Can we talk about early-mid70s West Coast post-psych/pop/rock/folk-rock/country-rock?

I've been digging Unicorn's Blue Pine Trees LP from '74. David Gilmour pretends to be Garcia on pedal steal -- he's great. Unicorn sound very much like the British version of New Riders. The LP isn't as consistenly cosmic as the first two New Riders LPs, but there are several peak moments, particularly "Sleep Song," which is literally a cosmic country/smooth British pop ode to sleep!

I finally got my in-house turntable working again this weekend, and one of the first things I listened to was the first side of Leon Russell and The Shelter People. Jammy goodness and too underappreciated on this thread. I've swiped Hank Wilson's Back and the live TRIPLE ALBUM from my dad's library recently. Will report back soon.

I need to look into those Russell jams. Is it bluesy stuff or more soaring West Coast magic?

In the last week, I've interviewed Weir, Tom Shipley (of Brewer & Shipley), and Richie Furay (of Poco). I'm ass-deep in West Coast sounds.

C.Grisso/McCain, have you heard Asylum Choir II? Leon and Marc Benno, who seems to have pretty much disappeared after AC, though he did at least one solo album. II used to be a party favorite in our trailer park, especially "Down On The Base" (Base Exchange party favors, whoo hoo! An important part of Southern culture, on or off the skids). Speaking of Jason Isbell, here's my review of his solo debut, Sirens Of The Ditch (smoother and more consistently tuneful than the Truckers, but closer to Zevon and Newman than the Eagles--maybe if Ronnie Van Zant had gone solo, and kept going--?) http://www.villagevoice.com/music/0728,allred,77190,22.html

Haven't heard Asylum Choir II. I did recently pick up the new reish of Look Inside The Asylum Choir, their first set from '68 (IIRC, II was cut the next year but temporarily shelved). It was ok studio psych. I actually haven't played HWB and the live set yet, though I'll probably dip into the former when I get home. As for The Shelter People LP, it actually is a loose mix of blues, country, and some soaring West Coast magic, with all three coming together beautifully in the opening cut, "Stranger In A Strange Land." There are also a couple of cool Dylan covers ("A Hard Rain's A Gonna Fall" & "It Takes A Lot To Laugh..."). Side 1 is more rock and souled-out, side 2 is mellow come down stuff.

somethings i've been digging alone these lines.

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drh100/h181/h18112ljmb9.jpg
the Wackers "Wackering Heights" - Gary Usher produced record that amg gets right on: A charming, sunny debut disc from a group that somehow managed to blend the Byrds and the Monkees into a pop sound that was as intelligent as it was catchy.

Johnny Rivers "Realization" - i've never listened to him before, but after my mom telling me she dated him for 2 years after she and my dad split up, i decided to check it out. really nicely produced w/great plucked bass sound. kinda reminds me of Gene Clark.

Don Everly "Sunset Towers"

Wait, your Mom dated Johnny Rivers? How'd she meet him? I used to go out with a girl whose Mom went out with Don Preston of the Mothers (I think he also played with Leon; they were both from Oklahoma.) "Donnie" wa long gone by the time I got there Her Mom was this cool old Southern Alabama-to-Southern Cali hipster, homegrown. Um, anyway, don't know if they're on that album, but you gotta hear "Summer Rain," "Poor Side Of Town" "Baby, I Need Your Lovin'," "Secret Agent Man."

I just spotted Poco "Legend" for a buck. Picked it up. None too impressed, but I see it wasn't mentioned upthread, so I'll try a couple more.

I just put on the first Aztec Two-Step album and am shocked at how much I'm liking it. Not west coast, really more 'soft rock' than anything in the thread title, but definitely feels post-psych/folk-rocky.

first aztec two step is probably their best. really nice. great jerry yester production too. the guitars sound awesome.

yeah i like that aztec two-step record.

i don't know much by him, but john stewart interests me. "july you're a woman" popped up on my ipod tonight.

this is really good:

http://members.aol.com/clackclack/bloodlin.jpg

hoosdude, as was stated elsewhere on this thread, i will only vouch for poco up to and including crazy eyes. after that, you are on your own.

scott's seal of quality:

# 1969 Pickin' Up the Pieces
# 1970 Poco
# 1971 Deliverin'
# 1971 From The Inside
# 1972 A Good Feelin’ To Know
# 1973 Crazy Eyes

Wait, your Mom dated Johnny Rivers? How'd she meet him?

i already forget the full story, but something about her good friend being his manager or something? she lived in Topanga Canyon for a buncha years and in santa cruz for a few others (dated one of the guys in Snail for a bit). hippy shit.

Fans of this style should see Daft Punk's 'Electroma'.

with all three coming together beautifully in the opening cut, "Stranger In A Strange Land."

Is this the Crosby tune? Blackburn & Snow did a wonderful version. For any San Fran folk-rock fans, Blackburn & Snow is a must.

Nah, it's a Leon original w/the same title. Those 60s Cali hippies loved them some Heinlein.

holy shit guys
http://www.angryhippy.net/images/Paul_Kantner_And_Grace_Slick_Sunfighter.jpg

I picked this up cause the name Grace Slick rang some vague bells and the cover was funny. This is like my favorite accidental find of the year so far. All the reviews I'm reading call its subpar stuff, inessential, whatnot, but I'm loving the shit out of it.

Definitely more psych than post-psych, per se, but very psych country-rock.

the name Grace Slick rang some vague bells

haha

ya rly

oh, BIG HOOS

i r learning

I snagged a John Stewart comp (Earth Rider) at the record shop for 3 bucks last week, and I are happy...never knew too much about this guy, except he was in the Kingston Trio, and did the song "Gold"...but what a career...treads the same paths that Gene Clark and Townes Van Zandt once did, with a touch less cynicism...can't believe I didn't catch on sooner...

never knew too much about this guy, except he was in the Kingston Trio, and did the song "Gold"

and wrote the great "daydream believer," among other things!

Would Lee Michaels fit in here? Definitely west coast. Some kinda folky moments (but nothing really on the country tip) and definitely some psych moves. I like his early ones (Barrel and Recital come to mind) and the live 2lp is a monster. It's just him on organ and a badass drummer.

LEE MICHAELS, I salute you.

Yeah that live Lee Michaels is heat.

i've only got the self titled one, but it's pretty awesome. that drum solo (and a few other spots on the album) have been sampled a bunch of times.

i've been listening to a bunch of Little Feat's "Feats Don't Fail me now" lately. god it's so funky. any other groups get this funky? sounds like the meters fronted by a white guy.

and i've had that album for years. was one of the first records i bought for a buck. never pulled it out because i'm not huge into boogie blues stuff, but read recently rub'n'tug used a track from it on one of their mixes and realized how wrong i was about them.

I also dig some of Brian Hyland's stuff (who probably fits in better here). His cover of Gypsy Woman is awesome.

I'll have to check that Little Feat. Is that the one w/ the crazy piece-of-cake-on-a-swing cover?

No, I guess not (thanks google). Their covers are so wacky and bad sometimes that I look at those Little Feat albums and think "HOW can this be good?"

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0000631ED.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

And Sailin shoes was the one I was thinkin of originally:
http://www.superseventies.com/ac10sailinshoes.gif

WTF???

my fave stoner lee michaels cover:

http://www.coolforever.com/temp/leemichaels_tailface.jpg

waiting for columbus is one of my favorite live albums EVER. it makes my top 10 or 20. if i had a top 10 or 20.

okay, scott I'll get over my little feat phobia for that.

that album with gypsy woman on it is really good, but my fave thing on it is his cover of slow down. luv the fuzz on that one.

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/67791.jpg

i love little feat. and they are still great!

Little Feat Fuckin' Rocked Tonight!!!!

Feats Don't Fail Me Now has been in constant rotation on my turntable for the last year or so. it's perfect and such an easy 'go-to' record.

plus, little feat live now have shaun murphy of stoney & meatloaf fame on vocals and she is awesome.

http://www.musik-base.de/images/cd-cover/36/36715.jpg

cutting and pasting just so people know how good they can be live to this day just in case they play a county fair near you:

Little Feat's line-up is more classic than most of their ilk and age. Bill Payne and Richie Hayward played on the first album and Paul Barrere, Sam Clayton, Kenny Gradney, & Fred Tackett are all Dixie Chicken era or thereabouts. They mostly rely on the jam band crowd. They put up tons of live shows on the web, so you can hear how good they sound. They are just so tight and rockin'. Long fiery EXCITING guitar solos. I can't remember the last time i heard one of those. They are all such pros. When they get locked in to one of those grooves, it is heaven. and Shaun really does have an amazing voice. She mostly sings back-up though and only gets a few solo numbers. they are in no way hokey. okay, don't bogart that joint is hokey. (it was hokey on the first fraternity of man album too. an album that is otherwise a fine slice of psych-rock.)

-- scott seward (scott seward), Wednesday, July 27, 2005 2:09 PM (1 year ago) Bookmark Link

Haha that Little Feat album cover is what makes me do a double take in the dollar bins. I used to pass on the Lee Michaels self titled but decided to pick it up one day and lordy when I heard that insane drum solo I was sold. I saw Harvey drop some Lee Michaels love last month, I think it may have been off of Carnival ???? it was this insane psych boogie jam that he mixed into some other 70's southern boogie stuff, it was pretty great.

I listen to Lee Michaels and I think "why didn't this guy become super-mega huge?" He had the one of the best voices of his era, and he always looked friggin cool. AND he could write amazing songs and play he organ better than anyone around. Ofcourse, he also had some killer drummers on those LPs as mentioned above.

I guess he did make an impact because I do see his records in a good number of used bins ... but ...

the only Lee Michaels album I own is 5th. y'know, with his BIG HIT on it. I'll have to keep a look out for the live thing.

this is good if you see it for a dollar:

http://www.musicobsession.com/Pictures/m/a/mariah390871.jpg

-- scott seward, Friday, April 6, 2007 2:01 PM (3 months ago)

I did see it for a dollar! and so I picked it up. When I went to pay for my records the grizzled old record dude was real enthusiastic about telling me that a Mariah guy went on to be in Survivor. I haven't listened yet. Right now I'm drinking white wine (don't worry, it's a pouilly-fuisse) and listening to this, which was also a dollar:

http://g-ec2.images-amazon.com/images/I/41S7CZ4DS5L._AA240_.jpg

young linda = serious cuteness

jammin the charlie d & milo album as we speak.
another recentish discovery are High Mohtain Hoe-Down, who are bluesier than a lot of what gets talked about on this thread.

also, the recent Instant Orange 2LP (CD?) set on Shadoks is amazing. Talk about expensive re-issues, though!! Two LPs for $55, shit. that is expensive. i bet the CD is cheaper. i found a marked down Shadoks CD of the Fingletoad, Siho and Strange set when I was in RI once. It's great, fits on this thread. Inna very Neil Young fuzz guitar groove. This Instant Orange is more Byrdsy feeling. More Moby Grape, too; some cool guitar stuff going on. They are real funny looking in the phoographs, too.

so that Ronstadt album kinda ruled. When "Long Long While" came on I did feel a little like that old Baboon Dooley comic where the guy buys a copy of Chicago II, goes home and smokes a joint, and there's a "I remember this tune" thought-bubble as '25 or 6 to 4' plays. I wish there were full credits on this album, I wanna know who rips off that guitar solo on "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow". Is it Bernie??

speaking of insanely priced vinyl reishes, has anybody heard the Country Weather record?? been dying to pick that one up. Just say "San Francisco" and "1969" and I'm there...

Recently found me an old copy of Graham Nash's "Songs for Beginners" and this thread was tailor made for this kind of record. "Better Days" is one of the best songs I've heard from this weird sub-genre.