Mutantes "Live - Barbican Theatre, London, 2006" 2007****

Another band I never expected to see live, I discovered Os Mutantes around the turn of the millennium, when Luaka Bop released a compilation of their 1960s material. It received rave reviews, and after hearing it myself I couldn’t help but agree: this eclectic, whimsical and experimental yet often poppy mix sounded as exciting and unique as anything from the era. The band disbanded in the early 1970s, having achieved little recognition outside their native Brazil until the Luaka Bop compilation introduced them to a new international audience. A few years later their albums were reissued on CD — and eventually vinyl as well — while a partially reunited lineup celebrated the band’s 40th anniversary with a major London concert, documented on the CD/DVD release reviewed here. The following years brought sporadic new albums and live appearances by a version of the band led by original guitarist Sergio Dias. They rarely venture into Europe, so last year’s Amsterdam performance — their first Dutch show since 2016 — felt unmissable. They no longer wear outlandish costumes onstage, and, at 75, Sergio Dias isn't in great shape physically, singing and playing seated for most of the show, but his guitar work remained superb, with echoes of Hendrix and Santana throughout. The band alternated between proggy psychedelia and pure pop (e.g. "Baby"). The harmonies were as strong as ever, while Esméria Bulgari handled the lead vocals admirably. Rita Lee, of course, who left the band in 1972 and died in 2023 remains irreplaceable. The other great absentee was Sergio’s brother, Arnaldo Baptista: he has often struggled with mental health issues linked to his past excessive LSD use, and took his leave from the band, long ago.

He nevertheless can be heard on this live CD, alongside Dias, original drummer Dinho Leme, and guest singer Zélia Duncan. Esméria Bulgari was also present on this occasion, albeit only as a backing singer. As I mentioned earlier, Os Mutantes have always been a very peculiar band, drawing on everything from Beatlesy pop and bossa nova to ballads and psychedelic rock, all filtered through a lens of whimsy and anarchic humor not unlike that of the Bonzo Dog Band—while sounding nothing like them in practice. Such eclecticism often left them difficult to categorize. For many years they were mentioned—if at all—only as part of the Tropicália movement, which also included more celebrated Brazilian artists like Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, and Tom Zé. This was too restrictive, since all of those artists were closer to Brazilian musical traditions, whereas Os Mutantes explored a much wider range of styles. This live CD manages to encapsulate most of them, making it one of the best entry points into the band's music. The performances are uniformly strong, while the arrangements benefit from a fuller band and generally sound more polished than the original versions. Some listeners may miss the rough edges of the originals, but I believe very little is lost in the process. Opener "Don Quixote" is an impressive psychedelic mess, incorporating everything from an orchestral fanfare to the band's signature harmonies and Dias' electric-guitar outbursts. This is followed by "Virginia", a charming Beatlesque ballad. The pace then picks up with a pair of upbeat Latin rockers: "Cantor de Mambo"—reminiscent of Santana and featuring some first-rate electric guitar in this live rendition—and "El Justicero". Hilariously, Tony Blair and "Jorge" Bush are portrayed as Old West gunslingers in the song's intro. The mood changes once again with the exotic, chilled-out bossa nova of "Baby" and "I'm Sorry Baby", both sung in English. Later, "Dia 36" and "Ave Lucifer" drift by as stoned psychedelic ballads awash in vocal distortion and spaced-out effects, while "Fuga No. 11" and "Balada do Louco" evoke a dreamlike meeting point between Gilberto Gil and John Lennon. The acoustic "Le premier bonheur du jour" adds a Rennaissence flavor, while "I Feel a Little Spaced Out" (original Portuguese title was "Ando Meio Desligado") perfectly embodies the sound of The Summer of Love: Imagine throwing The Zombies, Jefferson Airplane, early Pink Floyd, and the soundtrack to Hair! into a blender and ending up with something surprisingly coherent. As the concert nears its end, Os Mutantes showcase their riotous carnivalesque side on "A Minha Menina" and "Bat Macumba" before bowing out with an ecstatic English-language rendition of "Panis et Circenses" that once again recalls The Beatles circa Sgt. Pepper. The above track listing corresponds to my own (UK) version of the album, which combines a single CD and DVD video. There is also a US double-CD edition that adds five songs but omits the visual content. Those tracks are reinstated on my DVD, which also includes a short documentary, video clips from the concert and rehearsals, and a photo gallery. The DVD offers both stereo and surround-sound audio options, as well as subtitles for the lyrics. To be honest, neither the video quality nor the surround mix is particularly impressive, which means I find myself returning to the CD far more often than the DVD. Now, I know that many fans may find Rita Lee's absence difficult to overlook, English translation of the lyrics somewhat incongruous, and the band's live sound a little too down-to-earth for their liking. For myself, I believe that Live In Barbican, 2006 successfully captures the eclecticism, humor, musicianship, and sense of adventure that made Os Mutantes so special in the first place. For newcomers, it serves as an ideal introduction; for existing fans, it's a rewarding celebration of this unique band. Having finally seen the band in concert, I can confirm that, sixty years on, the magic is still there.

***** for Cantor de Mambo, Baby, I Feel a Little Spaced Out

**** for Virginia, El justiciero, I'm Sorry Baby,  Dia 36, Fuga Nº II, Ave Lucifer, Balada do Louco, A Minha Menina, Bat Macumba, Panis et Circenses

*** for Don Quixote, Le Premier Bonheur du Jour

The Green Pajamas "This Is Where We Disappear" 2001****

Coincidentally, a few weeks ago I wrote about The Green Pajamas in a post on a Paisley Underground anthology box set—and thanks to random selection, here they are again. That compilation featured their early cult favorite “Kim the Waitress”; this time, we get “The Waitress at the Old White Lion.” (Really, does Jeff Kelly have some kind of waitress fixation?) This track is a tender ballad, built on gently strummed acoustic guitar, piano, and soft female backing vocals. It recalls early Pink Floyd pieces like “If” and “Green Is the Colour.” That same ’60s-tinged acoustic vibe runs through “Softly, Elizabeth,” “Would You Even Say Hello,” and “Spinning Away,” while “French to Japanese” adds a dash of McCartney-style pop charm with its old-fashioned jazzy piano. The lyrics, as in the excellent “Moorland Ghost,” often draw on the Gothic supernatural fiction of Wilkie Collins and Edgar Allan Poe, while musically the album leans toward British acid folk. It nevertheless doesn’t stay in that pastoral mode for long. Much of it expands into fuller arrangements that nudge things toward ’90s alternative rock—not grunge, but something closer to fellow Seattleites The Walkabouts. Drums and fuzzed-out bass and electric guitar appear often, most notably on the upbeat title track and garage rocker “Matilda,” while “Something’s Gone Wrong” even flirts with funk, complete with soulful bass and horns. “Downslide” stands out as an outlier: with Laura Weller’s vocals and electric guitar at the forefront, it resembles the goth/shoegaze sound of The Cranes. Elsewhere, “Sweet 16” plays it relatively straight as a pop tune, “Sweet Moth/36 Envelopes” drifts into darker territory, and “The Wave (It’s Becoming Very Clear)” closes things out with a neat trick—revisiting the opening lyrics but swapping fuzz guitars for something grander and more orchestral. The CD booklet includes enchanting original artwork by Susanne Kelly (the singer’s wife), along with lyrics and medieval woodcut prints. All in all, this is one of the most accessible albums from the incredibly prolific Jeff Kelly. By blending Paisley Underground neo-psychedelia with his fascination for Elizabethan folk and Gothic literature, he has carved out a distinctive, idiosyncratic style—one that should appeal to fans of Peter Hammill, Robyn Hitchcock, or Paul Roland.

**** for This Is Where We Disappear, Softly Elizabeth, The Moorland Ghost, French To Japanese, Matilda, Something's Gone Wrong, Spinning Away, Sweet Moth / 36 Envelopes, Downslide, The Wave (It's Becoming Very Clear)

*** for Secret Circle, Would You Even Say Hello, The Waitress At The Old White Lion, Sweet 16, Wild Desire

Various Artists "This Can't Be Today - American Psychedelia & The Paisley Underground 1977-1988" 2026(comp)****

Eighties music always gets an awfully bad rep; I guess that's to be expected if one judges from the era's hit parade and dominant production techniques. But to me, a teenager of that era, it was a time of exciting musical discoveries; yes there was very little of value on the MTV, but we had pirate radio - until the late 80's when the state monopoly of the airwaves was lifted, that is. Rock FM 969, the first station dedicated to rock music, was established in 1989. Until then, our main sources of musical education were pirate radio, music magazine pop + rock, and above all the mix tapes we exchanged with friends. The music bars around Exarchia also introduced us to some great bands: staples of the time included the Violent Femmes, Gun Club, Fuzztones, as well as some of the groups featured in this compilation. I started building my record collection in the mid 80's; I bought very few new LPs, only those by bands I absolutely wanted to have; instead I bought slightly older "nice price" releases or used vinyl - since information was scarce, my record buying habbits were largely guided by instinct and price: if I had read or vaguely heard about a band that sounded up my alley, and the price was right, I'd risk buying their record. Album covers played a big role; paisley or psychedelic designs, or fonts similar to 60s psychedelic, would always catch my eye. Certain record companies, too: Bomp, Voxx, Dionysus, Skyclad, Midnight Records, German indie Music Maniac: all these released a slew of garage/neo-psychedelic records. All through the late 80's and early 90's I collected everything garage/psych- related I could get my hands on, either the original 60s stuff or neo-psychedelic revival. A lot of them disappeared during the great vinyl purge, but a relatively big chunk (compared to vinyl of other genres) has stayed with me, to this day.

A month or two ago, I read about this release in Mojo Magazine. I've always had a soft spot for paisley underground bands, so, knowing that Cherry Red Records has done a great job anthologizing other periods/genres, I ordered the box set from Amazon. It consists of three CDs in a sturdy clamshell box. Each CD has 20+ tracks, making up a total of 67. There's a mix of relatively well-known songs and rarities, some by future stars and some by others who went unnoticed at the time. As it turns out, I already had many of the songs in my collection, mostly on vinyl, but hadn't listened to them in a while. It's nice to hear them again now, in this kind of mixtape situation. The same goes for some LPs that I sold when I had to radically downsize my vinyl collection in the early 00's. I now have to re-evaluate my choices; I probably shouldn't have parted with The Rain Parade's Emergency Third Rail Power Trip. The two songs included here are ("What She's Done To Your Mind", "This Can't Be Today") are fine examples of Byrds-y neo-psychedelia with beautiful harmonies and jangly guitars. I guess that at the time I thought it was a bit too tame; I prefered bands that were louder, and more faithful to 60s garage as evidenced in the Nuggets, Pebbles, etc. compilations. There's a healthy dose of those here, and it's telling that most of these albums have stayed in my collection: The Tell-Tale Hearts, Prime Movers, Yard Trauma, Cynics, Mod Fun, and others. Plan 9's "White Woman" (1984) is a Seeds-like garage rocker, while The Vertebrats' "Left in the Dark" (1981) was one of the highlights of the classic Battle Of The Garages comp.

 

The Last's "She Don't Know Why I'm Here" is the oldest track here (1977), and the one that opens this (more or less chronologically ordered) comp. The Last came out of the L.A. punk rock scene, but played in a more melodic, 60s- influenced, style. Chris Bell's 1978 "I Am The Cosmos" probably doesn't belong here; Big Star's co-founder may have influenced some of these bands but belongs to a previous generation.  R. Stevie Moore's "I Go Into Your Mind" (1979) is a dreamy keyboard ballad, The Fans' "True" (1980) is power pop, and The dB's 1981 demo "Nothing Is Wrong" is a trippy ballad influenced by Big Star. As Californian post-punk bands began to embrace a softer garage sound, often embellished with country brushstrokes, a localized 60's revivalist movement appeared which was inspired by West Coast flower power rather than the punkier 60's sounds from Michigan or the Northwest. It became known as the paisley underground (PU), as these musicians favored vintage 60's gear and clothing. A typical example is Action Now, whose song "Try" was recorded for a compilation curated by influential DJ RodneyBingenheimer. It had all the PU hallmarks, but wasn't a hit, which led to guitarist/songwriter/backing vocalist Paula Pierce to leave and start her own, all-female, group: The Pandoras' gutsy music and Paula's snarly delivery evoked the bands that reigned in the Sunset Strip club scene circa 1966, like The Standells and Chocolate Watch Band. They made two amazing 60's sounding LPs and an ill-advised pseudo-metal one, before Paula tragically died of an aneurysm at the age of 31. Another all-female PU band had much better luck: The Bangs, led by Susana Hoffs and the Peterson sisters, also started out playing garage rock; softer than the Pandoras, their 1981 debut "Getting Out of Hand" is a playful garage pop single with Beatles-inspired harmonies. Legal action by another group obliged them to change their name, initially to The Bang-less, and then The Bangles. We get one more 60's-sounding track from their same-named EP (1983); already they had gotten more professional and commercial-sounding with the help of Blondie producer Craig Leon. Pretty soon they'd become one of the bigger pop groups of the era, leaving the PU scene behind. From the same year, sisters Kristy & Kelly Callan-fronted Wednesday Week offer more upbeat and melodic garage pop.

 

On the more psychedelic/experimental side, we get "Office Skills" (1980) and "Euphoric Trapdoor Shoes" (1983) by Plasticland, True West's Tomorrow/Pink Floyd sounding "Steps To The Door" (1983), and the ghostly "Nothing Is Saving Me" (Translator, 1982). Now that I think of it, the latter also has similarities to early Cure. Other songs giving off a mysterious/horror vibe are "Sheez Wycked" (The Twisted) and Human Expression cover "Every Night" (The Suburban Nightmare). Both songs feature fuzzed out organ and tortured Cramps-like vocals - in the latter case by Blag Dhalia, later to find notoriety with The Dwarves. Bands with a more contemporary new wave sound include Wire Train, Darius And The Magnets, and Al Bloch; his "Hanging Around" shares more than a title with The Stranglers. My favorite PU band was The Dream Syndicate; I must have seen Steve Wynn, either solo or with Dream Syndicate ten times. Their music wasn't as sunny as other bands of the scene; there was a definite influence by Velvet Underground and Neil Young & Crazy Horse. The two tracks included here ("Sure Thing" and a cover of Young's "Mr. Soul") were recorded Live at KPFK Radio in '82, a nice bonus for fans like me who already own their official discography. Green On Red's "Death And Angels" comes from their 1982 debut album recorded when they were still based in Tucson AZ. Later they'd move to California and adopt a more country-ish sound, although drummer Van Christian stayed behind and co-founded Naked Prey, who are represented here by the half-spoken heavy blues "The Story Never Ends" (1984). A similar path was followed by The Long Ryders: "And She Rides" (1983) is more garagey, while next year's "Too Close To The Light" signifies a move towards country rock. Sid Griffin of the Long Ryders as well as Yard Trauma's Lee Joseph started out, together with singer Shelley Ganz, as The Unclaimed. Their 1980 track "Deposition Central (The Acid Song)" is mid-tempo psychedelia; not what I expected, as I have a mini LP from a later incarnation which took a more frantic garage punk approach. That later incarnation featured Rich Coffee on guitar, who would soon also leave to form his own band, Thee Fourgiven. A 1985 track by them is included here; it's a somewhat more muscular garage rock with Doors-like vocals and a 13th Floor Elevators drone. Back to the sunnier sounds often associated with California, bands utilizing jangly Byrdsian guitars and Beatles-like harmonies include The Point (1983's "Magic Circle" features a baroque harpsichord break a la The Left Banke), Tommy Keene, The Reverbs, Dreams So Real, The Impossible Years, Dumptruck, and 28th Day. Another band with a jangly guitar sound whom you wouldn't initially think of bundling with the rest here, were Athens GA's REM - yet "Gardening At Night" from their debut EP fits very well with the rest. 

Other bands one does not normally associate with the PU sound because of their punk/hardcore pedigree are Redd Kross (here with an excellent cover of The Stones' "Citadel"), Hüsker Dü, and The Meat Puppets, whose second album is a pre-grunge/country/psych masterpiece. Nirvana covered no less than 3 songs from Meat Puppets II (1984) in their MTV Unplugged LP, including "Plateau" which also appears here. The Droogs are also a band apart; formed in 1972 they kept the garage-psych flame alive, existing at the margins and only releasing thir first LP Stone Cold World in 1984. I will never forget seeing them at a beach festival in Athens around 1990; they had flown in late the same night, and when they reached the festival grounds they expected it all to be over. Instead, everyone was still there and in high spirits; the band went onstage around 3:00 in the morning and played almost until dawn. The Eyes Of Mind's discography consists of a sole mini-LP (Tales Of The Turquoise Umbrella, 1984) which is still in my collection. "With You Again" is a melodic piece reminiscent of UK popsike circa '68. The Three O'Clock are quite similar, but for some reason I sold their LP during the Great Vinyl Purge. I seem to remember thinking it was too poppy, sound too clean, vocals too sweet. "Her Head's Revolving" (which is included here) proves me wrong: it's rocking a la early Pink Floyd, with nice psychedelic guitar effects. According to the booklet, Prince was a fan of the band; his composition "Manic Monday" was inspired by Three O Clock; he gifted the song to The Bangles, providing them with a huge international hit. Disc 3 of the compilation covers the second half of the 80's; it opens with The United States of Existence's "Welcome Tomorrow, Goodbye Today", a song that reminds me of the band Tomorrow, with its swirling organ and sitar. The Flaming Lips peaked around the turn of the millenium, but they've been around for a long time. "With You" from their 1986 debut alternates acoustic folk psych with loud distorted guitars. Camper Van Beethoven's "Circles" employs classic experimental tricks like backwards vocals, psychedelic effects, and exotic sitar. Atlanta's Drivin' N Cryin' later found fame with a heavier Southern Rock sound, but "Count The Flowers" (1986) is a powerful 60's-style pure garage/psych rocker. At the other end of the musical spectrum, Game Theory's "Regenisraen" is an elegant acoustic ballad with Simon and Garfunkel-like harmonies.

 

LA's The Things ("You Can't Deliver", 1986) walk in the footsteps of 60's bands like Love and The Byrds, while Flying Color ("Dear Friend") and Winter Hours ("Hyacinth Girl") bridge the 60's with the contemporary indie folk of The Smiths and Stone Roses. The Steppes, fronted by Irish singer-songwriter brothers John and David Fallon, relocated to LA, joining the local scene and therefore earning a place in this, US-only, compilation. They're one of my favorite bands of the era, reminsing me of early Pink Floyd and UK 60's band The Kaleidoscope. The Green Pajamas are another favorite; I own a few of their albums as well as a solo one by Jef Kelly. Kelly's voice reminds me of Donovan, Marc Bolan, and Paul Roland. "Kim The Waitress" is a nice piece of romantic psychedelia, dominated by distorted sitar. The only track hailing from 1987 is The Inn's "What's It Like", a garagey folk rocker. The final 5 tracks all come from 1988: Absolute Grey's "For Some Reason" is alt-rock with trippy vocals, The Cynics' "Took Her Hand" is pure 60s-style garage punk, while The Sneetches' "Home Again" is Kinks-like 60s pop. Dead Moon, as I've mentioned before, are the band that, to me, perfectly embody the spirit of authentic rock and roll; "Graveyard" evokes the 13th Floor Elevators, with 60's veteran Fred Cole proving an equally good screamer to Roky Erickson. The box set closes with Ultra Vivid Scene's "Mercy Seat", dreamy hypnotic psychedelia that seems to presage the 90's shoegaze genre. All in all, this is a hearty compilation that embraces all the facets of the neopsychedelic/paisley underground 80's phenomenon with meaningful detours into classic garage punk, mainstream alternative rock, jangly indie pop, and new wave. For myself, it's both a trip to memory lane and an educational introduction to music that aligned to my taste but had escaped my attention at the time. At 67 tracks, This Can't Be Today offers an embarassment of riches for what is nowadays the price of a single new LP.

***** for The Vertebrats - Left in the Dark, R.E.M. - Gardening At Night, The Long Ryders - And She Rides, The Rain Parade - This Can't Be Today, The Pandoras - It's About Time, Meat Puppets - Plateau, The Tell-Tale Hearts - Come And Gone, The Steppes - Sky Is Falling, Dead Moon – Graveyard

**** for The Last - She Don't Know Why I'm Here, Plasticland - Office Skills, The Bangs - Getting Out of Hand, Chris Bell - I Am The Cosmos, The Fans - True, Green On Red - Death And Angels, The Unclaimed - Deposition Central (The Acid Song), The Dream Syndicate - Sure Thing (Live at KPFK), Translator - Nothing Is Saving Me, Al Bloch - Hangin' Around, Wednesday Week - Sad Little Dog, The Rain Parade - What She's Done To Your Mind, True West - Steps To The Door, The Point - Magic Circle, Wire Train – Everything’s Turning Up Down Again, Darius And The Magnets - Saturday At 3:00 P.M., Plan 9 - White Women, Redd Kross - Citadel, Droogs - For These Remaining Days, Naked Prey - The Story Never Ends, Bangles - The Real World, The Long Ryders - Too Close To The Light, The Three O'Clock - Her Head's Revolving, The Eyes Of Mind - With You Again, The Impossible Years - Flower Girl, Thee Fourgiven - Anything, The Romans - Vicki Seventy, The Prime Movers - True To Me, The Suburban Nightmare - Every Night, Yard Trauma - Must've Been Something I Took Last Night, The United States of Existence - Welcome Tomorrow, Goodbye Today, 28th Day - 25 Pills, Dumptruck - Back Where I Belong, Hüsker Dü - Hardly Getting Over It, The Flaming Lips - With You, Game Theory - Regenisraen, Drivin' N Cryin' - Count The Flowers, The Things - You Can't Deliver, Flying Color - Dear Friend, Winter Hours - Hyacinth Girl, The Green Pajamas - Kim The Waitress, Mod Fun - Hope It's Today, The Inn - What's It Like, Absolute Grey - For Some Reason, The Cynics - Took Her Hand

*** for The dB's - Nothing Is Wrong (Demo), Action Now – Try, Tommy Keene - Mr. Roland, R. Stevie Moore - I Go Into Your Mind, Plasticland - Euphoric Trapdoor Shoes, The Dream Syndicate – Mr Soul (Live at KPFK), The Reverbs - Picture An Eye, The Twisted - Sheez Wycked, Dreams So Real - Everywhere Girl, Thin White Rope - The Three Song,  Camper Van Beethoven - Circles, The Sneetches - Home Again, Ultra Vivid Scene - Mercy Seat

Beyond The Wizards Sleeve "Spring" 2006***

I don't know if you've noticed but I'm not into electronic music, like, at all. I mean it occupies a very small corner in my wall-to-wall CD shelves. Just a few very mainstream stuff: Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, Daft Punk etc. So what is a 12'' "dance" vinyl by a couple of underground UK DJ's doing in my collection? I stumbled on it by accident at my neighborhood record store's bargain bin, and was drawn by the cover artwork. So I took it to the shop's listening station and liked what I heard. First of all, a few words about the artist: As it turns out, Beyond The Wizards Sleeve consists of two famous London DJ's. One of them (Richard Norris) used to work for Bam-Caruso in the 80s; I have some fabulous 60's popsike compilations by that label, and can only imagine how much psychedelic music flowed into their offices for them to be able to compile those LPs. So it's not surprising that Norris himself likens it to "going to psychedelic university". Since he came in contact with these psychedelic 60's rarities, his self-confessed obsession became to combine them with modern dance music, something that drove him to get involved in the acid house scene of the late 80's. Finding a kindred spirit in DJ/producer/remixer Erol Alkan, they starting organizing DJ sets together and re-editing some of their psychedelic faves for the dancefloor. Spring marks one of their earlier releases, showcasing their ability to bring new life to psych pop classics by re-editing them, adding beats, and inserting samples both of older works and of newly constructed music by the duo. Two of the pieces they choose to cover are fairly well-known: The Rolling Stones' "2000 Light Years from Home" (1967) and Neu!'s - "Hallogallo" (1972). From the fact that the sale of this release on discogs isn't permitted, I would guess that the guys haven't exactly obtained permission for their use of these samples. "Light Years" (as it's called here) sounds trippy in this incarnation, but then again so does the original. Seeing as it's such an overly familiar tune, I may have like to hear it more transformed. I prefer what they did with The Neu! song (here under the name "I Swim Around"): it's chugging along in its familiar motorik rhythm but it's far more spacy. According to the whosampled website, it also contains a sample of "The Other Side" by Tiny Tim (1968). Opener "Don't Cry Girl" is really Illés' "A Bolond Lány" (1967), an upbeat rocker from Hungary with a funky beat that lends itself well to a dance-floor friendly re-imagination. Ditto with "Words", originally a glam pop single called "It's Only Words" (1973) by completely unknown (to me, that is) band Rescue Co. No. 1. "The Fifth Note" meshes garage rocker "Black Butter, Present" by Strawberry Alarm Clock with spoken word "The  Blue Sari" by Chiitra Neogy (both 1968), while closer "The Perfumed Garden" only utilizes the spoken word intro on "Romany Soup"  by Tyrannosaurus Rex (1969) backed by a music carpet of spacey/psychedelic sound effects. This mix of classic psychedelia with dance music seems to have created an exciting sub-genre: Another band in the same vein would be The Amorphous Androgynous (also known as the psychedelic side project of techno duo The Future Sound Of London). Their Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble compilations are also highly recommnded.

**** for Words, I Swim Around

*** for Don't Cry Girl, The Fifth Note, Light Years 

** for The Perfumed Garden

Brigitte Fontaine "Est... Folle" 1968(orig.) 2025(reissue)*****

I had previously heard of Brigitte Fontaine, but was under the impression that she was just another French Chanson singer, like Dalida maybe, or Francoise Hardy. Then I read an article about this reissue which mentioned her as an avant-garde artist, someone in synch with the contemporary psychedelic scene. Apparently, her fans include Bjork as well as and members of Pulp, Stereolab, and Sonic Youth. Now these are some big endorsemenets, so I decided to check the album on Spotify, and was immediately hooked: the music is not as experimental as I expected (apparently, her subsequent work would be), sounding more lke a mix of chanson and acid folk. The orchestration (by Jean Claude Vannier, a Serge Gainsboug collaborator) is gorgeous but nuanced; not just beautiful, but also sometimes morose, others playful, even ironic. It reminded me of another favorite of mine from the same period, Tom Rapp's Pearls Before Swine - the similarities extending beyond the music also to the Hieronimus Bosch homage of the album cover - PBS used part of The Garden Of Earthly Delights triptych for their One Nation Underground LP cover, and a number of details from the same painting are incorporated here. At the time of this album's release, Fontaine was almost 30 years old, already accomplished as an actress and playwright; although it was the height of the yé-yé girls phenomenon, she refused to play along; there may be some similarities to Hardy at her more melancholic ("Il Pleut", "Une Fois Mais Pas Deux"), but more often she reminds me of Jacques Brel, especially on the more theatrical/cabaret-like numbers (e.g."Comme Rimbaud", "Je Suis Inadaptée"). Despite the relatively jaunty music, the lyrics are ironic and confrontational e.g. the former goes "I'm dirty, like Rimbaud/ Syphilitic, like Beaudelaire/ But maybe you don't like poetry, after all". She continues by trashing the luminaries of other art forms, and ends up with "I'm not a man, like Joan of Arc/But maybe you don't like women, after all". The latter song, meanwhile, confesses "But I can't help it/ I have to see the bad in everything/ I'm out of it, maladjusted." So yes, these are not your typical 60s yé-yé themes. It's way more interesting, provocative, and poetic. Thankfully, the bilingual insert contains the lyrics, both original and in the English translation. "Le Beau Cancer" and "L' Homme Objet" offer more sprightly Gallic jazz - if you liked the Amélie soundtrack, they will be right up your alley. "Il Se Passe Des Choses" and, especially, the melancholic "Dommage Que Tu Sois Mort" remind me of Nico circa Chelsea Girls - a likewise avant-garde female artist whose solo debut was also a compromise between their own experimental tendencies and a producer's idea of a romatic chanteuse. Not that that's a bad thing, mind you; in both cases the tasteful arrangements are among the best features of the respective LPs. "Il Se Passe Des Choses" is even darker, with a dramatic Marlen Detrich-esque vocal, and "Blanche Neige" is an experimental ballad, full of playful sonic touches and exotic sound effects. Somehow I was reminded of Siouxsie's side project, The Creatures. Which brings us to another experimental piece, "Eternelle". Probably my favorite track here, it's a rhythmic piece with quirky backing vocals. The album closes with "Cet Enfant Que Je T’Avais Fait" a duet with Jacques Higelin, a fine piece of orchestral pop; the similarites with Vannier's famous arrangments for Histoire de Melody Nelson are obvious. One of the perks of this latest reissue (apart from the crisp remastered sound, gatefold cover and glossy insert) is that it allows you to experience Vannier's orchestral work on its own, as the bonus LP contains instrumental versions of 7 of the tracks. We also get 8 demos, giving the songs a starker feel; they sound folkier, but definitively still weird. Lastly, we get a live version of "Il Pleut" from 1969. It's radically different; at 6 minutes it's more than twice as long as the studio version, bluesier and more improvisational, with a passionate vocal performance including a lot of wordless vocalizing. Her next album, which many consider to be her best, was a more experimental collaboration with the Art Ensemble of Chicago. She'd go on to produce other uncompromising records that sailed among pop, folk, electro and world music, which I aim to slowly get into. Brigitte Fontaine Est...Folle is, in any case, a great introduction; a highly idiosynchratic mesmerizing fusion of French chanson, orchestral pop and Velvet Underground-like 60s avante -garde. Best new album I've heard in months.

***** for Il Pleut, Le Bleu Cancer, Il Se Passe Des Choses, Une Fois Mais Pas Deux, Eternelle

**** for L' Homme Objet, Blanche Neige, Comme Rimbaud, Dommage Que Tu Sois Mort, Je Suis Inadaptée, Cet Enfant Que Je T'avais Fait

**** for all of Disc 2 (demos, orchestral, and live versions)

Various Artists "Raks Raks Raks: 17 Golden Garage Psych Nuggets From the Iranian 60s Scene" 2009(comp)****

Right now the situation in Iran is really bad; a protest that started from the market, initially because of economic grievances, has turned into a nationwide rebellion against everything the theocratic dictatorship stands for. Paramilitary types shoot in the midst of the demonstrations, killing 100's of civilians. Expat Iranian friends of mine are living in constant fear for their friends and relatives still living there: all internet connections in the country are severed, as is telephone communication from abroad. One the other hand, they feel a glimmer of hope: how much longer can a corrupt and incompetent government keep imposing themselves on an unwilling public? surely this time it should collapse under the weight of the people's righteous anger? Maybe the West (i.e. Trump) will help? For my part, I'm both hopeful and fearful of change. Hopeful that this attrocious dictatorship will at last come to its end, fearful that its end may cause Iran to deteriorate into a Syria-like civil war between multiple factions. When people are bereft of freedom for so long, they sometimes tend to forget how to arrive to decisions through mutual respect, open discussion, negotiation, and compromise. Factor in all the power-hungry world leaders and multinational corporations eager to steer the boat their way in order to get their hands on the country's natural resources, and one sees how precarious it all is. Anyway, earlier in the week when all this begun, I took out this compilation and played it a few times, to remind myself that things used to be different and may again change to the better. That, far from being a bunch of religious fanatics as the regime wants us to think, the people are as fun- and freedom- loving as anyone in the West. 

When this album was first released back in '09, it was greeted with disbelief; such is the isolation that the theocratic regime has imposed on its citizens that we couldn't conceive of rock music ever being produced in Iran. Well, what do you know? Not only did Iran have a vibrant club scene in pre-revolutionary times, it still has, even though it's all been pushed underground and young people run the risk of being arrested or worse just for attending an unlisenced rock concert - especially if it involves dancing and women removing their hijab, which they do immediately when they are in a safe indoors space. Back in the 60's though, the country was undergoing a "modernization" phase, although not a democratic one: the regime was an absolute monarchy, and prisons were full of dissidents, but otherwise a distancing from Islamic customs and towards Western ones was encouraged; the Shah for example would enjoy private performances of contemporary Rolling Stones hits by local bands like The Sinners. Who aren't included in this compilation, but we have many others... crucially The Golden Ring, who according to internet sources were the most popular and longest-lived Iranian rock band. Now, the CD version of this compilation contains 27 tracks instead of 17, and comes with a booklet with info about the bands; my own vinyl LP didn't contain any inserts so unfortunately there's very little information I can impart. The internet was minimally helpful; for example, I found out that Kourosh's "Akhm Nakan" wasn't released in the 60's but in 1974, and that the singer's full name is Kourosh Yaghmaei, sometimes refered to as the Persian "king of rock". His reign was short indeed, as he only managed to release a handful of singles before being banned from playing any kind of music in 1979; that ban lasted for 17 years, but even after it was lifted he was not allowed to record anything that contained electric guitars or sounded even remotely like rock. "Akhm Nakan" definitevely does sound like 1968 UK psych-funk-hard rock, with great bass breaks and pounding drums, but a non-Western sensibility in the vocals; I thought he sounded a bit like Anatolian rocker Cem Karaca, but it could be the singer's giant moustache that clicked something in my brain. This song is followed by one of very few English-language tracks here, as well as the only one with female lead vocals: a cover of Aretha's "Respect" sung by another icon of Persian music, Googoosh. Googoosh was a hugely popular singer and actress before the revolution, but she, too, was prohibited to sing publicly. She resurfaced after leaving the country in 2000, and is now one of the prominent voices of the Iranian diaspora. Her performance here is extremely energetic, while the band plays somewhat looser and jazzier than in the original American version of the song. Another English-language track is the closer "I Need Somebody To Love" by Shabah, a ballad with saccharine harmonies. A third one might be The Rebels' "Indian Rebels" - I mean, I think I discern some English words but I'm not 100% sure, such is the quality of the recording and accent of the singers. I like it though; it's lo-fi mid-tempo garage rock with a nice surf-like guitar break. In general, irrespective of when these songs were recorded (and I'm pretty sure it was way after the surf craze had passed), Iranian guitarists seemed to derive inspiration from Hank Marvin or The Ventures rather than from Clapton or Hendrix. Especially The Golden Rings; "Bas Ay Dokhtar Ha" is a Ventures-like instrumental with groovy organ, while "Shekar Dar Kohestan" features some wordless vocalizing and loud whistling that reminds me of Ennio Morricone Westerns. Other great instrumentals include Penahi's "Dance-Music" and Littles "4x8 Jadeed". That band, fronted by singer Ebi Littles, has two more songs here: opener "Fatemah Sultan" is a garage-beat cover of a traditional tune, and "Mehtaab" is a moody ballad. Moha Jamin also have 3 tracks here, each one different from the others: "Sheshwa Heshat Moha Jamin" is built around an oriental melody, "Ashk-e Roya-e Bashkohe" is a Zombies-like ballad, and (my favorite) "Raks Raks Raks" a scorching garage rocker that's the equal to any included in the American Nuggets series. Other favorites include The Flowers' garage-psych-folk "Meekshi Manoo" and oriental-exotica psych "Mosh Va Karnah" by Group Sayeed. Lastly, "Dokhtar E Darya" and "Polhaee Shakastah" are a couple of folk-psych ballads. As I mentioned earlier, the CD contains more songs, including Persian-language covers of Ray Charles and Monkeys songs, but it won't be presented here since I only own this compilation on vinyl. In general, this isn't like one of those European garage rock comps where you have Swedish, Portuguese, or Czech bands emulating the sound of The Beatles, Stones, Animals et al. Maybe it's a language thing, but the "ethnic" element is way more pronounced; especially the singing is more complex and playful, sometimes reminiscent of the melismatic Arabic style, others of Indian music. In any case, if you like 60's pop-rock and aren't put out by the strange and exotic sounds of the Farsi language, this LP is full of rare treasures - you may not like all of them, but they're worth your attention.

***** for Moha Jamin - Raks Raks Raks 

**** for Littles - Fatemah Sultan, The Flowers - Meekshi Manoo, Littles - 4x8 Jadeed, Ojooba Ha - Polhaee Shakastah, Penahi - Dance-Music, The Rebels - Indian Rebels, Kourosh - Akhm Nakan, The Golden Ring - Shekar Dar Kohestan

*** for Moha Jamin - Sheshwa Heshat Moha Jamin, Group Takhala La - Dokhtar E Darya, Moha Jamin - Ashk-e Roya-e Bashkohe, The Golden Ring - Bas Ay Dokhtar Ha, Googoosh - Respect, Group Sayeed - Mosh Va Karnah, The Littles - Mehtaab, Shabah - I Need Somebody To Love

P.S. I couldn't resist a comment on the album cover art. There's what seems like a nice geometric motiff in green and red on the sides of the back cover. Only it isn't exactly a purely decorative design: taken from the modern (post-revolutionary) Iranian flag, this is actually a Kufik (calligraphic Arabic) script endlessly repeating the phrase Allahu Akbar (God Is Great). Given that this is most definitely a collection of secular songs by artists persecuted by the theocratic regime, this reads like a bit of a fail.

These Trails "These Trails" 1973*****

This is another album I hadn't heard in many years. When I took this out for a spin, I thought "I remember this, it's a good one - native American acid folk". Close enough: it's really Hawaiian, but there really is a crucial native element here, as the music and lyrics are steeped in that island country's tradition and inspired by its tropical landscape. Maybe the font used on the cover played tricks with my memory, as it reminded me of old Western movies. The songs are mainly the work of a local couple: singer/guitarist Patrick Cockett was a native Hawaiian and student of traditional music, while singer-songwriter Margaret Morgan was a Hawaiian-born white girl from an old and distinguished family of sugar plantation owners. She was away studying in California, but they met at Hanalei beach in Kauai island during her college break, bonding over music, and ended up living together in a rural Hawaiian setting for a while. Her vocals are one of the most defining elements of the album: fragile and dramatic, reminiscent on occasion of Kate Bush or maybe Joni Mitchell, but with a pronounced vibrato often compared to Donovan. The songs initially only featured Margaret on lead vocals and dulcimer, with Patrick on vocals and acoustic guitar, using both traditional Western strumming and the Hawaiian slack key style. They must have already sounded quite nice in a folky kind of way, but it's when they took the songs to the "big city" (in this case, Honolulu) that magic happened: At Sinergia studios they were introduced to Dave Choy, sound engineer and ARP synthesizer pioneer, whose experiments with electronic music turned out to blend unexpectedly well with the couple's acoustic pastoral sounds. Another important element was Uruguayan composer/guitarist Carlos Pardeiro who joined the band in the studio, as did their friends Eric Kingsbury on guitar and Ron Rosha on the ipu, a percussion instrument made from gourds, commonly used to provide the beat for hula dancing. Last (and, from a musical point of view, probably least) of the contributors mentioned in the liner notes is Boogie Kalama, a surfer friend of the couple. He's credited with "feet" - no he doesn't stomp his feet or anything like that on record, it's just his feet that we see on the front cover photo. Opener "These Trails" is a short acid folk tune strongly reminiscent of Incredible String Band. "Our House In Hanalei" celebrates rural island living, and has a more definite Hawaiian feel, with soft percussion and beautiful harmonies. The use of the melodious pidgin dialect makes it even more charming. "Of Broken Links" is an atmospheric piece with multi-tracked harmonies while "El Rey Pescador" is a Spanish language track written by and sung with Carlos Pardeiro, who also adds some nice sitar textures. South American, Pacific, and Indian influences blend remarkably well here. "Psyche I" is an acoustic guitar instrumental that segues into "Share Your Water". The combination of ethereal female vocals and electronic effects reminds me of a 60s psychedelic band called The United States Of America. If you're not familiar with their work, you should check them out. It's followed by "Hello Lou", a delicate folk duet with string and synth orchestration reminiscent of Robert Kirby's work for Nick Drake. "Rusty’s House" is an unadorned folk tune segueing into the more cosmic and richly orchestrated "Lost in Space" with ARP simulating the sound of ocean waves. "Psyche II" continues from where "Psyche I" left off, adding more synthesizer sounds. "Sowed a Seed" is another experimental track with weird synth sounds and dulcimer, followed by the more conventional folk of "Rapt Attention". "Waipoo", named after the waterfall in Waimea Canyon, is full of naturalistic imagery and lush strings, and closer "Garden Botanum" is a quietly exuberant celebration of flowers and nature, full of arpeggios and synth washes. All in all, this timeless album resembles nothing else I've ever heard: yes, the words and vocals have this twee 60's hippy flower power element, but then the traditional Hawaiian instruments give it an ancient earthy feel, while the experimentation with early electronic music has a retro-futuristic effect akin to witnessing 2001:A Space Odyssey. These Trails is a singular album. Eccentric as hell, yet approachable and utterly enchanting. It's really a time capsule—an intimate snapshot of two musicians (and their circle of friends) channeling their surroundings into music. The record is credited to These Trails, but there was never a band as such; it was a title chosen by Choy because the record had to have a name. There were never any public performances of the music, and no follow-ups. Under pressure from her family, Margaret returned to college never to record music again; she didn't even stay long enough to listen to the final form given to her songs. Patrick has sometimes appeared playing alongside folkies Taj Mahal and Buffy St. Marie. The limited pressing of this LP sold out pretty quickly, for it to gradually became one of those rarely heard legendary collectors' items. Of course original copies are beyond the reach of most of us, but even reissues aren't easy to come by, so if you come across a copy, don't hesitate to grab it.

***** for Of Broken Links, El Rey Pescador, Share Your Water, Hello Lou, Lost in Space, Our House in Hanalei, Waipoo 

**** for These Trails, Sowed a Seed, Rapt Attention, Garden Botanum

 *** for Psyche I, Rusty’s House, Psyche II

Mops "Rock 'N' Roll '70" 1970 ***

For the first time, I'm presenting a record that's not part of my record collection. Not on purpose; I bought GS Original Stock 5 by The Mops during my recent visit to Japan, mistaking it for their sophomore effort, Rock'n'Roll 70. I then downloaded the album I thought I had bought on MP3 and listened to it while driving to work, proceeding to write my review based on what I heard. Then, when I played the actual vinyl at home, I realized my mistake: even though both albums use the same cover photo, one of them is really a compilation. The Japanese song titles on the back cover were no help to me; do you think I can tell whether this "朝まで待てない" or this "朝日のあたる家" means "House Of The Rising Sun"? Anyway, since I took the time to write the review already, I thought I'd post it here anyway. And, for your information, I'm not the only one who made this mistake; rateyourmusic also lists GS Original Stock 5 as a  different issue of the original Rock'n'Roll 70 LP rather than as a completely other album. 

On the left, a photo of the LP I bought in Japan. On the right, the one this review is about:

The Mops are considered to be Japan's first psychedelic rock band; their debut Psychedelic Sounds in Japan (1968) featured fuzz-laden covers of Jefferson Airplane, Doors, and Animals songs. It was pretty good, but seemed to be a bit too eager to jump on the flower-power bandwagon. Their third one Iijanaika (1971), which I've already reviewed here, presented a heavier, less commercial, aspect of the band. Rock 'N' Roll '70, recorded between those two, is mostly ignored; like their debut it features mostly covers, but unlike it, it fails to capture the zeitgeist. If anything, it's divided between nostalgia for the classic blues and rock'n'roll of the 50's and early 60's and their future progressive heavy sound. "Rock'n'Roll" (which singer Hiromitsu Suzuki pronounces "Lock en Lol😂") is a wild rockabilly incorporating Little Richards' "Good Golly Miss Molly" and sounds like a precursor to the same-named Led Zeppelin track. "Jenny Jenny '70" is a more straight Little Richard cover. "Ain't That Just Like Me" is a fun little rock'n'roll ditty (previously covered by The Coasters, Searchers, Hollies etc) and "I'm A Man" is a Spencer Davis Group song; both are tough, well-played, versions but too short and missing any distinctive characteristics. I find myself wishing they had elongated them or added some nice solos, 1970 wasn't the 3-minute radio era when these songs first appeared. Hiromitsu was a big Eric Burdon fan, so he covers two Animals songs here: wild R&B "Club A Go Go" and their classic "House of The 'Lising' Sun". The latter features an interesting bridge utilizing a string section (or, more likely, mellotron) and a (possibly traditional Japanese) reed instrument. The other ballad here is a rather lackluster version of The Beatles' "Elenore Rigby". "My Babe" sounds like a blues cover, but I'm not sure (it's not the familiar Little Walter tune of the same name). The rest sound like band originals, and are of arguably more interest. The album opens with Hendrix-like psychedelia of "Participation" - one of the record's highlights, along with "Kyoko", a Groundhogs-like prog-blues hard rocker. "Get Got Gotten" treads similar ground while "Body And Soul" is a hard rock-garage-soul hybrid similar to modern groups like The Gories and Bellrays. In the end, despite the fact that they choose to sing in English and that this LP is obviously intended as a tribute to their early British/American R&B/Rock&Roll influences, there's something very Japanese about it; I don't just mean the singer's accent, but also the fact that all these influences seem to be processed with an alien sensibility - of someone who was steeped in Western culture but not necessarily of it. As it turns out, the album is quite rare, especially on vinyl. So, if you can find a copy (even CDs are rare) I say get it, it's worth adding to your collection. Just make sure it's the one on the right.

**** for Participation, Rock 'N' Roll, House Of The Rising Sun, Kyoko, Body And Soul

*** for My Babe, I'm A Man, Jenny Jenny '70, Eleanor Rigby, Get Got Gotten, Ain't That Just Like Me, Club-A-Go-Go

The Fuzztones "Friends & Fiends" 2024***

As I may have mentioned, I've been a big Fuzztones fan since my teens, so when I saw this (unknown, to me) LP at Amoeba Records in LA, I had to grab it and fly it back home to The Netherlands. It didn't matter that all of the songs were covers, because this is what The Fuzztones have always done: dig up obscure 60's gems and infuse them with their own esseence, at times even improving on the originals. This is what they do on the first track here "Strange Mysterious Sound" originally by The Spike Drivers (1967), a ghostly psychedelic track reminiscent of The Doors with an Electric Prunes-like guitar solo. From here on, though, things get weird. In the liner notes, Rudi writes about the artists he loved growing up and how lucky he has been to meet and share a stage with some of them, but most of the collaborations included here are obviously not real. It's not clear whether the Fuzztones ever played with  81-year old Ann Margret on the same-named track of her Born To Be Wild LP, or -more probably- just laid down a backing track for her to sing over. But their working method for the rest of the album seems pretty obvious: they sample vocals from older recordings and paste them over their own instrumental versions. The results are invariably fun, but this reverse karaoke thing seems pointless. I mean, I like The Fuzztones' playing here, but I'd prefer to listen to Rudi sing these songs rather than old vocal samples. I tried to get information on the origin of the vocals, with little success; for example The Grass Roots' "Let's Live For Today" comes from a various artists LP utilizing 1997 re-recordings of Grassroots hits by original singer Rob Grill (R.I.P. 2011). The Fuzztones have played with Screaming Jay Hawkins (R.I.P. 2000) in the past, and even released a live mini-LP together in '85, but their versions of "I Put a Spell On You" and "What Good Is It" use a vocal from 1972, according to discogs. Oldies like "Mary Lou" (With Sonny Burgess, R.I.P. 2017) and "Ain't Got No Home" (With Clarence 'Frogman' Henry, R.I.P. 2024) deviate little from the originals, while Association's sunshine pop hit "Windy" adds a groovy organ bit. It's not clear whether the vocal belongs to original lead singer Larry Ramos Jr. (R.I.P. 2014) or the current line-up. I quite like how the Fuzztones rework Blue Cheer's proto-metal cover of "Summertime Blues" to incorporate their own riff from "In Heat". Not sure whether the vocal belongs to original singer Dickie Peterson (R.I.P. 2009). No such doubts for their dirty blues version of "Messin' With the Kid" (with Junior Wells, R.I.P. 1998) containing, I believe, another recycled Fuzztones riff which I can't quite place right now. "Kicks" featuring Mark Lindsay from Paul Revere & The Raiders. Lindsay (alive and kicking at 83) has shared a stage with The Fuzztones in the past, but the provenance of this specific vocal is unknown. Last but not least, the LP closes with a cover of "Can Your Pussy Do the Dog?" taken from a 2023 Cramps tribute LP - the two bands were friendly when they were both part of the New York CBGB scene, and I remember Rudi telling us during a gig that he got his guitar from The Cramps' Brian Gregory (R.I.P. 2001). Friends And Fiends is a limited release: 250 copies in "coke bottle green" colored vinyl, 500 (mine included) in orange. The cover artwork features skeletons and zombies of sixties rockers rising from their graves - a variation on a theme Rudi seems to love, which is in this case only too appropriate, what with so many voices from beyond the grave. I will not deny that it makes for an entertaining listen, but I think it's a big misstep from one of my favorite bands. I never thought that Rudi would stoop as low as Paul McCartney did when he used old Lennon vocal samples and presented them as a "collaboration" without his dead former bandmate's consent. I just hope that Rudi that he'll use his own voice next time, or at least duet with a living person.

**** for Strange Mysterious Sound, Summertime Blues (With Blue Cheer), I Put a Spell On You (With Screamin' Jay Hawkins), Messin' With the Kid (With Junior Wells)

*** for Let's Live for Today (With the Grass Roots), Born to Be Wild (With Ann-Margret), Kicks (With Mark Lindsay), Mary Lou (With Sonny Burgess), Windy (With the Association), Ain't Got No Home (With Clarence 'Frogman' Henry), What Good Is It? (With Screamin' Jay Hawkins), Can Your Pussy Do The Dog?

The Who with Orchestra "Live At Wembley" 2022 (rec.2019)***

The first time I saw The Who live was in Amsterdam during their Quadrophenia and More Tour (2013). It was a rewarding experience; Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey were in good form despite their age,  and the rest of the band supporting them ably - especially Pino Palladino on bass and "Ringo's son" Zak Starkey on bass. The visuals were also excellent, but I remember thinking that it took a very proficient and well-rehearsed 10-piece band to produce a result that only came somewhat close to the original 4 members. Later, a DVD, recorded at Wembley Stadium during that tour, came out as Quadrophenia Live in London. I didn't buy it, despite the fact that it could have served as a nice souvenir of the concert. I figured that any time I want to listen to Quadrophenia start to finish, I can play the studio version. And if I want to listen to The Who live, I have the expanded Live At Leeds and The Kids Are Alright. Why, then, did I buy Live At The Wembley recorded at the same location as Quadrophenia Live, and even reprising half of that album, only 6 years later? Well, of course it's the orchestra thing. How much does it add to the original songs? First thing first: Metallica S&M, this isn't. Where, on that album, rock band and orchestra combined to produce intensely heavy music in an epic scale, here the orchestra just plays a supportive role, not unlike the expanded 10-piece band I remember from the Quadrophenia concert in Amsterdam. Townshend and Daltrey are in similarly good form - better than what can be reasonably be expected, given their age. When they are not accompanied by the orchestra, as in "Substitute" and "The Seeker", they sound like an older, slightly blunted, version of themselves. The acoustic version of "Won't Get Fooled Again" is different enough to previous ones to be of interest, but frankly rather weak. It was interesting to hear the orchestra replace the synths on tracks like "Baba O’Riley" and "Eminence Front" resulting in a more organic sound. Often it adds some welcome bombast, as in the fanfares of "Pinball Wizard" or melodrama, as in "Behind Blue Eyes" and "Love Reign O'er Me". Lesser known tracks like "Imagine A Man" (1975) and "Hero Ground Zero" (2019) gain from new orchestrations; new blues track "Ball And Chain" (2019) isn't up to the same level as the classics, but it's good to have a live version of it. An acoustic rendition of "Tea and Theater" from 2006's Endless Wire (recorded during a different concert, too) makes for a puzzling inclusion, and rather anti-climactic closer. This set was also released on triple vinyl, but my own version is the 2CD and Blu-Ray set. The Blu Ray offers Stereo, DTS 5.1, and Dolby Atmos audio, but no video! All you get on your screen are some photos! That was an unwelcome surprise, for sure! Since it's not made specifically clear on the package that this is an audio-only BluRay, I -and almost everybody else who purchased it- naturally assumed we were getting a video recording of the concert with surround sound. I mean, it's not some ancient archive recording. It's a huge production at Wembley stadium in 2019! Many buyers felt cheated. After all, to be honest the PCM 5.1 sound (I can't judge the Dolby Atmos sound channel, since I don't have the appropriate equipment to listen to it on) isn't all that revelatory - slightly bigger and more vivid, especially in the orchestral parts, but I'm guessing that, had they known that there was no visual content in the BluRay, many buyers would have gone for the vinyl version instead. The official response to complaints was that "the Wembley concert wasn’t filmed for DVD or Blu-ray. The only filming was choosing  for the live back screens at the show." So the cameras were transmitting while a director chose which camera feed to project on the back screen. Although the primary material wasn't recorded, apparently we still have the visuals as they were projected on the back screen. Well, some of those visuals are available for free on youtube; they look quite good and complement the sound on those youtube videos perfectly! It's a pity they didn't also make them available to paying customers, to watch on their TV while listening to that nice crisp digital sound on BluRay, instead of watching a stupid slideshow. Anyway, purely music-wise, this is The Who (or, more correctly, Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend) in respectably good form, playing some of their most famous and beloved songs. True, these "live with orchestra" versions can't compare to the studio ones, or with live recordings by the original band in their prime. It would be unreasonable from us to expect that. But they are just different enough for fans to want to listen to. If you are fans, if you already own their classic studio albums and some essential live Who from their 60's and 70's, and you are still not satiated, you may want to get this one, too. It certainly makes for a fun listen, and the orchestra adds a welcome new dimension. Too bad for the missed opportunity; some nice visual content might have elevated this to a 4* set. 

**** for Eminence Front, Imagine A Man, Pinball Wizard, Hero Ground Zero, Behind Blue Eyes, 5:15, Love Reign O'er Me,  Baba O’Riley

*** for Who Are You, Join Together, Substitute, The Seeker, Won't Get Fooled Again (Acoustic), Ball And Chain, The Real Me, I’m One, Tea & Theatre (Acoustic)

** for The Punk And The Godfather, Drowned, The Rock

Pushin' Too Hard - American Garage Punk 1964-1967 (2024 comp)*****

 

Last week I was browsing at Reckless Records in London, trying to choose between these boxsets curated by Cherry Red Records - a British indie that's specialized in reissues (this one says it's Strawberry Records, others say Grapefruit, but they're all subdivisions of Cherry Red). They are superbly compiled, a great mix of classics I know and love, and of unknown gems to discover; plus they come with nice booklets full of photos and interesting info on the bands. I'd been eying them all on amazon, but I'm always telling myself "Kostas you have too many CDs, when are you going to listen to them all?" But a physical shop isn't amazon; "these people depend on (people like) you for their livelihood, Kostas" I told myself, so I convinced me to buy one. Choosing wasn't easy but in the end I chose this set. True, I already own two thirds of the tracks, which have been released as part of other compilations (Nuggets, Pebbles etc) but I just had to see if the the rest of the songs were as good as the ones I already had - and amazingly, they (almost) are! Since there are 94 tracks here, it's impossible to analyze them one by one. Suffice it to say that it includes the cream of the crop of 60's garage punk; there's a lot of overlap with the Nuggets box set, which remains the garage rock motherlode. It includes early rock'n'roll classics like "Wooly Bully" and "I Fought The Law", garage folk ("Too Many People", "Going All The Way"), tough R&B ("So What!!", "Diddy Wah Diddy" by an early incarnation of Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band), and proto-psychedelia ("Tried To Hide", the acronymic "Love Special Delivery"). As I said, the compilers mostly choose classics of the genre, but they also try to avoid being too predictable when possible, for example by using alternate versions (e.g. The Seeds' "Pushin’ Too Hard" and "Out of the Question") or a lesser known track by the more seminal garage bands e.g. The Sonics "You've Got Your Head On Backwards" from their 3rd LP when anything from the first two would be a more obvious choice. Similarly, they eschew the best, and most famous tracks, by The Electric Prunes and Shadows Of Knight, choosing non-LP single "Ain't It Hard" by the former and "Dark Side" (the B Side of "Gloria") by the latter. And, by the way, where is Gloria? It's not like her to be absent from a garage rock compilation, certainly not when there's a zillion of versions to choose from. Also, instead of the classic 13th Floor Elevators version "You're Gonna Miss Me", we get an earlier one by Roky Erickson's previous band, The Spades. It's interesting to hear Ohio Express version of "Try It" instead of the classic one by the Standells; apparently the original was banned because it was considered (not entirely unjustly) to urge girls to lose their virginity. At that point, Ohio Express (a "bubblegum" studio contraption rather than an actual band) slightly changed the lyrics to refer to "kissing" instead of "it" and released their own version to bypass the censors. It still wasn't a hit. We do get a couple of tracks by The Standells. Not "Try It", nor their biggest hits "Dirty Water" and "Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White", but the equally good "Barraccuda" and "Rari". As always with garage bands, there are some interesting name choices: for example, many bands adopt pseudo-English names like The Liverpool Five, Squires, or Echoes of Carnaby Street, just because in the wake of The Beatles and The Stones everything British was supposedly cool; funny, considering that the British bands so admired by American teens were in turn fanatic followers of everything American, especially blues and rockabilly. Interestingly, the so-called "British Invasion" also produced a reaction by bands who took their inspiration from the War Of Independence against the English e.g. We The People and Paul Revere and The Raiders, both included here. Taking inspiration from The Beatles, many bands also misspell their names e.g. The Raymarks, Dirty Wurds, Mistics, The Forth Dimension etc. Of course by far the most original band name here is The Jefferson Handkerchief, whose "I'm Allergic To Flowers" is a spoof of Jefferson Airplane and the San Francisco hippy scene. Those flower children spelled the end for the kind of music featured here: loud, frustrated, tough, passionate, irreverent, funny, desperate, pure authentic no-nonsense rock and roll. Not for long, though; it was resurrected a few years later by music archivist and Patti Smith Group guitarist Lenny Kaye, who introduced those unsung heroes of the Sixties to a wider public via the very first Nuggets compilation. He'd call this music "garage punk"; firstly, because these bands mainly formed and practiced at the family homes and garages of every town and city in America, and secondly because of their aggressive street attitude. Pushin' Too Hard is a great introduction to that genre.

 

This reminds me of Tim Warren's remark on Back From Grave Vol.2 liner notes: that "both sides of (The Lyrics') single are so snotty because the author Christopher Gaylord must have caught of lot of shit in school, with a name like that" 

DISC ONE: The Rangers – Justine****, Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs – Wooly Bully*****, The Strangeloves – I Want Candy*****, The Barbarians – Are You A Boy Or Are You A Girl*****, The Denims – I’m Your Man*****, The Castaways – Liar, Liar*****, The Remains – Why Do I Cry****, The Beau Brummels – Just A Little****, The Seeds Featuring Sky Saxon – Pushin’ Too Hard (Unedited Version)*****, The Leaves – Too Many People*****, The Front Line – Got Love****, The Brogues – I Ain’t No Miracle Worker*****, The Standells – Rari (Extended Version)*****, The Spades – You’re Gonna Miss Me*****, The Lyrics – So What!!*****, The Mad Hatters – I Need Love****, Don & The Goodtimes – Little Sally Tease****, The Coastliners – Alright****, The McCoys – Fever****, The Bobby Fuller Four – I Fought The Law *****, The JuJus – You Treat Me Bad*****, The Girls – My Baby****, The Raymarks – Louise***, The Emperor’s – I Want My Woman****, Paul Revere & The Raiders – Just Like Me*****, Liverpool Five – Heart***, The Bad Seeds – A Taste Of The Same*****, Merrell & The Exiles – She’s Gone****, The Bees – Forget Me Girl***, The Misunderstood – Don’t Break Me Down***, The Seeds – Out Of The Question ****

Question: Is this the coolest song ever written by anyone? Answer: Hell yeah! I can never resist singing along to it!

DISC TWO: The Thirteenth Floor Elevators – Tried To Hide*****, Love - My Little Red Book*****, The Mojo Men – She’s My Baby****, The Electric Prunes – Ain’t It Hard*****, Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band – Diddy Wah Diddy*****, Dirty Wurds – Mellow Down Easy**** The Outcasts – I’m In Pittsburgh (And It’s Raining)****, The Knickerbockers – One Track Mind****, Rocky & The Riddlers – Flash And Crash***, The Dimensions – Knock You Flat***, The Unusuals – I’m Walking  Babe****, The Shadows Of Knight – Dark Side****, We The People – Mirror Of Your Mind*****, Sterling Damon – Rejected***, The Soothsayers – Please Don’t Be Mad****, The Esquires – Judgement Day****, The Century’s – Hard Times***, The Sonics – You Got Your Head On Backwards*****, Link Wray & The Raymen – Hidden Charms*****, The Misunderstood – Thunder ‘N’ Lightnin’****, Zakary Thaks – She’s Got You****, The Squires – Going All The Way*****, The Blue Beats – Extra Girl***, The Free-For-All – Show Me The Way****, Chris Morgan & The Togas – There She Goes***, The Executioners – I Want The Rain (Vocal)****, Limey & The Yanks – Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind*****, The Apparitions – She’s So Satisfyin’****, The Hustlers – If You Try***, The Echoes Of Carnaby Street – No Place Or Time****, Sparkles - No Friend Of Mine*****, Velvet Illusions – Velvet Illusions*****

Who knew that Link Wray wasn't just a great guitar innovator, but also a mean singer? I certainly didn't!

DISC THREE: The Standells – Barracuda*****, We The People – You Burn Me Up And Down*****, The Rationals – I Need You***, The Other Half – Mr. Pharmacist*****, Neal Ford & The Fanatics – Shame On You****, The Choir – It’s Cold Outside*****, The Newbeats – Top Secret****, The Fire Escape – Love Special Delivery****, ? & The Mysterians – Girl (You Captivate Me)*****, The Third Bardo – I’m Five Years Ahead Of My Time*****, Ken & The Forth Dimension – See If I Care****, The Off-Beats – Tired Of Crying****, The Mistics – Why Baby Why****, The Headstones – Bad Day Blues***, Roy Junior (Roy Acuff Jr.) – Victim Of Circumstances*****, The Sparkles - Hipsville 29 B.C. (I Need Help)*****, The Jackals – Love Times Eight****, The Galaxies IV – Piccadilly Circus****, Front Page News – Thoughts*****, Fenwyck – Mindrocker****, The Jefferson Handerchief – I’m Allergic To Flowers*****, The Buddhas – Lost Innocence*****, The Ohio Express – Try It****, Tidal Waves – Action! (Speaks Louder Than Words)****, The Liberty Bell – For What You Lack****, Thursdays Children – You Can Forget About That***, The Jades – Come Back***, The Checkmates – Talk To Me****, The New Yorkers – Again***, Georgy & The Velvet Illusions – Mini Shimmy****, The Bedlam Four – No One Left To Love****

This reminds me: I 💗 San Francisco. Haight Ashbury, here I come!