1. Motor-Cycle Michael 2. Gonna Fay's 3. A Lot Like Lucifer 4. The Space Queens 5. Who Are Your Friends 6. Get Together (With Yourself) 7. You Can Find Him
I’ve never heard anything like Lotti Golden's incredible "Motor-Cycle" LP (1969) on Atlantic records. Golden was ahead of her time, creating a work of genius that plays like a movie & soundtrack all at once. The plot unfolds in New York’s East Village. We are introduced to a wild cast of characters; Lotti rides on boyfriend Michael’s motorcycle and has multiple epiphanies, then Michael morphs into a sinister Lucifer, Silky’s baby is baptized in Central Park, the whole plot reads like Kerouac, and one big Andy Warhol Factory party that rocks us into 2011 and beyond. Golden jumps from rock to soul to funk and it all works in its satirical, burlesque way. The album has been a cult favorite since its release, and now has a sizeable online following. “Motor-Cycle” hasn’t yet been reissued on CD. Highly recommended.
If “Motor-Cycle,” (Atlantic) recorded by singer songwriter Lotti Golden had been properly promoted, I believe Golden would have been a huge international star. When Golden’s LP was released (1969) there was no Internet, and no way of self-promoting. Golden as well as other talented artists were at the mercy of their record company for tour support, advertising, etc. The fact that “Motor-Cycle” is an underground cult staple, and that it continues to gain popularity well into the digital age demonstrates the power of Golden's work. Blogger Delorean stated in 2008: ” I look forward to a time when labels will once again release hard-driving soul albums that play out like one long, campy musical. ... Lotti Golden leads us into the bizarre excursions of the late-’60s... ” This album is brilliant both lyrically and musically and is unique in rock. Golden is often compared to Laura Nyro, Janis Jopin...and somewhere I read her work can be compared to The Velvet Underground meets Motown. Amy Winehouse is the best I can do for a contemporary vocal comparison, but the vocals on Golden's LP are just one element of what makes it groove.
Lotti Golden's "Motor-Cycle" LP (Atlatnic) has been a cult item for years. It is now widely available on the Internet--but it's a double-edged sword. It popularizes Golden's masterful work, but artists do not receive royalties from (certain) downloads. Solution: The perfect time to reissue "Motor-Cycle" on CD. The album is unique in the rock pantheon.
I was recently introduced to Lotti Golden and her 1969 album, "Motor-Cycle." How this amazing LP has persisted since its release is a testament to its greatness. Stylistically, "Motor-Cycle" is a mix of tough street-wise NYC girl groups like the Shangri-Las, psychedelic blues a la Janis Joplin with soul echos of Aretha Franklin. Lyrically, Golden's imagery describes the story of her life set in New York's East Village,from the magical Summer of Love to Altamont, with the horror of Kent State foreshadowed. From gay life, to drugs, love, betrayal and resurrection, "Motor-Cycle" is a rite of passage music memoir you won't soon forget.
4 comments:
I’ve never heard anything like Lotti Golden's incredible "Motor-Cycle" LP (1969) on Atlantic records. Golden was ahead of her time, creating a work of genius that plays like a movie & soundtrack all at once. The plot unfolds in New York’s East Village. We are introduced to a wild cast of characters; Lotti rides on boyfriend Michael’s motorcycle and has multiple epiphanies, then Michael morphs into a sinister Lucifer, Silky’s baby is baptized in Central Park, the whole plot reads like Kerouac, and one big Andy Warhol Factory party that rocks us into 2011 and beyond. Golden jumps from rock to soul to funk and it all works in its satirical, burlesque way. The album has been a cult favorite since its release, and now has a sizeable online following. “Motor-Cycle” hasn’t yet been reissued on CD. Highly recommended.
If “Motor-Cycle,” (Atlantic) recorded by singer songwriter Lotti Golden had been properly promoted, I believe Golden would have been a huge international star. When Golden’s LP was released (1969) there was no Internet, and no way of self-promoting. Golden as well as other talented artists were at the mercy of their record company for tour support, advertising, etc. The fact that “Motor-Cycle” is an underground cult staple, and that it continues to gain popularity well into the digital age demonstrates the power of Golden's work. Blogger Delorean stated in 2008: ” I look forward to a time when labels will once again release hard-driving soul albums that play out like one long, campy musical. ... Lotti Golden leads us into the bizarre excursions of the late-’60s... ”
This album is brilliant both lyrically and musically and is unique in rock. Golden is often compared to Laura Nyro, Janis Jopin...and somewhere I read her work can be compared to The Velvet Underground meets Motown. Amy Winehouse is the best I can do for a contemporary vocal comparison, but the vocals on Golden's LP are just one element of what makes it groove.
Lotti Golden's "Motor-Cycle" LP (Atlatnic) has been a cult item for years. It is now widely available on the Internet--but it's a double-edged sword. It popularizes Golden's masterful work, but artists do not receive royalties from (certain) downloads. Solution: The perfect time to reissue "Motor-Cycle" on CD. The album is unique in the rock pantheon.
I was recently introduced to Lotti Golden and her 1969 album, "Motor-Cycle." How this amazing LP has persisted since its release is a testament to its greatness. Stylistically, "Motor-Cycle" is a mix of tough street-wise NYC girl groups like the Shangri-Las, psychedelic blues a la Janis Joplin with soul echos of Aretha Franklin. Lyrically, Golden's imagery describes the story of her life set in New York's East Village,from the magical Summer of Love to Altamont, with the horror of Kent State foreshadowed. From gay life, to drugs, love, betrayal and resurrection, "Motor-Cycle" is a rite of passage music memoir you won't soon forget.
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