It's some great space rock not proto-anything really and if the band released a few more songs with that level of inspiration, they might have left a much better remembered legacy.

Maybe more Lovecraft inspired tunes Review by thellama73 Collaborator Eclectic Prog Team. The style of the band is basically psychedelic folk, but with a more complex instrumental palette than other similar groups. Rather than the standard folk dominated by acoustic guitars, H. Lovecraft employ many orchestral instruments as well as organ, piano and harpsichord.

The sound is, however, not nearly so dark as their name implies. In fact many of the songs are unfortunately rather standard interpretations of popular folk songs. I find these a bit tedious, and the insipid peace-and-love lyrics of these hippies drives me nuts, but that's not the whole story. Where the band really shine is on their original compositions, most notably the six and a half minute "The White Ship.

It's a really nice mood piece and the vocal harmonies are quite lovely. There's also an a capella rendition of the Gloria Patria prayer at the ned of the album which is pretty cool. Finally, the faux-twenties pastiche "Time Machine" is usually derided, but I find it quite fun, although strangely out of place on the record.

Thankfully, the second album shows the band in a more adventurous mood. After wading through a bit of folk nonsense at the beginning, we are treated to some real psychedelia. Folk is not a style of music that it is very easy for me to enjoy, and I find a lot of it dated and silly. Nevertheless, H. Lovecraft's expansion of the genre with inventive arrangements and progressive song structures is worth hearing, whether you are a fan of the genre or simply interested in the history of Psychedelia and Progressive rock.

I'm here to tell you it just ain't so, but H. Lovecraft's debut is still a stunning album. Most of this album is fantastically atmospheric psychedelic music with some folk roots. I suppose one could compare it with early Pink Floyd with a dash of The Pentangle thrown in , but it's got a much more consistent sound. Excellent production, great compositions punched up with some nice but not overstated arrangements, and some EXTREMELY tight playing by these talented musicians makes this a gem.

Lovecraft album review". Retrieved August 2, The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. Live May 11, CD booklet. Edsel Records. Tim Edmundson. That's the Bag I'm In.

Fred Neil. The White Ship. Country Boy and Bleeker Street. The Time Machine. Gloria Patria. Spin, Spin, Spin. Tuesday 7 April Wednesday 8 April Thursday 9 April Friday 10 April Saturday 11 April Sunday 12 April Monday 13 April Tuesday 14 April Wednesday 15 April Friday 17 April Saturday 18 April Sunday 19 April Monday 20 April Tuesday 21 April Wednesday 22 April Thursday 23 April Friday 24 April Saturday 25 April Sunday 26 April Monday 27 April Tuesday 28 April Wednesday 29 April Thursday 30 April Friday 1 May Saturday 2 May Sunday 3 May Monday 4 May Tuesday 5 May Wednesday 6 May Thursday 7 May Friday 8 May Saturday 9 May Sunday 10 May Monday 11 May Tuesday 12 May It's a tough pill to swallow.

On one hand, Lovecraft's importance to literature is unarguable. On the other, his bigoted views were so disturbing, even compared to his peers, that they can't be ignored.

As for the man himself, though? Put bluntly, Lovecraft seems to have been a fairly unpleasant, selfish, and bitter misanthrope, who often blamed others for his own character flaws. However, his life was also a long series of tragedies and hardships, many of which inspired his dark writings. As with so many creative individuals who lived tormented lives, the existence of the young Howard Phillips Lovecraft was jolted by tragedy from the very beginning, tragedy that, not surprisingly, reads like the prelude of a Lovecraft novella.

The problems, it seems, began with his traveling salesman father, Winfield Scott Lovecraft. When the younger Lovecraft was only 3-years-old, according to the H. Lovecraft Archive , Winfield experienced a nervous breakdown while on the road.

This episode caused the man to be committed to Butler Hospital, a mental institution, where he remained for the following five years before dying. By this point, as explained by the Smithsonian , Howard Lovecraft was 8-years-old, and had been informed for much of his childhood that his father's institutionalization was the result of working himself too hard, rendering the man paralyzed and unresponsive: in reality, Winfield had been diagnosed with "acute psychosis," and is now believed to have suffered from syphilis.

Nonetheless, as Lovecraft grew older, he stubbornly held fast to the "overwork" theory, perhaps preferring it to the sad truth. Lovecraft was, according to the H. Lovecraft Archive , a bright and intelligent kid with a passion for knowledge. Unfortunately, he was also frail, shy, and sickly, often taken out of school due to illnesses that were both physical and psychosomatic, often leaving him bedbound. With his father gone, the boy was mostly raised by his mother, his aunts, and his beloved grandfather, a wealthy industrialist named Whipple Van Buren Phillips, all of whom helped ease his general loneliness.

During the young Lovecraft's frequent illnesses, according to the Vintage News , he often spoke of horrifying dreams that would menace him in the night. Today's researchers have speculated that Lovecraft may have suffered from a condition called sleep paralysis, wherein his body would've been locked in place while these frightening visions occurred, perhaps explaining the feelings of helplessness he often experienced.

Lovecraft , the author AND the band too: they were one the best psych follk-rock of the s imho. Your email address will not be published. Uncategorized H. Lovecraft interview July 23, Lovecraft interview H. Lovecraft was an American psychedelic rock band, formed in Chicago, Illinois, in and named after the horror writer H. Interview with guitarist and songwriter of H. Lovecraft Where and when did you grow up?

Who were your major influences? Ethan Kenning In the mids you performed folk and blues music in clubs in Chicago, and were a session singer with Dunwich Records. Some of the early shows were in Chicago club called The Cellar. What can you tell me about the cover artwork? HP Lovecraft band H. You started to record your second album in I. Sound Studios in Los Angeles. Ethan Kenning After the original band broke up, I attempted to reform the group.