The College Crowd Digs Me

"The Time Has Come" - The Chambers Brothers (1967) It is the psychedelic "in-your-face" "Time Has Come Today" that punches everyone's ticket.  Written by Joseph and Willie Chambers , "Time..." is an eleven-plus minute psychedelic tour de force filled with revelry and pronouncement.  It has a wonderful middle freakout with dripping time all powered by some of the most definitive cowbell ever put to wax.  The song is a fun, but blistering warning to those who promote war and inequality.  It's a polaroid of the times.   It is why the song has been used a gazillion times in films and television and documentaries.  The rest of the album is mostly straight r&b in various shades of pretty good, but nothing comes close to touching this tour de force. "The Time Has Come" (back) Other favorites are the first three tracks on the album.  The fun and energetic opener  "All Strung Out Over You."   The oft-covered "People...

" Cellophane Symphony" -  Tommy James and the Shondells (1969) "Cellophane Symphony"  was  Tommy James and the Shondells' 7th album and is filled with trippy and catchy pop and soul psych goodness.  And as fun and enjoyable as this 1969 psych offering is, the album didn't even break the Top 100 on Billboard.  You can find it in the wild for single bills and it's a steal of a deal when you do. Favorites are the nearly 10-minute psych-driven instrumental title track and the floaty and equally exhilarating rush of "Changes.”   “I Know Who I Am” is especially groovy and funky and a bit of a worm.  And the top 10 hit  “Sweet Cherry Wine” is always nice to hear.  I'd never paid attention to the lyrics before, but the song was a protest against the war.  There is enough variety on this album to entertain without drifting too far away from the boat, which is cool.  There are two 'throw-away' songs that close out both sides of the album,...

"There's a lot of benefits. But there's also a lot of fallbacks, too." ~  Michael Conner Humphreys ~  He was just eight years old when  Michael Conner Humphreys was cast  as one of the most iconic characters of all time  i n one of the most iconic films of all time... “Forrest Gump.” (1994)  The movie won the Academy Award for Best Picture of the Year while stacked up against equally powerful films...“Pulp Fiction” and “The Shawshank Redemption.”   And after the filming was over and the dust had settled, Michael decided he'd had his fill of longline auditions and just wanted to be a regular kid again.  And so he walked away.  He finished school.  He chose to join the military, serving in the Army, and among other things, worked a dangerous tour in Iraq.  Presently,  Michael Conner Humphreys' life  has come full circle...finding him diving back into the acting pool...honing his skills doing theater and stage, and st...

  "The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter" - The Incredible String Band (1968) "Sometimes I think you keep forgetting that you don't know me."   The first time I listened to this folk-psych album  "The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter" ...I wasn't even there.  I was reading this and looking at that and moving around and leaving the room.  And when the album was over...I'd missed it.  You know how that goes.  Anyway, when I gave the record a proper listen later that afternoon, I was rewarded by having my mind dropped off somewhere in the middle of a long-ago forest courtesy of Dr. Who.  No worries or dangers.  Just one curiosity after another.  Weird lyrics carried along by a cacophony of strange mind-pleasing instruments  Led by Mike Heron and Robin Williamson, The Incredible String Band gives us a tasty slice of some British folk psych pie.  A time-travelers delight and a great follow-up to their 1967 offering..."The 5000 Spirits..."...

"The Silent Land"  by Graham Joyce (2010) Hardcover, 262 pages NO SPOILERS: Curling up with " The Silent Land"  is a lot like watching a trippy episode of "Black Mirror."   The story is both eerie and atmospheric with very off-kilter vibes.  Very little can be written without giving too much away, but suffice it to say, a young romantic couple on a ski vacation gets caught up in an avalanche.  Graham Joyce cleverly creates a very claustrophobic world void of almost any sounds and then covers it with snow and spooky, ominous goings-on.  It's a very easy read, and perfect for the cold, wintry nights ahead.  I was also delighted with the beautiful dust jacket design.  It has a frosted transparent cover with gray letters on the jacket and black letters on the book.  It's a very cool and unusual presentation and the extra effort is appreciated. "Winter Time" - Steve Miller / "Book Of Dreams" (1977) Good stuff. Casey Chambers Follow...

"Livin' Love" - The Feminine Complex (1969) The Feminine Complex were five high school girls from Tennessee and historically one of the earliest all-girl rock and roll groups on the scene.  Playing their own instruments and singer/guitarist  Mindy Dalton writing most of the songs, their music was a spectrum of catchy garage pop-rock and dreamy, melancholic ballads with some soft psych nuggets thrown into the mix.  The band was all hot pants and high boots and high energy on stage for those lucky enough to have seen them.  Apparently. they toned it down somewhat for their lone album, "Livin' Love," but the square is still filled with infectious energy and commitment.  And I found it quite enjoyable. "Livin' Love" - The Feminine Complex (back) The band is also listed in The Acid Archives , but the review is a little bit misleading.  The album is described as being "horn-led pop" and that is just so not true.  Horns show up on a cou...

  "Home" (front) This was a blind buy.  It was $8 and it looked interesting enough to take a chance.  Plus the back cover mentioned guitarist Leslie West as a guest musician on one of the songs.  Felix Pappelardi was the producer.  Turns out  Jolliver Arkansaw was really the psych band... Bo Grumpus .  When the band changed labels from ATCO to Bell Records, for some legal reason or other, the band was forced to also change their name.  So the band from New York, via Boston, went with the name Jolliver Arkansaw .  Whaddyagonnado? Anyway, "Home" wound up being a surprising chance purchase.  The music is catchy and rocks pretty hard with a rural garage attitude.  There is occasional psych dustings on a couple of songs as well.  Side two is the stronger spin with Leslie West playing nice on the closing track... "Gray Afternoon."   The fuzzier  "Lisa My Love" is heavy with a Hendrix vibe all over it.  The ...