Psycheground - 1971- Psychedelic And Underground Music

Psycheground 

1971

Psychedelic And Underground Music

01. Psycheground 8:28

02. Easy 7:31

03. Traffic 6:17

04. Ray 3:11

05. Tube 7:47

Marco Zoccheddu - guitar, vocals

Claudio Ghiglino - guitar, vocals

Giorgio Usai - keyboards

Enrico Casagni - bass, flute, vocals

Paolo Siani - drums, vocals

Dustygroove.com: “A sweet psychedelic set, but one with very mysterious origins -- originally recorded as a sound library session, by a group that was really the better-known Nuova Idea! The album's definitely got a vibe that fits its sound library roots -- all instrumental, with a bit less bravado than most psyche albums of this type -- almost more of a focus on the rhythms, which stretch out strongly amidst the Hammond and guitar solos on the set. The whole thing's still pretty rockish, but also has a deeper sensitivity to the overall sound too -- a quality that's partly due to production efforts of Giampiero Reverberi.”

The Psycheground Group has been a completely mysterious band for a very long time, about whom nothing was known except the fact that they released an obscure LP in 1970, with a red front cover with a stylized drawing of a male face wearing a coloured bandana. Only in recent times it has finally been revealed that "Psychedelic and Underground Music" was played and recorded - and sung on very rare occasions - by musicians from Nuova Idea even before the release of their first record.

For this reason, when we talk about this genre, this album is often mentioned among its hidden gems; but there's more: the songwriters are Gian Piero Reverberi, historic producer mostly remembered for having produced Le Orme's most progressive records, and Sandro Brugnolini, Massimo Catalano and Stefano Torossi, three among the main composers of library music. "Psychedelic and Underground Music" is a fully instrumental album - with the exception of some vocal harmonization - of rhythm & blues, pop and psychedelic music with a strongly British imprint: it is no coincidence that for a long time it was mistakenly believed that The Psycheground Group were a English group.

The Psycheground Group are yet another all instrumental psych rock album from Italy similar to others of its ilk like Blue Phantom, The Underground Set, and Fourth Sensation. Nuova Idea by any other name, this title is a little more developed than most in the genre, as the songs take longer to evolve (there are only 5 in total). The slower pace allows more time for quality instrumental soloing (primarily guitar who - by the way - is most known as the guitarist for Osage Tribe). Not as edgy as Braen’s Machine Underground album, but on par (maybe even better) than the bands listed above. Perhaps more akin to what Roland Kovac was doing in Germany during this time. There's a bit more of an electric blues feel here as well, which is a plus.