Since the late 60's Steve Hillage was a well known guitarist and member of the Canterbury psychedelic rock scene. 45 years ago he moved to New York to record his second solo L. Together with Todd Rundgren he made a classic cosmic rock album. Unusually for him he recorded a couple of cover versions. Donovan's Hurdy Gurdy Man is one of these examples how to turn a simple folk song into a spaced out guitar sound.
The recent days I found another gem of live music filmed for German TV-station. Back in 1968 the Berlin Jazz Days was a forum for jazz purists featuring arty musicians like Pharoah Sander and Gary Burton. To show their open mind they there also Muddy Waters played a gig with Otis Spann and Brian Auger together with Julie Driscoll and Trinity. This was one of the first gigs they played after they left Steampacket, a blues band they might be know as the first band Rod Stewart the lead vocals. Trinity had many jazzy influences and worked maybe as one of the first ones on an organ sound and tried to implement his musical collaborations from Jimi Hendrix to John McLaughlin. They had big success with a cover version of Dylan/Danko's This Wheel On Fire. This footage shows another cover version and their interpretation of Donovan's Season Of The Witch is maybe the most ad-lip one beside Vanilla Fudge's scary version.
A few days ago I took a walk back into the late 60's where popular songs were inspired by drug experiences and psychedelic sounds. Most of the songs I found were often played fifty years ago now. I ask myself if someone remembers these songs that educated me and many other of my age into the world of psychedelic and cosmic sounds and I was ready to explore the sound of Krautrock and other pioneers of this kind of music and I think it is more than fair to give these songs a feature because it is the point were many things started.