Rock & Indie Vinyl 205 Items

First ever band-sanctioned reissue of this legendary ‘Pebbles’ garage-psych 45 from 1967. William Penn Fyve aka William Penn & His Pals were a regular presence on the early Bay Area scene, opening for the likes of Jefferson Airplane, Paul Revere & the Raiders and Them. Their line–up included lead singer / organist Gregg Rolie, later of Santana / Journey. In 1966 they recorded their lone single, "Swami" / “Blow My Mind”, for the Thunderbird label. The A-side (written by guitar player Mike Shapiro and famous for being included on “Pebbles-The Acid Gallery”) is early acid-punk with fuzzed-out raga guitars and hilarious lyrics about a guru. The flipside is an energetic garage-punk number with swirling Vox organ and a fuzz rave up á la Yardbirds.

Quicksilver Messenger Service's debut effort was a little more restrained and folky than some listeners had expected, given their reputation for stretching out in concert. While some prefer the mostly live Happy Trails, this self-titled collection is inarguably their strongest set of studio material, with the accent on melodic folk-rock. Highlights include their cover of folksinger Hamilton Camp's "Pride of Man," probably their best studio track; "Light Your Windows," probably the group's best original composition; and founding member Dino Valenti's "Dino's Song" (Valenti himself was in jail when the album was recorded). "Gold and Silver" is their best instrumental jam, and the 12-minute "The Fool" reflects some of the best and worst traits of the psychedelic era. (all music)

Debut album by the English rock band The Soft Machine (named after William S. Burroughs' novel), one of the best known exponents, along with Caravan, of the "Canterbury Sound". This masterpiece was released in 1968 and features the trio of Robert Wyatt (drums & vocals), Mike Ratledge (organ & piano), and Kevin Ayers (bass, vocals & piano). This was the only album by the band showcasing Ayers. Additional personnel includes bassist Hugh Hopper (who would later become a permanent member after Ayer's departure), and the NYC vocal group The Cake. The Soft Machine was one of the first albums recorded at the legendary Manhattan studios The Record Plant, which had been inaugurated with Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland that same year. The album was given a 5-star rating on AllMusic by reviewer Richie Unterberger. The group is considered one of the most influential underground bands of their era.

Known as ‘the Architect of Rock ‘n’ Roll,’ the flamboyant rhythm and blues extrovert, Little Richard, made an incredible impact with unorthodox piano playing and rasping, shouted vocals, yielding a series of pivotal hits in the mid-1950s, but he abandoned secular music for gospel following a tour of Australia in 1957. Lured back into rock by promoter Don Arden, his UK tour featuring The Beatles as support, Little Richard Is Back was his comeback set for Vee Jay, his voice now deeper and seasoned; the range of covers are tackled with plenty of pep, and original ‘Groovy Little Suzy’ was co-written by Harry Nillson. All hail the King!

"Fictions" (1967) by Los Vidrios Quebrados is released now on vinyl, from the original IRT masters! Los Vidrios Quebrados were pioneers in Chile in adopting psychedelia as a musical aesthetic, due to the influences gathered mainly from British groups. Although they bequeathed only one LP, this one is a permanent reference of research and applause, for having been worked with their own material (without covers, as was the norm of local rock at the time) and combining their electric flight with opinions of social observation. "Fictions" (1967) is one of the most important rock albums made in Chile. The 1966 single "Friend" and "She'll Never Know I'm Blue" gave way the following year to the recording of "Fictions", their only LP, under the RCA Victor and Ues Producciones label. Without merely copying their influences, the songs on the album feature smooth and fine instrumental arrangements by Héctor Sepúlveda (guitar and vocals), who also acted as the album's musical director. Those who were lucky enough to hear them live say that they were much more rock than what we can appreciate on the album. And the music on the "Fictions" album was even more sophisticated than what was being done at the time, there was a musicality that was quite anticipatory, even foreign. If you listen to the harmonies in "Introduction to Life..." or "Concerto in A Minor", they are quite complex compared to what was heard at the time. That's why they also had a place in radio stations more accustomed to playing classical music, like Radio Andrés Bello. There was a certain intellectual taste, something like an "intellectual arrogance", like the quotations to Oscar Wilde in the lyrics of the songs, for example. For the recording of "Fictions", Los Vidrios Quebrados had very little time, as was customary in those days. And despite the technical limitations of the recording studios (two tracks -vocals on one side and all the instruments on the other-, bottle cap tambourines and homemade instruments), when listening to the album, the result is surprising and, considering that in Chile the music of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones was already known, the reception of "Fiction" was quite good. After the success of "Fictions" and with a promising future, Los Vidrios Quebrados decided to go to Europe in 1969, but the idea was rejected by the parents of two of the members, who only saw music as a hobby. Different life choices and musical tastes led months later to the end of the band.

After 53 years of oblivion, Walkin Up con Los Walkers, the fundamental work of Argentinian garage-psych is being reissued again in Argentina from the original mono master tape. An iconic LP from “the other” youngster music—the one that was known as “beat music"—it was originally released in 1969 and has never been reissued in its original format until now. The band had previously released two LPs and several 45s which contained an exquisite selection of covers, from The Rolling Stones material to songs by Astor Piazzola, but with Walkin’ Up they entered history as excellent songwriters and conceptual artists. With a great use of studio production, unseen before in Argentina, they laid down a wide range of psychedelic sounds and structures that decades later are be considered as the Buenos Aires version of Los Shakers’ La Conferencia Secreta del Toto’s Bar—both albums under a huge influence from The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s. Limited edition of 300 copies on 180-gram vinyl with the careful restoration and printing of the original artwork. Includes a printed postcard and a lavish 4-page booklet with photos and liner notes by journalist Víctor Tapia.

The sole album by cultish psychedelic pop band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. They formed in 1964 and split up after their debut, which appeared on prestigious label Decca in 1968. The lines "Is it much too much to ask / Not to hide behind the mask?" from "If You Only Had the Time" weree sampled on MF Doom's 2005 song "The Mask". All along with classic blues standard ‘Tobacco Road‘ (covered by anyone from The Animals to Brother Jack McDuff via Jefferson Airplane) and contemporary folk number ‘Morning Dew’ (originally penned by Bonnie Dobson) the record shows a series of original numbers verging on the happiest side of jangle-rock with a ‘nuggets’ feel all in all.

Produced by David Briggs (Neil Young, Alice Cooper) and recoreded at famous Wally Heider Studio 3 in Hollywood, CA during 1969, their self-titled album features ten original compositions, with essential contributions from the four members of the band. Summerhill certainly spotted a late-1960s West Coast vibe, including Hendrix-Rock style ("Bring Me Around"), sunshine pop ("Soft Voice") and even a touch of ‘flower-jazz’ ("What Can I Say").