The Wonderful Unique Sounds Of ILLES: Illesek Es Pofonok!

As promised here is more from Hungary's ILLES.
This post was possible thanks to my friend Gyula Dudas,who also provided the artwork, all the way...you guessed it...from Hungary!
This album like "Ezek A Fiatalok" doesn't really start with their strongest cut, but be patient and you'll be rewarded!
I reproduce below a review from few years ago, I couldn't agree more with it!

SWEET FLORAL ALBION
The Journal of British Psychedelia
Issue No.: 13 * Date: Xmas 2002 *

ILLES - 'Illesek Es Pofonok' (Hungary: Qualiton LP, '69)
Hey come back here! So it's from Hungary and sung in Hungarian? Give it a chance! This is the Hungarian Sgt. Pepper. Really! Put through a indigenous folk pop mincer of course, but certainly with enough skewed psychedelic surprises to satisfy the psyche. There are some songs that sound like bouncy ska/ pop adaptations of hoary old Hungarian folk tunes that I have to say, go way over my head. Mostly though, the cultural collision is at least interesting and sometimes pretty mind boggling. Two tracks in particular go for a trance like mystical far eastern vibe that sounds great, and not quite like anything else I've heard, shot through with a vaguely sitar-like instrument of presumably Hungarian origin. There's a fair bit of studio trickery, especially between the tracks and some spoken snippets that could be highly subversive acid humour digs at their communist oppressors. At least that's what I like to think, though of course because I don't understand a word, the lyrics are a blank canvas on which any meaning can be gleefully imposed. My favorite songs here are those that combine equal measures of "Hungarian-ness" with Beatlesque pop to produce music that is both interesting and pretty damn catchy. When you find yourself singing Hungarian in the shower you know something's got under your skin. The sleeve must have caused the Art Dept. at Qualiton to mutter and grumble under their breath about decadent capitalistic excesses, being a multi-coloured pop-art gatefold pop-up job. There was even an insert featuring a 'Yellow Submarine'-style rendering of the band in the same garish colours as the sleeve. As far as I can work out this should be cut out, folded origami style, made into a tube and then placed upright on the label of the record as it spins on the turntable thereby creating a low budget psychedelic movie show to accompany the music.

Tracklist
1.Újra itt van
2.Lehetett volna
3.A kugli
4.Emlékszem, esténként
5.Történet M.-ről
6.A beérkezett levelekre válaszolva
7.Keresem a szót
8.Igérd meg
9.Téged vár
10.Reklám úr
11.Oh, kisleány
12.Meleghengersor
13.Lusta vagyok
14.Két év nem sok
15.Sárika
16.Nem akarok allni
BONUS TRACKS:
17.Rockandroll Rezi
18.Makosretes

Link:
http://www.shareonall.com/ILLES_69_sqys.rar

ILLES Cool Sounds from 1960s Hungary!

Here's a band that deserves a lot more recognition, well...if you ask me!
I came across them for the first time over 10 years ago, when one of their songs ended the vinyl comp EXPLODING PLASTIC INEVITABLE #2 quite a wonderful collection of obscure groups from far away corners of the planet. On that one I also got to hear Los Vidrios Quebrados another big fave of mine. Volume One was even better...perhaps somebody has been putting these comps up, with so many blogs around!
A couple of years ago I found what I thought was the first album by ILLES and in way it is, but it turns out it's a soundtrack to a film "Ezek a fiatalok"(These Young People)that also included other artists. Some of the songs are sung by Zsuzsa Koncz but she's backed by ILLES.
Amazingly, you can now watch most of the tracks on Youtube!

I was disappointed when I first played the album, by the opening track (much better watching the clip!)and especially the second one...now I know that the second song is NOT by ILLES at all!
The album and the film came out in 1967 but it's quite possible it was all done in 1966...ILLES have the most wonderful sound, coming up with very original melodies and certainly delving into their Hungarian folklore for inspiration.
This record gets better and better,the last few tracks are great and it's certainly one that grows on you and after watching those clips I like it even more!
LISTEN TO THIS, WATCH THOSE CLIPS...and you can also get a glimpse of their best stuff that came right afterwards by watching a live appearance at a 1968 festival:

Perhaps in the future with a little help from Hungary we can post some of that.
It would be lovely to hear from somebody that knows more about this great band.


EZEK A FIATALOK
Ta-tarada-dam
Gyémánt és arany (Metro)
Szőke Anni balladája ( Zsuzsa Koncz)
Mostanában ( Sarolta Zalatnay & Metro)
Láss, ne csak nézz
Ez az a ház ( Zsuzsa Koncz & Omega)
Miszter Alkohol ( Zsuzsa Koncz)
Eljöttél
Sárga Rózsa
Fáradt vagyok (with Zsuzsa K.)
Néma szerelem (with Zsuzsa K.)
A bolond lány

Download album here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?zmzbrjbnjjj

LINK for Garage Beat In Florence...at last!

Wow...I made it!
It's so difficult to upload things with a poor connection but I think it's finally done now. Things are not always that easy down near the world's arse in Chilean Patagonia. Find it in the original post. Do leave comments! Enjoy it!!!

PSYCHEDELIC AFROBEAT!

Here's something different, a post dedicated to the mighty continent of Africa.
Mostly recorded in the late 60s and early 70s, this is MINDBENDING stuff!
A melting pot of Jazz, Soul, Funk, Psychedelia and whatever else you think is there!

Groovy sounds from Orlando Julius...while Ofo The Black Company is totally wild!

Check their "Allah Wakbarr".
A real favourite of mine is Ethiopian composer Girma Beyene...magical, unique, mesmerizing sounds!

This is another homemade comp, most of it comes from NIGERIA (by far the African country with the largest population) and there are a couple of tracks I don't really know where they're from, perhaps somebody could tell me.
If you enjoy it I might post more!
Let me know...
http://www.shareonall.com/AFRIKA_3_yofw_rar.htm

Tracklist:
1.Gasper Lawal – Awon ojise oluwa (6:23) NIGERIA
2. Bala Miller & The Great Music Pyrameeds Of Afrika – Ikon Allah(5:48) NIGERIA
3. Orlando Julius & His Afro Sounders - Alo Mi Alo (8:07) NIGERIA
4. Blo - Chant To Mother Earth (6:10) NIGERIA
5. Girma Beyene- Ene Negn Bay Manesh (4:04) ETHIOPIA
6. Ofo The Black Company - Allah Wakbarr (Love is you) (3:32) NIGERIA
7. Moussa Dombia -Keleya (10:48) ?
8. Girma Beyene - Set Alamenem (5:30) ETHIOPIA
9. Orlando Julius & His Afro Sounders - Psychedelic Afro Shop (6:11) NIGERIA
10. Honny & The Bees Band - Psychedelic Woman (4:33) GHANA
11. Ofo The Black Company - Beautiful Daddy (3:40) NIGERIA
12. Vum Vum - Muzangola (2:09) ANGOLA
13. Girma Beyene - Yebeqagnal (3:33) ETHIOPIA
14. Orchestra Regional De Kayes- Sanjna (6:01)MALI
15. Girma Beyene - Enken Yelelebesh (3:22) ETHIOPIA

The Rokes Wonderful Sike Sides

The Rokes really need no introduction (check their official site http://www.therokes.com/ and http://www.myspace.com/therokes for more info).



Well, if you are new to them...These four Brits settled in Italy as early as 1963 and lasted until 1970, releasing four albums and several 45s among the most successful and better remembered there.
Most songs were recorded in Italian (all the hits) and some were re-recorded and released for the UK and US market.



Perhaps my very favourite since I discovered it years ago on one of those great Incredible Sound Show Stories comps is "When the wind arises" originally released in Italian by I Dik-Dik.
The Rokes version is far superior adding a real psychedelic touch to it.

The aim of this post is to collect just a handful of similar psych pop gems (or call them what you like!) that are probably among the least known of the band and some of my favourites.

LEAVE COMMENTS!
1. Passing Thru Grey (unreleased 1966)
2. Hold my hand (1967)
3. I'll change my papers (1967)
4. Watch the children play (1967)
5. Ripe Apples (1968)
6. Telegram for Miss Marygold (1968)
7. When the wind arises (1968)

Download link:
http://www.mediafire.com/?wopxjlszw9w

Garage Beat in Florence (NET Recordings 1966 )

This wonderful comp came out few years ago on CD only (Beat.It, 2003) Most of these tracks might be familiar to those who like me bought the great vinyl comps "60s Italian Beat Resurrection" on Destination X in the 1990s. Check them out , together with lots more on Italian Beat on the great Caveman Beat blog.
Mind you, sound quality is greatly improved here.

All 28 of these recordings were issued as freebie seven-inchers with the Nuova Enigmistica Tascabile (NET) in order to boost sales of the crossword puzzle magazine in Florence during 1966. It proved a smart move, sales went up and bands lined up to record.




Needless to say those involved never received any royalties, but were glad for the opportunity to record. Those recordings took place at Giuliano Giunti and Roberto Gramigni's Studio Due that opened in early 1966, using an innovative two-track recorder. In order to keep the costs of production lower cheap plastic was used with just a little vinyl added therefore quality was not exactly the best ! Throughout 1966 records were made successfully until November 4th that year when the great Florentine flood destroyed Studio Due and the equipment and instruments of most of the bands and artists featured on the disc.

This is then a very important document, it's almost certain than most of this stuff would have never seen the light of day.
Giuseppe Pini (formally drummer with Noi Tre, featured here) spent ten years searching out the original 45s and infos about the bands. This is a real labour of love, really worthing picking up if you can still find copies since it comes with a glossy CD sized 40pages booklet in which the story of Net and the Florence scene is documented in detail along with the groups involved.
The booklet is in both English and Italian and has several b/w and colour pics of the groups.


The music? It 's mostly Beat, at times very basic...in a real garagey, do-it-yourself kind of way, you might even wonder what's going on with the first few tracks...
A personal favourite is 'Danny' (aka Paolo Tofani), who was an experimental recorder and multi-instrumentalist that played everything on these tracks and later became a member of I Califfi and went on to much greater fame with Area but is featured here with his earliest recordings.
To these ears he sounds ahead of the game especially on track 23 one of the six unreleased cuts on the CD.

NEW!!
Download link:
http://www.mediafire.com/?ywd41zmgz1m


Tracklist
1.Telstars - She Waits The Happiness
2. Telstars - With My Girl
3. Danny - Everything
4. Telstars - Solo Me
5. Danny - Somebody Else
6. Billy E I Cani Fedeli - Lei Ama Me
7. Danny - In The Morning
8. Spettri - Non Mi Lascerai
9. Telstars - I'm Feeling In Love
10. Spettri - Non eri per me
11. Facce Di Bronzo - È Inutile
12. Facce Di Bronzo - All Right
13. Tremendi - Where's My Baby
14. Tremendi - Together We're Strong
15. Telstars - Tu Sei Lontana
16. Spettri - Come Farei
17. Tremendi - I knew i'd get you
18. Tremendi - If you don't come around
19. Danny - We could be happy
20. Danny - That's alright
21. Noi Tre - Distruggimi
22. Noi Tre - Se tu non ci sei
23. Danny - Il tempo sopra noi
24. Fellows - Per chi non conosce la libertà
25. Fellows - La mia strada
26. Noi Tre - Un posto dove
27. Noi Tre - Non piangete io son contento
28. Noi Tre - Outside (live 1966)

tracks 1-18 originally released on NET
tracks 19-23, 28 previously unreleased
tracks 24-27 originally released on Ginco (Studio Due label)

The Planets (1967) Beat Italiano's best album?

Here's a wonderful album by a very obscure band that rather than recording a single or two actually released a full album for ARC Italy in 1967: I love it!

I first came across them thanks to the great comp of few years ago "Come I Ragazzi della Via Paal" (vinyl only, 1994) an excellent sampler of great stuff from 1960s Italy, the kind of stuff you want to hear, very hard to find and most importantly of a different kind from most other bands that were/are better known.

I know now that the guys pictured on the back sleeve of that comp are the Planets, the band moved to Rome but was originally from Taranto in the Southern region of Puglia (the heel of the boot...).


There's a great site in Italian, http://www.musicaememoria.com/ about 60s Italian Beat with lots of info but had nothing on the Planets until my inquiry about a year ago, then they managed to collect some info and it turned out that the band had a certain exposure, appearing in films....

The album start with 3 covers and tipycally with completely different lyrics in Italian often about those misunderstood long-haired youth..see if you recognise them, the rest is mostly original stuff though and there's a further cover that was included on the above mentioned comp (perhaps Mr Gibbs could do an alternative version of this last one).

The source of this post is an original vinyl, you can hear the crackles and there's even a wee jump near the end of track 7.


NEW LINK! (23 Nov 2010)
http://www.mediafire.com/?rx7ufu3sneuf6pc