Saturday 31 December 2022

Slowdive - Souvlaki Demos & Outtakes

 





















01 I Thought I Saw
02 Hide Your Eyes
03 Sleep
04 Instrumental Take One
05 Joy
06 Silver Screen
07 AB (with Brian Eno)
08 Stars
09 Bleed
10 I Saw the Sun
11 Summer's Day
12 It's Not for You
13 Song Number One
14 Let' Go Away
15 One Hundred Times
16 40 Days (Demo)
17 Sing (Demo)
18 When the Sun Hits (Demo)
19 Melon Yellow (Alternative)
20 Dagger (Electric)
21 Joy (Drum Machine Demo)
22 Shine (Splendour Remix)
23 Silver Screen (Version 2)
24 Hide Your Eyes (Alternative)
25 Joy (Studio Demo)
26 Beach Song
27 Take Me Down

Bootleg jackpot for Slowdive fans. A VERY long compilation of outtakes, alternate versions and demos from the 'Souvlaki' recording sessions.

Thanks to Music for Nobody and Space Station Sound.

Spacemen 3 - Live at Reading Festival 1989

 





















01 Rollercoaster
02 Transparent Radiation
03 Things'll Never Be the Same
04 Take Me to the Other Side
05 Mary-Anne
06 Starship
07 Revolution

Another S3 boot, this time, it's the final gig from the 1989 Reading Festival.

Thanks to stef.j.c. for the original cassette.

Various Artists - Mixtape 2022

 













01 Carl Davis - New Fashion, Old Religion (Intro)
02 Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra - Promises
03 Salem's Pot - Creep Purple
04 Butter Glory - The Skills of the Star Pilot
05 4hero - Conceptions
06 Laddio Bolocko - The Man Who Never Was
07 Elephant9 - Arrival Of The New Elders
08 Horsegirl - Billy
09 Kettenkarussell - Haller
10 Ishmael Ensemble - Wax Werk
11 Nils Frahm - More
12 Duster - Feel No Joy
13 Sarah Davachi - Magdalena
14 Carl Davis - New Fashion, Old Religion (Outro)

Managed to fit in a new mixtape before year end.

Tuesday 29 November 2022

Goatherder - The Hayton Tapes 2

 




















Treehouse Orchestra Recordings TOR090.

01 Is there No One in Your World but You I
02 Is there No One in Your World but You II

Recorded, constructed and produced by Stephen Benson.

Live improvisations performed by Stephen Benson, Felicity Cromack,
Emily Ford, Stephanie Gardner, Camille Matton, Asha Nicholson,
Samantha Staniforth, Nick Taylor, Amy Tweddle and Stevie Westgarth.

Recorded at Hayton Castle, November 14th, 2021.

Collage mixed and assembled, Summer - Autumn 2022.

Mastered by Jonathan Sharp.

Artwork by Emily Ford.
















Another one of my own releases now; live improvised jams recorded late night in a castle, then chopped up for a collage. These  recordings weave around a version of Charles Manson's 'Is there No One in Your World but You?', also recorded that evening.

Limited edition cassette and free download and streaming from our Bandcamp.


Seventh Sons - Raga (4 A.M. At Frank's)

 




















ESP Disk 1968

01 Raga (Part One)
02 Raga (Part Two)

The title and cover art give away this late night (early morning) jam session. Flutes, guitars and chanting. Improvised drone raga freak out with weed being another member of the band.

As the liner notes say "They are for real!!!"

Laddio Bolocko - Strange Warmings Of Laddio Bolocko

 




















Hungarian 1997

01 Goat Lips
02 Call Me Jesus
03 Nurser
04 The Man Who Never Was
05 Dangler
06 Y Toros

Laddio Bolocko only came to my attention this year with the compilation 'Laddio Bolocko - '97-'99'. New York art rock noise rock with CAN vibe towards experimentation and improvisation.

Debut album 'Strange Warmings Of Laddio Bolocko' comes from 1997 and is an avant garde blast.

Monday 31 October 2022

Slowdive - "Live"...(Sentrum) Oslo, Norway, 18/10/93

 




















Self released 1993

01 Machine Gun
02 Souvlaki Space Station
03 Slowdive
04 Avalyn
05 Catch The Breeze
06 Melon Yellow
07 Morningrise
08 She Calls

Sold on their 1994 North American tour by the band as a "legit" bootleg. The original cassette can fetch up to £200.



David Hemmings - Happens

 



















MGM Records 1967

01 Back Street Mirror
02 Reason To Believe
03 Good King James
04 Bell Birds
05 Talkin' LA
06 Anathea
07 After The Rain
08 War's Mystery
09 The Soldier Wind

Happens is the debut studio folk-pop album by British actor David Hemmings. The album was created by Hemmings, Jim Dickson and Jimmy Bond.

This folk pop album is pleasant enough, but it's here because of it's contributions from Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman of 'Notorious' era Byrds. It's fascinating to hear McGuinn and Hillman in full raga rock / psych mode away from their own albums. They contribute some of the arrangements, some of these tracks could of been on 'The Notorious Byrd Brothers'.

Another Byrd connection is the first track, 'Back Street Mirror'. This was written and recorded by Gene Clark and was intended as a single. The record company decided to shelf the release and the backing track was given to Hemmings.

The original with Gene's vocals could finally be heard on 'The Lost Studio Sessions 1964-1982' from Sierra Records in 2016.

13th Floor Elevators - A Love That's Sound

 




















Charley Records / United Artists 2009 (Recorded 1968)

01 Wait For My Love [unreleased 6th single]
02 It's You [acetate]
03 May The Circle Remain Unbroken [original mix]
04 Livin' On [full take with original vocals]
05 Never Another [full take with original vocals]
06 Dr Doom
07 Sweet Surprise [unreleased backing track]
08 Moon Song [unreleased backing track]
09 Livin' On [take 1, edited & overdubbed vocals]
10 Never Another [rehearsal take]
11 It's You [rehearsal take]
12 Moon Song [rehearsal take]

The third album by 13th Floor Elevators was 1969's 'Bull Of the Woods' and was a little disappointing after the first two releases, with only four songs featuring Roky Erickson and Duke Davis.

'A Love That's Sound' (originally from the 2009 box set 'Sign Of The 3 Eyed Men') takes alternate recordings, rehearsals, unfinished songs and mixes from the original recording sessions and gives an idea of what a third album sounded like, had the band stayed together.


Sunday 25 September 2022

Spacemen 3 - Live at The Twisted Wheel, Carlisle 26-06-89

 




















Bootleg 1989

01 Rollercoaster
02 Lord Can You Hear Me
03 Things'll Never be the Same
04 Take Me to the Other Side
05 Transparant Radiation
06 Starship
07 Revolution
08 Che
09 Suicide
10 Revolution

Digging in to my S3 boots now and a show from my (near) hometown of Carlisle. I was too young to attend (and too young to be a fan yet). It doesn't sound like all of the audience were ready for this kind of sonic assault!

Thanks to BTKA for the original cassette.

The Nightowl Sings - Test Card / Chicago Girls Dream Of Glasgow

 




















Treehouse Orchestra Recordings 2022

01 Test Card
02 Chicago Girls Dream Of Glasgow

The newest release on our label is this single...

The Nightowl Sings is Marc Gillen - Guitars, keyboards, melodica, drum machine and vocals.

All words written by Marc Gillen.

Recorded at home summer 2022.

'Test Card' mixed, manipulated, arranged and produced by Alastair Popple.

'Chicago Girls Dream of Glasgow'  mixed, manipulated, arranged and produced by Stephen Benson.

Photography by Marc Gillen and artwork design by Stephen Benson.

TOR089.

The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Pol-Pots Pleasure Penthouse

 




















Unreleased demos 1991 / Burger Records 2012 / A Records 2017

01 Fingertips
02 E To G
03 Phone Song
04 Thoughts Of You Too
05 Chameleons
06 Evergreen
07 Fade
08 Space
09 Psychedelic Sunday
10 Jazzy Song
11 That Quiet Song
12 Only Trying To Help You
13 Don't Leave Me Here
14 Fade II
15 Memphis Sound
16 Remember Yesterday
17 Fade III
18 The Cure
19 Fade IV
20 The Cure II
21 Fade V

This BJM demo cassette comes from 1991, which pre-dates debut album 'Methodrone' by a couple of years. Information comes from the original owner from a post on the Keep Music Evil forum:

"in the early days, i think there were many bjm cassettes made for friends, venues, radio stations, record labels, etc. that's just how things were done. in light of his story, i do think alan herrick's tape is the first. the 1990 demo is older and a little different from pol pots. some of the songs have different vocal takes, like psychedelic sunday. all songs on the 1990 demo are on pol pots except for a long fade. pol pots has an additional 16 or so songs. anton worked then just like he does now, writing and recording all the time, always bubbling over with ideas, everything a work in progress, little to no second guessing. it was just like you see him work in his berlin studio, except he did it on a fourtrack, a friend's tascam 424.

the collection of music known as pol pot's pleasure penthouse is from a cassette anton gave me around 1991. it's hard for me to remember the date exactly. i had been living in victoria, bc and was passing through san francisco on my way back to costa mesa when i saw anton on haight street and pulled over. it was good to catch up and find out what he was doing. i went inside his flat and met a guy with a big pompadour and heavy makeup, wearing a thrift store cardigan and playing guitar on an empress couch in front of a bay window. that was jeff davies. as anton walked with me back to the car he gave me a tape. i was like, ok, thanks!

the cassette was a tdk, type 1. anton wrote "the brian jonestown massacer" on one side, misspelling massacre, and "untitled - 1991" on the other. he crammed as much music as would fit on a 90 minute cassette. the second the music fades out, the tape ends. i played it hundreds of times on my crappy car stereo in the early 90s. left it in the hot sun, etc. then the tape sat in a shoebox for 15 years, moving with me from place to place. in 2006, i had the cassette transferred to digital at mr. toads in san francisco. the guy who runs the studio, tardon feathered, did the transfer on march 3. i think it sounds pretty good for all the cassette went through, even with the 'lower' sound quality, drop outs, etc.

i gave the original cassette, a roughly eq'd version of the transfer on two cds, and a 88.2Khz .wav version on dvd to anton at the little radio show in los angeles april 21, 2006. we had not seen each other for years. i remember him saying to me, 'looking like a man' and 'thanks, i owe you one.' i also mailed a copy to pierre priot at dead bees records in france a few weeks before, but didn't hear anything. i'm not sure what happened after that, but before long the songs were shared online.

i didn't ask tardon to 'master' the songs because i didn't think it was my place to do so. now, i kind of wish i did. i thought it was going to be this huge discovery and have a proper release and so forth. over the years i've read a lot of comments saying how much people like it, and even though i had absolutly nothing to do with the music, it makes me happy that so many people have been able to enjoy it. it's funny to me to remember how i used to agonize over this in the early 90s, thinking nobody would ever hear these awesome songs. looks like i had nothing to worry about."

The demo was released on cassette through Burger Records in 2012 and as a double vinyl for Record Store Day in 2017.

Tuesday 23 August 2022

Goatherder - Music For Promenades


 


















TOR088. Released July 2022.

01 Sea Barn
02 Dubmill Point
03 Piano #1
04 Lapse
05 Music for Promenades
06 The Hayton Tapes (Vocal Drone)
07 Chichester House
08 W. Rag
09 New Years Day
10 Postmodern Grief Possibilities

Another release from the Cumbrian label of artists and friends. This time, it's my own music.

All music performed, recorded, edited and produced by Stephen Benson, October 2020 to October 2021.

Guitar, voice and effects on 'Music for Promenades' and piano on
'Postmodern Grief Possibilities' by Emily Ford.

Drums on 'Postmodern Grief Possibilities' by Steve Orchiton.

Voices on 'The Hayton Tapes' by Felicity Cromack, Emily Ford,
Stephanie Gardner, Gareth Hodgson, Ricardo Marzo, Camille Matton,
Asha Nicholson, Nick Taylor and Samantha Staniforth.

Mastered by Jonathan Sharp.

Cover art by Stephen Benson.









"Recorded during a pretty awful period...a collage of sounds and ideas that document that time. An avant-garde meditation on loss and grief." - Stephen.

Available for free streaming/download or as extremely limited vinyl pressing from Bandcamp.


Sunforest - Sound Of Sunforest

 




















Deram 1970

01 Overture To The Sun
02 Where Are You
03 Bonny River
04 Be Like Me
05 Mr. Bumble
06 And I Was Blue
07 Lighthouse Keeper
08 Old Cluck
09 Lady Next Door
10 Peppermint Store
11 Magician In The Mountain
12 Lovely Day
13 Give Me All Your Loving
14 Garden Rug
15 All In Good Time

1970's 'Sound Of Sunforest' is the only album this American/English trio produced.

This is a baffling album; half of it has mind blowing psych folk the other half can be fairly terrible. The good stuff really makes it worth though.

I made an E.P. of the tracks I like, this really is a strange one.



The Byrds - Tomorrow's The Day

 




















Self made compilation 2021 (Recorded 1968)

A1 You Ain't Going Nowhere
A2 I Am a Pilgrim
A3 Lazy Days
A4 Hickory Wind
A5 Pretty Polly
A6 All I Have Are Memories

B1 One Hundred Years from Now
B2 You Don't Miss Your Water
B3 Reputation
B4 You're Still on My Mind
B5 Pretty Boy Floyd
B6 Nothing Was Delivered

The alternate Byrds history continues. This time, its my re-imagining of the Gram Parsons era and the late 1968 recordings.

I've maintained a lot of the original album, but favour some of the outtakes. These tracks have a little more of the 'original' Byrds sound. That being said, I am a huge fan of the original 'Sweetheart Of The Rodeo'.

I made a cover using the same Jo Mora illustration the Sweetheart image was taken from.














If you're interested, here are my other Byrds albums, recompiled:

1966 - Byrds '66
1968 - Tomorrow's The Day
1969 - Byrds '69

Friday 29 July 2022

The Nightowl Sings - These Dislocated Isles

 





















TOR087. Released June 2022.

01 These Dislocated Isles (Part 1)
02 These Dislocated Isles (Part 2)

The latest release from Treehouse Orchestra Recordings.

Marc Gillen - Vocals, Drum Machine, Electric Guitars, Keyboards, sounds & samples.

All music and words written by Marc Gillen except ‘Lighthouse’ written by Marc Gillen and Alastair Popple. 

Version of ‘Lighthouse’ sample used prepared by Alastair Popple.

Recorded at home October 2021 to January 2022.

Mixed and edited by Stephen Benson.

Mastered by Jonathan Sharp.

Artwork and design by Emily Ford.



"These Dislocated Isles, and the lighthouse is broken. The last several years has been a heady trip, sometimes dark and long, sometimes baffling and strange, always surprising, always changing. Strange times indeed as I often hear people say. 

Lucky for me, I’m still here to hear them call out, still enjoying the glimpses of light and euphoria when they bolt from the earth and sky.
Feelings and events (personal and communal) have come and gone like quicksands on a ghost beach. Themes emerge and permeate in the ether.

Divorce, bouts of loneliness, falling madly in love and re-marrying, the joy of DIY and punk noise, depression (mostly of dear others) have all featured as constants in my mind casting a tangled web. STICKY.

Add to this constant social and political upheaval, Myopia (everywhere), attacks on the common good, serious illness, lucid dreaming, near death flirtations and explosions of art, song, love and future fever dreams and you have a cerebral headfuck.

This thirty-minute (or so…) TONE POEM (HA!) is a reflection on our personal and shared dislocations, mentally, physically, politically, socially, geographically, economically and spiritually. I pieced it together at the end of 2021 intending to perform it live. Alas, illness has prevented this as yet.

For now, here is A version of These Dislocated Isles for prosperity, bundled up inside tape and digital space, making little sense but holding onto something…. for something (people). 

Thanks for listening, everything is possible.

xx 

Whoever you are, no one belongs here more than you." - Marc

Free download and extremely limited cassette available from our Bandcamp.





Grouper - Rarities 2002-2014

 





















Self made compilation 2022.

01 Untitled [1st CDr, self released, 2004]
02 Rising Height [Split 7'' with Pumice, Soft Abuse, 2009]
03 Pale Through [from 'Tsuiki No Seika Vol. 1', Split 7'' with Xela, Root Strata, 2009]
04 False Horizon [Split 7'' with City Center, self released, 2009]
05 A-D (Excerpt) [from '10', Room 40-Wire Magazine, 2010]
06 Dice Airlock [from 'The Tropics Of Phenomenon', Sweet Dreams, 2010]
07 Alien Observer (Live in Vigeland Mausoleum) [Wire Magazine compilation, 2011]
08 He Knows (Live at St. Lukes Cathedral) [from 'RQ EQ Christchurch Earthquake Relief', 2011]
09 Hollow Tone [from '10', Room 40, 2011]
10 Quiet Eyes [from 'Neon Marshmallow NYC 2011', Neon Marshmallow cassette, 2011]
11 Demona [from 'Yeti Twelve' 7'',Yeti Publishing, 2012]
12 Cassiopeia [from 'Benefit For The Recovery In Japan', Antiopic, 2012]
13 Headache (MEMORYREMEDYMIX) [from 'The Remix Collection', Recycle Culture, 2014]

Les Rallizes Dénudés - December's Black Children

 





















Not On Label 1989

01 Flames Of Ice
02 Romance Of Black Grief
03 A Memory Is Far
04 Untitled
05 Night Of The Assassins
06 White Waking
07 Enter The Mirror
08 Untitled
09 The Last One

Another unofficial release of noise terror from Japan's mighty Les Rallizes Dénudés. This release was originally pressed in 1989 (limited to 100 copies) and features a performance from Shibuya Yaneura, Tokyo, December 13th 1980.

Thursday 30 June 2022

Can - Can '68

 




















Self made compilation 2022

01 Agilok & Blubbo
02 Im Tempel
03 Indisches Panorama I
04 EFS No 7
05 Kamerasong
06 In Kalkutta III
07 EFS No 8
08 Pre-Historic Future (Part One)
09 I'm Hiding My Nightingale

Just a note before the details of this entry; this posts marks ten years of doing this blog. Ten years. Every month. A massive thank you to everyone that has followed, commented and enjoyed the music here. Since I started, a lot of these albums have been remastered, re-issued etc...the entire point of this blog was to highlight the rare, experimental, hard to find and alternative music that I love.

Thanks everyone. x

Anyway, CAN.

This is a compilation of predominantly pre 'Delay 1968' material. I wanted a compilation in an album format to play before the debut. 

Robbie Basho - Reed College, Portland, Oregon (08-04-67)

 




















Not on label 2021

01 Medicine Raga
02 Lost Lagoon Suite
03 Untitled
04 Untitled [Incomplete]

Some recently unearthed Robbie Basho; a live set from the same year as 'Basho Sings!' and both volumes of 'The Falconers Arm'.

This soundboard recording popped up last year, many thanks to the uploader:

"In late 2019, fellow Neil Young fan and Reed College alumnus, Jim B contacted me. He said that Reed College alum Steve Halpern had a group of late 60’s/early 70’s Reed College recordings of Reverend Gary Davis, John Lee Hooker, John Fahey & Robbie Basho that needed transferring. In 1985, Steve found the recordings among a cache of reels in a Reed College library backroom while researching poet Lew Welch. It appeared that most of the reels were of official college business - board meetings etc, but others were student run campus events including lectures and music. He borrowed a few of the music related reels and transferred them using a reel to reel player from the library’s AV dept, to a radio shack “y” cable plugged the reel to reel’s RCA jacks into one of those ubiquitous, small, portable Panasonic cassette player/recorders. He doesn’t know if the originals were mono or stereo. The library was remodeled in 2008. As Steve was later told, most of the miscellaneous contents of the library was stored in bins in another building while the remodeling occurred. Steve thinks the reels, many of which had no labels, may have been discarded afterwords."

Basho's set was actually the first of the evening, earlier that night was John Fahey. more of that in posts to come...

Ruth White - 7 Trumps From The Tarot Cards And Pinions

 



















Limelight 1969

Side 1: 7 Trumps From The Tarot Cards

01 Wheel Of Fortune
02 Magician
03 Hanged Man
04 Sun
05 Tower
06 Lovers / World

Side 2: Pinions (A Choreography About Symbolic Flight)

07 Beginnings (Prototypes)
08 No Wings (Without Imagination / No Desire For Flight)
09 Wings Clipped (Too Many External Involvements / Flight Stopped)
10 Wanting Wings (Limited Capacity / No Flight Possible)
11 Love Gives Wings (With Wings)

Echoing back to my very first post, here's electronic pioneer Ruth White with another album of Moog and noise. Released the same year as 'Flowers of Evil'.

Ruth White uses several multi-channel tape recorders (including 2 new Ampex AG 440 machines), a Moog synthesizer, oscillators, modulators, electronic organ and electronic clavichord, two pianos, a harpsichord, and variable speed and reverberation devices.

Tuesday 31 May 2022

Morton Feldman – Rothko Chapel / Why Patterns?

 




















New Albion 1991

01 Rothko Chapel I
02 Rothko Chapel II
03 Rothko Chapel III
04 Rothko Chapel IV
05 Rothko Chapel V
06 Why Patterns?

Modern classical composer Morton Feldman is best known for his association with John Cage and other avant-garde modern composers of the time.

In 1971, Feldman was commissioned to create a composition to accompany a series of paintings by Mark Rothko in a non-denominational chapel. Scored for chorus, viola and percussion. First performed April 1972, the Rothko Chapel, Houston, Texas.

'Why Patterns?' for flute, glockenspiel and piano, was first performed October 1978, San Francisco.

Engaging, droney soundscapes.

The Gosdin Brothers - Tell Me / One Hundred Years From Now

 




















Unreleased single 1966.

01 Tell Me
02 One Hundred Years From Now

Most here will know The Gosdin Brothers from their appearance as the backing vocalists from Gene Clark's debut album. They didn't make too much of a commercial mark on their own, with only one album (1968's 'Sounds Of Goodbye') and a couple of singles that failed to chart. They were however, very influential harmony singers and songwriters and several solo albums followed.

There were several attempts to break Vern and Rex into the mainstream, the best of which went unreleased but is right here and was produced by none other than The Byrds Chris Hillman. The Gosdins had developed a relationship with The Byrds; touring with the band and sometimes guesting on recordings.

In December 1966, managers Dickson and Tickner arranged a session to produce a new single. Perhaps to harness popular appeal, Bryds bassist, vocalist and now songwriter Chris Hillman was drafted in to produce the single. Three songs were recorded; 'One Hundred Years From Now', 'No Matter Where You Go (There You Are)' and 'Tell Me'.

The first two tracks were released the following year on one off imprint Edict Records but failed to achieve the desired effect. The Gosdin Brothers felt uncomfortable with attempts to move their sound to a more contemporary setting and soon returned to a more traditional country sound.

Unreleased track 'Tell Me' is the real gem here; nice mid sixties groovy swing that sounds like it could of fallen off both 'Gene Clark and the Gosdin Brothers' and 'Younger Than Yesterday'. Not only was it recorded in the same studios as those albums in 1966, the record features Chris Hillman on bass, Mike Clarke on drums and Clarence White on guitar. It has more Byrds than some Byrds records!

Needless to say, this is for Byrds fans.




Monday 30 May 2022

Mystery Spring - This House Is On Fire

 




















TOR086. 

01 Manuela
02 Ghost Ship
03 Rainmaker
04 Wish You Well
05 Cold Country
06 Black Dog Heal
07 Unbroken Light
08 Kiss For Kiss

Marc Gillen - Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards, Piano, Melodica,
Drum Machine and Field Recordings.
Catherine Reding - Vocals, Violin, Bass and Keyboards.
Alastair Popple - Mixing and Additional Production.

All songs written by Marc Gillen.

Mixed and mastered at The Kitchen Sync by Alastair Popple.

Recorded at home May 2021 to April 2022.

Artwork by Stephen Benson, back cover photograph by Marc Gillen.














Extremely limited CD and free download available from Bandcamp.


Thursday 28 April 2022

Slowdive - Hide Yer Eyes

 




















Bootleg 1992

01  Summer Day
02  Bleed
03  Sleep
04  Silver Screen
05  Dagger
06  Joy
07  Hide Yer Eyes
08  Ending
09  Richard
10  I Saw The Sun

Quite a famous bootleg here from one of the U.K.'s greatest bands. These recordings are from the beginnings of the sessions that would lead to 1993's 'Souvlaki'. It is this material that Creation head Alan McGee heard when he remarked "they're all shit" and told the band to try again. 

McGee was wrong.


Grouper - Tried

 



















Type 2007

01 Tried
02 Everyone in Turn

Another rare Grouper release, long out of print and only available from second hand sellers.

Extremely rare 7" only. 

The Flying Burrito Brothers - Rare Burritos

 




















Self made compilation 2022

01 The Train Song
02 Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down
03 Your Angel Steps Out of Heaven Each Night
04 Close Up the Honky-Tonks
05 Green, Green Grass of Home
06 Break My Mind
07 Just Because
08 Dim Lights, Thick Smoke (and Loud, Loud Music)
09 Crazy Arms
10 Bony Maronie
11 Sing Me Back Home [Slow Version]
12 Sing Me Back Home [Fast Version]
13 Six Days on the Road
14 To Love Somebody
15 Honky Tonk Women
16 I Shall be Released
17 Together Again

A handy round up of Gram Parsons era Burrito's non album tracks. These are taken from the dozens of compilation albums released over the years, some of them exclusive to their region of release. Titles include; 'Four Sider', 'Farther Along', 'Out of the Blue', 'Close Up the Honky-Tonks'...but there are many more.

Inluded are stand alone singles and outtakes, but the majority of the songs here come from sessions inbetween the two albums. There doesn't seem to be a definitive answer as to whether these songs were merely demos or the start of a new album.

If you have 'The Gilded Palace Of Sin', 'Burrito Deluxe' and this, you pretty much have everything available produced by this incarnation of the band.

I have a soft spot for the Gram-less 'The Flying Burrito Bros.' (1971) and even the live 'Last of the Red Hot Burritos' (1972), but once Chris Hillman is gone, I'm out.

Wednesday 23 March 2022

Nico - I'm Not Sayin' / The Last Mile

 




















Immediate Records 1965

01 I'm Not Sayin'
02 The Last Mile

Before Velvet Underground, Nico had a go at pop with this one off single from 1965. The doom is already there in her voice, but this is comparatively radio friendly.

'I'm Not Sayin' is an Andrew Loog Oldham production of a Gordon Lightfoot song. 'The Last Mile' was arranged and produced by none other than Jimmy Page, written with Oldham.

Brian Jones may or may not appear on these recordings.














Immediate Records 1982 re-issue.















Munster Records 2003 re-issue.