Jean-Claude Vannier - L’Enfant Assassin des Mouches. 1972. As if we needed further proof that the early 1970s was the apex of creativity for the modern era, we have Jean Claude Vannier’s sole album to offer up as evidence to the court. To the average Parisian walking the street, Vannier is most known as the producer and arranger for that most famous French crooner: Serge Gainsbourg. However, given an opportunity for a solo album, Vannier put his vast resources to work in an all-encompassing rock extravaganza, mixing psych, jazz, world, carnival, musique concrete, and whatever else the hell he felt like doing. This is no 3 days of booze and pills and let’s get it out type album. This is the kind of big budget affair all artists wish they had at their disposal. Who needs a mellotron when you have full choirs and orchestras at your disposal? (We tend to forget in these modern times that the mellotron was a cheap alternative to funding a cast of thousands). So move over, rover, cause Jean-Claude is takin’ over. Vannier’s album is one more corner of the French triumvirate of “establishment” types (William Sheller and Alain Goraguer being the others) who felt the need to get hip and basically blow away the kids with their vision of psychedelic music. Daddy-O is here to teach a lesson sonny, so pay attention! There’s been a couple of recent legit CD reissues of this, and none is better than the latest from Finders Keeepers, who managed to throw in a cool 1971 Yves-St. Laurent fashion video, complete with psyched out Vannier music. Groovy Baby – Austin Powers never had it so good.

T. Yokota & The Beat Generation – Flute Adventure. 1971. I first heard about this Japanese album nearly 20 years ago, from a rarities catalog, that stated it was similar to Yatha Sidhra’s “Meditation Mass” or maybe like something from the Ohr label. Well that certainly grabbed my attention! Except I never saw it listed again. Anywhere. Ever. I began to doubt its existence after while, since no one even knew what it was. So you can imagine my shock when I found out that “Flute Adventure” was not only out on CD, but a legitimate press on one of Japan’s major labels: King Records. Now for those paying close attention, it should come as no surprise the fact that Yokota would have an underground/experimental release. Considering he was the resident flautist with the real deal crowd of the Japanese freak rock scene. Namely Love, Live, Life + 1. And his appearance on the subsequent solo albums of LLL+1 nut jobs like Kimio Mizutani and Hiro Yanagida. “Flute Adventure” is exactly as touted – a mix of flute based underground acid psych and ethnic woodwind journeys drizzled with a dash of cocktail lounge. So, yes, a little Yatha Sidhra, a little Bjorn J:Son Lindh, some Jeremy Steig, even a smattering of Herbie Mann – all through the Ohr label aesthetic of someone like Annexus Quam. It’s a full band effort, with plenty of fuzz guitar and tribal percussion. This CD is not being touted anywhere, so I’d advise you to pick this up as an INVESTMENT if nothing else. Your turn on the dollar will impress even your broker.

Sensations Fix – s/t. 1974. And speaking of mythical albums, I didn’t even know until recently that Sensations Fix even had a self-titled debut album. Apparently it was only a promo and not sold through stores, despite sporting a unique cover. It’s a little more under produced than their later material, but it unmistakably has the Sensations Fix space rock sound. Much of the material represents earlier versions of songs that would show up later on “Fragments of Light” though some of the material is entirely unique to this release. As with all Sensations Fix albums, save “Fragments of Light”, this one is in dire need of a CD reissue.