Les Kippel went to his first Grateful Dead concert in 1971 and was hooked. He obsessed over a way to bring the music home with him, and The First Free Underground Grateful Dead Tape Exchange was born after he took a tape machine to his very next show. Relix Magazine evolved from an effort to unite tapers of Grateful Dead shows on a broader scale.
Toni Brown went to see the Grateful Dead in June, 1969. By 1980, she took on the task of editing Relix Magazine, Kippel’s publication that focused on the Dead Head scene and “intelligent music alternatives.” As owner, Publisher and Editorial Director, Brown effectively helped the improvisational jamband scene flourish. Phish, Blues Traveler, String Cheese Incident, moe., Widespread Panic, Dark Star Orchestra, Joan Osborne, and dozens of other successful artists were initially exposed to an international audience through Relix.
Relix Records was started by Kippel and Brown in 1980, at the urging of Grateful Dead lyricist, Robert Hunter. One of the earliest Independent labels, it was a natural offshoot of the magazine-a way to get non-commercial music to a wider listening audience. Relix Records became the home of such artists as Hot Tuna, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Flying Burrito Brothers, Robert Hunter, Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, Johnny Winter, Grateful Dead offshoot projects, Max Creek, Merl Saunders and many others.
Les Kippel in 1974
This rare sampler compilation album includes one Robert Hunter track, one Kingfish track and one track from Matt Helly’s Wing And A Prayer that features both Weir and Garcia and two Savoy Brown songs. Initially released as a limited edition of 5000 copies.
What should I say ? LISTEN !
Tracklist:
01. Matt Kelly: Dangerous Relations (Kelly/Cutler) 3.30
02. Flying Burrito Brothers: Wheels (Hillman/Parsons) 3.11
03. Savoy Brown: Train To Nowhere (*) (Youlden/Jones) 5.22
04. Kingfish: Mess Around (Ertegan) 2.57
05. Hot Tuna: Been So Long (Kaukonen) 4.13
06. Robert Hunter: Gypsy Parlor Light (Hunter) 7.42
07. Savoy Brown: Tell Mama (Simmonds/Raymond) 6.28
08. Jorma Kaukonen: Radical Sleep (Meje/Kaukonen) 4.04
09. Jorma Kaukonen & Robert Zantey: (Long) Walk In The Desert (*) (Zantey) 9.31
(*) previously unreleased
Toni Brown
ManyFantasticColors 