Outer Music Diary

Birth Control - Operation
Birth Control - Hoodoo Man

Gotta be glad this isn’t a political or religious blog with that title eh? Anyway I had to revisit these two early Birth Control titles, mostly because I was very impressed with what I saw during WDR’s German rock marathons in August. I chalk some of it up to the fact that I’m more open to straighter hard rock than I was when I first heard these a while back. In fact, Birth Control are in some ways Germany’s answer to Atomic Rooster, they’ve got that big Hammond out front, especially in the early days. The first BC I heard way back was Backdoor Possibilities, which I remember finding excruciatingly bad at the time, although I’m about as interested in revisiting it now as I was in avoiding it ten years ago. Hoodoo Man you can start to see the band transitioning towards that sound by the addition of synthesizers, by their second phase they wouldn’t sound anything like they did the previous phase, something not as uncommon when the drummer is the bandleader. Now, I think I still like what I saw on WDR better, it seems the production of these albums constrains the sound a bit, but these two aren’t 7s and longer and are not in danger of being discarded anytime soon. I’d be surprised to go over a 9 with either, but each encounter is always a little more enjoyable.

Jun Kamikubo – Nothingness. 1972. D:9. Japanese musician Jun Kamikubo is a new name to me, but apparently is one of the big time rarities sought after by fuzz psych collectors. Leave it to Shadoks to dig this one up. They (Shadoks) say that if you like Apryl Fool, you’ll like this one. But I haven’t heard that one either (though I was at least familiar with the name). I do pick up some Blues Creation circa “Demon & Eleven Children”. It’s darn near an exploitation album, with some naïve 60s pop drenched in fuzz and old organ. Of course they throw in a blues-real-bad song. And a little Dead-ish ‘Truckin’ type number. Overall, one to seek out for a few listens – easily on par with the aforementioned Blues Creation.

Welcome – s/t. 1976. 11=11. Long time since I heard this one, probably right after this Black Rills reissue surfaced in 1997. Swiss group who pretty much targeted Yes as a blueprint to move forward with. Similar vocal harmonies, acoustic guitar breaks, bass work, keyboard solos (Mellotron, organ, Moog). Same league as Druid on “Toward the Sun”. What Welcome lacks in original approach, they make up in enthusiasm and their own special touch on a classic recipe. Much like Grandma’s marinara sauce – she didn’t invent it, but darn if she didn’t make a good batch of her own (notice the constant food comparisons I make? Not a coincidence…). This one has a safe spot on the team. I know I probably shouldn’t like stuff like this from a purely intellectual standpoint, but I do anyway. So it’s what I like – what can I tell you?

Phluph – s/t. 1969. D:9. Phluph were like many one-offs during the psych era – faceless, nameless and a $1 cutout bin special. On the clueless Verve label, and lost in the shuffle with many of their Boston (“Bosstown Sound”) contemporaries, Phluph went away with barely a murmur. Starts off in typical lame-o psych / rock territory. But then it takes an interesting turn towards the weird by the third track (though not weird enough). One distinguishing characteristic of Phluph’s sound is the prominent use of organ. Has that carnival sound, like the Doors but the similarities end there though. Some surprising fuzz guitar outbursts too. Even a rare progressive rock move. A good listen.

Il Rovescio della Medaglia - Contaminazione

I listened to four Italian prog rock albums over the weekend, Semiramis, Cervello, one I’m forgetting and this RDM. Didn’t have any surprises with any of them really, but I wanted to write a little about this one as I’ve mentioned that I’m not much of a classical rock fan, however, along with Canarios - Ciclos, I’d say this is probably one of the best the genre has to offer. It’s actually a strange album for RDM, their third after two releases that might have fit on the Vertigo label, heavy and guitar oriented, miles away from the ornate, Bach-influenced music on display here. RDM aren’t any stranger to the concept album either, although without any Italian to my name it’s hard to say they were succesful on La Bibbia or here (La Bibbia might have to be the shortest concept album ever). Musically, Contaminazione is pretty exciting, the music, while widely dynamic, often returns to upbeat and charged segments with prevalent analog synth use. It all gives the impression that it’s classical music put to rock, but rather than that being true, it’s more the case of original music with a lot of quotes thrown in, an approach very different to Canarios’ take on Vivaldi. Probably, it follows more in the vein of Ekseption, while managing to avoid a lot of their camp.

Topos Uranos - Suite Mistica

This modern Brazilian symphonic rock quartet’s album may not have blown my mind at any time, but I was surprised to hear how competent it was given my less than enthusiastic memory. Like many independent symphonic rock groups, TU suffer from abysmally poor production, for example, the bass drum is recorded like it went flat. In fact, the style isn’t really all that different from the RDM mentioned above, although it’s difficult not to notice Andre Dias copping Tony Banks riffs at times. The songs all chart from about 6 to 8 minutes, so there’s plenty of time for those proggy moves. With this one, I’m not sure if I’d go an 8 or 9, the curmudgeon in me finds this a bit steely, digital and bright, while the optimist enjoys the Italian progrock inspired melodic content.

Grateful Dead - Dicks’ Picks 29: Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA 5/19/77; Lakeland Civic Center Arena, Lakeland, FL 5/21/77

This is the biggest Dicks Picks set to date, two full concerts at 3 discs each, with plenty of filler to max out the discs. I’ve had these rotating for quite a while, and both sets strike me as being a good ”mean” example of how the band was in 1977. Except that the spacey/jam segements on both of these shows are among the most surreal, weird, and psychedelic I’ve heard in a Dead show, great examples of the group mind at work when these guys are at their best. Perhaps on the other hand, there’s a bit of concentration on some of the more banal numbers, in fact the Dead do manage to pull out a lot of old stuff between these two sets. But averaging it all out, is the Dead’s strong 77 canon, featuring a lot of their classics from the previous few albums, including the recent Terrapin Station, and this stuff makes up the lion share of the set. These might not be the first shows I’d pull out for a new listener, but they’re both very solid, with a memorability that sets them apart from other shows.