Paul Simon - The Paul Simon Songbook (1965)

The Paul Simon Songbook is the First Solo Album by the American Folk Singer/Guitarist Paul Simon.

The United Kingdom in 1965 saw what would be the first years of the Folk-Revival Movement, with Musicians like John Renbourn, Bert Jansch... playing in the most important Clubs in the Country's circuits. When Simon & Garfunkel did not work out, Paul Simon moved to England, hoping to jump onboard with this new Movement. He did not achieve however, a memorable spot on the ranks of the new-folkers (at least not yet), playing mostly small gigs on tiny Clubs and Theaters. Simon had a contract with Columbia Records still running, so why not use it (CBS Records was the British Section of Columbia). Sessions for the Album went on in different dates of June 1965, with only one Microphone to record both his Voice and his Guitar. The Paul Simon Songbook was released only in the U.K. and for some limited amount of time in the U.S. for some months. Simon removed it from the Catalog in 1979, but it was re-issued on CD in 2004. With the return of S&G many of this Songs were re-utilized on their Albums.

Best Tracks - "I Am A Rock", "Leaves That Are Green", "A Church Is Burning", "April Come She Will", "The Sound Of Silence", "He Was My Brother", "A Simple Desultory Philippic", "Flowers Never Bend With The Rainfall" and "Patterns". It is very interesting to listen to this First drafts of Songs that would later be heard by many millions of people all over the world. They are very, very good Songs, even when only played with one Voice and one Guitar, without any arrangements. A great unknown Album.

Paul Simon (The Paul Simon Songbook Personnel):

- Paul Simon - Vocals, Guitar.

Download in comments.

The Stooges - The Stooges (1969)

The Stooges is the Debut Album by the American Psychedelic/Garage-Rock Band The Stooges.

During the 60's, The Stooges set was quite different from what we think of them nowadays. Their Songs were simple 2 minute composition that in concert would turn out in Improvisations that would last for several minutes each. That's what they brought to the Recording of their Debut for Elektra, 5 songs which they intended to expand on Studio. When the version of the Album was surrendered, it was quickly turned down, with the allegation that 5 Songs weren't enough for making an Album. Fortunately they had written 3 new songs the day before and they were added to the Album the next day. The Producer called to work with The Stooges was the one and only John Cale, of The Velvet Underground fame. The Violinist which gave many of VU songs their defining characteristic and made them an unique act. His influence can be heard specifically in the Song, "We Will Fall", where he plays the Viola. Like their follow-up, Fun House, failed to be recognized upon its release, even though it has now achieved the status as being one of the 200-best records ever to be made.

Best Tracks - "1969", "I Wanna Be Your Dog", "We Will Fall", "No Fun", "Not Right" and "Little Doll". It is pretty easy to understand how Punk was influenced by The Stooges. They have a Raw Power to them, and even though dwelling into the realms of Psychedelia, it is obvious they were the pioneer of Punk. Ron Asheton's Guitar work is simply amazing.

The Stooges:

- Iggy Pop - Vocals.

- Dave Alexander - Bass.

- Ron Asheton - Guitar, Vocals.

- Scott Asheton - Drums.

- John Cale - Piano, Sleighbell, Viola.

Download in comments.

The Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed (1969)

Let It Bleed is the Eight Album by the English Hard-Rock, Blues Band The Rolling Stones.

By the time The Rolling Stones started Recording Let It Bleed (February 1969, lasting until November of the same year), Brian Jones was already on a downward spiral. Jones, once the Leader of The Rolling Stones, a Multi-Instrumentalist that featured in almost all of the Songs, Jones only made small appearances on the Later Albums, and those participations were almost charity given to him by the other Members, for pity of what he had become. I once read that during one session, Jones started bleeding from his gums due to playing the Harmonica for 5 minutes. Supposedly this was the moment they understood how Jones true condition was. On June, and facing an upcoming American Tour, The Rolling Stones parted ways with Jones, who isolated himself in his Country House, except for the occasional visit from his friends, like Alexis Korner, who have stated that Jones was contacting old friends with the intention of starting a whole new Band. It never happened as not even a month after, Jones was found dead on his pool, in one of the most emblematic deaths in Rock History. Let It Bleed was released in the last month of the 60's, reaching emblematic status, being seen as one of the Best Albums by The Rolling Stones and continuously featuring on every Top 100 Records of all Time lists.

Best Tracks - "Gimmie Shelter", "Love In Vain", "Country Honk", "Live With Me", "Let It Bleed", "Midnight Rambler", "You Got The Silver", "Monkey Man" and "You Can't Always Get What You Want" (all the songs on the Album). Their Albums from this Period (Late-60's, Early 70's) are without a doubt their Best. Let It Bleed has some of the best Songs by the Group. It is a mandatory listen to anyone into this Period.

The Rolling Stones Let It Bleed Personnel:

Check this article with detailed information on who played the Record, if you are interested.

The Hollies - Butterfly (1967)

Butterfly is the Seventh Album by the English Psychedelic-Rock Band The Hollies.

Many British Bands changed their Track-lists, Covers and the name of their Albums for American Editions. The Hollies had to do that for almost all of their releases (Butterfly was released with the cover, but with some different Tracks and titled Dear Eloise/King Midas In Reverse). Possibly by influence of the growing Psychedelic-Rock Movement (And the release of Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band on the same day they released their Previous Album, Evolution, also in 1967) the songs now featured numerous Psychedelic characteristics like the addition of Sitars to almost all of the Songs and Lyrics that were not Love stories. Graham Nash (Later on Crosby, Stills And Nash) was the main driving force behind it, writing a lot of the Lyrics and singing most of the songs. Nash left the Band a year after the Release, tired of the Group's Pop sonority, the screaming girls at their concerts and the wish of the Band to record an Album, made only of Bob Dylan Songs. Nash's departure did not stop that idea, and they released it 1969, the same year that saw CSN's Debut coming out.

Best Tracks - "Dear Eloise", "Maker", "Would You Believe", "Postcard", "Charlie And Fred", "Try It", "Elevated Observations?" and "Butterfly". Strangely i could not get a copy of this Album on the Internet, don't know why as there are many Blogs and Torrents with it. It is the only Hollies Album I heard up to now, and i hope the others are as enjoyable as this one (even though i already know, some of them are just to Pop for my taste). It is worth listening to this Album, it has very few Pop things here.

The Hollies:

- Allan Clarke - Vocals.

- Tony Hicks - Lead-Guitar, Vocals.

- Bernie Calvert - Bass, Keyboards.

- Graham Nash - Vocals, Rhythm-Guitar.

- Bobby Elliott - Drums.

Download in comments.

J. J. Cale - Naturally (1971)

Naturally is the Debut Album by the American Swamp-Rock Guitarist J. J. Cale.

John Weldon Cale was born in 1938 in Oklahoma, moving to Tulsa soon after. Since his early teens, Cale devoted most of his time to playing Music, going through a multitude of different Bands while on high-school (One of them featured Leon Russel, which would be an important person on his career). In 1959, Cale got a job in Grand Ole Opry's Touring Company (A weekly Country concert that happened since 1925) and moved to Nashville, where it was held. He got bored of it fairly quickly and he was soon back to Tulsa, where he regain contact with Leon Russel again, moving with him to Los Angeles in 1964. But his Solo career simply did not get anywhere, and 1967 saw him back to Tulsa, where he settled for playing the Local venues. During this period he recorded some Demos that got into the hands of Denny Cordell who was creating his own Label with Russel. Shelter Records signed Cale in 1969. Out of nowhere Eric Clapton recorded and released Cale's Song "After Midnight", making it an instant hit. The royalties and recognition led Cale to the Studio to try once again setting up his career. Naturally managed to do so and enabled Cale to have a long career, which still continues today. He settled upon the J. J. Cale so that he would not be confused with John Cale from The Velvet Underground.

Best Tracks - "Call Me The Breeze", "Call The Doctor", "Don't Go To Strangers", "Clyde", "Crazy Mama", "After Midnight" and "Crying Eyes". J. J. Cale's Guitar is very, very good. Full of emotion and grooviness. I don't think i have ever heard a Guitar being played in this fashion. His voice is also very laid back and enjoyable, fitting the Sort of Southern, Country roots of each Song.

J. J. Cale (Naturally Personnel):

- J. J. Cale - Guitar, Vocals.

- Karl Himmel - Drums.

- Chuck Browning - Drums.

- Tim Drummond - Drums.

- Carl Radle - Bass.

- Norbert Putnam - Bass.

- Bob Wilson - Piano.

- David Briggs - Piano, Organ.

- Jerry Whitehurst - Piano.

- Weldon Myrick - Steel-Guitar.

- Buddy Spicher - Fiddle.

- Shorty Lavender - Fiddle.

- Walter Hayness - Dobro.

- Mac Gayden - Slide-Guitar.

- Ed Colis - Harmonica.

- Diane Davidson - Back-Vocals.

Download in comments.

Gilberto Gil - Gilberto Gil (Nêga) (1971)

Gilberto Gil (Nêga) is the Fifth Album by the Brazilian Folk Musician (MPB) Gilberto Gil.

February, 1969. Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso are both arrested and placed three months in Jail (4 more months on house arrest) by the Brazilian Fascist Regime. None were presented with a reason for their arrest, even though Caetano has in later years stated that the growing Tropicalista Movement in which they both were deeply influential was probably the reason for it, as a new Movement, with Political ties with the Left and to the youth of the nation. At the end of the sentence, they were both sent to London. Establishing in Chelsea, he was very well regarded and accepted by the British Musicians, playing with the likes of Pink Floyd, The Incredible String Band and Yes. He was also one of the organizers of the Glastonbury Free Festival (a Free Festival is a Free-from-charge festivity, with a different number of Art Movements and cultural activities). During his stay in London, he recorded this Album, his only recorded during the Exile, entirely in English. 1972 saw the return of most exiles back to Brazil, who used this as a way to try to appease the tension being felt between the people and the Regime.

Best Tracks - "Nêga (Photograph Blues)", "Can't Find My Way Home", "The Three Mushrooms", "Babylon", "One O'Clock Last Morning, 20th April 1970", "Can't Find My Way Home", "Up From The Skies" and "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". I did not know of the existence of this Album (I have heard Gilberto Gil since i was a child) and I was fairly surprised to see an all-english Album. It is much in his style with fantastic compositing and Vocals. A must-have. There are 4 Bonus songs that are more than worth it. One is sung in Portuguese and the others are covers of Traffic, The Jimi Hendrix Experience and The Beatles respectively. They are very interesting, and they have been issued with almost all of the editions of the Album, so I counted them in.

Gilberto Gil (Gilberto Gil (Nêga) Personnel):

- Gilberto Gil - Vocals, Acoustic-Guitar.

- Chris Bonett - Bass, Back-Vocals.

Download in comments.

The Collectors - The Collectors (1968)

The Collectors is the Debut Album by the Canadian Psychedelic-Rock Band The Collectors.

A Band from Vancouver, started in 1961, which changed their name to The Collectors in 1966. During this 5 year period, they were the house guests to a TV Show called "Let's Go" and appeared on a Local Radio Station (CFUN-AM), from which they took their name at the time, C-Fun Classics. Since their re-incarnation they released a couple of Singles, none gained much attention outside of Canada, but which have been re-released on a couple Compilations. It was around 1967 that they moved to the US in search of bigger venues, which they did find, and it was then that their Extensive Improvisations and complex melodies were fully appreciated. Dave Hassinger was their assigned Producer, Hassinger being also The Electric Prunes Manager and a well-known Producer (went on to be the owner of The Sound Factory, where many famous Bands produced). Their Debut for the Label Warner Brothers was received with dull enthusiasm and the Band moved to Canada where they created the Soundtrack for three different Canadian Albums, one of them ended up being their Follow-Up Album.

Best Tracks - "What Is Love", "She (Will-O-The-Wind)", "Howard Christman's Older" and "What Love (Suite)". I was not really expecting much of the Album, the Cover looks quite old-style and with a mainstream 60's look to it. It was nothing at all, so i guess it must have been the Label to impose the Cover. I cannot figure out how a Band that made such a nice sound chose that to be the Cover. It is really worth it, a fantastic Psychedelic-Rock Album.

The Collectors:

- Bill Henderson - Guitar, Recorder, Vocals.

- Claire Lawrence - Flute, Organ, Saxophone, Recorder, Vocals.

- Ross Turney - Drums, Percussion.

- Glenn Miller - Bass, Vocals.

- Howie Vickers - Vocals.

- Jesse Erlich - Cello.

- Larry Knechtel - Piano, Harpsichord.

- Norm Jeffries - Vibraphone.

Download in comments.

Bruce Cockburn - Bruce Cockburn (1970)

Bruce Cockburn is the Debut Album by the Canadian Folk Singer/Guitarist Bruce Cockburn.

A Guitar found in his Grandmother's attic led Cockburn to start experimenting with Music for the first time in his life, as in the farm he spent is adolescence in, there was little more contact with music than the Radio (Cockburn used to accompany his favorite Songs on the Guitar, and this helped him get his technique). Upon finishing college with the intention of becoming a Musician, Cockburn moved to Boston, where he entered Berklee College of Music, where he started playing with a Band for the first time. From 1966 to the Spring of 1969 he was in an array of different Bands, The Esquires, The Flying Circus, Olivus and finally with 3's A Crowd, with the latter he had the opportunity to open for such acts as The Jimi Hendrix Experience and Cream. Cockburn didn't stay a lot of time in Boston, by 1967 he was already back to Canada, this time to Toronto, where he would base his career. He had already played Solo in the Mariposa Folk Festival in 1967 and by 1969 he was already an headliner. The Mariposa Fest was a once-in-a-year Folk gathering which happened from that time until 2000. In 1970 Cockburn released the first Album of his long career that is still running.

Best Tracks - "Going To The Country", "Thoughts On A Rainy Afternoon", "The Bicycle Trip", "Change Your Mind", "Man Of A Thousand Faces" and "Spring Song". This Album reminds me a lot of Nick Drake's Pink Moon, not only because it is a Folk Album with only a man and his guitar, but also because of the Voice, which is whispered and full of emotion, even though Cockburn is much happier and doesn't create the Dark Aura that surrounds Pink Moon. This is a great Album, not recommended for Heavier listeners though.

Bruce Cockburn (Bruce Cockburn Personnel):

- Bruce Cockburn - 6 And 12 String Guitar, Piano, Bass Drum, Vocals.

- Dennis Pendrith - Bass.

Download in comment.

Caravan - Caravan (1968)

Caravan is the Debut Album by the English Canterbury Scene Progressive-Rock Band Caravan.

Following the demise of the Wilde Flowers, a group where almost all of the big figures of the Canterbury Scene played in (Robert Wyatt and Hugh Hopper from Soft Machine and Kevin Ayers know best for his Solo work, who was also on Soft Machine in the beginning, all played there) the group split into two, one began Soft Machine, the other formed Caravan. For some time they played as the Resident Act in the famous Middle Earth club and it wasn't long before they got a contract with the American Label Verve Records, the first British Band to be signed by them, and they were the ones to release their Debut, even though shortly after, they dropped all their Rock acts and dedicated themselves to Jazz. As many other Bands, they did not have any equipment and had to borrow some to Record their Debut, during a Tour with Soft Machine. Caravan's career was pretty much consistent, each one of them getting excellent reviews, even with the constant Personnel changes that went on. The reviews did not match the sales, who were very poor, they only had 2 Albums chart in the UK and 1 in the US.

Best Tracks - "Place Of My Own", "Policeman", "Love Song With Flute", "Cecil Rons", "Grandma's Lawn" and "Where But For Caravan Would I?". It took me awhile to get into the Album, for some reason it felt easier to start enjoying Soft Machine that it was to listen to Caravan, which from what i read is quite weird as fans of Psychedelia find it quite easy to get into. Caravan is a great Debut, and as described by Allmusic, it is a very mature Album, as if the Band already had years of practice, which they didn't.

Caravan:

- Pye Hastings – Guitar, Vocals, Bass.

- Dave Sinclair – Organ, Piano.

- Richard Sinclair – Bass, Vocals, Guitar.

- Richard Coughlan – Drums.

- Jimmy Hastings - Flute.

Download in comments.

The Amazing Blondel - Fantasia Lindum (1971)

Fantasia Lindum is the Third Album by the English Acoustic Medieval/Psychedelic Folk Band The Amazing Blondel.

Fantasia Lindum (Fantasia means improvisation and Lindum is the Latin word for the city of Lincoln, in which the Album is greatly inspired and to whom the sequence "Fantasia Lindum", lasting for 20 minutes, is a tribute) is the highlight of The Amazing Blondel's career. Far more ambitious then their previous work, Evensong, with longer acts and more ambitious compositions, similar to the Elizabethan (1558–1603) Time Period Music. The Amazing Blondel were at the time signed to one of the Mainstream Record Labels, Island Records, who also had Nick Drake, Sandy Denny, Jethro Tull and The Incredible String Band on their ranks, which is not very common for a act of this nature, but something that happened on this weird times. They were also known for their Live performances in which they used up to 40 different instruments to play their Songs with the biggest amount of precision they could. They were big fans of Studio working which culminated on their disbanding.

Best Tracks - "Fantasia Lindum", "Safety In God Alone", "Two Songs" and "Siege Of Yaddlethorpe". The Amazing Blondel is probably the closest you can find in terms of Medieval Music being played by Rock Musicians you can get, even though they were probably never that well regarded by the Rock Community and the Folk Revival Movement. The Sound they created is so particular that no one so far has been able to identify it and link them with any particular Genre. It is without a doubt a fantastic Album and a fantastic Band.

The Amazing Blondel:

- John David Gladwin - Lute, Lead-Vocals, Double Bass, Theorbo.

- Terence Alan Wincott - Recorder, Back-Vocals, Piano, Crumhorn, Harpsichord, Harmonium.

- Edward Baird - Lute, Back-Vocals, Glockenspiel, Dulcimer, Guitar.

- Jim Capaldi - Drums.

Download in comments.

Kaleidoscope - Faintly Blowing (1969)

Faintly Blowing is the Second and Last Album by the English Psychedelic-Pop Band Kaleidoscope.

Kaleidoscope's History begins in 1963, as The Sidekicks in West London, turning into The Key in 1965 (They released a collection of songs they recorded as The Sidekicks and released them about 10 years ago, There is no recording of The Key out). When they were signed to Fontana Records, they finally settled for the name Kaleidoscope, in 1967 (which must not be confused by the U.S. Band Kaleidoscope, active in the same time period). Upon the release of the First Single "Flight From Ashiya"/"Holidaymaker" they started receiving a lot of airplay which unfortunately did not boost the sales of their Debut Album, released in Late 1967, and now considered to be one of the seminal Psychedelic-Rock works in England, which did not receive any special attention at all. Most of 1968 was spent on the Road in Europe and performing for the Television and Radio and released their Last Album as Kaleidoscope in 1969, which also didn't make it to the Charts. With the commercial failure the Band decided to change their name and try again, and thus Fairfield Parlour was formed, with the exact same line-up as Kaleidoscope.

Best Tracks - "Faintly Blowing", "Poem", "Snapdragon", "A Story From Tom Bitz", "(Love Song) For Annie", "Black Fjord", "The Feathered Tiger" and "Music". Daltrey's voice is very distinct and characteristic, you can easily distinguish their sound. Most of the songs are extremely well written and performed with very good compositions. It sure is a fantastic Band, deserving of the huge amount of followers it has nowadays. The Cover shows the Band standing next to a strange looking tree, surrounded by magical creatures. Quite a weird Cover.

Kaleidoscope:

- Peter Daltrey - Vocals, Keyboards.
- Eddie Pumer - Guitar.
- Steve Clark - Bass.
- Danny Bridgman - Drums.

Download in comments.