Philip David Ochs was an American protest singer (or, as he preferred, a topical singer) and songwriter who was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, earnest humanism, political activism, insightful and alliterative lyrics, and haunting voice. He wrote hundreds of songs in the 1960s and released eight albums in his lifetime. Ochs performed at many political events, including anti-Vietnam War and civil rights rallies, student events, and organized labor events over the course of his career, in addition to many concert appearances at such venues as New York City's Town Hall and Carnegie Hall. Politically, Ochs described himself as a "left social democrat" who became an "early revolutionary" after the protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago led to a police riot, which had a profound effect on his state of mind. After years of prolific writing in the 1960s, Ochs's mental stability declined in the 1970s. He eventually succumbed to a number of problems including bipolar disorder and alcoholism, and took his own life in 1976. Some of Ochs's major influences were Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, Bob Gibson, Faron Young, Merle Haggard, John Wayne, and John F. Kennedy. All The News That's Fit to Sing was Phil Ochs' first official album. Recorded in 1964 for Elektra Records, it was full of many elements that would come back throughout his career. It was the album that defined his "singing journalist" phase, strewn with songs whose roots were allegedly pulled from Newsweek magazine. It is one in a long line of folk albums used to tell stories about everyday struggles and hardships. 01 - One More Parade 02 - The Thresher 03 - Talking Vietnam Blues 04 - Lou Marsh 05 - Power And The Glory 06 - Celia 07 - The Bells 08 - Automation Song 09 - Ballad Of William Worthy 10 - Knock On The Door 11 - Talking Cuban Crisis 12 - Bound For Glory 13 - Too Many Martyrs 14 - What's That I Hear 15 - Bullets Of Mexico LINK RS or LINK FS
Barry McGuire is an American singer-songwriter best known for the hit song "Eve of Destruction", and later as a singer and songwriter of Contemporary Christian Music. McGuire was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and moved to California in early childhood, when he was 2 years old. At age 16 he joined the United States Navy, but was discharged ten months later for being under age. After working as a commercial fisherman, and then going onto become a journeyman pipe fitter, at age 25 McGuire got a job singing in a bar. In 1961, he released his first single called "The Tree", which was not a hit. He formed a duo with Barry Kane called Barry & Barry. The new duo folk act performed their own brand of original folk arrangements - noticeably impressive melodies laced with rich harmonies - at "The Ice House", a small folk club in Pasadena, CA. before moving on to "The Troubadour" in Hollywood in the spring of 1962. At The Troubadour they both joined The New Christy Minstrels, a large folk group performing there. They continued to perform their separate duo act there as well as performing with The New Christy Minstrels. They cut their first and only album as Barry & Barry called "Here And Now" which contained songs such as "Gold Wedding Ring", "Land Of Odin", "Another Man", "Summer's Over", "You Know My Name", "Bull 'Gine Run", "Far Side Of The Hill" and more. Their LP "Here And Now" on vinyl eventually went out of print, but has since been digitally remastered and rereleased on CD. Barry McGuire & the Doctor, is simply the best McGuire album. Sadly much underrated, this masterwork is really a must to all lovers of late sixties psych/drug-induced explorations. 01 - South Of The Border 02 - The Old Farm 03 - Too Much City 04 - Train 05 - Electric Train 06 - Meet Me At The Bottom LINK RS or LINK FS
Davie Allan is a guitarist best known for his work on soundtracks to various teen and biker movies in the 1960s. Allan's backing band is almost always the Arrows (i.e., Davie Allan & the Arrows), although the Arrows have never been a stable lineup. Allan grew up in the San Fernando Valley in Southern California, and learned to play guitar as a teenager. His career as a musician began when he teamed up with Mike Curb, a friend he met in the choir at Grant High School in Van Nuys, California, to form an instrumental surf combo. In 1963, Curb founded Cude Records, the first of many labels he would run, and released the first Davie Allan single, "War Path.” Allan participated in recording a number of other singles for Curb's label, released under group names like the Sudells, the Heyburners, and the Zanies. As an album, the Arrows' Cycle Delic Sounds Of.. is a standalone among instrumental rock & roll records. Recorded in late 1967, it fully exploits the recording studio to full-on psychedelic effect, while its tracks are burning rock & roll guitar workouts that merge hard and heavy hot rod, surf, and biker music. This is the next step -- the unholy sonic marriage of Dick Dale and the Ventures with Link Wray and the young Jimi Hendrix. The title cut leads it off with squalling wah-wah raunch & roll, drenched in fuzz and studio effects, it's wild, raw, and unfettered. (AM) 01 - Cycle-Delic 02 - Invasion 03 - Cody's Theme 04 - Blue's Trip 05 - 13Th Harley 06 - Another Cycle In Detroit 07 - Grogs Hog 08 - Devil's Angels Theme 09 - The Born Loser's Theme 10 - Mind Transferral LINK RS or LINK FS
Blues Rock band from San Diego. The album, though being issued on the small Lizard label, may be not so obscure, but the band surely is. Named after a small town somewhere out in the back country near San Diego, there is almost no information available on this outfit. They are: Steve Williams, Bob Desnoyers, Ron Armstrong and John Fergus. Their music is mostly heavy blues rock with extremely powerful vocals. Best songs are "Tobacco Road" with a strong guitar solo and thundering blues harp, "Ramblin Man" (not the Allman Brothers' song) and the apocalyptic "Valley Thunder". 01 - Tobbaco Road 02 - Long Tall Sally 03 - Sunrise Over Jamul 04 - Movin' To The Country 05 - Hold The Line 06 - Jumpin' Jack Flash 07 - All You Have Is Left Me 08 - Nickel Thimble 09 - I Can't Complain 10 - Ramblin' Man 11 - Valley Thunder LINK RS or LINK FS
Hapshash and the Coloured Coat is the name of an influential British graphic design and avant-garde musical partnership between Michael English and Nigel Waymouth, producing psychedelic posters and two albums of underground music. They released Featuring the Human Host and the Heavy Metal Kids in 1967, and Western Flier in 1969. The 'Heavy Metal Kids' were in fact the fledgling group ART, members of which would become the short-lived group SPOOKY TOOTH (Mike Harrison, Greg Ridley, Mike Kellie and Luther Grosvenor). The album is marked by wild psychedelic jams punctuated with unpredictable vocal outbursts, manic piano and rhythms sometimes bordering on both a very early funk sound, and some aspects of world music.
01 - H-O-P-P-Why 02 - A Mind Blown Is A Mind Shown 03 - The New Messiah Coming 1985 04 - Aoum 05 - Empire Of The Sun
Alpha Centauri were an American band, formed in Greely, Colorado, in 1971. They then moved to Canada and gathered themselves even more of a following with extensive touring, playing right round the country. Before the internet really took off, this was one sought after album, commanding high prices by many dealers in the know. But then a re-issue in 1995 on Pacemaker Records, and the internet being made readily available to the man in the street, this kinda lost its aura of the unobtainability. A great album, if a little dated, full of flashy guitar and keyboard interplay. Kurt Smith (vocals, guitar), Jess Redmon (keyboards, vocals), Garth Hannum (bass, vocals, 1975-83) and Randy Thompson (drums) 01 - Hard Life 02 - One Night At A Time 03 - I'm A Rebel 04 - Earth In Motion 05 - Love Is A Curse 06 - You Shot Me Down 07 - Love Only You 08 - Make It All Rock 'n' Roll LINK RS or LINK FS
