KALEIDOSCOPE
''INCREDIBLE!''
JUNE 1969
30:02
1 /Lie to Me
Stuart Brotman / Solomon Feldthouse / Paul Lagos / David Lindley / Templeton Parcely/2:10
2 /Let the Good Love Flow
David Lindley/2:10
3 /Killing Floor
Chester Burnett / Howlin' Wolf/2:44
4 /Petite Fleur/3:29
5 /Banjo
David Lindley/3:37
6 /The Cuckoo
Traditional/4:15
7 /Seven-Ate Sweet
Solomon Feldthouse / Paul Lagos / David/11:37
Stuart Brotman/Bass, Vocals
Max Buda/Harmonica
Fenrus Epp/Keyboards, Violin
Solomon Feldthouse/Clarinet, Guitar, Jumbus, Vocals
Paul Lagos/Drums, Vocals
David Lindley/Banjo, Guitar, Violin, Vocals
Templeton Parcely/Organ, Violin, Vocals
REVIEW
by Lindsay Planer
Incredible! (1969) was the combo's third album and first to boast contributions from newest members Stuart Brotman (bass/vocals) and Paul Lagos (percussion), flanking David Lindley (guitar/banjo/violin/vocals), Solomon Feldthouse (guitar/oud/clarinet/saz/jumbas/vocals), and Chester Crill (harmonica/violin/organ/vocal). In the absence of Chris Darrow's commanding songwriting, each member projected himself into the material, which adopts a discernible country-rock lilt accompanying Kaleidoscope's established Eastern-informed psychedelia. Nowhere do the two seemingly disparate styles fuse as effortlessly as the upbeat opener, "Lie to Me." Similarly the rural feel of "Let the Good Love Flow" could be easily mistaken for the New Riders of the Purple Sage or Commander Cody, with Lindley pulling off a convincing faux steel guitar lead. On the other side of the spectrum is the funky workout on Howlin' Wolf's "Killing Floor," as it slithers and slides around Lagos' solid rhythm. The bayou-tinged "Petite Fleur" hearkens to a sound the band explored on the cover of Doug Kershaw's "Louisiana Man" from their previous long-player, A Beacon from Mars. The appropriately titled "Banjo" provides Lindley with a vehicle for his remarkable virtuosity, likewise adding stimulation from Feldthouse's strong East-meets-West vibe. The traditional "Cuckoo" is one of Kaleidoscope's heavier numbers, reinforcing Lagos' muscular interjections. The disc concludes with the lengthy and adeptly crafted "Seven-Ate Sweet," a reference to the time signature of the 11-plus-minute instrumental. It offers nothing short of a consistently inspired example of the power and prowess within this incarnation.
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
''INCREDIBLE!''
JUNE 1969
30:02
1 /Lie to Me
Stuart Brotman / Solomon Feldthouse / Paul Lagos / David Lindley / Templeton Parcely/2:10
2 /Let the Good Love Flow
David Lindley/2:10
3 /Killing Floor
Chester Burnett / Howlin' Wolf/2:44
4 /Petite Fleur/3:29
5 /Banjo
David Lindley/3:37
6 /The Cuckoo
Traditional/4:15
7 /Seven-Ate Sweet
Solomon Feldthouse / Paul Lagos / David/11:37
Stuart Brotman/Bass, Vocals
Max Buda/Harmonica
Fenrus Epp/Keyboards, Violin
Solomon Feldthouse/Clarinet, Guitar, Jumbus, Vocals
Paul Lagos/Drums, Vocals
David Lindley/Banjo, Guitar, Violin, Vocals
Templeton Parcely/Organ, Violin, Vocals
REVIEW
by Lindsay Planer
Incredible! (1969) was the combo's third album and first to boast contributions from newest members Stuart Brotman (bass/vocals) and Paul Lagos (percussion), flanking David Lindley (guitar/banjo/violin/vocals), Solomon Feldthouse (guitar/oud/clarinet/saz/jumbas/vocals), and Chester Crill (harmonica/violin/organ/vocal). In the absence of Chris Darrow's commanding songwriting, each member projected himself into the material, which adopts a discernible country-rock lilt accompanying Kaleidoscope's established Eastern-informed psychedelia. Nowhere do the two seemingly disparate styles fuse as effortlessly as the upbeat opener, "Lie to Me." Similarly the rural feel of "Let the Good Love Flow" could be easily mistaken for the New Riders of the Purple Sage or Commander Cody, with Lindley pulling off a convincing faux steel guitar lead. On the other side of the spectrum is the funky workout on Howlin' Wolf's "Killing Floor," as it slithers and slides around Lagos' solid rhythm. The bayou-tinged "Petite Fleur" hearkens to a sound the band explored on the cover of Doug Kershaw's "Louisiana Man" from their previous long-player, A Beacon from Mars. The appropriately titled "Banjo" provides Lindley with a vehicle for his remarkable virtuosity, likewise adding stimulation from Feldthouse's strong East-meets-West vibe. The traditional "Cuckoo" is one of Kaleidoscope's heavier numbers, reinforcing Lagos' muscular interjections. The disc concludes with the lengthy and adeptly crafted "Seven-Ate Sweet," a reference to the time signature of the 11-plus-minute instrumental. It offers nothing short of a consistently inspired example of the power and prowess within this incarnation.
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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