Cromagnon-"Caledonia" (1969)

Austin Grasmere and the late Brian Elliot allegedly had written a string of bubble gum hits when they approached ESP to produce an LP that would present their original creative ideas, far removed from the formulas of the market place. They said that they had a Connecticut tribe with which they would bring to fruition the ideas that they needed to express... the ultimate theme being "all is one" ESP gave them engineer Otto Schontze and some studio time. For three days they labored to fulfill their musical dream...producing an album titled "Orgasm", which they credited to Cromagnon. It was released in 1969. There actually was a Connecticut tribe of sorts, a typical hippie commune of the day, with several children included. They can all be heard on the epic CALEDONIA.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Cromagnon
• Caledonia
• ESP disc
• Orgasm
• Connecticut tribe
• Grasmere
• Elliot
• psychedelia
• hippie
• 1969
• bagpipes

[panjawel2]

Industrial? 30 years ahead of it's time? Are you guys deaf or just stupid? This sounds nothing like industrial (unless you believe shit like NIN is industrial, lol), but it's very similar to Comus, who released their first album in 1971. So yeah, at best this is 2 years ahead of it's time, you can stop jerking off now.

Oh, I still think this is an awesome song, just not 30-years-ahead awesome.

[kingfeeb]

@panjawel2 I disagree that this is "very similar" to Comus. Other than the fact that Comus and Cromagnon both twisted folk idioms to their own purposes, and they both were somewhat shambolic, they don't have much in common. It may not be "30-years-ahead awesome", but it is around 15 years ahead, since the percussion and vocal approach, as well as the roaring background clatter, would later appear in such 70s-80s industrial music as Neubauten, SPK, Young Gods, Skinny Puppy and Throbbing Gristle.

[guiltyspark66]

This song played when I was defeated by the Final Boss Of The Internet.

[pingpongcultist]

I don't care if it's industrial before industrial or prog rock or what have you. I discovered this song through Cracked and it's strange and I like it! The bagpipes make it perfect.

[TheBlarggle]

@panjawel2 Damn. Dude. You got told. How does your smug sense of musical superiority feel now?

[cometothesabbat]

@panjawel2 This sounds WAY more industrial than Comus. What are you talking about?

[MotorheadDrew]

who ever thinks this sounds like Comus has never heard the rest of this album or Comus, the only connection is that there both ahead of there time

[DaBarrack0bama]

hippy black metal

[eddy67]

this song shits all over everything released in 1969

[eddy67]

this song is fuckin sick

[jasonthehumanist]

Whatever this is officially 'classed' as, no person can truly enjoy this unless they own a battle axe. I love it.

[gazmax]

I wouldn't be surprised if this band had an influence on people like Der Blutharsch...

[SatanFang]

@chrisM33 If you ask me it sounds like a bunch of people forcefully whispering. Black metal vocals are shrieks and screams.

[chrisM33]

@SatanFang Mate the vocals are bang on black metal, hell even the breathing part is bang on, yeah musically your right, but those vocals are way out of there time

[psychosurfer69]

1969? hell yeah

[Frankinmoo12]

ugh... 240??? REALLY?!? D:

[Paelolithic]

@SHELLHEAD1961 hate to destroy your illusions, but they have mullets and aviator specs.

[SHELLHEAD1961]

Does anyone know what the band members look like?....i bet they are all RED with POINTED TAILS and TONGUES And BIG ASS HORNS on their heads.....the most evil screaming shit i've ever heard with my mortal ears.

[SatanFang]

Hate me all you want but this is not even close to black metal, it's folk.

[cubby3o5]

@eyarbroughzone I actually came here from TV Tropes, who told me about the Cracked.com article.

[InfiniteCheese]

@kingfeeb I don't know about you two but this reminds me mainly of extreme metal I've heard. I mean the unusual percussion, folk instruments, high amounts of distortion, harsh vocals and epic atmosphere remind me eastern europes folk metal. I think these guys are ahead of their time but not 30. If I had to name a genre for them I'd say extreme heavy psychedelic.

[VictorUnderground]

HOLY FUCK.

[whitedemai]

I have the original lp! In my opinion, a real lightning bolt over the market!

[Wakkajakka]

Industrial music is such a broad spectrum that it's hard to get by any band from the 80's to today without having an industrial sound by it's standards. Basically all you need is distorted digital sounds, and provocative lyrics. Good luck finding a "metal, black metal, grunge, or punk" band without these parameters.

[mevalemadresnot]

@WrrnMyr Got their minds blown, questioned their existence and became hippies for years, heavily consumed drugs trying to understand such greatness and finally pulled their shit together and tried to forget they had been spectators of something too great for humanity to withstand. Then got a blue collar job and a lot of them became parents of some of the kids that comment here.

[hairymarx]

If you think this is weird, check out 'No Record' (1968) by the Nihilist Spasm Band. Cromagnon and Nihilist Spasm Band invented Noise/Industrial.

[PennyDreadful1]

I thought Bathory was early!...Geez!

[B360Lightning]

@panjawel2  Wrong, this has elements of both industrial and black metal, easily heard. This is the most frightening tune I've heard, made in the 1960s. Comus' first album sounds like a band of Witches that made a folk album, not like this at all.