The only known live recordings of Nimbus, a savage and raw unreleased psych band based in Livermore, CA from the late 1960s and early 1970s, are finally seeing the light of day. Locked in a vault for 41 years, the tapes from producer Jim Sorensen's "Turn On Your Lovelight" show on 3/14/70 are being released for the very first time. Nimbus' brilliant set is the first to be released from the 1970 concert. Produced by Shattered Music it has hand numbered, limited edition gate fold LPs on smoky gray vinyl, the record is titled Nimbus: Live in Livermore.
The story of Nimbus is shrouded in mystery. Aside from getting 2 of the 3 names of the band members when they agreed to play on Jim's recording, and the few photos Jim took during the set, little is known about this short lived group. The attached note from Jim Sorensen recalls his experience working with the band, which split up shortly after performing on the "Turn On Your Lovelight" bill.
Early reviews of Nimbus: Live in Livermore have likened it to live Dead, early Cream, or a live show by Band of Gypsys by Brad Knox of the band Heavy the World. Performer/broadcaster/artist B.P. Fallon called Nimbus "rock and roll's newest Lazarus, and featured all 3 ten minute plus jams from the LP on his weekly radiocast in November 2011. Record Collector News named Nimbus: Live in Livermore on its best of the year list for 2011 in the December issue of that year.
Two of the three larger-than-life tracks from the LP have been made into full music videos, with the third soon to follow. The videos have been made available as a way to preview the album, and can be viewed at
http://www.vimeo.com/shatteredmusic .
Nimbus represents a style of music no longer played by contemporary bands, but which remains extremely popular with 70s era music fans. They are a breath of fresh air from four decades in the past, and efforts were made to keep the album art, layout, and videos true to the style and spirit of Nimbus' time.
One modern touch represents a special perk for the LP; each one comes with a seeded paper digital download card. The front is designed to look like a ticket stub from the "Turn On Your Lovelight" show, and the reverse has download instructions. As the card is embedded with wildflower seed and printed with natural ink, after downloading, toss it in some dirt, water, and wildflowers will sprout and bloom.
Shattered Music, a 1990s Los Angeles record label, released about 15 albums. Notable titles include Mick Taylor Coastin' Home, Live at 14 Below and Pearl Harbour Here Comes Trouble. After over a decade of inactivity, Shattered Music has moved to northern California and re-launched as an ecologically forward company. Beyond our LP's biodegradable download card, the upcoming release of Nimbus: Live in Livermore on CD will have no plastic tray, 100% recycled stock, soy ink, and industry lowest levels of VOCs in the disc making process.
