Psych Folk I: The Roots

The program for April 25, 2015, offered a sampling of the visionary music of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

First hour:

Artist Song Title Album (Label)
The Incredible String Band This Moment I Looked Up (Hannibal)
Spirogyra Old Boot Wine Bells, Boots, and Shambles (Esoteric)
Nick Drake Way to Blue Way to Blue: An Introduction to Nick Drake (Hannibal)
New Set
Vashti Bunyan Rainbow River Just Another Diamond Day (DiChristina)
Heron Smiling Ladies Upon Reflection: The Dawn Anthology (Castle Music)
Shelagh McDonald City’s Cry Stargazer (Mooncrest)
Tír na nÓg So Freely A Tear and a Smile (Esoteric)
Donovan Get Thy Bearings The Hurdy-Gurdy Man (EMI)
Music Under Announcements
Davy Graham She Moved Thru’ the Bizarre Blue Raga The Guitar Player (Ling Music Group)
Shirley Collins & Davy Graham Hares on the Mountain Folk Roots, New Routes (Topic)
Shirley Collins (with Dolly Collins) All Things Are Quite Silent The Sweet Primeroses (Topic)
Mellow Candle (Clodagh Simonds and Alison Bools [later Alison O’Donnell]) Reverend Sisters Swaddling Songs (Deram)
Midwinter Sanctuary Stone The Waters of Sweet Sorrow (Prog Temple)
Saffron Summerfield Salisbury Plain The Early Years (Mother Earth Music)

Second hour:

Artist Song Title Album (Label)
The Pentangle Reflection Reflection (Transatlantic)
New Set
Pearls Before Swine Ballad to an Amber Lady One Nation Underground (ESP/ZYX)
Perry Leopold Vespers Christian Lucifer (Gear Fab)
Lamb The Odyssey of Ehram Spickor A Sign of Change (Fillmore / Wounded Bird)
New Set
The Trees Community Symphony of Souls The Christ Tree (Hand Eye)
Donovan Peregrine The Hurdy-Gurdy Man (EMI)
Linda Perhacs Moons and Cattails Parallelograms (Sunbeam)
Kathy Smith End of the World Some Songs I’ve Saved (TTW)
New Set
Michael Hurley Long Journey Long Journey (Rounder)
The Insect Trust The Skin Game The Insect Trust (Phoenix)
Bruce Cockburn Change Your Mind Bruce Cockburn (Sony)
New Set
Tim Buckley Morning Glory The Best of... (Elektra)
John Fahey (faded under) The Yellow Princess The Yellow Princess (Vanguard)

Two worthwhile books on the subject of psych folk are Seasons They Change: The Story of Acid and Psychedelic Folk by Jeanette Leach and Electric Eden: Unearthing Britain’s Visionary Music by Rob Young.