The Freedom Highway - Made In '68 (1968 us psychedelic, folk rock west coast - MP3 320K and FLAC)

The Freedom Highway at first set out with electric guitars to play a combination of ragtime, American folk music, with few original compositions.

The tall thin blonde-haired lead singer Mike Lamb was the focal point and he had a modest following who loved his Lonnie Johnson-styled blues shouting.

My slide guitar on the Dylan song "Oxford Town" was also a hit with audiences. Filling out the sound on a Farfisa organ was Howie Lazzarini, Kurt Eichstaedt on drums and Scott Inglis on bass.

It was Scott and I in 1967 that set the group on a completely different path by firing everyone else and hiring the very talented lead singer and drummer, Bruce Brymer.

Playing strictly as a trio, we wrote our own music which was both influenced by the Who and emphasized singing.

The following year Gary Philippet joined and gave us a tremendous boost with his fine singing and imaginative guitar work.

The day that Scott Inglis decided to enlist in military service our jaws hit the floor, but we soon found a more than satisfactory volunteer on bass, guitar and vocals in Dave Schallock.

Seasoned as he was from various groups (the Pullice where both he and Bruce had previously played together) Dave completed what would be the final and best line-up of the Freedom Highway.

We moved into a house together so we could eat, practice, live or die with our music.

While the unpopular Viet Nam war raged on, and then assassinations devastated entire political movements it became a symbol for almost every band to openly smoke illegal drugs.

Ours was certainly no exception. In that sense, never before or since has it mattered so little that we weren't yet of legal age and couldn't drink in a bar. We lived to roll, smoke, gig and rehearse.

It was our way of keeping our minds occupied while we waited for something, anything to happen in our career as band. That something never happened.

Adding to my despair was my military draft notice. Managing to thoroughly convince the induction officials of my inability to follow any kind of orders, I was relieved to be told I wasn't "army material".

There seemed to be no work or record label interest. We'd been managed for years by a team at West Pole Agency who had overseen the careers of Quicksilver Messenger Service and Big Brother.

Oddly, as the group improved musically, the amount of high profile shows decreased to the point where we had to take a hotel gig, work better suited to a "cover" band.

In 1970, when I turned twenty, the Freedom Highway ended forever as did that kind of hopeful, euphoric "love can save the world" philosophy that had spiked the party juice in San Francisco for five years (earofablankplanet.com).

Track List:
01.Chico (Smoke El Ropo) (5:33)
02.Give (7:56)
03.Don't Look Back (4:55)
04.The Waltz For Prime Tunas (4:45)
05.New Connections (6:33)
06.Heaven Train (2:32
07.Loretta (5:54)
08.Real Eyes (5:04)
09.Head In The Fire (4:29)
10.Be My Friend (4:46)
11.lack And White (3:34)
12.Reese Returns (3:41)
13.Spirit Passing 'Round (2:30)


The Freedom Highway:
*Bruce Drymer: Drums, Vocals
*Richi Ray Harris: Guitar, Vocals
*Dave Schallock: Bass, Vocals
*Gary Philippet: Guitar, Vocals
*Scott Inglis: Bass, Vocals


[ Rip and Scans by COR ]
CODE: 59119 or click here (password is code_number+phrockblog)

Gold - Oregins S.F.1970 (us san francisco great psychedelic west coast - Wave audio format)

With nine songs recorded in the studio at Golden State Recorders in San Francisco in 1969 and 1970, plus eight songs (in decent if imperfect fidelity) from a live show at the Fillmore West on March 3, 1970, this is a generous document - lasting 78 minutes in all - of a San Francisco band that only got to release one obscure single, never putting out an LP. (Both sides of that single, "No Parking"/"Summertime" - the latter produced by Country Joe McDonald, who also plays clavichord on the track - are here, though the notes don't make it clear if these were the same recordings used on the 45.)

It's a decent slab of period late-'60s San Francisco rock, though Gold were neither top-tier when judged against the many similar bands from the time and region, nor possessed of a fully formed musical identity.
Certainly you can hear bits and pieces of other major Bay Area acts - "High on Love" and "When I Saw You" have the spacey languor of Quicksilver Messenger Service at their most folk-rocking wistful, and "Conquistadores" is very much in the spirit of Santana's first album (in fact both bands had "Fried Neck Bones," heard on the live portion of this CD, in their repertoire).

Other tracks have a more macho, bluesy hard rock approach, and while eclecticism was a trademark of numerous San Francisco psychedelic acts, Gold were missing that something that might have elevated them to a notable rank.

Despite their derivative nature, however, "When I Saw You", "High On Love", and "Colores" are all enjoyable songs for those who like the distinctively bittersweet sound of much gentler SF psychedelia.

Other tracks indicate they could have done well with a Santana-esque fusion of rock, blues, and Latin rhythms had they wanted to go further down that route.

The scattershot liner notes don't give you much of a coherent history of the band's life and times, however.

The band were managed by Ron Cabral along with his brother Dennis from 1968 to 1973.
They broke up after playing San Francisco shows at both the Fillmore and Winterland with groups such as: Big Brother and the Holding Company, Hot Tuna, Ten Years After, Malo, and Mike Bloomfield. (by CGR)

Track List :

Golden State Recorders - San Francisco 1969/70
01.No Parking
02.High On Love
03.Righteous Road
04.Conquistadores
05.Heavy
06.When I Saw You
07.PSB
08.Filet Of Soul
09.Summertime

Live at the Fillmore-West Auditorium 03/03/1970
10.When I Saw You
11.Filet Of Soul
12.Colores
13.PSB
14.Conquistadores
15.No Parking
16.Fried Neck Bones
17.Heavy

Gold :
*Ed Scott - rhythm guitar
*Joe Bajza - lead guitar
*Louie Goursau - drums
*Chico Moncada - bass
*Richard Coco - vocals
*Robin Sinclair - vocals
*Ron Cabral - percussion (cowbell, maracas, guido, sticks, tambourine)
*Sebastian Nicholson - congas
*Bob Golden - vocals

[ Rip and Scans by DR BELL OTUS ]
CODE: 58147 or click here (password is cod_number+phrockblog)

Ernan Roch Con Las Voces Frescas - La Onda Pesada (1971 mexico west coast psych, folk and blues with melodic vocals & amazing fuzz guitar - FLAC)

First time reissue on CD of this extremely rare Rex label psychedelic classic (1971) from Mexico West Coast style psych little bit folksy, a little bit psychedelic from this a Mexican singer known only for this album.

Roch sings in English throughout, often in a mode that mixes bluesy phrasings with a raspier folk style, a package made all the more excellent thanks to the mix of acoustic and fuzzed-out electric guitars.

These are heavy on dark-edged phrasings, and they really give the record a spooky feel, one that some people have likened to being almost folk/funk at times!

Production is simple, but somehow heavenly, floating with a brilliance crafted from a very few simple elements; one of those rare perfect moments of studio magic

Current price for an original LP is around $1,000, if you can find a copy. If you like: "Darius" - Selftitled album on "Chartmaker", you will love this album.

Tha Train:


Track List:
01.The Train 4:29
02.Sitting On The Side Of The Ocean 4:21
03.I Found All 2:39
04.I Can't 4:09
05.Round Round 3:07
06.Gonna Make It 2:22
07.A Life Of Love 2:47
08.Cause Of Love
09.All Right - It's Gonna Take Time
10.Give a Me Peace (08 + 09+ 10) 11:20


[ Thank you DUSAN for sending this post ]
CODE: 50934

Merrell Fankhauser - Doctor Fankhauser (1986 us west coast and blues with John Cipollina - Legend ressuie with 09 bonus tracks - MP3 320K and FLAC)

Merrell Fankhauser has led one of the most diverse and interesting careers in music. He was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and moved to California when he was 13 years old. Merrell went on to become one of the innovators of surf music and psychedelic folk rock.

His travels from Hollywood to his 15 year jungle experience on the island of Maui have been documented in numerous music books and magazines in the United States and Europe.

Merrell has gained legendary international status throughout the field of rock music; his credits include over 250 songs published and released. He is a multi-talented singer/songwriter and unique guitar player whose sound has delighted listeners for over 35 years.

In the early 60s, Merrell led the instrumental surf group The Impacts who had a hit with their album titled "WIPE OUT", which was reissued in 1994 on Del Fi Records in the United States and in 1995 on Repertoire Records in Germany.

They returned in 1996 and 1997 with two stunning CDs titled "SURFIN 101" and "ETERNAL SURF". Their Surf Music crossed over into the new Millenium with the release of "SEX WAX & SURF"!

Upon moving to the high desert area of California in 1964, Merrell formed Merrell and the Exiles whose album titled "FAPARDOKLY" is one of the most sought after 60s psychedelic recordings.

In the late 60s, Merrell led his group H.M.S. Bounty to several hits with their album "THINGS" which was released on Uni/Shamley Records.

Merrell joined forces with Jeff Cotton (aka Antenna Jimmy Semens) from Captain Beefheart's Band in 1970 to form the group MU. In 1971 their first album was released in the United States on Era/RTV Records and became a FM radio hit. It was also released on United Artists Records in 1974.

In 1973, Merrell and his group MU moved to the island of Maui to further their studies of the fabled Lost Continent of Mu or Lemuria. American Indian and Hawaiian legend says this continent existed some 11,500 years ago in the Pacific Ocean where the Hawaiian Islands now exist.

Mu's second album, "END OF AN ERA" was recorded on the island of Maui in 1974. The recording was done in their jungle "studio house" and was engineered by ex-Quicksilver engineer, Barry Mayo.

This music took on a more mystical, tropical feel. MU was home! This album finally came out in 1988 on Recklesss Records of London and San Francisco; and again, in an exquisite double CD package, on Sundazed Records of New York in 1997. These albums gained the attention of Billboard Magazine and reached the charts in England.

In 1975, after MU disbanded, Merrell began work on a group of songs for a solo album that described perfectly the feeling of his lifestyle in his jungle house beside a free-flowing stream in the Maui rainforest. These songs were released in 1976 by a small, independent Hawaiian label and was titled "The Maui Album".

In 1977, Merrell returned to Hollywood to record several songs with Gary Malabar, drummer from Steve Miller's Band: studio guitarists Ben Benay and Art Munson: and bassist Colin Cameron.

One of the songs, "Calling From A Star" featured Peter Noone singing with Merrell. This song and "Dharmic Connection" are part of the 1998 re-issue CD of "The Maui Album" on Subliminal Sounds of Sweden.

The following years found Merrell spending his time writing songs and performing in the Hawaiian Islands. During this period, several re-issues of the older LPs came out. However, all were not legal releases. Several were bootlegs, both foreign and domestic.

In 1986, Merrell teamed up with the late John Cipollina (ex-Quicksiver Messenger Service member) to record "DR. FANKHAUSER", which went to #1 on French radio charts.

On October 3, 1990, Merrell began hosting a national television show, "California Music" which was shown nationally via satellite to over 100 stations. The show incorporated interviews, performances, and videos featuring many stars from the 60s to the 90s, and ran for three years.

Merrell's 1991 album, "BACK THIS WAY AGAIN" included the song "Only A Woman" which was used in the film "SHADOWS IN THE STORM" starring Ned Beatty. This album also featured 1991 Grammy award winner, Louie Ortega, guitarist with the Texas Tornados.

In 1994 ,with the release of the film "PULP FICTION", instrumental surf music came back in a big way. Del Fi Records re-issued all of The Impacts material on CD and several other foreign and domestic labels also released Impacts CDs.

In 1995, Merrell and Ed Cassidy, drummer from the group Spirit recorded a great blues rock CD titled "ON THE BLUE ROAD" that received substantial airplay around the world.

From 1995 to 1997, Merrell hosted a local California TV show called "Route 66 TV Live". This show was a very popular music talk show on the central coast.

During the same period of time, Merrell started a weekly radio show called "Surf Beat" at a small FM radio station in Grover Beach, California. This led to regular shows on larger stations in San Luis Obispo County which evolved into "Surf Music News" radio segments. These segments can currently be heard on select stations nationally.

Merrell's project, produced by movie and record producer William E. McEuen, is titled "RETURN TO MU". This project features a stellar cast of musicians including John McEuen of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Dean Torrence of Jan and Dean, Nicky Hopkins, and many others.

In 2001, Merrell began hosting a music TV show called, "Tiki Lounge" that airs on the California Central Coast, Southern California, Hawaii, and parts of the East Coast.

In 2004, Merrell returns with a great solo surf instrumental CD, called "ROCKIN' AND SURFIN", that contained an outstanding instrumental version of Jimi Hendrix's "All Along the Watchtower."

Merrell's song, "On Our Way to Hana," was included on Hawaii's best-selling commpilation CD, "ISLAND SUMMER '60'S AND 70'S," which also includes legendary Hawwaiian groups Kalapana, and Cecilio and Kapono (see more on http://merrellfankhauser.com).

Track List:
01. Some of Them Escaped It All
02. Swiney Eyelow
03. Workin In The City
04. Who Can You Call
05. Time Of The Day
06. Stone Indians Prayer
07. Blues Medley
08. Cocaine And Aeroplanes
09. The Doctor Speaks
10. Don't Give Up The Rock
11. Maybe You can Call Me Honey
12. Only A Woman
13. Boppin' The Blues
14. Real Gone Baby
15. Dog Gone Blues
16. Thought I Heard A Melody
17. Mystery Song
18. That's Alright Mama

Personnel:
Merrell Fankhauser (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, slide guitar);
Louie Ortega (guitar, background vocals);
Richard Stephenson, Jim Murray, John Cipollina (guitar);
Mary Lee (fiddle, piano, background vocals);
Tim Carr (harmonica);
Scott Wright (saxophone);
Mark Nelson (keyboards);
Bruce Hively, Roger Smith , Ray Purcell, Art Dougall, Jerry Sagouspe (drums);
Tim Fankhauser, Debbie MacKay, Bobby Orlando (background vocals).


[ Thank you SILVERADO for sending this post ]
CODE: 50853

Tripisichord - Tripsichord Music Box (1971 us fantastic west coast psychedelic akarma remaster edition with 05 bonus tracks - MP3 320K and FLAC)

Tripsichord Music Box, whose shortened name Tripsichord is sometimes used, came from San Francisco.

Even though their album was released in 1971, late for the fast paced 1966-1968 period of San Francisco psychedlia, it is still considered an equal to the best and most brilliantly adept albums from the acid rock movement—a Bay area music specialty based upon distorted (crazy) guitars.

They were managed by Matthew Katz, who also worked with Jefferson Airplane, Moby Grape and It's A Beautiful Day.

In 1968, he allowed It's a Beautiful Day to press a single and release an LP on his own label before they signed with Columbia.It was San Francisco Sound that released the first recording of Tripsichord Music Box—the single “Times and Seasons”/“Sunday the Third” (San Francisco Sound 115).

The resulting sound was certainly unique, but the LP format was too restrictive in its length to allow the band to express the entirety of their talents.

And if these two titles did possess rare qualities, particularly on “Sunday the Third”, they were hardly original and didn’t stand out against the masses of music produced in1969.

It was also at this time that Matthew Katz concocted the idea to release a compilation—one that was destined to lift up his young protégés. Titled “San Francisco Sound”, the compilation was released on the mysterious label Fifth Pipe Dream (F.P.D. 11680) and brought together tracks from It’s a Beautiful Day ("Bulgaria" and the imaginative and unedited "Aquarian Dream", the two sides of their first single), Black Swan (a rather ordinary pop group—the weakest of the four), Indian Puddin Pipes (the formidable "Hashish" and "Water and Wine") and of course Tripsichord Music Box.

Tripsichord contributed three songs: "You’re the Woman", "It’s Not Good" (these two songs are actually one), and "Family Song". By far the longest tracks on the album, they are superb, and even though the vocals are themselves excellent, it is above all the explosive and burning guitar and organ solos, and the high-tension melodies that keep our attention.

The perfect illustration of acid rock at its highest level, these three tunes that are found nowhere else have been added, on this CD, to the nine songs from the original Tripsichord album—providing a more complete look into what was Tripsichord Music Box and five bonus tracks.

Fly Baby:


Track List:
01.On The Last Ride - 4:42
02.We Have Passed Away - 2:45
03.Black Door - 2:55
04.The New Word - 4:40
05.Son Of The Morning - 5:34
06.Short Order Steward - 5:04
07.The Narrow Gate - 3:35
08.Fly Baby - 6:26
09.Everlasting Joy - 4:19
10.You're The Woman (bonus) - 3:35
11.It's Not Good (bonus) - 3:10
12.Family Song (bonus) - 8:26
13.Times & Seasons (bonus) - 3:23
14.Sunday The Third (bonus) - 3:19

Tripsichord:
*Randy Gordon—drums
*Frank Straight—guitar
*Dave Zandonatti—bass
*Oliver Mckinney—keyboards and organ
*Bill Carr—vocals
*Ron McNeeley-vocals


[ FLAC rip and scans by OldrockerBR ]
Previous MP3 version posted at PHROCK in Friday, May 22, 2009
CODE: 49935

Linn County - Proud Flesh Soothseer (1968 psychedelic west coast blended soul, progressive and blues rock - MP3 320K and Wave audio format)

Linn County formed around 1967 in Linn County, Iowa, USA as the Linn County Blues Band.

In 1968, the band signed with Mercury Records, moved to San Francisco, California, and changed its name to Linn County.

They released their first album Proud Flesh Soothseer in 1968 and toured, performing with bands and people such as: Albert King, Led Zeppelin, Sly & the Family Stone, Eric Burdon & the Animals and Ten Years After.

I owned this album for a long while before I got around to playing it...uh, dumb move. I'd passed it over because I thought it was generic, “sweaty,” late sixties blues rock.

And, though I like sweaty sixties white guy blues, I can only take so much so often! So, randomly, I finally tossed this on expecting to play it through as background once then file it away as I do (when it comes to certain styles)...

Uh...well, it IS blues rock, and sweaty, but its progressive blues with some heavy, very cool nods to sike.

It's sike is West Coast sixties genius, but it also plays a bit like later Graham Bond without all the occult mysticism and no African flecked jazz.

That said, there is a blues jam in the middle of the record thats tortured and whatnot, BUT the interplay of horns, Hammond, and the song writing makes for some super catchy, and...it's kinda DANCEABLE!? What progressive blues album can you say THAT about? – Nipper (by Jivetime).


Lower Lemons:


Track List:
01.Think
02.Lower Lemons
03.Moon Food
04.Cave Song
05.Protect & Serve / Bad Things
06.Fast Days

Lynn County:
*Snake McAndrew - Drums
*Fred Walk - Guitar, Sitar
*Stephen Miller - Organ, Vocals
*Larry Easter Wind Dino Long - Bass


[ Thank you LARRY for sending this post ]
CODE: 49881

Moby Grape - Vintage: The Very Best of Moby Grape (1967-1969 us psychedelic west coast compilation with 48 tracks - MP3 320K and FLAC)

It's hard to imagine a better-produced package of Moby Grape's work than this two-disc, 48-track condensation of their best late-'60s recordings.

The first disc of this set centers around their entire 1967 self-titled debut LP (included in its entirety), which mixed blues, country, and folk influences with hard-charging psychedelic rock & roll.

The result was one of the Summer of Love's more enduring works. The second disc boils their wildly inconsistent 1968-69 material down to a fairly strong and coherent selection.

While it doesn't match the peak of the group's initial burst, it features some strong folk and country-rock originals that wear much better in the absence of the bloated jams and half-baked hard rock that could make their albums a chore to sit through.

Each disc includes interesting demos, outtakes, and live performances that round out the legacy of this prodigiously talented but ill-fated band, which was overcome by internal strife and label/management difficulties after their promising debut (by Richie Unterberger).

Disc: 1
01.Hey Grandma
02.Mr Blues
03.Fall On You
04.8.05
05.Come In The Morning
06.Omaha
07.Naked If I Want To
08.Rounder
09.Someday
10.Ain't No Use
11.Sitting By The Window
12.Changes
13.Lazy Me
14.Indifference
15.Looper
16.Sweet Ride
17.Bitter Wind
18.Place And The Time
19.Rounder
20.Miller's Blues
21.Changes
22.Hey Grandma
23.Omaha
24.Big

Disc: 2
01.Skip's Song
02.You Can Do Anything
03.Murder In My Heart For The Judge
04.Bitter Wind
05.Can't Be So Bad
06.Just Like Gene Autry
07.He
08.Motorcycle Irene
09.Funky Tunk
10.Rose Colored Eyes
11.If You Can't Learn From Your Mistakes
12.Ooh Mama Ooh
13.Ain't That Shame
14.Trucking Man
15.Captain Nemo
16.What's To Choose
17.Going Nowhere
18.I Am Not Willing
19.It's A Beautiful Day Today
20.Right Before My Eyes
21.Truly Fine Citizen
22.Hoochie
23.Soul Stew
24.Seeing

Moby Grape:
*Bob Mosley (vocals, guitar)
*Skip Spence (guitar)
*Peter Lewis (guitar)
*Jerry Miller (bass)
*Don Stevenson (drums).

Additional personnel:
*Arthur Godfrey (banjo, ukulele)
*Lou Waxman And His String Orchestra.


[ Thank you COR for sending this post ]
CODE: 49800