As the hippie movement hurdled towards its emanate demise, bad vibes infiltrated the rock world. Tainted LSD, loud motorcycles, and a series of brutal deaths spawned inspiration for guitar-wielding teenagers across the globe. Implementing deafening fuzz and satanic screams to create their proto-metal monstrosities, short-lived stoner bands pressed their lysergic experiments in microscopic quantities before blacking out entirely. Lifted from the ashes of the acid rock hell fire are 18 distorted tales of dope fiends, pill poppers, and the baddest of trips.
"After Hours" has become a widespread calling card for the area between midnight and twilight, when all the city falls asleep except for a collective of nocturnal beings. A whole new range of attitudes - diverse styles, open perception. After Hours is when the machine turns off -and when the mind turns on. In musical terms, it is the region outside categorization, the music that slips beyond the average stream of beats. It's not based on any beat pattern. After Hours is not ambient; nor is it acid-jazz, it's the area that exists in the gray area between them. Too quirky to hold any cliches too tightly; too loose for any grand agendas. After Hours eases the mind, softens the palette and opens the door to a new day.
Arguably the most radical album of their career to date, Nell' Ora Blu stands out like a blood-soaked beacon in the sterile desert of rock 'n' roll in 2024. What this dazzling detour tells us about the future of Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats remains a mystery, but after such a rich and fruitful artistic indulgence, Starr's reputation as one of heavy music's most distinctive voices can only grow. An eccentric tour-de-force, Nell' Ora Blu is the band's magnum opus. You will have nightmares. Trust no one. Watch your back. Let the blood flow…
Anyone who likes the B-3 Hammond organ soul-jazz style and doesn't mind a bit of pop-lounge spice occasionally stirred into the sauce should check out this compilation. It combines Pitts' first two LPs, Introducing the Fabulous Trudy Pitts and These Blues of Mine (both from 1967) on one CD. Introducing is a strong debut, divided between covers of pretty mainstream standards ("The Spanish Flea," "It Was a Very Good Year," "Matchmaker, Matchmaker") and gutsier straight soul-jazz, including four originals by Bill Carney, whose "Organology" is a highlight for its nervous, bopping edge. The languorous swells of the opening number "Steppin' in Minor" make you think you're in for a set of swank lounge-jazz, but the pace quickly picks up, and Pitts really catches fire on "Take Five," jamming a lot of notes into her improvisation without sounding self-indulgent…
Arguably the most radical album of their career to date, Nell' Ora Blu stands out like a blood-soaked beacon in the sterile desert of rock 'n' roll in 2024. What this dazzling detour tells us about the future of Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats remains a mystery, but after such a rich and fruitful artistic indulgence, Starr's reputation as one of heavy music's most distinctive voices can only grow. An eccentric tour-de-force, Nell' Ora Blu is the band's magnum opus. You will have nightmares. Trust no one. Watch your back. Let the blood flow…
As is often the case in this CD reissue series, the music has little to do with acid jazz, but it does feature a few organists. Tenor saxophonist Gene Ammons is heard on music that formerly comprised two complete LPs from 1970-1971 (The Black Cat and As You Talk That Talk), plus a pair of titles from a 1962 date only previously out on a sampler. The Black Cat is an interesting if erratic set that finds Ammons (along with guitarist George Freeman, Harold Mabern on electric piano, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Idris Muhammad) playing everything from the pop tune "Long Long Time" and George Harrison's "Something" (both of those tunes have unimaginative strings) to "Jug Eyes" and the boppish blues "Hi Ruth." As You Talk That Talk is a reunion with fellow tenor Sonny Stitt…
Franco-Algerian collective Acid Arab are releasing their third album: ٣ (Trois). The ten tracks on this eagerly-awaited record are serious dancefloor bangers, and will also be providing delightful private listening experiences, thanks to their sophisticated production and to the intriguing, diverse performances by eight guest vocalists from North Africa, Syria & Turkey: Wael Alkak, Cem Yldiz, Ghizlane Melih, Khnafer Lazhar, Sofiane Saidi, Fella Soltana, Cheb Halim & Rachid Taha.