OBSCURE, ACID-DRENCHED,  YET GREAT LATE '60S SOUNDS FROM THE VANGUARD LABEL
349496
This is a (76+minutes) collection of album tracks and singles from bands who recorded for the Vanguard label in the '60s.  Some of these bands were relatively well known at the time, others more obscure.  But they all sound as if they'd been doing some weird chemical ingesting to come up with this kind of music.  Frankly, I wasn't expecting this troll through Vanguard's psyche-bands to be this good (and disturbing), even if they did release albums by  well known acid-gobblers Country Joe & The Fish.  The sound is very good--crisp and clean.  The 18 page, well done, booklet has track-by-track commentary plus period photos and record covers.  For what this collection does to your head, and for a great listening experience this has to be  five "stars".

This is some pretty trippy stuff. Check out the lyrics to most any tune and behind some heavily fuzzed out guitars and swirling organs you'll hear some pretty crazed stuff.  The first few tracks will put you in the right frame of mind--"Gettin' Together", by The Third Power is a true acid drenched power trio workout.  Following that is is the slightly disturbed sounding track from Erik, "You Said/But I've Got My Way", a lengthy slab of distorted guitar and ethereal-sounding organ--the kind that eats into your brain--with some slightly scary lyrics.  But  for another trippy experience listen to "Stoned Is", by Listening, with it's fuzzed out, floating lead guitar and more drifty organ sounds.  Just hearing these tracks my mind is already starting to melt.  And things go even deeper into that acid-laced world of visions, colors,  and sounds.  Just listen to "You Should Be More Careful", by Elizabeth--whoa.

Also here is The 31st Of February, with it's loose connection to the Allman brothers, and Circus Maximus with Jerry Jeff Walker before he went country/folk, with a twisted lead guitar-laced "Travelin' Around".  And this collection wouldn't be complete without The Frost,  with (the late) Dick Wagner's lead guitar work.  And then there's one of my favorite bands from this period, Notes From The Underground.  The sound on their two tracks meld rock, jazz, and jug band music into something special, along with some pretty lame (yet interesting) lyrics straight out of this acid-soaked era.

The Vagrants are here with their garage-rock guitar sound courtesy of Leslie West on "I Can't Make A Friend".  Plus, another personal favorite, The Serpent Power, with poet David Meltzer.  Their 13+ minutes workout "The Endless Tunnel", features some great organ sounds along with electric banjo--and dig the lyrics.  And when you include equally twisted songs from The Hi-Five, The Far Cry, The Family Apostolic, and Jeff Monn, you've got some seriously acid-infused performances that are literally  straight out of the no-turning-back, psychedelic sixties .

Little is known about some of these groups, while members of some of these bands went on to more fame in other groups.  But that doesn't matter--the focus is on some heavily LSD-45 fortified psychedelic music--and in that respect  the  Vanguard label succeeded--and then some.  Try this on--but hold on to your head.
4138489
Back in the very early 1950's, Baritone Sax man Jerry Mulligan got together with the cool young Trumpet player, Chet Baker and formed a quartet at Haig's club in L.A. As it happened the club's piano had been moved out to accomodate the vibes-centric sound of the Red Norvo Trio, so our guys went ahead with the odd (for the time) no piano rhythm section, and the rest is history. I loved that early sound and when I recently read on jazzwax.com that Jerry (as was common then and still) had later teamed up with, Paul Desmond, the "Dry Martini Sound" Alto Sax genius of the Dave Brubeck Time Out etc. quartets, I was intrigued to say the least. Imagine my delight when I spied the Amazon link on the page and found that the digital remaster of original "Two Of A mind" recording was available on both CD and MP3 right here. If you liked Mulligan/Baker or just are a fan of the California Cool sound, this recording is for you.
4581829
I cannot believe these recording were made on a 2-track Revox machine back in 1968! The sound is almost that of a studio recording, and the performances are top notch all the way through.
About half of this material was issued by Tenth Planet as an LP called Metaphormosis in 1999, but this is the first time we get all the recordings made by the Giles brothers and Robert Fripp. Also featured on some of these songs are Judy Dyble on vocals and Ian McDonald on various wind instruments and piano.
The music is a far cry from the stuff they did about a year later as King Crimson, and should sit nicely alongside your other CD's with obscure UK sixties pop/rock.
The music is a blend of jazzy chords, great pop with a bit of folk music thrown in and lots of finely crafted and really beautiful harmony vocals. Two of my favourites are Hypocrite (the opener and the most experimental/psychedelic song on the album) and She Is Loaded; a great pop song with some extremely catchy riffs and funny, twisted lyrics.
The sleeve notes are written by Peter Giles himself and offers a thorough look at the history of the members and a background of the recordings, including a detailed look at the actual recording and the equipment used. The booklet is also filled with lots of rare pictures and newspaper clippings.
Still, I can't imagine how this was done on a 2-track Revox in 1968!
4624457
A quick rundown on this amazing collection of ambient music:

This is a 3LP set released by Warp a label well known for electronic music featuring artist like Boards of Canada.

This version (black vinyl pressing) is often considered rarer, and holds up better in comparison in terms of sound quality to the brown vinyl issue that came out before hand. The two versions have different covers, black vinyl has cover as the image above (orange/brown). Brown vinyl issue had a grey/silver cover.

This is a gatefold sleeve, all the tracks are ment to be 'untitled'. The cool thing here is on the labels themself they list a picture all of different ambient lighting representing different tracks. The only listed track is (I believe) "Blue Calx" which is also my personal favorite.

The music ranges from dark cavernous vacant aside from bat top clanged caves, to watery dripping rooms of nothing. Noisy wirey tracks to deranged dark tunes. This is a Warp classic, Aphex Twin's material is all great, but to me this is the most memorable.

(As a heads up many will see this album displayed as Saw II)
852232
KUDOS to Impulse UK for releasing this 2 for 1 series of often hard-to-find titles from their back catalog. This particular release is of interest to fans of Gabor Szabo, like myself. Stylistically reminiscent of Szabo's mid-60's solo releases, these two albums have a mid-60's pop/jazz feel to them that is very catchy and they provide an enjoyable listen. They would be the last two from Chico's band to feature Szabo. The price is great, as is the sound (for the era) and the packaging. Highly recommended to fans of Szabo or Hamilton, or of mid-60's lite jazz w/ a pop feel.
993424
Along with "Louie Louie," this Florida band's 1965 single "The Little Black Egg" is one of the most enigmatic (and catchy) tunes in pop history. Primitively recorded, the single had to be released three times before it caught on at the bottom of the Billboard charts. Still, regional play made it a garage band staple in the mid-60s, and its catchy guitar riff and childlike lyrics still fare well today. In typical "That Thing You Do" fashion, the original NightCrawlers lineup had broken up by the time the single began to catch, and a reforumulated group filled out an LP and recorded a few more singles before evaporating. The band's sole LP release, included here in its entirety, adds several more Beau Brummel-esque folk-rock originals, highly influenced by the British Invasion, all rendered in superbly basic garage-rock style.

For all the tracks that were gathered to flesh out this one-hit-wonder band, this collection is oddly unsatisfying as the ultimate statement on the band's recorded history. In particular, the tracks are sequenced oddly, neither following the order of singles releases, nor duplicating the band's Kapp LP. The latter can be reproduced as 1, 12, 5, 6, 7, 2, 10, 11, 4, 13, though even there you'll find that the version of "If You Want My Love" removes the dubbing Kapp added for the LP (which, like it or not, is how it was issued). The title tune has a nasty squeak (one of the drummer's pedals?) not evident on the original LP, and the tape used for "Me for Me" is surprisingly hissy. The album tracks are all mono (which makes sense, since the stereo LP - which sounds surprisingly good - was electronically produced), except for "Little Black Egg," which was recorded in true stereo. Several of the bonus tracks (8, 14-15, 17-22, 24) are true stereo. Also surprising is that the latter-day single "My Butterfly" is missing. Overall, this simply doesn't sound as good as the original vinyl; perhaps the tapes had deteriorated by the time they got around to making a digital transfer.

Alec Palao's liner notes put the band in context, and extensive remembrances from the band make for good reading (and provide the songwriters' explanation of the origin of "The Little Black Egg."). This is absolutely worth picking up, whether or not you have the original vinyl. If you don't have the vinyl, it's a quick and fairly thorough introduction to the band. If you do have the vinyl, the extra tracks (including a fine acoustic demo of "Washboard" and the previously unreleased Brummelesque "He Shouldn't Hurt You") are worth the price of this CD; just hang on to your original records, as this CD is not an equal substitute.

4-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings.
949245
Great - For lovers of the early Pink Floyd Sound or any 60's rock fans !
4742870
The 60's were indeed a great decade - SO many classics came out it's pretty staggering. The Zombies' "Odessey and Oracle" is but one of many timeless albums released in that decade, and it doesn't disappoint (though it's barely a classic). It's extremely accessible for most people and definitely fun and interesting to listen to (it also features the timeless hit "Time Of The Season"!). The singer is usually dead-on as a psychedelic pop singer - he has pretty good charm, although in some songs he's a little iffy (like on "Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914)"). The harmonies on this album are notably great. The lyrics are unfortunately not all that great. Musically the album is also fantastic. This is primarily a psychedelic album, but it DOES cover a little R&B and pop rock. The audio quality is also very very good considering it was recorded in 1968. I'm pretty sure everybody can enjoy this album along with other classics like, say, The Lovin' Spoonful's "Greatest Hits". I think I would've given this a "4.5", but its historical influence, the classic "Time Of The Season" and all the bonus tracks pushes it to a "5". Highly recommended!

Highlights include:
the entire album (except for probably "Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914")
1877735
Total of twelve tracks that respectfully pay homage to the late '60's fuzz guitar sound. No, it certainly wasn't for everybody but if you enjoy this particular style of music then this second Silencers title as well as their first self-titled CD (see my review) should bring back some precious memories of many days gone by. Tunes here that I liked best were "Mouldy's Theme", "Return Of Son Woof Woof", the outrageous (so to speak) "The Man From F.U.Z.Z." - you gotta just love that song title, their rousing cover of the Gesture's early garage rock classic "Run Run Run" and "6 And 7 Is...". Personnel: Eric Thoth - guitar, Dave Leeds - bass and Eric Faas - drums & vocals. Recommended for fans of The Ventures, Dick Dale and possibly the late Link Wray.
161541
Originally released in 1969, as this looks to be the band's only recorded work. Main reason I decided to give it a listen is that I saw that it was issued on the Lion Productions label. When you have time, be sure to check out their site - as they've put out many rare / unheard of / obscure band's records that otherwise may have never been available. Tunes here that more than did it for me were "Hello, Goodbye, Victoria Crane" (incredible sitar), "Harpsichord", the stellar "Somewhere Within Ophelius" (honestly, why wasn't the psychedelic band better known?), the total psyched-out "Masochists Of Strangulation" and "Lady On The Hillside" (great organ). 'Look In The Window' notably had guest spots by the likes of Peter Frampton, Brian Appleyard (East Of Eden) and Andy Brown. Only personnel listing I could find for this CD were Mickey Cox - vocalist and Keith Law - composer. Should maybe appeal to fans of Kaleidoscope, Tea & Symphony and Magic Carpet.
3275927
The Big Beat label has issued other collections from this same era under the Golden State title, and this latest is in the same mold.  This set is a sort of back pages to what other more famous bands were doing at that time.  Some of these tracks were issued a long while back, while a number of them have never been issued until now.  It's pretty safe to assume that fans of this type of music from relatively  unknown bands will hear some pretty cool things.  This set is aimed at those fans (like me) who like hearing the "second/third -tier" bands from a certain period/region.

These bands  all recorded at Golden State Records in S.F. in the late '60s/early '70s which gave them a chance to record in a professional studio.  What came out will probably stretch your mind a bit.  These are garage/bar band groups with lots of fuzz guitars and that sometimes cheesy organ sound typical for the period.  And the lyrics--hmmm--there's some seriously demented things here.  These bands push into sometimes distant, unknown psyche areas that more famous bands didn't venture into.  And that's what makes this collection interesting.  No Dead/Airplane/Quicksilver/Mad River/et al kinds of tunes. The guys featured in this new collection had their own ideas.

Singling out bands is pretty useless--each has something that's slightly twisted psyche-wise along with some good period instrumental work.  This is the kind of album that needs to be experienced in one sitting to get the full effect.  But saying that, listen to Short Yellow, Bristol Boxkite, Gants, and Towaway Zone for a good time.  The sound is clean, fairly crisp and open and natural sounding.  The booklet has useful info on the bands and the music.  If you've heard other S. F. region (and environs North) collections like "The Hush Records Story",  "The Sound Of Young Sacramento", "You Got Yours",  "Sing Me A Rainbow", this is similar.  And don't forget things like "The Ultimate 1960's Garage Punk Primer",  "A Fistful Of Fuzz", "For A Few Fuzz Guitars More",  "A Pot Of Flowers", "All Kinds Of Highs", and  "Follow Me Down" for more adventures into the world  of lesser known garage/psyche bands.  And there's lots more where those came from.  Hopefully Big Beat will continue to mine the vaults for more unpolished gems like the tunes in this set.
4096612
Nice to have the original Vanguard lineup of the Fish on this CD in full power form. This is a rare CD indeed. I have a reel-to-reel tape of them from a '67 show at the Avalon, & even that one comes across great. Like to see the powers that be release the complete Monterey set.
In 1967, they were one of the 1st West Coast bands to be invited to N.Y.C. light show & all to play & show what it was all about. They played a show so tight, so together, that the critics were astounded...with an almost instantaneous contract to tour Europe.
For fans of this band who should have been in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame decades ago, this CD is a treat!
FYI, the photo on the cover was 1st published in Life magazine [ full page ] in 1967. On the cover was Jefferson Airplane under the title " The New Sound."
And for those of you who complain about the sound, did you think 60's technology could be fast-forwarded to 2015?
I suggest you up-grade your audio equipment & with a sub-woofer that means business.
3766854
It is hard to believe that much of anything recorded in the late 60s and early 70s has never been released. Well here is a surprise!  Mostly BBC recordings (good quality throughout) of bands you have probably never heard of until now - but in many cases will know some of the band members.  Musicians in the late 60s moved around, in and out of groups, sometimes recording and sometimes not.  Although getting into a proper studio was the ultimate goal, they all accepted a call from the BBC - Top of the Pops.  Starting things off is Tapestry, clearly influenced by Renaissance and Illusion.  Four longer melodic tracks with both prog and classical influences.  Female lead vocals mostly. The next surprise is Ora featuring the rhythm section from Wishbone Ash.  Two lovely tracks. An LP was released in 1969 - less than 1k copies.  Subsequently reissued in Japan.  Well worth it for fans of UK folk rock. The next up is Griffin, a band featuring former Skip Bifferty and Heavy Jelly members - produced by Alan Price.  The Skip Bifferty 2 CD anthology has this same track but this is somehow cleaner. Long moody prog with guitars, keys etc.  While these guys never topped Heavy Jelly's I Keep Singing The Same Old Song, they got close here. The next two bands are related.  Blodwyn  is post-Mick Abrahams Blodwyn Pig.  Peter Banks is now on guitar with Jack Lancaster on flute and horns.  Blodwyn Pig was always known for Mick's interesting chording and changes of tempo.  Mick is gone but the influences remain.  In case you were missing Mick, no problem.  Next up is Wommet which is Mick and a couple of Blodwyn Pig alums. Greyhound Bus from Mick's first post Pig band kicks things off.  Complicated guitar work which Mick pulls off. There are a couple more even more obscure artists here plus some un-necessary commentary from John Peel.  Despite a couple of minor negatives, this is probably the most interesting "discovery" I have made in years.  The only bittersweet part - most of these artists never got into a studio as such so these BBC snippets are all that remain of some wonderful but transient combinations of talent.
3352540
Originally released in 1971, this was the band's second of just two lp's. Never been able to locate a copy of their first album, 'Reality'. Best described as obscure progressive psych. Some of the tracks that I thought were good include the seven-minute "Lucifer And the Egg", "Cyclops" and the chanting "Revelations Ch. 16, Vs. 9-12". A couple of bonus cuts were tagged on, but in the middle of the original lp track listing, instead of at the tail end like most reissues do. Line-up: Ken Elliott - keyboards & vocals, Bob Gibbons - guitar, Nick South - bass, Kieram O'Connor - drums and Chris Williams - cello, sax & flute. A couple of members later went on to form the band Seventh Wave. Might appeal to some fans of Jonsey, Genesis, Chillum, ELO and Focus.
4855984
This CD has 6 two minute tracks and is only 15 minutes long. It is songs that Zappa participated in from 1962 to 1963. Sound quality is good, especially for independent recordings from the early sixties.

The first 2 songs were written by Zappa and performed by Zappa and Ray Collins (who would become part of the Mothers of Invention).  The Heartbreakers songs are of unknown origin.  These songs are typical early sixties, doo-wap rock songs.  Think along the lines of Teen Angel.

The two Bud Guy songs are Holloween, monster songs.  These type of songs were popular in the early sixties, with Monster Mash being the most famous.

If you want to get a historic perspective of Zappa, then you might enjoy this. There is some clumsy avant garde guitar work that is a sign of what is to come. I think the spot on the Tonight Show with Steve Allen where Zappa plays a bicycle tire is more interesting.
4391832
There were a lot of groups like this on the West Coast in the 60s.  I'm old enough to have forgotten their names.  Some were on labels, other just played the club circuit.  You'd drop some acid and listen to the jangley sounds and harmonies.  Oh, I just remembered one of them, The Incredible String Band.  You'd listen to that and then some counterculture comedy troupe on vinyl.  Then you'd make out with your girlfriend.

I guess everything old is new again because these guys are so, so much like a Haight-Ashbury lovefest that it's startling.  They look so much like the people I knew back then that I swear I smoked dope and did acid with some of their parents or uncles.  I probably made out with some of their mothers and aunts, too.

I don't have any of that old vinyl anymore even though it was kind of cool back then and I remember it fondly.  I don't have any need to hear this more than once, either.  It's worth a five buck download.  Maybe if you're young it sounds fresh and hip.  I'd have to take a hit of acid again to truly like this and I don't do that stuff anymore.  This one is strictly for the under 25 crowd or people very, very nostalgic about the 1960s.
2930073
"We have some of the absolutely  greatest living modern jazz musicians in this band!"

Released on the 50th anniversary of the band's first gig in Feb. 1966, these tapes have never been heard before except for an illegal  release in 2000 which didn't include all the music heard here.  Recorded  on a 2 track machine using six mics (2/7) and ten mics (3/21), and using a 4 channel mixer, you get the feel of being in the audience.  The sound is very good from highs to the low end--sharp and clean but warm.  The 92 page booklet (actually closer to a small book) has interviews with band members, and essays, along with some great unseen  period photos.  There's also a list of soloists for each tune--a nice (and needed)  addition.  The tri-fold cardboard package is a bit taller than a jewel case which makes it harder to put on a CD shelf.  And a minor quibble--the discs slip inside slots which are a bit too tight (maybe yours will be different) which could lead to disc scratches.  And the booklet can easily fall out of either side of the front slot if you're not careful.  But all in all this is packaging  befitting music of this caliber.  I gave this set 5 "stars"--4 for the great performances and an added  "star" because this band set the bar for this kind of music that other bands would follow.  This was in it's own way trailblazing music using a large band in 1966--the era of Miles Davis' second great band with Shorter and Coltrane's group,  which was reaching  to the outer edges of jazz during this same time.  And all three groups played the Village Vanguard during this  period.

The first disc is devoted to the initial gig on Feb. 7, 1966.  The band features Jones, Lewis, Hank Jones-piano, Sam Herman-guitar, the great Richard Davis-bass, Jerome Richardson and Jerry Dodgion-alto sax/clarinet/flute, Joe Farrell-tenor sax/clarinet/flute, Eddie Daniels-tenor sax/clarinet, and Marv Holladay-baritone sax.  Also included are four more trumpets (including Snooky Young), and four trombones (including Bob Brookmeyer) that really beef up the sound.  With tunes like "Back Bone", the title tune, "Big Dipper" and others, this is a fantastic set  of big band jazz--especially when you consider the period when this band first played the Village Vanguard.  Crowds couldn't get enough of this music and this night set up a twelve year Monday night residency for the band.

The March 21, 1966 set (Disc 2)  has the same core set of players with Pepper Adams in for Holladay.  Also included are the four trumpets and trombones with slightly different personnel.  Tunes like "Low Down", "Lover Man",  "Don't Ever Leave Me", "Willow Weep For Me", "Mornin' Reverend", and others are even more proof that this was one hot band.  Thad Jones arranged and conducted both sets and it's easy to hear how tight his work was and how the band responded to the music.

If you're familiar with the Jones/Lewis band you have an idea of  what's here.  But I have to say even I wasn't totally prepared for how great these gigs are.  Part of it is because the initial gig is here but it's the arrangements and the playing that ultimately show how good this band was.  This is the band (mostly) blowing up a storm, with both band and audience reveling at the level of musicianship.  If you can, think back to 1966 and jazz at that time.  Listening to these gigs in 2016 is vastly different  than hearing them in 1966.  The impact of this music was pretty huge at the time.  And thankfully much of that impact can still be heard in the solos and the exciting ensemble work--razor sharp arrangements and a group of musicians who sound almost as surprised as the audience at what's happening on stage.  I can't comprehend how great it must have been to sit in the audience next to this powerhouse band, listening to this great jazz.  This is well worth adding to your shelf of big band jazz.