The Beau Brummels (rock, pop, folk rock, country rock / USA)

The Beau Brummels were an American rock band. Formed in San Francisco in 1964.
They were discovered by local disc jockeys who were looking to sign acts to their new label, Autumn Records, where Sylvester Stewart - later known as Sly Stone - produced the group's early recording sessions. Initially, the band's musical style blended beat music and folk music and typically drew comparisons to The Beatles, while their later work incorporated other music genres such as psychedelic rock and country rock.

The Beau Brummels broke into the mainstream with their debut single, "Laugh, Laugh," for which they would later be credited for setting one of the aesthetic foundations for the San Francisco Sound, along with other bands such as The Charlatans. The band's popularity continued with the subsequent album, 1965's "Introducing the Beau Brummels", and the Top 10 single "Just a Little." The group's commercial success declined by the following year, at which time the financially struggling Autumn label was acquired by Warner Bros. Records. After recording an album of cover songs, "Beau Brummels '66", the band released a pair of critically acclaimed albums: "Triangle" in 1967 and "Bradley's Barn" in 1968.

Years active: 1964–1969, 1974–1975



History:

Formation (1964):
Sal Valentino grew up in the North Beach section of San Francisco. In early 1964, following a string of appearances as a singer on local television, Valentino received an offer to play a regular gig at El Cid, a San Francisco club. Needing a band, he called childhood friend and songwriter/guitarist Ron Elliott, who recruited drummer John Petersen, rhythm guitarist/singer Declan Mulligan, and bassist Ron Meagher. The gig led to a more lucrative deal at the Morocco Room, a club in nearby San Mateo, California. Meanwhile, San Francisco disc jockeys Tom Donahue and Bobby Mitchell were looking for new acts to bring to their fledgling Autumn Records label. Donahue and Mitchell wanted to capitalize on the Beatlemania craze that originated the previous year in the UK and was spreading across the U.S. by this time. Rich Romanello, owner of the Morocco Room and the Brummels' first manager, asked Donahue and Mitchell to see the band perform at the club. Romanello recalled, "There were maybe four people in the place, and they set up and started playing, and that old hair on my arm goes up. And when the hair on your arm goes up, you got something. It was a big change, to go from saxophones and black singers to a white guitar sound, but I hired 'em." 
The Beau Brummels signed with Autumn, where house producer Sylvester Stewart - later known as Sly Stone, of Sly & the Family Stone fame - produced the group's early recording sessions.

The Beau Brummels took their name from a term for an excessively well-dressed person. The group liked having a British-sounding name, and the legend has been, since it so closely followed The Beatles in the alphabet, the group also knew their records would likely be placed immediately behind those of The Beatles in record-store bins. Valentino dismissed this notion in a 2008 interview with Goldmine magazine. "That's a total myth", he said. "We just needed a name, and that sounded good. We didn't even know how to spell it. Everybody now has a notion of what people were thinking back then, but we never thought of those kinds of things." Al Hazan, who produced the band's demo recording, noted, "I never thought of the Brummels in terms of the Beatles - it was Ron Elliott's talent as a songwriter that caused me to want to produce them."


Musical style:

Combining beat music and folk rock, the Beau Brummels were most often compared, especially early in their career, to British bands such as the Beatles and the Zombies.[9] The Beau Brummels were fans of these acts as well as The Rolling Stones and The Searchers, and originally patterned their overall style after the British Invasion sound. The melancholy, minor keys of debut single "Laugh, Laugh" led many listeners to mistakenly believe that the band were indeed British. As the band evolved, they incorporated different music genres into their works, ranging from hard rock to country and western to rhythm and blues. The Triangle album exhibited the band's growing interest in country music along with elements of psychedelic pop, including the use of strings, brass, woodwinds, harpsichord, and various types of unique percussion. Ron Elliott said the album was "sort of a mood swing into the world that was around us at the time. It was sort of dissolving into this drug culture. So the music became very ethereal, mystic, and mysterious." 
The band's country rock fusion was most evident on their 1968 album Bradley's Barn, which Elliott said was similar stylistically to Triangle, but with more country accents.

The band members have been hesitant to categorize their music, preferring to call it a combination of styles, according to Elliott. "We don't play anything really different - we play melodically and rhythmically," he said in a 1965 interview. "I think that's why the [Rolling] Stones have made it. They don't do anything really fantastic but they have good taste, and good taste is more important than speed." Sal Valentino praised Elliott's vocal style, saying that "Ron had a great low register. He knew how to write in the best keys for me." Valentino added, "From the time I started singing in bands, I didn't really sing too many other people's songs other than Ron's. Being able to sing just one person's writing, who was a pretty able writer with ability to adjust to what he's working with, had a lot to do with the way I sang." Valentino also credited Sly Stone's input for the band's early success. "He had a lot to do with making our music relatable and anticipating how our records would sound on the radio, particularly on the bottom, rhythm end. Sly was very motivated to make a lot of money, and he was awfully talented."


Band members:

Original line-up:

Sal Valentino – lead vocals, tambourine (1964–1969, 1974–1975)
Ron Elliott – lead guitar, backing vocals, occasional lead (1964–1969, 1974–1975)
Ron Meagher – bass, backing vocals, occasional lead (1964–1967, 1974)
Declan Mulligan – rhythm guitar, harmonica, backing vocals, occasional lead (1964–1965, 1974–1975)
John Petersen – drums, occasional lead vocal (1964–1966, 1974–1975)

Subsequent members:

Don Irving - guitars, backing vocals (1965–1966)
Dan Levitt - banjo, guitars (1974–1975)

Peter Tepp - drums (completed 1975 tour)



The Wolfe of the Velvet Fortune:

Magic Hollow:

Triangle:

Discography:

1965: Introducing the Beau Brummels
1965: The Beau Brummels, Volume 2
1966: Beau Brummels '66
1967: Triangle
1968: Bradley's Barn

1975: The Beau Brummels


More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beau_Brummels

Jim Morrison (Photos)

Opal Butterfly (psych pop, soul, R & B / UK)

(Left to Right) Alan Love - Richard Bardey (top) - Simon King - Robbie Milne - Tom Doherty

Opal Butterfly were an English, late 1960s band, from London. The band featured Simon King (drums) (born 1950, Oxford, Oxfordshire, England) and, for a short time, Lemmy, who met again in Hawkwind. Further members were Robert C. "Robbie" Milne (lead guitar), Allan Love (lead vocals), Richard Bardey (bass) and Tommy Doherty (rhythm guitar).
They appeared in the Derek Ford film, Groupie Girl (1970), as "Sweaty Betty".


Opal Butterfly was born out of Cardboard Heaven who were an Oxfordshire based band (circa 1967), playing mainly local clubs and dance halls, the group's set contained mostly soul and R&B standards.

Simon King formed Opal Butterfly inviting old band member Robbie Milne along the way. Robbie had previously worked with a local Dicot group whose most notable member was Arthur Brown who was then a student at Reading University. The remaining line-up was made up with Allan Love (vocals); Richard Bardey (bass) and Tom Doherty (guitar). Tommy : "The name came about when I was looking at a butterfly on my wall in a case, but Butterfly by itself was a bit dull, so we thought of something more colourful".

Before signing with CBS, the band did two demo tracks (covers) at a studio in London, "I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night" and "Wind Up Toys". From a music paper of the time:

In fact, these young men were participating in an exercise new to the pop world. They were commuting to a rehearsal room to spend their whole day practising and composing. They have spent a solid six months doing just this every day. Not once have they made a public appearance. The aim, I am told, has been to create an original and unusual stage act - "A fresh musical experience".

Their first official recording was "Beautiful Beige/Speak Up", released in 1968, described in the press as a "crisp debut" and an "amiable slice of harmony pop psychedelia". From the beginning, Opal Butterfly were managed by Geoff Hibberd and Bernard Cochrane, represented by Starlight Artistes and publicity was handled by Brian Longley.
Opal Butterfly's second single was a cover of the Who's "Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand", with the rather famous "My Gration Or?", clocking in at a whopping 7 minutes, 27 seconds. "Mary Anne..." was described in the press as "opting for a more energetic and grandiose approach than the Who's own rendition".
As a point of interest, Alan Cobb of Cardboard Heaven guested on this session and on 'Beautiful Beige' there was a session man on harpsicord.
OB toured throughout 1969 and 1970, playing around 90 minute sets including covers of 'Sunshine of Your Love'; 'My White Bicycle'; 'Flames' and 'The Great Banana Hoax' . Their live performance at the time was closer to 'My Gration Or?' and the two demos (mentioned above) than the two singles suggested.

In 1969, the band split and Robbie formed another Opal Butterfly line-up with replacement musicians, namely Ray Owen (vocals, also of Moon and Juicy Lucy), Davy O'List (guitar), XX (bass) and Mike Burchett (drums) but this line-up only lasted a short while because Tommy and Simon formed their own version of Opal Butterfly....


With the new Opal Butterfly line-up, briefly including Lemmy (guitar, also later of Hawkwind and Motorhead) and then Ray Major (guitar), and Tommy changing to bass they recorded a third single, "Groupie Girl / The Gigging Song" on Polydor and also appeared briefly in the B movie "Groupie Girl" (Directed by Derek Ford and starring Esme Johns; Billy Boyle; Richard Shaw and Donald Sumpter), Lemmy incidently had been kicked out of the band before the single and film.

Around 1970, the group finally split up and went their separate ways, with Simon moving on to Hawkwind, after an introduction from Lemmy.


Meanwhile Robbie joined the 'New Look Soul Band' who were later to become Fine China.
Fine China were a six-piece soul band based primarily in London but spent most of their time touring in Germany. Formally called the New Look Soul Band, they changed the name due to mainly Robbie's Opal Butterfly influences towards a heavier style of music (namely Jeff Beck; Jethro Tull and Cream styled numbers).
They never recorded any singles and were an excellent live band, the most notable member being Michael Barrymore on keyboards.
Their line-up from left to right were Robbie (guitar); Mike Holmes (sax and flute); Bob Hardy (sax); Allan Shephard (bass); John Moore (vocals and drums) and Micky Parker (keyboards). 

The group split up in 1971.



Beautiful Beige (only to see on YouTube): http://youtu.be/Wei4r9UCWTU


My Gration Or? :

Quotes

“When I am ..... completely myself, entirely alone... or during the night when I cannot sleep, it is on such occasions that my ideas flow best and most abundantly. Whence and how these ideas come I know not nor can I force them.” 
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart


“Music is a language that doesn’t speak in particular words. It speaks in emotions, and if it’s in the bones, it’s in the bones.” 
Keith Richards


“I declare that The Beatles are mutants. Prototypes of evolutionary agents sent by God, endowed with a mysterious power to create a new human species, a young race of laughing freemen.” 
Timothy Leary


“It was sad music. But it waved its sadness like a battle flag. It said the universe had done all it could, but you were still alive.” 
Terry Pratchett


“The hungry and the haunted explode in a rock'n'roll band.” 
Bruce Springsteen


“I remembered Owen telling me how music had saved him in Phoenix, that it drowned everything out, and it was the same for me now. As long as I had something to listen to, I could blur the things I didn't want to think about, if not block them out completely.” 
Sarah Dessen


“America: It's like Britain, only with buttons.” 
Ringo Starr


“A composer is a guy who goes around forcing his will on unsuspecting air molecules, often with the assistance of unsuspecting musicians.” 
Frank Zappa


“Words make you think. Music makes you feel. A song makes you feel a thought.” 
Yip Harburg


“My music is the spiritual expression of what I am — my faith, my knowledge, my being...When you begin to see the possibilities of music, you desire to do something really good for people, to help humanity free itself from its hangups...I want to speak to their souls.” 
John Coltrane


“The rock and roll business is pretty absurd, but the world of serious music is much worse.” 
Frank Zappa


“Music is forever; music should grow and mature with you, following you right on up until you die. ” 
Paul Simon


“I refuse to believe that Hendrix had the last possessed hand,
that Joplin had the last drunken throat,
that Morrison had the last enlightened mind.” 
Patti Smith


“In music the passions enjoy themselves.” 
Friedrich Nietzsche


“Philosophy is the highest music.” 
Plato


“At first the music almost repelled me, it was so intense, and this man made no attempt to sugarcoat what he was trying to say, or play. It was hard-core, more than anything I had ever heard. After a few listenings I realized that, on some level, I had found the master, and that following this man's example would be my life's work.” 
Eric Clapton


“Music can elevate man to new heights. Especially elevator music. 
” 
Jarod Kintz

Sam Gopal (psych rock / UK)

Sam Gopal (also called Sam Gopal's Dream) is an underground British Psychedelic rock band.
The band is named after its founder, Sam Gopal, born in Malaysia. From the age of seven, he played tabla, a northern Indian percussion that replaced drums in the band.
Came to London to study in 1962.

Years active: 1966 - 1970


In 1965/66 he started the SAM GOPAL DREAM with Mick Hutchinson on guitar, Pete Sears on bass, and Andy Clark (Keyboards) joined a little bit later. In 1967 recorded a few tracks for Screen Gems with Gus Dudgeon as engineer.

In 1968 started the next band SAM GOPAL with Lemmy.(guitar/ vocals), Roger D'Elia (guitar) and Phil Duke on bass. Recorded an album "Escalator" for Stable Records. Were managed by Robert Stigwood. Also recorded a single "Horse" / "Back Door Man" .

In 1969 started the next band, also called SAM GOPAL, with Alan Mark (vocals), Mox Gowland (harmonica & flutes), Micky Finn Waller (guitar), and Freddie Gandy (bass). Recorded a few tracks for Stable including "Somebody stole the Sun".




Members: 

Sam Gopal with:

Sam Gopal's Dream:

Mick Hutchinson guitar
Pete Sears bass
Andy Clark (keyboards)

ISam Gopal Mk I:

Lemmy (guitar/ vocals)
Roger D'Elia (guitar)
Phil Duke

Sam Gopal Mk II:

Alan Mark (vocals)
Mox Gowland (harmonica & flutes)
Micky Finn (Waller) (guitar)
Freddie Gandy (bass)

Yesterlove : https://youtu.be/hQNkmDXJ0Uo :

=============================================================

Sam Gopal spent some time in Amsterdam and changed the name of the band from SAM GOPAL to "COSMOSIS". Managed by R.Cole/Peter Grant, and brought in Bernie Holland (guitar). Recorded a few tracks for the Led Zep people. Around this time (1971), Sam Gopal had a bad motor accident, and sidelined for a couple of years. During this period, recorded an album "Building B".

In 1976 went to Paris, and there recorded for Radio France "Feedback" and "Backfeed" with Didier Malherbe (sax) and Patrice Lemoine (piano).

From 1981 to 1988, spent time in Nepal, where he had been studying Tablas the previous years, and to continue further, and also allowing his own music to come through.

In 1988, he came to Berlin and started in 1989 his next "one off" band "SANGIT" with a live recording at the Berlin/Philharmonie /Kammermusiksaal. "SANGIT" recorded the soundtrack for "The Great Moghuls", six documentary films for Channel Four.

In 1990 Sam Gopal recorded an album "Soap Opera" with Andy Clark (Keyboards & vocals) in Berlin. In 1991, he recorded the next album "Not For Sale" (working title) with Andy Clark (keyboards & vocals) and studio musicians, also in Berlin.

In the 90`s Sam Gopal put together his need and desire to extend his music into the 12 tone Tabla direction, which opens up a whole new melodic world of over-tones and rhythms for him.

Around this time Sam Gopal recorded his own album "FATHER MUCKER" which got completed in 1999. On "SOLID WATER BLUES" Sam Gopal plays all guitars, tablas, percussion and 12 Tone Tablas. On yhat track you hear the first blues played on tablas in the history of music.

Since the release of "FATHER MUCKER" in June 1999, he is completing preparations for his next album "FINGER McTRIP". 

OTHER RECORDINGS of SAM GOPAL:

In 1980 recorded in Olympic Studios London, few tracks including
"Sell out Joe" (Vocals), "Falling In" and "Showdown".

In 1989 recorded an album "Largo" in Zurich.

In 1992, a Live Recording of Sam Gopal's one-off Band "Brain Tonic", also called Brain Tonic.

In 1993, recorded an album "Blind Man's Movie" in Munich.

Khan ( prog rock / UK)

Khan were an English progressive rock band of the Canterbury Scene during 1971-1972.
Formed by Steve Hillage from Uriel, the initial line-up was Steve Hillage (guitar), Nick Greenwood (bass guitar, from The Crazy World of Arthur Brown), Dick Heninghem (organ) and Pip Pyle (percussion). Pyle quickly moved on to Gong and by the time the band played its first gig in June 1971 he had been replaced by Eric Peachey (from Dr. K’s Blues Band). In October 1971 Dick Heninghem left as well, replaced by Dave Stewart for the duration of the album sessions.

The album Space Shanty was released in June 1972, followed by a UK tour supporting Caravan, for which Canadian organist Val Stevens joined. The songs on Space Shanty have some of the most emotion-filled and gloriously picturesque lyrics and compositions out of the whole Canterbury scene/sound. Songs like "Stranded" and "Driving To Amsterdam" attempt atmospheres reminiscent of Uriah Heep's epic ballads (something not often done in a direct and dedicated way in the Canterbury scene - while Kevin Ayers may be comparable, a key difference is that Hillage's lyrics and compositions aren't detached or ironic).
In the summer of 1972, Hillage put together a new version of the band, retaining Peachey but adding Dave Stewart on keyboards and Nigel Griggs on bass. New material was written and rehearsed, and a few live performances took place in September–October 1972, but Decca's refusal to commit to the release of a second album led Hillage to break up the band and join Kevin Ayers's band, then Gong. Some material on Steve Hillage's first solo album, Fish Rising, was originally planned for Khan's aborted second album.
While in Gong, Hillage continued to write riffs but the larger musical dimension drew more from David Allen's psychedelic lyrics and story concepts. Hillage's solo work also mostly sees him playing within the more typical Canterbury jazz/prog/pop sound (Caravan etc.), leaving the emotional record Space Shanty to be a fairly unique 'one-off' type of recording.

Members:


- Nick Greenwood - bass, vocals
- Steve Hillage - guitars, vocals
- Eric Peachy - drums
- Dave Stewart - organ, piano, skyceleste, marimbas





Hollow Stone:

Discography:

Space Shanty (1972)

Jimi Hendrix (Art)

Apple (psych rock / UK)

Apple were a British psychedelic rock band. The band was founded in Cardiff (Wales) in 1968 by Rob Ingram on guitar and Jeff Harrad on bass. They released a single LP in 1969, titled An Apple a Day. The album was a commercial failure, and the band ceased to exist shortly after its release. However, during the subsequent years several tracks from the LP, most notably "The Otherside" by Harrad, were dubbed classics of British psychedelic rock by critics, making An Apple a Day one of the most sought-after British psychedelic rarities.

The original vinyl version (released by Page One Records) is now extremely hard to find. A reissue by Repertoire Records was released in 1994, which included several bonus songs (those being early mono versions of some of the album's tracks).

Years active: 1968–1969

Nothing to do with the Beatles of course, these Cardiff based psychedelic rockers unleashed three singles in 1968 on the Page One label that failed to attract new listeners. Their debut album was also their swansong; they split up shortly after its release in 1969. Of course, as time rolled by their singles were considered classics of the psychedelic era and began to rise in value. Produced by Caleb Quaye.




Members:

Dennis Regan (vocals)
Robbo Ingram (guitar)
Jeff Harrad (bass)
Charlie Barber (piano)
Dave Brassington (drums)


An Apple A Day (Full album): http://youtu.be/Hu3L9DuNwkg 

Discography:

Albums:

An Apple a Day (Page One POLS 016) 1969


Singles:

"Thank You Very Much" / "Your Heart is Free Just Like the Wind" (Smash S2143) 1968
"Thank You Very Much" / "Your Heart is Free Just Like the Wind" (Philips 320 269 BF, Netherlands) 1968
"Buffalo Billycan" / "Let's Take a Trip Down The Rhine" (Page One POF 409) 1968
"Doctor Rock" / "The Otherside" (Page One POF 110) 1968

Ray Manzarek R.I.P.

May 20, 2013

BBC News:

Doors co-founder Ray Manzarek dies at 74 in Germany 

The Doors - John Densmore, Robby Krieger, Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek - were hugely successful in their heyday

Ray Manzarek, keyboard player and founder member of the 60s rock band The Doors, has died aged 74.


He formed the band with lead singer Jim Morrison in 1965 after a chance meeting in Venice Beach, Los Angeles.

Manzarek, who had battled bile duct cancer for many years, died in a clinic in Rosenheim, Germany, with his wife and brothers at his bedside.

The Doors found fame in the 1960s with hits such as The End, Break on Through to the Other Side and Hello I Love You.

They sold more than 100 million albums worldwide and Manzarek became one of the best-known keyboardists of his era, his artistry colouring tracks like Riders on the Storm and Light my Fire.

In his latter years, Manzarek played in other bands and, in 1998, wrote a best-selling memoir, Light My Fire: My Life with The Doors.

Drummer John Densmore paid tribute to Manzarek, saying he felt "totally in sync" with his "musical brother".

"There was no keyboard player on the planet more appropriate to support Jim Morrison's words," he added.

Guitarist Robbie Krieger, who continued to play with Manzarek following Morrison's death on 3 July 1971, said he was "deeply saddened" to hear the news.

"I'm just glad to have been able to have played Doors songs with him for the last decade. Ray was a huge part of my life and I will always miss him," he said.

British rock musician Billy Idol ‏tweeted, "I was lucky to get a chance to rock out with him and the other two Doors. Cheers mate, say hi to Jim."

Bill Siddons, the band's manager in the 60s, told the BBC it was a "tremendous loss" to musical culture.

"He understood what Jim's talent was, and he put the band together to make it work," he said. "The Doors really had a huge impact, and still do, on our musical culture."

The original line-up, which included drummer John Densmore and guitarist Robby Krieger, made six albums in their six years together.

The death of Morrison, who died of heart failure in a bath in Paris, effectively spelled the end for the band, although Chicago-born Manzarek took on singing duty.

Manzarek, who was of Polish descent, was born and raised in south Chicago before studying cinematography at the University of California in Los Angeles where he first met fellow film student Morrison.

They met again by chance on Venice Beach after finishing their course, where Morrison sang him an early version of Moonlight Drive, which would later feature on their second album, Strange Days.

Manzarek met Densmore and Krieger at a Transcendental Meditation lecture and the four became the house band at The London Fog on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles in 1966.

He played with a number of other bands throughout his career including Iggy Pop and punk rock band X.

Manzarek is survived by his wife Dorothy Fujikawa, who he married in 1967, his son, Pablo and three grandchildren.


The Doors - Light My Fire (Live In Europe 1968):

Neon Pearl (psych / UK)

Neon Pearl was a 1960s British psychedelic band consisting of Peter Dunton (vocals/guitar/keyboards/drums), Bernard Jinks (bass guitar/backing vocals) and Nick Spenser (guitar/harmonium/keyboards).



In 1967, Neon Pearl released the album 1967 Recordings, which is a fine example of experimental British psychedelia with its hazy riffs, mild guitar distortions and vocal harmonies. Dunton was also in the marginally less obscure British psychedelic bands the Flies and Please, while Jinks later played in Bulldog Breed and T2, the latter also including Dunton.
Popular songs included "Forever", "Going With The Flow", "Just Another Day", "Out Of Sight" and "What Do You See". 


Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neon_Pearl

Andwella's Dream (psych / Ireland, UK)

Late 60's psychedelic band from Belfast lead by Dave Lewis. a.k.a Andwella.

Andwellas Dream, originally called 'The Method' was formed in Belfast (Ireland) by Dave Lewis in the mid-sixties. The band moved to London in the late 60's and changed the name to Andwella's Dream. They released the album Love and Poetry in 1969 which is highly regarded among psychedelic collectors. The group later shortened the name to 'Andwella' and recorded the albums World's End (1970) and People's People (1971).

The trio were fronted by Dave Lewis (Guitar/keyboard/vocals), with Nigel Smith (bass/vocals) and Gordon Barton (drums).

Their first album, as Andwellas Dream, Love and Poetry, was recorded in London in 1968, and featured jazz musician Bob Downes on saxophone and flute. However, the album failed to sell, and Lewis then recorded a solo album, privately pressed, on the Ax label in 1970; which included new versions of some of the Andwella's Dream songs. Then in 1970 David Lewis wrote the music for and produced poet David Baxter's "Goodbye Dave" album, for which he was backed by Andwella.
With the addition of Dave McDougall on guitar and vocals, the band was renamed Andwella. This line-up issued World's End, before Dave Struthers replaced Nigel Smith on bass and Jack McCullock joined as drummer. This lineup recorded the bands' last album, People's People, in 1971, after which the band broke up in 1972.

Source: http://irishrockers.com/artistView.php?artist=Andwella's%20Dream
             http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andwella 

Flat Earth Society (psych rock, USA)

Flat Earth Society is a 60s psych pop/rock band from Lynn, just North of Boston. Flat Earth Society were notable for their crispy, clear vocal sound. 

In early 1968 they were approached by the Boston advertising firm Quinn and Johnson to make an album and a jingle for the manufacturer of the ‘Waleeco’ candy bar - the F. B. Washburn Candy Company. That year every ‘Waleeco’ bar carried a coupon advertising the Flat Earth’s Society’s album Waleeco for $1.50 and six ‘Waleeco’ bar wrappers.



Recorded at Fleetwood Recording Studio in Revere, most of the material was written by Kerivan, the only non-original being a slow melodic version of Midnight Hour. The album covers quite a wide rock spectrum with goodtime (I’m So Happy), folk (When You’re There and The Prelude For Town Monk), hard rock (Four & Twenty Miles and Shadows), as well as psychedelia, but each track has the band’s own style about it. Aside from Feelin’ Much Better, the best tracks are arguably on the second side of the album. Dark Street Downtown has some haunting vocals superimposed upon swirling piano. Portrait In Grey is a haunting piano-oriented instrumental and Satori, a very strange psychedelic instrumental. 
The band made a few appearances after making the album but broke up soon after.



Dark Street Downtown:

Shadows:

The Myrrors (psych rock / USA)

Biography:

The Myrrors were an underground psychedelic rock group from Phoenix, Arizona consisting of Nik Rayne on sitar, guitar and vocals, Cesar Alatorre on guitar, Christopher Safi on bass and Grant Beyshau on drums and percussion. 

They released one record in 2008 entitled "Burning Circles In The Sky" before splitting up in late 2009. Various tracks by the band have been included on various psychedelic rock compilations by labels such as Psyilocybin Sounds and Quixodelic Records.













Mother of All Living: 

Warpainting:

Jimi Hendrix (Art)

Virus (prog rock / Germany)

Virus was a short-lived German band that released just two LP’s during their brief existence: ‘Revelation’ (early ‘71) and ‘Thoughts’ (late ‘71). Though they’ve been often tagged as a krautrock band, Virus was actually a hard rock/psych ‘70’s ensemble from the Bielefeld/Westphalia area. 

They also released superb live album ‘Remember’, which was recorded at Koln on April 28, 1973 for WDR Radio show. 



Formed in 1970, Bielefeld, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany and disbanded in 1974 






The only members present in all and two albums are Jorg-Dieter Krahe on keyboards and Wolfgang Rieke on drums.


Members:

Reinhold Spiegelfeld (bass) 
Bernd "Molle" Hohmann (flute, vocals) 
J. Dieter Krahe (organ, keyboards) 
Wolfgang Rieke (drums) 
Werner Monka (guitar)
Jürgen Schäfer (bass, vocals) 
Werner Vogt (bass, guitar, vocals) 
Bernd Rösner (guitar, 1971)
Jürgen "Dohse" Dose (saxophone, 1973) 
Reinhard Iffländer (guitar, 1973) 
Axel Nieling (drums, percussion, ?-1974) 
Jürgen Kochbeck (keyboards, vocals)
Micky Stickdorn (drums, 1974)



Butterflies: https://youtu.be/uKKkQqdv1nY :

King Heroin: https://youtu.be/UCzuN47EwiI :

 

Jason Lytle (Indie, space rock / USA)

Jason Lytle (born March 26, 1969) is an American musician best known for his work in the indie rock group Grandaddy between 1992 and 2005. Since the group split, he has continued to release music as a solo artist and in collaboration with other musicians. Grandaddy reformed in 2012 for a series of live shows.


Occupations: singer, songwriter, musician
Instruments: guitar, keyboards
Years active: 1992–present


Biography:

Lytle was born in Modesto, California with an older sister, three younger brothers, and a stepsister. His father was in the grocery business, and his mother a housewife; They divorced when Lytle was aged five. A fan of music at an early age, he played drums as a child. Skateboarding, however, captured his interest. By his late teens, Lytle was a sponsored amateur. While laid up with a career-ending ACL injury, he started to play music again, writing songs and eventually setting up a home studio. Grandaddy came together gradually, signed to V2 Records, put out albums, and toured the world.

After spending years on the road, Lytle grew tired of the rock and roll lifestyle and recorded much of the band's final album, Just Like the Fambly Cat, on his own. In December 2005, six months prior to the release of Just Like the Fambly Cat, the band decided to break up: the reasons included elusive mainstream success, despite widespread critical acclaim, and lack of money. Early in 2006, Lytle moved to Montana from Modesto, California, where he had lived his whole life.
Mid-2006 saw Lytle briefly touring the U.S. in support of The Fambly Cat, playing new arrangements of Grandaddy songs as a duo with Rusty Miller of Jackpot. The tour was brokered as part of a deal to get V2 to agree to releasing a Grandaddy DVD that Lytle has in the works.
Lytle's debut solo album, Yours Truly, the Commuter, was released on May 19, 2009.
He appears in the music video for I Am Lost (And The Moment Cannot Last) from the album. The video was shot in Sylmar, CA on December 9, 2008 and directed by The General Assembly.
On December 7, 2009, Lytle independently released an EP of seven improvised piano recordings as a "Merry X-mas" gift to fans through his website on bandcamp.com. He also announced that he was currently working on a new album.

Lytle later joined with Aaron Burtch, a former Grandaddy bandmate, and Aaron Espinoza and Ariana Murray, of the band Earlimart, to form a new band called Admiral Radley. Their debut CD, entitled I Heart California, was released in the USA on July 13, 2010, on Espinoza's The Ship label. Lytle's latest solo album, Dept. of Disappearance was released October 16, 2012.


Matterhorn:

Discography:

Solo albums:

Yours Truly, the Commuter (2009)
Merry X-Mas 2009 (2009)
Music Meant to Accompany the Art of Ron Cameron (2010)
Dept. of Disappearance (Oct 2012)

Janis Joplin (Photos)

Janis Joplin, April 19, 1969 in Denmark

Espers (psych folk rock / USA)

Espers is a psych folk band from Philadelphia that is part of the emerging indie folk scene. They formed in 2002 as a trio of singer-songwriter Greg Weeks, Meg Baird and Brooke Sietinsons but later expanded to a sextet including Otto Hauser, Helena Espvall and Chris Smith. 

Years active: 2002–present

Their music is reminiscent of late-sixties British folk as well as many contemporary folk acts such as Six Organs of Admittance. Most of the band's members have also featured on recordings by a number of other folk artists such as Nick Castro and Vashti Bunyan and as a result have become an important part of the psych-folk revival.
They released their self-titled debut in 2004 on Locust Music and followed that with an album of cover songs, The Weed Tree, in 2005. This release featured the band's versions of songs by artists as diverse as Nico, The Durutti Column and Blue Öyster Cult. In 2006 the band released their third full-length album, II (presumably so called because it was their second album of original material), on Drag City Records. Their fourth album, III, was released on October 20, 2009.


Black is the Colour:

Discography

Albums:

Espers (2004)
The Weed Tree (2005)
II (2006)
III (2009)


Singles
"Riding" / "Under The Waterfall" (7") (2005)