Elektra

So here's a fine look at Jac Holzmans Elektra Records during those turbulent times known as the Sixties, swinging or otherwise, from 1963 onto the end which in this case is 1973 (when the great unwashed haddock started their sixties, or what they thought that decade was about), from intellectual folk strumming beatniks to singer songwriters with personal concerns, plus a goodly dose of acid rock in between...
Five discs trawl the ten years picking up choice niceties by the likes of Judy Collins, Judy Henske, Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton on the first disc mingling with lesser known names such as Phil Borof, Kathy & Carol and Oliver Smith all getting busy with some cool strumming and warbling...
Disc two is where the secretive Greenwich Village marijuana haze of the preceding disc is supplemented with chemical experimentation as the like of Love, The Doors and Clear Light gaze into the white light rush of STP induced punk pummel and the Incredible String Band bring their own form of intoxication to the folk strum...
Disc three continues the drug induced folkniking, some with a more 'arty' orchestration popping up to decorate the tunes, also tomorrows madness is on the prowl from Detroit as the Stooges and MC5 tear up the ballad book and kick up a ruckus of screaming, guitar blazing protest suitable for their city and the wider world in general...
The forth disc starts to calm down with introspection from Paul Siebel, Carly Simon and Harry Chapin along with David Ackles angst and Cyrus Faryars hippy spirit on board for the ride into the seventies ending with Queen who made their US debut on the label...
The last disc is like a bonus with a more left field look at some of the weirdos on the roster, not that any of these people could be considered right wing squares, but disc five is the resting ground for crazed hipsters Simon Stokes and David Peel, with not so well remembered artistes as Rainbow Band, Show of Hands and Aztec Two Step whose ode to Dean Moriarty/Neal Cassidy kept the original beats within sight and listening...
Other flipped out heads populating the set with something to say are Dave Ray/Fred Neil/Pat Kilroy/Tim Buckley/Holy Modal Rounders/David Stoughton, arty acid rock coming from Ars Nova and to a degree Earth Opera, pop rocking with Wackers and Crabby Appleton plus some rural rocking roots from Delaney and Bonnie and Lonnie Mack and last but surely and certainly not least, Jobraith working up some fine glam future rocking and that's only to mention some of these fine practitioners of authentic and stirring ditties and grooves...
All in all a great earfull of top grist with really no dud tracks in evidence, something of an achievement with monumental undertakings of this nature which in itself shows the strength of players concerned and for once the vision of record company execs. and employees who all contributed to the towering efforts of the once mighty 'when it mattered' Elektra...