Psychedelic Music reviews page : '70's psych styles

World In Sound Fear Itself (US,1968)****°

Fear Itself was rooted in heavy bluesrock, and had some inspirations from Cream, and Hendrix. What made this group so different is partly the lead of the female singer, who's voice ranges wide in expressions, recalling names like Janes Ian /Janis Joplin, from gospelblues/blues to hard rock. Very funny is the “daddy won’t you be my man” on “Bow’d up” like a housewife blues joke, which finds a breakpoint into the powerful heavy rock of “For Suki”, this time with a Grace Slick reference, but with balls, over to a very clear Linda Hoyle & Affinity reference on the very strong and powerful “In my time of dying”, a song rooted in Bob Dylan interpreted as heavy psychrock, here also with some raw blues electric guitar lava outbursts. Also "Lazarus" with electric guitar duels and emotional power in the voice, is another killer. Very soulful with additional keyboards is "Mossy Dream", another favourite. The album for me has one of the most powerful and convincing singing I heard for heavy bluespsych. Recommended !

After the bass guitarist was killed by a drunk driver, the group parted, and singer Ellen McIlwaine moved over to Canada to start a successful solo career.

Additional info : Originally released on on Dot-Records. The group also performed at Woodstock Festival in 1968.

Audio : "Underground River", "In My Time Of Dying", "Lazarus"

Other reviews and descriptions :

Details from album : http://www.laventure.net/tourist/ellen_fear_itself.htm

Japanese info : http://meditations.jp/shop/detail.php?seq=820&&kw=

Back cover : http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1179/1741/1600/webb2.13.jpg

Info on singer Ellen McIlwaine : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_McIlwaine

& http://www.hrmusic.com/artists/emart.html & on http://www.tradition-moderne.com/

with homepage : http://www.ellenmcilwaine.com/

Label info : http://www.worldinsound.com/

World In Sound

Dragonwyck : Fun (US,1974)**°

This album from Dragonwyck (also released for the first time) is a sort of rock’n roll star progressive rock opera, a bit lighter than usual, in fact a strange combination of lightness and seriousness, with ambitious parts too. The result more sounds like a more progressive Queen, like inspired by Curved air (violin and keyboards on track 4), mixed with some light and glamerous rock or hard rock band like Meatloaf. They say it is “orchestrated rock without an orchestra”. The theme is “fun”. This includes a cynical way of presence, almost in the direction of serious cabaret but while in that way coming to the edge of seriousness, even cynically meant, it hangs a bit dangerously on the edge of areas of bad tastes, without being spoiled by it yet, but without bringing me fun. It is more a bit confusing. Is this progressive of something lighter or does it make it also a bit the other way around ?

The bonus tracks were recorded two years later, when they changed their name into Flying Turns. This is a more serious but grotesk-operatic cabaret-stage rock version of their previous project, with a calmer more dominating keyboard based background.

Webpage with sounds, pictures, info : http://www.dragonwyck.eu/

Description on http://www.clear-spot.nl/... & http://www.bompstore.com/..

Drag City Red Krayola : Fingerpointing -mcd- (UK,rec.1999,pub.2008)***''

Having thought I grasped Red Krayola a bit by now, this release changed my opinion once more, although it very much is involved with Jim O’Rouke’s ideas, because it was he who was in charge of this final result of sounds, his personal mix. Where Red Crayola’s debut can be regarded as chaotic and mad, Jim’s vision is structured and experimental, coming close to visions expressed on releases of the Nurse With Wound list or at a certain point from NWW themselves. Jim’s mix of the 1999 recording of “Fingerpainting” was not understood by Mayo and the rest of the band back then, but found appreciation only so many years later. I’m glad Drag City picked it up and released it, even when it is only a limited edition. This version fittingly was named or “corrected” as the “Fingerpointing” album, a joke towards the belated appreciation. The structure of the mix, like Red Crayola’s debute, has 4 additional parts of “freakouts”, but as I said are also Jim’s visions of how they should orcould be, for this own “fingerpainting” album's version.

I didn’t hear the original mix, but this one surely provides the kind of results that I like. The recording starts with a rather psychedelic improvisation (violin, drums, echoes, space keyboards), which is slightly chaotic-amateurish, rhythmically (referring to the first album), but with such a complexity in the mix that it makes the combinations of contributing parts as if they are collected and structured with vision. In Mayo’s songs a drum box and strange electronic sounds drip into the voice/guitar/drum basics, like finishing touches of strangeness, surpassing the (typical for Red Krayola still unique way of) amateurish feelings in the performances/songs. When a weird female voice takes over, solo spaced out and improvising, this is a moment when NWW comes to mind best. This is followed by more songs by Mayo Thompson, which mixes with the insane sounds of the drum machine, the off-beat strangeness of guitars to Mayo’s singing, making a great original interpreted mixture of absurdity and seriousness, interpreted so that they are in perfect creative balance. The songs two more times turn into clever instrumental parts with its own sequenced rhythmic outros. For me, Jim O’Rouke’s mix showed a brilliant way to interpret Red Krayola and to make the best of it, pure musically.

The "Fingerpainting" band of Red Krayola in 1999 were David Grubbs, George Hurley, Albert Oehlen, Stephen Prina, Elisa Randazzo, Mayo Thompson, Tom Watson and Sandy Yang.

A limited edition release.

Homepage : http://www.theredkrayola.com/ & http://www.myspace.com/theredkrayola

Introductionary articles : http://tinymixtapes.com/Re-Issue-Re-Package-Re-Package-Re

& http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/...

Info : http://www.dragcity.com/press/pimages/pdf/dc369.pdf

Review on http://brainwashed.com/...

Info on Jim O'Rouke : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_O'Rourke_(musician)

Gear Fab

Maypole :(The real) (US,1970,re.2006)***°

Now and then a progressive rock group used a symbol which expresses its style or the focus of the group, like a kaleidoscope. For Baltimore band Maypole their symbolic expression became almost mystical, but not necessary as their lucky symbol. A maypole is a tall wooden pole, often erected with several long coloured ribbons suspended from the top, withmore natural ornaments around the top. Various local traditions did celebrations related with spring or other of nature's changes, with people dancing around the pole while holding the ribbons, thus making a pattern around the pole. This demanded a concentrated cooperation, while each of the participated characters intertwined this way with the energy of its neighbour, something which might have been the positive intention of this event. Band leader Dennis Tobell describes the story of Maypole in a similar way. He says that the history of the group evolved this way as if every character involved had its equal share, and where each participant seemed to turn his own life into a circus in which he felt himself to be inside the ride, which in this case was mostly with a frustrating result. The group and its improvisational skills however had shown a strong sound live, with a vibe and charisma that had a huge success during concerts, and also the album, despite all other circumstances, always was searched for very hard in the collector's market since it was released on Colossus Records. The band only existed a few years, from late 1969 up to 1972, when they disbanded, noticing that the music business began to be more interested in promoting disco mostly, and no longer any new rock bands (in America).

A second significance the group gives to the maypole, according to the liner notes of Paul Welsh, is the inner need to let the natural feeling flow, just like the people who participated with the maypole event did, even in times of puritan New England. While he says literature is about this feeling, it is especially music that since the Beatles' popularity can express this inner expression, without always needing a certain level of understanding, which literature requests. At the same time the group tends to use techniques of literature in its lyrics, in combination with the communicative live experience rock element.

The music on the album was recorded live in the studio in about two takes, more or less like firstly side A and then side B. The production made the music smoother and less raw than was intended, and the group was disappointed at the time the LP came out. While the album starts with sweet harmony vocals of a late '60's rock feel, the group tends towards the harder and heavier edge of psychrock. Just here and there great Hendrix-like guitars improvise along with the songs.

Two interesting, fitting pre-Maypole recordings were added as bonus tracks. "Who was she" is rawer hard rock, while "All in the Past" is bluesier rock, with great guitars.

Maypole homepage : http://www.originalmaypole.4t.com/

Demian Bell homepage : http://www.demianbell.4t.com/index.html

Interview with Demian Bell (=Dennis Tobell) : http://www.thepsychedelicguitar.com/demianbell.htm

Label info : http://gearfab.swiftsite.com/Catalog_List/catalog_219.html

next album->

Radioactive Rec. Major Arcana (US,1976)***'

This album has a particular and specific sound which is a cross between a somewhat hippie like sphere, folkpsych, and some blues influence. On keyboards and flute we hear, Sigmund Snopek III. -Sigmund Snopek III made at least one really great album, his first solo album, which was reissued in 1994 with bonus tracks from 1987, as "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" coming originally from 1972, but he was more known from his band 'the Bloomsbury People'-. His keyboard playing, especially on the first and last track gives a real sweet psychedelic touch, while his flute is like a gay overmeloduous-jazzy contribution which fits well with the hippie-aspect. The percussion, by Jim Kitchen is mostly handpercussion. Jim Spencer, -who made two solo albums just before this-, is responsible for the often soulful blues hippie flavour (vocals and guitars). "Deana Durbin Blues" might be a less necessary but still ok blues track. Also "Down under blues" is blues like the title says, with a similar touch of a somewhat dazed emotional hippieness, which because of the voice qualities is pretty happy-enjoyable at the same time, with some fine multilayered guitar arrangements. "Papa Dock" has a much deeper drug and voodoo driven element, like Dr.John's Gris Gris, with a magic sexually driven "white" black voice, with more hippie blues, and some sexually driven? female voice kicking on the XXX-factor on the stoned psych feeling. More fine rhythmical guitar arrangements we hear on "Back on the Spirit", a soulful song in the name of Jesus, and a kind of hippie gospel expressed with blues and rock. The second track with really sweet keyboards (by the then in Wisconsin living Sigmund Snopek III) we hear on "Fran's Blues", a track which is sung with even more soul and vocal variety, also sung for the Lord. "Greensleeves" might be one of the best moments, with the flute, keyboards and guitars twinkling and interwoven with one another, and evolving like a calm mini-psychedelic trip, driven further like water ripples enlighted by the lights of a lava lamp. The song is sung with melancholy and passion.

The cover of this album was made by Denis Kitchen. The LP had also a 3D-poster version of the drawing included, made by Peter Poplaski, which is not published here in the booklet or included with the cd reissue.

PS. The album was originally published on the not too big Major label. More or less 2.500 were printed. I saw prices of originals going up to 400 $.

Audio : "Western Wind","Dark Trip To Edge City"

Info on cover : http://www.deniskitchen.com/...

Other review from http://www.lysergia.com/AcidArchives/lamaArchiveM.htm :

"The opening "Western wind" is an awesome folkpsych classic while the rest of the LP suffers a bit from the aggregated weight of all the different genres squeezed in. The vocals are strong but sometimes overstated in that typical 1970s troubador style, while the flute ornaments are a bit, uh, effeminate. Neat synth arrangements provide the same lounge multiinstrumentalist vibe as on Bermuda Triangle; this also has the odd rock musical/art school stage project feel that's on a lot of these mid-70s hippie LPs. Closing acidhead arrangement of "Greensleeves" sounds like the Kaplan Bros could step in any minute. Great psychy cover art. [PL]

This is a more complex album than Jim Spencer’s solo work, with a lot of moods for what is essentially a hippie folk album. It starts with a truly gorgeous song, and has several highlights, including the voodoo inspired (and sexually nasty) “Pappa Doc” and the breezy “Back In The Spirit.” Not a wholly satisfying album, and it has way too much flute, but still an intriguing listen with some ace songs. One of the best album covers you’ll ever see, too. [AM]"

Sigmund Snopek homepage : http://www.sigmundsnopek.com

Label : http://www.radioactiverecords.com

Radioactive Rec. The Sidetrack : Baby (US,1969)****

Very little information is known from this group. This seems to be a professionally recorded demonstration copy for an intended Elektra release, which never happened. The Sidetrack consisted of Alan, Christopher and Peter Brown, Kenneth Gullmartin, Andrew Higgs and John Lewis.

The album has is own special atmosphere, which is end of ‘60’s styled, song driven –with some colourful melodic clarity in expression-. It is well arranged, often with multilayered keyboards (piano’s, harpsichord, organ), bass and drums but almost no guitars. The songs fit well together as if there’s a story line between them. The baroque elements are also very special which are worked out now and then, at first only a little bit on “Baby”, and well adapted into the composition on “Sweet Substitute”. “Blues for Matthew” has true Bach-like arrangements, a complex almost symphonic track with string-,band- and vocal arrangements. A blues element of harmonica is mixed greatly into this rather unique track. The first tracks on the second side are rather short. A separate song easily remembered into as a pop standard and to take out of the context of the album, might be “Summership”. “2314-B” is the second long track, with a jazzy/bluesy, half composed, half improvised evolution of organ, harpsichord, bass, harmonica, and some complex rhythms. Also this track has a rather baroque symphonic theme further on, which is equally successfull and in a catchy way mixed with the other styles. After such an impressive complex track, “Knowing what you hold so dear” is held much simpler, a short song accompanied by some acoustic guitar arrangement only.

A very enjoyable album which deserves this first reissue. Only a shame there isn’t a real cover designed for it, we don’t have real band info, not even a photograph.

Label : http://www.radioactiverecords.com

Label info : http://www.forcedexposure.com/artists/sidetrack.html

Other review : http://www.lysergia.com/AcidArchives/lamaArchiveS.htm#SIDETRACK

Radioactive Rec.

Cosmic Michael (US,1970)*°°

Cosmic Michael is a hippie who flipped after the “Wow, I have seen Woodstock” idea. -The world is a great place now, so let’s boogie woogie blues our lives away.- The simple, happy innocence sounds like it is being inspired out of almost nothing and made up on the spot (“I’m a child of Woodstock generation” & "That's because she's my girl.."). The way some instruments like harmonica are recorded much louder than the voice makes the music even better, and a funny, and a somewhat enjoyable, trippy-hippie-on-the-background experience. With all simplicity of inspiration, the first couple tracks of the recording in this way sounds pretty “real”, but when the guy keeps on playing covers he also shows something of his banality and a lack of enough ideas to maintain its loner simple originality throughout the whole album.

This was his second album.

Another description (by Ron Moore) :

"NYC idiosyncratic piano guitar basement psych rock jamming realness. The followup is stoned acoustic folk psych and was done in Los Angeles. It's not as jawdropping as the debut but "Woodstock Nation" is hilarious."

Info : http://www.forcedexposure.com/artists/cosmic.michael.html

& http://www.spincds.com/archives.asp?id=4110

Review of debut : http://www.spincds.com/archives.asp?id=4110

World In Sound

Dragonwyck : chapter 2 (US,1973)****

Cleveland’s Dragonwyck was born late 1969. They recorded a 7 song demonstration record of 85 copies only. Their first inspiration was The Doors and Moody Blues performed with a harder, more progressive rock outcome. In 1971 they took more time to write new material, with more worked out arrangements and with new instrumentation like mellotron and moog. They also were carrying along huge speakers with the intention to play very loud. Therefore they were booked in the suitable Viking Saloon. This was so successful many more gigs were booked after this, which led to the recording of a new, now full album. The recording made interest in the band bigger, so they were booked to play before Foghat, Edgar Winter and other known bands. In 1974 they recorded a single with a replaced keyboardist. It is this full album and the single which are presented in this release. World In Sound made up a contract with the band in 2004, with plans to release their three recordings as a trilogy. So this is the second reissue.

Unfortunately I haven’t heard the first record yet, but I can say this surely is a great and crafted recording, that made me enjoy it many more times. The acoustic early Moody Blues feeling (acoustic guitar, bass, drums, mellotron) with ‘60’s vocals is uplifted to progressive evolutions, with some intelligent, harder electric guitars arrangements. The vocals, after a few songs, tend to some hard rock touches or more emphasized energy in the vocals, and there are a few more ambitious symphonic keyboard, or keyboard with electric guitar arrangements, like on "Relics", or on "Freedom Son", which make the sound of the band more unique. Also "Run to the devil" and the most emotional hard rocking "Dead Man" has some great electric guitar driven arrangements with additional keyboards. But also the smooth-along with mellotron's sphere's of rock like on the last track, "Forever only last a little while" I like as much. A great album without any weak moment.

The bonus tracks of the single were mixed and produced by someone other than the band, which makes the sound a bit different, and more “happy” rock as perhaps intended. It is already different, and more poprock compared to the LP, but shows a slightly different direction and focus with the same recognisable basic elements from where the group started from.

Long Hair music :

"Dragonwyck (OH) was one of the most promising bands in that area, opened shows for bands as Foghat, Golden Earring, Edgar Winter Group etc. The mood of the music is dark, mystic and strong influenced of the times´ spirit, the hippie age……"anything goes"! - Shortly after highschool in 1970, the 5 guys recorded 7 tracks, released a test pressing on Pama Records in an edition of only 85 copies. It was reissued in the 1990´s by Rockadelic Records as limited edition on LP and CD, since then this band is a milestone for all heavy/psychedelic music collectors. Jim Morrison and The Doors brought main inspiration to Dragonwyck´s music, with the small difference; the songs are heavier and more progressive; the sound is not just dominated by great vocals, there are lots of freaked out heavy guitar solos and swirling Hammond B3 organ, which brings the individual note to the music. The core of musicians started as Sunrise in 1968 and released one 45 record. This CD is from the mastertape which seemed to be lost, contains 5 bonus tracks (3 unreleased), a bio, cool original artwork and photos. Comes in a high quality digipack cover (same material as the Mystic Siva CD) with an extra 8 page booklet. A true masterpiece"

Audio : "Free Climbs" ; Label : http://www.worldinsound.com/ (with audiotrack when you click cover) with 2 audiotracks "Freedom Son" & "Dead Man" on 3rd page of "CD"

Webpage with sounds, pictures, info : http://www.dragonwyck.eu/

Other review : http://members.tripod.com/~lysergia_2/AcidArchives/lamaArchiveD.htm next cd->

Drag City Red Krayola : Introduction (UK,2006)**°°

Red Krayola started as a bit of a joke, with one record of psychedelic cacophony ('The Parable of Arable Land', 1967)**°’ and another album with jokes, with even a joke of one second, -a great second-, ('God Bless the Red Crayola and All Who Sail With It',1968)**°. Mayo Thompson then decided to learn an instrument, with a few more serious solo albums after this (“Corky's debt to his father”)**°, with a portion of adapted cynicism and still a somewhat unstable voice that fitted well within the humorous associations. After some more Red Krayola albums in the late ‘70’s and early ‘80’s, and a few more albums since the late ‘90’s, it seems that especially in the last few years a kind of comeback has been prepared. After the reissue of an old live recording, and the compilation of the single collection, here now is a new ‘introduction’ for the market.

When I listen to the first tracks of the album, while looking at the cover, where Red Krayola seems to be presented as a serious jazzband or something, I have the impression there has been an attempt to present more serious ‘grown up’ music. I’m very suspicious when I hear the first five tracks of the album played very seriously, in jazzy pop styles and with Mayo singing almost too perfect to be true. Some minor details of different harmonies and a certain light character still convince me there. When at the point of the sixth track, the group starts to improvise more, and Mayo starts to sing with more passion, finally we hear his unique ‘incorrect’ -or just tiny unstable- voice again, and that’s where I like Mayo and Red Krayola/Red Crayola best. I know little other music that convinces me so much of such incorrectnesses. “Elegy” again refers to the cover, with an instrumental improvisation on harmonica, bass, and guitar, as calm free music with some harmony, as a different, more mature version of the old Red Crayola with a possible new direction. The next few tracks, with more harmonica improvisations make a mix of moody jazz, with slightly incorrect harmonies, typical and pleasant.

Audio : http://www.myspace.com/theredkrayola

Discography : http://www.dragcity.com/bands/rk.html

Detailed discography : http://white-rose.net/redcrayola/

Homepage : http://www.theredkrayola.com/

Review with 3 audio tracks : http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=21319

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