Wednesday, June 03, 2009

Gandalf – Gandalf (1968)


Προφανέστατα τον δίσκο έχουν άπαντες για τον απλό λόγο ότι τέτοια διαμάντια δεν ξεφεύγουν από την προσοχή των μουσικόφιλων. Ο δίσκος υπάρχει επίσης στο νετ σε πληθώρα από μπλογκς για αυτό και δεν τον ανέβαζα. Όμως ο καλός φίλος KvD μου έδωσε το ερέθισμα για να ανεβάσω ουσιαστικά τις φωτογραφίες από το βινύλιο πόστερ που κυκλοφόρησε από την radioactive. Βέβαια η αγάπη για τον δίσκο, όπως βλέπετε μου στοίχησε κάτι ακριβότερα καθώς τον προμηθεύτηκα σε κάθε μορφή του. Οι «ψωνάρες» σαν τη παρτη μου είναι καμία φορά υπερβολικοί δεν νομίζετε? Ενοχλούμε κανένα όμως?
Χαίρομαι πάντως που υπάρχουν παιδιά που ακούν και ψάχνονται και απευθύνομαι σε σένα KvD. Εσείς ευτυχώς είστε τυχεροί διότι τώρα βρίσκεται τα πάντα…εμείς ήμασταν οι καντέμηδες που γεράσαμε κιόλας.
Όσο για το δισκάκι των Wizards From Kansas, θα σου ανεβάσω την φωτό ξεχωριστά μαζί με το αρχείο σε λίγες μέρες.

Personnel:
DAVY BAUER drms A
FRANK HUBACH keyb'ds A
BOB MULLER bs A
PETE SANDO gtr A

ALBUM:
1(A) GANDALF (Capitol ST 121) 1968
NB: (1) has been counterfeited at least twice on vinyl as well as being reissued officially on CD (See For Miles SEE CD 326) in 1991. More recently it has been reissued by Sundazed on CD with new photos and liner notes by Mike Stax.

45:
1 Golden Earrings/Never Too Far (Capitol P-2400) 1968

The above-mentioned album is excellent, but unfortunately originals are rare. The opening cut Golden Earrings (a 1948 hit for Bing Crosby!) is a beautiful relaxing number which culminates in a spacey climax. The album also contains sensitive covers of Tim Hardin compositions including Hang On To A Dream, a lovely version of Nature Boy and some strange instrumentation in Can You Travel In The Dark Alone, which is easily the best of Peter Sando's two originals on the album. There's also an ethereal and delicate cover of Harry Belafonte's 1957 recording Scarlet Ribbons. The album is a superb piece of laid back pop psychedelia with some progressive influences as one might expect given the year of its release. It was produced by Koppelman and Rubin, who are best known for their production work for The Lovin' Spoonful and The Sopwith Camel.
Until recently next to nothing was known about the group apart from their line-up, but as the Gandalf album was originally issued on the "Rainbow" Capitol label, this dates it as 1968 because Capitol didn't switch to the "Light Green" label until 1969.
In fact Pete Sando tells us that Gandalf had their roots in Thunderbirds, an outfit formed by Bob Muller, which were based in Greenwood Lake, New York. They soon transformed into The Rahgoos and went on to play the bar circuit in Greenwood Lake, N.Y., the Jersey Shore, and various New York City clubs and coffee houses, such as The Phone Booth, Murray The K's World, Electric Circus and legendary Night Owl Cafe, in Greenwich Village.
They met songwriters Gary Bonner and Alan Gordon (of Magicians fame), one night at The Night Owl, who in turn introduced them to Koppelman and Rubin. Suitably impressed by The Rahgoos, and their rather unique approach, they arranged for the Columbia deal, under the new moniker Gandalf and ushered them in to Brooks Aurthur's Century Sound studios in New York.
Shortly after the album's release Gandalf guitarist Pete Sando sang on The Barracuda 45 The Dance At St. Francis, which was written and produced by Gary Bonner/Alan Gordon and charted, when it was originally released in 1969.
In the seventies and eighties, Sando played with various New York and L.A. bands, recording an unreleased album in 1981 entitled Sandcastles. He's recently finished a new singer-songwriter CD, Creatures Of Habit and co-written three tunes for a movie called "Time Served".
A CD of rare and unreleased Gandalf material is currently being thought about.....
Compilation appearances have included: Golden Earrings on Psychedelic Frequencies (CD); and Can You Travel In The Dark Alone on Rock A Delics (LP).
For more information, check Pete Sando's website: http://www.petersando.com
The See For Miles' Gandalf reissue on CD is highly recommended to fans of U.S. psych.


Tracks:
1. Golden Earrings
2. Hang On To A Dream
3. Never Too Far
4. Scarlet Ribbons
5. You Upset The Grace Of Living
6. Can You Travel In The Dark Alone
7. Nature Boy
8. Tiffany Rings
9. Me About You
10. I Watch The Moon

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Εννοείται ότι είναι από τους πιο ατμοσφαιρικούς δίσκους που μπορεί να έχει κανείς στην δισκοθήκη του ....

estilita said...

thanks, the song "hang on to a dream" is frabjous. this blog is fab!