NEWS - Hot Off The Press [USA power pop, pop 1974] 2010 Riverman Music, Yoga Records BTR0053, ycd003

 

Riverman Music reissues a unique '70s pop obscurity. The lead instrument is a pedal steel guitar, played with more imagination than anywhere other than the Misunderstood's studio recordings, often with some nice, fuzzy distortion. It rarely sounds "country." The songs are strong pop/rock, with Beach Boys-style harmony vocals on the softer songs, and tougher (but still melodic) singing on the rockers. Other than the opening "song" (three minutes of a guy fiddling with a radio dial), everything here is memorable, and no two songs sound alike. Highlights include the powerful "Loser," with a stunning steel guitar solo, and the long album-closer "New York City," but this is consistent enough that any given listener could feel equally strong about any two others. This is exactly the kind of band a daring major label executive would have struck gold with in the '60s, but nobody would dare to touch in the '70s. The endless streams of slide on these songs makes you almost woozy, but in that pleasant, A.M. radio, hot car/hot summer day, off-kilter '70s way. Surprisingly groovy. Includes two previously unreleased bonus tracks.

News

THE CHILDREN - THURSDAY'S CHILDREN - Stoned Sixties [USA garage psychedelic rock 1966-69] 1995 Collectables COL-0600

 

This will appeal primarily to garage heads, and even more to completists. Both of these Tex garage bands have good reps among punk/psych collectors, and many of these tracks are unavailable anywhere else. The fold-out cover card contains minimal info on the tracks included.The Children

SKY SULAMYTH - Full Moon Light [Canada melodic psychedelic rock 1979] 7th Ray 7RP-03721

 

Recorded at Home in Vancouver, Canada. Wilderness Farm in Northern Ontario, Canada.Holy! Super rare sealed OG Canadian-only folk/psych/guitar/hippie/LP from one-time Huckle guitarist Sky Sulamyth. Sublime and transcendent album. Essential!Sky

HEAD - Head [USA garage psychedelic rock 1992] Voxx Records Voxx VCD 2061

 

Unfairly, this album has always remained obscure, even among Voxx releases. Perhaps this is due to their style, which is freeform and creative, rather than the formulaic approach audiences seem to prefer.

With influences ranging from Cream to Led Zep to little-known British bands like July, Head blew a lot of minds in Los Angeles in the early '90s with their light show and extended trip-jams.

For their album debut, they chose a different approach: using all the studio tricks at their command to make a finely-crafted collage of sounds designed to flow through a listener's most spaced-out headphone session. But this long album also includes most of their live freakout favorites, and there are frequent moments of sublime ensemble playing. Greg Shaw.

Head

TWINK AND THE TECHNICOLOUR DREAM - Think Pink II [UK progressive rock 2015] Sunbeam Records SBRCD5105

Recorded in 1969 and released in 1970, THINK PINK is one of the cornerstones of British underground rock. Five decades later, in 2015, John "Twink" Alder has teamed up with Italian psychedelic rockers the Technicolour Dream and guest stars including John Povey (The Pretty Things) and David Duhig (July) to create a sequel. Recorded in Rome and London and mixed by the legendary John Wood, it's sure to delight all fans of psychedelic music.

Think Pink II

THE BLUES MAGOOS - Psychedelic Resurrection [USA garage 20014] Kayon no number

Psychedelic Resurrection is more than a nostalgic visit to the LSD and flower-power days. It’s a sonic surprise with plenty of fun tunes, both new and old, that will entice fans into more than a cursory listen.

Psychedelic Resurrection

UMBRA - Umbra [USA hard psychedelic rock 1971-72] 2018 Lion Productions LION 692

What was available to unknown hard rocking dreamers like Umbra in Denver in 1971-72? Weekend gigs. Nothing but weekend gigs. But there was an upside to that: bands like Umbra could mix original material in with covers, and make enough money to survive. Or in the case of Umbra, to make enough money to build a home studio, where they recorded ads to promote their upcoming shows—and eventually, laid down the eight tracks on this disc. Everything was recorded by bouncing tracks back and forth between two-track and four-track reel-to-reel tape recorders. Spacey intros and weird effects were created by recording guitar licks, then re-recording them played backwards at double speed. What sounds like a flute was the result of blowing over the top of a 14” goose neck (believe it or not).

The resulting tracks are hard edged and heavy, verging on acid rock at times. Makes sense, as Umbra was a power trio most of their too-brief existence. Yet the songs (heavy though they are) have a deft touch. There are weird effects, space rock elements, plenty of melody, and a refreshing category-free approach to writing songs that makes Umbra’s music exciting to hear.

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