Riches from the rock underground

GROUP 1850

Agemo’s Trip To Mother Earth, Philips, Netherlands, 1968. £800+ if complete with glasses, £350+ without.

The relevance of Group 1850 in the history of psychedelic rock music cannot be overestimated. One of the few genuinely out-there bands of the 60s, their debut album Agemo’s Trip To Mother Earth, a concept LP about the cosmic visitation of an otherworldly child to earth, who becomes disillusioned with what he finds here, is essential listening.

Initially a beat band, they evolved into arguably the most audacious band in the Netherlands at the time. Comparable to Pink Floyd in terms of innovation and ambition, musically they inhabited their own lysergic realm.

Opener Steel Sings offers a glimpse of what’s to come: clear production, strange effects, raw guitar tones, melodic vocals and odd lyrics. Stunning tracks like Little Fly and the creepy I Put My Hands On

Your Shoulder are brimming with esoteric ideas and atmospherics. The upbeat You Did It Too Hard throws an uncomfortable twist with its dark sexual theme. A Point In This Life is an instrumental, peppered with narration and wonderfully weird guitar solos. The mellower Refound features flute and Hammond, adding a progressive touch and expanding on the rawer psych of the band’s numerous and excellent 45s. Reborn closes the circle of strangeness with childlike lead vocals, creating an almost ethereal church choir vibe. Searching for a copy with the 3-D glasses still attached is a collector’s nightmare. LD

‘One of the few genuinely out-there bands of the 60s.’