Golden State isn't merely a nickname for California, it is also the name of a San Franciscan studio owned and operated by
Leo Kulka
. Golden State Recorders opened their doors in the fall of 1965, just at the height of folk-rock and as psychedelia began to crest. Fittingly, the 25 tracks on
Ace
's 2016 compilation
Golden State Psychedelia
-- only two of which were released at the time, with the great majority seeing their debut here -- are caught somewhere between a burnished jangle and a heady rush equal parts
Jefferson Airplane
and
Moby Grape
. Occasionally, the proceedings are a brutishly simple -- a bit of spirited garage nonsense -- but usually the music seesaws between open-hearted flower power and profane protest, the latter highlighted by
Magician
's possible protest "Fuck for Peace." If the vulgar moments pack a punch that obscures the sunbleached folk-rock -- the harmonized paeans for peace wither in the face of cloistered rhythms and fuzz guitars -- it's the blend of these two hippie extremes that make this compilation a vivid time capsule. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine