Landslide - Two Sided Fantasy (1972)

Landslide - Two Sided Fantasy , 1972
 
   I really dont know a lot about Landslide except that this album is just way tooo cool !  This is acid-blues music the way it was meant to be played and should excite even your pet gerbil !  The line up consisted of drummer Tommy Caglioti, Joseph Caglioti, singer Ed Cass, bassist  Bobby Sallustio and lead guitarist Billy Savoca and boy-o-boy can these guys "giver".     I picked this gem back in 2003 snagging the Akarma CD gatefold album sleeve replica release.   Not sure of the source of this one (it may be from vinyl transfer actaully) but having said that the sound on this CD is actually quite good.
   Musically these guys played a blues based rhythm style with wah wah guitars and echoed reverb mixed with excellent drums and some great vocals too !    A Very cool album

The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds (1966)

The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds SACD Mobile Fidelity
 
   Universally renowned for its groundbreaking songs, majestic arrangements, landmark production, emotional lyrics, and bold creativity the 1966 record forever altered the pop-culture landscape and how everyone experiences music.  Yep...it was that influential and continue to be today!   Mobile Fidelity took Brian Wilson's original Stereo mix and remastered it skillfully to loving 24bit/96 kHz SACD giving the greatest sound you could imagine.   "God Only Knows" sounds just so haunting with such a wide sound spectrum !  

The Black Angels - Passover (2006)

The Black Angels - Passover (2006)
 
   The Black Angels are a neo-psychedelic band (at least so far) from Austin, TX who clearly have lots in common with the Velvet Underground (their name is lifted in fact from a Velvet Underground classic, "The Black Angel's Death Song.".   This is my second album I picked up by this band after I really enjoyed "Directions To See A Ghost" which made  my 2008 Album of the year set list.   These guys (and girl) play a very dark neo psych/punk type of sound with some pretty cool tunes and grooves.   The lyrics are scary too which adds to the originality of this album.   "The First Vietnamese War" is a hugely expressive song that although is 30 years too late sounds like a time piece.    Not sure this one is ideal to play in the background at Sunday night's dinner but when you need to really rock the Cash-bar then this ones for you :)

      

Bee Gees - 1st (1967)

Bee Gees - 1st, 1967 Reprise Remastered Box Set 

    Bon Voyage Robin.........my god am I going to miss you !
   The first Bee Gee's album is one of my top 10 albums of all time........and a desert Island pick for me (as long as I can have Reprise remastered version !)     Half Pysch...half pop.....this album spent 26 weeks on the British album charts in 1967 !  Originally the Bee Gees were a 5 piece band then 4....with the 3 brothers and  Colin Petersen (drums).    "In My Own Time" is about as close to the Beatles as they ever got while "Every Christian" took us deep into the psych-pop genre.   If you have not heard the early Bee Gee albums then you are truely missing out !   Huge vocal harmonies, beautiful songs and some of the most memorable melodies ever put to record.   I love their second and third albums too, but nothing ever matched the magic of this one!    The Reprise remasters are absolutely essential with each of the first 3 albums being a 2 disc of mono and stereo mixes ...very very nice !   and a ton of extra tracks and demo versions ...not the usual meaningless extras either....very very nice !   very very nice !

The Zombies - Odessey & Oracle (1968)

The Zombies - Odessey & Oracle, 1968  Mono and Stereo

  The gentle - ghostly vocals of Colin Blunstone, Rod Argent's mellotron whisps and some of the grooviest songs ever recorded...........that is the Odessey & the Oracle.      Although I loved the singles from the Zombies it really wasnt until my University Days that I finally bought this album and ever since this has been one of the most beloved albums in my psych 60's collection.  
  

Genesis - Wind & Wuthering (1977)

 Genesis - Wind & Wuthering (1977)   SACD

In 1977 something happened to Genesis........The album was `Wind and Wuthering`` and the music carried the deep musical progressions of early Genesis with some lighter poppy tendencies which started to creep into their music.  I am a Genesis fan....always have been and always will be and slowly I have been picking up all the Nick Davis SACD Remasters as I find them reasonably priced....as you know there are some lunatics asking way too much for these discs.
If you are not familiar with the post Gabriel era Genesis then I can assure you that Phil Collins does a reasonable job on the vocals in replacement of Peter Gabriel. Musically "Wind and Wuthering" from 1977 was another great album from this band who began on this album to show signs of pop and progressive rock combined. No question that Afterglow is one of the truly great Genesis tracks! ...still give me the shivers when I hear it....

Now how is the SACD transfer you ask ? well....I can assure you that this is an excellent transfer that sounds great. Excellent clarity and nice instrumental depth. Nick Davis is responsible for the 5.1 mix and unlike many of the critics out there I think he did a very good job on these albums. The music is bright and clear and in many ways I feel like I have never heard the album until now !
I also have been able to hear things that I never heard before from my vinyl and 1st edition CD sources.
If you are a fan of Genesis or this album then I recommend you pick it up.......


  

The Thirteenth Floor Elevators - Easter Everywhere (1967)

Thirteenth Floor Elevators - Easter Everywhere (1967)  Charley 2 CD Remaster

   Wildly Psychedelic and yet just so beautiful........Easter Everywhere is THE psych album!  Hugely haunting and highly addictive this album was the finest moment for the 13th Floor Elevators.  This album is clearly your Pathway to enlightenment.....holy makinah !  
   There is a dude on this album that plays the electric bottle for heavens sake.....now come on !
The songs are hash'engly fabulous with some wonderfully psychy fuzzed freakouts and quaint little sonic ditties.....

Dungen - 4 (2008)

Dungen - 4 (2008)
  Dungen 4 is the 4th album released by these Swedish Psych-progsters who have released here perhaps their most balanced album.   In contrast to their stunning heavy psyched out masterpiece Tio Bitar this album sees Gistav Ejstes pretty much relegated to the keyboards and vocals.  This album is pretty much a softer more gently intoxicating album than their previous albums....but don't worry they still orbits planet Opium !
  If Dungen were from the US they would be the biggest thing and would dominate the "alternative" and "Indie" charts without question but being from Sweden ans singing in Swedish is sadly a big turnoff for many.  If you are a fan of Space Psych, Garage Psych and the hard rock edge of Led Zep then Dungen will be right down your alley . 

The Moody Blues - In Search Of The Lost Chord (1968)

The Moody Blues - In Search Of The Lost Chord (1968) SACD

  In Search Of The Lost Chord was the follow up to the hugely popular `Days of Future Passed` and on this album the Moodies were looking really for something different and a lost chord at that!   At the time of this recording George Harrison was a good pal of Justin Hayward and you can hear the influences of Eastern Raga-like structures and even some sitar.    Clearly this was the era of experimentalism and of broadening musical horizons...something the Moody Blues strived for in their early days.
  In Search is a masterpiece of progressive symphonic rock and although did not chart as well as their debut album or other albums this one remains a fan favorite and a fav of mine too !
   `Legend Of A Mind`and the psych reference to the astral plain and Timothy Leary clearly reminds us of the mental state of the Moodies in 1968 !
  Simply a breath taking album of pure beauty.

The Moody Blues - Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (1971)

The Moody Blues - Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (1971) SACD


EGBDF is of course not only a musical scale but also the name The Moody`s gave to their 6th classic album. It seemed at the time that the Moody`s could do no wrong with yet again this album reaching number 1 in the UK and number 2 in the US Charts.

Yet with Every Good Boy Deserves Favour things really started to change for the Moody Blues.

EGBDF represented for the Moody`s a shift from the mellotron soaked passages to a more Moog synth dominated album yet remained still lush and symphonic. The Moody`s even changed labels moving from the familiar haunts of Decca to use other studio and engineers. The album was released on their own label Threshold and sold very well at the time and remains among Moody Fans on the great treasured albums.

Sonically this album is once again darn near perfect for my ears as the SACD was lifted straight from the original Quad masters and offers amazing separation and tone clarity.

I am sure there are many who will dis this gem but take it from me (a huge fan of the Moody`s) that this SACD is essential and sonically beautiful.

They just dont make music like this any more.........

The Moody Blues - On The Threshold Of A Dream (1969)

The Moody Blues - On The Threshold Of A Dream (1969)  SACD

"On The Threshold Of A Dream" is one of my all time favorite albums! And what better way to enjoy it than in glorious SACD !

Once again this SACD is taken from the quadraphonic mix masters recorded in 1969 and the sound is simply breathtaking......The voices are very clearly defined as is the instrumentation with a nice deep rich sound.

Musically this album is dreamy and deeply rich with lots of mellotron and vocal harmonies.  This was the Moody`s at arguably their best with a great mix of progressive, pop and psychedelic genres

I would highly recommend this album to all lovers of The Moody Blues.

The Moody Blues - To Our Children's Children's Children (1969)

The Moody Blues - To Our Children's Children's Children (1969)

  "To Our Children's...." was the 4th recording in the psychedelic Septet album run in the late 60's and early 70's for England's Moody Blues.  For me this is the loneliest of all their albums and every time I hear this album I get that melancholy feeling.   If you have not heard this album (or any of the first 7 albums) then you really need to go and get a copy of this soon.    It is an album that you experience more than you listen to with their deep lyrics, huge wall of mellotron pathways and deeply emotional vocal harmonies.  

Tame Impala - Innerspeaker (2011)

Tame Impala - Innerspeaker - 2011
 

Debut album from Australia’s Tame Impala had me reeling in all year.  Trapped somewhere in the depths of space comes this little gem of an album mashing “Sgt Pepper’s” with Kula Shaker!  Without question lead singer Kevin Parker delivers hauntingly familiar vocals truly reminiscent of  John Lennon.  In fact his vocals will throw you off at first listen and you will swear Lennon is in the building.   This album is an exploration into sound…..spacey feedback, hazy psychedelia, dreamy  vocals and lush landscapes all building to a joyous climax. 

Check out their 5 song EP too!   Very very cool music

Eddie Fisher & The One Hundred Years (1970)

Eddie Fisher & The One Hundred Years (1970)

  Here is a pioneering album that will blow your mind...literally....  Eddie Fisher (no...not that Eddie Fisher!) released this gem of an album and in doing so back in 1970 ushered in the art of soul-jazz-psych foe the guitar.    "Eddie Fisher and the Next Hundred Years is a record of uncommon virtue and consummate skill" . Eddie previously had played and recorded with bluesmen Solomon Burke and Albert King and others but never hit the depth that this album achieves.  Musically this is funk fusion psychedlica-soul and an album this is absolutely precious from start to finish.   Fans of the Wah Wah Pedal and early 70's work of Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock will absolutely love this album.  A milestone album that you need to sit and listen to with the smell of incense burning !

The Beach Boys - Smile (1967)

The Beach Boys - Smile (1967) - 2011 Remastered 2 CD Box Set  Capital Records\
 
  For years I have only heard bootleg and partial samples and singles from perhaps the most famous unreleased album of all time !   Finally under the supervision of Brian Wilson the original master tapes have been carefully resurrected, spliced and assembled to finally reveal the hidden masterpiece in loving full dimension and high res MONO!    The end result is an album that just simply amazing.....this is an album you have to own !   Song by song we are teleported into the sandbox of a genius who was clearly on his way out when he stopped production on what was to be Wilson's finest moment....what a Vega-Table  !   Well...... finally we can all enjoy this album as it was basically going to be released in the best quality that i think we will ever get.   Brilliant,,,,,,,, 

Spiteri (1973)

  Spiteri released sadly only one album in what was a very short lived music career ...but what an album they left behind. This album is just a fantastic psych album with some crazy Venezuelan-influenced rock and soul going on....somewhere of a cross of Santana meets Malo meet Almeda.  This album was recorded in London in 1973 and is sung in both English and Spanish.   Spiteri gained the support of artists such as Noel Redding, Paul McCartney, Rod Stewart, Bob Marley, Steve Winwood and others back in the day.  The album has some great hand congo drums and a big underground rock vibe.  Lots of vocal harmonies, Latin rhythms, strings, psychy flute and searing guitars to top it all off.  The sound quality on this remastered version on Vampi soul records is excellent and I recommend this album to all early Santana and Malo fans.    The album is a lot of fun  and a real cooker !

Radio Moscow - The Great Escape Of Leslie Magnafuzz (2011)

Radio Moscow - The Great Escape Of Leslie Magnafuzz (2011)

  Radio Moscow is the genius of guitarist/drummer/singer/songwriter Parker Griggs who clearly has been a HUGE fan of garage -psych his whole life.  Griggs along with fellow bandsman bassist Zach Anderson have recorded 2 huge Stonker albums in a row (Brain Cycles - 2009) and this little bit of psych mayhem.   For those who love heavy guitar psych workouts will kill for this album.  Some pretty crazy things goin on here.......fans of Hendrix will also have the check these guys out.  I still can't get over that a band like this still exists on the planet......you gotta love this music........Essential for the psych fans out there.......

Byrds - Sweetheart Of The Rodeo (1968)

Byrds - Sweetheart Of The Rodeo (1968) Legacy Edition (2 CD Remaster)

  The Byrds 6th album would be the one to take them away from the psychedelic sounds into the country-psych tinged arena.  This transformation was enabled with the addition into their lineup of Country rock icon Gram Parsons who brought clearly a whole new dimension to this band.  The end result is a country-rock-psych album full of deep harmonies and great twangy songs.  IMHO this was the Byrds definitive statement musically  and an album I have not stopped playing since the day I discovered this. 

Kaleidoscope - White Faced Lady (1970)

Kaleidoscope - White Faced Lady (1970)

  No to be confused with the US Psych band of the same name , UK Kaleidoscope was the genius of Peter Daltrey.   Kaleidoscope released 2 great psych-poop albums in the late 60's and this album was the 3rd that was sadly shelved and only saw the light of day some 20 years later.   Often this album has appeared on the market under the name Fairfield Parlour.   In many ways this album parallels Bee Gees epic "Odessa" with its concept album approach and deeply english -inspired songs. 
  White Faced Lady is a concept album told over 2 albums or 2 CD's and offers a nice wide range of themes and ideas making this a progressive rock lovers hidden treasure !

The Spacious Mind - Gentle Path Highway (2007)

The Spacious Mind - Gentle Path Highway (2007),  Countryman Records 

  Calling all space cadets........How about a trip down the Gentle Path Highway !   This Gi-normous album willl take you deep into the outer orbits of the furhest quazar known to mankind.  The Spacious Mind have been a fan favorite of mine for a long time now and a few years back I picked up this album and keep finding myself giving it a spin....I guess this means I like the album !    The Spacious Mind are David Johansson (drums, percussion), Henrik Oja (bass, guitar), Jens Unosson (keyboards), Thomas Brännström (guitar) and Niklas Viklund (guitar).  The band play organic prog space rock and are truely original in their music.  "Rider Of The Woodlands" is perhaps my favorite space rock soong of all time.....wow
 Absolutely essential album.