Afterglow

Not as bad as the last guy says!:
Ouch, that last review stung! Seriously, I don't see what the problem is. This is a very catchy, hummable lyte-psych offering from the magical Golden State Recorders studio circa '66-'67. These guys weren't world-beaters in the league of some of their peers, but they've got a nice, Byrds-influenced sound and guitarist George Tecumseh writes some good pop songs-- "Dream Away", "Chasing Rainbows", "Morning" and "Afternoon" come to mind right away. Also, the bass player and the cat on the Farfisa are solid musicians. In short, if your bag is overlooked groups of the 1960's, you could do far worse than Afterglow!

Are these guys from another planet? YESSS!:
Afterglow was a band from California from the mid-60's, and it is so painfully obvious. It's lyrical content, while sometimes questionable, is never too fluffy. What makes this album such a standout is it's organ. Never, I repeat, NEVER, have I heard so much organ on so many different levels. It bore a hole directly into my brain, inserted itself into my nerve cells, and gave me a "tingly" feel all over. There's that much organ. "Morning" is a killer organ-pop tune as is "Chasing Rainbows". You should hear this album at least once if you are a fan of ogan-pysch-mind numbing-taboo-faboo-mystic music; chalk up Afterglow on your "gotta have" list if any of the above apply to you.

Even the Score!:
Organs, sunshiney guitar, harmonious backup vocals. This record is so good I had to raise the score! The sound is often similar to Belle and Sebastian (I suspect they may have covered "Riding Home Again", or written a song that is an exact copy)other times it's Beatle-esque. Beautiful organ stuff going on (Farfisa?) similar to the Piper at The Gates of Dawn at times (much more bubblegummy song content though in comparison but not overall). They get spaced out on "Susie's gone" almost to a No-Wave groove 10 years too soon. It's kind of a short record, but you'll just want to listen to it again after the first time, so who cares. Anyone even looking at this casually should also check out the record label's site (where you can purchase this on vinyl LP). Sundazed Records is an amazing company dedicated to reissuing lost gems like this one. http://www.sundazed.com/

Not A Psych Classic, But It's Still Rare:
I figured what the hell, let me put my 10 cents in on this Afterglow album. Here we go. Originally released in 1968 on the MTS label, same as the better and more desirable "Armageddon" album by THE MAZE released the same year. Both albums are rare and command anywhere from $200-350 depending on condition. This album is not bad, but it's basically mediocre mid sixties garage/pop rock. Produced by Leo De Gar Kulka @ Golden State Recorders in San Francisco I believe, a recording studio that was a launching pad for dozens of young west coast groups throughout the sixties. He was behind the board for dozens of "acid rock" groups like: The Other Half, Mad River, Notes From The Underground, The Neighr'hood Childr'n, The Maze and The Love Exchange that disappeard as quick as they showed up. This album has very good sound production that retro rock groups today would kill for. All done on a four track, this recording is pretty vibrant and all instruments sound great. Here we have a teenage kid on a Vox Jaguar organ (not a Farfisa and probably could not afford a Continental). He is by NO means a Ray Manzarek, Rod Argent or a Joel Maisano, but at least he holds his own and I like the added reverb which gives it some depth. The guitar is dry (Leo always recorded with little or NO reverb) and has a nice folk rock influence that was so popular in sunny Cali. Tunes like: "Dream Away", "Susie's Gone" with it's odd psych leanings, "Chasing Rainbows" a great little pop psych tune with the Vox Jag to the fore and "Meadowland Of Love" are the best tracks. If they had a better lead singer and drummer this would have been a better listening experience in my opinion. These five teenagers were not bad, but I've heard worse.

+1/2 -- Varied lite-psych sounds of 1967:
This little known Oregon band recorded one album with Leo Kulka at San Francisco's Golden State Recorders (home of the Beau Brummels and numerous West Coast psych-rock groups), borrowing sounds from all points around the Bay Area. They dipped into San Francisco ballroom psych, sunshine harmony pop, folk rock, and even a Red Krayola-styled studio freakout. The band's vocal harmonies far outstripped their instrumental and compositional abilities, with drum fills that occasionally lag the beat, and guitar and organ that give everything a garage band edge. Their melodies were catchy, though not at the radio hook level of the parallel Autumn Records teen sound, and the psych elements weren't as heavy as contemporaneous fellow travelers. Kulka's crisp engineering and production was superb, with the multipart vocals nuanced and perfectly set atop the instruments. The bonus tracks include a variation on the freak-out "Susie's Gone," and three instrumental backings that demonstrate the band's rudimentary instrumental skills. Recorded in '67 and released the following year on MTA, this is a listenable disc -- particularly if you like the high, whiney sound of a Vox organ -- but it's not hugely memorable. 3-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. \o©2007 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com\c