bobby callender (rare earth II)

Bobby Callender - Rainbow (usa, 1968)

First of all my compliments again for the way Akarma Records reissued this album on a double LP : 3 sides with music, one site with a very beautiful 3 dimensional pictures of the beautiful label logo, with a coloured version in the middle. Secondly is this a very unique concept by Bobby Callender, with Colin Walcott and Donald Robertson on sitar, Paul Harris on organ, piano and harpsichord, and many more progressive artists. "Rainbow" is a very personal spiritual approach with end 60's progressive foundation. The singing has deep emotions, is fragile in its mellowness. The association for listeners and for Bobby might be different. He was on his spiritual search. For us he's in a musical mind-blowing experience. "My rainbow of colours reflects the past and present. Each change has been indicated by the spectrum of my life and only it knows the hidden colours of my future" says the cover quote about the concept, telling us about Bobby's quest. "Sade Masoch" might be the most outstanding track in various ways ; it is a sad but nice touching story about a teacher who lost his mind after a too self-controlled life. The mellowness gives it also a very sad feeling of a very introvert spiritual introspective. As I said before several people might use this more readily to get stoned by. Some tracks are a bit sleepy mellow in singing, but all have interesting progressive approach of music. This contrast makes the complete concept highly original. Also the bonus tracks from the LP are worth to discover. I compared the CD-version and the LP-version. The CD contains one more track from the second album, "The Story of Rasha and D'Ahra" which might be the best track of that album indeed. Both bonus tracks on the LP however are most essentially interwoven with "Rainbow".

My Rainbow of Colors Reflects The Past And Present
Each Change. Has Been Indicated
By The Spectrum of my Life
And Only It Knows The Hidden
Colors of my Future.

Brown and Green, Blue and Nights

But Overtones of Gray Are Always There.

Red and Yellow, Gray and Black Are The Colors

That Rrepresente my Past

But Now The're Just a Part

of the Sadows of my Mind.

Colors, Chances, Future, Present, Past...

Each New Color Weaves....New Paths

Bobby Callender / voice - Collin Walcott / percussion, sitar, tabla - Paul Winter / violin - Richard Davis / bass - Maurice Brown / cello - Thomas Buffum / violin - Robert Bushnell / bass (electric) - Eric Gale / guitar - Louis Haber / violin - Paul Harris / organ, piano, harpsichord - Stuart MacDonald / violin - Louis Mauro / bass (electric) - Hugh McCracken / guitar - Bernard "Pretty" Purdie / drums - Alan Raph / trombone - Elliott Rosoff / violin- David Sackson / viola - Louis Stone / violin.