The Mystery Meat “Profiles”

Garage

Profiles

The Mystery Meat record was privately pressed by five Illinois college students in 1968. Only around 25 copies, each now fetching upwards of $6K, were made. The extreme rarity, combined with the provocative cover art and the visceral sounds underneath it all have made Profiles a garage LP of legends.

Legendary lost albums are not loved for their rarity alone. The Mystery Meat has a primitive sound as any dirty garage recording and then some, but the quality of the songs shine through as early as your first listen and maintain Profiles’ unique longevity.  Soft spoken, innocent vocals and sensitive lyrics contrast frightening drums recorded, it would seem, under a blanket. The muffled rhythm section is really distinct, recorded in the cavernous basement of a school building at Blackburn College, rounded on the high end with fierce Farfisa organ and trebly electric rhythm guitar.

It’s not all about loud scary beat rock, but good, strong songwriting, courtesy of Wayne Joplin, and a tender angle. “Both Have To Pay” and “You Won’t Believe It” stick out for their melancholy sound; the melodies alone seem to convey a love lost. Lead singer Dick Leighninger clearly knew how to put emotion into his vocal, and I can just picture the girl in his mind during these makeshift sessions.  “Don’t Take Me” is an exceptionally bizarre ode to death, “Sunshine Makes It” a swirling and slightly experimental piece. The rest make up an album of tunes so great any listener should be surprised. All originals.

“Give Me Your Love”

:D CD Reissue | 2005 | Shadoks | buy from amazon ]

The Litter “Distortions”

Garage

The Litter were one of Minneapolis’ most popular garage bands. Their orgins can be traced back to two mid 60s garage bands, the Victors and the Tabs. In late 1966 the Litter recorded their first single, Action Woman backed by a cover of the Who’s Legal Matter. The A side was not a Litter original but a Ted Kendrick composition. Ted Kendrick produced Action Woman which was eventually released off the Scotty label sometime in early 67.

From the intro, Action Woman is a flame thrower garage punk single with snarling vocals and one of the great extended guitar solos courtesy of Bill Strandlof. Many feel this single was one of rock n roll’s finest ever and quite possibly Minnesota’s answer to the Stones’ Satisfaction. At this point the group were asked to record an album, since Action Woman enjoyed modest local success. Bill Strandlof recorded a great conventional garage track in Soul Searching (another Kendrick original) before he was replaced with Zippy Caplan.

Over the years the Litter’s impact has dimmed, possibly due to the group’s lack of original material and the recent excavation of other, newer great 60s rock rarities (which emphasize original material). With the exception of one brief guitar instrumental The Mummy and the above tracks, all of Distortions is padded out with covers of classic British Invasion singles. The group stumble when covering the Who’s Substitute but give Legal Matter a good punky reading with some nice fuzz guitar breaks. I’m a Man is given the Yardbirds’ treatment with tons of swirling feedback, thick guitar distortion, and insane white noise – this is one of the best versions I’ve ever heard! Codine displays some solid folk rock chops with powerful drum work and a slowed down arrangement. Somebody Help Me (Spencer Davis Group), Rock My Mind (Yardbirds) and What’cha Gonna Do About It? (Small Faces) are energetic and full of fuzz, angry vocals, driving guitars, and pummeling beats.

With the exception of Substitute, Distortions is a very good garage rock platter worth owning. In some ways Distortions is similar to another classic cover heavy lp, garage band T.C. Atlantic’s Live At The Bel-Rae Ballroom. The Litter would go on to record two more lps before breaking up. Caplan would go on to record a very worthwhile early 70’s hard rock lp with Lightning.

“I’m A Man”

:D CD Reissue | 1999 | Arf Arf | buy from amazon ]
:) Vinyl | 1999 | Get Hip | search ebay ]

Mix Tape 2

Podcast

 

SIDE A

1. I Don’t Know You – New Riders of the Purple Sage
off the self-titled debut from 1971

2. Nazi Apocalypse –  Simply Saucer 

3. Fickle Little Girl – The Tribe
mid 60’s, midwest garage single off the Fenton label

4. Michaelangelo – Jimmy Campbell
from the Son of Anastasia lp, 1969

5. Karma – P.F. Sloan
non-lp 1967 single

6. Coragem Pra Suportar – Gilberto Gil
from self-titled 1968 album

7. I’m Coming Home – The Deviants
from their 1967 debut, Ptooff

8. I’m Fixing A Hole – Duffy Power
from self-titled 1969 Spark LP

9. El Loco – Los Yorks
from ’69 lp

SIDE B

10. A Thousand Years – Relatively Clean Rivers
from their sole 1975 release

11. Often I Wonder – The Spike Drivers
a Detroit group with a clear San Fransisco sound. This track was taken from the group compilation Folkrocking Psychedelic Innovation and is an outtake of the original 45

12. Who Is That Girl – Scott Richardson Case (or SRC)
this was an early single off A-Square from 1967

13. Looking At You – MC5
their second single from 1968, off A-Square

14. Cuando Llegue El Año 2000 – Los Gatos
from 1968 lp, Seremos Amigos

15. Father’s Getting Old – Chrysalis
from self-titled 1968 album

16. Oh My My – The Common People
non-lp single from mid 60’s

17. Egyptian Candy – Kaleidoscope
1968 outtake

18. Journey Thru The Past – Neil Young
Time Fades Away – 1973

download: mixtape2.zip
(79 mb / 58 min)

The Moon “Without Earth”

Pop,Psych,Sunshine

The Moon were somewhat of a second tier 60’s rock super group. This group was headed by David Marks and Matthew Moore. Prior to the Moon, Marks had been in the Beach Boys (rhythm guitar) and played on their first four albums. After this stint he fronted Dave and the Marksmen who enjoyed several local hits. Moore had been in the Matthew Moore Plus Four and had previously recorded with Capital and White Whale. The Moon formed right after Marks had disbanded his latest group, the Band Without a Name, who themselves recorded 2 singles for Tower and Sidewalk.

The Moon recorded two albums in 1968 and 1969 for Imperial. At this point the lineup was Matthew Moore (piano, chief songwriter and lead vocals), David Marks (lead guitar), Larry Brown (drums) and Drew Bennett (bass). The above debut, Without Earth is by far the stronger record with more psychedelic arrangements and a greater consistency – though some fans would argue this, favoring the more mature sounding sophomore effort. There’s a clear Magical Mystery Tour feel to this album and the group covers two songs off Colours’ (another obscure American popsike group) debut album. Of the two tracks, Brother Lou’s Love Colony catches the ear most, with its nice little sitar flourishes and Beatles influenced bridge. The remaining 10 tracks are Moore originals, all really good but none sound like they could have reached top 40 radio. The group hit a good hard rock groove on Got To Be On My Way, a tune notable for its liquid distorted guitar. I Should Be Dreaming and Walking Around are spacey psych pop gems whose backward cymbals glitter and flicker while the sitars and vocal echo help convey an authentic acid experience. One of the best tracks off the album, Someday Girl, is a beautiful venture into soft pop with a heavenly melody and even prettier strings. Another similar track, Face, sports a nice pro sound with great fuzz bass and a catchy chorus while Give Me More achieves fragile beauty.

Jon Stebbins chronicled both the Moon and David Marks’ story in “The Lost Beach Boy.” In this book author Jon Stebbins mentions that Give Me More was what he felt to be the group’s most enduring track and a work that defined the Moon’s sound best. This album may not be as distinctive or original as the Smoke but it’s still a mini gem of Beatles inspired rock – even the cover art recalls the psychedelic era Fab Four. Without Earth was recently reissued by Rev-Ola and includes the group’s much inferior followup, The Moon.

“Got To Be On My Way”

:D CD Reissue | 2004 | Revola | buy from revola | amazon ]
:) Original Vinyl | 1968 | Imperial | search ebay ]

Michael Chapman “Fully Qualified Survivor”

Classic Rock,Folk,Pop,Power

Michael Chapman, apart from being a prolific English songwriter whose revered work spans four decades, is probably the best guitar smith you have never heard. While his skills are best evidenced on this album’s predecessor, Rainmaker, the original songwriting and tight production, seemingly informed by all music that came before it, steal the show here.

It’s as if every style of rock music were somehow harnessed and tamed into Michael’s unique folk vision. The album sounds fresh as anything recorded today, yet still of its time, sparkling with punchy drum fills and orchestral arrangements. The album opens with an understated triumph: experimental strings create a soundscape for the soothing rhythm of Aviator to “take my time away.” I cannot think of another 9 minute song that doesn’t seem to last long enough. The lyrics on the album evoke a feeling of hopelessness, and there is a kind of sad tone but all together I believe it can be an uplifting album. This may be thanks to sharing much of the same personnel responsible for early albums by Elton John and David Bowie. During Fully Qualified’s hardest moments, though, I hear a striking resemblance to Bowie’s classic Man Who Sold The World.

Stranger In The Room and Soulful Lady lend a classic rock balance to softer songs like the immortal Postcards From Scarborough, by far the most famous Chapman song. Through several interludes, we are treated to Chapman’s masterful six-string suites. I know my fair share of fingerpicking but still have trouble believing that Naked Ladies & Electric Ragtime is actually performed on one guitar by one person. In any case, it’s a piece that should be standard fare in guitar workshops the world over. But note that I’m not talking about the trite electric guitar leads, performed by Mick Ronson who would team up with Bowie for Space Oddity thanks to this record.

Fully Qualified Survivor is an exceptional collection of songs and your best introduction to one of England’s great underappreciated artists. One of the best.

“Andru’s Easy Rider/Trinkets & Rings”

:D CD Reissue | 2011 | LITA |  buy ]
:) LP Reissue | 2011 | LITA | buy ]
:) Original Vinyl | 1970 | Harvest | search ebay ]

Tages “Studio”

Pop,Psych

Tages (pronounced “tah-guess”) are universally known as the best sixties pop band from Sweden. They struck it big early, hitting the Swedish #1 with “Sleep Little Girl” in 1964! Their efforts in the psychedelic era would be their last. Studio should sit comfortably next to masterpieces of the year, a few notches closer to Odessey & Oracle than Sgt. Pepper and not very far at all from the following year’s Birthday Party. Thanks to the tape cuts, orchestration, harmonies, and studio tricks, it even sounds like they got their hands on a copy of Brian Wilson’s unreleased Smile tapes. Certainly, anybody willing to spend enough time exploring all the rabbit holes in the Beatles catalog owes themselves a trip through this marvelous record.

The album opener, Have You Seen Your Brother Lately, proves how apt the name “Studio” is for such a creatively produced statement. Few won’t be sold within the first few seconds, hearing a looping string quartet surrender to a commanding rhythm highlighted by pounding drums and boxy plucked bass lines. Delicate touches of grand piano and kazoo bust open the door to an album rife with auditory treats and excellent craftmanship. Vocals are good, reminding me of an edgier Colin Blunstone, with plenty of fine backup parts.

But Studio is a diverse affair, It’s My Life, the 2nd track growls out dark guitar distortions straight from the Move arsenal under workout vocal leads. The drums stand out, consistently providing ahead-of-their-time and vicious beats. Tunes are often loaded with orchestration, like the soft ballad, People Without Faces, and bouncier brass marches like What’s The Time and She’s Having A Baby Now. Tasteful psychedelic treatments abound in backwards guitar leads, weird stomp boxes, and sound effects sprinkled throughout the record. Songs are short pop winners, maybe missing some of the excellent songwriting of their contemporaries, but the entrancing production really makes up for the lack of a better bridge or two.

The only real dissapointment is the lack of a proper CD or LP reissue (thankfully, the album is available digitally). An album like Studio should have propelled them to top 500 lists worldwide, rather than remain a Swedish rocknroll footnote. Members of the Tages would form Blond in 1969 but disband by 1970.

“Have You Seen Your Brother Lately”

;) MP3 Album | download at amazon ]

Karen Beth “The Joys of Life”

Americana,Concept Albums,Folk,Psych

The Joys of Life is Karen Beth’s best early album which was released off Decca in 1969. Beth was not a popular artist so it was strange when this underground record peaked at #171 in Billboard’s Top 200 in 1969. The good thing about The Joys of Life is that it’s a strong record without a steep price tag and easy to find on vinyl – just check your local record dealer or better yet, ebay.

Beth’s vocals are a mixture of Karen Dalton and Buffy Sainte-Marie and the album is a beautiful blend of rural folk, lite psychedelia, and the more downer elements of the singer-songwriter genre. The album opener It’s All Over Now has one too many horns and is by far the lp’s weakest track. After this, there are no false starts or wasted notes; this album is completely solid all the way thru. The title track is an unsettling acid folk masterpiece that begins to rock about mid way thru and is highlighted by organ and vibes. Song to a Shepard is an impressive, stark vocal that sounds centuries behind, similar to what the English folk-rock groups were doing from around the same time. Other tracks reach into deeper, darker moods, just listen to Something to Believe In and the excellent Nothing Lasts. The former is a disturbing slice of spooky folk-jazz paranoia while the latter is a majestic, melancholy folk-rocker. White Dakota Hill, another great track, is wistful with a slight C&W feel that gives this album variety and substance.

Anyone into Margo Guryan or Linda Perhacs is strongly urged to track this record down. The Joys of Life really deserves a first time cd or vinyl reissue as it’s a pretty unique record that needs to be heard by more people.

“Something To Believe In”

:) Original Vinyl | 1969 | Decca | search ebay ]

News: Latest Reissues

Site News

I wish we could write a review on every reissue that pops up, but due to the growing multitude of quality reissue labels out there, the task is too much for one blog to handle (so far). Still, we love re-releases here at The Rising Storm, and are committed to informing our readers about the latest and greatest.

The newest feature on our sidebar is a list of the 10 latest recommended reissues. We hope to keep this list of CDs, LPs, DVDs, and magazines updated weekly. If you would like to inform us of a great release we may have missed, please feel free to use the Suggest A Reissue form just below the list.

For an archive of our selected reissues go to: http://del.icio.us/reissues

Big thanks to readers, commenters, and contributors as always!

B ;) :) :D ;) :) :D ;) :) :D ;) :) :D ;) :) :D ;) :) :D ;) :) :D

Bodine “Bodine”

Americana,Country Rock,Pop,RnB

Bodine

Maybe not one of the top ten albums we’ve reviewed, but Bodine is as solid as it gets, loaded with tunes as good as anything played on classic rock radio today. You would think that stations would be interested in expanding their content with picks from the vast piles of unknown classics (Bodine included), but it’s still the same old hits, recycled day after day, some 40 years later. In any case, this little lost gem, produced by Bill Cowsill, is a strong promise from a band that would disappear after just one release.

The sound is influenced by country rock, with rural acoustic guitar driving back seat to funk bass lines and stabbing double tracked guitars. But the song structures have Ray Davies-ian 3-part movements and a strong Beatles influence, especially on the bouncy Statues Of Clay. Apart from this review, I think the vocal harmonies are cool, the backups strangely adding “eee’s” to the excellent Easy To See and trading vocal leads easily standing next to groups like Blood Sweat and Tears. It’s nice to find a record with a lotta soul made by some kids with seriously blue eyes.

I find it amazing a band so unknown could have such powerfully memorable songs, though not everything has aged wonderfully. Take It Back satisfies but teeters near television theme schmaltz. But the boys do manage to approach Jim Ford’s country funk on clear winners like Keep Lookin’ Through Your Window. If you give it a chance, you’ll find there really are no throwaways on Bodine’s only album.

This has never seen a CD release, who knows what it could sound like after a proper remaster. The record is relatively easy to find and affordable (mine was $4). Long due for a new release and reappraisal.

“Short Time Woman”

:) Original Vinyl | 1969 | MGM | search ebay ]
Not to be confused with the Dutch heavy metal band

The Crazy World of Arthur Brown

Pop,Prog,Psych,RnB

The Crazy World of Arthur Brown

The Crazy World of Arthur Brown issued just one album in 1968 off Polydor. But that one album holds up as one of rock’s great one shot wonders. Prior to releasing this lp Brown had been singing in a number of semi pro bands throughout the early 60’s while studying in France. It was during this period that Brown developed his strange stage persona and eccentric nature.

In 1967 The Crazy World of Arthur Brown released the Track single Devil’s Grip backed by Give Him A Flower. This disc is a good slice of soul drenched psychedelia that was notable for Brown’s operatic vocals and heavy organ interplay. In 1968 Brown and the group released Fire, a huge top ten hit over in England and here in the US. When Fire hit the airwaves nothing sounded quite like it. Brown’s vocals were demonic, the song’s lyrics were threatening and like the album above, it had a slight r n b feel.

The group’s only album is one of the masterpieces of late 60’s British rock, a confident, flamboyant debut that has few equals. The album opened with Prelude – Nightmare, a powerful piece of early progressive rock with crazed vocals, thundering drums and soulful organ via Vincent Crane – a true classic. The two covers, I Put A Spell On You and I’ve Got Money are suprisingly fine examples of British R&B. Spontaneous Apple Creation is possibly the album’s most psychedelic cut with lots of sound effects and nonsensical lyrics but a good piece of music regardless. The band flirts with basic pop on the catchy Rest Cure but for many Child of My Kingdom was the group’s finest moment on lp. This track is a superb piece of British R&B with hints of psychedelia and just plain lostness.

After this debut Brown recorded Strangelands, music that was recorded in the late 60’s but would not see an official release till the late 80’s. These recordings are strange to say the least and dispense of conventional song structure in favor for something more challenging and demented. In the early 70’s Brown would form Kingdom Come, a skilled group of musicians who would release 3 worthwhile records that are more progressive in nature than the Crazy World of Arthur Brown recordings. There have been numerous reissues of the Crazy World of Arthur Brown, the best being a standard Polydor repress and the pricey Japanese import in excellent sound quality. For anyone who likes their music on the edge, this album is a must.

“Child Of My Kingdom”

:D CD Reissue | 1991 | Polydor | google shop ]
:) Vinyl Reissue | 2007 | Tapestry | ebay ]