Friday 3 February 2017

'A trip into the world of real psychedelia and more' ?! #1

A really nice and surprising thing happened to me the other day; I was idly Googling something about record shops which led me quite by chance to a music forum I’d never seen before.  On it was a post from someone last year mentioning “the girl” who worked in his local record shop in the 1980s who had once compiled him a tape of her favourite ‘60s psychedelic/freakbeat gems.  He’d even kept copies of a fanzine she used to put out in the shop back then, 30 years ago.  

Ohh!  The girl was me!

 I remembered him as one of our lovely regular customers and I remembered doing that tape.  I can’t remember, however, exactly which  tracks I’d put on it – but I could take a pretty good stab at what it might have included.  And so this lovely moment of serendipity got me thinking all about those obscure and incredible records that were given a whole new lease of life in the ‘80s when labels like Bam Caruso, Psycho, Big Beat and See For Miles mined the rich seam of 1960s psych and beat and presented them to new audiences like me.  We had never heard anything quite like it before.  For anyone who wasn’t into the mainstream chart music of the era, it felt quite magical.  A little later it was to play a part in cementing a long-lasting friendship too.

In the sweet way that things can sometimes coincide, in the last  week or so there have been some more unconnected references to what I might broadly term as ‘sixties underground and psychedelia’ here in this little corner of blogland.   Over at the wonderful  What’s It All About?Alfie, Alyson has recently posted Jefferson Airplane’s 'White Rabbit', complete with its trippy lyrics.  Swiss Adam at the eminent blog BaggingArea gave us a number from US garage punk group The Chocolate Watchband.  And across the pond, Brian from the excellent Linear Tracking Lives! shared an obscure cover version from the Driscolls of ‘Father’s Name Is Dad’ by late '60s band Fire.  Back here, Rol at the brilliant My Top Ten posted a number from Kenny Rogers & The First Edition and mentioned their track ‘Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Is In)'  which was another reminder of an unexpectedly psychy discovery from the past. All of those originals were songs I knew and loved from that period when my interest in psych and beat became something of an obsession.  

I was working in the best place for it too, being able to order the albums I wanted directly from the distributors (often without having heard a single track first!) and then buying them with a staff discount too.  It got to the point where I was bringing home two to three new album purchases just about each and every week.  These were a mixture of various artist compilations (like the Bam Caruso ‘Rubble’ and Psycho’s ‘Perfumed Garden’ series), US garage comps then getting fresh exposure (such as the wonderful ‘Pebbles’),  new  album issues (e.g.  The Creation’s ‘How Does It Feel To Feel’ put out by Edsel)  and reissues of other obscurities (like ‘ Waleeco’ by US band The Flat Earth Society).

Then there were the new groups making great music inspired by it –and so a whole wave of other artists helped to part me from my hard-earned cash:  The Fuzztones, The Lyres, The Nomads….   I started buying comps of Swedish bands, Dutch bands, Australian too….   and digging into the back catalogues of more popular groups I hadn’t really explored before such as the Kinks, Jefferson Airplane and The Easybeats …  Plus also taking side roads into the more Mod end of the spectrum with the Action and Small Faces…   Oh there was SO MUCH!  No wonder I was skint most of the time.

Anyway, not surprisingly, this week my thoughts have returned to those days and the musical discoveries that excited me so much in my twenties. So much so that I was inspired to make my own fanzine on the subject.  I used to sit at home and labour intensely over every page on my Thursdays off from the shop, all hand-written and hand-drawn, researched, laid-out and designed without technology.  It provided a platform for both a love of writing and drawing/design.  And a love of the music too, of course.  I managed six editions of this A4 zine, got them photocopied in small batches (mostly free of charge if a certain someone could get them done in his work time) and sold them for 30p at the shop.   I never even told anyone who bought them that they were my own creation, I was too embarrassed! 



some sample pages

Here I am 30 years later doing something similar in a way – using the platform of blogging for expression and, whilst Sun Dried Sparrows has never been confined to it, music still plays a fairly big part.  So, on revisiting some of the songs that inspired me to write and compile tapes in an age where the idea of everyone being connected via a computer was barely imaginable, I thought I could bring them together now for a new series.

I’ve dug out my last few copies of the fanzine from storage in one of my old portfolios under the bed.    They look naive, over-effusive and a bit cringey to my eyes now, but I have to remember I was only in my early twenties, doing it solo and I just wanted to have a go.  So for this new series, erm, if I can manage to sustain it, I’m going to try and post some of the tracks I wrote about then, along with snippets of whatever it was I said.  As the strapline of my fanzine rather grandly announced, it's A trip into the world of real psychedelia and more’.  

Well, this has been a very long ramble by way of an introduction to a series (I promise to keep it shorter in future).  Let's get on with the music.  Just one track here today… The Open Mind with ‘Cast A Spell’.



Here’s what I was saying in 1986!


Transcript from above:
The Open Mind (ANTAR 2)

The Open Mind were a band from the late 60s, who have reached a legendary status amongst fans of psych and progressive music.  They made two singles, one was an excellent double-sider, 'Magic Potion' and 'Cast A Spell', both tracks of which can be found on the brilliant compilation, 'The Psychedelic Snarl' (Bam Caruso KIRI 024).  These are perhaps the two best Open Mind numbers, and are included on this re-issue of their only album, which has been re-packaged in a different sleeve and did not include that single originally.  The rest is good, progressive, mostly quite heavy stuff, though maybe the actual music has been over-rated - London collector's shops are paying over £50 for the original LP!  Anyway, it's a pretty tasty record - not exactly psychedelic but more progressive rock - and if you wanna save a lot of money but still hear the Open Mind, then this re-issue is for you.

32 comments:

  1. Hi C,

    How wonderful to come across that music forum only to find a reference to yourself! I wish I'd wandered into your shop during the '80s - I'm sure you could have explained a lot to me about the musical scene of the time. I think we would have had a lively discussion! Vintage music occupied my thoughts morning, noon and night back then, so I probably would have been effusive in my recommendations (which might have led to my soon being ushered out the door!) ;-)


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    1. Hi Marie, yes it was so nice, such a surprise out of the blue. Indeed I think we could have had some great conversations! It would've been brilliant and so interesting to chat to you about the music of your youth and to learn a lot (as we still can over on your blog). You certainly wouldn't have been ushered out; as you'll know from your own record shop experiences - those genuine,friendly customers were always very welcome, they could make your day!

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  2. Wow! I'm so impressed at the work that went into your zine, amazing graphics. As someone who co edited one in the 70's I thought wrestling with Letraset was time consuming! ( it was xeroxing then the wonder of the photocopy had yet to arrive)

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    1. Oh thank you so much! :-) I had a lot of fun with it but now can't imagine how I had the patience (or time?) without a computer, at the same time tho' I suppose there were fewer distractions! Haha, I remember Letraset too - I was studying Graphics at college in the '81/'82 and we still used it then - how times have changed. Great to know you were co-editing a zine in the '70s, sounds interesting!

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  3. Before I worked in record shops, I spent all my time in them in the exact era you describe here. I did everything I could to save up for those wonderful reissues on Edsel, Bam Caruso etc. Had you worked in my local record shop, I probably would have fallen head over heels in love with you!

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    1. Hello Guy and thanks for dropping by. From what you say I'm sure all those names mentioned above were very familiar to you too. If you were similar in age to me then maybe you felt the same, as if you were discovering a whole brand new world of music, even though much it was already 20 years old or more. Mind you, weird to think now that there is a bigger chunk of time looking back to those days now than there was in the '80s looking back to the '60s.
      Thank you for making me smile too! :-)

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  4. Shows the power of a good mix tape. We don't have a modern day equivalent: playlists are so impersonal.

    There is, as you say, a modern day equivalent to the zone though, and we're all doing our bit. As someone who grew up self-publishing all kinds of strange things (some, though not all, music-blogosphere), I was fascinated to learn about yours and look forward to seeing more of it in future posts.

    Great guitar on that Open Mind track, too.

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    1. Oh yes, the 'mix tape'... what we lacked in technology we made up for in our dedication.

      I'm so grateful for this blogging platform, and it only dawned on me as I was writing this post that the feeling I was getting as I pulled it together was very similar to how I felt about the zine. Thanks for your interest and I just hope I can keep it up!
      I'm interested in your self-publishing too - will we get to see some samples on your blog now, or in your archives?

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  5. Great art work and a true labour of love

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    1. Thank you CC, yep definitely a labour of love, don't think I could do it now without a keyboard!

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  6. I was reminded of Bowie's handwritten notes on the back of the Pinups sleeve. I'm so glad you didn't put little circles above your i's.
    As Rol said, what you do now is a digital version of what you were doing back then; but, in the same way you can't swat a fly with The Times online, you try leaving a copy of your blog on a record shop counter.

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    1. Haha, no I've never been one for those circle i dots!
      So true about the difference between digital and physical versions. I still love the tangibility of the latter and always will, but it has to be said that I'm also grateful that I can read everyone's blogs these days without catching my fingers on the staples...

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  7. I'm absolutely certain that your fanzine is remembered fondly by more than just your one anonymous admirer C. I'm looking forward to this series immensely.

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    1. Ah thank you TS! Just hope I can manage to keep it going, I'm not very good at series. But really encouraged by the response to this and have a little pile of fanzines on my desk waiting to be re-read (might have to take them into the loo!!) Also the songs are sounding really good again.

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  8. It takes over a day to receive an email alert so sorry I'm a bit behind! Thanks for the namecheck and glad my White Rabbit post (and the others mentioned) led to this. Love the look of your fanzine - great artwork and must have been very time-consuming back in those days but you still have some of them and I very much doubt if we'll have these blog-posts at our fingertips in 30 years - worries me a bit.

    I have often mentioned when I write about the music of 1967 that I think I would have been a flower child but if I had been there is a good chance I might not be around to tell the tale today, so torn. The "hope I die before I get old" refrain from back in the '60s doesn't probably seem such a good idea once you're a sprightly 60-something. Looking forward to the series as something about psychedelia that transcends the music and tells us a lot about the social history of the times (although not necessarily via the trippy lyrics!).

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    1. Never worry about being "behind" Alyson - I only put this up yesterday (it took me far longer than it should've done to pull together too!) and I have no expectations for quick responses or anything at all, we're all busy souls.
      Yes the 'zine was so time-consuming but in a way I was thinking what else did I used to do with my day off? I didn't have emails to write or blogs to read or any other internet distractions or commitments. Not even a lot of ironing to do!

      I know that 1967 is a year which has really captured your imagination and interest for music and I agree. It might seem weird, coming out of punk which preoccupied me in the late 70s - but I moved slowly through several genres from that and when it came to the mid-80s I found there wasn't a lot going on in the then current scene which worked for me, hence looking back to the 60s. And then so much came out of the woodwork, or simply sounded really fresh to my ears having not known it at the time, that in itself it actually became a current scene. I also found some similarities to the emergence of punk, that young people were pushing boundaries, experimenting, being anti-establishment, and taking a DIY route in many areas. So it resonated.
      This is also one of the reasons I love your blog, and the way you present your own interest in an era that we didn't actually live through as teenagers but which appeals - fascinating stuff!

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  9. Your fanzines and illustrations are fantastic C. Snapshots of a different time

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    1. Oh thank you so much SA :-) Funny to think of it now as they were also snapshots of a different time of snapshots of a different time!

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  10. Great post C and that must have been a bit freaky discovering you were the Gal. He may have had a secret fantasy for all these years. Now that is Psychedelic.

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    1. Thanks Old Pa - just for the record it was all completely innocent and nothing untoward at all, I remember his lovely girlfriend! Simply a shared taste in music but a nice surprise to know he'd kept the tape and the 'zines!

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  11. Brilliant, C. This will make for a really interesting series of blog posts. Keep at it, please!

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    1. Oh thank you John! I'm much encouraged by people taking the time and effort to comment here so I hope I can manage to keep at it. Will try!

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  12. You have really tapped into something here, C. So much to say, but it has already been said so well by so many already. You are quite a talent. Can't wait for the next in this series.

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    1. Ah thank you so much - really appreciated! All I can say really is that the fanzine was fun to do and I felt the need to do it, what better reason is there to do anything - much like blogging!

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  13. Buying albums with a staff discount sounds like good times! You mention comps of Swedish bands, did you recall stumbling upon anything Danish? (where I live)
    I'll join in by naming one of my favorite psychedelic songs You're Gonna Miss Me by The 13th Floor Elevators (from their 1966 debut album)

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    1. Yes, it was very hard to resist that discount price! I've just looked at one of the old copies of my fanzine and found a whole feature I did on compilations of Scandinavian bands and indeed there was a whole 'Pebbles' album dedicated just to Denmark - including a band called the Poisons, also the Victors and the Lions. Others too which I'm now thinking I might try and look into for a future post in this series, so thank you for mentioning that, it could be an interesting angle!
      You're Gonna Miss Me is my favourite 13th Floor Elevators track - and I loved their album artwork in particular.

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  14. ps To me, the fanzine is not cringey at all, but I guess we are always critical of our own work. I might have bought one for 30p based on your imaginative lettering and imagery. Going to listen to The Open Mind based on your 1986 endorsement :)

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  15. How did I miss this post? Loved Psyclon, tho never had the patience you had to hand draw. Funny how they were meant to be ephemeral moments and we still have them tucked away under the bed! Still don't feel quite right about seeing mine on eBay for £27 tho....

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    1. Thanks... And, ah, we'd never have thought (or even cared) at the time that they would have any lasting value, but seems they have, in one way or another!

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  16. Oh and Psychedelic Girl in the Record Shop should have been a Direct Hits song by the way !

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    1. Oh, the Direct Hits! Takes me right back.

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