Bolder Damn: Mourning 1971

 

Bolder Damn was a hard/psychedelic rock band from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA, that was

SOULS IMAGE

formed in 1967 under the name Souls Image. in 1969, the band changed its name to Bolder Damn. Souls Image play covers of Jimi Hendrix and Doors. After twio years, the band evolved into Bolder Damn, who comprised John Anderson (lead vocalist), Glenn Eaton (lead guitar, vocals), Mark Gaspard (keyboards), Ron Refett (bass, vocals) and Bob Eaton (drums). 
                                       

They opened for groups such as Blue Cheer, Amboy Dukes and Alice Cooper. In 1971 Gaspard left and Bolder Damn reduced to a four-piece. Shortly afterwards they recorded an album locally at

Hyperbolic Studios in a single day's session. Their album was released in 1971. Special thanks to Rich Haupt of Rockadelic Records who reissued their eponymous LP Mourning in 1990. "Mourning" was pressed only in 200 copies and the originals are now amongst the rarest vinyl artefacts to emerge from the international underground hard rock scene. In 1972 Anderson and Refett were drafted into military service during the Vietnam War, leading to Bolder Damn's dissolution. 
                             

Mourning is an Amazing album of their young testosterone energized music completely capture! Side 2

featured the 16-minute epic "Dead Meat," which reflects the band's heavy, proto-doom style, reminiscent of contemporaries like Black Sabbath and Blue Cheer. “Dead Meat” kills, while “The Idea” remains completely independent. The effect of “Sabbath” is heard, but only done so effectively and cleanly. And also a damn good drummer.  Classic cult status. Ultra-heavy, “raw-in-your-face” sound with loud fuzzed-out guitar, solid rhythm section and manic vocals. You will be amazed and delighted by the album!
                           

Sadly many of the  great proto-doom metal musicians have long since passed away but there is still a few around and Bolder Damn are one band that could make it work again. The strength of the "Mourning"

album is its influence, everyone from fans of Electric Wizard to Kyuss to Monster Magnet love this album and it has equally influenced and inspired many a musician. "Bolder Damn produced a surprisingly assured and accomplished set of fuzz-laden bad trip boogie with a touch of proto-metal, which laid mostly unheard outside local followers of the flame until their latter day discovery” – Jeremy Cargill (Ugly Things)

                          

Bolder Damn interview with John Anderson: It's Psychedelic Baby Magazine HERE

                        

Bolder Damn – Mourning
Label: Rockadelic Records – none
Format: CD, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue, 25th Anniversary 1998
Country: US
Released: 1971    
Genre: Rock
Style: Hard Rock, Acid Rock

TRACKS

                         

                   
01. BRTCD   2:53
Backing Vocals [Backup Vocals] – Ron Reffett
Bass – Ron Reffett
Drums, Percussion – Robert Eaton
Guitar – Glenn Eaton
Lead Vocals – John Anderson     
02. Got That Feeling   3:25
Bass – Ron Reffett
Drums, Percussion – Robert Eaton
Guitar – Glenn Eaton
Lead Vocals – John Anderson     
03. Monday Mourning   3:02
Bass – Ron Reffett
Drums, Percussion – Robert Eaton
Guitar – Glenn Eaton
Lead Vocals – Glenn Eaton, Ron Reffett    
04. Rock On   4:08
Backing Vocals [Backup Vocals] – Ron Reffett
Bass – Ron Reffett
Drums, Percussion – Robert Eaton
Guitar – Glenn Eaton
Lead Vocals – John Anderson 
05. Find A Way   4:37
Backing Vocals [Backup Vocals] – Robert Eaton, Glenn Eaton, Ron Reffett
Bass – Ron Reffett
Drums, Percussion – Robert Eaton
Guitar – Glenn Eaton
Lead Vocals – John Anderson 
06. Breakthrough   
Backing Vocals [Backup Vocals] – Ron Reffett
Bass – Ron Reffett
Drums, Percussion – Robert Eaton
Guitar – Glenn Eaton
Lead Vocals – John Anderson     
07. Dead Meat   15:53
Bass – Ron Reffett
Drums, Percussion – Robert Eaton
Guitar – Glenn Eaton
Lead Vocals – John Anderson 
Performer [Mayhem] – Robert Eaton, Glenn Eaton, Ron Reffett
    

DEAD MEAT LYRICS
                                       

         

You think you can change the way we want things to be
You say you don't like our kind of freedom and liberty
Freedom for the chosen few, slavery for the rest
Break the chains that hold you fast, you know there's not a chance

Now the time has come for payment, payment for your crime
The sin and disgrace of trying to change the times
Kill one of your own or we'll kill you all
The sacrifice in blood according to our law

No ordinary death will satisfy the need
Death must come but slowly, the body must bleed
Three and seven, seven, and then seven more
The wounds must be right to even up the score

Look at what they've done to me
'Cause I don't think like them
God-fearing citizens
That call themselves men
Led like a lamb to slaughter
Taken from my home
Now my torn and lifeless body's
Rotting on its bones

You killed a man, can you kill the idea?
My thoughts of you will never turn
The way you put me here to burn
For me it'll always be the same
But wait, we haven't finished the game, no

I'm here for if you've think you've won
But when it's your turn, you'd better run
I know that soon we'll meet again
When you come home to this blazing den

It didn't work so now you fear
The circumstance which put me here
You try and hide but it's too late
So come and join me, meet your fate, yeah!

LINE - UP

Lead Vocals – John Anderson 
Bass – Ron Reffett
Drums, Percussion – Robert Eaton
Guitar – Glenn Eaton

Flac: 282 MB

Daiistar: Good Time 2023

 

Over the last few years we’ve become wary of surprise. When the unexpected comes along, it’s not unwise to duck. Yet not all surprises are bad. Take DAIISTAR, a band that was on pretty much nobody’s

radar before the release of their thrilling debut album, Good Time.
"Good Time" out now via Fuzz Club. Except DAIISTAR (pronounced ‘day star’) seem to have already gathered a psych rock pedigree. The album is produced by Black Angels frontman Alex Maas, engineered by White Denim’s James Petrali, and is out on the influential London label Fuzz Club. They’re about to embark on tours with the Dandy Warhols and the Brian Jonestown Massacre. 
                           

The debut album from Austin’s Daiistar blends hook-laden psych sounds from across the decades to

joyous results. The earth may be scorched but new Austin band Daiistar are kicking up a psych party on their debut album Good Time. The album is a swirling and grooving affair filled with great beats, hooks, and melodies to delve into as the band bring together psych-influenced sounds from across the decades, fusing their classic Texan musical heritage with twists from the 80s psych revival and blasts of Hacienda-born dance.
                                         

The blend is served up perfectly right from the very first track, Star Starter, mixing Madchester-shuffle

drum beats with My Bloody Valentine sonic blasts underneath glorious vocals, coming together in celebration, imploring us to raise our arms high and around those with us as we move in unison. It’s a hell of an opening to an album that shifts through dense guitars, modulating synths, and blissful vocals that hammer home their intention to stand up against the world we are served from above. “Fuck the world, this is our time”, they sing on the wonderful LMN BB LMN before they drift off on the waves of recent single Repeater, a woozy guitar looping around four notes to cast an irresistible spell.
                      

On songs like Tracemaker and Heathens Gate, the band flit deftly between darker grooving riffs and crystalline undercurrents, sonic blasts of thunder that give way to clear skies under which they shine. It’s no mystery how they caught the eye of Alex Maas and his work producing the album has brought out the

best of all that Daiistar have to offer. When they put the guitar pedals to one side for a moment we get songs like Purified, simple yet beautiful in its approach, one that sees them sidling up alongside Stoned And Dethroned-era Jesus And Mary Chain. It floats along, saving itself for the surging guitars that lift the vocals further, not overpowering but coming from within to add a subtle underlying power; a tranquilising dose that releases us momentarily from the acid-hinged noise-pop that surrounds it, shoegazing were its head not held high and looking up at the stars.
                                     

As they fly through the following triplet of Say It To Me, Parallel, and Speed Jesus, the band grab you by

the hand to spin tripping through the desert as the sun goes down. As the party dies out and the night gives way to a new dawn, final song Velvet Reality seems to find the band realising that there is still a truth that must be faced.
                                   

“Mother help me. 
I could walk but they took the world from me… 
Mother help me.
I was so bright by they took the light from me,
Mother help me
I had dreams
But they took the streets from me.” 

                              

sings frontman Alex Capistran over soft strumming, a plaintive end perhaps, but one on which he still

reminds us of our enduring strength in unity. “Together we’re free and they can’t stop us now,” he reminds us. Good times are ahead and Daiistar have arrived just in time to remind us of that fact. Drop a dose of their debut album and soak up all they have to offer.

                             

DAIISTAR – Good Time
Label: Fuzz Club Records – FC205
Format: CD, Album
Country: UK
Released: 2023
Genre: Rock, Pop
Style: Alternative Rock, Pop Rock, New-Psychedelic
                                

TRACKS

                     

01. Star Starter
02. LMN BB LMN
03. Repeater
04. Tracemaker
05. Purified
06. Say It To Me
07. Parallel
08. Speed Jesus
09. Heathens Gate
10. Velvet Reality

LINE - UP

                            

Guitar, Vocals – Alex Capistran
Bass – Misti Hamrick
Drums, Percussion – Nick Cornetti
Keyboards – Derek Strahan 
Written-By – Alex Capistran

Flac Size: 241 MB

Andwellas Dream: Love And Poetry 1969 + Andwella: World's End 1970 + People's People 1970

 

Andwella were an Irish psychedelic rock band formed in 1968, originally as The Method and later renamed Andwella's Dream. The trio were fronted by Dave Lewis (guitar/keyboard/vocals), with Nigel

Smith (bass/vocals) and Gordon Barton (drums). Andwellas Dream began in the late '60s as a heavy psychedelic trio, tapping into the multicolored imagery and fuzzy guitars of the era while remaining grounded by bandleader David Lewis' solid songwriting. After releasing 1969's Love & Poetry, Andwellas Dream shortened their name to Andwella, and released two more albums before breaking up in 1972. 
                            

Their first album, as Andwella's Dream, Love and Poetry, was recorded in London in 1968, and

released in August 1969. It featured jazz musician Bob Downes on saxophone and flute, and Wilgar Campbell on drums on the track "Felix". The album failed to sell, and Lewis then recorded a solo album, privately pressed, on the Ax label in 1970; which included new versions of some of the Andwella's Dream songs. In 1970 David Lewis wrote the music for and produced poet David Baxter's Goodbye Dave album, for which he was backed by Andwella.
                     

With the addition of Dave McDougall on guitar and vocals, the band was renamed Andwella. This line-up issued World's End in August 1970, before Dave Struthers replaced Nigel Smith on bass and

Jack McCulloch joined as drummer. This iteration of Andwella recorded their third album, 1971's People's People, which brought into greater focus some of the country and folk-rock tendencies that appeared in latent form on earlier material. Shortly after the album's release, Andwella broke up. While relatively obscure during their time, the band became highly regarded by psychedelia collectors and historians in years to follow.
                                

DISCOGRAPHY

Andwellas Dream: Love And Poetry (LP, CBS 1969-08)
Andwella: World's End   (LP, Reflection Records 1970-08)
Andwella: People's People (LP, Reflection, rel. Late 1970)

01. ANDWELLAS DREAM - LOVE AND POETRY 1969

                                 

Although Andwella's Dream were a versatile psychedelic group, they were nonetheless generic no matter

what angle they were taking. On Love & Poetry, you get sustained guitar that walks the line between freakbeat and heaviness, some swirling organ and husky vocals that betray the influence of Traffic and Procol Harum, pastoral acoustic folky tunes in the Donovan style, airy-fairy dabs of phased guitars and storybook lyrics, etc. 
                                    

Andwellas Dream – 1969 - Love And Poetry
Label: Sunbeam Records – SBRCD5063
Format: CD, Album, Reissue, Remastered 2009
Country: UK
Released: 1969
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock

TRACKS

                        

01. The Days Grew Longer For Love
02. Sunday
03. Lost A Number, Found A King
04. Man Without A Name
05. Clockwork Man
06. Cocaine
07. Shades Of Grey
08. High On A Mountain
09. Andwella
10. Midday Sun
11. Take My Road
12. Felix
13. Goodbye

BONUS TRACKS        

    
14. Mrs. Man (45 A-side)
15. Mr. Sunshine (45 B-side)
16. Every Little Minute (45 A-side)
17. Micheal FitzHenry (45 B-side)
18. Take My Road (Alt. Mix)
19. Man Without A Name (Alt. Mix)
20. Paradise Isle (2008)
21. Miles Away From My Baby (2008)

LINE - UP

Guitar, Piano, Organ, Vocals, Written By – Dave Lewis
Bass, Vocals – Nigel Smith 
Drums – Gordon Barton
Flute, Bells [Chinese], Tam-tam, Finger Cymbals, Percussion [Dry Leaves], Ti-tse [Chinese Bamboo Flute] – Bob Downes

Flac Size: 440 MB

02. ANDWELLA - WORLD'S END 1970

                                 

In 1970, Andwella dropped the dream and woke up to a new morning sound that traded flutes for trumpets

and shredding guitars for pounding pianos. With a little help from Bobby Scott, David Lewis proved once again his mastery over the craft of songwriting with “The Weight” style epics “Back on The Road,” proto arena-rock power ballads like “Just How Long,” and portraits of tenderness in the epic love song on “Lady Love.” Highly recommended.
                        

Andwella – World's End
Label: Geffen Records – UICY-93049
Series: Rock Legend Series
Format: CD, Album, Reissue, Remastered Apr 26, 2006
Country: Japan
Released: 1970
Genre: Rock
Style: Psych - Rock

TRACKS

                       

01. Hold On To Your Mind
02. Lady Love
03. Michael Fitzhenry
04. I'm Just Happy To See You Get Her
05. Just How Long
06. World's End Part I
07. World's End Part II
08. Back On The Road
09. I Got A Woman
10. Reason For Living
11. Shadow Of The Night

LINE - UP

Guitar, Flute, Piano, Lead Vocals – David Lewis
Bass, Vocals – Nigel Smith 
Drums, Percussion – Gordon Barton
Piano, Organ, Vocals – Dave McDougall 
Written-By – David Lewis (tracks: 1 to 5, 7 to 11)

Flac Size: 400 MB

03. ANDWELLA - PEOPLE'S PEOPLE 1970

                            

People’s People finds David Lewis and his band of freewheelers stripping their sound down to the

essentials. Emerging from the psychedelic haze, the trio find themselves at a crossroads of American southern rock and a pastoral English countryside and deliver an album with booming harmonies and transcendental hooks that could go head-to-head with The Band or The Allman Brothers. The final chapter in the Andwella story has all the makings of a classic LP, and if not for the Reflection label’s own chaotic dissolution around the time of the release, it probably would have been.
                      

Andwella – People's People
Label: Geffen Records – UICY-93050
Series: Rock Legend Series
Format: CD, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue, Remastered Apr 26, 2006
Country: Japan
Released: 1970    
Genre: Rock
Style: Psych - Rock

TRACKS

                 

    
01. She Taught Me To Love
02. Saint Bartholomew
03. The World Of Angelique
04. Mississippi Water
05. I've Got My Own
06. Are You Ready
07. Four Days In September
08. Lazy Days
09. People's People
10. Behind The Painted Screen
11. All For You

LINE - UP

Vocals, Guitar, Piano, Organ – David Lewis 
Piano, Organ – Dave McDougall
Bass, Vocals – Dave Struthers
Percussion – Jack McCulloch

Flac Size: 380 MB

The Oxpetals: The Oxpetals 1970

                           

 

One of those talented late-'60s/early-'70s bands that's been lost in the dust of time. Calling Roanoke, Virginia home (one well known reference work ties them to update New York), the band debuted with an obscure garage and fuzz guitar powered 1967 single on Musicor:- 1967's 'Prune Growing In

June' b/w 'Walking Down the Sunny Side' (Musicor catalog number MU 1274). Dropped by Musicor, the band struggled on, going through a couple of personnel changes. By 1970 the personnel line-up consisted of drummer Daniel "Ace" Aliison, singer/guitarist Benjamin Herndon, bassist Guy Phillips, singer/guitarist Steven Pague, and keyboard player Robert Webber. Signed by Mercury, they relocated to Moosepack Lake, New Jersey, recording their self-titled debut at Mercury Studios in New York City. Produced by Steve Boone (of Lovin' Spoonful fame, "The Oxpetals" featured an all original set of material with all five members contributing to the writing chores. 
                               

With Herndon and Pague responsible for the majority of songs, exemplified by tracks like 'I Still Remember' and 'What Can You Say' the predominant sound was melodic country-rock. Both Herndon and

Pague had nice voices, with the band showing off a talent for writing nice melodies and sweet harmony vocals (check out the opener 'Don't Cry Mother'). Curiously the band were actually at their best on atypical tunes like the rockers 'The Lazy Station', 'You Can't Hide from the Rude Owl ', and the country-rock closer 'Glory of the Skies'. The thing to remember is the first side gets off to a slow start. It's not until the second half of the "A" side and the flip side that the band starts to reveal their considerable gifts.
                                  

Oxpetals – The Oxpetals
Label: Mercury – SR 61289
Format: Album, Promo
Country: US
Released: 1970
Genre: Rock, Pop
Style: Soft Rock, Classic Rock, Psychedelic Rock

TRACKS

                         

01. Don't Cry Mother   3:41
Written-By – Benjamin Herndon
02. I Still Remember   3:29
Written-By – Steven Pague    
03. Doin' It   3:14
Written-By – Benjamin Herndon, Robert Webber       
04. What Can You Say   3:30
Written-By – Steven Pague
05. The Lazy Station   2:57
Written-By – Benjamin Herndon    
06. March 22   3:45
Written-By – Benjamin Herndon
07. Declaration Of Oneness   4:50
Written-By – Benjamin Herndon
08. Down From The Mountain   4:00
Written-By – Guy Phillips
09. Silent Partner   3:07
Written-By – Benjamin Herndon
10. Stephanie   1:34
Written-By – Guy Phillips
11. You Can't Hide From The Rude Owl   3:00
Written-By – Benjamin Herndon
12. Glory To The Skys   3:10
Written-By – Benjamin Herndon, Guy Phillips, Bob Weber, Steve Pague
    

LINE - UP

Vocals, Guitar – Benjamin Herndon 
Vocals, Guitar – Steven Pague
Bass – Guy Phillips
Drums – Daniel "Ace" Allison
Keyboards – Robert Webber 

Flac Size: 290 MB