Kaleidoscope: The First 3 Albums + Pulsanting Dreams (3 CD Compilation)

 

Kaleidoscope (originally the Kaleidoscope) was an American psychedelic folk group who

recorded four albums and several singles for Epic Records between 1966 and 1970. The band membership included David Lindley, who later released numerous solo albums and won additional renown as a multi-instrumentalist session musician, and Chris Darrow who later performed and recorded with a number of groups including the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
                     

Kaleidoscope were arguably the most eclectic band of the psychedelic era, weaving together folk, blues, Middle Eastern, and acid more often and more seamlessly than any other musicians. The California group were formed under the nucleus of multi-instrumentalists David Lindley and Chris Darrow in the

mid-'60s. Adding fiddle, banjo, and various exotic string instruments such as the oud and saz to the traditional rock lineup, Kaleidoscope complemented their experimental sounds with taut and witty (if lyrically eccentric) songwriting. Other important members were Solomon Feldthouse, who specialized in the Turkish-style instruments, and Chester Crill, who, to make documentation just that much more difficult, sometimes used odd pseudonyms like Fenrus Epp.
                   

With the exception of their mawkish forays into old-timey music, Kaleidoscope's work holds up well. Their first three albums were their best, highlighted by the lengthy tracks "Taxim" and "Seven-Ate Sweet," which are groundbreaking fusions of Middle Eastern music and rock. Kaleidoscope were a

popular live act, even incorporating some flamenco and belly dancers into their performances. But in commercial terms, their very eclecticism probably worked against them. Hit singles, too, were a difficult proposition for such a versatile group to come to grips with, although several of their 45s were pretty good. One of the best, "Nobody," was a most unusual fusion of R&B and psychedelia that found the group backing veteran rock and blues greats Larry Williams and Johnny "Guitar" Watson.
                     

The group was founded on democratic principles – there was no "leader". They soon began performing live in clubs, winning a recording contract with Epic Records. The first single, "Please", was released in December 1966. It was produced by Barry Friedman (later known as Frazier Mohawk), as was their

first album Side Trips, released in June 1967. The album showcased the group's musical diversity and studio experimentation. It included Feldthouse's "Egyptian Gardens", Darrow's "Keep Your Mind Open", and versions of Cab Calloway's "Minnie the Moocher" and Dock Boggs' "Oh Death". Crill, for reasons he never made clear (but ex-bandmates speculated had to do with concerns about overreactions from his "straitlaced" parents), was credited as "Fenrus Epp" on the first album and adopted various other pseudonyms on later recordings.
                         

Keeping the same line-up (but with Crill now billing himself as "Max Buda") the band's second album A Beacon from Mars was released in early 1968, to generally good reviews but poor sales. The album was a mix of Middle-Eastern, country, folk and rock musical styles. The title track, inspired by a

Howlin' Wolf musical riff originally in his song "Smokestack Lightning", was recorded live in the studio, and featured a long psychedelic electric guitar solo by Lindley, which later caused Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page to refer to Kaleidoscope as his "favourite band of all time."[5] In live performances of the tune, Lindley used a violin bow on his electric guitar, probably influencing Page to use the same effect later.
                      

The band recorded their third album, Incredible! Kaleidoscope, in 1968. It featured "Seven-Ate Sweet", a long progressive instrumental piece in 7/8 time signature which they had been playing live since the

early days of the group. The album reached No. 139 on Billboard in 1969, the only Kaleidoscope album to chart. Around this time they also did soundtrack work on educational and other films, and also made an appearance at the 1968 Newport Folk Festival. Kaleidoscope's fourth and final album from their Epic Records era, Bernice, featured more electric guitar work than the earlier albums, and more country influence.
                      

There were further personnel changes, adding singer-guitarist Jeff Kaplan, and bassist Ron Johnston who replaced Brotman during the making of the album. Feldthouse also left the group. Crill was now

billed as "Connie Crill", and as guest harmonica player "Max Buda". Kaleidoscope's eclecticism may have been a by-product of numerous personnel changes throughout the last half of the '60s that would make the construction of a family tree a most unwieldy task. Darrow, in fact, only lasted a couple of albums; in 1970, shortly after their fourth album, they split up. Several of the group's more important contributors reunited for an album in 1975 (although Lindley played only a small part), and there was another reunion record in 1988. Co-founder Chris Darrow died on January 15, 2020 following a stroke.
                        

MEMBERS

                    

David Saul Feldthouse - Baglama [Saz], Bouzouki, Dobro, Gottuvâdyam [Vina], Oud, Goblet Drum [Doumbek], Dulcimer, Fiddle, Twelve-String Guitar, Vocals
David Lindley - Banjo, Fiddle, Mandolin, Guitar, Guitar [Harp], Banjo [7 String]
Stuart A Brotman - Bass, Vocals
Chris Darrow - Bass, Vocals, Mandolin, Guitar

KALEIDOSCOPE - SIDE TRIPS + SINGLES 1967 (1988)

                     

Although the Bay Area may have seemed to corner the market on the psychedelic "Summer of Love",

the equally bountiful Los Angeles scene was the breeding ground for one of the more inventive units of the mid- to late-'60s. The incipient incarnation of Kaleidoscope synthesized rock & roll with roots and world music, first yielding Side Trips (1967), arguably the most diverse effort of 1967.  the album's overall mood and cerebral vibe are front and center on Darrow's trippy "If the Night" and "Keep Your Mind Open." Feldthouse's suitably surrealistic "Egyptian Gardens" concisely demonstrates his distinct contributions, as does the Lindley composition "Why Try." From the other side of the pop spectrum are

the layered vocal harmonies of "Pulsating Dream" and the overt jug band influence heard on Cab Calloway's signature "Minnie the Moocher," as well as the traditional tunes "Come on In" and "Hesitation Blues." Enthusiasts and collectors should note the three-disc Pulsating Dream anthology, as it not only contains Kaleidoscope's four Epic LPs, but also hard-to-find sides, such as "Elevator Man" and "Little Orphan Nannie" circa Side Trips.
                   

The Kaleidoscope – Side Trips
Label: Edsel Records – ED CD 284
Format: CD, Album, Reissue 1988
Country: UK
Released: 1967   
Genre: Rock
Style: Folk Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Ethnic

TRACKS

                            

01. Egyptian Gardens   3:05
Written-By – D. Feldthouse
02. If The Night   1:45
Written-By – C. Darrow
03. Hesitation Blues   2:25
Written-By – C. Poole
04. Please   3:10
Written-By – M. Freedman, D. Feldthouse
05. Keep Your Mind Open    2:15
Written-By – C. Darrow
06. Pulsating Dream   1:58
Written-By – C. Darrow, D. Lindley, S. Feldthouse
07. Oh Death   3:25
Written-By – J. Reedy
08. Come On In   2:07
Written-By – Unknown Artist
09. Why Try   3:43
Written-By – D. Lindley
10. Minnie The Moocher   2:13
Written-By – C. Calloway, C. Gaskill, I. Mills

BONUS TRACKS - SINGLES

11. Elevator Man   2:56
12. Little Orphan Nannie   1:57
13. Why Try (Single Mix)   2:46

LINE - UP

                  

Banjo, Banjo [7-string], Fiddle, Mandolin, Guitar, Guitar [Harp] – David Perry Lindley
Bass, Banjo, Mandolin, Fiddle, Autoharp, Harmonica, Clarinet – Christopher Lloyd Darrow
Percussion – John Vidican
Strings [Saz], Bouzouki, Guitar [Dobro], Veena, Percussion [Doumbeg], Dulcimer, Fiddle, Guitar [12-string] – David Solomon Feldthouse
Violin, Viola, Bass, Piano, Organ, Harmonica – Fenrus Epp
Written-By – C. Darrow (tracks: A2, A5 to B1), D. Feldthouse (tracks: A1, A4)

MP3 @ 320 Size: 84 MB
Flac  Size: 199  MB

KALEIDOSCOPE - A BEACON FROM MARS (EXPANDED EDITION 2018)

                   

Kaleidoscope's second album is the best non-compilation showcase of their legendary eclecticism and versatility. It takes in a blues-rocking cover of Willie Cobbs' "You Don't Love Me"; Doug Kershaw's

Cajun "Louisiana Man"; a scary old folk song ("Greenwood Sidee," about a woman who kills her two babies); a hilarious country-ish indictment of marriage ("Baldheaded End of a Broom"); two good acid-folk originals ("Life Will Pass You By" and "I Found Out"); and two completely dissimilar ten-minute-plus originals: the Middle Eastern "Taxim," and the psychedelic workout "Beacon from Mars." Every one of these disparate styles is performed with authority and commitment, and the result still has the power to amaze.
                     

Kaleidoscope - Beacon From Mars (Expanded Edition)
Label: Legacy Recordings 2018
Original release date: 1968-06-01
Remastered: 2018
Genre: Rock
Style: Folk Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Ethnic

TRACKS

                        

01. I Found Out   02:10
02. Greenwood Sidee   04:16
03. Life Will Pass You By   03:25
04. Taxim   11:23
05. Baldheaded End of a Broom   03:14
06. Louisiana Man   02:45
07. You Don't Love Me   03:59
08. Beacon from Mars   12:31

BONUS TRACKS

09. Rampe Rampe   03:34
10. Nobody (with Kaleidoscope) (Larry Williams, Johnny Watson)   02:36
11. Love Games (Single Version)   02:30
12. Egyptian Candy (Single Version)   03:01
13. Hello Trouble (Single Version)   02:06
14. Just a Taste (Single Version)   02:14

GREENWOOD SIDEE LYRICS

                          

There was a woman lived near our town
All-a-lee and a-lowly
Day and night walked up and down
Down by the Greenwood Sidee

She bent her back up against an oak
All-a-lee and a-lowly
First it bended, then it broke
Down by the Greenwood Sidee

She bent her back up against a pine
All-a-lee and a-lowly
And then two tender babes were born
Down by the Greenwood Sidee

She had herself two tender babes
All-a-lee and a-lowly
Decided for to take their lives
Down by the Greenwood Sidee

                       

She took her rope both long and neat
All-a-lee and a-lowly
And tied each by his hands and feet
Down by the Greenwood Sidee

She took a knife both clean and sharp
All-a-lee and a-lowly
And pierced each through his tender heart
Down by the Greenwood Sidee

She went walking one moonlit night
All-a-lee and a-lowly
She spied two babes all dressed in white
Down by the Greenwood Sidee

Said, "babes, oh babes, if ye were mine
All-a-lee and a-lowly
I'd dress you up in silk so fine"
Down by the Greenwood Sidee

"Mother, oh mother, when we was yours
All-a-lee and a-lowly
Ya drowned us in our own hearts' blood
Down by the Greenwood Sidee

In seven years you'll hear a bell
All-a-lee and a-lowly
In seven years you'll roast in hell"
Down by the Greenwood Sidee

There was a woman lived near our town
All-a-lee and a-lowly
Day and night walked up and down
Down by the Greenwood Sidee

MP3 @ 320 Size: 180 MB
Flac  Size: 357 MB

KALEIDOSCOPE - INCREDIBLE! 1969

                 

Incredible! (1969) was the combo's third album and first to boast contributions from newest members

Stuart Brotman (bass/vocals) and Paul Lagos (percussion), flanking David Lindley (guitar/banjo/violin/vocals), Solomon Feldthouse (guitar/oud/clarinet/saz/jumbas/vocals), and Chester Crill (harmonica/violin/organ/vocal). In the absence of Chris Darrow's commanding songwriting, each member projected himself into the material, which adopts a discernible country-rock lilt accompanying

Kaleidoscope's established Eastern-informed psychedelia. Nowhere do the two seemingly disparate styles fuse as effortlessly as the upbeat opener, "Lie to Me." Similarly the rural feel of "Let the Good Love Flow" could be easily mistaken for the New Riders of the Purple Sage or Commander Cody, with Lindley pulling off a convincing faux steel guitar lead. On the other side of the spectrum is the funky workout on Howlin' Wolf's "Killing Floor," as it slithers and slides around Lagos' solid rhythm.
                     

Kaleidoscope – Incredible! (Expanded Edition)
Label: Legacy Recordings (Epic Records)
Format: CD, Album, Reissue 2018
Released: 1969
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock, Folk, Rthnic

TRACKS

                  

01. Lie To Me   2:46
Written-By – David Lindley, Paul Lagos, Saul Feldthouse, Stuart Brotman, Templeton Parcely
02. Let The Good Love Flow   2:10
Written By – Mayne Smith – David Lindley
03. Killing Floor   2:43
Written-By – C. Burnett
04. Petit Fleur   3:29
Written-By – David Lindley, Paul Lagos, Saul Feldthouse, Stuart Brotman, Templeton Parcely
05. Banjo   3:35
Written-By – David Lindley
06. Cuckoo   4:16
Arranged By – Kaleidoscope/Lyrics By [Additional Verses] – Saul Feldthouse/Written-By – Traditional
07. Seven-Ate Sweet   11:33
Written-By – David Lindley, Paul Lagos, Saul Feldthouse, Templeton Parcely
08. Sefan (Single Version) 3:25

NOTES

The Track "Seven-Ate Sweet" includes 2 Traditional Greek Songs: 1. "Gerakina", 2. "Samiotisa"

MP3 @ 320 Size: 87 MB
Flac  Size: 232 MB

KALEIDOSCPE - PULSANTING DREAMS - THE EPIC RECORDINGS 2010

                    

This compilation features the entire output from one of the most eclectic bands of the psychedelic era while signed to Epic Records from 1967 to 1970. It contains the albums, 'Side Trips' (1967), 'Beacon From Mars' (1968), 'Incredible Kaleidoscope' (1969), & 'Bernice' (1970), singles & B-sides. Features

David Lindley on guitar & a host of exotic stringed instruments. The first three Kaleidoscope albums are special, and unlike most anything their contemporaries were doing. They ravenously and eclectically incorporated bits and pieces from all over: American and British folk music, blues, jazz, bluegrass, Cajun music, country, Indian classical music, pseudo-Arabic patterns and textures, whatever. Strongly recommended, as the easiest way to get hold of this stuff.
                 

Kaleidoscope – Pulsating Dreams - The Epic Recordings
Label: Acadia – ACAD 8059
Format: 3 x CD, Compilation, Reissue, 4fold Digipak
Country: UK
Released: 2007
Genre: Rock
Style: Folk Rock, Country Rock, Blues Rock, Ethnic, Psychedelic Rock

DISC 1.

                      

01. Egyptian Gardens   3:05
Written-By – D. Feldthouse
02. If The Night   1:45
Written-By – C. Darrow
03. Hesitation Blues   2:25
Written-By – C. Poole
04. Please   3:16
Written-By – M. Feedman, D. Feldthouse
05. Keep Your Mind Open   2:15
Written-By – C. Darrow
06. Pulsating Dream   1:54
Written-By – C. Darrow, D. Lindley, D. Feldthouse
07. Oh Death   3:25
Written-By – J. Reedy
08. Come On In   2:07
Arranged By – D. Lindley/Written-By – Traditional
09. Why Try   3:43
Written-By – D. Lindley
10. Minnie The Moocher   2:13
Written-By – C. Calloway, C. Gaskill, I. Mills
11. Elevator Man   2:54
Written-By – D. Feldthouse
12. Little Orphan Nannie   1:54
Written-By – C. Crill, C. Darrow
13. I Found Out   2:09
Dobro – Pete Madlem/Written-By – E. Shackelford
14. Greenwood Sidee   4:12
Arranged By – Kaleidoscope/ Written-By – Traditional
15. Life Will Pass You By   3:22
Written-By – C. Darrow
16. Taxim   11:20
Written-By – Kaleidoscope
17. Baldheaded End Of A Broom   3:12
Arranged By – D. Lindley/Written-By – Traditional
18. Louisiana Man   2:42
Written-By – D. Kershaw
19. You Don't Love Me   3:57
Written-By – W. Cobbs
 

Flac Size: 386 MB

DISC 2.   

                   

01. Beacon From Mars    12:29
Arranged By – Kaleidoscope/Written-By – Traditional
02. Rampé, Rampé   3:31
Written-By – Kaleidoscope
03. Nobody    2:35
Producer – Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Larry Williams/ Written-By – D. Cooper, E. Shelby
04. Love Games   2:28
Written-By – Kaleidoscope
05. Egyptian Candy   3:01
Written-By – Kaleidoscope
06. Hello, Trouble   1:42
Producer – Bernard Krause/Written-By – E. McDuff, O. Couch
07. Just A Taste   2:13
Producer – Bernard Krause/Written-By – Kaleidoscope
08. Lie To Me   2:45
Written-By – D. Lindley, P. Lagos, D. Feldthouse, S. Brotman, T. Parcely
09. Let The Good Love Flow   2:10
Written-By – D. Lindley, M. Smith
10. Killing Floor    2:44
Written-By – C. Burnett
11. Petite Fleur    3:29
Written-By – D. Lindley, P. Lagos, D. Feldthouse, S. Brotman, T. Parcely
12. Banjo   3:34
Written-By – D. Lindley
13. Cuckoo    4:15
Arranged By – Kaleidoscope/Written-By – Traditional
14. Seven-Ate Sweet    11:31
Written-By – D. Lindley, P. Lagos, D. Feldthouse, T. Parcely

Flac Size: 380 MB

DISC 3.

                  

  
01. Sefan   4:25
Arranged By – Kaleidoscope/ Written-By – Traditional
02. Chocolate Whale   2:27
Bass – Ron Johnson/ Written-By – D. Feldthouse
03. Another Lover   2:42
Bass – Ron Johnson/Written-By – D. Lindley
04. Sneakin' Thru Ghetto   3:17
Written-By – C. Crill, P. Lagos
05. To Know Is Not To Be   2:13
Written-By – P. Lagos
06. Lulu Arfin Nanny   3:09
Written-By – C. Crill, C. Darrow, D. Lindley, P. Lagos, D. Feldthouse, S. Brotman
07. Lie And Hide   2:49
Rap, Written-By – P. Lagos/Written-By – C. Crill, D. Lindley, S. Brotman
08. Ballad Of Tommy Udo   2:47
Voice – Paul Lagos/Written-By – D. Lindley
09. Bernice   2:41
Written-By – C. Crill
10. Soft And Easy   2:55
Written-By – D. Feldthouse
11. New Blue Ooze    9:39
12. Why Try (Single Version)   2:46
Producer – Barry Friedman/Written-By – D. Lindley

Flac Size: 244 MB

MEMBERS

Saul (Solomon) Feldthouse - caz, oud, doumbeg, gong, bass, vocals
David Lindley - banjo, fiddle, guitar, harpguitar, vocals
Max Buda (Chester Crill) - organ, harmonium, fiddle, bass, piano, harmonica, harpsichord
Chris Darrow - bass, guitar, mandolin, vocals
John Vidican - percussion, drums, timpani