Acid Baby Jesus: Discography (3 Albums) 2011 - 2017

 

Garage Rock/ Psychedelic Rock band formed in March 2009 in Athens, Greece by young friends Noda Pappas, Otto Mentis (departed 2014), Markos Mazarakis and Tili Stronis.
             

Acid Baby Jesus signed with Slovenly Recordings in 2010. In 2011-2013 they toured North America

with 'Hellshovel' (featuring Jeff Clarke of 'Demon's Claws'). In 2014 they recruited Hellshovel’s Dox Grillo on guitar and in 2015 they toured Australia, Japan and Singapore. They released their third LP on Fuzz Club Records in 2017, performing in Europe in 2017 and 2019.
Their style merges various influences from Greece’s folk music roots, to western psychedelic pop, rock n roll and country, all expressed with a sultry 60s swagger.
                    

Their influences include great and not-so-great "masters", aka The Beatles and The Rolling Stones,

various others such as the Velvet Underground, the Sonics and Joe Meek and reach the sound of rebetik, composing a unique patchwork of sounds that is reflected in the specificity of their music. Their sound has something psychedelic and at times otherworldly, a mixture of instruments that you touch hedonistically and with too much enthusiasm and screaming voices driven by a youthful madness, along with a heavy dose of magic.
                      

The first live takes place in Thessaloniki and then in Skopje. In the fall of 2011 they took part in a festival in Sardinia which turned out to be their lucky one. There they meet Pete Menchetti, an

American, who owns the record company Slovenly Recordings. He offers them cooperation. Accept. They start. And from that point on, the live shows intensify. Single appearances turn into tours. At first in Europe, then in America, even in Israel. By the spring of 2012, they already have several tours in Europe and three in America.
                 

What’s impressive about this psych-garage band from Athens, Greece, is that apart from the overall

psychedelic backbone there is a lot of richness to their sound. Acid Baby Jesus prove this while juggling with oriental/Mediterranean flair, the hazy landscape of ‘60s psych pop and the frenetic rock n’ roll hedonism; if you add to that the electrifying production… there! This is the reason they have been championed so highly in the European scene and performed almost everywhere in the world (just think that in 2017 they toured Europe for the tenth time).
                   

A break of about a year follows and the quartet returns, with a difference in composition. The place of Othon - who in the meantime became a farmer taking care of cacti and almonds with too much love and

naturalism - has been taken by Dale, a Canadian guitarist, who lives permanently in Berlin, playing music with two other bands and touring the world.
In the present, the ABJs have just returned from a tour of Northern Europe. So far they have released one cassette, two 7-track vinyls and two records, the first in 2011 and the second a few days ago. They mainly record by themselves but also with the help of recording friends.
                       

Conventional in their basic rock ’n’ roll foundation, the tracks are steeped in layers of organ, Jew's

harp, bongos, gongs, and a nice assortment of other instruments of the onomatopoeic persuasion. This use of eclectic instruments and minimal lyrics packed with mythical and literary allusion create an atmospheric sound that is authentic to Acid Baby Jesus, who manage to avoid the echo box and lava lamp cliches of the brand of "psych" that is omnipresent on the scene today. They have toured extensively across Europe, America, Asia and Australia.
                     

Οι επιρροές τους περιλαμβάνουν μεγάλους και μη εξαιρετέους “δασκάλους”, aka The Beatles και The Rolling Stones, διάφορους άλλους όπως τους Velvet Underground, τους Sonics και τον Joe Meek και

φτάνουν μέχρι το ήχο του ρεμπέτικου, συνθέτοντας ένα μοναδικό patchwork ακουσμάτων που αποτυπώνεται στην ιδιαιτερότητα της μουσικής τους. Ο ήχος τους έχει κάτι ψυχεδελικό και πολλές φορές απόκοσμο, είναι ένα μείγμα από όργανα που τα αγγίζεις ηδονιστικά και με περίσσιο ενθουσιασμό και φωνές που κραυγάζουν οδηγούμενες από μια νεανική τρέλα, μαζί με μπόλικη δόση μαγείας.
                     

Το πρώτο live γίνεται στη Θεσσαλονίκη και μετά στα Σκόπια. Το φθινόπωρο του 2011 παίρνουν μέρος σε ένα φεστιβάλ στη Σαρδηνία το οποίο από ότι αποδείχθηκε ήταν το τυχερό τους. Εκεί γνωρίζουν τον

Pete Menchetti, Αμερικάνο, ο οποίος έχει την δισκογραφική εταιρεία Slovenly Recordings. Τους προτείνει συνεργασία. Δέχονται. Ξεκινάνε. Και από εκείνο το σημείο πυκνώνουν τα live. Από μεμονωμένες εμφανίσεις γίνονται περιοδείες. Στην αρχή στην Ευρώπη, μετά στην Αμερική, μέχρι και στο Ισραήλ. Μέχρι την άνοιξη του 2012 μετράνε ήδη πολλές περιοδείες στην Ευρώπη και τρεις στην Αμερική.
                                  

Ακολουθεί διάλειμμα ενός περίπου χρόνου και η τετράδα επανέρχεται, με μια διαφορά στη σύνθεση. Τη θέση του Όθωνα – ο οποίος εν τω μεταξύ έγινε αγρότης φροντίζοντας με περίσσεια αγάπη και

φυσιολατρία κάκτους και αμύγδαλα- έχει πάρει ο Dale, Καναδός κιθαρίστας, ο οποίος μένει μόνιμα στο Βερολίνο, παίζοντας μουσική με άλλες δύο μπάντες και γυρίζοντας τον κόσμο.
Στο τώρα, οι ABJs μόλις επέστρεψαν από μια περιοδεία στην Βόρεια Ευρώπη. Μέχρι στιγμής έχουν κυκλοφορήσει μία κασέτα, δύο 7άρια βινύλια και δύο δίσκους, τον πρώτο το 2011 και τον δέυτερο πριν λίγες μέρες. Ηχογραφούν κυρίως μόνοι τους αλλά και με την βοήθεια φίλων ηχοληπτών.
                   

Συμβατικά στη βασική τους βάση του rock 'n' roll, τα κομμάτια είναι γεμάτα με στρώσεις οργάνου, εβραϊκής άρπας, μπόνγκο, γκονγκ και μια ωραία ποικιλία από άλλα όργανα της ονοματοποιητικής

πειθούς. Αυτή η χρήση εκλεκτικών οργάνων και ελάχιστοι στίχοι γεμάτοι μυθικές και λογοτεχνικές νύξεις δημιουργούν έναν ατμοσφαιρικό ήχο που είναι αυθεντικός για τους Acid Baby Jesus, οι οποίοι καταφέρνουν να αποφύγουν τα κλισέ echo box και τη λάμπα λάβας της μάρκας "psych" που είναι πανταχού παρούσα στη σκηνή. σήμερα. Η αληθινή ψυχεδέλεια αφθονεί σε μια παράσταση των Acid Baby Jesus.

KABOOM (https://kaboomzine.gr/acid-baby-jesus/)

ALBUMS

                   

Acid baby Jesus (Cassette, Album) Not On Label 2010
Acid Baby Jesus LP  (Slovenly Recordings) 2011
Selected Recordings (Slovenly Recordings) 2014
Lilac Days (Fuzz Club Records) 2017

MEMBERS

Noda Pappa (vocals, guitar),
Tili Stronis (bass),
Markos Mazarakis (drums),
Otto Mentis (guitar, 2009-13),
Dale MacDonald (guitar, 2014-present)

1. ACID BABY JESUS - ACID BABY JESUS LP  2011

                        

Really, really good fried-outta-yr-mind psych-punk from Athens, Greece. I don't really know what else to say about it other than tons of bands are doing this style (Black Lips, Thee Oh Sees, etc.), but I was still pleasantly surprised at how well Acid Baby Jesus do it. The best garage rock record of 2011, without any doubt! An impressive mix of psychedelic garage rock Black Lips-style, which sounds raw and pop at the same time!
Fucking brilliant!!!
                            

Acid Baby Jesus – Acid Baby Jesus
Label: Slovenly Recordings – 702-111, Slovenly Recordings – 702111
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 2011
Genre: Rock
Style: Garage Rock, Psychedelic Rock

SIDE A.

                        

A1. Tomboy    2:28
A2. Android Robot    2:22
A3. Fingerpainting    2:04
A4. Tyrannosaurus Rex    2:36
A5. Mesmerized    3:12
A6. Why Aren't You Laughing Now?    1:58
A7. Old Fart    2:24

SIDE B.

                         

B1. Tooth To Toe    3:32
B2. Homo Sapiens    3:19
B3. Oh, Aurelia    2:26
B4. I'm A Baby    2:04
B5. Horse    3:47
B6. You Had It Coming    2:17

Recorded at Katarameno Syndromo Athens, Greece in March / July 2011.
Mixed At – Kiwi Sound Studio
Lacquer Cut At – Prairie Cat Mastering
Lacquer Cut By – MJR
Mixed By – Nikos Lavdas
Recorded By – John Vulgaris

MP3 @ 320 SIZE: 87 MB
FLAC  SIZE: 256 MB

2. ACID BABY JESUS - SELECTED RECORDINGS  2014

                      

Deeper and deeper into the sonic soil they burrow, harvesting fresh, organic ingredients for their psychedelic salad… ACID BABY JESUS returns unbruised from a dirty rumor or two of their expiration. Slovenly Recordings has clipped nary a coupon and once again presents a tasty plate of our heaviest lysergic recipe. Drenched in a complex dressing of luxurious Mediterranean flavours, this new "Seleted Recordings", provides just enough nutrition to keep you satisfied, but never full.

Acid Baby Jesus – Selected Recordings
Label: Slovenly Recordings – 702-155
Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: Nov 18, 2014
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock

TRAXS

                       

01. Diogenes   4:29
Bass – M. Mazarakis
Organ [Hammond] – T. Stronis
Percussion, Drums – C. Chondropoulos
Songwriter – Acid Baby Jesus
02. Row By Row    3:36
Bass – M. Mazarakis
Organ [Hammond] – T. Stronis
Songwriter – Acid Baby Jesus, Dox Grillo
Synthesizer [Korg Ms-10] – M. Theodoropoulos
03. Night Of Pan   3:30   
Bass – N. Pappas
Songwriter – Acid Baby Jesus
Synthesizer [Pro-One] – M. Mazarakis
04. Ayahuasca Blues (Unmanned Drone)   4:05
Organ [Hammond] – T. Stronis
Percussion – C. Chondropoulos
Songwriter – Acid Baby Jesus
Tambora [Tanpura] – M. Salahari
05. Who's First   2:21
Bass – M. Mazarakis
Songwriter – Acid Baby Jesus
Synthesizer [Korg Ms-10] – N. Lavdas
Synthesizer [Pro-One] – N. Pappas
06. Vegetable   2:42
Percussion – C. Chondropoulos
Songwriter – Acid Baby Jesus
07. Trouble Maker   3:29
Saxophone – S. Marteau
Songwriter – Chrissy Zebby Tembo, Ngozi Family
08. I'm Becoming A Man   3:28
Organ [Hammond] – T. Stronis
Songwriter – Acid Baby Jesus
Synthesizer [Juno 6] – M. Mazarakis, N. Pappas
09. Omonia   2:45
Percussion – C. Chondropoulos
Songwriter – Acid Baby Jesus
10. You & Me   2:42
Mellotron, Bass – M. Mazarakis
Recorder, Percussion – N. Pappas
Songwriter – Acid Baby Jesus
11. All Of Your Love   2:49
Harp [Mouth] – O. Mentis
Pedal Steel Guitar – M. Moschoutis
Songwriter – Acid Baby Jesus
Synthesizer [Pro-One] – N. Pappas
Synthesizer [Pro-One], Bass – M. Mazarakis

LINE - UP

Bass – T. Stronis
Drums, Percussion – N. Baskozos
Guitar, Percussion – O. Mentis
Guitar, Vocals – N. Pappas
Lacquer Cut By – Kr
Mastered By – Emanuele Baratto (tracks: A1), Nikos Lavdas (tracks: A2 to B6)
Organ, Drums, Vocals, Percussion – M. Mazarakis
Recorded By, Mixed By – Acid Baby Jesus, Nikos Lavdas

MP3 @ 320 SIZE: 88 MB
FLAC  SIZE: 332 MB

3. ACID BABY JESUS - LILAC DAYS  2017

                   

After two official albums, LP (2011) and Selected Recordings (2014), and several EPs, ABJ released in 2017 their third and latest album, Lilac Days – their first on Fuzz Club Records. Though it’s much more pop and lighter than their previous recordings, it explores the same dimensions with lots of spacey mind-melting sounds. On the whole, ABJ’s music is a paradigm of effortless and somehow raw perfection: a well-molded melange of melody, diverse turns and twists, accessibility and complexity; all at once. They go for a more psychedelic pop/rock sound. And it also sounds great.
                      

Acid Baby Jesus – Lilac Days
Label: Fuzz Club Records – FC71CD
Format: CD, Album
Country: UK
Released: Sep 29, 2017
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock, Garage Rock

TRAXS

                              

01. Lilac Days    3:24
02. Faces Of Janus    3:24
03. No Such Thing As Twice    2:03
04. Down The Ley Lines    3:25
05. Me & Panormita    3:52
06. Birth    4:17
07. Guide Us In    2:47
08. Vile Man    4:13
09. Love Has Left My House Today    5:31

LINE - UP

Bass, Vocals, Keyboards – Tilemachos Stronis
Composed By – Acid Baby Jesus, Xanthos Papanikolaou (tracks: 1)
Drums, Vocals, Keyboards – Markos Mazarakis
Guitar, Vocals – Dale MacDonald
Guitar, Vocals, Keyboards – Noda Pappas
Percussion – Kostadis Michail
Trombone – Jason Liebert
Trumpet – Fabian Engwicht

MP3 @ 320 SIZE: 80 MB
Flac SIZE: 219 MB

A friend of mine gave to me these 2 "7' EPs in MP3

1. HOSPITALS     (Vinyl 7", EP)  2011

                        

A1. Hospitals    2:36
A2. It's On Me    1:53
B1.  Losing It  3:06

MP3 @ 320 SIZE: 22 MB

2. VEGETABLE (Vinyl, 7", EP, Limited Edition)  Sep 9, 2014

                     

A. Vegetable    2:42
B. Brain Damage In Athens City    2:57

MP3 @ 320 SIZE: 19 MB

Various - '60s Psychedelic Folk Woodstock & Sunset Trip 2012

 

Psychedelic rock is a rock music genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelic

culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound effects and recording techniques, extended instrumental solos, and improvisation. Many psychedelic groups differ in style, and the label is often applied spuriously.
                       

Originating in the mid-1960s among British and American musicians, the sound of psychedelic rock invokes three core effects of LSD: depersonalization, dechronicization, and dynamization, all of which

detach the user from everyday reality. Musically, the effects may be represented via novelty studio
tricks, electronic or non-Western instrumentation, disjunctive song structures, and extended instrumental segments. Some of the earlier 1960s psychedelic rock musicians were based in folk, jazz, and the blues, while others showcased an explicit Indian classical influence called "raga rock". In the 1960s, there existed two main variants of the genre: the more whimsical, surrealist British psychedelia and the harder American West Coast "acid rock". While "acid rock" is sometimes deployed interchangeably with the term "psychedelic rock", it also refers more specifically to the heavier, harder, and more extreme ends of the genre.
                      

The peak years of psychedelic rock were between 1967 and 1969, with milestone events including the 1967 Summer of Love and the 1969 Woodstock Rock Festival, becoming an international musical

movement associated with a widespread counterculture before beginning a decline as changing attitudes, the loss of some key individuals, and a back-to-basics movement led surviving performers to move into new musical areas. The genre bridged the transition from early blues and folk-based rock to progressive rock and hard rock, and as a result contributed to the development of sub-genres such as heavy metal. Since the late 1970s it has been revived in various forms of neo-psychedelia.

This is an Awesome compilation about the Psychedelic music of the 60s and it is not very easy to find it in the internet.

Various - '60s Psychedelic Folk Woodstock & Sunset Trip  2012
Label: Glass Ark Music   
Format: CD, Album, Reissue
Country: US   
Released: 2012
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock, Folk, Garage

DISC 1. PART 1.

                             

01. Sky Saxon & The Seeds - Can't Seem to Make You Mine 3:39
02.The 1910 Fruitgum Company - Indian Giver (Re-Recorded) [Remastered] 03:00
03. Jackie Lomax - Sour Milk Sea (Re-Recorded) [Remastered] 3:47
04. Paul's Collection - Music Is My Life 2:03
05. Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels - Devil with a Blue Dress On 3:24
06. Stream of Consciousness - Till You're Through 2:15
07. The Legend - Enjoy Yourself 2:51
08. The Grass Roots - Midnight Confession (Re-Recorded) [Remastered] 2:49
09. Childe Harold - Anne, With Love 3:03
10. After Tea - The Time Is Nigh 3:41
11. The Troggs - Wild Thing 2:31
12. Friend & Lover - Reach out of the Darkness (Re-Recorded) [Remastered] 3:24
13. Donovan - Sunshine Superman (Re-Recorded) [Remastered] 4:05
14. The Ark - Daily Reminder 2:44
15. The Spencer Davis Group - Gimme Some Lovin' ('67 Radio Session) 2:54
16. Raintree Minority - Land of Make Believe 2:25
17. Federal Duck - A Message From 'Quack Quack' Spinosa 2:09
18. Rodney Bewes - Meter Maid 3:13
19. The Fun and Games - The Way She Smiles 2:20
20. Aros - Indian Girl 3:10
21. The Patriots - I'll Be There 2:16
22. Happy Medium - Fair One 2:36
23. Gavin Hamilton - It Won't Be the Same 2:33
24. The Glass Family - I'm Losing You 2:42
25. Lincoln St. Exit - Sunday Sunday Dream 3:33

Flac  SIZE: 464 MB

DISC 1. PART 2.

                           

26. The Woolies - Hey Girl 2:18
27. Jake Holmes - Think I'm Being Had 2:19
28. Mariani - Re-Birth-Day 2:10
29. Genesis - The Long Road 4:53
30. Writing on the Wall - Child of the Crossing 3:29
31. Georgia Brown - Pollution 2:44
32. We the People - My Brother the Man 2:04
33. Blues Image - Ride Captain Ride (Re-Recorded) [Remastered] 4:18
34. The Energy Package - See That I Come Home 2:19
35. Tiffany System - Let's Get Together 2:49
36. The Spencer Davis Group - I'm a Man ('67 Radio Session) 3:06
37. Gary Knight - World 2000 2:51
38. Peck's Bad Boys - Silver Dawn 2:17
39. Thee Sixpence - Heart Full of Rain 2:09
40. Robin Kingsley - In & Out 2:27
41. The Grass Roots - Let's Live for Today (Re-Recorded) [Remastered] 2:49
42. Rogue Show - Make Me over Again 2:29
43. Paul Revere & The Raiders - Kicks (Re-Recorded) [Remastered] 3:09
44. The Last Draft - It's Been a Long Time 2:38
45. The Executives - Summer Hill Road 2:13
46. Rick Jarrard - High Coin 3:03
47. Van Morrison - Brown Eyed Girl 3:03
48. The Nicols - Sha Had a Name to Find Out 3:19
49. The 1910 Fruitgum Company - Red Light (Re-Recorded) [Remastered] 2:29
50. The Music Convention - Ballad of the Light Brigade 3:47

Flac  SIZE: 444 MB

DISC 2. PART 1.

                         

01. Tommy Jay - Springtime's Coming 2:17
02. MC5 - Kick out the Jams (Original Uncensored Version 1968) 3:03
03. Finders Keepers - Raggedy Ann 3:03
04. Five by Five - 15 Going on 20 2:39
05. The Gants - I Wonder 2:13
06. Sky Saxon & The Seeds - Pushin' Too Hard 3:09
07. Vinnie Basile - Gypsy Girl 1:59
08. The Chessmen - Running Wild 2:03
09. White Light - Vdfm 2:39
10. The Association - Never My Love (Re-Recorded) [Remastered] 3:26
11. Mother Sunday - You Don't Understand 4:35
12. The Raggamuffins - Parade of Uncertainty 4:02
13. Bob & Kit - You Gotta Stop 2:17
14. The Kynd - Clouds 2:48
15. Morning Sun - Let's Take a Walk in the Woods 1:58
16. Clefs of Lavender Hill - First Tell Me Why 2:18
17. Shakane - Find the Lady 3:02
18. The Leather Sandwich - Quite Unexpectedly 2:39
19. Zimmo's Thanatopsis - In a Dream World 2:56
20. Starbuck and the Rainmakers - Let Your Hair Hang Long 2:46
21. Lucas - Hymn to the Sun 4:36
22. Sly Stone, Jeff Beck - I Want to Take You Higher (Re-Recorded) [Remastered] 4:44
23. Bohemian Vendetta - Enough 2:36
24. The Legend - I Love the Little Girls 2:15
25. C.M.J. - I Can't Do It All by Myself 2:42

Flac  SIZE: 461 MB

DISC 2. PART 2.

                         

26. Paul's Collection - What Have I Done 3:28
27. Paul Revere & The Raiders - Indian Reservation (Re-Recorded) [Remastered] 2:58 * (Look Down)
28. Tiffany System - Wayward One 1:57
29. Pacific Sound - Ballad of Jimi 2:08
30. Paul's Collection - Man 2:48
31. Children of the Mushroom - August Mademoiselle 2:40
32. The Flames - See the Light 3:02
33. Headstone - Buying Time 3:07
34. Dirty Underwear - Bad Merchandise 2:39
35. Headstone - Carry on Me 2:29
36. Canned Heat - On the Road Again (Re-Recorded) [Remastered] 3:21
37. The Association - Windy (Re-Recorded) [Remastered] 2:45
38. The Guilloteens - I Don't Believe 2:36
39. The Counts IV - Where Are You 2:20
40. Jimmy Satan - What's It All About 2:18
41. Keith Murphy and The Daze - Slightly Reminiscent of Her 2:17
42. Headstone - What People Say 3:13
43. The American Breed - Bend Me, Shape Me (Re-Recorded) [Remastered] 2:27
44. Paul Revere & The Raiders - Hungry (Re-Recorded) [Remastered] 3:22
45. The News - It's a Long Time 3:34
46. Keith Allison - Look at Me 2:52
47. The Weeds - It's You Time 2:18
48. The Outsiders - Time Won't Let Me 3:08
49. The Motives - I Can Hear Colours 5:19
50. The Iguanas - This Is What I Was Made For 2:19

* Something is wrong with the track No 27 "Paul Revere & The Raiders: Indian Reservation", so I uploaded it HERE

Flac  SIZE: 469 MB 

 PAUL REVERE & THE RAIDERS - INDIAN RESERVATION LYRICS

 
             

They took the whole Cherokee nation
Put us on this reservation
Took away our ways of life
The tomahawk and the bow and knife
Took away our native tongue
And taught their English to our young
And all the beads we made by hand
Are nowadays made in Japan

Cherokee people
Cherokee tribe
So proud to live
So proud to die

They took the whole Indian nation
Locked us on this reservation
Though I wear a shirt and tie
I'm still part redman deep inside

Cherokee people
Cherokee tribe
So proud to live
So proud to die

But maybe someday when they learn
Cherokee nation will return, will return
Will return, will return, will return

Eleventh Dream Day: 1987 - 1994

 

The band was founded by guitarists Rick Rizzo and Janet Beveridge Bean, who met at a place

fondly known as 1069. This was a house/practice space/hang out in Louisville where at the time, Beveridge Bean was practicing with the band she was in with Tara Key and Tim Harris: the Zoo Directors. After moving to Chicago, Bean and Rizzo joined with guitarist Baird Figi and bassist Doug McCombs; Bean soon switched over to drums.
                  

The career of the noisy guitar unit Eleventh Dream Day, one of the most resilient and criminally

underappreciated bands to rise from the Midwestern underground community, was a textbook study in alt rock endurance; despite a nightmarish major-label tenure, ill-timed roster changes, and commercial indifference, the group persevered, ultimately emerging as elder statesmen of the flourishing Chicago independent scene of the mid-'90s.
              

Their first self-titled EP in 1987 introduced the hallmarks of EDD’s sound: Neil Young-inspired electric

guitar workouts mixed with punk energy. The band’s full-length follow-up, Prairie School Freakout (1988), won critical praise and the attention of major labels. The full-length Prairie School Freakout, recorded in one six-hour span with a buzzing, dilapidated amplifier, followed in 1988, and brought Eleventh Dream Day to the attention of Atlantic Records, which signed the group for 1989's assured Beet.
                        

Beet (1989) and Lived to Tell (1991) won more strong reviews but did not sell many copies; Figi left during the Lived to Tell tour and was replaced by Matthew “Wink” O’Bannon. In 2013, it was revealed

that EDD's major-label tenure had been an even more tragic tale. Following Lived to Tell, the "alternative" branch of Atlantic (who had signed the band) moved to another label and communication with the band basically ended with the label in turmoil. As a result, Atlantic missed a deadline that continued the contract. Band management informed the label that they were out of their contract and Atlantic agreed.
                       

The band made a stab for commercial success with 1993’s El Moodio, but the effort was unsuccessful

and Eleventh Dream Day was dropped from Atlantic’s roster. O’Bannon left after recording 1994’s “Ursa Major” and the band ceased to be a full-time entity; Rizzo went back to college to earn a degree in education, while Bean and McCombs concentrated on their other musical projects, Freakwater and Tortoise respectively.
                          

Eleventh Dream Day has since recorded new albums every few years, starting with 1997’s Eighth.

Recent albums have balanced the band’s Young-influenced approach with an interest in ambient sound, likely influenced by McCombs’s work with Tortoise. EDD released Stalled Parade in 2000, playing a handful of shows after the album’s release with Mark Greenberg of (The Coctails) assisting on keyboards and other instruments. Zeroes and Ones was released on April 25, 2006, on Thrill Jockey Records. Riot Now! was released on March 15, 2011, on Thrill Jockey Records.
               

New Moodio, a forgotten alternate version of El Moodio recorded in 1991 with Brad Wood at Idful Studios, was released for the first time two decades after the fact by Comedy Minus One in May 2013.

MEMBERS           

Rick Rizzo - guitar, vocals (1983-)
Janet Beveridge Bean - drums, vocals, guitar (1983-)
Shu Shubat - bass (1983-1985)
Baird Figi - guitar (1985-1992)
Doug McCombs - bass (1985-)
Matthew "Wink" O'Bannon - guitar (1992-1994)
Mark Greenberg - keyboards, drums (2000-)
Jim Elkington - guitar, keyboards (2012-)

01.  ELEVENTH DREAM DAY (Amoeba Records, 1987)

                         

Their first self-titled EP in 1987 introduced the hallmarks of EDD's sound: Neil Young-inspired electric

guitar workouts mixed with punk energy. Eleventh Dream Day was a not-so-telling sonic precursor to their forthcoming albums like Beet, rather a slightly milder beast, packing a liberal dose of twang.

Eleventh Dream Day – Eleventh Dream Day
Label: Fan Club – FC 056 CD
Format:    CD, Album, Reissue 1989
Country: France
Released: 1987
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock, Indie Rock

TRACKS

                  

01. Walking Through The Barrel Of A Gun    4:08
02. Vein Of Gold    3:17
03. Not The Ballad Of A Girl    5:13
04. Liz Beth    3:57
05. The Arsonist    3:02
06. Cascade    4:38

NOTES

There is a wrong tracklist printed on the back sleeve:
Track 1 is erroneously divided in two tracks (1. Walking Through The Barrel, 2. Of A Gun).

MP3 @ 320 Size: 60 MB
Flac  Size: 150 MB

02.  PRAIRIE SCHOOL FREAKOUT + WAYNE (EP 1989) (Amoeba Records, 1988)

                               

Although they had released an EP prior to this, Prairie School Freakout really marked the arrival of Eleventh Dream Day. Somewhat disappointed with their first effort, EDD decided to basically cut this

album live, and what you hear is the sound of a young band letting it all hang out. Things get off to a blistering start with "Watching Candles Burn," and the energy hardly lets up at all throughout the set. With a great batch of tunes and the guitars turned up to 11, the bandmembers tears into these songs as though their lives depended on it, and flat out deliver. Neil Young & Crazy Horse (music-wise) are an obvious point of comparison, as are Dream Syndicate and maybe X, but EDD are all Midwesterners, and maybe that's what helps make their sound distinctive. Janet Beveridge Bean and Douglas McCombs are a solid rhythm section, and Rick Rizzo and Baird Figi make a glorious racket when it's

time to solo, especially on the epic-length "Tenth Leaving Train" (from the Wayne EP). "Beach Miner" drops a Richard Lloyd guitar figure over a Crazy Horse chord progression for a tune that'll stick in your head for days. Then there's the odd narrative of "Among the Pines," where a man splits his head open slipping in the shower, and the tale of killer "Albert C. Samson." No wonder Atlantic took notice. Eleventh Dream Day went on to construct better overall albums, but they never rocked harder than on Prairie School Freakout. This album smokes.

Eleventh Dream Day – Prairie School Freakout + Wayne EP
Label: Thrill Jockey – THRILL131
Format:    CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2003
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock

TRAXS

01. Watching The Candles Burn   4:01
Written-By – Figi
02. Sweet Smell   4:37
Written-By – Bean
03. Coercion   3:47
Written-By – Bean
04. Driving Song   4:09
Written-By – Fig
05. Tarantula   5:37
Written-By – Rizzo
06. Among The Pines   6:24
Written-By – Rizzo
07. Through My Mouth   4:57
Written-By – McCombs
08. Beach Miner   3:43
Lyrics By – Rizzo
Music By – Bean
09. Death Of Albert C. Sampson   4:45
Written-By – Bean
10. Life On A String   5:05
Written-By – Rizzo
11. Tenth Leaving Train   11:19
Written-By [Uncredited] – Rick Rizzo
12. Southern Pacific   5:04
Written-By [Uncredited] – Neil Young
13. Go   4:50
Lyrics By [Uncredited] – Rick Rizzo
Music By [Uncredited] – Janet Beveridge Bean

LINE - UP

Bass – Douglas McCombs
Drums, Vocals – Janet Beveridge Bean
Guitar, Slide Guitar [Slide] – Baird Figi
Guitar, Vocals – Rick Rizzo

NOTES

The CD compiles the album Prairie School Freakout (Tracks CD-1 to CD-10) originally released in 1988 and its companion piece, Wayne EP (Tracks CD-11 to CD-13).originally released in 1989.

MP3 @ 320 Size: 162 MB
Flac  Size: 462 MB

03.  BEET (Atlantic Records, 1989)

                               

Quite how Eleventh Dream Day got onto a full-fledged major in the pre-Nirvana days is still a bit of a mystery. Not that the band ever sounded like Nirvana per se, it's just that their own rough-and-ready

take on fine and fiery rock stuck out like a sore thumb on most of Atlantic's roster at the time (just take a look at all the hair metal they signed then and try not to seize up in bewilderment). More than a decade on, Beet is still a grand listen, as good a showcase for the wider world of the killer Rizzo/Beveridge Bean vocal duo and the band's overall kick and inspired songs as could have been hoped for. Comparisons can range from Neil Young to a more guitar-tinged Tom Waits, but one thing Eleventh Dream Day never forgets is a sense of the immediate instead of the overly reverent. Whether it's a hint of down-home motorik here or psych-sprawling rave-ups there -- or all of that at once, as the brilliant "Bagdad's Last Ride" shows -- Beet sparkles with life. A worthy storytelling air to many of its songs (besides "Bagdad's Last Ride," try the character sketch "Michael Dunne" or "Teenage Pin

Queen") is a welcome bonus, but the real reason to listen is the music all around. If Gary Waleik's production sounds like it's holding back once or twice -- the more explosive parts still sound restrained in comparison to much that would come later -- it's perhaps an understandable trade-off in terms of getting the band out there to the wider world. When the band does let loose, as on the righteous instrumental break of "Testify" or the fried, on-the-edge jam that concludes "Road That Never Winds," the results are well-worth the wait.

Eleventh Dream Day – Beet
Label: Atlantic – 7 82053-2, Atlantic – 82053-2
Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 1989
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock, Indie Rock

TRAXS

                 

01. Between Here And There    4:49
Written-By – Figi, Rizzo
02. Testify   4:05
Written-By – Rizzo
03. Bagdad's Last Ride   4:07
Written-By – Bean
04. Awake I Lie   5:21
Written-By – Rizzo
05. Road That Never Winds   3:25
Written-By – Rizzo
06. Axle   3:44
Written-By – Rizzo
07. Michael Dunne   3:29
Written-By – Figi, Rizzo
08. Bomb The Mars Hotel   3:35
Written-By – Figi
09. Teenage Pin Queen   3:59
Written-By – Rizzo
10. Love To Hate To Love   3:32
Written-By – Rizzo
11. Go (Slight Return)   4:10
Written-By – Bean, Rizzo
12. Seiche   3:07
Written-By – Figi

LINE - UP

Bass – Douglas McCombs
Drums, Piano, Vocals – Janet Beveridge Bean
Guitar, Lap Steel Guitar – Baird Figi
Guitar, Vocals – Rick Rizzo

MP3 @ 320 Size: 114 MB
Flac  Size: 302 MB

04.  LIVED TO TELL (Atlantic Records, 1991)

                             

Recorded, as the credits state and a photo in the album artwork confirms, "in a tobacco barn on the Niland's farm in Cub Run, Kentucky." Whether that provided the air of ripping, fiery country-goes-to-hell guitar work that permeates Lived to Tell may not be known, but clearly the setting didn't hurt the

band any. Whatever pressure from Atlantic came down to record something user friendly, Eleventh Dream Day stuck to its guns with fine results on its second major-label effort. Rizzo and Beveridge Bean make a fantastic pair of front singers, strong without being overbearing, on joint harmonies hitting something not far off from the brilliant combination of X's John Doe and Exene Cervenka. "I Could Be Lost" isn't merely a great example of that but one of the album's best songs, leading into a blasting instrumental break and brilliant guitar solo while the band raves it up behind. When Beveridge Bean takes over lead, as on "You Know What It Is," nothing about the intensity or ability differs -- Freakwater's frontwoman had already proved herself times over before that band had issued a note.

Figi's electrified lapsteel, as noted, adds fierce explosive power to songs like "Dream of a Sleeping Sheep." Together, he and Rizzo kick out the jams so righteously it almost hurts -- the rise of grunge in public eyes may have made people think then of Neil Young, but it's clear he already had two solid disciples. Even slower numbers like "Frozen Mile" crackle with a sharp energy. A few guest performances don't hurt at all -- some tenor sax on "There's This Thing" and both calliope and cello on the waltz-time "Daedalus" -- but mostly this is Eleventh Dream Day ripping through a set of smart songs with all the wired passion one could ever want.

Eleventh Dream Day – Lived To Tell
Label: Atlantic – 7 82179-2, Atlantic – 82179-2
Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 1991
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock, Indie Rock

TRAXS

                       

01. Rose Of Jericho   3:42
Words By, Music By – J.B. Bean
02. Dream Of A Sleeping Sheep   3:15
Music By, Words By – R. Rizzo
03. I Could Be Lost   3:38
Music By – B. Figi
Words By – R. Rizzo
04. It's Not My World   4:58
Music By, Words By – R. Rizzo
05. You Know What It Is   3:41
Music By, Words By – J.B. Bean
06. Frozen Mile   4:22
Music By, Words By – D. McCombs
07. Strung Up And/Or Out   3:14
Music By, Words By – R. Rizzo
08. North Of Wasteland   3:16
Music By, Words By – R. Rizzo
09. It's All A Game   4:32
Music By – R. Rizzo
Words By – J.B. Bean
10. Trouble   2:41
Music By, Words By – B. Figi
11. There's This Thing   4:00
Music By, Words By – J.B. Bean
Tenor Saxophone – Marshall Bradley Wood III
12. Daedalus   3:41
Cello, Organ [Calliope] – David Foster
Music By, Words By – J.B. Bean
13. Angels Spread Your Wings   2:54
Music By, Words By – R. Rizzo

LINE - UP

Bass – Douglas McCombs
Guitar, Slide Guitar, Lap Steel Guitar [Lapsteel] – Baird Figi
Vocals, Drums, Photography By [All Other Photos] – Janet Beveridge Bean
Vocals, Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Harmonica – Rick Rizzo

MP3 @ 320 Size: 118 MB
Flac  Size: 319 MB

05.  EL MOODIO (Atlantic Records, 1993)

                   

Beveridge-Bean gets to lead off the album with the wonderful "Makin' Like a Rug," delivering her vocal with side-of-the-mouth twang and sass -- it's not quite like a rural Pixies, but the combination of

restrained verses and Rizzo-accompanied explosive choruses gives it the same good feeling. Sometimes the lyrics get a bit lost in the din, but close attention proves rewarding -- the cryptic, tense scenario of "Murder" details what might be a romantic breakdown, or what might be something more, with sharp detail. Rizzo and O'Bannon both continue the tradition of kick-butt riffs and solos; producer Jim Rondinelli lets them explode forth just the way they should, with enveloping blasts and razor-sharp whines. The McCombs/Beveridge-Bean rhythm section keep up the rear with equally inspired vim and skilled playing, both able to convey restraint (consider the gentle moodout into lovely zone of "Figure It

Out") with just as much passion as raging rush. More calmer moments surface here than on Lived to Tell, but far from seeming like a toning down songs like the power poppy "After This Time Has Gone" and the lengthy, beautifully melancholy rumination "Honeyslide" just seem to be a new way for the band's abilities to shine. As for the concluding "Rubberband," the group's love of Neil Young reaches new and impressive heights, which the fantastic solo confirms. Otherwise, as before, all Eleventh Dream Day needs to create their fantastic work are their own considerable talents.

Eleventh Dream Day – El Moodio
Label: Atlantic – 7 82480-2, Atlantic – 82480-2
Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 1993
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock, Indie Rock

TRAXS

                    

01. Makin' Like A Rug   3:41
Written-By – Bean, Rizzo
02. Figure It Out   5:10
Written-By – Rizzo
03. After This Time Is Gone   3:36
Organ [Hammond B-3] – Jim Rondinelli
Written-By – Bean, Rick Rizzo
04. Murder   3:53
Written-By – O'Bannon
05. Honeyslide   8:04
Written-By – Rizzo
06. That's The Point    3:44
Drums – Ric Menck
Written-By – Rizzo
07. Motherland   4:30
Written-By – Rizzo
08. The Raft   6:43
Guitar – Tara Key
Written-By – Rizzo
09. Bend Bridge   3:21
Organ [Hammond B-3] – Jim Rondinelli
Written-By – Rizzo
10. Rubberband   5:21
Written-By – Rizzo

LINE - UP

Drums, Percussion, Vocals – Janet Beveridge Bean
Guitar, Vocals – Rick Rizzo
Tambourine [Wherever You Hear It] – Jim Rondinelli
Vocals, Bass – Douglas McCombs
Vocals, Guitar – Matthew O Bannon

MP3 @ 320 Size: 117 MB
Flac  Size: 297 MB

06.  URSA MAJOR

                       

Ursa Major starts out in a wonderfully strange way, with the offbeat instrumental "History of

Brokeback" cascading through the airwaves like a jalopy on stilts. The rest of the album finds "Orange Moon" as the pulsating centerpiece, and "Taking Leave" a slow-paced, dreamy follow-up. With that foundation, Eleventh Dream Day has constructed an artistic album that makes more than a blip on the radar. Now recording for an indie label, guitarist Wink O'Bannon quit before the recording of Ursa

Major, and Janet Bean was also consumed with her excellent side band Freakwater, but this record was winner number three. A tad more experimental (and some would argue less accessible, though not me) than earlier records, Ursa Major is still loaded with supple, pretty melodies and intense, rampaging guitars.

Eleventh Dream Day – Ursa Major
Label: City Slang – EFA 04943-2, Atavistic – ALP13
Format: CD, Album
Country: Germany
Released: 1994
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock, Indie Rock

TRAXS

                  

01. History Of Brokeback    4:22
02. Occupation Or Not    5:31
03. Flutter    3:48
04. Orange Moon    5:25
05. Taking Leave (Recorded By, Mixed By – Casey Rice, J. McEntire)   6:36
06. Bearish On High    3:25
07. Nova Zembla    2:11
08. The Blindside    6:20
09. Exit Right    5:50

LINE - UP

Bass, Guitar – D. McCombs
Cello – P. Brandes
Drums, Percussion, Synthesizer [Putney] – J. McEntire
Drums, Vocals, Guitar, Percussion – J. B. Bean
Guitar – B. K. Brown, J. B. Bean, M. O'Bannon
Guitar, Vocals – R. Rizzo
    
MP3 @ 320 Size: 104 MB
Flac  Size: 270 MB