The Shaggs were an American all-female rock group formed in Fremont, New Hampshire in 1968. The band was composed of sisters Dorothy "Dot" Wiggin (vocals/lead guitar), Betty Wiggin (vocals/rhythm guitar), Helen Wiggin (drums), and later Rachel Wiggin (bass). The Shaggs were formed by Dot, Betty, and Helen in 1968 on the insistence of their father, Austin Wiggin, who believed that his mother foresaw the band's rise to stardom. The band's only studio album, Philosophy of the World, was released in 1969. The album failed to garner attention, though the band continued to exist as a locally popular live act. The Shaggs disbanded in 1975 after the death of Austin. The band is primarily notable today for their perceived ineptitude at playing conventional rock music; the band was described in one Rolling Stone article as "...sounding like lobotomized Trapp Family singers." As the obscure LP achieved recognition among collectors, the band was praised for their raw, intuitive composition style and lyrical honesty. Philosophy of the World was lauded as a work of art brut, and was later reissued, followed by a compilation album, Shaggs' Own Thing, in 1982. The Shaggs are now seen as a groundbreaking outsider music group, receiving praise from mainstream artists such as Kurt Cobain. 01 - Philosophy Of The World 02 - That Little Sports Car 03 - Who Are Parents 04 - My Pal Foot Foot 05 - My Companion 06 - I'm So Happy When You're Near 07 - Things I Wonder 08 - Sweet Thing 09 - It's Halloween 10 - Why Do I Feel 11 - What Should I Do 12 - We Have A Savior LINK
Not to be confused with the Danish band of the same name, this Rainbow Band was an American outfit that released one record on Elektra back in 1971. It never ceases to amaze me that there was a time when major labels put out really good records (technically Elektra was a major at this point, having been sold to Warner in 1970). This album appears in the Elektra catalog between the intriguing Crow Dog's Paradise' album of peyote songs & Mike Heron's fantastic Smiling Men With Bad Reputations record. So why all this talk about the Elektra catalog? Well, to be honest, it's because I know very little about the group that put together this very cool slice of rural, commune psych. Participated in the recording (although not what they did): Mahesh, Pavarthi, Maruga Booker, Nithyan Gefron, Scotty Avedisian, Phil Catanzaro, Ragunath Mancini, Trevor Young, Gary Olerich, Darius Brubeck, Colin Wolcott, Nirmala, Sharon Simon, Lalitha, Janiki Tenny, Priscilla, Victoria, Felix, Anandi, & Shiva. Some of the names are familiar. Colin Wolcott was a founding member of the group Oregon. Darius Brubeck, a jazz performer in his own right, is Dave Brubeck's son. However, I can't say anything about the duo who fronted the outfit except that they look blissed out on the cover.(Amadeus) 01 - Rama Rama 02 - Lotus 03 - Sweater Song 04 - Simple Song 05 - Midnite Sun 06 - Song Of The Navajo 07 - Now Is The Time LINK
Sam Apple Pie were a British blues-rock band, of the late 1960s and 1970s, noted for having played at the first Glastonbury Festival in 1970, and for playing a role in the early careers of several musicians including Gary Fletcher, Dave Charles and Malcolm Morley. The British blues-rock boom was such a big deal at the end of the 1960s that plenty of also-ran bands got the chance to fill out the bottom of concert and festival bills, and also to record. Sam Apple Pie were among them, and their self-titled debut album didn't offer much in the style that was out of the ordinary, though it did possess basic competence. You needed more than basic competence to make a mark, however, even in a genre that could be as hidebound as British blues. Sam Apple Pie didn't have those extra special somethings, relying too much upon stock blues riffs and good-time energy that might have been effective in a concert setting, but are pretty dull on record. If any influence from their peers seems strongest, it's early Fleetwood Mac (in both their stinging blues modes and their quieter, more reflective ones).
01 - Hawk 02 - Winter Of My Love 03 - Stranger 04 - Swan Song 05 - Tiger Man (King Of The Jungle) 06 - Something Nation 07 - Sometime Girl 08 - Uncle Sam's Blues 09 - Annabelle 10 - Moonlight Man 11 - Tiger Man (Mono Single Mix) 12 - Sometime Girl (Mono Single Mix)
P.J. Orion & The Magnates are a prep-Garage band formed by Jeremiah Milbank III (lead guitar, vocals), Aristedes George Embiricos (bass guitar), Peter John Goulandris (rhythm guitar, lead vocals) and Peter Nicholas Goulandris (drums). The band members belonged to wealthy Greek shipping families (hence Magnates) and were students at the Groton prep school in Massachusetts. Of the numerous so-called prep Rock Garage albums to be released on small or private labels by prep school students in the mid-'60s, the self-titled one by P.J. Orion & The Magnates, recorded in New York City, is among the better ones. Though very rare in its original pressing, the record became fairly well-known among '60s Garage Rock collectors after getting reissued in the mid-'80s by "Eva Records".
01 - As Tears Go By 02 - We Gotta Get Out Of This Place 03 - Eve Of Destruction 04 - Under The Boardwalk 05 - Sheila 06 - Love Minus Zero 07 - What Have They Done To The Rain 08 - Bells Of Rhymney 09 - Gloria
The band were based in Greenwich Village, having relocated from Washington DC when they were known as The Button, (which was the final incarnation of The Hangmen). The Button line-up included drummer Bob Berberich who returned to DC, teamed up with two other ex-Hangmen and Nils Lofgren to form Paul Dowell and The Dolphin and later Grin. Graffiti's sole album was in some ways typical of numerous obscure psychedelic one-shots on fairly big labels in the late '60s: over-ambitious lyrics, a kaleidoscope of styles that butted heads as often as it blended, emulation of several passing psychedelic trends pioneered by bigger groups, and an absence of really good songs. All that said, as such albums go, it's better than average, though hardly noteworthy. That's kind of faint praise, but at least Graffiti were less ponderous than many such bands, with a sort of gossamer lightness to much of their material. As for what styles they mined, they're hard to pin down, though they're fairly influenced by West Coast psychedelia of the era, with some of the vocal harmonies so high that one can mistakenly think there was a woman in the group (there wasn't). Bits of jazz, classical guitar, blues-rock, psychedelic effects, and vocal harmonies both sunshine pop and Gregorian seep through from time to time as the band floats through ever-shifting melodies and styles. The songs and instrumental solos do tend to go on too long, however, and the songwriting isn't memorable. (AMG) 01 - Father Protector 02 - The Capture Of Me - Life Blood 03 - Interlude - 1 - Jingle Jangle Woman 04 - New Life - Girl On Fire - Cold Water - Love In Spite 05 - Ugly Mascara 06 - He's Got The Knack LINK
Newburgh, New York psych-punks the Jelly Bean Bandits formed in 1966. Singer Billy Donald, guitarist Jack Dougherty, bassist Fred Buck, keyboardist Michael "Mr. Addams" Raab, and drummer Joe "Laredo London" Scalfari originally operated as "the Mirror", regularly packing area nightspots like the local Trade Winds, Poughkeepsie's Buccaneer Nightclub, and Burlington, Vermont's Red Dog. In due time, they recorded a three-song demo reel that resulted in a three-album recording contract with Mainstream Records, however, unknown to Mainstream, these three songs represented the sum total of the Jelly Bean Bandits' repertoire, forcing the band to write enough additional material to flesh out a full-length LP in the course of a week. Their obscure psych rock debut album, recorded in less than 12 hours is as bizarre as it is tastefull. Every tune is interesting and worth the price of admission with a jelly bean mix of garage rock, punk, R&B and psychedelia.(DYHT) 01 - Country Woman 02 - Generation 03 - Poor Precious Dreams 04 - Another August Revisited 05 - Going Nowhere 06 - Happiness Girl 07 - Goodtime Feeling 08 - September Rain 09 - Neon River 10 - Plastic Soldiers 11 - Say Mann 12 - Tapestries LINK
