Open Mind

was one of those obscure British bands that in mid sixties made the transition from Freakbeat to Psychedelia. They debuted in 1966 as and released the 45 rpm without success. One year later they tried again rechristened as The Open Mind and mutating their original Mod sound into the hard/psych territories. This was their first and only album released in 1969 and followed by one of the best psych singles ever () but with elusive success again. Ignored and forgotten, The Open Mind disbanded in 1972, but the growing Freakbeat/Psych revival launched by several collective compilations since mid 80's (Nuggetts, Peebles, Rubbles, etc) put their name on the map again. This expanded edition released by Sunbeam in 2006 includes the original album plus their non LP singles and (this one as The Drag Set).

As a defining point of the U.K. psychedelic/progressive rock crossover, the Open Mind's sole album is the perfect specimen. With a singing style rooted in the freakbeat era, rather than the operatic tenor screams hard rock ushered in, and acidic duel guitars, heavier than those of a typical psychedelic act, The Open Mind filled the gap between the beginning of one era and the end of another.

For his technique alone Jean-Luc Ponty would be acclaimed as one of the greatest violinists in jazz history, but his recordings reveal additional dimensions to his talent. Released 35 years ago this month, OPEN MIND is a perfect example; the self-produced set presents the man's virtuoso string work with adventurous electric backing including some hypnotic synthesizer arrangements. Though guitarist George Benson and keyboardist Chick Corea appear on a couple of tracks, Ponty himself is responsible for most of what you hear, playing several instruments and programming rhythm tracks.

How ancient skepticism can help you attain tranquility by learning to suspend judgment