HELDON 'Electronique Guerilla' LP+7" (Spain, Wah Wah, Catalogue #WLPS068) Brand new/unplayed copy of superb Wah Wah label LP+7" edition (limited edition of 500 copies only) of 1974 debut album of progressive experimental psych rock from Richard Pinhas' legendary '70s band Heldon. Bonus 7" includes the amazing Hawkwind/Motorhead-on-cough-syrup bludgeoning riff rock supreme masterpiece 'Schizo (And The Little Girl)' by pre-Heldon genius unit SCHIZO!
(NOTE: LIMITED EDITION OF 500 COPIES ONLY!)
'After our string of releases centered around the diverse German '70s scene, we're happy to introduce the next installment in the Wah Wah LPS reissue series. This time we move over to France to re-discover the beginnings of one of the most adventurous, influential and innovative French bands of the seventies: Heldon. Centered around guitarist Richard Pinhas and featuring a floating cast of regular collaborators (Didier Batard, Francois Auger, Patrick Gauthier, Alain Renaud, Georges Grunblatt, Coco Roussel amongst others), Heldon will marry Pinhas' personal obsessions of modern philosophy (Deleuze, Guattari), science-fiction (Norman Spinard, Philip K. Dick), progressive rock (King Crimson, Fripp & Eno), American minimalisim (Terry Riley, Steve Reich) and electronic music into a diverse musical coctail that goes from the violent to the relaxed, but always retaining a dark and mysterious vibe. Often linked by critics and listeners to the experimental German band of the era (Tangerine Dream, Ash Ra Tempel..), Heldon will release six crucial albums before being closed down by Pinhas in the late '70s. Since then, Pinhas has developed a long solo career that lives up to this day, releasing several albums and collaborations (Pascal Comelade, John Livengood, Maurice Dantec), including with Japanese noise king Merzbow. Dedicated to Robert Wyatt, Heldon's debut contained a puzzling collection of tracks that serve as a perfect introduction ot Pinhas' universe: science-fiction, philosophy and musical experimentation collide in a harsh lo-fi tapestry of sounds dominated by Pinhas' 1954 Gibson Les Paul guitar and AKS synth. Not unlike some contemporary German bands, Heldon manages to take rock n' roll's language to a new experimental stage. Convulsive and evocative soundscapes recommended to all lovers of innovative and ground-breaking music. Strictly limited to 500 copies. High quality sleeves reproducing the original artwork from 1974's first press on Disjuncta. Includes insert with extra liner notes by Spanish journalist and long-time Heldon fan Paco Peiro. Bonus 7" EP with tracks taken from Heldon's predecessor band Schizo's two EPs.'
'In the late sixties, Richard Pinhas started his musical career in Blues Convention, who were formed by Klaus Blasquiz who would soon become Magma's renowned vocalist. Pinhas then formed a new group Schizo with Patrick Gauthier and Pierre and Coco Roussel. Two singles were recorded and released, the last one on Disjuncta, a small company established by Pinhas himself when his music failed to interest the larger record companies. In 1973, he saw the potential of making experimental music with a combination of synthesizers and electric guitar. This marked the birth of Heldon, the brainchild of Pinhas which was a group only in name. The Disjuncta period resulted in four albums reorded on a low budget, all born out of a prolonged admiration of the Fripp-Eno collaborations, with anguished guitar parts enveloped in ambient electronics. Electronique Guerilla (1974) was an innovative album, the opening track "Zind" sounding much like a missing link between High Tide and Chrome exhausted by some Ruhrgebiet pollution. The most significant tracks, "Back To Heldon" and "Circulus Vitiosus" were more mannered, with synthesizers and sequencers pulsing forward in a mechanical way.' - Scented Gardens Of The Mind
Tracks on this LP are as follows:
- Zind
- Back To Heldon
- Northernland Lady
- Ouais Marchais, Mieux Qu'en 68.
- Circulus Vitiosus
- Ballade Pour Puig Antich
Tracks on the bonus 7" (by pre-Heldon band Schizo) are as follows:
- Schizo (And The Little Girl)
- Paraphrenia Praecox
- Le Voyageur
- Torcol
Shipping in US is $4.00./CANADA (AIRMAIL) is $8.00./OVERSEAS AIRMAIL is $16.00. (Shipping totals will be consolidated for multiple winning bids.)
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