Rock & Indie 238 Items

If you’re as obsessed with unfairly unheralded bands as we are, bringing out a proper, well-deserved official re-release to change that course is always an honor. Case in point, Jackpot Records proudly announce GANDALF’s 1969 self-titled release as one of our proudest moments. Working alongside band member Peter Sando from the original master tapes, it is time for the rest of the uninitiated to catch up with this beautifully crafted haunting psych-pop record (fans of THE Left Banke, Kaleidoscope, THE Millennium, and THE Zombies, take note!). Recorded at Century Sound in Manhattan with Grammy-winning producer Brooks Arthur (who engineered Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” and Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl”), the production of the album was created on the spot in the studio with arrangements being thrown about and the incredibly haunted vocals being recorded directly from the band’s PA using a Binson Echorec to make this innovative sound (Pink Floyd later used the same echo unit to great effect). Add to that sitars, vibes, B3 organs, harpsichord, minor tragic guitar chords, and bass drones aplenty, and you’ve got the recipe for an album that bears listening to with eyes closed, music cranked, mind open. So get in on the beauty of this record, and as Sando says on the liner notes: “Put the needle in the groove, sit back, and take the trip with GANDALF.” Enough said.

Limited to 100 copies on green vinyl. Only available at hhv.de

Enchanting and sunny 1969 psych folk by San Francisco teenage sisters Wendy & Bonnie Flower. A cult album that would later inspire bands like Stereolab, with dreamy vocal harmonies as the main attraction, laced with Brazilian splashes and soft-rock strains. Pure timeless psychedelic pop perfection, awash in serenity and haunting reverie floating in the ether above airy soundscapes that convey a sophistication that belies the artists' tender age: 15 and 18. Alongside them are top-notch musicians such as guitarist Larry Carlton, drummer Jim Keltner, bassist Randy Sterling and organists/pianists Mike Melvoin and Mike Lang. Originally produced by Gary McFarland, Gábor Szabó and Cal Tjader.

One of the rarest psychedelic garage albums ever, the Kaleidoscope album was recorded in the Dominican Republic by this Boricuan/Dominican band but released only in Mexico in 1969 as a tiny pressing, housed in a fantastic psychedelic sleeve designed by Bodo Molitor.

Killer Doorsy organ and fuzzed-out guitars, including all-time psychedelic classics like "Colors", "Workshop" and "Mind Machine".

Transplanted from Portland to the Sunset Strip, Hunger played at all the hip places (Whisky a Go Go, Cheetah, Kaleidoscope...), rubbing shoulders with bands like Hour Glass (pre-Allman Brothers), the Doors or Steppenwolf.

In 1969 they released "Strictly from Hunger!" for the small Public label. Highly sought after, we’re proud to present a straight reissue of such collectable album.

A classic now cut at 45 RPM!

Originally released in 1969, the concept for Dusty In Memphis was to take England's reigning female soul queen to the home of the music which had inspired her. Produced by Atlantic's Jerry Wexler and Arif Mardin and engineered by Tom Dowd, the record's highlights include "Son Of A Preacher Man," "So Much Love," "Breakfast In Bed," "Just One Smile," "I Don't Want To Hear It Anymore" and "Just A Little Lovin'". Springfield is backed by a crack band that had previously worked with Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, King Curtis and Elvis Presley among others. The musicians - collectively known as the Memphis Cats - include guitarist Reggie Young, bassist Tommy Cogbill, drummer Gene Chrismann, pianist Bobby Wood and Bobby Emmons on organ and electric piano. Songwriting contributions came from, among others, Randy Newman, Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. Dusty Springfield is one of the finest white soul singers of her era, and this is the undisputed proof.

"Analogue Productions' reissue functions as a case study in what careful remastering and good pressing can achieve-even if the single-jacket package means both 45RPM LPs get crammed into one space. Sonically, it doesn't entirely erase the lack of fill, but adds such a three-dimensional frame to the picture that the holes begin to disappear. Additionally, it creates a much larger soundstage than found on the original, and the improved pitch stability makes it seem you've acquired a better turntable-not just a better pressing." — 4.5/5 stars, Dennis Davis, vinylreviews.com. Read the whole review here.

LP of the Month - Hi-Fi News
"...this LP proved definitively that Ms. Springfield ranks right up there with Aretha Franklin, Etta James and other soul/R&B queens of the post-WWII era...This edition is the finest I've ever heard." LP of the Month. Sound Quality = 99% - Ken Kessler, Hi-Fi News

"...absolutely stunning double 45rpm issue mastered from the original tape by Kevin Gray...I didn't know what to expect from this but my most optimistic hopes didn't begin to approach this album's reinvention at 45rpm...A classic reinvented. Very highly recommended for the music, for the mastering and for the superbly detailed pressing quality too from Quality Record Pressings." Music = 9/11, Sound = 9/11 - Michael Fremer, musicangle.com, November 2011

"...As with all 45 RPM remasterings, the higher groove velocity has made possible the extended high frequencies and lower noise that make this edition a marvel of sound." Performance = 5/5, Sound = 5/5; Editor's Pick, Recording of the Month — Robert Baird, Stereophile, February 2012

"... Kevin Gray turned in a sparkling re-mastering and the 45-RPM pressing from Chad Kassem's Quality Records could hardly be better. 'The Windmills Of Your Mind' throws a huge soundstage and Dusty on vinyl sets a high barrier for high def digital to aim for." Recording = 10/10; Music = 10/10 — Dennis D. Davis, Hi-Fi +, Issue 86

Audiophile 180 gram pressing, approved by the Hendrix family!

Vinyl LP repressing of this 1969 album. WILLY & THE POOR BOYS, the fourth album by one of the world's all-time greatest rock bands, Creedence Clearwater Revival, remains a top-selling album in the CCR catalog with over 2 million copies sold to date. Reaching the top 50 in six countries upon it's release, the album stands as a landmark international success and one that cemented the band's legacy as a vanguard of American rock 'n' roll. Contains the ubiquitous chart-topping hit, 'Down On The Corner,' which rocketed into the top 10 in the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. and continues to be a mainstay on classic rock radio today. Additionally, the visceral 'Fortunate Son' is included here - an incendiary protest song that became inextricably linked to the Vietnam war, resulting in it's addition to the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress in 2014 for being 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant'.

Limited edition of 100 copies!

180 gram pressing!

All time classic album, including 'Hey Joe' & 'Purple Haze'!

180 Gram Reissue!

2024 repress of "nora Guthrie - Emily’s Illness / Home Before Dark" (7") has been announced, and this time in Clear Blue Vinyl!! The new edition features a new binding design, a new label, a new jacket format, and a completely new edition that includes valuable photos and lyrics that could not be included in the previous edition! The long-awaited reissue that will bring tears to the eyes of psychedelic and soft rock fans alike! This is a must buy! Repressed for the first time in over 14 years. The new edition features a new binding design, a new label, a new jacket format, and a completely new edition that includes valuable photos and lyrics that could not be included in the 2009 edition! The daughter of American folk musician Woody Guthrie, sister of singer-songwriter Arlo Guthrie, and granddaughter of noted Yiddish poet Aliza Greenblatt, Nora Guthrie released her only and treasured single in 1967, at age 17.

Sacred Mushroom -- led by future Pure Prairie League member Larry Goshorn (guitar/vocals) and featuring brother Danny Goshorn (vocals) -- were a short-lived rock/blues quintet based in Cincinnati, OH. Their efforts coalesce on this, the band's self-titled debut (and only) long-player. The album contains a blend of proficient originals as well as a pair of well-chosen cover tunes, such as the blues standard "Mean Old World" and the Kinks' "I'm Not Like Everybody Else." While their name conjures images of late-'60s psychedelic or acid rock, Sacred Mushroom's roots were decidedly more bluesy than trippy.

All in all the debut album by cultish japanese freak-rockers Flower Travellin’ Band, then called Yuya Uchida & The Flowers. Released in 1969 it features mainly cover songs of influential Western bands such as Cream, Big Brother and the Holding Company, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Jefferson Airplane. It was named number 34 on Bounce's 2009 list of 54 Standard Japanese Rock Albums.

Released in 1967 on Reprise Records as a follow-up to 'Part One', 'Vol. 2' (the band's third LP!) takes the band into more ambitious and psychedelic territory than the '66 debut on Fifo Records and the first Reprise full-length, 'Vol. 2' maintains their unique pop sound mixed with ominous fuzz guitar, jumping from graceful folk-rock to wailing guitar freakouts, to multilayered avant-garde compositions at a moment's notice. This legendary LP sees its first ever reissue in mono, with sound taken from the original master tapes.

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.

A vocal band that made it through, the Free Design have been more than an exception in the glittering world of the psychedelic circus. That was the Age of Aquarius in the end, but in the long run the 4-piece had an enormous impact on the younger generation. Released in 1969 “Heaven/earth” is a cornerstone on its own and 30 years later the band had a sort of epiphany, thanks to the spanning interest of artists such as Cornelius, Beck, Stereolab and crate digger master Madlib. By now the Free Design are considered in the same league of The Beach Boys and The Carpenters. Under the influence of the Hi-Lo’s and Peter, Paul and Mary, The Free Design rose through the folk scene of the Greenwich Village coffee houses, achieving national prominence with the enchanting ‘Kites Are Fun’. They would prove to be at least the artistic equals of such popular contemporaries as The Association, The Mamas and the Papas, The Fifth Dimension and Harper’s Bizarre, but without quite matching their commercial success. Rather than be dictated to and diluted by the majors, they chose to commit to the artistic freedom and potential to develop offered them by the producer Enoch Light through his independent set up Project 3 Total Sound.

One album into their career in 1969, Mutantes showed few signs of musical burnout after turning in one of the oddest LPs released in the '60s. Similar to its predecessor, Mutantes relies on an atmosphere of experimentation and continual musical collisions, walking a fine line between innovation and pointless genre exercises. The lead track ("Dom Quixote") has the same focus on stylistic cut-and-paste as their debut LP's first track ("Panis et Circenses"). Among the band's musical contemporaries, Mutantes sounds similar only to songs like the Who's miniature suite "A Quick One While He's Away" -- though done in three minutes instead of nine, and much more confusing given the language barrier. The album highlights ("Nao Va Se Perder por Ai") and ("Dois Mil e Um") come with what sounds like a typically twisted take on roots music (both Brazilian and American), complete with banjo, accordion, and twangy vocals. Though there are several other enjoyable tracks, including "Magica" and a slap-happy stomp called "Rita Lee," there's a palpable sense that the experimentation here isn't serving much more than its own ends. If the first album's relentless eclecticism did in fact occasionally result in dry passages, it's especially true here

Remastered

incl. 'flute thing' sampled by Beastie Boys for 'flute loop'

The release comes on 180g Vinyl.

Procol Harum is the eponymous debut studio album by the English rock band Procol Harum. Originally released in 1967 it now celebrates its 50th year anniversary.

Stereo version, freshly pressed on 180 gram vinyl!

Remastered from the original tapes, 180g vinyl!

140 gram clear purple vinyl reissue!

180 gram vinyl

reissue on 180g vinyl with three bonus tracks

... one of the greatest albums of all time! ... 180 gram vinyl with bonus track 'chelsea girls'

Why you'll love it...
“Knowing Tammy Wynette’s troubled history, and with 50-plus years of social change since the recording and release of Stand By Your Man, it’s difficult to hear the album and not want to scream: Tammy, get out of there; you’re so much better than him! But that’s not to say that the album, which ascended to No. 2 on Billboard’s Country Albums chart and earned a Country Music Association Album of the Year nomination in 1969, isn’t worth listening to. Wynette’s mournful voice, described by her longtime producer Billy Sherrill as ‘husky and soulful and tearful and dynamic,’ was made for songs like these; frankly, so were her real-life experiences. ‘She lived it, you know. She lived every tear every-body ever heard her sing,’ Sherrill once said of Wynette, and he assembled talented musicians to match her delivery in lush, Nashville Sound-era style.”

Why you'll love it...
After recording demos with Sam Phillips that he considered "too jazzy" Charlie Rich was given a stack of Jerry Lee Lewis records to study and "come back when [he got] that bad". The single "Lonely Weekends" hit Top 30 and earned a gold record for selling one million copies. The album features classics such as "C.C. Rider," "You're Gonna Be Waiting" and "Apple Blossom Time."

Limited to 1000 copies, the VMP exclusive edition of Charlie Rich's Lonely Weekends is pressed on Sky Blue vinyl at Softwax Record Pressing. The AAA 1LP will arrive in a single, direct-to-board jacket.

Why you'll love it...
No one knows what happened to Jim Sullivan, but there have been various rumors floated involving the mob, police foul play, and, due to his closeness to Roswell, alien abduction. Because of the mystery of his disappearance, the lyrics on U.F.O. took on an otherworldly quality; the songs about aliens, and being in the sky, and disappearing seem like they were written to explain his disappearance, just written six years early.

Possibly one of the first crossover jazz-rock album ever, ‘Out of Sight and Sound’ was released in 1967 by ABC Records. The album was recorded by Rudy Van Gelder and produced by Bob Thiele. Featuring a stellar line up comprised of young talented guitar player Larry Coryell (soon to be a proficient solo artist on Vanguard) the record was a true expression of the musicians lifestyle and artist heritage. With drummer Bob Moses (Compost, Steve Kuhn) on board, second guitarist Columbus "Chip" Baker, saxophonist Jim Pepper (a native American who’s debut on Herbie Mann Embryo is still regarded as a masterpiece) and bassist Chris Hills, Free Spirits were possible the first fusion group around !

Enchanting and sunny 1969 psych folk by San Francisco teenage sisters Wendy & Bonnie Flower. A cult album that would later inspire bands like Stereolab, with dreamy vocal harmonies as the main attraction, laced with Brazilian splashes and soft-rock strains. Pure timeless psychedelic pop perfection, awash in serenity and haunting reverie floating in the ether above airy soundscapes that convey a sophistication that belies the artists' tender age: 15 and 18. Alongside them are top-notch musicians such as guitarist Larry Carlton, drummer Jim Keltner, bassist Randy Sterling and organists/pianists Mike Melvoin and Mike Lang. Originally produced by Gary McFarland, Gábor Szabó and Cal Tjader.

Mega rare UK private album (99 copies originally pressed in 1969) by singer/songwriter Jeremy Harmer, featuring David Costa of psych-folk band Trees on guitar.

Melancholic, introspective psych-folk with chamber/ baroque feel. Guitar, flute, viola, bass, drums…

Jeremy Harmer started singing and playing at school and university, where his circle of friends included aspiring folk musicians like Nick Drake and pre-Trees David Costa. Jeremy has a long history as a singer/songwriter and performer, along with his work in the field of English language teaching.

“Idiosyncratics and Swallows’ Wings” was recorded one night in 1968 at the studios of Anglia Television, Norwich, while Jeremy was at the University of East Anglia. Along with Jeremy singing and playing guitar, the album features a mini-chamber ensemble of flute, viola, bass and drums with orchestral arrangements written by John Trevitt from the School of Fine Arts. Jeremy’s friend David Costa (prior to forming the psych-folk band Trees) played guitar on several tracks and co-wrote “Tuesday P.M.”

Only 99 copies were pressed at the time and all were sold to people at the University, making it impossible to find now.

*Original artwork in hard cardboard sleeve *First ever vinyl reissue *Insert with liner notes and photos *Download card

Riyl: Nick Drake, John Cale, Bert Jansch, Incredible String Band, Will Malone…

Touted as the “new Doors,” Ars Nova’s second release shows the band genre-bending jazz and heavy psychedelia in a style that’s their own. Shifting from a largely classical centric sound, this was the group’s last album before going their separate ways. Pressed on pink vinyl!

Sunshine & Shadows takes the baroque-meets-psych sound of the debut and turns a bit more to the psych side. The stately brass interludes are gone, but horns still figure prominently in the mix. There’s some jazzy New Orleans flavor to a couple of the tunes, albeit twisted into a 7/4 vamp on “You Had Better Listen.”

The instrumentalists in the band, featuring trumpet and trombone, really give the music a unique flavor, setting them apart from the multitudes of other American psych bands. Ars Nova might be likened to Ultimate Spinach (but without the overly serious, pretentious lyrics) or later Zombies (though with less emphasis on the keyboards).

It’s all very well written and nicely played, and when they do a tender ballad like “Temporary Serenade,” the acoustic guitar is very lute-like, much more along the lines of classical than folk (like the later work of Jan Akkerman with Focus), and the trumpet descant adds a lovely spice.

“Well, Well, Well” is the heaviest rock tune in their repertoire, with a great electric guitar riff and hot organ playing, again set apart by trombone and trumpet. This one is definitely worth seeking out for baroque pop fans.

Les Marquis were an Austrian band active in the 1967-1971 period. Their debut single - Fire Horses - released in 1969, is one of the best Garage/Folk-Rock European gems of the late sixties. Limited edition of 400 copies.

180 gram high quality pressing vinyl!

Dark Horse Records and Record Store Day are excited to announce a multi-year partnership to release limited Zoetrope picture disc pressings of George Harrison’s entire studio album catalog. The first two titles in the RSD exclusive series — Wonderwall Music and Electronic Sound — will be available on Record Store Day in April 2024. Limited to 8,000 units globally and exclusive to Record Store Day, each unit is individually numbered in silver foil and includes an insert reproducing theoriginal artwork. As a direct result of The Beatles’ keen curiosity about experimental music and other avant-garde artistic expression, Apple Records launched its short-lived Zapple subsidiary in February 1969 as a forum for unfettered sonic exploration, or, as announced at the time, “more freaky sounds.” George’s Electronic Sound and John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Unfinished Music No. 2: Life with the Lions, both released in May 1969, were Zapple’s only releases before it was closed down. Electronic Sound’s cover art, painted by George, depicts his Moog IIIp synthesizer (which was later used on four tracks by The Beatles on their album Abbey Road) with the four modules from which the sound was synthesized. Each side of the Electronic Sound LP featured one exploratory long-form work.

Features new all-analog mastering by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, direct from the original analog tapes - Pressed at RTI - Includes liner notes by Brian Barr - Featuring unseen photos by legendary photographer Joel Brodsky - LP housed in an expanded gatefold jacket

Description: “My favorite singer in the place was Karen Dalton. She had a voice like Billie Holiday’s and played the guitar like Jimmy Reed.” – Bob Dylan

Karen Dalton's 1969 Capitol debut is finally back in print! Light in the Attic is thrilled to present a brand new edition of this heart-wrenching & bluesy introduction to the intoxicating world of Dalton and her deep well of musical secrets.

World-weary and filled with the blues, Dalton’s unsurpassed interpretive depth and emotional range were like no other. Recorded for Capitol in 1969, It’s So Hard To Tell Who's Going To Love You The Best spans generations of classic American songwriting–covering classics by Lead Belly, Fred Neil, and Tim Hardin. While no longer with us in the physical, Karen’s growing musical presence is stronger than ever and worthy of re-examination by both the converted and the uninitiated alike. This new re-release serves as the definitive, all-analog version of Dalton’s stunning debut, featuring remastered audio from the original Capitol masters, the original 1969 artwork in an expanded gatefold jacket, unseen photos by album photographer Joel Brodsky, and an essay interviewing Karen’s friends and music collaborators, from album producer and bassist Harvey Brooks to musician Peter Stampfel of the Holy Modal Rounders.

First ever official vinyl reissue of this bluesy psychedelic hard-rock album from 1969.

* Newly Remastered!* Ultra rare 1969 private press psych-folk-rock masterpiece – featuring the legendary Wrecking Crew (Beach Boys, Phil Spector) * Lacquers cut by John Golden Mastering * Plated at Record Technology Inc. (rti) * Includes deep booklet with liner notes by Andria Lisle, rare photos, archival materials and full lyrics (LP: 16-pgs, CD: 48-pgs) In March 1975, Jim Sullivan mysteriously disappeared outside Santa Rosa, New Mexico. His VW bug was found abandoned, his motel room untouched. Some think he got lost in the desert. Some think he fell foul of a local family with alleged mafia ties. Some think he was abducted by aliens.

By coincidence – or perhaps not – Jim’s 1969 debut album was titled U.F.O. Released in tiny numbers on a private label, it too was truly lost, until Seattle’s Light In The Attic Records begun a years-long quest to give it the full release it deserves – and to solve the mystery of Sullivan’s disappearance. Only one of those things happened.

For record collectors, some albums are considered impossible to get hold of, records so rare you could sit on eBay for years and not get a sniff of a copy. U.F.O. is one of those albums. A seventh son, Jim Sullivan was a West Coast should-have-been, an Irish-American former high school quarterback whose gift for storytelling earned him cult status in the Malibu bar where he performed nightly. Sullivan was always on the edge of fame; hanging out with movie stars like Harry Dean Stanton, performing on the Jose Feliciano show, even stealing a cameo in the ultimate hippie movie, Easy Rider.

Friend and actor Al Dobbs thought he could change all that, and founded a label – Monnie Records – to release Jim’s album, enlisting the assistance of Phil Spector’s legendary sessioneers The Wrecking Crew to do so. That’s Don Randi, Earl Palmer and Jimmy Bond you can hear, the latter also acting as producer and arranger.

U.F.O. was a different beast to the one-man-and-his-guitar stuff Jim had been doing on stage; instead, it was a fully realised album of scope and imagination, a folk-rock record with its head in the stratosphere. Sullivan’s voice is deep and expressive like Fred Neil with a weathered and worldly Americana sound like Joe South, pop songs that aren’t happy – but filled with despair. The album is punctuated with a string section (that recalls David Axelrod), other times a Wurlitzer piano provides the driving groove (as if Memphis great Jim Dickinson was running the show). U.F.O. is a slice of American pop music filtered from the murky depths of Los Angeles, by way of the deep south.

With no music industry contacts, the record went largely unnoticed, and Jim simply moved on, releasing a further album on the Playboy label in 1972. But by 1975, his marriage breaking up, Jim left, for Nashville and the promise of a new life as a sessioneer in the home of C&W. That’s where it gets hazy.

We know he was stopped by cops for swerving on the highway in Santa Rosa, some 15 hours after setting off. We know he was taken to a local police station, found to be sober, and told to go to the local La Mesa Motel to get some rest, which he did. Some time later, his car was spotted on a ranch belonging to the local Genetti family, who confronted him about his business there. The next day his car was found 26 miles down the road, abandoned. His car and his hotel room contained, among other things, his twelve-string guitar, his wallet, his clothes and several copies of his second album, but no note, and no Jim. It was as if he had simply vanished into thin air.

Jim’s family travelled out to join search parties looking for him, the local papers printed missing person stories, but the search proved fruitless. Around the same time, the local sheriff retired and the Genettis moved to Hawaii. Jim’s manager Robert “Buster” Ginter later stated that during the early morning hours of a long evening Jim and Buster were talking about what would you do if they had to disappear. Jim said he’d walk into the desert and never come back.

Tracking down the truth behind Jim’s mystery became an obsession of Light In The Attic’s Matt Sullivan (no relation) when he happened upon a copy of the album and fell in love. He took on a cross country pilgrimage in search of master tapes and truth, and came back with neither, despite hundreds of phone calls, e-mails, letters, faxes, private detectives, telepathy, palm readings and meetings with Jim’s wife, son and producer. Thanks to superb digital mastering techniques, Light In The Attic is still able to present a clean, near perfect copy of Jim’s masterpiece for general consumption for the first time. Enjoy. And remember, beyond the mystery, there’s the music.

* Newly Remastered!* Ultra rare 1969 private press psych-folk-rock masterpiece – featuring the legendary Wrecking Crew (Beach Boys, Phil Spector) * Lacquers cut by John Golden Mastering * Plated at Record Technology Inc. (rti) * Includes deep booklet with liner notes by Andria Lisle, rare photos, archival materials and full lyrics (LP: 16-pgs, CD: 48-pgs) In March 1975, Jim Sullivan mysteriously disappeared outside Santa Rosa, New Mexico. His VW bug was found abandoned, his motel room untouched. Some think he got lost in the desert. Some think he fell foul of a local family with alleged mafia ties. Some think he was abducted by aliens.

By coincidence – or perhaps not – Jim’s 1969 debut album was titled U.F.O. Released in tiny numbers on a private label, it too was truly lost, until Seattle’s Light In The Attic Records begun a years-long quest to give it the full release it deserves – and to solve the mystery of Sullivan’s disappearance. Only one of those things happened.

For record collectors, some albums are considered impossible to get hold of, records so rare you could sit on eBay for years and not get a sniff of a copy. U.F.O. is one of those albums. A seventh son, Jim Sullivan was a West Coast should-have-been, an Irish-American former high school quarterback whose gift for storytelling earned him cult status in the Malibu bar where he performed nightly. Sullivan was always on the edge of fame; hanging out with movie stars like Harry Dean Stanton, performing on the Jose Feliciano show, even stealing a cameo in the ultimate hippie movie, Easy Rider.

Friend and actor Al Dobbs thought he could change all that, and founded a label – Monnie Records – to release Jim’s album, enlisting the assistance of Phil Spector’s legendary sessioneers The Wrecking Crew to do so. That’s Don Randi, Earl Palmer and Jimmy Bond you can hear, the latter also acting as producer and arranger.

U.F.O. was a different beast to the one-man-and-his-guitar stuff Jim had been doing on stage; instead, it was a fully realised album of scope and imagination, a folk-rock record with its head in the stratosphere. Sullivan’s voice is deep and expressive like Fred Neil with a weathered and worldly Americana sound like Joe South, pop songs that aren’t happy – but filled with despair. The album is punctuated with a string section (that recalls David Axelrod), other times a Wurlitzer piano provides the driving groove (as if Memphis great Jim Dickinson was running the show). U.F.O. is a slice of American pop music filtered from the murky depths of Los Angeles, by way of the deep south.

With no music industry contacts, the record went largely unnoticed, and Jim simply moved on, releasing a further album on the Playboy label in 1972. But by 1975, his marriage breaking up, Jim left, for Nashville and the promise of a new life as a sessioneer in the home of C&W. That’s where it gets hazy.

We know he was stopped by cops for swerving on the highway in Santa Rosa, some 15 hours after setting off. We know he was taken to a local police station, found to be sober, and told to go to the local La Mesa Motel to get some rest, which he did. Some time later, his car was spotted on a ranch belonging to the local Genetti family, who confronted him about his business there. The next day his car was found 26 miles down the road, abandoned. His car and his hotel room contained, among other things, his twelve-string guitar, his wallet, his clothes and several copies of his second album, but no note, and no Jim. It was as if he had simply vanished into thin air.

Jim’s family travelled out to join search parties looking for him, the local papers printed missing person stories, but the search proved fruitless. Around the same time, the local sheriff retired and the Genettis moved to Hawaii. Jim’s manager Robert “Buster” Ginter later stated that during the early morning hours of a long evening Jim and Buster were talking about what would you do if they had to disappear. Jim said he’d walk into the desert and never come back.

Tracking down the truth behind Jim’s mystery became an obsession of Light In The Attic’s Matt Sullivan (no relation) when he happened upon a copy of the album and fell in love. He took on a cross country pilgrimage in search of master tapes and truth, and came back with neither, despite hundreds of phone calls, e-mails, letters, faxes, private detectives, telepathy, palm readings and meetings with Jim’s wife, son and producer. Thanks to superb digital mastering techniques, Light In The Attic is still able to present a clean, near perfect copy of Jim’s masterpiece for general consumption for the first time. Enjoy. And remember, beyond the mystery, there’s the music.

Complete 1967 recordings - including the cult psychedelic classic 45 “Madman Running Through the Fields” - by Dantalian’s Chariot, Zoot Money’s psychedelic incarnation featuring a young Andy Somers on guitar & sitar (later known as Andy Summers in The Police). Performing frequently at Middle Earth and UFO displaying a wild light show, the band cut just one 45 but laid down more tracks for an unreleased album. Here it is in its full sonic glory. Top notch UK psychedelia with West Coast and Eastern influences.

Complete 1967 recordings - including the cult psychedelic classic 45 “Madman Running Through the Fields” - by Dantalian’s Chariot, Zoot Money’s psychedelic incarnation featuring a young Andy Somers on guitar & sitar (later known as Andy Summers in The Police). Performing frequently at Middle Earth and UFO displaying a wild light show, the band cut just one 45 but laid down more tracks for an unreleased album. Here it is in its full sonic glory. Top notch UK psychedelia with West Coast and Eastern influences.

Due to high demand, Svart Records will release represses of Wigwam's early works on vinyl once again. The Finnish legends in Wigwam are no strangers to fans of Progressive Rock around the world. Their debut album Hard N’ Horny from 1969 and the following Tombstone Valentine from 1970 are a couple of cornerstones among many in their impeccable discography. The previous Svart editions of these absolute classics by the pioneers of early progressive rock date back to 2019, so it was about time to bring back these must-haves to the market.

Hard N’ Horny started the legacy of Wigwam. Album’s A-side is jazzy, early prog-rock by the keyboardist Jukka Gustavson, with an exception on the first track written by the original bass player Mats Huldén. Lots of heavy organ, jazzy piano, and some vocal parts by Gustavson. The B-side is ‘60s psychedelia written by the British-born vocalist Jim Pembroke. It consists of songs about a man called Henry, together forming a mini Rock opera.