Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Andy Roberts - Homegrown (1970 Ampex)


Plainsong, Grimms, Liverpool Scene are Andy's other scenes. I believe i'm able to understand why people like this kind of easy country folk but "Home Grown" is not firstly for me. But then comes a nice one: "Moths and Lizards in Detroit" and i can't help liking it. Good and well made.

The Clique - S/T (1969 White Whale)



Nice and easy sunshine pop.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Rotary Connection - Peace (1968 Cadet Concept)


Jouluun on vielä matkaa, mutta en malttanut olla laittamatta tätä blogille jo nyt. Kyseessä on tyylikkäästi tehty joululevy tutuista joulusävelistä. Myyjä oli laittanut tämän jazz-osastolle, johtuen luultavasti levyltä löytyvästä 60-luvun lopun tyypillisestä hippi-soul-pop-funk-groovesta, joka yhdistyy perinteisiin jouluteemoihin hyvää makua noudattaen. Kappaleiden pääteemat soitetaan selkeällä kitaralla. Bobby Simms, Mitch Aliotta, Jim Nyeholt, Minnie Riperton, Tom Donlinger, Jim Donlinger, Sidney Barnes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3mQnXEQ4fk&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL0F9B00C88FA2C759

Violent Femmes - S/T (1982 Rough Records)


Väkivaltaiset nössöt, nyhveröt, nynneröt! Kehtaanpa sanoa, vaikka tiedän että kaveri takuulla nauraa ja kuittaa: tämä on aivan riemastuttavan nautittava levy. Olkoonkin alunperin 80-luvun teiniangstissaan muhineille suunnattua, niin toimii myös toisessa ajassa eli valovuoden päässä olevaa eläkeikää odotellessa. 60- ja 70- lukujen musiikkia kuunnelleena tämä 80-luvun helmi meni minulta täysin ohi, niinkuin melkein kaikki muukin musiikki kyseisellä vuosikymmenellä. Oli muuta tekemistä. Olin silloin myös varma, että kaikki hyvä musiikki jäi viimeistään 70-luvulle eikä 80-luvulla tehty mitään hyvää. No toisaalta tuskin olisi silloin tästäkään pitänyt. Näin jälkikäteen on mukavaa katsoa taakse poimia harvalukuiset mustikat imelästä kasarikakusta. Kuuntelen tätä pelkästään musiikkina. muu sanoma ei hetkauta. Ps. valovuosi on tässä tapauksessa vähän alle kymmenen tavallista. Taidan olla ainoa, joka kuulee tässäkin jotain sukulaisuutta Zappan varhaisempaan tuotantoon. Z:n kuuleminen tässä musiikissa ei johdu suinkaan niin päälle kuuluvasta asiasta kuin xylofonin käytöstä. Jokin kokonaisvaltaisempi asennejuttu se on. Erittäin hieno levy!
good feeling: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhedKAhHqK8
gone daddy gone: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmM6SxoghMQ

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Uncle Chapin - S/T (1971 Polydor)



I found Uncle Chapin at record fair. It is a bit mixed Chicago etc. style horn-jazz-prog-rock, but quite rich for form and content at the same time. Uncle Chapin is something you can't find from Chicago and BS&T. If you like clean and polished horn-jazz-rock, this may not be for you.

The Nickel Bag - Doing Their Love Thing (1968 Kama Sutra)






This was obviously a studio project composed, conducted, arranged and produced by Larry Fallon (Fallon on the sleeve, on the label name is written with i, Fallion). Lyrics are written by famous poets and writers: Rudyard Kipling, Emily Bronte, Lord Byron, W Shakespeare, W Wordsworth, Tennyson and Robert Burns for example. Names of the players are not available. Interesting, psych-tinged freak out pop. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49Ou_0Angp0

Zabriskie Point (1970 MGM)



It was long time ago when i saw this Antonioni's film and did not understand what it all was about and the only thing i can remember of it now is the slow motion explotion of a house in the end accompanied by Pink Floyd's "Come on Number 51, Your Time is Up". This soundtrack album is worth keeping justabecause of that "Careful With That Axe Eugene" -version.

Friday, October 7, 2011

Leigh Ashford - Kinfolk (1971 RCA)



Konseptialbumiksi ei tätä Kanadalaisen yhtyeen ainoata levyä voi ainakaan sanoa. Yhtyeen nimi on tiettävästi lainattu samannimiseltä, 1600-luvulla eläneeltä Englantilaiselta maailman vanhimman ammatin harjoittajalta, joka tarinan mukaan suosi tuon ajan nälkää näkeviä muusikoita. Biisikokoelma on melko sekalainen, hyödyntäen monenlaisia tyylejä ja rytmejä kuulostaen tasaisen hauskalta, mutta myös sopivan yllätykselliseltä. Gord Waszek on säveltänyt kaikki kappaleet. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8TA5cTk_Po

Friday, September 30, 2011

Orleans - S/T (1973 abc)



You never know what you get when purchasing a record for one euro on the flea. This time i got quite nice, laid back, well played The Eagles-style funk-reggae-country pop. Guitarist John Hall has played with Karen Dalton, Janis Joplin, some The Band guys and Little Feat for example and the drummer of the band Wells Kelly played with Blues Magoos. The two Hoppens have been professional session musicians too. Jerry Marotta, brother of Rick Marotta joined the Orleans later. John Hall still works with guitar.



Morgen - Morgen (1969 Probe, this RE)


My first impression is: the base beat in this music is like The 13th Floor Elevators. Ok, the more the record spins, the more childish this becomes. BUT the still further i hear this the more confused i become. What the hell is this. I think, and i'm sorry to think like it, but i think this is kind of copycat music. This album is so odd that it must be a psychedelic masterpiece... he he.. Morgen Morgen nur nicht heute.. ist the most ooooooodddd thing i have met for a while. After listening this once and twice through i have to confess this "Morgen" is something i was not ready to hear... well, ööh, this is something i have hoped there will still exist, and here it is... Enjoyable drumming and guitarring and everything. Great record! After all, Morgen must be the best psychedelic album ever. Ps. I went grazy when listening this last night and wrote stream of consciouness shit. I wrote what i felt at the very moment the record was spinning and first my feelings varied from edge to another. This a shortened and cleaned version of that stream... Morgen is a superb, grazy, smooth, punkish, playful, skillful, inspired, garagecreasy, easily flowin psychedelic album. I never use the phrase "mind blowin'. Not until now."Everything i have imagined to exist in a perfect psychalbum is on this. Mind blowing!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XHtDmnShFI&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdxdMraKmk0&feature=related

Frantic - Conception (1971 Lizard)





Tyylikästä hard rokkia jonka eri yhteyksissä mainitut mahdolliset psyke-elementit rajoittuvat lievän ajoittaisesti lähinnä soundipuolelle. Hyvä hardrock levy joka tapauksessa. Classy hard rock, but have to say that those here and there mentioned possible psyche-elements limit only on some sound effects near psych sounds, nothing else really. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVjxUFDInyQ

Hurriganes - Roadrunner (1974 Love Records)




Mostly straight foward rock'n roll by Hurriganes. Yes, band's name, also known as "Ganes" is written with G instead of C. Their best known piece "Get On" won the first price on European Broadcasting Unit's competition named "European Pop Jury" in 1974. I was listening the radio that night and can recall being very proud of our Hurriganes at that moment. "Get on"'s lyrics are written and sung by Remu, the leader and drummer of the group, who apparently was not very home in English language writing the lyrics in a hurry by a kind of fonetic method. Englisman Michael Stanley picked them after hearing them in a gig and produced this sophomore album. It was recorded in the legendary Marcus Music Studios in Stockholm, Sweden. So the sound on this album is the best one could get around here in 1974. Bands debut album - by the way - was produced by Måns Groundstroem, the long-term bassist of progressive rock group Wigwam. Ganes' guitarist Albert Järvinen was without doubt a very good guitarist who did not make a number of himself. Hugo "Cisse" Häkkinen was the man just fit for purpose playing base and being the showman of the band. They both sadly died quite young. Love Records was a sort of underground label in Finland and they mostly published prog and some other odd stuff. I thing it is odd enough that they they recorded Hurriganes. Or maybe it isn't because their first producer Groundstroem's band Wigwam recorded many years on that label. Many of the records on "Love" -label are rare and sought after in Finland today. I'm not a big fan of Ganes, but this "Roadrunner" is one essential stone in the basement of Finnish rock. I finally purchased it on vinyl not until today and proudly added in my "poop" vinyl collection. "Get on" has always been my secret love. Maybe Carolina Hurricanes could choose "Get on" played every time they get a goal. Remu be goode... Kävin muuten heidän keikoillaan ainakin Huittisten Huhkolinnassa ja Punkalaitumen Särkässä silloin kun bändi oli kuumimmillaan.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGCviZAdxeY

The Alan Bown - Self Titled (1968 Verve Forecast)



Mukavasti rullaavaa vuoden 1968 brittipoppia, jossa kuuluu myös häivähdyksiä progen ja psychen suuntiin. Erityisen tästä tekee yhdistelmä messinkiä, Hammondia ja sumeaa kitaraa. Sävellysten puolesta keskimäärin vain ok, mutta soundeiltaan mielenkiintoinen levy. Toisaalta... kuuntelen tätä uudelleen nyt pari päivää myöhemmin ja huomaan löytäväni uusia ulottuvuuksia. Mielenkiintoisen musiikista tekee myös etevät rytminvaihdokset ja siirtymiset tyylilajista toiseen. Mitään pehmåpåppia tämä ei ole, särmää löytyy. Itse asiassa aika erikoinen kokoelma.

Paul Levinson with Ed Fox and Peter Rosenthal - Twice Upon A Rhyme (1972 Happysad this re SoS)




What a wonderfull album this is! High standard folkpsychpop! Brilliant!

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Hapshash And The Coloured Coat Featuring The Human Host And The Heavy Metal Kids (1967 Minit)



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8EV8Rh3Ols

Lotti Golden - Self Titled (1971 GRT)





Intensiivistä hippijoikua...

Anonymous commented:

"Lotti Golden's self-titled sophomore LP is a departure from her 1969 opus, "Motor-Cycle" on Atlantic Records. Whereas Golden's debut was a concept LP and highly original, this GRT LP is more conventional, however many of the songs are truly wonderful! Fabulous vocals and musicianship."

Thanks for the comment Anon! Lottie's first LP record developed a kind of cult fame around her. Never heard the debut album but have listened to this sophomore one this Sunday morning a couple of times, when having extra time. This album was worth obtaining as it was available but the debut one would be even more acceptable. I have listened to this record during the day and it slowly grows better and better in my ears.

Mark Stewart - Stranger



Mark Stewartin versio Satien pianokappaleesta. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiZt01Xb0us