Various Artists "Simla Beat 70" 1970***

I don't know if that happens to other record lovers (I hesitate to call myself a record collector, as I buy albums for the music as opposed to collectability) but I often dream I'm at a record fair or antique shop and come across a rare album on sale for peanuts. It's never actually happened, best case scenario was finding an album worth around €40 in a crate of mostly blunt 70's pop rock all priced €3 per piece. Anyway I recently dreamt I was browsing the wares of a street vendor in India, and among his other stuff he had a crate of LP's for something like 30 cents per piece. I didn't recognise anything, the album covers were mostly of girls with red dots on the forehead and nose jewelry. Maybe that's stereotypical to the point of racism, but what can I do? The image bank of my subconscious is somewhat lacking in this subject. Among those I nevertheless discovered a pristine copy of "Simla Beat 70" which I knew to be worth up to €2000. I was contemplating whether I should buy just this one copy or the whole basket to make the old man happy...

 

...until I woke up. So I am still not the proud owner of an original vinyl copy of this, rather of a semi-legal CD reissue - there is also a regular CD reissue compiling both Simla Beat albums ('70 and '71) with a different cover. These records were originally tied to a Battle Of The Bands-type contest sponsored by the Simla cigarette company. It's interesting to note that while Indian music was becoming popular in the West and Ravi Shankar was mesmerising festival crowds at Monterey and Woodstock, Western rock was barely making an impression in India. Which may explain why these songs by the finalists of the Simla Beat competition are out of synch with their Western contemporaries, sounding more like they were recorded in an American garage circa 1966-67. With the exception that an English or American record of that era may easily have featured Indian instruments like sitar or tablas, but there are none to be heard here. The closest they come to the Orient is the two instrumentals, a loose jam called "Psychedelia" with some Misirlou-like surf guitar and Greek folk tune "Zorba's Dance" - of course from the Indians' point of view these Greek melodies wouldn't be oriental, more like another strain of Western music. The best tunes here are garage rockers like The Confusion's "Voice from the Inner Soul" and Troggs cover "You Can't Beat It". The two Genuine Spares tracks  "Proper Stranger" and "Whats Goin On" and Innerlite's "Baby Baby Please" also have a '66 sounding garage folk sound while two Creedence tunes (Dinosaurs' "Sinister Purpose" and X'Lents' "Born On The Bayou") are quite rough, reminding me of some Japanese rock covers from the era. The vocals throughout have a slightly alien quality, but none of what I've come to think of as Apu accent, from the Simpsons character (which I thought was comically exaggerated until I met some Indians studying abroad and realized that yes, that's a realistic Indian accent). "Mist" is another winner, a long psychedelic blues jam with organ, like The Animals jamming with an early version of Grateful Dead. So here's my advice to you; if you spot this LP cheaply on an oriental bazaar, first pinch yourself. If it turns out you're not dreaming, just add it to your collection.

**** for Voice From The Inner Soul (Confusions), You Can't Beat It (Dinosaurs), Mist (Great Bear) 

*** for Psychedelia (X'Lents), Proper Stranger (Genuine Spares), Whats Goin On (Genuine Spares), Born On The Bayou (X'Lents), Baby Baby Please (Innerlite)

** for Zorba's Dance (Innerlite), Sinister Purpose (Dinosaurs)

Van Morrison & The Chieftains "Irish Heartbeat" 1988****

I'm sitting at my house looking at a patch of snow outside and contemplating whether I should join the outdoors St. Patrick Day celebrations in The Hague later in the evening. I've always had a good time at St. Patrick's, listening to Irish music and drinking Guiness, but would the Saint really want me to freeze my balls off just to celebrate his holiness? You'll notice I don't question whether he'd approve of my getting drunk on his nameday - of course he would, after all he was Irish wasn't he? (actually he was a Latinised Briton, but don't tell it to any Irishmen). 

The LP spinning on my record player right now was my first introduction to Irish folk almost 30 years ago, and has remained a favourite of mine ever since. I was pretty young at the time and mostly liked punk rock and 60's garage/psych but I had also discovered Van Morrison via his Astral Weeks LP which I listened to constantly. So I thought I'd try his latest one. Not that I expected it to sound the same, after all bald Van on this LP cover was worlds away from the romantic youth of Astral Weeks. As for the rest of the guys on the photo, they looked like someone's uncles from the village, or like the sort of musicians that play at the local panigyria (Greek village festivals) which is, I guess, not that far from what they really were. But that's the thing with traditional music: we reject our own as the uncool stuff our grandpas like, but someone else's grandpa music? well, it's exotic and interesting. The opening "Star Of The County Down" immediately caught my attention, with its rhythm and instrumentation so different from what I had heard until then: bagpipes, fiddles, flutes and tin whistles. As this wonderful song was my first contact with Irish folk, it's no wonder I immediately became a fan. "Irish Heartbeat" and "Celtic Ray" are two older Van songs, reinterpreted in an Irish old-timey manner yet still close to his familiar Celtic Soul style. The traditional ballads ("Raglan Road", "She Moved Through The Fair", "My Lagan Love" and "Carrickfergus") showcase Van's voice beautifully. Listening to them now is a pleasure, but at the time I was more interested in the jauntier tracks like "Marie's Wedding" and, especially, "I'll Tell Me Ma".

Here's the whole gang. For some reason, Van is posing with a fiidle...

Can't help but sing along and dance to such infectiously groovy tunes! "Tá Mo Chleamhnas Déanta" was another surprise, a ballad about arranged marriages and lost loves, Van trading vocals with The Chieftain's Kevin Conneff singing in Gaelic. What a crazy language, not a single word sounds familiar! Thank God for Van translating the lyrics, though "wee lass" wasn't exactly the kind of English I was taught at school. The Chieftains went on to make more crossover albums with pop and rock artists -I have a few and will present them here sometime- but this one is special for me. Great, great music! Certainly put me in the right mood, I think I'll brave the cold and go to the St. Patrick Day festival after all! 

***** for Star Of The County Down, Tá Mo Chleamhnas Déanta, I'll Tell Me Ma

**** for Irish Heartbeat, Raglan Road, She Moved Through The Fair, Carrickfergus, Marie's Wedding

*** for Celtic Ray, Lagan Love

Hayseed Dixie "Let There Be Rockgrass" 2004****

 

On hearing Hayseed Dixie were coming to Paard I apped my friends to keep their Tuesday night free and get ready for a honkin' good time. At that point I hadn't seen any live clips of the band but I had a couple of their CD's and so I had an idea of what we were about to witness. It turned out even better than I expected - the guys are experienced entertainers and know how to put on a show. Leader John Wheeler a.k.a. Barley Scotch has been at it for 18 years now. On stage he proved to be very articulate, not just funny but intelligent and well-informed as well. I usually have little patience for between song banter, but with Hayseed Dixie it's part of the show - though, of course, it's their turbo charged bluegrass/rock hybrid that everyone was there for, and they certainly delivered on that respect. The rest of the band (seemingly consisted by a dwarf from Hobbit on mandolin and hilarious posing, the long lost 4th ZZ Top member on bass and Arnold Swarzenegger's twin -yes, I do mean Danny De Vito- on banzo) were also great showmen. The turnout that night may have been low (at best 150 people, many of whom had never heard the band) but, by the end of the night, Hayseed Dixie had made 150 new fans, not to mention almost sold out their merchandise.

It was a crazy idea: let's marry two genres that were never supposed to meet, hard rock and bluegrass country. Ever wondered how would AC/DC sound played by acoustic instruments? I'm not just talking acoustic guitars, but some of the un-rock-iest instruments ever: banjos, mandolins and fiddles. John Wheeler and company (a different line up to the one we saw at The Paard) thought it sounded like a great idea. So they formed an impromptu hillbilly band they called Hayseed Dixie (sounds a bit like AC DC doesn't it?) and made a whole album of AC/DC covers just for the fun of it. Some would have thought a whole album of it is overkill. You know, a joke may be funny the first time you hear it, raise a smile the second time around, but how long can you keep up with it? Well, guess what: 17 years and 15 albums later, Hayseed Dixie are still going strong. It isn't just a testament to their stubbornness or determination to milk every last dollar from their original idea - people love their music (dubbed rockgrass) because it's funny, rowdy and exhilarating. Some of the songs from their debut are reprised here, mostly in live versions, while others come from their 2nd "Tribute to Mountain Love", one from their 3rd album "Kiss My Grass" and still others are new. The 5 AC/DC tunes -especially the live versions- are a hoot, with the Reno brothers' banjos providing an unlikely but worthy substitute for the Young brothers' electric guitars. The speedball banjo on Motörhead's "Ace of Spades" is a definite highlight but some of the other covers are just as entertaining: Aerosmith's "Walk This Way", Kiss' "Detroit Rock City" and The Darkness' "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" have strong hooks that still sound great in these unfamiliar arrangements. Their version of Queen's "Fat Bottomed Girls" makes you think it was always meant to be sung by sleazy rednecks, while The J. Geils Band's "Centerfold" was, of course, already a rockfied country tune so they just had to return it to its natural state. Live staple "Will the Circle Be Broken" is typical country fare, as are the band's two originals, of which the scatological ballad "I'm Keeping Your Poop" is the better known - and Wheeler's own favourite among his compositions. He said it's a very personal song about his first girlfriend, which I frankly find mildly disturbing. Anyway it's a hugely entertaining album that combines nimble and buoyant playing with tongue-in-cheek humour, and a perfect introduction to the band. If it doesn't make you laugh, you may be suffering from depression. If it doesn't make you sing, dance and holler you're probably one of them Taliban music/life haters. Get it, and by all means if you have the chance to see Hayseed Dixie live, don't miss it.

**** for Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (AC/DC), Fat Bottomed Girls (Queen), You Shook Me All Night Long (AC/DC), Ace of Spades (Motörhead), Detroit Rock City (Kiss), Walk This Way (Aerosmith), Touch Too Much (AC/DC), Highway to Hell (AC/DC) 

*** for Whole Lotta Rosie (AC/DC), I Believe in a Thing Called Love (The Darkness), Corn Liquor, Feel Like Makin' Love (Bad Company), Centerfold (J. Geils Band), I'm Keeping Your Poop, Will the Circle Be Broken (trad.)

Osiris "Osiris" 1981***

After moving to the new house, I had to rearrange my CD's. I used my usual classification: two big broad categories "classic" and "new" rock, plus other, less expansive for me, genres and sub-genres (e.g. jazz, country, punk, psychedelia, electronica etc) all arranged alphabetically. I had to add another category I call "poor relatives" for albums that will stay out of view in drawers or boxes because the shelves are full. Tough choice, but had to do it. Here's my criteria: first of all, the doubles i.e. CD's that I also have in vinyl: Go to the attic please. Secondly, minor albums from bands whose long discography already takes up a lot of shelf space. "A Bigger Bang" in the drawer you go. Thirdly, compilations from groups whose interesting albums are already on the shelf: Queen's Greatest Hits I, II and III, I don't even know what you're doing here. To the attic! Fourthly, groups the world has rightly forgotten: Gigolo Aunts, you had your day. It was April 4, 2015. Maybe I'll listen to you again after 10 years, but don't count on it. The drawers! Fifthly, well, the freebies: Uncut, Mojo, Pop+Rock, CMJ: thank you for the free CDs, you introduced me to artists I wouldn't have otherwise known. Now get in the box! There is no sixthly -and thank God, because sixthly is such an ugly word. But -stay with me and you'll see what I'm getting to- there's another new classification which I haven't quite settled on yet: the geographical. There's a section of my wall starting from Ireland and ending in Quebec (don't ask my why). The problem is, of course, that it messes with the other categories. There's no good reason why Christy Moore is in the Irish section and Gary Moore in the Classic Rock section. Or why Kraftwerk are in the German section and Can in the prog/experimental section. A friend inspecting my South America shelf remarked that I had missed Chile. I said "of course not, I have Aguaturbia but it's in the psychedelia shelf" and promptly moved it to close the shameful gap. At which point my eye fell on this one and I was like "wow, I actually have a rock CD from Bahrein". Now that's a gap that could go unnoticed for ever. Only it didn't. So now my tiny Middle East corner is a little fuller, and I'm eagerly waiting for someone to challenge me by asking whether I have anything in Arabic prog. 
Not that there are many clues as to the band's origin, other than their naming themselves after an Egyptian God. Osiris' heart and soul are the brothers Mohamed (guitar) and Nabil (drums) Al-Sadeqi who, upon returning from studies in England and the U.S., decided to recruit like-minded musicians and create the first prog rock band in their country. Singer Isa Janahi is often referred to as Sabah Al-Sadeqi, probably a nickname to make the band sound like even more of a family affair. He's a competent singer: he can carry a melody and sings English comfortably and without much of an accent, but his voice is neither powerful nor versatile enough to leave an impression. There are no less than three keyboardists (playing piano, organ, and a mini-moog synth) in the band, so you can bet they are all over the place, although the dominant instrument is the electric guitar. Reviewers at progarchives.com all point to the similarities between Osiris and English band Camel, although they all resist making a bad joke about it (Arabs - Camel: get it? No you're right, it's not that funny). The lack of state-of-the-art recording studios in the country means that the production is not particularly impressive but the playing is very good and compositions as good as anything coming from Europe in the period. Opener "Fantasy" is one of the highlights, a heavy prog tune reminiscent of Eloy. "Sailor on the Seas of Fate" is a 12-minute epic with some oriental percussion for local colour and nice analogue synths. "Struggle to Survive" gets to a rocking start and sports some heavy guitar solos, but it's the soft and melodic keys and vocals that follow that really hit the spot. "Atmun" is a dynamic instrumental while "Embers of a Flame" alternates melodic passages with crunchy hard rock and "A Story of Love" begins -as one would expect- like a ballad but also sports a heavy jam section between 3:30-5:30. The closing "Paradox in A Major" begins with a catchy Arabic melody played on the electric guitar and could have been a nice commercial single if it kept on the same manner, but it kind of fizzles out in an amiable but rather lukewarm sequence. The band is apparently still (semi) active and has released a handful of well-received albums. I'll admit I bought this as a curio because of its unusual origin, but it was a surprisingly enjoyable listen. It should satisfy most classic prog fans, so if you're one you would do well to seek out a copy. The initial pressing of around 1000 self released LP's lies beyond most mere mortals' budget, but there's a recent bootleg reissue by Prog Temple - this is the one I have.

**** for Fantasy, Sailor on the Seas of Fate, Struggle to survive, Embers of a Flame

*** for Atmun, A Story of Love, Paradox in A Major