AUM (psych rock, soul / USA)

One of the great lesser-known San Francisco bands, AUM was a classic rock power trio, inspired by the likes of the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Cream, and led by the talented multi-instrumentalist and singer Wayne Ceballos. The band was first brought to the attention of Bill Graham by San Francisco's premier photographer, Jim Marshall. With one album under their belts in the early days of 1969, the band was slotted for one of Graham's "Sounds of the City" live auditions, commonly held on Tuesday nights at the Fillmore West. On their first night performing, however, AUM veritably knocked the audience off their feet, earning three encores and the longest standing ovation in the history of those auditions.They soon became a popular opening act during 1969, and always put on a high-energy set.

1 I Need You 5:30
2 Little Brown Hen 3:33
3 A Little Help From You 13:39
4 Bye Bye Baby 10:40

This set, recorded at the Avalon Ballroom on a bill with The Flying Burrito Brothers and the Grateful Dead, is no exception. Opening the set with an unreleased track, "I Need You," Wayne Ceballos immediately cuts loose and commands the audience's attention. The remainder of the set includes a hot live take on "Little Brown Hen" and a highly improvised jam on "Bye Bye Baby" - two tracks from their Fillmore Records release Resurrection, - in addition to a 13-minute exploration on "A Little Help From You," a track featured on their debut album, Bluesvibes.
Writing about this particular night, influential music critic Ralph J. Gleason is quoted as saying "AUM came on and broke it up with a wild, swinging set. There is no getting around it; this is an exciting group with the same kind of turn-on going for it that Santana had when they first appeared."


Members:

Wayne Ceballos - guitar, organ, lead vocals, harmonica 
Ken Newell - bass, vocals 
Larry Martin - drums, vocals


A Little Help From You: https://youtu.be/T8lcq0fKL5c  :

Little Brown Hen: https://youtu.be/vFJdnubeWXA :

Aum -  Resurrection (full album, 1969): https://youtu.be/iZhkQb9tU5E :

Jim Morrison - interviews (The Lost Tapes)

Interview with Jim Morrison's father and sister:

Nico Icon and Jim Morrison:

FSU College:

Jim Morrison playing piano (Rare Clip):

Jim plays piano:

Tony Thomas & Jim Morrison 1970 Interview:
(Tony Thomas from the CBC interviews Jim Morrison 
Los Angeles, California
May 27, 1970

In May 1970, while awaiting the Simon & Schuster publication of The Lords & The New Creatures, and attracted by the chance to talk intelligently about something other than the music scene, Jim Morrison agreed to a "literary" interview with Tony Thomas of the
Canadian Broadcasting Company. The interview took place at The Doors office in Los Angeles on May 27, 1970 and was partially aired on radio in Canada, but was never published.)

JIM MORRISON SPEAKS! THE LOST INTERVIEW - Jim Morrison  

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

Part 5:

Part 6:

Sun (jazz, prog rock / Australia)

Originally from Wollongong, a town on the South Coast of NSW Keith Shadwick, Gary Norwell, Henry Correy, Ian Smith and blues guitarist Allan Vander Linden formed a blues band called King Biscuit which play the universities and nightclub circuit in Sydney in 1968-71. King Biscuit played predominantly the music of Muddy Waters, BB King, Howlin Wolf, Sunnyland Slim,Buddy Guy and other urban Chicago blues musician as well as covers of psychedelic rock and soul songs of the late 60s.

King Biscuit changed its name to Sun with the departure of Vander Linden. Sun evolved into a jazz rock band that played the wine bars and many other major venues in Sydney, Australia during the early 1970s. Sun's repertoire in live performances was a strange mixture of psychedelic rock and blues and music strongly inspired by John Coltrane, Archie Shepp and the Art Ensemble of Chicago. All these styles were played with varying degrees of success but with much enthusiasm and peer interest. Their rise to attention was largely due the fact that they were one of the first jazz-rock groups in Australia, challenging musical moulds of the day and garnering critical acclaim from the arts world. As a result they were featured on ABC TV's arts show GTK.

Sun 1972, their only commercial recording, which featured all original material by the band and one past member, and was released by the Australian subsidiary of RCA Records and produced by jazz entrepreneur Horst Liepolt, who later moved to New York and founded the famous Sweet Basil nightclub. The LP was financially unsuccessful yet.

After Ian Smith left the band, Renee Geyer was the singer for twelve months of the band's existence and performed on the album. Starlee Ford took Geyer"s place in the band and under the influence of Shadwick and Norwell the band explored the outer limits of free improvisation, retaining a strong blues connection as well. Starlee Ford's extraoardinary vocal range and openness to all styles of music proved to be a great crowd pleaser. George Almanza left the band and talented keyboardist and guitarist/ songwriter Tony Slavich joined the band. Slavich went on to perform with leading rock band in Australia. Norwell and Shadwick left the band shortly after citing a difference in musical direction. Sun continued for a couple of years with Correy , Ford, Slavich and drummer Ian McLennan. This lineup played a more progrock style and toured Australia extensively but Sun finally folded as an entity after a couple more years.

Keith Shadwick, one of the founding members, went on to record his album Free Time which was released on Candid Records just prior to his death in 2008. The proceeds from the Free Time album are donated to cancer research at Barts Hospital in London. Keith Shadwick's "Free Time" album was launched at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London five days after Keith's death. Young lions of the London jazz scene jammed into the night as a tribute to Shadwick. The "Free Time" album consists of Shadwick on piano and reeds playing his own compositions and features Robert Lucky, and Justin Mcoy on bass guitar with some incendiary drumming by original partner Gary Norwell. Shadwick's music on this album continues the adventurous tradition of the Sun live gigs. The label candidrecords.com.uk have sold out the first pressing of "Free Time".

Sun Bass player Henry Correy has released several successful blues albums. Guitarist Chris Sonnenberg returned to the USA in 1973 and continues to be musically active. Pianist George Almanza had a distinguished career in music and died some years ago.

Many talented musicians played in Sun during the bands brief existence, notably Ian Smith from Thirroul in NSW, who contributed a song to the Sun album, and well known Sydney singer Steve Philipson. Singer-songwriter Richard Clapton had a six-week stint as lead vocalist in early 1973, followed by Starlee Ford, a singer who appeared in the original Australian production of the rock musical Hair and made a major contribution as Geyer's permanent replacement. Pianist Victor Nicholson replaced Almanza before being replaced himself by Tony Slavich Renee Geyer went on to become a figure in the popular music scene.


Members:

Ian Smith: vocals
Starlee Ford: vocals
Tony Slavich: guitar, keyboard
Ian McLennan: drums
Victor Nicholson: piano
Justin Mcoy: bass 
Richard Clapton: lead vocals
Keith Shadwick: tenor, alto and soprano saxophones, flute, clarinet  
Chris Sonnenberg: lead guitar  
George Almanza: piano  
Renée Geyer: lead vocals 
Henry Correy: bass 
Gary Norwell: drums



Message:

Discography:

Sun 1972




Source: YouTube

Mercury Rev (psych rock, neo-psychedelia, alternative rock / USA)

Mercury Rev is an American alternative rock group, that formed in the late 1980s in Buffalo, New York. Original personnel were David Baker (vocals), Jonathan Donahue (vocals, guitars), Sean Mackowiak, a.k.a. "Grasshopper" (guitars, clarinet), Suzanne Thorpe (flute), Dave Fridmann (bass) and Jimy Chambers (drums).

Years active: 1989–present

History:

The first years with David Baker:
With their early records, Mercury Rev offered experimental, psychedelic rock, which gradually shifted to a melodic, ornate sound. Mercury Rev is often compared to The Flaming Lips, and in fact share close ties: soon after the band's formation, Donahue also joined the Flaming Lips as second guitarist and appeared on two of their albums; and since the 1990 album "In a Priest Driven Ambulance", Dave Fridmann has co-produced every Flaming Lips studio album to date except 1993's Transmissions from the Satellite Heart.
Despite considerable critical acclaim, their early releases never gave Mercury Rev more than cult popularity, though they appeared on the smaller second stage at some 1993 "Lollapalooza" stops. Baker left after their second record, "Boces" (1993), citing musical and personal disputes; he later recorded an album as Shady. With his departure, the thematically darker and musically experimental features of the band began to disappear.

Transitional period:
The band's first post-Baker album, "See You on the Other Side" (1995), found them in transition. The album was varied: Like the first releases, it still featured a sprawling psychedelic opening track and noise rock numbers like Young Man's Stride (for which a music video released), but also more melodic songs, such as "Sudden Ray of Hope".
The same year the group also recorded and released the album "Paralyzed Mind Of The Archangel Void" under the moniker "Harmony Rockets". This album features a single forty minutes track of mostly instrumental psychedelic improvised music. It was rated four and half stars, out of five, by AllMusic. The group performed it again in the Don't Look Back concert series in 2009.

Wide critical and commercial success:
The 1998 release of the acclaimed "Deserter's Songs" (which featured appearances by Garth Hudson and Levon Helm of The Band) made Mercury Rev unexpected pop stars. In the UK, NME magazine made Deserter's Songs their Album of the Year. Donahue's earnest, high-pitched vocals and concentration on relatively concise, melodic songs gave the band's material an entirely new feel and much increased popularity (Deserter's Songs spawned three UK Top 40 singles).
"All Is Dream" was issued in 2001. It included, "The Dark is Rising," which reached No. 16 in the UK Singles Chart.

Later years:

Mercury Rev's "The Secret Migration" was released on January 24, 2005. This was followed up in 2006, by a compilation album, The Essential Mercury Rev: Stillness Breathes 1991-2006 and the film soundtrack album Hello Blackbird. More recently, the band released a pair of albums on September 29, 2008: Snowflake Midnight, and a free MP3 album of instrumentals, Strange Attractor.


Members:

Jonathan Donahue - vocals and guitar
Grasshopper (Sean Mackowiak) - guitar
Jeff Mercel - drums and keyboards
Carlos Anthony Molina - bass

Jason Miranda - drums
Dave Fridman - bass

Past members:

David Baker
Suzanne Thorpe
Jimy Chambers
Justin Russo
Jason Russo
Adam Snyder

Paul Dillon


People are so unpredictable:

The Dark is Rising:

Discography:

Albums:

Yerself Is Steam (1991) (1999)
Boces (1993)
See You on the Other Side (1995)
Deserter's Songs (1998)
All Is Dream (2001)
The Secret Migration (2005)
Snowflake Midnight (2008)

Strange Attractor (2008)

Compilation albums/Soundtracks:

2006 - The Essential Mercury Rev: Stillness Breathes 1991-2006 (compilation)
2006 - Hello Blackbird (soundtrack voor de film Bye Bye Blackbird)

2006 - Back to Mine (compilation)

Ginger Baker's Air Force (jazz-rock fusion / UK)

Ginger Baker's Air Force were a jazz-rock fusion band comprising Ginger Baker on drums, Steve Winwood on organ and vocals, Ric Grech on violin and bass, Jeanette Jacobs on vocals, Denny Laine on guitar and vocals, Phil Seamen on drums, Alan White on drums, Chris Wood on tenor sax and flute, Graham Bond on alto sax, Harold McNair on tenor sax and flute, and Remi Kabaka on percussion. Their first live shows, at Birmingham Town Hall in 1969 and the Royal Albert Hall, in 1970, also included Jeanette Jacobs and Eleanor Barooshian (both former members of girl group The Cake).

The band released two albums, both in 1970: Ginger Baker's Air Force and Ginger Baker's Air Force 2. The second album involved substantially different personnel from the first, with Ginger Baker and Graham Bond being the primary constants between albums.
Ginger Baker's Air Force also played a set at Wembley Stadium on 19 April 1970, during the start of the World Cup Rally, which went from London to Mexico City.

Years Active: 1969 - 1970

Members: 

Graham Bond
Peter 'Ginger' Baker
Denny Laine
Harold McNair
Eleanor Barooshian
Jeanette Jacobs
Chris Wood
Phil Seamen
Remi Kabaka
Rick Grech
Steve Winwood
Aliki Ashman
Bud Beadle
Colin Gibson
Diane Stewart-Bond (as Diane Stewart)
Kenneth Craddock
Anthony "Rebop" Kwaku Baah
Neemoi (Speedy) Acquaye

Steve Gregory


Ginger Baker jams with Nigerian Afro-Rock artistes in Lagos, Nigeria in 1971.

They include: Johnny Haastrup, Joni Haastrup Tee Mac, Tunde Kuboye, Laolu Akins & The Lijadu Sisters. Segun Bucknor & The Sweet Things also featured. Perfomed song, 'Coming back home,' written by Tunde Kuboye. :

Discography 

Ginger Baker's Air Force (1970)

Ginger Baker's Air Force 2 (1970)

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