Neon - Neon (1970 us, stunning hard psych, original Vinyl edition)

Neon’s 1970 debut album was produced by Tommy James and Bob King (the pair also handled musical arrangements and contributed one song to the set). "Neon" is actually a surprisingly good heavy rock album. With Crabtree penning the majority of the material, the set offered up a nice blend of guitar rock ('Mountain Baby' - ignore the ponderous drum solo) and more commercial moves (check out the Tommy James and the Shondells-styled harmonies on 'Hold Back My Tears'). 

Personal favorites were the band's cover of James' 'Dark Is the Night' (always liked that 1960s sitar sound), the rocker 'Can't Stop Myself (From Loving You)' and the mildly psychedelic 'Magic Man'. Listening to the album a couple more times, the set sounds like something The Shondells might have done had the ever elected to go for a tighter, AOR audience - that's meant as a compliment. A pleasant surprise and a bargain at the asking price

Bad-cat

Tracks
1. Mountain Baby - 6:26
2. Hold Back My Tears - 3:24
3. Dark Is The Night (Tommy James, Bob King) - 3:26
4. Can't Stop Myself (From Lovin' You) - 6:20
5. Magic Man - 7:31
6. Nobody Nowhere (P. Brannigan, F. Crabtree, R. Leslie, F. Porter) - 7:30
7. Funny Kind Of Feelin' - 5:15
8. Darling Before I Go (Stereo Single Bonus Track) - 2:13
9. Movin' (Mono Single Bonus Track) - 2:37
All songs by Francis Crabtree except where indicated

Neon
*Peter Brannigan - Guitar, Backing Vocals
*Francis Crabtree - Keyboards, Backing Vocals
*Russell Leslie - Vocals, Drums
*Fung Porter - Vocals, Bass

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Johnny Rivers - Secret Agent Man, The Ultimate Johnny Rivers Anthology (1964-2006 us, magnificent roots 'n' roll, folkish psych beat, 2006 double disc set)

In January of 1964, Rivers opened the historic Whisky A Go-Go to a packed crowd of Hollywood stars and music fans, kicking off what would come to be known as the Go Go Generation. For the next year, a crowd of fans and celebrities flocked to the club to listen and dance to Rivers’ high energy live performances. Even the Beatles and Bob Dylan graced the club to see Rivers’ show.

Secret Agent Man: The Ultimate Johnny Rivers Anthology,  begins with his first hit single, Chuck Berry’s “Memphis” from his debut album Johnny Rivers Live At The Whisky A Go- Go. The single was a smash hit, climbing its way to the top of the charts. Like his first album, Rivers recorded his second, Here We A Go-Go Again!, live at the club. This album also spawned a major national hit with another Chuck Berry song “Maybelline.” Rivers continued to have great success with gems such as “Mountain Of Love,” “Seventh Son,” and one of his best known songs, “Secret Agent Man,” originally the opening theme for the hit TV series Secret Agent starring Patrick McGoohan.

After six “live” albums, Rivers changed direction; he began using more of his own compositions and expanding his arrangements in the recording studio. The centerpiece of his aptly titled Changes album was “Poor Side Of Town,” a lush, soulful ballad, which topped the singles charts in 1966. Rivers was the first artist outside the Motown camp to have hits with the Motown classics “Baby, I Need Your Lovin’” and “The Tracks Of My Tears.” In 1967 Rivers produced his best selling album to date, Realization, which featured his classic hit “Summer Rain.”

In the 1970’s Rivers came back with several classics including “Help Me Rhonda” with Brian Wilson singing harmony (the success of which inspired Brian to go back in the studio with the Beach Boys) and the New Orleans-style piano classic, “Rockin’ Pneumonia - Boogie Woogie Flu.” In 1977 Rivers scored again with the beautiful Jack Tempchin penned ballad “Slow Dancin’.” Secret Agent Man: The Ultimate Johnny Rivers Anthology: 1964-2006 features the above mentioned tracks as well as songs recorded later, including Elvis Presley’s “That’s Alright Mama,” and the Carl Perkins songs “Honey Don’t” and “Matchbox,” recorded in 1991 at Sun Studios and latter two featuring Perkins on guitar. A beautiful version of the Beatles “I’ll Be Back” (from the 2004 Reinvention Highway Soul City release) and crowd-favorite “China” from the 2001 live album Back At The Whisky are also featured on the package.

Shout Factory, June 27, 2006

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Memphis (Berry) - 2:30

2. Maybelline (Berry) - 2:15

3. Mountain of Love (Dorman) - 2:39

4. Midnight Special (Traditional) - 2:28 

5. Seventh Son (W. Dixon) - 2:45

6. Where Have All the Flowers Gone (Seeger) - 3:15

7. Secret Agent Man (P.F. Sloan, Barri) - 3:05

8. (I Washed My Hands In) Muddy Water (Babcock) - 2:58

9. Poor Side of Town (Rivers, Adler) - 3:28

10.Baby, I Need Your Lovin' (Holland, Dozier, Holland) - 3:07

11.The Tracks of My Tears (Robinson, Tarplin, Moore) - 2:56

12.Summer Rain (Hendricks) - 3:36

13.Positively 4th Street (Dylan) - 5:02

14.Muddy River (Hendricks) - 3:27

15.Into the Mystic (Morrison) - 4:41

16.Sea Cruise (Smith) - 2:50

17.Rockin' Pneumonia / Boogie Woogie Flu (Vincent, Smith) - 3:12

18.Blue Suede Shoes (Perkins) - 2:47

Disc 2
1. Help Me Rhonda (Wilson) - 2:54
2. Swayin' to the Music (Slow Dancin') (Tempchin) - 4:00
3. Curious Mind (Um, Um, Um, Um) (Mayfield) - 3:03
4. That's Alright Mama (Big A. Crudup) - 2:51
5. Honey Don't (Perkins) - 3:21
6. Big River (Cash) - 3:04
7. Matchbox (Perkins) - 2:12
8. Down at the House of Blues (Rivers) - 4:40
9. Closer to You (Rivers, Hamblin) - 4:55
10.Blue Suede Shoes (Tribute to Carl Perkins) (Hendricks, Hendricks) - 3:48
11.Last Train to Memphis (Rivers, Tempchin) - 3:41
12.China (Live) (Georgiades, Monday) - 5:49
13.Midnight Special (2004 Version) (Traditional) - 4:41
14.I'll Be Back (Lennon, McCartney) - 2:27
15.Going Back to Big Sur (Rivers) - 3:32
16.Feel a Whole Lot Better (Clarke) - 2:50
17.Rollin' Stone (Waters) -  3:04
18.Let It Rock (Berry) - 2:31

*Johnny Rivers - Vocals, Guitar

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Montes - Cuando Brille El Tiempo (1974 argentina, heavy trippy psych rock)

Reissue of classic rare psychedelic rock record from Argentina circa 1970. Very guitar-drenched in a Fraction kinda way, with westcoast overtones. Long tracks, stunnin hard guitar-odyssey effects, phased vocals, everything the mind boggles is here. Has nice surrealistic cover-art. 

Montes made one album, originals of which have been fed to the condors long time ago to keep them high and were not found. . Original pressings are rare as gold dust.

Tracks
1. En El Caminos De Dios Hacia El Sol - 1:42
2. Arde Roma - 2:55
3. El Ascensor - 4:40
4. Hoy - 5:52
5. Arco Iris - 7:40
6. Fuera Del Sol - 4:16
7. Epilogo De Crossville - 4:31
8. Dias Despues - 1:32
All songs by J. Montes and Luis Miguel Montes.

Montes
*Jorge Montes - Guitar, Vocals
*Carlos Policastro - Vocals
*Alberto Oneto - Bass
*Carlos Salazar - Drums
Guest Musicians
*Eduardo Pitman - Drums
*Sergio Goffan - Keyboards
*Alex Suker - Bass

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Nicky Hopkins - The Tin Man Was A Dreamer (1973 uk, strong solid ballads and rocking stompers)

Nicky Hopkins' finest solo album, the memorably titled The Tin Man Was A Dreamer is a solid piece of engagingly edgy pop-rock variety with a few rough edges. As one would expect, Hopkins' piano playing (augmented by the organ in spots) dominates most of the songs, but there's ample room for strong contributions from George Harrison (working as "George O'Hara") on lead and slide guitar on four of the tracks, and Mick Taylor on lead and acoustic guitars on four tracks; the rest of the band includes Klaus Voormann on bass and Bobby Keys on sax, as well as future Tubes alumnus Prairie Prince on drums. 

Highlights include the hauntingly beautiful ballad "Dolly", the closest thing to a potential hit on this album, featuring a moving vocal performance by Hopkins (who wasn't known as a singer), with a beautifully understated lead guitar contribution by Taylor; the instrumental "Edward", featuring Hopkins' piano and organ rippling across a wide range of musical textures; the pounding, pumping rocker "Speed On", which offers Hopkins and his songwriting partner Jerry Williams on vocals; the wittily scatalogoical "Banana Anna"; "Lawyer's Lament", with its exquisite harmonies and Taylor's sensitive lead playing; and the rollicking "Pig's Boogie", which crosses paths with the work of Merrill Moore and Jerry Lee Lewis. This is a very worthwhile foray into center-stage by one of rock's most renowned side- and session men.

by Bruce Eder

Tracks
1. Sundown In Mexico – 1:35
2. Waiting For The Band – 2:15
3. Edward – 5:20
4. Dolly (N. Hopkins, J. Williams) – 4:42
5. Speed On (N. Hopkins, J. Williams) – 3:59
6. The Dreamer – 5:47
7. Banana Anna (N. Hopkins, J. Williams) – 3:37
8. Lawyer's Lament (N. Hopkins, J. Williams) – 3:43
9. Shout It Out (N. Hopkins, J. Williams) – 3:39
10.Pig's Boogie – 2:42
All songs by Nicky Hopkins except where indicated

Musicians
*Nicky Hopkins - Piano, Organ, Vocals
*George Harrison - Guitar, Slide Guitar
*Mick Taylor - Guitar
*Jerry Williams - Vocals
*Klaus Voorman - Bass
*Prairie Prince - Drums
*Ray Cooper - Percussion
*Bobby Keys - Sax
*Jim Hora - Sax
*Jim Price - Trumpet
*Chris Spedding - Guitar
*Mike Egan, Chris Rae - Acoustic Guitars
*Del Newman - Strings, Brass Arrangements

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These Trails - These Trails (1973 us, lovely folk rock, korean remaster)

These Trails was recorded in Honolulu in 1973 and originally released in a small private pressing, and it is one of those rare albums whose backstory is almost wholly audible in the music. Primarily written and performed by singer-songwriters Margaret Morgan and Patrick Cockett, the album has long circulated among fans of obscure psych-folk, and it has been reissued several times in perhaps-not-entirely-legit versions. The album's reputation is well-earned, as These Trails is a lovely and incredibly evocative slice of Pacific folk-rock, and Drag City has performed a good service by finally reissuing the album in a handsome new authorized edition.

The musicians behind the creation of These Trails were never even officially a band-- they played no professional gigs together and made no other recordings. (Which is why there are no outtakes or bonus materials included with this reissue.) Margaret Morgan and Patrick Cockett lived together in Hawaii in what sound like idyllic circumstances, writing and playing songs based largely on the majesty of their natural surroundings. The duo was joined in the studio by singer-guitarist Carlos Pardeiro and Dave Choy, a studio engineer who embellished the group's acoustic material with what was then a state-of-the-art Arp synthesizer. The addition of these vintage electronics helps to give the album a slightly off-kilter wobble, creating an otherworldly atmosphere that would echo decades later in the work of Stereolab and Broadcast.

For the most part, however, the music on These Trails sounds as though it could have been created only in its own specific time and place. Like many of the best psych-folk documents of the era, the album seems to have been produced in a completely irony-free environment, and it has a sense of guilelessness that would be virtually impossible to reproduce today. Morgan sings in a voice highly reminiscent of Joni Mitchell, but with a distinctive island lilt of her own. Throughout the album she harmonizes with Cockett in a manner that sounds both unique and effortless, backed chiefly by acoustic guitars, dulcimer, and Choy's mysterious burbling Arp.

Lyrically the album abounds with references to local Hawaiian landmarks, flora, and vocabulary. Songs such as "Our House in Hanalei" or "Waipoo" can serve as a sort of personal guidebook, with Morgan and Cockett pointing out various natural features along the trail. ("Banana leaves describe the breezes... gingers grow, where white buds lay sleeping.") Especially evocative is "Rusty's House", which describes a visit to the front porch of surfer Rusty Miller, whose remote home was accessible only by foot, in an account so vivid that the listener can practically feel the sunshine and taste the pot smoke.

Even more transporting are the album's instrumental interludes "Psyche I" and "Psyche II", on which Choy gently explores the Arp's cosmic possibilities. These mildly trippy moments aside, most of the action on These Trails remains firmly affixed in the verdant Hawaiian soil. The songs are short and melodic, and the musicians avoid many of the indulgences that mar so many psychedelic albums of the time period-- there are thankfully no prolonged organ solos or overt references to The Lord of the Rings.

Patrick Cockett has gone on to perform with such artists as Buffy Sainte-Marie and Taj Mahal, but by all evidence the enigmatic Margaret Morgan, who passed away in 2004, never recorded again. This fact makes These Trails seem all the more like a snapshot from an exquisite but fleeting moment in time. And though it is interesting to speculate where their music might have gone from here if the artists had continued to write and record together, there is no denying that they captured something special on These Trails, and while the album plays that seems like enough.

by Matthew Murphy

Tracks
1. These Trails - 1:24
2. Our House In Hanalei - 1:51
3. Of Broken Links - 1:40
4. El Rey Pescador (Carlos Pardeiro) - 3:07
5. Psyche I And Share Your Water - 5:22
6. Hello Lou - 3:47
7. Rusty's House And Los In Space ( Patrick Cockett, Carlos Pardeiro)  - 5:49
8. Psyche II - 2:30
9. Sowed A Seed - 2:17
10. Rapt Attention - 2:15
11. Waipoo (Patrick Cockett) - 2:36
12. Garden Botanum (Patrick Cockett, Margaret Morgan) - 3:31
All songs by Margaret Morgan unless as else stated.

These Trails
*Margaret Morgan - Dulcimer, Guitar, Vocals
*David Choy - ARP Synthesizer
*Patrick Cockett - Guitar, Slide Guitar, Tabla, Vocals
With
*Eric Kingsbury - Guitar
*Carlos Pardeiro - Guitar, Sitar, Vocals

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Junco Partners - Junco Partners (1970 uk, great hard blues rhythm and beat, 2007 reissue)

Junco Partners sprang from the same Newcastle music scene that launched Eric Burden and the Animals.  Formed in 1964 (the name came from a famous blues song), the original line-up featured singers John Anderson and Ronnie Baker, guitarist Charles Harcourt, bassist David Sproat, keyboardist Peter Wallis, and drummer John Woods.  

With The Animals breaking through to an  international audience, Junco Partners seemed groomed for similar success.  Immensely popular on the local club scene, in 1964 they packed up for Hamburg's infamous Star Club, but were turned back by German immigration officials who discovered they were too young to get work permits.  That setback seemed momentary with the band signing a recording deal that saw the release of their debut single.

Even though it was an intriguing mix of blues and more pop-oriented moves (imagine a mash-up of The Animals and The Zombies), the single did little commercially (# 60 on the UK pop charts), and the band returned to the English circuit where they spent the next six years opening for name bands and serving as a touring unit for a stream of American blues acts, including Freddie King and Howlin' Wolf.

By the time the band got a chance to finally record an album the line-up had shrunk to former Jackson Heights alumnus Charles Harcourt on lead guitar and vocals, Sargeant on lead vocals and keyboards, Sproat on bass, and drummer Woods.  Produced by Fritz Fryer, to my ears 1970's "Junco Partners"  was one of those albums that didn't immediately hit you, rather crept up on you and simply wouldn't leave you alone (kinda' like a bad woman).  

So here's what the band has to say about the collection: "The The Junco Partners Album was recorded in various big London studios for "Barclay" record label over a six week period in between touring in 1969 with Howlin Wolf, Freddie King and others. It was released in England, France and Germany after the band split up in 1970. At the time of recording, the band was a very slim four piece, renown for its dynamic live performances and gave its all to Bob Sargeant's songs.  But truthfully we still didn't capture the essence of what we were when we started out, or what we are now - "A bloody good blues band". However it did awakened Bob Sargeant's recording and producing prowess - he went on to produce number 1's on both sides of the Atlantic, including more than twenty top 20 hits and on reflection the songs are not that bad either."

Judging by these ten tracks I'd say their opinion was a bit on the modest side.  Anyone expecting to hear a standard collection of British guys doing lame blues covers was going to be in for a major surprise.  While material like their cover of Joe Cocker's Change In Louise' and the Sargeant-penned 'Am I Blue' underscored their longstanding blues fixation, the album was far more diverse than expected with credible stabs at progressive, psych, and commercial rock.  

Sargeant may not have been able to compete with the bluesy intensity of former lead singers John Anderson and Ronnie Baker, but he was actually quite good, occasionally sounding a bit like a gruffer Stevie Winwood and on tracks like 'Fly Me High' and 'Reprieve' he was magnificent.  Guitarist Harcourt also handled vocals on a couple of tracks and was also a strong presence.  As for the rest of the band, Harcourt was a real rarity - a rock guitarist who didn't play a single unnecessary chord, while the Sproat/Woods rhythm section was consistently superb - easy to see why American blues men wanted to work with them.

Bad-cat

Tracks
1.  The Minotaur - 4:21
2.  Fly Me High - 4:44
3.  Change In Louise (Joe Crocker, Chris Stainton) - 3:50
4.  Black Widow - 4:03
5.  Help Me (Charles Harcourt) - 3:43
6.  Natural Thoughts - 3:25
7.  Am I Blue - 4:21
8.  Reprieve - 3:45
9.  In The Morning- 4:10
10. Death By Fire (P. Rowan) - 5:28
All songs by Robert Sargeant except where stated

Junco Partners
*Charles Harcourt - Vocals, Guitar
*Robert Sargeant - Vocals, Keyboards
*David Sproat - Bass
*John Woods - Drums, Percussion

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Sky Farmer - Amazing Grace (1973-75 us, fabulous psych blues jazz rock with female vocals, 2002 release)

Skyfarmer was created from the ashes of the Mountain Bus Band (a Chicago psychedelic blues rock band), which had gone down in flames in 1971 with the costs of defending it's Sundance LP against a lawsuit from the band Mountain, allegedly over the name Mountain in Mountain Bus. (This despite the tact that Mountain Bus was formed years before Mountain came into existence).

Lead guitarist Bill Kees headed for the hills of southwest Wisconsin after the demise of Mountain Bus. He hooked up with Stan Kane. Lee Buch, Jimbo Walsh. Kim Gitlis and fellow Mountain Bus member, bassist Craig Takehara to form the band Skyfarmer Skyfarmer was to become more than just an R&R band It was also a community. The band's main residence was in a large stucco house with a few outbuildings on an old tobacco farm (renamed Skyfarm by it's new inhabitants) located about 60 miles west of Madison.

Wisconsin In this quiet valley, they converted a two car garage into rehearsal space where (in warm seasons with the doors open) soft muiti reflective echoes would bounce back in lush, layered reverberations off me hillsides as the band rehearsed. As time went on, the outbuildings were converted into residences and soon the number of people living at the residence grew rapidly. As Bill Kees put it in an interview in the Wisconsin State Journal, "When I first came up here, I was looking to start another band.

There were a lot of small communes popping up out here, Skyfarmer became another. We were among many urban refugees coming out. and we all became part of the cultural landscape." Life at Skyfarm often took on "On Inn bits* Merry Prankster qualities. Craig and Elliott were at one time banned from the communal dinner table as the puns and jokes that emanated nonstop from the duo too often resulted in milk being ejected out of the nostrils of others at the table.

The band went through a seiies of transformations (personnel as well as musical focus) until it reached it's final metamorphism with Annie Hat (lead vocals), EHiott Delman (rhythm guitar), Ernest Mansfield (Flute, Sax. Keys) formally of the Mormos band. Bill Kees (lead guitar). Craig Takehara (Bass guitar) and Woody Sims (Drums) formerly of Mountain Bus. Another change was in band management from Kim Gitlis tn Skeets Millard (of the underground paper The Chicago Seed fame) who was to help the band expand from the local club scene. The resulting mix of influences created a unique sound and style and some quite original and eciectic music.

This was quite far a field for the Mountain Bus members who were coming from a hard rock/ blues background, as well as for the Mormos members who came from the folk scene in France. Skyfarmer played in an equally mixed assortment of venues. They developed a devoted tan base locally playing in local rural taverns and Community Halls while expanding out to a tour radius that included four states, playing a mix of dubs in cities and college towns Skyfarmer toured in a modified 64 passenger GMC school bus, which was in constant need of repair but somehow always managed to get the band to gigs.

The schedule evolved into as much as 2-3 weeks on the road and 1-2 weeks of local gigs, tending to the gardens and critters, catching up wrth the local scene and grooving on the natural beauty of the hills and valleys of rural southwest Wisconsin. This changed when the band won a long-term gig playing at the Goodman Theater's Chicago production of "The Tooth of Crime". The long absence of the band from Skyfarm caused some problems with trie folks left at home who after awhile felt a bit abandoned. After the band's run at the Goodman, it was back on the road again.

By this time, the rigors of the road were taking its toll and band members were getting married. I he band collectively started to break up. Lead guitarist Bitt Kees and manager Skeets MiHard started planning the next band incarnation which was to be a straight ahead rock band Unfortunately. Skeets was killed in an after gig road accident. The shock of his death and the destruction of the band bus and gear weighed hard on the band. Yet, the band played on until the last gig at "Amazing Grace* in Evanston, IL January 6th, 1975. In the last few months of gigs after the accident, Skyfarmer was joined by Rocko Jans (Keyboards) and Joe Habao TexkJor (percussion, of the Hassan Roland Kirk jazz band fame).

This added another layer of texture to the musical mix. The band's music was a balance between structured arrangements and improvisational jamming. It was understood that no jam would ever be played the same way twice. However, in the passage of time, themes would evolve and diveige. appeal and disappear or become transformed altogether. After the last gig, Annie Hat Joined up with Rocko Jans to form "Rocko and  the Hat" Craig Takehara and Woody Sims joined the "Jim Schwall Band", Elhott Delman had already joined the "Bonnie Koioc Band*, and Bill Kees moved on without Sheets to form the "Broken Winy Band" which continued to work the local club scene for a while, before moving to L.A. Skyfarmer started out playing original songs mixed with covers of rock and country tunes.

As time went on, original songs and extended freeform jams became the hallmark of the band. They would often times meet up with other road bands at truck stops after gigs, who would often express amazement that  Skyfarmer was able to play original music on the road and make a living at it. Of course Skyfarmer was not making very much money. This was subsistence living at best, but It was fun. In fact, it was family. The commercialization of underground rock music was well under way by this time and Disco and Glam rock were the new thing.

The Vietnam War was over, and so was the alternative lifestyle of the communes across the country. Richard Nixon had resigned the presidency in disgrace The innocence of the 50s and 60s had been lost. The great underground FM stations were disappearing and so was the psychedelic and eclectic music scene. But psychedelic music would live on, percolating underground, waiting to emerge again.

by Bill Kees 

Tracks
1. Okcoch Farewell (Demo 1974) (Elliott Delman) - 4:23
2. Torch Poem (Live at Ruby Gulch, Champaign IL 10/31/74) (Jim Cuomo) - 4:08
3. No Babe (Live at Amazing Grace, Evanston IL  1/6/75) (Elliott Delman) - 7:47
4. One Good Man (Live at Amazing Grace 1/6/75) (Elliott Delman) - 4:11
5. Playboy After Dark (Live at Amazing Grace 1/6/75) (Bill Kees) -  19:23
6. Senortta (Live at Amazing Grace 1/6/75) (Elliott Delman) - 6:47
7. Out of Hand (Demo 1973) (Ernest Mansfield) - 3:11
8. Nobody's Wife (Demo 1973) (Ernest Mansfield) - 5:02
9. Mountain Bus (45' released 1973) (Bill Kees, Elliott Delman) - 4:12
10.Working Man's Blues (Live at Minstrels, Chicago 1973) (Merle Haggard) - 2:42
11.Band Introductions by Elliot. 2:22

Sky Farmer
*Annie Hat - Lead vocals (except 9, 10)
*Bill Kees - Lead Guitar
*Elliott Delman - Rhythm Guitar
*Craig Takehara - Bass Guitar
*Ernest Mansfield - Ftute, Saxophones, Keyboards
*Woody Sims - Drums
*Lee Buch - Vocals (tracks 7-9)
*Arm Linguist - Vocals (track 9)
Guest Musicians at last gig at Amazing Grace 1/6/75: 
*Rocko Jans  - Piano
*Joe Habao Texidor  - Percussion

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Message - The Dawn Anew Is Coming (1972 germany / uk, excellent hard progressive rock with some psych drops, extra track issue)

This was a German-British band led by Allan Murdoch. The story of Message is quite similar to that one of Nektar: in the early seventies they released some excellent, refined progressive rock albums, spanning from lyrical, melodic folk-rock over to heavy guitar outbursts. 

Their music was supervised by the well-known Bacillus recording team of Peter Hauke (label manager, producer) and Dieter Dierks (studio owner, engineer). The crew that recorded The Dawn A New Is Coming (1972). Only the rhythm section of this group was German! Taff Freeman from Nektar contributed with vocals and mellotron on one track. Overall, it was an excellent album with the title track and "When I'm Home" being the highlights - a very obviously British melodic progressive rock.

from "A Guide to German Progressive and Electronic Rock"

Tracks
1. Changes - 3:39
2. The Dawn Anew Is Coming - 8:39
3. Evil Faith And Charity - 4:00
4. Heaven Knows - 9:48
5. When I'm Home - 7:40
6. Smile (Bonus Track) - 2:14
All compositions by Message, Lyrics by Tommy McGuigan

Message
*Alan Murdoch - Guitars
*Tommy McGuigan - Vocals, Sax
*Billy Tabert - Vocals, Guitar, Spinet
*Horst Stachelhaus - Bass
*Gerhard Schaber - Drums, Vocals
With
*Taff Freeman - Vocals, Mellotron

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Tina And David Meltzer - Green Morning (1969 us, brilliant acid folk tunes and crystal clear vocals)

Tina and I were under contract with Vanguard Records where we recorded two albums - Serpent Power and Poet Song - both produced by noted blues scholar, novelist and poet, Sam Charters. After the release of Serpent Power -- and a gig at the Fillmore for Country Joe and the Fish and Serpent Power's debut album, Tina quit the band.  She didn't like how she sounded on the record and didn't like singing for an audience she couldn't see.

Serpent Power reassembled as a working band which included Bob Cuff (of The Mystery Trend) on rhythm guitar, Jim Moscoso (kid brother of artist/poster maker/cartoonist Victor Moscoso), and myself as lead guitarist and vocalist. In our weekend gigs at The Coffee Gallery and Dino's & Carlo's (which became Keystone Korner in the 80's), the often included additional musicians like J.P. Pickens on amplified 5-string banjo, poet Daniel Moore on shenei (Chinese oboe), conch shells, miscellaneous bells and his friend Christian (nobody ever knew his last name) who was exploring the alto saxophone.

Besides regular gigs at the two North Beach venues we also did our share of benefits and weird gigs like playing off-nights at a strip club or for prototypical yuppies in a singles bar on Union Street. It should be mentioned that Serpent Power was more influenced by modal free jazz and spontaneous bop prosody than by the coverable pop tunes of the day. Our ears were tuned to Monk not the Monkees.

Our Vanguard contract was for two albums with an option for more. Since the band had developed into a performing and improvisatory unit, we had hope the second Vanguard albumcould be a document of a live performance at one of the clubs we worked at. Sam Charters came to check us out one weekend at Dino's & Carlo's, sat through a set, and when we met afterwards told us that what we were doing wasn't commercially feasible. 

Sam told us we'd have to rethink our second album. After working almost a year in this format, rejection brought the band members down. Everyone was bummed out. Soon the band dissolved: Jim went to join The Cleveland Wrecking Company, a funk band; I think Cliff stopped playing;  Clark found Susan, married and moved with her to the Berkshires to become a major voice in experimental writing; Daniel went to Europe and became deeply immersed in Sufism, changed his name, and continues working in that discipline; as for Christian, nobody knew where he went or what he's doing now. J.P. Pickens and his family became involved with various communes, he continued playing, creating junk sculptures, but was betrayed by methamphetamine and died too early.

 Poet Song, our second Vanguard album, was written for Tina as a showcase for her intimate and warm voice. Sam suggested that I read some of my poems and double-track guitar behind them. We recorded it at Sierra Sound in Berkeley where Serpent Power was recorded. Some string players from the Oakland Philharmonic -- including violist Tom Heimberg, an old Fairfax High School buddy-- were assembled at the studio by arranger Ed Bogas. I wanted to write songs almost exclusively for Tina, since I'd dominated our first album. The songs and orchestration were to sound more like art song, the antithesis of what Serpent Power was doing in the clubs.

Vanguard seemed pleased and held an option for us to do a third album. A mutual friend Chris Brooks introduced us to Vic Briggs who had been the lead guitarist with The Animals. Vic was now producing records for Capitol and liked Poet Song tremendously but thought he could produce a better album. He asked us to make a demo-tape for him to pitch to his bosses at Capitol.  

I wrote some more songs and Tina and I put together a tape using a clunky Sony tape recorder. (We managed to double-track vocal harmonies and guitar textures but, being technologically challenged, didn't realize they had to be mixed, which was moot since we didn't have the equipment.) Nevertheless, Capitol liked what their new British producer played and they gave the green light. We left Vanguard amicably and signed with Capitol.

The instrumental tracks were cut at the Capitol Recording Studios in Hollywood. Our studio was down corridor from a big studio where Sinatra was in the process of cutting an album. Vic selected most of the musicians for the date including John Guerin on drums, Lyle Ritz on bass,  David Lindley played violin, Michael Rubini, piano. I hired bluegrass mandolinist Scott Hambly. 

The string section was added at another time. (During a session break, some of the A-List Hollywood studio musicians talked about their various investments, airplanes, real estate holdings, while Scott and I reminisced about his bluegrass band, The Ridge Runners, featuring Greg Lasser on the 5-string, who was part of my band, The Snopes County Camp Followers, with Tina, Joe Edmiston on gutbucket bass.)

Our vocal tracks were recorded in Wally Heider's San Francisco studio which, at the time, was state-of-the-art and was like entering onto a set in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Our engineer had just finished a long haul working on a Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young album. We felt like we were in the big time; super-stardom was just around the corner, glimmering like Las Vegas at night.

Cover photos were taken and liner notes were written by poet Kenneth Rexroth, a founding father of the San Francisco Renaissance and Beat movement. In a couple of weeks we received a tape of the mixed-down album and played it for anybody who stumbled into our home. Then there was an odd silence. Then there was a long-distance call from Vic who broke the news. He and four or five other producers who Capitol management had hired had been let go. Why? A corporate turn-over: a new management team was brought in and canceled all of the previous management's projects. Vic was out of a job; David and Tina would not become mega-stars but they did have a very expensive home tape. The songs you're about to listen to.

by David Meltzer

Tracks
1. Heavenly City - 3:34
2. Let The Door Stay Open - 3:30
3. Hungry - 4:38
4. Luna Tune #1 - 0:43
5. Green Morning - 3:38
6. Shara - 1:40
7. Keep On Lovin' - 3:16
8. The Garden - 4:37
9. Child Ballad - 4:01
10.Luna Tune #2 - 0:53
11.The Angel - 2:45
12.Let The Light In - 1:45
13.Do You Think Your God - 5:17
14.It's Simple - 0:47
Words and Music by David Meltzer

Musicians
*Tina Meltzer - Vocals
*David Meltzer - Guitar Vocals, Harmonica
*John Guerin - Drums
*Lyle Ritz - Bass
*David Lindley - Violin
*Michael Rubini - Piano
*Scott Hambly - Mandolin

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Kaplan Brothers - Nightbird (1976 us, weird peculiar expressive lounge rock)

The ultimate lounge-rock extravaganza. A self-proclaimed 'electric symphony' that mixes Ennio Morricone with King Crimson as recorded by a Holiday Inn/bar mitzvah band from outer space. Crooner vocals soar on top of overly-elaborate keyboard arrangements as the music abruptly throws you from one intense mood into another in true psychedelic fashion. 

No ideas are discarded as the meaning of life unfolds in glitzy Z-grade fashion -- if there's a bad, cheesy move to be made, they'll go for it. These guys probably thought they'd made the greatest LP of all time, and in a way, I guess it is -- even regular folks with no interest in this scene are blown away by the Kaplans' unsurpassed pretense and lack of reality-checks. Must be heard to be believed, preferably on acid. 

Acid Archives

Tracks
1.  Ode To Life - 3:06
2.  Vodka And Caviare - 3:33
3.  Epitaph (Robert Fripp, Ian McDonald, Greg Lake, Michael Giles, Peter Sinfield) - 5:12
4.  Listen To The Falling Rain (John Claude Gummoe) - 3:53
5.  Life And Me - 5:09
6.  Love Is Life - 5:41
7.  Night Bird (Larry Andies) - 5:10
8.  Happy - 4:32
9.  He - 5:30

All songs by Ed Kaplan, Richard Kaplan except where indicated

The Kaplan Brothers
*Ed Kaplan - Percussion, Flute
*Richard (Dick) Kaplan - Guitar, Vocals
*Larry Andies - Bass

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