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Thursday, November 22, 2012

Grace Slick And The Great Society - Conspicuous Only By Its Absence / How It Was (1968/71 us, west coast psychedelic rock, historical live recordings at Frisco's matrix club 1966, Collector's Item issue)



This double-LP/single-CD reissue combines both of the Great Society's live albums, Conspicuous Only by Its Absence and How It Was, and features "Somebody to Love" in its original slower, more menacing version. It also includes the Society's extended version of Grace Slick's "White Rabbit" along with several other haunting originals which strike an exhilarating balance between tight songwriting and psychedelic jamming. Based on his raga-tinged work here, guitarist Darby Slick (Grace's then brother-in-law) deserves a lot more recognition than he's ever received for his pioneering explorations of Eastern scales. 

Bassist Peter Van Gelder isn't far behind him in the innovation department, and makes significant contributions here on saxophone and flute as well, plunging into John Coltrane territory on the former -- and his work on "White Rabbit," by itself, is worth the price of admission. Additionally, Grace Slick's singing was already about 95-percent of what it would be with the Airplane when she came aboard the latter, and if you close your eyes and forget what you're hearing, there are moments when you'd swear you were listening to her work from Surrealistic Pillow, After Bathing at Baxter's, or Crown of Creation. 

What's more, the CD edition is very nicely produced, the engineers overcoming most of the sonic limitations of the original concert tapes that made the original LP versions sound so flat in spots. All of these attributes make the title of this release something of a misnomer -- far more than a "Collector's Item," this is a genuinely exciting glimpse into the birth of psychedelic music, and essential listening for any devotees of the latter, or the San Francisco sound in any of its manifestations; the Great Society might not have made it past 1966, but they left behind music here that was as solid, substantial, and enduring -- and worth hearing today -- as anything the Airplane, the Grateful Dead, and the Charlatans were doing at the time. (And if you do look for this CD -- which, amazingly, is still in print as of 2007 -- a lot of stores tend to file it under Grace Slick rather than Great Society). 
by Richie Unterberger and Bruce Eder 
Tracks
Conspicuous Only By Its Absence
1. Sally, Go 'Round The Roses (Lona Stevens, Zell Sanders) – 6:32
2. Didn't Think So (Grace Slick) – 3:23
3. Grimly Forming (Peter Vandergelder) – 3:53
4. Somebody To Love (Darby Slick) – 4:27
5. Father Bruce (D. Slick, G. Slick, J. Slick, D. Miner) – 3:31
6. Outlaw Blues (Bob Dylan) – 2:27
7. Often As I May (Grace Slick) – 3:43
8. Arbitration (Peter Vandergelder) – 3:58
9. White Rabbit (Grace Slick) – 6:15
How It Was
10.That's How It Is (David Miner) - 2:39
11.Darkly Smiling (Darby Slick) - 3:08
12.Nature Boy (E. Ahbez) - 3:10
13.You Can't Cry (David Miner) - 2:58
14.Daydream Nightmare (David Miner) - 4:34
15.Everybody Knows (Darby Slick) - 2:37
16.Born To Be Burned (D. Slick, J. Slick) - 3:13
17.Father (G. Slick, D. Slick, J. Slick, D. Miner) - 6:35

The Great Society
*Grace Slick – Piano, Vocals
*Darby Slick – Guitar
*David Miner – Guitar
*Jerry Slick – Drums
*Peter Vandergelder (Van Gelder) – Bass, Flute, Saxophone

1965-66 The Great Society - Born to Be Burned

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Mapleoak - Mapleoak (1970-71 uk/canada, fine classic rock melted with rural, blues and jazzy tunes, featuring Peter Quaife from the Kinks fame)



During the mid-‘60s, guitarist Stan Endersby was at the forefront of the Toronto music scene, playing with some of the city’s most experimental and musically inventive bands. As a member of The Tripp, Endersby worked alongside future singer-songwriter Neil Merryweather and pianist Rick Bell, who later played with Janis Joplin and The Band. 

Later, he travelled to England and led the Anglo-Canadian group Maple Oak, the band formed by ex-Kinks bass player Peter Quaife. The band issued a rare and now much sought after single for Decca and an album (recorded after Quaife’s departure) before the remaining members returned to Canada. 
Tracks
1. Son Of A Gun - 3:40
2. Hurt Me So Much - 2:17
3. Guitar Pickers - 3:20
4. Natural Joy - 3:44
5. Roses - 2:43
6. Bring Me Water - 3:12
7. Down Down - 3:48
8. Treetors - 5:13
9. Flying Circus - 2:04
10.Sail Away - 2:35
11.I Don`t Know - 4:24
12.All These Times - 2:13
13.Frankley Stoned - 5:03

Mapleoak
*Stan Endersby - Guitar, Vocals
*Martin Fisher - Keyboards
*Peter Quaife - Bass
*Mick Cook - Drums
*Gordon Macbain - Drums

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