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Seasons They Change-- your psychefolk favourites?

31 Dec 10 - 08:44 AM (#3064374)
Subject: Seasons They Change
From: mikesamwild

I've just been reading this book on Acid and Psychedelic Folk, by Jeanette leech, jawBone pub.2010. I can't remember calling it that back in the day, folk rock maybe.

Anyway it's a good read and complements Electric Eden by Rob Young

31 Dec 10 - 11:23 AM (#3064466)
Subject: RE: Seasons They Change
From: theleveller

Santa brought me a copy. Looking forward to reading it.

18 Jan 11 - 12:52 PM (#3077213)
Subject: Seasons They Change
From: GUEST,glueman

The Story of Acid and Psychedelic Folk:

Do with Jeanette Leech
Article text added by Joe Offer

Opening proceedings at this weeks ‘do’ at The Social is Jeanette Leech, author of ‘Seasons They Change: The Story of Acid and Psychedelic Folk‘. We asked Jeanette, who will be reading extracts from her book, to tell us her top ten records from the Acid Folk genre, and this is what she said:

1. The Incredible String Band – Wee Tam And The Big Huge [Elektra, 1968]
While both The 5000 Spirits Or The Layers Of The Onion and The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter are incredible records, it’s ISB’s double album of sweeping experimentation that I identify with the most. The songs came from an intensely creative period for the group (all living together at the time) and the wildly ambitious brushstrokes confidently raise an early bar for the genre of psychedelic folk, which ISB all but invented.
2. Comus – First Utterance [Dawn, 1970]
First Utterance is an acknowledged milestone of the British underground and, for me, the ultimate acid folk album. Notwithstanding pure moments of transcendence – like the twelve-minute pastoral grace of ‘The Herald’ – Comus’s debut album is a contorted foray into a heart of darkness. With frenzied bongos, flute and guitar, and coal-black lyrics sung by a voice that could whip between howling pain and thrashing malevolence, this is as disturbing and visceral as music gets.
3. Tim Buckley – Lorca [Elektra, 1970]
By the time of Lorca, Tim Buckley was a persona non grata at his label Elektra for his devotion to experimentation and his distaste for playing the music industry game. Buckley’s commitment to exploring every nuance of his astonishing voice and his penchant for improvisation ensured Lorca was years ahead of its time in its abstracted, free-folk sound.
4. Linda Perhacs – Parallelograms [Kapp, 1970]
“I’m spacing out… spacing out…” sings Perhacs on ‘Chimacum Rain’, the opening track to her sole record. “I’m seeing silences between leaves”. Although it may sound like archetypal hippie murmurings, Parallelograms was a unique concept album, an exploration of Perhacs’ belief in ‘thought forms’: the visual expression of sound. This record is a perfect example of how psychedelic folk music could be the conduit for a strange, personal vision quest.
5. COB – Spirit Of Love [CBS, 1971]
It’s usually COB’s follow-up, Moyshe McStiff And The Tartan Lancers Of The Sacred Heart, that gets into ‘best of’ lists and, although I think that’s a phenomenal album, my heart is with COB’s debut. COB comprised the restless Clive Palmer – a founder of the Incredible String Band and the Famous Jug Band, and a general maverick figure – alongside Mick Bennett and John Bidwell. Channelling an esoteric, cryptic air, with flashes of Palmer’s childhood in vaudeville, Spirit Of Love is pure poetry.
6. Current 93 – Swastikas For Noddy [L.A.Y.L.A.H. Antirecords, 1988]
It must have been quite a surprise to Current 93 fans when, in 1988, the group’s founder David Tibet ushered his sound from the aural abrasions of his early work to the acoustic twists of Swastikas For Noddy. He coined the genre name ‘apocalyptic folk’ to describe the album, reflecting his personal fixation with the Christian Armageddon. Tibet was a rare example of an artist experimenting with folk music in the late 1980s, and his trailblazing was key to the new generation of wayward folk artists.
7. Stone Breath – The Silver Skein Unwound [Camera Obscura, 2003]
Timothy Renner’s Stone Breath was born in 1995. This group, barely acknowledged at the time, were nevertheless tremendously important as a pioneer of the contemporary wave of acid and psychedelic folk music. Their animalistic, gnarled sound is as intricate and unique as a weaver’s nest. There’s no doubt in my mind that this dark and uncanny record – the last from Stone Breath for six years – is a classic.
8. Vashti Bunyan – Lookaftering [FatCat, 2005]
Vashti’s story – the horse and cart, the pilgrimage to Skye, the gossamer songs she wrote on the journey – is now almost part of British folklore itself. Her follow-up album to Just Another Diamond Day, coming thirty-five years later, may have exhibited the same delicate grace but it was a world away in its substance. While Diamond Day was embedded in her then day-to-day life, Lookaftering was a work of reflection. It was the story of a hundred hurts and joys, from the hugest to the tiniest, wrapped in Bunyan’s subtle, heartbreaking whisper.
9. Espers – Espers II [Wichita, 2006]
Containing one of the most epic psychedelic folk tracks of all time – the astounding opener, ‘Dead Queen’ – Espers II was the sound of a poised, articulate band at the absolute top of their game. Infused with scholarly knowledge of the genre’s past, but prickled with fresh splinters of cynical modernity, Espers II provided gravitas to the movement tagged as ‘freak folk’.
10. Lau Nau – Nukkuu [Locust, 2008]
The Finnish scene, centred on Fonal Records, has produced some of the most exciting music of recent times and Lau Nau’s haunting, intangible album is simply tremendous. Played on dozens of unusual instruments, these compelling, rhythmic glaciers of sound drip away until all that’s left is shimmering puddles of free-folk wonder.

18 Jan 11 - 02:45 PM (#3077340)
Subject: RE: Seasons They Change
From: GUEST,glueman

Bump because I can't believe nobody's chipped in with their own psychefolk favourites. Or rants about pop music and split infin itives.

20 Jan 11 - 02:01 PM (#3078766)
Subject: RE: Seasons They Change
From: mikesamwild

I put up a similar thread in December only one response so far. Maybe when the book gets out there.

21 Jan 11 - 12:13 AM (#3079156)
Subject: RE: Seasons They Change-- your psychefolk favourites?
From: Joe Offer

I amplified the title, combined the threads, and added the article text. Maybe that will generate discussion??? Can't say I know any of the songs on Leech's list.

-Joe-

21 Jan 11 - 02:37 AM (#3079183)
Subject: RE: Seasons They Change-- your psychefolk favourites?
From: Spleen Cringe

Forest - Graveyard
COB - Skanky Black Farmer
Bread, Love & Dreams - Brother John
Dulcimer - Caravan

How's that for starters?

And from the next wave...

In Gowan Ring - Hazel Steps
Sharron Kraus - Wake Up Sleepers

Too early in the morning to come up with any others. I guarantee these are fab, though. I'm sure there was another thread about psych folk a while back, 'cos I remember putting a load of Youtube links to psych - folk classics on it and various folkists* being snidey about hobbit music and tell us to grow up,etc, etc, blather, yawn. I'll try to find it - there were some great links.

I have a copy of the book on order and I'm looking forward to it.

*Folkists - a new word. You know what I mean...

21 Jan 11 - 02:52 AM (#3079184)
Subject: RE: Seasons They Change-- your psychefolk favourites?
From: Spleen Cringe

This is it! Check out the Youtube links a little way in: thread.cfm?threadid=132501#3010967

21 Jan 11 - 03:08 AM (#3079185)
Subject: RE: Seasons They Change-- your psychefolk favourites?
From: SteveMansfield

I bought the book unseen from Amazon following a couple of mentions on here & other places. However it turns out that I've never heard of 99% of the people mentioned, and the 1% of people I have heard of don't particularly interest me.

The book is perfectly well written and produced, but anecdotes and a timeline about people I've never heard of just doesn't float my boat. My mistake, nobody's fault but mine.

The reason I'm telling you all this is that my copy of the book, in perfect as-new condition, is available, yours to keep, for the cost of the postage (let's say £2 in the UK, other countries by negotiation) payable by Paypal. PM me if you're interested.

21 Jan 11 - 05:03 AM (#3079217)
Subject: RE: Seasons They Change-- your psychefolk favourites?
From: breezy

nah, not for me, but thanks anyway.

Now back to reality.

I'm performing on Sunday at the Barn Theatre Welwyn garden City herts, an evening witha Burn's theme but i dont do any of that , cant understand it arf the time, but can do Scottish and will be providing P A of sorts

free adm, 8 start and its in the bar.

nice bar

proceeds to Kashhmir Flood disaster

as I float away

21 Jan 11 - 05:35 AM (#3079234)
Subject: RE: Seasons They Change-- your psychefolk favourites?
From: theleveller

This seems to be a whole tranche of music that I've somehow managed to miss. I can see I've got a lot of catching up to do.

21 Jan 11 - 06:27 AM (#3079256)
Subject: RE: Seasons They Change-- your psychefolk favourites?
From: GUEST,Gerry

[seems not to have posted first try, so trying again]

I'm with those who seem to have allowed this genre to pass by unnoticed. Of Jeanette Leech's top ten, the only album I'm at all familiar with is Tim Buckley's Lorca, which I sought out because I loved his earlier album, Hello and Goodbye. But I hated Lorca.

22 Jan 11 - 08:20 AM (#3079945)
Subject: RE: Seasons They Change-- your psychefolk favourites?
From: mikesamwild

I must admit when I said we called it folk rock back when, it was because there was no widely labelled title acid or psyche folk or freak folk That's come in with the revival as Neo or NuFolk.

Jeanatte has put up an extensive playlsit on Spotify that is an ideal way to get the flavour. It crosses into some you will know and love as well as vashti Bunyan ,such as John Renbourne, Davy Graham, Incredibels, T rex! etc

I think is a very well written book and was based on over 100 interviews as well as book and mag articles. Much as I enjoyed Rob Young's Electric Eden this was an eye opener as I only had access to what we could get hold of or listen to with John Peel in the 60s and 70s. Now with reissues, google books, downloads and eBay a lass born in 1976in Norfolk knows a damn sight more than I ever could! And she didn't have to do her head in during the first time round!

22 Jan 11 - 03:46 PM (#3080203)
Subject: RE: Seasons They Change-- your psychefolk favourites?
From: oldhippie

Not surprised that ISB tops her list. An excellent band. I'd add the Carolyn Hester Coalition LPs.

22 Jan 11 - 03:54 PM (#3080209)
Subject: RE: Seasons They Change-- your psychefolk favourites?
From: Spleen Cringe

Ship. Mick Softley. A psych-folk classic.

22 Jan 11 - 04:35 PM (#3080248)
Subject: RE: Seasons They Change-- your psychefolk favourites?
From: ChanteyLass

I've read both threads, followed the links, and listened to the music. Does this group fit? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2MiODsMY30

22 Jan 11 - 06:10 PM (#3080313)
Subject: RE: Seasons They Change-- your psychefolk favourites?
From: GUEST,Suibhne Astray

Seminal psyche influences:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzoaWrRYg98

22 Jan 11 - 08:38 PM (#3080379)
Subject: RE: Seasons They Change-- your psychefolk favourites?
From: RWilhelm

Everytime this subject comes up I have to say Holy Modal Rounders.

Also, since Tim Buckley was mentioned, what about "Hello & Goodbye"?

29 Jan 11 - 12:16 PM (#3084728)
Subject: RE: Seasons They Change-- your psychefolk favourites?
From: mikesamwild

Went to see Peter Stampfel and Jeffery Lewis in Leeds this week , excellent! See other thread.

29 Jan 11 - 12:24 PM (#3084733)
Subject: RE: Seasons They Change-- your psychefolk favourites?
From: mikesamwild

I'd say Peter and the Holy Modal Rounders were speed and dope and acid Amricana not fey and hobbity whereas psych folk is what I might have called ISB on dope and acid and sitars if it had to have a name .ESPers today have that feel but with techno inputs.

PS was a bit scathing of hippiness but then he didn't get royalties for the Bird Song used in Easy Rider!

11 Mar 11 - 07:57 AM (#3111626)
Subject: RE: Seasons They Change-- your psychefolk favourites?
From: mikesamwild

Review in current Stirrings mag (Sheffield area)

11 Mar 11 - 08:09 AM (#3111639)
Subject: RE: Seasons They Change-- your psychefolk favourites?
From: GUEST,Suibhne Astray

Jolly good - and don't you just love the idea of a Swedish ISB covers band? Though there's no mention of it on their Myspace page:

http://www.myspace.com/musikgruppenraa