The Churchills LP from 68

I had heard a bit about the Churchills LP from 68 a bit as being the one high dollar psych lp that is actually worth the money. They were an Israeli band that challenges Plastic Cloud on the fuzz category.

I am happy to get a cdr of an out of print $5-6000 lp usually, but I have not been able to make that happen yet. Yesterday, I was able to download an mp3 copy of the album from 1992. For mp3, this particular burn makes quite the room filler of sound.

Pictures in my mind has a preponderance of fuzz curlique throught the mid range. The stereo mix is very effective here. The 'Hills use the the panning effect to excellent result. Towards the end the fuzz travels channel to channel, up and down in volume in the mid range. This is all over a pounding blues based rythm stomp. Very cool.

Track four mellows a bit and takes the progression down.

Track 5 starts to pound and the guitar workout would give both Jimi and Ron Asheton a run for the money. Once again the panning effects are used to build tension. The arrangement is spectacular. The bass is tight and the drum kit is spanking out. My listening room is rumbling.

When the Churchills get to Straight People, they lose my attention a bit. The tempo reminds me a bit of Coronado's biggest drunken export, Jimmy Morrison. That f er should have sent more time mowing his lawn instead of "poetry," but I digress. Not a good thing to my ears. They use a preponderance of reverbed sound effects to move the song. The vocals just kill it for me. There is also either more tape hiss or snare rumble on this track.

Subsequent Final betrays their geographical heritage by including local instrumentation (the saz?). Sonically it reminds me of some of the more powerful Turkish psysch that was being reissued in years back. The bass is just doing bass drops. My neighbors must love me this morning. They break it down in an almost bluegrass fashion at the end. Amazing. This is possibly best one of the best arranged songs that I have heard in months. Rumble, rumble rumble oes the electric bass under it all. "Here I go..." Nice test tone at the end.

So Alone Today uses backwards guitar and echo to make chills form on the back of your neck and to make the dog ask to go outside. Freak.

Debka has the freak out award for this record though. Listen to our friends consult the joint chiefs over a rambling stringed arrangement as they build into a more medium tempo. The leader and intro is asking to be sampled.

I won't bore you with the details as they move into Led Zep cover territory.