Follow Me Down: Vanguard's Lost Psychedelic Era 1966-1970

Overview

Vanguard is primarily known as a folk and blues label, which makes the 2014 release of Ace's compilation Follow Me Down: Vanguard's Lost Psychedelic Era 1966-1970 so noteworthy. Like so many labels and musicians of the time, Vanguard expanded their horizons in the late '60s, taking a cue from the success of their act Country Joe & the Fish to sign a bunch of weird, woolly guitar acts that specialized in winding, elliptical jams loosely rooted in folk. Elsewhere, there were bands specializing in fuzz-drenched stomps and frenzied journeys to the center of their minds, but the groups Vanguard signed -- or at least the ones showcased on this 18-track collection of album cuts and forgotten singles -- never followed a straight path and favored pulsating liquefied grooves. Sometimes these ever-circulating patterns are a shade too solipsistic -- the Serpent Power's 13-minute "The Endless Tunnel" does seem like it will never end -- but that indulgence not only is the charm of this collection, it also results in several wonderfully elastic and ridiculous moments that capture all the odd, misshapen glory of the psychedelic era. A key thing to keep in mind with regard to Follow Me Down is that many of these acts -- acts that aren't strictly from the West Coast, either; the Third Power hailed from the Detroit suburb of Farmington Hills and the Frost were from the Motor City proper, Elizabeth were from Philadelphia, Third Bardo leader Jeff Monn was from New York City -- were more about sound than song. This emphasis on aural tides means the sculpted songs do stand out -- whether it's the frenzied "Travelin' Around" from Circus Maximus or the distorto-hippie blues of Far Cry's "Hellhound" or Monn's "I Can Understand Your Problem," which almost seems like a bid for AM radio in this context -- but the best way to enjoy Follow Me Down is just to follow the compilation blindly: the point isn't the destination, it's the journey. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	04/16/2011
Label:	Vanguard
UPC:	0015707814911
Rank:	95418

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Getting Together  -  Third Power
2. You Said/But I've Got My Way  -  Erik
3. Stoned is  -  Listening
4. A Nickel's Worth of Benny's Help  -  31st of February
5. You Should Be More Careful  -  Elizabeth
6. I Can Understand Your Problem  - Jeff Monn
7. See You Again  -  Listening
8. Travelin' Around  -  Circus Maximus
9. Take My Hand  -  Frost

Disc 2

10. Where I'm At  -  Notes from the Underground
11. I Can't Make a Friend  -  Vagrants
12. The Endless Tunnel  -  Serpent Power
13. Saigon Girls  -  Family Of Apostolic
14. Persecution  -  Third Power
15. Why Did You Put Me On  -  Notes from the Underground
16. Did You Have To Rub It In?  -  Hi-Five
17. Hellhound  -  Far Cry
18. Big Time Spender  -  Frost

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Hi-Fives   Primary Artist
The Vagrants   Primary Artist
Serpent Power   Primary Artist
Notes from the Underground   Primary Artist
The Frost   Primary Artist
Erik Heller   Primary Artist
Listening   Primary Artist
Far Cry   Primary Artist
Elizabeth   Primary Artist,Primary Artist
Erik   Primary Artist
Jeff Monn   Primary Artist
The Hi-Five   Primary Artist
The Family Of Apostolic   Primary Artist
Circus Maximus   Primary Artist
The 31st of February   Primary Artist
The Third Power   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Scott Boyer   Composer
Walter Powers   Composer
Nick Robbins   Mastering
Dick Wagner   Composer
Peter Malick   Composer
Alan Gordon   Composer
Isaac Slusarenko   Foreword,Liner Notes
Michael Tschudin   Composer
Mike O'Connor   Composer
Robert Patterson   Composer
Eric Heller   Composer
Ernie Kamanis   Composer
Jerey Whiting   Composer
Robert Bruno   Composer
Garry Bonner   Composer
David Katznelson   Liner Notes
David Meltzer   Composer
Paul Stubblebine   Mastering
Trade Martin   Composer
Skip Rose   Composer
Jeff Monn   Composer
Jerry Storch   Composer
Gilbert Moses   Composer
Jem Targal   Composer
Bob Bruno   Composer
Drew Abbott   Composer
Mark Mandell   Composer
Bob Patterson   Composer
Erik Heller   Composer
Tedd Baron   Composer
Stephen Brower   Liner Notes
Neil Dell   Package Design