colour as our keyboard

detail from “farbstudie quadrate” by wassily kandinsky, oil on canvas. Take #3,  Recorded 14th July 1970, Abbey Road Studios. Syd Barrett: guitar, vocals;David Gilmour: bass; drums.Richard Wright: organ, piano, harmonium. Engineered by Peter Brown.Produced by David Gilmour and Richard Wright.Because life is duller without a little Syd.  ▼ SYD BARRETT: DOMINOES from “Barrett” LP (EMI

canto libre, jimmy

Por mi hermano, Löst jimmy, currently “operating” out of Central Mexico. Accompanied by Banda; Reggeton; and the “smell of overly strong coffee and fat laden baking”.Not so much breaking bad as bread. A traditional Mexican song performed by Víctor Jara in the company of Inti-Illimani and Patricio Castillio.▼ VÍCTOR JARA: CORRIDO DE PANCHO VILLA from “Canto

holiday in कम्बोज)

HIT THE SPOT WIT’ ALL YOU GOT! “Kambuja or Kamboja is the ancient Sanskrit name of the Kambojas, an early tribe of North India, named after their founder, Kambu Svayambhuva.“Appearing in long player format on 1970’s “Reggae Movement“, released through producer Harry Johnson’s Harry J Records, I am assuming this rocksteady gem was first issued

tea for two. or three.

(l to r) keith cross; peter dunton; bernard jinks. To more or less quote Johnny Thunders verbatim:“Do you want the ‘lectric shit ? Or the hippie shit ?“ I had not heard T2 previous to the inclusion of “No More White Horses” in Emmett’s October playlist. From their sole album, “It’ll All Work Out in

S&M ?

“shy boy in soyapango, el salvador“. photograph by donna decesare. Any allusion to a large UK supermarket chain’s commandeering of this piece through its television advertising is lamentable. But sadly inescapable. I detest food pornography, and it is a fairly safe assumption that Carlos Santana does not need the bread, however finely baked or dressed.

byrd with coils

albinio banana california king snake. A Jaques Levy & McGuinn composition from The Byrds’ untitled 1970 LP, featuring Clarence White, Gram Parsons and Skip Battin. Also including the great Terry Melcher on piano in pieces, this was undoubtably the last release from McGuinn under the Byrds banner of any merit. McGuinn’s voice on this live

all right now #2

WIP 6082.Recorded at the same time as the “Fire And Water” sessions at Trident and Island Studios, London, this abbreviated 45 release lacks the polish of the full album production, but packs more percussive bite. Paul Kossoff was reportedly aggravated that his lengthy guitar solo was edited so savagely (huh ?), but on balance I

the way it is

You can’t think your way out of an avalanche. You can only feel. I woke up this morning with “I Just Can’t Help Believin’” playing in my head. It sounded sweet and honest and laced with caffeine. The snow outside was uncommonly deep and soft. By mid afternoon it was grey and lumpen and tubercular.

the heart which rules the head

artist unknown. Not the Jerry Garcia led improvisation from the officially repackaged soundtrack, but two keyboard based outtakes from Richard Wright (one assumes, in concert with either Waters or Gilmour) as part of fifteen segments from those original sessions to the Antonioni classic which never made final cut. Tentative and archly fragile – reminiscent of

plastic jesus on a naugahyde cross

▼ PRETTY THINGS: SICKLE CLOWNS from “Parachute” LP (Harvest EMI) 1970 (UK)PURCHASE PARACHUTE

free-fall interrupted

Harvest SHVL 774. One of my favourite albums ever – Rolling Stone‘s album of 1970 – and the perfect companion piece to the Beatles’ own underrated masterpiece, “Abbey Road“. Unfortunately, the critical acclaim it gathered never did convert into commercial sales, and as a result this LP has lingered in warehouse recycling bins or dusty

maybe call mom on the telephone…

ron asheston: july 17th, 1948 – January 1st, 2009. My son’s mother communicated this information to me by text some time last night. That his body should have lain undiscovered for several days over the new year’s period – of alleged celebration – saddens me deeply. No fun. These days we all wait in for

noel!

a christmas tree in arizona.“a dead tree on the edge of the grand canyon“. photograph by john ur, 2008. Rockette Morton: bass; Drumbo: drums, percussion;Ed Marimba: drums, percussion, marimba;Zoot Horn Rollo: slide guitar;Captain Beefheart: vocals, harmonica, saxophone. Produced by Captain Beefheart. Today I feel crippled by inertia and irritated by the nagging impulseto ‘do’. There

bombay bulletin

▼ GEORGE HARRISON: MY SWEET LORD from “All Things Must Pass” 3 x LP (Apple) 1970 (UK)PURCHASE ALL THINGS MUST PASS

this pack has nothing to declare

Progressive jazz with an electronic edge. Recorded at Tonstudio Bauer, Ludwigsburg, on September 15th and October 1st, 1970. Produced by Manfred Eicher. Composed and performed by Wolfgang Dauner. Eberhard Weber: bass; Eberhard Weber: cello; Eberhard Weber, Wolfgang Dauner: flute; Wolfgang Dauner: piano; Wolfgang Dauner: keyboards; Wolfgang Dauner: clavinet; Wolfgang Dauner: main performer; Wolfgang Dauner: modulator;

mick jagger: memo from turner

vince whirlwind: memo from turner. Paranoia. And descent into schizophrenic ambivalence. Directed by Donald Cammell and Nicholas Roeg. Ugly. Faggy. Good shit, Brushback. Recorded on 17 November 1968. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richard. Boris and Dirt. ▼ MICK JAGGER: MEMO FROM TURNER from “Performance (OST)” LP (Warner Bros.) 1970 (UK) PURCHASE STONES: METAMORPHOSIS

buddy miles: down by the river

them changes. An absolutely stunning cover of the Neil Young standard by the late Buddy Miles, drummer and vocalist with Electric Flag and – more famously – with Jimi’s Band of Gypsies. A collaborator, too, with the great Carlos Santana. This cut also features Miles on guitar. I do not recall where this vinyl rip

fire and water

photograph by danuta, poland. Written by Paul Rodgers and Paul Kossoff. Produced by Bob Clearmountain. ▼ FREE: OH, I WEPT (ALTERNATIVE TAKE: BONUS) from “Fire And Water” CD (Island) 1970 (UK) PURCHASE FREE REMASTERED + BONUS TRACKS

baby lemonade

“While the sessions for Barrett ran more smoothly, it didn’t prevent Syd’s by-now characteristically bizarre behavior from coming through. On June 6, 1970, Syd gave his one and only solo performance, backed by David Gilmour and Jerry Shirley, and baffled the audience (including Gilmour and Shirley) when he abruptly took off his guitar during the

hotlegs, 1970 BC

fossil hominid skulls. I mentioned Hotlegs previously in relation to Throbbing Gristle, odd as it may seem. “Fresh from the breakup of the Mindbenders, guitarist Eric Stewart and songwriter Graham Gouldman opened their own Strawberry Studios in Stockport, England. Joined by Lol Creme and Kevin Godley, but temporarily shedding Gouldman, who promptly relocated to New