Kaleidoscope (US)
Side Trips

THE REVIEW

The term that most suits the Berkeley ensemble is undoubtedly eclectic. The quintet debuts in 1967 with this ?Side Trips?, which despite the presence of 10 tracks has a duration of only 26 minutes.

The central figures of the band are multi-instrumentalists David Lindley and Chris Darrow and the singer David Saul (Solomon) Feldthouse; the complex and colorful sound architectures of the former perfectly enhance the multitude of vocal solutions of the latter. ?Egyptian Gardens? is a psychedelic Middle Eastern folk, with Feldthouse mimicking the chants and laments of a muezzin, ?Hesitation Blues? an ironic vaudeville blues performed by a bluegrass band and ?Keep Your Mind Open? gently traverses the lysergic atmospheres, a dreamlike invitation to expand one's perceptions. ?Oh Death? is one of the most astonishing chapters; the Kaleidoscope reinterpret Dock Boggs' standard by painting it with a gloomy unease, with Feldthouse's voice becoming dark and deep, clearly tracing the path that Nick Cave would later elevate to an art form; while more playful and entertained is the cover ?Minnie The Moocher? by Cab Calloway with violins, cajun and banjos that transform it into a gypsy tune, which sounds familiar from the Balkans to the Gaza Strip. The ?doorsian? ?If The Night? and the serious ?Please? are two splendid ballads, ?Come On In? is an astonishing vaudeville exercise performed by a jug band, while once again the Middle Eastern mysticism emerges in ?Why Try?, this time fused with pragmatic American folk, with a multivocal play typical of the British invasion anthems, which had just invaded the States. But the psychedelic jewel of the album is ?Pulsating Dream?, a perfect manifesto for the Season of Love, closely reminiscent of the Byrds, albeit having a lysergic drive and a powerful warmth, which perhaps was somewhat lacking to their cooler and more famous compatriots.

The Kaleidoscope is a small, colorful, and crazy orchestra, and the list of instruments played by the 5 on the record is a brilliant testimony: banjo, fiddle, mellotron, guitar, harp guitar, 7-string banjo, saz, bouzouki, dobro, vina, oud, doumbek, dulcimer, 12-string guitar, violin, viola, bass, piano, organ, harmonica, mandolin, percussions, drums, timpani, along with Feldthouse's splendid voice and Darrow's counterpoint.