Lion Productions is an independently owned label and wholesale distribution company started in 2001. Our own Lion Productions label concentrates on creating respectful re-releases of music first recorded during the "psychedelic era" (1965-1973); as a distributor, we offer similar reissues made by other labels from locations all across the globe.

If it is not a contradiction to say so, we carry a wide range of music within the boundaries of our chosen musical niche. As the definition of what is "psychedelic" alters and expands, we find that we can stock whatever happens to catch our ears and eyes—music that tends to fall between the cracks at other, larger companies. While Lion Productions does stock a wide range of music, we are proud of our selectivity. We are a small company, and excel in customer service and ease of use for both customers and vendors alike.

We sell to independent music stores throughout the United States, and to small, independently owned distributors all over the world. We export to many countries, including Canada, Mexico, England, Benelux, Spain, Greece, Brazil, Japan, and Korea.

RECENT RELEASES

JARDINE “Look in the Window”
Jardine’s album was recorded in three glorious weeks in June 1969, at Sounds Aquarian Studios, a stone’s throw from that justifiably famous fashion hub, Carnaby Street. The sessions were fun. Polydor was supposed to release the album. Musicians dropped in to say "hello" and ended up on the record (uncredited)—among them Peter Frampton, Andrew "Andy" Bown (Herd and Status Quo), and Brian Appleyard (drummer from East of Eden). Singer Mickey Cox had been in Robert Plant’s pre-Led Zeppelin group The Band of Joy—it was Cox, in fact, who became their singer when Plant left the band. But suddenly, thanks to band management problems, the LP was shelved. Keith Law, who had written all of the songs, joined Velvett Fogg for their only album, and Jardine was forgotten. Now, forty years later, you can be among the first to discover the brooding excellence of these tracks, music both strange and sinister, with moments of fragile beauty. There are some very pretty songs here (haunting melodies abound), but there is no escaping the dark side of life (‘Masochists of Strangulation,’ ‘Execution of the Child,’ and monumental dirge ‘Blackbirds of Jardine’, which tells of self-same birds, and the fact that they will “destroy you, and leave you pain, pain, pain”), songs perhaps more akin to the band Comus than to anything else we have encountered from the psychedelic era. There are also heavy guitar solos, churning organ, flute, and flowing sitar, for good measure. A 16-page booklet includes a band history lyrics, and comments on the songs by Keith Law. A lost jewel of late-1960's UK psychedelia, from a short-lived but charismatic band!

Track Listing: 1. Execution of the Child (version 1) (4.07); 2. Rain Day Julep (3.48); 3. Hello, Goodbye, Victoria Crane (3.12); 4. Hannah, Wife of Thomas Kite (1.57); 5. Harpsichord (3.40); 6. Somewhere Within Ophelius 4.09; 7. Roses and Ribbons (3:08); 8. Masochists of Strangulation (3:09); 9. Lady on the Hillside (3:07); 10. Execution of the Child (version 2) (3.29); 11. The Story of Acorn Rose (1:45); 12. Blackbirds of Jardine (5:21)

Catalogue number: LION 624
UPC: 778578062422

FOLKLORDS “Release the Sunshine”:
Fourteen perfect examples of dreamy, sunshine-infused pop psychedelia with a folk ben, originally released by independent Canadian label Allied Records in 1968. When we first issued this terrific album on CD many years ago, our booklet featured the few scraps of information on the band we could find. We challenged “anyone out there” to find some information on this elusive and intriguing band. Well, we’re pleased to say that someone took us up on that offer, and that someone was band leader Tom Waschkowski (credited on the album as Tom Martin). He graciously offered us a band history, lyrics, some terrific photos, and best of all, a rare pre-album single that the trio had self-released. This allows us to offer up as perfect a reissue of this album as humanly possible. The Folklords “Release the Sunshine” is a captivating album, a notion shared by the many collectors world-wide who fight for original copies, which are few and far between. Strange thing is, if someone were to say to us that the Folklords album was released by Creation Records in 1987, it would be difficult to argue. Why?, you well may ask. Our answer: the chiming guitars, the rattle of tambourine, the dreaminess, and the meandering harmony vocals of Martha Johnson place the Folklords closer to Biff Bang Pow, the Jesus and Mary Chain, the Revolving Paint Dream, or even My Bloody Valentine’s debut, “Ecstasy and Wine” (granted, at a much slower speed, and without the rampant fuzz guitar). Glorious remastered sound, as the twelve LP tracks were taken directly from the master-tapes; the two bonus tracks come from the rare, privately issued non-LP single, which features haunting, drum-less versions of ‘Forty Second River’ and ‘Unspoken Love,’ both of which were re-recorded for the original Allied album. A 16-page booklet includes a band history lyrics, and comments on the songs by Tom Martin.

Track Listing: 1. Jennifier Lee (3.20); 2. Don't Hide Your Love From Me (2:55); 3. Child (3.42); 4. Unspoken Love (2:08); 5. Windows (4:17); 6. Forty Second River (3:18); 7. Pardon Me Judas (3:10); 8. Thank You For Your Kindness (3:05); 9. We'll Love Like Before (2:20); 10. Suzanne Marie (4:00); 11. Don't Look Back (2:50); 12. The Slave (3:10), Bonus Tracks: 13. Forty Second River (COB label single version); 14. Unspoken Love (COB label single version)

Catalogue number: PACE-047-LN
UPC: 778578004729

 

NEW LION PRODUCTIONS releases: KRAUTROCK!!
It sounds grandiose, but is nonetheless true to say that it was German author and record producer Rolf Ulrich Kaiser whose publications (both books and LPs) shaped/created what has come to be known as Krautrock. We pay tribute to his vision by embarking upon a series of reissues designed to demonstrate the breadth of Kaiser's acid-fueled dream. Our first group of releases features one classic title from each of Kaiser's three legendary labels: OHR Records, Pilz Records, and Kosmischen Kuriere Records.

 

SERGIUS GOLOWIN (with the COSMIC JOKERS)
"Lord Krishna von Goloka":
In 1973, Rolf Ulrich Kaiser’s visionary powers acted as a catalyst for an authentic combination of acid, music and sprituality: the mystical LSD-fueled musical project “Lord Krishna von Goloka.” For this adventure into Indian and Oriental mythologies and legends, Kaiser asked esoteric Swiss artist (he was a friend of Giger’s), poet, specialist on Alpine folklore, and friend of Timothy Leary, Sergius Golowin, to join a group of musicians including Klaus Schulze and members of Wallenstein and Witthüser + Westrupp. It was perhaps mere coincidence that Golowin's classic treatise on witches, herbs, and magic mushrooms was published that same year (Magie der verbotenen Märchen); the book was fast becoming a cult item—it was secretly xeroxed in what was then-Communist East Germany, and later distributed in the hippie-underground there. Sergius Golowin’s intellectual and spiritual world of occultism, popular legends, and shamanism were the foundation for the project. He was responsible for the lyrics, which consisted of incantatory recitations in German over the multi-textural compositions.

“The first release of what has become known as the Cosmic Jokers series, a Cosmic Courier super-session organized by Rolf-Ulrich Kaiser... (Sergius Golowin) handles the vocals on this extraordinary album, recanting verse over music that sounds like a hybrid of Ash Ra Tempel and the Third Ear Band, full of rich musical textures adrift with Mellotron and synthesizers. A timeless work of beauty that has no equal.” —Crack in the Cosmic Egg

“In which, Rolf-Ulrich Kaiser offered us the second of his great Mage Recordings. After Timothy Leary (KK5001) had so moved the producer with 7Up, ‘The Kaiser’ and his Starmaiden Gille Lettmann decided to stay in Switzerland and record some more wise old men. As with Leary, the recording of Sergius Golowin, the middle-aged ex-MP, was nothing less than a full-on Vision-saga. Six musicians accompanied Golowin’s pronouncements throughout the LP, and it’s most remarkable of all that the speaker showed such restraint, often letting the band fly off into Ash Ra Tempel-land at any opportunity. It makes the most sensational combination and a long Kosmiche-epic of high magic proportions. Opening with the 15 minute plus “Der Grigen”, the LP announced its intention with sombre pre-Christian keyboards then softly, softly into the ritual…a slow amoeba production, at first scouting but soon positive in its holy direction. The huge unfolding driving thing called “Die Hoch-Zeit” covers the whole of Side 2, in which Klaus Schultze’s drums are combine harvesters in a Canadian wheat field 50 miles across. Massive choirs of mellotron hold the distant horizon and the machine that is the music covers the land like locusts. Dry dry music. Arid heavy tragedy — Side 2 of Joy Division’s ‘Closer.’ Golowin doesn’t even say a word for about the first eight minutes... There is no doubt this is the very highest magic — believe me. The Ur-klang of Mesolithic Man... No intellectual ever made music such as this... His voice and that music. A righteous vision.” —Julian Cope, Krautrocksampler

“The emergence of the great mythologies stands directly at the beginning of mankind’s history. In them the occupation with the large questions occurs: From whence do we come? What and who are we? Where do we go? When our ancient ancestors began to argue with appropriate ideas, dreams and emblems (the most valuable pictures), what developed from it, and was passed on to their descendants, was the birth of all that we call culture.” —Sergius Golowin, excerpt from Die grossen Mythen der Menschheit (the Great Myths of Mankind)

Our Lion Productions edition comes with a 24-page booklet which includes a Sergius Golowin biography, plus translated excerpts from interviews and texts, a list of Golowin's writings, translations of the original LP notes, text, and lyrics, as well as a Kosmischen Kuriere label discography. And on a personal note, we have long thought the song ‘Die Weiße Alm’ to be perhaps the perfect cosmic folk track... blissed out and uplifting, without being cloying.

Track Listing: 1. Der Reigen (16:57); 2. Die weiße Alm (6:09); 3. Die Hoch-Zeit (19:38)
Catalogue number: LION 628
UPC: 778578062828

EMTIDI “Saat”:
Recording in a good studio in 1972 with an accomplished engineer/musician such as Dieter Dierks (Ash Ra Tempel, Cosmic Jokers, Tangerine Dream, and yes, the Scorpions), certainly enabled Emtidi to expand their musical style on “Saat.” The end result was a shimmering, lush cosmic folk trip, with multi-tracked and treated acoustic guitars plus electric piano, fragile angelic femme vocals, vibes, and mellotron, (punctuated by the occasional acid guitar solo). Yes, “Saat” is an elevated cosmic folk brew of a refined and most magical kind—a richly textured sound thick with treated guitars, phased keyboards and trippy electronics, rendering a cosmic atmosphere similar to vintage Klaus Schulze or Ash Ra Tempel, and creating an album which has been called “one of the most beautiful cosmic treks of all time.” Pastoral imagery runs like a green silken thread throughout this beautiful record, starting with the front cover, a psychedelic airbrush painting of a pink stardust ear of wheat (“saat” means “seed”), and the inner gatefold, which depicts a luxurious golden field of corn. Bountiful and blissful. Our Lion Productions edition comes with a 16-page booklet which contains band info, a history of Rolf Ulrich Kaiser and his OHR/Pilz/Kosmischen Kuriere Records empire, and a Pilz label discography.

Track Listing: 1. Walkin´ in the Park (6.27); 2. Träume (3.15); 3. Touch the Sun (11.42); 4. Love Time Rain (2.43); 5. Saat (4.07); 6. Die Reise 10.04

Catalogue number: LION 627
UPC: 778578062729

GURU GURU “UFO”:
A brief version of the Guru Guru story is told in the rare OHR label LP sampler “Ohrenschmaus”: “Formed in the summer 1968, when, as acoustic musicians Mani Neumeier and Uli Trepte (up to then Free jazz) said, ‘everyone bought a strong amplifier.’ The album text goes on to note that: “There are many groups who practice with acoustic or electronic instruments a spontaneously changing music, which is characterized as improvisation. Actual improvisation, however—like for example with the Guru Guru—is not straight ahead. They orient themselves at agreed upon structures.” Given freedom by the freest label of the day, free jazz drummer Mani Neumeier and bassist Uli Trepte and guitarist extraordinaire Ax Genrich let the acid and the musical innovation flow. Guru Guru were genius, and “UFO” (released in 1970) was their first testament. Like any truly groundbreaking and important album, “UFO” makes one ask oneself bizarre questions such as, “could the members of Joy Division have heard this album?” or induces one to make emphatic statements like “so this is where Throbbing Gristle got the idea.” This is an album which is über-psychedelic, proto-industrial, free in every sense. Or as one writer said, “A high water mark for acid psychedelia that possibly cannot be beat.” Our Lion Productions edition comes with a 20-page booklet which contains band info, a history of Rolf Ulrich Kaiser and OHR Records, and an OHR label discography.

Track Listing: 1. Stone In (5:42); 2. Girl Call (6:21); 3. Next Time See You At The Dalai Lhama (5:58); 4. UFO (10:25) 5. Der LSD - Marsch (8:29)

Catalogue number: LION 626
UPC: 778578062620

 

A PASSING FANCY “S/T”: revised and expanded version of the much beloved Canadian pop-psych album by A Passing Fancy!
This edition has been a long time in the works, with most of the delay resulting from our efforts to make something out of the fragments of mangled stereo master tape that still exist (the previous edition was in mono). All the production delays left us with plenty of time to consider the excellence of the album, which has surprising variety: tough garage rock (lead track ‘I’m Losing Tonight’); beat music influence (singles tracks ‘A Passing Fancy,’ ‘You're Going Out Of Your Mind,’ and ‘She Phoned’); sunshine pop (‘I Believe in Sunshine’); songs with a social conscience (the discursive ‘Spread Out’); and a great acid rock meltdown (‘Your Trip’). These same delays also left us ample opportunity to uncover what had become of the various band members. A bit of searching led us to A Passing Fancy lead singer, rhythm guitarist, and primary song-writer Jay Telfer. He supplied a band history and lyrics for all the songs to round out this revamped edition of an album considered by many to be the best to come out of Canada during the late 1960’s. Includes the fuzzed-out single version of ‘I’m Losing Tonight’ as a bonus track.

Catalogue number: PACE-034-LN (Lion)
UPC: 778578003425

BEAT BOYS “S/T”:
“Caetano called the Beat Boys, an Argentinean group settled in São Paulo who had been inspired by the Beatles, to accompany him in ‘Alegria, Alegria.’ That, in fact marked the beginning of the Tropicalista thing.” —Gilberto Gil
Along with Os Mutantes, the Beat Boys represented the most radical element in Brazilian rock: their name, clothes, hair—and intense fuzz guitar raves—were all fierce indicators of a rebel spirit, and this in a dangerous time for such self-expression. Here is the simple truth: The Beat Boys were at the very epicenter of the cultural revolution that convulsed Brazil during the late 1960’s, that movement of rupture, that bringing together of electricity and avant-garde erudition that has come to be known as “Tropicália.” They backed Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil for their defining moments as artists—both live, and in the studio on tracks which became the opening Tropicalist salvo (a rare EP). So, what were this group of Argentine rock musicians doing in the forefront of all things outrageous in Brazil? More to the point, why is it that very few people, even among the Brazilian music cognoscenti, have ever heard of them? One explanation must be the fact that the band were essentially outsiders to the Brazilian music scene. As unlikely as it was for them to penetrate the inner circles of Brazilian elite musicians (it was unlikely), it was even more unlikely that they would remain there once their closest friends, Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, were exiled from Brazil. This disc includes the Beat Boys entire output under their own name: their sole album—an exercise in what one might call “controlled Tropicália”, laden with torrid psychedelic moments (released by RCA Victor in 1968), as well as a rare singles track from the same year. A 20-page booklet includes lyrics, and an exploration of the Beat Boys’ fascinating story.

Catalogue number: LION 625
UPC: 778578062521

LENO “Vida e Obra de Johnny McCartney”
Leno’s “Vida e Obra de Johnny McCartney” was intended as the next musical step after Tropicália, it’s full-blooded rock and roll approach intended to link the music that had already been made to the music that would be played a few years later. This record just might have been that bold step had CBS released it in 1971. But censors banned most of the tracks, and Leno was fortunate (thanks perhaps to his string of innocent sounding Jovem Guarda number one chart hits in Brazil as half of duo Leno e Lillian) not to experience the exile or imprisonment of other artists of the time. He was also fortunate that the master tapes survived in the CBS vaults, making them available for this reissue. The album has a sound that has more to do with bands such as Sly & The Family Stone, the Beatles (post 1967), Cream, and Steppenwolf, and features contributions from music legends Marcos Valle, Raul Seixas (anarchic surrealistic icon of Brazilian counterculture), hard psych rockers A Bolha, and members of Los Shakers and Renato e Seus Blue Caps. One of the most singular records of the 1970’s rock era in Brazil, speaking in terms both historic and musical, with a significance in Brazil that makes people who know it well wonder how it has taken so long to be known worldwide, in a time when the efforts of the Brazilian rock and psychedelic underground scene are so well-documented. A 24-page booklet (packed with photos and lyrics) details Leno’s career, as well as the story behind this exceptional record.

Catalogue number: LION 623
UPC: 778578062323

PREVIOUS LION PRODUCTIONS CD RELEASES
49th PARALLEL“S/T” plus eleven bonus tracks
First proper version of this legendary Canadian psych album, supplemented by eleven bonus tracks, two of which have never seen reissue before now. The group's first two singles, ‘Laborer’/’You Do Things’ (1967), and ‘She Says’ b/w ‘Citizen Freak’ (1968), are prime pieces of pouting Prairie punk. In the spring of 1969, the 49th Parallel had a hit in Canada and the USA with ‘Twilight Woman’, a lovely song that sounded like a poppier, slightly folkier version of what bands like Tomorrow were doing in England. The success of the singles resulted in the release of the 49th Parallel’s only album, on MGM affiliate Maverick Records. All hyperbole aside, this is easily one of the top Canadian rock albums ever released. The album contains excellent material, including the pulsating psychedelia of ‘Lazerander Filchy’ and the ultra-strange ‘(The) Magician’, as well as the quintessential punk edginess of ‘Now That I'm a Man’ and ‘(Come On Little Child &) Talk To Me’. Dan Lowe's blazing fuzz guitar work stands out, particularly on ‘Missouri’, and when challenged by organist Jack Velker's brilliant stuttering work on ‘Eye To Eye’, ‘Talk To Me’ and ‘(The) People’. Strong melodies, great playing and sympathetic production, make for a must own collection of songs. The twelve page booklet includes two slightly different views of the band’s history, as well as the notes from the original LP release.

Catalogue number: PACE 048LN
UPC number: 778578004828

AGINCOURT “Fly Away”
First official issue of this much-loved album of Moody Blues-influenced home recordings from around 1970, from the fertile minds of psychedelic-folk masters Peter Howell and John Ferdinando, but credited to their semi-fictitious group Agincourt; an intricate, dreamy psychedelic album, made all the better by the fragile female vocals on offer from Lee Menelaus; considered a bit more progressive (read: less acoustic, less fluid) than the duo’s other albums, with reasonable comparisons often made to the music of Syd Barret or Fairfield Parlour. We at Lion Productions are pleased to have had a hand at making this music available for the first time from the original master tapes! The sixteen-page booklet comes with lyrics and band history, and includes previously unseen photos of the band. The addition of two previously unheard bonus tracks makes this an essential reissue of a private pressing mega-rarity (originals are £1500 or more)!

Catalogue number: ACLN 1002 CD
UPC number: 778578100223

ATTACK “Complete Recordings 1967-1969”
The four great bands of the 1966 pop-apocalypse were the Who, the Action, the Creation and the Attack: four names that in their brevity summed up their flash and mod-pop appeal. These were bands that had more energy than an H-bomb after-flash, and they hit the senses with a long-awaited wake up call. The title of this disc should clue you in about what you're getting in this case: we’ve assembled the complete output from the prime era of the Attack, taken for the very first time from the original master tapes—fifteen tracks of essential UK freakbeat/psych, with hard-edged, sitar-esque guitar, great vocals and prominent organ. At their best, the Attack indeed attacked, leaving us with excellent distorted and nicely fuzzed-out psych, often with a hard edge and Kinks style proto-metal licks... Although, truth be told, the music of the Attack bears closer resemblance to that of the Birds, the Pretty Things, or the Creation. This definitive collection of Attack recordings includes such stand outs as ‘Try It’ (bugged out insanity, with sexual overtones blowing the Standells version into oblivion); ‘We Don't Know’ (a tight explosion of mod-soul); ‘Anymore Than I Do’ (a freak beat classic); their pre-Jeff Beck version of ‘Hi Ho Silver lining;’ and perhaps the band’s most oft-requested track, their unreleased Decca single ‘Magic in the Air.’ Solid tracks from a band perhaps best known today for a revolving door membership that gave them connections to the Marmalade, The Nice and Atomic Rooster (Alan Whithead left the group to form Marmalade; Davey O’List joined the Nice, and the rest of the band evolved into the great Andromeda, until guitarist John DuCann left to join Atomic Rooster).

Catalogue number: ACLN 1005 CD
UPC number: 778578100520 SOLD OUT

BULLDOG BREED “Made in England”
First official issue, taken from the original DECCA master tapes, of this amazing mod/psych/freakbeat rarity from 1969, featuring members of T2 and The FLIES. An album from the very end of the psychedelic era, one of the last landmark albums when bands seemed play exactly what they wanted, instead of opting for either the mainstream or the gutter; the psych-pop sensibilities of 1967 still live in 'Paper Man', 'Eileen's Haberdashery Store' and 'Dougal', 'Silver' and 'Top O' The Pops Cock?!?' give us a nasty Deviants proto-punk edge, while the mournful 'Friday Hill' sounds like Caravan on Prozac. Quintessential English eccentricity! This Acme/Lion issue comes complete with new sleeve-notes, photos and the legendary and mega-rare single "Halo in my Hair" b/w "Portcullis Gate" as bonus tracks. A classic album finally gets proper recognition!!!

Catalogue number: ACLN 1004 CD
UPC number: 778578100421

CHRISTMAS “S/T”
Available again! debut album by Bob Bryden's (Reign Ghost) "dream band", first released on Paragon in 1970 the same day as the second Reign Ghost album! Dreamy and atmospheric, with lovely vocals and understated guitar work suffused with a melancholic lethargy every bit the match of that of the Velvet Underground's third album, a comparison all the more telling once you hear the ambitious 21-minute instrumental Jungle Fabulous that closes out the proceedings; the rarest artifact by this much-beloved Canadian underground band finally sees its compact disc debut; a great event for psychedelic fans worldwide!

Catalogue number: PACE 043-LN
UPC number: 778578004323

CLASSICAL M “Bad Guys: The Complete Collection”
Classical M could have made a great album if given the chance. As it is, the songs contained on this disc make for a stunning collection, with the band’s psychedelic flourishes, outrageous melodies, and fantastic attention to production detail evident throughout. This profoundly original music was made in three short years (1967-1970): twenty-four delirious and provocative songs that establish Classical M as perhaps the best, and certainly the most intriguing French band of all time. Their offbeat sense of rhythm and harmony, the complex intertwining of voices, and perhaps more than anything, their unusual practice of trying to play all sorts of instruments—be they electronic or traditional—these elements make the music of this odd French trio unique and very special. We are proud to make this music available to the world.

Catalogue number: Lion 603
UPC number: 77857806032

DINO & MONTEVIDEO BLUES
The one and only album by Dino & Montevideo Blues (Macondo GAM 551, 1972) deserves to be a serious contender as one of the most important, and as it happens, most grooving, records ever released in Uruguay. But there is another reason that the album has attained exalted status: the incisive power of the lyrics, which are all the more impressive considering the national turmoil out of which they were created. Montevideo Blues was founded by Uruguayan song-writing legend Gastón “Dino” Ciarlo as a way to fuse the rawness of rock music with obscure native Uruguayan rhythms like malambo, milonga and chamarrita—a logical direction to pursue after Dino had attempted pop/candombe fusions in his solo recordings. “At the time, we were revolutionary and looking for change,” said Dino. Montevideo Blues demonstrated an unyielding and combative attitude. During live shows in 1971, Dino often criticized the government—a level of political commitment reflected in the lyrics of the songs, some of the most radical ever set to music. Eduardo Mateo, the sacred monster of modern Uruguayan music, was succinct: “You have decided to prune the tree,” he said to Dino. The album opens with one of Dino’s most famous songs ‘Milonga de Pelo Largo’ (‘Milonga of the Long Hair’), a sinuous song transformed by the arrival of the dictatorship into a hymn of Uruguayan popular resistance. The rest of the album tracks have an edgy, atonal quality, with terrific unconventional angular guitar and a kind of ragged glory, all driven along by insistent grooving rhythms, whether from native drums or the clicking of drumsticks. Bonus tracks include beat-rockers ‘Sendero de Rosas’ and ‘Rubio es el color,’ from the rare “La Juventud” compilation album, as well as both sides of Dino’s two early singles for RCA Vik. A 32-page booklet is packed with photos, detailed band history, and lyrics for this important Uruguayan band.

Catalogue number: LION 614
UPC: 778578061425

EDUARDO MATEO “Mateo Solo Bien Se Lame” plus bonus tracks

“If I can be a little romantic, Mateo is Uruguayan music's light. He is the sun.” Osvaldo Fattoruso

“Mateo solo bien se lame,” is a record that requires many superlatives in order to do it justice: from it’s first moments, the music is lilting, poetic, intimate, in turns life-affirming and melancholic, with pulsating percussion backed by unheard-of guitar chords and tunings (perhaps the reason for the frequent Caetano Veloso and Nick Drake comparisons); it is an album that sounds—simply put—honest. The record was released at the end of 1972 in both Argentina and Uruguay, and was received from that first moment as a classic in those countries, a position it still occupies today.

When El Kinto co-founder and iconoclastic maniac Eduardo Mateo traveled to Buenos Aires in October of 1971 to record what came to be “Mateo solo bien se lame,” his situation was unusual. With the explosion of candombe-beat music on the popular scene, Mateo had become a living legend of Uruguayan music. Yet apart from the “Musicasión 4 1/2” compilation, which had been released in July of that year, there were no published recordings of Mateo available, whether as a soloist or with his already dissolved group El Kinto. By this time, the public had a clear notion of the dreamy character of Mateo that by the end of his brief life had made him a part-time panhandler and apparent acid casualty. But they still wanted a record by him. It was singer Diane Denoir who gave the final push. She was in Argentina finishing a record for the De la Planta label that included eight songs written by Mateo. Denoir insisted that Mateo participate as arranger for three of these grooves. With Mateo in Buenos Aires, the owners of De la Planta decided to take the necessary steps to record him. This was not easy, as Mateo tried to erase everything he recorded as soon as it was put onto tape, and that only on the rare occasions when he showed up ready to play. In the end, engineers Carlos Píriz and Eduardo Rozas selected material for the album from hours of free improvisations, and formed the album as it appears today.

Our first Lion Productions volume of Mateo’s solo recordings includes the entire “Mateo Solo Bien Se Lame” album, plus a variety of tracks from Mateo’s early solo years. The eight bonus tracks include songs originally issued in Uruguay on the legendary “Musicasión 4 1/2” LP, two tracks live from a bowling alley (!), as well as four very special early recordings backing female singers: two sung by the lovely Diane Denoir, and two by the mysterious Verónica Indart.

Special slip-case edition comes with an oversize 48-page full-blown booklet packed with photos, text, and lyrics, which tries to unravel some of the myth surrounding this great surrealist poet and drug casualty, whose decline and ultimate madness and early death have done nothing to diminish his stature as one of the greatest artists in South American music.

Catalogue number: LION 613
UPC number: 778578061326

EL KINTO "El Kinto" (Complete Collection)

"I was lucky to see Uruguayan music born. Before El Kinto it didn't exist, and if it did I did not know it or like it." Osvaldo Fattorusso

All twenty-two tracks by these Uruguayan legends, whose line-up includes members of Totem and Limonada, and features the compositional abilities of candombe legend Ruben Rada, and his alter-ego, poet/panhandler and acid casualty Eduardo Mateo. El Kinto began their brief but eventful life in music playing in the dark shadows at Orfeo Negro (Black Orpheus), a night club near the Portones de Carrasco in Montevideo, Uruguay. Inspired by the way the Tropicalistas like Os Mutantes were transforming the pop music of Brazil, El Kinto embraced their own native music forms—but, as always, they went a step further: yes, they integrated candombe and bossa nova into beat music, but they also added their own notion of “psicodelics.” They experimented with newness in all its variety—new sounds from their guitars, new types of vocal delivery, new ways of striking the drums (with little brooms, with gavels or with the hands), all very uncommon in rock music. As one journalist noted in 1969, “El Kinto, directed by the brilliant Mateo, and amplified to the maximum... creates a frenzy of rhythmic music in which—with force and conviction—pure wave ‘beat’ is synthesized with the warmth of the African drums.” The result of the group’s tireless experiments is music which sounds fresh and engaging today. In a world dominated by the commercialization of everything—including (although it is difficult to comprehend)—the arts, all we can say is, thank god for El Kinto!

Special slip-case edition comes with an oversize 36-page full-blown booklet packed with photos, detailed band history, and lyrics for this most important of Uruguayan bands.

Catalogue number: LION 612
UPC number: 778578061227

ERGO SUM “Mexico”
Along with the two records by Nurse With Wound favorites Moving Gelatine Plates, Ergo Sum’s weird and wonderful album “Mexico” is an unusual portal into the intense creativity of early 1970’s French music. True, the bands are not musically similar; yet these three albums are distinguished not only by their instrumental richness, but by their unceasing sense of adventure. We’d go so far to say that Ergo Sum presents one of the most distinctive experiences in a rock idiom (apart from Zeuhl music juggernaut Magma) to ever come from France. The band’s one and only album (1971) features the unique voice of Lionel Ledissez—his guttural sort-of-English language delivery described as being “somewhere between Family’s Roger Chapman and a drunken Champs-Elysees taxi driver,” although more sober comparisons to Tim and/or Jeff Buckley have also been made. The compositions develop at a relaxed pace; incredible jazz-inflected guitar, flute, piano and droning violin swirl around the vocals, and keep one submerged in, yet attentive to the intimate mood. Tracks full of instrumental richness—they simmer, rather than blaze, which makes the rewards ever so great for patient listeners. Bonus tracks include the superb ‘All’s So Comic,’ one of the highlights of the “Puissance 13+2” Thélème label anthology, as well as both sides of Ergo Sum’s musically relevant single from 1972. A fulsome 28-page booklet includes band history, photos, lyrics, and a contemporary 1971 review from Superhebdo magazine. A three o-clock in the morning, slow burn album if ever there was one.

Catalogue number: LION 618M
UPC: 778578061821

THE EYES "The Arrival of the Eyes: the Complete Recordings"
The Eyes' 1965 single, 'When The Night Falls,' produced by the king of compression Shel Talmy, should have made them rich and famous (it didn’t). Alan Freeman described it as "truly unforgettable"—a prophetic statement. Later writers, like Cliff Jones in Mojo magazine, have described it as being "raw as an open wound, as sharp as a scalpel blade, and jammed full of sinewy whiplash lead guitar and pounding demonic ‘jungle telegraph’ drums." And it’s not as though the rest of the Eyes other recordings lack power and excellence. Sure, their early slices of Mod cool borrowed heavily from the classic 1960’s sound of the Who—Mod anthem ‘My Degeneration', the b-side to the Eyes’ second single, is either a tongue-in-cheek homage to (or an absolute subversive rip on) the Who, and is both funny and cool at the same time. Yet the band’s finest cuts, with their blend of innovative guitar feedback/distortion and anthemic songwriting, are equal in stature to rock classics of the era. The Eyes’ bursts of electronic mayhem were advanced for the time, and they had hooks and harmonies to counterpoint the madness. Thanks to the timeless quality of their great tracks, the band's legacy continues to grow as more and more people discover that long forgotten bands like the Eyes (or Les Fleur Des Lys, to name another) could match heavyweights like the Who, the Kinks and the Small Faces blow for blow, even if only for a fleeting three minutes of pure genius at a time. Contains all the band’s output—released and unreleased—including demo versions, alternates, and the entire Pupils Tribute To The Rolling Stones exploitation album from 1966 as a bonus. Fat 24-page booklet is packed with zippy notes on the band, photos, and pages from the band’s own fan-club pamphlet.

Catalogue number: LION ACLN 1008CD
UPC: 778578100827

THE FLIES "Complete Collection 1965-1968"
From the opening riff of the Flies’ hard-edged debut single for Decca, ‘(I’m Not Your) Stepping Stone,’ you might think that here was a band who were destined for glory—possibly even fame and fortune. But their story, like that of many awe-inspiring UK underground bands from the 1960s, was not a success story. Yes, the Flies had a few other releases on Decca and RCA, none of which attained any chart success. If not for the inclusion of this one slab of fuzz psychedelia on the legendary compilation "Chocolate Soup for Diabetics", the Flies would perhaps have remained unknown to devotees of the 1960s psychedelic scene. Still, this was a band that played major gigs with the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd, the Moody Blues, and Traffic, and were a big part of the mayhem at the legendary 14-hour Technicolour Dream event in London in 1967; this is a band whose key members founded bands like Please, T2, Bulldog Breed, Gun, and Infinity, and whose producer was Ivor Raymonde, who co-authored and arranged Dusty Springfield’s big hits for Philips (and also sired Cocteau Twins’ bassist Simon Raymonde). Although commercial success eluded them, it is fitting that the Flies have now achieved cult fame—their singles, which range from freakbeat to Mark Wirtz-esque pop/psych, merit the acclaim, and their introspective demos are perhaps even better. Contains everything by the Flies—released and unreleased—including demo versions, and alternates, plus a sampling of their the In-Sect "Direct From England" pre-Flies exploitation album from 1965 as a bonus. Fat 20-page booklet is packed with detailed notes on the band, original Decca promotional materials, and plentiful photos.

Catalogue number: LION ACLN 1009CD
UPC: 778578100926

 

FOUR LEVELS OF EXISTENCE “S/T”
The first ever official CD reissue of an album that many people consider to be the best Greek psychedelic album ever recorded, a belief that would mean that the Four Levels of Existence LP would supercede albums by artists like Axis, Aphrodite’s Child, Socrates, and George Romanos. We’ll let you decide the argument, for of one thing there is no doubt—that this is tremendous hard edged psychedelic/progressive material, originally released in a very small quantity by the private Venus label from 1976. As band leader Athanasios Alatas said: “Through Nick’s musical quest, Mario’s sensitivity, Christos’s madness, and my thoughts, we create many songs, all characterized by a psychedelic music sound, Greek lyrics, and monumental guitar solos.” This carefully documented reissue contains the entire Four Levels of Existence LP (its reissue debut), the only recordings they ever made. A twenty-four page booklet includes historical background on the Greek music scene of the early 1970’s, details of the band’s past written by Alatas, rare photos of the group, as well as lyrics to all the songs in both Greek and English. This CD edition is very strictly limited to 1,000 copies.

Catalogue number: Lion 604
UPC number: 778578060428 SOLD OUT

FRIENDS "Fragile"
The rarest, and I would dare to say best, folk/psych album from Peter Howell and John Ferdinando, musical brainchildren behind Ithaca, Agincourt, Alice Through the Looking Glass, and Tomorrow Come Someday. This fifth Howell/Ferdinando album had just been completed in or around 1974 when the partnership came to an end. Howell had been working at the BBC as a studio manager since 1970 (he'd provided a stiff upper lip voiceover for John Peels Top Gear shows), but he was now offered a position with the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, which he accepted, and still holds. An album so incredibly rare (only a single acetate exists), that many have doubted the album’s existence… until now! “Friends” still has the recognizable Ithaca and/or Agincourt sound, with lead vocals mainly by Peter Howell mostly, but with all the same elements and participants, and four tracks featuring the lovely vocals of Ruth Cubbin. A pastoral psychedelic folk stroll in the sunshine, with a few tracks reminiscent of 60's soft psych. Very good!!”

Catalogue number: ACLN 1007 CD
UPC number: 778578100728

HOJAS “Mis sueños piden” plus seven bonus tracks
If you were in Uruguay in 1971, you would have known along with everyone else that Hojas (the Leaves) was the best band for melodic rock—what we now might call power pop—and slow-burn rock ballads. This was the year of their hit singles, ‘El mundo es una flor’ (The World is a Flower) and ‘Caminar en la lluvia’. With their supple guitars, dreamy pop/psych melodies and driving rhythm section, Hojas rose to prominence quickly; and of course, it helped that most people agreed that the band’s vocalist César “Cacho” Badin had one of the best voices they had ever heard singing rock music. But Hojas were not just a singles band. They recorded an LP, “Mis sueños piden” (Sondor LP 44009), released by the Sondor label in August of 1973. The problem was that the album’s release very nearly coincided with the arrival of a military dictatorship in Uruguay, which effectively ended the career of the nations’ top bands, including Hojas. This carefully researched reissue contains the entire Hojas LP (its reissue debut), supplemented by seven bonus tracks, which include rare singles and an unreleased Badfinger cover. The sixteen page booklet includes historical background on the Uruguayan scene, details of the band’s past, plenty of photos, as well as a brief overview of the legendary Sondor label.

Catalogue number: Lion 606
UPC number: 778578060626

ILOUS & DECUYPER "S/T"
It has always seemed a pity to us that the Ilous & Decuyper LP, (first issued in 1971 on the boutique Flamophone label), has not been more widely available. It is an inspired album, with superb vocal harmonies and an introspective quality that sets it apart from most other musical efforts of the time. Even the circumstances surrounding the recording are unusual: the duo squatted at the Vogue studios for more than a year, using (almost to the utmost extreme) that facility’s 16-track equipment for many a dark night. The result was a sensuous sound full of subtlety and emotion—elaborate music based on elegant arrangements and orchestrations. It doesn’t hurt matters that French rock icon Jacques Dutronc’s backing band, including extraordinary guitarist Jean-Pierre Alarcen (also a key member of Systeme Crapoutchik and Sandrose), helped out their friends on some of these sessions. This CD includes all the tracks from the eponymous album, and as a bonus, two non LP-tracks from Ilous & Decuyper’s second single, recorded and released late in 1971. The booklet contains a detailed band history, rare photos, and lyrics in French and English. It just goes to show what can be done with late nights in the studio if you have talent, great songs, and a flair for overdubs.

Catalogue number: LION 610M
UPC number: 778578061029 SOLD OUT

ITHACA “Game For All Who Know”
Incredibly good and extremely rare home recordings from the same basically the same line-up, headed by psychedelic-folk masters Peter Howell and John Ferdinando, that had made the AGINCOURT album two years earlier. The album opens with the sound of pages turning, and more or less follows a journey through a cycle of questions, times, feelings, and dreams; a slightly different emphasis this time, as the band sounds more like a folk version of Pink Floyd. Beautiful interwoven songs with nice tape experiments of added sounds made all the better by the fragile female vocals on offer from Lee Menelaus. We at Lion Productions are pleased to have had a hand at making this music available for the first time from the original master tapes! The addition of three previously unreleased bonus tracks is cause for much rejoicing! The sixteen-page booklet has lengthy band history, lyrics, and rare photos. A beautiful, trippy album with lovely female vocals sounding glorious in a dreamy setting.

Catalogue number: ACLN 1003 CD
UPC number: 778578100322

LIMONADA “LimoNada” plus one bonus track
Although they sprung ready-made from of the ashes of legendary candombe/beat group El Kinto, one of the best-kept secrets from Uruguay’s musical mythology is nevertheless the group of musicians who recorded one album as Limonada. So what happened? The story starts with the end of El Kinto, when band leader and iconoclastic maniac Eduardo Mateo decided to embark on a solo career (see our forthcoming Lion Productions collection of his early music for more details), and the other members of El Kinto said “let’s do something together”. And so it was that in the middle of 1970, Limonada recorded their one and only album, “LimoNada” (Sondor 33.111). It is a strange record, with backwards tape splices, abrupt song changes, yet at the same time it is absolutely accessible and very groovy, in a Tropicalia sort of way, which might explain why it was an immediate success. In truth, it’s a profound mystery why the Limonada LP—one of the ten best sellers of its time within three weeks of its release—seems to have vanished from the consciousness of even the most devoted fans of obscure music. Until now, of course. This carefully researched reissue contains the entire Limonada LP (its reissue debut), supplemented by an extended live bonus track. The sixteen page booklet includes historical background on the Uruguayan scene, details of the band’s past, plenty of photos, as well as a brief overview of the legendary Sondor label.

Catalogue number: Lion 607
UPC number: 778578060725

NEON PEARL “1967”
First time on CD for these incredible sessions from the year of psychedelia’s apex—gliding rhythms and softly pulsing melodies floating on a bed of organ and harmonium ('Out Of Sight' and 'Going With The Flow' in particular are especially delicious). Peter Dunton (drums/vocals), Bernard Jinks (bass) and Rod Harrison (guitar) (sometime members of PLEASE and THE FLIES and later in legendary band T2) plied their trade as Neon Pearl in Germany in the summer of 1967. After a few months playing to appreciative German audiences, they returned to England where a music publisher financed them to lay as many tracks to tape as they could within the few hours booked. The result is what we have here. Almost certainly the most spartan of Dunton-related material reissued thus far, but it doesn't suffer because of it, rather it gives it a feel all of its own. This edition is taken from the master tapes, and comes complete with two bonus tracks not on the limited LP edition!

Catalogue number: ACLN 1001 CD
UPC number: 778578100124

ODYSSEY “Setting Forth”
Once upon a time, when the music business was more music than business (but only just), there was a band that created a quintessential dose of New York sixties psychedelia—strong harmonic vocals, heavy swirling organ, and fuzz guitar riffs of the greatest ferocity. Finally, their lone album—one of the ten rarest and most sought after US psychedelic albums—is available again: painstakingly remastered, repackaged, and ready for true psych fans to devour. This is truly one of the cornerstones of underground psychedelic music, recorded in 1969, released in an edition of fewer than 100 copies, and impossible to find as it only came in a plain white cardboard sleeve. An album that jumps right out of the speakers at you, from it’s opening “In-a-gadda-da-vida” riffs right to the very end. Twelve-page booklet has part one of a band history by Odyssey leader Vinny Kusy, as well as rare photos from his own archive. Deluxe limited edition LP version in heavy cardboard gatefold jacket also available.

Catalogue number: Lion 601
UPC 778578060121

ODYSSEY “Live at Levittown Memorial Auditorium: 1974”
A live recording that was never really meant to be, recorded by Odyssey’s sound engineer on a portable cassette recorder, and recently unearthed! “Live at Levittown” is the only document of Odyssey as they were in their progressive phase, just before Fred Callan and sometime Odyssey keyboardist Tom Doncourt recorded their legendary album as Cathedral. Bonus tracks include three “basement recordings” from the “Setting Forth” era—two untitled originals that never made the album, plus the band’s version of "Whiter Shade of Pale". These three tracks have been salvaged as well as possible from the cassette that is the only recorded evidence of these songs. Important note: this disc is not audiophile quality sound! despite our best efforts, it’s rough sounding, but we think that you’ll find it well worth listening to, despite the source limitations. Twelve-page booklet has a continuation of the Odyssey story by band leader Vinny Kusy, as well as rare photos from his own archive.

Catalogue number: Lion 602
UPC 778578060220

OPA“Back Home: The Lost 1975 Sessions”
This disc is a departure from the other reissues in our Uruguayan music series. It’s not remotely in a psychedelic or rock idiom; it was not released on the mighty Sondor label. Yet when given the opportunity to reissue these “lost” sessions, we did not hesitate for a moment. This music is funky and jazzy, groovy and urban, even sounding like Fela (on ‘Goldenwings’ at least); it has the sunny feel of sweltering days on South American beaches, but it also has a heavy dose of the grittiness of mid 1970’s New York City. There are connections to the great bands of Uruguay, of course: both Fattoruso brothers, so successful with their beat band Los Shakers, greatly admired the work of the much less successful Eduardo Mateo, Ruben Rada and their band El Kinto. Opa had their own style, and the critical acclaim for their recorded legacy would soon eclipse on an international level that of anything else from their native land. After coming to NYC in 1969, a regular club gig led to Opa becoming backing band for Brazilian percussionist Airto Moreira (Weather Report/Return to Forever); they toured the USA, working on a sound that resulted in the “Fingers” album for the CTI label (1973), Airto’s most successful record. Things looked grim when Flora Purim, Airto’s wife and singer of the band, was sentenced to two years in prison for drug possession. But drummer and producer Larry Rosen invited Opa to record in his small home studio. They recorded nine demos with Rosen during 1975 (all but one of the tracks that give this reissue a reason to exist, the other being the band’s first demo recording from 1972). Included are versions of songs which would later be re-recorded the following year for Opa’s debut album for Milestone Records. Rhythm-laden tracks that range from the heavily funkified to chilled out, shimmering, and trance-inducing. A 16-page booklet includes band history and photos.

Catalogue number: LION 617
UPC: 778578061722

OPHIUCUS “S/T”
Ophiucus may be the name of an obscure constellation, but it's also the name of a French band that recorded an exceptional album in 1972 for the Barclay label. All the members of the band had already enjoyed ample success in music before musician/actor Emmanuel Booz brought them together in 1971: Jean-Pierre Pouret was a well-known session-man for Sylvie Vartan; brothers Alain and Bernard Labacci released albums as Tom & Jerry, and supported Jimi Hendrix for a TV appearance; Michel Bonnecarrere had founded the band Zoo (one of Andy Votel from the B-Music label’s favorites), and was one of the composers, arrangers and musicians for that group’s first two albums. Apropos of the period, the band members decided to live together as a small family in Flagy, a small town in France, where they lived a happy life, and wrote the tracks which adorn this reissue. This ambitious album somehow manages to blend grungy psychedelic rock, acoustic blues, and densely orchestrated French pop/psych (in an Ilous & Decuyper vein) into an impressive and cohesive whole. Sandy Spencer, cellist and member of Mormos contributed wonderful playing on ‘Ne cherche plus’ and ‘Inachevée.’ This reissue includes the original album plus eight bonus tracks in English meant to be the basis of an international album that was never issued. A fulsome 28-page booklet includes band history and commentaries on the songs written by Ophiucus, photos, lyrics (French and English), and a contemporary review. Not to be missed!

Catalogue number: LION 619M
UPC: 778578061920

EMMANUELLE PARRENIN "Maison Rose"
We begin by saying that this is an album unlike any other. A bold statement, perhaps. Yet look in the "Scented Gardens of the Mind" book and you will see this description: "a revelation of a folk album, with songs of incredible beauty and innovative arrangements. It features traditional instruments you’ve hardly ever heard before and touches of the avant-garde. Play this album directly after that of another randomly chosen female folk album, and you will notice the difference! This is one of the best!" Parrenin had been part of a traditional "antique folk" movement in France in the late 1960’s (she was in many ways a French equivalent to Sandy Denny or Mandy Morton); indeed, she had recorded eight albums with musicians from this scene before "Maison Rose"—her best, and last album, recorded in 1976 and released the following year. The record seems to alternate between a cosmic take on an ancient Breton sound, and delicate, multi-tracked ballads—ranging from sounds that would not be out of place on an Ash Ra Tempel album to elements of traditional French folk music (including home-made instruments) that are just as exotic. Certainly, the avant-garde edge lurking beneath the simple folkiness of "Maison Rose" puts in mind the explorations of Brigitte Fontaine with her sometime musical voyager Areski; there are also suggestions of the pastoral caranavserai aesthetic of Vashti Bunyan, as well as the multi-track sensuality of Linda Perhacs (to name two much-touted singers who seem to have a similar ability to enchant). But Parrenin has her own style, her music has its own deeply ethereal quality, and the album itself has its own magic spell to cast that renders comparison with other albums unimportant in the end. Magnificent… we say.

Catalogue number: LION 611M
UPC: 778578061128

PLASTIC CLOUD “S/T”
In 1968, the Plastic Cloud recorded, quite simply, one of the greatest psychedelic albums ever made. This is one hip album, full of catchy melodies and hippie harmonies, as well as some of the most superb (and trippiest) fuzz guitar ever recorded. There is no point singling out a specific track, they are all excellent—one is equally as good as the next. We feel that it’s about time this fine record got it’s compact disc due, so we have gone all out for this reissue—it is remastered from the tapes; the accompanying twenty-page booklet has all the lyrics, thanks to Don Brewer, the man who wrote them, as well as rare photos and a replica of an original press release that must be seen to be believed. Essential psychedelia! Deluxe limited edition LP version in heavy cardboard gatefold jacket also available.
Catalogue number:

Catalogue number:PACE 046-LN
UPC number: 778578004620

DAVID PRITCHARD “Nocturnal Earthworm Stew”
An incredible pioneering electronic album recorded in the early 1970’s, from the first Canadian artist signed to Island Records. Serious headphone music made under the influence of Stockhausen, John Cage, Ornette Coleman, Stravinsky, Frank Zappa, Weather Report, Charles Ives and others—and with a sound that’s often compared to that of early Eno and/or (depending on your preferences) the first two Kraftwerk albums. Indefinable compositions integrate the earliest of portable synthsizers (ARP 2600 and EMS AKS) with acoustic instruments (violin, cello, dulcimer, electric violin, electric guitar), found sounds (short-wave radio transmissions and a summer thunderstorm) and random objects (instant coffee jar, scissors, chopsticks, among others)—and they also have special contributions from Nash the Slash (a.k.a. Jeff Plewman) and Martin Deller of famed Canadian band FM. Sixteen-page booklet has an abundance of photos, track by track information, and the odd history of these seminal recordings told by David Pritchard himself. Includes four bonus tracks not on the original 1976 Island LP release.

Catalogue number: PACE 044-LN
UPC number: 778578044022

PTARMIGAN "S/T"
First official release of this cult favorite—an album overflowing with brooding, mystical, Eastern-influenced hippie psychedelia dominated by long and largely instrumental tracks—all based on a complex interplay of recorder, hand drums and acoustic guitar. Ptarmigan recorded the basic tracks for what would eventually become their only album in Vancouver, B.C. during the fall of 1972. It then took the band’s producer and manager, renowned flautist Paul Horn, more than a year to find a label willing to release such unusual music. Finally, in 1974, Columbia Records released Ptarmigan’s album to critical acclaim, and minimal sales. The music of Ptarmigan is deep and authentic, and sounds best when meditating on a landscape, an emotion, or a bottle of wine. Sometimes it is free-flowing and jazz-oriented; at other times it has the mystical feel of a shamanistic ceremony, with its oriental or South American harmonies. But in the end, this album is about the sea—Ptarmigan was, after all, from Vancouver Island, and the musicians were well-versed in the contradictory moods of the surrounding ocean. One of those hidden gems from the 70's that make life better when you discover them all these years later, rated by many as the best "folk/progressive" and/or "folk/psych" album ever made. As one contemporary review said, this is "music from musicians, for musicians, late-at-night, last joint music." Our Lion Productions reissue comes with a 28-page booklet that includes lyrics, liner notes from the band, and a multitude of photos and historical mementos.

Catalogue number: LION 609
UPC: 778578060923

QUAD “S/T” (A.K.A. “No.1”)
The material recorded by Sun Dial approximately between 1990-1997 under their alter-ego QUAD has been among the most elusive prizes for fans of modern psychedelia, as it was issued many moons ago as an extremely limited LP in a clear plastic sleeve. And who among us music lovers wouldn’t chase after it? It is an album certainly great enough to deserve such avid pursuit by fans of all sorts of psychedelia—mesmerizing, drugged-out and trippy at all times, with sitar and guitar floating in and out and up and down in the mix over some decidedly funky grooves. If there was ever music for dj’s to sample, and yet also for heads to enjoy at home, this is it!

Catalogue number: ACLN 1006 CD
UPC number: 778578100629

SOULS OF INSPYRATION “S/T”
Eight tracks—that's all that exist—from this mysterious band that emerged from Sherbrooke, Quebec in time to have the honor of closing the activities at the Expo 70 musical presentations in Osaka, Japan. Their album (released by Columbia in 1970) is quite sought-after and deservedly so, with keyboard driven, melodic songs, attractive harmonies, strong vocals, and an overall sense of cohesion. Great acoustic driven songs like 'Eyes of Nature' and 'Sun Shines in the Winter', or the more hard-driving, progressive tinged 'Dil Kusha (Heart's Happiness) and 'Of Lambs and Wolves' should certainly have been compiled before, but amazingly were not. Now's the time to discover beautiful aberration, one of the unspoiled jewels of the psychedelic era!

Catalogue number: PACE 037-LN
UPC number: 778578003722

STONE HARBOUR “Emerges” (1974) plus bonus tracks

“Extraordinary basement psych with two multi-instrumentalists creating a melancholic dreamlike state with songs fading in and out of the speakers, cavemen drums, primitive electronics and murky fuzz lurking in the background. The best tracks go into places no other albums reach. Actually closer to the heart of psychedelia than most other records listed here.”
—Acid Archives of Underground Sounds

“What's a boy to do? It's 1974, you're young and have a head full of Hawkwind and Roky and the Elevators, and old brutalist blues in the Hound Dog Taylor/Fred McDowell backwoods whisky-fucked mode; you're stuck in Hicksville, USA; the music scene sucks: glam's dead or dying slowly; punk is a good year or so from even starting to get itself born. Town's too damn small to even muster up a band. It's just and your buddy and that's it, man. So you grow your hair and wear satin, wander wide-eyed and tripping across small-town railway tracks and hang loose at the weekend in your basement. You gather a bunch of cheapo instruments on the never-never and you start cutting low-fi bedroom demos. Stone Harbour were Ric Ballas and Dave McCarty, and out of nowhere and nothing, at entirely the wrong time, they cut an LP that will blow your head clean off. This is a trip into the true dark heart of psychedelia! The music? ‘You'll Be a Star’ shimmers and aches in the midnight; cymbals wash over you, Dave McCarty's vocals emerge from some subterranean cave, as the keyboards flicker, flicker, flash across the periphery of the song; ‘Rock & Roll Puzzle’ is dark, twisted fried garage punk blues brutality, pre-empting The Gories and Pussy Galore by a good ten years! Songs fade in and out; finger-picking blurs into screaming squelching synths; guitars melt in the mid-summer heat. ‘Grains of Sand’ frazzles like The Stooges through a fucked-up amp and filtered through a transistor radio with the valves burning out, whilst ‘Summer Magic is Gone’ is the most haunted, haunting song in many a long strange moon. Shimmers like stars in the 2 am fog and haze, and bleeds lost and lonely and bruised into the heat-warped dawn. You're still awake, although the brain doesn't work like it used to. Blurred and bleary and exhilarated and stoned to the very core of your soul.” Booklet includes lyrics and notes; disc has a handful of previously unreleased tracks from 1975 sessions as bonus tracks. Yowzah.

Catalogue number: LION 621HCD
UPC: 778578062125

SUNFOREST “Sound of Sunforest” (Deram Nova SDN7, 1969)
There was once a band called Sunforest, who recorded a splendid album in 1969. The record is (as has been said elsewhere) a unique compendium of UK acid folk with a popsike feel, sporting harpsichord and (somewhat) medieval-tinged arrangements integrated into electric and acoustic folk-esque tunes. But one thing must be said straight away: the Sunforest album is not at all twee—the songs are far too clever, and the production (by legendary producer Vic Coppersmith-Heaven) has far too much depth—we say this despite cover art that seems to have misled people since the album was released. Worthy of special mention is the phenomenal folk/funk vibe-fest 'Magician In The Mountain,' which has made this LP the object of desire of many a DJ and a sampler. And, of course, lest we forget, the Sunforest album supplies the answer to the recent burning question (for those of you living in the UK): “What’s that song on the Marks and Spencer TV advert—the one with Twiggy and those other girls in it, singing, "I want to marry a lighthouse keeper.” Why, it’s ‘Lighthouse Keeper,’ of course! The sound of Sunforest was enlivened by contributions from exceptional and experienced studio musicians. On this album, you can hear supple work from bass guitarist par excellance Herbie Flowers (it’s his bass that makes Lou Reed's ‘Walk on the Wild Side’ one of the best late-night songs ever written; he also played bass on the Serge Gainsbourg’s “Histoire de Melody Nelson”). He was joined for the Sunforest sessions by his compatriot in the Jean-Claude Vannier Orchestra, guitarist on an incredible variety of UK number one hit songs (fifty-nine to be exact), including the Kink’s “You Really Got Me,” Thunderclap Newman’s "Something in the Air,’ and Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg’s orgasmic classic ‘Je t'aime... moi non plus’: session-guitarist extraordinaire (and the mastermind behind the Lord Sitar and “Sitar Beat” albums), Big Jim Sullivan. Yes, here on the Sunforest album these two titans of UK rock can be found working with another legend, Vic Smith, on what turned out to be the only release from a trio of unpretentious girls, discovered in a cafe. Ah, the wondrous 1960’s! Includes a 20-page booklet with additional insider information on the band, as well as lyrics. Licensed from Decca/Universal, UK.

Catalogue number: ACLN 1012CD
UPC: 778578101220

SUNLIGHT “Creation of Sunlight” plus bonus
The first licensed CD version—and thus the first from the original master tapes—of an album that is absolutely great from start to finish, loaded with organ and fuzz guitar and just oozing with an acid and sunshine vibe. Formed in Long Beach, California in 1966, the group were originally named the Torques, then the Sunlights Seven, recording a single (an alternate version of album staple ‘David’ b/w a bizarre screaming psychedelic version of ‘Judy in Disguise’ both included here as bonus tracks) for local label Entra Records. The band signed to the Windi label, changed their name to Sunlight and unleashed their acid masterpiece on the world in a miniscule edition of 500 copies. The Sunlight/Creation of Sunlight album is definitive west coast psychedelic sunshine pop influenced by the jazzy psychedelia of Strawberry Alarm Clock; it’s packed with gorgeous harmonies, driving Hammond, minor-keyed melodies and eclectic guitar. In some specialist quarters the album is a now being deservedly championed, and original copies sell for enormous amounts of money. The sixteen page booklet that accompanies this reissue contains a band history, solarized photos provided by band members, as well as lyrics for all the songs. Come one and all to enjoy the Sunlight!

Catalogue number: Lion 605H
UPC number: 778578060527

T2 “It’ll All Work Out in Boomland” + bonus
The rise of power trio T2 in 1970 was rapid: important open-air festivals; headlining residencies at the Marquee Club; appearances at virtually every major venue in London. Then their debut album was released; they seemed poised for a breakthrough. As the band recalled, they were playing the Marquee club, with John Lennon and Jimi Hendrix hanging out backstage, which was all to the good. But people were coming forward saying, “we can’t find your album anywhere.” In short order, the band fell apart. Still, their sole Decca album has become well established as an all-time classic amongst progressive and psychedelic music collectors—even the techno and dj crowds. The fact that it has done so without hype is a testament to the innate quality of the music. The album is packed with melodic acoustic passages, frenzied fuzz guitar workouts, not to mention acid-trip induced lyrical and musical content. It is, in every way, an extraordinary album, one of rock music’s best kept secrets, on a par with all the other major works that form the rock music canon of the time. Hefty booklet contains extensive musicological analysis by composer and musician Andrew Keeling, which includes illuminating interviews with band members Peter Dunton and Keith Cross, as well as detailed illustrations. Included as bonus are three tracks from BBC Sessions recorded in October 1970. Licensed from Decca/Universal, UK.

Catalogue number: ACLN 1010CD
UPC: 778578101022

T2 “S/T”
Even though fame and fortune never came to pass for T2, their Decca album “It’ll All Work out in Boomland” has become an all-time classic amongst collectors of progressive and psychedelic music, and even in the techno and dj scenes. Apart from a 1970 Sound of the 70’s BBC radio session, (included on our Acme/Lion reissue of “It’ll All Work Out in Boomland,” ACLN 1010 CD), fans assumed that “Boomland” was both the beginning and the end of the group’s recorded legacy. But Acme Records unearthed an eponymous second album of material, recorded in 1970 with the original line-up as demo tracks for a planned second album. This was first released way back in the late 1990’s, and is now available again thanks to the new Acme/Lion version which is the subject of this one-sheet. This second T2 album, had it been released in 1970, could have put the band on the same level of fame with the likes of Deep Purple, Free, and King Crimson (bands with whom T2 shared a stage). It’s hard-driving opener ‘Highway,’ ablaze with wailing guitars, gives way to moody introspection, culminating with the LSD induced finale ‘T2.’ It’s music that is dreamy without being sleepy; heavy without danger of suffocation. Those of you who were lucky enough to snap up a copy of the limited Acme Deluxe pressings of this album many years ago now can testify to the importance of these recordings. For those of you who missed out the first time around—or who have only recently discovered the greatness of the mighty T2—all we can say is, enjoy the power and glory of the second T2 album!

Catalogue number: ACLN 1011CD
UPC: 778578101121

THIRD ESTATE “Years Before the Wine” + AGONISTES “S/T”
Third Estate’s “Years Before the Wine” is an ambitious and intricate psychedelic concept album from 1976 about the French Revolution (!) which blends warm Southern summer sounds (the band were from Baton Rouge, Louisiana) with baroque song structures. Never fear, the serious subject matter is no match for the strong songwriting and light, flowing music. Stunning vocals from Fae Ficklin on the title track are lovely, but even without them this album would richly deserve its status as a psychedelic classic. Stark, intimate production, with tasty fuzz guitar, backwards tape-loop soundscapes and beautiful treated acoustic guitar, puts one in mind of the Ithaca/Agincourt/Friends trilogy from England. The sound of exploration is evident everywhere, as the band spreads its wings, and glorious harmonies flow forth. The previously unreleased album recorded as Agonistes (1973) shows that the later recordings were no fluke—it can stand alone as one of the most beguiling folk/psych albums we’ve ever heard. Additional bonus tracks include singles and home demos. Budget-priced double disc package includes a 28-page color booklet, with histories of both groups by band co-leader Robert Everett, as well as lyrics for all the songs included herein.

Catalogue number: LION 620H (2xCD)
UPC: 778578062026

VARIOUS ARTISTS "The Gaiety Records Story Volume Two":
At last, a second collection of rare singles from the label that produced the cream of the mid-sixties crop of Canadian garage, punk, and psychedelic music! The Gaiety roster was rich in talent (the 49th Parallel, Jarvis Street Review, and Souls of Inspyration, not to mention the Checkerlads, White Knights, Dewline, Tomorrow's Keepsake, NRG, Merriday Park, and Portland Street South)—but it was not rich in resources, which is why these singles are so incredibly rare. This second Gaiety Records volume has twenty-four tracks in all, ranging from the ferocious punk psych of Solid Reputation’s ‘Lies’ to the wonderfully druggy (and truly demented) ‘Ode to a Cucumber, A Berry, and A Flower", a song that deserves to be in the pantheon of weird psychedelia right alongside the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band’s ‘Help, I’m a Rock’. NRG’s UK psych-inspired ‘Magic Man,’ much in demand in collector’s circles, is here in all its glory—along with six other tracks by this underrated band, including the psychedelic groover ‘Withcraft’. Other highlights are four more terrific beat/pop songs from the Plague and Lexington Avenue (bands who would become better known later as Jarvis Street Review). Tracks by the Checkerlads, Tomorrow's Keepsake, Flying Colours, Portland Street South, round out the disc, and (we hope) bring pleasure to everyone.

Catalogue number: PACE 044
UPC: 778578004422

LION PRODUCTIONS with VICOR MUSIC (Philippines):
Official reissues of albums by JUAN DELA CRUZ guitarist WALLY GONZALEZ!!
That’s right: official reissues (for the first time) from the master-tapes (for the first time) of rare LP's by Wally Gonzalez, the amazing heavy fuzz guitarist on all the Juan De La Cruz albums. Gonzalez emerged in the 1970's as a rock icon along with band-mates Joey "Pepe" Smith (who was also in Speed, Glue, & Shinki by the way) and Mike Hanopol. Together, they were collectively called Juan Dela Cruz—a powerhouse group who awed the hippie generation in the Philippines with a their scorching Pinoy Rock. The two solo Wally Gonzalez albums are the rarest—and among the best—recordings from the Juan Dela Cruz contingent, up (or down) the same turgid back-alley as the the Juan Dela Cruz band’s own "Himig Natin" and "Maskara" LPs. Recommended without reservation. If you like heavy fuzz guitar/psych similar to Shinki Chen and Speed Glue and Shinki—you will love these albums!

WALLY GONZALEZ "Tunog Pinoy" (1977) (KBA-5009)
A much more varied album than we expected—just listening to the soaring solos of the third track, ‘Pinag-isa’, makes us think how much this sounds like Pink Floyd circa “Dark Side of the Moon”—atmospheric, with breathy vocals, yet thick with that mid-70’s heavy energy at the same time; then you get to ‘Rock & Roll Mama’, and it’s stinging guitar leads and crunching rhythm section all the way; Gonzalez clearly was not a one trick (heavy acid blues rock) pony, which explains why this album has always been held in such high regard among those who had a chance to hear it.

Catalogue number: KBA-5009 (LN)
UPC number: 4800616770108

WALLY GONZALEZ "Wally On The Road" (1978) (KBA-5024)
First off, don’t be deceived by the title—this is a studio album all the way; altogether a different sort of album from “Tunog Pinoy”, thudding out of the gate with the monumental ‘Kailan Pa Kaya’, syrupy treated vocals, John Bonham-esque drumming and all; dig too, if you will, the Zeppelin vibe of ‘Screw’ before sailing into the trippy, acoustic ‘Tattong Araw’, or the legendary ‘Wally’s Blues’; more effects than the earlier record, sounding more like newfound recordings from the late 1960’s than a mid-70’s record—this has more psychedelic credentials than most reissues which get that label bestowed upon them; you might say that while “Tunog Pinoy” is classic rock in the best sense, this is classic psychedelia, in the best sense.

Catalogue number:KBA-5024 (LN)
UPC number: 4800616770115

WE ALL TOGETHER "Singles"
This joint effort of Lion Productions and Repsychled Records of Peru presents that nation's answer to the Beatles and Badfinger! When the people of Peru heard the first singles by We all together in 1972, they thought that these songs were the work of a foreign group—this because of the high quality of production demonstrated therein. The band’s songs were fashioned after the lighter side of the late-'60s Beatles sound—not to mention the early solo John Lennon and Paul McCartney material—with melodic tunes, vocal harmonies, and sophisticated arrangements which blended keyboards, acoustic guitars and electric guitars in a graceful manner. The reason for We all together ’s excellence is simple: the band members had been around many years, first as New Juggler Sound, and then as Laghonia. The Peruvian scene at the beginning of the 1970's, still very influenced by the psychedelic experimentation of the 1960's, colored the way that the band shaped its songs, made its drawings and developed its recording techniques. This disc contains the thirteen We all together singles that did not appear on either of the band’s LPs. Audio mastered from the original tapes using tube amplifiers by original band member Saúl Cornejo with Miguel Vance in MCA studios, Lima - Peru; bi-lingual 24-page booklet with rare photos, band history, as well as drawings and watercolors painted by Manuel Cornejo during 1971-73. The cover image was painted by band-member Manuel Cornejo for a possible third We all together album that never came to fruition..

Catalogue number: Lion 615 (CD 1009)
UPC number: 778578061524

WE ALL TOGETHER & FRIENDS "We Are Not Together"
Second joint effort of Lion Productions and Repsychled Records of Peru brings together an abundance of rare tracks recorded at MAG studios in Lima, Peru between 1968 to 1974 by members of We all together along with various musician friends of the time (and a few relatives too). Some of the songs are originals, others are covers—what they all have in common is the musical skill that Carlos Guerrero, Saúl Cornejo, Manuel Cornejo, Ernesto Samamé, Félix Varvarande and Carlos Salom brought to these varied projects—some recorded prior to, some after the creation of their great band. Eight different groups of musicians (Illicit, Smog, Carlos Guerrero & Nilo Espinosa orquesta, FE 59, Cerro Verde, Beto Villena & We All Together, and Monik) produced rich and varied music of uniform excellence! Audio mastered from the original tapes using tube amplifiers by Saúl Cornejo, Miguel Yance and Andrés Tapia in MCA Studios, Lima – Perú; watercolors and drawings painted by Manuel Cornejo during 1970 –1972.

Catalogue number: Lion 616 (CD 1010)
UPC number: 778578061623

LION PRODUCTIONS LPs RELEASES
CHRISTOPHER “What'cha Gonna Do?”:
Deluxe LP reissue of one of the absolute rarest American psychedelic LPs of the 60s—and one of the best! every song is of the highest quality (all originals too), with an accessible sound the suggests that the band could have had more widespread success, had they ever made it out of their native South Carolina; the album was originally pressed in 1969 to use as a demo, but you'd never know it based on the overall quality of the production; the music demands your attention: well-crafted trippy lysergic lyrics about plastic capsules (and more), flanged vocals (among other effects), fine vocal harmonies, extended jamming, and a transcendent quality well expressed by the gutsy and creative guitar work. When you've got blistering acid rock mixed with acid blues, with a couple of thoughtful melodic songs for good measure, you've got a recipe for something special. Had Christopher been a major label release it would be a staple in every record collection. Now, on to the presentation... Highest quality mastering and pressing (done at Acoustech Mastering/RTI in California); the resulting LP is housed in a poly-lined sleeve, which is inside an ultra-heavy 1960's Project label style gatefold jacket, which is in a loose-fitting plastic sleeve. Top of the line pressing all the way. Limited by license to exactly 500 copies.

Catalogue number: LION LP-101 SOLD OUT

EL KINTO “Circa 1968”

“I was lucky to see Uruguayan music born. Before El Kinto it didn't exist, and if it did I did not know it or like it.” Osvaldo Fattorusso

An exact replica of the original Clave label LP release of fourteen crucial tracks by these Uruguayan legends, whose line-up includes members of Totem and Limonada, and features the compositional abilities of poet/panhandler and acid casualty Eduardo Mateo and his alter-ego, candombe legend Ruben Rada. El Kinto began their brief but eventful life in music playing in the dark shadows at Orfeo Negro (Black Orpheus), a night club near the Portones de Carrasco in Montevideo, Uruguay. Inspired by the way Tropicalistas like Os Mutantes were transforming the pop music of Brazil, El Kinto embraced their own native music forms—but, as always, they went a step further: they integrated candombe and bossa nova into beat music, but they also added their own notion of “psicodelics.” They experimented with newness in all its variety—new sounds from their guitars, new types of vocal delivery, new ways of striking the drums (with little brooms, with gavels or their hands). As one journalist noted in 1969, “El Kinto, directed by the brilliant Mateo, and amplified to the maximum... creates a frenzy of rhythmic music in which—with force and conviction—pure wave ‘beat’ is synthesized with the warmth of the African drums.” The result of the group’s tireless experiments is music which sounds fresh and engaging today. In a world dominated by the commercialization of everything—including (although it is difficult to comprehend)—the arts, all we can say is, thank god for El Kinto! Now, on to the presentation—the highest quality mastering and pressing (done at Acoustech Mastering/RTI in California, the same people who master and press every title that audiophile label Classic Records makes); the resulting LP is housed in a poly-lined sleeve, inside an ultra-heavy 1960's style jacket, which is housed in a loose-fitting plastic sleeve. Inside you will find a double-fold insert packed with photos, detailed band history, and lyrics for this most important of Uruguayan bands, printed on 100% recycled paper. The LP labels are replicas of the Sondor originals. A top of the line pressing all the way. Limited edition of 500 copies.

Catalogue number: LION LP-107

EMMANUELLE PARRENIN “Maison Rose”
We begin by saying that this is an album unlike any other. A bold statement, perhaps. Yet look in the “Scented Gardens of the Mind” book and you will see this description: “a revelation of a folk album, with songs of incredible beauty and innovative arrangements. It features traditional instruments you’ve hardly ever heard before and touches of the avant-garde. Play this album directly after that of another randomly chosen female folk album, and you will notice the difference! This is one of the best!” Parrenin had been part of a traditional “antique folk” movement in France in the late 1960’s (she was in many ways a French equivalent to Sandy Denny or Mandy Morton); indeed, she had recorded eight albums with musicians from this scene before “Maison Rose”—her best, and last album, recorded in 1976 and released the following year. The record seems to alternate between a cosmic take on an ancient Breton sound, and delicate, multi-tracked ballads—ranging from sounds that would not be out of place on an Ash Ra Tempel album to elements of traditional French folk music (including home-made instruments) that are just as exotic. Certainly, the avant-garde edge lurking beneath the simple folkiness of “Maison Rose” puts in mind the explorations of Brigitte Fontaine with her sometime musical voyager Areski; there are also suggestions of the pastoral caranavserai aesthetic of Vashti Bunyan, as well as the multi-track sensuality of Linda Perhacs (to name two much-touted singers who seem to have a similar ability to enchant). But Parrenin has her own style, her music has its own deeply ethereal quality, and the album itself has its own magic spell to cast that renders comparison with other albums unimportant in the end. Magnificent… we say. Now, on to the presentation—the highest quality mastering and pressing (done at Acoustech Mastering/RTI in California, the same people who master and press every title that audiophile label Classic Records makes); the resulting LP is housed in a poly-lined sleeve, inside an ultra-heavy 1960's style gatefold jacket, which is housed in a loose-fitting plastic sleeve. Inside the sleeve, you will find an insert with full details on Ms. Parrenin, printed on 100% recycled paper. The LP labels are replicas of the Ballon Noir originals. A top of the line pressing all the way. Limited edition of 500 copies.

Catalogue number: LION LP-106

FOLKLORDS “Release the Sunshine”:
When we first issued this terrific album—twelve perfect examples of dreamy sunshine pop/folk psych released by independent Canadian label Allied Records in 1968—on CD some time ago, our booklet featured the few scraps of information on the band we could find. We challenged “anyone out there” to find some information on this elusive and intriguing band, with the offer of a reward that would be “something very Folklordish.” Well, we’re pleased to say that someone took us up on that offer, and that someone was band leader Tom Waschkowski. He very graciously offered for this LP package (and the forthcoming mini-LP sleeve CD package) a band history, lyrics, some terrific photos, and best of all, a rare pre-album single that the band had self-released. This allows us to offer up as perfect a reissue of this album as humanly possible. The Folklords “Release the Sunshine” is a captivating album, a notion shared by the many collectors world-wide who fight for original copies, which are few and far between. Glorious sound, as the reissue taken directly from the master-tapes. Bonus single is an exact replica of the rare, privately issued non-LP single, which features haunting, drum-less versions of ‘Forty Second River’ and ‘Unspoken Love,’ both of which were re-recorded for the original Allied release. Now, on to the presentation—the highest quality mastering and pressing (done at Acoustech Mastering/RTI in California, the same plant that presses every title that audiophile label Classic Records makes); the resulting LP is housed in a poly-lined sleeve, inside an ultra-heavy 1960's style gatefold jacket, which is housed in a loose-fitting plastic sleeve. The LP labels are replicas of the original Allied silver and blue labels. A top of the line pressing all the way. Limited edition of exactly 700 copies.

Catalogue number: LION LP-104

LIMONADA “LimoNada”
Although they sprung ready-made from of the ashes of legendary candombe/beat group El Kinto, one of the best-kept secrets from Uruguay’s musical mythology is nevertheless the group of musicians who recorded one album as Limonada. So what happened? The story starts with the end of El Kinto, when band leader and iconoclastic maniac Eduardo Mateo decided to embark on a solo career (see our Lion Productions collection of his early music for more details), and the other members of El Kinto said “let’s do something together.” And so it was that in the middle of 1970, Limonada recorded their one and only album, “LimoNada” (Sondor 33.111). It is a strange record, with backwards tape splices and abrupt song changes, that remains at the same time absolutely accessible and very groovy, in a Tropicalia sort of way, which might explain why it was an immediate success. In truth, it’s a profound mystery why the Limonada LP—one of the ten best sellers of its time within three weeks of its release—seems to have vanished from the consciousness of even the most devoted fans of obscure music. Until now, of course. Now, on to the presentation—the highest quality mastering and pressing (done at Acoustech Mastering/RTI in California, the same people who master and press every title that audiophile label Classic Records makes); the resulting LP is housed in a poly-lined sleeve, inside an ultra-heavy 1960's style jacket, which is housed in a loose-fitting plastic sleeve. Inside you will find an insert with historical background on the Uruguayan scene, details of the band’s past, plenty of photos, as well as a brief overview of the legendary Sondor label, printed on 100% recycled paper. The LP labels are replicas of the Sondor originals. A top of the line pressing all the way. Limited edition of 500 copies.

Catalogue number: LION LP-108

 

ODYSSEY “Setting Forth”
Once upon a time, when the music business was more music than business (but only just), there was a band that created a quintessential dose of New York sixties psychedelia—strong harmonic vocals, heavy swirling organ, and fuzz guitar riffs of the greatest ferocity. Their lone album, one of the ten rarest and most sought after US psychedelic albums, is available on vinyl for the first time since its original pressing—painstakingly remastered, repackaged, and ready for true psych fans to devour. This is truly one of the cornerstones of underground psychedelic music, recorded in 1969, released in an edition of fewer than 100 copies, and impossible to find as it only came in a plain white cardboard sleeve. An album that jumps right out of the speakers at you, from it’s opening “In-a-gadda-da-vida” riffs right to the very end. Gatefold spread has a band history by Odyssey leader Vinny Kusy, as well as rare photos from his own archive. Now, on to the presentation... Highest quality mastering and pressing (done at Acoustech Mastering/RTI in California); the resulting LP is housed in a poly-lined sleeve, which is inside an ultra-heavy 1960's Project label style gatefold jacket, which is in a loose-fitting plastic sleeve.

Catalogue number: LION LP-102

PLASTIC CLOUD "S/T":
In 1968, the Plastic Cloud recorded, quite simply, one of the greatest psychedelic albums ever made. This a record with few equals, full of foreboding melodies and lovely hippie harmonies, as well as some of the most superb and trippiest, Eastern sounding fuzz guitar ever recorded. There is no point singling out a specific track, they are all excellent—one is equally as good as the next. Take for example the album centerpiece, the ten-and-a-half-minute ‘You Don't Care,’ an insane piece of social commentary that features terrific back-of-the-mix fuzz guitar as an elusive focal point to its extended pounding-drum laden instrumental breaks; with a great chorus and a plaintive melody in the verse, it doesn't overstay its welcome, winding its way to a final freak out. Essential psychedelia! We feel that it’s about time this fine record got it’s due on vinyl, so we have gone all out: it is mastered from the original tapes; the gatefold inner spread has the original LP text, lyrics for all of the songs (thanks to Don Brewer, the man who wrote them), as well as rare photos; as an insert, we have included a replica of an original press release that must be seen to be believed. Now, on to the presentation—the highest quality mastering and pressing (done at Acoustech Mastering/RTI in California, the same plant that presses every title that Classic Records makes); the resulting LP is housed in a poly-lined sleeve, inside an ultra-heavy 1960's style gatefold jacket, which is housed in a loose-fitting plastic sleeve. The LP labels are replicas of the original Allied silver and blue labels. A top of the line pressing all the way. Limited edition of exactly 700 copies.

Catalogue number:LION LP-103 SOLD OUT

SANDHY & MANDHY “Para Castukis”
Here at last is a chance to discover why people have been willing to pay a very steep price to hear Sandhy & Mandhy, the duo who were not a duo, the band who were not a band, creators of perhaps the rarest and most expensive album from Argentina. To tell the story of Sandhy & Mandhy, we have to go back to 1967, when Alberto Infusino (Sandhy) and Alberto Vanasco (Mandhy) began their musical partnership in the beat band The New Free Men. Like many bands of that time, Los Shaker’s and Los Walkers, for example, the New Free Men played covers of songs by the Zombies, Animals, Kinks, Yardbirds, Doors, and so on, in clubs and at parties. Yet at the same time, Infusino and Vanasco started to play their own compositions, with a national touch to the music. Let’s let Vanasco (Mandhy) take up the story: “In 1969, we went to talk with Billy Bond, chief of ‘La Pesada del Rock Roll,’ to ask about the chance to make an album. Bond said that he was not looking for a band, but for a duo who sang songs in Spanish... So, we called some friends to play together, and we called the project Sandhy & Mandhy.” They recorded the album in three hours, with a full band (Farfisa organ, congas, drums, bass, and guitars)—one take of each song. Instead of a demo, they decided to press an LP: the company (Phonalex) pressed 110 LPs in total, which the band gave out at gigs. Sandhy & Mandhy were one of the first bands in South America bring a rebellious attitude to the music scene—all this in a period of military repression, when forced haircuts in the streets were a common occurrence. Although they broke new ground, success was not their fate. And so thirty-eight years after the burst of improvisation that was Sandhy & Mandhy, the rest of the world can finally take a taste of their dark, groovy, beat-influenced psychedelia (that fuzz guitar on the excellent ‘Lluvia’!). At times introspective and acoustic, at others manic and ramshackle in the best way, it’s quite a discovery. Now, on to the presentation—the highest quality mastering and pressing (done at Acoustech Mastering/RTI in California, the same people who master and press every title that audiophile label Classic Records makes); the resulting LP is housed in a poly-lined sleeve, inside an ultra-heavy 1960's style gatefold jacket, which is housed in a loose-fitting plastic sleeve. Inside the sleeve, you will find an insert with full details on Sandhy & Mandhy, including lyrics in Spanish and English, printed on 100% recycled paper. The LP labels are replicas of the originals. A top of the line pressing all the way. Limited edition of 800 copies.

Catalogue number: LION LP-105