Friday 21 December 2012

Winter Solstice 2012


Everybody still here?
Or have you evaporated / raptured / ascended / lined up with Galactic Centre / moved into the next dimension / surfed the accelerating Novelty Wave to TimeWave Zero....etc etc

No? Here's a nice picture for you if you decided to stay - if you've gone I'll catch up with you later...


Thursday 29 November 2012

From the Top Drawer XLV - Evil Edna's Horror Toilet!


Allegedly the mutant brainchild of Joie Hinton (Ozric Tentacles, Oroonies, Ullulators, Eat Static, etc) and Jane Bradfield (Magic Mushroom Band, Ullulators, etc), this tasteful curiosity may also feature guest appearances from other members of those related bands.


Heavy on the dub and experimental psychedelia but not without its more pastoral moments, this collection of tracks works well as an altered state listening experience, but any culinary ideas suggested by the title of this work should be avoided by those with a less than iron constitution.


Tracklisting as above.
Ripped @320kbps as two side-long tracks, 
get your bowl and spoon ready and help yourself to a serving
HERE


A taster...

Tuesday 23 October 2012

From the Top Drawer XLIV - Vibrasonic


For this outing from the Top Drawer there's a double treat in store for fans of classic 1960s style garage/psych/pop and surf music.


Based in the Brighton, UK area Vibrasonic were inspired by their love of such US acts as The Electric Prunes, The Seeds, The Misunderstood, Love and The 13th Floor Elevators as well as UK psychsters like The Smoke, Blossom Toes and Dantalian's Chariot. The core of the band was based around songwriters, home recording enthusiasts and multi-instrumentalists Victor K. Fitch aka Prof. Vic Vibrato (vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, percussion) and Simon Paul Jones aka Dr. Tremolo Jones (guitar, sitar, bass, drums). The use of authentic vintage equipment was an important ingredient in their tasty sonic brew.


After issuing several singles in the early 1990s, they released their first full-length album in 1995 on Yep! Records, simply titled 'Vibrasonic'. The two main men were joined by friends guesting on various additional instrumentations to add to the already multicoloured soundstage.


Vibrasonic (1995)
Tracks: The Sea Of Stars/Don't Leave Me Tired/Tijuana Marijuana/The Perpetual Motion Machine/All That Matters./Cloudburst/The Twango/The Unloved Insane/The Surfin' Secret Agent A Go-Go/Kingsley J

Ripped @320 kbps
Light the incense, turn on that lava lamp and dig it HERE

Soon afterwards another single was released called "Into Sunshine", as well as a second album on Yep! in 1997, 'Instrumental Vibrations'. The latter was a purely instrumental affair, heavily influenced by the band's other interests in surfing sounds and twangtastic reverb, and featured a mean version of 'If I Were A Rich Man' from Fiddler On The Roof.


Instrumental Vibrations (1997)
Tracks: Aquabeat/Ali Baba/Sweeney Todd/Latin Vibrations/If I Were A Rich Man/Blue Tremolo/Latin Reprise/The Vibratremble/Blast Off To Splash Down/Night Train

Ripped @320 kbps
Get sand between your toes and groove on it HERE

Live @ The Garage, London 28.03.1995

Many thanks to Prof. Vic Vibrato for the files and permission to post.

Full article and history of the band 
Vibrasonic at Psychedelic-Music.net
http://www.myspace.com/vibrasonic
http://www.myspace.com/profvicvibrato




Sunday 23 September 2012

From the Top Drawer XLIII - Trilogy


  Before exploring the delights offered by the free festival/underground gig circuit of the 1980s and looking around for fresh musical experiences, I dabbled in the burgeoning so-called New Wave of Progressive Rock that was hitting the clubs of the UK. Some of those bands went on to fame and fortune, such as Marillion, and to some degree IQ and Pendragon, all of whom are still functioning today. My particular tastes at the time ran to bands like Twelfth Night (RIP Geoff Mann - a great frontman who left the band and later became a priest!), Pallas and Trilogy.


  Trilogy were a three-piece act from Essex (?) who I saw a few times playing in London at venues such as the Marquee in Wardour St which was a regular gig for many of the bands mentioned here. Very much influenced by Rush circa 'Permanent Waves' and 'Moving Pictures', they were excellent musicians who recorded a session broadcast on the BBC Friday Rock Show and shopped around for a major record deal but unfortunately never received one, folding sometime around 1985.


  This 1983 four track cassette EP 'Arctic Life' (the only one I have, alas) is a good representation of what they were capable of live. Highly recommended to those who like late 70s and early 80s Rush, give it a miss if you don't ;-)

 The line-up for this tape was: 
Paul Dennis - Guitar, Keyboards, Bass Pedals, Vocals
Mark Bloxsidge - Bass Guitar
Nik Szymanek - Drums, Percussion

*** Seems like the copyright warriors are on my ass again so before I lose my MediaFire file-hosting account, I'm gonna have to take this one down - sorry folks! ***


Trilogy have a website HERE
 (from where these pictures come)
and there is a good review of their career on THIS page

Monday 27 August 2012

From the Top Drawer XLII - Lapwing


A recording from the audience of this short-lived band who played just a few gigs before breaking up and moving on to different projects. Lapwing were curiously named after the bird seen above ;-)

Somewhat of an underground 'supergroup', Lapwing on this occasion featured James Vane (Vane, Ring Of Roses, etc) on vocals, Dan Carpenter (Ring Of Roses, Webcore, Another Green World, Thunderdogs, etc) on saxophone, Gavin Griffiths (Ozric Tentacles, Ullulators, Thunderdogs, etc) on lead guitar, plus other bods whose names escape me - I simply don't remember...doh. A high energy upfront set with a psych/glam/goth tinged edge to the songs as the charismatic style of Jimmy Vane comes through.

Taped at the Sir George Robey pub in Finsbury Park, London, on 6th May 1988 - I'm not sure whether this was a Club Dog night or not but after checking that this was on a Friday night, it's quite likely this was a canine event - woof.

No track titles available for the set, but knowledgeable types will recognise a great version of the psychedelic classic 'Kites', a 1967 hit for Simon Dupree and the Big Sound.

Ripped from a chrome cassette @320kbps and slightly edited to preserve quality.

Grab a copy HERE

Tuesday 7 August 2012

Thursday 26 July 2012

From the Top Drawer XLI - Another Green World

boondocks   
noun (used with a plural verb)
1. an uninhabited area with thick natural vegetation, as a backwoods or marsh (usually preceded by the).
2. a remote rural area (usually preceded by the): The company moved to a small town out in the boondocks.
 The second (?) Another Green World cassette album dates from 1988 and features regulars Paul Chousmer and Dan Carpenter, along with guests Nick van Gelder and Eden (Phil Pickering). Bob Dog did the recording. Very much a family affair involving folks involved with Club Dog (where Dan and Paul sometimes appeared in acoustic mode as 'Glee Pathos') and the many free festivals and squatted gigs that hosted the weird and wonderful sights and sounds of the time.


 

If you missed the first tape then go HERE where you can find a little more info on the band if you're not familiar with them.



Ripped as two side-long tracks @320kbps.
Along with the full album above I've included in the archive a couple of untitled and possibly unreleased tracks which date from the same period. Not much info on those, except one features the unmistakable bass sounds of Webcore and Zuvuya's Phil Pickering, aka Eden.

Download HERE


Tuesday 24 July 2012

The Disclosure!


A staged 'UFO event' at the Olympic Games?
Hmmm, we'll see... ;-)

Friday 29 June 2012

Ozric Tentacles - High Park fire


Sad news recently from the Ozric Tentacles camp - on Friday 22nd June 2012 the home in Colorado of Ed, Brandi and Silas Wynne was burnt to the ground due to being in the path of a major wildfire (video here) and most of their belongings were lost with it. Happily the Wynnes themselves were not injured in any way as they had enough warning from local services to evacuate. They had returned home from playing dates in Europe to find that they had been given an hour to vacate the property and did their best to grab anything valuable and make their way to safety.

They heroically managed to play a gig at the Midsummer Meltdown in Pennsylvania on 23rd June but by then it seems that their home & property had gone.

More from Brandi on the Ozrics message board -
Hi All,
We can not thank you enough for your kind words and concern during this difficult time.
On this solstice, Friday, June 22nd, 2012, our lovely mountain Erpland burnt to the ground, taking with it all of our archives, photos, masters, studio equipment, artwork, a ton of instruments, the list goes on and on.
We were really having fun making those posh re-releases with all kinds of new images and bonus material, but all that is going to be a lot harder to find now. I was thinking to maybe open a P.O. Box, where if people have old photos or recordings or various other mementos collecting dust they think we should have, then perhaps they could send them on when they have the time. We have created this email account:
 ozricmadsummermeltdown@gmail.com
 for anyone who wants to send messages, digi images, or audio even (though it probably won't accept large files, but it's at least a contact for a start to open up some ideas), ...or any information on building houses, preferably sustainable, or anything at all that that they feel they would want to pass on to brighten the day be it a joke, or advice, or to advise us that they have any studio gear they are getting rid of, we're going need to buy a few things . . . !

Communication is quite difficult at the moment, we are kind of all over the place, things should settle down in a bit, but maybe not for a week or two, I'll try to keep checking in but the amount of questions I have to answer this week is quite over-whelming especially after not getting to come home after the tour, we're STILL tired from that ! =)

For all the locals in FoCo our friend Kyle from "Good Gravy" is putting on a charity benefit show for High Park Fire refugees this Friday evening, all proceeds go to rebuilding homes for those who have lost them.

Still shocked but alive. . .love & light ~ brandi x x (& ed & silas) 
My own association with Ed and the band goes back to seeing them for the first time in 1984 at Stonehenge and I have many happy and hazy memories of times spent with whoever was currently in the band at those early gigs and social occasions, so this is pretty upsetting. My sympathies and best wishes go out to Ed, Brandi and Silas - anyone who wants to express their own feelings should write care of the above email address.


Wednesday 20 June 2012

From the Top Drawer XL - The Oroonies


In celebration of the Summer Solstice here is the last of my collection of tapes released by the Oroonies. This one is called 'The Whale And The Wind', and was released sometime around the turn of the 1990s. The band released at least one tape under the name of the Cheapsuit Oroonies, more of an acoustic affair, but I'm afraid I don't have that to share.


The Oroonies went on to record an album for ex-Hawkwind bassist Dave Anderson's Demi Monde label called 'Of Hoof And Horn' in 1992. This appeared on vinyl (DMLP 1027) and is well worth hunting down, although stylistically the band had left their wild pagan-inspired psychedelia behind to some degree and moved more towards world and Balkan influenced music. The record contains a new version of 'The White Owl And The Silence', the original of which can be heard on this tape.

Tracklisting as above. 

Side Firstly contains upfront rocking material such as 'A Scary Hole' and the haunting mystical themes of 'The White Owl And The Silence', while side Secondly recalls the meditational pastures explored on previous releases such as 'Exalt The Horn' - all brilliantly conceived and performed in the band's unique style.
 Download a copy HERE

 @ Club Dog 14th October 1988

Preview for the curious...

*** The Oroonies have a Facebook page! ***


Sunday 3 June 2012

From the Top Drawer XXXIX - Julian Bream And His Freshwater Stream


How about a steaming hot cup of fish tea? So refreshing...
No? Just as well, 'cos it's pretty hard to digitize as a physible (heard of those yet? - 'A digital file containing instructions that enable a 3D printer to create a physical object'). Guess you'll have to listen to the sounds supplied by Julian Bream And His Freshwater Stream instead.

One or more of these men may admit to having had something to do with this tape one day...

Julian Bream (no relation to the eminent British classical guitarist and lutenist of the same name) was an outfit related in strange and interesting ways to the team who ran Club Dog in London during the 1980s/1990s and later Megadog, who spread their madness nationwide in the UK and even internationally in the following years. The band made rare appearances on the bill at (usually) their own events, and elsewhere when the main Dog was sleeping it off in his kennel.

A rare sighting in public

Playing an unimaginable racket a hard-to-describe style of mutant psychedelic jazz/blues/rock with probably several nods and hand gestures towards Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band, they puzzled and offended more than a few punters with their barely concealed disdain for their audiences' safety or sanity (as evidenced by tracks like 'Are We Annoying You Yet?), modern life in general, and domestic cats.


I'm not sure if the band ever produced more than the one tape we have here - and maybe it was for the best...LOL (No, they're really good actually)



I'm not writing out all the track names here, just click on the artwork for larger versions that you can actually read.


Ripped @320kbps from an original cassette as two side-long tracks
Get a copy HERE if you think yer hard enough.

(Thank God it's wearing off at last...)

Monday 14 May 2012

From the Top Drawer XXXVIII - The History Of Gardening


Right, I have no knowledge of this band at all other than what I've found posted underneath a video on YouTube. I have no recollection of ever buying this tape either, though I suspect I may have ordered it as a random 'lucky dip' tape from Better Days Distribution when sending off for something else. I thought for years that the name of the band might actually be 'Duck' 'cos that's what it said on the artwork, but it turns out that they were called 'The History Of Gardening' and produced more than one tape during their existence (I only have this one, their third). All I can add is that THOG have a particularly idiosyncratic sound, if U know wot I mean...
'The History of Gardening was a strange little band from East London. They had a revolving and revolting, constantly changing line up of oiks, spotty Herbert's, vagabonds, itinerants, Zeppelin pilots, visionary seers, reefer mystics and the odd person who could play an instrument. A total lack of any ability didn't hold them back from under achieving in the dark underbelly that was the underground, alternative music scene under the bleak, miserable existence that was Thatchers Britain. From 1984 till the early 90's they inflicted upon culture their strange unholy ditties and bizarre tunes. They played regularly all over London mainly for free and benefits for worthy causes. They were more or less the house band for the Bikers pub The Greyhound in Lea Bridge Rd ( why the bikers put up with them we shall never know ) and played dozens of times at the Ruskin Arms, The Plough and Harrow and The Royal Standard in Walthamstow amongst other dives where the landlords didn't have a strict dress code and no sense of smell. They played often with the old Anarcho Punk band The Assassins of Hope, and later Swine and also members of THOG were also key elements in the unique band Bunty Chunks...but since the only people who will read this are the band themselves this is all rather pointless as you know all that, don't you? By the mid 90's the band retreated to a commune in Papua New Guinea to raise Llamas and soon after all contact with them was lost... Culture, common decency and good taste all breathed a sigh of relief with their departure from the music world.'
 from the YouTube page for the track 'Shake Me And I Giggle' which is on the 'Duck' tape.


OK, now you've had a taster, and if you want to dip your organs further into the Duck soup, here we go...


Ripped @320kbps as two side-long tracks (no info or track names given on the artwork)
 - UPDATE -
please take a look at the comments posted below as Tony has supplied much new info there

Download HERE

Friday 27 April 2012

From the Top Drawer XXXVII - Karmakanix


Here's a short 3 track tape (more like an EP) dating from 1989 by the Karmakanix, who I remember seeing play and enjoying very much at the Stonehenge Festival in 1984
'The Karmakanix, famous for their all night psychedelic concerts around England during the early eighties, was a conglomeration of musicians from the free festival Bands of the late 70’s - Steve, Rob & Sub’s from Thandoy, Twink from Here & Now And Maz from Zorch. They formed during the summer of 81 playing in the TUMT’s (Tibetan Ukranian Mountain Troupe) Blue and White marquee at Stonehenge and at the numerous festivals across the country until Rougham Tree Fair 1984.
 Stonehenge 1984
After Rougham the band took a much-needed break. They got back together in '87 and continued to record and gig until '93. The band has many live recordings of the festivals and although the tapes usually ran out just as the music was taking off, it was the way it was meant to be, recorded in the ether and in the memories of those who were there, yet not there.

(Guitarist) Steve Higgins has teamed up with bass man Mike Howlett (Gong) and drummer Steve Cassidy (Here & Now) as The House Of Thandoy.'


@ Club Dog (pic taken from http://www.myspace.com/39orbits)


Only three tracks appear on the cassette - both sides of the tape play the same. One melodic track with a beautiful vocal, one with funky space riffing, and one rhythmic jam that meanders pleasantly - someone's obviously into their motorsports, hence the name of the band (?) Good stuff, but we need more...
Ripped as one unit @320kbps
 get a copy HERE


Karmakanix CD 'Krypton Tunes' is available from http://www.planetgong.co.uk/bazaar/cd/karmakanix_krypton.shtml

As far as I can tell there's no footage of Karmakanix online, so here's some of House Of Thandoy enjoying a jam.


Thursday 19 April 2012

michael of bernicia - Beating the Banksters!


michael of bernicia gives a presentation to a Freedom North West meeting on the 21st of March 2012.

Michael tells how he stopped paying tax, the current fight against the mortgage fraud, fighting his child's birth registration and potent alternative cures for all forms of ailments and disease.

Michael also goes into depth about the real history of Britain and Ireland explaining the hidden secret of a comet striking Britain in in the Dark ages leading to Britain being uninhabited for years after...
If you have any interest in the truth about mortgage debt, or any debt 'owed' to a bank at all, or the workings of the 'law'; if you are expecting a child, or have a child at school; if you have any interest in British history; any interest in your health; any interest in freeing yourself from wage-slave tyranny; and any interest in how to stop being a 'tax payer', then you owe it to yourself to watch and listen to this, and hear what michael has to say about these situations, and the remedies available to release yourself from the world of fictions, the Control System maintained by the State.

Free The Planet

Sunday 15 April 2012

Trance-Formation


Max Igan's latest documentary asks questions about the choices that the human race faces in the next few years.

"Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience. Our problem is that people all over the world have obeyed the dictates of leaders and millions have been killed because of this obedience. Our problem is that people are obedient all over the world in the face of poverty and starvation and stupidity, and war, and cruelty. Our problem is that people are obedient while the jails are full of petty thieves and the grand thieves are running the country. That's our problem."
- Howard Zinn
---
Universal Law trumps all others.

1. No man or woman, in or out of government shall initiate force, threat of force or fraud against my life and property, and any and all contracts I am a party to, not giving full disclosure to me, whether signed by me or not, are void at my discretion.

2. I may use force in self-defense against anyone that violates Law 1.

3. There shall be no exceptions to Law 1 and 2.

Max Igan's website

Thursday 12 April 2012

White Hills - H-p1


White Hills Live at SXSW 2011
Fuzztastic - an edit from the 17 minute version on the album of the same name...nice.

Friday 6 April 2012

From the Top Drawer XXXVI - Eden


Another cassette issued by the Cornwall-based A Real Kavoom label, here's the second solo release from Webcore/Zuvuya bassist and multi-instrumentalist Phil Pickering a.k.a. Eden. A personal odyssey mainly recorded on 4 track portastudio, 'Re-Member' features a mix of experimental tracks and melodic songs.


'My Shoes' was re-recorded by Webcore for their 1987 self-titled vinyl release and 'Not Sinking Junk' brings to mind that band's mysterious sound collages on their first tape release 'Cinematography' from 1984. Flanged bass and guitars, synths, drum machines and vocal style all recall the moods and dreams of the early 1980s, though they still retain a wistful charm today.


SIDE ONE: HiTiEiTi / Time Out Shout / My Shoes / Abba Abba / How Now Brown Cow

SIDE TWO: I Just Rejoice / Close To The Mark / Not Sinking Junk / Above My Head

Ripped from an original cassette @320kbps as two side-long tracks.

Get it HERE


Tuesday 13 March 2012

From the Top Drawer XXXV - The Ullulators


Back with the Ullulators again, as I know there have been requests for this particular tape. As well there might be, for in my opinion it represents the very best of their 1980s output.


Dating from 1989 (?) or thereabouts this album reflects more of a band effort than on previous recordings and a number of tracks such as 'Special Brew', 'Golden Soldier', and 'S.M.I.L.E.' were audience favourites at live shows.


A potent combination of spacerock, dub, electronica, reggae and Eastern-tinged inspired psychedelia presented in many shapes and forms.


  Side One: Pooja Dub/Special Brew/EE-A Whoppa Amu Hé/Jammu-Tawi Express/S.M.I.L.E/In A Space/In Plaited Hair You Hid The Flow Of Ganges Foam!/We All Love The Same Girl/Things Moving About Outside/Mangonian Pop Musik/Ajos Amour
      
  Side Two: Duck Nipples/Buttering The Guttering/Agape Dub/It's A Beautiful Thing/Honey, The Milk/Hinayn/Golden Soldier/Quiche Alaha/Harmal Radio

Ripped @320kbps as two side-long tracks - download a copy HERE

---

I believe that remasters of the early Ullulators catalogue will soon be available in digital format, probably a 2CD compilation of the best tracks chosen by Gavin and hand tweaked from the original tapes in his own studio. I'll let readers of the blog know when I discover that they're ready to go - until then, enjoy the tape rips...

(The Ullulators are on Facebook!)