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

LION PRODUCTIONS–NEW RELEASES

CD version: street date: 10 May 2012
2xLP version—expected street date: 15 September 2012

ROTOMAGUS ROTOMAGUS "The Sky Turns Red: Complete Anthology"
There’s no way to know why CBS Records unceremoniously dumped Rotomagus and the Chico Magnetic Band after one single apiece; suffice to say that decision was a poor one, as both bands have (quite rightly) developed a cult-like following over the years. All in all, the artistic trajectory of Rotomagus was peculiar: they started out as a harmony pop-psych band, shifted through a brief Jimi Hendrix-ian interlude (‘The Sky Turns Red’), straight into a Vanilla Fudge groove; they then went down in flames as a hair-raising monolithic heavy rock power trio. On Julian Cope’s excellent Head Heritage web-site, the Seth Man raves about Rotomagus thus: "The first time I heard this track (‘Fighting Cock’), I did not freak out. I merely walked into a nearby closet and screamed my head off for a minute solid, beat the floor and ripped my t-shirt... then I cowered when it hit me: this thing came out in 1971? Before "Raw Power"?! I just lost my mind... The only thing that predates this monster in terms of being a full-on amassing of all things heavy are all the many key points on Sir Lord Baltimore’s "Kingdom Come" LP and THAT’S it, brother." French magazine Rock & Folk was succinct: "Rotomagus create an emotional music, violent, even aggressive." Violent. Aggressive. Intense. On this disc we bring you the entire output of Rotomagus, including an album-length demo from 1971, the band’s tumultuous, thunderous swansong, recorded as a super jam (live with no overdubs). Our Lion Productions and Martyrs of Pop edition of Rotomagus comes replete with a bi-lingual 32-page booklet, with the entirety of the Seth Man’s article on the band, plus the band’s history in both English and French, printed on FSC recycled, chlorine-free, 100% post-consumer fiber paper, manufactured using biogas energy. Hard to believe this is all pre-1971, as much of the demo is not just proto punk but proto hardcore—with enough fiery attitude to make you want to scream along. The vocals are wild, while the guitar riffs and grinds and approaches a Stooges via Motorhead apocalyptic grandeur. Amazing!

CD Track List: the unreleased demo (39:41): 1. Laureline; 2. Little Green Man; 3. Fighting Cock; 4. The Sky Turns Red; 5. Runnin’ For Life; 6. I Dig Life; 7. Shout Now; 8. Hello the Binaries; 9. The Flufluting Flatmul. the singles: 10. Le Haut du Pavé (2:48) (Polydor 66 664-A); 11. Nevada (2:40) (Polydor 66 664-B); 12. Eros (2:20) (CBS FR-4997-A); 13. Madame Wanda (3:26) (CBS FR-4997-B); 14. Fighting Cock (3:34) (Butterfly BS 007-A); 15. The Sky Turns Red (2:57) (Butterfly BS 007-B); 16. Laureline (2:22); 17. Porquoi les Hommes (2:29)

CD edition catalogue number:   LION 660         UPC: 778578066024 (CD)
2xLP edition catalogue number: LION LP-121    UPC: 778578312114 (2xLP)

CD version available now!
LP version—expected street date: 15 June 2012

HOLLINS & STARR HOLLINS & STARR "Sidewalks Talking"
I love this record. For me, it has a trace or two of Arthur Lee and Love at their best (‘Krishna Dov’ would not sound out of place on "Forever Changes," for example), with dashes of maybe Terry Callier in some of the jazzier tunes. I also like that Hollins & Starr wrote a gentle tribute to one of my favorite old-time bluesmen, Mississippi John Hurt. At times this album is a gorgeous, ethereal blend of psychedelic folk and offbeat pop; but there are some funk and avant-garde moves too (where did those crazy orchestrations, wild guitar, and breakbeats on the fierce anti-war rave-up ‘Hard Headed Woman’ come from?), all supported by an odd assortment of instruments, including flute, bells and a generous helping of fuzz guitar. Chicago-based duo Chuck Hollins and David Starr only made this one album, which originally appeared in 1970 on the Ovation label. All we know about them is what the original ads for the album said: "David Starr learned piano when he was three, began composing when he was four. At twenty-one he was playing flute with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Chuck Hollins picked up a guitar one day and just started playing.... by the time he left Northwestern with his Creative Writing degree he was turning his poetry into music." Others have said: "Unique blend… with a lovely dreaming, drifting vibe" – the Acid Archives; "Many diverse influences from pop-psych, mystical mellow passages, quasi-classical touches, delightful ethereal flute, trance-like vocals and fuzz guitar… there is much to appreciate on this largely undiscovered gem" – Fuzz, Acid & Flowers. Our deluxe mini-LP sleeve CD edition has four bonus tracks, including a "hidden track" with some rare sound effects plucked from the vaults. The CD version is limited to 1,000 copies. Our replica LP version (in production as we speak) will come in an old style tip-on jacket, and include an insert with an essay on the album and a little background history on the Ovation label. It is a 180 gram vinyl pressing, mastered from the original tapes; the sad news: this LP version is limited to 750 copies. So, we state that the sole album by Chuck Hollins and Dave Starr, their only known recordings, is a treasure trove of strong melodies and dreamy vocal stylings—an album sure to appeal to fans of acid folk, popsike, and even those who like jazzy funk. Listening to it is a rich, rewarding experience. This is a perfectly produced and arranged record, an ode to the free mind, structured by intelligent considerations. And as another person has said, "No wonder it has been sampled by DJ Shadow." Ovation said at the time of its release, "Classical artistry rock and sidewalk poetry." All true. Very cool. Hip, mellow, and stoned.

Track List: 1. Talking to Myself (2:58 – 4:22); 2. Krishna Dov (2:35); 3. Cry Baby Cry (3:17); 4. Twin City Prayer (1:36); 5. John Hurt (2:12); 6. Hard Headed Woman (5:21); 7. Home? (3:36); 8. Vivace (2:57); 9. Lovable (3:50); 10. Digress (2:50 – 5:13); 11. Stayin High (2:23); 12. Sidewalks Talkin (3:32); 13. Feelin Good (2:10). CD only Bonus Tracks: 14. Feelin Good (2:53) single version; 15. Lovable (3:16) single version; 16. Hard Headed Woman (9:08) outtake; 17. Sound Effects (not listed on the OBI card or CD booklet)

CD edition catalogue number:  LION 653       UPC: 778578065324
LP edition catalogue number:   LION LP-115   UPC: 778578311513


LION PRODUCTIONS & LIGHT IN THE ATTIC

COOL AID VARIOUS "The Cool Aid Benefit Album: Deluxe Edition"
At the end of the 1960’s, there was a house in Vancouver that was a home solely for Hippies and homeless youth; it was known to locals as "the Cool Aid House." When the Canadian government withdrew funding in 1970, the house was in danger of closing. All of the top bands in the Vancouver area offered to record songs for a benefit album—and since the local music scene produced some of the best bands in Canada, the album that resulted was stunning; it has long been a much sought-after collector's item. What no one knew until recently was that the original "Cool Aid Benefit Album" was intended as a two-record set: contractual problems with Capitol Records forced Cool Aid House founder John Walsch to drop tracks by Mother Tucker's Yellow Duck—tracks that are now restored to this package. Other cuts include the strange proto-electronic burbles of Mock Duck (quite unlike almost everything else they ever recorded) on ‘As the Bullet Enters Anton’ and ‘Pointillistic Scherzo’; the vicious snarl of Black Snake’s ‘Carousel,’ and the strange Spalding Grey-ish acoustic song/poem ‘The Planet Man.’ Hydro Electric Street Car have left little behind them, but their lovely ‘High Memory’ sounds like a lost Grateful Dead track from their early, dreamy period. A terrific discovery. The end result of the joint efforts of Light in the Attic and Lion Productions is this deluxe 2xLP package, jam-packed with stand-out music by Vancouver’s top bands of the day: Mother Tucker's Yellow Duck, Papa Bear's Medicine Show, Mock Duck, Hydro Electric Streetcar, Route Nine, Blacksnake Blues Band, Nancy, Spring, and Greydon Moore and Leo Jung. Obscure cuts available nowhere else, in a wide variety of styles: weird electronic sounds, heavy garage fuzz guitar freakouts, stoner rock, and acoustic folk. This deluxe hand-numbered LP edition comes in a heavy 1960’s style "tip-on" gatefold jacket with notes on the Cool Aid House, the original LP project, and the bands involved. All tracks are taken from the original multi-track studio tapes, and sound incredible as a result. Limited edition hand-numbered 2xLP package (housed in old-style tip on gatefold jacket), lovingly remastered from the original multi-track studio tapes. Includes liner notes and original artwork from the Cool Aid House.

Album One: Original LP:
A-side: 1. Bring Yourself Down To Earth Lovin’ Blues Baby - Spring (4:07); 2. Girl Of the Night Suite - Route Nine (3:00); 3. Catfish - Blacksnake (10:06); 4. The Reason - Black Snake (4:06)
B-side: 1. Pointilistic Scherzo - Mock Duck (0:49); 2. Do Re Me - Mock Duck (3:00); 3. As the Bullet Enters Anton - Mock Duck (0:44); 4. Golden Girl- Papa Bear's Medicine Show (3:57); 5. I Realise - Hydro Electric Streetcar (3:40); 6. Gardens and Flowers - Hydro Electric Streetcar (4:17)

Album Two: Unreleased Tracks
A-side: 1. Borrowed Song - Mock Duck (2:56); 2. Mountain Joy - Mother Tucker's Yellow Duck (3:47); 3. Hydro Electric - High memory (3:27); 4. I - Mother Tuckers Yellow Duck (3:54); 5. Wordplay – Spring (5:58)
B-side: 1. No Time/Got A Feeling – Nancy (6:28); 2. Carousel – Blacksnake (2:34); 3. Hastings East - Mock Duck (2:27); 4. The Planet Man - Greydon Moore And Leo Jung (7:01)

Catalogue number: REGEN1103LP
UPC: 609728110314

Remastered from the original tapes!

GERARDO MANUEL & EL HUMO GERARDO MANUEL & EL HUMO "Apocallypsis"
By the start of 1970, young Peruvian musician Gerardo Manuel Rojas already had an impressive body of work with various rock bands: The Doltons (in Ica), Los Doltons (in Lima), Los Shain's and The (St. Thomas) Pepper Smelter; he had recorded to that point five LP's and many 45 rpm records. He was 24 years old. And Gerardo's work would continue with the implementation of a recording studio at the El Virrey label office. The label had hired German engineer Gerhard Nieckau for the installation of a new Neumann 4-channel recording console; they also asked Gerardo to act as Nieckau's partner, and asked him to get musicians to perform the first test runs of the recording set up. The musicians came to the studio to record and rehearse during the hours that the studio was not in use, from ten at night until sunrise. What resulted was a kind of "ghost" band that recorded throughout the night. For this project, Gerardo joined with guitarist "Pico" Ego Aguirre, bassist Jorge "Coco" Pomar (both from Los Shain's) and drummer Freddy "Pure" Sources of the group La Nueva Cosecha (The New Crop). After a month of testing the new studio, (they had already recorded more than 200 hours there), El Virrey suggested that they release an album with some tracks from those sessions. That album, "Apocallypsis," was the first hard rock album recorded in Peru; it was released on vinyl in August 1970. The album includes five original songs, plus versions of tracks by Grand Funk, Liquid Smoke, Jimi Hendrix, and Question Mark and the Mysterians. Before the LP came out, El Virrey released two 45rpm singles that are included on the CD as bonus tracks. This special edition of a South American classic also includes a booklet with some terrific photos and memorabilia + liner notes and lyrics.

Tracks: 01. Apocallypsis; 02. Are you ready?; 03. Looking for tomorrow; 04. Lonely night; 05. Power of soul; 06. (I will bring you) flowers in the morning; 07. Where did you go?; 08. Rock & roll soul; 09. I can do it, if you do it; 10. 96 tears. Bonus Tracks: 11. Raindrops keep falling on my head; 12. Where did you go? (single version); 13. Looky looky; 14. Anoche no dorm’.

Catalogue number: LION 7657
UPC: 778578765729


First time on CD for this crucial early Salsa album, carefully remastered from the original tapes!

LINARES ALFREDITO LINARES "Salsa a Todo Sabor…"
Peruvian pianist Alfredo "Sabor" Linares is a legend—a cult figure—long recognized throughout Latin America as one of the creators of salsa music. He started out recording Afro Latin jazz in the late 60s, with two solo LPs and guest piano and arrangement work for both Coco Lagos and El Combo de Pepe. In the early 70s, he moved to Cali in Colombia, and became heavily involved in what developed into the Salsa scene. Fast forward to 2007: Linares' profile was given a boost outside of Latin America following guest piano appearances on The Quantic Soul Orchestra recordings and his show-stopping performances in their accompanying live shows. Linares' records have been published in several countries, and on many, many labels... although not always under his name. Case in point, Linares' "Salsa a Todo Sabor..." album: it was recorded in late 1972 for the IEMPSA label in Peru, and released by them in 1973; it was also released in Colombia that same year; but in the U.S. it was released by the Audio Latino label) under the name of Madison Orchestra, and re-titled: "A Lot of Salsa—Rhythm in the Alley," with a new cover, and with two tracks removed. Not at all confusing. And the music? a scorching combination of danceable Latin Jazz and Afro-Cuban music. The rhythms of boogaloo and Latin soul are there in profusion, with the piano and bass carrying the groove. Then the rhythm changes: from boogaloo to salsa, as well as to guaracha and guaguancó. It's no exaggeration to say that the Latin percussion style of a handful of albums like this one certainly had an impact on the creation of the New York salsa scene, and the trio of trumpets adds a Puerto Rican flavor. Three singers deliver the knockout punch: Panchito Nalmy, Rolo Bernal, and Koky Palacios, singing in the style of Fania. Around the same time he recorded the "Salsa a Todo Sabor…" album, Linares recorded the 45rpm single: 'Yo no soy guapo' (I am not handsome) / 'Sujetate la lengua' (Hold on language); both sides of this rare single are included as bonus tracks. Our Lion Productions (USA) + Repsychled label (Peru) jewel case CD edition uses the original Peruvian album cover, and includes a booklet with text in Spanish and English.

Tracks: 01. La salsa va a comenzar; 02. Boogaloo girl; 03. Macchu Picchu; 04. A los timbaleros; 05. El bravo soy yo; 06 Ritmo del callejó; 07 Pa' juga nama; 08 Recuerdame; 09 Mañana de carnaval; 10 Bomba en el Peru; 11 Vuelve; 12 Guaguanco en onda. Bonus Tracks: 13 Yo no soy guapo; 14 Sujetate la lengua (rare 45rpm single tracks)

Catalogue number: LION 7656
UPC: 77857876562

KANSAS CITY JAMMERS KANSAS CITY JAMMERS "Got Good (if you get it)" + "Tracks"
The members of Kansas City Jammers (described elsewhere as "struggling between getting good grades and scoring good drugs") first began performing together in 1969, while students at Ohio Wesleyan University. Colorful though that description may be, it hardly tells the tale, as the band members were all accomplished musicians and songwriters. The end result: excellent music! The band’s self-released "Got Good (if you get it)" LP, recorded between 1969 and 1971, and given the deluxe master-tape reissue treatment here, is a mixture of up-tempo heavy guitar rockers and well-written dreamy acid-folk tracks: in other words, some folk, some folk-rock, a hard-edged bluesy cut with heavy guitar (‘Messiah’) that sounds like Fat (on RCA), and two live songs (‘Midnight Watch’ and ‘Driver’) with filthy, snarling guitar that sound like they slipped off side two of the Oliver Klaus album. The band members were nominally influenced by the big British Invasion bands (the Beatles, the Hollies), as well as Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and the Grateful Dead. As live performers, the Jammers were known for giving incandescent shows with a rougher edge (think Rolling Stones and the Who) than is captured on most of their released material; the live tracks in this set are certainly some of the toughest sounding cuts on this collection. A second Kansas City Jammers LP was recorded during the summer of 1972, but was never released, until now; disc two includes all of the tracks that were meant for that release—all told, 45 minutes of additional Kansas City Jammers music! The "Got Good (if you get it)" album has long been a favorite of psychedelic collectors and those in the know—the Acid Archives entry, for example, is full of compliments for the band’s "strong vocals and songwriting throughout." The story of the Kansas City Jammers is probably akin to that of many excellent bands who had short careers. As much as they loved music, despite the fact that they had some local success, it was never in the cards for music to become full-time careers for most of the band members. The 24-page booklet has the entire band history, courtesy of an Aaron Milenski interview first written for the legendary Lama Workshop.

Track List
Disc one—Got Good (if you get it): 1. For A Sign (3:05); 2. Live In Harmony (2:35); 3. Messiah (3:50); 4. For Father (3:58); 5. Chess Piece (5:06); 6. Hairy Tongued Turtle (2:51); 7. Midnight Watch (3:43); 8. Driver (4:54); 9. For Marti (3:34); 10. Family Song (2:53); 11. Fall (3:37); 12. Dog & A Cat (0:12); 13. Fingers, Foot & Fade (1:03)

Disc two—Tracks: 1. Sing Me that Rock and Roll (2:59); 2. Wind in the Willows (3:10); 3. Rain (2:53); 4. Rock and Roll Out of Crisis (3:23); 5. Syd's Song (3:04); 6. Radio Interview (1:29); 7. Peter Pan (4:12) ; 8. On the Side of a Mountain (3:53); 9. Messiah (live) (4:02); 10. All the Wars (3:00); 11. Backroad Woman (3:10); 12. Sunfighter (3:14); 13. I'm Your Hero (2:51); 14. Mustang Sally (4:41)

Catalogue number: LION 654H
UPC: 778578065423

KIM JUNG MI KIM JUNG MI "Now" "Now"
At the dawn of the 1970’s, South Korea’s rock music scene was at its zenith. Much of the reason for this was the god-like musical touch of guitar wizard, songwriter, producer, and arranger Shin Joong Hyun. For this album, he took a young girl named Kim Jung Mi, and transformed her from a wallflower student into a folk-psych chanteuse in record time (if Francoise Hardy is the Marianne Faithful of France, then Kim Jung Mi is, I suppose, the Francoise Hardy of Korea). The ten songs on Now were written and recorded during 1973 with a firm mandate to create a truly psychedelic sound experience. On each number, Shin Joong Hyun and his backing group laid down pure emotion on tape. Mr. Shin’s fuzz guitar weaves in and out of the tracks, interlaced with his own poetic musings on nature (spring, sun, flowers, rain, and wind), all else in the world apart from Kim Jung Mi’s soothing voice and insistent bass that crouches and creeps, depending on its mood, displaced. This raw feeling, combined with Kim Jung Mi’s seductive, expressive vocals and empathetic string orchestration, resulted in an album that is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Mr. Shin’s ethereal cover photo—the blue graininess of the sky dripping into fading clouds, with Kim Jung Mi surrounded on her sky-high isolated mountaintop by flowers—is the perfect image to represent what is, without a doubt, one of the best psychedelic albums ever created. Our version of this quintessence of psychedelia features Korean/English lyric translations, rare photos, re-mastered audio, and comprehensive liner notes by Kevin "Sipreano" Howes and Shin Joong Hyun expert Jae-Myeong Ro (director of the Korean Classical Music Record Museum, and author of the book Shin Joong Hyun and Beautiful Country. The 180 gram vinyl version of "Now" comes in a deluxe old-style jacket, with OBI, and has a full color insert with liner notes and rare photos; the deluxe mini-LP sleeve CD version has a 20-page booklet with rare photos, and great stories about Shin Joong Hyun and Kim Jung Mi’s continuing place of prominence in the Korean music scene.

Track List: 1. Haenim (6:50); 2. Wind (3:16); 3. Spring (5:00); 4. Unknowingly (2:25); 5. Blow Spring Breeze (1:50); 6. Your Dream (5:22); 7. Beautiful Rivers and Mountains (4:04); 8. Lonely Heart (3:36); 9. It’s Raining (4:08); 10. Ganadaramabasa (3:02)

CD edition catalogue number: LION 663; UPC: 778578066321
LP edition catalogue number: LION LP-122; UPC: 778578312213

HEAVEN & EARTH HEAVEN & EARTH "Refuge"
This reissue has been a long time coming, in no small part because we wanted it to be perfect. We’re happy to finally be able to announce the re-release of this psychedelic folk/funk beauty from 1973, featuring the gorgeous voices of Pat Gefell and Jo D. Andrews (and produced by Space Age percussionist/composer Dick Schory for his short-lived but influential Ovation Records imprint). At one time this was an album completely unknown outside of Chicago, where the label was based; but these days, word gets around, and tracks like 'Feel The Spirit' and 'Jenny' have been making the rounds on the DJ circuit. No matter what your musical taste is—psych-folk, funk, soft rock—this LP seems to have something special to offer. This is due in part to notable backing from veterans like bassist Phil Upchurch (Curtis Mayfield, Otis Rush, Stan Getz, Groove Holmes, and Cannonball Adderly), and space age pop maven Bobby Christian on drums and percussion. But primarily, the perfection that this album emanates is due to the clear voices and intelligent songs crafted by Gefell and Andrews. Our Lion Productions replica LP version comes in an old style tip-on gatefold jacket with lyrics printed inside, and includes an insert packed with band history and rare photos. It is a quality vinyl pressing, newly mastered from the original tapes; the sad news: this LP version is limited to 750 copies. As for the CD edition, our Lion Productions deluxe gatefold mini-LP sleeve CD version has two booklets—one packed with rare photos from the Ovation Records archives; the other with musings by both members of the group on their time spent as Heaven & Earth. Better yet, the CD version has fifteen bonus tracks, including both sides of the duo’s two singles, as well as alternate takes and some never before released songs plucked from the vaults. Now here’s more sad news: the CD version is limited to 1,000 copies.

Track List: 1. Jenny (3:20); 2. Voice in the Wind (2:14); 3. To a Flame (2:29); 4. Tomorrow is a Long Time (4:11); 5. Refuge (2:25); 6. Sixty Years On (3:53); 7. Song for Craig (2:45); 8. Tell Me How to Know You (2:40); 9. A Light Is Shining (2:35); 10. Feel the Spirit (4:43)

Bonus Tracks (CD edition only):
Singles: 11. Voice In The Wind (single mix) (2:36); 12. Jenny (single mix) (2:57); 13. Home For Christmas (OV/1038) (2:58) (single A-side); 14. Country Women (OV/1038) (2:28) (single B-side).

Unreleased: 15. We All Need A Friend (1:57); 16. You’re The Reason (2:28); 17. Unknown (2:58); 18. Joy (3:11); 19. Jenny (alternate take) (3:33); 20. Voice In The Wind (alternate take) (1:41); 21. Refuge (alternate take) (2:23); 22. Song For Craig (alternate take) (2:48); 23. A Light Is Shining (alternate take) (2:59); 24. Country Women (alternate take) (2:26); 25. Hawg For You Baby (2:11)

CD edition catalogue number: LION 652; UPC: 778578065224
LP edition catalogue number: LION/ROCK LP-114; UPC: 778578311414


SANDSTONE SANDSTONE "Can You Mend A Silver Thread"
There is nothing ordinary about Sandstone. This private press folk/psych album (1971) is so head and shoulders above almost every other album in the genre, it's hard to believe it's not better known. The instrumentation and compositional style are reminiscent of heavy English folk hitters like Mellow Candle, Pentangle, and Heron. The Sandstone album was not a major label production like those records. But the local studio at which it was recorded must have been quite high end, because the production quality is astounding. Nearly everyone involved in these recordings was younger than eighteen, but there’s very little evidence of that: the music is well constructed, and no aspect of it is without sophistication well beyond the years of its creators. The three teens behind this music (David Sheirer, Laurie Braunstein, and Mario Grella) molded a seamless compound of British trad-folk with themes of American antiquity, from pilgrims’ progress to Civil War tragedies to the tainting of their unspoiled valley. Poetic lyrics, haunting female vocals, and judicious use of string sections, all serve Sandstone’s entirely original compositions: the result is a dreamy, wistful mood that calls to you across the decades. After weeks of recording, overdubs, and mixing, the album was sent off to be manufactured. Sadly, the band only had cash enough for around 300 copies. Other than a few college radio spins for "Flute Player", barely anyone heard Can You Mend A Silver Thread? outside of their inner circle. A monumental accomplishment nonetheless! From the cover to the instrumentation to the deeply strange and lovely lyrics, maybe the truest folk/psych music that these shores ever produced. Our Lion Productions edition (courtesy of Numero Group) includes two bonus tracks, out-takes from the album sessions. Booklet has the band’s story and lyrics and is printed on FSC recycled, chlorine-free, 100% post-consumer fiber paper, manufactured using biogas energy.

Track listing: 1. Can You Mend A Silver Thread? (3:36); 2. Lovely Hunters (2:55); 3. The Tattered Drum (4:07); 4. Asking Life (7:03); 5. What If You Could Love The Flute Player (4:12); 6. The World Is Around Us (2:20); 7. Again (3:16); 8. Farewell Valley (3:09); 9. Jamie's Song (3:42); 10. Can You Mend A Silver Thread? (Coda) (0:43). Bonus Tracks: 11. Black Cat Paw Print (2:33); 12. Bright Morning (4:07)

Catalogue number: LION 648
UPC: 778578064822


SANDROSE SANDROSE "S/T"
One week in Studio Davout was all it took for Sandrose to record an album that has long been considered one of the most important to emerge from France. After a failed stint as Eden Rose, the various members of that ensemble, led by guitarist extraordinaire Jean-Pierre Alarcen, decided to try a new approach. Their first move was to add a singer. Alarcen had been struck by the vocal timbre of Rose Podwojny (later to become foxy pop sensation Rose Laurens) on a William Sheller demo, and roped her into the band, which was newly dubbed Sandrose. They started rehearsals, and rapidly built a repertoire, mainly Alarcen compositions. He was strongly influenced by both classical symphonic music and rock and roll; his goal was to combine both musical styles, which he finally achieved in several new compositions. The resulting album is something special. On their sole release (Polydor, 1972), Sandrose play a superb mellow proto-progressive rock based on the continuous floating sounds of the mellotron, incisive guitar interventions by Alarcen (whose sublime playing explodes during superbly constructed instrumental passages), and singer Rose Podwojny’s powerful, clear voice. On songs like 'Vision' and 'Never Good at Saying Goodbye,' Podwojny’s voice expresses such a maturity and sensitivity that simply listening to this song is enough to have goose-bumps and tears in your eyes. But it’s the eleven minute instrumental ‘Underground Session’ that is the centerpiece of the album, with Alarcen giving free rein to his creativity; it’s not just a highlight of the album, but one of the great instrumental rock tracks of all time. I'm serious. As for singing in English, Alarcen explained at the time: "The spirit of our music is closer to the Anglo-Saxon spirit, it is perfectly normal that we have the words in that language." Elegant 16-page booklet reproduces all original LP art; liner-notes tell the band’s history, and include rare photos, discography, and translations of several contemporary articles. If you love groups like Earth & Fire, Julian's Treatment/Julian Jay Savarin, Goliath, or Analogy, (and who doesn’t?), then Sandrose is an obvious choice for you.

Track List: 1. Vision (5:22); 2. Never Good At Sayin´ Good-Bye (3:05); 3. Underground Session (11:05); 4. Old Dom Is Dead (4:38); 5. To Take Him Away (7:02); 6. Summer Is Yonder (4:46); 7. Metakara (3:22); 8. Fraulein Kommen Sie Schlaffen Mit Mir (0:32)

Catalogue number: LION 661M
UPC: 778578066123

AURA AURA "S/T" (a.k.a. "Sativa")
Official replica vinyl edition of this oft-sampled slab of Bay Area history, a psych funk masterpiece that cannot be denied. Aura formed in 1974 and played extensively throughout Northern California. By 1976, the band recorded their first and only album at Pacific Recording Studio in San Mateo. The original title of the album was meant to be "Sativa", but out of fear that promoting the joys of marijuana would be too controversial, the band omitted the title and just left it as "Aura". Over the ensuing decades, the Aura album has grown in stature to become a major soul/funk collector's item. It features a number of major funk tracks plus funky ballads with female vocals. Standouts include 'Sativa' (replete with water-pipe sound effects and blistering guitar), and the manic fuzz-guitar jam 'Skyrocket.' Old style tip-on jacket and quality limited edition vinyl pressing, mastered from the original tapes.

Track List: side one: 1. You Got Something 3:21; 2. Clap Your Hands 2:46; 3. First Taste of Love 3:13; 4. It’s A Feeling 2:20; 5. Gonna Make It 3:20. side two: 6. Sativa 2:48; 7. Mess Up Your Mind 2:48; 8. Don’t You Worry 3:19; 9. Trying to Hold It Down 2:39; 10. Skyrocket 3:22.

Catalogue number: LION-LP-118
UPC: 778578311810


MIGUEL Y EL COMITÉ MIGUEL Y EL COMITÉ "Para Hacer Música, Para Hacer...
El Syndikato made Miguel Livichich a rock star in South America; but it was his sole effort as "Miguel y el Comité" that made him a groove-loving crate-digger’s dream! Livichich left El Syndikato, and in an instant, formed another band. This new group was called Miguel y el Comité (Miguel and the Committee)—a clear allusion to Livichich’s previous group El Syndikato (the Syndicate), and also a demonstration of his leadership role; even though Miguel y el Comité worked as a proper band in their structure, Miguel Livichich made all decisions concerning the group. As Livichich recalled, "I told them, I want a band to join me, but we all work together... more rock and candombe and a few things more commercial. Accept, and we make a titanic effort. An aggressive launch. I do not lie, in fifteen days we were recording the LP. It was pin, pin and we were playing at all dances. It was amazing working with Miguel y el Comité." That band's 1971 album, with Livichich firmly at the helm, fused the local candombe rhythm with beat music in an unusual and aggressive (oft-times funky, break-beat) way—the nearest band in Uruguay to the unconventional excellence that was the brief career of El Kinto. Miguel y el Comité played mostly original songs, but they also mixed in covers of tracks by other Uruguayan bands. Percussion plays a key role in the band’s sound, although the guitar playing is most distinctive: sometimes melodic, at other times carving a path through the mix, with a hard and acid distorted fuzz guitar sound, as on the title track and the fabulous cover of El Kinto's ‘Qué me importa.’ Dynamite! Old style tip-on jacket and quality vinyl pressing, newly mastered from the original tapes. Comes with a four page insert, printed on FSC recycled, chlorine-free, 100% post-consumer fiber paper manufactured using biogas energy, with band history, photos, and bi-lingual lyrics. Limited edition of only 500 copies.

Track list: side one: 1. Para hacer música, para hacer... (4:12); 2. No va más (ya) (3:01); 3. Choro del "Caboca" (4:04); 4. Mi sol (3:34); 5. Que me importa (3:40). side two: 6. Junto al mar (3:02); 7. No ves que no cabe (3:26); 8. El chofer (2:49); 9. Candombe triste (3:00); 10. Hiroshima (1945) (3:16); 11. Rompan todo (divague) (2:51).

Catalogue number: LION LP-117
UPC: 778578311711

EL POLEN EL POLEN "Cholo" (Music from the Original Film)
This is an album we've wanted to reissue for years... at long last—together with our friends Repsychled Records from Peru—we can present this masterpiece to you wonderful people out there! The fusion of native folk instruments and trippy psychedelic rock elements produced some of the finest music to emerge from South America in the early 1970’s: Congregacion (and Los Jaivas) from Chile, Arco Iris from Argentina, Wara from Bolivia, and Genesis from Colombia. To this list of excellent bands should be added that of El Polen, a Hippie commune from Peru. El Polen was an artistic group, a group of hippies living in a community and expressing themselves in all levels of art, exchanging ideas, experiences and influences. In late 1969, Juan Luis Pereira, founder of El Polen, had the inspiration to integrate elements of European folk music with Peruvian indigenous music and environmental sounds, such as the sea and the wind. There were six musicians in the loose El Polen ensemble; they were friends with terrific commitment to social causes, both intellectual and revolutionary; they were all for romantic life, living in opposition to the established system, with all these ideals reflected in the music and lyrics. El Polen used mandolin (Beto Martinez) and violin (Fernando Siva) in place of electric guitars; cello (John Sebastian Montesinos) instead of bass; and percussion (Ernesto Pinto) instead of drums. The result was a unique style where violins sounded like fuzz guitars. The year of El Polen was 1972, for that was the year that their debut album, "Cholo" (Virrey, DVS 793)—recorded as the original soundtrack music for a film about soccer player Hugo "Cholo" Sotil developing his career in Europe—was released. The outstanding 11-minute opening track, ‘La Flor’ (the main theme of the film) is a psychedelic acoustic improvisation akin to the music of Brazilian legend Lula Cortez—alone and together with Lailson in Satwa. Other tracks (‘Sitting Dreaming’ and ‘Tondero’ spring to mind), start with Andean folk elements and evolve into long psychedelic excursions. And if you can understand Spanish, lyrics like those in ‘Cholito, pantaloon blanco’ (Cholito, white pants) show the great beauty that can occur from transforming the everyday and the commonplace in something of exquisite beauty. A very strange record with a trancey feel throughout. For many years it was thought that the original reel-to-reel tapes were missing, but luckily it was not true. After a laborious research, our friends at Repsychled found the master tapes, and with them an important discovery: an unreleased track by El Polen featuring vocals by Grammy Award winner, and current Peruvian Minister of Culture, Susana Baca. This special mini-LP sleeve edition comes with a replica ticket for the first El Polen concert (2 April 1971); a replica poster from the 2nd El Polen concert (12 June 1971); and a black and white photo of the band taken in Barranco. A limited, numbered edition of 400 copies, remastered from the original master tapes, available exclusively from Lion Productions.

Track List: 1. La flor (tema de Cholo) (The Flower, Theme of Cholo)11:35; 2. Cholito pantalón blanco (Cholito, white pants) 5:04; 3. Paisajes de quenas 3:11; 4. Valicha 5:36; 5. Sitting Dreaming 6:05; 6. Tondero 7:17;. Secuencias de organillo y poliphon 1:28;
Bonus track: 8. El mundo revivido (The world revived), with Susana Baca 3:18

Catalogue number: LION 7655
UPC: 778578765521 (hand numbered edition of 400 copies)  SOLD OUT

CONFISERIE VARIOUS "Groove Club Vol. 1: La Confiserie Magique"
A terrific compilation of succulent French psych/pop treats, collected and annotated by French author, journalist and flaneur Jean-Emmanuel Deluxe (Martyrs of Pop), and carefully sequenced for maximum enjoyment by the Lion! Together, we have imagined those magic years 1966-71 in France to be just as you find them here — overflowing with truly decadent pop-sike, as beautiful as the cathedral of Evry; this can be the arch-hippie Lolita, singing songs to make one dream of Anicée Alvina riding her bicycle in a red dress... or it can be something "other": sunny and stunning, or brooding and tinged with sadness. "Fabrice, 17 years old, is a minet, or to say it better, a mod from one of the posh neighbourhoods, the 16th district in Paris and such "golden ghettoes" as Auteuil, Neuilly and Passy. Fab’ likes to have his "ronron at the Dugstore", as Dutronc sang it (an untranslatable wordplay on ronron, "cat food", and a minet - "a kitten" - purring). Fabrice attends Henri IV prestigious high-school; his father, a businessman who made a fortune selling plastic flowers, and his mother, a former model from Jacques Fath, are never home – a cosy home indeed! With his Weston shoes, a slim-fitting suit by Renoma and his haircut modelled on those of Anglo-Saxons musicians appearing on French Eps, Fabrice dreams of Carnaby Street and the Sunset Strip. He is not alone: there’s his sister Stéphanie, 16, who wears a fringe, a mock Courrèges dress, a pink Shetland pullover and white boots. Stéphanie reads Salut Les Copains and Mademoiselle Age Tendre, which both fuel her passion for Françoise Hardy, Zouzou, Twiggy and the Beatles." The Groove Club is happy to present twenty-two records that we dug out as a tribute to Fabrice’s kinky faves. And we sense that, paradoxical as it may seem, although we have imagined a parallel cosmos to the Grande Heures of pop culture, we are not far from the truth. Your choice of a limited edition gatefold 2xLP, or a CD edition, chock full of information about all of the tracks on this premier volume in our celebrated Groove Club series. Popisme fantastique!

2xLP track list:
LP one, side A:
1-Le Cœur: « Bye, Bye City » 3:18
2-Les Rover: « Dans Cinquante Ans D’ici » (Fifty Years From Now) 2:48
3-Les Hamsters: « Flower Power » 2:52
4-Les Chimériennes: « Monsieur Cyber »
5-Yar & Yana: « Je Marche Dans La Ville » (I Walk in the City) 2:55

LP one, side B:
6-Les Hamsters: « Georgie Girl » 2:08
7-Dan le Bouffon: « A Petit Pas » 2:16
8-Christopher Laird: « Lune De Miel, Lune De Confiture » (Moon of Honey, Moon of Jam) 3:20
9-Les Parisiennes: « Un Rayon De Soleil Est Entré Dans Mon Lit » (A Ray Of Sun Is Here In My Bed) 2:17
10-Maraton: « Dee Duck » 2:36
11-Elisa: « En Stop » (Stop) 2:54

LP two, side A:
12-Genevieve Ferreri: « L’arc en ciel » (The Rainbow) 2:32
13-Michel Pagliaro: « Vous » (You) 2:52
14-L’empreinte: « Une Petite Fille » 2:35
15-Pax Quartet: « Lumière Et Paix » (Light and Peace) 3:37
16-France: « Vivre d’Amour et de Musique » (Live in Love and Music) 3:02

LP two, side B
17-Cristal: « Les Yeux Fermés » (Eyes Closed) 3:08
18-Epta: « Bye, Bye Brighton » 3:14
19-Bernard Chabert: « Il Part En Californie » (He Moved to California) 2:47
20-Les Rotomagus: « Nevada » 2:48
21-Le Système Crapoutchik: « La Vie Est Belle » (Life Is Beautiful) 2:38
22-Mister Badge: « Crazy Mister Badge » 2:21

CD Track List:
1. Le Cœur: « Bye, Bye City » 3:18; 2. Les Rover: « Dans Cinquante Ans D’ici » (Fifty Years From Now) 2:48; 3. Les Hamsters: « Flower Power » 2:52; 4. Les Chimériennes: « Monsieur Cyber »; 5. Yar & Yana: « Je Marche Dans La Ville » (I Walk in the City) 2:55; 6. Les Hamsters: « Georgie Girl » 2:08; 7. Dan le Bouffon: « A Petit Pas » 2:16; 8. Christopher Laird: « Lune De Miel, Lune De Confiture » (Moon of Honey, Moon of Jam) 3:20; 9. Les Parisiennes: « Un Rayon De Soleil Est Entré Dans Mon Lit » (A Ray Of Sun Is Here In My Bed) 2:17; 10. Maraton: « Dee Duck » 2:36; 11. Elisa: « En Stop » (Stop) 2:54; 12. Genevieve Ferreri: « L’arc en ciel » (The Rainbow) 2:32; 13. Michel Pagliaro: « Vous » (You) 2:52; 14. L’empreinte: « Une Petite Fille » 2:35; 15. Pax Quartet: « Lumière Et Paix » (Light and Peace) 3:37; 16. France: « Vivre d’Amour et de Musique » (Live in Love and Music) 3:02; 17. Cristal: « Les Yeux Fermés » (Eyes Closed) 3:08; 18. Epta: « Bye, Bye Brighton » 3:14; 19. Bernard Chabert: « Il Part En Californie » (He Moved to California) 2:47; 20. Les Rotomagus: « Nevada » 2:48; 21. Le Système Crapoutchik: « La Vie Est Belle » (Life Is Beautiful) 2:38; 22. Mister Badge: « Crazy Mister Badge » 2:21

LP edition: LION LP-109 UPC: 778578310912 (2xLP)
CD edition: LION 641 UPC: 778578064129 (CD)

SANDHY & MANDHY Para Castukis SANDHY & MANDHY "Para Castukis"
Alberto Infusino (Sandhy) and Alberto Vanasco (Mandhy) began their musical partnership in beat bands The New Free Men and La Máquina de Música. In 1969, Billy Bond, chief of La Pesada del Rock Roll and legendary major domo of Argentine rock, asked them to prepare a demo as a duo. Instead, they recorded an album (in three hours!) with a full band (Farfisa organ, congas, drums, bass, and guitars): one take of each song. They decided to press the record—only 110 LPs were made, making this album the ultimate Argentine rock rarity. Sandhy & Mandhy were among the first in South America to bring a rebellious attitude to their music—all this in a period of military repression, when forced haircuts (and brutality) in the streets were a common occurrence. The simmering, intense ‘La indeferencia los pone mal’ (Indifference Upsets Them), was an important protest song, possibly the first from South America. Every word demonstrates the strong concern that Sandhy & Mandhy felt about the repressions they experienced every day: "Like little birds, we will have to fight/against all who want to change us with stones/why do they have to be so cruel/or is that indifference upsets them/I do not know what they want, to teach us morals/they should clean first their consciences/and then we will talk." In the end, Bond said that Sandhy & Mandhy sounded too much like a band (not a duo), so success was not their fate. But now through the magic of reissues, you can check out their groovy, organ-driven melancholy psych, with Zombies-ish harmony vocals, a little touch of bossa, and other treats (that fuzz guitar on the excellent Os Mutantes-esque 'Lluvia'!). There are artistic ambitions too, with tape edits/inserts very unusual in an album of the era. At times introspective and acoustic, at others manic and ramshackle in the best way, it's quite a discovery. This CD companion to our deluxe LP edition (LION LP-105) has an additional five tracks. The 28-page booklet has the full Sandhy & Mandhy story, plenty of photos, and lyrics in Spanish and English; it is printed on FSC recycled, chlorine-free, 100% post-consumer fiber paper manufactured using biogas energy.

Track List: 1. Quisiera Olvidarte (3.27); 2. Esta noche no debes llorar (2.50); 3. Vuelve a ser el de antes (2.32); 4. Eres tu la mujer de un día (3.27); 5 La chica sola y triste (2.41); 6. Lluvia (3.41); 7. Yo te buscaré (2.29); 8. Recuerdo hoy (2.43); 9. Sigue creyendo en mí (2.46); 10. La indeferencia los pone mal (5.40); 11. Más allá de las lágrimas (3.11); 12. Me colgaron la galleta (2.34); 13. Hasta el mañana (1.29). Bonus Tracks: Prende mi fuego (2:38); Barco de cristal (2:22); Mientras caen las lagrimas (2:23); Quisiera olivarte, single version (3:57); Me colgaron la galleta, single version (2:40)

Catalogue number: LION 643
UPC: 778578064327


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

ABOLHA A BOLHA"Um Passo a Frente"
Brazilian band the Bubbles became the toast of the underground Rio de Janeiro scene, backing Tropicalist singer Gal Costa’s residence at the Sucata night club in 1970. They won the "Best Band of the Festival" award at the VII FIC of 1971 (International Festival of Songs), the same year they appeared on Leno’s "Vida y obra de Johnny McCartney" album. After venturing to England to attend the Isle of Wight Festival, they decided to experiment with a heavier sound, more akin to UK bands of that era (Deep Purple, Cream, King Crimson, Humble Pie, with a little Beatles’ "White Album" in for good measure) than that of their Brazilian cohorts. A name change to A Bolha later, still loaded with verve and swagger, fueled by drugs, they recorded their first album, which has secured a permanent place as one of the best hard psych rock albums to ever emerge from South America. The LP, "Um Passo a frente" (A step forward), was released in 1973 by the Continental label, in a gatefold cover which was quite luxurious for the era. This masterpiece, now impossibly hard to find as an original, certainly made a name for A Bolha in the pantheon of 1970’s Brazilian rock. But success in the early 1970’s was not like it had once been in the old Jovem Guarda or Tropicalist days, when bands had weekly TV shows to help them become well-known nationwide—and eventually, worldwide. In other words, the meager abilities of Continental to promote the album made it a collector’s item, not the fate a band would actively seek for their recordings. Luckily, we at Lion Productions are able to present these recordings to the world all over again, with the additional benefit of a 20-page booklet with band history, photos, and comments on the songs by band leader Renato Ledeira. Includes both sides of the band’s infamous hard-rocking 1971 single as bonus tracks.

Track listing (as listed on the CD*):
1. Um Passo A Frente (9:08); 2. Razão De Existir (3:40); 3. Bye My Friend (6:04); 4. Epitáfio (2:57); 5. Tempos Constantes (5:36); 6. A Esfera (10:02); 7. Neste Rock Forever (4:37); Bonus Tracks: 8. Sem Nada (3:46); 9. 18.30 - Parte 1/Os Hemadecons Cantavam Em Coro Chôôôô (5:31)

*OK, so we now know that despite our best efforts, the track listing as stated on our CD release is entirely incorrect. Here and now we will detail all the errors, track by track, in the hopes that in takes away all confusion, and makes the listening experience entirely stress free:

1. ‘Um Passo A Frente’ (9:08) correct name, correct time
2. disc says ‘Razão De Existir’ (4:37), but the second track on the CD is actually ‘Neste Rock Forever’, which by rights should be track seven
3. disc says ‘Bye My Friend’ (2:57), but the track on the CD is actually ‘Epitáfio’ , which should be track four
4. disc says ‘Epitáfio’ (6:04), but the track on the CD is actually ‘Bye My Friend’, which should be track three
5. ‘Tempos Constantes’ (5:36) mercifully, this is correct
6. disc says ‘A Esfera’ (3:40), but it is actually ‘Razão De Existir’, which should be track number two
7. disc says ‘Neste Rock Forever’ (10:02), but it is actually ‘A Esfera’, which should be track number six
8. Sem Nada (3:46) correct
9. 18.30 - Parte 1/Os Hemadecons Cantavam Em Coro Chôôôô (5:31) more or less correct, as the ô's should in fact be ó's

Catalogue number: LION 629
UPC: 778578062927

A Passing Fancy 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

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

BEAT BOYS 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


BEAUTIFUL LOSERS the BEAUTIFUL LOSERS "Nobody Knows the Heaven"
To set the scene: it’s 1974, it’s Paris, two young guys in their bed-sit (one of whom is French music maven/famous producer Jay Alanski) are dreaming of counter-culture, and their internal versions of California and New York. The result is this album, a child begotten of Marc Bolan, Baudelaire, and Lautréamont; a fascinating record, subtle and engaging as it is scarce; the re-creation of a parallel pop universe which one Michael Moorcock wouldn’t have renounced. Somehow, the duo get their record out into the world on Monde Melody’s one-off "Silk" imprint (a tribute to Marc Bolan). And what twisted songs (in English) they managed to squeeze into a fifty-minute slab of vinyl. The music drips with deep nostalgia for the decadent "beautiful people" who lived and breathed and then found a home in the songs of Lou Reed and Leonard Cohen, pervaded throughout with a kind of psychedelic sadness. All of this is expressed by means of long jagged acid guitar runs (or in acoustic strums) supported by Moroccan percussion (bongos?) and heavy bass lines from Christophe J. A post-quaalude album, as band leader Jay Alanski has said. If the LP had been released in 1971, everyone would point to T-Rex as an influence, and call it "glam folk"; fast forward to today and it’s hard not to think "loner," and draw comparisons with the music of Devendra Banhart, albeit recorded 35 years ago! We’re now several decades further on in the world’s slow self-destruction, but this sole recording by the Beautiful Losers has lost nothing of its freshness and superb arrogance. Blessed be the listener who is going to discover such a hidden treasure!

Track listing: 1. Welcome (0:16); 2. Oxford 1825 (2:08); 3. Spanish Woman (3:19); 4. You Are Free (2:59); 5. Nobody Knows the Heaven (3:33); 6. Rendez-Vous (6:31); 7. I Wonder Why You Cry Today (2:36); 8. All Is Gone (6:02); 9. Like An Old General (1:46); 10. African Queen (5:55); 11. Something To Do (1:57); 12. The Shining Car (2:21); 13. Suicide/Inside Out (0:44); 14. All Is Going So Slow (8:59); 15. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah! (2:14); 16. There Is A Blow (1:12)

Bonus Tracks: 17. Nobody Knows the Heaven (alternate version) (4:48)

Catalogue number: LION 622 (MOP002)                                              
UPC: 778578062224

BRAINSTORM BRAINSTORM "Smile A While"
With this record from 1972, Brainstorm, led by future Guru Guru stalwart Roland Schaeffer, established themselves as one of Germany’s premier bands. Their complex Krautrock, based on strange harmonics (thanks to Schaeffer’s enthusiasm for Jimi Hendrix and the free jazz sounds of John Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders), and impelled by wild and distorted sax, flute, and Vox organ, would later put them smack in the middle of that bible for the intrepid musical adventurer, the revolutionary music reference guide known as the Nurse With Wound list. As NWW themselves said, "Categories strain, crack and sometimes break, under their burden—step out of the space provided." What better endorsement of Brainstorm could there be? Brainstorm took only fifteen days including mixing (during the tragic 1972 Munich Olympics, as it happens), to record their favorite numbers, all under the direction of a producer little interested in their music. That’s a great shame, for these recordings show Brainstorm to be one of the best of the inventive off-beat bands of the era, along with the likes of Moving Gelatine Plates (France), Pazop (Belgium), and of course, Soft Machine and Caravan. Booklet reproduces all original LP gatefold art; liner-notes tell the band’s history up to the completion of this album. Includes all the tracks from "Smile A While," plus three heavily grooving bonus tracks originally recorded for SWF radio in 1971 as Fashion Pink.

Track listing: 1. Das Schwein Trügt (4:38); 2. Zwick Zwick (4:38); 3. Watch Time Flow By (1:26); 4. Bosco Biati Weiß Alles (8:56) Part a: Bosco Biati, Part b: Weiß, Part c: Alles; 5. Snakeskin Tango (2:17); 6. Smile A While (15:31) a) Intro, b) Brainstorm, c) These, d) Antithese, e) Morning Tune, f) Smile A While; 7. You Are What’s Gonna Make It Last (3:28); 8. Don’t Forget (0:23); Bonus Tracks: 9. Thesen & Antithesen (13:58); 10. Einzug Der Elefanten (4:06); 11. You Knock Me Out (3:03)

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 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

dailydance Doug Snyder & Bob Thompson "Daily Dance"
After meeting at a Stooges/MC5 concert, drummer Bob Thompson and guitarist Doug Snyder met one fine day in October 1972 in Thompson’s kitchen and bashed out this set of fiery improvisations, seemingly influenced as much by Iggy’s proto-punk moves as John Coltrane’s whole "sheets of sound" ethos; the result is a mythical frenzy of distorted guitar and improvised drums, creating walls of psychedelic noise; its sound is unparalleled for its time, preceding its closest kin, New York's no-wave explosion, by a solid five years. And because of it's lack of pretensions (it was done almost innocently), the record comes off as something, dare we say, a little more "spiritual" than is the norm for such excursions. It is a singular recording, one that mainlines the classic high energy pantheon of the Velvet Underground, Stooges, Pharaoh Sanders, Sonny Sharrock, etc. while anticipating the free jazz/noise/no wave synthesis of groups that would follow in their footsteps. Thompson and Snyder get into some abstruse territory, with Snyder tearing industrial gamelan shapes from his six strings while Thompson uses the guts of his kit as the basis for new tonal alphabets. But it’s all rendered with a strong savage ethos that effortlessly equates monochord rock obliteration with the celestial freedom of Cecil Taylor/John Coltrane, et al., while establishing new territory as advanced as that attained by the most far-reaching visionaries of the rock ‘n’ roll blueprint... still hard to believe that this was recorded in 1972. A major historical unearthing, remastered from the original tapes, and beautifully packaged in a Stoughton paste-on mini-LP jacket, with an informative Obi/U-Card, and an extensive 20-page booklet of liner notes and photos. Produced in conjunction with Cantor Records, who recently made Daily Dance available on vinyl for the first time in 35 years. Includes one bonus track (not included on the LP reissue), which was intended for the original release, but left off at the last moment for time considerations.

"They generate waves of energy through cascading feedback squall and drumbo bash and shimmer. A few tracks will start with something vaguely resembling a 'groove,' before they quickly deteriorate into their lonely Buckeye din." —Dante Carfagna.

"In 1972-73, all of their respective busy-'60s musical experiences coalesced in the birth of this Daily Dance disc you're now sliding into. With Bob the more seasoned pro at this point, his drums carry the careening melodies, while Doug's electric-guitar forays furnish the skronked rhythms, a kind of role-reversal that gives this set its terrific texture. I reviewed the original Daily Dance LP in Creem magazine back in 1977, when I called it, "Abstract, but terribly immediate music... Highly Recommended. There's nothing I could add to that capsule now." —Richard Riegel

(Riegel's writings about music have appeared in Creem, the Village Voice, the Washington Post, and other publications, since the 1970's).

Track Listing: 1. Daily Dance (10:10); 2. Living With the Crocodiles (1:25); Time Overlaps Itself (8:35); 4. Unseen, Unheard (1:54); 5. Soul and Universe (4:47); 6. Hit and Run (5:40); 7. Truth is a Pathless Land (2:47); 8. Teenage Emergency (8:40)

Catalogue number: Lion 640
UPC: 778578064020


 
SMOG DUG DUG’S "Smog"
Classic second album (1972) from psychedelic guru Armando Nava and his band is in Spanish this time, as all other Mexican bands were by now singing in English. The recording sessions were tumultuous: after the band—now stripped down to a power trio—had recorded just three songs, Nava stormed out of the sessions and locked himself in his house for fifteen days. Everyone on the outside worried about his safety, but Armando was fine: he kept himself busy reconfiguring the entire album, including penning the punishing riffs that form the central motif of the mesmerizing twelve-minute medley that explodes over the album’s entire first side. So again, as with the genesis of the Dug Dug’s debut album (also available from Lion Productions), the end result of all the tumult surrounding the band was a great album. There’s no doubt that the Dug Dug’s toughened up their sound on "Smog": to some people they sound like a crazy Mexican version of Jethro Tull, and to others like a Spanish speaking incarnation of MC5. No matter how you look at it, this is tremendous progressive-influenced hard rock, with a new chunky sound. It is clearly among a small group of elite recordings from the psychedelic age; it is also possibly the best Mexican hard rock album of all time.

Track List: 1. Smog 3:18; 2. Buscalo 1:31; 3. Hagómoslo Ahora 11:42; 4. Yo No Se 3:46; 5. Cual es tu Nombre? 3:07; 6. Meditacion 1:12; 7. No Somos Malos 3:08; 8. Voy Hacia el Cielo (Voy Hacia el Sol) 6:17

Catalogue number: LION 650 (CD)
 UPC: 778578065027
Catalogue number: LION 650-LP (LP)
UPC: 886977985416


DUG DUG’S DUG DUG’S "S/T" (also known as "Lost in My World")
The "must have" debut album (1971) from psychedelic guru Armando Nava and his band, recorded after their failed trip to NYC did not produce the stardom they had been promised—pain and disappointment sparking great song-writing on this, the first Mexican psych album in English. After an extended stint as the house band at Tijuana strip joint Fantasitas, Los Dug Dug's relocated to Mexico City in 1966. They quickly garnered a rabid fan following there, which resulted in the Dug Dug’s signing to RCA Records and cutting a series of singles (the band also headlined a pair of 1967 films, El Mundo Loco de los Jovenes and Cinco de Chocolate y Una de Fresa). Upon returning to Tijuana in 1968, Los Dug Dug's took up residence at the popular Sans Sous Ci club. An American tourist was so impressed that he offered to bankroll a trip for the band to New York City. The group played a handful of live dates and recorded a few demos, but having no money to pay the union fees necessary to earn them the opportunity to play NYC’s larger venues left them with little choice but to return to Mexico. Los Dug Dug’s immediately began work on their first LP for RCA Mexico, little knowing at the time that it would become a classic of psychedelia. Long-simmering creative differences between band leaders Nava and Jorge de la Torre forced the latter's resignation after the album was completed; by the time the resulting psychedelic opus appeared in 1971, the first incarnation of Los Dug Dug's was essentially no more. All that remained was this heavy, explosive album, a record which captures the fever/dream humidity of flower children running amok on a July afternoon. Essential. Licensed from Sony/BMG, and newly mastered from the original tapes. Mini-LP replica jacket, enclosed inside a re-sealable PVC outer sleeve.

Track List: 1. Lost in My World (Perdido en mi mundo) 3:26; 2. Without Thinking (Sin pensario)1:30; 3. Eclipse 2:39; 4. Sometimes (Algunas veces) 2:22; 5. Let's Make It Now (Hagámoslo ahora) 4:32; 6. World of Love (Mundo de amor) 3:23; 7. I Got the Feeling (Tengo el sentimiento) 3:18; 8. It's Over (Se acabó) 3:29; 9. Going Home (Yendo a casa) 1:55; 10. Who Would Look At Me? (Quien me mirará?) 3:15

Catalogue number: LION 649-LP (LP)
 UPC: 886977985416
Catalogue number: LION 649 (CD)
UPC: 778578064921


EDEN ROSE EDEN ROSE  "On the Way to Eden"
It might be easy to think of Eden Rose as simply a first version of famed French progressive band Sandrose. Both bands had the same musicians; both existed at nearly the same moment in time (c. 1970). But Eden Rose is now seen, quite rightly, as something unique, a chimera from the misty past, a time during which the winds of change were blowing on the fixed universe of music. Rules were blown away, stagnant structures were swept aside, and musical conventions emancipated, this freshness and spontaneity the essence of a style that hadn’t yet been formalised. As for Eden Rose, they took off once they teamed up with guitarist extraordinaire Jean-Pierre Alarcen, who had worked with Jacques Dutronc and played in Le Systeme Crapoutchik. The result was this batch of psych-inspired, decidedly grooving, upbeat instrumental tracks, with wailing (at times) fuzzed-out guitar and distinguished Hammond organ aplenty, over driving beats. A unique sound, brilliant, bright, and singing from the first note to the last. And man, if my ears don’t deceive me, the main theme from ‘Walking In the Sea’ (before it spins off into Jimi Hendrix territory) sure sounds like a lovely jazzy riff on Serge Gainsbourg’s ‘Je t'aime... moi non plus,’ which had been released the year before this album hit the racks. Two bonus tracks are from the band’s only single that contained non-LP tracks. Booklet has the band’s story in English and French, and is printed on FSC recycled, chlorine-free, 100% post-consumer fiber paper manufactured using biogas energy.

Track listing: 1. On the Way to Eden (5 :09); 2. Faster and Faster (3 :05); 3. Sad Dream (4 :09); 4. Obsession (4 :24); 5. Feeling In The Living (4 :19); 6. Travelling (3 :26); 7. Walking In The Sea (5 :29); 8. Reinyet Number (4 :34). Bonus Tracks: 9. Under The Sun (2 :30); 10. Travelling (single version) (2:50)

Catalogue number: LION 645M
UPC: 778578064525

eduardo mateo 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

EDUARDO MATEO & JORGE TRASANTE EDUARDO MATEO & JORGE TRASANTE "Mateo y Trasante"
"If Eduardo Mateo was a genius, and that fact no one who has heard his music doubts, then ‘Mateo y Trasante’ is his masterpiece. Eduardo Mateo, Jorge Trasante and this wonderful album, marginalized during the course of a dictatorship, resisted the dictators, and those who came afterwards. There were some who said that Mateo and Trasante were both crazy, that Mateo could not sing. Mateo and Trasante resisted the vile and ruthless criticism of those skeptics: those who resisted the quality and depth of this record. Mateo and Trasante resisted, immovable, as are those who know that history will have its day of judgment. To paraphrase someone who knew music and much more, for the truth and Mateo, I sign my name here."

—Daniel Figares, 2006


As many of you who have followed along with us while we chart a course through the rich musical heritage of Uruguay know full well, a military dictatorship took control of the country in the early 1970’s, causing most well-known musicians to emigrate. The nation’s most influential musician, enfant terrible iconoclast Eduardo Mateo, had no chance to do so. And yet it was during this dark period that Mateo reached his zenith as a composer and arranger—in case of this album, with a lot of help from world famous Afro-folk percussionist Jorge Trasante. On "Mateo y Trasante" (1976), Mateo’s second post-El Kinto album, he goes further than ever before in his sonic explorations of different percussion variations and guitar techniques, evolving a more complex musical style. Even Mateo’s voice underwent a relevant mutation for the album, which many people thought the result of a deep mental illness. (Trasante explains that Mateo was deeply influenced by Arabic music, and used the new modulations he discovered to "get into different characters with his voice.") Many of Mateo’s old fans and fellow musicians could not really connect with his new musical personality and this work went unnoticed. According to Mateo biographer Guilherme de Alencar Pinto, only around 343 copies of the album were sold; yet this record is now considered a legitimate work of art, and indisputable evidence of Mateo’s genius. This Lion Productions edition comes with a 32-page booklet which contains abundant information on the making of the album, as told by Jorge Trasante, lyrics in English and in the original Spanish, historical background on the Uruguayan scene, a score of incredible photos, and a brief overview of the legendary Sondor label. Our sincere thanks to Enrique Abal Oliú for allowing us to use his amazing photos, and to Daniel Figares for allowing us to translate text from his book Mateo y Trasante: Treinta Años, 1976-2006, which is the source for all of Jorge Trasante’s musings on this epochal album included in this reissue. Printed on FSC recycled, chlorine-free, 100% post-consumer fiber paper manufactured using biogas energy.

Track Listing: 1. Dulce brillo (4:15); 2. Canto a los soles (2:22); 3. Amigo lindo del alma (4:55); 4. Y hoy te vi (2:45); 5. Palomas (2:20); 6. Un canto para Mamá (4:03); 7. El blues para el bien mio (3:08); 8. Canción para renacer (3:55); 9. Voz de diamantes (2:00); 10. Canción para el Tamborero (2:25)

Catalogue number: LION 634
UPC: 778578063429

el kinto 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

EMTIDI 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

ERGO SUM 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

eyes 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

flies 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

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

FOUR LEVELS OF EXISTENCE “S/T”
Slightly revamped second edition 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 there is no doubt of one thing—that this is tremendous hard edged psychedelic rock, originally released on LP in a very small quantity by the private Venus label in 1976. As band leader Athanasios Alatas said: “Through Nick’s musical quest, Mario’s sensitivity, Christos’ madness, and my thoughts, we create many songs, all characterized by a psychedelic music sound, Greek lyrics, and monumental guitar solos.” Since the appearance of our first edition of this album on CD, the excellence of the band has not gone unnoticed.* (see below) This carefully documented reissue contains the entire Four Levels of Existence LP, 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 in both Greek and English. This second CD edition is strictly limited to 1,000 copies. Printed on FSC recycled, chlorine-free, 100% post-consumer fiber paper manufactured using biogas energy.

*As some of you may know by now, the guitar riff from ‘Someday in Athens’ plays a major role in Jay-Z’s single, ‘Run This Town’ (featuring Rihanna, Kanye West) from his chart-topping “The Blueprint 3” album. Just another reason for people to discover the legendary, fuzz-guitar laced work of Four Levels of Existence.

Track listing: 1. Metamorphic; 2. When the Snow Melts; 3. Village Postman; 4. Wilderness; 5. Fool's Trumpet; 6. Our Fight; 7. Disappointment; 8. Child's Song; 9. Someday in Athens

Catalogue number: Lion 604
UPC: 778578060428

FREAK SCENE FREAK SCENE "Psychedelic Psoul"
Fresh from his studio experiences with The Deep and the Third Bardo, Rusty Evans decided to create a psychedelic "happening" which would also function as a recording group. He gathered together a few New York musicians, including three members of the Deep (David Bromberg among them), dubbed them the Freak Scene, and began work on the "Psychedelic Psoul" album, which was released in 1967. The intention was to pursue the Indian-Eastern influence in rock—and this raga rock idea is used to great effect on songs like ‘Grok’ and ‘Rose of Smiling Faces’ (sounds like it could have been the sole inspiration for Damon’s "Song of a Gypsy" album). As the only true psychedelic band on Columbia at the time, the Freak Scene got decent exposure. No doubt this number would have been much greater had the band been a touring ensemble, instead of a one-time psychedelic event. The album is gritty, tense, subversive, brittle, and yes, psychedelic. Perfect in its own way. Included as bonus tracks are nine demos from the summer of 1966, some of which would end up in quite a different musical context on The Deep "Psychedelic Moods" and Freak Scene albums. These songs, with their P. F. Sloan/Dylan (or even Sixto Rodriguez) vibe deepen the legacy of edgy, insightful songs from Rusty Evans/Marcus Uzilevsky. Comes with a 16-page booklet which includes a biographical portrait of Marcus, printed on FSC recycled, chlorine-free, 100% post-consumer fiber paper manufactured using biogas energy.

Track List: 1. A Million Grains of Sand (2:41); 2. "...when in the course of human events" (Draft Beer, Not Students) Interpolation: We Shall Overcome (3:36); 3. Rose of Smiling Faces (4:18); 4. Behind the Mind (2:18); 5. The Subway Ride thru Inner Space (2:44); 6. Butterfly Dream(1:40); 7. My Rainbow Life (2:52); 8. The Center of My Soul (2:26); 9. Watered Down Soul (2:36); 10. Red Rose Will Weep (2:18); 11. Mind Bender (2:28); 12. Grok! (1:38)

Bonus Tracks (1966 demos): 13. I Dig Your Mind (1:46); 14. Scufflin' Around (2:31); 15. A Million Grains of Sand (2:18); 16. Here We Are (2:12); 17. I Watched The World Go By (2:00); 18. It's Too Late Babe (2:06); 19. Dr. Seven (2:16); 20. My Other World (2:17); 21. The Life I Used To Live (2:27)

Catalogue number: LION 642
UPC: 778578064228  SOLD OUT

FRIENDS 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

Golem GOLEM "Orion Awakes"
Epic early to mid-1970's instrumental psychedelic space-rock from the Pyramid Records archive, said to be pseudonymous after-hours studio sessions featuring the biggest names on the Krautrock scene at the time; heavy drums, jamming guitars and Hammond organ: in short, and amazing improvised free-form trip of impressive magnitude, on par with the music of Krautrock heavyweights like Neu! and Gila. An adventurous atmosphere throughout, whether the result is hallucinogenic and jazzy ('Jupiter'), the heavy freak and roll of 'The Returning,' with crushing guitars and massive, repetitive almost funky rhythm, or the Jimi Hendrix-inspired 'Godhead Dance.' Booklet essay examines the controversy surrounding this and other recordings first made known to the world via Virgin Records' three disc "Unknown Deutschland" series of compilations from the 1990’s, including the fact that one "Genius P Orridge" is named as producer of the Golem album. It’s clear enough to all that Genius P Orridge is strangely similar to the name Genesis P Orridge, he of Throbbing Gristle and Psychic TV fame. The fact that the other names on the Golem album jacket lead nowhere only adds to the confusion. In any case, a deep and fascinating record, still fresh despite the years... and meant to be played loud.

"A space-rockin' hybrid of Gila and instrumental Hendrix type moves, Golem were another band from the lost Pyramid Records archive. Totally instrumental, and a feast for guitar fans... On first listen Golem comes across as a lost classic of Krautrock without a doubt, with a music that blends everything from Neu! to Novalis, and all crammed full of solos." —Crack in the Cosmic Egg

Catalogue number: Acme/Lion ACLN 1014CD
UPC: 778578101428

GREEN GREEN "Green" + bonus
Green arrived in the mid-1980s, amidst a Chicago scene that included bands like Naked Raygun, Big Black, and Ministry (and eventually, Material Issue and Smashing Pumpkins). Green bypassed the major label-express that many of those other bands rode to fame and fortune, and continued to make records their own DIY way, records which were lauded in the pages of Trouser Press, Spin, and The Village Voice, among others. And with each passing year there are an increasing number of folks who are convinced that their debut LP is worthy of those Mojo/VH1/Spin/ lists of the top 50 or 100 rock albums of all time. From the first pulsating, exuberant notes of the intro, the band knows what they want to say: kids get ready, gotta rock steady, because they ‘Gotta Getta Record Out,’ they are trying to ‘Curry Your Favor,’ they play the records, and maybe most of all, they want to be ‘Big in Japan’! One astute reviewer said: "The band darts through decades of pop history as impatiently as the 'Spiral Scratch'-era Buzzcocks, with band leader Jeff Lescher’s voice ranging from Princely falsetto to gravel-tinged field holler, but most often sounding as though someone stepped on Paul McCartney’s toes in 1965." And as another reviewer quite rightly said, "This is such a flawless pop masterpiece that I’m not even ashamed to trot out terms like 'flawless pop masterpiece.'" Green may be the bee’s knees for anglophile power poppers, but they deserve more notice than that; they were the kind of all-embracing band, with a taste for punk, glam rock and soul—and with a twitchy sort of energy—of the sort that burbled around in the late-80s, pre-grunge underground (a little Feelies anyone?). It remains a mystery why other bands are fixed in the collective memory as the era's best—at the very least, Green should make a list of top obscure pop groups of all time! Booklet has band history and lyrics, plus many a fine photo, all courtesy of Lescher. Seven bonus tracks, including the CD debut of the band’s 1984 EP "The Name of This Band is Green." Printed on FSC recycled, chlorine-free, 100% post-consumer fiber paper manufactured using biogas energy.

"Their (first) 45 had two absolute masterpieces: ‘Gotta Getta Record Out,’ which yelps and shouts along like the best of the old Bongos or Jam or Feelies or somebody, and ‘I Don’t Want To Say No,’ which is the sort of white Motown that assholes like the Replacments could never get right. This is not a punk record, except perhaps in spirit, but it isn’t any worse for that."—Steve Albini

Track listing: 1. Gotta Getta Record Out (2:20); 2. She's Not a Little Girl Anymore (3:27); 3. Technology (2:17); 4. Curry Your Favor (2:56); 5. Baby Why? (1:39); 6. I Play the Records (3:13); 7. Better Way (3:43); 8. If You Love Me (2:41); 9. I Don't Wanna Say No (3:18); 10. For You (3:01); 11. Hurt You (3:27); 12. She, Probably (2:25); 13. I'm Not Going Down (Anymore) (2:15); 14. Big in Japan (3:14)

Bonus Tracks: 15. Gotta Getta Record Out (EP version) (2:19); 16. I Don't Wanna Say No (EP version) (3:05); 17. Better Way (EP version) (3:31); 18. I'm Not Going Down (Anymore) (EP version) (2:09); 19. Something about You (2:59); 20. Autograph (3:39); 21. Away from the Pulsebeat (4:40)

Catalogue number: LION 637
UPC: 778578063726



Guru Guru 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

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

Hunt & Turner HUNT & TURNER "Magic Landscape"
Fabulous grooving folk rock sounds with plenty of atmosphere, first released by the much beloved Village Thing label in 1972. Ian Hunt and John Turner first teamed-up in the late summer of 1970, the inevitable collaboration of two of the West Country's most sought-after session musicians. String bassist and guitarist Turner had just left the infamous Pigsty Hill Light Orchestra and Hunt, a wizard guitarist and song writer who was already a 'big-name' on the Bristol scene, was looking for a new vehicle for his talents. Both had been spawned by the legendary Bristol Troubadour Club, which Turner had run for several years, and within months the new duo was picking up fans and followers around the UK and in Europe. This album went straight to number six in the Melody Maker folk charts upon its original release. Years later, Ian Hunt is still making stunning music and is rated amongst the finest guitarists in the land, while John Turner, ever the entertainer and entrepreneur, as well as being in his own words a "part-time rake and bon viveur," was until recently one of Britain's most respected BBC radio and television presenters. Crystalline acoustic and electric guitars and delicious vocals, backed with electric and string bass and bongos; imagine if you will British band Magna Carta with a guitarist as skilled as Wizz Jones or John Martyn: acoustic instrumentation and strong songs. Our Lion Productions edition comes with a 16-page booklet printed on FSC recycled, chlorine-free, 100% post-consumer fiber paper manufactured using biogas energy, which contains a small dose of band info, album lyrics, histories of the Village Thing and Saydisc labels by co-founder Gef Lucena, as well as a Village Thing label discography.

Catalogue number: LION 630
UPC: 778578063023

ilous & decuyper 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

INDEX "Black Album + Red Album + Yesterday & Today" 2xCD
Two holy grails of psychedelia (from 1967-68), coupled with a disc of recently discovered unreleased material, all from the original tapes!

In the mid 1960’s, Detroit Michigan was a thriving industrial city. It was at the edge of a cliff, however. The great ethnic diversity in the inner city was a brewing powder keg of civil unrest. This, coupled with a disillusioned population struggling to make some sense of a questionable war in the rice paddies of Viet Nam, set an uneasy and troubling tempo for the future. Still, there were pockets of communities in the Detroit area where things were good and economic life was vibrant. The Grosse Pointes were such communities. It was on the outskirts of this political and racially tense era, in the affluent suburbs just outside of the city of Detroit, that Index was formed. The music of Index has been lauded by music heads for decades, and with good reason: it is bizarre, atmospheric, and "home-made" (in the best of all possible ways); the band has a druggie sound, with songs full of feedback and fuzzy guitars, hazy guitar riffs and loud rhythms. Hidden amongst the echoing canyons of sound there’s some snotty post-punk attitude wrapped up in that trippy velvet fuzz; a wonderful bleak sound, both droning and murky—the atonal side of late 1960's rock that would leave the most lasting impression on those who would eventually become punk, post-punk and indie rock artists like Joy Division or the Fall. Includes a 32-page booklet, written by Index drummer Jim Valice, detailing the band's rock and roll adventures, replete with photos and lyrics; printed on FSC recycled, chlorine-free, 100% post-consumer fiber paper manufactured using biogas energy.

Disc One—The Black Album and The Red Album

The Black Album
1. Eight Miles High (3:33); 2. Israeli Blues (4:05); 3. John Riley (4:00); 4. Turquoise Feline (3:30); 5. Rainy, Starless Nights (2:25); 6. Fire Eyes (4:08); 7. Shock Wave (3:20); 8. You Keep Me Hanging On (3:00); 9. Feedback (4:50)

The Red Album
10. Turquoise Feline II (3:50); 11. I Can’t See Nobody (3:00); 12. Spoonful (4:50); 13. Eight Miles High (3:33); 14. New York Mining Disaster (3:20); 15. Paradise Beach (3:30); 16. Break Out (2:45); 17. I Love You (3:40); 18. Rainy, Starless Nights (3:10)

Disc Two—Yesterday and Today
1. Jill (4:37); 2. Long Tall Shorty (3:38); 3. Mustang Sally (2:42); 4. You Like Me Too Much (2:10); 5. Yesterday and Today I (2:19); 6. It’s All In Your Mind (2:08); 7. I Got You (I Feel Good) (2:39); 8. Dear Friend (3:03); 9. Yesterday and Today II (4:09); 10. I Met a Man (3:04); 11. Morning Dew (3:14); 12. I Used to Be a King (2:53); 13. 431 Lakeshore Drive (2:47); 14. Don’t You Know (4:43); 15. Sunny Skies (4:14); 16. Kick It Out (2:58); 17. Helplessly Hoping (2:38)

Catalogue number: LION 644 (2xCD)
UPC: 778578064426


INFINITY INFINITY "Collected Works 1969-70"
Legendary UK psych outfit Infinity formed in 1969 from the ashes of "Chocolate Soup" psych faves the Flies and Cymbaline. The mission: to develop a heavy psychedelic/pop sound, and express it through complex original songs. Thanks to some funky Hammond organ, punchy guitars, and the band’s unique harmonies, Infinity were no run of the mill outfit. Upon their return to mainland England from a residency in Jersey, they joined the high-profile NEMS agency, alongside heavy hitters like Pink Floyd, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Soft Machine, and Pretty Things. In late 1969 and early 1970, following support slots with The Searchers and Marmalade, Infinity recorded original material for a proposed album, which was meant to explore "time, space, matter, energy and chicken phal, said in some circles to be so hot in a culinary sense that it's temperature approached infinity," or so they have said, with tongue-in-cheek, we have to believe. Sadly, they broke up soon after the sessions. The good news is that the band left behind the recordings presented on this disc, which can now be enjoyed in the digital format after the passage of more than four decades! Comes with a 24-page booklet which includes band history, photos, and more, printed on FSC recycled, chlorine-free, 100% post-consumer fiber paper manufactured using biogas energy.

Track listing: 1. Time Keeper (4:02); 2. Venetian Glass (1:53); 3. Space Shanty (5:41); 4. Taxman (2:59); 5. (I'm In Love With) A Girl Like You (2:28); 6. Same Girl (3:02); 7. Pattern People (2:35); 8. Venetain Glass (instrumental) (1:54); 9. I've Got You Under My Skin (instrumental) (2:34); 10. (I'm In Love With) A Girl Like You (Mono) (2:27); 11. I've Got You Under My Skin (3:33); 12. Taxman (instrumental) (2:59)

Catalogue number: ACLN 1013CD
UPC: 778578101329

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

jardine 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


GOUDE JEAN-PHILIPPE GOUDE "Drônes"
In the beginning there was the piano. As soon as he had mastered the basics, Jean-Philippe Goude discovered the spell of melancholy while working on a little musical piece: an etude ringing out in the style of a somber hymn. Not the dead meat smell of somberness that, according to Picabia, serious people emit, but the earthen gravity of an abyss dug by life itself. Everything is the result of this bedazzlement.

At 11 years old, Jean-Philippe Goude closed his eyes. When his eyelids finally re-opened, he could only see turquoise bubbles. The times had changed. The color was set by Sgt Peppers and the Beatles. Goude then discovered the minimalist movement through the work of Philip Glass and Terry Riley; this gave him insight into unexpected perspectives. Goude enrolled at the Pantin Academy of Music, where he studied with Irene Jarsky. Parallel to these studies, Goude worked with with percussionist Olivier Cole, assisted by electronics wizard Francois Gingle, who modified their synthesizers in order to obtain the weirdest possible sound. Goude released his first album (with Cole) in 1975, "Jeunes Annees" (Saravah). A few months later, with Bernard Paganotti's band Weidorje, Goude initiated a rock adventure which ultimately resulted in a second album, "Drônes" (Polydor, 1979)—an album which features an impressive gathering of some of the biggest names in late 70's underground French rock, including: Richard Pinhas (rhythmic synthesizer), François Auger (drums); Michel Ettori: (guitar), Patrick Gauthier (flute, synthesizer, piano, mini-moog), Manu Katché (drums), and Jean-Louis Rizet (mixing & special effects). Goude’s proto-electronica cosmic loops and moog melodies now find themselves coupled with tough prog drum beats and other elements of rock music; "Drônes" mixes solo keyboard pieces like ‘Coma’ and ‘Duo’ with group oriented pieces: ‘Dies Irae’ is a Zeuhl rock scorcher; ‘Machine’ uses a string quartet as the foundation for synthesizer musings by Goude and Richard Pinhas; ‘Trepidanse’ is a playful piece for dueling synthesizers. Although the Weidorje influence is evident on some numbers, Jean-Philippe Goude takes his music well beyond the Zeuhl trend. He offers a very personal approach to music, which contributed to the album's initial success, and has ensured that its cult status has lasted until the present day.

A twenty-page booklet (printed on FSC recycled, chlorine-free, 100% post-consumer fiber paper manufactured using biogas energy), includes a brief introduction by Jean-Philippe Goude, abundant historical data, photos, as well as translations of contemporary French magazine articles. Our Lion Productions reissue includes all the tracks from the original "Drônes" album, as well as the track ‘Trio de Mini-Moogs,’ recorded during the same sessions and originally earmarked for inclusion on the album. "Jean-Philippe Goude is a singular character in French music, originality in motion, constantly sniffing the scent of potential..." —Hervé PICART (BEST no. 142, May 1980).

Track list: 1. Les Saturnales (5:16); 2. Sicilienne (0:57); 3. Machine (3:55); 4. Drole D’Ere (5:02); 5. Coma (2:40); 6. Trepidase (3:06); 7. Duo (1:13); 8. Dies Irae (3:26); 9. Tintinnabulum (6:54) 10. Cantiliene (3:08) Bonus Track: 11. Trio de Mini-Moogs (4:59)

Catalogue number: LION 638M
UPC: 778578063825

JERUSALEM JERUSALEM "Jerusalem"
Another joint vinyl release by Rockadrome and Lion Productions! Limited edition, high quality vinyl reissue of this hard rock monster from 1972. Old style tip-on gatefold jacket and quality vinyl pressing. Includes insert with history of the group, lyrics and photos!!

"Sledgehammer-heavy masterpiece of underground British rock!." —Classic Rock Magazine

"Big fat chords, wailing guitar, punch-drunk bass and straight-ahead solid drums all strutting in your face like some massive guy you just don't want to f**k with." —Head Heritage

First official vinyl reissue of this timeless, heavy UK hard rock album from 1972, produced by Deep Purple's legendary frontman, Ian Gillan, originally released on the Decca/Deram label. It was Gillan who said of them: "Not many bands really excite me. But this one’s so raw and completely unpretentious. They make the biggest, bloodiest noise you can imagine, tempered with moments of extreme emotion." And, of course, he’s right—the music is a menacing combination of over-the-top vocals and screaming lead guitars that could easily pass for something from the early British heavy metal scene. A favorite among vinyl collectors, the album is presented here in its ultimate glory, with all tracks taken from the original master tapes and housed in a high quality old-style gatefold cover; insert has liner notes written by bassist Paul Dean + rare photos. Rough, raw, and doomy!

Track List: 1. Frustration; 2. Hooded Eagle; 3. I See the Light; 4. Murderer's Lament; 5. When the Wolf Sits; 6. Midnight Steamer; 7. Primitive Man; 8. Beyond the Grave; 9. She Came Like A Bat From Hell

Catalogue Number: Rock/Lion031-V-1
UPC: 858581031018   FIRST PRESS SOLD OUT



LENO 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

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


MARY BUTTERWORTH MARY BUTTERWORTH "S/T"
Travel back in time to 1969 with our official, limited edition LP reissue of one of the most sought after private press West Coast psychedelic LPs ever cut. In the tumultuous Spring of 1968, the Mary Butterworth band was formed. Contrary to rumors, the group originated from Southern California and enjoyed being thrust onto the incredible scene that was developing during this remarkable time for music. After a year or so of performing throughout the region in places like the Marina Palace in Seal Beach and others, they decided to record and release a debut album on their own label. In 1969, on a shoestring budget, their album was recorded, manufactured and released. However, the limited pressing was pre-sold to fans and friends only, and never even made it into stores. It disappeared as quickly as it arrived, as did Mary Butterworth, who disbanded not long after the album’s release, never to perform together again. After a decade or two, word of the album spread to rabid collectors of vinyl records and late 60s music. Somewhere in Europe during this time, a bootleg vinyl version was released; the legend of Mary Butterworth continued to grow, driving the price of the original pressing up (and up and up). In 2003, the Mary Butterworth’s song, ‘Feeling I Get,’ was included in the Golden Globe and Oscar winning movie Lost In Translation (starring Bill Murray and the delicious Scarlett Johansson), although it was not included on that film’s soundtrack album. But no fear, you can now get the entire album of grooving jams, dripping with reverb: Mary Butterworth returns once again, this time in the form of a licensed, limited edition (500 copies) vinyl reissue from the master tapes. Incidentally, this is the third release in our series of vinyl reissue collaborations with Vintage. "Enjoyable L.A. area high school pothead sounds with Hammond organ upfront and the stoned-est most echo-laden drum sound this side of King Tubby." (Acid Archives)

Catalogue number: Rock/Lion-036-V-1
UPC: 858581036013  SOLD OUT

Miguel y El Comité Miguel y El Comité "Para Hacer Música, Para Hacer..."
El Syndikato made Miguel Livichich a rock star in South America; but it was his sole effort as "Miguel y el Comité" that made him a groove-loving crate-digger’s dream! Livichich left El Syndikato, and in an instant, formed another band, joining forces with an existing group called Feeling Rock. This new group was called Miguel y el Comité (Miguel and the Committee)—a clear allusion to Livichich’s previous group (the Syndicate), and also a demonstration of his leadership role; even though Miguel y el Comité worked as a proper band in their structure, Miguel Livichich made all decisions concerning the group. As Livichich recalled, "I told them, I want a band to join me, but we all work together... more rock and candombe and a few things more commercial. Accept, and we make a titanic effort. An aggressive launch. I do not lie, in fifteen days we were recording the LP. It was pin, pin and we were playing at all dances. It was amazing working with Miguel y el Comité."That band's 1971 album, with Livichich firmly at the helm, fused the local candombe rhythm with beat music in an unusual and aggressive (oft-times funky, break-beat) way. Miguel y el Comité played mostly original songs, but they also mixed in covers of tracks by other Uruguayan bands. They were the first to sing hits by other groups (El Kinto, Los Shakers), which added a new dimension to the burgeoning Uruguayan scene. Percussion plays a key role in the band’s sound, although the guitar playing is most distinctive: sometimes melodic, at other times carving a path through the mix, with a hard and acid distorted fuzz guitar sound, as on the title track and the fabulous cover of El Kinto's ‘Qué me importa.’ Dynamite! Comes with a 28-page booklet, printed on FSC recycled, chlorine-free, 100% post-consumer fiber paper manufactured using biogas energy, with band history, photos, and bi-lingual lyrics.

Track list: 1. Para hacer música, para hacer... (4:12); 2. No va más (ya) (3:01); 3. Choro del "Caboca" (4:04); 4. Mi sol (3:34); 5. Que me importa (3:40); 6. Junto al mar (3:02); 7. No ves que no cabe (3:26); 8. El chofer (2:49); 9. Candombe triste (3:00); 10. Hiroshima (1945) (3:16); 11. Rompan todo (2:51).
Bonus track: 12. Mala-Mala Sondor 50196, single b-side, 1972 (3:37)

Catalogue number: LION 647
UPC: 778578064723


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  SOLD OUT


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 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 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 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

Alice Through the Looking Glass Peter Howell & John Ferdinando "Alice Through the Looking Glass"
The first release (1969) from the home studio of future BBC Radiophonic Workshop composer Peter Howell (he wrote the second version of the Doctor Who theme tune for BBC-TV) and his musical partner John Ferdinando, makers of legendary albums under the names Ithaca, Agincourt, Friends, and Tomorrow Come Someday. This private press record was recorded as a musical backdrop for a stage version of "Alice through the Looking Glass" by local amateur dramatics group the Ditchling Players. The musical templates are inspired, Lewis Carroll's surreal poetry is as attractive as ever, and the project is colored by other English psychedelic acts of the era such as the Pink Floyd: indeed, it has been compared elsewhere to a pastoral equivalent of "Piper At The Gates of Dawn". There are numerous highlights scattered throughout the album, but pride of place must go to ‘Jabberwocky,’ an impressive mélange of treated vocals and backward tapes that is worth the price of admission alone. With its drowsy atmosphere, myriad sound effects and languid organ-based sound, "Alice" certainly invokes the spirit of the psychedelic age, albeit from the perspective of photogenic Middle England rather than hallucinogenic Middle Earth. Rarely can an album or book have ended with a more apposite line: "Life—what is it but a dream?" We are pleased as punch to be able to present the compact disc debut of "Alice"—and with extra material, too!

Track List: 1. The Alice Theme (2:49); 2. The March of the Chessmen (2:23); 3. Jabberwocky (3:43); 4. Dance of the Talking Flowers (4:10); 5. Alice's Train Journey (1:36); 6. Through Looking Glass Wood (3:32); 7. Dum & Dee (1:26); 8. The Walrus and the Carpenter (3:18); 9. Alice Meets the Knights (1:45); 10. A-Sitting on a Gate (4:00); 11. Her Majesty Queen Alice (2:55); 12. Whose Dream? (3:35);

Bonus Tracks: 13. March of the Chessmen, part 1 (0:19); 14. Alice Incidental Effects (0:38); 15. Whose Dream? section (0:37); 16. Whose Dream? section, part 2 (0:25); 17. Alice’s Train (0:13); 18. Alice’s Train, part 2 (0:41); 19. Alice Incidental Effects, part 2 (1:05); 20. Jabberwocky part (1:02); 21. A-sitting On the Gate, section (0:55); 22. Dance of the Talking Flowers Instrumental (2:20); 23. Alice Incidental Music (0:30); 24. Jabberwocky, acoustic section (0:58); 25. Whose Dream? try-out (1:10)

Catalogue number: Acme/Lion ACLN 1015CD
UPC: 778578101527


PIPPO Pippo Spera "A Buen Puerto"
A summertime record, if ever there was one! Lilting melodies, including a shimmering cover of Eduardo Mateo’s ‘Mejor me voy,’ infused with an undercurrent of bossa nova and the drowsy, faded memory of sun-drenched islands. All of this melodic loveliness is made ever-so-groovy in an Afro-Cuban sort of way thanks to a mighty contribution from world famous percussionist Jorge Trasante, Totem drummer Roberto Galletti, and Limonada drummer José Luis Sosa. Pippo Spera had come into the orbit of Uruguayan master Eduardo Mateo back during the days of El Kinto (one of that band’s finest songs is about a visit by Mateo to Pippo’s house). From 1967 to 1970, Pippo concentrated on studying classical guitar at the Conservatorio Nacional of Uruguay, until the military dictatorship closed the school. So, Pippo started his songwriter career, which culminated in 1975/1976 with the recording of "A Buen Puerto." As Pippo says, "It was a beautiful experience to me. I had the help of the best musicians in town, they were like brothers. At that time in Uruguay, nobody used to get money to perform in a recording studio; for the musicians it was a pleasure, it was just love of art..." After the release of this LP, Pippo decided to leave a Uruguay oppressed by a brutal dictatorship. He sailed to Brazil in a ship much like the one hovering behind him on the "A Buen Puerto" album. Brazil was indeed "a good port" for Pippo—he became friends with many of the best Brazilian musicians of those years: Milton Nascimento, Geraldo Azevedo, Renato Rocha, and Alceu Valença, and ended up writing for and playing on Nascimento’s "Clube da Esquina 2" album.

Track List: 1. A buen puerto; 2. Fragmento de la Suite de Pescadores – Mejor me voy; 3. Déjalo libre; 4. Tu no tienes la culpa (ni la tengo yo); 5. Parábola; 6. Antes que tu; 7. El amor no espera; 8. Al final es un momento; 9. Niña malcriada; 10. Columbande; 11. Debes encontrarlo en ti; 12. Puede ser que mañana...

Bonus tracks: 13. Y sin embargo tu estabas ahí (A-side, Sondor single 50152, 1971); 14. Rejouis toi (B-side, Sondor single 50152, 1971)

Catalogue number: LION 635
UPC: 778578063528

Peter Howell & John Ferdinando "Tomorrow Come Someday Peter Howell & John Ferdinando "Tomorrow Come Someday"
The second release (1969) from the home studio of future BBC Radiophonic Workshop composer Peter Howell and his musical partner John Ferdinando, makers of legendary albums under the names Alice Through the Looking Glass, Ithaca, Agincourt, and Friends. This private press album was recorded as the soundtrack for an underground film production by (later to be) renowned television director Ian Hamilton: "Tomorrow Come Someday." The soundtrack album, now presented from the master tapes, was originally pressed up in a tiny quantity for friends and people involved in the production; certainly no more than 70-80 copies were made. So what do we find here? A concept piece revolving around a village threatened by motorway expansion, and the efforts of short-skirted guitar-slinging young painter Emma Stacey and a local boy to save the day, and perhaps preserve their growing love. The film is described on the album jacket as "a musical comedy, shot on location in the Sussex village of Lurgashall, during August 1969," which of course, doesn’t begin to tell the tale. Think perhaps of the Kinks’ "Village Green Preservation Society" characters come to life. See for yourself! For this is both the compact disc and DVD debut of "Tomorrow Come Someday," film and soundtrack, together at last in a double-disc set. Chunky booklet with plentiful photos gives the full story of what we like to call The Wonderful Musical World of Peter Howell & John Ferdinando.

*Note: The Tomorrow Come Someday DVD is available with your choice of format. Please specify when ordering whether you need the PAL (all-region) version or the NTSC (all region) format.*

Track List:
Disc One—the soundtrack: 1. Title Theme 2:38; 2. Someone Like You 3:52; 3. March of the Civil Servants 1:37; 4. Bluebottle Stripe 1:52; 5. Setting Sun* 2:18; 6. On Location* 2:26; 7. Everything Has Its Place 2:20; 8. Fishing 1:48; 9. Tomorrow Come Someday 2:29; 10. Love Theme 2:33; 11. Honesty* 3:32; 12. Windfall Wood 2:30.
Disc Two—Bonus DVD: the film (with thanks to Fishbourne Films)

Catalogue number: Acme/Lion ACLN 1016CD + DVD
UPC: 778578101626


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 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

Roger & Wendy ROGER & WENDY"Love Rog + Wem"
Formerly of 1960’s U.S. psych-folk band Euphoria (MGM/Heritage), not to mention veterans of the late 1960’s Greenwich Village coffee-house scene that spawned many a career, Roger & Wendy made this private press album for family and friends in 1971, in an edition of 50 copies. They later renamed themselves Bermuda Triangle; their recently reissued 1977 album under that name has garnered terrific reviews throughout the years. "It started in New York City with the guy across the hall, who was missing two fingers, saying he earned money playing flamenco guitar in a Greenwich Village coffeehouse. Roger and Wendy (we two, the two of us) exchanged glances. Could it be that easy to get paid for making music? We put together some songs which featured our vocals and Roger's autoharp, and headed from our 5th floor walk-up slum tenement, where the holes through the ancient brick wall were big enough for snow to blow in, across town to the BASEMENT coffeehouse on MacDougal St. (in the Village) to audition. Hired after one song, we played our first sets that night and every night thereafter 'til 4 A.M., seven nights a week, 365 days a year. At the time, the coffeehouses were called basket houses, since the only pay you got was what was collected in a straw basket passed around at the end of each twenty minute set. Stephen Stills said, ‘I love your guys’ music,’ and dropped $20 in, which more than half covered our $35 a month rent." So begins the tale. With strong roots in folk music, Roger & Wendy have electric and often unconventional arrangements. The lyrics are complex and symbolic, the instrumentation very unusual. Roger is also the inventor of much of the technology required to create multiple effects that achieve a multidimensional quality: passages that listeners mistake for electric guitar are actually autoharp. Roger redesigned the autoharp's chord structure to facilitate switching between keys; now all major autoharp manufacturers worldwide make autoharps using his design. And as for Wendy, women bass players were a rarity in the 60's, and still are today. Consequently, their groups (then and now) have always been far out there beyond the leading edge. The Roger & Wendy "Love Rog & Wem" album is a alluring collection of shimmering psych-folk gems, and is the rarest of the duo’s records (fetching $900+). A superb artifact from the early 1970’s underground psych folk scene, taken from the original master tapes, and using the original sleeve artwork for this deluxe mini-LP sleeve reissue. Booklet has photos, great stories, and five bonus tracks, too!

Catalogue number: LION 639
UPC: 778578063924

SEADERS Sea-Ders "Sea-Ders"
This specially-priced disc contains all known recordings of infectious Middle Eastern inflected rock/beat from the Cedars (or Sea-Ders), Lebanon's top musical export to the world. Eight dynamic tracks, with driving rhythms, blazing electric bouzouki (or oud?), recorded between 1966-1968. Fantastic! Starting in 1965, many groups began to borrow elements of Eastern music to add a little mystery and exotica to their sound. Some prominent examples of this trend include the Kinks’ 'See My Friends,' the Beatles’ 'Norwegian Wood,' and the Byrds’ 'Eight Miles High'; less well-known than the aforementioned acts, but considered masters of the form by those in the know, were the Sea-Ders. For them it wasn’t a case of flirting with foreign culture—they tapped right into the source, there in their own backyard! Decca Records contacted the group and offered them a record deal in the UK. The Sea-ders relocated to London, and in 1967 Decca released ‘Thanks A Lot’ b/w ‘Undecidedly.' The record got some airplay on the pirate stations, but failed to break into the charts. Nevertheless, Decca went ahead with an EP release, featuring three tracks along with the fine ‘Cause I Do Care.’ Apparently the record had a very limited pressing as it’s now very rare, despite being one of the most exciting releases of the era. Booklet contains liner notes by Mike Stax (Ugly Things Magazine), printed on FSC recycled, chlorine-free, 100% post-consumer fiber paper manufactured using biogas energy.

Track List: 1. For Your Information (2:35); 2. Hide If You Want to Hide (2:35); 3. I Like The Way (2:12); 4. I Don’t Know Why (2:08); 5. Thanks A Lot (2:48); 6. Undecidedly (2:12); 7. Better Loved (2:40); 8. ‘Cause I Do Care (2:37)

Catalogue number: LION 646
UPC: 778578064624

SERGIUS GOLOWIN 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

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 Harbor 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

Sun Also Rises SUN ALSO RISES "S/T"
Superb sought-after 1970 British acid folk rarity from the Village Thing label. The Sun Also Rises is another case of a folk/psych duo (we’re thinking of Emtidi, whose "Saat" album we have also reissued) who virtually disappeared in the flesh, once they had left behind a small but fascinating recorded legacy. The sole Sun Also Rises album has been reissued (legally and illegally) on several occasions, a testament to continuing interest in the music contained therein. Who were they? They were Graham and Anne Hemingway from Cardiff, described everywhere as a mystical, magical hippie female and male folk duo, who played guitars, dulcimer, glockenspiel, vibes, bells, kazoo, percussion—joined throughout by label-mate John Turner (bowed and finger-picked string bass), and Andy Leggett. Their one and only album is very much in the creative style and delivery of the Incredible String Band, with similarities to the work of their contemporaries Dr. Strangely Strange, COB, Comus, Forest and Tir Na Nog, as well as others of the original freak-folk brigade. The results of their efforts were tripped-out, spellbinding, esoteric folk collages—songs of wizards and dragons, dreams and intentions, love, flickering candlelight, the sweet scent of half-remembered summers, death, jasmine, and suicide. We hope that this album will come as a wonderful surprise for lovers of the Incredible String Band and their ilk, as there were few bands that were able to stray into this much loved and much loathed world of fantasy and folk music, and live to tell the tale. Our Lion Productions edition comes with a 16-page booklet printed on FSC recycled, chlorine-free, 100% post-consumer fiber paper manufactured using biogas energy, which contains a small dose of band info, album lyrics, histories of the Village Thing and Saydisc labels by co-founder Gef Lucena, as well as a Village Thing label discography.

Catalogue number: LION 631
UPC: 778578063122

Sunforest 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 SOLD OUT

Boomland 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 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

TETRAGON TETRAGON "Nature"
An ecology-inspired Krautrock album (1971) from a short-lived group comprised of German school-chums, some of whom had recorded an LP as Trikolon. Tetragon did not conform to any predetermined musical style: they played whatever they pleased, as long as it included groovy Hammond organ and very trippy, flanged wah-wah guitar, in various taut jamming modes that favored jazz/rock fusion à la Miles Davis with a small dose of classical music (adapting a Bach fugue along the way). The result is a bouquet of lush instrumentals, with elements of Egg or the Nice, and quite a bit of T2 to boot. The album was recorded in a converted barn, using a Revox A77 two-track tape recorder and seven microphones placed judiciously to best capture the sound of each instrument. Re-recording wasn’t possible, as the record was mixed live. Yet these challenging conditions inspired the band to great heights: Hendrik Schaper played organ and clavinet simultaneously, with one hand on each keyboard; meanwhile, Jürgen Jaehner unleashed rampaging electric guitar solos, then, in an instant, switched to acoustic guitar for the next musical passage; Schaper didn't own a piano, so he used a pre-amp with a wah-wah pedal to imitate that instrument’s sound. A virtuoso effort, from start to finish! Tetragon didn't bother contacting any record labels; they didn't their music would interest anyone. A mere 400 copies of the album were released on a private label, named Soma after the drug-induced effect described in Alduous Huxley’s Brave New World. Our edition includes all of the original pro-environment, anti-industrial pollution gatefold album art, a detailed band history, band photos, and a nearly fifteen-minute bonus track, recorded live in Georgsmarienhütte in 1972.

Track listing: 1. Fugue (15:59); 2. Jokus (0:19); 3. Irgendwas (5:58); 4. A Short Story (13:38); 5. Nature (7:41); Bonus Track: 6. Doors in Between (14:16)

Catalogue number: LION 632M
UPC: 778578063221

Third Estate-Agonistes 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

Gaiety II VARIOUS "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

Deluxe CD versions of our  much-admired collections of Cambodian Rock!

The story is the same for both of our Groove Club volumes of Cambodian music: people in Cambodia kept hold of this music on pain of death, their small hoards of forbidden vinyl putting them constantly in danger of the "killing fields". That we even know of such a testament to the power of this music is a bit of a miracle. The rarest of rare grooves.

Packaged in a deluxe casebook with a 36-page booklet filled with rare photos and the heart-wrenching stories of the most beloved artists in the Khmer Rock movement


Cambodian 1 VARIOUS "Groove Club Vol. 3: Cambodia Rock Intensified!"
There were no deluxe studios for the musicians who recorded the devastating tracks contained on this double-LP collection. Nothing so grand. Most of these tracks were recorded live, with traditional instruments finding a place alongside any keyboards or guitars that could be found. And yet, it was these experiments of Khmer rock musicians which transformed the nightlife of the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh—and which many years later have seduced countless listeners around the world with their groovy sound. Alas, in 1975 came an entirely different type of transformation: the rise to power in Cambodia of the fanatical, anti-Western Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot. Within roughly four years, implementing their "concept of Year Zero," Pot and his regime were responsible for the deaths of an estimated two million Cambodians, many in the notorious "killing fields." Even the most famous and beloved Khmer musicians could not escape. Sinn Sisamouth ("the Emperor of Khmer Music"), Ros Sereysothea ("The Golden Voice of the Royal Capital"), and Pan Ron—all featured on this collection—met their deaths at the hands of the Khmer Rouge. Cambodian rock music is (rightfully) adored in Cambodia. The music is wild and anarchic, rhythmic and undulating (in an "Ethiopiques" way, we’d say), or sweet and lyrical, but always moving, and with that deep soulfulness (regardless of actual musical genre or style) that singles out the best music. We have assembled what we consider to be the most definitive collection of classic Cambodian rock music to appear thus far—without the later overdubs that confuse the mind, without the artificial speeding up of tracks that often has marred compilations over the years; what you’ll find here are crucial Khmer rock tracks, made available in the best possible sound, assembled with love and respect for the artists who made the Khmer rock scene as thrilling as we find it to be. And so, without further ado, welcome to "Cambodia Rock Intensified!"

Catalogue number: LION 656-CD
UPC: 778578311315


Cambodian 2 VARIOUS "Groove Club Vol. 2: Cambodia Rock Spectactular!"
There were no deluxe studios for the musicians who recorded the devastating tracks contained on this double-LP collection. Nothing so grand. Most of these tracks were recorded live, with traditional instruments finding a place alongside any keyboards or guitars that could be found. And yet, it was these experiments of Khmer rock musicians which transformed the nightlife of the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh—and which many years later have seduced countless listeners around the world with their groovy sound. Alas, in 1975 came an entirely different type of transformation: the rise to power in Cambodia of the fanatical, anti-Western Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot. Within roughly four years, implementing their "concept of Year Zero," Pot and his regime were responsible for the deaths of an estimated two million Cambodians, many in the notorious "killing fields." Even the most famous and beloved Khmer musicians could not escape. Sinn Sisamouth ("the Emperor of Khmer Music"), Ros Sereysothea ("The Golden Voice of the Royal Capital"), and Pan Ron—all featured on this collection—met their deaths at the hands of the Khmer Rouge. Cambodian rock music is (rightfully) adored in Cambodia. The music is wild and anarchic, rhythmic and undulating (in an "Ethiopiques" way, we’d say), or sweet and lyrical, but always moving, and with that deep soulfulness (regardless of actual musical genre or style) that singles out the best music. We have assembled what we consider to be the most definitive collection of classic Cambodian rock music to appear thus far—without the later overdubs that confuse the mind, without the artificial speeding up of tracks that often has marred compilations over the years; what you’ll find here are crucial Khmer rock tracks, made available in the best possible sound, assembled with love and respect for the artists who made the Khmer rock scene as thrilling as we find it to be. And so, without further ado, welcome to "Cambodia Rock Spectactular!"

Catalogue number: LION 655-CD
UPC: 778578311223

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 On The Road 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 now 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 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

YAMA & THE KARMA DUSTERS Yama & the Karma Dusters "Up From the Sewers"
Super political, rocking, anti-establishment communal band (c. 1970) put together as a result of the Kent State Massacre. As the Euphoria Blimpworks Band, fronted by Howard Berkman from morose garage punksters the Knaves, they played demonstrations and student strikes when they weren’t opening for blues royalty—or being the first band to play the yard at Cook County Jail. They were inter-racial, anti-war, Stop the Bomb, free love hippies, the wildest of the wild kids. And this is the quintessential anarcho-hippie record, a surprisingly well-engineered indie effort which came inside home-made silk-screened jackets, with twisted, poetic lyrics (Dylan or Arthur Lee and Love? you decide), and funky, rocking bones—political, sociological, ecological, reflective and free-love sexy. The Karma Dusters really cook on the up-tempo tracks, sounding at times like a cross between The Blues Project and Dylan's band circa 1966, augmented by some dazzling violin. This excellent sounding master-tape reissue has two bonus tracks; it also has two booklets—one is for the outrageous and explicit Gonzo history of the band and their urban commune; the other is a wrap-around booklet for lyrics, all served up together in a Mylar plastic sleeve. You just know the FBI has a huge file on these punks. But do they have the album?

Track listing: 1. Don’t Kill the Babies (2:09); 2. Take Me Back To Puerto Rico (3:32); 3. Kathleen (3:33); 4. Revolution (3:10); 5. C.T.A. (2:43); 6. I Want To Talk To You (2:54); 7. Reflections/Snow Bitch (6:28); 8. Wouldn’t It Be Funny (4:02); 9. Evolution (2:38); 10. Hello Big City (4:24) Bonus Tracks: 11. Out in the World (2:42); 12. Los Angeles Earthquake (4:03)

Catalogue number: LION 636
UPC: 778578063627

 

LION PRODUCTIONS LPs RELEASES

Deluxe LP Versions of both legendary AGUATURBIA albums

AGUATURBIA Volumen 2 AGUATURBIA "S/T"
AGUATURBIA "Volumen 2"
Replica LP editions of both albums (both first released in 1970), by one of the best and most important psychedelic bands to emerge from South America in the late 60’s/early 70’s. It is impossible to indicate just how revolutionary they were—but the fact that the band were naked on the cover of their debut, and crucified their singer on the cover of their second album may give you an idea. The band’s first album was recorded live in 1969 in a simple three-track studio. In a strict Catholic country, the album’s front cover showing the band sitting nude in a darkly lit room caused quite a stir; record shops refused to stock the record and the press and Church both censored it. And the music rattled a few people too: raw, with heavy rhythms, bursts of distortion and fuzz, fantastic phased female vocals (inviting the inevitable comparison to Jefferson Airplane), and English lyrics. The band's guitarist Carlos Corales is superb, his skill most evident on the erotic ‘Erotica’ and the ten-minute long mini-epic ‘Crimson And Clover,’ which finds his wife Denise in superb vocal form. The second Aguaturbia album (1970) is, if anything, even heavier than the first: many compare it to Led Zeppelin for heaviness and intensity. The band offered up some heavy jams, with fuzzed out guitar work, spaced out vocals and general acid madness. Our replica LP versions are housed in heavy 1960's style tip-on jackets; inside you will find a four panel insert, printed on 100% recycled paper, with comments and plenty of photos from the band members (in English and Spanish), plus historical background on the Chilean rock music scene. The LP labels are replicas of the Arena label originals. Limited editions of 1,000 copies (each title).

Catalogue number: LION LP-110
UPC: 778578311018 SOLD OUT
Catalogue number: LION LP-111
UPC: 778578311117 SOLD OUT

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 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 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

Cambodian 2 VARIOUS "Groove Club Vol. 2: Cambodia Rock Spectactular!"
There were no deluxe studios for the musicians who recorded the devastating tracks contained on this double-LP collection. Nothing so grand. Most of these tracks were recorded live, with traditional instruments finding a place alongside any keyboards or guitars that could be found. And yet, it was these experiments of Khmer rock musicians which transformed the nightlife of the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh—and which many years later have seduced countless listeners around the world with their groovy sound. Alas, in 1975 came an entirely different type of transformation: the rise to power in Cambodia of the fanatical, anti-Western Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot. Within roughly four years, implementing their "concept of Year Zero," Pot and his regime were responsible for the deaths of an estimated two million Cambodians, many in the notorious "killing fields." Even the most famous and beloved Khmer musicians could not escape. Sinn Sisamouth ("the Emperor of Khmer Music"), Ros Sereysothea ("The Golden Voice of the Royal Capital"), and Pan Ron—all featured on this collection—met their deaths at the hands of the Khmer Rouge. Cambodian rock music is (rightfully) adored in Cambodia. The music is wild and anarchic, rhythmic and undulating (in an "Ethiopiques" way, we’d say), or sweet and lyrical, but always moving, and with that deep soulfulness (regardless of actual musical genre or style) that singles out the best music. We have assembled what we consider to be the most definitive collection of classic Cambodian rock music to appear thus far—without the later overdubs that confuse the mind, without the artificial speeding up of tracks that often has marred compilations over the years; what you’ll find here are crucial Khmer rock tracks, made available in the best possible sound, assembled with love and respect for the artists who made the Khmer rock scene as thrilling as we find it to be. And so, without further ado, welcome to "Cambodia Rock Spectacular!"

Catalogue number: LION LP-112
UPC: 778578311216

Cambodian 1 VARIOUS "Groove Club Vol. 3: Cambodia Rock Intensified!"
There were no deluxe studios for the musicians who recorded the devastating tracks contained on this double-LP collection. Nothing so grand. Most of these tracks were recorded live, with traditional instruments finding a place alongside any keyboards or guitars that could be found. And yet, it was these experiments of Khmer rock musicians which transformed the nightlife of the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh—and which many years later have seduced countless listeners around the world with their groovy sound. Alas, in 1975 came an entirely different type of transformation: the rise to power in Cambodia of the fanatical, anti-Western Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot. Within roughly four years, implementing their "concept of Year Zero," Pot and his regime were responsible for the deaths of an estimated two million Cambodians, many in the notorious "killing fields." Even the most famous and beloved Khmer musicians could not escape. Sinn Sisamouth ("the Emperor of Khmer Music"), Ros Sereysothea ("The Golden Voice of the Royal Capital"), and Pan Ron—all featured on this collection—met their deaths at the hands of the Khmer Rouge. Cambodian rock music is (rightfully) adored in Cambodia. The music is wild and anarchic, rhythmic and undulating (in an "Ethiopiques" way, we’d say), or sweet and lyrical, but always moving, and with that deep soulfulness (regardless of actual musical genre or style) that singles out the best music. We have assembled what we consider to be the most definitive collection of classic Cambodian rock music to appear thus far—without the later overdubs that confuse the mind, without the artificial speeding up of tracks that often has marred compilations over the years; what you’ll find here are crucial Khmer rock tracks, made available in the best possible sound, assembled with love and respect for the artists who made the Khmer rock scene as thrilling as we find it to be. And so, without further ado, welcome to "Cambodia Rock Intensified!"

Catalogue number: LION LP-113
UPC: 778578311315


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  SOLD OUT

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 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

TRUTH AND JANEY "No Rest for The Wicked"
"This is essential, must-get release for fans of 1970’s hard rock." —Roadburn "One of the greatest hard rock albums of all-time." —The Acid Archives

The first joint vinyl release by Rockadrome and Lion Productions. Limited edition, high quality vinyl reissue of this hard rock monster from 1976, by this legendary underground power trio led by guitarist BillyLee Janey. Old style tip-on jacket and quality vinyl pressing. Includes insert with history of the group, lyrics and rare band photos!! Since the release of "No Rest for the Wicked" in 1976, it's stature among collectors of 60’s and 70’s hard rock and psychedelia has grown steadily, with original copies now fetching a large sum in the collector’s market; in fact, it has often been lauded as perhaps the best independent U.S. heavy rock release of the entire 1970’s. Originally formed in 1969, this power trio played thousands of gigs, many with Leslie West, as well as playing with Blue Öyster Cult at a festival in Davenport, Iowa in front of 20,000 hard rock fans. All the while, Truth & Janey were writing original material, gearing up to record their first full length album. In 1976, they laid down the tracks that would see release on their stunning "No Rest for the Wicked" album later that same year. The record featured six original tunes and two traditional blues covers revved up in true powerhouse Truth and Janey fashion. Only 1,000 copies of the album were pressed on the local Montross records. Just as the ball started rolling, it all ended, as Denis Bunce left the group and quickly thereafter they completely disbanded. In a last ditch effort, guitarist Billy Janey reformed the group with all new members in 1977 and released the "Just a Little Bit of Magic" album, but it was a move in a completely different direction and has little to do with the ferocious hard rock Marshall 100-watt Superlead guitar sound that dominates "No Rest for the Wicked." A total heavy sonic assault!

Catalogue number: ROCK/LION030-V-1
UPC: 858581030011 SOLD OUT