Before there were bands like Ozric Tentacles, there was Gong. Gong consisted of a bunch of French and English hippies who recorded a handful of albums in the 1970s about the mythical Planet Gong with all its characters like the Octave Doctors, and Pot Head Pixies, with forms of transportation like Flying Teapots. In 1973-1974, […] Continue reading →

Writing On The Wall, a thunderous Scottish powerhouse released their debut Power Of The Picts in 1969 on Middle Earth Records. This rough and ready group all former members of The Jury consisted of gravel vox Linnie Paterson, lead axe Willy Finlayson, bassist Jake Scott, drummer Jimmy Hush and the core of the warriors, hammond […] Continue reading →

Truly The Wizards From Kansas are America’s finest horseman to gallop the spirited clouds of the Cherokee.The Wizards started their journey as Pig Newton launching their 1968 debut album Still In Kansas that pushed out a wah wah sapped version of Dylan’s “All Along The Watchtower” and the speckled “Exchange Of Clouds”. Wizards From Kansas […] Continue reading →

Our story starts one evening in 1965 in the Aragon Ballroom, Chicago where crowds had gathered to see the battle of the bands.The finalists were the New Colony Six and a group from England called the Robin Hoods. Fred Glickstein approached the Robin Hoods and asked them where they got their name from and they […] Continue reading →

Paisley Pop was immortalised by the words ‘Bamboo Butterflies twice their normal size, flying around in my mind’. (“Purple Shades” by Trogg Reg Presley) England would leave the Mersey beat and embrace the unknown zones of creativity thanks to Ravi Shankar’s introduction of Indian sitar into the western world of sub-culture. Most notably George Harrison […] Continue reading →

Shawn Phillips is one of those legends that had been swept up in mystery, disappeared under the cloak of the sixties, or stripped of acknowledgement due to dirty management and contracts. Such is the case with the twelve-string acoustic genius, Shawn Phillips, one time flat partner with Tim Hardin, who played the Indian sitar for […] Continue reading →

South African Sharon Tandy had already paid her dues with Fleur De Lys that included future King Crimson bassist Gordon Haskell. Five Day Rain’s first drizzle started with In Crowd keyboardist Graham Maitland who originated from Scots Of St. James, headed by ex Vikings Allen Gorrie. Graham’s initial plan was to form a keyboard Prog […] Continue reading →

Not even the tears in heaven could wash away the injustice bestowed upon the Mexican spirit of a street poet called Sixto Rodriguez. With two brilliant albums Cold Fact and Coming From Reality – unfortunately only reaching the ears of the southern hemisphere (Australia / South Africa) – Rodriguez became a scapegoat for the skulduggery […] Continue reading →

Only recently unearthed was songwriter Nick Garrie who delivered his poetry spaced The Nightmare Of J.B. Stanislas (1969) exploring his bohemian French liaisons.The album is a Godlocked interlude of poetic excursions, namely the epic  title track, the fluent “Can I Stay With You” and infectious “Ink Pot Eyes” for a Russian actress are art decor […] Continue reading →

Most of the finest seminal sixties bands emerged from Sunset Strip LA such as the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, and The Doors, but none so poignant and influential as LA band Love, headed by Arthur Lee. Arthur Lee’s roots started in Memphis with his local Booker T influenced Lags, with Arthur on rhythm and vocals churning […] Continue reading →