Negative Space background
Topic: Minor change or comment

An interview with main Space guy Rob Russen confirms all the basic data around the LP pressing as given in the Acid Archives book. It came out in May 1970, and the band played and even toured to promote it. The Castle label was a real label, formed by Russen's father, and had several releases in addition to the Negative Space LP.

See interview and plenty of vintage photos here:

http://psychedelicbaby.blogspot.com/2011/02/negative-space-my-interview-with-rob.html

Upside Dawne
Now Playing: Rain Parade live '85
Topic: Minor change or comment

The rare Upside Dawne album from Kansas that was formerly only 'believed to exist' has now been verified with an actual vinyl copy, which surfaced in the Chicago area and was later sold to Europe for a substantial sum. The LP came without a sleeve in a very limited pressing. See Acid Archives book for details.

Adam Taylor (Tiger Lily)
Topic: Minor change or comment
The ADAM TAYLOR album on Tiger Lily is in fact tracks by COUNTRY FUNK, who had Mr Taylor as a member and released a non-expensive LP on Polydor 1970. Some tax scam specialists have expressed embarrassment at not recognizing Country Funk, and for praising the Adam Taylor rarity while not giving Country Funk much attention. Fortunately for me, my conscience is as clean as Travis Bickle's cabbie sheet, since I had neither heard or even heard of Country Funk before this recent scoop surfaced.

Mother Tuckers Yellow Duck addenda
Now Playing: Creation Of Sunlight
Topic: Minor change or comment

There are in fact two different versions, and three different issues of the MOTHER TUCKERS YELLOW DUCK pre-LP 45 titled "I". The wildest and best version of "I" can be found on the first Duck label issue, and also as a very obscure release on the TCP label. Then there exists a 2nd version of "I" on Duck, which is more polished; it seems the band re-recorded the track, and the two Duck versions can be separated via the completely different matrix numbers (more info needed here).

Finally, the Acid Archives book does not mention the cartoon insert that the first, rare version of the band's debut LP on Duck came with, but the insert is clearly a part of the release and should be regarded as such... the M.T.Y.D discography is complex and someone ought to sort it out once and for all.

World "Opus I"
Now Playing: Mississippi "Velvet Sandpaper"
Topic: Addition

WORLD (Gallup, NM)
Opus I  197  (Foremost Records JWP 1039)
After some hush-hush speculation behind the scenes, this obscure artifact finally surfaced for real via an eBay auction and some soundclips. Supposedly a lost 'Grail', World turned out to be average Latin rock from what sounds like a local club band. Sounding somewhat like the Scorpio Brothers LP from NYC, it appears from the clips to be an OK but unexciting record, and I was unable to pick up any X-factor or underground/psych angle what would have warranted the ecstatic hype. [PL]

Sons Of Champlin
Now Playing: Neil Young: Archives disc 02
Topic: Minor change or comment

The Sons Of Champlin private press release Minus Seeds & Stems, released in 1971 credited to the 'Sons' only, was reissued in 1993. In addition to the modern inserts mentioned in the Acid Archives book, one can tell the reissue from the original as follows: the trail-off on the reissue contains the number 'L-41076'. The original disc does not have this number. The reissue cover is boardprinted, while the original had paste-on slicks.

This was a custom pressing via Custom Fidelity, but the record shows the band's home-made labels.

The Horde
Now Playing: Ric Collas Trio
Topic: Addition

HORDE (NC)
The Horde 1967 (JCP 201)  [no sleeve; c25p]
The previously undocumented garage era album by the Horde is perhaps the most interesting discovery in the past couple of years. The sleeveless demo LP appeared on JCP, a label known for a couple of excellent garage 45s. The Horde album has the usual list of cover versions, but also at least two excellent band originals, and a link to the band's website brought out more fine music, cutting edge pre-Sgt Pepper shit in the Yardbirds or Baroques vein. The eBay auction was appropriately feverish and the rekkid ended up selling for $1700. A genuine discovery, the band were students at Duke University in NC. [PL]
~ ~ ~
Top class sleuth & Acid Archives correspondent Jack F adds that: "...The Horde was put together by local producer J. Cash as a back up group for a chick singer named Elisabeth Locke. The same guy went on to break Oliver of "Good Morning Starshine" fame. The Horde LP was a demo press, which the band estimates to be around 25 copies. They did it as a tossed off session just for fun as they were already in tune with each other for the Locke sessions, and all shared a love for the Blues Project and rock and roll hijinks. A year later they cut a 4-song acetate in a more Dylan oriented vein, but disbanded shortly after that. Two members of the Horde went on to play for 7 years in the Oosik Music Revue and one member still resides in Alaska where he runs a celebrated local night club."

Butch details
Now Playing: FIFA 11 on Wii
Topic: Entry data revision

The Butch album "The Bitch Of Rock'n'Roll" may be less obscure than is usually assumed. At least the band claims 5000 copies were pressed! They stayed in California in their quest for rock stardom, but were originally from Utica, NY. All this & much more will hopefully be found on a new website that is currently in progress.

BUTCH (Utica, NY / CA)
The Bitch Of Rock & Roll 1977 (Sunndial no #)  [5000p]

 

Lodestone review by Aaron M
Now Playing: Music Emporium
Topic: Addition

LODESTONE ( )
Main Street 1974 (no label LD 101)
This generic-looking private press looks like the work of stoned hippies, and maybe it is, but the music is straightforward rock and roll with a definite 50s influence. Lyrics are dopey (the title track is about boozing up girls and trying to get them into the back seat) and though vocals are weak this is way closer to pop than hard rock. “If You Want My Love” goes all out to be catchy, with lead and rhythm riffs, a poppy verse and harmony-laden chorus. It’s too wimpy to be power pop and not competent enough to be soft rock, but it has a bargain basement charm that makes me wonder if it’s better like this than it would be if a “good” band did a version of it. Other songs are gutter blues, upbeat (but never hard) rock, and more pop, never forgetting that 50s base, and mercifully keeping the only ballad to a mere 1:30. Songs speed up and slow down randomly. This is a really weird record, not good by any objective standard, but they seem to be having a great time and they stay obviously true to who they are. As a result, it’s oddly enjoyable and rather unpredictable. [AM]

Victoria (NJ) + Nickels & Dimes
Now Playing: Magi "Win Or Lose"
Topic: Minor change or comment

VICTORIA (NJ)
The Acid Archives book entry mentions unreleased pre-Victoria recordings by a band called Nickels & Dimes, which included Victoria leader Greg Ruban. These recordings are now out on a retrospective Nickels & Dimes release from Distortions in the US. Oddly, the review of the release in the new Ugly Things (#31) makes no mention of Victoria, nor is the connection stated in the PR for the album.

Acid Archives cover
Now Playing: Dryewater

Nomadds PS
Now Playing: Quicksilver "Mona" Fillmore East June '68
Topic: Minor change or comment

NOMADDS (IL)
After a recent e-mail from one of the members of the Nomadds, whose excellent '65 beat LP I've written about at length, I should point out that the band generally do not share the view that the album was as strongly Brit-beat/Merseybeat-influenced as my Nomadd writings have suggested. Some of the material pre-dates the earliest Brit wave (Spring '64) altogether. What it is, is probably a case of shared influences, with the Everly Bros and Buddy Holly among them, between the Illinois band and the Liverpool bands. Just for the record...

Too Smooth album review by Aaron M
Topic: New review

TOO SMOOTH (Tiger Lily)
One of the rarest and most sought-after Tiger Lily albums is this cool southern rock album, which treads the line between major label competence and garage-band ambience.  Lyrics are druggy, guitars are swampy, and, in most cases, the vocals are appealingly snotty.  The songs with a more harmony-oriented approach are less distinctive, but they shift from soft to loud, soft to heavy, at the drop of a hat and nothing here is wimpy at all.  There’s plenty of lead guitar everywhere, peaking with a killer solo on “You Say When”.  This record has a definite 70s feel to it, but doesn’t really sound like any particular band I can think of.  I would guess fans of bands like J. Teal or Nitzinger and would like it more than, say, Allman Brothers or Outlaws fans, since songs are compact, not overly bluesy and have no country influence.  This isn’t as good as the very best Tiger Lily albums, but it’s quite solid, surely better than the vast majority of private press rarities and is a heck of a find for genre fans. [AM]