Wednesday, October 29, 2014

G.O.D. Records Presents The Gem Of The Week - Music Emporium 1969

1969 USA MUSIC EMPORIUM-S/T PSYCHEDELIC ULTRA RARE DELIGHT!!
LABEL:SENTINEL CAT.NO.:PC 69001
LISTEN FULL LP WITH BONUS TRACKS HERE:
Very rare lp recorded in the begining as a demo,but Sentinel decided to go along and issue it in 200 copies,most of whom got lost and a 45 in promo and plain edition to forwarn the market,but nothing came up and the lp got lost in obscurity.So originals,if found,change hands at $4.500 nowadays!!!
The band didn't like the issue and thought they ought to re-master the songs but Sentinel felt it was fine,sth i agree with.

Initially called The CAGE, this trippy West Coast psych band from the 60's were quite sophisticated for their time. They started off in 1968 when keyboardist Bill Cosby joined forces with guitarist Dave Padwin and two female musicians, namely bassist Carolyn Lee and drummer Dora Wahl. All four were either classically trained or seasoned club veterans, Cosby himself being a UCLA music major. Evolving smack in the middle of the flower power era, they played their blistering rockers and wispy melodies quite convincingly, borrowing from jazz, classical music, avant-garde and rock. On the psychedelic side, they were definitely more song oriented than, say, early PINK FLOYD; although they did pour a mean dose of organ on their self-titled LP, released in 1969. Unfortunately, a year later Cosby got drafted and the band broke up.

Their album is a fascinating testimony of a different time and place. Highly organ dominated, it has just about everything one would expect from a late 60's album: driving rhythms, heavy guitar riffs, trippy Farfisa organ and cool, groovy male/female vocals by Cosby and especially Lee who delivers her druggy, cosmic lyrics with style. Their solos are concise and they know how to lock into a groove without jamming aimlessly, as did so many bands of that era.

Music Emporium
*Bill "Casey" Cosby - Vocals, Keyboards
*Dave Padwin - Guitar
*Carolyn Lee - Bass, Background Vocals
*Dora Wahl - Drums
1. Nam Myo Renge Kyo
2. Velvet Sunsets
3. Prelude
4. Catatonic Variations
5. Times Like This
6. Gentle Thursday
7. Winds Have Changed
8. Cage 17:18
9. Sun Never Shines
10. Day Of Wrath
 

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