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Tuesday, November 28, 2023

The Day After The Sabbath 152: Lovely Jugglies Part 2 - More Rare Vinyl From the DJ Juggles Collection

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Welcome to part 2 of my collaboration with DJ Juggles. Sometimes it's good to mix things up by inviting fellow musical explorers to join in here. In this case we have more awesome obscure vinyl rips made available to us by Australia's DJ Juggles. Since the mid '70s he's been collecting exactly the kind of music that TDATS adores, not only collecting, but also championing such bands as a radio and live DJ.

Here we have a selection of fifteen tracks, from the USA and Australia, ranging from 1971 to years unknown (and in one case, from a mystery band) and again spanning all styles of heavy psych, prog, AOR, hard rock and metal. I listened to a lot of singles that Juggles has revealed to us over recent years and I personally selected these 15 sides according to their excellence and apparent obscurity, so I'm sure that this will be another adventure into genuinely unknown territory for the large majority of readers! This is part 2, part 1 was posted back in early October 2023 in TDATS v150, so go see that one now as well if you missed it! (link)

TRACKS

01. Sound Company - Imaginary Fix (1971 Neosho, Missouri)
02. Weather - Railroadin' (1972 Jonesboro, Arkansas)
03. Vision - Love Is What's Happening (1979 Los Angeles, California)
04. Spectrum Ltd. - I Can't Stand The Lying, Lying (1977 Ohio)
05. Amber Band - Keep It Burning (19?? San Diego, California)
06. Blue Gravel Rock Band - I Heard It Through The Grapevine (19?? Texas)
07. Ukiah - Why Did You Lie To Me? (1978 Ohio)
08. Collision - I Gotta Know (1973 Texas)
09. Dahlquist - Farewell To The Dreamer (1978 Texas)
10. Dink Stover - How Can Love Survive (1975 Encino, California)
11. Good Mother Sunday - Strap Yourself In (1975 Ohio)
12. Rush Brothers - Dark Side Of Today (19?? Golden, Colorado)
13. Straight Up - So Blind (1974 Minnesota)
14. Unknown Artist - Wind Of Miracles (19?? Long Beach, California)
15. Fox - Ziggy Stardust (1974 Australia)

DJ Juggles Interview part 2

Juggles at the decks
Here is the final part of my interview with Juggles, which started in v150 (link)

Are there any other tunes that you like to play at DJ events for specific times? What's a good crowd-warming track? Or maybe a good long track for when you want to have a break and get a beer etc?

Honestly there's a heap to get the crowd rocking but they are probably more commercial ie: Lizzy, Buffalo, Angels, Master's [Aprentices], Sweet etc

Break time is usually a 10 minute Buffalo track or Los Destolles depending on crowd and how things are vibing. I normally throw in a few strange tracks to see what the punters are doing at THAT time as well.

Where is your favourite place to go in the USA when you are looking for records?

The US back in the day was like a cultivating pearl, every visit we would meet someone new who would lead us into another shed, shop or their friend's home that would be like an open shell with the Pearl just waiting to be harvested. However some of my best finds were in Texas. The last few years it's been St. Louis with the help of my good friend Massimo Contreras.

What are your opinions on the historical importance of your collection, and the future of this obscured music in these days of streaming and digital audio, with physical media becoming less common for general music consumption?

That's something that I have probably not given too much thought to. I would imagine that in today's world most of it may already be digitised.

I do have a few boxes where this still hasn't happened, however I think overtime they will come to light. Presently we have some fantastic bands and artists being pressed onto records either from lost acetates or tapes. We also have a heap of reissues and LP comps having been released over the years. The current crop of people like Adam from Ancient Grease Records, Mike from Little Stones, Daniel from Riding Easy with Lance from Brown Acid etc keeping this space interesting and alive. We also have blogs and Youtube channels like yourself at TDATS, Massimo at Psych 45s and Jordan at Heavy '70s who are forever introducing stuff to all the peeps willing to dig on the internet.

No doubt it has become easier for the modern digger as they search the internet whereas in the old man Juggles' days you psychically searched with a portable [turntable] by your side, scoured through sales catalogues or traded mixtapes with friends. Then you had the Haupt brothers with Rich at Rockadelic and The Guru John at OPM Records (Other People's Money) releasing and finding gems. 

Personally I would like to commend Adam at Ancient Grease Records and his peers as it is people like them who will make sure that these gems are never lost.


I agree, and with that, thanks again to DJ Juggles for his time in answering these questions!

Juggles' recommendations above


THE RECORDS

Most of the technical information here is taken from Discogs. If anyone has more light to shed on any of these singles drop me a line and I will update it here!

Sound Company - Imaginary Fix (1971)
Here's a huge opening track, the powerful combo of fuzz guitar, farfisa and vocal attitude hits immediately and never lets up! Sound Company was formed in Neosho, Missouri in 1969. The band included Gary Lohmann (guitar, vocals), Rick Hair (organ, vocals), Randy Butler (bass, vocals) and Kenny Vaughn (drums).

In 1971 they laid down a 6-track demo at Damon Recording Studios in Kansas City, which resulted in a few 12" acetates, and 'Imaginary Fix' is from that session. The same year they recorded a 2-sided single in Tulsa, Oklahoma which was properly released on the studio's Derrick label. There is an extensive interview with Sound Company drummer Kenny Vaughn over at PsychedelicBabyMag (link), where he talks about their later exploits in California, after changing name to Mizzouri Foxx. 

Sound Company
Juggles says: "I was lucky enough to get involved when my good mate Massimo Contreras tracked the band down as he liked their released 45. He asked Sound Company if they had any other material and it went from there. Massimo contacted me straight away and said they had some stuff that would be right up my alley. When I listened to the 6 tracks there were 3 that I couldn’t control my excitement over. We spoke with the band and they had an acetate that was with Kenny Vaughn the drummer. I asked him if I could have it and he said yes! I offered him a deal and we went from there. Between the legendary Massimo Contreras, Kenny Vaughn and myself I believe we slabbed out on wax, a EP of the best heavy psych tracks discovered in the last 30 years."

Juggles and Massimo have overseen the release of a three track 45rpm EP in 2023, which you can read more about at Mizzouri Foxx's website (link) and the official shop page (link).

Weather - Railroadin' (1972)
A plain fantastic, rip-roaring psychedelic blues instrumental!
Weather was led by Jim Murray, who also made some solo music (link). This single was released on the Jonesboro, Arkansas label Wham Records, produced by Jim & Anita Murray and backed with a cover of Free's All Right Now, which would be great to hear sometime!


Vision - Love Is What's Happening (1979)
Here's a solid piece of rockin' AOR with a great chunky guitar tone.
Released on Los Angeles' Cream label.  Produced by George W. St. John. Songwriters include Brian Stewart, Bill Sims, Danny Lai and Mark Adrian, who may be members of the group.


Spectrum Ltd. - I Can't Stand The Lying, Lying (1977)
Here's a nice bit of catchy boogie rock. 
Engineered by Bob Ernspiker, Produced by Ron Grayson. Recorded by AMG (Cincinnati, Ohio). This song is credited to Tom Lazaros from Detroit, who also wrote a national number 1 single for country singer Ray Price (link). I can't find evidence that he or anyone else other than Spectrum recorded this one.


Amber Band - Keep It Burning (19??)
Here's another really catchy song with a great production, it could have been a big hit for a famous band!
Recorded at Golden Track studio, San Diego. Produced by Steven Wetherbee. Written by Dan Pinnella and Ed Cunningham Jr. Lyrics by Laurie McCardell.


Blue Gravel Rock Band - I Heard It Through The Grapevine (19??)
Like the Supremes song in the previous Juggles volume (link), here's another great rock cover of a soul pop hit.
Produced by Fred Carroll. Released on the Bellaire, Texas label Solar Records. The b-side is credited to B. Scarmardo, who may be in the band. Blue Gravel seemed to like making soul covers, as they also released Otis Reading's Respect. Tymeshyfter at RYM (link) says this about the single: "This label was headquartered in Bellaire, TX, and most of the acts they released were Texas natives as well. And a large number of those releases were in the hard rock vein, this one being no exception. The A-side is a mid-tempo, psychedelic hard rock cover of the Motown hit with a fuzz bass riff, organ, wah-wah guitar, incl. the break, and a heavy overall sound. The other side is a mid-slow pop ballad with organ, mild guitar, vocal harmony chorus and a nice guitar break - all reverbed. Probably from 1971."

Ukiah - Why Did You Lie To Me? (1978)
Here's a great piece of melodic hard rock, with a chorus worthy of Thin Lizzy!
Bruce Arbaugh (bass), Larry Cappocia (drums), Brad Sanders (guitar) and Greg Teater (guitar), vocals not credited. Recorded at Star Track Studios in Columbus, Ohio.


Collision - I Gotta Know (1973)
A "Crunching double sider..." in DJ Juggles' own words, and I have to agree! This one has a real raw, punk immediacy about it, quite different to rest of the tracks in this volume.
Vocals by Johnny Lopez & Fernando Lopez. Written by Johnny Lopez & Fernando Lopez. Produced & recorded by Jeff Smith. "A product of Texas Sound Studios" (506 W. Hildebrand Ave. San Antonio).

Dahlquist - Farewell To The Dreamer (1978)
Here's a metallic prog riffer, from a collection called "Kangaroo Jam".
From the KNFO-FM (K-95) benefit Album for the Waco Family Abuse Center. There are eight acts on this record, which you can read more about on Discogs (link). From the sound of this track, I thought this possibly was an '80s recording, but Juggles has confirmed it was recorded in 1978. John Haupt, who first showed him the track, found it on demo tapes that were made before the Kanagroo Jam record was released around 1979/80.

Dink Stover - How Can Love Survive (1975)
Here's another catchy, pop-inflected rocker, there's quite a few in this volume, which is really cool! This one in particular reminds me of an excellent song I encountered years ago during TDATS searches, namely East of Eden's "Northern Hemisphere" (link). There's a similar vibe here, especially in Stover's use of mellotron, somewhat like 'Eden's violin.
This was Written by Mark Mortensen. Arranged by Jimmie Haskell. The Motive Records label only has two releases in Discogs, both being from Dink Stover.

Good Mother Sunday - Strap Yourself In (1975)
This one has had a great reception on my youtube channel (link), and for good reason, it's a real blues rock stomper, somewhat similar to Maternal Joy's "Fat" on TDATS v70 (link) or Cobra's "Midnight Walker" (link).
Written by D. Brickler & G. Wanger. Produced by Bud Reneau. Recorded at AMG (Cincinnati, OH). 


Rush Brothers - Dark Side Of Today (19??)
Here's a great rural rocker packed with catchy hooks and loads of ripping guitar segues.
Written by Michael Knight, Engineered by Richie Cicero. Label: Aspen Records, Colorado.




Straight Up - So Blind (1974)
Time for a diversion now,  with this epic power ballad from a band with some prestigious members.
Written by Hogan, Kenet, Lundeen, Miller & Murry.
Straight Up have connections to some famous bands. Singer-guitarist Randall "Xeno" Hogan (link) was a formative member of Cheap Trick, (which he left to join Straight Up, according to wikipedia) and drummer Tom Murray (link) was a formative member of garage psych legends, The Litter.

Unknown Artist - Wind Of Miracles (19??)
Here's a true obscurity which is undocumented anywhere so far, including Discogs. 
Made by "Premonition Productions". Written and produced by R. Romano, D. Cook, B. Berman and J. Graham. Recorded at Pakaderm Studio, Long Beach California. Also credited as Pakaderm Studio, Los Alamitos, this studio was owned by John Elefante and Dino Elefante, operational until 1993. The earliest release from the studio in Discogs (link) is 1979, so "Wind Of Miracles" could well be later than that.

Fox - Ziggy Stardust (1974)
Here's our closer, from a band that featured way back in the Australian vol80 of TDATS (link). In Jugg's words, "Fox's Ziggy Stardust is a number that I have finished my shows off for as long as I can remember. I think it all came about as a kid I loved Bowie and truthfully still do. When Fox released this it gave me an excuse to play Bowie in my Obscure heavy shows without having to feel I was selling out the underground rock world... shallow at the time? YES!  but it got a cracking track into my shows on a permanent basis."

Written by David Bowie. Fox were Peter Laffy (Guitar, Vocals - later worked with Mondo Rock and Jim Keays), Neil Hodgson (Bass, Keyboards), Michael Upton (Vocals) and Les Oldman (Drums, Vocals).


Thanks again to David Juggles (instagram) for all the amazing music!

Stay tuned for the next volume of TDATS....if you'd like to get email notifications for all new volumes, sign up in the box on the right-hand panel of this site, or follow on youtube, instagram, X (twitter), facebook or other links below. Cheers, Rich. 

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Related listening:
The Day After The Sabbath 150: Lovely Jugglies Pt 1 Rare 45s From the DJ Juggles collection
The Day After The Sabbath 114: World in Sound [rarity label interview, compilation]
The Day After The Sabbath 94: It's Psychedelic Baby [interview/magazine review]


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Wednesday, October 25, 2023

The Day After The Sabbath 151: Los Desposeidos [60s-70s Bolivia Psych & Hard Rock pt1]

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Welcome to volume #151. It's time to visit Latin America again, a region of the world that never fails to provide amazing psychedelic rock. Bolivia pt1 is now the eighth volume dedicated to latin rock, following 43: General | 84: Brazil | 89: Mexico | 104: Peru 1 | 137: Argentina 1 | 144: Venezuela and 118: Chicano Rock.

This is without doubt one of the most psychedelic volumes I have made for a while, the misty, hazy fuzz billows from almost every track, and the less than perfect sound quality of some of these vinyl extractions only serves to enhance it.

As with some other countries I have covered who's rock scenes may have been overshadowed by neighbors, in this case Argentina and Brazil's huge scenes that probably attracted some home-grown musical talent out of Bolivia, it had a relatively small number of key bands, in the '70s heavy prog genre especially, but it certainly had its fair share of 60s garage and beat acts. I have still managed to fill an excellent set with all the above styles of music, which everyone will enjoy. We have sixteen new acts to TDATS, plus the return of Climax, a fantastic band that was previously included in vol 43.

I'd like to thank one source of information on rare Bolivian rock music, a youtube channel called Rock Hecho en Bolivia (link). This has been the most useful place to discover such music, it's run by Julio Cesar Moya and he has debuted many rare vintage Bolivian records to the world for the first time, through his channel. There is an article at Cabeza De Moog blog where Julio describes his mission (link).


TRACKS

01. Los Grillos - Leño Verde (1975)
                    from album Vibraciones Latinoamericanas Grillos – PGMP-2001
02. Grupo Trigal - La Calle Principal (1971)
                    from Oruro EP Psicofasico – 0148
03. Los Laser - Los Desposeidos (1971)
                    from Vuelven ! EP Polydor – EP-60802
04. Climax - Nacido Para Ser Salvaje II (1974)
                    from Nacido Para Ser Salvaje II EP Lyra – DED-228
05. Los Black Stones - Oh My Baby (1975)
                    from Black Stones EP Exito Discolandia DED-414
06. Estrella de Marzo - Encuentro (1974)
                    from album A Los Niños Con Amor Discos Heriba – SLP-2018
07. Los Signos - Copacabana (1975)
                    from Los Signos EP Discos Heriba – EP-209
08. 50 de Marzo - Ciceron (1971)
                    from Ciceron EP Lyra – DED-293
09. Antares - Piénsalo (1972)
                    from Tundiqui Rock EP Lyra – DED-335
10. Los Flintstones - Solo Quiero Hacerte El Amor (1970)
                    from Nuevo Testimonio EP Lyra  – DED-225
11. Manantial - Arriba Y Encima (1975)
                    from Arriba Y Encima EP Lyra – DED-421
12. Mandrill - Sol Y Quena (1975)
                    from Sol Y Quena EP Discos Heriba – SEP-233
13. Los Ovnis - Ya No Escucho Tu Voz (1976)
                    from Ya No Escucho Tu Voz EP Discos Heriba – EP-274
14. Tabú - She's My Woman (1972)
                    from TABÚ EP
15. Los Donkeys - Luis XVI (1969)
                    from Los Mas Recientes Exitos De Los Donkeys EP Lyra – DED-170
16. Wara - Realidad (1973)
                    from album El Inca Discos Heriba – LP-2007
17. Renán Michel - Madre Hay Una Sola (1974)
                    from El Ángel EP Discos Heriba – EP-100

references





The Acts

Los Grillos - Leño Verde (1975)
We set the scene with some nice Bolivian flavour. This track combines pan-pipes with psych guitar and spacey Moog atmospherics to great effect. Los Grillos are one of the most iconic bands here and spanned the 60s beat period up the 80s with many albums and EPs. The album this is from, "Vibraciones Latinoamericanas", was one of the early records from Bolivia to really mix prog rock with traditional Andean sounds, and is famous for doing so. Wara are equally well-known for doing the same thing in the early seventies, they are coming up later. There is a wealth of Grillos information here at Cabeza De Moog (link).

Grupo Trigal - La Calle Principal (1971)
This one starts with a nice fuzzing riff, and high-pitched vocals, which are a frequent distinction of latin psych. The Oruro EP this is taken from doesn't have a release date in Discogs, but seeing as all Grupo Trigal's other records documented there are from 1979 onwards, I would predict the sound of this EP makes it an earlier recording, and the indispensable Bolivan rock youtube channel Rock Hecho en Bolivia (link) seems to back this up, as 1971. Grupo Trigal still have a presence on Facebook (link).


Los Laser - Los Desposeidos (1971)
This fits in very nicely with the previous track, opening with another fuzzy garage riff fused with those addictive higher-register vocals. The EP this is from is one of the few used in this set that was released on a major international label, Polydor. Los Laser only have one more EP documented on Discogs, but one thing that has become apparent to me now, is that a lot of Bolivian records are still missing from Discogs, so maybe there will be more appearing from Los Laser, and new entries are appearing for Bolivian rock acts in general all the time, so Bolivia remains an exciting prospect for crate diggers. Spanish label Discos Quilombo reissued this song and another on 7" single just this year (2023), with an info booklet. (link)

Climax, 1974
Climax - Nacido Para Ser Salvaje II (1974)
This is a nice, extra groovy re-interpretation of a classic. Climax have appeared once before here on TDATS, in volume 43 (link), and it's a shame they had such a limited output of one album and a couple of EPs, as they surely were one of the most talented hard rocking bands in Bolivia at the time.

From the late sixties they made their influences clear, with excellent covers of Hendrix, Blue Cheer, Cream & other cutting-edge heavy originators, and their 1974 album "Gusano Mecánico" has the musicianship and style to fit right in with those names, and famous names from the world's progressive rock scene also. They are one of the few acts here to have received their own label / career retrospective, "Edición Completa", on Lyra in 2003, which itself is now quite collectible. Guitarist Jose A. Eguino was previously in beat group Los Black Byrds, and later in pop band Circus. Bass player Javier Saldías had a more extensive career, he also came from Los Black Byrds, and later went on to prog folk band Luz De America, then similar acts such as Savia Nueva and Khonlaya.

Los Black Stones - Oh My Baby (1975)
Here's a tight little rocker which curiously mixes hard rock, boogie and garage rock for refreshing results. The 1975 EP here does not seem to be mentioned on Discogs, but the band released stuff on multiple labels such as Psicofasico, Lyra, RCA, and this EP was apparently on Exito Discolandia (link). So this may well be another band that has some more records yet to be documented, online at least. "Musicians on this record were Miguel Cuellar (lead vocals), Jorge Flores (drums), Raúl López (keyboards) and the surprising addition of Rolando Camacho (Ex-Grupo 606) playing electric bass and Remberto Cabrera on lead guitar (considered one of the best Bolivian guitarists of the time), who had returned to the country after taking his first steps in music in Brazil." - Julio Cesar Moya

Estrella de Marzo - Encuentro (1974)
This great track marks a welcome diversion towards explorations in doomy, heavy prog. Estrella De Marzo are one of the few bands in this comp to have completed a full length album, called "Encuentro". It was the only thing they put on wax in their short existence, as a side project by guys from 50 De Marzo and Wara, during a temporary period that 50 De Marzo had split, both of whom are coming up later. These were Luis Eguino, bassist and lead vocalist of the group, along with the experienced drummer Germán Urquidi, both from 50 De Marzo. Carlos Daza Leytón, guitarist of Wara, completed the trio. Their sole album is solid, and as mentioned just now, the heavy style that veered away from the more common garage rock or tropical sounds was quite rare for any Bolivian LP in the '70s, save for a few more of the acts to follow in this comp, like Manantial and Mandrill.

Los Signos - Copacabana (1975)
Here's a nice brooding prog track with good keyboards and some galloping pace, and No, it has nothing to do with the Barry Manilow. It's just a shame that it's over so quickly, hopefully a longer version exists somewhere out there! According to online articles by Bolivian rock historian Julio Cesar Moya (link), Los Signos are one of the most important and successful 1970s rock acts in Bolivia. They formed in late '60s La Paz (capital of Bolivia, the highest-altitude capital city in the world at 3.5km above sea level) out of an earlier incarnation, "Los Mack".

Like most Bolivian rock bands at the time, they did not release any full-length LPs (that I can find evidence of) until later decades, but did regularly release 4-track EPs, through the '70s & '80s. The one I used here, self-titled as "Los Signos" (1975) featured a lineup of Efraín Salazar on lead vocals, René Cordero on guitar, Cesar Conde on bass, Héctor Cuentas on percussion and Pedro Aiza on keyboards. It seems Los Signos never broke up and have been self-releasing new music, and playing live, up until 2017 (link), and maybe even more recently? Let me know if you know more.

50 de Marzo - Ciceron (1971)
In 1971, Bolivian rock bands were just starting to come out of their reliance on covers and sounds directly influenced by the usual British and North American names like The Beatles, Stones and Hendrix etc. 50 De Marzo were one of the first bands to make an important break away to develop a new identity that represented Bolivian progressive rock. They originated in Cochabamba but soon moved to La Paz. They played a show there organised by Radio Chuquisaca, with Climax & Los Signos, which quickly got them invited to record the three-track EP "Ciceron". This provides the next track here, and in the view of Julio Cesar Moya (link) it's one of the most important records of all time to represent Bolivia's own unique emerging sounds.

At this time the band was Luis Eguino (ex Grupo 606) on bass and vocals, Benjo Gómez on lead vocals, Oscar Astete on guitar and Germán Urquidi on percussion. 50 De Marzo felt the environment in Bolivia was impossible after the 1971 Hugo Banzer coup, and emigrated to the USA. This was brief and not successful, Luis Eguino and Germán Urquidime returned to La Paz and started Estella De Marzo. By 1975 Estrella De Marzo was finished and a new line-up of 50 de Marzo formed and made one final record, "Ayer Y...Hoy," before splitting again, this time permanently.

Antares - Piénsalo (1972)
Here's a good slice of groovy, psychedelic hard rock, and one of the absolutely earliest examples of such from Bolivia. Antares came from the breakup of '60s band Los Loving Dark's, drummer Boris Rodríguez and guitarist Félix Chávez returned to Bolivia after a post-Loving Dark's stay in "South America's Rock Mecca" Argentina. While there they had played with notable Argentine names like Billy Bond. Boris Rodríguez had a particularly great and musically educational experience there and after both of them were back in Bolivia, Boris and Félix Chávez formed Antares, adding a mutual friend, Roy Vélez, on bass. Antares were inspired to make blues & hard rock with the flavour and rhythms of Bolivia, and notably, influences of African music from La Paz, which had an African community resulting from colonial days of the past. Santana's latin rock was another particular inspiration.

They made the EP "Tundiqui Rock" on the Lyra label and drew crowds playing in the Planet 2000 nightclub next door to the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés (UMSA) in La Paz. Alas this was their only record and they split in 1974 for other music and careers. Antares re-appeared later and were active with Boris as an original member up until 2019 (facebook) but sadly he died in 2020. There is an article about him at opinion.com.bo (link) which describes him as one of Bolivia's rock pioneers, at a time when it was almost impossible just to get access to the instruments and equipment required to learn to play and start a successful band such as Loving Dark's. Félix Chávez appears again later in this comp...

Los Flintstones - Solo Quiero Hacerte El Amor (1970)
Here's a super groovy garage rock re-interpretation of the Willie Dixon / Muddy Waters / Etta James classic, from La Paz's Los Flintstones. They were started by composer songwriter Jaime Mirtenbaum Zenamon (link) and Oscar Murillo Wayar, singer and guitarist. Bassist Jaime Landa and drummer Walter (Waltico) Aparicio completed the band. Los Flintstones were a big draw in late-'60s La Paz, playing at all the prominent rock festivals and venues of the time and releasing successful EPs on the Psicofasico and Lyra labels. Zenamon was later a teacher at the Berlin Academy of Music (HdK) from 1980 to 1992. Since then he has been a freelance composer and concert guitarist in his own recording, composition and concert studio in Curitiba, Brazil.

Manantial - Arriba Y Encima (1975)
Here's what I consider to be a highlight of this volume, a very groovy and psychedelic hard-rocking tune with those great latin rhythms and impassioned performances, especially in the vocals. The sound quality of this is lacking, but it is the best quality version of the EP available at the moment, which is a very rare and sought-after record. Maybe one day a better vinyl audio extraction will appear, from a less-worn record. If so I will upgrade this volume with it.

One of Manantial's main members was guitarist Félix Chávez, previously mentioned in Antares.  Bassist Alfredo Negrón, drummer Victor “Pocho” Salgar (ex-Dhag Dhag's) and one of the best vocalists of this generation: Luis Fernando del Rio, completed the band. Two 4-track EPs were produced in the mid-'70s, "Sombras Negras" on Disco Exito Lyra, which the song appearing here is taken from, then a self-titled in 1976. Manantial split in 1978 when Luis Fernando del Rio left to join Orquesta Swingbaly, a prolific Bolivian tropical, salsa, merengue etc. collective that spanned four decades from the '60s to '90s, which Félix Chávez (and no doubt other names in this comp) also had some involvement with over the years.

Mandrill - Sol Y Quena (1975)
And on we go on to another of the heavy highlights of this set, fusing Bolivian sounds with the power of proto-metal / prog monsters like Deep Purple. To again quote Julio Cesar Moya - "The origin of this important group dates back to the second half of 1973, when the Salgado brothers, Belizario and René, of the popular group Four Star, and Carlos Salgado, lead guitarist and singer of Blue Star, joined together, with bassist Roberto Ojeda and drummer Rodolfo Aguilar. This gave life to a group whose creation myth revolved around avant-garde, European and North American rock, and the influence and inclination for progressive rock fused with Andean rhythms and melodies, leading to one of the first examples of Heavy Metal in Bolivia, whose main characteristic is the strident and distorted guitar, and a wailing voice."

"Mandrill's impressive first record was presented in a special concert at the Cine Teatro Princesa in La Paz, along with excellent covers of important bands such as Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, Black Sabbath, Focus & Yes. In an interview, Carlos Salgado says that in live performances he carried a live viper placed round his neck, as part of the intense performance that Mandrill offered the audience."


Mandrill called it a day after their third EP, 1977's "Vol. 2". After that the members continued in tropical music groups such as Orquesta Anaconda, La Banda Del Loco and Marejada. In recent years Carlos Salgado has been active in events to honour bands that he was involved in like Blue Star, Mandrill and Anaconda, playing in a re-formed Blue Star, covering Mandrill songs and inviting members of other bands appearing in this comp, Climax, Los Signos & Los Grillos for example, to play at shows with Blue Star. You can see some of this activity on Carlos's facebook (link) and a promotional facebook page of his (link).

2023: (l-r) Jose A. Eguino (Climax), Carlos Salgado (Mandrill), Humberto Paredes (Los Grillos)

Los Ovnis - Ya No Escucho Tu Voz (1976)
We change the pace now with some psychedelic pop from Los Ovnis [The UFOs], also known as Los Ovnis De Huanuni, where Huanuni is a town in Oruro, a department of Bolivia and the band's place of origin. This is a fun whimsical track, full of fuzz, infectious beats and eerie electronic tones that are very suited to their name. The band was Absalón Zabala on guitar and vocals, plus his sisters Noemí Zabala on bass and Sara Zabala on farsisa keyboards and backing vocals, and Moisés Rivera on drums. I have been able to find three documented EPs from Los Ovnis, but they may have made more that will be rediscovered some time. If you like the track here they are all worth hearing, and you can do so on Julio Cesar Moya's youtube channel (link).

Tabú - She's My Woman (1972)
Here's a Bolivian re-interpretation of The Beatles' "She's a Woman", but it's so different and Santana'd up that I personally would not have guessed and it may as well be a unique (and very cool) latin rock song! Tabú, came out of previous band Conga, and there will be a lot more to say about them later in this comp as they became "Wara" straight after this, one of the original and iconic bands to forge the new Bolivian early '70s progressive rock sound, along with names like Los Grillos, Antares and 50 De Marzo mentioned previously. This extreme rarity was made available by Rock Hecho en Bolivia (youtube).

Los Donkeys - Luis XVI (1969)
Nearing the end now and here's one of the oldest songs in the set, which is a worthy inclusion due to the wild fuzz wig-outs on display. Los Donkeys were a popular La Paz beat / garage rock band that were very influenced by the '60s sounds of western rock, covers and adaptations of which made up much of their repertoire. They made around ten EPs from 1967 to the early '70s and were contemporaries of other classic Bollivian bands like Los Red Socks, Grupo 606, Bonny Boys Hot's and Four Star. They did a small interview with cambio.bo in 2019 (link), at which time Boris Rodríguez of the afore-mentioned Antares was drumming for them. Their facebook page is still up, with recent posts (link).

Wara - Realidad (1973)
This is taken from Wara's first LP "El Inca", which comprised a combination of heavier brooding prog tracks like the inclusion here "Realidid", "Wara Estrella" (which musically reminds me of a latin take on Child In Time) and introspective, mellow tracks with some symphonic touches. The core band members to play on this album were Nataniel Gonzales on lead vocals, Omar León on bass, Carlos Daza on guitar and backing vocals, Jorge Cronembold on percussion and Pedro Sanjinés on synthesizers. Many other support musicians contributed with backing vocals and extra instrumentation such as bassoon, flute, oboe and violin, for a rich varied sound.

Wara
What made this album stand out at the time was Wara's concerted efforts to forge a new, uniquely Bolivian progressive rock style, with lyrical themes of Andean philosophy. Subsequent albums, starting with 1975's "Maya Hichhanigua Hikjatata", dropped the heavier rock aspects, while their compositions became far more subtle and complex, going for a total folk sound with even more acoustic and wind instrumentation. More albums of new material have followed regularly, initially on established labels like Lyra, MCB and Inbofon. The most recent documented album in Discogs is 2015's self-released "Kimsaqallqu 8". As of 2023, the modern incarnation of Wara is still going strong and playing live, with updates and recent performances on facebook (link) and instagram (link).

Renán Michel - Madre Hay Una Sola (1974)
And to finish, a melancholic piece of psychedelic pop from Renán Michel. He was a solo pop performer. As you may have noticed over the years, I especially like to include some "unexpected sources of heaviness" in TDATS, and in the 1960s especially, you never knew when a pop singer might chuck in a psychedelic track on a b-side or album, which is what appears to have happened here. I had no idea initially, but after choosing this track and completing this write-up, I have discovered that the backing band on this EP was Four Star, previously mentioned in relation to Mandrill and the Salgado brothers, which was a nice surprise and a nice way to end this edition of TDATS...

¡Hasta la próxima, adiós!


Further listening:
The Day After The Sabbath 144: La Sayona [Venezuela pt.1 1969-1978]
The Day After The Sabbath 123: Llega La Destrucción [Spain pt2]
The Day After The Sabbath 118: La Fuente del Ritmo [Latin and Chicano rock]


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Sunday, October 1, 2023

The Day After The Sabbath 150: Lovely Jugglies Part 1 - Very Rare 45s From the DJ Juggles Collection


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Reaching another milestone for TDATS with volume 150, nearing the webzine's 15th year of existence, I decided to do something special. As you may have seen with various other volumes like v30: Halloween Special with Zischkale,  v110: Mik Kay interview and v115: Top of the Scott's [Scott Blackerby Interview], sometimes it's good to mix things up by inviting fellow musical explorers to collaborate on the blog. In this case we have a stunning bunch of obscure 45s made available to us by Australia's DJ Juggles. Since the mid '70s he's been collecting exactly the kind of music that TDATS adores, not only collecting, but also championing such bands as a radio and live DJ.

Here we have a selection of fourteen 45s, from the USA and Australia, ranging from 1967 to 1979 and spanning all styles of hard 'n heavy, psych, prog, hard rock and metal. I listened to a lot of singles that Juggles has revealed to us over recent years and I personally selected these 14 sides according to their excellence and apparent obscurity, so I'm sure that this will be a real adventure into genuinely unknown territory for the large majority of readers! This is part 1, part 2 will follow soon. [EDITOR: Part 2 has now been published, November 2023 (link)]


TRACKS

01. Enalpria (Florida) - You Keep Me Hanging On (1967)
02. Christopher Cross (Texas) - Talkin' About Her (1976)
03. Imagination (Massachusetts?) - Fat Man ('70s)
04. Copperfield (Kentucky) - Eleanor Rigby (1976)
05. Crystal Crank (Ohio) - Too Late For Romance (1977)
06. Chantz Brothers (New Mexico) - Stealer (1976)
07. Speed Limit (Massachusetts) - Space Party (1977)
08. Bruce Carr Band (Michigan) - I Don't Need You (1978)
09. Tahanako (Oregon) - Nite Thunder (1976)
10. Clem East (Sydney, Australia) - Jupiter (1979)
12. English Garden (Pennsylvania) - Not Your Lover (1975)
13. Savage Grace (Florida) - Trying To Say I Love You (1975)
14. Hot Candy (Pennsylvania) - Darkened Passage (1978)


Juggles clearly appreciated the value of music from lesser-known bands from an early age, his fascination began as a teenager during his first jobs in record stores, and he wisely took advantage of that situation to build his knowledge, importing records from all over the world. At the same time his record store connections allowed him to become a radio DJ, playing obscure rock on his own shows, and he started doing this in the seventies, so this was a genuine passion coming through a long time before many others started recognising the huge breadth and value of hard rock obscurities.


DJ Juggles Interview part 1



DJ David Juggles
DJ Juggles, '70s pre-show green room
You have been collecting records since a teenager working in record shops. Is that how you got into DJing?

Yes I started work part time when I was 13 at Town Hall Import Records. They would import stuff that wasn't released down under as well as bring in ship loads of records that the owner would travel overseas to buy. That's how I got stuff like Josefus in the bargain bin many years before anyone even had picked up on them. [Editor: I found some reminiscences of Sydney's Town Hall record store scene at Vanessa Berry's website (link)]

I started DJing at the same time as the assistant manager of the shop was a DJ, and he taught me how. It all went from there when Lobby Loyde (featured in TDATS 21 & 42) got me a job at a new underground radio station in Sydney as the messenger boy! I was 14 and within a short time at 15 I was doing obscure heavy rock shows 2 nights a week on the radio. That station started being involved in bands coming out here and I was DJing with Black Sabbath etc as a 15 year old......things just moved on from that point progressively.


DJing for classic Aussie bands!
I guess you also were involved in some well-known festivals too if bands like Black Sabbath were involved? 

Bands were at festivals, their own gigs, clubs and pubs. One of my favorites was with Thin Lizzy at the Sydney Opera House steps. I've also enjoyed the early days where I would have bands like AC/DC, Buffalo, Coloured Balls and Rabbit up to the 80's days of INXS, Midnight Oil etc in clubs and pubs where I was booked to spin. Too many to mention haha.


What kind of events do you get invited to DJ these days? Could you tell us some favourite songs to spin?

I'm still rocking and flipping pancakes now and then, this year has mainly been festivals since covid restrictions were lifted. I have worked with a few bands lately including my favorite modern psych band...Earthless, Love these guys, the world's best humans around. [Editor: Earthless featured in TDATS v40 (link)]. I've also done a series of warehouse gigs that are very underground.

Favorite tracks for me are hard to explain, my thought patterns don't allow a favorite!  I'm always looking and digging for that nugget that will be my Nirvana. Thankfully to this day it has never happened! That way the search and dig continues for my holy grail.

Fox's Ziggy Stardust is a number that I have finished my shows off for as long as I can remember. I think it all came about as a kid I loved Bowie and truthfully still do. When Fox released this it gave me an excuse to play Bowie in my Obscure heavy shows without having to feel I was selling out the underground rock world... shallow at the time? YES!  but it got a cracking track into my shows on a permanent basis. [Editor: Fox appear on TDATS v80 (link)]

--------------------------------------------------------------

DJ Juggles' interview continues in the next volume of Lovely Jugglies, including his travels abroad in search of those elusive 45s! 


TDATS #150 Singles


All technical details are taken initially from Discogs.com, with some further details found in various places online. I've done my best to describe each track for you too! Some of these bands are barely documented anywhere, so there will surely be some inaccuracies below. If you know anything more about any of these acts then please contact me at aftersabbath@live.co.uk and I will make corrections accordingly!


The Enalpria - You Keep Me Hanging On (1967)
Cocoa, Florida. Members: Danny Rodriguez, Kim Holmes, Lenny Maddock.
This is an excellent and suitably heavy rendition of the classic Supremes song, no doubt inspired by Vanilla Fudge doing the same, in the same year, and the flipside is a cover of Purple Haze. There are three singles by Enalpria ('Airplane' backwards) on Discogs, making them one of the most documented bands here. "Sliding", from their 1970 single was used in a 2019 comp called "Down In The Valley 3", seemingly from a German label, so who knows if that was officially licensed? You can see a few interesting comments made by band members and associates on the youtube upload of another side of theirs, "Speed Limit" (link).

Christopher Cross - Talkin' About Her (1976)
Recorded at Odyssey Sound Ltd. Austin. Written by Chris Geppert.
No doubt well-known to many of you with hits like Ride Like The Wind and Sailing, but less known for starting-out in 70s hard rock bands! This is a great piece of hard riffing Texas rock and you can see some of the original lineup from this single playing this track in recent years on youtube. (link)



After posting this tune on youtube, drummer/singer/songwriter Tommy Taylor, long-time musical cohort of Chris Cross, left some comments you can read here. He told me: "Actually...Just for historical correctness...
The line up here is really not the same as the "original" line up. Chris wrote and sang this here.  A version actually was done with Gaylen Latimer doing the vocal.  

The guitar trader Kurt Linhoff is playing the bass. Jim Newhouse is on the drums if memory serves.  
The slide solo is Eric Johnson. Rob Meurer does the synth solo.

We used to do this live for an encore and really confuse our later audiences.
Here (video above) we did it at a reunion for Van Wilks birthday because he loves it so. Chris and I split the vocals.

The flip side is on my channel (link).  Talkin' 'Bout Her was written to sort of capitalize on the ZZ texas kind of verve in hopes of getting some label interest.  It wasn't really a direction that the band was really about. "It's All With You" is probably more of a bridge between what CC was really all about and what made it on the debut.  Things changed very rapidly after. 

It's a fairly rare record.  I don't think they pressed more than 500 or 1000 at most.  It didn't get airplay or sell really.  Most people don't realize it is Eric Johnson (who I also have played with for nearly 40 years) is on the slide solo.  Rob Meurer used to have all the copies that were left.  He had stacks of boxes of 25 each.  He has passed on now."

Another viewer made this further contribution to the history of this track:
"'Talkin' About Her' is also included on the Christopher Cross - The Complete Works Box Set, which was released in 2020. It's on the bonus CD included in the package.

Also, the 1974 7" vinyl single of 'Talkin' About Her'/'It's All With You' is included as an "exclusive extra" on the European limited edition version of Cross's 2011 album Doctor Faith. 

The Doctor Faith liner notes for the above mentioned 7" vinyl single, in particular 'Talkin' About Her' is noted below:

Christopher Cross - vocals and guitar
Eric Johnson - guitar
Rob Meurer - Piano and Arp 2600
Kurt Linhof - Bass
Jimmy Newhouse - Drums

To note Kurf Linhoff's surname only has on 'f' at the end not two.

On a side note, TommyTaylorOfficial's comments are beneficial as well. I showed Tommy the upload of the song initially from you (The Day After The Sabbath) from your YouTube channel."

Imagination - Fat Man (1970s?)
Going by a few other artists on the independent Alma label, I'll take a guess that Imagination is from Massachusetts, but this is pure speculation.
This is a simple and direct track with one of those fat fuzzy riffs that hits the spot immediately in the best TDATS tradition of songs like Maternal Joy's Fat, back on vol70 (link).


Copperfield - Eleanor Rigby (1976)
On the Louisville, Kentucky label, Bridges.
This is a fantastic Beatles cover with touches of metallic / heavy prog pomp that come in at the beginning and reappear throughout the song, including some nice duel guitar and driving keyboards. Excellent musicianship really brings this one home!



Crystal Crank - Too Late For Romance (1977)
Written by K. Seuberling. Manufactured at QCA Custom Pressing, Cincinnati, Ohio.
This is one of the most metallic songs in this set, in the style of early Van Halen and maybe even a bit of Judas Priest in the vocal department. It's great, Enjoy!




Chantz Brothers - Stealer (1976)
Written by S. Smith & M. Seitz.
Released by New Mexico's Goldust Records.
Time for a change of pace with this slow-burner, which is no less heavy on emotion and tension-building performance, right up to the excellent closing guitar solo.




Speed Limit - Space Party (1977)
Released on Reading, Massachusetts' Rocky Coast Records label, Piano arranged By Russ Moschetto.
This is one big 'ol good-time bar room boogie monster, beer bottles spilling and rugs getting cut. I always loved Elton John's "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" and this is the big brother to that song with all the piano and a heavier guitar!
Bruce Carr Band - I Don't Need You (1978)
Released on Kalamazoo, Michigan's Pro GRESSIVE Productions label.
Good hard rock with some Queen harmony singing and perpetual synthesizers that give the song some extra period charm.




Tahanako - Nite Thunder (1976)
Written by Holt, Harmon, Watson & Harmon.
Recorded at Recording Associates, Portland, Oregon.
Engineers: Jay Webster & Roger Cota.
Here's another of the more metallic offerings in the set, maintaining a galloping pace throughout and bristling with dexterous guitar flourishes, totally killer hard rock that invokes images of guys rocking the fuck out on stage and loving every minute of it!

Clem East - Jupiter (1979)
Here's some information kindly offered by long-time blog follower, Rich Schell: "Clem East, AKA Clem Mizrahi, was involved with the Nutwood Rug Band and Sydney band Man O’War around 1977/8. He produced this single, sang and played bass. The guitarist is probably Chris Turner (Buffalo/Rose Tattoo etc), with Fred Mangion - Drums and Roger Delernia - Guitar.
This is a long and complex hard rock instrumental with touches of progressive rock, and it's totally brilliant!


English Garden - Not Your Lover (1975)
Producer – Steve Craiter
Written By – Steve Craiter
Written By – Rapp
Produced For – Nise Productions, Inc
Published By – Bleak City Music
Recorded At – Society Hill Sound, Philadelphia
A great track with more melodic intentions and commercial accessibility than others here, it has a great pop structure with a few twists and turns and superb guitar throughout.

Savage Grace - Trying To Say I Love You (1975)
P.O. Box in Jacksonville, Florida
Songwriter – Jamey Williams
Producer – John W. Cobb, III
Like Clem East before, this one stands out as being more on the epic progressive rock side of things, with a long dramatic build-up and ending on a big crescendo, it's a trip right until the end!



Hot Candy - Darkened Passage (1978)
Writers: P. Johansen & N. Trask.
I found an unverified comment from some Googling, saying that these guys are from Pennsylvania, and that's all I can tell you for now.
This is a unique track, it's funk rock as much as it's progressive rock, and the main funky riff reminds me of a cross between Iron Knowledge - Showstopper from TDATS funk vol52 (link) and Blackwater Park's epic "Rock Song" on vol3 (link). I chose this to end the set as it fades out on a dreamy atmospheric note, a tangent that comes up twice in the song, and you'd think would be at odds with the funk but it works in a soothing, film soundtrack type way!



Thanks again hugely to DJ David Juggles for making this milestone volume of TDATS possible, you can follow him on instagram at jugglesrecordcollection ! And thanks to all the un-sung bands that made all this fantastic music!


See you on the next one! Rich


Related listening:
The Day After The Sabbath 70: School Daze [all heavy singles]
The Day After The Sabbath 91: Forced Landing [Heavy US AOR & pomp special]
The Day After The Sabbath 140: Greetings From Ohio [Obscure Ohio 45s]


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