Saturday 20 September 2008

DICKENS - Royal Incarnation (French Organ-Driven Psych - 1969)

French psychedelic rock - did it exist? Yes, but not exactly in abundance, and mainly restricted to singles and EPs (Les Goths, Tac Poum Systeme). One of the few exceptions to this is the ultra-rare album by Dickens. These guys were probably well acquainted with the US underground bands, at least judging from "Ange De Lune", a French adaption of a song recorded by the American group Genesis. Apart from that, the group played their own material, with great guitar and organ driven psych comparable to the heavy LA sound (Iron Butterfly and Doors). Serge Baumer later played in the group Treponem Pal.

Track listing :
01 - Cataclysme
02 - Genese
03 - I Wanna Love You
04 - Ange De Lune
05 - Reve Et Fumee
06 - Genocide
07 - Ain't Got..And That's Better
08 - Sugar Woman
09 - Opus

Line-Up - Musicians :
André Chabloz - vocals
Jean-Claude Tissot - guitars
Jacques Minary - keyboards
Jean-Claude Bertin - bass
Serge Baumer - drums

NEW LINK : http://www.mediafire.com/?7banqdaep67aazo

Really interesting release ! Listen to "Génocide" - A must !!!
Recommended to all Psych-Prog lovers !

LANDBERK - Lonely Land (Very great Swedish Progressive Rock - 1992)

On the debut album "Lonely Land" these guys almost openly recreate the sound of the '70s, actively and effectively using such famous (and popular) keyboard instrument as Mellotron (The Keeper of the string samples). A lot of acoustic piano, and some songs feature even accordion. Cold, Northern music with slow dramatic themes and quite complex arrangements slightly influenced by such bands as Van Der Graaf and PFM. Keyboards play a prominent role here, though often you can hear excellent sad guitar solos.
If you haven't heard the T2 "It'll All Work Out In Boomland" version of 'No More White Horses' and want to - check out the post on this blog ! It has blistering guitar work from the (then 17 year old) Keith Cross.
Please note this is the English version of "Riktigt Akta" which is their Swedish first album in 1992.

Tracklist:
01 - Waltz Of The Dark Riddle
02 - The Tree
03 - Pray For Me Now
04 - Song From Kallsedet
05 - No More White Horses
06 - You And I
07 - Lonely Land

The music here is pretty simple (especially harmonically speaking), it creates a nice, melancholy mood using mellotron, flute, and guitar to good effect. Vocals for the most part are quite laid-back, fitting the slow, plodding mood of the disc. Guitar solos form the only real breaks from the broodingness of the music, and even those are somewhat cold: either chilly acoustic work (a la Robert Fripp's acoustic runs in "Cirkus" from Lizard) or a dirty, tortured tone from the electric guitar. Few specific influences come to mind, though there are definite similarities to early King Crimson, certain Änglagård passages (it's worth noting, though, that Riktigt Äkta was released before any Änglagård albums), quieter Anekdoten pieces, and perhaps the more mellow compositions out of 1970s Italy.

Line-up/Musicians :
- Andreas Dahlbäck / drums
- Stefan Dimle / bass guitar
- Reine Fiske / lead & acoustic guitar
- Patric Helje / vocals, rhythm guitar
- Simon Nordberg / Mellotron, Hammond organ, piano, accordian

This is a worthy release for all fans of Scandinavian prog !!!

Link : http://www.megaupload.com/fr/?d=IPRKI8WQ

One of my favs since years and years !!!

FRUMPY - "2" (German Hard Prog - 1971)

Another milestone in the story of Krautrock !!!

The four musicians who formed FRUMPY were all members of Irishman O' Brian-Docker's folkband The City Preachers, which he founded in Hamburg in 1965. The City Preachers played an excellent blend of American and British folk music and had, sometimes, over a dozen people on stage. Discontent with singer Dagmar Krause, drummer Carsten Bohn left the City Preachers in November 1969 and took singer Inga Rumpf, French keyboarder Jean-Jacques Kravetz and guitarist Karl-Heinz Schott with him to form FRUMPY. In spring of 1970, FRUMPY started a successful tour of France. The same year, they went on a 50 concert tour with SPOOKY TOOTH, and played with YES, HUMBLE PIE and RENAISSANCE. In autumn of 1970, FRUMPY released the first album "All Will Be Changed" which contained only own material with the exception of a Richie Havens cover. The Following year guitarist Rainer Baumann joined FRUMPY and played on the band's second LP "Frumpy 2". In Germany, the album was well received and proved that rock music from Germany could live up to international standard. Their music combines jazz, soul and eastern elements with the keyboards as the most important instrument. FRUMPY topped the Musik Express poll as the most popular German rock group of the year and the newspaper FAZ assisted singer Inga Rumpf to be "the country's biggest individual talent". But FRUMPY disbanded after a farewell concert on June 26, 1972. Inga Rumpf, Jean-Jacques Kravetz and Karl-Heinz Schott formed ATLANTIS.

Frumpy’s second album is fine example of early 70’s German progressive and hard rock mixture and excellent addition to prog collections. Four long tracks, with sound dominated by Jean-Jacques Kravetz’s keyboard chords and soloing, good bass playing and energetic and divers drumming, long jamming and obligatory changes of tempo and volume. Guitar is presented right on time to remember that there is a guitar player, while Inga Rumpf’s cracked hoarse loud and shouting voice is in perfect tune with keyboards and guitar sound and almost looks like keyboards or guitar originated.

Track Listings :
1. Good Winds (10:02)
2. How The Gipsy Was Born (10:05)
3. Take Care Of Illusion (7:30)
4. Duty (12:09)
Total Time: 39:46

Line-up/Musicians
- Inga Rumpf / vocals
- Jean-Jacques Kravetz / keyboards
- Karl-Heinz Schott / bass
- Carsten Bohn / drums
- Rainer Baumann / guitars

Link : http://sharebee.com/2783f78c
Initially posted on femalevocals.blogspot.com
Enjoy !!! Inga Rumpf is one of the best female voices in the rock landscapes !!!

JEREMY STORCH - From A naked Window (US singer-songwriter - 1970)

A truly buried masterpiece, a pity it was never re-released since 1970 !!!
Don't miss it !!!

If you've ever heard his name, singer/keyboardist Jeremy Storch is probably known to you for his work with The Vagrants. It's doubtful more than a few folks have ever heard any of his early-1970s solo work, or have a clue of where life took him.
With the breakup of The Vagrants, Storch found himself signed to a solo career by RCA Victor. Released in 1970, Storch's debut "From a Naked Window" teamed him with producers Gary Illingworth, Ernie Aitschuler and Al Schwartz and a host of New York sessions players. The album was actually very good, though anyone expecting to hear something along the lines of The Vagrants' brand of heavy garage rock was bound to have been surprised to hear Storch-penned originals like 'Dream City' and 'Delia'. I was certainly dumbfounded the first couple of times I played the album. Largely abandoning The Vagrants-styled rock and roll grunge, Storch plunged headlong into anguished singer/songwriter mode, occasionally sprinkled with a lysergenic blanket. While the results weren't exactly the year's most upbeat collection, the material proved well suited for Storch's slightly nasal and strained voice. About half of the album was stark singer/songwriter material - 'Playground' and 'Message In the Wind' simply showcasing Storch and keyboards. The rest of the material featured more elaborate arrangements (courtesy of Illingworth), including a couple with classical influences and a couple of fuzz guitar supported efforts ('Man In the Sky' and 'Lady In the Sand'). Interestingly with the exception of the closing instrumental 'Delia', all of the original songs were bound together by Storch's highly personal and strange lyrics - 'Lynn and Sue Are a Country' appeared to provide a nod of approval to lesbian relationships. Fascinating in a weird, hard to describe fashion, the results probably horrified Vagrants fans.

Imagine an American version of Peter Hammill and you'll have a feel for what the set sounded like.

Tracks listing :
(side 1)
01. Dream City (Jeremy Storch) - 3:32
02. Playground (Jeremy Storch) - 4:25
03. Man In the Sky (Jeremy Storch) - 3:48
04. Message In the Wind (Jeremy Storch) - 4:05
05. Lynn and Sue Are a Country (Jeremy Storch) - 3:45
(side 2)
06. In the Right Road (Jeremy Storch) - 3:50
07. Lady In the Sand (Jeremy Storch) - 4:38
08. If You Are Going Home (Jeremy Storch) - 5:18
09. I Feel a New Shadow (Jeremy Storch) - 3:08
10. Delia (instrumental) (Jeremy Storch) - 5:20

Link : http://netkups.com/?d=bb4b299a56b4e

Very highly recommended !!!

Tuesday 9 September 2008

MIKE TINGLEY - The Abstract Prince (US unknown masterpiece - 1968)

I recently discovered this wonderful album on the amazing website of my French friend -
http://www.thestrangeexperienceofmusic.com/article-20810492.html .

It's a true hidden treasure, a real gem of early pop-psych-folk, with nice vocals, well-crafted songs, interesting orchestral arrangements and so cool 60's vibes. It's the sole LP of this Californian artist, released in Holland in 1968.

Review by Mr. Mike Tingley :
I have been asked to write a few lines for this LP. But where do I start? I think I am just now realising what has taken place. I will start by thanking to everyone who was involved in the making of this record. And there are so many that added so much to it. My producer, Tony Vos, whose guidance and supervision I couldn't have done without. My recording technician, Gerard Beckers, whose skill in a control room was consistently outstanding. The drummer, Cees Kranenburg and the bass player, Jan Hollesteller, who both demonstrated the only thing that only a good musician can...talent and plenty of it. And speaking of musicians, I really owe a special debt gratitude to Bert Paige, who did all the orchestra arrangements and to all the studio musicians participated in this LP. There is only one word to describe their contribution to this music...beautiful. There are so many other people directly or indirectly involved, that I could never write them at down on this jacket. But my heart felt thanks go out to each one of them just the same. I was also asked to explain each of my songs. I thought a lot about it and decided that it wasn't fair, in a way, to you the listener. Although, when I wrote each song I had a definite idea in my mind, these were only my impressions. I feel that if I were to explain each song to you, it wouldn't give you an honest chance to develop your own impressions. And this is what I think is one of the most important parts of any music: the capacity to be interpreted differently, depending on who the listener is. I would like to end by thanking you, the listener, for giving me this opportunity to express the many emotions and thoughts that are contained in each and every groove of this LP.

NEW LINK : http://www.mediafire.com/?wy8btie834vb8r4

44 years later, don't miss the chance to discover this truly gem !!!!!

Monday 8 September 2008

CRASH COFFIN - Same (US Psych - 1974)

Crash Coffin is a fellow from Ohio who put together a band and recorded ten of his songs on a local label back in 1970. Crash had a good grasp on singing, storytelling and songwriting as well as a working knowledge of various musical genres.

This wellknown LP has a couple of great moody psych tracks with excellent vocals like "Alone together" and "God loves the loser", but also some less appealing stuff and is a rather inconsistent backwoods trip all over. The mix of styles is unlikely to make anyone enjoy this from start to finish, but there are some great moments nevertheless.

Track Listing :

01. Massochist Blues
02. Lilly
03. Amazon Jungle
04. God Loves The Loser
05. Get Back In The Kitchen
06. Alone Together
07. Freedom Cake
08. Electric Dog
09. Looney Polka
10. Blue Kazoo

New link : https://mega.co.nz/#F!BIkRGZRC!tWrTJBsPpX2VXOgSWJKZFQ

Even if I don't like the whole album, however I decided to post it here because it contains two of my favourite tracks for the eternity : "Alone Together" & "God Loves The Loser" which are absolute semi-heavy psych monsters.
Enjoy !!!

LIZARD - Bad Companions (Australian Progressive Jazz Rock - 1973)

Lizard was one of EMIs Harvest label Australian signings.
Bad Companions is a very rare album full of 70s progressive jazz rock.
A five piece band, three of Lizards members were earlier in White Wine. Prior to Lizard, sax player Dave Connors also appeared in Jade Warrior (UK) and later went to work with Graham Parker and the Rumour.

Track listing :
01. Intro
02. Page Missing From My Book
03. Tarot Cards
04. Rosalyn
05. People People
06. Cecil
07. Rehabilitation Boogie

Musicians :
- Dave Connors - Sax
- Greg Hill - Bass
- Robert Souter - Drums
- Mich Tulk - Guitar, Vocals
- John Wheeler - Keyboards

Link : http://link-protector.com/448782/ (initially posted by Munju on PNF)

Listen to the third track "Tarot Cards", you won't regret !!!

GURNEMANZ - No Rays Of Noise (Kraut-Folk - 1977)


This is an awesome album of progressive folk-rock from German group Gurnemanz.
Very much in the style of UK folk-rock ala Fairport Convention or Spriguns, singer Manuela Schmitz has an amazing voice and could give Sandy Denny a run for the money! The male vocalist, Lukas W.Scheel, has got a real Fairport-y delivery also. The musicianship is stellar and the songs, whether sung in English or German, are great. The version of John Barleycorn is one of the best I've heard.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Track Listings :

01. What a Day it is (3:10)
02. Libelle (3:27)
03. Der Schwartenhals (3:43)
04. John Barleycorn (6:29)
05. Givers and Takers (2:51)
06. Morning Song (3:58)
07. Dublin (3:14)
08. Deep Sleep (2:40)
09. Different Ways (2:25)
10. Mattelotte/Kupferschmied (2:40)
11. Die Auswanderer (3:01)
Total Time 37:38
12. My Friend (2:52) (studio 1976)
13. Tra Na Rossan I (2:55) (live 1979)
14. Tra Na Rossan II (3:03) (live 1979)
15. Another Morning (3:44) (live 1978)
16. Among The Rice Fields (5:05) (live 1979)
17. Rain Song (2:07) (live 1979)
18. Wanderer (4:06) (live 1979)
19. November (2:15) (live 1979)
20. November Tea (3:17) (live 1979)
21. Vetrieben (4:15) (live 1978)
22. How Much Love (4:43) (live 1979)
Bonustracks 40:22
Total Time 78:00
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Line-up/Musicians :
- Lukas W.Scheel / guitar, vocals, mandolins, banjo
- Manuela Schmitz / vocals, tin-whisles, percussion, recorder, kazoo
- Siegfried Bushuven / bass, kazoo
- Wolfgang Riedel / guitar, backing vocals, percussion, harmonica, bouzouki, flute, kazoo
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Not to be missed by anyone who likes the music of Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span, or Mandy Morton/Spriguns !!!

Sunday 7 September 2008

Ton Vlasman - White Rooms With Disintegrating Walls (Dutch Folk gem - 1970)

This is a real Dutch space folk monster from 1970. The title alone tells you where it's coming from! A wildly drug induced album full of dark psychedelia with folky overtones and exotic instrumentation.

One of the best acid/space folk LPs ever. Great stoner hippie folk on the cosmic mystical level; full of weird urban folk and indian effects! Great cover of Velvet's "Pale Blue Eyes" in a spaced out Dylanesque mood!

Link : http://www.megaupload.com/fr/?d=3R008KU1
(Thanks to Batiar from ProgNotFrog)

A totally original album and very highly recommended to fans of weird eerie psychedelia !!!

SAMSON - Are You Samson? (UK Psych Prog 1969)

Samson was one of the more obscure outfits signed to Andrew Oldham's Immediate label, considering that they got to cut an entire concept album, "Are You Samson?", which was released by the label in 1969. They played the Marquee Club, and were known around London, but never caught on. Keyboard man and singer Ian Kewley later worked with Strider and Limey, before hooking up with Paul Young. This Samson had no relationship to an early '70s English band of the same name.

Tracks :
01. Traffic (3:27)
02. Sleep (2:20)
03. Journey (3:10)
04. Fair (8:44)
05. The End Song (4:44)
06. Mars (4:46)
07. Venus (2:56)
08. Saturn (3:49)
09. Poem for Sam (4:25)
10. Wool and Water - Bonus Track (4:24)

Musicians :
- Ian Kewley (Vocals, French Horn)
- Les Jones (Guitar)
- Norman Findley (Organ)
- Paul Ford (Trumpet)
- Les Olbinson (Percussion)
- Mike Delaney (Drums)

A very special but really pleasant one ! The use of horns set Samson apart somewhat.

SHUTTAH - The Image Maker Vol 1 & 2 (UK Prog Psych 1971)

Only 1 known copy, a perfect acetate.
The Image Maker Vol. 1 & 2 is a real underground concept album with a progressive touch that only needs a few spins to get it right. Well-crafted songs, great vocals, sound-effects, organ and heavy fuzz guitar all combine to make up one of the better albums on the Vertigo label with a good dose of acid in it.
Shadoks Music spoke to Geoff Oliver, the former owner of IBC recording studios, but he could not remember any of the recordings made by Shuttah in his studio -- there were just too many engineers busy at the same time, during those golden days of the London underground, where studios were recording music which became big hits. IBC was famous for making recordings for bands such as The Kinks, The Who and The Beatles, plus many, many others, which leads one to the conclusion that this recording of Shuttah was very expensive to make, so there MUST be a famous musician behind it. The recording, arrangements and concepts are on a very high professional level. Even a search at UK copyright control did not show any results revealing the identity of who, exactly, Shuttah was. Since the original acetates appeared many years ago, this is still a very provocative unsolved mystery of the UK underground. The word Shuttah is a religious reference, if you have a Bible handy. The title of the album The Image Maker also suits the religious meaning.
Double CD containing the only known recording by this unknown UK progressive rock band that survived as an acetate. Funky, atmospheric concept based progressive rock from 1971 with swathes of heavy keyboards, harpsichord, bass, guitar and melodic vocals that at times sounds like Home's "Alchemist" epic. What distinguishes this album is the top quality production and fully detailed booklet and it all adds up to one stunning reissue.

Disk: 1
1. Image Maker
2. Bull Run
3. Cry My Little Darling
4. Lady Smith
5. Village Green
6. Crimp
7. Christmas 1914
8. Fens

Disk: 2
1. Guernica
2. World War II
3. Concrete
4. Imjin
5. She's a Bad Girl
6. Wizard
7. Tell Me Why
8. Conclusion

Links : http://sharebee.com/f6b370b9 (Disk 1) & http://sharebee.com/f50ebc85 (Disk 2)

Very highly recommended !!!

ICARUS "The Marvel World of Icarus" ( UK - 1972 )

Super rare killer early UK '70s progressive / psych album originally released on Pye. All members of Icarus were huge fans of Marvel Comics, hence the basic concept of this LP. As you can see from the track list, each title is based on a marvel character. Sadly at the time, the head of Marvel found out about this shortly before release and demanded a 50% share of the royalties. Instead of giving in, the record company simply withdrew the LP.

Each of the players on this fast-rocking album with a strong progressive touch presents themselves as comic character, ranging from Spiderman via Conan the Barbarian to the Hulk. The lyrics likewise deal with the vicissitudes of these heroes, lending the album a comparatively agreeable degree of fun. As the instrumental and vocal abilities of the band are no less than good, the only flaw is the lack of outstanding compositions, although a few highlights are present nonetheless. These include the scary intro to Hulk, the propelling rhythms of Conan The Barbarian, almost all flute parts, almost all of the opening track on the 'B' side, Thor and the slightly psychedelic Silver Surfer. All in all fun to listen to.

Tracks Listing:
01. Prologue (0:35)
02. Spiderman (2:53)
03. Fantastic Four (3:21)
04. Hulk (3:04)
05. Madame Masque (3:48)
06. Conan The Barbarian (4:07)
07. Iron Man (2:55)
08. Thor (4:49)
09. Black Panther (3:24)
10. The Man Without Fear (3:57)
11. Silver Surfer (4:05)
12. Things Thing (2:01)
13. Captain America (2:32)
Total Time 41:36

Line-up/Musicians:
Peter Curtain - Drums
Norrie Devine - Sax, Flute, Clarinet
David Plotel - Guitar
John Plotel - Bass
Steve Hart - Vocals
Iain Hines - Keyboards
Jimmy Wiley - Bass

Link : http://rapidshare.com/files/133682107/1972_-_The_Marvel_World_Of_Icarus.rar
(thanks to http://wcpaebelectricflower.blogspot.com/ )

Roky Erickson & The Aliens "I Think Of Demons" (US Psychedelic Rock - 1980)

Erickson co-founded the 13th Floor Elevators in late 1965. He and bandmate Tommy Hall were the main songwriters. In 1966 (Erickson was 19 years old) the band released their debut album The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators. Psychedelic Sounds had the band's only charting single, Erickson's "You're Gonna Miss Me." A stinging post-romantic breakup song, the single remains probably Erickson's best-known work: it was a major hit on local charts in the U.S. southwest, and appeared at lower position on national singles charts as well. Critic Mark Deming writes that "If Roky Erickson had vanished from the face of the earth after The 13th Floor Elevators released their epochal debut single, 'You're Gonna Miss Me,' in early 1966, in all likelihood he'd still be regarded as a legend among garage rock fanatics for his primal vocal wailing and feral harmonica work." In 1967, the band followed up with Easter Everywhere, perhaps the band's most focused effort. The 13th Floor Elevators released their fourth and final album Bull of the Woods in 1968. Due to Erickson's health and legal problems, his contribution to the album is limited, with guitarist Stacy Sutherland taking more of a leading role.

In 1968, while doing a stint at Hemisfair, Erickson started speaking nonsense. He was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic and sent to a Houston psychiatric hospital, where he involuntarily received electroconvulsive therapy. The Elevators were vocal proponents of mescaline (peyote), LSD and marijuana use, and were subject to strong attention from police. In 1969, Erickson was arrested for possession of one marijuana joint in Austin. Facing a ten year prison term, Erickson pled not guilty by reason of insanity, which proved to be a mistake. He was first sent to the Austin State Hospital. After several escape attempts, he was sent to the Rusk State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, where he was subjected to more electroconvulsive therapy and Thorazine treatments and held until 1972. When released from the state hospital, Erickson's mental outlook had changed. In 1974, he formed a new band which he called Bleib Alien, Bleib being an anagram of Bible and/or German for Stay, and "Alien" being a pun on the German word "Allein" ("alone") - the phrase in German therefore being "Remain alone". His new band exchanged the psychedelic sounds of The 13th Floor Elevators for a more heavy metal sound that featured lyrics on old horror film and science fiction themes.

"Two Headed Dog (Red Temple Prayer)" (produced by The Sir Douglas Quintet's Doug Sahm) was released as a single. The new band renamed itself Roky Erickson and the Aliens. In 1979, Erickson recorded 15 new songs with producer Stu Cook, former bass player of Creedence Clearwater Revival. These efforts were released in two "overlapping" LPs - TEO/CBS UK, and The Evil One/415 records.

Track listing :

01. Two-Headed Dog (Red Temple Prayer)
02. I Think of Demons
03. I Walked With a Zombie
04. Don't Shake Me Lucifer
05. Night of the Vampire
06. Bloody Hammer
07. White Faces
08. Cold Night for Alligators
09. Creature With the Atom Brain
10. Mine Mine Mind
11. Stand for the Fire Demon
12. Wind and More

Link : http://sharebee.com/32aa3c43 (thanks to chrisgoesrock)

Amazing releases from this brilliant disturbed mind !!!

PERRY LEOPOLD "Christian Lucifer" (US Psychedelic Folk - 1973)



This LP was originally recorded in 1973, and it was a tragedy that it never got released. It was a classic psychedelic-folk recording with the artist Perry Leopold at his very peak of creativity. Incredibly the originally tapes were reused after the studio was sold and then a few mix down tapes were scavenged to put this LP (and CD) together by Gear Fab Records.

Leopold's voice is confident and smooth as silk, which lends an airy dreamy ambiance to the compositions. The combination of richly textured instruments such as the flute, bassoon, and cello serves as the perfect compliment to Leopold's vocal style and gentle and warm guitar playing. You may be reminded of some other great groups of the past when you hear this album. CSN&Y comes to mind for their heavenly harmonies and beautiful memorable folk-rock tunes. Fans of The Byrds and Buffalo Springfield may find something to key in on while listening to this as well.

This is one of the finest disregarded recordings that I have ever heard. Thanks to Gear Fab to changing the course of history, and for all of their hard work in keeping the spirit of this music alive. And above all, thanks to the creator Perry Leopold for giving us a much needed blast from the past to credit him with the importance and credibility of his artistry.

Track Listing:
01. Sunday Afternoon in the Garden of Delights (8:51)
02. The Windwill (8:58)
03. The Starewell (4:17)
04. Serpentine Lane (4:30)
05. The Annunciation (5:10)
06. The Journey (6:47)
07. Vespers (5:33)

Musicians:
Charles Cohen - Mini Moog
John Gillaspie - Bassoon, Recorder, Clavinet
David Goldblatt - Cello
Stan Slotter - Flute
Sam Rudin - Percussion, Bongos
Mike McCarthy - Bass (Electric), String Bass
Perry Leopold - Guitar, Arranger, Vocals
Bill Zino - String Bass
Enjoy, it's a pure delicate gem !!!

Tuesday 2 September 2008

Nigel Mazlyn Jones "Ship to Shore" (UK Folk Masterpiece - 1976)

Beautiful and incredibly rare debut album by this UK underground legend still going strong today. Made by a UK folk rock artist often compared to early John Martyn, Nick Drake and Mick Softley the album is filled with haunting tracks featuring electric and acoustic guitar, violin, cymbals and sublime vocal harmonies. The centrepiece of the album is the epic title track, but tracks like the uplifting 'Follow Every Sunset' and the opening 'Singularly fine Day' are waves of summer magic.

Pure class that's highly recommended to lovers of UK folk rock !!!

Track listing :

01. A Singularly Fine Day - 5:23
02. Take Me Home - 6:23
03. The Man And The Deer - 5:36
04. Follow Every Sunset - 3:45
05. How High The Moon - 3:29
06. Reality - 3:42
07. Port Quin Song (The Lady On The Beach) - 3:43
08. Ship To Shore - 11:31
Bonus tracks (Kissing Spell reissue)
09. All Brave Men - 7:13
10. The Hunter And The Lady - 6:23
11. Hunters Tale - 2:29
12. Ships Tales - 1:28
13. Neap Tide - 1:42
14. High Tide - 1:47
15. Frozen Waves - 2:49

Personnel
Nigel Mazlyn Jones - guitars, bass, waves, vocals
Dik Cadbury - basses, vocals
Johnny Coppin - guitar, vocals
Alleyn Menzies - drums
Jerry Riley - guitar
Rob Lloyd - guitar, mandolin
Martin Mitchell - violin

New link : http://www.mediafire.com/?2ypsbdgdloiu8xn

Amazing release. In the title track, Nigel Mazlyn Jones reminds me Peter Hammill's best intimist and dramatic moments !!!

Don't miss it !