[ aquarius records — Rock Pop 60s Psych Garage ]

Showing results 801 through 850 of 1515.

OMEGA1000 Lepes(Hungatron)cd$ 17.98

ONO, YOKOFly(Ryko)2cd$ 23.00

Love her or hate her, Yoko Ono is the rare kind of artist that is hard to be indifferent about. There are those of us who love nearly everything she does, and there are at least one of us here who can't stand her at all (though perplexingly, that said person is a HUGE fan of Harry Pussy whose singer's vocal style is wholly copped from Yoko's, so go figure.). While this is not a new reissue, we recently found out it was still available, and if you were ever going to buy only one Yoko Ono release, this is definitely the one! This double album, Fly, released in 1971 after the concurrently released Plastic Ono Band solo debut lps with husband John Lennon is a widely varied but creatively inspired affair with an amazing back-up band (featuring Ringo Starr and Klaus Voorman) that covers both straight-ahead rock numbers as well as mind-melting experimental realms. The sixteen minute proto-krautrock groover "Mind Train" is a definite highlight, sounding like Yoko fronting Can or Faust, but this disc also covers tender acoustic pieces, outsider blues, femme folk, fluxus noise experiments, as well as her trademark howling scream jams, some full throttle noise, others more restrained inner turmoil. But for all its variation, it flows together like a complete piece that grossly engages and vulnerably assaults in equal measure. Probably not for everyone, but highly recommended nonetheless!

ONYEABOR, WILLIAMWorld Psychedelic Classics 5: Who Is William Onyeabor?(Luaka Bop)cd$ 15.98

The fifth release in David Byrne's World Psychedelic Classic series for Luaka Bop (the previous ones being from Os Mutantes, Tim Maia, Shuggie Otis, and the West African funk comp, Love's A Real Thing) is a killer survey of Nigerian Afro-electro-funk by the elusive William Onyeabor who self-released records between 1978 and 1985, before apparently converting to Christianity and refusing to discuss himself and his music ever since. Long in the making after years of trying to negotiate licensing with the difficult Onyeabor, this compilation is a revelation of outsider analog synth and politically-tinged Afrobeat caught right in between Parliament/Funkadelic and Fela Kuti. Having previously only heard the tracks featured on the Love is A Real Thing and Nigeria 70: The Definitive Story of 1970s Funky Lagos comps, it's amazing to hear a whole collection of Onyeabor's music, with songs that sprawl well over the ten minute mark, and like Fela Kuti's music, filled with call and response female backing vocals and pointed lyrics over an infectious funk groove. "Something You Will Never Forget" repeats that line between Onyeabor and the female backing group before revealing, "One day you'll be lying dead". Other songs denounce war and the atomic bomb. But what separates Onyeabor from Kuti is his astonishing analog synth skills that propel the music into much stranger psychedelic territory. Like that Francis Bebey collection we raved about a while back ago, this release is bumping and of course comes highly recommended. Only here on cd at the moment, but we'll get the triple vinyl version back in hopefully real soon!

OPEN MIND, THEs/t(Sunbeam)lp$ 24.00

Now reissued on vinyl! In their vigilant unearthing of one-off psych and folk obscurities, the Sunbeam label has been one of our favorite reissue labels even if their catalog can sometimes be hit and miss. Their vision, however is remarkably consistent, never reissuing a rare record just for the sake of it being rare, and making a practice of working with the original artists whenever possible to put together these reissues, like this one, a 1969 British psych rock rarity by The Open Mind, who were a mop-topped gang of guys from the paisley era. They liked to stroll on the harder, rockier side of the '60s psych-pop street, and this album contains a few gems for sure, *especially* the first of the four bonus tracks included, their truly great single "Magic Potion". That's the one for which they'll really be remembered (and it can be found on the Speaking My Mind: New Rubble Volume 2 compilation as well). It was also later covered by '90s space rock band Sundial. We think some proto-metal fans might dig it too!

OPHIUCUSs/t(Lion Productions)cd$ 16.98

Lion Productions brings us another super obscure psych/prog reish that's pretty darn cool. France, 1972: the dawning of Ophicus, an astrologically inclined band staffed by some serious musicians from the French rock/pop scene, including a former member of Zoo. They certainly had a lot of promise, this debut album of theirs being a gorgeous and eclectic (and sometimes experimental) stylistic mix, encompassing everything from lilting acoustic folk to lush symphonic pop to raw backporch blues to heavy fuzz acid rockin' grooviness (Francais Metal de Proto ooh la la!). Sublime string orchestration, lovely vocal arrangements, and memorable melodies contribute to the wonderful moody atmosphere that pervades this album despite its diversity. There's a lot to like here. This disc's 20 tracks include eight bonus cuts taken from a unreleased second album, among them several English language versions of songs from the debut meant for international release. And Lion (as is typical of them) provides a fairly hefty cd booklet into the bargain, full of photos, lyrics, and brand new liner notes from the band themselves, including commentaries on each track (for example: "'Darbouka' was meant to silently convey the feeling of oppression and the impossibility of expressing where it comes from"). If you liked the previous Lion reissues from France (Classical M, Ilous & Decuyper) you definitely should check out Ophicus, likewise if you've been digging that Pop Made In France comp we highlighted recently.

OPTIMOPsyche Out(Eskimo Recordings)cd$ 16.98

Raver Techno DJs like their psych music too! That's the idea with this disc, wherein two edgy Scottish DJs who spin as Optimo (JG Wilkes and JD Twitch are their names), present a mix of spaced-out grooves from the past and present, some danceable, some towards the "chill-out" side of things. Everything from old school freak rock like Silver Apples' "Oscillations" and Hawkwind's "Hash Cake '77" to club trax like "Acid Thunder (Fast Eddie Mix)" and a Carl Craig remix of Throbbing Gristle... It's pretty varied, actually, mashing the Chambers Brothers' psychedelic R&B anthem "Time Has Come Today" right next to "Johnny Cash" by Scottish indie-rockers the Sons & Daughters, for instance. However, bewarned a lot of this is pretty house-y and electro-y, maybe not for someone normally shies away from dance music (though who knows, maybe you'll find you like some of it -- and it could cross-over the other way too). It's not clear to us what makes a bunch of this so "psychedelic" after all. But then we thought of this: Nanjo Asahito, bassist for Japanese garage psych acts High Rise and Mainliner, told us once that, for breakfast, he preferred sausage to bacon because sausage was "more psychedelic"... we think what he meant (aside from a joke) is that sausage is mix of things, and that a mix is always more psychedelic... well there you go. Ingredients in Psyche Out's sausage include, besides the aforementioned: Delia Gonzalez and Gavin Russom, Vapourspace, The Stranglers, Acid Test, The Temptations, Sinnamon, Herbie Hancock, Simple Minds, Systeme Imaginique, Dinosaur, Dorau/Kohncke, Sweet Exorcist, Mr. Fingers, Chris and Cosey, Damien Donato, Koenig Cylinders, Hole In One, The Step, and Skatt Bros.

ORANG-UTANs/t(Sommor)lp$ 28.00

Fantastic! One of our all-time obscure proto-metal, heavy psych faves has now been reissued on vinyl. Long, long ago we had a cd version, but that's long gone and this is definitely a nicer, more definitive reissue, done totally legit (for the first time we're now told) with the cooperation of the original band members. Here's more or less what we said about it before: Here's good 'un for you Seventies proto-metal lovin' brothers and sisters out there, being another reissue of a vintage slab of heavy psych rock from way back when, in the vein of Captain Beyond, Dust, Bang, Leaf Hound, Jerusalem and the like... We don't know much about Orang-Utan other than that this was probably their only release, a self-titled album from 1971, and they hailed from England (we think). Certainly this is a bit Zeppish in spots. A minor lost classic? This rocks hard and melodic with a melancholic emotional edge to many of the songs, not just the mellower ones. Great vocals and riffage! This new vinyl reissue enlightens us a bit, we've learned that Orang-Utan were indeed from London, England, but operated there under the name Hunter. But their sole album was issued only in the USA, under the name Orang-Utan, unbeknownst to the band themselves (sneaky management shenanigans afoot!). Comes with insert featuring rare photos as well as liner notes, by Ugly Things writer Jeremy Cargill, explaining the whole weird story. Also we found out that the singer was previously in cult popsyke band Jason Crest. VERY RECOMMENDED HEAVY PSYCH PROTO-METAL!!

ORANGE BICYCLEHyacinth Threads(Edsel)2cd$ 19.98

Two cds packed full of the happy, trippy sounds of the '60s. You know what I'm talkin' about... the Beach Boys and the Mamas & Papas. Ah yes, super sunny, uplifting and just a little bit tweaked were this obscure late-'60s British pop group. Clocking in at a total of 33 tracks, this just might be all the Orange Bicycle you'll ever need!

ORIENT EXPRESSs/t(Fallout)cd$ 17.98

Huzzah! Another middle-eastern pop-psych gem! Like the John Berberian lps we featured last list, The Orient Express released their sole record on the Mainstream label in 1969. Played on electric versions of sitar. oud, melodica, and minitar, this trio comprised of French and Iranian musicians with deft skills of traditional instruments create an engaging fusion of east-west grooves. A little more than a third of the songs have vocals either in Arabic or English. Not as heavy as The Devil's Anvil, but more psych than the Berberian lps, these spellbinding pieces weave sitar funk and eastern pop like a sublime melding of Mogollar and The Byrds. The English songs may sound a tad naive at first, but there's not that many of them and on repeated listens have really endeared themselves to us. So Awesome!

ORIENTAL SUNSHINEDedicated To The Bird We Love(Sunbeam)cd$ 16.98

Dreamy rare psych-folk from Norway 1970. Gentle, lilting female and male vocals singing through gauzy Eastern-inflected arrangements of sitars and flutes. There is a nice transported quality to the songs as they seemingly take you through imagined mythic geographies. The perfect soundtrack to float down the Nile in a boat made of reeds, or to prepare virgins for tribal sacrifices to erupting volcanoes.

ORKUSTRA, THEAdventures In Experimental Electric Orchestra From The San Francisco Underground(Mexican Summer)2lp$ 38.00

After the sprawling 4lp Lucifer Rising Suite box set on Ajna reviewed here a while back, comes yet another awesome archival treasure trove of psychedelic sounds from Bobby Beausoleil, this one focused on demos and unreleased recordings from his Orkustra, a sort of Eastern style psychedelic jazz group he started after a brief stint in an early incarnation of Love with Arthur Lee. Beausoleil was a friend and one time bandmate of Manson (not a member of the Manson family as is commonly thought), and is currently incarcerated, not for the 'Manson Murders' though, he was in fact arrested 3 days before that infamous killing spree for killing Gary Hinman after a botched drug sale. He spent time on Death Row but his sentence was eventually commuted to life in prison, which is where he has spent the last 40 years. Much of that making music. The Orkustra however came well before, when Beausoleil was just a young hippie who headed to California looking for love and drugs and sex, and who discovered music as a gateway to another plane, to spiritual salvation. The Orkustra never released a proper record, so this 2lp collects many of the demos and rehearsals, most unreleased, and thus the sound quality varies, the record opener, "Bousaki Blues Experiment" features lots of drop outs where the tape had obviously been damaged, but somehow that only adds to the mood and mysticism of the recording. That track already sounds a bit like a spacier, druggier Dirty Three, but with the strange garbled bits of tape damage, it sounds like some unearthed chunk of sonic mystery. The sound of the Orkustra is actually quite varied, from gamelan like grooves, to propulsive psychedelic rock, to tripped out fusiony free jazz, a definite Eastern vibe running through much of the music. "Flash Gordon" sounds almost big band, but with strange buzzing melodies, and woozy electric guitars. "Punjab's Barber" sounds like it could have been plucked off of some Sublime Frequencies compilation, and in fact, many of the tracks here, due in part to the songs, but also the recordings, sound like genuine artifacts of lost world music. "Freeform Improvisation (While Watching An Experimental Underground Film" is a murky muddy, spaced out krautrock workout, that sounds like it could just as soon be some current band getting all retro and lo-fi. Woozy, mesmerizing, drone-y, space-y and totally psychedelic. The literally titled "Flute Player Audition" has the titular flutist adding flurries and trills to the bands, warm and languorous garage groove. The record finishes with a practice version of "Gypsy Odyssey", a sprawling 12 minutes slow burning raga infused drone jam, murky and lo-fi, the bass throbbing and pulsing, the guitars unfurled in sheets of blurred sound that slowly coalesce into riffs, plenty of buzz and rumble and in-the-red blown out psychedelic blur, a space jam, that most bands today would kill to replicate. Incredible stuff. And as with all Mexican Summer stuff, they pull out all the stops, gorgeous thick full color gatefold jacket, thick thick vinyl, download card, it is on the pricey side, as seems to be the case with Mexican Summer releases, but in this instance, it definitely seems worth it. LIMITED TO 1000 COPIES. Each one hand numbered.

ORKUSTRA, THEs/t(Red Lounge)lp$ 25.00

OS MUTANTESEverything Is Possible(Luaka Bop)lp$ 21.00

Now on vinyl! When the first three albums weren't available, this was all you could get and thus recommended... but now that you can get the first three (and more) again, get those, not this. That's our advice. Well, that WAS our advice. But now, the first three AREN'T available. So, getting this is your best bet for the moment.

OSMONDS, THECrazy Horses / The Plan(7T's / Cherry Red)cd$ 17.98

Which is gonna be harder, to convince you to buy a cd just for one song, or to buy a cd by The Osmonds? What about both?? Let's find out... Ok, we might have trouble arguing that it's worth buying a whole cd (one with two entire albums on it!) just for ONE song. And it definitely seems likely we'd have even more trouble when that cd is by The Osmonds. But, then again, the song in question is "Crazy Horses"! If you haven't heard it before, this will be a lot easier for us if you just listen to the sound sample below, before we continue... If you -have- heard it, you know that it was a remarkably heavy hit from a squeaky-clean group of cute, mop-topped brothers (including of course youngest brother Donny) not normally known for being such rockers. Heavy enough to qualify as proto-metal in our book. And also a bit of a novelty, we'll admit. But doesn't it make you wonder if the rest of the album from which it comes, 1972's Crazy Horses, is also as kitschily kickass? Well... the whole album is a bit of a novelty it turns out. Nothin' on it quite as crazy as "Crazy Horses", but there ARE definitely some other cool tracks, including the garagey groover "Life Is Hard Enough Without Goodbyes" and the Beatlesque "What Could It Be". Elsewhere they dabble in everything from soul balladry to what sound like Broadway showtunes, but seriously, there's enough decent rock here to make "Crazy Horses" not seem like a total fluke. Adding to the value for money (really), the Crazy Horses album is teamed up on this twofer cd reissue with The Osmonds' 1973 concept album (yep, a concept album!) The Plan, which tries to teach about the boys' Mormon faith with the aid of some definite fuzzed out acid rock moves (and brassy horn sections too), the most bizarre example of which would have to be the stompin', over the top track "The Last Days", which seemingly suggests signs of Biblical prophecy to be found in the contemporary sociocultural situation of the early '70s... Both Crazy Horses and The Plan are at their best total bubblegum psychedelia, pretty charming after all these years, reminding us of the Beach Boys, early Bee Gees, and ELO - not an unimpressive feat by any means. Neither album has been available on cd forever (if ever?) and if you don't want to bother digging for the original LPs of 'em at a flea market, then we'd definitely recommend this cd reissue! For "Crazy Horses", of course, but also a lot of other surprising, surreal pop pleasures... (PS you can also check out YouTube for some "Crazy Horses" action, complete with goofy dancing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyRiNZDb5EY)

OTHER HALF, THEs/t(Radioactive)cd$ 17.98

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OTIS, SHUGGIEInspiration Information + Wings Of Love(Epic)cd$ 21.00

OTIS, SHUGGIEInspiration Information / Magic(Sony)7"$ 10.98

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OUBAFreak Out Total(Gear Fab)cd$ 14.98

Ouba were a French-Canadian psychedelic rock band, who released the half-hour of music found here (just two tracks, one side each of the original LP, of course) back in 1968. This disc is definitely accurately titled -- it's a freak out session for sure.

OUTSIDERSAfraid Of The Dark(Pseudonym)lp$ 27.00

OUTSIDERSCQ(Pseudonym Records)cd$ 14.98

'60s Dutch rockers The Outsiders (not the reportedly inferior American band of the same name) produced an album -- "CQ" -- that's beloved by collectors and critics, but never really got the recognition that it deserved outside of that very narrow market.

OUTSIDERS, THECQ(Jackpot)lp$ 23.00

Cool, our friends at Jackpot made a good choice here to do a vinyl reissue of this 1968 gem by sixties Dutch rockers The Outsiders, an album beloved by many collectors, critics, and us... It's kind of a concept album describing multiple perspectives of an unrequited romance, with the father of the girl disapproving of the boy in the scenario. However, The Outsiders, being boys themselves, show considerable favor to the plight of the jilted boy in the story, which ends with that protagonist snapping in psychotic violence. Fortunately, The Outsiders spent just as much time composing an economical psych / garage / beat-punk score as they did on the story itself; thus, each track is a solid pop entry of jangly melodies and punchy basslines, occasionally repeating leitmotifs somewhat like the Leaves / Standells version of "Hey Joe" or Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd. The concept album element also puts us in mind of SF Sorrow by the Pretty Things. And anyone into other Nederbeat bands like Q65 and The Motions ought to like this too. Certainly worth checking out! Limited edition, deluxe gatefold vinyl-only reissue, with silver foil cover artwork as per the original, and liner notes from Mike Stax of Ugly Things, including a recent interview with The Outsiders' lead guitarist Ronnie Splinter.

OZKENT, MUSTAFAGenclik Ile Elele(B-Music / Finders Keepers)cd$ 14.98

B-Music's "Anatolian Invasion" continues. We reviewed the Selda album a few weeks ago, now it's time for the one with the monkey on the cover, the incredibly groovy 1973 instrumental album from this super-obscure Turkish artist Mustafa Ozkent and his "orkestrasi". We're told (and we believe it) that this is one REALLY obscure album, definitely a find for any digger and a welcome reissue from the discerning heads at Finders Keepers/B-music. It's simply jazzy, sazzy, dancefloor fodder here folks, nothing but a party y'all. Fuzz guitar and Turkish trad. folk grooves like we like, but done all badass as if the JBs, "funky drummer" included, were ushered into the studio with a bunch of Turkish musicians, each teaching the other some new tricks. '70s funk, Istanbul-style! Totally full of beats and breaks that pioneering hip hop DJs woulda been all over, had hip hop originated in the on the banks of the Bosphorus rather than in the Bronx... The acid organ spasms and rhythmic workouts found here are still fresh and fun today. We know a lot of you dig the Turkish psych reissues we've been freaking on, this one should definitely appeal to those who liked the '70s cop show car chase sounding numbers found on the Edip Akbayram reish. Ten tracks, 30 minutes, and your body WILL be moving long before you need to hit "play" again to start it over.

PAISLEYS, THECosmic Mind At Play(Sundazed)cd$ 15.98

PALMER, CLIVEBanjoland(Sunbeam Records)cd$ 16.98

PAPPO'S BLUESVol. (infinity symbol)(Ormolycka)cassette$ 5.98

Wow, we really do never know what to expect from the Ormolycka label, except the unexpected. This latest batch of limited edition tapes is maybe even more diverse, and downright WTF!? than usual. We wouldn't have been surprised by electro rap weirdness, or exotic booty bass, or synthesizer soundscapery, but instead, in this particular case, we get vintage South American rock n' roll! Pappo's Blues were a heavy, bluesy (no duh) psych rock band from Argentina helmed by guitarist/vocalist Norberto "Pappo" Napolitano. They put out their debut, Pappo's Blues Vol.1, in 1971, and six more albums/volumes followed, through 'til 1978. (There are another two also, from when the band reunited in the '90s.) So, we suppose this Ormolycka cassette is some sort of selected 'best of' mix from various Volumes, probably the very earliest ones, though we don't know for sure as no info or track titles are given. Whatever the case, these are assuredly some badass, wailing proto-metal blues jams all right, riffy and distorted, with some fairly rough and ragged vocals in Spanish. Some tracks are in the more traditional, 12-bar, bar-room blues vein, but mostly this is way heavier sounding than that - the very first track on side A ("Sucio Y Desprolijo" from Vol. 3, we managed to figure out), is obviously majorly influenced by early Black Sabbath, as is a lot of the rest. Good times! A tape for anyone into the raw bluesy proto-metal action like Blue Cheer, Juan De La Cruz, Speed Glue & Shinki, Red Dirt, et. al.

PARKS, VAN DYKESong Cycle(Warner Brothers)cd$ 13.98

Decades before Sufjan Stevens was singing about the landscape of the the states, or Jim O'rourke was deconstructing pop, Van Dyke Parks was giving us all a crash course on orchestral avant-pop. Best known as Brian Wilson's collaborator on Smile, and decades later the producer and arranger of Rufus Wainwright's debut, Parks has made several challenging pop records of his own. Along with Discover America, this is for sure his landmark recording. A warped and thrilling affair exploring the southern California landscape. One moment he takes us to palm desert then laurel canyon blvd. and one moment you feel like you're in a musical on acid and then a psychedelic pop opus and then a folk song spiked with flowery colors and warped sensibilities. When Brian Wilson began hanging out with Van Dyke Parks, it's rumored they spent their nights doing amphetamines and Parks would read Wilson literature that he felt would touch his heart. Of course the more square side of the Beach Boys camp considered Parks an enemy, Mike Love in particular was totally intimidated by the intellectual and avant-minded nature of Parks. And well, any enemy of Mike Love is probably a friend of ours! But back to this record, it's for sure one of the most adventurous, ambitious, deranged, delightful albums of pop created in the last quarter century. And wow, how dapper a young Van Dyke Parks looks on the cover of this record. Eat your heart out Sufjan! Just thought we should get this on our site, at last...

PARRENIN, EMMANUELLEMaison Rose(Lion)cd$ 16.98

Haunting and lovely avant-folk recording from French multi-instrumentalist Emmanuelle Parrenin. Recorded in 1977, Parrenin's fascination and adeptness with ancient traditional stringed instruments such as the harp, hurdy-gurdy, spinet, and dulcimer, gives a unique spin on her more forward thinking compositions. Often compared to Vashti Bunyan and Linda Perhacs due to her sweet multi-tracked vocals which accompany about half of the songs, we think the later recording date puts her more in line with Kay Hoffman's Floret Silva (another progressive folk masterpiece recorded the same year) or the kosmiche pastoral vibe of Popol Vuh due to the layered Celtic-inflected droning harmonies she evokes from her instruments. Beautiful and so recommended!

PATRON SAINTS, THEFohhoh Bohob(Time-Lag)cd$ 18.98

PAXs/t plus 7 Bonus Tracks(Walhalla)cd$ 21.00

Those of you who dig the '70s heavy rock proto-metal stuff like we do, need to check out this rad Peruvian band. This new cd reissue is better'n previous editions we've seen in terms of track inclusion, featuring as it does all of the eponymous 1970 Pax album plus, like it says, seven bonus tracks, including their cover of "Radar Love"! They also do "Smoke Of The Water" (sic), but hey back then that wasn't quite so tired. Pax, featuring former members of Peruvian '60s beat combo Los Shains, were definitely one of the heaviest South American rock acts of their day (that we've heard, that is), easily competitive with American and British bands like Bang, Leafhound, and Sir Lord Baltimore. And they even have a bit of a groovy, Hendrix/Funkadelic (early Funkadelic) vibe as well. Yes indeed, Pax provide plenty of cowbell, wah-wah guitar, drug references, and all-right-now! rock n' roll attitude -- enough to make any fan of the aforementioned bands (not to mention the likes of Juan de la Cruz, Los Dug Dugs, and Modulo 1000) happy. They're not 100 percent heavy all the time -- few bands back then were -- but the lighter stuff is quite nice too and when they're heavy they're HEAVY, riffy with raw, in-your-face production and nicely rough-edged vocals, that you'll hear on such tracks as "A Storyless Junkie", "Deep Death", "Pig Pen Boogie", and "Firefly". Serious subjects, some of it (junkies, death) but they can be playful too, silly even, as on "Shake Your Ass". A '60 flowers and beads vibe comes through on the gentle, melodic likes of "Green Paper (Toilet)" and "For Cecilia" as well.

PEACEPIPEJohn Uzonyi's Peacepipe(Normal / Shadoks Music)cd$ 14.98

At their best, Peacepipe peel out great '60s California biker psych-guitar jams that sound like a cross between Blue Cheer and Quicksilver Messenger Service, full of wah wah action, distortion, and massive sustain. They also remind us a bit of Japan's White Heaven. Unfortunately, there are just a few let-down tracks, where they let hippie cliche and ill-fated dabblings in pop get the best of them. So it's not all killer. But, if you're in the mood, there's a lot of good stuff here that's totally worthwhile. Recorded in Hollywood, California circa 1969, this record is very dated, but very cool -- and heavy (a la Iron Butterfly, not Slayer!). Led by guitarist John Uzonyi, the Peacepipe trio (also known as The Human Equation) highlights John's vocals and wild guitar, but drummer Gary Tsuruda and keyboardist Rick Abts get their licks in as well. Chalk another one up for the Shadoks label, who have included three bonus tracks (two from their 1968 single) that weren't included on the Peacepipe LP (first issued by Rockadelic in '95) on this cd reissue.

PEARLS BEFORE SWINEBalaklava(Get Back)lp$ 14.98

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PEARLS BEFORE SWINEThe Complete ESP-Disk Recordings(ESP-Disk)cd$ 17.98

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PEARLS BEFORE SWINEThe Wizard of Is(Water)2cd$ 17.98

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PEARLS BEFORE SWINEs/t(Get Back)lp$ 14.98

THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

SORRY. Italian label Get Back is producing vinyl reissues of selected titles from the legendary ESP label. The Pearls Before Swine issues may be of special interest to those folks (like myself) who heard Tom Rapp for the first time back in April 1997 at the Terrastock Festival.

PENNY ARKADENot The Freeze(Sundazed)cd$ 16.98

You've heard this before: "lost, unreleased '60s psych gem discovered and finally released after 30-some years!" Many cds have made that claim...and, well, most of 'em simply demonstrate *why* the record wasn't released back when (and furthermore, why it shouldn't get released now, either). However, although skepticism is warranted, once in a while a genuine gem IS unearthed. Penny Arkade's 1967-1968 recordings, we're happy to say, fall into that glad catagory. While not as mind-blowing as, say, the Public Nuisance release two years ago, it's definitely gonna be a treat for fans of '60s California psych-pop. The Penny Arkade apparently were a popular act on LA's Sunset Strip, they were hip and cool, but while big in the LA scene -- and having "Talented Monkee" Michael Nesmith as their producer -- never ever actually "made it". And none of the music they recorded was ever released under their own name until now (more on that later). The liner notes (penned with detail and verve by Ugly Things editor Mike Stax) give the mundane reasons, but listening to their music you'll still wonder... These guys indeed sound kinda like the Monkees, with some Byrds and Buffalo Springfield in 'em too, and their material ranges from folky, countryish pop to kaleidoscopic psych (like the 12 minute title track) with some moments of bliss for you fuzz fanatics. (To make a non-'60s comparison, we'd have to say that some of this reminds us a bit of Olivia Tremor Control.) Now, here's the weird part: ever hear of an obscure acid-casualty hippy singer-songwriter from the early '70s named Maitreya Kali? He issued two privately-pressed LPs, Apache and Inca, both of which were reissued a while back on cd, and interested many collectors of things psych...well Mr. Kali is actually Craig Smith, one of the singers and songwriters in the Penny Arkade, who dropped out of the band to travel the world and, presumably, do lot of drugs. Apparently quite a few of the (really good) tracks on those Apache and Inca albums were really Penny Arkade recordings. One of those songs, the wonderful "Country Girl", was compliled on a comp called Yee-Haw! The Other Side of Country which we reviewed a few years back, and when I first heard this Penny Arkade disc I was like, hey, I know that song. Turns out Glen Campbell also covered it at one point, but what we were familiar with was the original, by way of Maitreya Kali. So if you were ever intrigued by Maitreya Kali, you need to check out this, the real deal (with better sound). Kudos to Sundazed for another fine release! Keep diggin', guys!

PENTAGRAMFirst Daze Here(Relapse)cd$ 14.98

Maryland-based doom metallers Pentagram are on some kinda roll, following up their recently released and quite awesome album "Sub-Basement" (see the review on AQ-list 128) with this collection of stuff they recorded almost 30 years ago! Yep, they've been "Starlady" ('76) -- why they didn't get signed on the strength of this potential single (a hit if I've ever heard one) I don't know. Or why KISS didn't buy the tune for their own use, that's perhaps even more of a mystery! (KISS's management was checking Pentagram out at the time, but no record deal resulted...) "Forever My Queen" ('73) -- powerful doom metal that shows them at their Sabbath-like best (although, hearing this collection, you'll realize that Pentagram were equally into, and the equals of, other heavy contemporaries like Captain Beyond, Dust, and Blue Cheer). "Last Days Here" ('74) -- it's like some Stones or "Raw Power"-era Stooges ballad, with Bobby doing his best Iggy impression. "Be Forwarned" ('72) -- Pentagram re-recorded this epic, the A-side of first ever 7", on their 1994 "Be Forwarned" album, and when I first heard that version I knew it had to be an old song, 'cause it had such an authentic heavy psych vibe to it. So it's great to finally hear the original (more or less, see below). "20 Buck Spin" ('73) -- again, the original version of a classic rockin' Pentagram track, covered recently by Pennsylvania doomsters Pale Divine. All the tracks sound pretty great production-wise (except for the relatively lo-fi live rehearsal recording of "Last Days Here"), putting the previous Pentagram '70s rarities collection "Human Hurricane" to shame. Of course, Bobby did re-master and clean up these tracks in 2001. He also took the opportunity to add some vocals and guitar to "Be Forwarned", for reasons probably known only to him. There's also a few other questionable edits or fades only a Pentagram collector would notice. But such modern-day meddling doesn't detract in any way from the might of the music on offer. It's great stuff, and simply amazing to hear it sounding so good. Pentagram fans have a high tolerance for poor sound (witness the pretty much unlistenable live bootleg LPs that have been released) but this time, you get to *hear* the music as well as own the disc! Recommended to Pentagram fans (obviously) and ANYONE who likes good heavy '70s rock and roll!

PEOPLECeremony - Buddha Meet Rock(Teichiku)cd$ 17.98

1971 strikes again! Here's a new cd reish of this beautifully freaky album by a Japanese "Buddhist-psych" band called People, featuring guitarist Kimio Mizutani (who played with Love Live Life + 1, Hiro Yanagida, and others, and did a solo album called A Path Through Haze). There's monk-like chanting and resounding gongs, field recordings of birds and street sounds, and even, strangely enough, samples from soulful psych-funk producer David Axelrod's classic 1968 album Song Of Innocence. And of course heavy wah wah guitar action. The album is a real 'trip', much of it indeed very ceremonial-sounding, venturing from blissful grooves with tick-tock rhythms ("Shomyo Part 2") and placid, lovely droniness ("Prayer Part 1") to sheer pounding electric fuzz riffage laced with screams of orgasmic ecstasy ("Prayer Part 2"). The puzzling use of those lush, orchestral Axelrod samples on the first and last tracks just helps to make this somehow both very much of its time and also way ahead of it (since Axelrod is heavily sampled by folks today as well!). Quite recommended.

PERERINTeithgan(Guerssen Records)cd$ 21.00

Welsh psych from 1981!

PERHACS, LINDAParallelograms(Wild Places)cd$ 15.98

The psychedelic folk fans here at Aquarius are overjoyed that this brilliant obscurity is at last back in print -- and in an expanded, vastly improved cd edition no less. Originally released in 1970, Linda Perhac's "Parallelograms" is a lost gem of lovely, delicate folk-psych songs in line with Joni Mitchell or Heart's folkier moments, gone waaay underground and mystic. For a long long time, although collectors held the record in great esteem, no-one knew anything about Ms. Perhacs at all. When the Wild Places label first reissued the album on cd some years ago they had to do it from a mint vinyl copy of the record. Since then, they've miraculously managed to track down Linda and got their hands on reel to reels dubbed from the original masters, along with a passel of bonus tracks -- half a dozen of 'em. Whoo-hoo! Along with that good stuff, some mysteries were answered. It turns out that, for instance, the popularly held belief that Perhacs was from Hawaii was incorrect. But she lived in the Pacific Northwest and California, so that's not too far off, really... They also confirmed that this was indeed her only recording. But if you're only going to make one record, having it be as good as "Parallelograms" is a neat trick. Her gossamer vocals encounter tripped-out electronic effects and gentle folk-rock backing, transporting the listener to a place not usually or easily reached in this day and age. There's a track or two that gets strangely coffee-house beatnik on us, and sound a bit dated, but most of this is truely ethereal hippie folk-psych beauty unparallelled. Really nice, and recommended.

PERSSON, BO ANDERSLove Is Here To Stay(Subliminal Sounds)cd$ 16.98

We heart Bo Anders Persson! What a hero. Still going strong well into (and beyond?) his sixties, leading a band that's been around in one form or another more or less SINCE the sixties - we're talking about the those joyful psychedelic heavies, legendary Swedish "krautrockers", the timeless Trad Gras Och Stenar, and the group's prior incarnations as International Harvester, Harvester, and Parson Sound. The amazing archival release of Parson Sound's Terry Riley inspired drone-psych, circa 1967-'68, was until now the earliest music we'd heard from Bo Anders. But what was he up to even before that? We know that as a guitar player, he was hugely influenced by seeing Jimi Hendrix. But this new disc of his earliest, previously unreleased recordings, brought to us by the same label that did the Parson Sound set, shows a different side to Persson, being a portrait of the artist as a young academic composer. Persson has tape machines in hand, not an electric guitar. It's some wonderfully droney, avant garde 20th century classical music, from before Persson heard Hendrix and got into more rock-oriented music making. The experimental nature of these compositions however is in keeping with the adventurous direction of Parson Sound, et.al., later on. These pieces, recorded when Persson was a student at the Royal Academy Of Music In Stockholm, from 1965 to '67, constitute a mixture of eerie drones, minimalist electronic loopscapes, and, at times, what we might describe as beatnik sci-fi exotica. There's a female singer on much of this who provides wordless, abstract vocal acrobatics (she's good - this type of singing requires a lot of control), her delicate cries variously accompanied by fluttering flute and unidentified electro-acoustic noises, jazzbo hand percussion and equally jazzical contrabass, as well as the ever-present shivering electronic atmospheres. It's all very out-there, but still quite listenable, even as it sometimes gets darker and more dramatic, almost claustrophobic in its subtle intensity. We kept being reminded of some of the music from the original Star Trek TV series soundtrack! Also, Luigi Nono and Luciano Berio, composers like that. We're no experts, but this sounds pretty good to us, and we'd guess Persson could have continued on with a highbrow career as an arty musique concrete composer, if radical hippie communal psych sounds hadn't become his thing. Our favorite track may be the last, the disc's longest at over 24 minutes - a rhythmic abstract dronescape constructed from a short sampled bit of speech, that as it's looped and layered becomes more blurred and burbling, turning into a mesmeric mumbled murmur. Nice! Dronophiles will want this for that track, "Proteinimperialism", alone. Includes a booklet, with vintage photos & graphics and extensive liner notes (in the form of an essay entitled "The Utopian Dreams of Bo Anders Persson") Note: there's a much more expensive double-lp vinyl version of this as well, currently on backorder, but we will be able to get more eventually if you're interested, let us know!

PETTERSON, TOBIAS & ULF HENNINGSSONThe Encyclopedia Of Swedish Progressive Music 1967-1979(Premium Publishing)book+cd$ 54.00

Ok, this item has a fairly self-explanatory title, eh? Also, here's the subtitle: "From Psychedelic Experiments To Political Propaganda". Interested? If so, then all that really remains for us to say is, yeah, you should seriously consider picking this up, it's really well done and a good value for the money. Physically, this is a gorgeous tome, and all signs point to it being quite accurate and thorough information-wise. If you're at all like us you're aware that in recent years the spate of reissues from the Swedish psych / prog scene -- like for instance the whole amazing Parson Sound / International Harvester / Harvester / Trad Gras Och Stenar axis -- has been pretty thrilling. Having a guide to both the bands we've heard of and the many, many more that we haven't is pretty great. Also if you're like us you LOVE books full of pictures of record sleeves, wherever they're from and whatever they are. And this book's got tons of album covers, many of them psychedelically sensational, reproduced in full color! Plus there's loads of factual info for those curious about the bands, or for record collector types trying to figure out what the original vinyl is worth. Each entry consists of info on the band's line-up, a descriptive paragraph discussing their music and history, as well as a detailed discography. Algarnas Tradgard, Arbete & Fritid, Aunt Sally, Charlie & Esdor, Bo Hansson, Kebnekajse, Life, November, Mikael Ramel, Pugh Rogefeldt, Samla Mammas Manna, Trettioariga Kriget, Turid... they're all here and of course plenty more we'd never heard of before. In addition to this A-Z of bands, there's a band member index and label discographies as well, with that of the Silence label being the most impressive. And, there's also an introductory essay dealing with the political dimension shared by a lot of the music from the Swedish scene. Apparently, in Sweden there was a difference between "prog" with one g and "progg" with two g's, with the former referring as usual to progressive rock bands like ELP and Yes, latter being a distinctly Swedish concept of (not-necessarily virtuosic or complex) music that reflected the ideals of the left-wing Movement of the times. All in all, very intriguing and tantalizing, leaving us to look at the those album covers and begin dreaming record collector dreams! 235 pages, hardback, 8 1/2" x 12". Full color EVERYWHERE, and lots of cool b&w photos too. A deluxe production indeed. And there's a bonus cd included as well, featuring the obscure jamming psych band Baby Grandmothers, with three previously unreleased live tracks from 1967 (different from the stuff on their archival Subliminal Sounds cd release also reviewed this list). If only there was a book like this for EVERY cool musical scene past and present... NB. mailorder customers, be aware that due to the size and weight of this book, it counts as more than one item for freight purposes -- so any order that includes this book will ship UPS at the 3+ items rate of $6.50 for shipping & handling.

PICCIONI, PIEROThe Seduction Of Piero Piccioni(Cherry Red)cd$ 16.98

PIEL DE PUEBLORock De Las Herdas(Record Runner)cd$ 15.98

1972, Argentina: hard rockin', heavy bloozin', proto-metal political protest band Piel de Pueblo ("Village Skin") record and release their one and only album, which we recently discovered via this reissue, being intrigued by its cover painting featuring a blood-dripping Earth whirling through space, orbiting a bummed-out Sun that's crying a single tear... Piel de Pueblo make some prog moves here - there's electric violin on a couple of the tracks (reminding us of early UK heavies High Tide) - but mostly it's all about the wailing wah-wah guitar solos, and distorted fuzzed-out riffage (also reminding us of High Tide, for that matter). "La Tierra En 998 Pedazos" is the psychedelic epic here, at 9 minutes plus (thus finding time for some gentle melodiousness amidst the riff-rock), but most of the other songs are right around 3 minutes or so, rockin' out for the duration. Fans of Mexico's Los Dug Dugs at their most "Loco" should investigate, likewise if you're into Piel de Pueblo's fellow countrymen Pappo's Blues... Booklet includes Spanish-language lyrics, band photo, and a brief note about the history of the band in both Spanish and English.

PIERRE HENRYMesse Pour Les Temps Present(Mercury France)cd$ 25.00

Recently remixed by the likes of Coldcut, Fatboy Slim, William Orbit and a bunch of French people, this is the ORIGINAL ballet soundtrack that Pierre Henry scored in the late 60s, a truly bizarre mixture of psych rock and musique concrete. Rare import, hence the price.

PINK FAIRIESFinland Freakout 1971(MLP (Major League Productions)cd$ 25.00

Even if this wasn't a recording by the legendary Pink Fairies, anything with that title (Finland! Freakout!! 1971!!!) you know we'd have to love, right? It wasn't too too long ago that you couldn't find hardly any Pink Fairies stuff on cd at all. This freaky band of early '70s proto-punks, hairy hippie underground rock n' rollers often (fairly accurately) described as England's version of the MC5, were more the stuff of legend, and if you wanted to hear 'em "do it", you had to look pretty hard for the goods. Then a few years back, their three classic albums (Neverneverland, What A Bunch Of Sweeties, and Kings Of Oblivion) finally got nice new reissues. You've got those, right? Hope so, 'cause goddammit it seems like they've gone out of print again!! Obviously the powers that be in the record industry, The Man if you please, don't really appreciate the Pink Fairies like they should. In a perfect world, they'd be household names - not 'cause they're the best band ever, they're not, but 'cause few bands embody the anarchic spirit of rock n' roll and its most deviant extremes (punk, psych, metal) as much they do. So anyway, if you don't have those albums, start with one of 'em, any of them - if you can find 'em. But if you're already a fan, or we just made you impatiently curious, then this newly released archival disc is well worth checking out. It's an hour-long, previously unreleased festival set, professionally live-recorded for broadcast by Finnish national radio (from the Ruisrock festival in Turku, Finland, sometime in 1971, where the Fairies played alongside such international acts as Fairport Convention, The Kinks, the Jeff Beck Group, and Canned Heat and well as Finnish bands like Wigwam, Tasavallan Presidentti, and Charlies). They kick out the jams big time here, starting off with a loud n' heavy, totally blown out cover of the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows", and also including such classic Fairies fare as "The Snake", "Walk Don't Run", and their 20+ minute festival standard "Uncle Harry's Last Freakout" (to the Fairies what "Black To Comm" was to the MC5, who by the way played the same festival a year later in 1972). Rumbling with distortion, wasted psych guitar leads a-wailing, raspy vox only occasionally emerging from the din, everything underpinned by the urgent caveman pounding of the rhythm section, this is the Pink Fairies as a power trio with a capital P. And it's fully legit, from the master tapes, pretty decent sounding for an unearthed live thing from way back when, the cd booklet packed with photos and liner notes, including some by drummer Russell Hunter. Nice! Fairies fans, queue up. Man, what else lurks in the archives, you've gotta wonder?

PINK FAIRIESFuzz Freakout 1970-1971(Purple Pyramid)lp + cd$ 24.00

PINK FAIRIESNever Neverland(Tapestry)lp$ 35.00

THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

SORRY. Vinyl (import, expensive) reissue of the 1971 debut album from English psychedelic proto-punks the Pink Fairies. It contains their best known song, "Do It", an anthem for yippies everywhere, later to be covered by the Rollins Band (and we hear the Cherry Valence do it, ahem, live). When, as above, the Pink Fairies are referred to as a "proto-punk" band, this song is one of the reasons. Elsewhere on the record, they get into mellower psych zones (like "Heavenly Man" and the title track), biker rock ("Teenage Rebel") and of course hippy jam-rock (the ten-minute-plus "Uncle Harry's Last Freakout"). The Fairies line-up for this album included guitarist Paul Rudolph and drummer John "Twink" Alder, and they were the major players/composers here, just as they were on Twink's fantastic 1970 solo album Think Pink (which in some ways was the real debut of the Pink Fairies).

PINK FAIRIESNeverneverland(Polydor)cd$ 14.98

Woo-hoo! At last, cd reissues of the three classic studio albums by seminal British freak-rock act the Pink Fairies are again available, and not only that, they're inexpensively priced, remastered editions complete with bonus tracks and nice, colorful illustrated booklets! Previously they were only to be found on cd as high-priced Japanese imports (although Kings of Oblivion did get a reissue in 1998, now superceded by its new Polydor pressing), and have been out of print and truly impossible to find even then for almost a decade now. So, a happy day it was when we learned we'd be getting these! While it's true that the scarcity of Pink Fairies product (not counting the many discs compiling live stuff and out-takes and reunions that until now were all you'd find in the Pink Fairies bins) has perhaps made 'em out to be more fantastic than they really were (such are the pitfalls of legendary status) these discs really do hold up as psychedelic, proto-punk early '70s rock sets. A British Stooges they're not, but a sillier, even more anarchistic, hippified MC5 isn't too far off. The Fairies got started as the spawn of Mick Farren's Deviants, and Steve Peregrine Took's Shagrat, and Twink's, uh, Twink. Brothers in arms with fellow "people's band" Hawkwind, the Fairies (with a constantly shuffling line-up -- Mick Farren left early on) were an underground festival fixture in the UK, with an anti-commercial, anti-establishment attitude that certainly did anticipate the '77 punk explosion, while sonically they were all over the place, from punkish rockers to tripped-out jams to poppier stuff. Neverneverland was their recorded debut, from 1971, and contains their best known song, "Do It", an anthem for yippies everywhere, later to be covered by the Rollins Band (and we hear the Cherry Valence do it, ahem, live). When, as above, the Pink Fairies are referred to as a "proto-punk" band, this song is one of the reasons. Elsewhere on the record, they get into mellower psych zones (like "Heavenly Man" and the title track), biker rock ("Teenage Rebel") and of course hippy jam-rock (the ten-minute-plus "Uncle Harry's Last Freakout"). Bonus tracks include heavy-duty rocker "The Snake" (a-side of the Fairies first single, which had "Do It" on the flip!), a twelve and a half minute alternate take of "Uncle Harry's Last Freakout", and alternate mixes/edits of two other album tracks. The Fairies line-up for this album included guitarist Paul Rudolph and drummer John "Twink" Alder, and they were the major players/composers here, just as they were on Twink's fantastic 1970 solo album Think Pink, which in some ways was the real debut of the Pink Fairies.

PINK FAIRIESWhat A Bunch Of Sweeties(Polydor)lp$ 17.98

Right on! Reissued on vinyl... Gotta love the Pink Fairies. A seminal British freak-rock act, part of the scene alongside Hawkwind and Edgar Broughton Band and The Deviants and Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come, their albums still hold up as kick ass psychedelic, proto-punk early '70s rock sets. A British Stooges they're not, but a sillier, even more anarchistic, hippified MC5 isn't too far off. What A Bunch Of Sweeties was the Fairies second album, from 1972, still featuring founding guitarist Paul Rudolph but without original Fairy Twink, who split to Morocco after the first album. Fortunately, although Twink played drums, they already had a second drummer, Russell Hunter, in the band, so slimming down to a trio wasn't too difficult. They certainly kept their "deviant" sense of humor, even getting the guy who did the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers comix to pen lyrics to one song, "Pigs Of Uranus". Amidst the silliness, though, the Fairies might actually have managed more straight-up acid rock on this album than their debut, with one of its highlights being their nine-minute long, heavily distorted cover of surf classic "Walk Don't Run". Like the MC5, the Pink Fairies obviously felt that the Revolution was Rock n' Roll and Rock n' Roll was Revolution, evident from the album's lead off good times rocker with the countercultural, political message of "Right On, Fight On" to the last track, their cover of the Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There". With their whiskey-soaked vocals, psychedelic excursions, pop hooks, and freak-flag attitude, the Fairies were too eclectic and scattered and messed up to have much of a "career" (you could never really imagine 'em ending up as a metal or punk or even Hawkwind style spacerock band). But their three albums, this one among 'em, bring back a vibe long-gone today, and so it's way cool to have this back in stock on vinyl.