I headed on a road trip with some old friends to a beach area close to Bombay recently and as always I was on DJ duties for most parts of the trip. It was a lot of unravelling excitement for sure but when I got back I just wanted to sit back pour a drink and enjoy the cold seclusion that comes with the winter season when you’re on your own and looking to build a career from scratch. Music has been it for me and after a long time struggling with what to make of life, I’m taking a leap into the unknown and it’s as scary as it is exciting. That being said I got back to making a couple of playlists for the winter season this year, as is the case with all the years since I started my YouTube channel BOMBEATS in 2015.
I hope the tunes make you enjoy your winter break and relax. The first one is a bit heavy but the second one is mellow. At least music makes the soundtrack to those moments of life as it drifts by. I’ve got so much on my mind these days but the good old music helps me wind down. I hope it relaxes you too.
I may be a beginner guitarist and pianist at the moment but I’ve got a well-groomed and conditioned set of ears for tunes that sound groovy. I don’t know what it is to be precise, but I just have this innate sense or gut feeling that separates and categorises music into degrees of how good they sound. Maybe it was my DJ experience that has given me this ability but nonetheless, I’m glad I have these two awesome ears to guide me through my musical journey or expedition rather.
These past two weeks I’ve been crate digging, well the online equivalent at least, for rare classic rock albums that didn’t hit the big time but sound great! I’m an old school classic rock n roll fan primarily, but I dig a number of different genres keeping an open mind to it of course(Except EDM: F**k that shit!)
I decided to start a Throwback Thursdays #tbt series on my music channel BOMBEATS to keep things interesting. I try to post the best content in music on my channel guided by my instinct and it’s going good so far. The series focuses mainly on classic records that never hit the big time or mainstream back then but sound top notch even today!
The three records I’ve picked today are on the proper psychedelic side. Check the video description for additional details. Here they are in chronological order of release:
1. The Sacred Mushroom – Sacred Mushroom(1969)
The only album they ever made Sacred Mushroom from Cincinnati, Ohio never hit the big time but Danny Goshorn and co did a pretty damn good job making a classic record! There is barely anything mentioned about them online though.
2. The Human Instinct – Stoned Guitar(1970)
Surprisingly The Human Instinct led by Maurice Greer hail from New Zealand. That itself made me extremely interested when I stumbled upon them. Most New Zealanders reckon that The Human Instinct are the greatest kiwi band ever formed. Stoned Guitar was their most well-received album. It’s a beaut!
3. Leaf Hound – Growers Of Mushroom(1971)
Leaf Hound never hit the big time either but they have a bit of a following these days. They were heavily part of the stoner rock movement in the 60s/70s. This album was their debut album released under Decca Records. Peter French who would later join Atomic Rooster lead the band into their maiden slightly successful album.
Very psychedelic and a lot of mushrooms in there 😉
But top notch stuff nonetheless!
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Where do I begin with Nick Drake? It’s a herculean task to try to put words to just how much the man, his legend and his music has impacted a fellow ‘troubled mind’ looking for a ‘trouble cure’ like me, as he so aptly sings on “Time Has Told Me”. His music speaks volumes or sagas rather through his short career that spanned just four albums. It’s a mystery and as strange as it gets that he didn’t find much success in his lifetime despite his obvious genius!
Anyway, I decided at the start of the day to make a tribute video when this “Day Is Done” and I found some rare songs of his as well to add to the mix which make it a must-have Nick Drake collector’s item on YouTube.
Nick Drake’s music and rather poetic lyrics remind people of forgotten times of old and effortlessly transports listeners to a reflective sphere and state of being along with his evolving guitar sounds. There wasn’t much known about Nick Drake until the Internet made more people aware of him and his music and some 40 odd years on after his death he remains cemented firmly as a folk music legend. He has personally hugely influenced my guitar playing style and I’m working hard on trying to get anywhere near his level and produce the sounds he did on his guitar.
Nick Drake’s life is a body of work that has had a huge impact on a number of people these days – the ones who have taken a liking to his music over the years after his death – but there always remains so many more who are just discovering his music. I guess somewhere deep down when the melancholy and melody seeps in and touches your soul and you begin to reflect on all that’s transpired in your life and then begin to view life as a “remnant of something that’s passed” as he so eloquently put it.
It’s figuratively safe to say that a lot of us need the sufficient love, success and peace of mind we deserve in order to keep going and the void left by it causes things to go haywire. It’s something that I wish Nick Drake had as well so he could’ve still been here and made more music. So I hope you find that one person who “brightens your northern sky” and I hope you enjoy this mix!
