60s Psychedelia

[sideshowbob]

It's excellent, no idea if it's still available (it was reissued on CD in 1994 by Drag City, originally came out in 1970).

I've got virtually everything by the Red Krayola, including Soldier-Talk, the album they made with Pere Ubu, which is my favourite. Not really psychedelia by that point, however.

-- Ian

 

[snowflake]

Frank Zappas masterpiece "were only in it for the money" appears to be conspicuous by its absence here!

S

 

[Snufkin]

For a raw, early psychedelic sound, try The Great Society - Conspicuous by its absence. You get to hear the formative versions of White Rabbit and Somebody to love and it has a very live feel, almost like a bootleg!

 

[Tony L]

Why only the 60s? And how psychedelic does it have to be before you can call it Psychedelia?

I agree with you to an extent, but psychedelia was one of the real musical ‘movements’, i.e. it was linked to a precise time and chemical substance, and had a clear social impact as a result. As you point out it influenced a remarkable amount of later music, but I wanted to start a thread discussing the ‘real deal’ that was 1966-69.

I love kick-starting threads like this – the fact that pfm has people discussing Red Krayola, HP Lovecraft etc proves it is working as far as I’m concerned – this is the sort of forum I want to run!

Tony.

 

[domfjbrown]

Originally posted by starbuck
Would 'Forever Changes' by Love come into this category? Right era, for sure, but, as was said earlier, psychedelia means different things to many people.

Yeah - I reckon it can. Especially since SOME of the lyrics/song titles at least MUST have been written on acid... Certainly made more sense at Glastonbury last year that way... Ahem.

If you want something totally way out west, check out Silver Apples' "Silver apples" and "Contact" - very strange, early electronica with whacked out drum sounds and some groovy vocals. "Oscillations", "Velvet cave", "You and I" and "You're Not Foolin Me", "I Have Known Love" and "Pox on You" are the standouts - waaaaaaay trippy, man.

 

[Svein]

Country Joe and The Fish made the albums 'Electric Music for the Mind and Body'(1967), 'I Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die'(1967) and 'Together'(1968). When I listen to them I often wonder how much LSD did they take and was it good for the music?

It is possible to find more high octane psychedelic stuff in bands like earlyREM , Green On Red, The Dream Syndicate and Uncle Tupelo to mention some. They also do this stuff in a more inventive and subtle way.

 

[goddard_bolt]

...just everything that comfortably lives in between Pearls Before Swine - Balaklava and Ultimate Spinach - Behold and See...which says all and nothing, and help your wallet not to be dried up again... for a while, at last.
Don't let this thread die early, anyway.

"Ingrishly" yours,
goddard

 

[hamjam]

and of course...don't forget Bonzo Dog.

K

 

[MarkS]

Originally posted by sideshowbob
Beefheart isn't psychedelia IMO, he makes Beefheart Music, completely sui generis.

On the contrary - the first couple of albums are very psychedelic.

Plastic Factory in particular.

Mark

 

[sideshowbob]

Mark, you're right, I was exaggerating for effect. "Kandy Korn" (from the A&M Sessions) is pure psychedelia, bloody good too. He quickly developed into something entirely different though.

-- Ian

 

[redcogs]

d m butcher mentioned the Incredible String Band earlier in this thread (you are clearly a person of impeccable taste d m ). There is a track called 'Maya' on their LP 'The Big Huge' which really ought to be required listening. This song delights with its wonderfully complex, stimulating, and provokative lyric, however, its real strength lies in its musical structure which pulls the listener in and along with suprise and delight. I suspect it is neglected by many due to its esoteric nature, but get hold of a copy of this 1968 acoustic masterpiece if you can and be prepared to be astonished.

rgds redcogs

 

[MarkS]

Originally posted by sideshowbob
Mark, you're right, I was exaggerating for effect. "Kandy Korn" (from the A&M Sessions) is pure psychedelia, bloody good too. He quickly developed into something entirely different though.

You are forgiven...this time ;-)

Mark

 

[Mullardman]

A single song springs to mind. 'Rainbow Chaser', by Nirvana. (No, not the rock band) A bit 'pop', but if that wasn't psychedelic, I dunno what is.

 

[Snufkin]

The original Nirvana were rooted in Psychedelia, I wish I had some of their discs. If memory serves me well their Island material is the best.

Whilst here I should mention some of the more unlikely gems that I have come across.

Sally Eaton - Farewell American Tour. This album is mainly late 60's mor, but very well done. However it has an astounding Psych track called - 'Supertripyacid flowers in the air' or something like that. In words and music it is better than most so called psychedelic bands could ever achieve. Possibly one of the most essential Psychedelic tracks I own.

Big Jim Sullivan's Sitar beat. This is an album that I picked up a few years ago on a junk stall for 50p. I was intrigued at the thought of sitar based versions of late 60's hits by the Beatles, Donovan etc. How can I describe this album? If Mike Leigh’s 'Abigail’s party' was set in late 60's US suburbia it could have been playing in the background. Yet it has an appeal and it is beautifully recorded.

This is possibly one of the best records I own in the lack of space between the listener and the music, up there with the VanGelder recordings of the 50's. But what makes this album particularly interesting are the filler tracks between the 'hits'. They are superb pieces of hippy/tripy/sitar/jazz/rock. Absolutely wonderful and you begin to realise that that was probably what Jim Sullivan really wanted to do. Incidentally, if you watch commercial TV you will have heard some of this music. The add where the FengShue (god knows how you spell it) expert comes into a beautiful modern beach house and empties it leaving it's bemused owner with a beer (I think it's a beer). That music is sampled from Big Jim Sullivan’s Sitar Beat - I hope he gets some royalties!


Martin

 

[dozy]

I am into this stuff too Tony. I don't know spirit, but am trying to get hold of some of their stuff.

Alan

 

[Svein]

Leon Russel's 'Carney' from 1972 is an album to check out. Country fans should also check out his 1973 release 'Hank Wilsons Back'. I recently heard a radio program were they played a lot of Eric Burdon.

http://www.ericburdon.com

BTW, hi Dozy!

Svein

 

[MarkS]

Originally posted by dozy
I am into this stuff too Tony. I don't know spirit, but am trying to get hold of some of their stuff.

Alan

Kaptian Kopter & The Fabulous Twirly Birds would be my recommended starting point with Spirit.

Very hippy ;-)

Mark

 

[Tony L]

The Vanilla Fudge shipment turned up today; fantastic unplayed condition 1968 red / plum Atlantic mono originals of The beat goes on and Renaissance…

The beat goes on was the first on the deck. It is a) almost certainly the worst quality recording ever to hit vinyl, and b) it is very odd. The closest description I can come up with is to imagine The KLF’s ambient Chill Out LP, but assembled from rather badly played Beatles covers interspersed with random noise, cut-up announcements from Churchill, JFK, Truman etc, and pseudo-classical noodling using some equipment that is obviously totally unsuited to recording a loud rock band. It is arranged in four ‘phases’ each separated by an increasingly bizarre take on Sonny Bono’s The beat goes on. A very strange record indeed, though almost certainly in a very good way. I think I like it…

Renaissance ups the recording quality substantially to simply appalling and is a far more conventional album all-round. This is the first time I’ve heard a whole side of Fudge originals - they tended to concentrate on expanding other peoples songs with their own drugs, there is however a Donovan cover on side 2 that they almost turn into Purple’s Child in time, despite that track being years away from being written. This album is far more straight-ahead psych / US acid rock and really is rather good.

Tony.

 

[matthewr]

"my particular favourite is called The Parable of Arable Land by Red Krayola"

Recently re-issued and reviewed on today's Pitchfork

"In March 1967, The Red Crayola walked into the studio and spent a day making one of the most visionary album of the year, The Parable of Arable Land. It's a band that has no idea how to play its instruments. In fact, they don't even know what instruments are, or if the guitarist has the ability to remain conscious long enough to play whatever it is a "note" might be. Shattered psalms, wobbling percussion courtesy of poet Frederick Barthelme, patently overused echo chambers, and the clumsiest staircase bassline in garage history smashes into a bunch of clopping machine men as Mayo Thompson croons out the only serious line in his entire career: "I have in my pocket a hurricane fighter plane."

Matthew

 

[Snufkin]

I always thought it was 'Its a beautiful day' who Deep Purple copied. If you listen to IABD's first album you will understand instantly. Talking of Psychedelic rip-offs, I love the tribute/homage/rip-off that Ashra did to the Fleetwood Mac song 'Albatross' on the album New age of earth.

I like your descriptions of Vanilla Fudge, Tony. That’s how I remember them! Perhaps that’s why they are almost unplayed? But records of that age in mint condition do have a certain appeal.

Martin