Group 1850 ~ Netherlands ***REISSUED***

Live. Release: 1973 Orange. Recorded: 1969
Polyandri. 1974 Rubber
Live on Tour. 1976 Rubber. Recorded: 1973

***All albums reissued by Pseudonym in 2019 as part of the Purple Sky box

UMR review

Priority: 2

6/30/09 (new entry); 10/17/15; 4/19/19 (complete)

News: Group 1850's Polyandri to be reissued on LP by Pseudonym

Yea. LP. Pseudonym continues the disturbing trend of reissuing albums on LP without the CD (grumpy morning for the CDRWL Hans?). Ugh. At least throw a factory pressed CD in there similar to Twink, Isaiah, Klockwerk Orange, etc...! So like Kvartetten Som Sprangde, Resan (both on Subliminal Sounds), and Mad Curry (Wah Wah), we have another high priority album being ignored for the CD market. That should keep the pirates active at least (GREAT!). Look, if you follow the UMR, you guys all know I love LPs. I collect them to this day, and I will likely buy this just to hear what they do with the sound, and to see the liner notes. I have the original LP as well, and at this point in my life, multiple copies of one album are OK with me. But it sure would be nice to get a legit CD too (I still have the absolutely awful Twilight Tone boot that comes from a scratchy record). Maybe they will follow through with the CD at a later date. We certainly hope so.

Label advertises: "At last reissued on LP (180-GRAM AUDIOPHILE VINYL!), it's the third and final studio album from Holland's ultimate psych legends GROUP 1850! 'Polyandri' was originally issued in 1974, when psychedelic rock had already lost its momentum. That unfortunate timing must be the only reason why this is a somewhat overlooked album, because the music itself is absolutely killer! On offer is a wild fusion of psychedelia, jazz-rock and progressive space rock, at many times dominated by band leader Peter Sjardin's home-built keyboard, The Organizer. There are guest appearances from Barry Hay (Golden Earrings) on flute and well known jazz musician Hans Dulfer on sax. The LP comes with remastered sound, a heavy gatefold sleeve boasting restored artwork, rare memorabilia, pix and liner notes by Mike Stax (Ugly Things)."

News: Group 1850's Paradise Now to be reissued by Pseudonym

This one came across the wire today, and thought I'd share the news. It's not as exciting as it could have been, but it's still very welcome. I know many of you, including me, have been waiting for a high quality CD reissue of Paradise Now. I've featured this album on the UMR site, and it is without a doubt one of my all time favorite albums. I have the dodgy Free CD, as well as an original LP that I paid top dollar for, as it's a beautiful copy. I've been calling for a better CD for years, though I never put it in the CDRWL since I heard personally from the label owner that their CD was indeed legit. More info on the UMR site regarding this.

Pseudonym, after years of being dormant, has come back with a vengeance of late, reissuing dozens of albums on CD and LP. However, up until today, nothing had been new - or at least nothing that hadn't been reissued by them or someone else (evidenced by the fact this is the label's first entry into the CDRWL). It was just yesterday I noticed that Pseudonym was reissuing "Paradise Now" on LP. And even though I have the original, I am very tempted to buy this LP as a second copy. One reason is they are reissuing it as a gatefold (the original is a single sleeve), and secondly they are adding an historical essay and photos. What's obviously missing, of course, is any bonus tracks - something that Group 1850 had in spades with the "Agemo's Trip to Mother Earth" CD (both Pseudonym and Rotation versions). And now one day later after the LP notice comes the announcement that Pseudonym will reissue "Paradise Now" combined with all of "Agemo's" on one CD. What this obviously tells us is there is absolutely no bonus tracks to offer. No live material, no studio recordings, or no hidden singles that haven't already been issued. I'm OK with that - but there are still three Group 1850's that haven't been reissued ever (legit that is)! Namely "Polyandri" (1974), "Live" (1969) and "Live on Tour" (1976). So either those are tied up elsewhere, or Pseudonym has other plans for those albums. I'm hoping for the latter of course. They are planning to add an essay to the CD, presumably the same one as for the LP. I'll probably buy this CD anyway, even though I have Agemo's already on CD and LP - just because it is certain to be an improvement on the barebones Free label CD.