Krokodil - An Invisible World Revealed

United Artists 1971 / Second Battle 1999

01 Lady Of Attraction
02 With Little Miss Trimmings
03 Odyssey In Om
04 Green Fly
05 Looking At Time
06 Last Doors

Bonus Tracks:

07 Pollution
08 Krokodil Session Part 1
09 Krokodil Session Part 2


Often grouped along with Krautrock bands, Krokodil were actually an international affair; members came from West Germany, Switzerland and the U.K.

Starting out as a blues based band with prog touches, by 'An Invisible World Revealed', their third album, they had started to add cosmic and psychedelic sounds. The song 'Odyssey In Om' is a kosmiche classic.

I've used the Second Battle re-issue as it includes some jam tracks to expand the album and actually improves on it.

I'll be looking a further into this period in the coming months.

Note: the name of the drummer and the front cover artists is Düde Dürst, so you know it's going to be good.

The Gene Clark Group

Unreleased 1968

01 Los Angeles

02 I Pity the Poor Immigrant

03 That's Alright by Me

Another set of songs given a home within a fictitious alternate timeline.

After the failure of 'Gene Clark & The Gosdin Brothers' and no label to pick up the demos from the 'Gene Clark Sings For You', Gene found himself starting again (again).

For a very, very brief period of time in early 1968, he set up The Gene Clark Band with guitarist Laramy Smith.

They performed a handful of gigs in L.A. and recorded three and a half songs.

Laramy had already played on a version of 'That's Alright by Me' from 'Gene Clark Sings For You' recorded only a few months earlier. This version is more complete with a fantastic country style vocal from Gene.

'Los Angeles' is a new Gene original and has a 'Younger Than Yesterday' type feel and sound.

The original 'I Pity the Poor Immigrant' had only been released a few weeks earlier on Dylan's 'John Wesley Harding' and Gene turns in a wonderful version.

Also attempted was 'Lyin' Down the Middle', but a full take was never completed.

Shortly after, Gene was picked up by A&M Records and started Dillard & Clark.

These three tracks (and indeed The Gene Clark Group) were forgotten until the excellent anthology 'Flyin' High' was released in 1998.

These three tracks deserve their own spotlight and make a grand EP.

Mellow Candle - The Virgin Prophet

Kissing Spell 1994

01 Heaven Heath
02 Waterman Weatherman
03 Sheep Season
04 Buy Or Beware
05 Break Your Token
06 Lonely Man
07 Lords Of The Green Grass
08 Dan The Wing
09 Silver Song
10 Poet & The Witch
11 Boulders On My Grave
12 Reverend Sisters
13 Crabtree
14 Pretty Polly
15 The Virgin Prophet

In their lifetime, Mellow Candle only released one album; 1972's 'Swaddling Songs'.

As part of label Kissing Spell's Erewhon Underground Folk-Rock Series, 'The Virgin Prophet' completes the picture of this Irish underground folk rock band.

Included within are all seven tracks from the Decca test pressing acetate from 1971. The remainder of the tracks are unreleased early songs from 1969-70.

Spectrum - California Lullabye

Sympathy For The Record Industry 1994

01 California Lullabye
02 It's Alright
03 Indian Summer
04 True Love Will Find You In The End
05 Thru The Rhythm

Essentially a re-packaging of the previous year's 'Indian Summer' EP for the American market.

It was however a limited 10" with exclusive track and cool art.

The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground Demo Acetate

Acetate 1968

01 There Is No Reason
02 Sheltered Life
03 It's All Right (The Way That You Live)
04 I'm Not Too Sorry (Now That You're Gone)
05 Here She Comes Now

Cale-era Velvets Demos. This demo acetate was cut before the recording of  'White Light/White Heat'. What a different album it would of been had it included these sad, quiet Lou songs, much more of a third album feel. Just great.

Glücksfall - Glücksfall III - Glücksfall Live

Treehouse Orchestra Recordings 2019.

01 Touching Strangers
02 Saint Wayne
03 Picture This
04 William Seward and Edgar Rice or Agent Lee's Jungle Adventure
05 Mausoleum of Intent
06 Melotron of Intent
07 The Spectral Return of Lester Bangs
08 Viscous Bubble


The newest release from Glücksfall is a recording of their debut live performance and was the second time the band had assembled.

Stephen Benson - Guitar 

Marc Gillen - Vocal 

Joe Hiscoke - Drums 

Mike Roper - Bass 

Jonathan Sharp - Guitar 

David Thompson - Vocal 

Amy Tweddle - Guitar 

Jill Wallace - Bass 

Completely improvised and recorded at Warwick Bazaar on the 25th of May 2019.

The band had a 'free' microphone for anyone in the audience to join in and Marc Gillen and David Thompson provide original words and vocals on two tracks.

Free streaming and limited edition cassette available at Bandcamp.

La Düsseldorf - Individuellos

Nova. 1980.

01 Menschen 1
02 Individuellos
03 Menschen 2
04 Sentimental
05 Lieber Honig 1981
06 Dampfriemen
07 Tintarella Di ...
08 Flashback
09 Das Yvönnchen

Actually released on new year's eve 1980, David Bowie described La Düsseldorf as "The soundtrack of the eighties".

You can find earlier La Düsseldorf albums on this blog.