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Blissing out on hash — Hippie Instrumentals

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    Blissing out on hash — Hippie Instrumentals

    I was on a Vancouver Whitecaps board the other night, and someone said "Wow, your optimism is really not grounded, more free-form. Like you've been smoking hash." In a heartbeat I was back in Notting Hill c1970-71. Back then I was stoned every-night, always on righteous hashish which seemed to appear when anyone arrived at my door. And the music was always on, and the very best thing in the world was to lie on the carpet, which must have been laid sometime in the 30s because you couldn't make out the pattern never mind the colour. I'd have a speaker about six inches from each ear and go where the music took me. Instrumentals (or extended instrumental breaks) were the best. Words didn't get in the way and the psychedelic drone became a kind of language.

    Anyway that was then, and I haven't been there for almost fifty years. But I got thinking what were my favourite instrumental tracks to ride away on back then? Here are three, all live, all pretty well known in their studio form, but these versions get to the heart of the matter:

    Section 43 — Country Joe and the Fish

    The hippiest band in the world with a recording contract (except for the 13th Floor Elevators perhaps). Performing at Monterey in the Summer of Floor. Put a frame around it.


    Embryonic Journey — Jefferson Airplane

    Jorma Kaukonen performs this short acoustic piece at the induction of the band into the R&R Hall of Fame in 1996. Not typical but quality, wouldn't have been out of place in English folk clubs of the time.


    Jessica — The Allman Brothers

    An early live and long version. It's a tad slower than the the record (to my ears) and the guitars a little crisper, not sure about Butch's drums mid-way, but otherwise I could lose myself in this until tomorrow morning.

    #2
    https://youtu.be/JOKn33-q4Ao

    Maggot Brain, Funkadelic. What Ponderous Pink Floyd might have been. The live version from 71 is even better, with drum and bass audible and playing off and grounding the solo in a way that would make Nick Mason lose his moustache. There was never any hope for Waters.
    Last edited by Lang Spoon; 25-10-2017, 21:12.

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      #3
      How come I've never heard that before? It's downright amazing.

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        #4
        Here's another, though it's slightly out of my timeframe:

        Miss Sagitt — BLO

        Nigerian psychedelia, criminally overlooked by most of us for years.

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          #5
          Originally posted by Amor de Cosmos View Post
          How come I've never heard that before? It's downright amazing.
          The second and third Funkadelic albums (Free your mind.. and Maggot Brain) are in some ways even better than the later P-Funk stuff with Bootsy and the rest. In some ways. But for the mix of psychedelia and funk, maybe only the Band of Gypsys ran early Funkadelic close. A different planet beyond pop to pre coked out Sly. Sometimes the grooves just reek of lysergic. Get a metallic taste in the mouth just following Bernie Worrell’s fugueing on the keyboards. Some of the wah wah on Free Your Mind..., I’d say maybe the Stooges were getting their cues from Eddie Hazel more than vice versa, but Funhouse is another Detroit album of the time where the riffing and spazzed out jamming sounds a bit similar. Without the mad chops, obvs.
          Last edited by Lang Spoon; 26-10-2017, 17:23.

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            #6
            Originally posted by Amor de Cosmos View Post
            A song forever tainted by its association with Jeremy Clarkson.

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              #7
              I was more of a lie on the floor and let a whole album wash over me person, so picking out individual tracks - especially instrumental ones - is hard. Some stand outs would be Bass Strings off Country Joe and the Fish's Electric Music for the Mind and Body, and much of Volunteers (and Surrealistic Pillow) by Jefferson Airplane. One album that was a particular favourite was David Crosby's If Only I Could Remember My Name, which was one of those to listen to towards the end of the evening sort of coming down. But in order to fit in with the OP here is its instrumental number Tamalpais High (at about 3). It was only much later in life that I found myself on Mount Tamalpais, and made the connection

              Just now relistening to the whole album and it still stands up. Another instrumental, obviously, is "Song With No Words (Tree With No Leaves)"
              Last edited by ad hoc; 26-10-2017, 07:40.

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                #8
                While we're on hippy music. Jefferson Airplane's Triad. Talk about public sexual/relationship openness. Makes Fleetwood Mac look like amateurs.

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                  #9
                  Jesus, someone had better bring a copy of Autobahn to the next OTF bake-out.

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                    #10
                    I like to play Sister Ray now and again, but it would be some stretch to describe the VU as hippies. By all accounts the hippies hated them.

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                      #11
                      If we are stretching to noisy solos, Mother Sky by Can. I really love the piano flute and guitar coda on side 2 of Autobahn.

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                        #12
                        More acid that weed, (and it has some talking, but not much) Voyage 34 by Porcupine Tree used to be one of our flake out weapons of choice.
                        Also most things by The Irresistible Force or FSOL and Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works were a cracking listen.

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                          #13
                          Originally posted by Lang Spoon View Post
                          https://youtu.be/JOKn33-q4Ao

                          Maggot Brain, Funkadelic. What Ponderous Pink Floyd might have been. The live version from 71 is even better, with drum and bass audible and playing off and grounding the solo in a way that would make Nick Mason lose his moustache. There was never any hope for Waters.
                          I saw Clinton do that at the Funk and Soul Weekender a few months ago (not sure who the guitarist was, but he was old skool, early member). It was the first time I'd heard it, and I'll never forget it.

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                            #14
                            Originally posted by ad hoc View Post
                            While we're on hippy music. Jefferson Airplane's Triad. Talk about public sexual/relationship openness. Makes Fleetwood Mac look like amateurs.
                            It's a David Crosby song. I'm not sure if he had other Byrds in mind when he wrote it.

                            As for the thread... Does Terry Riley's A Rainbow In Curved Air fit the premise? He's a composer rather than a hippie freakout fellow but it has the feel and is of the era.

                            Tangerine Dream up to Rubycon.

                            Tonto's Expanding Head Band

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                              #15
                              Does Tubular Bells count?

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                                #16
                                Originally posted by Stumpy Pepys View Post
                                Does Tubular Bells count?
                                Aside from him saying the instruments names, I would say yes. I like it, anyway. Not sure I would listen to it tripping.

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                                  #17
                                  Oh, the 40 minute Blue Room single from The Orb. The Wobble bass line is some fantastic bit of dub

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                                    #18
                                    Originally posted by Lang Spoon View Post
                                    https://youtu.be/JOKn33-q4Ao



                                    Maggot Brain, Funkadelic. What Ponderous Pink Floyd might have been.
                                    I’ve generally no time for that sort of thing (my music taste is stuck at “can ya bounce to it?”) but I’d idly clicked on the link.

                                    Fucking hell. That’s astonishing. Amazing. Blimey.

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                                      #19
                                      And the good news Snake is that at least 80% of Parliament/Funkadelic tracks are all about getting up on the down stroke, shaking that loose booty all round the room.

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                                        #20
                                        Story goes that George Clinton got that amazing wailing guitar feel on Maggot Brain by telling Eddie Hazel his Maw had died before they recorded the solo (They recorded the album tripping balls).
                                        Last edited by Lang Spoon; 26-10-2017, 18:34.

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                                          #21
                                          Contusion by Stevie Wonder just fits the timeframe (1976)

                                          The Beach Boys did something called Diamond Head which is somewhat stoned, and the unfinished Smile had some acid-soaked instrumentals.

                                          Nick Drake's instrumentals on Bryter Layter.

                                          Albatross by Fleetwood Mac; Soul Limbo obviously

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                                            #22
                                            MIles Davis, from In A Silent Way through to the mid-70s, and offshoots like Lonnie Liston Smith would be worth checking out, as would early Jamaican dub. Macka Fat by Jackie Mattoo is a personal favourite.

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                                              #23
                                              T Plays it Cool - Marvin Gaye

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                                                #24
                                                I absolutely love this from 1966: "A Touch Of Velvet - A Sting of Brass" by The Mood-Mosaic. Makes me happy whenever I hear it.

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                                                  #25
                                                  Originally posted by ad hoc View Post
                                                  I was more of a lie on the floor and let a whole album wash over me person, so picking out individual tracks - especially instrumental ones - is hard.
                                                  I totally get that. I more or less did the same. But tracks with extended instrumentality were particular favourites as words just broke the mood-groove. Long instrumental sections were just fine too. The extended album cut of Magic Carpet Ride was great, as was the full version of The Chambers Brothers Time Has Come Today.

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