| Having relocated to Marin County in Northern California in the spring of 1968, H.P.Lovecraft's second, and it must be said, superior album, appeared later that same year. Clearly most of the band members (with the exception of Jerry MacGeorge who returned to the band's native city of Chicago to be replaced by former Hezekiah alumnist , Jeff Boyan, who was not only a fine bass player, but who also contributed a distinctive vocal style to those of founder members George Edwards and Dave Michaels) thrived in their new location, and the Lovecraft became frequent attractions in nearby San Francisco, playing alongside some of the top Bay Area psych bands of the time. Moving south to LA later that year, the band recorded their 2nd eponymous album that contained some fine moments of sheer artistry. The sleepiness of tracks like Spin, Spin, Spin, Mobius Trip and Electrallentando was reminiscent of It's A Beautiful Day's first album, and there was a fine version of High Flying Bird, a song which had become a favourite amongst West Coast groups and At The Mountains Of Madness captured the band's outstanding vocal style, very much the hallmark of their first album, to perfection. H.P.Lovecraft II was r eputedly the first major label album (both records were originally released on the Philips label) where all those involved in the recording were actually high on acid! The band effectively dissolved after this superb effort, and although various former band members tried to regroup on several occasions, it is by H.P. Lovecraft II and its predecessor, H.P.Lovecraft, that the band will be remembered.
Tracks:
1. Spin, Spin, Spin (Collier) - 3:26
2. It's About Time (Collier) - 5:20
3. Blue Jack of Diamonds (Boyan) - 2:55
4. Electrallentando (Edwards) - 6:27
5. At the Mountains of Madness (Cavallari/Edwards/Michaels) - 4:48
6. Mobius Trip (Edwards) - 2:46
7. High Flying Bird (Wheeler) - 3:15
8. Nothing's Boy (Nordine) - :40
9. Keeper of the Keys (Brewer/Shipley) - 3:06
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Named after the 17th Century serial perjurer and
Catholic-bater Titus Oates, the eponymous Dallas-based rock combo released a lone psychedelic album on the Lips label in 1974. he material ranges from '60s flower-power pop to hard, roadhouse
psychedelia. Rick Jackson wrote all the material on the album on which the keyboards and vocals blend nicely with some melodic guitar work..The album, which is extremely well recorded, has, despite the band's Texan origins, a decidedly West Coast feel, although their Southern roots do occasionally come to the surface in the form of some excellent Allman Brothers/Blue Oyster Cult-style dual guitar interludes and a couple of heavy bass riff-focused power tunes. Originals of this album are extremely rare and change hands for serious money.
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Former Beat Of The Earth leader Phil Pearlman assembled Relatively Clean Rivers in the early '70s and eventually recorded this excellent rural rock album in 1975. Although Pearlman's first recorded effort was a surf/hot rod 45 entitled Chrome Reveresed Rails appeared on the Fink label in the mid-'60s, it was with Beat Of The Earth that he began to forge a distinctive musical voice. The band was one of the earliest-known electric experimental bands, with a sound reminiscent of their East Coats counterparts, The Velvet Underground, whose influence is often discernable on Relatively Clean Rivers. That said, Rivers is recognised by those fortunate enough to have heard it as one of the very finest albums of the era, with a clearly-defined American sound which walked confidently past the shadow of its leader's previous incarnation. Although it should be easy to pigeonhole the sound of Relatively Clean Rivers, it is actually anything but. At times sounding like The Grateful Dead in all their American Beauty pomp, or CSNY circa Déjà Vu, this tight, richly talented ensemble produces an album of almost majestic quality. The sound is superb, and clearly no time or expense were spared to produce an album which is probably the most flawless snapshot of Californian '70s under ground music that you will ever here. Famed poster artist Jim Evans, whose credits include The Cosmic
Travellers' and The Allman Brothers' Wipe The Windows albums, was commissioned to produce a cover which has to be seen to be believed. Originally there were 2 pressings of this unique album, each of only 500 copies each, and this is the first time that this, or any of Pearlman's other recordings has been reissued. An album highly recommended to anyone even remotely interested in '70s West Coast music or simply top-notch music in
general. A must! |
