{"id":2496,"date":"2019-01-27T19:25:09","date_gmt":"2019-01-27T19:25:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shindig-magazine.com\/?p=2496"},"modified":"2019-03-15T15:29:53","modified_gmt":"2019-03-15T15:29:53","slug":"roll-up-rock-n-roll-circuses-and-kaleidoscopic-carnivals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/?p=2496","title":{"rendered":"Roll Up! Rock \u2019n&#8217; Roll Circuses And Kaleidoscopic Carnivals"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>\u2019Twas, most famously, a company of Stones and some special friends back in late 1968 (as unravelled in <i>Shindig!<\/i> issue #87). But the \u201960s and early \u201970s knew plenty of charismatic ringmasters and decidedly groovy clowns. Some of them are back in town \u2013CAMILLA AISA sees if they can still work their magic<\/b><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: Roll Up! Rock&amp;apos;n&amp;apos;Roll Circuses and Kaleidoscopic Carnivals\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/playlist\/4FpRLQietnHOFbtFmEqedd?si=pQnNgywmTKuS0CDZOPG64g&#038;utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><b>The United States of America &#8211; &#8216;The American Metaphysical Circus&#8217;<\/b><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/Rw6KFKIPPJjb7laVQ31z3XPL2ZY=\/fit-in\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)\/discogs-images\/R-185342-1338860323-6237.jpeg.jpg\" alt=\"The United States Of America album cover\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Our way in to the kaleidoscopic \u201960s circus tent couldn\u2019t have a different soundtrack. So here\u2019s one of the finest and trippiest psychedelic songs of all times to welcome us all. It\u2019s 1968 and it\u2019s finally time for the world to understand what the psychedelic experience tastes like. Impossible to describe, isn\u2019t it? Then let\u2019s turn to a powerful, comprehensive metaphor: the circus. Ringmasters of rock, acrobats dancing over electric strings, freaks of all kinds. C\u2019mon, the cost of one admission is your mind.<\/p>\n<p><b>July &#8211; &#8216;My Clown&#8217;<\/b><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/YU6vaQBrpZ1aifbQlgyk7nssIks=\/fit-in\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)\/discogs-images\/R-4077350-1374663986-3724.jpeg.jpg\" alt=\"July album cover\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Sweet memories, sure, but a nonfading sense of sorrow as well. There\u2019s no need to reiterate that circuses are not as cheerful as they pretend to be. And there\u2019s definitely no need to get into the whole inner melancholy of clowns. Let\u2019s just consider this: visionary music of the \u201960s (and beyond) was able to take some often problematic imagery and turn it into the most incisive \u2013 and mostly lighthearted \u2013 symbol for its chaotic, proudly bizarre nature. Hey, even clowns can grow into captivating figures. July\u2019s masterful 1968 single to the rescue.<\/p>\n<p><b>Strawberry Alarm Clock &#8211; &#8216;Paxton\u2019s Back Street Carnival&#8217;<\/b><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/eejoWKB1ckSvDdU43ycUsyc42uE=\/fit-in\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)\/discogs-images\/R-1352126-1347816079-6691.jpeg.jpg\" alt=\"Incense And Peppermints album cover\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Ladies and gents, here come the jugglers. The Strawberry Alarm Clock lads, in all their 1967 incense &amp; peppermints-flavoured splendour. Watch them throw some serious garage sparks in the air and then magically retrieve drops of Summer Of Love. Go on and take a ride in the land that is high\u2026<\/p>\n<p><b>Tucker Zimmerman &#8211; &#8216;Upsidedown Circus World&#8217;<\/b><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/ZznN_NIP2SkGUwAcJ7SlHKJQjWo=\/fit-in\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)\/discogs-images\/R-2075916-1262613490.jpeg.jpg\" alt=\"Ten Songs album cover\" \/><\/p>\n<p>And now for the escapologist act&#8230; Mr. Tucker Zimmerman freeing his gorgeous <i>Ten Songs \u2013<\/i>\u00a0so unjustly overlooked at the time of release \u2013 from a fate of obscurity with a little help from&#8230; David Bowie, no less! \u201cI always found this album of stern, angry compositions enthralling,\u201d the former Davy Jones revealed almost 40 years after Zimmerman\u2019s debut LP had come out. In fact,<i>Ten Songs by Tucker Zimmerman <\/i>was one of the 25 titles Bowie included in his list of all-time favourite albums, among the likes of Mingus, James Brown and Stravinsky. \u201cLook him up,\u201d\u00a0he recommended. Well, what are you waiting for?\u00a0<!--more--><\/p>\n<p><b>Circus &#8211; &#8216;Do You Dream?&#8217;<\/b><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/WvZVsXceG1riLKooOZkJDDRPF3I=\/fit-in\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)\/discogs-images\/R-6431910-1428544908-3879.jpeg.jpg\" alt=\"Do You Dream \/ House Of Wood (Vinyl, 7&quot;, 45 RPM, Single) album cover\" \/><\/p>\n<p>With the circus being one of the most effective metaphors for whatever was going on in artists\u2019 heads in the mid and late \u201960s, it is not surprising that many bands chose the word &#8220;circus&#8221; as their name \u2013 or at least part of it. We\u2019ll hear from Circus Maximus and Stone Circus later on: now it\u2019s time for a London-based group formerly known as The Stormsville Shakers. Yep, Circus sounds <i>definitely<\/i> better.<\/p>\n<p><b>Os Mutantes &#8211; &#8216;Panis et Circenses&#8217;\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/aYD4MuKqCQEEVVuPlwS8vxrV7IY=\/fit-in\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)\/discogs-images\/R-1365302-1538795322-6203.jpeg.jpg\" alt=\"Os Mutantes album cover\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The People crave two things, and two things only: panem et circenses, bread and circuses. That was Juvenal\u2019s idea back in the not-so-good ol\u2019 Roman times. He was trying to denounce both the masses\u2019 intellectual idleness and the sly diversions of politicians \u2013 I\u2019m sure we could spend hours and hours discussing how relevant this theoretically antiquated observation still is (although now the <i>circensium clamor<\/i> is hidden behind endless\u00a0 screens). Suffice it to say, it did sound more than relevant 50 years ago. So much so that Brazilian adventurers Os Mutantes took cue from Juvenal\u2019s words and wrote their own satire called \u2013 you guessed it \u2013 &#8216;Panis et Circenses&#8217;.<\/p>\n<p><b>The Epics &#8211; &#8216;Travelling Circus&#8217;<\/b><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/_hlZv35aXKYLG7rOU6yqFDpz1Vg=\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)\/discogs-images\/R-5723067-1506693277-2976.jpeg.jpg\" alt=\"Travelling Circus\" data-src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/_hlZv35aXKYLG7rOU6yqFDpz1Vg=\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)\/discogs-images\/R-5723067-1506693277-2976.jpeg.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Time for the knife throwers to enter the big top. Hailing from Barking (and from 1968), The Epics are here to remind us that joining the circus implies that a lot of travelling will be involved. So, better keep your mind and eyes open \u2013 we\u2019re going.<\/p>\n<p><b>WITCH &#8211; &#8216;Little Clown&#8217;<\/b><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/5m18o_1fYD6zo8gawsHlAeoAwhc=\/fit-in\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)\/discogs-images\/R-3904149-1348701667-6655.jpeg.jpg\" alt=\"Lazy Bones!! album cover\" \/><\/p>\n<p>And we stop in Zambia, where WITCH mixed African sounds and rock \u2019n\u2019 roll punch, while proudly intending to cause havoc in the process (as any respectable psychedelic circus should). Here\u2019s \u2018Little Clown\u2019, the closing track from their 1975 LP <i>Lazy Bones!!<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p><b>Circus Maximus &#8211; &#8216;Travelin\u2019 Around&#8217;<\/b><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/p-8sAaRCvkX-tG2H2dQY0xcojHY=\/fit-in\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)\/discogs-images\/R-2320394-1384127257-7490.jpeg.jpg\" alt=\"Circus Maximus album cover\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Back to international travels \u2013 and back to bands named after circus ideals. This group, founded by Bob Bruno and future country legend Jerry Jeff Walker, offers another taste of latin, too: their rather magniloquent moniker was Circus Maximus, and so they named their 1967 LP. Their take on psychedelic tours is simply incendiary\u2026um, we might have\u00a0 just found our fire eaters.<\/p>\n<p><b>Eire Apparent &#8211; &#8216;The Clown&#8217;<\/b><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/zp7Gu7CzZr8rN5A27dHfnJH5xLI=\/fit-in\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)\/discogs-images\/R-2178956-1368737010-9932.jpeg.jpg\" alt=\"Sunrise album cover\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Send in more clowns, please. This time around, our red-nosed pal has a Northern Irish accent and is produced by \u2013 hear hear \u2013 Mr. Jimi Hendrix. Let\u2019s welcome Eire Apparent and <i>Sunrise<\/i>, their should-have-been-a-classic 1969 first and only LP.<\/p>\n<p><b>The Pretty Things &#8211; &#8216;Cries from the Midnight Circus&#8217;<\/b><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/2Mkf9cthVt8TO0MGXst0Uj99Wic=\/fit-in\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)\/discogs-images\/R-1813739-1367010540-5367.jpeg.jpg\" alt=\"Parachute album cover\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Rock \u2019n\u2019 roll circuses are full of life and colours, sure. But not even rock music can free circuses from their inescapable shroud of sadness altogether. And things couldn\u2019t get darker than Phil May\u2019s cry, and The Pretty Things\u2019 sight of a tortured midnight circus. So much so that &#8220;sad&#8221; sounds like an euphemism in this case \u2013 it\u2019s pure terror at play. Murder! Blood! Satan\u2019s daughters!! Seems like Jack The Ripper has entered the tent.<\/p>\n<p><b>Ralph McTell &#8211; &#8216;Clown&#8217;<\/b><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/_qMrhS48EjNkaJjAaXxAkkJyM34=\/fit-in\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)\/discogs-images\/R-3643375-1347436847-2478.jpeg.jpg\" alt=\"My Side Of Your Window album cover\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Another gloomy take, courtesy of Ralph McTell. Back in the late \u201960s, following the epiphany of a strange tuning, he set to find the right words for a rather eerie tune that was taking shape in his mind. Eerie sounds, right? Then why not talk about a clown and let the inspiration flow? \u201cI have always found clowns slightly sinister and I was beginning to trust that the song would go somewhere without having a planned ending,\u201d he later recalled. The song was included on third LP <i>My Side Of Your Window<\/i>, released at the end of 1969; &#8220;This was probably one of my favourite tracks on the album,\u201d\u00a0McTell says.<\/p>\n<p><b>Roger Bunn &#8211; &#8216;Life Is A Circus&#8217;<\/b><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/DQ0MCepjJfQvsj240HirgGx-o8U=\/fit-in\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)\/discogs-images\/R-1747082-1421154564-6213.jpeg.jpg\" alt=\"Piece Of Mind album cover\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Few people know it, but Roger Bunn graced rock \u2019n\u2019 roll with one of the most rock \u2019n\u2019 roll decisions <i>ever<\/i>. After releasing the gorgeous <i>Piece Of Mind <\/i>in 1969, he became Roxy Music\u2019s first guitarist. But that changed when one day frontman Brian Ferry requested he shaved his beard and started dressing more accordingly to his vision (if you\u2019re inclined to call that plethora of pompous suits a &#8220;vision&#8221;\u2026 spoiler alert: I\u2019m not). And so Roger politely declined (maybe not so politely\u2026 who knows) and readily left the soon-to-be illustrious Roxy Music. Here\u2019s to long beards, and to not giving a fuck about dress codes. And here\u2019s to life\u2026 a circus indeed.<\/p>\n<p><b>Tim Buckley &#8211;<i>\u00a0&#8216;C<\/i>arnival Song&#8217;<\/b><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/Y6Qn2AVfbrIM3jY_CYhBhH4luOE=\/fit-in\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)\/discogs-images\/R-1816637-1299956406.jpeg.jpg\" alt=\"Goodbye And Hello album cover\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Buckley Sr.\u2019s interpretation of circuses \u2013 captured on the 1967 classic <i>Goodbye And Hello<\/i>\u00a0\u2013 is, as you would expect, melancholic to say the least. Carnival sounds make the vision of a burning circus hypnotic. Between the flames, devastating intuitions on life\u2019s ways slowly emerge and loom: \u201cBut dance and sing, for others bring the shame. And for a while you won&#8217;t know my name.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>Trader Horne &#8211; &#8216;Children of Oare&#8217;<\/b><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/_rRNybaOpbPeNCwimht0H_eqzq8=\/fit-in\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)\/discogs-images\/R-3039555-1485189914-5482.jpeg.jpg\" alt=\"Morning Way album cover\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Now. I wouldn\u2019t want you to think that I\u2019m stripping circuses of all the innocence, taking them away from children and their wide-eyed imagery (<i>yawn<\/i>). So here\u2019s a collection of charming dreamy scenes that not even cynics like me can oppose. Horsemen, magical creatures of the sea, and\u2026 yes, a carnival flooded by singing little ones. Just because it\u2019s Trader Horne and their blissful <i>Morning Way<\/i> LP, mind you.<\/p>\n<p><b>Federal Duck \u00a0&#8211; &#8216;Circus In The Sea&#8217;<\/b><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/XP5o_6SOEp1j1oImVDLaaSr5ZYU=\/fit-in\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)\/discogs-images\/R-2351840-1278927078.jpeg.jpg\" alt=\"Federal Duck album cover\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Why not visit \u2013 after Trader Horne\u2019s charming mermaids \u2013 an underwater circus? Actually, before landing at the bottom of the ocean Federal Duck\u2019s symphonic spectacle lingers on a mountain top for a little while. Leave it to a psychedelic band from Pennsylvania \u2013 and to the endless surprises of 1968 \u2013to finally consign circuses to their less familiar elements: air and, finally, water.<\/p>\n<p><b>Cat\u2019s Eyes &#8211; &#8216;Circus&#8217;\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/nOPsQ45lcrOsxtBoUzMRF32eoQQ=\/fit-in\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)\/discogs-images\/R-7485527-1511349495-6909.jpeg.jpg\" alt=\"Circus (Vinyl, 7&quot;, 45 RPM, Single) album cover\" \/><\/p>\n<p>And now, ladies and gents, the illusionists (in the guise of a British band playing a 1970 overlooked single). Besides their great name \u2013 Cat\u2019s Eyes, what\u2019s more alluring than cat\u2019s eyes? \u2013 \u00a0they\u2019ll charm you and bewitch you with lulling flutes and timeless scenes of carnival life.<\/p>\n<p><b>Stone Circus &#8211; &#8216;Carnival Of Love&#8217;<\/b><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/lCdgi7LbS4kh3mONyxphXPwWr5g=\/fit-in\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)\/discogs-images\/R-4025417-1486354576-2665.jpeg.jpg\" alt=\"Stone Circus album cover\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Our kaleidoscopic caravan now reaches late \u201960s New York by way of Montreal. Here we find a young band working on its (unfortunately rather ill-fated) debut LP. The group, Funky Farm, doesn\u2019t know it yet, but it\u2019s about to find itself in a \u201ctwo birds with one stone\u201d (quite literally!) kind of situation in regards to our psychedelic circus survey. First of all, thanks to a perfect song title: \u2018Carnival Of Love\u2019. And then because of an unimaginable turn of events \u2013 the Mainstream label renaming the band Stone Circus\u2026without the members\u2019 knowledge.<\/p>\n<p><b>The Beatles &#8211; &#8216;Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!&#8217;<\/b><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/yrJTK2LTub1nVCOVpLugYayWvF8=\/fit-in\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)\/discogs-images\/R-499497-1456047383-9489.jpeg.jpg\" alt=\"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s a little-known band you might like. One of their chief songwriters \u2013 John was his name, if I\u2019m not mistaken \u2013 was once visiting an antique shop when a 19th century circus poster caught his attention. He then set to turn the words and images printed on it into a musical collage. The result \u2013 \u2018Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!\u2019 \u2013 can be heard on an album called <i>Sgt. Pepper\u2019s Lonely Hearts Club Band<\/i>. Hey, I bet those Beatles lads will go far.<\/p>\n<p><b>Strawberry Alarm Clock &#8211; Shallow Impressions<\/b><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/GVWCh8fLCGTfUdwaL9n0H0wa7oU=\/fit-in\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)\/discogs-images\/R-2010840-1267557056.jpeg.jpg\" alt=\"The World In A Sea Shell album cover\" \/><\/p>\n<p>While John was caught in his dreams of Mr. Kite spectacles and strawberry fields, some other strawberries were also at work. Strawberry Alarm Clock\u2019s third album, <i>The World In A Sea Shell<\/i>, came out in the year 1PP (Post <em>Pepper<\/em>) and featured \u2018Shallow Impressions\u2019, a hallucinatory instrumental with a strong circus-derived flavour.<\/p>\n<p><b>The Bonniwell Music Machine &#8211; &#8216;Bottom Of The Soul&#8217;<\/b><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/L8P1ivc5XKDHViN7SKobRHaWYtQ=\/fit-in\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)\/discogs-images\/R-3042015-1367799736-6252.jpeg.jpg\" alt=\"The Bonniwell Music Machine album cover\" \/><\/p>\n<p>1968 keeps giving us a great deal of skilful acrobats: now it\u2019s The Bonniwell Music Machine\u2019s turn. Previously known simply as The Music Machine \u2013 and as visceral garage-rockers \u2013 they were now revealing a more eclectic spirit. \u2018Bottom Of The Soul\u2019 found frontman Sean Bonniwell in a groovy crossfire with a Farfisa organ that was madly in love with carousel music.<\/p>\n<p><b>Cathy Young &#8211; &#8216;Circus&#8217;<\/b><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/Li4IdlShCHbAq0Moe2w_H0vIoxs=\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)\/discogs-images\/R-4114428-1355699838-2208.jpeg.jpg\" alt=\"A Spoonful Of Cathy Young\" data-src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/Li4IdlShCHbAq0Moe2w_H0vIoxs=\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)\/discogs-images\/R-4114428-1355699838-2208.jpeg.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Cathy Young says she worked in a circus \u2013 and she has a story to tell over a shifting, amusing composition. On this track from her <i>A Spoonful Of Cathy Young <\/i>1969 album she manages to convert the startling movements of a trapeze artist into music. It all ends in laughs\u2026a bit sinisterly, no doubt. Just like all true circuses.<\/p>\n<p><b>Roxy &#8211; &#8216;Rock &amp; Roll Circus&#8217;<\/b><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/PoqchWQLB6NCoH15d4nXtE3sM_c=\/fit-in\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)\/discogs-images\/R-4548129-1368055516-7835.jpeg.jpg\" alt=\"Roxy album cover\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Borrowing an incisive title from the Stones \u2013 a few months after their famous show had been filmed \u2013 Roxy, the band led by Bob Segarini, decided to enrich their self-titled 1969 LP\u00a0 with a convincing reiteration: the most suitable metaphor for rock \u2019n\u2019 roll life is the circus. Surprisingly enough, the customary pulsing spirit of a \u201960s circus song here gets intertwined with a certain Southern feel.<\/p>\n<p><b>Scott Fagan &#8211; &#8216;The Carnival Is Ended&#8217;\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/eNse0pMaKlrjvJHDoK9ANTZpJH0=\/fit-in\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)\/discogs-images\/R-2539304-1330817374.jpeg.jpg\" alt=\"South Atlantic Blues album cover\" \/><\/p>\n<p>One last bow from the human cannonball and it\u2019s time to start packing: the kookoo show\u00a0 is almost over. Outside the big top, bittersweet rays of sunshine and the final dance over Scott Fagan\u2019s \u2018The Carnival Is Ended\u2019, the <i>South Atlantic Blues<\/i> tune later covered by Don MacLean.<\/p>\n<p><b>The Tingling Mother\u2019s Circus &#8211;<i>\u00a0&#8216;<\/i>Epilogue&#8217;<i> \u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/9EI2VPqF9b3EkaMM7Uk3t8XuXCU=\/fit-in\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)\/discogs-images\/R-3019811-1312021151.jpeg.jpg\" alt=\"A Circus Of The Mind album cover\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Ever wondered what Brahms would have sounded like if he had dropped acid and started playing in a circus tent left deserted by an audience now deep asleep? Me neither. But, in case you\u2019re curious now\u2026<\/p>\n<span class=\"synved-social-container synved-social-container-share\"><a class=\"synved-social-button synved-social-button-share synved-social-size-24 synved-social-resolution-single synved-social-provider-facebook nolightbox\" data-provider=\"facebook\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" title=\"Share on Facebook\" href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fshindig-magazine.com%2Findex.php%3Frest_route%3D%252Fwp%252Fv2%252Fposts%252F2496&#038;t=Roll%20Up%21%20Rock%20%E2%80%99n%E2%80%99%20Roll%20Circuses%20And%20Kaleidoscopic%20Carnivals&#038;s=100&#038;p&#091;url&#093;=https%3A%2F%2Fshindig-magazine.com%2Findex.php%3Frest_route%3D%252Fwp%252Fv2%252Fposts%252F2496&#038;p&#091;images&#093;&#091;0&#093;=https%3A%2F%2Fshindig-magazine.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2019%2F01%2FR-6431910-1428544908-3879.jpeg.jpg&#038;p&#091;title&#093;=Roll%20Up%21%20Rock%20%E2%80%99n%E2%80%99%20Roll%20Circuses%20And%20Kaleidoscopic%20Carnivals\" style=\"font-size: 0px;width:24px;height:24px;margin:0;margin-bottom:5px;margin-right:5px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Facebook\" title=\"Share on Facebook\" class=\"synved-share-image synved-social-image synved-social-image-share\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" style=\"display: inline;width:24px;height:24px;margin: 0;padding: 0;border: none;box-shadow: none\" src=\"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/social-media-feather\/synved-social\/image\/social\/regular\/48x48\/facebook.png\" \/><\/a><a class=\"synved-social-button synved-social-button-share synved-social-size-24 synved-social-resolution-single synved-social-provider-twitter nolightbox\" data-provider=\"twitter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" title=\"Share on Twitter\" href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fshindig-magazine.com%2Findex.php%3Frest_route%3D%252Fwp%252Fv2%252Fposts%252F2496&#038;text=New%20post%20on%20our%20site\" style=\"font-size: 0px;width:24px;height:24px;margin:0;margin-bottom:5px;margin-right:5px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"twitter\" title=\"Share on Twitter\" class=\"synved-share-image synved-social-image synved-social-image-share\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" style=\"display: inline;width:24px;height:24px;margin: 0;padding: 0;border: none;box-shadow: none\" src=\"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/social-media-feather\/synved-social\/image\/social\/regular\/48x48\/twitter.png\" \/><\/a><a class=\"synved-social-button synved-social-button-share synved-social-size-24 synved-social-resolution-single synved-social-provider-mail nolightbox\" data-provider=\"mail\" rel=\"nofollow\" title=\"Share by email\" href=\"mailto:?subject=Roll%20Up%21%20Rock%20%E2%80%99n%E2%80%99%20Roll%20Circuses%20And%20Kaleidoscopic%20Carnivals&#038;body=New%20post%20on%20our%20site:%20https%3A%2F%2Fshindig-magazine.com%2Findex.php%3Frest_route%3D%252Fwp%252Fv2%252Fposts%252F2496\" style=\"font-size: 0px;width:24px;height:24px;margin:0;margin-bottom:5px;margin-right:5px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"mail\" title=\"Share by email\" class=\"synved-share-image synved-social-image synved-social-image-share\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" style=\"display: inline;width:24px;height:24px;margin: 0;padding: 0;border: none;box-shadow: none\" src=\"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/social-media-feather\/synved-social\/image\/social\/regular\/48x48\/mail.png\" \/><\/a><\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u2019Twas, most famously, a company of Stones and some special friends back in late 1968 (as unravelled in Shindig! issue #87). But the \u201960s and early \u201970s knew plenty of charismatic ringmasters and decidedly groovy clowns. Some of them are back in town \u2013CAMILLA AISA sees if they can still work their magic The United [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2497,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[598],"class_list":["post-2496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music-videos","tag-psych-mix"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2496","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2496"}],"version-history":[{"count":-3,"href":"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2496\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2496"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2496"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2496"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}