Exposé Online banner

Various Artists — Psychedelic Gems 6
(Garden of Delights PGCD-06, 1977/2004, CD)

by Jon Davis, Published 2005-03-01

Psychedelic Gems 6 Cover artVarious artist compilations are always difficult to review, especially so when they contain as much good material as this one does. In the Garden of Delights quest to reissue material from psych and prog bands of Europe, they find some worthy items that do not amount to full albums, so they collect them in this series – basically obscure singles on small labels or self-released by the bands. On this one, we get two tracks each from: The JP’s (good garage-psych from 1969, with some dated spoken anti-war lyrics); Blackmann Lane (1970 psych with sitar and flute and two later members of Jane); Blackbirds 2000 (a heavy psych rocker and a rocked-up Bach organ workout from 1970); Caleidoscope Inc. (1970 blues-based rock featuring flute very much along the lines of early Jethro Tull); Nyrvana Pancake (an A-side of driving psych from 1973, and a B-side of phased acoustic picking reminiscent of the quiet sections of Uriah Heep’s “The Wizard”); Al Capone (1975, charmingly amateurish at times, surprisingly sophisticated at others, with a comically thick German accent on the vocals); and Metamorphosis (rock and blues from 1977 with only minor psych influence). With the possible exception of the last two bands, all the music is quite worthy of begin remembered, and Blackbirds 2000 and Nyrvana Pancake (who later shortened their name and recorded as Pancake) in particular shine as real gems. As always, copious liner notes fill in the background and connections of the artists.

Filed under: Archives, Issue 31, 2004 releases, 1977 recordings

Related artist(s): Blackbirds 2000, Pancake

Latest news

2019-04-24
Help MoonJune Bring Great Music to Life – Like many music lovers around the world, we’ve been thrilled and amazed to hear the recordings that have been released by MoonJune from sessions at La Casa Murada in Spain. Such label stalwarts as Mark Wingfield, Markus Reuter, Asaf Sirkis, Tony Levin, Dusan Jevtovic, Vasil Hadzimanov, and many more have gathered in various combinations at the studio to produce some of the most creative music in recent years. Now, label head Leonardo Pavkovic is offering a compilation, La Casa Murada - MoonJune Sessions, Volume One, as a fundraiser for upcoming sessions. » Read more

2019-04-10
The Pineapple Thief to Tour North America – November and December of 2019 will see The Pineapple Thief bringing their music to Canada, Mexico, and the US, and famed drummer Gavin Harrison will be on board. The band has been touring extensively in Europe, but North America will be new territory for them. » Read more

2019-03-25
Scott Walker RIP – Noel Scott Engel, better known as Scott Walker, was one of the most intriguing and enigmatic musical figures in the second half of the 20th Century. His strange career started with The Walker Brothers, an American pop group that featured no one named Walker and no brothers. After moving to England in 1965, they had a series of hit singles. Scott's solo work started with Scott in 1967. Starting in the 80s, his work took an increasingly avant-garde turn. » Read more

2019-03-20
Freedom to Spend Unearths June Chikuma's Archives – Jun (June) Chikuma is well known for her video game and anime soundtracks, but she also released an album of experimental electronic music back in 1986 called Divertimento where she indulged the kind of spontaneity that wouldn't work in a soundtrack. RVNG Int'l label Freedom to Spend is bringing this overlooked item to broader attention with a deluxe reissue. » Read more

2019-03-03
Seaprog 2019 Lineup Almost Complete – The Seaprog festival in Seattle is scheduled for June 7-9 this year, and they've announced their lineup of performers. The revitalized Trettioåriga Kriget will cap Friday night, perennial favorites Marbin are on Saturday, and District 97 will finish off the fest on Sunday night. In support, they've booked a stellar variety of artists from the Northwest and around the world, including EchoTest, Markus Reuter and Trey Gunn, and the live debut of the amazing Troot project. » Read more

More news

Previously in Exposé...

Ron E. Carter - Play Hendrix – Covering the Jimi Hendrix catalogue requires skill as well as thought about which arrangements to interpret and which ones not to disturb. Stevie Ray Vaughn’s cover of “Voodoo Chile -...  (2002) » Read more

Random review

Listen & discover

Tell Me, Maddy, Why Are You Wearing Green Willow on Your Hat?

More recommendations
Seaprog Festival 2019

Print issues