KALEIDOSCOPE
''SIDE TRIPS''
JUNE 1967
26:13
1 /Egyptian Gardens/3:02
2 /If the Night
Chris Darrow/1:47
3 /Hesitation Blues
Charlie Poole / Traditional/2:27
4 /Please
Solomon Feldthouse / Mark Freedman/3:18
5 /Keep Your Mind Open
Chris Darrow/2:16
6 /Pulsating Dream
Chris Darrow/1:56
7 /Oh Death
John Reedy/3:26
8 /Come on In
Traditional/2:07
9 /Why Try
David Lindley/3:39
10 /Minnie the Moocher
Cab Calloway / Clarence Gaskill / Irving Mills/2:15
Chris Darrow/Bass, Guitar, Violin, Vocals
Fenrus Epp/Bass, Harmonica, Keyboards, Organ, Piano, Viola, Violin
Solomon Feldthouse/Guitar, Vocals
David Lindley/7-String Banjo, Banjo, Fiddle, Guitar, Harp Guitar, Mandolin, Violin, Vocals
John Vidican/Drums, Percussion
REVIEW
by Lindsay Planer
Although the Bay Area may have seemed to corner the market on the psychedelic "Summer of Love", the equally bountiful Los Angeles scene was the breeding ground for one of the more inventive units of the mid- to late-'60s. The incipient incarnation of Kaleidoscope synthesized rock & roll with roots and world music, first yielding Side Trips (1967), arguably the most diverse effort of 1967. Their ten-track outing features multi-instrumentalists David Lindley (guitar/banjo/fiddle/mandolin), Solomon Feldthouse (saz/bouzouki/dobro/vina/oud/dombek/dulcimer/fiddle/guitar/vocals), Chester Crill (aka Fenrus Epp and Max Buda) (violin/viola/bass/keyboards/harmonica), Chris Darrow (bass/guitar/mandolin/vocals) and John Vidican (percussion). The combo evolved fromLindley's string band interests, Darrow's love of the Beatles' early records and Feldthouse's exotic-sounding Eastern excursions. After being signed by Epic, they initially wanted to operate under the surreal moniker of the Neoprene Lizards with Barry Friedman (aka Frazier Mohawk) collaborating from the producer's chair. Further galvanizing Kaleidoscope and Side Trips is the strength of the original material. The mid-tempo ballad "Please" was picked as the single, while the album's overall mood and cerebral vibe are front and center on Darrow's trippy "If the Night" and "Keep Your Mind Open." Feldthouse's suitably surrealistic "Egyptian Gardens" concisely demonstrates his distinct contributions, as does the Lindley composition "Why Try." From the other side of the pop spectrum are the layered vocal harmonies of "Pulsating Dream" and the overt jug band influence heard on Cab Calloway's signature "Minnie the Moocher," as well as the traditional tunes "Come on In" and "Hesitation Blues." Enthusiasts and collectors should note the three-disc Pulsating Dream anthology, as it not only contains Kaleidoscope's four Epic LPs, but also hard-to-find sides, such as "Elevator Man" and "Little Orphan Nannie" circa Side Trips.
BIOGRAPHY
by Richie Unterberger
Kaleidoscope were arguably the most eclectic band of the psychedelic era, weaving together folk, blues, Middle Eastern, and acid more often and seamlessly than any other musicians. The California group were formed under the nucleus of multi-instrumentalists David Lindley and Chris Darrow in the mid-'60s. Adding fiddle, banjo, and various exotic string instruments such as the oud and saz to the traditional rock lineup, Kaleidoscope complemented their experimental sounds with taut and witty (if lyrically eccentric) songwriting. Other important members were Solomon Feldthouse, who specialized in the Turkish-style instruments, and Chester Crill, who, to make documentation just that much more difficult, sometimes used odd pseudonyms like Fenrus Epp.
With the exception of their mawkish forays into old-timey music, Kaleidoscope's work holds up well. Their first three albums were their best, highlighted by the lengthy tracks "Taxim" and "Seven-Ate Sweet," which are groundbreaking fusions of Middle Eastern music and rock. Kaleidoscope were a popular live act, even incorporating some flamenco and belly dancers into their performances. But in commercial terms their very eclecticism probably worked against them. Hit singles, too, were a difficult proposition for such a versatile group to get to grips with, although several of their 45s were pretty good. One of the best, "Nobody," was a most unusual fusion of R&B and psychedelia that found the group backing veteran rock and blues greats Larry Williams and Johnny "Guitar" Watson.
Kaleidoscope's eclecticism may have been a by-product of numerous personnel changes throughout the last half of the '60s that would make the construction of a family tree a most unwieldy task. Darrow, in fact, only lasted a couple of albums; in 1970, shortly after their fourth album, they split up. Several of the group's more important contributors reunited for an album in 1975 (although Lindley played only a small part); there was another reunion record in 1988.
DoWnLoAd
''SIDE TRIPS''
JUNE 1967
26:13
1 /Egyptian Gardens/3:02
2 /If the Night
Chris Darrow/1:47
3 /Hesitation Blues
Charlie Poole / Traditional/2:27
4 /Please
Solomon Feldthouse / Mark Freedman/3:18
5 /Keep Your Mind Open
Chris Darrow/2:16
6 /Pulsating Dream
Chris Darrow/1:56
7 /Oh Death
John Reedy/3:26
8 /Come on In
Traditional/2:07
9 /Why Try
David Lindley/3:39
10 /Minnie the Moocher
Cab Calloway / Clarence Gaskill / Irving Mills/2:15
Chris Darrow/Bass, Guitar, Violin, Vocals
Fenrus Epp/Bass, Harmonica, Keyboards, Organ, Piano, Viola, Violin
Solomon Feldthouse/Guitar, Vocals
David Lindley/7-String Banjo, Banjo, Fiddle, Guitar, Harp Guitar, Mandolin, Violin, Vocals
John Vidican/Drums, Percussion
REVIEW
by Lindsay Planer
Although the Bay Area may have seemed to corner the market on the psychedelic "Summer of Love", the equally bountiful Los Angeles scene was the breeding ground for one of the more inventive units of the mid- to late-'60s. The incipient incarnation of Kaleidoscope synthesized rock & roll with roots and world music, first yielding Side Trips (1967), arguably the most diverse effort of 1967. Their ten-track outing features multi-instrumentalists David Lindley (guitar/banjo/fiddle/mandolin), Solomon Feldthouse (saz/bouzouki/dobro/vina/oud/dombek/dulcimer/fiddle/guitar/vocals), Chester Crill (aka Fenrus Epp and Max Buda) (violin/viola/bass/keyboards/harmonica), Chris Darrow (bass/guitar/mandolin/vocals) and John Vidican (percussion). The combo evolved fromLindley's string band interests, Darrow's love of the Beatles' early records and Feldthouse's exotic-sounding Eastern excursions. After being signed by Epic, they initially wanted to operate under the surreal moniker of the Neoprene Lizards with Barry Friedman (aka Frazier Mohawk) collaborating from the producer's chair. Further galvanizing Kaleidoscope and Side Trips is the strength of the original material. The mid-tempo ballad "Please" was picked as the single, while the album's overall mood and cerebral vibe are front and center on Darrow's trippy "If the Night" and "Keep Your Mind Open." Feldthouse's suitably surrealistic "Egyptian Gardens" concisely demonstrates his distinct contributions, as does the Lindley composition "Why Try." From the other side of the pop spectrum are the layered vocal harmonies of "Pulsating Dream" and the overt jug band influence heard on Cab Calloway's signature "Minnie the Moocher," as well as the traditional tunes "Come on In" and "Hesitation Blues." Enthusiasts and collectors should note the three-disc Pulsating Dream anthology, as it not only contains Kaleidoscope's four Epic LPs, but also hard-to-find sides, such as "Elevator Man" and "Little Orphan Nannie" circa Side Trips.
BIOGRAPHY
by Richie Unterberger
Kaleidoscope were arguably the most eclectic band of the psychedelic era, weaving together folk, blues, Middle Eastern, and acid more often and seamlessly than any other musicians. The California group were formed under the nucleus of multi-instrumentalists David Lindley and Chris Darrow in the mid-'60s. Adding fiddle, banjo, and various exotic string instruments such as the oud and saz to the traditional rock lineup, Kaleidoscope complemented their experimental sounds with taut and witty (if lyrically eccentric) songwriting. Other important members were Solomon Feldthouse, who specialized in the Turkish-style instruments, and Chester Crill, who, to make documentation just that much more difficult, sometimes used odd pseudonyms like Fenrus Epp.
With the exception of their mawkish forays into old-timey music, Kaleidoscope's work holds up well. Their first three albums were their best, highlighted by the lengthy tracks "Taxim" and "Seven-Ate Sweet," which are groundbreaking fusions of Middle Eastern music and rock. Kaleidoscope were a popular live act, even incorporating some flamenco and belly dancers into their performances. But in commercial terms their very eclecticism probably worked against them. Hit singles, too, were a difficult proposition for such a versatile group to get to grips with, although several of their 45s were pretty good. One of the best, "Nobody," was a most unusual fusion of R&B and psychedelia that found the group backing veteran rock and blues greats Larry Williams and Johnny "Guitar" Watson.
Kaleidoscope's eclecticism may have been a by-product of numerous personnel changes throughout the last half of the '60s that would make the construction of a family tree a most unwieldy task. Darrow, in fact, only lasted a couple of albums; in 1970, shortly after their fourth album, they split up. Several of the group's more important contributors reunited for an album in 1975 (although Lindley played only a small part); there was another reunion record in 1988.
DoWnLoAd
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