Send "Kaleidoscope " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Popmatters |
 Swirling colours, splintering mosaics and, for the tuned-in and turned-on, a personal head-trip glimpsed through a cardboard tube ... it’s hardly surprising that three bands chose the name Kaleidoscope during the late ‘60s. This particular Kaleidoscope came from Latin America, with members hailing from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Mexico, and cut one rightly sought-after psychedelic album which, along with three bonus songs and an informative booklet, makes up this excellent Shadoks release. Drawing upon bands like the Zombies, Cream and the 13th Floor Elevators for inspiration, the quintet spun an adventurous moody, minor-key web of organ- and fuzz guitar-driven garage-psych. It’s a wickedly good weave sung entirely in English where a line such as “acid colours burn my brain, I’m just insane” can be followed by an out-of-nowhere honking horn (“Colours”), an atomic explosion can bring closure to opener “Hang Out” and psych-funk number “I’m Crazy” can be interspersed with a drum-and-organ sand dance shuffle. And it’s this attitude of don’t-give-a-damn experimentation that places Kaleidoscope’s album head and shoulders above other “lost” ‘60s curios....full text |
| Blogcritics |
| All hail the mighty Farfisa! Kaleidoscope’s one and only album Kaleidoscope (1967) has been fully restored, with three bonus tracks added. It is deservedly legendary, and until now - impossibly rare. The five-piece band recorded the tracks in the Dominican Republic, and the record was issued by a tiny Mexican label called Orfeon. Only 200 copies were pressed, which for the past 41 years have constituted the sole legitimate release of the LP. Opening track “Hang Out,” is a garage-rock classic. Substitute guitar for lead organ and you have the very essence of punk. These guys know how to rock, and top off the tune with what sounds like an atomic-bomb blast. “P.S. Come Back” is next, and is sheer attitude. I always loved the way Frank Zappa parodied the song “Hey Joe” as “Flower Punk” on We’re Only In It For The Money. I may be wrong, but it sounds as if the precursor to “Hey Joe” was this little gem. One wonders if Jimmy Page ever got one of those original 200 copies. The eight-minute “Once Upon A Time There Was A World” sounds much more like the blueprint for Led Zeppelin than any of those late-period Yardbirds albums do. Likewise with Iggy Pop, in fact more so in the Ig’s case - his vocals sound exactly like those on the disc. Beyond that, if you substitute guitars for the Farfisa, you have a punk rock manifesto. The Kaleidoscope album has been bootlegged many times over the years, but the reissue label Shadoks did right by the band. Amazingly, they were able to track down all of the original members, plus the album cover artist - to get proper permission, and the true story of this wild set. There are two bonus studio tracks appended, plus a raunchy live version (from 1969) of Donovan‘s “Season Of The Witch.”...full text |
| Wikipedia |
| The Neptunes produced the entire album. Its smash hit lead single, "Caught out There," was a modest urban radio success and a MTV/BET video hit in the U.S. The album debuted at number 149 on the Billboard 200 and number 23 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, selling 12,423 copies in its opening week. The album sold just over 268,000 units in the US according to Nielsen SoundScan. Kaleidoscope fared better in Europe, where all three singles, "Caught out There," "Good Stuff," and "Get Along with You" were sizable hits. The British Phonographic Industry certified Kaleidoscope gold for sales of over 100,000 copies in the United Kingdom. Kelis' colorful style in both clothing and hair in the music videos with bright contrasting colors combining an urban style while maintaining Girl Power received considerable attention. "Caught out There" managed to provide Kelis with a number-52 chart entry on the UK Singles Chart on imports and it was therefore decided to release the single there, which peaked at number four. "Good Stuff" also proved a modest hit, securing a number-19 position on the UK chart. The third and final single from the album, "Get Along with You," was her first and only solo release to miss the top 40, reaching number 51....full text |
Kaleidoscope lyrics
|
| |||||||
