Gandalf
Gandalf

When we talk about psychedelic rock, the first bands that come to mind are Pink Floyd from the British front and the Doors, the Velvet Underground, Jefferson Airplane, and the Grateful Dead from the American front. The difference is radical and evident. The need to put the youth discontent of the late 60s to music occurs on a large scale across the entire USA perimeter. Smaller, yet still important bands like Blue Cheer and Ultimate Spinach, or even the Electric Prunes, whose lysergic version of the religious chant "Kyrie Eleison" appeared in the movie "Easy Rider," enjoyed good notoriety at the time. Among the countless formations from across the Ocean formed between 1965 and 1968 are Gandalf (some might smile thinking of the wizard protagonist of the famous fantasy sagas "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit"). Here we have a truly unique ensemble, one of a kind.

The self-titled album, dated 1967, promoted by Capitol Records, is the band's only musical work that is not posthumous, or rather not after a long distance, and is a masterpiece of its time. Although the tracks were not written by them but are merely covers, Gandalf imbues the music with that lysergic sound endowed with sweetness and a dreamy dimension that few know how to express and put into practice. Anyone who starts listening to this album can immediately sense the melancholy behind Peter Sando's muffled voice. "Golden Earrings," "Hang On to a Dream," "You Upset the Grace of Living," and "Tiffany Rings" are the hot spots of this record virtually unknown to the world, when you think about it.

The wonderful, the mystical aura that surrounds the sound of this LP captures the heart and draws the mind to itself, binds it to itself, but does not chain it. During the thirty minutes of "Gandalf," you will feel captivated, but not constricted, by the music, you will feel enchanted and caught by a slight detachment from reality (slight, sarcastically speaking). Gandalf, although they lasted not even half a decade, have left an imprint on a generation of psychedelic rock enthusiasts, and even though they are still mostly unknown, they created something extraordinary destined to last.

8.5/10