Uploaded July 2020 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
THE SERPENT POWER - Forget
ALBUM The Serpent Power (1967)
The Serpent Power were an American psychedelic rock and folk rock group active in the 1960s.Ιn 1966, San Francisco-based poet David Meltzer and his wife Tina, who was a singer, recruited local musicians Clark Coolidge (drummer, also composer), Denny Ellis (lead guitarist), John Payne (keyboardist), Jean-Paul Pickens (banjo player) and David Stenson (bassist), and started playing gigs at clubs and events in the Bay area, such as the North Beach's Coffee Gallery, Gino & Carlo's, and others. Ellis and Stenson were already experienced musicians, having previously played on tracks of the Lovin' Spoonful. Ed Denton, the manager of Country Joe and the Fish, caught one of their shows and brought them to Joe's label, Vanguard Records, where they were signed as The Serpent Power, releasing their debut, eponymous album in 1967.
The LP was considered by Forced Exposure magazine to be a "true representation of the San Francisco area sound in the psychedelic era,"with "great male/female vocal harmonies, interesting but unusual lyrics and excellent guitar work." It was one of the first rock albums to introduce the influence of Middle-Eastern music, establishing the genre of raga-rock.
Rolling Stone magazine included The Serpent Power in its list of the 50 best albums of 1967.
THE SERPENT POWER - Forget
ALBUM The Serpent Power (1967)
The Serpent Power were an American psychedelic rock and folk rock group active in the 1960s.Ιn 1966, San Francisco-based poet David Meltzer and his wife Tina, who was a singer, recruited local musicians Clark Coolidge (drummer, also composer), Denny Ellis (lead guitarist), John Payne (keyboardist), Jean-Paul Pickens (banjo player) and David Stenson (bassist), and started playing gigs at clubs and events in the Bay area, such as the North Beach's Coffee Gallery, Gino & Carlo's, and others. Ellis and Stenson were already experienced musicians, having previously played on tracks of the Lovin' Spoonful. Ed Denton, the manager of Country Joe and the Fish, caught one of their shows and brought them to Joe's label, Vanguard Records, where they were signed as The Serpent Power, releasing their debut, eponymous album in 1967.
The LP was considered by Forced Exposure magazine to be a "true representation of the San Francisco area sound in the psychedelic era,"with "great male/female vocal harmonies, interesting but unusual lyrics and excellent guitar work." It was one of the first rock albums to introduce the influence of Middle-Eastern music, establishing the genre of raga-rock.
Rolling Stone magazine included The Serpent Power in its list of the 50 best albums of 1967.
