Various - Acid Dreams
Label: Past & Present Records
Catalog#: PAPRCD2094
Format: CD, Compilation, Reissue
Country:
Released:
2009
Genre:
Rock
Style:
Garage Rock, Psychedelic Rock
Notes
In the late '70s a Berlin record shop owner proved that it had actually been the previous decade that had spawned the off-kilter, angry, young and bored music that became known as Punk Rock. He put together one of the earliest compilations of '60s garage psyche, pressed only 77 copies and, aside from shipping to some friends or label owners, it was available only in his store. Here is the faithful re-issue of that original LP.
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This is the legendary 1979 vinyl compilation of US 60’s punk and garage psych scorchers prepared by a Berlin record store owner and originally only available at his shop. Past & Present haven’t been able to clean up the muddy sound much, but these snarling slabs of attitude deserve to be heard in all their analog glory. Dig the screeching guitars of White Light’s opening salvo, ‘William,’ the spitting vitriol of Caretakers of Deception’s ‘Cutting Grass,’ which sounds like a leftover Sky Saxon & The Seeds B-side, and marvel as The Outcasts out-Stooge Iggy & Co. on ‘1523 Blair,’ the studio address of International Artists honcho Lelan Rodgers. Sean Bonniwell’s Music Machine’s 1968 B-side, ‘You’ll Love Me Again’ is a galloping two minutes of nightmarish proportions. Admittedly, many of these tracks have since popped up on various compilations, but here you get the original dose of dementia all compacted in one convenient pill.
Listen to the unbelievably ferocious guitar breaks on Mystic Tide’s 1966 ‘Frustration’ and for you Pretty Things trainspotters out there, you may recognise ‘Defecting Grey’ lurking around ominously in the background of the Stereo Shoestrings’’On The Road South,’ a mammoth amalgamation of wah-wah fuzz and general psychedelic mayhem. Velvet Illusion’s eponymous garage punk classic rides a throbbing bass line, shrill organ, and distinctive guitar riff. The Unrelated Segments were a Detroit band whose 1967 single, ‘Where You Gonna Go’ borrows a familiar 13th Floor Elevators bass riff, but was good enough to garner them many appearances at the Grande Ballroom, opening for The Who, Spirit, Spencer Davis, and Jeff Beck. Beautiful Daze’s ‘City Jungle’ combines Beach Boy harmonies and melodies with fingerbleeding, fuzzed-out guitar solos. Nick Saloman said it best in his liner notes, “Quite simply, this is an acid-fueled masterpiece.”
Painted Face’s ‘Anxious Color’ may be a direct ‘Paint It Black’ ripoff, but it does it so well, you won’t mind the subterfuge. Frank Zappa is not the only rocker with a ‘Suzy Creamcheese’ in his life, as Teddy & His Patches’ February 1967 track attests. Strobe lights, swirling organ, stoned spoken word passages and razor sharp, garagey guitar breaks make this a well-deserved classic. They even toss in some groovy, sci-fi sound effects for good measure! The Stones rear their ugly little heads again on Velvet Illusion’s second offering, the topical ‘Acid Head,’ which borrows its storyline from ‘Mother’s Little Helper’ and then slaps a surfin’ organ on top of a rolling bass line, martial drumbeat, and cautiously optimistic vocals that really do seem concerned about our heroine’s fragile state of mind.
Other tasty tidbits include Vejtables’ psychedelic B-side, ‘Shadows,’ Faine Jade’s heartpounding psychedelic fuzzfest, ‘It Ain’t True, and my home state (New Jersey)’s Balloon Farm and their classic 1967 garage debut ‘A Question of Temperature.’ Producer Peter Schekeryk would later marry, manage and produce Melanie and Balloon Farmer Mike Appel later produced and managed some guy named Bruce. (Jeff Penczak)
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Acid Dreams is a compilation album of American garage rock and psychedelic rock songs recorded in the 1960s. Originally released in 1979, the album followed Nuggets and Pebbles as one of the earliest garage rock compilations.
History
In 1979, a Berlin record shop owner issued Acid Dreams and pressed only 77 copies.[2][3] The album was primarily available in his store, though some copies were shipped to friends or label owners.[3] The album was heavily bootlegged, and in 1988, a compilation titled Acid Dreams Testament collected 13 of the original's 18 tracks, and added 15 more songs.[2] Past & Present Records reissued Acid Dreams in February 2009.
Critical reception
Author and journalist Richie Unterberger noted that although many of the album's songs can be heard on other compilations, "a listen to Acid Dreams does remind veteran collectors of how unusual and exciting this stuff sounded before the style had been mined to death on other reissues, and when the few compilations available really did tend to zero in on authentically killer tracks instead of lumping a whole bunch of generic items together."[3] Music journalist Alan Ranta called the album "a brilliantly assembled exploration of pre-punk snarl and righteous feedback the likes of which is essential for freaking out the squares."[2] While Ranta criticized the album's sound quality, Ptolemaic Terrascope's Jeff Penczak said "these snarling slabs of attitude deserve to be heard in all their analog glory." (wikipedia)
Tracklist
1 White Light - William 2:02
2 Caretakers Of Deception- Cuttin' Grass 2:31
3 Outcasts - 1523 Blair 1:46
4 Music Machine, The - You'll Love Me Again 1:52
5 Mystic Tide - Frustration 2:44
6 Stereo Shoestrings - On The Road South 2:16
7 Velvet Illusions - Velvet Illusions 2:06
8 Unrelated Segments - Where You Gonna Go 2:49
9 Beautiful Daze - City Jungle 5:47
10 Painted Faces - Anxious Colour 2:32
11 Teddy & His Patches - Suzy Creamcheese 3:11
12 Velvet Illusions - Acid Head 3:07
13 Vejtables - Shadows 3:13
14 Faine Jade - It Ain't True 3:11
15 The Balloon Farm, - Question Of Temperature 2:39
16 Minds Eye - Help I'm Lost 2:21
17 Zakary Thaks - Can You Hear 2:33
18 Remaining Few - Painted Air 3:38
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