Scherzoo – 01. 2011 France

Scherzoo is lead by Francois Thollot, whose Contact album was one of the finest albums from the last decade, as noted above. Thollot has been in a couple of bands since then, and I've been wondering what he would come up with on his next album. With Scherzoo he's back behind the drum kit, with a full band in front of him including guitar, bass, piano and alto sax. Make no mistake though, this is Thollot's band, and these are his compositions.

The music definitely has a Zeuhl underpinning in the rhythms, though the lack of vocals (wordless or otherwise) drifts the music further from the source. The heavy guitar reminds one of Eider Stellaire, though again I'd say Scherzoo are more Avant Progressive than Zeuhl. In the end they come across like recent Nebelnest with a dash of the Dutch group Blast. If I was to nitpick, I'd say that on the first two tracks (roughly 15 minutes), the sax is a little unhinged for my liking. Too much squealing, squeaking, and honking for me. But fortunately the remaining 40 minutes demonstrates some restraint and he seems more a part of the ensemble, rather than an instrument that stands out and needs to tighten a screw. A very good album, and I'm most curious where Thollot goes from here. Count me in as a fanboy.

Ownership: CD: 2011 Soleil Zeuhl

7/28/11 (new entry)

Wobbler - Rites at Dawn. 2011 Norway

My comments are going to echo many you've already seen - it's clear that Wobbler has made a conscious attempt at recreating the textures, sound and compositions of 1971-1972 era Yes. Personally I think it's a style that has plenty of room to improvise and innovate in, and apparently Wobbler agrees with me, as this is a wholly original work within an obvious context. As such, I find many of the parts quite exciting, with vicious Rickenbacker bass, mellotron, organ, and loud acid guitar leads way out front. Some of the acoustic guitar work recalls other British acts of the early 70s. So the band has clearly cut ties with its Anglagard / Sinkadus early 70s retro-Scandinavian past, and migrated towards the British Isles, just as their ancestors did 1300 years ago. Works for me.

For dyed-in-the-wool old school progressive rock lovers like me, this one is a no brainer pick up.

Ownership: CD: 2011 Termo. Purchased new upon release. Jewel case with booklet.

7/27/11 (new entry); 9/9/23

Dasputnik - Cyclokosmia. 2011 Finland

And really, there isn't much to add here from my Parapsykosis review, other than Cyclokosmia is even better than the debut! I don't think I've ever heard a band catch a heavier groove, while maintaining control throughout. I keep expecting the sax player to go bonkers, and start screeching and howling to the point of nausea. But he never does, preferring to maintain an almost smooth jazz tone, while holding up the melody lines amongst the chaos behind him. Meanwhile the rhythm is changing every 30 seconds, while the riffing  (non metal) guitar keeps shredding these amazing complex charts. Like Ozric Tentacles on speed. This juxtaposition of styles is absolutely brilliant, and is perfect for my set of ears. When Dasputnik combines guitar and sax for the unison melody, I'm most reminded of those great German bands of the early 70's like Brainstorm.

The track '...Phantom Wakes' has to be heard to be believed. What a smoker!

Ownership: CD: 2011 Art Safari

7/27/11 (new entry)

Dasputnik - Parapsykosis. 2009 Finland

Dasputnik are an energetic and tight Ozric Tentacles styled space rock band, with furious guitar leads, synthesizers, a crack rhythm section and melodic sax. This latter element is a real differentiator from the pack. Up there with other great Finnish bands like Hidria Spacefolk and Taipuva Luotisuora. Also catching a vibe from the Hungarian Korai Orom in their more kinetic sequences. This album is awesome.

Highlights: 1. Hzz (10:31); 2. Electromagnetolithic Experience (7:13); 6. Space in India (11:22)

Ownership: CD: 2009 Art Safari

7/27/11 (new entry)

High Tide - s/t. 1970 England

High Tide are well known UK heavy instrumental rock group with powerful guitar and violin leads. The Eclectic / Esoteric CD is a must own just to hear the near 16 minute 'The Great Universal Protection Racket', which was recorded with the same sessions as the others on the album and was a last minute cut due to time constraints. And it's as strong as the other material, maybe even a little better.

CD: 2006 Eclectic
CD: 1994 Repertoire (Germany)

Mekong Delta - Wanderer on the Edge of Time. 2010 Germany

One of the challenges in appreciating Mekong Delta is that their relentless complexity can be difficult to penetrate, especially on albums where the production isn't crisp (their early days in particular). What if Mekong Delta dialed back the intensity and mathematics, while still maintaining their heavy symphonic approach, but with a crystal clear production? Wanderer on the Edge of Time is the answer to that question. Mekong Delta always had a penchant for blasting out thrashy, but complex progressive rock oriented, instrumental interludes ('Intermezzo' being the highlight of the nine (!) instrumentals here). This is no doubt an homage to Ralf Hubert's fascination with ELP's Tarkus suite among other Emersonian classical interpretations/original compositions. Here they intersperse these interludes with more song oriented material. The latter represents somewhat of a departure for the band - something they explored briefly on Kaleidoscope. But fear not, as the band performs perhaps their best progressive thrash metal track to date with 'The Apocalypt - World in Shards'. If Lurking Fear is the successor to The Music of Erich Zann, then Wanderer on the Edge of Time would be the inheritors of the Dances of Death / Kaleidoscope era with a bit more melodic consideration. Another excellent addition to the Mekong Delta legacy.

Ownership: CD: 2010 Aaarrg

7/25/11 (new entry)

Accordo dei Contrari - Kublai. 2011 Italy

In some ways, Accordo dei Contrari are the polar opposite of the Sithonia album we spoke about on this blog. The instrumentation, execution, and overall crispness are absolutely top-notch. Thematic development and melodic longevity, well... perhaps not their strong suit. So in that way, I rate them the same, though I can assure you that Accordo dei Contrari are far more palatable on initial impact. I would have to plea before the court as to why Sithonia are excellent, whereas all I have to do here is press "play" and watch the listener's jaw drop at the musical prowess. That's not to say that Accordo dei Contrari are a cold, soulless band. Quite to the contrary (as their name suggests). The psychedelic exotic fusion of 'Arabesque' alone is enough to sell me on this album. As if Agitation Free went on a Mahavishnu Orchestra binge. Say that last sentence again, perhaps slowly. I'm all in. I think this is where the Area comparisons come in. They're meant as flattery, but not sure I see the correlation. Anyway, instrumental progressive rock / fusion - I could listen to this kind of stuff all day.

Ownership: CD: 2011 private

7/25/11 (new entry)

Poobah - Let Me In. 1972 USA-Ohio

Poobah are perhaps the best example of the hard working, musically competent – but unsigned – 1970s Midwest rock group. Hailing from Youngstown, OH, Poobah possessed a rare talent in guitarist Jim Gustafson, who could jam with the best of them. They managed 3 self-released albums spanning from 1972 through to 1979 (though they recorded even more in the interim periods). Let Me In is a raw, but very powerful, hard rock album and can easily be seen as the blueprint for which most Midwest rock albums sound like. The sketch of a drunk puking across the bathroom is the perfect metaphor for the “life of an Ohioan rock n roller”.

Favorite track: 'Bowleen'
Favorite bonus track from the Ripple CD: 'Make a Man Outta You'

Personal collection
CD: 2010 Ripple

The CD is a good one with 12 bonus tracks, lyrics, and previously unseen photos from the high quality Ripple label. And what a cover, eh?

Ravjunk - Uppsala Stadshotell Brinner. 1977 Sweden

Rävjunk were one of the pioneers of Sweden's nascent punk scene, though their sole album only featured scant evidence of this style. After the first 3 short vocal oriented punk influenced tracks, most (excepting one out of place swampy blues number) of the remainder is long form guitar based jamming, along the lines of early Guru Guru, Can, or an instrumental Stooges. The Krautrock influence becomes even more pronounced on the bonus material that closes out Disc 1 (20 minute track) and all of Disc 2. The liner notes confirm this is no accident, and describe how the band was torn between becoming the Swedish Sex Pistols or a terminally non-commercial instrumental underground act. The former was the direction they took afterwards, but the latter appears to have won out as the band was pretty much done by 1980.

If you are a fan of their psychedelic side (like me), then the CD is a must own. The original album could have easily been a triple LP, based on the strength of the material here.

Ownership: CD: 2007 Transubstans. Essential reissue.  Double CD digi-pak with extensive liner notes and photos. Tons of bonus material (90 minutes!). This replaced a bootleg CD I had prior.

Hills. 2009 Sweden

Hills are probably the closest recent band I've heard to conjuring up the spirit of the original Krautrock movement. Mistakes and all. Hills restrain themselves from the endless jam that befell bands like Acid Mothers Temple and, as noted recently, Sulatron's latest signing from Detroit: THTX. Plus Hills reintroduces the flute as an all important ingredient, starting right away on 'Death 1', adding a much needed soft lead instrument to the typical harsh textures that the genre calls for. 'Istiklal Street' reminded me of the Cosmic Jokers, though a slight 2 minute trimming throughout the piece would have helped. 'You Talk The Talk!' is a dead ringer of Kraftwerk's debut (for you kids just startin' out, that would NOT be like the Kraftwerk you are familiar with): The echoed flute, shimmering guitars and pounding metronomic drums are to die for. ' Rainship [Solregn]' is like a psychedelic Neu!. The familiar driving beat but with obvious space rock / psychedelic textures. Bonus track 'Schlaraffenland' made me glad I bought the CD just for this. Similar to tracks 3 and 4, but even more in the vein of Ash Ra Tempel's 'Freak N Roll' from Join Inn. A hypnotic space rock jam. 'Messias' is another bonus coming from a previously released cassette.

Hills have enormous potential. I highly recommend this album as it is. However, I'd like to see them tighten the ship a bit, focus on a little melody and add in some more compositional structure, as they could really put out a monster album here. They have the RIGHT sound.

Ownership: LP: 2009 Intergalactic Tactics

CD: 2010 Sulatron

7/15/11 (new entry)

Hiromasa Suzuki - Rock Joint Biwa (Kumikyoku Fulukotofumi). 1972 Japan

I maintain that Japan is hiding the most buried treasure when talking underground rock from the 1970s. I'm still hearing about dozens of albums that almost no one has any data on. Whether or not they are truly what is purported remains to be seen and heard. I recall a similar experience when going on a deep sea expedition (in the early 1990s) through the Yugoslavian 70s scene, only to find a true few that really matched what was advertised.

Similar to T. Yokota's Primitive Community album, we are at the meeting place of rock and jazz. Except the all-instrumental Furukotofumi has a completely different sound than Yokota's bunch. Definitely not a mystical experience as Primitive Community is, yet there are some fascinating Japanese indigenous moments to behold - primarily used as interludes between songs. I'd say the scales are more tipped towards the jazz side here, but make no mistake, this clearly is psychedelic rock influenced throughout. Some fantastic electric guitar work, including at least one blazing acid solo (and mixed with a biwa no less) amongst other excellent amped up shredders. A definite early fusion vibe permeates as well, no doubt informed by the UK groups like Nucleus or Soft Machine. Rhodes, piano, violin and organ also get their turn in the solo spotlight. Even a little Bacharach-ian lounger, with some wonderful horn and string charts, soap opera organ and a nice toned down guitar rip. The highlight is the pounding drum, biwa and psychedelic wah wah guitar piece followed by the groovy horn charts, sax solo - and get this - all phased out ala Dieter Dirks in the Kosmische Kourier studio. There's a lot here to digest.

The below is my friend The AC's research. Fascinating stuff.

"Shiro Miyake (biwa)
Akira Ishikawa (wadaiko)
Hirasama Suzuki Trio
Kiyoshi Sugimoto (guitar)
Suzuki Takehisa (trumpet)
Takeru Muraoka (tenor sax)
Tadataka Nakazawa - (trumpet)
Tamaki Quartet

As you can see from the back cover, this "Fulukotofumi" name came from a mis-romanization on the LP itself. There is no "l" sound in Japanese, it's always a hard/trilled "r". They sound the same to the Japanese ear, so they often make that mistake when translating things. Whoever got the LP and submitted it to Pokora obviously could only read that bit of text on the jacket, so Pokora printed it like that in one of his books and the incorrect name spread around. The actual name as I printed it above means "Suite: Furukotofumi". The Furukotofumi is also known as the Kojiki, or the "record of ancient matters". It's the oldest known book in Japan (from around 600 or 700 AD) and is full of creation myths, poems and songs, etc. This album has the concept of fusing the spirit of Japanese mythology (primarily through the use of biwa as lead instrument) with jazz and "new rock" (as they liked to call it in Japan back then), so that's why the Kojiki is used as source material. It was released as one of those Victor 4-channel discs that were popular in Japan for a brief period, and was actually supposed to be the first of a series of these concept albums. Unfortunately, only one more was released. It came out in 1973 and is called "Rock Joint Sitar - Kumikyoku Silk Road". As you might guess, this one has the concept of fusing new music with ancient Indian and central Asian sounds, with sitar replacing the biwa. It features many of the same musicians as the first LP."

Wow.

CD: 2011 Sony

A super rare album, that my buddy Heavyrock turned up in 2010. We made quite a splash about it in the CDRWL (which is now in the verbiage above), and not long after, here comes a CD reissue. From Sony no less!

Serge Bringolf Strave. 1980 France

Drummer and bandleader Bringolf put together the 10 piece Strave outfit that resembles a big band version of Magma. Trombone, trumpet, sax, violin, vibraphone, bass, and flute represent the instruments utilized along with wordless voice. No keyboards or guitar, which is unusual for a group with any kind of rock context such as this (even though the scales are clearly tipped towards a jazz sound). A unique band in the Zeuhl world.

Ownership: CD: 2011 Soleil Zeuhl. Jewel case. Booklet with historical notes and photos.

Former ownership: LP: 1980 Omega Studio. 2xLP.

1994 (first listen); 1996; 7/8/11 (review / new entry)

Thunderpussy - Documents of Captivity. 1973 USA-Illinois

So here we are again, in the great American Midwest, this time from the southern Illinois town of Carbondale. 1973 is a bit early in the game for the classic regional sound, but some of the earmarks of the scene are already in place.

With 3 part thematic tracks (or poems as the liner notes state), and titles all beginning with 'Document of...' (e.g. 'Enigma', 'Validation', 'Extrinsic Value', etc...) and each featuring a creative instrumental mid-section, one has to wonder how such a heady band ended up with the Thunderpussy moniker. I could see a band having this name as a blues rock cover band playing for drunks and dopeheads - but I would think a name change may have been appropriate by the time they laid down the recordings. In essence Thunderpussy are a guitar trio, with many acoustic sections including flute, and sometimes utilize harmony similar to maybe CSN. As the album wears on, it becomes heavier and more ambitious, to the point where it could be considered the great grandfather of epic progressive metal. I wonder if fellow Midwesterners Manilla Road (and Mark Shelton was a knowledgeable music fan) might have stumbled onto one of these LPs in the 1970s. Or perhaps other groups were performing in the area that were similar to Thunderpussy back in the day, but there's no aural documents remaining. This album is distinctly American, underground, creative and flat out freakin' cool.

CD: 1996 The Wild Places
LP: 1987 Breeder bootleg (Austria)

The CD is awesome with 4 live bonus tracks and historical liner notes.

Dillinger - Don't Lie to the Band. 1976 Canada

Here we go again with another Ashratom Midwest progressive rock classic. As stated in a couple of other places, I consider Ontario as part of this scene, as there are many similarities across economic and cultural lines. And once again we are at the crossing path of unabashed FM radio hits and off-the-hinges radical complex progressive rock.

This one front loads all the bad tracks, so that your typical downloader will have already given up on it before the main course is offered (serves them right anyway). In fact, the first 10 minutes are pretty dreadful to be honest. It opens strong enough with a hard rockin' cover of Spooky Tooth's 'Two Time Love' from The Mirror' album. This is followed by a funky version of The Beatles great composition 'Taxman'. Downright blasphemous if you ask me. And finally we get the awful 'It's Not All Mine', a hideous ballad that represents everything that was wrong with FM radio in 1976. Well... isn't this exciting? I'm thinking sell bin at this point.

Enter nine and a half minute 'Munchkin Men' which introduces us to 35 minutes of great music. It's a completely different album. This track is the highlight and demonstrates to us the band is willing to pull out all the stops, recalling every great Midwestern album from Albatross to Yezda Urfa. Fat Hammond organ solos, shredding guitar, emotional vocals, wild flute, acoustic guitar, a thousand meter changes. It's a heart stopper to be sure. The next 4 tracks continue in this manner, three of which pass the 6 minute mark, and are all clinics in mixing the commercially accessible with an academic approach - and mixed with serious chops. It's what all of us underground heads, if we are entirely honest, wished Journey, Styx or REO Speedwagon to have done in the late 70s. And look, you can forget all the words above and just know this one kicks ass.

LP: 1976 Daffodil
CD: 2001 Unidisc

The LP comes in a fine gatefold. The CD is a straight reissue, no chaser. Even though RYM shows a "colored in" version of this album as its primary, the original only exists in primarily silver and black. The CD was where the colors first appeared (and what is shown here)

RateYourMusic List: Post psychedelic, proto progressive with female vocals

One of the things I like about Rate Your Music, is the ability to put together lists, and add short comments. It's a good way to group various thoughts and ideas. I have a few of these in mind going forward.

Here's my first list. Let me know what you think?

Aquaserge - Ce Très Cher Serge, Spécial Origines. 2010 France

Aquaserge reminds me of a time when the French reigned supreme in the creativity department. Think back to the early 1980s, when France was bursting at the seams with interesting bands like Dun, Catastrophe, Eskaton, Asia Minor, Abus Dangereux, Rahmann, Nuance, Art Zoyd, Synopsis, and many more. Aquaserge combines Canterbury, space rock, and general wackiness to create a fun filled progressive extravaganza. To me, these qualities all add up to primo Gong, though Aquaserge are more complex, more jamming, and less silly overall. Makoto Kawabata of Acid Mother's Temple provides some splendid acid guitar, and it's in this kind of setting that he shines most brightly.

Ownership: CD: 2010 Manimal

7/4/11 (new entry)

Werwolf - Creation. 1984 Germany

Werwolf are somewhat typical of the early 1980's German symphonic rock scene. Not particularly complex, with emphasis on melody and atmosphere, and some fine guitar work. There's a Christian undertone to the lyrics and they're predictably sung by an airy sounding female. Their music fits squarely with others of its ilk like Eden, Credemus, Rousseau, Rebekka, Amenophis, even Epidaurus. Very pleasant.

CD: 2004 Black Rills (Switzerland)
CD: 1992 Laser's Edge (USA)

A very obscure album in original form, I learned of this album like most folks via The Laser's Edge reissue, which I bought immediately upon release (1992). Black Rills later reissued it (since it was long OOP) with 3 bonus tracks. The bonus tracks are also found on Garden of Delights' Psychedelic Gems 3 compilation, which I own as well.  Ultimately I kept just the Black Rills version, which is similar in sound to The Laser's Edge release, with a little enhancement.

Fred. 1971-1973 USA-Pennsylvania (archival)

For an archival release, this one has an amazing sound, with a sophistication you rarely hear from this period - in the USA that is. The songwriting is first class, as is the harmony work. In fact, some of this reminds me of the absolute best of Crosby, Stills and Nash. These guys were clearly schooled in music academia. They were from Bucknell University in central Pennsylvania, and perhaps not surprisingly, violin is a major part of their repertoire. The violin is definitely from the Appalachian school of folk music, and not a classical riff in sight. When present, it reminds me of those PBS specials on the history of 1800's America. Some vicious fuzz guitar leads are really awe-inspiring in this setting. Interestingly enough, the band has two more archival releases, and they're both in the Mahavishnu Orchestra jazz rock arena. So these guys definitely had chops to go with their songwriting skills. There is no other album like this that I know of anyway. It's post-psych, pre-progressive with a touch of Appalachia rural. I could see this one continuing to grow as the sound is a bit unfamiliar still.

CD: 2001 World in Sound (Germany)

Brainstorm - Second Smile. 1973 Germany

Having already demonstrated a brilliance on their debut album Smile Awhile, Brainstorm returned with a superb sophomore effort, only slightly off the pace of their debut. The Canterbury influences are still very much intact, with melodic flute, sax, acoustic guitar and wordless voice offset by jamming fuzz guitar and keyboards. A playful album, but with heavy chops to offset any potential thought that this is somehow "lightweight". The only misstep is the closer 'Marilyn Monroe' (8:40), which mixes in some 50's rock n' roll with a dopey narration bit. Just long enough to keep this from a Hall of Fame rating.

Ownership: LP: 1973 Spiegelei. Single sleeve that I first purchased in 1988 at a store in the DFW area known as Forever Young. I picked up this upgrade online in 2016.

CD: 2000 Garden of Delights. Jewel case with full historical liners and one short bonus track. Fantastic reissue as always from GoD.

7/1/11 (new entry); 3/11/16 (LP upgrade)