A Beacon from Mars (1968)

About this title: Kaleidoscope's second album is the best non-compilation showcase of their legendary eclecticism and versatility. It takes in a blues-rocking cover of Willie Cobbs' "You Don't Love Me"; Doug Kershaw's Cajun "Louisiana Man"; a scary old folk song ("Greenwood Sidee," about a woman who kills her two babies); a hilarious countryish indictment of marriage ("Baldheaded End of a Broom"); two good acid-folk originals ("Life Will Pass You By" and "I Found Out"); and two completely dissimilar 10-minute-plus originals: the Middle Eastern "Taxim" and the psychedelic workout "Beacon from Mars." Every one ... read more

Tracks:

1. I Found Out [Shackleford]
2. Greenwood Sidee [Traditional]
3. Life Will Pass You By [Darrow]
4. Taxim [Live] [Kaleidoscope [US]]
5. The Bald-Headed End of a Broom [Traditional]
6. Louisiana Man [Kershaw]
7. You Don't Love Me [Cobbs]
8. Beacon from Mars [Live] [Kaleidoscope [US]]

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.