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Kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscope
Chris Darrow - mandolin, banjo, fiddle, autoharp, harmonica
Chester Crill (Fenrus Erp, Max Buda, Tempelton Parcely) - bass, organ, harmonica
John Vidican - drums and percussion
Solomon Feldthouse - bouzouki, dobro, vina, guitar, dulcimer
David Lindley - harp guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, guitar, vocals

Kaleidoscope, originally The Kaleidoscope, was formed in 1966 in Los Angeles and they released their first album, Side Trips, in 1967. Their brand of psychedelic folk rock is a combination of rock, blues, folk, jazz and middle-eastern styles. Chris Darrow left the group after the second album, A Beacon From Mars, and was replaced by bassist Stuart Brotman, previously a member of Canned Heat. Paul Lagos, who had done work with Ike and Tina Turner, Little Richard and Johnny Otis, replaced John Vidican. Their third album, Incredible, reached #139 on Billboard in 1969, the only Kaleidoscope album to chart. They also did soundtracks for films, and played at the Newport Folk Festival. That year also saw them supporting Cream on their American farewell tour. During the production of the fourth album, Bernice, Brothman was replaced by bassist Ron Johnston. Solomon Feldthouse quit the band and singer-guitarist Jeff Kaplan took his place. The band broke up after the Bernice album and most of the members became session musicians. In 1976 Brotman, Crill, Darrow, Feldthouse, Lagos and Lindley (under the pseudonym De Paris Letante) recorded the reunion album, When Scopes Collide, and it was released on Michael Nesmith's Pacific Arts label. In 1990 a second reunion album, Greetings from Kartoonistan (We Ain't Dead Yet), brought together the same lineup, without Lindley.
David Lindley started the band, El Rayo X, from 1981 to 1983 and produced three albums. He became a very successful session musician and has worked with Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon, Linda Ronstadt, Curtis Mayfield, James Taylor, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Dolly Parton, Bob Dylan, Rod Stewart and many others. Chris Darrow released three solo albums, Artist Proof, in 1972, Chris Darrow, in 1973 and, Under My Own Disguise, in 1974. He was in the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and started the country band, The Corvettes. Chester Crill never used his real name when he in Kaleidoscope. He wrote the first two issues of the underground comic book series, Mickey Rat and went on to design and sell, Mickey Rat t-shirts. Solomon Feldthouse, aka Sulyman, co-founded Sirocco a middle eastern group dedicated to playing live music for dancers. He also hand-crafts finger cymbals and jewelry. His daughter Fairuza Balk is an actress and played Dorothy in Return to OZ and she won the Best Actress Independent Spirit Award at age 18. She has also played in The Craft, The Island of Dr. Moreau and The Waterboy. Stuart Brotman is in the international band, Veretski Pass. Paul Lagos played in many bands through the years and died in 2009.

Side Trips

Kaleidoscope - Side Trips
1967
Released on CD in 1988, 1990 and 2016
A   B
Egyptian Gardens 3:05 Pulsating Dream 1:58
If The Night 1:45 Oh Death 3:25
Hesitation Blues 2:25 Come On In 2:07
Please 3:10 Why Try 4:43
Keep Your Mind Open 2:15 Minnie The Moocher 2:13

A Beacon From Mars

Kaleidoscope - A Beacon From Mars
1968
Released on CD in 1988 and 1997
A   B
I Found Out 2:15 Baldheaded End Of A Broom 3:12
Greenwood Side 4:12 Louisiana Man 2:42
Life Will Pass You By 3:17 You Don't Love Me 3:57
Taxim 11:20 Beacon From Mars 12:35

Incredible

Kaleidoscope - Incredible
1969
Released on CD in 1997
A   B
Lie To Me 2:54 Cuckoo 4:15
Let The Good Love Flow 2:10 Seven-Ate Sweet 11:37
Tempe Arizona 2:44  
Petit Fleur 3:29  
Banjo 3:37  

Bernice

Kaleidoscope - Bernice
1970
Released on CD in 1997
A   B
Chocolate Whale 2:27 Ballad Of Tommy Udo 2:48
Another Lover 2:45 Bernice 2:44
Sneakin' Thru The Ghetto 3:20 Soft And Easy 2:55
To Know Is Not To Be 2:15 New Blue Ooze 9:42
Lulu Arfin Nanny 3:12  
Lie And Hide 2:52  

When Scopes Collide

Kaleidoscope - When Scopes Collide
1976
Released on CD in 2003
A   B
Ghost Riders In The Sky 3:55 Hard On The Trail 2:41
Canun Tune 0:40 Stu's Balkan Blues 0:43
You Never Can Tell 2:15 Man Of Constant Sorrow 3:04
Little Egypt 3:29 It's Love You're After 8:56
My Love Comes Softly 2:21 So Long 2:47
Your Love 2:56  

Greetings from Kartoonistan, We Ain't Dead Yet

Kaleidoscope - Greetings from Kartoonistan, We Ain't Dead Yet
1990
Released on album and CD
A   B
Jungle Hop 1:39 Talk Talk 3:31
Layla, Layla 3:27 Wild Man 2:40
Martians at the Window 3:26 Down in Mexico 3:03
Gitano Fino 3:52 Klezmer Suite: Doina (Blue Doina)  
African Market Place 4:26 (Londra from Kartoonistan) 7:09
1. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/kaleidoscope-mn0000297849/biography
2. "Wikipedia", last modified in November 2013, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaleidoscope_(U.S._band)
3. Richie Unterberger, Urban Spacemen and Wayfaring Strangers: Overlooked Innovators and
Eccentric Visionaries of '60s Rock
, (San Francisco: Miller Freeman Books, 2000), 79-92

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KALEIDOSCOPE MUSIC