Ah bless Youtube. Someone has uploaded the BBC4 documentary on Hawkwind, entitled Do Not Panic. I need to find the DVD of this.
According to Moorcock:
The guy who did this documentary was very smart and generally well above the norm, so I suspect it will be good. He and his crew came to see me in Paris last year. I think he also interviewed Nick Kent.
The League of Automatic Music Composers was a band/collective of electronic music experimentalists active in the San Francisco Bay Area between 1977 and 1983. Widely regarded as the first musicians to incorporate the newly available microcomputers of the day into live musical performance, the League created networks of interacting computers and other electronic circuits with an eye to eliciting surprising and new “musical artificial intelligences.” We approached the computer network as one large, interactive musical instrument made up of independently programmed automatic music machines, producing a music that was noisy, difficult, often unpredictable, and occasionally beautiful.
–Press release for The League of Automatic Music Composers 1978- 1983
i wonder what old SFJ has to say about Ayler et. al.
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“Soldiers of Time”
from Waiters on the Dance by Julian Jay Savarin (1971)
from Waiters on the Dance by Julian Jay Savarin (1971)
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We all know I have a weakness for concept albums– and I feel Julian Jay Savarin’s Waiters on the Dance is even more Modcult-worthy due to the fact it accompanies an an actual science fiction novel of the same name. Definitely shades of Moorcock/Hawkwind high concept rock ‘n’ roll in this one.
In print, Waiters on the Dance was the first novel of Savarin’s His Lemmus “time” trilogy. It’s out of print, but I did manage to find this backcover blurb:
And so the great expedition began; the expedition to the virgin plant of Terra – the green globe, rich in atmosphere, in animal life and in vegetation …the colonisation would change the course of the universe.
As for the record, it is lush progressive rock with nice female vocals by one time Catapilla vocalist Lady Jo Meek (great names abound on this record). Layered compositions with lots of mellotron, and some harder edged guitar passages as well. Savarin is credited with story, arrangement, organ, and mellotron.
Previously, Savarin orchestrated a similar project, Julian’s Treatment, who also released only one progressive concept album with a (different) female vocalist, A Time Before This.
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“Human Highway”
from Banjo Songs by Neil Young (1976)
from Banjo Songs by Neil Young (1976)
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Someone put together a collection of Neil live and rehearsal tracks that are primarily just banjo and voice, simply titled “Banjo Songs”. This track apparently came from the Bernstein Tapes, recorded sometime during 1976.
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“Outlaw Man”
from Nice Baby and the Angel by David Blue (1973)
from Nice Baby and the Angel by David Blue (1973)
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When digging up some more Graham Nash related records a couple years back I discovered David Blue’s Nice Baby and the Angel LP form 1973. As well as producing, Nash did some guitar and vocal work. It’s a nice overlooked record, bringing to mind Nash’s own solo records among other early 70’s rock/country/folk songwriters. Apparently Blue wrote this song for the Eagles (indeed Glenn Frey does some background vox on the LP), but I prefer his version.
i haven’t listened to this yet but do you have any more of that fraser and debord band? i really like that album, can’t believe its not like more of known thing. Particularly into that song about the dancehall girls…lets see…some good freakouts…its good all in all.
Check the comments in that other post.
One of my favorite Swedish bands ever. Their International Harvester stage came between the even more jammed out there (and mind blowing) Parson Sound and the slightly more focused Harvester. International Harvester melded traditional folk, droning ragas, free rock, and classical influences into a very unique combination. They released their sole album, entitled Sov Gott Rose Marie (“Sleep Tight Rose Marie”), in 1969.
Later on they would morph again, this time into the more successful rock band Trad Gras och Stenar, though they still maintained their long psychedelic excursions.
Never thought that much footage of the International Harvester collective performing would pop up, but the interweb (and youtube) delivers yet again.
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“Roses”
from Drouyn Soundtrack by Finch (1974)
from Drouyn Soundtrack by Finch (1974)
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I’m wagering this could be Jeb’s new party jam. This track is from the soundtrack to an Australian surfing movie from the 70’s called Drouyn.
Half of the soundtrack is primarily instrumental music composed by Peter Martin– it goes from funky to mellower folk based passages.
The standout for me though are the handful of tracks contributed by the 70’s hard rock band Finch. These also appeared in a slightly more polished for on their debut LP, Thunderbird, but I prefer the rougher cuts. Apparently Mark Evans from AC/DC played with Finch for awhile, but I find their tunes to be a bit more laid back than Angus & co. “Roses” (which I uploaded) and “Sailaway” are the standouts for me.
EM Records reissued this as a CD earlier this year as part of their “surf” soundtrack reissue series. All the releases have been unique and not “surf music”. (Also their Pyramids reissue from a couple years back is HIGHLY recommended).
BTW, I’m still working on tracking down a copy of the film if anyone has any leads…
too bad jeb doesn’t party anymore.
Man this song is banging though i may have to go back to active duty. I’ve listened to it about a million times now and I think the key to this whole jam is the right around 1:40 with the combo riff breakdown section / guitar sliding in at the same time.
there’s a sailaway tease on aq.
err guitar “solo” sliding in.
You can grab “Sailaway” here.
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“Waltze of the Tennis Players”
from Fraser & Debolt with Ian Guenther by Fraser & Debolt (1970)
from Fraser & Debolt with Ian Guenther by Fraser & Debolt (1970)
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Been listening to this LP this evening while cleaning. This song (along with a couple others on the flip side) gets stuck in my head once every couple a months- definitely an odd LP. Downer avant country rock?
I’m into it. It just got cool here and I’ve cleaning to do. Ysi?
See if this link works.
I could have sworn I posted this a year or two ago, but it can always be revisited– a live Captain Beyond performance from 1972. Part 2 is here.
a whole guy just for cowbell? This is like Connected Ventures’ house band.
oh man that dude is singing now. he’s a lead vocs/percussion stand guy, nevermind.
The first album, which they are performing, had no breaks either. I assume they let Rod Evans play various percussion parts since there were long instrumental passages. Another reason why 1971 was the best year for records.
Pretty great Terry Reid footage from ‘71 at the Glastonbury Fayre. There’s some other good late 60’s clips from the movie Groupies, and then nothing else up until the last couple of years (which has some fantastic solo performances as wel).
I know that The River got reissued recently. Hopefully, Seed of Memory (my favorite Reid LP) will get the deluxe reissue treatment with some bonus tracks.
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