Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Various Artists - Heavy Christmas (1971)












Just in time for Xmas! Rare early '70s Brain release in official fold out CD digi-pak form, featuring bands playing Christmas related material. Don't let this put you off. This is a collection of mind blowing acid rock and progressive mayhem. Features Irus, Dies Irae, Joy Unlimited and more! Fantastic festive stoners.... WOW (an office favourite)! [the Freak Emporium]

1. libido - evolution
2. marcel - god rest ye mary gentlemen
3. joy unlimited - All heaven and all earth are silent
4. virus - mary meets tarzan
5. Dies Irae - silen night
6. libido - come on everybody
7. Ardo dombec - heavenly rose
8. Dies Irae - shepard's song
9. Ardo dombec - open the door, open your mind
10. virus - x-mas submarine
11. flute & voice - Ecce Navicule
12. libido - come on everybody - special radio version

Bitrate 256

http://rapidshare.com/files/6438961/VAHC.rar

Thursday, December 14, 2006

Influence - Influence (1968)












Personnel: JACK GEISINGER bs, gtr A B ANDREW KEILER vcls A B LOUIS MCKELVEY gtr A B DAVE WYNNE drms A B BOB O ISLAND (BOB PARKIN) keyb'ds B WALTER ROSSI gtr B
ALBUM: 1(B) INFLUENCE (ABC ABCS 630) 1968
Formed as a quartet in late 1966, this act have an interesting and almost global pedigree. English-born singer Andrew Keiler moved firstly to South Africa in 1964 and together with Irish-born guitarist Louis Campbell McKelvey played in the Johannesburg R&B outfit The Upsetters. McKelvey left this act in late '65, to join The A-Cads, although he was too late to appear on their album, despite being pictured on the sleeve. Andrew Keiler too left The Upsetters, recording a solo album in late 1965 before moving to Montreal in late 1966, along with McKelvey and fellow A-cad, Hank Squires.
In Canada, Squires moved into production working with The Haunted, amongst others, and McKelvey briefly played with Les Sinners and Our Generation before reuniting with Keiler in Influence. Czech-born bass player Geisinger came in from the Soul Mates and English-born drummer Dave Wynne was recruited from The Haunted.
To complete the line-up, two other former Soul Mates, Rossi and Island joined after playing on a Wilson Pickett tour in June 1967. The band then relocated to the US...
David Wynne recalls:- "We played Montreal in the Spring of '67, then went to Toronto Village and played one of the clubs there until September when we went to New York and cut the album with ABC. McKelvey was involved in production. Afterwards we were offered another deal by Columbia which was turned down by the band, and at that point I left and went back to Canada and school. You were right about the album, but it may have had a little impact. Our publicist at ABC was dating Peter Townshend and reportedly he liked the opera idea. As musicians and artists the Influence really outclassed anything else around - Walter Rossi as I said was a superb guitarist. You should have heard us live..."
"The entire band except me had done hard time with mature audiences. Not many Canadian musicians had had the experience of recording in or touring the U.S. as Wally, Jack and Bobo had with Wilson Pickett. They were also all seasoned musicians. (I heard, from Buddy Miles I think, that Steve Cropper had said he thought Wally the better guitarist). It was also innovative, and had confidence that it was cutting edge and could compete on any stage. Toronto Village in Summer 1967 was great - lots of talent and a real buzz. The imbalance in the band was that we had two front men, Bobo and Andy, and while it was never pushed I think after I left that it became an issue - I bridged both sides and may have helped keep some of it together. At the time there seemed enough room for everyone, but it was really an amalgam of two bands in one - the Wally, Jack, Bobo and Louis and Andy. Yum Yum who replaced me was definitely associated with the former group. I had started the band with Louis, but felt much more at home musically with Wally, Jack and Bobo. I was not a fan of British drummers (Baker, Moon) but American black funk and jazz drummers. I think I mentioned the time at the Barrel, where watching and talking to Rashid Ali (Coltrane's second drummer with Elvin Jones) and hearing new wave drumming was a priceless clinic..."
Their album makes it easy to understand why they chose their name, as it is more or less a hodgepodge of styles without much consistency. Many satirical elements betray the strong influence of Zappa, on whom they clearly lean too heavily. Nevertheless their love of discordant riffs and 'wrong' modulations works brilliantly on at least two tracks: We Are Here, a sour masterpiece on lost love and Natural Impulse. Lyrically Zappa is omnipresent as becomes hearable in the choice of admittedly transitional subject-matter such as sodomy (on County Fair) and the longing of the gentry to mingle with the peasants (on Sir Archibald). Parodies on The Marcels, Little Richard and the hippie-movement in general sound dated, although they probably were modern in 1968. Worth trying, but don't pay too much.
After Influence broke up, McKelvey and Geisinger played in the Canadian band Milkwood. Geisinger later left Milkwood for Luke and The Apostles. Rossi meanwhile, played with The Buddy Miles Express briefly before joining Geisinger in Luke and The Apostles.
Walter Rossi later played with Charlee, Moonquake and Bombers. Jack Geisinger also later played with Moonquake, Rockers and Crescent Street Singers. Bob Parkin committed suicide in 1970.
Walter Rossi is also rumoured to have played on an album by Thee Muffins in 1966.
(Nick Warburton/Marcel Koopman/Vernon Joynson/Tertius Louw)

http://rapidshare.com/files/6808084/II.rar

Music kindly submitted by Unicorn. Special thanks!

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Butch Engle & The Styx - No Matter What You Say (1967)













Garage rock and some nice flower psychedelia (with the usual ingredients of farfisa organ and loads of fuzz guitar) from the very early hippiedays by this widely unknown Californian band. Most of the songs were written by Ron Elliott of the BEAU BRUMMELS, but the band doesn´t sound "folky".

Tracklist

1 Hey, I´m Lost 2:32
2 Left Hand Girl 2:27
3 No Matter What You Say 2:46
4 Smile Smile Smile 1:52
5 I´m A Fool 2:35
6 I Call Her Name 2:45
7 She Is Love 2:14
8 Going Home 2:07
9 I Like Her 1:56
10 Hey, Im Lost (different version) 2:31
11 Puppetmaster 3:48
12 If You Believe 2:27
13 Tell Me Please 2:07
14 You Know All I Want 1:56

Comment and mp3 files kindly contributed by Unicorn. Special thanks!

http://rapidshare.com/files/6798006/BETSNMWYS.rar

No Matter What You Say

Monday, December 11, 2006

Damin Eih, A.l.k & Brother Clark - Never Mind (1973)













Review by Unicorn:

Who are Damin Eih, A.l.k and Brother Clark you may ask yourself and so do i. Hardly anything is known about these lads, but their only LP, a private pressing from 1973 is something you should not miss.Mostly acoustic and gentle, but highly trippy and mystic this is the real collector´s stuff. I really love this record and i am sure you will too...so download, "Take Off Your Eyes" and fly.More information welcome!
(Note: the tracks on the LP go into one another, so the parted tracks often don´t have a clearly defined beginning or end. This effect will disappear if you hear it as a whole)

Tracklist:
1 Tourniquet 2:17
2 Sing A Different Song 4:17
3 Take Off Your Eyes 5:40
4 Soft Margins 4:45
5 Thundermice 3:52
6 Monday Morning Prayer 0:38
7 Gone 4:40
8 Marching Together 3:36
9 Kathryn At Night 3:391
0 Party Hats & Olive Spats 3:24
11 Return Naked 1:57

Music kindly submitted by Unicorn. Special thanks!

Looking for a better copy (256/320) - Thanks!

http://rapidshare.com/files/6801554/DEAABC.rar

Saturday, December 9, 2006

Will-O-The Wisp - Ceremony Of Innocence (2002)









3rd full length by this progressive psych-rock band from Greece is their masterpiece. Ceremony of innocence creates dreamy atmospheres with male and female vocals, swirling organ, strong electric guitar leads and floating flute parts.(from : psychedelic music net)
Combining dreamy atmospheres, sublime male and female vocals, swirling organs, sweeping guitars and lush flute arrangements as well as being beautifully packaged in a deluxe triple fold-out book-like CD Box, this is an awesome record with only 1000 copies pressed. (from : freakemporium)

Tracklist :

1 Smoke Supended In The Still Air 5:05
2 The Rabbit Under The Teardrop´s Shade 3:32
3 Shadows Of Daylight 4:31
4 The Reaper´s Paper Boat 4:28
5 Hew A Dream In The Twilight 5:33
6 Haze Secrets 5:01
7 A William Blake´s Song 3:59
8 Fairies Waltz 4:29

http://rapidshare.com/files/6729816/WOTWCOI.rar

Music kindly submitted by Unicorn. Special thanks!

Friday, December 8, 2006

Creme and Godley - Consequences (1977)





















Review by Unicorn:



The first record Creme and Godley released after their departure from 10cc is a monumental, ambitious work that lasts nearly 2 hours - and it is one of my favourite records of all time. It was published 1977 in an expensive 3LP-box, probably too expensive for a number of possible buyers. I still remember it being the most expensive record i ever bought. 1991 followed a double-CD edition limited to 3000 worldwide. It was impossible to get it in a normal record shop, at last i found a used copy in a specialty shop in a foreign country and again i had to pay a real nice sum for it. With a price policy like that it is no wonder that the record always was quite rare, which is a pity because it is so wonderful.At the beginning and the end there are 2 very long instrumental parts. The first with extensive use of the gizmo, a device the two had invented to change sounds of electric guitar, from which they thought it would revolutionize the rockmusic world. But as far as i know nobody else except them ever used this thing. The second at the end "Blint´s Tune" is a parody of a classic symphony knitted together from stolen musical themes from beginning to end. Inbetween you find an audioplay with interwoven musical snippets. The story deals about Mr. Blint, a mad musician in a wheelchair who is the only person being able to save the world from going down with his music based on his weird theories (but "Blint´s Tune" reveals that it is nothing but rubbish).The whole thing is very intelligent and extremely funny from beginnig to end, the music is better than everything from them that followed on later albums. My favourite is "Sailor", a tune that impresses with it´s simplicity.This is a masterpiece that should have a place in the top ten rock records of all time!



Comment, mp3 files and artwork kindly contributed by Unicorn. Special thanks!



Consequences - Limited Edition

Wednesday, December 6, 2006

Virgin's Dream - The X-Tapes (1971) (Krautrock rarity - only 300 pressed)













Review by Unicorn:

Here is an ultra-rare record from a german band that sounds very different from the kraut fraction or the symphonic proggers. In their time the Virgins had cult-status in Western Germany because of their incredibly energetic live performances, nowadays they are totally forgotten, mainly due to the fact that they never released an official record (the band split up at the beginning of 1972 - just at the time when a first LP by a major record company was in planning). Everything from them that survived were some demo recordings (mostly live) that i had saved for about 30 years on a cassette-tape. Even Rolf Trenkler, former bandleader and songwriter, did not possess a single recording of his youth sins. In 1999 i gave the tape to him and he overworked and denoised it as good as it was possible. From the result a private pressing of 300 CD´s was made as a giveaway to friends; it was never sold officially. The music is quite unique, i couldn´t name another band that sounds like them. There are melodious songparts reminiscent of the wonderful UK band "Cressida" changing with very energetic and driving parts a bit in the style of early "Soft Machine" and Mr.Trenkler´s guitarplaying reminds me a lot of John Cippolina from "Quicksilver Messenger Service". Overall the music could best be described as acid-psych of complex nature, with lots of sudden tempo and rhythm changes. The sound quality still is quite limited, nevertheless the record is a real collector´s item. If you are into sixties "Underground" stuff, don´t miss it. This is another "Garden of Delights" exclusive, you won´t find it elsewhere.

Tracklist :

1 Wake Up 1:21
2 Evening Star 3:21
3 Der Blaue Kapuzinermönch 17:19
4 Rainy day In June 9:20
5 The Well 11:34
6 El Dorado 3:44
7 The Galant Knight 3:34
8 I Am One Of Those 4:52

Comments and mp3 files were kindly contributed by Unicorn. Special thanks!

http://rapidshare.com/files/6287741/VDTXT.rar

Monday, December 4, 2006

Victoria - Victoria (1971)




Local New Jersey demo-release (200 made in 1971) from Victoria, a band and album beyond rare, fantastic, conceptual psych-beauty. Sometimes dreamy, sometimes totally wild underground-psych, this release features female vocals, titanic horns and distorted guitars. Sweet tunes turn into dark psych-power. Totally stoned. This amazing album was first released on the Seven Little Indians label (before it became Shadoks Music) eight or nine years ago as a limited-edition with a red velvet cover and golden engraved artwork. A 500-copy limited-edition CD, also in red velvet, was sold out in a few months. Besides Jungle, this album is a famous Little Indian release. If you like Moby Grape you should check this one out. The album has remained unreleased until a few years ago.TOTALLY STONED! -forcedexposure.com-
Brand new CD reissue of this very obscure (200 made, only 5-6 copies known to be in the hands of collectors) New Jersey demo recording (1969-71) from three guys and one girl intent on surfing the same kind of electronically enhanced harmony waves generated by United States Of America, C.A. Quintet, even early Velvets. Beautifully baked atmosphere here - on first listen Alex described it as almost doo-wop in its lunar/swoon quotient - that compares with early Paisley Underground moves from Opal and Rainy Day crossed with wild, testifying brass, high arcs of unison vox ala Jefferson Airplane and blats of black fuzz. Recommended. -volcanictongue.com-
Personnel incl: SHARON BARTON A MAUREEN DEIDELBAUM A GREG RUBAN A CHERYL SIMPSON A
ALBUMS: 1(A) VICTORIA (No label) 1971 R5 2(A) KINGS, QUEENS & JOKERS (No label) 197? R5
NB: (1) was a demo album issued in a plain white jacket. (2) is an alternate pressing of (1), with the title shown rubber-stamped on the front of the sleeve. (2) contains fewer tracks than (1). (1) reissued in Germany (Little Indians #7) 1997, in a red velveteen jacket with gold foil embossed print, and on CD by the same label with several previously unreleased bonus tracks.
Rare local New Jersey private press, with an "odd" sound created by this largely female group and featuring horns prominently on several tracks. Two hundred copies of the album were pressed in 1971, and Ruban distributed a quantity of them through Europe while on a motorcycle trip in the early seventies.
Victoria may be connected in some manner to Dirty Martha.
One track, Ride A Rainbow has also resurfaced on Love, Peace And Poetry, Vol. 1 (LP & CD).
(Clark Faville / Max Waller)

http://rapidshare.com/files/3440937/VV.part1.rar

http://rapidshare.com/files/3436532/VV.part2.rar

Saturday, October 21, 2006

Meic Stevens - Rain In The Leaves (1967-1970)



This haunting collection proves once and for all why Meic Stevens is so often called 'the Welsh Bob Dylan'. As well as gathering for the first time the ultra-rare EPs he recorded between 1967 and 1970 (Mike Stevens, Rhif 2, Mwg and Meic Stevens), the package comes complete with both sides of his 1965 debut single, detailed sleevenotes, rare photographs and an introduction by the man himself, making it an essential purchase for all fans of acid folk and psychedelia.-Sunbeam Records-
"A legendary folksinger who's been called 'the Welsh Dylan', in the late 60s he recorded a series of ultra-rare Welsh-language psych-folk EPs." - The Tapestry Of Delights
"The psych-folk singer and guitarist is often referred to as the Welsh Dylan, and compared favourably with fellow astral-travellers like Syd Barrett. He continues to perform in Wales, where he is treated as a national hero" - (allmusic.com)

Track list

1. Did I Dream?
2. I Saw A Field
3. Yr Eryr a'r Golomen (The Eagle And The Dove)
4. Ble Mae'r Bore? (Where's The Morning?)
5. Ond Dof Yn Ôl (But I Shall Return)
6. Tryweryn
7. Cân Walter (Walter's Song)
8. Hwiangerdd Mihangel (Michael's Lullaby)
9. Glaw yn y Dail (Rain In The Leaves)
10. Lan a Lawr (Up And Down)
11. Mwg (Smoke)
12. Rhedaf i'r Mynydd (I Run To The Mountain
13. Myfi yw'r Dechreuad (I Am The Beginning)
14. Tyrd i Lawr i'r Ogof (Come Down Through The Cave)
15. Mynd i Bala ar y Cwch Banana (Going To Bala On The Banana Boat)
16. Nid y Fi yw'r Un i Ofyn Pam (Not For Me To Ask The Reason Why)
17. Mae Gennyf i Gariad (I've Got A Love)
18. Dim Ond Heddiw Ddoe ac Fory (Only Today, Yesterday and Tomorrow)19. Cân Mamgu (Grandmother's Song)

Bitrate 320

http://rapidshare.com/files/6625834/MSRITL.part1.rar

http://rapidshare.com/files/6626220/MSRITL.part2.rar

Rain in the Leaves

Friday, October 20, 2006

Susan Christie - Paint A Lady (1970 )



Previously unreleased Psychedelic Folk album from 1970 by Susan Christie, a Philly based sophomore folk singer who had one novelty hit for a major label in the late '60s. This album, which featured her psychedelic take on Country standards and hand crafted tales of inner-city solitude backed by a Folk-Funk rhythm section, was not considered commercially viable and shelved...until now! Uber-legend John Hill produced the album which features 8 tracks including a 12 minute 'drugsploitation' epic called 'Yesterday - Where's My Mind' featuring Susan flipping vocal styles between Janis Joplin and Margo Guryan. Finders Keepers. 2006.


1. Rainy Day
2. Paint a Lady
3. For the Love of a Soldier
4. Ghost Riders in the Sky
5. Yesterday Where's My Mind
6. Echo in My Mind
7. When Love Comes
8. No One Can Hear You Cry

http://rapidshare.com/files/6619657/SCPAL.rar

Paint a Lady [UK-Import]

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Ruthann Friedman - Constant Companion (1969)



Ruthann Friedman’s chief claim to fame is having written The Association’s 1967 hit “Windy.” Less well known, however, is Constant Companion , her sole solo album recorded for Reprise in 1969. Water’s reissue of the album seems timed to follow the success of other recently-rediscovered female singer-songwriters (Vashti Bunyan, Judee Sill) and the resurgence of ’60s-inspired folk in general. Constant Companion, however, is no mere nostalgia trip, nor is its re-release a case of opportunistic bandwagoning. While Friedman’s music will undoubtedly be grouped with that of Bunyan and her present-day heirs (Devendra Banhart, for one), she has little in common with them. Contrary to what her song titles (“Piper’s Call,” “Fairy Prince Rainbow Man”) might suggest, she doesn’t indulge in idyllic flower-power folk. While Constant Companion doesn’t immediately elicit comparison to any particular artist, it is perhaps closest in spirit to the first two albums of Friedman’s Reprise labelmate Joni Mitchell. Like Mitchell, Friedman is a skilled guitarist and gifted songwriter, attributes that separate her from the era’s horde of would-be folkies. She possesses a deep, powerful voice, and her impressive vocal control suggests that she may have been classically trained. In other words, she’s no amateur dilettante who got lucky enough to record a one-shot album, but rather a fully mature and practiced artist. The songs on Constant Companion cover a range of styles, from Simon and Garfunkel style folk (“People”) and Mitchell-inspired psychedelic ruminations (“Fairy Prince Rainbow Man,” “Danny”) to jazz-inflected pop (“Morning Becomes You”). The arrangements are sparse, consisting solely of Friedman’s acoustic guitar and voice, with the exception of lead guitar by Peter Kaukonen (brother of Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna’s Jorma, and creator of Constant Companion’s cover art). Friedman’s wide stylistic range suggests that the suits at Reprise may have been a little too eager to force her into the role of “the next Joni”; several of her songs cry out for further orchestration (the fingerstyle guitar intro to “Looking Back Over Your Shoulder” being one case in point). While they work as acoustic compositions, they may have benefited from more complex arrangements, as does the post-album single “Carry On (Glittering Dancer),” a quirky track that indulges in Van Dyke Parks-style baroque orchestrations (apparently Parks and Friedman were briefly an item, and he executive produced the track.) Given the fact that Friedman hasn’t recorded anything since, Constant Companion can hardly help but evoke imaginings of what might have been had she stayed in the business longer. As it stands, though, the album is a fine effort, and its rescue from the archives is certainly to be applauded. -Dusted-

Track Title

1. Topsy-Turvy Moon
2. Piper's Call
3. Fairy Prince Rainbow Man
4. Too Late To Be Mourning
5. Ringing Bells
6. Looking Back Over Your Shoulder
7. People
8. Morning Becomes You
9. Peaceable Kingdom
10. No Time
11. Danny
12. Look Up To The Sun
13. Carry On (Glittering Dancer)* *Bonus Track Length

Line Up and Credits

Ruthann Friedman - Vocals, Guitar Peter Kaukonen - Improv Electric Guitar on Morning Becomes You Van Dyke Parks - Executive Producer [Carry On (Glittering Dancer)] Ed Thrasher - Art Direction (Original Release)

Bitrate 320

Link removed as requested by the artist

Constant Companion

Monday, August 21, 2006

Judee Sill - Judee Sill (1971)



Judee Sill was a true original. A singer-songwriter with a wealth of influences and a fascination with religion, she referred to her work as "country-cult-baroque." She was the first artist signed to David Geffen's Asylum label, and, along with Joni Mitchell and Carole King, exemplified the breezy "Laurel Canyon Sound" of the early '70s. Sill scored moderate hits with "Lady-O" (originally written for The Turtles) and "Jesus Was A Cross Maker" and released two albums -- 1971's Judee Sill and 1973's Heart Food -- before suffering chronic pain and eventually dying of a drug overdose at age 35.
Sill grew up in Oakland, California, and began playing piano at age three. A troubled family life and brushes with the law landed her in reform school, where, as church organist, she developed the gospel style that would characterize her future recordings. After a stint in college and three down-and-out years of addiction, she cleaned up and began work on her dream of becoming a songwriter. She spent a short time penning songs for The Turtles' production company before signing her own deal with Asylum.
For her self-titled debut, Sill gathered a production team that included Jim Pons and John Beck of The Leaves, as well as engineer/producer Henry Lewy, known for his work with Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, The Flying Burrito Brothers, and Leonard Cohen. Her guitar playing provides the foundation for most of the songs, joined by various combinations of pedal steel, strings, and brass. "Jesus Was A Cross Maker," built on a bed of Sill's gospel-flavored piano, was produced by Graham Nash and crafted as a single. Rich with cosmic imagery and ambiguously spiritual lyrics, the songs on Judee Sill often blur the line between the earthly and the divine.

Bitrate 320

http://rapidshare.com/files/6625815/JSJS.rar

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Robin Scott - Woman From The Warm Grass (1969)




Beautiful folk-rock album with psychedelic touches.Thoughtful, earnest, acoustic guitar-led folk ballads. Backing on the album came from psychedelic legends Mighty Baby. With vinyl copies changing hands for hundreds of pounds, it's finally available on CD, showing itself to be a lost gem of British acid folk.

Robin Scott's 1969 album Woman from the Warm Grass was very much in the mold of many British folk-ground artists of the time who were gingerly making the transition to a folk-rock sound. In fact, in material and presentation, Scott was fairly similar in feel to a few other artists that producer Sandy Roberton worked with, including Al Jones, Keith Christmas, and Shelagh McDonald. Scott's vocals and songs were earnest and verbose, with the reflective fragile moodiness (and yearning, sometimes florid romanticism) found in many British folk/folk-rock singer/songwriters of the era, from Al Stewart and Donovan on down. As artists in this genre go, Scott's pleasant and reasonably interesting, though not distinguished. He and Roberton do vary the arrangements, sometimes opting for just solo acoustic guitar and voice, at others using full rock backing from the band Mighty Baby. Generally, the unplugged tracks work better; "The Sound of Rain," with subdued orchestration backing the acoustic guitar, has the sort of narrative-oriented mystical acid folk pioneered by Donovan, while "Song of the Sun" has the poetic wordy gray melancholy very particular to this period of British folk. So there's a lot here for listeners who dig this particular micro-style in general, with the notable exception of an overwhelmingly strong vocal or songwriting individuality, though Scott's likable enough. [The 2006 CD reissue on Sunbeam adds a nice bonus cut from a BBC session, "Tattoed Lady," that doesn't appear on the original album in any form. This track has lead singing by Scott's girlfriend of the time, Penny Lamb (with Scott on guitar and vocal harmonies), and a slightly brighter, poppier, and more melodic feel than the material that had been recorded for the LP.] ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide


1. The Sailor
2. Song of the Sun
3. The Sound of Rain
4. Penelope
5. The Day Begins
6. Woman From The Warm Grass
7. I Am Your Suitcase Lover
8. Mara's Supper
9. Point Of Leaving
10. The Purple Cadger
11. Tattooed Lady [Bonus Track]

Download selected tracks 2, 3, 4

http://rapidshare.de/files/25905546/Robin_Scott_-_Woman_From_The_Warm_Grass__1969_.rar

Sunday, June 4, 2006

Justin Heathcliff - Justin Heathcliff (1971)




Beautiful laid back trippy Japanese psych album. Strong compositions, English vocals and a late '60's UK psychedelic rock/pop sound make this better than many UK albums of the era! Superb from start to finish. Featured on the Love Peace and Poetry series.


http://rapidshare.com/files/6625786/Justin_Heathcliff_-_Justin_Heathcliff__1971_.rar


PW: lysergia.blogspot.com


Saturday, June 3, 2006

Baldwin And Leps - Baldwin And Leps (1971)




Great album from 1971 by a New York hippie folk duo who use guitar and fiddle to embellish their songs about dope, social issues and headin' west. This can best be described as hippie folk with a strong rural vibe and features top quality musicianship and vocals. Open air, back to the country, freedom music.

http://rapidshare.com/files/6626434/Baldwin_And_Leps_-_Baldwin_And_Leps__1971_.rar

PW: lysergia.blogspot.com

Monday, May 15, 2006

Magenta - Canterbury Moon (1978)



Recorded in 1978 this is a fine and rare slice of UK folk rock with great interchange male/female vocals over lilting acoustic tracks that use a selection of instruments such as dulcimers, mandolins, guitars, flutes etc.

http://rapidshare.com/files/6625828/Magenta_-_Canterbury_Moon__1978_.rar

PW: lysergia.blogspot.com

Sunday, May 14, 2006

Flower Travellin' Band - Satori (1972)




"Satori" is the second album, after they had changed their name. It contains five long songs, titled "Satori Part I-V". The whole album had a very special atmosphere. It's not easy to describe, maybe mystical, dark and melancholic are some words I like to drop. In some songs, as in "Satori Part I", they play some kind of a proto epic Doom, brutal heavy riffs with nice tempo-changes. The clear and high voice of singer Joe completes this great song. But it's different to BLACK SABBATH. I think, you can hear, that FLOWER TRAVELLIN' BAND are strongly influenced through ancient Japanese/Eastern music. Like the second song "Satori II" , an instrumental, which starts with a hypnotic psychedelic guitarsound and then turns into a instrumental part with Eastern percussion. But the song doesn't "freak-out" into a endless jam. The band played still very compact. "Satori III" is a very doomy instrumental. The song is like a crossover between Doom/Heavyrock and this typical ancient touch. It changes into a heavy groovy part which goes into something experimental and then back to the opening theme with an oriental-like ending. Really fantastic! "Satori IV"starts more progressive to change then into a groovy Blues part with a harmonica. Joe had a very unique vocal-style on "Satori Part V", maybe not everybodys flavour. The album closes with this song, that goes more in it the Heavy-Prog direction. At least, the production sounds very clear and powerful. Finally,I will give you the advice to discover the world of FLOWER TRAVELLIN' BAND, if you're into early 70's Heavyrock. The original is not easy to find, but there is a CD re-release on WEA, only released in Japan.
Review taken from cosmiclava.de/FLOWER_TRAVELLIN__BAND.27.0.html

http://rapidshare.com/files/6625797/Flower_Travellin__Band_-_Satori__1972_.rar

PW: lysergia.blogspot.com

Saturday, April 29, 2006

Bachdenkel - Lemmings (1970)



Bachdenkel were located in France and as a result, they were not fully updated about the contamporary currents of British prog of the era, this worked in their favour as they used influences of the late 60's and updated them independently, they mix influences from the Beatles' Psychedelic era, singer-songwriters such as Joni Mitchell and Eastern and Hippie music and philosophy in a "Progressive" context. The result is magnificent, great songs with beautiful and unusual lyrics, great music and Swinburne's unique and warm vocals makes this album a great listening experience, a true masterpiece and highly recommended. (Gil Keltch)

Tracklist:

1. Translation
2. Equals
3. An Appointment With The Master
4. The Settlement Song
5. Long Time Living
6. Strangerstill
7. Come All Ye Faceless
8. The Slightest Distance
9. Donna
10. A Thousand Pages Before

Bachdenkel - Lemmings (1970)

Thursday, April 13, 2006

Brandywine Bridge - The Grey Lady (1977)



Mid 70's UK Folk rarity featuring fragile folk music played on treble recorder mandolin, guitar, banjo, bodhran etc. This three piece trad folk band at no time gives up its distinctly British musical flavour and the end results are beautifully memorable.


Tracklist:

1. Bodhran Jigs
2. The Grey Lady
3. Evening Aire
4. New Jigs
5. King Richard III
6. Forced Duty
7. Quorn Dollies
8. Fisherman's Night Song
9. Barrow Bumps
10. Jack Hall

http://rapidshare.com/files/6626594/Brandywine_Bridge_-_The_Grey_Lady__1977_.rar

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

It's A Beautiful Day - Marrying Maiden (1970)



The second album from 1970 is an exceedingly more pastoral effort than the band's self-titled debut. As many of the Bay Area groups — most notably the Grateful Dead with Workingman's Dead and American Beauty — had begun to do, the band realigns its sound from the dark psychedelia of its earlier works and into a lighter and earthier country-flavored rock. Marrying Maiden does, however, continue highlighting both the sextet's stellar instrumental proficiencies as well as vocals — featuring the entire band — throughout.
Not as good as their selftitled debut but still very enjoyable music.

Tracklist:

1. Don and Dewey
2. The Dolphins
3. Essence of Now
4. Hoedown
5. Soapstone Mountain
6. Waiting for the Song
7. Let a Woman Flow
8. It Comes Right Down to You
9. Good Lovin'
10. Galileo
11. Do You Remember the Sun?

http://rapidshare.com/files/6626590/It_s_A_Beautiful_Day_-_Marrying_Maiden__1970_.rar

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

McDonald And Giles - McDonald And Giles (1970)



Originally released in 1970. These ex King Crimson pair teamed up to record a stunningly beautiful album with rich musical textures and Abbey Road-esque vocal arrangements and full orchestration, the album continued where their work in King Crimson left off and featured a guest appearance by Steve Winwood. This is a gem that requires immediate attention.

http://rapidshare.com/files/6626430/McDonald_And_Giles_-_McDonald_And_Giles__1970_.rar

Saturday, February 25, 2006

Pearls Before Swine - The Use Of Ashes (1970)



Their fourth album (second for Warner/Reprise) released in 1970 continued the tradition of psychedelic dreamy poetic musing and added a small orchestra of strings to add a classical feel. The album features songs written by Tom Rapp whilst living in Holland including the superb "The Jeweler". Subversive, tender, moving, goofy, maddening, and profound PBS and Tom Rapp created some of the best and timeless musical poetry of the '60's and '70's.

Tracklist

1. Jeweler
2. From the Movie of the Same Name
3. Rocket Man
4. God Save the Child
5. Song About a Rose
6. Tell Me Why
7. Margery
8. Old Man
9. Riegal
10.When the War Began

http://rapidshare.com/files/6626496/Pearls_Before_Swine_-_The_Use_Of_Ashes__1970_.rar

Thursday, February 23, 2006

Horslips - The Tain (1973)



Perhaps the best known of the Irish bands' albums, this 1973 release was a concept album, detailing one of ancient Erin's most famous folk tales. Combining mournful traditional Celtic music with long haired rock was a masterstroke which can be heard to fine effect on this reissue. An album that appeals to folk rock and progressive rock fans alike.

By any standards this album is a masterpiece of quality celtic rock.
Concept albums rarely work, but this does so spectacularly. It tells the ancient legend of a cattle raid in Ulster in prehistoric times, using traditional tunes as the basis of the songs and mixing traditional instruments such as fiddle, pipes and concertina alongside the standard rock format. There is a flow and coherence which is truly marvellous. Even more remarkable is that they repeated the feat with the Book of Invasions a few years later.
It is helped by the fact that the band are musicians of the highest order, but their strength is the magic of the songs and tunes which are constructed quite perfectly. There are no fillers and no tracks which fall below the general standard of excellence. The stand out tracks include Dearg Doom, with its phenomenenal riff which makes it a disco hit 30 years later, Faster Than the Hound and Charolais.
Comparisons have been made with Jethro Tull, largely due to the extensive use of the flute, but Jim Lockhart plays it even better than Ian Anderson, good though he is. (progarchives.com)


Tracklist:

1. Setanta
2. Maeve's Court
3. Charolais
4. The March
5. You Can't Fool The Beast
6. Dearg Doom
7. Ferdia's Song
8. Gae Bolga (1:23)
9. Cu Chulainn's Lament
10. Faster Than The Hound
11. The Silver Spear
12. More Than You Can Chew
13. The Morrigan's Dream
14. Time To Kill

http://rapidshare.de/files/13937468/Horslips_-_The_T_in__1973_.rar

Saturday, February 18, 2006

Roy Harper - Folkjokeopus (1969)



Eccentric, prolific British singer/songwriter Roy Harper is a legend on the U.K. folk-rock scene. He began recording in the late 1960s, as something of a cross between Bob Dylan's troubadourism and Syd Barrett's freewheeling, wild-eyed visions. Though Harper has had an impact on British rockers who gained greater fame (he's feted in Led Zeppelin's "Hats Off To Roy Harper," sings lead on Pink Floyd's "Have a Cigar," and was a major influence on Jethro Tull), his mix of folk and prog-rock has earned him a niche all his own in the pantheon of British songwriters.

Tracklist:

1. Sgt.Sunshine
2. She's the one
3. In the time of water
4. Composer of life
5. One for all
6. Exercising some control
7. McGoohan's blues
8. Manana

http://rapidshare.de/files/12890347/Roy_Harper_-_Folkjokeopus__1969_.rar

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Hölderlin - Hölderlins Traum (1972)



First album by this German band who started off with progressive folk rock leanings. This is possibly their best album richly textured and with a gorgeous female vocal and stands up with the best of seventies Kraut Rock for its invention and sheer class. A ravishing album, very folk, acoustic and dreamy with nice, abundant female vocals. This is their best and unique highly recommended effort they made. Celestial and floating kraut / folk music whose approach can be compared with Bröselmaschine, Emtidi and others. An eastern flavour is added by the use of the sitar, also a subtle jazzy guitar touch, mainly improvised for long solo interludes. Specials guests as Walter Westrupp, Peter Bursch contribute to make this album an inspired progressive rock item with many acoustic ingredients added in a kind of fusion style. Hölderlins Traum is very fine for every prog folk lovers.

Tracklist:


1. Waren Wir
2. Peter
3. Strohhalm
4. Reqiem Für Einen Wicht
5. Erwachen
6. Wetterbericht
7. Traum

http://rapidshare.de/files/13308215/Hoelderlin_-_Hoelderlins_Traum.rar

Friday, February 10, 2006

Spirit - Spirit (1968)



1968 debut from the US psychedelic rock band. A dark haunting classic album that contains "Fresh Garbage," "Uncle Jack," "Mechcanical World," and "Elijah" all laced with superb guitar work, vocal harmonies and production. Randy California's guitar is always in evidence, but it's the band interplay and sense of space that makes this one of the great debut albums of the genre.

The original lineup of the group was Randy California (guitars), Jay Ferguson (vocals), Mark Andess (bass), California's stepfather, drummer Ed Cassidy, and keyboard player John Locke. The new band was originally named the Spirits Rebellious (after a book by Khalil Gibran) but was soon shortened simply to Spirit. All but Locke had been part of the band The Red Roosters in 1965. California (then still known by his birth name of Randy Wolfe) had also played with Jimi Hendrix (then known as Jimmy James) in Jimmy James and the Blue Flames for three months in 1966.
Ed Cassidy is notable as one of the most accomplished drummers in rock and was instantly recognizable by his shaven head and proclivity to wear black. He was considerably older than the rest of the group (he was born in 1923). His earlier career was primarily in jazz and included stints with Cannonball Adderley, Gerry Mulligan, Roland Kirk and Lee Konitz prior to joining Spirit, he was a founder member of Rising Sons with Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder.
Following a period of gigging around Los Angeles, the group attained quite a reputation. Brian Berry, the brother of Jan Berry (of Jan & Dean), heard the group and made arrangements for them to record a demo. The demo eventually made its way into the hands of Lou Adler, who was in the process of forming a new record label, Ode Records, which was distributed by Epic Records.
The group's first album, Spirit, was released in 1968. Though it didn't spawn any hit singles (the track Mechanical World was released as a single [with a humorous label on the 45 which lists the playing time as merely being "very long", despite the fact that it is prematurely faded in order to shorten its length a bit], but it missed the Top 100), it was a substantial underground hit, making it to #31 on the charts and staying on the charts for over 8 months.

Following the relative success of their first album, they capitalized on it with a single, I Got A Line On You. Released slightly before their second album, The Family That Plays Together (which came out in November of 1968), it became their biggest hit single. They also went on tour that year, with Led Zeppelin opening for them (who were obviously listening to the headliners, as they were known to cover Fresh Garbage in concert, used the Theremin after seeing Randy use a model that he had mounted to his guitar, and would later appropriate the Spirit instrumental Taurus for their Stairway To Heaven.

Taken from Wikipedia

Tracklist

1. Fresh-Garbage
2. Uncle Jack
3. Mechanical World
4. Taurus
5. Girl In Your Eye
6. Straight Arrow
7. Topanga Windows
8. Gramophone Man
9. Water Woman
10. The Great Canyon Fire In General
11. Elijah
12. Veruska [Bonus]
13. Free Spirit [Bonus]
14. If I Had A Woman [Bonus]
15. Elijah [Alternate Take - Bonus]

Download

Spirit

Saturday, February 4, 2006

Pearls Before Swine - Balaklava (1968)



Balaklava is one of the most extraordinary, sublime and sophisticated protest albums of 1968. To many, this album represents Tom Rapp's surrealist song-craft in perfection. Not a foot-stamping anti-Vietnam war album but a complex and psychedelic masterwork that touches on Tennyson and Tolkien in a sublime metaphorical fashion. Tom Rapp is among the most erudite, intellectual songwriters of the American '60s era.

The psychedelic folk band Pearls Before Swine was the brainchild of singer, composer and cult icon Tom Rapp, born in Bottineau, ND in 1947; after writing his first song at age six, he later began performing at local talent shows, and as a teen bested a young Bob Dylan at one such event. Upon relocating to Melbourne, FL, Rapp formed Pearls Before Swine in 1965, recruiting high school friends Wayne Harley, Lane Lederer and Roger Crissinger to record a demo which he then sent to the ESP-Disk label; the company quickly signed the group, and they soon travelled to New York to record their superb 1967 debut One Nation Underground, which went on to sell some 250,000 copies. The explicitly anti-war Balaklava, widely regarded as Pearls Before Swine's finest work, followed in 1968; the group -- by this time essentially comprising Rapp and whoever else was in the studio at the moment -- moved to Reprise for 1969's These Things Too, mounting their first-ever tour in the wake of releasing The Use of Ashes a year later. Two more albums, City of Gold and Beautiful Lies You Could Live In, followed in 1971; moving to Blue Thumb, Rapp resurfaced as a solo artist with 1972's Stardancer, but upon the release of Sunforest a year later he then retired from music, subsequently becoming a civil rights attorney. Frequently cited as a key influence by the likes of Damon & Naomi, the Bevis Frond and the Japanese psych band Ghost, Rapp made an unexpected return to live performance in mid-1998 when he appeared at the Terrastock festival in Providence, RI, joining son Dave and his indie-pop band Shy Camp; he soon began work on 1999's A Journal of the Plague Year, his first new LP in over two decades. Constructive Melancholy, a retrospective of Pearls Before Swine's tenure on Reprise, also appeared that same year. This sparked renewed interest in the band, with Water music releasing a box set of the Reprise material in 2003 (Jewels Were the Stars) as well as a set of unreleased demo and live recordings entitled The Wizard of Is. ESP also remastered and combined their first two albums as The Complete ESP-Disk Recordings in 2005.

Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide

Tracklist:


1. Trumpeter Landfrey
2. Translucent Carriages
3. Images Of April
4. There Was A Man
5. I Saw The World
6. Guardian Angels
7. Suzanne
8. Lepers & Roses
9. Florence Nightingale
10. Ring Thing

http://rapidshare.de/files/12569869/Pearls_Before_Swine_-_Balaklava__1968_.rar

Monday, January 30, 2006

Fresh Maggots - Fresh Maggots (1971)



Long lost UK folk rock album from 1971. Fresh Maggots were just two people, Mick Burgoyne and Leigh Dolphin, (they came from Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England) and they played melodic acid folk-rock with electric (heavy on the fuzz side) and acoustic guitar mixed with glockenspiel, tambourine, violin, tin whistles and harmony vocals. The results are stunning particularly on the evergreen "Rosemary Hill" which features some beautiful harmonies. The electric fuzz guitar kicks in at various points on the record to startling effect, particularly evident on "Everyone's gone to War". If there was such a genre as garage folk then this it. The original vinyl is very much sought-after today and almost impossible to find.

Long established as a cult classic and collector’s grail, Mick Burgoyne and Leigh Dolphin’s sole album is presented here with their full co-operation. Recorded in 1971 when they were just 19 years old and fresh to the studio, "Fresh Maggots" is one of the best distillations of folk and psychedelia ever recorded. Varying in tone from heavy rock (‘Frustration’) to protest (‘Everybody’s Gone To War’), social commentary (‘Dole Song’) and pastoral (‘Rosemary Hill’), it’s a highly unusual and powerful record that enjoyed extravagant acclaim on release but sold poorly and has never been officially issued since. Original pressings are notoriously badly pressed, so this reissue is sure to be rapturously welcomed by all lovers of acid folk.

Tracklist:

1. Dole Song
2. Rosemary Hill
3. Quickie
4. Everyone's Gone To War
5. And When She Laughs
6. Spring
7. Balloon Song
8. Guzz Up
9. Who's To Die
10. Elizabeth R
11. Frustration

Fresh Maggots...Hatched

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Subway - Subway (1972)



A beautiful and very rare album from the annals of European psychedelic/folk/prog circa 1972. Subway were a half American, half British duo, living in France, who released 200 copies of this, their self titled album, on vinyl, and promptly disappeared without trace. Their sole 'gigging' consisted of busking in Paris subways- hence the band's name- and to add to the legend, it seems that most of the unsold copies were melted, which was usual French practice!! The music itself is dark, psychedelically inclined folk with elements of freeform prog: somewhere betwixt Comus and the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, but with less instruments.

Liner Notes:

Subway: It is not a group. It is a duo. It is not an ordinary duo. Composed of IRV, the guitarist, singer and author-composer - he is American; of MALCOLM, violinist - he is English.
IRV arrives in England where he meets MALCOM and they start working together. Sometimes later, they decide to try to break in France. But it is not so easy. They have no more money and sing in the underground to earn their living. Their music is surprising and very personal. All the titles included in this album are IRV's compositions.

Tracklist:

1. I Am A Child
2. Song For Sinking Shelters
3. Warm You Are
4. All The Good Things
5. Enturbulaton - Free Form
6. Arizona Sands
7. Rosanna Of The Roses
8.Can I Trade With You My Mind

http://rapidshare.de/files/16769274/Subway_-_Subway__1972_.rar

Sunday, January 22, 2006

Embryo - Father Son And Holy Ghosts (1972)



Third album by German legends Embryo, originally released in 1972. A cool set of trippy jazzy rock with plenty of keyboard led jams. This is one of the bands more commercial releases yet it does not sacrifice the experimentation that made the band so admired. Great Krautrock by one of the top 10 German bands of the 70's.

Tracklist:

1. The Special Trip
2. Nightmares
3. King Insano
4. Free
5. The Sun Song
6. Marimbaroos
7. Forgotten Sea

http://rapidshare.de/files/11567041/Embryo_-_Father_Son_And_Holy_Ghosts__1972_.rar

Saturday, January 21, 2006

The Moody Blues - Days Of Future Passed (1967)



This 1967 album was one of the first of the progressive rock genre. The first mainstream release to feature a rock band and orchestra playing together, and being a linked suite of songs on a common theme, this of course spawned the massive hit single "Nights In White Satin." It also includes the haunting "Tuesday Afternoon", and the frankly evil sounding 'Twilight Time'. A groundbreaking album in rock and roll history, and one everybody should own. Although not the first concept album ever (that honour may fall to Joe Meek's "I Hear A New World" seven years earlier) it's fair to say all that was ever regarded as 'prog' started here, although the band themselves never liked the term and of course moved away from it into an AOR-MOR direction. Nevertheless, this album is as important as 'Sgt Pepper' 'Pet Sounds' 'Forever Changes' 'SF Sorrow' 'Odessey And Oracle' 'Ogdens Nut Gone Flake' and 'Village Green Preservation Society', and to count the amount of bands its sound influenced would take a whole week.
(Freak Emporium)


Tracklist:

1. The Day Begins
2. Dawn, Dawn Is A Feeling
3. The Morning, Another Morning
4. Lunch Break, Peak Hour
5. The Afternoon a) Forever Afternoon (Tuesday?) b) (Evening) Time To Get Away
6. Evening a) The Sun Set b) Twilight Time
7. The Night - Nights In White Satin

http://rapidshare.com/files/33509367/DOFP.rar

Thursday, January 19, 2006

John Mayall - The Turning Point (1969)



Recorded just after Mick Taylor departed for the Stones, John Mayall eliminated drums entirely on this live recording. With mostly acoustic guitars and John Almond on flutes and sax, Mayall and his band, as his typically overblown liner notes state, "explore seldom-used areas within the framework of low volume music." But it does work. The all-original material is flowing and melodic, with long jazzy grooves that don't lose sight of their bluesy underpinnings. Lyrically, Mayall stretches out a bit into social comment on "The Laws Must Change" on this fine, meditative mood album.

Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

John Mayall was best known as a key figure in the '60s British blues boom, fronting a band containing future members of Cream, Fleetwood Mac and Colosseum among others. However, after releasing a number of rock-edged electric blues albums, Mayall changed direction in 1969. Recorded live at New York's Fillmore East, 'The Turning Point' finds Mayall fronting an all-acoustic four-piece including guitarist Jon Mark and sax player Johnny Almond, who would later gain renown as the progressive rock outfit Mark-Almond. With the new format allowing for a greater degree of subtlety, Mayall offers a blend of blues, folk, and jazz, seamlessly mixed into a new paradigm. Lest you forget that this was 1969, things open up with the pro-pot anthem "The Laws Must Change." The centerpiece of the album, and a Mayall concert staple thereafter, is "Room to Move," a breathless, frenetic number where Mayall shows off his harp chops and gets the audience worked up as only a real blues man can.

Tracklist:

1. The Laws Must Change
2. Saw Mill Gulch Road
3. I'm Gonna Fight for You J.B.
4. So Hard to Share
5. California
6. Thoughts About Roxanne
7. Room to Move

http://rapidshare.de/files/16774384/John_Mayall_-_The_Turning_Point__1969_.rar

Monday, January 16, 2006

Limbus 3 - Cosmic Music Experience (1969)



Limbus 3 are:

Odysseus Artnern, Bernd Henninger & Gerd Kraus

Tracklist:

1. Oneway Trip
2. Valiha
3. Breughel's Hochzeitstanz
4. New Atlantis (Islands Near Utopia)

Bitrate 192

http://rapidshare.de/files/11174675/Limbus_3_-_Cosmic_Music_Experience__1969_.rar

Limbus 4 - Mandalas (1970)



Here comes the 2nd Limbus album (their even more obscure debut from 1969, under the name Limbus 3, has been bootlegged on CD by Germanofon & is legitimately available on LP via the Batschong label), which was originally issued by OHR in 1970. A fantastic dose of early 70s German freeform weirdness and an essential reissue for the tuned-out community. Formed in 1968, Limbus were a most unusual band who grew a unique music out of jazz, folk and avant-garde roots. As the more varied instrumental quartet Limbus 4, with swirling organ, studio effects and a most bizarre use of kazoos, Mandalas has perplexed and confused many. Limbus 4 were certainly one of a kind.

Limbus 4 are:
Odysseus Artnern, Bernd Henninger, Matthias Knieper & Gerd Kraus (piano, bass, cello, viola, violin, flutes, percussion, tablas)

Tracklist:

1. Dhyana
2. Kundalini
3. Heiku
4. Plasma

Bitrate 192

http://rapidshare.de/files/11176690/Limbus_4_-_Mandalas__1970_.rar

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Sandrose - Sandrose (1972)



Beautiful flowing 1972 album by this mellow French progressive band featuring superb keyboard and guitar interplay and female vocals. In places sounds a bit like Julian's Treatment and Earth And Fire. Very rare on vinyl and one of the classic '70s Europe progressive rock albums.

The major attraction within the line-up no doubt is that of vocalist Rose Podwojny, who constantly balances between the raunchy approach of a Grace Slick and that of an authentic Jazz diva. Others have placed her voice in between that of Linda Hoyle and Julian’s Treatment singer Cathy Pruden. Based around the talented guitarist Jean-Pierre Alarcen, Sandrose rose out of the ashes of another French cult band called Eden Rose. Whilst mellotron and Hammond are to be found throughout the lengthy instrumental passages, most of the attention goes towards Rose Podwojny, who has often been compared to Dutch singer Jerney Kaagman, whilst from a musical perspective Sandrose was often compared to Earth & Fire, Kaagman’s band. To my ears, Rose’s voice sounds much more trained, with more vibrato and able to shine in many other musical styles, something we can’t say from the rather limited voice of Jerney Kaagman. Also, from the point of view that this concerns a French band, Rose’s prononciation of the English language is perfect. No doubt the highlight of this album has to be the unrivaled prowess of "Underground Session," which really contains every single element from the book of symphonic rock highlights. This track alone is worth the money of the entire album. It nicely alternates calm passages and more heavy outbursts in order to create the true identity of authentic prog.
The dreamy "Summer Is Yonder" could well be an outtake from Focus or Pulsar, once again not being obtrusive in any way and fully composing the arrangement in favour of Rose’s high pitched vocals here. Although the song has a slight medieval feel at times, it’s mainly the Akkerman-like guitar from Alarcen combined with the organ that delivers the Focus likeness. When Rose isn’t singing, the rest of the band most definitely prove that they are also outstanding musicians, leaning heavilly towards jazz and fusion as demonstrated during the rhythmic "Metakara," displaying the typical Hammond from the seventies. All in all, this still is a wonderful album to listen to even though it has been released more than thirty years ago. Some of the sounds may be dated but the way the compositions are made still vouch for great creativity. Chauvinistic as they are, the French rate this album as being one of the world’s top ten progressive albums of all time. I wouldn’t go as far as saying top ten but it most definitely merits a place in the world’s best 100 prog albums of all time, and that alone is a fantastic achievement, knowing there are thousands and thousands of albums out there whilst Sandrose only made this single debut.

Reviewed by John Bollenberg on progressiveworld.net

Tracklist:


1. Vision
2. Never Good At Sayin´ Good-Bye
3. Underground Session
4. Old Dom Is Dead
5. To Take Him Away
6.Summer Is Yonder
7. Metakara
8. Fraulein Kommen Sie Schlaffen Mit Mir (to all who speak German: it's written exactly like that, no spelling mistakes...! )

Sandrose - Sandrose (1972)

Monday, January 9, 2006

Big Boy Pete - Homage To Catatonia - The Psychedelic Adventures Of Pete Miller (1966 - 1969)



Great collection of unreleased psych-pop weirdness by the guy who created the monsterous "Cold Turkey" on 'Chocolate Soup', supposedly recorded in the '60s... Great UK style psych gems... anyone familiar with the killer "Cold Turkey" will know what to expect....

Even in his home town San Francisco, few people are aware that the quietly spoken Englishman, Pete Miller, whose recording studio has serviced hundreds of bands since opening its doors in 1977, is in fact, Big Boy Pete. The enigmatic psychedelic legend from the sixties.
If you have never heard of Big Boy Pete, you may not be alone. But if you're an avid record collector, you will know that his 1968 45rpm disc "Cold Turkey" is now a prized collector's item. (It commanded a $400 reserve price at last year's Sothebys Rock and Roll auction in London). The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland, U.S., includes this record in its list of Psychedelic Classics. Big Boy Pete's name is painted on the museum wall right next to the Beatles' name.
Pete's sixties recordings have been re-released in England for the past couple of years on the Tenth Planet label. They are now becoming available in the US courtesy of Gear Fab Records, Bacchus Archives (a subsidiary of Dionysus Records), and 3 Acre Floor Records.
But wait! There's yet another interesting facet of Pete's career. Probably not a single student of the Audio Institute of America
(and there have been thousands in over 100 countries around the world), realise that Big Boy Pete is the Founder and President of this State licensed educational school for recording engineers.
Pete engineered his first recording in 1959. He was in one of the bands from the original British invasion of the sixties. (Lead guitarist of The Jaywalkers, who toured extensively with the Beatles and Stones in those glorious years). He also had a solo recording contract with Columbia Records under yet another name - "Miller". The single "Baby I Got News for You" is another sought after collector's 45.


taken from bigboypete.com

Tracklist:

1. Sheer Lunacy (1966)
2. Crocogators (1966)
3. I Am Seldom 21 (1967)
4. Knit Me A Kiss (1966)
5. 1,500,000 Volts (1967)
6. Captain Of My Toy Ballon (1968)
7. John Celery (1969)
8. Paranoia (1968)
9. Chinaman (1966)
10.Music Created By Dust (1966)
11.A Dog Called Doug (1967)
12. The Procession (1969)
13. The Candleman (1967)

14. The Treacle Dance (1968)

Homage to Catatonia: The Psychedelic Adventures of Pete Miller

Sunday, January 8, 2006

Vinegar - Vinegar (1971)



One and only album by German underground band Vinegar originally released in 1971. Musically in style of early Pink Floyd, progressive but very psychedelic, long instrumental tracks but also with female vocalist reminding of Nico. One of the lost treasures from Germany and very sought after!

Recorded on January 9th, 1971 in Studio Rottenburg, Vinegar’s self-titled album was released on LP in a limited edition of 1,000 copies! I’ve read opinions from folks describing Vinegar’s sound as rather Floydian. While this is true, it should be noted that the group sounds much more like a cross between Amon Duul II and Pink Floyd. With that being said, one can easily hear the Floyd influence in the spacey organ, drum fills, slide guitar, and occasional celestial vocals. Likewise, the Amon Düül II influence can be heard in the violin, vocals, and the guitar riffs. Overall, the two styles are combined rather nicely into a sort of progressive-garage-space rock sound. Highlights from the album include ‘Der Kaiser Auf Der Erbse’, ‘Fleisch’, And ‘Sawmill’. ‘Der Kaiser Auf Der Erbse’ begins with a violin solo which reminds me of Edgar Hoffman from Embryo. From there the track switches gears and turns into a rock track with intentionally unintelligible vocals which could be described as Faust-like. Containing a Floydian organ and drum beat, ‘Fleisch’ slowly introduces distorted guitar and bass into the mix before a celestial vocal kicks in and the track begins to take shape in the classically themed “A Saucerful of Secrets” sort of way. Finally, ‘Sawmill’ showcases the bands mixture of Duul and Floyd influence. ‘Sawmill’ starts out as a psychedelic garage rocker with female vocals (reminiscent of Renate Knaup) before taking a spacey turn and sounding like Sysyphus off of Ummagumma. From here the track revives its garage sound before fading out into part 2 which is dominated by an Amon Duul approach. Overall, the album is a satisfying first effort which, sadly, was never followed up due to their break up in late 1971.
(Review taken from krautrockgroup.com)

Tracklist:

1. Missi Solis
2. Sawmill Teil I
3. Sawmill Teil II
4. Der Kaiser Auf Der Erbse
5. Fleisch

Vinegar - Vinegar (1971)

Saturday, January 7, 2006

Gothic Horizon - The Jason Lodge Poetry Book (1970)



Beautiful debut album by UK band Gothic Horizon. The music exposed on this album is highly unique, transparent and fragile. Kinda like Left Banke meets Honeybus larded and sauced with UK folk. A real beautiful album. Originally released on Argo in 1970.

Gothic Horizon made two albums: 'The Jason Lodge Poetry Book' (Argo ZFB 26) 1970, which also gained an American release: ([USA:] London PS592) 1971; and 'Tomorrow Is Another day' (Argo ZDA 150) 1972. Their music is not gloomy, brooding, damp, ghoulish, dark, threatening, creepy, bloody, horrifying or any of the other adjectives which spring to mind when one thinks of "Gothic". Instead it is warm, chatty, light, breezy, informal, witty. The albums are sometimes hyped as "psych-pop" (the former especially on account of its convoluted title and colourful pop-art cover) or even "acid-folk", but essentially they are neither of these things; they tends mostly towards folk and acousticism. However there are some tracks here to delight the psychedelically-inclined. The title track of the first album, 'The Jason Lodge Poetry Book', is great. Complex pop of sufficient quality to delight the pop-syke faithful. 'Song For Susan' is so close in sound and style to Fairfield Parlour that it just about escapes charges of plagiarism. 'A J Lone's Dog' is ragtime pop; and unsurprisingly with a title like 'Willow Tree Vale Song' this song is folk. But 'A Third For Jason Lodge' is very weird. Bizarre changes and references to flying, mushrooms and toadstools! (by Dave Thubron)

Tracklist:

1. The Jason Lodge Poetry Book
2. Song For Susan
3. Odysseus
4. A.J. Lone's Dog
5. Willow Tree Vale Song
6. Six Summers Back
7. Song
8. Althea Williams
9. Wilhelmina Before Sunrise
10. St. Valentine's Day Massacre
11. A Third For Jason Lodge
12. Pisces
13. A Farewell Ode To Port Sunlight

Gothic Horizon - The Jason Lodge Poetry Book (1970)