Golden State Psychedelia

Liner Note Author: Alec Palao.
Golden State isn't merely a nickname for California, it is also the name of a San Franciscan studio owned and operated by Leo Kulka. Golden State Recorders opened their doors in the fall of 1965, just at the height of folk-rock and as psychedelia began to crest. Fittingly, the 25 tracks on Ace's 2016 compilation Golden State Psychedelia -- only two of which were released at the time, with the great majority seeing their debut here -- are caught somewhere between a burnished jangle and a heady rush equal parts Jefferson Airplane and Moby Grape. Occasionally, the proceedings are a brutishly simple -- a bit of spirited garage nonsense -- but usually the music seesaws between open-hearted flower power and profane protest, the latter highlighted by Magician's possible protest "Fuck for Peace." If the vulgar moments pack a punch that obscures the sunbleached folk-rock -- the harmonized paeans for peace wither in the face of cloistered rhythms and fuzz guitars -- it's the blend of these two hippie extremes that make this compilation a vivid time capsule. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine