The Always Blue Society

Tom Zé - Todos os Olhos (1973)

2010-04-06T20:34:00.003-04:00

Tom Zé might be from outer space. Of the Tropicalistas, Zé was probably the most avant garde and prone to Dadaist urges, and his first album was a clattering, messy masterpiece of the late 60s Brazilian movement. Then Tropicalia proper lost momentum and its two main figureheads (Gil and Veloso) were exiled. However he continued to explore musically into the 70s but, while many of his contemporaries essentially became pop stars, Zé fell out of the public eye which, to be frank, he was never really in to begin with.

Todos os Olhos contains some of Zé’s most experimental arrangements. Polyrhythm, polytonality, some wild time changes. You get the idea he’s making it up as he goes, but at the same time the music is exceedingly deliberate. Zé takes established Brazilian forms like samba and bossa nova and adds and subtracts until they become something totally his own. Yet for all the musical sophistication going on here, Zé makes it sound effortless, not to mention like he’s having a hell of a good time making it. It’s a lot of fun to listen to, too. I’m told he’s quite the lyrical surrealist as well, so I’m sure if I understood Portuguese there’d be a whole ‘nother level of subversion going on, but I can’t really comment. Needless to say, you should listen to this album. Oh, and also, the cover’s a photo of a marble in somebody’s butthole.

Listen to "Augusta, Angélica e Consolação"

Download Todos os Olhos

Pete Dello And Friends - Into Your Ears (1971)

2010-03-18T20:26:00.011-04:00

First off, shout to all the loyal readers. Your continued patronage to this blog is very appreciated. Now if we could just get those damn Russians to quit trying to sell us penis pills or whatever, we'd be A-OK. Anyway...

Pete Dello was the founder and leader of Honeybus, a former next big thing in 1968 with the single “I Can’t Let Maggie Go”. Really, they released quite a bit of good material (there are any number of compilations available on the innernette) but the band never really lived up to the commercial promise of their hit. Dello left the band after pressure to tour behind the single.

This release pretty well exemplifies Dello’s sound. At times overly precious, the songwriting and arrangements are solid and the production on point. The melodies are impressive, even incessantly catchy. Sillier songs like “Harry the Earwig” and “Uptight Basil” make the album memorable. Choice cuts like “It’s What You’ve Got” and “Do I Still Figure in Your Life” make the album great. And there’s just something about Dello’s breathy vocals that’s just so appealing. None of the songs surpass the three-and-a-half minute mark, making Into Your Ears a relatively quick listen. The songs ensure you’ll want to do so often.

Listen to "Harry the Earwig"

Download Into Your Ears

The Incredible String Band - Wee Tam (1968)

2010-02-10T19:48:00.006-05:00

I think this blog is haunted.

I don’t know why I haven’t posted about the Incredible String Band yet. I think I maybe thought they weren’t “obscure enough” or some bullshit. For those of our readers - if we still have readers and not just robot ghost posters - who aren’t familiar with the group, check here. Not to be lazy, I just think this is a better history than I could give without shark biting the entire entry.

Wee Tam was originally released in a two LP set as a companion piece to The Big Huge in the U.K. but, in true fashion, the U.S. record industry saw fit to release them both separately. Which is just as well I guess, because Wee Tam is the more solid of the two in my opinion. It’s hard to fuck with the one-two punch of The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion and The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter in the ISB catalogue, but I think Wee Tam comes closest. This album hits that sweet spot just before Mike Heron and Robin Williamson became complete and utter space cases.

The album starts with “Job’s Tears” which, in rather typical ISB fashion, contains more amazing melodies in one song than many of their contemporaries in the British folk scene would have across an entire album. As in past albums, they don’t just stick to folk of the British Isles. “Log Cabin Home in the Sky” is a pretty straightforward slice of Appalachian folk with just a touch of lyrical trippiness (trippyness?). Mike Heron is on top of his sitar game throughout the album, nowhere more evident than on “The Half-Remarkable Question,” arguably the album’s best track. The album closes on “Ducks on a Pond” which again borrows from American folk traditions, complete with Woody Guthrie quote.

While it may not be as strong as the two albums that came before it, Wee Tam is definitely worth the time. The more you listen to it, the more you’ll like it.

Also, check this video out. The sound is out of sync a little, but peep the tunics.

Listen to "Job's Tears"

Download Wee Tam

Aphrodite's Child - End of the World (1968)

2010-01-06T19:49:00.009-05:00

So yeah, we’ve fallen off but hey, what can you do? Anyway here’s another sporadic post.

I’ve been meaning to post about this one for a long time. Aphrodite’s Child was made up of London-based Greeks Lucas Sideras (drums), Demis Roussos (vocals, bass), Anargyros "Silver" Koulouris (guitar) and Vangelis Papathanassiou (keyboards). The latter went on to fame as, what else, Vangelis.

End of the World is probably not everyone's cup of tea. There is some seriously schmaltzy stuff on here (“Rain and Tears”, a hit in Europe, is probably the biggest culprit). But, in a way, that’s what makes it so charming. Vangelis does most of the composing/arranging, employing the mellotron pretty heavily, but Roussos’ raspy croon makes the album if you ask me. Standout tracks include “Mister Thomas” and the droney “Grass is So Green.” The closest touchstone might be the Moody Blues, but that comparison only goes so far. Aphrodite’s Child definitely brings their local flavor to things, especially on “The Shepherd and the Moon.”

Aphrodite’s Child would go on to make more adventurous and progressive music, with Vangelis at the helm (and to the chagrin of the rest of the band). This is probably best exemplified on 666, a concept album adapting the Book of Revelations. It’s a pretty tough listen, however. End of the World is better.

Tracklist:
1. End of the World
2. Don't Try to Catch a River
3. Mister Thomas
4. Rain and Tears
5. Grass is So Green
6. Valley of Sadness
7. You Always Stand in My Way
8. The Shepherd and the Moon
9. Day of the Fool

Listen to "Grass is So Green"

Download End of the World

House of Nimrod EP (1967-68)

2009-12-06T18:40:00.006-05:00

Coming out of Auckland, New Zealand, House of Nimrod were Bryce Petersen, Johnny Breslin, Billy Lawton, Tony Pilcher, and Larry Latimer. All songs, from what I gather, were written by Petersen, a children's songwriter. That's about all I know. This EP gathers all four songs recorded under the House of Nimrod moniker and they're good as hell. Some serious phasing used, to great effect I might add, on "Slightly Delic". All four songs are concise nuggets of psych-pop.
I think you'll like it.

Tracklist
1. Slightly Delic

2. Reflections of Our Time

3. Psychothartic

4. Ragged Patch

Download House of Nimrod

Saturday Night Double Feature

2009-08-08T23:44:00.026-04:00

First of all, you're probably wondering what a man with such social equity as myself is doing at home on a Saturday night. The short answer is none of your business. The slightly longer answer is eating ice cream and trying to remember how to make blog posts. So, in what I believe is the first double album post on The Always Blue Society and is even more certainly the first themed double album post on The Always Blue Society, here we have two albums by a couple of artists who hit it big in the early '60s, fell off, presumably took some drugs, then made some pretty sweet psych albums.

First up is Del Shannon's The Further Adventures of Charles Westover. You probably know Del, born Charles Westover, for his hit 1961 single "Runaway". That damn organ solo seriously gets in my head for, like, days at a time. Often. Anyway, this 1968 outing finds Shannon exploring the more baroque side of American psychedelia. That means strings. Lots of them. And if you've ever read any of my other posts, you probably've gathered that's kind of my cup. The 1-2 punch of "Silver Birch" followed by "I Think I Love You" is probably the highlight of the album for me, but the album overall is really strong.

Tracklist:
1. Thinkin' It Over
2. Be My Friend
3. Silver Birch
4. I Think I Love You
5. River Cool
6. Colour Flashing Hair
7. Gemini
8. Runnin' On Back
9. Conquer
10. Been So Long
11. Magical Musical Box
12. New Orleans (Mardi Gras)

Download The Further Adventures of Charles Westover

Second is Chubby Checker's Chequered!. Chubs is most known for the single/dance craze "The Twist" that white people loved so much. I'm not totally clear on the details of this one, released in 1971. Something about Amsterdam, a shitty record exec on a shitty record label. Apparently Chubby's not keen on talking about it. The good news is it's a pretty good album. If you're a fan of psych-blues-gospel-rock stuff in the vein of Sly and post-Love Arthur Lee, you'll probably like it. Lots of organ. "Goodbye Victoria" has an earwig of a chorus. "Stoned in the Bathroom" is pretty funny. I like "He Died" also, some really satisfying chord changes.

Tracklist:
1. Goodbye Victoria
2. My Mind
3. Slow Lovin'
4. If the Sun Stopped Shining
5. Stoned in the Bathroom
6. Love Tunnel
7. How Does it Feel
8. He Died
9. No Need to Get So Heavy
10. Let's Go Down
11. Ballad of Jimi
12. Gypsy (Bonus Single)

Download Chequered!

There's probably a bunch more albums in line with this post's theme. I was considering including The 4 Seasons' The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette and The Tokens' Intercourse, but I wasn't sure they were really worth writing about, although Gazette has its moments. Unless we get readers clamoring for these albums, you should be able to find them pretty readily on the innernette.

Ladies W.C. (1969)

2009-04-18T12:33:00.011-04:00

The toilet motif is no secret from the start. W.C. stands for wash closet, the album art is a painting of a toilet, and the very first and last thing you hear on the album is a toilet flushing. But it doesn't go any further than that, as not much else has anything to do with toilets or toilet humor for that matter.

Ladies W.C. consisted of Venezuelan-born American bassist/vocalist Steve Scott, two Venezuelan brothers named Mario and Jaime Seijas, and Venezuelan guitarist/organist/artist Adib Casta. Casta, who produced the album art, would become more famous for his paintings. Scott and Costa co-wrote most of the songs, which were inspired by the likes of Paul Butterfield, early Steve Miller and Cream. This was their one and only album, which is mostly upbeat blues-based psychedelic rock. With that said, it does drift into more gentle territory quite often, with some choice ballads and introspective songs.

The harmonica is used heavily, usually in a raucous blues-style but sometimes in unexpectedly creative ways. In "To Walk on Water," as the vocalist sings "Gonna hear the sound of the moon in the trees," the harmonica suddenly breaks into a peculiar melody and rhythm that increases in pace and intensity as the lyrical phrase ends. It's as if the harmonica is imitating whatever sound the moon might make in the trees, and it's actually quite convincing.

Featured just as heavily as the harmonica is Casta's blistering acid lead guitar. Sometimes the guitar is in a typical blues style, but just as often it ventures into heavy wah-wah and fuzz madness. The rhythm section is on point, providing thick, rhythmic bass lines and head-bobbing beats. The vocals are pretty solid, with an admirably loose and simple approach. The songwriting is never exceptionally brilliant, but there are many gems and not one bad song to speak of. One element that's consistent throughout the album is the use of various sounds to segue between songs, like crowds, babies crying, orchestras tuning, etc. While it's not all that groundbreaking, it does provide another level of interest and occasionally supports the themes of the songs. Ladies W.C. took a while to grow on me, but I sure am glad I gave it a second chance after shrugging it off during my initial foray into psychedelic music.

"And Everywhere I See the Shadow of That Life"

Download Ladies W.C.

Popcorn Blizzard - Explode (1968)

2009-02-16T01:25:00.003-05:00

From the little information I've been able to find about the Popcorn Blizzard, I have determined they have no connection to Meat Loaf's first band of the same name. Possibly from New Jersey, Popcorn Blizzard's album Explode is just over a half hour's worth of catchy, light psychedelic pop. Apparently it's quite the rarity, as I've seen the LP going on eBay for $94. Sometimes upbeat and cheery, sometimes somber and reflective, and often treading between the two, Explode deals almost exclusively with typical love song subject matter. Although it is excessively sappy at times, there's an earnestness that comes through. Plus, the arrangements, instrumentation, and catchy harmonies do more than enough to make up for the sometimes overly-syrupy songwriting. Unfortunately, this copy isn't the best of quality, sometimes starting up in the midst of the introduction or cutting off before a song's end. If I come across a better version, I'll be sure to replace this one.

"Missing You"

Download Explode

The Rolling Stones - We Love You/Dandelion (1967)

2009-02-12T23:26:00.004-05:00

"We Love You" / "Dandelion" was a typically glib response to The Rolling Stones ongoing legal struggles following Mick and Keith's drug bust in February 1967. The authorities threatened the future Glimmer Twins with huge fines and harsh prison sentences following the discovery of small amounts of marijuana and a few amphetamine tablets during a suspiciously well-timed raid on Keith's Sussex home. Despite the Stones' habitual anti-authoritarianism, the most staid and conservative of British newspapers, The London Times, came to their aid, sensing the whole situation a setup, and eventually, through its influence on public opinion, the charges against Mick & Keith were dropped.

"We Love You" manages to be both a sincere "thank you" to the Stones' fans and supporters and a mocking attack on the establishment. The song opens with the sound of footsteps and a jail door slamming shut before Nicky Hopkins' begins to weave a tight piano web over more ominous concreté gaol sounds. Brian Jones incredible musical versatility is evidenced once again with his deft mellotron backing that gives the song a woozy psychedelic wash. Notice how the Stones' harmonies here are a little higher and sweeter here than in any other song, and with good reason too, as Paul McCartney and John Lennon added their talented throats to "We Love You" in a show of solidarity with their friendly rivals. The song eventually collapses down to Charlie Watts' strangely distant drums and the stumbling mellotron riff, and Lennon is just barely able to toast to "your health!" before the tape runs out...

The instrumental foundation of "Dandelion", was originally written by Keith during the sessions for Between the Buttons, but as evidenced by the available bootleg of the song-in-progress, lyrically, he couldn't get past the proposed title line, "Sometimes Happy, Sometimes Blue", instead singing non-sense syllables in place of the as yet unwritten words. The song would remain unfinished until after Between the Buttons was released and the Stones' were in need of a compatible B-side to "We Love You". As released, "Dandelion" is mostly based on nursery rhymes, with bits of 1960s "mind games" philosophizing tossed in. Though a seemingly light-hearted psychedelic trifle, "Dandelion" held a special significance to Keith, who would name his daughter, born during the accursed sessions that would eventually culminate in Exile on Main St, Dandelion, after this song.

As an added bonus, I've included an early backing track for "We Love You" without vocals and Keith's demo for "Dandelion", "Sometimes Happy, Sometimes Blue". The single is sourced from the pristine 2002 ABKCO remaster, but the backing track and demo come from the bootleg netherworld...

Tracklist:

1. We Love You

2. Dandelion

3. We Love You (backing track)

4. Sometimes Happy, Sometimes Blue

Listen to We Love You

Download We Love You/Dandelion

Van Dyke Parks- Song Cycle (1968)

2009-02-05T19:14:00.007-05:00

Van Dyke Parks, known to the kids as the that other guy from SMiLE, makes his own musical statement with Song Cycle. This album is undeniably American. It explores every corner of American music from Appalachian folk and blues to vaudeville and Tin Pan Alley. At the same time, Park's swirling orchestration and distinct vocals throughout take these styles out of context and presents them as something wholly unique and personal. The album opens with "Vine Street," penned by Randy Newman, flowing into "Palm Desert" and on through the rest of the album, practically smashing one track into another. However, that's partly what makes this album great. It's a progressive musical experience.

Song Cycle is at times a bit overwhelming. Being a classically-minded work, there are no shortages of dramatic changes in time and mood. However, there is a cohesiveness, it's a song cycle, doy. Certainly too complex for someone with such limited musicality like me to effectively critique, I nonetheless find this album really interesting. Get at it.

Tracklist:
1. Vine Street
2. Palm Desert
3. Widow's Walk
4. Laurel Canyon Blvd.
5. The All Golden
6. Van Dyke Parks
7. Public Domain
8. Donovan's Colours
9. The Attic
10. Laurel Canyon Blvd.
11. By the People
12. Pot Pourri

Listen to "The Attic"

Download Song Cycle

Bobak, Jons, Malone- Motherlight (1970)

2009-02-05T18:34:00.013-05:00

The one and only album by Bobak, Jons, Malone. The group itself was composed of Mike Bobak and Andy Johns (Jons), both recording engineers/producers, and Wil Malone, former figurehead in Orange Bicycle and principal songwriter in this endeavor. The album itself was recorded in 1970 in England for the Morgan Blue Town label.

Motherlight is full of elastic basslines and heavy riffs coupled with seemingly incongruous piano leads ranging in influence from ragtime and blues to classical. The songs themselves don't really follow any pattern stylistically or thematically. The title track draws more from late sixties/early seventies American rock than from late period British psychedelia. Standout "On a Meadow-Lea" employs a pulsing organ throughout the song, tying together a song that progresses from folky and pastoral to pretty hard rocking, with Malone showing off his chops on guitar at the song's end. "House of Many Windows" has hints of prog with its subtle time shifts and classical leanings. A little tape manipulation on "Chant" and a little country-rock (however silly the execution) on "Burning the Weed" round out the album. A pretty decent venture for an album whose final pressing was under 100.

Tracklist:

1. Motherlight

2. On a Meadow-Lea

3. Mona Lose

4. Wanna Make a Star Sam

5. House of Many Windows

6. Chant

7. Burning the Weed

8. The Lens

Listen to "On a Meadow-Lea"

Download Motherlight

This is sweet

2008-12-29T01:27:00.002-05:00

Pärson Sound (1968)

2008-12-14T22:09:00.007-05:00

Inspired by minimalist composer Terry Riley, Pärson Sound was a 10-piece Swedish band who experimented with droning, repetitive jams. Their music is exceptionally dense, with huge guitar sound, bass, organ, flute, piano, saxophone, sparse vocals and drums by three different members. They also made use of tape manipulation, sometimes during live performances letting a tape pass two tape recorders, one tape recording and the other playing back with distortion, creating progressively layered noises and tones. Pärson Sound is not for those lacking patience for extended jamming, with two songs clocking in over 20 minutes—"Skrubba" nearly approaches half an hour—and no song under five minutes, besides the short intro. Although largely chaotic, repetitive and loud, Pärson Sound was also very capable of creating melodic pastorales. This becomes evident towards the end of "10 Minutes," as noisy jamming gradually segues—seemingly through the use of tape manipulation—into a pleasant baseline with airy vocals and nice chord changes. This lighter side of the band doesn't resurface again until the final two tracks of the album. The understated "On How to Live" consists of strummed acoustic guitar, flute and singing birds, while "Blaslaten" layers beautiful wind instruments and saxophone. One highlight of the album is the menacingly sparse "A Glimpse Inside The Glyptotec -66," which also makes use of tape manipulation. Ambient sounds dominate the track, but towards the end, haunting, breathy vocals close the song out on an eerie note. Pärson Sound would eventually change their name to International Harvester, releasing two albums, Sov Gott Rose-Marie—named for a song also included on Pärson Sound—in 1968 and Hemat in 1969. The more accessible and famous Träd, Gräs och Stenar would later form from the remaining members of International Harvester.

"10 Minutes"

Download Pärson Sound

Amon Düül II - Yeti (1970)

2008-12-04T21:20:00.015-05:00

Even though my familiarity with krautrock is vague at best, that won't stop me from proclaiming this to be one of the most innovative and genre-defining albums of the movement. Due to more ambitious musical aspirations, Amon Düül II grew out of Amon Düül, which was a radical, political and artistic commune founded in Munich. Yeti is their second album, which was originally released as a double album consisting of composed studio recordings on one record and improvisations on the other. The opening track "Soap Box Rock" sets the tone, first sounding like some standard garage rock but quickly transforming into dark, progressive rock with both far-out and melodic instrumental passages. The first half continues with some interesting instrumental pieces, the closest thing to typical rock music in "Archangels Thunderbird," and the intense "Eye-Shaking King." The second half improvisations are impressively tight, setting the standard for experimental music to come. Much of the improvisations—specifically "Sandoz in the Rain"—seem extremely influential to the modern day Japanese experimental commune,
Acid Mothers Temple. Male and female vocals are featured throughout the album, both of which are satisfyingly peculiar and distinct. Amon Düül II also make use of strings, which add another level of interest to their complex sounds. This release features two bonus tracks, "Rattlesnakeplumcake" and "Between the Eyes," but unfortunately the song "Pale Gallery" is missing three minutes of the original song. I guess it was cut short on most CD releases to keep it to one disc. Apparently the Captain Trips release features the full five minute version.

Fun fact: Apparently the chick on the cover brandishing that scythe was one of their groupies.

I just couldn't narrow it down to one song.

Check out this mind-altering performance of "Eye-Shaking King."

Download Yeti

The Laughing Soup Dish - We Are the Dish (1987) & "Teenage Lima Bean" single (1985)

2008-10-15T01:11:00.019-04:00

As far as I know, this is the quintessential lo-fi psychedelic band of the 80s. With an abundance of catchy hooks, ridiculous psychedelic lead guitar, way far-out overdubs, self-consciously trippy lyrics, and a DIY garage rock grittiness, never has poorly recorded neo-psychedelia sounded so good. The Laughing Soup Dish formed in West Long Branch, NJ in 1981 as a three-piece headed by guitarist and vocalist, Wayne Larsen. The band was plagued with frequent inner turmoil, completing their debut album We Are the Dish after undergoing three lineup changes. The album was recorded on a four track reel to reel, which was then layered with two more tracks of sound effects. From 1987 to 1989, LSD (get the name now?) toured, which included shows in New York City with lights by Captain Wizzo, known for his lighting of Big Brother and the Holding Company shows and other San Francisco groups from the original psychedelic era. In 1989, they recorded their second album Overthrow the Underground, (if anyone can hook this up, please let me know!) which proceeded with even more internal conflict. The Laughing Soup Dish called it quits in 1992. This download contains We Are the Dish as well as the "Teenage Lima Bean" single, which includes the B-side "Rainy Day Sponge." Both of these tracks are on point and as good, if not better than the best tracks from We Are the Dish.

Listen to "Seven Seas" and "Teenage Lima Bean"

Watch the Laughing Soup Dish mime "Acidland" and make fun of Uncle Floyd's dumb hair (at 9:20) on the Uncle Floyd Show circa 1987:

The Laughing Soup Dish's myspace page

Download We Are the Dish & "Teenage Lima Bean" single

Nirvana- The Story of Simon Simopath (1967)

2008-10-05T22:41:00.005-04:00

Generally speaking, I don't have a ton of patience for concept albums. I've found that, more often than not, they're overly self-indulgent, meandering messes. Either that or the concept gets totally lost on me. Or both. Likewise, I have a personal aversion to the term "twee", partly because it's gotten so worn-out but mostly because I don't like the way it sounds. Anyway, here's a twee concept album.

Nirvana was formed in 1967 by Patrick Campbell-Lyons and Alex Spyropoulos who hail from Ireland and Greece respectively. Originally a six-piece, the band was eventually pared down to the two principal members along with assists from various session musicians. The Story of Simon Simopath was their first LP. The aforementioned concept of the album has to do with Simon Simopath wanting to fly and so he tries to get various things to give him their wings (angels, airplanes, etc.) and he ends up in outer space. Oh yeah, also love. Anyway, who really cares. The point is this album is pretty great from start to finish. Catchy tunes, solid melodies, lush instrumentation, and quasi-baroque arrangements more than make up for the occasionally quaint lyrical content. I'm not going to go into detail about each song or anything, the album's less than 25 minutes long, you should just listen to it.

Tracklist:
1. Wings of Love
2. Lonely Boy
3. We Can Help You
4. Satellite Jockey
5. In the Courtyard of the Stars
6. You're Just the One
7. Pentecost Hotel
8. I Never Found a Love Like This
9. Take This Hand
10. 1999

Listen to "Pentecost Hotel"

Also, here's a video.

Download The Story of Simon Simopath

Troyka (1970)

2008-09-10T02:01:00.008-04:00

Troyka is a band which justifies our perilous questing across used record stores and spooky abandoned blogs. Although given a major label release (via Atlantic's then new Cotillion branch) Troyka's self-titled 1970 album remains obscure to say the least. Which is pity, because it's truly magnificent. Consisting of Mike Richards (percussion & lead vocals), Robert Edwards (guitar & mandolin) and Ron "Rumor" Lukawietsky (bass) and hailing from Edmonton, Alberta, these fine Canadian gents crafted this album out of a series of jam sessions overseen by Velvet Underground producer Shel Kagan.

This kind of record building can easily result in a schizophrenic end product, each song differing too greatly to give any semblance of cohesion. Though each song is different, ranging from growling biker stomp to lysergic pastorale, fortune favored the bold and the album holds together as a single solid entity. Singer Mike Richards has a "unique" voice but even if you don't warm to him, you'll still find plenty to enjoy, over half the tracks are instrumental.

This is from the 2000 CD reissue put out by Black Rose Records, and there's a bit of noticeable static and hiss in some of the silent sections, perhaps indicating a remastering from vinyl. But don't let that stop you! This is a lost classic.

1. Introduction
2. Natural
3. Early Morning
4. Life's OK
5. Burning of the Witch
6. Rub-A-Dub-Dub Troyka in a Tub
7. Troyka Lament
8. Troyka Solo
9. Rolling Down The Back Road
10. Berry Picking
11. Dear Margaret
12. Go East Young Man Beautiful Pink Eyes
13. Troyka Finale

Listen to Early Morning:

Troyka (1970) mp3 320 kbps

Crocheted Doughnut Ring/Doughnut Ring Singles

2008-09-08T21:25:00.022-04:00

Thanks again to the It's Psych Forum, I give you a collection of singles from a band known as the Crocheted Doughnut Ring and apparently just the Doughnut Ring at some other point. I'm having trouble finding much information on them, so drop a comment if you can fill me in. A range of sounds can be heard throughout these eight tracks, including some perfectly crafted psych-pop, minimal-far-out-sound-
collage-type-shit, good old rock 'n' roll, a tune with some hispanic flavor and a "cool island song" (to melt your icy heart). The collection starts off with "Havana Anna" which is the cool island song I speak of. It's a catchy tune that has yet to grow old for me... definitely one of my favorites. Another stand out song is the ballad "Maxine's Parlour," although the highlight of the collection is the Crocheted Doughnut Ring's last two tracks. "Nice" is the sound collage, which is a pretty shocking listen considering it was created by a late 60s band with obvious ambitions to write pop songs. Although I'm pretty unfamiliar with musique concrète, I suspect it was heavily influenced by it as well as early electronic music. Modern lo-fi indie bands that get off on occasional experimental sound wish they could make this shit. Just when you think this band couldn't get any sweeter, "Nice" segues into "Two Little Ladies (Azalea & Rhododendron)." Packed with catchy melodies, tinkering harpsichord, swirling psychedelic effects, and frequent shifts in tempo, "Two Little Ladies (Azalea & Rhododendron)" epitomizes 60s psych-pop. I find the song very reminiscent of the Idle Race's debut album Birthday Party, which is no small compliment. The two Doughnut Ring tracks don't excite me quite as much, but I still get dibs on sampling the first eight seconds of "Dance Around Julie." In case you were wondering, that's not the real artwork.

Update: Check the comments of this post for some detailed information about the Crocheted Doughnut Ring/Dougnut Ring.

Gilberto Gil - Gilberto Gil (Frevo Rasgado) 1968

2008-09-05T18:24:00.026-04:00

Former political exile and current Brazilian Minister of Culture, Gilberto Gil was also — in the interest of this blog — one of the original tropicalistas. Along with Caetano Veloso, Tom Zé and Gal Costa, Gil was a pioneer of the short-lived, albeit highly influential, Tropicália movement. Gil's second album (subtitled Frevo Rasgado), recorded in 1968 during the height of the protest movement against the recently installed military government, is deceptively upbeat. And while my understanding of Portuguese is very limited, songs like "Marginália II" reference the end of the world and I'm pretty sure "Domingo no Parque" is about someone getting murdered in a park. Anyway, politics and pessimism aside, this album is extremely enjoyable. Gil pulls from all types of sources including, but not limited to, native styles such as bossa nova and samba, as well as ideas gleaned from British psychedelia and good old fashioned American rock'n'roll (check the "Hang on Sloopy" reference in "Pega a Voga, Cabeludo"). The product is ultimately something altogether unique. Os Mutantes also make an appearance on the album, as they often did live (see: "Domingou"). Full of upbeat numbers, there are some slow burners like "Pé da Roseria," as well as the obligatory (yet totally dope) freak out "Questão de Ordem " which foreshadows some of Gil's more experimental work to come. Polyrhythmic percussion— see: "Marginália II", "Ele Falava Nisso Todo Dia" "Procissão" — and some deftly arranged strings (reportedly courtesy of Tropicália's resident composer/arranger Rogério Duprat) are the highlight of this album. Long story short, this joint has become one of my favorite albums if for no other reason than the fact that it's so fun to listen to (see: novel idea). While Gil's next album, Gilberto Gil (Cérebro Eletrônico), may be considered more "psychedelic", it's not (in my opinion) as consistently entertaining as this release.

For those of you interested in the Tropicalismo movement and the conditions that produced it, check out Caetano Veloso's Tropical Truth: A Story of Music and Revolution in Brazil

For those of you interested in YouTube, check out:

Listen to "Domingou":

Download Gilberto Gil (Frevo Rasgado)

The Always Blue Society Compilation Vol. 4

2008-08-28T21:08:00.000-04:00

My fourth and possibly last compilation. I'll be bringing in two new contributors soon, so I'm considering doing away with compilations for now... maybe not. Anyhow, this compilation alternates between British and American psychedelia from the late 60s. I think it's pretty enjoyable.

1. Tomorrow - "Real Life Permanent Dream"
2. Strawberry Alarm Clock - "Birds in My Tree"
3. The Tremeloes - "Suddenly Winter"
4. The Electric Prunes - "The Great Banana Hoax"
5. Les Fleur De Lys - "Circles"
6. T.I.M.E. - "Tripping Into Sunshine"
7. The Smoke - "My Friend Jack" (Demo Version)
8. The Smoke [US] - "Gold Is The Colour Of Thought"
9. Forever Amber - "The Dreamer Flies Back"
10. The Millennium - "It's You"
11. The End - "Cardboard Watch"
12. Moon - "I Should Be Dreaming"
13. Idle Race - "Hurry Up John"
14. Love - "! Que Vida !"

Download The Always Blue Society Compilation Vol. 4

The Electric Prunes - Underground (1967)

2008-08-10T13:36:00.000-04:00

This is the second album by the Los Angeles based psychedelic/garage rock/pop group the Electric Prunes. Although it never did as well as their debut record, which included their hit song "I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)," it has since become regarded as a classic album of the 60s psychedelic era. While the Prunes did play the majority of the music on their first two records, most of their material was not penned by the band. Producer Dave Hassinger was too busy to contribute much to the recording of Underground due to his success from the previous singles and debut, which allowed the band to write five of the twelve songs on the album. Underground consists of a range of styles that come together to create a strangely cohesive album. The sporadic psych-pop of "The Great Banana Hoax" and "Wind-Up Toys" somehow manages to lead into the tongue-in-cheek country of "It's Not Fair" and the downright strange "Dr. Do-Good." There are a number of solid pop songs like "Children of Rain," "I Just Happen To Love You" and "Antique Doll" that help tie everything together. Psychedelic sounds and textures are abundant throughout Underground, which take otherwise good songs to new levels. It's this attention to detail that has secured Underground and the Prunes' legacy in psychedelic history. Who knows what they could have tapped into had they stuck together and gained full creative control.

Download Underground

A Couple of Singles from 45s

2008-07-28T22:10:00.000-04:00

As an admitted conformist to the digital age of music, I've had difficulty getting into 60s psychedelic singles and 45s. iTunes can seem so cluttered filled with tons of single songs by obscure bands. So now I'm finally starting to venture into this territory and have came across some pretty amazing stuff already.

The Gordian Knot - Broken Down Ole Merry-Go-Round

My intentions of posting singles is to showcase the work of groups who didn't release albums. As it turns out, Gordian Knot did release an album in '68, but I've just been so into this song that I can't help but put it out here. I love how this song naturally eases from a somber verse to a cheery chorus. There's some great lead guitar that compliments the vocals and harmonies beautifully. In the middle of the song, it deviates into a weird, carnival-esque bridge. I don't really feel this as much as the rest of the song, but it's amusing enough. If you're dying for information on the Gordian Knot, here's a write-up on allmusic.com.

The Mass - Without You

I'm having trouble finding solid information on this band. This article might be about them, but I'm not sure. If anyone can confirm or disprove this, it would be appreciated. Anyhow, "Without You" is a pretty straightforward R&B tune with great guitar, drums and vocals. It's just an all around good song... nothing more, nothing less.

Much thanks to Sir Psych and others from The It's Psych Forum for posting 45s.

Moon - Without Earth and the Moon (1968/1969)

2008-07-16T00:19:00.000-04:00

This is a CD release that features psych-pop supergroup Moon's two albums, Moon Without Earth and Moon. Moon was most remembered for featuring ex-Beach Boy David Marks on lead guitar. At just 14, Marks filled in for Al Jardine who left the Beach Boys to attend dental school. After leaving the group around the age of 16, he formed two bands prior to the formation of Moon, including Dave & the Marksmen and Band Without a Name. Marks would form Moon with pianist/vocalist Mathew Moore who wrote most of Moon's songs. Bassist David P. Jackson and drummer/producer Larry Brown completed the line-up, although bassist Andy Bennet played on Moon and session drummer Jim Keltner contributed as well. The band actually moved into Continental Recorders in Hollywood and recorded Moon Without Earth in 1968 and Moon in 1969 for Imperial. Marks has since admitted that they recorded both albums under the influence of LSD. Moon would disband sometime shortly after the release of these albums, neither of which had any successful singles. Although relatively unheard at the time of their release, they have since become favorites of psychedelic collectors. Both albums are composed of catchy tunes with dense instrumentation, liberal use of vocal harmonies and occasional psychedelic effects. Moon is less focused on creating psychedelic sounds as the debut, and more focused on pure songwriting. I tend to prefer their debut for this reason, although Moon is a quality album nonetheless. This release also features five bonus tracks, three of which are recordings of Matthew Moore Plus Four.

Download Without Earth and the Moon

Les Fleur De Lys - Reflections (1965-69)

2008-06-08T19:37:00.001-04:00

This is a compilation of the British mod-psychedelic band, Les Fleur De Lys. Besides drummer Keith Guster, the band's lineup was in constant flux. Forming in Southhampton, Hampshire in 1964, they released a cover of Buddy Holly's "Moondreams" produced by Jimmy Page, which never took off leading to every one but Guster leaving. Guster revived the band with some musicians from London and released a cover of the Who's "Circles" which was also produced by Jimmy Page. Combining catchy hooks, driving rhythm guitar, and ridiculous psychedelic lead guitar, "Circles" is what Les Fleur De Lys is most remembered for today. Despite it's accessibility, the single flopped. The band then picked up a new lead vocalist in Chris Andrews, who had been a child actor that worked in the 1964 production of Oliver in London. They were signed by Polydor in 1966 but more lineup changes ensued and they became a three piece. Soon a young female vocalist named Sharon Tandy joined the band and they toured Holland with Aretha Franklin. After working on a short lived project called Rupert's People with guitarist Rod Lynton, Chris Andrews left the band and they became a three-piece again. They continued to release singles and began working on an album for Polydor that never surfaced. By 1969, the band disbanded for good. Reflections captures the various phases and styles Les Fleur De Lys explored. There's some classic mod-psychedelia, straight up pop like "Stop Crossing The Bridge," and more ambitious rock songs like "Liar." I also enjoy the compilation for it's mixture of male and female vocals.

Download Reflections

T.I.M.E. - Time & Smooth Ball (1968/1969)

2008-05-25T21:40:00.001-04:00

T.I.M.E. (Trust In Men Everywhere) were a 60s band from Los Angeles that combined pop, blues, and psychedelia. This is a CD release that includes their self-titled debut and it's follow-up, Smooth Ball. Originally known as The Hardtimes, T.I.M.E. featured future Steppenwolf guitarist Larry Byrom as well as bassist Nick St. Nicholas on Time. Recorded in 1968, T.I.M.E.'s self-titled album is a more poppy record than Smooth Ball. Although there are many psychedelic elements like fuzz guitar and mild acid leads, Time is more pop than psychedelia. With Smooth Ball, T.I.M.E. became more ambitious with longer songs, less straightforward pop, and an overall heavier sound. Lead guitar plays a much larger role with frequent acid lead guitar by William Richardson and Larry Byrom prominently mixed. New bassist Richard Tepp also adds to the heavier sound of Smooth Ball. The connection to Steppenwolf becomes more apparent on this record as well, with occasional "Magic Carpet Ride"-esque organ. Despite remaining relatively unknown, both T.I.M.E. albums have their own brand of the late 60s West Coast sound.

Download Time & Smooth Ball

Psychedelia Alive in Iowa

2008-05-25T17:01:00.000-04:00

So I've been a little slow to post on here with graduation, trying to find a job, and generally trying to figure out what the hell I'm doing with my life. But don't worry, I still have plenty in store and don't plan on letting the Always Blue Society die a slow, neglected death. Anyhow, I've been meaning to write an entry about my recent trip to Iowa City. I went to visit my friend Chris and see Dead Meadow at a venue called the Picador and ended up encountering some great musicians from Davenport, Iowa. The Picador had an all-day event going on which included a craft fair, record swap, and live music.
As a basketball fan, I was surprised to come across a screen printed T-Shirt with a hilarious drawing of Lakers legend Kurt Rambis, as well as four basketball themed postcards from a separate stand. The Rambis shirt was done by a dude named Andrew who runs a screen printing business called the Kitchen Press. There was music throughout the craft fair, which is where I saw a duo named Johnnie and Bambi from Davenport who go by the Quiet Bears. They played a set of enjoyably melodic folk and happened to be super cool folk as well. I'm really feeling the song "We Are All Legend" from their myspace profile. Johnnie from the Quiet Bears also played drums in another great Davenport band called Mondo Drag, who opened for Dead Meadow. Mondo Drag played droned-out, heavy riff rock that made for a very appropriate opening act for Dead Meadow. I managed to get a copy of their album Holy Spirit at the show, which I highly recommend. Another opening act for Dead Meadow was a 60s psych-pop throwback group from Jersey City called the Black Hollies, who put on an impressive set. I got a copy of their album Casting Shadows, which I also recommend. Check out the song "Whispers Beneath the Willows" on their myspace for an idea of how authentic these guys sound. Of course, Dead Meadow put on an amazing set. If you haven't seen them live yet, do yourself a favor and go see them the next opportunity you have. I guess that's about all the plugs I've got from that trip. Thanks again to Chris and Skye for letting me stick around Iowa City for close to a week.

Alright, back to posting some albums.

The Tremeloes - What A State I'm In: The Psych Pop Sessions

2008-04-27T17:41:00.000-04:00

Formed back in 1958, the Tremeloes are one of the most overlooked British pop bands of the 60s. Signed by Decca in favor of the Beatles in 1962, the Tremeloes and Beatles would fight for position on the British charts from the early to mid 60s. Most of their hits were covers of popular R&B and rock and roll songs as they didn't write the majority of their material. In 1965, lead singer Brian Poole would leave the band and they were dropped by Decca when their cover of Paul Simon's "Blessed" failed to chart. A friend who left Decca managed to have them signed to CBS, which helped them reclaim success. At the end of the decade, they reached the peak of their stardom with their album Here Comes the Tremeloes charting in Britain and the US. In 1970, they attempted to become a more serious band with the release of their album Master. It ultimately failed after they called their fans "silly suckers" for listening to their older pop music. What A State I'm In collects their most psychedelic work from the 60s and it's a hell of a compilation. It's packed with some amazing psych-pop and there are a few really great instrumental tracks, including the raucous opener, "Hard Time." All of the instrumentation is superb, particularly the lead guitar of Rick West, who was known for perfecting the use of fuzztone guitar in concert. They were also great vocalists, with harmonies that rival the Beatles' best work.

Download What A State I'm In: The Psych Pop Sessions

The Smoke - High In A Room - The Smoke Anthology

2008-03-24T22:47:00.000-04:00

Hailing from York, England, the Smoke formed from members of Tony Adams & the Viceroys and the Moonshots. After shortening the name to the Shots, they began to pursue a different sound from their R&B roots, which lead to their rhythm guitarist leaving and their financing being cut. In a tight spot, they hooked up with twin brother entrepreneurs, Ron and Reg Kray. The Kray brothers turned out to actually be gangsters that have since become famous in England. There's even a movie about them called The Krays. The Shots abandoned their deal with the Krays, which led to an injunction that withheld them from performing. Luckily they still had a publishing and recording contract with EMI, so they focused on recording. During this time, they changed their name to the Smoke and recorded their most famous single, "My Friend Jack." Unfortunately, the drug references were so blatant that EMI made them rewrite the song. The lyrics changed from, "My friend Jack eats sugar lumps / Oh what beautiful things he sees!" to "My friend Jack eats sugar lumps / Sugar man hasn't got a clue." Pretty fucking lame. It made it to number 45 on the UK charts but was banned by the BBC after three weeks. It became a big hit in Germany and elsewhere in Europe, which led to their relocation to Germany and the release of their album, It's Smoke Time. After they refused to return to England to record, the band parted ways. In the 70s, bassist Zeke Lund created a new version of the Smoke that's sound was much different than the mod-psychedelic pop of the original Smoke. Disc 1 of High In A Room is the work of the original Smoke, while Disc 2 collects the works of the second version. Disc 2 has some pretty strange shit, particularly "Sweet Wilfred-A Rodent of Note" which is about a homosexual rat...seriously. The songs are all pretty different, though many are attempts at glam rock. Last off, I must say that the cover of this anthology is amazing.

By the way, this post marks the Always Blue Society's first birthday.

Download High In A Room

A little shout out to my bro...

2008-03-23T02:35:00.000-04:00

Check out this animated music video by my brother Mike L. Mayfield (as referenced in my previous post) of the Citizens Against Safety Goggles created for WHY? of Anticon Records. The song is called "Song Of The Sad Assassin" from the new WHY? album, Alopecia. The video is an exciting first-person, underwater adventure with frequent materializations of an animated Yoni Wolf of WHY? It's currently featured on Pitchfork's front page under the "Forkcast" section.

Watch the video on Pitchfork
Visit Mike L. Mayfield's youtube channel

The Smoke [US] (1968)

2008-03-20T14:05:00.000-04:00

Not to be confused with the British psychedelic band of the same name, the Smoke was a one-off studio group headed by producer/musician Michael Lloyd (weird, that's my brother's first and middle name!). Lloyd's vast exposure to the LA music industry was at an early age, signing a publishing deal at only 13 after meeting producer Kim Fowley. He was in an early version of the West Coast Art Experimental Band and wrote and produced for the LA pop group October Country. The name October Country was actually derived from a song penned by Lloyd that appears on The Smoke. Fowley introduced Lloyd to enterntainment mogul Mike Curb who gave him many production jobs. Curb was so impressed by Lloyd that he let him freely use his Hollywood Boulevard Studios for six months. It was during this time that Lloyd recorded The Smoke's sole album. It was completed with Stan Ayeroff (a founding member of Oingo Boingo) on guitar and Steve Baim on drums. This same lineup had previously been a band called the Laughing Wind. Clocking in under 30 minutes, the album is highly concentrated American psych-pop at it's best. The instumentation is dense and the songwriting and arrangements are also impressive. Although very original, Brian Wilson's influence can be heard in "Self-Analysis" and several moments on the album strike me as very Zombies-esque.

Download The Smoke

The Millenium - Begin (1968)

2008-03-02T02:48:00.001-05:00

From what I've heard of the sunshine pop of the 60s, the Millennium's Begin could very well be the pinnacle of the genre. The Millennium was a studio supergroup headed by producer Curt Boettcher, who was known for his work with the Association. He formed the group while recording Present Tense, an album by producer Gary Usher's very similar studio pop supergroup, Sagittarius. This would be the Millennium's sole album, as it proved to be too strange for pop radio, yet too pop for underground radio. Begin is song after song of carefully crafted pop with dense instrumentation and ridiculously good melodies and harmonies. This shit will be stuck in your head for weeks, but in a good way. The production is extremely impressive, sounding polished but not overwhelmingly so. There are many psychedelic moments in the album, but it is definitely a pop record first and foremost. "Karmic Dream Sequence #1" is probably the most far out song on the record and it is pulled off well, sounding like a milder version of S.F. Sorrow-era Pretty Things. One of the best moments of the album comes right at the start with "Prelude." Innocent harpsichord chimes away and is suddenly interrupted by a nasty drum beat that sounds like a sampled jazz breakbeat from some 90s hip hop. It's definitely an unexpected way to start the record.

Forever Amber - The Love Cycle (1969)

2008-02-22T20:42:00.000-05:00

Forever Amber was a young, British six piece pop band that lacked the money and resources to make it big. Apparently, only 99 copies of their sole album The Love Cycle were manufactured to avoid tax. Originally known as the Country Cousins, they changed their name to Forever Amber in response to the rise of psychedelia in 1967. Although The Love Cycle is meant to be a cohesive story about the stages of a blossoming relationship that ultimately goes sour, the sound of the record is largely inconsistent. Throughout the album, there are five different lead vocalists and the band flounders between stereotypical love songs and far out psychedelic pop. While I heavily favor the more psychedelic cuts like "The Dreamer Flies Back" and "Better Things Are Bound To Come," I still appreciate many of the poppy songs that dominate the album. They're full of nice harmonies, tinkering harpsichord, and catchy organ. Unfortunately, most of the drumming sounds like someone who started playing a week before the recordings. Despite The Love Cycle's flaws, it still remains an important pop album from the psychedelic era, especially considering the circumstances it was made under.

Here's the themes of the stages of the album:

The Meeting:
1. Me oh My
2. Silly Sunshine

The Talking:
3. Bits of Your Life, Bits of My Life
4. For a Very Special Person
5. The Dreamer Flies Back
6. Misunderstood
7. Better Things Are Bound To Come

The Walk Home:
8. On a Night In Winter

The Joy:
9. On Top of My Own Special Mountain
10. Mary (the Painter)
11. All the Colours of My Book

The Doubt:
12. Going Away Again

The Sorrow:
13. A Chance to Be Free

The Scorn:
14. I See You As You Used to Be

The Grief:
15. Letters From Her
16. My Friend

Download The Love Cycle

The End - Introspection (1969)

2008-02-22T03:12:00.000-05:00

The End were a band that epitomized British psychedelia but never gained the attention they deserved. Formed in 1965 by Dave Brown and Colin Giffin of the defunct beat group the Innocents, the End managed to tour with the Rolling Stones through their friend and Stones' bassist, Bill Wyman. Wyman would later produce their first and only record, Introspection. The band survived several lineup changes throughout their existence, but in 1968 when Colin Giffin and drummer Hugh Attwooll left, they eventually became a more progressive band called Tucky Buzzard. What the fuck type of band name is that? The release of Introspection was delayed for over a year because of an ugly fall out between the Stones and record executive, Allen Klein. Instrospection is a favorite of mine, although I've always thought it's production was a bit too sleek. I recently came across some of their earlier material, which shows a bit of their R&B roots and has a satisfyingly rougher sound. I'll post it sometime or another.

"Cardboard Watch" from the Spanish film, Un, Dos, Tres, Al Escondite Ingle's

Download Introspection

Pink Floyd - "Astronomy Domine" Live on Look of the Week in 1967

2008-01-22T02:13:00.000-05:00

Nice beatboxing by Syd Barret.
That dude Hans Keller is a dick.

Strawberry Alarm Clock - Incense and Peppermints (1967)

2008-01-21T19:43:00.000-05:00

Strawberry Alarm Clock is one of the most underrated American bands from the psychedelic era, largely due to the hippie image created by their self-consciously trippy name and hit song, "Incense and Peppermints." Granted that many of the songs from Incense and Peppermints contain stereotypical hippie lyrics, the arrangements, instrumentation, and vocals are so impressive that it's endearing rather than annoying. Incense and Peppermints has a wide array of instrumentation including excellent psychedelic lead guitar, harpsichord, flute, keyboards, organs, and other exotic instruments. The vocal harmonies also add to the rich sound of the album. They began as a group called Sixpence from Glendale, California in the mid-60s and would endure numerous line-up changes throughout this time and during the recording of Incense and Peppermints as well. Around the time that they released their first single, "The Birdman of Alkatrash" with "Incense and Peppermints" as the B-Side, they changed their name to Strawberry Alarm Clock. "The Birdman of Alkatrash" failed as a single while "Incense and Peppermints" took off on the radio and became a #1 hit in November of '67. Although Strawberry Alarm Clock enjoyed some success with the release of Incense and Peppermints, from that point on they would be plagued by negligent management and pressure to compromise their sound.

"Incense and Peppermints" from the film Psych-Out with Jack Nicholson pretending to play guitar

"Rainy Day Mushroom Pillow" from Psych-Out

Download Incense and Peppermints

Vince Collins' Psychedelic Animations

2008-01-03T23:18:00.000-05:00

Animation funded by the United States Information Agency for America's Bicentennial from 1975

"Malice in Wonderland"
This is definitely the scariest, trippiest shit I've ever seen.

Animated film for the song "Life is Flashing Before Your Eyes"
I can't figure out who did this song, but it's pretty sweet.

"It Depends On Your Perspective" from Sesame Street

This is some of the most amazing animation I've ever seen. He has new videos on his myspace page that I've yet to watch, but apparently they're digital and not as sweet. His "About Me" is pretty hilarious, though.

Vince Collins' Myspace Page

Peter Max's Psychedelic Television Commercials

2008-01-03T22:28:00.000-05:00

Movie refreshment ad

American Cancer Society ad

7-Up ad from 1968

7-Up ad from 1970

I accidentally came across these psychedelic animated television ads by artist Peter Max, and I must say it's some of the sweetest shit I've ever seen in my life. I only know a little about Peter Max so I'm gonna spare the effort of writing anything about him and just throw up a wikipedia link instead.

Peter Max wikipedia entry

More Psychedelic Sampling

2008-01-03T19:58:00.000-05:00

The Electric Prunes - Holy Are You

The Electric Prunes were a psychedelic garage band from Los Angeles, CA, but by 1968 they had been completely transformed into a project run by composer David Axelrod (pictured above) and producer Dave Hassinger. Their two albums from 1968, Mass in F Minor and Release of an Oath, combined rock and classical music with heavy religious content. This song is from Release of an Oath.

Quasimoto - Return of the Loop Digga

Quasimoto is a project by producer/DJ/MC, Madlib. The music is heavily sampled, tripped-out hip hop with rapping by Madlib and his alter-ego Quasimoto, which is Madlib rapping with an altered, high-pitched voice. This song is from The Unseen, which is the first of the two Quasimoto albums.

Madlib's sample from "Holy Are You" occurs at about the 1:06 mark. In "Return of the Loop Digga," the sample appears at about the 2:02 mark after Quasimoto says, "Yo Madlib! Yo! I know you comin' with all this other shit man, but I want you to hit 'em with that raw shit right about now. You know whatcha gotta do." This is a great example of the potential to recontextualize music through sampling. Madlib takes a loop of David Axelrod's religious, orchestral production and turns into a raw, hip hop beat...and a peculiar one at that.

Love - Da Capo (1967)

2008-01-02T13:54:00.001-05:00

Following their self-titled debut, Love expanded to a seven-piece for their second album, Da Capo. The first side of the record contains some of the finest American psychedelia ever recorded while the second side contains a 19-minute jam entitled "Revelation." It isn't a bad song by any means, but had Love invested as much effort and thought into the second side of the record as they did on the first, Da Capo could have been as great of a classic as their following record, Forever Changes. Regardless, Da Capo remains an important album because Arthur Lee's songwriting had begun to blossom, hinting at the greatness he would soon achieve. It also contains their only Top 40 hit, the fast-paced, pre-punk, "Seven & Seven Is." The instrumentation of the album is an impressive blend of psychedelic lead guitar, harpsichord, horns and flute. After Da Capo was released, apparently the band was on the verge of collapsing due to heavy drug use and internal conflicts. When they started recording their third album, there was so much turmoil that Arthur Lee and Bryan MacLean would have sessionmen backing them on their respective songs. Luckily, they were eventually able to get together and record their undisputed masterpiece, Forever Changes, but this lineup would unfortunately break up in early 1968.

Fun Fact: Mick Jagger admits that "She Comes In Colors" was the inspiration for "She's A Rainbow" from Their Satanic Majesties Request.

Download Da Capo

Idle Race (1969)

2007-12-31T19:35:00.001-05:00

This is the second album from Birmingham's the Idle Race, following their peculiar psych-pop debut, Birthday Party. This is the first record that chief songwriter Jeff Lynne would produce. Poor record sales for their first record forced them to strive for a more cohesive, accessible sound, which they pulled off quite well. But I can't help but miss the unique aspects of Birthday Party that made it so great. This one's just a bit too concise in it's songwriting and production, but good nonetheless. Unfortunately, Idle Race didn't succeed commercially, which led to Jeff Lynne's departure from the group. He would go on to join the Move, which had offered him a position in the band prior to the release of Idle Race. The group would continue on without Lynne, releasing one last record, Time Is, in 1971. It was never really the same band without Lynne, though.

Download Idle Race

Tomorrow (1968)

2007-12-30T16:22:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow are a prime example of classic British psychedelia. The band's most notable members were guitarist Steve Howe (later of Yes...yup, Yes), singer/songwriter Keith West, and drummer Twink, who would become a fixture in the British psychedelic scene, playing with the likes of the Pretty Things and the Pink Fairies. Twink also had an extremely brief stint in a band called Stars with Syd Barret, but Barret apparently walked off stage halfway through their first live performance. In the midst of Tomorrow's existence, West would find success in releasing solo singles, including "Excerpt From a Teenage Opera" which would reach number two on the British charts. To some extent, his solo career led to the demise of Tomorrow. Tomorrow is the band's only album and has come to be praised as a psychedelic cornerstone. The songwriting is top-notch with excellent instrumentation, lyrics, and occasional far-out psychedelic effects (primarily on the famous, "My White Bicycle"). The album includes a rendition of "Strawberry Fields Forever," which comes close to eclipsing the original Beatles' version. Just for the fun of it, I've posted the original version of "My White Bicycle" and a cover by Nazareth, of "Love Hurts" and "Hair of the Dog" fame. Now you're messin' with a son of a bitch.

Tomorrow - My White Bicycle

Nazareth - My White Bicycle

Download Tomorrow

Old Favorites with New Albums

2007-12-28T17:00:00.000-05:00

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks and the Breeders will both be releasing new records soon. Neither of these bands are very psychedelic related (Malkmus has his moments), but they're two of my old favorite bands so I decided to give them a plug. Both Malkmus and Kim Deal of the Breeders were recently interviewed by Pitchfork and they're both quality reads.

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks' Real Emotional Trash will be released on March 4th. The Breeders' Mountain Battles will be released on April 7th in the US and April 8th in the UK. Mark your calendars. Now.

Pitchfork interview with Stephen Malkmus
Pitchfork interview with Kim Deal

Dungen Music Videos

2007-12-28T16:18:00.000-05:00

"Stadsvandringar" from Stadsvandringar
This one's pretty silly.

"Solen Stiger Upp" from Stadsvandringar
This one's digital design as hell, which isn't really my taste, but it has its moments.

"Panda" from Ta Det Lugnt
This one's extra hard.

"Festival" from Ta Det Lugnt
This one's extra hard, too.

"Familj" from Tio Bitar
This one's extra hard, three.

I think that's all of their videos. If anyone knows of any I'm missing, let me know.

The Always Blue Society Compilation Vol. 3

2007-12-27T12:21:00.000-05:00

Here's my third compilation. I think it's my sickest yet as far as sequencing goes.

1. Things'll Never Be The Same - Spacemen 3
2. On A Side Street - Bardo Pond
3. The Helicopter Spies - Swell Maps
4. The Man On The Dune - The Outsiders
5. Define A Transparent Dream - The Olivia Tremor Control
6. Citadel - The Rolling Stones
7. Sukoon [Reflection] - Saddar Bazaar
8. Being Is More Than Life - Baby Grandmothers
9. Follow Me - Czar
10. Red The Sign Post - Fifty Foot Hose
11. Radio Gnome Invisible - Gong
12. Program Ten- Part Six - Bill Holt

Download The Always Blue Society Compilation Vol. 3

Gong - Radio Gnome Invisible 1 - Flying Teapot (1973)

2007-12-24T19:15:00.000-05:00

This is the first installment of Gong's three-part Radio Gnome Invisible series. Gong was formed in the late 60s by Australian guitarist Daevid Allen (ex-Softmachine) and his wife Gilli Smith.
The group released three records prior to this series. According to allmusic.com, the Radio Gnome Invisible series is about Zero the Hero, who "is a space traveler from Earth who gets lost and finds the Planet Gong, is taught the ways of that world by the gnomes, (pothead) pixies, and Octave Doctors and is sent back to Earth to spread the word about this mystical planet." I really haven't taken the time to venture into this lyrical realm and probably never will. The music is good though, so who cares about that weird shit. Flying Teapot is considered prog-rock but I'm sure most people will find it far more idiosyncratic and goofy than the majority of prog-rock
(I think the cover makes this pretty clear). It has a rich sound through the use of a variety of instrumentation, including saxophone, piano, synth, and space guitar courtesy of Steve Hillage. Hillage's guitar playing is often reminiscent of Hawkwind and I suspect that he influenced the likes of Makoto Kawabata of Acid Mothers Temple. The vocals are one of the biggest highlights. Allen and Smith deliver their mythic space tales through whispers, howls, cackles, sexually explicit ramblings, and yeah, singing too. Flying Teapot is an interesting album to say the least.

Download Radio Gnome Invisible 1 - Flying Teapot

New Dead Meadow song "What Needs Must Be"

2007-12-10T04:20:00.000-05:00

Matador Records recently posted "What Needs Must Be" from Dead Meadow's forthcoming album Old Growth which will be released on February 5. It's an extremely good tune. Also, you can purchase Old Growth early if you go see Dead Meadow live at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City on January 16. The cost for a ticket and CD is just $25 from the Matador website. Hmmm... I just might head to NYC for that. Man, that album cover is pretty fucking boss.

Dead Meadow - What Needs Must Be

Visit Dead Meadow's page on the Matador website for more

Bill Holt - Dreamies (1974)

2007-12-10T04:17:00.000-05:00

This is a truly unique album that is widely considered to be one of the earliest examples of sampling. Recorded in a suburb of Philadelphia called Delaware, Bill Holt's Dreamies consists of acoustic songs that weave in and out of musique concrète inspired found sound and samples from television broadcasts and Beatles songs. There is also a heavy use of the Moog Sonic 6 synthesizer. The album is broken up into two parts, entitled Program 10 and Program 11 (originally intended for each to be a side of the record), which is a clear reference to the Beatles "Revolution #9" from the White Album. At certain moments, Dreamies reminds me of a number of different artists. Holt's voice has a somberness at times similar to Elliot Smith and the songwriting seems to be a precursor to neo-psych-pop like the Olivia Tremor Control. The use of found sound and samples is strikingly similar to what the Tape-beatles would be doing over a decade later. Due to it's mixture of songs and sampling, Dreamies is an album that has proved to be ahead of it's time.

This link is no longer available.

Saddar Bazaar - The Conference of the Birds (1995)

2007-11-28T17:13:00.002-05:00

Saddar Bazaar are a group from Bristol, UK that formed in 1990. The Conference of the Birds is an entirely instrumental album that combines Eastern influenced raga with Western instrumentation like slide guitar and keyboard. There is a heavy use of the sitar and other Eastern instruments such as kubing, dholak, agoul, sitar, duff and tablas. I've yet to hear their other material so I'm not sure if this is their typical style, but I think that it's in a similar vein. The Conference of the Birds makes for nice background music yet it's also impressive when closely observed. The instrumentation and composition seem highly considered, making for an overall consistent album.

Download The Conference of the Birds

The Olivia Tremor Control - Explanation II: Instrumental Themes and Dream Sequences (1999)

2007-11-17T17:51:00.000-05:00

This is a collection of ambient "cycles." It was apparently meant to be played simultaneously with Dusk at Cubist Castle to create quadrophonic sound, yet some contest this because it's shorter than Dusk at Cubist Castle. Whether or not this is how it was intended to be heard, it definitely does make for some interesting sounds when the two are played together. It's also a good listen in and of itself. The music apparently consists of guitar feedback, organ, piano, chimes, and clarinet. It's said to have been recorded on the band's back porch in Athens, Georgia, which adds some interesting background noises like barking dogs, chirping crickets, and thunderstorms. I'm still unsure of the band's true intent with this music, but I suspect it has something to do with their side project the Black Swan Network, which was music inspired by submitted recordings of descriptions of dreams.

Download Explanation II: Instrumental Themes and Dream Sequences

The Olivia Tremor Control - Music from the Unrealized Film Script, Dusk at Cubist Castle (1996)

2007-11-17T17:09:00.001-05:00

The Olivia Tremor Control were the only group from the Elephant Six collective that's ever been able to really hold my attention. I definitely enjoy a lot of the other material, but OTC seemed more mysterious and capable of creating authentic psychedelic sounds. Formed in Athens, Georgia in 1992, OTC consisted of primary creative forces Will Cullen Hart and Bill Doss. Jeff Magnum of Neutral Milk Hotel was an original member and Robert Schneider of Apples in Stereo contributed to the recording of this album. Dusk at Cubist Castle is a collection of catchy psych-pop tunes and extended ambient explorations, all of which are heavily layered with manipulated tape loops, a wide range of instrumentation, and various psychedelic textures. It's an ambitious album which apparently took around three years to complete. I've always found it to be an impressive album because of its balance between great songwriting and experimentation. Along with the Dukes of Stratosphear, OTC is one of the main reasons I originally became interested in psychedelic music. By the way, the name of this blog is lifted from the lyrics of "Define a Transparent Dream."

Download Dusk at Cubist Castle

Mr. S is a supersonic streak in the sky

2007-11-15T15:04:00.000-05:00

I'll get back to posting some albums soon, but until then enjoy this very psychedelic children's program from the 70s. Somehow I missed out on this when I was a kid. Be sure to listen to the original version of the song at the end.

Mr. S and his secret box

Psychedelic Sampling

2007-11-04T03:06:00.001-05:00

Bubble Puppy - A Gathering of Promises

Bubble Puppy was a psychedelic band formed in San Antonio, TX and this is the title track from their one and only album from 1969, A Gathering of Promises. Man, those guys looked like some oddballs.

Manitoba - Skunks

Manitoba was the name of a project consisting of primary creative force Dan Snaith from Ontario, Canada. Snaith is an electronic musician who's very influenced by psychedelia. This is from the Manitoba album from 2003, Up In Flames. Snaith now makes music under the name Caribou due to a legal dispute with Richard "Handsome Dick" Manitoba of the Dictators.

As I'm sure you'll notice, Snaith has sampled the intro from Bubble Puppy's "A Gathering of Promises" and integrated it throughout his own song. I'm curious as to whether he structured the rest of the song around the sample or if he added it after he had already developed other elements of the song. I'm guessing it's the former judging by how the sample starts the song off and then other elements seem to layer on top of it as it continues to loop. Either way, I think it's a nice use of an obscure sample. I'm planning to do at least one more entry about the sampling of psychedelic music. Hopefully I can come across some more.

Fifty Foot Hose - Cauldron (1968)

2007-11-01T22:16:00.001-04:00

This is without a doubt one of the most tripped-out albums you will ever hear. Hailing from San Fransisco, Fifty Foot Hose's music is idiosyncratic west coast psychedelia layered with electronic madness similar to that of the United States of America and White Noise. The group consisted of founding member/bassist Louis "Cork" Marcheschi, guitarist David Blossom, vocalist Nancy Blossom (married to David), drummer Kim Kimsey and guitarist Larry Evans. Influenced by experimental composers like Edgard Varése, John Cage, Terry Riley, and George Antheil, Cork Marcheschi created his own electronic instrument from various elements like theremins, fuzzboxes, a cardboard tube, and a speaker from a World War II aircraft bomber...what a total fucking badass. His experimentations proved to be worthwhile because some of the noises created on this album sound from anywhere but earth. The rest of the group is on point too. There are some top-notch acid guitar leads and Nancy Blossom's powerful vocals are reminiscent of Grace Slick without being too derivative. There are some male vocals as well that are good, but Nancy Blossom's contributions are more compelling and confident. The vast experimental explorations of the album never seem to hinder the quality of the songs, making for one beast of an album. The last four songs are bonus tracks, which includes Cork Maraschi's wild atonal experiment, "Bad Trip," which foreshadows the directions noise bands would be headed a decade later. Another thing worth noting is that the song "God Bless the Child" is a Billie Holiday cover, which I've yet to check out.

Download Cauldron

The Rolling Stones - Their Satanic Majesties Request (1967)

2007-10-21T15:59:00.000-04:00

I don't know much about the Stones, but when I first got wind that they released a psychedelic record, I was immediately interested. Apparently it was poorly received upon release, many claiming it was a Sgt. Pepper's ripoff. While I'm sure it was influenced by the Beatles' classic, I think it holds it's own with great songwriting and experimentation that still holds up today. The Stones make use of the Mellotron keyboard, orchestral arrangements and African rhythms, making it one of their most unique albums.

Fun Fact: The name Their Satanic Majesties Request is a reference to a line in Brittish passports that says, "Her Britannic Majesty requests and requires..."

This link is no longer available.

Swell Maps - Jane from Occupied Europe (1980)

2007-09-28T16:09:00.000-04:00

Swell Maps originally consisted of brothers Epic Soundtracks (Kevin Godfrey) and Nikki Sudden (Nicholas Godfrey) from Birmingham, England. According to allmusic.com, they were "named after the charts used by surfers to gauge wave intensities." Although exisiting as far back as 1972, the group really took shape around '76 or '77 after adding members Richard Earl, David Barrington, John Cockrill and Jowe Head. They sporadically released singles until 1979 when they released their first album, A Trip to Marineville. Their music contributed to the rise of post-punk through its combination of snarly punk and Krautrock inspired noise. Throughout all of Jane from Occupied Europe, the Swell Maps sound as though they were at an extremely high level of creativity. They remained true to the sound of A Trip to Marineville while becoming even more sophisticated at integrating their songs and experimenation. I've yet to hear any of their compilations of unreleased material, but I've been highly interested for some time.

R.I.P.

Epic Soundtracks - 23 March 1959 - 5 November 1997

Nikki Sudden - 19 July 1956 – 26 March 2006

Download Jane from Occupied Europe

Blossom Toes - "Postcard" Single (1968)

2007-09-26T15:22:00.000-04:00

Here's a single by the Blossom Toes with two songs called "Postcard" and "Everyone's Leaving Me Now." "Postcard" is classic psych-pop that would have fit in nicely on We Are Ever So Clean while "Everyone's Leaving Me Now" is a pop tune with a jazzy sound. In addition to this single, I recently came across the bonus tracks from We Are Ever So Clean. There are five songs that didn't make the album plus some demos, live versions and a BBC interview with band member, Jim Cregan (the songwriter who writes the "slightly more freaky things").

Download Postcard
Download the We Are Ever So Clean Bonus Tracks

Czar (1970)

2007-09-19T15:00:00.000-04:00

This isn't one of my favorites, but it's pretty good and what little the album lacks is made up for with the amazingly bizarre album cover. Originally known as Tuesday's Children, Czar was a British band that played mildly progressive rock with blues and pop influences. They never made it far despite heavy touring with the likes of the Moody Blues, Pink Floyd, the Kinks, Jimi Hendrix, the Who and King Crimson. After changing their name to Czar in 1970, they recorded this sole album and parted ways. Apparently they recorded the album late at night after playing shows, frequently writing the songs the very same day they were recorded. These recordings were then overdubbed with Mellotron keyboard, which is a fixture throughout the album. Despite some blandness and cheesiness (check out "Today"), Czar has some great songs with interesting musical passages and adept instrumentation. The lead guitar is especially impressive, sounding strangely similar to Brian May of Queen on the Pink Floyd-esque "Dawning Of A New Day." The two last tracks are bonus tracks that are quite different from the album. "Oh Lord I'm Getting Heavy" is heavily gospel influenced while "Why Don't We Be A Rock'n Roll Band" is an all-out rock cliché.

Download Czar

Spacemen 3 Interview

2007-09-19T14:58:00.001-04:00

Here's an interview with Spacemen 3 that I meant to post shortly after my last post. Sonic Boom seems to dominate the majority of the conversation. There's also some pretty sweet clips from the music video for "Hypnotized" during the interview. The full version of the music video is also on youtube.

Spacemen 3 - Forged Prescriptions (1987)

2007-09-05T15:56:00.000-04:00

Spacemen 3 was a British band featuring primary creative forces Jason Pierce (later of Spiritualized) and Pete Kember AKA Sonic Boom (best nickname ever). This double disc collection of Perfect Prescription-era demos, alternate takes and covers also features percusionist Stewart "Rosco" Rosswell and Pete "Bassman" Baines. Spacemen 3 was heavily drug-fueled, which is quite evident in their droned and repetitive sound. The band would have many line-up changes throughout their existence, often due to turmoil between Pierce and Sonic Boom. During the time of these recordings they apparently worked well together, which I think really shows. I find this collection to be some of their best work. I actually prefer many of the versions on Forged Prescriptions to the Perfect Prescription versions, particularly "Things'll Never Be The Same" and the demo version of "Come Down Easy."

And now a word from Sonic Boom from the liner notes:

As I sit writing this it's 10 years to the day since we were making this record and the sun shines hard and bright just like it did at the time. The last 10 years seem simultaneously to be merely the blink of an eye and yet also a whole lifetime. Much has changed for the better and the worse. It thankfully seems a long time since the drug busts of the Thatcherite "just say no" era and its strange to remember the first ecstasy parties around this time and recall its novelty before it became a cultural icon.

Its also strange how this body of material has come to be meaningful to a whole subculture - exactly the people we hoped to live, love, cry and die with. Maybe, just maybe, this is the way it was meant to be - equally sad, joyful, destructive and generative. This is Spacemen 3 in bloom, midsummer before the seeds were scattered. Right at the point where we worked together well, and, in compliment to each other. I still have strong memories of days where we would crash out listening to nothing but one song over and over making hypno-monotony from slices of hypno-monotony. Mattresses were installed into the studio's lounging space and our kaleidoscopic light show stayed on throughout the session, permanently focused on the studio's revolving mirror-ball, myriad rays of micro-psychedelic worlds (and whirls) mixing with our minds and music. Actually the projector's fan noise permeated most of the recording and was considered an unfortunate but necessary evil.

I also remember spending several hours lying on the floor wearing headphones and having our Thai-grass addled humour fed through the echo machine and back to our ear goggles inducing a feedback of echo, laughter and stupidity. I wish I had it on tape - this sort of unusual activity and experimentation definitely contributed to pieces like "Ecstacy Symphony" and "Transparent Radiation". Slightly darker and sometimes less benign feelings contributed to the more macabre songs like "Call The Doctor", "Ode To Street Hassle" and "Things'll Never Be The Same", showing the inevitable contrast in our lives and our experiences at the time.

When some of this material was first released it oozed out to little acclaim and only slight acceptance by a clued-in few. It was a great disappointment to us. We felt we had managed to trap a portion of our souls into the micro-fine grooves of the original Glass release (symbolically somehow caught forever like a fly in amber and preserved - a moment in time and mood).

We spent several months, broken only by touring, recording and re-working these pieces until we felt they were ready slowly learning more about the studio and its techniques as we went. These versions show some variation to the original release, which was more stripped. Many different takes and versions were experimented with - "Walking With Jesus" had been an all fuzz, tremelo and feedback song before these sessions.

Here at last are the full guitar laden versions with all the layers of beautifully streamlined guitar - considered by us to be too hard to replicate live and therefore reduced for the original release. Also included for the first time are some unreleased covers, demos and tributes from the same sessions.

For me, this is where Spacemen 3 songwriting came to a head - many of these songs pre-dated "Sound Of Confusion", some were even recorded at both sessions, but I am still impressed mightily by Jason's lyrical genius on originals like "Walking With Jesus" and re-writes like "Come Down Easy" and his fluid guitar playing across the whole sessions.

To be sure "Playing With Fire" was soon to be our long and sultry Indian Summer but "Perfect Prescription" was the progeny of that hot, lazy (and occasionally rainy) summer.

Sonic Boom

Download Forged Prescriptions

The Outsiders - C.Q. (1968)

2007-08-31T18:40:00.000-04:00

The Outsiders were a Dutch band from Amsterdam that were a part of the "Nederbeat" scene and sang entirely in English. The band's lineup consisted of Wally Tax on vocals, Ronnie Splinter on guitar, Appie Rammers on bass, Tom Krabbendam on guitar and Leendert "Buzz" Busch on drums. Frank Beek would later replace Rammers on bass guitar from 1968-1969. This is their third and final record, which sold poorly upon release but has since become regarded as a conrnerstone of psychedelic garage rock. C.Q. touches on a number of different styles of rock music. There is a combination of fast paced R&B with a punk edge similar to early Pretty Things, eerie experimental material (check out the title track "C.Q."), space rock that recalls Syd Barret-era Pink Floyd, and folk rock. What makes this all the more interesting is that these styles are frequently explored within a single song. In my opinion, this album foreshadows the directions post-punk bands would soon be exploring, particularly Chairs Missing-era Wire. The unpredictability of C.Q. has made it one of my favorite recent discoveries and I have the feeling it's something I'll be coming back to frequently. I'm also pretty into the Lichtenstein-esque cover.

Fun Fact: Apparently Kurt Cobain was a fan of the Outsiders and unsuccessfully tried to meet Wally Tax.

Stand-Out Tracks:
"Misfit"
"Daddy Died On Saturday"
"It Seems Like Nothings Gonna Come My Way Today"
"Doctor"
"The Man on the Dune"
"Prison Song"

Download C.Q.

Baby Grandmothers (1968)

2007-08-23T19:07:00.000-04:00

Baby Grandmothers were a Swedish band that played extended, improvised heavy psychedelic rock that's largely instrumental. Originally an R&B group called T-Boones, they were renamed the Baby Grandmothers by the co-founder of the short lived Stockholm psychedelic club Filips, which hosted such acts as the Jimi Hendrix Experience and the Mothers of Invention. The band originally consisted of Pelle Ekman on drums, Göran Malmberg on bass and Kenny Håkansson on guitar and vocals, but Malmberg would be replaced by Bengt “Bella” Linnarsson. After adding Mecki Bodemark from the disbanded Mecki Mark Men, they would eventually transform into the second version of Mecki Mark Men. In 1970, this line-up became the first Swedish group to tour America. In 1971, Mecki Mark Men would break up and the Baby Grandmothers line-up would form a band called Kebnekajse. This album consists of live recordings from Filips. As far as I'm concerned, this is some of the greatest psychedelic music ever recorded, especially since it's live. Kenny Håkansson's guitar playing is absolutely amazing and the drums and bass compliment it perfectly.

Go here for more information on the Baby Grandmothers

Download Baby Grandmothers

The Always Blue Society Compilation Vol. 2

2007-08-23T16:55:00.000-04:00

Here's my second compilation. The tracklist goes something like this:

1. Got A Feelin - Comets On Fire
2. Rimbaud Blues - Comets On Fire
3. Drowned My Life In Fear - Leaf Hound
4. All These Years - Lazy Smoke
5. Try a Little Sunshine - The Factory
6. Mr. Grey - Stone Circus
7. In My Dream - The Action
8. Deboraarobed - Tyrannosaurus Rex
9. Stamping Machine - July
10. Bike Ride To The Moon - The Dukes of Stratosphear
11. The Good Mr. Square - The Pretty Things
12. She Was Tall, She Was High - The Pretty Things
13. Uncle Jack - Spirit
14. Cinema Olympia - Gal Costa
15. Questions (Did You Know - Will We Be Alive) - Ithaca
16. A Mind Blown Is A Mind Shown - Hapshash & The Coloured Coat

Download The Always Blue Society Compilation Vol. 2

Tyrannosaurus Rex - Prophets Seers & Sages: The Angels Of The Ages (1968)

2007-08-16T20:57:00.000-04:00

This is the second album from the British folk duo consisting of Marc Bolan and Steve Peregrin Took that would later transform into the famous glam rock group T. Rex. Although Bolan's vocal style is similarly flamboyant in both Tyrannosaurus Rex and T. Rex, the overall sound is entirely different. Prophets Seers & Sages: The Angels Of The Ages combines Bolan's acoustic guitar and vocals with Took's impressive, fast-paced bongo playing. The songs are all excellent as is Bolan's voice. The lyrical content is apparently packed with references to Lord of the Rings, but none of this really registers with me since I'm vehemently opposed to all of that mystical bullshit...just kidding, sort of. The only outwardly psychedelic moment in the album is in the first track, "Deboraarobed." The first half of the song segues into the same song played backwards, which was pretty unheard of at the time. Backwards recording had certainly been used at this point, but not nearly as blatantly. By the way, I don't know what the deal is with the song, "Our Wonderful Brownskin Man."

Stand-Out Tracks:
"Deboraarobed"
"Stacey Grove"
"Wind Quartets"
"Consuela"
"Salamanda Palaganda"

"Deboraarobed"

This link is no longer available.

Pitchfork reviews the reissue of the Blossom Toe's We Are Ever So Clean

2007-08-08T22:44:00.001-04:00

Weird. Pitchfork did another review of an album I have on here and gave another 8.6 rating. I found this quote from the article very interesting: "In the new reissue's liner notes, the Toes claim their songs were all written by the time somebody played them an acetate of Sgt. Pepper's in the studio." I mainly find this interesting because it backs up a point I made in my post about We Are Ever So Clean.

Read the Pitchfork review here
Read my entry on We Are Ever So Clean

Pitchfork reviews the reissue of White Noise's An Electric Storm

2007-08-04T22:50:00.000-04:00

Overall, it's a favorable review, but I think this one deserves at least a 9/10.
Read the Pitchfork review here
Read my entry on An Electric Storm

The Action - Rolled Gold (1967-68)

2007-07-31T19:18:00.000-04:00

The Action were a British band originally involved in the mod scene. They were discovered by the Beatles' producer George Martin, who signed the group to his EMI-based AIR Productions in 1965. They began to grow out of their mod roots and develop a more emotional, mildly psychedelic sound. Despite being signed and having successful club shows, the Action never managed to chart a hit. Their bad luck would continue to follow when EMI rejected the Rolled Gold demos and eventually dropped them from the label. Line-up changes ensued and led to the group transforming into Mighty Baby. The Action are still regarded as one of the greatest bands of the 60s to never catch a break and Rolled Gold proves this to be true. It's packed with sophisticated guitar pop that is consistently engaging. It's a downright shame that it never saw the light of day in the 60s.

"In My Dream"

Download Rolled Gold

Pretty sweet news

2007-07-16T01:52:00.000-04:00

This morning I got an email informing me that this poster I designed will be printed at a whopping 4'X8' and exhibited at Lollapalooza in Grant Park. Not only that, but I get a copy of the print and I get two free three-day passes to Lollapalooza. Needless to say, I'm pretty excited about the news. I've never had my work printed at a size even close to this, so that's one of the best things about it. The poster is promoting three fictional, psychedelic bands called the Melting Strawberries, the Wandering Eyeballs and the Polished Suitcase. Also, the email said that my image "was chosen by the producers of
Lollapalooza and Perry Farrel." I really hope that Perry Farrel actually played a role in choosing my image.

I'll get back to posting albums sooner or later. Just decided to give it a little break for a while.

Pitchfork Festival/Delicious Design League

2007-07-16T01:29:00.000-04:00

Arthur Lee Benefit Poster by Delicious Design League

I just got back from my weekend at the Pitchfork Festival here in Chicago. Overall it was pretty great. I was an idiot and waited too long to get tickets for the Sonic Youth/GZA/Slint show but Saturday and Sunday were still good and well worth it. My favorite acts were Clipse, Deerhunter, Stephen Malkmus and De La Soul. Grizzly Bear, Fujiya and Miyagi, Menomena and Junior Boys were also good. Anyhow, they had some amazing concert posters in one part of the park and I managed to get the last copy of the Arthur Lee Benefit poster. It was extra weird because I had an image of this exact poster saved on my computer because I liked it so much. It was printed by an excellent design group from Chicago called Delicious Design League. Be sure to check out their site because I'm really, really impressed by all of their work.

The Dukes of Stratosphear - Chips from the Chocolate Fireball (1987)

2007-06-26T19:18:00.000-04:00

This is some of the most authentic sounding (if not the most) attempts at recapturing the sound of the psychedelic era. Created as a side project by the British band XTC, the Dukes of Stratosphear aimed to parody and pay tribute to the 60s psychedelic sound. XTC initially denied affiliation with the Dukes and even adopted pseudonyms to mask their identities. Andy Partridge was Sir John Johns, Colin Moulding was the Red Curtain, David Gregory was Lord Cornelius Plum, and Gregory's brother Ian joined the Dukes as Ian E.I.E.I. Owen. Their sound is very well conceived both compositionally and texturally, combining great songs with excellent psychedelic instrumentation and effects. Chips from the Chocolate Fireball is an anthology combining the Dukes' EP from 1985 called 25 O'Clock and their LP from 1987 called Psonic Psunspot. Personally, I find the material from 25 O'Clock to be superior than Psonic Psunspot but don't get me wrong, it's all good.

"Bike Ride To The Moon"

Music video for "The Mole from the Ministry"

Go here for an informative site on the Dukes of Stratosphear.

Download Chips from the Chocolate Fireball

Jimmy Appudurai Chua

2007-06-24T16:24:00.001-04:00

"Jimmy Appudurai Chua was born in Singapore where he played guitar and harp with several bands during the 1960s including The Meltones, The Motif, The Bee Jays and Blues By Five before moving to London in the early 70s when The Straydogs landed a recording contract with Harvest Records (EMI).

Turning to rock photography, Jimmy photographed many famous legends such as Buddy Guy, Jack Bruce, Alexis Korner, The Yardbirds, Eric Clapton, John Mayall, Pop Staples, Jimmy Smith, Albert Collins, Ry Cooder, Top Topham, Steve Winwood, Michael Kamen, Adrian Legg, Dave Gilmour, Blur, Manic Street Preachers and the Foo Fighters. Mostly photographing the artists live, Jimmy also did studio shots of The Yardbirds and The Pretty Things.

Jimmy's surname is often spelt incorrectly as Appadurai, even in Singapore's BigO Magazine for which he was an overseas contributor for many years. Now relocated to Liskeard, Cornwall, where he is enjoying the local music scene, Jimmy is planning to record some of his compositions in 2006."

Unfortunately these are the only photographs of his I can find.

Go here for more.

Lazy Smoke - Corridor of Faces (1969)

2007-06-20T20:42:00.001-04:00

Lazy Smoke was a band from Massachusetts with a lead singer that sounds eerily similar to John Lennon at times. Their music is mid-tempo and slow guitar pop with psychedelic and folk influences. For what it's worth, many of their slower songs remind me of the modern British band the Clientele, because of the lazy, melancholy style of pop. The first track, "All These Years," sets a very psychedelic tone with tasteful backwards guitar, nice lead guitar, and immediately striking vocals. Nothing else on the album is as heavily psychedelic, but the song-writing often still has psychedelic influences. The recordings are pretty lo-fi, which lends itself well to the band's sound. Overall, I find it to be a very good listen with songs that grow on you the more you listen. This release comes with twelve bonus tracks of acoustic demos, which I haven't given much of a listen yet.

Stand-Out Tracks:
"All These Years"
"How Was Your Day Last Night"
"Under Skys"
"Jackie-Marie"
"Sarah Saturday"

"All These Years"

Download Corridor of Faces

The Pretty Things - LSD

2007-06-18T19:36:00.001-04:00

Here's the Pretty Things explicitly singing about LSD a year before the Beatles had even hinted at it. It's funny what you can get away with when you aren't a media darling.

The Pretty Things - Parachute (1970)

2007-06-12T17:55:00.001-04:00

The Pretty Things are one of the most important British rock bands of the 60s and 70s that somehow never gained recognition in the States. They started as an R&B rock band much like the Rolling Stones and in '67 they took a turn towards psychedelia with the orchestrated album, Emotions. Then they went on to record the first rock opera ever, S.F. Sorrow, but the Who's Tommy would outshine it with much better sales. Founding member Dick Taylor would leave shortly after, apparantly disappointed with the lack of recognition it received. The band carried on and recorded Parachute with excellent results. The first six tracks have a striking similarity to the second side of Abbey Road, due to the use of seamless songs and layered vocal harmonies. This similarity is no surprise considering that Parachute was recorded in Abbey Road with the Beatles' engineer Norman Smith producing. The first half is the most immediately striking, but the second half has a great combination of raunchy blues and slower songs. According to allmusic.com, the album is a concept album about "a generation caught between the conflicting calls of (rural) peace, love, and boredom, and (urban) sophistication, sex, and squalor in a harsh world." I've only picked up on this concept in a couple tracks thus far, to be honest. The last six songs are bonus tracks, which are inferior to the album cuts, but good nonetheless.

"The Good Mr. Square" & "She Was Tall, She Was High"

Download Parachute

Stone Circus (1969)

2007-06-05T19:27:00.000-04:00

This is the Stone Circus' one and only album and it consists of all original songs that are mainly psych-pop with acid rock influence. I can't figure out exactly where they were from, because one thing I've read said they were thought to have been from California although according to the sticker on the CD it was "recorded by a bunch of musicians from Canada who'd fetched up in New York." So they were either from California or they were some Canadians in New York. There's some great instrumentation including fuzz lead guitar, jangly rhythm guitar, sweet bass and organ grooves, and solid drumming. I really enjoy most all of the songs leading up to the last track called 'People I Once Knew.' It starts with some spoken lyrics over piano and then breaks out into a long organ/wah-wah guitar jam that gets a little boring. The spoken word stuff is entertaining enough to redeem it, though.

Stand-Out Tracks:
"What Went Wrong"
"Adam's Lament"
"Mr. Grey"
"Sarah Wells"

"Mr. Grey"

Download The Stone Circus

Gal Costa - Gal Costa (Cinema Olympia) (1969)

2007-06-03T16:23:00.000-04:00

This is the second album from Brazil's Gal Costa who was an important figure in the Tropicalia movement along with Gilberto Gil and Caetano Velosa, both of whom penned multiple songs for this album. This the first of her two self-titled albums, which are typically distinguished by the first song. From what I've heard of the Tropicalia movement, Costa seems to have taken it the farthest out into psychedelia, even more so than Os Mutantes. This album is full of intense psychedelic effects and styles like screeching wah-wah guitar, heavy delay and reverb, speaker pans, dissonant funk bass lines, innovative production techniques, etc. The list could go on all day. The album has a great combination of the distinctive Tropicalia style and psychedelia because it is based around good songs that are carefully experimented with in the studio. Costa's often wild vocal style also adds perfectly to the experimental style of the album.

"Cinema Olympia"

For more information on Gal Costa, check out the All Music entry.

Download Gal Costa (Cinema Olympia)

Spirit (1968)

2007-05-31T23:13:00.000-04:00

This is the debut album by Spirit from Los Angeles. Their music has a number of different influences including psychedelia, progressive rock, pop, folk, jazz, classical and Indian music. Because they touched on so many different styles of music, they never gained a wide audience but they were still highly regarded. Lead singer/guitarist Randy California (what a sweet name) was only a teenager during the recording of this album while the band's drummer was middle-aged, which sheds some light on their diverse musical approach. I find this to be an overall enjoyable album although sometimes it gets a bit too lost in proggy guitar and piano solos for my taste. It's incredibly well written, arranged and performed, despite lacking some cohesiveness as an album. I've yet to hear any of their other 11 albums but this one has made me eager to hear more.

Stand-Out Tracks:
"Fresh Garbage"
"Uncle Jack"
"Girl In Your Eye"
"Topanga Windows"
"Gramophone Man" (This one gets a little too proggy for me in the middle but it's still a great song.)

"Uncle Jack"

Download Spirit

Go and brush your shoulders off...

2007-05-29T15:01:00.000-04:00

A young Arthur in his hey' gettin' that dirt off his shoulder. Unfortunately, I don't actually have this so if anyone does and is willing to share, let me know.

The Factory - Complete Story! (1966-1969)

2007-05-28T15:26:00.000-04:00

The Factory was a very young British psychedelic band that put out a couple of singles in the late 60s that never took off. Their guitarist was 17 and their drummer only 16. This is a compilation of their recordings, which has a great combination of heavy psych, psych-pop, psych-folk and some very lo-fi recordings. "Path Thru the Forest" was their first single that came out on MGM in 1968. It's excellent heavy psychedelia with great lead guitar, feedback, and distorted vocals. There are two versions of this song included, one with a weird intro of monkeys howling and additional psychedelic effects that are well integrated. Their second single was "Try a Little Sunshine" which was written by John Pantry, a friend of IBC engineer Brian Carrol who helped get the Factory started with his colleague Damon Lyon Shaw. This is also an excellent song with great lead guitar and vocal harmonies. The compilation has two covers, including Fairport Convention's "Mr. Lacey" and Family's "Second Generation Woman," neither of which I've heard the original version. Overall, it's a great compilation despite annoying inconsistencies in volume between tracks.

Stand-Out Tracks:
"Path Thru the Forest"
"Gone"
"Try a Little Sunshine"
"Red Chalk Hill"
"The Old and the New"

"Try a Little Sunshine"

Download Complete Story!

Comets on Fire (2001)

2007-05-25T14:33:00.000-04:00

This is the first album from Santa Cruz's Comets on Fire. Their music is generally loud, riff-heavy madness although their latest material has taken a turn towards accessibility, which I find somewhat regrettable. This is by far their most spaced out and brutal offering to date. The guitars, drums and vocals are all fucking fierce, to say the least, and the use of the echoplex adds another layer of insanity. The echoplex is an old tape-driven echo and delay unit, which I've wanted ever since I first heard this album. This is actually a reissue of their first record and it includes a bonus 28 minute clip of their live show.

"Got A Feelin"

Download Comets on Fire

Ithaca - A Game For All Who Know (1973)

2007-05-23T13:03:00.000-04:00

First off, don't be deceived by the shitty album cover, because this is a really good album. Ithaca was a British band that played melodic, progressive psych-folk. This is their last album, which was a private-pressed LP that never gained much attention. Most of the album is fairly sparse, sophisticated arrangements of acoustic guitar and electric organ accompanied by male and female vocals that trade off very naturally and pleasantly. There is some use of piano, electric guitar, strings, Mellotron, and recorder, which are all subtle and well integrated. Most of the songs are songs within songs, so there are a number of drastic changes that are very well conceived compositionally and thematically. I've had this album for a while now and it continues to grow on me more and more, especially considering my initial copy's tracks were out of sequence. I find it to be very compelling lyrically, thematically and stylistically. There just seems to be a lot going on that isn't initially apparent.

"Questions (Did You Know - Will We Be Alive)"

Download A Game For All Who Know

Wolfgang's Vault

2007-05-17T19:07:00.000-04:00

Visit Wolfgang's Vault for some sick psychedelic posters and more.

Hapshash and the Coloured Coat - Featuring the Human Host and the Heavy Metal Kids (1967)

2007-05-17T07:55:00.000-04:00

Hapshash and The Coloured Coat were a British graphics team consisting of Michael English and Nigel Waymouth and are known for creating some of the most memorable concert posters of the psychedelic era printed and distributed by Osiris Visions. They made posters for Pink Floyd, the Incredible String Band, and many bands who played in the underground UFO club. The two met shortly after Nigel had opened London's first psychedelic boutique, Granny Takes A Trip, working under the name Cosmic Colors, then Jacob and the Coloured Coat, and finally Hapshash and the Coloured Coat. In 2000, their work gained recognition when the Victoria and Albert Museum put on an exhibition of their work. The album foreshadows some of the experimental directions bands like the Velvet Underground would soon be exploring. It is mainly void of song structures, consisting of listless jams with tribal rhythms, driving guitars, dissonant instrumentation and sporadic vocals. The tribal direction of the music is very apparent, particularly on the song '"Aoum" which is entirely a cappella chanting.

"A Mind Blown Is A Mind Shown"

Go here to see Hapshash and the Coloured Coat's psychedelic posters.

Go here for Nigel Waymouth's website.

Download Featuring the Human Host and the Heavy Metal Kids

July - The Second of July (1967)

2007-05-16T15:22:00.000-04:00

This is a collection of previously unreleased material from the British psychedelic band July, largely consisting of demos of the songs from their self-titled album. There are a few tracks on this that didn't make it to the album though. As I mentioned earlier, it's interesting to listen to these songs and hear how much many of them were developed prior to recording the album. Although it lacks the production of the self-titled album, the lo-fi recording lends itself well to many of the tracks, particularly the acoustic ballad "Man Outside."

Stand-Out Tracks:
"My Clown"
"Stamping Machine"
"(A) Bird Lived"
"You See Me I See You"
"Man Outside"

"Stamping Machine"

Download The Second of July

A Cricket in the Court of Akbar

2007-05-07T03:27:00.000-04:00

I've been taking a break from updating this blog because school is quite hectic right now. I'm hoping to get started again soon, but in the meantime, here's a trailer for a very interesting documentary that I stumbled across on youtube. This is what it's about:

"American student of Indian Classical music, Andrew Mendelson, competes in the largest music competition in Rajasthan, India. Sitar in hand, he attempts to navigate the complex rules of this ancient tradition only to find that his western culture clash might be insurmountable. Will he find acceptance before facing India's newest generation of master musicians?"

I really want to check this out for a number of reasons. First off, although I haven't listened to Indian Classical music all that much, psychedelic music has definitely made me more and more compelled. I'm also very interested by the culture clash aspect of the film. I find it truly inspring that this guy is willing to step into a very different culture and compete in a tradition that's not his own.

Go here for more information:
Ragamala Productions

The Always Blue Society Compilation Vol. 1

2007-04-20T09:16:00.001-04:00

I decided to make a compilation of sorts to give a general idea of how all the artists sound that I've posted so far. I made somewhat of an attempt to put the songs in an interesting order so that it has a decent flow to it. Here's the tracklist:

1. Look At Me I'm You - Blossom Toes
2. On With The Show - Idle Race
3. I'm So Happy - Rainbow Ffolly
4. My Clown - July
5. Love Jumped Through My Window - Arthur Lee
6. Five Day Week Straw People - Five Day Week Straw People
7. (We Are) The Orange Alabaster Mushroom - The Orange Alabaster Mushroom
8. Look At Merri - The Rain Parade
9. Kingsley J - Vibrasonic
10. Grave Implications - The Tape-beatles
11. Love Without Sound - White Noise
12. I Am The Fly - Wire
13. Babbling Flower (Live) - Dead Meadow
14. Daddy's Bare Meat - Acid Mothers Temple and The Melting Paraiso U.F.O.

Download The Always Blue Society Compilation Vol. 1

More Tape-beatles

2007-04-20T09:02:00.000-04:00

Here's a website with a bunch of albums by the Tape-Beatles as well as Public Works, which is another alias of theirs. One of the links to download a song from The Grand Delusion is screwed up on this site, which is why I posted the album here. So don't try downloading it from this site. I'm not sure if there are any other bad links but I sure hope not. Also, I realized the link for The Grand Delusion was dead, so I re-uped it. Anyway, here's the link:

U B U W E B :: The Tape-beatles / Public Works / Collaborations

Rainbow Ffolly - Sallies Fforth (1967)

2007-04-16T18:41:00.000-04:00

Rainbow Ffolly was a British psych-pop band that released only one album. The band was founded by two brothers named Jon and Richard Dunsterville, Jon serving as the songwriter. After recording a 12-track demo at the Jackson Recording studio, the songs were sent to EMI who were so impressed that they asked to release the demo as an album. The band was hesitant because they hadn’t meant for the demo to be a finished product, but they went ahead with it anyway because it was so difficult to get a recording contract at the time. Unfortunately, the album didn’t have good sales and they didn’t make enough money touring, so by 1968 they called it quits. It’s a shame because I’m sure if they had the opportunity to record a proper album, it would’ve been great. The music on Sallies Fforth is a combination of upbeat and slow psychedelic pop full of rich vocal harmonies, great songwriting, and quirky psychedelic intros.

Stand-Out Tracks:
“She’s Alright”
“I’m So Happy”
“Drive My Car” (Not a Beatles cover)
“Goodbye”
“Sun & Sand”

"I'm So Happy"

Download Sallies Forth

The Tape-beatles - The Grand Delusion (1993)

2007-04-13T21:41:00.000-04:00

This really isn't a psychedelic album but it's hard to find and a really interesting album so I'm going to put it up anyway. The Tape-beatles are a multi-media group from Iowa City that formed in 1986. The Grand Delusion is the only album of theirs I've heard so far. It was created as a reaction to the Persian Gulf War, using voice samples largely derived from speeches (lots of Bush Sr.), television news, and occasionally some crazy religious types. These voice samples are placed into eerie contexts with collages of sampled sounds and music.

"Grave Implications"

Wikipedia entry on the Tape-beatles

Download The Grand Delusion

Five Day Week Straw People (1967)

2007-04-12T21:30:00.000-04:00

This is some guitar-driven British psychedelic rock featuring John Du Cann of the Attack, Adromeda, and the Atomic Rooster. After the Attack parted ways, Du Cann was asked by the independent label Saga to record a psychedelic album and so he wrote a loose concept album about the typical weekend of the British working class. The band was taken to record the album at a studio, which turned out to be a children's nursery and within 4 hours, the album was recorded. Because it was written and recorded so hastily, there are times when you can tell the band isn't quite together, which I think adds to the charm of the album. Considering the circumstances, most of the songs are surprisingly good although some are a little bland. I particularly like the guitar solos. This also includes a number of bonus tracks by the Attack.

Stand-Out Tracks:
"Five Day Week Straw People"
"I'm Going Out Tonight"
"Gold Digger"
"Car Wash"
"Dust Is In My Eyes"

"Five Day Week Straw People"

Download Five Day Week Straw People

Arthur Lee - Vindicator (1972)

2007-04-09T18:23:00.000-04:00

This is the first post-Love album from the late, great Arthur Lee. Although it's not on the same level as Love's best work, it's still a great album that showcases Lee's looser, bluesy style. It seems that Lee was heavily influenced by Jimi Hendrix during this time, which isn't surprising considering he had recorded some music with Hendrix before his death. Lee and Hendrix have history that dates back to when Hendrix was a session guitarist for the Isley Brothers. I can only imagine how sweet it would have been if the two had recorded an album together. For some reason, this album is no longer in print and sells for absurd amounts of money online, so don't sleep.

Stand-Out Tracks:
"Love Jumped Through My Window"
"Find Somebody"
"Everybody's Gotta Live"
"You Want Change For Your Re-Run"

"Love Jumped Through My Window"

Download Vindicator

Wire - Chairs Missing (1978)

2007-04-08T23:01:00.000-04:00

This is veering away from the psychedelic theme but this album does have somewhat of a psychedelic influence. Wire is a post-punk band from London and this is their second album, following the punk rock classic Pink Flag. With this album they took a more experimental approach without veering too far away from their punk sound. The sound of this album draws comparisons to early Pink Floyd, which I think is evident at certain times but not overwhelmingly so. Overall, I think this is an excellent album with a great balance between punk, pop, and more experimental material.

Stand-Out Tracks:
"Practice Makes Perfect"
"French Film Blurred"
"Marooned"
"Outdoor Miner"
"I Am The Fly"
"From The Nursery"
Too many to choose, really.

"I Am The Fly"

Download Chairs Missing

Rain Parade - Emergency Third Rail Power Trip/Explosions in the Glass Palace (1983/84)

2007-04-07T14:30:00.000-04:00

Rain Parade were a part of the 80s Paisley Underground scene in LA along with such bands as the Bangles, the Three O'Clock and the Dream Syndicate. Of this scene, Rain Parade had the most psychedelic influenced sound. Their music is calm, melodic pop heavily inspired by 60s music, most noticably the Byrds. This album combines the 1983 LP Emergencty Third Rail Power Trip and the 1984 EP Explosions in the Glass Palace, which does not include the departed founding member David Robak. Robak would go on to form Opal, which eventually would become Mazzy Star.

Stand-Out Tracks:
"This Can't Be Today"
"I Look Around"
"Look At Merri"
"No Easy Way Down"

"Look At Merri"

Download Emergency Third Rail Power Trip/Explosions in the Glass Palace (2 files)

Acid Mothers Temple and the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. - Does the Cosmic Shepherd Dream of Electric Tapirs? (2004)

2007-04-03T20:39:00.000-04:00

Here's an interesting album from the Japanese psychedelic collective, Acid Mothers Temple and the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. The album starts off with "Daddys' Bare Meat" which is some intense, psychedelic jamming. Then it moves onto a few calmer acoustic tracks. "Suzie Sixteen" is a playful song with what seems to be improvised jibberish for lyrics. "Hello Good Child" and "The Assassin's Beautiful Daughter" are fairly slow tracks with great vocals, guitar, and psychedelic textures. The 25-minute "Dark Star Blues" is an epic psychedelic freak-out in the AMT tradition and the album closer, "The Transmigration of Hop Heads" is 18 minutes of ambient drone.

"Daddy's Bare Meat"

Download Does the Cosmic Shepherd Dream of Electric Tapirs?

Space And Time: A Compendium of The Orange Alabaster Mushroom (1991-1998)

2007-03-31T16:17:00.000-04:00

This is some of my favorite psych-pop of the 90s. The Orange Alabaster Mushroom is a one-man band created by Greg Watson of Ottawa. While a member of the garage rock band the Fiends, Watson began recording his own psychedelic-inspired music. This collection of his work has a fairly authentic psychedelic sound through the use of keyboards, vocal harmonies, backwards guitar, and overall solid songwriting.

Stand-Out Tracks:
"Your Face Is In My Mind"
"(We Are) The Orange Alabaster Mushroom"
"Tree Pie"
"Another Place"
"Mister Day"

"(We Are) The Orange Alabaster Mushroom"

Here's a video for "Your Face Is In My Mind" using clips from the movie Girl on a Motorcycle. I don't really know what the deal is with this, but it at least gives you an idea of what the Orange Alabaster Mushroom sounds like.

Download Space And Time

July (1968)

2007-03-29T19:28:00.000-04:00

In my opinion, this is one of the best British psychedelic albums ever recorded. July didn't last much longer than a year as a band, but during that time they managed to record this classic album. In addition to this, a compilation of demos would also be released called The Second of July, which I'll post sooner or later. It's also a really good listen, especially since you can see how much the songs developed prior to the official album. I highly recommend this album because I think that many of the tracks really capture the essence of the 60s psychedelic sound.

Stand-Out Tracks:
"My Clown"
"Jolly Mary"
"You Missed It All"
"The Way"
"To Be Free"

"My Clown"

Download July

Alchemists of Sound: The Story of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop

2007-03-28T17:48:00.000-04:00

Check out this excellent documentary on the BBC's Radiophonic Workshop. This is related to my previous post about the group White Noise, although they are never mentioned. A little over half-way through, there is an entire section devoted to Delia Derbyshire who was a member of White Noise. This is a must-see for anyone interested in early electronic music techniques. Also, take notice of the weird dude lurking in the shadows of the background during the interview segments.

Watch it here.

White Noise - An Electric Storm (1969)

2007-03-28T15:27:00.000-04:00

David Vorhaus, the son of a blacklisted film director, started White Noise after moving from America to the U.K. to avoid the draft. While studying electronic music, he was inspired to combine electronic and pop music after seeing a lecture by a group called Unit Delta Plus. This group was a part of the BBC's innovative Radiophonic Workshop and included Delia Derbyshire (creator of the Dr. Who theme), Peter Zinovieff, and Brian Hodgson. Vorhaus convinced Derbyshire and Hodgson to work on a record with him and so White Noise began. The album is truly unique for it's combination of early electronics and odd, psychedelic music. Because it was created before the Moog synthesizer, they used homemade equipment and tape recorders to create the amazing sounds on this record. The songs are overall very good too, making it all the more interesting.

Stand-Out Tracks:
"Love Without Sound"
"Here Comes The Fleas"
"Firebird"

"Love Without Sound"

Go here to read more about White Noise on AllMusic.com

Downlad An Electric Storm

Bread & Circuses: The Story of Os Mutantes

2007-03-27T05:05:00.000-04:00

I can't figure out if this is playing in theatres yet or if it will even be in theatres at all. Can't wait to see it though.

Go here for more info.

Vibrasonic (1995)

2007-03-27T01:35:00.000-04:00

Vibrasonic is by far one of the most authentic sounding psychedelic bands to come out of the 90s. At first listen, you'd swear they were from the 60s. The band is from Sussex, England and is primarily just two members by the names of Victor K. Fitch and Simon Paul Jones. The music is incredibly dense with psychedelic effects, to the point that it's hard to keep track of all the sounds. They also have a heavy surf influence, which dominates their second album Instrumental Vibrations.

Stand-Out Tracks:
"The Sea of Stars"
"The Perpetual Motion Machine" (14 minutes of psychedelic greatness)
"Cloudburst"
"Kingsley J" (One of my favorite psychedelic tracks ever)

"Kingsley J"

Here's a weird video for "Kingsley J"

Go here for an interview with Vibrasonic.

Download Vibrasonic