This album was first described to me (see below) as complex horn rock meets Ian Carr's Nucleus meets Vortex (70s French underground band). I would also state it sounds like Dizzy Gillespie meets Art Zoyd with a dash of early 70s Miles Davis. Yes, it's a unique album to say the least. I've only heard one other New Herd album, the Yamataifu album mentioned below, and it was too "out jazz" for me. This album, however, is definitely within the rails, and I found it highly enjoyable.
As usual, the AC provides a full review with insights. What a treasure of information this gentleman is!
"Nippon Columbia: NCB-7023 (Adventure In Sound series), 1973, Japan
Toshiyuki Miyama - Conductor
Yasuhiro Koyama - Composer
Kozaburo Yamaki - Electric Guitar, Composer
Masaaki Itoh - Electric Bass
Isao Yomoda - Drums
Kiyoshi Takano - Piano, Electric Piano
Kazumi Takeda - Trumpet
Shin Kazuhara - Trumpet
Yoshikazu Kishi - Trumpet
Shuji Atsuta - Trumpet
Teruhiko Kataoka - Trombone
Masamichi Uetaka - Trombone
Tokura Seiichi - Trombone
Takehide Uchida - Trombone
Kazumi Oguro - Alto Sax, Soprano Sax
Eiji Toki - Alto Sax
Mamoru Mori - Tenor Sax
Seiji Inoue - Tenor Sax
Shigeru Hirano - Baritone Sax
Side 1:
1 - Youkai Kappa Konnichi Izuko Sumi Ya
- Kappa Torai No Tsuchi
- Mokuhi No Yotabi
- Bourei No Numa
- Okugidenjushiki
- Neneko No Nakibushi
- Senshouiwaiutae Shinkokka
Side 2:
1 - Kurozuka
Band leader Toshiyuki Miyama and his New herd orchestra were a ubiquitous presence in the 70s Japanese music scene, churning out album after album of mainly straight big band jazz, along with some typical pop-covers/exploitation fare. However, during the heady days of the early 70s "New Rock" boom, they did find themselves experimenting on a few interesting LPs. There was the relatively well-known "Yamataifu", a collaboration with famous pianist Masahiko Satoh, as well as the more obscure "Eternity?/Epos", working once again with Satoh along with drummer Masahiko Togashi and a percussion ensemble. They were soon to abandon this adventurous direction (along with most of the many seasoned jazzmen, studio musicians, and bewildered major label executives who had been temporarily sucked into the psychedelic vortex of New Rock Japan), but not before leaving behind one more dark jewel in the rubble. "Tsuchi No Ne - Nippon Densetsu No Naka No Shijou", roughly translates to "Sound of the Earth - The Poetry in Japanese Legends", and like a number of other classics of the era, it attempted to draw on the essence of ancient Japanese folklore and mythology as inspiration for a new and radical kind of music. But "Tsuchi No Ne" is somewhat different from its musical peers, choosing to dwell on the dark, sinister side of these myths and legends. This is quite evident in both the striking cover art and the track titles themselves, referencing ghosts, grotesque monsters (the Kappa, a hideous river-dwelling creature thought to drag unsuspecting victims to a watery grave) and a macabre Noh drama about a vile man-eating ogress. Most importantly, this theme infuses the music, a fascinating mixture of electric big band jazz-rock and what can only be called avant-prog, despite the seeming incongruity of applying that term to an early 70s Japanese jazz album. Two mammoth side-long pieces are on offer here, the first a suite divided into six smaller sections, composed by regular New Herd guitarist Kozaburo Yamaki, the second a monolithic opus penned by film and television soundtrack composer Yasuhiro Koyama. Certain comparisons can be drawn to the more rigorous side of early British jazz-rock (Soft Machine circa 5/6 and the best of Ian Carr's Nucleus) and perhaps also to the most complex horn rock works of the era, due to the heavy brass presence of the big band. But interestingly, what I'm reminded of most is classic French avant-prog/jazz-rock of a slightly later vintage. In particular, I'm thinking of Vortex's shadowy masterpiece "Les Cycles de Thanatos", as well as some of Yochk'o Seffer's great works with Zao and Neffesh Music. The strange, dark tension and compositional complexities are very similar, and quite unmistakable to my ears. However, these comparisons can only go so far. Distinctly Japanese atmospheres are palpable, and Yamaki's wicked fuzz/wah guitar-work will not let you forget what era we are truly in here. This is a special album, in my opinion, and certainly deserving of a much wider audience. Unfortunately, as is often the case with these things, it's by far Miyama's rarest LP, until now only known and cherished by the small group of Japanese collectors aware of its quality. Miyama's back-catalogue has not seen much action in the CD reissue market, so I'm afraid this album might be doomed to spend eternity trapped in its own dusky realm. Here's to hoping that I'm wrong."
And would you believe? He was wrong! And I'm sure he's happy about it too!
CD: 2012 Columbia
Here's an album that you would have no chance of finding originally, unless you could read kanji or knew what the cover looked like. There are these records from Japan that are so obscure and buried, that even hardcore collectors living in Tokyo do not know about. But they're beginning to surface ever so slowly. There were a lot of surprise CD reissues in 2012, but perhaps none blindsided me as much as this one. I suspect original LPs are of this can be found for 50 cents or $2,000 depending on where you're looking.
Last listen: January 25, 2018
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Heaven - Brass Rock 1. 1971 England
Ownership: LP: 1971 CBS. As shown here, Heaven's sole album features quite an amazing multi-foldout cover. Acquired at the Dallas Record show (1988).
CD: 2008 Esoteric. Jewel case with history, photos, and the clever idea to design the booklet as multi-foldout poster, just like the original LP. No bonus tracks this time around however.
1988; 2008; 12/29/12 (new entry)
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Baba Scholae - 69. 1969 France-England (archival)
The
music found here is an excellent psychedelic / folk rock /
proto-progressive album from Jean-Yves Labat's (a.k.a. M Frog) first
band (a gentleman most known for his keyboard work with Todd Rundgren's
Utopia). Recorded in London with primarily English musicians on board,
though Labat himself was French. The first track '1984-Melancolia
Street' (8:40), in particular, will send fans of the progressive rock
genre into a swoon, with its multiple theme and metric shifts, recalling
cutting edge UK outfits such as Cressida and Web ("I Spider" era). Some
excellent guitar, sax, bombard (a reed instrument primarily used in
Brittany), and flute define this advanced work. Perhaps not
mind-blowing on the whole, but given the 1969 date, certainly one to two
full years ahead of its time. Fans of the psychedelic infused
progressive genre will most definitely want to own this. It's a
professional recording preserved for the ages, not some muddy demo that
you have to endure to fully appreciate. For something like this to be
buried for 43 years is quite extraordinary. Do not miss it!
CD: 2012 Ad Vitam
Contrary to some online discographies, there is no 1969 release. It was strictly a demo shipped to labels for possible release. Perhaps unbelievably, Bearsville was thinking of releasing this one in 1973. One can only imagine this being a common US press. Actually, I wouldn't believe it.
69 is an exquisite archival release from Ad Vitam, a classical-oriented music label owned by Baba Scholae founder Jean-Yves Labat! More info here from our CD Reissue Wish List.
CD: 2012 Ad Vitam
Contrary to some online discographies, there is no 1969 release. It was strictly a demo shipped to labels for possible release. Perhaps unbelievably, Bearsville was thinking of releasing this one in 1973. One can only imagine this being a common US press. Actually, I wouldn't believe it.
69 is an exquisite archival release from Ad Vitam, a classical-oriented music label owned by Baba Scholae founder Jean-Yves Labat! More info here from our CD Reissue Wish List.
Friday, December 21, 2012
Stomu Yamash'ta - Freedom is Frightening. 1973 Japan-England
Ownership: LP: 1973 Island. Single sleeve. Online acquisition (2018)
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Baby Grandmothers. 1967-68 Sweden (archival)
Ownership: CD: 2007 Subliminal Sounds
12/18/12 (new entry)
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Earth and Fire - To the World of the Future. 1975 Netherlands
Having found Top 40 success with 'Maybe Tomorrow, Maybe Tonight', it would seem Earth & Fire would continue down that path, perhaps full bore. To the World of the Future offers up a stay of execution. In some ways, this is their most ambitious album - both from a progressive standpoint, and a commercial one. On the pop side, the most overt pop track is 'Love of Life', which was not surprisingly their first choice for a single. Personally I think this is a great example of the pre-disco era - superb wah-wah rhythm guitar, charming female vocals, synthesizers galore. The other single from this album is 'Only Time Will Tell', which is a less obvious choice, and actually harkens back to their "Atlantis" days with organ, psych guitar, mellotron and powerful vocals from Jerney. On the other side of this coin is the 3 highly ambitious progressive meets fusion tracks: 'The Last Seagull', 'Voice from Yonder' and 'Circus', which are unlike anything the band did before or after (though I suppose 'Circus' could have fit comfortably on "Song of the Marching Children"). This gets us to the title track which is the perfect blend of everything the band is trying to do here. On the one hand there's the funky pop bits, with a chorus that I swear - I mean really swear - sounds like "ahhhhhhh FREAK OUT!" from, yes, that famed New York City disco band Chic ('Le Freak'). One had to think they may have run into this Earth & Fire album prior. Meanwhile, just when you think it's time to bust a move, out come the mellotrons, psychedelic guitar, symphonic dynamics, and complex meters to remind everyone that Earth & Fire are first and foremost still a progressive rock band.
Be sure to get a CD reissue with some of the singles from this era. Most enlightening are the B-Sides to 'Love of Life' and 'Only Time Will Tell' - respectively 'Tuffy the Cat' and 'Fun'. Both tracks are progressively oriented instrumental funk tracks (with loads of mellotron, organ and Fender Rhodes), and are entirely unique for Earth & Fire - and just about anyone really. The 1975 and 1976 singles 'Thanks For the Love' and 'What Difference Does it Make' demonstrate that Earth & Fire no longer hold progressive rock intentions - and have completely sold out to the Euro disco machine. I actually think they're quite good at the style, and I'm sure gave groups like ABBA good competition - but in the end, that's not what Earth & Fire were about, and having lost their way - they ultimately collapsed under their own weight by the early 80s. A tragic, but all too typical tale.
LP: 1975 Polydor
CD: 2011 Esoteric (UK)
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Earth and Fire - Atlantis. 1973 Netherlands
Continuing on from Song of the Marching Children, Earth and Fire doubles down on the progressive quotient and throws in yet another high minded concept side long composition. Of course, we all know by now that Earth and Fire is a pop band in progressive dressing, and thus these are individual songs that segue into one another with seemingly no connection beyond the lyrical theme. Side 2 sees the band unmasked for what they really are, with the stunningly simple 'Maybe Tomorrow, Maybe Tonight' - the kind of song that most aspiring Top 40 bands would sell their soul for. This track would propel Earth & Fire to pop stardom, something they were trying to achieve from the beginning, but went about it in an awkward, perhaps academically, self-conscious way. While it may seem I'm looking down my nose at this band, that could not be further from the truth. I love a good melody weaved into a more mysterious compositional style, so in some ways, Earth and Fire are my ideal type of band. Top that with competent musicianship and superb period instrumentation (mellotron, organ, flute, loud psych guitar, sweet feminine vocals), and you have yet another home run from one of the Dutch progressive rock Masters.
LP: 1973 Polydor
CD: 2004 Universal (Japan)
Earth and Fire wisely adopted the style of the inner gatefold of Song of the Marching Children to make arguably their most appealing album cover of the band's entire catalog. The second cover shown above is the dreadful original UK release that I cannot imagine anyone wanting to own in light of the original. There's also a German press, similar to the Dutch original, except it splatters the name of their hit 'Maybe Tomorrow, Maybe Tonight' to ensure they added unnecessary graffiti to a beautiful painting.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Earth and Fire - Song of the Marching Children. 1971 Netherlands
LP: 1971 Polydor
CD: 2004 Universal (Japan)
The original LP features embossed lettering and I've also included the inside of the gatefold, because as you can plainly see, it is quite stunning.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Earth and Fire - s/t. 1970 Netherlands
Earth and Fire were always a pop band at heart, trying to win over current audiences with their brand of "whatever is vogue now". For their 1970 debut, Earth and Fire reached back to the psychedelic-rock-with-female-vocals music of Jefferson Airplane to find success. They do an admirable job of said sound, with a good set of tunes and some excellent acid guitar and heavy organ. Truth is, Earth and Fire's debut came about one or two years too late to have any major impact - though it really is an excellent representation of the style. 'Love Quiver' is the highlight of the 9 originals present, a track that features some glorious fuzz organ work.
Earth and Fire are one of the pillar bands of my Post Psychedelic, Proto Progressive with Female Vocals list.
CD: 2004 Universal (Japan)
As you can plainly see, there were many releases of Earth and Fire's debut. Each label apparently had license to alter the cover to their tastes. The top one is the Dutch original. Next is the UK version on Nepentha, in all its die-cut gatefold Roger Dean glory, and is BY FAR the most desirable (& expensive) original LP copy to own. The third photo is the German release on CBS. 4th is the original Japanese press. And finally we show the Rotation CD that displays only the matches, which is on one of the releases I didn't put up (the Red Bullet LP I believe). 20 years ago, I found the Nepentha LP in a store, but traded it for an album that was my top want at the time - and is arguably worth even more than the Nepentha release today. It was a win-win trade, as I'm certain the gentleman who has my Nepentha LP still treasures it as well. As for reissues, the 1991 press from Japan was the first to market, and I owned that version until the Japanese mini-LP came out. Generally the Japanese stick to the original release when it comes to packaging, but I'm glad they made the exception here and went with the fabulous UK copy.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Alphataurus - AttosecondO. 2012 Italy
For the music, AttosecondO finally closes the book on their unfinished second album, the previously titled Dietro L'Uragano. The Live in Bloom (CD version) concert demonstrated very competent versions of two of these tracks, and it seems the band was in top form. AttosecondO adds the final important track 'Claudette' (13:40), to complete the mystery of "what if these tracks were recorded properly"? For those who bought the Live in Bloom for the same reason as I did - that is to hear the second album performed properly - fear not. The versions found on AttosecondO have been radically reworked from the Live in Bloom concert, to arguably greater success. But that's only part of the story here, as Alphataurus have added two entirely new tracks to open the album 'Progressiva Menta' (8:29) and 'Gocce' (9:27), both of which sound like the best of the modern Italian progressive rock bands that are striving to recreate the past. Of course, it would make sense that Alphataurus would be experts at this - since they actually were one of those original bands! However, as we all know by now, most of these reunions haven't been near the level we'd originally hoped. Alphataurus is the exception. They clearly have recaptured the spirit of their youth, and seem on the cusp of releasing another monster album like their 1973 debut. Even though the founding two members are in their 60s, let's hope they don't quit just yet and prove that the older guys can be as creative as the youngsters - of which now three of said youth are part of the Alphataurus machine.
Ownership: CD: 2012 AMS/BTF
12/11/12 (new entry)
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Moonwagon - Foyers of the Future. 2012 Finland
Ownership: CD: 2012 Presence
12/8/12 (new entry); 9/7/18
Friday, December 7, 2012
Thors Hammer. 1971 Denmark
Ownership: CD: 2005 Thors Hammer / Garden of Delights (Germany)
Former Ownership: LP: 2010 Thors Hammer / Garden of Delights (Germany)
I thought of Thors Hammer the other day, right after publishing The Old Man & The Sea album. Both have similar tales, and are extremely rare in original LP form. And like The Old Man & The Sea, Thors Hammer's sole album flourished in the bootleg market for years. Finally Garden of Delights of Germany came to the rescue with a CD, complete with a full history and great sound (no bonus tracks this time though). They love this album so much, they launched an entire new label for all of their non-German releases to, you got it, Thors Hammer. Picked up their LP reissue along the way, but since it's the exact same as the CD, there was no reason to keep it.
12/7/12 (review / new entry)
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Truth and Janey - No Rest for the Wicked. 1976 USA-Iowa
Truth and Janey are the quintessential Midwest USA hard rock group. But like any band from the 1970s, they add progressive trimmings, and some of the compositions throw in a few more ideas than a typical bonehead rock group. In some ways, Truth and Janey could be looked upon as the American equivalent of the Aussie band Buffalo, that we featured extensively earlier in the year - especially at the time of Only Want You For Your Body. The band Truth started in Cedar Rapids, and eventually added founding member and guitarist Billy Lee Janey to the marquee when it was discovered another Truth had claim to the name. The album was recorded in Ames (where Iowa State University is located), and was initially gobbled up only by the local faithful in Eastern Iowa. Not until the mid to late 1980s when record collecting had gone world wide, did the album gain its fame. If you're looking for a perfect example of a private press hard rock group from Middle America, I'm not sure there's a better example than Truth and Janey. And Billy Lee Janey is one heck of a guitarist!
CD: 2007 Rockadrome
The CD has a chock full of liner notes and a few bonus tracks.
CD: 2007 Rockadrome
The CD has a chock full of liner notes and a few bonus tracks.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Nova Express - Once in the Blue Moon. 1991 Germany
Following on from Space Khmer, Nova Express' second album is a bit more aggressive and, dare I say, punk-ish if you will. But it's still very psychedelic, especially in the ferocious guitar work and with some atmospheric distant/narrative vocals employed. The album gets considerably freakier and psychedelic as it goes. Without knowing they were from Germany, you could be forgiven to thinking they were influenced by the Bevis Frond neo-psych camp (which I think they were actually). About the only other band I've heard like Nova Express, from Germany at least, is the equally obscure Der Kampf Gegen den Schlaf.
Ownership: CD: 1991 Heartache Transplant Records. Features one bonus track: 'I Wanna Know' (7:54).
After many years of searching, I finally secured the LP. Not long after, I found the CD too, and I decided to part with the LP.
12/2/12 (new entry)
Lumerians - Transmalinnia. 2011 USA-California
---
I wrote the above 10 years ago after hearing it for the first time. Last night's listen confirmed my initial thoughts. This is a good one if looking for a modern interpretation of the Krautrock sound.
Ownership: CD: 2011 Knitting Factory. Simple digi-pak with recording details. Purchased new not long after release.
12/2/12 (new entry); 8/13/22
12/2/12 (new entry); 8/13/22
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