Red. 1983 England

Red's sole album was released among all the other New Wave of British Progressive Rock albums, what would later be called Neo Prog. But Red were nothing like IQ, Twelfth Night, Marillion, Haze, LaHost, etc... nor were they like mid period King Crimson as their name might indicate. Nope, this is a very strong instrumental fusion oriented album, with some early 80s keyboard sounds. What separates this album from the pack is the ferocious guitar playing, and the outstanding melodies. Another trademark is the constantly moving compositions. It's remarkable just how progressive this album is, even though it sits just as comfortably within the jazz fusion genre. A real gem, one that still remains quite unknown.

Ownership: LP: 1983 Jigsaw. Single sleeve. I bought this on LP in London one year after it was released (still has the Virgin Records price sticker!), and it's one of my all-time favorites. It's something of a crime not to be reissued at this point. The artwork almost implies something of an industrial album. Still hasn't been reissued in any format.

8//84; 8/11/09 (CDRWL); 9/15/19 (new entry)

Himmelexpressen - Latinamerikansk Olie. 1976 Denmark

About a decade ago or so, I'd never even heard of the Hookfarm label. Over time, multiple obscure titles began to pop up on my radar. Himmelexpressen was one of those new names for me. By viewing the title of Latinamerikansk Olie, one can probably surmise this to be a Latin jazz rock album. That pretty much sums it up, though there is some really fiery electric guitar solos throughout - way more than is the norm. Also unusual is the steady use of harmonica, which doesn't fit, but it's surprisingly not as annoying as it may seem. Nice flute as well. The Latin and African rhythms along with the guitar style will recall Santana, though more for the cocktail set. A grower.

Hookfarm (the parent label) apparently reissued this on CD in 2016. At first I was skeptical that it was actually released (it was certainly announced), but I found at least one Danish store that had it for sale. That doesn't mean it really is though. Discogs has it listed with the correct new catalog number. But no one claimed ownership nor were photos provided.  I'll leave the CDRWL tag up for now until more data emerges.

St Erhart - Paprika. 1980 France

St Erhart, on their one released LP, play a punchy type of jazz fusion, that gets pretty free towards the end. The lead instruments here are saxophone and tuned percussion, with guest trumpet. Not a guitar or keyboard to be found. Despite that, the music still belongs to jazz fusion rather than pure jazz. A good album that will always struggle to find its audience.

Solaris - Misty Morning. 1977 Norway

Solaris play a mix of what is commonly known as West Coast psychedelic mixed with laid back AOR music - and a bit of country rock. A very obscure album, though not necessarily expensive. Misty Morning is something of a disappointment if you're looking for underground progressive oriented sounds. There are, however, a few enjoyable tracks here from a melodic standpoint, though it's more the domain of the American radio mindset. Makes one wonder why these Norwegians were so conservative when they had the opportunity to do whatever they wanted to. As an aside, Ole G Nilssen is one of the members of Solaris, and his solo album World of Dreams is about as rare as Misty Morning.

Vangelis - Mask. 1985 Greece

Similar to Mike Oldfield's Amarok considering sequence, Vangelis' Mask is an album out of nowhere. By this time, most of his music was wimpy New Age. But not Mask. Heavy sequencing, haunting choirs, pounding percussion, and moody textures define this advanced work. A great album that has stood the test of time. And a good one to play to those who think Vangelis is an artist to be ignored.

CD: 199? Polydor (USA)

Has an IFPI code so later than 1993 anyway. Still looks 90s with an explanation of what a CD is.

Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush - What's Next. 1980 Canada

Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush's 7th studio album is about as great as it can get when talking fast paced and bluesy hard rock guitar. 'You Got Livin'', 'Finish Line', 'Mona', and especially 'Something's Comin' Our Way' are jaw dropping in their execution and intensity, and represent the apex of Marino's original recordings. Not an entirely consistent album, though for hard blues fans, it's also difficult not to love 'Rock Me Baby' and 'Loved By You'. I'm not real fond of the Doors' cover 'Roadhouse Blues', primarily because it doesn't add anything new and lacks Marino's usual unique solo touch.

One of the all-time great hard rock albums - at times strikingly so.

Ownership: LP: 1980 Columbia (USA); CD: 2017 Rock Candy (UK). I bought the LP when it came out, at the tender age of 15 (long worn out and gone). I recently reacquired the LP at Wax Trax in Denver, just to own it. For whatever reason, Marino's best album on Columbia was also the one most ignored in the reissue market. It was served up only as a bootleg (gray area Discogs suggests) until recently. The Rock Candy reissue is superb, keeping with the label's great reputation. No bonus tracks but fantastic liner notes from long time Kerrang writer Malcom Dome. Some photos and poster shots as well. The CD is the primary copy here.

10/4/20

Shampoo - Volume One. 1971 Belgium

Shampoo were a band from Belgium, who released this one album before dispersing. Though not as revered as many other bands from this classic era, they just happen to play in my personal favorite style. That is to say - jazzy psychedelic progressive rock. Shampoo are in the same genre as Hot Rats era Zappa, Moving Gelatine Plates, Xhol Caravan, and Mad Curry - the latter of which the band obtained the majority of its members from. Throughout, you'll hear plenty of sophisticated ensemble work, with energetic solos (love the electric sax work), and psychedelic dreamy vocals. Not all is a success (the opening straight-up psych track; the overlong drum solo on Side 2), but still worthy of your attention. Overall it's a product of a much missed period in music history.

LP: 1971 Motors (France). Day-glo pink gatefold cover. Online acquisition (2000)

There's some disagreement on the date of release. Here's what I wrote for Discogs: "Looking at our LP copy. There's a stamp inside the gatefold: 17 Nov. 1971. There's also a sticker on each label side: JB 17.11.71. Have to presume that was the receipt date for the original owner (we purchased this copy in 2000). 1971 is also a date used by many other sources going back before the internet (not all sources of course). These data points have lead to the change here. There is no date on the LP itself. We're not seeing any corroboration for the 1972 date on this entry, so moving to 1971 unless other concrete data -emerges." (1971 was later corroborated by another user).

Recently learned (6/5/24) that this album was reissued on CD by a legit label called HKM.

2000; 8/2/09; 9/14/19 (new entry)

Warfaring Strangers: Acid Nightmares

If you're into the heavy psych sound of the late 60s and early 70s, then this is another essential compilation. Most of these type of comps center solely on 45s and one particular country (usually the US). But in this case, it includes some European bands as well, and not everything is from a 45. The album cuts are relatively easy to secure in reissue format (Gift, Bulbous Creation), though the Goliath remains obscure. As for the others, it's revelatory. I bought this CD on the strength of The Purple Sun track (that we covered here on UMR prior), and the others are similar in style. Best I can tell, most of these tracks have never been reissued before, outside of bootlegs (if even that).

Fantastic booklet with a full history of each group, not just the usual anecdotes and collector's reflections.

CD: 2017 Numero Group

Mike Oldfield - Hergest Ridge. 1974 England

I was in college when the Compact Disc first hit the common marketplace. But of course, like personal computers back then, they were prohibitively expensive for us student paupers. One could only look at the "long boxes" and dream of a scratch free / tick free experience. Oh the irony of today when everyone wants those sounds. Just like many want their beer to be hazy, after centuries of learning how to better purify the beverage. We're a world gone mad.

Really without any other choice, I stayed with the vinyl album because it's all I could afford (even then I disliked cassettes - another medium back in vogue. Going crazy I tell ya...). So in 1984, all of 19 and really dirt poor, I dutifully purchased my dogeared used and scratched USA Virgin press of Hergest Ridge for a $1 at a local store. So yea, not only used records, but not necessarily great copies either. Hey the nicer ones were $4! I couldn't afford that. And so I'd take the vinyl home, plop it on my roommate's crappy stereo with a crappy stylus and played it endlessly. Happier than a clam.

Two years later I scored a summer internship at a major defense contractor. I was making gobs of cash (not really, but it seemed so at the time). So I did what any other 21 year old newly minted "hundredaire" would do: I bought me a nice stereo! With a CD player - wow I'm rich! And the first two CDs I purchased were Pink Floyd's Meddle and Tangerine Dream's Green Desert. Stories for another day. But damn, new CD's were expensive back then. But then there was the burgeoning used CD market (not cheap either but better)...

I bring this story to the Hergest Ridge review because this was the first used CD I ever bought to replace a beat LP, starting a trend that continued for years. And to no regret whatsoever. As mentioned above, it wasn't like we had 180 gram pristine vinyl copies like today. Oh hell no - we just had scratched up old used copies of commodities that probably found themselves in a trash can years later. And back then even the new albums were cheap 80s represses - again of the commodity variety. Any expensive import I would have kept on LP. And to my ears, did this CD ever sound SO MUCH better than my old vinyl!

As for the music, Hergest Ridge remains my favorite Oldfield effort (though Amarok - the album from out of nowhere - gives it a run). He managed to capture the English countryside sound similar to Anthony Phillips - but on a large scale with many marquee name participants. And Side 2 gets really intense about halfway through - Oldfield's inner anger comes out with pounding/continual synthesizers and raucous guitar rave-ups. If you think of Oldfield as some tranquil music for middle aged New Age fans, play this side of music and you'll have a different viewpoint. Excellent on the whole.

Ownership: CD: 1984 Virgin (UK). Yes, it's the exact same CD as above. No bar codes. Cheap booklet that goes on to explain what a Compact Disc even is - in English, French, and German. 

Steven Wilson could remix the album in my basement, and I'd still keep this version. Sure I'll buy his box set (hint), but I'll always treasure this CD.

1984; 2014; 5/27/21 (new entry)

Mr. Brown - Mellan Tre Ogon. 1977 Sweden

Mr. Brown, on their sole album, draw deep into the Pink Floyd well ala Wish You Were Here and Animals. Though from Sweden, Mr. Brown seemingly looks south toward the German bands of the day such as Jane, Eloy, Pancake, Fly, and Shaa Khan. The English vocals are too maudlin, but the native Swedish ones are quite nice (unfortunately too infrequent). The stylistic brush here is pretty broad and it gets thin by the end. A good album, but one to hear after you've digested hundreds of others in a similar vein.

Fleetwood Mac - Rumours. 1977 England

It was the beginning of 1977 that I first began to listen to FM radio intently. With my new all-in-one Sanyo stereo including tape deck, the idea that I could actually tape what was on the radio was mind blowing, and given my organizational nature (even back then), I would spend hours listening for the best songs to put on compilation tapes. I think that's why my parents bought it for me. No more Genius Hans to worry about! Here's dinner under the door....

If Rumours wasn't the album played most in 1977, it certainly was in the running for top spot. The music here was really too mature for what I was looking for back then. I was all of 12, and it seemed to be massively popular not with the kids I went to school with, but rather those 3 to 10 years older. By the time I got to high school in 1979, the music world was a-changin', and Rumours was just music for older people as far as I saw it. But that didn't stop the radio from playing the hits from this album over and over. And here we are some 42 years later, and the radio still plays these songs as if that's all we want to hear. Like they locked in their play list in 1978 and refused to budge. The heyday of FM radio I guess. Similar to Watergate and investigative journalism. They want that moment in time back.

I don't and never did...want that time back, that is. Had I heard this album all the way through before? Oh probably - may have even taped it in full (ooh, Mick Fleetwood would not have liked that, no sirree). I didn't rate it, because I can't honestly say I'd heard it in recent times (recent = last 20 years).

It seems I've heard this album anyway - just through pure inculcation. Thank you K*** 105 and W*** 98, etc... For the known tracks - the inescapable ones - I would say my opinion hasn't changed much since I was 12. Guess I haven't evolved much huh? Well I know that's not true, but maybe it is with MOR records. So for my DNA, 'The Chain' is still great, and 'Dreams' I can listen to without cringing. The rest - make it stop. As for the few unknown tracks, I did find myself enjoying the last 2. Not enough to keep the album mind you. I'm not going to say this is a bad album - that's crazy. The songs are well written, but they just don't resonate with me at all. Probably how my parents felt about Elvis.

The bottom line: I'm just not old enough to listen to this. Even now.

Have to say I'm tempted to keep this LP. Textured cover, no bar code, palm tree label, basically unplayed, with fold out insert. It's a beautiful piece. But naaaaaa.

Leo Jones Workshop - Fire Engine and Crossover. 1974 USA

Leo Jones Workshop is a great discovery for all of you who love the early 70s dirty deep funk jazz psych rock of Miles Davis.

The AC, who provided the music for us on the old CDRWL, had this to say: "Leo Jones is a trumpet player who studied under free jazz heavyweight Bill Dixon in the late 60s. In the early 70s, he received a grant from the city of New York to run a program called the "Lower East Side Community Music Workshop", formed to foster musical creativity in the city's youth, and ultimately leading to the creation of this unique artifact, recorded with a bunch of Jr. High school students in Manhattan. The album consists of two sprawling side-long tracks, seemingly stitched together from a couple of live jam sessions. The style presented here is firmly in the mold of early 70s Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi band, Eddie Henderson, and the like. A relentless groove is laid down, with Leo and the kids attempting to "run the voodoo down" on top of it, with electronically effected trumpet, electric guitar, electric piano, clavinet, etc."

Now that's some story! An accomplished trumpet player laying down the deep groove with a bunch of 7th and 8th graders! When you hear this, you will not have any idea most of this is performed by kids in their young teens. It would seem task master Mr. Jones ran a tight ship. What an amazing artifact!

More or less that's a straight copy of the review from back then. In hearing this album again recently, it holds up well under scrutiny. This one is still very unknown, but it's hard to imagine fans of the early 70s jazz rock sound not flipping for it.

Natdamperen. 1975 Denmark

Ugh. Natdamperen's sole work is quite the mess of an album. Some of it is horrific, and some of it is sublime. Perfect for an archival release, as long as I get to choose the tracks of course...

Let's start out positive: 'Cabana In' and 'Cabana Out' could have easily been on an Embryo album from this era, with its deep jazz funk groove and wah wah guitar providing the base for some loose jams.

Then there's the band's lengthy namesake track - straight from Furtive Pearl era Secret Oyster, with blistering bumble bee guitar, fuzzed out Rhodes piano, and especially the blotted sax layered on top of it all.

And now it's time for the.... bad. The album opens with the incredibly insipid 'Lille', which sounds like a cross between television advertising music and The Benny Hill Show. This obnoxious sound is carried further on the tracks 'På gaden' and 'Malstrømmen'. Technically these are Scandinavian folk tunes, but this is a long way from how Kebnekaise - as but one example - would have handled it. The word "corny" comes to mind often. 'Kniven' is a smooth jazz throwaway, whereas the closer sounds like a drunken requiem composed for a wake.

Mixed bag here, so proceed with caution. But there 17 minutes of high quality jazz rock music that just can't be ignored.

Gilles Legault - Chansons Secrètes. 1981 Canada

Nice introspective progressive oriented singer-songwriter album from Quebecois musician Gilles Legault, who did a turn with the communal Connivence. French vocals, acoustic guitar, oboe, cello, and flute are the instrumental colors for the musical painting on display. Occasional rock touches add a nice flair. Easy on the ears overall and a pleasant way to spend 35 minutes or so.

Vangelis - Sex Power. 1970 Greece

Sex Power is Vangelis' debut solo album, which is a pretty crude, but well done, soundtrack to a French soft core erotica flick. There's the usual ambient atmospheric keyboards, along with Martin Denny styled Exotica (bongos, voices), as well as sound field tape sounds. Decent enough for the era. Not sure why this hasn't been reissued (legit of course), given its historical value at the very least. Guess the artist wants nothing to do with it.

Abus Dangereux - Bis. 1982 France

Abus Dangereux's sophomore effort is a light and breezy fusion with xylophone and bass as the lead instruments of choice. If it weren't for the occasional intensity of the bass, then this would be entirely too lightweight to stand. Somewhere between Pierre Moerlin's Gong and "smooth jazz" ala Spyro Gyra or The Yellowjackets. As a friend states: "It's tepid as heck, in fact". YUP!

Nada - Song For a Happy Girl. 1979 Germany

Nada's sole album is primarily a jazz album, but with plenty of rock fusion elements. In particular the flute driven numbers, as well as an occasional guitar rave-up, will make you turn your head up. Otherwise it's a lot of jazz tone guitar and sax solos. Nothing wrong with that of course, but considering the multitude of bands from this time and place, Nada then comes across as average.

Group 1850 various 45s, singles / Mother No-Head. 1966-1975 Netherlands

Overview

I'm redoing this post with better formatting - and since more data has emerged considering the new Purple Sky box set.

First let's talk about the availability of these singles and how to obtain them, and then we'll follow these singles chronologically.

The first to market was Pseudonym's fantastic CD reissue of Agemo's Trip to Mother Earth (1997) - which contained no less than 13 bonus tracks. You even get the 3-D cover and glasses!

Second was the individual CD/LP release of the singles (plus demo varieties) known as Mother No-Head (2012).

Third, and the most inconspicuous, is a double CD release called The Golden Years Of Dutch Pop Music (A&B Sides And More) (2017). Not only does this CD contain all their released singles, but it also has reissues of Paradise Now (which already had multiple releases) as well as the very first legit CD reissue of Polyandri.

And now fourth - and the most complete Group 1850 package by far - is the 8 CD Purple Sky box set (2019). Included with all 5 of their albums (plus one Sjardin solo work), we also get 2 full discs of Group 1850 singles. It's a bit misleading though, as many are just mono/stereo variations of each. There are some deviations though, that we will cover below.

1966

Group (native Groep) 1850 were always ahead of their time by at least 2 years. Peter Sjardin is no doubt one of the creative geniuses of our era, a man with no commercial ambition whatsoever, but one who never lost his mojo until the end of the 70s. The fact 'Misty Night' came out in 1966 demonstrates the point at hand. This track could have easily fit on the Agemo's opus that was to arrive 2 years later, and it too is a pioneering effort. This is prog psych, before the former term existed and the latter term was just entering the lexicon in regards to music. 'Look Around' is a bit more typical for the era, in a punk garage sort of way. It's still very good for the style.

1967

I'm not quite sure why the psychedelic era had so much infatuation with the French nursery rhyme Frere Jacques*, but Mother No-Head is Group 1850's interpretation. Apparently the name is a bastardization of the Dutch "Vader Jacob" with some free association to English. OOKAAY then. Uncut drugs I presume. In any case, from what I understand this was Group 1850's most successful single. It definitely is a unique variation of the jingle and is quite good. 'Ever, Ever Green' is the most normal song Group 1850 ever did, and the only one I'd probably skip over in their entire ouevre.

* The German psych band Bokaj Retsiem dedicated their name (Meister Jakob spelled backwards) and their one album to the rhyme.

Another brilliant pair of tracks from these Dutch cosmic travelers, well on their way to blowing minds everywhere.

1968

The pinnacle of Group 1850's singles. 'Little Fly' is the same version as on Agemo's Trip to Mother Earth, and is brilliant. And 'We Love Life' is the perfect encapsulation of Group 1850's ability to consolidate many psychedelic ideas into 4 and a half minutes.

The second best of Group 1850's singles (after Little Fly/We Love Life), this captures the band at their peak (and probably peak experience if you know what I mean).

1969

While the band were quite active in 1969 - especially considering their best work Paradise Now was released then - there was no formal singles activity. However on the Purple Sky box, two lost recordings emerge, both single edits of tracks found on Paradise Now: 'Friday I'm Free' and 'Purple Sky (part 1)'.

1970

Group 1850 returned in 1970 with 'Don't Let It Be' and 'Sun is Coming', though ironically this would be the only recording to emerge from the band during the year. This would also be the only single left off the Agemo's Trip to Mother Earth CD reissue. And they are not to be missed either. Just two more great tracks (especially 'Don't Let it Be') from Group 1850!

1971

Based on the sheer level of activity, it appears that 1971 was to be a breakout year for Group 1850. But alas it never happened and they more or less broke up for 3 years afterward.

I think there can be no doubt Arthur Brown was on their mind when they did 'Fire'. It's not just the song title, but also the style. A surprising copycat move from a band who were always innovators. It's still a great track despite this. The highlight here though is 'Have You Ever Heard', which basically consolidated the '?!' track from Paradise Now into a song with lyrics. Of course it doesn't have the long trippy organ and guitar parts, but it's great to hear how they recycled some of the themes.

What would appear to be the only original tracks on Purple Sky, are really variations on the above. 'Falling Mountains' is yet another variation of '?!', though to be honest I'm open to hearing any number of variations of this most brilliant song. The other track here is 'Liar' which rhymes with - c'mon guess - right, 'Fire'. It's basically the same tune with different lyrics.

In addition to the above activity in 1971, Group 1850 also recorded '1000 Years Before' and 'Dream of the Future', neither of which were ever released in their day. These two songs - both excellent - first appeared as bonus tracks on the Agemo's reissue. They were also both left off the Golden Years CD.

1975

The only single from Group 1850 than can be ignored, if you already have these two tracks from earlier releases (1967/1971 respectively). This appears to be a cash-in job recycling their most known hit 'Mother No-Head', but this time sung in half-French, which is where this single was released (and as we learn from the Purple Sky box, it was recorded way back in 1967). 'Fire' is the exact same as the 1971 single. By 1975, Group 1850 were barely a cohesive entity anyway, though they recovered to release the excellent Polyandri and Live On Tour albums. After this, Sjardin basically imploded with inane attempts to stay relevant in the marketplace throughout the late 70s and early 80s. He ultimately became a recluse for some 30 odd years, and passed away in 2015 at the age of 68.

CD: 1997 Pseudonym (reissue of Agemo's Trip to Mother Earth)

CD: 2019 Pseudonym (as part of an 8 CD box set called Purple Sky)

9/1/19 (new entry)

Sincerely P.T. 1973 Germany

Sincerely P.T. is quite an interesting album. It starts out in typical Euro jazz territory, with some soft Rhodes piano and horns. But... as the best albums always do... the album gets freakier and freakier as it goes. There's plenty of wiggy fuzzed out keyboards and exotic stringed instruments to digest here. The P.T. stands for Peter Trunk (who plays bass) and he surrounds himself with an all-star cast of underground Kraut jazzers including Sigi Schwab on guitar (Vampyros Lesbos, Embryo), Jasper Van't Hof (Pork Pie) on keys, and Curt Cress on drums among many others. I'd say Schwab has the most influence here musically speaking (especially considering the various stringed instruments referred to above). Overall Sincerely P.T. finds the middle ground between horn rock, Krautrock, and European fusion. An excellent find, the type of album that one would normally hear on MPS for example.

Ownership: LP: 1973 Spiegelei. Gatefold. Online acquisition (2019)

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

2009; 9/1/19 (new entry)

Jan Dukes de Grey - Mice and Rats in the Loft. 1971 England

Truly one of the most innovative rock albums from an era when that was the norm rather than the exception. Comus’ First Utterance is the only band that remotely comes close and that’s because it’s from the same school of insane acid folk rock. A three piece of guitar (mainly acoustic until the final title track where it’s electric), flute and drums with some occasional trumpet, trombone, clarinet, sax and "Zelda Chord" (an organ sounding stringed instrument). Not to mention the madcap vocals… and the whole thing rocks like nobody’s business. Three very long tracks with more ideas in one song than most conjure up in a career. Pure genius.

Ownership: LP: 1971 Transatlantic. Gatefold. Acquired online (2015).

CD: 2005 Strange Days (Japan). Papersleeve edition.

Due to a poorly thought-out design, many originals have damage to the first track on one side or the other (or more). It's a gatefold cover, but with a hard plastic PVC sleeve and a foam edge to store the vinyl in. Over time, this foam will chemically react with the vinyl to create permanent damage to the grooves. And the PVC sleeve is no friend of vinyl either. I lucked out with my copy. The PVC sleeve had jarred loose causing the vinyl to move away from the foam. So the only damage I have is in the dead wax not the music (whew!). Of course now I have it stored in an audiophile sleeve. As such, I have a more valuable copy than usual.

My introduction to the album was via the crappy Poor House cd-r (2001). Hard to believe we actually paid good money for those back then!

2001; 3//05; 9/1/19 (new entry)

Tomorrow's Gift - Goodbye Future. 1973 Germany

Goodbye Future is Tomorrow's Gift's second album and completely different than the debut. Gone are the female vocals, heavy guitars, and general Krautrock proto prog 1971 mayhem, and in its place is a keyboard centered Canterbury styled album. Not too far from same period Supersister (think Pudding En Gisteren), especially considering the additional and obvious Frank Zappa influence. It's a very satisfying album on the whole, and yet it feels like it should have been just that much better.

Tomorrow's Gift later evolved into the fusion oriented Release Music Orchestra. They also participated in the long-past-its-shelf-life Krautrock psych band Dennis as well.

Ownership: LP: 1973 Spiegelei. Gatefold with die cut cover. Acquired from VVV in Dallas (1988).

Quite surprising that this album - and the entire Release Music Orchestra catalog - remain without a CD reissue. And that remains true as I update this post 6/4/24. 

1988; 9/1/19 (new entry)

Catharsis (Masq). 1971 France

Catharsis' debut is like an imaginary instrumental psychedelic soundtrack album, with wordless female vocals. 1969 Pink Floyd plays a huge role in their sound at this point in their career. It's mostly atmospheric, and doesn't offer much detail for the attentive listener. However, as background music while driving, it more than serves its purpose. 'Tunnel Extatique' is certainly the highlight of the four track set.

Ownership: CD: 1990 Griffe. Includes Les Chevrons. The title is a bit misleading because it indicates that you are also receiving the 3rd album - an EP called '32 Mars'. This is not the case. Rather you receive 3 singles, including the aforementioned 'Masq', in addition to the single edit version of 'Les Chevrons' and, of course, '32 Mars'.

The album was originally released without a title. Masq was appended on the 1975 reissue based on the single release being a minor hit. My first copy was the LP but I decided to move it out.

9/1/19 (new entry)

Vita Nova. 1971 Germany

Vita Nova were an international trio based in Munich, who’s sole album was released in Austria. Featuring Eddy Marron (Dzyan) on guitar, who frequently plays with a psych edge. Also plenty of great fuzzed out Clavinet, Hammond, and pipe organ provided by Sylvester Lavay. Truly inventive rock with no real obvious comparisons. Vita Nova could be seen as the followup to Os Mundi’s psych influenced Latin Mass album.

The liner notes reveal perhaps the biggest surprise: That Lavay was behind the mid 70s disco group Silver Convention, best known for their hit 'Fly, Robin, Fly' among many others (and a group, by pure happenstance, that we just featured recently here on UMR).

CD: 1995 Penner

The above features 2 bonus tracks that were to be released as a single but never materialized, and are of the same high quality as the album proper.

Psiglo - II. 1974 Uruguay

Psiglo II picks right up where the debut left off, with a noticeable production improvement. The muddiness of the debut is mostly absent here (though still far from perfect), and the guitar solos have more bite. As with the debut, Psiglo have a certain outlook similar to the Italian scene from the same era. So for this album, Psiglo starts off in a more conservative manner and track 2 'Construir, Destruir' is squarely in singer songwriter mode (complete with flute). Track 3 'No Tiene Razón de Ser' appears at first to be going into the same direction, but it's a head fake and begins to introduce more complex ideas. From here on out, this one has it all for progressive rock fans - dizzying tempos, inventive structures, psychedelic instrumental sequences, dozens of ideas. Final two lengthy tracks are near masterpieces! Psiglo II is more classic Italian sounding than, for example, Argentina's Los Barrocos, a band they share many similarities with.

CD: 1997 Record Runner (Brazil)

Psiglo's second album was originally recorded in 1974 in Argentina, escaping the repression from their home base in Uruguay. Argentina was no bastion of freedom either, and the album remained in the vaults until 1981, where a small pressing eked out in Uruguay before being erased from the market landscape. As such, originals of the second album are actually rarer than the debut. The album was finally rescued in the 1990s by the CD age - with no further restrictions from more tolerant political regimes.

Worth noting that while the Record Runner CD combines both of Psiglo's albums, it does exclude the track 'Es Inútil' from the debut which, at close to 9 minutes, is a pity. However it does add the 1972 single 'Gente sin Camino' (6:07), which is arguably a better composition. There isn't enough space to include both unfortunately so they made the hard choice to go with the single. The CD also features all the lyrics, band snapshots and a newly written short essay in English. This is the version I own and was my introduction to the band.

Pandora - Measures of Time. 1974 Sweden

For years I thought of this album as being entirely mediocre. But I've changed my tune over repeated listens. The first track is dubious though, and has much to do with my early frown. It's a direct rip from Uriah Heep's Salisbury, and not at all in touch with the remainder. From there on out, the album switches gears to a semi-progressive rock album. The band they emulate most, and it becomes clear on multiple listens, is Genesis. Now this is interesting actually. The progressive rock world is filled with Genesis imitators, and one could argue that the group was germane to the entire "neo prog" movement of the 1980s. But you'd be hard pressed to find anyone (outside of Italy) imitating Genesis back in 1974, especially from Sweden. The album is vocal heavy, sung in English, and can weigh down the compositions. But there's much happening musically behind the scenes, taking this album up a notch. Guitar, keyboards, and irregular rhythms all make this one an interesting listen. It does require some patience, and it definitely insists on focus, as otherwise it blows by without notice. Speaking from experience of course.

No legit reissues have surfaced to date.