Robbie The Werewolf - At The Waleback (1964) review

Robbie The Werewolf "At The Waleback" (Gear Fab Records, 1964/2016)

Although the weird and wonderful prevails at "It's Psychedelic Baby," few albums are odder than this strange slab of vinyl. Taped live in 1964 at the Waleback in Santa Monica, California, the obscenely rare disc stars Robbie Robison plucking an acoustic guitar and singing kooky tunes about Halloween characters, sex, drinking and drugs that were quite radical for its day.

Robbie's mad and manical tenor, supplanted with his insane lyrics, are both entertaining and ridiculous, pointing towards an album you'll either love or hate. Vampires, a horny devil, Count Dracula, marijuana, a little brother encountering sharks, tip-toeing through the tulips, a flamenco story, tooling the streets of Transylvania, a warped version of "Tom Dooley," and of course the werewolf himself, are just some of wackiness to be experienced throughout the album. The laughter from the audience indicates they were having a good time and appreciated Robbie's freaky sense of humor, making the package an intimate and genuine affair. The marriage of folk music and comedy isn't too unique, but Robbie's left-field topics are certainly novel, and that itself places "At The Waleback" in a singular category. The album was never released on a proper label and a very small number of copies were cut, so many thanks to Gear Fab Records for raising it from the dead and giving it a digital rebirth.

Sixties rock fans (and that naturally includes you) probably already know that Robbie The Werewolf met with further fame as guitarist for Clear Light, whose 1967 self-titled album is a psychedelic masterpiece. And if you continue to connect the dots, Robbie's wife, Barbara was the vocalist for the Peanut Butter Conspiracy, another great band from the acid rock era. Liner notes and trips down memory lane from music historian Gray Newell and Peanut Butter Conspiracy bassist Alan Brackett also come with the album. It's all too groovy!

Review by Beverly Paterson/2016

© Copyright http://psychedelicbaby.blogspot.com/2016

Various Artists "Psychedelic States: Florida In The 60s Vol. 4" (2015) review

Various Artists "Psychedelic States: Florida In The 60s Vol. 4" (Gear Fab Records, 2015)

Since 1997, the Gear Fab label, which is located in Littleton, Colorado and run by Roger Maglio, has been releasing compilation albums featuring insanely obscure bands from the sixties. Each installment celebrates a particular state, and the most recent package marks the fourth volume of Florida bands. As is the tradition with previous collections, "Psychedelic States: Florida In The 60s Vol. 4" also includes photos and information on the bands.

Preaching the gospel of peace, love, and tolerance, the wisely titled "Love Your Fellow Man" by Sir Michael & The Sounds presents a super catchy melody and is enhanced by a shimmering shot of Middle East motifs. From the Sweet Young Things, there's "I Remember" that pinches its pulsating pitch from the Who's "I Can't Explain," where the Certain Amount flaunt their fondness for the Zombies in a fine way on a frisky remake of "Is This The Dream." Obviously bearing no connection to the Police song of the same name, "Message In A Bottle" from A Quest shivers and shakes to a heavy-handed hurling of wild Jimi Hendrix styled fretwork and soul-stained vocals. Not to be mistaken for the Creation tune, but nearly just as good as the British band's heralded pop art offering is "Painter Man" by the Non-Pariels that blends trippy Beatlesque harmonies with raga rock workouts to agreeable effects. Speaking of the Beatles, the (Fab) Phatoms deliver a surefire Mersey-minted classic with "I've Got That Feeling" that would have fit nicely on John, Paul, George, and Ringo's "Please Please Me" album.

Before Carlo Driggs hit the jackpot with bands like Kracker, Foxy, and Paul Revere and the Raiders, he played drums in Dave & The Wanderers, whose power popping "My Heart Is In Pain" has only been available as a demo all these years. Driven by danceable rhythms and a cheery frat rock flavored chorus is "We're The Vandals" from the Vandals, whose guitarist George Terry later hooked up with Eric Clapton. Designed of  inventively odd tempo changes, "Hands Are Only To See" by the Bitter Ind boasted Butch Trucks Jr. on drums, who soon found worldwide fame with the Allman Brothers.

Totaling twenty-six tracks, "Psychedelic States: Florida In The 60's Vol. 4" actually caters to the teen garage rock sounds of the era rather than acid-drenched dementia. Untrained and untamed, but quaking with enthusiasm, the bands heard on the disc relied on little more than a few standard chords to carry their songs, while roller rink keyboards and thrashing drums complete the scene. Rock and roll was meant to be fun and simple, and "Psychedelic States: Florida In The 60s Vol. 4" ideally illustrates the right attitudes and motives behind the efforts of these bands whose hearts were true and whose contributions are an important part of musical history.

Review made by Beverly Paterson/2015

© Copyright http://psychedelicbaby.blogspot.com/2015

Finchley Boys - Everlasting Tributes (1972) review

Finchley Boys "Everlasting Tributes" (Golden Throat Records, 1972)

Established early 1968, Finchley Boys quickly became a popular live act in and around their birthplace of Champaign, Illinois. The next step, of course, was to transfer the magic onto tape, and in September the band entered the studio with the goal of putting together an album. Sessions continued through June 1969, but the results of the band's work did not materialize until a few years later, when "Everlasting Tributes" was released.

Acid-fried blues rock was where Finchley Boys were at, and their affection and aptitude for the music resonates loud and clear amid the album. Gutted with bone-crushing guitar leads, bristling with venom, "Everlasting Tributes" indicates the band spent a lot of time spinning sides by the Yardbirds, while casting a further ear towards the progressively heavy sounds of bands such as the Litter, Iron Butterfly, and Steppenwolf. Striking a neo-jazz stance, "Once I Was A Boy" emulates both Cream and the Doors, and a shout-out goes to the Kinks via a weighty cover of "I'm Not Like Everybody Else." But influences aside, Finchley Boys certainly had their own personal ambitions in check. The band's arrangements could be rather challenging, and their songwriting instincts were commendable. In fact, two of the album's best tracks, "It All Ends" and "Restrictions" are original numbers. Floating on atmospheric ground, "It All Ends" is wrapped in a lonely psychedelic fog, where "Restrictions" is a hard rocking monster seething with angry vocals, screaming power chords and throttling rhythms.

Navigated by military-styled drumming, "Hooked" and "Who's That Talkin'," a traditional blues piece peppered with a jagged jam and dirty harmonica huffing and puffing, also receive a solid stamp of approval. With the exception of the emotionally fragile "Swelling Waters," there's nothing the least bit poised or pretty about "Everlasting Tributes." Pockmarked with warts and scars, the album inspects Finchley Boys in their natural state. But it's the earthy and edgy performances, topped with an organic production, that make "Everlasting Tributes" the intriguing relic that it is.

Review made by Beverly Paterson/2015

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Creation of Sunlight - Creation of Sunlight (1968) review

Creation of Sunlight "Creation Of Sunlight" (Lion Productions, 1968/2005)

Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA5JU5F8Smw

For many years, folks thought the name of this band was Creation Of Sunlight. But thanks to rock and roll sleuths, the truth finally came to light. Sorry, I can never resist a pun! In any case, "Creation Of Sunlight," which was Sunlight's only album, initially appeared on the Windi label in 1968 in a limited run of five hundred copies. Remarkably obscure, the album was bootlegged a couple of times, but this platter is the one to get. Aside from being a legitimate release, the sound quality is excellent, plus bonus tracks and liner notes are included.

Starring Gary Young on lead vocals, Carl Estrella on lead guitar, Don Sain on rhythm guitar, Steve Montague on bass, Jerry Grifffin on keyboards, Bob Morgan on drums, and Ron Clark on percussion, flute, and saxophone, Sunlight expertly bonded commercial aspirations with an experimental rim. The band's handle certainly suited them, as their sharply scripted songs were bright and cheery. High spirited harmonies, not unlike those of the Association and the Strawberry Alarm Clock, pervaded the plot, while Sunlight's jazzy psychedelic pop instrumentation easily draws parallels to the Doors and Iron Butterfly. The constant presence of a whirling and curling organ supplies the material on "Creation Of Sunlight" with a rich and deep tenor, where the guitars alternately ring and reel with excitement.

Every single song on the album is seriously fantastic, but my personal favorites are the swinging vanilla soul of "Rush Hour Blues," the sweeping glee of "In The Middle Of Happy," and "Fun Machine" that involves a tight and insistent jam. "Seven Times Infinity," "Hammond Eggs," and "Second Thoughts" are other songs I keep returning to, not to mention a smoking hot tribute to John Fred and The Playboys in the form of "Judy In Disguise (With Glasses)" that was pressed as a single and was not originally featured on the album. Driven by an optimistic mood, both lyrically and sonically, "Creation Of Sunlight" is a perfect example of flower power rock done right. Bathed in rays of juicy melodies, blissed-out singing, and progressive tempos and arrangements, the album offers endless treasures. It's not hard to hear the joy Sunlight experienced cutting the record, and we can only imagine where their subsequent steps would have taken them had they continued making music.

Review made by Beverly Paterson/2015

© Copyright http://psychedelicbaby.blogspot.com/2015

Ant Trip Ceremony - 24 Hours (1968) review

Ant Trip Ceremony "24 Hours" (Collectables Records, 1968/1999)

A super rare specimen, only three hundred copies of Ant Trip Ceremony's "24 Hours" were cut upon its initial release in early 1968. But the album has been revived on a few occasions throughout the years, so psychedelic fanatics like us don't have to spend entire paychecks to encounter its charms. The best of these reissues is this package, which aside from the cool music of course, is wholly legitimate and contains in-depth liner notes and previously unpublished photos.

The first version of Ant Trip Ceremony was formed when guitarist Steve Detray, who attended Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, visited his brother in Logan, Utah. When Steve returned to school in the summer of 1967, a new incarnation of the band was born, which featured lead singer Roger Goodman, bassist Gary Rosen, drummer Jeff Williams and percussionist Mark Stein. Prior to recording what would be their lone album, "24 Hours," the band had already obtained a devoted fan base via local live gigs.

Sharing an alliance with acts such as the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and Country Joe and the Fish, with touches of the Byrds periodically cropping up, Ant Trip Ceremony put a serious premium on experimentation and improvisation. A genre-blending journey, "24 Hours" slaps together bits and bobs of jazz, rock, folk, Middle Eastern motifs, and blues to a mind-numbing aftermath. As is usually the case with the greatest art, attitude over aptitude is the key here. Each track on "24 Hours" bottles and seals the band's love and enthusiasm for what they were doing to contagious effects.

Charted of rumbling raga rock rhythms and breezy flute frequencies, "Elaborations" definitely weighs in as the highlight of the album, while other original compositions such as the slow and spooky "Pale Shades Of Gray," the jangly wobble of "Outskirts," the fractured jazzy pop of "Locomotive Lamp," the spellbinding repetition of "Four In The Morning," and the haunting pitch of "Riverdawn" also reveal Ant Trip Ceremony's flair for installing unique twirls and curls into their material. Brash and bluesy, complete with howling harmonica drills and a needling drum solo, "Sometimes I Wonder" is a memorable tune as well, The loose and carefree vocals fit perfectly with the "anyway the wind blows" vision of the material, which shuttles back and forth between mellow moodiness and concentrated intensity. As far as covers go, Allen Toussaint's "Get Out Of My Life Woman" favors a ragged and jagged crust, Eric Anderson's "Violets Of Dawn" is airy and ghostly, and the garage band staple "Hey Joe" nails jazz flavored figures to a hard rocking romp.

Strewn with unconventional tactics, "24 Hours" fully represents the jamming good mentality of the era, and is therefore a minor masterpiece of its acid-stained stripe.

Review made by Beverly Paterson/2015

© Copyright http://psychedelicbaby.blogspot.com/2015

The Seers - Psych Out (1990) review

The Seers "Psych Out" (Cherry Red Records, 1990)

The roots of this British band date back to 1984, when they were then known as Rip Van Satan and The Earth Rats. It didn't take long for the band to attract a solid fan base, but several years passed before a full-length album came into being. Track for track, "Psych Out" is a real dazzler. A fertile union of primal energy, an edgy attitude, and fierce hooks give the album all the proper credentials to make it a worthwhile listen.

Released either a few years too late or a few years too early, "Psych Out" proves to be something of the missing link between the sixties psychedelic garage rock revival of the eighties and the Brit Pop movement of the mid-nineties. Paying no mind to the fads and gimmicks of the era, The Seers seemingly operated in a stratosphere of their own, but still sounded like they existed in the present. Comprised of lead singer Spider McCallum, guitarist Leigh Wildman, guitarist and harmonica player Kat Day, bassist Jason Kidd, and drummer Age Blackmore, the band proposed a tight rapport that enabled them to sustain momentum and excitement throughout the album.

Toiling and roiling with minimal fuss, "Welcome To Dead Town," "Wild Man," and "Rub Me Out" show off the band's affection for assertive and aggressive garage punk rockers, and the psychedelic-framed "Sun Is In The Sky" sparkles and swells to an exhilarating exposition of vibrant harmonies and positive imagery. The Seers continue to work their lysergic-laced hoodoo on the title cut of the album, which injects the chorus of Funkadelic's "Free Your Mind And Your Ass Will Follow" into a lethal brew of wobbly wah-wah guitars, hard hitting drumming and bending rhythms. Truly spellbinding, "Psych Out" blends thick as a brick soul grooves with acid rock jamming to alarming effects. The raspy and rugged "Lightning Strikes" and the soaring power pop jangle of "I'll Fly Away" are other madly infectious songs included on the album.

Harsh yet highly melodic, "Psych Out" remains an enduring piece of music. 1992 saw the Seers issue their second and final album, "Peace Crazies," which also punches in as a quality collection of songs. But if you ask me, "Psych Out" is the band's crowning glory, and what a crowning glory it is.

Review made by Beverly Paterson/2015

© Copyright http://psychedelicbaby.blogspot.com/2015

"Fade To Black" by Martin Popoff with Ioannis (2012) review

"Fade To Black" by Martin Popoff with Ioannis (Sterling Publishing, 2012)

Packaged in a thick vinyl cover to reflect the subject matter, "Fade To Black" is a coffee table sized tome involving hard rock and heavy metal album sleeves. Concentrating on the years 1965 to 1990, the hefty book not only features eye-popping photos of the albums presented, but the history surrounding these artifacts as well as personal commentary from the authors.

Arranged in order by release date, "Fade To Black" opens with "The Rolling Stones, Now!" by The Rolling Stones and closes with Megadeth's "Rust In Peace." Stuffed between these profiles we're handed a nice balance of certified classics and long forgotten gems. Obvious platters such as Deep Purple's "Machine Head," Aerosmith's "Toys In The Attic," Iron Maiden's "Iron Maiden," Quiet Riot's "Metal Health," Black Sabbath's "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath," Led Zeppelin's "Houses Of The Holy," Rush's "Farewell To Kings," UFO's "Lights Out," Blue Oyster Cult's "Fire Of The Unknown Origin," Motley Crue's "Shout At The Devil," ACDC's "Highway To Hell," Judas Priest's "Sad Wings Of Destiny," Metallica's "Master Of Puppets," "Blackout" by the Scorpions, Van Halen's "Van Halen," and Emerson, Lake and Palmer's "Brain Salad Surgery" share space with lesser recognized efforts from The Godz, the Boyzz, Quartz, Russ Ballard, Savatage, and Legs Diamond. An ample number of Iron Butterfly, Nazareth, and Uriah Heep albums are examined, along with cob-webbed caked goodies from Angel, Starz, Grand Funk, The Rods, Golden Earring, Budgie, and Dust. Offerings from The Runaways, The Sweet, Mott The Hoople, The Damned, Hanoi Rocks, Cheap Trick, Hawkwind, ZZ Top, Free, and The Ramones are further spotlighted.

Although you can't always judge a record by its cover, some of these albums are so attractive that the graphics alone probably generated sales, or they're so hideous that they never stood a chance in the first place. Containing a staggering mix of panoramic winners and losers, "Fade To Black" encourages readers to revisit these high-decibel delights by either combing through their collections or hitting the local used record store. Smartly-selected entries, combined with witty and knowledgeable  text make this the great book that it is. Pump your fist in the air and rejoice!

Review made by Beverly Paterson/2015

© Copyright http://psychedelicbaby.blogspot.com/2015