When I was a kid back in the ’80s and ’90s, my family owned one of those handheld cassette recorders with the handles. My sister and I, or sometimes friends, would record everything around us. We’d create little radio programs and skits and songs and such. It was silly and fun, full of inside jokes, the kind of thing young people did in in the safe space of close kinship. A level of comfortable where you didn’t care about what anyone thought or said, just fun for fun’s sake. Continue reading “What’s That Sound? White Mystery – “Outta Control””
What’s That Sound? The Harlequins – “One With You”
Anyone in psychedelic music circles these days will tell you, there’s plenty of fuzz to go around. Surf riffs drenched in shaky distortion, wobbly keyboard licks and distorted vocal yelps are becoming commonplace, and personally I love it. But as has happened with past music trends from punk to grunge to you name it, standing out from the crowd while indulging in the genre du jour isn’t always easy. Continue reading “What’s That Sound? The Harlequins – “One With You””
What’s That Sound? Kaleidoscope – “Bernice” (1970)
The American band Kaleidoscope was formed in southern California in 1966 and quickly became a fan favorite in the psychedelic scene due to their unique instrumentation and wild studio techniques. After three unique and acclaimed albums and a popular live career the band released their final album “Bernice” in 1970 on Epic Records. Continue reading “What’s That Sound? Kaleidoscope – “Bernice” (1970)”
What’s That Sound? Tin House – “s/t” (1971)
The self-titled debut from Tin House (produced by Rick Derringer) hit stores in 1971, and at first listen you could easily be fooled into thinking they were just another heavy blues band. Continue reading “What’s That Sound? Tin House – “s/t” (1971)”
What’s That Sound? Art – “Supernatural Fairy Tales” (1967)
In 1967, Island records quietly released this debut from British band Art (formerly known as The V.I.P.s) produced by influential rock producer Guy Stevens. Continue reading “What’s That Sound? Art – “Supernatural Fairy Tales” (1967)”
Hawkwind: Time We Left This World Today
Aphrodite’s Child: New Greek Heroes
Aphrodite’s Child was a band that I discovered as I do a lot of music. Accidentally.
A group from Greece, they were a heavy dose of psychedelic with a hint of Greek traditional folk in the melodies. Their international fame was limited, but they became a sensation in Paris with a handful of early singles in the late ’60s, and went on to sell around 20 million albums in about 4 years. Continue reading “Aphrodite’s Child: New Greek Heroes”
Alexander “Skip” Spence: Never The Same
Alexander “Skip” Spence’s mercurial contributions to the musical treasure trove of the late ’60s easily rival those of other legends of the era such as Janis Joplin or Jim Morrison. As with those artists his best creative efforts ended with the decade, but Spence survived the ’60s only to fade from the limelight. Continue reading “Alexander “Skip” Spence: Never The Same”
Six Degrees of Terry Manning
Maybe you’ve heard of Terry Manning, but I hadn’t until the last couple of years. I picked up his 1969 album “Home Sweet Home” because I liked his raw cover versions of some Beatles songs.
The album’s alright, but surprisingly it’s the least remarkable thing about him. Continue reading “Six Degrees of Terry Manning”
Robert Fripp & Brian Eno: 40+ years without pussyfooting.
It took me a long time to appreciate Brian Eno. As a punk-rock loving teen myself, his ambient work just didn’t initially connect with me and I was completely ignorant as to his amazing production resume. My narrow mind was finally blown watching Velvet Goldmine, as the opening credits blared the wild layered guitar of “Needle In A Camel’s Eye.” It was a start. Continue reading “Robert Fripp & Brian Eno: 40+ years without pussyfooting.”
Linda Lyndell, rocking that Dusty Springfield vibe…
Linda Lyndell was a 22 year old Gainsville girl who’d cut her teeth singing soul on tour with a number of soul legends. Otis Redding got her in at STAX, and her 2nd single “What A Man” peaked at #50 on the Billboard chart in 1968. Continue reading “Linda Lyndell, rocking that Dusty Springfield vibe…”