Ant Trip Ceremony - 24 Hours (1968)

24 Hours is the First and only Album by the Psychedelic Rock Band Ant Trip Ceremony.
Steve Detray formed Ant Trip Ceremony in 1966, but after taking a break from the school he was going to, he disbanded the group, but kept the name (the idea for the name was given by an English Teacher, who had read it in a book, describing the Human modern Society). In the same school, the next year, he re-formed Ant Trip Ceremony, this time, with an Electric Rock sonority, leaving the Blues which they originally played. At the cost of every member of the band they recorded this record, printing 300 copies of which only 100 were sold, to recoup the expenses. Contrary to the legend, this Album was not produced by David Crosby, from The Byrds and CSN&Y, but a fellow member of the college who was also called David Crosby. Detray only participated in one of the two sessions that were made to record the Album.
The Album opens with "Outskirts", an impressive quick Psychedelic song with some very enjoyable Vocal effects. It is followed by "Pale Shades Of Gray", apart from the Guitar Solo, it doesn't change much from the beginning to the end, but it is a very good song, for a 4-minute song based in the same notes, it is impressively interesting. They present a very good cover of "Hey Joe", very trippy, and some amazing Howls and Guitar work, very strong. "Four In The Morning", The Vocals are again wonderful, even though he hasn't got such a great vocal reach, it is amazing how well he did on this Album. Another highlight is obviously the Flute Solo! Any band that uses the Flute on one of their Songs is good. "Elaborations" is a fantastic Instrumental only Psychedelic jam. 7 minutes of great Psychedelia. "Riverdawn" the Flute takes the Lead role again in this song. This is different from the above songs, it is a Folk song with Pearls Before Swine-like Vocals. "Locomotive Lamp", i happen to dislike this song, the sonority is too close to Sunshine Pop for me to like it. "Little Baby", pretty much consists of a few lines being repeated like crazy (You go, and i go with you baby) and a Bluesy rhythm. There's a pretty decent Drums Solo in "Sometimes I Wonder".
A very impressive Album, that has now reached legendary status. It is a much sought collectors Album. The cover is really weird and i must say quite intimidatory.

Ant Trip Ceremony:
- Steve Detray - Lead Guitar.
- George Galt - Guitar, Vocals, Harmonica, Harp.
- Roger Goodman - Vocals.
- Gary Rosen - Bass, Guitar, Vocals.
- Mark Stein - Lead Guitar, Flute, Bass.
- Jeff Williams - Drums.

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Folque - Folque (1974)

Folque is the Debut Album by the Norwegian Celtic Folk Band Folque.

In early 1973 they were called Brød og Vin (Bread and Wine), and played Acoustic Folk Rock songs in the Oslo Folk circuit, singing translated English Folk songs or Norwegian Traditional stories. But three new members joined the Band bringing with them a new sound, with Electric instruments. I had never heard a Norwegian Album that wasn't sung in English, and i must say I enjoyed the language a lot. It doesn't sound weird to me at all, even though i can't understand a single word of the lyrics. After this Debut, the Band went through some Personnel changes, changing the Guitarist and adding a permanent Drummer to their group.

"Skjøn Jomfru" is the opening song, and i must say it is a very, very good song. I don't understand anything they are saying, and I really don't care, the Vocals are really good, therefore the meaning of what they are saying is irrelevant. Highlights are the fantastic String lines and the fantastic rhythm and power of the song. "Ravnene", while i was listening to this song i kept thinking how strong Lisa Helljesen Vocals were. "Springar" is a quick melodic instrumental song, again with some very good String lines. "Sjugur Og Trollsbrura" the first track where Jørn Jensen takes the Lead role. The percussion is very strong and adds a lot to the sound. "Harpa" is very beautiful, again i don't know what it is about, but i guess it's something sad. "Reinlender"'s happiness and joy is really fascinating, this instrumental song, with Electric Guitars and Drums is one of the most pleasant i have heard in awhile. For the first time that Bass turns into the most important instrument in "Steffa Går Til Selfjord". "Heimat Låta" is the last song. It sounds a lot like a goodbye song, so i guess it was an effect they wanted to create.
I still have to listen to the rest of their albums, but after listening to this, i guess it is inevitable that i will, in a near future.

Folque:

- Lisa Helljesen - Vocals.
- Jørn Jensen - Vocals, Guitar, Dulcimer.
- Trond Villa - Fele.
- Morten Bing - Guitar, Mandolin.
- Eilif Amundsen - Banjo, Bass, Guitar.
- Trond Øverland - Bass, Piano.

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Robert Wyatt - Nothing Can Stop Us (1982)

Nothing Can Stop Us Now is a Compilation released by the English Progressive Rock Musician Robert Wyatt.
This is a collection of Singles, B-Sides and Covers, it only contains one original song, which is the first one. Most of the songs have a strong political taste, as Robert Wyatt is a confessed Marxist-Leninist and a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain, some of them even praising Stalin. This was the only release made by Wyatt between 'Ruth is Stranger Than Richard' (released in 1975) and 'Old Rottenhat' released 10 years later. The Cover Art, drawn by Wyatt's wife, Alfreda Benge, which pictures a worker, with it's fist held high, in the front of a Rolls Royce car, replacing the usual Angel. The worker's clothes are Red obviously.
"Born Again Cretin" is the opening song. The song consists mainly in strange sounds and melodic onomatopoeias. At first it may sound really weird but you will end up enjoying it. "At Last I Am Free" is pretty beautiful, again the main focus is Wyatt's voice, as the music consists mainly of a Piano line. "Caimanera" is a cover from one of the most famous Cuban songs, by Carlos Puebla and José Fernández. It lacks the energy of the original song though. "Grass" has a very enjoyable Eastern Sonority and Back-Vocals. It's writer was Ivor Cutler, a Scottish Comedian and Poet who collaborated with Wyatt in some of his records. "Red Flag" is another example of his connections to the communist ideal. He only sings half the song, and the ones who aren't Socialists won't enjoy this, just saying. "Strange Fruit" is an Anti-Racist song written by the Marxist Poet Abel Meeropol, and performed by Billie Holiday. Meeropol adopted the two sons of the Rosenberg Couple, who were executed for being supposed Communist spies (they weren't spies by the way). "Arauco" is a Chilean song by Violeta Parra, who guess what, was a Socialist. I do not enjoy this song mainly because it kind of misses the Latino sonority. Singing in Spanish over Progressive music doesn't match. "Trade Union" is a very peculiar track, an organizing song, directed to all the Bengali workers on England, telling them to join a Trade Union. He asked the Band Dishari to join him, and record this song. Songwriter Abdus Salique was forced to leave East Pakistan because of his Leftist political activities. The last track is a 5 minute poem declamation, written and read by Peter Blackman. A poem about the victory of the Red Army in Stalingrad, "Stalingrad".
This Album is directed to Leftists, all the songs are about Politics, and some of them have no musical interest at all (some do, some of them are really good). If you don't like Politics or hate Communists, this is not recommended for them.

Robert Wyatt (Nothing Can Stop Us Personnel): 

- Robert Wyatt - Vocals, Piano, Guitar, Percussion, Keyboards.

- Mogotsi Mothle - Double bass.

- Frank Roberts - Keyboards.

- Bill MacCormick - Bass.

- Harry Beckett - Flugelhorn.

- Kadir Durvesh - Shehna.

- Esmail Shek - Tabla.

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John Renbourn Group - A Maid In Bedlam (1977)

A Maid In Bedlam is the Debut Album by the English Folk-Rock Band John Renbourn Group.
Pentangle broke up in 1973, when Jansch decided to leave the Band. This gave time to John Renbourn to work on his Solo work. In 1977 he joined a group of musicians, some had already played with him in Pentangle or his other Solo Albums, and formed the John Renbourn Group. Keshav Sathe played the Tabla on the Album, giving it a nice Eastern sonority, while not changing the fantastic Folk sound of Renbourn and his English fellows. Not only Folk lovers will enjoy this Album, many Heavy Metal or Hard Rock fans will like it because of the similarity between the Guitar Lines.
The Album opens with "Black Waterside", it was covered by Led Zeppelin in their first Album as an instrumental piece. The Guitar line is, obviously, fantastic and so are the Female Lead-Vocals, with a very good traditional poem, about a woman who was fooled into laying down with a man who didn't love her. Tony Roberts takes the lead role on "Nacht Tanz/Shaeffertanz", with his amazing Oboe work. The song might sound a little too much repetitive after a while though. "A Maid in Bedlam", the title track song is probably the best on the Album. The Male Back-Vocals are pretty good and the lyrics are very catchy. Instrumentally, however it is not close to being the best of them all. "Gypsy Dance / Jews Dance" is a great Medieval like Folk instrumental. The rhythm and the Piccolo line are the highlights of the song. "John Barleycorn" it is not the best version I have heard of the song, it kind of lacks something, Traffic's version is superior, but the music style is completely different, so I don't know if a comparison can be made. "Reynardine" and "My Johnny Was A Shoemaker" both have some really fantastic Vocal works, both of them featuring the marvellous voice of Jacqui McShee. "The Battle of Augrham / Five in a Line" is the last instrumental piece in the Album. It is also the longest song. "Talk About Suffering" is the last song, and i must say it's my least favourite of them. I can't seem to enjoy listening to it.
To anyone who is interested in Medieval, Celtic-Folk, this is a must have. John Renbourn is easily one of my favourite Acoustic Guitar players ever.

John Renbourn Group:

- John Renbourn - Guitars, Lead-Vocals.

- Tony Roberts - Back-Vocals, Flute, Recorders, Oboe, Piccolo.

- Jacqui McShee - Lead-Vocals.

- Sue Draheim - Fiddle, Back-Vocals.

- Keshav Sathe - Tabla, Finger Cymbals.

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Earth And Fire - Earth And Fire (1971)

Earth And Fire is the Debut Album by the Dutch Progressive Rock Band Earth And Fire.
Originally called Opus Gainfull, the band was founded in the Hague in 1968, by the Koerts Twins. Their first singer, Lisette was forced to leave due to a serious eye-disease. Following the advice of Golden Earring's Lead Singer, they were joined by Jerney Kaagman, to fulfil their lack of Vocals. In 1969, they opened for Golden Earring, a Band that was already famous in America (Earth And Fire were never famous in either UK or the USA, but they were big in the Netherlands and surrounding countries). Shocking Blue, a Band who also came from The Hague, made it in America, with some very similar Vocals, but a with a more Psychedelic sound. The language in which they sing is English.
"Wild And Exciting", the first song, became almost immediately an hit in the Netherlands. I can see why, the song is very powerful and intense, with some strong Bass lines and visceral Screaming Vocals, apart from the marvellous Refrain. This song is also very good due to it's capacity of making you remember and sing it, weeks after you first heard it. "Twilight Dreamer", to much Keyboards on this one, the main line gets quite annoying, but apart from that it is a good song. "Ruby Is The One" sounds alot like a Post-Jefferson Airplane, Grace Slick song. Again, pay attention to their catchy Refrain and the Amazing Guitar work, Solo and Riff. "You Know The Way" is a melodic calm song, it isn't that good, quite weak i think. "Vivid Shady Land" is a very good song, with some really good instrumental work and Guitar Riff, Chris Koerts sings some of the Lead-Vocals on this one. Jethro Tull like Flute is guaranteed to gain my love, "21th Century Show", and as such, i adore it. Even though i don't like the Refrain particularly. Again Chris does some singing in "Seasons". a very good song, that kind of reminds me of Mariska from Shocking Blue. The part when She sings with an Acoustic Guitar playing is pretty beautiful. "Love Quivers" has a pretty good Jam in the middle, and a very compact Rhythm. Then suddenly on the last song of the Album, a Folk song! "What's Your Name". After the Heavy sound of the previous songs, this surely is a change. As professional Folk musicians, maybe they wouldn't have made it, but it is nice to see musicians, try other styles besides theirs.
A great Hard Rock/Progressive Album. The original copies are almost impossible to find so i suggest downloading. The Dutch movement is very strong and cohere.

Earth And Fire:
- Chris Koerts - Vocals, Guitar.
- Gerard Koerts - Guitar, Keyboards.
- Jerney Kaagman - Vocals.
- Ton Van Der Kleij - Drums.
- Hans Ziech - Bass.

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Comus - First Utterance (1971)

First Utterance is the debut Album by the British Progressive Folk Band Comus.
As the Cover Art may imply, this is a really, really dark Album. The lyrics talk about Violence and Mental Insanity, Fear and Despair. There is no specific Genre, where we can put First Utterance in, it is just completely different from anything that was ever made. Some say Acid-Folk, others Progressive Rock, or Art-Rock. i say it is a mix between them all, First Utterance is a genre of its own, a mesh of fantastic musicianship and amazing lyrics. Unlike other Albums, this one flows incredibly well for such a long and Strong Album. 50 minutes go by without you even noticing.
The Album opens with "Diana", who has some really creepy Female Vocals, but some amazing Violin and Hand-Drums work. Both of which were granted some Solos. I only like the Vocals, when they are singing the Refrain. "The Herald" is the longest track, with 12 minutes, it is also the most beautiful of all the songs. The Acoustic Guitar work is just overwhelming and the Female Vocals add a lot to the mood of the song. There is also some good Flute lines. 'Yea, shall I cut you down/Yes 'twould be a last physical communion', this is why is said the lyrics were creepy, "Drip Drip". "Drip Drip" is full energy, mainly due to the strong percussion section and the Violin, the Back-Vocals are quite scary, Women screaming at the top of their lungs. My favourite lyrics are the ones in "Song To Comus". The story they tell is horrible, about rape, but the way it is written in absolutely amazing, full of melody, Roger Wootton is a great Songwriter. "The Bite" is a fantastic hunt song where a character named 'The Christian' is chased in a forest and hanged in the end. Again the description of the chase and the room where he is arrested are amazing. "Bitten" is the only instrumental song on First Utterance, don't think it is very good, just some spooky sounds with a melancholic Violin. "The Prisoner", the last song, opens with some Spanish-like Guitar line, which is very nice indeed. It all sounds very happy, and if you don't understand English you would thing it is a feeling good kind of song. It is not, it is about a man who is insane and sent to a psychiatric Hospital where they give him Shock Treatment. The song rises in intensity until the last moment where they scream Insane over and over again, creating a very groovy sound.
First Utterances sold poorly and as such Comus disbanded, the original Vinyl is now selling for about 300 dollars. It has been re-issued twice though. Wootton is the Artist behind the Cover-Art.

Comus:
- Roger Wootton - Acoustic Guitar, Lead-Vocals.
- Glenn Goring - 6-12 String Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Hand Drums, Back-Vocals.
- Andy Hellaby - Bass, Back-Vocals.
- Colin Pearson - Violin, Viola.
- Rob Young - Flute, Oboe, Hand Drums.
- Bobbie Watson - Back-Vocals, Percussion.

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H. P. Lovecraft - H. P. Lovecraft (1967)

H. P. Lovecraft is the Debut Album by the American Psychedelic Rock Band H. P. Lovecraft.
Only three of the songs are originals, even though two of them are Traditional. Most of the songs were recorded live on Studio, with the Horns and the nine-piece Orchestra being overdubbed later. The Band goes through a range of different styles in the Album, like Jazz, Psychedelic Rock (of course) and strangely enough Gregorian Chants. Although they never reached the Charts, they managed to sell a reasonable number of Albums over time. This Album is now being sold together with the Follow-Up (H. P. Lovecraft II).
"Wayfaring Stranger" flows very nicely, it is calm but also has a strong rhythm. The cowbells are very nice of course. "Let's Get Together" This version is not as good a the Jefferson Airplane's one, the vocals sound like if they are out of the Beat of the song. The Keyboards line is pretty chaotic but it seems to fit the song just fine. "I've Been Wrong Before" is a perspective into their next Album, and what they would do if they had continued. "The Drifter"didn't need to be 4 minutes long, as in the end we sort of get bored of the repetitiveness of the song. The next song, a Fred Neil Cover is much better, "That's the Bag I'm In", quick and full of power. "The White Ship" is regarded as one of the best H. P. Lovecraft songs, and there's a reason for that. The mood is really weird, and the Recorder Solo helps a lot. The lyrics for this one are really good, take in mind that this is the first original song here. "Country Boy & Bleeker Street", the Guitar until now was quite mute, but it takes the Lead role in this. The Vocal Duo is also amazing, in this second Fred Neil Cover. "That's How Much I Love You, Baby (More or Less)" this song is completely influenced by Jazz. Drum beat, Guitar Line etc. everything is influenced by it. "Gloria Patria" is the weirdest ending to a Psychedelic Album. 30 seconds of Gregorian Chants (Chants sung during a mass or religious festivity).

Their Second Album is stronger than this without a doubt,  but this is undoubtedly a great piece of the 60's music.

H. P. Lovecraft:

- George Edwards – Vocals, Acoustic and Electric Guitar, Guitarrón, Bass.

- Dave Michaels – Vocals, Organ, Piano, Harpsichord, Clarinet, Recorder.

- Jerry McGeorge – Bass, Vocals.

- Tony Cavallari – Lead Guitar, Vocals.

- Michael Tegza – Drums, Percussion, Timpani, Vocals.

 

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The Merry-Go-Round - She Laughed Loud/Come Ride, Come Ride (1967)

She Laughed Loud/Come Ride, Come Ride is the Fifth Single by the American Psychedelic Rock Band The Merry-Go-Round.
Their first Single managed to gather considerable attention, especially in Los Angeles, the city in which they lived in. Even the B-side turned out successful, being later covered by Fairport Convention ('Time Will Show the Wiser'). Their third Single however only reached number 90 on the Charts, and so A&M, the record company, decided to release an Album before the interest in the Band faded. The Album was a collection of their Singles and some Demos, and although it is very good, it only reached number 190 in the Billboard Chart. They released two more singles before disbanding in 1968.
There are some things that I don't like about "She Laughed Loud", The Refrain is very weak and the Drums are completely monochordic. But the Lead and Back-Vocals are fantastic, especially when Emitt Rhodes sings the last line before the Refrain, really amazing. This is the reason why Rhodes was considered in the beginning of the 70's as the next big Pop-Rock star. Nonetheless, the next song is the real thing, "Come Ride, Come Ride". I've been hearing this song like crazy for a few days. It is the most amazing song I've heard in awhile. This time the Refrain is very good, maybe the best part, in the end the instrumental arrangement is too much, though.
I first heard this band a week ago in Technicolor Web Of Sound (I've been in a Communist Festival so that's why I haven't been able to post anything). Bless that Internet Radio, one of the best things on the Net.

The Merry-Go-Round:

- Emitt Rhodes - Vocals.
- Joel Larson - Drums.
- Gary Kato - Bass.
- Bill Rinehart - Guitar.

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The Crystal Mansion - The Crystal Mansion (1972)

The Crystal Mansion is the Second Album by the American Progressive Band The Crystal Mansion.
Originally called The Secrets, they were formed in 1962 as a Cover Band. They decided to change they're name to The Crystal Mansion in 1968. Capitol Records got interested in them and signed them in. A debut album was recorded (also called The Crystal Mansion), but both the Label and the Musicians didn't like the result, and it sold very poorly. In 1972 they signed to Motown label Rare Earth, and released an Album with the same name of the first one (I guess they really hated it).
"There Always Will Be More" the opening song, has a bad start, but progressively turns into a very good Funky Beat, with a great rhythm and a very good Vocal work. "Bad City Ways" has a nice Jam in the end, the song in itself is not very interesting, due to it's monochordic sound. "I Love You" is quite enjoyable, the Refrain is really well composed. It is followed by the Funky "Satisfied", the lyrics are quite weak but the Sound is far out. A very Good Organ Line. "A Song Is Born" doesn't really add much to the Album, monochordic sound, and a boring Piano line, only the Fuzzed Guitar brings some fresh air to the song. "Somebody Oughta Turn Your Head Around" however is a fantastic Soul, Funk song. The Guitar Riff is very enjoyable and the small Solo is quite nice. I don't like the fact that all songs fade out in the end, instead of just finishing. They managed to create a great mood in "Boogieman". The song has a very Groovy sonority, even though it gets a little repetitive. "Let Me Get Straight Again" Jimmy is smoking a lot of dope and needs to get clean. Good Organ Solo and Guitar line. "Peace For A Change" is the typical Pacifist song, it is very different from the previous songs, you've got to wonder why didn't they make more songs like this because they did them pretty well. "Earth People", has some decent lyrics, something that cant be said of most of the other songs. It ends with the line 'We can do it', obviously alluding to the 60's Idea of working together to change things (mind that I also believe that, hence my Communism. I'm not criticising them in any way).
Usually the A-side is the best part of the Album, with the singles etc. but this Album seems to leave the best for the end. The B-side is really good, the A-side is, well, it's not bad.

The Crystal Mansion:

- Johnny Caswell - Piano, Vocals.

- Bill Crawford - Bass.

- Ronny Gentile - Guitar.

- Rickey Morley - Percussion, Drums.

- Sal Rota - Organ, Piano, Vocals.

- Mario Sanchez - Guitar, Vocals, Conga, Piano.

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Spooky Tooth - It's All About (1968)

It's All About is the Debut Album by the British Psychedelic Band Spooky Tooth.

Spooky Tooth didn't start they're career playing the Blues-Rock, Progressive sound they are most known for. They started, with a mesh between Sunshine Pop and Trippy Psychedelia. It was reissued with another name in 1971 as 'Tobacco Road', a song they covered on the Album.

The Album opens with "Society's Child" a really strong song, with an amazing Refrain. The Vocals aren't really that great but it sort of suits the song well, and the Organ is just amazing. Janis Ian is the original performer of this song. The Groovy sonority of "Love Really Changed Me" is what makes it so good. Unlike the first song, apart from fitting the song they almost sound like an instrument. "Here I Lived So Well" loses some of the strength of the first songs. I must say it is quite boring. "Too Much of Nothing", a Bob Dylan song follows. It has a nice Guitar Solo and a good Vocal work. The American version of the Album had The Band's 'The Weight' replacing this song. "Sunshine Help Me" and "It's All About a Roundabout" have nothing of great and marvellous, they are just nice songs to listen to when you feel like it. "Tobacco Road" hundreds of bands have covered this song, literally, but this has got to be one of the best covers ever. The Drums section is very strong and the Guitar is Soloing like crazy. It has best song of the Album written all over it. "It Hurts You So" has a very good Bass line, contrary to the tendency of this Album of regarding the Bass as a secondary instrument

There are some great songs here, and some good songs. Some of them you'll want to listen to all the time others you'll just listen to, when you're listening to the Album. It is overall a very good Album.

Spooky Tooth: 

- Gary Wright - Vocals, Organ, Keyboards.

- Luther Grosvenor - Guitar.

- Mike Harrison - Vocals, Keyboards, Harpsichord.

- Mike Kellie - Drums, Percussion.

- Greg Ridley - Bass.

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