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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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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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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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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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 ripGET IT HERE
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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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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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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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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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.GET IT HERE LP1, LP2
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...
