Rock & Indie Vinyl 401 Items

Classical infused psych from NY groovers Ars Nova! Through their creative use of medieval modes, hook-driven pop, & trombone, Ars Nova delivers psychedelia within a classical & prog rock lens, a style that’s their own, yet recalls bands like Left Banke, Honeybus, and Aphrodite’s Child - all who were experimenting with the short-lived baroque pop craze. Pressed on green vinyl! Ars Nova was something totally different for the musical ears of 1968, and still sounds fresh and exciting today, when you think of the great albums of ‘68, like Abbey Road, White Light/White Heat, The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter, The Move, Electric Ladyland, This Was or Wonderwall Music shows how influential the year was and yet, Ars Nova with its wide sphere of influences has nothing in common with the trends of the year. The only albums that it can be vaguely compared to is either the Velvet Underground or United States of America, both bands that, like Ars Nova, bucked against existing trends and the end of psychedelia, instead preferring to go their own unique way. This is American progressive music, and takes the art of music making into a different genre, an alternative alleyway. The intelligence and musical nous that spans [this album] is really worth diving into and enjoying. It’s always great to get to hear albums like this, as it provides a counterpoint to the contemporary of the time and gives a real insight into the underground and alternative scene of that era. The beauty of being underground and away from the mainstream is that something that is not of its time ends up being timeless.

Classical infused psych from NY groovers Ars Nova! Through their creative use of medieval modes, hook-driven pop, & trombone, Ars Nova delivers psychedelia within a classical & prog rock lens, a style that’s their own, yet recalls bands like Left Banke, Honeybus, and Aphrodite’s Child - all who were experimenting with the short-lived baroque pop craze. Pressed on green vinyl! Ars Nova was something totally different for the musical ears of 1968, and still sounds fresh and exciting today, when you think of the great albums of ‘68, like Abbey Road, White Light/White Heat, The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter, The Move, Electric Ladyland, This Was or Wonderwall Music shows how influential the year was and yet, Ars Nova with its wide sphere of influences has nothing in common with the trends of the year. The only albums that it can be vaguely compared to is either the Velvet Underground or United States of America, both bands that, like Ars Nova, bucked against existing trends and the end of psychedelia, instead preferring to go their own unique way. This is American progressive music, and takes the art of music making into a different genre, an alternative alleyway. The intelligence and musical nous that spans [this album] is really worth diving into and enjoying. It’s always great to get to hear albums like this, as it provides a counterpoint to the contemporary of the time and gives a real insight into the underground and alternative scene of that era. The beauty of being underground and away from the mainstream is that something that is not of its time ends up being timeless.

The story of Japanese psychedelic band Apryl Fool and their eponymous debut album is simply extraordinary. It was the vehicle by which bassist Haroumi Hosono first came to prominence, years before he became known as the “Godfather of Japanese electronica” as the founding member and leader of Yellow Magic Orchestra, though this musical titan had work released prior to the group’s 1968 founding, such as the song “The Sea Of Summer Day,” recorded with Yuko Okuyama and released by King Records the year before. Drummer Takashi “Rei” Matsumoto was a Beatles maniac that had covered songs by Them and Sam & Dave in his earlier group, Burns, while pioneering prog-rock keyboardist Hiroyoshi Yanagida and guitarists Chu Kosaka and Eiji Kikuchi had all been part of a group called The Floral, formed in 1967 through the Japanese wing of the official fan club of The Monkees (whom they supported during a Japanese tour enacted in October 1968). In September 1969, Apryl Fool played behind musical theatre group Tokyo Kid Brothers, the recording issued in minute quantity as the Love & Banana EP, issued on Columbia Japan’s Musicolor subsidiary; Apryl Fool’s own LP, also issued on Musicolor that year, had extended spacey psychedelic freak jams in the form of “Tanger” and “Pledging My Time,” marathon blues-rock tracks such as “April Blues” and “Honky Tonk Jam,” with the employed English sounding fairly credible, though both parts of epic opus “The Last Mother Land” feature Japanese lyrics. Of course, the day that the LP was actually released is reportedly the day that Apryl Fool announced their termination, giving this scarce release another level of legend for connoisseurs.

The story of Japanese psychedelic band Apryl Fool and their eponymous debut album is simply extraordinary. It was the vehicle by which bassist Haroumi Hosono first came to prominence, years before he became known as the “Godfather of Japanese electronica” as the founding member and leader of Yellow Magic Orchestra, though this musical titan had work released prior to the group’s 1968 founding, such as the song “The Sea Of Summer Day,” recorded with Yuko Okuyama and released by King Records the year before. Drummer Takashi “Rei” Matsumoto was a Beatles maniac that had covered songs by Them and Sam & Dave in his earlier group, Burns, while pioneering prog-rock keyboardist Hiroyoshi Yanagida and guitarists Chu Kosaka and Eiji Kikuchi had all been part of a group called The Floral, formed in 1967 through the Japanese wing of the official fan club of The Monkees (whom they supported during a Japanese tour enacted in October 1968). In September 1969, Apryl Fool played behind musical theatre group Tokyo Kid Brothers, the recording issued in minute quantity as the Love & Banana EP, issued on Columbia Japan’s Musicolor subsidiary; Apryl Fool’s own LP, also issued on Musicolor that year, had extended spacey psychedelic freak jams in the form of “Tanger” and “Pledging My Time,” marathon blues-rock tracks such as “April Blues” and “Honky Tonk Jam,” with the employed English sounding fairly credible, though both parts of epic opus “The Last Mother Land” feature Japanese lyrics. Of course, the day that the LP was actually released is reportedly the day that Apryl Fool announced their termination, giving this scarce release another level of legend for connoisseurs.

One of the key albums when talking about psychedelic hard-rock and early proto-metal, originally released in 1969. Featuring the great John Du Cann (The Attack, Atomic Rooster, Hard Stuff…) on guitar plus Mick Hawksworth (Fuzzy Duck, Alvin Lee) on heavy bass plus the powerful drumming of Ian McLane (Neat Change, Ray Owen’s Moon).

Andromeda was formed during the final days of Du Cann’s previous band The Attack, when he decided to go in a full heavier & proggier musical direction. Recruiting his friend/room mate Mick Hawksworth on bass plus drummer Jack McCulloch (of One In A Million, soon to be replaced by Ian McLane), the power-trio was born. After initial interest from John Peel (Dandelion) and Kit Lambert (Track Records), Du Cann decided to go with a major label, RCA, who offered him the chance to self-produce their first album. Recorded at Advision Studios, the impressive Andromeda debut was released in 1969, housed in a sleeve designed by John with photos by Gered Mankowitz. But despite receiving excellent reviews and the band playing lots of gigs (some of them billed above bands like Black Sabbath), RCA didn’t know what to do with such a heavy rock band. Tired of the lack of promotion and support, John accepted an offer to join Atomic Rooster… but that’s another story.

First ever reissue of this bona fide “buried treasure” produced by Richard Perry and featuring Ry Cooder and the Wrecking Crew. Includes 4 page insert with notes by music historian Stephen J McParland and Vini Poncia, and many rare pictures and ephemera. Like the other more familiar and phenomenally successful duos Goffin/King, Barry/Greenwich or Mann/Weil, Peter Anders and Vini Poncia also graduated from the Brill Building era school of songwriting. Friends since high school, Anders and Poncia debuted as members of the Providence, Rhode Island vocal group The Videls whose second single Mister Lonely (written by Anders-Poncia) proved to be a moderate national hit (#73 on Cash Box and Billboard) in early 1960. It would be five more years before the duo’s pièce de résistance, The Trade Winds’ New York’s A Lonely Town, would appear on the legendary Red Bird label (started by George Goldner and songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller in 1964). An East Coast (though California molded) surf music anthem, New York’s A Lonely Town had impressed both Phil Spector (with whom Anders and Poncia had enjoyed a brief working association, writing songs for The Ronettes, The Crystals or Darlene Love) and Beach Boys leader Brian Wilson. They also worked on an Elvis Presley film score – “Harum Scarum”. After releasing albums as The Trade Winds and The Innocence, as well writing and releasing a bunch of songs under various guises for Kama Sutra and Buddah Records, Anders & Poncia signed to Warner Bros in 1969. Produced by Richard Perry (Captain Beefheart, Fats Domino, Tiny Tim…), and featuring the Los Angeles A-Team of sessioneers (later known as “The Wrecking Crew”), their only album features ten original compositions and a version of Leiber & Stoller’s “Smokey Joe’s Cafe” (with some great bottleneck guitar by Ry Cooder). Reissued here for the first time these eleven brilliant and extraordinarily powerful tracks are ripe for rediscovery. As the liner notes state: “listen to Anders & Poncia … and you have found your poets.”

Hailing from Florida, After All was formed by well-experienced musicians with an R&B, jazz and blues background who hooked up with poetry writer Linda Hargrove to record an ambitious album influenced by acid-rock and psychedelic, early progressive sounds. Originally released in 1969 on the Athena label, the album is now considered an obscure classic. Top level psych/prog dominated by Hammond organ / guitar plus explosive drumming. Here’s a welcome new reissue in original artwork plus remastered sound, insert with liner notes.

180 gram vinyl

In the spring of 1969, 49th Parallel had a hit in with ‘Twilight Woman’, a lovely song that sounds like a poppier version of what bands like Tomorrow were doing in England. That success led to the release of 49th Parallel’s only album. All hyperbole aside, it is easily one of the top Canadian rock albums of the psychedelic era. The album is strong throughout—from the pulsating psychedelia of ‘Lazerander Filchy’ and the ultra-strange ‘(The) Magician’, the shimmering beauty of 'Twilight Woman', to the quintessential slashing guitars punk edginess of ‘Now That I'm a Man’ and ‘(Come On Little Child &) Talk To Me’. Dan Lowe's blazing fuzz guitar work stands out on ‘Missouri’ and also when matched by organist Jack Velker's brilliant work on ‘Eye To Eye’, ‘Talk To Me’ and ‘(The) People’.

180 gram vinyl!