A recent comment on a reader's preference for the heavy or "weird" sides of psychedelia reminded me that it has been a while since any proto-metal/ bluesy psychedelia had made it into this feature. Both bands here came off to little fanfare but represent two different sides of what was, at the time an emerging heavy British rock sound.

	Sam Gopal - Escalator The band is named for their tabla player, but any subsequent fame has been as a result of singer and guitarist Lemmy Kilminster of Hawkwind and Motorhead fame. As if the previous mention of a tabla player wasn't hint enough, the band
dabbled in the eastern influences of psychedelia, but mixed it with at driving blues sound and the raspy delivery of Kilminster (credited as Ian Willis here). At the best points this mixture falls well into the "Planet Caravan" sounds of Sabbath. The man with the meanest handlebar stash in rock really takes all the credit for this one, as his touches are the most endearing parts of the record but this mind you is a much softer Lemmy than you may have encountered before. Download: [MP3] Sam Gopal - The Sky is Burning [MP3] Sam Gopal - Midsummer Night's Dream Support the artist. Buy it HERE
	Dark - Round The Edges Mixing a folky approach with tricky fuzzed solos, Dark's sole album didnt' fall on too many ears when it was released. This, however lies less in quality than to the fact that it was released in a pressing of 60 copies. This scarcity has driven the
collector's price absurdly high for originals. Prices notwithstanding, the LP has some great moments of early British hard rock and the fuzz tone combined with a great balance of intricacy and melody make it a pretty great listen all the way through. It does indulge in an almost proggy tendency to let songs wander a bit long but even this can be forgive, it was an common tactic of the time period. Recent reissues are pretty nice, even replicating the gatefold (gotta love those Akarma gatefold reissues) and alleviate the necessity of taking out a small loan to get the chance to listen. Download: [MP3] Dark - The Cat [MP3] Dark - Darkside Support the artist. Buy it HERE