Various Artists — So High I've Been- An Anthology Of European Rock

So High I’ve Been is a three-CD compilation focusing on the European rock scene between the years 1967 and 1973. The fifty-seven-track collection takes in a lot of sonic ground, covering most sub-genres of rock at the time, with often some neat and creative edges. There’s a good blend of known acts such as Tangerine Dream, Magma, and Focus. Sitting alongside more obscure fare such as Alan Jack Civilization, Culper’s Orchard, and Acqua Fragile.

The release comes presented in a flipside glossy box with a black, red, green and white colour scheme. Inside each disc has it’s own card slip, with different band picture art on each & full disc track listings. Also included is a thick/ glossy inlay booklet- this runs at fifty pages. It takes in a two-page write-up about the compilation, then for each of the fifty-seven tracks we get a small write-up, along with band picture/ album art.

Each disc has its own subtitle, so the first disc is Beginning To Fly. Here we move from Holland’s Groep 1850’s “Mother No-Head” with its blend of clip-clopping American Indian groove, dramatic spoken word elements, twanging guitars/ wavering organ, soaring male back vocals, oh and stabs at the tune ‘we all fall down’. There is the jingling psych pop rock & wailing/wavering male vocals of Italy’s Equipe 84’s “Per Un Attimo Di Tempo”. Though to jagged ‘n’ crude gunning rock guitar, throaty male vocals, dramatic string swoon and brooding ritual drum hits of Germany’s The Rattles with their track “The Witch”.

Disc two is subtitled Throwing Snowballs At The Sun. Here we go from Norway’s Oriental Sunshine’s “Across Your Life” with it’s mix of constant sitar twang, Hammond organ drift, bass bounding, and emotional warbling male vocals. There’s Finland’s Wigwam “Tombstone Valentine” with its jiving piano keys, accordion, twanging banjo grooving verse, and its rising strings ‘n’ swooping vocal choruses. Sweden’s Tasavallan President’s “Weather Brightly” is all in your face horn rise’s, bounding organ, rolling guitar and throaty male vocal seesaws.

Finally, we of course have the third and final disc in the set, which is subtitled Speeding Into A New Sunrise. We move from folk rock strum along, clip-clop percussive, falsetto vocal chants, and sudden fired electric guitar rises of France’s Inter-Groupie Psychotherapeutic Elastic Band’s “Floating”. Onto German’s Necronomicon’s “In Memoriam” which blends roughly bounding guitar, bluesy runs, simmering organ flows, and Germanic wavering vocals. Finishing off with Holland’s Golden Earring’s “Radar Love” with its blue rock stomping groove verse, rising tuneful chorus, and some neat choppy guitar/ bass breakdowns.

In conclusion, So High I’ve Been is another highly consistent & varied compilation from Cherry Red sub-label Grapefruit. It really highlights the scope, talent, and creativity alive in the Euro rock scene of the late 60’s and early 70’s