Sensations' Fix - Portable Madness. 1974 Italy

And here we have... the single greatest space rock album of all time!

No small claim that. Not an irreverent throw out to grab one's attention. Not an epiphany on the 4th beer. No - this is pretty much where I've stood for the 26 years I've owned the album. Last night it comes up again, and reminds me that it is, indeed, the single greatest space rock album of all time. Of course, not everyone will agree with that, and probably the it's overrated crowd will be along here any minute...

Twisty, turny, kinetic, psychedelic, jumpy, murky, primordial, psychotic, and melodic are just a few adjectives that come to mind here. The opening two numbers are great enough, but once 'Phase One and Phase Two' starts spinning in multiple directions, you are sucked into the vortex of another world and dimension. If this doesn't happen to you, then stop surfing the net, watching TV, texting on Facebook with a Russian hooker, or vacuuming the rug. Start from the beginning and pay close attention. OK you there now? Good, so now by the time you get to 'Pasty Day Resistance', you have reached what I consider the single greatest space rock track of all time. There's more twists and turns on this 5 and half minute track then I've heard on full double albums. 'Leave My Chemistry Alone' will finally polish you off, and presumably you're in a cold sweat by now. The album closes with two relatively sane compositions, and tries to return you to Earth, but doesn't quite get there. You are lost forever.

The fuzzy photograph on the front cover, taken in the same spirit as Big Foot and the Loch Ness Monster, tells you all you need to know about its provenance. This can't be Italian - nor German as it may seem - but something from another galaxy.

Ownership: LP: 1974 Polydor. Textured single sleeve. Acquired via mail order (1991).

CD: 2009 Universal (as part of Progressive Italia Gli Anni '70 Vol. 1 - The Universal Music Collection). Would be nice to get a higher quality CD reissue.

1991; 5/28/09; 9/19/12; 10/27/17 (new entry)

Relayer - s/t. 1979 USA

Relayer were a band from Houston*, who managed to release one album before disappearing into the mists of time. With a name like Relayer and a colorful rainbow fantasy cover, one can expect 'Gates of Delirium Part Deux' eh Oui? Non. Because they are from my home state of Texas, this private press wasn't too obscure up north here in DFW and I first heard this album some 25 years ago and quickly dismissed it as rubbish. During that time, I've gained an entirely new appreciation for the private press American music landscape of the 1970s that I've documented to death here on these very pages. And Relayer fits smack dab in the middle of that sound.

The album itself is interesting, because it almost plays like an archival CD issue, verse a real time released LP. And that's because they front loaded all the progressive rock tracks on Side 1. So the first side rounds up the usual suspects like Yes and ELP, with a hint of Styx's Grand Illusion, for a very satisfying listen. Side 2 treads in commercial waters, more towards Styx's Pieces of Eight, with a bit of loungy fusion to boot. Overall, I'd weight it 55% AOR and 45% prog rock, so for those who have no tolerance for late 70s American FM radio rock, I'd steer clear. This is a very good album for the style, and one that I'm glad to have bought for the collection.

*Though the band named one song with nearby Victoria in the name, they are documented as being from Houston (internet search confirms), and that's what I recall from the early 90s as well.

Personal collection

LP: 1979 HSR

Supposedly this album was reissued by the band on CD. It has all the earmarks of a CD-R homemade type release. I could be wrong, as I haven't seen it, but just based on what I've read. Not listed in Discogs as I type this either. So it goes onto the CDRWL.

Ruphus - Flying Colours. 1978 Norway

When I buy albums like Flying Colours, I'm not expecting a wall to wall classic, but rather I'm looking for at least one or 2 strong compositions to make it worthwhile. And that's just what I received with Ruphus' 5th effort. The title track and 'The Rivulet' are both very pretty numbers, with a good groove, and fine melodies. The female vocals are very pleasant in this context (much better than any of her contributions on Inner Voice). Both these tracks reminded me most of the debut by the Canadian band Contraction, of all albums. 'Joy' is a powerful fusion track with great use of clavinet, and represents the 3rd really great song here. 'Frysja' goes to Ruphus' Norwegian roots, and recalls what bands like Kebnekaise were doing over in Sweden. Unfortunately the opener 'Foodlovers' Diet' is very off-putting, where the vocals are strained (as they were on the previous album), and the music is somewhat irritating to be honest. So best to start with 'Frysja' and enjoy the soft moods and warm afternoon. Overall a fine effort from Ruphus, who managed to tap into the best characteristics of the late 1970s funk fusion fad. A surprising improvement on their preceding effort.

Personal collection
LP: 1978 Brain (Germany)

Niagara - S.U.B. 1972 Germany

Niagara were founded by drummer and percussionist Klaus Weiss, who also happened to be the leader of the fine jazz rock group known as Sunbirds. Niagara released three albums in the early to mid 70s, the first which is entirely percussive. Their second album S.U.B. is a jamming rock fusion session with an all star cast including Daniel Fichelscher (Popol Vuh), Kristian Schultze (Passport, and leader of the The Bridge / Recreation album), and Udo Lindenberg among a handful of others. The presence of trumpet and the bass heavy percussive driven sound reminds me of early 70's Miles Davis, especially on the opening title track. Compositions such as 'Niagara' and 'Gibli' are similar to their debut, in that they are primarily percussion ensembles. 'Kikiriti' is the highlight for me, with an abundance of flute, and recalls Weiss' other outfit Sunbirds, especially on their own debut.

Personal collection
LP: 2016 PMG Audio (Austria)

The above represents the only standalone legit reissue for this album. There is a 2 (& 3) CD / 3 album comp as well from Made in Germany. But for my tastes, S.U.B. is the only album worthy of ownership.

Taipuva Luotisuora - II. 2006 Finland

After being completely blown away by their debut, I rushed out to buy the followup which had just been released at the time I’d discovered the debut. Some noticeable changes have taken place in the short year since. The guitars are slightly heavier, not quite metal, but a distinct modern hard rock crunch is present. There are now vocals, which could be a great addition for a band like Taipuva, but I felt they’re executed all wrong for the exotic music at hand. First the lyrics are in English, rather than the more interesting and non Indo-European Finnish. Worse, they’re delivered with the whiny American indie style that seems will never go away (sigh). Perhaps a more mysterious approach to the vocals (female, echoed, whispered) would be far more interesting for the music that Taipuva play. The instrumentation seems stripped down a bit (though the liner notes still call out the kantele, violin, Hohner Melodica, and woodwinds). Also, not near enough of the Hidria Spacefolk, Korai Orom sound as prior – though as a plus I do hear some of the much missed Dutch group Kong. And finally, the modern electronica sounds of the debut are even more in use here, most notably on ‘Uotila’ and ‘Unaja Infinite Laser’. Now this latter point actually demonstrates some progress for the band. Like a good movie director would employ, the special effects are used to enhance, not overwhelm the proceedings. I don’t want to overplay the negative here with the vocals, as "Viking Zulu" does possess a good voice, and there are only 4 tracks where they are utilized, out of 9 total. In some ways, all the tracks (including those with vocals) are more complex than even the first album, which is outstanding to see. Still, the Taipuva Luotisuora tribe" that the music created for my imagination is missing here. So probably this album is the one that is favored by the majority, but I found it more typical of the underground scene. I miss the exotic nature of the debut. Not wanting to send the wrong message here – this is still a fantastic album, just a bit disappointed that it seems to be a step towards the middle.

Ownership: CD: 2006 Kaakao

6/7/06; 10/26/17 (new entry)

Grovjobb - Under Solen Lyser Solen. 2001 Sweden

After first hearing Vättarnas Fest, I wrote an enthusiastic review for both their albums at the time, and couldn't wait to hear a 3rd from them. So when Under Solen Lyser Solen did get released, I snapped it up immediately, and.... well, I didn't write a review, let's put it that way.

Yes, I was sorely disappointed. The album didn't have the dynamism of its predecessors. After a couple of listens, I filed it. Now 16+ years later, here we are again - and I'd gone as far as tagging it "weedout". This could be the final listen.

It won't be. Now it's also been about 17 years since I heard the first two, so I cannot draw any memorable comparisons. What I will say is that the first word I think of when listening to Under Solen Lyser Solen is organic. This is a very laid back, drawn out, psychedelic work based on Swedish folk themes. There's no rave-ups, or meter shifts, or that much in the way of songcraft honestly. It just sort of drifts along, with quite a bit of repetition, and lovely flute and electric guitar shimmering away. It appears the band knew they were going to sunset, and this was the way they wanted to exit - riding out into the fields slowly as darkness descends. They certainly didn't go out in a ball of flames, that's for sure.

If memory serves, the final track here 'Reflection of Rafi' seems more in line with their other albums, and is the highlight.

Former ownership: CD: 2001 Garageland. Jewel case with art booklet containing recording details.

2002; 10/20/17 (review / new entry); 4/26/24

Litmus - You Are Here. 2004 England

Litmus' debut You Are Here blazes out of the gates with a monolithic guitar riff, twee-twee-twee Moog knob twiddles, and a neanderthal 4/4 rhythm, I was immediately reminded of those 90s aggressive festival rockers Omnia Opera, minus any of their Floydian cosmic buildups. Or, of course, I could have mentioned the real inspiration at work here – which would be primo early 70s era Hawkwind, if Lemmy ran the band that is. They put the “B” in subtle, and pulverize most of the songs right through the wall. The keyboardist is the same gentleman who runs the excellent Planet Mellotron site, and so no surprise the mellotron gets more than its share of studio time. Though good luck in hearing it over the racket. I like my space rock a bit more cosmic and trippy meself, but OK, that’s not their bag.

Ownership: CD: 2004 private

2008; 10/20/17 (new entry)

Hidria Spacefolk - HDRSF-1. 2001 Finland

Finland’s Hidria Spacefolk broke onto the scene in 2001 with HDRSF-1, which featured recordings from as early as 1999. And what a debut it is! Hidria Spacefolk are one of the very few bands to take the Ozric Tentacles space rock via Hillage formula, and actually take it further by adding more instrumentation, putting together more complex compositions, and rocking harder than Ed Wynne and crew (that’s no small feat right there). While Hidria wasn’t even close to reaching their peak at this stage, there were plenty of signs they could put together a masterpiece (and their subsequent two albums did just that). Most notably ‘Sindran Rastafan’ is the type of space rock rave-up that leaves one amazed, exhausted, and overwhelmed. Hidria mixes wah wah style funk, hard rock guitar, cosmic and very fuzzy synthesizers, Middle Eastern melodies, Indian flute and didgeridoo, sometimes all in the same song! Variety is their strong suit, and they mix high energy jams with meditative quiet sections with ease. The band likes to change things around in a rapid manner, so the music never gets stale and always remains exciting. This debut demonstrated to the world that Hidria Spacefolk were to be one of the best space rock bands of the modern era.

Ownership: LP: 2021 Svart. Single sleeve with liner notes for each track - in Finnish, so not going to do most of us any good. Cool cover though. Recent online acquisition (2022)

CD: 2006 private. Jewel case reissue purchased upon release. For an album like this, a mobile CD is mandatory.

10/14/06 (Gnosis); 10/19/17 (new entry)

Bram Stoker - Heavy Rock Spectacular. 1972 England

Windmill was a UK based label that specialized in hokum. With titles like The Beatles Golden Songs (by the Studio Five Orchestra Singers & Chorus), Sing-Along With Phil Tate & The Happy Gang, and Immortal Reggae Hits by Black Funk - you pretty much know these were the albums staring you in the face as you checked out at the counter of your favorite discount nickel and dime with your undies and chewing gum. They were, as collectors call them today, an exploito label. A cash-in job.

And speaking of staring back, there was however one album that looked every bit as silly as the others, but in fact was a legitimate fully realized album. With the day-glo negative image of a mega babe, the album promises the middle aged housewife a Heavy Rock Spectacular - wow! What does that even mean? Well to the cynic, it's probably more like happy organ covers of The Beatles, Stones, Doors, etc... right? Wrong. Then is it really a heavy rock album? Of course not. What the hell is it then?

It's a prog rock album, heavy on the keyboards with psychedelic guitar accompaniment and vocals. Not that much different from albums by Morgan, Fields, Duncan Mackay, ELP/The Nice, etc... Some of the tracks borrow from classical music, but they're serious arrangements, not trite renditions. The album is quite consistent, with no real highs - nor lows - but a solid entry for the genre. It's really a tragedy the album was marketed as it was. Had it come out on Polydor, with a Hipgnosis like cover, and a title like Schizo-Poltergeist (wait a minute...), then it would have been more highly revered. As it is though, it remains a curio piece - an album that was completely mishandled in its day.

Ownership: LP: 1972 Windmill. The single sleeve LP was picked up online in 2009. Despite the exploito nature of the album, I love the cover all the same, and the original is prominently displayed on my wall of albums. It would have been even better had they left off the track titles from the front, yet another trademark of albums such as this. The first CD to market was the Audio Archives release, which changed the title and cover art. This was my first introduction to the album. This release seems to obscure all band member involvement, and copyright info. And it's taken from vinyl. So it's probably not one of their legit releases (the label had a few CDs such as this back in this time frame). That isn't the same thing as saying the band didn't benefit. It's possible the rights were tied up somewhere else and everyone hushed up. We may never know the full truth and no one will talk. There are for certain legitimate releases today, that use the original cover and add bonus tracks (recently recorded apparently). Released the CD in 2021.

10/13/21

Talitha Qumi - Despre Cuvinte. 1996 Romania

Not sure I can describe Talitha Qumi any other way than this, but would you believe Eastern European free folk meets early 1970s Italian progressive rock? Atman meets Errata Corrige meets Pholas Dactylus meets Sensations' Fix meets Nu & Apa Neagra meets Museo Rosenbach. Yea... I didn't think you would believe me. This album has the reckless abandon of the early 70's era, something you rarely hear today. Usually it's measured and calculated nowadays. An absolute gem of an album.

Ownership: CD: 2005 Soft

Recently the original cassette from 1996 has emerged as the source. So that proves its provenance which I wasn't sure about initially.

2/7/13 (new entry)

Stone Circus. 1969 USA-New York / Canada-Quebec

Here's another Mainstream label gem, and possibly my favorite album on the label. These Montreal based musicians (save one), decided to journey south of the border to New York to find their scene. Known as The Funky Farm, Mainstream decided to change their name for the release of the album. In typical record business style, Mainstream didn’t even inform the band of the name change! Featuring an outrageous psychedelic cover of a very colorful and oversized clown engulfed in flames emerging from an earthquake, it certainly would catch ones attention even for 1969, when such a sight was more common. I probably listened to the album 5 times in a row, as the music is the closest I’ve heard to that most magical of 60s psych bands – Strawberry Alarm Clock. Stone Circus possess the same songwriting qualities, and period instrumentation (fuzz guitar, old organs). It does miss that magic ingredient of naivete, that SAC was able to tap into so perfectly. Whether it’s the California sunshine, or the late date of 1969, it’s clear there's a little somethin' missing. Maybe a bit too much Velvet Underground? 'What Went Wrong', 'Adam's Lament', 'Mr. Grey', and 'Carnival of Love' are the more obvious tracks where the comparison holds to SAC. Side 2 does deviate from that particular harmony sound, but makes up for it with heavy acid psych featuring excellent guitar and organ. Stone Circus ends wonderfully with a fuzz psych jam in 'People I Once Knew'.

Ownership: LP: 1969 Mainstream. Single sleeve with absolutely phenomenal eye-catching cover art. Acquired from a local antique mall dealer (2021).

They had it in their "glass case", which means it's not going to be cheap. And it wasn't, except it was about 20% of the going online rate. My theory is the guy had priced it years ago, and never updated it. I'm sure I'm the first customer who would even want it! 

As for the CD, we already know the Mainstream label is locked up tight by Sony, and they've shown zero intention of reissuing these important works. So the existing reissue is of suspect provenance as they say. And that would apply to just about every other LP and CD reissue as well. Tragedy that. There is one intriguing reissue out there from P-Vine of Japan. Now it is very possible they entered into an agreement with Sony Japan for this reissue. They are an entirely a legit concern, so that would have to be considered the definitive reissue at this point. Or at least on the surface it would seem that way. In the near future I'll determine whether or not to keep the basic CD, now that I have the original in excellent condition. My guess is I won't (and I didn't...). It does contain short liner notes, which I preserved below.

2008; 10/17/17 (new entry); 12/27/21

Saluki. 1976 Norway

So.... I completely blew the call on this one. My initial review some 8 years ago tagged this as a failed funk attempt by Norwegians emulating a distinctly American style (which Norwegians are wont to do on occasion). And ya know, after hearing opener 'Come Down', few among you will disagree with said claims, though it's pretty good for the style if pressed. Then comes 'Autumn', and I could already see my story breaking apart. Some sort of Muffins confusion on whether to go Canterbury or Henry Cow-styled avant prog annoyance. I'm sure that was the internal band debate anyway... (sure). 'The Awakening' is a waste of time, I think we can all agree on this - including the band. 'Love to the Sun'. Yea, OK Mahavishnu John, where are we taking this? There apparently. With a funk angle. Hmmm. 'Uranus in Cancer' is a title already asking for trouble. It's kind of emotional proggy, a bit AORish, and pretty good actually. 'Fantasy Suns' is a waste of time, I think we can all agree on this - including the band (sound familiar?). At this point, I'm OK with my initial assessment. Then comes 'Hidden Path III'. Ah damn, this is really good. Deep jazz with a bit of funk in that Miles Davis sort of way. But more toward Kraut Fusion (1970s /early 80s) actually. And this leads us to the closer 'Take the Road Across the Bridge'. I swear I recognize this music! So time to Google for a reference per chance. I KNEW IT! It's a cover of a Junipher Greene track - in fact the opener to their landmark/brilliant 1971 'Friendship' suite. I mean, who covers Junipher Greene? In 1976? Oh yea, author Freddy Dahl was in both bands. I could not find another reference to this observation on the internet. A job well done, ashratom. And how about that naked genie-out-of-a-bottle cover? These guys had it going on, that's for sure. Problem is, I'm starting to look like the dude with the magic book. Uh-oh.

The album has recently (late 2017) been reissued on CD and LP by the Norwegian record shop Big Dipper (aka Round 2).

10/17/17 (new entry)

Leger de Main - The Concept of Our Reality. 1995 USA

Leger de Main were a trio from Erie, Pennsylvania made up of the Rodler brothers (Brett on drums, and Chris on everything else), along with Melissa Blair on vocals. It's quite astounding then, with such a small lineup, what a racket these 3 were able to create. I first bought this CD toward the end of 1995, not too long after its release, and it quickly rose to one of my favorites of the year. I played it often - seemingly having a permanent place in my Mitsubishi Eclipse as I drove through various parts of Denver with this blasting away in the background (as an aside - still the best car stereo I ever had, including today). After fully immersing myself with the music over a 2 to 3 month period, I finally filed the CD. Where it stayed until tonight, when it finally was chosen for a random listen some 22 years later (if there was ever an argument for not trying to collect too much, this would be it...). On this note, I was just about to meet the future Mrs. Ashratom, and the days of cranking tunes everywhere I went were coming to an end - not that I knew it at the time... Sigh... In any case... back to Leger de Main.

So what made this album special, when many others made a similar attempt? It's the blend, the secret recipe that has patrons lining out the door, while someone else's similar restaurant remains empty. Leger de Main's primary ingredient is that of 1980-81 Rush, and Blair's shrill voice more often than not recall Geddy Lee's when in a similar mode. Though presumably hers are more grounded in estrogen... Now with that in mind, immerse the music of "Moving... Waves" right smack in the middle of 'Gates of Delirium'. And then have that played by Yezda Urfa. Yea, exactly. It won't take long to know if this is an album for you, because the opener 'To Live the Truth' is an overview of the entire album. It's the rhythm section that really makes it work, with Chris' woody bass and Brett's hyperactive drums propelling the proceedings along at a rapid rate. And then Chris will overlay all sorts of guitar and keyboards on top in an exciting fashion. Leger de Main are kinetic, jumpy, and on fire here! I would imagine some folks will struggle with Blair's voice, but I think she fits perfectly considering the manic nature of the recording.

The Concept of Our Reality is yet another great example of the fantastic music that we were lucky to hear in the 1990s, an album that received attention back then among the faithful, but has now been long forgotten. Will this era be recaptured just as the 70s were? I submit yes, but it will take much longer (probably past my lifetime), as the original audience was just a tiny fraction of the 70s heyday. For the 3 people who read my reviews, I highly encourage you to pick this CD up (or the 2 CD comp A Lasting Impression that includes both their albums).

Personal collection
CD: 1995 Progressive Music Management

Birth Control - Plastic People. 1975 Germany

Birth Control were one of those bands that managed to survive the various musical movements of the 1970s and 80s. In order to do that, a group must be flexible and change with the times - for better or worse. Birth Control were always an outlier when discussing the best music of the Krautrock era. In reality they were more of a UK / North American styled hard rock band, one that avoided the trappings of phasing, cosmic tripping, and long psychedelic jams. By 1973, Birth Control tried their hand at more commercial material, including dragging along a horn section, to mixed results. Then the obligatory live album brought out the band's inner Deep Purple. And now it's 1975, it's Germany, and you do what?

You go prog. Not Krautrock styled prog mind you, but the UK variant of such. Eloy went forth with Power and the Passion, and Jane coughed up Fire Water Earth and Air. And so Birth Control came out with Plastic People. When considering their pedigree, and the fact they weren't really ever the best at what they did, one would presume Plastic People would fall on its face, in an almost laughable Spinal Tap way. Wrong again. Birth Control pretty much blew away the competition (it was Eloy who ended up with egg on their face). 

This is an album I'd owned for many years without much recollection, until about six years ago a focused listen while driving through South Dakota (there isn't really much else to do...) opened this up for me. Tonight's listen just reinforced that experience. It's a blend of their hard rock past, mixed in with solid songwriting and real progression in the compositions. The title track is 11 minutes, and seems half of that, which is a good sign. 'Tiny Flashlights' is brilliant, perhaps the best song in Birth Control's entire canon. There's some really great synthesizer work throughout the album in addition to the usual organ/guitar display. Even a track with a dumbo title like 'Rockin' Rollin' Roller' is much better than it seems at the beginning, and the song is memorable in a good way. I see some bellyaching around the band's use of commercial styled singing and "lounge" moves. To me, that's another half point positive, as I really appreciate the melodicism brought forth, and works well as a contrast to the otherwise mathematical complexity. It's not that dissimilar to how the American groups approached progressive rock in the mid 70s. BTW - there are only horns on one track for those who break out in hives at the mere sound of them.

Ownership: LP: 1975 CBS. Gatefold. Online acquisition (2016). Excellent artwork and it's featured on my "wall of albums".

Former ownership: CD: 1995 Columbia. Jewel case. For whatever reason, the CD switches the places of  'Rockin' Rollin' Roller' and 'Tiny Flashlights'. Odd. This was my initial copy of the album.

1997 (first listen); 6/8/06; 5/20/11; 10/14/17 (review / new entry)

Rag i Ryggen. 1975 Sweden

Råg i Ryggen's sole album is a great representation of that perfect meeting place between progressive and hard rock. The instrumentation is pure fat analog, with organ, mini-moog, woody bass, loud electric guitar, and powerful vocals. Early 70s Uriah Heep would seem to be the main influence here, along with a good dose of Deep Purple and even fellow countrymen Trettioariaga Kriget. And on the folk based instrumental 'Spångaforsens brus', Kebnekaise rises to the fore. The lyrics are a mix of Swedish and English, though surprisingly there's no downturn in quality when utilizing the latter, as would be normally the case. I think those that dig bands like Blakulla and Saga (post November band), will find plenty to enjoy here. Easy recommendation for genre fans.

Ownership: LP: 1975 Rondo. The original comes in a very fragile thin single cover and is likely to have wear (as does mine). Recent online purchase from Sweden (2018).

CD: 2005 Transubstans. Typically great reissue from Transubstans with informative liner notes, photos, and good sound. There's also 3 bonus tracks, two from 1975, and the last from 1976 called 'Land Over the Rainbow', and it sounds very similar to the album proper. The sound quality on these are OK, given they appear to be an audience recording.

1/30/07; 10/13/17 (new entry); 11/21/18 (LP acquisition)

Novalis - Sommerabend. 1976 Germany

When Sommerabend was chosen as a random album to listen to, I was quite excited to catch up with it again. It's probably been 20 years since I last heard it, but my recollection and grade at the time was quite high. Recently I finally penetrated the debut Banished Bridge, capturing a drifty Krautrock vibe that I had missed prior. And the second album is the one I'd always held in the highest esteem (another one I need to revisit). As the years go by, I value melodic songwriting more and more, and that's right in the wheelhouse of this era of Novalis. So with all of that as background context, and the fact Sommerabend is typically rated the highest by fans, I figured this would be the listen where the album opened up for me in a big way.

Nope. In fact it took a step back. But at first I was highly engaged. The instrumental 'Aufbruch' is exactly what I was expecting, with memorable melody lines, and creative breaks. It is on 'Wunderschätze' that the albums begins to break down. At first, my positive bias carried it through. But a second listen had me realizing where the problem lies. And that's because the side longer title track doesn't hold up as well, and reveals this material weakness. Now I'm not suggesting it isn't any good - of course it maintains that melodic and spacey vibe Novalis is known for - but it gets a bit... dull on occasion. Whereas Banished Bridge maintains this Dom like downer mysterious vibe, Sommerabend just sounds mopey dopey at times. Perhaps the band is too sober by 1976. It's more like same era Eloy / Pink Floyd verse the more sprightly sound that Novalis seems to have patented, and exploited more on their sophomore effort.

For certain a worthy album for the collection, but it's a definite 3rd place in their canon as far as I'm concerned.

Personal collection
LP: 1976 Brain (green label)
CD: 1992 Brain

The album is a single sleeve but features wonderful cover art.

The Muffins - Open City. 1977; 1979-1980 USA (archival)

For my tastes, The Muffins are an entirely frustrating band. Their best work IMO is the archival material pre-1978, which is heavily influenced by the Canterbury movement, and is mostly represented on the fantastic Chronometers CD that came out some 17 years after the fact. The Muffins proper debut, Manna/Mirage, is an album of contrasts mixing lucidly composed, highly melodic, jazz rock tracks - with some of the most annoying tuneless/structureless improvisations ever put to vinyl. In effect, The Muffins moved from Soft Machine II to Henry Cow's In Praise of Learning.

And now we review Open City, which is in reality another archival release. I've owned the CD for many years, but never the LP. This is an important distinction because up until today, I hadn't paid much attention on how different they are - at least in terms of how to approach the album and its final result. As it turns out, the first 7 tracks are (mostly) unique to the CD and come from a concert in 1980. They're in full blown Henry Cow territory here. Since it's compact, it does bring out some of the better attributes of said band, that is to say there are actual songs here to enjoy with wonderful passages and even some fuzz bass, a vestige of their Canterbury past. But it also contains the mandatory checklist that includes monotone female vocals, noisy improvs, and a certain melodic structure that is so predictable, it's laughable - and yet that audience will tell you it's radical and unique and no one else has ever done it. lol, yea OK clique boys. Tracks 8 & 9 are from 1979, and again, we're treated to the Manna/Mirage side of the band. So as I was earmarking the CD for my next sale comes....

...the lion's share of what was on the original LP, itself an archival release from Cuneiform back in 1985. Tracks 10 to 14 are from 1977, and is a wonderful warm and sunny, yet complex, jazz rock with Canterbury overtones. I thoroughly enjoy this era of The Muffins. What a contrast to the edgy atonal later material. 'Not Alone' is the highlight of the entire disc, and it comes at the very end, nearly 50 minutes into it. No wonder I could never figure out why I kept this CD!

In some ways, Open City may be the definitive Muffins album. It captures both of their styles at their best, and is likely to please one or the other type fan, and in many cases both. For me, it's only the jazz rock/Canterbury side that works.

From a rating perspective, I will keep two grades: The LP is a half point higher than the CD - though I recommend the latter oddly enough to obtain the whole experience.

Ownership: CD: 1994 Cuneiform. Jewel case release with booklet filled with historical liners and photos. As noted above, this contains additional archival material to the LP.

2001; 10/11/17 (new entry)

Pentwater - Ab-Dul. 2007 USA-Illinois

Already a charter member of the Pentwater fanboy club, I just had to get the new album, even though these guys haven't released anything in 30 years and the album cover art leaves much to be desired. With most reunions, I duck for cover, figuring the band had long forgotten why anyone wanted to hear them in the first place, ergo the irrational desire for a quick FM hit. As if all the 18 year old girls will start swooning for 55 year old geezers singing about lost loves, or worse, some sort of fairy queen eaten by a jester elf... But this is Pentwater, and these guys were an intellectual bunch even amongst the intellectual, so its no surprise they came up with another winner. It's not perfect, and there were a couple of tracks that seemed to imply that maybe Neil Diamond had it right all along. But they catch themselves, and throw something in 13/8 with a mellotron on top and the world is all perfect again. Very few groups can pull off melody and complexity like Pentwater.

Ownership: CD: 2007 Beef

2007; 10/10/17 (new entry)

Strawberry Alarm Clock - Wake Up... It's Tomorrow. 1968 USA-California

The band asks: How many tomorrow's can you see? They almost let this one get away. They almost revealed themselves right here and now. They were partying with the psychedelic set, and who better than with a bunch of turned on kids with a name like Strawberry Alarm Clock. Who are they you ask? Extraterrestrial's of course. Duh.

The debut had already displayed more hair raising harmonies per second than any album in history, so why not up the ante, and mix that with a 6th dimension sound? Real time upon release, few in the world got it of course, and after realizing their potential mistake, this particular strain of ET's left to never return in our time and space. And Strawberry Alarm Clock went on to become an easy listening band based on "advice" from industry execs. Poor kids. They never had a chance.

Don't believe me? Just listen to 'Curse of the Witches'. That sheer burst of fuzz bass, celestial vibes, and harmony all arriving at once is a vision into heaven, followed by all sorts of disorientation including the just-slightly-off-kilter rhythms, but mathematically calculated perfectly to alter your mind. Meditation... "Oooo" is a lyric of pure genius. In fact the song it comes from 'Sit With the Guru', along with hit 'Tomorrow', are the two tracks here that resemble most the pop psych brilliance of the debut. The entire 5 song sequence that ends the album predicted all sorts of music movements to forth come. They were able to do that in 12 minutes.

Perhaps only 'Soft Skies, No Lies' and 'Go Back You're Going the Wrong Way' are "normal" songs, and even they are excellent.

Look at the artwork and understand who you're dealing with.

Wake Up... It's Tomorrow.

Ownership: LP: 1968 Uni. Uni-pak gatefold

CD: 2005 Collectors' Choice. With full liners.

10/8/17 (new entry)

Oresund Space Collective - Dead Man in Space. 2009 Denmark-Sweden

Dead Man in Space is Oresund Space Collective's 6th proper album. It is also their very first LP vinyl release. It's a significant trend, as the medium demands an editor to distill the very best parts. And while Oresund Space Collective certainly does do that anyway, this forces them to think a bit harder on what goes in and what stays out. OSC is a band that is a natural fit for vinyl, and it's not surprising to see they have continued this trend since (though they may release the album as a 3 LP set somewhat defeating this purpose anyway).

On the music front, Dead Man in Space is one of OSC's more coherent and focused releases - no surprise given the context provided above. Improvisational space rock jamming is still the name of the game, though here there's a bit of a jazzy bent in the rhythms and sounds. And I felt there were more poignant psychedelic guitar bursts than normal, giving the album just the bite it needs to be successful. If looking to start somewhere with OSC, Dead Man in Space is a good one to consider.

Ownership: LP: 2009 Kommun 2. Discogs and RYM have 2010 as the date of release, but the label clearly denotes the copyright as 2009. Perhaps it didn't hit the shelves until 2010, this I cannot say.

There's a CD version of the album (with different artwork), and it's about 20 minutes longer (of course it is), so much of what I said above probably doesn't apply to that version.

3/14/11; 10/7/17 (new entry)

Mashmakhan - The Family. 1971 Canada

Mashmakhan's sophomore effort is light on songwriting skills, and the vocals sound a bit strained. The appeal? The instrumental breaks, where the organ, flute, and psychedelic guitar gather for some fine jamming. Here the band sound a bit like Jethro Tull meeting Santana, with a hippie vibe throughout. The album sort of peters out on Side 2, mainly due to the lack of any instrumentals. Relying on their compositions will not get them very far. The album ends with the band's most overtly progressive rock track, which isn't really any better than the songs on side 1 - just stretched out a bit. The Family is like many North American bands from the turn of the 1970 decade: They can't decide what they want to be. Psych, hard rock, prog, jazz, blues? No one seemed to know, and off into oblivion they went in a couple of years after three more singles.

Personal collection
CD: 1999 Collectables w/Mashmakhan
LP: 1971 Columbia

The CD combines both albums, but leaves off 'Mr. Tree', which is the 10 minute proggy track. Of course they did. Who would want to hear them stretch out, when there's perfectly bad 3 minute tracks to provide instead? Argh. Funny how the mainstream never could accept progressive rock, no matter what. Well, it's a happenin' now dummy's.

The Jack Hammond Group - A Fatal Beauty. 1982 USA

From Chicago comes The Jack Hammond Group, an inventive fusion band. On the double LP A Fatal Beauty, the album opens with a fantastic sequence of tracks, lead by guitarist Hammond, which is ultimately based in progressive rock, including a side long epic as found on Side 2 (of 4). Side 3 finds the group experimenting with many disparate styles (classical, blues, and funk primarily). Then they close strong on the final cut with the addition of horns. A solid album throughout, and a great find for US private press seekers. The cover is also quite suitably creepy.

Personal collection
LP: 1982 Fatal Beauty Records

Double LP set. Never reissued in any form.

Last listen: 2012

The Group - s/t. 1978 Finland

When a band decides to come up with a moniker, it makes a statement about who you are. And in this case, this collective of veterans called themselves The Group. When you go forward with a name like that, you're telling the world that you are - in fact - The Group. Perhaps in Finland, at least coming from the jazz world in the 1970s, not such a preposterous notion. For the rest of the world - huh? And in today's modern search engine heavy world, one can only regret having had a name like The Group. Or perhaps grateful that you can hide longer than others... While all the players were quite experienced by 1978, the 2 big names here are Olli Ahvenlahti and Pekka Pohjola. The former was more known in jazz circles, and Pohjola was probably the foremost name worldwide from Finland. All they needed was Jukka Tolonen at this point.

So with all this pomp and circumstance, including a cover of no less than the Great Pyramid, what bold musical proclamation does The Group make? A jazz fusion album. Imagine that? In 1978 no less? Wow. I mean who did that? Let me rephrase minus sarcasm. Who did not do that in 1978? I know, you're still thinking...

All of this to say, had the band been called Aavenpohtylathi Temppeli (it's got to be a word. I think any combination of letters work in Finnish right?), the music is all one would focus on - but a cool name helps. And the music here can best be described as classy and professional. The compositions are well thought out, highly melodic, and are not just skeletons for jams and solos. And since it's a straightforward guitar, keyboards, bass, and drums lineup, there's no annoying soprano sax or other irritants popping up from the speakers behind the plastic palm trees in the local strip mall sauna. In this respect, the album is reminiscent of Pohjola's own late 70s work, plus perhaps some of the music you've heard on those Jazz Liisa series of albums. This isn't the album to buy if looking for sick chops or a dynamic change in how one views jazz fusion. But if looking for another quality album in this space, The Group won't disappoint.

Personal collection
LP: 1978 Dig It

The original comes in a fine gatefold cover with detailed liner notes - in English actually. Which sort of indicates they'd hoped bigger things for the local boys. But one and done it was for the band known simply as... The Group.