Susan Christie (psych. folk / USA)

Susan Christie is an American singer-songwriter from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She had a minor hit with the novelty song "I Love Onions" (written by Donald Cochrane and John Hill). The track, which peaked at #63 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1966, is described as having a sound reminiscent of the 1920s, with Christie's "breathy" vocal backed by a chorus of kazoo players and male backup singers. 

In Canada, however, the single fared much better, reaching #19 on the RPM 100 national singles chart on August 1, 1966. The tune was later adapted for a Canadian television commercial as "I Love Turtles" in 1980. 

Signed to Columbia Records, Christie recorded an album in 1970, Paint a Lady. Described as "psychedelic folk music". After one novelty song, the label bosses didn’t think her melancholy take on country and solitude would ever be of any interest. The album went unreleased by Columbia, which considered it to be non-commercial, and Christie was dropped from the label. The album, of which only three vinyl copies were ever pressed, languished in obscurity until 2006, when Manchester-based DJ Andy Votel received a copy and brought the album renewed attention and a CD release. SPIN magazine described the album as "funky free folk" filled with "brilliantly original songs" and Christie as a "dark, strange songbird". Susan 

Christie’s album is a beautiful piece of despondent tales and folky psychedelia. The fascinating thing is that it sounds very current. The title track is reminiscent of Portishead , while other songs incorporate break heavy folk-funk, current DJ’s would die for. 

Christie participated in the 2008 "Lost Ladies of Folk" project spearheaded by Votel and his spouse, recording artist Jane Weaver, performing in concert at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London and appearing on the compilation album Bearded Ladies. In 2010 Christie appeared as a guest artist on Weaver's album The Fallen By Watch Bird. 

Paint A Lady (album 1970): 

Track Listing:

 

1. Rainy Day 0:00 

2. Paint a Lady 03:10 

3. For the Love of a Soldier 06:33 

4. Ghost Riders in the Sky 10:29 

5. Yesterday Where's My Mind 13:55 

6. Echo in My Mind 23:01 

7. When Love Comes 26:19 

8. No One Can Hear You Cry 28:38

https://youtu.be/0e_P6kwQ-S4

Sources: wikipedia.org and Last.fm

Loudest Whisper (folk rock, prog folk / Ireland)

Loudest Whisper are an Irish folk rock/progressive folk group formed in the early 1970s and led by songwriter and guitarist Brian O'Reilly. They are best known for their 1974 debut album, The Children of Lir, a folk opera based on the Irish legend of the same name. The original LP release of the album became one of the most sought after records in Ireland, and ranks among the top 100 rarest records in the world.
Loudest Whisper made several albums and over a dozen singles. The group became dormant in the mid-1980s, but reformed in the mid-1990s with a revival of The Children of Lir. They released a new album in 2004.




History:

Loudest Whisper began in Fermoy, Ireland in the early 1960s as The Wizards, a cover band consisting of Brian O'Reilly (guitar, vocals), Michael Clancey (guitar, vocals), John Aherne (bass guitar, vocals) and Jimmy Cotter (drums, vocals). The Wizards played Beatles, Hollies and Spencer Davis songs, before progressing into "heavier blues territory" when Jimi Hendrix and Cream appeared. 

In the early 1970s, the band changed their name to "Loudest Whisper", chosen to reflect both sides of their music, "the folky and the heavy". Soon after, several personnel changes took place: Cotter left, and Brendan Nelgian (vocals), Ron Kavanagh (guitar, vocals) and Brian O'Reilly's brother Paud O'Reilly (drums) joined.
Brian O'Reilly was also a songwriter, influenced by American folk-rock groups like The Lovin' Spoonful and The Mamas & the Papas, but in the early 1970s he began exploring Irish folklore. O'Reilly was particularly interested in the Children of Lir, and in 1972 he composed a Celtic musical based on the Irish legend. The Children of Lir developed into a stage production, and it premiered in Fermoy on 7 January 1973, with Kavanagh performing in the lead role. The musical generated "a lot of regional attention" and Ireland’s national broadcaster, RTÉ recorded a ten-minute feature, which it aired on prime time. This exposure resulted in the production moving to other cities, and the Irish division of Polydor Records signing a record deal with Loudest Whisper. 

Early in 1974 the group recorded their debut album, The Children of Lir, a studio adaption of the musical with producer Leo O'Kelly from Tír na nÓg. The album was, however, rejected by Polydor in the UK and ended up being released in Ireland only in a limited edition of about 500 copies.

Kavanagh left Loudest Whisper during the recording of The Children of Lir, and Nelgian left after the album was released. O'Reilly then wrote a second musical, Perseus, based on the Greek legend. For the stage production singer Geraldine Dorgan performed in the main role, and later joined Loudest Whisper as singer/guitarist. She also sang in O'Reilly's third musical, The Maiden of Sorrow in 1975. A live performance of The Maiden of Sorrow was recorded in 1975, but not released until 1995 on CD. Loudest Whisper recorded a number of singles for Polydor Ireland during the mid- and late-1970s, but it was not until 1980 that the label released their second album, Loudest Whisper (later reissued on CD as Loudest Whisper 2), which consisted of some of their singles and new material. Unhappy with Polydor's lack of support, O'Reilly built his own recording studio in Fermoy in 1979 called Fiona. 
In 1982 the band recorded their third album, Hard Times at Fiona Studio with the addition of a new vocalist, Bernadette Bowes.
In 1985 Dorgan and Bowes left the band, and towards the end of the 1980s, Loudest Whisper began to dissolve. 
O'Reilly continued to write musicals, and staged Buskin' in Fermoy and Cork, which received "rave reviews". When Riverdance made its appearance in 1994, and proved very successful, Brian O'Reilly decided to restage The Children of Lir, this time with a more "folky and Celtic veneer". It was also recorded and released in 1994 as The Children of Lir, credited to Brian O'Reilly and Donovan. 

The original 1974 The Children of Lir recording was released in the UK for the first time by Kissing Spell on CD in 1994. In 2008 Sunbeam Records released Magic Carpet, a six-CD box set that included all the group's albums, singles and some of their early demos. The original 1974 LP release of The Children of Lir has become one of the most sought after records in Ireland, and ranks among the top 100 rarest records in the world.

Since the mid-1990s, Loudest Whisper have been performing on and off with different musicians, including as a trio of Brian O'Reilly (guitar, keyboards, vocals), his brother Paud (drums, backing vocals) and Brian's son, Oran (double bass). In 2004 the group released a new album, Our World on Fiona Records.


Members:

Brian O'Reilly
Paud O'Reilly
Oran O'Reilly


Past members:

Michael Clancey
John Aherne
Jimmy Cotter
Brendan Neligan
Ron Kavanagh
Geraldine Dorgan
Bernadette Bowes



The Overture (from the album The Children of Lir)

Discography:



Albums: 

The Children of Lir (1974, LP, Polydor Records, Ireland)
Loudest Whisper (1980, LP, Polydor Records, Ireland) – reissued on CD in 1995 as Loudest Whisper 2
Hard Times (1983, LP, Fiona Records, Ireland)
The Collection (1995, CD, Fiona Records, Ireland) – a compilation album sponsored by Clonakilty Blackpudding Co.
Maiden of Sorrow (1995, CD, Kissing Spell, UK) – live album recorded in 1975
Our World (2004, CD, Fiona Records, Ireland)

Velvett Fogg (Psychedelic rock, progressive rock, acid rock / England)

Velvett Fogg were a British psychedelic rock band from Birmingham. Tony Iommi was a member in mid-1968, but soon left to form Black Sabbath. Their lone eponymous album was released in January 1969.

Genres: Psychedelic rock, progressive rock, acid rock


Years active: 1968–1970

Velvett Fogg were formed in 1968 from members of a Birmingham band Gravy Train. Up front was soul singer Ernie Handy, Bob Hewitt was lead guitarist, with Graham Mullett on drums, and Mick Pollard on bass guitar. Londoner Frank Wilson who played Hammond organ, was also on vocals, eventually becoming band leader and lead vocalist. The newly formed band spent most of the year touring Germany playing at army bases and clubs. Their stage act included a light show and a go-go dancer.

On their return to Birmingham, the band, now managed by an agency called Inter City Artists, were given a record deal by Jack Dorsey of Pye Records. It was also a time when it seemed that the more unusual or controversial a band was, then the greater chance there would be for success in the record business. The record label was looking to sign unusual underground music acts and Velvett Fogg were told to, in Jack Dorsey's words, "develop an image that would make people think you would piss on the pope!" (Keith Law).

The initial line-up of Velvett Fogg featured guitarist Tony Iommi (later with Black Sabbath). Iommi was in the line-up for only one gig before he left to be replaced temporarily by Ian Leighton. Leighton was "a great blues guitarist", said his friend Frank Wilson. It was during this time that Pye Records arranged a photo-shoot of the band for the cover of their proposed first album.

Before recording could begin in late 1968, Ian Leighton left the band and was replaced by guitarist/vocalist Paul Eastment (a cousin of Iommi). Paul Eastment contributed original compositions for the album, as did Frank Wilson, Graham Mullet and Mick Pollard.

Velvett Fogg recorded the tracks for their debut album on Pye Records under the direction of Jack Dorsey. Apparently, Dorsey aimed to get the band onto the then-popular progressive band wagon. "I was a classically trained pianist but we all had to play way below our capabilities" says Frank Wilson.



Past members:

Frank Wilson - organ, piano, vocals
Keith Law - songwriter
Paul Eastment - guitar, vocals
Mick Pollard - bass guitar
Graham Mullet - drums
Tony Iommi - guitar
Ernie Handy - vocals
Bob Hewitt -  lead guitar

Ian Leighton - guitar


Discography:

Album: 

- Velvett Fogg - Velvett Fogg  (1969)

Singles: 

- Telstar '69  
- Owed To The Dip (1969)


https://youtu.be/kHzI2Osxoxg  Full Album:

Keith Law and Frank Wilson are back together writing as Velvett Fogg Reloaded, and recording for a proposed new Velvett Fogg album.

Source: Wikipedia

Best Performance Ever: Beth Hart - "Am I The One" and "Caught out in the Rain"

Beth Hart: A I the One (live at Paradiso, The Netherlands)

https://youtu.be/UgrBn072lMU

Beth Hart: Caught out in the Rain  (live at  E-Werk Köln 17-04-2015)

https://youtu.be/UJhVQ0WmS-U

Soup (Post rock, prog. rock / Norway)

Soup is a post rock band from Trondheim, Norway and was founded in 2004 by the Norwegian based multi-instrumentalist Erlend Viken as an outlet for his song writing and compositional talents.

Genres: post-rock, progressive rock, alternative rock, neo-prog, new prog.


Years active:  2004 -  present






Members:

Erlend Viken
Ørjan Langnes
Jan Tore Megård
Pål Ramsøy-Halle
Espen Berge

Past members:

Thomas Nyborg
Ørjan Saur
Rune Leraand
Sverre Leraand


Discography: 

- Give It An Empire (2004)
- Children Of E.L.B. (2010)
- Entropia (2012)
- The Beauty Of Our Youth (2013)
- DUUN (2013)
- Remedies (2017)



Sleepers: https://youtu.be/JrEEKaDSF4k  :

Memoirs Of An Imaginary Friend: https://youtu.be/YfpYo3D17B4

More info: http://www.soupband.com/bio/

Source: Wikipedia 

When hippies ruled the world (documentary, hippie culture)

"When hippies ruled  the world" (documentary, BBC TV)


Part 1: https://youtu.be/LtjIsi6VMaI


Part 2:  https://youtu.be/FC6RPhUVdPQ


Part 3: https://youtu.be/PgeNIEyarz8


Part 4: https://youtu.be/M2usv4zGBhw



Source: YouTube

Temples (Psych. rock / neo-psychedelica, England)

Temples are an English rock band formed in Kettering, Northamptonshire in 2012 by singer and guitarist James Bagshaw and bassist Tom Walmsley. The band's lineup was later completed with the addition keyboardist and rhythm guitarist Adam Smith and drummer Samuel Toms.

Years active: 2012 – present

History: 

The band was initially formed as a home studio project in mid 2012. Walmsley and Bagshaw had known each other for years before these projects. It was at this point that they were in rival bands based in their hometown of Kettering.

In an interview with Sound of Boston, lead vocalist James Bagshaw noted that signing on to Heavenly Records did not change their recording process. "Nothing changed, everything stayed exactly the same... At no point did they say, you know, go into the studio. If they did, we probably wouldn’t have signed to them because we liked the idea of what we were doing," Bagshaw stated

The duo uploaded four self-produced tracks to YouTube which caught the attention of Heavenly Recordings founder Jeff Barrett who agreed to release the band's debut single in the form of "Shelter Song" in November 2012. They then enlisted fellow Kettering resident drummer, Samuel Lloyd Toms  and keyboard player Adam Smith and started rehearsing as a band, so they could play their songs live, having never played live as a band before. The band released their second single "Colours To Life" in June 2013.


Bagshaw also commented on the difficulty in selecting which tracks to release as singles. The melodic nature of "Mesmerise," was a main reason why Temples chose to release it as a single; "I guess melody is something that assigns a single because that’s the thing that people listen to. But for us, we always found it very hard to choose singles… it might not be commercially viable, but that one sounds more catchy," said Bagshaw.

The band debuted two new songs live in 2015, entitled 'Henry's Cake' and 'Volcano/Savior' respectively. The band confirmed that they were working on a new album via Instagram on 9 July 2015. The band spent much of the first half of 2016 recording new material before embarking on a number of European festival dates. On 26 September 2016 the band announced a new single, "Certainty".

They released their second studio album, Volcano, on 3 March 2017.


In June 2017 Temples released their new single 'Henry's Cake' - which is not on their second studio album 'Volcano.'

Band members:

Current:

James Edward Bagshaw – lead vocals, lead guitar
Adam Thomas Smith – rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
Thomas Edward James Walmsley – bass guitar, backing vocals
Samuel Toms – drums

Former:

Jack Prince – drums


Colours to Life: https://youtu.be/tUGEnXz4EG8 : 

Discography:

Studio albums:

- Sun Structures (5 February 2014) 
- Volcano (3 March 2017) 

Remix album:

- Sun Restructured (10 November 2014)

EPs:

- Shelter Song EP (7 July 2014)
- Mesmerise Live EP (16 September 2014)

Singles: 

"Shelter Song" / "Prisms" (12 November 2012)
"Colours to Life" / "Ankh" (24 June 2013)
"Keep In the Dark" / "Jewel of Mine Eye" (7 October 2013)
"Mesmerise" (20 November 2013)
"Move with the Season" (3 November 2014)
"Certainty" (26 September 2016)

"Strange or Be Forgotten" (10 January 2017)




Source and more info: wikipedia

Cass Elliot (Mama Cass) - documentary

Documentaries about Mama Cass (singer of the Mamas and the Papas):


https://youtu.be/gt4hlJWXE1w

https://youtu.be/d_6AYNIGvqk :

Source: YouTube

The Summer of Love Experience & How Hippies Changed the World (documentaries)

The Summer of Love Experience

https://youtu.be/SnJGYjuNBCE

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

The Summer of Love How Hippies Changed the World Series.

The first episode looks at how ideas, music and lifestyles from Asia, Europe and the American Left became entwined in California. It traces the roots of the hippies back to a 19th-century German sect of wandering naturalists called Lebensreform who brought their freethinking ideas about nature to California after the Second World War. There they merged with a growing interest in Eastern mystical concepts of human nature imported to America by maverick British thinkers like Aleister Crowley and Aldous Huxley. Add to this mix a wonder drug first developed by the CIA called LSD and a wave of student activists and anti-war protestors agitating for revolution and you have the astonishing story how these forces came together to give birth to the Summer of Love in San Francisco, 1967.



https://youtu.be/zoKue11ArRw 


or the trailer: 

Marc Bolan - (documentary)

Marc Bolan - The Final Word (BBC documentary, 2007)

https://youtu.be/2tO2k6-2e4c :

Cosmic Dancer: 

https://youtu.be/CmsmUyQOdTY :

San Francisco - Summer of 1967 (documentary)

The Way it Was: San Francisco Summer of 1967

Documentary of the "hippie" life in San Francisco in the summer of 1967. Guest appearance by George H. Conger. A discussion of the politics of the day surrounding marijuana use and the Freedom movement. Includes footage of weddings and concerts in Golden Gate Park, The Diggers, Haight Ashbury, Job Corp and other community services by, and for, themselves.

Directed by Donald Shebib of CBC



https://youtu.be/pEejp5_UMyQ :

Judee Sill (documentary, BBC Radio 2014)

The Lost Genius of Judee Sill  (Documentary: BBC Radio 2014)

Ruth Barnes delves into the extraordinary story of the musician Judee Sill.

The first act signed to David Geffen's Asylum Records in the early 1970s, Judee Sill produced two astonishingly beautiful albums in her lifetime.

Seemingly emerging from the Laurel Canyon scene, her music wove a diverse tapestry of influences - from gospel piano to Bach, rhythm and blues to country, forty-part vocal harmonies blending into piano ballads...

So why did Judee Sill disappear from view? Ruth Barnes traces Judee's peculiar life story - hearing tales of armed robberies, reform school and addiction, alongside musical invention and heartstopping songs.

With contributions from family, friends, lovers and devotees of her music including JD Souther, XTC's Andy Partridge, Jim Pons, Tommy Peltier and 'Whispering' Bob Harris.

Producer: Eleanor McDowall
A Falling Tree Production for BBC Radio 4


Documentary: https://youtu.be/T6cEreyGpYI : 

Source: YouTube

ALBUM OF THE WEEK / Silhouette - Beyond The Seventh Wave (2014)

Silhouette - Beyond The Seventh Wave (2014)


https://youtu.be/QnVSY0SA6do : 

Track Listing:

1. Prologue (2:44)
2. Betrayed (Instrumental) (1:35)
3. Web of Lies: Part I - The Vow, Part II - The Plot (12:47)
4. In Solitary (6:16)
5. Escape (Instrumental) (5:19)
6. Lost Paradise (10:36)
7. Betrayed Again (instrumental) (0:42)
8. Devil's Island (8:53)
9. Beyond the Seventh Wave (7:33)

10. Wings to Fly (5:13)


Personnel:

- Brian de Graeve / 12-string acoustic guitar, lead & backing vocals
- Daniël Van Der Weijde / electric & acoustic guitars
- Erik Laan / keyboards, bass, bass pedals, lead & backing vocals, co-producer
- Gerrit-Jan Bloemink / bass
- Rob van Nieuwenhuijzen / drums, percussion

With:
- Ton Scherpenzeel / Moog
- Ruben van Kruistum / cello
- Laura ten Voorde / violin
- MaryO / flute, backing vocals
- Tamara van Koetsveld / clarinet
- Jurjen Bergsma / bass guitar



More info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silhouette_(band)

Janis Joplin's Hotel Room in The Landmark Hotel (three small films)

Old footage of the hotel and room Janis stayed in when she died. It was called The Landmark Hotel, but has since changed to The Highland Gardens.

https://youtu.be/aZEtv0cVFBI 




At this Hotel on October 4, 1970 the great Rock & Roll chanteuse Janis Joplin was found dead in room #105 of an apparent heroin overdose which was too Pure. She stayed at this place thru the summer and early fall while recording what would sadly be her last studio album- Pearl. This hotel was a convenient stay what with it being just two blocks away from Sunset Sound Recording Studios where she was recording on.



https://youtu.be/TgQSR2Vdla4:

How it looks now: Highland Gardens Hotel :

https://youtu.be/WtWPEoeY63Y

Source: YouTube

Syd Barrett - interview rare 1967 part 1, 2 and 3 (documentary)

Syd Barrett (Pink Floyd) interview rare (1967)



Part 1: https://youtu.be/NG7vIWZVrUk  :

Part 2: https://youtu.be/3hqa9-CkvcI :

Part 3: https://youtu.be/Qf1h8DXNDZM  :

Source: YouTube