1965-1971

Previously unreleased DIY homemade psychedelia, teen beat, and fuzz-psych/prog by the amazing Swedish band Cymbeline, recorded from 1965-1971. Tracks like Third Image or Look At The Stars are an incredible find for anyone into US garage-psych (they wouldn't sound out of place on any Pebbles or Psychedelic Unknowns volume) and others like Flicka, Stolta Vingar, or Mittuppslag are top-notch, '70s fuzzed-out Scandinavian psych/prog. Formed in the industrial town of Norrkping in the mid '60s, Cymbeline (also known as Motala Strm and W&J) only released a 45 in 1971 before breaking up. But during their existence, the band recorded a lot of stuff, included here for the first time along with their rare 45. Cymbeline was basically two guys, Michael Journath and Anders Weyde, who met in 1965 while they both played in beat bands. They started recording songs at Anders's little home studio with help with some friends, and that's how songs like Imagination and Look At The Stars - amazing examples of homemade teen beat - were born. At the same time, Michael and Anders were feeling a bit tired of playing cover versions with their beat bands, so they decided to start recording more experimental stuff, using armchairs and furniture as percussion, sounds from seagulls and birds, an electric cocktail mixer, and improvising lyrics - these incredible experiments were recorded as Images, including the killer garage-psych sounding Third Image. As the years passed by, the home studio improved and new songs were recorded in a more psych-prog vein, some of them included here. They also played a few live gigs with some help from other local musicians. In 1970, Ulf Ryberg joined the group and soon after a 45 was released containing his song New York. The flip side was Sixth Image, originally one of the Images but rearranged and re-recorded (1971). In 1971, demos for an LP were recorded at Europafilm Studios in Stockholm. Two fantastic songs are included here and the sound is different from the earlier recordings - closer to the groups live performances. So, 40 years later, here is the LP that Cymbeline always dreamed of. Remastered sound; Insert with photos and liner notes by band member Michael Journath.