Camberwell Now- All's Well[1983-1987]

Let it be known that I'm a big fan of Charles Hayward. The man has a background including Gong(big plus here), Quiet Sun(with Manzanera of Roxy Music), and the incomparable This Heat. He's also got a fairly extensive solo career, and has played with Tatsuya Yoshida of Ruins, among others.

Camberwell Now formed after This Heat died in its prime, and immediately, there were signs that this group would be a bit "out there". Hayward's vicious drumming, bass-as-guitar from Trefor Goronwy(worked with Huun-Hurr-Tu, one of the more well-known Tuvan throat-singing ensembles), and sound technician Stephen Rickard's tape-switchboard, along with the hyper-political, far-left, and insanely clever and biting lyrics seen in This Heat-- it was an odd combination.

That said, Camberwell Now made a brand of post-punk that was very, VERY post, but also had a visible thread of punk woven throughout. They only released one album and two EPs, but most of the material is gathered here, on All's Well. Opener "Cutty Sark" is vocals and a drone, eventually joined by tambourine, and it's about a naval cartographer- it's awesome. "Spirit of Dunkirk" is a lock-groove percolation of tape, drums, and half-moaned vocals-- again, awesome. "Resplash," a reworking of an early track entitled "Splash", is an eight-minute groove consisting mostly of a recurring bassline, autoharp, reverbed tape loops, and running water samples, yet manages to stay compelling by subtly screwing with the loops to change around the rhythms.

There are more high-energy, uptempo tracks here- "Daddy Needs a New Throne", "Working Nights", "Sitcom", and "Green Lantern" all snarl over bouncing basslines, often breaking into a new rhythm every few seconds. These are actually among my favorite tracks here, and it's a sound that Camberwell Now pulled of well.

I'm not a huge fan of the material from the "Greenfingers" EP, but it has its merits, namely in the lyrics and use of tape sampling.

Baby Grandmothers- s/t[1969]

The Swedes have had a penchant for heavy psych-rock since it's been a possibility, and Baby Grandmothers may have started the whole scene, which is a shame, because the scene's pretty derivative these days.
Baby Grandmothers supported The Jimi Hendrix Experience during their Scandinavian tour, and they sure deserved it. Vocals are minimal, but the instrumentals get pretty hairy. A little lo-fi, but it sounds great here.

The Millenium- Begin[1968]

Absolutely perfect psych-pop album. The definition of a "lost masterpiece".
This was the most expensive album Columbia records had produced to date, and you can really tell that no expense was spared.
"Prelude/To Claudia on a Thursday" might be the best way I've ever heard an album begin.
The tragedy: the album sold abysmally, and the band was never re-signed.

Neon Philharmonic- The Moth Confesses[1969]

Fantastically lush baroque pop with a vague operatic theme. The vocals are grandiose, but not what you'd expect from "a Phonograph Opera". It's basically excellent psych-pop if the effects and fuckery were replaced with orchestral instruments and a choir. Lyrics can be dumb at times, but are delivered well, and are earnest enough to not be a bad thing.

Several Canterbury Scene Prog albums

Austin and I were talking the other night, and I figured I might as well do this post, seeing as it's one of my favorite prog scenes.

The Canterbury scene sprung up in Canterbury, Kent, England in the early 70's, and isn't so much a style as a collective sort of thing. That's not to say that there aren't similarities between the groups involved: they're all very British. They're also some of the greatest psychedelic and progressive acts of the 1970's, so it's nothing to scoff at.

Soft Machine- Third[1970]
Soft machine were the fusion branch of the Canterbury scene, but the jazz influence is more free-jazz than cool jazz. Squealing saxes and shredding axes abound. Facelift has an awesome 5-minute intro, by the way.
http://www.mediafire.com/?mmmqkzn2jyz

Caravan- In the Land of Grey and Pink[1971]
Hugely varied album. Includes a goofy boy-meets-girl song about golf, an 8-minute minstrel's tale, an irritatingly catchy love song, a lightly psychedelic jaunt, then a 23-minute epic. A very pleasant album, overall.
http://www.mediafire.com/?jbavoaier4d

 Arzachel-Arzachel[1969]
aka Uriel, aka Egg. This is the lone release by what could be considered a Canterbury supergroup, despite coming before much of the other groups in the scene.  Very psychedelic, great rhythm section, ranges from ethereal psych-hymns to hard rock. Garden of Earthly Delights might be my favorite song from the entire scene. Organ heavy(in a good way), in case you're not into that.
http://www.mediafire.com/?ytnbmxizznn

Gong- Flying Teapot[1971]
This group is way out there. The spaciest group of the Canterbury scene, there are a lot of things about Gong that might put you off. Odd vocals, loads of instruments and overlapping tracks- it gets a little dense. It really falls into some great grooves, though. Give it a thorough listen, and I doubt you'll be disappointed.
http://www.mediafire.com/?kziwun4j2gj

Midsummer's Night Funk

Just a couple of quick albums, both great for just about any time during the summer. Both are instrumental, so they're perfect background music for a barbecue, bonfire, smoke sesh, dag break, dick time, etc.

Eddy Senay- Hot Thang[1972]
Funky instrumental soul, or soulful instrumental funk? I'm not sure, I'm white. It's great though. Loads of fuzz, wah, and organ.
http://www.mediafire.com/?itju0nwyz32

 Dave Hamilton- Detroit City Grooves[2005]
Contains tracks from the 60's to the present. All fantastic soul/funk jams, focused mostly on guitar. Lots of vibraphone/xylophone, also.
http://rapidshare.com/files/172781209/Dave_Hamilton_1.zip
http://rapidshare.com/files/172778921/Dave_Hamilton_2.zip
Sorry about the rapidshare on Dave Hamilton, I know it sucks. Please enjoy, though. Happy summer.