Blues Magoos


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Psychedelic Lollipop (1966), 7/10 Links:

I Blues Magoos che emersero dal Greenwich Village di New York nel 1965 rappresentano la transizione dai generi dei primi anni '60 al rock psichedelico. Da un lato, infatti, si richiamavano al blues e ai complessi italo-americani (tanto che il chitarrista ed enfant prodige Emil Thielheim si faceva chiamare Peppy Castro e l'organista Ralph Scala) che erano in voga prima degli hippies, ma dall'altro si emanciparono dall'immagine tradizione della rock star vivacizzando i loro show con luci psichedeliche e costumi bizzarri.

Psychedelic Lollipop (Mercury, 1966) fu uno dei primi album psichedelici. Dopo un piccolo, ma forsennato, hit, We Ain't Got Nothing Yet (1966), si affermarono con un rifacimento sterminato e selvaggio di Tobacco Road (1966, di Loudermilk) sotto forma di blues marziale ed arrogante che degenera in pura devastazione chitarristica, un sabba epilettico di rumori strumentali assordanti in un crescendo infernale di ritmo rockabilly, sincopi martellanti, glissando orgiastici, con tanto di organo liturgico.

Un'ipnotica Gloria, tratta da Electric Comic Book (Mercury, 1967) fu il loro ultimo gioiello, mentre i media scoprivano nel loro look l'iconografia psichedelica (fior fior di stilisti disegnarono i loro abiti e le loro coreografie).

Tentarono anche la canzone da classifica, con Pipe Dream, ma non ebbero successo e scomparvero dopo Basic (Mercury, 1968) senza che nessuno si fosse accorto delle suite elettriche nascoste nei loro album.

Kaleidescopic Compendium (Mercury, 1992) propone un'abbondante selezione dai tre album. I primi due album sono stati ristampati in un unico CD dalla Collectables.

(Translated by Ornella C. Grannis)

The Blues Magoos, who emerged from New York's Greenwich Village in 1965, represent the transition from the genres of the early 60s to psychedelic rock. They drew inspiration from blues and from Italian-American bands that were fashionable before the hippies, so much so that guitarist and child prodigy Emil Thielheim renamed himself Peppy Castro. Yet they managed to emancipate themselves from the traditional image of the rock star, enlivening their concerts with psychedelic lights and bizarre costumes.

Psychedelic Lollipop (Mercury, 1966) was one of the first psychedelic albums. After a small furious hit, We Ain' t Got Nothing Yet (1966), they came back with an endless and wild remake of J.D. Loudermilk's Tobacco Road (1966) disguised as a blues piece that degenerates into pure guitar devastation - an epileptic sabbath of deafening instrumental noise in an infernal crescendo of rockabilly rhythm, throbbing syncopations and orgiastic flights, accompanied by a church organ.

While the media discovered in their looks the psychedelic iconography to define the era, their clothes were actually the product of top professional designers. Meanwhile, the hypnotic Gloria, from the album Electric Comic Book (Mercury, 1967) was their last musical jewel.

They tried, without success, to return to the pop charts with Pipe Dream. They disappeared after Basic Blues Magoos (Mercury, 1968) without a soul able to discover the fine electric suites hidden within the album.

Kaleidescopic Compendium (Mercury, 1992) presents an abundant selection from the three albums. The first two albums have been re-released by Collectables in CD format.

Castro reformed the band for Never Goin' Back to Georgia (ABC, 1969) and Gulf Coast Bound (ABC, 1970). Almost 50 years after the fact, the Blues Magoos (Castro, Scala and Daking) reformed for Psychedelic Resurrection (Kayos, 2014).
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