The band seems to have a mild identity problem deciding if they are the Mystic Minds or The Mysterious Minds - the record cover says MYSTIC MINDS on the back of the LP and MIND OVER MATTER on the front. The LP disk center says The Mystic Minds (Short) The Mysterious Minds and doesn't even mention the LP title MIND OVER MATTER. The back cover rant by the band is signed by "The Mysterious Minds".
From the cover art you might think these guys did their fair share of drugs and were selling it as a psychedelic album but the liner notes have a comment about how "One must rid himself of the bad habit of cheating the mind with drugs and accepting people rejection." The rest of the rant has a similar insightful psychological tone that sound like a mix of 1970's self-help books (I'm OK, You're OK) and proto new age philosophy.
The band is credited as a trio but deeper in the credits a woman is also credited for the "fine female vocals" immplying she's not a member of the band and with a sort of sexist tone even for the for mid 1970's.
This is a very limited lp pressing by this odd soul-funk band whose most unusual aspect is The Brass Orchestra Cabinet, a keyboard of horns that appears to be an organ modified with 21 trumpets bells and 12 pipes on it - the strangest horn section you'll ever hear.
This is the sort of record I love to find in used record bins, as I found this at a flea market in California. It's a virtually unknown band that produced their own LP - black and whote cover art, psychedlic looking cover, but the best part is the picture on the back of the "Brass Cabinet Orchestra" which looks like some sort of organ adapted with 21 trumpets of various sizes and 12 Organ-like pipes sticking out of it.
The portable pipe unit is invented by one of the band members and the first track, "It's Real" goes off into a rave about the funky horns from this special box.
The back cover has a few paragraphs about how "A New Worlds Reality is upon us,the improvement of our mind and body." ..."One must rid himself of the bad habit of cheating the mind with drugs and accepting people rejection."...The New Worlds Reality is a state of confusion."... by: "The Mysterious Minds, the soul funk musical group that is for the human development of people."
The music is soul-funk, and not really that spectacular as far as I'm concerned, but there's a charm to it in it's uniqueness and sincerity. I honestly dont' think it's a great record, It doesn't suck, but it's not particularly dynamic, not very well produced, and it seems a bit behind it's time, perhaps more like an earlier James Brown record or late 60's soul band that something from mid-70s. It locks into a groove for each piece with an almost disturbing minimalism that reminds me sometimes more conceptually of Philip Glass than James Brown. It almost sounds like something someone made from looped samples in it's lack of variation. One track reminds me all too much of the 70's comedy track "Basketball Jones" as it sounds like the same riff.
The original LP which this is ripped from was recorded in San Mateo California and pressed on MOON-LITH PRESS in nearby Moutain View in 1975. It's probably one of the rarest LPs I have - it looks like the sort of record the where band paid to have a few hundred copies made.
There's a limited 300 LP re-issue of it by some european label that claims the band was Korean War veterans, for whatever relevance that has. I assume the original LP was only pressed in a few hundred copies but I'm not sure as it's difficult to find any info on this band, all I could find was the Forced Exposure site's blurb on the 300 copy LP reissue - it looks like that's aimed at the DJs who seek out rare grooves on old obscure vinyl to throw into their turntable mixes.
LP liner notes (verbatim with typos as on record):
MINDS OVER MATTER
A New Worlds Reality is upon us, the improvement of our mind and body. We as human beings must maintain the self control of our mind and body. The power of the mind is nothing new, the age of commercialism peaks off, people look for new directions in maintaining a stable life style. The new direction is the direction of one's self, one must do everything possible to survive life.
The power of a persons mind can obtain him anything he wishes, directly or indirectly. To obtain this genie in the mind one must believe, indulge, and concentrate. One must rid himself of the bad habit of cheating the mind with drugs and accepting people rejection. Each one of us must grasp and hold control, because the weaker one's will become exttinct.
The New Worlds Reality brings about a state of mass confusion. People have been under control of the command for so long that they will lose themselves when the business world sends them home., broke and with nothing to do with their time. If this excess time isn't turned into constructive time, the human mind will unleash the strong competitive force of our nature on many innocent bodies.
By: The Mysterious Minds, the soul funk musical group that is for the human development of people.
1. It's Real
2. Welfare to Unemployment
3. Funky Business Games
4. Clean Up Your Act
5. Power of the Mind
6. Fungus Among Us
7. Can You Hear Me
Bob W. Vieira - Drums, Vocals
Frank Ruiz - Guitar, Vocals
Time S. Jones - All keyboards, vocals, plus his portable pipe unit The Brass Orchestra Cabinet, designed, developed and invented by Tim S. Jones.
Special Thanks to Paul and John for recording assistance and Ginie Tracy for the fine female vocals.
Recorded at Pacific, San Mateo (California)
Recording Engineer - Johny Morris
Printed by MOON-LITH PRESS, Mountainview, California
Al rights reserved by SMOA Productions
There is a limited edition re-issue 300 copy pressing on LP available though Forced Exposure, who notes:
"Exact reissue of this ultra-rare and privately released funk/psych/outsider/incredibly strange LP by Korea War veterans from the US 1975. Superb rare groove all the way, way out psychedelic lyrics but also long instrumental passages AND the worlds only Brass Orchestra Cabinet, a bizarre keyboard contraption built by one of the group members, which is a portable electric pipe unit, sounding like nothing else you ever heard before -- and it's used to good measure. A unique and unknown master piece that will be highly appreciated by rare funk groove diggers, DJ's, psych-heads incredible strange music fans and DJ's alike. Ltd edition of 300 copies only."
This is insane!
ResponderExcluirThanx!