For more than 10 years we at Lysergia have championed Ohio's Charlie Bleak as an undiscovered talent of national magnitude, and it's pleasing to see the persistent interest in both Bleak and the Hoi Polloi LP, which will see a vinyl reissue shortly.

For Charlie Bleak (pronounced like 'Blake') the Hoi Polloi project at Earlham College was just one stop in a long and varied musical career that began in the '60s garage era. Some day, maybe not too far in the future, I suspect that it will all be excavated and documented with the attention it deserves, preferrably by some young musicologist in the Ohio/Indiana area. While waiting for that I keep chipping away at my archivist contributions, from which now a useful addition can be reported. After reading some years back that Charlie Bleak had some session hours logged at the Owl studio where several Ohio artists recorded, I figured there might be a release somewhere between Hoi Polloi (1972) and Bleak's mainstream album Let Me In (1976). And indeed there was, more precisely a 45 which was recorded locally and self-released by Charlie, with a picture sleeve even. I was lucky to find a copy fast once I knew what to look for, and here it is.

The presumed A-side "Love Is On The Way" is melodic '70s pop with a breezy feel, very much in the McCartney mode where one often finds Bleak as well as other local '70s talents. It's a well-written, well-arranged song which is so succinct in its action that it only lasts 90 seconds! It still has all the elements of a 3-minute pop song, which tells you something about Bleak's modus operandi. Both verse and chorus are agreeably catchy without being silly, I just wish there was a bridge section so one could enjoy it a little longer. The B-side "Never You Mind" is a longer song that leans more towards a CSN type dreamy westcoast vocal harmony sound, and none the worse for that. Not as radio-friendly upbeat as the A-side but for a 2013 listener, about as good. In short, Bleak does not disappoint with this 45, but confirms his standing as a terrific songwriter and all-around music pro, seeing as how he both arranged and produced both tracks. Anyone smitten with his Earlham College work will want to add this 45 to the collection, at least until that groundbreaking Bleak retrospective album comes around some day.

A final note, unless I've mentioned this already--the story on how Bleak came to play bass (under an alias) on the One St Stephen LP is that they lived in the same building and Charlie got tired of hearing 'Stephen' rehearsing the same tracks over and over, so he brought him to Owl studios to get the songs out of his system and on to vinyl.

Posted by Patrick at Lysergia at 00:54 MEST

Share This Post

Post Comment | View Comments (3) | Permalink

Inspired by a recent internet discussion I decided to try and put an end to the old wives tale about the Morly Grey counterfeit once and for all. This is addressed in the Acid Archives book, but pictures speak louder than words.

Posted by Patrick at Lysergia at 23:18 MEST

Updated: 17 April 2013 23:37 MEST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

As a final nail in the coffin for my neat theory regarding the manufacturing defect and the two different pressings of Canada's RIVERSON, my German connection now says that copies of the earlier '360 label' pressing do exist without the defect on S1T6; this was further verified by another European collector.

So basically we're back at square 1, but a good deal of confirmed data has nevertheless been produced. Riverson exists in two different pressings, but these both came from the same stamper, and the 'repeat skip' (or 'stick') error can be found with copies from both the first and the second pressing. Conversely, copies without this defect can also be found with both pressings, and this leaves the collector with the only option to actually play the disc in order to determine if the repeat skip is present (it is not visible to the eye).

Scroll down a few pages for more on this affair, but what you just read here represents the most recent word on the matter.

Posted by Patrick at Lysergia at 22:47 MEST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

Easter Everywhere is one of the more important events in the psychedelic calendar and should be observed with proper hedonism and joy. From the egg into the flower:

Posted by Patrick at Lysergia at 21:36 MEST

Updated: 30 March 2013 22:35 MEST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

This story keeps jumping forth in bits and pieces, and it is probably necessary for someone to take the time to sit down and create a coherent picture from what has emerged. I'm only at the receiving end here however, and must settle for forwarding the data as it surfaces.

As noted in an earlier post, there is some connection between the Music Of The Santa Cruz Mountains sampler LP and notorious music biz hustler Johnny Kitchen. This is based on the fact that the Kitchen-produced 2nd Victims Of Chance LP (the one with the generic mill wheel cover) contains music lifted directly from the Santa Cruz album. See my previous post for details.

My Northern associate Jens U now forwards me a bundle of new info related to the Santa Cruz nexus, some of which is quite startling. First of all, to the existing spider's web we can now add the illustrious name of Eddie Callahan. Callahan is an Acid Archives alumni with a much loved private press LP under his belt. That he was related to the Santa Cruz LP, just like Johnny Kitchen, was however news to pretty much everyone. The connection is made clear via the track "Santa Cruz Mountains", which can be found on the SC sampler LP credited to J J Johnson AND on Eddie Callahan's False Ego LP under the same title but with songwriting credited to Callahan! It is clearly the same song, but in different recordings.

OK--so Eddie Callahan is involved here somehow. But wait--it gets even better. The next piece of info adds Bob Berry, of the very rare and highly rated Heavy Berry album, to this same Santa Cruz net! Berry is another Acid Archives graduate, and his demo LP is one of the more expensive finds of the 2000s. His name appears on the Santa Cruz sampler LP credits, but it was unconfirmed whether it was the same Bob Berry, or some namesake. Now, the reissue of the Eddie Callahan LP contains a reference to 'Robert Berry', and from this link and the overlapping "Santa Cruz Mountains" track, a puzzle with several interconnected pieces emerged. One of our knowledgable sources says that:

Bob Berry & Eddie Callahan had been in bands together in the late 60s, well before the Santa Cruz sampler LP or 'False Ego' were recorded. Since Bob was very behind the scenes on these releases (not even credited with playing on 'False Ego' originally) I'm guessing he co-wrote 'Santa Cruz Mountains' with J J Johnson and then offered it to Eddie. In both cases, the singers took full credit... The two versions of the song are quite different, with J J's version adding a couple verses, and Eddie's changing some words... Eddie insists the 'False Ego' recordings were just the trio of himself, his wife, and Bob.

Before moving ahead, I should mention that Bob Berry had also been in '60s garage band the 4th Street Exits who cut a highly rated garage 45, and whose members may figure in this story somehow. Regarding connections between the main protagonists in this saga, our source speculates that:

The real key here must be the band Mahatma which was Eddie Callahan's 5-piece rock band in the early-mid 1970s. They toured & played a ton, but never recorded. I believe Bob Berry was in that band, and I'm guessing J J Johnson was too... and possibly other names that would overlap with Victims Of Chance -- in which case the overlapping 'Santa Cruz Mountain' song could have been a Mahatma song that both singers then claimed as they own and altered in their own ways.

Another source believes that the guitar-player on the first three tracks on the Santa Cruz Mountains sampler (and Victims Of Chance) is the same as heard on the Eddie Callahan LP. As revealed via the reissue, Bob Berry partook in Callahan's recording, a fact which Callahan did not credit on the original. So here is yet more evidence of Berry's involvement with both Callahan, the Santa Cruz sampler in general (where he's credited repeatedly) and the opening J J Johnson tracks on the sampler in particular. The simplest explanation is stated above--Bob Berry, Eddie Callahan and J J Johnson were long-time musical comrades, and the multi-talented Berry emerged as a connecting link between the various LPs discussed here (including his own).

But the album where our Detective Columbo script took its beginning, the second Victims Of Chance with its confirmed Johnny Kitchen involvement and presumed tax scam origins, is left somewhat out in the cold by these cozy Santa Cruz weedhead collaborations. How did the material from the obscure Santa Cruz sampler end up in Kitchen's hands? Via Berry, Callahan, Johnson... or someone else? If they were involved, was it because they had submitted the sampler as a demo to some LA label, or did they willingly agree to the Kitchen tax scam?

This may be revealed in our next chapter. Meanwhile, here is a recap of the records and artists involved so far in the Santa Cruz Connection:

Possibly relevant 45 featuring Bob Berry, other members currently unknown:

4TH STREET EXIT (San Jose, CA)
Strange One / A Love Like This  1967  (Rowena 792) 

Posted by Patrick at Lysergia at 00:00 MEST

Updated: 14 March 2013 00:39 MEST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

One of last year's better scores was a strong copy of Michael Angelo on Guinn, a long-time want that more often than not seems to bring in four figures these days. Adding an original means that a reissue is sprung loose, and while packing the repro up for its next owner, I noticed that there really is very little that marks this repro as a reissue and not an original. I don't think it was intended as a counterfeit, but there is this spooky gray area where one can imagine a future where people remove the miniscule signs of the reissue status, and offer it as an "original". This has happened with the Maitreya Kali "Apache" bootleg, for instance.

In this case -- and I'm of course talking about the German, pre-Shadoks reissue of Michael Angelo, not the Void one -- the only tell of this being a reissue is a tiny numbering on the backcover, with '/450' printed, and the individual number added by hand. Placing a sticker on top of this, or creating a fake cover tear at the spoit in question, means that the printed contents of the German reissue looks exactly like the 1977 original down to the smallest detail.

However, there are significant differences that should make the identification easy. The reissue is board-printed on glossy, modern paper stock, while the original has cover slicks in the traditional old style. The spine of the reissue has printed text, while the original spine is blank. The labels are almost identical with a slight difference in color hue only, but the dead wax carvings are completely different. The reissue has 'Guinn 1050' in the deadwax, while the 1977 original contains no mention of Guinn, but instead a reference to the famous 'Rite' pressing plant (it's Rite # 338431) along with some other scribblings.

That should do it. This gave me the opportunity to listen to this extremely good LP once more, which was my hidden agenda all along.

Posted by Patrick at Lysergia at 21:59 MEST

Updated: 11 March 2013 00:19 MEST

Share This Post

Post Comment | View Comments (3) | Permalink

A recent discussion of the Hoi Polloi LP and the related efforts by member Charlie Bleak brought forth a fun tidbit that is worth preserving for posterity. As mentioned in my old Hoi Polloi webpage article, band member Jeff D'Angelo was brother of noted Hollywood actress Beverly D'Angelo, once famous for "Hair" and Chevy Chase's suffering wife in the "Vacation" movies, and more recently in the spotlight again via the "Entourage" TV series. Well, it turns out pretty Beverly wasn't just a hangaround on the Earlham College scene, but does in fact appear on Charlie Bleak's solo LP on Pickwick 1976. I have this album but oddly missed the fact that she's credited with backing vocals, while I duly observed the presence of several ex-Hoi Polloi guys (including brother Jeff). So that was Bev in '76, and just a couple of years later Milos Forman cast her in the movie version of "Hair" and her star was made.

All this in much more will hopefully be covered in an upcoming vinyl reissue of Hoi Polloi with bonus tracks and thorough background research. It's amazing to think how much has evolved from this story, which began with me receiving a copy of the unknown, undocumented Hoi Polloi LP back in a trade back in 2004 or so.

Posted by Patrick at Lysergia at 23:17 CET

Share This Post

Post Comment | View Comments (2) | Permalink

Here's some news regarding the Acid Archives book itself, rather than the A-Z contents. We're entering the world of cyborgs and androids via a cutting edge man-machine interface known as a tablet PC (not tablet LSD), surf pad, Ipad, e-Reader, or whatever. It's that thing where you read books on a glowing digital screen rather than by turning paper pages. While I'm not overly interested in this particular technology, I can definitely see the advantages of being able to carry the Acid Archives A-Z with you as you're out record digging, at record fairs, or going through a deceased hippie uncle's old LP collection.

Posted by Patrick at Lysergia at 00:43 CET

Share This Post

Post Comment | View Comments (1) | Permalink

My old non-blog The Eternal Now has recently been cryogenically frozen to forever rest in a state of unchanging limbo. While its many years of psychedelic rants can still be enjoyed here, some of the contents are valuable enough to be recycled elsewhere. This includes the saga of the mysterious STONEWALL, whose LP of blazing hardrock is the most coveted Tiger Lily LP of all. Courtesy of veteran tracker Miguel Rodriguez in Germany, the facts can now be unveiled, including a recording date for the album that is surprisingly early. This info reached us in time to make it into the Acid Archives Second Edition, but few people seem to have discovered it. Here goes, by way of Miguel:  

Stonewall was the house band of a recording studio owned by James (Jimmy) Goldstein, based in Long Island during the late '60s.

Goldstein was also a part-time member of the band, occasionally playing keyboards on their sessions. He was a performer of his own, using the stage name of "Jay James". Under that alias he recorded the album "Good Times And Bad Times" that was released on the Tiger Lily label (same as Stonewall).

Stonewall´s drummer Tony (Anthony) Assalti was the drummer on this rather weak country album by Goldstein. However, Assalti was never aware of the Stonewall album being released, and apparently became upset after learning about the Tiger Lily release in recent years. He still plays drums with drums, and is involved with the biker scene. He's not interested in the Stonewall recordings these days.

On the other hand, the guitar player Ray Dieneman was a good friend of Jimmy Goldstein. Dieneman was not aware of the Stonewall album until he saw a copy in Goldstein´s house in New York during a visit. Ray never owned a copy of the album, but was more amused than angry about the Tiger Lily release. It appears that Dienemann is the only band member to know about the Stonewall record being released at all.

According to Ray D, Stonewall broke up at the end of 1969, which would place the recordings heard on the album (which wasn't released until the mid-1970s) sometime in the late 1960s. The other two Stonewall band members -- vocalist Bruce Rapp and bass player Robert Demonte -- have not yet been tracked down.

ADDENDUM - Acid Archives reader James B generously forwarded some additional info on Stonewall that has recently surfaced from bass player Ray Dieneman:

Jimmy Goldstein who produced, engineered, and played keyboards on the Stonewall album passed away in 2009. The album was recorded at Jimmy Goldstein's Studio Tower Sound, in the Ed Sullivan building in NYC. According to Dieneman the band didn't record any other music on the album, so basically the entire LP on Tiger Lily is all of their music. 

PS the Stonewall band member names on the Akarma bootleg reissues are completely made up.

Posted by Patrick at Lysergia at 22:15 CET

Updated: 19 December 2013 20:35 CET

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

We are reluctant to add folk genre albums to the Acid Archives unless they pack both underground vibes and collector appeal. Most '60s-70s collectors are simply not interested in plain acoustic recordings, and it's also a style where there's a heck of a lot more quantity than quality on the private press scene. The occasional true find aside, you shouldn't expect to find much folk stuff in these update pages.

That said, I should mention a couple of odd birds in the field that should make it into the Attic if nothing else. On RPC Z 442061/2 comes a bunch of sailors from the US Naval Station in Rota, Spain with their Coffee House 1 album from 1976. Pressed up in order to finance a coffee house on the base, it opens rather promising with "Endless Trip", a slightly psych-tinged female folk track. Alas, this turns out to be the album's peak as the rest is simply average contemporary folk, mostly with male vocals. An atypical cool-jazz groover with sax closes the LP.

Somewhat similar is the Old Stone Singers, a k a Kathy & Joe Allison, who self-released their From The Hearth album in 1971 on DB Records #121271. Despite having sold for substantial money on occasion, I hear nothing to set this apart from dozens of other local Peter Paul & Mary combos who kept the folk-boom aesthetics way past its due date. There's a nice dual acoustic guitar interplay throughout and not too shabby vocal harmonies. "Early Morning Rain" highlights side 1, while side 2 has a version of "Get Together" and a charming original (?) titled "Close Your Eyes". There is none of the dark, gothic late-night moods that psych guys might fall for and could have warranted an Acid Archives inclusion. Hardcore folk genre fans might dig this for the reasonably adept (male lead) vocal and instrumental performances, somewhat like Colours from TX, but that band had electric instruments and much hipper record collections.

Posted by Patrick at Lysergia at 00:49 CET

Share This Post

Post Comment | View Comments (1) | Permalink

I finally got around to putting together a long-planned overview of original 60s mono pressings of the first SEEDS LP. As you may know, this is an album that sounds a heckuva lot better in mono than in stereo. The organ fuzz on "Evil Hoodoo" is pure apocalypse in mono!

The Normans at GNP have kept the inferior stereo pressing in print for like 40 years, making it very difficult to single out true stereo originals. With the mono it is easier - the monos are always 60s pressings (with one possible odd exception shown below).

Enough of this empty-headed banter, time to dive into the universe of 2 chords!

Posted by Patrick at Lysergia at 16:57 CET

Updated: 13 December 2012 20:39 CET

Share This Post

Post Comment | View Comments (1) | Permalink

A copy of the highly obscure Jim Sarkissian Windmills LP popped up with accompanying sound clips, which allows me to extend the Acid Archives review with the observation that this definitely could work as a fringe title for some. It's not as flipped out as Tweddle or Grudzien, but it hits a strange spot that can only be described as "Gordon Lightfoot on Datura". There isn't much of melody or steady beat, yet Sarkissian gives it a shot anyway, using mostly piano, his own mannered, non-rock, vocal style, and on several tracks an odd percussive sound that seems to follow a beat of its own -- a bit like the kitchen sink xylophone on Jerry Solomon's first LP. And like Solomon's songs, this may drive you nuts at times, but way past midnight, when the last toke hit you really weird, this could be a useful record. Not for everyone, but clearly Acid Archives-worthy, much as the tentative review in the 2nd Edition indicated. Thanks Jim... the copy now sold lacked even the paste-on sleeve but still brought in a neat $300+.

Posted by Patrick at Lysergia at 22:37 CET

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

The Acid Archives entry fails to mention the early, non-LP 45 that Detroit hard-rockers THIRD POWER cut for a small local label. This is worth taking note of as the 45 is quite good, with a sound similar to the Vanguard LP but a little less 'metallic' and a little more underground-stoned. You are likely to dig it. "Snow" has been comp'd on the ancient Relics Vol 1 sampler, and fits in nicely with the fuzz and power chord aesthetics of that compilation. The original 45 is actually pretty rare. "Snow" / "We You I" (Baron 626, 1968). The always unreliable internet says the band formed in 1969 which is obviously not true, as this 45 bears a production date of 1968.

Posted by Patrick at Lysergia at 21:39 CET

Updated: 9 December 2012 22:12 CET

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

A hip soul forwarded two clippings from the old Rock Scene magazine which featured, somewhat surprisingly, actual promotion for two acts on the infamous Tiger Lily label. The label is usually considered a tax-scam enterprise with no ambition beyond creating (exaggerated) losses by releasing obscure rekkids, but apparently there was an element of actual promotion going on. Exactly what the deal was between the label and John Scoggins and Airborne, respectively, may never be revealed, but they got their hairy pictures in the rock press anyway!

Posted by Patrick at Lysergia at 17:14 CET

Updated: 2 December 2012 17:20 CET

Share This Post

Post Comment | View Comments (5) | Permalink

After receiving some feedback on my modest scoop regarding the world's heaviest insect -- meaning Dragonfly on Megaphone -- here's an additional round of data on the early days of these tough long-hairs.

We head back to El Paso again, where the young rhythm section of Jack Duncan (bass) and Gary Davis (drums) learned their chops and paid their dues in surf-band the Pawns. The leader of this group was one David Hayes, who presumably took on vocal duties on the later 45s, at least he receives separate billing. The two would-be Dragonflies Duncan and Davis did not contribute any songwriting from what I can tell, but were definitely present for the Pawns' 1964 debut 45, produced by none other than Bobby "God" Fuller and released on Fuller's own Exeter label, which also had some early Bobby Fuller Four discs. This first 45 is a recognized surf rarity and appears in John Blair's surf discography book. The latter two 45s are non-surf and have left less of a mark, and the last one has no Bobby Fuller involvement.

THE PAWNS (El Paso, TX)

1. The Pawn / South Bay (Exeter 125) circa August 1964

2a. Meet Me Here / Lonely (Exeter 127), circa September 1964
-- credited to David Hayes & The Pawns
2b. Meet Me Here / Lonely (Coronado 127) 1965?
--re-release on another regional label 

3. Lonely Weekends / What Do the Voices Say (Coronado 132) 1965-66
-- credited to David Hayes and the Pawns; Produced by Calvin Bowls

The first 45 definitely features the future Dragonfly drummer and bass player. Releases #2 and #3 may well feature these guys too, but this is unconfirmed.

Duncan and Davis left the Pawns to join a more experienced musician friend in a band called Lords Of London, based in Durango, Colorado. After some time they recruited their old El Paso friend Randy Russ who left the Infants Of Soul to join them, and the band also changed its name to Legend around this time (1967).

From the Acid Archives perspective, Dragonfly are considered a Texas/Colorado/California band.

Thanks to George G and Andrew B for valuable input. See Flashback #2 for a detailed account of Legend and Dragonfly and their late '60s LPs.

Posted by Patrick at Lysergia at 22:02 CET

Updated: 22 November 2012 22:25 CET

Share This Post

Post Comment | View Comments (2) | Permalink

After decades as a 'mystery group', the enigmatic hardrock/heavy psych outfit Dragonfly (aka Legend) received detailed biographical scrutiny via Aaron Milenski's illuminating article in Flashback magazine #2. Basically they were on a ping-pong trip between Colorado and Los Angeles, like several other bands at the time. What caught my eye in particular was a reference to the band's earliest days, when they recruited guitarist Randy Russ from a local Texas band called 'Infants Of Soul'. I figured this had to be the same group as the Infants Of Soul who backed Mike Renolds (aka Mike Rosen) on the garage fuzz 45 "When Will I Find Her" on the mighty Frogdeath label. Sure enough, the details all checked out, including an El Paso locale for both Russ and Renolds' 45. It was interesting to read about Russ being impressed with Jeff Beck, as the Mike Renolds 45 is highlighted by some very good fuzz guitar work, which I've always viewed as Yardbirds/Beck-styled.

So, in short, the rather well-liked garage 45 "When Will I Find Her" by Mike Renolds & The Infants Of Soul (Frogdeath 66-3, 1966) turns out to be a pre-Dragonfly outing. As far as I know, this connection has never been revealed before (it's not mentioned in the Flashback article either). The track can be found on several garage comps, including the classic Flashback (no relation) series from c1980.

I looked around some more in the hope of finding links to other Southwestern music nexi such as the Suemi or Goldust labels, but nothing more registered. Prior to the Infants Of Soul, whose only output was as backing band for Mike Renolds on this Frogdeath 45, Randy Russ was in a band called the Instigators, while two of his future Dragonfly buddies played in another local Texas band called the Pawns, whose recordings are detailed above. Having relocated to Colorado, the ex-Pawns guys invited Russ to leave El Paso and join them, after which they became Legend and ultimately Dragonfly... but all this is better covered in Flashback magazine.

For Texas musicologists, some details on the two mid-60s combos:

Infants of Soul (El Paso, TX, 1966)
Doug Neal, Howard Wilcox, Jimmy Wagnon, Kenny Johnson, Randy Russ.
 
Instigators (El Paso, TX, 1965)
Randy Russ - guitar, Skip Baca - guitar, Doug Neal - bass, Corky Lamb - drums. 

Incidentally, the Frogdeath 45 was Mike Renolds (Rosen) second attempt at "When Will I Find Her", he had released a different, teen-pop style version on the Gum label the year before to no avail. The Frogdeath label is a story unto itself, needless to say, and more can be found here:

http://www.garagehangover.com/?q=Frogdeath

Posted by Patrick at Lysergia at 00:14 CET

Updated: 22 November 2012 22:09 CET

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

No major revelations in store, but a few things worth mentioning:

The obscure Eternity whose c1981 LP is given a favorable review in the Acid Archives 2nd Ed recently turned out to have an obscure, pre-LP 45 on the same label (Band Of Gold). I picked this up and it's not bad at all, with a grungy basement rock/hardrock sound similar to the album; arguably even grungier, at least one side of it. Copies float around for $50, any fan of the album will want it. There is in fact an even earlier Eternity 45 on the same label, will try and get a copy of this shortly.

While there was probably no doubt about it, the 45 pulled from the first Mad River album is definitely a MONO mix. Not only that, but both sides ("High All The Time"/"A Gazelle") sound weird as hell, possibly the result of a staid record label trying desperately to extract something commercially viable from this radically uncommercial material. Can't say that I prefer either of the 45 mixes over the stereo LP, but it's certainly different...

While they're not actually in the Acid Archives -- due to them being too damn successful! -- the great Strawberry Alarmclock belong 100% in these pages. Despite being a SAC-fan for almost 30 years, I only recently learned that the band's second biggest hit "Tomorrow" is in fact a completely different version on the 45 visavi the LP. Not just a different mono mix, but a completely different recording, due to the band being dissatisfied. The arrangement is quite similar, but the 45 has a little more teen/garage/Sunset Strip vibe, while the album is more of studio-psych. Both versions are terrific. To make amends for my sloth in this matter, I picked up an ultra-cool Italian PS with a unique (I think) band photo.

The flipside is "Birds In My Tree" in what seems to be the same version as on the first LP, except being in radio-friendly mono. Check out recent issues of Shindig magazine for a detailed account of this terrific, long underrated band.

Posted by Patrick at Lysergia at 22:28 CET

Updated: 8 November 2012 23:06 CET

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

A couple of years back an expanded reissue of the obscure Cool Aid Benefit album from Vancouver BC arrived on the scene. I finally got around to checking this out, mainly on the idea that there might be some previously unheard Mother Tuckers Yellow Duck material on board. Indeed there was, but that was just one aspect to this attractive repro job, which is available as a 2-CD set on Regenerator Records or as a double vinyl LP on Lightning Tree.

First off, the MTYD deal is that you get yet another version of their signature track "I". This one is slower and a little heavier than the familiar 45 version, and it may be identical to the 'alternate' 45 version mentioned in an earlier post below. In any event, clearly different from what is known, and quite good. This was part of the original Cool Aid Benefit album, which was trimmed down to a single disc release for reasons of cost and also because Capitol wouldn't let MTYD partake with more than just that "I" track. So an entire 2nd disc of Cool Aid Benefit material was cancelled, but is gloriously reinstated with this reissue, and as far as I can tell, it's just as good as the first, original disc.

Mother Tuckers pop up with another song on the second disc, and it seems to be unique and previously unreleased, titled "Mountain Joy" and in the style of their 2nd and more mellow Capitol LP. In addition we get more material from Mock Duck (3 tracks), Hydro Electric Street Car, Spring, Nancy and Black Snake, all of whom were on the original 1969 album. Some of this stuff is quite good, and it holds together very well with that special Vancouver mix of westcoast and UK artrock vibes. Even the spoken word poem is quite enjoyable.

The first disc has Mock Duck's "Do Re Mi" and the attractive "Golden Girl" by Papa Bear's, who do not appear on the withdrawn bonus disc but nevertheless had an entire 'demo' album out at the time, as you probably know. The other stuff is all solid 1969 longhair music. All over, the 4 sides make up for a very enjoyable snapshot of an above average local scene, which someone ought to do a more indepth presentation of some day... how about a retrospective book on the Seattle & Vancouver '60s scenes, jam-packed with rare paraphernalia, band photos and discographies? I'd buy that for a dollar, even a Canadian dollar.

But wait, there's more. As a bonus to the 2-CD set you get a DVD disc with CBC TV material including a short docu on the Cool Aid Benefit house (a sort of shelter/crash pad/youth center for wayward teens) plus live video recordings of Spring (adept jazz-prog-westcoast like early Santana), Papa Bears (two dull tracks in their vaudeville style), Mother Tuckers ("I" and "Times Theyre Changing") and Mock Duck (the great "Do Re Mi" and "Hurt On Me"). All of this has been in circulation before except the Spring material (and maybe that too). The quality is good or very good, and my only complaint is that they didn't include all 5 tracks by Mother Tuckers.

All in all, one of the most interesting reissues I've picked up this year. I hope those dumbass LP collectors can lose their weird prejudice against 'various artist' records and understand the delightful trip that a snapshot of a time and place brings. Man, I love various artist records, if they're done around a theme.

Posted by Patrick at Lysergia at 22:17 MEST

Updated: 16 October 2012 01:14 MEST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink