Author Archive

Kenny and the Kasuals “Things Gettin’ Better/Nothing Better To Do”

| Garage,Psych

Things Gettin Better

Rock’s heyday is usually acknowledged to be from 1963 to 1975 or 1976 – just before the punk era (beginning with the Beatles and ending with the best work of early punk bands such as Television, Patti Smith, Simply Saucer, 76 era Flamin’ Groovies, The Ramones, Saints and so forth). This statement can definitely be argued though, as the original first wave of rock music during the mid 1950′s and postpunk era has its admirers. Rock during the mid to late 60′s and early 70′s was much different though. There was no MTV (I can’t think of any good bands MTV supported/produced anyway!) and rock musicians relied on radio heavily. This went doubly so for regional bands trying to crack the big time.

The Lone Star State’s Kenny and the Kasuals were a great regional band. During the 60′s they released numerous singles (7) and a live album from 1966. The garage reissue renaissance of the early 80′s saw two Kasuals albums released, consisting of their singles and outtakes. Their sound was similar in style to the Remains, crunchy and cool with that ringing guitar texture. They also outlasted the great Remains, heading straight into the psychedelic age. At times they pushed the garage label/tag, with excellent, thoughtful lyrics and instrumental virtuosity. There are numerous garage classics, psych punk epics, and solid good ole rock n rollers sprinkled throughout these two albums.

The highlight for many though, is Journey To Time. It’s truly one of the great texas acid punk singles beginning with thick fuzz bass and carrying on with angry, growling vocals, classic hallucinary lyrics and an ace psych guitar solo. This is Texas’ version of I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night by the Electric Prunes mixed with the Sons of Adam’s smoking Saturday’s Son. Come Tomorrow, Raindrops to Teardrops and Strings of Time are all first class garage rockers from the mid 60′s that Remains, early Rolling Stones, Zombies or Blue Things fans will cherish. The few covers of Money, It’s Alright (The Kinks) and You Make Me Feel So Good (The Zombies) are well executed and original too, full of good harmonies, fuzz and individual style.

Kenny and the Kasuals eventually morphed into the psychedelic Truth. This band released one solid, trippy single which is also included on this 2 for 1 album. For all it’s virtues and wondrous qualities it’s astonishing that Things Gettin’ Better/Nothing Better To Do is out of print.

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“Journey To Time”

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Shiva’s Headband “Take Me To The Mountains”

| Psych

Take Me To The Mountains

Shiva’s Headband was the first rock/country rock group to establish the Austin, Texas music scene. They were also the first Austin Texas group to be signed to a major record label. The above album, Take Me To The Mountains came out in 1970, off the RCA label.

The cover art is very surreal and striking, only hinting at the sounds from within. Take Me To The Mountains is a wild and woolly mixture of psychedelia, country, blues, hippierock, folk, tex-mex and rock. Similar in style to the Sir Douglas Quintet, although Spencer Perskin’s fiddle dominates rather than Auggie Meyer’s classic organ sound. Vocals are mainly sung by Spencer Perskin with his wife Suzy taking the occasional lead, as heard wonderfully on the blues rock stomper Homesick Armadillo Blues.

The playing on this record is tight, care-free and fun, few records from the 1960′s – early 1970′s are so laid back and joyous. Ripple is a good example of this approach, highlighted by some great, icey blues guitar playing. Some of the country-rock numbers are real classics too. Take a listen to Take Me To The Mountains and My Baby for that real, reckless space cowboy feel. The psychedelic high point is without a doubt Song For Peace. Spencer’s fiddle and Suzy’s organ dominate this hypnotic, drifting psych masterwork. This song was released as a single in the late 60′s albeit in a trippier, even more psychedelic version.

There are no weak tracks on this record which really carves out it’s own sound. The production of Take Me To The Mountains works really well too, in a bare bones minimalist way. It’s important to note that Spencer Perskin is one of Austin’s most popular musicians having established Armadillo Headquarters. In 1971 Shiva released a private press album titled Coming To A Head. This is also a great record with more of a country western sound.

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“My Baby”

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The Koala (self-titled)

| Garage

The Koala

In 1969, the Koala released their only album. They were a New York band who were being hyped/billed as an Australian group. This strange gimmick sealed the mysterious band’s fate.

From what I know, the above album is very hard to find making the 2007 cd reissue a breathe of fresh air. While not a garage masterpiece on par with the Remains’ only album or the 13th Floor Elevator’s debut, the Koala album is damn good. It’s a late period garage album that is similar to the Canadian garage band It’s All Meat’s sole record (which is also great).

The Koala played a sloppy brand of rock full of power chords, out of control fuzz guitar solos and thundering drums. The album is uniformly strong and diverse, showing strong Cream, Rascals, and Who influences. Take a good listen to the mini revolution that is Look At The Way She Comes. This song is the very definition of punk rock: searing guitars, arrogant vocals and titantic drums. It’s pitched halfway between You Better Run era Rascals and the Blue Magoo’s circa self-titled 1968 album – a true classic with a definitive New York sound! Poppa Duke Tyler hits just as hard, with one huge, mind melting fuzz guitar solo and limey vocals. Other songs like Elizabeth and Nothings Changed play it soft and slow while still capturing an attractive sound. This is another lost treasure from the 60′s and an absolute must for garage heads.

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“Look At The Way She Comes”

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Great Speckled Bird (self-titled)

| Country Rock,Folk

Great Speckled Bird

The Great Speckled Bird was lead by Ian and Sylvia Tyson. The above album was recorded and released in 1970. The record company pulled the album from store shelves within months, making this album rare and thus sought after. It’s not uncommon for a copy of the Great Speckled Bird to exchange hands for hundreds of dollars, if not more!

The album itself was a great mixture of early country-rock and folk. At the time it was a bold move for the Tysons to break free from their folk straight jackets. The Great Speckled Bird was supposed to signal the beginning of something new for this famous folk-rock duo. The band was very tight from live gigging, containing some good musicians such as the Remains’ N.D. Smart. Amos Garrett (lead guitar) and Buddy Cage (steel guitar) play with an added venom, incorporating different tones and textures to their guitar playing that work just brilliantly.

The concept of the Great Speckled Bird was to change the direction of folk as well as add electricity and rock n roll power to contemporary country music. The songs speak for themselves, just listen to the power in Ian Tyson’s Calgary. Both he and Sylvia are in great voice, adding a compelling and courageous element to this landmark album. Some of the songs such as Love What You’re Doing Child have that funky rural vibe while others (Rio Grande) recall their folk past. Flies in the Bottle is a beautiful country song and one cannot help but think how this album predates the Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris collaborations. At times this album rocks hard too, as heard on Bloodshot Beholder.

Definitely worth your time, the Great Speckled Bird is the best album this duo has ever released.

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“Calgary”

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Wizards from Kansas (self-titled)

| Psych

Wizards from Kansas

This group is primarily known for their devastating version of High Flying Bird. This song is on their only album from 1970 which bears the strong influence of Jefferson Airplane’s masterpiece Volunteers (which is also from 1970).

The Wizards from Kansas started off in the late 60′s playing festivals alongside other, more well known bands. They have a disc of late 60′s outtakes and alternate versions that are trippier and more psych oriented than the above album. It took me a while to get into this album, but I now consider it one of the best San Francisco style acid guitar LPs. As mentioned before, High Flying Bird is radically reworked into a psychedelic tour de force, full of hard distorted guitar and great Airplane-like vocals. The Wizards also do a powerful cover of Codine, which is slow, progressive and tripped out. The originals also hold up, mixing country, psychedelia, folk and rock into a heady brew. Hey Mister and Country Dawn are standout rural rockers, the latter is really one hell of a tune with a classic intro. Mass is a great psychedelic rocker with acid leads that twist inside and out recalling Jerry Garcia’s guitar style.

Anyone into the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, the Youngbloods or H.P, Lovecraft will really appreciate this great, unknown record. By the way, these guys were from Kansas.

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“High Flying Bird”

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H.M.S. Bounty “Things”

| Psych

Things

This was one of many Merrell Fankhauser bands throughout the mid to late 60′s and early 70′s. Things was released in 1968, sandwiched in between Fankhauser’s Fapardokly and Mu albums. Mu is agruably his masterpiece, an innovative slab of slide guitar desert psychedelia from the early 70′s. Things has more of a bona fide 60′s sound, coming across like a meeting between Buffalo Springfield, Spirit, the Byrds and Cream.

This album is much more psych minded than 1966′s folk-rock inclined Fapardokly too. A Visit With Ashiya is possibly Fankhauser at his most psychedelic, awashed with stoned vocals and walls of sitar. It’s also one of the album’s centerpieces and a raga rock killer that ends with some thick fuzztones. Things has a handful (about 4) of tuneful, melodic folk-rockers that hark back to earlier times. Ice Cube Island is one of the best of these folk-rockers, being so blissed out and eretheral. It’s an excellent example of acid folk-rock. Other songs like Madame Silky, What Does He See In You and Rich Man’s Fable work really well too and are characterized by paranoid vocals and liquidy fuzz guitar leads. For most listeners though, the highlight of this album is Your Painted Lives. It’s one of those incredible 60′s songs, an early foray into country psych that chugs along with echoed vocals and once again, hard fuzz guitar riffs.

Things is delicate and raunchy all at once and a great, American underground rock record. Fankhauser would go on to make better albums (Mu and his 1976 solo effort) but this record still deserves a special place among the psychedelic 60′s.

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“Your Painted Lives”

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The Savages “Live ‘N Wild”

| Garage

Live N Wild

Good rock n roll is supposed to move you emotionally or “blow you away.” Great artists like Bob Dylan or the 13th Floor Elevators have always been brutally honest, searched for meaning and never gave in to commercial demands. Many years ago rock n roll was powerful because it never made any promises. Recordings were murky, guitars distorted and trebly and vocalists were love-struck gods. The Savages Live ‘N Wild album is one of the great holy grails of rock music.

Very few of these albums were pressed, and as time went on Live ‘N Wild only became harder to come by. The Savages created a private press album that possesses clarity, vision and originality. The group cut the album live in Bermuda, 1965. The sound quality and musicianship is excellent, sounding like many studio cut garage albums of the day. The only low point of the album is a competent cover of the Drifters classic, On Broadway.

It’s rare for a private press garage album to mainly consist of originals, let alone good originals (9 of the 12 songs). Like the Rising Storm, the Savages effectively mixed slow moody folk-rock-like compositions with garage raunch. The most famous number here is a garage-punk classic, The World Ain’t Round, It’s Square. It’s an aggressive, trebly mess with angry, tormented screams and is by far the heaviest song amongst the batch.

Quiet Town is very introspective and mysterious, sounding like a 1965 lost Zombies single which hints at the darkness within. Kudos has to be given to the Savages for covering the great Icelandic band Thor’s Hammer with He’s A Man. The Savages version may best the Hammer’s for sheer recklessness and soul. Two other numbers, Gone To The Moon and I Believe are naive teenbeat that glow with sincerity and show a band with a lot of heart.

This is really what rock n roll is all about, cutting straight to the heart. These guys must have been garage kings amongst the affluent who resided in Bermuda. In a perfect world they would have been millionares. The proof is within this stunningly great, lost record.

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“Quiet Town”

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Tamam Shud “Goolutionites and the Real People”

| Art,Prog,Psych

Goolutionites and the Real People

Australia has had a vibrant music scene for many years. The 60′s produced many great Aussie bands like the Wild Cherries, the Twilights, the Easybeats, the Loved Ones, Tully, and the Masters’ Apprentices, among others. Tamam Shud came out of the ashes of The Sunsets, who released several decent garage rock singles before their transformation.

The band’s name was taken from a Persian phrase meaning “the very end” which founder Lindsay Bjerre took from the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Tamam Shud began playing popular festivals and clubs in or around 1967/1968 and were one of Australia’s first genuine acid rock bands (although it’s important to note that Australia’s surf culture played an important influence). Their first album, Evolution, was released in 1969 and was hailed as Australia’s first original album.

Goolutionites and the Real People was a concept album which came the following year, 1970. At this point, they had added teenager Tim Gaze to their lineup. Gaze was much younger than his other bandmates but his contributions were astonishing. Instrumentally, Tamam Shud was the equal to any band in England or the United States. Goolutionites is highlighted by Gaze’s intense guitar playing with lightning fast leads and jazzy licks. It’s a heavy hard rock psych prog album that will appeal to listeners interested in guitar solos and atmospheric vocals. Fans of early Ash Ra Temple, the Flower Travellin’ Band or even Live Dead 1970 will really dig cosmic rockers I Love You All and Heaven Is Closed. Heaven Is Closed begins with thumping drums and ragging guitar riffs, then mellows out to deliver the band’s lyrical apocalyptic visions. A Plague is also really good with great psychedelic riffs that form a tapestry, weaving in and out during the song’s two and a half minutes. The album closing Goolutionites Theme is awesome, a great space rock song with some incredible guitar solos.

At the time of it’s release Goolutionites was considered a major breakthru, an Oz classic and one of Australia’s finest contributions to rock music. When Tamam Shud disbanded a few of its members went on to form Khavas Jute, who released another great acid rock album in 1971.

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“Take A Walk On A Foggy Morn”

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Swampwater “Swampwater”

| Country Rock

Swampwater

Swampwater’s 1970 debut stands alongside Sweetheart of the Rodeo, Guilded Palace of Sin, Poco’s debut, the Everly Brothers’ Roots and Bradley’s Barn as one of the best country-rock records ever.

Founder, Gib Guilbeau had a strong Bakersfield resume prior to forming Swampwater. Guilbeau and Gene Parsons had released a few early country-rock singles in the late 60′s as well as an album which eventually saw light of day in 1970 (although recorded in 1968). The two recruited Clarence White in 1968 to record the legendary Nashville West album. This album has a good live feel and is highlighted by some of Clarence White’s best playing which was always breathtaking and revolutionary.

Eventually Swampwater formed and started out as Linda Ronstadt’s backing group in the late 60′s. Eric White, Clarence’s brother was also in the band and prior to forming Swampwater had been in the excellent Kentucky Colonels. Swampwater made two distinct albums in the early 70′s without Linda Ronstadt’s involvement. The above album was different than many notable country rock acts of the time for adding cajun and swamprock elements. The album opens and closes with two certified country-rock classics, Louisiana Woman and Big Bayou. Guilbeau had recorded the classy Louisiana Woman with both Nashville West and on his 1970 album with Parsons, though the version heard on Swampwater is the best. Big Bayou is a hard rocking, white hot country song with pretty fiddle that has been covered by many popular artists inlcuding Rod Stewart. Other songs like the acoustic flavored Man From New Orleans are highlighted by beautiful harmonies and a tear in your beer ambience.

Swampwater’s musicianship is high caliber and Guilbeau’s lyrics are always first-rate and thoughtful. Great songs like Kathleen, Desperation’s Back Again (supposedly an Everly Brothers homage with great down and out lyrics) and River People are beautifully arranged and display superior craftsmanship. It’s really a wall of greatness, with each song just as good as the next.

Swampwater mastered all the rural styles from cajun to folk-rock but just never received the breaks they so justly deserved. Their members were slugging it out in bars playing this sort of music years before anyone else had thought to do so. This album is a masterpiece and recommended to any true country fan.

Can anyone provide further information regarding their self-titled RCA album from 1971/1972?

EDIT: John Beland himself was kind enough to stop by and inform us about it in the comments! Thanks for visiting, John!

mp3: Big Bayou

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P.F. Sloan “Twelve More Times”

| Folk,Garage,Pop

Twelve More Times

P.F. Sloan is one of America’s great artists. It’s truly a shame that his work is not as celebrated (or in print) as other pop figures from the 1960′s. From 1965 to 1967 few artists were as prolific as Sloan.

He released 2 great albums, numerous quality singles, an album under the Grass Roots name in 1966 and produced a plethora of outtakes which are currently unavailable on compact disc. Sloan also wrote numerous folk-pop hits for many popular acts of the day which include the Turtles, Barry McGuire and many others. One of the best songwriters of his generation, Sloan also had good vocals that were moody and just right for rock music.

The 1966 album, Twelve More Times was an electrified folk-rock album, dealing with more sophisticated subject matter as compared to his 1965 debut. From A Distance, Here’s Where You Belong, Upon A Painted Ocean and Lollipop Train sound like they could have been hit singles. Sloan calls upon a style that mixes 1966 Bob Dylan, Tambourine era Byrds, folk-rock era Beau Brummels, and the Leaves on some of their more garage oriented efforts. I Found A Girl, is completely acoustic and a lovely naive folk lullaby in which Sloan spreads the joys of finding a girl. The above mentioned Lollipop Train is more teenage heartbreak, primitive, but an astonishing treasure.

This was a time when so many rock musicians were making great music but it was not being noticed or hitting the air waves. Halloween Mary is a great Bob Dylan cop that has some excellent girl put-down lyrics and good hooky guitar riffs. Let Me Be is also killer, a slice of proto power pop finding the singer analyzing himself over some acoustic guitars and pounding drums.

This album has a lot of character and punk bite, something that many of those great folk-rock albums had. It’s a tragedy that Sloan’s first two albums are unavailable on compact disc. They are truly lost classics!

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“Halloween Mary”