Lothar & The Hand People ‘Presenting...’/Space Hymn’

From page 89 of Classic Rock Magazine Christmas 2003



Cover of Christmas 2003 issue.
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(Acadia) If Lothar & The Hand People aren’t the strangest band ever to make it on to vinyl in the hippy, dippy 60s then I’d be mighty scared to come face to face with the competition. The name for the band apparently came to John Emelin in a ‘weird dream’. The next time he nodded off, I can only presume he dreamed up their curiously brittle jug- band/good-time music, every track sliced right through with primitive sci-fi synth noises generated by ring modulator and a Theremin... by the name of Lothar.

Tracks on the debut ‘Presenting...’ album include one particularly disturbing two-minute chant featuring the sole lyrics ‘Sex And Violence’ and a cover of the Woody Woodpecker theme tune. On the fake yearbook cover, every single band member looks like potential Manson Family material.

Highlights of these complete Capitol recordings are the trippy voice-over classic ‘Space Hymn’ (mercifully they’d chilled out a bit by their ’69 follow-up) and a few formative 45 cuts where they weren’t so keen to go weirdo and simply let the sunshine in.

Psych fluff fans must hear ‘L.O.V.E.

(Ask For It By Name)’.

★★ ★★★ Derek Hammond

Nirvana
Magma






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