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Plain and Fancy

Music gives soul to universe, wings to mind, flight to imagination, charm to sadness, and life to everything.

Plato

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Gordon Alexander - Gordon's Buster (1968 us, beatific psych folk with breezy orchestral bossa nova-flavored pop, 2011 Kismet release)



And that about covers it, except that in between he was half of a group called Peanut Butter ‘n’ Jelly, and then he was on his own again, and he met people who went wha? When he sang his songs. "I remember the first time Derek Taylor heard me, he was standing in the other room and I did this medley I had worked out back then - I did a lot of songs with this transition thing worked in between em - and suddenly he goes CRASH!, drops everything, falls against the wall, and then when I finished he comes over and he says, 'Well, I , oh - what good are words, anyway? I just wanted to say, I really enjoyed your... music.' And I'm saying 'Uh, right,' and the walls are going ka-choonga, you know? One of those mystical experiences." 

Gordon met Clive Davis, the president of Columbia Records, who said something like 'yeah', and signed him, and Gordon finally made his album - something he'd waited for a long time, and while making it someone phoned in a bomb threat. "A bomb threat, can you imagine? But we kept on recording. Studio time is scarce at Columbia." One of the strange things about Gordon is the way he sings: hard to describe, one of those things you have to hear. He sings echo with himself, sends his voice around the corner, through a filter, brings it back again, sings echo with himself. 

The music at first hearing may sound foreign, jarring, unapproachable - especially the more electronic space songs. Maybe you can't see it at first, but then later when you find it has all worked out, it is most accessible. The first album Buster, doesn't have too many really difficult electric space songs. "We thought we'd keep this one pretty basic," Gordon says. "But I certainly do try to remind people about life and death and those things."
Eye magazine, December 1968


Tracks
1. Looking For The Sun - 2:37
2. Letter To Baba - 2:44
3. Topanga - 2:29
4. Autumn Is A Bummer - 1:49
5. A Bunch Of Us Were Sitting Around A Candle In San Francisco Getting Stoned And I Hope You’re There The Next Time - 1:58
6. Waiting For The Time - 1:56
7. Thinking In Indian Again - 1:56
8. Puppet Theatre 23 - 2:08
9. One Real Spins Free - 2:24
10.Windy Wednesday - 3:47
11.Miss Mary - 2:55
All compositions by Gordon Alexander

Musicians
*Gordon Alexander - Vocals, Guitar
*Jim Gordon - Drums
*John Guerin - Drums
*Ben Benay - Guitar
*Al Casey - Guitar
*Bill Pitman - Guitar
*Carole Kaye - Bass
*Pete Christlieb - Saxophone
*Plas Johnson - Saxophone

Free Text

15 comments:

  1. Sorry, but "breezy orchestral bossa nova flavored pop" is definitely not my cup of tea. But some people will like it and that's the purpose of this site.
    Have a nice weekend and I am sure that sooner or later there will be music for which I will say WOW.

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  2. Many will be delighted if they take the time to listen more than once to this MASTERPIECE! I went to the trouble of renting recording studio time just to get my vinyl onto cdr of this record years ago... It has a unique sophisticated Mystical {'Thinking in Indian again Knowing it will begin again, call me anytiiiiiime...'} psych-pop vibe and poetic assurance you'll not discover anywhere else, guaranteed----songs short but sweet and Packed! --In the general ballpark of Danny McCulloch, Zoot Money WELCOME TO MY HEAD, Hilton Valentine's "All In Your Head"... Gordon also penned the great song from Tiny Tim's debut:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8OROa2WfjY

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  3. Never heard about him but this album looks interesting. Thanks! :-)

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  4. does anybody have the comp all kinds of highs? thanks

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  5. good one. its similar to scott walker. good one. peace

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  6. I requested this album in the chat box a couple of months ago and voila, here it is!
    Thank you so much Marios.
    Really appreciate this.

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  7. Any idea what happened to him ? The album is brilliantly odd

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  8. It would be possible to re-upload it please, until now I had never realized how big this blog is.

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  9. Cañamón, "Gordon Alexander - Gordon's Buster", repaired...

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  10. Thank you Marios!

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  11. finde nichts über ihn im Netz, nur diese eine LP/CD. Was hat er nach 1968 gemacht ?

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  12. Frank HH, Gordon Alexander hat keine weitere LP veröffentlicht. Er gab die Musik auf und wurde Immobilienmakler und widmete sich seitdem hauptsächlich der Tätigkeit und Führung verschiedener Logen und Burschenschaften.

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