Debbie Harry in Hippier Times (1968)

In 1968 Blondie's Debbie Harry was plying her trade with Psych Folk Band Wind in the Willows; the UK Pressing of this LP is incredibly hard to find today. Some of the rare single releases associated with this LP have also been added.

Side 1
1. Moments Spent
2. Uptown Girl
3. So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)
4. My Uncle Used To Love Me But She Died
5. There Is But One Truth, Daddy

Side 2
1. The Friendly Lion
2. Park Avenue Blues
3. Djini Judy
4. Little People
5. She's Fantastic And She's Yours
6. Wheel Of Changes

Wind in the Willows an American band which included Deborah Harry as a vocalist. The band took its name from British writer Kenneth Grahame's, The Wind in the Willows, a classic of children's literature. The band's only album, the self-titled The Wind in the Willows barely entered the US charts #195 let alone the UK charts. The band broke up shortly after failing to achieve commercial success. The following year Artie Kornfeld, the producer of the album, went on to be the music producer of the Woodstock festival in 1969. Debbie Harry went on to join The Stilettos in 1974 and other bands until subsequently achieving success in 1976 with Blondie.

Wind in the Willows recorded a second album which was never released. The whereabouts of the tapes are unknown. According to Cathay Che's biography on Harry, it has never surfaced.

Turns out Wind in the Willows were not he only 60's Psych-folk-rock outfit to reference Kenneth Grahame's book. Pink Floyd used the title of Chapter 7 for their album Piper At The Gates of Dawn. 

"The Mole was bewitched, entranced, fascinated. By the side of the river he trotted as one trots, when very small, by the side of a man who holds one spellbound by exciting stories; and when tired at last, he sat on the bank, while the river still chattered on to him, a babbling procession of the best stories in the world, sent from the heart of the earth to be told at last to the insatiable sea."

Kenneth Grahame

The Wind in the Willows

Kathy Smith 2 (1971)

It was a bit difficult to trace background information on Kathy Smith. She was part of the California folkie scene, playing at local venues and coffeehouses. A legendary venue but rather unknown was Paradox where people like Tim Buckley, Jackson Browne, Steve Noonan, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, John McEuen, and Penny Nichols used to play. Nobody found out about the place so it had to close down. The musicians found a new podium at the Troubadour. I am not sure around what time Kathy Smith started to share stages, and hang around with them, but especially with people like Penny Nichols, Pamela Polland and Jackson Browne (a close contact which explains how their songs ended up on her albums. Pamela Polland (also known from her album The Gentle Soul) was going to appear on her debut too). Penny Nichols, who first sang with a bluegrass band with John, Bill & Alice McEuen (until John took Jackson Browne's place in the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), then formed a duo with Kathy Smith called the Greasy Mountain Butterballs which toured Vietnam in the fall of 1966.

Kathy Smith ‎- Kathy Smith 2 [1971] (Full Album)

Tracklist:

A1 Lady Of Lavender (Written By Jimmie Spheeris) - 3:47
A2 It's Taking So Long (ritten By C. Jackson Brown) - 4:57
A3 Rock & Roll Star (Written By Pamela Polland) - 4:00
A4 Willie (Written By Jimmie Spheeris) - 3:55
A5 Fly Off With The Wind (Written By Kathy Smith) - 4:32
B1 Seven Virgins (Written By Jimmie Spheeris) - 3:49
B2 For Emile (Written By Kathy Smith) - 3:43
B3 Travel In A Circle (Written By Kathy Smith) - 5:57
B4 Blessed Be The People (Written By Kathy Smith) - 4:57

Credits

Bass: Gerry Germont, Tony levin
Congas [Conga]: Daniel Ben Zebulon
Drums, Percussion: Bill La Vorgna, Don Alias, Donald McDonald
Flute [Flutes]: Jeremy Steig
Guitar [& Soul]: Don Sarlin
Keyboards: Jan Hammer, Warren Bernhardt
Performer [Pa Pa Umau Maus & Insanity]: Jimmie Spheeris
Engineer [Director Of Eng.]: Val Valentin
Engineer [Eng.]: Al Manger, B. Fox, John Neal, John Norman
Remix: Dave, John Norman
Producer: Mark Roth
Art Direction: Norbert Jobst
Design [Cover Design], Photography By: Mark Roth
Recorded on 35 mm magnetic film at:
R.K.O. Studios, New York / Eng. Al Manger, B. Fox
Glen Glenn Sound, California / Eng. John Neal, John Norman
Remix at Glen Glenn: John Norman & Dave
Record Company: Stormy Forest Records
Distributed By: MGM Records

Recorded At: RKO Sound Studios
Remixed At: Glen Glenn Sound
Label: Stormy Forest ‎– SFS 6009
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1971

More research on Kathy Smith:

Kathy Smith was an American folk singer-songwriter who emerged during the late 1960s and early 1970s, a period rich with folk, rock, and psychedelic influences. Though not widely known compared to some of her contemporaries, she was part of the broader folk revival and singer-songwriter movement that included artists like Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, and Judy Collins.

Smith gained attention in the late 1960s as part of the Los Angeles folk scene. Her debut album, Some Songs I've Saved (1969), was released on the Tradition/Everest label. This record showcased her introspective songwriting and delicate vocal delivery, drawing from both traditional folk and contemporary influences.

Her most notable work came with Kathy Smith 2 (1971), released on Stormy Forest Records, a label founded by folk legend Richie Havens. This album had a more polished production, incorporating elements of folk-rock and psychedelic folk. Despite receiving positive reviews, it did not achieve major commercial success. However, the album remains a cult favourite among folk enthusiasts.

Following Kathy Smith 2, her presence in the music industry faded, and she did not achieve mainstream recognition. Unlike some of her peers who transitioned into pop or rock stardom, Smith remained a relatively obscure figure. Her music, however, has gained renewed appreciation among collectors of vintage folk and psychedelic records.

Her work is often compared to the softer, poetic side of the 1960s-70s folk movement, with heartfelt lyrics and haunting melodies that resonated with the era’s introspective songwriting trends.

SunRay Kelley, Artist

SunRay Kelley is a natural builder and artist in Washington state. Ray embraces nature and desires to contribute to the ecosystems as he builds.

More Spindilytic Psychogoggelia

Pawel Kuczynski

Kay Nielsen: East of the Sun and West of the Moon (1914)

"East of the Sun and West of the Moon" (Østenfor sol og vestenfor måne) is a Norwegian fairy tale, famously illustrated by Kay Nielsen in 1914.

"East of the Sun and West of the Moon" was collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe. It is Aarne–Thompson type 425A, the search for the lost husband; other tales of this type include "Black Bull of Norroway", "The King of Love", "The Brown Bear of Norway", "The Daughter of the Skies", "The Enchanted Pig", "The Tale of the Hoodie", "Master Semolina", "The Sprig of Rosemary", "The Enchanted Snake", and "White-Bear-King-Valemon". The Swedish version is called "Prince Hat under the Ground". It is related to both the tale of "Cupid and Psyche" in The Golden Ass and to "Beauty and the Beast". It was included by Andrew Lang in The Blue Fairy Book.

Spiders on LSD

In 1948 H.M. Peters, zoologist from the University of Tubingen, began filming the web-building techniques of the orb spider as part of a research project into web building methods. As orb spiders build their webs between 2am- 5am, Peters soon got bored and encouraged his colleague and pharmacologist (according to Rainer Foelix, in his book Biology of Spiders) Peter Witt to alter the diurnal habit of the spiders so he could film during the day. Witt recommended amphetamine, which had some starling effects. The spiders still made webs in the early hours, but to a different design, which prompted experiments with several other drugs. The results of these experiments are legendary. Probably the most interesting result is caffeine given its universality as a drug. I remember reading the NASA Tech Brief on this subject with some fascination as a student teacher. If more students were aware that science progresses through the laziness of zoologists, and curiosity of drug- crazed pharmacologists, there would be more interest in the subject.

Caravan: Winter Wine (1971)

Caravan are an English band from the Canterbury area, founded by former Wilde Flowers members David Sinclair, Richard Sinclair, Pye Hastings and Richard Coughlan in 1968. The band have not achieved much commercial success, but are considered a key part of the Canterbury scene, blending psychedelic rock, jazz and classical influences to create a distinctive progressive rock sound. The band reformed several times in the following decades, and Caravan still remain active as a live band in the 21st century, despite Coughlan's death in December 2013. Caravan are responsible for the definitive Canterbury Sound English prog- rock genre.

In the Land of Grey and Pink is Caravan's third album, released in April 1971 on Deram Records. Instrumentally, the music is dominated by David Sinclair's keyboard solos, and side two is taken up by a 22-minute suite of songs, "Nine Feet Underground". The cover features a Tolkien-influenced painting. The album was critically well received but was not a chart success, which led to frustration within the band and David Sinclair's departure. Nevertheless, it has remained in print and sold steadily, and been recommended by critics as a good introduction to the Canterbury Scene.

Caravan circa 1971: In The Land of Grey and Pink

Onibaba: Demon Hag (1964)

Onibaba (鬼婆, literally Demon Hag) is a 1964 Japanese historical drama horror film. It was written and directed by Kaneto Shindo. The film is set during a civil war in the fourteenth century. Nobuko Otowa and Jitsuko Yoshimura play two women who kill soldiers to steal their possessions.

A kijo (鬼女 lit. demon woman) is an oni woman from Japanese legends. They are normally considered to be women who have turned into oni as a result of karma and resentment, with the younger ones being called "kijo" while the ones that look like old ladies are called onibaba (鬼婆, "demon hag"). They often appear in Japanese legends, folktales, fairy tales, and performing arts, and famous among them are Momiji Densetsu (The Legend of Momiji) from Togakushi, Shinano Province (now the town of Kinasa, Nagano, Nagano Prefecture) and Suzuka Gozen from the Suzuka Mountains.

Shura: Demons, aka Pandemonium (1971)

Demons, aka Pandemonium (修羅 Shura) is a 1971 Japanese samurai jidaigeki / horror film directed by Toshio Matsumoto. Referring to asuras, the movie is based on Tsuruya Nanboku and Shuji Ishizawa's play Kamikakete Sango Taisetsu, and reflects the director's experimental filming background and theatrical influence. It was released on 13 February 1971 in Japan by the Art Theatre Guild and Matsumoto Productions Company, almost two years after the director's first feature-length attempt, Funeral Parade of Roses.
The film is a portrait of feudal Japan's society and culture. Related to older samurai genre films and the classic tale of the forty-seven ronin*, it begins with a colorful setting sun, but the rest of the film is shot in black and white.

* The revenge of the forty-seven rōnin (四十七士 Yon-jū-shichi-shi, forty-seven samurai), also known as the Akō incident (赤穂事件 Akō jiken) or Akō vendetta, is an 18th-century historical event in Japan in which a band of rōnin (leaderless samurai) avenged the death of their master. The incident has since become legendary.