Pysch/Prog/Folk Thread for Anybody Interested
Posted by: Guido Fawkes on 06 August 2006
JWM - asked if I'd considered a compendium of Prog rock. Well I'm probably not up to the task and as I'll probably drift in to Pysch and Folk and Euro and Space Rock without even noticing, I've titled the thread accordingly. So I'm afraid it's a case of Irk The Purists and lets give it a go. See also the Prog thread.
So where do we start - lets go back to 1926. Janáček’s Sinfonietta was written in the spring of 1926. And yes you know it - it was borrowed by ELP on their first album and called Knife Edge and it was also used to introduce the 60s classic court room drama - Crown Court. So if you haven't got this in your collection then you should have and if you are one of those who posts that he (or she) doesn't like classical music then give it a try.
Of course, when we arrive in the 1960s things start to happen. Perhaps most significant are these albums
Shirley Collins - should be Dame Shirley as she has done more for English music than anybody - Shirley Collins is without doubt one of England's greatest cultural treasures - Billy Bragg
Folk Roots, New Roots - Shirley Collins and Davey Graham: it is simple really: collect some of the best songs from our heritage and bring together a superb singer and a very good guitarist. You have a masterpiece.
1. Nottamun Town
2. Proud Maisrie
3. The Cherry Tree Carol
4. Blue Monk
5. Hares On The Mountain
6. Reynardine
7. Pretty Saro
8. Rif Mountain
9. Jane, Jane
10. Love Is Pleasin'
11. Boll Weevil, Holler
12. Hori Horo
13. Bad Girl
14. Lord Greggory
15. Grooveyard
16. Dearest Dear
Growing up listening in a house where jazz, Perry Como, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley dominated, Folk Roots, New Roots was a breath of fresh air - it made me want to listen to music. I've been an addict ever since.
Of course, we have got to mention the Beatles and the Kinks - it is easy: simply buy all their albums: there are no duff ones. But that is obvious and I think my compendium should focus on the less obvious
So lets kick of with the Incredible String Band - it was they that influenced the Beatles. The two albums that you simply must listen to are
The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion contains alternating Heron and Williamson songs. Every track is sensational and it combines eastern and western music in a unique way.
"Chinese White" (Mike Heron) – 3:40
"No Sleep Blues" (Robin Williamson) – 3:53
"Painting Box" (Heron) – 4:04
"The Mad Hatter's Song" (Williamson) – 5:40
"Little Cloud" (Heron) – 4:05
"The Eyes of Fate" (Williamson) – 4:02
"Blues for the Muse" (Williamson) – 2:49
"The Hedgehog's Song" (Heron) – 3:30
"First Girl I Loved" (Williamson) – 4:55
"You Know What You Could Be" (Heron) – 2:46
"My Name Is Death" (Williamson) – 2:46
"Gently Tender" (Heron) – 4:49
"Way Back in the 1960s" (Williamson) – 3:11
I'm tempted to say The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter is more of the same and in many ways it is, but it contains an epic song: 'A Very Cellular Song' which drifts from one musical style to another and yet maintains its coherence.
"Koeeaddi There" (Robin Williamson) - 4:49
"The Minotaur's Song" (Williamson) - 3:22
"Witches Hat" (Williamson) - 2:33
"A Very Cellular Song" (Mike Heron) - 13:09
"Mercy I Cry City" (Heron) - 2:46
"Waltz of the New Moon" (Williamson) - 5:10
"The Water Song" (Williamson) - 2:50
"Three Is a Green Crown" (Williamson) - 7:46
"Swift as the Wind" (Heron) - 4:53
"Nightfall" (Williamson) - 2:33
So these are my first two recommendations for anybody vaguely interested. I don't think these albums would have surfaced had it not been for Shirley Collins and I doubt if we would have had Sgt Pepper had it not been for the Beatles love of ISB (though it was the ISB's first album from '66 that John Lennon and Paul McCartney both acknowledged).
So where do we start - lets go back to 1926. Janáček’s Sinfonietta was written in the spring of 1926. And yes you know it - it was borrowed by ELP on their first album and called Knife Edge and it was also used to introduce the 60s classic court room drama - Crown Court. So if you haven't got this in your collection then you should have and if you are one of those who posts that he (or she) doesn't like classical music then give it a try.
Of course, when we arrive in the 1960s things start to happen. Perhaps most significant are these albums
Shirley Collins - should be Dame Shirley as she has done more for English music than anybody - Shirley Collins is without doubt one of England's greatest cultural treasures - Billy Bragg
Folk Roots, New Roots - Shirley Collins and Davey Graham: it is simple really: collect some of the best songs from our heritage and bring together a superb singer and a very good guitarist. You have a masterpiece.
1. Nottamun Town
2. Proud Maisrie
3. The Cherry Tree Carol
4. Blue Monk
5. Hares On The Mountain
6. Reynardine
7. Pretty Saro
8. Rif Mountain
9. Jane, Jane
10. Love Is Pleasin'
11. Boll Weevil, Holler
12. Hori Horo
13. Bad Girl
14. Lord Greggory
15. Grooveyard
16. Dearest Dear
Growing up listening in a house where jazz, Perry Como, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley dominated, Folk Roots, New Roots was a breath of fresh air - it made me want to listen to music. I've been an addict ever since.
Of course, we have got to mention the Beatles and the Kinks - it is easy: simply buy all their albums: there are no duff ones. But that is obvious and I think my compendium should focus on the less obvious
So lets kick of with the Incredible String Band - it was they that influenced the Beatles. The two albums that you simply must listen to are
The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion contains alternating Heron and Williamson songs. Every track is sensational and it combines eastern and western music in a unique way.
"Chinese White" (Mike Heron) – 3:40
"No Sleep Blues" (Robin Williamson) – 3:53
"Painting Box" (Heron) – 4:04
"The Mad Hatter's Song" (Williamson) – 5:40
"Little Cloud" (Heron) – 4:05
"The Eyes of Fate" (Williamson) – 4:02
"Blues for the Muse" (Williamson) – 2:49
"The Hedgehog's Song" (Heron) – 3:30
"First Girl I Loved" (Williamson) – 4:55
"You Know What You Could Be" (Heron) – 2:46
"My Name Is Death" (Williamson) – 2:46
"Gently Tender" (Heron) – 4:49
"Way Back in the 1960s" (Williamson) – 3:11
I'm tempted to say The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter is more of the same and in many ways it is, but it contains an epic song: 'A Very Cellular Song' which drifts from one musical style to another and yet maintains its coherence.
"Koeeaddi There" (Robin Williamson) - 4:49
"The Minotaur's Song" (Williamson) - 3:22
"Witches Hat" (Williamson) - 2:33
"A Very Cellular Song" (Mike Heron) - 13:09
"Mercy I Cry City" (Heron) - 2:46
"Waltz of the New Moon" (Williamson) - 5:10
"The Water Song" (Williamson) - 2:50
"Three Is a Green Crown" (Williamson) - 7:46
"Swift as the Wind" (Heron) - 4:53
"Nightfall" (Williamson) - 2:33
So these are my first two recommendations for anybody vaguely interested. I don't think these albums would have surfaced had it not been for Shirley Collins and I doubt if we would have had Sgt Pepper had it not been for the Beatles love of ISB (though it was the ISB's first album from '66 that John Lennon and Paul McCartney both acknowledged).
I first heard Medicine Head live on In Concert on a Sunday night when John Peel introduced them. They played the Pig Stomp which morphed into Pictures In The Sky when it was finally laid down in the studio. I don't think they ever sounded as strong on record as they did in concert, but nonethess there is some great stuff in their catalogue. I'd recommend Heavy On The Drum
They did record an album called Dark Side Of The Moon a year before another group released an entirely different record with the same title.
John Fiddler - Guitar and Vocals; Peter Hope Evans - Jew's Harp and Harmonica
They did record an album called Dark Side Of The Moon a year before another group released an entirely different record with the same title.
John Fiddler - Guitar and Vocals; Peter Hope Evans - Jew's Harp and Harmonica
The Way We Live were songwriter, guitarist and vocalist Jim Milne and drummer and bassist Steve Clayton who signed to John Peel's Dandelion and recorded A Candle For Judith - Dave Lee Travis did the cover. John Peel suggested a name change to Tractor and soon after (1972) the album Tractor by Tractor came out. It is an interesting mix of aggressive and acoustic pieces - sometimes in the same song. It reminds me of very early Hawkwind.
The above CD contains both albums and is again worth a listen - some of the tracks do seem to go on to long when the ideas that drove them have expired, but if you forgive them that then these are very enjoyable records.
The above CD contains both albums and is again worth a listen - some of the tracks do seem to go on to long when the ideas that drove them have expired, but if you forgive them that then these are very enjoyable records.
Mention the Lord of the Rings one more time and I'll more than likely kill you.
"Moorcock, Moorcock, Michael Moorcock" you fervently moan.
- HMHB from Dick Davies Eyes
Michael Morecock, the guy who wrote all those 'Elric' and 'Corum' stories and the 'History of the Runestaff' that some of us read in our youth, also did an album - and, dude, it was pretty good.
Michael Morecock who also performed on Hawkwind's superb Warrior At The End Of Time was backed by the Deep Fix - Brock, Turner etc ... oh well all right dude, Hawkwind in disguise. New World's Fair is a sort of concept album built around a dude going on a roller coaster ride, dude.
I like this album, but not as much as I like Captain Lockheed and The Starfighters by Robert Calvert backed by Brock, Turner etc ... oh well all right Hawkwind again. Oh and its got Viv Stanshall and Arthur Brown too. And The Right Stuff on this album is an Eno collaboration.
It is the story of the Lockheed plane that was know as the widowmaker because it was pretty awlful and was sold to some unsuspecting German business men with disasterous consequences. I don't know how factual the story is, but the album is great. Calvert's follow-up Lucky Leif and The Longships is every bit as good.
So there's three worth checking out, as indeed are the early Hawkwind albums - even if at times they do sound like Tractor
Hawkwind
In Search of Space
Doremi Sofar Latido
Space Ritual
Hall of the Mountain Grill
Warrior At The Edge of Time - my favourite BTW
Astounding Sounds Amazing Music
are very good records if you like space rock.
Calvert also wrote Silver Machine and Urban Guerilla with Dave Brock.
"Moorcock, Moorcock, Michael Moorcock" you fervently moan.
- HMHB from Dick Davies Eyes
Michael Morecock, the guy who wrote all those 'Elric' and 'Corum' stories and the 'History of the Runestaff' that some of us read in our youth, also did an album - and, dude, it was pretty good.
Michael Morecock who also performed on Hawkwind's superb Warrior At The End Of Time was backed by the Deep Fix - Brock, Turner etc ... oh well all right dude, Hawkwind in disguise. New World's Fair is a sort of concept album built around a dude going on a roller coaster ride, dude.
I like this album, but not as much as I like Captain Lockheed and The Starfighters by Robert Calvert backed by Brock, Turner etc ... oh well all right Hawkwind again. Oh and its got Viv Stanshall and Arthur Brown too. And The Right Stuff on this album is an Eno collaboration.
It is the story of the Lockheed plane that was know as the widowmaker because it was pretty awlful and was sold to some unsuspecting German business men with disasterous consequences. I don't know how factual the story is, but the album is great. Calvert's follow-up Lucky Leif and The Longships is every bit as good.
So there's three worth checking out, as indeed are the early Hawkwind albums - even if at times they do sound like Tractor
Hawkwind
In Search of Space
Doremi Sofar Latido
Space Ritual
Hall of the Mountain Grill
Warrior At The Edge of Time - my favourite BTW
Astounding Sounds Amazing Music
are very good records if you like space rock.
Calvert also wrote Silver Machine and Urban Guerilla with Dave Brock.
I've got this on CD:
quote:Originally posted by munch:thanks for that got it off that site so many good bands on those albums .regards munchquote:Originally posted by costello:
well, do a search - "nice enough to join" on this site: http://www.cdon.com/
Hope this was helpful!
Best Regards
Fredrik
Enjoy the great music - wonderful collection.
The Freak Emporium has some good stuff as well as Warm Dust
If you get these together on one CD (See For Miles label) then you'll be lucky enough to have one of the best singles ever made Scene Through the Eye of a Lens/Gypsy Woman as well as two superb albums Music In A Doll's House and Family Entertainment.
Lets assume you're not going to buy all of Family's other albums, none of which match the originality or consistency of the first two, then just get the Anthology which contains the best of the stuff not on the first two including the stunning In My Own Time.
It is Music In A Doll House that is one of those unique albums everybody should hear. There is no other album like it and I mean that in a good way. Roger Chapman (harmonica/tenor sax/vocals), Rick Grech (violin/ cello/bass guitar/vocals), Rob Townsend (percussion/drums), John Whitney (guitar/pedal steel guitar/keyboards) and Jim King (harmonica/keyboards/soprano sax/tenor sax/vocals) put together a startling debut. This is far more ambitious than almost any other debut album I've come across. I can't recommend it highly enough.
My favourite guitarists are probably Nick Drake, Davey Graham, Bert Jansch and John Renbourn and similar masters of the acoustic instrument. If we are talking electric then, of course, I like Richard Thomson and John Weinzierl, and I like the usual players: Hendrix, Garcia, Kaukonen, Blackmore, Rossi and the list goes on. Did I say Rossi, I meant Page.
However, my favourite electric guitarist is, IMHO, unique. Nobody sounds quite as full on and as powerful and as tuneful.
Blue Moon Swamp is a superb album and every bit as good as Centerfield.
It goes without saying that all Creedence Clearwater Revival albums (except Mardi Gras) are essential, but just about everything with John Fogerty on it (except Eye of the Zombie) is well worth a listen.
However, my favourite electric guitarist is, IMHO, unique. Nobody sounds quite as full on and as powerful and as tuneful.
Blue Moon Swamp is a superb album and every bit as good as Centerfield.
It goes without saying that all Creedence Clearwater Revival albums (except Mardi Gras) are essential, but just about everything with John Fogerty on it (except Eye of the Zombie) is well worth a listen.
Greasy Trucker Sleeves
[IMG:left]http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/hawkwind/cover
Steve
[IMG:left]http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/hawkwind/cover
Steve
Another for fans of The Attack and Atomic Rooster is the Anthonlogy containing the complete works of Andromeda - John DuCann at his brilliant best.
Also for Atomic Rooster fans, is Vince Crane's early work with the god of hellfire: Arthur Brown.
Great on vinyl, but a disapointment on CD - if you do get Crazy World of Arthur Brown on CD then look for the one with Give 'em Flower as a bonus track rather than the one that has half the tracks on twice with mono and stereo versions.
The Anthology Fire! The Story of Arthur Brown
Arthur Brown has some excellent parts and some uninspiring parts - it is good, but not that good, but at least it has Give 'em Flower as well as Fire and Nightmare.
Also for Atomic Rooster fans, is Vince Crane's early work with the god of hellfire: Arthur Brown.
Great on vinyl, but a disapointment on CD - if you do get Crazy World of Arthur Brown on CD then look for the one with Give 'em Flower as a bonus track rather than the one that has half the tracks on twice with mono and stereo versions.
The Anthology Fire! The Story of Arthur Brown
Arthur Brown has some excellent parts and some uninspiring parts - it is good, but not that good, but at least it has Give 'em Flower as well as Fire and Nightmare.