Graffiti. 1968 USA-New York

When hearing Graffiti for the first time, I was most reminded of Canada's Nucleus. It has that same kind of disorienting feel, while also looking forward to the progressive rock movement. It's more friendly though, demonstrating a melodic sense that was radio ready. A slight strain of Strawberry Alarm Clock can be heard as well, especially with the fuzz guitar work. Like many of the more creative bands from the American psych landscape, Graffiti were one and done and forgotten by all but the most dedicated collectors. An excellent album that is enjoyable throughout and multiple listens will likely be rewarding.

Ownership: LP: 1968 ABC. Gatefold. Picked up from JL before the Denver show. It's nicer than these Discogs stock photos. The album has just been reissued by Sundazed in the last year if interested in obtaining the CD.

6/7/23 (new entry)

The Byrds - The Notorious Byrd Brothers. 1968 USA-California

For those of us predisposed to psych and prog, The Notorious Byrd Brothers is generally considered the best of the Byrds albums. It lays off the country and folk, and focuses more on their pop and rock tendencies. Not sure I disagree. It certainly is their most consistent album from my vantage point. However Fifth Dimension (1966) has 'Eight Miles High', certainly one of the most important songs in psychedelia. So it's a tossup. Either way, those 2 represent my Byrds collection.

Ownership: LP: 1978 Columbia. Single sleeve. Pulled this out of a record store in Pueblo back in January for $5 (2023). Mintish 2 eye original as well (better than these Discogs' stock photos). Most of these are beat to hell, so a real bargain.

3/9/23 (LP 4.12); 4/13/23 (new entry)

The Spoils of War. 1968-69 USA-Illinois (archival)

The Spoils of War is an archival release that includes a reissue of their only released product - which was an extended 7 inch EP (33 RPM). Very advanced for its era (1968/69). The music falls into the Fifty Foot Hose / United States of America category of experimental psychedelic music. Lots of early electronics of the beeping variety to augment the songcraft. Doesn't gel enough to take it to the 12 level, but these cats from Illinois had something special going on.

Ownership: LP+EP: 1999 Shadoks (Germany). Thick super stiff single sleeve with additional EP record. Numbered edition. Purchased new upon release. This was the first album released by the legendary Shadoks label (sometimes infamous unfortunately - but they started great). Most of what you see on Discogs comes from my copy (and what you see here, except for the front cover).

1999; 1/17/23 (LP 4.3); 3/28/23 (new entry)

Twentieth Century Zoo - Thunder on a Clear Day. 1968 USA-Arizona

From Phoenix, Twentieth Century Zoo were the first psych band to light the local desert on fire. They managed to put out 3 singles and this one album in a short 3 year time frame. What stands out most is the ferocious guitar tone, complemented by the melodic organ, and snotty vocals. It's the Strawberry Alarm Clock on a bad trip. Best of all is the songwriting is top notch. In particular their marquee single 'You Don't Remember' is one for the ages. This is one of those songs you wish a band like Many Bright Things would have covered and extended to 20 minutes. Very unique, filled with "angry harmony", which might seem like a contradiction on paper. Final lengthy track 'Blues with a Feeling' is a bit typical of the era, but otherwise Thunder on a Clear Day is a rumblin' and a tumblin'. All aces here.

Ownership: CD: 1999 Sundazed. This is one of those albums that by the time I decided I wanted it, it had become OOP and already in the hands of pirates. Finally in 2013 I was able to secure a copy at a reasonable price. It's still a difficult CD to source. The CD front loads two of the 45s (4 songs), making it a chronological release. The highlight being 'You Don't Remember', which is much more kinetic than the LP version - though both are great. The Monkees could have made this song good. Following the album is one more single (2 songs) and 3 unreleased tracks, making this the definitive reissue. Also comes with full liner notes, photos, and memorabilia images. Originals are expensive. This is not an album I would mail order for, but I do hope to find one in the wilds. I just did that with Neighb'rhood Childr'n so there's always hope.

9/3/19; 11/29/22 (new entry)

The Collectors. 1968 Canada

One of the stranger albums from the psychedelic world, Vancouver's The Collectors proves that major labels were willing to pull out all the stops to attract an ever mind-expanding audience. This is haunting, trippy song based psychedelia at its best. Wonderful fuzz, vintage organ, flute, and mournful vocals. The highlight has to be 'Howard Christman's Older', which features some of the craziest lyrics you'll ever hear from the 60s. One even wonders how a group could compose such an odd song? The only downside is that the side long track 'What Love (Suite)' is way too long for what it offers. And the experimentation here is almost too much. It's as if they are trying too hard to shock, when they already managed to do that successfully on the other side. Albeit, in a much more subtle way. Certainly The Doors are an inspiration for a lot of this album, though it trips out from there. Had they cut the side longer in half, and added one or two more tracks, this would have been in the monster territory. As it stands, we'll call it excellent.

Ownership: LP: 1968 Warner Bros-Seven Arts (USA). Online acquisition from 2014. Single sleeve cover with really cool, San Francisco psychedelic-era artwork. This had fallen to the bottom of the weedout stack. Obviously I missed the sublime nuance here. This is going nowhere. Nice originals can still be had for cheap. It must have sold well, as there are many pressings. CDs are more scarce.

The Carolyn Hester Coalition. 1968 USA-New York

Carolyn Hester was an integral part of the Greenwich Village folk scene of the early 60s. Coming originally from Waco, Texas, she was among the royalty, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Peter, Paul & Mary - and Bob Dylan. She's credited with starting the latter's recording career, and as the legend goes, the famous trio was to be called Peter, Paul & Carolyn.

My Dad had a couple of Hester albums in his collection, and thus it's no surprise to find this one in RT's collection which is similar to what my Dad had (x100 mind you). To paraphrase the ad cliché - this is not your father's Carolyn Hester. Just the fact Dad only had 2 of them (and they were in really good shape) tells me he wasn't much of a fan to begin with. Had he somehow stumbled onto this one - and bought it on a whim - he would have screamed in anguish at how terrible it was. RT being about 10 years younger, enjoyed early rock (witness all The Beatles and Stones, acts that my Dad hated). He also loved Carolyn Hester, as I've found 5 to 10 copies of each of her early albums. Only one of these (so far) and haven't found Magazine yet. Long way to go still.

Apparently Hester's career nosedived when folk went out of fashion, so she decided to make a go at psychedelia, an unusual move for her running set. The "Coalition" proved to be quite good, and really does add psychedelic styled rock, with some excellent fuzz and good rhythm work. Hester has a gorgeous voice, and she makes both the covers and her (quite adept) original compositions shine. You can tell she's still a folky at heart, but at least she made a sincere attempt at psychedelia. The first 2 tracks are quite possibly the best, and it gives you an idea if this album would be for you. Given all the factors above, this is definitely a keeper for me.

Ownership: LP: 1968 Metromedia. Single sleeve. That's quite a sexy cover, demonstrating that Hester was all in for this new career direction. She was still only 30 at the time of this release. She was also extraordinarily beautiful for the folk scene, and definitely had her name attached to all sorts of love scandals in the early 60s, all of which she denies. It wasn't easy for career women in those days (think Mad Men era), so I'd be apt to believe her.

Damon - Song of a Gypsy. 1968 USA-California

David Del Conte was born and raised in Rochester, New York and moved with his family to southern California as a young teen. Obviously the freewheeling 60s culture of The Bear Republic captured the imagination of Del Conte wildly, and he transformed from a lounge crooner to the ultimate outsider psych head - complete with an ankh earring. Damon's singing style isn't that far removed from Jim Morrison and there are many parallels in their approach to music.

Song of a Gypsy is such a bullseye for what record collectors are looking for, one would almost think it was manufactured to be so from some modern enterprising record label. The album combines the loner, real people, authentic lost-soul archetype with screaming fuzz psychedelics. It's almost too good to be true. But it is absolutely real, and thus Song of a Gypsy is most certainly in the top 10 of sought after psychedelic LPs, if not #1 for those who love the obscure.

In what has to be one of the odder conclusions for such a psychedelic gypsy, what did Damon do for a living during the 1980s? Obvious he played street corners and panhandled for money, or lived a secluded life in a forest hidden from everyone but wolves and deer. Right? Nope. He ran a bowling alley in So Cal owned by his family. That must have been some bowling alley! Will require more than a fingertip grip to Strike that one from the mind. Though, come to think of it, the Amoeba in Haight Ashbury was an old bowling alley. There's a hidden meaning in there somewhere. Perhaps I listened to Damon too much last night....
 

Ownership: LP: 2005 Guerssen (Spain). Gatefold + SP. Online acquisition (2014). It's a nice replica, though the cover is smooth, not textured, and certainly not leather. It also comes with a 33 RPM EP that includes his 1967 single plus 2 other tracks. The single is great (side A) but the other 2 tracks (Side B) do not represent the same sound. Oh, and it comes with a nice historical insert. My first copy was the 1997 CD that was reissued by Del Conte, and it's very basic without any additional info (and uses the alternative face cover), so I let it go.

7/16/97 (UTR magazine); 2005; 7/9/20 (new entry)

Gun. 1968 England

One of the heavy hitters of the British psych scene, Gun delivers a powerful set of tunes. There's some orchestration here, but it reminds me more of Uriah Heep's Salisbury than the usual strings focused syrup. That is to say it's more brassy, which adds even more gravitas to the proceedings. The Curtis (Gurvitz) brothers drive the music forward, in particular Adrian's lethal fuzz guitar. While most bands in this type of heavy psych field were obscure, Gun were a known entity. And musically they were about a year or two ahead of the pack as well. Not one to overlook for psych heads.

Ownership: CD: 1989 Repertoire (Germany). Liner notes are nothing more an old real-time Melody Maker review from Chris Welch, who heaped lavish praise on the album. Contains one bonus track as well. Part of a large collection buy in the late 90s.

The Mandrake Memorial - Medium. 1968 USA-Pennsylvania

Side 1 of Medium sees The Mandrake Memorial taking a step back as they try to define their sound to a finer point. There's more of a downer folk blues sound going on, though its still psych based. There's still plenty of phasing and fuzz guitar here, along with the prevailing electric harpsichord. Side 2 definitely takes the straight jacket off, and the band spreads their wings further into longer compositions and creative instrumentals - peaking on the 6 minute instrumental 'Barnaby Plum'. A mixed album, with a much greater discrepancy - both at the top and from the bottom.

Ownership: CD: 1996 Collectables. Full biography, but the same as on the other 2 album reissues.

7/4/14

The Mandrake Memorial. 1968 USA-Pennsylvania

Philadelphia based The Mandrake Memorial began their career as a psychedelic pop group, with the distinction that all the songs here feature distant "lost" vocals and electric harpsichord. There's a certain sameness to their sound throughout. The music is every bit of its era, practically defining 1968 for us. The best tracks, naturally enough for a group existing in the psych world, are those that feature biting fuzz guitar licks such as heard on 'Here I Am', 'Dark Lady', and 'Strange'. Closer 'Sunday Noon' sounds like The Mandrake Memorial covering The Doors. And it's just as great as that might sound.

Ownership: CD: 1996 Collectables. I first bought the debut LP back in 1990, appropriately enough, while in Philadelphia (with collector Jeff Baker, who I understand is no longer with us). I replaced that as soon as the CD hit the market. The debut sold well (over 100,000 copies according to the CD liner notes), especially within the local Northeast Philly/NYC/Boston market, and thus finding an original isn't too hard. If I see it again, I'll keep it this time.

7/3/14

The Moving Sidewalks - The Complete Collection. 1967-1968 USA-Texas

The Moving Sidewalks were the Houston, Texas based psych band that gained fame later as the breeding ground for Billy Gibbons, he of ZZ Top fame. What becomes evident rather quickly is the influence of a one Jimi Hendrix, during the Experience years of course. There are photos of Hendrix and Gibbons together, and the former was known to have praised the latter's guitar work. It must have been quite the ego boost to be surrounded with such great company at an early age.

Flash would be their only album before ultimately disbanding and Gibbons forming ZZ Top. The music is a cross of high energy psychedelic with that of the blues, the latter being more the influence of Gibbon's next career. The album starts off incredible strong, but does wheeze out at the end with the somewhat traditional and lengthy 'Joe Blues', and the wacky and seemingly drug induced 'Eclipse' / 'Reclipse' segment.

Their singles were an indication of where the band was headed, and all are worthy as well. For example  'I Want to Hold Your Hand' is probably the last track from the Beatles' canon I would pick for a psych cover, but my goodness, did they absolutely destroy this track in effects - almost beyond recognition. Best version ever - at least that I've heard!

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The Moving Sidewalks were the Houston based psych band that gained fame later as the breeding ground for a one Billy Gibbons, he of ZZ Top fame. 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' is probably the last track from the Beatles' canon I would pick for a psych cover, but my goodness, did they absolutely destroy this track in effects - almost beyond recognition. Best version ever - at least that I've heard!

'Joe's Blues' is a solid electric blues number, with excellent guitar and organ. And yes, the guitar here can be quite psychedelic sounding. It's the full 7+ minute version, so far beyond the usual single length. And yea sure, they do have the blues real bad. They got 'em. Yeaaa they do.

An incongruous single, but very good all the same.

CD: 2012 Rockbeat (The Complete Collection)

The CD (and 2LP) reissue is superb and collects everything The Moving Sidewalks - and precursor group The Coachmen - ever did. This includes alternate takes on both singles and album tunes. There are many great archival photos, and excellent discography information. What's strangely missing is an accompanying essay and/or historical notes. It's kind of baffling really. All the same, if the American late 1960s psych experience interests you, this collection is a can't miss acquisition.

July. 1968 England

July's sole album is so quintessentially psychedelic England, they should have considered using the Union Jack as the album cover. Seamlessly mixing pop and psychedelic, with those distinct accented and treated vocals, there's just no other time and place it could have come from. Barrett-era Pink Floyd comes to mind almost immediately. Though the real guidepost here could be the more obscure Pussy Plays, though July falls short of the intensity and rigor of arguably England best 60s album. There are many other references of course, from brand names like The Beatles and The Moody Blues to a host of lesser known groups. The songwriting here is top notch, with memorable tunes long after the music stopped, as well as superb period instrumentation. July are best known as the precursor to none other than Jade Warrior, and one can hear the creativity rising even at this early stage. One wonders had the band veered in the same direction as Pink Floyd, what treasures could have been left behind. Though Jade Warrior is certainly a great door prize.

Ownership: CD: 2005 Air Mail (Japan). The Air Mail CD replicates the mighty fine single sleeve psychedelic cover. According to the insert, the album was remastered for this release alone. It also comes with the 'Hello Who's There' 45 single as a bonus. The A namesake side is rather trite and is everything that is not on the LP (fortunately). The B side is an extended and freakier version of 'The Way' thus placing this 45 on many a want list as well.

The Loose Enz - The Black Door / Easy Rider. 1968 USA-Pennsylvania

Right in the heart of Amish country Pennsylvania, The Loose Enz recorded one of the most electric (oh the irony) 60s psych singles. And I mean electric both literally and figuratively.

The Loose Enz had me already by second number 3, with its gothic chorus. On 'The Black Door' these guys absolutely nail the Doors sound - especially the variation that closed their first 2 albums, which is of course my favorite aspect of Morrison and Co.

'Easy Rider' is heavy fuzz guitar, snarling vocals (what happened to the Morrison imitation?), and carnival organ. Great guitar solo toward the end too. This track sounds more like early 70s hard rock, than late 60s psych.

Someone needs to start rummaging through the farms near York to see if there are more tapes... What an archival release that would make!

The Black Door' is part of the compilation above titled 30 Seconds Before the Calico Wall!

'Easy Rider' is part of the 1997 compilation above titled An Overdose of Heavy Psych

10/18/18

Haymarket Riot - Trip on Out / Something Else (single). 1968 USA-Oklahoma

Wow. Going through these obscure psych era US singles can be revelatory. So it turns out Haymarket Riot are from Enid, Oklahoma. Now there's the center of the psychedelic universe eh? My old man was in the laundry business, and one of his top clients was in Enid, so I went there a lot more than your average big city kid. I'll just put it this way - psychedelic is not the first thing one thinks of when in Enid. 'Trip on Out' is great - very much in the spirit of the era. There's a killer fuzz riff, followed by a great solo. 'Something Else' kind of blows honestly. Apparently they only had one song when it was time to record, so they put this together in 15 minutes. And it sounds it too. Lost opportunity.

'Trip On Out' is part of the above compilation called 30 Seconds Before the Calico Wall!

10/18/18 (new entry)

Peacepipe - The Sun Won't Shine Forever / Lazy River Blues. 1968 USA-California

Peacepipe's only released work during the band's lifetime, is one of those can't miss 45's for fans of inventive psychedelia. 'The Sun Won't Shine Forever' is stunning, with wah wah guitar, a killer riff, and psychotic vocals. One only wishes the track went on for more than 2 and a half minutes. Though the good news is that the main theme was expanded upon on their archival LP/CD release, and retitled 'The Day the War Has Ended'. 'Lazy River Blues' is just that - if it were stripped down to its bare essence. However on here it's completely psyched out beyond recognition, and is also quite good.

Ownership: CD: 2002 Shadoks (Germany). These are bonus tracks to the original Rockadelic archival release. There's no date on the 45 itself. 1968 is the generally accepted date, though Discogs places 1969 - but without any corroborating evidence to support.

10/12/18 (new entry)

The Purple Sun - Doomsday / Give Your Life. 1968 USA-Texas

'Doomsday' would have been a perfect fit for the St. Albert's Dream compilation, especially considering the band were from south Texas (presumably that is, given it was pressed in Houston). Excellent heavy guitar psych. I haven't heard the flip side to date.

I have this on the Warfaring Strangers: Acid Nightmares compilation.

5/19/18 (new entry)

The Cave Dwellers - Meditation / Night Runner (single). 1968 USA-California

The Cave Dwellers were a psych/lounge band from Pleasanton, California in the late 1960s. Coincidentally where yours truly had a physical office from 1999 to 2002. Though I'm sure the late 60's Pleasanton was nothing more than an "over the mountain" farming outpost of Oakland verse the mega-million dollar software capital it was to become in my era. In any case, 'Meditation' is the reason you will seek out this single. An absolute monster of a track, which contains a freaky psychedelic mid section that sounds as if Iron Butterfly suddenly thrust themselves into the 1970 German landscape. 'Night Runner' shows another side of the band, pulling off a Doors like sound, via your local Holiday Inn's lounge. It's ladies night, and the women are all plus 40. I wish you luck my friend. They can't all be good.

Available on a couple of compilations.

5/19/18 (new entry)

Neighb'rhood Childr'n - Long Years in Space. 1968 USA-Oregon; California

A well documented psych album, and I'm in the majority with those who say that Neighb'rhood Childr'n are a prime example of the entire American late 60s era. Originally from the southern Oregon town of Medford, the band migrated to San Francisco like many others to be a participant of the scene. While never hitting the big time, they were certainly one of its finest exports. The music is tight and compact, with memorable melodies, bumble bee fuzz, older stock organ, and male/female vocals. The songwriting is extraordinary, and Neighb'rhood Childr'n could have easily been one of the big names of the entire genre (and beyond). Essential for fans of late 60s American psych.

Ownership: CD: 1997 Sundazed. Jewel case purchased near the time of release. This reissue, known as Long Years in Space, requires you to pay attention here, because it's not "album as released" + bonus tracks, but rather the original is all jumbled up and one of those tracks were mixed in with the "bonus" tracks. Overall it's an excellent document, with great liner notes, and fascinating renditions of cover songs and other originals. 

LP: 1968 Acta. Single sleeve. Comes in a classic American psych era cover with a wonderful photo of the rolling hills of San Francisco and the Victorian housing with the classic bay windows. Acta was Dot Records' psychedelic era imprint and only lasted about 2 years. Purchased at a store in Laramie, Wyoming (2022). Got this at a steal of a price. Not the best condition, but certainly collectable. It goes straight to the wall of albums, near the top. Love the cover and I have no intention of getting rid of the CD, which remains the primary.

3/1/15 (new entry); 6/4/21; 9/20/22 (added LP)

The Plastic Cloud - s/t. 1968 Canada

Kingston's The Plastic Cloud - to my ears anyway - practically define what late 1960s underground psychedelic music sounds like. Look at the cover - fast forward 45+ years - and tell me they wouldn't fit perfectly into today's hipster culture. They have a strong sense of that era's light ethereal melodies coupled with credible vocal harmonies, and yet they also possess this subversive streak that shows up primarily in their heavy use of a biting "bumblebee" sounding fuzz guitar. Tracks like 'Shadows of Your Mind', 'You Don't Care', 'Face Behind The Sun', and 'Civilization Machine' are massive in their execution, and the jams can get super intense  - especially on the longer tracks (two of which go into the 9 to 10 minute mark). Imagine The Doors going "all in", as they would in their early days, but utilizing fuzz guitar instead of electric organ. And even the "straight" psychedelic tracks are memorable such as 'Art's a Happy Man' and 'Bridge Under the Sky'. If you're a fan of the underground 60s psych movement, it's pretty hard to imagine not freaking over this masterpiece. A genre defining album if there ever was one.

Personal collection
CD: 1990 Laser's Edge (USA)
LP: 1999 Void (USA)

The original is a single sleeve cover with insert. Original copies can get way up there, and frequently sell for well over $1K. My original discovery came via a new upstart label called The Laser's Edge way back in 1990. I'd never heard of the group, and I was myself only in about Year 3 of having disposable income for buying albums when I felt like it. So I took a chance, and was rewarded in a big way from a music perspective. The CD comes with a fold out insert and replicates the original liner notes. Many years later I picked up the Void LP reissue - and it's probably superfluous to own this version given it's a straight reissue with the same original insert. But since it's such a favorite album of mine, it's nice to have a vinyl copy - especially since originals are pretty much out of reach. The Lion reissues include - according to their website - "The accompanying twenty-page booklet has all the lyrics, thanks to Don Brewer, the man who wrote them, as well as rare photos and a replica of an original press release that must be seen to be believed". And their edition of the LP is a gatefold.

Brain Police - San Diego's Only Psychedelic Cops. 1968 USA-California

Tremendous late 60s psychedelic album from San Diego, with some bona fide monster tracks in 'I'd Rather See You Dead' (my personal fave on the album), 'Getting Too Much Higher', 'Gypsy Fast Woman', and 'I'll Find Love'. Heavy fuzz guitar, organ, snotty vocals, snakey bass, and snappy drums define the music. The CD bonus tracks of pre-Brain Police outfits such as the Man-Dells (1964-65) and Other Four (1965-1966) demonstrate a strong Beach Boys influence. This extended experience with vocal harmony shows up throughout the album, adding that extra dimension that makes it special. Listen to tracks such as 'Find Me a Moment', 'Ride My Train of Love', and 'I'll Find Love' to hear this dimension of the band, and I think this is where the Strawberry Alarm Clock references come in.

Ownership: CD: 2000 Shadoks (Germany). Excellent reissue with full historical liner notes, concert poster replications, newspaper articles, and 10 bonus tracks going back to the mid 60s!