Quintessence-Dive Deep (1971)

"Dive Deep" was the third and final album released on the Island label by the esoteric Quintessence, before they signed with RCA, with whom they released their next two albums. Released in 1971, this release featured the exotic British band with Shiva Shankar Jones on lead vocals, keyboards, and percussion; Allan Mostert on guitars and bass; Maha Dev on rhythm guitar; Raja Ram on flute; Sambhu Babaji on bass, acoustic guitar, and harp; and Jake Milton on drums and percussion. They were joined by regular collaborators Vidya Bahen Jee on vocals; Swami Ambikananda on Indian harp; Ned Balen on tabla; and Sita Devi Jee on violin, almost all of whom used pseudonyms taken from legendary figures in Hindu philosophical culture. On this third album, this exotic and peculiar group continued their exploration of psychedelic sounds with ethnic influences, featuring simple yet highly effective and elaborate structures. It features everything from atmospheric journeys under the spell of LSD like "Dance For The One", to forays into oriental sounds with the raga "Sri Ram Chant", passing through approaches to psychedelic jazz "Dive Deep", attractive melodies like "The Seer" or more forceful pieces like the energetic "Epitaph for Tomorrow".