Psychfan's Trip O' Th' Week - Kaleidoscope

Psychfan with this week's musical microdot!

Egyptian Candy

 

The typical British psych musician had classical training as a schoolchild, discovered American soul music as a teenager and was playing R&B when the psych boom was in it's formative stages.

 

The typical American psych musician had previously either been in a garage band or was a folk singer. Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead and The Byrds all had their distinct ways of playing folk-informed (or is that folk-infused?) electric rock, but today's band retained more folk presence than most while still being fully electric (and psychedelic!).

 

Kaleidoscope (not to be confused with the UK band of the same name) had a world music element as well. Instead of a sitar they used an electric oud, an instrument used commonly throughout the Middle East that's well suited to music that's rythymic and propulsive.

 

Their other secret weapon was guitarist David Lindley, who later collaborated with Ry Cooder and was a long term member of Jackson Browne's band.

 

Today's offering Egyptian Candy is an excellent best-of and a great introduction.