Once in a while, I propose for the #buzz review an album that I already knew, but which was recently reintroduced by @ALFAMA, and I've been happily listening to it again these days.

Dave Bixby - Ode To Quetzalcoatl (n-a, 1969)

"Ode To Quetzalcoatl" is clearly one of the cult albums of 1960s folk psychedelia. One of those mysterious objects that, for some reason, have been fortunate enough to be rediscovered over the years. Dave Bixby hails from Michigan, specifically Rockford in the Great Lakes area. Influenced from a young age by the Beatles and the Beach Boys, he clearly found himself drawn to the psychedelic culture of that time. He was just a kid when he got into drugs, starting to use LSD, and he even ended up in jail. Then, in the winter of 1968, he turned toward religion, which in some way marked a sort of rebirth for him after a period where drugs had really brought him down. It was during this time that he wrote "Ode To Quetzalcoatl," envisioning Quetzalcoatl as a kind of Christ figure walking across America. He performed his songs in his prayer group before recording the album. Contrary to what one might think, this album is tied to religious themes and speaks of rebirth. Its genesis is as incredible as its story: clearly, Dave never imagined that this work would tell how it was recorded and conceived during a time when his friends were dying in Vietnam or returning from Vietnam completely changed, and how he tried to help them avoid suicide after growing up with a father deeply scarred by his participation in World War II. While man was stepping on the Moon. Meanwhile, he was also writing an important piece of music history. He didn’t know it. No one knew it. All the songs are practically masterpieces, but if I have to mention the one I like the most: "Free Indeed."

DAVE　BIXBY ~ Free indeed

#folk #psychedelia #quetzalcoatl