Ladies and Gentlemen: They don’t make records like this anymore. And they probably never did. This first solo outing by a guy called Robert Birdeye from Oslo, Norway, comes as a big surprise and is really something special. According to the press release, Birdeye has been playing drums with many different bands since the late 70’s, but here he’s playing everything, mainly drums, bass, guitars, organ and assorted other instruments, as well as singing. This record is really a horn of plenty, almost brimming over with multicolored imagination, inventiveness and action. Since nobody seems to know what “psychedelic” means anymore, let’s just say that Robert Birdeye’s music will make you wake up to a reality that’s much more wonderful than you’d ever thought it could be. Every nuance of the best 60’s garage/psych and late 70’s neo-psych is encapsulated in these six bumpy golden cocooons, and on top of that, it’s catchy like hell! I can only cite from the press release: “It sounds like an octopus let loose in a goldfish bowl!” In a few years this EP will change hands for at least a month’s salary, so get it while it’s still available! It fits well next to Nick Nicely’s “Hilly Fields” in my collection.

-Tim Heyman

(From Groove Studies # 3, New Zealand, 1995)