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

Relatively Clean Rivers - Relatively Clean Rivers (Radioactive Records) 1975

Biography:Many American rock LPs of the mid-'70s given very small pressings on tiny or vanity labels had something of a time warp hangover feel, as if the trends of hippie rock from about half a dozen years earlier were still in vogue. Relatively Clean Rivers' self-titled album is one such rarity, with an easygoing California folk-rock-psychedelic feel in which light-to-strong traces of Neil Young, the countrified Grateful Dead, and Quicksilver Messenger Service can be heard. It's different than the vast majority of such LPs, however, in that it's actually a fairly good collection of tunes with some decent songwriting and strong, professional playing and harmonizing. No one should investigate this under the illusion that it's nearly as good as the aforementioned influences, mind you. But it's quite alright, and also not as imitative as many artists from numerous eras were who claimed Neil Young and the Dead as influences. There's an attractive resigned, almost addled melancholy to the vocals and melodies that set this apart from the usual such fare, though some of the songs could certainly have benefited from more structured composing and arranging. There's some variety to the proceedings (and from the general folk-rock-psychedelic prototype) too, with some extended instrumental acoustic passages and a Middle Eastern influenced number, "The Persian Caravan," that recalls exotic early Country Joe & the Fish psychedelic excursions like "Section 43." Overall, the album almost gives the impression of documenting the dying embers of a band of hippies who've found refuge in one of the last safe places for souls of such a mindset, clinging to their credo as their species awaits oncoming extinction. The album became much easier to acquire following its CD reissue in the first decade of the 21st century. Review by Richie Unterberger

Tracklist:
01.Easy Ride 3:50
02.Journey Through The Valley Of O 4:13
03.Babylon 5:51
04.Last Flight To Eden 2:43
05.Prelude 0:30
06.Hello Sunshine 3:33
07.They Knew What To Say 3:25
08.The Persian Caravan 3:51
09.A Thousand Years 5:23

Relatively Clean Rivers:
Phil Pearlman - guitar, bass, vocals, flute, synthetizer
Kurt Baker - guitar, vocals
Dwight Morouse - drums
Hank Quinn - drums
John Alabaster - congas 

H.P.Lovecraft - H.P.Lovecraft I & H.P.Lovecraft II (Collector's Choice Edition) 1967 - 1968 Repost

Biography : Featuring two strong singers (who often sang dual leads), hauntingly hazy arrangements, and imaginative songwriting that drew from pop and folk influences, H.P. Lovecraft was one of the better psychedelic groups of the late '60s. The band was formed by ex-folky George Edwards in Chicago in 1967. Edwards and keyboardist Dave Michaels, a classically trained singer with a four-octave range, handled the vocals, which echoed Jefferson Airplane's in their depth and blend of high and low parts. Their self-titled 1967 LP was an impressive debut, featuring strong originals and covers of early compositions by Randy Newman and Fred Neil, as well as one of the first underground FM radio favorites, "White Ship." The band moved to California the following year; their second and last album, H.P. Lovecraft II, was a much more sprawling and unfocused work, despite some strong moments. A spin-off group, Lovecraft, released a couple LPs in the '70s that bore little relation to the first incarnation of the band. allmusic.com

H.P.Lovecraft I :
01.Wayfaring Stranger 2:35
02.Let's Get Together 4:35
03.I've Been Wrong Before 2:46
04.The Drifter 4:11
05.That's The Bag I'm In 1:46
06.The White Ship 6:33
07.Country Boy & Bleeker Street 2:35
08.The Time Machine 2:05
09.That's How Much I Love You, Baby (More or Less) 3:55
10.Gloria Patria 0:27

H.P.Lovecraft II :
01.Spin, Spin, Spin 3:21
02.It's About Time 5:17
03.Blue Jack of Diamonds 3:08
04.Electrollentando 6:34
05.At the Mountains of Madness 4:57
06.Mobius Trip 2:44
07.High Flying Bird 3:21
08.Nothing's Boy 0:39
09.Keeper of the Keys 3:05
10. Anyway That You Want Me (Bonus)
11.It's All Over For You (Bonus)

H.P.Lovecraft :
George Edwards – vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, guitarrón, bass
Dave Michaels – vocals, organ, piano, harpsichord, clarinet, recorder
Jerry McGeorge – bass, vocals (1967)
Tony Cavallari – lead guitar, vocals
Michael Tegza – drums, percussion, timpani, vocals
Jeff Boyan – bass, vocals (1968)

The Holy Modal Rounders - 1 & 2 (Remaster) 1964

One of the most distinctive folk/bluegrass units of the 1960s was the Holy Modal Rounders, whose Fantasy recordings combined Appalachian bluegrass and country traditions with the Greenwich Village/East Coast folk of the period. Although singer/acoustic guitarist Steve Weber and singer/fiddler/banjo player Peter Stampfel collectively, the Holy Modal Rounders  had a strong appreciation of Appalachian music, they fit right in on the East Coast coffeehouse circuit of the 1960s. In 1999, Fantasy reissued the duo's first two albums, The Holy Modal Rounders and The Holy Modal Rounders 2 on the 67-minute CD 1 & 2, which offers abundant proof of its humorous, tongue-in-cheek outlook. These 1963-1964 recordings aren't the work of a group that took itself too seriously from Weber's goofy "Mister Spaceman" and Stampfel's quirky "Bound to Lose" to interpretations of Bill Monroe's "Hot Corn, Cold Corn" and Blind Willie McTell's "Statesboro Blues," it's clear that the Rounders are having a lot of fun. For those who are seeking something unorthodox from folk and bluegrass, 1 & 2 is highly recommended. Review by Alex Henderson allmusic.com

Tracklist:

The Holy Modal Rounders 1

01.Blues in the Bottle
02.Give the Fiddler a Dram
03.The Cuckoo
04.Euphoria
05.Long John
06.Sugar in the Gourd
07.Hesitation Blues
08.Hey, Hey Baby
09.Reuben's Train
10.Mr. Spaceman
11.Moving Day
12.Better Things for You
13.Same Old Man
14.Hop High Ladies
15.Bound to Lose

The Holy Modal Rounders 2
16.Bully of the Town
17.Sail Away, Ladies
18.Statesboro Blues
19.Clinch Mountain Backstep
20.Down the Old Plank Road
21.Black Eyed Suzie
22.Hot Corn, Cold Corn
23.Crowley Waltz
24.Fishing Blues
25.Junko Partner
26.Soldier's Joy
27.Mole in the Ground
28.Chevrolet Six
29. Flop Eared Mule

The Holy Modal Rounders:
Peter Stampfel – fiddle, banjo, vocals
Steve Weber – guitar, vocals