State of the Union Address

Here are some download statistics (as of the date and time of this post). I hope to one day reach a readership that will garner upwards of 250DLs per day (at the very least).

# Fifty Foot Hose - 1968 - Cauldron: 34 Downloads
# Complex - 1970 - Complex: 46 Downloads
# Ramases - 1971 - Space Hymns: 92 Downloads
# These Trails - 1973 - These Trails: 54 Downloads
# Bill Fay - 1971 - Time of The Last Persecution: 62 Downloads

Unfortunately, I am not able to access the statistics for the 3 albums prior to this, but I would wager that they are 100+ by now.

I will soon be broadening the format. If you have any genre/style suggestions of things you'd like to see posted, please comment with them. Take a look at the earlier posts from 2006 to get an idea of what kind of music I'll be broadening to. I will eventually start representing a wide array of pre-1980s styles.

I am really enjoying doing this again, and the only thing I ask of you is to comment more. I would really love to hear your thoughts on these albums and this blog.

Fifty Foot Hose - 1968 - Cauldron

Fifty Foot Hose: "Cauldron"
Limelight, 1968
(Experimental/Psych)

DOWNLOAD (95.66 MB)

This album is one of a kind. It is a very experimental record which utilized the growing technology of synthesizers. There are very few dull moments on this album, as it seems one sound is always building up to another sound. Acidic guitar riffs begin the track "Red The Sign Post" and it builds into a psychedelic extravaganza. The song "Rose" seems like a documentation of jazz musicians playing in outer space. This is possibly the greatest record to completely lose your mind to. ***The last five tracks of this album are bonuses that were added onto the CD re-release.

Complex - 1970 - Complex

Complex: "Complex"
Wooden Hill, 1970
(Psych Rock)

Sample Song: "Images Blue"


DOWNLOAD Album, ALTERNATE SITE (70.67 MB)

This is a private pressing that was originally released in 1970 and was re-released on CD in 1999. The overall sound quality is murky, but not bad enough to render the music obsolete. You should keep in mind that this was an independent recording and the budget was low. I can only imagine how amazing some of these songs would sound, had they been recorded, produced, and mastered correctly. This is a very warm album that is more rock than psych. Overall, this album is a great piece of psych history. My favorite songs are: Mademoiselle Jackie, Images Blue, and Norwegian Butterfly. There is also a pretty nice cover of the song "Hush" by Deep Purple.

Ramases - 1971 - Space Hymns

Ramases: "Space Hymns"
Vertigo, 1971 (Psych Folk)

DOWNLOAD (100.97 MB)

This is one of those times when I get to call bullshit on allmusic.com. They begin their bio of Ramases, "His one and only album for the label," although there is another album that was released on the Vertigo label in 1975.

This is a concept album, bringing the P.O.V. directly from the Egyptian deity. This brings to you a very spacey, dark, and at sometimes abrasive folk rock album. 10cc were his backing band, which fills out this record quite nicely.

These Trails - 1973 - These Trails

These Trails: "These Trails"
Sinergia, 1973
(Psych Folk)

DOWNLOAD (48.84 MB)

This is the lone LP from 1973 by a Hawaiian group that was privately pressed at the time and largely unknown until a few years back. Mixing frail female vocals, a variety of string instruments, and synthesizer this has a soft, delicate sound that was beautifully recorded. Clarity rings throughout these earthy, organic, spacey, and nearly gothic songs, and this record will most likely leave you wishing there were more albums like this.

Bill Fay - 1971 - Time of The Last Persecution

Bill Fay: "Time of The Last Persecution"
Deram, 1971
(Folk)

DOWNLOAD (49.33 MB)

Bill Fay was a victim of poor distribution and promotion. An understandable Bob Dylan, and much more likable, is what I can best describe his music as. A great album here, overlooked for years, finally re-released in 2005.

Music Emporium - 1969 - Music Emporium

Music Emporium: "Music Emporium"
Psycho, 1969 (re-released: Sundazed, 2001) (Psych rock)

Sample Song: "Nam Myo Renge Kyo"


DOWNLOAD (85.34 MB)

Music Emporium's self-titled album is highly valued by many psychedelic collectors. A very cosmic endeavor, this LP features one of the very few female rock drummers of the time. A great number of synthesizers make up the music on this album, which is a great departure from the normal run of the mill 60s guitar psych bands. This is a very powerful and upbeat album, and definitely a lost gem.

July - 1968 - July

July: "July"
Epic, 1968 (Psych rock)

Sample Song: "My Clown"


DOWNLOAD (59.12MB)

"July has come to be highly prized, mainly for the presence of 'My Clown,' which is considered to be one of the great psychedelic singles of all time." That is saying a lot, but I'll be damned if it isn't true. Happy-go-lucky psych rock that is just a little more than original. July is one of those 60s psych bands who only stayed around for one album, but made it a fantastic one. This album flows so well, and is great for a day in the park, or a day sprawled out on your living room floor after ingesting a good amount of psychedelic drugs. Enjoy.

edit: re-uploaded to DIVSHARE!

Kaleidoscope - 1967 - Tangerine Dream

Kaleidoscope: "Tangerine Dream"
Fontana, 1967 (Psych-pop)

Sample Song: "Kaleidoscope"


DOWNLOAD, (80.7MB)

Although there are a few other bands that possessed this name at one point, this is the UK gathering of the band. To keep this short, this album is one of my all time favorites. That is how much it means to me. My iPod reports 900+ plays to this album alone. Fairy-tale lyrics and dreamy chords surround the listener in a warm position that will be kept throughout the album. Each song takes you on a spacey journey throughout time and the earth, while keeping you at attention in your seat. These folky pop ballads have aged so well. Peter Daltrey, the leader of the band, is still active to this day, and keeps up a myspace page. After Kaleidoscope dissolved due to label issues, the band renamed themselves Fairfield Parlour, and recorded an album, which stayed along the original concept.

Updates!

Reuploaded The Screamers post.

As of this moment, this blog is active again, and will be updated regularly. :)

Reupload - The Russell Brothers

The Russell Brothers - The Party Scene

reuploaded by request. check it out!

The Outlaws (UK band) - Spring Is Here

The Outlaws: "Dream of the West"
HMV, 1961 (Space Western)

Spring is Here (2.6 MB)
Great spacey-cowboy music.
"The Outlaws are an english instrumental band that recorded in the early 1960s. They were produced by Joe Meek and were the house-band of his studio in 304 Holloway Road. As such, they were used for recordings, demos and auditions. Many of their songs (the whole L.P.!) were written by Meek and credited to his pseudonym Robert Duke.

Billy Kuy (lead guitar), Bobby Graham (drums), Charles Hodges (bass), Reg Hawkins (rhythm guitar), all songs written by Robert Duke."

DJ Screw / ESG - 187 Skills

(cover image not available)
DJ Screw: "Einstein"
Screwed Up, 1996 (Screwed & Chopped Hip Hop)

ESG - 187 Skills (9.6 MB)
This is my favorite track from my favorite DJ Screw tape out of the 80 or so that I have. It's one of the best recorded examples of DJ Screw's scratching, not to mention the fact that the song itself is trill az fuck. It's "common knowledge" that DJ Screw died of a heart attack induced by codeine (from the cough syrup that his style is accompanied with), but apparently his autopsy states that methamphetamine was also found in his system. He wasn't a user of this drug, so some believe he was sabatoged by someone close to him.

Black Tambourine - For Ex-Lovers Only

"
Complete Recordings"
Slumberland, 1999 (Indie Pop)

For Ex-Lovers Only (5.6 MB)
"The short-lived Black Tambourine endures among the truly seminal American indie-pop bands of the 1980s, creating a dark, feedback-rich sound that predated the shoegazer movement of the decade to follow—a period when the now-defunct group's members all went on to enjoy even greater notoriety within the flourishing Amerindie scene."

Michael Hoenig - Sun And Moon

Michael Hoenig: "Departure From The Northern Wasteland"
Kuckuck, 1978 (Progressive Electronic)

Sun And Moon (7.8 MB)
"Hoenig was one of many German composers to emerge from the innovative, electronic underground scene thriving in that country during the '60s and '70s. He first came to recognition in the progressive rock group Agitation Free in the '70s. After a short stint with Tangerine Dream, Hoenig went on to produce what is considered by many to be one of the most important albums to come out of the German electronic school. He has since moved to Los Angeles, where he currently pursues a career as a film composer."

Aphrodite's Child - The Four Horsemen

Aphrodite's Child: "666"
One Way, 1972 (Conceptual Psych)

The Four Horsemen (8.1 MB)
A Greek psych band who may have hit the LSD one too many times. Excuse the AMG quote, as I am pressed for time: "An amazingly bombastic concept album about the Apocalypse of St. John seen as a rock spectacle. Demis Roussos wails the lyrics in a frantically operatic falsetto, while the band pound fiercely through Vangelis' furiously complex music."


Now using Box.net for mp3 hosting. No sign up to the site is required. (links also never die!)


Also, I am in the process of re-uploading all of the older songs to Box.net. Expect a new update at least 5 days a week (days that I work).

The Russell Brothers - The Party Scene

The Russell Brothers: "The Party Scene 12" Single"
Portrait, 1983 (Hip Hop)

The Party Scene (SV) (9.5 MB)

This 12" single is the only release by The Russell Brothers, and as far as I know, it was merely a demo that wasn't officially released. That is a huge shame, as this record is simply outstanding considering the date of it's release, 1983. The production is years ahead of its time, and no other early hip hop producers came near making a sound like this. The lyrics come off as nearly cliché, but I'm sure that at the time of the single's release they were more original. Even by now, 23 years later, this single has not gained the recognition it deserves, or even reached many fans of early hip hop who would greatly enjoy it.

The Screamers - In A Better World / Vertigo

The Screamers: "Demos, 1977-78"
N/A, 1996 (Synth Punk)

In A Better World (5.28 MB)
Vertigo (4.89 MB)

Although the Screamers never released an album, they were one of the biggest bands of the late 70's LA punk scene. All of the tracks on this demo were recorded "live" in one session during the Summer of 1978, and recorded on a 4 track. This demo is a good introduction to the band, seeing that it is the closest thing to a studio album they made. The absence of guitar and bass, which seem to almost be standard in punk music, and the presence of keyboards gives this band an amazing sound that has more intensity than any other punk group of the era. In my opinion, both of these tracks are the two most energetic on the demo, but don't let that fool you. The Screamers possesed an original sound that integrated complex musicianship and had much more to offer than your average punk band.