Heldon / Richard Pinhas ~ France

Un Rêve Sans Conséquence Spéciale (1976)

This is Heldon's 5th album and the first to feel more like a band effort than a Richard Pinhas solo work. Not surprisingly, we see Heldon's ratings start to go up at this point as well. The nearly 12 minute opener does not mince its sound. It's a crushing assault of your senses with raging guitar and synthesizers. Francois Auger is now on board to provide the key ingredient of rock styled drums. After such a powerful opening, Heldon reverts to a weird hybrid electronic track with Pinhas on the Moog, and Auger providing a lot of percussion. It's a new sound for them. B1 is a thick and muddy electronic number with pounding drums and added bass. The 15 minute 'Toward The Red Line' closes the album. Now doesn't that sound promising? This track could be seen as the upward ramp from 'Baader-Meinhof Blues' to 'Stand By'. It possesses the former's absolute bonkers Moog sequencing. From the latter comes the power trio aspect with Pinhas' fiery 1954 Les Paul guitar leading the way. Along for the ride is Magma's Jannick Top on bass while Auger goes crazy on the drum kit. Heck yea.

Really hard to imagine the American based jazz fusion label Inner City thought Heldon would be a big seller over here. Almost as crazy as A&M signing up Magma for two albums. At least Inner City could cut bait after only one.

The bonus tracks on the CD are not to be missed. They are labeled Live 1978, so I don't think they are the same as what was on the Perspectives compilation. 'Perspective 4ter MUCO' isn't on any other Heldon archival release. It may just have a unique name. But it's a banger of a track, capturing Heldon in full power trio mode. 'Marie Virginie C.' has been represented live prior (the aforementioned Perspectives), though this is from one year later. It's faithful to the original from the album proper, and will light your stereo in flames.

Ownership: 

1976 Cobra (LP). Acquired in 2011.

2005 Captain Trip (CD). Papersleeve with two inserts and two bonus tracks (one more than the US reissue). Acquired in 2006.

First copy: 1977 Inner City (LP). Acquired in 1987.

1987; 2006; 6/4/26 (new entry)
 

Third: It's Always Rock'n Roll (1975)

The tongue-in-cheek titled It's Always Rock'n Roll, is Heldon's third effort, this time spread across two LP's. Like most of the early Heldon albums, the music is primarily a Richard Pinhas solo album with guests helping out here and there. Opening up with a strictly sequencer based electronic number, the second cut is classic Heldon: Tortured electric guitar searing over the electronic base. Helping out here is Georges Grunblatt, later of K-Priss fame. Lard Free's Gilbert Artman adds drums to A3, and with Pinhas' fiery guitar, gives it a rock band feel. A4 is a cold and icy multi synthesizer piece, predicting where Pinhas was to eventually go on Rhizosphere and Iceland. Pinhas develops this further on 'Aurore', which takes up all of side 2. This track begins rhythmless, and could be considered a forefather to ambient music. About nine minutes in, the sequencers begin to rumble. So for 29 minutes, starting with A4, the album is entirely electronic. LP #2 opens with Pinhas back on guitar, both electric and acoustic. C2 is similar and brings back Grunblatt on mellotron for haunting effect. C3 is a unique track in Heldon's canon. Heavily distorted electronics and guitar create the framework for a blistering experience. It was the logical conclusion of where Pinhas had taken the group to date. 'Doctor Bloodmoney' takes up all of Side 4. Repetitive sequencers are augmented at the end with some fine drumming from Jean-My Truong. This track has a conclusive feel, and it seems Pinhas would consider it a definitive statement on his career to that point. With history on our side, we now know that Richard Pinhas was just getting started on his career trajectory.

This was the last of the first seven Heldon albums for me to obtain, as originals were expensive even back then. Because of this, Third didn't have the impact on me like the others. I was largely familiar with their sound by 1992, and thus the album was comforting, though not enlightening. Had I heard it first instead (as with Agneta Nilsson in 1986), it would be one of the treasures of the collection, no doubt. No matter, as all of them are still what I would consider essential in my book.

Ownership: 

1975 Urus (2xLP). Gatefold. Acquired in 1992.

2005 Captain Trip (2xCD). Papersleeve gatefold. With two inserts. Acquired in 2006.

1992; 2006; 4/27/26 (review)
 

Stand By (1979)

Not an everyday occurence when a band releases their best album on the seventh try and then calls it quits (for all intents and purposes). That's what Heldon managed to accomplish, and closed out the 70s decade in style. It's also a new direction for Pinhas and company, as much of the album is more progressive rock oriented than prior. There's also a parallel effort with Tangerine Dream's Force Majeure, mixing Berlin School sequencer based electronics with rock instrumentation. Though Pinhas was more on fire than Froese at this time. B1 adds in some Zeuhl vocals from Klaus Blasquiz, hey why not, they're going for it. The energy level remains high, and the sequences fast.

Then comes the title track, one of the most blistering, unrelenting, guitar power trio instrumental tracks ever made. It's no wonder why Pinhas closed off the Heldon name here. There was nowhere else to go!

Ownership:

1979 Egg (LP). With insert. Acquired in 1987. 

2005 Captain Trip (CD). Papersleeve. With three inserts. Acquired in 2006.

1987; 2006; 12/8/25 (review)

Agneta Nilsson (1976)

Agneta Nilsson was the first Heldon album for me to hear, and like so many foundational albums, it helped shaped my tastes in music rather than validate them. I was very familiar with Tangerine Dream, Ashra, and Klaus Schulze by this time (early 1986), but little else outside of Germany in the electronic field. When I saw the cover, it seemed like a can't miss proposition. Used import records back then weren't expensive so I took a chance. And was rewarded, though once again it took a long time to fully appreciate. 

The opening track is more like Richard Pinhas' Iceland (an album I'd hear a few years later), which is a long.. cold... electronic landscape. This is followed by the second Perspective which is a wild combination of synthesizers and atmospheric percussion. It's the third Perspective that enthralled me initially (and to this day). 'Baader-Meinhof Blues' is an incredibly intense piece of music and it's here that I was introduced to Professor Pinhas' 1954 Gibson Les Paul guitar. When one uses terms such as anguished, tortured, or nightmarish electric guitar, then this is the textbook definition of that. And while Pinhas is conjuring up the evil side of Hendrix, the Moog playing is magnificent. It appears to be completely improvised with the unpredictable analog instrument threatening to blow up at any moment. Like a washing machine that's about to topple over. This is followed by the one peaceful track 'Bassong' which is a guitar bass duo from two players not on the rest of the album, but both part of Pinhas' world (Gerard Prevost and Michel Ettori). The long Perspective IV is a summary of the contents before it with added doomanality (new word). Pinhas can really crush your spirit with his guitar and "melodies". After this album, Pinhas added permanent members to create more electronic rock sounding albums, that are even better (especially the last two). But these semi-solo electronic experiments prior are not to be missed. Pioneering in every way. 

Ownership: 

1976 Urus (LP). Acquired in 1986.

2005 Captain Trip (CD). Papersleeve. Acquired in 2006.

1/6/86; 9/15/06; 1/5/24 (review)

Rhizosphere (1977)

Heldon were one of the early obscure European electronic groups that I got into during my college years. While in Chicago a couple of years afterward, I stumbled upon the US pressing of Rhizosphere (on Aural Explorer), which is Pinhas' first solo album. Not surprisingly, there isn't that much difference between a Pinhas solo work and a Heldon album. Similar in that way to Edgar Froese and Tangerine Dream in the mid to late 70s. One could argue that Heldon essentially is Pinhas. However, Rhizosphere didn't excite me much on initial impact as it was a bit more static electronic than the more active and full bodied Heldon. Over the years though, I've come to appreciate his dark and heavy sequencer style, which makes the entirety of this album. Though it must be said that Pinhas' tortured trademark 1954 Les Gibson guitar is sorely missed.

What makes this CD more special is the 1982 live material from a concert in Paris. From an artistic standpoint, the two periods of music are incongruous. L'Ethique was the current album then, and Pinhas had more or less shut down Heldon by that point. In effect, it's more of a group effort and the guitar was back out front and center. And the concert is very spirited. While not a perfect soundboard recording, the type of music on display here will distract you from any sonic limitations. 

Ownership: 

2006 Captain Trip (CD) Papersleeve. Bonus tracks as described above. Acquired in 2018.

First copy: 1978 Aural Explorer (LP). Acquired in 1989.

5/24/89; 3/16/18; 6/14/22 (review)

Single Collection (1972-1980 / 2006)

A much needed single compilation from one of France's electronic pioneers. In short form, Pinhas proved to be quite the rocker more so than his electronic focused albums with Heldon and as a solo artist. I've heard most of these in bits and pieces, some sitting on cd-r's. So it's really great to have them all in one place.

The first Schizo 45 from 1972 is a real foot stomper. Heavy wah wah bass and guitars and gravelly vocals similar to the guy from Ergo Sum. It's a long way from anything Pinhas ever did afterward, but it would have been a great path to follow, had he chosen to. The second Schizo 45 (1973) is really the first Heldon work and gone are the vocals (though there's narration). The a) side finds itself on Electronique Guerilla with a different mix, but no less haunting. Patrick Gauthier's 'Torcol' is the b) side, and foreshadows Heldon's more progressive rock tracks. Both Schizo 45s are excellent and not to be missed.

The 3rd single is Heldon's Soutien a la RAF. At 15 minutes, it's really an EP (and it's 33 rpm). Released in 1975, this is where Pinhas gets back to his rocking roots of Schizo, and contains heavy Moog sequencing with his patented tortured 1954 Les Paul. One has to laugh that these were released as "singles". Not exactly AM Bubblegum here. The 4th SP release (1976) is where the Perspectives title takes hold. Recorded during the Agneta Nilsson sessions, once again it's more on the rocking side than the album proper.

T.H.X. (1978) was Pinhas' attempt to join in with JP Massiera and others for the Parisian disco set. A long way from New York's Studio 54, France had some very interesting electronic artists playing in that field. Once you get your mind around the time and place - and don't expect Heldon - then this is a very fine 45 as well. And the b) side is more traditional Pinhas solo fare, with Rhizosphere back in the limelight.

The next single is a complete mystery. I cannot find evidence it exists anywhere. There is a scan of it in the booklet, but it's too small to read. From 1977 (and they put a question mark on that too) on Cobra (catalog number 10.019), the single features two edited tracks from Rhizosphere. My best guess is this is a test press that was never released, and was in Pinhas' personal collection. Anyone know more about this?

This is followed by two singles from the East West era (1980). Arguably this is Pinhas' most commercial effort, and brings back vocals and a slight new wave edge. I was harsh on that album back in the 80s, but I found myself really enjoying the music here on this go round. 'West Side' is on both singles and is the same track, so it's only represented once here.

It should be noted that most of these - if not all - are taken straight from the vinyl, and it's obvious at times. All the same, this collection is a can't miss item for Heldon and Pinhas fans.

Ownership: 2006 Captain Trip (CD). Papersleeve. With booklet showing the credits and pictures for each entry here. There is an essay as well, but it's in Japanese. Acquired in 2021.

5/18/21 (review)

Iceland (1979)

As one can probably guess by knowing nothing more than my avatar, I'm a huge Heldon fan. They were one of my initial discoveries when first digging deep into the European underground of the 70s. It was 1985 and I was all of 20, at quite the impressionable age I might add. So Heldon is one of those bands that helped shaped my tastes in music for the future.

However, Richard Pinhas' solo works didn't have the same impact on me as his band proper, even though he was the undisputed leader of the group. In this way he deviates considerably from, say, Edgar Froese and his comparable solo efforts to Tangerine Dream. Until recent times, the only two Pinhas albums I kept from the 80s were Chronolyse (where side 2 is as heavy as anything Heldon ever did), and L'Ethique (a diverse but also powerful Heldon-like release). So what was the issue with the others? Well from my perspective the key to the greatness of Richard Pinhas is his ability to mix fat analog synthesizers with searing electric guitar (usually played on his trusty 1954 Gibson Les Paul).

It's this latter element that is missing greatly from Iceland. It is, as the title and everyone else's reviews suggests, a icy cold landscape of droning synthesizers and almost-industrial like percussion. Take away 'The Last Kings of Thule', especially Part 2, and the guitar is entirely absent. In effect, it's a static release, missing much of the dynamism of Pinhas' best efforts. In reflecting back as I hear the CD, the music is quite good for what it sets out to do - basically begging you to put a coat on even during a sunny summer afternoon. 'Greenland' is also a very fine electronic piece, definitely recalling Pinhas' trademark sequencer sound with a fine melody throughout. The 25 minute CD bonus track 'Wintermusic' is basically a long extension of 'Iceland (Part 3)', and if anything, is even more sterile and cold than the album proper.

Overall a mixed effort, worth owning for fans, but I'd save hearing this one until you've digested all of the Heldon's and the two aforementioned Pinhas solo works first.

Ownership: 2006 Captain Trip (CD). Papersleeve. Acquired in 2018.

First copy: 1979 Polydor (LP). Acquired in 1989.

1989; 6/28/18 (CD acquired / review)

Chronolyse (1978)

Richard Pinhas' second solo album is an absolute classic of progressive electronic music. The music is very much in line with what he was accomplishing with his primary vehicle Heldon at the time. The album contains seven vignettes of aggressive Moog sequencing, and one longer electronic piece on Side 1. And on the flip, there's a 30 minute brain blaster of guitar-bass-drums and electronics in the best Heldon tradition. A fine companion album to Heldon's Stand By. Brilliant.

Ownership: 

1978 Cobra (LP). Acquired in 1991.

2006 Captain Trip (CD) Papersleeve. Acquired in 2017.

1991; 1998; 8/10/17 (review)

L'Ethique (1982)

Unlike the 1970's era Heldon albums, all of which I can unconditionally recommend, the same cannot be said for Pinhas' solo works from the same period. Rhizosphere is a static electronic album, Iceland is as chilling as its name, whereas East West shows Pinhas trying his hand at more commercial material. But two albums stand out: Chronolyse (1978) which is perhaps the best of the lot and the album of today's post: L'Ethique.

L'Ethique was an excellent way for Pinhas to close shop (and he didn't truly resurrect for at least another 10 years). It's a concise summary of his musical career to that point. The four part title track, spread evenly throughout the disc, demonstrates what I think he was trying to do on East West, except with far better results (and it helps immensely that he buries some of his patented tortured guitar into the mix). The two part 'The Wailing Wall' follows down this trek, but is even more powerful, especially the smoking guitar and sequencer runs of Part 1. 'Melodic Simple Transition' represents his pure electronic side. But best of all, is the return of his King Crimson inspired heavy rock jams, as found on the last two Heldon albums and 'Chronolyse'. These are represented by 'Dedicated to K.C.', 'Belfast' and the bonus track 'Southbound' (taken from the Perspective compilation). This is one of those albums that opened musical doors for me.

Ownership: 

1982 Pulse (LP). Acquired in 1986.

1992 Cuneiform (CD). With bonus track as noted above. Acquired in 1996.

1986; 1996; 5/19/11 (review)

Allez-Teia (1975)

Continuing our trek through the Heldon catalog, we enter the famed number II. Of all the Heldon albums, this is by far the most mellow, with a proliferation of acoustic guitar calming down the proceedings just a little. The subversive feel of the debut is maintained throughout however, and anarchy seems just around the corner. Deep, heavy, thoughtful music. While heavily influenced by Robert Fripp, Professor Pinhas was trekking down an individual path, and is now considered a legend in his own right. A lot of name dropping in the track titles, something that became vogue in the 2000s, but wasn't as common in the 70s. Amongst the more obscure, 'Fluence' references Pascale Comelade, where Pinhas was featured heavily on the self-named album for the Pole label. While 'Michel Ettori' refers to the sometimes Heldon guitarist. A highly regarded album and rightly so. The real underground of the 70s is featured here.

Ownership: 

1975 Urus (LP). Gatefold. Acquired in 1988.

2005 Captain Trip (CD). Papersleeve gatefold. Acquired in 2005.

2//88; 2005; 6/18/10 (review)

Electronique Guerilla (1974)

All of the Heldon albums are special, and the first is no exception. It's more raw and primitive, and that's part of its charm. Moog synths with searing electric guitar work define the album. An anarchic left wing vibe gives it a radical student atmosphere, befitting Professor Pinhas' role.

I found an unpublished summary that I wrote in 2006 about Heldon's early albums: A proper discussion of French electronic music cannot be had without at least a passing mention of Heldon. Lead by the mercurial Richard Pinhas, a professor of Philosophy at Le Sorbonne, and master of electronics and guitar. The early albums, generally accepted as the first three, exude the feeling of the underground - a true rebellion to all things that are commonly accepted. Subversive. One can only wonder what role Pinhas would’ve had in the French Revolution, but I get the impression he would’ve made the history books. And, in some ways, he has made the history books, even if the subject in question are more for connoisseurs than the general public.

Ownership: 

1975 Urus (LP). Acquired in 1987.

2005 Captain Trip (CD). Papersleeve. Acquired in 2006.

1987; 2006; 2/10/10 (review)

Also own: Interface; Fossil Culture

2/10/10 (new entry)

Tiemko / Eric Delaunay ~ France

Parade (1992)

Parade is the 3rd effort from Tiemko and is largely a continuation of Ocean, as described below. No changes in tonality whatsoever, Tiemko were decidedly a band of the early 90s. Their ability to craft complex compositions with a high melodic content remained, much to their credit. The songs are more compact this go round and filled with counterpoint. This all plays to their strength and doesn't force the band to improvise as much. The description of electronic jazz fusion is apt, while fitting very comfortably into the genre of instrumental progressive rock. The album closes with its strongest cut 'Hymne'. It's difficult to decide which is the better of the two albums, Ocean or this. But these are definitely the two to obtain if curious about them.

BTW, this title never came out on LP either, so there.

Ownership: 1992 Musea (CD). Booklet with silly interpretive drawings featuring our trio. Acquired in 1992.

1992; 11/20/17; 6/4/26 (review)

Ocean (1990)

When Tiemko's Ocean and Minimum Vital's Sarabandes were released, I was still an LP-first buyer and the only CDs I was considering were the stray reissue of (usually) impossible to find rarities. The label (Musea) said that they had no intent of issuing either of the above on LP. So I needed to make a very important decision: Was I going to maintain that stance and miss out on the new CDs? Or get with the program and join the CD revolution? I chose the latter, a decision I do not regret for a second some 33 years later, as a good portion of my collection remains full of CD-only albums. And interestingly enough, Musea stayed true to their word. Both of these albums remain without an LP release, even though they are single album length. I believe they might be the oldest albums in my entire collection that are in that state (i.e. CD only).

Regardless of the media format, how has the music of Ocean held up? It's been forever and a day since I last heard it, certainly not in the last 20 years. Happy to say it has aged very well for me, and I recognized most of it immediately, indicating I had heard the album quite a bit when I first received it. While collectors continue to mine the 1960s, 70s, and early 80s, it appears no one cares about this era of progressive rock today. But for me and a few others it was an exciting time when bands from around the world suddenly woke up to a style that barely had a heartbeat only a few years prior. I already owned their debut Espace Fini, so I had an idea of what to expect. In those days we weren't so obsessed with hoping that bands would recreate the past with analog only instrumentation. As long as the music was of a high quality. It's not easy to maintain interest for close to 50 minutes with an all instrumental release performed by a trio. But they're a talented bunch and both the guitar and keyboards are well played. And yes, even some vintage Mini Moog can be heard. Veteran drummer Eric Delaunay keeps things hopping to ensure boredom never sits in. Strong melodies, well crafted compositions, some good jamming with undertones of fusion and electronic. A time proven recipe for a good prog album. Music like this receives mucho nostalgia points from me.

Ownership: 1990 Musea (CD). Acquired in 1990.

1990; 9/24/23 (review)

Eric Delaunay - Antagonisme! (1980)

---8/25/10

Not much is known about drummer Eric Delaunay's past. We learn from the liner notes of Musea's reissue of the second Asia Minor album that Delaunay had been an early member, but left prior to any recording. Then time passes, and he finds himself with a group under his own name on major label Vogue! How he was able to achieve this remains something of an unknown. Especially when one considers how noncommercial Antagonisme! really is. 

The album itself is all instrumental, built upon complex structures and themes. There's some fantastic guitar and keyboards here, along with Eric Delaunay's driving rhythms. Special kudos go to bassist Paul Amar who plays a major role throughout. Other than a couple of short keyboard atmospheric pieces, Antagonisme! is an energetic, well produced, instrumental progressive rock album. Well worth pursuing.

After this album, none of the other members resurfaced again, beyond Delaunay himself. He later formed Tiemko and one can easily hear his songwriting and approach being applied. Especially on their debut Espace Fini, but with more modern equipment (for better or worse).

Ownership: 1980 Vogue (LP). Acquired in 2019.

No (legit) reissues exist as I update this post on 6/4/26.

8/25/10 (review); 3/16/19 (update) 

Also own: Espace Fini

Previously owned: Clone

3/16/19 (new entry)

2026 Classic Rock / AOR Journal Vol. 2

Rage - Run For The Night. 1983 Carrere (LP). Yet another one of those UK bands that used to fill up the stacks of the heavy metal bins in the early 80s, and yet were no such thing. They had the right moniker, and came around at the perfect time to cash in on the burgeoning NWOBHM movement. But they took the easy route, presuming their brand of juiced up AOR would attract the same audience that Journey and REO Speedwagon did. Bad move. Even the coked-up American label execs could smell this fraudulent attempt. So they took a pass, and the album was released everywhere else but here. You would think that if a band decides to make radio hits, they'd actually make an effort at decent songwriting. Love these type of 80s hyper sexed album covers, which made total sense to all of us back then, and now are looked at with disdain (now if it was a guy in heels, well then, that's OK). Unfortunately that's the highlight of the release. (6/1)

City Boy - The Day The Earth Caught Fire. 1979 Atlantic (LP). I remember recording this off the radio and came pretty close to buying the LP real time. In 1979 I was very much into this kind of proggy AOR, as noted on this blog many times. Bands like Styx, Alan Parsons Project, and Sweet were still front and center for me. City Boy fits rights into that model. In fact, the excellent title track, which I loved back then too, recalls ELO at their very best. A3 and B1 demonstrates the guitar crunch that is present while mixing in some sophisticated piano. B2 could be considered hard rock and I think City Boy would have been successful in that market as well. A2 and A4 can be skipped over as obvious pop slop attempts. A5 reminds me of Queen and is only tolerable. This all leads to B3, which clocks in at an incredible 12:36, released in an era when that was unheard of for a major label, especially for a band looking for a hit record. This opus, appropriately titled 'Ambition', has the same kind of vibe that Supertramp brought on Breakfast For America, though much more stretched out. I also think City Boy may have heard a little bit of Camel while they were at it. This album is razor thin close to finding room in the collection, just due to the nostalgia and the oddness of the time and place. But there just isn't any track here that I'd insist on hearing a few more times, so I'll let it fly. Too bad it's not worth anything. (5/24)

Shooting Star - Silent Scream. 1985 Geffen (LP). Shooting Star were an interesting classic rock band from the Kansas City area. Their 1980 debut certainly borrowed from megastars Kansas, mostly with radio hits in mind. But the album's closer 'Last Chance' is an absolute banger, and proves they were proggers at heart, just like their leaders. We'll never know for sure, because the 80s were upon us, and the band made just enough of a commercial mark to keep going with their Journey and REO Speedwagon inspired AOR music. I honestly didn't expect to listen to this album in full. The new arrivals box is crammed as it is, not to mention two full boxes of the prog rock collection I obtained earlier in the year, that I still need to get to. So I've just been scanning albums such as this before putting these in the record show boxes. But I heard enough here to keep listening and will append a rating. Of course I won't keep it. I like that the violin is still hanging in there, definitely not an instrument likely to improve their chances for radio exposure. The second side adds more energy which I preferred. Incidentally I found a sealed copy of Shooting Star (1980) last weekend. Feel like keeping it. (4/18)

2026 Metal Journal Vol. 2

Warrior - Fighting For the Earth. 1985 MCA (LP). I've had this one sitting in the listening box for well over a year now. For some reason I thought this was one of those late 70s hard rock / AOR albums (like TKO) that labels like MCA would put out to an audience of 10. The cover looks more like an arena band logo. But it's clear from the beginning this is heavy metal. Strange I'd never heard of it before. But then again, 1985 is waaay late to the party for this kind of straight up metal. Seeing reviews comparing them to Malice, though the latter is supposedly better. To me they both are standard issue for the era. This is the sound of Judas Priest circa 1980-1983. Which is the problem. The metal world had moved on significantly by this time. Had this come out while I was still in early high school (say, 1981) then I could see this hitting a chord with me back then. Nice listen for certain, though nothing here to earn shelf space. (6/1)

Cellador - Enter Deception. 2006 Metal Blade (CD). OK I'm making a determined effort to go through my inventory, especially these 2016 CD buys. Anything that reads interesting, or on a sample sounds interesting, then I put the listen off for another day. Cellador, though from Omaha, Nebraska, was labeled as Euro Power Metal. This could be a quick exit. I can see why they appended the tag, but I found the album much more interesting than that may imply. The music is fast - very fast in fact - and mostly resembles Helloween in nitro mode. The vocalist does a reasonable Bruce Dickinson emulation. Not hearing those annoying choruses that bug me about Euro Power Metal. The biggest issue here is all the songs pretty much sound the same. Not in a boring sense, but the style meter goes from alpha to beta and that's about it. I hadn't initially intended to hear the whole thing, but I found something to do while it played in the background. Nodding my head throughout. Good stuff, but no, not keeping it. (2/26) 

6/1 update: I sort of gave up on some of these albums like the above. The same sound time after time. After sampling, I started moving these out without a rating or writeup. I know there are some gems in these stacks, and I plan on mining them out. But the rest is "waste rock" for me.

Warlung - Optical Delusions. 2020 Heavy Psych Sounds (LP). Warlung are from Houston, Texas, and are decidedly a stoner rock band, though much more rooted in the 70s than the 90s. The riffs are from the Sabbath school and the guitar solos more towards the mid 70s style. Vocals have a slight Ozzy tinge and are pleasant to the ear. Warlung doesn't take any chances here, staying in the pocket throughout. Only a few years ago, I would most certainly have kept this LP (great cover), but gotta let go sometimes. Good one for fans of 70s heavy rock though. (2/24)

2026 Revisits of prior UMR entries Vol. 4

Embryo - Turn Peace

Radiomobel - Gudang Garam

Vos Voisins (1971)

Kama Loka (2013)

Catalyst (1972)

Cai - Mas Alla de Nuestras Mentes Diminutas

High Tide (1970)

Ange - Caricatures

Emerald Web - Dragon Wings and Wizard Tales

Mekong Delta - Wanderers On the Edge Of Time

Terje Rypdal ~ Norway

Terje Rypdal / Miroslav Vitous / Jack DeJohnette - To Be Continued (1981)

Strange one here as I completely forgot I owned it. It was a recent pickup just as the below was, but I didn't have it registered in all my databases. Once I added it to the Collection Rankings sheet, it fell right to the bottom. Oh dear.

No major surprises here, as the album is largely a continuation (no way) of the debut album from these three veteran jazzers. Essentially an atmospheric chamber styled outing. Very mature and sophisticated. Of which I'm neither. But I can pretend at least. Another one of those albums that I'm sure if I had a spiritual "moment" with it sometime in my past, then I would hold it in the highest reverence. Those moments just don't happen as much as they once did. Title track offers up a more fiery fusion, a welcome diversion.

Former ownership: 1981 ECM USA (LP). Acquired in 2023. Downsized in 2026.

6/13/23; 5/31/26 (review)

Terje Rypdal / Miroslav Vitous / Jack DeJohnette (1979)

Terje Rypdal / Miroslav Vitous / Jack DeJohnette is an all-star international trio made up of contemporary jazzers doing what they do best: Modern atmospheric instrumental jazz. The cover is indicative of the chilly isolated tones. Scattered and abstract. David Torn was later to explore the style found here on his fantastic Cloud About Mercury album. It's best to go into a listening session with music like this in the same manner as you would with electronik. Sit back, chill out, and the let the music take you to places you haven't been in awhile. Or ever.

Former ownership: 1979 ECM USA (LP). Acquired in 2023. Downsized in 2025.

3/24/23 (review)

Odyssey (1975)

I first found this album while still in college in the middle 80s. It just wasn't for me at the time. In reacquiring the album and hearing it for the first time in over 25 years, I can understand why. I was expecting a more active jazz rock / fusion, fields of music I was just getting into in my early 20s. That's not what Odyssey is about. It's a sprawling double album made up of primarily late night noirish jazz. The kind that is usually the sole reserve of the saxophone. But Rypdal substitutes his electric guitar and it's thick, rich, and wonderful to hear. As mellow as it comes but with an acidic tone that gives it a back-end bite. Also worth pointing out are the longer tracks that feature hypnotic bass and drums. This aspect recalls Joe Henderson or Miles Davis. Or even fellow Norwegians Tangle Edge, who would apply this same technique many years later but for the psychedelic jam audience. Odyssey is an investment of time, and is best taken in on a quiet peaceful evening.

Ownership: 1975 ECM USA (2xLP). Reacquired in 2022. First purchased in 1986.

1986; 12/21/22 (review)

What Comes After (1974)

Like with John Abercrombie's Timeless, I thought I'd already heard Rypdal's 3rd solo album What Comes After. But this listen confirmed that I had not. One of his more abstract works, the album is very spacious and a bit on the noirish side. Great for late night solo listening. There's a bass heavy focus, while Rypdal adds plenty of atmospheric electric guitar. Fine album if in the right mood - which apparently I was.

Former ownership: 1974 ECM USA (LP). Acquired in 2021. Downsized in 2026.

12/18/21 (review)

Once owned: Whenever I Seem To Be Far Away; Chaser

Both of the above are fine albums, and I'd like to hear them again.

12/18/21 (new entry)

Saxon ~ England

Saxon (1979)

If you look at the listen dates, you'd think I haven't heard this album since I was in high school. I know that's not right, but have I heard it since the late 90s? Nope, probably not.

Saxon's debut was one of the first metal import albums for me to purchase. European imports were very expensive back then, at least for a pauper like me whose sole income at the time came from a summer job working in an industrial warehouse (in Dallas no less - unbearable heat). At minimum wage which was bupkis in 1982. So every dollar spent had to count. I was looking for heavier, faster, and meaner metal on each purchase. And with that cover of a blood soaked sword, I figured I was in safe territory.

Uh, no. What a strange album Saxon's opening move is. Like I say about Manilla Road's early works, this is Saxon before they were Saxon, if that makes sense. With the opening two tracks titled 'Rainbow Theme' and 'Frozen Rainbow', you'd think they were some kind of psychy prog band. And it's not really that far from the truth. It's not until A3 that you hear the first riffs, though definitely more hard rock than anything metal. 'Judgement Day' is another song that has psychedelic overtones, and is my pick for best track, unrepresentative as it may be. 'Stallions of the Highway' is the first sign of the blueprint Saxon were to follow on their next three albums. Mid-paced biker metal with solid riffing and good solos. B4 is another example of this.

This is a very special album to me for the time and place aspect, and the history as noted above. But for musical content, it's borderline passable. I wouldn't give it much credence had I discovered this album for the first time today.

Ownership: 1979 Carrere France (LP). Acquired in 1982.

1982; 5/25/26 (review)  

Unleash the Beast (1997)

I was an early adopter to Saxon, having bought their quirky debut album, followed by Wheels of Steel, Strong Arm of the Law, and Denim and Leather. And that was it for me. Didn't even follow the band out of high school. It was only within the last seven years that I completed their early 80s classic run with a purchase of Power & The Glory (LP). What they did after that, I really don't know. I've certainly read a lot. It's apparent that Saxon made a go at "capturing" the US market, to no avail (as to be expected). And at some point in the mid 90s, got back on their (iron) horse and went about making music in their former early 80s NWOBHM style, but updated to modern heavy standards.

From my perspective, one of the issues that plagues Saxon is their image and moniker. If one didn't know better (and I didn't at first either), you'd think Saxon to be a band similar to Manilla Road, capturing the ethos of Medieval times, and creating mysterious semi-progressive heavy metal. Nope. Saxon are a biker band, through and through. A creative one, yes, but they're very much in your face metal. 

If Unleash the Beast (1997) is an example of what I can expect to hear going forward, then I'm in store for at least 11 more great albums! Band leader and lead singer Byff Byford is now 70 years old, and by all accounts, he hasn't lost a step. And right next him is his trusty aide and guitarist Paul Quinn, of which the same can be said. Right from the get of the title track, you'll know that Saxon are back from the grave, and packing heat! Every track here is classic NWOBHM music: Melodic, yet heavy riffing, with high quality guitar solos. Byford sounds like Byford, his distinctive higher pitched voice soaring peacefully (he's no screecher) over the racket underneath. Unleash the Beast is yet another pleasant surprise. Obviously I need to hang out more in the CD bins to see if I can find more of this! Interestingly enough, this is the only Saxon album I own - or have ever owned - on CD.

Ownership: 2007 SPV (CD). The hype sticker is hilarious: "Bonus Tracks, Unseen Photos, Liner Notes, Original Artwork, New Booklet!" OK, the last two are probably fair. Bonus tracks? Yes, there are two three minute live cuts. Liner notes? A very small paragraph written by Byford. Unseen photos? There's only one photo! lol. Acquired in 2021.

3/7/21 (review) 

Also own: Wheels of Steel; Strong Arm of the Law; Denim and Leather; Power & The Glory

3/7/21 (new entry)

Thule ~ Norway

Natt (1990)

If Natt isn't the album in my collection with the longest span since I last heard it, then it most certainly is in the running. Bought it not too long after release, and heard it a few times that year, filed away, and here it is for a relisten some 35 years later. To underscore this, I've since moved my entire collection seven times, back and forth between Colorado and Texas - and within each state as well. Have too much stuff, Genius Hans? Yea, methinks so too.

In any case my reaction real time, and today, is that Natt's opener is far more aggressive than the spacey Ultima Thule, as documented below. It's really hard to know what Thule were up to at this stage. Despite their progressive rock heritage, it appears the band were moving into other musical areas. The Hammond organ and electric guitar tones are reminiscent of the past but the compositions are more song based. It's been suggested they were playing a type of gothic rock, and I'm inclined to agree. The darkened atmosphere required for the latter is sorely missing here, and the tracks sort of plod along without purpose. For my tastes, B1 is the highlight.

I remember being very disappointed with their subsequent Frostbrent album, as they had largely abandoned prog rock altogether. Though I suspect it may have been more committed to goth, and perhaps in the end, it was the better album. I no longer own it, so that evaluation will have to be for another day. ProgArchives, for their part, rate Natt as their finest hour. I'll vote for the debut.

Thule were one of a handful of contemporary Scandinavian progressive rock bands on the Norwegian Colours label, one of the earliest of the prog specialty labels. Most known for breaking out Anglagard, Landberk, and Anekdoten - on vinyl at least - they also promoted more obscure bands such as Utopian Fields and The Smell of Incense. They were swimming upstream with their (mostly) LP-only stance at a time when everyone was switching to CDs. They were obviously too far ahead of their time, as they had the right idea for the future.

Ownership: 1990 Colours (LP). Gatefold with native lyrics on the inside. Also comes with a lyric booklet in multiple other languages. Acquired in 1991.

1991; 5/25/26 (review)
 

Ultima Thule (1987)

I bought this from Eurock not long after it was released, and to say it was anachronistic at the time, would have to considered an understatement. While certainly not as retro-prog conscious as Anglagard, Thule do seem to have fallen out of a 1970s time machine. Probably the same contraption that fellow northern Norwegians' Tangle Edge fell out of near the same time. The album is comprised of two side long compositions, that flow together as one long piece (and that supposedly tells a tale of colonizing a new continent - yea, yippee yayhoo). Without a doubt, mid 70s Pink Floyd and / or Ocean era Eloy seem to be the primary influence here, though sung in their native tongue complete with some dark narration bits. There are some 1980s references to be found though, such as the fat digital production with wide open drum beats, as well as an occasional period synthesizer sound. The album pretty much plods along at a slow to mid tempo pace throughout, and the focus falls squarely on the dark atmosphere provided. Thule probably should have experimented a bit more with complex rhythms and dynamics to allow for a more kinetic experience. While this was never what I would consider a great album - it's not one I would be willing to part with either and, in fact, it has aged quite well.

Ownership: 1987 private (LP). Acquired in 1988.

1988; 6/19/10 (review)

Once owned: Frostbrent

6/19/10 (new entry)

Sweet ~ England

Sweet VI (1980)

As late as the spring of 1980, age 15, I continued to be loyal to Sweet and purchased this album. I did enjoy Cut Above The Rest, an album I kept all these years and will review at some point. I do recall it being a bit problematic though from a consistency standpoint. Also, during this era, I was starting to go whole hog for heavy metal and some of the more energetic of the hard rock bands. And prog was right around the corner for me. Sweet was one of those hard rock bands, especially in the mid to late 70s, that I quite enjoyed.

All I can remember is that Sweet VI was a disappointment and I'm not sure it even made it to college with me some three plus years later. A friend here in town had a copy, and he owed me some trade, so let's hear it again and see if it's something I should keep this time.

I don't think Sweet knew how to fit into the 80s. They just couldn't let themselves go all-in for hard rock, and they really could have gone metal at this point, and likely would have met great success like the Scorpions did. It's humorous to note that Sweet's last album was called Identity Crisis, an album I've never heard. So back to VI, known as Waters Edge everywhere else (no idea why Capitol didn't keep that name). A1 is an example of a former bubblegum band trying really hard to be a... bubblegum band. By A3, Andy Scott was already tired of that and lays down some fat heavy guitar riffs. A4 sounds like Queen or ELO, depending on how you hear it. They now have a part time keyboardist, and one presumes this is his influence. And so it goes mixing their peculiar brand of AOR with hard charging guitar rock.

I can appreciate this album far more than when I was 15. That said, I still can't justify giving this shelf space as I continue to downsize the collection. Glad to have revisited it though.

Former ownership: 1980 Capitol (LP). Reacquired in 2026; First purchased in 1980.

1980; 5/21/26 (review)
 

Action / Medussa (1976)

'Action' is the same tune that opens Give Us a Wink and is a fantastic example of the superb hard rock goods that album brings.

But the real draw here is the American Capitol release that contains 'Medussa'. I hadn't heard this track prior and it's a must for Sweet fans - and hard rock fans in general. A well penned song, bordering prog combined with the traditional Sweet chorus sound. About halfway through Andy Scott starts to riff some chords. Not long after that an entire instrumental sequence lifts off. Scott goes wild on the guitar solo, while the rhythm section is going through some complex time changes. Very kinetic! I've never heard Sweet sound like this. And it has to be Scott's wildest solo on record.

I've just been informed this is 'Medusa' on the European versions of Desolation Boulevard. I've never heard that album, which is much different than the American version on Capitol.

Ownership: 1976 Capitol (SP). Acquired in 2025.

4/1/25 (review) 

Level Headed (1978)

Sweet were one of my early favorite groups. Level Headed was their new album at the time and 'Love is Like Oxygen' was the track getting regular airplay - a song I enjoyed immensely. We'll get to that soon. On the first day someone could shuttle me to the mall (I was only 13 at the time), I waltzed into the two record shops to purchase the album, only to find they were sold out. I decided to buy the album before it - Off the Record. I enjoyed that album (to be discussed another day), though I won't say I was blown away by it. I had one friend back then who was also into music like I was, and he did find Level Headed. Neither of us were overly impressed, and I decided to forgo buying my own copy. Not long after, I bought Desolation Boulevard (US version of course) and Give Us a Wink and those two solidified my early fan status.

Since I recently made the decision to pick up old commodity LPs from my youth (must be found in a store, and very inexpensive - or trade), I thought Level Headed would be an early score. As but one example, I walked into a local store and bought a stone mint Saga's Heads or Tales for $4 at the beginning of this adventure. But Level Headed had proved to be elusive. Again, I'm not going to mail order these things - that would have been too easy. Finally, after two years, I secured a copy - and it was properly discounted in the budget bin. Perfect.

So what of Level Headed, and where did my initial resistance come from? Right from the beginning, that's where. Even today, I find little to embrace about the opening three tracks. They're OK of course, but the melodies aren't striking, and gone is the hard rocking Sweet that I enjoyed. It's not until 'Fountain' that things begin to improve dramatically. Then comes 'Love is Like Oxygen', one of God's gifts to music. It's such a bizarre tune really - and how it became the "hit" off the album is even more puzzling. Starting off with power chords (finally!) Sweet sings in a high pitched but odd styled harmony. This is followed by some Brian Wilson like mellow interludes that raise the hair on your arm. The mid section then shows that Sweet may have had a fondness for Camel - as they totally go prog here. This leads back to the power chord section. And finally, the album closes with a cool funk bit (que?). What the heck did I just hear? None of it makes sense, but I think it's brilliant. No wonder I was drawn to this at a young age. Side 2 starts of in a Gryphon-goes-pop manner (which by that time was the sound of Gryphon anyway). There's a couple more middling tracks which leads to the other great track from the album, it too a side closer. 'Air on 'A' Tape Loop' is about as strange as 'Love is Like Oxygen'. This time it's a groovy instrumental with only harmony vocals on top - as if Deodato had walked in for a cameo.

Level Headed is not a great album by any means, but there's 13 minutes of brilliance and about 20 minutes overall of excellent material. That's plenty good for me.

Ownership: 1978 Capitol (LP). Gatefold with lyric inner. Acquired in 2021.

1978; 1/21/21 (review)

Ballroom Blitz / Restless (1974)

'Ballroom Blitz' is well known, and honestly is a great hard rocker. It was the track that drew me to Sweet in the first place when I was 12. Shoot, even my mom thought it a good track, and she hated most of what I listened to. In any case, the track is also on the US pressings of Desolation Boulevard.

The real allure here is the unreleased 'Restless' which is patented Sweet, and features some really inspired guitar soloing from Andy Scott. The 45 is as common as one raisin in a box of them, so well worth the pennies.

Ownership: 1974 Capitol (SP). Acquired in 2020.

Also own: Desolation Boulevard; Give Us a Wink; Off The Record; Cut Above The Rest

6/27/20 (new entry)

Osamu Kitajima ~ Japan

Dragon King (1981)

Picked this one up at an estate sale last week, and it's the first Kitajima album for me to hear outside of Benzaiten which is reviewed below.

A1 starts off with some disco strings and Japanese instruments. Closer to a novelty act than the seriousness of Benzaiten. The track improves though with some world fusion sounds. A2 is a highlight featuring some excellent Shakuhachi (Japanese flute). 

Then it's time to pay the bills lol. The next two tracks sound more like Peaches & Herb with Japanese traditional instruments sometimes used to supplement. There's the difference between 1976 and 1981 right there. No bueno. 

B1 is a return to form and, like A2, is a highlight mixing jazz fusion with Japanese culture. Then the poppy vocals reappear for the rest. I think what Kitajima was trying to achieve was a noble pursuit. However, the mix and match of styles is hokey at best. It's way too commercially oriented for fusion fans to take seriously. And it certainly wasn't going to find its way onto FM radio either. A failed experiment.

Source: 1981 Arista (LP)

5/21/26 (review)

Benzaiten (1976)

For the CDRWL I featured some extremely rare albums by Toshiaki Yokota (Primitive Community) and Rock Joint Biwa (Fulukotofumi). Kitajima's debut album fits squarely in the same mold. This is truly a world fusion - a melting pot of Western rock and Japanese indigenous music. Very few have pulled it off so well as Kitajima does here. Either they fall prey to new age sappiness, or worse, move towards amateurish exploitation. This is a serious work, and the type of rock influenced world music that still hasn't been explored much at all. I for one would like to hear more.

Ownership: 1976 Antilles (LP). Acquired in 1990.

1990; 2/23/11 (review)

5/21/26 (new entry)

Klaus Schulze (& related) (1980s and beyond) ~ Germany

Dreams (1986)

Though I was very much tempted to keep on buying new Klaus Schulze product, I did stop after Inter*Face in 1985. I felt I owned enough already and was exploring many other albums and styles in my later years of college. Dreams would have come along in that final year before I was unleashed into the workforce, and newly armed with paychecks to spend. But I was done accumulating Schulze albums then as well.

It's only in the last ten years that I picked up Dreams to see what I missed. On my initial listen, I enjoyed it enough to keep, but didn't get any words down. So let's do that now on my second go round.

As Schulze admits in the liner notes, this album is very much an orchestral effort. Much of his work during this era is as much classical as it is electronic, though the latter most certainly represents the instrumentation. He was also conscientious about listing all his gear around this time, stating it distracted from he wanted to accomplish with his "electronic orchestra". Much of the music here sounds very familiar. Too much so honestly. The title track, though, was a refreshing ambient break. The final lengthy piece does feature vocals, usually not a positive for electronic albums, and this is no exception.

Now the bonus track is worth noting. It was originally a promotional only CD single (released in a quantity of 300) to advertise the Andromeda analog synthesizer in 2003. It was, and still is, an incredibly rare piece changing hands for hundreds of dollars. That won't likely change, but not only do you get the full "song" (as Schulze calls it), but apparently the full version was 40 minutes long. So he added a few minutes for the bonus to fill up the CD. Though the synthesizer is unique, his demonstration of its abilities sounds similar to many other synthesizers he has in his possession. All the same, it's the highlight of the disc. Enough so for me to keep. To my ears, the Andromeda doesn't really sound all that analog. In reading about it, apparently it is state of the art and is now highly sought after. Today it goes for a small fortune.

Ownership: 2005 Revisited (CD). Tri-fold digipak. Booklet with a bio of Schulze and an article about Dreams. Also includes the bonus track as noted above. Acquired in 2016.

1/31/16; 5/20/26 (review)
 

Michael Shrieve with Kevin Shrieve and Klaus Schulze - Transfer Station Blue (1984)

---10/2004

‘Communique Approach Spiral’ is out-of-the-box early 80’s Schulze with all sorts of overlaid live percussion, with actual human hands, by Shrieve. Of course, this latter element gives it the life it craves for so desperately on those tired Schulze albums of the era. ‘Nucleotide’ is a five minute experimental ambience and electronic percussion work. The title track is similar to the opener, but a little faster, creating the image of a modern world caught up in fast transportation – perfect for the IMAX theater. Though they throw in a curveball smack dab in the middle of the song - an 80’s style funk groove ala Level 42 (it repeats near the end of the song as well). It’s hilarious in its incongruity. It’s the closer that separated this from the masses. ‘View From the Window’ is an aptly named piece, beautiful in its execution of electronics and rhythmic, yet melodic, cyclical guitar. A great way to end an album. I find it funny the back cover uses the 1977 stock photo of Schulze.

---4/11/25

Technically this is a Michael Shrieve album but it has Schulze's fingerprints all over it. Certainly Michael Shrieve has influence here, and it's a percussive driven album after all. But then again, Schulze was a pioneer in using drums and later drum machines in electronic music. The layered sequencers are all vintage Schulze. The title track illustrates this with Shrieve adding all sorts of acoustic percussion on top of the synths. And I like the Alan Parsons Project-styled funky guitar bit. Brother Kevin plays the guitar and electric piano, though his contributions are more subdued. However his most notable presence is the closer 'View From the Window', a beautiful pensive number that does make one want to look out the window on a bleak rainy day and reflect on one's life. I bought this album when it came out, having been a Schulze fan for about a full year. Has the optimistic feel of the early to middle 80s, when technology seemed like an endless dream. A dream that personified over the course of the decade.

I had forgotten about my 2004 review until I finished today's listen, so you can see I have some differing viewpoints from 20 years ago.

Ownership: 1984 Fortuna (LP). With insert. Reacquired in 2024. First purchased in 1984.

1984; 10//04 (review); 4/11/25 (review)

Audentity (1983)

Had some trade credit at a local store to use, and this one came in, so thought I'd check it out again. I say again, as I'm pretty sure I had this exact version in the middle 80s. It's only half the album, as the German pressing is a double. Musically it's precisely what Schulze was up to in 1983, and I was reminded of his live Polish recordings from the same year. His running buddies at the time were all involved: Rainier Bloss, Michael Shrieve, and Wolfgang Tiepold (cello). Nothing groundbreaking here but a great reminder of an optimistic time.

Ownership: 1983 Illuminated (LP). Reacquired in 2023. First purchased in 1985. 

1985; 10/24/23 (review)

Beyond Recall (1991) 

Klaus tells us this is his 23rd solo album. That would be not counting archival releases, otherwise it would be his 2,300th album. There's really nothing at all wrong with these past-his-prime Schulze releases, but they aren't particularly enlightening either. 77 minutes of Schulze at this stage is purely background music. There's a lot of what sounds like acoustic guitar here, but it's just more synths. I don't have any nostalgia towards this title, as it came along way past my initial discovery and enamoration (not a word, but it should be!) for the artist. My electronic collection grew out of control about 17 years ago, and it's time to trim some of that tree. And this is a low hanging branch.

Former ownership: 1991 Venture (CD). Acquired in 2011. Downsized in 2022.

3/31/11; 3/20/18; 3/18/22 (review)

Inter*Face (1985)

I bought this album right after it came out, while still in college (probably paid too much for the import). Ten years after that, needing shelf space, I sold it in one of my LP catalogs. And now 20 years later, I have the original CD in my possession for the first time. 

Anyway, the reason I sold the album is I had a boat load of Schulze already (if I only knew then how much he was about to release...), and this one seemed superfluous at the time. Perhaps it still is, I dunno. Sure, there's a bit of Klaus-on-auto-pilot going on here, and the tracks linger for longer than they need to, but doggone if this doesn't set the right mood. And the epic long track recalls Schulze's 70s sequencer works, more so than the proto-chill-out of the first side. Plenty of great (real) percussion adds to the vibe.

Ownership: 1985 Brain (CD). Acquired in 2016.

First copy: 1985 Brain (LP). Acquired in 1985.

1985; 12/4/16 (review)

Albums from this period that I own: Dig It; Dziekuje Poland; In Blue. 

Once owned: Drive Inn; Aphrica; Moonlake; The Dome Event

Plus dozens of others will likely flow through here eventually.

12/4/16 (new entry)

Guru Guru (& related) ~ Germany

Guru Guru (1973)

---June 2005

How do you describe this, Guru Guru's 4th album? When I first purchased the LP some 17 years ago, I was very disappointed. 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 two stoned journeys along the lines of Kanguru 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. 

---5/20/26

And that was my last listen. To be fair, in retrospect, I'm sure these underground Krautrock bands wanted to pay respect to the artists that they themselves enjoyed during their youth. I'm just not sure anyone else was all that interested. Guru Guru covering Eddie Cochran is not a promising proposition. And it certainly hasn't aged well.

As for Side 2, I'm going to dial down my enthusiasm a tad. They're both of the trippy spaced out variety. With some jazz influence and a bit of songcraft. Each of these tracks end with some great guitar from Genrich, leaving a stronger impression than maybe is due. His tone is not that dissimilar from Black Sabbath on 'The Story Of Life' towards the end of the song.

Overall I'm not convinced this is an indispensible album, though it's likely to stick around in the short term.

Ownership: 1973 Brain (LP). Gatefold. Green label with Metronome. Reacquired in 2000. First purchased in 1988.

1988; 1995; 2000; 6//05 (review); 5/20/26 (update)

 

Kanguru (1972)

---June 2005

Closest early era Guru Guru got to mixing song craft with their unique blitzed out acid psych sound. Comes off like a twisted 8th dimension Jimi Hendrix. Pretty hard not to call this a classic, though it would be just as easy to see how this could turn people off.

---12/22/25

For whatever reason, I'm not really all that familiar with Kanguru, Guru Guru's third effort, despite owning the LP for well over 30 years. I had dumped my Brain CD not too long ago, and later thought this title warranted owning in both formats. So this listen was appointed to the top because of the reacquisition of the latest CD, as the LP hasn't been chosen randomly in 20 years. I didn't realize I had any notes until a search came up with the above. Let's see how it goes this time.

For some reason I remember the opening to 'Immer Lustig', not so much the rest. The translated title certainly reflects Mani Neumeier's silliness on the back cover. I'm just as unfamiliar with the predecessor Hinten, and I feel like knowing that album better would help me frame my narrative for Kanguru. And the transition from UFO to here. Kanguru is without a doubt still off the rails in high intensity heavy cosmic acid psych. Which was becoming unusual at that time. Even Amon Duul II had settled by 1972, though groups like Ash Ra Tempel were still climbing that mountain. Having said that, there is a distinct move towards composition here, as loose as they may be. As the music goes off into space and grinds its way through various jams, suddenly a cohesive new rhythm would appear complete with an unheard melody. There's no indication when this may happen, it's completely random. This isn't progressive rock in the slightest, but it does have some similarities in the unpredictability. When reading my short notes from 20 years ago, I managed to distill fairly well what's happening here. I would think Kanguru would be an easier introduction to Guru Guru than UFO, unless you are already predisposed to the insane German psych underground like I was (and documented below).

Ownership: 

1972 Brain (LP). Gatefold. Green Brain Metronome. Acquired in 1992.

2025 Made in Germany (CD). Digisleeve. Booklet with historical liner notes (same notes as the 2009 Revisited reissue). Acquired in 2025.

1992; 1996; 6//05 (notes); 12/22/25 (review)

Dance of the Flames (1974)

This is the odd album out in the Guru Guru canon. Former Eiliff guitarist Houshang Nejadepour took over the reins from Ax Genrich, and it's obvious he took over the musical direction of Guru Guru at this point too. And they needed it, after releasing the halfway stupid (and halfway great) self-titled 4th, and the ridiculous Don't Call Us We Call You albums. Heavily influenced by the McLaughlin / Santana opus Love Devotion and Surrender, Nejadepour gives us an intense guitar centric blast of emotional instrumental rock. Neumeier gets a rare chance to shows his formative jazz percussion chops while special mention should go to jazz bassist Hans Hartmann (AR & Machines, ID Company) who turns in a monster performance. Still, you can just hear Mani in the studio "oh please, please, let me do one goofy thing, pleeeassssssse." And so he gets his fun on the first track with a Donald Duck impersonation and bad vocals throughout (though the music is excellent). "Very nice Mani... now go back to your drum kit and shut up". 'The Girl From Hirschhorn' is a truly remarkable track, an extremely intense emotional and melodic workout, and the song that states this album was going to be a great departure from whatever came before it. 'The Day of Timestop', and 'God's Endless Love for Men' could have been lifted from Mahavishnu Orchestra's "The Inner Mounting Flame" sessions. 'Rallulli' sounds more like acoustic Embryo than Guru Guru.

After one album of spiritual enlightenment, Mani obviously wanted no part of that, and the group went back to being the goofball vehicle it had become, and never again was Guru Guru to release anything of that much interest IMO. Houshang was gone. Neumeier himself, however, did immerse in interesting projects, even today with the UFO styled Neumeier – Genrich - Schmidt and Gurumaniax projects. But Guru Guru as a band never again reached the heights of Dance of the Flames. Whatever happened to Nejadepour? What a talent!

Ownership:

1974 Atlantic Germany (LP). Reacquired in 2013. First purchased in 1989.

2006 Revisited / SPV (CD). Tri-fold digi-pak. The liner notes include a full history of Guru Guru and a separate one for the album itself. Nice photos and an excellent 7+ minute live track round it out. It does sound to my ears that this was mastered from vinyl however. Acquired in 2006.

1989; 1997; 9//06 (review); 8/6/15 (update)

 

Gurumaniax - Psy Valley Hill (2010)

Presumably, the members of Gurumaniax need no introduction, nor does its core group Guru Guru, so off to my notes we go.

Almost everyone I know that is aged 70 tends to be a doddering Grandfather, or someone who fiddles in the yard / garden to pass the day. Some are more active of course - maybe they travel extensively, run a restaurant, or they still immerse themselves in day-to-day corporate business. But absolutely no one I know at age 70 has recorded a KRAUTROCK ACID FREAKOUT album, as has Mr. Neumeier, who was already 30 when the monumental UFO was released in 1970. Joining Mani is the youngster guitarist Ax Genrich who was only 25 when UFO was launched. And Belgian bassist Guy Segers (Univers Zero) fills in ably for Uli Trepte (RIP) - himself no spring chicken. The music squarely fits into the exploratory Ohr years of Guru Guru, with heavy psychedelic jams offset by spacey parts. What an inspiration to see these guys still possess the spirit of their youth. I just hope I still have the excitement of listening to this stuff at 70! Gurumaniax's music make kids in their 20s put on the oxygen masks. I love it.

Ownership: 2010 Bureau B (CD). Acquired in 2013.

4/10/13 (review)

 

UFO (1970)

I knew it was the best album in the stack. It was only a matter of time to when I could get home and hear it. Home to the United States that is. It was London, May of 1987, and I had picked up a pile of records from the Virgin Megastore, plus many others from our swing through Continental Europe. But I knew UFO was going to be the big winner. It was the Pop Import release of course, but even those were extinct in the record stores back home in Dallas. The day-glo gatefold cover of an orange flying saucer against the textured yellow background. The Ohr/ear symbol at the top (perfectly simulated with the new Captain Trip Japanese mini-LP release - right down the exact slickness of the cover). The giant ear on Uli Trepte's profile. Even the birthdates were telling. 1940, 1941 and 1945. To say, at the time of recording, roughly 25, 29 and 30 years old - pointing to the value of experience over youthful naivete. The track names 'Stone In', 'Girl Call', 'Next Time See You at the Dalai Lhama', 'UFO', and 'Der LSD-Marsch'. The liner notes in English: Soon the UFOs will land and mankind will meet much stronger brains and habits. Lets get ready for that. - P. Hinten. There were German notes as well, and they looked cool too. It had to be everything I imagined an unhinged German psychedelic record to be. I had read about it, and now I had it my hands. I could barely wait to fly home. Jet-lag be damned, it was on the home stereo the moment I walked in the door. It was an experience I would never forget.

Blam, blam goes Ax Genrich's massive fuzz guitar. BASH goes Mani Neumeier's gong / cymbals / percussion. Uli Trepte adds a bass line, and we're already in MID JAM form 15 seconds into the recording! And it gets only more intense from there. Brain frying acid guitar as the pace picks up and moaning wordless chants cascade over the mayhem. This isn't a mindless jam ala the Acid Mother's Temple. Everything is coherent, with a purpose, the work of three experienced jazz trained road warriors. They were already masters of their trade, but applied to a new kind of instrumental psychedelic free rock. 'Stone In' is 5:42 of perfection. Maybe the greatest opening sequence in psychedelic history. 'Girl Call' follows and is no less powerful, allowing us a viewpoint in what might have been the first minute of 'Stone In', before launching into another insane jam. The transition from the heightened tensions of 'Girl Call' to the fast paced Eastern oriented jam of 'Next Time See You at the Dalai Lhama' still sends shivers down my spine. By the end of Side 1, I can say with some conviction: It is perfect.

We theoretically flip the record over and visit the lengthy title track. Here Guru Guru shows their abstract side. An exercise in psychedelic decomposition. Rhythmnless. Intense to the point of painful. Out of the abyss rises 'Der LSD-Marsch', and the acid guitar trio is back in form, igniting your stereo in flames. If it went another hour, it would only be better. I can think of less than 10 albums I'd say that about.

21 years after that first encounter, I hear UFO better than ever. A true all-time classic that has transcended time.

Ownership:

1970 Ohr (LP). Gatefold. Original 56 version. Acquired in 2000.

2008 Captain Trip (CD). Gatefold papersleeve. Acquired in 2008.

First copy: 1981 Ohr / Pop Import (LP). Gatefold. Acquired in 1987.

5/17/87; 1996; 8/20/08 (review); 12/4/21 (update)

Also own: Hinten; Hot on Spot / Inbetween; Psychedelic Monsterjam; The Intergalactic Travel Agency

I've owned many other titles in the past, some I need to revisit, others I know can be left at the door.

6/8/09 (new entry)