In a 1987 interview, Frank Zappa told a reporter that he wasn't especially nostalgic for the '60s, but he did have fond memories of a time when the music industry hadn't figured out what to make of the cultural upheaval of the hippie era. "One thing that did happen in the 60s," Zappa said, "was some music of an unusual and experimental nature did get recorded, did get released." Perversely, those recordings were issued by, in Zappa's words, "Cigar-chomping old guys who looked at the product and said, 'I don't know. Who ...
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In a 1987 interview, Frank Zappa told a reporter that he wasn't especially nostalgic for the '60s, but he did have fond memories of a time when the music industry hadn't figured out what to make of the cultural upheaval of the hippie era. "One thing that did happen in the 60s," Zappa said, "was some music of an unusual and experimental nature did get recorded, did get released." Perversely, those recordings were issued by, in Zappa's words, "Cigar-chomping old guys who looked at the product and said, 'I don't know. Who knows what it is? Record it, stick it out. If it sells, alright!'" And Zappa wasn't wrong; some of the best psychedelic rock and pop of the '60s has the feel of children taking over the principal's office, while the grown-ups stand aside and wonder what to do. That's just the kind of music that's been collected on Poppies: Assorted Finery from the First Psychedelic Age. Assembled by Alec Paleo from the archives of several labels now controlled by Craft Recordings (mostly Vanguard and Stax), the 13 tracks on Poppies are full of bold yet playful experimentation, such as the echo canyon electronics of Buffy Sainte-Marie's title cut, the interpolated Edison Cylinder recording in the Honey Jug's "In 1582 We," the buzzy, upended spirituality of the Gospel's "Redeemer," the speed-addled folk-rock of "Open House" by the Serpent Power, or the pseudo-raga murmurings of Erik's "Why Come Another Day." Even the more conventional tracks here are fine examples of a time when America's youth were encouraged to be eccentric, and "Smell of Incense" by Southwest F.O.B., "Say It Isn't So" by the Sotweed Factor, and "Bright Light Lover" by Circus Maximus all sound like they could have been hits if they'd been a shade less weird. And "Stand in the Shadows" by the Frost and "Sorcerella" by Jefferson Lee are big, noisy stuff for those who need a break from all that peace and love. These 13 cuts range from the unfortunately unsung to the remarkably obscure, and Paleo's liner notes offers as much useful information as is available about each act here. If you thought there were no new worlds left to explore in '60s psychedelia, Poppies won't entirely turn your head around, but it will give you 40 minutes of great listening with a few bits along the way you probably haven't heard before -- and certainly not sounding and looking this good. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
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