Psych fans - Akarma burns

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To be a fan of psychedelic music is to know being burned at least once by the Akarma label. For every great reissue, there are three totally boring, mediocre hard rock records to wade through. Neil Young said "It's old but it's good," but not everything old is good. Let's make this an Akarma - Search and Destroy thread. Or just talk about being burned, spending $25 or more on a cool looking record with a skull on the cover only to have it sound like a watered down Jethro Tull. Or talk about psych reissue labels that are totally consistent (like Amber Soundroom).

I'll start. The Road LP, featuring Noel Redding, is boring as shit. This Galaxy record, however, is so fucking dumb and good I've played it three times today.

I know at least Seward can probably weigh in here.

― Gosh, Buddy!, Monday, 10 October 2005 02:21 (twenty years ago)

Oh, I'll weigh in, alright. I fuckin' LOVE the road album! But yeah, they are patchy. I'm mostly scared off by the prices though. if they were 10 bucks a pop i'd buy some private-press jethro tull rip. anyway, for now, anyone who doesn't own a copy of Red Weather by Leigh Stevens is a dead man. it is godhead if you have never heard it. akarma's pressing doesn't sound all that hot though. that's their other problem. thanks for the heavy vinyl and the music that you ripped off of your hi-fi! you are free to never buy Leigh Stevens & A Cast Of Thousands though. It's pretty dudly.

― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 10 October 2005 02:27 (twenty years ago)

The Haphash and the Coloured Coat album is the only thing from Akarma I have to my knowledge -- and it kicks butt.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 10 October 2005 02:27 (twenty years ago)

i don't know how akarma's pressing of the road album sounds, but the original on motown's natural resources label is not usually that expensive used. maybe even cheaper than the reissue. the first song on that road album kicks my ass so hard, how can you call THAT boring??

― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 10 October 2005 02:31 (twenty years ago)

I guess I have particular tastes when it comes to this kinda thing. The firts song, in particular, si what put me off. Noel Redding, where's the FIRE??

Now, that BODKIN record....holy hell.

I'm ashamed to say I'm not aware (yet) of that Leigh Stevens record, but I'm totally on the case now. Thanks Scott!

― Good Buddy, Monday, 10 October 2005 02:39 (twenty years ago)

Or talk about psych reissue labels that are totally consistent (like Amber Soundroom).

haha.

i really dig the samuel prody s/t akarma put out. kinda boogie rockish but also sorta prog, gets pretty freaked out.

ones i like:
bodkin
circus 2000
le stelle di mario schifano
steamhammer - speech
clear blue sky (i might be the only one on that)
chris harwood - nice to meet miss christine
hunger - strictly from hunger
jericho jones - junkies, monkeys and donkeys
mark fry - dreaming with alice
don robertson - dawn
the brain police - s/t
groundhogs - thank christ for the bomb

ones i didn't:
bobby brown - enlightening beam of axonda (couple of nice songs, but the charm wore off quick)
trader horne - morning way (just not my bag, really)

one thing that pisses me off about akarma is that they frequently reissue stuff that repertoire (or other labels) did but amputate all of the bonus material. like new! improved! blue cheer and the brain police album. kinda lame. anyway, always a good idea to download before you buy with them.

― el sabor de gene (yournullfame), Monday, 10 October 2005 03:36 (twenty years ago)

The Silver Metre reissue stinks. The transfer suffers from a distortion that must have been on one of the vinyl sides it was mastered from. This wouldn't have mattered so much if the material was any good. It wasn't, really.

The Toad reissue I have, however, rules. Mostly, I stay away from Akarma. Much of the things I'd be interested in, like Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, were also available on different transnational imprints.
My Jerico Jones reissue, which was excellent, was on Repertoire, and we share a love for it.

― George the Animal Steele, Monday, 10 October 2005 03:43 (twenty years ago)

Totally with ya on that 'un, too.

Also, I have MUCH love for the Tudor Lodge LP...though it doesn't quite live up to the packaging!

― God Buddy, Monday, 10 October 2005 05:14 (twenty years ago)

That second Black Widow album is kinda poop, though.

― Good Boogie, Monday, 10 October 2005 05:15 (twenty years ago)

oh and i'll second the hapshash love, though i think my copy's on get back or something.

― el sabor de gene (yournullfame), Monday, 10 October 2005 06:18 (twenty years ago)

clear blue sky (i might be the only one on that)

do a lot of people dislike this? i recently got it. it's ok. it's not the heaviest, or the weirdest, or the best songs, but there's something there. i think the drummer kinda sux, but maybe that's its charm? i'd rather listen to this than a ton of other stuff.

― Dickset! Dickset! Disckset! (jaxon), Monday, 10 October 2005 16:33 (twenty years ago)

I don't think I own any Akarma reissues but looking at the full list of what they've put out I see several things that I got much more cheaply from another label.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Monday, 10 October 2005 17:44 (twenty years ago)

ditto

― Dickset! Dickset! Disckset! (jaxon), Monday, 10 October 2005 17:46 (twenty years ago)

do a lot of people dislike this?

i seems to be despised by quite a few, yeah. sort of reminds me of budgie in places, but much less "YEAH LETS ROCK DUDES" and more UK pre-prog in sound. all three of the bandmembers were 18 when it was recorded, i'd say it's pretty damn good for that.

― el sabor de gene (yournullfame), Monday, 10 October 2005 21:36 (twenty years ago)

sort of reminds me of budgie in places

funny, i listened to Clear Blue Sky in the car on the way to the docs this morn and then walking to work i listened to Budgie

― Dickset! Dickset! Disckset! (jaxon), Monday, 10 October 2005 21:47 (twenty years ago)

GENTLEMEN & LADIES

ANONYMOUS - INSIDE THE SHADOWS
total monster
lots of guy girl harmonies like the airplane, but man, this thing STICKS.

― brock (brock), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 01:20 (twenty years ago)

Didn't they do some Patto reissues? What was up with those?

― k/l (Ken L), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 01:24 (twenty years ago)

that anonymous thing never did it for me. maybe i'll slsk it again.

forgot these ones i like:
george stavis - illuminations (the sandy bull of banjo, nice)
saturnalia - magical love (68 or so UK rock with folky vocals, male and female... think there's a vague hawkwind connection - like the girl went on to dance naked with them or something)

a couple i'm more or less indifferent to:
five day week straw people (w/john du cann of the attack & atomic rooster)
felt - s/t ('rural rock' or summat)

― el sabor de gene (yournullfame), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 02:03 (twenty years ago)

i like the five day week straw people album! it's probably too twee for you, sabor.

― scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 02:33 (twenty years ago)

ugh I hate that record

― Roger, Tuesday, 11 October 2005 02:41 (twenty years ago)

Arkarma is reissuing a ton of Vertigo records backstock. so whatever is on this thread is aplicable too
VERTIGO RECORDS

― Dickset! Dickset! Disckset! (jaxon), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 02:57 (twenty years ago)

applicable even

― Dickset! Dickset! Disckset! (jaxon), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 02:57 (twenty years ago)

Brock, you should check out the self titled Music Emporium. it's pretty similar to that Anonymous record you love. guy / girl harmonies, psych rock. i think i like it more than the Anonymous disc.

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/342/848/1600/musicemporium1.jpg

― Dickset! Dickset! Disckset! (jaxon), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 04:44 (twenty years ago)

Ken, that first Patto LP sounds pretty great. But I generally hate Akarma's packaging; those damn gatefolds are too pointlessly oversized to be filed properly. And shouldn't the advent of compact discs have liberated us forever from the tyranny of those infuriating paper inner sleeves?

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 06:33 (twenty years ago)

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