Dino Valente

While acid rock fans have long revered him, Dino Valente (born Chet Powers) remains known mainly as a minor figure in the late '60s San Francisco scene through his off-and-on association with Quicksilver Messenger Service, and for writing the Youngbloods' flower power anthem, "Get Together." Dino Valente, his only solo effort, was largely forgotten soon after its initial release in 1968, but the intent of this first-ever reissue is to put it in the same league as other now-beloved psych-folk excursions of the era, such as Skip Spence's Oar and David Crosby's If I Could Only Remember My Name. There is a valid argument for inclusion; Valente's often jazzy, freeform expression evokes the combined euphoria and fear of an LSD trip reaching its peak, especially on "My Friend," where the backing musicians do a heroic job following Valente's lead. The closest comparison is Tim Buckley, although Valente's voice doesn't hit the same manic heights. That relative restraint actually puts Dino Valente more in line with what's happening with contemporary psych-folk. In that sense, this is a worthy salvage project, at least raising Valente's status (he died in 1994) from being merely a folk-rock footnote.