FAN RECORDS

HORSE - HORSE (1971)

2008-09-19T17:45:00.014+05:00

This is a heavy psych rock monster from UK. Originally released on RCA label in 1971 and , like a lot hard rock bands of this era , some of them featured in this blog , was overlooked or had no commercial use for the record industry .The great guitarwork of this album ,is obviously influenced by the UK psychedelic scene .In fact , the British psychedelic rock of this era , seemed like the next natural step of the garage-psychedelic scene.And even if the vocals needed some better touch (for some reviewers), still is a great album .Their drummer ,Rick Parnell ,joined Atomic Rooster after this album. A part of the missing chapters of the great hard rock British history I'd say...

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GRANICUS - GRANICUS (1973)

2008-06-21T15:04:00.019+05:00

Formed in Cleveland Ohio in the early '70s , they released only one album in 1973 , which is an absolute gem!We speak for a lot of gems and lost diamonds in these pages and we have to mark some things.The most of them existed between 1966-1976. Most of the reviewers say , like in the Granicus case , that the public just wasn't ready for them and so they were a commercial failure! I'll say that seems that there was an effort for less "dangerous" hearings for the public in the days of Vietnam war! Acoustically AND politically!
Granicus are often reviewed as a band heavy influenced by Led Zep , it was even said that their singer , Woody Leffel , was to replace Robert Plant! But , the fact was , that Granicus were more dangerous than these commercial mega-stars!The great guitar work , influenced by the experimental psychedelic- progressive - garage scene , the mixture that gave the definition "hard rock classic" sound and the vocals of Leffel reaching sometimes a level that Robert Plant only wished he could , along with the lyrics about Vietnam , sex , dysfunction made this , we can say , true rock album.Yes , an absolute gem!

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JUST COLOR - LOLLIPOP SHOPPE (1968)

2008-04-19T17:37:00.010+05:00

This band released one of all-time psychedelic-garage anthems !This song, "You must be a witch" was listed in the mighty "Pebbles" series ,in volume 8, if i remeber well (the first ten volumes of the vinyl release of this series are a "must have" for all serious fans) which made them really famous among the garage fans worldwide ,several years after they broke up! Originally named as "The Weeds" , they changed their name to "Lollipop Shoppe" after their manager commendations , just to catch the bubblegum music fashion (and success) of the time!And as we all know well,music is business and so they did ! But their sound was hardly what you call a bubblegum band!An exciting garage-psychedelic album , which ment to leave a mark in the history of this genre!In 1971 they changed again their name back to the original one,"The Weeds" , to do a 45 rpm single.
Their singer , Fred Cole ,who had a big discography,before and after Lollipop Shoppe, formed in the 90's the "Dead Moon" , continouing from where he left , the mid sixties psychedelic-garage sound , using the great legacy that he carried from the Lollipop Shoppe days!

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EXPERIMENT IN TERROR - LA MUERTE (1990)

2008-03-17T14:50:00.014+04:00

And if Sweden is famous for the disco queens Abba, as i said in the previous post ,Belgium is a country that is famous (?) for this cult band , "La Muerte",featured here.Formed circa 1983 they soon became a cult band often compared to Birthday Party and the Stooges!
It was their blooded,violent,speedy,destructive look on blues,garage and rock 'n roll that made them unique!Just look at their videos in their site http://www.lamuerte.be/ and you will understand what i'm saying!This album , featured here , was published in 1990,and contains what La Muerte listens.Unexpected covers , from "Crazy Horses" of the Osmonds (!!!) and Kung-Fu fighting of Kirk Douglas (!!!!!) to Henry Mancini's "Experiment In Terror" and "Blues For Findlay".But all this blooded magic is there as in all the great covers they made (Lucifer Sam , Wild Thing etc) in previous albums.
And as i said: welcome to the terror's garage!!!This is La Muerte!!!
This is a de-noised vinyl rip.

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ALIVE - LEATHER NUN (1985)

2008-02-12T18:13:00.000+04:00

Sweden is seen as the country of disco queens Abba.It is also a country with a long history in garage scene , going from way back in the mid-sixties till nowdays. Bands which became cult heroes , like the kings of fuzz , the Nomads and like Leather Nun!Formed in Goteborg in 1979 , they got their name after a stripper (as the legend says).I will notice that the spider on the cover of their first album featured here , is also called leather nun!They became legends shocking the audience by showing porno movies in their live gigs ,their attitude and their provocative songs (the song FFA is named after the initials of the phrase Fist F*****s of America) and soon found their way to college and independent radio stations and magazines worldwide. This is a simple garage-punk album , influenced by the Velvet Underground , the Stooges and the singing style (and the voice) of Lou Reed!But with their own attitude!Nothing more,nothing less!
This is a de-noised vinyl rip

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FIBERGLASS JUNGLE - V/A (1998)

2007-11-26T16:28:00.002+04:00

As Gregory Nicoll writes in the inlay of the cd ..."It was 1963.The first wave of the California surf sound was at its peak when a construction crew on the Ballonna Creek jetty asked the locals to clear their surfboards from the beach.The teens grouped the boards closely together along the south side of the jetty,nose down in the sand.A couple houndred yards away,guitarist Al Sichol of the Crossfires looked up to see the mass of boards protruding over the top of the sand dune and to his eyes it looked nothing less than a "Fiberglass Jungle".Many waves have splashed against the California shore since then ,but the tune Al was inspired to write , remains a classic!Reinterpreted here by the Surf Kings,it's the overture for another beach gathering where many bright new boards join the jungle...The whole wild bunch of'em shake proudly to the powerful sounds of watery reverb,kickin' drums and deep-divin' twangmaster whammys which evoke the feel of the ocean rising beneath you and sting of sea salt in your nostrils.It's all part of a vibrant genre known as surf music."
I will add that this great comp features the most of Deep Eddy's records artists .

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APACHE 65 - DAVIE ALLAN & THE ARROWS (1965)

2007-10-09T16:15:00.000+05:00

In the mid-sixties this band provided some biker soundtracks which became cult classics , like "Wild Angles" , "Born Losers" e.t.c. Their sound stood somewhere between surf and garage - psychedelia and their "Blues Theme" from the "Wild Angels" soundtrack (starring Peter Fonda) is loved by almost all the garage fans!Davie Allan has a unique guitar style with lots of fuzz , wah-wah ,tremolo and fantastic use of feedback. Looking back now, i think he is one of the most influential guitarists of the surf garage-psychedelic scene,along with Link Wray and Dick Dale.This is their first LP , originally released from Tower in 1965 and , as Davie Allan said , "gave a little indication as to what the defined Arrows sound would be". Not so fuzzy but fantastic still...
This is a de-noised vinyl rip.

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DEAD MAN - JOSEFUS (1969-70)

2007-09-29T18:49:00.000+05:00

This is a hard rock classic!Many reviewers say that this band was heavily influenced by Led Zeppelin , but i think that all this psychedelic explosion of the late sixties in Texas (with bands like 13Th Floor Elevators) was the real influence! Banned from the Houston's club "Love Scene" which was much affiliated to the local big record company International Artist (home of 13Th Floor Elevators , Chaparrals e.t.c.) started playing free concerts until they got a record deal in 1969. They recorded a whole album then, but their producer Jim Musil wanted them to change their name to "Come" .The band didn't wanted to do so and thought that they'll convince Musil to keep their original name. He released only a 7" single (with the name Come) in his "Dandelion" label.Rumors say, that because of their name , Musil didn't passed them to a big record company! So the band went back in studio and re-recorded the same album which was released from their own "Hookah" label in 1970,named "Dead Man", in a 3.000 pcs pressing! The new recording was slightly different from the original (which was finally released in 1993 titled "Get Off My Case") because guitarist Dave Mitchell plays all the guitar parts (guitarist Phillip White left the band just before the recording sessions).For many , this album is the bridge from 60s hard rock to 70s heavy metal! Well , i don't know!Heavy metal came some years later , with bands like Judas Priest! But if you listen to Stone's "Gimme Shelter" cover maybe you'll feel that it's better and more powerful from the original!Not to mention the psychedelic-hard rock track "Dead Man"! As i said...a hard rock classic!
To be continued with the next post...

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JOSEFUS - JOSEFUS (1970)

2007-09-29T18:30:00.001+05:00

After "Dead Man's" release the band started touring around Texas.They opened for major acts and were headliners in smaller cities.The road trips were increasing, the concerts were kicking but the band didn't spent enough time together creating music!So when "Mainstream" wanted a new record , the band was tired ,the members were frustrated and the album that came out , a self titled album , was a disappointment for all!The band didn't wanted to follow the company's plans for major concerts in New York and saw everything around them falling apart! They just played out their remaining commitments and broke up!But even if "Josefus" wasn't in the "Dead Man's" level , it was a good album from one of the pioneers of hard rock...

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NUGGETS:ORIGINAL ARTYFACTS FROM THE FIRST PSYCHEDELIC ERA 1965-1968 - V/A (1973)

2007-09-10T15:55:00.000+05:00

This is the Sire records edition of this legendary comp , originally released in 1972 from Electra records .It was released in 1976 in a double LP edition, just like the original , with the same tracks but different cover!Compiled by Lenny Kaye , music historian and future guitarist of Patti Smith Group, this album begun the sixties revolution (again) and it was the cause for many collectors to bring to surface hundreds of unknown garage,psychedelic and pop bands ,
revealing what was really happening in the underground mid-sixties!Later Rhino records made a ten single lp's series and in 1998 and 2001 four-disc cd editions followed.The 2001 box set was called "Nuggets II:Original Artyfacts From The British Empire And Beyond , 1964-69" with cuts from U.K. , Japan , Iceland And Brazil. In 2004 Rhino tried to revive Nuggets releasing two new compilations in a 7500 pieces limited edition , available only through internet. And finally released a third four-disc cd set named "Children of Nuggets:Original Artyfacts From The Second Psychedelic Era , 1976-1995".
And as Lenny Kaye wrote in the liner notes of the first Nuggets:"This is the story of a transition period in American rock and roll of a changeling era which dashed so fast that nobody knew much of what to make of it while it was around...".But started a whole new wonderful sixties-based movement i should say!For many,this album is the bible of rock 'n roll!!!
This is a de-noised vinyl rip.

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TOES ON THE NOSE - V/A (1996)

2007-08-25T14:17:00.011+05:00

This cd was released in 1996 from Ace records and it's featuring some of the best songs of the classic surf-era .All the recordings were made in 1963-64 and were released from Capitol , Imperial and Liberty labels in U.S. and from EMI in Europe , which actually owned those labels!Here's the story taken from the notes of the booklet , written by Alan Taylor & Dave Burke (editors of the rock instrumental magazine "Pipeline"):"In the late '50s the mega-stars of rock 'n roll begin to fade and the charts soon filled with soft pop teen idols ("the Bobbies" as Jerry Lee Lewis termed them),with some great songs , innocent charm ,but no rock 'n roll!Their soft pop was high on sales but low on thrills!So the new musicians turned to something more exciting:the instrumental rock .Their interest in the rock instrumental styling of Link Wray,Duane Eddie,Dick Dale , the Ventures e.t.c.They were linked to the surfers in the early '60s as the bands played for them (the popularity of surfing was growing at that time) and they begun to use surfing terms for song titles , a trick soon adopted by garage bands!
The regional success for such recordings was followed by national hits (Wipeout,Pipeline,Baja) and soon every major label had a surf act on its roster."
I'm not a music historian , but i think that the major labels will always "manufacture" innocent and charming idols !There's no risk in it and their job is to make money! As for the surf music, is one of the purest rock genres and maybe the first in rock history with real electric guitars,as you will see in this excellent compilation!And still is...

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PURE MANIA - VIBRATORS (1977)

2007-08-23T14:36:00.001+05:00

Vibrators are one of the longest running original punk bands!They were formed back in 1976 and in their 30-year career they released more than 16 albums ,not to mention the huge number of 7" singles,12" singles , cassettes and compilations! The great guitar work from Ian "Knox" Carnochan (he became occasional session guitarist for major acts like Peter Hammill) and John Ellis along with the tight rhythm section of Pat Collier and Eddie , made Vibrators one of the bands that forced a lot of music journalists of the time , to have a look over the new (in those days) movement of punk rock!"Pure Mania" is like that!It was released in 1977 , featuring one of the band's greatest hits , the song "Baby,Baby" .An album which shows the band's garage and pop influences , but so well performed!A real punk classic!
This is a de-noised vinyl rip.

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KANGURU - GURU GURU (1972)

2007-07-24T19:22:00.001+05:00

One of the leading bands of the German rock movement which started in 1968.Groups like Guru Guru ,Faust, Amon Duul ,Can , Tangerine Dream and many more , created an underground rock scene which was not influenced by the English-American sound.This scene is known as Kraut rock and because of its experimentation and sound innovation became a major influence for thousands of bands!Guru Guru was (is) one of the bands that gave a definition to that term. Their music was highly experimental and sometimes with big dose of comic elements! As their drummer Mani Neumeter said when he was asked by a journalist if they play Cosmic rock he replied: No, we are playing comic rock!It was a band with many musical styles from jazz to pop ,even middle-eastern sounds (depending from the band's line-up )!This album , featured in this post, was released in 1972 and it was their fourth.An exiting experimental and highly recommended album ,a perfect sample of the first period of this great band as for the whole Kraut rock scene!

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YOUNG,LOUD AND SNOTTY - DEAD BOYS (1977)

2007-07-03T19:16:00.000+05:00

Even if they were part of the mid '70's New York's CBGB's scene , this band's roots were from Cleveland Ohio and the legendary band "Rocket From The Tombs" , which included two future members of the Dead Boys: Cheetah Chrome on guitar and Johnny Blitz on drums (the other two would be members of Pere Ubu).The Dead Boys were heavy influenced from Iggy & The Stooges , New York Dolls and the punk scene and their outrageous,wild and agressive live performances remained in history!They moved in NY in 1976 after Joey Ramone booked them for some tryout gigs in CBGB's.Six months later they signed a contract with the "Sire" label,already home of the Ramones and they relesed their debut album, featured in this post.A classic punk rock album including songs like "Sonic Reducer" , often reffered as a great punk anthem,"All This And More","High Tension Wire" .It was a real punk rock album , from the ones that the American music press of the time was afraid and misunderstood and didn't gave a lot of coverage and acceptance and , as a result of this, the album didn't perform the expected sales!
To be continued with the next post...

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WE HAVE COME FOR YOUR CHILDREN - DEAD BOYS (1978)

2007-07-02T19:20:00.000+05:00

Due to the low sales , "Sire Records" pressured the band the change their sound , look, even and their name!So, to do that ,Felix Papallardi (from Mountain) was brought , as a producer ,but it was a disaster!However , the album,featured here , includes great songs again ( 3rd Generation Nation is one of my favour)! But "Sire" seemed determined to "kill" the Dead Boys and when the band's drummer was stabbed and put into intensive care , dropped them from the label!The end came in 1979 when Cheetah Chrome cracked his hand and he was thrown out of the band.A few months later they will reunite due to contractual obligations to "Sire",recording a live album!Stiv Bators sung off the mic and the recording became unusable .Something like a payback to what "Sire" did to them .When it was released from "Bomp!" in 1981 , Stiv re-recorded the tracks in the studio!The Dead Boys were one of the best punk rock bands and these great albums , featured in these posts , made them undead!

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MEDIEVAL MOSQUITO - ELECTRIC PEACE (1987)

2007-06-26T17:27:00.000+05:00

This band could easily existed in the early seventies , because of their hard rock psychedelic sound and the vocals style of Brian Kild.It was their track "I think I'll die" in the third Battle Of The Garages which put them on the garage-punk map!This is their third album , a follow-up to the "Road To Peace" which Enigma records refused to publish because of the very low sales of their previous one,"Rest In Peace" (it was finally released in 1989 from Barred records)!Medieval Mosquito is a very interesting album with a hard-rock-garage-psychedelic sound with a great use of keyboards from Jim Hawkinson (he died in 1987 in a motorbike accident) and an also great guitar work of the Chicago Blues legend Honey Davis. All that , with the dark , violent and sometimes pessimistic lyrics along with Kild's interpetation lead to great result!This is a de-noised vinyl rip.

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KILLER UP! - UP (1967)

2007-06-02T14:55:00.001+05:00

Formed in Michigan in 1967,they were linked to the MC5 , as they were in the same artistic commune (Detroit Artistic Commune , Trans Love Energies) and opened almost all of their gigs at that time , including the legendary concert at Union Ballroom which offered a contract from Electra records for MC5 and the Stooges but not for them!Often described as proto-punk (what about the Sonics?) because of their political attitude and their primitive sound (which , i think sometimes is very close to the Stooges sound).
In 1970 they released their first single called "Just Like An Aborigine".They were the primary musical outlet of John Sinclair's(poet,musical activist,manager of the MC5 for sometime)White Panthers Party along with the MC5 (they broke up later).After John Sinclair's imprisonment they released their second single called "Free John Now" , included in this comp along with Allen Ginsberg's "Prayer For John Sinclair" (the flip side of the single).The song became the anthem of "Free John Sinclair" campaign.They broke up in 1970 but they left enough material of their primitive "Detroit Rock" sound for John Sinclair to make this compilation in 1995.

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CYBERNETIC DREAMS OF PI - SLICKEE BOYS (1983)

2007-05-31T20:48:00.000+05:00

I red somewhere that the best music is made in the garage! This record is made like this!Some great songs which carry all the American rock tradition , from power-pop to garage punk and surf.The band comes from way back and sometime in 1976 they released their first EP "Hot And Cool" (remember the DIY punk generation?)!Long deleted now ,"Cybernetic Dreams Of PI", released in 1983,offers great moments and fun:"When I Go To The Beach" was the single of this album,"Invisible People" a fantastic garage punk track ,a great cover of Status Quo's "Pictures Of Matchstick Man" and many more , all played with their own pop-garage guitar and keyboard style!I never stopped listening this album from 1985 and i think i'll never do!This is a de-noised vinyl rip.

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AQUA VELVETS - AQUA VELVETS (1993)

2007-05-11T20:20:00.001+05:00

This San Fransisco based surf band was formed in the late '80s and has all the proper influences like Dick Dale , Link Wray , Ventures , spaghetti western music e.t.c. , for such a band. They created their own style with the "clean" psychedelic , rockabilly meditteranean lounge "cinematique" sounding guitar and they were in the center of the early '90s surf revival movement .They wrote one of the greatest anthems -in my opinion-of the scene at that time,the opening track of this fine album ,called "Bravado".

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WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT IT - AGENT ORANGE (1983)

2007-05-11T19:33:00.000+05:00

Agent Orange are punk legends.From 1979 till now they've become an enormous influence on the punk scene , even if they said that they don't feel part of it at all!Maybe they're right!Taking a closer look at their work we'll see (hear) that this surf-garage thing is always there ,in every record they made!This 6 track album , released in 1983 (was re-released on cd from Restless in 1987), contains some covers of classics like "Somebody To Love" ," Shaking All Over" , "Secret Agent Man" ," Out Of Limits" and a killer surf-garage punk instro , "Bite The hand That Feeds (Pt. 2)" written by the guitarist Mike Palm , which shows all the Agent Orange musical influences and philosophy.Punk or not , i love it!

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DIG IN ! - HUEVOS RANCHEROS (1995)

2007-05-11T19:12:00.000+05:00

These guys were formed in Calgary , Canada in 1990.They released a number of singles and albums but this one is their most impressive work! "Dig In" was released in 1995 from "Mint Records" and "One Louder" in Europe.Maybe this is the reason that the title of this excellent album is often referred in many sites as "Dig In Mint" , but as you can see on your own, is "Dig In!". The fantastic cover of Link Wray's "American Sunset" is giving us a great idea about the band's influences and their own "Who's Your New Girlfriend?" are one of the best songs of this album (it was a difficult choice,believe me),which received much of acceptance not only in Canada and USA (where the surf revival thing was alive) but in Europe as well.The band made , as far as i know two more albums:"Get Outta Dodge" & "Muerte Del Toro".One of the best surf revival bands....

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GUITAR FREAKOUT - VENTURES

2007-05-11T16:10:00.001+05:00

DEMON & ELEVEN CHILDREN - BLUES CREATION (1971)

2007-05-11T16:06:00.000+05:00

One of the hundreds of hard rock bands that remained hidden under the shades of the big groups of the ‘70s and the last 15 years have begun to come out in the surface, due to the work of some collectors!
They were formed in the late 60’s in Japan and their sound had been influenced by the hard rock groups of the time and from electric blues, of course. It is not accidental that the ' 75 made tour in Japan with Mountain (which they broke up a little after the Japan tour because of hearing problems of Felix Pappalardi!).
Their first self titled album was released in 1969.All the tracks were covers of blues songs (almost all the groups at that time had at least one blues cover in their album). The second however,named "Demon & Eleven Children" released in 1971 ,shows an exceptional hard rock group! Songs as “Atomic Bombs Away” and “Sorrow”, written by the band’s leader and guitarist Kazuo Takeda , as almost all of their material, show a very interesting group, with an excellent guitar work. A classic hard rock sounding album, from those that in their time didn't find their way (or didn't had any commercial interest if you want) and god only knows how many we will still hear! They put however their own mark in the history and glory of dynasty of rock!

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DODGE MAIN - WAYNE KRAMER , DENIZ TEK , SCOTT MORGAN (1996)

2007-05-10T20:40:00.000+05:00

Even if most of the songs were written almost 30 years ago,this album is like a kick in the stomach!It recalls the heroic days of the late sixties - early seventies when Motor City was burning.It's like a tribute to Detroit's rock music history made by a group of friends,living legends of this scene!Wayne Kramer from MC5,Scott Morgan from Rationals & Sonic Rendezvous Band , Deniz Tek from Radio Birdman(the man who brought Detroit rock to Australia as a lot of music reviewers say) along with Paul Ill (bass) and Brock Avery (drums) made it, and it sounds as powerful as ever!"City Slang" , the opening track (originally a Sonic Rendezvous Band single release) is been covered with a Radio Birdman attitude and "The Harder They Come" (a Jimmy Cliffs reggae classic)is given a high energetic Detroit rock touch , as to all the songs of the album!Along with the other covers (L.94 -Radio Birdman , I Got A Right - Stooges)this album offers Kramer's "Citizen Of Time" ,Tek's "100 Fools" and a song they made together called "Better Than That".The blasting guitars and the tight "rocking" rhythm section of this album are giving a lesson on "how pure and original rock music should be played"!The album is dedicated in memory of Rob Tyner (MC5) , Fred "Sonic" Smith (MC5) and Dave Alexander (Stooges), musicians of Detroit.This is a de-noised vinyl rip .

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ΠΟΛΙΤΗΣ ΤΟΥ ΚΟΣΜΟΥ - ΣΑΡΚΑ

2007-05-10T20:06:00.000+05:00