Hell Preachers Inc. - Supreme Psychedelic Underground 1968

Hell Preachers Inc.'s sole album, Supreme Psychedelic Underground, was released in 1968 and is the subject of a famous rumor among music fans that it was a “secret Deep Purple project.” Formed as a one-off project by session musicians from Hamburg, Germany, the band is characterized by an experimental sound that bridges psychedelic rock and hard rock. 

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Mike Bloomfield & Al Kooper - Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield & Al Kooper 1968

One of the seminal live albums of the late '60s, Live Adventures of Al Kooper & Mike Bloomfield was a natural, organic offshoot of the hugely successful Super Session album from 1968, which contained performances by both of these groundbreaking musicians, as well as Stephen Stills. The idea of musical spontaneity both in live performance and in the recording studio had reached a certain apex in 1968, and spontaneous excursions by musicians such as Jimi Hendrix, Steve Winwood, and the Southern California musical covenant that eventually became Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, as well as a host of others, were indeed a sign of the times. But it was the union of Bloomfield and Kooper that can truly claim an origination of the phenomenon, and this album takes it to another level entirely. Utilizing a fine and tight rhythm section of John Kahn and Skip Prokop, the two musicians duel and embrace each other on such cuts as the accurately named "Her Holy Modal Highness" and a great, revamped rock/soul re-working of Paul Simon's "Feelin' Groovy," which is buttressed by a guest studio vocal overdub by the author himself. The album's high point may be Bloomfield's rendering of Albert King's epic "Don't Throw Your Love on Me So Strong," which may indeed also be one of his finest career recordings. Like the Super Session album, history repeated itself, as Bloomfield's chronic insomnia caught up with him by the morning of the second night of the two-night gig, rendering him unavailable. Kooper enlisted the help of Steve Miller and a practically unknown Carlos Santana (himself a Bloomfield devotee) for several tracks, particularly a loose and free version of "Dear Mr. Fantasy," which sort of embodies the whole affair and era. Undoubtedly a necessity from the period, the record has been remastered for CD, and the results are truly glorious, and do this legendary album justice. AMG.

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Zalman Yanovsky - Alive And Well In Argentina 1968

After parting ways with the Lovin' Spoonful in 1967, co-founder Zalman Yanovsky -- better known to fans and friends simply as "Zally" -- surfaced the following year on his lone solo long-player Alive and Well in Argentina (1968). The effort returned the artist back to the early rock as well as country & western roots that had inspired him. Plus, he was able to modernize, if not counter the weepy and introspective direction the Spoonful was continually drifting toward as John Sebastian scored the easier listening "Darling Be Home Soon" and "Younger Generation." Bearing his trademark sense of humor -- and help from none other than Jerry Yester -- his replacement in the Spoonful -- and former bandmate Joe Butler (drums), the platter has the feel of a Lovin' Spoonful side project. The opening rave-up "Raven in a Cage" is preceded by a surreal composite of farmyard audio effects and "Oh, Canada!" -- the Canadian National Anthem. The song's heavier execution instantly recalls the Spoonful's "There She Is" and "4 Eyes" with just a hint of Yanovsky's jug band roots and overtones. With electric guitars wailing, the lethargic and definitely sardonic update of one-hit wonder Joe Jones' 1960 "You Talk Too Much" is Yanovsky at his irreverent best. Yet he manages to turn it into a commendable performance before the bottom literally falls out of the groove. Continuing with the trip down memory lane are impressive interpretations of the Floyd Cramer instrumental "Last Date" as well as the Bobby Day-penned "Little Bitty Pretty One" -- a hit for Thurston Harris in 1957. Yanovsky's impassioned and slightly out of tune vocal plea inoculates it with a shot of soul, while the thoroughly echoplexed chorus has a gritty lo-fi feel. The banjo-fralin' title track "Alive and Well in Argentina" adopts a rural flavor and melody comparable to Dave Dudley's 18-wheeler ode "Six Days on the Road." The lyrics demonstrate the artist's tweaked funny bone, not to mention a not-so-subtle reply to the question that Spoonful fans and reporters were asking in the wake of Zally's departure. The 1971 reissue of the LP on Kama Sutra added the single "As Long as You're Here" -- which was written by the team of Garry Bonner and Alan Gordon who are perhaps best-known for the Turtles' hits "Happy Together," "She's My Girl," and "Cat in the Window." In due time they would also provide the Joe Butler-led incarnation of the Lovin' Spoonful "('Till I) Run with You" and "Amazing Air" on their Revelation Revolution '69 collection. Equaling if not surpassing the earlier covers are Yanovsky's raw reading of George Jones' divorce ode "Brown to Blue" and a honky tonkin' take of Ivory Joe Hunter's "I Almost Lost My Mind." The upbeat poppish spin of John Sebastian's "Priscilla Millionaira" comes on the heels of the Lovin' Spoonful's version from Everything Playing. An attempt at full-blown (or, perhaps more accurately overblown) psychedelia is heard on the pseudo-heavy "Hip Toad." It stands in contrast to the overt mixture of trippy electric guitars and orchestrated jamming titled "Lt. Schtinkckhausen" -- ultimately sounding more like Frank Zappa than the Spoonful. The colorful jacket artwork collage is credited to Peter Max, while the dimestore novel-esque liner notes are courtesy of Carl Gottlieb -- a writer for the Smothers Brothers TV Show among numerous other credits. AMG.

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Water - The Second Day 1975

Dutch rock band active from 1974 to 1977. Band from The Hague including organist Ron Westerbeek (also in Sandy Coast) and harmonica player John Lagrand (also in Livin' Blues). One-off in musical as The Rocky Horror Band. 

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Paul Brett's Sage - Paul Brett´s Sage 1970

Tying together many of the musical threads of their day, Paul Brett Sage was a progressive band in the best sense of the word, with an adventurous sound that was accessible to all, though they never lost sight of their origins. The group grew out of the folk duo of guitarist/singer Paul Brett and percussionist Bob Voice, and their eponymous debut album sees Paul Brett Sage retain a folksy bend, which reaches grand agit-folk heights on "Trophies of War." Elsewhere, Brett's fiery licks and solos, particularly on the anthemic "3D Mona Lisa," paints rock right across the backwoods vista. Evocative flamenco-tinged guitar sizzles around "The Sun Died," while Brett's aggressive performance on both 12-string and electric guitar creates a "Warlock" worthy of the modern age. With the band's prominent use of percussion, Nicky Higginbottom's haunting flute, their strong melodies, and infectious choruses, Paul Brett Sage hovers between folk, rock, world, and pop; an album that deftly manages to be all things to all people. AMG.

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Herbie Hancock - Flood 1975

Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters take to the road in the live double album Flood, recorded and released only in Japan. Contrary to the impression left by his American releases at this time, Hancock was still very much attached to the acoustic piano, as his erudite opening workout on "Maiden Voyage/Actual Proof" with his funk rhythm section makes clear. The electric keyboards, mostly Rhodes piano and clavinet, make their first appearances on side two, where Hancock now becomes more of a funky adjunct to the rhythm section, bumping along with a superb feeling for the groove while Bennie Maupin takes the high road above on a panoply of winds. Except for "Voyage," the tunes come from the Head Hunters, Thrust, and Man-Child albums (another reason why this was not released in the U.S.). "Chameleon" comes with a lengthy outbreak of machine pink noise that attests to Hancock's wide-eyed love of gadgetry. In all, this was a great funk band, not all that danceable because of the rapid complexities of Mike Clark's drumming, and quite often, full of harmonic depth and adventure. AMG.

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Clouds - Scrapbook 1968

Clouds were a progressive rock group from Edinburgh, Scotland who never found true commercial success despite rave reviews for their records and concerts. Not to be confused with The Clouds (2) (1980s indie rock band from Glasgow, Scotland).
In their earlier incarnation as '1-2-3', Edinburgh's Clouds had a now-legendary residency at the Marquee club in early 1967, directly influencing many important bands such as Yes, The Nice, and King Crimson. They were managed by Brian Epstein and Nems, but this association ended shortly after Epstein’s death, and the band was signed by Terry Ellis to the fledgling Chrysalis empire. But the success of Jethro Tull took the focus away from Clouds, and despite successful European and American tours, and numerous recordings with Island records, the band failed to capture the imagination of the record-buying public, and disbanded in Oct 1971. As years passed, however, it was the band's earlier incarnation as 1-2-3 that became the subject of a critical reappraisal. With accolades from the likes of David Bowie and others, the band's distinctive guitar-less, organ-driven sound is now viewed as a definitive precursor to the progressive rock movement. 

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Ted Nugent - Ted Nugent 1975

After disintegrating the Amboy Dukes in the early '70s, Ted Nugent finally decided to strike out on his own as a solo star. Even without a recording contract, Nugent toured constantly, built up a fervent following, and created a smoking hard rock quartet with the help of singer/guitarist Derek St. Holmes, bassist Rob Grange, and drummer Cliff Davies. The band's first release, 1975's Ted Nugent, is a prime slice of testosterone-heavy, raging, unapologetic rock & roll, and along with the band's 1977 release Cat Scratch Fever, it is Nugent's best solo studio album. While the grinding opening track, "Stranglehold," stretches beyond eight minutes and contains several extended, fiery-hot guitar leads, it does not come off as your typical '70s overindulgent fare -- every single note counts, as Nugent wails away as if his life depended on it. Other Nuge classics include "Motor City Madhouse," plus the St. Holmes-sung "Hey Baby" and "Just What the Doctor Ordered," all eventually becoming arena staples and making the band one of the late-'70s top concert draws. Additional highlights are the unexpected breezy jazz ballad "You Make Me Feel Right at Home," plus the untamed rockers "Stormtroopin'" and "Queen of the Forest." Nugent himself hails Ted Nugent as his best work, and with good reason. It's an essential hard rock classic. As with Nugent's other 1999 reissues, an insightful essay on this Nugent era by journalist Gary Graff is included, plus bonus tracks. AMG.

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