*** Reissued by P-Vine (Japan) September 2018 ***
I was originally going to have a 2014 Rarities Session, similar to last year's expose. But as I look at my future work schedule for the next 6 months, I don't think that's going to be a feasible project. So rather than batch them all up for daily postings, I will just pepper them in here and there as I get to hear them. This will be in parallel to the CD-R revisit project. I'll try to remember to identify which is which. I have quite a bit of new CD-R's sitting here, and we'll see how it goes. I do have a couple entries baked and ready to go. Both of these are albums I bought on LP in the last couple of months.
We'll start with Wild Havana. This title was originally sent in via CD-R from our good friend SF late last year. And then I saw he was selling the LP - so I bought it!
Perhaps not surprising given the band name of Wild Havana, an overt drug themed album cover photo, and coming from The Netherlands -- but this is one strange album for certain. Blindfold me, ask for time and place, absolutely I would have felt confident to claim it comes from the late 1970s French scene or maybe even Germany from the same time. But never Dutch. Though one could imagine this album as one of many possible directions Group 1850 could have taken after "Polyandri". The music is all instrumental, very psychedelic, loose, peaceful, and free. One caveat is the heavy use of 70s era electronic percussion that may turn off some potential listeners. I find them charming, given the historical context. Loads of synthesizer sounds, fuzz guitar, various flutes, electric piano, and acoustic guitar (this element in particular reminds me of the French artists of the day like Michel Moulinie or Christian Boule). Perhaps the only album where I've heard wah-wah electric mandolin(?!). There's a South American indigenous undertone throughout (perhaps giving the band an authentic double entendre to work with). Wild Havana finds itself somewhere in the same musical space as the two aforementioned artists, "East West" era Richard Pinhas, Orexis, and Ose. A good one, that is still quite unknown.
Priority: 3
2 comments:
Thanks Tom,
I knew this album would find a good home in your hands :)
Apparently the Smit brothers also contributed to another release under The Clear for the album Fill It In Yourself...I will have to get my hands on this one for reference eventually.
Ah - I wonder now too. Let me know if you do.
Thanks for the album SF!
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