Robbie Basho - Rocky Mountain Raga - Live from Elgin - 1981

 

Grass-Tops Recordings 2016

01 Scottish Rites

02 Prologue for Rocky Mountain Raga

03 Rocky Mountain Raga

04 Prologue for Moving Up A'Ways

05 Moving Up A'Ways

06 Redwood Ramble

A rare live E.P. from Basho. Originally available as a free download from the much missed Grass-Tops Recordings.

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...

Robbie Basho - Kingdom Of Love (Rarities)

 

Fan made bootleg

01  The Thousand Incarnations of the Rose

02 Omar Khayyam Country (Live)

03 Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee 

04 Four Ladies Across the Board (Live)

05 Rainbow Thunder (Live in Monterey 1980)

06 Lightning Thunder (Alternate Take)

07 The White Swallow (Solo Vocal)

08 Omar Khayyam Country

09 The White Princess (Alternate Take)

10 Kingdom of Love (Outtake)

11 Twilight Peaks (Live) 

12 Nice Enough for Love (Live) 

A round up of Basho rarities.

Track 1 from the Various Artists Takoma L.P. 'Contemporary Guitar - Spring '67'.

Track 2 recorded live in 1978, available as a Grass-Tops Recordings download in 2016.

Track 3 is an outtake recorded 1978 from the Grass-Tops Recordings reissue of 'Visions of the Country' 2013.

Track 4 recorded live at the Sinclair Auditorium, July 1978. Available as a Grass-Tops Recordings download.

Track 5 from the Grass-Tops Recordings reissue of 'Rainbow Thunder - Songs of the American West' 2016.

Tracks 6 - 9 taken from the Grass-Tops Recordings reissue of 'Bouquet' 2016,

Tracks 10-12 all recorded 1984, from the Smeraldina-Rima reissue of 'Twilight Peaks' 2012.

Robbie Basho - Omar Khayyam Country (Live)

Grass-Tops Recordings 2013 (Recorded live 1978)

01 Omar Khayyam Country (Live)


When Grass-Tops recordings were in the full swing of releasing and re-releasing Basho material, this wee gem came out via the Basho Soundcloud.

That page, along with Grass-Tops Recordings is now sadly defunct.

Robbie Basho - Best Of Basho Vol. 1

Basho Productions 1982

01 Tassajara Zen Shinji

02 Lost Lagoon Suite

03 Kowaka D'amour

04 Variations on Shakespeare Wallah

05 Song For the Queen

06 California Raga

The final post of the year is also the final Basho re-issue from Grass-Tops recordings.

This 're-issue' didn't have a new physical release or even become available through the label's Soundcloud. It was posted on Kyle's Facebook page. Thank you Kyle.

Released in 1982, Robbie sold these cassettes from his car while on tour and via mail order. It's interesting to see what Basho considered his 'best'. This release contains more of the raga inspired, exploratory playing of earlier releases.

Robbie Basho - Live in Germany

Basho Productions 1983 / Grass-Tops Recordings 2016

01 Redwood Ramble
02 Fandango
03 Easter
04 Rocky Mountain Raga
05 Cathedral et Fleur de Lis
06 Chocolate Cake (Ackermann Special)
07 Silky Jane
08 The Grail & The Lotus
09 Pavan India
10 Variations on Clair de Lune
11 California Raga

This release from Basho should really be considered canon; it was distributed by Robbie himself. He sold at shows and via mail order, a practise he did a lot in later years.

Thanks again to Kyle and Grass-Tops Recordings for preserving this cassette from total obscurity.

Robbie Basho - Live at St. Mary's College of California 1976

Grass-Tops Recordings 2016

01 If I Give My Heart To You
02 Pasha
03 Song of Kings
04 The Lady, She Is In Waiting


Live EP of Robbie in 1976 featuring unreleased material. Digital only release via the Grass-Tops Recordings Soundcloud page.

Robbie Basho - Home Again 1978

Grass-Tops Recordings 2016

01 The Butterfly of Wonder

02 Ride the Buffalo

03 Omar Khayyam Country

04 Memorial

05 Joseph (of the Nez Perce)

06 Roses and Gold

07 The Polish Rider

08 Call on the Wind

09 Across The Great Divide

10 American Sunday

One of the high lights of the Grass-Tops Records releases was this album's worth of demos, recorded by Basho himself at home in 1978.

Recorded while Basho didn't have a record deal (he would sign with Windham Hill Records later that year), this posthumous release shows how 1977-1983 was one of Robbie's most creative periods. 

Robbie Basho - Demos 1975

Grass-Tops Recordings 2016

01. Fandango
02. Legend of Mt. Tam
03. Bride of Thunder
04. Tree of Life
05. Libation

This Grass-Tops release was exclusive to the now defunct Soundcloud page.

An E.P.'s worth of demos home recorded after Basho had left Vanguard. His next release on a label was 1978's 'Visions of the Country' on Windham Hill and most of these songs were left unrecorded.

Robbie Basho - Portrait of Basho as a Young Dragoon

Grass-Tops Recordings 2015

01 Theme On Autumn

02 Pasha

03 French Song

04 Song Of God

05 Charles Ives Paints Modern America

06 Portrait Of Fahey As A Young Dragoon

Probably the best of the Grass-Tops original album issues.

A collection of recordings documenting some of Robbie Basho’s most exploratory early career live material (circa 1967-1969).

Robbie Basho - Live at Broadway United Methodist Church

Grasstops Recordings 2014

01 The Grail & The Lotus

02 Cathedrals et Fleur de lis

03 Prologue for Pavan India

04 Pavan India (Pavan Hindustan)

05 Claire de Lune (California version)

Between 2013 and 2016, Grasstops Recordings embarked on a remaster and reissue series of Robbie Basho releases. 

Original albums like 'Rainbow Thunder' and 'Visions of the Country' received beautiful treatments; although these were only released in small numbers, both the sound quality and artwork were gorgeous.

Alongside these were new archival releases; home demos and live recordings. Whole new albums such as 'Portrait of Basho as a Young Dragoon 1967-69' saw release and the Grass-Tops Soundcloud put out compilations of demos and live tracks.

It seemed like Basho was finally receiving the care and attention his music deserved.

Along the way something went wrong and I'm not quite sure what. I had all of these on pre-order, such was my excitement at every announcement, particularly when 'Bouquet' was due for release. A message on Grass-Tops revealed that the remaster would only be available in digital, but the physical release had to scrapped, due to (unexplained) copyright issues. 'Bouquet' came out, digital only (another beautiful job) and free of charge.

No other physical releases appeared and the Grass-Tops Bandcamp disappeared alongside the Soundcloud page, taking all of the digital only material with it.

I'm not sure what happened, although I've heard rumors of S*ny interference. 

As I have stated before; one of the inspirations behind starting this blog was to make the music of Robbie Basho available again. I chose not to include the Grass-Tops remasters as Kyle Fosburgh seemed to be putting his own money (and obviously, a lot of love) into these projects.

Now, for whatever reason, these releases are unavailable again, so it's maybe time this blog saw some new Basho.

This release was a preview to the reissue of 1976's 'Art of the Acoustic Steel String Guitar 6 & 12'. A beautiful live recording featuring Robbie playing at his best.

I offer my sincere thanks to Kyle for the wonderful work he done.

I hope you don't mind.

P.S. If any reader wants to clear up the mystery in the comments, please do!

ROBBIE BASHO - BOUQUET

Basho Productions 1983 / Grass Tops Recordings 2016


01 The Golden Medallion
02 Kahlil Gibran
03 The White Swallow
04 The Polish Rider
05 El Cid
06 Lightning Thunder
07 Land of Our Fathers
08 Tears of Teresa
09 Blues from Lebanon
10 The Song of Leila
11 The White Princess

Bonus Tracks:

12 Lightning Thunder - Alternate Take
13 The White Swallow - Solo Vocal
14 Omar Khayyam Country
15 The White Princess - Alternate Take


This is a re-issue of one of my favourite Basho albums and I featured it in my first ever post (way back in June 2012). At the time, I only had a very distorted and wobbly cassette rip.

Grass Tops have been doing a wonderful job in the last couple of years re-issuing these albums. The sound, packaging and extra materials have all been excellent. The care, love and attention obviously coming from real fans. It's a shame to see that legal issues have got in the way of the physical release of their last two Basho projects.

Once it was announced that there was to be no release of this album, it was offered as a free download which has unfortunately also been removed.

ROBBIE BASHO

When I started this blog, the records of Robbie Basho were still only available as iffy MP3 rips or, if you could afford and find them, the original pressings.

Since then, there has been a lot of activity on the re-issue front, which is exactly what I was calling for in those early posts.

Grass Tops Recordings (see the Smeraldina-Rima label for 'Twilight Peaks) have been doing some wonderful re-mastering for a few of Robbie's later records. I can vouch for the sound quality of these pressings, they are beautiful.

Of course, the work involved in tracking down masters, producers and the production of physical artifact costs money!

The albums that have part of this re-issue program so far have had their links removed, and I urge you to seek out these new versions.

















Visions of the Country

Art of the Acoustic Steel String Guitar 6 & 12

Rainbow Thunder (Songs of the American West)

Twilight Peaks

Also, last year saw the C.D. re-issue of Basho's two Vanguard albums:

The Voice of the Eagle

Zarthus

ROBBIE BASHO - SONGS OF GOD

01. Twilight Peaks
02. Lost Lagoon Suite
03. Rocky Mountain Raga
04. Blue Crystal Fire
05. Golden Dragon
06. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
07. Chung Mei - The Chinese Orchid
08. The Long Lullaby

Tracks 1 & 5 from 'Twilight Peaks'
Track 2 from 'The Falconer's Arm I'
Tracks 3 & 4 from 'Visions of the Country'
Tracks 6 & 8 from 'Rainbow Thunder'
Track 7 from 'The Grail and the Lotus'


I got this quite by accident. I thought I was downloading something else, and was surprised when I opened the file to find a Robbie Basho album with a title I recognised as a track from 'The Falconer's Arm II'.

It is a compilation of already released material, mainly from Basho's later period.  I can't find any information on this album, and I assume it's a fan made compilation.

Whoever did put this together deserves kudos; it's an excellent introduction to the artist and flows like an original album. Whoever you are, well done.

So, if you're intrigued by Robbie Basho and want a place to start, or you're already a fan but want to hear familiar songs in a new context, get it!

Note: There was no cover, so I designed my own Basho-tastic one.

ROBBIE BASHO - ZARTHUS

Vanguard 1974

01. Zarthus
02. Khoda É Gul É Abe (The Lord Of The Blue Rose)
03. Kahlil Gibran
04. Bride Devine
05. Rhapsody In Druz :
      Main Theme
      Wine Section
      Flower of the Heart
      The Flight
      Nightingale
      Darshan
      Ocean Section
      Allah Meher
      Ships
      Baba's Mountain
      Look into your Heart
      March
      Rolling Home

The second of two albums Basho released on Vanguard.



   

ROBBIE BASHO - LIVE IN GERMANY

Unreleased (Recorded 1980)

01. Redwood Ramble
02. Fandango
03. Easter
04. Rocky Mountain Raga
05. Cathedral et Fleur de Lis
06. Chocolate Cake (Ackermann Special)
07. Silky Jane
08. The Grail & The Lotus
09. Pavan India
10. Variations On Clare de Lune
11. California Raga

We haven't had any Basho for a while, so here's an amazing live set recorded live at the Kulturforum, Bonn, Germany. It's the same source as the 'Bonn Ist Supreme' album released on Bo'Weavil Recordings in 2008.

Contains tracks that never appeared on any of Basho's studio L.P.'s, and the version here of 'Pavan India' is stunning.

ROBBIE BASHO - THE VOICE OF THE EAGLE



Vanguard 1972

01. Voice Of The Eagle

02. Wounded Knee Soliioquy

03. Blue Corn Serenade

04. Joseph

05. Omaha Tribal Prayer

06. Sweet Medicine

07. Roses And Gold

08. Moving Up A Ways

Dedicated to Avatar Meher Baba, and in the spirit of love and respect to the American Indian.

ROBBIE BASHO - RAINBOW THUNDER : SONGS OF THE AMERICAN WEST

Silver Label Recordings 1981

01. Redwood Ramble
02. Crashing Thunder
03. Moving Up A'Ways
04. Legend Of Mount Tamalpias
05. Rainbow Thunder
06. The Pathfinder
07. The White Buffalo
08. Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee
09. Home Again
10. The Long Lullaby
11. The Black Hills Sololoquy

"Rainbow Thunder is a collection of songs expressing the feelings and textures of the West in its Prime, and of the Native American Peoples who lived there. I hope it does them some small degree of justice - they who looked so hard into Nature."

ROBBIE BASHO - INDIAN II

Vanguard 1976/2008

01. A Day In the Life Of Lemmeria
02. Night Way
03. The Butterfly Of Wonder
04. Laughing Thunder, Crawling Thunder
05. Thunder Sun
06. Kateri Takawaitha
07. Thunder Love
08. Song Of Great Mystery
09. Death Song

A real treat for Basho fans now. "Indian II" was to be the third album released on the Vanguard label (after 'The Voice Of The Eagle' and 'Zarthus', which puts it around 1976). Due to disappointing sales, Robbie was dropped from the label and this album remained unissued for thirty years.

In 2008, it appeared, out of nowhere on the Vanguard website for download. It only stayed for a short while, before disappearing again. No physical copy was issued.

I'm doubtful that the title was Basho's own, I'm guessing that like the artwork, it's the label's.

This is one of Basho's best and an important part of the picture. Enjoy, while you can.

ROBBIE BASHO - VISIONS OF THE COUNTRY

Windham Hill Records 1978

01. Green River Suite
02. Rodeo
03. Rocky Mountain Raga
04. Variations On Easter
05. Blue Crystal Fire
06. Orphan's Lament
07. Leaf In The Wind
08. Night Way
09. Elk Dreamer's Lament
10. Call On The Wind


One of my absolute favourite Basho L.P.'s. The style is generally American primitive with multi ethnic influences. A couple of piano tracks and the occasional emotive yodel.

Here's Basho himself from the liner notes :

“Visions of the Country is simply an L.P. of Guitar Paintings of the Americas and other joys. It uses the folk ballad style of some and the flowing Raga style of Hindu music to express the feeling and texture of the American Wilderness…Panoramique.”

Inexplicably still not reissued, Robbie Basho's first of two Windham Hill releases is a fine example of the need to reappraise his later period.