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Just some random thoughts on albums I've been listening to. Nothing too formal and most of these wouldn't qualify for reviews. But maybe it helps you, the reader, in your research.
Note: Most of these albums have been reissued on CD, with a few exceptions.

A.R. & Machines (Achim Reichel) - Die Grune Reise (1971 Germany). I don’t think there’s any question that Achim Reichel has the largest body of important work still not on CD. He began to use sound on sound guitar techniques with “Die Grune Reise” and continued that strain, with different formats, through to the “Erholung” album. From there he went back to a pop singer songwriter style. And with that prologue, I’m happy to say that Reichel himself, through his Tangram imprint, is beginning to reissue his classic albums from the 1970s. Or so we hope. “Die Grune Reise” is the first, and comes complete with a second DVD of university students putting together a recent film, based on the music found here, which was supposedly a soundtrack, but no film ever emerged originally. “Die Grune Reise” is also the only album from this period to have been previously reissued, on Polydor at the dawn of the CD age in the mid 1980s. It was one of the most highly sought after reissues prior to this print. Reichel was a big star in Germany, having been the leader of the “German Beatles”, a band called The Rattles. He even did some movie roles back then. His switch to singer-songwriter in the mid 1970s has also paid off, as he’s managed to continue in the pop spotlight for another 30 years. Considering his popularity, and his rather safe choices for popdom, it’s really extraordinary how experimental and crazy Reichel became from 1971 through to 1975. These aren’t timid explorations with the psychedelic, but full blown excursions into the deep underground. Even before Manuel Gottsching (Ash Ra Tempel) or Gunther Schickert, it was Reichel who more or less invented the echoed tape delay guitar on guitar sound as a means to an entire album. As trippy as any Krautrock album ever made, including the Ohr classics. It would be hard to imagine, for example, a Davy Jones from The Monkees doing something like this. And, in a way, that’s what we have here. Essential for any serious Krautrock fan.

Abstract Truth – Totum (1971 South Africa).
Abstract Truth – Silver Trees (1971 South Africa). And the mystery of this South African band has been solved. South African indigenous label Fresh Music has given us the first legit reissues of this great underground band from the heady days when Johannesburg looked to rival London and New York for global rock supremacy. “Totum” is named after the club the band labored in to make a living, and is still a bit too primal to be considered a classic. The folk pieces are a bit ordinary and the odd cover tune doesn’t help. Still, some cosmic journeys and other extended weirdo pieces go a long way to making this desirable, especially the sitar drenched closer. “Silver Trees” improves the composition and inventiveness quotient by another grade. A mixture of song based folk rock and lengthy instrumental journeys, almost Krautrock in sound.

Acid - s/t (1974 Austria). Austria’s Acid are a pedestrian rock group band who somehow managed to get two albums out (on CBS no less). I’ve only heard the first and that’s enough for me. Other than a couple of promising horn rock moves, recalling Birth Control on “Rebirth”, what we have here is plain Jane boogie rock ‘n roll. Many cover tunes and not an ounce of creativity. An awful album really. And no CD (I suspect and hope it will stay that way).

Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso UFO - Univers Zen ou de Zéro à Zéro (2002 Japan). Well the first song is godawful noisy and boring and reminded me of their atrocious first album. Not an auspicious start. The next track is serene and acoustic for the most part with female voices. Very nice and by far the best thing I've heard by them. The next track, despite a promising first couple of minutes, goes into more out of control noisy acid psych wank. Just slower paced than the opener. After an unobtrusive interlude, we get the 4th and final epic, which sounds lifted from the "Yeti" playbook. If only they had Amon Duul II's sense of time and space. As soon as they can, they bust into yet another endless, noisy jam. "Forget foreplay - let's get to the good part!". The outro is long on dope and short on sense. On almost all of their compositions that I've heard, they go on about 2 to 3 times the length they should. There's absolutely no sense of control or subtlety whatsoever. Everything is released as is, when it badly needs some trimming and editing. This is the downside to releasing new product every 3 months. I can take raw, loose and under-produced, but it needs focus. Extreme for extreme sake just isn't my bag. Krautrock-exploitation is what it is.

Acqua Fragile – s/t (1973 Italy). Funny that all the track titles and lyrics are in Italian but this is sung in English. They got it backwards! After all these years, I'm starting to actually like Bernardo Lanzetti's vocals. `Morning Comes' is a great opener and reminds me of classic Genesis. `Comic Strips' is just odd, and Lanzetti's vocals make it work. A couple of missteps into dippy Yes territory, before finding a groove again on `Education Story'. The soft focus `Going Out' has a nice psych feel. This leads into the proggy guitar/organ based `Three Hands Man'. Acqua Fragile definitely comes across as a UK band, rather than their Italian counterparts.

Aera – Humanum Est (1974 Germany).
Aera – Hand und Fuss (1976 Germany).
Aera – Turkis (1979 Germany).
Aera – Live (1980 Germany). "Humanum Est", Aera's debut album, sometimes has the feel of a Kraan-lite, but in reality it has more of an organic, laid back groove. I like the flute and acoustic guitar work – and most of the tunes are driven by the bass guitar – a trait I always find appealing. Some of the soprano sax work isn't to my liking, but not offensive either.
--Right away with "Hand und Fuss", it's apparent they're going to kick way more ass than on "Humanum Est". Flashy guitar solos and pounding drums just weren't what the debut was about. And how about some shredding violin while we're at it? Great ensemble melody work throughout.
--"Turkis" is the 3rd album by this long running German fusion act. Considered a "groove" classic by the DJ sampler crowd, this has some good funky jazz runs that were typical in Germany in the late 70s. Fortunately all instrumental, so it stays away from the vocal pop pitfalls that mired Kraan and others down during this period. Some surprises like the organ trance on `Teen Clown' (which is the longest segment of an eleven minute 3 part suite called `Dracula'), the tribal percussion of 'Siebert' and the haunting `Annetchen'. The rumbling bass playing on the title track could pass for Zeuhl.
--"Live": Wow – this was a surprise. After hearing "Turkis", I fully expected this to be yet another German funky fusion album. Wrong. Starts with a thrashy, almost metal riff. I had to check the LP to see if it was the right album! A lot of experimental bits on here with guitar out front. Eventually the funk creeps back in to a familiar sound – but heavier than what's on their studio albums. Oh jeesh – no wonder! Just looked at the liner notes…I didn't know Roman Bunka was on an Aera album?? And this is the one. Well, there you have it! I'm leaning to saying this is the best Aera at this point. Smoking session and completely different than any other Aera I've heard. Oh, and an eleven minute version of "Scooter Future", one of my favorite tracks on Embryo's "Reise" (known as "Lost Scooter" there).

Aesma Daeva – Here Lies One Whose Name Was Written In Water (1999 USA).
Aesma Daeva – The Eros of Frigid Beauty (2001 USA).
Aesma Daeva – The New Athens Ethos (2003 USA). Wow. I don’t know what to say, other than "The New Athens Ethos" is something special. I’m such a novice at “Gothic metal”, that I hesitate to comment much further and make comparisons and the like. Otherwise I’m setting myself up for bonehead comparisons that my non-music friends make when I give them a CD. “That Ozric you gave me reminds me of Rush”. Yea-huh. I can say this is a LONG way from bands that I have heard in the style like 3rd and the Mortal, The Gathering and My Dying Bride. Also, there is no beast here – just beauty. There’s not even that much metal – but when present it’s just brutal – so it’s effect is very pronounced. In fact the opener ‘The Origin of the Muse’ is the only overt metal track on here and sounded like a direction Therion could’ve taken after “Theli”. Other tracks mix acoustic with Crimson-ish guitar leads – and all sorts of atmospheres and soprano vocals (which don’t grate and remain beautiful throughout). The 15 minute epic ‘The Dawn of New Athens’ had me completely mesmerized. Brilliantly produced.
-- "The Eros of Frigid Beauty". I can't get enough of this group. "Eros.." is more orchestral with more liberal use of brass and strings instruments. In many ways, these guys remind me of the pioneering work by Believer on "Dimensions" without the proto-death vox. This one has a bit more of a programmed feel than "New Athens". I think a lack of more organic percussion hurts this just a tad and it doesn't appear to have the emotional wallop of its successor.
-– "Here Lies One Whose Name Was Written In Water". LOL on the title - bet you can tell what genre this falls into! (Tom's mythical gothic album will be called "Parched, I Thirst"). Having been quite enchanted with the last 2 AD's, it was time to belly up to the bar for the debut (how's that for an incongruous vision?). Interesting to note that each new album is heavier than the last, is less programmed and more progressive. As with all their albums, this one is gorgeous. You can really tell a difference between this and a band like The 3rd and the Mortal in both production quality and in overall feel. These guys really deliver in the atmosphere department. More use of electronics here adds bonus points. Almost no metal on this one – an electronic gothic album for the most part. I find it very enjoyable.

Affinity – s/t (1970 England). Typical of other jazzy progressive bands of the day, with fuzz, organ, great melodies (some cover tunes) and, of course, the beautiful voice of Linda Hoyle. The closest comparison would be Mad Curry for those familiar with that obscure Belgian act. Think of a more jazzy Circus 2000 or Sandrose.

Age - Dimension (1982 Belgium). Relatively harmless three-piece band (two on synthesizers and one on drums) from Belgium who released two albums in the early 1980's. Dimensions is their second effort and contains nothing more than ten throwaway electronic instrumentals. I would be overly generous to compare this to early 1980's Tangerine Dream but stylistically that's what Age are shooting for. Sweet and saccharine (more like what T.D would become later in the decade). However it must be said that the addition of real drums saves this from a complete waste of time. Good for sampling and little else. It does, however, sport a nice fantasy cover.

Agincourt – Fly Away (1970 England). In the low budget folk psych bag. I'm sure PBS (Public Television) inquired about their services for "The Electric Company". This was in Black & White when most everything else was in Technicolor. Some Woodsy the Owl sounds to boot. Clap, smile, shake your head, sing a song and get happy. Gets better as it goes with more instrumental room including some nice flute leads. In the end, related group Ithaca is much better.

Aigues Vives – Water of Seasons (1981 Germany). On paper, and in practice, German folky albums sung in English are a dicey proposition. Unless they go the cosmic rock route ala the “Acid folk Pilz” bands like Holderlin’s “Traum”, Emtidi’s “Saat” or Broselmaschine, you probably can expect a schlager influence here or there. But Aigues Vives avoids the beer drinker plugs, and sticks to the extended complex arrangements that can make folk rock interesting. Nice flute, violin and guitar leads. Not Emma Myldenburger, but a fine discovery by the good folks of Garden of Delights.

Ain Soph – Hat and Field (1986 Japan). First time I’ve heard since the 90s. And no change to my opinion. When you boldly go forward with a name like “Hat and Field”, it better be meaty, complex, charming and melodic. And you can tell that is what they’re trying to do! But it has a 1986 new agey production and period instrumentation that takes both the meaty and charming parts out. It’s mildly complex. The melodies aren’t too bad, but a tad too breezy. Bands like Machine and the Synergetic Nuts have proved the Japanese are more than capable at this type of sound. Ain Soph were a prog band at heart, but couldn’t seem to master the logos of it all.

Air - Teilweise Kacke... ...aber Stereo (1973 Germany). One of the most obscure albums from the vast Krautrock scene, Air’s sole album from 1973 has just recently surfaced to the collector’s market. It’s easy to see why. Translating more or less to “Partially Shit… …but in Stereo”, and featuring a plain white cover with “Air” in gothic lettering, one gets the impression this was made for fun and distributed to friends and club patrons. Musically it could be categorized as instrumental rock, not that distant from what one would find on a sound library album. That is, generic incidental music used for television and films. Maybe not 100% accurate, as these cuts do seem to be self-contained composed pieces, but similarities do exist, especially considering how simple the songs are. Organ is the featured instrument, and the tones are ancient, more akin to 1965 than 1973. It’s even older sounding than the organ used by Erlkoenig, if that’s possible. The organist doubles on flute, but the playing is more 18th century classical than Osanna. The electric guitar is primarily used only for rhythm and is lacking any kind of rock tone effects. And, of course, there is a drum solo to suffer through. The easy comparison would be the Roland Kovac New Set (another German sound library group), but misses their strong jazz background and creativity, and thus is far less interesting. In conclusion, Air is not a bad album at all, and does make for a nice curiosity. However I wouldn’t want a CD reissue label to waste valuable resources on it either.

Aksak Maboul - Un Peu de L'Ame des Bandits (1979 Belgium). Rock in Opposition (RIO), it is often said, is hard to typecast but you know it when you hear it. Aksak Maboul are a walking definition of the movement, yet they sound like no other band as a whole. However, bits and pieces of dozens of styles and groups are obvious. This is the milieu mail-order houses like Wayside favor. And for me Aksak Maboul makes for a fun, and at times, exhilarating listen. Un Peu de L'ame des Bandits, Aksak Maboul's second effort, contains nine tracks which are all over the map musically. The opener, "A Modern Lesson", has that unique This Heat rocked-out feel with a loose, improvisatory, female vocal style similar to Gutura (an obscure French avant progressive act). This is followed by the two-part "Palmiers en Pots", a relatively traditional homage to 1920's Polish living room dance parties. "Geistage Nacht" is the requisite Zeuhl number with great throbbing bass by Fred Frith and excellent winds work from Michel Berckmans and leader Marc Hollander. Also noticeable here is a pioneering version of what would later be known as "Drums N'Bass" music. A great track! "I Viaggi Formano la Gioventu" is a trip to the Middle East with dumbeg and cello playing traditional scales. Similar in some ways to Agitation Free circa Malesch without the psychedelic guitar. So naturally a distorted noisy punk number ("Inoculating Rabies") would follow, although all through the mayhem are some nice composed bassoon and bass clarinet work. It's all about contrasts with Aksak Maboul! And finally the four part "Cinema" closes with a fantastic early Univers Zero-like chamber rock workout. However Aksak Maboul experiment more with free noise than U.Z. ever did. Also worth noting is the inclusion of some fabulous tortured Heldonish guitar from Frith. The CD release contains a bonus track which recalls the opening track. Overall a very good album and one that is considered de rigueur for RIO fans.

Aktuala – La Terra (1974 Italy). Aktuala are one of the original world music hybrids from Italy. First track mixes an Indian groove with harmonica, which is… weird. Next track has some free blow sax within a general Eastern acoustic setting. Violin dominates the 3rd piece. Last track is the best of the lot and, not surprisingly sticks to an Indian raga trance. Would’ve liked to have heard more fusion on the album overall, but still nice.

Alacran - s/t (1971 Spain). Alacran is considered one of Spain’s rarest albums alongside Maquina’s “Why?”. Despite a strong Santana vibe, most of this album is pretty average hard rock, and the vocalist is (no good way to put this) terrible. Remarkably, you can find a legit CD on the Disconforme label.

Albatros – Garden of Eden (1978 Germany). This one reminded me a lot of Faithful Breath’s “Fading Beauty” album. Despite only 3 very lengthy tracks, not much happens. Quite a bit of singing, an amateurish production and a dearth of interesting ideas. Starts out promising, as if to state it would be more of a hard rock album, but just never gathers any momentum from there. Kind of a snoozer.

Albergo Intergalattico Spaziale – s/t (1978 Italy). Sounding more like it was recorded in 1971, with organ as the predominant instrument, AIS's only album is a triumph of early electronic music. Mino di Martino (ex I-Giganti) plays the keys while his wife Edda "Terra" di Benedetto provides ethereal and avant vocals. Terra looks like a fashion model, so I can image this being quite a visual and aural experience live. Modern shoegazers would freak on their pioneering of phased "lost" female voice with dense electronics. In the 90s, this would have fit perfectly on Ventricle, and I wouldn't be surprised if this was considered the prototype for the label.

Gli Alluminogeni - Scolopendra (1972 Italy) A fun one-off (though the band pointlessly got back together in the mid 90s) from the classic era of Italian progressive music. There really seems to be no point to this, other than to allow lead vocalist and keyboard extraordinaire Patrizio Alluminio to lend his name to the band and noodle around on his organ, mellotron, piano, electric piano and harmonium. But then there is an unrelenting charm about Scolopendra. The songs are more suited for the late 1960's psychedelic scene than the 1972 Italian progressive rock movement. The keyboards are way out of place here; Patrizio plays with a distinctive jazzy style that hints there is a talented player trapped in the wrong field of music. Best of all, some of the songs will change completely midstream without any reason at all. Sure the Italians are famous for this, and the abrupt transition usually makes sense in retrospect. Here, it doesn't. Not at all. And it's a beautiful thing to behold. Check the break on "La Natura e L'Universo". Pure brilliance. Or incompetence. I'm going with the latter and will condescendingly call it 'quaint'. "Thrilling" is another example of Gli Alluminiogeni's random songwriting ability. For true drop dead belly laughs, one must scan the back cover for the threads these dudes are wearing. Two of the band members cut the shag carpet out of Mom's living room and decided to construct evening wear out of it. And the proof is there for the ages. No, Gli Alluminogeni are not going to win Jeopardy against Museo Rosenbach or Semiramis or even the Partridge Family for that matter. Ah, what the hey, I still like this album. Cannot rationalize my feelings, just there is no other album that sounds quite like it. And a good listen for organ freaks like myself. There are even a few good guitar riffs. Psychedelic organ music from Italy is a rare breed indeed.

Alrune Rod – Alrunes Rod (1969 Denmark). Alrune Rod on their debut are heavily indebted to Pink Floyd, with a distinctive Euro-flair. Not nearly as creative as Group 1850, but a surprisingly mature debut and sounds excellent for a band from 1969 Denmark. Great organ and guitar throughout. Too much emphasis on the somewhat mediocre singer mars what should be a major 60s prog landmark.

Amulet – s/t (1980 USA). If you’re looking for the real deal when talking the late 70s American underground hard rock guitar scene, then Amulet is for you. You can’t fake this. There’s nothing flashy, slick, pretentious or commercial about this release. Just a bunch of guys who gave you an honest dollars performance, because they knew their audience didn’t have much of it. Straight from the mines to the tavern for some Iron City Beer. Amulet was always the featured band, even on Tuesday night. And if the groupie girls were there – well, then, the night was to be remembered forever….

Andromeda – s/t (1969 England). Like an organ-less Deep Purple Mk. 1 on amphetamines. Maybe the group Gun is another reference. I really enjoy these crossover British psych / progressive acts from the turn of the 60's. British psych enthusiasts love to call this album "ultra progressive", which is kind of funny in light of what was to come. But psych heads never were the most adventurous of listeners, so any album that sports more than one multi-part suite is likely to get tagged as progressive. And there are three here! With 8 bonus tracks, and not a dud among them. John Cann went from here to Atomic Rooster to perform some more great hard rock music.

Anyone’s Daughter – Adonis (1979 Germany). Sigh. Time to admit albums like this don’t move me anymore. The post Genesis movement had gained some traction in Germany and Anyone’s Daughter was one of the more known groups to climb out of the scene. Their music was one that had the good sense to watch the charts while infusing a little complication as to maintain some musician integrity. These bands anticipated the neo prog movement by about 3 years, and did benefit from it, though they came at it from a right angle. Early 80s progressive catalogs would always include Anyone’s Daughter – they were easily Germany’s number #1 export in this category. “Adonis” is a good album, but there are plenty of ordinary rock moves here that went down better in its day. If you like the more melodic side of progressive rock, then Anyone’s Daughter still must be considered for the collection. My CD (I even once had the original Brain LP) is on WMMS, one of the original reissue labels (and they also had a large stable of new groups). Label is kaput. Unfortunately it was in the era of barebones reissues, with no bonus tracks or history. Not much to hold on too here then. Sell bin.

Aquarelle - Sous un Arbre (1978 Canada).
Aquarelle - Live a Montreux (1979 Canada). Aquarelle were a late 1970s band based in Quebec, who released two wonderful jazz influenced rock albums. These aren’t garden variety fusion albums, but rather deeper works where a strong sense of melody pervades. And there’s a definite cross pollination of sound with other Quebec based groups, such as the Polydor era of Maneige, or Contraction, especially at the time of their first album. Violin, piano, flute, saxophone and wordless female voice provide the distinctive ingredients whilst electric/acoustic guitar and a lively rhythm section solidify the base components. On “Sous un Arbre”, the mood is light, with emphasis on melody, rather than the more typical technical chops contest. The record has a positive aura, a special something that adds light to the room. For their second album Aquarelle took the unusual step, at such an early stage, of doing a live album though most of the material is entirely original (exception is the closer, which is a nine minute extended version of the opening track from the debut). Throughout, the compositional style is similar, except there are obvious plays to appease the jazz crowd, perhaps to be expected at a famous jazz festival. For example there’s the inclusion of electric piano, more soloing (especially saxophone), the addition of some funk (which was popular then), less female voice, and the electric bass playing has more of a “warm” sound as opposed to the more direct rock appoach of the debut. All of these are slight detractions from the special sound of the first album, and thus rates slightly less, but scores a little better with traditional fusion fans.

Aquila – s/t (1970 England) Been over 12 years since I’ve heard this one. UK group typical of the era, utilizing sax and flute to augment the usual g-k-b-d format. Rough tinged vocals. Echoes of Diabolus (especially) and the debut albums of Gravy Train and Raw Material come to mind. Fine organ solos with nice contrast provided by acoustic guitar. I like the way the band grooves over the harmony. Drum solo doesn’t help, but relatively short. Album closes in melodic horn rock way ala BST, or more to the point, Brainchild. Looks like my original assessment was off the mark some and better than I remembered.

Arco Iris - Los Elementales (1977 Argentina). Like a lot of people, I first encountered Arco Iris through the New Age bins in the 1980s. But similar to other bands from the southern cone of South America such as Chilean’s Los Jaivas and Congreso, Arco Iris had gone through many iterations as a rock group. Many bands caught the fusion bug in the late 70s, and Arco Iris were no exception. Plenty of fast, tight jazz rock with guitar, sax and ARP soloing that recall the big names of the day like Weather Report, Passport or Return to Forever. As always with Arco Iris, the flute and piano are a nice touch. They also mix in some symphonic progressive on the flip side. Strong release.

Armageddon – s/t (1975 England). Two-thirds of Steamhammer join up with Keith Relf and drummer Bobby Caldwell (Captain Beyond) to create one of England's better hard rock albums from the mid 70's. Plenty of progressive angles, and it didn't hurt that some of the killer riffs from "Speech" are recycled. Comparisons to prime era Zeppelin are inevitable, if not entirely accurate. `Buzzard', `Paths and Planes and Future Gains', and `Basking in the White of the Midnight Sun' kick serious booty, with plenty of great leads from Pugh. `Last Stand Before' shows their collective blues rock roots whereas the only duff tune is the overlong emo style track `Silver Tightrope'.

Artillery - Fear of Tomorrow (1985 Denmark). It's been at least two years since I sat down and listened to a good old fashioned headbanging thrash metal album. There was a time in the 1980s when not a day would go by without a fix of thrash. Surprisingly I never did get around to picking up the Artillery albums in their heyday. They had received glorious reviews in Kerrangg, and even more importantly for those of us who lived in the underground, Metal Forces! They were one of the few bands that could go the distance with Metallica in those days, critically speaking. The reason I didn't buy them then was for the usual college budget reasons, and their albums were only available as UK imports (Neat Records if I remember right). Listening with 2008 ears, Artillery's debut is certainly not anything that hasn't been done hundreds of times before. But Artillery were one of the first, and for that they get credit. All these years and thousands of crazy albums later, and I still like a good, solid thrash metal album...

Ashkan – In From the Cold (1969 England). UK heavy blues rock, obviously spurred on by the success of Cream. Not as ballistic as Elias Hulk but I do dig that wah guitar sound. Other than the trad blues piece `Backlash Blues' and the short and goofy `Slightly Country', this one stays true to the rock aesthetic. Some of the jams get intense with fuzz solos and pounding drums. Long album for the era closing in on 50 minutes. Vocals are an acquired taste, not unusual from the blues rock camp.

Asoka – s/t (1971 Sweden). What a blistering opening, fuzz bass in your face while loud guitars pile on. From here it hits the smorgasbord of early Swedish prog, with a strong accent on blues rock. Plenty of great breaks gives it the prog feeling. Can't avoid comparing this band to Led Zeppelin, albeit through that unique Swedish filter that makes music from there so exciting. More progressive than, say, November, and prepared the local listener to one day be ready for the Mother of all Swede prog bands in Trettioariga Kriget, who would show up just a couple of years later. Band evolved into the much recommended Lotus. This is the new Mellotronen digi-pak release, first time ever issued from the master tapes.

Atila - The Beginning of the End (1975 Spain).
Atila - Intencion (1976 Spain). "The Beginning of the End" was an inauspicious debut to say the least. Handed out as a promo to guests of their live shows in 1975, the album is a rough mix of instrumental hard rock with an incredibly long drum solo for such a short album. Due to the nature of its distribution, this had long been considered one of the crown jewels of Euro prog. Nowhere near deserved of its lofty reputation, much less the four-figure price tag, the album serves as nothing more than an odd curiosity of the very early post-Franco era. Best avoided except for completists.
--Obviously their promo technique worked, as major label BASF signed the group for their second effort, "Intencion". This album shows what the band can do if given some time in the studio. Borrowing from classical motifs, Atila added what can only be called a vicious guitar sound with some strong organ/synth playing and quite a bit of drum action. Side two is a rework of the debut album, here titled in Spanish as 'El Principio del Fin'. Starting with a Phantom of the Opera-like organ, the piece explodes into a Black Sabbath guitar riff before settling into an easy groove with moog, organ, and fuzz guitar jamming. Plus the requisite drum solo. A must for progressive fans who like psychedelic sounds.

Atoll – Tertio (1977 France). This is from the original Musea CD, and I didn’t realize how quiet the sound of this particular release is. I had to practically crank it to the maximum just to get it to a normal volume. Does everyone else have this CD, or a more recent one? Being that Atoll plays in a favorite style for me – dramatic French vocals, complex and aggressive sections with guitar and keyboard leads – and the fact that predecessor “L’Araignee Mal” is one of my Top 50 albums ever…, I keep expecting that “Tertio” will finally knock me over. But it never really does. “Tertio” was actually my introduction to the band, via stumbling over one of their import LPs in the 1980s. I admit to liking it much more now, than on original impact, as the unique French song style has long since won me over. Maybe dropping the violin, or some of the hysterics of the previous album are what hurt. I mean – it’s still a very highly rated 11, but just want more from it I guess.

Herbert F. Bairy – Traumspiel (1980 Germany). One of the few albums that really goes under the heading of "indescribable". As with Canada's Franck Dervieux, Herbert Bairy is one of those true geniuses that assimilated all that was around him and pretty much created his own sound. There's nothing here that points to 1980, or 1970, or even today. It lives up to the truest meaning of progressive. Elements of opera, folk, West Coast 60's psych, jazz runs, electronic classical and space rock all find their way on here, not as separate bits, but all blended as one. Pierrot Lunaire's "Gudrun" provides a guidepost. Not in sound, but in adventure. Excellent. On the Inak CD label (In-Akustik is the parent company).

Los Barrocos – Sin Tiempo Ni Espacio (1974 Argentina). Recorded in 1972. I’ve had this on the wish list for about 12 years now, so I was thrilled to see a legit reissue come out through Viajero Inmovil. Comes in a nice fold open “uni-pak” facsimile. Like some bands from Argentina, Los Baroccos possess similarities (song style, complex charts) to the Italian progressive rock movement, perhaps more so than most. Violin is substituted for the keyboards, and thus references to Quella Vecchia Locanda’s second album, and to a lesser extent early PFM, are apparent. What’s interesting to note, concerning these references, is that “Sin Tiempo Ni Espacio” was actually recorded in 1972, prior or equal to the referenced bands. The dual lead guitar approach is unique in this setting and even foreshadows fellow countrymen El Reloj on their sophomore effort. This one lived up to its reputation.

John Bassman Group – Filthy Sky (1971 Netherlands). In the late 1980s, at the point I first started collecting “heavily”, the Netherlands’ John Bassman Group was a new discovery for many of the catalogs and big name dealers. But unlike many such “new” discoveries, “Filthy Sky” pretty much disappeared right away. So almost 20 years later, I’m finally hearing it. Could’ve gone another 20. Mostly run of the mill blues rock – a couple are closer to the barn than to the brick alleyways. There are a couple of great tracks – especially the second one, which has some of the coolest wah wah effects this side of Amon Duul II’s “Tanz Der Lemming”. Mix of XX and XY vocals. Might appeal to fans of Affinity and Goliath, but it’s not that meaty really.

Luciano Basso – Cogli Il Giorno (1978 Italy). Here, Basso is a long way from his prog rock classic "Voci" (which was reissued by Vinyl Magic almost 15 years ago). Marginal for inclusion in this list. Not because of its quality, but rather that it's more of a contemporary classical album than anything prog psych underground related. There's just enough electric guitar and synthesizer runs to keep it here. (BTF reissued this on CD in 2008).

Bauhaus – Stairway to Escher (1974 Italy). Bauhaus has been pitched to me as a Soft Machine, Out of Focus, Missus Beastly blend of jazz rock. Probably the latter 2 groups are a stretch… and maybe live Soft Machine circa 1972-73 is fair. I've also seen it compared to Perigeo, and that's definitely where this group built its campfire from. But whereas Perigeo seems to get stuck in the polished fusion mud (mixed metaphor?), Bauhaus has a much more raw sound and energy about them that is completely endearing. What I particularly enjoy is the nimble guitar playing, but with a raw biting fuzz sound. The ensemble playing is highly melodic (sax, electric piano, guitar), another great quality. Fantastic rhythm section. Sometimes the group will go in no man's land as the jam will hit a dead end road and they'll just grind their way through it. Since it wasn't really meant for release to begin with, hard to fault it too much. Sound quality is absolutely top notch for this kind of release.

Beacon Street Union – The Eyes of the Beacon Street Union (1968 USA).
Beacon Street Union – The Clown Died in Marvin Gardens (1968 USA) The debut reprsents some of the best psych I've heard in awhile. "The Eyes…" starts out inauspiciously with some goofy narration though mops up nice with a good hard psych piece. Then the requisite duffer ragtime bit followed by an awful "I got the blues, I got the blues real bad" type of song. But from track 4 on out, we get all sorts of great psych, with interesting proto-prog moves, lots of fuzz, good grooves.
-- "The Clown Died in Marvin Gardens". The followup album (on the same See For Miles CD) is even better – especially the killer fuzz opener. Again they tend to curve downwards (orchestration, lame dramatics) before raising up the imagination quotient. `May I Light Your Cigarette' is a strange one, reminding me of Fille Qui Mousse, of all groups. 16 minute `Baby Please Don't Go' is a barely recognizable version with blistering fuzz throughout.

Ben – s/t (1971 England). Proving once again that the bootleg vinyl of the 1980s probably did more to harm my appreciation of the fertile British scene than anything else. Not to say that this jazzy piece would’ve been to my liking given my heavily favored diet of symphonic prog at the time. The opening pieces pack the most wallop here, with strong Soft Machine styled rock through the jazz filter. The further it goes, the more it gets lost in trying to find a groove. Still, a wonderful piece and completely out of place on the otherwise heavy rock influenced Vertigo Swirl label.

Black Renaissance (Harry Whitaker) - Body, Mind and Spirit (1975 USA) Kozmigroov classic that screamed for me to listen to many more times. I had some paperwork to do this weekend, and I must've heard it 5 or 6 times through. Now THIS is music to work too - calms the nerves and puts things in slow motion to think more lucidly. Very nice jazz grooves, good sax and trumpet solos, some weird electronic effects (incl a dentist drill!), and some trippy vocals w/ early rapping. Why didn't rap stay this way? I would've been a rap fan! Anyway, good stuff throughout.

Black Sun Ensemble – Elemental Forces (1991 USA). This and "Lambent Flame" are difficult albums to get into primarily due to the vocal tracks, which are alternative styled and not very well done at all. The highlight is, of course, in the instrumental psych guitar work which was emphasized on the first two (highly recommended) self-titled albums. In reading a bit about main man Jesus Acedo – it appears he suffers from mental illness and this was the period in which it was first discovered. Under medication now, his last 3 albums are supposed to be much better. Certainly the best band to have emerged from Tucson, Arizona.

Blackwater Park – Dirt Box (1971 Germany). One of the more highly valued German hard rock albums, this one never had much impact for me. But I will say it’s better than I remembered, and there are at least two cuts that are pretty aggressive, and dare I say, almost creative. It’s a good 9er, and probably more for hard rock hounds. This one received an early reissue treatment, as one of the pioneering quality labels (Second Battle) tackled it.

Blind Guardian – Imaginations From the Other Side (1995 Germany). Spent 2 days listening to this. My first try at Blind Guardian and was told I need to hear many times to fully appreciate. So far, the first listen and the 5th listen are the same. Capsule: 1980’s Helloween on speed with a light smattering of arena/Scorpions moves. The neo-classical metal movement is something that I just haven’t gone whole hog for, unless you consider Iced Earth in this genre and then we have some separation. How many articles I read that said the vocalist is amazing? I don’t get that either. Well, anyway, I’m not slamming this by any means… it’s actually bot bad at all.

Blops – Locomotora (1973 Chile). Basically “Locomotora” is an instrumental rock album from Chile with flute, piano, organ and fuzz guitar providing the lead work. Not particularly complex, but also not kitschy as the Italian instrumental psych albums like Blue Phantom or Underground Set. Opening track is the most innovative and provides some unique atmospheres. And last song’s wordless harmonies won me over. I’m not familiar with the Blops prior work, but it’s my understanding they are quite a bit different from “Locomotora” – and are more based in folk pop with some psych.

Blue Effect & Jazz Q Praha – Coniunctio (1970 Czech Republic). Even though both Poland and Czechoslovakia had decent jazz scenes, I’m still sometimes amazed at some of the freaky madness that came out from behind the Iron Curtain during the height of their repression. Despite being a bunch of uptight, cowardly abusers, the Communists sure did let some radical things slide. I guess if there weren’t any subversive lyrics involved, then what the hey? Jazz Q Praha provides the skronking free jazz sax parts, while Blue Effect adds in the unhinged psychedelic rock parts. It’s not an easy listen, but it does get points for pure expression.

Blue Sky Theory – Good Place, No Place (2006 USA). Like I said about Crime in Choir, the Bay Area’s Blue Sky Theory are probably more of what I expect out of a modern progressive group. The first 4 tracks are really something – highly spirited rock, that’s extremely compact and complex. Sort of how Echolyn were in their early 90s prime. In a couple of places even the ghost of Yezda Urfa makes an appearance – and when was the last time you heard a modern band sound like that? They can be that dizzying! Vocals are primarily female, and she has that full bodied voice that reminds me of Tale Cue – in fact, that’s another reference overall for their sound, along with possibly Leger de Main due to the pace they keep. A traditional 5 piece, it’s the guitarist that really stands out. He rarely solos, but plays all sorts of complicated charts, in the rarified distorted sound category. Has to take some gumption to lay it all on the line like that. Like a lot of modern bands, BST have a lot to say, which frankly gets in the way of the good music. I can appreciate a good story, maybe more as context for the music, rather than explicitly sung. Strangely, the hyper intensity of the first 4 tracks are completely abandoned afterwards for a much more straightforward sound. Closer to a typical indie rock, with a few surprises here and there, but nothing at all like the opening. It’s almost two different albums. To be fair, it fits more with the story line… but I did find my mind wandering. According to the band’s website, it appears the band will focus more on an “atmospheric” sound. Can’t blame them – all that complexity can be tiring to many audiences, plus it’s not typically a good thing for the personal ledger. No matter, Blue Sky Theory have an entirely unique album here. One that could be considered a landmark for future fans and bands.

Tommy Broman – Efter Midnatt (1976 Sweden). Out of nowhere comes this crate digger special. Dealers scream Santana, and that comparison alone proves they (dealers) just need to go away. But what we do have here is 9 strong instrumental compositions with Broman providing electric leads (wonderfully affected with wah, fuzz, phasing, etc..), Bjorn J:Son Lindh on flute, and others on electric piano, congas, and whatever else was gathering dust at the studio. The 70s Swedish ensemble Lotus came to mind, however Broman probably caters more to a label exec’s mind of what an instrumental album should sound like, as opposed to the brilliant melody writing of Lotus. Hey, nice score for someone who’s looking for something new in the instrumental rock space.

Budgie – s/t (1971 Wales). Budgie are the masters of the heavy blues riff. `Guts', now that's a title to open an album with! Shelley's high pitched soft voice provides the yin to Bourge's heavy fuzz yang. It's Ozzy/Iommi all over again without the inert creepy stuff. Some nice jams and acoustic bits flesh this out nicely. Easily stacks up well against other UK heavies from the day like Elias Hulk, Black Sabbath and May Blitz. And with song titles like `Nude Disintegrating Parachutist Woman', `Crash Course in Brain Surgery' (made famous by Metallica) and `Rape of the Locks' (about a haircut) – well, how can you go wrong? It's blues based riff rock & usually 3 or more per song. I like that.

Buffalo - Dead Forever (1972 Australia)
Buffalo – Volcanic Rock (1973 Australia). Buffalo were Australia’s most powerful hard rock band, and maybe its most known until AC/DC came along. “Dead Forever” is their debut and contains a mix of Sabbath heaviness combined with the usual boogie rock that is the trademark of the Australian rock scene. Not bad, and they were to improve on the follow-up. Now available as a beautiful tri-fold CD through Aztec Records.
-- Buffalo’s second album "Volcanic Rock" takes out the boogie rock and blues of the first album “Dead Forever” (which I briefly spoke of recently) and leaves a pretty darned good straight ahead hard rock album. I’d say it’s one of the finest in the “slo burn” style. It just keeps cooking, ever so slowly. Pulverizing rhythms and omnipresent guitar solos. That is until part 2 of the last track, ‘Shylock’, which has one of the all time great riffs in rock history. I have to think Black Sabbath knew this record, as ‘Symptoms of the Universe’, which came 3 years later, is very similar. I still need to hear the follow-up “Only Want You For Your Body”, which is here somewhere.

Bull Angus – Free For All (1972 USA). Last album by obscure US band, whose 2 albums on Mercury graced the $1 bins for years – but now are quite collectable. Similar to the first, a mix of hard rock, bar boogie, late psych and proto prog. Organ and guitar are the focal instruments. I also picked up a distinct “Midwest Prog” sound on a couple of tracks, which prompted me to do a little research. Turns out, they’re actually from upstate New York, but did do extensive touring in the Midwest region. They opened for major acts like Fleetwood Mac and Deep Purple, so they may have had some impact amongst the crowd. A good friend of mine will tell you Bull Angus were the best US band ever, and he’s heard a ton of music, so they definitely had something going on.

Burnin’ Red Ivanhoe – WWW (1971 Denmark). “WWW” (now THAT’S a forward thinking title) has its roots in the early jazz rock tradition, with clear influences coming from the Canterbury camp. I do appreciate Side 1 more, as it has that unique Continental European take on the Canterbury sound, not that dissimilar to Supersister, however more jazz rooted than Zappa. Plus an unusual avant organ piece. Side 2 has a lot of soprano sax, an instrument I’ve struggled to warm up to. I’ve always felt this was an album I’d dig more than I do – but it’s never won me over completely.

Butterfingers – s/t (1970 USA). The first half of this album is a very predictable brand of blues psych, and induces yawns at an alarming rate. Then out of nowhere there’s this crazy instrumental called ‘High Walkin’, that’s part lounge, part jazz rock, part psych. They throw in one more clunker and then things start to get really weird. As if Dieter Dirks slipped into the studio for the final mix. Now we know the real inspiration for the Marcus “From the House of Trax” album! There’s phasing, the vocals are slowed down, the jams get longer – the guitar louder. I settled on a 9, but there are 17 minutes here that are closer to 12 territory. Cesar – this has your name on it man. LP and CD reissues courtesy of Shadoks (and their precursor label Little Indians). Nobody knows anything about this band, but we’re told it’s from the “Midwest”. Now how do they know that?

Cal – s/t (1980 Spain). Another old tape I found hiding in the back of a drawer contains the impossibly scarce Cal record, which is nigh impossible to search for on ebay (think about searching for “Cal”). Not to mention the constant confusion with the similarly named Cai. Definitely another second generation Triana like band, though with a jazzy edge – which puts it in more Tabletom or even Guadalquiver territory. Can be a little ‘Copacabana-ish’ at times, if you know what I mean. Typical dramatic vocals definitely a plus. They display some nice chops here and there as well. Side 2 of the LP is more interesting and enough to keep the grade.

Capsicum Red - Appunti Per Una Idea Fissa (1972 Italy). Been a long time since I heard this one and it’s better than I remembered. One thing holding it back is an abominable production. Guessing master tapes are lost like most Bla Bla label albums. Capsicum Red are yet another Italian beat/pop group who attempted a jump on the Italian prog bandwagon. In the same league as J.E.T., but no one killer cut like ‘Fede, Speranza, Carita’.

Caravan – Waterloo Lily (1972 England). As a long time Caravan fan, I've always been terribly disappointed with "Waterloo Lily", probably because I wanted it to be `Nine Feet Underground' Part 2. For this listen, I tried hard to separate and that worked, as much of this is better than I remembered. The lengthy `Nothing at All' is a lazy Canterbury jam that has its own charms. `The Love in Your Eye' was always the one I turned to as the saving grace to keep from the sell bin. And it has aged extremely well, still a highlight reel song as it were. As for the other four tracks, there is the irritating movement towards Pye Hasting's worthless pop aspirations (he just never did get plugged in right did he?) – but some of `em break into instrumental bits worthy of any early 70's Canterbury album.

Casa das Maquinas – Lar de Maravilhas (1975 Brazil). Starting with the album cover, "Lar de Maravilhas" has strong resemblances to early Premiata Forneria Marconi. Somewhat mellow, song-oriented, but with a clear progressive approach. Advanced arrangements for acoustic/electric guitar, organ, Moog and complex rhythms. Not that this is any "Per Un Amico" or anything, but there are a few similarities.

Chief Mart’s – Morning Maniac Music (2003 Luxembourg). Well, this certainly is the best thing I’ve heard from Luxembourg. It’s the only.. yea, you know what I'm going to say right? Somewhere between Tortoise, Ozric Tentacles and early Amon Duul II (in ideas not sound), you‘ll find these space cadets, hiding in a hut after a train ride from the Amsterdam hash house. The production needs a lot of work (overloaded bass, guitars are tinny, other instruments like flute are buried in the mix, drums are upfront and fake sounding), but these guys are on to something. This is their 3rd release (second CD)... next one hopefully ties it altogether. Credit Aural Innovations for yet another unique and oddball find.

Circus – s/t (1969 England) Most famous for featuring Mel Collins on flute and sax, later of King Crimson. For what this is, it's outstanding. Jazzy progressive instrumental work, with fantastic musicianship and great tones. But, and it's a big but, most of the material are cover tunes. Some are more recognizable than others, and pretty much feature extended improvised, and thus original, jams on most tracks.

Clear Blue Sky – s/t (1970 England). Guitar fueled power blues trio, with lots of room to jam. Reminds me of May Blitz or maybe T2. A more freaked out version of this style can be heard in Germany with Guru Guru and Ash Ra Tempel. Since there are vocals, this does stay more true to the UK style. Their vocals remind me of Flash strangely enough. Flute on last track recalls what Osanna would do on "L'Uomo".

Clicker – s/t (1973 USA). Private press rock LP on the Hemisphere label out of Madison, Wisconsin. First 2 tracks are straight forward early 70's rock all the way, though they feature mellotron on the 2nd track. One of the rare places where I really think they used the instrument as a strings sampler rather than as moody accompaniment. This is followed by an atmospheric acoustic guitar driven instrumental. Then a Yes-like proggy piece, having that uniquely Midwestern approach (e.g. Starcastle or Albatross). Another rocker and a short quirky instrumental close out Side 1. Side 2 starts with an amalgamation of their prog and rock tendencies. This leads to the 16 minute closer. After a retarded 2 minute introductory narrative, we are treated to a surprisingly great jazz rock instrumental (though there's an overlong and somewhat uninteresting guitar noodle solo section (with no other instruments)). Is usually hyped as a hard rock album, and that's very misleading. Works pretty well in the prog genre.

Colorstar - Via Le Musica (2001 Hungary). Colorstar are a Hungarian band who play in a somewhat similar style to fellow countrymen Korai Orom. They are more electronic/beat oriented and less psychedelic, and that’s what creates quite a separation for the two bands IMO. Still, Colorstar’s music passes the time easily, and since it’s a full band effort, that mitigates the boredom factor that can sit in with non-dance listeners of electronica.

Contrevent – Terre de Feu (1993 Canada). This is certainly better than I remembered! Excellent grooves with violin and guitar (with nice fuzz tone) providing the solos. Nice use of vibes and acoustic guitar too. Keyboards range from atmospheric electronics (excellent) to digital brassy interludes (negative). Rhythms are jazzy scattered with thundering bass (though the rare slapped bass makes me wince). For modern fusion prog, this is tough to beat. If Contrevent would have exploited their more rough edges (like the fuzz bass), this would be a bonafide classic. Still very good as it stands.

Coronarias Dans – Breathe (1970 Denmark).
Coronarias Dans – Visitor (1973 Denmark). Coronarias Dans are one of Denmark’s most famous embryonic jazz rock groups. “Breathe” is pretty much straight up jazz, but in a European free style kind of way. The standup bass gets a good workout and, combined with some superb drumming, makes for an interesting work from a purely jazz perspective. By the time of “Visitor” the band is still focused squarely on the jazz aesthetic, but now they’ve added rock guitarist Claus Bohling (from Hurdy Gurdy), and his psychedelic shredding is a much needed boost, and distinguishes “Visitor” from other albums of its ilk. Claus would go on to help form Secret Oyster, and add the same style of guitar to all of their albums as well.

Cortex – Volume 2 (1977 France). Many, many years ago I heard Cortex’s 3rd album “Pourquoi?” and trashed it off as disco, never bothering to return to the band name again. Now I’m wondering if there wasn’t more there, as “Volume 2” could just as easily be considered “disco”. But on close inspection there is so much more happening here, it would be a tragedy for fans of the French fusion sound to ignore. Sure there are the fat beats, especially on the opening track, and the requisite white-boy funk track to follow. But as the album continues, the beats become more subtle, with plenty of jazz fills, while the bass player introduces some Top/Paganotti moves. Horn charts, tortured electric guitar solos and piano/Rhodes leads began to dominate. And when the flute takes over… oh, those melodies will be forever etched. This is a really good one and you can boogie on down with it too. I can go for another helping of this.

Couer Magique – Wankan Tanka (1971 France). And here’s another one that I haven’t heard in well over a dozen years. The LP used to be relatively common, so I picked it up back in the day for about $15 I think – and promptly sold it for $15. Shrewd. In any case, nice to get another shot at hearing it. Interesting to hear the French language in such a standard rock setting. I’m so used to the dramatic approach of Ange and their brethren. Album is at its best when Claude Olmos rips on guitar over some West Indies tribal percussion. Long track towards the end catches a nice groove as Claude jams in the same style Sugarloaf did on ‘Green Eyed Lady’, which is cool. Nice West Coast rambling guitar piece to close. This is better than I remembered – with the strong ending noted.

Country Lane – Substratum (1973 Switzerland). A diverse set of tunes, going anywhere from heavy proto-prog to jazzy bits and all in between. One could draw a dotted line with the Belgian scene at the time – like Shampoo, or even Lagger Blues Machine, for example. Zappa is, of course, the quoted reference by the band. Country Lane were Swiss, but from the French districts, an area almost completely without representation in the prog circuit (Docmec and Galaad are all that leap to mind).

CWT – The Hundredweight (1973 England) Another one that I haven’t heard in over a decade. UK group, whose album was originally released in Germany on the Kuckuk label, who play an unusual mix of hard rock with a horn section. This isn’t horn rock in the tradition of Chicago or other such bands, but rather they are utilized as tight accent instruments, similar to what Tower of Power would do for bands later in the decade. A little heavier than most from the era, but nonetheless a fairly straightforward rock album with few surprises. Vocalist goes for the Ian Gillan domination trick. Organ and flute round out the standard rock and horn instrumentation. Good record and, like Aquila, better than I recall.

Cykle - s/t (1968 USA). In the late 60's there were hundreds of bands from every corner of the United States playing a mean sound known as garage rock or psychedelic punk. Cykle were but one of many of these. Hailing from Fayetteville, North Carolina, Cykle released their self-titled sole album in 1969. Like many bands of the era, Cykle received no response from the majors and decided to do a private pressing hoping to catch their attention. No doubt the album struggled to get out of North Carolina! As such, today the album is very expensive as there very few copies to be had. Cykle were a tough guy act, with mean fuzz tone guitar and a punky Mick Jagger-like frontman. Most of the tunes are in the two- to three-minute range and feature lots of 'tude. One highlight for the band was the inclusion of organ which gave the band a more melodic side. The last two tracks are the standouts. The four minute "Do My Thing" and the 7 1/2 minute "What You Do To Me", display more creative songwriting and allow for more diverse instrumentation such as piano and organ solos. Overall, a nice curious piece for psych collectors though nothing extraordinary.

Czar – s/t (1970 England). Czar’s sole album is one that is usually targeted for the dreaded “overrated” term I so despise. And I can see where some folks may be turned off by this album, especially when compared to the competition of early 70s England. But if one REALLY analyzes it, most of this album was recorded in 1969 (it was released at the beginning of 1970) and should be considered a pioneering work. The most obvious comparison is CothCK King Crimson, and that’s no surprise as we learn that Czar in fact did play with the Crimson King back in those days. Czar were one of the early bands to drench their album in mellotron, and when combined with organ, they were able to present quite a powerful statement. There is some definite holdover from their psych days as a band called Tuesday’s Children, and on some of the poppier tracks, The Moody Blues come to mind. How do I know so much about Czar? Because the album has finally been reissued legit on Sunbeam Records. Features outstanding sound, awesome liner notes from former band members, photos, the whole works. We learn things like the album should have come out on Vertigo, but for reasons still not understood, Philips put them on their Fontana imprint. We also learn that the last track was unfinished and wasn’t meant to be on the album, but rather another long jam session with a classical mid-section was intended (and is included as the only worthy bonus track). And through these bonus tracks, we can hear that Czar was absolutely going in the WRONG direction as a hard blues rock act, which is not surprising given that keyboardist Bob Hodges had packed his gear and left. Overall, proving once again, that bootlegs do more damage to perception than almost anything else. Czar deserves its worthy place in history.

Demon – British Standard Approved (1985 England). Demon is a band I remember from the old NWOBHM days. I'd see their albums in the bins next to bands like Saxon, Iron Maiden, Motorhead, Angel Witch and Samson, but never bothered to pick them up. All these years later, and the band is STILL going. Finding info on the group is tough, as they are truly a cult band, with hardly any non-fanboy comments to be found. As I understand it, "British Standard Approved" is their "Pink Floyd" album. Yep, pretty much true, especially 80s Floyd. Not metal at all by this point (I've read they are back to metal now), and so I was expecting the worst. It was only a $5 investment and I'm glad to say it was well spent. Funny enough, it reminded me of another mainstream band from the era experimenting with a progressive past: Supertramp's "Brother Where You Bound". The first part of the disc is surprisingly good, with an upbeat, but not too dumb-downed rhythm, and some ear catching moments. The latter half bogs down in the mud with a lack of mobile ideas.

Franck Dervieux – Dimension M (1971 Canada). One of those true "origin of the universe" albums, as it really doesn't sound like anyone else. Certainly the first progressive rock album from Quebec (only Vos Voisons had an album this early in the style), its typical of a pioneering release. Completely off the wall in its approach, yet highly melodic and structured. Nothing sounds like this album and yet it's familiar as well. Heavy on the keyboards (mainly organ and piano), with wordless female voice, violin and some good fuzz as well. Rhythmically creative as well.

Diamond Head – Lightning to the Nations (aka The White Album) (1980 England). Some say this is the original NWOBHM album. Certainly was the most Sabbath influenced of the original groups, with the least amount of punk’s wide ranging influence at the time. Most of the music numbers are familiar due to Metallica’s coverage of four of the songs. In fact, Lars Ulrich says Diamond Head was the most influential band on their sound. ‘Am I Evil’ is a monster of a song with a monster of a riff – like a lost classic from “Master of Reality”. ‘Sucking My Love’ is an 8+ minute track with great soloing. If great riffs are your bag, then this is a must pickup. Excellent CD reissue on Sanctuary has 7 bonus tracks which are culled from singles and EPs from 1980 and ‘81. These are more UFO/MSG than Sabbath/Priest and a definite step down.

Dies Irae – First (1971 Germany). Dies Irae starts off poorly with a “mouth harp” disaster, before launching into some pretty creative heavy rock. In fact, I bumped this one up two points, as I completely missed its value when I had the LP some 15 years ago. And what I missed, and I wonder if anyone else has caught, a very strong semblance to one of Krautrock’s most revered albums: Scorpions “Lonesome Crow”. It’s not near as solid as the Brain label debut album, and does have a couple of more clunkers to sit through, but there’s enough here to warrant a couple of listens. And makes me wonder if the Schenker boys hadn’t lent an ear prior to waltzing into the studio.

Dillinger – s/t (1974 Canada).
Dillinger – Don’t Lie to the Band (1976 Canada). In some ways, the debut album by Dillinger is darn near the perfect early 70s progressive hard rocker, with grungy organ and loud guitar, fronted by an extra testosterone laced lead vocalist. One can easily see this band being label mates of Spirit of Christmas (both were on Daffodil), though Dillinger were certainly not as ethereal. But there are a couple of downers – one is their rancid rendition of a Spirit track – and, gasp, the obligatory over long drum solo on the side longer. The Daffodil library is owned by Unidisc, so now a CD is readily available.
-- If Styx were from Toronto instead of Chicago, they’d go by the moniker of Dillinger. At least based on the merits of this sophomore effort. So in laymen terms, that means a more concentrated effort on the proggy bits and less attention paid to the radio. After a really dubious start (who’s BAD IDEA was it to do a funk version of the Beatles’ “Taxman” anyway?), this finds its sea-legs by track 4 and goes into extended prog rock territory ala Yes and Starcastle (who themselves were also just rolling in 1976) for the remainder. Also a real thrill for you analog keyboard heads, as they throw them all out there! If your idea of a great time was seeing a band at “The Agora” on Wet T-Shirt night and getting tanked on Molson, then Dillinger are for you. Especially if the Molson beer made you see God during the “heady proggy” parts. Far out.

Doldrums – Acupuncture (1996 USA). I bought a lot of these Kranky / lo-fi type releases in the late 90s. Most did nothing for me, and seemed more hype than actual quality goods. However I kept the first two Doldrums albums, not that I thought they were earth shattering, just they had more than the usual drones and washes. In listening to this, I can see some of the appeal, with loose psychedelic jams and overloaded fuzz guitar. Lots of wasted space on here though, with random bleeps/noises and other discordant ideas. This fits somewhere in the middle of the 90s space rock / shoegaze parade.

Dream Theater – Train of Thought (2003 USA). Compared to prior albums, "Train of Thought" is a little darker in tone, a tad heavier in sound and no throwaway tracks as what can be found on most of their other output. Say what you will about DT, but these guys have the best chops in the business and their material would probably be 2 points lower without them (in fact, the countless Italian and German imitators are just that). They still have a tendency towards post-hair AOR chorus/harmonies which keep them from ever reaching that next level. Of course, it's the instrumental breaks that separates DT from the pack and why I continue to be pleased with almost all of their output. It's not just that they execute with incredible precision, or that they play a million notes a second – no, it's the originality of each one... there's really no way of knowing where they will take a jam... and that still makes for an exciting listen to me.

Drum Circus – Magic Theatre (1971 Switzerland). The 25 minute title track is unlike anything I've ever heard (when was the last time you could say that?). I cannot compare it to anything. It's purely avant-garde rock. I could see it having an academic title like "Modern Percussion and Spoken Word Concerto with Rock, Jazz and Eastern Instrumentation". It's the sort of track that gets in your head and eventually becomes a monster, or you realize at some point it's all just nonsense. I'm not sure where it will go yet. His other two compositions aren't that much easier to digest with Timothy Leary providing the "wise" lyrics. Joel Vandroogenbroeck's offering reminds me of the opening tracks of "Cottonwood Hill". Otherwise, the album has a distinctly MPS jazz-rock school approach ala Association P.C. The 8 minute `Groove Rock' is the highlight of the album and it comes from this latter school. Clearly this is not a cohesive effort and each tune represents what they would do on their own. A really weird album, but one that is strangely satisfying. Time and place I'm sure. Wonderful archival release from Garden of Delights.

Alain Eckert Quartet – s/t (1981 France). When I think of the Cuneiform label and terms like “avant progressive”, the music of the Alain Eckert Quartet is exactly what I expect. Like an earlier version of Forgas Band Phenomena, or a more playful and less serious Univers Zero. Compositionally strong, with a penchant for jazz, though a bit academic, without a strong sense for the groove. A good one for the brain, but lacking a bit in excitement.

Edition Speciale - Horizon Digital (1978 France). And with this 2007 reissue, Musea completes their Edition Speciale series. "Horizon Digital" has always been my favorite of the three, and the only one I also kept on LP (and will continue to do so, as it features an extraordinary cover). The group started inauspiciously with "Allee des Tilleuls", a misfired attempt at American funk. But "Aliquante" was a punch between the eyes - a fast paced, tightly interwoven instrumental fusion album, indebted to Mahavishnu Orchestra to be sure, but of the highest quality. Most folks rate "Aliquante" the best, and it's understandable why (and Musea's reissue of same is a must buy). "Horizon Digital" combines the high energy fusion of "Aliquante" with a much better understanding of the funk they tried on their debut. After mixing those two, they took the end product and added some Zeuhl elements, ala Zao, to create a diverse, and highly creative effort. CD is of the usual high quality Musea standard, taken from the master tapes, with unique liner notes. Also included are 5 tracks (totaling around 27 minutes) of the proposed 4th album from 1980. These tracks are fully developed and show the band incorporating the French New Wave movement. One can hear the same type of sounds as also found on Superfreego, Lievaux - Transfo, Foehn and Odeurs. Overall, a great package from Musea!

Eela Craig – s/t (1971 Austria). Features one of the greatest openers of all time with organ bombast and some screaming voice followed by soft electric piano and flute. Love all the jazzy interludes with fuzzy rhythm guitar and flutes and electric sax soloing. Some atmospheric Krautrock electronic bits. Track 5 with the chunky organ and lethal fuzz guitar... I'm passed out! Even the vocals aren't as atrocious as usual from these parts (still not the highlight by any means). Got the right grooves and feel. Lots of moments that put me in a trance. Very nice CD reissue on Garden of Delights.

Egba – s/t (1974 Sweden).
Egba – Jungle-Jam (1976 Sweden). On Egba's debut you'll hear a band playing more towards a jazz sound rather than rock. Nice flute, (e) piano and jazz-tone guitar runs within the confines of tightly arranged compositions. Some African moves foreshadows what Archimedes Badkar would do on “Tre”. Long track on the backside contains a funk rave-up with fiery solos from sax, guitar and electric piano. This copy includes a live cut with a distinctly Latin jazz vibe with quite a bit of solo percussion. Not an Earth shaker, but I get a little more mileage out of Egba than I did from the similarly minded Swedish group Kornet. The addition of flute makes the difference I think.
-- For "Jungle Jam", they sure don’t play drums like this anymore! And that’s a shame we don't, because we see the results of this guy really propelling what could’ve been a garden variety US sounding jazz fusion album. But this being Sweden and all, we have that unique flavor that comes from not seeing the sun 4 months of the year. And pale white guys emulating the occasional ghetto funk piece is always good for a laugh anyway. 7 piece group lets it all hang out on these 10 energetic compositions. Wah-wah and flute groovers too! For my dead president, better than the more recognized Swedish group Kornet. Naturally no CD exists as is typical for the more jazz influenced bands of the progressive era (though you can download both these album from their own website for free!). Somewhere between Return to Forever and an instrumental Mandrill.

Eider Stellaire – s/t (1986 France). Thought I’d throw in a quick note on the second album. I’d always thought the drop off on this one was immense. And maybe it still is when compared to the massive debut. But really the first half of this album is definitely an interesting approach to the formula. Much more atmospheric with a world music edge. Had it maintained the course for the duration, it would’ve been a fine album on its own merits. The second side is closer to fuzak, recalling maybe Musique Noise. Or as I said about them 15 years ago, they sound like the Zeuhl lounge act at the local Ramada Inn. Both this and their first album would fit comfortably on one CD and that’s how it should be reissued I think. Many labels have tried in vain to get these reissued (especially Soleil Zeuhl), but Michel Le Bars has no interest unfortunately.

Emergency - s/t (1971 Germany). And with this, I’ve now heard all 4 Emergency albums. I first heard “No Compromise” and “Entrance” as far back as the mid 1980s, as their albums were reasonably easy to find back then - except for this debut. Emergency were Germany’s number one horn rock export, surpassing the Brain label’s Creative Rock and Harvest Record’s Round House in popularity. Brain later signed Emergency to supplant Creative Rock as their horn rock representative. Honestly, they had about one good album in them, that they unfortunately spread across 4 discs. Each album has at least one barn burner track, with tight horn charts and excellent fuzz leads. Followed by slow blues, insipid pop and other twaddle. The vocalist is right out of the Blood, Sweat and Tears school of “whoa whoa whoa” isms. I suppose if I had to pick one album out of the batch, as a representative of their sound, it would be this one. If this sounds up your alley, the German label CMP have reissued both of their CBS albums, this included.

Emma Myldenberger – Tour de Trance (1979 Germany). I’m decidedly not the foremost folk rock fan that you will find. Generally it’s too based in tradition for me to hear it for anything other than what it is – folk music. But occasionally a band will break convention, and add a unique twist that really does make it progressive. Ougenweide, Emma Myldenberger ain’t. But nor is EM like Emtidi, Broselmaschine or Hoelderlin either. No, this is gather round the rathskeller music - if the establishment was there in 1342. Haunting, tribal, primal and downright groovy, I like the way “Tour de Trance” keeps driving the beat with hand percussion while the acoustic guitar strums non-stop in the same way that the palm muters do in today’s metal culture. The only other comparison I can make is the 16 minute ‘Groove Inside’ track from Parzival’s “Legend” album. Except this goes pretty much through the whole album. I’ve had this on LP since the early 90s and it’s great to now have the new Garden of Delights reissue, which is as usual, absolutely essential. With photos, histories, great sound and bonus tracks (catching the group in a more typical bar setting), it’s another winner from GoD.

End Amen - Your Last Orison (1992 Germany). End Amen were on one of the very first specialist prog metal labels: Germany's Institute of Art (they also released Inner Strength's sole album as well as the the first CD issue of those tech metal pioneer's Watchtower ("Energetic Disassembly"). End Amen were comprised of members from Deathrow (a highly underrated technical metal group) and one member from Psychotic Waltz. What separates End Amen is the heavy use of electronics. Not in the usual industrial way, but in a prog rock style - sometimes even early techno. The only weakness is the German doing English vocals problem "Veerld inn deecayah, Veerld inn deecayah" (World in Decay). The title track is a brilliant instrumental with beats and electronics and a brutal, yet memorable thrash riff. There are way more instrumental sections than vocals, which keeps this at a high level. Totally unique, one-of-a-kind, highly recommended album. It takes a few listens to catch on - but it's something that sticks with you.

Epidermis – Genius of Original Force (1978 Germany). Another one of those WMMS reissues, here’s one I was certain would find a parking space in the sell lot. A bunch of English speaking Germans doing Gentle Giant style choruses is an invitation for disaster. Maybe they found the only 5 Krauts who could sing. Who knows, but the production of this oddity is one to behold. It’s counterpoint by the numbers, in a slick tile restroom, but it works. This album doesn’t make any sense, so I’m bound to dig it.

Epitaph – s/t (1971 Germany).
Epitaph – Stop, Look and Listen (1972 Germany). It wasn’t that long ago that I reunited with Epitaph's debut, originally released on the Polydor label. I stated late last year: “First song was the sort of breezy rural rock that made “Outside the Law” such a drag. But after that, Epitaph shows a strong progressive side, with plenty of complex structures to go with those guitar solos. And quite a bit of mellotron for a Kraut group.”. Shortly thereafter, I was pleased to find out that Universal had done a digi-pak re-master, with a nice history and 5 excellent bonus tracks. And now I have it here. I even take back what I said about the first song above, as it rocks harder than implied. Unfortunately, Epitaph weren’t able to repeat the quality found on their debut, though “Stop, Look and Listen” is still worth checking out. The group has actually reformed a number of times and are still active. They long ago became a run of the mill hard rock group, so I don’t hold out any hope for a return to their 1971 creativeness. Somehow I doubt the mellotron was theirs...
-- After a revisit of the debut had me much impressed, I immediately went after their follow-up ""Stop, Look and Listen" as well. Epitaph are unusually melodic for a classic Krautrock band. There’s some of the “West coast rural rock” that the 3rd album “Outside the Law” would exploit, but not so much to ruin this one. Keyboards are taken away, so guitar becomes the feature. For the four bonus tracks, wah wah funk rocker on ‘Are You Ready’ is super. Dopey good time rock n roller ‘We Love You Alice’ foretells the future. Overall, a good one for the hard rock flavor of Krautrock.

Ersen – Dunden Bugune (1975 Turkey) I haven’t heard a lot of the Turkish psych albums, but Ersen have one of the better reputations from what I can tell. It’s appropriately exotic and Middle Eastern sounding. The temptation would be to state that Ersen are to Turkey what Triana are to Spain. But they’re not progressive in that sense. Take out some of the fuzz guitar (great sound BTW), and it’s not that dissimilar from a lot of popular music that comes out of the Arab world (and presumably Turkish world too). How would I know? Well one of my many brother-in-laws is Palestinian and gets all the Arab TV networks. He usually just has it on when we’re over, and despite what it might seem here in the US, they pretty much play Egyptian soap operas (with some scantily clad women, which can be a surprise…) and pop music shows just like everywhere else. And much of the music is quite interesting. These TV bands are regional pop rock music through and through and some of the instrumentation isn’t half bad. So Ersen would fit comfortably there, even if Ersen are Turkish. And besides it’s fun to hear with the large quantity of psych guitar and old organ sound.

Estructura – s/t (1980 Venezuela). Interesting album from Venezuela, and enough has caught my ear to upgrade to a CD if one comes out. Has ultra progressive bombastic prog, mixed with high energy funk, acoustic moments, dramatic female sung ballads, glee club pop and cheesy 80s synths. One part with narration and keyboard followup is almost a direct lift off of Latte E Miele's "Passio Secundum Mattheum". The drummer lights it up though, and he adds points to what could've been a drag. A real mixed bag this one.

ExhiVision - s/t (2004 Japan). This one at one time received a lot of chatter on the music boards, and the name Kenso has been loosely tossed out. Apparently Kenso has a different meaning to me than others, as this isn't the Kenso sound anymore than Dream Theater sounds like Metallica. Same genre, different animal. To me, Kenso means symphonic fusion, a hybrid rarely seen outside of Europe except for the aforementioned Kenso. What ExhiVision are is the typical Japanese slick, chops heavy fusion that sounds like it was created in a laboratory. The worst part is it has a lot of fretless bass, which produces that warm sound and I keep expecting Kenny G to pop out of nowhere, nodding his ugly ass head and cranking out that nasty soprano sax. No soprano sax thank God and fortunately, Akira Wada does a nice job with the guitar, and adds some metallic tones to give the sound some life. And it's not a tuneless parade either. So it does have many positive merits, and I can deal with the heavy handed digitalitis it suffers from.

Fantasy - s/t (1970 USA). One of the more oddball reissues, with the Swiss label Black Rills reaching over the pond and reissuing this unusual Californian group, who released one eponymous album on Liberty - which I'm sure was quickly forgotten upon release. Then again, maybe it's not so unusual as Fantasy have that unique European take on the Jefferson Airplane sound, themselves of course also from California, to the point of defining the time and place altogether. So we've come full circle maybe? For the first half of the album, Fantasy reminded me heavily of England's Julian's Treatment or even the Belgian act Mad Curry, and their European subtle, yet sophisticated, variation on a quintessential hippyesque American original. Featuring a powerful female vocalist, nasty fuzz guitar overlays and a stronger than normal melodic ability, Fantasy would seem to be one of the very best of the early US progressive rock acts. But they couldn't maintain through the whole album, as they started to paint with a wider brush, as to say they weren't sure what style might stick in the Billboard parade. In the end, it's another massive-potential-but-ulitmately-wasted opportunity from the endless sinkhole that was the post-psychedelic 1970 American rock scene. With a nice legit CD reissue available, while most of their brethren are stranded in bootleg land, Fantasy may well be the best option to sample this curious breed.

Joe Farrell – Moon Germs (1973 USA). The album that proves that Stanley Clarke could've been a badass Magma fill-in for Paganotti or Top. Kozmigroov classic with some great grooves mixed with complex jazz structures… sure wished Farrell wailed on the flute more than the soprano sax, but that's just my preference of said instrument and that the soprano is my least fave of the sax family - however flawed that logic may be…. `Bass Folk Song' is definitely the track that I enjoy the most.

Fire – Could You Understand Me (1973 Yugoslavia-Netherlands). Yugoslav group living in The Netherlands. This is one of the most guitar fuzz overload albums you'll ever hear. High energy hard blues rock, with great drumming/bass work and constant fuzz leads. Compares closest to Icecross, but this is more blues based and a bit heavier. Only misstep is a trad blues style number. Final 9 minute instrumental `Flames' has to be heard to be believed. I feel comfortable going on record as saying this track has the most EVIL and MEAN sounding fuzz in the history of recorded music. Forget Archaia, this is the peak of that sound. God knows where they got those effects, but I wish more bands would use them! If you don't know what evil and mean fuzz is, get a hold of this album.

G.F. Fitzgerald – Mouseproof (1970 England). Fitzgerald and crew mix some Brit jazz, through the Canterbury filter, on to Zappa, through some folk bits while throwing in dashes of zany humor. My goofball meter was in the red zone for some of this. Eclectic, and rates pretty high with most folks I know, but my tolerance for silliness in song is quite limited. Good record, but not consistent or satisfying throughout for me.

Flute & Voice – Imaginations of Light (1971 Germany). Going back over 20 years now, “Imaginations of Light” has to be considered one of my very first “Holy Grail” albums, which is a term that reflects the anticipation more than the actual result. It also had to rank as one of my first big disappointments. I just couldn’t see how this could be anything but a winner. A 1971 Krautrock album, on Pilz, with a stunning cover, and flute as a dominant instrument. I said it then, and I’ll say it now, but it sounds like a backroom rehearsal. It’s one of the most low-key albums ever made. But it’s not meditational or peaceful. It just sort of rambles with Les Paul era guitar sounds, flute, sitar, and some disembodied voice. I’ve revisited this album about once every 10 years, and my opinion has changed nada. It’s pretty much a yawner… though I still feel compelled to give it a 9. It’s a street cred kind of thing I think.

Fooz - s/t (2001 Spain).
Fooz – Space is Dark… It is So Endless (Spain 2005). Spanish band in the stoner genre. I should've laid off this one, their debut, seeing the origin of the band. Carefully studied retro approach lacks soul or invention. Obvious Sabbath/Kyuss moves throughout. The acoustic accompaniment adds a Budgie-like sound and gives this (some) redeeming value. Not a hint of Spain here... just plagiarism done in earnest.
-- "Space is Dark… It is So Endless" sounds like a Bongnaut title to me (they must’ve rejected “One Note for Grasskind”). I had the debut by this Spanish band and settled on a mediocre grade. It was like most modern stoner groups – they just didn’t do anything new or unique (Sabbath roots, Kyuss modern metal touches, Hawkwind atmospheres. YAWN). So, how does this compare? Someone’s been listening a lot to Hawkwind’s “In Search of Space” with all the acoustic guitars and swirling electronics. LOL, now I read it’s a cover of ‘Space is Deep’. I had the right band, wrong album (remember I have no documentation here). 3rd track goes for the ‘Planet Caravan’ Sabbath vibe, but it’s not near as trippy. Still quite interesting. Yet another cover of ‘Astronomy Domine’ is the 6th track here. Turns out this album’s first 6 tracks (guitars are primarily acoustic) are unique and the rest is the reissue of the first album. And the band had broken up prior to this release. Hmmm… I do like the acoustic numbers better than anything prior, without the 2 covers.

The Fourth Way – Werwolf (1970 USA). Groove fusion with electric violin and dirty Rhodes (and if ain't dirty, then what's the point?). Ring modulator baby. In fact, that and the spastic drumming are what make this work. So fresh and cutting edge for the time. The end of this particular mountain hike is the band Love Cry Want, the peak of the style. Fourth Way are a little too loose in spots, but overall this is my kind of early 70's fusion. Gritty.

Fred – s/t (1971 USA).
Fred – Notes On a Picnic (1974 USA).
Fred – Live at the Bitter End (1974 USA). The debut is a tough album to get into – as it represents some styles not normally associated with early 70's prog, psych, jazz, what have you. There's some "Appalachian Mountain Music", some Crosby Stills and Nash and some fuzz psych prog – all rolled into one. Some of the vocal/song sections are pretty impenetrable as far as my appreciation goes. However, the instrumental breaks are fantastic. The one major exception to this is the single "A Love Song", a brilliant piece of psych with incredible guitar fuzz on both the melody and solos + the organ backing is a nice touch. The violin solo is another highlight. I have the impression their other two posthumous albums are more geared towards their instrumental side – so I need to pursue. This is a borderline classic, but it just doesn't cross that threshold and stays too close to the hills. They really do find some nice grooves though. It's just oh-so-close.
-- I was more than fascinated by Fred's debut as stated above. So I picked up their other two posthumous releases from World in Sound. I predicted, or rather hoped, these would exploit their instrumental side. "Notes on a Picnic" is everything I had hoped for and maybe more. Great ensemble instrumental rock, with a jazz slant. Guitar, violin and electric piano provide the leads. All of the more annoying parts of the debut are gone… though this is very different in style from that one altogether. Other than a few nods to Stateside styles (traces of urban funk and mountain music), this could've just as easily come out in Europe around the same. This is quite simply "European rock" aka progressive rock or fusion. Proto-Boud Deun would be a fair tag as well. Bonus cuts are more funk rock and really don't add much to the CD (even if they are pretty good for the style). Highly recommended.
-- "Live at the Bitter End" is a high energy Mahavishnu inspired instrumental fusion album. Violin leads galore with some good guitar thrown in. Decent non-soundboard live recording, though organ is completely flushed out and overall a bit tinny. Probably the last one to pickup of the 3 by this fascinating, and recently discovered, Pennsylvania group.

The Free Design – Sing For Very Important People (1970 USA). While on the topic of children’s songs, here’s those considerably more harmless hippies The Free Design performing original songs for children. The band is so doggone innocent, you can’t help but feel all warm and fuzzy when hearing these little ditties. Stark Reality they ain’t! Probably the greatest harmony group from the 60s, even besting The Beach Boys in their most psychedelic phase. If only American Idol was looking for this kind of vocal talent. File under extinct.

The Freeborne – Peak Impressions (1967 USA). Pretty forward-sounding psych given the 1967 release date. Varied and deeper than most. Bands like Strawberry Alarm Clock were also here but more immersed in pop. The Beatles of course dabbled with these sounds as did the Doors. Maybe closer to some of the Vanguard bands of the day, like Listening or The Far Cry (who were both also from Boston). Lots of instrumentation (trumpet, sax, organ, piano, fuzz guitar, cello, harpsichord, recorder amongst the usual), many meter and style changes (freak out psych, early prog, jazz, sunshine pop, folk, baroque), loads of vocal effects. A truly innovative album.

Freedom’s Children – Astra (1970 South Africa). Fresh Music also gives us the first legit issue of Freedom’s Children’s middle album “Astra”. Unfortunately the masters were lost in a studio fire, but this CD version is the best I’ve heard to date (including an original LP copy – which are almost always beat to hell). A wild, muddy ride through the dense forest of cosmic early Pink Floyd combined with the heavy rock of the Vertigo Swirl bands. It’s all good.

Friendship Time – s/t (1976 Sweden). No sense letting Transubstans have all the fun, not when Mellotronen digs up an archival find like Friendship Time. Holy Moly, these are the kind of unreleased recordings collectors live for. A full blown professional recording that was slated for release on Virgin (I mean Virgin? That’s big time for a rural Swedish group). Reminded me of the day that the Norwegian post-Host group Deja-Vu was discovered in the mid 90s. Friendship Time play an English inspired brand of prog rock, not necessarily the big 3, but a cousin of that: Flash. I always felt Flash were highly neglected, perhaps not meeting the lofty standards of the mothership band (nor the keyboard heavy approach). There’s also a distinct Swedish rock sound found here – notably Trettioariga Kriget (especially at the time of the second album) and the laissez faire melodicism of the first Lotus album. Beautiful digi-pak release with histories and photos. No brainer pick up for Euro prog heads.

Frumpy – By the Way (1972 Germany). I did hear this one back in the early 90s, but hell if I remember it. So this is my “debut” grade. Yee-hah! Country rock German style. Well that’s how it starts anyway. Next track is a nice poppy number with good organ grooves. Throughout some good guitar crunch, plenty of organ, extended blues numbers, etc… Some of the guitar/organ jams are sublime, which contrasts with the barnyard song structures themselves which can be a little too good time rock n roll for my tastes. And, uh-oh, there it is – the dreaded drum solo (not too long). Some lounge psych too. Damn – what a yin/yang album.

G.A.M. (Gunther, Axel, Michael) – Eiszeit (1978 Germany). Even though the liner notes state this was a completed album that never was released during its day, it seems more like outtakes and random studio recordings (noting sound quality and style differences). The best tracks are the ones you expect to involve Schickert, the sound on sound guitar rave-ups with great soloing. But there are other songs covering industrial, rock, ambient and even a weird vocal number. Did catch an early Ash Ra Tempel space vibe on 2 of the cuts as well. By far the best is 8 minute ‘Ich Bin Ein Teil’ which closes the album in monster fashion. Good, but not essential.

Glass Hammer – Shadowlands (2004 USA). Last time I heard these guys was on their debut. At the time I though it was typical of the time, with cheesy themes, cheesier synths and one big fat gouda block of Spinal Citadel. The jr. high school narration was thigh slapping funny. I've been told for a long time they've drastically improved, but haven't bothered to get back in until now. Obviously, I have some catching up to do. Great to see a band not get discouraged (the reviews were pretty punishing at the time) and go for what they believe. First step for me is to admit I have a problem. I like proggy-prog. There. Easier for me to digest than the slightly poppier Flower Kings (at least based on "Space Revolver" which is the only one I've heard to date) and not anywhere near the aggravating pomposity of Spocks Beard. They could lose some of the repetitive chorus lines, but that's about my only serious gripe. I'm sure others would argue that it just apes the past. Oh well, so does that new cheeseburger stand near my house. I like it too.

Grand Theft – Hiking Into Eternity (1972 USA). One of those hard rock obscurities from the early 70's that pretty much falls flat. Seattle group doing the basement concert routine. This is an official CD release (well, maybe…), and it still sounds crappy, so it's as good as it's going to get. The photo of the original 3 (with names such as Crowbar Mahoon and PK Skins) basically has me believing they're from a mental home. 4th member (not pictured) is Loudus Volumous. Since this LP was originally released as a white label with no info, it could very well be the CD company built a made-up story around it. In any case, musically not a bad attempt at the Led Zeppelin meets Grand Funk scene, but it's sonically awful, and so, what's the point.

The Greatest Show On Earth - The Going’s Easy (1970 England).
The Greatest Show On Earth – Horizons (1970 England). These are the kind of albums that I *should* love, but in the end I really don’t. GSOE is at their best in horn rock mode, with some tight arrangements and tough bluesy vocals. Also notable is the extended soloing from guitar, organ and flute. But when they drift into more straight ahead rock numbers, there’s not much to get excited about. I would say GSOE are more UK blues rock than brass rock, and overall pretty average. “Horizons” is marred by a drum solo, and is thus the less preferable of the two.

Nicholas Greenwood – Cold Cuts (1972 England). Heavy organ rock with flute, guitar, strings and orchestra. Somewhere between the complex Khan, the heavy Deep Purple, the arty Second Hand and the proto prog of Locomotive. Solid throughout, though nothing bedazzles quite like the 3 part opener `A Sea of Holy Pleasures'.

Griffin – Protectors of the Lair (1986 USA). Charming old school thrash from the Bay Area root system. At least one of the guys, if not more, ended up in the more polished and professional group Heathen. There's just something great about low budget productions of bands with a lot of heart, energy and soul. The logical extension of the Midwest 1970's hard rock groups. Amongst the great riffs, shrieking vocals (though more subdued than most from the era) and blazing guitar solos, you get goofy semi-spoken dramatic lyric themes, out of place acoustic interludes and plenty of metric changes. Just a blast all around.

Gringo – s/t (1971 England). Obscure English group that I've seen compared to Sandrose and East of Eden. Naw. Maybe later East of Eden and the Sandrose comparison comes from the fact they have a female singer fronting a rock band I guess. Four and five minute songs with forced hooks is the name of the game, but with an occasional progressive break to keep things interesting. A few of the melodies caught my attention, so a couple of more listens to see if it will stick. Audio Archives dull lo-fi vinyl transcription doesn't help matters.

Guru Guru – s/t (1973 Germany). How do you describe this, Guru Guru's 4th album? Side 1 of the album is pretty much drugged workouts of 50's medleys. Must've been the thing to do in Germany in those days, as Ash Ra Tempel also experimented with this bad idea on "Seven Up". But Side 2 more than makes up for it, with 2 stoned journeys along the lines of "Kan Guru" and "Hinten". Some of the fuzz tones Genrich gets are incredible. This closed the chapter on the cosmic acid psych era for Guru Guru, and the reason the band is so highly revered today.

Hairy Chapter – Can’t Get Through (1971 Germany). Another revisit from an album I once owned in the 1980s (and it was too expensive to justify keeping). Same ballgame as the other German hard rock albums from 1971, complete with some harmonica use. Though I will give Hairy Chapter credit for a great production and some extended guitar jamming. One of the better ones in the style.

Kenny Hakansson Spelar – Springlekar och Ganglatar (1978 Sweden). Kebnekaise’s guitarist weighs in here with fuzzy psych guitar versions of Swedish traditional folk songs. Just guitar, nothing else. Imagine Jimi Hendrix recording for the Northside label, and you have a good idea of the contents within. It’s a fun concept, but after about track 3, it starts to get pretty old. Too one dimensional for my ears at least. If this sounds like your cup of tea, the original came out on the Silence label, and they also did the CD about 12 years ago, which is what I have.

Hallelujah – Hallelujah Babe (1971 England). I first ran into the Hallelujah album through the Germanofon bootleg in the mid 90s. I have almost no recollection of it from that period, other than to know I sent it back immediately. Hearing it again for the first time in 12 years, I’m a bit surprised I was so hasty. It’s actually a pretty good album that combines heavy rock with poppy folk. Hallelujah were a British duo, unique in that both were independently working in Germany playing with other bands participating in that fertile scene. Being a duo from England that plays a mix of heavy rock and folk should make one think of Tractor immediately. And that’s not a bad comparison, though Hallelujah weren’t quite as heavy nor as folky in the traditional sense. In fact, a couple of the Hallelujah tracks are quite catchy, and are highlights of the album. About half the album is average, so maybe not essential, but certainly worth hearing. The original LP came out on Metronome, the eventual parent of the Brain imprint. Basically any rock based album on Metronome from 1970 to 1971 would have been on Brain had the label existed then (others include Second Life, Os Mundi’s “Latin Mass”, and a few more). In 2003, Long Hair did get out a legit reissue with one short bonus track.

Hannibal – s/t (1970 England). In that UK blues rock school of sax lead proto prog, similar to Diabolus, Aquila and Raw Material. Some nice guitar work too. Despite the lengthy tracks, there isn’t much in the way of song development. A good album, but not one of the stronger ones in the style.

Harmonia - Live 1974 (1974 Germany). Essential CD pickup for fans of both Harmonia albums (released domestically in the US on Water) . “Live 1974″ is closer to their debut “Musik Von Harmonia”, and thus is more towards their Cluster roots than the Neu! sounds of “Deluxe”. Best of all is the album is completely improvised and features entirely new material. Sound quality is impeccable, and easily on par with the SWF Sessions that have come out on Long Hair in recent years.

Haze – Hazecolor-Dia (1971 Germany). Haze, along with Hairy Chapter’s “Can’t Get Through”, are albums I probably discovered too early in my record collecting career. I was fortunate to happen on these LPs in the late 1980s, but the direct hard rock approach they both took was rather off-putting and I traded to other dealers not long after. Of course, both are highly sought after now and fetch large sums of money (it’s quite possible what I traded for does too, but probably not). So this listen is the first in almost 18 years. And I didn’t remember the extensive use of flute for one thing! Definitely adds color to what may have been an all too generic hard rock workout. Jethro Tull is always the easy out when flute is mixed with hard rock, but sometimes the comparison cannot be avoided. But we’re talking pre “Aqualung” Tull, and makes me often wonder just how influential albums like “Stand Up” or “Benefit” really were (to me, it’s this version of Tull you’ll find most Europeans copying). So if you like the bluesy side of JT, this one may fit the bill. Tolerance for the heavily German accented English is required though. Personally, I bumped this up two points.

Albert Heath – Kawaida (1970 USA). Probably a bit too much in the jazz bag and not enough of the KozmiGroov it's more famous for. Some trance moves, like on the best cut `Kamili', but much of this is a jazz session, which is probably what they were going for. Not as zonked as hoped.

Heaven - Brass Rock 1 (1971 England). I first ran into "Brass Rock 1" at a local record convention sometime in the 1980s. It was a double album and featured an extraordinary multi-foldout cover of a totem pole. With the long tracks and expanded lineup, I figured it would be just up my alley. It was only a few bucks, so I decided to take a chance. And it was indeed up my alley, except it wasn't what I expected. This wasn't a typical 1970s progressive rock album. In fact the only album I had like it back then were the early Chicago Transit Authority albums. But Heaven were different from CTA as well. The compositions were more complicated, and the horn section was more diverse (Heaven featured a 5 piece horn section verse Chicago's three). There really aren't any pop tracks on Heaven, the closest they get to "normal" rock were the more blues influenced numbers. And even those were because of the vocalist, who sounded like he drank an entire fifth of scotch right before the recording. Almost without exception, each track features lengthy instrumental bits, with quite a bit of horn interplay, changes of meter, dynamic shifts, the whole nine yards. And, maybe best of all in the horn rock genre, a wild guitarist who does his best to attack the wah wah pedal during the solo sections ala Terry Kath. Heaven could mellow out too, and weren't afraid to mix an acoustic guitar / flute number to set the mood. Since that time of first discovering Heaven, I've discovered many more horn rock bands, including the UK variety. Other than maybe Brainchild, Heaven is the most developed and, for my tastes at least, the best England has to offer in the brass rock genre. Heaven is wilder than Brainchild, but they do miss that band's touch for crafting magical melodies. It wasn't until 2008 that a legit CD arrived, from the always great Esoteric label, complete with unique liner notes, and the booklet features a poster recreation of the amazing original cover. Highly recommended package overall.

Helstar – Distant Thunder (1988 USA). Yeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, it's tiiiiime for late 1980s thrash metaaaaaallllllllll. Houston's most known contribution to the metal scene. Previously I'd only heard their more famous "Nosferatu", considered a prog thrash classic by many. This is the album prior to that and is riff after riff, shrieking vocals, ridiculously active drumming, some dynamics with acoustic guitar (which exist solely as an excuse for the singer to follow with blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAaaaaaaaaaaa), which concludes with blazing chromatic solos. Could've used a little more meat in the production. The requisite instrumental slays in the early Metal Church style. The cover is the darnedest thing I've seen for a thrash album, looks like something a pop band would do. And it gets the seal of approval from Metal Archives, so it's good to know I'm not into gaycore or anything like that. Whew... big relief that.

Chris Hinze Combination – Mission Suite (1973 Netherlands). Most of the Hinze material I've heard is either jazz or new age, with a very slight rock influence. This album is the exception. Almost the perfect marriage of jazz improvisation, especially in the stand up bass and drum work, combined with strong rock elements, such as electric guitar and the Rhodes sounds. Through it all, Hinze wails almost non stop on a variety of flutes. As good as the best Bjorn J:Son Lindh in this genre. Has a certain feel of the era that is rarely reproduced in these times. Outstanding!

Host – Hardt mot Hardt (1976 Norway). For some reason, over the years, I have developed a strong liking for Scandinavian vocals – or at least I really enjoy the delivery of them. Host were one of the early bands to use their native Norwegian. With the heavy guitars, a strong organ presence, complex song structures, a few dashes of Yes, along with the aforementioned vocals, it's a real mystery I haven't gone completely ga-ga over this title. The early tracks are at a very high level, but it loses something as it goes. There's some almost commercial rock moves in the middle that takes something off. They're missing that extra special "something" that a band like Trettioariga Kriget had during this era.

Hydrotoxin – Oceans (1996 Germany) Hydrotoxin are one of those newer German bands that contain excellent musicianship, work hard, look good and are very professional. And are completely bereft of original thought. As I played through the disc, my mind wandered from "like a metalish Saga" to "well, maybe Queensryche" to "OK, every single bic-lighter sway band on Earth". Basically it's hair rock ala Europe, with a prog metal lean.

Ides of March – Friendly Strangers (1969-1971 USA). This is a 2 CD set on the Rhino Handmade series and includes their first 2 LPs and a few singles. I feel that `Vehicle', the song, is one of the great 3 minute rock tunes of our time. Fast paced, catchy hooks, complex horn charts, fuzz guitar, and sock-in-drawers posturing vocals. Interesting to note they STILL play this song at Soldiers Field for the hometown Chicago Bears. Their lengthy jazzy rendition of CSN's `Wooden Ships' is another eye-opener. It's a great song anyway, but the Ides of Marches' version is incredible. Everyone did a cover of `Eleanor Rigby' back in the day, but none so ambitious as IoM's. Superb. As for all the other tracks (all written by the band)... the less said the better… though there are a couple of decent horn rock cuts. --"Common Bond" is their second album from 1971, and is just as patchy as the first. `Superman' is basically a rewrite of `Vehicle', not as catchy though the mid-section horn parts are a bit better composed. The 11 minute `Hail! Hail! To the Tye Dye Princess' may have a dated, not to mention stupid, title but remains their best self-penned tune, filled with many progressive moves. The rest of the album pretty much stinks save a couple of CSN type mellow folk rockers.

If – s/t (1970 England).
If – 2 (1970 England). If had a pretty good run in the early 70s, before falling out of the limelight rather unceremoniously. You could argue that their success was born from the horn rock movement. And they do retain some of those elements, particularly in the song style, with a poppier feel in the vocal lines. But you’ll also hear quite a bit of the Brit jazz scene that was prevalent in those times, as fused with rock, similar to how Nucleus operated in their infancy. And, finally, there’s some of the sax lead UK proto prog, which I’ve heard quite a bit lately (Hannibal, Aquila, Raw Material). Both albums are inconsistent, but plenty of good fruit to be picked off these trees.

Imagin’Aria – Esperia (2002 Italy). I bought Imagin’Aria’s debut at the time of release circa 1997 and thought it was good enough to keep. A few years later I moved it out as I felt it was a little thin in sound and ideas. So I re-entered on their third album…. and…. no change. Imagin’Aria’s music is a mix of the medieval folk infused rock of Minimum Vital combined with the slick hard rock of 1980’s Rush. There are two very notable performances though. Daniele Perico is an outstanding singer. He booms it out with the best of them recalling some of the 1970s classic era bands. He needs to be recruited for some of the more intense Italian bands on the scene today. Not to be outdone, but the dual guitar work of Peasso and Milan is also considerably above average. I’ve been told their new album is their best, so we’ll give them another shot – they certainly have the right personnel.

Isolation Chamber – Grind Textural Abstraction. (1996 USA). Isolation Chamber is the nom de plume of guitarist Mike Chlasciak. On first glance, this would appear to be yet another guitar hero album in the Malmsteen/Vai/McAlpine genre. I’ve never been a fan of the million-notes-a-minute show off display, and I take the stance that most folks who DO like this kind of album are also musicians (real or imagined). But Isolation Chamber is much more than that... here amongst the million-notes-a-minute, you also get a variety of riffs to play against, keeping it interesting throughout each piece. But even more impressive are the experimental bits thrown in here to offset the onslaught. Strange voices, musique concrete sounds, industrial percussion and Spaghetti Western haunting acoustic guitar sections are all part of the Chlasiak formula. I’d put Isolation Chamber in the same category as Ron Jarzombek and Fredrik Thordendal – i.e. modern metal guitar innovators. I’ve had this album since it came out, and I have yet to tire of it – always a good sign.

J.E.T. – Fede Speranza Carita (1972 Italy). There are few albums that open as strong as this one. The 11 minute title track is right there with primo Il Balletto di Bronzo. "FAY DAY, SPA RAN ZA, CA REE TA" leads right into the first couple of incredible minutes of `Il Prete e il Peccatore' and then … ugh… breaks into a singer songwriter style. Well not exactly as dire as that, but the intensity of the first 13 minutes is never regained. This album usually gets listed as a disappointment, but I think a lot of that has to do with the expectations delivered early on. I've always been partial to the dramatic `Sinfonia Per un Re' and it sounds better now than ever (love those fuzz solos). And closer `Sfogo' is a good, fun, energetic piece. Oh, but that first track… been listening to it for 20 years and it still blows me away.

Jade Warrior - Eclipse (1973 England)
Jade Warrior - Fifth Element (1973 England). Jade Warrior were pioneers of the world fusion genre, though in reality, their early albums didn't really seize the moment as they should have. Like most bands from the early 70s, Jade Warrior were finding their way in the music world, and they seemed to possess three distinct styles. One was the fun times rock and roll band (who can forget "JO-ANNNN, goin to have a PARTY, JO-ANNN..." from "Last Autumn's Dream"). Another was the soft ballad, with flute, acoustic guitar and wispy, but non-distinctive vocals. And finally, the sound that Jade Warrior not only excelled at, but eventually focused on, a hybrid rock world music fusion informed by many distinctive cultures. Fans of the band, I'm sure, must've wondered for years if there was any transition albums from their Vertigo years of "Last Autumns Dream" and before to the Island Records sound of "Floating World" and beyond, as their directional change was quite dramatic. So when indeed it came to pass that there was not only one but TWO fully baked albums in the can, awaiting an initial release, I'm sure JW fans worldwide were in a complete lather. Most certainly these albums would point to the new direction, while maintaining some of the old sound. As it turns out, "Eclipse" and "Fifth Element" sound like extensions of their Vertigo years, with all 3 styles as mentioned above intact. While "Eclipse" is as good as, if not better, than "Last Autumn's Dream", "Fifth Element" proved the band had completely run out of ideas using this methodology and would need a fresh approach. Correctly assessing the situation, Jade Warrior did just that. Both albums are of high quality, and have to be considered hugely important for fans of the group. It is rare that a band will be sitting on so much production quality recorded material without a release. If you love the first 3 Jade Warrior's, these two are a must listen, even if they're not the best of the lot.

Los Jaivas – El Volantin (1971 Chile). I have been wanting to hear the first Los Jaivas since an article appeared about it in Eurock around 1987. So I broke down and forked over a good sum of money for the Shadoks LP reissue (figuring it had a cool cover anyway). I can now see why Pinochet’s dictatorship was scared of this album (and group). This is a long way from the measured progressive rock of “Alturas de Machu Picchu” that would arrive a decade later. “El Volantin” is what I would call freak rock, maybe along the lines of Denmark’s Furekaaben commune or even the political wing of Amon Duul. Most of the material is tribal drumming with wild vocals chanted or screamed on top, not very well recorded either. There’s some indigenous acoustic guitar strumming and pan flute so you don’t forget this is indeed a band of the Andes. The last track is really something – with wild fuzz guitar and frantic vocals. The whole thing is a mess… had it come out today I wouldn’t be impressed at all (fake counterculture doesn’t work for me). But for the time and place, this just reeks of the real underground – you can feel it. A cool cultural artifact and glad I picked this one up.

Jam Camp – s/t (1990 USA). Inoffensive and harmless instrumental guitar rock. Hyped in the day as a Djam Karet type group, this doesn't even earn them a back stage pass. Pleasant but ultimately fruitless.

Jenghiz Khan - Well Cut (1970 Belgium). Jenghiz Khan was one of the first “real” rarities I traded for in the 1980s, in the era when you could still wheel and deal with other hungry collectors. It wasn’t an auspicious start for me. And off it went quickly for something more to my tastes at the time. This Belgian group was hyped as a heavy UK progressive band – which to me meant Yes and ELP not what the term meant to collectors (Warhorse, Steel Mill, Odin, Ashkan, Elias Hulk, etc...) I would years later appreciate where the collectors (most were considerably older than me at the time) were coming from. And sure enough, this revisit paints the group as an electric blues outfit, with fuzzy guitar and an occasional progressive move (theme / dynamic / meter change). Last track is by far the best and most innovative. Even with the lowered expectation, this one is under the bar, and is merely average on the whole.

Jericho Jones – Junkies, Monkeys & Donkeys (1972 Israel). The album released between the psychedelic Churchills and the progressive hard rock of Jericho. And those elements are present here as well. Though primarily the album was a product of its day, and contains a good dose of UK styled blues rock. Nice fuzz tone too. I feel the band were at their strongest with the hard rock ala the Jericho album, but all 3 are worth hearing. Easily Israel’s best collective from the classic era.

Jessica - s/t (1975 Germany). Interesting German prog album that doesn’t get mentioned much. Has a jazzy lounge feel to it with plenty of piano and toned down electric guitar. Also features quite a bit of acoustic guitar. Generally derided for its classical bent, I would say that sound is represented in small doses here.

Judas Priest - Screaming For Vengeance (1982 England). Very nice comeback album after the disappointing "Point of Entry". Nice mix of their faster proto-thrash style combined with heavier anthemic material. 'You've Got Another Thing Coming' holds some Sr. year HS nostalgia for me. 'Take These Chains' is a play for radio and falls woefully short. 'Pain and Pleasure' is another laugher as their endless attempts at S&M material makes one only cringe. Opening 4 songs are maybe the best Priest ever put together to start an album. Title track gets Side 2 off to a roar.

Jumbo – s/t (1972 Italy). Hard to imagine 2 albums more different than this debut and Jumbo's 3rd and final album – only in the span of a couple of years. This is blues rock, harmonica and all. But plenty of great guitar (heavy at times) and organ leads as well. And hand drums and flute go a long way to making this a pleasurable experience. Listening closely, what's on display here is the basis for any Jumbo track – just the instrumentation and experiments going on by the time of "Vietato…" are so much more elaborate, it's hard to imagine that after a strip search, they are really blues numbers in disguise. And then there's Fella himself, maybe the greatest of all Italian singers in terms of raw expression. Oh sure, Leone wins the drama queen award and Giacomo gives Pavarotti a run… but Fella resonates what's on the street man. He's the ghetto brother of Milan. Can only be recommended to those that worship at the Jumbo altar, otherwise you'll get strange looks.

Kaipa – Notes From the Past (2002 Sweden). I absolutely did not expect to like this as much as I did. Kaipa was resurrected, I’m sure, based on Roine Stolt’s success in The Flower Kings. Roine was considerably younger than his former band mates, and thus it wouldn’t seem a reformation was in the cards for the other guys. “Notes From the Past” has the usual crisp InsideOut production and breathy emo-styled vocalist that just bugs the crap out of me (just listen to the title track to see what I mean), making it even more surprising that I like it. But the instrumental sections found here, and they are frequent, are absolutely brilliant. A wonderful mix of old vintage gear and state of the art equipment. In fact, if VH1 boy would’ve just shut his trap, this would’ve been a hands down classic. Even as it is, I could argue “Notes From the Past” is better than their 70s works. Need to hear those again before making that claim though. Anyway – a very pleasant surprise. I haven't added these guys to my "A-List" yet, since I still have doubts about their follow-up releases. I'm hoping to be pleasantly surprised with those as well, and if so, will be glad to add them to the A-List team.

Jun Kamikubo – Nothingness (1972 Japan). Japanese musician Jun Kamikubo is a new name to me, but apparently is one of the big time rarities sought after by fuzz psych collectors. Leave it to Shadoks to dig this one up. They (Shadoks) say that if you like Apryl Fool, you’ll like this one. But I haven’t heard that one either (though I was at least familiar with the name). I do pick up some Blues Creation circa “Demon & Eleven Children”. It’s darn near an exploitation album, with some naïve 60s pop drenched in fuzz and old organ. Of course they throw in a blues-real-bad song. And a little Dead-ish ‘Truckin’ type number. Overall, one to seek out for a few listens – easily on par with the aforementioned Blues Creation.

Kreator – Pleasure to Kill (1986 Switzerland). Oh boy, what a mess. So this is the album that the Metal Archives site calls the most incredible thrash album ever, eh? I do like the 40 riffs per song idea… when I can pick them out that is. And those vocals take the cake... whew, what are THEY actually? This doesn't hold a candle to albums like Death Angel's debut. Early Coroner leaves this in the dust when talking thrash. Celtic Frost were a lap ahead. It does remind me of Slayer actually, but doesn't have the brutality – and that has all to do with the vocals which – well not vocals but Godddddd – what are THEY? Actually makes me miss Lord Worm (Cryptopsy).

Lalena - s/t (1982 Japan). VERY obscure fusion album from Japan. Album is entirely in Kanji, and has a confusing name even for those who speak Japanese. Musically a complex slick fusion that reminds me of other Japanese groups like Prism, Fragile and Side Steps. A couple of rougher edges on the guitar even call out Kenso. Not bad at all.

Lamp of the Universe - Echo in Light (2002 New Zealand)
Lamp of the Universe - Earth, Spirit and Sky (2005 New Zealand) LotU is the pseudonym of Craig Williamson from New Zealand, who’s aggressive side is carried out in the stoner metal band Datura. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear this was a lost recording on the Swedish Xotic Mind label. Very much in the tradition of albums by The Word of Life, Adam, ST Mikael, Stefan and The Entheogens. Craig does a nice job of mixing the Eastern mystic hippy dippy with more psyched out rockers. His “dreamy” vocal style is a bit of a one trick pony. Acoustic guitar, sitar, hand percussion, old organ, wah wah, synths, flute – you can practically imagine how the album will go if you know any of the groups above. Which I happen to like, so it works out swell. I typically don’t like solo albums, as I feel the lack of synergy can turn a recording into a monolithic exercise. And some of the music just goes on forever, which is kind of the point.
-- On "Earth, Spirit and Sky", Williamson seems to conjure up his inner Popol Vuh, and has released an album that is almost entirely acoustic. This is LotU's "Hosianna Mantra". Though a good idea initially, the album becomes pretty monotonous after awhile, as he still possesses the "dreamy" vocals as mentioned above, and the material begins to blur together. Only a couple of instances of electric guitar are presented, which provide much needed color to the proceedings. All the limitations of a one-man band are brought forth, and it's clear that for LotU to go forward, Williamson is in much need of assembling a full band and the introduction of new ideas.

Lard Free – s/t (1973 France). Of the 3 original Lard Free albums, I’ve always struggled most with their debut. It’s definitely the most experimental and jazz-like. The rock elements don’t even make an appearance until much later in the recording. Still there’s something alluring about the French way of putting together a record. It’s so organic and true to the heart, you can’t help but admire. Other than some shrill moments – especially early on, I think I’ve come to terms with this record.

Leaf Hound – Grower of Mushrooms (1971 England). Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin and more Led Zeppelin. LZ’s star power was enormous by this time and every one who had a blues background and loud amps tried a turn at it. But Leaf Hound didn’t have the magic ingredients like Plant’s voice, JP Jones’ multi instrumental capabilities, Bonham’s madness on the kit – and of course Page’s guitar. I’ve always been stern towards this album, but in retrospect it has all the elements of a good hard rock album. Creative riffs, good solos, a tough blues vibe. Not bad at all.

Light of Darkness – s/t (1971 Scotland). Light of Darkness are Scottish exiles in Germany. It’s rare when you can listen to an album and pinpoint EXACTLY what the influence is. I mean, Light of Darkness is a whole album concept based on only one song. And that song would be ‘The Wizard’ off of Black Sabbath’s first album. Each and every song on Light of Darkness has heavy power chord riffs and harmonica complete with a witchy Ozzy like voice. It’s kind of funny actually. And what the hell, I like that song, so it’s easy to listen to. Not easy to recommend however.

Lighthouse – s/t (1969 Canada). Lighthouse were one of the more known horn rock groups from the heyday of the movement, and achieved some moderate success with a couple of Top 40 singles. One striking element of their sound at this point of their career was the use of bumble bee fuzz – a relic of a psychedelic past no doubt. Like 90% of all horn rock albums, this too suffers from indecision, as in what style are we really going to play? And, as usual, there are a handful of killers on here that make it all worthwhile even if pressed for time.

Freddy Lindquist – Menu (1970 Norway). Apparently in the 1960s, Terje Rypdal and Freddy Lindquist battled for guitar hero supremacy in their native Norway. Freddy was the more Hendrix influenced player while Terje was more immersed in jazz. Guess we know who won that battle, and it isn’t the guy in the subject line. Before Lindquist disappeared altogether, he released this one solo album – which is really a band effort – but the label was hoping to cash in on the Lindquist name. Who? And no one can miss the naked hippy chick on the cover. Still nobody bought the record. Probably because it isn’t very good. After a promising start where Lindquist does provide some wonderful heavily affected guitar ala Hendrix, the rest goes on to try and prove that he is a quality songwriter and not just a great guitarist. That’s rarely a good idea. There are some gems to be found here for sure – and explains the passable 9 grade. Not sure this one will make the cut during the next round of layoffs though…

Liquid Scarlet – s/t (2003 Swedeb). Mix in the Swedish all-stars of our day – Landberk, Anekdoten Anglagard, Paatos and Simon Says, throw in a dash of good-old fashioned Genesis and a huge bucketful of amateurism and you have Liquid Scarlet. This album is at least 6 months premature. Sad to see some great ideas put to waste. Has all the right instrumentation from analog to digital. When they get it right (like on track 6), it's a wonder to behold. They feel their vocalist is worthy of being a feature and he's pretty pathetic actually and holds this group way back. At least for now he does.

Litmus - You Are Here (2004 England). Blazing out of the gates with a monolithic guitar riff, twee-twee-twee Moog knob twiddles, and a neanderthal 4/4 rhythm, I was immediately reminded of those 90s aggressive festival rockers Omnia Opera, minus any of their Floydian cosmic buildups. Or, of course, I could've mentioned the real inspiration at work here - which would be primo early 70s era Hawkwind, if Lemmy ran the band that is. They put the "B" in subtle, and pulverize most of the songs right through the wall. The keyboardist is the same gentleman who runs the excellent Planet Mellotron site, and so no surprise the mellotron gets more than its share of studio time. Though good luck in hearing it over the racket. I like my space rock a bit more cosmic and trippy me-self, but OK, that's not their bag. Interesting to note that even Mr. Planet Mellotron didn't care too much for their second album "Planetfall", and it would seem this dissatisfaction lead to his departure from the band just as they are now on the somewhat big time label Rise Above Records.

Living Force – s/t (1977 New Zealand). Was introduced to this New Zealand title many years ago through the Poorhouse boot. Finally obtained an LP last year and already up for another revisit. Santana is the obvious blueprint. Plenty of Sri Chinmoy spirituality references, not to mention the trademark guitar style. These are most apparent on the percussion heavy instrumentals. The song style tracks are more in line with other bands from Australasia during the 70s. I hear bits of Pantha in particular, and smaller doses of Dragon, Ragnarok, and Sebastian Hardie. Only misstep is ‘