[.ca] Kak-Ola

Nothing earthshattering here:
I expected more from this, after reading about it in Mojo and elsewhere - but a groundbreaking psychedelic mind melter it most definitely is not. It is competently played but often derivative. The stand out tracks to me are Everything's Changing and Treulogy, the rest I found bland. Maybe I'm missing something that the other reviewers are picking up on - but I would not rate this essential psych. Buy the 13th Floor Elevators or Fever Tree instead.

Hanging with Gary:
I was rehearsing with Gary Yoder last night when he handed me the KAK CD. Cool stuff for sure. He asked me to learn a few of the tunes for our upcoming gig (A wedding in the Napa Valley). I'm writing this review really as a response to Stephen F Mulcahy's review. The issue is Mulcahy's comparison of the 1st part of Trieulogy to Neil Young's Cowgirl In The Sand. This is a sore point with Gary. As Gary tells the story, he had written the first part of Trieulogy prior to Young's Cowgirl In The Sand. He was also hanging with CRAZY HORSE one year before the recording of Cowgirls In The Sand. So a case can be made that the now famous chord progression of Am/F and the grunge textures of the distorted guitars was passed down from Yoder to Young and not the other way around.

Hanging with Gary:
I was rehearsing with Gary Yoder last night when he handed me the KAK CD. Cool stuff for sure. He asked me to learn a few of the tunes for our upcoming gig (A wedding in the Napa Valley). I'm writing this review really as a response to Stephen F Mulcahy's review. The issue is Mulcahy's comparison of the 1st part of Trieulogy to Neil Young's Cowgirl In The Sand. This is a sore point with Gary. As Gary tells the story, he had written the first part of Trieulogy prior to Young's Cowgirl In The Sand. He was also hanging with CRAZY HORSE one year before the recording of Cowgirls In The Sand. So a case can be made that the now famous chord progression of Am/F and the grunge textures of the distorted guitars was passed down from Yoder to Young and not the other way around.

Great pants!:
The bass player in this band is my sociology professor. Last month's Mojo Magazine (out of the UK) has a bit in it about the band, and my professor is wearing a lot of pink. I give it 5 stars. 4 stars for the outfits.

Absolutely essential West Coast psychedelia:
Formed in the wake of another great West Coast psychedelic band, Oxford Circle, Kak, a little known quartet, led by ex-Oxford lead guitarist Dehner Patten and vocalist/guitarist/songwriter (and future Blue Cheer member) Gary Lee Yoder, Kak produced exactly one album and two singles (all included on this wonderful compilation). Kak's eponymous album, originally released in 1968 is a nearly flawless example of West Coast psychedelia at its most creative and artistic. While neither of the singles, "Everything's Changing (part 1) b/w Everything's Changing (Part 2)" nor "I've Got Time b/w Disbelievin'" nor the album itself charted, they all deserved a much better fate. Almost every song on the original album is a highlight in itself, with "Electric Sailor" and the three part "Trieulogy" perhaps being the cream of the cream. This fine Big Beat Records compilation also contains five previously unreleased Kak tracks (2 acoustic demos, an unissued medley, and 2 live acoustic tracks) as well as 5 Gary Lee Yoder tracks, 3 previously unreleased as well as both sides of his 1970 solo single. The Yoder solo tracks include contributions from Blue Cheer members Paul Whaley, Ralph Kellogg, and Bruce Stephens, as well as Fleur de Lys guitar ace Bryn Haworth. All in all 79 minutes of pure musical history, 30 minutes of which was previously unreleased. The compositions of Yoder and guitar work of Patten make Kak an unforgettable band who unfortunately lacked the motivation required to survive as a musical entity. Nonetheless, "Kak-Ola" is one of the true lost treasures of psychedelic music and unquestionably ranks among the 10 best recordings of the genre. Pick this up, it is worth much more than the asking price.

• HCO 97658
• Everything's Changing
• Electric Sailor
• Disbelievin'
• I've Got Time
• Flowing By
• Bryte 'N' Clear Day
• Trieulogy
• Lemonaide Kid
• Rain(Single Version)
• Everything's Changing(Previously Unissued
• I've Got Time((Previously Unissued Acoustic Demo)
• Medley: Bye Bye/Easy Jack(Previously Unissued)
• "Bryte ""N"" Clear Day(Previously Unissued
• Medley; Mirage/Rain(Previously Unissued Acoustic
• When Love Comes In(Previously Unissued)
• I Miss You(Previously Unissued)
• Lonely People Blue(Previously Unissued)
• Flight From The Fast
• Good Time Music