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** We will happily publish more than one review of each album.....don’t let that stop you **

Idle Race - The Birthday Party

1968

Liberty LBL 83132

Track List:

Skeleton and the roundabout, Happy Birthday - The Birthday, I like me toys,  Morning sunshine, Follow me follow, Sitting in my tree, On with the show, Lucky man, (Don’t put ypur boys in the Army) Mrs. Ward, Pie in the sky, Lady who said she could fly, End of the road.

Review:

Truly one of the great undiscovered gems of the late 60's. It is a loosely structured concept album, the title track being the key to it's continuity. The song tells a melodramatic tale of a secretary who throws herself a birthday party, only to be devastated when nobody shows up. While tearing all the decorations down from the wall, she has an accident, and falls off the ladder. The rest of the album consists of little snippets of dreams she experiences while lying
onconscious on the floor, reliving her entire life from childhood ("I Like My Toys") to senility ("The Lady Who Said She Could Fly").

The history of this album is somewhat similar to the story of the Zombie's "Odyssey & Oracle," only without the surprise happy ending. Like that album, there were three singles pulled off of "The Birthday Party," that went nowhere. they were, "Skeleton & The Roundabout," "End Of The Road," and "I Like My Toys." It's my humble opinion, that if Liberty records had just seen the potential of "Follow Me Follow" as the obvious single, with it's strong hookline and lush strings, it would've wound up being the Idle Race's "Time Of The Season," and they would've finally gotten the commercial success that lived up to their artistic triumphs.

Reviewed by Daniel H.
Recommended link: http://members.iinet.net.au/~althomp/austelo/idle/index.html

Idle Race - Idle Race

1969

Liberty LBS 83221

Track List:

Come With Me, Sea Of Dreams, Going Home, Reminds Me Of You, Mr. Crow And Sir Norman, Please No More Sad Songs, Girl At The Window, Big Chief Woolly Bosher, Someone Knocking, A Better Life (The Weatherman Knows), Hurry Up John.

Review:

The group's 2nd effort was even more lushly produced than the 1st. Several of the album's tracks contain all sorts of creative sound effects, such as the sped-up guitar that occurrs throughout "Big Chief Woolly Bosher" that sounds like a baby crying. "Please No More Sad Songs" has a chorus that is very similar to the melody of Elvis Presley's "That's When Your
Heartaches Begin," but the production is quite clever, including the occasional sound of a heavily reverbed guitar which gives one the feeling of riding on a train, and suddenly passing the crossing bell...It really defies description, you just have to hear it. "A Better Life (The Weather Man Knows") sounds very similar to Badfinger's "Walk Out In The Rain" which would come out a couple of months later. Along with their 1st album, this is probably as good as late 60's psychedelia gets. If you like The Kink's "Something Else" and "Village Green" albums, then you have no idea what you're missing by not hearing both of these masterpieces.

Reviewed by Daniel H
Recommended link: http://members.iinet.net.au/~althomp/austelo/idle/index.html

Illiterate Beach - No polyester please...

1987

Susstones IML 518 (mini-LP) (US)

Track List:

Traces, Never stops, High flying bird, Blue, Kingdom come, Until.

Review:

This little record has high descent... possible ancestors: Fairport Convention, Jefferson Airplane, Byrds and the magical R.E.M. of "Fables of the Reconstruction"... psycho raga folk rock! They started playing in 1985, releasing the first single in spring 1986 ("So she knows" for their own
label Rollerland) and the mini-LP at issue in the fall of 1987, disbanding soon after. Immediately afterwards they reformed as Ruby Trees and released another 7inch at the end of summer 1988 ("Long since gone" b/w "The lesson" always on Susstones Rec.)

Reviewed by Roberto from THE WRONG WAY

The Incredible String Band - Same

1966

Elektra EUK 254

Track List:

Maybe Someday, October Song, When The Music Starts To Play, Schaeffler's Jig, Womankind, The Tree, Whistle Tune, Dandelion Blues, How Happy Am I, Empty Pocket Blues, Smoke Shovelling Song, Can’t Keep Me Here, Good As Gone, Footsteps Of The Heron, Niggertown, Everything's Fine Right Now.

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The Incredible String Band - 5000 Spirits (or The Layers of the Onion)

1967

Elektra EUKS 7257

Track List:

Chinese white, No sleep blues, Painting box, The mad hatters song, Little cloud, The eyes of fate, Blues for the muse, The hedgehogs song, First girl I loved, You know that you could be, My name is death, Gently tender, Way back in the 1960's.

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The Incredible String Band - The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter

1968

Elektra EUK 258

Track List:

Koeeoaddi There, The Minotaur's Song, The Witches hat, A Very Cellular Song, Mercy I Cry City, Waltz Of The New Moon, The Water Song, Three Is A Green Crown, Swift As The Wind, Nightfall

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The Index - The Index

1967?

Voxx Records 200-023

Track List:

Eight Miles High, Israeli Blues, John Riley, Turqouise Feline, Rainy Starless Night, Fire Eyes, Shock Wave, You Keep Me Hangin' On, Feedback.

Review:

There are some albums where you just know the band were very stoned throughout its recording.
The Index sound as if some seriously strong acid was swimming through their heads when they recorded these nine tracks.  EXtremely "liquidy" in sound, full of echoey guitar effects, fuzz guitar and acid baked folk rock, man these guys were seriously tripping their heads off-even their guitars sound stoned.!
The album opens with the sound of a helicopter and someone saying "Hey I'm up here in a whirly bird hovering up over the plaza de....(?? indistinguishable)" before descending into a drugged out version of "Eight Miles High". The heavy trip continues over eight more tracks taking in some originals, some covers and some instrumentals.  Very high indeed, and once you get to the end of "Feedback" you feel as if you are floating miles out into outer space.   Not much is known about this band, or the album, and their recordings are notoriously diffciult to find (I've heard there is more than one record of their stuff out there-somewhere). 

For those who like their psychedelia very fried-this one is for you.

Reviewed by BlueMagoo - July 2002

+

Inner City Unit - Punkadelic

1982

Flicknife SHARP 103

Track List:

Watching the grass grow, Space invaders, God disco, Disoc tango, polythene, Cars eat with autoface, Gas money, Blue rinse haggard robot, Alright on the flight, Bildeborg

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Inner City Unit - Blood And Bone

1985

Jettisounds

Track List:

Blood and bone, Little black egg, Paint your windows white, Help sharks.

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In The Summer Of The Mushroom Honey (An album of inspired improvisational music)

1999

Aether-or AECD 105

Track List:

This album is subtitled 'An album of inspired improvisational music,' and is the collective work of the groups Faraday Cage, Tombstone Valentine, Many Bright Things, Twin Planet 'and other musicians from ... the great American Midwest.' With so many musicians, and clocking in at nearly 72 minutes, I expected a great diversity and complexity of sound. It is, however, a very
smooth ride, metamorphosing slowly over its great length with tremendous subtlety. Electric and acoustic instruments blend together to produce an organic whole - the images that spring to my mind are of drifting through exotic, torrid and slightly surreal earthly landscapes rather than floating through the bleak wastes of some interstellar space.

On 'Thank You Mr. Bishop' for example, congas, electroacoustic guitars and a throbbing bass provide a backdrop for Ron Esposito's chanting in some strange language of his own invention, reminiscent of Damo Suzuki's vocals with Can. It as though we have emerged into a jungle clearing to observe the bizarre rituals of some as yet undiscovered race. Richelle Toombs sings on 'Deep Beneath the Water' her voice is smooth, clear and sweet - a bit like mushroom honey, really. She continues her almost jazzy improvisations on 'Sweet Water' and 'Blue Clouds, White Sky' this time over acousic guitars and acoustic bass.

The album's longest track, 'Opening Impressions Of The Middle East' sees the return of an electric guitar which flirts only briefly with Eastern modes, and retains, to my ears, more of a jazzy feel. Moreover, Richelle's voice sounds more American Indian than the Oriental counterpart in places. There's a strong resemblance to Amon Duul II's 'Sandoz In The Rain' on this track.
It's a tremendously hypnotic and soothing piece, but listen carefully, there's a lot going on. Acoustic guitars and bass are present throughout, but voices, flutes, bells, cymbals, tambourines, keyboards and who-knows-what-else drift in and out each adding their own flavours and nuances. The piece doesn't so much end, as comes to rest. 'Shining Brightly'
is a spiritual, upbeat postscript to round off the album.

The 'Summer' of the album's title reflects the light airy and sometimes sultry feel of the music itself, and it has a place comfortably at the cosmic, spiritual end of psychedelic music.

Watch out for more from the bands who participated, and if you want to know more, go to
www.aether-or.com

Reviewed by Doctor Dark - January 2002

Iron Butterfly - Heavy

1968

Atco

Track List:

Possession, Unconcious power, Get out of my life woman, Gentle as it may seem, You can't win, So-lo, Look for the sun, Fields of sun, Stamped ideas, Iron Butterfly theme.

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Iron Butterfly - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida

1968

Atco

Track List:

Most anything you want, Flowers and beads, My mirage, Termination, Are you happy, In-a-gadda-da-vida.

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Iron Butterfly - Ball

1969

Atco

Track List:

In the times of our lives, Soul experience, Lonely boy, Real fright, In the crowds, It must be love, Her favourite style, Filled with fear, Belda-beast.

Review:

The follow up to the smash hit "Inna-Gadda-Da-Vida", with the monster 17 minute magnum opus title hit and their underrated, most multidimensional debut, "Heavy" ("Possession", "You Can't Win", "Iron Butterfly Theme"). "Ball", their third and heaviest LP is also their last in the late 60's psychedelic style.
It opens with "In the Time of Our Lives" which begins with a rumbling bass and feedback guitar only to slow down purposely, plodding along to make it more menacing & doomy. "How you doing people that passed on Yesterday?" Organist/Vocalist Doug Ingle sings in his ultra-deep and distinct voice. "Did you meet with justice on your judgement day?"
Haunting backing vocals and a pulsating bass line add to the bleak feel then it ends in a military drum beat.  "Soul Experience" is also propelled by a throbbing bass line and is a more mellow 'hippy' sort of tune (""Don't bother painting your face, tomorrow it may rain and colours run--yet the rain quench the flowers first") but has some pre-prog Yes-like interludes with the guitar & organ purposely sounding whimsical, mirroring each other's notes only to come crashing down in a dissonant crescendo. Skip "Lonely Boy" a horrid Johnny Mathis attempt! "Real Fright" is a
weird rocker with an intense 'Gypsy' feel with bursts of energy.
This tune they'd done since the very beginning with a previous line-up (New boot "Galaxy Club, '67"). "In the Crowds" a Ballad written by Bassist Lee Dorman, starts with heavy bass line and is joined by heavy classical influenced guitar line, then a moody ballad with good vocal harmonies follows.   "It must be love" features the heavy drum stylings of Ron Bushy (solo on I-G-D-V) and is more of a rocker, so guitarist Erik Brann gets not one, but two screeching fuzz/wah guitar breaks. "Her Favourite Style" once again they do a gypsy sounding tune, this time more mellow.  "Filled With Fear"  is one of their best (also done back B4 debut Lp).
A DMT paranoid bad trip to be sure about a guy feeling detached from reality while at a party. Cool operatic vocals that mimic the guitar and organ and sinister guitar solos (would sound great
in an old horror film)
"Belda Beast" ends this great, underrated album with a nice mellow, stoned-out trippy vibe and is written & sang by the guitarist, whom has a less haunting voice. "Size is decreasing under transparent purple skies"...Sings Brann sort of off-key at times.  "The life you've chose seen through my eyes was distorted, filled with lies..."

Reviewed by Sir Kevin May

Iron Butterfly - Iron Butterfly Live

1970

Atco

Track List:

In the times of our lives, Filled with fear, Soul experience,  You can't win, Are you happy, In-a-gadda-da-vida.

****Submit a review?****

Iron Butterfly - Metamorphosis

1971

Atco

Track List:

Free flight, New day, Shady lady, Best years of our lives, Slower than guns, Stone believer, Soldier in our town, Easy rider (let the wind pay the way), Butterfly bleu.

****Submit a review?****

It's A Beautiful Day - It's A Beautiful Day

1969

Columbia

Track List:

White bird, Hot summer day, Wasted union blues, Girl with no eyes, Bombay calling, Bulgaria, Time is.

****Submit a review?****

It's A Beautiful Day - Marrying Maiden

1970

Columbia

Track List:

Don and Dewey, The dolphins, Essence of now, Hoedown,  Soapstone mountain, Waiting for the song, Let a woman flow,  It comes right down to you, Good lovin', Galileo Do you remember the sun.

****Submit a review?****

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