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. Housed in a stylish digipak, it includes a new essay on their history, band quotes and some rare photos.
• 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.
Pre-order the anthology here: https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/circus-2000-i-am-the-witch-the-anthology-2cd-digipak
Tracklist:
DISC ONE
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
Bonus Tracks:
11 IO LA STREGA (I AM THE WITCH)
12 PIOGGIA SOTTILE (I CAN’T BELIEVE)
13 I AM THE WITCH
14 I CAN’T BELIEVE
15 REGALAMI UN SABATO SERA
16 HO REGALATO I CAPELLI
1-10 The album Circus 2000, Italian Rifi RFL ST 14049, November 1970
11-12 Italian language single, Italian Rifi RFN NP 16424, November 1970
13-14 English language single, mono Italian Rifi RFN NP 16443, March 1971
15-16 Italian language single, Italian Rifi RFN NP 16444, April 1971
DISC TWO
1 HEY MAN
2 YOU AREN’T LISTENING
3 OUR FATHER
4 NEED
5 WHEN THE SUN REFUSES TO SHINE
Bonus Tracks:
6 NEED (edited version)
7 HEY MAN (Parte 1)
8 HEY MAN (Parte 2)
9 DOVE VA LA MIA GENTE
10 L’ULTIMO PAESE
1-5 The album An Escape From A Box, Italian Rifi RDZ-ST 14215, 1972
6 Jukebox single, Italian Rifi RM JB 98063, 1972
7-8 Single, Italian Rifi RFN NP 16466, May 1972 9-10 Recordings for proposed third album, not originally released