Following on from the excellent Insane Times, which recently collected up a selection of UK psych on EMI’s sprawling family of labels, here’s the sister comp covering American big-label wigginess. The added positive here is more previously unreleased material.
Just like Nuggets, the grandaddy of all acid flashbacks, this draws together the whole gamut of psychedelic subgroups from A to fish. Things kick off with two all-time great garage punkers (The Balloon Farm’s A Question Of Temperature and the Third Bardo’s turbo-swaggering Five Years Ahead Of My Time), before veering into proto-prog, acid rock, exotic Eastern fakery, sunshine pop and comedy cash-ins (hmm, I Stole The Goodyear Blimp). Then there are the big boys: The Beach Boys, Beefheart, The Steve Miller Band. Something for everybody, see. An overview, an introduction, a splendid time guaranteed for all, with a great booklet and five digital download bonus tracks.
As for highs, just say Yes to Fargo’s drippy obscurity Sunny Day Blue, and get the giggles at the pre-Allman Brothers combo Hour Glass, and their ambient existential talkover, Bells.
by Derek Hammond, 31 January 2008
Artist - Title - Composer
1. The Balloon Farm - A Question Of Temperature (Don Henny, Ed Schnug, Mike Appel) - 2:40
2. The Third Bardo - Five Years Ahead Of My Time (Rusty Evans, Victoria Pike) - 2:13
3. The Book Of Changes - I Stole The Goodyear Blimp (T. Smith) - 2:20
4. First Crew To The Moon - The Sun Lights Up The Shadows Of Your Mind (Jerry Millstein) - 2:21
5. SRC - Up All Night (Scott Richardson, Gary Quackenbush, Elmer George Clawson, Glenn Quackenbush, Steve Lyman) - 3:07
6. Morning Dew - Crusader's Smile (Malcolm Robinson) - 2:48
7. The Fallen Angels - Mother's Homesick Too (Robert W. Decker III, George F. Meier Jr.) - 2:22
8. The Human Beinz - April 15th (Dick Belly, Lex De Azevedo) - 6:55
9. Kim Fowley - Bubblegum (Marty Cerf, Kim Fowley) - 2:30
10.T.I.M.E - Tripping Into Sunshine (Larry Byron, Bill Richardson, Steve Rumph, Nick St. Nicholas) - 3:07
11.Steve Miller Band - The Beauty Of Time Is That It's Snowing (Steve Miller) - 5:13
12.The Beach Boys - Never Learn Not To Love (Dennis Wilson) - 2:31
13.Chris And Craig - Isha (Chris Ducey) - 2:14
14.The Raik's Progress - Sewer Rat Love Chant (John Kates, Steve Krikorian, Duane Scott) - 2:39
15.Mother Tucker's Yellow Duck - One Ring Jane (Don McDougall, W. Iveniuk) - 4:19
16.Mad River - Wind Chimes (David Robinson, Rick Bockner, Lawrence Hammond, Tom Manning, Greg Dewey) - 7:12
17.Gandalf - Can You Travel In The Dark Alone (Peter Sando) - 3:05
18.Hour Glass - Bells (Peter Alin) - 2:22
19.Food - Forever Is A Dream (Ted Ashford, Steve White, Bill Wukovich) - 4:04
20.David Axelrod - Urizen (David Axelrod) - 4:00
21.The Common People - Soon There'll Be Thunder (Denny Robinett, Jerrald Robinett) - 2:20
22.Fargo - Sunny Day Blue (Marty Cooper) - 2:28
23.Quicksilver Messenger Service - Bears (Roger Perkins) - 2:10
24.Captain Beefheart And His Magic Band - Ah Feel Like Ahcid (Don Van Vliet) - 3:04
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