Corporation - The Corporation (Repertoire Records) 1969

Biography The Corporation formed in 1968, when the Kondos brothers joined up with members of a band called Eastern Mean Time, and they started appearing at the Galaxy Club, located in Cudahy, Wisconsin, a southeastern suburb of Milwaukee. A few months later, they were discovered by Capitol Records executives, while playing at The Bastille club. The Corporation members were Daniel Peil (born Daniel Vincent Peil in Superior, Wisconsin; September 26, 1942  January 3, 2012) on lead vocals; Gerard Jon Smith on lead guitar and backing Vocals; John Alexander Kondos on guitar, flute, harp, piano, and backing vocals; his brother Nicholas Alexander "Sandie" Kondos on drums and backing vocals; Kenneth Bernard Berdoll on bass and backing vocals; and Patrick Daneil McCarthy on keyboards and trombone. Their debut, self-named album was a regional hit in early 1969 and was in the Billboard Top LP Chart for four weeks, while hitting number three in Milwaukee and doing relatively well in Little Rock, Arkansas. Τhe whole second side was taken up by The Corporation's version of John Coltrane's "India."

Except for appearances in Chicago and St.Paul, the band remained local, without television appearances or corporate promotion. A European tour was in the planning stages, but it fell apart when disagreements with Capitol Records surfaced. Within two years, The Corporation made two further albums, Hassels In My Mind and Get On Our Swing, on the Age Of Aquarius label, a custom rock imprint of Cuca Records. Cuca was a Wisconsin recording studio and pressing plant whose output was subsequently anthologised by Ace Records in a 3-volume CD.

The band broke up in 1970. allmusic.com

Tracklist

01.I Want to Get out of my Grave 5:31

02.Ring That Bell 4:52

03.Smile 2:51

04.Highway 3:04

05.Drifting 4:05

06.India 19:33

Line-up

Kenneth Berdoll - Bass, Vocals

John Kondos - Guitar, Keyboards, Fute

Nick Kondos - Drums, Vocals

Patrick McCarthy - Keyboards, Trombone

Daniel Vincent Peil - Vocals

Gerard Jon Smith - Lead Guitar, Vocals

REPOST : California Easter Album (Penguin Records CD Version) 1967 (Bootleg)

Super rare original 2xLP set featuring an outstanding selection of hard to find recordings from the fabulous West Coast sunny Sunset Strip & San Francisco Sounds sixties legendary & essential. Killer out of the haze when the San Francisco sounds ruled the airwaves and the great Acid Wave was in full swing. Unbelievable awesome live tracks by Love with Arthur Lee from the Fillmore West 1970; Hot Shit a seemingly one off clash of the titans pre Hot Tuna gathering with Jorma Kaukonen,Jack Casady and Marty Balin amongst others recorded in 1969 in Los Angeles (was one of the earliest Hot Tuna gigs and billed as Hot Shit, their original name); Mad River Live at the San Jose in 1967; Pig Pen (Dead) & Peter Albun (Big Brother & the Holding Company); Jerry & Sarah Garcia; Blue Cheer live 1968 L.A. TV studio. Indeed just too good to be true an amazing set.

In this CD version don't included the first 6 tracks of the double LP version.

Tracklist
01.Love - If you wanna be free (Fillmore West, 1970)
02.Love - Stand out (Fillmore West, 1970)
03.Love - And more again (Fillmore West, 1970)
04.Love - Singing cowboy (Fillmore West, 1970)
05.Hot Shit - Come back baby (pre Hot Tuna, Los Angeles Forum, 1969)
06.Hot Shit - True religion (pre Hot Tuna, Los Angeles Forum, 1969)
07.Hot Shit - Sense of direction (pre Hot Tuna, Los Angeles Forum, 1969)
08.Mad River - Wind chimes (San Josè, 1967)
09.Mad River - War goes on (San Josè, 1967)
10.Blue Cheer - Summertime blues (TV broadcast, 1968)
11.Blue Cheer - Out of focus (TV broadcast, 1968)

REPOST : Epitaph For A Legend (1993 Collectables Records 2CD) 1967

Review : The Texas-based International Artists label recorded some intriguing, slightly off-the-wall psychedelic-garage-pop in the 1960s, their most famous act being the 13th Floor Elevators. This is an erratic but extremely interesting double-LP compilation of IA oddities and rarities, much of it previously unreleased. The five Red Krayola demos (some of which would be re-recorded for their first LP) are prime acid folk, especially "Hurricane Fighter Plane," one of the closest American approximations of Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd. The Chapparrals' "I Tried So Hard" is gutsy punk-pop, Thursday's Children's "A Part of You" is reminiscent of the mid-period Zombies, and the Emperors' "I Want My Woman" is growling garage punk. Side four is devoted entirely to 13th Floor Elevators/Roky Erickson rarities, including a beautiful acoustic version of "Splash I" and the rare single by Roky's pre-Elevators group the Spades. In this company, side three -- which has unexceptional straight blues material, including a song by Lightnin' Hopkins -- is a misfit, but psychedelic collectors will want the record for the rock material. Review by Richie Unterberger

CD1

01.The Chayns - Night Time (Is The Right Time)

02.The Patterns - In My Own Time

03.The Chaparrels - I Tried So Hard

04.Thursday's Children - A Part Of You

05.The Rubayyat - If I Were A Carpenter

06.Sonny Hall - Poor Planet Earth

07.Inner Scene - Communication Breakdown

08.The Red Crayola - Hurricane Fighter Plane (Demo)

09.The Red Crayola - Pink Stainless Tail (Demo)

10.The Red Crayola - Nickle Niceness (Demo)

11.The Red Crayola - Vile, Vile Grass (Demo)

12.The Red Crayola - Transparent Radiation (Demo)

13.The Emperors - I Want My Woman

14.Lost And Found - 25 M.P.H.

CD2

01.Big Walter - Breakfast In Bed

02.Dave Allen - C. C. Rider

03.Dave Allen - Saturday A.M. Blues

04.Lightnin' Hopkins - Conversation With Lightnin' Hopkins

05.Lightnin' Hopkins - Black Ghost Blues

06.Roky Erikson - Interview with Roky, KSAN 4/1/78)

07.The Spades - You're Gonna Miss Me

08.The Spades - We Sell Soul

09.Roky & Clementine Hall - Splash 1

10.Roky & Clementine Hall - Right Track Now

11.The 13th Floor Elevators - Wait For My Love

12.The 13th Floor Elevators - 60-Second Radio Spot for 'Bull Of The Woods'

13.The 13th Floor Elevators - Fire Engine

Line-up

13th Floor Elevators, Red Crayola, The Spades, The Chayns, The Patterns, The Chapparals, Lightnin' Hopkins and others

Locksley Hall - Locksley Hall (OR Records Vinyl Rip) 1969 - 1970

Biography : Locksley Hall was one of the better known psychedelic bands in the Pacific Northwest during their existence from 1967 thru' 1970. The album was recorded in 1969 at the legendary Audio Recorders in Seattle with long time Northwest guitarist Ned Neltner (Mark Five, Gas Company, Junior Cadillac) producing and Sonics engineer Kearny Barton at the console. It remained unreleased until the limited edition came out in 1996. The album reminds us of every band who ever played the Fillmore West in the late sixties and blends together elements of It's A Beautiful Day, Jefferson Airplane and Big Brother and The Holding Co. Recommended.("Fuzz, Acid & Flowers")

While a lot of co-ed groups of the era sound rather generic, Locksley Hall manages to escape identity in a slightly different way. This album plays almost like a sampler of West Coast music. On various songs they sound like Country Joe & The Fish, Jefferson Airplane, The Charlatans, Big Brother & The Holding Company, and the Association.

Despite the crudeness of the recordings there’s a definite sense of professionalism here. They’re more appealing as a hard rock band than a soft rock band, but the only real dud here is the good timey song that ends side one. Both the male and female vocals are quite good, though as is often the case they sound much better apart than together. There is some excellent guitar playing here and a few very solid songs, most notably a long rocker on side one. The mix of styles is a bit disconcerting, but overall, this is much better than a lot of genre albums that did end up getting major label releases at the time. The LP was recorded in Seattle for Epic in the late 1960s but not released at the time. ("The Acid Archives")

Tracklist
01.Locksley Hall (Poem)
02.Boy
03.Let me blow out your candle
04.Baby blue eyes
05.D-O-P-E
06.Some say love
07.What does a lonely heart do?
08.Que-Bell
09.Wake up (Tubby’s tune)
10.When autumn leaves turn to gold
11.Locksley Hall (Poem)

Line-up
Ben Stanley - Guitar, Vocals
Shannon Svenson - Vocals
Kevin Svenson - Vocals
Roy Castleman - Bass, Vocals
Denny Langdale - Keyboards
Randy Thompson - Drums

REPOST : Exkursions - The Exkursions (1998 Hidden Vision Records) 1971 (REQUEST)

Biography : Chicago based psychedelic blues band with heavy fuzz guitar sound. Led by Mike Johnson who later went on to record solo projects and even earn songwriter of the year award. Band broke up because the other two members wavered in their faith. Since a number of sealed copies were unearthed last year, the value has gone down. History of the Jesus Movement "Pretty irresistable Christian bluesy guitarpsych exkursion featuring the prolific Mike Johnson in his younger days as a bible-carrying Hendrix epigon. Has to be one of the coolest x-ian LPs of all time, with a confident powertrio groove, laidback Jimi-style vocals, and several truly great tracks like "Third Eye". Despite being a private press originals aren't difficult to find. Two tracks can be found on the "Holy Fuzz" compilation if you want a sample."

"If you weren’t paying attention, you wouldn’t notice that this is a Christian album, which is a good sign. Mike Johnson is a truly talented guitarist and a few songs here have a fuzz sound to die for. The songwriting doesn’t match the performances, and there are a few bluesy/hard rock clichés, but for the most part this is solid hard rock and one of the best in the Christian realm." allmusic.com

Tracklist

01.Picture Woman

02.Dry Ground

03.Baby You Lied

04.What Happened To Me

05.Third Eye

06.You & Me

07.It's Been Set Down

08.Would You Believe

Line-up

Mike Johnson - guitar, vocals

Fyl Jonnzen - drums

Leon Wilson - bass

REPOST : Tripsichord - Tripsichord (Akarma Digipack) 1970 (REQUEST)

Biography : The Tripsichord Music Box (name shortened to "Tripsichord" circa 1970) was one of the many San Francisco bands managed and produced by self-styled psychedelic svengali Matthew Katz despite a slim body of recorded work that stands among the most atmospheric and cosmic to emerge from the Bay Area scene in the post-Summer of Love era, they are sadly best-known as one of the so-called "fake Grape" units unleashed on unsuspecting audiences after Katz lost control of his former protégés, the legendary Moby Grape. Originally dubbed the Ban, Tripsichord Music Box formed in Lompoc, California in 1963  the group was founded by singer/guitarist Tony McGuire, bassist Frank Straight, keyboardist Oliver McKinney, and drummer Randy Guzman (sometimes credited as Randy Gordon to avoid conflict due to his parents' management of the act). According to the book Acid, Fuzz & Flowers, the Ban signed to the Brent label to release their lone single, the garage rock stomper "Bye-Bye," splitting soon after when McGuire was drafted to serve in Vietnam; the remaining threesome then recruited singer/bassist David Zandonatti, with Straight moving to lead guitar. Rechristening themselves the Now, they relocated to Los Angeles, sharing Sunset Strip stages with local acts including the Seeds and the Strawberry Alarm Clock before signing to Milton Berle's Embassy label for the 1967 effort "I Want." The single attracted little attention, however, and the Now relocated to San Francisco. There they connected with Katz, who essentially discovered Jefferson Airplane along with Moby Grape, Katz soon signed the band to his San Francisco Sound label, rechristening them the Tripsichord Music Box. In late 1967 the group recorded three tracks "You're the Woman," "It's No Good" and "The Family Song" -- later included on the Fifth Pipedream: The San Francisco Sound, Vol. 1 compilation. When Moby Grape severed ties to Katz, he laid claim to their name, forcing Tripsichord Music Box to play a series of live dates under the Moby Grape aegis, the deception ultimately prompted McKinney to quit the band in 1969, with guitarist Bill Carr signing on in his place. Around this same time, Zandonatti's high school friend Ron McNeeley also began sitting in on vocals, and after a 1969 single, "Times and Seasons," Tripsichord dropped the "Music Box" from their name in time to cut their sole full-length, a self-titled cult classic issued in 1970. Their dark yet ethereal music found few takers, however, and the band relocated to Utah, splitting when Zandonatti and McNeely joined the Sons of Mosiah, a Mormon musical troupe managed by future U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch. Ironically, Guzman later played drums in a legitimate incarnation of Moby Grape. Review by Jason Ankeny

Tracklist

01.On the Last Ride 4:43

02.We Have Passed Away 2:45

03.Black Door 2:56

04.The New Word 4:40

05.Son of the Morning 5:35

06.Short Order Steward 5:05

07.The Narrow Gate 3:36

08.Fly Baby 6:26

09.Everlasting Joy 4:19

Bonus Track

10.You're the Woman 3:35

11.It's not Good 3:10

12.Family Song 8:27

13.Times & Seasons 3:23

14.Sunday the Third 3:19

Line-up

Randy Guzman - drums

Frank Straight - guitar

Dave Zandonatti - bass

Oliver Mckinney - keyboards and organ

Bill Carr - vocals

Ron McNeely - vocals

The Beat Of The Earth - The Beat Of The Earth (Radioactive Records) 1967

Biography : Beat Of The Earth was assembled by Phil Pearlman, who had earlier released a surf/hot rod 45 Chrome Reversed Rails (shown as by Phil and The Flakes, on the Fink label). One of the earliest known electric experimental bands, The Beat Of The Earth sound very similar to their East-coast counterparts The Velvet Underground on albums (1) and (3) listed above. These two records were recorded live in the studio during the Summer of 1967 and consist of long, unstructured jams using a myriad of acoustic and electric instruments. This early incarnation of the band is the one most familiar to collectors and copies of the first album have been changing hands for hundred of dollars since the mid-eighties. The music the band produced during this period is not for everybody (compare to the long tracks on the first two Velvet Underground albums), but their debut remains an unusual and rare item of significance from the California rock scene. During 1968-9 the line-up of the band was in constant flux and Beat Of The Earth made no known "proper" recordings, but Pearlman continued to add to his own collection of demos using local studios in off-hours via his friendship with the engineer Joe Sidore. At the end of 1969, Pearlman assembled The Electronic Hole strictly for personal use - specifically, to draft musicians for his new band. Several names are listed on the sleeve but I believe this is actually very close to being a Phil Pearlman solo project. The album is entirely different stylistically from the earlier one in that it abandons the freeform improvisational approach in favour of 'compositions' including a wild cover of Zappa's Trouble Comin' Every Day. None of the tracks are given titles on the album which complicates singling any out for commentary, but there are real highlights and the raw, unpolished feel only serves to make it utterly magical. Pearlman plays sitar on one track to great effect, and another has the thickest wall of fuzz guitars imaginable - an effect he created by running his Fender amplifier into the amp circuit of a child's chord organ ("sounded great for about two weeks, then it blew up!"). There are few albums I known of that have such an eclectic yet appealing sound. Had the story ended here it would have been a real tragedy, as Pearlman's finest hour was yet to come. Six years later (with who knows what in between), recording commenced on the majestic Relatively Clean Rivers album with an entirely new band and musical vision. lysergia.com 

Tracklist
01.The Beat of the Earth (This Is An Artistic Statement), Pt. 1 20:59
02.The Beat of the Earth (This Is An Artistic Statement), Pt. 2 20:54

Line-up
Phil Pearlman - guitar, percussion
Ron Collins - organ
JR Nichols - unknown
Morgan - unknown
Karen Darby - viola, piano, vocals

REPOST : California Easter Album & California Christmas Album (Bootleg Penguin Records) 1967 REQUEST

                                                    California Easter Album 1967

 Tracklist 

01.Love - If you wanna be free (Fillmore West, 1970)
02.Love - Stand out (Fillmore West, 1970)
03.Love - And more again (Fillmore West, 1970)
04.Love - Singing cowboy (Fillmore West, 1970)
05.Hot Shit - Come back baby (pre Hot Tuna, Los Angeles Forum, 1969)
06.Hot Shit - True religion (pre Hot Tuna, Los Angeles Forum, 1969)
07.Hot Shit - Sense of direction (pre Hot Tuna, Los Angeles Forum, 1969)
08.Mad River - Wind chimes (San Josè, 1967)
09.Mad River - War goes on (San Josè, 1967)
10.Blue Cheer - Summertime blues (TV broadcast, 1968)
11.Blue Cheer - Out of focus (TV broadcast, 1968)

                                                 California Christmas Album 1967

Tracklist 

01.Quicksilver Messenger Service - Got my mojo working  (Fillmore West, 9.14.1966)
02.Quicksilver Messenger Service - The fool (Fillmore West, 9.14.1966)
03.Charlatans - Number one (demos for Autumn Records 1966)
04.Charlatans - Jack O'Diamonds (demos for Autumn Records 1966)
05.Jefferson Airplane - Kansas City (Fillmore West, 9.30.1966)
06.Jefferson Airplane - Fat Angel (Fillmore West, 9.30.1966)
07.Jefferson Airplane - 3 Levis commercials (recorded in the spring 1967)
08.Steve Miller Band - Miller's blues (Avalon Ballroom 1967)
09.Moby Grape - Dark magic (Avalon Ballroom 31.12.1966)
10.Country Joe & The Fish - Death sound blues (Fillmore West, 2.14.1968)
11.Grateful Dead And Janis Joplin - Turn on your lovelight (Carousel Ballroom 6.7.1969)
12.Byrds - Renaissance fair (radio show 1967)
13.Byrds - Lady friend (radio show 1967)
14.Byrds - Have you seen her face (radio show 1967)

Exkursions - The Exkursions (Hidden Vision Records) 1971

Biography : Chicago based psychedelic blues band with heavy fuzz guitar sound. Led by Mike Johnson who later went on to record solo projects and even earn songwriter of the year award. Band broke up because the other two members wavered in their faith. Since a number of sealed copies were unearthed last year, the value has gone down. History of the Jesus Movement
"Pretty irresistable Christian bluesy guitarpsych exkursion featuring the prolific Mike Johnson in his younger days as a bible-carrying Hendrix epigon. Has to be one of the coolest x-ian LPs of all time, with a confident powertrio groove, laidback Jimi-style vocals, and several truly great tracks like "Third Eye". Despite being a private press originals aren't difficult to find. Two tracks can be found on the "Holy Fuzz" compilation if you want a sample."
"If you weren’t paying attention, you wouldn’t notice that this is a Christian album, which is a good sign. Mike Johnson is a truly talented guitarist and a few songs here have a fuzz sound to die for. The songwriting doesn’t match the performances, and there are a few bluesy/hard rock clichés, but for the most part this is solid hard rock and one of the best in the Christian realm." AcidArchives

Tracklist
01.Picture Woman
02.Dry Ground
03.Baby You Lied
04.What Happened To Me
05.Third Eye
06.You & Me
07.It's Been Set Down
08.Would You Believe

Line-up
Mike Johnson - vocals, guitar
Leon Wilson - vocals, bass
Fyl Jonnzen - drums, percussion

Ant Trip Ceremony - 24 Hours (2001 Kan-a-Rek Records Original Recordings) 1968

Biography : The Ant Trip Ceremony was formed by Steve Detray, a student at Oberlin College in Ohio, who took a break in 1966 and early 1967 to spend time in Logan, Utah with his brother. The name Ant Trip Ceremony came from a suggestion from a local English professor who had seen the term in a novel (and which described the modern human society). When Detray returned to Oberlin for the 1967-1968 academic year, he disbanded the group but retained the name. While still at Oberlin, he formed a new electric rock group with Gary Rosen, George Galt, and Mark Stein, who had been playing together in a blues band. Stein was a flute major at Oberlin and Roger Goodman was also a music student; the only non-college member was the drummer, Steve Williams, a 16-year-old local who had some jazz-drumming experience. The band mainly played gigs around the college and were known for their long improvisational jams. In 1968 the band decided to record their music so they shared the expense of recording an album. 300 copies were pressed and 100 were sold to recoup expenses. The album, titled 24 Hours, was recorded in two sessions, the first in February 1968 and the second some months later. Detray was only present for the first session as he left the college in the spring of 1968. Technical faults affected the 24 Hours, and as a result, the vocals sounded further back in the mix than originally intended. The producer, David Crosby, was a fellow student at Oberlin and contrary to legend is not the David Crosby of the Byrds/CSN&Y fame. The group disbanded as the members left college. The album has become a rare collectable over the years and prompted a number of inferior-sounding bootlegs. The Collectables reissue of this album is the first legitimate release and contains a different running order than that of the original. It contains a detailed essay on the original recording as well as digitally remastered sound and reproduces the unique cover drawing found on the original album. Review by Keith Pettipas

Tracklist
01.Ridin' High
02.What's The Matter Now
03.Violets Of Dawn
04.Eternal
05.Hey Joe
06.Going Down To The River
07.You'll Go And I Will Go With You
08.Get Out Of My Life, Woman
09.Waterfall
10.Sometimes I Wonder
11.Looking
12.Elaborations

Line-up
Steve De Tray - lead guitar
George Galt - guitar, vocals, harmonica, bass
Roger Goodman - guitar, vocals
Gary Rosen - bass, guitar, vocals
Mark Stein - lead guitar, flute, bass
Jeff Williams - drums

Dragonwyck - Chapter 2 (2006 World in Sound) 1972

Biography : In 1972, Dragonwyck became the Saturday night house band at The Viking. The Viking Saloon was a loud, packed, smoke filled rock club that featured live entertainment, hard liquor and a rowdy crowd six nights a week. It was THE place to get drunk,get high and listen to loud bands. Dragonwyck’s popularity at The Viking led to engagements at other Cleveland clubs (Otto’s Site, Tom Jones Backroom, The Crazy Horse, The Spectrum, The Avon and Amherst Jail Night Clubs, The Cove at Geneva on the Lake) and a series of High School and College concerts.
After 8 months of performing their new sound live, Dragonwyck set out to record a new album. As copies of the Dragonwyck II album began to circulate in early 1973, the interest of the press, audiences and agencies became much greater. As people began to realize the talents of the band,they began playing better venues and drawing larger crowds.,they performed at the Cleveland Agora (the premier venue in the area), with “Dan Hicks and his Hot Licks” and opened for the newly formed English band, “FOGHAT”.
With Dragonwycks’ unusual musical arrangements and lead singer Bill Petijohn’s stage theatrics, the bands live concerts were drawing more and more attention. By 1974,they moved to much larger clubs, added weeknight shows sponsored by Budweiser Beer at Cleveland’s House of Bud.
Concert dates supporting THE EDGAR WINTER GROUP and GOLDEN EARING added to Dragonwyck’s offers to tour nationally. However, John Hall had a promising career as a design engineer and had no desire to travel outside of the Northern Ohio area. Not wanting Dragonwyck to miss opportunities that were being presented to them, he asked to be replaced..Having found Hall’s replacement in keyboardist, Jerry Moran,whose playing was harder and more rock orientated than that of Hall’s orchestrated approach. Dragonwyck recorded a single,“Lovin’ The Boys” b/w “The Music” in 1974. Shortly after this release the band broke up. - When World In Sound Records,released in 2004 the music of Dragonwyck, Tom Brehm felt like doing it again. In 2006 he set up his 1968 original Dragonwyck guitar, a Gibson 335, and with other World In Sound musicians,the right line-up is found to return back on stage with the music written between 1968-73.
Dragonwyck personnel 2006: Tom Brehm - Guitar, Vocals; Steff Bollack - Drums; Karsten Kullinna - Bass; Josh Maccoy - Vocals; Winfried Rimbach-Sator - Keyboards. Review by my friend adamus67

Tracklist:
01.Kimberly 0:32
02.He Loves You 3:18
03.Fire Climbs 6:41
04.Relics 5:11
05.Freedom Son 3:57
06.Lady 3:47
07.Run To The Devil 3:45
08.Dead Man 4:15
09.The Music 3:14
10.Forever Only Last A Little While 4:40
11.Lovin' The Boys (Single 74) 3:14
12.The Music (Single 74) 3:07

Line-up:
Tom Brehm - guitars
Bill Pettijohn - vocals
John Hall - keyboards
Mikey Gerchak - bass
Jack Boessneck - drums

Dragonwyck - Dragonwyck (2004 World in Sound) 1970

Biography : Cleveland psychedelic quintet Dragonwyck was formed in 1969 by singer Bill Pettijohn, guitarist Tommy Brame, keyboardist Kenneth Staab, bassist Michael Gerchak and drummer Jack Boessneck. Profoundly influenced by the Doors, the group released no official recordings during its lifetime, although copies of an album-length acetate from 1971 remain highly prized by collectors. Two years later, Dragonwyck recorded a second acetate, this one clearly inspired by the Moody Blues; favoring a boogie-rock approach in their final months, the group dissolved in 1975, with Pettijohn going on to helm the long-running Doors tribute band Moonlight Drive. Review  by Jason Ankeny
The group from Cleveland was one of the most promising bands in that area, opened shows for bands as Foghat, Golden Earring, Edgar Winter Group etc. The mood of the music is dark, mystic and strong influenced of the times' spirit, the hippie age -- anything goes. Dragonwyck, began 1969 in Cleveland, Ohio. The original members were Mike Gerchak, Jack Boessneck, Tom Brehm, Bill Pettijohn and Kenneth Staab. During 1970,Dragonwyck recorded a 7 song demonstration record at Landon Magnetic Sound in Garfield Heights, Ohio and Audio Recording in Cleveland, Ohio. On September 14th, 1970, 85 copies of the 12 inch vinyl record were pressed at Pama Records in Cleveland. In 1990, 400 copies of the vinyl album were re-released by Rockadelic Records, Texas. Kenneth Staab died in Florida in 1973.

This band is a milestone for all heavy/psychedelic music collectors. Jim Morrison and The Doors brought main inspiration to Dragonwyck?s music, with the small difference; the songs are heavier and more progressive; the sound is not just dominated by great vocals, there are lots of freaked out heavy guitar solos and swirling Hammond B3 organ, which brings the individual note to the music.

Dragonwyck was a full time working band they rehearsed nightly and continued to write new material. Summer of 1971,keyboardist John Hall joined the group. With John in the group,the bands sound became more orchestrated. The band re-vamped arrangements of their first album, and added new original material to their set list. New instrumentation was added with Boessneck playing flute, Brehm on 12-string guitar and electric violin, Hall on Mellotron and Moog, and Gerchak on a multiple of bass guitars. Dragonwyck also added large amounts of equipment. Along with new instruments,Dragonwyck featured a matching backline of 300 and 600 watt Canadian built “Traynor” amplifiers. This was going to be a very LOUD band. With new songs and equipment, Dragonwyck set out to find a venue to showcase their orchestrated sound. They found one; The Viking Saloon at Chester Ave, Cleveland (now demolished) Review by my friend adamus67

Tracklist:
01.My Future Waits  5:41
02.Ideas within You 1:01
03.Fire Climbs 9:04
04.Run To The Devil 3:57
05.God´s Dream 4:43
06.Ancient Child 4:59
07.The Vision 2:34
Bonus Tracks:
08.Fire Climbs (Sunrise Recordings 1968) 4:30
09.Flowers Grow Free (Sunrise Recordings 1968) 3:14
10.The Vision (Sunrise Recordings 1968) 7:05
11.Anything I´d Give (Sunrise Recordings 1968) 3:14
12.Ancient Child (Sunrise Recordings 1968) 4:52

Line-up:
Bill Pettijohn - vocals
Tom Brehm - guitar
Skip Foster - keyboards
Pat Osines - bass
Jeff Richards - bass

Cold Sun - Dark Shadows (2008 World in Sound) 1970

Biography : First time available on CD, Cold Sun from Austin, Texas, was recorded in 1970 in the "famous" Sonobeat studios, were Mariani´s and Johnny Winters first LP was made. The Cold Sun band are considered contemporaries of Velvet Underground and 13th Floor Elevators, often listed as being in a similar vein but inspirations for this "unique" piece go back to the desperated, haunted Joe Meek. All songs lyrically express dark, mystic poetry with the true 60s psychedelic floating/distorted fuzz spirit presented in several mindblowing long tunes, such as "Ra-Ma"(11 min), "Here In The Year"(9 min), "Fall"(7 min). Discovered by Rockadelic Records of Dallas, Texas in 1992, the Dark Shadows album saw the light of day as a limited LP version, to become today one of the most important and revered US psychedelic underground albums from the early 70s. Rockadelic heard it in the form of an old scratchy acetate that one of the Cold Sun band members had made to be able to play the recording at friends' parties on their turntables. The acetate only contained 2/3 of the songs but so greatly impressed, Rockadelic managed together with bandleader Bill Miller to release the complete sessions from mastertape). Autoharp wizard Miller eventually participated in Roky Erickson's international debut as the Cold Sun band joined forces with Roky in 1974 and became "Bliebalien", later evelvolved to The ALIENS and backed Roky on his famous albums and historical concerts. Carefully remastered from the mastertapes this album will bring new rewarding listening experiences, plus 2 unreleased non-album songs, authentic Live/Concert recordings of "Live Again"(10 min) and "Mind Aura"(7 min). The CD-issue will have an extended booklet with linernotes by Jello Biafra plus rare photos. According to Lysergia.com: "Not only the best Rockadelic release, but possibly the best and most important psych reissues ever!"- Enjoy this ONE- HOUR psychedelic Happening, a "must-have" 60´s/70´s heavy-psych masterpiece! Lysergia.com

Tracklist:

01.South Texas 5.19
02.Twisted Flower 3.02
03.Here in The Year 8.53
04.For Ever 4.26
05.See What You Cause 3.41
06.Fall 7.12
07.Ra-Ma 11.18
08.Live Again (Live Bonus 1972) 10.18
09.Mind Aura (Live Bonus 1972) 7.26

Line-up:
Bill Miller - autoharp, voices
Mike Waugh - bass
Tom McGarrigle - guitar
Hugh Patton - drums
Mike Ritchey - bass

Antrobus & The Flying Hat Band - Buried Together (World Wide Records) 1972 - 1974 (Repost)

Biography : Antrobus were formed in early '71 when Britain's heavy progressive rock underground scene was in full flight. The band exsisted for only one year, and they had no real rehearsel place and that's hard to believe while listening to the nine tracks that were never offical released. They are playing on an amazingly high standard and got accomplished song-writing abilities.Like some of their comrades, they are using also flute and organ but the songs are more focused on heavy riffs and bluesy vocals. A hard-driving rock approach, similiar to that of Stray mixed with Alice Cooper Band and early Pentagram, was adopted but the ability to contrast their sound with classy melodic harmonies is apparent too. And when ANTROBUS are playing hard and heavy, they were just an awesome force. Mixed up with a few sound-effects and a lot of guitarwork, this band had created an effective creepy heavy ass-kickin' sound in their short lifetime. The sound quality isn't high fidelity, but good enough for an enjoyable listening and sometimes I wonder, that this recordings are dated back from the early 70's, due to their refreshing energy.

The second band on this split-CD is The Flying Hat Band. This was the group where Glen Tipton played, before he left to join Judas Priest. TFHB exsisted only for a short time and the featured four songs are dated back to '74. The songs are also released here for the very first time,so that one can listen to some ferocious guitar leads and intense riffing. But this band doesn't sound like a Priest forerunner. "Lost Time" is fine acoustic bluesy song, with a slight Latino vibe, while "Reaching for the Stars" got a groovy rythm-line and the album closes with exsessive guitars in "Coming of the Lord". This powerful outfit weren't around long enough to gain the respect that the energy and drive of their music demanded. They've got the chance to record an album for a proposed LP on the WWA label and had entered a London studio where they began recording songs. But due to unknown resons, this album was never released. "Buried Together" comes with a very doomy cover-artwork (remember "Die Healing"?) and if you're discovering this disc somewhere than get it. My personal winners are the heavy Antrobus,but TFHB have also their highlights.This CD was release between the German re-issue label SPM International , who have also re-released bands as Groundhogs, Janus, Bodkin, T2 and more, and the English label World Wide Records. allmusic.com

Antrobus 1972:
01.Loving You 2:36
02.All I Really Need 3:15
03.Take Me Back 5:05
04.Pavement Artist 5:18
05.Straight Jacket 4:53
06.Winter 5:58
07.Rock Band Blues 4:08
08.Gonna Be Free 3:39
09.Lightning 3:36
The Flying Hat Band 1974:
10.Seventh Plain 2:49
11.Reaching For The Stars 4:34
12.Lost Time 2:36
13.Comming Of The Lord 6:42

One St.Stephen - One St.Stephen (Radioactive Records) 1975

This is an album which is generally regarded as one of the finest heavy acid psych albums of its time. One reviewer described it thus: 'Side 1 opens and closes with extended, awesome moody psychers which will blow you away. Poe, heroin and Jim Morrison all help shape the One St. Stephen outlook, which results in one of the more distinct late autumnal moods [ever] manifested on vinyl. Good vocals, some howling fuzz and occasional use of Moog in typical '70s acidhead fashion'. Don L. Patterson wrote the music and lyrics, was lead vocalist, played electric guitars, directed and produced the album 'One St. Stephen' in March of 1975. The music was originally intended for a film Don was developing with the working title 'The Devil's Reservation'. Due to a famous Jazz musician with the same name, Don used the alias of One St. Stephen. The music was recorded at the legendary Owl Studios (Columbus, Ohio), using the same 8-channel analog recording deck that was used to tape the audio at Woodstock in 1969. Because everyone who heard the LP wanted a copy, Don pressed a very limited amount from Queen City Record Company (Cincinnati Ohio). He also designed the album sleeve and label. The response by regional disc jockeys was phenomenal. The album got a lot of regional air play. A few months later, Don was offered a recording contract from two major record companies in New York City. Don was asked to tour. Don was never interested in the world of rock and walked away from a music future. Since then the album has been sought by record collectors around the world and bootlegged twice in Europe. This is the first time he has ever released the LP on CD.

Tracklist:
01.November Edgar 7:33
02.November 2:38
03.You May Be Religious 2:20
04.Nightly Drift 6:03
05.Old Man 2:15
06.Junkie's Lament 2:01
07.Twelth St Shuffle 3:26
08.Richer You Get 3:02
09.Cash In The Rocks 4:42

One St.Stephen:
One St.Stephens (aka Don L. Patterson)
Bill Blechschmid
Terry Finneran
Danny Lawson
David Pierce
Franklin Reynolds
Bruce Roberts
Charles Squires

Exkursions - The Exkursions 1971

Chicago based psychedelic blues band with heavy fuzz guitar sound. Led by Mike Johnson who later went on to record solo projects and even earn songwriter of the year award. Band broke up because the other two members wavered in their faith. Since a number of sealed copies were unearthed last year, the value has gone down. History of the Jesus Movement

"Pretty irresistable Christian bluesy guitarpsych exkursion featuring the prolific Mike Johnson in his younger days as a bible-carrying Hendrix epigon. Has to be one of the coolest x-ian LPs of all time, with a confident powertrio groove, laidback Jimi-style vocals, and several truly great tracks like "Third Eye". Despite being a private press originals aren't difficult to find. Two tracks can be found on the "Holy Fuzz" compilation if you want a sample."
"If you weren’t paying attention, you wouldn’t notice that this is a Christian album, which is a good sign. Mike Johnson is a truly talented guitarist and a few songs here have a fuzz sound to die for. The songwriting doesn’t match the performances, and there are a few bluesy/hard rock clichés, but for the most part this is solid hard rock and one of the best in the Christian realm." AcidArchives

Tracklist:
01.Picture Woman
02.Dry Ground
03.Baby You Lied
04.What Happened To Me
05.Third Eye
06.You & Me
07.It's Been Set Down
08.Would You Believe

The Exkursions:
Mike Johnson - guitar, vocals
Fyl Jonnzen - drums
Leon Wilson - bass

Heavy Balloon - 32.000 Pound 1969

Weird psychedelic rock from late 60's. Freaked and crazy, performed with electric / acoustic guitars, violin, percussion etc. A little bit in the vein of Zappa and Captain Beefheart. Heavy Balloon was not really a band in itself, but a gathering of musicians. They recorded a sole album in a New York studio.

 Album of the American team, which has long been forgotten, but not weak sang a mixture of psychedelia, hard rock, folk and heavy blues. Despite its regional status (boys based on the West Coast and there won the hearts of fans) team consisted of some pretty famous artists. Among them Notkoff Bobby, who played in different years, The Rockets, Electric Flag, and also recorded with Neil Young and Crazy Horse, and Chris Osborne, speaking in a group of Yoko Ono, as well as with the type of cult like David Peel. But the record is so rare that not even mentioned in their official biographies, the more that the project was very short-lived. However, the creativity of this band is difficult to refuse. Very rich music, solid guitar, interesting experiments with sound and peculiar sense of humor on the verge of Glum, which fully as manifested in the fact that they did to the poor "Sgt Pepper" from the repertoire of the Beatles - composition "Owed To Sgt. Pepper". Noteworthy another track named "Lead Zeppalin", not only the name of a warped, but the fact that it is one of the strongest things on the disk. By the way, here there is a good cover for written in 1966 (I think), the "I Don't Need No Doctor", Ray Charles. Rarity, rare music. I recommend to download for collection! Many thanks to adamus67 for the information.

Discogs.com
allmusic.com


Tracklist:
01.Barnyard Blues 5:50
02.On My Way Down 4:39
03.My Very Own Sweetheart 4:03
04.T.C Topcat Blues 2:46
05.Sixteen Tons 5:38
06.Lead Zeppelin 2:32
07.I Don't Need No Doctor 5:03
08.Owed To Sgt. Pepper 2:47
09.Action 7:04

Heavy Balloon:

Heavy Balloon was not really a band in itself, but a gathering of musicians: Fred Adams, Jenny Dean, Mallory Earle, Kirby Helmuth, Wolf James, Michael Jason, Ned Liben, Lori, Mighty Baby, Terry Noel, Bobby Notkoff, Christian Osborne, Pepe The Piano Player, T.N. Pichoske, Mike Ratt, Bob Rizzo, Senorita Rosetta, Skydragon, T.C. Topcat, David Tyles

An Explosion From Houston, Texas 1966 - 1969 (International Artists)

One of the most influential independent record companies of its day, International Artists has gained cult status over the years, particularly amongst fans of prime American psychedelic and garage rock. Based in Houston, Texas the label thrived under the expert guidance of its driving force, Lelan Rogers, brother of country legend Kenny Rogers. The label announced its arrival to the rock world in 1966 when its most significant signing, The 13th Floor Elevators, made the national charts with their truly ground-breaking single You're Gonna Miss Me. Over the course of the next four years it was followed by a whole host of glorious singles and album releases from some of Texas' finest musicians. During its four years of activity in the late Sixties, International Artists released twelve albums, four of which were by its flagship act, The 13th Floor Elevators. The other eight were equally challenging and significant in their own way; more psychedelic classics from The Red Crayola, The Bubble Puppy, Golden Dawn and Endle St. Cloud, as well as a couple of left-field albums of Texas rocking blues from local legend Lightnin' Hopkins and Dave Allen, who represented the new generation of white bluesmen. We are currently in the middle of a labour of love to re-issue all of the label’s original albums in distinctive limited luxury editions along with other interesting packages. The resurrection of IA began with the 3-CD box set Never Ever Land, and reached an early climax in the summer of 2009 with the acclaimed 10 CD 13th Floor Elevators’ box Sign of the Three Eyed Men. This speedily sold out its 4,000 numbered sets and is now set to become a favourite piece on eBay.
Five other acts; The Golden Dawn, Bubble Puppy, Lost and Found, Endle St Cloud and Dave Allen, have now seen have their individual albums for International Artists released in limited edition (3,000 copies only) rigid digibook editions with new booklets. These have been joined by the highly collectible 2 CD label anthology of demos, rare tracks and alternate takes, Epitaph For a Legend.
The 13th Floor Elevators' legacy has been re-invigorated by the release of three new sets, The Complete Singles Collection, Headstone, the band's first album that never was, and a 2 CD edition of the group's landmark 'Psychedelic Sound Of...'. Upgraded CD versions of 'Easter Everywhere' and 'Bull of the Woods' and definitive vinyl editions of their three original studio albums are also available now. This 10 track CD collect highlights from across the International Artists catalogue.

International Artists Records

Tracklist:
01.The 13th Floor Elevators - Reverbation
02.Red Crayola - Hurricane Fighter Plane
03.Lost And Found - Everybody's Here
04.The Golden Dawn - Starvation
05.The 13th Floor Elevators - I Had To Tell You
06.Lightnin' Hopkins - Mini Skirt
07.The 13th Floor Elevators - Dr Doom
08.The Bubble Puppy - Lonely
09.Dave Allen - Cc Rider
10.Endle St Cloud - Come Through

An Explosion From Houston Texas

Freak Scene - Psychedelic Psoul 1967

The one and only Freak Scene record is just one chapter in the strange saga of entrepreneurial psychedelic pioneer/journeyman Rusty Evans, whose first album was the Deep's 1966 release Psychedelic Moods. Like that project, the Freak Scene was strictly a studio outing staffed by sidemen, not a full-fledged band at all. Nevertheless, Psychedelic Psoul's reputation as a psych-exploitation album is unjust; while the trippy themes and production techniques employed here would become clichés of psychedelic-era rock, they weren't clichés in 1967, when the style was still in its infancy. In fact, a strong case could be made for Evans being ahead of the curve. "Mind Bender," for instance, with its Dadaist recitations, throbbing pulse, and scrappy guitars, predated the Velvet Underground's very similar "Murder Mystery" by a couple of years. The combination of tape manipulation and exotic world music influences on the short instrumental "Grok!" seems rather prescient in retrospect as well. Besides, even if the most cynical opinions turned out to be true, and the backwards guitars, fuzztones, and "far out" effects overflowing from most of the tracks on Psychedelic Psoul were incorporated strictly in the interest of bandwagon-jumping, it was all done skillfully enough that it doesn't really matter, especially so many decades after the fact. Psychedelic Psoul stands as an evocative sonic time capsule, although "topical" spoken word pieces like "When in the Course of Human Events" admittedly haven't aged as well as the album's more conventional, melodic compositions. Followers of Evans' journey -- after the Freak Scene, he went on to make an excellent, atmospheric psych-folk album under the alias Marcus -- may be interested to note that Psychedelic Psoul's opening track, "A Million Grains of Sand," appeared in different versions on both Psychedelic Moods and the Marcus album. allmusic.com

Tracklist:
01.A Million Grains of Sand
02.When In Course Of Human Events (Draft Beer, Not Students)
03.Rose of Smiling Faces
04.Behind the Mind
05.The Subway Ride Thru Inner Space
06.Butterfly Dream
07.My Rainbow Life
08.The Center of My Soul
09.Watered Down Soul
10.Red Roses Will Weep
11.Mind Bender
12.Grok!

Freak Scene:
Rusty Evans - Vocals, Guitar
David Bromberg - Vocals, Guitar
No other musicians are identified

Roky Erickson & The 13th Floor Elevators - The Unreleased Masters Collection 1966 -1967

CD1
Previously unreleased take from 1967
01. Dust
Previously unreleased alternate mixes from 1966
02. You Don’t Know (How Young You Are)
03. Thru The Rhythm
04. Roller Coaster
05. Monkey Island
06. Fire Engine
07. Tried To Hide
08. Fire In My Bones (Unreleased Song)
09. Don’t Fall Down
Previously unreleased masters of The 13th Floor Elevators with John Ike Walton on vocals - 1967
10. You’re Gonna Miss Me
11. She Lives (In A Time Of Her Own)
12. I've Got Levitation
13. Reverberation
14. Roller Coaster
Previously unreleased backing tracks and rehearsals from "The Psychedelic Sounds Of The 13th Floor Elevators"
15. Don’t Fall Down
16. You Don’t Know (How Young You Are)
17. Levitation Blues - Take #1
18. Levitation Blues - Take #2

CD2
Previously unreleased master mix of The 13th Floor Elevators live at La Maison in Houston, Texas - 1967
01. Levitation
02. Roller Coaster
03. Fire Engine
04. Reverberation (Doubt)
05. Don’t Fall Down
06. Tried To Hide
07. Splash 1
08. You’re Gonna Miss Me
09. Monkey Island
10. Kingdom Of Heaven
11. She Lives (In A Time Of Her Own)

CD3
Previously unreleased Roky Erickson versions of songs by Bob Dylan and Donovan Leitch - 1988
01. The Ballad Of Hattie Carroll
02. The Chimes Of Freedom
03. Catch The Wind
04. Baby, Let Me Follow You Down
05. Colours
06. Honey, Give Me One More Chance
07. One Too Many Mornings
08. I'll Sing For You
09. Lay Down Your Weary Time
Previously unreleased acoustic Roky Erickson tracks - 1975
10. I’m Gonna Free Her
11. Bermuda
12. Splash 1
13. May The Circle Remain Unbroken
14. The Right Track Now
15. For Brian Jones

The 13th Floor Elevators are :
Roky Erickson - voce e chitarra
Stacy Sutherland - chitarra
Benny Thurman - basso
John Ike Walton - batteria
Tommy Hall - jug elettrico

Altri componenti
Ronnie Leatherman - basso
Danny Galindo - basso
Danny Thomas - batteria
Clementine Hall - testi
Duke Davis - basso durante le ultime session degli Elevators

Flac 748Mb