THE NICE & EMERSON LAKE AND PALMER( Special Review)

The poisoned year of 1967 gave off psychedelia, mutations, bizarre augmentations and radical insurrections in rock. In 1967, from this whirlwind also emerged the phenomenal virtuoso, master keyboardist Keith Emerson and his avant-garde group, The Nice. At the beginning they were four young men with a sound that was extremely bold and experimental, which even today sounds advanced and cannot be fully absorbed without a prior musical initiation. To understand The Nice, it is necessary, first of all, to have musical knowledge in the areas of traditional and contemporary classical music, as well as jazz and blues. All of this was mixed with great drive, creativity and pomp, making The Nice a pioneering group. Deep Purple would start in the same way and at the same time, but The Nice was more radical and erudite. In fact, conductor Jon Lord was Keith Emerson’s harmony teacher. The Nice became famous for its power-trio lineup: keyboards, bass and drums. The first LP, released in 1967, featured guitarist David O’List, the superb and virtuosic drummer Brian Davison, and the phenomenal bassist and vocalist Lee Jackson. Alongside, of course, mentor Keith Emerson. This first work is excellent, with more acidic and progressive tendencies due to the presence of O’List’s guitar, which greatly changes the overall musical expression. With the departure of this excellent guitarist, the band established the trio format for posterity, creating four more crushing albums that would mark an entire chapter in rock history. The music of The Nice is eclectic. Their compositions are generally about 10 to 15 minutes long and are based on the Hammond organ, acoustic piano (unequalled to this day), drums and bass with precise jazz-like divisions and interventions and incredible arrangements. Very difficult music to compose, rehearse and perform, as it requires a vast musical background. Emerson plays J.S. Bach, Sibelius or Beethoven just as well as Scott Joplin, rags and blues. Moreover, for keyboard players he is a reference school, especially in relation to the sonic excesses he extracts from the Hammond B-3 organ. On the piano the man is precise, with a spotless technique that is jaw-dropping. The Nice would be a pioneer of an era that would give the world the future Emerson, Lake and Palmer. It would also initiate a series of other high-level imitators, that is, a new school within rock such as Vincent Crane (Atomic Rooster), Triumvirat, Tritonus, Epidaurus, U.K., etc. The Nice would inspire King Crimson, from which an entire school of musicians emerged to make an impact in the 1970s, including bassist Greg Lake, who provides vocals and strings on the group’s first album, In the Court of the Crimson King. Lake debuted with Emerson, Lake and Palmer at the Isle of Wight Festival in August 1970. I cite here, for purposes of essential research for those interested, the essential albums of The Nice group: The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack (1967), Ars Longa Vita Brevis (1968), The Nice (1969), Five Bridges Suite (1970), Elegy (1971). In reality, the work developed by The Nice would not even be matched by the later ELP itself, despite inevitable comparisons. ELP would be more bombastic, and Keith Emerson would make use of Moogs and more aggressive synthesizers, with fewer jazz insertions and more rock. The Nice is more purist, raw, and from a time when innovations were a major feat and risk for producers, so much so that in one of the group’s performances the indifference was so great that Emerson literally set off a bomb on stage so people would pay attention to the band’s sound. Therefore, it has always been difficult for great art to reach the masses, as the voice of the masses has never been the voice of God.

Emerson, Lake & Palmer, the epitome of the splendor of 1970s progressive rock, were one of the most successful groups of the genre, selling more than 40 million albums and filling large stadiums. They were also criticized for incorporating some of prog’s excesses. Although the trio produced several shorter, more melodic songs that received radio airplay at the time of their release, ELP’s true strength lay in epic classical rock pieces, which often occupied entire sides of albums and became the centerpiece of the trio’s increasingly grandiose live shows. As a supergroup whose members had already played in renowned English bands, ELP was seen as a success from the very beginning. The flamboyant keyboard virtuoso Keith Emerson, notable for his many synthesizers, had already achieved success in the UK with the band The Nice. Vocalist, bassist, and guitarist Greg Lake, whose unmistakable voice and catchy melodies were among ELP’s most accessible elements, had been an important member of the original lineup of King Crimson. Drummer Carl Palmer, known for augmenting his massive drum kit with gongs and other percussion instruments, had been a member of Atomic Rooster and the Crazy World of Arthur Brown. NOTE: Tarkus and Toccata are piano pieces from the pianist Alberto Ginastera(Argentine).

Pictures at an Exhibition was great LP !!The second Live Album inspired by Mussorgsky(URSS)age 19 piece.Of course full vocal arrangements by Lake its very beautiful too!!My predilect album of all.

Keith Emerson plays at first time live a Big Modular Moog Synthesizer.

ELP albums from the early 1970s, such as Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Tarkus, Trilogy, and Brain Salad Surgery, balanced longer tracks with more radio-friendly songs like “Lucky Man” and “From the Beginning,” while the fact that Pictures at an Exhibition was a classical suite spanning an entire album did not prevent it from becoming one of the top 10 best-selling albums in the United States.

The trio’s adventures reached their logical conclusion with Works, Volume I, from 1977, a double album that combined group collaborations with solo pieces, including an Emerson piano concerto that occupied an entire side of the record. That album and its sequel, Works, Volume 2, a single disc, were commercial failures, as was an enormous tour with a full orchestra, whose operating costs resulted in estimated losses of $3 million. The Works albums and tour proved to be ELP’s last major gasp. (**)Are great LPS...!!!Of course Fanfare for Common Man was a great music of the " Works Black  Double Album".Composed by Aaron Copland(  Like "Rodeo" from Trilogy great album) The "Works White Album" it's another great  music for fans,with high approach technique ,and Scot Joplin's inspirations on Ragtime.The change in public taste, including the rise of punk and new wave, made the group’s style seem outdated, and after the release of the bad Love Beach in 1978, ELP disbanded.

(*)E,L&P short review( I agree)  from Teachrock .

(**)My note

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Greenslade “A Musical Progressive Odyssey”

*)Greenslade “A Musical Progressive Odyssey”

Despite being little talked about or remembered among the giants of progressive rock—perhaps more due to a lack of awareness of the band’s full body of work than to the promotion of its albums—this is one of the bands that has produced some of the most complex and beautiful sounds in the entire history of prog. Formed primarily by the virtuoso keyboardist Dave Greenslade, the sonic structure is heavily built on a Bachian counterpoint over a foundation of jazz-like percussion. Incidentally, the drummer Andrew McCulloch (who also plays on King Crimson’s album *Lizard*, also from 1970) is an impressive percussive machine, which gives the group a distinctive sound, drawing attention through the intricate beauty of its music. What impresses me most when listening to their sound are the keyboard arrangements, which at the time had to be recorded on separate channels and then layered, something that today can be done all at once via MIDI or computer. The classical and baroque arrangements stand out to the ear at first, with a Fender piano base, then often layered with Hammond organ, enriched with harpsichord, ARP strings, Mellotron, and Moog. Greenslade’s precise technique places him above groups like Triumvirat and closer in stature to Trace than, for example, Keith Emerson. The precision and integration of the keyboards with the drummer is overwhelmingly enjoyable and impressive! The music as a whole does not use guitars, which appear only occasionally on some records. In fact, the basic format is a keyboard-oriented power trio.Sometimes, two keyboard-players.Simon Phillips debuts the first LP on drums!!Fantastic!!Art cover by Roger Dean. I must also mention the magnificent album covers, which are works of art in their own right, designed by major artists. I cite here Roger Dean (Yes), who created the logo for the first album, followed by Patrick Woodroffe (who made the wonderful 1979 album *Pentateuch of Cosmogony*). In fact, listening is mandatory for lovers of drums and keyboards, and also for admirers of classical music, especially from the Baroque period, on which the cited work is based, particularly J.S. Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi. I had to enshrine this article, as I still lacked the memory of having properly done so years ago, which would have been a great sin on my part and an injustice to progressive ears. Friends, dive headfirst into this wonderful group, which will grant you unforgettable moments! Recommended albums: Greenslade, *Time and Tide*, *Spyglass Guest*, *Cactus Choir*, *Besides Manners Are Extra*, *Pentateuch of Cosmogony* (1979 double album with 47 pages illustrated by Patrick Woodroffe).

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THE SYNTHESIZERS (Vintage Tests by Amyr Von Bathel Cantusio)

As a pianist and synth programmer for decades, here are some short DEMO TEST videos (Teasers) recorded with cell phones, etc... of synthesizers that are now rare, vintage, some complex and very expensive to acquire, at least in Brazil. I've seen prices on eBay and they really cost more than modern synths. In my opinion, some sound better than modern ones, but others are very heavy and outdated contraptions. It will depend on the musician, the type of sound and style for each one to choose what best suits their musical segment. The videos are available in large quantities on my YouTube channel (I have two) and in the playlists. You can search for Keyboards and Synthesizers, Symphonies, Solo Pianos, and the page with all the operas by Carlos Gomes, which I remastered and are rare worldwide (I will do a separate synopsis and review of this on another occasion).

 

 

 I am Brazilian and an Italian citizen, leader of the ALPHA III projects (various LPs and CDs including the Italian label Mellow Records), SPECTRO (70s) and ACRON (CD by Musea label Distributors). I have 12 published books and a vast body of musical work in the areas of avant-garde, classical music, classical & progressive rock, and electronic vintage music. Some Teasers have a lot of drums-samplers on back to improving the records!Live Studio Demos.

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ALPHA III- Illusions of Edgar Allan Poe

"When the wind came out of the cloud in the storm that night It froze and killed the one I knew how to love. I felt that neither the angels of heaven, nor the demons under the sea Could separate my soul from the one I always knew how to love." (Edgar Allan Poe) The musical work I have developed since SPECTRO (1974) in Brazil has always been based on philosophy, esotericism, and occultism. Books by authors such as Carlos Castaneda, Edgar Allan Poe, Jorge Luis Borges, H.P. Lovecraft, Dante Alighieri, John Milton, etc., have always been preferred sources of inspiration for composing. I have also developed some fractal videos, mixed with images to alter eye contact along with the music and lead the listener to an interactive audiovisual experience. In this case, I based this video on stories by Edgar Allan Poe. The music was composed for this purpose... a journey to the center of the hidden mysteries of each one.

SAN FRANCICO-Rock, Philosophy & Occultism (English Version Reviews)

In 1965, at the height of the Beatles’ fame, Master Swami Prabhupada arrived in San Francisco (U.S.A.). A few months later, Harrison discovered the Swami and began his interest in Eastern philosophy, India, and Egypt. He went to the Master’s feet, received initiation into Bhakti Yoga, and traveled to India with Lennon. There are many photos from this period, including Harrison covered with more than a thousand needles with a shaved head, or wearing the long monastic robes of India. With the colorful spirit of the time, long hair, rock beginning to flirt with the sitar and mantras, the whole scene began to pay even more attention to the Beatles. Harrison met Ravi Shankar and became his disciple in the art of Indian music. On the records Rubber Soul and Revolver, Harrison’s spiritual influence in the quartet’s music begins to emerge for the first time. But everything escalates quickly. In Los Angeles, California, things are heated. LSD, the new Indian philosophy, colors, and experimental flights give life to four major groups that would greatly change the rock scene: Grateful Dead, Grand Funk Railroad, Creedence, and Jefferson Airplane.

The Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane staged several shows where, astonishingly, drugs were forbidden, and in their place, Swami Prabhupada with his hand bells and disciples mixed their long mantras with the psychedelic rock of the bands, playing through the night without stopping. Lennon hosted the Swami at his farm, in a place called “The Temple,” where he had long conversations with the Master, together with Harrison & Yoko. In 1967, there was already the Monterey Festival project, one of the largest in the world. McCartney, until then distant from the developments of his two companions due to the band’s final dissolution, traveled in a private jet of Frank Sinatra and was received as a consultant for the great festival. Another grand event,

Woodstock, with 540,000 people and no record of violence, marked the greatest hippie festival in rock history, in the revolutionary counterculture of war without weapons. It is the Peace & Love of Gandhi, with his principle of Ahimsa (non-violence). Harrison led the counterculture by presenting Ravi Shankar for the first time to a large audience, with Hindu music and a resounding solo of sitars and tablas, which marked Woodstock as a great spiritual pacifist movement of rock. Meanwhile, Pink Floyd entered to record their first album. The Abbey Road studios were granted to them, under the supervision of Alan Parsons, Lennon, and McCartney. With everything effervescing, including the Vietnam War, Lennon met in 1969 with Prabhupada’s disciples and released the anthem Give Peace a Chance. Below is an excerpt from the lyrics: “John & Yoko, Timothy Leary, Rosemary, Tommy Smothers, Bob Dylan, Allen Ginsberg,

Norman Mailer, hare krsna. All we are saying is give peace a chance”. All based on Prabhupada’s book released in 1966 in pamphlet form, called “The Formula of Peace” (by the way, essential, very high level). The Hare Krishna mantra is then recorded by Harrison and begins to be performed with a choir in the musical Hair. Harrison also produces, in 1970, My Sweet Lord, which tops the charts worldwide. He also meets the Hindu masters Maharishi and Osho, who greatly contribute to later movements in rock philosophy and metaphysics throughout Europe (especially psychedelic, progressive, and German krautrock), bands such as Tangerine Dream, Yes, Pink Floyd, Popol Vuh, Guru Guru, Can, Amon Düül II, Ash Ra Tempel, Cornucópia, Embryo, Gong, Soft Machine, among others, already stand out with a new direction for music and rock in general. From the initial three chords, only memories remain now! Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs also reinforce the scene with the strong Beatnik movement, where Syd Barrett’s Pink Floyd is the central musical soul. Burroughs, watching a Led Zeppelin show,

coined the name “heavy metal,” which would become a common term for bands like Black Sabbath and Steppenwolf. The psychedelic Power Flower is definitively established in Europe and the USA. Experimental groups are already at the top, progressive and German krautrock as well, everything explodes in the greatest period in the recent history of 20th-century music, namely rock. With the Beatles gone, a long wait for their return passed through the 1970s, without it ever happening, unfortunately to the despair of thousands of rock fans around the planet. Harrison went on to a beautiful and prolific solo career, starting with two experimental albums (Wonderwall… entirely based on Hindu music) and Electronic Sounds (musique concrète). He also helped release Ravi Shankar’s wonderful album (Shankar and His Family Friends) with the beautiful track I Missing You, which became a hit at the time. Later he released the monumental triple album All Things Must Pass (with the participation of Phil Collins among other great rock names), the double Concert for Bangladesh, and founded the Dark Horse label with its Indian “logo” of Krishna’s horse. Lennon went into activism, joined the anarchism of the Mothers of Invention, and produced countless masterpieces for rock. At his farm, he created a space where he hosted Swami Prabhupada, called “The Temple,” where, with Yoko, he revered and studied with the old monk. McCartney founded Wings and produced an extensive solo career. Ringo, more discreet, released his albums and some very good hits, assisted by Harrison. From 1970 until Lennon’s death ten years later, rock would reach its peak, with unparalleled works in both quantity and quality. A mass of memories, symbols, and revolutions that would once and for all change the face of the entire planet.

ANTONIUS REX- The Italian Dark Rock ( English Version Special Review)

ANTONIUS REX (Italy) The Dark Zone Special

Although details in this article were provided by Antonius Rex himself to the press at the time, I, as a fan of dark-avantgarde music, can say that I own ALL of their albums and they are apotheotic, well-recorded, sinister, dense, and unlike anything I have ever heard. They surpass Daemonia, Goblin, and King Diamond when it comes to dark atmospheres. In Milan, in 1968, composer Antonio Bartoccetti founded the groups Jacula and Antonius Rex with the aim of transforming into music a series of theological-philosophical and esoteric observations resulting from a close relationship with the mystic Franz Parthenzy. In London, in 1969, Antonio Bartoccetti managed to record the first “embryonic” LP, entitled *In Cauda Semper Stat Venenum*. Realizing that this work would be difficult to market, designer and producer Travers released only a few hundred copies with a simple black-and-white cover, distributing them as a symbolic and magical gift to monasteries, without making any attempt to distribute the LP commercially. In 1972, the same musicians (Bartoccetti on vocals, guitar, and bass; Norton on vocals, piano, and synthesizer; and Tiring on church organ) recorded the second album under the name Jacula, entitled *Tardo Pede In Magiam Versus*. Although the album was qualitatively valid and extremely innovative, it ended up being a commercial failure: Jacula dissolved and was simultaneously reborn as Antonius Rex.

During his military service in 1973, Antonio Bartoccetti conceived a new group and a new album, much of whose material had already been composed by Doris Norton and himself in 1971. In 1974, the two musicians returned to London, where they met Albert Goodman, an aristocrat practicing occultism, a wealthy owner of rural estates with his own castle and independent record label, Darkness, as well as an amateur percussionist. After ten days of intense rehearsals, the three, together with engineer Coldweiss, entered the Mondial Sound studios in Milan, famous for their cutting-edge technology at the time, and recorded the third album (the first as Antonius Rex), entitled *Neque Semper Arcum Tendit Rex*. Produced by Albert Goodman, the six recorded tracks are typically dark-progressive and meticulous to the point of madness. Albert was delighted with the result and spared no expense in producing the album, which was recorded in only 38 days, plus another ten days for mixing by the excellent engineer Coldweiss. Albert Goodman returned to London with the master tape and released a demo LP with a rather peculiar black-and-white cover, including magical symbols on the front and a “diabolical” letter dated 1624. Albert Goodman was a friend of two directors at Vertigo Records. The label thought the album was excellent but was not convinced about the cover: that cover with those symbols and that letter was simply too much! They even suggested removing the song *Devil Letter*, but the group had no intention of doing so and certainly was not inclined to change anything. Antonio Bartoccetti and Doris Norton laughed heartily about the situation and accepted it as a sign of destiny. Indeed, Giulio Tasnad, the Romanian expert in esotericism, publicly declared in 1975 that anyone who listened to the song *Devil Letter*, read the letter backward on a Friday night, and placed eight of the LP cover symbols on a table would have an almost perfect encounter with the Prince of Darkness.

After this event, however, Antonius Rex lost momentum, record companies became less interested, and the desire to record new music faded away. *Anno Demoni*, which the group defined as a proper document of electronic dark music... the same happened with the album *Ralefun*, recorded in 1979 at Mr. Daniel’s request in Munich: good compositions, but recorded in great haste and without much care, with poor sound quality and mixing. Despite all this, the album *Ralefun* achieved a certain degree of success. The mixing was done without the group's knowledge. After breaking the contract with Emanuele Daniele, the group entered the Zanibelli Regson studios (Milan), equipped with 24 channels, in May 1980 and self-produced, completely independently and creatively, the album entitled *Praeternatural*. This album was a limited edition released by Musik Research, and the musicians sold autographed copies only to fans from all over the world who periodically visited them at their convent-castle. **Discography:** Jacula – *IN CAUDA SEMPER STAT VENENUM* (1969, Gnome, LP) Jacula – *TARDO PEDE IN MAGIAM VERSUS* (1972, The Rogers, LP) Antonius Rex – *NEQUE SEMPER ARCUM TENDIT REX* (1974, Darkness, LP) Antonius Rex – *ZORA* (1977, Tickle, LP) Antonius Rex – *ZORA (II series)* (1978, Tickle, LP) Antonius Rex – *ANNO DEMONI* (1979, MR, LP) Antonius Rex – *RALEFUN* (1979, RCA, LP) Antonius Rex – *PRAETERNATURAL* (1980, MR, LP) Antonius Rex – *MAGIC RITUAL* (2004, BWR, DVD-CD) Antonius Rex – *MAGIC RITUAL* (2005, BWR, LP) Antonius Rex – *SWITCH ON DARK* (2006, BWR – LP-CD-Digipack) Antonius Rex – *PER VIAM* (2009, BWR – LP-CD-CD-ROM Video) How did “CONSCIOUSNESS” arise? In a vast and dark Universe there was free nuclear matter... the possibility of a “catharsis” occurring between them, exploding and generating life, is great. Chaos Theory and Entropy are factors today. And where would Consciousness come from? From evolution through experience in intellectual matter until energy fields that we would call “etheric” were created, grouping this knowledge into monads and individually, just as we do on a computer hard drive. From there, genes and the DNA of each species would be created, forming from information contained in the primordial atomic nucleus. And beings may have advanced tremendously in this state, to the point of appearing as GODS to us and ultimately shaping us in their own image…!!

Rock, Philosophy & Occultism (English Version Review)

Despite the theme being occasionally debated and remaining a taboo in rock, it is truly admirable the number of artists who draw on the archives and annals of the occult, the supernatural, and philosophy in their works. Here I want to emphasize proposals from groups that do not make music only for art or politics, but who in a certain way want to draw people’s attention to the spiritual and mystical facts of existence, which often go unnoticed by most human beings!

I will not dwell on the periods in which works of these genres abound (that is, in classical music of all eras), but only on rock. Starting with the philosophical aspect, we see Lennon and Harrison going in search of answers to their empty existences in India in the mid-1960s. I could not ignore these facts, since they led to the works of the Beatles and of the entire rock generation of the 1970s, eventually spilling into countless other contemporary bands up to recent times. The search for the supernatural and for what we are doing here on this small and isolated planet has produced wonders in art. We cite Woodstock and Flower Power, with the inclusion on rock stages of Ravi Shankar (sitar, India), giving a strong spiritual push to the event. Harrison’s idea?? Yes!! But in 1971 we have the Concert for Bangladesh, which resulted in a phenomenal album featuring Eric Clapton, again Ravi Shankar, Bob Dylan, Harrison, Ringo Starr, Badfinger, Leon Russell, among other great musicians of the time. It was meant to draw attention at the same time to hunger and to Hindu spiritualism, which go hand in hand to this day. Led Zeppelin would come with the mysticism of the greatest magician of the 20th century, namely Aleister Crowley. The same applies to Black Sabbath. Surrealist, mystical, and anarchic lyrics, combined with visceral and deep music. Uriah Heep, Pink Floyd, Genesis, Van Der Graaf, King Crimson, and Yes would combine metaphysics, orientalism, and psychedelia all together, an ingredient that became the foundation of the progressive movement. In Europe, German Krautrock and electronic music began to ferment, led by the mystical Tangerine Dream, Can, Amon Düül, Grobschnitt, Guru Guru, Embryo, etc., who drew from the verses of William Blake, John Milton, and Dante Alighieri for their artistic conceptions. In France, England, and Italy, as well as in the Low Countries, a whole renaissance of rock was taking place, with bands delving deeply into Templar, medieval, folkloric, Arthurian, and mythical themes. Works appeared in great numbers, with groups even adopting the names of philosophers in their albums, such as Machiavelli, Novalis, etc. Works with Tibetan, Hindu, and shamanic influences abounded, inspired by texts such as those of Carlos Castaneda, the Tibetan and Egyptian Book of the Dead, the Rig Veda, the Zend Avesta, the Bible, Swedenborg, etc. And there were many of them; I believe most bands had at least one foot buried in occultism, without a shadow of a doubt.

Arthur Brown and Vincent Crane (Atomic Rooster) performed their macabre rituals in cemeteries. Who does not remember Alice Cooper and KISS bringing diabolical rock with fire blazing? All of this would later be reabsorbed by future Black Metal and by Heavy Metal itself in the 1980s, which would flourish with bands such as Iron Maiden, Triumph, King Diamond, Manowar, among others, who made heavy use of swords and archetypal symbols of Templars, dragons, and medieval crusades—on album covers, in concepts, and in lyrics. More recent bands such as Moonspell, Dimmu Borgir, Cradle of Filth, Tiamat, Therion, Samael, Nightwish, Epica, etc., continue to keep the fire of mystery alive in their works. I will cite here, to conclude and leave you a gap for reflection and research into the facts mentioned above, an album that greatly caught my attention due to the unusual research of its author in this area. This concerns Mr. King Diamond and his album *House of God* (2000), a beautiful and highly mystical work!

Here I summarize the story, a real one, which takes place at the chapel of Rennes-le-Château, in France, which was built by the Visigoths in the 6th century. This chapel is completely different from others. It contains right at the entrance, above the door, the figure of the demon Asmodeus and a phrase in Latin that says (Terribilis Est Locus Iste) – (“This place is terrible”). As in the Louvre, which also has the figure of the demon Pazuzu at the entrance, said to be a being that moves with the wind!!! Why? Well, the answer is up to each researcher, because I already have mine!

Note that all the roofs and upper terraces of cathedrals have demons and gargoyles in their sculpted decorations! Diamond does not specify the location for caution, but his music, in track 12 of the aforementioned CD, is called “This Place is Terrible!!!” His priest, Saunière, discovered mysterious manuscripts during the renovation of the chapel, inside the columns, perhaps the Templar Grail, which transformed him from a poor man into one of the richest and most powerful men of his time (19th century). In this chapel there are still inverted crosses, figures of Mary Magdalene (in unconventional positions for saints) to whom it is dedicated, Gothic gardens and towers, and a highly sinister atmosphere. Diamond truly researched and crafted the theme, and I encourage all those interested in occultism and the supernatural to study both this work and those of other musicians. In this way, they may better absorb what the composer intended to convey with his music, as is the case with librettos in operas! The objective of this book is to demonstrate the brain, intellect, philosophy, and metaphysics behind the greatest global phenomenon in the history of music, called rock. It is undeniable that especially from 1966 onward, starting practically with the Beatles, Hindu Eastern philosophy began to be inserted in large doses into the music of the quartet, and later influenced all psychedelia. The albums *Revolver* and *Rubber Soul* are already permeated with sitars and tablas through the hands of Harrison, with the support of Lennon, when they spent time in India. But the one who became deeply involved with Hindu music, culture, and philosophy was George Harrison, who met Swami Prabhupada (Bhakti Yoga) and learned the sitar with Ravi Shankar, becoming a devoted follower of these two gurus. This deeply entered the Beatles’ music and sealed all of rock, and even avant-garde classical music from 1968 onward, such as the minimalism of Philip Glass. From then on, a large faction of musicians began to explore the East as inspiration, including the Mahavishnu Orchestra (with its excellent guitarist John McLaughlin), guitarist Carlos Santana (who became Devadip Carlos Santana and made his ode to Buddha on the album *Oneness*), and leaders of serial and minimalist classical music, who adopted Zen Buddhist positions in their performances, such as Philip Glass, John Cage, and Stockhausen!! Later, friendship developed between Lennon and McCartney and members of Pink Floyd, where during sessions provided for Floyd jams at Abbey Road, they mutually exchanged ideas and sounds, and also, certainly, musical inspirations that influenced one another. Regarding the music produced after this remarkable encounter, it is notable the transformation that occurs in the Beatles’ music from *Sgt. Pepper’s*. This would generate and influence the entire psychedelic movement that followed, eventually leading to Woodstock and German Krautrock.