Psychedelic 70s album back on wax
A South Korean record company is re-releasing a Taupo man’s ‘‘psychedelic acoustic’’ vinyl record – 44 years after he recorded it in a London studio.
Chris Thompson grew up in Hamilton and travelled to London in 1972 to pursue a career as a musician.
‘‘That was the singersongwriter era and there was a market for original contemporary folk blues and contemporary music in the UK,’’ Thomson said.
‘‘You couldn’t get a gig in NZ playing that sort of music.’’
Through playing with various bands, the 20-year-old met a number of Indian musicians.
The musicians joined Thompson on his self-titled 1973 album, playing the sitar, tabla and tamboura on the album’s first track, Hugo Spellman.
The track brings to mind the psychedelic sounds of Indianinspired Beatles classics like Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds and Across the Universe.
‘‘A lot of people were into fusion and Indian music back then. London was a real crossroads,’’ Thompson said.
Thompson’s debut eight-track album was a hit in acoustic music circles.
‘‘It struck a chord with people who like acoustic music and it has become a bit of an underground classic,’’ he said.
‘‘It’s well-known in acoustic music circles in America and England,’’
Thompson’s 16 follow-up albums gained him some success as a songwriter in America, with San Franciscan singer Meg Baird performing a version of Thompson’s River Song on her 2007 debut album, and Fleet Foxes’ frontman Robin Pecknold recording a cover of Where is My Wild Rose? in 2011.
Now, Seoul-based record company Beatball Records is rereleasing Thompson’s 1973 debut record in the United States.
‘‘It’s amazing to me that they’ve heard of it in South Korea. It just shows what a wide audience it has reached,’’ Thompson said.
‘‘It’s coming out on vinyl. The disc will be coloured blue, so it’ll be a real collector’s item.’’
Now 65, Thompson said he’s seen a lot over the years.
‘‘I’m glad I’ve seen the record industry through LPs, to cassettes, to videos and to CDs and DVDs,’’ he said.
* Re-issued copies of Chris Thompson’s self-titled album will arrive at My Music Taupo next week.