Friday, April 20, 2007

FLY AWAY WEEKEND MUSIC


An excellent album from this British progressive group recorded in 1969 by a band of mysterious pseudonyms. In fact, this was a formation of some of the biggest names in UK progressive rock including Simeon Sasparella & Njerogi Gategaka (aka Steve Hillage from Gong). The other 3 members Dave Stewart, Clive Brooks and Mont Campbell formed Egg. Originally released on Evolution this heavy, spacey keyboarddriven album is often compared to Pink Floyd's Saucer Full of Secrets. For fans of Egg, Gong, National Health and Caravan.
A classic late sixties heavy, bluesy, psychedelic guitar album. Full of fine guitaring, major organ work with some weirdness and sound effects. Originally released in 1969 on Evolution Records (mint copies now cost well over £200) and in very small quantities periodically since on various strange small labels.
You can certainly hear echoes of Steve's later work in Khan and even his first solo album 'Fish Rising'. Probably another fleeting chance to hear a vital piece of Steve's musical development. - Chris Goes Rock


Line-up
- Basil Dowling (Clive Brooks) / drums
- Njerogi Gategaka (Mont Campbell) / bass, vocals
- Sam Lee-Uff (Dave Stewart) / organ
- Simeon Sasparella (Steve Hillage) / guitar, vocals


Tracks
1. Garden of Earthly Delights 2.45
2. Azathoth 4.21
3. Queen St. Gang 4.25
4. Leg 5.40
5. Clean Innocent Fun 10.23
6. Metempsychosis 16.38



Now here is an album you have to track down for sure ! KHAN’s "Space Shanty" is a scrumptious album full of Steve HILLAGE’s vintage psychy-blues guitar playing with perhaps Dave Stewart’s best Hammond work ever ! Overall the music really covers the Canterbury prog psych genre with some wicked tones and instrumental interplay. "Space Shanty" is really 6 interrelated songs giving the listener a very conceptual feel throughout the album. Musically this guys hit dimensions of YES, DRUID, CARAVAN and even CAMEL. For those familiar with HILLAGE’s ARZACHEL will simple drool over "Space Shanty" and in many ways takes ARZACHEL and pulls it out of the psych into the centerbury.. of course ARZACHEL is another classic as well.This is simply a must-have mind-blowing recording with some great expressionism. - loserboy


Lineup
- Nick Greenwood / bass, vocals
- Steve Hillage / guitars, vocals
- Eric Peachy / drums
- Dave Stewart / organ, piano, skyceleste, marimbas


Tracks
1. Space shanty (8:59)
2. Stranded (6:35)
3. Mixed up man of the mountains(7:14)
4. Driving to Amsterdam (9:22)
5. Stargazers (5:32)
6. Hollow stone (8:16)



Here & Now's debut album is a stunning, if slightly inconsistent effort; when it's good, it kicks serious donkey and ranks up there with the very best space/prog has to offer. You will be hard pushed to find better.
If you're familiar with "Floating Anarchy" (previusly posted), then you'll have an idea of what you're in for, as this is "The Here and Now Band" referred to on that album. Here & Now mix punk, reggae influences and space rock into a sound reminiscent of Gong and Hawkwind, and it's easy to hear where the Ozric Tentacles got their sound from (the Ozrics regularly supported Here & Now in the early 1980s before their first album release).


Line-up
- Steffy Sharpstrings / guitar, vocals
- Keith tha Missile / bass, vocals
- Gavin da Blitz / keyboards, synthesizers
- Kif Kif Le Batter / drums, guitar, vocals
- Suze da Blooze & Annie Mandrake / Choir of Angels


Tracks
1. What You See Is What You Get (5:23)
2. Nearer Now (5:42)
3. Grate Fire of London (7:33)
4. This Time (4:46)
5. Seventies Youth (5:00)
6. Improvisation (11:04)



LINKS:

Arzachel - Arzachel (thanx to CGR) @256
h!!p://www.megaupload.com/?d=O74Y7P20

Khan - Space Shanty (thanx to poor - once known as *zero the hero*) @320
h!!p://www.megaupload.com/?d=X8ZGXJGU

Here & Now - Give and Take @320
h!!p://www.megaupload.com/?d=QF8U5HIY

+ special bonus download

Here & Now - Gospel Of Free (live) various bitrate as downloaded from slsk
h!!p://www.megaupload.com/?d=CMDACVTH

Here & Now - photographs
h!!p://www.megaupload.com/?d=G74T4AB3



Please leave a comment

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love Khan, quite unusual sounding. Looking forward to listening to arzachel. I wasnt aware that steve hillage recorded that album.
thanks,
gordon

Anonymous said...

Thanks ever so much for the Here & Now. I saw them several times in Liverpool with a long lost girlfriend in the early 80's. Nice memories.

Anonymous said...

Many thanks for this great addition.