***Several years in the making, Lion can now finally deliver on our promise of another Groove Club volume dedicated to the deep and moving (and grooving) compositions of Sinn Sisamouth, sung by the Emperor of Khmer music himself, alone or duetting with the other legendary singer of those halcyon days in Cambodian music: Ros Sereysothea, the "Queen with the Golden Voice.”Groove Club Vol. 5 also includes a 16-page booklet featuring an exclusive interview with Mrs. Khav Thong Nhot, widow of Sinn Sisamouth, and Sin Sethsochhata, artist and granddaughter of Sinn Sisamouth, revealing more about Sinn Sisamouth than has ever been known before now. We hear directly from his wife about their courtship, their life together as Sinn Sisamouth became famous — and then what happened as the Khmer Rouge took control: the separation from her husband, and her own harrowing experiences trying to keep herself and their children alive. It’s not easy reading, yet stands as an important contribution (we feel) to a a story which until now has only been partially told. Sinn Sisamouth’s granddaughter, Sin Sethsochhata, a musical artist and also keeper of the family’s legacy, speaks of her own experiences in both realms.
LP $28.95
07/25/2025
***"Debut album by new Chicago musical duo LIKEVEL Psych / folk / rock—or post-grunge outré shoegazey musical exploration? LIKEVEL is the dream world of Jason Mosher and Bridget Hauser, two Gen X’ers involved in the Chicago music scene since the 1990’s (Mosher was the guitarist in the late-era work of pop phenomenon band Green). Ethereal but subtly heavy, with jangly human themes delivered intimately, LIKEVEL sets off into the future on a dreamship of their own. this is an authentic DIY lo-fi endeavor, recorded late at night in an apartment, with some tracks one-take improvisations." "If forced to make comparisons, I’d say that there is an undercurrent of Ecstasy and Wine-era My Bloody Valentine in Hauser's vocals, which to my mind is high praise, as that’s some glorious stuff, and being compared to Belinda Butcher is major. I also hear (on certain songs) what reminds me in a tangential way of Galaxie 500 subterranean minor-key grooving. I particularly like the the slow-burn intensity of ‘Overseas,’ with its soaring and slashing guitar runs, and the openers on both sides (‘Marigold Tea’ and ‘Highbird’) are equally wonderful. altogether dreamy and yet warm, thanks to the mastering by JJ Golden of Golden Mastering, 'and in the night light you’ll know what’s revealed in the glow.'"
LP $25.50
11/29/2024
***Following the ambitious all-analog explorations of Imperfect Space Journeys (1988) and Live Electronic Music (1989), Jeff Carney was determined to push further into new sonic territories and to continue to strive for even more originality while not yielding to the prevailing trend towards digital synthesis. And so, in 1990, Jeff Carney recorded some of his most ambitious analog electronic music. Those recordings were once thought to be lost—rumors about their existence made the rounds—but the long lost third solo album never materialized. Now, Skylogue will soon be here. Produced by Eroc and Jeff Carney and featuring a special guest appearance by Richard Pinhas, Skylogue reaches into cosmic territory that stays true to the masters of ‘70s electronic music while also managing to encompass a completely original and unprecedented musical statement. “In fifty-plus years of doing this, I’ve never covered anybody else’s music, but I may have to record this piece for a Heldon album. That should tell you what I think of it.”—Richard Pinhas, speaking about 'The Landscapes of Death,' on which he contributed his distinctive electric guitar The album has been transferred from the original analog master tapes by Jeff Carney. Newly mixed by Eroc and Jeff Carney and prepared for vinyl cutting in HD 24/96 resolution.
LP $25.50
11/22/2024
***BACK IN PRINT!!! PLASTIC CLOUD recorded, quite simply, one of the greatest underground psychedelic albums ever made: a swirl of gossamer vocals and Tolkien references, swathed in the some of the most relentless fuzz guitar you will ever hear. There is no point singling out a specific track, they are al excellent—one is equally as good as the next. Take for example the album centerpiece, the ten-and-a-half-minute ‘You Don't Care,’ an insane piece of social commentary that features terrific back-of-the-mix fuzz guitar as an elusive focal point to its extended pounding-drum laden instrumental breaks; a ten-minute swath of lysergic fuzz guitar that closes out the first side, it doesn't overstay its welcome, winding its way to a final freak out. A record with few equals, full of foreboding melodies and lovely hippie harmonies, as well as some of the trippiest fuzz guitar ever recorded. Essential psychedelia! New pressing of 200 copies on black vinyl.
LP $25.50
05/24/2024
***BACK IN PRINT ON NEW COKE BOTTLE GREEN VINYL!!! Note new price. In the spring of 1969, 49TH PARALLEL had a hit in with ‘Twilight Woman’, a lovely song that sounds like a poppier version of what bands like Tomorrow were doing in England. That success led to the release of 49th Parallel’s only album. All hyperbole aside, it is easily one of the top Canadian rock albums of the psychedelic era. The album is strong throughout—from the pulsating psychedelia of ‘Lazerander Filchy’ and the ultra-strange ‘(The) Magician’, the shimmering beauty of 'Twilight Woman', to the quintessential slashing guitars punk edginess of ‘Now That I'm a Man’ and ‘(Come On Little Child &) Talk To Me’. DAN LOWE’s Lowe's blazing fuzz guitar work stands out on ‘Missouri’ and also when matched by organist Jack Velker's brilliant work on ‘Eye To Eye’, ‘Talk To Me’ and ‘(The) People’. Limited edition of 200 copies.
LP $32.35
04/19/2024
***Teeming with infectious hooks and delicate textures, “Keady & Vallins” stacks up favorably against now heralded titans of soft pop / yacht rock and pop disco-lite, living in the intersection between Bobby Caldwell, Steely Dan, and Saturday Night Fever-era Bee Gees. “Keady & Vallins” is an all-too-familiar story of potential left unfulfilled—glorious pop music shunted by the impetuous thrums of a music industry stricken by decadence and a preference for high turnover and rigorous proprietorship. A tour with the Bee Gees by Vallins and help from Robert Stigwood resulted in a deal with Polydor. After a pair of singles produced by a young, upstart (now hugely important head of Universal Music Group) Lucien Grange achieved moderate success in France, an album was next: taped by Keady and Vallins during downtime from other sessions. They pulled world class talent from the studio, from the pub down the street from the studio, while also (temporarily) pilfering instruments from the shop below the studio (price tags still affixed)—to create a striking blend of sepia-toned soft pop / yacht rock and pop disco-lite. Born out of a quick friendship turned decades long songwriting partnership between Gary Keady and John Vallins, the full-length record was meant to be a mark of the duo’s growing promise as songwriters at Chappell—the publishing house’s self-proclaimed Australian facsimile of the American duo Hall & Oates (or maybe a two-person Bee Gees?). But that’s not what happened, is it. Dormant since its completion in 1979, the “Keady & Vallins” album...
LP $26.95
04/19/2024
***BACK IN PRINT!!! A total heavy sonic assault! Since the release of No Rest for the Wicked in 1976, it's stature among collectors of '60s and '70s hard rock and psychedelia has grown steadily over the years, with original copies now fetching large sums. Originally formed as TRUTH in 1969 in Iowa, USA, TRUTH & JANEY was named after a record by Jeff Beck. Between 1973-75 they played thousands of gigs, many with Leslie West, as well as playing with Blue Öyster Cult at a festival in Davenport, Iowa in front of 20,000 hard rock fans. All the while, Truth & Janey were writing original material, gearing up to record their first full length album. In 1976, they laid down the tracks that would see release on their stunning No Rest for the Wicked album later that same year. The record featured six original tunes and two traditional blues covers revved up in true powerhouse Truth and Janey fashion. Only 1,000 copies of the album were pressed on the local Montross records. Just as the ball started rolling, it all ended, as DENIS BUNCE left the group and quickly thereafter they completely disbanded. In a last ditch effort, guitarist BILLY JANEY reformed the group with all new members in 1977 and released the Just a Little Bit of Magic album, but it was a move in a completely different direction and has little to do with the ferocious hard rock Marshall 100-watt super lead guitar sound that dominates No Rest...
LP $22.65
01/05/2024
***"It's dark and still in the chief's village protected by mountains of the great southern regions of Africa..." so begins the seventeen minute epic 'African Day' that kicks off the greatest Afro-psychedelic concept album ever made—first released on Parlophone in 1971. Hawk’s music on this epochal album is a fusion of tribal African rhythms with acoustic hippie music elements—long solo jams, saxophone breaks, percussion—sounding at times like an African version of Embryo fronted by Tim Buckley! In Johannesburg, bursting, like Durban, with musicians aeons ahead of their time, Hawk added the sunburnt, brown prairies of Africa to the genre of the concept album—the heady, steady beat of drums, and enough cross-rhythms to make you dizzy. Add the mesmerizing voices—and the telling of a story. Tuck in the ranging flute, the saxophone. The deep bass buzz. And the hypnotic talking drums. Music the African way: earthy stuff—virile, extraordinary, substantial. Hawk were listening to a lot of Hugh Tracey tapes (the Afro-musicologist who traveled Africa capturing sounds and music on tape for posterity). They went to Swaziland and came back with their own sounds: drums and a burning desire to make their own brand of African music. From all of this came African Day. Our Lion/RTA reissue comes with an LP-sized 12-page booklet which includes a complete band history by music writer Owen Coetzer, packed with photos, plus the story of the re-discovery of the multi-track master tapes and the transfer of those newfound tapes that resulted in this very reissue. 150...
LP $35.50
11/17/2023
***In December 1976, Carpe Diem entered whacked-out recording wizard Jean-Pierre Massiera’s Azurville studio and recorded—on 16-tracks—and in just ten days—working sometimes from ten in the morning until three the following morning—all the material they’d written since their first album. The trademark Carpe Diem sound is here in full force: cosmic synthesizers, psychedelic-flavored guitar-led flights of fancy, fluid woodwinds, along with an astounding degree of harmonic sophistication. The highlight is the 21-plus minute suite, ‘Couleurs,’ which develops through a series of sublime melodic motifs. As should be expected, the musicianship is monstrous, the playing is tight and energetic, and the melodies veer from gorgeous to haunting. The remainder of the album is taken up by short tracks which present more concise takes on Carpe Diem's ideas. This vinyl reissue includes a fascinating bonus track: an excerpt from the never-released English language version of the album. Includes an insert with notes and lyrics. Pressed on transparent orange with black swirl vinyl in a hand-numbered edition of 150 copies.
LP $35.50
10/20/2023
***Vinyl debut for post-JERUSALEM material from 1972-73! Jerusalem is well known among '70s hard rock enthusiasts thanks to their stone-cold classic 1972 Deram label debut album. After that record was released, the band made the bold decision to not to continue with the same name—for them, Jerusalem was a one-off moment in time and could never be recreated. And so, three-fifths of Jerusalem (founding members PAUL DEAN and RAY SPARROW, along with BOB COOKE), became PUSSY. The new band were still managed and produced by IAN GILLAN (DEEP PURPLE). Pussy recorded and released one single on Deram and then went on to record tracks between 1972 and 1973 with BRIAN GOFF taking over for Bob Cooke on guitar, for their debut album—which was never released. Pussy was a different beast from Jerusalem, despite Paul being the main writer for both bands. There seems to be a touch of Ziggy Stardust crunchy space glam in the mix—although Pussy kept the raw, no rules edge from Jerusalem which sets both bands apart from many others of the era. Gillan was far more proactive this time around; he played piano and percussion, and was responsible for many backing vocals on the songs. Pussy were a hard rocking band with no pretensions of being super musicians or technical geniuses. If it seemed like fun, it was worth a try, which explains a lot about their sound and direction. On stage anything could happen—no rules of course! They gigged all over the UK and Germany...
LP $26.95
05/19/2023
***A new edition of this Canadian folk/psych classic—perfect dreamy, sunshine-infused-yet-with-clouds-passing-by pop psychedelia with a folk bent, originally released by independent Canadian label Allied Records in 1968. When we first issued this terrific album many many years ago, our booklet featured the few scraps of information on the band we could find. We challenged “anyone out there” to find some information on this elusive and intriguing band. Well, we’re pleased that someone took us up on that offer, and that the specific someone was band leader Tom Waschkowski (credited on the album as Tom Martin). He graciously offered us a band history, lyrics, and some terrific photos. This allows us to offer up as perfect a reissue of this album as humanly possible. The Folklords Release the Sunshine is a captivating album, a notion shared by the many collectors world-wide who fight for original copies, which are few and far between. Strange thing is, if someone were to say to us that the Folklords album was released by Creation Records in 1987, it would be difficult to argue. You may well ask, why? Our answer: the chiming guitars, the rattle of tambourine, the dreaminess, the sometimes dark lyrics, and the harmony vocals of Martha Johnson place the Folklords closer to Biff Bang Pow, the Jesus and Mary Chain, the Revolving Paint Dream, or even My Bloody Valentine’s debut, “Ecstasy and Wine” (granted, at a much slower speed, and without the rampant fuzz guitar) than it does to sunny 1960’s poppiness. Glorious...
LP $35.50
04/28/2023
***Psychedelic improvisational spiritual avant-rock/jazz featuring the legendary Larry Young on organ and equally astounding Joe Gallivan on drums, steel guitar, Moog synth, and percussion; the mysterious Nicholas wailing on guitar synthesizer and ring modulator; and Jimmy Molneiri on drums and percussion—recorded live at an anti-war rally in Washington D.C., in June 1972. They aimed the speakers at the Nixon White House, and blasted away as an anti-war protest! (The music so completely freaked out President Nixon that he demanded his chief of staff H.R. “Watergate" Haldeman to shut off the band’s source of electricity.) "After establishing himself as a leader on Blue Note in the 1960s, Young played on Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew, John McLaughlin and Carlos Santana’s Love Surrender Devotion, and the first three Tony Williams Lifetime albums. He emerged from those sessions at an exalted level of inspiration and with a formidable fire in his belly, and these traits helped shape Love Cry Want into a sui generis classic—a tone poem expressed with a flamethrower. Using a self-built guitar synthesizer, Nicholas stuns throughout the disc with brash flashes of Hendrix-ian extravagance. Gallivan displays both inventive exoticness and cyclonic power as he and Molneiri deftly guide the group through its furious paces.”—Dave Segal, Jazz Times
LP $28.75
04/21/2023
***First reissue of rare cassette-only underground neo-psychedelic punk steeped in Pebbles-era rock, from this Milwaukee band which featured Dan Mullen (Plasticland) on guitar and the talents—songwriting and otherwise—of iconic underground maven Tess (James Tessier). ‘I Want Speed’ shows The SilverBeats’ affinity to West Coast psychedelia. And it’s no coincidence that they cover the Human Expression’s ‘Calm Me Down,’ rich with harmony vocal, and The Pretty Things’ ‘Midnight to Six (Man),’ replacing the original’s rough R ’n’ B-edge with a slight psychedelic tinge—a real showpiece for drummer Mike Hughes. Another killer is ‘Over And Over,’ penned by Tess (like all the other originals on this album). It layers beautiful, trippy guitar, a catchy vocal melody, lots of echo, strange effects, and weird sounds before it closes, and we move on to the jolly, jumping ‘Love Comes Knockin.’ Comes with an 8-page booklet featuring a description by journalist David Luhrssen of the Milwaukee underground music scene which produced Plasticland, Daszu, the band Ör, and the Violent Femmes, among others. Edition of 150 copies on coke bottle vinyl.
LP COLOR $35.50
01/06/2023
***Plastic Crimewave Syndicate has finally returned with a wide-ranging/raging new album—recorded two years ago in an expansive, benevolent alleyway in the midst of a dark, diseased, claustrophobic time of global chaos. The new PCWS album, entitled Space Alley, boldly travels into the relatively unexplored malevolent terrain of free doom, space/noise punk, and darkly dubbed-out library/soundtrack grooves (call it '70s crooked-cop show/freak-funk, if you must). This is all capped off with a sidelong, (beat of the) earth-harvesting modal exploration of synthed-out kraut-throb. With new bassist Rob Rodak (Dead Feathers) aboard, and guests like sax-skronk legend Taralie Peterson (Spires That in the Sunset Rise), flautist Sara Gossett (Spiral Galaxy), and synthlord Will MacLean (Protovulcan), new influences have seeped into PCWS's dystopian vision. The Syndicate have opened for revered deities like Nik Turner, Loop, Simply Saucer, Chrome, and Josefus; but now a more diverse and groovy array of past underground sounds like Skin Alley, Sound of Imker, Here and Now, Mann/Sharrock, Black Sun Ensemble, Parson Sound, and Schizo have influenced PCWS's journey. Recorded by Eric Block (Rhys Chatham, Sick Gazelle) of Rec Rooms studios, and mastered by Monster Magnet/Desert Sessions guitar god JP McBain, the mind-fry level is set to 11 ½ on Space Alley!
LP $25.25
12/02/2022
***After nearly twenty years of work, finally a proper reissue of this sought-after album by the Souls of Inspyration, first released on Columbia in 1970. Sought after, yes—and deservedly so, with stellar keyboard-driven, melodic songs, strong vocals, and an overall sense of cohesion. Terrific acoustic driven songs like 'Eyes of Nature' and 'Sun Shines in the Winter’ merge beautifully with hard-edged, progressive-tinged offerings like 'Dil Kusha (Heart's Happiness) and 'Of Lambs and Wolves.' Souls of Inspyration emerged from Sherbrooke, Quebec. They had two big breaks: they recorded this album with famed producer Don Grashey (49th Parallel, Jarvis Street Revue and yes, discoverer of Loretta Lynn!); and they were chosen for a two-week engagement at the Expo 70 Canadian pavilion for the 1970 World’s Fair in Osaka, Japan. After Expo 70, the band were happy: they had been chosen the best band to represent their country, and had brought back a nice plaque signed by the people of Japan and Prime Minister Trudeau. They felt they were going somewhere. But it was not to be. Read all about why and how in the beautiful 12-page insert booklet. Now is the perfect time to discover this beautiful aberration, one of the unspoiled jewels of the late psychedelic era—on vinyl cut from 24-bit/96kHz transfers of the master tapes! Pressed on orange vinyl with 12-page booklet.
LP $28.85
04/22/2022
***Jeff Carney's sophomore effort for audioFile (1989) could not have been criticized were it to have remained in similar territory as the electronic wall of sound he had created on Imperfect Space Journeys. Instead, he created a more sparse, evolving tapestry of analog timbres. Using an exclusively vintage analog arsenal and recording live without overdubbing, Carney pushed forward with new ideas and uniquely developing sweeps of filter madness. The side-long 'Questions (Unanswered)’ is immensely innovative: the sounds are at once organic and of the earth, yet futuristic in their skyward drones and hypnotic hooks. Additional layers are gradually added, like a bubbling alien swarm tone that comes in successive falling surges, followed by cosmic whooshing and howling rushes of wind. The effect is simultaneously meditative and intense. And live. As Carney said, "I was quite proud because I managed to essentially perform the entire composition without error. Just about every sound came in at the right level. Every part was performed without mistake. And nothing was adjusted or corrected. This was what happened on the spot.” Carney explores different territory on the two B-side tracks: ‘ARP 2600 Improvisation’ is like a master class of cosmic effects. It feels like the soundtrack to a 1950s sci-fi movie, recalling Forbidden Planet’s most electrifying moments, but also at times sounding like sci-fi flick meets battle-in-space video game. ‘Pensive Mood’ roars out of the starting gate with a high octane electronic arpeggiated pattern, creating a somewhat white-knuckled brand of “pensive” contemplation. This is...
LP $25.25
01/21/2022
***Ultra-rare rehearsal sessions from 1969 by this South African heavy psych / acid rock band, mastered from a tape transfer—and yet still doom-laden, dark, heavy, and as messy as can be, in all the right ways. Influences from heavy bands of the time, such as Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Steppenwolf are noticeable, with proto-doom and psych/funk undercurrents. Do you like fuzz guitar? You’re going to hear it screaming and wailing and building to epic tidal waves and crashes, the kinds of astonishing guitar cascades not heard since you cued up the best of all available live Jimi Hendrix recordings.
LP $25.35
12/03/2021
***"I doubt whether the name Earthforce will be familiar to many, mainly due to the fact that they merely existed for a couple of years, with only a 60x copy private press cassette release in 1977 to their name during their time together. Earthforce were a musical collective out of step with the punk age, children of the UK free festival scene—events like the Psilocybin Festival—enjoying a connection with the earth, singing meditative songs with lyrics about the 'moontide of the pagan heart' and the 'wind blowing seaward.' The end result is a fantastic album, loosely charting the course of a day, from dawn to moonrise. The diverse instrumentation (sitar, 12-string guitar, flageolet, electric guitars, fretless bass, harmonium, doogi, synthesizer, acoustic guitar, percussion, tabla, cymbals, etc.) are used in ways which bring unexpected wonders to the Earthforce sound. And if the late date of Earthforce’s existence is at all worrying to you, as you probably remember, Caedmon’s legendary debut album, also released as a private pressing—and one of the most sought-after progressive folk-rock albums from the UK—came out in 1978. Had Earthforce opted for vinyl instead of cassette for their release, we have little doubt that an Earthforce LP would be at least as sought after as the Caedmon LP—and so, with that idea in mind, we have made an Earthforce LP." The first ever vinyl issue of these recordings. Includes a 12-page full color booklet with band info, photos, and lyrics.
LP $24.95
03/26/2021
***Dominique Blanc-Francard’s Ailleurs is trippy and weird... and yet… the songs are catchy and the album rocks out. Fuzzy guitar, chunky drums, weird effects, a thick mix of layers of sound—all tasty ingredients. Pink Floyd meets T-Rex? It’s a terrific recipe, which surely must describe other albums? Even so, we can’t think of another album that sounds quite like Ailleurs. Without realizing it, you've probably already listened to Dominique Blanc-Francard's work—as a sound engineer. DBF worked from 1970 to 1973 at the mythical Chateau d’Hérouville studio under the leadership of Michel Magne, the legendary composer of soundtracks such as Les Tontons Flingueurs, Fantômas, and Angélique. The studio was the famous “Honky Château’’ of Elton John, a place where Dominique Blanc-Francard participated in recordings by Pink Floyd, David Bowie, T. Rex, Elton John, and Cat Stevens Pink Floyd. You can also find DBF’s involvement on records by Magma, Cœur Magique, Gong, Catharsis, Ergo Sum, Zoo, Markusfeld, Axis and the compilation Puissance 13+2 (Power 13 + 2).
LP $24.95
02/19/2021
***A masterpiece of South American percussion, recorded in 1977 by worldwide legend and Gipsy Kings percussionist Jorge Trasante—and impossible to find for decades—finally reissued! "In the mid-'70s I was struck by a young Uruguayan percussionist named Jorge Trasante. I met him accompanying Rada and Pippo Spera, in recordings in the Sondor Studio. He turned out to be an experienced percussionist and remarkable musical researcher, despite his young age, only 23 years old. At that time he invited me to a rehearsal with Eduardo Mateo, at his house in El Cordón. We decided to record the album "Mateo y Trasante", which today is an iconic album of Uruguayan music. And at the same time, I suggested to Jorge, to record an LP of instrumental percussion, based on Afro Uruguay rhythms. It became his letter of introduction when a few months later he traveled to Europe, where he joined very good groups, including the Gipsy Kings, with whom he recorded 18 albums between 1987 and 2001, and also accompanied other great artists. Jorge Trasante settled in Paris, France, where he lived for more than 30 years. The album “Folklore Afro Uruguayo” was not a success of the moment, but is a sound document which maintains its validity through time.” —Enrique Abal Oliú
LP $22.95
08/07/2020
***NOW AVAILABLE ON VINYL!!! What was available to unknown hard rocking dreamers like Umbra in Denver in 1971-72? Weekend gigs. Nothing but weekend gigs. But there was an upside to that: bands like Umbra could mix original material in with covers, and make enough money to survive. Or in the case of Umbra, to make enough money to build a home studio, where they recorded ads to promote their upcoming shows—and eventually, laid down the eight tracks on this disc. Everything was recorded by bouncing tracks back and forth between two-track and four-track reel-to-reel tape recorders. Spacey intros and weird effects were created by recording guitar licks, then re-recording them played backwards at double speed. What sounds like a flute was the result of blowing over the top of a 14” goose neck (believe it or not). The resulting tracks are hard edged and heavy, verging on acid rock at times. Makes sense, as Umbra was a power trio most of their too-brief existence. Yet the songs (heavy though they are) have a deft touch. There are weird effects, space rock elements, plenty of melody, and a refreshing category-free approach to writing songs that makes Umbra’s music exciting to hear. Our Lion LP edition comes with an 8-page LP-sized color booklet, with lyrics, photos, plus interesting and funny things that can only happen to musicians, and did to Umbra. The CD edition comes with a sixteen-page color booklet containing the same material.
LP $24.50
02/07/2020
CD $11.00
12/20/2019
***Official authorized reissue of the legendary psychedelic LP by Christopher from South Carolina. One of the absolute best American psychedelic LPs of the 1960’s, and one of the rarest—a copy went for close to $4,000 the last time an original copy sold online, and nearly double that changed hands off-line for an original! Every song is of the highest quality (all originals too), with an accessible sound the suggests that the band could have had more widespread success, had they ever made it out of their native South Carolina. Originally pressed in 1969 to use as a demo, the album is a mix of trippy lysergic lyrics with flanged vocals (among other effects), fine vocal harmonies, extended jamming, and a transcendent quality expressed with gutsy and creative guitar work. Includes a 12-page full-size booklet with rare photos, stories from the road and complete lyrics.
LP $24.50
09/06/2019
***BACK IN STOCK!!! In February of 2009, Jim Valice of Index discovered three reels in a cardboard box stuffed in a closet of his parents home in Michigan. These songs from 1969 were on those reels. Fourteen original compositions by Index, seven making their vinyl debut, the other seven released for the first time ever, all transferred from the original tapes! Index was once again a pure power trio by 1969. There was massive demand for Index personal performances. Index was not interested. It was becoming more difficult for guitarist John Ford to travel back from Yale University to Detroit on a weekly basis. Index wanted to push the bounds of their own creativity. They chose to use their limited time together to write and record. Index were the epitome of a DIY band. They made great use of the newly developed sound on sound (SOS) technology. It allowed Index to record basic tracks (guitars, drums and lead vocals); with SOS they then could add keyboards, additional guitar tracks and vocals. A musical revolution in miniature!
LP $24.50
06/14/2019
***The Sidewinders formed in the spring of 1985. The group released "Cuacha!” in 1987 (and again in 1988), and subsequently signed to RCA/Mammoth Records, with whom they released two full-length albums, 1989's “Witchdoctor" and 1990's "Auntie Ramos' Pool Hall." “Witchdoctor" cracked the lower echelons of the Billboard 200 on the strength of two rock radio hits. The band scored exposure on MTV and VH1 and embarked on a worldwide tour. But the Sidewinders were soon sidelined due to legal problems stemming from a challenge over the band’s name. As the Sand Rubies, they released an album on Polydor/Atlas in 1993 (at one point, Pearl Jam served as their opening act). However, the strain of the legal tussle led the Sand Rubies to dissolve during a tour in 1993—just as two other Arizona rock bands, Gin Blossoms and The Refreshments, attracted mainstream attention. "By the time they recorded Cuacha!, the Sidewinders had almost figured out what kind of band they wanted to be. On some cuts here the Hüsker Dü-goes-West mix of acoustic textures and roaring guitar is almost perfect. 'I Guess It Doesn't Matter' and 'Blood on Our Hands' are punk-pop masterpieces driven by Rich Hopkins' snarling guitars and Dave Slutes' country-inflected but brash singing... The album is worth having for the first released version of 'What She Said,' a song that the band released on three different albums, each time rocking a bit harder and at greater length. The version here is a dark, mournful folk-rock piece."...
LP $23.45
05/03/2019
***Formed in 1970, CARPE DIEM started out playing covers by the likes of East of Eden, King Crimson, Deep Purple, and Uriah Heep in clubs along the French Riviera. Original compositions made their way into the band's repertoire over the five years between their formation and the release of their debut album, En Regardent Passer Le Temps, in 1976. Little wonder then that the band sounds as magnificently tight, polished and mature on this classic debut, truly one of the gems of the French rock scene. The success of the album brought them dates with other major French bands like Magma and Ange, led to the recording of a second album, and then ultimately to the sort of nearly total obscurity which deserves to be undone with a reissue such as this one! “The album practically encompasses the diversity and inspiration of the French progressive rock underground. It is, easily, one of the finest albums to have emerged from that scene. At the risk of sounding like a raving fanboy, En Regardent Passer Le Temps is indeed a classic record for the ages.”—Greg Northrup, Progweed
LP $22.95
04/19/2019
***NOW AVAILABLE ON VINYL!!! Not only is this the first time the music of THE LOST SOULS has been available since a cassette released in 1984 by member DENNY CARLETON, our Lion Productions edition is the first release for many additional Lost Souls cuts, including alternate versions of key tracks like the insightful ‘Things That Are Important’ and ‘I’m Falling’ (the closest to a hit the band ever had), all taken from the original tapes and carefully mastered. Seven bonus tracks highlight the work of Lost Soul's main songwriter Denny Carleton (one-time member of THE CHOIR, and more surprisingly, punk legends the PAGANS); selections by The Choir, Moses, Milk and Carleton, many in all possible low-fi glory, recorded on various 4-Track devices, ranging from power-pop to grimy garage. "The Lost Souls never released any records, yet the meager recorded evidence that survives indicates that they were one of the finest unknown American groups of the mid-'60s, able to write both catchy British Invasion-type rockers and, in their latter days, experimental psychedelic pieces with unusual tempo changes and song structures. The band were also unusual in their occasional embellishment of the typical period guitar-bass-drums lineup with flute, sax, and mandolin. Although popular in their Cleveland hometown, they broke up in 1968 to attend college. Rhythm guitarist Denny Carleton, who wrote and sang some of their best material, went on to briefly join The Choir, their chief (and more successful) rivals." —Richie Unterberger
CD $11.00
10/19/2018
2XLP $32.50
03/18/2022
***BACK IN PRINT!!! SEARCH PARTY was the brainchild of (then Reverend) NICHOLAS FREUND. Having left Wisconsin to join a burgeoning West Coast religious scene, Freund made his way to San Francisco in 1968 to lay down this sole effort with some of his students. The result is a spooky trip that’s equal parts acid-soaked mind expansion and God. Laced with haunting vocals and dreamlike passages, sinister farfisa, blasts of fuzz guitar and downer lyrics, Montgomery Chapel is psychedelic music at its most evocative and thanks to its depth and sense of anxiety, most truly spiritual. The ominous nine-minute drifter 'So Many Things Have Got Me Down,' for example, tackles the difficulties of an unfulfilled married life, depression and spiritual apathy, all while riding a stripped down, grooving beat. If you can imagine a lo-fi United States of America/Jefferson Airplane hybrid, you have an idea of how cool this band sounds. Only 600 copies were pressed and issued on the custom Century label; they've become holy grails of collectors. Artists as disparate as Current 93's David Tibet and Sonic Boom have heaped praise on it. We're thrilled to give this lost classic a proper reissue. Audio restoration by Anders Peterson. Insert is packed with info thanks to Nick Freund, who was gracious enough to delve into his memory, scrapbook, and photo albums to help us flesh out the portrait of one of the most potent—and perhaps most unlikely—psychedelic groups to ever record an album. New hand numbered pressing...
LP $25.25
04/20/2018
***AVAILABLE AGAIN!!! The rise of power trio T2 was rapid: important open-air festivals; headlining at the Marquee Club; appearances at virtually every major venue in London. Their debut album (It'll All Work Out in Boomland) was released; they seemed poised for a breakthrough. They were playing the Marquee club, with John Lennon and Jimi Hendrix hanging out backstage, which was all to the good. But people were saying, “we can’t find your album anywhere.” In short order, the band fell apart. Still, their sole Decca label album has become well established as an all-time classic amongst progressive and psychedelic music collectors—even the techno and DJj crowds. The fact that it has done so without hype is a testament to the innate quality of the music. Following the departures of KEITH CROSS and BERNARD JINKS, PETE DUNTON put a new version of T2 together; in this manner, T2 toured the UK continuously throughout 1971 and 1972. The UK music scene was changing with great rapidity. T2 recorded a group of great tracks along the lines of what Free, Deep Purple, and Atomic Rooster were doing; but they were also being pressured to compromise their very-personal sound. These musical difficulties (and possibly some contractual troubles) stopped T2's material of that period from being released—until now. The sound of the band is virtually unchanged from the dense, hard-driving excellence of their previous recordings. It’s amazing that a band could produce so much quality music and still be confined...
CD $11.00
03/23/2018
***DASZU was based in Milwaukee, not in the UK. Except for cassette distributions in Helsinki and Dublin, and a few scattered performances, they lived, practiced and performed near home. In 1979, MARK RUDOLPH (now an interactive 3D artist, musician, software developer, mathematician and the director of i3Dmedia LLC) talked in his kitchen to DAVID WOLF about an idea he had for a new music: how music could be 'popular' without rock guitars and big wall sound such as large amps and organs. "I said we could do a minimal three-piece music based on new melodic lines and poetry and synthesis. I thought that we could remake reality. It was possibly ambitious, but I didn't think so. We decided to do it." They didn't use a big polyphonic keyboard, preferring a mini-moog sound generator. The 1/2 Dativa material included on our Lion survey of Daszu's musical innovations was the work of Rudolph and his Australian friend and musician, GREG O'CONNOR (BOOM CRASH OPERA). Rudolph had been studying mathematics and computer music in Australia, and a mix of Daszu, his computer generated music and O'Connor's great genius with electronic parts is evident in these intense, propulsive recordings made on a pair of DX-7 synthesizers one feverish day in 1983. CD version includes a 24-page booklet. First time on vinyl for all tracks, including two bonus songs not on the CD version. LP comes with an 8-page booklet.
CD $11.00
02/02/2018
2XLP $31.45
05/24/2019
***After venturing from Brazil to England to attend the Isle of Wight Festival, Brazilian band the BUBBLES—the toast of the underground Rio de Janeiro scene, who had backed Tropicalist singer Gal Costa’s residence at the Sucata night club in that epochal year of 1970—decided to experiment with a heavier sound than that of their Brazilian cohorts. Step one, they changed their name to A BOLHA. Then, loaded with verve and swagger (and fueled by drugs), they recorded their first album, which has secured a permanent place as one of the best rock/psych albums to ever emerge from South America. That album, Um Passo a Frente (A Step Forward), was released in 1973 by the Continental label, in a gatefold cover which was quite luxurious for the era. This masterpiece, now impossibly hard to find as an original, made a name for A Bolha in the pantheon of 1970’s Brazilian rock. But success in the early 1970s was not like it had been in the Tropicalia days, when even weird bands like Os Mutantes had weekly TV gigs to help them become well-known nationwide—and eventually, worldwide. A co-release with Portugal's Groovie Records. Includes both sides of the band's hardrocking 1971 single as bonus tracks. Pressed in an edition of 300 numbered copies with insert.
LP $24.50
09/08/2017
***Thirty five years on the road. Eight albums acclaimed by the international press. Exalted shows at Near Fest, Baja Prog, Mexico DF Prog. Cinematographic sounds made by the four original members. Heavy and dynamic keyboards/Hammond; elaborate guitar work; powerful bass & drums. Their latest album—not a reissue of previously released material All analog recording to enhance the 1970's flavor "Clearly we have found the band's live performance and albums to be among the best modern progressive albums we've heard. Worth a trans-Atlantic journey, maybe even a trip to Argentina, Nexus' albums and live performances are not only a must listen but also a must see!”—musicaldiscoveries.com. Edition of 300 hand-numbered copies, of which only 150 copies are available for distribution.
LP $27.85
09/08/2017
***Another great album from Canada's legendary Paragon label, a set of super bluesy psych demo tapes from 1968. The band's album Stink was received not just as a great album of electric blues, but as some sort of revelation when it appeared in the second half of 1969. But lead guitarist MIKE MCKENNA had spent time ('67-'68) in the UGLY DUCKLINGS, and had already developed a 'local hero' tag by playing hard electric blues as a member of the legendary LUKE AND THE APOSTLES. Together, he and JOE MENDELSON made arrestingly earthy music, which soon attracted another of Toronto's rock gods of the day, bassist DENNY GERRARD from the PAUPERS, whose legendary talents had served him well on the stage of the Monterey Pop Festival, where his work with the Paupers was (and still is) considered a highlight. The material included on this disc, rough and searing demo material, is arguably even more rare and interesting than that on their classic McKenna Mendelson Mainline Stink album.
LP $19.25
07/31/2017
***In the days before genre obsession, a rock and roll fervor drew on a rediscovery of blue grass, folk, blues and ‘country music’. Add to the mix consciousness-expansion afforded by the proliferation of psychedelic drugs, and the music scene of the West Coast of America percolated, powered by this heady brew. At the heart of this experiment in new music and consciousness the NEW RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE were born. The history of the New Riders will forever be intertwined with that of their fellow travelers the GRATEFUL DEAD. Both bands shared a down-home vibe, and shared members for recording dates. JERRY GARCIA of the Grateful Dead co-founded the New Riders with JOHN DAWSON and DAVID NELSON as an opportunity to play pedal steel guitar—although he plays banjo and dobro on Powerglide, first released in 1972. Dawson and Nelson returned the favor, playing on Dead masterpieces American Beauty and Workingman’s Dead. PHIL LESH and MICKEY HART of the Dead rounded out the New Riders rhythm section until DAVID TORBERT took over on bass and SPENCER DRYDEN of JEFFERSON AIRPLANE fame took over on drums. Grateful Dead drummer BILL KREUZMAN plays percussion on this album. To add to all that star power, noted British pianist NICKY HOPKINS (Beatles, Kinks, Stones) played keyboards on Powerglide. Dave Torbert's ‘California Day’ is a gem, a hymn to the West Coast with some beautiful slide and fuzz guitar work; ‘Contract,’ is an equally impressive blend of country rock and old west imagery. NRPS's cover...
LP $17.75
06/09/2017
***Unreleased underground Texas hard rock from 1975! First release anywhere, anytime! Heavy grooves with dense, layered guitars and Deep Purple / Black Sabbath style vocals from bassist T.J. SANDERS. HONEST JOHN was a band that meant business at a time when most bands were softening their sound for radio. Not these guys! Honest John did release an extremely rare 7" on the Baron label (BRN45006): slinky track 'Brighter Day' b/w the chunky and hard driving 'Face the Crowd;" but that was all that ever emerged from the sessions until now. It was in fact all the world knew of Honest John, aside from folks blown away by hearing them on tour in Texas playing frat parties, bars, military bases, and sleazy rock clubs in the early 1970s. Honest John's Sailor is a living, breathing tribute to OTTIS COLEMAN, who should have long ago been celebrated as a true Texas guitar great. Features Coleman's stellar guitar and engineered by future Mojave Audio honcho and key figure in 1970 rock in Houston, DUSTY WAKEMAN. Coleman and Wakeman both later joined Houston blues rockers BUZZ BONE, which featured Dan Mitchell and Tom Moore post-Moving Sidewalks. But it has always been the Honest John sessions that they longed to have released. We at Lion Productions are proud to present the album Honest John wanted to release, at long long last. A definitive statement of heaviness. Edition of 500 copies housed in gatefold jackets.
LP $22.75
04/07/2017
***THE MORNING DEW have been psych collector faves for ages. Their sole release, At Last (much like the Morgen album) becomes more obviously crucial with each passing year. After recording their legendary album for Roulette in 1969, Morning Dew headed back to Topeka feeling good about their prospects. But Roulette had problems. They did finally release At Last late in 1970... and marketed it so well it became a psychedelic rarity and a cult favorite. Even so, Morning Dew's producer at Roulette urged the band to record a demo of songs for a second album. They went to a local studio in August 1970 and blasted out eight songs, bolstered by new recruit FERDY BAUMGART's Hammond B3. Band leader MAL ROBINSON also made acoustic two-track recordings in his basement: new songs, plus others from the Morning Dew repertoire—just vocal and guitar. The band gigged while Roulette and it's honcho Morris Levy withered under scrutiny by law enforcement. A second album came to nothing. Still under contract with Roulette and still dealing with broken promises, burnt out and broke, Morning Dew disbanded in June, 1971. But those demos... they need to be heard. That's where we come in. Two records, chock full of your new favorite Morning Dew songs, plus solo acoustic versions of band classics like the monumental 'Crusader's Smile,' alternates, and more, most of which is previously unreleased. One more thing: all of this material is making its vinyl debut. Edition of 500 copies housed in a deluxe gatefold...
2XLP $37.95
11/04/2016
***Amazing sessions by the cream of underground French prog and psych bands, first released in 1971 on Thélème, a boutique label owned by MAGMA bassist and Barclay Records manager LAURENT THIBAULT. When Thibault founded Thélème, he wanted to set up a prestige outfit. He had this in mind when he set out to fulfill his ambition of presenting a panorama of the French rock scene by gathering the best groups in France together on one double-album, to be recorded at the legendary Chateau d'Hérouville studio, live in the courtyard with no overdubs. Thibault had hoped that labels would allow their best acts to appear. Philips offered Magma (the version of ‘Mekanik Kommando’ appearing on Puissance is the first ever conceived or recorded by the band) and CATHERINE RIBEIRO; Barclay allowed ALAIN MARKUSFELD to participate; LE CHANTDU MONDE LET VOYAGE appear. The band CATHARSIS said yes; so did CONTREPOINT, discovered by Magma’s René Garber. Thélème artists included ERGO SUM, MOR, ZABU and SOLITUDE. Two guests from America were recommended by Le Chant du Monde: folk-singers ROGER MASON and STEVE WARING. And happily SPECTRE, a band featuring legendary Hérouville engineer DOMINQUE BLANC-FRANCART brought the monster prog jazz funk synth madness of 'Arkham'. Brilliant! One-time pressing of 500 copies housed in a special textured linen finish gatefold jacket. Includes a lush, 4-page booklet of notes, band info and rare photos.
2XLP $36.95
10/07/2016
***NOW AVAILABLE ON CD!!! Following the international release of Evening Colours in 1976, JACQUELINE THIBAULT (LAURENCE VANAY) continued to compose songs that she recorded on her multi-track Revox. But she had little time for her own music, working day and night at legendary international recording studio, the Château d’Hérouville. Still, Jacqueline managed to bring together the compositions for Les Soleils de la Vie (The Suns of Life), with the help of her perpetual musical accomplices—SERGE DERRIEN (guitar, flute, wordless vocals) and JOHN CHEVALIER, aka POPOV (drums and percussion). There was also the timely intervention of other friends, MICHEL SANTANGELLI (drums), JEAN CLAUDE GUZELLI (bass) and FRANCIS MOZE. Decca Records was interested in producing the album back in 1977, but asked for a remix of the music. Only several years later was that finally possible—too late for Decca. The recordings therefore found themselves asleep on Parisian shelves, pending potential better days. Shimmering, mysterious, sometimes funky, deeply emotional examples of musical beguilement. CD edition comes with six bonus tracks plus a 24-page booklet.
LP $22.65
02/05/2016
CD $15.50
07/29/2016
***NOW AVAILABLE ON CD!!! JACQUELINE THIBAULT (LAURENCE VANAY) often worked for other artists at the legendary Château d’Hérouville studio as arranger, keyboardist, co-composer, and assistant sound engineer. Between sessions she sometimes managed to record her own music. Several years after her two acknowledged masterpieces, Galaxies and Evening Colours, she was able to bring together the tracks for La Petite Fenêtre (The Little Window). As the 1970s ended, trouble with the Château finances meant that again it was impossible for her to present her work to interested record labels. Instead, "I worked in another recording studio in Paris for fashionable artists," she said, "and I managed after a time to resume and complete my unfinished songs." By that time, the French record companies were not interested in instrumental music anymore. The recordings therefore found themselves asleep on Parisian shelves, pending potential better days. Sublime compositions: unique, melancholic and very powerful. CD edition features eight bonus tracks plus a 24-page booklet.
LP $22.65
11/24/2015
CD $15.50
07/29/2016
***NOW AVAILABLE ON CD!!! Following on from the superb first volume, here is the second volume of electronics, synth pop, cold wave and minimal tracks culled from the archives of the legendary Color Tapes UK cassette label from the 1980s. These tracks originally came out as micro editions on cassette back then some of which are also unreleased too. It includes rare tracks by the likes of: Lives of Angels, Disintegrators, The Lord, WeR7, Mystery Plane and Berserk in a Hayfield. 180 gram vinyl edition with full colour poster plus a rare reprint of issue one of Color Tapes' own "Purple Twilight" fanzine from 1985, that features articles on such bands as Lives of Angels, Modern Art, Legendary Pink Dots, and Cleaners From Venus. A superb document from the 80's UK cassette underground scene. Remastered from the original source tapes by Denis Blackham, this is a must-have for synth and cold wave collectors! CD includes the unreleased bonus track "Fatal Crash Immersed the Start (Bass Mix), by MODERN ART, along with a 36-page fanzine. "There's some real gold inside, not least in The Lord's kosmic electro-garage-punk mission, 'Transvision', or the wiry EBM of Beserk In A Hayfield's 'Pulse', but also the swirling noise blow-out of WeR7's 'Masterful of Ceremonies (Edit)', and the flanging garage-punk strut of 'Elixir Vapor' by Disintegrators, plus a handful of icy, cold and crisp 808 workouts Lives of Angels and Body Electric." —Boomkat.
LP $27.85
10/13/2015
CD $10.50
01/08/2016
***Expanded deluxe edition of THE DEEP's one and only album, originally released in 1966 and now well-established as a psychedelic classic. One night in a darkened Philadelphia studio, the Deep (RUSTY EVANS, songwriting partner and producer MARK BARKAN, the legendary DAVD BROMBERG, whose credits include playing with Bob Dylan and many others, plus a bevy of talented musicians) laid down tempestuous garage punkers, sweetly-twisted ballads and ambiguous weirdness, all rife with hyper-psychedelic lyrical flashes of a rolling midnight expressway through the subconscious mind. A perfect representation of the psychedelic sound: free-form poetry, infectious drum beats, fuzzed out guitar, and playfully plucked bass (and vibes and tympani and so on), swirl together, coalescing into some of the most impressive psychedelic rock you'll hear. Remastered from the original four-track tapes, including three sides of alternates. "The best Nuggets-era garage album ever."—www.lysergia.com
3XLP $44.95
10/13/2015