Friday

blue cheer

...like many frisco area punkers th'cheer saw th'anglo sensation cream play th'fillmore'n decided it was time to stop emulatin' th'yardbirds/stones 'n get a dirty heavy groove on'n they didn't come no heavier in 67 than th'cheer whose first forays into th'studio produced this monolith o' overamped gutbucket slop...like a pressure cooker about to explode 'n head on out into th'voodoo swamp like a kildozer thrown into nirvanic oblivion this 6 track LP upped th'ante for yanquee combos who wanted to stay up to date yet not get too psychedelic(which too soon proved to be a passin' fancy o' th' flower power tymes)...with th'studio thick with reefer 'n th'cheap sudz flowin' they lay down this testament to th' dawn o'time, th'everpresent weavin' thud o' th'drum dispensin' th'word'n th'vibe with th' strings bendin'n screechin'n chokin th'list'ner into compliant submission...approved by th'local chapter o'th'hells angels, th'cheer could later walk th'heroin infested frisco hills with th'confidence'n superior knowledge that such kudos brought back in th'day...

blue cheer

...as this second LP by th'cheer kicked off with piano colourin' in th'mix it looked somewhat omminous, had th'noisenix become musicians'n all th'negative connotations that brings to good rockin', th'possible ruination o' th' sock-it-to-me swill'n splatt these cats excelled in...but such concerns proved unfounded'n they soon hit th'amped up fuzz'n shattered th'galaxy for some time to come...th'cheer had become more comfortable in th'studio, th'hyper tensive blowout o' vincebus had been channeled'n slightly streamlined though th'lunkiness o' cheer playin' is a heavily contributin' positive factor in their noise...stereo pannin 'n two channels flowin' simultaneous give great disorientatin distortions to any high th'list'ner might be on...this is th' cheers psychedelic masterpiece, their high art effort as opposed to another bloozrock drug bender...still plenty o' bad attitude fuzz'n buzz stoner mindsoup for layabouts to get grooved with(special lookout over on side two)'n none better than th'cover o' th'stones pinnacle 'satisfaction'...not as immediate as th'hit they accidently had with th'earlier ed cochran cover this is a psychedelic bad trip that just pounds into th'cranium 'n goes right to th'center o' th'mind...th'original cover open'd right out to a double gate fold with some snappy photo collage'n paintin' 'n freak out trip poster...still approved by th'angels with in fact one goin' by th'biker handle gut did th'cover concept so that was cool...

abbie hoffman

...all hippy peacenix 'n layabout beatnix need to know this disk is a crazy right-on trip fulla th'truth from abbies perspective 'n this point o' view is not only a fun vibe but its so relevant in th' present age it coulda been taped tomorrow...abbie raps about th'imperialist foreign war/business hi-jackin' th'ecology train givin' out th' line its th'normal citizen who's to blame for th'destruction o' th' planet/blatantly corrupt laws/corporate brainwashin' o' th' workaday patriot...all these things happ'nin now brother 'n even more so...a very worthwhile period piece from th'underground when armed revolution was in th' air 'n in th' jails...yippie-yii-yoh...

jim kweskin jug band

...theres a fair waft o' marijuana smoke comin' from this 67 biscuit with th'kweskins gettin' suitably attired on th'cover in their store bought sike shirts'n stoned ambience comin' from faraway look...a beatnik skiffle party in some psychedelic dungeon lit only by candles where th'ragtime meets th'acid vibe, where th'decades fold in on one another'n mold a new groove from th'discarded remnants o' yesteryears popular music...favourites at folk festivals in th'early 60s, their allegience to th'weed made them dig th'cool vibe in th'studio'n not get uptight with staid performances, everyone knows what they're doin'n no ones gettin' hung up with record co. squares wantin' saleable folkrock ditties...a solid gone blast round th'ol'fishin' hole chuggin' a moonshine jug o'orange aid...

jim kweskin jug band

...good time jazzboism from th'twenties as interpreted by th'60s folk generation, th'folk revival that coincided with th'civil rights movement'n th'early psychedelic experiments that were happ'nin' in basement clubs'n rich college dorms in certain left leanin' acadamies...th'kweskin outfit operated in'n around th'east coast with boston bein' th'homebase'n in between giggin' festivals'n universities they knocked out a bunch o' stoned folk'n jazz joints with this one appearin' in 68 with a cool flower-power-NOW cover...th'sound o' reefer runnin' rampant is th'only way to describe this with th'humour comin' off th'wax, most definitely is from cats stoned to th'bone, is a friendly nod to th'audience, its a stoned life thats desireable as decreed by no lesser authority than th'jazzer louis armstrong who figured two spliffs a day was th'least a cat should toke on down...nicely flipped out grooves fulla kazoos, fiddles, jug, gloompy bass, banjos'n anythin' that crops up to enable this psychedelic skiffle party to let rip'n roar, to shake up th'good times from th'past'n go forward into th'modern world, transformed yet recognisably intact...

the freeborne

...this is one massive stoned groove from front to back, acid damaged psyched out freakin' o' th'first order...everythin' that was happ'nin' in 67 is somewhere on this wax, from free spirit jazz trumpet to left banke harpsichord, from odes to th'sacred trip to anti war sentiments all rollin' one after th'other'n nothin' is outta place, it just molds itself into one complete whole, a suite to th' times, it catches th'moment perfectly...th'psychedelic vibes that was emanatin' from th'fab4 durin' summer '67 hangs over this but nothin' is copped outright, they're just goin' with th'flow...if'n these cats had stayed together they'd got down with a totally wig liftin' concept wax that would stopped all other concept disks from comin out, there'd be no point cos these flipsters already done it...there'd be no need for vanilla fudges heavy handed ideas after th'first LP thats for sure'n no real need for 'tommy' cos townshend already did it himself on 'quick one..'...brings to mind th'fabulous C.A quintet on a bigger budget'n van dyke parks art-pop moves'n th'title track is a stupendous cop o' th'country joe first album with that unmistakable organ sound...a solid groove that not too many ever really captured without it all comin' on false,(over orchestrated/bad keyboard blues jams)this is just soundin' natural like it should...

mickey and the hartbeats

...goin' under th'name mickey'n th'hartbeats, this is some well cooled out groovin' with a stripped down dead (jerry/phil/mickey)with some cats droppin' by to blow(jack casady/elvin bishop/spencer dryden/david getz)that took place on seven different dates durin' late 68 at th'matrix club in ol'frisco...th'first disk is a distillation o' th'october 30 gig where jack'n elvin help out'n th'second disk is december 16 where spencer'n david lay down some earth rhythms...trippin' on th'boogie is th'name o'th'game on these evenin's cos there aint no expectant customers waitin' to be taken on a ride with this new fangled acid rock that was shapin' up as th'next big thing...theres just a few beatnix in attendance who probably ain't left th'club for a couple years, they're just on a continual blissed out stone, diggin' th'loose vibe they helped create...some incredible, almost power trio(w/side cats) style jammin' but this aint no marshall amp power jam, its much more organic evolvin'/involvin' interweavin' power jam, each cat receivin' th'power from th'others like jazzbos did when they were full on IT...recommended for all layabouts to fire up that doobee'n get on for some inner spaceways noddin' out with this hep trip to groovesville...

gram parsons / burritos

...nine o' these tracks were recorded at th'end o' grams tenure with th'burritos whilst he was harbourin' fantasies o' bein' a glimmer twin'n becomin' th'country cousin o' th'stones'n as such theres a nicely wasted sound'n vibe weavin' in'n out o' these covers o' hep country standards (honky tonk women is included to prove he could hopefully cut bein' a satanic majesty)...three cuts taped with emmylou durin' th'greivous angel sessions are real nice too...considerin' this was only put out to cash in on reboundin' glory from emmy gettin' big with west coast 'n country rock heads, this hangs together 'n gives off swell vibes whilst chuggin' beer 'n burnin' some sweetleaf...

sweetwater

...it seems th'main claim to fame with these is th'fact that they shoulda opened th'woodshuck festival back in summer 69'n they themselves still seem to cling to this notion o' notoriety'n hype'n thats a shame cos if nothin' else they tried to put a different spin on th'late 60s obsession with big jazzyrock combos such as blood sweat&tears'n other long forgotten non-happenin' gloop such as heaven plus a myriad o'brainfreeze on th'columbia label('th'MAN cant bust our music'-why would he want to?)...sweetwater went for a chamber jazz groove hittin' th'loungey tip more than once but with small psych fx plus a couple hippy/relevant lyrics which may or mayn't be heartfelt...managin' to get three long playin' wax onto th'market in th'early seventies, this is a nice pile up with th'first disk featurin' heavily plus a couple tracks from th'other two as well as live track from aforementioned woodshuck'n a reunion in th'nowtime number to round things off...a nice reminder o'times longago&faraway...

marie queenie lyons

...this is some serious back door funk, mixin' in a soul groove with some fine R&B vibes searin' high into th'clouds...a marvelous testamont to some high energy wailin' from this vitually unknown southern soulstress who somehow disappeared off th'map, never to be heard o' again after this 1970 platter offerin', where'd she go?why is this incredible voice not been unleashed since then...all a cats gotta do is get within earshot o' soul fever'n they're gonna flip at th'power flyin' off th'grooves, high intensity workouts that just dont let up, its a mind wrenchin' buzz from beginnin'to end...

the city

...after many years bein' back room gal at th'brill buildin', though an extremely high profile backroomer its was time in 68/9 to get some kinda career goin' as a singer in th'new 'hip' world o' laurel canyon where th'laidback singer songwriter was th'thing to be...ironically when carole signed on at ode records, head honcho lou adler thought she should work, or at least be marketed as part o' a band'n so th'city came into bein'...its kinda funky pop with lyrics that ain't too cloyin'n theres some very nice playin' goin' on with th'production soundin' more seventies than might have been expected (hindsight awareness comin' into play)...cats who dont have any problems gettin' chilled with caroles high flyer 'tapestry' will dig this alot if'n not more, a groovy treat that shouldn't be missed...

medicine head

...first release on dandelion for this duo o' folk bluesers who put out some snap boogie trance for th'underground head scene back in th'day...john played guitar/drum/cymbal'n peter played harmonica/jews harp/mouth bow plus sundary percussion'n between th'two o' 'em they brought alive th'travellin' 'one man band' that appear throughout blues history on th'lonesome dirt roads between clarksdale'n chicago...th'slow velvets moe tucker pulsebeat, th'same beat o' th'earth gradually turnin' through each day'n season'n year underlines th'essential bein' o' th'medicine head groove, th'ancient drum that calls th'faithful to partake in th'ceremony o' life, to keep on keepin' on through th'good'n th'bad...th'blooz that leaks from back street pubs'n workin'-mens clubs o'ol'britannia with its salt o' th'earth spirituality is all over this wax takin th'list'ner on some kinda journey o' th'soul, a cleansin', washin' away th'square world'n its persistant bad karma tryin' to snuff th'spark o' free will from th'good'n true everywhere...also they kick up a couple stormin' rent party choogle with th'drum poundin'n th'amped up harp blowin layin' down th'funky vibrations that just keep rollin' on down th'highway...

booker t. & priscilla

...somewhat forgotten now'n thats a drag for th'unbeknowin' cos this is one expansive double wax o' cooled out funk/moody lounge/gospel/swampy grooves that hangs in th'air real nice, it just insinuates its way into whatever vibe may be happ'nin' around it, takin' over to be right for th' moment whether it was intended or not...it takes a few spins to get th' full juice outta it, not every track makes th' grade first time round but it sure can get addictive if a cat wants it that way...booker t jones'n priscilla coolidge put this out when they got hitched back in th'early 70s'n cats wantin' some green onions might be a tad outta luck but any heads needin' some slow delta funk will be right in th'turnip patch mashin' th' moonshine'n comin' up with th'goods...recorded just outside o' deliverance this is a 'real' recordin' by entertainment cats(heres another 'music biz' weird thing, booker t. had to leave stax cos they treated him as an employee, ho hum, th'squares just dont get it or just plain don't care) gettin' real with their position in th'great tomorrow society that was bein' built by th' comin' earhshoe brigade, th' whole earth catalog shenanigans that was tryin' to get a new capitalism on th' go, subvert madison avenue dollars to 'worthier' recipients...any cats diggin' th'choogle put out by delaney&bonnie/joe cocker mad dogs/rita coolidge first 2 wax/neil young/billy preston round th'turn o'69/70 will get a strong buzz o' this, its perfect with a bottle o' red'n reefer on a lazy evenin' while th'wild dogs sleep...

david stoughton

...very interestin' LP from david stoughton, released in 68 on th' then worthwhile elektra label,a sorta folkrock/avant doodle blowout...some strains o' tim buckley round'bout 'hello goodbye' in th' arrangements with wind instruments paintin' th' back drop givin' this a bit o' musicianship as opposed to some hippy airy-fairyness that often happens with late six-oh joints in this category...theres a theatricality to some o' this but aint no way this got anything to do with th' theatre(that would be enough to turn any cat off,in fact it aint really folk rock either, thats just a lazy handle for th'moment),sound collages're happenin' on about half th'trx which puts this into that rarefied strata,not easily catagorised'n all th'better for it...heads that dig th'adventurous wax, but not th'clever-clever overbearin' type that really says nothin' will get a buzz here, a friendly groove thats welcome'n gives pleasure on repeated spins...

new tweedy brothers

...these cats had th'right idea when it came to layin' down th'tuneage'n thats to keep any pretentions o' production 'n any other such fangleedanglee ideas o' improvement well away from th'case in hand...switch th'tape on'n record th'racket, thats all thats needed...its only combos who ain't sure o' their worth that need help...here's a right nice amalgam o' beatnik folk'n goodtime vibes fed through a kaleidoscope o' grooves takin' in such high priests o' swill as th'elevators'n th'velvets'n mixin' it with some hep gaggle from everpresent fullness/notes from th'underground /charlatans...failin' to schmooz any'n all record co. cuboids or parlez their wares into some streched out ballroom psych has ensured they've become enshrined in west coast mythology...came in a box cos good things come in small packages...

wilde flowers

...wilde flowers from canterbury was an early configuration o' some o' th' cats that would hook up in th'soft machine/caravan axis to produce some hep vibrations on th' psychpopjazz front later in th'sixties...bo diddley beats mixin' up mose alison with bohemian wispyness...suburban hipsters carvin' out a mod jazz world buried in th'albion countryside away from th'city blare, sailin' reefer'd dreams on th' village pond, lazy afternoons o' jazz ponderin', connectin' 125th street with doses o' sandoz from th' hollingshead institute for expandin' HEPocity...modal blather navigatin' th' wobbly marshmallow midnights o' th' homeward night bus to th' twilight zone...th'scratchy state o' some o' these acetates give th' archival nature o' th'release an authentic glow, field recordin's from th' middle class basement o' stolen marijuana moments...

sonny bono

...sonnys original five trk LP is one hotcha piece o' outta-control late sixties wax that cats who dig th'freeform madness o' th' times is gonna wanna get total hep with real soon...a collision o' ideas 'n sounds from across th' now generation spectrum includes sky's seedy psych whine/sub dylan literal protest poetry'n folkrock harmonica/godz intensity/kim fowley lunacy/'n reworked riffs all presided over by a student o' spector college...th' session cats workin' on this had a lotta fun(like on blondeonblonde)'n list'nin' again is a lotta fun too...comes with real groovy bonus cuts, dig it'n use it well...

stone poneys

...bein' th'folky first biscuit from this laurel canyon combo, in th'tradition o' th'early six-oh folk revival before th'hallucinogenic drugs took hold'n changed th'rules o'writin' forever...less pop than th'mamasnpapas but less folk than judy collins they existed in a world not loved by AMradio'n too quiet for th'psychedelic dungeons that were startin' to spring up...could well be taken as one o' th'last vestiges o' th' beatnik genre, before it transformed into th'hippy mold'n out into th'square world where th'unwashed picked up th'worst aspects o' freedom'n ruined th'whole groove...

stone poneys

...this second poneys wax is a dead cert for bein' produced by andy loog in another universe, parallel or otherways...harpsichords agogo, in a very tasty way...funky hep chamber-music for spring evenin's in long gone days when such things were possible...some good artpop use o' sixty-stereo-arrangements'n muted orchestral vibes help move into pop-ballads a coupla times 'n th'2-part title song is a beautiful trancy-beatnik folk floater, well eastern 'n hepcity for '67... (on collector/seller lists(without th' known involvement o' linda) this would be overhyped-otherworldy- psychedelic but that well may be th' case in this instance, such is th' righteous groove this imparts)...th' pop hit on th'citizen charts with different drum marked th'destiny for these baskethouse folkies 'n popstardom came to one o' em sometime later, but effectively puttin' paid to any real hep art-pop-double-wax these cats coulda had...very nice 'n widely unheard due to its future destiny, 1 year after release, with th' cutout bin, 'n coz its th' way o' th'order, brokedown hepcats with a peeper on what coulda been in that parallel universe get to hear it'n all is as it should be...th' topsy turvey hope'n substance meets th'manisfestation for all who beleive, well formed grist that repays forever 'n dont disappoint in stormy weather...

stone poneys

...exploito wax made up o' leftovers/studio tryouts'n a steppin' stone from th'poneys to lindas solo gig...3 buckley tunes/nesmith/nyro covers'n some artfolk/sitar damage...nice addition to th'folk/countryrock groove that grew up'n 'round hollywood/laurel canyon back in th'day...

glastonbury

...most cats who know what time it is, when they hear th'word glastonbury just pretend they didn't catch it 'cos these days th'old glasto scene is one big crowded overpriced holiday camp for th'credit card squares out lookin' for some 'spiritual' knees up'n nothin' more, a constituent shuck'n jive thats serves no purpose beyond th'cash grab...back in th'day this was not th' case, th'first couple gatherin's were a cool groove with just th'right amount o' stray hippys to make it all a peaceful sunny vibe with no bread head squabbles, just a few spliffs'n a tab o' orange to blast th' day in mellow tones...this triple wax offerin' was put out in '72 by radio geronimo(revelations records) to help recoup a bit o' scratch for later happ'nin's, with contributions from th'dead/brinsley schwartz/pete townshend/marc bloan/bowie/skin alley/hawkwind/ all offerin'sound NOT recorded at th'fest, but else where...mighty baby/gong/fairies/edgar broughton DO offer tracks recorded at th'fest though th'whole joint hangs with nice subtle glue to keep a cat buzzin' for a couple hours...th'original packagin' was a trip to behold with th'cover openin' out to be extra sized, big enough to hold a cats personal festy without leavin' th'room, a giant poster plus, all housed in a nice poly bag with underground comic style graphix...an excellent journey to th'past, when th'world was young'n all was pointin' up for right thinkin' cats with their head in th'smoke o' ancient wisdom...

judy roderick

...1965'n th'folk revival had just about run its course what with th'fab4 tearin' up th'rule book'n bob zimmerman gettin' busy fryin' his circuits'n spreadin' th'new plugged in far out rock poetry that will have th'newly emergin' hippy nation flippin' its collective lid...released in that same year was judys second effort that shows she had th'potential to get as well known as joan baez/judy collins given th'chance, great vocal style used to sing country blues with effectual jazzy backin'...earlier she'd hung round greenwich village'n made th'scene at folk festivals'n travelled to england where she was warmly received but she kinda abandoned folkyness'n in th'early 70s got together th'long forgotten 60,000,000 buffalo that put out a long player'n promptly disappeared...cats who dig th'more funky'n real folkies like karen dalton'n fred neil will get a cool buzz from this outstandin package o' goodness...

Thursday

jack traylor and steelwind

...scratch-o-phobes may wish to up th'medicine dose for this ancient vinyl cos there is a fair few pops givin' it th'authentic feel, an extra tiple or two should see th'pony over th'hill'n into th'valley though cos once a cats got used to th'older list'nin' experience its all hands on deck for a trip to th'west coast early seventies landscape with jack traylors steelwind, a late hippy aggregation whose sole LP was full o' ecological/political commentary all rolled up in sweet jefferson starplane wrappers...it kinda takes a few spins to wring th'juice outta this slab cos th'whole groove is mellow, but not soporific, just flowin' down stream from th' mountains to th'(polluted)sea where oil slicks'n radiated gunk slip by as business gets rid o' th'evidence...not th'greatest platter to emerge but a welcome earfull none th'less, a worthy effort that deserves its place in th'west coast pantheon...

peter kaukonen

...released on th'airplanes vanity label grunt in th'early seventies came this power trio style blowout with lashin's o' hendrix vibes counter'd with some mellower grooves interspersed between th'heavy rockin'blues...came as a bit o' a surprise at th' time cos most west coast heads were expectin' some warmed over/burnt out hippy shenanigans what with bein' on th'plane label'n they themselves not really doin' anything 'revolutionary' for a good couple years...vaguely on th'same wavelength as kapt. kopter(randy california)this is a refreshin' blast o' late hard rockin' acid choogle with a sense o' humor'n good nature that will go down a nice treat with an afternoons bong...

ruth copeland

...this lightly tasty confection made up from th' invictus joints ruth cut in th'early 70's sure got a lot o' grooves'n styles hittin' on all 4burners...this hep young miss from merrie olde england got herself hooked up with th'parliamentfunkadelic crew 'n knocked out two funk-folk-gospel-rock platters represented herein...th'simple fact o' seemin'ly coverin' too many styles undoubtedly stopped th'discs from findin' a willin' audience, fallin' between too many stools she slipped through th' cracks in public perception as th'great unwashed would not handle a multi various stew like this, a kaleidoscopic overflow o' assured penship'n musicality...as for th' more tuned in cats,funk heads wouldn't go for the quieter moments, folk fans if there were any left wouldn't know this from a hole in th' ground'n as for th'dolt brained rockers,its gotta be said, one way or another like to put on blinkers when they gotta figure out what it is they might be listenin' to...some nice screachin' guitar from th'delic crew, courtesy o' eddie hazel on some tracks'n a couple o' glimmer twin tunes crop up to finish up th'disc...its a nice trip to long ago when artists were allowed to collide a few styles'n moods, though its pertinent to say that it may be needful to hear more than once before listenin,'n th'racket box turned up for maximum enjoyment...2nd joint is probably th'stronger as th'noise button has been flicked to th'right though both are agreeably fine'n make for some elated late night groovin'...