Monday 21 April 2008

November 2006 pt.4

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Leadbelly - Good Morning Blues

About Leadbelly:

Huddie William Ledbetter (January 23, 1888 - December 6, 1949) was an American folk and blues musician, notable for his clear and forceful singing, his virtuosity on the twelve string guitar, and the rich songbook of folk standards he introduced. He is best known as Leadbelly or Lead Belly.

Although his most commonly-played instrument was the twelve string, he could also play the piano, mandolin, harmonica, violin, concertina, and accordion. In some of his recordings, such as in one of his versions of the folk ballad "John Hardy", he performs on the accordion instead of the guitar.

The topics of Lead Belly's music covered a wide range of subjects, including gospel songs, blues songs about women, liquor, racism, folk songs about cowboys, prison, work, sailors, cattle herding, dancing, and songs concerning the newsmakers of the day, such as President Franklin Roosevelt, Adolf Hitler, the Scottsboro Boys, and multi-millionaire Howard Hughes.

About This Recording :

Compilation of previously unissued recordings from 1935-1940.Narrated by Woody Guthrie!

Enjoy

the Cardinals - s/t


Track List :


1. all I wanna do
2. I need her so
3. I saw the sun
4. you never told me goodbye
5. where the pain can't reach
6. I can cry for yesterday
7. she's my girl
8. could it be that i was wrong
9. never loved you true
10. she's not coming home
11. blond girl
12. let me live my life


Amazing garage band . Their first 7" was the reason that the greek Action Records (which printed Purple Overdose and Frantic V among others ) was formed.
Their first LP was produced only in vinyl in 750 copies and soon became sold-out. This record is a must have for all greek collectors nowadays.

Highly Recommended !!!

Download Link :

http://rapidshare.com/files/5499749/cardinals.rar.html



3 Soundtracks From The Past

Three vinyl rips of very rare soundtracks from late 60's early 70's.



Revolution

Original Motion Picture Score
Release date:1968
Record label / catalog #: UA UAS 5185
Country: USA Format: 12" vinyl LP (album), 33 1/3 RPM
Release type: Regular release

Featuring: Quicksilver Messenger Service Steve Miller Band "Their first recordings!!!" Tracy Nelson and Mother Earth

Tracks
Steve Miller Band: 1. Superbyrd 2. Your Old Lady 3. Mercury Blues

Tracy Nelson and Mother Earth: 1. Revolution 2. Without Love 3. Stranger In My Own Home Town
Quicksilver Messenger Service 1. Codine 2. Baby I'm Gonna Leave You

The Steve Miller Band were formed in San Francisco in 1966. The original line-up, Steve Miller, Tim Davis, Lonnie Turner and Curley Cooke first recorded for the soundtrack of the movie Revolution. The group performed at Monterey and were offered a recording contract by Capitol. Before recording for Capitol the line-up changed, Cooke leaving and Boz Scaggs and Jim Peterman joining.

Tracy Nelson moved to San Francisco and, in the midst of the era's psychedelic explosion, formed Mother Earth, a group that was named after the fatalistic Memphis Slim song of that title. (The song is included in her first solo album " Live From Cell Block D".) Mother Earths second recordings came on the soundtrack of "Revolution. Mother Earth, the group, true to its origin, was more grounded than freaky but, nonetheless, was a major attraction at The Fillmore where they encountered the likes of Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Eric Burdon who, as legend has it, was once bitten by Tracy's dog. In 1968 Mother Earth recorded its first album, which included her own composition "Down So Low." It became her signature song and was later to be covered by Etta James, Linda Rondstadt and Maria Muldaur with Tracy's own stirring latest version included on Live From Cell Block D.

Quicksilver Messenger Service was one of San Francisco's original psychedelic bands of the late 1960s. Essentially a jam band, their early albums and live shows contributed to some of the best instrumental jams of the period. They were popular around the Bay Area but did not reach the national popularity achieved by their San Francisco contemporaries, Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, and others.


Strawberry Statement

Original Release Date: 1970
Tracklisting:
A1 Buffy Sainte-Marie The Circle Game (2:50)
A2 Ian Freebairn-Smith Market Basket (1:53)
A3 Neil Young Down By The River (9:12)
B1 Crosby, Stills & Nash Long Time Gone (4:17)
B2 Ian Freebairn-Smith Cyclatron (3:16)
B3 Thunderclap Newman Something In The Air (3:54)
C1 Richard Strauss Also Sprach Zarathustra (1:37)
Conductor - Karl Böhm
Orchestra - Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
C2 Neil Young The Loner (3:55)
C3 Ian Freebairn-Smith Coit Tower (3:21)
C4 Red Mountain Jug Band, The Fishin' Blues (1:53)
D1 Alessandro Marcello Concerto In D Minor (5:10)
Conductor - Ian Freebairn-Smith
D2 Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Helpless (3:30)
D3 Ian Freebairn-Smith Pocket Band (3:01)
D4 The Cast (performed by the cast in the film) Give Peace A Chance (1:40)

Zachariah



Track Listing
01. Zachariah - Main Title
Jimmie Haskell
02. Lagune Salada
The James Gang
03. We're The Crackers
Country Joe and the Fish
04. William Tell Overture
Arr. by Jimmie Haskell
05. All I Need
Country Joe and the Fish
06. Ballad of Job Cain
Doug Kershaw
07. Country Fever
The James Gang
08. The Loney Rider
Jimmie Haskell
09. Medley: Camino/Used Horse Salesman
Jimmie Haskell
10. Camino Waltz
Jimmie Haskell
11. Gravedigger
The New York Rock n Roll Ensemble
12. Shy Ann
White Lightnin'
13. Matthew
Jimmie Haskell
14. Zachariah - End Title
Jimmie Haskell

Notes
Rock soundtrack to the interesting early 70s counter-culture movie Zachariah ("The First Electric Western") from Phil Austin, Peter Bergman, Phil Proctor and David Ossman - otherwise known as The Firesign Theatre.

A true film of its time, Zachariah followed in the wake of such movies as Easy Rider, Zabriskie Point and The Strawberry Statement and played with the theme of the rejection of mindless violence whilst actually using rock bands in some of the starring roles.

Country Joe and the Fish played the outlaw gang "The Crackers", The James Gang played members of Job Cain's gang and The New York Rock 'n' Roll Ensemble appear as members of woman outlaw Belle Star's gang.

Along with the rock tunes - there's also some lovely incidental music from Jimmie Haskell.

This is a really solid album that contains some great music. Also worthwhile for the fact that tracks featured here don't appear anywhere else!

The Backwards - 1990 - Eerie Thoughts Collection pt. 3


Italian 80's underground...

THE BACKWARDS "Eerie Thoughts Collection pt. 3"
(Crazy Mannequin 1990)

A quite obscure title and band, which at the time was praised by Italian music journos but largely ignored by buyers. even in later years the Backwards were still highly regarded by someone (check their enthusiastic entry in Timothy Gassen's The Knights Of Fuzz), and yet unknown anywhere else.

So, here's a short history:
Born in 1988 as Chapter 24, and soon rechristened as The Backwards, their first demotape 'Real Life Permanent Dream' had excellent reviews ("The best neo-psych band in Italy nowadays" said C. Sorge), but for some reasons their leader P. Rizzo went solo under the same moniker, and in late 1989 proceeded to tape the Backwards' only LP. Rizzo played most instruments, but fellow musicians helped on various tracks (mostly mates fron The Pow and Peter Sellers & The Hollywood Party).

The result was released in spring 1990 on Crazy Mannequin records: the LP sounded reasonably coherent, although a hodgepodge of older and more recent influences: part Beatles/UK psych, part US garage, part Robyn Hitchcock, part Julian Cope, part acid folk, part power pop, part new wave, and so forth... A rather colorful experience, despite the dull b/w sleeve...

of the 500 copies pressed, some were sold, some were given as a gift, and some were lost.

the Backwards went on for 3 more years, with some cassette-only releases, one of which was produced by Delerium rec. in the UK, and called it a day in 1993.

song titles:
01. Intro
02. The Backwards Are Here
03. Travellin' Knight
04. She Stared At Her Own Feet
05. Out Of Focus
06. Across Your Mind
07. My Advice For You
08. Pause
09. Your Precious Time
10. Happily Ever After
11. Upstairs

12. In Search For Yourself
13. Portrait (Of An Unbalanced Mind)
14. Evening Conversation
15. Daily Rites
16. Point Of View

ripped @ 192 kbps

Enjoy !

Download Link


Posted by The Man Who Wasn’t There

Sainte Anthony's Fyre - 1970 - Sainte Anthony's Fyre


Sainte Anthony's Fyre - 1970 - Sainte Anthony's Fyre

Tracks
01 Love Over You 4:53
02 Get Off 3:09
03 Summer Fun 3:37
04 Starlight 5:38
05 Lone Soul Road 4:45
06 With Your Beau 3:07
07 Chance of Fate 4:08
08 Wet Back

Musicians
Gregory Onushko aka Greg Ohm: Guitar, Vocals
Tomm Nardi: Bass, Vocals
Bob Sharples: Drums, Percussion

The Hundredth Monkey - 1986 - Mute Lament

The Hundredth Monkey - 1986 - Mute Lament

Hundredth Monkey formed at 1983 by Stephen Jay Morris (vocals), Tim Konspiracy (Kummerow) (drums), Pat Amodeo (bass), Tom Carpenter (keyboards), and Brad Frost (guitar). The first two came from the LA punk band Benedict Arnold & the Traitors. With this line-up released a 7' (Quicksand/ Rugged Individual, 1983, Veracious Records). Around 1985 they became a trio with Brad Frost, Tim Kummerow and Ian Montgomery (bass) and the next year released their only LP "Mute Lament", again on Veracious Records, with Frost as main songwriter. The cover was made by the famous Robert Williams. They lasted 'till 1989. After that Kummerow and Montgomery formed Pendu Femmele, a band with no vinyl or CD output (only an entire album in MP3.com in its glorious days). In the 90s Kummerow worked as a graphics artist, a painter and had the TV show Subterranean Sounds, which featured live performances and interviews with Los Angeles area underground bands, and Frost worked as an assistant animator, writer and actor in movies and television.

This LP is another lost treasure of the 80s. You could call it pop-psyche but it's a lot better than that. Short songs with strong melodies, real good production, along with studio effects, backwards tapes etc that sneak in the backround, not dominating but helping the songs unfold. This is west-coast psychedelia at its best. Too bad that they didn't get any attention.
This is a vinyl rip. Again there's nothing about it in the net, (actually Tim Kummerow on his bio doesn't mention the 100th Monkey, and I only found some facts from a Stephen Jay Morris reply) so I took a photo of the cover, which I post.

P.S. About the name - from the back cover:
The Japanese Monkey, Macaca fuscata, has been observed in the wild for more than 30 years. In 1952, on the island of Koshima, scientists were leaving sweet potatoes in the sand for the monkeys. A young monkey named Imo begun to wash off the unpleasant tasting sand. She taught her mother and playmates. They taught others. By 1958, all of the young monkeys were washing their sweet potatoes.
When a certain number of monkeys had learned to wash their potatoes, the tide had turned and all the monkeys on Koshima begun to do so. The impetus of that "Hundredth Monkey" had created an ideological breakthrough!
Then a surprising thing happened. The habit of washing sweet potatoes jumped over the sea! Monkeys on other islands and the mainland, began washing their sweet potatoes too.
Thus, when a certain critical number achieves an awareness, this new awareness may be communicated from mind to mind.

posted by Rainy Day Sponge

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Universe - 1977 - Universe


01 Rock In The Sky
02 If
03 Touchdown
04 Dream
05 Oceans
06 Remember The Stars
07 Light From Above

Players:
Gary Paul Van- electric keyboards, vocals
Dennis Lee Askew- electric guitars, electronic programming, vocals
Walfredo Reyes- percussion

"Universe" 1977 (PBR International 7002)
The opening “Rock In The Sky” starts with a little acoustic guitar, then, wham! Synthesizers come in double barreled, with a loud bass-y one anchoring the song and a higher more unpredictable one soloing over it. THIS is a synthesizer song! It would only be a couple of years before digital synths would rule the world and the instrument would ruin a lot of otherwise good music, so it’s hard to remember how cool the early analogue synths could be. Here it’s as powerful and as mind expanding as any guitars. The mix of space-rock and Christian themes is unique, making this fall into the “I didn’t know Christians made music like that” category. [AM]

The Flowerpot Men - A Walk In The Sky





The Flowerpot Men - A Walk In The Sky

Ripped By @rcadium at 320kbps

01 San Francisco Parts 1& 2 (original mono version)
02 Mythological Sunday
03 Blow Away
04 Say Goodbye To Yesterday (alternate version)
05 Lets Go Back To San Francisco Parts 1&2
06 Now and Then (alternate version)
07 A Walk In The Sky
08 Cooks of Cake and Kindness (alternate version)
09 White Dove
10 Children Of Tomorrow
11 Lets Go To San Francisco Parts 1& 2 (stereo version)
13 E=MC-Musha Hada (previously unreleased)

+ Enhaced Cd Track/Film Of The Flowerpot Men On Tv In 1967 performing 'Lets Go To San Francisco'

Personnel:
TONY BURROWS vcls A
PERRY FORD vcls A
NEIL LANDON vcls A
PETER LANDON vcls A

45s:
1 Let's Go To San Francisco (Part 1)/(Part 2) (Deram DM 142) 1967 4
2 A Walk In The Sky/Am I Losing You? (Deram DM 160) 1967
3 A Man Without A Woman/You Can Never Be Wrong (Deram DM 183) 1968
4 In A Moment Of Madness/Young Birds Fly (Deram DM 248) 1969

NB: Let's Go To San Francisco (C5 526) 1988 is a good compilation of their material. There's also a later CD compilation, Let's Go To San Francisco (Repertoire REP 4344-WZ) 1993 which adds several previously unreleased cuts to C5's earlier vinyl collection. Their finer moments are also compiled on The Very Best Of The Flowerpot Men (Sounds & Media SUMCD 411) 199?.
These three session singers successfully articulated the sentiments of the flower-power movement with Let's Go To San Francisco, which climbed to No 4. The follow-up, A Walk In The Sky, also captured the feel of the flower-power era but didn't sell as well. Their later efforts were more ordinary and even a change of name to Friends late in 1968 failed to revive their fortunes. Inevitably, perhaps, this act were destined to be one-hit wonders and after their demise in 1969 Burrows went on to join Edison Lighthouse after a brief stab at a solo career, whilst Landon departed to Fat Mattress. All three had previously been involved in The Ivy League.

REVIEW
Flowerpot MenA Walk In The Sky: The Very Best Ofrpm229 In true Pokemon style these guys had morphed from Carter Lewis & The Southernaires into the Ivy League and finally The Flowerpot Men. All the while it was really Ken Lewis and John Carters ability to roll with the times changing their sound accordingly that provided the backbone to these groups. And they were successful too with a string of hits along the way.By 1967 the times demanded psychedelic flower pop so that’s what Carter & Lewis delivered though still preserving their own identity through drenching the music in wonderful harmonies. Vocally Carter and Lewis were ably assisted by the ubiquitous Tony Burrows.

The songs Lets Go To San Francisco and A Walk In The Sky were massive international hits and the group continued to record up to 1969. RPM presents a thematic collection of their recordings compiled by band leader John Carter, which fit most perfectly into a Bam Caruso styled genre Harmony Pop Sike. The recordings had strong psychedelic overtones but in a Poppy way not in a Pink Floyd way, and still included the aforementioned trademark vocal harmonies.
This compilation also serves as a Best of the groups recordings there being no other compilation on the market at the moment but also provides something for collectors in one previously unreleased track and three previously unreleased alternate versions. A key recording Lets Go Back To San Francisco is included for the first time as one track with Parts 1& 2 united.

White Stripes - 2005 - Live At the Glastonbury Festival


The band's gig from the Glastonbury Festival that took place on 06.24.05. So for those who went to Glastonbury, you can relive your experience. For those who didn't, you can hear this amazing show for the 1st time!!

Tracklist:


  1. Dead Lives on The Dirty Ground
  2. Blue Orchid
  3. I Think I Smell A Rat
  4. Let's Shake Hands
  5. The Nurse
  6. Hotel Yorba
  7. Jolene
  8. Ball & Biscuit
  9. My Doorbell
  10. Cannon
  11. Passive Manipulation
  12. Same Boy you've always Known
  13. The Hardest button To Button
  14. We're Going To Be Friends
  15. Little Ghost
  16. Death Letter
  17. I just Don't Know What To Do With Myself
  18. Screwdriver
  19. Seven Nation Army
Download LInk

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Paniolo - 1985 - City of Refuge

Paniolo - 1985 - City of Refuge

This is my first post:
Paniolo - City of Refuge.

Paniolo was not a real band, it was rather a moniker for one M Rima, a figure in Marina Del Rey scene and close to 17 Pygmies and Savage Republic. This, their only record, is a 1985 release with members of 17 Pygmies and a sound like Tom Rapp-Pearls Before Swine. There's almost nothing about it in the net, so I included credits and a little information in an rtf inside the rar file.

posted by Rainy Day Sponge

Swara Samrat


Swara Samrat - 1979 - Lottery of Memories


Tracks
01.Walkin' On The Beach
02. Angelina
03. Hello Goodbye
04. Samba For Lisa
05. Lottery Of Memories
06. A Kind Of Loneliness

The first issue of SWARA Samrat's debut solo album was made for the musicians only in a micro edition of ca 85 copies in a gimmix cover with pinned colour photo and is nowadays one of those sought after private krautrock rarities The most varied album on the CR label is featuring a dark and mystical 10-minute version of A Kind Of Loneliness - a Mahler-like orchestral megatrip.

SWARA SAMRAT vocals, guitar, mandolin, piano, flute, synthie
CAPTAIN ILOR guitar, vocals, moog, bass, talking drum, bouzuki, flute, percussion, acoustic bass
ORLANDO HERNANDEZ spanish guitar
FRED LÄSS bass
KARL DETER drums & percussion
GONZO SCHMIDT organ

Ingredients: 48,89 % Psychosive & 51,11 % Progredelic Music
Acid, kraut, folky Really tripy stuff from these great Germans...from coroured rain records...

The Link

Enjoy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Swara Samrat - 1993 - The Truth about Suzanne LP.

Limited audiophile 180-gram edition (virgin vinyl) of 450 autographed copies - mystical progedelic krautrock with folky touch, excellent songwriting and stunning guitar solos - A-side including The Progredelic Part Of The Trip, B-side including The Psychosive Part Of The Trip - a psychedelic highlight featuring CAPTAIN ILOR on guitar outbursts, spacy sounds & freaky trippy hippie vibes - comes in great laminated deluxe cover with superb artwork by Atelier Asmodi + very funny gatefold insert (Five Steps To Your Hippylisation)!!!

Tracks are:
Side ONE:
1 Tuesday Morning Blues 5:16
2 The Deeper You Fall 6:19
3 The Truth About Suzanne 7:40
SIDE TWO:
1 Hippylisation 3:52
2 Mr. Rainbow 7:14
3 Hotchpotch 6:01

The Link

Enjoy

The Bevis Frond - 1987 - Miasma


Track Listing


Garden Gate - 1:05
She's in Love with Time - 6:04
Wild Mind - 6:53
Wild Afterthought - 2:17
Splendid Isolation - 3:50

The Earl of Walthamstowe - 0:43
Newgate Wind - 5:16
Release Yourself - 0:44
Maybe - 4:18
Ride the Train of Thought - 4:09
Confusion Days - 6:24


Review by all music guide

The fact that Nick Saloman's debut record sounds as good as it does — especially given this was before the era of cheap and easy home recording equipment — is testimony to his abilities to bring an intense, determined focus to his work. Thankfully his songwriting and playing matches his technical ear, and Miasma still sounds good years after its initial emergence. So much of what would become mainstays of Bevis Frond music — Saloman's hangdog, expressive voice, his tape-melting solos, and overall focus on keeping the psychedelic freak-out spirit alive — was already perfectly in place. There are shorter diversions here and there, such as "The Earl of Walthanstowe," a brief, folky snippet which tips its hat to his earlier acoustic incarnation, and the jokey, murky singalong "Release Yourself." As a one-man band he's able to cover all bases quite well — if he was just a drummer, he'd have a considerable reputation for that alone. But it's as a guitarist that he's most well-known, and deservedly so, throwing himself into rock-god riffs and explorations that in lesser hands could easily just be wankery. Nothing sounds extraneous here, though — it's all about creating and setting the mood. "Wild Mind" demonstrates that well enough, his double-tracked work going all over the place before fading away only to return as "Wild Afterthought." There it's nothing but guitar, in this case, it's a single track piece that's flat-out amazing, worthy of comparison to Hendrix's exorcisms without sounding like it. Elsewhere there's such worthies as the full-on fuzz love of "The Newgate Wind" and the calmer, keyboard-accompanied grooviness that's "Ride the Train of Thought."

Download link :

http://rapidshare.com/files/5185582/bevis.rar.html

Odetta - 1965 - SIngs Dylan


Odetta is an African -American singer and guitarist whose repertoire consists largely of American folk music,blues,jazz and spirituals .She was an important figure in the American folk music revival of the1950's and1960's and a formative influence on artists such as Bob Dylan,Joan Baez and Janis Joplin
This album was re-released on CD in 2000. "Blowin' in the Wind" (which first appeared on Odetta Sings Folk Songs,1963) and "Paths of Victory"(Odetta Sings Of Many Things) were added as bonus tracks.

Download Link

St. Mikael - 1994 - Psychocosmic Songs


St. Mikael - 1994 - Psychocosmic Songs

01 Intro The Veil
02 1000 Dreams Of Love
03 The Psychcosmic Tree
04 Mesozoikum
05 Visions Of The Dinosaurs
06 The Eternal Spirit
07 Like A Dream
08 The Sailor
09 Fire Soul
10 Like A Dream (Reprise)
11 Finale

S.T. MIKAEL: Psychocosmic Songs
(XMLP-4 MS-4 1994)
”This album by the Swedish multi-instrumentalist ST Mikael...with a hand painted cover and a colorful booklet filled with drawings, comics and a picture story about Evolution on Earth. It’s impossible to compare him and his music with any other group or artist. On this record he plays guitars, sitars, turkish saz, drums, congas, tablas, organ, moog and does all the vocals. Some of the best tracks here is in that new, truly original style he has made his own. He will probably be one of the future-legends of the Psychedelic Music...” -Old Man Willow, Norway

”His 4th LP makes new references between the electric and acoustic instruments, which contributes to the new consciousness condensing the moments of insight!” - Rockerilla, Italy

Eric Andersen - Today Is The Highway (1965 Debut)


This was made back in the days when it was just the singer, his guitar and his harmonica. Oh yes the comparisons to Bob Dylan were endless and for good reason. Andersen was blessed with the similar talents of Dylan. Just like Dylan's early albums there are plenty of good self penned songs that are sung with the same intensity a lone folksinger would require to succeed. Unlike Dylan, Eric's songs are less political and surreal. They tend more toward romantical topics. Also Eric is a fingerpicker (pretty much pattern style) which gives a softer backdrop to his songs.

Leopards - 1977 - Kansas City Slickers


Leopards - 1977 - Kansas City Slickers
(vinyl rip)

01 Road To Jamaica
02 Mind Of My Own
03 Dancing In The Snow
04 57 Chevy
05 Bugle Boy
06 I Wonder If I'll Ever See You Again
07 Recess
08 It Must Be Love
09 I'm On My Way
10 Raggedy Andy Raggedy Ann
11 Summer's Gone

"Kansas City Slickers" 1977 (Moon mlp-300)

The Leopards are to the "Village Green"-era Kinks what the Rutles are to the Beatles, except that they're pure tribute with no sense of mockery. This album is a blast for Kinks fans, but it's also very nice for fans of 60s pop, as there are great melodies and clever ideas sprinkled throughout. They also released a few excellent non-LP singles. They were around during the Kansas City power pop scene in the late 70s and one has to wonder if Michael Angelo was connected to them or any of the other bands in the area. Promo copies include a printed folder with press clippings. [AM]

Enjoy !!!

Monday, November 27, 2006

Duffy Power - Innovations


Description: Beautiful UK Original Recorded In Mono In 1965 And Released In 1970. A Great Session From This Lost Figure of The 60's.
Features John McLaughlin, Danny Thompson, Terry Cox, Jack Bruce And Others.


and link

Fit and Limo - 1995 - Feaher and Dust


Fit and Limo - 1995 - Feather and Dust
(catweezle vinyl 1995)

Tracklist :
01.Feather And Dust
02.Porridge
03.Daddy`s Stroboscope
04.Eyelet
05.I Know A Land
06.Rote Blumen
07.Dear Monster Tentacles
08.Ivan Pawle
09.Bed Peace Revisited
10.She Took A Long Cold Look (Wildwood Version)
11.She Took A Long Cold Look (΄95 Version)

Review :
“Spätestens seit Angel Gopher weiß ein jeder, dass Fit&Limo nicht der Name eines dieser albernen Wellness Center ist, sondern die bessere musikalische Hälfte des Shiny Gnomes Meisters Limo und seiner Frau Fit. Hier vertonen die beiden, gelegentlich zusammen mit Freunden an Schlagzeug und Sitar, ihre virtuellen Jam-Sessions mit englischen Acidfolkies der 70er und spielen sich und den Hörer dabei, wie etwa auf dem über 20minütigen Bed Peace Revisited, oft in eine wohlige transzendentale Trance. Bis auf ein Stück tauchte das Material dieser Platte zwar bereits auf der vor Jahren erschienenen Retrospective LP auf (die Songs entstanden zwischen ΄83 und΄89), da diese jedoch inzwischen nur noch selten auftaucht und die Songs hier zudem komplett neu (und oft sehr zum Vorteil) abgemischt wurden, sollte das niemanden stören. Zumal man diesmal auch ein hübsches Klappcover bekommt und auch eine Bonus-7΄΄ beiliegt, auf der zwei Versionen des Syd Barrett Stücks She Took A Long Cold Look zu hören sind (eine vom Beyond The Wildwood Tribut-Sampler, eine neu eingespielte und beide sehr gekonnt zu sitargetränkten, bzw. ungewohnt rockigen F&L Songs transformiert). Feather And Dust gewährt dem heutigen Hörer einen wissenden Blick auf die Evolution der beiden Nürnberger. Wie sie sich, zunächst der gewöhnlichen Rock-Elemente bedienend (Songs wie Daddy΄s Stroboscope klingen noch stark nach den guten frühen Shiny Gnomes Platten), stetig weiter in Richtung auf fernöstliche Klänge bewegten. Bongos ersetzen nach und nach das gewöhnliche Schlagzeug, Sitars und Bouzoukis kommen hinzu und die Stücke mutieren von leicht-psychedelischem Quasi-Pop zu einlullenden Orient-Jams (Eyelet), mit einer erschreckend selbstverständlichen Authentizität, die einen wie so oft bei Fit&Limo fragen lässt, weshalb man für die bescheidenen Ergüsse lächerlicher LSD-Ritter auf skrupellosen Sammlerlabels das doppelt und dreifache einer Platte wie dieser bezahlen soll, die zudem noch von einem rein musikalischen Standpunkt her wesentlich mehr zu bieten hat.“ (Hayfever)

The LP "Feather an Dust" is a bit more varied mix of early recordings (1983-1989), some of them (a 22 minute track) are more Shiny Gnomes style. "Feather and Dust" is one of my favorite songs of F&L. Gerald

more links
http://psychedelicfolk.homestead.com/Fit_Limo.html

AND DOWNLOAD LINK

Enjoy !

Alain Markusfeld - 1971 - Le Son Tombe Du Ciel

FRANCE 1971

French guitarist/multi-instrumentalist, very unique. His albums blend multi- layered acoustic guitars with fiery leads, piano, ethereal female voices, throbbing bass and percussion. His guitar style could be described as early Larry Coryell (acoustic) meets Randy California (electric) with a strong middle-eastern influence. Le Desert Noir is a heavier guitar album which features drums on almost every track, overall very hendrix influenced. With Platock, there is more maturity in his sound, combining delicate acoustic guitars and more piano to his trademark sound, with less reliance on drums. Contemporus attempts to continue in the same vein, but fails to reach the same energy level, except possibly on the sidelong "Contemporus" suite. Start with Platock, which most will agree is his best. First two releases are very rare.

the Link

alain_markusfeld__le_son_tomb__953__du_ciel__1971.rar

Enjoy !

Various Artists - 1988 - Dimensions Of Sound


1 Miracle Workers - I Got A Right
2 Crimson Shadows - Nightmares
3 United States Of Existence - Baroque Hi Fi
4 Untold Fables - Watch Your Step Woman
5 Stomach Mouths - Almost There
6 Zebra Stripes - You Don't Love Me
7 Otherside - Haneker Row
8 Boys From Nowhere - I Don't Bother
9 Yellow Sunshine Explosion - It's Not My Fault
10 Thee Fourgiven - Love Is Fading
11 Blacklight Chameleons - Blacklight Chameleon Theme
12 The Brood - Give It To Me
13 Thanes Of Cawdor - I Am Alone
14 Not Quite - Tellin' Lies
15 Miracle Workers - Ain't No Use
16 Royal Nonesuch - You Need Love
17 Comedown - In Between Doom And Dope



''From the beautiful front cover (of Jon from the Royal Nonesuch) down, this one is a real treat,with plenty of rare tracks and great package. Definitely another one of the top garage compilations of the decade''

G.F. Fitz Gerald (UK) - 1971 - Mouseproof


G.F. Fitzgerald - Mouseproof (1971) UK

This album was recorded with help from Rod Herman (guitar), Alan Place (guitar), B.J. Cole (pedal steel guitar), Rik Kenton (bass, later in Roxy Music), Ian Andrews (bass), Geoff Leigh (sax, he appears in avant-garde albums by Slap Happy, Henry Cow, Hatfield & The North, etc.), Tony Turnbull (drums).

Fitzgerald, G.F. [UK]
Mouseproof (70)

Influences of Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, Bonzo Dog Band, Soft Machine, etc. In addition to Gerry Fitzgerald, album features Sam Gopal and Lemmy (of Hawkwind).
Many years ago, no doubt in the dead of night, some intrepid freak climbed fly-like up the walls of the defunct International Film Theatre in Westbourne Grove and pasted up a poster which read "Mouseproof Is Music".
Many times did I gaze fixidly from the top of a number 15 bus at the mysterious cat wearing shades, peering through the bars in the poster. And now the mystery is perceived; Mouseproof is an album by ace alchemist and cat-handler Gerry Fitzgerald, featuring some very notable little riffs by such famed performers as Lady June Campbell-Cramer on Etheopian Nose Harmonium and Cochise Brian Cole on Electric Hair slide and coal scuttle. Best track by far is one called "Factory Sample Not For Resale", obviously written to wobble the frontal lobes and tickle the medulla, it works too.
Overall effect of the album is like crashing a car into a ditch on acid and then finding that you're unhurt, except for a broken finger nail, and that needed cutting anyway.

The link
http://rapidshare.com/files/2356945/g.f.fitzgerald-mouseproof_uk_1971.rar

Enjoy

Merry Airbrakes - 1973 - Merry Airbrakes

Size: 66.8 MB Bit rate: 256mp3

Finally out on CD is this rare US album recorded in 1973 by a freaked out Vietnam veteran. Largely a concept album about that great US misadventure it's folky and "down-home" for playing whilst sitting around a fireside. Main man Bill Homans has a fine voice and also plays some mean slide guitar.
Actually the first post-Vietnam record (recorded 1973). With songs about the Vietnam's point of view. Wonder why this never made it onto a major label. Bill Homans great voice is getting you. He, his brother Peter plus 4 other musicians recorded this album for a private studio to get attention from a big label. Some songs sound like Cpt. Beefheart doing Vietnam songs, others are fragile and MOST beautiful. We love it forever."

Tracklist:
01. vigilante man
02. frog song
03. the bearded man
04. quang tri city
05. even those among us
06. draft board blues
07. three hearts
08. a happy song for hanoi
09. preacher song
10. tribute to frankie

Your download link

Sunday, November 26, 2006

The Miners Of Muzu - 1989 - Make My Day



Miners Of Muzu - 1989 - Make My Day
MMLP016

1. 88 Doctors
2. Cycle Fellow Man
3. Coral
4. Deathcom
5. From S.F. To L.A.
6. Sandman
7. White Lightning
8. Rock 'n Roll Bishop
9. Suicidal Flowers
10. Born To Be . . . (Make My Day)


The Miners Of Muzu were a dutch Rock 'n Roll band active throughout the late 1980's and early 1990's. This is the LP version of their debut album, only ten tracks (+ two hidden tracks, on the end of each side), came out in 1989 on Germany's Music Maniac records. This is straight up Rock 'n Roll music with a solid beat.


Neutral Spirits - 1972 - Neutral Spirits


In 1972, five young men ranging in ages between 14-17 traveled to Atlanta from very rural Tennessee to record a very outstanding Psychedelic album. Only 500 copies were ever pressed, and most of them were destroyed in a fire in 1975. Maximum use of the fuzz boxes on this one!!

01) Flying
02) Power City
03) Look What You Done To Me
04) Speak Freely
05) Scenic Void
06) Holding On
07) Can't Leave It This Way
08) I'm Calling Chicago

Lost in time garage band with a primitive sound and very basic songs; should appeal to fans of Cykle and New Dawn. Prominent use of fuzz bass gives an original edge, while the lead guitarist and drummer work frantically within their limited capabilities. Charming teen vocals and some atypical lyrics about Vietnam and dope legislation. Pretty cool, though mainly for fans of local early 70s amateur sounds. Very short playtime. According to the band, 350 copies were destroyed in a house fire in 1981. The Neutral Spirits also appear on a gospel LP recorded the same day in 1972 as the Regency album; "Gospel Songs Old & New" by Dot Henry (Jayla Records 1020). [PL - Acid archives]

Isao Tomita - Snowflakes Are Dancing

Electronica/New Age
ISAO TOMITA - SNOWFLAKES ARE DANCING - RECORDED 1973-1974
^
“Pioneering Japanese composer and synthesizer expert Isao Tomita
bridged the gap between note-by-note classical/electronic LPs like
Switched-On Bach and the more futuristic,
user-friendly interfaces developed in the 1970s.
After creating one of the first personal recording studios
with an array of top synthesizer gear in the early '70s,
Tomita applied his visions for space-age synthesizer music
to his favourite modern composers - Claude Debussy, Igor Stravinsky, Maurice Ravel
though his recordings steered a course far beyond the sterile academics
of various synthesists. Born in Tokyo in 1932,
Tomita grew up in China as well as Japan,
studying composition and music theory as well as art history at Keio University.
After graduation in 1955, Tomita began composing film,
television and theatre music.
He was awarded frequently during the 1950s and '60s,
and became perhaps the most well-known contemporary Japanese composer.”
^
Image and video hosting by TinyPic
^
"Claude Debussy (France1862-1918) was among the most influential composers
of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
His mature compositions, distinctive and appealing,
combined modernism and sensuality so successfully
that their sheer beauty often obscures their technical innovation.
Debussy is considered the founder and leading exponent
of musical Impressionism (although he resisted the label),
and his adoption of non-traditional scales and tonal structures
were paradigmatic for many composers who followed."
^
Image and video hosting by TinyPic
^
selection: βλαχάκι (το)


postαρίστικε απο (το) βλαχάκι
posted by Vlahaki (the)

Saturday, November 25, 2006

Kaleidoscope (Mexico) - 1967 - Kaleidoscope


Kaleidoscope (Mexico) - 1967 - Kaleidoscope

01 - Hang Out
02 - P.S. Come Back
03 - A Hole In My Life
04 - Let Me Try
05 - I Think It's All Right
06 - Colours
07 - Once Upon A Time There Was A World
08 - A New Man
09 - I'm Crazy
10 - I'm Here, He's Gone, She's Crying

The Mexican Kaleidoscope's sole, self-titled album is like many American '67-'68 psych-garage obscurities in its morose, frequently minor-keyed blend of ominous organ and fuzz guitars. Yet mucho eccentricity and spontaneity make it more interesting than many such relics. That organ really vibrates with a menace, sometimes like a distant cousin to the Doors, but with a more adolescent, untutored sensibility. Although the vocals (all in English) are often lovelorn laments, they drip with snarling attitude veering from don't-give-a-damn bluesiness to abject self-pity, mixing in a psychedelic sense of disorientation that sets the songs aside from the more conventional romantic lyrics of earlier mid-'60s garage bands. And some goofy psychedelic touches appear without warning, like the cheap outer space signals in "Colours"; the Harpo Marx-like horn interjections in the same tune; the atomic explosion that ends "Hang Out"; the out-of-nowhere distant, cornered-wolf yells of "A New Man"; the weird, slightly off-key plunks of "I Think It's All Right," which ring like a tapped wine glass; and the funk rock guitar of "I'm Crazy," which sounds halfway between a chicken-scratch and a drawer being opened and closed, giving way to a harem organ. Then there's the eight-minute "Once Upon a Time There Was a World," which sounds like an unwitting parody of suicidal teenage angst in its over-the-top sorrow for itself, yet backed with a creepy organ-fuzz arrangement of almost funereal grandeur. Review~by Richie Unterberger~AMG

Not to be confused with the U.K. band of the same name
or the US Kaleidoscope !!!

The Smell Of Incense


Smell Of Incense (Norway) - 1994 - All Mimsy Were The Borogoves
part I
part II

01 Intro
02 Alice
03 Faerie Emerald
04 Fancy
05 Christopher's Journey
06 (The Smell Of) Interstellar Overdrive
07 Witch's Hat
08 Shrine
09 Outro

Bumble B. - viola, voc
Ernie Chung - g, b, voc
Han Solo - b, org, mell
Cool Kat - dr
Lumpy Davy - g, sitar, voc

Some info~from Planet Mellotron
Until I heard them, I was under the impression that The Smell of Incense were 'just another Scandinavian prog band'. Not a bit of it. They mix'n'match influences from all over, but are most easily described as 'psychedelic', whatever you take that to mean. Some of the members had known each other since the mid-'70s, unbelievably, and after putting out various odd releases in the '80s as Famlende Forsøk, they put the SoI together in the mid-'80s with a remit to be as 'psychedelic' as possible, with the intention of recording an album of '60s psych classics.

Somewhere along the line, however, they started writing their own material, ending up with the compromise that is All Mimsy Were the Borogoves (Lewis Carroll's 'Jabberwocky', of course). Of the seven tracks on board, they ended up with three covers (The Kinks' Fancy, The Incredible String Band's Witch's Hat and a heavily customised version of Pink Floyd's Interstellar Overdrive), plus another three where they put their music to someone else's lyrics (Faerie Emerald, from Edmund Spenser's 'Faerie Queen', Christopher's Journey from A.A.Milne's 'Winnie the Pooh' and a late-'60s Peter Hammill poem, Shrine, previously not set to music).

The band obviously refuse to use any equipment produced later than, say, 1972, with the end result being a marvellously 'authentic' late-'60s album. Well, nearly. Mellotron choirs didn't exist until 1972, but who's arguing when they sound this good? Their only wholly 'in-house' number, Alice, has some very background 'Tron strings, but the flute melody and strings on Faerie Emerald are right at the front of the mix, with background choirs. More choirs on Christopher's Journey and Shrine, although Interstellar Overdrive is more of a trippy organ jam, different enough from the original to justify the band's collective co-writing credit. Incidentally, the 'Tron (it seems they own one) was played by 'Han Solo', one of several nom-de-plumes used by the band, for reasons best known to themselves.

The band have released a handful of singles, in various formats, all of which consist of covers of obscure psych classics. 1994 brought their version of the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band's The Smell of Incense (wondered where they'd got their name), backed with HMS Bounty's A Visit With Ashiya ('67 and '69 respectively). As I've heard neither track in its original version, comparisons are not so much pointless as impossible, but they both sound pretty damn' good here, with some 'Tron strings and a smattering of choirs on the 'b'.

Band's Story Here


Smell Of Incense (Norway) - 1994 - A Visit With Ashiya [7'']


01 - The Smell Of Incense
02 - A Visit With Ashiya

Smell Of Incense (Norway) - 1995 - Why Did I Get So High [7'']


01 - Why Did I Get So High
02 - If Not This Time
03 - Coming Down

Get the above 2 Singles
Here !

Crystalagur - 1972 - Terranaut


The story of Crystalaugur is a strange one: the obscure Native American band Crystalaugur recorded this album in Singapore between 1972 and 1973, orginally pressing a mere 200 copies for a private label (Warped Rec) and the ridiculously small pressing made the original album an unbelievable rarity. The fuzz guitar and space rock vocals definitely put this LP in the psychedelic realm with an interesing primitive backdrop. Dodo Rec.-I)
Reissue of recently discovered album, released in 1974 by BMI SINGAPORE of a one-off album done as highschool project by 4 Americans in Singapore, that only has been sold to classmates, family and friends. A weird mix of Kaleidoscope / Velvet.
Underground and eastern vibes with fuzz-guitar all over! Sorta prog-folk-garagy vibe, hypnotising and repetitive. A great psych rock fuzz album.

01 - terranaut
02 - i'll remembered
03 - cosmic journey
04 - you've got to rap
05 - uppachit creek
06 - easy term pleasure
07 - pams song
08 - number 4
09 - goodbye

your download link

Discolor - 2001 - III



Discolor - 2001 - III

Track List:
01 Psychedelic Rain
02 Glass Keys To Open
03 As Light As A Feather
04 When I See You
05 And Wonder
06 Garden Fair
07 What Remains Of Her
08 Sparkle Plenty
09 Solar Bird Fly
10 Sirius
11 El Strings

Discolor is the solo project of Stefan Lienemann alias Limo of Shiny Gnomes and Fit + Limo (supported by friends on moog, cello, violin). Discolor combine new space travelogue with Fit + Limo folk sensibility.

Review:
Released by the Italian label’s Mizmaze and Lizard, III is essentially a solo album by this prolific musician, who for the last 15 years has been producing Psych, Folk, Electro, Dub, Space, Krautrock in the Shiny Gnomes and other projects like Weltraumservice and Fit & Limo.
On this disc he sings, plays guitars, bass, sitar, keyboards and drums, and with the assistance of Harald Streckor (Micromoog), Lotsi Lapislazuli (additional vocals) and The Nereide Neith Trio (strings), he has created a great new work in the already impressive Limo discography. Highlights include the opening Psychedelic Rain, the gentle and hypnotic neo-folk of Sparkle Plenty and the elegiac Solar Bird Fly, which combines haunting piano with the stings of The Nereide Neith Trio. Different parts of the album evoke Yeti-era Amon Duul II, Nick Drake, Sonic Boom and Melodic Energy Commission.
Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Dr. Sandoz - December 2001

Enjoy !

Hoola Bandoola Band - 1972 - Vem Kan Man Lita Pa?

Hoola Bandoola Band - 1972 - Vem Kan Man Lita Pa?

01 Herkules
02 Vem Kan Man Lita På?
03 Dansmelodi (T. Wiehe)
04 Keops Pyramid
05 Man Måste Veta Vad Man önskar Sej
06 1789+0
07 Maya
08 Rocksamba (Vi Klara Det)

Hoola Bandoola Band was, together with Nationalteatern, the biggest band of the Swedish progg movement. And where Nationalteatern put social realistic lyrics to rock songs, Hoola Bandoola had more political lyrics and swerved further from traditional rock.

The name is inspired by a fictional language spoken by ants in a Donald Duck short cartoon, most likely "Tea for Two Hundred", directed in 1948 by Jack Hannah, with ant language spoken by Pinto Colvig.

In 1971, they had their first radio hit and were immediately contacted by two record companies, one commercial and one alternative, MNW. In the political climate of the 1970s, the choice of side was crucial, and by choosing the alternative company, Hoola Bandoola came to be the most well-known band on the alternative side in Sweden.

Their debut in 1971, Garanterat individuell, (Guaranteed to be individual) was hailed as the start of a new era for Swedish pop and was elected the album of the year. It was not overly political when it came to lyrics, but on the second album Vem kan man lita på?, (Who can you trust?) released the next year, the socialist message was clearer. It still sold very well and included long-lasting hits like Keops pyramid.

With På Väg, (On the way) recorded with a balalaika orchestra, Hoola Bandoola became one of the best-selling groups in Sweden. In 1975 they released the forth album Fri information (Free information), where the socialist message was more outspoken than ever before. And this time, Afzelius had written half of the songs, where before it had been Wiehe writing almost everything.

In 1975, the alternative moment gathered in opposition to a tennis game played between Sweden and Chile, which at the time was under the military dictatorship of Pinochet, and for that event, Hoola Bandoola released Stoppa matchen (Stop the game) as a single. This was to be their last studio recording. Next year, the band broke up and Wiehe and Afzelius started very successful careers as singer/songwriters, both together and by themselves.

After 20 years' absence, Hoola Bandoola reunited in 1996, playing warmup for Bob Dylan and going on their own nationwide tour. On this tour, the live album För dom som kommer sen (For those who come later) was recorded. But in 1999, Björn Afzelius died, making further reunions more unlikely.

Enjoy !

Unicorn - 1974 - Blue Pine Trees




Unicorn - 1974 - Blue Pine Trees

01. Electric Night (Baker)
02. Sleep Song (Baker)
03. Autumn Wine (Smith, St. John, Waters)
04. Rat Race (Smith, St. John, Waters)
05. Just Wanna Hold You (Baker)
06. Holland (Baker)
07. Nightingale Crescent (Baker)
08. The Farmer (Baker)
09. In The Gym (Baker)
10. Blue Pine Trees (Baker)
11. OOH! Mother (Baker)

Tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 & 8 Feature David Gilmour

Unicorn - Blue Pine Trees (Capitol, 1974)
David Gilmour had a band. A little group, went by the name of Pink Floyd. Anyway, he bought a giant mansion and built a studio inside it and invited unknown UK country rock group Unicorn to record their second album there. The result is a rich, heartfelt song cycle of British folk/country/pop that draws from Fleetwood Mac, Neil Young and (thanks to Gilmour's production) the polish of Pink Floyd. Features the ultimate 70s drum sound: tight, simple, clear, present and warm. Plus, Gilmour plays pedal steel all over it. A revelation.

Enjoy

The Steppes - 1987 - Drop Of The Creature


The Steppes - 1987 - Drop Of The Creature
Voxx Records

01. A Play On Wordsworth
02. Somebody Waits
03. Holding Up Well
04. Sky Is Falling
05. Make Us Bleed
06. Cut In Two
07. See You Around
08. Lazy Ol' Son
09. Bigger Than Life
10. Black Forest Friday
11. More Than This
12. History Hates No Man

John Fallon - Vocals, Guitars
David Fallon - Vocals, Bass Guitar
Tim Gilman - Lead Guitar
James Bailey - Drums, Percussion

Produced by The Steppes.
Engineered by Brett Gurewitz, John Girdler.
Executive producer: Greg Shaw.
Recorded at Westbeach Studio, Los Angeles, USA.

The Steppes were a 1980's Irish Psychedelic Rock band led by the gifted brothers David and John Fallon (whose memorable track Summers End In San Francisco is featured on the Psychedelic Psauna In 4 Parts compilation, which eventually led me to inquire further more about The Steppes). Drop Of The Creature, The Steppes' second musical endeavour, saw their transformation into a darker sound than their first more more acoustic EP.

One slightly overwhelmed critic had this to say,

Can this be for real? Does this record really have a 1987 datestamp? Can some men wear such ruffled shirtfronts and still walk outside? All these questions are blown away by yet another startling psychedelic-timewarp. The Steppes play the most blissful folk-into-psychedelia music, like the moment when Syd Barrett fronted The Byrds and then Jefferson Airplane, or when Roger McGuinn slung 12 strings over Pink Floyd's first album. The Steppes even manage to crystallise the essence of beat-pop. Brilliant poetic-hurt wimp visions scatter a field of tripped melodies, as inspired as Rain Parade's debut: occasionally The Steppes go all dopey but otherwise, they're excessive, outrageous, ecstatic--better this than Sergeant Pepper any day. No more questions. (Martin Aston)


posted by Hannah

PREMIATA FORNERIA MARCONI (PFM) - 4 ALBUMS

Outside UK, in the rest of Europe the most important music scenes of 70’s was in German (Kraut Rock) and in Italy (Italian Prog).
I think that Italian Prog has some excellent bands and albums a lot of people ignored.
I am really deep in this scene maybe cause the island (Corfu) that i live is so close to Italy and the Italian culture remains in the island from ages and especially in music. But mainly cause i am a progressive rock lover.

I am proud to present the best 4 albums (320 kbps with covers) one of the leaders of Italian Prog.
PFM

Enjoy ! nikos1109

Much has been written and said in Italy about Premiata Forneria Marconi, and they have surely been the most popular band here for many years. No one who was in his teens in Italy during the 70's, doesn't know È festa or Impressioni di settembre. They were also the first (and last, probably) italian band to have some success abroad, playing some good european and american tours, and even playing the popular Reading festival in England.

The band was formed in Milan around 1970 when the ex-Quelli (a popular beat band during the 60's) Mussida, Premoli, Piazza and Di Cioccio met multiinstrumentalist Mauro Pagani from Dalton.
The four Quelli had a change in their musical style near the end of the 60's and even made a single as I Krel, before the new name was adopted.

The new band had a long name, as it was the tendency for the prog-oriented italian bands of the time, and were usually referred to as "La Premiata" and later PFM. Their live beginnings, recently documented in the 10 anni live 71/81 box set, included many covers, especially by the likes of King Crimson and Jethro Tull that were among their strongest influences.
In June 1971 Premiata Forneria Marconi were invited at the first "Festival d’Avanguardia e Nuove Tendenze" in Viareggio, and they won it, along with Osanna and Mia Martini.
But their first single, coupling La carrozza di Hans with Impressioni di settembre, began a highly original musical style, where the foreign influences had been mixed with classical music and some typical mediterranean sounds, creating the distinctive "italianprog" sound that has been later perfectioned by many others.


Storia Di Un Minuto 1972 (gatefold cover)

premiata_forneria_marconi_-_1972a_-_storia_di_un_minuto.rar

First album, Storia di un minuto in 1972 is a milestone in the genre, the quintessence of the italian prog, and few others can be compared with this that's surely one of the top five italian LP's for its contents and energy. Tracks like the two on the single, È festa and Dove.. quando are still among the finest example of their distinctive sound. The fine playing of Mauro Pagani, Franco Mussida and Flavio Premoli, despite the lack of a good role singer (always one of their limits), create a highly regarding sound that's still valid today.

This album is always in the top 10 of italian prog lists and in the most important of them is in the 3rd place (www.italianprog.com)



Per Un Amico 1972 (gatefold cover)

Download link

The same year saw the release of their second LP, Per un amico, containing the same elements as the previous one with cuts such as the title track, Generale, Il banchetto. Both the albums were very successful and, along with the first Banco del Mutuo Soccorso album, opened the way to a large audience recognition of the new musical style.

Download link

Third album, Photos of ghosts, contained mostly reworkings of old tracks in english version, and represented the first attempt by italian rock bands to break the foreign markets. The LP was released abroad by ELP label Manticore (just like Banco's fourth eponymous album) and gave the band a huge success in the USA.

Download link

In 1974 the fourth album, L'isola di niente, also had an english version released with the same track listing, called The world became the world. A new bass guitarist had joined the band, Patrick Djivas from Area (Giorgio Piazza formed the short-lived Crystals), and english lyrics were by Pete Sinfield. The album was again very successful and the band embarked in their first US tour, documented in their Live in USA album.

The lack of a lead singer in the band had always been marked by the press as PFM's main defect, and for this reason the group enroled Bernardo Lanzetti from Acqua Fragile. Lanzetti had lived in the States and with his distinctive voice could solve the major problems for the band, singing and speaking english! The first (and sadly the only) release by the new six-piece was Chocolate kings, the first album only released with english lyrics (and their least successful so far for this reason in Italy). Containing some very good songs such as the title track and Out of the roundabout, the album had probably lost some of the typical italian feel of their previous works, going closer to the foreign markets' taste. A successful album abroad, it gave the band new chances to play in foreign countries, with new tour in Europe, USA and Japan.

But after the long tour, Pagani, tired of the hard life on the road, decided to quit the band. The band tried to replace him with american violinist Greg Bloch (from Flock and It's a Beautiful Day) but their decline had started. Jet lag, released in 1977 on the new Zoo label, still has very discordant reviews, its sound being very far from past glories, and Passpartù in 1978, with lyrics written by italian songwriter Gianfranco Manfredi, saw a strong turn towards pop music.

In 1979 a successful tour brought PFM all over Italy as backing band to the singer-songwriter Fabrizio De André, and two live albums were released by Ricordi (Fabrizio De André e la PFM In concerto voll. I & II).

The band released the good Suonare suonare in 1980 with new member Lucio Fabbri (on violin and keyboards, from Piazza delle Erbe) but some low level albums followed during the 80's, wit the group still continuing its successful live activity in Italy, and members Mussida and Di Cioccio also released solo albums.
After Miss Baker in 1987 PFM officially split.
www.italianprog.com

More information and full discography :

Official site : http://www.pfmpfm.it/eng/main.htm


http://www.gaudela.net/pfm/index2.html



Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus

Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus - 1994 - The Gift Of Tears_Mirror

This is a double CD collection of the LPs "The Gift Of Tears" (1987) and "Mirror" (1991). The last two tracks on the second disc are grouped together as "La Liturgie Pour La Fin Du Temps".

Tracklisting:
The Gift Of Tears
1-01 Come Holy Spirit (9:28)
1-02 Tales From Europe (4:07)
1-03 The Miller (4:09)
1-04 De Profundis (3:37)
1-05 The Singing Ringing Tree (2:06)
1-06 Beauty After The Fall (9:17)
1-07 Dreams (Awakening Of A Child's Mind) (4:46)
1-08 Lament (Ashes In The Water) (3:11)
1-09 Transfiguration (5:31)
1-10 Communion (3:11)
Mirror

2-01 Shadowlands (4:24)
2-02 Immaculado (8:19)
2-03 Joy Of The Cross (1:44)
2-04 Hymn To Dionysus (2:53)
2-05 Nostalgia (6:07)
2-06 Theme De "L'Homme Qui Ne Croyait Pas En Lui-Meme" (3:53)
2-07 Psalm (4:32)
2-08 Nativity (5:17)
2-09 Man Of Sorrows (6:03)
2-10 Theme Reprise (2:05)
La Liturgie Pour La Fin Du Temps
2-11 Le Monde Du Silence (5:04)
2-12 Dies Irae (8:13)

This record is easily one of my favorite albums of all time. It's proof of an unjust world that this album has scarcely been available over the past ten years. Except those rare copies offered at prices of an arm and a leg.

Eschewing economics, the beautiful music of RAIJ has bucketloads of passion, mystery, innocence, and is rife with an adventurous spirit of experimentation. You can literally hear the joy in their musical discoveries, from track to track. In it, you'll hear a valid attempt invoking the spirit of Europe: From otherworldly Gregorian-style chants to madrigal acoustic guitars/flutes to echo-chamber percussion and floating electronic soundscapes, even excerpts from Cocteau's movie ORPHEE. That is, a musical journey from medieval times to our electronic era. And it's breathtaking to hear such imaginal leaps through their sound.

It wouldn't be too off the mark to consider their music in the "apocalyptic folk" tradition of, say, Current 93, Death In June, etc. And like this style, it takes acoustic instruments and collides them with electronic manipulations. But this collison is done in a way that is totally singular and without peer.

Only an anarcho-Christian collective like them could have brought all of these elements together: Acoustic-electronic, innocence-wisdom, lucidity-confusion, Christian-pagan.
Reviewer:Michael Thomas Jones (Huntington, WV)

The RAIJ Double CD Collection
part I
part II

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus - The RAIJ Double CD Collection / Paradis
(2CD / CD, Apocalyptic Vision, 1994 / 1995)

C.S. Lewis once wrote "Holy places are dark places." If his sentiment could be expressed physically, it would undoubtedly find embodiment in the music of the Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus. These English musicians appear well-versed in the western liturgical music tradition which seems to be the basis of their beautifully reverent and dark compositions. In addition to simple chant-like vocals sometimes haunted with an ethereal, childlike female voice, RAIJ incorporates such an array of musical elements it's impossible to name them all. They combine folk, celtic, world beat, tribal percussion, Eastern European, and some Middle Eastern influences into a truly original sound. RAIJ's first album, The Gift of Tears, explores some of these components in notable pieces such as "Come Holy Spirit" and "Beauty after the Fall". The first one begins with a lone classical guitar, soon accompanied by bass and tribal percussion while a simple, chant-like melody and a floating female vocal carry the piece. "Beauty" is just that--a harmony of classical guitar, woodwind melody, and spoken word. The Gift of Tears is very much organic and acoustic, but there is also quite a bit of experimentation in all of RAIJ's music. You'll hear the clanging of cathedral bells, echoing percussion, and spoken word in foreign languages, including samples from the films of Andrei Tarkovsky and Jean Cocteau. "De Profundis" is full of reverberating metallic clanks, layers of feedback, and a swirl of wind instruments. Overall, the second album, "Mirror," is more experimental than the first. Although there is less use of acoustic instruments, the earthy element is still present but is saturated with processed sounds and samples. "Nostalgia" is a beautifully somber and captivating piece composed of a dark orchestral arrangement and a piano interlude while a man's voice drones in the background. Another composition meshing samples and noise with instruments is "Psalm". Unidentifiable whooshes and echoes soar across the clear solemnity of a child-like voice singing the words of Psalm 51. In the new EP Paradis, RAIJ continues to blend organic instruments and experimental sounds into lush masterpieces. "The Parable (of the Singing Ringing Tree)" is an 8-minute rendering of the original found on Gift of Tears, this time made fuller with an accordion-like instrument and guitar. "Mouvement" is a simple but well-crafted piece consisting only of congas. The focus of "Paradis" is the ethereal female voice which swoops and echoes with a semi-operatic quality. Perhaps the highlight of the EP is "She Moved Through the Fair", an atmospheric piece slowly building in percussive speed and intensity reminiscent of the final movement of Ravel's "Bolero".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus - 1995 - Paradis


Tracklisting:
01 Paradis (10:45)
02 The Parable (Of The Singing Ringing Tree) (7:34)
03 She Moved Through The Fair (6:03)
04 Mouvement (3:02)

Paradis
part I

The Easybeats - Friday On My Mind ( 1967 )


Track Listing :
1.Friday On My Mind
2.River Deep,Mountain High
3.Do You Have A Soul
4.Saturday Night
5.You Me,We Love
6.Pretty Girl
7.Happy Is The Man
8.Women ( Make You Feel Alright )
9.Who'll Be The One
10.Made My Bed,Gonna Lie In It
11.Remember Sam
12.See Line Woman


The Easybeats were a garage band in the 1960s from Australia. They formed in Sydney in late 1964 and split at the end of 1969. They are widely regarded as the greatest Australian pop band of the 60s and were the first Australian rock and roll act to score an international pop hit with their classic 1966 single "Friday On My Mind" (however the folk-pop group, the Seekers, had international hits in 1965). Their manager was former Sydney real estate agent, Mike Vaughan.

The band's line-up exemplifies the influence of post-war migration on Australian society. All five founding members were from families who had migrated to Australia from Europe; lead singer Stevie Wright was from London, rhytmic guitarist George Young was from Glasgow, lead guitarist Harry Vanda and bassist Dick Diamonde were from the Netherlands, and drummer Gordon Henry Fleet, in Bootle,Liverpool,England.

Friday on My Mind, produced by Shel Talmy and recorded in England, captures the Easybeats at just about their peak, combining all of the best elements in the evolution of their sound under one cover. The Easybeats were still one of the most energetic outfits in rock music, with a raw, highly animated guitar attack, but they were trying (and largely succeeding with) ever more complex vocal harmony parts and some staccato guitar harmony as well that was pretty impressive, and at this stage they were working with a brace of gorgeous Vanda/Young originals. The ubiquitous title track is in excellent company, surrounded by an array of mid- to late-60's British rock treasures: a killer garage punk rendition of "River Deep, Mountain High," with a superb performance by Wright and what sounds almost like a sitar buried somewhere in the midst of the crisp electric guitars; "Do You Have a Soul," with its abrupt tempo changes, cascading choruses, chiming guitars, and hooks that seem to flow into each other effortless; "Saturday Night," with more sitar-like sounds beneath the radiant choruses and rhythm guitar hooks; the dramatic, angst-ridden "You Me, We Love," on which Vanda's guitar playing becomes as intense as Wright 's wrenching vocal performance; "Pretty Girl," with its crunchy rhythm guitar sound and catchy lyric hooks and choruses; and "Made My Bed Gonna Lie in It," a punk anthem nearly as catchy and well-played as "I'm Not Like Everybody Else." Not everything on this album is as successful as these cuts, but it is all good listening, even the eerie, original album finale, "See Line Woman." In fact, only the rendition of Leiber and Stoller's "Hound Dog" may be out of place, and even it works as a change of pace. The label of "Australia's Beatles" may have proved an overstatement to some, but one can get a good look at its basis on this album — it's loaded with actual and potential hit singles, yet it doesn't come off as lightweight in any way.

Resources :

wikipedia.com
allmusicguide.com

watch Friday On My Mind :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pjx2AQb0ACE


Download Link :

http://rapidshare.com/Easybeats_F.rar

Skeletal Family - 1985 - Futile Combat


Track Listing :

1. Hands On The Clock
2. Move
3. This Time
4. Don't Be Denied
5. Far & Near
6. No Chance
7. Streetlight
8. She Cries Alone
9. What Happened?
10. Promised Land


The Skeletal Family history ::

Formed from the ashes of The Elements (Keighley, West Yorkshire, England). The Skeletal Family began life in December 1982.

The initial line-up consisted of: -
Anne-Marie Hurst (Vocals)
Stan Greenwood (Guitars)
Roger "Trotwood" Nowell (Bass)
Steve Crane (Drums)
Ian "Karl Heinz" Taylor (Keyboards)

Taking their name from a David Bowie track off the Diamond Dogs album, the band quickly gained a sizeable local following, encouraged by this produced a self funded single "Trees"/"Just A Friend" released through the Leeds based Luggage label.

The single quickly gained the attention ofRadio One's John Peel which through regular airings on his late show, saw the single breach the lower regions of the National independent charts.

Due to this radio airplay the band by-passed the usual route of playing the small pub circuit and made their London debut at the Fulham Greyhound to an enthusiastic audience, no doubt bolstered due to the current radio airplay. The gig also received an encouraging reaction from the now defunct national music paper "Sounds", which secured the band other prestigious support slots with Sex Gang Children and Play Dead.

By now with a Radio One session booked for March, the band recorded a second single "The Night"/"Waiting Here". For this release drummer Steve Crane was replaced by Manchester based Howard Daniels. Karl Heinz also departed (occasionally resurfacing on various future projects). Due to disappointing sales the single the single fails to make the impression expected, and the band set about recording their third single "She Cries Alone". Enlisting the services of the recently defunct Southern Death Cult guitarist Ian "Buzz" Burrows as co-producer and roadie, now turned drummer Martin Henderson replacing the increasingly unreliable Howard, "She Cries Alone" gave the band their first major mark in the independent charts, and armed with this success recorded the debut album "Burning Oil".

Around this period the band came close to extinction, whilst returning from a Belgium appearance, the tour van rolled over, and after crawling from the van it was discovered to be teetering on the edge of a 10 ft fall over the canal. Miraculously no one was hurt apart from one passenger who lost half his lower ear!!! Whilst recording the album the band learnt that Sisters Of Mercy front man Andrew Eldridge had specifically asked the band to support the Sisters on their Autumn Black October tour.

Now playing to much larger receptive audiences, the reaction ensured that when released "Burning Oil" reached the top of the UK indie charts, beating The Smiths & New Order in the process. With a now much larger profile and two more Radio One sessions the band played numerous dates around Britain and Europe and proved popular enough to sell out London's then prestigious Marquee club.

Despite previously enduring limited recording budgets, the bands success now enabled them to enlist the services of Cult/Gene Loves Jezebel producer John Brand, relocating to Highland studios Inverness and recording the bands second album "Futile Combat". Aided by Waterboys saxophonist Anthony Thistlewaite and Graham Pleeth on synths, the band achieved a more polished sound, a marked improvement on the previous offering.

Live favourite "Promised Land" was chosen as the first single off the album and on release reached the top three of the National Indie charts. The band topped the year with special guest appearances with Siouxsie & The Banshees at Brixton Academy plus Spear of Destiny London's Lyceum.

By this time tensions within the band were high which culminated in both Anne-Marie and Martin (who joined March Violets vocalist Simon to form The Batfish Boys) leaving.

With a nationwide tour still booked, Anne-Marie rejoined and the band enlisted ex Gene Loves Jezebel drummer Dik on drums. Relationships in the band were still strained and although then tour was a success, Anne-Marie once again departed to form Ghost Dance with Sisters Of Mercy founder Gary Marx, forcing the band to cancel what would have been the band's seventh Radio One session for John Peel.

At this point the band, who were at the height of their success decided to carry on. Additional musicians were drafted in, Kevin Hunter from Hull based band Cold Dance and local Keighley guitarist John Clarke joined the ranks while Trotwood and Stan sifted through numerous replies from a Melody Maker advert, intent on finding a replacement vocalist.

An initial rehearsal with Look Back In Anger vocalist Mitch Ebbling didn't work out, So the band plumped for ex Colourfield, Manchester vocalist Katrina Phillips.

Katrina, who had sang and appeared with Terry Hall (ex Specials lead singer) on The Colourfield single "Thinking Of You" had a different voice and character to Anne-Marie, but had the added advantage of writing her own tunes and lyrics.

A new manager was found in the form of Tony Perrin and the band set about recording the next single "Restless" at Bradford's newly formed Flexible Response studios. The single was originally intended for release on the Red Rhino label, but after shooting a video with Pulp's Jarvis Cocker and Russell Senior directing decided, with the aid of the band's publishing company DJM to try for a major label release.

After offers from various companies the band decided to sign with Chrysalis Records, as they seemed to be the most enthusiastic regarding promoting the band. "Restless" was remixed and partially rerecorded in Island Studios London with Smiths producer Steven Street, who whilst giving a more professional mix, deviated it so much from the original master tapes that it was almost unrecognisable as the Skeletal Family sound.

Nonetheless the single was released in 7" & 12" format gaining plenty of airplay on Radio One's Janice Long's Evening show which resulted in a further two sessions for the station plus a double page feature in Melody Maker.

The second single for Chrysalis "Just a Minute" recaptured the classic Skeletal Family sound and gave the band their highest success in the National charts at the time.

The band completed a highly successful German tour before retuning to Britain to record demo's for their forthcoming album with seventies glam rock Sweet' guitarist Andy Scott at the helm. Again disruptions occurred within the ranks causing the band to split the day before the bands first pre recorded TV performance was aired.

Following a successful gig at the Cockpit Leeds on 5.12.02 the Skels have reformed . And have played several more sucsessful UK gigs with new dates steadily appearing

The Skeletal Family Story continues..................

By association::

John Brand who produced Futile Combat now manages The STEREOPHONICS. The engineer on that session was Brendan Lynch of Paul Weller and OCS fame.

Tony Perrin who managed the band briefly went on to success with The MISSION, and then RIGHT SAID FRED.

Spike who did the early Ghost Dance singles now produces for OASIS.

Shaun from MANIC STREET PREACHERS fame's first single was Promised Land.

Resources :
skeletalfamily.com

Highly Recommended for all dark wave fans and not only...

Watch "Promised Land"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nof2w1ysUI4


Download Link :
http://rapidshare.com/Skeletal_Family.rar

Bob Smith - The Visit - 1970


Bob Smith

Personnel:
LARRY CHAPMAN violin
JAMES CURTIS hand drm
MIKE DEGREVE rhythm gtr
STAN KEISER flute
CAPTAIN KEYBOARD (DARYL DRAGON) keyb'ds, vibes
JOHN LATINI bs A DON PRESTON moog, mellotron
SKIP SCHNEIDER drms A BOB SMITH gtr, vcls A

ALBUM: THE VISIT (dbl) (Kent KST-551) Sept. 1970

NB: (1) some copies issued with colour poster, which significantly increases the value of the LP. (1) counterfeited on CD (Virgo CD1518) 1996. Also legitimately reissued (RD Records RD 6) 2000, digitially remastered from the original 1/2" tapes, as a triple vinyl LP set Stop For A Visit Down Electric Avenue. The box set also contains selections from his Stop (1971) and Electric Avenue (1972) albums. Along with the three LP's, the box set includes a re-issue of "The Visit" poster, and a band history along with several photos.

Another significant collectable from the California rock scene that will interest readers. Not really a solo album at all, as Smith is backed by eight very capable musicians. Much of the music is instrumental, achieving a mystical and 'psychedelic' atmosphere, although there are a few more mainstream tracks and some nice bluesy guitar work in places. Interesting and a must for fans of psychedelia. The original pressing (especially with the amazing psychedelic poster) has skyrocketed in value in recent years; as such, the recent reissue is most welcome. It includes a bonus disc of material recorded by Stop, Bob's later band from the early seventies.
Prior to the Kent album, Bob was with Silverskin, and before that, Lid (not to be confused with The Lyd), who recorded an album in 1968 which remains unissued.

Don Preston was a member of Frank Zappa's Mothers Of Invention and Daryl Dragon was with The Dragons. Daryl worked on various projects with his brothers Doug and Dennis (Farm, A Sea For Yourself, et. al.) before finding fame and fortune as the 'Captain' in Captain and Tenille. Bob Smith continues performing locally in Florida and has finished a new recording, The Visit - Destiny 2000 From Bob Smith which he will make available on his own Southern Rose label.
Bob would also appreciate it if the Virgo chaps could contact him about royalties....

For more information, check the Bob Smith website:
http://sites.netscape.net/thevisitbobsmith/homepage
(Vernon Joynson/Clark Faville w/thanks to Bob Smith)

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