Happy New Year!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Spectrum (prog. rock, blues / Australia)

Spectrum is an Australian progressive rock band that formed in Melbourne in 1969 and, in its original period, remained in existence until 1973. Its members also performed under the alter-ego Indelible Murtceps. They reformed, initially as Spectrum Plays The Blues, in 1999.

History:

The central figure in the band was Mike Rudd, a New Zealand-born singer, songwriter and guitarist from Christchurch. Rudd arrived in Australia in 1966 as rhythm guitarist for the NZ group Chants R&B. That band only lasted a short time after they arrived in Australia, but he remained in Melbourne, teaming up with singer/songwriter Ross Wilson and guitarist Ross Hannaford.
Wilson and Hannaford's first band The Pink Finks (which had also just broken up) worked in a similar vein to Chants, and had already had some local chart success in Melbourne. Mike was invited to be the bass player in a later lineup of their next band, The Party Machine (1967–69), which gained local notoriety when copies of their self-published songbook were seized by Melbourne police due to alleged obscene content in the lyrics .

The Party Machine split in 1969, when Ross Wilson spent several months in London after being invited to join expatriate Australian progressive group Procession. After his return, Wilson and Hannaford formed the more experimentally-oriented Sons of the Vegetal Mother (1969–71); this was an occasional event-based project, rather than a full-time band, and Rudd played bass in its floating lineup on numerous occasions. During 1970 Sons of the Vegetal Mother was overtaken by the rapid rise in popularity of its offshoot band Daddy Cool (in which Rudd did not perform) but by this time Rudd had formed his own band, Spectrum.

The formation of the original lineup marked the beginning of Rudd's enduring partnership with bassist Bill Putt, formerly of Melbourne bands Gallery and The Lost Souls. They formed a lasting friendship and musical partnership, and have worked together ever since. Organist Lee Neale came from pop band Nineteen 87, and drummer Mark Kennedy had already worked with Putt in Gallery.
Rudd has commented that Kennedy's musicianship helped carry the band through its difficult first year. Initially, Spectrum drew on the work of contemporary bands like Traffic, Soft Machine and Pink Floyd and played covers of music by these groups, but they soon developed their own style and Rudd began writing original material. 
Alongside Putt's bass playing and Neale's keyboard work, a key feature of Spectrum's sound was Rudd's guitar playing—he was one of the few rock guitar players at that time who eschewed the near-universal use of the guitar pick, preferring to play electric guitar with a finger-picking style. Combined with contemporary improvements in amplification and recording, his playing technique and his use of a vintage Fender Stratocaster guitar allowed Rudd to develop a highly characteristic sound.

Twelve months of solid performing on the booming Melbourne dance and discothèque circuit enabled them to develop their own sound and write and refine a substantial set of original material, which became the basis for their first LP. They were regulars at the concerts events held at the various "head" venues around Melbourne like the T.F. Much Ballroom, Garrison and Sebastian's, and they appeared with other leading progressive bands like Tully, Tamam Shud and Sons Of The Vegetal Mother.

Rudd had conceived Spectrum as a concert band, and they generally performed with an elaborate concert set-up that included a large PA and a full multi-media light show; at one stage the band also supplemented their act with contributions from members of the Melbourne performance troupe Tribe. They played at all the major Australian rock festivals of the period, including Wallacia, Myponga, Mulwalla, Rosebud and Sunbury. However, their national success was limited by a lack of radio airplay in other capitals, and the fact that they rarely ventured outside Victoria, visiting other cities only intermittently.

Just prior to being signed up by EMI, Spectrum cut a demo single which they hawked around to record companies as a 7" acetate. One side was an early, folky version of one of the newer songs in their set, "I'll Be Gone"; the flip was another original, "You Just Can't Win". According to rock historian Ian McFarlane, these acetates are now "impossibly rare" and only two or three copies are known to have survived.
Once signed to EMI, the band went into the studio to make their first official recordings, under producer Howard Gable, who had recently re-located from New Zealand and had established himself as one Australia's leading pop producers with his work for bands such as The Masters Apprentices.

Despite a loyal following and much praise from the music press (notably Australia's pop 'bible' Go-Set) the band were virtually broke by mid-1970, when a measure of salvation came in the form of a contract with the new EMI progressive imprint Harvest. Soon after they scored a surprise No. 1 Australian hit with their first single, "I'll Be Gone", which has become one of the most enduring Australian rock songs of that era.

They released their debut LP Spectrum Part One in March 1971, although it did not include the hit single. Drummer Mark Kennedy left just after it was recorded, and he was replaced by Ray Arnott. Kennedy later worked with a number of important Australian acts including Ayers Rock.
Spectrum's second album, released in early 1972, was an ambitious 2LP set called Milesago, notable as the first Australian rock double album, and is still regarded as a landmark of Australian progressive music. It is also notable for being the first Australian rock album to be recorded using the newly-installed 16-track recorder at Amstrong's Studios in Melbourne, the first studio in Australia to acquire one of these machines.

Unfortunately for Spectrum, the nature of the Melbourne music scene was undergoing a profound change at this time. This was partly due to legislative changes to the age of majority (which had been recently lowered in many Australian states from 21 to 18) and to the licensing laws governing entertainment in hotels in Victoria. These legislative changes coincided with demographic changes — the young audiences who had patronized the unlicensed dances and discos of the mid-to-late Sixties were now ageing into their late teens and early twenties, and could now be legally admitted into licensed premises.

Seeing the popularity of rock music and realising the financial potential, hoteliers enticed customers into the pubs by putting on popular bands, often free of charge. Consequently, while Spectrum worked to establish themselves as a concert group, the focus was beginning to shift away from the larger concert events and unlicensed city discothèques frequented by 'head' audiences—whose main drug of choice was cannabis -- and towards the burgeoning pub circuit, where alcohol was cheap, plentiful and, above all, legal. While the smaller pub venues and their rowdy, combative atmosphere suited more 'aggressive' bands like Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs, the erosion of the concert scene posed a major problem for Spectrum, whose complex music and upscale presentation demanded a suitable venue, a large audience, and a reasonable degree of concentration from them.

Consequently, as the pub circuit began to boom, the bigger engagements that Spectrum needed to survive became fewer and less regular. Spectrum adapted to the changing situation in an unusual way—mirroring Wilson's creation of Daddy Cool as "light relief" from the progressive style of the Vegetals, Spectrum created an alter ego, Indelible Murtceps, which performed at pubs, and local dances, playing a more pop-oriented repertoire and using a smaller equipment set-up than they used when performing as Spectrum.

Their next LP, Warts Up Your Nose (1972), produced by Howard Gable, was released under the Indelible Murtceps banner ('murtceps' is 'spectrum' spelled backwards) and contained songs of a more humorous and scatological nature. Shortly after it was recorded Lee Neale suffered a breakdown and left the band soon after its release; he was replaced by Canberra musician John Mills. Neale quit the music scene permanently after Spectrum and has not been heard from since.
Spectrum's final studio LP was Testimonial (1973). Soon after its release Spectrum announced their breakup, a move prompted by the departure of drummer Ray Arnott; Rudd and Putt reportedly felt that it would be impossible to re-create the special chemistry of the group, so they decided to end the band. They played their farewell performance at the Dallas Brooks Hall in Melbourne on 15 April 1973, and the show was recorded and subsequently released in late 1973 as the live LP Terminal Buzz. Both of these releases were produced by Peter Dawkins (musician).

Following the demise of Spectrum, Rudd, Putt and Mills joined forces with guitarist Tim Gaze and drummer Nigel Macara, ex-members of leading Sydney 'underground' band Tamam Shud, to form the group Ariel. 

In 2008, the first new Spectrum recording in 35 years was released on the band's own label Volcano Records. The EP Breathing Space also features a number of musical guests including ex-Ariel guitarist Tim Gaze. Mike Rudd has promised on his website that more EPs are planned. The band had also released other albums in more recent years under the self-explanatory moniker of Spectrum Plays The Blues.
At the same time as the release of Breathing Space, Aztec Music reissued the classic Milesago album on CD for the first time, with extra tracks. The label reissued Spectrum Part One in 2007, with its bonus tracks titled 'Spectrum Part Two'.
The second EP of new recordings Breathing Space Too was released on their Volcano label in 2009.
Spectrum still plays live in either three- or four-piece mode; more information on gigs is on Mike Rudd's website.

Spectrum Part One: https://youtu.be/QpnEyven3lA

Members:

Current:

Mike Rudd - vocals, guitar, harmonica (1969–1973, 1999–present)
Bill Putt - bass (1969–1973, 1999–present)
Peter 'Robbo' Robertson - drums, percussion (1999–present)
Daryl Roberts - keyboards (1999–present)

Former:

Mark Kennedy - drums (1969–1970)
Ray Arnott - drums (1970–1973)
Lee Neale - keyboards (1969–1972)
John Mills - keyboards (1972–1973)


Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spectrum_(band)

Brainbox (rock / The Netherlands)

Brainbox is a Dutch rock group from the late 1960s/early 1970s. The band was founded in Amsterdam by guitarist Jan Akkerman , drummer Pierre van der Linden and singer Kazimir Lux (Kaz). 

Their debut single was "Down Man", which established their progressive blues sound. They had several hit singles in the Netherlands, including "Between Alpha and Omega", "Doomsday Train", Reason to Believe and "Smile". Soon after they released their first album, Jan Akkerman and Pierre van der Linden left the group to join Focus.

After Pierre van der linden and Jan Akkerman left, Brainbox bass player Cyril Havermans also followed to join Focus, replacing the original bass player Bert Ruiter. They were replaced by guitarists Herman Meyer and Rudie de Queljoe and drummer Frans Smit. Meyer was later replaced by John Schuursma.
After Kaz Lux left the group in 1971, their popularity waned and they split up in 1972.

In 2004 Kaz Lux reassembled the band (though without Jan Akkerman) and they performed in the Netherlands. 
In 2010 and 2011 the band performed again and recorded a new studio album The 3rd Flood.



Years active: 1968–1972, 2009 - now

Members:

Kaz Lux
Pierre van der Linden
Rudy de Queljoe
Cees van der Laarse


Past members:

Jan Akkerman
Cyril Havermans
André Reijnen
Herman Meijer
John Schuursma
Frans Smit
Michel van Dijk
Robert Vererwij
Tonny de Queljoe
Ronnie Meyes




Discography:

Studio albums:

Brainbox (lp)|Brainbox (1969)
The Best Of Brainbox (1971 )
Parts (1972)
To You (1972)
A History (1979)
Brainbox (1979)
The Very Best Brainbox Album Ever (2002)
The Last Train live (2004)
The 3rd Flood (2011)

https://youtu.be/s_8AoIpeH_o

Source: Wikipedia.org

More info: http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=3372

Tully (prog. rock, psych. rock, rock fusion / Australia)

Tully (1968–1972/1976–1978) was an Australian progressive rock group (Sydney, New South Wales) of the late 1960s and early 1970s which had a close association with the Sydney-based film/lightshow collective Ubu.


Formation:

Tully formed in Sydney in late 1968 with the original lineup of Jon Blake (bass), Michael Carlos (keyboards), Richard Lockwood (flute) and Robert Taylor (drums). They built up a strong following on the Sydney "underground scene" and later on the Melbourne concert circuit. Tully's members were all highly accomplished multi-instrumentalists with years of experience behind them, and their musical breadth quickly earned them a reputation as one of the most adventurous and polished concert bands of the period.

The original Tully members were all seasoned veterans of the Sydney club scene. NZ-born John Blake had previously played in Johnny O'Keefe's backing band The Dee Jays (1959), The Chessmen (1961), the Jimmy Sloggett Five (1963–64) and Max Merritt & the Meteors (1965). Carlos and Blake had both been members of popular Sydney mid-60s club band Little Sammy And The In People (1966–67).
Carlos, Lockwood, Blake and Taylor met in the 1968 lineup of Levi Smith's Clefs, the Sydney R&B band led by veteran R&B singer Barrie "The Bear" McAskill.[4] Many prominent Australian performers played in the various incarnations of this seminal Sydney club band and former members of the Clefs subsequently several other major Australian bands including Tully and Fraternity.
Carlos, Lockwood, Blake and Taylor left Levi Smith's Clef at the end of 1968 to formed Tully. Like their Sydney contemporaries Tamam Shud Tully's music combined many disparate influences including pop, rhythm & blues, soul, modern jazz, classical music, folk/world music and psychedelic rock. Unusually for that period in Australia, Tully played mostly original compositions and improvisation was a key feature of their performances.
Like Tamam Shud, Tully had close associations with Sydney underground media collective UBU; their debut concert as Tully was at the final UBU Underground Dance at Paddington Town Hall on 4 January 1969 supported by The Id (after which the dances were banned from the Hall because of complaints about the noise and the "casual attire" of patrons), and they played at many subsequent UBU gigs.

Debut:

Shortly after their debut, they recruited singer/guitarist/flautist Terry Wilson and took up a residency at Caesar's Disco in Sydney, although they reportedly had to leave after only a month because patrons couldn't dance to their music. Tully played at the first relocated UBU Underground Dance at the AMP Pavilion at Sydney Showground (with Tamam Shud) on 7 February and again with Nutwood Rug Band on 21 Feb.. They also featured on the cover of that month's UBU News (which bore the headline "Life is the Blood of Tully") and in the accompanying underground music story. Tully was reviewed in Go-Set by David Elfick (19 Feb 1969) and although he was initially unimpressed, indicating a preference for somewhat heavier style of Tamam Shud, he was much more positive in a larger feature published in the subsequent 12 March issue. Go-Set and Elfick soon became strong supporters of the group.
Over the next twelve months, Tully's profile built steadily, and by mid-1970 they were one of Australia's foremost rock concert attractions. In February 1969 they became the resident band at the Adams Apple disco in Oxford St, Sydney, where they played for several months and on 11–12 April East Sydney Technical College was the venue for Alexander Nevsky's Homecoming, a happening devised by David Humphries for the National Art Students' Union, featuring experimental theatre troupe The Human Body, with music by Tully and the Art Students Pop Orchestra, and lighting by UBU.




Past members:

Colin Campbell (guitar) 1971-72
Michael Carlos (keyboards)
Graham Conlan (bass) 1969
Richard Lockwood (flute, sax, clarinet, piano) 1968-72
John Blake (bass) 1968-69
Ken Firth (bass) 1970-72
Shayna (Karlin) Stewart (vocals) 1971-72
Robert Taylor (drums) 1968-78
Murray Wilkins (bass) 1969
Terry Wilson (vocals, guitar, flute) 1968-70
Andrew "Frizby" Thursby-Pelham (guitar) 1976-78
John "Bass" Walton (bass) 1976-78
Bill Tahana (vocals) 1977





The first three song off their first album "Tully":

1. You Realize, You Realize
2. La Nave Bleu
3. Do You Ever Think of Nothing?

More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tully_(band)

ALBUM OF THE WEEK / The 13th Floor Elevators - The Psychedelic Sounds Of The 13th Floor Elevators

The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators is a 1966 album by 13th Floor Elevators. The album's sound, featuring elements of folk, garage rock, blues and psychedelia, is notable for its use of the electric jug, as featured on the band's only hit, "You're Gonna Miss Me", which reached number 55 on the Billboard Charts with "Tried to Hide" as a B-side. Another single from the album, "Reverberation (Doubt)", reached number 129 on the Billboard's Bubbling Under Chart.
The November 1966 album title is purported to be the first use of the word "psychedelic" in reference to the music within. However, this is in dispute as two other bands also used the word in titles of LPs released in November 1966: The Blues Magoos' Psychedelic Lollipop, and The Deep's Psychedelic Moods.
In 2005, The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators was remastered and reissued in compact disc format by Charly Records, a British record label specialised in reissued material. It included bonus tracks of the band's 1966 performance at the Avalon Ballroom, a music venue in the Polk Gulch neighborhood of San Francisco, and both sides of a single, "We Sell Soul" and "You're Gonna Miss Me", from Roky Erickson's pre-13th Floor Elevators band, The Spades.
In 2009, the original mono version was released as part of the "Sign of the 3-Eyed Men" box set. The set also featured a new, alternate stereo version which retained the band's original intended track listing, as well as false starts on some of the tracks. (The International Artists label had altered the track listing without the band's consent when the album was first released.) Both versions on the box set featured different bonus tracks, some that were previously unreleased.


https://youtu.be/1huTWrfzHRc

1966 release track listing:

Side one:

"You're Gonna Miss Me" (R. Erickson) – 2:31
"Roller Coaster" (T. Hall, R. Erickson) – 5:07
"Splash 1 (Now I'm Home)" (C. Hall, R. Erickson) – 3:57
"Reverberation (Doubt)" (T. Hall, S. Sutherland. R. Erickson) – 2:51
"Don't Fall Down" (T. Hall, R. Erickson) – 3:03

Side two:

"Fire Engine" (T. Hall, S. Sutherland, R. Erickson) – 3:23
"Thru the Rhythm" (T. Hall, S. Sutherland) – 3:10
"You Don't Know (How Young You Are)" (Powell St. John) – 2:59
"Kingdom of Heaven" (Powell St. John, G. Campa) – 3:11
"Monkey Island" (Powell St. John) – 2:40
"Tried to Hide" (T. Hall, S. Sutherland) – 2:48







Original band track listing:

"You Don't Know (How Young You Are)" (Powell St. John)
"Through the Rhythm" (T. Hall, S. Sutherland)
"Monkey Island" (Powell St. John)
"Roller Coaster" (T. Hall, R. Erickson)
"Fire Engine" (T. Hall, S. Sutherland, R. Erickson)
"Reverberation" (T. Hall, S. Sutherland. R. Erickson)
"Tried to Hide"* (T. Hall, S. Sutherland)
"You're Gonna Miss Me" (R. Erickson)
"I've Seen Your Face Before (Splash 1)" (C. Hall, R. Erickson)
"Don't Fall Down" (T. Hall, R. Erickson)
"The Kingdom of Heaven (Is Within You)" (Powell St. John)
*This track is preceded by the track "False Start/Tried to Hide" on the stereo version of the "Sign of the 3-Eyed Men" box set.



Personnel:

Roky Erickson: vocals, rhythm guitar
Stacy Sutherland: lead guitar
Tommy Hall: amplified jug
Benny Thurman: bass ("You're Gonna Miss Me", and "Splash 1 (Now I'm Home")
Ronnie Leatherman: bass
John Ike Walton: drums, percussion


Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Psychedelic_Sounds_of_the_13th_Floor_Elevators

Tudor Lodge (folk / UK)

Tudor Lodge was originally formed in 1968, featuring John Stannard and Roger Strevens. The group started playing at the White Horse in Reading, England and later made appearances at other clubs on the folk circuit. In 1969 Lyndon Green replaced Roger. Lyndon had just returned to England after treading the hippy trail to Turkey and within a year they were joined by American singer and flautist, Ann Steuart. Tudor Lodge then toured the English folk circuit for over two years, teaming up with manager Karl Blore towards the end of 1970, and releasing their first album in 1971: “Tudor Lodge” (Vertigo 6360043). Later that year, the group appeared at the prestigious Cambridge Folk Festival and also at Weeley Festival in Essex.

Annie left the group in 1972 and was briefly replaced by Linda Peters, who became better known through her work with husband Richard Thompson. That year saw Tudor Lodge touring Holland where they featured on Dutch Radio after which the group disbanded with their various careers diverging.

John, Lyndon and Annie did get back together in 1980 but Annie left soon to live in New Hampshire. Lynne Whiteland replaced her, and in 1988 Lyndon retired from performing. He is currently living and working in Japan. Since then Tudor Lodge has been a duo presenting their own brand of music: New and Old, Original and some well known songs — Humour, Harmony and a touch of Nostalgia.

In September 1999, Tudor Lodge went to Japan and played two very successful gigs in Tokyo. Lynne and John were joined on stage by Lyndon and two excellent Japanese musicians, Bice (keyboard and vocals) and Shimizu Hirotaka (bass). The group performed songs from all four albums, to the delight of their many Japanese fans. The popularity of Tudor Lodge is set to continue: their CD, Runaway, was released on May 24, 2003, and their latest CD, Unconditional, was released in September 2006.

Source: http://members.jcom.home.ne.jp/tudorlodge/

David Bowie (Photos)

Bread Love and Dreams (folk rock / UK)

Another acid-folk act coming from Scotland (in the 1960's), this time Edinburgh, BREAD LOVE AND DREAM was a trio lead by Glaswegian David McNiven, joining in with a two-women act: Carolyn Davis on guitar and Angie Rew on flute and lead vocals. They toured around Scotland for a while and started a loyal local following, but they sounded much influenced by another Scot act The Incredible String Band, which was not surprising since they ruled acid folk and it was not the first band inspired by ISB: indeed the Irish Dr.  Strangely Strange sounds much like BL&D.

Spotted by Decca staff Ray Horricks at the Edinburgh Festival in 68, they were brought down to London by him to record their first album and it was released in early 69. This self-titled album contained some acid folk with some string arrangements, but the market being flooded by such albums, it sold poorly, enticing guitarist Carolyn Davis to quit.

Decca wanted to cut the band from its roster, but Horricks held good and the group was grudgingly allowed a second chance. Aware of this BL&D first went on the road (sharing stages with Magna Carta and Tyranosaurus Rex) and wrote new material for their upcoming album. It was during this time that BL&D developed a working project with the Traverse Theatre Group in Edinburgh. Their director Max Stafford wanted McNiven to adapt one of his pieces Mother Earth to the stage actors. It eventually became Amaryllis, given a twist of name. This piece was then performed in Edinburgh, then London, than on a European tour (Scandinavia, Benelux, France & Spain) to apparently great acclaim.

Although reassured of their recent successes, but still not well with Decca, BL&D recorded over 5 days in the summer of 70 two albums’ worth of material with a bunch of added guests (including The Pentangle’s bassist Danny Thompson and drummer Terry Cox); they even considered releasing a double album (ala ISB’s Wee Tam & The Big Huge), but Decca decided against it. Strange Tales Of Captain Shannon was therefore released fall of 70 to critical acclaim, and it contained the lengthy title track that was again in the ISB mould. As their second album failed to sell, Decca quickly released (botched-up marketing and too few copies pressed) in early 71, Amaryllis, which is arguably their best works, but it fail to sell, or even match the sales of the preceding two albums. Although both albums came out with superb sleeves, it was not enough for the public to invest in a second version of ISB. Decca dropped the band after an Edinburgh’s Royal Court Theatre’s presentation and wrote the whole thing down as a tax write-off.

McNiven and Rew first married, then kept courageously on for a year or two before finally quitting. They would resurface in a Scot band in the mid-70’s Mama Flier. McNiven has been writing music for Granada TV in the past two decades and Rew is toying away in theatres.


Discography:

Bread, Love and Dreams (London Records, 1969)
The Strange Tale of Captain Shannon and the Hunchback from Gigha (Decca Records, 1970)
Amaryllis (Decca Records, 1971)




Bread Love and Dreams (1969):  https://youtu.be/OBJJGYspscY

The Strange Tale Of Captain Shannon And The Hunchback From Gigha (full album) 1970: 
https://youtu.be/IecHbR85ZL0 

Amaryllis (full Album) 1971: https://youtu.be/CAJfudV8KJ4

Source: http://www.last.fm/music/Bread+Love+And+Dreams/+wiki

I wish you all a Merry Christmas

Freed (psych rock / Denmark)

Freed was founded by singer and guitarist Leif Frederiksen in 1968, who asked friends and schoolmates if they wanted to join a band. Like many other bands at the time they were just a bunch of teenagers who wanted to play rock'n roll. When founded the band had an average age of 16. The band started as Free, but since the UK group with the same name got quite big and famous ahead of our Free, they changed the name into Freed.

Unreleased studio tapes from 1970 that contains swirling organ, fuzz guitars and melancholic 
vocals, English lyrics, inspired by the Doors, Santana and John Mayall. 

From 1968-71 Freed toured heavily in Denmark, Sweden and Germany without leaving any sort of mark in Danish rock history. 
A completely unknown and missing gem of the very varied sound of Danish underground rock scene in the 60's- 70's. 

Personnel:


- Leif Iversen
- Leif Frederiksen
- Klaus Glümer
- Dannie Andersen
- Helmut Ozolins

 

The End (1970): https://youtu.be/4nJBnXTmFCQ

Visions:  https://youtu.be/b8ojA1V1Sd8 

Source: YouTube

Jeff Buckley - Fall In Light (documentary)

Jeff Buckley - Fall In Light  (rare documentary):

https://youtu.be/RTviRXd4L2A

Elonkorjuu (prog.rock / Finland)

Elonkorjuu was a prog rock band from Pori, Finland. The band was founded in 1969. The first lineup was Jukka Syrenius (guitar), Timo Hannukainen, Veli-Pekka Pessi (bass) and Rainer Koski (drums). In the early 1970s singer Heikki Lajunen joined the group and Eero Rantasila replaced Rainer Koski in drums. This lineup recorded the band's only album "Harvest Time" in 1972.

They soon took part in the contest of the “Finnish Championship of The Rock Bands” and achieved the honorable second position.
The Band has released three albums until now. “Harvest Time” was published in 1972 (EMI). The vinyl version of this release is highly appreciated among the record collectors today, value being around Eur 500 - 1000.
“Flying High, Running Fast” (RCA) came out in 1978. This time the band was called “Harvest” (= Elonkorjuu ). The change of the name was an idea of their record company which believed it would make it easier to sell the band’s music in the international market. 

This time the band was actively performing all over the country and was seen in all the major festivals ( Ruisrock, Pori Jazz etc.). During these years the line up included top musicians, who are still very much involved in Finnish music business today ( Jukka Syrenius,Veli-Pekka Pessi, Pertti Hannus, Jari Perkiomaki, Seppo and Pekka Tyni, Simo Salminen, Markku Johansson, Vesa Aaltonen, Heikki Lajunen etc.)

During the spring 2003 Elonkorjuu emerged again and has since performed for full venues around the country. The experience of 35 years of tough gig life, average age of 45 and total weight of more than 400 kg guarantee the performances worth seeing and hearing.
The new album “Scumbag” was released recently, demonstrating well the direction of the bands music today.

Discography:

Harvest Time (1972 - studio album)
Flying High, Running Fast (1978 - studio album)
Scumbag (2004 - studio album)

Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera (Soul blues, rock, psychedelic / UK)

Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, at various times also known as "Velvet Opera", was a British rock band active in the late 1960s. Members of the band would later become members of The Strawbs, Hudson Ford and Stretch.

History:

The group emerged from a soul/blues band called 'The Five Proud Walkers'. After supporting Pink Floyd on tour, they were inspired to change their approach and become a more psychedelic outfit. 
Initially just calling themselves Velvet Opera, they developed their full name when Terry took to wearing a cape and preacher's hat in the style of the title character in the 1960 film adaptation of Sinclair Lewis' novel, Elmer Gantry.



They started to make club appearances in London, using electronic backing sounds, and secured a record deal with the short lived Direction Records subsidiary of CBS Records in the UK. Their first recording was the single "Flames" (November 1967) which also featured on the CBS sampler record "The Rock Machine Turns You On", and was later covered on stage by Led Zeppelin. Further singles and a self-titled album followed, including the track "Mary Jane" which was taken off the BBC playlist after they realised its drug connotations, although the band continued to make regular live appearances on John Peel's Radio 1 programme 'Top Gear' and other BBC radio shows.
However, the recording success of the band was limited, and Forster left when Hudson and Ford wanted to take the band in a different direction. Forster was replaced by Paul Brett. Elmer Gantry was the next to depart, along with Paul Brett, and the band reverted to the name "Velvet Opera". Gantry and Brett were replaced by John Joyce and a returning Colin Forster respectively, and the band released a second album, Ride a Hustler's Dream. This again failed to achieve success, and in 1970 Ford left (to be replaced by Colin Bass), subsequently followed by Richard Hudson; both of them joining The Strawbs shortly afterwards. At this point the band dissolved.

In 1971, Forster and Bass formed a new version of Velvet Opera with ex-Tintern Abbey vocalist, Dave MacTavish and drummer Mike Fincher. Short-lived, they recorded one single on the Spark Records label.
Meanwhile, Terry formed his own band with ex-members of the Downliners Sect and performed in Hair. In 1974 he went on to tour with the "Fake Mac" version of Fleetwood Mac, when manager Clifford Davis claimed he owned the name "Fleetwood Mac" and promoted a new version without any original members. After the tour collapsed in litigation with the original members of Fleetwood Mac, the band continued as Stretch. Later, Terry recorded with The Alan Parsons Project and sang lead vocals on the tracks "May Be a Price to Pay" on The Turn of a Friendly Card and "Psychobabble" on Eye in the Sky. He also worked with Cozy Powell and Jon Lord.


Members:

Richard Hudson – vocals, drums, sitar (1967-1970)
John Ford – vocals, bass guitar (1967-1970)
Dave Terry ("Elmer Gantry") – vocals, guitar, harmonica (1967-1968)
Colin Forster - lead guitar (1967-1968, 1969-1971)
Jimmy Horrocks (Horovitz) – organ, flute (1967)
Paul Brett – guitar (1968)
Johnny Joyce – vocals, guitar (1969-1970; died 2004)
Colin Bass - bass guitar (1970-1971)
Dave MacTavish - vocals (1971)
Mike Fincher - drums (1971)

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmer_Gantry's_Velvet_Opera

SONG OF THE DAY / Antony And The Johnsons - You Are My Sister (Cut The World)

Antony And The Johnsons - You Are My Sister (from the live symphonic album "Cut The World", 2012)

https://youtu.be/i9VkqPEHwJw

Lyrics:

You are my sister, we were born

So innocent, so full of need

There were times we were friends but times I was so cruel

Each night I'd ask for you to watch me as I sleep

I was so afraid of the night

You seemed to move through the places that I feared

You lived inside my world so softly

Protected only by the kindness of your nature

You are my sister

And I love you

May all of your dreams come true

We felt so differently then

So similar over the years

The way we laugh, the way we experience pain

So many memories

But there's nothing left to gain from remembering

Faces and worlds that no one else will ever know

You are my sister

May all of your dreams come true

I want this for you

They're gonna come true

An Emotional Fish (alternative rock / Ireland)

An Emotional Fish is an alternative rock band from Dublin, Ireland. An Emotional Fish were formed in 1988, and consisted of Gerard Whelan (lead vocals, percussion), Martin Murphy (drums, percussion), David Frew (guitars, vocals), and Enda Wyatt (bass, vocals, keyboards). Their musical influences include David Bowie, Iggy Pop, T. Rex, and Dolly Parton.

The vocalist Gerard Whelan met bassist Enda Wyatt in a band that Whelan was auditioning for. Whelan joined the band, but it broke up soon after. 

After the break-up, Whelan and Wyatt formed their own band. They originally performed alone, and recorded their works on a four-track tape recorder. After a year, Whelan brought his friend David Frew into the band. Whelan and David Frew had attended the same school and lived in the same housing estate. 
In 1988, they decided to name the band An Emotional Fish. For a few months, they performed with a drum machine, but soon added drummer Martin Murphy as the final member of the group.
In 1989, they signed to U2's independent Mother Records label to release their eponymous debut CD. "Grey Matter" was a mild local hit, but it was followed by "Celebrate", which hit the top 10 of the Ireland charts. It also peaked at No. 46 in the UK Singles Chart in June 1990, where it remained in that listing for five weeks. College radio stations began to pick up the song. It received significant airplay, and eventually reached the top 5 of the US Modern Rock Tracks chart. Atlantic Records signed the band, and re-released "Grey Matter" in the US, where it became a lesser college rock hit. Atlantic released their debut album internationally, where it received generally poor reviews but sold well in Ireland.
After a tour to support the debut album, An Emotional Fish returned to the studio to record Junk Puppets. The songs were recorded over eight months, and four of the songs were produced by David A. Stewart. In 1993, the album was released, and An Emotional Fish opened for U2 on the Zoo TV Tour. However, the album sold few copies outside of Ireland. In 1994, the band released Sloper, but only secured a distribution deal in the UK. The album was released in the US two years later.
David Frew performed on The Marigolds Abbey Street EP which was released in 1998. More recently he has been playing with former Marigolds frontman Paul Woodward. David will be performing a series of low key gigs in Scotland at the end of 2011.
In 2002, Whelan created a new band, Jerry Fish and the Mudbug Club, with a new style and musical presence, where he can still be seen to work with Enda Wyatt.
On March 30, 2012 the band will be playing in the Olympia Theatre in Dublin in a concert in aid of Barretstown.

Members:

Gerard Whelan - lead vocals, percussion
Martin Murphy - drums, percussion
David Frew - guitars, vocals
Enda Wyatt - bass, vocals, keyboards

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

The Beatles Anthology (documentary)

The Beatles Anthology is a documentary serie about the career of The Beatles. It was broadcast on television in six abridged parts between November and December 1995. An eight volume VHS set and an 8 disc Laserdisc set were released on 5 September 1996. The series was re-released on DVD in 2003, with an 81-minute special-features disc.


The Beatles Anthology:

 Episode 1:

Chapters:


1. Liverpool: The Childhood Years 0:00
2. Discovering Rock & Roll 7:35
3. John, Paul & George - The Beginning of the Beatles 18:58
4. First Recordings 1958-1960 24:19
5. Stuart Sutcliffe 27:14
6. Early Tours 30:33
7. Pete Best 37:32
8. Hamburg 39:40
9. Growing Pains 52:56
10. Stuart Sutcliffe Leaves 53:48
11. The Cavern 56:13
12. Decca Sessions 1:00:21
13. George Martin 1:01:49
14. Ringo Arrives 1:03:02
15. Love Me Do 1:07:12
16. Please Please Me 1:11:26
17. End Credits 1:16:24

Episode 2:

 Chapters:

1. Racing Up The Ladder 0:00
2. Touring Britain - 1963 11:02
3. London - 1963 22:32
4. Early Television Appearances 26:33
5. Voice Clips from Abbey Road 30:18
6. Reflections On Sudden Fame 35:14
7. Beatlemania 40:27
8. Royal Variety Performance 45:08
9. Second Album: With The Beatles 54:51
10. Olympia Theatre - Paris 1:04:30
11. "I Want To Hold Your Hand" 1:05:52


Only to see on YouTube: http://youtu.be/1_Q1HcOZ54Y




Episode 3:

Chapters:


1. Arrival in the US 0:00
2. First Appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show 10:00
3. The Coliseum Concert - Washington D.C. 13:55
4. Reception at the British Embassy 24:24
5. Miami Beach 25:32
6. Second Appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show 28:32
7. Return to England 32:26
8. "They're Going To Put Us in the Movies" 34:25
9. Filming A Hard Day's Night 36:21
10. In His Own Write 46:15
11. World Tour 1964 49:15
12. World Premiere of A Hard Day's Night 1:04:00
13. Liverpool Homecoming 1:06:14

Episode 4:

Chapters:


1. First Major US Tour - Summer 1964 0:00
2. Meeting Bob Dylan 9:12
3. The Pressures of Touring 12:13
4. Feedback - "I Feel Fine" 18:26
5. Recording "Beatles For Sale" 21:16
6. Filming "Help!" 29:05
7. "Yesterday" 43:22
8. NME Poll Winners Concert - April 11, 1965 48:11
9. George Talks About His Songs 50:11
10. "Ticket To Ride" 54:18
11. The Beatles Recieve The MBE From The Queen 57:02

SONG OF THE DAY / Brainbox - The Smile

The Smile  (from the album "The Very Best", 1971) : https://youtu.be/EejG-QFvI80 :

Musicians:

Jan Akkerman: Guitar, organ, vibes, bass guitar 
Andre Reynen: Bass guitar
Pierre van der Linden: Drums
Kazimierz Lux: Lead vocals, percusion
John Schuursma: Guitar
Frans Smit: Drums
Rudy de Queljoe: Guitar
Herman Meyer: Guitar

Ekseption (prog.rock, classic rock / Netherlands)

Ekseption was a Dutch progressive rock ensemble from Haarlem (The Netherlands),  with changing membership, active from 1967 to 1989, growing out of the bands The Jokers and Incrowd. 

Ekseption was famous during the late sixties/early seventies for the way it combined themes from classical composers with contemporary rock and jazz in a blend of dominating, virtuoso keys and trumpet plus sax(es).

The story of Ekseption as we know it begins when they won the first prize at the Loosdrecht Jazz Festival in 1968, and they were rewarded with a record contract with Philips. At the suggestion of Rick van der Linden, the band’s keyboard player, they decided to record rock versions of Beethoven’s “Fifth” and Khachaturian’s “Sabre Dance”. Although initially the single with “The Fifth” did not catch on, three months after it was released suddenly it began to sell like hotcakes, and the basis for the now famous Ekseption formula was established: a cocktail of classical music with (symphonic) rock and jazz. Following the success of the single, their first album was recorded, which contained a mix of covers, classical themes in a rock/jazz setting, and one song written by the band.



The group started out playing jazz, pop and R&B covers, but, impressed by a gig of The Nice, Rick van der Linden decided to concentrate on producing classical rock, modern re-interpretations of classical works with bass, drums and horn charts.
Most of their albums contain both original songs and re-interpreted classical pieces.

Van der Linden left the group in late 1973 to form Trace, and he recorded three astonishing symphonic rock albums with this band. (during which time he was replaced by Dutch keyboardist Hans Jansen. Jansen took the band in a jazzier direction, with two LPs of mostly original compositions, but lackluster sales caused the band to break up in 1976. An offshoot band, named Spin, formed later that year and released two more albums, but success also eluded them.) 

In 1978 Rick van der Linden and Rein van den Broek, Ekseption’s trumpet player, came together and they decided to reunite Ekseption with the old line-up: Peter de Leeuwe (drums), Cor Dekker (bass), Dick Remelink (sax), and of course Rein and Rick. They recorded “EKSEPTION 78” in a time when symphonic rock and prog rock were not in vogue, and “EKSEPTION 78” did not have the commercial success that was hoped for. Hoping to restore some of that success Ekseption released an album in 1981 with new recordings of their old hits together with two new tracks, “Dance Macabre”. But when this album failed to be a success as well Rick and Rein decided to call it quits. In 1989 a new attempt was made at a comeback with Ekseption. They recorded “EKSEPTION’89”, a CD with again old material in new arrangements as well as a couple of new tracks. Again it did not work out the way Ekseption had hoped, and the scenario of 1981 repeated itself. In 1994 Ekseption came together again for some live performances, and a live album was recorded. However, the album contains tepid, uninspired performances of old material, and it seemed that now the final curtain had fallen for Ekseption.


In 2001 Rick released a solo album where he fused the church organ with rock music in new arrangements of the music he had performed with Trace and Ekseption. He decided to rejuvenate Ekseption with some new blood in the shape of Mark Inneo on drums, Meredith Nelson on bass and Bob Shields on guitar. With this new Ekseption and his wife on vocals he toured through Holland and Germany in 2003.
Rick van der Linden passed away on January 22, 2006.

Air:

Toccata:

The band Trace (live, 1977): 

Personnel:

Rein van den Broek - trumpet, flugelhorn (1967-1989)
Rick van der Linden - keyboards (1969–1973, 1978–1981)
Cor Dekker - bass guitar (1969–1975)
Peter de Leeuwe - drums, vocal (1969, 1971–1972)
Rob Kruisman - saxophones, flute, vocal (1969)
Huib van Kampen - solo guitar, tenor sax (1969)
Dennis Whitbread (also Withbread - real name Dennis Witbraad) - drums (1970)
Dick Remelink - saxophones, flutes (1970–1972)
Michel van Dijk - vocals (1970)
Linda van Dyck - vocals (1970)
Erik van Lier - trombone, tuba (1970)
Tony Vos - saxophones, production (1969–1971)
Steve Allet (real name Koen Merkelbach) - vocals (1970)
Jan Vennik - saxophones, flute (1973–1979)
Pieter Voogt - drums (1973–1975)
Hans Jansen (real name Johannes J. Jansen) - keyboards (1974–1977)[4]
Hans Hollestelle - guitar (1974–1976)
Max Werner - drums (1981)
Johan Slager - bass, guitar (1981)
Jan Hollestelle - bass, synthesizers, cello (1976)
Cees Kranenburg - drums, percussion (1976)
anonymous studio musicians (1976)


Spin (1976-1977):

Rein van den Broek - trumpet
Jan Vennik - sax, flute
Hans Jansen - keyboards
Hans Hollestelle - guitar
Kees Kranenburg - drums
Jan Hollestelle - bass



Discografie:

Ekseption (LP), 1969
Beggar Julia's time trip (LP), 1970
Ekseption 3 (LP), 1970
Ekseption 00.04 (LP), 1971
Ekseption 5 (LP), 1972
Trinity (LP), 1973
Bingo (LP), 1974
Mindmirror (LP), 1975
With Love From (LP), 1975 - verzamelalbum met 2 nummers die niet eerder op LP waren voorgekomen
Back to the Classics (LP), 1977
Ekseption '78 (LP), 1978
Ekseption live at Idssteiner Schloss (LP), 1978
Dance Macabre (LP), 1981
Ekseption '89 (LP, CD), 1989
The reunion (CD), 1994

Others:

LP's: Ekseptional classics (1973), Greatest hits (1975), Best of Ekseption, Classic in pop, Ekseption witte album, Motive, Past and present, Featuring: Rick van der Linden (1983)
CD's: Greatest Hits - Ekseptional Classics, Plays Bach, Poplions, Reflection, Greatest Hits (1990), The very best of Ekseption (1991, heruitgave van Ekseption '78), With Love From (1993), Ekseption (1994, heruitgave van Ekseption '78), Best of Ekseption (1995, heruitgave van The reunion), The fifth (1998, heruitgave van Ekseptional classics), Selected Ekseption (1999, compilatie, dubbel-CD), Beggar Julia's time trip (Brazilië, 2000), With a smile (Rusland, 2000), Air (2001), Hollands glorie (2001, heruitgave van Ekseption '78), (The) Best of Ekseption (Zweitausendeins, 2002), Ekseption (The Universal Masters Collection) (2003), 3 Originals (2004), 5 / Ekseption (Italië, 2004), Ekseption 3 / Ekseption Plays Bach (Italië), Trinity / Ekseption 3 (2007)



Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ekseption
                http://www.last.fm/music/Ekseption/+wiki


Read more: http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ekseption (Dutch)