ua

ua

Thursday, June 25, 2020

Hoodoo Gurus: 2 Albums: Mars Needs Guitars 1985 + Blow Your Cool ! 1987


MARS NEEDS GUITARS  1985


The Hoodoo Gurus followed the excellent Stoneage Romeos with the equally swell Mars Needs Guitars!, a second helping of Dave Faulkner's wonderfully skewed kitsch-pop confections.


While the band's basic m.o. hasn't changed all that much in the interim '60s-era pop, garage rock, and cowpunk remain their key musical reference points Faulkner's skills as a songwriter have grown perceptibly: the opening "Bittersweet" is an absolute gem, with other highlights like "Death Defying" and "Show Some Emotion" trailing not far behind.


Also commendable is the Gurus' sharp wit from the hillbilly freakout of "Hayride to Hell" to the primitive B-movie stomp of the title track, their affection for the guilty pleasures of trash culture is infectious. Irresistible fun.
(By Jason Ankeny)

Hoodoo Gurus: Mars Needs Guitars
Label: Chrysalis 82675-1 S A
Manufactured By: Big Time Records
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Made In: Greece
Released: 29 Jul 1985
Country: Australia
Genre: Rock
Style: Garage Rock, Indie Rock, Alternative


TRAXS (From The LP)

SIDE ONE


A1. Bittersweet     3:44
A2. Poison Pen             4:09
A3. In The Wild     3:07
A4. Death Defying     3:21
A5. Like Wow-Wipeout     3:09

SIDE TWO


B1. Hayride To Hell     3:15
B2. Show Some Emotion     2:56
B3. The Other Side Of Paradise     3:31
B4. Mars Needs Guitars!
    (Lead Vocals – Brad ShepherdWritten-By – B. Shepherd, C. Bramley, D.              Faulkner, J. Baker, M. Kingsmill)  2:52
B5. She     3:28

BONUS TRAXS (From The CD)

1. Bring The Hoodoo Down 2:54
2. Turkey Dinner     4:14
3. Death Ship (Live)     2:42
4. In The Wild (Live)     3:29
5. Teenage Head (Live)     3:00


MUSICIANS

Clyde Bramley: Bass, Vocals
Mark Kingsmill: Drums, Cymbal 
Brad Shepherd: Guitar, Vocals, Harp [Mouth Harp] 
David Faulkner: Lead Vocals, Guitar 
Management – Michael McMartin
Mastered By – Don Bartley
Photography By – Rhonda Thwaite
Producer – Charles Fisher
Written-By – D. Faulkner* (tracks: A1 to B3, B5)

BLOW YOUR COOL ! 1987


For the Hoodoo Gurus' third album, the group's American record label was hoping the band could come up with something a bit easier to market than the witty, '60s-obsessed pop/rock of Stoneage Romeos and Mars Needs Guitars, so they paired the group up with producer Mark Opitz, who had previously twisted the knobs for AC/DC, INXS, and the Divinyls.


Opitz gave the band a smoother, slicker surface and a cracking, radio-friendly drum sound, he also weeded out the band's wackier material (nothing like "Dig It Up" or "Hayride to Hell" this time out) in favor of mega-hooky pop ("Out That Door" and "Good Times," the latter featuring the Bangles on backing vocals) and straight-ahead rock & roll ("Where Nowhere Is" and "Party Machine"). As a result, Blow Your Cool! is the least idiosyncratic album in the Hoodoo Gurus' catalog and doesn't reflect the sneaky wit or goofy charm that won them many of their early fans.


But it also makes them sound like the great rock & roll band they always were and leaves little doubt that these guys didn't need to be funny to get over; Dave Faulkner even seems to enjoy having the opportunity to play it straight on the politically slanted "In the Middle of the Land," and the band rarely rocked as hard as they did on the tunes here where they throw the engine into fifth gear. Blow Your Cool! is in some respects a compromised Hoodoo Gurus album, but it's strong enough to prove that these guys could make a worthwhile album even while playing by someone else's rules.
(By Mark Deming)


1987's Blow Your Cool! found the Hoodoo Gurus adding a considerable amount of polish to their production and toning down their trademark humor in a bid for a wider audience. But in the United States, it didn't pay off. Blow Your Cool! opened few new doors for the Gurus, and they were dropped by Elektra Records.


Label: Elektra ‎– 9 60728-2, Elektra ‎– 60728-2
Format: CD, Album
Made In: US
Released: 1987
Country: Australia
Genre: Rock
Style: Garage, Indie Rock, Alternative

TRAXS


1.  Out That Door (Guitar [Guest] – Mal Eastick)   4:14
2.  What's My Scene     3:49
3.  Good Times (Vocals [Guest] – Debbi Peterson, Michael Steele, Susanna Hoffs, Vicki Peterson)   3:03
4.  I Was The One  (Saxophone [Guest] – James Valentine)   4:11
5.  Hell For Leather     3:28
6.  Where Nowhere Is  (Vocals [Guest] – Geoff Rhoe)   4:02
7.  In The Middle Of The Land  (Vocals [Guest] – Mark Walton (2), Paul Thirkell, Steve Wynn)   4:34
8.  Come On     2:43
9.  Heart Of Darkness     3:04
10. My Caravan  (Saxophone [Guest] – James Valentine)   4:19
11. On My Street     3:16
12. Party Machine  (Vocals [Guest] – Alan Wright, Debbi Peterson, Geoff Rhoe, Mark Opitz, Michael Steele, Mike Kloster, Stevo Glendinning, Susanna Hoffs, Vicki Peterson)  5:09

Recorded At: Rhinoceros Studios
Recorded At: Albert Studios
Recorded At: The Sound Factory
Mixed At: Rhinoceros Studios
 
MUSICIANS


Clyde Bramley: Bass 
Mark Kingsmill: Drums [Batterie] 
Brad Shepherd: Guitar, Harmonica
Dave Faulkner: Lead Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards
Backing Vocals: Hoodoo Gurus
Design [Cover], Art Direction: Richard Allan
Engineer: Alan Wright
Engineer [Assistant]: Heidi Cannavo, Kathy Nauton, Paula Jones, Chad Blake 


Mars Needs Guitars      MP3 @ 320 Size: 106 MB        FLAC  Size: 314 MB 
Blow Your Cool !         MP3 @ 320 Size: 115 MB        FLAC Size: 360 MB

Monday, June 22, 2020

H.P. Lovecraft: Two Classic Albums From H.P.Lovecraft: (H.P.Lovecraft I 1967 + H.P.lovecraft II 1968) (Remaster 2000)


H. P. Lovecraft was an American psychedelic rock band, formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1967 and named after the horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. Much of the band's music was possessed of a haunting, eerie ambience, and consisted of material that was inspired by the macabre writings of the author whose name they had adopted. Combining elements of psychedelia and folk rock, the band's sound was marked by the striking vocal harmonies of ex-folk singer George Edwards and the classically trained Dave Michaels. In addition, Michaels' multi-instrumentalist abilities on organ, piano, harpsichord, clarinet and recorder provided the band with a richer sonic palette than many of their contemporaries.


The band was signed to Philips Records in 1967 and released its first single, "Anyway That You Want Me", in the early part of that year. Their first album, H. P. Lovecraft, followed in late 1967 and included what is arguably the band's best-known song, "The White Ship". The band then relocated to San Francisco, California, where they became a frequent attraction at various San Francisco Bay Area venues, including The Fillmore and the Winterland Ballroom. In 1968, a second album, H. P. Lovecraft II, appeared, but the group disbanded in early 1969.


Edwards and fellow original member Michael Tegza subsequently formed a new line-up of the band with the shortened name of Lovecraft, although Edwards left this new group before the first album was recorded. This second incarnation of the band released the Valley of the Moon album in 1970 and, after a further name change to Love Craft, the We Love You Whoever You Are album in 1975.

H.P.LOVECRAFT I. 1967


In late 1967, the band recorded and released their debut album for Philips, H. P. Lovecraft. A cover of the traditional song "Wayfaring Stranger" was issued just ahead of the album as a single in September
1967, but it failed to chart. The album itself was released some weeks later and although it also failed to reach the U.S. charts, it sold reasonably well over time.
Featuring a nine-piece orchestra and songs that exhibited a wide-ranging stylistic variety, H. P. Lovecraft was possessed of a haunting, eerie ambiance that lived up to the band's intention of making music inspired by H. P. Lovecraft's "macabre tales and poems of Earth populated by another race" (to quote the LP's back cover). While the album did include a smattering of self-penned material, including the jazzy "That's How Much I Love You, Baby (More or Less)" and the vaudeville psychedelia of "The Time Machine", the majority of H. P. Lovecraft consisted of cover versions.


Among these covers were Dino Valente's hippie anthem "Get Together", Randy Newman's "I've Been Wrong Before", Travis Edmonson's "The Drifter", and the Fred Neil compositions "That's The Bag I'm In" and "Country Boy & Bleeker Street". The centerpiece of the album, however, was the Edwards—Michaels—Cavallari composition "The White Ship", which was based on author H. P. Lovecraft's short story "The White Ship".

The six-and-a-half-minute opus, which featured baroque harpsichord passages, droning feedback, somber harmonies, and the chiming of a genuine 1811 ship's bell, has been described by music
historian Richie Unterberger as having a "wavering, foggy beauty, with some of Michaels' eeriest keyboards." The song became something of an underground FM radio favorite and was also issued in an edited form as a single, although it failed to reach the Billboard Hot 100.

This is one of the best second-division psychedelic albums, with strong material that shows the immediately identifiable Edwards-Michaels vocal tandem at its best. According to the LP notes, the songs were largely inspired by novelist H.P. Lovecraft's "macabre tales and poems of Earth populated by another race." It's more haunting than gloomy, though, with deft touches of folk, jazz, and horns. 

TRACKS

01. Wayfaring Stranger (traditional, arranged by George Edwards) – 2:35
02. Let's Get Together (Chet Powers) – 4:35
03. I've Been Wrong Before (Randy Newman) – 2:46
04. The Drifter (Travis Edmonson) – 4:11
05. That's The Bag I'm In (Fred Neil) – 1:46
06. The White Ship (George Edwards, Dave Michaels, Tony Cavallari) – 6:33
07. Country Boy & Bleeker Street (Fred Neil) – 2:35
08. The Time Machine (George Edwards, Dave Michaels) – 2:05
09. That's How Much I Love You, Baby (More or Less) (George Edwards, Dave Michaels, Tony Cavallari) – 3:55
10. Gloria Patria (traditional, arranged by George Edwards, Dave Michaels) – 0:27

MUSICIANS

George Edwards – vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, guitarrón, bass
Dave Michaels – vocals, organ, piano, harpsichord, clarinet, recorder
Jerry McGeorge – bass, vocals
Tony Cavallari – lead guitar, vocals
Michael Tegza – drums, percussion, timpani, vocals

Additional musicians

Bill Traut – bells, percussion
Len Druss – piccolo flute, English horn, saxophones
Jack Henningbaum, Paul Tervelt – French horn
Bill Traub – reeds
Herb Weiss, Ralph Craig – trombone
Clyde Bachand – tuba
Eddie Higgins – vibraphone, horn arrangements

H.P.LOVECRAFT II. 1968



Eight weeks after the group's relocation, bassist Jerry McGeorge made his final appearance with H. P. Lovecraft at the Los Angeles Kaleidoscope on April 12–14, 1968. He was replaced by Jeffrey Boyan, who had previously been a member of the Chicago band Saturday's Children.



Critic Jeff Jarema has noted that Boyan was an accomplished bass player with a strong singing voice The band subsequently played West Coast concerts with the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and Moby Grape, as well as with touring British bands such as Pink Floyd and The Who. The band's prowess and imagination as a live act during this period can be heard on the Live May 11, 1968 album. The live album, which, according to critic Ned Raggett, boasts "one of the best live recording qualities" for the period, was released in 1991 by Sundazed Records (Edsel Records in the UK) and was reissued in 2000.
and that his addition to the band improved their abilities as a live act considerably.



In June 1968, H. P. Lovecraft decamped to I.D. Sound Studios in Los Angeles with engineer Chris Huston to record their second album. Due to the intensive touring that the band had undertaken during the first half of 1968, there was a lack of properly arranged new material and consequently much of the album was improvised in the studio. Huston was pivotal in enabling the underprepared band to complete the recording sessions and was also responsible for creating many of the album's psychedelic sound effects.


The album was released as H. P. Lovecraft II in September 1968, and, although it was less focused than its predecessor, it managed to successfully expand on the musical approach of the band's first album. Among its nine tracks, the album included "At the Mountains of Madness", another song based on the works of the author H. P. Lovecraft (this time his 1931 novella At the Mountains of Madness).


The album also included a cover of Brewer & Shipley's "Keeper of the Keys", the Edwards-penned tracks "Electrollentando" and "Mobius Trip", a contribution from voice artist Ken Nordine, on the track "Nothing's Boy", and two songs written by Edwards' friend Terry Callier: "Spin, Spin, Spin" and "It's About Time". Like the band's first album, H. P. Lovecraft II failed to sell in sufficient quantities to reach the U.S. charts.


Masterpiece follow-up to their debut! One of few albums which I have rated 5 stars that contains
mostly covers on it but the songs and Psych sounds are some of the best from the 60s!
An absolute classic! And a real shame that this album gets ignored by anyone that throws together their "Classic Psych" albums lists. I see that Allmusic also doesn't even have a review on this one, either. At the mountains of madness and Mobius Trip are enough to put anyone in Psych heaven! This album is classic from start to finish. People have to listen to this one...


Michaels decided to leave the band in late 1968, to return to university, and as a result, H. P. Lovecraft effectively collapsed in early 1969, with Tegza joining the band Bangor Flying Circus. A
successor group, Lovecraft, was formed in 1969 and included Edwards and Tegza from the original line-up, although Edwards departed from the group soon after its formation. Edwards has subsequently undertaken production work and played in folk clubs under his real name Ethan Kenning, occasionally reuniting with Michaels, who records and performs under his real name David Miotke.


TRACKS

11. Spin, Spin, Spin (Kent Foreman) – 3:21
12. It's About Time (Kent Foreman, Lydia Wood) – 5:17
13. Blue Jack of Diaonds (Jeff Boyan) – 3:08
14. Electrallentando (George Edwards) – 6:34
15. At the Mountains of Madness (George Edwards, Dave Michaels, Tony Cavallari) – 4:57
16. Mobius Trip (George Edwards) – 2:44
17. High Flying Bird (Billy Ed Wheeler) – 3:21
18. Nothing's Boy (Ken Nordine) – 0:39
19. Keeper of the Keys (Mike Brewer, Tom Shipley) – 3:05

BONUS TRACKS

20. Anyway That You Want Me (Taylor) (Mercury Single 40464)
21. It's All Over For You (H.P.Lovecraft) (Mercury Single 40464)

"Anyway That You Want Me" was coupled with "It's All Over for You", a George Edwards solo
outtake from the previous year, and released as a single under the moniker of H. P. Lovecraft in early 1967 by the Mercury Records' subsidiary Philips. The decision to release the single as H. P. Lovecraft, rather than as a George Edwards solo release, was made by Dunwich founders Bill Traut and George Badonsky, who were both fans of the literary works of horror writer H. P. Lovecraft and had, in fact, named Dunwich Records after Lovecraft's short story "The Dunwich Horror". Edwards and Michaels were both enthusiastic about the band name and after permission from Lovecraft's estate was secured, the duo set about recruiting other musicians to form a permanent line-up of the band.

MUSICIANS

George Edwards – vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass
Dave Michaels – vocals, keyboards
Tony Cavallari – lead guitar, vocals
Jeff Boyan – bass, vocals
Michael Tegza – drums, percussion, vocals

ALBUMS

H. P. Lovecraft (1967)
H. P. Lovecraft II (1968)
Valley of the Moon [as Lovecraft] (1970)
We Love You Whoever You Are [as Love Craft] (1975)
Live May 11, 1968 [live recordings] (1991)

COMPILATIONS

At the Mountains of Madness (1988)
H. P. Lovecraft/H. P. Lovecraft II (1997)
Two Classic Albums from H. P. Lovecraft: H. P. Lovecraft/H. P. Lovecraft II (2000)
Dreams in the Witch House: The Complete Philips Recordings (2005)

THE WHITE SHIP     LYRICS


"The White Ship" is a horror short story by American writer H. P. Lovecraft. It was first published in The United Amateur (Volume 19) #2, November 1919, and later appeared in the March 1927 issue of Weird Tales.

The white ship has sailed and left me here again
Out in the mist, I was so near again
Sailing on the sea of dreams
How far away it seems
Sailing upon the white ship

Home through the night here in my darkened room
Sails of white across the misty moon
Floating across the sky
Burning into my eye
Sailing upon the white ship


Out of my mind nothing flows
Alone on the shore, but that's how it goes
Everyone knows
How the wind blows
The white ship


Out of my mind nothing flows
Alone on the shore, but that's how it goes
Everyone knows
How the wind blows
The white ship

The white ship has sailed and left me here again
Out in the mist, I was so near again
Sailing on the sea of dreams
How far away it seems
Sailing upon the white ship
Sailing upon the white ship
Sailing upon the white ship


Thursday, June 18, 2020

Wasted Youth: Wild And Wandering 1981



Wasted Youth were a dark-wave/post-punk band from London, England, active between 1979 and 1982, which blended early Goth and post-punk with dark acoustic strains of the sort associated with Nick Drake and Syd Barrett. The line-up of the band was Ken Scott (vocals and guitar), Rocco Barker (guitar), Nick Nicole (synth), Darren Murphy (bass) and Andy Scott (drums). Their records were released through Bridgehouse Records, a label set up by the bass player's father, former boxer Terry Murphy.


Wasted Youth emerged from the Plaistow power pop trio The Tickets who were fronted by Ken Scott with brother Andy on Drums and John McGeady on bass.


Rocco Barker went on to form the band Flesh for Lulu and was in the Channel 4 show, A Place in Spain: Costa Chaos.
The band's bassist, Darren Murphy, died of cancer on 15 February 2012.


Wasted Youth were arguably the greatest ”Ëœlost’ London band of the post-punk years. Rarely mentioned, if at all, in the era’s music history books, they were heavily influenced by the dark narcotic glamour of the Velvets, the Doors and Transformer-era Lou Reed. The Only Ones Peter Perrett produced them, as did Martin Hannett.


They were hugely popular as the Eighties dawned with punks looking for something more sexy and sophisticated and looked set to become much more than the cult band they became. They pre-dated Positive Punk and Goth and are still remembered as quietly-influential and a superb live band by fans.


The stunning debut album by one of the most underrated U.K. bands of their age, ‘Wild and Wandering’ was released in the wake of three singles, each of which threatened to lift the band to new heights but all of which, ultimately, served as nothing more than a dress rehearsal for guitarist Rocco’s next band Flesh for Lulu.


Darkly atmospheric, but lavished with pop hooks and imagery, its nine songs are a haunted, haunting melange of urban savagery and decadent decay, the passion of the Velvet Underground shot through the energies of punk in a way that more po-faced wanderers down that same path (Echo & the Bunnymen, Joy Division) could never have imagined.


Hindsight may pinpoint the likes of the Cure and Bauhaus within its textures, but that is forgetting that Wasted Youth were feared contemporaries of both, so who really lifted that drum pattern…that vocal inflexion…that guitar riff…from whom?

TRACKS

01. Maybe We´ll Die     7:25
02. Housewife     2:55
03. Games     3:42
04. Pinned And Grinning     3:22
05. Wasted     4:39
06. I Wish I Was A Girl     5:43
07. If Tomorrow     5:44
08. Survivors - Pt. 1     2:08
09. Survivors - Pt. 2     8:08
10. ...    0:10


Credits

Bass Guitar – Darren Murphy
Drums, Percussion, Vocals – Andy Scott
Guitar, Noises [White Noise] – Rocco
Keyboards – Nick Nicole
Vocals, Guitar – Ken Scott
Written-By – A Scott (tracks: 2), K Scott (tracks: 2, 3, 7, 8), Wasted Youth  (tracks: 1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 to 14)

Thursday, June 11, 2020

All Them Witches: Our Mother Electricity 2012 + Extra Pleasant 2013 + Lightning At The Door 2013


Although "All Them Witches" are often called a Nashville band, guitarist Ben McLeod is the only one of the four members – McLeod, singer/bassist Charles Michael Parks Jr, drummer Robby Staebler and keyboard player Allan Van Cleave – who actually lives there. “We started here, but really we’re an American band,” says Parks. “Like Grand Funk.”


All Them Witches' debut album "Our Mother Electricity" was released in 2012 from Elektrohasch.
Soon after came their EP, "Extra Pleasant", which was recorded with two microphones directly to a 4 track cassette tape recorder. In 2013, the band's second studio album, "Lightning at the Door", was originally self-released via their own Bandcamp page, and later marketed by Tone Tree Music. "Lightning At The Door" was re-released in 2016 by their new label, New West Records, who they signed to in summer 2015. In February 2015, the band released the official live album "At The Garage".


Later in the year, they self-released their third studio album "Dying Surfer Meets His Maker", which was recorded in six days in a remote cabin in Tennessee. Their fourth studio album "Sleeping Through the War" was released in February 2017 on New West Records.[9] On May 3, 2018 it was announced that Jonathan Draper was replacing Allan Van Cleave on keyboards. In an interview at Download Festival 2018, Ben and Robby made clear that the change was permanent and that Allan had left the band. In October 2018, Parks announced that the band would continue as a three piece without Draper.


Despite the band’s name, don’t expect pentagrams, bloody sacrifices and the like.
The name was inspired by a book in the 1968 horror/thriller film Rosemary’s Baby. And in the same way that Black Sabbath attracted lunatic-fringe dwellers, All Them Witches occasionally find themselves meeting occult-ish fans.
“In Germany there was this super-tall, intense-looking guy waiting patiently to meet us after a show,” Parks says. “Finally, his turn came, and he said, in total seriousness: ‘Hi. When did you first meet Satan?’ And I said: ‘Um… I think you’ve got us wrong.’ He thought we were devil worshippers.”

OUR MOTHER ELECTRICITY  2012


[Curtis Oxley

An obvious first album from a band sounding like they are on their way to finding their footing. It starts out with the insta-classic "Heavy Like A Witch" a riff fueled rocking good time that is no doubt
the best song on the album. The two vocalists Rob and Ben do a great job sharing the mic (Ben doesn't sing much after this first album but, I liked his voice I think he should do back up more often) The 2nd track is a southern rock driven slide guitar jam it's good. After that it's what I would call three filler tracks nothing special with them and the lyrics are kinda just aimless. Then it's the 2nd masterpiece of the album Elk.Blood.Heart oh man this track is so good it's a must listen. Easy, is what I would consider another standout track a very dreamy guitar with some haunting vocals just a memorable song.


Overall a good debut but, obvious that they were trying to find their footing leading up to the masterpiece that is Lightning At The Door ]

[The Obelisk

All Them Witches earn immediate distinction for being the first American band signed to German heavy psych purveyors Elektrohasch Schallplatten. Endorsement from the label of Colour Haze
guitarist/vocalist Stefan Koglek, which has released albums from My Sleeping Karma, Sungrazer, Rotor, Been Obscene and The Machine – essentially casting the blueprint by which a goodly portion of the up and coming European scene is built – goes a long way in my book, and the feat is even more impressive when one considers that the Nashville four-piece’s debut full-length, Our Mother Electricity (produced by the band with Andy Putnam), sounds so distinctly American. They’re not the first to use the wordplay, but in calling their approach “psychedelta rock,” neither are All Them Witches inaccurate.
Swampy blues is definitely a major element in what they do, but along with that and the heavy psych aspect to their sound, there’s also a dynamic sense
of Americana in the songwriting, taking hold either in the twang of centerpiece “Elk Blood Heart” or the countrified moaning and Skynyrd solo bursting out of closer “Right Hand.” Our Mother Electricity was originally released by the band last summer, and along with the bonus cut, the Elektrohasch version also boasts new artwork courtesy of Mat Bethancourt (Cherry Choke, ex-Josiah) and a new mastering job. Among the album’s central appeals is the fact that it never actually seems at rest, and through the 45-minute duration, All Them Witches show little interest in telegraphing their next move. To wit, the shift
from eight-and-a-half-minute jam “Until it Unwinds” – the title perhaps referencing the tape on which the song was recorded – moving into the quiet, desert-hued soul of “Easy.” It’s just one of several complicated transitions All Them Witches pull off with what can only be called swagger, guitarist Ben McLeod and bassist Michael Parks trading vocal lines and frequently layering one voice on the other. On the album, the band is completed by drummer Robby Staebler and keyboardist Allan Van Cleave (Jason Staebler has since joined, presumably on second guitar), and in the natural, unfolding process of these tracks, no single contribution to the whole is inconsiderable. Vocals start opener “Heavy Like a Witch” sounding almost like a harmonica, and with a fuzzy guitar, the song is gradually introduced as a fitting opener for Our Mother Electricity in balancing heaviness and a rural sensibility.]

TRACKS

01. Heavy Like A Witch     5:48
02. The Urn     3:37
03. Bloodhounds     3:31
04. Guns     4:25
05. Elk.Blood.Heart     5:52
06. Until It Unwinds     8:33
07. Easy     4:11
08. Family Song For The Leaving  3:45
09. Right Hand     5:53

MP3 @ 320 Size: 109 MB
Flac  Size: 324 MB

MUSICIANS

Bass, Vocals, Acoustic Guitar – Michael Parks Jr.
Drums, Percussion – Robby Staebler
Guitar, Vocals – Ben McLeod
Keyboards [Keys] – Allan Van Cleave 


Extended Play (EP) (2013, pre Lightning At the Door)
EXTRA PLEASANT 2013


TRACKS

01. Salesman
02. Robby's Jam
03. Sludger
04. Swallowed By The Sea

LIGHTNING AT THE DOOR 2013


[curtis oxley

What are the words to say? This album is a masterpiece of its era, simple as that. In this day of age when electronics and over production kills the vibe and the flow the music gets buried somewhere
between a computer. This album is raw, its loud, and most of all it's plain ol' good rock and roll. A modern Doom classic that will no doubt be played and remembered for years to come. Future adventurers who dwell into past albums one day will dig this treasure up and it will be a success the same way Neutral Milk Hotel wasn't known until a decade after their masterpiece.


The album flows so nicely the creepy introduction settings this mystical tone and soon as you hear the doomy riff come in you know you are in for some deep mysterious lyrics and beautiful sounds of music. The 2nd track: When God Comes Back is no doubt the highlight for me. The album has no bad tracks, no slow downs it's a pleasant ride through out. If you are in for a mysterious rockin' good time this is a must hear. Any fans of real music, any fans of rock I beg of you, you must listen to this future classic. ]


Nashville four-piece All Them Witches released their second album, Lightning at the Door, last November via Bandcamp. No promotion to speak of other than a posted link, no real advance warning, just there it was. The record’s 45 minutes became something of an underground sensation,
word of mouth and type of finger alike singing the praises of All Them Witches‘ original take on psychedelic blues, heavy riffing and stylized soul. Myself included. Lightning at the Door, which followed an earlier-2013 issue of their debut offering, Our Mother Electricity (review here), that made them the first American band to have their music released via Elektrohasch Schallplatten, was easily among last year’s highlight releases, and it warrants and deserves the physical pressing and proper “official” release the band has now given it.

It is a stunning work in its clarity of aesthetic and in its songcraft, resulting in eight memorable
tracks each distinguished by one part or another but all feeding into a complete, overarching whole that’s immersive, sprawling and the influence of which has already begun to be felt and, one suspects, will continue to be felt for some time. Reveling in both the individual contributions of guitarist Ben McLeod, bassist/vocalist Michael Parks, Jr., drummer Robby Staebler and Fender Rhodes specialist Allan Van Cleave and the chemistry between all of them, Lightning at the Door satisfies in its progressive sensibility and its atmosphere even as it sounds humble, raw and working directly in opposition to self-indulgent impulses. This sounds like hyperbole, but let it stand that whatever they do next — a 25-minute single-song jam called “Effervescent” (review here) has been issued since — to call it a landmark does not at this point feel like an overstatement.

That lack of pretense is one of Lightning at the Door‘s defining characteristics and one of its great strengths.
The album has already met with success in raising All Them Witches‘ profile — they’re beginning to make a statement as a touring act as well, having just finished a round of dates with Windhand — but more crucially, it signifies the individualized approach coming to the fore from these players and serves notice of their potential to continue to build on it, much as it builds on Our Mother Electricity. Again, whatever they do next, whatever changes are bound to take place, wherever they go and wherever they take their sound along the way, Lightning at the Door will remain a special moment, the urgency in the creation of which bleeds through its every measure.



[The Grim Tower

All Them Witches – Lightning At The Door – All Them Witches are a bunch of psych-rockers from Nashville and they really got me rolling with this sophomore record. It’s not metal, it’s not blaringly heavy and it’s certainly not extreme. But if you want to sit down and take a break from all that, then
All Them Witches make some great music to chill out to. “Funeral For A Great Drunken Bird 4:31” reminds me of a dirtier, but younger Pink Floyd with the spoken word vocals really pumping up the atmosphere created by the acid trip of instruments. Before you listen to this record any further, you might just want to take a hit of LSD, or some DMT if you can acquire it. “When God Comes Back 3:40” throws in the groove, making me think a little bit of King Crimson’s “21st Century Schizoid Man” while giving me an appreciation for the blues as well as some other modern nuances they’ve got playing here. Is that Queens Of The Stone Age or Kyuss? I can’t really tell, but it sounds great.

“The Marriage Of Coyote Woman 6:00” is another well done track, which brings in a lounge atmosphere, where I’m smelling cigarette smoke,
perfume and a variety of cologne. Everyone here looks like they’re waiting to go home with someone else, and they’re not going to go home until they do. “Swallowed By The Sea 8:37” sounds a bit ritualistic in the beginning, but then it just drives right into experimental structures that serve more as a “just shut up and listen to it” sort of atmosphere. It brings you back to the old days when we didn’t have to catalog every new sound and just soaked in the music as it was.

There really aren’t any lyrics to this one, but who needs them? If you’re not already in the astral plane by now, then you’re doing something wrong. “Charles William 5:54” brings back the blues, making for a good indie soundtrack to a flick that hasn’t come out yet. “The Death Of Coyote Woman 8:27” has a few sets of lyrics to them. but by the time you even get that far, you’re probably seeing the words appear in the air as you reach out to grab them. When you try to taste the words, you realize they have a texture kind of like a marshmallow or a tuft of cotton. But you keep eating, because the words taste so good. Then you try to go after the musical notes… red ones, blue ones, green ones, pink ones… You just keep stuffing them in your mouth.


The music itself becomes edible, as you soak it in through all of your senses. You can touch it, you can feel it, you can taste it, you can smell it – and it smells quite fragrant. But most of all, you can hear it.
As the trip comes to a close, you’re invited into a little folk ritual called “Romany Dagger 2:51” and every bit of it is a dance. Then “Mountain 6:28” comes in, with a much somber feeling that works as a cool down after such an adventurous listen as this one was. But the guys manage to flex one more muscle before the whole thing is said and done. Not too shabby!
Without saying much more, it’s safe to say that All Them Witches definitely hit the mark when it comes to good old trippy rock. Grab some mind-opening stuff and put this one on. It’s a journey that you’ll keep coming to for quite a while. I wonder if their previous record, Our Mother Electricity was this good. You might want to go grab that one too, because signs seem to point to yes.]


On May 3, 2018 it was announced that Jonathan Draper was replacing Allan Van Cleave on keyboards. In an interview at Download Festival 2018, Ben and Robby made clear that the change was permanent and that Allan had left the band. In October 2018, Parks announced that the band would continue as a three piece without Draper.

TRACKS



01. Funeral For A Great Drunken Bird 04:23   
02. When God Comes Back 03:33   
03. The Marriage Of Coyote Woman 05:4   
04. Swallowed By The Sea 08:22   
05. Charles William 05:45   
06. The Death Of Coyote Woman 08:12   
07. Romany Dagger 02:46