Friday, December 7, 2007

ULTIMATE SPINACH "Mind Flowers" unreleased recording 1967 (US)


This is an ultra rare recording of the legendary psychedelic band ULTIMATE SPINACH in a fantastic clear sound-quality. A must-have, if you like the Bosstown-Sound. It's a perfect performance of the leaders of this specific style, merging psychedelic, jazz and proto-progressive elements, which makes this concert an unforgetable listening. They play in front of a handful audience creating a very familiar communal athmosphere.

A monster rarity, publicly debuting at Mutant Sounds here.

Due to circumstances beyond my control, my uploads will be infrequent for the next few months. Still keep on downloading the excellent stuff Jim & Eric are posting, enjoy and remember: Music is the food of thought, like Tony McPhee of the GROUNDHOGS quoted.
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19 comments:

  1. mutantsoundsDecember 8, 2007 at 3:35 AM

    Holy Shit Spyrous!I'm speechless!

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  2. frostymugDecember 8, 2007 at 5:34 AM

    Would you please comment on what you know about a self-titled album called "Pyramid" that is supposedly a long lost krautrock classic from the 70's. Is it a hoax like the Damenbart?

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  3. Sébastien DesrosiersDecember 8, 2007 at 7:27 AM

    Whoooa! Thanks!!!

    Anybody ever seen any video footage of the Ultimate Spinach or other bosstown bands (The Id, Orpheus, etc)?

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  4. mutantsoundsDecember 8, 2007 at 9:20 AM

    Pyramid was supposed to be one of those ultra rare re-issues by PSI FI label...here's what Spacefreak commented a few months back on Direct Waves blog about this LP:
    "The album is not listed in any kraut rock discographical guide, because it is NOT a krautrock recording but a hoax adout an hypothetical label "Pyramid". The session had been recorded during the early 90ies by people connected with the group SUNDIAL and the Acme label. All 6 of the Psi-Fi albums are pseudo-kraut albums and are to be considered as 1996 releases by UK musicians (probably the same involved with the Prescription series). I assume all responsibility of the above given info, as I happen to be a kraut rock collector since the mid-70ies owing almost everything from there and I 've never seen or heard about a copy of the abovementioned albums (and I have seen monster obscurities), nor did any German dealer/collector I know.
    I can go on commenting on the non-existence of these albums for pages, however I leave it up to you to decide whether they are true 70ies releases or a hoax to cash on the early 90ies krautrock revival. Musically speaking though, some of them are great albums, with the NAZGUL (which had an ultra-obscure second 10' vinyl UK release a couple of years later) leading the lot."
    I agree totally with him ,taking into consideration the infos i also have about it.

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  5. mutantsoundsDecember 8, 2007 at 9:20 AM

    Pyramid was supposed to be one of those ultra rare re-issues by PSI FI label...here's what Spacefreak commented a few months back on Direct Waves blog about this LP:
    "The album is not listed in any kraut rock discographical guide, because it is NOT a krautrock recording but a hoax adout an hypothetical label "Pyramid". The session had been recorded during the early 90ies by people connected with the group SUNDIAL and the Acme label. All 6 of the Psi-Fi albums are pseudo-kraut albums and are to be considered as 1996 releases by UK musicians (probably the same involved with the Prescription series). I assume all responsibility of the above given info, as I happen to be a kraut rock collector since the mid-70ies owing almost everything from there and I 've never seen or heard about a copy of the abovementioned albums (and I have seen monster obscurities), nor did any German dealer/collector I know.
    I can go on commenting on the non-existence of these albums for pages, however I leave it up to you to decide whether they are true 70ies releases or a hoax to cash on the early 90ies krautrock revival. Musically speaking though, some of them are great albums, with the NAZGUL (which had an ultra-obscure second 10' vinyl UK release a couple of years later) leading the lot."
    I agree totally with him ,taking into consideration the infos i also have about it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. spacefreakDecember 8, 2007 at 1:01 PM

    :))) Thanks Jim for quoting what I 've written several months ago elsewhere. I 'll give some other details about the 90ies Virgin records compilation from the Pyramid recordings (that came out some months later than the first 3 Psi-Fi CDs). The source to all of them is a certain Toby Robinson, engineer in Dieter Dierk's studio. How come that Acme and Virgin had the same master tape for the same recordings and that the reissue dates were exactly those of the mid 90ies during the kraut rock revival. And that some 15 years after no one resurfaced with a copy of such an album to cash over 1,000 $ status? I NEVER saw any of them for sale in mail-order lists, eBay or record fairs. And the GOLEM album seems to be recorded from two different line-ups... And the NAZGUL sound so modern, so NURSE WITH WOUNDish... Not forgetting that in 1997 or 1998, Ultima Thule shop in Leicester had a 10' from the same band for sale. I was stupid not to buy it for proof (it also disappeared some months after)but I have the mail order catalogue somewhere and I 'll resurface with title and label. An italian collector of monster rarities, with whom I liaised at the times knows the persons involved but he keeps his mouth well shut. Also well known prog-gnostic Tom "Swingugen" Hayes documents the opinion that are fakes. I was also discussing in r.m.p. newsgroup the facts during 1996 with Matthew Martens of New Sonic Architecture fame (he is lurking here sometimes) and was one of the first ones to doubt their existence. However if one wants to believe that all of them are 70ies recordings, let him believe. In the end it's the music that counts and some contained in them is undoubtfuly great.

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  7. spacefreakDecember 8, 2007 at 1:25 PM

    Now DAMMENBART (1989) is in my opinion a different affair. Not a hoax but a well known artistic trick by a member of HNAS to pay his tribute to krautrock. Few people had been hooked at the time because there was no krautrock revival then and the attentive listener could trace sound collages of sections from ASH RA TEMPEL, AMON DUUL etc. And it is also very NURSE WITH WOUNDish as well. The same with the supposed MITTELWINTERNACHT 1971 album that sounds very ASHTRAY NAVIGATIONS to my ears. Or Masayo Asahara's nippon freak-out "St. Agnes Fountain" (a 2002 tribute to japanese avant-garde from a certain Martin Archer). All these are tributes where trickery works as a game to perplex the listener and hook him to the music by setting the appropriate climate and not affairs to cash on massive stylistic revivals.

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  8. xDecember 8, 2007 at 10:10 PM

    Hi Spyros,
    Can you please upload Laurent Vanay's third LP... please !!!! please !!! please !!!
    Thanks from proghog

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  9. frostymugDecember 11, 2007 at 7:56 AM

    With the info you supplied about Psi-Fi, I was able to track down the Nazgul album on Sakalli. Fantastic! even if not authentic 70's. Located here:
    http://sakallimusic.blogspot.com/2007/05/nazgul-nazgul-1976-192.html

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  10. cybernaut667December 12, 2007 at 2:51 AM

    this link cant seem to open

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  11. AnonymousDecember 12, 2007 at 6:29 PM

    this link cant seem to open

    Try here.

    ReplyDelete
  12. AnonymousDecember 13, 2007 at 11:03 PM

    Re Ultimate Spinach "Mind Flowers":

    So much great music has appeared on this blog over the past months, that I feel that I should be commenting in every post. but listening to the epic closing track now I just HAD to post a comment and thank spacefreak for sharing this Ultimate Spinach boot. To me, these live recordings have a stronger, creepier, weirder vibe than the studio tracks, and are much the better for it. Great sound, great performance, adventurous songs. Thank you thank you thank you.

    wm2007

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  13. AnonymousJanuary 7, 2008 at 1:26 PM

    1 Hey Joe 4:14
    2 Get Together 4:12
    3 I Don't Know You 3:48
    4 Funny Freak Parade / Don't Let These Years Go By 6:07
    5 Don't Cry for Me 3:52
    6 Follow Me 4:38
    7 Ballad of the Hip Death Goddess 6:20
    8 Mind Flowers 12:46

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  14. Govindas DreamAugust 12, 2008 at 11:03 AM

    wow!!! thanks man,

    greetings
    amadeus :)

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  15. AnonymousSeptember 10, 2008 at 6:00 AM

    great great great and lovely sounds.many many thanks for this!

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  16. AnonymousMarch 25, 2009 at 6:44 AM

    WOW, this takes me back! Many thanks for this, and for an amazing blog overall!
    KOLYA

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  17. Term papersJanuary 11, 2010 at 11:30 PM

    Greatly admire your work. This blog is a must visit for me daily. Thanks for all you do. One of the best of the best. Hope you get enough.

    Thanks for your blog and Best Wishes for the New Year

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  18. UnknownFebruary 5, 2011 at 7:19 AM

    Woah! I'm a big fan of Ultimate Spinach. I can't wait to hear this.
    Great blog.
    Thanks,
    VanGo

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  19. gomonkeygoJuly 18, 2011 at 11:02 AM

    I just stumbled on this post and am all a-giggle to see my art here. I made this for a very limited tree distro of the original tape to CDR about ten years ago (give or take a few). Had forgotten about it, but it's neat to see again. Personally not too thrilled by the tunes. Only listened to it a few times but it's a great artifact of the times.

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