jueves, 28 de julio de 2011

THE MAGNIFICENT BROTHERHOOD - Dope Idiots [2010]



Dope Idiots brings you 12 highly addictive garage rockers, full of crazy Fuzz guitars, Farfisa organ swirls and zappaesque lyrics.The Magnificent Brotherhood's unique songwriting style and their freak-out attitude make this album a musical upper, capturing wild up-tempo numbers, as well as some souly tracks too. Not denying the band's vintage and raw live sound Dope Idiots is serving some freash material, all written by Drewinski & Haegert.



PURPLE OVERDOSE - The Salmon's Trip [2000] cd version



Purple Overdose are reputedly one of the most authentic psych bands of the last decade or two, making it a shame they're based in a country not known for such things, heavily reducing their accessibility to Western European and American fans of the genre. Led by vocalist/guitarist Costas Constantinou, they've been around since the late '80s, releasing seven albums (live and studio) over two decades, of which Reborn is the fifth. This isn't your mad, post-freakbeat 13th Floor Elevators type stuff, nor your whimsical, well-mannered British style; this is that dreamy, lysergic late-'60s thing that Pink Floyd mastered before heading off for pastures new, only Purple Overdose have stuck to it for their entire career, turning their noses up at anything as bourgeois as progressing.

Top tracks include lengthy opener (It's A) Fortune Teller, the whacked-out acid guitar-fest of Gonna Be Tomorrow, Today and the title track, although the album never outstays its welcome, despite its length. Vasilis Kapanikis is credited with Mellotron, and while it could be genuine, it doesn't sound particularly like it, with string parts on Fading Sound Of Lost Thoughts and the title track.


The band released The Salmon's Trip - Live the following year, in two entirely different versions, just to confuse their audience. Although the available material would fit nicely onto two CDs, somebody opted to compile a 50-odd minute CD and a lengthy double LP, just too long for single-CD issue. Irritating. Going by the CD's tracklisting, the joy seems to have gone out of it, somehow, at least to my ears. It's not a bad album, but fails to grab my attention the way their studio effort does, with a couple of tracks jammed out for far too long. Another couple of 'Tron' tracks, quite clearly sampled this time, not that that should come as any great surprise. For some reason, the LP set works rather better, although (or because?) it features all the longer, more jammed-out material. Again, little samplotron, but the sound's clearly secondary low on the band's priority list. Planet Mellotron

Overdose

miércoles, 27 de julio de 2011

THE ROOSTERS - All Of Our Days [USA 1965-1968]

The Roosters have been known among fans and followers of the Californian mid 60s folk rock scene for a long time. Their “One Of These Days” b/w “You Gotta Run” 45 has been included on early garage compilations and is a huge favourite among collectors. Less well known is their second and at least as brillant 45 “Rosebush” / “Ain’t Gonna Cry Anymore”. Additionally there´s a rare 1965 surf/mersey punk single released under the name “Five More”, an early 1965 acetate put down as the Avengers and most of all, three 1966 stunning unreleased folk/garage janglers recorded at Gold Star Studio. This collection finally puts all these gems in one place and unravels the enigmas behind the band on a LP sized full glossy insert with a detailed history of the band emerging from the memoirs of guitarist and songwriter Timothy Ward and the band’s vocalist Ray Mangigian.

martes, 26 de julio de 2011

VVAA - Thee Cave Comes Alive



Songs from the lost What Wave fanzine tapes


17 Track compilation of the music cassettes that came with the great Canadian fanzine series from the 1980s! Featuring The Royal Nonesuch, Gruesomes, Chessmen, Cheshyres, Mystic Eyes, Beatpack, Projectiles, Creatures, Cybermen, Tyme Eliment, Ultra 5, Raymen, etc.


The Fleur de Lys [60s]





Legendario grupo mod de sonidos freak-beat. Este EP de 2009 contiene una versión de Circles en directo de 1966, 2 canciones inéditas provenientes de unos acetatos con Sharon Tandy y la primera grabación producida por Jimmy Page.


Fleur

miércoles, 20 de julio de 2011

THE PIKES - No-Name Street [2009] mini LP

New Mod band from outta Berlin. This debut includes 6 top notch 79 Mod Revival tunes inspired by bands like The Jam,The Chords and The Squire. Ace power pop with tons of catchy hooks. Produced by Smail / The Shocks.

PiKes

THE MULLENS - same [USA 1977]



Hard, driving punk rock ‘n’ roll from this Dallas, TX combo. This bunch offers up 14 blasts of pure energy that truly define punk rock and that are worthy of DMZ, the Ramones, the Creation and Iggy.


ESKIZOS 1989-1993



Great garage spanish band. Fantastic reissue of the two official EPs. Also including unreleased cuts and live tracks.


lunes, 18 de julio de 2011

OFFHOOKS - Outside Looking In [SCOTLAND 1990]



Outside Looking In by The Offhooks, whom some may recall as legends of the Scottish garage scene back in the late 80s/early 90s. So for all you hungry dogs who thought Off The Hook was the groups only recorded legacy, heres where things get exciting: a complete, previously unreleased album, recorded in March 1990 at Chamber Studios in Edinburgh! This is no set of demos or rehearsal tapes, this is the real deal - its original release was only scuppered by the bankruptcy of the intended label! But aside from the historical importance of this album, what about the crucial bit - the music? Rest assured - its a killer! Equal parts fuzz and jangle, pounding beat-tastic bass and drums [thats hallowed Thanes frontman, Lenny Helsing rattling the traps], topped off with classic snarled-out angst-ridden vocals courtesy of Calvin Burt.



Various Artists - Nuggets From Southern California 1964 - 1967



Ace Records releases the third volume exploiting the fascinatingly quirky Downey Records catalogue.
While the much-lauded first compilation was an instrumental collection ("Intoxica!"), and the second was a rock`n'roll collection that spanned the pre-Beatle era ("It Came From The Suburbs"), this collection brings us gems from Southern California's suburban garage-land.
All great garage-punkers and psychedelic whimsical delights of a jangly mixed-up nature! This is essentially a re-issue of a long-deleted and much-missed comp called "Scarey Business", which was released and then quickly withdrawn in 2001. That collection had 13 Downey gems pulled from the tape vaults by Ace's Alec Palao, mixed with tracks from two other labels. This new compilation re-introduces all those Downey cuts plus another nine from the same source, including many unreleased tracks.


Nuggets From Southern California

The Basements - Heart of Stone [2010]



THE BASEMENTS are a five piece combo coming from Salonika and as real Caveteens, they produce a primitive sound that is really missing so much in nowadays!
If you are into the new trendy alternative noisy Garage sound, or into the menopause progressive sound of the 70’s, then forget about it… this is not for you….
But if you are digging the sound that THE CHESTERFIELD KINGS, THE CRIMSON SHADOWS, THE CYNICS, taught us, then this golden piece of vinyl is for you!


Basements

13th Floor Elevators - 7th Heaven Music of the Spheres [USA 1966-1969]




For the first time the genuine 45rpm mono mixes of the 13th Floor Elevators’ seven singles (A & B sides) for International Artists Records are compiled together to CD.