Aum - Bluesvibes (Reissue) (1969/2003)

First album (1969) from this SF act who were a very popular act around the city's ballrooms in the late 60's.This album is a more bluesy affair than their second although still contains heavy psychedelic touches throughout. Fantastic Rick Griffin artwork adorns the sleeve.. Led by singer multi-instrumentalist Wayne Ceballos with drummer Larry Martin and bassist Ken Newell rounding out the trio the group's initial reputation stemmed from their jam-oriented concerts. As one would expect from the title the group's 1969's album found them working in a distinctively blues-vein. Reflecting the band's live act this Richard Gotthrer-produced debut features a series of seven extended jams (the shortest song clocking in at 4 minutes). Ceballos proved a decent singer injecting considerable energy into his performances and the band really soars in many occasions. Truly interesting.