(Psychedelic Rock/Prog Rock) Sweet Smoke - Just A Poke - 1970 (1988), FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Sweet Smoke (1967 — 1974)
Группа была создана в 1967-м году в Бруклине, Нью-Йорк, но вскоре переехала в Германию, где её участники жили в семейной коммуне. У истоков группы стояли Andrew Dershin, Mike Paris, Victor Sacco, Jay Dorfman и Marvin Kaminovitz. Полное название группы звучало как «Sweet Smoke Of The Happy Plant Pipefull». В числе исполнителей, оказавших влияние на Sweet Smoke, участники группы называют Cream, John Coltrain, The Greatfull Dead, и Chicago. Первые выступления группы проходили в клубе на Виргинских островах под именем «Ice Company», потому что руководство клуба считало, что название «Sweet Smoke» («Ароматный дым») было слишком вызывающим.
По прибытии в Германию группа записывает свой первый альбом «Just a Poke», придавший ей статус культовой иконы андеграунда, который возникает в Европе как ответ американской сцене хиппи. Несмотря на то, что группа состояла из пяти человек, на свои выступления музыканты приходили с членами своей коммуны (10—15 человек), которые помогали им на сцене и вне сцены создавать особую музыкальную атмосферу.
Стиль группы часто характеризуют такими словами как jazz, acid rock, raga rock, hard rock, experimental.
В целом, можно сказать что Sweet Smoke играли приджазованный прогрессив рок. Их звучание сильно отличалось от звучания других американских групп того времени.
Вот что говорит о творчестве группы один из её участников Michael Paris: «Музыка Sweet Smoke была не просто коллекцией песен, которые люди сидели и слушали. Группа была скорее проводником, посредством которого её участники делились со слушателями своим видением и радостью жизни. Концерты представляли из себя взаимодействие между группой и публикой. Sweet Smoke были чем-то сродни космическому кораблю, постоянно исследовавшему неизвестные просторы музыкальной вселенной».
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At the beginning of the 1970s, a bunch of Jewish guys from New York (they're Jewish because they have names like Andy Dershin, Jay Dorfman, Steve Rosenstein, and Marvin Kaminowitz) moved to Germany (you can add SWEET SMOKE with The BLUES PROJECT and the J. GEILS BAND as another all or almost-all Jewish rock band). The music they played was jazzy prog/psych, and was not like what most other American bands of the time were doing. What they played seemed to have been better received in Germany than their native America. I am also reminded of NEKTAR (except they were British), because they too had to move to Germany because they were better received there.
"Just A Poke" was released on EMI/Columbia over in Germany. This album consists of only two side length cuts with Andy Dershin on bass, Jay Dorfman on drums and percussion, Marvin Kaminowitz on vocals and guitar, Michael Paris on saxes, flute, vocals, and percussion, and Steve Rosenstein on guitar on vocals. The two cuts are "Baby Night" (side one) and "Silly Sally" (side two), although side one was really "Silly Sally" and side two was really "Baby Night". Apparently the record company had it all messed up when they printed up the LP (and that problem was apparently not fixed when it was reissued on CD). Anyways, "Silly Sally" starts off almost medieval sounding, with recorder and acoustic guitar. Once the vocals kick in (by Kaminowitz), you can tell his voice does sound quite American. Eventually the song turns to electric guitar (without fuzz) and the get to some extended jams. As the jam ends, they go in to an uncredited version of the DOORS' "Soft Parade" (I guess they did not make any mention or give them credit, since they probably didn't ask for permission, and didn't want to get in trouble). Then at the end, the go back to a variation of the beginning theme, but with a different rhythm. "Baby Night" is a more bluesy piece, more relying on groves, before they go in to an extensive drum solo that reminds me of "In-a-Gadda- da-Vida", as well as all sorts of percussion.

Often SWEET SMOKE gets lumped in the Krautrock bunch, which is a bit weird, given these guys were actually New Yorkers, and they hardly sound like CAN, FAUST, ASH RA TEMPEL, AMON DÜÜ: II, etc., and more stick in the traditional prog/psych vein. And because of lack of keyboards, it's basically the guitar and wind instruments that dominate. But strangely, another album from SWEET SMOKE wouldn't surface until 1973, and that album would be "Darkness to Light" and they were recording for Harvest Records by that time (and a lineup change). They also released a live album the following year, but since disappeared (I heard the guys from SWEET SMOKE had since returned to America, usually to some white-collar job). Well, anyways "Just a Poke" might fall short of being essential in my book, it's still a nice album to have in your collection.

: : : Proghead : : :
/progarchives/

Bass – Andy Dershin
Drums, Percussion – Jay Dorfman
Guitar, Vocals – Marvin Kaminowitz, Steve Rosenstein
Vocals, Percussion, Saxophone [Tenor], Recorder [Alto] – Michael Paris
Engineer – Conrad Plank*, Klaus Löhmer
Photography – Joachim Hassenburs
Producer – Rosie Schmitz, Winfried Ebert