The Lost Experimental Recordings, 1970

This astonishing release from the Pink Fairies, Pretty Things, and Deviants drummer Twink will be a welcome addition to any psychedelic collection. A legendary figure of the U.K. psychedelic scene, he recorded these rock experiments in London's Wizzard Studios in the late '60s to early '70s. Legend has it that Twink had all but forgotten about these sessions until engineer Julian Briggs presented him with tapes in 1999. A remix and remastering session in Los Angeles ensued, and, suspiciously modern as it sounds, one wonders if the session involved a few late-'90s stylistic updates as well. Regardless, the degree of invention and experimentation is astounding, and The Lost Experimental Recordings is an electronic / rock hybrid that predated similar tranced out excursions from German groups such as Can and Faust, and even proto- post-rockers This Heat. In these improvisational sessions, Twink assembled tape loops of noise and electronic collages, over which he would beat out circular trance-like rhythms. Excessive tape manipulation and studio effects are to the fore, and his J.R. Tolkien infatuation provided a conceptual bed for some of the more psychedelic indulgences. An absolute career highlight -- it is ironic that this material was ignored for so long. ~ Skip Jansen|