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Artist:
Abstract Truth
Title:
Totem / Silver Trees



Details:
Abstract Truth exploded onto the music scene early in 1969, released two studio albums during 1970 (as well as a compilation) and imploded in 1971. The band was formed by Ken Henson, one of the co-founders of Freedoms Children. After he left that band, he was asked by the owner of a local hotel if he could get together an exotic/Eastern-sounding outfit to back a belly dancer at a hotels disco/pub." Henson (who played lead guitar and sitar), got hold of Brian Gibson who played bass, Sean Bergin who played flute and sax, Robbie Pavid on percussion. To fill out the evening, they started playing a hybrid of jazz standards, folk/rock and Eastern-type jams. The press duly noted that "their music is exotic, progressive, and not commercial." It was free-form music-a fusion of blues, folk, jazz and Eastern music... excellent and obscure. The Totum album was recorded in Johannesburg over a single weekend and released in early 1970; it consists of odd covers (Donovan, Dylan, Gershwin and others all get given the special Abstract Truth treatment) and one exceptional sitra-drenched original, Total Totum/Acid Raga. Their other album, Silver Trees, was an attempt to record more structured songs, to make the band a bit more accessible to the record-buying public. It didnt work back then, but with a little help from bootleg label Hugo Montes, the band did get some exposure within the past few years. Now you can get their entire output on one (licensed) disc.

Label: Fresh Music

This item was added to our catalog on Thursday 10 April, 2008