Heitkotter

Just thought I'd hip people here to this reissue which is one of the best things I've bought all year. It's basically a demo LP recorded by a guy who played in a few garage bands in the mid-60s and was later institutionalised. This was cut in '71 and the music is a kind of lo-fi ravaged, weary garage blues but the whole thing has an incredible atmosphere - sliding down the slopes of madness. Beefheart recording in his mother's basement, drunk on cheap wine and valium might be the best point of reference. Maybe it's a bit ethical questionable to celebrate the guys breakdown but - oh well. It's a powerful and compelling listen.

Much lauded by sources like Acid Archives - which said:

“Intense real people/fringe LP popular among psych mafiosos, a 3-man band with guitar, bass and drums led by Steven David Heitkotter, presumably recorded inside the mental institution where the guy has been for decades. Track titles include “Hangin’ All Night”, “Quaker, Dog Got Away” and the 14-minute “Fly Over The Moon”. The vibe is intense and feverish like a nightmare, unique LP that lives up to its reputation. This may have been a test press only and comes in a blank cover, except for the handwritten title. He was also in a garage band in the 1960s that released a few 45s. [PL]”

“This is a truly disturbing record… so far out-there it goes beyond what could be classified as “genius”. At times all three musicians sound like they are playing different songs and somehow you’re able to groove along on three different levels. This is not for everyone, but if you’ve been down every “psych” road out there and enjoyed each and every one of them, Heitkotter might be for you. I can see 20-25 people thinking this is the greatest LP ever recorded and everyone else thinking it was a piece of trash. [RH]”

Edit: This is one of the more restrained tracks

bassbeyondreason said:

http://thisismyaffliction.blogspot.com/2009/04/stephen-david-heitkotter-heitkotter.html

Put this up last year and got a comment from a guy who knew him, apparently the institutionalisation thing is a myth. Still an intense record. Any more info on the reissue?

Click to expand...

It's put out by Time-Lag Records in the US.

Norman Records currently have some in stock over here, I believe.

Re: him being institutionalised - please tell me more. There's a lot of people in psych circles who'd like to know one way or t'other. The bassist surfaced recently - http://gymusic.blogspot.com/ - and he claims he was (apparently) institutionalised and released in 2007.

I actually am pretty sure the institutionalisation thing is true actually - the LP comes with some notes and the guy who put them together obviously hooked up with the family - quite closely. One gets the impression that he had to work on them a little to get this out, it sounds like a painful episode for them, best forgotten. This is what I was alluding to above, the ethics of celebrating someone's else madness and tradegy. I don't think he'd spread this around as hearsay. The whole thing that it was recorded in an asylum though - that does seem to be a myth.

For those of you who liked that, here's a great mix that begins with a track from Heitkotter. It's a kind of downer psych folk extravaganza:

http://www.djshadow.com/radio#

It's the first mix, "Up On A Downer". The DJ Shadow mixes are pretty cool also. If you want to download it, you need to download a Firefox app like "Embedded Objects".