Spirogyra -

The Songbook

A classic 1970s UK folk band

Martin Cockerham – (Mahaaksha). Founder member of ‘Spirogyra’ – British late 60’s and early 70’s progressive psychedelic folk cult band.

For those who are unfamiliar with Spirogyra’s original albums please try these links:

http://catalog.songsearch.net/catalog/s/spirogyra.html

http://www.megatalogo.com/repertoire/rr4137.htm#Spirogyra%20Bell,%20Boots%20and%20Shamble

http://www.electronicsplaza101.com/electronics/shop35922/pdB000006UV6/Music/Imports/Folk/

http://www.electronicsplaza101.com/electronics/shop35922/pdB0000086KZ/Music/Imports/Folk/

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/external-search/103-5559071-3445439?tag=gomus-100235-20&keyword=spirogyra&mode=music

http://www.rockinworld.com/folk/s/2106.htm

Please note that I am now systematically making available my recordings over the years. Many of these are only demos but the songs and material is of the highest standard in the pursuit of musical and lyrical progression without consideration of commerciality. So far none of these albums have been sold or released by me. They could all do with being mastered professionally. In some cases, with money, the more recent work – recorded digitally - could be completed to a top standard by adding more vocals and other instruments. If any record company or web site wants to lease/buy the rights to any of these albums I will use the money to complete the chosen album to perfection. I have all the necessary ingredients to do the job. Only the money is missing to do it in a top studio with professional help. I was always hoping to do this and therefore did not release anything over the years. But now I’m thinking better to put it out as is - in case I leave the planet and the work is lost entirely. (By the way – Sorry but I can not send free samples out to record companies. )

For those of you who already know about this I am hereby including more complete details about each album. If you have interest (even if you have no money to buy them) please contact me anyway as we can "talk story".

I have sacrificed my self sufficient farm in Hawaii - with a garden of mangoes, avocados, bananas, jackfruit, breadfruit, oranges, lemons, cashewnuts, chicos, pineapples, guavas, coconuts, grapefruits, tangelos, mandarins, mountain apples, tangerines, oranges, mangosteins ........ need I continue!!!!!!!!! I sacrificed the whole thing to come back to hellish London to put out all my music over the years. I want to leave a little nest egg of music for the future.

Many thanks to those who have supported ‘Spirogyra’ and please look out for my new project involving the original ‘Spirogyra’ line up of myself and Mark Francis plus Neil Duckworth named:

For this band I am currently approaching record companies. If anyone can send testimonials about how much you enjoyed ‘Spirogyra’ recordings it can be included by me in my package that I’m sending to the record companies. If you feel like it - Please write something (it can really help!!) and send it to:

martyhari@yahoo.co.uk

So now on to the details about the new albums I am making available. Please note that this includes an album called: ‘Spirogyra Arkives’.

This is my collection of all the last remaining unreleased Spirogyra recordings. I was listening to it yesterday and I think it may be my favourite ‘Spirogyra’ album yet. It is very raw and unproduced. Yet it has that special homely ‘Spirogyra’ essence perhaps more than any other album. The sound quality is on the level of a Beatles bootleg from Camden Market. Some recordings are salvaged from old cassettes. But the songs and musicianship are not a let down.

It has 12 previously unreleased songs as well as alternative rawer recordings of 9 previously released songs. It’s a must for all ‘Spirogyra’ fans. Now on to the details. ‘Arkives’ details are number 19.

ALBUM DETAILS

The Furthest Point

Dangerous Dave

Parallel Lines

The Sergeant says

The Duke of Mary

Don’t Let it Get You

Here’s Today Crew

Love is a Funny Thing

The Western World

Consumption Song

Home in the World

Wings of Thunder

World’s Eyes

Van Allen’s Belt

These are all my favourite ‘Spirogyra’ recordings from the original 3 studio albums. The recordings are extensively edited by me and I’ve taken out parts that I was never happy with and kept only what I think are the essential best parts.  ‘The Duke of Mary’ is a composite of ‘Magical Mary’ and ‘The Duke of Beaufort’. ‘Here’s Today Crew’ is a composite of ‘Happy Crew’ and something else which I forgot. Don’t think these are artificial edits as these are how the songs actually started when I first wrote them. It was only later that they split into 2 songs respectively (as Spirogyra’s will........).  This cd is jammed packed to capacity with great ‘Spirogyra’ moments. All meat and no fat – or for a vegetarian like me – all tofu and no scuds er spuds!

Dangerous Dave

Love so easy

The Furthest Point

Parallel Lines

The Sargeant says

The Duke of Mary

Don’t Let it Get You

Here’s Today Crew

Love is a Funny Thing

The Western World

Consumption Song

Home in the World

Wings of Thunder

World’s Eyes

Van Allen’s Belt

A Canterbury Tale

Bring Me Back

Burn The Bridges

Counting The cars

Defender of the Faith

Joe Somewhere

Mackerels and Fishes

Razamattaz

She’s the One

Turn Again Lane

Where There’s a Will

This album includes all kinds of songs from different circumstances written and recorded between 1978-1984. The recordings are only demo standard sound quality - but there is a lot of work gone into the recordings and quite a few musicians involved.  It includes - Havi, Kripa Moya, Samba, Tridandi, Ananda Moya and even Rick Biddulph and Julian Cusack are on a song or two. Most of my spiritual friends think these are my best ever songs.   Paul McCartney and George Harrison both complimented me on the quality of these songs. Linda McCartney also heard some of this work and introduced me to Paul as a result. It was during this period that I first met Paul on a beautiful Sussex summer evening in England. We spent 2-3 hours chatting and after I left - Paul wrote his song ‘One of These Days’. He is quoted in The ‘London Evening Standard’ as saying that I inspired the song - and he wrote it immediately after our first meeting.

These are very fragile acoustic guitar songs. Very folky and written by me at the peak of my early Krishna time just after coming back from India. Where ‘The Ship’ album goes more into folkrock band type sounds - this one is more acoustic. The recording quality again is bootleg salvaged from cassettes and the like. The first few songs were written by me in West Cork – Eire in my Gypsey Horse and Cart days. Written in 78. The middle ones were recorded and written 80’s ish - and the last few only later - 86 - when I first arrived in the USA living in a Volkswagon van in Topanga Canyon California. Lots of this is very raw. Just me and an acoustic guitar.

This album takes a huge turn in another direction. At the end of 86 I got an injury that caused tendonitus in my left wrist. As a result I had to stop playing guitar for 11 years. (It was only in 99 that I slowly started playing guitar again). For the first 2 years I played nothing and lived in the jungle in Hawaii on only wild fruits with absolutely no money. But after 89 I got some land and a cabin of my own by selling paintings (sent to me by friends in Bali) and bought a synth and started writing songs on the keyboard. This album is the result. It was recorded on solar power in my cabin in Paradise park on the Big Island. I did everything myself on keyboards/sampler and drum machine. It was recorded on an 8 track Tascam cassette Portastudio in 92-93. It’s as psychedelic as I got so far by then. That cactus!!!

www.lostatlast.com