The Incredible String Band At Woodstock

This is a performance you haven't seen on the famous movie about the "three days of peace, love and music", and nor heard on one the two double LP sets. I've always thought about the Incredible String Band as a sort of cult band, it's hard to imagine that they were popular enough to appear at the most famous music festival ever, though playing in front of almost half a million people wasn't maybe the ideal situation for them.

This really "incredible band" has been one of the most creative and imaginative of their era, their music is a bridge that united with surrealistic eclecticism the British folk revival with the psychedelic sounds and culture. The core of the band was formed by Mike Heron and Robin Williamson, two Scottish songwriters, singers and multi-instrumentalists. On that occasion they were joined by their girlfriends Christine "Licorice" McKechnie and Rose Simpson. Both these songs were unreleased then, as they have been published in 1970 on the album I Looked Up. They also played This Moment, but the available clip of that song is uncomplete.

Incredible String Band - The Letter (1969)

Incredible String Band - When You Find Out Who You Are (1969)

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Peace & Love ;-)

Mirco

All You Need Is Love

We go back to the sixties and back to California to meet another historical band: The Love, from Los Angeles. Leaded by the great composer, singer and guitarist Arthur Lee, this multi-racial combo has exposed in some memorable records a perfect combination of different styles like rythm 'n' blues, folk, pop with beautiful and fancyful arrangements. A rocking version of Burt Bacharach's song My Little Red Book, that they presented with this mimed performance on the TV program American Bandstand, was one of the gems included on the 1966 self-titled debut album. The Love's golden period continued in 1967 with the next two albums Da Capo and Forever Changes. This last one is a collection of marvellous folk-pop songs with very refined orchestral arrangements, and it's considered by many as one of the best rock album ever.
Due to Lee's despotic attitude and drug-related problems, the band began to dissolve. In the following decades Arthur Lee appeared a very few times on the musical scene, also because of some health problems, but in 2003 he reformed Love with some new fine musicians (the other singer and composer Bryan MacLean died in '98) for a tour on which they played the whole Forever Changes album, and some more old tunes. He was in great shape, as documented also by this DVD. On this clip the "New Love" play a compelling version of 7 And 7 Is, originally included on Da Capo.

Added on august 04: I've just read on the Sonic Pollutions blog that Arthur Lee has died. I didn't imagine that this post could turn into an obituary so soon. As I wrote about Syd Barrett, the man has gone but his music will still remain for a long time.

Love - My Little Red Book (1966)

Love - 7 And 7 Is (2003)

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Bye

Mirco

Madcaps

I remember when I was a very young kid, in the mid-eightes, new-psychedelia became the main trend in the underground rock scene. The musical press used to discuss about the artistic legacy of Syd Barrett, certainly the most significant figure of sixties' British psychedelia. Julian Cope and Robyn Hitchcock, two British artists too, were considered as the best heirs of Syd, not because they had simply tried to imitate him, but, taking inspiration from sixties' psychedelic pop, they both created their own eccentric and unique style. In the late seventies, during the punk/new wave age, people started to hear some modern psychedelic pop thanks also to Julian's band, The Teardrop Explodes, and Robyn's one, The Soft Boys; but it's been with their long and rich solo careers that they reached even more exciting creative goals. The people who don't know their music have a lot of gems to discover. These videos, a couple of promo clips you probably haven't seen so often on MTV, can give you just a little idea. Try Try Try is a song included on Cope's 1995 album 20 Mothers, while Madonna Of The Wasp is a single released by Robyn and his band The Egyptians on 1989. The song is also included on the album Queen Elvis, a sticker on the cover of that record introduced him as "# 1 post-modern artist".

You'll see on the videos that they both were wearing a "mad cap"!

Julian Cope - Try Try Try (1995)
Robyn Hitchcock 'n' The Egyptians - Madonna Of The Wasps (1989)

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See you next time

Mirco

Nuggets # 4

Two more precious nuggets from the mid-sixties.
The Remains, from Boston, were maybe the best New England garage band. They formed in late '64 and soon became very popular with some singles and a self-titled LP in 1966. Their fame grew even more when they played as the opening act for The Beatles and The Rolling Stones on their American tours, so they also appeared on TV a few times. This live perfomance at the Ed Sullivan Show is particulary interesting because the song Let Me Through is still unreleased on record, and it's a pity as it's a fantastic garage tune, with an exciting and frantic psychedelic instrumental coda.

The Knickerbockers, from the state of New York, also had a short life from 1964 to '66. They are remembered as Beatles' imitators, but what a great imitation they did! Lies is a song so good that it'll make you want to dance crazily as the girls in this video, showing their appearance at the Hullabaloo TV program.

Remains - Let Me Through (1966)
Knickerbockers - Lies (1966)

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See you soon

Mirco

Goodbye Syd

I read this new a few hours ago. It makes me very sad, and I'm sure that thousands of people all over the world are feeling the same way. Syd Barrett died a few days ago at the age of 60.
This old funny promo clip of Pink Floyd's first single show him as I like to remember him. He was very young and seemed to be happy with his friends.
In the last years Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett chose to live a quiet and retired life. We can't know for sure if he was really sadder and crazier than us.
There's not much to say without being rhetorical, I just wish he could hear me saying goodbye and thanks a lot. You won't be forgotten and your music will live forever.

Pink Floyd - Arnold Layne (1967)

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Goodbye

Moby Grape

Moby Grape is one of the hundreds of bands that were born in San Francisco in the late sixties, the same magical scene from which the Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead and the Quicksilver Messenger Service had emerged. Alexander "Skip" Spence, who is now also remembered for a marvellous and intimistic solo album called Oar, has been the drummer in the early Jefferson Airplane's line-up, but he soon left because he wanted to play the guitar.
Moby Grape was formed by five talented musicians, and four of them were also very good singers. The result was a memorable self-titled debut LP, one of the coolest rock album ever, in my opinion, though it doesn't sound so psychedelic compared to the works of other contemporary bands. The following double record Wow/Grape Jam is more "acid", but not so inspired, spontaneous and convicting as the first one, with its perfect vocal harmonies and fantastic guitar work.
This promo clip, from some distant TV show of 1967, offers you two songs from that great debut: a powerful rock-blues and a soft evocative ballad, to give you an idea of Moby Grape's eclecticism.
I hope you'll enjoy the video as much as I did, I was so thrilled to see Skip Spence and his companions in action!


Moby Grape - Hey Grandma/Sitting By The Window (1967)

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Bye

Mirco

Folk Mutants # 2

I started uploading videos on December 2005 with a post called Folk Mutants (don't try to downlaod the Pentanlge's video as it's unavailable, I might consider to re-upload it as it is very good and some people asked me to do it). Six months later this blog is still alive and has reached 100.000 visits. To celebrate the event here is, finally, Folk Mutants # 2.
The Fairport Convention has been one of the firsts and most known bands to renew the British traditional music, and the Steeleye Span also became very popular among lovers of folk-rock music, since they were formed, in 1969, by the bass player Ashley "Tiger" Hutchings when he left the Fairport Convention.
By the time of this appearance at the BBC program The Old Grey Wisthle Test, the Fairport had already lost other talents like Sandy Denny and Richard Thompson, but their album "Babbacombe" Lee was still brilliant, maybe the only concept album ever released by a folk band. The song is the last chapter of the story of a man wrongfully accused of murder in the nineteenth century. You'll see what a great perfomer Dave Swarbrick is, on vocals and fiddle.
The Steeleye Span's video is a clip of their most successful song, n° 1 in the British charts and their first hit in the USA. A catchy tune that won't get out easily of your head and ears, with its rocking arrangement and Maddy Prior's delightful voice.

Fairport Convention - Wake Up John (The Hanging Song) (1972)
Steeleye Span - All Around My Hat (1975)

Password: http://musicforyoureyes.blogspot.com/

See you soon

Mirco

Trolls Strike Back

Yes, they seem to love this blog. Many files have been deleted again. Some of them I have already re-uploaded, some others I'll re-upload soon. If you find that some videos you're interested in have vanished from Rapidshare, please be patient and try again in a few days.
Thank you.