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

2019-11-07
Glenn Smith RIP – Glenn Smith, founder, mandolinist, and primary composer of the DeLand, Florida based prog / fusion band Magnatar, passed away on October 18th 2019 at the age of 68, after a brief illness.  » Read more

2019-11-04
Dino Brassea RIP – Word reaches us of the passing of Dino Brassea, who sang and played flute in Cast for many years. By our count, Brassea appeared on 11 Cast albums between 1994 and 2002. He also released music as a solo artist. » Read more

2019-10-06
Ginger Baker RIP – Legendary English drummer Ginger Baker has died at the age of 80. After coming to fame with Cream in the 60s alongside Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce, he became one of the most recognized and influential drummers of the rock era. On September 25, his family announced that he was critically ill, and on October 6 his death was confirmed. » Read more

2019-08-20
Alex's Hand Seeks Spa Treatment – American / European band Alex's Hand has a new album in the works called Hungarian Spa, which looks to be their biggest and best yet, featuring a large roster of guest musicians. They're seeking funding to take the project on the road, and are looking for help from the crowd of wisdom. » Read more

2019-06-05
Legendary Co-Founder of The 13th Floor Elevators Passes Away at Age 71 – Sadly, Roky Erickson passed away on May 31, 2019. Known as the father of psychedelic music and co-founder of the ground breaking 13th Floor Elevators, Roky had a profound influence on music from the 60s to today. Plagued by his own personal demons, Roky had a difficult life and is now free of these burdens. » Read more

More news

Previously in Exposé...

Trimtab - The House, the Car, and the Map – This collection of tunes was started in Minnesota before leader Jason Goessl relocated to Seattle, where he has since assembled a new version of the band. This complex music is the result of his...  (2010) » Read more

Random review

Listen & discover

Chris Hadfield & Rick Wakeman Space Oddity

More recommendations
The Seventeenth Dream of Dr. Sardonicus Festival 2019

Print issues