'ULTIMATE SPINACH" Ian Bruce-Douglas’ short-lived Ultimate Spinach was a different kind of psychedelia;   mixing Baroque music with sitars, spatial guitars with Theremin, harmonica & wood flutes within hard rock lines. Some lyrics had a strong influence of the poetry of Kenneth Patchen and the philosophies of Jean-Paul Satre. Here truly was a serious new recording artist, in the middle of a generation in change, during the year 1968.  The Alan Lorber produced album, "Ultimate Spinach" sold 110,000 albums in the first week, and remained on the Billboard Top LP charts for 36 consecutive weeks,   followed by it’s 2nd and last album by Bruce-Douglas, “Behold & See.” Both albums are considered psychedelic classics. The spectacular "Ballad of the Hip Death Goddess" has been covered many times and is featured in several new films, including the 2006 Canadian indie "Monkey Warfare".  The album "Ballad Of The Hip Death Goddess features the original Spinach recording, 2 versons by Lithium Xmas & one by the Babylonian Tiles. "BEHOLD & SEE" When this second Ultimate Spinach album "Behold & See" was completed, Ian Bruce- Douglas left the band. In this album Ian wrote about a hippie society which would eventually give way to suburbia, status-symbols,  relationships, religion and success.   Beneath the "Mind Flowers"  musical streams of consciousness was a picture of life in a changing society at the beginning of the new ‘70s decade. "Mind Flowers" was featured in the BBC Soundtrack for a documentary on the drug culture in the UK, entitled "Rush". "UlTIMATE SPINACH III" The third Spinach album was the end breed of the group, and could actually have been called, Chamaeleon Church II. With the exception of vocalist Barbara Hudson and drummer Russ Levine who both performed on "Behold & See," this Spinach group was composed of all new vocalists and musicians and featured the great guitarist Jeff “Skunk” Baxter who went on to Steeley Dan and Doobie Brothers fame.  The music is an eclectic mix of folk, rock, blues and political commentary. It was part of a musical evolution which started with the legendary Boston group, The Lost, continued through Chamaeleon Church, and finally ended with Ultimate Spinach III.    "SACRIFICE OF THE MOON" (THE INSTRUMENTAL ULTIMATE SPINACH) Within the first two  Bruce-Douglas Spinach albums were complete instrumentals. As an accomplished keyboardist, guitarist and player of  Baroque wooden flutes (Recorders) Ian integrated full form instrumental sections within a vocal song (as in Jazz Thing). The instrumentation contained in this compilation ranges from dual Hammond organ solo (in an almost liturgical interlude) to gentle guitars and finger cymbals; from electric guitar and Farsisa organ, to floating, cascading flutes. The instrumentals range from rock to psyche, waltz to choral. It is a previous missed side of a most original artist of the time. "BALLAD OF THE HIP DEATH GODDESS" As previously noted, this compilations brings four distinctly different versions of the renown psychedelic classic.

email CONTACT: irismusicgroup