Kaleidoscope - Blues from Bagdhad. The very best of Kaleidoscope (1993)

«Kaleidoscope were arguably the most eclectic band of the psychedelic era, weaving together folk, blues, Middle Eastern, and acid more often and seamlessly than any other musicians. The California group were formed under the nucleus of multi-instrumentalists David Lindley and Chris Darrow in the mid-'60s. Adding fiddle, banjo, and various exotic string instruments such as the oud and saz to the traditional rock lineup, Kaleidoscope complemented their experimental sounds with taut and witty (if lyrically eccentric) songwriting. Other important members were Solomon Feldthouse, who specialized in the Turkish-style instruments, and Chester Crill, who, to make documentation just that much more difficult, sometimes used odd pseudonyms like Fenrus Epp.

This is a combination of Edsel's two previous Kaleidoscope compilations, A Beacon From Mars and Rampe Rampe (minus one track, the lengthy instrumental "Taxim"). At 78-plus minutes, it's the best and most extensive survey of Kaleidoscope's diverse work, encompassing traditional folk songs, folk-rock, country, acid-folk, blues-rock, psychedelic rock of several flavors, and Cajun and Middle Eastern music. Incredibly, the band did all of these things well, applying virtuosity on not only traditional rock band instruments, but also violin, banjo, harp guitar, oud, and others. A fascinating collection by a band that suffered in obscurity, but deserved much better. This was world music before the genre had a name.» (AMG)

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