Axe - Axe Music (Steve Giles Remaster) (2020)

Axe (also known as Axe Music and Crystalline by the time they recorded their rare acetate) were an obscure British psych band led by acid-rock guitar player extraordinaire Tony Barford and graced by Vivienne Jones' ethereal vocals. In 1970, they recorded a demo album of which only 12 copies were pressed on a 10" acetate. Here's the first-ever straight reissue of this legendary artifact, as the previous "reissue" on the Kissing Spell label was altered without the band's consent and included new remixed tracks, added echo/phasing effects, altered song titles, etc. Here you'll find the acetate recordings in their pure form: 100% unadulterated heavy psych and acid-rock sounds full of raw, fuzzed-out guitars and dreamy female vocals. Four impressive, original songs, plus a long, psyched-to-the-max cover of Love's "A House Is Not a Motel," which has to be heard to be believed. Carefully remastered from an original copy (master tapes were lost) in 24-bit. Unfortunately, no masters survived and no clean copy is known to exist of the original 10", but you'll get the best result for the possibilities. New artwork (the original acetate came in a blank sleeve) and an insert with unseen pictures and liner notes by Paul Cross. And if all that wasn't enough, this release includes a CD with the same album, plus a bonus 8-minute video track featuring color silent footage of Crystalline/Axe playing live in 1970 with audio from the acetate added. Footage filmed by none other than Steve Giles (Dark).