Quicksilver Messenger Service - s/t

Finally bought a record from a band that I have heard tons about for decades. They were part of the San Francisco scene and contemporaries of Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead. This debut album from 1968 is just a beautiful mix of early 'hippie music", or as I knew it growing up, Acid Rock. The key to the music on this record is the guitar work of John Cipollina. He is so melodic and the swirling guitar runs that hey plays are both memorable and mesmerizing. I wish I had listened to this band before. In fact, I would love to hear their live recordings from the era since it would be amazing to hear how the band would extend their jams on some of these songs. Check out this for a taste.

Various Artists: Buried Alive!! Demented Teenage Fuzz From Down Under 1965-1970

6 CD box set with 150 rare and previously unreleased R&B, Psyche, Punk, Garage, and Freakbeat music from Australia! The period covered is 1965-1970.  This box set comes with a tremendous, fully packed booklet inside.  Unfortunately, it hard to read due to the background coloring. It is a little bit of a chore but if you get it under the correct light it can be done (why did they make it hard to read?).

I listened to these CDs over time since trying to absorb all this music at one time would be overwhelming.  If you love garage rock, it is a must. It is not terribly expensive given the amount of music you get and I think you will find enough on here to make it worth your while. Enjoy

Night Beats - Who Sold My Generation (Vinyl) 2016

I have been catching up on my records that have been sitting in my living room un-played for months.  The new Night Beats records was one of those albums.  I knew that I would like it once I actually played the record but for some reason something always came up or I felt at that precise moment that I needed to listen to something else. 

I first encountered the band Night Beats through my Dallas music guide, Jacob, from Good Records. As soon as I would walk into the store he would put three records in front of me and tell me, "You are going to like this". Sure enough, he was right about 99% of the time.

So, what can I say about Night Beats? They are a "psychedelic" band from Austin, Texas. I put psychedelic in quotes because I am not sure what that word really means today but let's just say that Night Beats have late 60s influences. So, how good is this record? It is really good. For a taste of what you get check out Right/Wrong  Enjoy that groove? If you do you will like the rest of the LP for sure. All hail Night Beats!

The Move - Move (3 CD reissue)

I am very late to The Move. I found this band through the ELO/Jeff Lynne connection. Jeff Lynne of ELO fame was in a later version of the band. I was always aware of this band but I never took the time to listen to them.  I am not sure why.  People I respect have always raved about them. In addition, I have always read about how great Roy Wood was and to some extent, what an eccentric guy he was. In any event, I have always been intrigued. Within the last couple of years I bought a box set of them that was sort of a career retrospective. Here, however, is a proper reissue of their first album with a bunch of extras. Actually, enough extras to fill up 3 CDs worth.

There are some really nice songs on this CD and some of the best moments are really the extras like the radio performances or the unreleased tracks. However, in terms of the actual first album it is pretty good. I am glad I finally took the time to get to know this band.

Here is a nice video montage of Flowers in the Raine/ Blackberry Way/ Fire Brigade if you have never heard the Move before.

Tages - Go! The Complete Singles CD

I have always heard about Tages. A Swedish band. This collection organizes all of their 45s both the A and B sides. The music on the first disc spans the years from 1964 to 1967 and the second disc spans 1967-1968. The music ranges from beat music in the early 60s to more psychedelic music in the late 60s. From the CD itself:

During the 1960s, Tages were Sweden's hippest band, initially inspired by beat music and always developing, they leaned towards mod and, by 1968, were one of the era's most compelling psychedelic outfits. For the first time ever Go! Assembles their complete singles. Direct from the master tapes, each A and B side appears in mono as it was heard at the time. The band signed to Parlophone in 1967, but their earlier label Plating continued issuing singles - all these are compiled too. Issued for the first time are two previously unreleased alternative takes including a shelved version of the psychedelic classic Fantasy Island. With its illustrated booklet and exclusive interview with the band's Goran Lagerberg, Go! is the ultimate Tages collection.

 The beat sides are impressive and does have a Beatles feel but the real surprising part of this collection are the later psychedelic sides which are very good. Very melodic and would please anyone that is into exploring more Swedish beat/psychedelic music.

Try these for tastes of late 60s Tages

She's Having a Baby Now

To Be Free