El Amor - En Vivo (1971 mexico, heavy psych/acid rock, 2006 shadoks edition - MP3 320k and FLAC)

Rock band formed in the late 60's, first as "Los Pajaros", and led by Miguel Cardenas. The band was originally from Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, and participated the Youth Festival which was conducted the March 13, 1970 in that city, after receiving outstanding reviews from critics, they decided to try their luck in Mexico City, where they recorded their first LP, which included covers of popular songs at that time.

The group renamed as "El Amor" in August 1971 and appear in the popular in a TV show on Sunday in which it was not common invite rock bands. "El Vivo" is their second album, released 1971. The band really crank it up here, with loads of wigged-out fuzz guitar heavily featured on six lengthy tracks of high energy acid rock.

Review in spanish by Rubber Soul Chat
El grupo regiomontano el Amor, fue uno de los grupos mas aclamados en el Festival de Avandaro de 1971, especialmente por su archireconocida rola "I Love you More", pero el grupo en su primer album de estudio, se estaba llendo hacia el Pop y el Beat (incluyendo refritos de los Beatles y Badfinger), pero en vivo, demostraron que eso no era lo suyo, sino el Heavy Psych a lo Black Sabbath o Blue Cheer, aqui puedes encontrar una gama de sonidos psicodelicos con mucho Fuzz en el bajo y la guitarra, asi que si esperabas a los Beatles mexicanos, olvidate de eso, pero si en cambio te gustan tambien bandas como Sir Lord Baltimore, Blue Cheer o Black Sabbath, entonces te lo recomiendo, es un discazo al nivel de esos grandes del Heavy Psych.

Tracks
1. I'm a Walking/I Love you More - 12:09
2. We Sing Together - 9:50
3. We Must Say Goodbye - 3:17
4. We Need Love - 9:35
5. Take My Lovin' - 7:55

El Amor
*Jorge Alberto Vallejo - Drums
*Miguel Cardenaz - Lead Guitar, Vocals
*Rogelio Gonzalez - Vocals, Bass

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Grupo Ciruela - Regreso al Origen (1973 mexico, heavy psychedelic rock - MP3 320k and FLAC)

Grupo Ciruela formed 1971, Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Their 1973 album is a mix of hard rock boogie with a Jethro Tull/Black Sabbath/Led Zeppelin influence and some fine twin guitar leads. Similarities to fellow Mexican rockers Los Dug Dugs. One of the heavier bands from south of the border whose music has that stoner booze filled hippy vibe; all original material.

Spanish review by RubberSoulChat
Que puedo decir de este grupazo, yo la verdad diría que se trata del Deep Purple mexicano, aquí no hay banda que se parezca más a ese gran quintento inglés. Lo que hacía el grupo Ciruela era tocar un Hard blues Ácido con toques de Jazz y Boogie ¿pero que es a lo que me lleva a decir tal afirmación de que se trata del DP mexicano? fácil la ejecución instrumental del grupo (que está casi al nivel de Deep Purple, solo que falta el tan presente organo de los dioses púrpuras) y la voz de Daniel Valens "el Hermano" que es idéntica a la de Ian Gillan, yo diría que el grupo Ciruela es básicamente el MK II de Deep Purple en sus momentos mas hardrockeros psicodélizado a lo Jimi Hendrix, Cream o Black Sabbath.

Tracks
1.- Father (Padre) - 3:25
2.- Acapulco golden (Acapulco dorado) - 3:00
3.- Regreso al origen - 3:57
4.- Nada nos detendra - 3:12
5.- Falsa - 2:36
6.- Despertar - 8:48
7.- Peste - 7:22

Grupo Ciruela
*Daniel Valenz “El Hermano” – Vocals
*Cesar Cal – Guitars,
*Billy Valle – Guitars,
*Sergio Saul Soto – Bass,
*Guillermo Garibay – Drums
* Luis Perez - Flute, Vocals
*Javier Villafeunte - Guitar Vocals
*L. Miguel Esparga - Bajo, Vocals

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Kahvas Jute - Wide Open/Live At The Basement (1971/2005 aussie heavy psych blended prog, hard rock, blues/jazz with bonus tracks - MP3 320k and FLAC)

Wide Open is a progressive rock milestone and a consummate example of underground psychedelic hard rock at its most inventive and powerful. As the title suggests, a free-flowing and expansive musical blending of rock, blues and jazz, and to leaven out the sound there’s a touch of acid folk thrown in for good measure.

It’s a very English-influenced sound but far from being a slavish copy of the overseas role model, the album bears a uniquely Australia flavour. It continues to be held as one of Australia ’s prime rock collectables, with original pressings of the album selling for as much as US$600.00 on eBay in recent years.

The tightly structured songs and the superb guitar work of Dennis Wilson and Tim Gaze (Tamam Shud) combine to stamp the record as a tour de force, where style, content, technique and sonic bearing meet in perfect equilibrium.

Furthermore, the whole shebang is held together by the restlessly exploratory bass lines of the great Bob Daisley (who later went on to a stellar international career with Rainbow, Ozzy Osbourne, Gary Moore, Uriah Heep, Chicken Shack – the list is endless!) and the muscular, yet agile drum patterns of Dannie Davidson (Tamam Shud, Band Of Light).

Is it any wonder then that all these elements add up to make Wide Open one of the most sought-after artefacts of the entire Aussie progressive rock era?

Reformation:
On the 17th July 2005 , Kahvas Jute, featuring new drummer Mark Marriott (an experienced session player), played a gig at famed Sydney venue The Basement which was filmed for future DVD release.

The set list that night featured six tracks from Wide Open, seven new songs, a cover of Cream’s ‘Politician’ plus an impromptu jam on the old Yardbirds number ‘The Nazz are Blue’ featuring guest vocalist Jimmy Barnes (5 of the audio tracks feature as bonus tracks on the CD reissue).

If anything, the gig showed the band to be better musicians than ever, with the added elements of experience and maturity shining through, while also managing to capture the Kahvas Jute sound to perfection.

Aztec Music’s reissue of Wide Open has been digitally remastered by Dennis Wilson. Packaged in our usual 6 panel digi-pak, with rare photos, and liner notes by Ian McFarlane.

Tracks
1. Free - 5:13
2. Odyssey - 3:59
3. Up There (T. Gaze, D. Davidson) - 2:49
4. She’s So Hard to Shake - 4:17
5. Vikings - 4:32
6. Steps of Time (D. Davidson) - 3:22
7. Twenty Three (T. Gaze) - 3:49
8. Ascend (Bob Daisley) - 3:11
9. Parade of Fools - 9:09
10.Politician (Bonus Track) (P. Brown, J. Bruce) - 6:43
11.She’s So Hard To Shake (Bonus Track) - 4:21
12.Ascend (Bonus Track) (Bob Daisley) - 1:47
13.Ascension (Bonus Track) (T. Gaze) - 1:46
14.Parade Of Fools (Bonus Track) - 11:04
All songs by Dennis Wilson except where noted
Bonus Tracks – Live at the Basement 2005

Kahvas Jute
*Dennis Wilson - Guitar, Vocals, Acoustic, Bottleneck, Wah Wah Guitars
*Bob Daisley - Bass, Vocal Harmonies
*Dannie Davidson - Drums (tracks 1-9)
*Tim Gaze - Guitar, Vocals, Piano, Steel Guitar
*Mark Marriott - Drums (tracks 10-14)

[Thank you MARCAO BRITO for this post]
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Wicked Lady - The Axman Cometh (1968-72 uk, heavy psychedelic rock, kissing spell edition - MP3 320k and FLAC)

In 1968, inspired by Jimi Hendrix and suchlike, a Dickensian Street Urchan stole thought the dark night to his local music store, hurled a brick and disappeared rapidly down an alleyway concealing an object 'neath ragged cloak. In die sanctity of a musty basement Martin Weaver, panting feverishly, feasted his glittering eyes upon the battered 'Les Paul* now grasped in his hands." All Guitars are bereft11 he cried» quoting Prouhdon.

Thus was born the Wicked Lady. Two months later a bearded itinerant holy-man, later known as 'Mad' Dick Smith, came onto the scene claiming to have played bongos for an obscure order of The Monks of St. Catherine" in a remote Scottish Monastery, he was officially conscripted as drummer. To make up this emerging "Power Trio" came Bob "Motorist" Jeffries, a member of the same Hells Angels chapter as Matin Weaver and previous member of the short-lived "Kill'em Dead" "Death Flower" circa 1968.

In early '68 The Wicked Lady became a functional reality. Initially they played at Catherines of Hells Angels, rallies and late night parties. It would be fair to say that the atmosphere of those early months could be summed up in a bottle of jack Daniels, speed and the noise of a fully blown Harley. Students soon began to show an interest in the band, and that summer they were booked for several university and college gigs, akin to placing a piranha in a bowl of placid ornamental goldfish.

The band kept it together for 2 of those gigs, but at the following, an A&R man for EMI, having offered them a recording deal, was badly beaten up by Martin Weaver and thrown naked and unconscious intom the audience amid a cranked-up rendition of Tuck'em all Ophelias lament" (one of the lost songs). It is preumably due 10 a sense of injured pride that said A&R man did not press charges - but the police did arrive that night and amid skirmishes with the incited crowd stopped the performance.

That night seemed to mark a turning point in their "Career** or rather, the beginning of their fell, amd a descent into crawling chaos. The next performance at Oxford University saw "Mad" Dick Smith forcibly removed from stage by the other members after apparently shouting "The Pink Fairies are SH-! The Pink Fairies are SH-! for 15 minutes, having thrown his drum kit into the audience injuring twelve students (a figure that must have been exaggerated by die press). A catalogue of disasters ensued, reading something Eke a parody of a Rock History- Bob Jeffries tried to ride his customised '51 BSA Bantam chopper on stage at Cambridge, but stalled and felt into the crowd, badly bumping his arm in the process.

They were banned permanently from entering the town of Peasonhall after "insighting a crowd to riot”. Gigs in Northampton, their home town, were impossible. The alleged "incitement to riot” party favourite sprang up again in Norwich, Birmingham and no less than five other towns and cities. To cap it all, at a gig attended by John Peel and several media luminaries, those influential personages amongst the crowd were greeted by die improbable sight of seeing the curtain raised to display all 3 members lying unconscious on stage following a drinks/drugs binge - nothing would rouse them and this gig had to be called off.

This event literally finished them. The personalities in the band were becoming increasingly unstable, violence and disorder becoming their trademark. "Mad" Dick Smith left suddenly in mid 71» to return in 72, when he recorded some tracks with the band, only to disappear permanently some weeks later. Bob Jeffries was "lost at sea'1 in a bizarre re-enactment of the final sequences to die Biker Movie "Easy Rider". And Martin Weaver, that same year (1972), left Britain to become a soldier of fortune on the African continent, gun-running and suchlike.

During those turbulent years of '60-72 some songs woe recorded on a 2-track revox, (stolen from the same store mentioned in our opening paragraph), and it is those tracks that make up this CD. They capture something of the anger and genius of the Wicked Lady but also tell of the narcotics consumed at the time. As such the musk is hard and honest.

The fact that the band were totally wasted when recording might even add to the deep atmosphere and evil guitaring listeners are about to experience. Crank up the amp, mentally picture Whitney Houston, and let it rip. Matin Weaver is currently rehearsing with a "Wicked Lady Mk II called " Witch Hunt", you may hear the results in a few months... until then you can rest easy...

Tracks
1. Run The Night - 5:08
2. War Cloud - 7:37
3. The Axeman Cometh - 6:52
4. Life And Death - 9:58
5. Wicked Lady - 6:01
6. Out Of The Dark - 10:14
7. Rebel - 3:32
8. Living On The Edge - 10:09

Wicked Lady
*Bob Jeffries - Bass
*"Mad" Dick Smith - Drums
*Martin Weaver - Guitars, Vocals

[Thank you SAINTVITUS for sending this post]
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