Kaleidoscope was an American psychedelic folk band formed in Los Angeles that was mostly active between 1966 and 1970, though the band reunited on in 1976 and 1990 to record new albums. This album was their debut album, and featured many folk and world instruments such as banjo, mandolin, veena, harp, oud, dulcimer, and many other stringed folk and world instruments, as well as instruments such as piano, guitar, bass, fiddle, and clarinet, just to name some. Though I can’t find records of the album charting, the album seems it was well received upon release, as the band would go on to release three more albums from that point into 1970. I’m pretty excited to hear what this album has in store, so with that said I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Egyptian Garden” starts out relatively gently with some interesting strings that have a hint of raga while sounding pretty distinct. Oh wow, this is interesting. I really dig the reliable bass line and how it keeps the tune grooving along, especially as things get pretty out there as the tune moves between a sort of psychedelic folk pop sound and a very world influenced section using nontraditional western-sounding scales and licks. Oh wow, I’m really digging this tune, especially as it gently wraps itself up as it comes to a crescendo at the end. Really interesting and sweet tune.
“If the Night” starts out with some super delicious bluesy guitar chords that set a really flavorful tone for the track as things begin to venture further out there as it continues along. Oh wow, there’s an instrument that has an almost jarring and completely infectious sound at times, with the keyboard and guitar making the tune a bit more psychedelic starry-eyed as it continues. Really sweet track.
Oh wow, “Hesitation Blues” switches things up again with a sort of trotting bluesy jug band song, with some super flavorful instrumentation that really makes the tune sound like it’s being played on some old dusty porch, except for the super tasty piano that plays some bluesy accentuations with a nearly parloresque ragtime tone to its sound. Really sweet tune.
“Please” starts out with some really gentle clean electric guitar that sort of weaves different lines together as the vocals sing into the soundscape and other instruments slowly come into the song. Oh wow, this is super interesting – the percussion has introduced a lot of different layers, and the keyboards have a really nice, innocent chime-like sound that brings a nice, light flavor to the soundscape. Oh wow, I really dig the sweet, gentleness of the chorus vocals in this track. Really pleasant sound – great track.
“Keep Your Mind Open” takes on a bit more of shamanic psychedelic sound in this one as the instrumentation seemingly creates a raft for you to float on while the soundscape washes around you and carries the raft wherever the tune wants to take you. Oh wow, I really dig the background effects of waves crashing ashore with the drone-like vocals and bright chimes throughout the soundscape, which all combine for some really tasty contrasts and flavorful sounds. Great tune.
“Pulsating Dream” takes on a bit more of a psychedelic pop feel with the pop-like sound in the instrumentation, though the music gets really interesting with the counterpoint between the organs/keyboards and guitars, which resolve really nicely in this track. Really sweet tune.
“Oh Death” has some immense flavor in it almost immediately, with some folksy and world instruments that nearly take on the sound of a bluesy sea shanty, like you’re walking along some seaside docks at the edge of a port city circa 1870 at midnight in the midst of fog, when suddenly you see a shadowy sceptered figure steadily approaching you. Oh wow, this tune is sweet. Oh wow, the vocals really seem to howl with a lot of feeling into the soundscape. Great track.
Oh wow, “Come On In” starts off with a really great sound to follow-up the previous track with. It’s got a nearly fiendish playfulness to it with the twang from the guitars at times and the playful ragtime sound from the piano, which combined with the bopping bass and driving drums combine for a super flavorful sound. Great tune.
Oh wow, “Why Try” sounds like a really interesting psychedelic folk world tune, with the nonwestern instruments seemingly producing a sound of the tune unwinding on itself, while the western instruments contrast this with a sound that keeps the tune tying continually together. Oh wow, this track is sweet. There’s nearly a tangible shamanic feeling in the tune as the vocals seem to guide you through the soundscape, which produces a sound that reminds me of John Lennon’s “Tomorrow Never Knows” off of The Beatles’ record, Revolver (1966). Great track.
Oh wow, “Minnie the Moocher” seems to combine that fiendish playfulness of “Come On In” with the bluesy inclination of “Hesitation Blues” from earlier. Wow, the fiddle really brings a lot of flavor to the track and only adds to the fiendish feeling in the tune. The call and response bluesy scat vocals really add a great deal to the seemingly playfulness of the tune. Great track.
“Elevator Man (Single Version)” was one of the singles that the band released in 1966 before the album came out, and it’s got a really groovy psychedelic rock sound with some really tasty gritty vocals, with some nearly shallow sounding drums that are nearly in your face in a super tasty way, and the bass comes in and rocks and bops the tune forward with the drums, all while the guitar seeming churns the tune around alongside some super tasty organs/keyboards that keep the tune seemingly rotating about itself. Oh wow, this track is super tasty. Great tune.
“Little Orphan Nannie (Single Version)” has a really great sound at the beginning that sounds like it might be dropping into an epic psychedelic rock track between the wah-like effect on the guitar at the beginning and the forward moving drum track, before the tune drops into a super interesting psychedelic folk reel of sorts, that sounds almost as if it’s from a traditional English or Irish folk band. The different stringed instruments are super sweet in this folksy groove. Oh wow, the end of the tune is super interesting as things take on a carnivalesque type of sound to wrap the song, and subsequently, the whole album together. Really sweet tune.
Wow, this album was super interesting from start to finish. There were a bunch of different folk flavors taken seemingly from many different countries and continents across the globe, while packaging all of the music together in a psychedelic knot accompanied by some blues and psychedelic rock sounds and grooves. If you’re interested in psychedelic world music to any degree, you might want to consider checking out this album. I think I’m going to look into getting it on vinyl or something, as the listening experience was quite intriguing. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A