NEW MNLG REISSUES! Releasedate: July 10th 2018

Smashing Reissues on OOM DOOBY DOCHAS !
Highly demanded Albums from the 70's!

Preorder now! Shipping starts late June / early July 2018!

DOO17008 - Geraldo Pino & The Heartbeats - Afro Soco Soul Live (CD/LP, 1972/'18) FILE UNDER: Funk, Afrobeat ...SOUND
DOO17007 - Akwassa - In The Groove (CD/LP, 1977/'18) FILE UNDER: Disco, Funk, Afrobeat ...SOUND
DOO17006 - Kiki Gyan (Ex-Osibisa) - Feeling So Good (CD/LP, 1979/'18) FILE UNDER: Disco, Funk ...SOUND
DOO17005 - Osamu Kitajima - Benzaiten (LP, 1976/'18) FILE UNDER: Prog-Jazz-Rock ...SOUND
DOO17004 - Osamu Kitajima - Osamu (1977) (LP, 1977/'18) FILE UNDER:Prog-Jazz-Rock ...SOUND

Our New Record Store is Online! Delicious 50s-80s Vinyl and Reissues!

>>> http://stores.ebay.de/merlinsnoselabelgroup <<<

Two years ago, in 2015 we closed our onlineshop and focused on wholesale instead. Now it's back online again with the highly appreciated help of our friend on colleague Dominik! Some of you might recall the old "Surreal Peppermint Store" - as our label is constantly growing, all brands, aspects and sublabels all are now gathered under the umbrella of 'MERLINS NOSE LABEL GROUP', likewise our onlinestore!

While the "Surreal Peppermint Store" was specialized in Psych Rock, Garage, 60's Beat, Acid Folk etc., you'll now find all kinds of music from the 50s to 80s represent at once! We still go strong with Psychedelic Rock, but also got a considerable amount of Afrobeat, Funk and Soul, as well as 70s Electronica (and much other styles...) added to our stock! For now only LP's are listed, but also 7" singles, CD's and much more items will be included steadily!

We highly recommend checking out the categories for unexpected discoveries! And also be sure to check these ones:

SPECIAL OFFERS | RECOMMENDATIONS | RARITIES/BOXSETS/COLLECTIBLES | AUDIOPHILE / JAPAN PRESSING

C.A. Quintet - Live Trips 1971 (LP, 1971/2017)

C.A. Quintet - Live Trips 1971 (LP)

File Under: Psychedelic Rock

Sound:
https://merlinsnoserecords.bandcamp.com/album/live-trips-1971

Cat.Nr.: MN1020LP
Label: Merlins Nose Records
Formats: LP
Price: 19,99 €
Barcode: 0710473604345
Releasedate: 15.10.2017

Their 1969 album “Trip thru hell” is one of the holy grails of late 60s heavy psych rock and certainly deserves to be rated this way by fans and collectors of  that heavy rocking sounds. Due to the internet it easily made its way to the minds of a whole new generation of fans already. What awaits you here got recorded live, two years later than their cult debut. The record starts with a unusual BEATLES cover “And your bird can sing”, originally from “Revolver” in 1966. You do not even realize it is the said song until you hear a familiar passage. The C.A. Quintet turned it into a groovy, smoking hot organ driven power rocker with a melodic edge. With the second covertune “Badge” originally performed by CREAM they stay closer to the original but play it with an increased powerlevel . Next “Bayou jam”, a lengthy heavy rock song with psychedelic organ sounds that remind of IRON BUTTERFLY. If you cross them with BLUE CHEER in their prime you will get an idea. There is even a killer drum solo section in the middle of the song. Who said “In a gada da vida”? Well, you definitely get to know where they got their inspiration from. “4 am NYC” is another mid paced stomping heavy groover with a wickedly pounding approach and simmering guitars while the organs roar as a back up to the furiously distorted guitar. The vocals on the other hand have this light weight west coast flower power pop appeal and both directions sound fresh and exciting in the mix. “Wild child” comes as a sleazy acid blues rocker and takes you a few years back. Despite the nice organ it is obviously that they loved bands like CREAM, JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE and MOUNTAIN. “Country boy” has a southern rock flavor and sticks out as I think but is also a well written power rock tune with some psychedelic elements. The colorful jammy middle section and the hard driving bass and guitar interplay make this a kick ass anthem for its time. And last but not least we have “Fresh garbage jam”. More than ten minutes in length this is heavy and fuzzed out psychedelic jam rock at best with furious guitars and a relaxed atmosphere. Makes me see a whole crowd of hippies in colorful garments dancing themselves into a state of trance - funnily that's quite contrary to what happened in reality. you can read more about that in the linernotes on the backsleeve. The sound is great, as clear as it can be, powerful and vivid, better than some of the studio recordings back then. What more do you want? If you love the underground side of US hardrock like JOSEFUS, FRESH BLUEBERRY PANCAKE, STONEWALL, etc. then this is the thing for you!

Ant Trip Ceremony - 24 Hours (LP, 1968/2017)

Ant Trip Ceremony - 24 Hours (LP)

File Under: Psychedelic Rock

Sound:
https://merlinsnoserecords.bandcamp.com/album/24-hours

Cat.Nr.: MN1019LP
Label: Merlins Nose Records
Formats: LP
Price: 19,99 €
Barcode: 0710473604284
Releasedate: 05.07.2017

Some albums just exist due to the fact that the band is about to break up and with that knowledge in their mind the members wish to capture at least a tiny bit of the magic they created playing their stuff at rehearsals and concerts. These kind of of albums are way more personal like a picture book of memories than records made for the commercial market. „24 hours“ by ANT TRIP CEREMONY is such an album recorded by a bunch of high school students soon to part ways after their exams. It is nearly impossible to get hold of an original of which only 300 copies existed. Fans of late 1960s jammy psychedelic rock and dreamy folky singer / songwriter style tunes will go crazy for this collection of songs. Among them you find coverversions of Eric Andersen, a well known singer / songwriter of the day, Allen Toussaint, a famous songwriter, producer and soul musician, Billy Roberts, who wrote the ultimate rock classic „Hey Joe“ as well as a couple of contributions of people close to the band next to a handful of originals. The band had a quite unique expression while their overall style fitted well into their era. Some more or less intense but never really heavy rock songs, some mellow tunes that make your spirit drift away into gardens of delight painted in surrealistic colours. Fans of JEFFERSON AIRPLANE, THE BYRDS, THE GRATEFUL DEAD, THE CHARLATANS and other similar heroes and legends of the late 60s West Coast scene will dig this primitive version of the super stars. The songs here are all incredible and definitely made to last for a lifetime. And so they enchant fans of relaxed rock for nearly 50 years already. A lost crown jewel of 60s music.

Osamu Kitajima - Masterless Samurai (LP, 1980/2017)

Osamu Kitajima - Masterless Samurai (LP)

File Under: Fusion / Prog Rock / Japanese

Sound:
https://merlinsnoserecords.bandcamp.com/album/masterless-samurai

Cat.Nr.: DOO17003LP
Label: Oom Dooby Dochas
Formats: LP
Price: 19,99 €
Barcode: 0710473604260
Releasedate: 05.04.2017

A more of world music, a more of ethno and definitely a more of progressive fusion rock approach is what marks „Masterless Samurai“, the second album by Japanese prog warrior Osamu Kitajima. He takes his vision of his country's traditional music being merged with the progressive rock and jazz music of the west even one step further, than he did with his previous albums. Excessive flute lines of Eastern origin, funky intricate grooves and fiery synthesizer eruptions are the basic ingredients for most of these impressive instrumental downhill. The fusion share in this sound is strong and still all the exotic elements from Japanese classic music pull each song far out of the mass of similar acts emerging in the late 70s. Now we leave behind the PINK FLOYD comparison and go for the Canterbury jazzrock scene with CARAVAN and SOFT MACHINE as leading figures and Osamu Kitajima definitely fit in between these giants due to his creativity and manifesting vision of a progressive world rock music. Don't take the rock element as utterly physical heaviness. The album rocks but in a more delicate way. The sparkling lines of the electric piano can tell where this record goes. And even a rather gentle tune like the instrumental ballad „Floating garden“ shows a wicked and progressive edge with expressive sax runs, cool twists and turns despite the all in all relaxed atmosphere

Tollwut (Bochum) - Seuchen (LP, 1983/2017)

Tollwut (Bochum) - Seuchen (LP)

File Under: Street Punk

Sound:
https://merlinsnoserecords.bandcamp.com/album/seuchen

Cat.Nr.: H-10152
Label: Hayride Records
Formats: LP
Price: 19,99 €
Barcode: 0710473604277
Releasedate: 05.04.2017

One helluva obscure release for fans of leftist German street punk. This is one of the most iconic underground acts Germany saw in its 1980's. We speak of punk rock in its original form and spirit - border songwriting that presents lots of ska-rhythms among furious riffs. As this compilation consists of the rare 1981 'Seuchen'  7inch EP and the even more rare 1983 MC cassette album, the more sophisticated 1983 recordings makes one think of a way more raw, nihilistic and aggressive IDEAL, FEHLFARBEN and TON STEINE SCHERBEN and might appeal to fans of the more wicked NDW underground as well. In the end all of these bands are rooted in a similar background they share with TOLLWUT (meaning rabies). Interchanging male and female vocals add much diversity to these tracks. When it gets to the four tracks from the classic 7“ EP, ferocious underground punk rock placed in between more tracks from the 1983 tape. It works fairly well with this splitting of the original single tracks and shows how a full length album released back in the day might have sounded. TOLLWUT have a good feeling for great punk rock anthems that stick to your mind and deliver a brilliant rabid experienced performance. Could have become a hard hitter on the scene back then! Fans of German punk music of the 80 should definitely give this a go!

Jacqueline Taieb - Jacqueline Taieb: Her 1967 Debut Album (LP, 1967/2017)

Jacqueline Taieb - Jacqueline Taieb: Her 1967 Debut Album (LP)

File Under: YéYé / Garage Rock

Sound:
https://merlinsnoserecords.bandcamp.com/album/jacqueline-taieb-her-1967-debut-album

Cat.Nr.: MN1018LP
Label: Merlins Nose Records
Formats: LP
Price: 19,99 €
Barcode: 0710473604246
Releasedate: 10.03.2017

Limited to 1.000 copies only! This 1967 Yé-Yé debut album is as scarce as gold dust and fetches high prices among collectors if they may score a copy in good condition. Tunisia born Jacqueline did fairly well with her music over the past 50 years and here we witness her more than adequate start into the world of chanson and pop. Her intense brand of fiery late 60s beat refined with tinges of garage rock can be considered as an ear candy for 60s aficionados. Some rather lightweight tunes twang around you like flock of colourful butterflies and could easily have been a great success for the one or another star of the American West Coast pop scene. Melancholic ballads straddle into this chequered round dance and seize your heart. The waking call happens  instantly with well placed gruff beat tunes you would not expect from such a tender and angelic young lady. It feels like an innocent girl slipping out of her cocoon and become a proud woman. In the next moment a passionate French chanson drags you back to the opposite side. From well-behaved to cheeky and even charming... And due to the very memorable and substantial compositions this jewel of late 60s pop music is a classic among fans of such greats as ROLLING STONES or THE SHOCKING BLUE.

Mark Fry - Dreaming With Alice (CD/LP, 1972/2017)

Mark Fry - Dreaming With Alice (CD/LP)

File Under: Psych Folk / Songwriter

Sound:
https://merlinsnoserecords.bandcamp.com/album/dreaming-with-alice

Cat.Nr.: MN1017CD / MN1017LP
Label: Merlins Nose Records
Formats: CD / LP
Price: 12,99€ / 19,99 €
Barcode: 0710473604154 / 0710473604178
Releasedate: 10.03.2017

This album has been quite an obscurity already by the time of its release. Recorded by 19 year old Mark Fry for an Italian sub label of RCA it presented a beautifully naive kind of psychedelic folk similar to what the INCREDIBLE STRING BAND laid down at the same time just a bit more straight forwarded. We saw originals in good condition go for about 1600 Euros already, therefore such a reissue is always welcome among fans of totally psyched out music, done by mostly acoustic instrumentation and vocals. Young Mark enchants his listeners with dreamy vocal melodies of utter beauty which create an outmost peaceful atmosphere. The picturesque tunes take you onto a trip out to the English countryside on a gentle and warm spring morning and into a fairytale world. You might get lost within this colorful dream and not be willing to return to grey reality anymore but this music indeed burns on as the flame of love within your heart. The direction despite all psychedelic elements is definitely determined by British folk music of the 60's and 70's. One charmingly odd aspect of the album is that the title track has been split up over the whole album as short sections flanking the longer tunes. I cannot recall anybody else ever doing that, so this is making this nifty little record a unique effort. If you are a fan of PERRY LEOPOLD or the above mentioned INCREDIBLE STRING BAND this record will fulfill your wildest dreams but will also please those into STEELEYE SPAN, WOODS BAND or PENTANGLE. Mark Fry plays his acid folk from the bottom of his soul without thinking about satisfying the demands of the mainstream audience. This is a must have for all fans of acid folk from the late 60s to the early 70s era. This music is intriguing, keen and absolutely one of a kind with a mood changing from rainy days to sunny mornings out in the meadows.

Kali Bahlu - Cosmic Remembrance (LP, 1967/2017)

Kali Bahlu - Cosmic Remembrance (LP)

File Under: Psych Folk / Raga / Space Age

Sound:
https://merlinsnoserecords.bandcamp.com/album/cosmic-remembrance

Cat.Nr.: MN1016LP
Label: Merlins Nose Records
Formats: LP
Price: 19,99 €
Barcode: 0710473604215
Releasedate: 10.03.2017

First official reissue ever! Includes two bonus tracks and extended linernotes! Gatefold Sleeve. It's 1967 and Kali Bahlu felt that it was time to "simply speak the truth as it comes to me from the other side". Her believes that we're all tapped in a cosmic game, and her overall adorable wisdomly folly that she preserved into her old days, could lead to the assumption that she's been the grandmother of characters like Luna Lovegood. The record features four narrations performed by Kali with a bright and sometimes piercing voice in which she unveils her visions to the listener. What awaits you here ain't exactly the typical flower pop with colourful harmonies.  This is an entirely different affair. She speaks, screams, laughs and sings with that lovely lunatic expression in her voice on a base of droning music that is a combination of classic Indian raga with sitar and tabla and a few other  eruptive sound creating instruments a really mystifying atmosphere. The music and narrations drag you into a colourful world of strange plants and creatures. They tell you enchanted stories of  Leprechauns, Fairys, Witches, Lemurian Kings, Angels, and "the Northwind (that) got stoned of marijuana....". Be invited and come along on a journey of Cosmic Remembrance!

Daniel Grau - El Leon Bailarin (CD/LP, 1980/2016)

Daniel Grau - El Leon Bailarin (CD/LP)

File Under: Disco

Sound:
https://merlinsnoserecords.bandcamp.com/album/el-leon-bailarin-2

Cat.Nr.: DOO16002CD / DOO16002LP
Label: Oom Dooby Dochas
Formats: CD / LP
Price: 12,99 € / 19,99 €
Barcode: 0710473604321 / 0710473604338
Releasedate: 25.07.2016

This 1980 album from Venezuela shows the typical trademarks of its creator Daniel Grau. Spaced-out disco grooves, this time even with some nifty female vocals aspirated gently upon the lightfooted waves of synthesizer melodies and pulsating rhythms. An exception is the second track „Con en cielo en tus ojos“ which is a lush and utterly relaxed floating Latin pop number with a repetitive vocal line breathing an atmosphere of peace. It is one of these positive tunes that make you feel at ease with everything in this world. There is definitely more color on this album than expected from listening to the „Disco fantasy“ record which in fact was a strong piece already. No wonder that this long out of print gem fetches prices up to 200 Euros among collectors. If you are a fan of what Donna Summer released during the same period of time and love this silky yet vivid feel of the steady pulse the rhythms offer, than you'll have to grab a copy of this beautiful reissue. This is one of these albums that should have been legendary among the dancing public in the clubs by the time of its release peppered with memorable tunes that even work well 36 years and a massive development in popular music later. Let's look behind the surface and dig out the real jewels of this genre!

Daniel Grau - Disco Fantasy (CD/LP, 1979/2016)

Daniel Grau - Disco Fantasy (CD/LP)

File Under: Disco

Sound:
https://merlinsnoserecords.bandcamp.com/album/disco-fantasy

Cat.Nr.: DOO16001CD / DOO16001LP
Label: Oom Dooby Dochas
Formats: LP
Price: 12,99 € / 19,99 €
Barcode: 0710473604307 / 0710473604314
Releasedate: 25.07.2016

This 1979 release has been the fourth solo effort of Venezuelan composer and musician Daniel Grau. The music has been settled at the pulse of its time for certain. Discofunk with a Latin melody and rhythm approach surely was the hottest thing among the dancing folks back in the day and the rather futuristical synthesizer arrangements turn these memorable tunes into a spacey and spicy affair. The sound is perfect and the performance equals its package. The compositions are quite long all in all and therefore have a hypnotical effect on the listener and dancer. The continuing pulsating groove comes in a repetitive manner creating a floating atmosphere. This record is surely a product of its era and made for disco lovers to dance on through the simmering nights, but unlike most mainstream disco albums this record opens the gate to another dimension touching the senses of everybody in reach when it gets played on the turntable. Next to the similar massive Donna Summer works like “I feel love” this is the true essence of disco music just entirely instrumental with an emphasize on synthesizer melodies instead of vocals. Drift away into your disco fantasy, folks!

Eliwagar - I Volven's Vev (LP, 2016)

Eliwagar - I Volven's Vev (LP)

File Under: Pagan Folk

Sound:
https://merlinsnoserecords.bandcamp.com/album/i-v-lvens-vev

Cat.Nr.: MN1015LP
Label: Merlins Nose Records
Formats: LP
Price: 19,99 €
Barcode: 0710473604185
Releasedate: 25.07.2016

ELIWAGAR is a pagan folk band formed in France in 2006, relocated to Norway after a couple of albums and with a fair amount of releases ever since. "I Vølven's Vev" is their eleventh full length effort. Therefore you can expect a matured songwriting culminating in anthems of extramundane beauty. The main focus lies on haunting yet memorable vocal melodies with an utterly peaceful and joyful atmosphere. Around the mystical atmosphere, Eliwagar weaves a subtle harmony network with a steady hypnotizing drive. Most of the tracks feature bewitched percussion, acoustic guitar, flute and natural sounds like the whispering wind the waves rolling on the rough Nordic shore. These are backed by the enchanting voice of Brenda Runahild, the front woman behind Eliwagar. The songs drag you into a dreamy state and make you think of druids and heathen ceremonies. This is by far one of the most outstanding gems in the pagan folk genre and on par with great acts such as fellow Norwegians WARDRUNA (despite ELIWAGAR are more melodic and dreamy), IN GOWAN RING (just with an emphasize on Norwegian folk) or FAUN. Eliwagar knows how to create a whole world of mystical sounds that unfold in front of your inner eyes and ears. Sound and performance are as brilliant as the compositions themselves. A giant masterpiece of current pagan folk music!

Trio Mandili - With Love (LP, 2015/'16)

Trio Mandili - With Love (LP)
File Under: Songwriter / Folk

Sound:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbsQJBxICN0
https://merlinsnoserecords.bandcamp.com/album/with-love

Cat.Nr.: MN1014LP
Label: Merlins Nose Records
Formats: LP
Price: 19,99 €
Barcode: 0710473604185
Releasedate: 18.06.2016

This is the debut album of a trio of young ladies from Georgia in the Caucasus area and their story actually sounds fantastic. Being into singing folk songs and filming one day the three girls made a recording of the love song “Apareka” and that video gained them 3.000.000 views on Youtube right away. It is folk, three ladies singing to the sound of classic Eurasian stringed instruments such as the panduri and tschonguri, long necked lutes. The all acoustic instrumentation can be considered as the soil from which the voices of the three lead singers rise with the one or another instrumental line going deeper than that of course. It might sound like a miracle that this music gained so much attention in a time of flat ass streamline plastic pop but if you take a closer listen to “With love” you will realize that it does justice to its title. The melodies sung by the girls grab you by the heart immediately and fasten in your soul right away. This is some passionate brand of Eastern, Caucasian folk and has an enchanting approach within the melodies. The girls sing with a very determined expression in their performance. The TRIO MANDILI seems to be much more than just a group of young ladies playing music. There is a kind of mystical atmosphere rising from this compilation of simple love songs coming straight from the heart. The spiritual vibe shall not be underestimated here. This music will increase the frequency of your vibrancy and literally enlighten you. The compositions themselves may be rather simple as it is the fact with most classic folk tunes from allover the centuries but the emotional depth is amazing and the performance is utterly tight. You cannot get any better. If you love folk music and would like to head a bit more east to discover something fresh and exciting, this will be what you are looking for. The vocal performances belong to the most impressive I ever experienced and I have been listening to quite a bit of music over the past decades.

I Fenomeni - Un Vuoto Appeso (LP, 2013/'16)

I Fenomeni - Un Vuoto Appeso (LP)
File Under: Psychedelic Rock / Garage Rock

Sound:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7YNn2L7yB8
https://merlinsnoserecords.bandcamp.com/album/un-vuoto-appeso

Cat.Nr.: MN 1013
Label: Merlins Nose Records
Formats: LP
Price: 19,99 €
Barcode: 0710473604253
Releasedate: 20.02.2016

Here we go and check some rather fresh band : I FENOMENI, formed in 2010 in Italy with the intention to create the dirtiest and most fuzzed out garage beat ever. Dirty guitar sounds and cheesy Farfisa organ lines on a solid and straightly pushing rhythmical substraction with some melodic vocals sung in Italian language are the ingredients of a joy – and colorful record that feels like a lost gem from not later than 1967. Nobody could tell this was first released in 2013 and reissued right now. Sound, interplay, melodies and spirit speak of smoky clubs with swirls of colors ornamenting the walls and acid drenched drinks being served by topless waitresses in short skirts. You find yourself back in the mid sixties when it all began and the music here brings to mind tons of popular acts from that era. Starting with the early BYRDS, moving along to the US underground heroes such as THE SEEDS, THE STRAWBERRY ALARM CLOCK, THE THIRD BARDO or the later ANIMALS and psyched out JEFFERSON AIRPLANE stuff. If you look for innovations, please stop reading and grab some modern progressive rock for your own joy but if you want to be swallowed into a tunnel of sounds and colors where you can trip easy and free, this is yours. Despite the rather short length of these acid garage beat tunes you will leave what people call reality for a while. Everything here just grabs my soul and melts it away. Memorable melodies, moody riffs and those simmering fuzzed out lead guitars get me lose my senses. This is definitely addictive stuff. If you are a fan of current acid rock like BABY WOODROSE you will not only dig but definitely worship I FENOMENI. The language is rather not important in this context as the voice alone is commanding and you understand the message without understanding the language. Beautiful and haunting. A must have for all psyche and garage freaks.

Uubbuurruu / El Napoleon - Swamp Ritual (LP, 2015)

Uubbuurruu / El Napoleon - Swamp Ritual (LP)
File Under: Psychedelic Rock

Sound:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdf6nn_QDWA
https://merlinsnoserecords.bandcamp.com/album/swamp-ritual

Cat.Nr.: MN 1012
Label: Merlins Nose Records
Format: LP
Price: 19,99 €
Barcode: 0710473604208
Releasedate: 15.12.2015


Here we go for a beautiful split album by two Montreal / Canada based acts with a close connection as it seems and a common love for psychedelic sounds and space rock despite their different turns on the same thing. It is no miracle that you find UUBBUURRUU front man Joey Napoleon being in both acts. While UUBBUURRUU have chosen a rather laid back and melodic pop psyche route just with slightly more edgy guitars he kicks off into a fuzzed out acid punk inferno with EL NAPOLEON. Dark and gloomy garage beat with dirty riffs and even dirtier and simmering hot melodies is the lowest common dominator here and be sure it is you as the listener who gets dominated. This will certainly appeal to all those who still live in the yesteryear some 46 years ago when beat became rock and songs became twisted, uncontrollable freak outs due to hordes of proto punks going nuts on topics like the ongoing Vietnam War or sexual liberation. UUBBUURRUU may have the more freaked out name though. Their music consists of straight compositions with very striking melodies that may sound familiar to one somehow but really do their work to drag the listener onto a colorful trip. EL NAPOLEON on the other hand work with the same kind of firing harmonies and vocal lines but give them an extra buzz with their guitar eruptions that go further than your average sixties garage rock (which I love) and reach spheres of rage only MC 5 or THE STOOGES would have dared to touch. Eastern flavored guitar leads enhance the psychedelic mood to its maximum. All this is certainly very well played but it might not appeal to fans of clean digital sounds as the earthy and often dirty production is the icing on the cake and makes both acts come as vibrant as music can and should be. I would not mind making love to a sweet soul sister while cranking up this gem so it is really that hot and groovy. Fans of BABY WOODROSE, SPIDS NÖGENHAT, early MONSTER MAGNET and oldies like THE SEEDS, THE THIRD BARDO and tons of English pop psyche acts like TOMORROW or APPLE will enjoy this split album. Cheers to Canada, well done, boyzzz!!!!!

The Strawberry Jam - Jam (LP, 2007/'15)

The Strawberry Jam - Jam (LP)
File Under: Songwriter / Punk / Psychedelic Rock

Sound:
https://merlinsnoserecords.bandcamp.com/album/jam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvbMcdHAbWE

Cat.Nr.: H-10151 / H-10151-C
Label: Hayride Records
Formats: LP (Black) / LP (Red)
Price: 19,99 € / 19,99 € (Sold Out!)
Barcode: 0710473604147 / 0710473604147
Releasedate: 25.11.2015

(The red vinyl edition is limited the 100 copies only!) THE STRAWBERRY JAM is a rather fresh UK band and this album is their debut from 2007, but you can only tell this from the rather clear basic sound. The first three songs have a quite earthy feel and go from utterly cool country garage rock hybrids to proto-punkish eruptions, all in the first ten minutes. You are tempted to put a label on this band right away, filed under garage rock music due to its lovely late 60s feeling. There is a savage lead guitar on the first few songs, making them a great joy to listen to. However, there is much more to discover. “Alice D”, “I Like You The Most” and “Alice D Reprise” take the turn from the down-to-earth, fuzzed-out US garage rock to a rather British psychedelic pop with a slightly giddy expression. You could find this kind of stuff on some early records from the London Underground and Canterbury Scene. The more laid back and folkish psychedelic sound and the weird humorous pieces stay with us for a while until THE STRAWBERRY JAM find themselves slipping through a time hole which leads from early 1967 to the summer of 1969. “I Don’t Want To Make You Mine” is a straight blues rock stomper with a typical British blues approach you would expect to hear from bands such as SAVOY BROWN or TEN YEARS AFTER. Some more beautiful hippie folk follows in its veins and an epic psychedelic pop tune ends a very colourful and captivating album. You know and hear that it is a modern day effort since this bandwidth of styles and sounds would have been a bit too far out for an original sixties audience. The step back from 1969 to 1968 on the last two tracks is definitely a great choice. The closing track "Dragon Seed" is a laid back epic with ever drifting rhythmic pulsations and a wicked swirl of sounds which, by its end, gets you lifted above all that people consider reality and frees your mind. A few moments of free form experiments close this retrospective but joyful album. From THE SEEDS to THE MC 5 to THE BEATLES to TOMORROW and TWINK and more... you'll find it all in here! This is a great soundtrack for a summer trip!

Aqua Nebula Oscillator - Aqua Nebula Oscillator (LP, 2008/'15)

Aqua Nebula Oscillator - Aqua Nebula Oscillator (LP)
File Under: Heavy Psychedelia / Desert Rock / Space Rock

Sound:
https://merlinsnoserecords.bandcamp.com/album/aqua-nebula-oscillator

Cat.Nr.: RGR 002 / RGR 002/B
Label: Rewolfed Gloom Records
Formats: Black LP / Col. LP
Price: 19,99 € / 21,99 € (Sold Out)
Barcode: 0710473604161
Releasedate: 01.08.2015

A song title like "Ready to fly" actually gives you all necessary information to categorize the album in your hands as psychedelic spacerock that certainly makes you recall the ancient days of the 1970s when HAWKWIND ruled and LSD was the hot shit to get up from the ground and trip through open space. "Ready to fly" is for certain one of these typical up tempo space rock songs with a straight and hypnotic beat, oscillating synthesizer lines, swishing distorted guitars and monotone chants buried under layers upon layers of echo effects. What has been great in 1972 can still capture your spirit more than forty years later. But there is more behind this album than meets the ear. It begins with a four minute long drone entitled "KA" made of sitar sounds coupled with swirling synths and strange voice samples. Next comes "Ready to fly" as the prototypical space rocker followed by "Take a long walk", which could not be more different then. Here we have folky psychedelic music that flows gently with a haunting, melancholic melody and some fine guitarleads lost in reverie. Early P.F. during their days as the hottest band in the London underground club scene in 1967 come to my mind. And we move on from here to heavily grooving yet utterly washy and simmering power rock with vocals that mill into your mind and back to these gently floating psychedelic folk with guitar sounds that feel like whale chants, swirling synthesizer noises in the back, dark and melancholic vocal harmonies. You want your space and heavy psychedelic music colorful, viola, these French trippies deliver the goods in a way that will please every acid rock fundamentalist who concentrates on the 60s and 70s scene as well as all the desert rock aficionados who were born too late for the freak outs in Swinging London back in the day. And be sure, this is much more than just a record full of music. This is the key to unlock the gate to a world of color, joy and passion where love can be felt as a physical force. The 1960s garage psyche of bands like THE THIRD BARDO, the acid outbursts of the embryonic P.F. and HAWKWIND's straight ahead space rock drive combined could hardly match with the music of their heirs.

Perry Leopold - Christian Lucifer (LP, 1973/'15)

Perry Leopold - Christian Lucifer (LP)
File Under: Psychedelic Folk / Songwriter

Sound: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju7sBKJxb7Q
Buy: http://www.ebay.de/itm/Perry-Leopol...item2a4efc79db

Cat.Nr.: PSI 001-2
Label: PSI (Psychedelic Sounds Intl.)
Formats: LP
Price: 19,99 €
Barcode: 0710473604062
Releasedate: 10.04.2015

This album is some kind of a mystery and miracle, the latter due to the fact that except for some mixdown copies all the mastertapes have been erased for reuse soon after the recordings were finished for the studio went bankrupt and the material had been sold. In a miraculous way this album came to see the light as a reissue in 1999 and now, some forty years after the initial recording sessions, this music manages to enchant me in its entirety and I am left sedated, unable and unwilling to resist this temptation. The artist I write about here is Perry Leopold, an ambitious musician from the Philadelphia (USA) area who played in rock bands in the 60s and got to release his first acid folk masterpiece “Experiments in metaphysics” back in 1970, a rather twisted effort which strummed past the mainstream success back in its days. From 1971 to 1973 Perry worked on his opus magnum which should have been “Christian Lucifer”, an even more sophisticated and melodic album, still drenched colors man actually should not see and executed with a sense of progressiveness that was mainly associated with the rock scene in Europe. Perry Leopold created this album nearly all alone with a good hand in writing melodies of an unearthly, mythical beauty that he connected with cantilevered instrumental passages in which he piles layers of acoustic guitars, cellos, bells, strings, flutes and a few analogue keyboards and organs upon each other to achieve harmony structures of utter complexity in which the listener could get lost like he was trying to find a non existing path to escape a jungle. The whole piece of sound art, despite the overall accessible approach, bears a deeply spiritual atmosphere and sets your soul in a quiet and peaceful mood. Highly recommended to fans of progressive and symphonic folk and singer / songwriter artists of the ancient days like THE INCREDIBLE STRING BAND, DULCIMER and NICK DRAKE but also of contemporary psychedelic folksters like IN GOWAN RING or BIRCH BOOK.

D.R. Hooker - The Truth (CD, 1972/'15)

D.R. Hooker - The Truth (CD)
File Under: Acid Rock

Sound: 
https://merlinsnoserecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-truth

Cat.Nr.: PSI 002-1
Label: PSI (Psychedelic Sounds Intl.)
Formats: CD
Price: 11,99 €
Barcode: 0710473604123
Releasedate: 10.04.2015

If you face a „Jesus“ look-alike in a white robe with an acoustic guitar and a beard in full blossom on the cover of a record you know you’re on the trail of a real oddity, in whatever way it might be. Then you check the name and it says D.R. Hooker on the cover. Is it his name or is he a doctor who cures prostitutes, so called “hookers” ? What is this all about? With a bit of effort you may find out that this is the name of a musician from the Connecticut scene of the early 70s and that he gathered a bunch of willing hired guns around to back him up instrumentally. You will also be able to get the information that the original vinyl pressing in 1972 had only a limited run of 99 copies and is nowadays as rare as gold dust but there may have been reissues in the meantime. Well, if something like that gets reissued, it should have some kind of a fan base among collectors of 70s music and most of them go nuts for psychedelic, hardrock and progressive rock. So, can we say that this little obscurity with the utterly odd cover is some kind of the early 70s hardrock and psyche scene’s Holy Grail? There might be even more obscure records (like STONEWALL – Stoner) with print runs even lesser in size but D.R. HOOKER – The truth definitely belongs to the most iconic records in the field of US rock. Now we come to the actual musical quality of this item and despite a little rough and unpolished sound, the music is definitely intriguingly composed, well executed and backed with feelings of peace or passion, whatever song you get to listen to. The fervid opener “The sea” is one of the best examples what a brilliant composer Donald R. Hooker (there we go), singer / songwriter and hippie with a substance abuse history, really was. A pulsating rhythm made of regular drums and obsessively beaten percussions, held together by an ever pumping bass guitar, was the background for an epic, picturesque vocal melody riding on a guitar stampede with excessive leads. Next comes a gentle pop tune or a steaming funky rocker with an easy and relaxed vocal line or another quite progressively structured composition of crushing heaviness. No matter where the needle or the laser are in the groove, each note here is captivating and will inspire you down to the bare bones. Hard to compare this music but it ranges from pop psyche of the highest order in the vein of the STRAWBERRY ALARM CLOCK to powerful late 60s rock with a funky attitude as played by so many rockbands those days to thought provoking singer / songwriter tunes in the vein of Neil Young, Nick Drake or even Donovan Leitch with either lush or sparse arrangements. And there is way more than that. Haunting synthesizer lines on powerful guitars build an epic beginning for a fuzzed out, yet relaxed garage rocker that could be a lost outtake of a JEFFERSON AIRPLANE session with THE SEEDS. The whole album bears a homemade feeling and creates a very imaginative atmosphere. Next to the ten original tracks of “The truth” we get six of eight songs that were recorded in 1974 and been released about five years later as “Armageddon”. And all of these songs come in the same way as the ones on “The truth”. 60s psychedelia, dramatic pop, progressive power rock and great folky bits and pieces flow into each other. The result is music in full blossom, so colorful and thrilling that you will definitely give this album a heavy rotation on or in your music player.

Mind Garage - A Total Electric Happening (CD, 1968/2014)

Mind Garage - A Total Electric Happening (CD)
File Under: Psychedelic Rock / Hard Rock

Sound: https://merlinsnoserecords.bandcamp.com/album/a-total-electric-happening

Cat.Nr.: MN 1011
Label: Merlins Nose Records
Format: CD
Price: 12,99 €
Barcode: 0710473604048
Releasedate: 25.11.2014

MIND GARAGE are one of those dozens of bands from the commercial bottom section of the psychedelic rock genre in the late 60s, rather unknown to the record buying audience due to the fact they came from the Christian music scene, similar to THE SEARCH PARTY with their “Montgomery chapel” album. Just a bit more professional in the sense that these guys here are real musicians with the aim to play music and not a bunch of talented people from a Christian community that puts the word of the lord into a garment of flashing and swirling acid rock. MIND GARAGE also were different to the more trippy female fronted project mentioned above. Their music was built on blues drenched yet utterly dirty and fuzzed out guitar lines, some captivating organ carpets, naughty, angry vocals and a rather possessed kind of power drumming that gave the music an irresistibly sexy groove in case they did not slow down for a mind melting trip into the colored depths of LSD based insanity. And they did all of this in the name of the lord. The sound is rough and you can hear that the band recorded each of them in one take with no overdubs but this proves how gifted with talent these guys were and how much love and effort they put into their music. And for sure the raw production makes the music feel even more gruff and honest. Beautiful garage psyche, as the band name already implicates, made for all fans of bands like THE THIRD BARDO, FRACTION, THE SEEDS, THE HEAD SHOP, HP LOVECRAFT, THE DOORS. So roll a blunt in praise of the lord and let the world feel the greatness of the holy smoke while enjoying this lovely ‘Freak-Out Rock’.