Dave Bixby - Ode to Quetzalcoatl 1969

In the early '70s, there was a subgenre -- still being excavated and discovered by collectors -- of privately pressed, or quite limited-edition, singer/songwriter folk albums that sounded like burnt-out leftovers from the hippie era. A percentage of these, in turn, were recorded and released by musicians with fervent if rather inarticulate religious beliefs. Dave Bixby's Ode to Quetzalcoatl is one of these, and though its purpose seems to have been to celebrate his deliverance from evil after embracing Christianity, it nonetheless sounds quite despondent and isolated in its mood. With acoustic guitar usually serving as his only instrumental accompaniment (and a bit of flute and harmonica heard at times), Bixby sings in a moan-lilting, slightly echoing voice whose sad and lonesome feel gives the impression that his demons have by no means been wholly exercised by salvation. No doubt this wasn't at all the intention, but it certainly isn't an effective testament to positive change, not if such change is associated with increased contentment and happiness. There's much to criticize here on musical grounds: the mood is oppressively isolating, the singing is irritatingly plain and low-energy, and there's much dreary sameness to the oft minor-key songs and the guitar work. At the time, if only relatively speaking, it's not bad for its slight genre; you can hear genuine spookiness in Bixby's music, somewhat like an amateur Skip Spence, with a touch of Neil Young at his most despairing. You probably wouldn't want to spend much time alone with Bixby, but as an evocation of a confused era in which some of the more disoriented constituents of the counterculture didn't know where to turn, the LP has its limited worth. AMG.

listen here

Buy @ Amazon: USA - FR - UK

Hendrickson Road House - Hendrickson Road House 1970

Once more here is one that comes via Rockasteria. Thanks Mario.
So good is this slice of acidic West Coast folk that it’s difficult not to go overboard. Lost for 40 years and coveted by a handful of acolytes willing to exchange $1,000 for a copy, this is a rediscovered gem so pure it makes all previous claims to that title look like uneducated sycophancy.
The sophisticated jazzy undertow (in places not unlike contemporaries Seatrain) and sparse, intelligent arrangements are bound together by a female vocal so delicious, it could be picked and eaten. Opener Forget About You could be a template – pure, sparkly guitar and wispy, shuffling drums underpin that voice – but the coherence of the material belies its variety. Intense harmonising on Helping Hand, prog-like time changes on Tomorrow Your Sorrow and free-roaming jazz on Yesircantoo – the album is littered with unique and varied touches of class in all departments.
Wooden Hill have rightly lavished time and effort on the package and we get no less than six bonus racks. Whoever you are – or think you are – you need this record. by Jan Zarebski

listen here

Buy @ Amazon: USA - FR - UK

Hookfoot - A Piece of Pye 1969

Hookfoot was a quintet formed at the end of the '60s as a recording unit by a half-dozen session players associated with Dick James' publishing and later with his DJM Records label. They never made much of an impression on the charts, despite their work being licensed to A&M Records, through which they released four LPs in the U.S.A. Ian Duck (vocals, harmonica), Dave Glover (bass),Roger Pope (drums, vocals), and Caleb Quaye (guitar, vocals) were the original lineup, with Bob Kulick (guitar, vocals) coming in alongside Quaye, and Fred Gandy joining on bass later. AMG.

listen here

Buy @ Amazon: USA - FR - UK

Indescribably Delicious - Good Enough To Eat 1969

Another one of Bill Holme's All American Releases, Indescribably Delicious was formed in the Bay Area of California in the early 60's. The band became local favorites and by the mid 1960's was opening for such acts as Steppenwolf, The Turtles, The Yardbirds and many more. The band consisted of Jim Conroy on vocals, Gary Solomon on vocals and sax, Greg Munford played guitar, keyboards and sang, Art Johnson was on rhythm guitar and Mark Cohen the drummer. The band recorded singles for the All American label and in 1969 completed their first album that was never released. The music of the band ranges from an r&b beat style similar to the Animals (with vocals remarkably sounding like Eric Burdon) to pop and even garage sounds. This album contains a dozen songs mostly written by band members except for a fantastic poppy cover of Pete Townsend's (The Who) classic, The Kids Are Alright, and two other obscure blues numbers. In the same vein as the more "popular" bands of the day such as Shadows Of Night, Every Mother's Son, The Monkees or the Outsiders, The Indescribably Delicious is one of those long lost gems that are waiting to be discovered. The only downside to this album is that it clocks in at under 30 minutes and leaves the listener wanting more. AMG.

listen here

Buy @ Amazon: USA - FR - UK

J. Teal Band - Cooks 1977

"Surprisingly good, underrated small-town hardrocker cruising on a backbone of tight jams that enhance almost every song, with a guitar-playing that is Quicksilver-like in it’s probing flow. Billy Hardy’s lead playing is as good as anything I’ve heard on an Lp of this kind, and unusually varied. The band also offers up a long introspective Top Drawer-ish brooder, utilizing an odd psychedelic effect which again sounds like something from a late 1960s Bay Area album. This LP isn’t unknown, but I bet a lot of people out there will be surprised by how good it is"  - The Acid Archives

listen here

Buy @ Amazon: USA - FR - UK

Hal Blaine - Psychedelic Percussion 1967

Hal Blaine was the busiest recording session drummer in Los Angeles in the 1960s and 1970s, playing the drums on -- by his count -- tens of thousands of recordings, from the Wall of Sound productions of Phil Spector to Brian Wilson's productions of the Beach Boys, and including most of the pop/rock performers in Los Angeles in the '60s, as well as such notables as Elvis Presley andFrank Sinatra. Blaine published a book of his memories, Hal Blaine and the Wrecking Crew, in 1990. AMG.

listen here

Buy @ Amazon: USA - FR - UK

Headstone Circus - Headstone Circus 1970

Recorded between 1968 and 1970, the tracks on this eponymous CD were not released back then and represent Headstone Circus' complete legacy. Bassist Nick Bonis, drummer Randy Ray Popeand lead guitarist Mike Johnstone formed Headstone Circus in 1966. The group was meant to have a psychedelic rock imprint, but the addition of singer/songwriter Glenn Faria diverted that original intention toward something much closer to Crosby, Stills & Nash, Neil Young or Buffalo Springfield. Upon listening to these tracks released almost 40 years after the fact, it is obvious that the group was doing some things right. Faria has a warm and soulful voice, the multi-part vocal harmonies (the mainCS&N tie-in) are beautiful and most of the melodies exert an immediate appeal. However, possible reasons why the group never "made it" also become quickly obvious, the main one being a tendency to overstretch simple songs. While musically proficient, the group simply doesn't have in its ranks the kind of virtuosity or creativity that could justify playing a simple chorus-and-verse song for five minutes or more. As a result, otherwise pretty good songs like "I'm Going Down" and "Summers Gone" drag on for too long, making them sound weaker than they had to be. There is still some enjoyment to be had from these tapes though, especially for fans of harmony folk-rock or connoisseurs who liked Faria's early-'70s solo LP (another rarity legitimately released for the first time in the 2000s). The first eight tracks make up what would have been Headstone Circus' album proper; they are well recorded but the tapes clearly suffered from old age (distortion, slight drops, a grainy feel). The last four tracks are demo recordings. AMG.

listen here

Buy @ Amazon: USA - FR -UK

Francoise Hardy - Message Personnel 1973

French chanteuse Francoise Hardy was riding high in her popularity when this set was issued in 1975, made up of tracks from 1973 and 1974 as well. The overall feeling of Message Personnel is cinematic. There are the sweeping string arrangements of the legendary Michel Bernholc on all but one track. His direction of a basic rock band backed by a lush set of strings underlined Hardy's wispy yet compelling vocals. On the single, however, "L'Amour En Privè," Serge Gainsbourg handled production chores with musical directors J.C. Vannier and Georges Moustaki. Electric guitars roll under a sputtering beat before giving way to a shimmering sexy cabaret song that is all joie de vivreand no drama. Moustaki's rock & roll guitars duel the Vannier's high-end strings, which sweep across the mix, for dominance between Gainsbourg's verses. This is also the title track to the Gainsbourg film of the same name. The set ends with "Je Suis Moi," a dramatic rock ballad in the most theatrical sense. Indeed, had it been written and recorded five years later, it would have been conceivable for Meatloaf and Jim Steinman to record it! Message Personnel is a fine example of Hardy at the height of her powers as an interpreter, writer, and singer of songs deeply engrained in the French pop culture vernacular. AMG.

listen here

Buy @ Amazon: USA - FR - UK

Blondie Chaplin - Blondie Chaplin 1977

"Rock and roll" is scrawled across of the front of this late-'70s album, but it appears to be simply some well-chosen graffiti in the photograph and not the actual album title. It would have been both generic and appropriate if that had been the choice rather than simply Blondie Chaplin as a title for the debut solo effort from an artist better known for his collaborative efforts with such large-scale cheeses as the Rolling Stones. "It's only rock & roll but I like it," was one of the latter band's mantras. Such is the nature of this walloping musical style that listeners could have completely missed out on Chaplin -- indeed, many did -- and really not have missed a thing. At least in terms of this album: although certainly groovy, it doesn't contain a lick that any amount of exposure to '60s and '70s rock wouldn't have already served up. These would be many of the stylistic trademarks of this era, particularly the later years and the temporarily hip Asylum label, aspects that will evoke smiles or fits of vomiting depending on the audience's aesthetic. To continue the crude comparison to digestive processes, this menu highlights tight arrangements, what they used to call "chick singers" (think "Hummingbird," meticulous horn sections, and a mixture of soul and pop flavors that was only possible in an era when these dishes were constantly served back to back on radio stations). Often, however, when a song seems like it is over or an instrumental break not really necessary, here comes the waiter with a dessert tray featuring an assortment of sweet lead guitar solos. One reason this record sounds like so many others is that the people that played on those other records are on this one, too. That includesDave Mason of Traffic fame, Garth Hudson of the Band, and legendary session keyboardist Richard Tee. The South African Chaplin seems obsessed not with sounding different than the heroes of the day, but rather with being able to duplicate any of them at will, a talent that deserves plenty of praise. He can sing like John Fogerty or Spencer Davis yet also shines on complex copies of the Beatles. In light of what was happening on the music scene in the '70s, Chaplin must have just seemed like someone whose performances were fun but who never established a sound that he could call his own. Future hitmakers who relentlessly plunder the '60s and '70s make him look good in retrospective -- his tracks sound just as good, if not better, than anything recorded in 2004. Note: the title "For Your Love" is a Chaplin original, like everything else on the album, not a cover of the great song by the Yardbirds. AMG.

listen here

Buy @ Amazon: USA - FR - UK

Five Man Electrical Band - Five Man Electrical Band 1969

This is kind of a nice surprise. Despite how dorky they look on the cover, the Five Man Electrical Bandclearly had some talent, even if they were a little low on originality. Clearly influenced by the Lovin' Spoonful and the Turtles, even if they didn't quite have the sparkle of those groups, they even cover aGarry Bonner-Alan Gordon song, "Fancy Dancin' Man," which, with a more expansive arrangement, might have been a hit. The problem here is that this group just didn't quite have the vocal blend of the Turtles. The ideas are there, but the execution falls just a little flat. Les Emmerson shows himself to be a fine Beatles-inspired songwriter, and he indeed has his moments. With better singers, this could have really been something. One of the album's highlights is the Nilsson-esque "Maple Lane," which is one of the most charming tracks on the set. AMG.

listen here

Buy @ Amazon: USA - FR - UK

Alquin - Marks 1972

Like most young bands, Alquin proudly wore their influences on their sleeves, but unlike most of their fellow progressive rockers, the Dutch group eschewed opulent arrangements and showboat soloing. Simplicity seems to have been the byword for their 1973 debut album, Marks, recorded while the members were still attending Delft's Technical University. This understandably led to the album being tagged as jazz-folk, but that label does injustice to the breadth of Alquin's vision and wide range of styles, with their songs encompassing everything from a conga line to disco, Dixieland to Gypsy violin. The unadorned arrangements counterintuitively make Marks sound far less adventurous than it actually is, but correspondingly far more accessible than it might otherwise have been. It's also a reflection of the set's lack of improvisation, but live the band soared into more experimental territory, as "Mr. Barnum Junior's Magnificent and Fabulous City" well illustrates, an extended piece that giddily shape-shifts through numerous genres and styles. Contrast that number with the lilting in and out of pomp rock and jazz during "Oriental Journey," the cheery jazz-pop of "The Least You Could Do Is Send Me Some Flowers," or the moody jazz fusion of "Soft Royce"; it's like night and day. Positioning themselves between the Canterbury scene, the jazz clubs, West Coast psychedelia, and the rock greats, Alquin took the best of all worlds and threaded it into a sound uniquely their own. They had much growing to do, but this was an impressive start. AMG.

listen here

Buy @ Amazon: USA - FR - UK

Alexander's Timeless Bloozband - Alexander's Timeless Bloozband 1967

Looser and more ragged than their UNI lp, but also more energetic.  The group would re-record "Help Me", "Swannoa Tunnel", and "Guitar Song" (which they would re-title "Love So Strong")for For Sale, but the best moments here are the Bacchanalia ode "Sloppy Drunk", and a fine version of "Killing Floor".  The group gets points for adventurousness with a crosseyed version of "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music.  It's too bad that this album's so hard to find, since it has its moments.

listen here

Buy @ Amazon: USA - FR - UK

Bob Edmund - I See No Colors 1970

From the 1970 monster folk-psych/garage-rock hotbed of Long Island, New York comes Bob Edmund with I See No Colors on Rabo Records.
One of the rarest (and most desirable) folk-psych LPs, this record is part of the original private pressing of only 500; there are less than 20 known copies today in the psych scene, so I hear. These come up for auction very infrequently, the last one was over a year and half ago, and almost never in this condition!
Bob Edmund's only known release is unique in several ways, not least as one of the few privately pressed LPs with a mid-60s folk/psych/garage/rock sound. Coming out of New York City in 1970, I See No Colors ignored the prevailing loner folk style to draw on an earlier aesthetic, when tambourine men were all the rage and McGuinn and McGuire pointed the way. Edmund was much too angry to subject his music to any type of LA slickness however, which is why his protest songs come equipped with spikes and rough edges that fit them surprisingly well. Sounding not unlike Barry McGuire on bad speed, Edmund's church organ-led combo (called Byrth) can best be described as psychedelic folk-garage, while his lyrics denounce the war, America, and pretty much everything in sight, and undoubtedly had not been acceptable to a major label. An interesting comparison could be made between the barely contained street-punk rage of this LP, and the happy hippie fairytale moods of Gandalf The Grey, who arose on the same New York City scene around the same time. Edmunds won't reduce himself to a Village soapbox nuisance however, and ends his album with some unexpected hymns to space travel and humanity in general. Released on his own Rabo label, the sleeve was subject to censorship as Edmund's idea of a desecrated Stars 'N Stripes was rejected by the printer. A hurt note on the sleeve explains this background, which in turn explains the album title and the Jasper Johns' style artwork.
Bob's lyrics speak the post-hippie flavor of the times and are sung in his unique scratchy voice. There is an obvious influence of Bob Dylan electric period.

listen here

Chain - Live 1970

Chain are an Australian blues band formed in Melbourne as The Chain in late 1968 with a lineup including guitarist, vocalist Phil Manning; they are sometimes known as Matt Taylor's Chain after lead singer-songwriter and harmonica player, Matt Taylor. Their January 1971 single "Black and Blue", which became their only top twenty hit, was recorded by Chain line-up of Manning, Taylor, drummer Barry Harvey and bass guitarist Barry Sullivan. The related album, Toward the Blues followed in September and peaked in the top ten albums chart. Manfred Mann's Earth Band famously covered "Black and Blue" on their album "Messin`" (June 1973).

For years, Chain's debut album and single have been almost impossible to find. Sure, some tracks have surfaced on compilations, but here, for the very first time on CD is Live Chain in its entirety (with some great extras). With the line-up of Phil Manning (guitar, vocals), Warren Morgan (electric piano), Glyn Mason (guitar, vocals), Barry 'Big Goose' Sullivan (bass) and Barry 'Little Goose' (drums), Live Chain is a terrific document of this short-lived version of the band (the press release that came with the LP states that both Morgan and Mason had already left!).

listen here

Buy @ Amazon: USA - FR - UK