Psychedelic Moods: A Psychedelic Classic Courtesy of The Deep

 

By Rob Goss

“Take A Trip – Freak Out – Blow Your Mind – You’re On Your Way to the Psychedelic Mood – A Way of Life – A State of Mind.”

So begins the blurb on the cover of Psychedelic Moods: A Mind Expanding Phenomenon. An album recorded, if the blurb is to be believed, in pitch darkness in the “wee hours of the morning” at Cameo-Parkway Studios, Philadelphia by studio-only band, The Deep, back in August 1966.

Pitch black or not, Psychedelic Moods is still an impressive, if not unusual, piece of Psychedelia.

Unusual in that only one of its twelve tracks weighs in at over three minutes, with several not even going beyond the two-minute mark.

Certainly more Ramones than Grateful Dead at first glance, but rest assured that all else therein is classic psychedelic fare.

From song titles like Pink Ether, Trip #76 and Color Dreams, to freakish sound effects and acid-drenched lyrics, not to mention the numerous NOT RECOMMENDED FOR CHILDREN stamps emblazoned on the cover, Psychedelic Moods can probably lay claim to being the first out and out psychedelic album.

The vocals may often be stretched a little too far and the sound effects may occasionally be over the top. In fact, band members David Bromberg, Rusty Evans and Mark Barken can’t lay claim to having been the greatest musicians to get together in the sixties, but they can lay claim to having produced an album that epitomizes late 60s psychedelic scene like no other.

No wonder then that an original vinyl copy is likely to fetch around $500 in mint condition. Fortunately, Psychedelic Moods has been re-released on both cd and vinyl by 60s rarity specialists, Radioactive Records. You have no excuse not to buy it.


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