up from the sewers

• First legitimate reissue of this anti-establishment private press gem
• Comes with an 16-page booklet gonzo memoir of their Hippie commune, w/ tons of photos

Quintessential underground anarcho-Hippie, anti-establishment private press blast by a band (and commune) from Chicago c. 1970, with poetic, sometimes vicious lyrics (Dylan-esque, or Arthur Lee and Love? you decide), and funky, hard-edged bones. Yama & the Karma Dusters, a.k.a. the Euphoria Blimpworks Band, were inter-racial, anti-war, Stop the Bomb, free love Hippies, the wildest of the wild kids. They really cook on the up-tempo tracks, sounding like a cross between The Blues Project and Dylan's early electric period band circa 1966, augmented by a violin player. On the hard rockers, founding member Howard Berkman, formerly of morose garage punksters the Knaves, spits out sharp-tongued protest without becoming precious, while the band simmers and sizzles in sympathy. There are melodic folky ballads too, culminating in the gorgeous ‘Hello Big City.’ The band's ability to mix these elements into a coherent statement — recorded in surprising fidelity — solidify this an overlooked gem of the period. An underground counterculture classic, if ever there was one.

Track Listing:

Side A
• Don’t Kill the Babies (2:09)
• I Want to Make it Back to Puerto Rico (3:32)
• Kathleen (3:33)
• Revolution (3:10)
(All the Way with the) C.T.A. (2:43)
• I Want to Talk to You (2:54)
Side B
• Reflections
• Snow Bitch (6:28)
• Wouldn’t it Be Funny (4:02)
• Evolution (2:38)
• Hello Big City (4:24)