1972 ACID LACED COMUS "GARDEN OF ELK" PROG PSYCH FOLK FLOYD (ALGARNAS TRADGARD)

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163

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• • SACRED ACID FOLK PROG PSYCH
  • 1972 UNDERGROUND "HEAD" GR000VES ..|/\|...............................................|/\|..
  • Algarnas Tradgard
  • [GARDEN OF ELK]
    
  • FRAMTIDEN ÄR ETT SVÄVANDE SKEPP, FÖRANKRAT I FORNTIDEN
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  • ' The Future is A Floating Ship, Anchored To Antiquity' 
    
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  • SWEDEN ~ SILENCE Records ‎- SRS 4611
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  Final Collection Copy ~ CLEAN !!
  
  INCLUDES AMAZING MIND-BLOWING INNER SLEEVE    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
  ÄLGARNAS TRÄDGÅRD (Garden of the Elk) may very well have been the Swedish version of England's Comus when they emerged as one of the earliest freak folk infused psychedelic rock bands that in addition jumped into the progressive fueled rock arenas of the early 1970s. 
  Formed in Gothenburg in 1969, the band made its first appearance on Christmas day as Innerst Inne but changed the moniker the following year when the band played several local gigs and participated in the Gärdetfesten in medieval dress. All of this exposure caught the interest of the Stockholm based Silence Records who was jumping on the bandwagon of signing new bands that captured the psychedelic zeitgeist of the freak folk / prog rock era.
  
  In 1972 the band released its first and only album, the long winded titled "FRAMTIDEN ÄR ETT SVÄVANDE SKEPP, FÖRANKRAT I FORNTIDEN" ,or, in English: "The Future is a Floating Ship Anchored in Antiquity."
  
  Just one of the highs is by Margareta Söderberg performs a haunting traditional Scandinavian folk song laced with drugged-out sound effects and Pagan ritualistic overtones.
  
   "The Future is a Floating Ship Anchored in Antiquity" is a true cosmic journey into the farthest out trips set about in a bizarre amalgamation of styles. While the haunting string torture of the violin and viola set in a folk style bring Comus to mind, the compositions themselves are more a classically infused Olivier Messiaen influenced cosmic parade that borrows some of the guitar bombast of King Crimson along with tribal percussive drives as well as some of the very first primitive sampling and remixing that worked in tandem with neighboring Germany's Krautrock scene, most notably by Can. While psychedelically over the top and striving to break free from all known reality and Earthly gravitational pull, the folky elements belie the intent and keep this freak folk / psych rock experience from drifting to the dark side of the moon.
  
  The opening track "Two Hours Over Two Blue Mountains With A Cuckoo On Each Side Of The Hours..that Is" not only boasts the lengthiest title of the seven tracks but is also the longest running that easily glides past the 13 minute mark and runs the gamut of alien sounding cosmic drips to a full fledged Viking ritual complete with wordless vocal chants towards the end but also hosts a plethora of progressive electronic elements that ensure a wickedly wild ride with flutterings of classical flute and keys to be heard. The ending is particularly bizarre. The album flows quite nicely as one track cedes into the next but each creating a distinct vibe, an idiosyncratic feel and elaborate change in stylistic approach. The following "There Is A Time For Everything, There Is A Time When Even Time Will Meet" continues the freak folk flavors with a cheery flute performance while avant-garde classical sounds dance with electronic wizardry.
  
  The instrumental free for all is interrupted only once by the Swedish language vocal track "Children Of Possibilities" which adds a human touch with the female divine belting out operatic lyrics accompanied only by a screechy violin and viola duet with cosmic freakery inserted for good measure. "Tristan's Lament" is a short primeval jig that sounds like something you would hear at a Renaissance Fair without psychedelic accoutrements but "Viriditas" bounces back into planet mondo bizarro with a strangely timed mix of keys and some sort of strange sampling effect that is slowed down with clever time manipulations. This is the other track with Swedish vocals only sung by one of the male members and subdued beneath the strange mix that prognosticates some of the later electronica genres by two decades.
  The final tracks "Rings Of Saturn" and the ending title track revert back to how the album began with a stranger emphasis on the Krautish rock elements rather than the folk with heavily muddled guitar fuzz and aural atmospheric ambience that hazes over the horizon ever threatening to supersede the jazzy drumming beats and Achim Reichel styled guitar riffs.
  
  I
  1. Two Hours Over Two Blue Mountains With A Cuckoo On Each Side Of The Hours..that Is) (13:25)
  2. 
     There Is A Time For Everything, There Is A Time When Even Time Will Meet (6:11)
  3. II
     Children Of Possibilities (3:12)
  4. 
     Tristans Lament (1:40)
  5. 
      Greeness of Growth (3:00)
  6. 
     Rings Of Saturn  (7:15)
  7. 
     The Future Is A Hovering Ship, Anchored In The Past (5:07)
     
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  9.   CONDITION:
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  11. The cover: rated: nice "EX" (excellent) elaborate acid imaged delicate/fragile mind-blowing cover with similar stunning original acid-inner-sleeve ...There are no delete marks, no split seams, no bends, and no writing  ...
  1. The vinyl: Rated: near M- all around clean and plays terrific and both Silence labels are clean