The Orkustra - Adventures in Experimental Electric Orchestra from the SF Psychedelic Underground Mexican Summer saves a piece Haight-Ashbury history from obscurity with their recent release of unheard recordings from Bobby
BeauSoleil's Orkustra. BeauSoleil himself may be vaguely familiar as an associate of Charles Manson, he convicted of the murder of Gary Hinman that resulted from an alleged dissagreement over a drug sale. But prior to his brush with infamy, BeauSoleil was, as was Manson, just another kid out to California trying to tap into the cosmic energy of the psychedelic generation. He spent some time in an early version of Love with Arthur Lee before he formed The Orkustra, whose meandering style was more typical of encompassing jam techniques than solidly based psychedelia. At times it comes across as a more jazz and Eastern oriented take on what Father Yod was working up in Ya Ho Wa. Though, as a collection of rough takes and demos its impossible to judge this collection as an album per se, when the band do hit on a more organized form of their sessions it shows some promise as on "Flash Gordon". The band nevertheless dissolved with David LaFlamme going on to work with Its a Beautiful Day and BeuSoleil beginning work with The Magick Power of Oz before his rather unfortunate brush with Manson and an ill advised conflict resolution technique. Mex Summer has, as usual, spared no detail on this lovely gatefold package and its well worth it for aesthetics and history alone. Download: [MP3] The Orkustra - Flash Gordon [MP3] The Orkustra - Punjab's Barber Support the artist. Buy it: HERE