July - 'July' (1968)
link

And so we fumble blindly into my second choice for a poorly constructed review - now crossing the Atlantic for a sample of the idiosyncratic UK scene.

This one's a real corker, just had to be made by a bunch of acidheads from Ealing.
There are a truckload of obscure releases from the psychedelic boom that sold poorly on release; but over time were unearthed by fat loners with beards at Dutch record fairs and are now highly sought after. This sole album by July is one such rarity. Fortunately it's a hit with music bloggers and rightly so; their sound is very trippy, nicely produced and musically proficient.

Raga abounds and between electro-acoustic mantras ('The Way') and wah-wah workouts ('Crying Is For Writers') phase silky basslines and cascading tablas. It's archetypal psych ofcourse so don't expect anything revelatory from the lyrics (or do?); still - they fit the sound like a glove.
It's not all good news however, as invariably with these albums there are one or two tracks that haven't aged too well ('Hallo Who's There', 'Jolly Mary'); but this is more than worth a download for the sublime moments where it all comes together.

Low-budget, long-forgotten, but a fine specimen from the crest of the psychedelic rock wave. Oh and two of the members apparently went on to fame and fortune in Jade Warrior. Terrific.

4.0/5