Red Krayola, The Familiar Ugly

The first and finest album by The Red Crayola – the band feted in psychedelia circles for producing some of the weirdest and most inventive music ever – which sounded unlike anything else from the 60s.

At the cutting edge of psychedelic music, The Parable Of Arable Land defies boundaries and unleashes a free-form anti-rock noise on audiences. A precursor to avant-garde/noise & industrial rock, this recording is a continuous piece featuring seven improvisations dubbed ‘Free Form Freak-Out’ consisting of directionless jams with pounding drums, distorted guitars, and strange whistling sounds, played by a group of over 50 people known as “The Familiar Ugly”, with notable instrumental cameos by 13th Floor Elevators frontman Roky Erickson.

When the time comes for each ‘Free Form Freak-Out’ to end, they segue seamlessly into more structured tracks ingeniously made by original band members Mayo Thompson (guitar, vocals), Frederick Barthelme (drums) and Steve Cunningham (bass), making this album an enveloping and mind-expanding sonic journey. From the most experimental and visionary band of the 60s, The Parable of Arable Land is an essential audio adventure for its time and remains compelling listening nearly 60 years on.