"Acid Head" | ||||
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Single by The Velvet Illusions | ||||
B-side | "She Was the Only Girl" | |||
Released | May 1966 | |||
Recorded | 1966, Audio Recording, Seattle, Washington | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:04 | |||
Label | Tell International Records | |||
Songwriter(s) | Mike Hayes | |||
Producer(s) | George Radford Sr. | |||
The Velvet Illusions singles chronology | ||||
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"Acid Head" is a song recorded by the American garage rock band the Velvet Illusions. It first appeared as the A-side to the group's debut single, which was released on Tell International Records in mid-1966. The writing of the composition is credited to keyboardist Steve Weed and the group's manager George Radford, however, it is reported that "Acid Head" actually originated from an outside composer. At the time of its first release, the tune suffered from limited radio-play time. Over time, "Acid Head" has since become recognized as a garage rock classic and is widely accessible on multiple compilation albums.
Prior to recording, the Velvet Illusions developed their chemistry with extensive rehearsal sessions at group manager George Radford Sr.'s upholstery shop in Yakima, Washington. [1] When the band entered Audio Recording in Seattle to record "Acid Head" and keyboardist Steve Weed's original composition "She Was the Only Girl", they were well-practiced and completed the songs with relative ease. [2] Under Radford Sr.'s instruction, the group shortened the tune's climatic instrumental passage to approach the preferred time limit that radio programmers desired. "Acid Head" is credited to Weed and George Radford on its original release and subsequent appearances on albums; however, in reality, the song was penned by a writer outside the Velvet Illusions' membership named Mike Hayes. Later on, it was revealed the manager listed George Radford, without the identifier "Sr.", to financially provide for his son, who was the band's saxophonist. [1]
Contrary to its suggestive title, "Acid Head" is actually an anti-drug statement about a woman suffering with a drug addiction. In fact, the lyrics themselves exemplify a sense of cluelessness from the composer on the actual use of LSD. Upon release, the song's chances for commercial success were slim, as it went widely unheard by audiences after radio stations refused to promote the single. [3] A radio ban was enforced as the programmers suspected "Acid Head" was in support of recreational drug use. [4] Speaking on the issue in an interview, guitarist Randy "Jimmy James" Bowles said "Not having it played on radio stations definitely hurt sales, because the song remained unheard by the masses. Our potential best song was thrown away! When it did sell was after all but Georgy were left, unfairly, ineligible for compensation". [1]
Nonetheless, "Acid Head" has since been rediscovered on several bootleg and compilation albums. Explaining the composition's favor among garage rock enthusiasts, Bowles points to the song's "haunting sound of the Vox Continental organ, the almost raga-sounding droning guitar, played through a Vox Super Beatle. The eastern-sounding sax. The almost-military tattoo of the drum. The slightly out-of-tune instruments", which he wrote, create a "unique sonic foundation over which the story unfolds". [5] The song was first reissued on the unofficial album Acid Dreams in 1979. [6] Additional appearances include 60s Punk Sampler, Volume 2, Acid Dreams Testament, and Psychedelic Unknowns, Volume 5. It was also prominently featured on the Nuggets compilation, Where the Action Is! Los Angeles Nuggets: 1965-1968 , after Bowles paved the way for the song's inclusion. In 2011, "Acid Head" became the opening track to an album of the same name, which compiles all the Velvet Illusions' released material. Another similar album, released on vinyl, called Velvet Illusions also features the tune. [4] [7]
Velvet Acid Christ (VAC) is an electro-industrial band based in Denver, Colorado. The band was formed in 1990 by its leader vocalist, musician, and producer Bryan Erickson, and later featured various ex-members of Toxic Coma. The project gained limited popularity in Europe's underground nightclub scenes during the mid-1990s with the compilation Church of Acid (1996) before expanding into other markets in the goth and industrial subcultures. The band's discography includes 14 albums, the latest being Ora Oblivionis (2019).
Acid rock is a loosely defined type of rock music that evolved out of the mid-1960s garage punk movement and helped launch the psychedelic subculture. The term is sometimes used interchangeably with "psychedelic rock", but it also specifically refers to a more musically intense or heavier subgenre or sibling of psychedelic rock. Named after lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), the style is generally defined by heavy, distorted guitars, lyrics with drug references, and long improvised jams.
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Where the Action Is! Los Angeles Nuggets: 1965–1968 is the fifth box set in Rhino Records' Nuggets series, released September 22, 2009. The set's four discs each focus on a different aspect of the underground rock music scene in and around Los Angeles at the end of the 1960s. The first disc, "On the Strip", features bands that rose out of the Sunset Strip scene; disc two, "Beyond the City", focuses on bands from the surrounding areas outside the city's borders; disc three, "The Studio Scene" covers bands' attempts to exploit the Los Angeles sound for a commercial audience; while disc four presents the movement away from psychedelic and garage rock towards the country rock sound which became popular in the city late in the decade. The boxed set was compiled and curated by Los Angeles native, Andrew Sandoval. On December 1, 2010, this project was nominated for a Grammy Award in the best Historical album category.
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"Mr. Farmer" is a song by American garage rock group The Seeds, written by vocalist Sky Saxon and produced by Marcus Tybalt. It was released as a single in 1967 and peaked at number 86 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song was banned on many radio stations during the time of its release because of its drug references.
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