Tuesday 26 April 2011

Axe-Discography (Uk 1969)


AXE were one of the most obscure acts in the field of psychedelic rock of the late 60's.
Only 6 copies were pressed in 1969 and that's why it's a very rare album.
Two albums you can find here. The album " Music " and a live concert
with the band performing cover versions of various tunes named "Live 1969".


The line-up consisted of Vivienne (Countess Vivienne according to some sources) on vocals, A. Barford (guitars). R. Hilliard (acoustic guitar), M. Nobbs (bass), S. Gordon (drums, percussion).


Axe - " Music "
Tracks:
1 Here to There
2 Ahinam (take 2)
3 Another Sunset, Another Dawn
4 The Child Dreams
5 A House is Not a Motel
6 Peace of Mind
7 Dark Vision
8 Strange Sights & Crimson Nights
9 Here to There (Live '69)


Axe - " Live 1969 "
Tracks :
1 Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody to Love"
2 Canned Heat "On the Road Again"
3 Traffic's "Mr Fantasy"
4 Neil Young's "Cinnamon Girl"
5 Judy Collins' "Pretty Polly"
6 Tim Rose "Morning Dew"

Enjoy ! ! !

4. The child dreams ( from the album " Music " )



Monday 25 April 2011

High Tide - Sea Shanties (1969)



High Tide is a very interesting band from the late 60's/early 70's UK proto-prog scene. The band was part of the Clearwater Management stable of bands that also included Hawkwind, Skin Alley, and Cochise, and their debut album Sea Shanties was on the Liberty/United Artists label.It is such a wonderful LP, made up of Tony Hill (guitar/vocals/keyboards), Simon House (violin/keyboards), Peter Pavli (bass) and Roger Hadden (drums), these four musicians mustered together some powerful sounds here on their debut, complete with plenty of bone crunching and doomy guitar riffs, wah-wah solos, soaring violin flights, raging organ, pounding drums, and a Jim Morrison-influenced vocal attack.


Tracks:
1. Futilist's Lament (5:20)
2. Death Warmed Up (9:12)
3. Pushed, But Not Forgotten (4:47)
4. Walkin Down Their Outlook (5:00)
5. Missing Out (9:42)
6. Nowhere (5:57)


Enjoy ! ! !


1.Futilist's Lament (5:20)


Sunday 24 April 2011

Advancement - The Advancement (US 1969)

Only album by the obscure US West Coast instrumental sextet The Advancement, established by the bassist Lou Kabok and drummer Hal Gordon, both members at the time of the famous Hungarian guitarist Gabor Szabo’s quintet.
This beautiful and obscure gem is one of the earliest examples of Fusion, with the distinct West Coast Jazz influence, tasteful, relaxed and cool. Very melodic, with some great writing and arranging by the band members, this music is quite different from the Fusion mainstream, and therefore unique.

Tracks:
01 - Juliet.
02 - Painful Struggle.
03 - Stone Folk.
04 - Grass Mass.
05 - Sunflower.
06 - She.
07 - Moorish Mode.
08 - Hobo Express.
09 - Child At Play.
10 - Fall Out.

05. Sunflower



Saturday 23 April 2011

Bent Wind - Sussex (1969)


The Toronto, Ontario, psychedelic rock band Bent Wind got its sporadic start in 1969.
The first album Sussex can be described as hard rock complete with blues-mauling guitar riffs, with some nice haunting harmonies and occasional delicate, one of the last gasps of garage-psychedelia.


Trucks:
1. Touch Of Red
2. Riverside
3. The Lions
4. Going To The City
5. Hate
6. Look At Love
7. Mistify
8. Sacred Cows
Bonus track:
9.Castles Made Of Man [single track]

Enjoy ! ! !


2.Riverside



Friday 22 April 2011

Iron Claw - Dismorphophobia (1970-74)

(review by Alex
Wilson - Iron Claw bassist).


Formed in the summer of '69 in Dumfries, Scotland, by yours truly on bass gtr, I recruited Jimmy Ronnie, 15 years old, on lead gtr, and Ian McDougall, 15 years old, on drums. They were, quite simply, the best local musicians on their respective instruments even at that young age.

We were heavily influenced by seeing Black Sabbath in November 1969 playing at Dumfries Youth Club, playing their, as yet, unreleased first LP. (By the way, it cost 12 pence admission to see them, that's approx. 20 cents!).

I still have a tape recording of that evening, it's very rough but you can hear Sabbath's original style.....

We decided to start writing our own songs, and recruited a vocalist, Mike Waller, 16 years old, in December 1969 who was also from Dumfries.

Although we started by playing Sabbath covers (eg Warpigs, our live version recorded with the original Sabbath lyrics on 16th July 1970 at Moffat, Scotland), we realised we had to get our own material, and in Edinburgh, 17th September 1970 made our first attempt at a studio recording, 2 songs, "Mist Eye" and "Sabotage", recorded and mixed on the same night on a 4-track machine.

Then on 5th December 1970, we travelled to London and recorded our first attempt at an LP, 8 songs recorded and mixed on a 4-track machine, again all in one day, with only one guitar overdub.

This first LP, entitled "Claustrophobia" featured a "heavy" side, and a side with what we hoped could be potential singles.

Black Sabbath were touring with Curved Air in January 1971, and since we were still big fans, met them after their Edinburgh show.

They remembered us from Dumfries and other shows we'd been to, and asked for a copy of the LP tape.

We travelled to Newcastle the following night and gave them a copy of the tape to see if they could help us on our quest for a record company.

The next thing we knew we were getting warned off with a threat of being sued for sounding too much like them!.... Mike Waller left mid-May 1971 and thus came to an end the first incarnation of Iron Claw...


Jimmy Ronnie (guitar)
Wullie Davidson (lead vocals, flute, harmonica)
Alex Wilson (bass)
Billy Lyall (Mellotron, piano, saxophone, percussion)
Ian McDougall (drums, percussion)

Tracks :
1 Claustrophobia 5:05
2 Let It Grow 2:42
3 Gonna Be Free 3:37
4 Lightning 3:35
5 Pavement Artist 5:16
6 Loving You 2:34
7 All I Really Need 3:13
8 Take Me Back 5:06
9 Knock 'Em Dead 2:51
10 Winter 6:00
11 Strait-Jacket 4:52
12 Rock Band Blues 4:08
13 Real Mean Rocker 3:17
14 Spider's Web 3:11

Enjoy ! ! !

10. Winter (6:00)