Sunday, September 1, 2013

Morgen. 1969 USA-New York


When I first started collecting psych music in the late 1980s (which admittedly came after progressive rock and heavy metal), I expected all the albums to sound something like Morgen. Great bumble bee fuzz guitar, good melodies, somewhat spaced out vocals. But alas, it wasn't to be the case. But Morgen is in the big leagues, and it's no surprise to me that it is one of the most sought after of the major label psych pieces, despite there being a relatively large supply in circulation. It's just that good - and for what seemed like forever, no legal reissue existed to offset demand (until 2013). To me, this one is the real deal and I file it right next to The Plastic Cloud. Nice late 1800's artwork of The Scream by Edvard Munch.


Ownership: CD: 2013 Sunbeam (UK). Always a much sought after and rare album as an original, that thrived in the pirate market for close to 25 years, due to a lack of a legit reissue. Finally the excellent Sunbeam label of England comes through, filled with liner notes with participation from Steve Morgen himself. The bonus tracks are more interesting than relevant, though it does include their one single. Even though this single contain two tracks from the album, the single mix is different. This new CD allowed me to kick the Eva boot immediately out the door.

11/21/19
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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousSeptember 18, 2013 at 9:03 AM

    Care to comment on Sunbeam's sound vs. Radioactive or Eva CD's?

    And could you elaborate on the bonus tracks beyond the single?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Purple Peak RecordsSeptember 18, 2013 at 2:12 PM

      Hi Anon, Good questions. On the bonus tracks I state: "The bonus tracks are more interesting than relevant.". Perhaps I was being vague, but in other words, I wouldn't buy this for the bonus tracks.

      I'll be honest, I wasn't blown away by the sonics, and the Eva boot didn't sound too bad to me either (that's what I owned prior). Probably a sound purist would prefer the pirate given that it was a straight needle drop. For me, I'd consider it a wash from that standpoint. But I do think Sunbeam did a fine job here. So why replace? 1) It's a legal reissue and 2) It features full liners / history / photos, etc... and is a far better overall package than the crappy boots.

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