Circus 2000 - I Am The Witch: The Anthology (CD)

Details: Two CDs. First-ever complete anthology of hugely collectable early 70s Italian psych/folk/prog band. Heavily influenced by early Jefferson Airplane with lead female vocals and English language lyrics. Fronted by Grace Slick-influenced singer Silvana Aliotta, Circus 2000 formed in Turin, north Italy in late 1969 in an attempt to emulate their British and American psychedelic heroes. They made their vinyl debut a year later with a self-titled album featuring such superb, quasi-mystical songs as 'Magic Bean', 'The Lord, He Has No Hands' and the dramatic 'I Am The Witch'. But the band struggled to find an audience, their guitar-led, song-based nature and English language vocals leaving them out of step with the complex, keyboard-based Italian progressive scene flourishing all around them. After developing a more improvisational, underground-friendly sound on the thriving Italian festival circuit, they returned with a second album, 'An Escape From A Box'. Now regarded by European psychedelic collectors as their masterpiece, this five-track album welded their original Jefferson Airplane leanings with expansive Pink Floyd-esque arrangements that peaked on Side Two with the epic 'Need' and the spooked, climactic closer 'When The Sun Refuses To Shine'. Unable to make a commercial impact, the band broke up shortly afterwards, and it would be a couple of decades before Circus 2000's music began to receive the attention that it deserved. The first-ever complete anthology of their career, 'I Am The Witch' naturally includes both of their highly sought-after albums as well as stand-alone singles, alternative versions and tracks that were intended for an aborted third album.

Tracklist:

1. I Can't Believe
2. Try To Live
3. Must Walk Forever
4. Sun Will Shine
5. I Just Can't Stay
6. I Am The Witch
7. Magic Bean
8. While You're Sleeping
9. Try All Day
10. The Lord He Has No Hands
11. Bonus Tracks
12. Io La Strega (I Am The Witch)
13. Pioggia Sottile (I Can't Believe)
14. I Am The Witch
15. I Can't Believe
16. Regalami Un Sabato Sera
17. Ho Regalato I Capelli
18. Hey Man
19. You Aren't Listening
20. Our Father
21. Need
22. When The Sun Refuses To Shine
23. Need (Edited Version)
24. Hey Man (Parte 1)
25. Hey Man (Parte 2)
26. Dove Va La Mia Gente
27. L'ultimo Paese