know what I'm gonna do?!

well, I'm going to get all the Garage Greats singles and post what I think is worse to share here! the same guys that once did the Radioactive and Fallout boot labels, just reissued a ton of rare garage-psych single in limited runs some years ago. 2012 they did blow off and sell out their remaining 7" stock. you might say 'baaa, damn bootlegs and I do say that too sometimes if I invest a lot of time in a legit reissue and others come by and bootleg the album... however, the Garage Greats series brought a lot of unknown and really great (!) 60's gems to my (and others') attention. so that seems to be the second side of the coin.

some copies still left in my shop, so you might be interested in brwosing: http://stores.ebay.com/Surreal-Peppermint-Store/_i.html?_nkw=garage+greats+%287%22&submit=Finden&LH_TitleDesc=1&_sid=882387916

meanwhile enjoy a classic track from this series:

[1975] Ejwuusl Wessahqqan - Die orangefarbene Wüste südwestlich von Ignarh

File Under: Psychedelic / Jam / Experimental / Kraut Rock

Ejwuusl Wessahqqan, another artist I only know one track by. A friend sent me this track per email and I was astonished when I heared it. but he also wrote, that the rest of the album ain't that good, so I did not listen to the album yet... However, there is a lot of crap among the Kraut Rock stuff, but this here is something exceptional. Like the album "Variety" from the german band "Think" (or did I twist the band & album name?!) or not to forget "Analogy". The artist- and songname psuhs the mystic charakter that will overhelm you, when clicking on "play" above... It's a sourrounding trance, maybe feeling a bit suficiated. It's like riding along in a fairytale-caravan on the journey to a exciting adventure, that's shrouded in mystery. It's truely a psychedelic experience! check it out in complete length!

[2000] Hagalaz' Runedance - The Dawning

File Under: Pagan Folk / Medieval

As some of you might know, I'm also a huge fan of the pagan culture (of the peaceful and white-magic part, not of all those industrial/dark scene etc. stuff...) so just today I discovered a new band called "Hagalaz' Runedance"! Well, not directly psychedelic, I know, but maybe interesting for soem of you as well! Hagalaz means something like "volley" or "hail". It's strongly associated with destruction / the end of something. just like Shiva or Kali in the Hindu mythology. So it's meaning is not necessarily bad. it's like the winter, which is not only making things freeze, but also allows the plants and animals to take a rest and bundle their energy and regenerate for the upcomming year.

Their sound is in the vein of the older Faun albums, but more archaic. If you love that certain mix of medieval music and pagan folk, you will surely enjoy this band! yet I only zapped through one of their albums and listened to some songs on youtube, but as far as I can tell great sounds are waiting to be heared!

Wild in the Streets (Movie, 1968)

I recently watched the '68 movie "Wild in the Streets". well, what can I say, I'm a bit disappointed. if you ask me it's a pretty stupid movie. the story is about a bunch of young and rich pseudo-hippies overtaking the government. but below the coat of peace-symbols, joints, colourful cloths and tripping teens, they are acting in an equal violent way than the older generation did and in the end nothing changes really much except for thousands of families are psychically disbanded, shocked, traumatized and through the forced consume of LSD in boot camps. but til the the end, no reflection happens in the storytelling of the movie. I assume it was rather meant to be entertaining and funny, but behind the dogmas of the colourful sixties it's not really amusing see all of this.however, the reason, why I watched this movie, was, that A.) it's from the 60's B.) it seemed psychedelic from what I heared about it and C.) the soundtrack is unbelievable good!! and that's still fact, despite the movie content. "Max Frost & The Troopers" where no real band, even if they released an album after success of the film and additionally to the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, wich feat. Les Baxters (as "The Senators"), Jerry Howard, The Second Time, The Gurus, and finally The 13th Power, wich - if I remember it right and the rumours are true - feat. Davie Allen & The Arrows.

Read a very informative review of the movie here: http://www.videowatchdog.blogspot.de/2006/01/14-or-shop.html

below I posted a version of the radio hit "Shape of Things to Come". I hope it doesn't get blocked again too soon by youtube.

News from Merlins Nose Records: In Gowan Ring & Arrowwood

Aloha Folks!

I know it's been a while again since my last post here. I hope to find back to the weekly rythmn of posts soon again. We were moving and when this was done, the new LP's I'm introducing to you today arrived here and I had too much work with packing, processing order etc. ...so there was somehow a lack of time, and tons of emails are waiting for a reply too, ... but now back to the maintopic of this post: A lot of people were involved in the postproduction of these albums. The result was an enormous delay.  But fiInally - approx. one year later than originally planned - they are finished and in stock. Merlins Nose Records now proudly presents two very fair and beautiful releases from the Psych-/Pagan-/Neo-Folk scene. Below you'll find further informations, reviews, sounds and links about them. Enjoy!

Arrowwood - Beautiful Grave (CD/LP)
File Under: Psych Folk / Pagan Folk / Neo-Folk

Sound:

Feat. Kim Larson (aka "Of The Wand & The Moon") and Pythagumus Marshall (from "Novemthree")! Mixed & Mastered by Eroc! With mystical nature-photos licensed from Florent & Maxime Courty and great artwork-layout by Kiryk Drewinski!

Sometimes music tells you more about its creator than he himself could ever do. Chelsea Robb, born in Albion, now residing in the mystical north west of the USA already fits well with the image of an incarnated elementary spirit from her whole appearance and has opened the gates to the magical kingdom in a musical way. Gentle, ethereal and sometimes even ghostly haunting sounds, created on all acoustic instruments such as flute, hurdy gurdy, reed organ and several stringed instruments apart from the classic acoustic guitar build the fruitful soil for a mystifying vocal performance by Ms. Robb who also perfectly performs in a duet with an even more powerful male voice courtesy of NOVEMTHREE mastermind Pythagumus Marshall. An enchanting swarm of different rattles, timbers, bells and rainmakers comes buzzing around the melody patterns, only scarcely driven by an occasional hypnotical beat of a hand drum. The surreal beauty of this second full length album by the project under conduction of Chelsea Robb knows to enchant the listener every second and to tickle his senses. This way even soft, calm and dreamy music can be utterly exciting. The spell of the magic kingdom works well into our dimension through the music of ARROWWOOD.

Formats / Purchase:
LP (Black): 180g Vinyl / Heavy Sleeve / Gatefold
LP (Col. - Ltd. to 100): 180g Vinyl / Heavy Sleeve / Gatefold
CD: Jewelcase / 12-Page Booklet - [will arrive later]

you can purchase the new Arrowwood album at Ebay:
http://stores.ebay.com/Surreal-Peppermint-Store/_i.html?_nkw=Arrowwood&submit=Finden&_sid=882387916
 

---

In Gowan Ring - The Glinting Spade (CD/LP)
File Under: Psych Folk / Drone / Songwriter / Neo-Folk

Sound:
 
No Overdubs or synthetic sounds were used for this album. Everything you’ll hear on this album got recorded with physical vocals and instruments only. Long time out-of-print and highly demanded album, finally available again with new artwork by Kiryk Drewinski and new mastering by Eroc!

People have visions, grown and evolved in the world within to be transcended into the world outside. IN GOWAN RING is the vision of the American musician Bobin Eirth aka B'ee. It shows a man on his journey, incarnating the music of his soul. B'ee creates a truly vivid organism of sound which becomes outlined more an more during the creative process. Next to the folk traditions of the western world B'ee has studied different music from many cultures to explore all similarities and differences and to make it all become part of his inner vision. His works arise from the depths of his soul. This explains why he just created three albums within the first ten years of his career. The third album „The glinting spade“ was awakened between 1997 and 1999 during a period of complete isolation and the detection of new musical influences with a childlike passion. No big surprise that this music is a rather intimate affair. B'ee's compositions are captured and detained by him and his fellow musicians partly with regular, partly with unique instruments that were created just for those recordings. The spiritual mood of the songs gets driven by enchanting melodies and quite often ends up in rather mystifying kaleidoscopes of sound. B'ee adds fresh inspiration and creativity to the tradition of the great ancestors of psychedelic folk and singer / songwriter of the 60s and 70s just like Donovan, Perry Leopold, Nick Drake or Exuma. It is a blessing for all music lovers that this long out of print record now receives it’s well deserved reissue on vinyl and CD.

Our friend Klemen recently did an interview with B'ee. You can find it here:
http://psychedelicbaby.blogspot.com/2013/03/in-gowan-ring-interview.html
 
Birch Book - B'ee's sideproject - will be featured in the soundtrack of the upcoming otherwordly
documentary "The Fairy Trail". The Trailer can be watched at: www.fairytrail.tumblr.com

Formats / Purchase:
LP (Black): 180g Vinyl / Heavy Sleeve / Gatefold / Gold Print
LP (Col. - Ltd. to 100): 180g Vinyl / Heavy Sleeve / Gatefold / Gold Print
CD: 6-Panel Digisleeve / 16-Page Booklet / Gold Print - [will arrive later]

you can purchase the new Arrowwood album at Ebay:
http://stores.ebay.com/Surreal-Peppermint-Store/_i.html?_nkw=In+Gowan+Ring&submit=Finden&_sid=882387916

[1966] The Outcasts - Set Me Free

listen to the song:

Some time ago, (ha, 3 years ago), I posted another song by "The Outcasts", which you can listen to here: "Hard Lovin' Babe". But to what I found on the web, I have to assume that this where another Outcasts band. Somewhere I read 10 groups with this name are known to have existsed in the 60's.

However, "Set Me Free", this time with male front-vocals sounds like the great Airplane going back to the garage. The Chorus and organs are giving it the psychedelic feeling. More Outcasts tracks can be found on the Collectables CD "Battle of the Bands! - The Outcasts vs. the Arkay IV" / or the same tracks at the '85 Cicadelic LP release "Meet The Outcasts!"