Another major unearthing of early unreleased tapes from Bobby Beausoleil’s occult Orkustra, a band that turned up on a buncha classic SF psychedelic-era bills before Beausoleil’s involvement with the Manson murders meant that he had to reconvene the group behind bars where they recorded the soundtrack to Kenneth Anger’s Lucifer Rising. This beautifully assembled double LP set in a heavy gatefold sleeve with a large booklet bundles recordings from their Haight-Ashbury era, none of which are available anywhere else, with the group mainlining the kind of free rock experiments that would see the west coast jam band style open up to incorporate aspects of folk, ethnic and ritual music. At points there are echoes of the English free/rock scene with string drones and primitive percussion that could almost be the Third Ear Band or even High Tide. But there’s still that dark, mesmeric atmosphere that defines all of Beausoleil’s best work, particularly in the horn section, which moves from modal oboe smoke signals that give the set a weird English neverland feel through massed brass levitations that look forward to Lucifer Rising with the sound of final trumpets peaking over slurred chords and extended guitar solos. If you dig the live form of Quicksilver Messenger Service, the more rocking Ya Ho Wha sides or just the sound of satanic hippies jamming a musical mass that would erase their own brains, then this is surely your trip. “I had recently arrived in San Francisco when, in the fall of 1965, I conceived of assembling what I described then as "the first electrified symphony orchestra." My 18th birthday had just passed and I possessed only modest abilities as a musician, but, being prone to such crazy notions, the concept seemed perfectly reasonable-this was the Haight-Ashbury of the mid-sixties, after all! A few months later a stable musical ensemble somewhat resembling my original conception had come into existence. What I had imagined would be an "orchestra" of a dozen-or-so musicians proved in practice to be unmanageable. Instead, a coalition of five instrumentalists from various musical traditions—rock, classical, jazz, folk and blues—emerged as the core group. For what was essentially a reconceived rock band, the instrumentation was extremely unusual, comprising some combination of violin, oboe, standup bass, guitar, bouzouki, flute, organ, drums and percussion. All of the melodic instruments were modified for electric amplification. The Orkustra's brief day in the sun did not allow an opportunity to record a formal album. However, some recordings of the band's practice sessions and live performances were made. These precious few artifacts have been carefully restored and compiled by Mexican Summer into a comprehensive double LP album.” – Bobby Beausoleil. Hand-numbered edition of 1000 copies. Highly recommended.