I wish I had gotten the chance to review this in the September issue of Music Street Journal since that’s spooky season. This three disc set includes some pretty intriguing music, focusing on various aspects of the occult. There are some pretty well known artists here along with lesser known ones. I like pretty much everything across the three CDs, although I prefer some over others. This is most often psychedelically based, but it gets proggy and sometimes harder rocking. There is a good range of sounds on the set, really. I should mention that I previously reviewed a few of these songs on other albums. For the sake of consistency I’ve used (sometimes verbatim, sometimes modified) those reviews here.

Beginning with piano that feels quite mysterious, appropriately this one begins to feel like the soundtrack to a slasher film. As the intro ends, a great hard rocking groove takes the cut, and it begins building in an awesome manner.

There is a dramatic and somewhat understated sound at the heart of this. I have to admit that I’m not the biggest fan of Paul Rodgers, but he does a great job on this song. This has plenty of trademark Free sounds, but it also has some mysterious psychedelic elements at play. This works through some evolution as it continues, getting pretty hard rocking before it’s over.

The killer psychedelia meets prog vibe on this track is so cool. I’m reminded a little of Donovan at times. I really love the proggy instrumental break where Rod Argent gets to really show off his keyboard skills. The tune really builds out to quite a powerful rocking number as it continues.

Judas Priest covered this song, and that was the first version I heard. This one has a great energized groove and some pretty crazed moments. The maniacal laughter really accentuates that aspect. The guitar riffing is great on this, as is the galloping rhythm behind it all. I am not sure if I prefer this original version or the mighty Priest’s interpretation of it.

There is some great fuzz-drenched guitar work on this. That is augmented by organ. The whole effect is very much in line with killer psychedelia. At times I’m reminded a little of Iron Butterfly. The vocals make it more closely aligned with other psychedelic rock, though.

While this is a pretty standard psychedelic rocker in terms of concepts, the delivery makes it work exceptionally well. It’s a killer rocker with some great variants and moods. There is some nearly metallic guitar work at points here.

Organ gets things underway here. Vocals come in over the top of that with some incidental percussion as punctuation. This is psychedelic, dark and moody. After the first vocal movement rocking guitar joins, and we’re in more typical psychedelic rock territory for the chorus. It drops back to the earlier modes for the next verse. The chorus again rocks out. They take us into a rocking instrumental section after that chorus, and we’re deposited back into the chorus again after that. The verse mode returns beyond that, but it seems just a little more intense when it does. It turns more rocking and really gets powered beyond that verse. There is some tasty guitar soloing built into that next section.

This psychedelic romp isn’t what one expects when they hear the name “Genesis.” That said, there are some parts, particularly on the chorus, that feel a little like the classic Genesis sound. This is rather lightweight, but it has its charms.

Bluesy psychedelic rock is on the menu here. The hooks on this are pretty accessible, and there are some great guitar fills. The instrumental section turns positively proggy. It also gets quite involved and powerful.

A keyboard arrangement serves as the backdrop for the first vocals here. This powers out after a time to more of a driving sound. The mix of dramatic psychedelia and progressive rock is pretty seamless. It drops back to the mellower arrangement at times. It gets really driving at other times. This is quite a dynamic and powerful piece of music. This turns super-heavy, crazed and jazzy later. It’s dark, freaky and so cool.

Driving, dark psychedelically inspired proto-prog is on the menu here. This is a little creepy and very cool. I really love some of the melodic sections on this a lot. The piano work is really a shining star on this thing. This includes a false-ending and a short instrumental reprise.

Freaky music and screaming gets things underway here. Fuzz-drenched guitar comes in from there. The vocals on this are muddy and echoey. They seem like an inspiration for black metal and perhaps punk rock, too. This has some great riffing and is an intriguing, if strange, romp.

The opening of this makes me think of Black Sabbath’s “Planet Caravan” just a little. The cut takes on more typical psychedelic rocking sounds from there. Still, there is a stoner rock angle to the track.

Now this drives in with an almost metal guitar sound. As it gets into the song proper, the soaring vocals and some of the other tones make it feel more like a psychedelic rocker. This is catchy and very cool.

Driving, hard rocking psychedelic jamming is on the menu here. This has a definite blues rock angle to it. It’s a screamer with a tasty rough-around-the-edges vibe.

Another classy hard rocking tune, this is quite tasty. It has plenty of proto-prog sound at play. I really love the soaring guitar moments, but the killer soloing beyond that point, with its almost proggy elements, is on fire, too.

The guitar sound at the start of this thing makes me think of something Crosby Stills and Nash might have done. The tune works into more of a folk rock meets psychedelic sound as it continues. I dig some of the instrumental work on this, and the vocal arrangement is generic, but effective.

The opening of this is mellower and artsy. It works out from there to something that reminds me a lot of the early Steve Howe band Tomorrow. This is somewhat generic, but very tasty, psychedelic rock.

There are Beatles-like moments here, but there is also plenty of more generic psychedelia here. Tomorrow is again a valid reference point on this track. The vocal arrangement has some creatively weird moments. The whole song is often unpredictable. It’s also a lot of fun, though. There are some proggy moments later, as well.

Coming in dramatic, a little mysterious and pretty trippy. It drops back down to some tasty psychedelic rock from there. This combines psychedelic and garage rock into a classy sound.

This reminds me of “Willie and the Hand Jive.” It’s a bouncy rocker that’s a lot of fun. The horns are a nice touch.

Packed full of psychedelic rock and more, this is a killer rocker. It has some tasty flute work and a lot of style.

More of a straight-ahead blues rocking tune, this isn’t anything Earth-shattering, but it’s fun stuff. The bass dominated section is a nice touch.

The psychedelia-meets-folk-rock sound at the heart of this is classy. I can hear hints of some of the more psychedelic end of The Rolling Stones’ work along with some Beatles. Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd is a worthwhile name-check here, too. This is a playful and entertaining piece.

This is more of a basic rock and roller. It has a lot of 1950s sound including some doo wop styled backing vocals. I’m not overly sold on this track, but it has its charms.

We’re back into more standard psychedelic rock territory on this. The sound quality isn’t the greatest on the set. Still, it’s not that bad. It’s just a little muddy. This gets a little theatric at times.

This was originally released as a single. It's part psychedelia and part Beatles. Yet, the strings that show up at points here call to mind the kind of thing that the Move would later do as ELO. This is rather dated, but it's also very cool.

Folk prog and symphonic elements unite at the start of this. As it moves into the song proper it becomes a very psychedelic styled piece. When it grows outward from there it takes on more proto-prog tendencies. It grows into some powerful progressive rock after a time, taking on symphonic leanings as it does so.

Mellow acoustic guitar music with flute over the top is on display here. As female spoken vocals come over the top the track begins to resemble “Born to Touch Your Feelings” by Scorpions to me. This is echoey, trippy, artsy and quite pretty. Violin brings something special to the table, and some other trippy things emerge as it continues. This seems to go on a little long, but the freaky, psychedelic section at the end is a great way to close it out.

Piano starts this track. Other keyboards join as it continues. The female vocals that come over the top bring a bit of a punky angle to this. The track turns more toward pure proto-prog with psychedelic elements as it continues. This is such a cool track that’s packed full of twists and turns. This definitely turns harder rocking later. Flute over the top is a cool touch further down the road.

With the sound of a woman seeming to be having some sensual pleasure, this features driving, rocking music that is decidedly prog rock based. I wonder what Meg Ryan was doing when this track was recorded. The music gets really crazed and driving. It builds to a powerful climax (in more ways than one), but fades out as it is still reaching.

Yes, this is a cover of the Rolling Stones song. It comes in one piano and builds out gradually. I like Shaw’s vocals here. I think she delivers an interesting twist while still respecting the original. There is a section later that features vocals over nothing but drums. It fires back out to a full arrangement beyond that, and we get some killer guitar fills and soloing as it drives forward.

This is a pretty basic late 60s rocking tune. The vocals seem to exist in a zone bordered by bluesy power like Janis Joplin and operatic. Parts of the cut get into more trademark psychedelic rock territory.

Acoustic guitar and percussion starts this cut. The track works out to a jam that makes me think a little of Jefferson Airplane in some ways.

Acoustic guitar and flute merge in a trademark Jethro Tull arrangement. The cut builds outward from there as this continues. The folk rock and proggy vibes one expects from the band are on full display. In fact, this is exactly the kind of thing I expect from this band.

In some ways, this lives in the same kind of folk rock based territory as Jethro Tull. It’s got a decidedly Strawbs flavor, though. This actually has some moments that rock harder than the Tull song that preceded it. Yet, it also has more psychedelia built into it. There are some positively dreamy, soaring sections here.

Violin and guitar start this. Some flute is heard at times. There is a tentative start and stop approach on the introduction. The main song grows out from there with a driving arrangement. The vocals are weird, and there are some world music elements at play. This still shares some territory with both Tull and Strawbs, but it’s a lot weirder and more experimental. The track gets quite driving and intense later.

This instrumental trip gets a bit unsettling at times. It has a good balance between louder and softer passages and is packed full of dramatic moments. It’s built around classical string instrumentation.

Folky music with trippy space sound is on the menu here. This is both freaky and strangely mainstream. I’m reminded of Tyrannosaurus Rex to a good degree here. Yes, that’s the outfit that morphed into T-Rex. This gets pretty involved and complex. It’s also dramatic.

There is a downhome, country music angle to this. It’s like folk rock merged with bluegrass. This has links to the sounds of both Crosby Stills and Nash and the Grateful Dead. That Dead thing really comes to fruition in an instrumental section later.

Freaky, echoey textures bring this in. The cut works out with a cool psychedelic rock groove. This is trademark Arthur Brown, both weird and catchy. This works out to more powerhouse proto-prog type stuff further down the road.

This has a cool jazz meets psychedelic rock groove at its heart. There is some powerhouse jamming built into this instrumental movement. Parts lean in on fusion. Other parts remind me a lot of the jazzy side of early King Crimson. There is a section later where it drops back to just a saxophone. Then it powers back out for the killer rocking outro from there.

This rises up gradually in weird, creepy ways. The vocals accentuate that spooky side of things. This gets into some seriously jazzy jamming later, but it’s still on the bizarre side.

The funky, soulful grooves on this thing are so much fun. They are classy and classic. I really dig the guitar soloing, too.

The energy and vibe on this are both great. This has some non-lyrical vocals, but otherwise is an instrumental. It has less of a soul feel than the last track did, instead focusing on funk rock jamming.

Intricate acoustic guitar starts things here. The track works out to some of psychedelic folk excursion. It’s a classy tune that builds out with style.

Trippy, spacey psychedelia is on the menu here. Backwards tracked sounds and freaky vocals and other aspects all merge here. It turns literally screaming later, and it does include some chanting at times.

This starts tentatively and builds out with a lot of style. It’s more of a mainstream psychedelic rocker.

Freaky, echoey, experimental psychedelia is at the heart of this.

I really like this song a lot. It has plenty of cool psychedelic rock at its heart. The hooks are great, and I really love some of the guitar sounds. There is some freaky laughter at the end.

This beast leans toward heavy metal territory. It’s a hard rocking groove that is so classy.

Percussion starts things here. Flute rises up to join. Chanting vocals join after a time. It builds out to a driving folk prog styled number that is very classy. It drops to just vocals chanting. There are blasts of flute that punctuate. It moves out instrumentally to the full arrangement again. They take that back into the earlier section. Then the chant takes over again. It builds out on that mode. It eventually takes us back to the verse section before a blast of weirdness ends the track. The Satanic lyrics on this seem like something that would be better suited for black metal. That juxtaposition of styles makes for an interesting contrast.

This song makes me think of both Led Zeppelin’s  “Whole Lotta Love” and “Immigrant Song” in a lot of ways. Of course, this song predates that second one and is from about the same time as the first, so draw your own conclusions. All that said, this is more space rock meets prog oriented. It’s a killer rocking number. The instrumental sections are powerhouse jazz meets prog and hard rock trips.

Drums get this going in style. Then again, Since Cozy Powell was a drummer, that makes sense. In fact, that instrumental holds a lot of the track. There are some other instruments that come up, along with some non-lyrical vocals. The musical groove on this is based on Hendrix’ “Third Stone from the Sun.” This is a percussion showcase.

A phone call opens this. Then percussion with chanting takes over from there. This is a brief track that never builds out from there.