Molecules

the Left Banke are my favourite baroque pop group EVER. Flawless, anybody that could hear Evening Gown and not weep with joy has no soul... Cell have you got 'There's Gonna Be A Storm - The Complete Recordings 1966-1969'?

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[SIZE="1"]Eff em
tumble her

TheCellarTapes

No Molecules, afraid not.

I managed to get my hands on a bootleg from a good independent a couple of months back, a double cd of this album and the follow up, Left Banke Too.......for 10 quid.......Bargain.

Just wish someone like Sundazed would get hold of it, and get the word spread properly, they're a splendid band who deserve better.

TheCellarTapes

The Kaleidoscope - Faintly Blowing
(1969)



Tracks

1. Faintly Blowing
2. Poem
3. Snapdragon
4. Story From Tom Bitz
5. Love Song From Annie
6. If You So Wish
7. Opinion
8. Bless The Executioner
9. Black Fjord
10. Feathered Tiger
11. I'll Kiss You Once
12. Music
13. Do It Again For Jeffrey
14. Poem
15. Balloon
16. If You So Wish


When they were good they were on par with Pink Floyd and certainly the equals of The Pretty Things, The Kaleidoscope were formed in England's South East in the sixties and would later change their name to The Fairfield Parlour. But before the name change they released two belting and shockingly under appreciated albums on the Fontana Record Label.

The Kaleidoscope had already achieved a reputation at Fontana for being one of the most hardworking bands on their books. Putting in time and effort to get the sound as rounded and as perfect as possible, staying clear of the pretentious world of stimulants and all the while maintaining a touring schedule with live shows which had the audience lapping them up. To top it all they were never short of radio play either, both on pirate or at the hallowed halls of the BBC. It therefore comes as a surprise that The Kaleidoscope are now really only known in collector circles.

Later in this Journal we shall be revisiting this band for their debut, Tangerine Dream from 1967, which is certainly not overshadowed by the other Psychedelic efforts from that year. But it is to the follow up; Faintly Blowing from 1969 that we turn to today, with The Kaleidoscope at their pinnacle and most effortless.



Faintly Blowing begins with the title track and outlines that The Kaleidoscope are as gorgeous and trippy as they ever were. Track 2 then follows as it often does, but with Poem we have one of the most beautiful songs ever to be etched onto a piece of vinyl, it's just lovely. Snapdragon and The Story from Tom Bitz follow on nicely with a very, only in England poetic and psychedelic style.

Its then to Track 5, A Love Song For Annie, which should have you dear listener noticing that The Kaleidoscope are not your typical band from the period, no description could do this song justice, so I won't bother. Similarly Do It Again Jeffrey stands out from the crowd too, as a song it is just sheer brilliance. Both these songs and it has to be said, the entire album, will have you perplexed by the ultimate question; "why have I not heard of this band before?"

I'm hopeful that with a little bit of word of mouth, with this Internet thingy and the ever-increasing movement to re-examine these forgotten bands, that we can re-address these crimes of history. You personally can start by buying this album and telling your friends about how unbelievably marvellous it is. Enjoy

Molecules

Great stuff, the oversight of Kaleidoscope is indeed a crime. I only have Tangerine Dream but it doesn't have a dull moment and has always been one of my favourite psych albums - each track is literally an anthem...
I guess their abstinence and dedication got them left out of the fun and games at the UFO Club/psychotropics clique. Shame. Plus Tangerine's cover art is pleasingly similar to my favourite of all time, Rubber Soul

Anybody who is reading this listen to the man and seek out the band, they're are all over the blogs. Will have to check out this second album now, never thought to see if they did one!

Great selection of blues videos you posted as well, lots I am not familiar with. Sometimes the blues seems one of the only pure and uncorrupted forms of music... are you familiar with Skip James?

__________________

[SIZE="1"]Eff em
tumble her

TheCellarTapes

Skip James you say, he'll be Part 6

TheCellarTapes

Part 5 of Blues in The Cellar

This week looking at the beautiful Mississippi John Hurt, who was brought out of retirement by the Blues enthusiasts of the 1960's to finally get the credit he deserved.

Enjoy

TheCellarTapes

The Rising Sons - Rising Sons Featuring Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder
(1992)



Tracks

1. Statesboro Blues
2. If The River Was Whiskey
3. By And By (Poor Me)
4. Candy Man
5. Let The Good Times Roll
6. 44 Blues
7. 11th Street Overcrossing
8. Corrina Corrina
9. Tulsa County
10. Walking Down The Line
11. Girl With Green Eyes
12. Sunny's Dream
13. Spanish Lace Blues
14. Devil's Got My Woman
15. Take A Giant Step
16. Flyin' So High
17. Dust My Broom
18. Last Fair Deal Gone Down
19. Baby What You Want Me To Do
20. I Got A Little

An interesting proposition if ever there was one. The Rising Sons were formed in 1964, in Los Angeles, California. Containing Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder in it's line-up, The Rising Sons are certainly a band worth mentioning when the accolades for the greatest ever sixties Blues line-up are to be handed out.

But what they brought to music I think certainly does need a spot light of sorts, bringing a unique modern rural twist to the roots of the Delta. But not just that, they were also renowned for their live performances, and were the trail blazers for what was to follow with American music.

The Rising Sons were signed to Columbia Records, and only ever released one single; the brilliant Candy Man/The Devil's Got My Woman. They also recorded a serious amount of material in the studio (overseen by producer Terry Melcher of Byrds fame) and jam sessions, but any chance of an album was lost in 1966, when the band disbanded.



Obviously, the members of this band went on to forge very successful careers for themselves, but in 1992 Columbia got round to releasing this lost work which sat in their vaults for 25 years. It can be found in all its glory here, on The Rising Sons Featuring Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder.

Contained within are tracks written by performers from a bygone era, legends such as Blind Willie McTell, Robert Johnson and Charlie Patton. But with two of the greatest guitarists in history jamming these songs, one should not feel disappointed by the lack of original material on show. Glorious versions of Statesboro Blues, Dust My Broom and even a cover of an obscure Dylan number entitled Walkin' Down The Line to name but a few gems are to be had on this release.

In many ways The Rising Sons were doing what The Yardbirds and John Mayall were doing in Britain at the time. Taking the Blues and reinventing it for a modern audience. Such acts also laid down the road ahead for bands such as Cream and The Buffalo Springfield.

It is therefore highly recommended that you have a look at the delights to be found on this album.

TheCellarTapes

The Doors - The Doors
(1967)



Tracks

1 Break on Through (To the Other Side) 2:30
2 Soul Kitchen 3:35
3 The Crystal Ship 2:34
4 Twentieth Century Fox 2:33
5 Alabama Song (Whisky Bar) 3:20
6 Light My Fire 7:08
7 Back Door Man 3:34
8 I Looked at You 2:22
9 End of the Night 2:52
10 Take It as It Comes 2:17
11 The End 11:43

In January 1967, a band was let loose on the world from their base in California, mixing Psychedelia with Jazz; Blues with Poetry, the record buying public must have heard nothing like it before. The band in question was of course The Doors, and their catapult was their self titled debut album; a thrilling record brought to you by the good people at Elektra Records.

Nothing sums up the brilliance of this debut more then the three opening tracks, three songs which sum The Doors' whole career up perfectly.

The opener, Break on Through (To The Other Side), is more like a manifesto or a call to arms than your typical opener. Instead of being your typical track one, what it is instead is Jim Morrison screaming to us to change our ways and take a different view on things. It really is a belting song and screams out, HEY LOOK AT US!!

Track two, Soul Kitchen, would in later years come to be called your typical sleazy Doors' song, with Morrison being romantic as ever accompanied by Krieger and Manzarek providing the dirty bluesy backdrop.

Track three, The Crystal Ship, is gorgeously poetic and beautifully structured, demonstrating that The Doors had several more strings to their bow than the other '67 Californian Psychedelic bands.



The next highlight for me is track five, a song I have loved since being a kid. Thanks to my mum letting me listen to such a song, The Alabama Song has probably gone some way in making me the man I am today, a song about the lust for whiskey and women didn't do me any harm and certainly went someway in creating Jim Morrison the Legend, and the next few tracks didn't do much harm to that Legend either.

Light My Fire is just fantastic, and my words really wont be able to do this song justice so I will not bother, Back Door Man, is yet again another insight into Morrison's character, but the rest of the band it must be said are crucial in making these songs what they are, and what they are is Psychedelic, Bluesy, Jazzy and more thrillingly..... absolute filth. That's probably where I should end this review, but what of The End?

Well The End is 11 minutes of dramatised story telling, slightly pretentious, slightly strange, but after the previous 10 tracks on the record, you're kind of ready for it.

The Doors by The Doors is one of the best debuts ever released, I am not just saying that, it really is, if you haven't got it, buy it, its shockingly cheap so well worth a look and is an excellent place to start your Doors' adventure.

Enjoy

TheCellarTapes

The Kinks - Face to Face
(1966)



Tracks

1 Party Line 2:35
2 Rosie Won't You Please Come Home 2:34
3 Dandy 2:12
4 Too Much on My Mind 2:28
5 Session Man 2:14
6 Rainy Day in June 3:10
7 A House in the Country 3:03
8 Holiday in Waikiki 2:52
9 Most Exclusive Residence for Sale 2:48
10 Fancy Davies
11 Little Miss Queen of Darkness 3:16
12 You're Lookin' Fine 2:46
13 Sunny Afternoon 3:36
14 I'll Remember 2:27

Released in 1966 on Pye Records, and produced by the great Shel Talmy, Face to Face by The Kinks represents a breakthrough for their output. Moving from the R&B roots that had been such a successful formula for the previous three years, the band moved to a more thought provoking and impeccable social commentary. It also saw the emergence of Ray Davies as the creative force for the band.

The album starts with the only Dave Davies assisted song on the original LP; Party Line is a fine opener and is not a bad contribution from one of the most under appreciated songwriters of the sixties. The next highlight on the album is Dandy, the tale of a Casanova like character who ages through the song only to find that time has caught up with him by the end, like so many Ray Davies songs it’s amazingly bitchy but so catchy it’s untrue.

There are also some very quaint under stated songs that do not do any harm to this album, Little Miss Queen of Darkness, Rosie Wont You Please Come Home and Fancy are gorgeous little numbers, not to mention the Dave Davies meets Benny Goodman effort of Holiday in Waikiki, marvellous stuff.

I had almost forgotten about the crowning glory of this record, the mighty tale of deprivation and misery; Sunny Afternoon is track thirteen, and after so many plays in life, it is easy to overlook the merits of this song. But let’s just be honest and say that this is one of the finest songs ever written.



In modern times, the album has been reissued to include some of the other Kink highlights from 1966, which didn’t quite make the original cut. These include the brilliant singles Mr Pleasant and Dead End Street, both of which show the real nature of Ray Davies’ observational and it could be said "bitchy" writing style, quaint but at the same time literally scathing. There is also a song added which was written by Ray and performed by Dave, it is one of my favourite Kinks’ songs; I’m Not Like Everybody Else is the original two fingers record and is unremorseful for being so.

If The Kink Kontroversy was a fitting way to draw a line under The Kinks’ R&B period, then Face to Face was a splendid way to introduce the world to their new style of output. Face to Face puts any previous Kinks’ album in the shade when it came to quality of writing and social commentary. It can be said that without this album, two years later The Kinks could not have ever conceived the idea of The Village Green Preservation Society, and although it is not as good as the greatest album ever made, it does have its moments, a belting little album that fits very nicely into the classic category. A Must

TheCellarTapes

Part 2 of Interview with The Youth

This was from a while back, from the 18th of August 2008. This is an interview with Guitarist, Drummer and Singer for Manchester duo Euchrid Eucrow.

Dave is a good lad (immense on the guitar) and heavily influenced by The Stooges, as you will hear. His band are newish to the Manchester scene but as you can hear from their myspace page below, they've got a good thing going on.

Euchrid Eucrow on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads


Anyway.....over to you Ben