STEVE KACZOROWSKI (NY)
"What Time Are You?" 1970 (UA Records 20842)
Recently discovered obscurity on private Long Island label, pro-sounding guitar/organ psychy rock mixed with introspective moments. The story on this album and its possible connections to certain "name" musicians is very weird and currently being unfolded, but most of the tracks consist of Kaczorowski adding his own vocals to existing LP recordings by mainstream rock bands, such as Stackridge! While this gives a very high reading on the Incredibly Strange scale, the LP could also be enjoyed as an obscure piece of post-psychedelic rock. Kaczorowski would explore his "karaoke rock" scheme further on the two Steve Drake albums. [PL]
~~~
see -> Steve Drake
KAK
(Sacramento, CA)
"Kak" 1969 (Epic 26429)
"Kak" 1987 (Dino, Italy)
"Kak" 199 (CD Israphon, Europe) [bootleg]
"Kak" 199 (CD Epic)
"Kak" 1998 (Epic, Europe) [bootleg]
"Kak-Ola" 1999 (CD Big Beat 187, UK) [LP+bonus tracks]Much loved mountain air hippie psychrock classic, though I remember being disappointed when first hearing it due to the rootsy Moby Grape-type rockers on side 1. The album has major grower qualities however and tends to sound better with each passing year, plus the two extended psych killers on side 2 deliver instantly. Still not among the top westcoasters for me, though I'm sure a lot of people disagree. The Big Beat CD includes the Gary Yoder non-LP 45 and the rare pre-LP version of "Rain". [PL]
~~~
Wonderful heavy guitar bluesy psych rocker. warm vocals, chugging rhythms, and gritty, inventive leads throughout. The slower tracks have a murky darkness to them that's quite arresting. One of the classic westcoast guitar LPs. Gary Yoder also played with Blue Cheer and Randy Holden. [RM]
~~~
A true classic, a great guitar rock album that mixes a lot of different styles successfully. My favorite track, “Electric Sailor,” has a chorus that could actually pass for 70s punk rock, but elsewhere the West Coast late 60s feel is strong. Supposedly its rarity is due to cutout copies being destroyed, rather than sent to stores. [AM]
~~~
I'll readily admit that "Kak" took a little while to warm up to. The first couple of times the set's musical diversity kind of put me off. That said, by the third spin I was converted. The musical diversity I originally found disconcerting is actually endearing. In fact this is one of those albums that's fun to play 'spot-the-influence' with. My ears hear lots of Moby Grape including the country-influenced 'I've Got the Time', a bit of The Seeds ('Electric Sailor') and even a little Donovan (the acoustic ballad 'Flowing By'). Yoder may not have been the most accomplished singer, but was never less than professional and had an almost chameleon ability to handle the band's different styles. Propelled by Patten and Yoder's dual guitars, tracks such as the blazing 'Hyco 97658', 'Everything's Changing' and 'Lemonade Kid' are simply first rate West Coast psych charms. Personal favorites are the extended 'Trieulogy' and 'Disbelievin'. [SB]
MAITREYA KALI see Maitreya
Kali
KALLABASH CORP (Greensboro, NC)
"Kallabash Corp." 1970 (uncle Bill kb-3114)
Drifting bluesy guitar rock with organ and a comic edge. Gorgeous psychy cover but the music is mediocre. Recorded at Mega Sound Studios in Bailey, North Carolina. [RM]
KAMMERZELL (OK)
"Hot For Your Love" 1979 (Artco-Alpha)
Barband guitar rock with supposed Marble Phrogg connection. The band also cut a demo 8-track which precedes the album.
KAN-DELS ( )
"Our Most Requested Songs" 1965 (Capatone 1001)
Obscure teenbeat in the pre-Invasion style. Crewcut action on fratrock staples such as "Shout", "Ooh poo pah doo", "Green onions", etc.
KANSAS CITY JAMMERS (Columbus, OH)
see interview
"Got Good If You Get It" 1972 (no label, no#)
Highly enjoyable CSNY/Dead-style westcoasty mix of uptempo folkrockers and more introspective numbers; a couple of bluesy rock moments with raw guitar leads point in another direction but all over definitely worth checking out and underrated at this point, with a classy late Beatle feel. The band cut a couple of non-LP 45s and also had connections to local colleagues Owen-B. [PL]
~~~
Accomplished folk-rock and blues-rock from Ohio college students. A few dreamy songs will appeal to collectors, but the strong vocals and songwriting throughout make this a solid, enjoyable listen for all. [AM]
KAPLAN BROTHERS (IL)
"Universal Sounds" 1969 (Kap)
The debut from the kings of lounge-rock predates the other two by several years and is from a completely different era, yet quite enjoyable and in fact "their best" according to one specialist within the field. Although only two (not three) brothers at this point, the whistling and congas are already in place. The very humorous back cover photos promise a wide range of sounds for Midwest Holiday Inn crowds, including "Continental" (posing with bowler hat and cane) and "Rock'n'Roll" (smoking a joint). A couple of swell Kaplan originals alongside typical lounge covers of Tom Jones, Bobby Hebb, etc. "A taste of honey" with "acid" guitar is an unexpected delight. Mandatory for genre fans, incomprehensible to others, and perhaps not their "best" to me. [PL]
~~~
Released on their own Kap Records, "The Universal Sounds of the Kaplan Brothers" is the first of their highly sought after albums. Musically it offers up a mix of originals, popular MOR hits and the truly bizarre (c'mon, can you imagine the crowd bopping along to 'Hava Nagilia'?). Backed by bassist Jeff Czech and guitarist Scott Klynas, the album starts out with a bang. The self-penned instrumental 'Running Scared' sounds like the brothers had been listening to a lot of Enrico Morricones spaghetti western soundtracks while stoned out of their minds (love the whistling segment). Their popular covers are equally fascinating. Bobby Hebb's 'Sunny' makes a congas propelled appearance that is as wrong spirited as you can get. Their dark and pained cover of 'A Taste of Honey' is equally wrong-headed though it sports some killer fuzz guitar (courtesy of Klynas). Elsewhere 'Malaguena Solorosa' offers up a bizarre mixture of Spanish and Balkan influences, while Jimmy Webb's 'Gentle On My Mind' is reworked to give it a lounge edge that has to be heard to be believed. These guys must have been a blast to hear live (particular after a couple of beers). [SB]
"Kaplan Brothers" 197 (Kap no #)
The second LP from circa 1975 shows the three Bros in a regular lounge-band mood, yet being who they are this is still pretty damn entertaining. Unusual arrangements with the trademark spaghetti western whistling and LOTS of congas carry you through a mix of crooner standards such as "More Today Than Yesterday" and classic rock, including three Beatles covers in drastic rearrangements that are not to be taken lightly. What they do with "Because" cannot be explained in words. The family's Russian-Jewish heritage is on display here just as on "Nightbird", with an extensive interpretation of "Hava nagila" and odd slavic flourishes. Two originals, one of which is terrible and the other is an earlier version of "Happy" which is pretty close to the "Nightbird" version. Sleeve design and liner notes are excellent, and indicate that the LP was manufactured mainly to sell in conjunction with lounge performances. Mandatory for incredibly strange and 70s loungeband fans. Two different pressings exist, one with a yellow label, the other with a red label. There is also an obscure variation called "Electric Three Man Hebrew Band" in a plain white title sleeve, with 'Eleanor Rigby' misspelled as 'Rugby'. A 45 was released from the LP. "Fun is the only way to go when you're with the Brothers". [PL]
"Nightbird" 1978 (Quinton no #)
The ultimate loungerock extravaganza sounds as good today as it did back in the late 1980s when word first got around on it. A self-proclaimed "Electric symphony" that mixes Ennio Morricone with King Crimson as recorded by a Holiday Inn/Bar Mitzvah band from outer space. Crooner vocals soar on top of overly elaborate keyboard arrangements as the music abruptly throws you from one intense mood into another in true psychedelic fashion. No ideas are discarded as the meaning of life unfolds in glitzy Z-grade fashion -- if there's a bad, cheesy move to be made, they'll go for it. These guys probably thought they'd made the greatest LP of all time and in a way I guess it is - even regular folks with no interest in this scene are blown away by the Kaplans' unsurpassed pretense and lack of reality checks. Must be heard to be believed, preferrably on acid. [PL]
~~~
"Nightbird" is a real people classic. Low rent genius schmaltz kings with proggy ballad supperclub Holiday Inn moves and Arcesiaesque vocal stylings. These guys were the real thing for lounge lizard prog. This kitchen sink symphony with Grudzienesque cut-and-paste production is apparently a concept LP but you'll never figure it out sober. Tinkling piano, synth washes, flutes. Highlight: King Crimson's "Epitaph" segued into a rewrite of the Cascades' "Rhythm of the Rain"! Lots of sounds most of which have no business being there like the sound generators. [RM]
ALAN KAPROW (NY)
"How To Make A Happening" 1966 (Mass Art Inc.) [gimmick cover]
Spoken word pre-hippie NYC art aesthetics and philosophy in the form of an 11-step instruction on how to stage a happening. Kaprow was the leader of the 'Paths of Action' movement and influential in the evolution of "happenings" in the early 1960s. Side 2 adds some poetry to the instructions. An important piece of 60s crossover culture, but today mainly for those with special interest in the era or modern art history. "A happening is a gang with a high". [PL]
KASPER (St Louis, MO)
"Hammered" 1976 (Lark Ellen)
Bluesy rural rock with good slide guitar.
KATH (MD)
"Kath" 1975 (no label) [60p; gatefold]
"Kath" 2005 (Rockadelic 51) [+bonus tracks; no gatefold; 500p]Obscure and quite impressive melodic basement garage/psych excursion with a lo-fi atmosphere that would have most pursuers flip out, hits the Ampex two-track echo & tinny drum sound dead on. The sound is a bit "Canadian" to me, with a few French language snips and a typical Maple Leaf sound with lots of keyboard and reverbed vocals, not unlike the best tracks on Rockadrome. As it turns out the band was actually from Maryland, though leader Val Rogolino was part-French. In any event, it's mostly originals with a few covers including a fuzzed-out cough syrup take on "Norwegian Wood" that could be the best version ever. The selfpenned material is good, with a 60s teenbeat sensibility rather than heavy/hard rock. At times the vibe is almost like Mystery Meat or Index, and that's not something you run across every day. At the same time there are obvious hints that this dates from a later era, and it was in fact recorded over a period of several months in 1974. Good fuzz throughout, charming amateur vocals, and a late-night rehearsal space ambience. "It doesn't mean" is a highpoint for me. There are also brief snips of aural experiments for the right $15 avantgarde touch. "Kath" appears to be a reference to the main guy's girlfriend. The band also had a non-LP EP from 1978 under the name Badge, with a more polished version of "It doesn't mean", and a 45 around the same time. The Rockadelic removes one track from the original, and adds a couple new ones. [PL]
KEATNIKS (Labrador, Canada)
"Keatniks" 1965 (Melbourne 4011)
Obscure teen-beat from guys with really short hair, pre-Invasion cover versions mostly.
TODD KELLEY ( )
"Todd Kelley" 1969 (ESP/ORO-6)
This moody folk LP is one of the more obscure titles in the ESP catalog, highly rated by some.
RICH KENDALL (WI)
"Food For Thought" 1974 (Unknown Records)
Mid 1970s rural folkrock LP from guys with Jake connection via one band member. More of a band effort than "loner", with some nice electric leads.
DAVE KENNEDY &
THE AMBASSADORS (LaCrosse, WI)
"Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" 1965 (Coulee clp 1001)
Farewell LP from popular local band going into army service, mostly pre-Invasion frat and instros, a couple of Beatles numbers.
KENNELMUS (Phoenix,
AZ)
"Kennelmus" 1971 (Phoenix Internat'l 42171) [promo]
This previously undocumented promo variant on the LP came in a homemade, primitive sleeve. Some or all promo copies also came with a 45 and insert. Only 1 copy of this variant has been found, which provenance has been confirmed by a Kennelmus member. The disc is identical to the standard run.
"Folkstone Prism" 1971 (Phoenix Internat'l 42171) [1000p]
"Folkstone Prism" 1994 (Rockadelic 15) [300#d]
"Folkstone Prism" 1999 (CD Sundazed sc-6129)Weird desert group with mysterious guitar psych Ennio Morricone & middle eastern instrumentals on side 1, backed with equally odd vocal folkrock/garage stuff on the flip. Play this and something strange enters the room that you'll enjoy having around after a while. Hard to describe accurately, and certainly one of the more unusual albums to be reissued by Sundazed. The LP was pressed in two runs of 500 each with a minor label design difference, the "ring" imprint is close to the spindle hole on the first run, and close to the dead wax on the second run. Both runs are considered originals. [PL]
~~~
One of that handful of truly unique psych albums. On side one they’re an all-instrumental freaked out surf band, and a fantastic one. Side two adds vocals, which are perfunctory song/speak, and thus these songs aren’t as interesting. They were way ahead of their time, before the surf/skate punkers of the early 80s, and before the sing/speak avant garde 70s bands like MX-80 Sound and Debris. Cool stuff, absolutely worth owning. [AM]"Beyond Folkstone Prism" 1995 (RD Records 1, Switzerland) [insert; 400p]
Unreleased material from 1969-74, I found this disappointing and a far cry from the 1971 LP, although others may enjoy it. It does contain the 45-only version of "Black Sunshine" with vocals, and this is a psych killer that must be heard. More unreleased material exists that has yet to appear. [PL]
KENNY &
THE KAMMOTIONS (Texarkana, TX)
"In Motion" 1970 (Candy 1023)
"In Motion" 200 (Candy) [bootleg]Post-garage bar-rock covers, mostly, plus a couple of band originals. The band had several 45s including a couple of really good ones.
KENNY & THE KASUALS (Dallas, TX)
"Impact - Live at the Studio Club" 1967 (Mark 5000) [500p]
"Impact - Live at the Studio Club" 1977 (Mark 5000) [insert]
"Impact - Live at the Studio Club" 199 (CD Flash 26, Italy)Legendary fake live LP famous among all sorts of collectors and pulling in $500 even back in the 1970s. Cover versions only, about ½ British Invasion and ½ US 1950s/frat. The performances are tight and rocking with no weaknesses and the sound is great and raw, though the cocktail crowd noise is as silly as the Elevators "Live". Very good period LP, up there with the Raiders' "Here they come", the Dimensions and the Hideout Fugitives. A couple of tracks also appeared on Kasuals 45s. Their non-LP 45s are excellent garage/teenbeat and have been collected on two 1980s comps by Eva Records in France. Oddly, no Kasuals comps have been made since then. Note: sealed copies of the 1977 repress are sometimes offered as originals; however the original run was never sealed. Early pressings of the reissue contain no 'Doug Hanners' credit; later pressings have this credit and an insert promoting "Teen Dreams". [PL]
"Teen Dreams" 1977 (Mark 6000) [200p; red vinyl; handbill]
Supposedly from an "unreleased second LP" but in fact a sampler of scattered 1966-67 material. Very good beat, garage and proto-psych and to my ears even more interesting than the live LP. Originals all through, local hit "Journey to tyme" among them. Most or all copies are autographed by Kenny. The reformed Kasuals cut two LPs and an EP in the late 1970s/early 1980s. [PL]
KENTAURUS (WI)
"Kentaurus" 1981 (Wakefield)
Hard rock/AOR with freaky vocals that has been hyped as metal and prog, but is neither.
KEN
KESEY & THE MERRY PRANKSTERS (La Honda, CA) see
website
"The Acid Test" 1966 (Sound City Production 27690)
"The Acid Test" 1982 (Psycho 4 UK) [300p]
"Acid Test, vol 1" 1999 (CD King Mob, UK) [+bonus tracks]
"The Acid Test" 2005 (CD UK)Legendary documentation of the 1965-66 Bay Area Acid Test scene "from 14 hours of the actual trip" (recorded in a studio). Shows the other side of acid culture which is fun, unpredictable and avantgarde as opposed to the Leary camp's solemn religious/ psychological approach. Lots of amazing mind games and word play with Kesey and Ken Babbs in good form, ad libbed poetry, fractured harmonica solos, tape loops and the Grateful Dead lurking in the background. Released in March 1966, just as the Pranksters were splitting for Mexico. An essential piece, though even the vinyl reissue is hard to find nowadays. There was also a super-rare promo 45 pulled from the 1966 LP, along with a promo poster. The King Mob CD contains an entire album's worth of killer material related to the hilarious Berkeley Vietnam rally prank from the Fall 1965. [PL]
"The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" 1986 (Fan-Club)
"Acid Test, vol 2" 1999 (CD-R, no label) [self-released CD-R]Both the LP and the CD-R contain edited highlights from the S F State Acid Test in October 1966. Excellent trip stuff with mostly Kesey monologues plus some cool music, both pre-recorded and improvised. Wavy Gravy and Jerry Garcia are also in there somewhere. The CD-R contains a significantly longer edit, while the LP has snips from a 1980 interview with Kesey and Garcia. [PL]
~~~
see -> "LSD" (Capitol)
KEVIN & CLARE ( )
"All The Roads" 1975 (no label)
Mid-1970s moody hippie folkrock duo with male/female vocals.
KEYMEN (Las Cruces, NM)
"Live" 1968 (Goldust lps-153)
"Surf Party A Go-Go" 1996 (CD Collectables 0685) [part of LP +bonus tracks]Dancehall organ, fuzz, r&b stompers. Despite the late date, a pre-Invasion sound in the Kingsmen raucous club style.
KHAZAD DOOM (Morton Grove,
IL)
"Level 6½" 1969 (LPL 892) [two inserts; 180p]
"Level 6½" 198 (LPL) [bootleg; b & w cover]
"Encore" 1995 (CD 95) [book; autographed; 600#d]Among the truly expensive albums few are as controversial as this. Hard to say why as it sounds no different to me than dozens of other LPs from the era, but maybe the ill-fitting "prog" label and Tolkien-inspired band name has attracted listeners unprepared for Khazad Doom's amateur artrock. They sound like a somewhat loungey, semi-professional teenage band who got inspired by certain late 60s British acts to create something out of their reach. A song cycle with a vague theme related to "hunters" recurs, and the music is made more "complex" by unnecessary breaks and bridges. The band members' skill varies, which contributes to the basement/school project feel in both charming and annoying ways. The opening track contains pretty much all the elements of the LP, and could be used as a testing ground. There is a long suite on side 2 that isn't very successful and weighs down the album, while the following "Narcissus" is perhaps the best track, showcasing the band's number one strength, the vocal harmonies. Otherwise, there's lots of organ excursions, some fuzz interplay, and a clueless youthful feel. Had it been successful, it might have sounded like the Aggregation, but instead it's more akin to Day Blindness or the more boneheaded Bosstown bands. Serious prog fans should approach with caution, or not at all. The very small press size has been confirmed by the band. The "Encore" CD is a reissue of the LP plus 8 tracks; it appears that some parts of the original LP actually aren't included. [PL]
KICKIN' (NE)
"Starbound Lady" 1978 (Class Rock 10205) [blue vinyl]
Regional AOR/prog-rock band in a Styx direction, led by the Fritz twins. The band gigged in Canada with some success. The album is a "limited edition".
KICKLAND & JOHNSON (Omaha, NE)
"Clay County" 1974 (Effenar 1000) [inner]
Hippie folkrock/s-sw in a James Taylor bag with nasal vocals, rock setting plus harmonica and piano. J Clemetson is given credit on the sleeve, and wrote several of the songs. Not psychedelic in any way. Ed Johnson did a solo LP in 1977, "Homespun", with the same guys helping out.
KID CASHMERE ( )
"Kid Cashmere" 1977 (Guiness GNS36081)
Bluesy fuzz and P-funk on tax-loss label. Possibly recorded several years earlier.
KID DYNAMITE ( )
"Kid Dynamite" 1976 (Flightstream 101)
The same band that had a major label release on the Cream label. This is superior in a strong guitar-charged blues/boogie hardrock vein.
PAT KILROY (San Francisco, CA)
"Light Of Day" 1966 (Elektra EKL 311) [mono; gold label]
"Light Of Day" 1966 (Elektra EKS 7311) [stereo; gold label]Extraordinary and historically important bohemian folk/raga LP with a timeless freak quality. About half is swampy folk-blues that sounds like a coffee-house version of early Captain Beefheart, the other half is stunning Eastern trance/drone folk-psychedelia years ahead of its time. Excellent use is made of various minor instruments that include jew's harp and bells, while Kilroy's voice goes from moody introspection into all-out howling, whether due to bad moonshine or potent peyote is hard to tell. A raw, improvised feeling typical of westcoast avant-folk is retained throughout, even as the lyrics and arrangements indicate that a lot of work went into it. Side 1 is somewhat more conventional, while side 2 zooms into hallucinatory acid folk domains on things like "Vibrations" and the title track. A couple of numbers sound remarkably like what Kilroy's Elektra colleagues Incredible String Band would become famous for in 1967-68, but this LP predates them by at least a year... challenging at times, with some tracks not quite successful, but still a must. Kilroy was member of early SF folk-avant group New Age (seen in the movie "The Love-Ins"), and sadly passed away as early as 1967. A UK pressing in a US sleeve exists. [PL]
~~~
On the front cover of "Light of Day", Kilroy looks a bit like a cowboy, but a look at the back will inform potential buyers that we're not in Hank Williams territory. The album begins with a song called "Magic Carpet," ends with one called "Star Dance" and also includes the titles "The Pipes Of Pan" and "Vibrations". The liner notes reference Hebrides' Islanders' chants, "Moods of Spanish gypsies," "the magnetic pulsations of African hypnotic drums," music of India, dances of the Middle East, the writings of Hesse, Huxley, George Gurdjieff, and, most importantly, the Sufi Message. In the year before the summer of love, he ends the notes with the single word "peace". It's no surprise, then, that the music tests previously uncharted waters, and as with an equally unique 1966 album, "Psychedelic Moods of the Deep", it goes places where no one would go again. The Deep's album invented psychedelic music without any noticeable influences, but went unnoticed when the genre exploded via well-known artists. Kilroy invented acid folk, though, unlike the Deep, he didn't do so intentionally. The difference is a significant one because there's no artifice or sense of exploitation in Kilroy's music. (This isn't a knock on the Deep's album, which I think is even better than this, even if it's not 100% "genuine"). Regardless, nobody heard this album either, and the wave of psychedelic folk-rock and singer-songwriter types who followed would come from completely different mindsets. Admittedly, "Light Of Day" is mostly more experimental than it is "good", with fragmented songwriting, rough singing and awkward rhythms, but it has moments of true inspiration and is a completely original work, something you all should hear. [AM]
~~~
see full-length review
KING ( )
"King" 1980 (no label)
Since the only people who ever describe this are dealers trying to sell it, we feel obligated to give you the truth about this turkey: The female singer, who is great, is only on one song, which is heads and tails the highlight of the album. Side two is entirely instrumental, and basically jazz-rock of a not particularly creative or accomplished variety. Side one sounds more new wave than "psych," which would be fine if it was particularly good, but it isn't. It isn't heavy, at all. It's not even especially weird other than that the various styles are an odd mix. The mysterious album cover, lack of credits or information, and the fact that every single copy seems to have ended up in the hands of psych dealers have added to its mystique over time, but don't shell out the $50-$100 it will cost you without listening to it first. [AM]
DENNY KING (
)
"Evil Wind Is Blowing" 1972 (Specialty Records)
"Evil Wind Is Blowing" 2005 (CD Synton, Austria)From Little Richard's label, here's a 1972 blues-rock album whose liner notes inform you that "you'll soon know why they call that place the high desert!" King's vocals are in a Beefheart-out-of-Howlin' Wolf mode, with Beefheart's high squeals and some very deep grunts and laughter. This is a very funny record, whether King is growling nonsensical gibberish on "Bottle Blues," proclaiming that he does "Lucille" better than Little Richard, or working the double meaning of "Boogie Man." Along with Beefheart, King makes me absolutely certain that this is the most apt vocal style for this type of music. Listen to King and realize that all those hard rock guys just don't have a clue. The album features cool harmonica and really hot slide guitar (courtesy of ex-Beefheart sideman Alex St. Claire.) The rhythm section is stellar too: check out the awesome bass line on "Sunday Driver". My pick hit is "Desert Sand," which starts with a lovely tapped-fretboard riff, has a wah-wah/slide guitar battle for a solo, and just plain feels like its title in a windstorm. You'll probably read about a hundred blues-rock albums here in the Archives. Most of them are full of fuzz guitar, freaky lyrics and psychedelic production tricks, but trust me, not a one of them is as good as this. [AM]
KINGDOM (CA)
"Kingdom" 1970 (Specialty lp-2135)
"Kingdom" 1999 (Akarma 031, Italy)
"Kingdom" 2000 (CD Akarma, Italy)Obscure hard rock album with heavy guitar and organ. It’s a cool item just because it’s on Little Richard’s label, but after several listens none of the songs have stuck with me. It’s a well-played but essentially generic heavy rock album that wouldn’t be such a hot collector’s item if it wasn’t so scarce. [AM]
KINGYO ( )
"Simplicity" 197 (Radnor 2002)
Native American a k a Tony Wright, folkrock with bluesy moves, raw vocals and some orchestration. Same label as Lumbee.
KITCHEN CINQ (Amarillo, TX)
"Everything But" 1967 (L.H.I. 12000) [mono]
"Everything But" 1967 (L.H.I. 12000) [stereo]This album has a really nice teen-style garage-pop charm, with enthusiastic playing and good harmonies. The guitars are jangly, not fuzzy. They weren’t songwriters, unfortunately, so while the album is enjoyable from start to finish it’s also somewhat disposable. They get extra points for turning “Codine” into “Needles And Pins.” [AM]
TAYLOR KITCHINGS (MS)
"Clean Break" 1972 (Union)
Mix of Dylanesque folkrock and classical inspired folk-prog, with a melancholic mood and good lyrics.
KLANSMANN
(KS)
"Klansmann" 1968 (Audio House 269) [no cover]
One of many obscure pressings from the Kansas-based Audio House custom plant, this is amateurish teenbeat with covers of Young Rascals, "Hey Joe", Gerry & the Pacemakers etc. Apparently the label photo shown in one of the Collector Dreams books is not of the original label, but a recent facsimile.
CAROL KLEYN (CA)
"Love Has Made Me Stronger" 1976 (Lyra no #)
Bobby Brown's girlfriend is equally as musically bizarre as him. Side one of this album is just harp and voice, and her warbly melodies blend with the instrument to make for some truly unique voicings. Her high voice can occasionally grate, but it suits her odd sensibility and romantic vision (she's a true dreamer.) Side two of the album is just piano (or electric piano) and voice. The songs are as good as those on side one, but after almost forty minutes you're left wishing she'd hired a rhythm section. Unique but not wholly successful. [AM]
"Takin' The Time" 1980 (Turtledove no #)
Most people have a strong preference of one Kleyn album over the other, and strangely enough they seem to be equally split about which one. To be honest, I think it's a wash. This second (and rarer) album benefits from more instrumentation, with drums, bass, and electric guitar on most songs. There's still plenty of harp, though, and when a few sparse songs show up on side two they feel really good in this context. The songs, on the other hand, aren't much different from those on the first album. Same horny hippie romanticism, same jarring vocal trills and bird imitations. She's unique, and this is pretty cool music if you're in the right frame of mind, but just a few songs by her would probably be enough to satisfy the average listener. What fails to excite in the context of her own album might be a standout on a compilation. [AM]
CURTIS KNIGHT (KS/NY)
"Down In The Village" 1970 (Paramount)
The oddball album in Knight’s extensive discography is this heavy effort, featuring plenty-of Hendrix-like lead guitar. The ten-minute “Give You Plenty Lovin” is a room-clearer, as his repetitive screaming and the endless guitar noise goes way beyond the bounds of good taste. Some of you will really love it, obviously. Elsewhere it’s a solid set of soul and rock, given an edge by the heavy guitar playing and Knight’s street vibe. A worthwhile album. [AM]
KNIGHTS
a k a HERMON KNIGHTS (Northfield, MA)
"Off Campus" 1965 (CO 1269)
"Across the Board" 1966 (Ace Recording Studio mg-200854)
"Knights '67" 1967 (Ace Recording Studio mg-201302/3)
"Hermon Knights" 1968 (Ace Recording Studio co-2323)
Guitar, organ, horns prep cover band from the Mount Hermon school with mix of folk, pop, jazz, and the occasional raver. "Knights '67" is probably their strongest garage LP, though none are exceptional. Earlier LPs include "On The Road" (Ace, 1962) which is very weak with big band covers and instros, "Expressions" (Ace, 1964) and "Cold Days - Hot Knights" (Ace, 1963). An annual album would be recorded each Spring, with the earliest known Knights LP dating back to 1958. The Cole brothers later turned up in Quill who had a pretty wellknown prog-rock LP on Cotillion. [RM]
~~~
see -> Silent Cheer; Together
KNIGHTS 5 + 1 ( )
"On The Move" 1967 (Justice 156)
"On The Move" 1996 (CD Collectables 0604)Racially integrated Eastcoast club band unique to the label and era, and also one of the more wide-appealing titles on the Justice roster. Singer and sax man are black, rest are honkie kids, although the bass player is so good he sounds black. Vocalist is thankfully in the cool Cooke/Gaye school rather than a Pickett/Redding screamer, and the sax-man's loungy digressions sets a mellow nightclub tone to the affair, especially on a number of stylish instrumental originals. The vocal cover selections are a little too obvious but the wee hours approach makes a lot of the Memphis standards different and appealing. If I was throwing a wedding party this is the Justice band I'd book. [PL]
KOALA (New York City, NY)
"Koala" 1969 (Capitol skao-176) [unipak cover; rainbow label]
In a weird marketing gimmick, these guys were given an Australian name and pretended to be Aussie immigrants. It didn’t work, as the album bombed and now takes its place among those very rare Capitol albums we all drool over. A few songs here have some really out of control fuzz guitar, and the vocalist is strident in a Fred Cole kind of way. For the good songs, it’s as exciting as hell and it’s not surprising that this is a highly-sought-after album, but the sound is pretty headache-including over the long haul, especially when the songwriting inspiration begins to wear thin halfway through each side. Take the two side-openers, though, and you’d have one whale of a killer garage/psych hard rock 45. [AM]
KOPPERFIELD (MI)
"Tales Untold" 1974 (Kopperdisc 5014-n5) [lyrics insert]
"Tales Untold" 198 (Kopperdisc, Europe) [bootleg]
"Tales Untold" 199 (CD, Europe)
"Tales Untold" 2001 (Gear Fab gf-164) [2 LPs; +9 tracks]
"Tales Untold" 2001 (CD Gear Fab gf-164) [+9 tracks]This heavy album with progressive moves is expertly played and reasonably well produced, though it suffers a bit from inconsistent vocals and too many organ solos. It occasionally veers into 70s mainstream AOR territory (vocals from the Uriah Heep school, though not worthy of a passing grade.) It rocks hard enough and the songs are fast enough to give it points for energy. "Nothing Left To Give," with a propulsive rhythm and a strong vocal line, is probably the best song, though some of the more ambitious arrangements (i.e. the slower, keyboard-heavy title track) are also appealing. Side two is more experimental than side one. You can certainly do much worse in the genre, but don't buy this if you're looking for anything especially original or well-sung. The Gear Fab reissue contains a complete unreleased second album, which has stronger chops, heavier songs, and a more confident sound. It also experiments more with synthesizers and funky rhythms. For the most part, it's a bit better than the original album, but a terrible boogie song, titled "Gonna Get Stoned," really hurts. [AM]
LOUIE KOTVA (Champaign, IL)
"It Used To Be Not Everybody Was A Lighthouse" 1970 (Prism) [lyric inner sleeve]
Loner folk private press that falls into the "count the number of known copies on one hand" level of rarity. Illinois loner folkie with a few songs with psych moves. Comes in a textured cover and includes a homemade "custom" inner sleeve with paste-on lyric sheets on front and back. [MA]
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see -> Red Herring Fall Folk Festival
KREED (Fairbault,
MN)
"This Is Kreed!" 1971 (Vision Of Sound 71-56)
Rare basement excursion from St James military school band in the lower teens, famous for how strange some of them look on the sleeve. Has piano rather than guitars upfront which is a pity as this otherwise has all the right moves; voice-change vocals, basic garage tunes and lyrics about girls and the environment (?!). All originals except an extended cover of "In a gadda da vida" which is a pretty faithful rendering with piano solos replacing the organ. All over an interesting local piece in a '66 bag despite the vintage. [PL]
KRISTYL (Louisville, KY)
"Kristyl" 1975 (no label #4569) [200p]
"Kristyl" 1986 (Hype 1, UK)
"Kristyl" 199 (CD Titanic, Germany)Highly regarded local Christian 1970s melodic guitar-rock with an open late-1960s westcoast vibe, dual guitars and great organic playing/vocals all around. They have a very distinct sound which makes the tracks seem similar at first, but it opens up after some plays and remains that way. The best tracks such as "Deceptions of the mind" and "Valley of life" are truly monumental. Personal fave, one of the big ones in the style. Great sleeve design - note the drummers t-shirt. Originals were pressed on very thin vinyl, so most copies have slight bowl warps. [PL]
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Timeless pinnacle of teenage, rural, Christian psychedelia. The consensus seems to be that this is a 1975 recording, but dealers always (accurately) describe it as sounding much earlier. The psychedelic playing on ‘Deceptions of the Mind’ often contrasts with the anti-drugs/sex lyrics: “Alcohol and sex unclean, copping drugs all over the scene/What is it that we need, Lord it’s love and it’s for free”. Kentucky can’t have been an easy place to strike a deal to have this recorded, so maybe they felt they needed to put an anti-drugs message in here and there. The music is consistently wonderful, side 1 in particular, with side 2 ending with the beautiful ‘Morning Glory’. The dual guitars are laden with effects and full of interesting twists and turns. The singing is honest and clear. Not as crazed as Fraction, but in the same league of expressive, sincere musicianship. A beautiful, naïve feeling pervades the whole LP, like they believed anything could happen, the world could change as a result of their sounds. For me, they were right. Why is the drummer wearing a shirt with a hash leaf on it, perhaps it says “hash free zone” underneath? The sleeve art is also top-ten, being a monochrome crudely drawn snake encircling the earth. [RI]
KRYSTALS (Montreal, Canada)
"Krystals" 1971 (Fourmost 8943)
Late beat/pop with keyboard-led covers of Hollies, Simon & Garfunkel, Chicago, and some originals. The release date has been listed elsewhere as 1968, which is obviously incorrect from the track list.
KUDZU BAND (GA)
"Chitlin' Circuit" 1976 (De Vine)
Guitar-driven Southern rock with a ZZ Top influence, has a cover of "Back Door Man".
FRED KUHN & LIGHT (Long Island, NY)
"A Song Of Gods Gone Mad" 1980 (Daystar 0001)
Here’s a 1980 folk album that is more weird than good. It’s not exactly satanic, but definitely pagan and strange. It includes a bass-and-vocals-only version of David Crosby’s “Triad” which makes an already creepy song even creepier. Some songs have pretty wild moog and others have twisted lyrics, but overall the musical sound is actually quite tame. It’s interesting when someone with this kind of sensibility heads towards folk rather than heavy metal, and this album is definitely a curiosity. It’s not really that good, though, as little moments (a phrase here or there, some synthesizer noise) stick in my memory more than do any of the songs as a whole. Nicodemus fans might appreciate it. [AM]
ROBB KUNKEL (Denver, CO)
"Abyss" 1973 (Tumbleweed TWS 111)
Obscure but surprisingly good LP on a Rocky Mountain independent that rode high on corporate money for a few years. It's one of the best, perhaps the best, on the label, and opens with two terrific dreamy westcoast psych tracks that alone makes this worth getting. The rest is an eclectic bag of melodic rock and singer/songwriter, with two weaker (but short) rootsy tracks, and the rest quite enjoyable. Heavy session names are all over this LP, which displays the typical Tumbleweed combination of a stoned, loose vibe and a classy production. When staff member Kunkel's album was released the label's money was running out, and it may have been pressed in as few as 500 copies. [PL]
~~~
Having listened to this album a dozen times it's still hard to slap it with a label. Much of it has a laidback acoustic feel to it, but the songs are often punctuated by Howard Robert's jazzy lead guitar and/or Kunkel's percussive keyboards. 'Whispermuse' is a perfect example. For the first couple of moments in flows along as a pretty acoustic ballad before Kunkel and Roberts kick in at the tale end. In contrast, the title track and 'Turn of the Century' (the latter being the standout effort) are fairly conventional (and enjoyable) rock numbers. Full of pretty melodies and some nice harmony vocals, I can see why it's becoming somewhat of a sought after collectable. The only real missteps are a couple of country-flavored throwaways including the forgettable "Country Blues". [SB]
see full-length review
KURT & NOAH (Canada)
"There Are Things" 1970 (Astra 1000) [inner]
A quintet despite the name, doing gentle folk with acoustic and electric guitars and harmony vocals. Some tracks have female vocals. The group had a couple of 45s including a minor hit.
KUSUDO & WORTH (
)
"Of Sun & Rain" 1969 (Custom Fidelity 1881/82) [200p]
This is about as good as stark acoustic folk gets, with evocative songs, beautiful and versatile singing, unexpected acoustic raveups, and the addition of some eerie slide guitar on one song. The two voices work very well together and around each other. "I Would Like To Hear Your Story" is really intense, sort of like the side-openers of the first Jake Holmes album. Very highly recommended, and way overdue for a reissue. [AM]
