Two very different sides to the San Francisco rock explosion that show the diversity that was borne from that scene. The first is young and brash with a sound rooted in the garage but looking to the future. The second formed out of the city's connection with the arts and poetry scene, merging the literary and rock movements.

	Savage Resurrection - Savage Resurrection One of the youngest groups to come to any prominence in the San Francisco scene, a few members were barely sixteen at the time they recorded this album. The band infused a more raw garage sound at
a time when most bands often focused on more sprawling psychedelics. This may have been what attracted Abe "Voco" Kesh to their sound, as he is responsible for signing one of the scene's other major diversions from the core psychedelic style, Blue Cheer. The band produced only this single album for Mercury and broke up shortly afterward with very little touring supporting the album, and thus it sunk for the most part into obscurity. It's most noted among collectors for the calm amongst the clatter track "Tahitian Melody" which does boast some interesting themes. Elsewhere their hard edge shines through making it a fairly decent listen and though the playing can sometimes be derivative the group shows much promise for their age and its certainly well worth checking out, especially for those interested in the San Francisco sound. Download: [MP3] Savage Resurrection - Tahitian Melody [MP3] Savage Resurrection - Thing in E Support the artist. Buy it HERE
	The Serpent Power - The Serpent Power Though most of the lyrics on The Serpent Power's album are derived from leader David Meltzer's poetry, by combining them with an easy sort of West Coast blues rock they don't entirely come off as pretentious as it sounds (or could
have been). The band do trip slightly down the path to pretension on the album's 12+ minute closer "Endless Tunnel" but honestly not much more so than a lot of their contemporaries at the time. The general vibe of the album remains laid back and much in the same vein as "Electric Music" era Country Joe and the Fish, which is apt as they were signed to the same label (Vanguard) and discovered by The Fish's manager Ed Denton. The album only really received local acclaim and eventually they dissolved, with David and his wife Tina releasing another record under their own name. A live jam recorded by Meltzer and co. in 69 for KPFA called Ourobouros was released last year on Locust, shedding a new light on this otherwise obscure band. This isn't quite as interesting and tends to ramble, but the S/T album is definitely worth a listen. Download: [MP3] The Serpent Power - Don't You Listen To Her [MP3] The Serpent Power - Gently, Gently Support the artist. Buy it HERE