Dschinn Fizz - There is a Playne Difference. 1981 Germany

When I was first introduced to Dschinn Fizz years ago, I was informed that they were a killer progressive psychedelic band (those terms again...) not to be missed. Huh? Of course when one has a mindset going in, and that expectation isn't met, it's rare the album will resonate in a positive way. And it didn't, though I do recall thinking it was pretty good for some other reason, but couldn't recollect why. As I often do, I revisit albums no matter what. This time I went in without a preconceived notion of what the music is supposed to sound like. I was hooked on the first notes! 

So what is a Dschinn Fizz anyway? Dschinn (the band) is one of those infamous rare Krautrock-but-not-really bands from the early 70s with a cool cover of a Dali painting. To me it was always something of a disappointing hard rock album (I revisited this title as well and now conclude it's a good hard rock album). This band has no relation to that one, but curious of such a strange name. Google Translate informs us that Dschinn means Genie, and that Fizz means... Fizz. Genie Fizz. (shrug). Well then, that clears it up for me...

Back to the music. What becomes apparent rather quickly is that Dschinn Fizz are great songwriters. It has those hooks that should have made them stars. But a small label pressing in Germany is not likely to have gotten them noticed where they needed to be most: North America. Because Dschinn Fizz have the sound of Saga, Kansas, Rush, and yes, even fellow countrymen the Scorpions. There are no keyboards or violin here however, so the dual guitars carry the melody and solo lines. And the timing of 1981 was still good, as Saga for example were peaking at this stage. So that gives you an idea of the genre here. But Dschinn Fizz are not plagiarists, and one is immediately immersed with the fantastic opener 'Long Road'. 'Escaped' finds the band perhaps trying too hard for a radio hit, but the mid section instrumental is fantastic. It cannot be stressed enough how melodic these guys are. And the English vocals are strong with little to no accent, usually the Achilles Heel of German bands at the time. 'Don't Look Back' is the low point of the album, but again saved by a strong middle. Then the album really takes off. 'Spanish Fly' is a Rush-like instrumental very much in tune with their Hemispheres through Moving Pictures stage. All of Side 2 is fantastic, and here Dschinn Fizz bring forth a stronger progressive rock element. And some killer hard rock riffing on 'Old Man'. 'Chasing a Dream' would have been just that in 1981: A dream. So they close on a high, always a hallmark of a great album.

If you come here looking for the next progressive rock classic, you won't be impressed. But if looking for that peculiar breed of North American "proggy AOR", then this album moves to the top of class.

Ownership: LP: 1981 Aircraft. Single sleeve. Recent online acquisition (2018).

No reissues exist (as of 8/4/24), though as mentioned, new LPs of originals can still be had for a reasonable price.

10/5/10 (first listen); 11/30/18 (review/new entry)

KKB - s/t. 1974 USA (archival)

Bruce Kulick is one of those guitar players you've heard of, but can't quite remember why. He's most known for his long stint in post-makeup Kiss during the 80s and early 90s. Today you're likely to see him in a reality show, helping Kiss out somewhere, or doing the nostalgic circuit with none other than Grand Funk Railroad. Yea, he's that guy.

But before all of that, when still in his early 20's, he formed an unnamed band in 1974 (KKB was a later appellation) in his resident Queens area, with a couple of neighborhood acquaintances. They had set out to be a cross between "Cream and Yes". Well they failed on both fronts, and the latter will never enter your mind. With that out of the way, what you do get is a tightly woven hard rock album, with decent songwriting. The rhythm section is fantastic here, and Kulick lights it up with some fuzz and wah-wah. And the production is excellent for something like this. If there's a downside, it's there's not that much material here. 'Someday' is kind of throwaway, and 'You Won't Be There' is represented twice, the latter with more jamming. So you're really looking at about 26 minutes of quality music, which is a solid EP length. On the whole, an excellent archival release.

Personal collection
LP: 2015 Shadoks (Germany)

This was originally released as a private CD in 2008 (under the title 1974), and flew completely under everyone's radar. Shadoks got wind of it, and released it on vinyl in their usual deluxe style. The LP is a thick single sleeve cover, with an insert filled with liner notes. And as an all-time first (for Shadoks) - it's cheaper than the CD!

Scram - s/t. 1980 USA

Scram were a band from Springfield, Ohio that represented the second incarnation of Lodestar, a fine group who had put out one solid hard rock album in 1977. Leaving behind Lodestar's fraternal rhythm section - and later one of the lead guitarists - Scram were very much of their era in terms of hard rock with commercial ambition. They clearly weren't tuned into the metal underground as this was music to get a record deal and regular steady gigs at various regional clubs. Mostly held back by the tendency to fall into the AOR tropes of the day, they still had a few good hard rockers in 'Street Rat Shuffle', 'Patchwork Blue', and the opening title track. They don't really let loose until the last 2 minutes of 'Mirror Minds', by which time most have tuned out. Worth hearing for genre fans though.

No reissues exist.

2018 Journal #7: Michel Madore, Bayete, Cesar Ascarrunz, AnVision

Michel Madore - La Chambre Nuptiale. 1978 Canada

Instrumental electronic album. A bit static on the whole. Never been reissued.

Bayete - Worlds Around the Sun. 1972 USA

Bayete, Todd Cochran by any other name, is a highly praised jazz release, but I don't hear anything overly special myself. It's... jazz. Good but nothing more.

Cesar Ascarrunz - Cesar 830. 1975 Bolivia

Has a couple of great songs, along the lines of Santana ('See Saw Affair' and 'Gotta Get Away'), but mostly this is fairly typical of the region. I had such high hopes for this title originally.

Anvision - Astralphase. 2012 Poland

Despite purporting the album to be more progressive rock oriented, along the lines of Eloy, this album proved to be somewhat generic prog metal. It's good though.

2018 Journal #3: Egberto Gismonti, Larry Young, Anders Johansson / Jens Johansson / Allan Holdsworth, Tauk

Egberto Gismonti - Corações Futuristas. 1976 Brazil

Fine world fusion effort. Need more time with it.

Personal collection - CD: 2012 Bomba (Japan)

Larry Young - Contrasts. 1967 USA

A good organ jazz effort from Young, but a long way from his underground 70s jazz rock albums/work.

Personal collection: CD: 2014 Blue Note (Japan)

Anders Johansson / Jens Johansson / Allan Holdsworth - Heavy Machinery. 1996 Sweden / England

Typical mid 90s heavy fusion. All chops and no songs. It's good but not essential for my tastes.

Tauk - Sir Nebula. 2016 USA

I thought this was simply fantastic. I've read this band labeled as a "jam band", but I hear so much more than that. Nice mix of melodic jazz fusion and heavy jams. Need to get more notes down.

Personal collection - CD: 2016 private

Cruciferius - A Nice Way of Life. 1970 France

Like a lot of people, I was drawn to this title due to the Magma connection, in particular one Bernard Paganotti. I had a chance to hear this album in the late 80s, and it didn't sound anything like Magma. Therefore it isn't any good! What? Ah, the impetuousness of youth! Recently I had the opportunity to hear the album in full for the first time objectively. And what you find is a band with similar influences to Magma at this time. A mix of jazz, pop, and psych exploring the boundaries of rock during this era. It's not a common sound for France, though one can find similarities in groups such as Alice, Eden Rose, Frantz, Iris,and yes, even Magma's sprawling 2LP double set. And their side group Univeria Zekt. So while not a jaw dropper, it's a fine historical piece well worth a CD reissue, especially if some relevant bonus tracks can be found.

Man Made - s/t. 1971 Canada

I first ran into this title by way of Marquee magazine's (Japan) expose on rare Canadian progressive rock way back in 1990 or so (I still have the issue). My friend from Tokyo translated the review, and quite frankly it didn't sound all that great. For years I'd see the name pop up, but usually without much fanfare or recommendation. All the same, I was most curious about the side long track that opens the album.

And that side long namesake track is definitely the highlight. The first half is slow blues coupled with atmospheric space rock. The Hammond organ in particular is quite good. About halfway, there's a really cool jazz rock break, and this is followed by some fine flute work. Odd in that no flute is credited anywhere. There are "horns", but I've never heard anyone call a flute a horn. If the whole album were like this, no doubt its reputation would be stellar. Side 2 is very disappointing, and is typical 1970 era North American styled straight rock with blues, gospel, country, and boogie undertones. 'Keep on Moving' is energetic at least, with a semi interesting compositional model, but otherwise the remainder is a complete snoozer.

Despite the music, kudos goes to the artwork - most certainly as representative of the traditional male mindset as one will ever find.

Quasar Light - Experience This. 1981 USA-Pennsylvania

Quasar Light were from Red Lion, Pennsylvania, which sits in the southeast part of the state, in and around Amish country. This isolation in the middle of farm country may explain a few things, as these guys were tapped into something that has yet to be followed up with anywhere else.

One of the absolute funniest reviews I've ever read concisely stated the following: WTF is.... this?  That got a belly laugh out of me. How many times have I felt exactly like that? Who knows, but no album I've heard qualifies that expression more than Quasar Light.

WTF is this indeed. I don't even know where to begin. Umm... yea, it's exactly like... OK wait. You can compare them to... No...  but.... yea, that.

The first four songs on the album sound like some kind of alien pop with nimble hard rock guitar picking and disembodied female vocals. There is no mistaking its 1980's heritage here. 'Don't Ever Leave Me' seems to be heading down a somewhat normal path, to the point of discouragement. Starting with 'Secret of  the Stars', Quasar Light begins to go completely off the rails. This sounds like a off-kilter version of this list. Then Side 2 all bets are off. They were in their own world. Not that it's avant noise or anything so overt as that. No, they're still going strong with actual composed songs. But they're strange, twisted, distorted, and downright complex at times. It's progressive rock from the 6th dimension. There is absolutely no reference here. Based on their location, one begins to wonder if they're Amish on a Rumspringa binge. The only reference I could find on this album was a stream of consciousness rant from the Quasar Light founder. Yea, a surprise that. Underground America at its weirdest right here. A must.

Ownership: LP: 1981 Jet Eye Records. Single sleeve

Not reissued as of 11/28/24.

7/20/11 (first listen / review); 11/23/18 (update new entry)

Spell - Time Waves. 1979 USA

Spell is the duo of synthesist's Jack Tamul and Joe Deihl, both based in Jacksonville, Florida. They do a fine job at emulating the Berlin School style of electronics, especially within the cosmic atmosphere category, perhaps a bit like fellow Americans: Earthstar. Though there is little in the way of sequencing... unfortunately. Quite a bit of acoustic piano adds a warm touch, though it pushes the contents towards the New Age scene at times.

Continuum - End of Line. 1984 USA

Continuum is a heavy fusion band from Chicago featuring John Redfield on keyboards, Robert Baglione on guitar, and Robert Allen on bass with various drummers/percussionists, most prominently Randy Harrah. The albums starts off a bit disconcerting on the title track with slap bass, disco beats, and cheesy synthesizers. But Baglione gets the psychedelic tinged guitar going thus adding a much needed edge to the proceedings. The jazz sequences featuring piano also light it up. Has some of the most insane guitar runs I've ever heard - imagine somewhere between late 70s Al Di Meola (technique) and early 70s John McLaughlin (tone/style). You're going to want to get your air guitar out for this one! There's way more meat on its bones than most 1980s era fusion albums. Not quite as angular as the Inserts' Out of the Box for example, but we're talking that kind of aggressiveness. A very welcome development and a window to what the 1980s could have been.

Personal collection
LP: 1984 Schmizz

There does exist a homemade CD-R taken from vinyl, mastered, and burned from a computer (completely legit). I confirmed this with Robert Baglione myself (and who I bought this LP from). Here's hoping for a more proper CD reissue though!

Last listen: June 6, 2015

The Mesmerizing Eye - Psychedelia - A Musical Light Show. 1967 USA

The Mesmerizing Eye's sole album is a short affair made up of 23 minutes of psychedelic incidental music. It appears the entire album consists only of the "weird" parts from Friendsound, Fifty Foot Hose, Silver Apples, etc... I'm sure you can gather this is an exploitation album. One that was likely sold at the cash register of K-Mart's back in the 1960s - a good starter album for the middle-class, bored white couple set, about to embark on their first neighborhood swinger party...

La Confrerie des Fous. 1978 France

La Confrerie des Fous' sole album is a fine example of the kind of electric progressive folk typically found on the high quality Ballon Noir label (especially Ripaille, Emmanuelle Parrenin (who is also a member here)). A very interesting album that really gains steam on Side 2. It can be still a bit too much silly fous/fou here, but when they get down to the music, it's quite good.

Ownership: LP: 1978 Ballon Noir.

January 2020: Sold LP

No reissues exists as of 6/19/24

8/5/10; 11/23/18 (new entry)

Node. 1995 England

Before AirSculpture, Radio Massacre International, Under The Dome, and Redshift, there was Node - the group primarily given credit for kicking off the entire retro-Tangerine Dream movement in the UK. As with most pioneers, I don’t think they were as cognizant of recreating a style as they were compiling a vast array of influences and then proceeding to move them forward in an exciting way. As such, this isn’t nearly the dead-on Rubycon meets Timewind sound the others have striven so hard to emulate. A full four member group with Modular Moog, Ring Modulated trumpet, "The Putney", and "Interactive Phase Synthesizer", Node engage in all sorts of random possibilities that the style affords. Radical, groundbreaking, richly produced, rhythmically interesting, and brilliant.

Ownership: CD: 1995 Deviant

11/19/18 (new entry)

Cannabis India - SWF Session 1973. Germany

When you come from Germany, and you moniker your band Cannabis India, one expects a Kosmische Krautrock freakout along the lines of Yatha Sidhra or Cosmic Circus Music. Nope. The misnamed Cannabis India is an archival release of a German keyboard trio who play in the classical progressive rock space. Somewhere between Trikolon, Sixty-Nine, and first album ELP is where you'll spot their sound. Not highly original, but quite spirited, so worth a few listens. The real revelation here are the two tracks from the followup group Universe. At this point, they propel their ELP worship into a new found love for Yes, especially considering the Squire-ish bass work. Here the band strangely sound entirely American - miles from the typical Germanic Pink Floyd styled symph rock that dominated the middle 70s. One hopes more recordings emerge from this era of Universe, as that would be an auto buy for certain.

Kanguru - s/t. 1981 Germany

Kanguru is a band formed from the ashes of other German jazz fusion bands of the time, including the group To Be. The latter offering a guidepost to the sound you can expect from Kanguru, especially considering the late 70s Santana influence. There are some excellent guitar fronted instrumentals here, most notably 'Titti Fritti' and 'Ein schönes Haus im Grünen'. 'Atlantique' sounds lifted right off of Santana's Amigos album. The album starts strong, but the latter half of side 1 is silly and somewhat tedious. Overall a varied album with a few nuggets, but perhaps not enough to sustain interest over time.

LP: 1981 Pingo

The original LP appears to be easier to find now than even when I sold it many years ago. There's also a CD on Spalax (France) if interested.

Elmira - Lady of the Mountain. 1973-1976 Denmark

Elmira's sole release is the archival Lady of the Mountain and is "recorded live at rehearsals between 1973 and 1976". Similar to the Polyfeen on the same label, it's basically a bootleg audio quality album, but musically interesting all the same. Long tracks with plenty of space given to Hammond organ and guitar solos. Downer vocals remind me of Procol Harum. Certainly not in vogue with the era, and sounds every bit like music one would hear in 1970. Worth a couple of listens, but not essential.

Only an LP issue exists (2001 Orpheus)

Robin - Don't Give Up the Ship. 1977 USA-Texas

Here's Runge's second, and better album. Though his name is Robin Runge, the male/female duo on this album is known as Robin. The album was recorded and released in 1977 on the DIY Century. The album overall is primarily an acoustic, but sophisticated folk rock work, with plenty of synthesizer to add color. The guitar playing is clearly inspired by Steve Howe and the vocals have a pleasant lilt like Jon Anderson. Could have been a song based Yes album from the same time period (1977-78), with overt Christian, rather than Eastern religious / mystic based lyrics. A good progressive folk album from an unlikely source.

Former ownership: LP: 1977 Century

No reissues exist as I update this post (1/6/25)

1/19/12 (first listen / new entry); 11/16/18 (update / new entry)

Uludag - Mau Mau. 1988 Germany

Uludag's sole album consists of 2 side long tracks that crosses various Asian styled music with that of avant prog. The album is entirely instrumental and unlike anything else I've heard. One can tell quite a bit of thought went into this, and the music is intricately composed. Groundbreaking on the whole, though not necessarily that enjoyable, once the novelty of the sound wears off.

LP: 1988 Review

As of my last revisit, the album remains without a reissue of any kind.

Junipher Greene - Friendship. 1971 Norway

Junipher Greene asks of the listener: "Try to understand, we think you can". This is how Friendship blasts out of the gates, and it doesn't stop that momentum to the last note some one hour plus later. With lethal fuzz guitar, stuttering flute, impassioned vocals, and a hyper rhythm section, Friendship is one of the gems of the Continental European progressive rock scene of the early 70s. Isolated in faraway Norway - especially for the era - it's an extraordinary 2 LP release, and is arguably the Nordic country's first progressive rock album. And quite possibly the very best too until modern times.

You'll often read that due to the length of the album, there are weak tracks or filler throughout. I just cannot agree, and do not hear what those tracks might be. Well, OK, 'Attila's Belly-Dance' is a bit silly, but at 39 seconds I think we can survive that. The worst song here, in my estimation, is 'Witches' Daughter', and after a molten guitar lead mid section, it just merely falls to excellent verse sublime. The stretch from 'Music for Our Children' through 'Magical Garden' is absolutely divine, each one diverse, but still energetic and highly melodic. Then comes the album's one-two punch. 'Maurice' is at the very top of what I call "flute groovers". The listener is mesmerized as one great melody after another is introduced while maintaining a head bobbing and ever changing rhythm. A masterpiece, only to be followed (after silly bit as mentioned above) by the brilliant 'Prelude: Take the Road Across the Bridge', with its killer Hammond/guitar combo. Interesting to note that Freddy Dahl covered this track later with his next vehicle Saluki, a decidedly more jazz and funk oriented band, and yet it remains a 5 star classic there as well. All this leads to the multi-part "side 4" title suite, which recalls the run of tracks starting with 'Music for Our Children'. In conclusion, Friendship is one of the all-time greats and is not to be missed.

Ownership: LP: 1971 Sonet. 2xLP gatefold. Online acquisition (2022) from a dealer in Norway. 

CD: 1989 Sonet. Standard jewel case release and was my first exposure to the album (1995). 

1995; 3/7/10; 11/9/18 (new entry)

Julian's Treatment - A Time Before This. 1970 England

Julian Jay Savarin is something of an enlightened individual. He is a writer and a musician, and was very much a member of the London avant garde of the late 60s, even though he was only a teenager at the time. Mostly known for his science fiction novels, he decided to cobble a group of fellow minded individuals to put words to music. Taking in the music of the day, and given his predilection for creativity, it comes as no surprise Savarin embraced the oncoming progressive rock movement. In addition to his Hammond organ, the band featured the usual guitar, bass, and drums backup. The two key sound elements that distinguish his new band were the addition of flute (the sole reason he chose Del Watkins as his guitarist was because he could double up on flute), and most importantly the vocals of Australian Cathy Pruden. Apparently, along with her distinctive voice, she was just as striking looking (there are scant pictures of her, but what one can find she does add a couple of degrees to the room), and was considered the perfect front person for the band. And she was quite "active" on the stage as well. According to those who saw them live, the concert left many a male in a cold sweat afterward.

I consider A Time Before This one of the cornerstone albums of my Post psychedelic, proto progressive with female vocals list. What does that mean really? Basically their sound borrows from the late 60s psychedelic movement of Jefferson Airplane et al, and takes the idea a few steps further in the creativity department. Every track here is excellent, but highlights include 'The Black Tower', 'The Terran', and the lengthy closing title track. Essential listening.

Much is made of the difference between the UK and US releases, given the former is a double LP. I don't agree that it's that jarring. The UK version is 52 minutes, which is quite short for a double. The American release is 42 minutes. Where did the 10 minutes ago? Trimming, shaving, and editing. I think they did a masterful job at capturing the essence of the recording, and I was hard pressed to notice the difference on a back to back listen of both versions. Of course, I highly suggest one hears it as originally presented first, which is easy to do today given the numerous CD and LP reissues. But don't toss your Decca LP out either, if already in possession.

Personal collection
LP: 1970 Decca (USA)
CD: 1990 See For Miles

One of the very rare cases where the US cover (scan 2) supersedes the original (scan 1) in terms of artwork. The album also comes in a nice uni-pak designed cover. UK originals are a fortune. But as noted in the review section, it's easy to obtain now via reissue. The first CD to market was the See For Miles version (scan 3), and I snapped it up immediately, and I was already in possession of the Decca LP (which I scored in the late 1980s). In addition to A Time Before This - in its entirety - you also get most of Julian Jay Savarin's followup album Waiters on the Dance, excepting one lengthy track (which is fantastic, so you'll want to obtain this album on its own eventually).

Mario Millo - Epic III. 1979 Australia

Mario Millo's first true solo album, Epic III, is largely a continuation of where he'd left off with his previous endeavors, namely Sebastian Hardie and Windchase. Like with most solo albums of the 70s and 80s, Millo goes boldly forth with a selection of assorted styles and genres, to explore various aspects of his muse.

Depending on the format in which you first hear this album, you probably will come away with a different impression. In my estimation, listening to it in the order as presented on the original LP is preferable. The Musea CD however "front loads" what would appear to be the ear grabbing prog epic as it were, that of the title track. It's either that, or they were trying to mask the album's true opener 'Life in Our Hands'. For anyone who enjoyed Sebastian Hardie or Windchase, 'Life in Our Hands' is not an egregious opener, but rather one direction Millo has always pursued. As I wrote in my Four Moments notes, Millo is a true romantic at heart, so it comes as no surprise to hear an AOR styled number opening the album. But this is Millo after all, and so it's definitely "proggy AOR". Had this been heard by record executives in America in 1979 - and most assuredly it was not - then I could see it obtaining well earned radio play at the time. 'Mary's Theme' is yet another Millo avenue - that of jazz fusion. It's a fine instrumental, calling out his Camel influence, but I also hear Nova in this track (minus the sax). 'Quest Theme' is a different pursuit, more classically influenced with acoustic guitar and flute, but not folky at all, and is a style one might hear in late 70s Spain for example. 'Harlequin and Columbine', however, is best skipped over. Sounding like a Broadway play interlude, it's the kind of music one would hear in the dead-zone mid hour of a 70s variety show like the Carol Burnett Show. Cornball and a waste of time really. 'Castaway' gets things back on the rails, and is yet another departure for Millo. This is the only true solo track, yet Millo plays many instruments including drums. To my ears it sounds like what the French were doing in this era - a type of funky jazz electronic prog - something akin to Georges Grunblatt or Patrick Vian perhaps. 'Sogno d'Amore' brings back the lineup of 'Mary's Theme' and is similarly very good.

That gets us to the album's closer (or opener haha), the lengthy title track. To me, it's as if Millo consolidated all the ideas of the above tracks into a multi-part suite. This is why I feel it's more effective as a closer. That is to say it works best as a summary rather than as a table of contents.

The CD includes an additional track 'Rebecca' (sister of Rosanna per chance? See Four Moments...), and is yet another fine song in the Windchase tradition. Overall... an excellent album.

Ownership: LP: 1979 Polydor. Gatefold. Online acquisition (2014). This replaced the Musea CD which was my fist copy (2000).

2000; 11/9/18 (new entry)

Pizzicato Five - Playboy & Playgirl. 1999 Japan

1999 was our very own Fin de siècle. It was a time of irrational optimism, buoyed by disposable incomes, crazy hopes, utopian dreams, and... lots of parties - celebrating... something. Anything.

Playboy and Playgirl is the soundtrack to that place and time. It's a mashup of the Y2K/Dot Com software craze; The ever intriguing Japanese fascination with Western culture; And the recognition of a one Burt Bacharach, arguably the most sophisticated pop songwriter of our time.

And perhaps the icing on the cake - and believe me Pizzicato Five can only be described as icing - the whole album is sung in Japanese. What? Except the title track where our key female protagonist dogmatically states over and over PRAYBROY PRAYGRR - do dadoodoo do - PRAYBROY PRAYGRR.

It appears everyone takes away a different favorite from here. My two are 'La Règle du Jeu' and 'The Great Invitations'. But every track here is very good to excellent.

Pizzicato Five, on Playboy & Playgirl, was about immortalizing Swinging London and Carnaby Street. Images of Jean Shrimpton and Bond. James Bond. Shaken not stirred. And yet the album perfectly represents a time exactly 30 years later. Good memories.

Ownership: CD: 1999 Matador. The CD is housed in an excellent tri-fold digipak, with plenty of fun photos of our duo acting-out in a late 60s English way. Online acquisition (2004)

12//04; 11/9/18 (new entry)

The Seventh Seal - s/t. 1997 Japan

So it pretty much starts here for Makoto Kawabata, mastermind behind the Acid Mothers Temple franchise (though technically Kawabata was in Toho Sara and Musica Transonic prior to this). To be honest, I wish I was a big fan of his work, as he is involved with scores of albums - all in a style that I happen to love. Except he has no sense of restraint. Everything goes through the wringer so that there isn't one drop left for the imagination. Guitar feedback overload for 40 minutes makes one nauseous after while. It's like those bad SNL skits, where the first 30 seconds are funny and the next 5 minutes are painful. Good thing Kawabata didn't jam with Terry Brooks in the mid 70s. Ay-chee-wah-wah. Of course, it would be a false statement for me to say I've heard all of the  albums he's been involved with. Only a small fraction truthfully, and there are a couple of albums by AMT that are pretty decent. And as a guest musician, his hit rate is even better (most recently with the French group Aquaserge). Essentially he's a good guitarist when parameters are set.

All of this to say that his stint here with Seventh Seal was most promising indeed. His chance encounter with Gary Ramon (Sun Dial, Quad, owner of Acme Records) must have proven to be highly enlightening for Kawabata (in both sound and label activity). The side long opening 'Spiritual Springs' Slavering with Circling' does in fact sound somewhat like Quad, with wordless female vocals, which also recalls Floating Flower (yet another one of Kawabata's early era groups). The guitar soloing does get a bit excessive though. Side two features a fetching psychedelic ethnic Japanese track before launching into the closer, our first indication that Kawabata didn't have much use for an editor. Still, an overall delightful psychedelic effort.

Personal collection
LP: 1997 Acme (UK)

Dull Knife - Electric Indian. 1971 Germany

'Plastic People' is a monster track of heavy organ driven Krautrock. Sadly, it's not representative of the album as a whole. Much of the album is a mix of gospel and blues, with painfully depressing vocals, and one imagines a 70 year old lady with a bun playing the church organ through some of these snoozers. 'Tumberlin' Down' and 'Day of Wrath' hearkens back to the killer opener, offering up just enough to make it worth an attentive listen every few years.

The original Philips LP has some strange dynamics - where it gets louder and softer over large swaths of time. Weird. This was not noticeable on the Second Battle CD that I once owned.

CD: 1994 Second Battle

Lumerians - Call of the Void. 2018 USA-California

I concluded the review of the Lumerians last album The High Frontier with "While none of the songs are what one would call deep, the overall portrait remains excellent". And really, Call of the Void isn't that much different, even though 5 years have passed. They maintain their patented early 70s Motorik meets late 60s psychedelic style, while clearly being a product of the 2010s. As with any Lumerians album, it would be easy to state this is nothing more than superficial hipster music, and is more icing than cake. But there's some actual songwriting going on here, and Call of the Void finishes stronger than it starts, especially on the superb 'Ghost Notes', a direction I'd like to see them pursue further. Overall the album is much more than background music, though if they did decide to add more twists and turns, the results would likely be mind blowing.

I had to laugh at the opening track. That's a West Texas phrase right there. As I've mentioned in a few places, I spent my college years in Lubbock. Now Texas Tech was one of those universities Playboy would hang out at looking for beauties, as the region is well known - and deservedly so - for having an abundance of gorgeous ladies. Many from the farms and ranches nearby. So way back in 1984 or so, we were at the dorm cafeteria, enjoying the company of one such beautiful lass. Being the dorks I'm sure we were, we all had to say something (likely very stupid) to try to gain her attention. At some point we crossed the threshold (of course we did - morons). So this tall, beautiful, and classy blonde stands up, and elegantly looks at us and states very politely "Fuck All Y'All'. Boom.

Ownership: CD: 2018 Fuzz Club

11/4/18 (new entry)

Le Orme - Uomo di Pezza. 1972 Italy

Uomo di Pezza, Le Orme's fourth album and second progressive rock era release, opens appropriately enough with an organ prelude quickly joined by a complex and heavy rhythm section. Silence begets a piano melody and then Aldo Tagliapetra's beautiful voice enters. The model found on Collage has been rediscovered and exploited.

So with that, Uomo di Pezza is ostensibly going to be a more sophisticated affair. As well, concerning instrumentation, Le Orme becomes more diverse. Here they add more acoustic guitar to the mix and the organ isn't as prominent as the newly acquired Mini-Moog. Gone are the jams and the reckless abandon found on Collage, to be replaced by more angular and thought-out creative music. 'La Porta Chiusa' is the perfect example of the new and improved Le Orme. A thundering bass and drum layer is offset by a Moog dial turn (as in turning the radio from soft to loud). Aldo then begins to sing softly, but somewhat eerily, only to find counterpoint with a thunderous organ, Moog, bass, and drum maelstrom. For pure songwriting, 'Figure di Cartone' and 'Aspettando L'Alba' are brilliant examples of melancholic beauty, especially the latter (which would've been the perfect soundtrack to an arty Italian film). Aldo's emotional voice is perfect for this kind of style and unfortunately they were unable to capture this magic on their later, more commercial, efforts. The album closes with the raucous instrumental 'Alienazione', perhaps the only acknowledgement of their previous history with heavy psych rock, via their opus Collage.

What separates Uomo di Pezza from the other albums in their canon is the perfect balance between the raw heaviness found on the predecessor - with the more uppity aspirations of pretension to be heard on their next opus. A true classic and, for me, Le Orme's finest work.

Ownership: LP: 1972 Philips ("A" copy). Gatefold. Orange peel textured cover. From a record store in Oakland, CA (1996).

CD: 2001 Philips (Japan). Papersleeve edition that mimics the orange peel cover to the finest detail.

The first copy I ever owned was the single sleeve reissue I found at a record store in Tulsa, OK a year after release (1988).

1988 (first listen); 1996; 3/11/01 (review); 11/4/18 (update/new entry); 12/18/22