masterpiece among all those psychedelisized mini operas of the 60's? Well, admittedly this anti-booze-abuse epic is the exception to the rule, but never say never again. Listening to John Wonderling's (USA), (what a name!) "Man Of Straw", you can almost smell paisley shirts, kinky boots and Beatle-wigs parading down Carnaby Street. Strange enough, this immaculate monster of soft-psyche was released in the States, a year before the same label gave us Aoxomoxoa. Skipping back across the pond to the land of the tulips, cheese and so-called coffee-shops, we have The Nicols' (Netherlands) last effort to conquer the world (they changed the name to Fairy Tale soon after). Power Pop-flower of the seldom sown kind from The Hague Rock'n'Roll in oriental tempo closes this side, introducing instruments like the clarinet to your unprepared ears. Ganim's Asia Minors (USA) may sound like a bunch of mad Turks on jelly beans, but this record was made in N.Y.C. (That's why the call it the melting pot...) In 1969, together with 3 other bands from the Black Forest, The Rope Sect (Germany) from Villingen went to the (famous among Jazz fans) MPS-studios, recorded a couple of songs and released a handful on an LP called "Underpartyground" on the Mouse Trick-Track label. The tiny edition was sent to promoters and radio stations in order to get famous (or better gigs, at least). Among remarkable versions and variations of other