Psychedelia / Prog / Kraut / Space / Psychedelic Folk (60s-70s)

http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-youngbloods-mn0000692251/biography wrote:The Youngbloods could not be considered a major '60s band, but they were capable of offering some mighty pleasurable folk-rock in the late '60s, and produced a few great tunes along the way. One of the better groups to emerge from the East Coast in the mid-'60s, they would temper their blues and jug band influences with gentle California psychedelia, particularly after they moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. For most listeners, they're identified almost exclusively with their Top Ten hit "Get Together," but they managed several respectable albums as well, all under the leadership of singer/songwriter Jesse Colin Young.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tractor_(band) wrote:Tractor is a band founded in Rochdale, Lancashire, England by guitarist/vocalist Jim Milne and drummer Steve Clayton in 1971. Both had been members of a beat group, The Way We Live since 1966. They are notable both for their appreciation by John Peel and Julian Cope, but also for their longevity because as of 2007, they are still performing. The band was produced initially by schoolfriend sound engineer John Brierley. Brierley was sacked by Jim Milne in late 1972 and replaced by Alan Burgess as recording engineer, and Chris Hewitt as manager and live sound engineer.

http://www.last.fm/music/Morgen wrote: 60’s psychedelic band originally from Long Island, New York. Led by Steven Morgen, who simply named his band Morgen. Good effort, though pretty obscure. Trippy grooves with a lot of stone vibe. Scary-horror themed songs. Nice creepy vocals and acid guitar. The Doors-ish.

http://www.canuckistanmusic.com/index.php?maid=69 wrote:Michael Panontin
Calgary's torch bearers in the great sixties rock sweepstakes were the 49th Parallel, whose 1969 chart success 'Twilight Woman' garnered them a few deserved rays of limelight. Unfortunately, plagued by constant personnel changes, they were unable to capitalize on their minor hit, and by 1970, not long after the release of this self-titled LP, had decided to pack it in.

Starting off as a six-piece called the Shades of Blond, the boys landed a record deal with Ontario-based RCA subsidiary Gaiety Records, re-christened themselves the 49th Parallel and released a couple of mildly successful forty-fives, the spry 'Labourer' (RCA 3428) and the sunshine pop of 'She Says' (RCA 3447). A switch to the Venture label in 1968 saw more success with the curious 'Blue Bonnie Blue' b/w 'Missouri' (the former penned by a then unknown Delaney Bramlett about his equally obscure muse, Bonnie). At this point keyboardist Dave Petch left to be replaced first by Alf Cook and then by Dennis Mundy, with bassist Mick Woodhouse yielding to Dave Downy. By the time of their second Venture seven-inch, the radio-friendly pop-rocker 'Twilight Woman', the band's fortunes seemed to be lifting with some chart activity south of the border. With MGM affiliate Maverick agreeing to handle US distribution, they recorded their sole LP, The 49th Parallel, an oddly schizophrenic mix of sunshine pop, Anglo lysergia and the gruffer acid-rock sounds of the era.

The gentlest and ultimately most successful tracks on The 49th Parallel were written by a mysterious D. Hockett, like the blithe and sugary opener 'Now That I'm a Man', with its shades of Curt Boetcher at work in the summery orchestration, or the Tomorrow-esque psych of 'Lazerabder Filchy'. The lysergic 'Missouri' showcases a breezy farfisa that sallies along behind a more caustic - and at times intrusive - guitar solo. And then there is the soulful AM fare of 'Twilight Woman'. Unfortunately, these tracks lie buried somewhat amidst some rather hefty acid-rock riffs. The record heats up on these tougher tracks when driven by Danny Lowe's caustic guitar or, especially, Mundy's abrasive Hammond B-3 licks (as on 'People') but often founders when the machismo is left unchecked.

The 49th Parallel often comes off more like a cobbled-together collection of singles than a unified album - hardly a surprise given the cachet of LPs back in the days of free-form radio. Still, with the early singles added to Pacemaker's excellent 2005 remastered CD, The 49th Parallel does make a rather fine artifact.

http://www.allmusic.com/album/its-a-beautiful-day-mw0000193305 wrote:Although they are not one of the better-known San Francisco bands to have emerged from the ballroom circuit of the late '60s and early '70s, It's a Beautiful Day were no less memorable for their unique progressive rock style that contrasted well with the Bay Area psychedelic scene. Led by David LaFlamme (flute/violin/vocals) and his wife, Linda LaFlamme (keyboards), the six-piece unit on this album vacillates between light and ethereal pieces such as the lead-off cut, "White Bird," to the heavier, prog rock-influenced "Bombay Calling." One of the most distinct characteristics of It's a Beautiful Day is their instrumentation

http://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=415280 wrote:THE HUMAN BEAST Volume One originally released in 1970, this progressive psych gem is alternately hypnotic and hard-driving, with intense guitar workouts in a classic psych mould - much high-calibre Eastern-influenced guitar work and cracking drums!

http://chocolatebobka.blogspot.gr/2009/03/crystal-chandeliers-suicidal-flowers.html wrote:The super obscure and hard to Google band was a pioneer of the dark psyche garage movement. Appropriately, their single "Suicidal Flowers" appears on the ever enlightening Acid Dreams Epitaph: 75 Minutes of Green Fuz compilation, as well as the legendary Pebbles Vol. 3: The Acid Gallery. I really don't know anything about these guys except that they released a string of singles between '68-'69, and they sort of remind of the Count Five, in that I could see them wearing Vampire capes while performing. While the band often tended to fall on the psych-folk side of the equation (ala Incredible String Band), for me, their crowning achievement is "Suicidal Flowers", a dark psyche rave-up complete with ripping fuzz guitar solos, spine shaking organ creeps and mystical lyrics about wilting flowers and aged queen's. If you think Sun Dial's Other Way Out is an underrated classic, then Crystal Chandelier's "Suicidal Flowers" will be right up your alley.

http://www.allmusic.com/artist/grateful-dead-mn0000988440/biography wrote:Rock's longest, strangest trip, the Grateful Dead were the psychedelic era's most beloved musical ambassadors as well as its most enduring survivors, spreading their message of peace, love, and mind-expansion across the globe throughout the better part of three decades. The object of adoration for popular music's most fervent and celebrated fan following -- the Deadheads, their numbers and devotion legendary in their own right -- they were the ultimate cult band, creating a self-styled universe all their own; for the better part of their career orbiting well outside of the mainstream, the Dead became superstars solely on their own terms, tie-dyed pied pipers whose epic, free-form live shows were rites of passage for an extended family of listeners who knew no cultural boundaries.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Robbs wrote:The Robbs were a band of brothers starting with David Donaldson (Dee Robb - lead vocals and guitar), Robert Donaldson (Bruce Robb - guitar and vocals), and George Donaldson (Joe Robb - keyboards), along with the unrelated family friend Craig Krampf (Craig Robb - drums). The band was founded in the early 1960s without Krampf, and recorded as Dee Robb, Robby & the Robins, and Dee Robb & the Robins before settling on The Robbs and hiring Krampf in 1965.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blonde_on_Blonde_(band) wrote:Blonde on Blonde was a guitar-led psychedelic rock group from South Wales.
The band was originally formed in Newport in 1967 by vocalist/guitarist Ralph Denyer, drummer Les Hicks, bassist/organist Richard Hopkins and guitarist/sitar player Gareth Johnson.[1][2] The band was named after Bob Dylan's 1966 album of the same name.
In 1968 the quartet left Wales for London, playing clubs such as Middle Earth, and appearing on the BBC TV series "How Late It Is".[1] Signing to Pye Records, they released their first album, Contrasts, produced by Barry Murray, in 1969. The album included the Robin Williamson covers "No Sleep Blues" and "I Need My Friend", and a cover of The Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby". That summer they appeared at the Isle of Wight Festival.[1]
1970s Rebirth was released on Ember Records after a personnel change that saw singer/guitarist Ralph Denyer joining Aquila and replaced by school friend David Thomas.[3] Thomas' introduction gave the band a tougher, rock-oriented sound. Their second album including Moody Blues-styled ballads ("Castles In The Sky"), progressive rock songs ("You'll Never Know Me/Release") and fuzz-guitar based rockers ("November").
In 1971 Richard Hopkins left, and was replaced by Graham Davis. Blonde On Blonde's final album Reflections On A Life was released by Ember Records in 1971, but once again the band achieved only modest commercial success. They disbanded in early 1972.
Ralph Denyer went on to co-write "The Guitar Handbook"[4] with Isaac Guillory.

http://www.last.fm/music/Pearls+Before+Swine wrote:Pearls Before Swine was an American psychedelic folk band formed by Tom Rapp in 1965 in Melbourne, Florida, United States. The group signed to ESP Disk and recorded One Nation Underground, a fairly successful release that was followed by the anti-war Balaklava (1968). In the next few years, Rapp often referred onstage, not quite seriously, to the group as “the house band for the SDS” (Students for a Democratic Society).

http://www.last.fm/music/Aguaturbia wrote:Aguaturbia was a Chilean rock band formed in 1968, featuring Carlos Corales (guitars) and his wife Denise Corales(vocals). The rest of the band included Willy Cavada (drums) and Ricardo Briones (bass).

Recognised as pioneers of psychedelic rock in Latin America, they also caused controversy in the chilean media of those years with their album covers. On March 13, 1970, La Segunda newspaper featured on its front page Aguaturbia’s first album cover, with the band members posing naked.

http://www.last.fm/music/Eik wrote:Eik were one of the highest regarded symphonic bands from Iceland. The membership was consistent with Magnus Finnur Johannsson on flute and vocals, Thorsteinn Magnusson on guitar, mini moog and vocals, Petur Hjaltested on keyboards, Asgeir Oskarsson on drums, Haraldur Thorsteinsson on bass, percussion and vocals, and Tryggvi Julius Hubner on guitar, percussion and vocals.

Their career started in 1971, and lasted till 1978. In that time they only managed to release two albums, 1976’s ”Speglun” and 1977’s “Hrislan Og Straumurinn”

They have a predominantly symphonic style, with elements of rock, blues, jazz, and even a bit of funk. Very much in the school of their ‘70’s contemporaries, but infused with the essence of Iceland

http://randyburns.net/biography.html wrote:Rolling Stone Magazine said, ‘Nobody, but nobody, sings anything like Randy Burns.’ The New York Times called Randy “Vocally Convincing.” Billboard Magazine wrote that “Randy’s voice is so intrinsically right that it wraps the listener in a pool of contentment.” When Randy played The Troubadour , the Los Angeles Times said, “Randy is the best country flavored rock singer since Graham Parsons, who was, and is, as good as anyone before him.”

http://www.discogs.com/artist/163585-Sweet-Smoke wrote:Sweet Smoke were a 1960's and 70's progressive jazz-rock band. They were originally formed in Brooklyn, New York in 1967, although the band moved to live as a commune in Germany.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_(band) wrote:Family were an English rock band that formed in late 1966 and disbanded in October 1973. Their style has been characterised as progressive rock, although their sound often explored other genres, incorporating elements of styles such as folk, psychedelia, acid, jazz fusion and rock and roll. The band achieved recognition in the United Kingdom through their albums, club and concert tours and appearances at festivals. [1][2][3][4]
The band's rotating membership throughout its relatively short existence led to a diversity in sound throughout their different albums. Family are also often seen as an unjustly forgotten act,[1] when compared with other bands from the same period and have been described as an "odd band loved by a small but rabid group of fans".[2]