A1 - The Dinner Party A2 - Mussolini's Exit A3 - Humor Police A4 - You Only Live Twice A5 - Face to Face with a Couple Axes A6 - Well Known Stranger
B1 - Naturally Absolute B2 - Funny Thing Is B3 - Dead Girls B4 - Like That Madri Girl B5 - God Only Be Without You
'By my count, Baroque Primitiva is the sixth album cut by Alvarius B. and is, like its predecessors, a deep swim through mysterious waters. The 11 tracks here were recorded at various sessions over the course of several years and range from "Humor Police" [a track that imagines what Syd Barrett might have sounded like had he been a devotee of rembetika] to a trippily Beatles-damaged version of 'You Only Live Twice' [the sole surviving shard of the aborted Alvarius B. Plays The Bond Songbook project]. Baroque Primitiva is the first long-format telegram from Alvarius B. since he lost his mothership [the Sun City Girls, with whom he employed his slave name, Alan Bishop] and it also feels like his most consistently non-acerbic -- perhaps even most beauty-oriented -- work. The songs often have a meditative pace and are filled with gorgeous lo-fi blends of vocals, guitar, bass and keys. Eyvind Kang guests on several tracks, but the bulk of the material was broadcast direct from the naked soul of Alvarius B., which turns out to be a warmer, sweeter place than you might imagine. The record also marks the return of the equally-legendary Poon Village label, whose productions are always extraordinary in visual terms, and Baroque Primitiva is no exception. The cover's meditative human mandala is a brilliant ocular ode to shifting visions of feminine pulchritude, and is worthy of the best framing job you can afford.' ~ byron coley
sold out : link removed by request : reish forthkommen
latest batch o' stunnin strummers & vision serpent psalms courtesy of the resplendent alvarius b, whose heavy flow is often as psychoactive as his namesake. letras de cancionespsicodélicos y sonidos bonitos. a shimmering creeper, ltd to 300 copies
01. De De De Dum 02. Eagle-wise 03. She Dwindles Her Fingers 04. Purple Boy Gang 05. Nancy 06. Latin Version 07. Marie 08. The Tennis Player 09. French Girls 10. Sounds 11. Adrenaline And Richard 12. She Says To Me 13. An Old Servant 14. Hey Sue 15. We Crossed The Atlantic 16. When Each Descends 17. A Fraying Space 18. Into Elizabeth's Eyes 19. There Was Melancholy 20. Vida 21. A Bird In The Engine 22. Empty
'If any Australian performer of the 60's deserves the description 'cult figure', it's Sydney singer-songwriter-poet Philip 'Pip' Proud [1947-2010]. Among his fans are Ian McFarlane, who likens him to Britain's legendary Syd Barrett and American Tom Rapp (Pearls Before Swine). One of his most ardent champions is Sydney writer-musician David Nichols [The Cannanes], who describes Pip as "Australia's first pop primitive" and hails him as "the greatest Australian singer-songwriter of the 1960s". In the late Sixties Pip was touted as Australia's answer to Bob Dylan, but this was a simplistic comparison. Nichols suggests a commonality with other distinctive solo artists like Nick Drake, Richard Thompson, Melanie, Donovan and Sandy Denny, but perhaps more so with some of the 'underground' artists of the last 10-15 years:
"He was, of course, twenty-five years ahead of his time. Listen to Lou Barlow's Sentridoh, or the Folk Implosion's Kidssoundtrack. Listen to other cutting-edge U.S. artists like The Mountain Goats, Beck, Guided By Voices or The Spinanes. Or listen to New Zealand's Alistair Galbraith, such a Proud fan he led off his 1994 Cluster EP with a song called 'Pip Proud'. Then listen to Pip Proud and tell us he doesn't fit so snugly with those sounds it's almost uncanny.'
Pip's style was unique. He wrote strange, plaintive song-poems about modern urban life and love, which he sang in his distinctive high, quavering voice. What made his recordings really stand out was that he accompanied himself by strumming or tapping on the strings of his unamplified electric guitar. Italian music writer Piero Scaruffi describes Pip's songs as
"... bizarre, childish rants of an hallucinated mind, accompanied by an out-of-tune guitar and paced at irregular tempos. The only precedent was the acid-folk music of the Holy Modal Rounders."
Like Syd Barrett, Pip recorded two remarkable solo Albums of original music in the late Sixties -- which now fetch hundreds of dollars apiece on the collectors' market -- and then he more or less disappeared from view. But interest in his remarkable music was kept alive by a dedicated few, and in the mid-1990s his musical career was revived, thanks largely to the efforts of super-fan David Nicholls. We are delighted to report that, since then, Pip has recorded and released several CDs of new music, which have gained international release.
Information about Pip's life and career is scant. What we know so far is that Pip was born in Adelaide and moved to Sydney in his late teens, where he began creating a large body of poetry, songs, novels and plays and also -- like most of his contemporaries -- became involved in the anti-war movement. Ca. 1967 he was 'discovered' by stockbroker and art patron Michael Hobbs, who financed Pip's first recording, the privately-recorded album De Da De Dum. It was released on the Grendel label, and apparently only about fifty copies were pressed, which must qualify it as one of the rarest and most collectible of all Australian recordings of that era.
Fortunately for posterity, Pip's album was heard by Bob Cooley, A&R manager at Phonogram Records [the Australia branch of what later became the Polygram group]. He was impressed by the unqiue qualities of Pip's music and signed him to the Philips label. Pip's first commercial LP was a re-recording of the songs from his debut album, released in 1968 under the title Adrenaline and Richard . It was well-reviewed in Go-Set which led to Pip making a few TV appearances and giving a handful of live performances.'
oldie/goodie. been revisiting this kat's hallucinogenic tone poems of late & wanted to make sure everyone who need knoweth finds out, especially my weird brother badger. say g'day to the australian syd barrett. further
01. These Trails 1:24 02. Our House In Hanalei 1:51 03. Of Broken Links 1:40 04. El Rey Pescador 3:07 05. Psyche I & Share Your Water 5:22 06. Hello Lou 3:47 07. Rusty's House & Los In Space 5:49 08. Psyche II 2:30 09. Sowed A Seed 2:17 10. Rapt Attention 2:15 11. Waipoo 2:36 12. Garden Botanum 3:31
Guitar - Dric Kingsbury Synthesizer, Recorded By, Arranged By, Mixed By - Dave Choy Written-By, Dulcimer, Guitar, Vocals - Margaret Morgan Written-By, Guitar, Sitar, Vocals - Carlos Pardeiro Written-By, Guitar, Tabla, Vocals - Patrick Cockett
Originally released in 1973 Recorded at Sinergia, Inc. Honolulu
'These Trails was an Honolulu, Hawaii group that was privately pressed on Sinergia Records in 1973. Their eponymous debut is an album that skillfully combines a keen sense of melody with otherworldly vocals from the enigmatic, late 'Margaret Morgan' and innovative sonic experimentation that over 30 years later has stood the test of time. What's more, the band furnished each of its tracks with the colours, scents and atmospheres of the botanical treasure of the volcanic Pacific island paradise that birthed them.
These Trails incorporate the synthesizer and multiple vocal tracks into something rich, moody and magical - with warbling frequency modulation complimenting Morgan's amazing slow vibrato, fleshed out by graceful acoustic guitars. The songs are full of simple beauty and the power of the performances will never diminish over time.
Each track stands out: "Psyche I & Share Your Water" is a 5 minute track begins with a calm, soothing Folk feel highlighted by some fine acoustic guitar work. Eventually it descends into bad trip territory with ghastly vocals and spooky electronics – an outstanding track, very trippy and worth the price of admission alone. 'Garden Botanum' is another strong highlight that hits like a ray of Hawaiian sunshine, the arrangements are free and green with lots of interesting twists, the vocals are beautifully exotic. 'Rapt Attention' is short, perfect ditty with a twee, joyful feeling and an incredible vocal performance. This is an unbelievably wonderful piece of music and one of the greatest albums of the 70s.' ~ ???
i humbly concur. the sweetest hawaiian psychedelique folk record ever manifested & still a favourite around deez parts. the tremulous trills of maggie's warbling vibrato, coupled with the gloop n' gurgle of vintage synths amidst a beautiful bed of acoustic alchemy make for an enchanting listen. nice feet too. upgrades are go. 320 blessings upon the originilluminator
