They say truth is stranger than fiction
Warren W. Nelson | Mooresville, NC USA | 01/27/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"this cd reissue is just about the ultimate document (along with 'Penetration: An Aquarian Symphony) of probably the strangest and most deranged acid-psychedelic bands ever commited to vinyl or otherwise (at least as far as I have heard). And like the editorial blurb proclaims, it could be the ultimate acid album ever. Up until recently, little was known about this band other than the fact that they belonged to a commune led by the enigmatic figure, Father Yod. Recent interviews with some of the original band members however reveal that Father yod was actually a self proclaimed guru like figure named Jim Baker(not the PTL figure), who began following the writings of G. E. Gurdjeff and acquired a following of local California misfits known as the family. While it is NOT true that the 13TH Floor Elevators had any involvement with this band, Sky Saxon of the Seeds fame actually became a member of the family, rechristened himself Sky 'Sunlight' Saxon and actually recorded material with them of reputedly inconsequential material. Anyway, as the story goes, the family apparently supported themselves running a healthfood store and marketing there own crafts (ala Deadheads) and Father Yod discovered that some among his disciples were actually some enthusiastic musicians. Under his leadership, they made a series of privately pressed recordings on the Higher Key label in the early seventies which today are worth a fortune. Most of them are reputedly not great, But 2 of the 3 which I have acquired are among the most possessed and absolutely deranged pieces of music in my collection. This is one of them. Typically, these are imprompto performances recorded when Father Yod impulsively decided it was time to record. The music is basically propulsive guitar driven with Father yod bellowing and chanting and proclaiming "come on baby, I'm going to take you home". While probably this may not quite be the strangest thing I've ever heard in my life, the band settle into a series of grooves and begin to improvise into a steady stream of modal and eastern sounding guitar jams developing into some unorthodox and twisted chordal patterns which if I could compare it to anything, might well be some of the most out there krautrock bands; like early Amon Duul II or the first Ash Ra Tempel, punctuated by strange guitar slashes and sounds. the bass player, Aquarian Sunflower, and the guitar player, Aquarian Djinn, are especially good. And the overall feel is that you have taken a huge overdose of LSD and that you may not return to reality the way you know it. Somewhat dated by the intense seriousness of their efforts, this recording, which I understand is one of their better ones, is actually quite mesmerizing. The sad footnote to this story is that Father Yod (Jim Baker) had a devastating hang gliding accident on his very first try one day in 1975, broke his back, refused medical treatment and passed away. The Family continued on, actually recording a few more not very good albums and became part of psychedelic history. This album, however, is quite good, and while probably not the most elaborate or experimental of all time, is undeniably strange and if you can track it down, well worth a listen."
