Mushroom - A Collector's Guide

by Dave Weller, last updated 18^th February 2008

A small record shop in Hastings, a seaside resort on England's south coast, is an unlikely a place as any to stumble across a numbered limited edition LP issued on an obscure US label. With psychedelic artwork by David Huckins stuck to a thick card sleeve, a photo of the band performing with Daevid Allen of Gong, and a sticker quoting Allen as saying "I like Mushroom because it is unpredictable, incurable, indefinable & out to luncheon", the record had to be worth the £12 price tag to hear what this band, Mushroom, sounded like.

The album, "The Leni Riefenstahl LP", captivated me, but trying to describe the Mushroom sound is a dangerous game. The most common approach is to define them in terms of their musical influences - Krautrock, "Bitches Brew"-era Mile Davies jazz, etc. Ironically though, the band had never really heard much Krautrock until they were told they had been influenced by it.

As a style, Mushroom is a kind of instrumental psychedelic space jazz rock. Their music varies greatly from album to album, from gig to gig, and song to song, reflecting the strongly improvisational approach to their playing, yet there are some common elements and themes. Strong rhythmic backdrops of bass and drums provide a repetitive, gradually changing almost dub-like frame within which an interplay of guitar, flute, and trumpet vie for the listener's attention. Analog keyboards and synths add a further dimension and the more recent releases have seen an increasing use of samples, electronic effects, and re-mixes.

The sonic qualities of Mushroom's music also helps define them - re-mixes notwithstanding, the recordings have a very direct and warm feeling, one that is ideally suited to vinyl, which maybe why there are so many Mushroom releases on this format. This is a consequence of their approach to recording, which is based on recording live jamming and improvisation in the studio, resulting in a large amount of material for subsequent editing but not endless over dubbing and studio trickery.

The music also mirrors the nature of the band. Drummer Patrick O'Hearn formed Mushroom in 1996 and continues to lead them today, bringing in an ever changing cast of San Francisco Bay Area musicians.

At the core of the Mushroom discography is a relatively small number of recording sessions. Different songs from these sessions have then been released on a series of small independent labels in roughly chronological order, often in limited editions, with variations in packaging and coloured vinyls, and with different mixes appearing on LP and CD. Today the main record labels are Clearspot in Europe and Innerspace in the US, but the relationship with these companies is such that Mushroom releases can still appear on other labels. For the collector the very first Mushroom LP, actually a 12" single released on Belmondo Discs, is perhaps the hardest item to find - especially the clear vinyl version which was limited to 125 copies. The "Hydrogen Jukebox" CDs are also hard to come by though the version with red and silver sleeve seems easier to find than the others.

In the following discography I have grouped the various releases by the sessions in which the songs were recorded. For each session I have then listed the musicians and, where appropriate, the tracks they performed on. This is followed by the recordings that have been released from the session in chronological order. For each recording I have provided details of the format, country where issued, date of issue, record label, and catalogue number. If there are any variations in packaging, limited editions, etc. these details are also noted. Finally, for each recording there is a track listing.

Discography

1. Reeperbahn Session - November 1996
		Recorded at Black Eyed Pig Studios, San Francisco. Recordings engineered by Rick Wilson, mixed by Patrick O'Hearn
		Lineup 1, tracks 1, 7, 9, and 11 : Erik Pearson - snake guitar Graham Connah - keyboard textures / piano / organ Patrick O'Hearn - drums / mixing / vari-speed violin tape loops Kirk Statham - bass Alex Candelaria - jazz guitar
		Lineup 2, all tracks except 1, 7, 9, and 11 : as above but Tim Plowman - lead guitar (replaces Alex Candelaria) Alec Palao - bass (replaces Kirk Statham)
	A. Reeperbahn LP
	12"		US			May 1997	Belmondo Discs		bel 004
		(i) 125 numbered copies on clear vinyl
		(ii) 850 copies on black vinyl
		Tracks: (Side 1) 1. The Reeperbahn (Side 2) 2. Martina - Queen Of Hamburg / 3. On The Corner (Part 2) / 4. Kyle Loves A Funny Bunny
	B. Alive and in Full Bloom
	CD		Holland			Jan 1998	Inbetween Records		IRCD 001
		Tracks: 2. Martina - Queen Of Hamburg / 3. On The Corner (Part 2) / 4. Kyle Loves A Funny Bunny / 5. (Dinger And Rother Visit) The Reeperbahn / 6. Playing In Traffic / 7. What's Up With Graham? / 8. Nightime in Utrecht
	C. Cream of Mushroom
	CD		Germany	May 1998			Normal Records		Normal 215 CD
		Tracks: 1. The Reeperbahn / 2. Martina - Queen Of Hamburg / 3. On The Corner (Part 2) / 4. Kyle Loves A Funny Bunny / 9. What Do You Say To A Man Who's Killed A Lion And Is Now Making Love To Your Wife? / 10. Klaus Dinger / 11. Saint John's Wort / 12. (The Continual Search For) Elaine Robinson
2. Hydrogen Jukebox Session - February 1998
		Recorded at Black Eyed Pig, San Francisco, engineered by Rick Wilson, mixed by Patrick O'Hearn. The Analog Hi-Fi Surprise CD & LP was recorded & mixed at the same time as was the song Leni Riefenstahl.
		Lineup: Erik Pearson - snake guitar / flute / saxophone Graham Connah - organ / keyboard textures / analog sounds Michael Holt - Rhodes electric piano / Mellotron sounds Patrick O'Hearn - Drums / bongos / percussives Alec Palao - 4 & 6 string bass Dan Olmstead - lead guitar
	A. Hydrogen Jukebox
	CD		US			Jan 1999	Timothy's Brain		# 107
		(i) 330 copies in red/silver custom envelope cover
		(ii) 330 copies in scarlet/copper custom envelope cover
		(iii) 330 copies in turquoise/gold custom envelope cover
		(iv) re-issue with red tri-fold custom cover - no title or catalogue number on spine of cover. There are only 100 copies of this re-issue
		Tracks: Elliott Smith / When The Shit Gets Tough To Face - The Tough Get Shit Faced / McDonald And Giles / That Was When I Started Liking It / Still Waiting / Persona Non Grata / Elliott Smith Reprise
	B. Analog Hi-Fi Surprise									Original CD (1999) Remastered CD (2002) Clearspot promo
	CD		Germany		Apr 1999			Clearspot	cs26 / EFA CD 05414-2
	CD		Germany		Apr 1999			Clearspot	EFA CD 05414 P (promo)
	CD		US		Aug 1999			InnerSPACE	7708
	2LP		Italy		Dec 1999			Fruit Tree	FT 806
	CD		US		Aug 2002			Weed Records	7910
		Tracks: (Side 1): The Magic Of Michael / Rackets / October 1970 / Theme From The Movie "Rock Bottom" ++ (Side 2): Our Buddy Miles / Abbie Hoffman (Side 3): A Song Of Remembrance For A Time When Wife Swapping Was Considered Politically Correct / The Evolution Of Smells In An Underground Parking Garage After An All Night Rave ## (Side 4): Elliott Smith ++ The order of the tracks is the same on both CD and LP, except "Abbie Hoffman" is the last track on the CD. Also, ++ indicates bonus tracks that do not appear on the CD version ## indicates bonus tracks that do not appear on the CD version The track "Elliott Smith" appears as a complete version in contrast to the edited version on "Hydrogen Jukebox". The 'edited' version is actually the same track just cut in half at the beginning and end of the CD There is a promo version of the Clearspot CD, issued in a generic card sleeve. The Weed Records version of the CD, released in August 2002, features new remastered sound and 4 bonus tracks recorded during the Analog Hi-Fi Sessions: 1) Theme Song From The Movie "Rock Bottom" (which only appeared on the vinyl version of Analog) 2) Jamming With Erik 3) Mothers, Birmingham 3:00 am 4) Women Want Many Different Things From One Man, Men Want Just One Thing From Many Different Women These 4 bonus tracks add nearly 25 minutes of new music to the previous CD. Also, the CD is now packaged in a deluxe 8 panel digi-pack with photos of the band, two sets of liner notes including details on the original recording session.
	C. Out Takes From Analog Hi-Fi Surprise
	CD-R		US			Nov 1999	n/a		n/a
		(i) Limited edition of 20 copies sold during the European tour in November 1999, with custom artwork
		Tracks: 1. Leni Riefenstahl / 2. Theme From The Movie "Rock Bottom" / 3. untitled / 4. Space Groove Jam #1 / 5. Three Flutes / 6. A Short Ride In Second Class / 7. silence / 8. silence / 9. untitled / 10. Funk Jam #1 / 11. Waiting Still / 12. Another Jam / 13. Herbie Hancock
	D. Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Aether
	CD		US				Aether Records		aecd-100
		(i) This Aether Records sampler contains one Mushroom song, "A Short Ride in 2nd Class", not available anywhere else. This song was recorded and mixed during the Analog Hi-Fi Surprise sessions.
3. Leni Riefenstahl Session - September 1998
		Lineup: Michale Holt - Mellotron / Rhodes piano / voice (track 1) Erik Pearson - flute / saxophone / violin (tracks 1, 2, 3) Patrick O'Hearn - drums / tape manipulation (tracks 1 - 4) Dan Olmstead - drone guitar / guitar (tracks 1, 2, 3) Alec Palao - bass (track 1) Graham Connah - analog keyboard sounds (track 1) Kurt Statham - bass / invisible bass (tracks 2, 3, 4) Alison Faith Levy - keyboards /overdriven keyboards (tracks 2, 3, 4)
	A. Leni Riefenstahl LP
	LP		US			Jan 2000	Aether Records		AE LLP-07
		(i) 450 numbered copies
		Tracks: (Side 1): 1. Leni Riefenstahl / 2. A Violin Bow In Curved Air (Side 2): 3. A Tribute To Eddie Harris a) Swiss Movement (The Ticking Of A Clock) b) Some Jive Ass Wasting My Time / 4. Dig My Mood The track “Some Jive Ass Wasting My Time” appears as an edited version on the compilation CD “Return To Sender 2001”. There is also a remixed version, the Consommé mix, on the compilation CD, “Don’t Rewind” by Dipstick and released by Weed Records.
	B. This Note's For You Too
	CD		Holland			? 1999	Inbetween Records		IRCD 004
		(i) This album, a tribute to Neil Young, features Mushroom covering, "The Emperor Of Wyoming", not available anywhere else. The Neil Young song was recorded at Black Eyed Pig Studio on September 20, 1998, engineered by Rick Wilson, mixed by Patrick O'Hearn. Also recorded that day were all the tracks on the Aether Records except the title track.
4. Foxy Music Sessions
		There was 2 seperate recording sessions for Foxy Music. The first one was in November 1998 at Komotion Studios in San Francisco. Jeff Mann was the engineer. The material was later mixed by Quintus Kannegeisser or Patrick O'Hearn. The band line up for November 1998 was: Jon Birdsong - cornet / tuba / effects ("Foxy Music" tracks 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16) Michael Holt - Rhodes piano / Oberheim (tracks 1 - 16) Erik Pearson - snake guitar / flute / sax / violin (tracks 1 - 16) Patrick O'Hearn - drums (tracks 1 - 16) Dave Mihaly - percussion (tracks 1 - 16) Kurt Statham - bass (tracks 1 - 15, except 6) Marc Capelle - trumpet (tracks 6, 14) Jay Radford - sitar / oud / saz (tracks 5 - 16) Allison Faith Levy - vocal (track 6) Michael Clare - bass (track 6) The next recording session for Foxy Music was in December 1999 at Black Eyed Pig Studios, engineered by Kyle Statham. Mixed by Quintus Kannegeisser. The band line up at these sessions was: Michael Holt - Rhodes piano Erik Pearson - snake guitar / flute / sax Patrick O'Hearn - drums Dave Mihaly - percussion Carroll Ashby - trombone (tracks 1, 2, 3 ,4 11) Josh Pollock - guitar (tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 11) Kurt Statham - bass Michael Bluestein - organ (tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 11)
	A. Compared To What									US CD version German CD version
	LP		US			Sep 2000	Weed Records		weed 7904
		(i) 250 copies on 180 gm red vinyl
		(ii) 1000 copies on 180 gm green vinyl
	CD		Germany			Feb 2001	Clearspot		CS 046 / EFA CD 05427
	CD		US			Apr 2001	InnerSPACE Records		7714
		Tracks (CD): Compared To What Erik's Birthday After Thai Dinner Mix by Qunitus Kannegiesser and O'Hearn / I Got Blisters On My Fingers Black Eyed Pig Rough Mix / For Men With Beards Brenda's Break Beat Edit / Foxy Music Mama Faust Remix by Hans Joachim Irmler / Let's Have Sex Spex Magazine Died For Somebody's Sins But Not Mine Remix by Quintus Kannegiesser / I Got Blisters On My Fingers Belgian White Chocolate Remix by Kyle Statham, Anne & Nathalie / Americans Own The Moon... 1968 Chicago Democratic Convention Remix by Bundy K. Brown / Jamming With Candy Tracks (LP): (Side 1): Compared To What Erik's Birthday After Thai Dinner Mix by Qunitus Kannegiesser and O'Hearn / For Men With Beards Brenda's Break Beat Edit / Foxy Music Mama Faust Remix by Hans Joachim Irmler (Side 2): Let's Have Sex Noise 'N' Guitars Remix by Quintus Kannegiesser / Americans Own The Moon... 1968 Chicago Democratic Convention Remix by Bundy K. Brown "Compared To What" is an album of re-mixes of "Foxy Music" but released before "Foxy Music". However, the song "Compared To What" was a new song recorded at Black Eyed Pig in May 1999 by Kyle Statham and mixed by Quintus Kannegiesser and Patrick O'Hearn. Also, "Lets Have Sex" was recorded during The Reeperbahn sessions in November 1996 and mixed by Quintus Kannegiesser in January 1997. The versions of "Lets Have Sex" are totally different on the US and German editions of the CD. The "Foxy Music" remix differs between the LP and CD "Americans Own The Moon..." was edited down by about 10 mins for the LP. The complete 20+ minute version is only on the CD. "Jamming With Candy" is a hidden track only on the German CD, and "Connecting The Molecules With The Light" is a hidden track on the US CD. Both were recorded live at the Tongue & Groove, San Francisco, on May 10th 2000. They feature Jon Birdsong (cornet), Josh Pollock (guitar), Jeff Palmer (bass), Quintus Kannegiesser (bongos, shakers), Dave Mihaly (percussion), Erik Pearson (snake guitar), Patrick O'Hearn (drums).
	B. Foxy Music
	CD		Germany			Jul 2001	Clearspot		CS 049 / EFA 05430-2
	CD		US			Oct 2001	InnerSPACE Records		CS 049 / EFA 05430-2
	2LP		US			Nov 2001	InnerSPACE Records		7716
		Tracks: (Side 1): 1. Grooving With Herbie ** / 2. The Greatest Pleasure In Life Is Doing What People Say You Cannot Do / 3. I Got Blisters On My Fingers ** / 4. The Flipper ++ (Side 2): 5. Joe Namath ** / 6. Foxy Music / 7. Van The Man ++ (Side 3): 8. Getting In Thun / 9. Americans Own The Moon, They Bought It from The Germans - Who Won It During A Poker Game in World War II ** / 10. I Had Some Dreams, They Were Clouds In My Coffee (Side 4): 11. Don't Blame Me, I Voted For McGovern / 12. Terry & Jerry / 13. Super Goody Bags / 14. For Men With Beards / 15. Birdsong (The Songbird) ++ The order of the tracks is almost the same on both CD and LP, except "I Had Some Dreams, ..." appears after "Foxy Music" on the CD. The digipak for the CDs is the same for both the German and US version. The discs were produced separately though and have different designs. The US version of the CD then had a paper sleeve ‘wraparound’ with some additional biographical information. The track, “Joe Namath” also appears on a promotional CD, “New Spirits In Jazz Part 5” ++ indicates bonus tracks that do not appear on the CD version, and ** indicates extended length songs, longer than CD version
	C. Fluorescent Tunnelvision
	2CD		US			? 2001	Submergence		SUB-0047
		(i) This compilation features one Mushroom song, "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore", not available anywhere else. This song was recorded during the November 1998 session and the line up is the one indicated for 'track 16'.
	D. Alison Faith Levy & Mushroom – gas, grass or ass – nobody rides for free
	CD Single		UK			Feb 2007	4 Zero Records		FZ 002
		(i) This single was recorded at the “Foxy Music” sessions, and was released to promote the album, “Yesterday, I Saw You Kissing Tiny Flowers”, and features two exclusive live tracks. Only 100 copies were made. Tracks: 1. gas, grass or ass – nobody rides for free / 2. Half A Mile From The Country Fair / 3. She’s So Phased Out The line up for the first track is the November session (Alison Faith Levy, Pat Thomas, Erik Pearson, Michael Holt, Michael Clare, Marc Capelle and Dave Mihaly) Track 2 was recorded at Peri’s, Fairfax on 22^nd June 2002 and features Alison Faith Levy: vocals, Pat Thomas: drums, emery Dora: keyboards, Ned Doherty: bass, Dave Mihaly: marimba, Tim Plowman: guitar. Track 3 was recorded at Blake’s, Berekely on 3^rd December 2004 and features Alison Faith Levy: vocals, Ned Doherty: bass, Matt Cuntiz: keyboards, Dan Olmsted: guitar, Tim Plowman: guitar, David Brandt: percussion/bongos
	E. Alison Faith Levy & Mushroom – Yesterday, I Saw You Kissing Tiny Flowers
	CD		UK			May 2007	4 Zero Records		FZ 003
		Limited edition of 1,000 copies Tracks: 1. Electric Muse / 2. Josh Pollock / 3. Clay Alison / 4. gas, grass or ass – nobody rides for free / 5. you laugh at me because I’m different, I laugh at you, because you’re all the same / 6. Kraut Mask Replica / 7. Ocean Beach / 8. the sun machine is coming down and we’re gonna have a party (6:53) The line up for the tracks 1, 4, 5 and 7 is the November session (Alison Faith Levy, Pat Thomas, Erik Pearson, Michael Holt, Michael Clare, Marc Capelle and Dave Mihaly) Tracks 2 and 6 were recorded at 12 Galaxies, San Francisco on 12^th February 2004 and feature Alison Faith levy: vocals, Josh Pollock: guitar/megaphone, Seth Augustus: igil, Daniel Schacht: bass, Tim Plowman: guitar, Ralph Carney: saxophone/clarinet/percussion, Emery Dora: organ/piano, Pat Thomas: drums, Dave Mihaly: percussion. Tracks 3 was recorded at Pete's 881 Club, San Rafael on 30^th November 2002 and features Alison Faith levy: vocals, Matt Cunitz: celeste, Ned Doherty: bass, Pat Thomas: bongos/maracas, Erik Pearson: flute, Tim Plowman: guitar. Track 8 was recorded at Hemlock Tavern, San Francisco on 21^st August 2005 and features Alison Faith Levy: vocals, Pat Thomas: drums, Josh Pollock: guitar/megaphone, Erik Pearson: guitar/vocals, Ned Doherty: bass, Matt Cunitz: moog, Seth Augustus: igil, Dave Mihaly: percussion.
5. Live...
	A. Oh, But They're Weird And They're Wonderful
	CD		Germany			Feb 2002	Return To Sender		RTS 35
		(i) Released in digipack, limited edition of 2,000</