The Birth of Progressive Rock Music: 1967

      1967     

January - THE FREE SPIRITS Out of Sight and Sound A band with an international lineup who all met and coalesced in New York City for a brief period in 1966 and 1967. The common goal, or glue, that brought and held them together was a shared vision that they could create a kind of music that was unlike any other--something "years ahead of its time"--which turned out to be a more jazzified blues-rock music. This album is often touted as one of the very first to meld jazz and rock into what would become known as "jazz rock"--a genre that guitarist Larry Coryell would take even further into the founding of a sub-genre of progressive rock music known as "Jazz-Rock Fusion."  

Line-up / Musicians:
- Larry Coryell / lead guitar, sitar (2), vocals
- Columbus "Chip" Baker / rhythm guitar, vocals
- Jim Pepper / tenor saxophone, flute
- Chris Hills / bass
- Bobby Moses / drums

Out of Sight and Sound is the one and only studio album this quintet ever put out: they HATED it. To really hear the kind of music the boys were trying to create catch the "Live at the Scene 1967" album that Sunbeam Records issued 40+ years after the band broke up. It was recorded live in concert on February 22, 1967--not long after Out of Sight and Sound was released but only weeks before the two guitarists left the band. 

January 4 - THE DOORS The Doors An album (and band) that needs no introduction. The song seven-minute song "Light My Fire" alone helped to create a whole new sound and approach to rock music--one that would lead to the birth of "Progressive Rock" music. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Jim Morrison / vocals
- Ray Manzarek / Vox Continental organ, piano, keyboard bass, Marxophone (5)
- Robby Krieger / guitar, bass overdubs (2,7)
- John Densmore / drums

1. Break On Through (to the Other Side) (2:30)
2. Soul Kitchen (3:35)
3. Crystal Ship (2:34)
4. Twentieth Century Fox (2:33)
5. Alabama Song (Whisky Bar) (3:20)
6. Light My Fire (7:08)
7. Back Door Man (3:34)
8. I Looked at You (2:22)
9. End of the Night (2:52)
10. Take It as It Comes (2:17)
11. The End (11:43)

Total Time 44:28

I became aware of this album due of my brother's playing it a lot in the early 70s and, but it was the event of becoming aware that the song "Light My Fire"--which received, in both its Doors and José Feliciano forms, near-incessant play on the AM radio stations and even television during the late Sixties--had yet another form other than the one I knew. (For a while I was more enamored of guitarist José Feliciano's versions of this song as I found his live performances on television shows in the late 60s quite mesmerizing--even inspiring me to pick up a guitar!) As I began to discover the phenomenon known as WABX--a local (Detroit) radio station that changed format to that of rock and local garage band "album-oriented radio" in 1969--I began to become aware of the fact that radio-friendly "singles" (or, as I called them, "45s") could often be different than the versions of a song as heard on its album form. When I heard the seven-minute "the album version" or "original version" of "Light My Fire"--with its Vox Continental organ solo filling up the entire third minute and more and the massive 2:15 guitar solo from Robbie Krieger during that expansive instrumental passage--I couldn't have been more stunned. This news of the existence of "radio edits" and "album versions" opened a whole new world to me: that is, the world of the album. Though I continued to collect 45s for a couple more years, I was now open to exploring the massive world of the album--of recognizing a band (and producer)'s stylistic diversity, the phenomenon of "filler" songs pulled together quickly in order to issue an album in order to take advantage of the "wave" of popularity created by the radio hits in order to increase record company sales (and, thereby, make their investment in a band feasible and profitable).

     To this day "Light My Fire" remains a favorite song of mine--no matter what the version--though not much of the rest of the Doors discography ever caught my favor ("Riders on the Storm" being the only other exception). Even numerous "best of" albums, Ray Manzarek's "Carmina Burana," or the Val Kilmer film did nothing to raise them or their music in my esteem. The band's debut album was, however, I have to admit, something that is still quite impressive and praiseworthy--especially when put into perspective of all that was going on at the time--all that had come before and all that was to follow.

January - DON ELLIS ORCHESTRA 'Live' at Monterey!

"Concerto for Trumpet" was recorded at the Pacific Jazz Festival, 10/8/66, the rest of the selections are from the Monterey Jazz Festival, 9/18/66. Along with the concert and teaching performances of Ali Akbar Khan, Ravi Shankar, Babatunde Olatunji, and Hugh Masakela, this was one of the most impactful live performances in the exposure and exchange of East-West musical traditions--even prompting a sudden burst of "Where is Don Ellis?" bumper stickers appearing across the country. 

Line-up / Musicians:
Don Ellis / quarter-tone trumpet

Side A:
1. "33 222 1 222" (9:50)
2. "Concerto for Trumpet" (11:50)
Side B:
1. "Passacaglia and Fugue" (Hank Levy) (6:20)
2. "New Nine" (11:18)

On 1988 CD Reissue:
1. Introduction By Jimmy Lyons (1:18)
2. 33 222 1 222 (9:51)
3. Passacaglia And Fugue (6:13)
4. Crete Idea (6:14)
5. Concerto For Trumpet (11:48)
6. 27/16 (6:01)
7. Beat Me Daddy, 7 To The Bar (8:24)
8. New Nine (11:18)

An amazingly intimate and accessible recording of this genre-bending modern big band ensemble on a large stage at a large outdoor concert in 1966--an event at which Don educated his audience on the elements of  the with notable ease and "off-the-wall" humor. The performances captured here on this recording--and the expanded one from the issue of the CD in1988--present a fusion of jazz, bossa nova, classical, American folk musics as well as those of other non-Western cultures. Several writers I've come across cite this performance--the Don Ellis Orchestra performance at the 1966 Monterey Jazz Festival--as one that blew people away, and inspired many, many musician-performers into wildly radical changes to their approaches to music and performance. It is considered the event that launched Don into national consciousness--and pr.

     Reputedly, Don Ellis never wrote or played a song in straight time (4/4) and this is certainly true for this concert. At Monterey, Ellis was expressing his 15-year enchantment-now-obsession with breaking free from the confines of conventional symmetry in music (4/4 time), which had resulted in recent graduate studies in ethnomusicology at UCLA. There he had fallen in love with Eastern musics, particularly Indian (as well as Turkish): its mind-expanding differences from Western traditions--like its meters and scales. Thus, his previous (and concurrent) work with his own Hindustani Jazz Sextet, an experimental East-meets-West combo created with Harihar Rao, his professor and friend at UCLA (who was himself a disciple of Ravi Shankar), as well as his infatuation with his quarter tone trumpet (developed by Turkish friend Arif Mardin and heard in this concert and a lot more on the three studio albums his Orchestra would record over the next two years) was paying great dividends. 

    Part of the meteoric phenomenon that occurred with this concert performance was due to the Orchestra's ability to play incredibly complex, multi-layered music in such strange/odd/difficult time signatures and yet make it listenable, accessible, even danceable, as well as enjoyable to the average audience member (and, later, listener)--and this when big band music was in a twilight period. 

     In my own journey to become familiar with this album I have, from the beginning, been intensely aware of the rhythm section: three bassists, three drummers, as well as a handful of percussionists, all playing on stage, at the same time! During the performances one cannot help but marvel and how impressively tight and breathtakingly skilled they are. One of these drummers was a very young Ralph Humphrey, (read "Ralph Humphrey--The Legend of Odd Meters" in DRUM! magazine or any of the myriad tributes eulogizing him after he death in April of 2023). Ralph later became a mainstay of Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention lineup, but he also become well known (and in great demand) as a studio musician--performing on many of America's great pop and jazz records of the 1970s and 1980s. His longest and most active association, however, was with Frank Zappa--a band leader whose exacting (and sometimes cruel and almost unrealistic) demands of his musicians is beyond legendary.

     Another drummer, also very young (he was in high school when Don hired him), was Steve Bohannon. Steve has received mention from several writers/critics with respect to his short-lived legacy as a fearless (Steve would say "naïve") musician despite his few years on the planet. (He died in an automobile accident in October of 1968 at age 21--which would have made him 19 at the time of this concert). Even Don himself gives credit to Steve for being perhaps the greatest inspiration and motivator for him to commit to and persevere with the Orchestra's big band format--"the foundation of [our] rhythm section." Drummers/percussionists Ron Pollock and Alan Estes were also straight out of high school. This was a young, eager, naïve, and eminently teachable group of musicians--which probably also helped gain the Orchestra some sympathy from the high percentage of youth in the Festival audience.

     On 'Live' at Monterey we are treated to some very clear recordings of these drummers' exceptional prowesses. Apparently it was this performance and recording that propelled Ellis into the world's view. For the next thirteen years his music, recordings, performances, and books would stir controversy in the jazz and music world. What continues to amaze me about this album is how well it has preserved the passion and energy of the performances of that day--and how much I enjoy all of the songs and the light-heartedness of the performances.

     I know that heart issues would lead to Don's backing away from concert performing and even studio work in the 1970s (as well as to his sad and inopportune death in 1978), but one can't help but wonder what kind of effect the loss (and death) of such a shining star as Steve Bohannon might have had on his enthusiasm for these complex type of kind of musics he had been creating and performing.

A five star masterpiece of progressive music from a VERY serious envelope-pusher. This album is a treasure that we are very lucky to have.

February 1 - JEFFERSON AIRPLANE Surrealistic Pillow Many people having explored this album due to the presence of the two iconic Grace Slick-led performances of "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit"--two songs that happened to have been brought to the Airplane by Ms. Slick from her now disbanded former band, The Great Society. On January 14, the band's new lineup performed at Bill Graham's now-iconic "Human Be-in," an all-day "happening" in Golden Gate Park alongside the Grateful Dead and Quicksilver. After this hugely successful event, an album was in demand--for which Dead leader Jerry Garcia championed and even provided "background production" talents--which the band gratefully acknowledged with their "spiritual guru" credit on the album's liner notes. 

     Recorded and produced in 13 days, the album was released in February. It's single releases,, the first, former drummer Skip Spence's "My Best Friend," failed miserably before "Somebody to Love" (with "She Has Funny Cars" as its B-side) and "White Rabbit" ("Plastic Fantastic Lover") sky-rocketed up the charts. Radio play and influential television performances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Ed Sullivan Show, and The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour prompted a meteoric rise in public awareness. Their new type of unapologetic electronic psychedelic rock 'n' roll defied all trends in that it felt comforting and even romantic--bridging a gulf that no band before had been able to so successfully and ably reconcile.

     In June the band was asked to help headline the Monterey International Pop Festival being billed for the headliner spot of Saturday night. Though the festival was greeted with mixed reviews, many critics and audience members recognized the contrast between the "old" artists and their kind of music--which was "on their way out"--and the new artists--the "future"--of which the performance of the Airplane--and especially the mesmerizing (some called it "possessed") presence and performance of Ms. Slick.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Marty Balin / vocals, guitar
- Grace Slick / vocals, piano, organ, recorder
- Jorma Kaukonen / lead & rhythm guitars, vocals
- Paul Kantner / guitar, vocals
- Jack Casady / bass, fuzz bass, rhythm guitar
- Spencer Dryden / drums & percussion
With:
- Jerry Garcia / musical & spiritual adviser

1. She Has Funny Cars (3:13)
2. Somebody to Love (2:57)
3. My Best Friend (3:03)
4. Today (3:00)
5. Comin' Back to Me (5:24)
6. 3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds (3:45)
7. D.C.B.A.-25 (2:40)
8. How Do You Feel (3:35)
9. Embryonic Journey (1:52)
10. White Rabbit (2:32)
11. Plastic Fantastic Lover (3:44)

Total Time 35:45

The band's next album, After Bathing at Baxters is the Airplane's true announcement that they were knocking on the door of all that would become "progressive rock" music.

February - Reprise Records releases THE WEST COAST POP EXPERIMENTAL BAND Part One, oil tycoon Bob Markley's second attempt at fame under this band name after the previous year's Volume One. The album is eminently enjoyable, containing examples of the new and upcoming sound and engineering effects used in the psychedelic world--many of which will become staples and jumping off points to the new "progressive" artists. it also contains covers of songs by innovative artists like Frank Zappa, P.F. Sloan, Van Dyke Parks, Baker Knight, and Bob Johnston as well as a few songs using baroque instruments.

April - Reprise Records releases the ELECTRIC PRUNES's self-titled debut album, The Electric Prunes. While the album is known more for its contribution to the formation and development of the psychedelic rock movement, the clever, mystical lyrics and constant experimental and near-excessive use of effects on the instruments (flange and wah-wah pedal, a Vox organ) and other tracks engineering (reverbs on vocals and even drums) marks a bold commitment to a new type of sound--one that will become essential to and a mainstay of the sound of the progressive rock music that is to come. I can definitely understand why several critics have placed this album on their lists of "100 albums to hear before you die": it is an excellent and highly entertaining listen from start to finish--and though dated, the songs hold up remarkably well over these 55 years later.

May 12 - MCA Records releases THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE's first album, Are You Experienced? Loaded with electric blues-rock music with both an aggressiveness and technically mind-blowing musicianship not heard (or seen) before, Jimmy's relocation to London in September of 1966 and quick meeting and rapport with future collaborators Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell began paying off quickly with huge word-of-mouth demand for their dynamic live performances. Manager/producer Chas Chandler was equally quick to try to harness the trio's magical energy into the form of an album--creating a phenomenon that literally shook the ground upon which all previous rock 'n' rollers had formerly stood. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Jimi Hendrix / guitar, vocals, piano (?)
- Noel Redding / bass, backing vocals (1,8 and "Purple Haze")
- Mitch Mitchell / drums, backing vocals (6 and "Stone Free")
With:
- The Breakaways / backing vocals ("Hey Joe")
- Chas Chandler / Voice (9-uncredited), producer

1. Foxy Lady (3:22)
2. Manic Depression (3:46)
3. Red House (3:53)
4. Can You See Me (2:35)
5. Love or Confusion (3:17)
6. I Don't Live Today (3:58)
7. May This Be Love (3:14)
8. Fire (2:47)
9. 3rd Stone from the Sun (6:50)
10. Remember (2:53)
11. Are You Experienced? (4:17)

Total Time 40:52

Though fully-entrenched in blues-rock traditions, the amplified and distorted play of the three dynamic musicians quickly resounded across the globe--promoting a huge increase in the number of musicians moving into the world of electronic instruments and heavy rock 'n' roll.

May - THE ZODIAC Cosmic Sounds Twelve songs, one for each of the signs of the Zodiac, each paired with a second title. I don't know how appropriate or well-matched each song's subtitle and subtext is to actual information with regards to how to use/read the signs of the zodiac, but then, hearing the words and deriving meaning from song lyrics are not my strengths (or, for that matter, interests). It is the ambiance--the climate and atmosphere of this album's music that singles it out for proto-prog consideration--that and the sincere theatricity of the narrator's delivery. The album is also notable for the presence/participation of Los Angeles' "Wrecking Crew"--the same group of incredibly versatile studio musicians that provided the music for so many of Phil Spector's hits in the early 1960s with their "Wall of Sound" and, later, for an unimaginably diverse list of bands and albums, including Jan and Dean, Sonny & Cher, The Mamas and the Papas, the 5th Dimension, Frank Sinatra, Nancy Sinatra, the Byrds, the Monkees, Ricky Nelson, Ike & Tina Turner, Johnny Rivers, and the Beach Boys.

     When I listen to the music on this album I find myself reminded of the music that will come from bands like LOVE, the Grass Roots, Spanky & Our Gang, Mason Williams, "MacArthur Park," BRAINTICKET, and even MIKE OLDFIELD.  

Line-up / Musicians:
- Mort Garson / composer, arranger, conductor
- Cyrus Faryar / narration
- Paul Beaver / Moog, electronic instruments
- Mike Melvoin / keyboards
- Bud Shank / bass flute
- Carol Kaye / bass guitar
- Hal Blaine / drums
- Emil Richards / percussion

1. Aries - The Fire-Fighter (3:17)
2. Taurus - The Voluptuary (3:38)
3. Gemini - The Cool Eye (2:50)
4. Cancer - The Moon Child (3:27)
5. Leo - The Lord Of Lights (2:30)
6. Virgo - The Perpetual Perfectionist (3:05)
7. Libra - The Flower Child (3:28)
8. Scorpio - The Passionate Hero (2:51)
9. Sagittarius - The Versatile Daredevil (2:06)
10. Capricorn - The Uncapricious Climber (3:30)
11. Aquarius - The Lover Of Life (3:45)
12. Pisces - The Peace Piper (3:19)

Total Time 38:25

May 26 - Verve Records releases Frank Zappa's THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION 

Absolutely Free. Much like their Freak Out! debut from the year before, Absolutely Free is a display of complex music fully supporting Frank's political and social satire. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Frank Zappa / guitar, vocals, conductor, arranger & co-producer
- Ray Collins / vocals, tambourine
- Roy Estrada / bass, vocals
- Don Preston / keyboards
- Jim Fielder / guitar, piano
- Bunk Gardner / saxophone
- Jim Black / drums, vocals
- Bill Mundi / drums, percussion
With:
- Suzy Creamcheese (Lisa Cohen) / vocals (14)
- John Balkin / bass (6,10)
- Jim Getzoff / violin (14)
- Marshall Sosson / violin (14)
- Alvin Dinkin / viola (14)
- Armand Kaproff / cello (14)
- Don Ellis / trumpet (14)
- John Rotella / contrabass clarinet (14)
- Herb Cohen / cash register machine sounds (15)
- Terry Gilliam, girlfriend and others / voices (15)

- Absolutely Free (19:34) a seven-part ode to prunes:
1. "Plastic People" (3:40) a great start that let's you know straight off what the band's intentions are: Humorous satire! (8.75/10)
2. "The Duke Of Prunes" (2:12) so this is where The Soft Machine extracted the "Moon in June" phrase! And mock-opera/show tune fare. Todd Rundgren got the idea for his tongue-in-cheek operatic vocals on his early albums and "Freak Parade." An excellent song. (5/5)

3. "Amnesia Vivace" (1:01) quite possibly where Todd Rundgren got the idea for his tongue-in-cheek operatic vocals on his early albums and "Freak Parade." (4.5/5)
4. "The Duke Regains His Chops" (1:45) I love the pseudo-Broadway finish. (4.375/5)
5. "Call Any Vegetable" (2:19) some great performances despite the heavy satire. (4.375/5)
6. "Invocation & Ritual Dance Of The Young Pumpkin" (6:57) a mostly instrumental slash of Dick Dale/Surfer music and Roger McGuinn's famous 12-string guitar slash-fest in The Byrds' "Eight Miles High." The tight rhythm section keeps it together as guitarists Frank Zappa and Jim Felder and soprano saxophonist Bunk Gardner slash away on their respective instruments (Gardner's a tongue-in-cheek parody of  John Coltrane??). Don Preston's keys are somewhere down in the mix--probably hidden beneath Ray Collins' tambourine. Nice jam. (13/15)
7. "Soft-Sell Conclusion & Ending Of Side #1 (1:40) the multi-style conclusion to the Vegetable Medley. (4.3333/5)
- The M.O.I. American Pageant (18:35) more parodies on American social and political events and themes:
8. "America Drinks" (1:52) (4.25/5)
9. "Status Back Baby" (2:52) impressive guitar solo in the second minute--and a great finish--to an otherwise quoditian song. (8.66667/10)
10. "Uncle Bernie's Farm" (2:09) funny vocal and lyric with masterfully-performed music to match. Great choral "bar room" vocals. (4.5/5)
11. "Son Of Suzy Creamcheese" (1:33) the encore return of Suzy Creamcheeze! Great construct--demanding very tight performances from all--now usurping the "Louie, Louie" melody. (4.5/5)
12. "Brown Shoes Don't Make It" (7:26) more theatric cabaret for satiric social commentary. A veritable multi-part suite in and of itself. So many themes, so many motifs, so many quips. (13.25/15)
13. "America Drinks & Goes Home" (2:43) Frank's satirical "tribute" on the intoxicating and intoxicated world of the lounge scene. Amazing. Not the most progressive musically but an excellent indictment of a world that deserves the same criticism to this day. (9.25/10)

Total time 38:09

Though progressive rock music in general does not conform to the trail of socio-political satire as blazed by Frank's Mothers, the complex theatric entanglement of multiple themes within the framework of single songs and suites will become quite de rigueur.  

88.75 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; an excellent album in the same satirical vein as Freak Out!--fodder for the formation and development of early progressive rock. Not sure I'm ready to welcome this album as something deserving of a true "progressive rock" label, but be assured: the seeds have been sown.

June 1 - Parlophone releases THE BEATLES' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

The Sgt. Pepper experience--innovative, fresh, cerebral music PLUS amazingly entertaining/engrossing packaging--is, to me, the real leap into all that made progressive rock what we know and love today: Intelligent song-writing with intricately constructed and performed songs that used a lot of new recording techniques and effects plus an amazing album cover WITH THE PRINTED LYRICS! We don't have the epic, non-radio-edit length songs but all of the songs virtually bleed into one another, which must count for something. Plus, the development of psychedelia is in full force on this one!

     Though this is not my favorite Beatles album (that one goes to Magical Mystery Tour for some personal reasons), it is one that I will play to this day from time to time. It takes one on quite a ride--another thing a good prog album should do. This one I do think is essential for a true collection of progressive rock music. This is one of the timeless masterpieces that helped get the ball moving! "A Day in the Life" is one of the greatest, freakiest psychedelia songs ever. Too bad it wasn't written by Quantum Fantay--it would've gone on for an euphoric 20 minutes!

June 2 - VANILLA FUDGE Vanilla Fudge Though a poor example of proto-prog--especially since all of the songs used were covers of other previously-successful songs--the psychedelic sound palettes created throughout the album offer a great example of the direction that electric instrumentation was heading--creating soundscapes that would be familiar to the nascent Prog World for the next five or six years. Also, a majority of listeners seem to agree that many if not all of these songs here are better than their original versions. 

August 5 - EMI Columbia Records releases PINK FLOYD's The Piper at the Gates of Dawn

The album represents Floyd's only full album with member and, at the time, leader Syd Barrett's full presence and participation. The album is well known for its wildly inventive treatment of tracks and sound--some of which sounds a bit embarrassing for the immature and underdeveloped technology (and knowledge) available at the time of its creation.

     Personally, I've never been able to connect with any of the music from this first Pink Floyd music much less the two highly-acclaimed Syd Barrett albums--perhaps its due to my inability to "hear," comprehend, or connect with the words/lyrics/messages. In fact, if I'm being completely honest I've never been able to enjoy any of Pink Floyd's post-Syd Barrett music or live performances before 1973's Dark Side of the Moon except maybe for "One of These Days," "Echoes" and "Embryo." A Saucerful of Secrets is a favorite.

September 1, 1967 - Deram Records releases  PROCOL HARUM Procol Harum. How can one not include the album that spawned "A Whiter Shade of Pale" and "Conquistador" much less the iconic (to prog rockers) "Cerdes (Outside the Gate of)" and "Kaleidoscope/Salad Days (Are Here Again)"? Despite Deram's mother company, Decca, having the expressed intention of using Deram's studios to record and release fully stereophonic albums, Procol Harum was released as a mono (in the UK) and stereo-rechanneled vinyl album in the US. The dominant force of Matthew Fisher's organ influenced many soon-to-be prog rock keyboard artists. 

September 18 - After a contentious period with their record label, Capitol, the Wilson brothers' own Brother Records co-releases The BEACH BOYS' Smiley Smile, a simpler, mellowed-down alternative to the unfinished and never-published Smile. The studio work for Smile had gone on for over six months with no satisfaction and great frustration, so Brian took his brothers into his own in-home basement studio to perform and engineer all of the minimally-constructed segments which were then cut-and-pasted/macro-spliced into "finished" songs by Brian and his brothers, eschewing all sessions musicians and collaborating on the engineering and production as a unit. The album also presents as the first album to house the previous year's mega-hit, "Good Vibrations," which was also engineered using the same sut-and-paste splicing techniques as the rest of the album.

Late September - Impulse! Records releases JOHN COLTRANE's final studio album, called Expression. Recorded in two sessions, February 15 and March 7, the album comes out just over a month after the jazz pioneer's unfortunate July 17 death at the age of 40 from liver cancer. Expression is the last studio album that John personally participated in as it was being developed for publication.

     Within Expression's four tracks there is contained a variety of musical styles. The opening song, "Ogunde," is surprisingly brief at three and a half minutes whereas its live versions (best heard on the The Olatunji Concert: The Last Live Recording) were often 10- to 20-minute sprawling jams. Here it almost sounds like an overture yet it may, in fact, be intended as a finale. (Despite his "sudden" and "shocking" death, John supposedly knew--or at least had a presentament that he was going to die soon.) 

     The song that follows, the 16-minute "To Be," imparts a peaceful and meditative-like spell on the listener--making one feel as if John may in fact have been fully aware of his demise and impending death. This also happens to be the only recording we have on which John played flute (and Pharoah Sanders piccolo). I love the beautiful and gentle support of wife Alice's gentle piano chord play beneath her husband's poignant panegyric: to me, it sounds like something pretty close to unconditional love.

     The third song, the eight-minute contemplative improvisation titled "Offering," opens with a kind of reprise of the iconic opening melody of A Love Supreme's opening movement, "Acknowldegment." After that, John's playing feels more expressive of something more current: he feels quite present, grounded in the here-and-now, and yet his continuous play is transcendent like a solo bird playing on the wind currents, rising and gliding, as if celebrating life, freedom, and the ennervating power of Existence, the Sun, and God. 

     The album's final piece, the title song, is a bit more fully expressive of the wide spectrum of human emotion. Expressed, by John, with a relaxed maturity and detachment that seems totally accepting and resigned to Fate, to All that is or might be coming, the feeling I come away with every time I listen to is that here is a human being that is at peace with his position and role in the Universe. 

Throughout much of the album's music the rhythm section is sparsely present, as if in support only when their Icarus needs it--to help with take offs and perhaps Earth and Sky orientation. Alice (née McLeod) Coltrane's piano tends to be made up of slow, grounding piano chords, never demanding, much less asking for the lead, always supportive of her husband's exaltations and prayers, his rants and raves. All the while, drummer Rashied Ali accents and occasionally spurs and urges John on with his equally-transcendent play and bassist Jimmy Garrison's double bass serves, as always, as John's steadfast wingman.       Though the prog community extolls final albums by the likes of David Bowie, Daevid Allen, and Ryuichi Sakamoto for the powerful ways in which they expressed a celebration of life while in the throes of and full-awareness of their dying, I would place this album by John Coltrane in that same company--more likely above them. For me, this album, as a whole, exists as a beautiful and inspiring example of one man's attainment of self-forgiveness, self-acceptance, and, perhaps, Self-realization; I know that I feel existentially bolstered and unfettered after each time that I've been listening to it, which makes this a priceless gift … for which I am extremely grateful.

     How it contributed to the birth and formation of progressive rock music--or even Jazz-Rock Fusion, for that matter--is in its spiritual essence: in the example of one man's endless and animating quest for perfect human expression of his Cosmic gratitude through his chosen art form, that being music--a quest that I think many prog artists embrace (or have learned to embrace) as well, including: Frank Zappa, John McLaughlin, Carlos Santana, Zakir Hussein, Pat Metheny, and Kate Bush. Though some would argue that the advent and exploration of LSD and other hallucinogenics may have had a lot to do with birthing and boosting the burst of creativity that became known as the progressive rock movement, I would argue that they may have, in fact, served more as windows into altered or "expanded" forms of consciousness and perception which then allowed a reference point for creative potential that was larger/bigger than what they had envisioned before, that experiences of altered or expanded consciousness enable a person to envision and strive for a higher potential for their own creative output more than improve their IQ or skill/virtuosity/dexterity levels. It is through the empowerment of the Self through increases in self-esteem and self-confidence that higher forms and frequency of creative output occur.  

October - STRAWBERRY ALARM CLOCK Incense & Peppermints 

In an interesting aside, the famous single was released as a B-side to "Birdman of Alkatrash" in April under the band name "Sixpence"--which had released two other singles earlier in the same year. The B-side, "Incense and Pepermints" [sic] started gaining radio play, which prompted the band, now renamed as the Strawberry Alarm Clock, to re-release "Incense and Peppermints" as an A-side on May 19. It reached #1 in November.

The music on this album has definitely been influenced by the impressive debut album of The Doors as well as the energy of the Monterey Pop Festival and successive "Summer of Love" whereas it has remained oddly unaffected by any of the music coming across the Pond from the UK--like Hendrix or 

Lineup / Musicians:

- Mark Weitz / organ, piano, harpsichord, vocals

- Randy Seol / drums, bongos, vibraphone, vocals

- Ed King / lead guitar, vocals

- Lee Freeman / rhythm guitar, harmonica, vocals

- George Bunnell / bass, vocals

- Gary Lovetro / bass, vocals

- Steve Bartek / flute

- Greg Munford / lead vocals on "Incense and Peppermints"

- Gene Gunnels / drums, cowbell on"Incense and Peppermints"

Side 1

1. "The World's on Fire" (S.A. Clock) ((8:21) a surprise opener with an unusually long DOORS-like instrumental jam and some very catchy melodies, flute and organ playing, and excellent multi-voice harmony vocals. Also surprising is its very polished form. (19/20)

2. "Birds in My Tree" (George Bunnell, Steve Bartek) (1:53) great vocal melodies and lyrics over some great guitar and steady rhythms. (4.75/5)

3. "Lose to Live" (Mark Weitz, S.A. Clock) (3:13) an okay song with great instrumental performances. (8.875/10)

4. "Strawberries Mean Love" (Bunnell, Bartek) (3:01) great lyric and multi-voice harmonized vocal choir singing over Ed King's pre-Robert Fripp sustained electric guitar lead play. Stands up so well today! (9.5/10)

Side 2

1. "Rainy Day Mushroom Pillow" (Bunnell, Bartek) (3:05) another excellent song feeding directly into the psychedelia of the Summer of Love zeitgeist. With the gorgeous harmony vocals, bongos, and flirtatious flute, the music here seems to harken back to a Beat-era sound--but then the electric bass and harpsichord (and lyrics) ground it in the more current fashions. (9.5/10)

2. "Paxton's Back Street Carnival" (Bunnell, Bartek) (2:01) reflects some of the recent music of The Zombies, Lovin' Spoonful, The Animals, and Shocking Blue. (4.625/5)

3. "Hummin' Happy" (Bunnell, Randy Seol) (2:25) built over another DOORS-like bass and organ motif, the vocals, lyrics, and drumming give this one its own distinctive sound. Another winner! (8.875/10)

4. "Pass Time with the SAC" (S.A. Clock) (1:21) a little jazzed-up vamp interlude with harmonica and extended electric guitar soloing. (4.375/5)

5. "Incense and Peppermints" (John S. Carter, Time Gilbert, Mark Weitz, Ed King) (2:47) a song that I always liked but never loved. Nevertheless, I recognize its significance as one of the era's iconic songs. (9/10)

6. "Unwind the Clock" (Lee Freeman, Ed King) (4:10) a more traditional rhythm and blues instrumental that is jazzed up enough to allow organist Mark Weitz, vibraphonist/drummer Randy Seol some space and freedom in which to show their very capable chops (Randy on both of his instruments) before the group vocalizes their thanks and goodbyes. Unfortunately, it's pretty obvious that this is just fill. (8.75/10)

Though the band was under tremendous pressure to put this album together quickly in order to ride the wave of popularity of their #1 hit single, I am incredibly impressed with the polish and full development of the ideas expressed by each of the songs as well as the consistent and cohesive vibe expressed from the album overall. 

91.44 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of progressive rock music and a shining star example of the psychedelic craze that came out of the U.S.'s West Coast in 1967--especially after the "Summer Love." It may come as a surprise to my readers that this album, which I only became aware of in this third decade of the 21st Century, has become my favorite album of the 1960s. 

October - H.P. LOVECRAFT - Following Dunwich Records' June release (through Mercury Records) of George Edwards' singles, "Anyway That You Want Me"(Chip taylor, 1966)/"It's All Over for You" under the H.P. Lovecraft name, the record label scrambled to actually create a full band to continue working for them, with George and multi-instrumentalist and classically-trained four-octave vocalist, Dave Michaels, under this new name. A cover of the traditional American gospel/folk song, "Wayfaring Stranger" was released in September by the Mercury Records subsidiary, Phillips. Phillips released Chicago-born and -based band's self-titled debut album, H.P. Lovecraft. While the majority of the album's songs were covers of previously-recorded material, the album's centerpiece, "The White Ship," was an Edwards-Michaels composition that, in November, began receiving quite a bit of attention from underground FM and college radio stations. The band is especially notable for its exceptionally-crafted multi-voice vocal arrangements and liberal use of odd and baroque instruments and stylistic elements. As interesting and eclectic as this album is, it is the band's second album, the significantly more psychedelic II, which provides the true fodder for the new Progressive Rock movement.

October 23 - Columbia Records released MILES DAVIS QUINTET Sorcerer, the third of six albums with his 1960s "second" Quintet--which included Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Tony Williams, and newcomer Wayne Shorter. Sorcerer is an album that has received mixed reviews from critics and fans over the years due to its sophisticated layering; it is recognized as a "transitional" album for Miles, the start of his opening up to Sixties pop culture, which would then continue with the influence of second wife Betty Mabry and his In a Silent Way, Bitches Brew, and Jack Johnson albums.

P.S. It is often assumed that the record covers for Sorcerer and Nefertiti were somehow mixed up (by the record label): that Miles' wife, actress Cicely Tyson (above photo), was intended for the latter instead of Sorcerer, and that Miles' own portrait, as seen on 1968's Nefertiti, was meant Sorcerer.

November 1 - Electra Records releases Los Angeles band LOVE's third album, Forever Changes. It marks the band's deepest dive into the psychedelic movement of West Coast music as it was occurring in the 1960s. It also marks the end of the fairly successful song writing collaboration between Arthur Lee and guitarist Bryan MacLean--something that may have been provoked by Lee's increasing disillusionment with himself and his place in the hippie/countercultural movement. Though the album did not fair very well on the US charts, it did climb to #24 on the British charts and has been upheld as an influential and important example of the 1960's psychedelic movement in music. 

     What I really like about this album is its very smooth and consistent flow--as well as the fact that every song is written from within the band. Also, there really isn't a bad song on the album, each and every song strong in terms of composition, complexity, performance, emotional delivery, and production--plus, each and every song holds up extremely well even 55 years later.

November - RCA Records releases The GARY BURTON Quartet's album Duster Often cited as the"first" jazz-rock fusion album:  

"Although Burton's basic sound had not changed from the previous year, his openness toward other styles--including those brought by new electric guitarist Larry Coryell--made his Quartet one of the most significant jazz groups of the period."

November 10 - Decca Records released THE MOODY BLUES Days of Future Passed under its new Deram subsidiary--a label that was intended to promote the mother company's dedication to the new stereo recording and production techniques. The album also notes the arrival of Justin Hayward and John Lodge to replace Denny Laine and Clint Warwick, respectively, as well as Mike Pinder's Mellotron, resulting the creative shift that resulted in this album. And what courage and genius to set the whole concept to orchestral support, start to finish from the London Festival Orchestra with Peter Knight conducting.

     How can one belittle one of the sacred albums that started it all? Still a masterpiece forty-three years later, DoFP is still one of my favorite start-to-finish listens--and there aren't many of those out there, believe me! A masterful blend of orchestral music with folkish pop song 'interludes' engaging one on a journey through a single day of towing the line of modern human life while occasionally being reminded of the ubiquitous and omnipresent background, the matrix of life, as provided by good old Mother Nature. Beautiful poetry, beautiful voices--spoken and sung. Beautiful music throughout all culminating in one of the greatest mood shapers of all-time: "Nights in White Satin" (album version only, please). I cannot recommend this album highly enough.

November 24 - Fontana Records released the debut album from the London-based band, KALEIDOSCOPE. Tangerine Dream is that album. Except for the straightforward and incongruously upbeat and uptempo "Holiday Maker" and the spoken-word narrated story in "A Lesson Perhaps," Tangerine Dream consists of full-on psychedelic music that sounds a lot like the Dream Pop and Shoegaze music of the 1985-95 decade wherein the band is fully-committed and fully-immersed in heavily-effected sound scapes with every track, every instrument being subjected to some kind of treatment or modification. The song lyrics are quite poetic though the subject matters are disarmingly quotidian; they are often delivered with an unusual, for the time, snark and pretentious cynicism that betrays a punk or post-punk attitude. In short, the music and emotion conveyed through the songs on this album seem far ahead of their time--which leads me to concur in my surprise that this album, band, and music never achieved widespread popularity. There is a general precocious wisdom and maturity in the overall spirit of this album that, in my mind, elevates it to prog relevance. In fact, the excellent eight-minute song "Sky Children" alone may make the album (and band) worthy of induction into Prog Valhalla!

November 27 - Parlophone releases THE BEATLES' Magical Mystery Tour. Paul is dead. (Obviously: just look at the pages of evidence inside Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band's myriad photos on the cover and inner liner pages of the gatefold packaging. Magical Mystery Tour continues the hoax … to great effect : "I buried Paul," John says between "Strawberry Fields" and "Penny Lane."

     The emotional journey I went on when listening to this album as a child, when it first came out (my mother was an avid Beatles fan), was so wild it was like the greatest rollercoaster ever devised: Joy, Beauty, engagement, laughter, amazement, fear, creepiness, terror, nightmare-producing, hysterics, awe, silliness, mind- and mood-altering, escapist, world-view challenging, memorable, lyrical, impressionistic, complex simplicity, beautiful eeriness, edgy calmness, hallucinatory persiflage, hypnotic zombitude, distorted perspicacity, unqualified histrionics, profound psychobabble, etc., etc. It is quite simply a master work of audience manipulation, an extraordinary escape from the oppression of everyday dross. Pure genius. "I am the Walrus" has got to be one of the greatest, most powerful weird songs of all time. Side Two in particular drew me back over and over and over. Listening to "Strawberry Fields Forever" was like a drug--like watching a scary movie: mesmerizing and addictive. The "I buried Paul" in the psycho-bleed from SFF to "Penny Lane" was enough to give me nightmares. (I was nine and ten years old.) The dichotomy of going from the former to the latter was enough to forever cast "Penny Lane" with a pall of shadow for me. "Baby, You're a Rich Man" is a cool non-Beatlesish song far ahead (or behind) its time--just what I needed to continue the de-escalation from the "Strawberry Fields" experience of fear and terror. And then, thank you very much, the end with LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! Nowadays I listen to Side One with pure joy and admiration. (I've never seen the movie. Is it worth seeing?) Though Magical Mystery Tour is my favorite Beatles album, I recognize that it is NOT their most sophisticated or innovate or envelope-pushing or prog-birthing album. Still, it is, IMHO, an excellent addition to any prog music collection.

     Mention need also be made of the use of the Mellotron in "Strawberry Fields Forever," after Days of Future Passed and Manfred Mann's "Semi-Detached, Suburban Mr. James (Oct. 1966) one of rock's earliest uses of the instrument in rock music.

On November 27, 1968, RCA Victor released JEFFERSON AIRPLANE's third album, After Bathing at Baxter's. This was their second studio album release in the same year, the follow-up to their hugely popular platinum selling album, Surrealistic Pillow and its monster hits, "Somebody to Love," and "White Rabbit." This was fully intended to be a very experimental album: the band was consciously trying to break the mold of their previous albums--purposely trying to push their sound and songwriting beyond the proscribed formula of the album serving as hit-generators surrounded by fluff or fill. Each song, even the flow of the album, is finely crafted, with not one but five multi-song themed suites-- all at a level of consistency as to make the entire listening experience engaging and immersive--like Sgt. Pepper's Loney Hearts Club Band, providing the listener with a rewarding and theatric sight-seeing journey. I gladly call this album one of the first true examples of progressive rock music: the album as a whole being transcendently more important than just serving as provider of hits and AM radio attention.

Late 1967 - Columbia Records releases their first collaboration with The DON ELLIS ORCHESTRA in the form of a studio album entitled, Electric Bath. Fresh out of the euphoric haze of two very successful live albums and a year of almost continuous touring to festival and rock 'n' roll audiences, Don welcomed the new partnership with Columbia producer John Hammond and with it the chance to work out some of his ideas in a studio setting. Over the course of two days in September (the 16th & 17th) the band put down on tape several songs, five of which would end up on the Grammy Award nominated and Down Beat magazine "1968 Album of the Year." 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Don Ellis / trumpet
- Ruben Leon / alto & soprano saxophones, flute
- Joe Roccisano / alto & soprano saxophones, flute
- Ira Shulman / tenor saxophone, piccolo, flute, clarinet
- Ron Starr / tenor saxophone, flute, clarinet
- John Magruder / baritone saxophone, flute, clarinet, bass clarinet
- Steve Bohannon / drums
- Frank DeLaRosa / bass
- Alan Estes / percussion, timbales, vibraphone
- Bob Harmon / trumpet
- Michael Lang / piano, keyboards, clavinet
- Ron Myers / trombone
- Tom Myers / trombone
- Ray Neapolitan / bass, sitar
- Dave Parlato / bass
- Mark Stevens / percussion, timbales, vibraphone
- Glenn Stuart / trumpet
- Chino Valdes / bongos, conga
- Edward Warren / trumpet
- Alan Weight / trumpet
- Alan Wight / trumpet
- Terry Woodson / trombone
- Mike Lang / piano, clavinet
- David Sanchez / trombone

1. "Indian Lady" (8:07) When I first heard the opening bars to this piece, I was immediately drawn to a comparison to the music of ROBERT WYATT's "Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road" from his 1974 comeback album, Rock Bottom. The song, played in 5/4 time throughout (and released as a single in a shortened three-minute version), is actually rather famous for its almost-comical multiple "attempts" to end throughout the song. Despite the large ensemble of musicians, the music somehow comes across smoothly, far more easy for the brain to accommodate than one might expect. Heck! There are even some melodic HERB ALPERT-like riffs and motifs. (13.5/15)

2. "Alone" (5:32) soothing and filled with gorgeous melodies, this one reminds me of some of the mellower pieces on my beloved 1970s albums by Eumir Deodato and Bob James as well as many of the jazzy television music providing background and mood for popular television shows that I would watch as a small child in the late 1966s--like I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, and The Newlywed Show. Lots of big banks of horns. (9.5/10)

3. "Turkish Bath" (10:29) dynamic music with an Indian base coming from the sitar, tabla and other Indian percussion, as well as flutes and slurring horns. Once set in motion the Latin rhythms and melody structure give it a feel quite similar to Billy Page's song "The 'In' Crowd" as made popular by Dobie Gray and Ramsey Lewis. Who knew that Indian instruments, big band horns, and electric clavinet could be melded together so easily into a bassa nova song?!! (18/20)

4. "Open Beauty" (8:27) beautiful and yet haunting in a psychedelic way thanks to the electric effects applied to the keyboard and vibraphone. Unusual for the minimal presence of drums or other percussives. The extended quarter-tone trumpet solo with echo effect from 5:30 to 8:05 is also remarkable for its particular singularity. (17.5/20)

5. "New Horizons" (12:21) this is a song that sounds to my untrained ear like a pretty standard big band jazz piece. If there are extraordinary things happening I'm not able to pick them up; it's just another long piece with minimal melodic hooks played within a base of a Latin-rock rhythms. (21.75/25)

Total Time 44:56

The musicianship is incredible all-around; how 20 musicians can play such complex music so seamlessly and cohesively is nothing short of amazing. Don's mission to open the West up to the odd meter times "naturally" used in the rest of the world's folk traditions had begun in earnest and would not quit through the rest of the Sixties, only take a slight Bulgarian left turn in the Seventies thanks to his meeting and pairing up with Bulgarian jazz and piano sensation Milcho Leviev.  

90.25 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of boundary-pushing jazz-rock fusion.

December - Originally released on Limelight, Cauldron is the legendary psychedelic jazzy rock and electronic album by Californian band FIFTY FOOT HOSE. Fifty Foot Hose formed in San Francisco in 1967. Like few other acts of their time, they consciously tried to combine the contemporary sounds of rock with electronic instruments and avant-garde compositional ideas. They were one of the most radical groups of the psychedelic era, and their experimentalism still has the power to shock and surprise even now. What set them apart were the pioneering experiments in electronic music, like the band they are often compared to, The United States of America. Incorporating Theremin, siren, audio generators, and other various electronic effects, as Cork Marcheschi, the band's original bass player, had developed an acute interest in the dadaist/futurist experiments of composers like John Cage and Edgar Varese. David and Nancy Blossom brought both psychedelic and jazz influences to the band. Cauldron, their only album, was released in December 1967, including "Fantasy", "Red The Sign Post", and "God Bless The Child", a Billie Holiday cover. Their sound experiments differentiated them from their contemporaries and most audiences didn't quite know what to make of them. Fifty Foot Hose's music leans more towards White Noise, Silver Apples, and especially United States of America, rather than to flower power movement. After only one album, the proto-cyber psych outfit passed as quickly as they came. Their only mention would be a name-check in Ralph J. Gleason's 1969 book, The Jefferson Airplane And The San Francisco Sound, published over a year after their demise. Ralph J. Gleason wrote: "I don't know if they're immature or premature." History has proven them to be the latter. Today, the original album is very collectable and considered a touchstone of avant-garde rock music. Cork Marcheschi on the record: "The concept was to expand what contemporary popular music was. I thought the avant-garde could have had a home with this new group of listeners but they turned out to be pretty conservative -- intellectually. Drugs were fine -- sex was fine -- stop the wars was good but when challenged with abstract art., they reacted like conservative people look at a Jackson Pollock painting." 

December - Epic Records released DONOVAN's Wear Your Love Like Heaven in the US--the first (and electrified) disc of his A Gift from a Flower to a Garden double album release (which was also released as a solo album--at the same time). The songs contained therein continued to express Donovan's adaptation (albeit reluctant--as evidenced by the all-acoustic, solo guitar folk "children's" album that accompanied this album in its double album form) to the world of electrified instrumentation and its psychedelic explorations--a trend he began with1966's Sunshine Superman and continued with Mellow Yellow. 

Honorable Mentions:

THE BYRDS Younger Than Yesterday (Feb. 6, 1967)

DONOVAN Mellow Yellow (February 1967)

THE YARDBIRDS The Yardbirds Greatest Hits (March 1967)

THE ASSOCIATION Insight Out (June 8, 1967)

MOBY GRAPE Moby Grape (June 1967)

SMALL FACES Small Faces (June 23, 1967)

THE SEEDS Future (Aug. 1967)

THE CHOCOLATE WATCH BAND No Way Out (September)

THE DOORS Strange Days (Sept. 26, 1967)

13TH FLOOR ELEVATORS' Easter Everywhere (Oct. 25, 1967)

 My Favorite Albums of 1967:

1. STRAWBERRY ALARM CLOCK Incense and Peppermints

2. THE MOODY BLUES Days of Future Passed

3. DON ELLIS ORCHESTRA 'Live' at Monterey!

4. THE ASSOCIATION And Then… Along Comes The Association

5. LOVE Forever Changes

6. DON ELLIS Electric Bath

7. KALEIDOSCOPE Tangerine Dream

8. JOHN COLTRANE Expression

8. THE DOORS The Doors

9. JEFFERSON AIRPLANE Surrealistic Pillow

10. THE ZODIAC Cosmic Sounds

11. THE BEATLES Magical Mystery Tour

12. GARY BURTON Duster

13. THE WEST COAST POP EXPERIMENTAL BAND Part One

14. FIFTY FOOT HOSE Cauldron

15. THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION Absolutely Free

16. THE JEFFERSON AIRPLANE After Bathing at Baxter's 

17. THE BEACH BOYS Smiley Smile

18. H.P LOVECRAFT H.P Lovecraft

19. THE BEATLES Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

20. THE BEAU BRUMMELS Triangle

Honorable Mentions:

THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE Are You Experienced?

THE CHOCOLATE WATCH BAND No Way Out

THE FREE SPIRITS Out of Sight and Sound 

THE YARDBIRDS The Yardbirds Greatest Hits

PROCOL HARUM Procol Harum

THE DOORS Strange Days

MOBY GRAPE Moby Grape

THE BYRDS Younger Than Yesterday

DONOVAN Mellow Yellow 

THE ASSOCIATION Insight Out

SMALL FACES Small Faces 

PINK FLOYD The Piper at the Gates of Dawn

VANILLA FUDGE Vanilla Fudge

THE SEEDS Future 

13TH FLOOR ELEVATORS Easter Everywhere

MILES DAVIS QUINTET Sorcerer