Siloah - Siloah 1970

This was Siloah's first album from 1970, when the group played mellow hippie rock, supposedly influenced somewhat by American West Coast bands like Grateful Dead. Like the first Amon Düül, Siloah was a commune band who let anyone play along, no matter how competent, and the disc sounds a lot like Amon Düül's foray into similar strange folk-rock on Para Dieswärts Düül. Acoustic guitars lock into repetitive but loose riffs over primitive bongo percussions with that same inventive improvised feel, as well as innocent charm. Thom Argauer's vocals, in English, have a certain naïveté that only enhances the charm as he sings about acid eagles or the land where the dope shops are in Krishna's hands. There are long instrumental passages, especially on the 18-minute "Aluminum Wind," as well as "Krishna?s Golden Dope Shop" and the lively "Road to Laramy," with its galloping rhythm. Though not quite as well recorded, the bonus tracks are quite good. "Mit Tiny," originally both sides of a 7" from 1970, gets into even wilder improv rock with screams and pounding drum-circle style rhythms, which makes it sound closer to the earliest Amon Düül material. AMG.

listen here