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VA - Nuggets From The Golden State: The Berkeley EP's 1966-1968 (1995)

Posted By: Designol
VA - Nuggets From The Golden State: The Berkeley EP's 1966-1968 (1995)

VA - Nuggets From The Golden State: The Berkeley EPs 1966-1968 (1995)
Country Joe & The Fish; Frumious Bandersnatch; Mad River; Notes From The Underground

EAC | FLAC | Tracks (Cue&Log) ~ 243 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 148 Mb | Scans included
Label: Big Beat Records / Ace Records | # CDWIKD 153 | Time: 01:01:31
Psychedelic Rock, Garage Rock, Folk Rock

Compiling the "Nuggets From The Golden State" series has been a lot of fun and a true labour of love, but right from the start there's one volume I've been itching to put together: 'The Berkeley EPs'. A compilation of four prized artefacts from the mid-1960s West Coast rock renaissance, this CD hopes to make a case for the town of Berkeley as the real birthplace of psychedelic music.People in the UK tend to view the whole of the Bay Area as just "San Francisco" whereas Berkeley, a twenty minute drive east across the Bay Bridge, is a completely separate area, both geographically and intellectually. And it shows.

The role of local heroes Country Joe And The Fish as pioneers of acid rock has always been obscured by the "Woodstock" movie and their overt politics. But one listen to Bass Strings or Section 43 recorded in 1966 for release as an extended-play on their own label, confirms the rarely acknowledged fact that the Fish were the first tangibly psychedelic rock band, along with perhaps the 13th Floor Elevators in Texas.The Fish's EP inspired other Berkeley bands, such as Mad River and Notes From The Underground, to emulate this independence of presentation and spirit. In particular, Mad River defy description as a truly idiosyncratic amalgam of jazz, folk and freaky rock. And they are, as turned-on Mr Kipling might say, "exceedingly psychedelic." Frumious Bandersnatch were from over the hill in Lafayette, but operated in the same time and space; the phrase 'legendary' has been used so many times with these guys that they deserve a place at King Arthur's Court. Interesting anecdote: Frumious bass player Ross Valory's mother Kaye - on whose ranch the band lived - had been instrumental in getting Reagan elected as Governor of California. Consequently, Ron and Nancy would pop round for a cuppa whenever they were in the area and get and earful of high volume acid rock into the bargain.On a practical level, the project was a logistical nightmare. Licensing the Fish tracks from Joe McDonald's Rag Baby Records was easy enough, as was getting the Notes' material from Chris Strachwitz of Arhoolie, who reacted to enquiries over the phone with the kind of quiet chuckle that implies that he believes the person at the other end's sanity (i.e. mine) to be severely in doubt. But Chris still had the master reel, and graciously allowed us to also use three previously unissued cuts from the same session.Unfortunately, the tape for the Mad River record had apparently vapourised in the Oakland Hills fire of 1991 (as very nearly did this writer's record collection, recently shipped over from the UK at great expense). Protracted discussions with members of the band made it was clear no-one else had a safety master, and so finally my vinyl copy of the EP was despatched over to Ace, where the boffins downstairs in Sound Mastering worked wonders getting master tape sound out of its thin grooves. Clinching the use of the Frumious Bandersnatch cuts took longer, as the tapes were in the possession of elusive guitarist Bob Winkelman. Around Christmas time of last year we finally got hold of Bob, a real sweetheart of a guy, who quickly fished out the original multi-track session tapes from beneath his voluminous family of cats.A couple of years down the line, it's great to see the disc finally out. And as a resident of Berkeley since moving to the United States, I feel quite proud.

From the U.K.-based Big Beat reissue label comes one of the most interesting entries in their "Nuggets From the Golden State" series. These recordings highlight some of the lesser-known artists that contributed to the Bay Area's mid-'60s cultural renaissance. The Berkeley EP's gather the contents of the unique extended-play releases of Country Joe & the Fish, Frumious Bandersnatch, Mad River, and Notes From the Underground. Although geography ultimately bound these four groups, their decidedly diverse styles and presentations accurately represent the extensive spectrum of pop and rock being produced in every strata of San Francisco's multifarious psychedelic music scene. The tracks featured here originally comprised the second issue/"talking edition" of Country Joe & the Fish's self-produced periodical Rag Baby. Parties interested in hearing the first and third of these releases are advised to seek out Collectors Items: The First Three EP's, which also features two contributions from Peter Krug. All three of these tunes would turn up on their debut long-player for Vanguard, albeit re-recorded and arguably less edgy than these original workings. Combining blues-based rhythms with a somewhat dated farfisa-driven instrumentation, the languidly trippy "Section 43" contrasts the presumably amphetamine-fuelled "(Thing Called) Love." Somewhere in between those seemingly incongruous extremes is "Bass Strings," with its eerie harp (read: harmonica) leads and noir lyrics. The criminally underrated Frumious Bandersnatch bridged the gap between garage punk and psychedelia on their Muggles Gramophone Works EP. With a dense sound that can be directly attributed to having no less than three guitarists performing all at once, the band only recorded a handful of tracks at the Sausalito-based Pacific High Recorders in the spring of 1968. Three of those sides were issued on their self-titled EP and are available on this release. "Hearts to Cry" is a languid rocker that churns some inspiring lead electric and bass guitar interplay. The lighter and more pop-oriented "Misty Clouds" recalls the Strawberry Alarm Clock. "Cheshire," while somewhat derivative of the slinky syncopation of Jimi Hendrix's "Foxy Lady," bristles with a guitar onslaught and subsequent wall of energy. As the track grinds and winds its way throughout some tricky tempo and key changes, the band likewise recalls the adeptness and agility of Quicksilver Messenger Service. Several members of Frumious Bandersnatch would continue to make noise in notable Bay Area bands. Bassist Ross Valory, along with the band's co-manager and guru, Herbie Herbert, would become a key player in the saga of '70s and '80s arena rockers Journey. Likewise, all five bandmembers would tour and record at some point in the '70s with another San Fran-based rock legend, Steve Miller. Unlike the other groups featured on The Berkeley EP's, Mad River actually began their existence in Yellow Springs, OH, rather than California. Their defection to Berkeley in 1967 would ultimately yield not only the three-track EP featured here, but also two long-players for Capitol: an eponymously titled debut and Paradise Bar & Grill, which were issued in 1967 and 1968, respectively. While Mad River's experimental and highly idiosyncratic sound was partially to blame for their eventual obscurity, it likewise creates some of the most interesting and sonically probing material on this compilation. Blending the freedom of bop jazz arrangements with acid-drenched rock & roll instrumentation, their music doesn't immediately overwhelm the listener. The effects are more insidious, especially on the Eastern-tinged anti-Vietnam track "Orange Fire," available only on this debut EP, unlike the other two sides, which ended up on their self-titled album. True to form, the sinuous melody creeps around before unleashing a few atomic blasts of its own. The folk-flavored Notes From the Underground issued a single four-song EP drawn from an April 1967 recording session that also bore an additional three tracks; this makes their debut release on this package. While certainly not a psychedelic band, their compact tunes and almost polished garage sound is strikingly similar to Kenny & the Kasuals or Things to Come. Although the band would release two LPs for different major labels, their eclectic styles range from saccharine pop on the Sopwith Camel-esque "Down in the Basement" to the heavier and bluesy "Let Yourself Fly," which boasts a chooglin' "Smokestack Lightning" rhythm.

Review by Lindsay Planer, Allmusic.com

A BIG thank you to Big Beat UK for releasing this compilation of 4 very rare EP's from San Fran's psychedelic underground, otherwise known as the "San Francisco Sound". If you were lucky enough to find and purchase VG+ to near mint original pressings of these EP's, God Bless You and because you have spent over $4,500 easy. Big Beat UK have done a fine job remastering these gems on CD as the sound quality is superb considering the sources. The Frumious Bandersnatch was taken from the master tapes and every song on their EP is a gem. "Hearts To Cry" is an incredible song and features some of the finest 2-way acid guitar attack to come out of the west coast during 68'. It's a crying shame this band never signed to a major label and released a full length LP. The Mad River EP is a psych masterpiece, although it was dubbed from acetate. "A Gazelle" should be played at maximum volume with the speakers facing out of the house windows! Notes from the Underground released 2 LP's after the EP and is decent late 60's rock. Country Joe and the Fish's EP is a must have. These guys basically started it all. The EP versions are a bit faster and looser than the LP versions, but nonetheless are performed with conviction and assurance that a "change is gonna come". Overall, all 4 EP's are ESSENTIAL listening for 60's music collectors and lovers alike!

Review by Jack B. Nimble, Amazon.com

VA - Nuggets From The Golden State: The Berkeley EP's 1966-1968 (1995)


Tracklist:

01. Country Joe & The Fish - Bass Strings (04:00) 1966
02. Country Joe & The Fish - Thing Called Love (02:35) 1966
03. Country Joe & The Fish - Section 43 (06:45) 1966

04. Frumious Bandersnatch - Hearts To Cry (05:05) 1968
05. Frumious Bandersnatch - Misty Cloudy (01:57) 1968
06. Frumious Bandersnatch - Cheshire (07:04) 1968

07. Mad River - A Gazelle (02:42) 1967
08. Mad River - Orange Fire (03:38) 1967
09. Mad River - Windchimes (06:57) 1967

10. Notes From The Underground - Where Does Love Go (02:44) 1967
11. Notes From The Underground - Down In The Basement (02:30) 1967
12. Notes From The Underground - What Am I Doing Here (02:18) 1967
13. Notes From The Underground - Got To Get Out Of This Dream (03:17) 1967
14. Notes From The Underground - You Don't Love Me (02:53) 1995
15. Notes From The Underground - Let Yourself Fly (03:13) 1995
16. Notes From The Underground - Where I'm At Today (03:43) 1995


Exact Audio Copy V1.3 from 2. September 2016

EAC extraction logfile from 31. October 2018, 15:04

Various Artists / Nuggets From The Golden State - The Berkeley EPs

Used drive : Optiarc DVD RW AD-7260S Adapter: 1 ID: 1

Read mode : Secure
Utilize accurate stream : Yes
Defeat audio cache : Yes
Make use of C2 pointers : No

Read offset correction : 48
Overread into Lead-In and Lead-Out : No
Fill up missing offset samples with silence : Yes
Delete leading and trailing silent blocks : No
Null samples used in CRC calculations : Yes
Used interface : Native Win32 interface for Win NT & 2000
Gap handling : Appended to previous track

Used output format : User Defined Encoder
Selected bitrate : 768 kBit/s
Quality : High
Add ID3 tag : No
Command line compressor : C:\Program Files (x86)\Exact Audio Copy\FLAC\FLAC.EXE
Additional command line options : -V -8 -T "Genre=%genre%" -T "Artist=%artist%" -T "Title=%title%" -T "Album=%albumtitle%" -T "Date=%year%" -T "Tracknumber=%tracknr%" -T "Comment=%comment%" %source%


TOC of the extracted CD

Track | Start | Length | Start sector | End sector
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1 | 0:00.32 | 4:00.53 | 32 | 18084
2 | 4:01.10 | 2:35.67 | 18085 | 29776
3 | 6:37.02 | 6:45.35 | 29777 | 60186
4 | 13:22.37 | 5:05.55 | 60187 | 83116
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14 | 51:41.20 | 2:53.25 | 232595 | 245594
15 | 54:34.45 | 3:13.17 | 245595 | 260086
16 | 57:47.62 | 3:43.10 | 260087 | 276821


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Accurately ripped (confidence 3) [79A8A6DF] (AR v2)
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Track 7

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Track 8

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Track 9

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Track 11

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Track 12

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Track 13

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Track 15

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Track 16

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All tracks accurately ripped

No errors occurred

End of status report

==== Log checksum 4AFADB39107BD95D5817B25B446FD1A0F41D64B23CB20E9971FCE7AEA5909899 ====

foobar2000 1.2 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2018-11-01 02:17:31

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Analyzed: Country Joe & The Fish / Nuggets From The Golden State - The Berkeley EPs (1-3)
Frumious Bandersnatch / Nuggets From The Golden State - The Berkeley EPs (4-6)
Mad River / Nuggets From The Golden State - The Berkeley EPs (7-9)
Notes From The Underground / Nuggets From The Golden State - The Berkeley EPs (10-16)
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
DR9 -0.03 dB -11.76 dB 4:01 01-Bass Strings
DR10 -0.03 dB -11.56 dB 2:36 02-Thing Called Love
DR10 -0.03 dB -11.59 dB 6:45 03-Section 43
DR9 -0.03 dB -10.53 dB 5:06 04-Hearts To Cry
DR8 -0.03 dB -10.07 dB 1:58 05-Misty Cloudy
DR9 -0.03 dB -10.74 dB 7:05 06-Cheshire
DR9 -0.03 dB -11.34 dB 2:43 07-A Gazelle
DR8 -0.06 dB -12.32 dB 3:39 08-Orange Fire
DR8 -0.03 dB -9.87 dB 6:58 09-Windchimes
DR11 -0.03 dB -13.12 dB 2:44 10-Where Does Love Go
DR11 -0.03 dB -13.04 dB 2:30 11-Down In The Basement
DR10 -0.03 dB -12.30 dB 2:19 12-What Am I Doing Here
DR12 -0.03 dB -14.70 dB 3:18 13-Got To Get Out Of This Dream
DR11 -1.03 dB -13.88 dB 2:53 14-You Don't Love Me
DR11 -0.03 dB -12.57 dB 3:13 15-Let Yourself Fly
DR11 -0.03 dB -12.77 dB 3:43 16-Where I'm At Today
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Number of tracks: 16
Official DR value: DR10

Samplerate: 44100 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 16
Bitrate: 418 kbps
Codec: FLAC
================================================================================

VA - Nuggets From The Golden State: The Berkeley EP's 1966-1968 (1995)

VA - Nuggets From The Golden State: The Berkeley EP's 1966-1968 (1995)

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