So what's the story behind this rare epic three album set?

 

1966 found Charles Ewing and Ernest Fischbach grad students studying anthropology at The University of California, Long Beach State.  The two classmates discovered a mutual fondness for Indian music and began jamming together, eventually playing at friends homes, student gatherings; basically anyplace they could get folks to listen to them.  They also decided to drop out of their anthropology program and instead to focus on music by enrolling in Berkeley where they could study Indian music at the Ali Akbar Khan College of Music.  Fischbach invited his new wife Deborah Cleall to join the group.  She accepted taking up the tamboura.

 

In Berkeley the trio hooked up with Dustin Mark Miller. Miller was attending  the University of California at Berkeley, where he'd become involved in the school's free speech movement.  Miller had known Ewing since childhood. The two parties quickly discovered common musical ground and as the A Cid Symphony began experimenting with a unique blend of  Eastern and Western musical genres.  Their performances began to attract media attention and following a write-up in the Los Angeles Times, the four decided to head for San Francisco.  Once in San Francisco they met music columnist Ralph Gleason who introduced them to Fantasy Records executive Max Weiss.  Intrigued by their bizarre fusion of styles, Weiss gave the group access to Fantasy's studio, where they began recording their debut.

 

So here's the important part ... what's "A-Cid Symphony" sound like?  Well I'll be real clear and tell you it ain't rock and roll.  What you get are six sides of acoustic instrumentals that blend Eastern and Western instruments (dulcimer, guitar, sarod, sitar) and cultural genres (country, blues, flamenco, jazz, folk-psych and raga). There's nothing terribly wrong with the results, which have a certain quiet dignity and are occasionally quite impressive given they sound like improvisational pieces.  Anyone who enjoys material such as "Magic Carpet" or post-Mighty Baby "Habibiya" will almost certainly find this collection engaging.  That said, trying to sit through all three LPs in a single sitting can be a trying experience.  

 

"A Cid Symphony" track listing:

1.) Loudusphone Number 1 (instrumental)  (A Cid Symphony) - 1:17

2.) Loudusphone Number 2 (instrumental)  (A Cid Symphony) - 0:35

3.) Loudusphone Number 3 (instrumental)  (A Cid Symphony) - 14:01

4.) Pierced Hand Number 1 (instrumental)  (A Cid Symphony) - 6:30

5.) Pierced Hand Number 2 (instrumental)  (A Cid Symphony) - 4:11

6.) Pierced Hand Number 3 (instrumental)  (A Cid Symphony) - 8:50

7.) Golden Gate Number 1 (instrumental)  (A Cid Symphony) - 7:34

8.) Golden Gate Number 2 (instrumental)  (A Cid Symphony) - 3:21

9.) Golden Gate Number 3 (instrumental)  (A Cid Symphony) - 1:33

10.) Golden Gate Number 4 (instrumental)  (A Cid Symphony) - 3:57

11.) Burning Bush Number 1 (instrumental)  (A Cid Symphony) - 3:02

12.) Burning Bush Number 2 (instrumental)  (A Cid Symphony) - 2:56

13.) Burning Bush Number 3 (instrumental)  (A Cid Symphony) - 8:45

14.) Noisemakers Number 1 (instrumental)  (A Cid Symphony) - 0:35

15.) Noisemakers Number 2 (instrumental)  (A Cid Symphony) - 4:37

16.) Noisemakers Number 3 (instrumental)  (A Cid Symphony) - 5:46

17.) Noisemakers Number 4 (instrumental)  (A Cid Symphony) - 0:56

18.) Scrambled Psychadelic BS Number 1 (instrumental)  (A Cid Symphony) - 8:31

19.) Scrambled Psychadelic BS Number 2 (instrumental)  (A Cid Symphony) - 0:26

20.) Scrambled Psychadelic BS Number 3 (instrumental)  (A Cid Symphony) - 6:43

21.) Scrambled Psychadelic BS Number 4 (instrumental)  (A Cid Symphony) - 3:21

 

The original issue was limited to 1,000 copies and was pressed on colored vinyl; one record pressed in yellow, one in purple and one in green.  They were accompanied by separate printed inner sleeves featuring pictures of the band.  The packaged lacked a traditional outer sleeve, rather featured a pinkish cardboard front cover which was in turn packaged in an open-top polyethylene bag.   

 

The group played throughout California, including the Monterey Pop Festival (they played off stage on the festival grounds), and San Francisco's The Human Be In, but never recorded a follow-up.  The Fischbachs subsequently joined Bob Thomas' ethnic folk band The Golden Toad and have recorded with various outfits over the ensuing years.