UK label Cherry Red releasing a 3 CD box set of Satanic and occult-themed Rock from the late 60’s/early 70’s. The posted description says:
• 3CD SET EXPLORING ROCK’S DARK UNDERBELLY AND EXPLORATIONS IN THE OCCULT, WITCHCRAFT, BAD MAJICK AND SATANISM FROM 1966 ONWARDS.
• FROM MONSTROUS HEAVYWEIGHTS GENESIS, JETHRO TULL, FREE, BLACK WIDOW, COZY POWELL AND VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR TO UNEXPECTED DABBLERS SUCH AS SANDIE SHAW, STRAWBS AND DAVE DEE AND CO.
• CURATED AND OVERSEEN BY MARTIN ‘CALLY’ CALLOMON OF ANTAR, BAM-CARUSO AND PENKILN BURN STOCK.
• HARD ROCK, FOLK DEVILS, EVIL JAZZ, BEELZEFUNK AND INCANTATIONS ABOUND!
As the Fab dream of the first half of the 1960s began to fade and the acid took its unpredictable hold, spirituality in its many forms provided some outlet for many of pop and rock’s weariest souls and most enthusiastic experimenters. As the rock became harder and more progressive, the drugs grew dirtier and peace and love began to falter, the individualistic indulgence promised by the occult and its many sisters drew its cloak around already established acts and birthed countless other bastard and hybrid offspring.
Divided into several offshoots and outlets – Buried Underground, Phantom Sabbaths, Popular Satanism, She Devils, Folk Devils, Evil Jazz, Beelzefunk and Incantation Chants – ‘The Devil Rides In’ captures a snapshot of that time and place, when rock, jazz, funk and folk took a step into the darkness, returning with tales of possession, witchcraft, covens, occult ceremonies, black masses, sabbats and encounters with He Who Walks Backwards himself. Enthusiastic and celebratory in places, damaged and cautionary in others, these artists offered a counter balance to the thread of Christian and Eastern spirituality also working its way into rock at that time. Sometimes overtly, sometimes veiled, but always with something to say.
Curated by the inimitable Cally, and accompanied by an insightful essay and accompanying imagery, this set promises release for freaks, hard rockers, greasers, dark folkies, avant jazzers and all in between.
TRACK LISTING
DISC ONE
1 ATOMIC ROOSTER Death Walks Behind You
2 FREE Seven Angels
3 ARGENT Dance In The Smoke
4 THE GUN Race With Devil
5 COMPLEX Witch’s Spell
6 LEVIATHAN Flames
7 WRITING ON THE WALL Lucifer Corpus
8 GENESIS One-Eyed Hound
9 HARSH REALITY Heaven And Hell
10 VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR The White Hammer
11 DR. Z Evil Woman’s Manly Child
12 ZIOR Entrance Of The Devil
13 SAM GOPAL The Dark Lord
14 THE OPEN MIND Magic Potion
15 ELIAS HULK Nightmare
17 WARHORSE Ritual
DISC TWO
1 THE FLYING MACHINE The Devil Has Possession Of Your Mind
2 THE CREATION Nightmares
3 THE EASYBEATS Heaven And Hell
4 ELMER GANTRY’S VELVET OPERA Talk Of The Devil
5 FANCY Between The Devil And Me
6 ICARUS The Devil Rides Out
7 THE IN-BE-TWEEN Girl Child, I Am An Evil Witchman 8 NIRVANA Christopher Lucifer
9 PAUL’S TROUBLES The Devil Jumps Up
10 TINTERN ABBEY Witchcraft
11 THE MOVE Night Of Fear
12 CURVED AIR Screw
13 JACULA Long Black Magic Night
14 JULIAN’S TREATMENT The Black Tower
15 MAN Erotica
16 SANDIE SHAW Sympathy For The Devil
17 COVEN Pact With Lucifer
18 JADE Bad Magic
19 JETHRO TULL The Witch’s Promise
20 STRAWBS Keep The Devil Outside
21 COMUS The Bite
DISC THREE
1 THIRD EAR BAND Devil Weed
2 FAMILY Anyway
3 MIGHTY BABY Devil’s Whisper
4 THE CRAZY WORLD OF ARTHUR BROWN Devil’s Grip
5 BLODWYN PIG The Modern Alchemist
6 MANFRED MANN CHAPTER III Devil Woman
7 CURTIS KNIGHT ZEUS The Devil Made Me Do It
8 ONYX Air
9 SHAPE OF THE RAIN Big Black Bird
10 JASON CREST Black Mass
11 THE ACCENT Red Sky At Night
12 DAVE DEE, DOZY, BEAKY, MICK AND TITCH The Sun Goes Down
13 THE LAURELS Devil’s Well
14 TEAR GAS Witches Come Today
15 BLACK WIDOW Come To The Sabbat
16 LUCIFER’S FRIEND Ride The Sky
17 COZY POWELL Dance With The Devil
18 TITANIC Heia Valenga