"Pop Festival '73-1973 Greece":

In '73 the record company COLUMBIA organized a competition of new complexes in association with the magazine FANTAZIO. Award for the 13 who will be chosen in the final phase would participate in an LP that would reach the COLUMBIA and appearing on television. The LP took the title «Pop Festival '73» and participated names highlighted important artists in the Greek pop & rock music scene.It is hard to find and rare. He holds fifth place in the 10 rarest Greek album and of course it costs accordingly.

-by dj fanis: here or here

"Gert Wilden & Orchestra-The Schulmadchen Schoolgirl Report and Other Music From Sexy German Films- 1968 - 1972 Germany":

Gert Wilden, born into a talented musical family of Bohemian origins, studied composition, piano and conducting at the Richard Strauss Conservatory in Munich, picking up jazz informally along the way. His fascination with the cultural sources of black music led him on extensive journeys of discovery in Brazil and Africa.
As a performing musician, he worked for many years with numerous famous artists in the international jazz and rock scene, including Billy Cobham, John Lord, Brian Auger, Hermeto Pascoal, Klaus Doldinger, and others.

Excellent German orchestral and small combo rock 'n' roll from the soundtracks of German softcore films of the 60s and 70s by Gert Wilden with plenty of fuzzed out guitars,hammond organ and wailing brass, complemented by snappy drums, bongos and other percussion.

-by dj fanis: here or here

"The First Edition - 2nd. - 1968 US":

The First Edition (later known as Kenny Rogers and the First Edition) was a rock band stalwart members being Kenny Rogers (vocals& bass guitar), Mickey Jones (drums & percussion) and Terry Williams (guitar & vocals).

The band formed in 1967, with noted folk musician Mike Settle (guitar and vocals) and the operatically trained Thelma Camacho completing the lineup.
The First Edition signed with Reprise Records in the summer of 1967 and first hit was the pop-psychedelic single "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)".
For the next six years, the First Edition bounced between country, pop and mild psychedelia, enjoying worldwide success. Here is their 2nd album from 1968.

-by dj fanis: here or here

"Ivory - S/T- 1968 US":

Little known but excellent album from 1968 by this LA psychedelic band somewhere between Neighb'rhood Childr'n and The Yankee Dollar. Trippy fuzz guitar and keyboard interplay with male and sultry female vocals. Featuring the beautiful female vocals of Chris Christman, this fuzzed-out, psychedelic gem tells the story of this band by the band member's themselves.

-by dj fanis: here or here

"Paschalis (Arvanitidis)-Πασχάλης Αρβανιτίδης-S/T-1972 Greece":

Paschalis Arvanitidis was born in Doksato Drama and moved to Thessaloniki at a young age.There at the age of 18 became a member of OLYMPIANS, one of the most famous '60s band in Greece.The OLYMPIANS was established in September 1965 in Thessaloniki by :

Alkis Kakaliagkos (piano-hammond organ) member of the VIPS, Paschalis Arvanitidis (vocals-bass), Vangelis "Seed" Koutsotolis (saxophone), Koulis Kalogiannidis ( guitar), Dimitris "Jack" Lazaridis (drums), members of the dissolved assembly of BRAHMS. These five are the founders of the legend of OLYMPIANS .In 1972 Paschalis left Thessaloniki and came to Athens with some of the members of OLYMPIANS who help him with his first solo album.

So, here is his first solo album from 1972 in a pop/rock mood with great guitar and organ work and 3 bonus tracks from 1967. (by request)

-by dj fanis: here or here

"Manos Hadjidakis - Μάνος Χατζιδάκις -Blue- 1968 US (OST)":

A poetic western by Silvio Narizzano, starring Terence Stamp, Joanna Petet, Karl Malden and Ricardo Montalban. The score was recorded in Hollywood with the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra and Laurindo Almeida, guitar solo.
Writing about the film and the people involved, Hadjidakis says:

"In 1968, Hollywood lived the flower revolution, with all kinds of hallucinatory drugs, with a quontum of irresolute sexual freedom, and a weekly newspaper – Free Press – sold by fanatic young volunteers all along the sidewalks of Sunset Strip.

During this same period, Paramount was shooting an ambitious western with the Canadian director Narizzano, starring the British actor Terence Stamp and the Mexican actor Ricardo Montalban, the score being written by a Greek: me!

It was on this occasion that I hosted and showed round Paramount the Bee Gees, while in the Jewish quarter the H.P. Lovecraft were singing Rimbaud’s "The Drunken Ship". In the midst of this intoxicating fiesta I tried to surpass the beauty of Terence Stamp by writing the music for ΒLUE.

I never learnt who made the greatest impression, but when we finished shooting the film disaster struck. Narizzano lost his pal in a motor accident, Terence Stamp was “absorbed by the delusions of the times” and lost money and opportunities, the producer’s wife left him and I, like another Odysseus, returned home feeling sorry for not daring to vanish or losing myself down a narrow street in Laurel Canyon or in the smog of Santa Monica. I let my last opportunity go by."
Only a few copies of BLUE were available in Greece in the late 1960΄s. However, the soundtrack remained until recently one of the most important unknown works by Manos Hadjidakis.

(by request)

-by dj fanis:

part 1: here

part 2: here

"Ersen - Dunden Bugune - 1977 Turkey":
Ersen was one of the leading Turkish rock acts in the 70’s. This, his debut album, is a very sought after album by psychedelia collectors all over the world. Is a Arabesque flavored psych-rock LP . All tracks heavily feature Ersen vocals with various Turkish influenced instrumentals bongo like drumming , electric mandolin , fuzzy guitar, Synth , piano and bass.(by request)

-by dj fanis:

PART 1: here

PART 2: here

"October Country-S/T-1968 US":

A Los Angeles-based six piece harmony pop group. October Country is a quite delightful piece of orchestrated harmony pop and showcased Michael Lloyd's talents as a producer and composer.
He also worked with the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, Smoke, and as an arranger or producer (or both, often with Kim Fowley) with Fire Escape, St. John Green, American Revolution, A.B. Skhy and Grains Of Sand.

He was also a member of Laughing Wind, a band who recorded for Tower and masterminded an album called Cream Songbook (GTR 10000) 1969, which was credited to The Rubber Band, as well as Cotton, Lloyd and Christian, before becoming an even more successful producer and songwriter.

There are numerous highlights here, including the title track (later recorded by the Smoke, the U.S. band who was another Lloyd "Sidewalk" production), "Cowboys and Indians," and the great "My Girlfriend Is a Witch."

-by dj fanis:

PART 1: here

PART 2: here

"The Moving Sidewalks - Flash - 1968 US":

The Moving Sidewalks was a 1960s psychedelic blues-rock band, most notable for giving future ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons his start in the music business. The band consisted of Gibbons on guitar, Don Summers on bass, Dan Mitchell on drums and Tom Moore on keyboards.
Gibbons founded the Texas psychedelic group in the mid-1960s and quickly drew a large following, especially in the Houston "teen scene". They recorded several singles and one full-length album, "Flash".

Their single "99th Floor" was a hit and topped the charts at #1 in Houston for six weeks. The success of this record led the Sidewalks to sign with Wand Records which then released "Need Me" which also became a Top 10 Hit.

The group was asked to open for many legendary rock tours, including Jimi Hendrix and The Doors.The Moving Sidewalks opened for the legendary Texas psychedelic group 13th Floor Elevators at the San Antonio Texas psychedelic venue Love Street Emporium located on Commerce Street on the edge of downtown San Antonio. The Elevators set was stopped after only a few songs by the San Antonio police department who arrested the band's lead singer Roky Erickson.
After Tom Moore and Don Summers were drafted into the U.S. Army, Billy Gibbons and Dan Mitchell added Lanier Greig and formed the ZZ Top.

-by dj fanis: here or here

"Ananda Shankar And His Music -1975 India":

Ananda Shankar was Ravi Shankar's nephew and was one of the first musicians to mix Indian music with western pop styles back in the 1960s.
"Ananda Shankar and his Music "expertly mixes 70s funky grooves with Sitar and Indian instruments and melodies to create (in places) what could almost be a Bollywood soundtrack meets Italian cop movie soundtrack.Along with the fantastic up-tempo numbers, we also get treated to a few lovely tracks that are more on the chilled side.

-by dj fanis:

Part 1: here

Part 2: here

"Charly Antolini's Power Dozen -Atomic Drums -1972 Germany ":
Charly Antolini (born May 24, 1937 in Zurich) is a Swiss jazz drummer. Antolini started playing the traditional Swiss Basler drum and in 1956 went to Paris where he played with Sidney Bechet, Bill Coleman among others, and playing in the Oldtime Jazz Band "The Tremble Kids" with trumpeter Oscar Klein and clarinettist Werner Keller. In 1962 he went to live in Stuttgart, Germany where he playing with bassist Peter Witte and pianist Horst Jankowski in the SWR Bigband led by Erwin Lehn. He also played in big bands with Kurt Edelhagen, Peter Herbolzheimer and Max Greger in the NDR Bigband.

"Atomic Drums" by the master drummer from Switzerland,Charly Antolini, released in 1972 on the GER EMI Columbia .Very rare heavy groovy hammer funky LP, with lots of effects and breaks and pure dancefloor madness and is a pleasure to listen to from beginning to end.

Musicians:

Max Greger jr.- organ

Milan Pilar - fender bass

Charly Antolini - drums, perc.

Harry Winkler - lead guitar

Mich Goltz - rhythm guitar

Eric Thoener - keyboards

Karl Bartelmes, Walter Raab - trumpets

Horst Gmeinwieser, Fritz Glaeser - trombones

Hans Wolf - bariton & tenor sax

Egon Haag - tenor sax, flute

-by dj fanis: here or here

"Gerardo Manuel & Humo - Machu Picchu 2000 -1971 Peru":

This group had an important pre-dating history for the Peruvian psychedelic Rock scene. In 1966 Los Shain's were formed, with guitarist Enrique "Pico" Ego Aguirre. This group released three LP's in garage psych style. After some line-up changes in 1968 the group split. One part formed Los Nuevos Chain's, which recorded one cover album and some 45s, and another part The (St.Thomas) Pepper Smelter, which recorded one LP, another important Peruvian Rock album, and some 45s on the El Virrey label, before they broke up.

Gerardo Manuel got a job at the label and formed his own band (influenced by Question Mark & The Mysterians, Grand Funk and Jimi Hendrix), with two ex-Los Shain's members : Enrique "Pico" Ego Aguirre on guitars (and organ) and Jorge "Coco" Pomar on bass mostly (and rhythm guitar) with Freddy "Puro" Fuentes on drums. Quickly after this Pico formed his own band Pax, a hard rock blues group which released one album.

In 1971 Gerardo Manuel and El Humo recorded "Machu Picchu 2000", with the participation of the great Peruvian guitarist and composer Richie Zellon, who at the time was a member of the group El Ayllu. Richie contributed with the record’s title song,"Machu Picchu Blues". On offer here is a lovely copy of the long deleted official vinyl repress of this rarely seen Peruvian psych/prog lp originally released in 1971.

by hippy-djkit: here

"Blessed End - Movin' On- 1971 US":

From Springfield,Pa. comes the garage psych group The Blessed End with their one and only album "Movin On" released in 1971. One of the best groups of it's type to come out of the Philadelphia area!

The group was so poor that the only way they could get the LP recorded was to loan instruments to the studio for an artist (who didn't have instruments) who was being recorded earlier on the same day as their recording date. Basically, they loaned their instruments in order to "buy" studio time!

Here are original songs recorded strangely with Jim Morrison style vocals and echo giving a nice other-world quality to the record! Nice primitive echoing guitar on many of the songs.

-by dj fanis: here or here

"Orphan Egg -S/T- 1968 US":
Orphan Egg were a short-lived group who were formed in 1967 in San Jose. The band members were Jim Bate - vocals, George Brix - drums, Pat Gallagher - guitar/vocals, Dave Monley - guitar/ keyboards and Barry Smith - bass.
A majority of the band members were students at Saratoga High School in Saratoga when they won the Vox Battle Of The Bands, a nationwide competition. The grand prize consisted a one album recording deal.

-by dj fanis: here

"Lily & Maria-S/T-1968 US":

New York teenagers Lily Fiszman and Maria Neumann met in 1965 and developed a highly original and distinctive musical style over the following two years, before releasing their sole album in 1968. A compelling combination of stark folk, upbeat pop and acid rock, it is one of the most intense, intimate and beautiful recordings of its era and has long been established as a cult classic.

-by dj fanis: here

"The Love Generation-A Generation Of Love -1968 US":

Of the many sunshine pop groups that proliferated in Southern California in the late '60s, the Love Generation were one of the most wholesome and downright sunniest.

The Love Generation's records were about as over-the-top as their name in their smiley-face, see-no-evil, upbeat, even anodyne harmonized pop/rock. Taking the advances of sunshine pop godfathers and godmothers the Mamas & the Papas to the most saccharine extremes (with echoes of the Beach Boys and the Association as well), the Love Generation released three albums in 1967 and 1968.

Much of their material was written by brothers John Bahler and Tom Bahler. The arrangements were densely crafted blends of male-female vocal harmonies and orchestrated pop/rock.

-by dj fanis: here

"The Art of Lovin -S/T- 1968 US":

In an effort to compete with the success RCA Victor and other labels were having with San Francisco based bands, the mid-1960s found Mike Curb and MGM Records signing virtually every New England band they could lay their hands on. In their efforts to market the Bosstown Sound, Curb and company somehow managed to miss one of Massachusetts more talented outfits "The Art of Lovin".
Built around the talents of singer/guitarist Paul Applebaum, bassist Johnny Lank, sax player Barry Tatelman, vocalist Gail Winnick and drummer Sandy Winslow, 1968 saw the band signed by the small Detroit-based Mainstream Records.

Released later in the year, "The Art of Lovin" made for one of the year's more interesting debuts. Powered by Applebaum's psychedelic material and Winslow's crystalline voice, stylistically tracks such as 'What the Young Mind Says', the rocker 'Take a Ride' and 'Good Times' bore more than a passing resemblance to early Jefferson Airplane.

Simultaneously catchy and quite commercial, it's easy to see why this album is valued so highly by collectors.

Shortly after the album was released Sandy Winslow suffered a schizophrenic episode that left him in and out of care for the next 30 years. In spite of his fragile mental health, he managed to attract national attention through his scratchboard art. Sadly, in October 2002 he died after a brief bout with cancer.

-by dj fanis: here

"Kostas Tournas-Astroneira- Κώστας Τουρνάς-Αστρόνειρα -1973 Greece":
K. Tournas had been the leader of Poll, a short-lived group that made two good electric folk rock albums in 1972. Just after the split, Kostas Tournas released his first solo album the magnus opus "Aperanta Choraphia".

His next album "Astroneira" released in 1973 and is more in the space/prog rock mood. Enjoy!!!
-by dj fanis: here

"Mellow Candle - Swaddling Songs -1972 Ireland":

Mellow Candle were an Irish group, with an English folk-rock sound, who released one album and then disappeared.
Clodagh Simonds and Alison Williams share vocal duties, and work exceptionally well together. They are at their most reliable on slower songs, such as the wonderfully atmospheric "Reverend Sisters" or "Silver Song", but occasionally manage to pull out an exceptional performance on the more raucous songs, such as the final track, "Boulders on My Grave."
While all the songs are of reasonable quality, there are a few which stand out : "Dan the Wing" is a song about an encounter with the spirit world in the great folk tradition, whose supernatural theme is accentuated by its shifting metre,"Reverend Sisters" is an example of a straightforward song written well a piano with the sustain pedal down accompanies a simple yet haunting melody sung in close harmony. The closing "Boulders on My Grave" is the closest the band come to Irish folk, with its jig rhythm and is a wonderful way to finish the album.
Although Steeleye Span and Fairport Convention remain more essential examples of the British style of folk-rock, Mellow Candle certainly aren't far behind and are essential for those who consider themselves folk/rock fans.

-by dj fanis:

PART 1: here

PART 2: here

"John and Philipa Cooper-The Cooperville Times -1969 South Africa":

Amazing late 60's psych- folk group from Johannesburg, South Africa. Full of accoustic guitar, with violins, flute and male/ female vocals and among others their song "Gipsy spell" is excellent!!! Undeniable similarities with early Jefferson Airplane,Mellow Candle and also sounding very close to UK folk- psych albums of the era like Ithaca.

“The Cooperville Times” is unquestionably one of the rarest South African albums ever.
An absolute masterpiece and a real must for any psychedelic/folk fan.

Members:

John Cooper- (vcls) Philipa Cooper- (vcls)
Julian Laxton-( gtr) Ivor Back- (drms) Werner Krupski- (keyb'ds)

Art de Villiers- (acoustic gtr) Bob Hill- (bass) Francesco- (fiddle) Rory Blackwell-(tamb)

-by dj fanis: here or here

"Ashes-S/T- feat. Pat Taylor -1970 US":

The Ashes were a folk-rock group formed in 1965 that included John Merrill (guitar/ vocals), Alan Brackett (bass/ vocals), Barbara Robison (vocals), Spencer Dryden (drums) and Jim Cherniss (guitar/ vocals).

Before they were known as the Ashes, the group called themselves the Young Swingers and released two long lost 45s under that name: "Love Her Every Day" b/w "Or Else You'll Cry" and "Let's Take Our Love" b/w "The Winds Up High" . From the summer of 1965 up until May of 1966, the Ashes served as the house band at a club in Santa Monica called the Waleback.

They released their first single under their new moniker in 1966: "Is There Anything I Can Do?" b/w "Every Little Prayer". The a-side was written by Jackie DeShannon and featured a fine lead vocal from Barbara Robison. This 45, along with its follow-up "Dark on You Now" b/w "Roses Gone" , also appeared on the 1967 compilation WEST COAST LOVE-IN .

Around the time of the first Ashes single, Spencer Dryden left to replace Skip Spence in Jefferson Airplane. Jim Cherniss also exited the group at this time.
With the addition of two new members, the band was transformed into the Peanut Butter Conspiracy, who of course recorded two albums for Columbia in 1967.

John Merrill resurrected Ashes in late 1968, around the same time that Alan Brackett was working on the tracks that would ultimately constitute the Peanut Butter Conspiracy"FOR CHILDREN OF ALL AGES" album.

The new Ashes recorded their debut LP for Vault Records that year, it stands today as a staple of the collector's market, routinely fetching $50 or more on eBay. The album also featured singer Pat Taylor standing in for Barbara Robison (who could not appear on the record due to contractual obligations). The LP's release was delayed until 1970, while two songs from the record "Homeward Bound" b/w "Sleeping Serenade" were issued as a 45 in 1971.

-by dj fanis: here or here

"Salloom Sinclair and The Mother Bear-S/T- 1968 US":
Originally from Texas, Roger Salloom and Robin Sinclair moved to Chicago to take a part on the local Blues scene. The first album, which is a very minor collectors' item, was recorded in there in 1968. The killer cut is a drug song called "She Kicked Me Out Of The House Last Night After This One". It features freaked-out vocals, a full organ sound and some good psychedelic guitar work. Salloom wrote seven of the eight tracks, the last one Griffin being authored by Robin Sinclair, a powerful female singer.
Members:
Roger Salloom- vocals, guitar
Robin Sicklair- vocals
Dick Orvis- piano,organ
Phil Montgomery- drums
Tom Davis- lead guitar
John Bolling- bass
-by dj fanis: here or here

"Graham Bond - Solid Bond-1970 UK":

This record, came out in 1970, features Bruce, Baker and McLaughlin playing fairly straight-ahead jazz on three tracks recorded live at Klook s Kleek in 1963, a far cry from the heavy blues-rock and fusion that would later make them famous. The rest of the album is composed of 1966 tracks that mark the only recordings made by Bond with Heckstall-Smith and Hiseman before they left to form Colosseum.

The top of the crop of the British underground musicians back in the late 60's and early 70's play all together on this masterpiece such as: Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker, Dick Heckstall Smith, Jon Hiseman, John McLaughlin and of course Graham Bond!!!
According to Harry Shapiro's biography, "Solid Bond" was assembled in 1970 when the 1966 tapes, together with the 1963 live recordings, were sold to Warner Brothers for 5000 pounds. "Considering they were recorded in six hours the tapes must have been raw," says Hiseman in retrospect. "But I 'produced' the sound in that I spoke to Eddie Kramer about how I wanted it to sound—very upfront—and he agreed.

When we were having trouble getting an upfront sound out of Lansdowne Studios with Colosseum I remember playing these tapes to [Colosseum manager] Gerry Bron as an example of what I was looking for and he was impressed."

Sadly, Bond never found the success his celebrated sidemen enjoyed in his own post-Organisation career, ending his life by throwing himself in front of a London tube train in 1974. But Hiseman retains fond memories of his one-time bandleader, summarizing, "I had a wonderful adventure with Graham and his madness has always had a place in my heart. It was an honor that he saw something in an amateur drummer and encouraged it by persuading me to turn professional in his band. If nothing else Graham taught me how not to run a band and I've tried not to live up to his example!"

Line up:

Graham Bond-vocals, organ, alto saxophone

Ginger Baker-drums

Jack Bruce-bass
Dick Heckstall-Smith-tenor saxophone

Jon Hiseman-drums

John McLaughlin-guitar

-by dj fanis: here