ARZACHEL

-ARZACHEL

(NEW LP) 

REISSUE

ARZACHEL - Arzachel (+ 1 bonus track)
KLIMT RECORDS

One of the great lost albums of British psychedelia, original copies of Arzachel’s 1969 self-titled debut fetch huge sums on the collectors’ market and it is not difficult to understand why. Originally released in 1969 on the small Evolution label, this album quite simply contains some of the best psych to ever come out of the UK.

However, like so many other great albums of the era, it soon dropped entirely from the radar due to bad promotion. In fact, it may not have ever been rediscovered at all if guitarist Steve Hillage and keyboardist Dave Stewart had not gone on to be so well known. Hillage would soon become famous for his work in Gong, and Stewart would become a legend of British prog with Egg, Hatfield and the North, National Health, and his work with wife Barbara Gaskin in the 1980s.

Contains a bonus track from the CD version.
This spacey psychedelic album is notable for the involvement of Steve Hillage the opening cut, garden of earthly delights is of interest and Azathoth has a rich church organ backing.

On side two clean innocent fun previews Hillages fine guitar work and metempsychosis opens full of weirdness and sound effects (which recur at regular intervals throughout) before pursuing a similar vein.

The latter track, in particular, begs comparison with Pink Floyd around the saucerful of secrets era.

Arzachel is a very keyboard-dominated album.

 

1) Garden Of Earthly Delights

2) Soul Thing (Queen St. Gang)

3) Leg

4) Clean Innocent Fun

5) Azathoth

6) Metempsychosis

7) Saturn / The Bringer Of Old Age (bonus track)