Sam Gopal (Feat. Lemmy) - Escalator (1969 / Demon/Edsel Records / 2000)
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Artist: Sam Gopal (Feat. Lemmy Kilmister aka Ian Willis)
Album: Escalator
Released: 1969/2000
Demon/Edsel Records - EDCD627
Genre: Heavy Psychedelic, Acid Rock, Tabla, Indian Percussion
AMG Biography: Although there was a tabla player and percussionist named Sam Gopal in this quartet, the true leader of Sam Gopal was Ian "Lemmy" Willis, aka Lemmy Kilminster, who was in beat and psychedelic bands in the 1960s before joining Hawkwind and Motorhead. Sam Gopal played middling psychedelic rock with Eastern and blues influences, with Willis handling lead vocals, lead guitar, and much of the songwriting. That Eastern influence, such as it was, was most evident in Gopal's tabla, unusual since the group's psychedelia often employed heavy guitar lines. Sam Gopal issued one album, Escalator, in the late 1960s, and would probably be even more forgotten today had Lemmy not gone on to greater fame. - By Richie Unterberger
Wikipedia: Sam Gopal (also called Sam Gopal's Dream) is an underground British Psychedelic rock band. The band is named after its founder, Sam Gopal, born in Malaysia. From the age of seven, he played tabla, a northern Indian percussion that replaced drums in the band. On 28 April 1967, the band performed at The 14 Hour Technicolor Dream, a UK Underground event organised by the International Times at Alexandra Palace. The line-up was Sam Gopal, Mick Hutchinson and Pete Sears. Other performing bands included Pink Floyd, The Pretty Things, Savoy Brown, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Soft Machine, and The Move. Sam Gopal played at the UFO Club, The Electric Garden in Covent Garden (later to become Middle Earth), The Roundhouse, and Happening 44. They later played the Christmas on Earth Show at Olympia in London with Traffic, Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd.
Lemmy Kilmister was a singer-guitarist with Sam Gopal, before becoming the bassist of Hawkwind and, in 1975, the founder, singer and bassist of Motörhead. Sam Gopal's album Escalator was recorded in 1968.
Official Sam Gopal Biography: Born in Malaysia, Sam Gopal started to learn to play Tablas from the age of seven. Came to London to study in 1962. 1965/66 he started the SAM GOPAL DREAM with Mick Hutchinson on guitar, Pete Sears on bass, and Andy Clark (Keyboards) joined a little bit later. In 1967 recorded a few tracks for Screen Gems with Gus Dudgeon as engineer. In 1968 started the next band SAM GOPAL with Lemmy.(guitar/ vocals), Roger D'Elia (guitar) and Phil Duke on bass. Recorded an album "Escalator" for Stable Records. Were managed by Robert Stigwood. Also recorded a Single "Horse" / "Back Door Man" . In 1969 started the next band, also called SAM GOPAL, with Alan Mark (vocals), Mox Gowland (harmonica & flutes), Micky Finn Waller (guitar), and Freddie Gandy (bass). Recorded a few tracks for Stable including "Somebody stole the Sun".
Spent some time in Amsterdam and changed the name of the band from SAM GOPAL to "COSMOSIS". Managed by R.Cole/Peter Grant, and brought in Bernie Holland (guitar). Recorded a few tracks for the Led Zep people. Around this time'71, Sam Gopal had a bad motor accident, and sidelined for a couple of years. During this period, recorded an album "Building B". In 1976 went to Paris, and there recorded for Radio France "Feedback" and "Backfeed" with Didier Malherbe (sax) and Patrice Lemoine (piano).
From 1981 to 1988, spent time in Nepal, where he had been studying Tablas the previous years, and to continue further, and also allowing his own music to come through. In 1988, he came to Berlin and started in 1989 his next "one off" band "SANGIT" with a live recording at the Berlin/Philharmonie /Kammermusiksaal. "SANGIT" recorded the soundtrack for "The Great Moghuls", six documentary films for Channel Four. In 1990 Sam Gopal recorded an album "Soap Opera" with Andy Clark (Keyboards & vocals) in Berlin. In 1991, he recorded the next album "Not For Sale" (working title) with Andy Clark (Keyboards & vocals) and studio musicians, also in Berlin. In the 90`s Sam Gopal put together his need and desire to extend his music into the 12 tone Tabla direction, which opens up a whole new melodic world of over-tones and rhythms for him. Around this time Sam Gopal recorded his own album "FATHER MUCKER" which got completed in 1999. On track 5 "SOLID WATER BLUES" you hear the First Blues played on Tablas in the history of Music. Since the release of "FATHER MUCKER" in June 1999, he is completing preparations for his next album "FINGER McTRIP".
Tapestry Of Delights: Their album, which was produced by Trevor Walters, is now a minor collectable. It contains a reasonable version of Season Of The Witch and a less impressive cover of Davidson's Angry Faces, but it's the group and Ian Willis compositions which catch the ear. The best group compositions are Cold Embrace, The Dark Lord and Midsummer Nights Dream. All three are heavyish psychedelic rock with some good guitar work. Willis' contributions ranged from Escalator, another heavy, quite psychedelic number and probably the album's finest moment to the mellower The Sky Is Burning and the sensitive, slightly Eastern-influenced Yesterlove. Four album tracks also appeared on an EP.
Psychedelic Salvage Co. Vol. 1 (LP & CD) includes Horse, which is well worth a listen. Psychedelic Salvage Co. Vol. 2 (LP & CD) includes their reasonable stab at Back Door Man. Neither of these two cuts were on their album. 'Lemmy' was later in Hawkwind and Motorhead. - By Vernon Joynson
Album Reviews:
#1: The Sam Gopal album was originally released in 1969 on Stable in the UK, this album contains psychedelic acid rock with burning fuzzed guitars, plus Middle Eastern & blues influences; the band features Lemmy Kilminster (Motorhead, Hawkwind) and was produced by Trevor Walters -- 2 bonus tracks from a rare 7" are included. Absolute monster album and must have for any Lemmy fans or 60s acid psych rock fans. (Rockadrome)
#2: This is the only album I know of released on Simon Stable’s fabled Stable label, along with The Deviants’ second methedrine-damaged offering, “Disposable.” And “Escalator” is just as street casual and doped up an affair. Sam Gopal was fronted by the young tabla player of the same name as Sam Gopal Dream, an acoustic raga-without-sitar group that had previously performed at UFO and other hippy London venues. But by the time they recorded this, their first album, he had added not only electric guitar, but also former Jimi Hendrix’s roadie, Ian “Lemmy” Willis to the lineup on further fuzz guitar and vocals. I imagine it was in all certainty against Gopal’s will he started knocking them into a fiercely lumpen rock outfit whose only missing ingredient was a drummer, the loping basslines often operating as a rhythmic substitute. The album is weirdly mixed and a super crude production, completely tipped in the favour of Lemmy’s vocals and fuzz guitar, making it sound even more imbalanced. The sum total of percussion on this album is tabla, finger cymbals (on one track) and either a session drummer or Gopal forsaking his ancestral instrument for a rented drum kit on the “You Really Got Me” hijack, “Midsummer Night’s Dream.” A squeezed and barely reigned-in fuzz guitar rebounds all over the place uncontrollably as a youthful Lemmy sings “The face in the mirror is screaming insanely” over the blistering rave up. And all the remaining tracks sound as rough, down at the heels and hunkered down as the band members themselves. In fact, all the tracks are about as drugged and unglamourous as the members of Sam Gopal themselves: which, from one look at the cover shot, is an achievement as they all look ‘street’, stoned and pissed off as hell.
This album pre-dates Lemmy’s induction into Hawkwind’s ragged ranks by several years, but the germ of Hawkwind’s (and in time, Motörhead) “The Watcher” is in the horribly fuzzed and equally-strung out “You’re Alone Now.” On other tracks the bass player seems to be playing very crude early Motörhead runs, so they may have been parrot-taught or even played by Lemmy himself. One of them is “Escalator,” opening up directly in a double-tracked careening guitar solo screech out over the lyrics “And if you think you love me livin’, baby/You’re gonna love me when I’m dead.” It’s a hip-shaking rocker looking desperately for a drummer to rock it out. Backing session singers on a cover of “Season Of The Witch” is the only concession on the album, probably a result of coaxing from their rough trade seeking and ultra-straight producer Trevor Walters, whose picture was the only thing adorning the back cover besides the record label’s logo. - By Julian Cope, Head Heritaze
#3: Lemmy is God. They said so in 'Airheads'. Anyway, this is a cool peek into what he was playing during the psychedelic 60's. I really don't think it's anything special, although the curious Sam Gopal, the dude who played tabla and other non-drum percussion herein, makes for a not-so-interesting sideshow. A couple songs like 'The Dark Lord' and 'Midsummer Night's Dream' are neat, and you can hear Lemmy's still-youthful, trademark rasp, but the whole album is rather repetitive and even tedious after a full listen. As for the sound, it is a MONO mix 'from the original LP mixes' (so states the back tray cover). Nineteen sixty-eight was a rather late date for a mono-only release, but anyway... I bought it, burned it and returned it for 75% credit at my favorite record store. I really wanted to like it--and indeed, I do like a few select tracks--but it's not worth $19. Borrow it from a friend and then go back to listening to your Hawkwind and Pink Fairies albums. For completists only. - By O. E. Williamson, Amazon
#4: Originally released in 1969.I remember it taking awhile for me to land down a copy of this disc,and I don't mind telling you that it was well worth the trouble.When I showed a friend of mine this CD,he quipped,"that's ancient".He apparently recognised Lemmy RIGHT AWAY on the cover.'Escalator' is a darn good sounding reissue of the short lived UK band.Best described as psychedelia w/plenty of tabla being supplied by group founder Sam Gopal.It's noted that Lemmy is on lead vocals as well as lead guitar and bass.Very nice scratching post for the future infamous Hawkwind/Motorhead mainman.The tunes that stood out are "Cold Embrace",the very cool "The Sky Is Burning","Grass" and their cover of Donovan's "Season Of The Witch".Should keep in mind that not ALL psych rarities are as good as this one.A real keeper. - By Mike Reed, Amazon
#5: Don't listen to the other reviews. 1) Sam Gopal does not 'pound the drums', he is a highly skilled tabla player from India. 2) This was not a hastily conceived novelty act, but a follow on to the prior Sam Gopal's Dream. What you will find are 11 great tracks of heavy moody psych with an eastern slant. Other memebers included Lemmy later of Hawkwind and Motorhead and Andy Clark later of Clark-Hutchinson (and currently working with Gopal again). - By Roger Sun, Amazon
#6: great classic here and not just becouse lemmy is on vocals, sam gopal sound just like the pink faries did and i think thats the direction they where going in back in 68. this is real acid rock to the maximum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - By SAXONMAN, CD Universe
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