I have to wonder at this point - exactly who am I sharing with?
If I am sharing mainly with a bunch of anonymous downloaders who can't be bothered to ever leave a comment, it just isn't worth the time and trouble to continue this blog for the benefit of a handful of people.
Who is out there? A bunch of cheapskates filling their hard drives with free music? People who actually listen to and enjoy the music I post?
Without comments I have no way of knowing, do I.
If I am sharing mainly with a bunch of anonymous downloaders who can't be bothered to ever leave a comment, it just isn't worth the time and trouble to continue this blog for the benefit of a handful of people.
Who is out there? A bunch of cheapskates filling their hard drives with free music? People who actually listen to and enjoy the music I post?
Without comments I have no way of knowing, do I.
Elektriktus - Electronic Mind Waves (1976)
Krautrock! Only it's from Italy, 1976. This rare album, never on CD, is totally inspired by 1970's German Kosmische Musik. As you can tell by the title, this is electronic music - with some great polychromatic synthesizer arrangements, the whole thing is mostly kinda on the quiet side. If you were blindfolded, or just didn't have the album cover, or maybe that guy from the Three Stooges poked your eyes out you would swear this was some German dudes, not some mysterious Italian guys.Download
Exmagma - Exmagma (1973)
Exmagma was a German trio. Well two German guys and a percussionist who is a jazz drummer of some note, born in Detroit Michigan. Not particularly krautrock-sounding, the music is hard to pigeonhole, kind of an avante-garde, jazz-rock, free-jazz, jazz-fusion gumbo. Highly inventive, experimental, and largely improvised. This might be mostly for those whose taste in music can be described as adventurous. Very good stuff.Download
Andwella - World's End / People's People (1970 & 1971)
I was going to post Andwella's first album, "Love And Poetry", made when they were called "Andwella's Dream", but I decided to post this instead, as you don't see it around much. This 2-on-1 disc has the remainder of Andwella's discography. No longer very psych, these albums are much more in the mainstream with some orchestration, a few brass arrangements and background singers. Maybe a clinker or two, but on the whole these are some sweet albums with some great songs. I think if you like Barclay James Harvest you will probably like these two albums.Part 1 Part 2
Hot Tuna - The Phosphorescent Rat (1973)
Hot Tuna's fourth album, and the first released after Jefferson Airplane disbanded. This release finds Hot Tuna stripped to it's bare essentials - they are now a 'power trio' in their own right, no longer a Jefferson Airplane side project. Well-crafted songs, beautiful melodies and complex arrangements, Jorma's acoustic picking and brain-burning guitar leads, plus the playing of under-rated psychedelic veterans Jack Casady & Sammy Piazza all make for a great listen. My rip @high VBR w/scans.Download
Road - Road (1972)
In between stints as a guitarist with Fat Mattress and the Noel Redding Band, Noel played bass with the short-lived UK/US power trio Road. Nothing here will draw comparisons with the Jimi Hendrix Experience but this is some very good early 70's rock with some good songs and plenty of wah-wah freakouts courtesy of Californian Rod Richards, formerly of Rare Earth. Leslie Sampson on drums.Download
posted by GarColga at 4:06 PM
58 Comments:
Hmmm, 22 downloads and I'm the first to comment ?! Anyway - thx for the Electricus, amazing stuff, fits to my small "foreign Krautrock" collection. Some of these foreign groups are somtimes more "Krautrock" than the "original" once. Ever tried these Igra staklenih perli (YU) stuff posted once @ezhevika (Link is long dead)?
Hello ARF - yeah I don't know what the deal is with the lack of comments lately, it's pretty discouraging. Anyway glad you liked the Elektriktus!
Howdy -
Well I'm not much of a Progster, but I regularly visit and I'm getting the proverbial 'education' thereby - and I love your 'style'.
I can understand how disheartening it must be not to get even acknowledgement if folks are simply dl'ing material without even a 'Thanks' - seems to be the Way Of The Web, unfortunately.
I'd suspect there's also a fair proportion of visitors who genuinely do appreciate the work, but still resist adding a comment. I only recently discovered blogs inc yours, and I usually do leave comments, if only to say thanks when I do dl something, but just adding a 'Thanks' when I have nothing to add can seem almost superfluously lame: maybe that deters people.
Anyway - Thanks for the good work.
as always your blog is great i'm just coming back from baja prog mexico. i saw focus il balleto and numerous others. keep the faith man!!
Hi; its good to see you again :)
Liam, Its not just on your blog that this is happening. Everyone has the same reaction. Sometimes 600 downloads and =0= Comments.
The majority of downloaders are ungrateful and selfish -it is a hard fact of life. I have even seen comments complaining about low bitrate, and requests from users demanding higher bitrates and dissapproving of vinyl rips.
Sorry mate, however I love your site. Remember its NOT JUST happening on your blog. I have no idea how to change the situation.
But it is damn unrewarding when you feel you are blogging in a vacuum with no resonance and feeback or appreciation.
All the best -you blog is FUCKING FANTASTIC.
Joe
A hard fact of life - it is true.However, not absolutely. There is one way. To place post with the password and about the password to forget. Comments are guaranteed, but monotonous.
Thanks guys, for the comments. I guess I just needed to blow off a little steam. It is rather distressing though sometimes. I spent about 5 or 6 hours cleaning up that "Might of Coincidence" vinyl rip about a month ago and not one person even acknowledged downloading it.
barmaleyy - that's funny - I saw those comments on your blog. The same thing happens when a link won't work.
in my case, you're sharing music with a musician: it's great to discover all this music that, otherwise, would be forgotten. My thanks!
haven't downloaded anything from your "new site" yet (though i got a two folkie oriented albums off the old one.) but i do check your site a couple of times a week, and enjoy reading about the bands - most of which i completely missed first time around. Lots of it are not in my music tastes, but i still like to know about them. Great insight and i love the honest of your write-ups. Stay well and best of luck. You should know your efforts are appreciated. Again, all the best.
Hello - A velha louca que vivia no fundos dos bosques! Thanks for the comment.
Wow! Jay Leno! Hello!! hehe
i enjoy the tunes, especially the rarities which really is the heart of the mp3-blogs. it is disheartening see top-40 getting the blog treatment as it makes the music collection community look like a bunch of thieves. when too many cd reissues of collectable gems are pirates themselves, discouraging legit reissues, then a big thanks are in order for making these recordings available.
Dear Garcolga, I´ll tell you why there a downloads without a comment. As a German, who still owns a copy of Pinguins "Der große rote Vogel", I had to download "Talix" from your old blog just to make ends meet. Haven´t listened to it ´till this very day.
The day has only 24 hours, filled with work-schedule, kid´s homework, eating, drinking and sleeping and maybe some huggin´ for your loved one. And I´m sure that the listeners of our beloved genre haven´t bookmarked only your blog. Last weekend, I ended up with five downloaded and two bought CDs - the pile is stacking.
So be patient with your downloaders and be sure, that they appreciate your work. I do! Maybe we should all just slow down a bit?
Manfred
Hi Garcolga,
as the German says: you're taking the words from my tongue! I have the same problem as you. I started my blog in August 2006. From then till January 2007 I had around 800 hits, some DLs and no comments. Since you put me on your link-list (a great thanx for that!!), I had more hits and more DLs - but just 2 comments from people who wanted me to reupload something.
I downloaded a lot of Krautrock from your blog. Thanks a lot for these rarities - and keep on bloggin'!
greets
spablu
Thanks for the Exmagma!
Heya dear old friend from early
blog time.
Keep the rock on with your hard work.
You know that you are BIGGEST in
this blog world.
ROCK ON !!!
Actually I like it quiet.You start off with a few thanks,then the trolls seem to move in.Saying nothing normally means you don't get your uploads deleted,sad but true.I turned off all posting at my board,except by myself,and the odd favoured guest,not lost a thing,& 140,000 blissfully quiet page reads later...:)
Anyhow glad to find you up again,even 'Stairway to Heaven' were worried about your disappearance.
Papa
At last - having missed you for months I got a link to you from STH. I love your mix - I don't download most of what you post - but you have so many gems among your mix..... SO, many thanks, and I apologise for not being as grateful as I should have been!
All the best from England
Simon
Hi
I enjoy your site very much, thanks for sharing the tunes and the vinyl rips. I know comments are low, I have the same problem on my blog... Lots of downloads but almost no comments. I'm sorry I haven't commented earlier but I hope this makes up for it :-)
Check out my blog.
http://mygeneration60s.blogspot.com/
hey, man this is a great blog. sometimes i download a bunch of stuff and it takes me awhile to listen to it and then i forget where i got it from. but i want you to know you're a doing a great job and you post some really, really great music on here.
You're right ... I downloaded many of your posts without leaving any comment from your old blog.
Why ????
1) I'm working
2) I don't have enough time to listen CDs I buy
3) My wife doesn't like my (and your) music
4) I'm lazy
...
But I was sad when you stopped it !!
Happy to see you're back.
These 2 Andwella records are simply wonderful. Thank you for sharing them.
Will try to leave other comments !
ramon ... from France
PS : sorry for my poor schoolish english
Hi Garcolga (L), I hope that you are feeling a bit more motivated and encouraged. I want to say that you are doing first rate and class postings. I download from your site only occasionaly because I have many of these on Cds or vinyl already. But I like to read your reviews and you turn me on to hear something new because of your reviews.
Best of luck always
Joe
Hey Joe where you goin` with that download in your hand.....
Joe
The lack of posts seems to be on a lot of blogs. I for one appreciate your blog and all that you share...and I ain't A. Nonymous. Glad to find you moved and didn't disappear. Be encouraged!
Thanks. Just checked your archives. The Vinegar Joe seems much better than all those years ago. Elke Brookes was a great singer. Cheers.
num drum
Also, forgot to mention i listened to something from you ages ago which i thought at the time was brilliant and now i must have lost it or i can't find it. It might have been Haboob - i'm not too sure. Anyway i'm going to look at all your archives to see if anything rings a bell. Most of the music you've shared so far has been interesting and worthwhile in any case. Some of it completely stunning but the accolade of best song must be "I'd Like To Be A Child Again" because the singing is so good and the guitar solo. How fitting that you blog is named after the band. I wrote that in an email to you a few weeks ago - can't remember what nom de plume i used. But i can comment now.
Many thanks Garcolga for the hours of pleasure you've given.
num drum
Wholly Muther of GOD!!! You're back!?! I have missed your site so MUCH!!!!!! You have brought forth such a vast knowledge of music, that it literally changed my listening habits. I am no longer satisfied with just the normal classic rock stuff. Fear Not, Noble Lad! Your impact, with or without, comments is Tremendous. You present the albums with a wit and clarity that is unrivalled in the musicblogdom. I now have the wonderful opportunity to check your site everyday/week for the wonderful bounty you graciously bestow upon us mere mortals, you God Of Rock, You Weaver of Tales, You Beautiful, Beautiful Idahoian....THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That's happen very often now - you are listend again (in a comment at "Stairways") - look yesterday - and have a boost of visitors. If you decide to move again please don't forget me, eMail is even in your oldest mailing list (tres ... @ ... de).
Yeah, you're right. I'm a regular visitor of your blog and only once in while do I leave a comment. On the reasons for this is that I read your blog using a rss feed reader. I;ll try to comment more often and please realise that your work is GREATLY appreciated!
Hi Garcolga,
I´m a regular visitor here, but I dont download very often in face of technical problems with the network at my workplace.
Keep spreading those prog-gems around the globe
A big THANK YOU from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Carlos Frippfan
Hello Dear Friend Garcolga
When Your weblog was gone, I remember I was so sad. I will not forget myself if this happens again.
On behalf of all Persian Music Rockers I would like to thank You for your GREAT EFFORTS on this amazing weblog.
I appreciate every record You're sharing with us and every information you're giving about them.
From now on I promise I would leave my comments even if I'm so busy flying around The World or flying with Your MASTERPIECES OF MUSIC.
I may not be a music critic. At least I can express my feelings about it for you:
Czar (Czar): I really love this album, specially the covers. A bear (or a man) on the front cover who is wearing a crown. The man is staring as if he's afraid or maybe an expression of power. On the back cover, I see a strange bird captivated by the bear. Maybe the bird is The Liberty of My People. I don't know, You tell me?
Marianne Faithfull (Greatest Hits): I love her voice & style. She is very soft, tender & serene. Even now she's cool when she sings on her ''(2002) Vagabond Ways'':
I could have been a contender, a contender for your love
I would have given you everything if I only knew how.
I would have given you everything if I only knew how, only knew how,
I could have been a contender, a contender for your love.
File it under fun from the past,
File it under fun from the past.
It was only you, it was always only you.
I never saw what other people bought,
I never cared what they thought.
Well, I'm looking 'round the room, some of the people I've loved,
Guess I remember everything.
File it under fun from the past.
Gomorrha (I Turned To See Whose Voice It Was): Oh my GOD, What a powerful album. I listen to this album, I jump, scream, and Ahhhhh.... My heart is beating fast. Somebody HELP ME! PLEASE.
You are right ''This is a brilliant mix of psychedelic and progressive rock''. THANK YOU, I'm thrilled with joy having this great album.
I noticed there is another album from this astounding krautrock band called ''(1972) Trauma'', please be kind as to share this with us.
Various Artists (American Yodeling) + Hank Williams (Famous Country Music Makers) + Red Knuckles & The Trail Blazers (Shades Of The Past):
Very Interesting! My lovely uncle (who lives in Kansas) likes country music & blue grass very much. He takes some good music for me when he comes.
To me it's full of memories of life, love & passion. This music reminds me my childhood when I used to go with my family to north of Iran. The Beautiful Alborz mountains, Sisangam Forest, Riding & Playing with friends, Dancing & Swimming in Caspian Sea... I really miss those days.
Faithfully Yours
Behnam Hafez
Iran
Behnam Hafez you are a very nice kind and warm hearted man, i love you persian people lovely people I have worked with them I know.
Anyway Liam just downloading Hot Tuna and I can just say its going to be good . You always exceed my expectations by presenting music that i had either forgotten about or just not heard. After listening to it I will tell you my opinion -altough I am not a great and elequent reviewer.
oe v berlin
hello liam, i just happen to read yer rant on top of the page. looks like you need some streicheleinheiten. hehe, those german words.
i cannot point out any particular d/l at the moment cos there have been too many. i entered the strange (deletion guerrillas, i was deeply irritated when i realised that they exist, replacing food with crap, seemingly enjoying a kind of incredibly pathetic triumph) and exciting music blog world through your site about only a year ago. i absolutely cannot remember how i stumbled on this blog. but i'm still happy that i did. since then, my already, may i say, wide musical horizon has expanded a lot. so has my awareness of sound history. and i have finally got to really know many more of those mythical or obscure, or both, bands from my home country than i had known before. i mean, not only the usual suspects, such as can and stuff. that's a really big thing for me. i mean it's like your local record store with the people who know their music and give you excellent input.
in my view, you cannot expect everyone, or even the most, to speak out here. of course there's people who just grab whatever. many just might be shy, not really knowing what to say. if i had left a thank-you for every piece i d/loaded you'd probably slap me now for spamming, hehe.
still, you do get many enthusiastic comments i think. really many. you are lucky.
best wishes from berlin
marc
p.s. how the bugger do i leave a comment for a posting that has not been commented on yet? on most postings there is no comment button. or how do i do it? when i am fond of a record i don't wanna add my feelings about it some half a dozen postings further down.
still, there's so much music coming in that i got to take more breaks to actually listen. or i would have to. hehe. one day i will. this thing will never stop. because of you. i hope. i know. yeeha.
Just to join the general opinion here, I guess we're all just stressed and busy nearly 24/7 with work and family. Now some *free* days are coming up at Easter I hope to download some of your great posts and listen to them quietly but I do like to check your page each week and at least read your comments, I've never heard of most of these albums. By the way I delved into the archive and got Out of Focus selftitled and liked it. And yes, you're right to complain, people should comment when they download even if it's only a thankyou. - Julie
There are many great blogs out there serving up similar music, but what really sets yours apart is the depth of your musical collection (I'm amazed at some of the gems you uncover). One of the things I like most about your blog is reading what you have to say about each album--that alone is worth the price of admission.
So to echo the chorus--a million thanks and please keep it going.
hei garcolga,
even though I don't download that often from your blog (and I leave comments when so happens), I appreciate very highly your constant efforts to share your vast collection with the audience.
Tales of Purple Sally is a very good album, I really enjoyed it.
Thanks a lot for all you're doing for us, and please keep up the good work.
So my comment about Hot Tuna is that typical of all Jefferson derived solo projects or offshot productions -there are flashes of brilliance. However I much prefer the pure acoustic Hot Tuna - I really think I am looking for a second Jorma- Quah, rembering that I bought Jormas follow up that he cut which to me was a great disappointment for me. Hesitation Blues a la Jorma is to me what Hot Tuna SHOULD be , but who am I to say?
joe v berlin
Yes! I shouldn't be a stranger!
I'm from VN, hope U know my country. Maybe U never seen me before in ur blog but believe me when I tell U this: So so glad to see U back! Really love ur blog !
Thank U for ur sharing!
Just listened to Chili - Rhubarby Feeling and it's definately worth a another listen. In fact, it's quite good - it's different and slightly quirky - in a good and interesting way.
Currently, i'm 2 tracks in to P205 Vivat etc etc. I must say while it's not by any means bad, it does seem somewhat hum drum. But maybe i'm commenting too early.
Next up Prosper (you make it sound interesting - so here's hoping).
Cheers, num drum
Hmmm! Yea! Seems like i was too hasty about P205. Just finished listening and it is definately better than i made it out to be. Well worthy of a spin or two more. Pretty damn good rock. The singer has his moments too.
Thanks, num drum
Seems I'm a bit late with my thanks. :)
So thanks for the Hot Tuna album.
Thanks for all great music you shared, Garcolga! Yoy rock!!! My blog faces same problem like yours...but, I ain't give up. I dream of a stronger rock community & I regularly get new links of posted albums a s back-up from blog visitors.
Keep rockin', dude!
I always asked myself why blog owners lament for lake of comment.After the music industry, the blog comment complex.I don't need to arg, just talk about my thought.The real success is the dl number for a post, not the comment page size.Bloggers need to share their music, but consider as an exchange with comment.I think blog owner better drive a forum, a real exchange place.
I know what it is to post, i do it since a few years.I started at @128, then 256 and for now, only 320, always with complete scan, infos and line up. I know the server problem (sometimes must reup because of server problem).
I know the long time for scan and resize pics (covers, booklet), i know how long is the work for post and post.But i NEVER put a password since the beginning, cause my aim is to SHARE, without return. I am an old musician unable to play my instrument, because of artritis (don't know the exact english word)and i just can type on keyboard, in front of computer. If i do that, it is just for others aknowledgement. They take or not, i don't care, my act is a free one. I am free to post, they are free to take.
It's been a long time i don't wait from others, i just need to give, that's my only pleasure.
I post on different place the music i love from my own collection and the one i found on another place, which i think it is important to share. I reup it, add info, line up, search for pic covers, and so on then post under different name. When someone ask for something, i am glad to serve if i have. I am glad too without comment, cause the unknow listener is my best "récompense".
That's my opinion, only that.
For Liam, i just add that your blog is as usual, a great one, with lot of great posts. So many thanks for the good work and taste.
Long live to your blog.
(just add that we posted on the same private forum, for a short time)
Thanks for all great music you shared, you have the best blog in the net
Dear Garcolga,
I had to be absent for 5 days 'cause here the motherfucking Siemens still charges the double price for the flat rate so after 10Gb I stopped a little.
Maybe a week ago I DL Might of Coincidence and after few days wanted to leave the comment but I didn't do it cause of the reason above.
What a great music! A kind of cross
between Third Ear Band and Peter Bursch's Broselmaschine, with great flute & trompet...even with the touch of Brainticket's Cottonwoodhill at the end (for a good measure!)
You did a great job with that vinyl-cleaning, thanks for that very slow work.
For me it was another undiscovered
gem from your great collection.
THE ONE WHO GIVES SHOULD BE GRATEFUL, as the old zen proverb says,(I think we all know why!)
so don,t be sad if you don't see
the comments right after the downloads. Very often our comments stay in our heart and our mind and will find the way to you in a strange, misterious way. You never know when and how and that's nice.
Alex Oriental Experience is in the same category as Might of Coincidence, a great undiscovered
disc (a least for me!)
Thanks man, you're doing a great
thing!
Hello Liam, your blog is considered by me to be in the top 3 of all. Every week there is something great you post. I just grabbed Andwella & UFO live. Thanks a million!!!!!!
OMG!!
There are too freakin' many comments to respond to each one individually - I should have been checking in more often I guess.
Anyway thanks to all, old friends and new, anonymous or otherwise, who took the time to say something.
Thank you very much for Elektriktus. I have never heard about it, it is really a discovery!
I am your regular visitor, I have learned many new wonderful things through your amazing blog. Thans VERY much for everything.
Sincerely yours,
Thalamus
Just add to the many, great blog Liam I always appreciate all your time and effort to broaden the horizon of the music I/we all get to listn to .
Some of the early UK 70's bands interest me the most, but you have open my eyes to so much more. Many thanks , and as Crazy Pappy mentioned above , I was also a member at that ' private forum ' for a short time also.
Nektar
Hi thalamus - thanks!
Hi nektar, thanks. I still check on that forum once in a while!
Just a quick thanks for the Andwella World's End. Used to have the album many years ago and just loved the title track and on listening to the whole album again I find it much better than I recall.
Cheers
Donno
Hi donno - Yeah those albums are real nice - I like them more than the better-known Love & Poetry album.
It looks like I'm a little late to the long overdue Garcola lovefest. Oh well... I'm glad to see you've been getting some proper thanks. God knows you deserve it.
Maybe I arrive too late to tell you something about the big problem " so many downloads & not a s...t of a comment" !!!.
I am among the people who downloaded your posts (and I liked them a lot), but said no word.
the reason?
i dowload a lot what I think i'd like, and just after a lot of time I listen to.... I buy a lot of cd, when I'm in money, and after a lot of time I listen to them
Some time ago I was a big uploader on the usenet servers, on the ambi and avantgard groups, and, besides some people got a fine idea about me, all the time just a few people ever left a comment regard my "very special posts".
Please go on; do you feel lonesome, or among a crowd, or sharing music to who knows ? please go on, the silent people are always around you...
( I have a very bad English, so my thoughts get out in a strange and disbanded manner, sorry)
Hi garcolga! Just a short note to let you know how much I appreciate your blog. I am a great Jefferson Airplane fan, but I never heard any Hot Tuna until I d/led The Phosphoreescent Rat here. I thought it was very cool and now I'll be hunting down more albums from this group.
As for leaving comments, I always try to show appreciation for the hard working blogsters such as yourself. The main reason I don't leave more is that on many blogs you can't leave an anonymous comment. Thanks again for the wonderful music you share here.
purplehaze
Hi JR HeatWarp - Thanks, man!
Hi lucianociv - I know what you mean, thanks for taking the time to say something!
Hi purplehaze - Glad you liked the Hot Tuna, and thanks for letting me know!
Just found your site and all I can say is it's going on my favorites list right now. I will be checking your site out on a daily basis......AMAZING THANK YOU.
Hi Jobe - Welcome!
Your site is awesome Garcolga. Lots of nice goddies including peripheral music associated with Hendrix. Liked Fat Mattress, and liked this one with Noel Redding. didn't know about Road until I arrived at your site. Thanks heaps.
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