Regal Zonophone 2
Hi all!
We all love a comp, dont we? Don't we??
I've had this one going around in my head for a while, and while I don't have the skills to record and upload somewhere as a proper comp, I have made a track list.
I've always been fascinated by the immediate post-psychedelic era. I guess if you lived through and were part of the flower power/psychedelic movement from late '66 to early '68 it must have been quite devastating when the realisation dawned that the utopia of peace, love, freedom and acid for all wasn't going to happen and you didn't manage to change the world.
From early 1968 the underground culture changed and became more overtly confrontational, political and dark. With the failure of the aquarian dream, people looked for answers in other places, whether this was esoteric religion/spirituality, political revolution or more and harder drugs. This comp tries to explore where the underground culture was around that time, from shattered dreams, acid fatigue and disillusion to messianic delusions of grandeur. It also tries to capture a sound that was clearly different to the psych pop sounds that preceded it, but wasn't into full blown progressive or hard rock yet. I've mainly stuck to 45s, for no apparent reason, and it would be great to hear from others for any similar tracks that would fit the bill, if anyone understands what I am going on about that it.
House Of Lords - Land Of Dreams
White Trash - Illusions
Shere Khan - No Reason
Kate - Shout It
Simon Scott - I am the universe
Misty - Hot Cinnamon
Dr Z - Lady Ladybird
Amazing Friendly Apple - Magician
Griffin - I am the noise in your head
Fleur de Lys - Liar
Smoke - Dreams Of Dreams
Mandrake Paddle Steamer - Strange Walking Man
Spencer Mac - Better By You, Better Than Me.
Fresh Air - Running Wild
Deviants - Got To Hold On
Sharon Tandy - Get enough time
Big Birtha - Gravy Booby Jam
Heavy Jelly - I keep singing
White Trash - Road To Nowhere
Second Hand - Reality
Griffin - What A Day It's Been
Good evening Nick,
Thanks for the interesting post.
I hope you don't mind,but i have a few things i'd like to add,which is just my own humble opinion of course.
The so called flower power/psychedelic movement in the UK at least,in my opinion was a mainly middle class phenomenon,and very much London centred,as in truth many who where involved came from a university education,and back then,there was not many people from working class backgrounds who had the luck or good fortune to attend university and where too busy working to have their heads in the clouds,full of free love,acid dropping,and be heads in a psychedelic scene...i know with time,it's been made out to be the vast majority of young people were taking part in this scene or where swinging,maybe in London,but not in Glasgow,Dundee and Newcastle,because in reality it was a small amount of people,and as i said earlier,it was mainly ALL in London.
Of course there would be pockets of trendy folks outside London,who had their pulse on the latest trends in music and fashion,but it was a small minority,as it always was.
You mention 1968,there was many parts of the UK where psychedelia hadn't even reached by the end of 68,never mind the end of the psychedelic movement in 68,the music,TV,showbiz and recording industry was mainly based in London,so the vast majority of bands etc had to move to London to have any chance of getting a deal,though of course there were studios outside of the sprawling London areas,mainly independent owned demo studios.
There WAS a big difference with the UK psychedelic/underground movement,unlike the USA,who had involvement in a war and conscription by lottery was taking place,plus the civil rights movement was fighting for equality even though segregation was abolished....so the UK movement certainly wasn't as political or dealing with the social issues happening there,hence the UK brand of psychedelia was 45 orientated,and dealt with more whimsical,childlike,victoriana type subject matter,and dare i say it in a more commercial brand,a more pop orientated sound,as at the end of the day,it was about making money for the labels,who in the UK still thought in short term gains,hence that in reality,when looking at UK psychedelic albums,there really aren't as many as you would imagine,thats how BIG psychedlia was with the labels who ran the UK music industry.
Plus sentencing for illegal drug possession ,even for personal use in the UK was severe,and the influence of LSD at this time was mainly for those involved in art,literature,music,movies....as i couldn't imagine very many coal miners,steel workers and factory workers dropping acid in 67 and 68.
Of course,the introduction of harder drugs into the London scene,changed the vibe,and influenced the music being made,as in truth psychedelia was a quick fad,a passing fashion,plus the on-set of a bleak British winter put heed to a summer of love.
Of course this did not mean the making of psychedelia or psychedelic records stopped,far from it,as the provinces throughout the UK had bands still making their own brand of psychedelia,maybe not as polished or as big a budget,while London had moved on from psychedelia.
The UK record industry eventually tippled that there was money to be made from this "undeground"weird music,so many labels set up their own undeground sublabels,but a bit late for the original psychedelic movement.
During 1969/70,many albums from little known or unknown bands got released on those labels,many doing very little commercially,but many of them STILL had an influence of psychedelia,mixed with other sounds,this is a period others have called the psych/prog crossover sound,which is a sound i particularly enjoy.
Also the new hippie types,brought psychedelia and other influences into folk music,which thankfully the last 10-15 years or so has had the big retrospective recognition it trully deserves.
In London,heavier,harder sounds where emanating from a scene that seemed to be in and around Ladbroke Grove,as the memory of Swinging London and only dropping acid faded from view,as things like speed,coke and heroin was being used and added to the menu with acid.With more innocent times involving flowers,free love,kaftan bead wearing dandys being only a memory.
I have prattled on far too much,in this rather overlong.overblown post,but this type of history interests me immensely,as i do feel there's far too much rose coloured spectacles involved in looking on the late 60s,and actually how much the "psychedelic revolution" actually came into normal working peoples lives.
I DO agree it had a big influence in the arts, music,literature and fashion.
Which i feel could be of minimum interest to many normal working people,but there will ALWAYS be those from every class in society who WILL have real interest in ALL those things!!
Good on them.
Hi Stuart
Thanks for your considered reply. I don't really disagree with much you said, but I was really referring only to those who had been directly 'involved' with the movement, the bands and the little elves and pixies that would have headed to the U-fo club every week, attended legalise pot rallies etc, a very small group of predominantrly privileged London based movers and shakers. Many of them truly believed they were going through the next stage of human evolution and felt it was innevitable the rest of the world would follow. To have that ripped away must have been difficult to come to terms with, and I was interested in music reflecting that.
I do however genuinely think this era changed the (western) world. 1965 was not so different to 1955, but by 1969, everything was very different and the pace of change had been light speed. Not many took acid in the late 60s, but those that did tended to be very influencial cultural figures with a wide reach. The suburbs and working class areas weren't turning on, but it was the original drops started by those few that caused the ripples that effected everyone eventually.
I also think a lot of things that first properly germinated in that era bore fruit later, such as movements for gay and womens equality, anti-racism, vegetarianism and environmental concerns. Those movements all had roots or gained traction in the psychedelic era.
Definitely a big change from 1964 when I first started listening to music and 1969. Everything moved so quickly in that period.
Hello Nick,
Yes,i get what you're meaning,and i agree,it was certainly a privileged few who did think they could change the systems and attitudes of society,but i DO feel there was a lot of positivity but enormous naivete in how easy it would be to change things,as you have to remember those who where involved in any type of psychedelic/underground movement,where in their own wee bubble,and many where in a privileged position in NOT having to work a 9-5 job,so their reality was certainly different from the vast majority of people in the uk.
Many of those privileged few just happen to be involved in the arts,movies,music,fashion,and had a HUGE influence on the young,remembering that before the 50s teenagers dressed like their mum and dads,and had the same attitudes as their mums and dads.......by the time the 60s came,attitudes of the young changed as in the uk,the economy was booming so for the first time teenagers HAD their own money,giving them much more freedom than their parents ever had,as they had more leisure time too,plus it was only 15-20 years since the end of WW2,so in the UK there was STILL bomb sites from that war.
Plus the explosion of TV in the home,influenced the vast majority of the young,of course there was the Teddy Boys in the late 50s,but during the 60s the Mod culture which started with a few in London,became massively commercial,in London and outside London,and of course the drug culture outwith smoking weed,became popular among the mods,mainly amphetamine,or speed in street terms,but again,movies and TV make it sound like this was widespread,but in reality it was the few.
You had bands like The Action,The Creation,Zoot Money Big Roll Band,Graham Bond Organisation,The Alan Bown Set,The Birds,The Attack,Georgie Fame,The Who/High Numbers,Small Faces,The Yardbirds,The Untamed et al,ALL playing London,ALL getting record deals,ALL playing RnB,blues,Soul & Jazz but with a UK twist,plus the UK pop market was big in the USA,with the likes of Hermans Hermits,Beatles,Rolling Stones,Animals,Hollies,DC5, et al,while in the USA folk,folk rock and garage was beginning to take hold and along with that the smoking of hash,and popping pills.
Around 65 into 66,UK pop music became a bit more adventurous,with US influences drifting over to the UK,and someone like Donovan was an anomaly and different ,but The Beatles,arguably the biggest band in the world at the time,took folk influences from the likes of Dylan,and the smoking of cannabis had a real influence on their sound with Rubber Soul,and The Stones found the fuzz box and The Yardbirds where experimenting with early psychedelia,while the likes of Sonny and Cher appeared in the UK with their cool California hippie like garb,NOT seen in the UK at that time,but had a HUGE influence on fashion.
Of course Ready,Steady,Go TV programme was a huge influence on British teens,featuring all the big bands and acts,but also new artists like Donovan.Plus guests from the USA,like Motown acts appearing.All the Pirate radio stations playing all the new records had a big influence.
As 66 progressed,ALL those influences had an effect on music and fashion,and the likes of The Beatles showed what could be done in the studio,and the appearance of Ken Kesey and the merry Pranksters in the USA with their acid tests as LSD was STILL legal,but was soon to be illegal.Also with the growing music scene in LA and San Francisco,was gaining media attention,but also add the civil rights movement,the rise of the left of politics in the USA,and the escalation of US involvementin Vietnam,gave birth to a anti government movement,so this was ALL brewing with music,movies,fashion and drugs in certain parts of the USA.
In the UK,in London,the Mod sounds of the soul,RnB,jazz and blues was shrinking as mod bands like Small Faces,The Who,The Action,The Creation started developing their sound outwith those mod idioms,as the influence of the change of drugs and other sounds starts to make more way out sounds.This was ALL happening in a vacuum,in a bubble,as LSD was being written about in newly printed underground mags,and things about the scenes in Sanfrancisco etc.
The underground Scene did start developing in London,an actual scene,with LSD being a part off it,and Donovan becoming a BIG star,and being in the USA a lot.
Former Mod bands became freaks,like Zoot Money forming Dantalians Chariot,and new bands on the underground scene like The Pink Floyd and Soft Machine improvising with long jams with light shows,and ex US pat,Joe Boyd becoming a important part of that scene,with UFO club,and acid became the drug of choice for many bands,artists,fashion designers and the crowd that followed those people.
The Beatles had totally embraced psychedelia,which had a BIG influence on the UK pop scene,and before ya know it,there are 2 scenes happening miles apart in London and the USA.
Acid gave people the attitude they could change things,they saw beyond the human form and its limitations,this along with equal rights in the UK,and the campaign to legalise Marijuana among other things made this london undergroud scene solid as the authorities attempted to kill it,with the closing of UFO,the jailing of main undeground pioneer Hoppy,the crooked police raids on pop stars homes,in particular Rolling Stones,the prosecution for OZ magazine for indecency,the making of LSD illegal the previous year,the zero tolerance of ANY illegal substances found on person.
In the USA,communes began appearing,living on the land,Timothy Leary and other intellectuals highlight what they thought was the miracle of LSD,the starting and continuation of Human Be Ins,free music,the hippie culture mixed with anti government sentiment,anti war demos,pro drug taking,garage and folk bands turning on with LSD and becoming psychedelic bands all over the enormous land that is the USA.and record companies eager at signing ANY psychedelic band they could find.Which of course led to the commercialising of the so called underground scene and sounds.
The riots of 68,in various cities of the USA,the assasination of prominent figures,and the love generation becoming anarchists,demonstrators,revolutionaries,anti government,anti war,the summer of love was gone,it was time to attempt real change,but in doing so it came at a price,as harder drugs became common,and harder more political sounds became common place,and things got more violent,as the government railed against people like Timothy Leary,the LSD guru.
The scene became fractured,and over run with opportunists,pimps and dealers,and young runaways still only 16 or so,were taken advantage of.The bands had become big,and the community spirit had slowly vanished,pop music started having its first festivals,manufactured and packaged to the young.
The hippie optimism of 66 and 67 was dead,replaced by bitter disappointment,sell outs,grifters,drug addiction,the changes they had hoped for where still a few years away,but they had made an impression that society had to change,like equality for women,gay rights,racism acts,ALL given publicity by the more liberal attitudes of the hippies,but many who were revolutionaries,returned to normal life,got a job,acted resposible,got married ,had a family,some got involved in politics,and became the politicians they once hated.
Three BIG negatives from this time was the mass introduction of Heroin,which made it out into mainstream land,and high numbers of addiction,which lasts to this day,causing huge problems and issues to society,the more permissive and promiscious actions of this time,resulted in many unplanned pregnancies,even though the female pill was made more available,the explosion of STDs,and the later appearance of AIDS,and its spread through needle sharing while injecting drugs,through sex,BOTH homosexual and heterosexual,through blood transfusions.The breakdown of traditional 2 parent families,the increase of divorce rates,the explosion of technology and materialistc goods made cheaper and easily available.
TODAY those ambitions,attitudes,principles seem hollow,as yesterdays hippies became businessmen and politicians,pushing the stuff they once railed against,the vietnam war continued for some years,the same political sides STILL rule to THIS day,
In the UK,Musicians who where once looked upon as anti establishment,accepted knighthoods and honours from the system they disliked,to prove that ego was never lost,many still play today in their 70s and 80s,charging ridiculous prices,sponsored by big corporations ...so much for hoping to die before they get old.
DISAPPOINTING.