zumpoems

White Noise: An Electric Storm

Stylistically and artistically ahead of its time, its hard to believe White Noise’s first album was recorded in 1968 and released in June 1969. The electronic effects are achieved not with Moog Synthesizer, which was not available in 1968, but through a combination of various electronic oscillators and magnetic tape effects. These effects, including an aggressive exploration the stereo spatial terrain, do not sound forced or trite, added afterwards, or as a foundation on top of which the music is force fitted, but are organically part of the musical whole. The first two tracks, originally created as singles, are accessible and melodically catchy, and musically refined as is the entire first side which is subtitled “Phase In.”  The third track on that first side, “Here Comes the Fleas” is the novelty number of the album, followed by “Firebird” which though unrelated in terms of topic and theme to Stravinky’s Firebird, cleverly incorporates, subtly and briefly, at different points, a melodic fragment from that original Stravinksy Firebird in the background vocals. The last track on Side One, “Your Hidden Dreams”, is particularly notable for its compelling coherence and judicious use of electronics.

Side Two is subtitled “Phase Out” and is more adventurous and ambitious, starting with the eleven-plus-minute “Visitation” which includes traditional musical and dramatic/narrative components along with more Stockhausen-like and pre-industrial rock elements. The second and last track, “Black Mass” begins with lower registration monk-like chanting — clearly intending to sound ominous and more sinister than the standard Gregorian plainchant.  Dominated by demonic percussion work and some assorted hellish screams and fiendish and perverse electronic sounds, at a little over seven minutes in length, this is the perhaps the most serious track, providing a short. impression of electronic-musical Hell, if not Hell itself.

I got this album around 1972 and have been a fan of it ever since.  Coming out after the albums from United States of America and Silver Apples (previously blogged about here and here), this is perhaps the most accessible and most compelling of the three. The main force behind White Noise, David Vorhaus, would later release additional albums, including the follow-up White Noise 2 (aka Concerto for Synthesizer) which like its predecessor was available only briefly for purchase upon its initial released but now, like many of the previously difficult-to-find albums of early progressive rock, is now readily available for streaming or mp3 download.

Track listing [from Wikipedia]

Personnel

• Kaleidophon – production
• David Vorhaus – production co-ordinator
• Delia Derbyshire, Brian Hodgson – electronic sound realization
• Paul Lytton – percussion
• John Whitman, Annie Bird, Val Shaw – vocals

Deep Purple: Deep Purple

With their third album, simply titled Deep Purple, but also known as Deep Purple III, released June 21, 1969, Deep Purple provides us a glimpse of their progressive side launching this album with the heavy, rhythmically driving, “Chasing Shadows”, based on one of Jon Lord’s nightmares and nicely fitting in with the Hieronymus Bosch inspired album cover. The remainder of the album is a mix of early progressive rock, hard rock, traces of psychedelia, and blues-based rock.  This is an enjoyable, relatively strong album with with both heavy metal and prog-like bass, guitar and keyboards that hints both of a path ultimately abandoned as well as the heavily-worn path that Deep Purple would soon wear into the grooves of such later albums like Machine Head.

Track listing [from Wikipedia]

Deep Purple

• Rod Evans – lead vocals
• Ritchie Blackmore – guitars
• Jon Lord – Hammond organ, piano, harpsichord, backing vocals, strings arrangement on “April”
• Nick Simper – bass, backing vocals
• Ian Paice – drums, percussion

Grateful Dead: Aoxomoxoa

Released June 20, this high-quality work, recorded with 16-track technology, and a potpourri of rock, folk, blues, psychedelia and tinges of country ragtime, is undeniably endearing.  Don’t get hung up on trying to decode the album name, it certainly doesn’t indicate that the album sounds the same when played forwards and backwards (though, it is true the album was recorded twice, first with older technology and a working title of “Earthquake Country”, and then recorded a second time to take advantage of the just released 16 track technology, giving the band the opportunity to run up the studio time for the album as well as run up the associated studio expenses.)

What is delivered here is an album for posterity, with beautifully alluring tracks like “Rosemary” and “Mountain of the Moon” (setting the musical standard for soft, ethereal rock which would be a blueprint for the softer tracks for heavier bands like Led Zeppelin) and exploratory art music like “What’s Become of the Baby.”  The album concludes with, “Cosmic Charlie”, the perfect soundtrack song for the “Truckin’ Along” and “Keep On Truckin'” carefree attitude that brought the 1960s to its close.

Track listing [from Wikipedia]

All tracks written by Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter, except where noted.

Personnel

Grateful Dead

• Tom Constanten – keyboards
• Jerry Garcia – guitar, vocals, lead vocals
• Mickey Hart – drums, percussion
• Bill Kreutzmann – drums, percussion
• Phil Lesh – bass guitar, vocals
• Ron “Pigpen” McKernan – keyboards, percussion
• Bob Weir – guitar, vocals, co-lead vocals on “St. Stephen”

Additional musicians

• John “Marmaduke” Dawson
• Debbie
• Peter Grant
• Mouse
• David Nelson
• Wendy