FuzzyWasabi

GArage Punk Classics - Update.

noreply@blogger.com (FuzzyWasabi) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 06:49:00 +0000

Told ya – sold out in 3 weeks…

More stuff coming shortly.

In the meantime check out this AWESOME blog.

60's Garage Punk Classics

noreply@blogger.com (FuzzyWasabi) — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 06:15:00 +0000

Garage-In-A-Da-Garage…

«Along with Psychedelic Disaster Whirl, these EP sets are probably the finest comps of the late 80s. The three first volumes would have made one hell of an LP.»
Age of Madness

And what a killer of a comp it is! I Met this crazy bunch while they were putting the final touches to the hand made covers and had a chance to listen to the thing… It's been a while since heard a comp like that. Flows beautifully. The last track is awesome.

By deference to the hard working enthousiasts who produced this 100% legal piece of vinyl (very uncommon these days), I won't upload the sound now, I'll wait untill they're sold. There's only 195 of them, get them while you can. They come in 2 flavors, the Deluxe with the day-glo paint is a hoot!

DELUXE EDITION
lim. hand numbered 45 copies with glow in the dark hand sprayed sleeves, hand stamped labels, insert
20.00 euros / $29.00
REGULAR EDITION
lim. hand numbered 150 copies with DJ sleeve, hand stamped labels, insert
15.00 euros / $21.50

Priority shipping charges:
Europe: 12.00 euros / $16.00
Rest of the world: 17.00 euros / $24.00

Payment by paypal only

For all orders and questions: Fuzz Busters Records

Garage Punk Classics
18 US Garage Punkers from the mid-60s

All tracks first comp’d between 1986 and 1987 on the long-gone and awesome Punk Classics vol.1, 2 and 3 7’’ EP series. First time now on LP, with better sound quality and unabridged versions!

Side A
1. The Choab - Why Am I Alone? • Albuquerque, NM (1966)
2. The Fortune Seekers - Why I Cry • Norwalk, CA (1966)
3. The Tuesday Club - Only Human • ? (1967)
4. Evil Enc. Group - The Point Is • Beckley, WV (196?)
5. It's Us - Don't Want Your Lovin' • Kenelton, NJ (1967)
6. Whatt Four - Our Love Should Last Forever • Riverside, CA (1966)
7. Thunderbirds - Hey Little Girl • ?, WI (196?)
8. Shadows - Tell Me • ? (196?)
9. The Scoundrels - Up There • Brooklyn, NY (1966)

Side B
1. Scott Bedford Four - You Turned Your Back On Me • Northampton, PA (1965)
2. U.S. Kids - Check Out • Medford, OR (1966)
3. The Ascots - So Good • Pontiac, MI (1966)
4. William Penn Fyve - Blow My Mind • Palo Alto, CA (196?)
5. The Moon-Dawgs - Keep On Pushing • New Orleans, LA (196?)
6. Wildwood - Plastic People • Stockton, CA (1968)
7. Operations - Reincarnation • Cincinnati, OH (1968)
8. The Allies - I'll Sell My Soul • Barstow, CA (1966)
9. K Lawson & 4 More - Halfway Down The Stairs • Memphis, TN (1967)

For all orders and questions: Fuzz Busters Records

New FOTH Comps in the making

noreply@blogger.com (FuzzyWasabi) — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 06:51:00 +0000

Thanks to your input, the following volumes are getting in the early stages:

Working titles:
FOTH 26: Kurry Sembal Ketjap: South East Asian Beat & Psych from Indonesia, Thailand & Vietnam… We'll see about Laos.

FOTH 27: Far East Fuzz: India and Pakinstan weirdness from the 60's. Not sure I'll find anything from Bangladesh though.

FOTH 28: Middle East Mayhem. Turkish, Lebanese, Syrian (not quite the right time), Israeli. I won't drop any Greek stuff in there for fear of getting my throat slit… Actually mingling the israeli stuff in there is also a bit touchy.
I've got quite a few sources for material here, but if any Egyptian, Libyan, Syrian or anybody from the same region could drop me a mail (in a comment please, I won't publish it) pointing me to stuff… I'd be more than grateful.

This one might get done the first, it seems to fall at the right time.

Fools On The Hill compilations: Complete list of Volumes

noreply@blogger.com (FuzzyWasabi) — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 07:24:00 +0000

The Blogspot search engine is a bit weird, so here is a complete and chronological liste of Volumes for your enjoyment:

Fools On The Hill - Volume 1 – My Tailor Is Rich – 19 necessary beat winners from the swinging 60's french-o-phonic countries

Fools On The Hill 2: Autumn Songbook - 23 moody punk-folk greats from the mid-60s

Fools On The Hill 3: Shaking Along Mersey River - 19 worldwide Mersey Beat and early Beat gems from the mid-60's

Fools On The Hill 4: Goddesses in the sky with Diamonds - 19 psych pop, psych and acid folk female gems from the mid-60's and early 70's

Fools On The Hill 5: Sunny Sunday Smiles - 19 worldwide pop, soft pop and harmony pop greats from the mid-60's

Fools On The Hill 6: Red fuzz with purple flashes - 24 worlwide wild freakbeat masterpieces from the mid-60's

Fools On The Hill 7: Sons of the Golden Dawn - 19 neo-garage psych greats from the mid-80's/early 90's

Fools On The Hill 8: Love Songs in the Night - Last gasps of the golden pop era (Pop Greats from the 70's)

Fools On The Hill 9: McCartnisms on my Mynd - Fabulous McCartneys that Time Forgot

Fools On The Hill 10: Soft as Snow - 23 mid-60's soft beat and popsike acid greats from northern Europe

Fools On The Hill 11: Maybe in a Dream - 19 US Psychedelic Lullabies from the mid-60's

Fools On The Hill 12: Balls & Chains - 18 mid-60's fuzz-driven pop masterpieces from the US

Fools On The Hill 13: A Trip through Unicorn's Forest - 18 fabulous acid folk and folky psychedelic greats from the late-60s /early 70s

Fools On The Hill 14: Walruses all around - 16 greatest songs Lennon never wrote (+ 3 treasures from the Dakota Hotel vaults)

Fools On The Hill 15: Captain Groovy - 20 hip-shaking garage floor fillers from the mid-60s

Fools On The Hill 16: Voices Green & Purple - 19 US acid-punk and soft punk from the mid-60s

Fools On The Hill 17: The Blue Electric Butterfly - 19 mid 60's greats from the UK forgotten psychedelic underground

Fools On The Hill 18: Asian Take-Away - 19 asiatic beat monsters from the late 60's and early 70's

Fools On The Hill 19: That's cool, that's trash - 19 obscure garage punk greats from the american mid-60's

Fools On The Hill 20: Love is a hurting thing - 19 rare mid 60's Northern soul mid-tempo nuggets

Fools On The Hill 21: A last Splash of Colours - 19 fabulous mid-60's POP Masterpieces that time forgot

Fools On The Hill 22: Fabulously Fake Freakouts – 25 wannabe psychedelic tunes from all over the world

Fools On The Hill 23: Pre-Kraut Pleasures- 29 garage psych and post-beat late 60's forgotten gems from the German scene

Fools on the hill 24 : Sizzling Sitar Special - 29 deliciously droning popsike & acid-folk gems from the late-60's to mid-70's

Fools on the hill 25 : Class of '65 - 13 prep-rock wonders from the pre-fuzz ages

Phew! That's a long link list… Have fun!

Fools on the hill 26 : what should be next?

noreply@blogger.com (FuzzyWasabi) — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 08:31:00 +0000

Aas I get back into the swing of things, I need to select a theme for the next FOTH volume.

I was contemplating the following themes:

Bent and batty hippie shit, as in the very stange stuff drugged-out hippes, loonies and communes came up with.
It might just be difficult to listen to a whole CD of the stuff…

Loner-Folk… plenty of interesting stuff abounds but then it might get MIGHTY depressing to listen to.

Far East Fuzz: I am currently listening to a stuff-load of stuff from the far east and asia. We already did a Volume on Cambodian Rock,
as this was a marvelous and exceptional moment in time. The other Asian stuff borders on pure kitsch soemtimes but is strangely enticing. Think Pakistan, India, Indonesia, Singapore, Laos, Thailand etc. This might have to be split in various volumes, because some countries had a relly beat scene and others were mixing traditional music with 60's sound.
Same thing could apply to Middle East and North Africa… it very difficult to find good sources, though.

Still working on gathering more African PSych, but the again, with wars and the general attitude, precious few interesting music remains.

Votes, suggestions of themes… and …help even ARE GLADLY Welcomed. Drop us a comment.

Hot off the press - New 60's limited comp-a-coming

noreply@blogger.com (FuzzyWasabi) — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 09:50:00 +0000

We've heard through the grapevine that there is yet another super-limited, hand-made compilation looming. This 180 run of LPs will be focused on straight US 60's garage although the track listing isn't yet known.

With the people behind this venture, this will be mighty interesting and will be available on a strictly first come, first served basis around mid-April. No sales through shops and mail orders, from what I was told.

In order to get in the line and be informed all forthcoming details and be on the mailing list, drop an email to fuzzbusters records here.

You guessed it… I'm already in.

Do What Thou Wilt - The satanic rites of British rock delivered from acetates and rare pressings 1970-1974

noreply@blogger.com (FuzzyWasabi) — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 09:17:00 +0000

Now there's a surprise a-coming! We've been able to lay our grubby mitts on this super limited edition comp.

A run of 200, gone in a few days, with hand-painted covers and hand-made liner notes. What's more the bulk of the songs covered come from acetates… unlikely to ever come to light again.

While I am not too sold on late UK Psych, as it is often veers too much towards the prog-hey-let's-have-a-Middle-Age-jam-complete-with flutes-and-harpsichord, this compilation is much more on the Heavy and Proto Punk side of things. Much more to my liking.

When I say Heavy, think of early Black Sabbath style, although the bands showcased here are no copycats at all. They have the same disturbing qualities as Ozzie's early band mates but often without the almighty crunch. A primitive taster of things to come.

As for the Proto-Punk bands in here, they are much of the anarchic psych variety with a few very disturbing occurance… the last song "Fuck You" being the perfect resumé for the whole LP. I think some of them resurfaced a couple years later as bona-fide punk bands.

Here's the track list and liner notes (lucky you):

CAMELOT - Time Around Me
PONY - I'm a Mover
SHADO - Evil City
HEATWAVE - 9-9-9
GRIND - Rip Off
SIOUX - Warlove
SARDONICUS - Nymph
YELLOW - The Hobo Song
SARDONICUS - Evaporated Brain
TONGE - Looking at the World
WOODEN LION - Rise of the Moon
GRIND - Earth Song
BARE SOUL - Flash
UNICORN - Another World
LUCIFER - Fuck You

Liners:

CAMELOT: Nothing has been left to devour over in a literary sense with CAMELOT, but their single-sided emidisc acetate offering should suffice to satisfy's anyone's hunger for primitive heavy rock!!

PONY: "I'm a mover" maybe more familiar to die-hard fans of blues rockers FREE, but here's a more raucous and battered version from PONY's surviving acetate recorded circa 1970. Backed with "Better by you, better than me" as more famously recorded by Spooky Tooth.

SHADO: Another incredible bunch of unknowns who were fortunate enough to be handled by local promoter, John Hessenthaler who is still in the business over 35 years later!! "Evil city" is the A-side of their 1974 single for Montrose records.

HEATWAVE: Led by guitarist Mervyn Selby Read in the early 70s, this Welsh band were making plenty of carnivorous noises in the valleys with their single for Harp records ("One-eyed man" c/w "9-9-9")

GRIND: One of the clearest and BEST examples of British proto punk along with Crushed Butler, 3rd World War, Hawkind and Mick Farren's Deviants who all formed a fairly decent chunk of anarchic rock on the British heavy rock underground circa 1969-1974. Muir, Barber and Hastings laid down these two shit-faced punkers on 31st October, 1973. Unfortunatly, it's only been possible to locate one of their two acetates which leaves another 2 tracks missing, WHAT A FUCKING BAND!!!!!!

SIOUX: Messrs. Holcombe, Natori and pattenden arrived in 1973 with an EP pressed up by SRT. Hipping yarns ensued with the recording of "Prosmoe", "Warlove", "You're all I need" and "Happiness in the sky". Christ knows what happened to SIOUX, but let's hope they carried on rocking!!

SARDONICUS: A bunch of anonymous punk unknowns whose collective venom spews out and throws up two disturbed rockers. "Evaporate Brain" and "Nymph" were recorded at County Recording Services in Bracknell, Berkshire in 1973.

YELLOW: The only band on this compilation that had any real luck as they had a single out on CBS in the late 60s and went on to enjoy other releases. YELLOW regrouped after two splits and laid down some demos at Impulse studios inNewcastle and then at Multicord studios in Sunderland from where this demonic and twisted beast arose in 1971. A quickly formed Abreaction record label released "The Hobo song" alongside "Daylight Child" by LUCAS TYSON who went on to become CIRKUS. Also included on the EP were BRASS ALLEY and TRIOLOGY.

TONGE: A Brighton band featuring Alan Grinyer (vocals), Dave Barnard (bass), Eric Wright (guitar) and Nick Oldfield (drums). TONGUE recorded a session for their local radio station circa 1972. 2 tracks were loaded onto acetate "Old father time" and "Looking at the world".This song later became "When they take me away" on a Depression demo.

WOODEN LION: There were 2 bands calling themselves WOODEN LION in Britain in the early 70s. This WOODEN LION are an unidentified bunch of long hairs who recorded "Tales of evening" and "Rise of the moon" and walked away with a crumbling acetate.

BARE SOUL: BARE SOUL came from East Yorkshire circa '69 and recorded several tracks in a studio based in Hull which had recorded future stars like Mick Ronson and Def Leppard !! Flash reveals BARE SOUL's envious appetite for pure destruction perfectly!!

UNICORN: Another "never heard of 'em" act who were assembled for a short time in 1970, but managed to record "Another world" and "Going home" in Hollick and Taylor studios, Perry Barr, Birmingham, They probably carried on but under a different name when they realised that there was another act called UNICORN who were already signed and making records with the Big T label at the same time.

LUCIFER: "Fuck you" sums up this entire project suitably. LUCIFER was Peter Walker of late 60s psychedelic set THE PURPLE GANG. Having retired himself from this band as the lead singer and kazoo player in 1969, Walker turned to his old affair with witchcraft and joined a coven. Obviously the big wig labels wouldn't touch this shit with a lengthy bargepole so he decided to go it on his own. "Fuck you" was his first ventured and advertised it in underground mag OZ for 50p as "A love song - FUCKROCK" the lucky bleeders were also entitled to a Fuck You poster too (plus P+P)!!

His next single, "Prick" was advertized in the RECORD MIRROR and OZ and was sold to gather proceeds for an LP. The LP finally arrived in the same year (1972) after the release of a third 7'' called "Don't care "c/w "Hypnosis". "Big gun" LP was issued on Private Press. Eventually, Walker was busted by Scotland Yard for obscenity and all copies of "Fuck you" and "Prick" were confiscated (presumably skipped by the fuzz). Walker retaliated in the NME with "You will hear a lot of faggot slop this Christmas. Break it up with the sound of the antichrist". Another single "Mr. Jack" appeared in 1973 as a free single (free for 10p) and a second album also made it out in the same year, but this was a soundtrack-type LP called "Exit" which was to accompany a biker flick. At the same time a project called FROG was also making sinister sounds for a cult film.... "Psychomania"

Hall Hail Aleister and get your mind wasting bomb here

Back In Flesh

noreply@blogger.com (FuzzyWasabi) — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 09:15:00 +0000

Hi Dudes and dudettes,

I finally came round to sort out the comments… expects some new postings soon!

Electric Effect - Lost In Space PROMO LP

noreply@blogger.com (FuzzyWasabi) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 09:23:00 +0000

Look what showed up in the mailbox today… another rarity from Dig The Fuzz! I lack further info, but this seems to be one of the more modern projects DTF wanted to pursue at the time of the Astonishing Sound Show sampler. Sounds like modern UK Psych, but with all the trappings of yesterday's acid-tinged experimentations.

Get lost in space here.

Diggin' Up Down Under Official Release LP !

noreply@blogger.com (FuzzyWasabi) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 09:40:00 +0000

Happy New Year to all you Ladies and germs, faithful followers of this backward spot in the websphere! Time to get back to business. Here's the official Dig The Fuzz release of Diggin' Up Down Under. Now you can discover all the work that went into this LP, just compare it with the promo release. As usual, time is needed to listen and relisten to a bunch of tracks in order to find the perfect flow. Some weaker tracks are gone, the flow is seamless and the new songs are killer. This really showcases DTF impeccable taste and selection.

Dig it (again) here.

Diggin' Up Down Under Promo LP !

noreply@blogger.com (FuzzyWasabi) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 10:02:00 +0000

Just in time for Xmas, here's a rarity…One of the few Promo LP from Dig The Fuzz we ever found. You might know the Diggin' Up Down Under LP, chock-a-block full of Aussie and Kiwi Freakbeat nuggets. Well, this a rare occasion to see and hear the compiler at work. The tracklisting is very different as you'll discover when we will upload the official release.
Hell, some of you might even find the promo better! "Dont' you fret" is probably the one that sticks out like a sore thumb, but the rest is quite the spazz.
By popular demand, here's the back cover… nothing much to see there.

Dig it here.

Incredible Sound Show Stories 17 - Clap Hands Daddy Come Home Volume 2

noreply@blogger.com (FuzzyWasabi) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 08:30:00 +0000

Final instalment of the Incredibe Sound Show Stories, this volume represents one the series' highest point: only the best Freakbeat is featured here.Again Ripped from one of our own mintish Vinyl, this really rips along. SAdly, IT IS the last volume Dig the Fuzz published, although there are rumors that many more volumes were planned. Why did they stop? A few people know…not me.

We still have a few aces up our sleeves to follow the DTF thread, these will be up starting next week. There is also bigger and better plans for this blog.

Meanwhile, Clap hands and welcome Daddy's return here.

Incredible Sound Show Stories 16 - A Second Glance Through the Looking Glass

noreply@blogger.com (FuzzyWasabi) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:32:00 +0000

It took me a while to rip this volume (which I had to source first), sorry for that. After a few below par volumes, this one marks the return of the ISSS series to their usual level of quality.
This is an almost perfect comp in the line of the Bam Caruso Circus Days. Some blistering fuzz, some quasi Toy Town pop tunes all mixed to perfection. Only the reprise of "You better Run" is slightly out of place, IMHO. You'll love it!

Cast a second glance through the mirror here.

Incredible Sound Show Stories 15

noreply@blogger.com (FuzzyWasabi) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:40:00 +0000

This is again just a tease… Volume 15 never appeared officially and we don't even have an idea of the tracklisting… In any case, since it was probably made of unknown acetates, it would be extremely difficult to recreate. We are open to any help or hints, leave your comments.
Thanks, the Fuzzy Team.

Fools on the hill 25 : Class of '65 - 13 prep-rock wonders from the pre-fuzz ages

noreply@blogger.com (FuzzyWasabi) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:53:00 +0000

After our latest & monster FOTH post, here's our shortest comp ever! Prep-rock: This term was popularized via an article in the Breakthrough fanzine in 1984, where the field of "prep-rock" was given its first overview. This is music recorded by students at the private "prep" boarding schools found across the USA, especially in the Northeast. A remarkable number of prep school bands had albums released in the 1960s, the rich kids aspect making financing a minor problem. Dominated by cover versions, the albums seldom show much energy or originality, but are still enjoyable due to their period charm and atmosphere. The most classic prep-rock LP of all is the RISING STORM from the Philips Academy in Andover, MA. Despite the "Rich Kid" factor, you will still find this little collection a very interesting surprise… I did!

Jump back to '65 here.

Astonishing Sound Show Stories Volume One

noreply@blogger.com (FuzzyWasabi) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:41:00 +0000

And now for something completely different: ASSS Vol. 1- Yes, that's not a typo. This promo only CD was meant to be the start of a new series for Dig the Fuzz, concentrating on the modern (read 2000) British Psych Scene.Honestly, before hearing this, I always suspected there were still a few bands here and there working ye olde Psych genre, but a scene? Well, you learn something new everyday. As a matter of fact, this is quite a pleasing surprise music-wise. You do get very period-sounding bands but also some who do give the genre a new twist.
Dig the Fuzz instead of pursuing the completion of a new series, started publishing full albums by some of the bands showcased here. These LPs will eventually be found here in the near future, that is, if we manage to find copies.

Meanwhile enjoy your appetizer here.

FOTH 24 - Sizzling Sitar Special

noreply@blogger.com (FuzzyWasabi) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:10:00 +0000

Hi guys and gals, ladies and germs, just a quick one to tell you we've finally (!) completed all our notes on the FOTH 24 post.
Let's hope it gives you new leads for your record-hunting.
The Fuzzy Team.

PS: Another Dig The Fuzz rarity will be up shortly.

Incredible Sound Show Stories 14 - Candy Coloured Daydreams

noreply@blogger.com (FuzzyWasabi) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:44:00 +0000

As promised, fresh off the vinyl ripper, Volume 14 of the ISSS series. For once, instead of the usual acetates and promos, we have an interesting collection of overlooked songs, mostly from 45s, coming from all over the world. On this platter, you will find a track sung in Greek and for those of you with a tut on the end of your tongue cos it's not sung in the Queen's dear English, sorry it's not too late. Open up your mind (or learn Greek) and cor blimey! there's two of the blighters! So where are all those obscure American and British bands the "Real Psychedelic" stuff? Up your arse second shelf, mate… we start off this comp with a great unearthed gem of British Psych Pop by "Great Uncle Alfred". "Ex-Beauty Queen" carries on regardless of normality and sits neatly on the throne of insanity with a sitar flavored romp complete with the late sixties affection for rousing the Cossacks (Hey! Hey! Hey!) It only gets better with an early Giorgio Moroder song (yes, of Disco fame) and French, Belgian, Dutch and Australian gems. This will have you searching the dollar bins again for strange "foreign" 45s… Many a surprise is still waiting to be unearthed. (Adapted from the liner notes)

Meanwhile, get a taste of candy coloured dreams here.

Incredible Sound Show Stories 13

noreply@blogger.com (FuzzyWasabi) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:53:00 +0000

This is just a tease… Volume 13 never appeared officially, but we might have some news on that shortly, as one of our international correspondants seems to have a promo-only copy. Meanwhile, we'll just move on to the next Volume, which should be online by tomorrow.
Stay tuned for my more psychedelic crazyness in the near future!

Journey to a Higher Key - The Best of Sitar Psychedelia: volume One

noreply@blogger.com (FuzzyWasabi) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:37:00 +0000

Work and life in general got the best of me again. Here's what I promised in my FOTH 24 post. This rare comp was an interesting way to discover 60's songs with sitar on them. If the name doesn't ring a bell, it's quite normal: Volume One was the only one ever published. This is in fact the precursor the well-known "Psychedelic Sitar Headswirlers" series. The cost of vinyl pressing proved to steep for Nava Rasa Records and the length of these songs also fitted better on CDs. Journey to a Higher Key was only ever issued as limited edition of 300 copies. As you can see, my musical director has a rather unusual plastic fetish. Despite the LP being MINT, there's a fair amount of surface noise, which proved too much trouble to remove as the most of the songs have a very gentle volume. Surface noise to music ratio was too low.

This comp gave me leads to Okko Becker "Sitar & Electronics" and the Rascals' "Once upon a Dream" LP… Time well spent.
First track is one of these "Wodunnit" songs or how to surprise your friends with musical trivia: This is Linda Ronstadt's first band… a long way from her hot pants and good ol' Rock'nRoll days!

Ananda Shankar led me down the path of period Indian and Bollywood sounds, with some very interesting finds.
I left Bobby Callender in Sitar-Exploitation heaven and Gabor Szabo got stuck in the fake Psych-Jazz category, not quite the type of songs I had in Mind for FOTH 24. I had to drop Hand Gjort (Hand Made in Swedish), because of the length of the song and I also couldn't locate a copy of the Album (one of the most sought after item in Folk-Psych)… If you have a rip off it, I'll be grateful if you could drop me a comment with your email or a Download link. All comments are moderated and I won't publish anything with your email addy. Thanks in advance.

Enjoy your sitar-laden psychedelia here.

Incredible Sound Show Stories 12 - Fuzz Pounding Factory

noreply@blogger.com (FuzzyWasabi) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:09:00 +0000

I'll be back in a few days with more sitar insanity, but meanwhile, you shall discover Volume 12 of the Incredible Sound Show Stories, which mark a return to better choice of songs.
While some of these songs are better known nowadays, when this came out we were rather pleased…

So get your grubby mitts on another classic collection of classic, rare UK Psych songs.

Vibrasonic - Target 45 Single

noreply@blogger.com (FuzzyWasabi) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 07:39:00 +0000

I haven't yet finished the monster post below, but you at least get all the covers. While making the Sizzling Sitar Special, we found quite a lot of tracks that were brilliant but didn't fit in the timeframe of the comp. You probably have heard of The Vibrasonics (the RYP Twilight Zone blog had their albums up), but this single is a rarity, featuring TWO screaming sitarfull songs. As it was recorded in 1991, it was too recent for inclusion, but you must have a listen to it.

Get it here.

Fools on the hill 24 : Sizzling Sitar Special - 29 deliciously droning popsike & acid-folk gems from the late-60's to mid-70's

noreply@blogger.com (FuzzyWasabi) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 05:36:00 +0000

At last! The long-awaited Sitar Volume is finally online! We apologize for the time it took, but we were cursed from the very beginning. Deciding on what direction this comp would take took a while, finding all of the albums featured here took AGES… then the computer took a break and left with an entire year's worth of work. Once the old computer got reanimated, we discovered that all tracks were of a very low bitrate and quality… then we decided to redo everything. I, for one, wasn't quite satisfied with the way it flowed. So back to the drawing board, so to speak, and after many burning of the midnight oil, we can finally present you the Fools on the hill "Sizzling Sitar Special".
Brace yourselves for another monster post.
None of us would be listening to this comp (nor would there be record to hold) if David Crosby (of Crosby, Still, Nash etc) hadn't played a Ravi Shankar record for George Harrison way back in the early part of 1965. If nothing else the 60's were a giant whirlpool of synchronicity: that is millions of seemingly unrelated events all converging at once to create mutations and permutations unimagined. The widespread use of marijuan, hashish, mescaline, psilocibin and LSD was connected to a widespread interest in eastern mysticism, itself connected to various cultural trends, sucha as fashion (Nehru jacket, anybody?), film ("The Trip", Peter Seller's "The Party") and music.
Beatle George sitar debut of "Norwegian Wood" was responsible for countless bands and artists experimenting with this exotic instrument.
Through his relationship with Harrison, India's Master Sitarist Ravi Shankar found suddenly himself on stage at Monterey Pop, Woodstock and other large late-60's festivals where stoned but friendly audience would applaud wildly for both the songs AND the tuning.
The use of the drone note in Indian music is similar to the use of the drone in Scottish, British and related folk music (think of the bagpipe), which explains the sitar never sounds entirely out of place in Western folk music.

This also accounts for the large doses of acid-folk present in this comp. Strangely, we couldn't find enough punkers to appear, probably because the sitar's mood is not menacing enough. You will have your share of downer induced popsike nuggets, though. The droning and swooping sounds of the sitar lends itself nicely to be an extra instrument in orchestrated pop pieces of which you'll find the best examples herein. Similarly, it is difficult to ignore some psychexploitation tunes (see my post and reflections on the subject here), as they don't sound as silly as they used to. The pace of this comp is quite mellow, power chords being extremely difficult to play on this instrument and the moods range from happy dreamy to slightly deranged. As most of our FOTH comps, this really needs listening to uninterrupted. I am aware that it represents around an hour and a half of listening pleasure but, trust me, it's an interesting trip.

Get your deliciously droning deranged ditties here.

I will post a track-by-track listing with album covers and notes a bit later today or tomorrow. I still have to work for living, y'see.

1 - Defecting Grey - The Pretty Things from S.F. Sorrow LP (1968)
The Pretty Things are often remembered as a great R&B band… but when they went psychedelic, their way was way creepier than most. This seemingly inoffensive lullabye suddenly transforms itself into a sea of rage & fury. One of their best moment and a great opener.

2 - Real life permanent dream - Tomorrow from S/T LP (1968)
How Tomorrow didn't manage to score a top ten hit with this classic slab of psychedelia is still a mystery. Features all the right sounds and themes of 1967-68. A case of too much too late?

3 - Paper Sun - Traffic - Single (1967)
Issued around the time of their initial LP, but not on the original pressing.
All these three songs are from UK artists and have a distinctive British psych sound. Now let's cross the Atlantic…

4 -Morning Sunshine - The Fredric from Phases and Faces (1968)
From Grand Rapids, Michigan, the Fredric issued a rare, limited-run album in the late '60s, Phases and Faces, that's highly valued in some collector quarters. It would be ultimately inaccurate to call this garage psychedelia; it's too clean-cut and poppy, with conscientious harmonies, guitar-organ interplay, and light lovelorn lyrics. They were a very young group, and it shows in the callow songwriting, despite the well-executed arrangements. Still a sweet piece of dreamy sitar pop.

5 - Grain of Sand - Whizz Jones from Right Now LP (1972)
One of the most revered guitarists and songwriters on the British folk scene. The unreal, almost otherworldly acoustic guitar stylings in this Down-home, minor-key, sitar- blues arrangement of Pete Seeger's "One Grain of Sand" showcase Jones' particular genius, the sitar is just the icing on the cake.

6 -Music of the Ages - C.O.B. from Spirit of Love LP (1971)
C.O.B. stands for Clive’s Original Band and Spirit of Love was their first album released in 1971 on CBS (69010). Clive Palmer is a well known British folk musician that started out as one of the original Incredible String Band members. This song is a surprisingly engaging piece of rock- and psychedelic-tinged British folk music reminiscent of the Incredible String Band at their most melodic.

7 - Three Kingfishers - Donovan from the sunshine Superman LP (1966)
Amongst the very first Western players of the sitar. Rightly deserves to be featured here along his mentors and friends The Beatles. A very classy mix of folk and Indian music which inspired heavily the later Acid folk scene.

8 - Norwegian Wood (this Bird has flown) - The Beatles - from Rubber Soul (1965)
THE song that introduced the sitar to the Western world: a Milestone. George Harrison becomes the first rock guitarist to play a sitar on a rock record, thanks to coaching from Ravi Shankar. He would remain an impressive Sitar player until his death in 2001.

9 - Song for Brunhilde - Abacus from S/T LP (1971)
To stay in the acid folk mood, this sitar-ladden, laid-back gem from little known German crossover/prog band Abacus.

10- Renunciation - Ananda Shankar from Ananda Shankar and his Music LP (1975)
In order to avoid a 14 minute Raga by Ravi, his nephew's own brand of Eastern/Western crossover was selected instead. While most of his efforts can sound dangerously close to exploitation or Bollywood film music, this song is a cut above the rest, thanks to the more rocking guitarwork.

11 - La Rotta- Bröselmaschine - from a unknown LP (?)
Legendary German acid-Folk-Rock lets go on this fine mix of fuzz guitar and jangly sitar. Originally featured on "Psychedelic Sitar Headswirlers Vol. 1"… I never managed to find the original LP… If you have it , I will gladly accept a rip of it. An even rockier live version of this song exists on their live DVD from 2006 (Cover pictured).

12 - Dance of the Red Moon - Calendula (?)
A totally unknown band featured on Headswirlers volume 5. Any Info welcomed. The booming bass and drums leads nicely into the next…

13 - Tomorrow never knows - the Beatles - Revolver LP (1966)
This is our first compilation to feature the Beatles TWICE! After the seminal Norwegian Woods, they take the sitar to the extreme, to such a point where you wonder if it is there at all… Trust me, it's all over the track. One of their greatest moments.

14 - Wispy Paisley Sky - The Fraternity of Man - S/T LP (1968).
Proof that some of the 60's worst album can hide absolute gems! In the middle of a very belligerent, and only mildly interesting album, a diamond in the mud shines. One half of the album is pre Hurriah Heep R'nR/R'n'B… very disposable iMHO, but has the famous "Don't bogart that joint" song. The other half is quite crazy. Very well produced. Which side was this song on? I'll let you discover.

15 - It's Love - the Misty Wizards - 45 single (1967)
Ex- Spike Drivers and goatee fanatics release a classic flower psych 45 single with just about everything that made 60's music cool as fuck… Instant classic.

16 - The Way - July from S/T Album (1968)
Über-classic piece of psychedelia, their self-titled album features this wandering sitar song.

17 - Maker - The Hollies - from Butterfly (1967)
Butterfly is the last album with their original singer, Graham Nash, who went on to join Crosby Still etc. This is the closest the Hollies ever came to psychedelia. It was a shock for me to discover that LP. Beautiful lyrics, peaceful poppy mood.

18 - White Summer - The Yardbirds - from Little Games Sessions LP (1967)
Look ! A song with a sitar that is not a sitar! Only Jimmy Page could pull that one out. Very far from the usual Rave-up, this acoustic piece really showcases why, at one point, Jeff was at the same God level as Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton.

19 - Where will the grass grow? - Moonkyte from S/T LP (1971)
Slightly under-par, their lone album is an interesting acid-folk compilation. It tends to be a bit tiring, as the singing and oblique, sometimes goofy, lyrics never really change song after song. Still this avant-garde, eco-friendly song has great stretches of almost doomy sitar… it fits rightly on this comp.

20 - Solitude - The Flames - from the Soulfire! LP (1971)
Another strange find. All the way from South Africa, this hard soul band suddenly decided they should insert this pseudo Raga just before a cover of "You keep me hangin' on" I nearly didn't make it through the LP. This is a pure stroke of luck. Enjoy.

21 - Bells/sattva - The Rascals - From their Once Upon A Dream LP (1968)
After 3 solid pop albums, The Rascals were feeling that their own brand of blue-eyed soul was a bit dated. Inspired by Sergeant Pepper's and Pet Sounds, they released this ambitious, if not flawed, "concept" album. Full of mini classics, this songs nevertheless shines out from the pack. I can never tire of it.

22 - Black Widow Spider - Them - from Time In, Time Out for… (1968)
I could copy word to word my commentary about the Pretty Things here… or how a impressive hard- driving R&B band turns psychedelic. Again, it turns way creepier than most bands of the same time. I think the whole "Love" thing got lost with them.
Creepy crawly indeed.

23 - Black Butter - Present - The Strawberry Alarm Clock - from Strawberries Means Love (1968)
Seminal band sounds like they have abused the so-called "Black Butter", like I'm hearing backwards sitars, man. Funny how this stuff hits you. This sticks like a sore thumb in the middle of their usual sunshine pop songs.

24 - East Indian Traffic - Okko Bekker - from Sitar and Electronics LP (1971)
This is straying dangerously close to Psychexploitation. Just a look at the groovy cover should have warned us. Strangely the mix of tablas, fuzzed out guitars and sitar on this album falls nicely into place. One of the most interesting album (if you forget the goofy Bollywood Beatles covers) that I found while piecing this comp.

25 - Indian Beat - Chim Kotari - from Sound Of Sitar LP (1966)
One of the very first example of a sitar in action. 1966 playing was straight and it gives the whole album a very dated Bollywood sound. The rest of the album is quite forgettable, way too many covers and a general easy listening feel to it.
Still, this is to be considered as a milestone, believe it or not.

26 - She's Leaving Home - Big Jim Sullivan - from Sitar Beat LP (1968)
Session guitarist supremo (and one of the few real sitar player at the time) Big Jim Sullivan demonstrates how it's done "correctly". Sadly, most of the album, while of interest, is again straying way too close to the easy listening side. Maybe his sessions clients (Kinks, Cat Stevens and some more forgettable ones) got the best of him. The few personal compositions on the LP should have told him to stick with them instead of hashing out covers.

27 - A Child's Guide to Good & Evil - The West Coast Pop At Experimental Band - From their Third Album (Same as song Title) (1968)
One of the most overlooked band and album from the sixties. Period. The Polanski case will sadly adds to the creepy content of this LP, Markley being obviously very fond of under age girls. I'd rather not know how many of them fell victim to his "charms". Despite this ugly undercurrent, the songs always manage to let innocence and love prevail. If you don't know this album, find it straightaway.

28 - Time & Motion Study Man - The Twilights - from their 45 Single (1967)
This Australian band moved to England and released a string of acid-pop gems. While some of their albums have truly daft moments, this 45 is one of band's high-water mark, along with "Cathy Come Home". Their "Once Upon a Twilight" LP is another overlooked 60's forgotten small masterpiece.

29 - Spinning Wheel - Blonde on Blonde from their Contrasts LP (1969)
Despite their particularly naff name, this Welsh band nearly achieved star success. Most of this album is more prog psych than we can usually bear but this looping, sitar-laden number rounds off neatly the comp. It also a good way to loop the entire comp, try it: you'll thank us later.

Incredible Sound Show Stories 11 - Crimson Valley Creatures In Your Zoo

noreply@blogger.com (FuzzyWasabi) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:11:00 +0000

Up for your enjoyment is another volume of the fabulous Incredible Soundshow Stories. This one features psych bands from UK and Europe and, with the exception of Jacques Dutronc, are obscure at best. Sadly, in my humble opinion, this is one of the weaker ISSS volume. It may be because the general tone is more pop than psych. I specially resent the inclusion of "Hippie Hippie Hourrah" which is a very ironic & scathing song about hippies (you guessed it) disguised as psychedelic song. If you don't understand French, it can be enjoyable, if you do understand, it is a travesty and a bit of a joke. That said, there is quite a few popsyke gems on this LP, I just find this collection has been assembled in a rush… not quite the same quality and flow Dig The Fuzz used to offer. There should still be enough Belgian and Dutch Beatles/Floyd sound-alikes in there to make you happy.

Visit the zoo here.

Incredible Sound Show Stories 10 - A Hidden Secret Garden Found

noreply@blogger.com (FuzzyWasabi) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 06:31:00 +0000

Another great compilation of acetates and little-known EPs. As usual with Dig The Fuzz, it's filled with very interesting discoveries… Ripped straight from the original limited edition LPee. Due to the varying quality of the originaly, this volume has a somewhat muddy sound. It's all part of the fun!
The next volume of Fools on the Hill is now ready and should be up shortly.

Meanwhile, discover the hidden secret garden here.