Aorta - S/T (Full Album) - Part 1
Aorta - S/T (Full Album) - Part 2
This is one is definitely conspicuous in its unusually dark, proto-prog atmosphere. Effectively Psych Pop but with very little of the twee ‘let’s all drink tea in our flower crowns’ vibes. Instead, this brings a certain intensity that gives it a really distinctive feeling. The fuzz guitar is sick and the organ is funereal. The drums go hard and the poppy melodies are delivered with a certain visceral urgency that elevates them significantly. The sound effects are slightly unsettling and even the brighter folk and symphonic elements come across in brief passages amongst the aforementioned maelstrom.
Produced by Bill Traut and Jon Donlinger, 1969's "Aorta" showcased one of the better slices of psychedelic music released by a major label. Aorta was blessed with a deep creative bench with three of the four members contributing to songwriting chores. Musically the album appeared to be a concept piece with the individual songs strung together by a series of four 'Main Vein' segments. If it was a concept piece, I'll admit the plotline was lost to my ears. Featuring largely original material, the collection offered up a nice mélange of pop and harder rock numbers slathered in acid-tinged production. On the pop end were The Buckinghams-styled 'Magic Bed', 'A Thousand Thoughts' and 'Ode to Missy Mxyzosptik' (ignore the title). Harder edged, more experimental efforts were exemplified by the psych-flavored 'What's in My Mind's Eye' and 'Catalyptic.' Even better were tunes like 'Heart Attack' and 'Thoughts and Feelings' where the band mashed up commercial and psych influences. The track listing also included a rerecorded version of the earlier "B" side 'Strange'. Sure, it wasn't a major creative statement or something that would drastically change your life, but full of Jim Donlinger's impressive fuzz guitar, interesting melodies and weird studio effects it made for a solid player. I found every track worth hearing.
The band toured in support of the album, opening for a wide range of headliners including Janis Joplin and Led Zeppelin. Commercially the album proved a minor chart success peaking at # 167. Columbia was impressed and offered the band a showcase performance at New York's Fillmore East. Intended to introduce the band to music industry leaders, the performance was reportedly a disaster. It turned out the band had taken LSD prior to the concert.
From: https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/aorta/aorta/
Produced by Bill Traut and Jon Donlinger, 1969's "Aorta" showcased one of the better slices of psychedelic music released by a major label. Aorta was blessed with a deep creative bench with three of the four members contributing to songwriting chores. Musically the album appeared to be a concept piece with the individual songs strung together by a series of four 'Main Vein' segments. If it was a concept piece, I'll admit the plotline was lost to my ears. Featuring largely original material, the collection offered up a nice mélange of pop and harder rock numbers slathered in acid-tinged production. On the pop end were The Buckinghams-styled 'Magic Bed', 'A Thousand Thoughts' and 'Ode to Missy Mxyzosptik' (ignore the title). Harder edged, more experimental efforts were exemplified by the psych-flavored 'What's in My Mind's Eye' and 'Catalyptic.' Even better were tunes like 'Heart Attack' and 'Thoughts and Feelings' where the band mashed up commercial and psych influences. The track listing also included a rerecorded version of the earlier "B" side 'Strange'. Sure, it wasn't a major creative statement or something that would drastically change your life, but full of Jim Donlinger's impressive fuzz guitar, interesting melodies and weird studio effects it made for a solid player. I found every track worth hearing.
The band toured in support of the album, opening for a wide range of headliners including Janis Joplin and Led Zeppelin. Commercially the album proved a minor chart success peaking at # 167. Columbia was impressed and offered the band a showcase performance at New York's Fillmore East. Intended to introduce the band to music industry leaders, the performance was reportedly a disaster. It turned out the band had taken LSD prior to the concert.
From: https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/aorta/aorta/
