30-07-06 - 06-08-06

Friday, August 04, 2006

Darius - 1968 - Darius

For One More Time We Have To Republish A Sadly Announcement

____________________

Dear Friends,

I just wanted to let you know that my dear friend and brother
Robert J. Ott aka. DARIUS has passed away today on the 3rd of August 2006 at 1:15 am.
He had been suffering from cancer for quite some time now.
His wife Barbara and I will continue to complete his life's work, since there´s still
a huge musical legacy left by him for the world to discover.

Rest in peace Bobby, you will be deeply missed!

Miguel Rodriguez
____________________

So, honoris causa again,
would like to give you a chance to get and enjoy his 1st amazing psychedelic album of year 1968 !


DARIUS-Same (1968)

01 - Shades Of Blue
02 - Dawn
03 - Mist-Veiled Garden
04 - I´m The Man
05 - I Feel The Need To Carry On
06 - Dirty Funky Situation
07 - Blow My Mind
08 - Sweet Mama
09 - Ancient Path
10 - Hear What I Say
11 - Don´t You Get The Feeling (Bonus)
12 - A Woman Like You (Bonus)
13 - Peace & Love (Bonus)

STORY:

Darius was based in Hollywood, California and was backed by Goldenrod andMike Deasy.
The album is all originals and the music very melodic with upfront vocals and a style veering towards progressivism. Particularly stunning are Mist-Veiled Garden and I Feel The Need To Carry On. Funk and blues influences are more evident on Side two of the album.

Producer Pat Glasser went on to work with Three Dog Night.

Darius went on to record a 45 for Metromedia as Bobby Joe Ott, Flint River Inn, but the company was bought out by Bell, and the track sank in the changeover.

He then returned to his home town of Cleveland, Ohio and under the name of Darius James played the club circuit.
In 1974 a bad automobile accident put his musical plans on hold and he spent the next six years having re-constructive surgery.
In 1980 he put a band called The Earthlings together and went back to Hollywood to play the Showcase Club Circuit and despite many recordings, no deal was forthcoming.
In 1990 Darius went back to Cleveland and met Barbara McFaul aka: Honeygirl. He then concentrated his efforts on recording and producing Honeygirl, also producing/directing three music videos with her.
In 2000 he started singing/writing and recording again along with Honeygirl and The Earthlings...

This album is another bunch of legendary US '60s psychsters !!

Strongly Recommended !!

PS: Have a nice trip, as well, lovely, Robert J.Ott (Darius)

Note: If you would like, make a comment(s) to not feel lonely !

grab and enjoy it !!

Opa-Loka on vacations.....
see you at 11 of September.

Arthur Lee & Love

ARTHUR LEE & LOVE

SADLY,
WE INFORM YOU THAT LEGENDARY FRONTMAN OF LOVE,HAS PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 61

Artur Lee was suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Lee's manager, Mark Linn, sent out the following email just minutes ago:

"Arthur Lee died peacefully at Methodist Hospital in Memphis, a little after four in the afternoon Aug 3, 2006 with his wife Diane by his side. His death comes as a shock to me because Arthur had the uncanny ability to bounce back from everything, and leukemia was no exception. He was confident that he would be back on stage by the fall.

"When I visited with him recently, he was visibly moved by the stories and pictures from the NYC benefit concert. He was truly grateful for the outpouring of love from friends and fans all over the world since news of his illness became public. We watched the DVD of the great House of Blues concert from '03, and he told me how much he appreciated [backing band] Baby Lemonade's dedication to his music.

"Arthur always lived in the moment, and said what he thought when he thought it. I'll miss his phone calls, and his long voice messages, but most of all I'll miss Arthur playing Arthur's music."

HONORIS CAUSA

WE PRESESTING YOU, THE THREE AMAZING ALBUMS OF HIS GROUP, LOVE, THAT CONSIDERED AS MASTERPIECES OF LOVELY 60'S DECATE !
UNFORTUNATELY , SUCH A MOMENT WE HAVE TO REMIND TO OURSELVES HIS MARVELLOUS ABILITY TO COMPOSE SUCH A MUSICAL HYMNS.


HAVE A NICE TRIP, ARTHUR !
WE WILL REMEMBER YOU TILL TO MEET YOU IN HELL !!
_____________________

Love - 1966 - Love

1. My Little Red Book (B. Bacharach/H. David)
2. Can't Explain (A. Lee/J. Echols/J. Fleckenstein)
3. A Message to Pretty (A. Lee)
4. My Flash on You (A. Lee)
5. Softly to Me (B. Maclean)
6. No Matter What You Do (A. Lee)
7. Emotions (A. Lee/J. Echols)
8. You I'll Be Following (A. Lee)
9. Gazing (A. Lee)
10. Hey Joe (D. Valenti)
11. Signed D. C. (A. Lee)
12. Coloured Balls Falling (A. Lee)
13. Mushroom Clouds (A. Lee/J. Echols/K. Forssi/B. Maclean)
14. And More (A. Lee/B. Maclean)

__________________________________________________

• Arthur Lee: lead vocals, harmonica, percussion (drums on "Can't Explain", "No Matter What You Do", "Gazing" and "And More")
• John Echols: lead guitar
• Bryan MacLean: rhythm guitar, vocal (lead vocal on "Softly to Me" and "Hey Joe")
• Ken Forssi: bass
• Alban "Snoopy" Pfisterer: drums (except on "Can't Explain", "No Matter What You Do", "Gazing" and "And More")

__________________________________________________

Love - 1967 - Da Capo
[mono-stereo]

1. Stephanie Knows Who (mono mix) (A. Lee, 2:38)
2. Orange Skies (mono mix) (B. MacLean, 2:54)
3. ¡Que Vida! (mono mix) (A. Lee, 3:43)
4. Seven & Seven Is (mono mix) (A. Lee, 2:26)
5. The Castle (mono mix) (A. Lee, 3:05)
6. She Comes in Colors (mono mix) (A. Lee, 2:47)
7. Revelation (mono mix) (A. Lee/B. MacLean/J. Echols/K. Forssi, 19:02)
8. Stephanie Knows Who (stereo mix) (A. Lee, 2:34)
9. Orange Skies (stereo mix) (B. MacLean, 2:53)
10. ¡Que Vida! (stereo mix) (A. Lee, 3:43)
11. Seven & Seven Is (stereo mix) (A. Lee, 2:19)
12. The Castle (stereo mix) (A. Lee, 3:03)
13. She Comes in Colors (stereo mix) (A. Lee, 2:48)
14. Revelation (stereo mix) (A. Lee/B. MacLean/J. Echols/K. Forssi, 19:04)
15. Seven & Seven Is (*) (A. Lee, 3:13)

__________________________________________________

• Arthur Lee: lead vocals, harmonica, guitar, percussion
• Johnny Echols: lead guitar
• Bryan MacLean: rhythm guitar, vocal
• Ken Forssi: bass
• Alban "Snoopy" Pfisterer: organ, harpsichord (drums on "Seven and Seven Is")
• Michael Stuart: drums, percussion
• Tjay Cantrelli: saxophone, flute, percussion

__________________________________________________

Love - 1967 - Forever Changes (Deluxe Edition)
part 1
part 2

1. Alone Again Or (Maclean, – 3:16)
2. A House Is Not a Motel (Lee, – 3:31)
3. Andmoreagain (Lee, – 3:18)
4. The Daily Planet (Lee, – 3:30)
5. Old Man (Maclean, – 3:02)
6. The Red Telephone (Lee, – 4:46)
7. Maybe the People Would Be the Times or Between Clark and Hilldale (Lee, – 3:34)
8. Live and Let Live (Lee, – 5:26)
9. The Good Humor Man He Sees Everything Like This (Lee, – 3:08)
10. Bummer in the Summer (Lee, – 2:24)
11. You Set the Scene (Lee, – 6:56)
12. Hummingbirds (Lee, – 2:43)
13. Wonder People (I Do Wonder) (Lee, – 3:27)
14. Alone Again Or (alternate mix) (MacLean, – 2:55)
15. You Set the Scene (alternate mix) (Lee, – 7:01)
16. Your Mind And We Belong Together (tracking session highlights) (Lee, – 8:16)
17. Your Mind And We Belong Together (Lee, – 4:28)
18. Laughing Stock (Lee, – 2:33)

__________________________________________________

• Arthur Lee: lead vocals, guitar, arranger
• John Echols: lead guitar
• Bryan MacLean: rhythm guitar, vocals, arranger (lead vocals on "Alone Again Or" and "Old Man")
• Ken Forssi: bass
• Michael Stuart: drums, percussion
• with
• Billy Strange: guitar on "Andmoreagain" and "The Daily Planet"
• Don Randi: piano on "Andmoreagain" and "The Daily Planet"
• Hal Blaine: drums on "Andmoreagain" and "The Daily Planet"
• Carol Kaye: bass on "Andmoreagain" (presumably)
• David Angel: arranger, orchestrations
• Orchestra: Robert Barene, Arnold Belnick, James Getzoff, Marshall Sosson, Darrel Terwilliger (violins); Norman Botnick (viola); Jesse Ehrlich (cello); Chuck Berghofer (double bass); Bud Brisbois, Roy Caton, Ollie Mitchell (trumpets); Richard Leith (trombone)

NOTE: In this deluxe edition included extra bonus tracks,
but the most important is,
that included their 7th single ''Your Mind And You Will Belong Together / Laughing Stock
(1968, Elektra EK 45633 )

PERSONAL VIEW: This album is a classic masterpiece of the 60's and one of the greatest albums ever made !

_____________________________

posted by Opa-Loka and Optical Sound
reviewed by Optical Sound.

Tonton Macoute - 1971 - Tonton Macoute

Tonton Macoute - 1971 - Tonton Macoute

Tracks :
1. Just Like Stone (6:30)
2. Don't Make Me Cry (8:48)
3. Flying South In Winter (6:26)
4. Dreams (3:57)
5. You Make My Jelly Roll (7:58)
6. Natural High part 1 (6:55)
7. Natural High part 2 (3:53)

Line-up
- Paul French / acoustic & elelectric pianos, organ, vibes, vocals
- Chris Gavin / bass, acoustic & electric guitars
- Dave Knowles / Alto & Tenor saxes, flute, clarinet, vocals
- Nigel Reveler / drums, percussion

A little-known band. Musically in the progressive-jazz genre, the album was released on RCA's now collectable Neon label. It's quite unusual and includes a number of woodwind solos. Despite being recorded under the supervision of Howard and Blaikley it's musically miles away from that duo's sixties pop format. Paul French went on to play in Voyager in the late seventies and early eighties.

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Lang'syne - 1976 - Lang'syne

Lang'syne - 1976 - Lang'syne

Tracks :
1. Medina (8:29)
2. Morning (3:32)
3. Changing (6:46)
4. Cynghanedd (7:49)
5. A Very Sarcastic Song (6:43)
6. Carnivore (4:02)
7. Mignon (1:51)
8. Lady Mary (3:48*)

Musicians:
Edbert Froese - guitar, Keyboard, Vocals, Sitar, Psalter
Matthias Mertler - Guitar, Vocals, Percussion, Glockenspiel
Ulrich Nahle - Flute, Guitar, Vocals, Percussion

Lang'syne appear to be another one-album wonder as they released an interesting self titled folk album in 1976. Lang'syne sing in English and their brand of folk bares little resemblance to the earlier kraut-folk bands like Broselmaschine, Holderlin, and Witthuser and Westrupp. Throughout the album, there are small touches of a German and Eastern ethnic feel to the music, but for the most part their sound is a bit more Anglo influenced. Many of the lyrics and much of the music appear to have a dark, longing quality which results in the album sounding a bit mystical, and occasionally even Renaissance-style. The standout track is the instrumental 'Cynghanedd'. 'Cynghanedd' begins like an Eastern-influenced ballad, or "Melodie der Natur" as described in the CD sleeve. This track utilizes natural sound of birds and insects and ends with an interesting interplay of 'dueling'-guitar chord sequences. Another track worth mentioning is 'Medina' which has sporadic touches of Witthuser and Westrupp sprinkled throughout.


Highly Recommended!

Get It Here

Dimentia 13 - 1985 - Dimentia 13

Dimentia 13 - 1985 - Dimentia 13
[MIRLP 116]


We Are
I Think I Should Know
Farmer Brown
Lysergic Mental Vibrations
I Am A Whale

Politician
Last In Line
Colors
Psilocybin Spot
The Lizard

Produced By Brad Warner
Engineered By Scott Godwin
Recorded At Island Studios, North Royalton, Ohio
Cover By Vince Rancid

"Syd Barrett acolytes from Ohio! This tasty goblet of swirling, bubbling psych slips down a treat. The heavily acid etched instrumental 'Lysergic Mental Vibrations' is am excellent contrast to the more whimsical joys of the opening 'We Are' and the aquatic lunacy of 'I Am A Whale.' Over on side two, 'Last In Line' is pretty flawless Chocolate Watchband respray job while 'Colors' employs backwards tape jiggery-pokery as an eerie voice creeps in and out of the mix having escaped from somewhere you probably don't want to know about. 'Psilocybin Spot' fulfills the same role as side one's 'Lysergic...' and is as effective. Finally, 'The Lizard' is an acoustic based trip into the mynd of the vocalist who is driven to bizarre flights of fantasy by a brief, and unexpected, FX bombardment. Sensibly, and probably to avoid the unwanted attentions of like minded space cadets, the band members remain anonymous and the murky photo on the sleeveadds to the mystery of this wickedly warped caboodle of crazed vignettes."

Analogy - 1972 - Analogy + pre Analogy single

Analogy - 1972 - Analogy

Tracks:
Dark Reflections (7:00)
Weeping May Endure (4:50)
Indian Mediation (4:10)
Tin's Song (1:40)
Analogy (9:45)
The Year's At The Spring (4:35)
Pan-Am Flight 249 (5:15)

Musicians:
Jutta Nienhaus - vocals
Hermann-Jürgen "Mops" Nienhaus – drums
Wolfgang Schoene – bass
Martin Thurn - guitars, flute and bongos
Nikola Pankoff - keyboards (mainly Hammond organ)

Discography:
Analogy The Suite (Rec. 1980, Rel 1993 (Ohrwaschi) /2000 (Akarma)
25 Years Later (1996, Ohrwashi)

Analogy were a German group living in Italy in the late 60s that featured Jutta Nienhaus on vocals, Hermann-Jürgen "Mops" Nienhaus on drums, Wolfgang Schoene on bass, Martin Thurn on guitars, flute and bongos, and Nikola Pankoff on keyboards (mainly Hammond organ). Under this moniker, they really released only one album, the self-titled Analogy (1972), though in 1980 The Suite was released featuring Thurn and Jutta Nienhaus along with members of their subsequent band Earthbound – it was released on CD in 1993 by Germany's Ohrwaschi label (and later in a bootlegged 10" vinyl format by Akarma in 2000). Nienhaus and Thurn and original bassist Mauro Rattaggi gathered others together to record old and previously unreleased Analogy pieces as well as re-record pieces that had appeared on their first 7" singles for a CD called 25 Years Later that was released by Ohrwashi in 1996. The booklet of this 2002 reissue of Analogy from the Garden Of Delight's label details the band's history both before becoming Analogy, when they were known as The Joice (and later, due to a misprint Yoice), through to their post Analogy days. As usual, there are photographs, discography, as well as sleeve and label covers reproduced in the booklet. This is, according to GoD, the first legitimate CD release, as the history includes details on unauthorized and bootleg editions (e.g., Akarma), and was made from the master tapes.

Analogy's sound is thick and heavy in a psychedelic way rather than a hard rock way, with Schoene's bass tone very deep, matching the sometimes sultry vocals of Neinhaus. The instruments of focus, other than Nienhaus' voice, are the guitar of Thurn and Schoene's bass. Except when they are in a solo setting, Pankoff's organ is back in the mix, and yet very much present. Lyrically, the album is fairly sparse, and without a lot of reading between the lines, or, in the case of "Pan-Am Flight 249," some context, they don't seem to make a lot of sense. But they don't have to, as the ear is drawn to how Neinhaus sang, not what she sang.

The centerpiece of the album is the nearly 10 minute "Analogy" – the track from which the band took their name. It begins as a subtle atmospheric piece with just Pankoff's organ, but gradually fades in to become a full on rocker, bringing to mind The Who a bit. Of the core album's 7 tracks, this is the one that is, perhaps, the most proggy in nature, though it gets there by way of psychedelia. The watery organ work recalls Ray Manzarek's in tone a bit, as on The Doors' "Riders On The Storm." The Doors played extended, arty, pieces like this. In another passage, Thurn's initially delicate guitar lines recall Pink Floyd ("Us And Them" came to mind), before a sweet, but high-toned guitar takes the lead voice, playing in sad, melancholy notes.

They follow this up with the upbeat, energetic "The Year's At The Spring," which made think of something from the early days of Jefferson Airplane, though Neinhaus doesn't sound like Grace Slick exactly, I could easily see Slick singing this way stylistically. Again, it is a showcase for Thurn, Schoene and Pankoff, but mostly Thurn, as he plays a brassy toned solo, leaned into a distinctively Hammond organ solo from Pankoff. Haven't mentioned drummer Nienhaus much, but his performance is solid throughout, keeping everything moving along. Nienhaus's story has a tragic ending, as he committed suicide in 1984 while he was in the end stages of his fight against AIDS.

The other thought that came to me as I was listening to Analogy was anachronistic as I thought of The Red Masque during the dark, gloomy, and some times funereal, "Dark Reflections" as well during the equally dark and gloomy "Pan-Am Flight 249" -- whether this song is in response to some specific incident around the time, I don't know. I did "Google" it, but found only references to the track in the tracklisting of various reviews of this album. This comparison was not just in the vocals of Jutta Neinhaus, which are richly ethereal and lilting, but rather in the whole vibe of each piece.

Another of the album's highlights is "Weeping May Endure" which, aside from some brief lilting vocals from Nienhaus, is an instrumental with Thurn's guitars leading the way. Here, too, Pankoff's organ gets a moment in the spotlight.

Once you "get past" finding some of vocals "flower child" like -- but pleasant to the ear -- and so very much of the 70s, you realize that the band combined all their respective talents to create a solidly good album. Produced by Aldo Pagani, who permitted the band only two recording days (all he was willing to invest), the album seems far from hurried or rushed. It's easy to see why this gem in it's original vinyl version is a sought-after item, potentially fetching US$1500.

Bonus :

Yoice (pre-Analogy) - 1972 - Sold Out/God's Own Land [single]

16 Horsepower - Black Soul Choir (Video Clip)

16 Horsepower - Black Soul Choir
(Video Clip)

Lyrics :

Ain’t none ever seen the face of his foe no

He ain’t made of flesh & bone
He’s the one who sits up close beside you
An when he’s there you are alone

Every man is evil yes an every man is a liar
An unashamed with the wicked tongues sing
In the black soul choir

Yes an no man ever seen the face of my lord no
Not since he left his skin
He’s the one you keep cold on the outside girl
He’s at your door let him in

O I will forgive your wrongs
Yes I am abel
An for my own I feel great shame
I would offer up a brick to the back of your head boy

If I were cain

Poll (Greece) - 1971 - Anthrope (Human)

Poll (Greece) - 1971 - Anthrope (Human)

1. POLL MEANS LOVE
2. FOVOI MOU
3. PSAHNO NA VRO TO FILO MOU
4. STIN PIGI MIA KOPELA
5. 2.000 LOGOI
6. PARASKEYAS KAI THOMAS
7. KAI MILONTAS GIA ANTHROPOUS
8. O GEROS
9. HROMATA
10. PICCADILLY CIRCUS
11. GIATI EHEI MAKRIA MALLIA
12. SIMERA KAI AYRIO
13. PESTE MOU TI THELO - POLL SIMAINEI AGAPI - POIOS THA DEIXEI
14. I GENIA MAS
15. ELA ILIE MOU
16. ANTHROPE AGAPA

Kostas Tournas (Guitar, Vocals)
Stavros Logaridis (Bass, Vocals)
Robert Williams (Guitar, Vocals)
Kostas Papaioanou (Drums)
[many guest artist and singers...]

Great Psychedelic Folk-Pop Album !!!

Στον απόηχο της «εποχής των λουλουδιών» και της γενιάς του Woodstock εμφανίσθηκε ένα από τα πιο αγαπημένα γκρουπ της δεκαετίας αυτής, οι POLL, που κατ’ εξοχήν προσπάθησαν να μεταφέρουν κάτι από τη χίπικη αισθητική στον ελλαδικό χώρο. Μετά το θαυμάσιο 1^ο τους single του ‘71 «Άνθρωπε αγάπα/Ελα ήλιε μου» που συνάντησε προβλήματα με τη λογοκρισία της χούντας λόγω των στίχων του, κυκλοφορεί την ίδια χρονιά και το 1^ο τους άλμπουμ «Άνθρωπε…» με εξώφυλλο ένα……..ταγάρι. Το LP είναι πέρα για πέρα εκπληκτικό. Όλα τα τραγούδια είναι υψηλού συνθετικού επιπέδου, ώστε δύσκολα μπορείς να ξεχωρίσεις κάποιο. Δεν μπορώ όμως να μην επισημάνω ιδιαιτέρως το «Στην πηγή μια κοπέλα», ένα μοναδικό κομμάτι, κατ’ εμέ το καλύτερο που έγραψαν ποτέ κι ένα απ’ τα καλύτερα που έβγαλε ποτέ η χώρα μας. Μετά από ένα 2^ο single «Η γενιά μας/Αετοί» που αποτελεί και το μανιφέστο μιας ολόκληρης γενιάς βγάζουν το ‘72 το 2^ο τους ομώνυμο LP πρωτοτυπώντας πάλι στο εξώφυλλο που περιείχε 12σέλιδο έγχρωμο βιβλίο κόμικ με ήρωες τα μέλη του γκρουπ. Κατώτερο από το πρώτο, παρ’ όλ’ αυτά όμως ένα πολύ καλό LP. Το ύφος των POLL ήταν το φολκ-ροκ. Το γκρουπ ολοκλήρωσε την παρουσία του μ’ ένα τελευταίο single «Μολυβιές φωτογραφίες/Όσες φορές». Βασικός πυρήνας του ήταν οι Κώστας Τουρνάς, Ρόμπερτ Γουίλλιαμς και Σταύρος Λογαρίδης. Για ένα διάστημα πέρασε απ’ τις τάξεις του ως τραγουδίστρια και η Δέσποινα Γλέζου. Πρώτος που ακολούθησε προσωπική καριέρα ήταν ο Τουρνάς. Από τα LP’s που έβγαλε καλύτερο ήταν τα «Απεραντα Χωραφια» (‘72), ένα δομικώς σύνθετο για την εποχή του concept άλμπουμ με επιρροές από προοδευτικό ροκ. Η υιοθέτηση αργότερα ενός πιο απλουστευμένου ύφους θα τον φέρει και πιο κοντά στην εμπορική επιτυχία. Απ’ τα επόμενα LP’s του σε ποπ-ροκ φόρμες πιο αξιόλογα ήταν τα «Αστρόνειρα» (’73), «Κυρίες και κύριοι» (‘74) και «Λευκά φτερά» (‘75). Ο Γουίλλιαμς έβγαλε μερικά LP’s σε soft ποπ-ροκ ύφος. Ο Λογαρίδης σχημάτισε τους ΑΚΡΙΤΑΣ που μετά από ένα single κυκλοφόρησαν το ‘73 και το μοναδικό τους ομώνυμο LP, ένα από τα κορυφαία στον ελλαδικό χώρο όλων των εποχών. Το άλμπουμ κινείται στο χώρο του προοδευτικού ροκ και χαρακτηρίζεται από τις συχνές αλλαγές θεμάτων. Ειδική μνεία πρέπει να γίνει για τα εξαιρετικά κιθαριστικά μέρη του guest Δήμου Παπαχρήστου, πρώην μέλους των ΕΞΑΔΑΚΤΥΛΟΣ. Πρωτοποριακό άλμπουμ και δισκάρα!!! Οι ΑΚΡΙΤΑΣ μπορούν να θεωρηθούν ως οι Έλληνες EMERSON, LAKE+PALMER. Μετά τη διάλυσή τους ο Λογαρίδης ακολούθησε σόλο καριέρα ηχογραφώντας το 1^ο του ομώνυμο LP (‘78) και το «Σε άλλη γη» (‘80) σε προοδευτικό ροκ πιο εμπορικού ύφους από το παρελθόν.

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Julian Jay Savarin - 1973 - Waiters of the Dance

Julian Jay Savarin - 1973 - Waiters of the Dance

Personnel:
John Dover – Bass
Nigel "Zed" Jenkins – Guitar
Jo Meek – Vocals
Roger Odell – Drums
Julian Jay Savarin – Keyboards

Album:
Waiters On The Dance (Birth RAB 2) 1973
(reissued on Five Hours Back (TOCK 002) in 1987)

CD:
Akarma AK 161, 2001

45:
I Am You/Kizeesh (Lyntone LYN 3426) 197?
(issued as a Corgi Books sampler)

Julian Jay Savarin was the leader and main songwriter in Julian's Treatment. He wrote, directed, and played on the 1970 double concept album, ‘A Time Before This’. It is based on the book, ‘Lemmus, A Time Trilogy - Waiters On The Dance’, which Savarin wrote. A poet and writer, as well as a musician, he used his multi-talented focus to his advantage on many different projects.

‘Waiters On The Dance’, originally released in 1971 and re-released by Akarma Records in 2001, comes attractively packaged with the original artwork in the vinyl and CD formats.

A concept album with excellent music seems to be more ear catching than any other type of recording. When you know that there is a story behind the music, better yet an entire book, the entire picture begins to formulate in your mind’s eye. When you then take that formula and add powerful guitar riffs, grinding organ and Lady Jo Meek's (later with Catapilla) voice to tell the story and set it all in motion with feeling, you have all the elements for a successful musical endeavour that spells progressive rock. This LP is a classic that deserves an abundance of attention by those that appreciate what this captivating genre has always had to offer its devout listeners. I am like many of you; I had never heard of this album before and felt entirely blown away by its impact. I am sure you will be too, and then you will wonder why you had not heard of this sooner. As the saying goes… better late then never, get it now!

The books in Savarin's trilogy are:
Lemmus One: Waiters on the Dance,
Lemmus Two: Beyond the Outer Mirror and
Lemmus Three: Archives of Haven, all in the sci-fi genre.

Effervescent Elephants (Italy) - 1987 - Something to Say

Effervescent Elephants (Italy) - 1987 - Something to Say

OUT OF THIS WORLD RELEASE ON THE ITALIAN ‘PSYCH-OUT’ LABEL. THIS IS A REAL ACID PSYCHEDELIC MASTERPIECE THAT GATHERS INFLUENCES FROM ‘SYD BARRETT’, ‘RORY GALLAGHER’ TO ‘NINO ROTA’..

Tracks :
01 To The Morning Blue
02 Europes Blues
03 LSD
04 3 O'clock
05 Maize
06 Hey Mr. Paul Smith
07 Inian Side
08 Something To Say
09 All Tomorrows Parties

Band :
Ludovico Ellena- g, voc
Konrad Giolito - voc
Aldo Casciano - dr
Lorenzo Proverbio - keyb, voc
Sergio Monti - b, voc

The Effervescent Elephants are a strange Italian Barret-inspired group as the name suggests; nods are taken to Syd's guitar style (they do a cover of Interstellar Overdrive). The band has a nice laid-back vibe, sub-par vocals are treated with much reverb and down in the mix creating and sustaining a nice Italian "haze". If that sounds at all good to you, this comes
highly recommended.

Monday, July 31, 2006

Can Am Des Puig - 1978 - The Book of AM (Pts. I & II)

THE BOOK OF AM (1978)

This is without any doubt one of this year’s most stunning and spectacular releases!!!
Book Of Am were a communal hippie-folk outfit consisting of musicians from various countries (England, France & Spain) who lived on the Balearic Islands.
Their initial plan was to release four LP’s in combination with a beautifully illustrated book, full of mind expanding art, focussing on world folklore and various traditions.
In the end however (we’re talking mid 70’s here) the costs of realisation were too high, and –though the music for all 4 records already was put to tape- the eventual release got stripped down to ‘just’ one LP, coming with a gatefold sleeve i.s.o. the complete book. Which obviously didn’t keep this unbelievable album from becoming a major collector’s idem. Now, some 30 years later, Wah Wah Records at last present the book (over 100 pages!) in its full glory, together with 2 LP’s/CD’s. (A reissue of the original LP, plus a record/disc featuring many highlights of the unreleased material.)

Musically this is superb, extremely psychedelic and mystic folk with haunting melodies full of exotic instrumentation and trippy elements. This 2006 Book Of Am edition is a (soaking wet) dream come true for all connoisseurs of acid-, psych- and freakfolk.

Recommendable reissue !

Grab And Enjoy It !
Part I
Part II

PS: If you like, make a comment(s) for any theme in this blog !

Sunday, July 30, 2006

Omnibus - 1970 - Omnibus

Omnibus - 1970 - Omnibus

01 - The Man Song - 3.26
02 - It´s All In Your Heart - 6.03
03 - Shake It Off - 3.58
04 - Understand - 3.52
05 - Above Me - 2.45
06 - Den Of Sin - 2.10
07 - Boogus Black And Blues - 5.08
08 - Spring - 3.02
09 - Winding Thru Your Heart - 2.30
10 - Harmony - 2.32
11 - Big Daddy Slave - 2.37
12 - Tired Of Screaming - 2.45

1970 United Artists release by Boston based band combining moody Westcoast style organ sound with fuzzy psych guitar. This trio hailed from Boston. The album, which was recorded in New York and produced by Steve and Eric Nathanson (who were the producers of Boffalongo).
Sounding a lot like a FUZZED-OUT DOORS!!!

Tir Na Nog - 1971 - Tir Na Nog

Tir Na Nog - 1971 - Tir Na Nog

Tir Na Nog, whose name translates from the Gaelic as "Land of Eternal Youth," hit a Zeitgeist with their first album. The pairing of Sonny Condell and Leo O'Kelly caught the same softness as, say, Nick Drake, but more open and engaging, with just enough lilting Celtic influence to offer plenty of charm (although, it must be said, very little of the Irish tradition is evident in their music). The acoustic duo could be sweetly romantic, as on "Time Is Like a Promise" and "Our Love Will Not Decay," but they could also offer a crowd-pleaser like the singalong "Aberdeen Angus." "Picadilly" is especially poignant, a touching tale. Condell brings a few exotic touches to the disc, adding tabla, Moroccan drum, and jew's harp, but that hardly turns them into a version of the Incredible String Band -- their writing simply isn't quirky enough. That's not to imply there isn't a strength to it; there is. They can pen a good, memorable tune with an affecting chorus, and the relatively straightforward arrangements, fleshed out by Barry Dransfield's fiddle and Nick Harrison's arrangements, are never overdone. Pleasant without ever being startling, this is '70s folk-rock, with the emphasis on the folk more than the rock.
~Chris Nickson, All Music Guide

Tir Na Nog - album credits :
Leo O'Kelly Dulcimer, Guitar, Bass (Electric), Vocals, Violin, Tin Whistle
Sonny Condell Guitar, Vocals, Moroccan Drum, Tabla, Jew's-Harp, Percussion
Barry Dransfield Fiddle



Tir Na Nog - tracks :
01 Time Is Like a Promise (2:56)
02 Mariner Blues (4:12)
03 Daisy Lady (2:21)
04 Tir Na Nog (5:20)
05 Aberdeen Angus (1:50)
06 Looking Up (4:51)
07 Boat Song (3:24)
08 Our Love Will Not Decay (3:04)
09 Hey Friend (3:01)
10 Dance of Years (3:50)
11 Live a Day (3:04)
12 Piccadilly (5:35)
13 Dante (2:56)

Enjoy !!!

Psi Vojaci & Jachym Topol - 1994 - Sestra

Psi Vojaci & Jachym Topol - 1994 - Sestra

Tracks :
01 Vlčí sen, Do města, Jiný příběh
02 Ohnivá voda
03 Cestou
04 Ráno, pořád
05 Kdykoli
06 "Teď jděte v pokoji"
07 Starý slova
08 Je tam
09 Já, to mně a B. a obrana

Hudba: Psí vojáci
Text: Jáchym Topol
Jáchym Topol – čtení [1a]
Filip Topol – zpěv, Casiotone MT-68
David Skála – bicí nástroje
Jiří Jelínek – saxofon
Luděk Horký – basová kytara, kytara

a host
Monika Načeva – zpěv [2]

Review :
Sestra (Sister) is Psi Vojaci's first album for the post-Velvet revolution Czech label Indies. For this occasion, Filip Topol's group reunited with his brother, writer Jachym Topol, to create their strangest CD of the 1990s. Many unusual elements single it out, but the most obvious remains the singer's use of a synthesizer (and a cheap one: a Casiotone MT-88) instead of the piano. He manages to do incredible things with the machine, from post-new wave melodic lines to vaguely avant-gardist ambient sounds. Nevertheless, anyone familiar with his later albums (either with Psi Vojaci or solo) will have to reset their expectations. The music establishes a bridge with the group's material of the early '80s, blending poetry recitation over experimental backgrounds ("Vlcí Sen, Do Mestra, Jiny Príbeh," "Je Tam"), warped rock-in-opposition songs ("Ráno, Porád"), and more straightforward rock numbers ("Ohnivá Voda" recalls J.J. Neduha's music of the same period). The absence of Topol's hammered piano chords opens up the sound spectrum for the other musicians, resulting in more room for saxophonist Jirí Jelínek and guitarist Ludek Horky. Unlike some of Psi Vojaci's other albums from that period, Sestra truly sounds like a group effort, thanks to the rock drive running through it. Listeners looking for Filip Topol the singer/songwriter could feel disoriented here. Fans of Plastic People of the Universe, Extempore, or even Uz Jsme Doma might consider Sestra to be the group's best effort of the decade.
~François Couture, All Music Guide

Bio :
The Czech rock group Psí Vojáci is one of the major acts that started in the underground during the Communist regime and became successful after its fall in 1989. The group is dominated by songwriter, singer and pianist Filip Topol, a charismatic character who shares similarities with English singer Peter Hammill, both in his writing of literate yet powerful art songs and in his stage delivery. Drummer David Skála and bassist Jan Hazuka formed the core of the group from its beginnings up to the early ‘90s, when the latter left and was replaced by Ludek Horky. Guitarists and saxophonists came and went.

The name Psí Vojáci means “Dog Soldiers." Two explanations, both of a literary nature, circulate about its origins. Some say it comes from the title of Robert Stone's 1974 novel. Others attribute it to the name of a Cheyenne tribe in Thomas Berger's book Little Big Men. In any case, there is a connection to Native American history, a favorite source of inspiration for the singer. Topol, born 1965, made his first professional appearance at a concert by The Plastic People of the Universe in 1978. Soon after he formed Psí Vojáci with schoolmates Skála and Hazuka. Big brother Jáchym Topol, who would become an important Czech poet, fuelled the group with lyrics. They gave their first performance at the ninth Prague Jazz Days the following year. At first, the group's sound had something of a punk attitude, even though the repertoire consisted of complex pieces steeped in the romantic music of latter-half 18th century. Its name and its harsh lyrics against the State (sung with conviction by a 14-year old) soon earned the group an interdiction to perform — it gave its last authorized concert on June 23, 1980.

For the next few years Psí Vojáci laid low, recording three albums (Psí a Vojáci, Baroko v Cechách, Studio 1983-85, all reissued in 2000) that circulated as illegal cassettes. In 1986, the group was allowed to break out of the private underground parties circuit and perform publicly under the name Psí Vojáci Osobne, building a strong cult following in Prague. By then though, Jáchym had joined the group Narodní Trída, so Filip began to write his own lyrics. Following the Velvet Revolution of 1989 the group began to release albums at a quick pace, starting with the EP P.V.O. (Panton, 1989) and the full-length Nalej Cistého Vína (Globus, 1991). In 1993, Filip Topol starred in Zdenek Tyce's film Ziletky. A year later he reunited with his brother to write Sestra and in 1995 released his first solo album, Sakramilácku. In 1996 the group re-recorded its classic songs for Národ Psích Vojáku. After the release of the disheartened Horící Holubi that year, the singer had to take a break, his health problems overtaking him. Years of alcohol abuse led him to the operation table, putting the band on hiatus. Back to a trio version, Topol, Skála, and Horky came back in 1999 with the album Mysi v Poli a Jiné Príbehy and have since found some international acclaim, performing in Belgium, France, and the US.
~François Couture, All Music Guide.

23-07-06 - 30-07-06

Saturday, July 29, 2006

The Poppy Family - A Good Thing Lost

The Poppy Family - A Good Thing Lost

Tracks :

01 Beyond the Clouds 02:37
02 Free from the City 02:18
03 What Can the Matter Be ? 02:16
04 Which Way You Goin' Billy ? 03:23
05 Happy Island 02:53
06 There's No Blood in Bone 03:01
07 A Good Thing Lost 02:03
08 You Took My Moonlight Away 02:43
09 Shadows on My Wall 02:30
10 That's Where I Went Wrong 02:32
11 Where Evil Grows 02:51
12 I Was Wondering 03:02
13 Tryin' 03:02
14 Winter Milk 03:24
15 Good Friends 02:39
16 I'll See You There 03:20
17 You Don't Know What Love Is 02:49
18 I Thought of You Again 02:27
19 Another Year, Another Day 02:35
20 Evil Overshadows Joe 02:29
21 That's Where I Went Wrong [US Version] 02:33

Susan Pesklevits and Terry Jacks met in the band Powerline. They later married and formed the Poppy Family in 1968. With guitarist Craig McCaw and percussionist Satwan Singh, the duo's third single, "Which Way You Goin' Billy," became a hit in the U.S. and their native Canada, selling over two million copies. The group recorded three albums in the early '70s: That's Where I Went Wrong and Which Way You Goin' Billy in 1970 and Poppy Seeds in 1971. Terry and Susan were divorced by 1973, however, and both began solo careers. Susan released Dream (1976), Ghosts (1980) and Forever (1982), but Terry became more successful when his "Seasons in the Sun" single went platinum in Canada (more than 150,000 units). His albums include Seasons in the Sun (1974), Y'Don't Fight the Sea (1976), Pulse (1983) and Into the Past (1989).
~John Bush, All Music Guide

get it here
part II

Eilrahc Elddewt (Charlie Tweddle) - 1974 - Fantastic Greatest Hits

Eilrahc Elddewt (Charlie Tweddle) - 1974 - Fantastic Greatest Hits

Tracklist :

1. Untitled
2. Untitled
3. Untitled
4. Untitled
5. Untitled
6. Untitled
7. Untitled
8. Untitled

Extra Tracks :
9. Untitled
10. Four Empty Bottles
11. Untitled
12. What's Happening ?
13. Jesus and the Devil
14. Untitled


Eccentric folk artist Charlie Tweddle's self-released 1974 LP Fantastic Greatest Hits,
a unique blend of psychedelic country and tape experiments.

Charlie felt sure his new style of music would take the world by storm – it didn't work out that way.
Recorded in 1971, 500 copies of Fantastic Greatest Hits were pressed in 1974 under the name Eilrahc Elddewt with extravagant packaging.
The LP was hand-distributed and received only minimal positive feedback; sales were poor.

Why? Well for one, side two of the album is 25 minutes of chirping crickets and sound fragments.
The abrupt patches of dead air on side one probably didn't help much either.
More than a few of these albums were returned as "defective".
Of course, all of these production moves were intentional.

The CD was transferred from a copy of the original album.
It includes six unreleased tracks from the same period as well as all of the original artwork in a fold-out digipak.
We hope you find it as nice and as interesting as we do.

Last Thing On My Mind - Holyground The Works Volume One

Last Thing On My Mind - Holyground The Works Volume One

side one
* Last Thing On My Mind (Levon-Coombs)
* Hangman (traditional) *
* Greenland Whale (traditional)
* Factory Sparrow (Hart)
* Geordie (traditional)
* It Ain't Me Babe (Dylan)
* Mountain Dew (traditional)
* Daddy You Been On My Mind (Dylan)
* Part Two Blues (Piff Parfitt)
* One Too Many Mornings (Dylan)

side two
* Bells of Rhymney (Seeger-Davies)
* Sean South of Garryowen (traditional)
* Just A Little Rain (Reynolds)
* La La Girl (Hart)
* Stagnation (Piff Parfitt)
* In the Early Morning Rain (Lightfoot)
* Blue (Seeger) *
* Cushie Butterfield (traditional) *
* The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face *
* When the Ship Comes In (Dylan)
* Baby Don't Drag Me Down (Hart)

NOTES
tracks marked * are not on the Works re-release due to technical reasons.
Sold mainly in Bretton Hall College, Yorkshire, England. Copies pressed 99

Re-release : Volume 1 of Holyground the Works series.
* Additional tracks on the Works issue are:

from the EP Cross-section
* Wild Mountain Thyme (traditional)
* With God On My Side (Dylan)
* Lowlands (traditional)

others:
* London (Coombs-Blake)
* The Gold Of The Long Girls
(Levon-Coombs)


Compilation of period '60's UK folk from the Bretton Hall collective.
Recorded in 1966, and in perfect quality, this contains plenty of traditional tunes done in a variety of styles and includes : Dave Nuttall, Chris Coombs, Terry McCann, Kev Slater, Bob Hart and many more.

LAST THING ON MY MIND has never been released since the original 99 vinyl copies made by Mike Levon when he recorded it in 1966. It is an album of folk and early folk rock - the roots from which Holyground grew. There are standout performances from Chris Coombs and others.
It's an album of great beauty: if you close your eyes you can see the candles, and feel the dark . . .
There are also several out-takes and contemporary recordings never previously released at all!

Holyground used to be a record label that released a bunch of albums that are very hard to find. Well, that's the info I could derive from the not so very clear website.
The first releases are two compilation albums called The Works Vol. 1 - Last Thing On My Mind and The Works Vol. 5 - Gagalactica.

As far as I could find out, the Holyground label, or at least the idea behind it, was led by Mike Levon. He recorded musicians, most of which weren't professional musicians. The music is folk, with a touch of folk rock. That's what the booklet says. It's a lot of Bob Dylan (five Bob Dylan songs on Vol. 1) and a load of traditional folk songs. However, what I think of when I hear the term "folk" is Planxty. This is mostly acoustic guitar and vocals, style and atmosphere of scout campfires.

Vol. 5 contains more musicians per recorded song. A full band on most of them, actually.
The songs are definitely more interesting because of this, especially when you're listening to all the songs on the CD. The playing is more interesting (guitar and organ and flute), and the songs have some instrumental bits as well. The songs remain short stories of folk and a bit of blues structures. Overall, again it's boredom creeping up after a couple of minutes.

The musicians and singers are not bad, though. Especially the Dylan songs - no one sings worse than good ol' Bob. And I must say the recordings sound very good.
Amazing that recordings done on a mono track of a two-track recorder can sound so clear.
A job well done! Also the booklets; they contain many old photos, most lyrics and some info.

Friday, July 28, 2006

Zerfas - 1973 - Zerfas

Zerfas - 1973 - Zerfas

The structure of the album is impeccable. From the opening moment, it’s obvious you’re in for something truly special. “You Never Win” fades in with a backwards loop, over which a lovely melody appears. It goes on for a while, but could continue for hours more without becoming tiresome. It’s as great and true a musical moment as there has ever been. Rudely, the drums disrupt the calm to begin the body of the song, an updated 60s garage punker with powerful organ. As the song nears the end, the opening melody recurs, only this time it’s played forwards. It’s at this moment that you realize that this album is a true work of art, not just a bunch of great moments but a perfectly conceived synthesis of ideas. If only to prove the point, within a few seconds of the next song, “The Sweetest Part,” we are treated to the most beautiful fuzz guitar riff in history. As the album moves along, all of the eight songs have moments that, while unlikely to match the perfection of the backwards bit or the searing fuzz riff, should send shivers down the most jaded spine.

The songs are enlivened by psychedelic experiments that range from the slowed-down laughter of a tickled child to someone belching the words “mushroom soup.” Not just each song, but each verse is arranged with intricate care, and surprises like the stunning percussion that ends the quiet “I Need It Higher” keep the listener guessing. The two songs that begin side two show a bit of the spirit of 1973. The bouncy “Stoney Wellitz (and its almost trendy moog solo), and “Hope”, with its ocean sound effects and long, layered keyboard solo, are longer and more likely to appeal to, say, prog fans, than the pop-oriented songs on side one. That’s not to say the seem out of place or don’t work, because they do, in spades. And in no time at all, we’re back to massive walls of 60s-inspired psychedelia. The introduction to “Fool’s Parade” is interrupted by a stunning backwards vocal (don’t listen to people who claim it says something; it’s gibberish in both directions.) The body of the song ends after only two minutes, only to be followed by two further minutes of sped-up guitar, slowed-down guitar, space sounds and the aforementioned “mushroom soup” reference.

This is all set-up, though, for the album’s finest moment, the closing “The Piper.” A more ideal pop song is unlikely to exist. From the opening piano trills to gorgeous verses to gorgeous bridge to gorgeous chorus to stunning keyboard solo to the most perfect of the album’s many perfect guitar solos, in just four minutes they’ve done the impossible. They top what came before. The album ends on the final moment of genius; the piano trill returns and then is abruptly cut off, leaving the listener with his or her mouth hanging wide open. Not only has the song itself been framed by the piano, so has the album as a whole; the first and last song share the framing device, and the abrupt end is as compelling as the backwards fade-in.

No, this album isn’t completely perfect. I’m not entirely convinced that the speak-singing on “You Never Win” really works, and perhaps the plethora of clever arrangement ideas push both “Stoney Wellitz” and “You Don’t Understand” a verse too long. Oh, and this will never be my own personal favorite album because the lyrics don’t hit home with me in the way something has to in order to be a #1 desert island pick. But musically, there’s no album on this universe I enjoy more than ZERFAS, and no album from which I can discover more new joys after hundreds of listens. The first reissue of this album contains several pages of notes about the band, and presumably gives some idea why they never released any more music. I’ve never found this issue of the record; I’m not sure I even want to know the answer to the many questions I have about these guys. And, oddly, the fact that it was never followed is almost a plus, a way of making sure that this album’s greatness will never be tarnished by the company it keeps. Obviously my view on this album is full of bias; only a few people will love it quite as much as I do. But most will love it almost as much.

GET IT

Thursday, July 27, 2006

Gagalactyca - Gagalactyca

Gagalactyca - Gagalactyca
[Holyground, the Works, vol. 5]

Gagalactyca

ALBUM:
1 GAGALACTYCA (Holyground HG 1135/Magic Mixture MM 3) 1990 SC

NB: (1) reissued on CD (Kissing Spell LSG 007) with bonus tracks from Thundermother.

Only 425 copies of this album were pressed and it came with a free booklet.
Despite its late release date it's actually comprised of previously unreleased early seventies material by the two bands, Lightyears Away and Thundermother, who were responsible for the Astral Navigations album.

GAGALACTYCA has only been released on vinyl. It is a sister album to Astral Navigations.
There are two "sets" of music : Chris Coombs and others (Lightyears Away), and Thundermother. Chris and Mike Levon wrote songs for the Light Years Away "side" of the album. Standout tracks are the short though beautiful "That Is What We Need", and "Cold Tired and Hungry" a storming track featuring Bill Nelson on guitar.


This is mainly the follow-up album to the highly collectable "Astral Navigations" album from 1973. Rare early '70's privately pressed spacey folky prog mostly recorded with a similar line-up to the Astral Navigations album. The music continues the same vein of spacey progressive folk music, and now comes with half a dozen bonus tracks from Thundermother - some of which are also quite trippy. Cosmic and rare as hell.

get it here

Tim Hollier - 1968 - Message To A Harlequin

Tim Hollier - 1968 - Message To A Harlequin

side one:
Message To A Harlequin
Bird Of Paradise
Hanne
Jimmy
Do You Remember When
Streets Of Gold

side two:
And Where Were You That Morning Mr. Carroll
Full Fathoms Five
And I
In The Light Of Sadness
In Silence


GET IT

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Chico Magnetic Band (France) - 1969 - Chico Magnetic Band

Chico Magnetic Band (France) - 1969 - Chico Magnetic Band

Tracks :
01 - Explosion
02 - Pop Full Hair
03 - Lot Of Things
04_-_We_All_Come_and_Go.mp3
05 - To Where I Belong
06 - My Sorrow
07 - Cross Town Traffic
08 - Pop Orbite

EVEN THOUGH THIS ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT and overwhelming album is but a half an hour in length, it is so chock full o’ balls and amazing riffs that consistently making all the right moves at the right times it’s downright scary and seems twice the length due to its raging density of vision. Given that (and that fact it seems almost entirely culled from moments from only the top tier fab waxings in my collection) it also seems far longer than THAT because everything on it counts SO BAD it lights a fire in my head, creates a fevered dickswell and comes close to bursting my heart every time I spin it.

Why? Put it simply, this freakin’ album has EVERYTHING. And by that I mean it draws from elements of approaches set down by “Phallus Dei”-era Amon Düül Zwei, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Silberbart, Straight-era Alice Cooper, Can, Guru Guru, Groundhogs, Speed Glue & Shinki, Led Zeppelin, Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band, Tiger B. Smith and “Free Your Mind”-period Funkadelic (so help me Eddie) and are seamlessly wedged into one album.

Chico IS...The Man. And he is immersed in an ocean of non-verbal language ranging from expressions of spittle-speak to larynx yank projected over a cranked up to fuck-off level trio projecting unbridled heaviosity heaved onto an LP with all the intimacy of a band that lives, breathes, farts, cries, bleeds, sweats, shits, pisses, vomits, cums, eats, buys pot and gets high together. And as if by some process of psychotropic osmosis all are locked into the same psychic force field that alternatively is searching in the wilderness, crying to the sky, crawling just beyond Damascus with their flies and minds undone and their heads on fire with all their passion directed into a funneled pummel that is undying energy the same way life itself is. And its raging power and whirlwind qualities are caught as they claw at the double iron gates of reality to get buzzed into the realm of the beyond with their stinky package of love special delivery, looking for the big old rock’n’roll godhead to sign for it and they wind up shoving it under his nose and promptly fucking off to parts unknown forever after the bittiest output of one album and 3 singles for three separate labels (whose chronology is probably determined by the lessening obscurity of the companies with “Girls Of Ocean”/“Phantasm” on Tuba; Disques Vogue’s issue of two album tracks as “My Sorrow”/“We All Come And Go” and one single on CBS, “Pop Or Not”/”Inverse Pop”.)

Formed in Lyon in 1969 as Chico & The Slow Death because they meant it (man), the following year they renamed themselves Chico Magnetic Band, comprised of: Chico on death throttle vocals, Patrick Garel on pounding dunderhead drums, Alain Mazet on Richter scale raising bass and Bernard Monneri on howlingly fierce shred guitar with attached fuzz/wah hardwired directly into his frontal lobes. And what this crew laid down was a freewheeling and loose mess that created its own language, cycling as it does through a back catalogue of the collective id, the rejected odd and the accepted stinky -- as though every emotion every uttered for generations and every symbolic thrust of the battering ram against the gates of nothingness have touched down all on one album with an overdose of ESP.

Released on the tiny Disques Vogue subsidiary label Box Office, “Chico Magnetic Band” was recorded at two different Parisian studios: Europa Sonor (where Magma recorded their first album and Aphrodite’s Child laid down their classic “666” double album) and Wagram Studios. And judging the results of those last two named records, Europa Sonor had some uniquely sounding rooms on their premises, which carried over with the widest sonic spectrum onto “Chico Magnetic Band”. Producer Jean-Pierre Rawson boisterously captured the group’s thunder live in the studio as clear as an unmuddied lake while also resounding with an unstoppable fury. These sounds are everything I search for in rock’n’roll -- it’s tripped out. It’s psychedelic. It’s heavy. It’s very heavy. It roots me to the ground AND it’s got experimental electronic freak outs as well as moments of chilling acoustic introspection that can only portend heavy shit raining down and they never made an umbrella THIS strong to withstand such a torrent. It’s heavy to the soul as well as to the ears, and its not only as bold as love but it’s bolder than fuck and although it only lasts for a half an hour look out because there’s a fire in the hole cause Chico and The Magnetic hommes are not only coming through, but coming through in the biggest way possible.

“Explosion” begins the album not with a whimper nor even a bang but Chico’s entire reason for existence, laid out in one glorious collision after another with Chico yammering, barking, guffawing and channeling consonants in a way irrespective of enunciation and rarely with a literal clue as to what he is freaking out so badly over as his ever-heaving, pulsating soul forces out a welter of incomprehensible sounds in such a riveting and demonstrative manner, they almost make even Damo Suzuki’s English/Japanese/neither dreamtime-to-Samurai-rage vocals seem like the Queen’s English by comparison. Sometimes Chico isn’t singing so much as speaks, whispers or just freaking out at the open air around him as the Magnetic Band furry-freak to it all with total free-rock heaviness. The middle section is somewhat related to Deep Purple’s “Mandrake Root” instrumental break, but minus the Hammond, plus a full-on percussion section and a million times crazier as Chico goes gaga -- at one point whispering then choking out wave after wave of larynx attack in a spittle-spraying frenzy. The percussion line of franticness hangs so long and hollowly behind Chico’s half-spoken, half-muttered, half-laughed and near incomprehensible pronouncements that only point to certain meanings that are instinctively grasped, but cannot be explained, only felt. He’s dropping consonants and vowels left, right and centre and I can only make out “My sweat tastes like a river!” until it’s directed into a 4-lane highway of vocal gibber along the lines of: “Nuuuaaarrgugug!”, “Nene waundah orf zarebbb!” and even “Anmyne cloth iss fallin dawn!!” And the guitar playing is exemplary -- the fuzz wah-wah is used only to shattering degrees for maximum effect --and often. Then Chico’s hairy freak-speak re-enters, translating everything into a random free-form gear stripping speech that abides to no known patterns of human language as behind him the band pump out and wrestle up storm up with each perfectly timed drum fill, each burnt fuzz-o-delic guitar lick accented to perfection and those low grunting Tiger B. Smith vocals getting it all on at once is just crazy... especially for this long. Somehow, the piece finally ends with a deluxe CLANG!-HONK!-TWEET! And you don’t really know if it all really happened out loud or what.

Is it heavy?
Yes.
Are they French?
WEEE.

The entire album could just be this first track, and it would STILL be a killer.
Ooh-la-fucking-la.

The instrumental “Pop Pull Hair” sees the entry of electronic technical effects let loose by the French experimentalist Jean-Pierre Massiera, and it is far spacier and heavier than the collages he assembled on his previous Les Maledictus Sound LP. The entire track runs backwards with UFO landings, creeping, sucking sounds and an aural casting of long shadows getting longer that threaten to absorb the mental landscape with successive, ominous strides. The quiet entry of “Lot Of Things” and a descending bass begins watchfully like “Sleeping Village” and/or “Brain Brain” by Silberbart with overall “Careful With That Axe” eugenics, as cymbals tap in the darkness. This quickly rises into a shattering display of lurching, blazing guitar accompanied with deeper toned Hendrixian quiver-speak as Chico’s words only SOUND as if they’re run backwards as they dribble out from his mouth like blood. Another tempest hammers out by the band at top volume, and then falls away to another simmering comedown. But when THAT guitar solo ensues so unbelievably heavy, before you fully recover from it it’s onto riffing off the “Beck’s Bolero” section of ‘How Many More Times” with the band in tow and Chico probably flailing on the studio floor and speaking of which: HOW many more times can this record continue to outdo itself?!! Chico then starts freaking in the echoed darkness with pronouncements like Don Van Vliet and Damo Suzuki in a self-strangulation contest ala Vliet’s palsied “Neon Meate Dream of An Octafish” tongue flapping drool-o-thon, “Tra la, tra la, tra la, tra la…tra LA” choking and sputtering well into the fadeout. With strident, thundering drums “We All Come And Go” cracks open and all is blistering Rock once more and nothing else. The middle section sees Chico’s hastily rushed out vocals crazily falling out into a pile of letters that only assemble in time against a distinctly Biergarten schlager for swingin’ steins-accented melody when he (nearly) sings the title “We all come and go...” Swiftly, the band is already locked in together and promptly off across the instrumental section highlighted by a stunningly blistering guitar solo as Patrick Garel’s double time drumming swings between the legs while simultaneously nails down every virgin space in sight and the whole band is giving each other so much damn space to blast off that they never miss a beat with all those quick, vertiginous stops and starts...

Side two is just as excellent. “To Where I Belong” opens with a brief electronic swizzle into hyperspace that parts to reveal Chico plus his ever-Magnetic Band playing bongos with cross-stitched acoustic guitars like 1970-period Can jamming in the back garden of Schloss Norvenich. Returning electronic tones whoosh by and vacuum the whole mess up and replace it with cyclical riffs peeled offa Amon Düül Zwei’s creeping, nightmarish “Dem Guten, Schönen, Wahren” as acoustic and electric guitars pull together to construct an epic mystery dance. Then it’s a brutal shift into the furious paces of the electric intro/break-out of Zep’s “Bring It On Home”, continuing to hammer it all home all and drape it with downer wah-wah action to make it all the more explosive...to return directly back to the Düül death dance scene, which then rears its screeching head back to the previous fury. Somehow, it’s left a stoned trail of mental breadcrumbs and finds itself back to the earlier acoustic passage and a final fade. Things slow down with the ooze away funk of “My Sorrow” all furrowed by Chico’s backward-masked-but-not-really drawl vocal that drags through the primeval soup of creation over clattering percussion accented by searing wah-wah and adorned with a fantastically screeching run-on sentence of a wah-wah’ed guitar solo. It’s so in the pocket, it’s hung like Iommi’s engorged stash pouch on the gatefold of “Paranoid”. Damn -- this has got to be the closest thing to 1970 period Funkadelic outside of “Chains And Black Exhaust” and, er “Free Your Mind And Your Ass Will Follow” itself, come to think of it.
“Cross Town Traffic” is a RIDICULOUS cover and not because it’s inept. It only roughly approximates the Jimi Hendrix Experience track in its shorthanded tongues and soulful misappropriatin’ and the way first verse is sang with the music resigned way to the background all dub-like and no guitar doing the “doo doo doo l’doo” ‘backing vocal’ call and response... Dammit -- it is SO fucking loose I betcha Jimi hisself woulda dug how Chico slit it up such a furious treat (maybe even more than Dylan did when Jimi ran rampant all over “All Along The Watch Tower” and/or “Drifter’s Escape”) especially as Chico amends the line “And with you/I can see a traffic jam straight up ahead” speedily into “And I guess there’s no chance/sit on my head!” thus shattering another blues metaphor in the process. This is ridiculous, all right: Chico’s version of “Cross Town Traffic” is an example of getting “it” effortlessly by just going for it whichever way you can and making it all fall together seemingly by sheer force of will and soul alone. “Pop Orbite” finishes the album as Chico and His Mag(net)ic Band get a full-on interstellar send off via the “effets techniques” of Jean-Pierre Massiera as burbles, squeaks and Martian effects surround the band together on its final trudge into the abyss with accompanying Hammond organ and French screaming... All the album lacks is one big explosion FX to end it all.

Do I need ANTHING else from a record? Fuck, man: “Chico Magnetic Band” stands tall as the spiritual column of that burnt pantheon of heavy truth seeking alongside the Vertigo pressing of “Black Sabbath”, Alice Cooper’s “Pretties For You”, Guru Guru’s “Hinten”, Silberbart’s “4 Times Sound Razing” and Speed Glue & Shinki’s self-titled double LP.

(BEWARE: Although ‘Chico Magnetic Band’ appears printed on Lizard Records’ CD reissue, some have been discovered to be accidentally pressed with an entirely different album altogether. Needless to say, it’ll help to look for it in a shop where you can preview before purchasing and remember that the real deal album contains 8 tracks and does NOT begin with an skimpy acoustic folk ballad by Methvseleh! There is also a vinyl re-issue available, which probably circumvents this problem entirely.)

Rale - 2000 - Soumrak (Twilight)

Rale - 2000 - Soumrak (Twilight)

01. Twilight
02. Záblesk 1
03. Amenoyuki
04. Záblesk 2
05. V Plameni
06. Záblesk 3
07. Biale Mrozy
08. Záblesk 4
09. Moondance
10. Záblesk 5
11. Bludiste
12. Záblesk 6
13. Nedojdes
14. Záblesk 7

Josef Ostransky Accordion, Darbouka, Group Member, Bass, Guitar (Acoustic), Percussion, Vocals, Guitar (Electric)
Cynthia PhungNgoc Dancer, Viola, Vocals
Vladimír Václavek Bass, Liner Notes, Vocals, Percussion, Guitar (Acoustic), Djembe, Group Member
Petr Vavrik Mastering
Klement Jochymek Engineer, Mixing
Ivo Viktorín Engineer, Mixing
Andrea Konstankiewicz Cello, Vocals, Group Member
Takumi Fukushima Viola, Vocals, Violin
Milos Dvoracek Drums, Percussion

This truly is the most beautiful album the Czech label Indies has released, in every way.
First, the music: The result of a group effort, the songs are filled with haunting melodies, refined string arrangements (violin, viola, cello) counterbalanced by a visceral approach to rhythm (only hand percussion and shouts), and intricate vocal interplay among the five members, all singers.
This is somewhere between Czech folk-pop and progressive rock, although these terms lose all meaning on such fertile soil. Lyrics span many languages, each sung by a different musician:
Czech (Vladimír Václavek and Josef Ostransky), French (Takumi Fukushima), English (most of them), Polish (Andrea Konstankiewicz), Vietnamese (Cynthia Phung-Ngoc), Japanese (Fukushima), and Spanish (guest Frank Micheletti, as if the others weren't enough).
They shift from one to another naturally, often combining three languages at the same time, three voices humming lines from different directions.

The album was recorded in June 2000, only three weeks after the death of friend and collaborator Laurent Letourneur (he was 29). "Twilight" begins with a recording of him singing the main text of the piece. The rest of the ten-minute suite builds on this quiet opening, reaching a very emotional climax, exorcising the emotions to let the other pieces open on something more positive. The production is excellent and the lavish booklet makes clever use of the group's multilingual talents. For anyone interested in Iva Bittová (with whom Václavek recorded Bilé Inferno), Tara Fuki, or even the feminine grace of After Dinner ("Amenoyuki" could fit on Haco's first solo album), this CD is essential listening.
Highly recommended.
~François Couture, All Music Guide

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Focal Point - First Bite of the Apple

Focal Point - First Bite of the Apple
The Complete Recordings 1967-68,
(Kissing Spell) KSCD 953, 20

Tracks :
1 Miss Sinclair
2 Sycamore Sid
3 Hassle Castle
4 Never Never
5 Lonely Woman
6 Far Away From Forever
7 Love You Forever
8 Tales From the GPO Files
9 McKinley Morgan The Deep Sea Diver
10 Falling Out of Friends
11 Girl on the Corner
12 Goodbye Forever
13 This Time She's Leaving
14 'Cept Me
15 Miss Sinclair (demo)
16 Miss Sinclair (Alternate version)
17 Hassle Castle (Demo)
18 Never Never (Alternate version)
19 Reflections (Demo)
20 Reflections

This band is great, they're also included in several compilations, they're in a pop/psych way like Grapefruit or The Iveys and sometimes more poppy than psych. If you want a complete info and history check this out.

I have worked a lot to find this album, so grab it and do not make me cry :O
See you soon!

Get Part_1
Get Part_2
CT 1,3&4

Liz Damon's Orient Express - 1971 - Liz Damon's Orient Express

Liz Damon's Orient Express - 1971 - Liz Damon's Orient Express

Tracks :
01. 1900 Yesterday
02. Something
03. But for Love
04. You Make Me Feel Like Someone
05. Bring Me Sunshine
06. You're Falling in Love
07. Everything Is Beautiful
08. That Same Old Feeling
09. (They Long to Be) Close to You
10. Let It Be
11. Heaven in My Heart
12. Quando, Quando Quando
13. Canadian Sunset
14. Wave
15. Danny Boy


Liz Damon's Orient Express

Liz Damon's Orient Express was a 1970s band from Hawaii, featuring lead singer Liz Damon, two female backup singers and a rotating backup band. The name apparently derived from the original backup band being entirely Asian. Their only song to make the Billboard Top 40 was "1900 Yesterday" which made it to #33 on the US and #16 on the Canadian charts in early 1971.
The band was the house band at the Hilton Hawaiian Village's Garden Bar for 18 months and recorded its first album, At the Garden Bar, Hilton Hawaiian Village in 1970. Originally released on Makaha Records, it was then picked up by White Whale Records, who released it as a eponymous album and also released "1900 Yesterday" as a single.
Damon's backup singers on this album were her sister Edda Damon and Sydette Sakauye. In the early 1970s, Sakauye left and was replaced by Meri Pherson. While the Damon sisters and Pherson appeared to be constants, their backup band appeared to undergo numerous personnel changes.

The group released three more albums during the 1970s consisting mostly of covers. In 1979, the group released a comedy album. During the late 1970s, the band moved to Las Vegas where they performed until their breakup in the mid 1980s.
Only Liz Damon's Orient Express is available in print today, and "1900 Yesterday" appears on some compilations of 1970s mellow music.

Discography

Albums
* Liz Damon's Orient Express (1970) (also At the Garden Bar, Hilton Hawaiian Village)
* Try a Little Tenderness (1970)
* Me Japanese Boy (I Love You) (1973)
* Heaven in My Heart (1978)
* WARNING: This Album Could be HAZARDOUS to Your Ego! (1979)

Singles
* 1900 Yesterday (1971) from Liz Damon's Orient Express

Galaxy - 1978 - Nature's Clear Well

Galaxy - 1978 - Nature's Clear Well

Tracks :
1. Nature's Clear Well (10:50)
2. Warning Walls (5:14)
3. I've Come from a World (4:19)
4. You've Really Got it Fixed (4:22)
5. Dreams Out in the Rain (6:22)
6. Wish I Were Happy (6:14)

Norbert Abels : Keyboards, Vocals
Hermann Beckert : Bass
Victor Bergmann : Percussion, Drums
Richard Kersten : Guitar (Acoustic), Vocals
Heinz Kuhne : Guitar, Vocals
Dieter Dierks : Producer, Photography

Galaxy is another mystery band that had received a number of positive reviews elsewhere,
so being the naturally inquisitive type, it was only natural that I would investigate this a little further.
If you have played a disc at least eight times and it doesn't jump up and grab you by the agates,
then there is little chance that paying further attention in repeated listens will alter your perceptions.
Sure, the title track has a great melodious hook to die for, and being over ten minutes long, the players have some time to stretch out,
but in all reality, they only just flex their muscles a tad on what should have been the piece de resistance of this whole album.

The players assembled are certainly adept at their respective instruments,
but the main problem I have detected is the general lack of anything too memorable in the song-writing department.
A brief highlight also appears on the third track called "Warning Walls",
which has a killer section that really works for me, but I'm still looking for more!
The eighth track, "Anais", reminded me very much of the sort of thing that Jan Akkerman was doing with Focus on their Mother Focus album way back in the 70s,
but suffers slightly as it has all been done before, and to a better degree.
Considering there is so much great progressive music that has been made available,
through obscure classics having been re-issued and the bands of today having picked up from where the originators left off,
music of Galaxy's caliber does tend to be ignored.

Listening to an album like this is very similar to driving in the great outback of Australia.
You have to drive a hell of a long way before you come across some decent scenery.
In a similar way, there is a lot of filler and mediocre music to wade through before you stumble across the highlights,
which while they are admittedly worthwhile when they appear, are far too infrequent and annoyingly short.

- Greg Cummins [November 2001]

Circus Maximus - Circus Maximus + Neverland Revisited

Circus Maximus

Circus Maximus and Neverland Revisited

Circus Maximus (With Jerry Jeff Walker) - Circus Maximus.
It's that 1967 Summer of Love vibe, with this Texas band that included Jerry Jeff Walker. Solid harmonies, nice guitar (with some cool raga touches) combine with a goodtime feeling and complete this fine slice of US '60s psychy folk/rock.

Circus Maximus - Neverland Revisited.
From 1968, the second album from this Jerry Jeff Walker led Texas quintet. A bit more psychedelic this time round with a strange mixture of swirling Keyboard and fuzz psike-pop imbued with a summery West Coast vibe.

Part I
Part II

Sunday, July 23, 2006

5 videos from The Fuzztones

5 videos from The Fuzztones ....Enjoy

Although never having attained commercial success, The Fuzztones have certainly achieved legendary status as cult faves during their 26 year career. Their fiery brand of Garage-Psych Punk pre-dated the entire "Garage Revival" of the 1980's and has influenced hundreds of groups, some quite famous. Born in the summer of 1980 in the bowels of NYC's Lower East side, The Fuzztones were soon regulars at legendary NYC hotspots such as CBGB, and the Mudd Club. By utilizing the fuzzbox (an antiquated effects pedal used by many 60's groups to achieve overly distorted "psychedelic" guitar sounds), the band created a raunchy sound they referred to as "Grunge"...(On their 1984 debut single, "Bad News Travels Fast", lead guitarist Elan Portnoy is credited as playing "lead grunge", at least a decade before the Seattle Grunge Invasion)! Complete with paisley and leather attire, genuine human bone necklaces, The Fuzztones influenced the fashions of bands as diverse as the Hoodoo Gurus (who also modified the Fuzztones infamous skull and crossed Vox Phantom guitars logo for use on one of their album covers) to Marc Almond (who aped The Fuzztones by wearing black turtlenecks with bone necklaces) to the X-rated Dwarves logo, which was stolen from the Fuzztones "Lysergic Ejaculations" cover. The band's classic video for "Ward 81" even inspired the legendary Ramones, whose "Psychotherapy" video copies several scenes directly from the Fuzztones' masterpiece, as did the glitter-rock docu-film "Velvet Goldmine"! The band's first European tour in 1985, a 3 month onslaught of England, Wales, Scotland, Germany and Italy, firmly established the band with a dedicated, and avid following that continues to this day! Their 1985 debut studio LP, "Lysergic Emanations" has achieved major cult status, and has been released by 3 different labels over the last 16 years, the combined sales of which has assured gold record status! The Fuzztones have toured Europe fervently since 1985, and have headlined major venues in Italy, Spain, Greece, France, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, Wales, Scotland, Austria, Germany, Czech Republic, Denmark and Finland, as well as Canada, Israel, and Mexico. During their illustrious 26 year career they have appeared on 62 vinyl and CD releases, including at least 13 albums, countless singles, and compilations, not to mention 5 videos, several television and radio appearances, and countless major press articles (NME, Sounds, Melody Maker, Rockerilla, Hit Parade, US,and more). They were the only band involved in the 80's "Garage Revival" to obtain a major label record deal (RCA). Since then they have released 3 singles, "Help Murder Police"(on Italy's Misty Lane label), "Idol Chatter" (Italy's Beard of Stars), and "Hallucination Generation" (Mexico's Dark Zone). In 2003, the band released it's first studio album in 13 years, entitled "SALT FOR ZOMBIES," on Protrudi's Sin label. A double disc CD/DVD "Best Of" set, entitled "LSD25," has just been released on Italy's Get Back label to commemorate the band's 25th year anniversary. Finally, their track "Bad News Travels Fast" is featured on Rhino's brand new "Children of Nuggets" box set. Finally, the double disc Fuzztones Tribute album, "Illegitimate Spawn," was released in March 2006. Now on their 10th incarnation, The Fuzztones will invade Europe again in October, with dates in England, Holland, Greece and Scandinavia.

The Fuzztones - Hurt On Hold

The Fuzztones - Nine Months Later


The Fuzztones - Girl You Captivate Me

The Fuzztones - The Witch [The Sonics]

The Fuzztones - Ward 81

Also you can watch Ward 81 here

Twink - The Lost Experimental Recordings

Twink - The Lost Experimental Recordings 1970

Tracks :
01. Within (:54)
02. Ice Cool (2:20)
03. Unexpected Party (2:19)
04. Witches Brew (2:58)
05. Psychedelic Electrician (Scene 1) (4:24)
06. You Reached For The Stars (2:22)
07. Moon Dog (1:46)
8. You Have Been Chosen (:53)
09. Drum Crazy (5:36)
10. Angel (3:38)
11. King Tin Tagel (1:10)
12. Peter The Pill (2:44)
13. Psychedelic Electrician (Scene 2) (9:54)
14. Psychedelic Electrician (Scene 3) (1:07)
15. Duel At Dawn (4:32)
16. Psychedelic Electrician (Scene 4) (6:09)

This astonishing release from the Pink Fairies, Pretty Things, and Deviants drummer Twink will be a welcome addition to any psychedelic collection. A legendary figure of the U.K. psychedelic scene, he recorded these rock experiments in London's Wizzard Studios in the late '60s to early '70s. Legend has it that Twink had all but forgotten about these sessions until engineer Julian Briggs presented him with tapes in 1999. A remix and remastering session in Los Angeles ensued, and, suspiciously modern as it sounds, one wonders if the session involved a few late-'90s stylistic updates as well. Regardless, the degree of invention and experimentation is astounding, and The Lost Experimental Recordings is an electronic / rock hybrid that predated similar tranced out excursions from German groups such as Can and Faust, and even proto- post-rockers This Heat. In these improvisational sessions, Twink assembled tape loops of noise and electronic collages, over which he would beat out circular trance-like rhythms. Excessive tape manipulation and studio effects are to the fore, and his J.R. Tolkien infatuation provided a conceptual bed for some of the more psychedelic indulgences. An absolute career highlight -- it is ironic that this material was ignored for so long.
~Skip Jansen, All Music Guide

Τhe Shangri-Las - Myrmidons Of Melodrama

Τhe Shangri-Las - Myrmidons Of Melodrama

Τhe Shangri-Las were among the greatest girl groups; if judged solely on the basis of attitude, they were the greatest of them all. They combined an innocent adolescent charm with more than a hint of darkness, singing about dead bikers, teenage runaways, and doomed love affairs as well as ebullient high-school crushes. Originally the Shangri-Las were comprised of two pairs of sisters from Queens, NY (identical twins Marge and Mary Anne Ganser and siblings Mary and Betty Weiss). They had already recorded a couple of obscure singles when they were hired by George "Shadow" Morton to demo a song he had recently written, "Remember (Walkin' in the Sand)." The haunting ballad, with its doomy "Moonlight Sonata"-like piano riffs, wailing lead vocal, and thunderous background harmonies, seguing into an a cappella chorus backed by nothing except handclaps and seagull cries, made the Top Five in late 1964. It also began their association with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller's Red Bird label, which would handle the group for the bulk of their career.Unlike some girl groups, the Shangri-Las were dynamic on-stage performers, choreographing their dance steps to their lyrics and wearing skin-tight leather pants and boots that were quite daring for the time.



Their real lives, however, were not without elements of drama themselves. Their constant personnel changes baffle historians; sometimes they are pictured as a trio, and sometimes one of the members in the photos is clearly not one of the Weiss or Ganser sisters. Worse, the Red Bird label ran into serious organizational difficulties in the mid-'60s, and wound down its operations in 1966. The group moved to Mercury for a couple of dispirited singles, but had split by the end of the 1960s. Even today, the Shangri-Las' history remains somewhat murky and mysterious; the original members have rarely reunited for oldies shows or talked to the press. The situation was exacerbated by frustratingly substandard reissues of their Red Bird work, which made it impossible to collect all of their fine sides without buying numerous packages, many of which boasted shockingly shoddy sound quality. Happily, the situation was rectified in the mid-'90s with excellent, comprehensive compilations of the Red Bird material in both the U.K. and U.S.



This 33-track production finally sets the record straight, including all of the significant A-sides, B-sides, and album tracks they recorded for Red Bird between 1964 and 1966, as well as an earlier single for a different label, and four radio commercials.

Tracks :
01. Remember (Walking In The Sand) 2:15
02. It's Easier To Cry 2:30
03. Leader Of The Pack 2:52
04. What Is Love 2:23
05. Give Him A Great Big Kiss 2:08
06. Maybe 2:33
07. Out In The Streets 2:49
08. The Boy 2:42
09. Give Us Your Blessings 3:16
10. Heaven Only Knows 2:09
11. Right Now And Not Later 2:37
12. The Train From Kanses City 3:20
13. Never Again 2:22
14. I'm Blue 3:30
15. What's A Girl Supposed To Do 3:05
16. The Dum Dum Ditty 2:24
17. You Cheated, You Lied 2:24
18. I Can Never Go Home Anymore 3:16
19. Bull Dog 2:38
20. Long Live Our Love 3:08
21. Sophisticated Boom Boom 2:10
22. He Cried 3:07
23. Dressed In Black 2:51
24. Past, Present And Future 2:41
25. Paradise 3:14
26. Love You More Than Yesterday 2:39
27. Wishing Well 2:05
28. Hate To Say I Told You So 1:36
29. Give Him A Great Big Kiss 2:14
30. How Pretty Can You Get 0:11
31. Revlon Endorsement 0:14
32. Good Taste Tip 0:52
33. Dating Courtesy Tip 0:56

Your Download-Link:
http://rapidshare.com/files/4807873/shangrilas.rar

V.A. - Trap Door Mix

V.A. Trap Door Mix
(An International 60's Psychedelic Mystery Mix)

This new compilation from Dis-Joint (record label from the folks over at San Fancisco's world famous Groove Merchant record store) has been receiving some heavy pre-release hype. The subtitle here is "an international psychedelic mystery mix" and they've collected a batch of super rare, funky psychedelic rock from the late 60s/early 70s from all over the world. Keeping with that "mystery" theme, there is no tracklisting, no real info and a whole heap of undercover yap yap going on (awesome cover too by the way). We heard they sent out test presses to some of the top funk/psych collectros out there, all with individually unique covers, and the response has been overwhelmingly thumbs up (check out the soulstrut boards for the proof). It's billed as a "mix" but these tracks can really be taken on their own- there is no real "mixing" to speak of here, no 15 second drum break wind-downs or any of that- which is just how we like it. You'll still want to search out the full tracks in some places, but you get more than enough of the real thing to hold you over.

This is a pastiche of 60s and 70s ultra rare funky psyche songs from all over the world (Korea (San Ul Lim), Italy, Israel, Spain,Canada (J.K & Co), etc.) that is fused together with bizarro samples.
Gathered together from over 44 contries, Internet DJ's and Bedroom Composers gathered to create a tribute to the Intergalactic Bump King's, Trap Door. 16 Dyn-o-mite Tracks pay homage to the album Conscious. Featuring tracks by such international stars of trance like Poe-Pete, King Skeleton, The Apple and On the Money to name a few.

Fans of Andy Votel need this in their life. A mind blowing mix of international Psychedelic mysteries compiled and mix by the great San Fran label Di Joint
With no tracklisting only the most obsessive collectors could probably name some of the tracks on this comp, but that does not mean you will get hooked from the first minute. Tight fresh drum breaks, great pych vocals and fuzzy electronics makes this a compelling listen.

Trap Door is available on both CD and LP formats, and yes, the vinyl is also mixed.

Please, do a comment if you already digg the whole track list of this comp.

Those who can guess the track list wins a pirate's treasure!

Highly recommended!!!


PS: My ultra favourite track of this amazing compilation is No.2 !!
Please, I have to know to whom belongs this gem !

grab and enjoy it !!

Erkin Koray

Erkin Koray - 1976 - Erkin Koray II

tracks
1.Şaşkın
2.Eyvah
3.Fesuphanallah
4.Sevince
5.Estarabim
6.Arap Saçı
7.Hayat Bir Teselli
8.Komşu Kızı
9.Gönül Salıncağı
10.Tımbıllı
bonus tracks
11.Ask Oyunu
12.Hop Hop Gelsin
13.Senden Ayri
14.Kiskanirim
15.Yalnizar Rihtimi

Third album of advanced Eastern and ethnic music fusion from Turkish psychedelic master ERKIN KORAY. Recorded between 1972-1976, the tracks on the album were originally released as singles. Includes five bonus tracks from 1967, 1968, and 1971, as well as an undocumented acoustic version of "Yalnizar Rihtimi" from the great "Turkuler" album.


Erkin Koray II 1976
bonus tracks
_________________________________________

Erkin Koray - 1977 - Tutkusu

tracks
01.Allah Aşkına
02.Mağarada düğün
03.Sandalcı
04.My Delight
05.Bir Olsılık
06.Cümbür Cemaat
07.Sanma
08.Suskunluğun Ötesi
09.Blind Man
10 - Geliyor
11.Yalnız Sen Varsın

Tutkusu is the fourth full length album by Turkish rock star Erkin Koray and was released the year after he did "2", his most ethnic record. With Tutkusu he went back to psych rock and he made it with another masterpiece. Eleven original tracks (two sung in English, the rest in Turkish) that will delight your ears.


Erkin Koray Tutkusu 1977
_________________________________________

Erkin Koray
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Erkin Koray has been in the Turkish rock music scene since the late 1950s and early 1960s. He is widely acclaimed as being the first person to ever play rock and roll in Turkey; in 1957, he and his band gained notoriety by playing covers of Elvis Presley and Fats Domino. He was also one of the first Turkish musicians to embrace the electric guitar and modern amplification.

By the late 1960s, he was already a major figure in Turkish psychedelic music (also known as Anatolian Rock), beginning with his first psychedelic single Anma Arkadaş in 1967. Koray followed this with a number of singles, both by himself and in collaboration with others, that established him as a force to be reckoned with on the Turkish rock scene. Koray became a controversial figure in Turkey during the 1960s and 1970s; he was actually assaulted in Istanbul, and on one occasion stabbed, for having long hair.

In the early 1970s, he formed the group Ter with the former members of Grup Bunalim (Turkish for "Group Depression"), a power trio styled group. Although they only recorded one single before breaking up, Hor Görme Garibi (a cover of the major Arabesque music hit by Orhan Gencebay) was a smash hit, furthering Koray's career. However, Istanbul Records, unhappy with Koray and Ter's musical direction, withdrew all support and refused to let the group record, thus ending the group's career. The music of Ter was influenced by glam rock and psychedelia, and featured extended guitar solos and progressive arrangements - something that the record company was not prepared to accept.

The Turkish public remained interested in Koray's solo work nonetheless, and in 1973 his first album, Erkin Koray, was released. It is interesting to note that up to this point, all of Koray's work had been issued only on 45 rpm records, although he had been recording for the past 10 years and was a very popular artist in Turkey. The album consists of a collection of singles from 1967 to 1973. Koray left Istanbul Records after the release of the album.

In 1974, Erkin Koray signed to Doglan Records and released what is probably his best-known and best-selling single, Şaşkın(Dabke). Set to a traditional Egyptian tune, the single proved Koray to be an ingenious musician and arranger.

1974 also saw the release of his groundbreaking album, Elektronik Türküler ("Electronic Ballads"). Finally given the freedom to record an album instead of being limited to 45 rpm singles, Koray and his band created an album that reflected both his Turkish roots and his love of psychedelic and progressive rock. The album's popularity continues to the present day, with several legitimate and non-legitimate releases on both album and CD. Elektronik Türküler is widely considered to be Koray's masterpiece by many critics, and many of his subsequent releases followed in this vein, with progressive and psychedelic influences balanced by Turkish folk forms.

Koray continues to record and perform in Turkey to this day, and in Turkish music circles is often referred to as Baba Koray ("Father Koray") for his pioneering influence on Turkish popular music.

Other major hits by Koray are Fesuphanallah, Istemem, Sevince, Öyle Bir Geçer Zaman ki , Estarabim, Arap Saçı, Yalnızlar Rıhtımı, Akrebin Gözleri and Çöpçüler.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, a flowering of interest in psychedelic music made outside of the UK and the US brought Koray to the attention of listeners in the West. Subsequently, both legitimate, semi-legitimate, and bootleg versions of Koray's albums can be found in the West.

It is interesting to note that Koray is also the inventor of the electric bağlama, a traditional Turkish musical instrument related to the lute, and its unique sound can be heard on many of his albums.