The Insect Trust “The Insect Trust”

Psych

The insect Trust

The Insect Trust’s only two albums are a great example of what today would be called wyrd America. Back then, such terms did not exist and even still, it’s unfair to label this individualistic band.

They were often compared to San Fransisco bands such as the pioneering Jefferson Airplane, although this comparison really doesn’t do them justice. Hoboken Saturday Night (1970), the band’s sophomore effort usually gets the nod, or at least the most attention. Though it must be mentioned that most fans forget about this startling, groundbreaking debut.

They were a classic east coast band taking in a multitude of influences from folk, blues, psychedelia, rock n’ roll, country, jazz, ragtime and bluegrass. Nancy Jefferies had a strong, clear voice while Bill Barth and Bob Palmer were always experimenting with exotic instruments. Skin Game is typical of their approach, starting off as a country blues shuffle then exploding into a slide guitar freakout that is quite marvelous. Miss Fun City is a trippy slice of Americana with some great hypnotic banjo, a most excellent composition! Be Here And Gone So Soon, has to be the most classic track on this legendary album. It opens up with some classic hippy dialogue, then bursts into a magical folk-rock song.

Anyone searching for a good organic slice of authentic American music along the lines of the Dillard and Clark Expedition, Robbie Basho’s Zarthus or Bob Dylan and the Band’s Basement Tapes will love this classic from 1968.

“Miss Fun City”

:) 180G Vinyl Reissue: Capitol 2007 | search ebay for Insect Trust ]
reposted from March 21, 2007, check your local shop for the reissue

Bobb Trimble “Iron Curtain Innocence”

Art,Pop,Psych

Iron Curtain Innocence

There is nobody quite like Bobb Trimble in the world of rock n roll. Trimble released two great underappreciated records in the early 80s (private press “ real lo-fi). His vision is very deep, personal, and absolutely original with a strong outsider, late night feel. His music was totally out of sync with the times but Bobb waved the psych flag high and proud and managed to find an audience among 60s record collectors.

The sound of Iron Curtain Innocence is unique, but somehow timeless, and it defies much of the genre categorization I have often found simple. The songcraft takes a few spins to rest comfortably in your head (music that wants to belong deep in your psyche), but when they take hold they root in deep.

Bobb seems to craft his albums around one song; in this case it’s “One Mile From Heaven.” This track recently got to me in a way like my all time favorite, “God Only Knows.” It’s not the spiritual references, I don’t think, though both tracks indeed have ethereal qualities. It’s just one of those records that makes you want to cry for no reason at all, when it hits you in the right spot, at the right time.

On Bobb’s 1982 Harvest of Dreams it’s “Premonitions.” Both songs appear twice at the beginning and end of side 1, with separate, but similar versions. The effect of this technique is quite grabbing, and it gets you diving back into Bobb’s world whenever you get the chance.

Some consider Harvest of Dreams the greatest psych album after 1975. It’s full of beautiful dreamy tunes like “Take Me Home Vienna” and the killer opener “Premonitions “ The Fantasy.” “Selling Me Short” is superb, and it’s exciting to hear Trimble explode in anger nearing the song’s chaotic fuzzy ending.

Before these records saw release on Secretly Canadian, they had been bootlegged by Radioactive Records, also known as Fallout Records (please do not buy Fallout or Radioactive!). But thanks to the work of good people like Kris Thompson and Douglas McGowan both of Bobb’s albums are finally legitimately available in CD and vinyl reissues. Excellent stuff and highly recommended.

“One Mile From Heaven (Short Version)”

Aside: Is it just me, or are there Wizard of Oz references sprinkled throughout this record?

:D CD Reissue: 2007 Secretly Canadian | Buy From SC | Buy From Amazon ]
:) Vinyl Reissue (w/ free digital download) | Buy From SC | Search eBay ]

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Sweet Shops *The Best Record Stores*: Amoeba Music

Sweet Shops

Many folks are downloading their music these days, but even the strictest digital librarians will drop a little dough on a multi-album binge at their favorite record shop. In the Sweet Shops series, we are going to feature some of the best record stores we have found that are still kicking today, and that we hope will survive well into this cold and digital future.

These retailers carry music classic and contemporary, new and used, vinyl and CD; and of course, you’ve got to have a shot at finding a gem! We start with the big mama:

Amoeba Music
Los Angeles, California

amoeba music

Amoeba

It’s the Mecca of record stores. Based in Los Angeles, (with other smaller stores in San Fransisco and Berkeley) Amoeba Music is a well-oiled machine of record buying. You find yourself making a weekly trip, trying to limit your selections to just one handful, hilariously justifying that box set tucked under your arm. This picture makes it look large but it’s actually much bigger, including a football field sized room for jazz, an upstairs area with DVDs and listening stations, and dedicated sections for each genre that are often the size of your typical CD shop. The classic concert posters and memorabilia tacked all over the walls make it a sight to see and a must-visit for Hollywood tourists.

What I would try to do when I lived in LA was scan the New section for something I’d want, then check the Used section to see if it was there for cheaper. Most Used sections can be tedious, but Amoeba’s constant flow of record trading keeps the shelves pretty fresh.

Amoeba Music recently introduced themselves as a record label, releasing a fine choice in The Flying Burrito Brothers Live at the Avalon, a live set with Gram Parsons. Perhaps Amoeba can set a model for record shops to follow if they are successful in this venture.

When I’m in town, you’ll find me in the pink section.

Amoeba Music
6400 Sunset Boulevard
Hollywood, California
323.245.6400
http://www.amoeba.com/

Next time we’ll take it home to NYC with two sweet under-the-radar shops.

COB “Spirit of Love”

Folk

Spirit of Love

COB stands for Clive’s Original Band and Spirit of Love was their first album released in 1971 off CBS. Clive Palmer is a well known British folk musician that started out as one of the original Incredible String Band members. Palmer played on their groundbreaking debut lp and shortly left the band thereafter for reasons unknown to me. Palmer spent some time playing with legendary folk-jazz guitarist Wizz Jones then went on to form the Famous Jug Band. This group released one lp with Clive Palmer on board entitled Sunshine Posibilities which came out in 1969. COB found Palmer making some of the best music of his career while teamed up with top flight musicians Ralph McTell and Mickey Bennett.

Spirit of Love has a hymal, rural English vibe that is more folk than folk-rock. Palmer’s vocals are very calm and soothing and this disc is completely acoustic in nature. Tracks like Music of the Ages and Serpent’s Kiss are simply spellbinding, sounding hundreds of years old and only getting better with the passage of time. Some of these songs have exotic instruments like the Harmonium and Dulcitone while the banjo instrumental Banjoland has unexpected ocean wave sound effects. At times, Palmer and company sound completely lost in space, as heard on the excellent Evening Air. But it’s this naive charm and willingness to sound different that makes Spirit of Love such a great, ancient folk album. Other tracks such as the beautiful Wade In The Water and When He Came Home seem to have biblical references within the lyrics and a strong gospel influence.

Although maybe too low-key for some, I feel this is one of the best English folk albums out there. The band effectively hit a rural english country folk-psych sound that’s visionary and highly original, completely different to Palmer’s prior band, The Incredible String Band. This disc was recently reissued on the BGO label though originals are pretty hard to come by. The follow up to Spirit of Love, 72’s Moyshe Mcstiff and the Tartan Lancers of the Sacred Heart is just as good and highly recommended as well

“Music Of Ages”

:D CD Reissue: 2001 | Spirit of Love ]
:) Original Vinyl | Search eBay for Spirit Of Love ]

PODCAST 1 The Thing is Born

Podcast

trs podcast

Running Time: 60 Minutes | File Size: 54.5 MB
Download: .zip | .mp3
To subscribe to this podcast: https://therisingstorm.net/podcast.xml [?]

PLAYLIST
Clip from: Radio Show – Suspense “The Storm” [1953]
Clip from: The Kinks “Rainy Day In June” [1966]
Clip from: The Soft Machine “Hope For Happiness (Reprise)” [1968]
Clip from: The Beatles – Love [2006]
The Beatles “Tomorrow Never Knows” [1966]
Clip from: The Beatles – Love [2006]
Mighty Baby “Jug Of Love” [1971]

Bobb Trimble “Premonitions – The Fantasy” [1982]

<station identification>

Clip from: Radio Show – Suspense “The Storm” [1953]
The Index “Israeli Blue” (Vinyl Transfer) [1967]

Tyrannosaurus Rex “Deboraarobed” [1968]

The Kinks “Revenge” [1964]

Clips from: Susan Ciani – Commercial Logos [c.1975]

EYE OF THE STORM **
Clip from: Radio Show – Theater Five “The Eye of the Storm” [1965]

Moby Grape “I Am Not Willing” [1969]

The Fallen Angels “Most Children Do” [1968]

** *

Clip from: Radio Show – Suspense “The Storm” [1953]
Clip from: The Pretty Things “Well Of Destiny” [1968]
 The Pretty Things “Old Man Going” [1968]

The Beau Brummels “Tan Oak Tree” [1968]

SPONSOR
Clip from: Notorious Byrds Brothers Promo w/ Gary Usher [1968]

Buffalo Springfield “Down To The Wire” [1967]

Caetano Veloso “Shoot Me Dead” [1971]

Clip from: RCP-WHEEL (ringtone) [2005] rcptones.com

<station break>

The Rising Storm “She Loved Me” [1967]

Bob Seger “Persecution Smith” (Vinyl Transfer) [1966]

Clip from: The Left Banke “There’s Gonna Be A Storm” [1968]
Clip from: Radio Show – Suspense “The Storm” [1953]

CLASSIC CLOSER
The Rolling Stones

News: The New Rising Storm

Site News

It’s been about one year of album reviews at therisingstorm.net and I’ve been thinking a lot about this blog lately. Scores of other blogs seem to be sharing full albums. I am completely lost about the state of copyright, vintage music, and the internet. All I know is that I feel comfortable sharing 1 or 2 mp3’s from these great lost albums and I wouldn’t feel comfortable publishing anything more.

Rather than give it all I up, I’ve decided to forge ahead. And lately (thanks to the fine new Bobb Trimble and Moby Grape releases) I have developed a deadly interest in vinyl reissues. I hereby vow to reignite my vinyl collection with both original and reissue albums and as for CDs, I will only invest in very nicely packaged reissues. Best of all, I hope to do it all through this site with the help of Jason, Stranger, other bloggers, friends, and some new recurring features we are going to try out this year.

We will continue to focus on reviews of course, I don’t think we could stop ourselves. It’s just that throughout, we are going to highlight some New & Upcoming Reissues, feature a few Off Track albums that aren’t necessarily within the realm of rock music, reveal some of the Rarest Vinyl we have gotten our hands on (or at least our ears), and we’ve got some other cool features coming up that I’m excited about. Essentially, I want to try to grow this site up a bit, and become a genuine and legitimate resource for people who want to build an awesome and historically founded record collection.

I almost forgot, there will be a Podcast as well.

The Storm is still Rising! Many thanks to visitors and contributors. This is all for fun and music.

(Thanks to michael and associate for the redesign.)

Gal Costa “1969”

Tropicalia

Gal 69

This is an insane album that is more experimental than the Beatles’ psychedelic work while each song still retains a catchy pop flavor. This self-titled album was Gal Costa’s second effort and is commonly referred to as Cinema Olympia or 1969.

“Cinema Olympia” is also the first song on this album and it’s a catchy rocker that opens the program up with heavily distorted guitars reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix. In fact, many of the songs off 69 have blazing fuzz guitars that bludgeon and assault the listener’s ears. Only “Pas Tropical” has that typical folk bossa nova sound that is so often associated with the Tropicalia movement. And even this track is really good and is somewhat of a Tropicalia standard, notable for its pretty vocals and mellow atmosphere. The second song on side A, “Taureg,” is an outstanding track with eastern tones, exotic instruments and heavy vocal echo.

Each song on this album is completely unpredictable, always trying a new vocal style or production trick. Costa expands on the studio freedoms granted to fellow Brazilian music pioneers Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, and Milton Nascrimento. None of the above artists ever made anything this far out though, just listen to the cat screams that end “Meu Nome E Gal” or the funky, sexually charged psychedelia of “Empty Boat” (the one song on the album with English lyrics).

The Velvet Underground’s first album gave us an experimental work that was stoic and full of wisdom but Gal Costa’s 69 is junky, trashy, and sleazy but still somehow full of depth and meaning. Costa’s vocals are wonderfully out of synch with conventional pop and this disc is more whacked out than the U.S. and U.K.’s best groups. The five albums that succeed this lp are also very good and worth investigation. Gal Costa/1969 frequently goes in and out of print but readers are urged to search for a copy on ebay.

“The Empty Boat”

:D CD Reissue | 2008 | Dusty Groove | order @ Dusty Groove ]
:) Vinyl Search [ @eBay: Search Gal Costa ]

Lee Hazlewood “Requiem For An Almost Lady”

Americana,Country Rock

Requiem For An Almost Lady

The mother of all break-up albums. Hazlewood had just hit middle age at this point, so I’m sure he was already up to his neck in heartbreak. Bad for him. Good for us – because it supplied him with all the ammunition he needed to slug us in the heart with this surprisingly poignant and honest portrait of a broken man and the cold women who left him this way.

Released only in Sweden and the UK (making it pretty damn rare), this is the album where he makes his shrink proud by getting it all out. The ˜almost-lady’ actually represents all the ladies he’s lost over the years.

We find him revisiting the spoken interludes between tracks that graced his first two albums (Trouble is a Lonesome Town, The NSVIP’s), but on this one he keeps them short and not so sweet over some rather doomy guitar strumming.

It maintains, for the most part, a psych-tinged folk/country feel not too dissimilar from his late 60s releases, except this time drums are eschewed for a minimal arrangement of mainly acoustic guitars and bass. But there’s never an empty moment as any void is adequately filled by Jerry Cole’s stunning bass lines. Allow them to give you goose bumps on the tremendous I’ll Live Yesterdays, which is definitely the strongest track on the record. Hazlewood’s lyrical genius really shines here “ simply impeccable. The hurt keeps on spilling from that inimitable deep gravelly voice on the reflective weepers If it’s Monday Morning and Won’t You Tell Your Dreams.

Too bleak for you? Don’t forget who it is we’re talking about here. While it’s unquestionably a sad album, the perpetually jilted Hazlewood’s pop sensibilities still reign, turning even his most lashing fits of hostility into irresistible sing-a-longs. It’s hard to not crack a spiteful grin and join in on a chorus that spits I’d rather be your enemy, than hear you call me friend. And the countrified rockers LA lady and Stone Lost Child offer a nice balance, kicking things up to a galloping pace.

In anyone else’s hands material of this sort probably would have resulted in a self-indulgent whining session or a pointless diatribe. But Lee manages to successfully assemble his emotions into a meaningful and coherent stream of songs. All the bitterness he expresses is perfectly tempered by streaks of vulnerability, loneliness and regret.

Requiem for an Almost-Lady and a few of his other classic LPs were reissued on Smells Like Records

“I’ll Live Yesterdays”

:D CD Reissue: 1999 | Smells Like Records | Buy @ Amazon ]
:) Vinyl Search @eBay: Search Lee Hazlewood ]

Poe “Up Through The Spiral”

Concept Albums,Psych

Up Through The Spiral

This is a pretty good late period hard rock psych concept LP that few people know about. Poe originally were the Playboys of Edinburg, a McAllen Texas band who began releasing singles in 1965. The Playboys of Edinburg released 7 or 8 singles in various pop rock styles (garage, beat, folk-rock and hard rock) throughout the 1960’s and eventually relocated to Houston.

For this 1970/71 UNI release the Playboys of Edinburg changed their name to Poe and created this concept lp. Many of the songs were written and arranged by band members McCord and Williams. The album chronicles the life and thoughts of Edgar Cayce, a man who could put himself into some kind of self-induced sleep state by lying down on a couch, closing his eyes, and folding his hands over his stomach. This state of relaxation and meditation enabled him to place his mind in contact with all time and space.

No song better illustrates this theme than the great Up Up Thru The Spiral. This track opens with classic paisley guitar riffs and one of the all time great opening psych lines which refers to Cayce’s incredible ability. Up Up Thru The Spiral is also notable for a horn arrangement, distorted vocals and what sounds like tape loop experimentations. This is flat out a great psych pop track with an English sound similar to that of the Move. Other tracks like the futuristic psych of Automatic Writing, Tune In, the furious Sons of Belial, and Fallin’ Off are pretty vicious and rock hard. Fallin’ Off is more than a nod to English rock group Free, with it’s great, heavy guitar riffs, gritty vocals and sound fx explosion mid way thru the track. This song sounds like a lost classic rock radio hit and had considerable pop appeal, it’s definitely a good one! The lead off track, There Is A River reveals a strong gospel influence and has George Harrison style guitar playing and Beatlesque harmonies. Another reflective number, Debt To Pay is a really good acoustic song with sweet, sugary harmonies and a personal favorite.

This is a solid set from an unknown band who can balance soft reflective tunes with druggy, stoned hard rockers. Vinyl orginals are somewhat cheap although the album saw a cd reissue in 2006 off the Mr. Nobody record label.

“Up Up Through The Spiral”

:) Vinyl Search @eBay: Search Poe Up Through The Spiral ]

Karen Dalton “In My Own Time”

Americana,Folk,Pop,RnB

In My Own Time

The first time you hear her voice. Listen to track 1 on this record (see below) and you’ll know what I mean. Karen’s got “whoa” factor that few singers can pull off and has been lauded by the likes of Bobby Dylan, Freddy Neil, the Holy Modal Rounders, and must have inspired Joanna Newsom. Yeh, the first time you hear that voice, it can transfix you.

We tend to favor garage rock and country rock records with a high ratio of original material, and tribute numbers seem to rarely ever surpass originals, but this sophomore LP comprised solely of cover songs will dash any preconceptions. Karen didn’t write songs, she interpreted really good ones. Her voice is described elsewhere in a million similar words and comparisons (“to describe it would take a poet” -Fred Neil), but all I’ll say about it, she’s got soul. It’s almost like how Miles used to say it’s not the notes you play, it’s the notes you don’t; Karen phrases in a way that pwns every tune.

Songs by Dino Valenti, Richard Manuel, Paul Butterfield mix with traditionals and pop classics recorded at legendary Bearsville Studios, featuring a couple players from the Bobby Charles sessions. The sound is akin to that of The Band on some takes, but riding solely on a clawhammer banjo on others. It’s something special though to close your eyes with this record and let her take you.Hard to get all the way through to Are You Leaving For The Country without feeling something; this one’s a mover.

The CD digipak 2006 reissue, with excellent liners, is the best way to go, containing an additional disc of alternate takes that are truly different versions, proving the strength of the material and versatility of the band. No idea what’s up with the backwards cut of Are You Leaving… but it sure would explain why people sometimes refer to this music as psychedelic folk. Her only other album, 1969’s It’s So Hard To Tell Who’s Going To Love You The Best will be essential for fans, but the above record is essential for everybody.

“Something On Your Mind”

:D CD Reissue: 2006 | Light In The Attic | Buy @ Amazon| Search @ eBay ]
:) Vinyl Reissue: 2006 | Light In The Attic | Search @ eBay ]