Various Artists

Living On The Hill: A Danish Underground Trip 1967–1974 ESOTERIC

A compendium of Denmark’s first generation of psych, prog and heavy nuggets.

The dominance of Anglo-American rock since the 1950s has come to drive and define the narrative of its evolution, to the detriment of its continental cousins. True, the re-emergence and influence of German 70s kosmische music over the past decade on the contemporary psych scene – and, to a lesser degree, the contribution of French and Italian proggers of the day – has gone some way to redressing the balance, but the contribution of Scandinavian bands is frequently overlooked.

Set against a background of psychedelics, protest and social upheaval, and wisely sequenced in chronological order, this three-CD compilation tells a largely unknown story. Although the styles of music vary, the uniting characteristic throughout is a free-form, let-itall-hang-out attitude that’s unencumbered by what would have been perceived as such bourgeois and oppressive notions as the verse-chorusverse format. Young Flower’s 10-minute freak-out Kragerne Vender sounds like the whole of their commune was involved in its creation, while the likes of Burnin’ Red Ivanhoe’s Ksilioy suggest that flute sales in Denmark must have gone through the roof at the tail end of the 60s, along with those of King Crimson’s debut In The Court Of The Crimson King.

As the collection progresses, hippie whimsy is gradually replaced by tougher workouts. The proto-metal of Culpepper Orchard’s Mountain Music hits hard, while Day Of Phoenix’s Paradox acts as a stepping stone to German neighbours Neu!

Although much of the material here is music of its time, this collection is an intriguing and worthy history lesson. ■■■■■■■■■■