The 60's Psych Thread

Dr_Rez · 10-04-2009, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackhammer

Have you managed to find this album mate?

Not yet. Couldnt find on blogsearch and demoniod is down.

Mojo · 10-05-2009, 09:26 AM

Do you mean the Fifty Foot Hose one? I have it if people are looking for it.

Molecules · 11-06-2009, 05:48 PM

anybody heard this album before? It is by the Asylum Choir, 1968
I'm having one of those 'where the fubb have you been' moments, they are utterly mental

NumberNineDream · 11-07-2009, 06:13 PM

I'm not that good at reviews, but someone has to do it:

Asylum Choir - Look Inside The Asylum Choir (1968)
with Leon Russel & Marc Benno

Track List
01- Welcome to Hollywood 02- Soul Food 03- Icicle Star Tree 04- Death of the Flowers 05- Indian Style 06- N.Y. Op. /Land of Dog /Mr. Henri the Clown 07- Thieves in the Choir 08- Black Sheep Boogaloo

One of the freshest sounds of the 60s, that I still don't understand how it was such a failure to the band. This album has everything, condensed in only 27 minutes. From Rock n' Roll, Blues, Pop, R&B and of course, the great Psych. Each track is so much different from the previous one, but the album keeps advancing smoothly.

01- Welcome to Hollywood: One of the freshest, happiest tracks of the album, a bit like most of the opening tracks of the time (Sgt Pepper, S.F Sorrow is Born ... ). It's a song that welcomes the listener to the album, just what the name of the track suggests. That song alone mixes 4 genres of music, it starts with a blues progression, continues in a fast rhythm of pop with maracas, and in a contrasting verse-chorus form, the song gets more psychedelic to tell us "Welcome" with a touch of musique-concrête reminiscent of the Yellow Submarine.

02- Soul Food: In a song about soul food, the use of soul music is somehow mandatory. The tune is catchy and the rhythm is fast, a kind of prolongation to the first track. Nothing really special about that track, other than it really gets you going.

03- Icicle Star Tree: The title introduces you to the surreal world of the song. A typical enjoyable psychedelic track, it commences with the sound known to twinkling stars, you ascend into the dream... and the song begins. From the use of the surreal descriptions (pink lemonade landmark ... Popsicle-ing starlight ...) in the lyrics to the hypnotizing melody... you are certainly in wonderland.

04- Death of the Flowers: ... and here are the twinkling stars again to wake you up from the dream. A really nice touching mellow song, speaking of death and loss.

05- Indian Style: The track begins with an audio collage of sounds that surprisingly verges to a pop song with close vocal harmonies. An enjoyable filler that puts you in a good chirpy mood for the incredible B side ...

I don't think we can divide the B-side into tracks, it's 13 minutes of bliss, composed of 06- N.Y. Op. /Land of Dog /Mr. Henri the Clown - 07- Thieves in the Choir - 08- Black Sheep Boogaloo: I don't think i can say much about this part of the album, we can only listen to it and enjoy it (it's the video posted by Molecules). Tho there are some missing parts, from the beginning and the end, so the best is always to get the album and enjoy it in its fullest.

*Still the most annoying part of that album, is the shortness of it. I'm downloading their second album now. I guess the two of them put back-to-back should create a reasonable length.

Mojo · 11-07-2009, 07:12 PM

Good review

this is one of my favourite threads and it's great to see it get a shot in the arm!

That being said, i may as well add something to it myself.

THE HUMAN INSTINCT - STONED GUITAR (1970)

Ok so i know this is the SIXTIES psych thread but as was outlined in the first post, there was bound to be some overlap into the early seventies and this album i feel deserves a mention here.

The New Zealand bands first album, Burning Up Years is a record i have also recently listened to and although some tracks on it were fairly decent blues/pop, there were also some stinkers on it including a terrible cover of The Kink's 'You Really Got Me' which certainly helped leave a fairly bad taste in the mouth. However their second record, Stoned Guitar managed to blend the blues in which that record was rooted in with some fantastic Hendrix-inspired guitar work.

A much more complex, complete album in comparison i got a real sense that this is when the band hit their stride. Theres a lot of good use of repetition in the structuring of the lengthy songs (of the six songs, three of them are over eight minutes long) which allows guitarist Billy Tekahika the freedom to accompany the blues riffs with some tight, loud, fuzzy jams and solo's.

The title track sports some exceptionally loud lead guitar work and noise, 'Jugg a Jug' and 'Midnight Sun' are two great examples of the lengthy, hazy, psychedelic jams i mentioned and the closing track 'Railway Gun' is best described as not being a million miles away from the raw, electric blues that made Hendrix so great. Its also worth mentioning (because chances are you will notice) that the beginning of 'Midnight Sun' is very reminiscent, or rather exactly the same as 'Mississippi Queen' by Mountain. I have a feeling the Mountain track came first and im not sure what month of 1970 they released this album but it looks like The Human Instinct did release their first single from this record in the same month, at least.

The track 'Tomorrow' arguably may seem a little out of place and offers the albums only real respite as a slow, acoustic, melodic number but after a few listens through i usually find myself welcoming this respite.

Whether further listens improve or weaken this record for me has yet to be seen but you may as well make your own mind up in the meantime.

STONED GUITAR

JUGG-A-JUG

MIDNIGHT SUN

Molecules · 11-09-2009, 05:44 PM

Gee whiz, new reviews! Is this your debut no.9? Really great job, although I am the last one that needs convincing of the greatness of that album... like the way you distinguished the A and B sides. It has just been reissued on CD via one of the Cherry Red-associated labels, if i had the dough i'd snap it up. Parts have a carnival atmosphere that recalls Os Mutantes but like you say it is just a pick n' mix of 60's styles and deserves more recognition.

the Human Instinct however seem like more of a classic distortion skullf*ck. I'm familiar with the infamous New Zealand prog movement but Antipodean psych is harder to come by... heavy as hell... if 'Midnight Sun' is Jefferson Airplane then 'Jugg-a-jug' is Hendrix. Probably gonna have to seek this beehatch out.

ed: i will get these on the front page and in the reviews archive soon

Mojo · 11-09-2009, 05:58 PM

Mind-****ing is kind of how i like my psych i think, so that album hits the spot as far as im concerned. Im listening to that Asylum Choir song on Youtube though and it sounds alright so far.

Molecules · 11-09-2009, 06:03 PM

with regards to mind-f*cking psychedelic early-70's hard-blues, has anybody got anything to say about this

these guys released a run of three albums from 1970-72 which I regard as pretty much perfect..

edit: also i think Asylum choir are perfectly mind sexing but in a compositional sense, messing around with pop in amazing ways. Singer is great too

Mojo · 11-09-2009, 06:27 PM

I like that video. Might check those guys out.

NumberNineDream · 11-10-2009, 11:21 PM

I just got to listen Human Instinct. I got a major headache from it, but definitely the good kind

Mind-****ing indeed.

Edit: I'm listening to Groundhogs' track now, also some outstanding Psych. Their three album are being added to my "To have" list.

10-05-2009, 09:26 AM	#152 (permalink)
Mojo Melancholia Eternally Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: England Posts: 5,018	Do you mean the Fifty Foot Hose one? I have it if people are looking for it. __________________ Last.FM \| Echoes and Dust

11-06-2009, 05:48 PM	#153 (permalink)
Molecules daddy don't Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: the Wastes Posts: 2,577	anybody heard this album before? It is by the Asylum Choir, 1968 I'm having one of those 'where the fubb have you been' moments, they are utterly mental __________________ [SIZE="1"]Eff em tumble her

11-07-2009, 06:13 PM	#154 (permalink)
NumberNineDream Blue Bleezin' Blind Drunk Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: The land of the largest wine glass (aka Lebanon) Posts: 2,200	I'm not that good at reviews, but someone has to do it: Asylum Choir - Look Inside The Asylum Choir (1968) with Leon Russel & Marc Benno Track List 01- Welcome to Hollywood 02- Soul Food 03- Icicle Star Tree 04- Death of the Flowers 05- Indian Style 06- N.Y. Op. /Land of Dog /Mr. Henri the Clown 07- Thieves in the Choir 08- Black Sheep Boogaloo One of the freshest sounds of the 60s, that I still don't understand how it was such a failure to the band. This album has everything, condensed in only 27 minutes. From Rock n' Roll, Blues, Pop, R&B and of course, the great Psych. Each track is so much different from the previous one, but the album keeps advancing smoothly. 01- Welcome to Hollywood: One of the freshest, happiest tracks of the album, a bit like most of the opening tracks of the time (Sgt Pepper, S.F Sorrow is Born ... ). It's a song that welcomes the listener to the album, just what the name of the track suggests. That song alone mixes 4 genres of music, it starts with a blues progression, continues in a fast rhythm of pop with maracas, and in a contrasting verse-chorus form, the song gets more psychedelic to tell us "Welcome" with a touch of musique-concrête reminiscent of the Yellow Submarine. 02- Soul Food: In a song about soul food, the use of soul music is somehow mandatory. The tune is catchy and the rhythm is fast, a kind of prolongation to the first track. Nothing really special about that track, other than it really gets you going. 03- Icicle Star Tree: The title introduces you to the surreal world of the song. A typical enjoyable psychedelic track, it commences with the sound known to twinkling stars, you ascend into the dream... and the song begins. From the use of the surreal descriptions (pink lemonade landmark ... Popsicle-ing starlight ...) in the lyrics to the hypnotizing melody... you are certainly in wonderland. 04- Death of the Flowers: ... and here are the twinkling stars again to wake you up from the dream. A really nice touching mellow song, speaking of death and loss. 05- Indian Style: The track begins with an audio collage of sounds that surprisingly verges to a pop song with close vocal harmonies. An enjoyable filler that puts you in a good chirpy mood for the incredible B side ... I don't think we can divide the B-side into tracks, it's 13 minutes of bliss, composed of 06- N.Y. Op. /Land of Dog /Mr. Henri the Clown - 07- Thieves in the Choir - 08- Black Sheep Boogaloo: I don't think i can say much about this part of the album, we can only listen to it and enjoy it (it's the video posted by Molecules). Tho there are some missing parts, from the beginning and the end, so the best is always to get the album and enjoy it in its fullest. *Still the most annoying part of that album, is the shortness of it. I'm downloading their second album now. I guess the two of them put back-to-back should create a reasonable length. __________________ Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats?Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats?Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats?Do bats eat cats? Do bats eat cats? Do bats eat cats? Do bats eat cats? Do bats eat cats?Do bats eat cats?Do bats eat cats?Do bats eat cats? Do bats eat cats? Do bats eat cats? Do bats eat cats?Do bats eat cats?Do bats eat cats? Do bats eat cats? Do bats eat cats? Welcome to the Black Lodge

11-07-2009, 07:12 PM	#155 (permalink)
Mojo Melancholia Eternally Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: England Posts: 5,018	Good review this is one of my favourite threads and it's great to see it get a shot in the arm! That being said, i may as well add something to it myself. THE HUMAN INSTINCT - STONED GUITAR (1970) Ok so i know this is the SIXTIES psych thread but as was outlined in the first post, there was bound to be some overlap into the early seventies and this album i feel deserves a mention here. The New Zealand bands first album, Burning Up Years is a record i have also recently listened to and although some tracks on it were fairly decent blues/pop, there were also some stinkers on it including a terrible cover of The Kink's 'You Really Got Me' which certainly helped leave a fairly bad taste in the mouth. However their second record, Stoned Guitar managed to blend the blues in which that record was rooted in with some fantastic Hendrix-inspired guitar work. A much more complex, complete album in comparison i got a real sense that this is when the band hit their stride. Theres a lot of good use of repetition in the structuring of the lengthy songs (of the six songs, three of them are over eight minutes long) which allows guitarist Billy Tekahika the freedom to accompany the blues riffs with some tight, loud, fuzzy jams and solo's. The title track sports some exceptionally loud lead guitar work and noise, 'Jugg a Jug' and 'Midnight Sun' are two great examples of the lengthy, hazy, psychedelic jams i mentioned and the closing track 'Railway Gun' is best described as not being a million miles away from the raw, electric blues that made Hendrix so great. Its also worth mentioning (because chances are you will notice) that the beginning of 'Midnight Sun' is very reminiscent, or rather exactly the same as 'Mississippi Queen' by Mountain. I have a feeling the Mountain track came first and im not sure what month of 1970 they released this album but it looks like The Human Instinct did release their first single from this record in the same month, at least. The track 'Tomorrow' arguably may seem a little out of place and offers the albums only real respite as a slow, acoustic, melodic number but after a few listens through i usually find myself welcoming this respite. Whether further listens improve or weaken this record for me has yet to be seen but you may as well make your own mind up in the meantime. STONED GUITAR JUGG-A-JUG MIDNIGHT SUN __________________ Last.FM \| Echoes and Dust

11-09-2009, 05:44 PM	#156 (permalink)
Molecules daddy don't Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: the Wastes Posts: 2,577	Gee whiz, new reviews! Is this your debut no.9? Really great job, although I am the last one that needs convincing of the greatness of that album... like the way you distinguished the A and B sides. It has just been reissued on CD via one of the Cherry Red-associated labels, if i had the dough i'd snap it up. Parts have a carnival atmosphere that recalls Os Mutantes but like you say it is just a pick n' mix of 60's styles and deserves more recognition. the Human Instinct however seem like more of a classic distortion skullf*ck. I'm familiar with the infamous New Zealand prog movement but Antipodean psych is harder to come by... heavy as hell... if 'Midnight Sun' is Jefferson Airplane then 'Jugg-a-jug' is Hendrix. Probably gonna have to seek this beehatch out. ed: i will get these on the front page and in the reviews archive soon __________________ [SIZE="1"]Eff em tumble her

11-09-2009, 05:58 PM	#157 (permalink)
Mojo Melancholia Eternally Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: England Posts: 5,018	Mind-****ing is kind of how i like my psych i think, so that album hits the spot as far as im concerned. Im listening to that Asylum Choir song on Youtube though and it sounds alright so far. __________________ Last.FM \| Echoes and Dust

11-09-2009, 06:03 PM	#158 (permalink)
Molecules daddy don't Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: the Wastes Posts: 2,577	with regards to mind-f*cking psychedelic early-70's hard-blues, has anybody got anything to say about this these guys released a run of three albums from 1970-72 which I regard as pretty much perfect.. edit: also i think Asylum choir are perfectly mind sexing but in a compositional sense, messing around with pop in amazing ways. Singer is great too __________________ [SIZE="1"]Eff em tumble her

11-09-2009, 06:27 PM	#159 (permalink)
Mojo Melancholia Eternally Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: England Posts: 5,018	I like that video. Might check those guys out. __________________ Last.FM \| Echoes and Dust

11-10-2009, 11:21 PM	#160 (permalink)
NumberNineDream Blue Bleezin' Blind Drunk Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: The land of the largest wine glass (aka Lebanon) Posts: 2,200	I just got to listen Human Instinct. I got a major headache from it, but definitely the good kind Mind-**ing indeed. Edit: I'm listening to Groundhogs*' track now, also some outstanding Psych. Their three album are being added to my "To have" list. __________________ Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats?Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats?Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats?Do bats eat cats? Do bats eat cats? Do bats eat cats? Do bats eat cats? Do bats eat cats?Do bats eat cats?Do bats eat cats?Do bats eat cats? Do bats eat cats? Do bats eat cats? Do bats eat cats?Do bats eat cats?Do bats eat cats? Do bats eat cats? Do bats eat cats? Welcome to the Black Lodge Last edited by NumberNineDream; 11-10-2009 at 11:45 PM.*