10-09-06 - 17-09-06
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Hello Guys,
We've decided that it would be a good idea if everyone
who browses this blog could post something too. This
will help our blog grow and will contribute in
developing a better variety and imroved quality(we
hope..hehe).
That's why we've created a common account for all of
you out there.
The NEW user name is
gatheringofthetribe
and the NEW password is
lostintyme
- Log-in Here :
(as a New Blogger)
You will make the post in a privete blog
and after you've post it we will re-post it, in the related blog.
It would be a nice idea if everyone who posts
something add and his/hers nickname in case to get the credits for the post.
If someone wants to join our team as a regular member,
feel free to contact us and we will take it under consideration.
I hope you'll embrace our idea and post great albums
here.
Welcome to our blog,
The contributors.
Although the best-known band of the early Australian punk scene of the late '70s was the Saints, the first band to wave the punk rock flag in the land down under was Radio Birdman. Formed by Australian émigré Deniz Tek (originally from Ann Arbor, MI) and Aussie surfer-turned-vocalist Rob Younger in 1974, Radio Birdman's approach to rock & roll was rooted in the high-energy, apocalyptic guitar rant of the Stooges and MC5, sprinkled liberally with a little East Coast underground hard rock courtesy of Blue Oyster Cult. Their first EP,Burn My Eye released in 1976, was a great record and still remains a seminal chunk of Aussie punk. Loud and snotty, with Younger bellowing his guts out and Tek on a search-and-destroy mission with his guitar, this was a great debut that set the stage for the impending deluge of Aussie punk bands waiting in the wings. After the release of their debut LP,Radios Appear (the title comes from a lyric in the Blue Oyster Cult song "Dominance and Submission"), in Australia a year later, Radio Birdman seemed poised to break Aussie punk worldwide. And although the American label Sire (then the home of the Ramones) was quick to sign them and distribute Radios Appear internationally in 1978, there was a gap of three years before they released a second album, Living Eyes. During that time, dozens of other Aussie punk bands stole their thunder, and Radio Birdman split up almost immediately after Living Eyes was released. Sire never released the record outside of Australia, and Radio Birdman, who should have been the biggest band in Aussie punk, was now a highly regarded punk forefather. After the band split in 1978, various members were busy forming other bands:TEK formed the New Race with Younger,ex-Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton and ex-MC5 drummer Dennis Thompson, released a handful of solo singles and EPs, and became a surgeon;Younger started his own band, the New Christs, and produced records by the second generation of Aussie punk bands influenced by Radio Birdman, most notablythe Celibate Rifles; other Radio Birdman alumni ended up in assorted Aussie bands such as the Lime Spiders, Hoodoo Gurus, and Screaming Tribesmen. Now the grand old man of Aussie punk, Tek formed a part-time project with Celibate Rifles guitarist Kent Steedman that rocks with the same reckless abandon Radio Birdman did when they were changing the course of Australian rock forever. 2001 saw a renewal of interest in Radio Birdman thanks to an excellent compilation, The Essential Radio Birdman 1974-1978 released by Sub Pop in the States. Murder city Nights : live arrived in 2003, followed by the all-new Zeno Beach in 2006.
Labels: innocent76, R 
Kubano Kickasso 2003
Track listing:
01 - LDZ (Guacho Guara) 4:40 - Dizzy Gillespie (arr. Rick Welsh / Nik Turner) - 2:00
02 - Dangle from the Angle 9:13 - Nick Danger / Nik Turner - 3:31
03 - So What 4:26 - Miles Davis
04 - Skatrane (Last Train to Skaville) 6:06 - Ethiopians
05 - Watermelon Man 6:00 - Mongo Santamaria / Herbie Hancock
06 - Grooveyard 4:19 - Rick Welsh
07 - Gibraltar 6:16 - Freddie Hubbard
08 - Sidewinder 7:05 - Lee Morgan
09 - Phat Man 6:06 - Rick Welsh
10 - J.B. 7:35 - Nick Danger / Nik Turner
11 - Cantaloupe Island 5:19 - Herbie Hancock
12 - Jive Samba 6:08 - Nat Adderly
Personnel:
Nik “Thunder Rider” Turner - sax, flute and vocals
Ricky “Baby Face” Welsh - trumpet, flugelhorn and vocals
Mike “Black Notes” Jones - Hammond organ, piano
Gary “Hot Shot” Smart - bass
Meurig “D.W.” Griffiths - drums
Ben “Bad Ass” Baddoo - percussion
Simon “Samba Gales"” Preston - percussion
Raul “Rico Mambo” Speek - percussion
Christopher “Pixie” May - electric guitar
Kubano Kickasso is the long awaited studio album from Nik Turner's “Fantastic Allstars” ensemble, augmented by familiar guest percussionists. This is zoot cool jazz that begs you to dance, shaken (and occasionally stirred) with latin grooves, Afro-Cuban rave, and a healthy dose of boogie. Featuring some flash original tunes as well as several of the Allstars' own particular flavour of cherished standards, its outstanding clarity delivers all the customary sensation of their club presence. A must-have soundtrack for your next party.
Nik Turner
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nik Turner is a British musician, probably best known as a founder of space rock pioneers Hawkwind. Turner plays saxophones, flute, sings and is a composer. While with Hawkwind Turner was known for his experimental free jazz stylizations and outrageous stage presence, often donning full makeup and Ancient Egypt-inspired costumes. Days with Hawkwind and personality conflicts
Despite his seemingly Pleasant personality, Turner battled frequently with bandleader/guitarist Dave Brock, who felt that the former overplayed in a distracting fashion and used musical pretenses to disguise his poor playing. Turner's relationship with bassist Lemmy Kilmister gradually disintegrated throughout the early 1970s, spurned on by a feature in New Musical Express that seemed to portray Kilmister as the sole frontman of the group. Fundamentally, Turner's "quintessential hippie" persona clashed with Kilmister's identification with bikers and use of amphetamines.
After Kilmister was arrested for illegal posession of amphetamines during a 1975 North American tour, Turner instigated the bassist's dismissal from Hawkwind. Other band members, namely Brock, came to regret the reluctant decision, and Turner began to be perceived as something of a manipulator. After 1976's Amazing Sounds, Astounding Music, a poorly received fusion-oriented release heavily influenced by Turner, he ceased playing with the group. This too was a bone of contention: while Brock and lead singer Robert Calvert claimed they had dismissed Turner (with two other members), the saxophonist characterized it as more of a band mutiny against the twosome.
Later Years
Over the years Turner has played with many musicians and collaborations. Much of his output continued in the Hawkwind vein, but Turner has also explored other genres. Directly after leaving Hawkwind in the mid 1970's, Turner formed the band Sphinx with Steve Hillage of Gong.
In the late 1970s when Steve Took's Horns broke up he formed Inner City Unit (ICU) from the key Horns members: Judge Trev Thoms and Dino Ferari although Steve Peregrin Took (ex-T Rex) continued to work with his former band members and guested with ICU at a number of gigs.
Turner eventually resolved his differences with Brock and rejoined various reconstituted Hawkwind line-ups throughout the 1980s. He performed at the final Stonehenge Free Festival in 1984.
Turner also worked with Twink under the name PinkWind, a group named by combining the monikers of the musicians' former groups: Turner's Hawkwind, and Twink and Steve Took's Pink Fairies. Mick Farren was also a member. PinkWind released two albums. Some line-ups also featured Judge Trev Thoms.
In 2000 Turner apologized to Kilmister and organized a one-off reunion of the seminal [[Space Ritual]] line-up of Hawkwind (excluding Stacia and Calvert). Although lofty plans included further apperances and a live album extracted from the show, as of 2006 nothing has materialized due to renewed animosity between Turner and Brock.
Recently, his two main bands have been SpaceRitual and Nik Turner's Allstars with flexible and overlapping line-ups (as was the case in the early 1970s with Hawkwind and the Pink Fairies.) At some of his gigs former Hawkwind members have guested including Ron Tree and, until his death, Robert Calvert.
Turner regularly plays with new and experimental musicians and also busks with his roadie Erv near his home in Wales.
His current musical endevours include the jazz/funk quintet Galaktikos and an album & tour with American space rockers Spaceseed.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Attila Kollar
Attila Kollar - 1998 - Musical WitchcraftTracks :
1. Musical witchcraft suite (19:16)
2. Music from the spheres (3:36)
3. Soleriade (4:57)
4. Morning dance in the garden of Chenonceau castle (2:03)
5. Silent man´s prayer (7:22)
6. Rocks and waves from Saint-Malo (4:32)
7. Alchemy (4:32)
Line-up
- Attila Kollar / flute, recorder, whitsle, tambourine, ketboards
- Casaba Bogdan / acoustic & electric guitar
- Gabor Naszadi / acoustic guitar
- Zsolt Vamos / guitar
- Robert Erdesz / keyboads
- Laszlo Gomor / conga, percussion
- Gabor Kisszabo / bass
- Tamas Pocs / bass
- Fernc Gerdesits / vocals
- Szilvia Attila / vocals
- Zsuzsa Ullmann / vocals
Get It Here :
RapidShare or SendSpace
Attila Kollar - 2003 - Musical Witchcraft II_UtopiaTracks :
1. Suite Utopia - Utopia (3:33)
2. Suite Utopia - Prophets And Daydreamers (6:42)
3) Suite Utopia - Worlds Closed Into The Stone (4:25)
4. Suite Utopia - The Light Of The Stake's Fire (5:13)
5. In The Hiding Place Of Castles (2:51)
6. Secrets Of Morus (3:52)
7. Feast On The Tournament (2:23)
8. Inquisition (4:44)
9. The Tower's Room Lost In The Fog... (4:57)
10. Utopia From The City (5:07)
11. Fairy Tale Along The Loire (3:32)
Line-up
- Attila Kollar / flute, recorder, tambourine
- Gyorgy Bokor / bassoon
- Laszlo Gomor / drums
- Ferenc Kornis / percussion
- Gabor Naszadi / acoustic guitar
- Tamas Pocs / bass
- Peter Sarik / piano, organ, synth
- Edina Szirtes / violin, vocals
- Zsolt Vamos / electric and acoustic guitars
- Laszlo Vermes / drums
Get It Here :
RapidShare or SendSpace
__________________________________
[Hungarian flutist of Solaris]
Attila Kollár is the flute player in the seminal Hungarian progressive rock band Solaris. His first solo album Musical Witchcraft (Periferic Records BGCD 016) bears strong resemblance to Solaris' music, and actually most of the band's late-nineties line-up appear on it. The music is largely constructed around Kollár's simple enough but beautiful flute melodies, which draw from Hungarian folk music but also strongly from baroque and renaissance themes. While the melodies are not really developed to any large degree, their splendour and the strength of the arrangements surrounding them provide more than enough interest and variation to make for an enjoyable 45-minute musical work without any unnecessary padding or stretching (most songs stay below the 5-minute mark). The supporting instrumentation can range from simple acoustic guitar and tambourine to full-blown band backing. In keeping with Solaris' style, there are also a more rocking songs with chunky guitar riffs and shredding solos, and this is where Kollár can add some Ian Anderson-styled flutter and wheeze to his playing. The main difference to Solaris is the lesser attention given to keyboards which are now reduced to accompainement. Without analog synth solos and with the occasional use of programmed rhythms, the album sound is pushed slightly more towards "modern" than with Solaris who always seem to strike a delicate balance between the retro and contemporary aspects of their sound. Three songs rise above the rest: "Boleriade" carries the album's most memorable, lambent melody over martial drumming; "Silent Man's Prayer" is a full-blown symphonic rock track with various tempo and rhythm shifts and solos; and "Ba'rock'" a spirited adaptation of a few J.S. Bach themes, with guitar, keyboards and flute racing through scales in amusing unison. In many ways this is comparable to Solaris' 1999 release Nostradamus - Book of Prophecies, though exhibiting a narrower and perhaps brighter palette, and should be enjoyable to all those who like that album. ~Kai Karmanheimo
Download Links:
Part I
Part II
Golly gosh, here's rare one! Pure Deya. Dedicated to Daevid and Gilli and worked on at the Bananamoon Observatory in Deya. This release will be extremely limited, less than 500 copies for sale worldwide. So the only absolutely certain way of getting a copy is by pre-ordering. But as the company are still getting quotes we don't know what the final retail price will be, I guess between £20.00 - £30.00, and the postage will be quite high due to the weight. However I will let all who pre-order this release know a total price before debiting any cards and give you a chance to confirm, or decline your order. I've recently been told to expect a release date sometime later this year (2006).
2LP set in a gatefold sleeve that is actually a book with more than 100 pages, more than half of them in full colour. Plans are to print/press 500 copies only 250 of which will be for distribution. Originally projected as a 2LP + Book set, this is the first time ever this great work is released as it was conceived, since the mega rare french release from the mid-70's only included one of the LPs and was missing the great book with the beautiful engravings by Juan Arkotxa.
The reissue of the legendary Book Of Am, a unique combination of recordings and artwork which stands up as an enduring testament of the fertile hippie scene which flourished in the Baleric islands during the seventies. Known to record collectors and psych/folk/prog music aficionados alike, this multi cultural band formed in the island of Mallorca in the mid 70's recorded a beautiful (and outrageously scarce) album which has gained cult status as years passed by.
GRAB GRAB GRAB
Buy "the Book of Am" here
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Suitably trippy (not that we're suggesting anything illegal, you understand), psyched submerged guitar work, clips and samples, dirt and heaviness. Violin comes courtesy of Graham Clark (ex-Gong), who's more in he vein of Jean-Luc Ponty than Simon House, bit jazzier. Noisy buggers!
Pretty damn good, as live stuff goes. but I'll bet it sounded much better if you were there, it always does. Must search out the EBS release, if just for my private collection. Recommended for space heads everywhere
1994- SENTINEL
1995- THE QUESTION REMAINS
1996- ANASAZI
1997- INHALATIONS
1995- ...of STARS and TIME (EBSCD121)
1998- IN SPACE WE TRUST (DERNCD 22)
2000- ESCAPE VELOCITY PREVIEW (LAB23CD-R-23)
2001- EXPLODE INTO SPACE- INHALATIONS 1998-2000 (DERNCD 66)
Your Download-Link:
http://rapidshare.com/files/983906/Spacehead1998InSpaceWeTrust.rar
Labels: innocent76, S
THE ARTWOODS
HERE ARE THE REST AND WHOLE DISCOGRAPHY OF THIS LEGENDARY AND MY LOVELY 60's R'n'B GROUP,
INCLUDED THEIR RARE EP ''Jazz In Jeans'' PLUS THEIR 6 SINGLES (both sides), ONE BY ONE.
IN ADDITION YOU WILL SEE TWO EXTRA GREAT SONGS FROM THEM.
I hope to really enjoy this great group !!
ARTWOODS-Jazz In Jeans EP (Decca DFE 8654, 1966)
ARTWOODS-Oh My Love/Big City (Decca F 12091)
2nd 7'' (1965)
ARTWOODS-Goodbye Sisters/She Knows What To Do (Decca F 12206) 3rd 7'' (1965)
ARTWOODS-I Take What I Want/ I'm Looking For A Saxophonist Doubling French Horn Wearing Size 37 Boots (Decca F 12384)
4th 7'' (1966)
ARTWOODS-I Feel Good/Molly Anderson's Cookery Book
(Decca F 12465) 5th 7'' (1966)
ARTWOODS-What Shall I Do/In The Deep End (Parlophone R 5590)
6th 7'' (1967)
All the above stuff you could get them in a single folder. So,
grab and enjoy it !!!
Labels: A, Optical Sound
UK R&B /Blues/Garage blaster with Jon Lord(Deep Purple) Keef Hartley(John Mayall) Mac Poole(Bakerloo) with all the right sounds!!
It's really a legendary LP that was an enjoyable mixture of club-oriented soul, R&B, and jazz with a strong organ spice, although it found them falling seriously behindtheir contemporaries in the British R&B scene in a crucial respect.
Artwoods were:
Arthur Wood-vocals,
Derek Griffiths-guitar,
Malcolm Pool-bass
Keef Hartley-drums
John Lord-organ
Red Bludd's Blusicians had been formed in 163 and the Artwoods were formed following the departure of Don "Red Bludd" Wilson who played bass and Red Dunnage the drummer. Jon Lord came from the Bill Ashton Combo while Art Wood has sung with Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated. Keef had previously played with Rory Storm & the Hurricanes, replacing a certain Ringo Starr, and Freddie Starr and the Midnighters.
The Artwoods gained a reputation as the hardest working R & B band on the circuit. The live set consisted of both Chicago Blues standards and original material. Many appearances were made on the top UK pop TV show Ready, Steady Go. Originally the groups mimed to songs but, over time, more and more live performances were allowed. The Artwoods performed on the first Ready Steady Goes Live. Tom Jones mimed to It's Not Unusual on the show. The Kinks and
Donovan played live and the Artwoods promoted their first single ''Sweet Mary''.
The group was very popular in the clubs around London but they never equaled this on record despite releasing an LP, an EP and a string of singles. The only chart single was the 1966 ''I Take What I Want'' although this is not corroborated by The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles. This was a cover of a Sam & Dave song.
There was also one EP called ''Jazz in Jeans'' and an album Art Gallery. There were successful tours of Europe and Poland. Eel Pie Island was a regular gig with the band playing there about once a month. This is an island in the Thames which had to be reached over a small bridge, the
equipment requiring three trips. It was everybody's dream to walk into the Blue Boar just as their hit of the moment was playing on the jukebox."
The Artwoods were chosen to represent the 20th Century at the centenary celebrations of the State of Monte Carlo. The ball was held in the Casino. After this, the band traveled to Paris and played next door to the Moulin Rouge at The Locomotive.
The band split in 1967 and, at a time of psychedelia, there was a name change to St Valentine's Day Massacre. This was intended to "cash in" on the thirties-style gangsters craze which had been started by the film Bonnie & Clyde. Brother Can You Spare a Dime was a cover of an old Bing Crosby song. Keef Hartley left the band in 1967 to join John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and
later formed the Keef Hartley Band. Jon Lord joined the Flowerpot Men and later moved to Deep Purple. Derek Griffiths became a session player. Quiet Melon was formed in July 1969 when the Jeff Beck Group folded. Lead singer Rod Stewart was left without a band and started hanging out with Ronnie Wood, his brother Art Wood and Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones and Ian
McLagan. Art Wood got them a recording session at the Fontana studios, where he had a contract and, according to Art, recorded four songs - Diamond Joe, Engine 4444, Right Around The Thumb, and Two Steps To Mother. They delivered the tapes to Fontana who said the tracks weren't good enough and canceled Art's contract. The group then got a promoter called Rufus Manning to try and get them a deal but nobody wanted to know. The group played quite a few gigs but the project soon folded and Art retired from the music business to
become a Graphic Designer. The remaining members - Ronnie Wood, Rod Stewart, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones and Ian McLagan then inherited the name the Small Faces which was soon shortened to the Faces.
Ultra Strongly Recommended !!
Vinyl ripped by Optical Sound @ 224 Klbps bitrate
grab and enjoy it !!
Labels: A, Optical Sound
Monday, September 11, 2006
Aphrodites Child - 1968 - End of the World
Aphrodites Child - 1968 - End of the WorldYes, that's exactly how you'd think British psychedelic music recorded by Greek musicians in France would sound. Provided you'd ever think about it.
Track listing:
1) End Of The World;
2) Don't Try To Catch A River;
3) Mister Thomas;
4) Rain And Tears;
5) The Grass Is No Green;
6) Valley Of Sadness;
7) You Always Stand In My Way;
8) The Shepherd And The Moon;
9) Day Of The Fool;
The best way to explain a particularly unusual sound is, of course, try and do it through comparison. Like "The Flaming Lips sound like the Beach Boys trying to sound like the Beatles if Brian Wilson tried to sound like John Lennon and not like Paul McCartney". Or "Pearl Jam sound like shit". Yes, despite the numerous annoying yelps of people who contend that every piece of music should be listened to based on its own individual rules, comparison is nevertheless a mighty weapon in the hands of a reviewer. So here's to comparison.
Now then, we were going to talk Aphrodite's Child and their debut album here. And the first and foremost comparison I would offer are none other than the Moody Blues. Yes, by all means, as Vangelis and his compatriot, croonster extraordinaire Demis Roussos (let's just forget his solo career ever existed, shall we?) ponder over the artistic path to take, they certainly take the Moody Blues into account. Well, maybe a little Bee Gees, too. But given their background (Greece) and their working environment (France), they couldn't just emulate any of these bands. No, they had their own private ambitions, more expansive indeed than the soon-to-be tummy of Roussos, and the ones that are responsible for both the positive and negative aspects of the record.
From a purely serious (logical, mathematical, rational, cold-hearted, snobby, sarcastic, nihilistic, post-modern, politically correct - or politically incorrect, not that there's much difference) point of view, this album sucks notoriously. Cheesy syrupy vocals that make you think better of Ted Nugent on atmospheric pretentious ballads that make you think better of Billy Joel. "Epic" numbers with big bombastic production exploiting psychedelic cliches that scream "1968!" at you as if they really want to make you believe that was the most important year in history or something. (Actually, I can't prove that it wasn't, but I wouldn't include Aphrodite's Child into its top ten events all the same). Whitebread soul excourses. No truly independent vision. A bunch of kids who want to be stern and artsy and actual but don't have the least idea of what they'd actually like to tell the world - and why is it that it's Aphrodite's Child the world needs to tell these things and not Neil Diamond, for instance.
But strange as it is, it all works. It's one of those crazy paradoxes I like to discover - the sound is technically not "original", yet it's definitely unique in its own way. And, of course, it's all due to the astute Greek mind of Vangelis. There are some guitars on here theoretically, but I hardly hear them (and as far as I know, these guys weren't too hot on guitars themselves, with Roussos and an uncredited guy called Silver Kolouris handling them alternatively); all the record is thoroughly based on Vangelis' keyboards. And boy, does he revel on here: there's nothing even closely resembling the stern minimalism of his solo work. Pianos, organs, Mellotrons, overdubbed to hysterical level, all played in a vicious, aggressive manner. That doesn't mean he sounds anywhere near Emerson, as throughout the entire record he evades show-off-ey finger-flashing warp-speed solos and the like. But he shows himself to be an apt user of all kinds of sonic gimmicks, with echoey production, reverb, distortion, etc., and thus compensates for the lack of guitar perfectly.
It all really comes together on raving tracks like 'You Always Stand In My Way', which might have passed for a stupid take on "soul", with Roussos almost throwing a fit in the studio, if not for an absolutely incredible keyboards arrangement. A moody, but sharp organ pattern in one speaker - a majestic heavenly Mellotron part in the other speaker, plus occasional distorted harpsichord notes added to achieve further perfection. Same goes with 'Don't Try To Catch A River', whose title brings on strange associations with 'River Deep Mountain High' (indeed, there are melodic similarities as well) - the main harpsichord pattern that drives it is pretty funny, while the occasional whooshing Mellotron outbursts and organ 'insertions' attract your attention as fine as anything.
This magnificent keyboard sound is, like I said, the main attraction and distinguishing sign of the entire record - in 1968, few people would dare to bring keyboard experimentation to such complex levels, not even the Nice. But I won't deny that the melodies themselves are also pretty fun. For instance, I quite enjoy the three "corny" ballads - heck, if I enjoy the Moody Blues and ELO, nothing can prevent me from praising a ballad by Aphrodite's Child when it's really well-written. 'End Of The World' is my favourite, with a few well-placed hooks, a few adrenaline-raising powerful piano chords and a few chillin' 'AIIIEEEYAH' by Roussos that are probably meant to signify the protagonist approaching said 'end of the world' (yeah, the song's simply a love ballad, but "metaphysically loaded", if you know what I mean). The European megahit 'Rain And Tears' is pretty nice as well, graced with luvingly gentle harpsichord playing... and say what you will, but Roussos' tremblin' oh-so-Greek vocals are indeed beautiful in their own way. 'Valley Of Sadness' is also good, if a bit repetitive.
The two 'epics' of the album are a bit more dubious - 'The Grass Is No Green', in particular, sounds exactly like what you'd expect of two intelligent well-bred kids having inhaled for the first time and describing the results. But Roussos' Eastern influenced chanting is catchy and, well you know, authentic. It's really a triviality, but I'd still like to remind that these Greek guys really knew what 'Eastern motives' are better than anybody in the Western world, as popular Greek music is infested with Turkish influences - which means that, experienced potheads or not, they could be pretty good at capturing the 'pothead world' as it is. And turns out they were pretty good at capturing the world of paranoia, as well, as 'Day Of The Fool', the album-closing number where Roussos impersonates a poor romantic madman (quite a thrilling story, too).
About the only misfire, I'd say, is 'Mister Thomas' - a rather lame Britpop imitation a la Ray Davies which naturally comes across as nothing but a manneristic number, too carnivalesque for its own good. Well, I'd be surprised if they did succeed in this genre, so it's simply a bit strange they'd want to try the style out at all. Maybe they were big Kinks fans? Whatever.
It's interesting to speculate on the subject of what could have happened if the band were allowed to work in Britain (they weren't) and recorded and released End Of The World in London instead of Paris, consequently reaching the "progressive" Anglo-Saxon part of the population instead of the "uncool" continental European part. At the very least, this could have seriously cost the Moody Blues a big part of their fanbase. On the other hand, maybe it was only logical to have stayed on the continent, as Vangelis' heavy use of interweaving keyboard and orchestration parts certainly ties in far better with the European symphonic practice than with the far more restrained British tradition. It's fun to compare this "catchy", "commercial" sound that Aphrodite's Child have with some of the "inaccessible", "elitist" music of Britain's most renowned prog bands and eventually discover that in certain ways, Vangelis wrote music that was far more complex and multi-layered. You just don't notice it at first, but it's right there. Cool album, in short - if a bit too eccentric for its own good.
Iowaska - 2001 - Vine of Souls
IOWASKA - Vine Of Souls 
Combining the DIY punk ethos of CRASS, DISCHARGE, and AMEBIX, with the psychedelic LSD energy of HAWKWIND and OZRIC TENTACLES, and a dash of SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES and THE SLITS, IOWASKA create their own unique blend of space-rock, punk, and cosmic thrash. This British band offers a potent cocktail of LSD driving guitars, haunting melodies, throbbing bass lines, and a thundering beat. With lyrics to put a thought in your mind and a chill up your spine, IOWASKA's sheer seething power and irrepressible passion combine for an ecstatic LSD ride. They have played with CAPTAIN SENSIBLE, CHUMBAWUMBA, CITIZEN FISH and DIRT, as well as many other punk and space-rock veterans, and LSD frequently command the stage at huge UK festivals. IOWASKA’s performances feature a memorable light show, dubbed "Medicine Lights", which combines a LSD fractal sea of oil slides and psychedelia, with cinema footage of momentous, radical political events(obviously they are anarchists-neo paganists!!! LSD), tailored to fit their lyrics.
Discography(Alternative Tentacles Records) :
Labels: I, innocent76
Aphrodites Child - 1969 - It's Five O'Clock
Aphrodites Child - 1969 - It's Five O'ClockGreek musicians doing American country-rock (among a million other things) - this alone makes the record worth owning.
Track listing:
1) It's Five O'Clock;
2) Wake Up;
3) Take Your Time;
4) Annabella;
5) Let Me Love Let Me Live;
6) Funky Mary;
7) Good Times So Fine;
8) Marie Jolie;
9) Such A Funny Night;
Once again, I'm impressed. The band's ability to present themselves as a historical curio/novelty act second time in a row, with a whole bunch of unpredictable twists and classy songwriting-a-plenty, is certainly worth admiring. "Novelty" - I'm not hesitating to use that word, because in this particular context I'm peeling off its negative connotations. Certainly the idea of, for instance, having the President of the United States whacking his Secretary of State with a golf club is "novel" (not to mention rather crude), but this would certainly immortalize the name of the President with far more success than any amount of tax cuts or Operation Freedoms. Likewise, the idea of raffinated, classically-educated Greek young men take on genres like funk, country, and music hall may seem grotesque - and it is, and that's what's so unbelievably cool about it.
The band's second album is thus even more diverse than the first one. Vangelis, Roussos and Sideras are all over the place again, only this time, true to the "back to the roots" spirit of 1969, they take it a little easier on the psychedelic vibe and instead, get a bit harder and heavier in some spots and a bit "rootsier" in others. Which doesn't actually prevent them from ending the record on one of the silliest notes that ever came out of Mr Evangelos Papathanassiou's pocket. But that's the gist!
Oddly enough, though, the experimentation is even more "solidly" counterbalanced with Roussos' trademark croonster ballads - ballads that are getting dippier all the time and give some serious hints at the San Remo-targeted, sugar-coated mush that would constitute his solo career. (Actually, it's no coincidence that I mention San Remo here: in between this and the preceding album, Aphrodite's Child did record a couple ballads expressly for the San Remo festival. I have them on the 2-disc Collection which also comprises both studio albums, but haven't yet dared to listen - and I doubt I will unless somebody provides me with a priori evidence that could convince me to try them out. For Heaven's sake - one of them is called 'Quando L'Amore Divente Poesia'!!) Luckily, Vangelis is always there to save the day with a visionary organ/Mellotron landscape or two; his participation is what rescues 'Annabella', in particular, apart from the odd, almost proto-ambient, background, merely an atmospheric love chant bathed in sounds of the ocean, the kind of thing that Bryan Ferry would do with much more class anyway but a few years later. Same goes for the European hit 'Marie Jolie' - originally released as the B-side to the far more interesting 'Let Me Love Let Me Live', but since the latter raised too many questions (see below), it was naturally the former that the people were going for.
On the other hand, complaints do not apply to the gorgeous title track, where the main inspiration certainly was 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale' (naturally! who wouldn't want to make history with a stately mid-tempo organ-based anthem? The easy way to achieve demi-god status at least in some people's eyes); yet this doesn't prevent the song from having hooklines of its own, as well as building up to a series of climaxes so overblown and yet so adequate - all thanks to Roussos' undeniable vocal power - that they almost manage to beat Procol Harum at their own game. It's hard to tell whether it's this track or 'End Of The World' that better epitomizes the "lonely romantic" spirit of the age, but in the end it all depends on whether you're preferring to imagine yourself astride the top of a moonlit cliff or a-walking down that moonlit forest path. (And don't tell me you've never tried to imagine either. The only people that don't are those that sue fast food chains over extra calories).
If you do happen to like these ballads, though, and would like to challenge me to an ICQ duel for daring to criticize 'Annabella', chances are you might not like the rest of the album - which is a fine illustration for the term "eclecticism" if there ever was one. Let's list some of the candidates, shall we? 'Wake Up' is essentially a bluesy jam with some hard rock overtones, yet the verses of the song actually are more in the psycho-folk vein, again drawing on comparisons with the early Bee Gees. (It's also the first - and the last? - song to quote the band's name, albeit within a rather strange line: 'Aphrodite's Child will tell you on the back'. WAY back? WHOSE back? Back of WHAT? Back of their tattered old English manual?).
'Take Your Time' has the audacity to introduce country-westernish guitars and harmonicas - again, there is no mistaking the non-authenticity of this stuff, just like you can always tell a Bee Gees song from a John Fogerty tune, because whenever Europeans are doing country arrangements, they seem to be always crossing them with music hall. That doesn't mean the song isn't professionally and quirkily (in the good sense of the word) produced, and I do love it for the catchiness and fun alone. That is, until the moment it ends in the obligatory "fun in the studio" part; for some reason, every band at the time had to include some 'goofy drunken fun' at the end of one of their songs. Does it belong there? Damned experimentation.
The main single from the album, 'Let Me Love Let Me Live' starts out pretty decently, with a ferocious beat, tasty wah-wah licks and one of those, you know, one of those attempts at "teenage declarations" that all the garage bands were competing in a few years ago to see who beats out whom in the sincerity and sharpness department. Well, I don't know anything about sincerity here (not to mention the band members were anything but teenagers at the time), but the melody sure rules. The jam at the end of the song is a bit overlong - I feel that they were just trying to push up the album's running time here (and it's still pretty short at that) - but it gives a great glimpse at their methods of constructing a wall-of-sound, and has a fun rush to the end, too.
Meanwhile, 'Funky Mary' shows the band's interest in weird percussive effects. Yep, formally it belongs to funk, I guess, but there's next to no guitar, just layers of totally wild percussion and a thoroughly restrained vocal that just lets you concentrate on all the drums, phased drums, backwards drums, marimbas, and (finally) electric piano that also prefers to function in a percussive way. On 'Good Times So Fine' the band abandons experimentation and goes for some catchy cheesy pop - the irony of the song is how its slow part, with Roussos doing a (rather flaky) Armstrong imitation, totally doesn't fit with its fast bubblegummy part, where the vocals sound like a goofy parody on Micky Dolenz of the Monkees. And 'Such A Funny Night' ends the day with a slice of (presumably Greek-influenced) pop, thoroughly irresistible guitar melodies and lots of the corniest-ever-sounding 'la-la-la's that effectively eliminate any hopes Aphrodite's Child could have garnered of being respected as a serious art-rock band. And looks like we have to thank them for that.
The closest analogy among the records the average music fan may have heard is presumably the Bee Gees' 1st - which I actually rated higher than these two records because of its being more "authentic" sounding; there's little doubt in my mind that the Bee Gees had a better understanding of both traditional British and American music than Aphrodite's Child. (Plus, there's simply more songs on that album; make that the decisive factor if you will). However, what the Bee Gees had always lacked themselves was a first-rate musician/composer/arranger/experimentalist, which is why their material can often be considered just plain boring beside Vangelis' goofy, but nearly always eyebrow-raising ideas. Both End Of The World and It's Five O'Clock may suffer from cheesiness and lack of experience, but they always make it up with a one-of-a-kind approach. Granted, this can be witnessed much better on Aphrodite's Child's last - and decisive - recording.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
BRUCE CLASWON ld gtr, backing vcls A B C
TIMMY GRANADA ld vcls, gtr A B C
ROBBIE LADEWIG bs A B C RICK MORININI drms A
TONY "GOOSEY" RIVAS sax, tamb, backing vcls A
RANDY BUSBY drms B C
NICK HOFFMAN gtr C
45s: 1(A) She's Gone/What Am I Going To Do? (Miramar 118) Sep. 1965
2(A) I Could Be Happy/People Ask Me Why (Miramar 121) Nov. 1965
3(A) I Could Be Happy/People Ask Me Why (Reprise 0439) Dec. 1965
4 The Third Eye/Your Love (Miramar 123) Apr. 1966
4 She's Not Just Anybody/About Me (Miramar 124) May 1966
Compilation appearances have included: What Am I Going To Do on Nuggets Box (4-CD); She's Gone and What Am I Going To Do on Pebbles Vol. 2 (CD) and Pebbles, Vol. 2 (LP); She's Not Just Anybody on Pebbles, Vol. 7 (LP) and Pebbles Vol. 8 (CD); Your Love on Sixties Rebellion, Vol. 6 (LP & CD); The Third Eye on Highs In The Mid Sixties, Vol. 20 (LP) and 30 Seconds Before The Calico Wall (CD); People Ask Me Why and I Could Be Happy on The Cicadelic 60's, Vol. 2 (LP).
The great news is that you can have their complete recorded output on one disc. After many years seeking out and talking to many of the band members, Mike Markesich has been able to piece together their story on this absolutely essential release.
Few modern bands have been brave enough to attempt to cover Dovers' songs, given the very high esteem in which they're held. So hats off to Buffalo, New York's Mystic Eyes for attempting She's Gone (1997 45 on Get Hip GH-188). Buy it yourself so you can judge whether they've succeeded in doing it justice.
(Max Waller / Craig Morrison)
