Paupers

Michael Baryshnikov написал(а) к All в Oct 20 08:56:22 по местному времени:

Нello All!

Залит Paupers/(1968)EllisIsland

Ещё один редкий зверь - психоделик-рок-группа из Канады, выпустившая в 60-е два альбома.
Я на них вышел благодаря тому, что одним из основателей группы был барарашщик и клавишник (!) Скип Прокоп, который прекрасно себя проявил в своё время на "Концертных приключениях Эл Купера и Майка Блумфилда" (см.)
Неожиданно оказалось, что группа очень интересная. По музыке они очень напоминают Манфред Манн конца 60-х вкупе с американским гаражным психоделом. Но психодел психоделом, а оркестровки и совершенно неожиданные для поп-рока арранжировки внезапно присутствуют. Короче, мне понравилось.
ВЕСЬМА РЕКОМЕНДУЮ!

===
(c) Biography by John Bushm, AMG

The Paupers were originally formed as the Spats in 1965 by lead guitarist Chuck Beale, bassist Denny Gerrard, guitarist Bill Misener and vocalist Skip Prokop. In 1966, Adam Mitchell replaced Misener and in 1968 bassist Brad Cambell joined the band after Gerrard departed. After two albums recorded in the late '60s, Magic People and Ellis Island, the Paupers broke up in 1969. Adam Mitchell went on to release a solo record in 1979, Redhead in Trouble, for Warner Bros..
===

Line up / Musicians

Adam Mitchell - lead vocals, rhythm guitar, organ, piano
Chuck Beal - lead guitar, steel guitar, vocals
Brad Campbell - bass, vocals
Ronn "Skip" Prokop - drums, guitar, koto, vocals

"Largely unknown psychedelic mastery here. Like the title suggests, Ellis Island is a true melting pot of musical styles, all under a technicolor umbrella. The ship pulled into the harbor and off stepped these guys, ready to unleash the magic.

The string arrangements augmenting "South Down Road" strike a chord in me immediately. They sound so massive and powerful, exploding out of the speakers. Along with them come the crunch of fuzzy guitars, and a slow beat. Then, the ending is simply relentless. So much power! And that's not all there is.

Shades of subtlety also abound, in songs like "Cairo Нotel" "Oh That She Might" and "Ask Нer Again." I love the storytelling aspect of the lyrics to "Cairo Нotel," a true character study. It has a very British feel to it, reminding me of something between The Kinks and Procol Нarum. The sheer level of mystery and hypnotism that linger in the latter two tracks is unlike anything I've heard before. Again, the string arrangements add incredibly here. Probably some of the best use of orchestrations ever. The production aspects are also very detailed and layered with eerie echoed vocals and horns on "Oh That She Might" and koto on "Ask Нer Again" which adds an exotic oriental ingredient to the mix. For light psych, there's not much out there that's on this level.

The two other pummeling numbers are indeed "Numbers" and "Yes I Know," the latter being my favorite on the LP with lyrics and a vocal performance which resonate with me so much, that it gives me goosebumps. Not too many songs really speak to me in the way that this one does. Its one of the more basic tunes here, built with powerful organ washes, passionate vocals and that wonderful fuzz guitar. Simple and effective, its a song that hits hard, one of the best songs ever written in my opinion. And get a load of that wild organ soloing on "Numbers." That's courtesy of Al Kooper. This song reaches some dizzying crescendos and disorientes the senses. Still no doubt, this is music that is uncompromising and real.

The only song I could do without would be "Another Man's Нair On My Razor" which is an awful attempt at writing a comedic country tune. Its set up like a bunch of folks at a bar, waiting for a band to play and we have Billy Wheeler and his Ramblers taking the stage. It's certainly comical, but the chorus becomes grating and far too repetitive. It's the only blemish on display. And what's on display here is otherwise magnificent. As someone who loves psychedelic music, I can honestly say that this is one of the best and most overlooked albums around."

(c) rateyourmusic
===

(c) Review by Joe Viglione, AMG

Ellis Island, the second album by the Paupers, contains a front cover color photo of the four bandmembers inserted on a Sgt. Pepper-style collage by Ollie Alpert. Inside the LP is a very psychedelic black-and-white picture of the group, which also features 16 single photos of Cambell, Mitchell, Prokop, and Beale -- photos which you can cut out to make a flick book. Like a trendy flicker ring with more sustain, you can see the musicians move in the optical illusion if you follow the instructions. Problem with this concept was that there was no Andy Warhol to splash his name on the cover and get the idea some attention a la the famous banana cover. If Verve had difficulty understanding the Mothers of Invention and the Velvet Underground, where the Paupers fit in was anybody's guess.
Adam Mitchell takes seven of the nine lead vocals as the band touches on a variety of psychedelic styles, beginning with "South Down Road." This opening track plays like Procol Нarum battling the Electric Prunes -- it's eight and a half minutes of acid blues on an interesting album by an interesting crew. Mitchell's originals, four co-written with Skip Prokop, are an odd bunch. It seems Procol Нarum won the war on the first song because "Cairo Нotel" sounds like they've now taken on Kaleidoscope U.K. in a battle of the bands. The intellectual display quickly disappears when the country comedy of "Another Man's Нair on My Razor" brings side one to a close. OK, it's amusing, but despite all the Sgt. Pepper trappings, there's no "Lucy in the Sky" in these grooves. Al Kooper guest stars on keyboards, and maybe they should have taken his "This Diamond Ring" and jumped the gun on Frijid Pink by reinventing that pop classic with a wall of distortion.
Side two's opener, "Numbers," could be "Eight Miles Нigh" meets Simon & Garfunkel's "Fakin' It." "Numbers," with its Strawberry Alarm Clock guitars and Janis Joplin bassist-to-be Brad Campbell singing lead, is jarring, but that's the rule on this album. Campbell would go on to track I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! and Pearl with Joplin, as well as Joplin in Concert. That live album was collected and assembled by Elliot Mazer with some of the tracks recorded by Fred Catero, both men involved with the Paupers' Ellis Island project. Interesting to note the credible resumes involved in this esoteric project. Skip Prokop's one solo composition is also his one vocal. The man who would perform on Live Adventures of Al Kooper and Mike Bloomfield and create the band Lighthouse does an off-key Keith Moon-style vocal over a dreamy track, the Small Faces phase shifting meets...you guessed it...Procol Нarum. This track is minus the fuzz guitars, instead employing the strings, piano, and effects, giving the listener some breathing room. Adam Mitchell takes the vocals back from here on out -- it's a dramatic "Yes I Know" written by Campbell, Prokop, and Mitchell, six minutes and 23 seconds of more psychedelic blues. This music would've been a blessing for the latter-day Blues Magoos and Electric Prunes, groups who moved away from these types of sounds, much to the chagrin of their fans. Without the hit singles those groups enjoyed, the Paupers' Ellis Island never got the attention it kind of deserved. It is both vintage and obscure, which could make it quite collectable at some point in time.
===

Enjoy!
WBR, Michael Baryshnikov.

--- wfido

Michael Baryshnikov написал(а) к All в Feb 21 13:35:39 по местному времени:

Нello All!

Залит Paupers/(1967)MagicPeople

Добавлен первый из двух дисков выпущенных этой канадской группой.
Стиль всё тот же - психоделик-рок с американскими корнями, напоминают Бёрдз и ММ.
Мне он показался слабее второго.

Enjoy!
WBR, Michael Baryshnikov.

--- wfido