels Were the Stars) as well as a set of unreleased demo and live recordings entitled The Wizard of Is.
ESP also remastered and combined their first two albums as The Complete ESP-Disk Recordings in 2005. Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide Tracklist: 1.
Trumpeter Landfrey 2. Translucent Carriages 3. Images Of April 4. There Was A Man 5.
I Saw The World 6. Guardian Angels 7. Lepers & Roses 9. Florence Nightingale 10. Long lost UK folk rock album from 1971.
Fresh Maggots were just two people, Mick Burgoyne and Leigh Dolphin, (they came from Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England) and they played melodic acid folk-rock with electric (heavy on the fuzz side) and acoustic guitar mixed with glockenspiel, tambourine, violin, tin whistles and harmony vocals. The results are stunning particularly on the evergreen 'Rosemary Hill' which features some beautiful harmonies. The electric fuzz guitar kicks in at various points on the record to startling effect, particularly evident on 'Everyone's gone to War'.
If there was such a genre as garage folk then this it. The original vinyl is very much sought-after today and almost impossible to find. Long established as a cult classic and collector’s grail, Mick Burgoyne and Leigh Dolphin’s sole album is presented here with their full co-operation. Recorded in 1971 when they were just 19 years old and fresh to the studio, 'Fresh Maggots' is one of the best distillations of folk and psychedelia ever recorded.
Varying in tone from heavy rock (‘Frustration’) to protest (‘Everybody’s Gone To War’), social commentary (‘Dole Song’) and pastoral (‘Rosemary Hill’), it’s a highly unusual and powerful record that enjoyed extravagant acclaim on release but sold poorly and has never been officially issued since. Original pressings are notoriously badly pressed, so this reissue is sure to be rapturously welcomed by all lovers of acid folk. Tracklist: 1. Rosemary Hill 3. Everyone's Gone To War 5. And When She Laughs 6.
Balloon Song 8. Who's To Die 10. Elizabeth R 11. This 1967 album was one of the first of the progressive rock genre. The first mainstream release to feature a rock band and orchestra playing together, and being a linked suite of songs on a common theme, this of course spawned the massive hit single 'Nights In White Satin.' It also includes the haunting 'Tuesday Afternoon', and the frankly evil sounding 'Twilight Time'. A groundbreaking album in rock and roll history, and one everybody should own.
Although not the first concept album ever (that honour may fall to Joe Meek's 'I Hear A New World' seven years earlier) it's fair to say all that was ever regarded as 'prog' started here, although the band themselves never liked the term and of course moved away from it into an AOR-MOR direction. Nevertheless, this album is as important as 'Sgt Pepper' 'Pet Sounds' 'Forever Changes' 'SF Sorrow' 'Odessey And Oracle' 'Ogdens Nut Gone Flake' and 'Village Green Preservation Society', and to count the amount of bands its sound influenced would take a whole week. (Freak Emporium) Tracklist: 1. The Day Begins 2. Dawn, Dawn Is A Feeling 3. The Morning, Another Morning 4. Lunch Break, Peak Hour 5.
The Afternoon a) Forever Afternoon (Tuesday?) b) (Evening) Time To Get Away 6. Evening a) The Sun Set b) Twilight Time 7. The Night - Nights In White Satin.
Recorded just after Mick Taylor departed for the Stones, John Mayall eliminated drums entirely on this live recording. With mostly acoustic guitars and John Almond on flutes and sax, Mayall and his band, as his typically overblown liner notes state, 'explore seldom-used areas within the framework of low volume music.' But it does work.
The all-original material is flowing and melodic, with long jazzy grooves that don't lose sight of their bluesy underpinnings. Lyrically, Mayall stretches out a bit into social comment on 'The Laws Must Change' on this fine, meditative mood album. Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide John Mayall was best known as a key figure in the '60s British blues boom, fronting a band containing future members of Cream, Fleetwood Mac and Colosseum among others. However, after releasing a number of rock-edged electric blues albums, Mayall changed direction in 1969. Recorded live at New York's Fillmore East, 'The Turning Point' finds Mayall fronting an all-acoustic four-piece including guitarist Jon Mark and sax player Johnny Almond, who would later gain renown as the progressive rock outfit Mark-Almond. With the new format allowing for a greater degree of subtlety, Mayall offers a blend of blues, folk, and jazz, seamlessly mixed into a new paradigm. Lest you forget that this was 1969, things open up with the pro-pot anthem 'The Laws Must Change.'
The centerpiece of the album, and a Mayall concert staple thereafter, is 'Room to Move,' a breathless, frenetic number where Mayall shows off his harp chops and gets the audience worked up as only a real blues man can. Tracklist: 1.
The Laws Must Change 2. Saw Mill Gulch Road 3. I'm Gonna Fight for You J.B. So Hard to Share 5.
California 6. Thoughts About Roxanne 7. Room to Move. Here comes the 2nd Limbus album (their even more obscure debut from 1969, under the name Limbus 3, has been bootlegged on CD by Germanofon & is legitimately available on LP via the Batschong label), which was originally issued by OHR in 1970.
A fantastic dose of early 70s German freeform weirdness and an essential reissue for the tuned-out community. Formed in 1968, Limbus were a most unusual band who grew a unique music out of jazz, folk and avant-garde roots.
As the more varied instrumental quartet Limbus 4, with swirling organ, studio effects and a most bizarre use of kazoos, Mandalas has perplexed and confused many. Limbus 4 were certainly one of a kind. Limbus 4 are: Odysseus Artnern, Bernd Henninger, Matthias Knieper & Gerd Kraus (piano, bass, cello, viola, violin, flutes, percussion, tablas) Tracklist: 1.
Beautiful flowing 1972 album by this mellow French progressive band featuring superb keyboard and guitar interplay and female vocals. In places sounds a bit like Julian's Treatment and Earth And Fire.
Very rare on vinyl and one of the classic '70s Europe progressive rock albums. The major attraction within the line-up no doubt is that of vocalist Rose Podwojny, who constantly balances between the raunchy approach of a Grace Slick and that of an authentic Jazz diva. Others have placed her voice in between that of Linda Hoyle and Julian’s Treatment singer Cathy Pruden. Based around the talented guitarist Jean-Pierre Alarcen, Sandrose rose out of the ashes of another French cult band called Eden Rose.
Whilst mellotron and Hammond are to be found throughout the lengthy instrumental passages, most of the attention goes towards Rose Podwojny, who has often been compared to Dutch singer Jerney Kaagman, whilst from a musical perspective Sandrose was often compared to Earth & Fire, Kaagman’s band. To my ears, Rose’s voice sounds much more trained, with more vibrato and able to shine in many other musical styles, something we can’t say from the rather limited voice of Jerney Kaagman. Also, from the point of view that this concerns a French band, Rose’s prononciation of the English language is perfect. No doubt the highlight of this album has to be the unrivaled prowess of 'Underground Session,' which really contains every single element from the book of symphonic rock highlights. This track alone is worth the money of the entire album.
It nicely alternates calm passages and more heavy outbursts in order to create the true identity of authentic prog. The dreamy 'Summer Is Yonder' could well be an outtake from Focus or Pulsar, once again not being obtrusive in any way and fully composing the arrangement in favour of Rose’s high pitched vocals here. Although the song has a slight medieval feel at times, it’s mainly the Akkerman-like guitar from Alarcen combined with the organ that delivers the Focus likeness. When Rose isn’t singing, the rest of the band most definitely prove that they are also outstanding musicians, leaning heavilly towards jazz and fusion as demonstrated during the rhythmic 'Metakara,' displaying the typical Hammond from the seventies. All in all, this still is a wonderful album to listen to even though it has been released more than thirty years ago. Some of the sounds may be dated but the way the compositions are made still vouch for great creativity.
Chauvinistic as they are, the French rate this album as being one of the world’s top ten progressive albums of all time. I wouldn’t go as far as saying top ten but it most definitely merits a place in the world’s best 100 prog albums of all time, and that alone is a fantastic achievement, knowing there are thousands and thousands of albums out there whilst Sandrose only made this single debut. Reviewed by John Bollenberg on progressiveworld.net Tracklist: 1.
Never Good At Sayin´ Good-Bye 3. Underground Session 4. Old Dom Is Dead 5. To Take Him Away 6.Summer Is Yonder 7. Fraulein Kommen Sie Schlaffen Mit Mir (to all who speak German: it's written exactly like that, no spelling mistakes.! Great collection of unreleased psych-pop weirdness by the guy who created the monsterous 'Cold Turkey' on 'Chocolate Soup', supposedly recorded in the '60s. Great UK style psych gems.
Anyone familiar with the killer 'Cold Turkey' will know what to expect. Even in his home town San Francisco, few people are aware that the quietly spoken Englishman, Pete Miller, whose recording studio has serviced hundreds of bands since opening its doors in 1977, is in fact, Big Boy Pete. The enigmatic psychedelic legend from the sixties. If you have never heard of Big Boy Pete, you may not be alone. But if you're an avid record collector, you will know that his 1968 45rpm disc 'Cold Turkey' is now a prized collector's item. (It commanded a $400 reserve price at last year's Sothebys Rock and Roll auction in London). The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland, U.S., includes this record in its list of Psychedelic Classics.
Big Boy Pete's name is painted on the museum wall right next to the Beatles' name. Pete's sixties recordings have been re-released in England for the past couple of years on the Tenth Planet label. They are now becoming available in the US courtesy of Gear Fab Records, Bacchus Archives (a subsidiary of Dionysus Records), and 3 Acre Floor Records.
There's yet another interesting facet of Pete's career. Probably not a single student of the Audio Institute of America (and there have been thousands in over 100 countries around the world), realise that Big Boy Pete is the Founder and President of this State licensed educational school for recording engineers.
Pete engineered his first recording in 1959. He was in one of the bands from the original British invasion of the sixties. (Lead guitarist of The Jaywalkers, who toured extensively with the Beatles and Stones in those glorious years). He also had a solo recording contract with Columbia Records under yet another name - 'Miller'. The single 'Baby I Got News for You' is another sought after collector's 45. Taken from bigboypete.com Tracklist: 1. Sheer Lunacy (1966) 2.
Crocogators (1966) 3. I Am Seldom 21 (1967) 4. Knit Me A Kiss (1966) 5. 1,500,000 Volts (1967) 6. Captain Of My Toy Ballon (1968) 7. John Celery (1969) 8.
Paranoia (1968) 9. Chinaman (1966) 10.Music Created By Dust (1966) 11.A Dog Called Doug (1967) 12.
The Procession (1969) 13. The Candleman (1967) 14. The Treacle Dance (1968).
Beautiful debut album by UK band Gothic Horizon. The music exposed on this album is highly unique, transparent and fragile. Kinda like Left Banke meets Honeybus larded and sauced with UK folk. A real beautiful album. Originally released on Argo in 1970. Gothic Horizon made two albums: 'The Jason Lodge Poetry Book' (Argo ZFB 26) 1970, which also gained an American release: (USA: London PS592) 1971; and 'Tomorrow Is Another day' (Argo ZDA 150) 1972.
Their music is not gloomy, brooding, damp, ghoulish, dark, threatening, creepy, bloody, horrifying or any of the other adjectives which spring to mind when one thinks of 'Gothic'. Instead it is warm, chatty, light, breezy, informal, witty.
The albums are sometimes hyped as 'psych-pop' (the former especially on account of its convoluted title and colourful pop-art cover) or even 'acid-folk', but essentially they are neither of these things; they tends mostly towards folk and acousticism. However there are some tracks here to delight the psychedelically-inclined. The title track of the first album, 'The Jason Lodge Poetry Book', is great. Complex pop of sufficient quality to delight the pop-syke faithful. 'Song For Susan' is so close in sound and style to Fairfield Parlour that it just about escapes charges of plagiarism.
'A J Lone's Dog' is ragtime pop; and unsurprisingly with a title like 'Willow Tree Vale Song' this song is folk. But 'A Third For Jason Lodge' is very weird. Bizarre changes and references to flying, mushrooms and toadstools! (by Dave Thubron) Tracklist: 1. The Jason Lodge Poetry Book 2. Song For Susan 3. Lone's Dog 5.
Willow Tree Vale Song 6. Six Summers Back 7. Althea Williams 9. Wilhelmina Before Sunrise 10. Valentine's Day Massacre 11. A Third For Jason Lodge 12.
A Farewell Ode To Port Sunlight. First time issue of unreleased third album by USA 60's band The Hobbits. Originally this album was to be released by Perception Records in 1969 but was shelved. It's a delightful example of orchestrated US 60's pop with a psychedelic edge very much in the mould of the other two Hobbits albums.
Back From Middle Earth, The Hobbit’s third and rarest psychedelic recording, appeared in 1969 on Hobbit-supremo Jimmy Curtiss’ Perception label, an imprint that bizarrely was to include Dizzy Gillespie, Shirley Horn, Tyrone Washington, Johnny Hartman, Astrud Gilberto and even Jimmy Lunceford amongst its alumnists. Although The Hobbits owed their name to the writings of Tolkien, there was little of The Shire about their music, which Curtiss described as “vocals with instrumental accompaniment”, with the emphasis very much on sophisticated harmonies reminiscent of contemporaries such as The Cowsills and Jay And The Americans. Curtiss made his recording debut as Jimmy Curtiss & The Regents in the late ‘50s, but surprisingly Return To Middle Earth is a solid ‘60s pop album which highlights the vocal talents of Curtiss and session-singer Gini Eastwood and is completely free of any references to Curtiss’ doowop past, as indeed are the three heavily psych-influenced 45s Curtiss produced (he also co-wrote two of the tracks) for Decca stable-mates The Bag in 1968.
Exactly why The Hobbits changed their name to The New Hobbits is unclear, but this may, along with the album’s release on Perception (the band’s two previous efforts had both appeared on Decca) go some way to explaining why the album remained largely unknown (many Psych collectors have never seen a copy of the album), and consequently is so highly sought after today. (review taken from blueorchardrecords.com) Note: To all appearances, the tracks 'I could hear the grass growin' and 'Underground' (even my faves on the album) are not by The Hobbits. The songs originally came out in 1968 by Fire & Brimstone. Look at the comment section for more information. Tracklist: 1. You Could Have Made It Easy 2.
Growin’ Old 3. I Could Hear The Grass Growin’ 4. Comin’ Out 5. The Devil’s Gonna Get Me 6. Underground 7. Love Can Set You Free 8. Woman So Worried.