Welcome to the world of Bonfire Records, here you'll find a comfortable place for some delightful and truly passionate album. Long lost but not forgotten some might say. The pure essence of acid folk, some brilliant choral pop, proto-prog eclecticism and even white man blues. Get ready to be surprised, release after release. Take your time for dreaming, this must be a beautiful place.
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viewing 1 To 19 of 19 items
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BONF 021LP
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For the first time on vinyl, these previously unreleased sessions by the British jazz rock band. Recorded live at the Impulse studios prior to their 1972 debut album on Blackey/Warner. With liner notes by bassist Colin Hodgkinson. Colin Hodgkinson first met Ron Aspery whilst the two were playing in Eric Delaney's Showband. The two began to talk about forming their own band around 1969, and eventually Back Door came to fruition in 1971, with Tony Hicks joining on drums. Hodgkinson made an innovative use of the electric bass, making it a lead instrument. Their unique brand of jazz-rock was a hit at their regular venue: the Lion Inn on Blakey Ridge, Yorkshire. However, record labels were not keen and the band were repeatedly told "No singer, no contract". But the band's popularity increased in the end when they were asked to play a two-week stint at Ronnie Scott's club in London, opening for Chick Corea. The record companies changed their tune, and after receiving many offers, the trio decided to sign with Warner Brothers. The band even rejected an offer from Richard Branson (who was just starting up Virgin Records at the time).
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LP
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BONF 018LP
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Reissue, originally released in 1971. Another underground folk masterpiece back on the map. Forerunner of the British revival Ian A. Anderson licensed the album on his own The Village Thing on December 1971. Besides a couple of excellent cover -- "Black Uncle Remus" penned by Loudon Wainwright III and a minor Bob Dylan classic as "One Too Many Mornings" -- the album shows a more forward-thinking production, with several bucolic progressive arrangements.
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2LP
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BONF 017LP
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Reissue, originally released in 1973. Bachdenkel was an English rock band that started under the name The U (Don't) No Who in 1968. The three-piece consisted of band leader Colin Swinburne on vocals/guitars/keyboards, Peter Kimberley on bass/piano/vocals, and Brian Smith on drums, with Karel Beer as an additional musician, engineer, and producer. The group relocated to France to live, perform and record. Their first effort -- Lemmings -- was released on Philips France in 1973, showing their excellent musicianship and songwriting. Conceived as a three-sided album it was recorded during the summer of 1970. This double version includes three missing tracks originally conceived for the Initial Recording Company EP, a small label ran by Karel Beer. The album has an evident late sixties British psych-rock flavor, but comes with occasional harder moments and longer, more developed compositions in a proto prog rock manner.
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BONF 019LP
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Reissue, originally released in 1978. Brainticket was an obscure krautrock band born out of a '60s jazz group featuring Belgian born keyboardist Joël Vandroogenbroeck, based in Switzerland. The leader went for a fortunate solo career after the former group disbanded, reaching a cult status especially in Italy with a series of sought after libraries. Released in 1978 on Cenacolo, Images of Flute in Nature is pure magic translated in music. Conceived by Joel with a little help from vocalist Carole Muriel (an American performer already involved in Brainticket and Drum Circus), the album is literally a deep connection between kosmische music, ambient, and ethno-global rhythms.
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BONF 020LP
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Reissue, originally released in 1971. The sole self-titled album by English progsters Chillum was in fact an offshoot project of famous psychedelic icon Second Hand. They shared three members -- George Hart, Ken Elliott, Kieran O'Connor -- with the former band, giving birth to a more experimental act. The record originally saw the light of day in 1971. The LP was supposed to be the third Second Hand album, but apparently the members decided to change the band's name. Their heavy swinging approach was in the end similar to such contemporary luminaries like Atomic Rooster, Leaf Hound, and Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come. A jam album with lots of roaring percussion and an impressive organ to make big sound. Personnel: Ken Elliott (keyboards, mellotron, organ, vocals); Kieran O'Connor (drums); Tony McGill (guitar); George Hart (bass). Fully licensed; edition of 500.
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BONF 016LP
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Reissue. The sole album by cultish British prog-blues combo Affinity. Originally released in 1970 on influential label Vertigo, their self-titled album is still one of the most original efforts of the England jazz-rock scene. Fronted by Linda Hoyle, a powerful vocalist who sounds like a cross between Carol King and Julie Driscoll, the line-up was completed by Mo Foster (bass), Mike Jupp (electric and 12-string guitars), Lynton Naiff (keyboards), and Grant Serpell (drums and percussion). Their eclectic mixture was truly compelling moving over a certain psychedelic feel, thanks also to the ubiquitous Hammond organ. A singular effort that made definitely history. Fully licensed. Gatefold; edition of 500.
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LP
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BONF 013LP
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Reissue, originally released in 1979. "This is an album that takes you on a supernatural journey to the discovery of ancient sounds that move our souls in the deepest of manners." Veronique Chalot was born in Normandy in the north of France, but it was in Paris that she first became interested in traditional French folk music. In 1974 she landed in Rome where she soon earned a small, but dedicated following. In 1979 she recorded her first studio effort, J'ai Vu Le Loup, for the Italian Materiali Sonori label. Over the past 30+ years she has given hundreds of concerts, presenting her repertoire of traditional French/Italian folk songs and building awareness of that fascinating patrimony of antique melodies and dance rhythms. She passed away unfortunately on the 3rd of July 2021. Fully licensed. LP includes inlay card featuring an exclusive essay by Emma Tricca; 180 gram vinyl; edition of 500.
"First glance into Veronique's voice and you're under a spell she's unaware of casting. Like hearing the magical sound of Ulysses' sirens, you want to throw yourself into the deep blue waters of this record, its saucerful of secrets. Like finding the hidden doors into an ancient world of court jesters, magic flutes, troubadours, and love potions, her delivery, both on the instrument and the singing, is of a beauty impossible to comprehend. Pointless for me to dissect every song or try to draw the history of each and every poem or musical piece. This is an album that takes you on a supernatural journey to the discovery of ancient sounds that move our souls in the deepest of manners. All of this and more was how I felt back in the mid-90s, as a kid, when I first saw Veronique playing in a small club in Rome called Folkstudio. This record captures all the wondrous sensations I had seeing her perform; a life-changing experience. Bon voyage; she'll take you places." --Emma Tricca
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LP
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BONF 015LP
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Reissue, originally released in 1970. 1970, the year prog rock broke! A Time Before This was the sole album of British cultish band Julian's Treatment. Fronted by sci-fi author/keyboards player Julian Jay Savarin the band became an extra-cult because of their lyrics and arrangements extravaganza. Savarin -- who later embraced a solo career -- was born in Dominica and moved to Britain in the early sixties. He started rehearsing with John Dover (bass), Del Watkins (guitar), Jack Drummond (drums), and Australian born Cathy Pruden (vocals). In June '70, the label Youngblood released their first album A Time Before This. Based after a survivalist concept the album still stands as an original artefact of the time, still maintaining a sort of baroque feel. Leader Savarin keyboards maybe all over the place (with that sort of proto-hard church organ feel), but a virtuoso rhythm section and the vocal performance of Cathy Pruden (imagine a crossing line between Julie Driscoll and Grace Slick) makes the record feel embraceable overall. Fully licensed. 180 gram vinyl; edition of 500.
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BONF 014LP
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Reissue, originally released in 1973. Another unsung hero of the long-lost British prog history, Julian Jay Savarin is a keyboard player and composer, poet, and science fiction author, hence the association with the most epic and romantic tendencies of the genre. He was born in Dominica (an island between Martinique and Guadeloupe in the Caribbean) and moved to the UK in 1962. He debuted in 1970 with Julian's Treatment, a short-lived progressive rock band which his sole album -- A Time Before This -- soon became a sought0after collector's item. Julian went solo in 1973, before leaving the musical scene all of a sudden. Waiters on the Dance was definitely his own creation, a narrative masterwork with sumptuous arrangements. Produced by Miki Dallon (founder of independent label Young Blood) and brought to life with members of Julian's Treatment and singer Lady JoMeek, the album is a mysterious and transcendental opera. Waiters on the Dance sounds like a science fiction concept album of sort. Some of the songs rely on long form suite (the two-part "Child of the Night" and "Dance of the Golden Flamingoes" both lasting nearly nine minutes), suggesting an ideal trance state. Relying on heavy Hammond organ and hard-blues reminiscence, the album stands on his own offering occasional parallelism with Brian Auger & The Trinity and the more eclectic folk-revival. A true rare gem. Fully licensed. 180 gram vinyl; edition of 500.
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LP
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BONF 010LP
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Reissue, originally released in 1967. 1967, just like it was yesterday, pre-Vietnam War scenario, high hopes, and a new bright horizon, soon to be fall. Meanwhile, the music and -- in this case -- the celestial vocal harmonies of the East Coast unit formally known as Free Design. Their 1967 debut Kites Are Fun is still a case in point and a major influence on today's alternative pop. Often referred as the East Coast answer to Mamas & the Papas, the band had a more ethereal and eclectic approach. From the gentle orchestral accompaniment of "Make the Madness Stop" to the folkish bossa of "When Love Was Young" through the sensational arrangements of "Proper Ornaments" -- a number eventually championed by Madlib in the stunning tribute The Now Sound Redesigned (2005) -- you'll find more than a singular approach. Produced by none other than Enoch Light, the album is still an astonishing piece of heavenly art-pop with such a lysergic counterpoint. 180 gram vinyl; edition of 500.
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LP
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BONF 011LP
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Bonfire Records present a reissue of Salamandar's The Ten Commandments, originally released in 1971. The biblical ten commandments are surely the main inspiration behind this concept album originally released on British independent label Young Blood in 1971. The one and only release by Salamander, a short-lived UK four-piece, the album is a quintessential prog opera with a heavy effort on Hammond organ and lush orchestral arrangements. Comprised of Alister Benson (organ, vocals), Dave Chriss (bass), John Cook (drums), and Dave Titley (lead vocals, guitar) the band was often compared to The Moody Blues and Deep Purple Mark I. Even if the ten tracks are inspired by the holy script, the band was not proven to be Christian rock itself. The album is a sublime pompous pop affair, with a good dose of fuzz guitars and brass section. Fully licensed. 180 gram vinyl; edition of 500.
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BONF 008LP
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Bonfire Records present a reissue of Miller Anderson's Bright City, originally released in 1971. Miller Anderson is a guitarist and vocalist, born on April 12, 1945, in Houston, Renfrewshire, Scotland. Since cutting his musical teeth in bands with Ian Hunter (pre-Mott the Hoople) and Bill Bruford (pre-King Crimson and Yes), Anderson has been a member of such bands as the Keef Hartley Band, Savoy Brown, T. Rex, Mountain, the Spencer Davis Group, and in groups led by Deep Purple's Jon Lord and folk-rock balladeer Donovan. His 1971 debut Bright City was released on the legendary Deram, sub-label of Decca that released new records from 1966 onwards for the likes of Moody Blues, Caravan, Camel, and several British jazz-rock legends. The album is a brilliant example of modern folk with lush strings arrangements thanks to guitarist and producer William "Junior" Campbell, leader of the Scottish pop-rock group The Marmalade. A brilliant songwriting alongside a pastoral feeling, gentle melodies and a solid background with several amazing players literally bridging the gap between contemporary pop and blues. Harold Beckett (John Surman, Graham Collier) on flugelhorn and Lyn Dobson (The Keef Hartley Band, The People Band, Third Ear Band) on flute were literally stalwarts of the British jazz-rock and experimental scene, their contributions is behind greatness. Same with keyboard player Mick Weaver, another Keef Hartley alumni. The album -- faithfully remastered -- offers a vision of urban Scotland with a bluesy feel and it has to be ranked alongside the work of such luminaries as Donovan or Nick Drake. Fully licensed. 180 gram vinyl; edition of 500.
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LP
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BONF 012LP
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Bonfire Records present a reissue of Chris Harwood's Nice To Meet Miss Christine, originally released in in 1973. Such an elusive British artist, Christine Harwood was sailing the sea of lone folk singers with a sole album of rare beauty. Released in 1970 on small British label Birth, Nice To Meet Miss Christine is still an exercise in pure beauty, a dramatic/magic affair that materialized into thin air and suddenly was gone. Featuring a who's who of the British prog and psych-folk scene -- the late King Crimson alumni Ian McDonald on sax and flute, drummer extraordinaire Pete York, Nucleus and Jody Grind bass player Roger Sutton, Strawbs guitar player Dave Lambert -- the album is more than a miraculous rendition of the (acid) folk revival venturing on more audacious territories, as shown in the rare groove of standout track "Wooden Ships". Blue eyed soul and yacht rock fanatics take note. Fully licensed. 180 gram vinyl; edition of 500.
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BONF 006LP
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Exclusive liner notes by Dr. John. Published in 1970 on the small imprint Tiffany Records, the self-titled debut album by Brethren still deliver the goods half a century upon its original release. Way long before the genre Americana was certified, even before the "blue eyed soul mania" arose, this talented combo pave the way for an intense songwriting. Girl group The Blossoms was on board for several tracks on backing vocals, while the almighty Dr. John played keyboards as a guest and wrote some intense liner notes. Folk rock mixed with some country and a dash of gospel, that was the original essence of the album, a serious runner up in the Little Feat/Allman Bros category. But if you look further this band could have been easily described as the US answer to Steve Winwood's Traffic. "Midnight Train" has a southern rock feel while the vocals and composition on "Don't Talk Now" could pass as a tune from The Band. "I've Been Provided For" would fit in at a church revival while bluesy numbers such as "Outside Love" and "Success Brand Oil" have an uncanny jazz rocking instrumental feel. Fully remastered and licensed. 180 gram vinyl; edition of 500.
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LP
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BONF 002LP
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Bonfire Records present a reissue of Siren's self-titled album, originally released on John Peel's Dandelion label in 1969. Siren was the debut album by Kevin Coyne with Siren, the band he founded with former Bonzo Dog Band bassist Dave Clague and pianist/guitarist Nick Cudworth. An artist who would later inspire John Lydon, Sting, Ben Watt, and Will Oldham and would collaborate with Robert Wyatt, Andy Summers, Dagmar Krause, Brendan Croker, Gary Lucas, and The Mekons' Jon Langford, Kevin Coyne deserves a royal place between the likes of Syd Barrett, Peter Hammill, and Daevid Allen. Standing on the verge of British blues, folk and rawk n' roll, Siren could have been easily labeled as the British answer to Canned Heat, but there's even more. "And I Wonder" is clearly an anticipation of what would happen next, with the solo career of Coyne, more focused on acid folk songwriting. Licensed by Cherry Red. 180 gram vinyl. "Most of the album is good time rock-on-out-music a la the Flamin' Groovies... one of those (albums) you keep coming back to when the night gets cold and the wine is almost out. I play it a lot, and that's the nicest thing I can say about an album." --Ed Ward, Rolling Stone. "Siren just came as a breath of fresh air really, in the same way that like a generation later The Ramones did. When you just thought 'Thank God for that!' You hadn't realized how bored you'd become..." --John Peel.
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LP
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BONF 001LP
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Bonfire Records present a reissue of The Free Design's Heaven/Earth, originally released in 1969. A vocal band that made it through, the Free Design have been more than an exception in the glittering world of the psychedelic circus. That was the Age of Aquarius in the end, but in the long run the four-piece had an enormous impact on the younger generation. Released in 1969 Heaven/Earth is a cornerstone on its own and 30 years later the band had a sort of epiphany, thanks to the spanning interest of artists such as Cornelius, Beck, Stereolab, and crate digger master Madlib. By now the Free Design are considered in the same league of The Beach Boys and The Carpenters. Under the influence of the Hi-Lo's and Peter, Paul and Mary, the Free Design rose through the folk scene of the Greenwich Village coffee houses, achieving national prominence with the enchanting "Kites Are Fun". They would prove to be at least the artistic equals of such popular contemporaries as The Association, The Mamas and the Papas, The Fifth Dimension, and Harper's Bizarre, but without quite matching their commercial success. Rather than be dictated to and diluted by the majors, they chose to commit to the artistic freedom and potential to develop offered them by the producer Enoch Light through his independent set up Project 3 Total Sound. Licensed by Cherry Red. 180 gram vinyl.
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LP
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BONF 005LP
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Bonfire Records present a reissue of Extradition's Hush, originally released in 1971. Little is known about this long-lost gem coming from the outskirts of the Commonwealth. But beauty lies inside. That is the case of the sole album of mysterious Australian band Extradition. Released in a small run on local independent label Sweet Peach in 1971, the album stands as one of the most accurate acid folk renditions outside the UK realm. Formerly a three-piece, Extradition struggle on their personal behavior forging a rural set up that pursue the "think green" revolution. It could be the English folk revival or the West Coast flower power, but the album introduces a different state of mind, far away from the chaotic suburbs of the counter culture. Lost on the isle, the acoustic set up of the band brings joy and happiness, a new age that reflects the multiple essence of the four elements. While the opener "A Water Song" brings to mind the course of a small river, "A Love Song" sets the mood for a long lost medieval folk tale. Acoustic guitar, small percussion, natural found sound and the celestial voice of Shayna Carlin (also member of cult band Tully, a weirdo surf-psychedelic affair) all of the elements above literally conjure for an ambient album before the definition was fully embraced by a massive audience. Licensed by Good Time Inc./Sweet Peach.
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LP
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BONF 004LP
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Bonfire Records present a reissue of Quatrain's self-titled album, originally released in 1969. Sardonic psych-folk from this late sixties US band. Their self-titled album was released on the small imprint Tetragrammaton Records a subsidiary of The Campbell Silver Cosby Corporation founded in 1967 by comedian Bill Cosby. The four piece was based in Los Angeles and their sole album has been produced by David Briggs, long-time associate of Canadian star Neil Young. Electro-acoustic souvenirs, ghostly apparition on the sunset strip, the LSD culture was here to stay and the four piece never let you down with a bunch of dark ballads and rough mid-tempo that sounds like an off-kilter version of The Doors. Bad trip on a lost island, depicted by the freshness of the sixties beat, the pure essence of the early garage sound and a more poetic and affordable songwriting: almost a ten-year fast-forward into the psychedelic culture. Licensed by Good Time Inc./Sweet Peach.
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2LP
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BONF 003LP
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Long before there was a "Highway To Hell" late AC/DC singer Bon Scott was the front-man of Australian own Fraternity, a Sydney rock band formed in 1970. For the first time on this gatefold double LP, you'll find the complete recordings of this unbelievable act. Formerly four members of the Levi Smith's Clefs, John Bisset on keyboards, Tony Buettel on drums, Bruce Howe on bass guitar and vocals, and Mick Jurd on lead guitar. Due to conflict at the time with their singer, Barry McAskill, the group abandoned him and relocated to Adelaide in 1971 to restart their career as Fraternity on the Sweet Peach label. Fraternity's debut release was a cover of The Moody Blues track "Question" backed with an Ashdown/Stewart song "Why Did It Have To Be Me?". While the band had competent recording vocals, they were lacking a definitive front-man. Bon Scott at the time was performing with a group called The Valentines. The band liked his raw energy and felt that he would be a good addition to the band. After some persuasion, Bon agreed to relocate and joined them as lead singer. The band's biggest local hit was a cover of Blackfeather's "Seasons of Change" which peaked at No.1 in Adelaide. In 1971, Fraternity went on to win the Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds. Bon Scott's previous band, The Valentines, had been a finalist in this competition two years earlier. Fraternity were now being touted as "The Next Big Band" and the competition prize was a free trip to London. However, this trip would go on to be the end of Fraternity as we know it. Licensed by Good Time Inc./Sweet Peach. Gatefold; 180 gram vinyl.
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