Electronic Hole - Electronic Hole (Psychedelia 1970)

Last time we discussed Phil Pearlman, I stated he must've been some kind of musical genius, though I knew very little about him apart from the evidence of two highly obscure privately pressed albums. This time around I only know a touch more about his back-story, but this record of his from 1970 under the moniker the Electronic Hole proves he was indeed, a musical genius. Recorded in between the Beat of the Earth and the rural rock masterpiece Relatively Clean Rivers, the Electronic Hole bridges the gap between the drone raga rock of the former and the tunefulness of the latter. And it just may be the best of the three.

Two long suites comprising seven songs of very forward-looking psychedelic rock quite unlike any I've ever heard before, effortlessly prefiguring the likes of Galaxie 500 and Spacemen 3. The Electronic Hole is somewhat more menacing than either of Pearlman's other incarnations, more heroin-y sounding perhaps, but from what I understand he was a teetotaler only prone to getting high on life and the fragrance of incense. Heroin seems an appropriate touchstone though as the only other group even coming close to the primal-ness of these songs were the Velvet Underground, and by 1970 even they'd primarily traded those baser emotions in for a sort of melancholic roots rock. On the final track, an early incarnation of one of the Relatively Clean Rivers songs appears, devoid of any ruralness with pure white noise in its stead. And I mean like Les Rallizes Denudes molten white noise. Superb.

Reissue of the extremely obscure 2nd Radish label album, originally issued in 1970. "Raw, noisy, droning and completely mesmerizing album recorded by Phil Pearlman between the first Beat of the Earth album and Relatively Clean Rivers. Pearlman assembled The Electronic Hole in 1969 strictly for personal use -- to audition musicians for his new band. To do this, and to add to his own collection of demos, he used local studios in off-hours thanks to his friendship with album engineer Joe Sidore. The result is entirely different from Beat of the Earth, as it abandons a freeform improvisational approach in favor of 'compositions', including a wild cover of Frank Zappa's 'Trouble Every Day'. Pearlman plays sitar to great effect on the album, and another track has the thickest wall of fuzz guitars imaginable -- an effect he achieved by running his Fender amplifier out of a child's chord organ ('sounded great for about two weeks, then it blew up!'). Few albums have such an eclectic yet appealing sound."

A raw, noisy, droning and completely mesmerizing album recorded by PHIL PEARLMAN between the first Beat of the Earth album and Relatively Clean Rivers. Pearlman assembled the ELECTRONIC HOLE in 1969 strictly for personal use to audition musicians for his new band." Recorded in local studios during off-hours, the album is entirely different from Beat of the Earth, as it abandons a freeform improvisational approach in favor of "compositions," including a wild cover of Frank Zappa's "Trouble Every Day." Pearlman plays sitar to great effect on the album, and another track has the thickest wall of fuzz guitars imaginable.

Post by ChrisGoesRock