El Dorado. The Ark of the Covenant. Vermeer’s 37th masterpiece. History lists dozens of fabled treasures now lost — but for pop music fans, none are as tantalizing or elusive as the first and only Clubbo LP by psychedelic band the Fold.
 
Fronted by charismatic vocalist Gary “Shep” Shepheard, the Fold mesmerized Southern California listeners via a series of epic live shows in 1968 and 1969. But the Fold’s music was as heavy conceptually as it was sonically: The band’s true raison d’être was as a recruiting tool for the Major/Minor Universal Spiritual Church, a Venice Beach-based cult.
 
The Fold’s album may be lost forever — but we did manage to unearth this rare live recording of the band’s signature song, “Into the Fold.” More…

listen: Into the Fold [live]

more: Who wielded the true power behind this real cult band?