CMU - Open Spaces 1971 England

Converse to its successor Space Cabaret, Open Spaces starts excellent, with an ideal English styled psych rock track in 'Henry'. 1971 is a little late for the type of psych they're doing here, but it would have been the perfect soundtrack to a Swinging' London film like Otley or Blow Up. However, the middle of the album tends to drag, with their interpretation of Pharaoh Sander's 'Japan' being a low point. But, like Space Cabaret, the last two tracks save the day, with the super sweet and exotic 'Mystical Sounds' followed by the weird psych space jazz title track, sounding like Kalacakra and Furekaaben jamming on the MPS label. Apparently the song 'Open Spaces' was commissioned for an interactive sculpture exhibition with a psychedelic light show. Any chance I can go back in time and see this?

CD: 1993 See For Miles

The CD release from See For Miles contains both albums. But in order to fit them in, they excluded one 6 minute track from Open Spaces. This version also has unique liner notes.

Gomorrha - I Turned to See Whose Voice It Was. 1972 Germany

For the 3rd album on the legendary Brain label, the very cleverly titled I Turned to See Whose Voice It Was (referencing the Biblical story of Lot's wife no doubt), I can recommend this one easily. Now this is true hard styled Krautrock. The kind of album where fans of complex progressive rock go scratching their heads wondering what the big deal is. It's underground rock, baby. Nothing more than simple blues rock motifs, gruff vocals, pounding drums, organ shards, and the cherry topping is the long stretches of fuzzy guitar solos, all played at "11" of course. And since it's on Brain, naturally Conny Plank was at the controls, so you can expect all sorts of echoing, phasing, and every other studio trick that just plain sounds cool. So while not necessarily memorable, it is the kind of album that sounds great while playing it. And really, isn't that when it matters most? So strap your seat belt on, plug in your air guitar, and get ready to jam. Best track is 'I Try to Change This World' (9:31). According to the liner notes of the Repertoire CD, this was it for the band, and they quit music and went into the workforce. A pity really.

LP: 1973 Brain
CD: 1997 Repertoire
LP: 2013 Long Hair

Originals come in a fine gatefold cover. Apparently the original press comes in a non-laminate cover with spelling mistakes in the inner gatefold.  The second press (1973) fixes these while laminating the cover. Apparently most of these laminates have peeled through the years. This is the version I own and can validate this finding. The CD on Repertoire is excellent, as were all of their Brain releases, with unique liner notes, photos, etc...  The Long Hair LP adds new liner notes.

Body - The Body Album. 1981 England

I seem rate this album higher than most of my peers, and I'm not entirely sure why. Body are a really good space rock band that is completely incongruous with anything else coming from England in 1981 (other than maybe the first Twelfth Night album). There are very few references to the early 80's UK synth pop scene though a couple of tunes are musically relevant 'Brave New World' being the most obvious whereas 'Lights Out' could have easily been a hit single during that era. Overall I hear elements of You era Gong as well as the obscure Italian group St. Tropez here. The near 15 minute spaced out 'Andromeda' is the song Pink Floyd never made after Ummagumma and is the standout track on the entire album. The bonus tracks are uniformly excellent except for maybe the goofy Falkland Islands political rant - but no matter - it was, after all, an important topic in the mid 1980's!

CD: 1997 Ozit
CD: 1992 World Wide Records (Germany)

My introduction to this album came via the SPM/World Wide CD that I purchased upon release (1992 or so). The Ozit release (scan above) comes with 4 bonus tracks, a full history, photos, and is overall a great reissue. Definitely a marked improvement on the bare bones SPM version.

Richard Pinhas - L'Ethique. 1982 France

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 4 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: LP: 1982 Pulse (UK). Single sleeve. This album was my introduction to Pinhas' solo works, and I bought it in 1986 while still in college (at University Records in Lubbock). Sold it when the CD came out. But reacquired again recently online in 2020 (a sealed copy no less). 

CD: 1992 Cuneiform (USA). Straightforward reissue. However it does have the fantastic 'Southbound' as a bonus track, so I will hang onto both.

5/19/11 (new entry); 7/30/20 (LP update)

Radio Massacre International - Knutsford in May. 1997 England

The hardest part about writing on Radio Massacre International, is that they have so many doggone great albums, it's near impossible to determine what is great from what is really great. If you're a fan of the Berlin School of electronic music (Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, etc...), and you like sequencers, mellotron and electric guitars (and even real drums on later albums) - then do not wait another second - don't walk, but run out, and buy at least one RMI album. You almost cannot go wrong, though as I said in the prelude, there is a bit of separation on their respective titles. Knutsford in May is one of their can't miss titles for fans of the genre. This one has more than its share of mellotron and guitars, and while listening to this you'll feel like someone dropped you into Edgar Froese's studio circa 1975. RMI have completely mastered the style, and if you're looking for a starting place - Knutsford in May is as good as any.

Ownership: CD: 1997 Centaur

5/17/11 (new entry)

Simon Says - Ceinwen. 1995 Sweden

There have been bands trying to copy the classic Genesis sound ever since... well... ever since Genesis stopped putting out progressive rock music themselves. In the late 1970's and early 80's, bands from Germany (Ivory, Neuschwanstein, M.L. Bongers Project, Sirius), The Netherlands (Saga), and Austria (Kyrie Eleison) gave it their best shot (and all did an admirable job I might add). Entering into the early 80's there was even a celebrated movement called the New Wave of British Progressive Rock (now saddled with the derogatory "neo prog" tag), where classic Genesis was clearly the blueprint - most notably found in the sound of well known and respected bands like Marillion and IQ. By the late 80's this particular genre was starting to get a bit long in the tooth - almost cartoon-ish even (witness the Swiss band Deyss on their roll-on-the-floor it's-so-bad-it's-bloody-awful 'At-King' album).

So what am I doing talking about a band who did basically the same thing - as late as 1995? Because it's damn good, that's why. Simon Says are definitely post-Anglagard Genesis copycat, and for that they deserve some credit at the very least. Gone are the cheap synthesizers, brass patches, gated drums, pig squeal guitar leads and thin production. And in its place are acoustic guitars, flute, Hammond organ, fat woody bass, loud acid guitar, Mini Moog solos and best of all, the glorious MELLOTRON blaring its sampled string sounds - 8 seconds at a time just as God had intended. It's in the Bible somewhere. Dammit.

Even if you would want to take a pass at this point, then at the very least go to the final track, with the brain blowing 16 minute 'Kadazan' which basically sounds exactly like Anglagard doing their best Nursery Cryme imitation. Even the most cynical amongst you out there ought to at least give THAT a try before making final judgment.

Ownership: CD: 1995 Bishop Garden. Purchased new upon release.

1995; 5/16/11 (new entry)

Nebelnest - Nova Express. 2002 France

When Nebelnest first burst onto the scene in 1999, they were a revelation. A mix of aggressive space rock and cosmic 60's Pink Floyd-like sounds, and for me represents one of the best albums of the 1990s. With Nova Express, the band tightened the ship, and were pretty much all aggressive... all the time. Gone were the hazy psychedelic dreams, and its place dark nightmares became predominant. With this shift towards constant intensity, Nebelnest always seems like they're in the middle of the song. So I do miss the build-ups and ultimate release. Very good album, but not to the level of their debut.

Ownership: CD: 2000 Cuneiform

5/15/11 (new entry)

Ocarinah - Première Vision de l'étrange. 1978 France

Ocarinah's sole work is a real gem to be found in the French underground mine. Try to imagine the first two Clearlight albums - but as strictly a keyboard trio (with occasional guitar) - combined with a strong dash of metronomic rigidness similar to the Canterbury movement. In particular the early albums by Egg come to mind. Première Vision de l'étrange contains five long tracks of incredible creativity and complexity. An easy-to-listen-to masterpiece of the style.

Ownership: LP: 1978 Calypsia. Single sleeve. Mail order acquisition (1994)

As of this update (6/4/24), it's not been reissued in any format (legally of course!).

1994; 5/13/11 (new entry)

Lunar Dunes - From Above. 2007 England

There are scores of psychedelic space rock bands in existence these days, and that's a good thing, but there a few that clearly are rising to the top. And Lunar Dunes is in the top tier. Superior and inventive guitar work combined with a creative rhythm section define this amazing debut. The songs are well written with actual melodies, and aren't just skeletons to launch the next jam. There's a distinct Middle Eastern exotic flair, as evidenced by the hand percussion and soaring wordless female voice on 'Herzegovina (interpolating Le Petit Chevalier)'. This track is even more remarkable in that it sounds like Tony Hill from High Tide jamming with the rhythm section of Can. 'Loophole' reminds me of Ashra from their Correlations improv sessions set. The aggressive psychedelic space rock of 'The Todal Gleeps' recalls the great Omnia Opera. Lunar Dunes go into psychedelic chill-out form from 'Seaspray' through 'When I Was on Horseback'. The final three tracks feature both styles of aggression and serenity successfully.

Ownership: CD: 2007 private. Digifile

5/12/11 (new entry); 4/16/18

Last listen: April 16, 2018
Originally reviewed: May 12, 2011

TNVVNÜM - Ouroboros. 2009 Estonia

Excellent new, primarily instrumental, band from Estonia whose full name is Tõele Näkku Vaadates Võib Näha Ükskõik Mida - just rolls off the tongue doesn't it? The name translates more or less to Facing The Truth You Can See Anything.

The opening of TNVVNÜM's second album Ouroboros sits somewhere between the post rock of Tortoise and Ummagumma era Pink Floyd. The song structures meander similar to the former, but the Gilmour leads and fuzzy sounding ancient organ point to a late 1960's sound. By track 4, the album is already in full blown psychedelic rock mode, which endears itself to this listener anyway. The eerie narration/vocals of 8) give off more than a whiff of first album Trettioåriga Kriget. The album peaks on the sublime 'Bad Chemicals', an appropriate name given the disorienting psychedelic nature of the song. This song could have easily been part of the Pärson Sound repertoire of 1968.

Highlights (using the provided English translations as I'm too lazy to type in the Estonia names): 3. Seagull (3:30); 4. State of the Dream (6:36); 6. Ambrosia (4:10); 8. Solar Eclipse (6:09); 9. Bad Chemicals (5:31); 10. Earthbound (5:30)

Ownership: CD: 2009 private. Housed in a nice hard bound mini-LP sleeve.

5/10/11 (new entry)

Soma - Dreamtime. 1995 England

For those of you who remember when Ozric Tentacles broke out big-time in the late 1980's, then you'll probably also recall a host of other bands coming from the UK Festival scene, as well as other astral travelers from the world over. Soma's debut Epsilon was preceded by quite a bit of hype - something akin to "if you love Ozric, then you'll be blown away by Soma". Always a dangerous thing to do, and sure enough Soma's album didn't live up to such a lofty reputation. That's probably no fault of the band, but finger pointing goes to those that were trying to market it to a new, hungry, but discerning audience. However, not living up to an exceedingly high bar is not the same thing as saying the album wasn't any good. Quite to the contrary.

Fast forward to 1995, and Soma's long delayed second album finally gets released (originally recorded in 1992). By the mid 1990s, as mentioned in the Mr. Quimby review, a certain blasé attitude had penetrated the targeted audience. Whether through overexposure, redundancy, or saturation - who knows - but many of us were exhausted of the style. And to top it off, Soma's album was already 3 years in the can, and was now finally being issued by an obscure Italian label with little distribution. I gave it the short shrift back then, tossed it quickly and said "same ol' same ol'" It wasn't fair, but I was still digesting hundreds of new albums in the mid 90s, and only the best of the best were standing out. I recently received a second chance to buy the CD through a used set sale, and I jumped on it.

A revisit has been kind to Dreamtime. In reality, you can hear the band had actually matured, while expanding their sound to incorporate more sophisticated structures. As such, Soma's final album isn't so much a space rock rave-up, but rather a progressive rock album via the Hawkwind lens. Complex meter shifts, and vocal fronted rock music aren't necessarily the common tools of the jamming space rock trade, but are more than welcome to this listener anyway. Too bad Soma didn't really get their chance to shine in the spotlight. I bet a reunion, similar to what Omnia Opera just pulled off, would prove to be quite a revelation.

Ownership: CD: 1995 Beard of Stars

5/9/11 (new entry)