There are bands who never get discovered and there are artists who create their art only for themselves.
Gino Pertot belongs to that second group and so it should come with no surprise that his Austrian psych-folk album Jaw Nails have never hit the mainstream – that is until Golden Pavilion Records, which reissues rare and often overlooked late 60’s and 70’s psychedelic, progressive, acid-folk and art-rock music, came across this lost gem after more than 34 years.
The album was privately pressed (with only 200 copies) in 1976 and mostly given into the hands of friends with sporadic give always at concerts. The Golden Pavilion Records call the Jaw Nails one of the rarest Austrian LPs, and it’s music honest and spontaneous, crossing paths between fragile folk and psychedelic dark undertones with a touch of glam, expressive lyrics and fleeting guitar lines. And as a little tribute to the artist, Golden Pavilion has released a limited 600 copies of the album in black vinyl and an additional 100 copies in coloured golden brown vinyl. The digital version can be downloaded for free.
I gave the album couple of listens and still can’t decide if I love it or not. It sounds quite bizarre at times but after giving it a little bit more time you notice all the nicely done arrangements, with Spanish guitar contributions, electronic keyboard, acoustic sounds, nylon strings, piano, and some sax improvisations making splash somewhere on the background; all with its own personality and beautiful composition. Its lyrics are also worth an extra mention. From its more dark words of ‘what kind of human is the humankind’, ‘reeny oh reeny’, and ‘Lady Veronica’ to the more easy listening and upbeat sounds of Johnnie Preston and Beatle-like tunes of ‘Poem to Vienna’.
The released album included a printed dedication on the back where Pertot wrote a special thanks to a lot of people, including writers and singers, with a bizarre mention of their astrological signs. The dedication brought with it a lot of confusion but it all should be clear now – Gino Pertot is currently an astrology specialist and rumored to know the starlings of hundreds of people, musicians and international celebrities alike!!
Related Links:
Gino Pertot on Free Music Archive
Gino Pertot on The Golden Pavilion Records
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