AFTER ALL V Rare Orig 1969 US Athena LP Acid Psych Jazz Prog Rock Linda Hargrove

	£		121
	$		160

After All

s/t

Very Rare Original US LP released on Athena Records in 1969. 1st US pressing.

After All may have only been a band  in the loosest sense of the term, but its only record is a quite wonderful -- if  ultimately difficult to categorize -- one-shot relic of the transitional  late-'60s. The four members of the combo were actually friends and acquaintances  in different bands on the Tallahassee, FL, rock circuit before culling their  skills together, along with lyrical assistance from young local poet and  songwriter Linda Hargrove, when an opportunity to record an album in a Nashville  studio presented itself. The resulting piece of work is the type of strangely  compelling hybrid album that could only have come together in the musical gumbo  of the post-psychedelic era. Drummer and primary vocalist Mark Ellerbee wrote  most of the music, and his songs are basically freeform, open-ended tone poems  that eschew typical verse-chorus and melodic considerations (although the odd  melodic hook or harmony surfaces from time to time) for music that is much more  amorphous and improvisational. There are elements of rock, R&B, blues,  progressive, classical, avant-garde composition, and, to an even greater degree,  jazz weaving through the music, while a thick hallucinatory cloud hovers over  the whole of the album, giving it an oddly surreal and even ghostly demeanour.  It is a complex and ambitious mix that doesn't always come off seamlessly, but  is by and large an engaging amalgam, exploring similar territory to that being  investigated during the period by much higher profile bands such as Chicago,  Procol Harum, and Blood, Sweat & Tears (Ellerbee's singing, in fact, is a dead  ringer for David Clayton Thomas). Each band member displays near virtuosity on  his instrument, which allows After All to harness all its sonic influences and  renders the music exciting to hear even when the song writing drags the  slightest bit or loses its way. But, for the most part, the songs are rather  outstanding. "Intangible She" and the psychedelic "A Face That Doesn't Matter"  play with the foreboding, seedy flair that frequently made the Doors' songs seem  like such ominous musical prophecies, while "Blue Satin" is a bit more swirling  and romantic but maintains an edgy sense of intangible mystery, represented by  the flute that threads through the song's final moments. "Let It Fly," on the  other hand, is pure groove, and maybe the best example of the band's playing  capabilities (if not the best song), while "And I Will Follow" builds a slow,  tensive burn to match the yearning nature of the lyrics before turning more  wistful. Hargrove's beautifully lustful and longing words frequently create an  interesting tension with the spacier instrumental interplay, and the music is  even more enigmatic as a result. After All is not easy to fully enter, but it is  well worth the effort. As obscurities from the era go, it may not be one of the  most fascinating, but it may have some of the most accomplished musicianship.

Tracks Are :-

Side One

1 Intangible She 7:12
2 Blue Satin 3:46
3 Nothing Left To Do 7:04

Side Two

1 And I Will Follow 4:46
2 Let It Fly 4:30
3 Now What Are You Looking For 3:02
4 A Face That Doesn't Matter 4:30
5 Waiting 4:20
 

• Released on Athena Records in 1969

• Catalogue Number 6006

• Record is in Vg condition (few  surface marks)

• Sleeve is in Ex ++ condition (drill  hole in bottom right corner)

 ***All Items must be paid for within 7 days***