Yang - A Complex Nature. 2004 France

Amazing how many new sounds the guitar-guitar-bass-drums instrumental quartet can come up with. Former Shylock and Philharmonie guitarist Frederic L'Epee goes for the throat on this, Yang's debut album. Seems to me this is what we were expecting from Djam Karet during this era – let it loose and bang that head that doesn't bang. What separates this from other albums of its ilk is the inventive use of the rhythm guitar. Nice melodic structure as well. Good album that delivers what it promises.

Ownership: CD: 2004 Cuneiform

10/20/15 (new entry)

Iskander - Boheme 2000. 1982 Germany

The CD issue contains significantly more music, much of it superb, including the magnificent full 4 part suite of 'Winterhagen', which now clocks in at over 18 minutes. Iskander's debut is a real under the radar delight, and mixes symphonic rock with psychedelic guitar and a variety of progressive ideas. The album is pretty much forgotten today, but was quite well known within those that were tuned into the "Eurock" circle back in the 1980s. I've had this CD almost since it was released, and it has passed the test of time quite well.

Ownership: CD: 1989 Iron Curtain (as Boheme 2000)

1990; 11/22/11; 10/19/15 (new entry)

Radio Massacre International - Septentrional. 2006 England

Radio Massacre International have to be viewed as one of the most innovative of recent groups. Certainly within the electronic music space, a field that has the same devotion and non-wavering loyalty to sub-genres as does heavy metal. You're either "Berlin School" or "Ambient" or "Techno" or any other such labels, but you shouldn't be all of them - say many fans. RMI, who started out pretty much strictly "Berlin School", are now all the above and more, with recent excursions into tripped out Krautrock, and whatever else they feel like doing. Septentrional is one of their most polarizing CD albums (their privately released CD-R's are even more controversial). Produced by Ian Boddy, and released on his DiN label, Septentrional is RMI at their most modern and cutting edge. But in a paradoxical way. See, Septentrional has more of that ancient mellotron than any of their other albums. Of course it's put through the production grinder and is echoed, techno'd, phased, manipulated, and ultimately tortured through Boddy's mad scientist lab. It's all rather fascinating. Headphone music for the modern age. If looking for just one composition to leave your jaw hanging, may I suggest 'Trident', which is truly a beautiful thing to hear and behold.

Ownership: CD: 2006 DiN

2008; 10/18/15 (new entry)

Sinkadus - Aurum Nostrum. 1997 Sweden

Sinkadus. The other 90's Swedish band that consolidated all that was good from the analog early 70s progressive rock scene and created an album from that premise. You can always tell when a reviewer comes from the 90s "scene", on how much they despise the album because it sounds like the almighty Anglagard. As if the world was filled with such tiresome bands. And yet, had they heard this album without any reference to Anglagard - and in fact many young folks today may do just that by accident - then they would have been justifiably impressed. Despite the fact that there were precisely 933 Genesis imitators by this time, the thought of one other band treading down the same path as Anglagard was simply unacceptable. All real silly in retrospect, and it says more about the reviewers than anything else. The members of Anglagard are the first to admit they didn't create anything new under the sun - just filtered what they liked best from 1973/74 Europe, and went about their business. And it was well received by most everyone - perhaps to the point of religion. And, as such, Sinkadus suffered the unfair accusation of plagiarism (Wobbler were later to be subjected to similar abuse). Don't bother with any of that, and enjoy the album as it is presented. Heavy guitar, Hammond organ, flute, mellotron, woody bass, and Swedish vocals is what you'll hear. All multi-tiered, constantly changing, and melodic. If you're a fan of intricate analog progressive rock circa 1973, hard to imagine not walking away impressed with this one. Unless you have an Anglagard complex. Many do.

Our friend Bas adds from the UTR: "Aurum Nostrum is a great album... I guess. The thing is: I've got the excellent Live at Progfest album, which comes with a bonus disc with some sort of demo version (version 1 as they call it) of Aurum Nostrum. Great music, but I've no idea how it compares to the final version. I'd love to hear that version, but I'm sure it's way OOP and I don't fancy paying over the odds for it, only to find out it's not very different. I guess I could have a listen on youtube to get an idea, though.

Strange how Änglagård got all the plaudits and Sinkadus were labelled copycats. Even if they were, I don't mind: that would mean more Änglagård!"

Ownership: CD: 1997 Cyclops. Standard jewel case release with a nice booklet that includes full lyrics, unique art, and band photos. The disc face on my CD is different. Will need to add to Discogs.

10/18/15 (new entry); 4/16/20

Winterhawk - Revival. 1982 USA-Illinois

Chicago based Winterhawk have quite the reputation among those predisposed to enjoying the hard rock genre. Like me. Almost all the tracks clear the 5 minute mark to allow for a few more ideas to creep in per composition. And to also allow more time for the unrelenting guitar solos - each, I might add, with a solid amount of creativity. This latter point alone would most certainly have found its way to the cutting room floor back in 1982. As well, the rawness of the production is a big part of the charm here. Makes you feel like you're in an old abandoned brewery on the South Side. Lead dude Jordan Macarus can play the strings with the best of them - and a strong nod goes to the Nuge (right down to the cow leather lace-up boots!). Every major US city had a Jordan Macarus that never got their due. In those days, you would check out Winterhawk live at the "Agora Ballroom", bring your main squeeze, and boast to the bartender you're a good friend of the band. If your girl stayed through the concert without complaining - and as an extra bonus got tanked on Pabst - she was a keeper.

Personal collection
CD: 1998 Monster

The CD is awesome with liner notes, bonus tracks, and from the master tapes.

Praxis - La Eternidad de lo Efimero. 1987 Mexico

Praxis' sole work is a solid instrumental progressive rock album from Mexico. The primary composer, Ricardo Moreno, is the same keyboardist behind Iconoclasta and the music is remarkably similar - especially the Iconoclasta albums that came after Praxis. One reason for this is that Praxis' guitarist Hector Hernandez joined Iconoclasta not long after. The other is that Praxis had eschewed the local regional Latin American influences - as did Iconoclasta in their later years. The album's faults lie in the muddy Third World sounding 1980s production, and the lack of variety in tone - especially considering the rather cheap sounding synthesizers. But the charms outweigh the negatives here. A finely crafted album, that I'm sure today would sound fantastic, especially if afforded a room full of analog gear.

CD: 1994 Mellow (Italy). The CD is a straight reissue with good sound and nice historical liner notes. You really have to be a vinyl-only junkie to not want the CD for this title.

CD removed from collection (2022).

10/16/15 (new entry); 6/8/22

Tantra - Misterios e Maravilhas. 1977 Portugal

On the surface, Tantra sounds like an odd cross between Mahavishnu Orchestra and Genesis. There really isn't any other band from Portugal that sounds anything like Tantra, and with revisionist history on our side, the band have a somewhat international flavor. The fusion tracks sound like Argentina's Crucis whereas the vocal numbers recall Carpe Diem of France. The heavy use of the Farfisa Synthorchestra and the distant, sparse, and mysterious vocals add credence to this latter claim. Meanwhile, on the middle tracks, the insane bass and drum rumblings with wild soloing made me think of Los Delerios del Mariscal. As many have said, the production is lousy, and detracts from the overall immense potential for greatness here.

Ownership: LP: 1977 EMI. Single sleeve. Online acquisition (2019). Note back cover of the original. There are two pressings, and the one with "1877-1977 100 year" seal is the true original. I started with the 1983 press that I purchased in 1990. That was replaced by the Musea CD. I've decided to part with the latter after capturing the excellent liner notes, and there are no bonus tracks. 

1990; 10/15/15 (new entry); 12/11/19 (LP acquire); 2/18/23

Siniaalto. 2002 Finland

Finnish trio Siniaalto (Sine Wave) can trace their musical heritage back to an earlier electronic music era, primarily Tangerine Dream circa Phaedra. A full array of keyboards, both analog and digital, are on display here. Though it’s the good old Rhodes piano, heavily echoed and treated, that truly gives their debut album an early 1970s feel. I could swear there is a Mini-Moog in play as well, but it’s not listed. The general modus operandi for each composition is to start out by creating a dark atmosphere followed by a plodding, low pitched, sequence. This is then followed by the group adding a series of alien sounds, of which the most notable is the treated Rhodes piano as mentioned prior. There are only four tracks, clocking in at close to an hour, so plenty of room for meditative listening. A good start from a promising band in the ever increasing fold of groups performing in the Berlin School style of electronic music.

Ownership: CD: 2002 If Society

10/14/15 (new entry)

Cosmic Debris. 1980 USA-Oklahoma

Cosmic Debris were a band from Oklahoma City that married electronic sequencer based music with rock instrumentation such as guitar and drums. Very much like a mixture of Klaus Schulze's Moondawn with Edgar Froese jamming on top. Or Wolfgang Bock's Cycles album. Side 1 is made up mostly of 'Spectrum' with only a brief introduction of Aaron Coplan's generally overused 'Fanfare'. This is the only side that guitarist Shawn Phillips appears on. And he wails wonderfully in a psychedelic manner throughout. The flip is more atmospheric, though the driving drum set is still in place, with sequencer based Moog, atmospheric sounds, and percussion, recalling perhaps late 70s Jade Warrior in places. Mixed with Heldon. Cool.

There are no reissues, however there was a time when the band was selling homemade CD-R copies, but we don't technically count those. There's some debate on the date and title of this release. The copyright date on the original LP is 1980. However there are two typed inserts (with my copy anyway - and I reprinted them below this review). One is dated 1.1981 and the other 1.1.981, so we'll presume bad editing on the latter... So the evidence is there that the album wasn't released until 1981, though I'm personally a fan of copyright dates. Depends on the discography site and their rules eh? Based on these inserts, it's pretty clear to me, that the 3.7K title that has recently been appended this album is in reality the catalog number, not the album title. This becomes even more evident once you realize their second album While You're Asleep has 4.6K as a catalog number.

----Here are the two inserts included:

Insert #1 (dated 1.1.981) says:

"Cosmic Debris Biographical Information

Cosmic Debris was founded in 1977 as an experimental synthesizer ensemble. From their first performance at the Friends Jazz Festival in July 1977, Cosmic Debris has constantly strived to bring subtlety, elegance and control to live electronic music. Cosmic Debris has expanded beyond strict electronic electronic horizons. In 1979, the ensemble performed in the fusion jazz format. Growing out of that format, Richard Bugg (founder of the Debris) and Joel Young (percussionist with the fusion jazz edition), have gone on to incorporate elements from all musical areas.  "We present the listener with a choice of ever changing perception of reality". The Cosmic Debris can be heard on Non Compos Mentis Records number 3.7k"

--- It should be noted that the above was riddled with spelling and grammatical errors which I attempted to fix (not that I'm an English ace or anything, but jeesh!)

Insert #2 (dated 1.1981) says:

"In their debut album for Non Compos Mentis, Cosmic Debris (Richard Bugg, Shawn Phillips, and Joel Young), have managed to fuse the control available to modern electronic musicians, with the freedom of expression that typifies contemporary music. The result is a true meta-language that express the positive power of emotion and mind. An intelligent sound that aggressively fuses pulsating undercurrents of raw power with an intricate interplay of sonorities."

--- This one needed little editing. But who the heck knows what it means? 

Personal collection

LP: 1980 Non Compos Mentis

Manilla Road - Open the Gates. 1985 USA-Kansas

Nobody mixed riff based metal with psychedelic hard rock better than Manilla Road. All wrapped up with fantasy Medieval lyrics and artwork to cuddle up with. It's a big sloppy mess, but wonderfully so. Imperfection never sounded so good. At times Shelton sounds like Frank Marino, as he noodles away wildly, seemingly without purpose, with a crazy racket storming behind him. 'The Ninth Wave' is yet another perfect Manilla Road epic metal track - one that basically reiterates their invention of the style. Manilla Road are for those of you who like Hollywood leading men with scars and lots of wrinkles. If you came here looking for crisply executed, slickly produced, and perfectly played metal - then you cannot possibly be more lost.

Ownership: LP: 1985 Black Dragon (France). Single sleeve. LP+EP

CD: 2001 Dragonheart (Italy)

10/13/15 (new entry)

Cos - Postaeolian Train Robbery. 1974 Belgium

Cos' debut from 1974 comes after many years of performing and writing, and as such, is a very mature opening move. The group's background, and home base as it were, is definitely from the jazz school, though they had recently broken into rock forms - influenced by the French groups Magma and Zao, and fellow countrymen Arkham. It is Zao where you find the closest comparison, though Cos are not Zeuhl in the slightest, and Canterbury is an easy backup reference, though not entirely accurate either. Truth is, Cos were their own thing, always a trait worth admiring. Pascale Son's (wife of bandleader Daniel Schell) strictly sings in the scat style, where enunciation, intonation, and pitch are key to the composition. The tracks are all well composed, and thoroughly thought out, and played to perfection. And it rocks out especially towards the end of the disc. Not a weak moment to be found, though it does lack the extreme highs a masterpiece calls for (though the UMR has one friend who states this is the greatest album ever, so file that away for reference). All the same, an exquisite work for fans of progressive jazz rock.

The predecessor group to Cos was Classroom, who contribute 4 tracks to the Musea CD. These compositions are clearly more indebted to jazz, but are certainly the same type of band in a non rock setting.

Personal collection

CD: 1990 Musea (France)

A few interesting items of note about this album's release. The original Plus album (first photo) comes in a fine gatefold cover and apparently sold out in 2 weeks, just as the label was going bankrupt (a day late and a dollar short apparently?). Shortly thereafter the better funded IBC came along with a single sleeve second press, and this is the more common one you will see (though hardly any supply in original form). The Musea CD reissue liner notes confirms that the Plus edition from 1974, with the red and yellow stripes, is indeed the original LP issue. Despite this fact, they went ahead with the IBC photo cover. Furthering the confusion, the Musea CD omits 'Karbok', apparently a more commercial effort, because of bandleader Daniel Schell's objection to it. However, as a bonus, the CD adds 4 tracks from Classroom (discussed below in the Notes). The Belle Antique CD uses the original Plus cover, but the Musea CD as the source (incl. Classroom), making that an entirely frustrating release (while no doubt leaving off Musea's excellent liner notes). It appears, finally, that the Wah Wah release gets the original LP correct (but no Classroom tracks), also with the permission of Schell, who now apparently has gotten over his objections to 'Karbok'. Surprisingly I could not find this one track online, so technically I haven't heard the original album in full! I didn't realize that until researching/reviewing this entry - 25 years after first purchasing the CD. Crazy stuff.

Hoelderlin - Rare Birds. 1977 Germany

Rare Birds follows the unique Genesis meets cosmic / space rock hybrid of Clowns and Clouds, with yet another difficult-to-pin-down progressive rock album. The compositions are increasingly more accessible, with a certain soft lens focus coloring their sound. Viola is clearly their defining instrument at this point. Vocals are airy and melodic. The songwriting is excellent, and given the right commercial backing, Hoelderlin would have been household names. From a prog fans standpoint (i.e. me), the album's highlight is the driving instrumental 'Necronomicon'. This is an album that has grown on me tremendously over the near 30 years I've been acquainted with it. Definitely not an "immediate" release, so something to consider if you're encountering the music for the first time.

Ownership: LP: 1977 Spiegelei. Single sleeve. Purchased at Half Price Records in Dallas (1987).

1987 (first listen); 9/12/07; 8/14/12; 10/11/15 (review / new entry); 2/7/23

Locomotive - We Are Everything You See. 1970 England

Locomotive were an interesting band, with their sole album clearly released by Parlophone with big intentions for major acceptance in popular music circles. Many references can be tied to The Moody Blues and The Beatles, but with a contemporary 1970 sound, including horns and a heavy Hammond organ approach. And it just didn't happen for the starstruck band, who dissipated quickly afterward. There's really nothing wrong with the music here, it's definitely an album made up of psych/prog/pop songs geared for the hit parade. There's no artsy pretension or long flights of fancy here. Sure, there's the 3 part 'The Loves of Augustus Abbey' which is about as extreme as Sgt Peppers was, so it's still cuddly fun. In the end, since it's an album made up of structured songs, there's nothing extraordinary here - and nothing terrible either. All very well done, and certainly worth owning, but not enough to be a true cult classic for future generations. That would be reserved for guitarist's Norman Haines' decidedly more extreme album Den of Iniquity, which came about a year later. And that album also didn't sell squat in its day, but is more highly revered now.

Ownership: CD: 2003 Eclectic. Fantastic reissue with informative liner notes, and a raft full of bonus tracks. Purchased new near the time of release.

2//04; 4//10; 10/10/15 (new entry)

Dr. Dopo Jam - Fat Dogs & Danishmen. 1974 Denmark

Dr. Dopo Jam's sophomore effort is the tale of two Frank Zappa's. Most of Side 1, and parts of Side 2, are the silly Zappa, and the goofball meter (now an app on iPhone) goes into the red zone. I'm sure 'Ode to Daddy Meatloaf' and 'Surfin' in Sahara' might be funny to someone somewhere, but comes across as ridiculous on these shores. Most of Side 2 is the serious Frank Zappa (well, serious is a relative term of course). We're talking Hot Rats era here. The affected sax sounds replete with complicated music charts and top flight jazz rock jamming. Album peaks on the middle two tracks of the latter side. Overall a very good album, that one suspects could have been so much better. Lost opportunity that.

Ownership: LP: 1974 Zebra. Single sleeve. Online acquisition (2004).

No legit reissues have surfaced as of 6/11/24.

2004; 10/8/15 (new entry)

Hills - Frid. 2015 Sweden

Frid is the 3rd studio album from this fine space rock / Krautrock band from Sweden. Overall, this is a fairly conservative effort. Meaning... Hills seems all too content to play to genre norms, including motorik styled beats, and fuzz guitar explosions. The band is so rigid in their structure, if would appear they might break in half if they threw in an actual meter shift, or a completely new idea. The beauty of the original Krautrock scene was the escaping of expectation, and blowing minds with exploration. Tonality and color continue to be challenges for the band, as they've never replaced the warmth of the flute from the debut. Sitar is a nice inclusion, though it's unclear who plays what, since the album lacks any kind of documentation.

Despite all these minor gripes, I'm predisposed to liking music such as this, which is probably the only reason I rate it as high as I do. I will submit though, that Frid is a slight improvement on the even more rigid The Master Sleeps. The highlight for me is the ending of 'National Drone' which segues nicely into the superb 'Anukthal is Here'. This is as close as Hills has gotten to their own early 70s native music scene like Algarnas Tradgard and Flasket Brinner. And 'Och Solen Sänkte Sig Röd' won me over on the third straight listen (and 3rd beer). Sometimes it takes that effort...

Ownership: CD: 2015 Rocket (UK)

10/8/15 (new entry)

Ariel - Perspectives. 1985 USA-Illinois

From the far south Chicago suburbs, comes the super obscure Ariel, an album that is just now making its sound heard worldwide. Early 80s Rush is the most obvious first influence, but there's more here than meets the ear as it were. All instrumental guitar, keys, and drums are the core components, and the compositions are complex and tight - with a strong fusion influence. No escaping the King Crimson sound from the era either, but also (surprisingly) Doldinger's Passport, minus the sax (imagine the sequencer heavy Moog lines for example). If we were to really deep dive here, I would compare Ariel to fellow Chicagoan's Proteus, mixed with the UK group Red (on Jigsaw). While Side 1 is impressive enough, the final three tracks do nothing short of wow the listener. And they close with their peak composition, always a hallmark of a great album. Ariel does not belie its mid 80s sound (despite the somewhat psych influenced guitar tone), and yet compared with the normal dreck from the era, the band proves the middle 80s were not a total wasteland (heavy metal genre exempted of course). This one deserves the buzz its currently receiving in the underground.

Personal collection

LP: 1985 Little Misters

Apparently the inserts feature different colors for each other. As you can see this copy is orange. My personal copy is blue, and a friend reports a green insert.

Sebastian Hardie - Four Moments. 1975 Australia

Sebastian Hardie is one of those groups that draws polarizing opinions from those in the progressive rock community. Truth of the matter is that bandleader, guitarist, and primary composer Mario Millo is a true romantic at heart. Which instinctively rubs the male oriented and testosterone fueled prog rock fan base the wrong way. I am one of these myself, and have zero tolerance for phony baloney dainty antics, as performed by many an arena rocker looking for an easy score. And yet I adore Sebastian Hardie, especially Four Moments, which is as pure an emotional album as you will find. When people talk about lush symphonic progressive, they mean this album. For those who think 'And You and I' is the pinnacle achievement for Yes, then I assure you that Four Moments will be something you will swoon over. As if to prove they can also rock out, be sure to stick it out for the last 4 minutes or so, where they light the album on fire, for a truly sublime closing. Only the most hardened and grizzled out there won't find a soft spot for Four Moments.

Ownership: LP: 1975 Polydor. Gatefold. Acquired at VVV Records in Dallas (1988). One of many personal foundational global prog albums purchased there.

CD: 2004 Polydor (Japan). Papersleeve edition. Features one bonus track.

1988; 9//04; 3//05; 10/3/15 (new entry)

The Greatest Show on Earth - The Going's Easy. 1970 England

Greatest Show on Earth's second album demonstrates a musical maturity towards songwriting, but in retrospect, I like both albums about the same regardless. The blues element is brought forward, whereas the pop oriented horn charts are left behind. One step forward, one step back. 'Magic Woman Touch', the album's great hope for a single sees the band heading towards folk rock territory with mixed results. And closer 'Tell the Story' is probably their worst composition to date. Clear highlight for me is the multi-part jazz rock suite 'Love Magnet' which is GSOE's shining moment of their entire career - and a direction I would have liked to see them pursue further. Alas it was not to be, and their two-album-one-year-run was over.

Ownership: LP: 1970 Harvest. Gatefold textured cover. Online acquisition (2018). I started with the Esoteric CD, which made up the original review above (2015). There's only one unique bonus track, taken from a 45. It's pretty good, but not enough to hold onto the CD for. I captured the liner notes first though before parting ways.

2007; 10/2/15 (new entry); 9/11/18 (LP acquisition); 2/17/23