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AVAILABLE!
Anopheles 010 - Todd Tamanend Clark - Nova
Psychedelia (1975-1985) 2CD
"Outside of his native Pennsylvania-West Virginia stomping grounds, Todd Tamanend Clark remains one of the least known North American underground artists in the "lost music" DIY field of his era, considering he has collaborated with and shared time with many of his peers over the years (Cheetah Chrome, Allen
Ravenstine, Stiv Bators), as well as progenitors (Dorothy Moskowitz of United States of America, Robert Moog, William Burroughs), his significant body of recorded (and printed) work was always made in small runs and has remained elusive and highly collectible to this day.
This 2CD set collects all of his released vinyl recordings from 1975-1985, including those issued as The Stars (1975 45 rpm and eight-track cartridge material), The Eyes ('New Gods: Aardvark Thru Zymurgy' LP from 1977), Todd Clark Group ('We're Not Safe!' LP from '79), and Todd Clark ('Into the Vision' LP from '84, plus two 45s released in the first half of the '80s). He has since appended his name to reflect his Native American roots. This document features a 20 page booklet, with Todd's own personal history included, with notes on each track (all 33 of
'em, total time for this set is over 150 minutes of music), and a host of great photos and artwork. His muse may remain a mystery after you experience this wide range of sounds, which might very well be Anopheles Records' most ambitious and "out there" release to date, but he leaves tangible clues and some out and out hooks with which to grab onto: great reworkings of "Hungry" (Paul Revere and the Raiders) and "I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night" (Electric Prunes), his bizarre
"slo-mo" take on "Two Thousand Light Years From Home" (from his debut 45 from '75) are some points of reference, but it's when Todd cuts loose on original material that his truly mesmerizing, bent vision takes hold of your cranium and refuses to let go. His personal magnetosphere is quite intoxicating, often challenging, and just plain hallucinatory. That's Nova
Psychedelia."
Anopheles 010 -
Todd Tamanend Clark - Nova Psychedelia (1975-1985) 2CD
$16 ppd USA, $25 ppd world. UPC# 820320009220
Song Samples from Disc 1 (60
seconds / 1 mb)
Song Samples from Disc 2 (60 seconds / 1 mb)
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AVAILABLE!
Homestead & Wolfe: Our Times - The Gold
Star Tapes (1973-75) CD Anopheles 008
Originally
released in 1975, Homestead & Wolfe's lone and unknown
privately pressed LP is an artifact so lost to time, it has
never appeared in any discography, list of rare records, or
catalog, anywhere. However, exist it does, and now their story
can be told.
Anopheles Records has sat tight lipped on this
discovery for the last year while researching and preparing this
reissue from the original master tapes and with full cooperation
of the group. Homestead & Wolfe was a folk-harmony group
based around the United Methodist Good Samaritan church in
Cupertino, CA (near San Jose). Comprised of two female lead
vocalists, one male lead vocalist, and buttressed with superb
male and female harmonies throughout, H&W performed original
material in a rich, melodic folk-rock-country style that is well
executed, as well as earnest and personal. The patriarch,
producer and lyricist of the group, Ernie Bringas, had dabbled
in the record biz as one of two founding members of the
"surf hot rod" early 1960s vocal duo, the Rip Chords,
before leaving the music business to attend seminary school. As
a Minister of Youth and master planner and motivator at Good Sam
from 1969-75, Bringas assembled and encouraged this ensemble of
counselors and students, eventually offering them an opportunity
to record an album and have a shot at "making it" as
artists. He gave them the ultimate "leg up" in the
business, producing this finely crafted recording using his old
Hollywood connections.
These 15 tracks were recorded at the legendary
Gold Star Studios in Hollywood between 1973-75. Engineered by
Stan Ross, these recordings feature top flight studio
musicianship from legendary "wrecking crew" drummer Hal Blaine, guitarist Ben Benay
(Goldenrod, Darius), acoustic guitarist Al Casey, monster bass
player Ray Pohlman, not to mention one of the world's most
renowned and respected pedal steel guitar players, Jay Dee
Maness (Buck Owens, the Byrds' Sweetheart of the Rodeo LP). The
harmonies and arrangements of H&W recall both the Mamas and
the Papas and the Carpenters at times, but much of the music
deals with darker themes: the story of Wounded Knee told in
"See The Children Die", the organ fueled psychedelia
of "Your Freedom's In Question", aimed at the Nixon
administration at the time, remains apropos today, and recalls
the work of Growing Concern, Birmingham Sunday, and Art of Lovin'.
There are plenty of surprises here, as we
located 6 unreleased tracks to augment the 9 tracks on the
original album, including the startlingly great and dynamic cut,
"Beat of the Drum", which sounds as if the Bangles
were hired to front Goldenrod for a one off single. The full
color 16 page booklet tells the story in their own words,
features images of the touring group and recording sessions at
Gold Star, and maintains the high standard of archival work
Anopheles Records is known for. Homestead & Wolfe represents
a highly unusual and strikingly original blend of unproven but
talented young vocalists, top quality session players and
engineering, and a truly rare chemistry that makes this one of
the great folk-rock discoveries of the last 10 years.
Karl Ikola
/ Anopheles Records
- Homestead & Wolfe: Our Times - The Gold
Star Tapes (1973-75) CD
- Anopheles 008, Homestead & Wolfe:
- $11 ppd USA, $22 ppd world
- genre: folk-rock-country-psych-pop
Listen to short selections of a few of the
songs (all 30 seconds and about 500 kb):
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