TREES Christ Tree private xtian psych folk 75

$

155

The Trees -- The Christ Tree LP

Original 1975 private pressing on Pomegranate Records (TC001).

Extremely rare private Christian commune acid-folk/free-form LP, only a few hundred were pressed (see below.)

This esoteric album would be right at home on ESP-Disk or El Saturn. Has been compared to Comus, or a devout-Wiccan Sun City Girls.

Review from Vernon Joynson's Fuzz Acid & Flowers:

The Trees

     

Personnel incl: ARIEL (PHILLIP DROSS) tamboura, cello, bells, recorder, perc, vcls A MARGUERITE BLYTHE oboe, recorder, percussion, bells, vcls A BRUCE GAMBILL gtr, small pump organ, tibetan gongs, vcls A PATRICIA GAMBILL bells, perc, recorder, telephone bells (bells from inside old phones!), sanctus bells, vcls A STEPHEN GAMBILL perc, balangi, gongs, bells, recorders, cheng, harmonium, japanese pot gongs, vcls A DAVID KARASEK bell tree, zither, African drums, percussion, Mexian bell wheel, vcls A DAVID LYNCH gtr, flute, perc, wood flutes, vcls A MARY McCUTCHEON samison, bells, recorder, balinese pot gongs, sanctus bells, vcls A SHIPEN (BILL LEBZELTER) sitar, bagpipe shanter, reed instruments, japanese gongs, African balangi, bells, vcls A SHISHONEE (KATHERYN RUETENIK) venezuelan string harp, koto, tamboura, accordian, perc, bells, harmonium, vcls A

NB: The group went through many incarnations, line-up 'A' above is that which appeared on the album.  

ALBUM: 1(A) THE CHRIST TREE - A MUSICAL MEDITATION (Pomegranate ) 1975 R2  

A rare Christian folk psych album. These Trees consisted of group of men and women dressed in robes, singing and playing an assortment of sitars, zither, dulcimer, flutes, guitar, gong, tamboura... Housed in a black sleeve with pictures on the back, the album contains two long cuts on Side One and seven on Side Two. A few hundred copies were pressed.

Katheryn Krupa (nee Ruetenik) recalls:- "We lived on a bus (several actually) and toured around the US and Canada in the seventies. The group began in New York City, changed, grew, lost and gained members - then was based at the Cathedral of St. John The Divine in NY. (Dean Morton may recall us or may not these days). Two members of the group Shipen and Ariel are now dead, but the rest of us are still around and spread around the country. I went on to be in an art rock band playing pedal harp called Art in America (CBS/Pavillion records 1981/2?). I also have another tape of older music, in the same genre (folk with many bizarre instruments from around the world) which was recorded before The Christ Tree, although the recording quality isn't as good."

David Lynch:- "We were more than just a 'music group' as such. Our lives intertwined around a five-year journey or 'pilgrimage' in our various bus homes, setting up 'camp' in diverse locations around North America, being a resident "society" or community in New Mexico and New York City, where we attempted to explore the concepts of monasticism and spirituality; Christ centered in attitude and immersing ourselves in the deep wisdom of the worlds cultures and spiritual practices. From this journey and its meaning evolved our musical compositions. Whether from sources of Gregorian plainchant or hypnotic Balanesian rhythms, our musical sessions struggled with the psalms and melodies of antiquity and the challenges of our instruments and lifestyle, working with a constantly evolving ensemble to allow the Music of the Tree to take root and its branches to ring with songs and sounds. I now live in Cincinnati Ohio (USA) with my wife and we are involved in composition and playing. In fact from Shipen's example perhaps, I have been playing sitar for several years along with my collection of wind instruments and both playing and composing with my wife Shari who is a violinist and plays keyboards and percussion, under the name Luminaria."

(Stephane Rebeschini w/thanks to Katheryn Krupa and David Lynch)

Partial front cover
(which is all black with just this artwork):

Partial back cover:

VG/VG+ condition -- cover has a little bit of ringwear on all-black front, has some edgewear and a less-than-one-inch split at top seam; vinyl is very clean, with little wear, no spindle marks, and just light surface scuffing and a few light surface scratches... plays extremely well. Graded conservatively using Goldmine standards [G/G+/VG/VG+/NM/MINT] -- MINT grade only used if record is stone brand new.
Bid with confidence -- over 1000 positive feedbacks selling vinyl on eBay, 100% positive.

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