Human Beast - Volume One (1970)

The Human Beast was an English band of Heavy Psych who left this single record, "volume one" was launched in 1970, the title can assume that there would be a volume two, but after the first album the band disappeared without a trace.
The sound of the group is contained by heavy riffs and aggressive, on the first track "Mystic Man" is a killer guitar with Wha wha. Another feature and mixing of heavy rock with experimentalism, something that makes it similar to Flower Travellin Band, Jimi Hendrix.
This disc is much sought by collectors in the version in vinyl and remained unknown to many until in 2004 to record the Second Life relaunched in CD format, fully remastered and with a booklet of 16 pages with photos and a biography of the band, unfortunately no lost track left.

Track Listing...
1. Mystic Man
2. Appearance Is Everything, Style Is A Way of Living Appearance Is Everything
3. Brush With The Midnight Butterfly
4. Maybe Someday
5. Reality Presented As An Alternative
6. Naked Breakfast
7. Circle Of The Night

Ursa Major - Ursa Major 1972

From Michigan, a rather uninspired and pompous hard rock album with the former leader of Frost and the Amboy Dukes bassist. Wagner would later work with Lou Reed and Alice Cooper as well as releasing a solo album aptly titled Richard Wagner(Atlantic 19172) 1978. Lovers of the "other" Richard Wagner must have been surprised if they bought this album!! ”
Dick Wagner (vocals, guitar) [The Frost, Alice Cooper]
Greg Arama (bass, vocals) [The Amboy Dukes]
Ricky Mangone (drums)

Track Listing...
1Sinner 7:26
2In My Darkest Hour 5:25
3Silver Spoon 6:15
4Stage Door Queen 5:24
5Back to the Land 6:45
6Lay Me Down 4:34
7Liberty and Justice 5:48

Maypole - The Real (1970)

Maryland's Maypole, whose sole album, The Real, was recorded in three days, July 1970, and released in early 1971, shortly before their label folded, dooming the album to stillborn status commercially at the time, and collector want list status today. The LP is an ambitious, 50-minute feast of tight harmonies, powerful arrangements, fluid improvisation, and flat out great songs, and serves as a touchstone for twin guitar-driven, West Coast-styled psychedelia, soaring power pop, and blistering hard rock -- some even call it prog -- everyone wants a piece of the Great One. If you've been looking for an LP to complete an imaginary trilogy with S.F. Sorrow and Parachute, then this is your tonic. The stature of Maypole has been muddied by the previous CD reissues, but this LP edition gets it right. Featuring state of the art remastering and pressing, a high quality full color 'tip on' jacket featuring original artwork, and a full color insert loaded with lyrics, photos, and complete historical notes by Maypole founder, Dennis Tobell, this is the closest to 'classic psychedelia' Anopheles Records has delved in to date, and we're glad we didn't settle for something second rate -- Maypole is The Real."

Tracks :

1. Glance At The Past
2. Show Me The Way
3. Henry Stared
4. Change Places
5. Under A Wave
6. Look At Me
7. Johnny
8. Come Back
9. You Were
10. In The Beginning
11. Dozy World
12. Stand Alone

Writing On The Wall - Power of The Picts (1969)

Writing on the Wall's only album was theatrical heavy blues-psychedelic-rock that, despite its power and menace, was too obviously derivative of better and more original artists to qualify as a notable work. The organ-guitar blends owe much to the Doors, Procol Harum, and Traffic, though the attitude is somehow more sour and ominous than any of those groups. The vocals are sometimes pretty blatant in their homages to Arthur Brown, particularly when Linnie Paterson climbs to a histrionic scream; Jim Morrison, Gary Brooker, and Stevie Winwood obviously left their imprints on him too. Throw in some of the portentous drama from the narrations to the Elektra astrological concept album The Zodiac: Cosmic Sounds (particularly on "Aries") as well. A problem is, however, that not many singers other than Morrison and Brown could pull off this kind of solemn poetic mood, and on "Aries," to take one example, the attempt to create a seance-like atmosphere seems faintly ridiculous. To look at the positives, the band does play with a soul-rock crunch; the songs sometimes shift tempo (occasionally in and out of martial beats) and melody unpredictably, if not nearly as memorably as, say, the Crazy World of Arthur Brown did; and there are occasional off-the-wall touches of accordion and, on "Virginia Waters," speaking-in-tongues vocals with a nod to Family's Roger Chapman.

Track Listing...
01.It Came On A Sunday
02.Mrs. Cooper's Pie
03.Ladybird
04.Aries
05.Bogeyman
06.Shadow Of Man
07.Taskers Sucessor
08.Hill Of Dreams
09.Virginia Water
10.Child On A Crossing
11.Lucifer Corpus

The Old Man and The Sea - The Old Man and The Sea (1972)

This band just made one sole hard-prog-rock album back in the era where Denmark had a lively prog scene (bands like Burnin'Red Ivanhoe, Coronaria Dans, Secret Oyster, ACHE and many more). They took their name from the Old Tale (seems to be quite popular one around the Baltic Sea) and made their album based on that. All of the songs on the album has been awarded an icon image of this tale on the booklet of the CD. Thge songs are definitely hard rock with a predominent guitar but KB are also quite present . We are also gratified of a few flute interventions. The vocals are in English and quite apt. The Monk Song is the highlight and cut into two section with the first part showing all of the possibilities of the band.
All in all , with this album, we are hovering around Zeppelin, Purple , Heep, Rooster and a few more bands of the genre but this album is far from derivative of those cited here.

Track Listing...
1. Living Dead (7:51)
2. Princess (6:02)
3. Jingoism (6:54)
4. Prelude (1:12)
5. The Monk Song 1 (5:54)
6. The Monk Song 2 (3:36)
7. Going Blind (10:31)

Dragonfly -Dragonfly (1970)

This group was originally from Colorado, and their one and only album is a very good underrated psychedelic classic, recorded back in 1968 in Los Angeles. They sometimes have a sound similar to several groups of that era, a little bit of Iron Butterfly and perhaps Cream, and even at times The Jimi Hendrix Experience and Blue Cheer.
The guitar playing is excellent "acid-psych" all the way, and it gets very heavy at times.
Although this album is not that long, it's a very good album and should be heard for fans of classic 60's hard rock or psychedelic rock. I would highly recommend this.

Track Listing...

1. Blue Monday
2. Enjoy Yourself
3. Hootchie Kootchie Man
4. I Feel It
5. Trombodo
6. Portrait of Youth
7. Crazy Woman
8. She Don't Care
9. Time Has Slipped Away
10. To Be Free
11. Darlin'
12. Miles Away

High Tide - Sea Shanties (1969)

This is a folk-metal record from 1969. So yeah it sounds like early metal stuff like Blue Cheer, Wicked Lady, Groundhogs, or Sabbath with a violin player (Simon House, later in Hawkwind). It's like Mahavishnu Orchestra doing an album about pirates. That said, there's no stupid gimmicky stuff, this is straight powerhouse electricity rock and roll. "Futilist's Lament" opens the record with a swash of fuzzed out guitars, quickly joined by stomping bass, shredding violin, drums that seem to be filling half the time, and a singer who sounds a little like Jim Morrison. "Death Warmed Up" stays on a similar keel but is instrumental and goes on for twice as long. Then, on "Pushed, But Not Forgotten", the band drops into a surfy ballad. This turns back into an ampstackscreechfest by about the minute mark, but there are a few more periods of calm like this smattered throughout the rest of the record. "Pushed" is probably my favorite track on the record, but it's all pretty good.

Track Listing...

1. Futilist's Lament
2. Death Warmed Up
3. Pushed, But Not Forgotten
4. Walking Down Their Outlook
5. Missing Out
6. Nowhere

Alcatraz - Vampire State Building (1971)

Other than the cleverly named album title, this is a very good Early krautrock album that has a very Prog-rock edge to it. As far as I know this is the only album by this band. And its a fantatsic mix of long Prog jams and jazzy Kraut-rock style beats.There's plenty of progressively building music here, usually starting very jazzy with the accompaniment of flute which then turn into banging guitar-laden prog rock pieces. Simple Head-phone mind also reminds me of a blaxploitation soundtrack which shows the range in styles on just the one album here.There's massive similarities to The Mars Volta Here (what havent they ripped off??). The vocals sound watery and trippy on Your Chance of a lifetime and there is an epic Prog drum solo on the upbeat title track.If you're after a good Jazz fusion prog/kraut album, give this a go, chances are you'll dig it.
Track Listing...
1Simple Headphone Mind (11:56)
2Your Chance Of A Lifetime (5:05)
3Where The Wild Things Are (3:03)
4Vampire State Building (13:10)
5Piss Off (3:16)

After Shave - Skin Deep (1972)

After Shave were a heavy trio formed in the late 60s and influenced by Cream, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and the usual suspects. They toured Europe in the early 70s and eventually recorded this debut album for the tiny Splendid label in 1972, which now commands big dollars on the rare record collector market. They have been featured in a few books, including The Hard Rock Anthology 1968-1980, Encylopedie du Hard Rock des Seventies and the Hans Pokora books.

Track Listing...
01.Skin Deep
02.Him
03.Paper Woman
04.Ride Ride Ride
05.Sweet Home
06.Amsterdam in My Living Room
07.Near the Sun
08.Pink Rose
09.Sunflower

The Fields - The Fields (1969)

This US power trio's sole album was released on both sides of the Atlantic in 1969, but sank without a trace. Equally influenced by blues, soul and acid rock, it's an enjoyable mixture of snappy hard rock songs and the lengthy ''Love Is The Word'' suite, which occupied a whole side of the original LP. Featuring backing vocals from Northern Soul legend Brenda Holloway and production by former Merry-Go-Round guitarist Bill Rinehart, it's a must for fans of Bluesy psychedelic rock.

Track Listing...

1. Elysian Fields
2. Bide My Time
3. Take You Home
4. Jump on You
5. Sun Would Set
6. Love Is the Word

The Open Mind - The Open Mind (1969)

One of the Best-loved British Psychedelic Albums of all Time, the Open Mind is a Hard-rocking Collection that Sold in Minute Numbers on Its Original Release in 1969. Produced with the Band’s Full Co-operation, this Package Comes Complete with a Full-colour Booklet Incorporating Rare Photographs and Detailed Liner Notes, as Well as featuring Both Sides of their Two Ultra-rare Non-album 45s, Making it the Most Comprehensive Collection of their Work Ever Assembled.

Track Listing...

1. Dear Louise
2. Try Another Day
3. I Feel the Same Way Too
4. My Mind Cries
5. Can't You See?
6. Thor the Thunder God
7. Horses and Chariots
8. Before My Time
9. Free as the Breeze
10. Girl I'm So Alone
11. Soul and My Will
12. Falling Again
13. Magic Potion [*]
14. Cast a Spell [*]
15. Day and Night [*]
16. Get out of My Way [*]

Blue Mountain Eagle - Blue Mountain Eagle (1970)

This superb collection of acid-influenced guitar rock originally appeared in 1970 and has languished in underserved obscurity ever since. Produced in L.A. by legendary engineer Bill Halverson (Crosby, Stills & Nash, Cream, the Grateful Dead), it's heavily imbued with West Coast influences and features superb musical interplay throughout. The band supported acts including Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd, but proved sadly short-lived. The album makes its long-awaited CD debut here, complete with both mixes of their sole non-LP 45, making it an obligatory purchase for all devotees of U.S. psychedelia.
Track Listing...
Tracklisting:
01.Love Is Here (04:25)
02.Yellow's Dream (02:48)
03.Feel Like A Bandit (03:05)
04.Troubles (03:08)
05.Loveless Lives (03:33)
06.No Regrets (04:12)
07.Winding Your String (02:56)
08.Sweet Mama (04:18)
09.Promise Of Love (03:03)
10.Trivial Sum (03:15)
Bonus Tracks:
11.Marianne (Stereo) (02:32)
12.Marianne (Mono) (02:27)

Peacepipe - Peacepipe (1970)

Long awaited official reissue of this blistering late '60's US acid rock mind blower. Originally reissued on Rockadelic a few years back (one of the label's best known and rarest releases) here it is in digital glory with cool photos, detailed liner notes and bonus tracks.

Stunning tripped out guitar based psych with ripping acid wah-wah lead guitars, distortion, swirling keyboards and stoned lyrics. Turn it up to 13 and trip out. Fantastic!

Track Listing...
01. Sea of Nightmares

02. Angel of Love

03. I Can Never Take Your Dreams Away

04. Carry on Together

05. Bikers Tune

06. Open Your Mind

07. Day the War Has Ended

08. Love Shines

09. Keep a Smilin' Cari

10. Sun Won't Shine Forever

11. Lazy River Blues

Thundertree - Thundertree (1970)

A Minneapolis band whose album transgresses psychedelia and progressivism.Musically their 70s album was pretty impressive. Featuring all original material, tracks such as the side long suite "1225" which powered by Hallquist's solo, starts out like a ton of bricks."Head Embers", "Summertime Children" and "In the Morning" (the latter including a great fuzz guitar solo), offered up an attractive mix of psych and more rock oriented moves.It's now becoming a minor collectable and is hard to find.

Track Listing...
1. Head Embers

2. At the Top of the Stairs

3. Summertime Children

4. In the Morning

5. Dusty Road

6. Alone Am I

7. Softly

8. I Travel Along

9. Not Well Liked

10. With a Tailored Image

11. Sun Is Shinin' for Me