JON TABAKIN (CA)

"Jon Tabakin" 1975 (Larrow 100)  

The not-so-promising liner notes say that “his first album of love songs covers the total musical experience from ballads to bossa nova to rock.” Between that and the bland cover photo I can imagine collectors letting this album slip by, but if you’re not counting on something far out this is a very pleasant surprise. Tabakin is a creative, thoughtful and complex songwriter and has crafted a set of memorable and enjoyable pop songs. The obvious influences are the Beach Boys and his lookalike John Sebastian (interestingly, there’s no Beatles influence at all), though a few songs rock out in a way those artists rarely did. It’s a bit dorky at times, but unlike most albums of the type is consistently good on both sides. The vocals are just a bit imperfect (the highlight is the crazed section at the end of “Let’s Do It Again”) and the production low-budget, giving these otherwise accomplished songs a mild, likeable real people feel. It’s not really for everyone, but recommended to collectors with a soft spot for 70s pop. I think fans of the Shaun Harris solo album will like it. [AM]

TAILGUNNER ( )

"Tailgunner" 1983 (Rapid no #)  

Despite the 1983 date, this album is well-loved by 70s hard rock fans. Large quantities were bought by dealers and the album never shows up cheap, but if you’re a fan of noisy, aggressive hard rock, it’s a pretty great album. The guitar sound is really grungy, and the opening and closing songs are killers. I wouldn’t exactly say it sounds like it was recorded before 1983, but it doesn’t have the usual annoying 80s production tendencies. The lyrics are typically stoopid. [AM]

TANGERINE (Pittsburgh, PA)

"The Peeling Of" 1971 (Stephen Productions 001)  
"The Peeling Of" 199  (no label, Europe)  [bootleg]
"The Peeling Of" 1999 (Akarma 137, Italy)
"The Peeling Of" 1999 (CD Gear Fab 131)

Jammy hard rock with lots of rhythm section: drums way up in the mix, a prominent conga player, bass solos, and finally a 5+ minute conga-then-drumkit solo at the end of the album. Some reviews describe this as sounding like Latin rock, but I don't hear it. Surprisingly for a heavy band, there's fuzz guitar on only a few of the songs. On others the guitars aren't distorted at all. Side two is just one epic song, but if you ask me, side one might as well be also, because all four songs sound the same. What little vocals there are on this album are competent but pretty typical of the genre. At times they get a solid groove going, but for the most part this album is dull. [AM]

TANGERINE ZOO (Swansea, MA)

"Tangerine Zoo" 1968 (Mainstream 56109)  [mono]  
"Tangerine Zoo" 1968 (Mainstream s-6107)  [stereo]  
"Tangerine Zoo" 199  (Mainstream, Europe)  [bootleg; thin cover]

One of the lesser albums on Mainstream. It’s sought-after by collectors, but it’s got nothing that a hundred cheaper guitar/organ/semi-hard rock albums don’t do better. And who needs yet another long, drawn-out version of “Gloria?” A green label Canadian pressing also exists. [AM]

"Outside Looking In" 1968 (Mainstream 6116)  
"Outside Looking In" 199  (no label)
"Tangerine Zoo / Outside Looking In" 199  (CD)  [2-on-1]

Their rarer 2nd LP, superior to the debut but still unexceptional. The sound is typical New England post-Butterfly/Fudge heavy psych rock with organ, fuzz and slow elephantine songs. The supposed drama they're reaching for simply doesn't enter, and after more than a dozen plays I'm having trouble recalling one single hook or line from the album. Listenable all over but nothing that grabs you. For New England/Mainstream label completists only. Great sleeve design like most LPs on the label. [PL]

TAPESTRY (Canada)

"Down By Maple River" 1973 (Polydor)  [1]

Male-female folkrock and singer-songwriter with a Neil Young influence. Recorded in Montreal, but the members appear to be Anglo-Canadians and sing in English.

TARBABY (FL) 

"February" 1974 (New South nr-4500)  

Garagy folkrock with some light fuzz in spots and a subtle, understated feel such as on the atmospheric instrumental "New song". Also some boogie tracks, as you'd expect from the time and place.

JEM TARGAL (MI)

"Luckey Guy" 1977 (S'Heavy)  [gatefold; insert]  

You know from the coloring book album cover and misspelled album title that Targal is one of a kind, and his album does not disappoint. It’s full of weird songs with freaky echo-heavy production, pained romantic lyrics, unrestrained high-pitched vocals and stark guitar or piano arrangements. There’s no clue here that he was once in the Third Power. Not only is this music not heavy, it’s almost not even rock. The songs are pretty repetitive and groove heavy, but pretty catchy. It’s more like 80s and 90s DIY albums than 60s or 70s acid casualty music (the Skip Spence comparisons are off the mark.) A few songs are completely incomprehensible. The piano ballads drag some, and Targals’ style wears a listener down by the end of the album, and there’s a drum machine here and there, but this is a unique record with some very cool songs. Recommended to those seeking adventure. [AM]

BANASTRE TARLETON ( )

"Electric Women" 1979 (no label)

Weird mix of synth prog and hard guitar rock. There was also a 1985 LP, "No destination".

TAROTS ( )

"Knight In Blue" 197  (Arnold aw 14070)

"It's In The Cards" 197  (Richard)

Johnny Kitchen (Victims of Chance, Crazy People, Blues Train, etc) gets the songwriting credit for three tracks with the remainder by L Priessman. Indiscriminate mix of funk, rock, and e-z lounge moves.

TAYLES (Madison, WI)

"Who Are These Guys" 1972 (Cinevista 1001)  [lyric insert]  
"Who Are These Guys" 2001 (Akarma 122, Italy)  [2LPs; gatefold; +4 tracks] 
"Who Are These Guys" 2001 (CD Gear Fab 121, Italy)  [+4 tracks] 

A live effort recorded at Madison's Nitty Gritty Club. Heavily hyped by fans and reviewers, these guys were little more than your standard bar band. Among their shortcomings, even though all five members were credited with vocals, they lacked a strong singer. Musically they were certainly competent, though the flute bugged the hell out of me. With the band responsible for all of the material, the collection steered the middle ground between cutesy nostalgia numbers ("Did It"), standard blues-rock ("Baby DoughDough") and longer jam-oriented material ("Bizzaro Ben"). Unfortunately, little on the ten track set was of repeated interest. At least "Angry with My Friend" had a little bit of meltdown guitar. A major disappointment, guess you had to be there. [SB]

ADAM TAYLOR ( )

"Adam Taylor" 197  (Tiger Lily TL 14024)  

Obscure one on this infamous tax-scam label, impressive 1970s rural folkrock sound with a rootsy, mature vibe. Longer review will follow.

EMMETT TAYLOR (Kirkwood, MO)

"Emmett Taylor" 197  (Kerygma 101)  

Early 1970s Christian folkrock with 60s-sounding garage and psych moves, including "Men of delusion" with long fuzz guitar break. Highly rated by some. The LP is credited to Emmett Taylor with Stephan Eyre.

T C (Phoenix, AZ)

"Lamanite" 1976 (Desert City 3002)

Native American doing 1970s melodic rock and folk with mellotron and unusual vocals, also two heavy rock tracks. Has been hyped but not likely to blow you away.

T C ATLANTIC (St Paul, MN) 

"Live At The Bel-Rae Ballroom" 1967 (Dove 4459)  
"T C Atlantic" 1983 (Eva 12014, France)  [+bonus tracks]

Charming live recording of legendary Twin Cities band that had several good non-LP 45s. This is not the thrilling acid psych of "Faces" but more of a typical club set from a top local act; bunch of r'n'b/soul standards plus a couple Brit Invasion tunes and two band originals. Good vocals, the right organ sound, excellent recording with plenty of presence, and solid performances all around -- sort of like what all those Justice LPs should have been like. Only weak spot is an endless rave-up on "Love light" that doesn't really work. File under "party" next to the Dimensions, the Kasuals and the Raiders' "Here they come" LP. [PL]

T C B (Ottawa, Canada)

"Open For Business" 1970 (Traffic)

Jazzy horn rock with psych/prog touches and female vocals.

T C T BAND ( )

"Last Time Around Folks" 197  (no label)  [2 LPs]

A live performance by your typical southern hard rock band from the early seventies. Long jams with guitar and organ, mostly cover songs of the day and not one but two songs with the presumed drum solo (one sucks, the other is tolerable). It's a double album that comes in two glued together brown paper bags with red print. A period piece that works for people in my age group (mid-forties to early fifties) that remembers those free outdoor shows at a local park complete with jug wine, dirt weed and loose hippy chicks on Quaaludes. [JSB]

TEA COMPANY (MA)

"Come And Have Some Tea" 1968 (Smash srs-67105)  [wlp exists]  
"Come And Have Some Tea" 2000 (CD, Europe)

Pretty freaky stuff for a major label album. It’s got every bit as much reverb as The Bachs or Index or the Scorpio Tube. One song is just water sounds. There are lots of sound effects and spastic guitar parts on this album, and maybe the most bizarre cover of “You Keep Me Hanging On” yet. Not a very good record, but gets points for pure wildness. The band’s name is very clearly defined in the liner notes. [AM]
~~~
Fronted by Frankie Carr, the album featured a rather over-indulgent set of self-penned era-psychedelia (be sure to check out the hysterical "As I Have Seen You Upon the Wall"). The lone non-original was a Vanilla Fudge-styled cover of The Supremes' "You Keep Me Hangin' On". Unfortunately, as lead singer Carr wasn't any great shakes. Moreover, burdened by dopey lyrics ("Make Love, Not War") and bland melodies ("Love Could Make the World Go Round"), none of the eight originals proved particularly memorable. On the other hand, exemplified by tracks such as the 10 minute plus "Flowers" and "Don't Make Waves (Water Sound Effects)" the band displayed an awesome affection for sound effects. Having missed the '60s, we can only report that "tea" was supposedly a reference to dope. Contrary to rumor, we can tell you the plant shown on the cover is not marijuana. [SB]
~~~
see -> Frankie Carr; Spare Change Band

TEAKWOOD (NY)

"Teakwood" 196  (Century 34005)

Bob Tupper and Greg Rita of Hamilton College doing late 1960s acoustic folk.

TEMPEST (Houston, TX) 

"Tempest" 1979 (Earth Records 0378)  

This privately pressed hard rock record starts weakly, with a mediocre AOR song and a mediocre blues song, but gets much better. There are a few really hot hard rockers and quite a bit of variety in its almost 50-minute length. The only problem is that the male singer is terrible, and he’s given the album’s very best songs. The female singer, Barbara Pennington (not to be confused with the soul singer of the same name), has real blues strength to her voice but not much in the way of subtlety or nuance. This is a frustrating album, as a lot of talent shows through here but they obviously didn’t know what to do with it. The best songs (especially the two side-closers, which have really great hooks) could have been killers. What this band needed was a good producer or manager who would have made better decisions about who was singing and how. Strangely enough, this album was also released in Germany. The US release has a white cover; the German release has a silver cover. Pennington released an LP in 1982 with Tempest as the backing band. [AM]

TEMPESTS (Canada)

"That's Right - Walk On By" 1965 (Arkon ACS 4)  

Teenbeat obscurity with moody cover shot of the six band members' heads arranged to form a human pyramid!

TEMPOS (Sylacuga, AL) 

"Speaking Of The Tempos" 1966 (Justice 104)  
"The Tempos" 1987 (Crypt 010)  [partial reissue+bonus tracks; altered sleeve]
"Speaking Of The Tempos" 1996 (CD Collectables 0601)  

Considered by many the best LP on the label, even rated by some as the best local garage album all over. Has a true garage edge throughout and an impressive number of great Stonesy originals such as the opening "Two timer" and "You're gonna miss me" (not the Elevators tune) along with 3-4 of the usual surf and R'n'B covers. One of the few, or the only, Justice band not to hail from the Atlantic seaboard states, this also sticks out due to an atypical recording with plenty of punch that reflects a Brit Invasion mindset among these Sylacuga High School punks. Either reissue is worth getting for any 1966 garage fan. [PL]

TEMPOS ( )

"Tempos" 1966 (no label WFC 595)  [10"]

No relation to the famous Alabama band, this is a very obscure 10-inch teenbeat LP from the same era.

TEMPTERS (MI)

"Live" 1969 (AmCue)  

Primitive local release of late-period 60s club band doing Beatles and soul covers, along with a few originals. 

TENNESSEE FARM BAND see Farm Band

JOHN TERLAZZO (York, PA)

"Honor Among Thieves" 1983 (Beggar Recordings no #)  

Incredibly dark loner poet folk/rock. Very heavy Leonard Cohen influence, but makes LC seem cheerful by comparison. Even the one song that is upbeat, almost good-timey, has a dark undertone. Terlazzo is accompanied on many tracks by a beautiful haunting female backing vocal which is often wordless. Several tracks have fine electric guitar leads and solos. The poetic nature of his writing rather stark and often “esoteric” lyric images, brought out well by his rather limited baritone voice. I rate this at the top of the loner folkie heap. [MA]
~~~
Enjoyable modern-sounding dark folk and singer/songwriter with a vibe similar to Bruce Janaway or Bob Theil. There is indeed a notable Leonard Cohen influence but Terlazzo needn't be embarrassed, as this is simply the genre he belongs too, and he does it well, with a personal voice and inventive arrangements including spooky female harmonies and sparse folkrock arrangements. I counted three excellent tracks with "Seven stars over Sicily" a favorite, several more good ones, and only one dud. Terlazzo would continue to record after this debut and is still active as a performer and poet. [PL]

TERRAPLANE ( )

"Arrives" 1981 (Stress)  [12" EP]

Weak hardrock on a 5-track, 45 RPM 12-incher, some prog moves with keyboard.

PETER TESSIER (Canada)

"By Turning A Knob" 1973 (Columbia ES 90202)  

It’s a mystery as to why this major label release has become so rare, but it’s a very tough one to find. It’s an interesting 70s singer/songwriter record with occasional Christian lyrics strung together in a thematic way (bits of two songs are repeated throughout the album.) Most of it is pretty straightforward acoustic guitar-based rock that’s pretty commercial (and some of it is kind of goofy), but there’s a stark feel to some songs and a bit of cool fuzz guitar, so it will appeal to some folk/psych fans. Excellent bass playing throughout, and nice crisp production. The quality of the songwriting is pretty hit and miss. I expect most listeners to like about half of it. Side two really mixes up the genres, some of which aren’t exactly rock or folk, and the last song on the album is sung in French. [AM]

THEE MIDNITERS (Los Angeles, CA)

"Thee Midniters" 1965 (Chattahoochee c-1001) [mono]  
"Thee Midniters" 1966 (Chattahoochee cs-1001) [stereo]  

"Bring You Love Special Delivery" 1966 (Whittier w-5000)  [mono]  
"Bring You Love Special Delivery" 1966 (Whittier ws-5000)  [stereo]  

"Unlimited" 1966 (Whittier w-5001)  

Mexican-American group doing an early mix of r&b and Stones-styled movers with horns and garagy guitars. One of the earliest and greatest of the latino soul/ rock groups, led by the outstanding soulful vocalist, Willie Garcia. The debut features their "Whittier Boulevard" hit original, alongside a mix of club frat, soul and British covers. The first Whittier LP has a similar mix plus cool band original "I found a peanut" and a version of "Love Special Delivery", one of the earliest songs with a possible LSD message. "Unlimited" is more geared towards their soul/dance side, and perhaps of less interest, despite several originals and a cool cover. The band's last LP on Whittier was "Giants" (1967), and features material from the earlier albums. There is a vinyl sampler on Rhino from 1983, and a later CD sampler.

THEE MUFFINS (Lake George, NY) 

"Thee Muffins" 1967 (Fan-Club no #)  

So-so local club/R'n'B act from upstate NY, has one track comp'd on "Oil Stains" but otherwise little to distinguish it. Bonus points for a hilarious sleeve of the group popping out of a toaster. [PL]
~~~
Garage pop covers. Mix of lounge soul ballads and rhythmic garage covers. Fun tinny chiming rhythm playing. Of interest mostly for the fact that it got made at all. [RM]

THEM (UK / TX / CA)

"Now And Them" 1967 (Tower t-5104)  [mono]  
"Now And Them" 1967 (Tower st-5104)  [stereo]  
"Now And Them" 200  (CD Revola 29, UK)  [+bonus tracks]

The first post-Van Morrison Them album takes their gritty R&B sound a step into the future by adding fuzz guitar and some Eastern musical themes. A number of the songs are in a more straight R&B bag, and while they’re pretty good, this is certainly of more interest for the punky “Witch Doctor” and “Walking in The Queen’s Garden,” or the freaky sitar-heavy “Square Room,” than for horn-laden soul like “What’s The Matter Baby.” “You’re Just What I Was” is a nice, if slightly out of character, pop song. There’s a lot to like here. I could have done without their uninteresting version of “Nobody Loves You When You’re Down And Out,” though. [AM]

"Time Out! Time In" 1968 (Tower t-5116)  [mono]  
"Time Out! Time In" 1968 (Tower st-5116)  [stereo]  
"Time Out! Time In" 200  (CD Revola 52, UK)  [+bonus tracks]

This time, they get even further out, with more sitar, more fuzz guitar, less R&B, stranger lyrics. My favorite line: “Buzz, buzz, it’s a wonderful feeling/to be upside down now and waltz on the ceiling.” A lot of this is pretty great. The overall songwriting isn’t as strong as on "Now And Them", but the consistency of style compensates. [AM]

"Them" 1970 (Happy Tiger 1004)

This is usually rated as the weakest of the band's 4 post-Van albums. For a much more enjoyable, in fact quite outstanding Them-related outfit, check out "Of Them And Other Tales" by Truth, a retrospective CD release of westcoast-flavored circa 1969 recordings from Epilogue records 1995.

"In Reality" 1971 (Happy Tiger 1012)  

By 1971 Them had been reduced to bassist Alan Henderson, lead guitarist Jim Parker and drummer John Stark (both formerly with the Kitchen Cinq and Armageddon). Anyone expecting a continuation of the psychedelic moves that marked the band's previous releases for Happy Tiger was in for a major shock. Musically the set started out with a blast; in this case an extended, fuzz guitar powered cover of Them's own "Gloria". While the remake may not have threatened Van Morrison's original, it boasted some killer lead guitar courtesy of Parker. While some folks will certainly disagree to our ears the band actually benefited from their new found direction. Stripped of the elaborate production that characterized their last couple of releases, material such as "Laugh" and "Lessons of the Sea" found the trio turning in some roaring hard-rock sides. Kudos to Parker who was simply amazing on material such as "Baby Please Don't Go" and "California Man". [SB]

THESE TRAILS (HI) 

"These Trails" 1973 (Sinergia 4059)  
"These Trails" 1998 (Pele 1, Germany)
"These Trails" 1999 (Gates Of Dawn)
"These Trails" 1999 (CD Gates Of Dawn)
"These Trails" 1999 (CD Sinergia)

Marvellous folkpsych and the best Hawaiian LP ever along with Mu. Like tripping out in a botanical garden and having the acid turn your casual stroll into a deep jungle exploration, surrounded by exotic birds and mystic noises, with old volcanos in the distance while ocean waves lap the back of your mind. Dreamy female vocals, surprising twists, and talent all through, courtesy mainly of Margaret Morgan, who sadly passed away recently. The song structures and arrangements are very unusual, and combine with the ethereal vocals to send you into uncharted mind spaces. "Share your water" is a personal fave. Psychedelic exotica doesn't come better than this. The Sinergia CD is from the band themselves. [PL]
~~~
This is a wonderful and unique album that really defines Hawaiian psych rock. The music is folky/poppy, with clever arrangements that include surprising stop/start sections, little bits of synthesizer noises that feel like rain coming down, and exotic-sounding female vocals. The singing has a naïve charm that can't be beat, and the excellent songwriting is breezy and airy. Highly recommended. [AM]

THINGS TO COME (Los Angeles, CA)

"Things To Come" 1978 (W.P.I 1)   
"Things To Come" 1995 (Sundazed 5008)  [altered sleeve; bonus tracks]
"Things To Come" 1995 (CD Sundazed sc-11017)  [bonus tracks]

Here's one with a real story to it. For years known only for their outstanding first 45, this ultrarare (50 copies?) late 70s tax-loss LP featuring both 45 tracks plus several more '66-67 recordings was discovered in LA in the early 1990s. Sundazed moved in with a classy reissue making this a household word soon after being found. Things like "Darkness" is true missing link garage-psych stuff everyone needs to hear, although the strongly derivative (esp from Them) nature of some tracks is a drawback. The monster acid tune "Speak Of The Devil" is in a different mix from the 45 version. After a line-up change the band released two good non-LP 45s not included on the reissues. [PL]

THIRD EDITION (LA)

"Take 1" 1973 (Rapture 1236)  

Sometimes described as "garage" or "psych", but actually a lo-fi amateur lounge-rock trio with cheesy organ, some buzzing fuzz guitar and off-key vocals. Three Creedence covers tells you where they're coming from.

THIRD ESTATE (Baton Rouge, LA) 

"Years Before The Wine" 1976 (Third Estate 1000)  [500p; insert]  
"Years Before The Wine" 199  (no label, Austria)  [150p]
"Years Before The Wine" 199  (CD Mellow, Italy)
"Years Before The Wine" 1997 (Void 07)  [insert; 500p]

One of my personal faves in the seemingly bottomless well of great local 70s LPs, this intricate folkrock prog-psycher blends a warm Southern summer sound with baroque-like song structures and graduate school lyrics inspired by the French Revolution! Not your average local barrocker and despite multitudes of spins I haven't grasped it all yet. Serious in mood, but rescued from the prog traps thanks to the strong songwriting and a light, flowing musical style. Excellent female vocals on one track. A must to check out, and loved by many. The Italian CD is the best introduction, while the old Austrian bootleg has poor sound. The band came together at LSU in Baton Rouge but the members hailed from elsewhere. [PL]
~~~
A concept album about the French Revolution. Fetch my sawn off from the pick up Bubba, it’s time to teach these pretentious hippies a danged good lesson. But how wrong I would be to shoot first without listening. Often cited are the female vocals (from Fae Ficklin), “brought in” for the title track. Her singing is stunning, but even without it the LP would still richly deserve its legendary status. Plenty of fuzz, backwards soundscapes and beautiful acoustic guitar tunes from band leader Robert Everett make this into a total classic. Rewards repeat listening, multi-textured, the sound of exploration is apparent as the band spreads its wings and glorious harmonies flow forth. The sound and overall impression is highly reminiscent of another UK classic, Ithaca. The sound quality on the Mellow CD is superb and it comes with a highly informative booklet with band photos and lyrics. [RI]
~~~
This is a complicated album that opens new doors with every listen. The production style is weirdly stark, with acoustic guitars that sound like they’re in the room with you. The low-budget recording creates a real sense of immediacy. Backwards bits and treated guitars are used to nice effect, and the leisurely pace of the songs works very well. This is unlike anything else I’ve heard, and is hard to characterize. It blows most people away, but even if you don’t love it, I suspect you’ll have a weird fascination with it and keep listening. A lot of reviews mention the female vocalist, but it should be noted that she sings only one song. [AM]

THIRD GENERATION (HI)

"Third Generation" 1967 (no label)

Lounge rock covers. [RM]

THIRD POWER (Detroit, MI) 

"Believe" 1970 (Vanguard 6554)  
"Believe" 199  (Mr G no #)
"Believe" 1998 (Akarma 033, Italy)
"Believe" 1998 (CD Akarma 033, Italy)

This is certainly one of the very best heavy psych albums, and also one of the best albums on Vanguard. It’s wild, frantic, surprising, diverse and uncompromised. The guitar playing is restrained and subtle in places, but blasts out with a fury when it needs to. On the slower songs the singing is downright eerie. As with all great albums, it isn’t just the sound and energy that kill, but the songwriting, which is great throughout. “Feel So Lonely,” which starts out slow and drifty, but adds intensity as it goes along, is my favorite, but the rest aren’t far behind. As with the Highway Robbery album, the ballads are as good as the rockers. A Canadian pressing also exists. [AM]
~~~
see -> Jem Targal

13th FLOOR ELEVATORS (Austin/Kerrville, TX)

"Psychedelic Sounds" 1966 (IA LP 1)  [promo; mono; blue/white label]  
"Psychedelic Sounds" 1966 (IA LP 1)  [mono; yellow/green label]  
"Psychedelic Sounds" 1966 (IA LP 1)  [stereo; coral blue label]  
"Psychedelic Sounds" 1977 (IA)  [stereo bootleg; 'Masterfonics' in dead wax]
"Psychedelic Sounds" 1978 (IA LP 1)  [official stereo reissue]
"Psychedelic Sounds" 1978 (Radar 13, UK)  [stereo reissue]
"Psychedelic Sounds" 197  (IA)  [stereo bootleg; altered back cover without credits]

Recorded over a 9-month period during 1966, the LP was assembled with some haste as "You're Gonna Miss Me" became an unexpected national hit in the early Fall. The mono mix is clearly superior, as is particularly evident on "Roller Coaster" and "Monkey Island", where the stereo mixes sound unfinished and should be avoided. The mono LP was released in late November 1966, thus competing with the Deep and Blues Magoos as the very first "psychedelic"-titled album. The music, in case anyone needs to know, is a firebreathing blend of garage, folkrock and embryonic psychedelia, the latter represented by the two groundbreaking numbers "Roller Coaster" and "Kingdom Of Heaven". The LP was an underground hit and went on to sell some 40.000 copies. All promos and early runs of the mono stock have a slightly different back cover with a street address for IA and no credit to Gordon Bynum. Due to stamper degeneration this variation may be preferrable to later runs. Although 1966 is the nominal release year for the stereo version, it probably wasn't mixed and released until a few months into 1967. No stereo promos exist. The IA box set reissue (also available as a standalone item) is identifiable via a matrix number that begins 'Ach...'. Post-1980 reissues are too numerous to list; the crucial fact is that none of the re:s, including those above, are from master tapes. The mixdown masters were lost in the early 1970s and have never been found. The preferrable mono mix has been bootlegged twice in the late 1990s, all other reissues are the inferior stereo mix. [PL]

"Easter Everywhere" 1967 (IA LP 5)  [mono; wlp exists; lyric inner]  
"Easter Everywhere" 1967 (IA LP 5)  [stereo; lyric inner]  
"Easter Everywhere" 1977 (IA)  [bootleg; 'Masterfonics' in dead wax]
"Easter Everywhere" 1978 (IA LP 5)  [official reissue]
"Easter Everywhere" 1978 (Radar 15, UK)  [reissue]
"Easter Everywhere" 197  (IA)  [bootleg; orange-tone front cover]

International Artists put substantial amounts into "Easter", which was supposed to establish the Elevators as a major force in rock music, after the unexpected underground success of "Psychedelic Sounds". Unfortunately it came out about 6 months too late (released in November), and lacked a strong hit 45 to carry it. Nevertheless most Elevators fans rates it the best thing by the band (or indeed by anyone).  The LP sold out its original pressing but was not reprinted, suggesting somewhat disappointing sales, perhaps around 10.000 copies. For some reason IA mastered it an unusually low volume, which contributes to the slightly muddy sound. The earliest run has a printing error on the back sleeve that lists "Posturos" instead of "Postures". The mono mix is an interesting experience, but clearly inferior to the hypnotic, elaborate soundscape of the stereo. The stock mono version is extremely rare and usually sells for four figures. The IA box set reissue ( also available as a standalone item) is identifiable via a matrix number that begins 'Ach...'. Again, post-1980 reissues and bootlegs too numerous to list; the crucial fact is that none of these, including those above, are from master tapes. The mixdown masters were lost in the early 1970s and have never been found. The mono mix was bootlegged in the late 1990s, all other reissues are the superior stereo mix. [PL]

"Live" 1968 (IA LP 8)  [stereo; wlp exists]  
"Live" 1978 (IA LP 8)  [IA box-set reissue]

As the Elevators were falling apart, IA put this infamous pseudo-live LP together from old studio outtakes and added some very phony-sounding applause. The release date is somewhere around August 1968. The LP was not a success, and unsold copies were still floating around 20 years later. For an Elevators fan this is still mandatory, and due to the strength of the material and performances, a lot better than its reputation suggests. No mono mix exists. Reissues and bootlegs are too numerous to list; the crucial fact is that none of these, including the IA box set reissue from 1978 are from master tapes. The mixdown masters were lost in the early 1970s and have never been found. The 1978 IA box-set reissue can be identified via a matrix number that begins "Ach...". All other reissues or boots are easy to identify as such. [PL]

"Bull Of The Woods" 1969 (IA LP 9)  [stereo; wlp exists]  
"Bull Of The Woods" 1969 (IA LP 9)  [IA box-set reissue]

This posthumous swansong was underrated for many years, but has been revaluated from the 1990s and onwards, and in fact rates as the band's best LP among some Elevators fans. Dominated by lead guitarist Stacy Sutherland, the band here has a dark, brooding intensity that has aged well. Roky appears on less than half the tracks, and there is no jug. The material was recorded during a chaotic 6-month period in 1968, with some horn arrangements added by IA and drummer Danny Thomas as the LP was put together in late 1968. As the original band was long gone, the LP didn't sell well, and unsold copies crowded Texas warehouses for decades. No mono mix exists. Reissues and bootlegs are too numerous to list; the crucial fact is that none of these, including the IA box set reissue from 1978 are from master tapes. The mixdown masters were lost in the early 1970s and have never been found. The 1978 IA box-set reissue can be identified via a matrix number that begins "Ach...". All other reissues and boots are easy to identify as such. All four Elevators LPs were also released on 8-track, the first two LPs both by IA and ITCC, the last two LPs only by ITCC. [PL]

"Fire In My Bones" 1985 (Texas Archive Recordings 4)

"Elevator Tracks" 1987 (Texas Archive Recordings 7)

There is a wealth of bootlegs and obscure archival releases of unreleased Elevators material, but the two TAR albums should be considered mandatory. Both contain one side of unreleased studio material, and one side of live recordings. "Elevator Tracks" is somewhat difficult to find, and includes the devastating "I don't ever want to come down". Of the other vinyl retrospectives, by all means avoid the common "SF '66" boot on Lysergic, which has terrible sound quality. Other releases of the outstanding Avalon tape have better sound, but none come close to the source tapes, originally broadcast on KSAN in 1977. "Original Sounds" (13th Hour, 1989) is a worthwhile boot, containing rough mixes from the first LP in excellent sound on one side, and a high-energy early live recording on the other. "Demos Everywhere" is a UK variant with this same material in an inferior pressing. Beyond these, dozens of CD releases exists, often recycling the same material in various combinations.
~~~
see -> "Epitaph For A Legend"

31st OF FEBRUARY (Jacksonville, FL)

"31st Of February" 1969 (Vanguard 6503)  
"31st Of February" 200  (Vanguard 6503)
"31st Of February" 200  (CD Vanguard 6503)

The buzz about this album is partially due to having a future member of the Allman Brothers in the band. The record, though, is actually quite good, with a nice dreamy folk-rock/popsike sound and consistent songwriting. There’s yet another version of “Codine,” but it’s an appealingly eerie one, and this record really hits all the right spots for fans of the style. All three band members would go on to bigger things in the 1970s. [AM]

THIRTYONE FLAVORS ( )

"Hair" 1969 (Crown 492)  

One of the best psychploitation LPs with more fuzzzz than a dozen 1971 private press hardrockers. Opens with amazingly lame title track from "Hair", then a funny inept "Age of aquarius" with femme vocals, then a crude basement psych original with far out vocals. The rest of the LP is 100% fuzzploitation instros with studio hacks obviously delighted to run stone free like a stage jam by the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Great raw live feel, wild playing and excellent fuzz riffs. A good one to use as a proxy for the whole genre. The LP contains a couple of tracks listed but not present on the Firebirds album, which probably was recorded during the same 2-hour session. A couple of the best tracks have been reissued on the "Heavy Psych" CD compilation. [PL]
~~~
If you wondered what happened to the two missing songs that were listed on the Firebirds album, here’s your answer. In wonderful exploito fashion, this is the same band from the same sessions, and despite something called “Free Drum,” it’s an equally great record. It’s got tons of grungy fuzz guitar and lots of spastic drumming; it’s a true hard rock wonder! A cover of the song “Hair” that doesn’t bother to follow the normal melody is just plain weird. You have to love the idea that these people were just fucking around and still managed to put together two albums that blow away most hard rock albums by “real” bands. [AM]

SUSAN & RICHARD THOMAS (WI)

"A Burst Of Life" 1973 (Blue Hour B.H 3-1017)  

Pro-sounding, dorky "up-with-people" 1970s hippie couple folkrock/ singer-songwriter trip. She has a nice voice and their enthusiasm and undeniably skillful compositions and arrangements make for passable listening, with a few showtune/musical moves adding a nostalgic charm. However I have a hard time seeing anyone but the most hardcore hippie folk collectors really enjoying this obscurity. [PL]
~~~
This is a bit of a joke in the collectors’ world, a record that, when found, sold for $100 to unsuspecting “folk-psych” fans, and has since become one of the hardest records for rare record dealers to unload. In actuality, as over-sincere hippie commune-type folk goes it’s pretty good, and Susan has a nice voice. It has moments that are way too sweet, and certainly there’s nothing even remotely “psych” about it, but the songwriting is decent and it’s a heck of a lot more listenable than New Troubadours or Oneness Space. [AM]

DON THOMPSON ( )

"Jupiter" 1975 (Sunday 5101)  [gatefold; booklet; insert]  
"Jupiter" 1976 (Korona 5101)  [gatefold]

Delicate emphatic dark folk, sweet high trembling Marcus/Trimblesque vocal, orchestral backing. Sparse sound with spacey mellotron in the background. Flowing "seer with answers" damage. When he sings he's "going to the edge of the world" you gotta believe it's not the first time. Excellent LP. George Faber (Finchley Boys) helps out. Supposedly only 100 copies were pressed of the first version, but the substantial number of copies traded in recent years makes this seem dubious. Some copies of the first press came with promo material and a bonus 7". [RM]
~~~
One side is pretentious guitar-and-voice folk (with mild synthesized orchestral arrangements.) His singing style is way too sincere, and all of the songs sound pretty much the same. Though there are some neat little arrangement tricks (mostly with backing vocals), and creative lyrical ideas, the greatest impression he leaves is of someone who’s trying way too hard but doesn’t have the ideas to back up the ambition. Side two is more folk-rock, with bass, drums and electric lead guitars, sounding a bit like Cat Stevens. It suits him a little better, mostly because the singing isn’t so front-and-center, but this really isn’t a fun record. [AM]

MAYO THOMPSON (Houston, TX)

"Corky's Debt To His Father" 1970 (Texas Revolution 2270)  [600p]  
"Corky's Debt To His Father" 198  (Texas Revolution)  [reissue]
"Corky's Debt To His Father" 1986 (Glass 015, UK)
"Corky's Debt To His Father" 1996 (Drag City 49)

Thompson’s singer/songwriter album is in many ways a lot more interesting than anything he did with the Red Crayola. He has a matter of fact singing style and a really unusual sensibility that rewards multiple listens. Some surprisingly blunt sexual lyrics are pretty funny. As with the Crayola, this isn’t exactly the most adeptly performed record, but unlike with the Crayola, it never sounds like Thompson doesn’t care deeply about his songs. Fascinating and memorable. Mayo relocated to England in the 1970s, then returned to play with Pere Ubu in the early 1980s as well as continuing to record, with a variety of musicians, under the Red Krayola banner. His other releases fall outside the Archives. [AM]

JEFF THORNLEY (DE) 

"Locked Inside" 1983 (Unique Records no #)  

Latter day album hyped by psych dealers, despite there not being anything “psych” about it. Some of it is heavy, some in a more refined pop style. One song is country/rockabilly. It’s pretty impressive that Thornley spans a bunch of styles without the album sounding disjointed. The reverb-heavy production does shout out “80s,” but not in as offensive a way as most albums from 1983. There are a few Xian lyrics here, lots of lead guitar, and some good hooks. One song has a guest female lead singer and she’s better than Jeff, though neither are especially distinctive. Frankly, I’m not sure how this got a $100+ price tag when there were hundreds of 80s private press albums of similar quality and originality, but it is a pretty good record. [AM]

THREE see Square Root Of Nine

THROWER SPILLANE MCFARLAND (MI)

"Blue John" 197  (Ranger Records RLPS 412)  

"Boots & Bottles" 1975 (Black River Tunes 544N3)  

Obscure rural rock/singer-songwriter albums from the same crowd that did the Drendall, Thrower & Friends album. Similar in style with some outstanding tracks, though not as solid as "Papa". The second LP, released as by Blue John, features John Drendall, who is not on the Ranger LP. McFarland is not on the Black River LP.

THUGH (OH)

"Phase Tapes" 1981 (Earters)  [insert; 200p]  

Inept, homemade primitive underground folk/avant tracks recorded '74-80 with an occasional psych vibe. Lots of phasing, synth, tape effects, some acoustic and electric guitar.

THUNDERBIRDS (Albuquerque, NM) 

"Meet The Fabulous Thunderbirds" 1965 (Red Feather TH1)  

Mostly pre-invasion frat and instros from teenage Native Americans dressed in goofy dance band gear. Notable Chuck Berry and Tex-Mex influences across the LP, which has been known for decades but is pretty hard to find. One track has been comp'd on "Oil Stains".

THUNDERDUK (OH) 

"Thunderduk" 1996 (Rockadelic 23)  [750p; insert]

Band photos and raw opening track may tempt one to file this among the typical Rockadelic teenage basement hardrock blowouts, but in actuality this is a local prog/jazzrock affair that's a bit left field both for the label and my hi-fi. The uptempo, energetic excursions suffer from so-so songwriting and a dry, clinical soundscape that cries out for keyboards, fuzz and feedback, and jars with the distorted vocals. Liner notes claim they were a big draw live but it doesn't really sound like it, and there's an odd atonal and out of synch feel to the recording as a whole -- but maybe that's right for the genre. Couple of OK tracks, but too little guitar, and neither psych, folk nor hardrock; may appeal to fans of the UK hard prog scene. 1972-1974 recordings. [PL]

THUNDERPUSSY (Quincy, IL) 

"Documents Of Captivity" 1973 (MRT rl-31748)  [insert]  
"Documents Of Captivity" 1987 (Breeder 561, Austria)  [b & w sleeve]
"Documents Of Captivity" 199  (CD Wild Places 002)  

Ah, Quincy's contribution to mid-1970s' progressive rock. Printed in minute quantities, this one's attracted a cult following and some glistening reviews. Curiously, most of the reviews we've seen have painted the album as being a hard rock with psych touches outing. Wrong. Written as a concept piece divided into a series of "six Documents" (which plotlines are largely lost on me), the result is conventional (if very good) progressive rock. I'll also be honest and admit that it took a couple of spins to warm up to the LP's charms. It's worth the effort since Morris has a nice voice and, in spite of the elaborate plotline, tracks such as the leadoff "Document of Enigma / Scream Inside", "Document of Security / Moonlite Ladies" and "Document of Latent Summation / In the Forest" offer up strong and surprisingly conventional melodies. The original was pressed on very thin vinyl, most copies have slight bowl warps. There is also a posthumous EP with unreleased tracks. [SB] 
~~~
This is the kind of 'prog' album that seems to go over pretty well with psych or hard rock fans. As I'm listening I always enjoy it, as it's full of weird ideas and cool guitar playing. It doesn't stick with me once it's off, though, which probably means their ambitions are miles beyond their pop sense. This is the kind of thing that I can recommend to people looking for something a bit beyond their usual tastes, but I'm not sure I'd call it wholly successful. Where they got their name is beyond me, because this isn't especially thunderous or tasteless. [AM]

THUNDERTREE (Minneapolis, MN)

"Thundertree" 1970 (Roulette sr-42038)  [wlp exists]  
"Thundertree" 2004 (CD Radioactive 096, UK)

It's hard to say why this particular major label release is now worth double the price of a lot of its equally good peers, but there's no predicting collectors. Side one are individual songs while side two is a side-long suite. It's somewhat soulful rock with a mild psych edge. It mixes carefully constructed songwriting with a nice variety of sounds, ranging from quiet and mellow to moderately heavy. It's not exactly poppy, but not exactly heavy either. The singing is a bit pretentious, but the interesting production tricks compensate. Depending on how you look at it, it's either creatively arranged or gimmicky. Hardly the best of its type, but perfectly enjoyable for fans of major label psych. Starts with the great song title "Head Embers". [AM]
~~~
This Roulette obscurity has a fair share of fans, although I was a bit put off by the weak, unconvincing vocals and too-busy drumming. Both the overall sound and mood shifts strangely over the LP, ranging from demo-like Steppenwolf macho rock to fullblown, sophisticated westcoast psychedelia. Songwriting is pretty good but the crude, unfinished feel of several recordings suggests that a significantly better LP from the same material could have been delivered by a different band. The dominating sound is a bit like the non-orchestrated tracks on the Common People LP, but less successful. On the plus side is good use of fuzz leads and some interesting studio tricks, once they were given time to fool around. The long suite on side 2 shows typical UK "Abbey Road" artrock ambitions a la Graffiti or Jasper Wrath, and is rather appealing within the genre. Worth hearing, but I'm not really prepared to join the cheering for this album. The LP was also released in Germany on Vogue. [PL]
~~~
see -> Billy; "Gathering At The Depot"

STEVE TIBBETS (St Paul, MN)

"Steve Tibbets" 1977 (Frammis bzz-77)
"Steve Tibbets" 199  (Cuneiform 55009)

Guitar/home studio wizard. Eastern instro prog psych, tablas. The Frammis LPs were recorded in his house on an 8-track machine. Later pressings have 're' scribed in the trail-off. None of his releases are particularly expensive, which is good news.

"Yr" 1979 (Frammis 1522-25)
"Yr" 198  (ECM)  [altered sleeve]

Instrumental album that’s just chock full of amazing guitar playing. The use of tabla gives it a unique feel and a kind of intimate charm missing from the works of better-known guitar heroes. This is the kind of album that could appeal to everyone from psych fans to folk fans to prog fans to hard rock fans. Very tasteful, very clever, often quite surprising. Highly recommended. Two sleeve versions exist, with "daytime" or "nighttime" scene. [AM]

FREDDIE TIEKEN & THE ROCKERS (Quincy, IL)

"Live!" 1964 (IT 2304)  

Early teenbeat and soul covers recorded live at TNT in West Quincy, Missouri. The band kept going for many years and was popular throughout the Midwest. In the late 60s, the Tieken brothers went on to Ilmo Smokehouse.

TIFFANY SHADE (Cleveland, OH)

"Tiffany Shade" 1967 (Mainstream 56105)  [mono]  
"Tiffany Shade" 1967 (Mainstream s-6105)  [stereo]  
"Tiffany Shade" 200  (Mainstream, Europe)  [bootleg; thin cover]

This used to be one of the less championed Mainstreams, but the persistent hype on the label has sent the rep of it soaring. Mainstream seldom spent much time on A & R once the artists had been signed, but Tiffany Shade must have been pushed through quick even by their standards. Hence a rather charming teen garage presentation of what is economy fare westcoast folkrock-psych sounds, plus a bunch of tracks that make no sense at all. LP opens strongly with several raw trips on the early Airplane style; cutting fuzz leads and excellent "Nuggets" vocals should appeal to anyone. Side 2 is less garagey & more goofy top 40, but listenable with class points reaped for a Love cover. All over a bit better than I expected, with some prime slices of 60s cheese-psych. Superb cover artwork, as always with the label. The album was also released in the UK by Fontana. [PL]
~~~
Considered one of the second-tier Mainstream albums, but I can’t see any reason that Growing Concern is more well-liked than this. Tiffany Shade doesn’t have a female vocalist, but has the same general feel as Growing Concern, but with better songwriting and fewer covers. Most importantly, they have a youthful punky vocal style that’s ten times more appealing than the annoyingly syrupy male singer from Growing Concern. “Would You Take My Mind Out For A Walk” is a highlight. As with the Growing Concern album, side two is a bit weaker than side one, but this is a good album, recommended to fans of pop-oriented garage rock. [AM]

TIGHT LITTLE UNIT (TN) 

"Sings 'Just Send Her To Me'" 1966 (Orchid 6200)  

A (presumed) live recording from Liberty Lanes bowling alley in Millington, plain cover with stickers. Cover versions in an r'n'b/soul direction. The album title is sometimes listed as "Live at Liberty Lanes".

TIMBERCREEK (Boulder Creek, CA) 

"Hellbound Highway" 1975 (Renegade jah-95014)  [insert; 2000p]  

The album cover gives hope that this rural rocker is going to be really wild, but the most I can say for it in that regard is that they’re pretty wasted (too much Tequila). There’s nothing heavy or angry here. It is good but not great rural rock in a Dead-meets-Eagles mode. The first song is a killer, with a psych-y lead guitar hook, a clever twist in the chorus and a great melody. The two side closers are very strong too. The rest of the songs are a bit too mellow, have too much steel guitar, and are too derivative to make this a great album. The laid back vocals are highly appropriate and surprisingly tuneful, by the way. The cover is cheaply made and extremely prone to seam splits. [AM]

TIME (Toronto, Canada)

"Before There Was Time" 2004 (Shadoks 054, Germany)  [350p]
"Before There Was Time" 2005 (CD Shadoks, Germany)

Impressive late 60s art-rock with a strong British slant, holding a middle ground between the psychedelic '67 Pepper field and the cerebral excursions of the early prog era. Completely realized arrangements and recordings stand head and shoulders above most unreleased 1968 stuff you run across these days; if released at the time it would have been a classic. Atmospheric, understated vocals, wide-ranging use of keyboard, and excellent jazzy percussion all create a delightful trip for pursuers of sophisticated late 60s sounds. Not that far removed from classic high IQ American albums such as the second Fallen Angels or Freeborne, with a bit of Lothar & the Hand People college student avantgardism sprinkled on top. The second half of side 1 is particularly good, with a couple of psychedelic tracks that are truly outstanding. The refined atmosphere may be offputting for those in search of garage or hardrock type experiences, but a playful 60s mood and strong songwriting keeps the dread UK prog-rock unicorns at bay. My only real objection is the somewhat short playtime. Released alongside Fingletoad, so Shadoks were definitely on a roll at this point. [PL]

CY TIMMONS (Atlanta, GA)

"Cy Timmons" 197  (Erewhon no #)  

This isn’t any kind of loner folk record.  It’s pure lounge/night club non-rock. This is the kind of guy who would be perfectly at home singing “Feelings”. Cy has one of those smooth voices that shows practice and polish but not soul or even natural skill. This isn’t something like Rick Saucedo’s venture into rock. It’s not music I could imagine appealing to fans of folk, rock, or even the softest soft rock. It’s collectable because it’s a private press, period.  What’s next, hype for high school marching band records? Given what it is, by the way, it’s not awful, but he’s certainly no Tom Jones. Some copies of this debut came without sleeve. [AM]

"The World's Greatest Unknown" 1976 (Erewhon 1001)  

Little-known singer/songwriter guy in the jazzy Neil Diamond nightclub direction. First LP is with band and smooth brass; second LP is acoustic solo and has been put down, despite the high going rate. 

TIMMOTHY (Bay City, MI) 

"Strange But True" 1972 (Pear LX 502/503)  [300p]  
"Strange But True" 2001 (Rockadelic rfr 001)  [300p; +1 track]

Post-Blues Company rural hippie folkrock LP with a bluesy undercurrent. Notable Neil Young influence on an album that's not at all as strange or eccentric as made out to be, could have been a major label item. Excellent opening track is a rather clever marriage of "Down By The River" and "Wooden Ships". The rest shows Timmothy trying out various loner folk and swampy folkblues moves, although the songwriting tends to be somewhat lacking and the personality isn't arresting enough to compensate. If you're in the right late-night mood this may sound quite atmospheric, at other times the two-chord drone and lack of hooks may annoy. Not a great album to my ears but should appeal to genre fans, and clearly better than LPs such as Geoffrey and Georgie Leonard. [PL]
~~~
Stark-sounding singer/songwriter album with a very obvious Neil Young fixation. I think it's best when it's at its most electric, but even the mellow stuff is better than most in the genre. The album has a deep, personal feel to it and it will connect with the right listener. [AM]

TIN PENNY (NY)

"Cycles" 1971 (Silver Crest Custom 112771)  

Upstate collegians, basement prog moves with horns and deep thoughts. On the same custom label as Collective Tools.

TINO & THE REVLONS (Detroit, MI) 

"By Request At The Swayzee" 1966 (Dearborn 1004)  

Popular Detroit area band does fratrock & teenbeat on this rarely seen LP, in color cover with band pic and cartoon go-go girls.

BRENT TITCOMB (Vancouver, Canada)

"Brent Titcomb" 1977 (Manohar mr-100)  

Long time Canadian folkie (he was in 3’s A Crowd) finally got around to making a solo album after the genre practically disappeared. The result is an interesting piece somewhat lost in time, with some eastern influence and an almost evil post-hippie feel to it. Strong songwriting and Titcomb’s deep voice make for a distinctive album. Only one song has a particularly psychedelic feel to it, but the album should appeal to fans of loner folk or moodier folk-rock. Titcomb went on to release three more LPs. [AM]

TITUS & ROSS (Marion, IN)

"Titus And Ross" 1970 (no label)  

Melodic folk duo with acoustic/electric guitar, bass, recorder and percussion and some fuzz guitar on "Cycle Thing".

TITUS OATES (TX)

"Jungle Lady" 1974 (Lips 003)  [1st version; blue gatefold cover]  [circa 1400p]  
"Jungle Lady" 1975 (Lips no #)  [2nd remixed version; red label and plain cover]  [300p]  
"Jungle Lady" 198  (Hablabel, Italy)
"Jungle Lady" 2004 (CD Radioactive 0026, UK)  [defective mastering]

Pro-sounding melodic 1970s rock with AOR and funky/proggy nightclub moves. Double (sometimes triple) crystalline guitar leads and snappy performances all around make for an attractive sound, with female vocals on one track. Keyboard and sax here and there are appropriate to the mid-70s style, while the upscale production gives all members a chance to shine. At best a fully-realized vintage westcoast trip, as heard on "Blanket", but ultimately there is too little that stands out and it's unfortunate the lady didn't get more songs to sing. Initial response to this was mixed due to its slick, non-basement nature but over time it has gained a fair share of fans, although it's not for everyone. Would make a good double bill with Corpus, although personally I think T-Kail is a better LP in a similar style. The 1975 remix was previously believed to be a test/demo press, but is in fact a later version, remixed in Nashville. On this later version "Dream on a train" features a solo female vocal rather than a duet. The band also had a 45 (Lips 001). The Radioactive CD has a digital skip on track #6. [PL]
~~~
A lot of this album is very mainstream 70s AOR, but more so on the initial listen than after you get used to it and start to pay attention. There are 70s clichés throughout, especially when they flirt with jazz and funk, and the string synthesizers and phase shifters scream out that it's a cheap production trying to sound like big budget AM radio fare. The two ballads are really schlocky, and the singing is bland in a way that characterizes bands who desperately wanted to be signed by major labels but just didn't have what it took. Female vocals on one song help a bit. She doesn't have much personality either, but at least her voice is pretty. Too bad the song is one of the ballads. Some cool angular guitar parts can be found on a bunch of songs here, though the riffs all pretty much sound the same. Almost all of the songs are more interesting during the solos than during the verses and choruses. At its best this has slight similarities to bands like Snakegrinder, who mixed the styles of the 60s west coast and the mainstream 70s more convincingly than this. Best songs: "Blanket," which has not only more lead guitar than anything else here but also some cool congas, and "Friend of Life," which overcomes out of tune harmonies with some nice riffing and an intense buildup. Half of me (the half that houses my brain) says this is the kind of thing collectors desperately try to convince themselves is unique and different so they can justify their purchase, but the other half says it's an enjoyable AOR record with enough quirks to make it kinda fun. It grew on me. [AM]

T-KAIL (MN) 

"Somewhere Sometime" 1980 (Jade no #)  

Remarkable trip in time back to the late 1960s femme-vox hippierock sound from this mystery band. Opening track in particular is a dead ringer for the fuzzed teen chick Yankee Dollar-Fear Itself style, while subsequent tracks show 1970s influences creeping in, both in terms of ambitious playing and arrangements, as well as an overall nightclub/singles bar atmosphere that I like. Sounds like it might be a pro loungerock band who wisely filled their sole chance at vinyl with originals rather than "Macarthur Park" and "Hair" medleys. Playing is very tight and both the gal and guys sing well. Unfortunately a completely misplaced disco track in the middle of side 2 breaks the spell a bit, but this is still one of the top 10 local psych-influenced LPs from the 1980s that I've heard. Recommended especially to fans of Titus Oates and the rocking stuff on Galaxy. Sleeve artwork utilizes the same Escher "stairs" design as Mandrake Memorial's "Puzzle", which is obviously a good sign. [PL]
~~~
After Bobb Trimble's work, this is the best 80s psych album. In fact, at least for side one I'd go out on a limb and rank it the very best co-ed San Francisco-style psych album, regardless of era. In the tradition of the best latter day psych, it clearly is influenced by the golden age of West Coast music, but sounds completely of its time as well. This is no simple throwback or derivative work; it's a wholly unique and distinctive album that combines a very wide and unlikely set of influences in creative and wonderful ways. The album's biggest criticism has come from the inclusion of a straight disco song on side two. The song is unlikely to appeal to the same audience as the garage-styled opener "Peace of Mind," but in the context of the album, which flows from song to song, showing subtle shifts in style, it actually makes perfect sense. Similarly, neither the new wave-styled synthesizer on the title track or the long jazz-funk instrumental opening on the final song sound out of place. There seems to be no attempt at attracting any particular type of audience here: no artifice, no pandering. It's a wonderful album. Highest among the many pleasures is the absolutely stunning title track, which benefits from a chill-inducing vocal from Kathy Bass. The long guitar solo on "Bye Bye" is also a winner, in the best tradition of Quicksilver Messenger Service or Tripsichord Music Box. This is also one of the very few albums of this style where the male and female vocals coexist without stepping on each other's toes. If you can live with the disco tune, this is very highly recommended. The band is quite mysterious (no photos on the album cover) and sadly appear to have made no further recordings. Great Escher cover art. [AM]

TOADS (Lawrenceville, NJ)

"Toads" 1964 (K R Wight & Associates 64-021)   

Lawrenceville prep school instros and surf with a couple of members formerly in Davy & the Badmen, reportedly with some good tracks for genre fans. Typical period covers of "Baja", "You can't sit down", "Sleepwalk", "Penetration" etc, and one or two originals.

TOGETHER (East Orange, NJ)

"Together" 1969 (Ransom Recording no#)  [plain cover with stamped title]  

Folk blues, homemade sound. Ex-Hermon Knights.

V.A "TOGETHER SOUND OF LEHIGH VALLEY" (PA)

"Together Sound Of Lehigh Valley" 1971 (Red Barn 83071)  

Well-regarded local PA sampler which has supplied one primitive fuzz-psych track by Bitter End to a comp and has 3-4 more good moody basement tracks worth hearing. A bit later in the game than most LPs in the genre, with 1970s rural rock/AOR elements creeping in. About half is covers, including Neil Young, Three Dog Night and (yep) Ringo Starr. [PL]

V.A "TOGETHER SOUND OF READING" (Reading, PA) 

"Together Sound Of Reading" 1970 (Airport 70870)  

Mixed bag of post-garage and soul moves, with covers of Creedence, Chicago, "People get ready", "96 tears" (!). For regional completists mainly, with only 9 cuts.

TOKENS (NY)

"Intercourse" 1972 (BT Puppy)  [4]
"Intercourse" 2001 (CD Oglio/BT Puppy)

The Tokens' stab at psychedelia doesn’t at all resemble that of contemporaries like Del Shannon, Johnny Rivers or the Four Seasons. Rather, they embraced it with a great sense of humor, and this album, full of short songs, high harmonies and amusing lyrics, is very enjoyable. The songwriting is quite solid. In many ways, this sounds like the semi-psych album the Beach Boys never made (though much of it is pretty 'normal'). It was not released by their label at the time of release, and about 5 years later received a very aborted release in the midst of the shady goings-on at BT Puppy. Of all of the BT Puppy rarities, this rivals Bow Street Runners as the best. It also happens to be the rarest, with less than a handful of copies ever have been offered for sale. [AM]

TONGUE (WI)

"Keep On Truckin'" 1972 (Hemisphere 101)  
"Keep On Truckin'" 2004 (Comet GFC 418, Italy)
"Keep On Truckin'" 2004 (CD Gear Fab 151)

This odd mix of hard rock and rural folk-rock is on the same label as Clicker and Yancy Derringer. It has a few hot hard rocking moments to it, and uncompromising stuff like "Get Your Shit Together." Their cover of "Morning Dew" is based on Bonnie Dobson's mellow version, not the common and more rocking Tim Rose version. The album is uneven and rather sloppy, but it's interesting straight through. [AM]

TOOL SHED (New York City, NY) 

"Skyscape Music" 1971 (RPC 19291)  [500p]
"Skyscape Music" 199  (no label, Austria)  [300p; altered cover]

Desoriented urban college dorm hippie-folk album with some good and strange tracks like "Angels in her walk" that go deep, and a pretty interesting LP all over. Actually a various artists college project LP from NYC but usually referred to only as "Tool Shed". [PL]

TOO SMOOTH ( )

"Too Smooth" 1976 (Tiger Lily)  

Southern rock with heavy guitar, one of the rarest on this notorious tax-scam label.

TOP DRAWER (Mansfield, OH) 

"Solid Oak" 1972 (Wishbon 721207)  
"Solid Oak" 1984 (Wishbon/Resurrection)  
"Solid Oak" 199  (CD Austria)
"Solid Oak" 2002 (CD Psychosound)
"Solid Oak" 2004 (CD Red Lounge)

Long time legend which opens with a tremendous introspective moody psycher, rest of the LP is more typical rural hard rock with 1960s remnants. Appealing, non-operatic teenage vocals, tough stripped down sound with organ and strong guitar leads not unlike Headstone (OH), plus some cool lyrics. The LP is very unassuming in its nature, which means that some songs and/or takes seem unfinished, which adds to the overall realness of the Top Drawer trip but may offend those looking for Led Zeppelin type professionalism. One of my personal favorites in the style, simply because it avoids being slick, macho, bone-head, phony or commercialized; a snapshot of a local stoner band without any posturing. Mandatory for 70s basement hard rock fans, with a wider appeal in that long first track. The band was long believed to be from Kentucky, but came from Ohio. The 1984 "second press" is unmarked but can be identified as a Resurrection label job by the 'CX' prefix in the dead wax. [PL]
~~~
This starts out well, with the long “Song of A Sinner,” which mixes moody keyboards with equally moody lead guitar blasts. The rest of the album is more upbeat, more standard rock (not “hard” rock, as it’s usually described), and less interesting. The guitar solos are uninspired (except for the fun spazz attack solo on “Lies”) and many of the songs drag on about twice as long as they should. The vocals range from competent to awful. A lot of the melodies are of the “let’s just follow the chord progression” type, which makes for some really tedious listening. Much of this album is pretty bad (the ballad “Sweet Memories” is painfully so), but every once in a while something unexpectedly hits the spot. For example, “Baker’s Boogie” is standard boogie rock, with mediocre guitar playing and lousy singing, but has a wacky recurring organ pattern that’s just wonderful, and lyrics about “panties of lace” that are delightfully dumb. It’s not a good song by any means, but that organ part just drills its way into my head... The horns on “Messed Up” are surprisingly effective. Other than the first song, this is closer to a real people album than a real rock album. Some of you will like it a lot. You know who you are. [AM]

TOPPER ( )

"At Last" 1977 (Scot t-9548)  

This one may annoy a lot of people, but I love it. It’s synth-heavy 70s prog with a mild heavy tone, much more about hooks, melodies and creative use of Moog than about virtuoso instrumentation. The synths are inventive and intense, and the instrumental bits are carefully composed. There’s nothing offhand or boring about this album. The vocalist falls somewhere between 60s hard rock and 60s soul, and somehow fits this mix perfectly. All of these elements could add up to real dreck, especially on the song with a strong disco/funk feel, but somehow it works. The last few songs flirt with heavy metal-style devilishness, including electronically altered vocals, but there’s a surprising mildness to this music. The guitars are relatively sparse and tastefully low-key (no distortion on the rhythm guitars.) One song rips off “Stairway To Heaven,” something Led Zeppelin deserves for all of their own thievery, and adds mellotron to wonderful dramatic effect. This really doesn’t sound like anything else I know, and maybe there aren’t a whole lot of people out there who will react to it as positively as I do, but I sure can’t stop playing it. [AM]

V.A "TOP TEEN BANDS" (MN)

"Top Teen Bands, vol 1" 1966 (Budjet 311)   

"Top Teen Bands, vol 2" 1966 (Budjet 312)   

"Top Teen Bands, vol 3" 1966 (Budjet 313)   

Quickie series of local Minnesota acts with some neat frat and garage tracks. Vol 1 has lots of local Minn legends like the Muleskinners, the Avanties, the Underbeats, the Kan-Dells and the Deacons. Vol 2 has some of the same acts, adding the Novas and some girl group and blues outfits. Vol 3 again features familar names, with more focus on teen-beat/garage. As collections of local mid-60s sounds, these aren't bad at all, especially for those who enjoy the classic beer-soaked sounds of pre-acid Twin Cities. Most, or all, of the tracks also came out on 45s. All three LPs were reissued on vinyl some years back.

TOR-KAYS ( )

"Tor-Kays" 1967 (Wild Enterprises WE 1003)  

Sleeveless LP of local unknowns doing mostly blue-eyed soul covers, indicating an Eastcoast origin.

TORMENTORS (CA) 

"Hanging 'Round" 1967 (Royal 111)  [mono]  
"Hanging 'Round" 1967 (Royal s-111)  [stereo]  
"Hanging 'Round" 1984 (Eva 12055, France)

Rare but disappointing LP in various mid-1960s styles, ranging from pre-Invasion crooner pop to moody folkrock. Sounds like they came out of a square lounge/club circuit a la Jack Bedient & the Chessmen, with the sound only partially updated. The Roy Orbison/Neil Sedaka stuff makes up at least 1/3rd of the album and some of it is awful, with weak songwriting and mumbling vocals. There's a Beau Brummels cover, but otherwise originals from what I can tell. I counted two good tracks on each side, with the moody folk introspection of "Childhood memories" and the swell teenbeat of "Cause you don't love me" the best; the latter also came out on 45 as by the Odds & Ends. There's some fuzz where you least expect it, a muzak instro, and the LP as a whole has a strangely disjointed feel with a lot of seldom touched bases covered, while all the usual stuff such as the Stones and blue-eyed soul is missing. Could be hyped and probably has been, especially in light of the excellent cover artwork, but in actuality nothing to write home about. The band had a couple of 45s as well. [PL]

TORO ( )

"Toro" 1975 (Coco clp-106)

Hispanic group with cool Santana sound heavy guitar rock (great leads) and latin groove on the melodic cuts.

TORQUES (Phillips Academy, Andover, MA) 

"Zoom" 1964 (Wright & Associates 64-01)  

Obscure one from the famous Andover prep school. The LP which utilizes a vast number of "clappers" has one original ballad plus covers including "Surfin' Bird". Possible George W Bush involvement, at least he was there at the time!

TORQUES (KY)

"Live" 1967 (Lemco 604)  

Different group from the prep-rockers. Garage, frat & soul, half with good fuzz. Several band originals mixed with covers of the Rascals, Raiders, James Brown, etc. Recorded on New Year's Eve 1966.

TOTENTANZ (Canada)

"Totentanz" 1972 (no label)  

Obscure LP of minimalist electronic experimental with a spooky vibe.

TOTTY (Tulsa, OK)  

"Totty" 1977 (no label bt-205)  [demo press; 50p; plain cover with sticker; lyric sheet; promo photos]  
"Totty" 1977 (Our First 205)  [color cover; insert]  
"Totty" 2004 (CD Radioactive, UK)  

Christian powertrio hardrock out of Tulsa with some psych and prog flashes not unlike Truth & Janey. Incessant guitar riffing and soloing throughout, superb bass playing, only weak spot are the vocals which almost drown in the music. A few weaker barrockers, but 3-4 extended killer blowouts make this an essential item for local 70s hardrock fans. The closing 8-minute "Somebody help me" is about as good as it gets for me. The band also had a lesser LP "Too" in 1981 (Our First ofr-02). [PL]
~~~
Interesting Xian hard rock album with mild jazzy touches to it. It’s not as in-your-face heavy and riffy as the best albums in the genre, but the songs are well-written and it does have its share of hooks. The lyrics are pretty interesting and sophisticated, not your usual Christian blandness. The guitar playing is pretty strong throughout. [AM]

TOUCH (St Louis, MO) 

"Street Suite" 1969 (Mainline 2001)  [gatefold; bonus 45s; 100p]  
"Street Suite" 199  (Mainline)  [bootleg]
"Street Suite" 199  (CD Renaissance)
"Street Suite" 1997 (Gear Fab 105)
"Street Suite" 1997 (CD Gear Fab 105)  [+9 tracks]

Local LP in a late hippierock mode, caught in the transition from flower power to counterculture "Volunteers"/"Kick out the jams" revolutionary attitudes. Cool female vocals, a bit bluesy in parts but also some no-nonsense westcoast rockers. Hardly a mindblower, but with a pretty high "artefact" value. Great lyrics like "You gotta get it on/With a gun in your pocket/And a capsule in your hand" - it must have been tough being the only hippies in St Louis back then. No relation to any other Touch. [PL]
~~~
Bluesy psych-rock with an underutilized female singer and plenty of clichés. Lyrically, it definitely skates on the violent revolutionary edge of hippiedom, but in a rather awkward way. The bleak production is pretty powerful, but this isn’t a very good album. A couple of country-style songs don’t help. The CD includes some odd bonus tracks, including some 80s synth-rock by band member Ray Schulte and a 70s song with a pre-Pavlov’s Dog David Surkamp on vocals. [AM]

TOUCH (Portland, OR) 

"20/20 Sound" 1969 (Coliseum ds-51004)  [gatefold; poster] 
"20/20 Sound" 1993 (CD Renaissance rcd-1001)  [+2 tracks]

Unique experimental album that anticipates prog. Long songs that rarely stick to any one theme or a verse/chorus structure are highly creative and somwehat erratic. Two are total killers, though. "Down At Circe's Place" starts with a killer piano hook and overlays all kinds of noise on it... irresistibly catchy! The epic closing "Seventy-Five" is a masterpiece, building slowly to an amazing peak, and featuring high male vocals that rival Tim Buckley at his most exciting. This is better on LP where the song runs into the groove at the end of the album side. Also, the CD is compressed and takes away from the ear-piercing peaks of sound on both of these great songs. Sometimes it's better not to follow the rules, and they understood that concept completely. Not a great album all the way through, but the good parts are unlike anything else I know. There is a UK pressing on Deram that sells for bigger $$ than the easy to find US pressing. [AM]
~~~
see -> Stepson

TOUCH (OH)

"Touch" 1980 (Jewel)  

Local hardrock, includes cover of "Wizard" by Charlee.

TOUCHSTONE (VA)

"Runes" 1978 (Jericho 1260)   

Folk with a dreamy feel, female vocals on one song. Pleasant but not a real standout of the style. They released a second album as Eric and Kathryn Cowan, entitled "Long Through Time", in 1983 on cassette tape only. It's mostly in a jazzy soft rock/ballad mode with unappealing 80s-sounding production, but the closing "Mystical Journey" has a nice acid folk feel to it that makes it much more interesting than the rest of the album. This time around, the vocals have a pretty even male/female split. [AM]

TOWER (New York City, NY)

"The Tower" 1973 (Other World 1001)   

Post-nuclear holocaust story with audio collage of electronics, musique concrete, synthesized speech, and all sorts of sound effects. Sounds like the Dreamies doing the music for a Stephen King audio book!

TOY FACTORY (Canada)

"Toy Factory" 1969 (Avco ave-33013)

Poppy studio lounge psych mixed group that's beginning to attract some attention. The male lead has a very feminine sounding voice. Mostly originals, and a far out "Summertime" cover.

TRACKS (New England)

"Tracks 69/74" 1974 (Tracks SBT 1)  [3 LP box-set; booklet]  

Three LP box-set rounding up a stack of recordings from band in a progrock direction with a jammy live feel, guitar-leads, organ. Band leader Russell Pinkston later became a noted researcher on computer/music interfaces.

TRANCE-FORM ( )

"Stranger In The Same Land" 197  (Hyde & Zeke)  [insert]  

Genesis-style progressives.

TRAVELER'S AID (San Bernardino, CA) 

"Corduroy Roads" 1970 (Rock 9001)  [blank back; 100p]  
"Corduroy Roads" 2000 (World In Sound rfr-05, Germany)  [insert] 

Rural rocking sounds with growling vocals and a rootsy sort of Creedence vibe -  neither psych nor hardrock, more like an ambitious bar band. A title like "Rock'n'roll is spoken here" says it all. Real Americana sounds on a consistent level with a couple of standout tracks and an appealing unpretentiousness, but not really my bag; songwriting doesn't impress (the "Hair" musical cover even less so) and the sub-Fogerty vocals seem one-note after a while. The droney "Making tracks" is the only cut I really like. Others rate this highly, and it's a pricey one when offered. The group is actually San Bernardino punksters the Torquays in a later incarnation and includes a version of "Harmonica man" appropriately replacing the London reference with Nashville. The miniscule press size has been reported by the band. They came back again with an oldies LP under another name in 1976, including alternate versions of two tracks from this LP. [PL]

TRAVIS (MI) 

"To Be As Free As You" 1975 (Unity 001)

Harmony vocal rural rock trio with jammy westcoast sound in a mellow Deadish vein.

TREE (Kalona, IA) 

"Tree" 1972 (Goat Farm)  

The opening track here is: "Dedley Medley (including: Separate Ways, Oh Well, Captain Bobby Stout, Cranny Crow, Rattlesnake Jam, Mellowdown Easy, All Join In)", it is the first of three songs on side one and, given its title, surprisingly short at about four minutes. It involves what sounds like about eight to a dozen people pounding on various percussion and singing hard-to-decipher lines until "Mellow down easy...." gets repeated a few times and you find that you're farther along than you imagined you'd be. "Directly From My Heart" gets more coherent and sounds more like a standard band with a good bassist and drummer and an organ player/vocalist who tries to be Al Kooper with mixed results on both fronts. The first side ends with "Down the Rabbit Hole" and a return to more free jazz moves as a trumpet player and organist trade licks while the bassist plays walking bass runs behind them. As psychedelic rock, it just isn't, and as free (or modestly priced) jazz, it falls pretty far from the interesting bush. Put this in a historical context and it probably would have seemed incredibly cool for a bunch of hippies on a farm in Iowa to jam like Miles Davis' way less talented 3rd cousin. Not totally horrible, just horribly unnecessary. Side two also has three tracks: "Blue Cheese Gospel" is a stoned cross between a crazed evangelist and James Brown. If you can imagine a bunch of stoned hippies sitting around trying to improvise to that idea you can also imagine why you don't need to hear this. "Mind Spirit-Body Train" is a percussion/organ jam with female vocals that most closely resemble Yoko Ono's vocals on "Don't Worry Kyoko". And I don't mean that in a good way. The LP closes with the strongest cut, "Moonlight Couples Only" which gets closer to a "Jack Johnson" era Miles Davis sound than anything else. A repetitive bass pattern anchors the track, as a guitar and trumpet play off each other and the drummer colors in the empty spaces. It never plays with dynamics like Miles and John McLaughlin did, but it makes me wish they'd recorded the entire performance (it's a live track). [SD]
~~~
see -> Iowa Ear Music

TREE PEOPLE ( ) 

"Tree People" 1979 (no label)  

Flowing guitar & flute hippie folk with a rural British downer vibe, some instrumental tracks a la Modality Stew.

TREES (NY) 

"The Christ Tree" 1975 (Pomegranate 001)  [lyrics insert]  

Quite extraordinary religious progressive folk album that moves across time and space in a C.O.B-like manner yet never misses the beat. Dominated by three extended mindblowers that bring in deep Search Party brooding, Indian and Japanese instruments, advanced choral experiments, bells, gongs, hippie commune vibes, you name it; the shorter tracks are less eclectic and more traditionally catholic-liturgical. The constant motion from a good idea to an even better idea reminds me of the first Perth County Conspiracy album, if you imagine that one being about Christ instead of Shakespeare. A deeply spiritual feel emerges, yet the massive influx of ideas spells pure psychedelia for acidhead seekers. On the IQ scale this one's way up there. Personal fave, recommended to fans of Search Party, Extradition, Book Of Am and similar monastery head trips. The band was based in NYC but travelled a lot and had a second base in New Mexico. [PL]

RYAN TREVOR ( )

"Introducing" 1977 (Ryan Songs rf-1)  

Acoustic-based psychy folkrock with electric leads and some synth.

VIC TRIGGER BAND ( )

"Electronic Wizard" 1977 (Sanctuary 12103)  

Hard prog-rock with long wah-wah and fuzz excursions. There was also a self-titled mini-LP in 1983 on Sanctuary.

TRILOGY (FL)

"Two Sides" 197  (Strange Productions 101)  

Early 1970s lounge band with female vocals and bossa nova moves, includes an Emerson Lake & Palmer cover. Highly rated among genre fans, others may be less impressed.

BOBB TRIMBLE (Worcester, MA)

"Iron Curtain Innocence" 1980 (Vengeance no #)  

Locked in a timeless world of bittersweet folkpsychedelia, Bobb recorded this first ultra-obscure LP at a time when absolutely noone made psych LPs. Hits roughly the same spot as his more well-known 2nd LP with three awesome tracks at the outset and other winners scattered about; a couple of weaker moments but all over a brilliant LP - blows almost all 60s psych LPs away. Side 1 is Bobb in 1980 with studio band the Violent Reactions, side 2 features a somewhat sparser sound, recorded in 1978. A rare 45 was pulled from this LP. Most of it is reissued on the 1995 CD below, unfortunately two very good tracks on side 2 were omitted. [PL]
~~~
Most people's introduction to the world of Bobb Trimble is via the CD, which starts with the amazing first three songs from this album. Those three songs are as good as anything; Trimble's music is an utterly unique blend of melodic songwriting, gorgeous high vocals, overwhelmingly echoey and warbly production, synthesized guitar and fuzz guitar, and it's mesmerizing and life-changing. Side two was recorded a few years earlier and is simpler in terms of production, but the songwriting is equally good. Over the years it has become apparent that this album has aged very well and is every bit as good as the more heralded second album. Trimble's music is utterly timeless, utterly distinctive, and utterly beautiful. [AM]

"Harvest Of Dreams" 1982 (Bobb no #)  
"Jupiter Transmission" 1995 (CD Parallel World)

Rated by most as the best psych LP of the 1980s. One of those obscurities (like Golden Dawn) that blows even non-psych fans away. Rooted in a '67-68 "Strawberry Fields"-type deep acid psych sound with tapestries of acoustic guitars, multilayered vocals and halfburied sound effects, the total impact is like walking around in one of Bobb's dreams. Melancholic, moving but also hopeful - an essential experience. As with the debut, a very rare 45 was released. The CD reissue includes the entire LP, except for an atypical number sung by "the kids". There is also an LP "Life Beyond The Doghouse" with later recordings from Bobb (Orpheus, 2002) [PL]
~~~
"Harvest" is equally as good as the debut, but has the edge for many because it packs such a powerful and mysterious emotional punch. Those who know the majority of the album's songs from the CD will be surprised to find a brief punk song and two and a half minutes of silence on the album, but once you're used to them they make perfect sense and add immeasurably to the depth of the record. It's notable that amidst all of the despair here, both sides open with the most joyous songs you'll ever hear. Everyone reading this needs to hear both Trimble albums. [AM]
~~~
see full-length review

TRIPSICHORD MUSIC BOX (Los Angeles, CA) 

"Tripsichord Music Box" 1970 (San Francisco Sound T4A-12700)  [1st version; red label; plain cover with stickers]  
"Tripsichord Music Box" 1971 (Janus 3016)  [2nd version; altered cover; brown label]  
"Tripsichord Music Box" 198  (no label)  [white label bootleg]
"Tripsichord Music Box" 199  (no label, Italy)  [green vinyl]
"Tripsichord Music Box" 199  (CD Eva, France)
"Tripsichord Music Box" 199  (CD San Francisco Sound)
"Tripsichord Music Box" 2000 (Akarma 077, Italy)  [2LPs; gatefold; bonus tracks]
"Tripsichord Music Box" 2000 (CD Akarma 077, Italy)  [+bonus]

To me one of the best LPs ever out of the westcoast, hits that awesome Fillmore live feel rarely found on studio LPs. Except for the unsuccessful boogie of "Short order steward" this kills from start to finish. Rather than describing this major classic I urge any newcomers to get it with no further delay. The band was originally from LA and known as Now (who did a 45), then moved to SF when Matthew Katz' eyes fell upon them. An early 1970s Christian LP "Sons of Mosiah" features one ex-member playing acoustic versions of a couple of Tripsichord tracks. The earliest version of the LP was possibly pressed only as a demo, and only a couple of copies have been found. It comes in a completely different cover than the familiar Janus "fairytale" design. It's been suggested that the somewhat lo-fi Janus pressing was mastered from this earlier vinyl demo, rather than from actual tapes. Two label variations exist of the Janus pressing, one with a "San Francisco Sound" logo, the other with only Janus logo. The 1980s bootleg is sometimes sold as an original, but there were no white label originals. The beautiful Akarma reissue has all their recordings including the "Fifth Pipe Dream" tracks and non-LP 45; very nice job. [PL]
~~~
Other than the terrible blues-rock song "Short Order Steward," this is a completely solid SF album, with well-written, concise songs, evocative lyrics, creative guitar playing and appealing vocals. It rocks reasonably hard in spots, but has a folky moody feel to it as well. For some reason, people either seem to think of this album as generic or as the best of the genre. Usually the truth is somewhere in between, but in my opinion this really is one of the best, and I have a hard time understanding why it isn't apparent to everyone who hears it. Maybe the best moments here aren't as exciting as those by the better known bands from the scene, but the songs are great, and this album is free of the excesses, ego trips, and recording studio discomfort of The Dead, Quicksilver and the Airplane. The singing is better than any of those bands, too. Highly recommended. [AM]
~~~
see -> "Fifth Pipe Dream"

TRIZO-50 (Kansas City, MO)

"Trizo-50" 1974 (Cavern Custom 740142)  [100p]  
"Trizo-50" 2003 (World In Sound 21, Germany)  [+bonus tracks]
"Trizo-50" 2003 (CD World In Sound 1021, Germany)  [+bonus tracks]

Demo LP recorded in KC, this was a later incarnation of Phantasia with a different and more glamrock-influenced sound. Some tracks appear on the "A Psychedelic" Phantasia sampler from the early 90s. There's a large number of unreleased recordings, although the WIS reissue takes care of many of these. Some people seem to like this but to my ears it's a let-down after the awe-inspiring, dynamic creativity of Phantasia. The recording quality is also a lot less impressive here. [PL]
~~~
see -> Walkenhorst Brothers

TROLL (Chicago, IL)

"Animated Music" 1968 (Smash srs-67114)  [insert; ylp exists]  
"Animated Music" 1997 (CD Flashback 010)
"Animated Music" 2005 (Radioactive 064, UK)
"Animated Music" 2005 (CD Radioactive 064, UK)

Interesting Sgt Pepperish bag of tricks from Chicago band who had some non-LP 45s as well. Opens with somewhat atypical raw fuzzrocker with growling vocals, while "Mr Abernathy" zooms you right into the expected Brit-style pop quirkiness, wellwritten and charming a la the Snow LP on Epic. This segues into the rather unfortunate "Fritz und Sweeny" which proves that applying the Ray Davies short-story idiom on the Third Reich is not a good idea, even as the music is pretty good. The LP continues in the same hit and miss fashion, but the entertainment factor remains pretty high. The token "Winchester Cathedral"-type music hall piece of shit is present, although the lyrics are unusually off-color. At best the band reaches the upscale post-Pepper cleverness of Mandrake Memorial and the 2nd Fallen Angels, especially on the great "Winter song". As is typical for the genre, the album closes with a "heavy freakout" track with Hendrixy feedback. "Animated Music" used to be overlooked and while not a masterpiece by any means it's a passable piece of late 60s UK-style studio art-pop with a few moves into grade A psychedelia. Incidentally, the Radioactive CD offers no track list except on the cover reproduction, which is almost impossible to read. [PL]
~~~
This is a highly ambitious psych album that has some killer freakouts (“Werewolf and Witchbreath”), some awful novelty tracks, and some attempts at social commentary. Obviously, it’s only semi-successful and is occasionally frustrating, but it has its moments, and gets downright creepy near the end. They were a band in need of an identity, and I think that if stuck with their wild instincts this would have been a really good album. As it is, it’s still worth a listen as long as you can deal with the mix of styles. [AM]

TROYKA (Alberta, Canada)

"Troyka" 1970 (Cotillion)  [red label]  
"Troyka" 2004 (Eroe Progressivo 005)

Wonderful, distinctive album that follows none of the rules and is better for it. About half of the songs are instrumentals, built around catchy hypnotic patterns. Despite being a "power trio," they have surprising musical grace and dexterity. The songs with vocals are much heavier, as the "singer" mostly grunts and growls, making for some pretty wild stuff. It really feels like a big goof (there's not a single serious lyric on the album), but somehow it works as a mix of psychotic pre-punk zaniness and anti-prog instrumental creativity. A lot of albums have one or two "throwaway" songs that have an engaging looseness and somehow are more enjoyable than the "real" songs. Here's an entire album of those songs. [AM]

TRUTH & JANEY (IA) 

"No Rest For The Wicked" 1976 (Montrose 376)  
"No Rest For The Wicked" 1988 (Montrose)  [plain cover autographed by Janey]
"No Rest For The Wicked" 199  (CD Recession)  [+4 tracks]

"Just A Little Bit Of Magic" 1979 (Bee Bee)

"Live April 8, 1976" 1988 (Rock'n Bach)  [2LPs; gatefold]

"No Rest For The Wicked" is surely one of the greatest hard rock albums of all time. It's tightly constructed and tightly played, with more memorable riffs and solos than the entire careers of a dozen other similar bands. The bass playing is monstrous and the drumming solid but, believe it or not, tasteful. The singing is only average, and the band tends to compensate with multi-tracked, highly reverbed lead vocals, not really the worst way to deal with the issue. An song that illustrates the best features of the band is "The Light," which opens with a combination of low and high guitar riffs, a melodic bass line and precise rhythm guitar. Not too many bands could resist the urge to go crazy with extra solos or spastic drumming, but this just works its way through a cleverly composed pattern, creating the right kind of tension and intensity. It's perfect. The best song is probably the nine-minute "Remember," a complete smorgasboard of melodic and dissonant riffs and hooks. This album doesn't have a lot of overdubs, but the production is quite professional, and it's heavy from start to finish-not a wussy moment on it. Guaranteed to blow the mind of any mainstream hard rock fan, and, of course, it sounds equally good to those of us who enjoy Tin House and Sir Lord Baltimore as much as Blue Oyster Cult and Black Sabbath. This is one of those albums where you keep thinking "the next song can't possibly be as good as what's come before," but it always is. The 2nd LP isn't highly rated, but the live double has some killer tracks, four of which appear as bonus tracks on the Recession CD reissue. [AM]

TRYAD ( )

"If Only You Believe In Lovin'" 1972 (Storm King SKS 101)  [insert]  

Rare 1970s folker by 2-guys-1-girl trio, described by some as mediocre, despite the high going rate.

T S TRUCK (IL)

"T S Truck" 1973 (Smokey Soul 062973)  

This LP offers up a mix of conventional rock, pop and light progressive touches. At least a couple of tracks like "Chance To Prance" and "Doc LaVay" melded all of those genres into one song. Merideth had a nice voice and the rest of the band displayed musical dexterity far beyond what you'd find in your typical bar band. Additionally several of the songs (which are probably all originals - no credits on the album), benefited from a distinctive Allman Brothers-style twin lead guitar attack. Highlights include the nifty leadoff track "Khengis Gange" (the lyric was sung as 'ganja people'), the Allman Bros-styled "Let the Gunslinger Win" and the pretty ballad "Country Lady". To be honest, while none of the eight songs were particularly original they all benefited from enthusiastic performances and some surprisingly good production work (for a small studio). A pleasant discovery with more than its share of winners. [SB]

MARK TUCKER (IL / CA)

"Batstew" 1975 (Tetrapod Spools 64001)  [200p; lyrics]  
"Batstew" 1996 (CD Tetrapod Spools)
"Batstew" 2006 (De Stijl 037)  [500p]

Damaged, somewhat legendary acid folk/real people with lots of car noises, piano ballads, tape manipulation and general madness, housed in a handmade cover. The album was released in two runs of 100 copies each, including one personalised edition for his former girlfriend Eva, where the title read "Bataszew" (her last name). It should be pointed out that some people consider "In the sack" superior. Tucker also made a non-LP 45 in 1979.

"In The Sack" 1982 (Tetrapod Spools 64009)

Apparently Tucker's second release, 1982's "In the Sack" was recorded after he'd suffered at least a couple of mental breakdowns, pulled himself back together and relocated to Encinitas, California. Self-produced under the pseudonym "T. Storm Hunter", it's largely a one man show with Tucker/Hunter responsible for penning all eleven tracks, as well as handling all of the vocals and most of the instrumentation. With that background you probably won't be shocked to learn that musically this is one mixed up and messed up album. Supposedly a concept piece having to do with karma and the postal system (I have no idea what the plotline is), the album offered up an indescribable mix of spoken word segments, experimentation, instrumentals, and surprisingly commercial numbers. Finding a comparative baseline for this one is pretty tough - perhaps Jonathon Richman had you put him on mood altering drugs for a year. "Everywhere with Sally (Ride)" is a great slice of pop, except for the fact it was recorded backwards. Cool, but typically strange. The snippet "Down the Pipeline" sounds like it was lifted from a video game. A mix of avant garde, tape manipulations and experimental ramblings, "The Importance of Making Molehills One of Specks" could have been mistaken for a slice of musique concrete. The pretty, pseudo-jazzy instrumentals "Shelly" and "Can't Make Love" sound like they were lifted from a Peanuts cartoon. Clearly not for everyone, but there are enough of you out there who are either brave enough, or sufficiently damaged to give this one a shot. [SB]

TUMBLING DICE (KS) 

"Tumbling Dice" 1973 (Century 42301)  

Guitar/organ band doing cover versions of Neil Young, Procol Harum, Grand Funk, on the well-known custom label.

VELVERT TURNER GROUP (New York City, NY / Los Angeles, CA)  

"Velvert Turner Group" 1972 (Family FPS 2704)  ['rock' mix; matrix # 16741]  
"Velvert Turner Group" 1972 (Family FPS 2704)  ['soul' mix; matrix # 16951]  
"Velvert Turner Group" 2004 (CD Radioactive 040, UK)

"Velvert Turner" 197  (Tiger Lily 14030)  [remix; different cover; 1 new track]  

Generally cool hard guitar funkpsychrock from "close friend" of Jimi Hendrix, who if nothing else shows an impressive grasp of Jimi's best moves on this album. Although 100% derivative it still works, as the songwriting, vocals and guitar leads are fine and the sharp groove of Turner's power trio (plus assorted guests on keyboard) stands up to any comparison. Fine recording with a tight in yer face sound is another bonus. The Experience influence means unusual traces of 1967 Swinging London such as highpitched mod harmonies on this 1972 NYC trip. One weird, silly track with singalong kiddy vocals sort of sticks out, though it too has soaring acid leads. Apart from the originals the LP includes a cover of Jimi's "Freedom", and should appeal to fans of Next Morning. Just like Del Jones there are two different mixes of this LP, a Rock Mix with lots of guitar and a Soul Mix with less guitar. A German pressing of the rock mix on Philips exists. The Radioactive reissues are of the rock mix. There is also a rare third version on the infamous Tiger Lily label, with (again) a different mix and a good track not on the Family label releases at all. [PL]
~~~
Apparently, the soul version of this album was distributed to the East and Midwest, while the heavy version was distributed in the West. Hendrixisms abound on this record, but in my opinion it’s the best album in the style, to Hendrix what Badfinger were to the Beatles. The songwriting and playing are excellent, and this is not merely a copy (and is both funkier and poppier than prime Hendrix.) It’s arguable, by the way, that the soul version (which has plenty of lead guitar and rocks just as hard) is as enjoyable a listen as the heavy version. The bass playing on it is emphasized in an exciting way. Oddly enough, the other two members of Turner’s trio would become fixtures in the late 70s LA power pop scene, with drummer Tim McGovern joining the Pop and bass player Prescott Niles joining the Knack. [AM]

V.A "TWAIN MUSIC SAMPLER" (NJ)

"Twain Music Sampler" 1972 (Twain)  [no cover]  

Obscure sampler of local Jersey rock bands.

CHARLIE TWEDDLE (CA) 

"Fantastic Greatest Hits" 1974 (KM 1500)  [500p; gatefold]  
"Fantastic Greatest Hits" 2004 (CD Companion CR2)  [+bonus tracks]

Incredibly strange (true, for once) real people artefact from a Bay Area guy who claims to be "king of the flying saucer people". Moves in a Grudzien/Skip Spence direction but without their big city vibes, more like if one of those inbred hillbilly degenerates in "Deliverance" made an LP, complete with pig oinks. First side is twisted backporch acid folkblues with amazing lyrics, side 2 is mostly the sound of crickets, water and nightbirds with fragments of music here and there, like if the tripper wandered off into the woods. It's hard to determine the angle Tweddle is coming from as the music is obviously retro yet has an undeniable authenticity to it, not unlike Bob Dylan's early 1960s bootleg recordings. The "Alien Invaders" track rivals Grudzien for surreal mountain music, and the "sounds of nature" side sucks you into a forgotten movie inside your mind. One of the major pieces in the Fringe Of Everything genre, and a great foldout sleeve too. Apparently Charlie is a famous designer of $1000 cowboy hats! [PL]

20TH CENTURY ZOO (AZ) 

"Thunder On A Clear Day" 1968 (Vault 122)   
"Thunder On A Clear Day" 198  (Line 5320, Germany)
"Thunder On A Clear Day" 199  (CD Afterglow 016, UK)
"Thunder On A Clear Day" 199  (Sundazed)
"Thunder On A Clear Day" 199  (CD Sundazed 11063)  [+8 bonus tracks]
"Thunder On A Clear Day" 2003 (Radioactive 05, UK)
"Thunder On A Clear Day" 2003 (CD Radioactive 05, UK)

Fairly wellknown stoner fuzz bonanza with a couple of really good psych rippers like "Quiet before the storm" and two extended cuts in a "bluesy" style, though both stupid and cheesy enough to make for passable listening. A dumb teenage drugginess throughout puts this somewhere between Ultimate Spinach and Iron Butterfly, though with more guitars than either. Enjoyable OK for 2nd tier mainstream guitar-psych, they also had some excellent non-LP 45s. For some reason, Sundazed and Radioactive also released picture disc versions of their respective reissues. [PL]

21ST CENTURY SOUND MOVEMENT ( )

"21st Century Sound Movement" 1969 (no label 12877)  [blank back]  

Recorded at Cavern Sound in Kansas City, very obscure garage-era LP that has been described as an above average item of heavy cover versions of the Beatles, Hendrix, Doors, etc. Cool sleeve. Some copies come with promo photos.

25TH REGIMENT (Montreal, Canada)

"25th Regiment" 1969 (Lero LS 767)  

A mixed bag, where tracks such as "Un Petit Bonhomme Avec Le Nez Pointu", "Roulez-Roulez" and "Mammy" are probably a little too MOR pop for true rock fans. On the other hand, "Lucie Sons in Ciel de Diamantes" (aka "Lucy In the Sky with Diamonds"), finds the band turning in one of the odder Beatles covers we've heard. Their "Hey Jude" cover is a little more mainstream, but just as odd with the French lyrics. Listenable, but certainly not what the dealer hype would have you believe. [SB]

"Ecology" 1970 (Trans-Canada 779)  

The rarer second LP abandons the pop for a more contemporary outlook; breezy folk/psych with fuzz breaks, organ, flute. The band was a k a Le 25eme Regiment.

$27 SNAP ON THE FACE (Sebastopol, CA)

"Heterodyne State Hospital" 1977 (Heterodyne 0001)  [1000p; gatefold; blue vinyl; lyric insert]  

Despite what you will read, this album is not psychedelic or progressive or hard rock, and has no fuzz guitar. It does not sound like Frank Zappa. It is, however, an interesting and reasonably worthwhile album that will appeal to a wide range of DIY and weird rock fans, as long as they listen to it with the proper expectations. This is one of many new wave-era private press records that got some attention from punk and new wave fans (and magazines) even though musically it’s basically mainstream rock and roll with no particular punk edge (Armand Schaubroeck, Dorian and Just Water are other similarly non-punk artists who gained a “right place at the right time” punk audience.) The LP has a kooky, somewhat warped lyrical bent, and the lo-fi production gives the music a crude garagy feel that is appealing, especially since the songs rock convincingly despite the lack of loud, distorted guitars. The singer isn’t exactly tuneful, but he’s expressive in a way that works in the context of this music. The songs are pretty long and meandering (most of the overlong guitar solos sound pretty much the same and the drummer knows only two rolls), but the longest one, the 9-minute closer “Sleeping in a Technical Bed,” is the best, a two-section song with a solid hook and the best guitar solo on the album. Despite the bargain basement production, they go for a bunch of tricks, instruments going from speaker to speaker, weird percussion instruments, echoed laughter, and freaky echoed vocals on a couple of songs. In addition to “Sleeping In a Technical Bed,” my pick hits are “Tie Your Boots Tight,” which sounds anthemic even though I don’t have a clue what it’s about, and “Kicking Around,” by far the catchiest, tightest song on the album. It’s a long album and could have used some editing, but it’s full of energy and spirit and doesn’t sounding like anyone else. The LP came with a sticker that says the first 1000 copies are pressed on blue vinyl. All known copies are blue. [AM]

TWILIGHTERS ( )

"Power & Peace" 1967 (Fleetwood 5069)  

Goofy-looking club band with sax and organ on wellknown New England label, packaged in great full color cover like most Fleetwood releases.

DAVID TYSON (TX) 

"The Accepted Way" 197  (no label)  

Obscurity from the mid/late 1970's, recorded in mono. Distorted folkrock with some heavier moves and harmonica and synth here and there.

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