The Enlightening Beam of Axonda

My copy of Bobby Brown's 1972 outsider psych oddity The Enlightened Beam of Axonda [Akarma Records] arrived in the post.

Brown created his own instruments for the album and the result was a 311 string and percussion contraption which sounds quite remarkable and is as critical to the atmosphere of the album as, let's say, The Simeon was to the Silver Apples. At first listen Axonda comes across as a proto-New Age Eden Ahbez meets Donovan bit of exotica and to be perfectly honest, that feeling never goes away entirely. This is due in large part to the concept of the recording:

"The Story: an original contribution to the field of Religion & Science - based on physics - to my knowledge not yet discovered by other humanoids - more Evolutionary than Einstein's revelation of Newtonian physics - the application of this physics will perhaps (in fact) lead to the most significant change in the history of humanity (plus total religious unity)" - from the liner notes.

If one is going to make a concept album, go for a really BIG concept. Then again, such grand conceptions are an intrinsic trait of the true outsider and which provides recordings such as this their unique status. That is, if you can bend you ears and step outside.