apocryphal dylan & zimmermania

Hee hee hee … wanna buy some mandies? Just out: "It's Zimmerman's World …We Just Live In It (Soft Sounds For Gentle People Garage And Folk Rock Tributes To The Beatnik Bard)" on Pet (cd or lp, cat. no. 009). Amazingly, that most ultimate of Bob spoofs or Dylan imitations, "A public execution" by Mouse and the Traps (Fraternity 1966 - see below), isn't on it. (And neither is the Trashmen's downright irritating "Same lines" for that matter.). Oh well, you'll probably have that Mouse track via that seminal and oft reissued "Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From The First Psychedelic Era" v/a 2lp or cd on Elektra (1972), won't you? If not: see below. Otherwise, bar the omission of Dutch Dylan Armand and the 5 Gentlemen track below, "It's Zimmerman's World … We Just Live In It" is pretty flawless. And hilarious, for those maniac mannerisms and how they reflect on both the Bawb phenomenon and the copy and cash in routines that are part and parcel of the pop industry. So go buy it! And if you do not pay, they got computer collectors that'll send you through the ceiling!

russell joyce & syd mills & barrett james' golden hair

Media_httpwwwtokafico_qdheg

Russell Mills recorded this James Joyce poem (from 1907's "Chamber Music", untitled poem V) with top lass Clodagh Simonds of Mellow Candle and of Fovea Hex, for his album "Undark Two: Pearl + Umbra" (1999). Syd Barrett had already recorded it somewhere in 1968-1969, for his brilliantly titled debut "The Madcap Laughs" (Harvest 1970), an lp which saw members of Soft Machine, Humble Pie and Jokers Wild contribute. More on Russell Mills here + in a future post …

spirogyra's electric eden

While Jeanette Leech was writing her fab folk book … Rob Young was working on another excellent volume - not just about folk: "Electric Eden - unearthing Britain's visionary music" (Faber && Faber 2010-08-05, ISBN 9780571237524). I haven't finished reading it yet but it's a real treasure trove of information, making it an impossible task to list the acts he brings into view. (Kevin Ayers, David Bowie, Joe Boyd, Anne Briggs, Vashti Bunyan, Shirley Collins, Donovan, Nick Drake, Fairport Convention, Bill Fay, Forest, Fotheringay, Roy Harper, (Mike) Heron, the Incredible String Band, Bert Jansch, Kaleidoscope [UK], John Martyn, Mellow Candle, Mighty Baby, Mr Fox, Parchment, Pentangle, Pink Floyd, John Renbourn, Soft Machine, Steeleye Span, Traffic, Trees  ànd Talk Talk have been dealt with, of course. Surprisingly, Michael Chapman, Fresh Maggots, Mushroom and Tractor hardly get a mention.) On pages 512 & 513, for instance, Mr. Young describes the (three album) legacy of UK folk act Spirogyra (mainly Martin Cockerham & Barbara Gaskin) … Don't confuse them with the US fusion jazzers Spyro Gyra who debuted in 1978!
http://www.electriceden.net/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Young
http://www.psychedelicfolk.com/Spirogyra.html
http://www.thewire.co.uk/details/contributors/?contributor=10
http://www.faber.co.uk/work/electric-eden/9780571237524/
http://www.readysteadybook.com/Article.aspx?page=robyoung
http://www.tinymixtapes.com/features/book-review-electric-eden
http://sidsmith.blogspot.com/2010/07/podcasts-from-yellow-room-xxix.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/aug/07/electric-eden-folk-rob-young
http://growlikeweeds.com/2011/05/10/rob-young-reading-from-electric-eden/
http://www.newstatesman.com/books/2010/07/electric-eden-music-young-folk
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jun/07/entertainment/la-et-robyoung-20110607
http://fionnchu.blogspot.com/2011/04/rob-youngs-electric-eden-book-review.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/13/books/electric-eden-by-rob-young-book-review.html
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/reviews/brieflynoted/2011/07/11/110711crbn_brieflynoted4
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/electric-eden-by-rob-young-2331733.html
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/wildhunt/2011/10/interview-with-rob-young-author-of-electric-eden-unearthing-britains-visionary-music.html
http://www.artrick-playground.com/article/Interview-with-Rob-Young-author-of-aElectric-Eden-Unearthing-Britainas-Visionary-Musica/619/510396

motherlight

Mike Bobak, Andy Jons & Wil Malone recorded "Motherlight" for the Morgan Blue Town label, who released the album in 1969. Since, the trio has been known as Motherlight … Really like their - typically 1969 - cross between psychedelia and early, primordial prog …
http://uzine.posterous.com/tag/motherlight
http://www.morganbluetown.com/#Motherlight_
http://www.allmusic.com/album/motherlight-r546745

power to the golden dawn plant

Powerplant

George Kinney's eco psych punk … When I saw Charly's 2010 budget reissue of "Power Plant" by the Golden Dawn (SNAM950, International Artists 1967), I was immediately reminded of Eva's awful remastering (massacre more likely) of CA Quintet's "Trip Thru Hell" album. And so I was curious: would there be another night vs day difference in this album's sound? Luckily, there wasn't. It's still as powerful

dropped in unconditionally

Yes, the Big Lebowski classic … bùt do note: the original version is by Jerry Lee Lewis, off his "Soul My Way" lp (1967)! Mickey Newbury didn't release his own version of his song (a Jimi Hendrix favourite) until his 1968 debut "Harlequin Melodies". The First Edition's version (featuring Kenny Rogers) is from the same year. Bettye LaVette's wonderful cover version (1969) of "Just dropped in (to see what condition my condition was in)" can be found on Trikont's first "Dirty Laundry - The Soul Of Black Country" (US-0333, 2000) v/a comp … whilst Sharon Jones' version (with the Dap Kings) dates dates from 2002 or 2004. Carcass frontman Jeff Walker's cuntry metal version dates from 2006, Supergrass' "Condition" is off 1995's "Alright / Time" single, and die Haut's is off 1988's "Headless Body In Topless Bar" lp and features Nick Cave. Got that?

belgium's dragon & insects


Dragon, from Belgium, released their untitled debut in 1976. It's no masterpiece, but this spaceyish track is rather nice. The lp has recently been reprinted by Golden Pavillion (GP1003LP, 2010-05-30), who've also released the band's so-so 1977 demo recordings as "Kalahen" (GP1009LP, 2011-03-01).
http://www.golden-pavilion.com/
http://www.psychemusic.org/60s-70s.html#anchor_365
http://www.muziekarchief.be/identitydetails.php?ID=77163
http://www.belgianmetalhistory.be/html/bands/dragon/dragon.html

the yellow machine's fading flower

Flower Machine's "Fading Yellow" series continues (beyond volume 10) … It's not clear from the liner notes whose version of "For all that I am" is the original, but it's Soulful Bowlful's, not the Creation's; Stephen Friedland aka Brute Force wrote it with one Paul Kahan. The Open Window's story, or rather Peter Schickele's, is a long and special one; this track is off the "Oh! Calcutta!" soundtrack (1969). More on Victoire Scott here, but Lazy Jack's a mystery. Hey and the Pebbles were from Antwerp in Belgium, got that?

where are you from?

Media_httpnowagainrec_xtzew

The "Where Are You From? (Christophe Lemaire And Now-Again Records Present A Series Of Global Psychedelic Rock, Funk And Folk Grooves. 16 Tracks From 1968 Until The Present Day)" v/a cd on Now-Again (NA 5073, 2011) has been compiled by Christophe Lemaire, a Frenchman who has worked for Lacoste (dig their brilliant L!VE! collection) and who has now replaced Jean-Paul Gaultier at Hermès … Great to see gypsy hippie Damon end up in the hands of Paris' beau monde and other filthy rich, too ;-

Bonus book for those of you wanting to get a degree or into waxing academical: http://www.ashgate.com/default.aspx?page=637&calctitle=1&pageSubject=568&pagecount=5&title_id=8700&edition_id=12010