Wicked Minds - Witchflower. 2006 Italy

Wicked Minds are unabashedly retro rock. Hammond, Moog, Mellotron, Rickenbacker, Gibson Les Paul, and... cowbell. You know the drill by now: 1971-1973 Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, and a host of obscure hard rock progressive bands from England, Germany, and Scandinavia. And, to Wicked Minds credit, they actually put the prog in progressive hard rock. And there are a few players in it, all worth checking out: Fellow Black Widow recording artist Areknames, Sweden's Black Bonzo, Blood of the Sun from the USA, and a pile more in recent times that come to mind. In some ways, these bands are better than their 1970s ancestors. I believe that's because they're more focused on the sound they want to achieve. The original bands may have experimented with other ideas, or pursued more commercial avenues due to pressure from major label executives. Commercial success almost always altered a band's direction in those days. Today, success for a band like Wicked Minds would be to keep playing 1970's retro progressive hard rock.

The acoustic piece 'The Court of the Satyr' followed by the blistering heavy organ/guitar of 'Sad Woman' is absolutely splendid and represents the album's highlight sequence.

Ownership: CD: 2006 Black Widow. 2xCD set plus a DVD.

7/28/15 (new entry)

Wicked Minds - From the Purple Skies. 2004 Italy

I had originally written that Wicked Minds was one of the better of the new stoner rock bands to have happened onto the scene. But as I relisten to this 10 years later (2015), it's clear that Wicked Minds were ahead of the curve when it came to retro prog/hard rock. This is a band that truly captures the essence of the early 1970s, while still moving the ball forward into the modern age. Fantastic hard progressive rock, with great period instrumentation such as Hammond organ, mellotron (samples), and fuzz bass/guitar. Long tracks with experimental bits also point to an adventurous heritage typical of the early 70s. All roads lead to the UK non-symphonic school of progressive rock (aka proto-prog). It's nigh impossible to escape talking about From the Purple Skies without at least a mention of Uriah Heep, who they are most clearly imitating. Deep Purple and Atomic Rooster are in the conversation, but distant comparatively speaking. Along with one killer Heep cover, there's also one from Pentagram's early years. If you're into newer bands such as Tarot, don't miss Wicked Minds while doing your research.

Ownership: CD: 2004 Black Widow

7/28/15 (new entry)

Sunbirds ~ Germany

Zagara (1973)

Zagara is a more traditional jazz outing than Sunbirds' awesome debut. However, there are still some great moments to behold. Both 'Fire Dance' and 'Ocean Song' bring back the strobe light Kraut jazz rock groovliciousness, where our fantasy girl in white thigh high go-go boots returns for one more dance. 'African Sun' and 'My Dear Groovin' are also at a high level of melody, atmosphere, and grooves. The other tracks are more or less straight-up flute jazz, though all are thoroughly enjoyable if the genre is favorable to you. Along with the flute - piano, jazz guitar, and a cracking rhythm section provide the necessary ingredients. So perhaps not the ultimate essential album that the debut most certainly is, but a mighty fine follow up for this studio-only project. Recommended.

CD adds a two minute bonus track, but it is nothing more than a tuned percussion accompaniment.

Ownership: 2015 Garden of Delights (CD). Booklet with history and photos.

8/19/07; 7/27/15 (acquired / review)

Sunbirds (1971)

Sunbirds are perhaps the ultimate soundtrack for your next autobahn excursion. We're talking open top BMW convertible, hot megababe sitting next to you, hairspray, loads of mascara and thigh high white go-go boots - with 4 inch heels. Oh really, you have no idea what I'm talking about? Go over to your cable TV and find some independent channel that has some feature at 3:00 in the morning with a name like Weird Ass Euro Theater. Catch a flick like The Girl on a Motorcycle and you're there.... BABY! Must be a European production, even a soft core flick will suffice. Put on the Sunbirds, kick back, relax and drift into your inner vertigo. Extra points if you have shag carpet and wood paneled walls.

Musically the Sunbirds' albums can best be qualified as "flute groovers". That is to say, they are seasoned in the jazz idiom, but also wanted to venture into the psychedelic sounds of the day. Chris Hinze, Lloyd McNeill, and Bjorn J:Son Lindh did this too. But the Sunbirds also had that Krautrock thing going on, and you know they were hip to Wolfgang Dauner, Association P.C. and the whole gang at MPS Records. Plenty of wild fuzz guitar and electric piano. Especially on the first album, the Sunbirds could have easily fit on the Brain label, and may have had they come around a year or two later. File next to your T. Yokota and the Beat Generation record. Of course you have that.

Ownership: 

1971 BASF (LP). Gatefold.

2011 Garden of Delights (CD). Booklet with full history and photos.

10/13/07 (review); 2009; 9/5/11 (update)

9/5/11 (new entry)

Phantom - Phantom's Divine Comedy Part 1. 1974 USA-Michigan

---4/27/18 update

I recently received a very nice note from RD Francis, who has written a book about "The Phantom". Looks very interesting, and nice to know the facts are now coming to the fore.

---original 7/25/15 review

Phantom were in reality a Detroit area band slumming around with the name Walpurgis. Vocalist Ted Pearson* had an uncanny resemblance in both voice, and even appearance, to Jim Morrison, and thus Capitol thought it might be a good idea to exploit the myth that Morrison was still alive. It's hard to imagine a corporate entity such as Capitol getting in on such sophomoric antics, but it does appear that's exactly what happened. Naturally the whole idea fell on its face, and Phantom disappeared as they came, through the ether.

The sad thing about this ruse, is it was entirely unnecessary. Phantom, in fact, were really quite adept on their own accord. In effect, Phantom are a hard rock band, with psychedelic and progressive characteristics. So the Doors comparisons begins and ends with Pearson's voice. The rest is somewhat unique for an American major label band from 1974. The opening track 'Tales from a Wizard', 'Spider's Will Dance', and the last 16 minutes of the album are the highlights. It's just this kind of mystical hard rock that is now being recreated by a new inspired youth. So while Capitol were trying to exploit history, Phantom were actually predicting the future. Wonderful irony.

* - For years thought to be Tom Carson, but he was in another band. Ted Pearson later legally changed his name to Arthur Pendragon. All the hard data is out there now, so no more need for conspiracy theories :-)

Ownership: LP: 1974 Capitol. Single sleeve. Recent online acquisition (2023)

Former ownership: CD: 1993 One Way. Jewel case with little info.

1996 (first listen); 7/25/15 (review / new entry); 4/27/18; 1/22/25 (update)

Legend - Death in the Nursery + Frontline. 1982 Jersey (UK/Channel Islands)

Legend's second album Death in the Nursery attempts to streamline their sound a bit, and tighten up the ship. And fortunately... they failed. Legend is one of those bands that just can't seem to help themselves when it comes to creative songwriting. One gets the impression that if you told Steve Harris (Iron Maiden) to write more poppy material, he'd come back with similar compositions as found on Death in the Nursery. While no one would dare label Legend "Prog Metal", they are in fact more unpredictable than any established band in that field of music. Side 1 is a tad weaker than the debut, though almost all the material is still excellent, with 'Time Bomb' being their token "ordinary" metal track, similar to 'Bad Girls' from the debut. Side 2, however, opens up Pandora's Box, and the tunes begin to stray all over the place without rhyme or reason. Awesome. 

Still marching forward without a label deal, Legend gives it a 3rd go with Frontline, this time going with the EP format. 'Stormers of Heaven' was the track that received the accolades from the metal press of the era, and it would seem to be the best choice for a single. For Legend, however, it's a bit ordinary. The other tracks, of course, are unpredictable with fantastic breaks/riffs, and cool psychedelic solos. It is the sound of Legend, one that most of the world unfortunately was deprived of for so long. If only a single enlightened label had come along...

Ownership: LP: 1982 Workshop. Single sleeve with lyric insert. Recent acquisition from JL (2023).

CD: 2002 Monster (as Anthology). 2xCD is awesome, and it includes all of the band's work from 1981 to 1983 (including Frontline and demos). Features fine liner notes with historical newspaper clippings and photos. 

2002; 7/23/15 (new entry); 4/1/23 (LP acquire)

The Jimmy Castor Bunch - It's Just Begun + Phase Two. 1972 USA

It's Just Begun: I'll never forget the first time I heard the title track. It was only a few years ago, and my wife had our cable TV on the "soul channel". Yes, that's right, the cable TV music channel (Urge I think - dreadful in every other way I'm afraid). And I looked over at the TV and said "What the hell?". I just sat there mesmerized (luckily not on YouTube or no doubt it would be viral now). I've heard - what - a million songs now? How have I never heard this? We are talking a grinding bass like Jannick Top of Magma, with some fuzzy guitars thrown on top for good measure. And, as you might guess, that's not the only monster track here. Psyche and LTD are freaking amazing - especially the latter, sounding like Funkadelic dropped in on a Santana concert - with Miles Davis performing on trumpet. Of course, it's not all like this, because if it were, it would be a 5 star monsterpiece. But we go way up here. Way up.

Phase Two: Many Americans will remember a comedy/drama show in the 1970s called "Good Times". It was set in the deplorable Cabrini-Green housing projects in central Chicago, and depicted a hard working family struggling to make ends meet - in the most difficult situations imaginable. But there was always time for a laugh amongst the serious drama. It was lighthearted, but very serious too. The show was excellent, and both critics and fans enjoyed it. Over time, though, folks apparently lost interest in the "hard hitting" drama aspect. And so the shows' popularity particularly soared when eldest son "J.J." would enthusiastically yelp "DY-NO-MITE". And as you might imagine, the show deteriorated rapidly into a caricature, where it just became plain silly. And all the seriousness was gone. And that, my friends, is Jimmy Castor Bunch's "Phase Two".

Personal collection
CD: 2014 Robinsongs / Cherry Red (UK)

Garden variety mainstream US release on LP. According to Discogs, It's Just Begun would appear to still be in production with new LP pressings every so often. I just recently picked up the Robinsongs release on CD, and it's a great reissue with complete liner notes and contains both albums in full.

Outer Limits - The Scene of Pale Blue. 1987 Japan

The CD version starts off in that typical brash, digital 1980s way the Japanese are famous for. I was beginning to question why I liked this album at all, as many of those 1980s Japanese prog bands have fallen into the sell bin over the years. Ah, but 'Marionette's Lament' is from a single, and not the LP proper.

 
Once we get to 'Mixer', we are off and running with The Scene of Pale Blue. And on this LP, verse their earlier stunted works, Outer Limits provides us with plenty of long exploratory instrumental parts. And a willingness to break out the old equipment, like the mellotron for example, which was still unusual in those days. Some of the heavy angular guitar / counterpoint parts recall mid-70s King Crimson. Lead violin and old school rhythm guitar flesh out the sound nicely. Unfortunately the band brought back the silly low singing voice on 'Anti Podean' and those sections have to be considered a lowlight. A fine album from the late 80s Japanese symphonic progressive scene.

Oh, and the CD also includes the fine 8+ minute fusion-oriented bonus track 'Pteridophyte' taken from the 1990 Made in Japan compilation called Out of Works. I would consider this track essential listening.

Ownership: CD: 1999 Musea (France). Jewel box release with bonus tracks as noted above.

My first copy was the LP purchased in 1990.

1990; 4//06 (review); 7/21/15 (new entry)

Biglietto per L'Inferno ~ Italy

Biglietto per L'Inferno (1974)

So how does one describe the brilliance of Biglietto per L'Inferno? It's not one of those obvious single listen masterpiece albums that's for sure. Let's put it this way: If Banco del Mutuo Succorso is the marquee at the Teatro alla Scala, and Celeste is found playing in a small Umbrian village church, then Biglietto per L'Inferno resides behind the Porta Alchemica. This album is pure arcana. Perhaps the ultimate example is 'Confessione', which turns into complete madness by the end, with more twists and turns in one minute than most albums conjure up for their entire length. Every track has this veil of mystery and exploration that goes beyond normal understanding. Venture deep into the forest and see for yourself...

If in the market for an original LP, you need to tread carefully, as there does exist a very convincing boot from the 1980s. If you follow Augusto's rules, you'll be fine though. 

On the CD I can hear an attempt was made to fix the sound, but... yea, it's never going to sound great I'm afraid. In some ways, that's part of its charm and... well, read above. 

Ownership: 1974 Trident (LP); 2006 Trident / BTF (CD). Papersleeve. Gatefold.

1989 (first acquired); 4//06; 7/9/15 (review / new entry)

Message - From Books and Dreams. 1973 Germany

Perhaps I'm the only one who thinks this, but to me Message's second album, From Books and Dreams, absolutely obliterates anything else they've ever done, including the debut. This album is relentless in its intensity. It just pounds on your senses for 40 plus minutes, and yea, maybe you will want to get some sleep after this (careful with the dreams though...). Pure exhaustion. You'll see many references to Nektar regarding this album, and while I can see the superficial connection (among them a direct personal link between the two, and the whole expatriate in Germany from England thing), there are two elements that really distinguish Message: Little to no keyboards, and a strong saxophone presence. Message are definitely more hard rocking as well. I love early Nektar too, but Message are on a different plane here. There are really only three tracks here, the first side operates as a full suite, though they broke them into 3 separate titles. Not a weak moment can be found. Exemplary psychedelic guitar, amplified vocals, and a rhythm section that won't quit. I've owned this album on LP since the late 1980s and it continues to improve with each listen.

Ownership: LP: 1973 Bacillus. Gatefold. Acquired from a mail order dealer (1989).

Former ownership: CD: 1993 Bacillus. Basic jewel case release.

1989 (first listen); 7/18/15 (review / new entry)

Day of Phoenix - Wide Open N-Way. 1970 Denmark

Like a lot of bands from Denmark, Day of Phoenix jogs along in a loose, rambling, jammy style. For whatever reason, the last vestiges of the San Francisco psych scene could still be found in Copenhagen. Not to say that the English variety of progressive had not yet crept in - because it had - just that the outdoorsy open festival atmosphere was still prominent. The album is remarkably consistent, with the title track winning by a nose.

Ownership: CD: 1994 Repertoire (Germany). Fine reissue with liner notes for both Day of Phoenix and the Danish late 60s psychedelic scene overall. It does appear the CD is sourced from vinyl however.

7/6/15 (new entry); 5/13/20

Dominic Woosey - Straylight. 1992 Scotland

Before getting to the review of the album, I have to say the background for Mr. Woosey is quite interesting. I thought this to be one of the more obscure albums in my collection, the perfect definition of my Under the Radar blog. RYM has only 3 ratings and 4 cataloged. Only two of us on Gnosis have it rated. And yet on Discogs a massive 240 claim ownership, and up to 5 pressings exist. Most of these are from the 1994 repress, which is what I own as well. Recycle or Die is not a small private label, but rather an imprint for none other than WEA Musik of Germany. The CD comes in a fine professionally made digi-pak. If the below review sounds interesting to you, the CD is available at low prices from dealers on Discogs. I saw a couple on Amazon as well. I first learned of this album from Audion magazine, and since the Freeman's are major contributors to the Discogs site, they have added a lot more data surrounding Dominic Woosey. But it does appear his fame has been short lived, as I didn't find anything modern from him, including any kind of web presence. Strange really.

Straylight is a really fine work from Scotsman Woosey. In the Berlin School tradition, with sequencers and electric guitar, operating more or less in the same territory as Cosmic Hoffmann. Much of this could have been a long lost electronique album from France or Germany circa 1976. Last track is a bit of a departure and features female narration, with shades of 'Jenseits' era Ash Ra Tempel, though clearly a product of the late 80s sound, perhaps more like Steve Roach during this era. Well worth seeking out for fans of the genre.

Spyros adds: "Hello Dominic Woosey was more a house/techno artist with little interest to my ears. I originally listened to him in the "Brand-X Series" compilation (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDMMc1-tMz0) and cannot say I liked what I've heard. That's why I haven't paid an attention to any particular release of his."

Ownership: CD: 1992 Recycle or Die.

1999; 7/5/15 (new entry)

Lily - V.C.U. (We See You). 1973 Germany

As the liner notes of the Garden of Delights CD state: "(Lily) had a specific style of their own and were almost uninfluenced by other bands." Amen to that. You'll hear snippets of other Krautrock bands such as Nine Days Wonder, Nosferatu, Out of Focus, Thirsty Moon, and Brainstorm. And yet none are really that similar. Psychedelic guitar and saxophone are the primary instrumental vehicles here, while the rhythm drives forward the compositions at a healthy clip. An excellent album.

The album cover and band moniker, of course, does the band no favors at all. Completely misrepresented as some sort of 3rd rate and unfunny glam rock band, Lily is none of the above. The actual name of the group was Monsun. But some moron at Bellaphon thought that since Tiger B. Smith were selling well with their glam image, so should Lily. And one and done Monsun goes...
 
The CD version contains 40 minutes of bonus material (tracks 7 to 10) meant for a second, yet unreleased, album from 1974. These are of lesser sound - and music - quality. It's loose jam material for sax/guitar for the most part, and certainly are worthy as bonus tracks.

Personal collection
CD: 2002 Garden of Delights

Originals are a single sleeve with a particularly dumb cover (we discuss this above). Good thing they interpreted VCU, otherwise who would know? All the same, originals are scarce and fairly expensive. The only CD is from the always great Garden of Delights, and this was my introduction to the album upon its release. On this reissue, you get a full album's worth of material from what was to be their second album in 1974. And of course all the usual great liner notes, photos, etc... Garden of Delights is the gold standard for CD reissues!