"For years, the buzz around the collector community was that this was a complete waste, and should be avoided. I came across a used copy for a bargain
(maybe it was even a gift, can't remember), and finally got to hear it for myself. I can certainly see what it is that pissed everybody off. A substantial
portion of this is disappointingly commercial, soft pop, with some vocal harmony and very mild psych influences. Roughly about half falls into this category.
The other half is true outtakes from the "Cosmic Mind at Play" LP. And don't let all the exotic titles fool you, most of these outtakes are just incomplete
edits of album tracks, e.g. "Cosmic Mind at Play" (not the complete LP track), and "Crashing Slashing Roar" (another alternate portion of the LP version of
"Cosmic Mind ..." with a different mix than that used in the version that appears on the LP). The clear cut winner on this whole thing is the alt. vers. of "Now",
which is one of the greatest heavy psych cuts ever recorded; this vers. is diff., but just as good.Totally inconsistent, to be sure. Not even a fold-out for a cover
card, and containing literally no info.
Addendum: I just listened to this again, and feel I may have a slightly better insight into what might be going on here. Firstly, this is entirely conjecture on my
part! There are literally no liner notes that accompany this release, other than a parenthesied "diff version" listed after two of the tracks. But judging from the
sound quality and style of material, here''s what I think is probably close:
1: This sounds very much like an unused track from the album sessions, and is not a re-titled album track.
2,3,5,7: These sound like circa mid-70's recordings, and may be a later band that one or more of the original members were part of. The music is semi-commercial rock in a boogie
bar-band vein, and featuring some good guitar with added effects. I can't help but notice that the track 5 title appears to be an answer to track 1B from the original album.
Track 2 appears to be a mis-spelling of the more accurate "Heavenly Dancer".
4,6,12: Are all alternate mixes from the tracks used on the LP. Every one of these has a heavier psychedelic emphasis and are superior to the released versions as far as I
can remember. My only critique might be a slight loss of fidelity due to the tapes being old at the time these were transferred.
8, 9, 10, 11: These are all post-1980 tracks, likely recorded by the (probable) lone band member who was responsible for this collection. Track 8 is about John Lennon, and sings
about his untimely death. These are all soft and gentle pop rock songs with noticeable 80's production work. I can just see the guy's long grey hair pulled back in a tight
ponytail, recording these in his basement with wife and maybe a friend or two. They're really not bad at all, just a far cry from my style of interest." Timeshifter
