[engl] Initially self-released in 1975 by the Drumcondra, Dublin-based Cromwell, At The Gallop is a blistering, heavy, loud’n’lascivious ten track offering (thirteen in this expanded edition) of proto-metal infused street rock’n’roll from a time when Ireland was still under the sway of conservative showbands, quasi-religious, sentimental pop pap and traditional Irish music. Despite their cultural struggles, Cromwell crafted a creative and compact catalog—five fuzzed’n’ferocious 45s and this footlong—led by co-vocalist/bassist Michael Kiely’s come hither coo and fey Jagger pose’n’preen, the in-the-pocket drumming of Derek Dawson and minor-guitar hero moves of Patrick Brady, exercising taste, talent and towering mountains of fuzz’n’fury as comfortably as greasy ‘70s raunch and rural modes. At The Gallop is a rare—fetching upwards of 400€ when the original LP does appear—little heard classic in the pub/ fried rock’n’roll /proto-punk terrain.

[engl] Arriving to the world for the first time, really–beyond the ears of the deep–digging few–Dale Jenkins’ Undesirable Elements, issued privately in the Washington, D.C. area circa 1985, is a homespun effort deserving of the audience and attention it never received upon initial release. Undesirable Elements–here expanded as Undesirable Element with appended bonus tracks–is a desolate and deconstructed album which touches on the subtleties and extremes of the human condition, and the nuances in between, across gnarled bits of proto–punk via abrasive, fuzzed guitars, and refracted mutant strains of British post–punk through a distinctly American underbelly sensibility. Drum–led and in–the–red, Undesirable Elements is a loose concept album of sorts, from the sympathetic pen of an innately skilled commentator. The album displays polemical disdain for the behavior of humans, insular views, and blindly moving forward on simple suggestion, while carrying a keen eye into the many textures of the mindscape of man. While you may hear occasional tears at aiming at the trends of the times, Jenkins’ direct, intensely personal and lyrically sophisticated material, combined with his charged attack, is in a realm all its own. Jenkins’ lyrics are nearly cinematic, like bite–sized scripts, or character vignettes, filled with wizened, introspective and radicalized perspective. The self–contained home–recording maverick was searching, sensitive, subversive, topical, yet several steps from the soapbox. Got Kinda Lost Records is over the moon to allow this unique, outsider singer–songwriter/psych–punk album another turn at its time in the shine...

[engl] Originally issued in 1971 by Nepentha Records – presided over by Kinks/Troggs manager Larry Page – Into Your Ears is the sole full–length offering from Honeybus founder member Pete Dello (assisted by a coterie of close friends).The album is a wonderful, timeless work of incisive, plaintive folk–pop balladry and buoyant, idiosyncratic creations, led along by Dello’s honeyed voice (which eases effortlessly into falsetto) and expertly executed arrangements featuring minor orchestrations. Into Your Ears represents the zenith of Dello’s songwriting, comprised primarily of tunes written specifically for this project (supplemented by a few tracks intended for Honeybus which were re–cut for the occasion). The songwriting reflects a jovial playfulness, but also feelings of intense lovelorn longing, hope, wistfulness and moments that could serve as a great soundtrack to a break–up (with the brightness of delivery never making them ache with depression). Everything on Into Your Ears comes from personal life experiences, even if twisted through a unique prism, with the deep emotions, whimsical moments and orchestration that never clutters the arrangements all achieving perfect balance. But, above all, the songs resonate with a pure dedication to "pop" and beckon you to listen in repetition, until they’re at one with your very existence. There’s something present, timeless and at times nearly indescribable about this very special set of songs that can’t be pinpointed by simple equation. Widely regarded by Honeybus fans, ’60s–’70s collectors and anyone who’s happened into its beatific orbit, Into Your Ears is a lost classic deserving of further exposure. RIYL: Ray Brooks, Duncan Browne, John Cale’s Paris 1919, Ray Davies (The Kinks), Bill Fay, Nick Garrie, the early careers of Ralph McTell and Clifford T. Ward, etc.

[engl] Got Kinda Lost Records presents the first in a series of exhumations from the realm of privately- pressed hard rock LPs, with our second label release from Southern California group Eternity. If you're forever searching for lost treasures, and yearn for a time when hard rock was free of pretense, look no further- Got Kinda Lost Records presents the wasted, basement hard rock of Eternity. Originally recorded in 1979- '80, and released on a private label in 1981, many songs originate from an earlier period in the '70s, giving the release an ''out of time'' quality. Led by the confidant vocals of Wallace Stoneking and the ''human- riff'' creativity of Frank Monroe, Eternity created a groove- oriented, no frills brand of hard rock, capturing the flair of their heroes existing a decade prior- and within this set Wallace Stoneking tells of all the surreal interactions and experiences that colored their time together. This set is sure to please fans of 70s proto- stoner, hard- rock, ''out of time'' private press treasures, and your uncle who still drives that '72 Camaro. Recommended for fans of Blue Cheer, Black Sabbath, Nazca Line, Led Zep, Magi, Leaf Hound, and Stagefright. 24- Bit Remastering. Includes one bonus track taken from a non- LP 45. Extensive interview and liner notes with group singer/songwriter Wallace Stoneking, conducted by Jeremy Cargill (Ugly Things Magazine / Got Kinda Lost Records).

[engl] “…we can make [enough] progress inside our heads and the heads of our friends to lay the foundations of an intergalactic life more meaningful than our earthbound condition…” – John Peel, International Times Mirroring the sentiment of the prescient UK radio legend in his Vibrations column for the International Times in the ‘70s, LightDreams leader Paul Marcano took one further step beyond his intimate colleagues and chose to spread his ideals concerning peaceful outer space colonization to all with open ears. Islands In Space, dotted with acoustic jams, backwards guitars, lyrics alluding to the British progressive era, smoking hot electric leads, synths galore, and the dreamiest of melodies, is both Marcano’s love letter to the work of science-fiction author Gerard K. O’Neill and the psych-tinged folk explorers who came before him such as McDonald & Giles. Originally privately-issued in 1981 in an edition of 1,000 copies, Islands In Space explores space travel and cosmic ideology making for a sci-fi psych odyssey and is filled with atmospheric, lysergic creations atop a hybrid of sounds from the cosmic-psych/progressive-folk/new age spectrum. Home-recorded (yet hi-fi), Islands In Space carries a singular quality, defies easy categorization and has long been savored over by collectors of otherworldly joys. Got Kinda Lost Records is absolutely ecstatic to allow this singular, beatific work another chance to shine from Earth’s surface to the outer reaches of the galaxy.

[engl] “10,001 Dreams” is a perfect distillation of Paul Marcano’s musical essence: thoughtful, psychedelic, pop-oriented music but with a deeply progressive ear for song structure and the intuitive glow of a well-crafted lyrical refrain.” (Jack D. Fleischer—10, 001 Dreams, Liner Notes) A thematic sequel of sorts to the sci-fi psych odyssey exploring cosmic ideology that was the British Columbians debut—LightDreams’ Islands In Space—10,001 Dreams from 1982 finds its leader, Paul Marcano, edging closer lyrically to the utopian outer space colonization he’d previously conjured while under the sway of physicist/space activist/author Gerard K. O’Neill. The ever-present percussive acoustic layers from Islands In Space remain, while the New Age-like keyboard washes are nearly totally supplanted by mellow, wickedly fuzzed, floating layers of dreamy, treated, atmospheric electric guitar. As scribe Jack D. Fleischer says, at the time of the recording the group had reached, “a certain kind of psychedelic revelation that had become completely frontal,” and that is emphasized by this increased use of soaring electric coloring. Originally issued solely on cassette, Marcano and Lightdreams’ home-recorded (yet hi-fi) lysergic creations give nod to the original British psychedelic and progressive eras, while maintaining a firm foot in hook-based, melodic folk’n’pop and are a guaranteed treasure for those searching for unheard and otherworldly joys.

[engl] If you're continuously searching the margins for lost artifacts of the pop pantheon, you can find your daily dose in late period exponents of pure, lean, Beatlesque early '70s power pop, Promise. Originally issued in 1980 on the Boulder, Colorado, area band's own Cumulus label, their eponymous debut is filled with melodic, beatific blasts of pure pop, replete with ringing, jangly guitars, and rollicking crunch. Co- led by singer songwriter's/guitarists Curt Mangan and Danny Mey- with aid provided by the just right rhythms of bassist Randy Jones and drummer Gary York- the group created an album with precious little allying it to the punk- inspired power pop or prescient ''New Wave'' of the time, instead choosing to hone in on a classicist pop sound highly indebted to those famous moptops from Liverpool. Abetted by the fact some of the group's members had been playing together since their teenage combo's of the mid- '60s the album carries an ''out of time'' flair across surging rockers and mournful balladry.

[engl] Those who've dirtied their fingers searching high and low for analog synth nuggets can rejoice at the arrival of under- the- radar synthesizer maverick ''Rocket'' Robert Moore. Less a reissue than an exhumation- what with a scant, hand- screened 142 copies produced in 1982 that circulated little outside the confines of Oregon state- Rocket Robert drifts in the backward- looking sounds of early synth innovators, while equally mining the kraut- tinged moments of punk- era instro synth explorers and the first breaths of synth- pop, rather than carrying similarities to the ''New Wave'' that was then talking hold of the masses. Issued by Moore's own Salem, Oregon- based Future Records in 1982, his eponymous debut is simultaneously light- hearted and shot- though with ominous oscillations and offers up a darkly- throbbing, other- worldly vibe that is sure to ensnare synth- heads, beat- diggers and those searching the margins of the private- press alike.