Psych Prog 1968-72

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I'm a little shocked that the Fuzzy Duck album made that list. I didn't think anyone knew of them!

frogbs, Wednesday, 29 January 2014 12:23 (ten years ago) link

Graham Bond's Holy Magick/We Put Our Magick On You albums v much belong in this zone, also they slay

http://www.allmusic.com/album/holy-magick-we-put-our-magick-on-you-mw0000604249

rock nobster (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 29 January 2014 12:28 (ten years ago) link

The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter?

my father will guide me up the stairs to bed (anagram), Wednesday, 29 January 2014 13:05 (ten years ago) link

Here are some I'd put on a top 50 list that haven't been mentioned:

Faust: So Far (1972)
Aphrodite's Child: 666 (1972) - Really hits this spot pretty hard, in my opinion
Magma: Kobaia (1970) and 1001 Degrees Centigrade (1971)
Genesis: Nursery Cryme (1971)
The Nice: Ars Longa Vita Brevis (1968) - In my opinion this is way better than the 1969 album listed. I wanted to list some ELP here but they skew pretty hard towards pure prog so I don't think they'd really fit.
Maybe the first Roxy Music album? (1972)

frogbs, Wednesday, 29 January 2014 13:30 (ten years ago) link

yeah i'd've probably gone with Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack for the Nice

rock nobster (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 29 January 2014 13:32 (ten years ago) link

can't remember the name of the compilation i had as a kid, that's the ideal tbh, you really shd have "America" somewhere

rock nobster (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 29 January 2014 13:35 (ten years ago) link

As well as the VdGG albums listed you need Peter Hammill's Chameleon in the Shadow of the Night (1972).

my father will guide me up the stairs to bed (anagram), Wednesday, 29 January 2014 13:36 (ten years ago) link

do you not think Fool's Mate is closer to the spirit of this Psych/Prog interzone thing? for similar reasons i'm not sure H to He belongs here, some of these picks look mainly based on chronology rather than a sound imo

rock nobster (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 29 January 2014 13:38 (ten years ago) link

hmm personally I would say not, Fools Mate seems like a bit of a mishmash and doesn't sound much like either psych or prog to me, but ymmv. VdGG were never pure prog in my view, at least pre-split, and the three albums listed each seem to have psych elements so idk

my father will guide me up the stairs to bed (anagram), Wednesday, 29 January 2014 13:43 (ten years ago) link

Graham Bond is a good call though, Hammill has stated his admiration for Bond on several occasions so I wouldn't be surprised if some influence crept in there

my father will guide me up the stairs to bed (anagram), Wednesday, 29 January 2014 13:51 (ten years ago) link

you can hear that in the keyboard sound pre-breakup, sure

rock nobster (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 29 January 2014 13:53 (ten years ago) link

"America" wasn't on an actual Nice album though was it? Most CD copies of Davjack do have it but I've heard that several of the Ars Longa Vita Brevises have it too. Either way maybe they both fit but I wrote a blogpost suggesting that ALVB was really the first truly progressive album and there are plenty of psych elements in both the songwriting and the production. Davjack to me feels mostly like a goofball psych album with some classical stuff thrown in and "Rondo" which was basically the blueprint for ELP.

frogbs, Wednesday, 29 January 2014 13:59 (ten years ago) link

sorry frogs that's what i meant, to get "America" you might as well get a comp, they feel very amenable to compiling, that's how i first heard them as a teen, that way you get some of the short sharp pop-y tracks and some of the suite jamz too

rock nobster (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 29 January 2014 14:02 (ten years ago) link

This is a great start, thanks. I will investigate Graham Bond. I have many mixed feelings about early VDGG! They are a difficult band to categorize. This is definitely not just based on chronology, as that would open it up to thousands of options. For sure, some entries have a debatably tiny element of psych or prog.

Fastnbulbous, Wednesday, 29 January 2014 14:10 (ten years ago) link

i try not to think too hard about the distinction between the two but i guess roughly i'd categorize Psych as both more jammy and more pop-inflected than Prog, and Prog being more constructed, especially in its long form pieces

Squidward Ka-Spel (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 29 January 2014 14:15 (ten years ago) link

sorry frogs that's what i meant, to get "America" you might as well get a comp, they feel very amenable to compiling, that's how i first heard them as a teen, that way you get some of the short sharp pop-y tracks and some of the suite jamz too

Well Ars Longa has both so if you're looking at actual albums that's probably the one to get. I do think the suite could probably be plucked and put on a comp - the "Brandenburger" section is so much better than everything else, and the first "movement" (which is basically a drum solo) is worthless. But you have to give them some leeway for being the first band to ever try something like this. I don't even know what I'd put on a comp - "America", "Rondo", the last 10 minutes of "Ars Longa", maybe "Little Arabella", and probably nothing from their post-1968 albums. Given how quickly the Nice went downhill I was rather stunned by how good the Refugee album was, the one from 1974 with Pat Moraz playing the Emerson role. I guess having some hindsight really helps.

frogbs, Wednesday, 29 January 2014 14:23 (ten years ago) link

http://www.discogs.com/Nice-The-Best-Of-The-Nice/release/2259039

this is the one i was thinking of - with "Brandenburger"!

Squidward Ka-Spel (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 29 January 2014 14:24 (ten years ago) link

Surprised that "War and Peace" got the nod over "Rondo"; the former is just kind of a blues jam, while "Rondo" to me sounds like the birth of progressive rock. And given how ELP even played the tune it's kind of surprising they skipped it. Also lol @ this:

B4 Brandenburger
Written-By – Davison*, Emerson*, Jackson*

frogbs, Wednesday, 29 January 2014 14:33 (ten years ago) link

1974 but what the hell:

doors meets psych meets caberet or something. great stuff:

http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/MIzajvCj5jk/hqdefault.jpg

nostormo, Wednesday, 29 January 2014 14:33 (ten years ago) link

http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/MIzajvCj5jk/hqdefault.jpg

nostormo, Wednesday, 29 January 2014 14:34 (ten years ago) link

Spiders Will Dance (On Your Face While You Sleep) is my favorite Phantom song and title.

atom bomb, vietnam, missiles on the moon (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Wednesday, 29 January 2014 15:14 (ten years ago) link

check out Andwella's Dream. they'll remind you of that Andromeda record

reggie (qualmsley), Wednesday, 29 January 2014 15:30 (ten years ago) link

Holy cow, I've only heard ONE of those, and it's the Mainliner album, which I remember as being nothing but a solid brick of noise.

frogbs, Wednesday, 29 January 2014 19:07 (ten years ago) link

those RYM genre lists made my discover some real sweet and obscure stuff lately.

nostormo, Wednesday, 29 January 2014 19:12 (ten years ago) link

Yep, I've used rate your music quite a bit. A good number of those are on the list above. I'd sort psych and search for ones that mention prog also, then vice versa.

Fastnbulbous, Thursday, 30 January 2014 02:34 (ten years ago) link

Maybe not in a top 50 list, but I think the Geronimo Black album fits in on the big list.

earlnash, Thursday, 30 January 2014 02:58 (ten years ago) link

Graham Bond are decent, listened to Holy Magick and Solid Bond, both 1970. It's mostly heavy blues with some prog, don't hear any psych. Phantom's vocalist is eerily similar to Morrison, pretty good.

http://music60-70.ucoz.ru/5Covers/The_Gun_cover.jpg

Gun - Gun (Epic/Repertoire, 1968)
Founded by the Gurvitz brothers, Gun started as a four pieced called The Knack. When their organ player left, they became Gun in 1968. Their first single that year "Race With The Devil" became a big hit, and started off with an orchestral arrangement, but was soon alight with some hard-edged guitar, courtesy of Adrain Gurvitz, a prodigy who was already playing professionally with Screaming Lord Sutch at just 15. The elements of heavy psych, early prog and hard rock foreshadowed the direction of countless bands, including the proto-metal of Deep Purple and Black Sabbath. The album ends with the epic 11 minute long "Take Off," packed with raging psychedelic guitar solos and even strings. The amazing Hieronymous Bosch like cover is the very first cover painted by Roger Dean, just out of college. The band released just one more album, Gunsight (1969), which was nearly as great. The brothers went on to form Three Man Army, then teamed up Cream's Ginger Baker in the Baker Gurvitz Army, which lasted three albums until 1976.

http://youtu.be/q5hP0G-7zaM

Fastnbulbous, Thursday, 30 January 2014 05:40 (ten years ago) link

holy shit at that phantom record. jim lives!

reggie (qualmsley), Thursday, 30 January 2014 13:56 (ten years ago) link

yeah, on Phantom and High Tide too!

nostormo, Thursday, 30 January 2014 15:01 (ten years ago) link

off topic but it's hard not to think Jimbo's alive and well on the 'Spectrum Meets Captain Memphis' album Sonic Boom did with Jim "Dickinson"

on topicish--maybe 'Fools Meeting' by Delivery, the Carol Grimes band the Hatfield & the North dudes were in pre-Hatfield & the North?

reggie (qualmsley), Thursday, 30 January 2014 15:23 (ten years ago) link

I listened to quite a bit of this type of thing thanks to the '70s poll and discovered some absolute gems - I think Fastnbulbous has already covered all my favourites, there's still a lot there I haven't got around to. I love that it exists in its own weird halfway zone - not quite prog, not quite heavy metal - and the general post-hippie downer mood of the music.

Gavin, Leeds, Thursday, 30 January 2014 15:30 (ten years ago) link

03. Stray – Stray (Transatlantic/Castle, 1970)
09. T2 – It'll All Work Out In Boomland (Decca/Lion, 1970)
23. Leaf Hound – Growers Of Mushroom (Decca, 1971)

These were the standouts from the poll, also Pearls Before Swine's The Use of Ashes which maybe fits in here?

Gavin, Leeds, Thursday, 30 January 2014 15:33 (ten years ago) link

Blackfeather 'At the Mountains of Madness' (1971 aussie psych-prog) goes well with this crew too

reggie (qualmsley), Thursday, 30 January 2014 15:50 (ten years ago) link

Shame that Aztec the Aussie reissue label crashed since they were putting out some incredible stuff. Unfortunately not that Blackfeather which I would have loved a copy of. But project got announced, underway then guitarist vetoed it. The Aztec cds I have are pretty exemplary so would have been great to have that.

Has somebody started picking up the Aztec remasters and putting them out again? I think I noticed a couple of the titles that they had put out reappearing. Would be nice since they were well done.

Stevolende, Thursday, 30 January 2014 20:05 (ten years ago) link

Titus Groan (1970) is totally worth your time. "Fuschia is here . . . and so . . . is love."

reggie (qualmsley), Thursday, 30 January 2014 21:13 (ten years ago) link

Fuschia are a really good band who predated ELO with the strings as frontline instruments sound. I really love that lp, it sounds very like Sirogyra in places too. Could pass for it in several passages.

& Spirogyra put out 2 excellent lps themselves especially the last one Bells, Boots and Shambles

Stevolende, Thursday, 30 January 2014 22:06 (ten years ago) link

Procol Harum -- Shine On Brightly is from 1968 and a prime example of what I'd call proto-prog.

bbboing, Friday, 31 January 2014 02:33 (ten years ago) link

Yep, Shine On Brightly is #29 on my above list at the moment! I enjoyed Titus Groan, thanks. Haven't found Fuschia yet. Any particular album?

Fastnbulbous, Friday, 31 January 2014 17:43 (ten years ago) link

omg that gun cover is amazing!
can you suggest some of these that are particularly groovy (meaning literally drum-groovy) for me?

mambo jumbo (La Lechera), Friday, 31 January 2014 18:45 (ten years ago) link

obvs i know CAN/ADII -- but like that

mambo jumbo (La Lechera), Friday, 31 January 2014 18:46 (ten years ago) link

Fuchsia are actually spelt like that which I hadn't realised and this is the classic 70s lp
https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/fuchsia/fuchsia/

I think NIghtwings who did the good reissue of the lp put out a compilation around the time they put that out and I think the band may have reformed since.

I thought the common spelling was Fuschia, learn something new every day eh?

Stevolende, Friday, 31 January 2014 21:25 (ten years ago) link

Just found out taht all 3 lps are up on bandcamp
http://fuchsia.bandcamp.com/album/fuchsia-2

Stevolende, Friday, 31 January 2014 21:29 (ten years ago) link

they're spelled like that (i think) in homage to a mervyn peake* character

http://www.mervynpeake.org/gormenghast/fuchsia.html

*his stuff is great to read while listening to this stuff btw

reggie (qualmsley), Friday, 31 January 2014 21:48 (ten years ago) link

if you like gun the Baker Gurvitz Army first record is p good (w/Ginger on drums)

avant gardener (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, 31 January 2014 21:50 (ten years ago) link

they're spelled like that (i think) in homage to a mervyn peake* character

http://www.mervynpeake.org/gormenghast/fuchsia.html

*his stuff is great to read while listening to this stuff btw

― reggie (qualmsley), Friday, January 31, 2014 9:48 PM (42 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Funny, I was going to ask that then looked it up and that is the standard spelling. I'm assuming that that is the Gormenghast resident girl depicted on the original lp cover though.

Stevolende, Friday, 31 January 2014 22:32 (ten years ago) link

I've watched that BBC documentary Prog Rock Britannia a couple of times and one thing that I did come away from it was a perspective on how the first King Crimson record had in it's time. With all of the metal and prog rock that follows it might seem obscured, that section where they are talking about those tight unison runs on 21st Century Schizoid Man was pretty much throwing down a gauntlet for at least what was possible for a rock band to do (even if there is plenty of that type of musicianship in other types of music to 1969).

earlnash, Saturday, 1 February 2014 09:29 (ten years ago) link

Rag i Ryggen are pretty great Swedish Heavy prog. I would also recommend German blues/psych band Jane, the Hendrix-esque Mahogany Rush, Italian avant-proggers Museo Rosenbach, and the proto-doom fuzz of Wicked Lady. I could go on.
There I was thinking I'd almost listened to all the 60's & 70's best psychoprog bands. How very wrong I was. Currently enjoying Bo Hansson, Dark & Gun. And I am LOVING Wolf People's Fain. Fantastic vintage acid prog.

Greatjon, Saturday, 1 February 2014 16:47 (ten years ago) link

Hairy Chapter, guys.

atom bomb, vietnam, missiles on the moon (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Saturday, 1 February 2014 19:51 (ten years ago) link

^^^
awesome

nostormo, Saturday, 1 February 2014 21:08 (ten years ago) link

I love that their opening lines in one song are "Every certainty's a lie/reality has got to die."

atom bomb, vietnam, missiles on the moon (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Saturday, 1 February 2014 21:13 (ten years ago) link

Also the Tentacle - Angel of Death album, which I think wasn't originally issued but is pretty much in this vein.

atom bomb, vietnam, missiles on the moon (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Saturday, 1 February 2014 21:14 (ten years ago) link

Hairy Chpater are pre- Night Sun kinda band..less loud and proggy maybe

nostormo, Saturday, 1 February 2014 21:16 (ten years ago) link

Blue Phantom fit into this...?

Drugs A. Money, Saturday, 1 February 2014 21:19 (ten years ago) link

Toad, Andromeda, High Tide, Catherine Ribeiro + Alpes, Group 1850, Mu, Sensations Fix, The Litter, Matching Mole, Arzachel, Writing on the Wall, Pink Fairies, Web, Trees, Terje Rypdal, Merkin,
or something

Stevolende, Saturday, 1 February 2014 21:24 (ten years ago) link

Didn't we do two youtube threads along these lines a few years back?

atom bomb, vietnam, missiles on the moon (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Saturday, 1 February 2014 21:28 (ten years ago) link

Looked up Hairy Chapter in RYM and saw that it's in our 70s Hard 'n' Heavy poll. Thanks for the reminder.

Fastnbulbous, Sunday, 2 February 2014 15:46 (ten years ago) link

And I am LOVING Wolf People's Fain. Fantastic vintage acid prog. ― Greatjon

Yeah, Wolf People are definitely paying tribute to many of these bands, as you'll see below. I belatedly reviewed their album recently. Dungen, Hidden Masters, Spirits Of The Dead and to some extent Yamantaka // Sonic Titan also dip into that trough. Below are lists from some of the above. Also check out Craig Hayes' amazing three-part Aquarius Rotten series, particularly Aquarius Rotten: Über-hard and Über-heavy Meets Psychedelic Pop, Part 3.

Lee Dorian (Cathedral, Rise Above Records)
Caravan - Caravan (Verve, 1968)
The Gods - Genesis (Columbia, 1968)
Pretty Things - S.F. Sorrow (Columbia, 1968)
Pussy - Pussy Plays (Morgan Blue Town, 1969)
High Tide - Sea Shanties (Liberty, 1969)
Arzachel - Arzachel (Evolution, 1969)
Mighty Baby - Mighty Baby (Head, 1969)
East OF Eden - Mercator PRojected (Deram, 1969)
Arcadium – Breathe A While (Middle Earth, 1969)
Human Beast – Volume One (Deram, 1970)
T2 – It'll All Work Out In Boomland (Decca/Lion, 1970)
Fairfield Parlour – From Home To Home (Vertigo, 1970)
Julian's Treatment – A Time Before This (Young Blood, 1970)
Czar – Czar (Fontana, 1970)
Comus – First Utterance (Dawn/Breathless, 1971)
Fuzzy Duck – Fuzzy Duck (Repertoire, 1971)
Tractor – Tractor (Dandelion, 1972)
Second Hand – Death May Be Your Santa Claus (Mushroom, 1971)
Nicholas Greenwood – Cold Cuts (Kingdom, 1972)

Reine Fiske, Dungen
Alrune Rod – Alrune Rod (Sonet, 1969)
Mecki Mark Men - Mecki Mark Men (Sonet, 1967)
Bo Hansson – Sagan om ringen (Lord Of The Ring) (Silence/Charisma, 1970)
Circus 2000 – Circus 2000 (Ri-Fi/Akarma, 1970)
Culpeper's Orchard – Culpeper's Orchard (Polydor, 1971)
C.O.B. – Moyshe McStiff and the Tartan Lancers of the Sacred Heart (Polydor, 1972)
Comus – First Utterance (Dawn/Breathless, 1971)
Dark – Round The Edges (Machu Picchu, 1972)
Kalevela – People No Names (Finnlevy, 1972)
Popol Vuh – Hosianna Mantra (Kosmische Musik/SPV, 1972)

Wolf People
http://active-listener.blogspot.com/2013/04/wolf-people-guide-us-through-ten-albums.html
Mighty Baby – A Jug Of Love (Head/Sunbeam, 1971)
Mecki Mark Men – Running In The Summer Night (Limelight, 1969)
Joanna Newsom – Have One On Me (Drag City, 2010)
Dark – Round The Edges (Machu Picchu, 1972)
Thundermother – Astral Navigations (Holyground, 1971)
Trees – On The Shore (CBS, 1971)
Dungen – 4 (Kemado, 2008)
The Groundhogs – Thank Christ For The Bomb (UA/EMI, 1970)
Richard & Linda Thompson – I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight (Hannibal, 1974)
The Way We Live – A Candle For Judith (Dandelion, 1971)

Please feel free to share your own top 10s, 5s, 50...

Fastnbulbous, Monday, 3 February 2014 03:57 (ten years ago) link

Some of Craig Hayes' selections:

Bang – Bang (Capitol, 1972)
Negative Space – Hard, Heavy, Mean & Evil (Castle, 1970)
Baby Grandmothers – Baby Grandmothers (Subliminal Sounds, 1968)
Highway Robbery – For Love Or Money (RCA, 1972)
Wicked Lady - The Axeman Cometh (Psychotic Overkill, 1969-72)
Night Sun – Mournin' (Zebra, 1972)
Tractor – Tractor (Dandelion, 1972)
Bolder Damn - Mourning (Hit/Shadow Kingdom, 1971)
Gun - Gun (Epic/Repertoire, 1968)
Steel Mill – Jewels Of The Forest - Green Eyed God (Rise Above, 1972)
Dust – Dust (Akarma, 1971)
The C.A. Quintet - Trip Thru Hell (Candy Floss, 1968)
Lucifer's Friend – Lucifer's Friend (Philips/Universal, 1970)
Leaf Hound – Growers Of Mushroom (Decca, 1971)
Les Variations - Nador (Pathe, 1970)

I'm considering these for my own top 50, or are just outside it. I got the 2006 CD reissue of Comus at the time, and picked up the Dark reissue last year, highly recommended.

Comus – First Utterance (Dawn/Breathless, 1971)
Dark – Round The Edges (Machu Picchu, 1972)
Julian's Treatment – A Time Before This (Young Blood, 1970)
Captain Beyond – Captain Beyond (Capricorn, 1972)
Goliath – Goliath (CBS/Aurora, 1970)
Birth Control – Hoodoo Man (CBS/Repertoire, 1972)
Room – Pre-Flight (Deram/Akarma, 1970)
Circus 2000 – Circus 2000 (Ri-Fi/Akarma, 1970)
Clear Blue Sky – Clear Blue Sky (Vertigo, 1970)
The Way We Live – A Candle For Judith (Dandelion, 1971)
Fairfield Parlour – From Home To Home (Vertigo, 1970)
C.A. Quintet - Trip Thru Hell (Candy Floss, 1968)
Masters Apprentices – Choice Cuts (Ascension, 1971)
Los Dug Dug's – Smog (RCA/Lion, 1972)
Mecki Mark Men – Running In The Summer Night (Limelight, 1969)
Morgen – Morgen (Probe/Radioactive, 1969)
Czar – Czar (Fontana, 1970)
Fuzzy Duck – Fuzzy Duck (Repertoire, 1971)

I've also enjoyed Kebnekajse, Pussy, Frumpy, Felt, Hard Meat, Message, Baba Scholae and Group 1850 among others, but go back and forth with how much.

Fastnbulbous, Monday, 3 February 2014 04:38 (ten years ago) link

Morgen – Morgen (Probe/Radioactive, 1969)
>

Had a good remaster from the original tapes by Sunbeam last year as did the s/t Dragonfly which is pretty great. I wouldn't buy the Radioactive version of anything it was possible to get any other way.

I think
Negative Space – Hard, Heavy, Mean & Evil (Castle, 1970)
is out through Rockadrome. Definitely on sale through the shop but I think it may be on their label too as is Ice Cross which came out pretty recently. They also did a great version of the s/t Sainte Anthony's Fyre which is petty essential.

Comus can be bought in their entirety, or at least 70s entirety on the Song To Comus 2cd on Sanctuary which comes with an e.p from the time of First Utterance as well as the '74 lp which is pretty different. They have reformed and are putting out new material as well as a live recording of an otherwise unreleased suite from '72.

& Dust have a recent 2fer of both lps on one cd though i can't remember who it's through.

Stevolende, Monday, 3 February 2014 11:20 (ten years ago) link

great thread, thanks FnB, wow at that Spotify playlist, 60hrs of prog psych awesomeness!

Kim Wrong-un (Neil S), Monday, 3 February 2014 11:45 (ten years ago) link

Here are the youtube threads I was thinking of, for the record:

Let's compile a Best of 70's Doom cdr...

Let's compile a Best of 70's Doom cdr... Part II

atom bomb, vietnam, missiles on the moon (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Monday, 3 February 2014 11:50 (ten years ago) link

Also Fraction's "Moon Blood" album. Sounds like The Doors going prog, with "Come Out of Her" being pretty apocalyptic.

atom bomb, vietnam, missiles on the moon (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Monday, 3 February 2014 12:04 (ten years ago) link

Great thread, keep it going! Wish I had more to contribute, but it seems like you guys have already outpaced me.

I did pick up Speed, Glue & Shinki's Eve today, thanks to this thread.

an enormous bolus of flatulence (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Tuesday, 4 February 2014 20:10 (ten years ago) link

Blue Phantom fit into this...? ― Drugs A. Money

Definitely! They're one of my favorites and were in my master list, but I totally forgot them here (they rank just below Arzachel at 43). For some reason I thought I read they were French musicians but was released on an Italian label, but here's the deal:

Blue Phantom's music was written by Armando Sciascia (under the pseudonym "H. Tical" who was renowned as an Italian film composer, editor, producer in mid-60s, and simultaneously an owner of an Italian label Vedette Records) and performed by unknown session musicians in 1971. It's original release was on Spider Records, which was a subsidiary of Sciascia's own Vedette Records label. It was also released as a "library record" by Sonimage under the name Distortion Pop. Songs from the album were featured on "Sinner: Diary of a Nymphomaniac", directed by Jess Franco in 1972 among other films. It was out of print until Italian independent label AMS reissued this album in 2008. The concise, instrumental heavy psych/prog symphonies are dissonant, menacing and in large doses disturbing, suggestive of trips gone awry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtZyL595E8A&feature=youtu.be

Fastnbulbous, Saturday, 8 February 2014 17:27 (ten years ago) link

Yeah, I like that album a lot but "disturbing" might be overselling it a little. Except Distillation is pretty crazy. It's definitely better than Ugly Custard, Hell Preachers Inc, etc.

Bell, ball, bone, boot. No surprises. (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Saturday, 8 February 2014 19:57 (ten years ago) link

Is the Goldenrod album prog enough to bear mentioning in this thread?

Bell, ball, bone, boot. No surprises. (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Saturday, 8 February 2014 19:58 (ten years ago) link

I've been digging the Tear Gas self titled & Piggie Go Getter records lately ... Not seeing those mentioned above ... Give em a spin!

BlackIronPrison, Saturday, 8 February 2014 20:02 (ten years ago) link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY-EwIsqjNk

reggie (qualmsley), Thursday, 13 February 2014 20:12 (ten years ago) link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exE9YzULjnQ

"And my TEETH
And my TEETH
They're all tombstones
They're all tombstones"

One of two songs on "Retribution" that kinda qualifies for this thread.

Bell, ball, bone, boot. No surprises. (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Saturday, 15 February 2014 21:14 (ten years ago) link

I just got Colosseum's record "The Grass Is Greener" a week ago. That's a pretty good record, probably more in the heavy blues/jazz axis than really prog at this point, but they do have some interesting arrangements. They were a real good band of players, very tight.

earlnash, Tuesday, 18 February 2014 00:52 (ten years ago) link

four months pass...

I'm reading Pete Townsend's great bio, Who I Am. Recommended. While most rock stars of that were too consumed with their own dramas to pay attention to what most of the lesser bands were doing, there are some references to Townsend having some clue, having gotten Arthur Brown signed to a deal and writing a positive review of the first King Crimson album. I think I'll still stand by calling Tommy a psych prog album. And while I wouldn't change the big anthemic singles from Who's Next, I think it would have satisfied Townsend's ideas for Lifehouse better if it had been done as more of a psych prog project.

Fastnbulbous, Friday, 4 July 2014 13:00 (nine years ago) link

In fact, the musical world would have been much improved if, say, The Beatles went more in that direction after Abbey Road instead of the bare-bones with strings Let It Be (I figure it would be sacrilege to fuck with AR) and ditto for Dylan instead of his country Americana phase. And maybe even The Grateful Dead, though I'd probably still hate whatever they did. I blame The Band for everything.

Fastnbulbous, Friday, 4 July 2014 13:04 (nine years ago) link

great thread! thats the wrong felt in yr spotify playlist btw

Crackle Box, Friday, 4 July 2014 16:10 (nine years ago) link

Aphrodite's Child: 666 (1972) - Really hits this spot pretty hard, in my opinion

Yes!

kornrulez6969, Friday, 4 July 2014 16:18 (nine years ago) link

Just got that Townshend bio last week because it was on sale. Thanks for the rec, maybe I'll find some time to read it.

Riot In #9 Dream (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 4 July 2014 16:21 (nine years ago) link

Bobak Jons Malone - Motherlight is kind of a cool psych pop album sort of in the vein of the first Traffic album, though it might not quite be proggy enough to merit inclusion here

noir-ish need apply (Drugs A. Money), Friday, 4 July 2014 18:41 (nine years ago) link

Hey guys gonna post the best non-666 Aphrodite's Child song right here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl8EdOVFr1E

"Riding on a Meadow Lea" from the Bobak, Jons, and Malone album is one of my favorite songs.

timellison, Saturday, 5 July 2014 03:14 (nine years ago) link

seven months pass...

https://m.soundcloud.com/blandbladen

^fnb you hear this? Blandbladen are from the early 2000s wave of Scandinavian spacerock, similar to Causa Sui and Oresund Space Collective. They just came out with a second album, Vederkvickelse, excerpts of which can be found on the band's soundcloud page. It's certainly spacey/trippy enough that I could've posted it in rolling stoner but this feels like a more precise fit. It def has that 70s throwback feel you find in bands like Agusa and the Wolf People...

the saer returns (Drugs A. Money), Saturday, 14 February 2015 13:34 (nine years ago) link

three months pass...

New Brainticket album out this year, don't know if it is any good.

you can now get married in a church of bacon (Drugs A. Money), Saturday, 30 May 2015 12:36 (eight years ago) link

Thanks for the tips, I've neglected this thread a while.

Here's something.

Charlies - Buttocks (Love/Red Fox, 1970) - Finnish bluesy psych prog.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J45r-brjeWw&list=PL94gOvpr5yt0WAfHvLeY3oYRzR0Ox1TPw

Fastnbulbous, Tuesday, 2 June 2015 15:55 (eight years ago) link

this album is great and hardly anyone knows it/writes about it. if it had been on vertigo it would sell for $$$ now. totally in that realm. but i think they were from philly, not the u.k. you can find it pretty cheap probably. i mean i don't see it much, but i don't think a lot of people are looking for it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUkSyIfnQxc

scott seward, Tuesday, 2 June 2015 16:33 (eight years ago) link

one year passes...

Manfred Mann Chapter III (1969)

Was prompted to check this out via Elijah Wood of all people, lol. Pretty cool, jazzy, lots of Dr. John influence.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4XhNdlUfN0

Fastnbulbous, Thursday, 7 July 2016 17:23 (seven years ago) link

Not worked my way through the entire thread yet, but surprised that the 1st 2 Atomic rooster lps are on there and nt Death Walks Behind You which is the one I'd really go for. With John (du) Cann's guitar blazing against Vincent Crane's organ.

Stevolende, Thursday, 7 July 2016 17:40 (seven years ago) link

Death IS the second one, actually, and I think the US version of the 1st one had added Du Cann guitars and vocals!

For some reason I was thinking In Hearing Of came before it, but no you're right. Wonder why OP skipped it though.

There's also now a Lost Broadcasts set which has a few tracks by that line up plus a few more by the Chris Farlowe line-up on dvd from German tv.

Stevolende, Thursday, 7 July 2016 21:03 (seven years ago) link

Oh, that's me. Well, if you look again you'll see that Death Walks Behind you was ranked #22 on my list. The others past the top 50 are listed alpha.

Fastnbulbous, Friday, 8 July 2016 20:43 (seven years ago) link

two months pass...

Horse - For Twisted Minds Only (Rise Above Relics, 1970) Oct 14

Formed in South London during the late sixties, Horse were a band creating occult influenced progressive hard rock, ahead of its time. Guitarist Rod Roach had briefly played in an incarnation of British psych-rock legends Andromeda before forming Horse with other key member, vocalist Adrian Hawkins. Alongside bassist Colin Standring, the band also featured legendary drummer Ric Parnell, later of Atomic Rooster (amongst many others) and future star of This is Spinal Tap (aka Mick Shrimpton)!

A favourite amongst collectors for many years (with original mint copies today trading in excess of £400), Horse is an album long overdue an official reissue. Recorded in 1969, originally released in 1970 and bootlegged countless times from scratchy vinyl transfers, Rise Above Relics can finally present you with this detailed release mastered and cut directly from the original master tapes. Featuring a treasure trove of previously unheard/unreleased material, For Twisted Minds Only is certain to have connoisseurs and collectors of the period literally frothing at the bit.

Fastnbulbous, Friday, 23 September 2016 18:33 (seven years ago) link

seven months pass...

been rockin' the Fuzzy Duck lately, my god this album rules

frogbs, Tuesday, 9 May 2017 13:27 (six years ago) link

six years pass...

the first side of this album rules but i love this moment best. such emo vocals. also parlour band had the best 21st century internet album title of 1972.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_5QKQIe3ac

scott seward, Thursday, 8 February 2024 16:57 (two months ago) link


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