ANITA

THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL SEX OPERA BAND was many of the so-called novelty acts to emerge in the late 60s. More of a studio session than a real band, this musical project consisted of William Plummer (bass), William B. Morcas (drums), Woody Buffart (guitar), Ronald Westbrook (organ), Tony Before (percussion, trumpet) with Ann Essex and Kathy Njam Njam ? on vocals. The band's only album ANITA appeared on the SexClusief label and only appeared in Amsterdam sex shops for a short time while supplies lasted. While utterly forgotten about during the following decades, the album has found a renewed interest in all things whacky and weird from the era. The album is considered by some to be the Holy Grail of Dutch beat and psych collectibles of the era.

ANITA featured two side long tracks simply called "Anita's First Appearance Part 1 and Part 2" which featured free improvisation jazz on the first side and psychedelic kosmische Krautish beat rock on the second accompanied by female vocals that were supposed to evoke ecstasy but often sounded like screams of agony or even what sounds like giving birth! There are also silly nonsensical male vocals that sound like children's games without any musical accompaniment. The musicians were all clearly seasoned performers however the wordless vocals evoked the same pain you would feel if your private parts were on fire as was presented on the album cover.

This vinyl only release has found a few reissues over the years as this is a unique surreal psychedelic album that sounds like no other. It's unknown how well this sold but it is considered one of the rarest Dutch psychedelic rock albums of the era with only 750 numbered copies on purple vinyl emerging when it was released in 1969. Ron Westerbeek was in the Dutch band Sandy Coast but the other musicians were fairly unknown at the time although some would go on to play in the Musicians Union Band and Water. While enthusiasts of all things weird and unconventional may find this appealing, many find the whole thing tacky and failing to evoke any sort of intended eroticism whatsoever. Many others will cite the entire affair as downright annoying however it is a unique little specimen to emerge during one of the most experimental eras that the music industry has ever experienced.