CARAVAN - IN THE LAND OF GREY & PINK (DERAM 1971) Jap mastering cardboard sleeve + 5 bonus

In the Land of Grey and Pink is considered by many to be a pinnacle release from Caravan. The album contains an undeniable and decidedly European sense of humor and charm. In addition, this would mark the end of the band's premiere lineup. Co-founder David Sinclair would leave Caravan to form Matching Mole with Soft Machine drummer and vocalist Robert Wyatt in August of 1971. As a group effort, In the Land of Grey and Pink displays all the ethereal brilliance Caravan created on their previous pair of 12" outings. Their blending of jazz and folk instrumentation and improvisational styles hints at Traffic and Family, as displayed on "Winter Wine," as well as the organ and sax driven instrumental introduction to "Nine Feet Underground." These contrast the decidedly aggressive sounds concurrent with albums from King Crimson or Soft Machine. In fact, beginning with the album's title, there seems to be pastoral qualities and motifs throughout. Another reason enthusiasts rank this album among their favorites is the group dynamic which has rarely sounded more singular or cohesive. David Sinclair's lyrics are of particular note, especially the middle-earth imagery used on "Winter Wine" or the enduring whimsy of "Golf Girl." The remastered version of this album includes previously unissued demos/alternate versions of both tracks under the titles: "It's Likely to Have a Name Next Week" and "Group Girl," respectively. The remastered disc also includes "I Don't Know Its Name (Alias the Word)" and "Aristocracy," two pieces that were completed, but shelved in deference to the time limitations imposed during the days of wine and vinyl. The latter composition would be reworked and released on Caravan's next album, Waterloo Lily...
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MICHAEL DEACON - RUNNIN' IN THE MEADOW (MUSTARDSEED 1975) Jap/Korean mastering cardboard sleeve + 4 bonus

"Folky singer-songwriter obscurity. You 'll hear a little light rock, a little blues, a little pop, and a little jazz. It is a "bread and butter" USA mix of some of the freshest songs weve heard in a long time, particularly "Yahoo!" - the title song from this signature album. It is truly a song that defies description. It moves, it lifts, it raises your spirit like no other popular song has ever done. There are 11 other offerings total, and better yet, each one of them has that unmistakable Michael Deacon touch that makes a song like "Yahoo!" so endearing; and the vocal quality, musical tightness, lyrical lilt - its there throughout this masterpiece. Enjoy this lovely album at face value. Then look just below the surface - you may be surprised at what you find." [net]
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GYPSY - GYPSY (UNITED ARTISTS 1971) Jap mastering cardboard sleeve + 8 bonus

They were from Leicester, U.K. but the San Francisco sound of the late '60s is all over the group Gypsy. John Knapp (vocals/guitar/keyboards), Robin Pizer (guitar/vocals), Rod Read (guitar/vocals), David McCarthy (bass/vocals) and Moth Smith (drums) came together in 1968 and released a single on Fontana as Legacy before changing the group's name to Gypsy. Their self-titled debut was released by United Artists in 1971 and soon Rod Read left and was replaced by Ray Martinez. Little attention was paid to the band's 1972 sophomore album, Brenda & the Rattlesnake, and when the band handed in their third album in 1973, United Artists wasn't interested and it remained unreleased.
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Personnel:

John Knapp - vocals, guitar, keyboards
David McCarthy - bass, vocals
Robin Pizer - guitar, vocals
Rod Read - guitar, vocals
Moth Smith - drums
Ray Martinez - guitar, vocals

Albums:
Gypsy (UAS 29155) 1971
Brenda And The Rattlesnake (UAS 29420) 1972

45s:
What Makes A Man A Man/I Want To Be Beside You (UP 35202) 1971
Changes Coming/Don't Cry On Me (UP 35272) 1971
Brand New Car/You Know Better Than Me (UP 35462) 1972
Let's Roll/Without You (UP 35546) 1973

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JOHN ENTWISTLE - SMASH YOUR HEAD AGAINST THE WALL (TRACK 1971) Jap mastering cardboard sleeve + 9 bonus

Smash Your Head Against the Wall is the debut solo album by John Entwistle of The Who, released on Track Records. Its bizarre cover strangely resembles an Egyptian sarcophagus - but it is in fact Entwistle wearing a death mask while looking through the chest X-ray of a lung cancer patient, a parody of anti-smoking advertisements of the era.
The album itself offers a more downbeat and aggressive view of life than even the Who had to offer at their most pessimistic, as witnessed in the title track (aka "My Size"), and the closing track, "I Believe In Everything", which ends with a seemingly impromptu chorus of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", to end a sometimes uncompromising album on an unexpectedly happy note. The album also features a remake of Entwistle's Who classic "Heaven and Hell" with Who roadie Cyrano Langston providing some acid-drenched guitar. Who bandmate Pete Townshend once said about the album, "We learned more about John from him making an album than we did in all the years he'd ever played bass with us", a reference to both his quiet demeanor and his then-mostly unknown capabilities as a songwriter.
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As many longtime fans of the Who know, the band was truly a vehicle for the songwriting of guitarist Pete Townshend. Despite the strength of the band as a 'unit' and the importance of each of the original member's personalities and quirkiness added to the mix, it was Townshend who wrote the majority of the quartet's songs since the very beginning. With Townshend knee-deep in his 'rock opera' phase (TOMMY, the aborted LIFEHOUSE, and QUADROPHENIA), there was little room for the songwriting talents of the other members.
As history has thus far indicated, bassist John Entwistle was the only other member with even average songwriting skills. With an armful of tunes piling up on the backburner, he assembled his first true solo album in 1971, SMASH YOUR HEAD AGAINST THE WALL. It's a dark feast of gallows imagery and grim rockers. Featured is the perrenial "Heaven and Hell" (a track the Who had been performing in concert for some time), as well as a cover of Neil Young's "Cinnamon Girl," and the album opener "My Size."
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TEN YEARS AFTER - STONEDHENGE (DERAM 1968) Jap mastering cardboard sleeve + 4 bonus

Ten Years After is a British blues-rock quartet consisting of Alvin Lee (born December 19, 1944), guitar and vocals; Chick Churchill (born January 2, 1949), keyboards; Leo Lyons (born November 30, 1944) bass; and Ric Lee (born October 20, 1945), drums. The group was formed in 1967 and signed to Decca in England. Their first album was not a success, but their second, the live Undead (1968) containing "I'm Going Home," a six-minute blues workout by the fleet-fingered Alvin, hit the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. Stonedhenge (1969) hit the U.K. Top Ten in early 1969. Ten Years After's U.S. breakthrough came as a result of their appearance at Woodstock, at which they played a nine-minute version of "I'm Going Home." Their next album, Ssssh, reached the U.S. Top 20, and Cricklewood Green, containing the hit single "Love Like a Man," reached number four. Watt completed the group's Decca contract, after which they signed with Columbia and moved in a more mainstream pop direction, typified by the gold-selling 1971 album A Space in Time and its Top 40 single "I'd Love to Change the World." Subsequent efforts in that direction were less successful, however, and Ten Years After split up after the release of Positive Vibrations in 1974. They reunited in 1988 for concerts in Europe and recorded their first new album in 15 years, About Time, in 1989 before disbanding once again. In 2001, Ric Lee was preparing the back catalog for rerelease when he discoverd the Live at the Fillmore East 1970 tapes. He approached Alvin about getting back together to promote the lost album, but Alvin Lee declined. The rest of the band was up for it, though, and together with guitarist Joe Gooch, Ten Years After started touring again. In addition to touring the world, this new incarnation recorded their first new material in about a decade and a half and released Now in 2004 and added the live double CD set Roadworks in 2005. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
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SANDSTONE - CAN YOU MEND A SILVER THREAD? (EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1971) Jap/Korean mastering cardboard sleeve + 2 bonus

Little-known private folk psych trip that's head and shoulders above almost every other US folk psych record. It's hard to believe it's not from the UK, as it's instrumentation and compositional style remind you of Mellow Candle, Pentangle, Midwinter, etc. Recorded in 1971 at a local studio that must have been quite high end, because the production quality is astounding. Lyrically poetic, haunting primarily female vocals, and with entirely original compositions, this is every inch a mindblowing US private press and creates a dreamy, wistful mood typical of the style. From the cover to the instrumentation to the deeply strange and lovely lyrics, this may be my all-time fave US folk psych private. Maybe the truest US folk psych you've yet found. -Limited Edition -Paper Sleeve -2008 Original re-master(24-bit) -Photo and liner notes -2 bonus tracks -First on CD.
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THE GEORGE-EDWARDS GROUP - 38 : 38 (DETROIT/MICHIGAN 1977) Jap/Korean mastering cardboard sleeve + 4 bonus

Originally recorded between 1977 and 1978 this private press LP by Raymond M. George and Edward S. Balian (hence the George-Edwards Group moniker) is renowned as an uber-rare example of homemade Midwestern psychedelia. Having pressed up 100 copies as a promotional exercise the duo found themselves giving up, with no labels or publishers willing to get in on the act. All these decades later and collectors are exchanging copies for $400 a time. This is bizarre and labyrinthine tome, taking in highlights such as the proggy synth-rock experiment 'Planets And Stars', ambient piano and chime piece 'Easternia' and 'Wintertime', an acoustic number that weighs in with esoteric Moog and Arp contributions. Far more ambitious and dynamic than most long-lost private press, 38:38 is a compelling excavation.
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'38:38' by The George-Edwards Group's is one of the rarest private press albums of all time. '38:38' departs from the norm of the genre: instead of a low-fi demo quality outing elevated mainly by dealer hype, this album is a haunting piece of music that offers an unusually highbrow take on the archetypal Midwestern rock 'n' roll existentialism usually addressed with a solid beat and sneering vocal. Crafting their sound out of the many influences of the day, Edward Balian and Ray George created pop music with acoustic guitars and harmonies, heavily reverberant piano riffs, cold sheets of synthesizer, bells and chimes. - First-time ever on CD format - Paper sleeve/Gatefold - 24-bit re-mastering(2009) + 4 bonus tracks - Limited edition.
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DE MASKERS - SENSATIONS IN SOUND (ARTONE 1966) Vinyl Rip

Profile: Dutch beat group, established 1965 in Amsterdam. Members included: Hans de Hont, Alewijn Dekker, Jaap de Groot, Ador Otting and Jan de Hont.
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I could not find more infos about this group but one thing I can say for sure! They are far better from other groups of the era even better than some big British or US ones!
The thing that really impressed me is their sound which is not exactly "classic beat" of the era but also has some psych elements & it's also haunting in parts!!!!
My vinyl copy is not exactly "brand new"...but it's difficult or impossible to locate a better copy.
It seems no one knows the existence of this LP & in their short bio only a 1972 greatest hits compilation is mentioned which has nothing to do with their sound here & also some early 45s.
If someone knows something more about them it would be nice to leave a line here.
A mega rarity...don't miss it!
I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do...
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TAKESHI TERAUCHI & THE BLUE JEANS - MANATSU NO UMI WO BUTTOBASE!! (KING 1972) Jap mastering cardboard sleeve

First with his band The Bunnys and later with The Blue Jeans, guitarist Takeshi Terry Terauchi covered many popular genres, from garage, fratrock and surf guitar instrumentals, through sentimental ballads, via his own inimitable take on the popular classics. Born in January 1939, in the small town of Tsuchiura, in the rural prefecture of Ibaraki, north of Tokyo, Terauchi started his career in the 1950s, playing rhythm guitar in the Country & Western group Jimmy Tokita & The Mountain Playboys, but swapped to the hip new eleki style in 1962, with the formation of The Bluejeans. With Terauchi now playing a Ventures-style Mosrite guitar, the band's 1964 LP KOREZO SURFING (This Is Surfing) was a huge hit, enabling Terauchi and his wild whammy-bar stylings to support both The Ventures and The Astronauts on their Japanese tours. However, the coming of The British Invasion saw Teraucki jump ship to the vocal sounds, and he formed The Bunnys in early 1966. His self-referential songs included the December single Terry's Theme and the LP LET?S GO TERRY, which featured wild performances including their legendary mind death riffothon Test Driver. Then came Terauchi's commercial masterstroke, an eleki version of traditional Japanese songs for the LP SEICHO TERA UCHI BUSHI, which included the hit single Kanjincho/Genroku Hanami Odiri". Sales came in from people young and old alike, and over 100, 000 copies sold made the LP the all-time best-selling Group Sounds album...[net] Here

TAKESHI TERAUCHI & THE BUNNYS - LET'S GO TERRY! (KING 1966) Jap mastering cardboard sleeve + 3 bonus

Terauchi Takeshi was one of Japan's premier guitarists, first making waves with his surfband the Bluejeans, before updating his sound to a more Ventures-like psychedelic go-go sound under as the Bunnys.
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Takeshi "Terry"Terauchi started out as a sideman in Jimmy Tokita & the Mountain Playboys, a Country & Western band. In 1962, he formed his first Eleki band (it means instrumental band with electiric guitar), the Bluejeans, (Their June 1964 album, "Korezo Surfing" ["This is Surfing"], was Japan's first surf music album.)
They became the most famous surf instrumental band in Japan. They opened for the Ventures and Astronauts. Terauchi's style is very Ventures-influenced, but much faster and more frantic, with a heavy picking style and liberal use of his Mosrite's whammy bar.
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In '66 Terauchi quite the band and formed a new vocal and instrumental group, the Bunnys. In Dec. '66 they released their first single "Terry's Theme", an instrumental number which was played as the opening number in the gig with a simple riff, the flip side was the legendary garage instrumental "Test Driver" (appeared on Monster A Go Go). At the same time they released "Let's Go Terry" .On this album we can listen instrumental songs with his frantic wildest guitar and wild vocal songs.
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ALAN HULL - PIPEDREAM (CHARISMA 1973) Jap mastering cardboard sleeve

Best known as the co-founder, leader, and principal songwriter of the Newcastle folk-based rock band Lindisfarne, Alan Hull also pursued a successful career as a solo performer, specializing in original songs. At one time, amid Lindisfarne's early successes, Hull was being hailed as the most innovative songwriter since Bob Dylan, and although Lindisfarne's subsequent albums didn't remotely achieve this level of promise, his solo material was consistently strong. Hailing from Newcastle, where he was born in 1945, Hull took up the guitar as a boy, and became a member of the band the Chosen Few alongside keyboard player (and future Ian Dury alumnus) Mickey Gallagher, in 1962. That band, which specialized in Tamla-Motown covers, was signed to Pye Records for a time and Hull first emerged as a songwriter of considerable promise within their ranks, generating some very strong original numbers including the single "Today Tonight and Tomorrow." Hull exited the group in 1966 and gravitated toward a more folk-oriented sound in his playing, singing, and songwriting, which brought him into a band called Downtown Faction, who eventually evolved into Lindisfarne; he supported himself one year by working as a nurse at a mental hospital, before Lindisfarne came together. As author of many of their most popular songs as well as one of their principal singers, Hull came to be regarded as the de facto leader of the group, which may have contributed to its splintering in 1973. He recorded solo albums periodically beginning with 1973's Pipedream on the Charisma label, which included the services of second-generation Lindisfarne guitarist/keyboardman Ken Craddock as well as original members Ray Jackson and Ray Laidlaw...
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JAMES GANG - THIRDS (ABC 1971) Jap mastering cardboard sleeve

The James Gang Rides Again set the stage for the group's third album to propel them to Top Ten, headliner status, but that didn't happen. The band was on its last legs, rent by dissension as Walsh became the focus of attention, and the appropriately titled Thirds reflected the conflict. Among the nine original songs, four were contributed by Walsh, two each by bass player Dale Peters and drummer Jim Fox, and one was a group composition. But it was Walsh's songs that stood out. His "Walk Away," was the first single, and it climbed into the Top 40 in at least one national chart, the group's only 45 to do that well. "Midnight Man," the follow-up single, was another Walsh tune, and it also made the charts. The Fox and Peters compositions were a step down in quality, particularly Peters'. But the problem wasn't just material, it was also musical approach. James Gang Rides Again had emphasized the band's hard rock sound, which was its strong suit. But they had never given up the idea of themselves as an eclectic unit, and Thirds was their most diverse effort yet, with pedal steel guitar, horn and string charts, and backup vocals by the Sweet Inspirations turning up on one track or another. At a time when Walsh was being hailed as a guitar hero to rank with the best rock had to offer, he was not only submerging himself in a group with inferiors, but also not playing much of the kind of lead guitar his supporters were raving about. As a result, though Thirds quickly earned a respectable chart position and eventually went gold, it was not the commercial breakthrough that might have been expected...(allmusic)
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JAMES GANG - YER' ALBUM (ABC-BLUESWAY 1969) Jap mastering cardboard sleeve

Formed in 1967 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, the embryonic James Gang comprised Glenn Schwartz (guitar/vocals), Tom Kriss (bass/vocals) and Jim Fox (drums/vocals). Schwartz left in April 1969 to join Pacific Gas And Electric, but Joe Walsh (b. Joseph Fidler Walsh, 20 November 1947, Wichita, Kansas, USA) proved a more than competent replacement. Yer' Album blended originals with excellent interpretations of material drawn from Buffalo Springfield ("Bluebird") and the Yardbirds ("Lost Woman"). The band enjoyed the approval of Pete Townshend, who admired their mature cross-section of British and "west coast" rock.
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The James Gang's debut LP, Yer' Album, was very much a first record and very much a record of its time. The heavy rock scene of the period was given to extensive jamming, and four tracks ran more than six minutes each. The group had written some material, but they were still something of a cover band, and the disc included their extended workouts on Buffalo Springfield's "Bluebird" and the Yardbirds' "Lost Woman," the latter a nine-minute version complete with lengthy guitar, bass, and drum solos. But in addition to the blues rock there were also touches of pop and progressive rock, mostly from Walsh who displayed a nascent sense of melody, not to mention some of the taste for being a cutup that he would display in his solo career. Walsh's "Take a Look Around" must have made an impression on Pete Townshend during the period before the album's release when the James Gang was opening for the Who since Townshend borrowed it for the music he was writing for the abortive Lifehouse follow-up to Tommy. If "Wrapcity (i.e., Rhapsody) in English," a minute-long piano and strings interlude, seems incongruous in retrospect, recall that this was an eclectic era. But the otherwise promising "Fred," which followed, broke down into a pedestrian jazz routine, suggesting that the band was trying to cram too many influences onto one record and sometimes into one song. Nevertheless, they were talented improvisers, as the open-ended album closer, Jerry Ragavoy and Mort Shuman's "Stop," made clear. After ten minutes, Szymczyk faded the track out, but Walsh was still going strong. Yer' Album contained much to suggest that the James Gang, in particular its guitarist, had a great future, even if it was more an album of performances than compositions...(allmusic)
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IAN MATTHEWS - IF YOU SAW THRO' MY EYES (VERTIGO 1971) Jap mastering cardboard sleeve

In late 1970, shortly after his band Matthews Southern Comfort hit number one in Great Britain with its version of Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock," Ian Matthews decided that he needed more creative freedom and left for a solo career. The subsequent album, If You Saw Thro' My Eyes, his fourth and best release since leaving Fairport Convention in 1969, was recorded and released within the next few months. It also reunited him with former Fairport bandmates Sandy Denny, who had left the band in late 1969, and Richard Thompson, who would depart by the time of this album's release. Both would bring their distinctive personalities to the proceedings without ever overwhelming Matthews' own vision. As a bandleader and songwriter, Matthews' growth is quite evident here, guiding a stellar cast through seven excellent new originals and three well-chosen covers (also included is the a cappella "Hinge" and its instrumental reprise). Throughout, Matthews' sweet yet evocative tenor is perfect for the material, which succeeds in its blend of British and American folk, rock, and pop. Furthermore, he once again shows a keen eye for the work of others, while also proving his prowess as a first-rate interpretive singer. A pair of songs written by the late folksinger Richard Farina -- "Reno, Nevada" (resurrected from Ian's days with Fairport) and "Morgan the Pirate" -- are given fresh, inspired readings, highlighted by Thompson, Tim Renwick, and Andy Roberts' superb guitar interplay, providing a real folk-rock edge. But it's the beautiful, prayerlike title track that is the record's crowning moment. Joined simply by Denny's piano and breathtaking second vocal, along with a tasteful backwards guitar interlude by Renwick, Matthews' quiet plea for guidance is as moving and personal a song as he's ever recorded. A number of other highlights, such as "Hearts," "Southern Wind," "It Came Without Warning," and "You Couldn't Lose," make If You Saw Thro' My Eyes one of the best efforts by a Fairport alumnus...
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JOY OF COOKING - CASTLES (CAPITOL 1972) Jap mastering cardboard sleeve

Joy Of Cooking were formed in Berkeley (San Francisco Bay Area) during the hippie era (1967). Their fusion sound, incorporating folk, rock, jazz, gospel and blues, had little in common with acid-rock: it heralded a new era of "creativity" and of stylistic re-evalutation.
One of the first bands led by female musicians, and one of the earliest to deal with feminist issues within popular music, the Joy Of Cooking were led by pianist Toni Brown (who had graduated in creative writing) and guitarist Terry Garthwaite (a folk-singer and an aspiring sociologist). The three-unit rhythm section, on the other hand, was entirely male. Hampered by the fact of not being the typical rock band, the Joy Of Cooking gathered a lot of critical attention but never enjoyed any commercial success. In fact, they were formed in 1967 but had to wait four years before recording an album (they were all over 30 by then). Their albums Joy Of Cooking (Capitol, jan 1971), that includes Brownsville-Mockingbird, Red Wine At Noon and Did You Go Downtown, Closer to the Ground (aug 1971), highlighted by the anthemic title-track, New Colorado Blues, Humpty-Dumpty, Pilot and The War You Left, and Castles (may 1972), with another string of soulful gems (Home Town Man, Beginning Tomorrow, Three Day Loser, Bad Luck Blues, Don't The Moon Look fat and Lonesome) displayed a sophisticated sense of melody and flexible song structures. The instrumental score crafted laid-back atmospheres that Brown's fragile contralto and Terry Garthwaite's gospel passion turned into cohesive statements of real life.
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Joy of Cooking was the first rock band to have at its heart two great women as lead singers, songwriters, and instrumentalists. The subject matter is still mostly love and loss, but the emotions are adult, and not caught in the hysterics of melodrama. This is a fine album all around, from the rocking "Don't the Moon Look Fat and Lonesome" through the deeply heartfelt blues at the end. "Let Love Carry You Along" is a great anthem from that era, just as positive and uplifting now as it was then. But these are not "message" songs that are long on intellectual substance and short on musicality and rock. They are balanced, with catchy tunes, excellent arrangements, and a subtle, folk/jazz/rock ensemble executing everything very nicely. If you want songs that speak to our lives with clarity and maturity, and that you can still hum along with and stamp your feet to, and get carried away in the emotion, this is your kind of album. Joy of Cooking put out only 3 albums and didn't last long (Brown and Garthwaite split and pursued solo careers), but the legacy they left us is a fine one.
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