2020 Classic Rock / AOR Journal Vol. 3 - Complete

Jigsaw - Sky High / Brand New Love Affair. 1975 Chelsea (SP). From a local store for 25 cents (Dec). Rhythm Heritage was the first single I ever bought, but 'Sky High' was my first AM hit that I loved. I think I heard it first in the dentist office - seriously! I was 10. All these years later, I still like it. I think it's those echoed vocals - very trippy! The flip could almost be considered a throwback to the psychedelic era.

The Rolling Stones - (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction / The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man. 196? London (SP). If you don't know the A) side you are then a very young person, otherwise an impossible situation. And it really is the draw here. The flip is bluesy rock with harmonica, nothing special (Dec). 

The Rolling Stones - The Rolling Stones, Now! 1965 London Stereo (LP). RT obviously enjoyed the Stones. I've been going soft on these early titles, stating that they mostly fall out of my interest area, but I can still appreciate what they're doing. But on this, their 3rd release, I couldn't find much to hold onto. Mostly it's old-timey blues and rock-n-roll. They were still in the midst of the Hit Parade, and hadn't found their unique sound yet. All the same, this isn't for me (Dec).

Grateful Dead - Steal Your Face. 1976 Grateful Dead / United Artists (LP). From RT (Dec). Last year at a garage sale, I picked up a small stack of Dead CD's, all earlier than this release. I enjoyed them at various levels. In addition to that, I have a box full of live cd-r's that I have yet to dig into - seems like a good retirement activity. In any case, very few people are singing the praises of Steal Your Face, and it's easy to see why. Apparently it was a contract obligation album. I read some other anomalies that Deadheads will understand more than I. Most of this is country rock, and not very interesting at that. Great cover though, like many of their albums sport.

Foreigner - Head Games. 1979 Atlantic (LP). From the RT collection (Dec). Whatever I thought of Head Games when I was 14 years old still applies now. Though my rating was a bit too low. Yes, I can actually get through the whole thing, but it sure is trite. They are so obviously panning for hits at this point. I guess they figured if they threw 10 of them against the wall, some would stick. And they were right, though they were to do even better (commercially speaking) on their next album. For what it is, it's not terrible, but I certainly don't need this kind of thing desecrating the collection.

Dave Matthews Band - Remember Two Things. 2014 Bama Rags (2xLP) (1993). Thrift shop find (Dec). I'm familiar with Dave Matthews but I know nothing of his music. When traveling to Baltimore, in the evening when I hit the various restaurant bars/craft beer houses in Fells Point, I seem to run into an inordinate amount of Dave Matthews groupies, who follow him around. I'm more befuddled by this situation than I am Fleetwood Mac. I don't know what I was expecting (jam band?), but it wasn't this. It's just so.... ordinary. And boring. I'm sure the live shows are far better and more experiential. Besides, this was his first album, so maybe not representative. I could care less to find out. It's a double LP, and I fell asleep a couple of times trying to get through it.

* - Keeping for the collection

Wobbler - Dwellers of the Deep. 2020 Norway

Here's how I opened up my review of From Silence to Somewhere: "For any number of legitimate reasons I can lay out, it wasn't until November that I heard my first new album of 2017. And that one album was Wobbler's 4th opus From Silence to Somewhere. But what a way to ring in the new year! 11 months belated perhaps, but it doesn't matter because I can say with a certain amount of confidence this will be album of the year for me."

Three years and one month later, and ummm, yea exactly that. In fact I insisted in getting this listen in, lest I miss the entire year.  God how I love Wobbler! I keep expecting many other bands to follow in their footsteps, and yet very few (if any) really do. They seem to do everything just right, including awaiting 3 years to release a new album. For 2020, I have figuratively traveled the world with vinyl LPs - given the vast amounts of crazy pieces brought in while digging in the wilds, or inheriting a houseful of records from a fellow collector. Despite that, I love coming home to my favorite "city" - that of early 70s styled symphonic progressive rock.  It seems I will never tire of this most wonderful genre.

What one notices about Dwellers of the Deep is they have backslid a bit to their very Yes-like Rites at Dawn. Which is hardly a complaint, but it does take away from their native Nordic Anglagard-y approach of From Silence to Somewhere. All the same, I found myself enjoying Dwellers of the Deep on the same level for the first half of the album. Especially on 'Five Rooms' where I could swear I heard an organ jam that could have come straight from a Caravan album circa 1971. In The Land of Grey and Relayer one dreams of. The second half of the album, while still excellent, didn't quite have as many hair raising breaks and melodies that Wobbler are capable of. At this point, I'm rating the album a skosh off a masterpiece. But of course that could change over repeated listens. Whatever the case, yet another great album by a great band. Let's take that one step further: Wobbler are my favorite contemporary band. Competition is welcome of course...

Ownership: CD: 2020 Karisma. Jewel case edition. Booklet is filled with lyrics, photos, recording details, and artwork. So...if there was ever a group that would draw me back to being a contemporary LP collector first, CD second, it would be Wobbler. I have consciously made the decision to not do that. I love collecting LPs (obviously) - but from the LP era. And I love collecting CDs from... the CD era. There's always exceptions, especially regarding reissues - and for LP-only releases. But in today's world, most groups release in both formats, and I'll take the CD almost every time. Extending this further, I'd rather have a jewel case than a digi-pak (which Wobbler also offers). I don't like digi-paks as a rule. They get damaged easier (edge wear, indentations, and God forbid if the casing loses it's "teeth"). A heavy duty tri-fold digi-pak, or mini-LP is different, but a garden variety "soft" digi-pak I can do without. Ah anyway, just waxing away here on my current collecting philosophy....

12/30/20 (new entry)

Tangerine Dream - Thief. 1981 Germany

As noted in the Exit review, Thief was actually the first Tangerine Dream I'd ever heard. The album was being played in the background of a pickup football game (?!) while I was still a junior in high school (late 1981). And, as it turns out, it was also one of the earliest Tangerine Dream albums for me to purchase.  And I've owned a physical copy ever since. Unlike most Tangerine Dream albums, Thief is one I haven't heard since I did a retrospective for Gnosis some 19 years ago. And like most of these early 80s albums from TD, Thief represents a personal soundtrack - a nostalgic remembrance of an exciting exploratory time for me, especially regarding music.

While absorbing Thief this go round, the first thing I noticed is just how much guitar is present, an instrument largely missing from Exit and beyond. 'Dr. Destructo' packs a wallop whereas 'Diamond Diary' is Tangerine Dream at their sequencer best. This was by far the most direct Tangerine Dream album released to date. Like Exit, this is an album that has moved into the excellent rating category over the years. Whether that's due to personal experience or a warm objective evaluation, I cannot say. But my life is intrinsically linked to this album.

Ownership: LP: 1981 Elektra (USA). Single sleeve. Recent acquisition from a store in Albuquerque (2022).  Like most of the Tangerine Dream albums I first owned on LP, they were early swap outs for a CD. And I've maintained that old CD for some 30 years, until now. Recently I became aware that the US LP pressing (which is of course what I once owned) contains one different track performed by a different artist ('Confrontation'). The box set (below), naturally enough, left this piece off since it wasn't by Tangerine Dream. The bonus track is a slightly extended version of  'Dr. Destructo', so nothing to really get excited about. 

CD: 2020 Virgin (as part of the Pilots of Purple Twilight box set). I have notes about the box set on the White Eagle entry.

12/30/20 (new entry); 4/17/22

2020 Hard Rock Journal Vol. 1 - Complete

Def Leppard - Love Bites / Billy's Got a Gun. 1987 Mercury (SP). Yet another surprise from RT. What's an early 60s folk collector doing with this? lol. Anyway - GOSH the A side sucks. It seems each band throughout the 80s was trying to top the other for pandering to a perceived feminine audience. Whatever, it's terrible. The flip is a live version of a track from Pyromania. No room for improv it would appear. Not a great song to begin with. Waste of 11 minutes overall. (Dec)

Aerosmith. 1973 Columbia (LP). Thrift shop find (Dec). At this point, Aerosmith were nothing more than a harder rocking bar band. Two exceptions - 'Movin' Out' is an excellent hard rock number. And then of course there's 'Dream On'. Even though I've heard it precisely one million times, I still find myself captivated by it. Steven Tyler has never been better. And a good thing he gave it his all here. Hard to imagine Aerosmith going much further if it weren't for the blockbuster hit. 

*Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush - World Anthem. 1977 Columbia. From a local record store for all of $3.99 (Nov). That's what it cost at used record stores in 1984! Frank should be all the rage in today's musical world, not sure why he isn't. I have the CD, but decided to go back to the vinyl on this title, as the former is just a straight reissue. I was first introduced to Frank Marino at the point where Tales of the Unexpected was released. I really enjoyed that album and bought the others that were in print at the time - namely IV, Live, and this album (the first thre were OOP back then). For whatever reason, World Anthem remains my least favorite of these albums (well, the first Live album isn't very good - especially compared to what he later released live). It's a transitional album from the IV release, which was an odd mix of hard blues, funk rock, and prog (?!). But World Anthem also harbors some of the more aggressive hard rock that Marino was to pursue on the smoking live side of Tales of the Unexpected. In the end, I've really warmed up to this album, after some 41 years of familiarity (that long??? God I'm getting old...). Keeper and I'll sell the CD.

The following came from a local record store, all at 50 cents a pop! (Nov)

Stone Fury - Let Them Talk. 1986 MCA (LP). This is the second album by Stone Fury, before firing up Kingdom Come. The first one was a pleasant surprise and I decided to keep it (and it has its own post here). I should really hate this - from the cover to the obvious synthesized mid 80s styled AOR sound. But these guys have a good command of hard rock, and the songs are pretty decent. Even the synthesizer work is good, a bit Berlinish at times! I'm not keeping this one, but it's better than you would think.

Witness. 1988 Arista (LP). An Atlanta based group, Witness were a bit better than the ones below. They featured a tough female vocalist and even featured some Hammond organ, which was highly unusual for the day. In the end though, all the songs tend to blur together. It's a +1 on Will and the Kill but the genre is about the same. Not worth holding onto.

Victory. 1985 CBS Associated (LP). German group who more or less emulated same era Accept and Krokus. Started out with a couple of decent riffs, but deteriorated quickly. Just like the aforementioned bands. Dearth of material.

Will and the Kill. 1988 MCA (LP). From Austin, Texas, Will and the Kill played the stereotypical American hard rock of the day. Not sure what the allure was in those days for this sound. Not creative, no guitar hooks, and not even good solos. Annoying vocals. 

Kings of the Sun. 1988 RCA (LP). Great name for a band! Should be some weighty stuff here. Bzzt! Australian group with no imagination, and decide to sound like Rose Tattoo and AC/DC. I'm not fond of this type of boogie hard rock. What a waste of a good moniker.

---end of sale

Longtran - Everydays a Weekend. 1984 private (EP). From a Denver area record store (Nov). Presumably Los Angeles based metal / AOR hybrid. A bit like Bon Jovi I suppose. They have a good sound for the time and certainly had a chance to make it based on the quality here. The vocals are a bit overwrought though. Outside of my interest area, but a curious listen. Spine says Everydays a Weekend, so I think the discography sites out there have it wrong.

Bon Jovi - 7800° Fahrenheit. 1985 Epic (LP). Thrift shop find (Oct). What was it about the mid 80s that made these kind of albums popular? I hated them back then, and they've actually aged worse. Bon Jovi's debut was pretty decent actually (not enough to keep mind you...), but the well was already empty by this sophomore effort.

*Uriah Heep - Look at Yourself. 1971 Mercury (LP). From an LP buy in Monument (2019). Uriah Heep are the consummate hard rock band dabbling with progressive. To me, they exude cool. By 2020 standards that is. For those who have a copy of the Rolling Stone Record Guide under your pillow, then Uriah Heep represent everything they hate. History has been kind to these long time warriors. I said this in another Uriah Heep post, but it bears repeating: Seems every high school hard rock garage band of the late 70s used Uriah Heep as a blueprint. I never did own this on LP back in the day, the cheap CD being my introduction. LP wins. (Sep)

* - Keeping for the collection

Dies Irae. 1976; 1978 Monaco (archival)

Dies Irae's archival album demonstrates many parallels with the Satan album I wrote about a couple of years back. They were both from the mid 70s, play a very French style of progressive rock, the recordings are less than stellar, and were released in lavish packages from Monster Melodies. And while the music has a bit of loss (think of an archival tape you may own), the music is too superb to ignore. These recordings are mostly from 1978, with 3 live tracks from 1976, all interspersed. Musically I was reminded of the early 70s French bands such as Ame Son, Atoll, and even Moving Gelatine Plates. Only the final slightly new wavey 'Stake a Bobolink' indicates the time and place. Dies Irae sports a five piece versatile lineup including woodwinds. It's a real tragedy that Dies Irae weren't afforded more time in a proper studio. The final product would most certainly have been considered one of the progressive rock greats from the region. 

Ownership: LP: 2016 Monster Melodies. Gatefold. Clear vinyl. Recent online acquisition. As is usually the case, Monster Melodies provides a lot of value with their product. The cover is very nice filled with lyrics and recording details. Comes with a small poster of a band advert, a cardboard concert flyer, and a postcard of the band playing live. No history, though it can be found online. The cover is a bit misleading, as it looks more like an early 70s psych band, but it's still cool artwork. One could also make a case that the title should be Chaos if considering the label.

12/27/20 (first listen/review/new entry)

Images. 1983 USA-Colorado

I'm always on the lookout for local releases, and it seems I've run into this title before, but didn't pay attention close. So when this mint copy showed up at a local thrift shop, I nailed it. These guys were from Castle Pines, just south of Denver. The mountain and lake picture on the cover (oddly it appears the photo is from California - why not Colorado?) makes it look like any number of new age albums on the market at the time. Well it's not that, but it is a variant on smooth jazz. Even though woodwinds artist Joe Anderies lists flute, alto flute, and tenor sax, he is shown playing the trusty soprano sax, and that would be his preferred instrument (to my dismay). On the bright side, main songwriter Lee Bartley provides the wonderful grand piano and Fender Rhodes. There's also some guest female vocals on the first side that adds much needed variety. I found the compositions a cut above normal, and made for a very pleasant early evening listen. Given its provenance, this one stays.

Ownership: LP: 1983 Echo. Single sleeve. Recently acquired as noted above. Easy to find if you're so inclined.

Korai Orom 1997. Hungary

Korai Orom's 3rd album, the first to have a title (such as it is), is when the group really started to gel. Their combination of EDM, various culture's indigenous music, and fiery space rock proved to be a popular one, and Korai Orom made a nice career out of it. Most certainly their live shows proved to be even more exciting than the studio efforts. For my tastes, 1997 has remained my favorite of the albums I own by the band. It also happens to be their most energetic, so perhaps not a coincidence. The opener sets the mood perfectly with the hyper percussion and shimmering guitars. I can do without the "hoo ha ha" parts, but otherwise it's exactly what Korai Orom are about. This then leads to the best segue of their career, that of track 2 (they had a habit of not naming their songs) - a countdown followed by a blistering sequence of psychedelic guitar, fast percussion, and wood flutes. If that wasn't enough, the following segue into track 3 almost matches it with yet another killer beat and some awesome Moog like synth sounds. Once again the guitar is on fire here. After this it doesn't maintain this momentum (not sure it could have), but the album is still great throughout. Unfortunately 1997 suffers the same fate as all the Korai Orom albums, and that would be that the tracks are too long. Most of these could have been chopped 2 to 4 minutes and the impact would have been that much greater. Certainly if the primary purpose of the music is set for dancing, then one can understand this situation for a live setting. But for home listening, the fast forward button starts to look appealing. A minor gripe I suppose, as I still hold 1997 as one of the finest examples of the genre, and it maintains its excellent rating. If you're into bands such as Ozric Tentacles and want to explore a more exotic alternative, Korai Orom's 1997 is the place to start.

Ownership: CD: 1997 private. Comes in a nice tri-fold digipak.

1998; 12/22/20 (review / new entry)

2020 Classic Rock / AOR Journal Vol. 2 - Complete

Fleetwood Mac. 1975 Reprise (LP). Thrift shop find (Dec). Here's the beginning of the classic lineup with Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham. Last year I wrote in detail my thoughts of this era of Fleetwood Mac, after hearing Rumours again. This album is even more mature than that one. I presume they're playing this in Senior Centers now? I'll never be old enough to listen to this. Average at best. I just don't get it.

Missouri. 1977 Panama (LP). With CCR (Dec). I first found this album in a record store when I was still in college in the middle 1980s. On first glance, it looks like money - a cool stenciled drawing of the St. Louis Arch perched atop the Utah desert; small or private label pressing. Except it's not a rare occurrence at all. This album must have sold great numbers for an upstart label such as this. And people have been trying to get rid of it ever since... The music found here is very much a product of the 70s, that segment of the decade that really hasn't aged well. It's bar-band-good-times rock n' roll, with songs about a-lovin' and a-rockin'. Some of the tunes are more trite than others, but it's not a bad way to spend 35 minutes. Closer 'Mystic Lady' proved that Missouri (from Kansas City incidentally) could do more if they applied themselves. Starcastle they were not. By any measure, one would have to admit they were a success story for a brief while in the late 70s. History won't be kind though. 

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Bayou Country. 1969 Fantasy (LP). Thrift shop find (Dec). I've never been a fan of CCR, nor have I ever understood their allure. What we now call Swamp Rock, it would seem to have no more than a regional following from the southern portions of Louisiana and Mississippi, as well as southeastern Texas. I hadn't originally planned on giving away 35 precious minutes of my treasured evening listening regimen, but after a quick sample to check the condition, I heard enough to do just that. Side 1 starts with one of their hits 'Born on the Bayou'  which isn't too bad really. I find John Fogerty's vocals incredibly annoying, but I guess in an era when Janis Joplin was also popular, I suppose the buying public's ears weren't any more offended. The rest of Side 1 goes by without notice, but not unpleasant. Side 2 starts with 'Good Golly Miss Molly' which has some great guitar, and this is what captured my initial attention. I figured the song would be your usual early rock n' roll boogie number, but it's definitely hard psych. And the closer is the other winner, 'Keep on Chooglin'' also features some very good lead guitar. But this side also has 'Proud Mary' which I think is one of the worst songs of all-time. It's torture to my ears in the same way that Bruce Springsteen is. If I first attentively listened to FM radio in 1977, then I've been enduring this awful piece of music for 44 years. Not to end on a sour note, the album as a whole is much better than I would have imagined. 

Rolling Stones - 12 x 5. 1964 London (LP). Back to the RT collection (Dec). Yea, this is too early for me. At this point the Stones are not really the Stones. They're finding their way, playing music that was popular in its day. Blues rock, pop, RnB, mod, even rockabilly! A respectful effort, but out of my comfort zone. 

*Paul McCartney & Wings - Band on the Run. 1973 Apple (LP). Thrift shop find (Nov). For all of my semi-disdain for the Beatles, I find the solo albums even worse. I don't like the lot of them. Well, until I heard Band on the Run all the way through. This is a weird record, but just the way I like it. If I were to name my favorite Wings' songs, I would have picked the first two here, unknowing they were put together like this. The song construction - for the whole album - is done in a such a piecemeal fashion, and one that I find highly appealing. I don't know if this is McCartney channeling his Magical Mystery Tour days, or if he was suffering from malaria while recording in Nigeria (when having a fever, try to write a few songs in your head, you'll be amazed at what you come up with) - but he's tapped into his inner Brian Wilson for sure. The latter not a throwaway reference. The chorus' can oftentimes be annoying, but the interludes sublime (think 'California Girls' for example). And all of Band on the Run is like this. I think this album is great. Never thought I'd say that about a post Beatles album. And cool, comes with the poster too...

*Rolling Stones - Aftermath. 1966 London (LP). From the RT collection (Nov). OK, so this is where 'Paint it Black' comes from. If I were to name my favorite Stones song, this would probably be it. 'Under My Thumb' also appears here. Usually that track ends up being covered somewhere, and never that great.  But this version has an odd jazzy feel that I like. But mostly the album is blues rock, and for certain ahead of its time, including the eleven and a half minute closer. Yea, I'll hold on to this one then. 

Fat Mattress. 1969 ATCO (LP). One more with the Stoneground's (Nov). This is the band Noel Redding founded after leaving Hendrix. I enjoyed the opening track 'All Night Drinker' due to the presence of Chris Wood on flute. But that would be the end of his contribution, and honestly the end of anything interesting. It's a good psych album, but nothing here grabs the listener, whether it be a fine melody or an exciting instrumental excursion. For 1969, it's a bit blasé.

Stoneground - 3. 1972 Warner Bros. (LP). With the other Stoneground (Nov). Well no surprise here after hearing The Family Album. Except this is even -1 worse. Really grating stuff and not a pleasant experience. Not sure at all where the interest would have lied here.

Stoneground - The Family Album. 1971 Warner Bros. (2xLP). Same as the Rabin (Nov). Mostly live set. The music is a mix of typical early 70s blues, gospel, and pop rock. No songs jump out as memorable. Not my thing at all.

Trevor Rabin - Can't Look Away. 1989 Elektra (LP). From a local record store (Nov). Of course, you all know Rabin. Here he shows his true colors as a pop artist. I didn't expect much from this, and it somehow managed to be worse than I had imagined. Ridiculously vapid. So yes, Trevor, I can look away.

The Guess Who - Share the Land. 1970 RCA (LP). Another day, another classic rock album found at a thrift shop (Nov). I remember liking some Guess Who from their 60s albums but this is clearly transitioning into more of a tougher rootsier rock, that was in vogue in the early 70s. I didn't enjoy any of it really.

Cold Blood. 1969 San Francisco (LP). Another day, another classic rock album found at a thrift shop, part 2 (Nov). Don't be fooled by the pretty lady up front. She's just as annoying as Janis Joplin. Nails on a chalkboard. I had hoped for some cool horn rock here, but it's mostly blues, and not the good kind.

* - Keeping for the collection

Can - Tago Mago. 1971 Germany

When the Krautrock revival gained full steam during the 1990s, Can was at the forefront of the movement. Along with Neu! and Faust, Can were from the Motorik School, that of the repetitive groove which captured the hipster's short attention span apparently. Having been a decade ahead of this, my own introduction came via the Berlin School of electronics which lead to a full discovery of Tangerine Dream, which lead to Ash Ra Tempel, Agitation Free, and Guru Guru. So this was my initial idea of Krautrock (a term widely used back then too). So when I first heard Can, I wasn't very impressed to be honest. Monster Movie completely lost me and Soon Over Babaluma was interesting if not very compelling. Tago Mago was just too expensive to experiment with (and yes, we're talking the 1981 reissue double LP which could still be found new then), so I never did hear it during my initial 1980s exploratory phase. When I started to surround myself with like-minded friends, they of course owned it, and my initial reaction was similar - meh. Eventually I secured an early CD pressing as I knew there was too much music here to simply ignore.

Tago Mago is Can's most ambitious work by some margin. The three tracks on Side 1 are what I'd call prototypical Can. Good grooves, Damo's street theater rantings, a lack of melody, and hardly any instrumental prowess. I like it ("...mushroom head...."). I don't love it. 'Halleluwah' is generally regarded as the album's piece-de-resistance, and I'm not arguing that point at all. This is Can at their best, with a hypnotic deep groove and some reasonably toned down trippy instrumentation. I would be willing to state that album #1 here might be Can's finest moment in the studio. To provide context, for my tastes, Can's best music was found later on archival releases like The Peel Sessions and The Lost Tapes. And that's because they do show off the group's inherent instrumental talent, that they seemed shy to demonstrate on record. Now back to Tago Mago. They should have stopped right there. But when does an experimental band know when to quit? They don't, and they really went for broke on album #2. I find both 'Aumgn' and 'Peking O' really hard to get through, even to this day. After some 30 years of familiarity, one cannot accuse me of not giving it a chance. It's just not for me. I'm sure there is a mental state where music like this works, but I don't seem to possess it. Not that I'm alone in my assessment mind you. The album's closer is pleasant, and would have fit nicely with the opening trio of tracks. Overall I find that Tago Mago is something of a mandatory purchase for Krautrock fans, only in that it's highly representative, and certainly enjoyable on the whole. Something akin to climbing the tallest mountain. You feel compelled to do it, but it's not going to be easy.

Ownership: CD: 2005 P-Vine/Spoon (Japan). I replaced the aforementioned jewel case CD with this elaborate one some 10 years ago, which of course recreates the original gatefold to the finest detail. And as a bonus, it's essentially the same as the 2004 European Spoon release, so it includes photos and full liners in English. In 2021 I picked up the 1999 Spoon double LP reissue. But decided to part with it, as the CD is all I need here.

9/6/20; 12/21/20 (new entry); 7/4/22 (remove LP reissue)

2020 X-Wave Journal Vol. 1 - Complete

*Laurie Anderson - Big Science. 1982 Warner Bros. (LP) With the two below (Dec). I do have some history with this album. Going back, once again, to early college. During Chemistry Lab 101, our young professor assistant (the same guy who basically told us when we catch on fire - not if...) enjoyed playing a cassette tape of this album during our lab sessions. I was very intrigued by the music, except... it was the absolute wrong setting. Laurie Anderson is anything but background music for lab work. So it came across as annoying, primarily because we were focused on the task at hand. So we begged him to stop playing the cassette... It's been 37 years since that event, and I'm hearing Big Science for the first time on an attentive listen. Well, I did my best anyway. As one reviewer noted, it must be considered absurd that she was a commercial success during this period. There is nothing catchy about Big Science. This is one-of-a-kind music that's for sure. Here are the genres RYM associates with only this album: Art Pop, Experimental, Spoken Word, Minimal Synth, Electronic, Post-Minimalism. I'm sure I could add some more. Overall I found the album alluring, though maybe not satisfying. But it's highly unique and would require a mindset change to appreciate further. I keep albums like that.

*Missing Persons - Rhyme & Reason. 1984 Capitol (LP). With the B-52's (Dec). For whatever reason, I find myself enjoying Missing Persons more than others of this ilk. It's a heavily synthesized mid 80s sound, but the melodies are solid, and the musicianship is a few cuts above the rest. Of course they all played with Zappa, so that could be one reason... I've actually never seen or heard this record before (1984 was early college, so I had even less to do with anything associated with New Wave). I was surprised, perhaps disappointed, that it's only a $5 record even in mint shape. But the good news is - I'm keeping it anyway!

The B-52's. 1979 Warner Bros. (LP). Thrift shop find (Dec). I have a story for you on The B-52's. The best part of a blog is that I have a captive audience. And the best part for you is... you don't have to read it. Ha! So... in 1998, I was a consultant for a large ERP software company, and my gig in those days was as a DBA - when I still had real applicable skills and didn't rust my brain out in "leadership". Specifically performance and tuning was my specialty. Since many of our clients had serious performance issues, I was in high demand nationwide, flying coast to coast to get them back on track. And when said company had their annual User's Conference, I was asked to run a one hour session on the topic. Because the topic was so popular, we would get one of the large auditoriums in the Moscone Center (ah forgot to mention that the conference was in San Francisco). We had over 1,000 people in attendance, standing room only. Now for an introvert like me, that's quite daunting. However, when a room is that big, it's actually more like doing radio (which I had already done for three years) - basically talking into the abyss. All the same, introverts like me (we're not shy by the way - common misconception - it's that we give off lots of energy, and thus are completely drained by people being around us, especially extroverts) - are massively exhausted after such an event. And it was at the end of day. And it's a conference. Meaning... I need a drink. Bad. And free drinks are everywhere of course. Wine please. Next glass. Next glass. Next... You get the idea. One of the other interesting aspects to these conferences is their ability to bring in top music acts. Maybe not currently top, but at one point they were. I've seen Jefferson Airplane, Tower of Power, and many others this way. Of course the software companies were (and are) super wealthy, and so they could offer up quite the event purse to any band willing to "sell out" to Corporate America. And on this night in November - as the evening carried on, and I'm bombed out of my mind - there's the The B-52's! I didn't really know them that well, but certainly remember them from my high school days of the early 80s. But given the state I was in, they were the perfect antidote. High energy concert, and a helluva lot of fun. I can still image it perfectly. Of course I was right in front of them (not my natural state, I must say). Good times. Oh, the album you ask? It's OK - decent I guess. Kind of campy really, and not much impact at home listening to the stereo, even with the trusty craft beer by my side. But I think The B-52's are more for the live setting. That's their element. 

999 - The Biggest Prize in Sport. 1980 Polydor (LP). With The Sunset Bombers (Nov). Like many budget bin albums, I bought it primarily for resale. Sometimes I listen to them, and sometimes I just scan the album and move to the sale box (and don't bother to rate). Ah, let's try this one - it's tagged punk rock on RYM. But it's not my definition of punk. Pretty harmless stuff. In this way I was more reminded of The Clash. Side 1 was better than I thought it would be, with some pretty good songs and guitar work. Side 2 was monotonous in contrast. Not bad, but just not my thing.

The Sunset Bombers - Sunset Bombers. 1978 Ariola (LP). From a local store (Nov). In the late 70s, one could tell the music tide was changing to a more aggressive, simplistic rock. Egged on by the music media, the day of complex, thought provoking rock, was coming to a close. Their primary argument: That's not what rock music is. As if such a declaration was etched on a tablet from On High. I'm sure this album was met with critical acclaim... and little sales. It's super boring and all the songs sound the same. It does possess good energy though. Features one of the guys who went on to The Knack, who honestly weren't much better, but had one great track to propel them to fame and fortune.

Living Dolls - Emotional Parade. 1986 Fine Line (EP). From a Denver area record store (Nov). Four track EP from Seattle based group. The music here is definitely New Wave, and it's a bit late in the game for this kind of sound. Good for what it is though, but not lighting my fire.

*Pulling Faces - Dance of Ghosts. 1987 Wea (Ireland). Excellent thrift shop find (Oct). I was pleasantly surprised by the contents - a fine mix of 80s new wave... and hard rock! Sort of like The Slapp 45 I wrote about here not long ago. Definitely holding onto this one.

*The Police - Ghost in the Machine. 1981 A&M (LP). Thrift shop find (Oct). This is the point where I start to really enjoy The Police. Focusing on nothing more than Sting's excellent bass work opens a lot of doors for appreciating this title. One of those iconic albums that define the term "80's music".

*Duran Duran - Rio. 1982 Capitol (LP). One of those albums that define my high school years, or the latter part of them. I was favorable to Duran Duran even back then, but didn't go so far as to buy their albums. I was still a metal head getting into progressive and electronic. Duran Duran were for the boys who "played for the other team" (don't make me explain). About 5 years ago, I went to a rare garage sale (there was a brief period in 2015 that allowed me to do what I do every week now) and this lady had tons of CDs. And this was in the stack. And it brought back a flood of memories. So now the LP found its way to a thrift (Oct). And I'm enjoying it even more now. They have an edge on them, with great guitar and superb songwriting. I hope to find others by the band. They have proven to be elusive so far. Certainly this is the first copy I've found in two years of doing this. Of course I could just go to a record shop and pay a few dollars more. But that's no fun.

* - Keeping for the collection

Spirogyra - St. Radigunds. 1971 England

My initial scratch off notes from 15 years ago state: Spirogyra's debut has a slight Comus / Jan Dukes de Grey wigged-out vibe, then heads into more safe Fairport Convention / Pentangle areas, before heading back into the wyrd folkk as they might now call it. Love this sort of “mystery behind the bushes forbidden folk” sound.

On this revisit, I don't have that much to add really. As I state many times, the [Prog/Psych/Acid] Folk [Rock] description is usually misleading. Take out all the other identifiers, and you're left with a straight up folk album. Spirogyra is a great example of combining progressive rock and folk. It's definitely not as out there and adventurous as Comus and Jan Dukes de Grey, but there's no mistaking this for The Kingston Trio either. The key ingredients for St. Radigunds is the violin and the bass work, which is what gives it the rock element. Primary songwriter and acoustic strummer Martin Cockerham provides the designated "madcap" vocals and lyrics. Meanwhile Barbara Gaskin chimes in with some wonderful female vocals to offset the unpleasantness. It's her presence that often leads to Spirogrya being called a Canterbury band, which couldn't be further from the truth. At least as the identifying regional term has come to mean. Her next career move happened to place her in the middle of that troupe of musicians. In conclusion, St. Radigunds doesn't have the stellar reputation of other adventurous folk albums from the time period, but I personally consider it one of the beacons of the genre.

Ownership: CD: 2005 Strange Days (Japan). Purchased new online upon release. Mini-LP that replicates the B&C single sleeve original, including lyric inner sleeve. This replaced the Si-Wan reissue LP I owned prior.

Originally reviewed for the Outer Music Diary: Jul 2005 (and since edited on a recent listen) 

Van der Graaf Generator - Godbluff. 1975 England

Van der Graaf Generator is not a band I ever crave to listen to. Not a single one of their albums contains a piece of music I can recollect. Sometimes I just get in the mood to hear a very specific album in my collection. But Van der Graaf Generator isn't that band. Having said that, I find myself enjoying all of their albums throughout the 70s. They are dense, complex, and not an easy listen. But they aren't difficult to listen to either. Definitely not background music though! Peter Hammill can be a bit much at times, sounding more like a mental patient than a  lead singer. But the rest of the band is always on point. Hugh Banton's organ, David Jackson's woodwinds, and Guy Evans on drums is pure gold. I took in two full listens last night, but don't recall much about it already. If I were to pick a favorite from Godbluff, 'Arrow' would be the one. Overall I find Godbluff to be no better or worse than any of their other recognized classics. Seems it will always be this way.

Ownership: LP: 1975 Mercury. Single sleeve. Recent acquisition from a Denver Record show (2022). In better shape than these Discogs stock images (no cut corner either). This replaced the commodity CD that I bought in 1998. This wasn't an album I owned in my early youth.

1998; 12/16/20 (new entry); 1/9/23

2020 Funk / Soul Journal Vol. 1 - Complete

Little Stevie Wonder ‎- Castles In The Sand / Thank You. 1964 Tamla. From the RT collection (Dec). Admittedly outside of my interest area, but I did listen to both sides. Pleasant RnB / Soul I suppose. Little Stevie could certainly sing, that's for sure. And he was only 14 at this point.

*Parliament - Mothership Connection. 1975 Casablanca (LP). Thrift shop find (Dec). So... what would be the opposite of Fleetwood Mac? Rhetorical question. Whatever traces of seriousness George Clinton had left for Funkadelic are now completely wiped out on the resuscitated Parliament project (once a doo-wop group going back to the 1950s called The Parliaments, when Clinton was still a young teen). This album has one purpose - to Par-Tay. It's funked up, prosifunkstication, and thumpasorus. P-Funk is its own genre for a reason. It's pure funk too, so no psychedelic guitar frenzies or progressive rock charting to get in the way of the dance floor. And a heck of a lot of fun. 

Prince - Controversy. 1981 Warner Bros. (LP) Thrift shop find (Dec). I always think I'm going to like Prince more than I do. After all he's an accomplished guitarist with an interest in funk and psychedelic. But the music - at least of what I've heard - tends more towards soul and disco. This is a good album, very much what I would associate Prince with. And the subject matter could use a bath I think?

Dick Jensen. 1973 Philadelphia International (LP). From Independent (Nov). This album made me laugh. Philly Soul meets.... Hawaii. Don Ho leads MFSB. Worth 50 cents to hear on my stereo at least once.

* - Keeping for the collection

2020 Fusion / Jazz Journal Vol. 1 - Complete

The Dave Kennedy Group - Joanie / Accidentally. 1960 Soma (SP). From RT (Dec). Weird one here. 'Joanie' is a typical pop ballad of the era with vibes - and all in reverb! It's trippy in its own way. Flip side is more typical lounge with female vocals.  They were from Milwaukee apparently.

Paul Winter Sextet - Jazz Meets the Bossa Nova. 197? Columbia Special Products (LP) (1962). From RT (Dec). This is the second Paul Winter Sextet album, and represents an early example of  Bossa Nova for American audiences. This is the style that Winter embraced to start in the music biz. This one falls to the instrumental jazz side of the genre, and lacks the melodies and pop sensibilities that made the style so popular only a couple of years later. Average on the whole. 

*Jeff Beck - Blow by Blow. 1979 Epic (LP) (1975). From RT (Nov). This was another oddity in RT's collection. Funny enough I bought this album in high school (1982?) as a "Nice Price". Then I bought the CD as a "Nice Price". RT's copy? In shrink with the "Nice Price" sticker. Somebody is trying to tell me something... I go back and forth on this album, but I'm back in the positive camp. For a fusion album, there are a lot of well written melodies. Though my favorite track remains the more aggressive 'Scatterbrain'. I've also always been fond of the FM radio airplay song of 'Freeway Jam'. And 'Thelonius' has a deep heavy funk groove. 

*Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 - Equinox. 1967 A&M (Germany) (LP). From the RT collection (Nov). You may recall my notes on the Brasil 65 album from last summer, and my own primordial background with Bossa Nova. This isn't really that much different, more stylized and slick perhaps, but still very enjoyable on the whole. I found this better than the more popular in-between Herb Alpert Presents album. Also, for the first time, I'm picking up some Stereolab here. Wouldn't be surprised to read that Mendes was an influence for the Groop. 

Phillip Upchurch - Darkness, Darkness. 1972 Blue Thumb (2xLP). From a record store in the Denver area (Nov). Definitely a good score to find this double album in the buck bin. I had forgotten that I did possess this on CD-R from years ago. My opinion, though, hasn't changed. Solid in the "good" category, though for me it's mostly a static and dull listen. Upchuch plays lightly amplified jazz guitar over a set of mostly cover tunes. It's not that far removed from what Gabor Szabo was doing, though the base selection of music is less interesting to me. Not something I need to keep.

*Pat Metheny Group - First Circle. 1984 ECM (Germany) (LP). This was with the second Metheny found in the same batch with the below (Nov). Didn't have high hopes for this one considering I haven't been too keen on any of the other Metheny works prior to this. And on top of that, the production is soooo 1984. Slick as a butter dish and I would expect each album to come with a coupon for a Macintosh and a football card of Dan Marino. But this is a weird album really. Forgetting the opener which is kind of silly, the rest has a melancholic vibe one usually associates chill out music with. It's highly melodic, rhythmically complex, and the compositions are unusual. Keeper for now. Yea, surprised me too.

Steve Smith - Vital Information. 1983 Columbia (LP). This was in the 99 cent bin next to Pat Metheny (Nov). Steve Smith, of course, is most famous for being the drummer of Journey. So to release an all-instrumental fusion album during the height of his popularity was certainly an unusual move back then. It's a good fusion work and the guitars are surprisingly fiery at times, belying its early 80s date. All the same, it's an all too familiar sound, and I already have a couple of shelf fulls of similar. No need for another.

Pat Metheny Group. 1978 ECM (Germany) (LP).  Pulled out of a 99 cent bin of a record store in Pueblo (Nov). More adult contemporary jazz... fusion. I'll never mature enough for this style of music it seems, but have to admit it provided a pleasant mid-evening listen. Calms the nerves, while not offending anyone. 

Dusty Springfield - The Look of Love. 1967 Philips (LP). Thrift shop find (Nov). I'm a huge fan of the Bacharach song, and in particular Springfield's version of it. Unfortunately this is not the same version as the Casino Royale soundtrack. I was certain I would enjoy this album. Alas, something is not right with it - it may be the orchestration. The production is tinny and somehow Dusty Springfield actually sounds annoying, which I didn't think would be possible. Bummer.

*Artie Butler / Dionne Warwick - The Love Machine. 1971 Scepter (LP). Thrift shop find (Oct). This album fits perfectly into the world of Burt Bacharach and Dionne Warwick. It's got the right 60s vibe and sound. Great songwriting of course. It's a soundtrack to the movie rendition of Jacqueline Susann's trashy novel. Everyone presumed a Valley of the Dolls repeat, but it was a flop. But the soundtrack is great. 

* - Keeping for the collection

Porcupine Tree - The Sky Moves Sideways. 1995 England

Porcupine Tree broke onto the scene in the early 90s with On the Sunday of Life,  a compilation of two earlier cassettes. In the music world I was running with at the time, this new album was all the rage with my compadres. I wasn't overly impressed, as it sounded to me exactly what it was - a one man psychedelic bedroom project. In retrospect it would seem my peer group were better plugged in than I on spotting the new talent. Up the Downstair sees the band going more noticeably pro. Again though, I was somewhat nonplussed (revisits are long overdue admittedly). By the time of The Sky Moves Sideways, Porcupine Tree's trajectory was through the roof, and they no longer could be ignored so easily. They seemed to capture all of the early 90s UK psychedelic scene into one full album set. There's moments of Ozric Tentacles like fiery space rock, EDM, trippy shoegaze, and most noticeably a Pink Floyd fetish circa Wish You Were Here. The music is stretched out but never boring. They had tapped into a goldmine. Maybe not literally, but within a few short years Porcupine Tree became progressive rock royalty. And while no modern band will ever share the success of their brethren from the 70s, Porcupine Tree did about as good as could be hoped for through 2009 or so. Personally I never did catch up with them, going one more album before stopping. Not really sure why - I've certainly enjoyed The Sky Moves Sideways since first hearing it. Though what I have heard from their future does dabble in Alt Rock and that's definitely not my thing. But I'm not judging until I hear them throughout. In any case, The Sky Moves Sideways seems to be a consensus winner no matter your nuanced progressive rock preference.

Ownership: CD: 1997 Delerium. Yes, it appears I held out an additional 2 years before breaking down and buying this one new. It's a standard jewel box release that contains a booklet with lyrics (against what appears to be a Letzte Tage - Letzte Nächte background), a couple of photos, and recording details. And you gotta love a cover with a red box telephone booth in the middle of a desert.

Present - Certitudes. 1998 Belgium

It was sometime in 1985, while visiting my favorite underground record store in Dallas (Record Gallery for those that were there), that I first discovered Le Poison Qui Rend Fou. Everything about it was new to me - the album, the band, the label (Cuneiform), and the music (what later would be dubbed avant prog). For me it was a new kind of complex progressive rock, and one that captured my 20 year old mind's imagination greatly. Unfortunately that seemed to be about it for Present. I later learned about their considerably more obscure debut (at the time) and their association with a one Univers Zero, a group I began to seek and collect as well. Present did pop up here and there in the next decade performing music that was not necessarily "Present-like", including the rather interesting Live blues rock album that I've written about on this blog already. So it was with much excitement that Present returned to form on 1998's Certitudes. This was the sound of Le Poison Qui Rend Fou moved forward. The complex layering, the haunting vocals (male instead of female though), the pounding piano, the searing electric guitars, and the impossible rhythms. This is the Present I first discovered and loved. The primary problem with a band such as Present is the music isn't particularly memorable. When one thinks to pull out an album such as Certitudes, the mind goes into this jumbled mess. Knowing that yes, this is sophisticated music, and the instrumentation is correct. But memorable melodies and passages? No.

But Certitudes is special to me for another reason, beyond the return to my mid 80s exploratory years. One fine evening in May of 1998, the band performed live in what was then our current home town of Denver. At that time I'd been married for just over a year. My wife, never one to embrace the music I enjoy, was still open minded about going to concerts and trying different things. I took her to this Present concert. It was an incredibly intense show resembling the Certitudes album (and with local Denver mover and shaker Dave Kerman on the drum kit, replacing Daniel Denis). During the show, while I was certainly enjoying myself, I began to really worry about my wife, as I suspected it was just too much for her young and untrained ears (fortunately we brought ear plugs). After the show, I asked her what she thought. She said it was really good, very different and intense, but she really appreciated the effort and the authenticity of the band. Wow! Fast forward 22+ years, just as I was to pop this into the CD changer (for the first time in the same 22 years), I asked her if she remembered the concert. She did and recollected pretty much the same sentiment. Again, I was surprised, as it's hardly been a Happy-Hour discussion topic. Funny though, she wasn't clamoring to join me on the listening session... 

And for all the reasons above, this is why I tend to revere Certitudes as one of Present's best efforts.

Ownership: CD: 1998 Cuneiform (USA). 4 page booklet with band photo, lyrics, and recording details. Purchased new online upon release.

Nekropsi - Mi Kubbesi. 1996 Turkey

Mi Kubbesi is the debut album from Nekropsi, one of a handful of progressive rock bands operating out of Turkey. Of course any time a band emerges from Asia Minor, the expectation is that the band in question will most assuredly blend in local indigenous musical elements. But is that really a fair ask? Of course not. We're truly global now, and if a band from Turkey wants to release an album like we have here in the United States or in England, then why can't they? As it turns out, Nekropsi's background is that of thrash metal (hence the moniker I suspect). But by the time Mi Kubbesi came out, they more or less threw out the rule book, and released something quite unique. And - a ha - fooled you with my premise above, they do incorporate some Turkish influences. More so in the rhythms and scales verse instrumentation, which stays mostly within the dual guitar-bass-drums format with some electronics thrown in (and wordless vocals and chants). There are some exceptions though, including baglama, bendir and goblet drums, and a kemenche, though again these instruments do not dominate. Other than one noticeable short death metal burst, the album stays true to progressive rock, primarily that of Red era King Crimson with some cool additional hyper drumming. At 72 minutes, the album is an investment of time, and there's probably not enough variety to justify the length. That said, there's a a very good full length LP in here, and it certainly qualifies as unique. A keeper for sure.

Ownership: CD: 1996 Ada Müzik. Purchased new online not long after release. The booklet is a multi foldout with band photos and a lot of information in Turkish. This is another one of those CDs from the 90s that remains stubbornly cheap. A long forgotten album it would appear.

Tangerine Dream - White Eagle. 1982 Germany

If Exit was my first discovery, and Rubycon was the epiphany, then White Eagle was Tangerine Dream's first new album after I had become a committed fan. I was satisfied with it - but my bar would have been pretty low at that point for anything T Dream. It didn't take a palm reader to see this was the direction the band were headed. More beats, more melody, more early 80s. Since that day, I've always maintained a physical copy of the album, even though it remained in the 4th quadrant of their releases (pardon my Gartner reference). Over the years, I find myself warming more and more to it. It's probably nostalgia for the end-of-high-school years and all that surrounded that experience: The discovery of new things, the future was bright, and the time was exciting. And while White Eagle was never one of my personal soundtracks, every time I hear it, images of my past from that era flash by. 'Mojave Plan' moves through multiple segments with ease, and 'Convention of the 24' ups the ante on sophisticated sequencing while providing a haunting atmosphere. In reflection, it's the melodies that win the day. Not sure White Eagle will ever crawl past most of the albums released prior to it, but it continues to gain respect in my world anyway.

Ownership: LP: 1982 Virgin (UK); CD: 2020 Virgin (Pilots of Purple Twilight). The LP is a single sleeve. I didn't keep the original copy I purchased, it being an early example of swapping out for the newly released CD. About 5 years ago, in what ended up being a trend, I bought it again from a record store in Fort Worth. That was me being whimsical and nostalgic. I had no idea I was going back in that direction full time. All the same, I kept that old CD until the new box set arrived.

There are 6 bonus tracks on the CD. The first 4 come from an EP entitled Das Mädchen auf der Treppe. I now remember owning this vinyl back in the day (I bought everything T Dream that I could find). The music is very similar to White Eagle and no less satisfying. The other 2 tracks (new to me) Daydream / Moorland were a separately released single, and no surprise, is also similar to White Eagle.

We'll use this entry for my discussion on Pilots of Purple Twilight. Of course this box set is the sequel to In Search of Hades, a release that I consider the single best CD set in my entire collection. Pilots of Purple Twilight is likely to be second. With each box set, I didn't necessarily start where expected. With In Search of Hades, I first listened to Cyclone. And with Pilots of Purple Twilight it was, of course, White Eagle. From a sound perspective, when I first heard Cyclone, I about melted - it was so much better than any other version I'd heard. With White Eagle, I don't think there is much room for improvement, as by the early 80s Tangerine Dream were already state of the art. I expect that will be a consistent theme throughout listening to Pilots of Purple Twilight. All the same, there are copious amounts of unreleased and hard to find (or assemble might be the more accurate term) bonus tracks. This coupled with - once again - an incredible hardbound book chock full of data, makes this box set indispensable. Unlike In Search of Hades, finding Pilots of Purple Twilight on Day 1 of release proved to be easy. 

The Smell of Incense - Through the Gates of Deeper Slumber. 1997 Norway

The Smell of Incense were one of many new bands to have emerged in the early 90s on the exciting Colours label out of Norway - a label that was kaput shortly thereafter. Their debut All Mimsy Were the Borogoves is a mixture of folk rock, cover songs, psychedelic, and plenty of soft lens mellotron. It's a fine album, but inconsistent, and seemed to leave a lot of good ideas on the kitchen table. Through the Gates of Deeper Slumber is the followup, and it's here that those lost ideas were gathered up and have now come to fruition. They've moved from psychedelic folk to full-on progressive rock, and bring forth many great ideas. Oftentimes I'm reminded of the fertile early 70s UK scene as found on the Neon and Transatlantic labels. Bumble B's feminine vocals are more confident, the guitars are melodic, and.... it's mellotron a-go-go. At any one time - and often at the same time - you'll hear string, flute, and choral tapes battling it out. And when they introduce EDM 10 minutes into the recording, it's the perfect response to the otherwise analog heaven they have created. Their genius? It's the only place you'll hear that - so not a gimmick, but a surprise. Many albums from the 90s have lost their luster, as they didn't possess the depth of their predecessors, relying on cliches and technology. Through the Gates of Deeper Slumber is the opposite, and it continues to grow in my mind as a classic of its kind. Not one to miss - certainly one of the best progressive rock albums from the late 90s.

Ownership: CD: 1997 September Gurls (Germany). Purchased new online upon release. Wonderful tri-fold digi-pak with lyrics, photos, and recording details. At one point I had supplemented this CD with the LP, which comes in a fine gatefold. But ultimately it didn't add anything to the collection, so off it went to a more appreciative buyer. No regrets there.

12/12/20 (new entry)

Rhythm Heritage - Theme From S.W.A.T. / I Wouldn't Treat a Dog (The Way You Treated Me). 1975 USA

It all started here for me. Yep, this is the first vinyl I ever bought. My aunt stuck a couple of bucks in my pocket to buy a record and to subsequently piss off my parents. It worked (aunt's are good that way). By 1976 I had accumulated a couple of handfuls of 45s such as this, and then got tired of it (sold in a garage sale), and went back to collecting the more familiar ball cards. No more music for me I said! Yea, there's a grand proclamation that held... for about a year. In any case, how screwed up of a 10 year old was I to get this anyway? What kid runs out to buy 'Theme from S.W.A.T.'? I didn't even like the show! 45 years later, as I was buying a pile of records, I saw this for $1. Had to have it. Honestly I had forgotten all about what it sounded like. You know what though? This is a really great mid 70s heavy instrumental funk track! And the flip side is good too, with some cool Moog soloing. I'm keeping it this time.

Ownership: SP: 1975 ABC

12/11/20 (new entry)

Bi Kyo Ran - Kyobo na Ongaku. 1997 Japan

Bi Kyo Ran burst onto the scene in the early 1980s with an album that was very much patterned after King Crimson's Larks Tongues to Red era. After experimenting with that sound further and bringing in some different styles, Kyobo na Ongaku is a return to the debut. It's a very intense work, perhaps exhausting at times, but adding a full time 4th member on keyboards does help break the monotony. And since his keyboard of choice is mellotron, that helps even more with softening the constant barrage of guitar, bass, and drums.

Former ownership: CD: 1997 Freiheit. Standard jewel case release with lyrics in Japanese. This is the original pressing that I purchased new online upon release. One year later, Musea issued it under the title A Violent Music. My copy does not have an obi - nor does any other copy I have seen. 

1998 (first listen); 12/11/20 (review / new entry)

Achim Reichel - Erholung. 1975 Germany

Achim Reichel's last foray for creating experimental music. It's a solid live outing recorded in 1973 (and released 2 years later) and consistent with his sound on sound guitar based psychedelia that he was still pursuing (and I've already written about extensively here on this blog). Erholung is the edited portion of the Live in Krefeld 16.09.73 set. On the CD, we get the whole concert. I have to admit to a little disappointment that the remainder wasn't as well recorded as to what was released. It does make sense of course, and I'm super grateful to have the whole show, but we now know the reality as to why it stayed in the vaults initially.

Ownership: LP: 1975 Brain; CD: 2017 BMG/Tangram. As part of the 10 CD set The Art of German Psychedelic. Picked up the LP not long after graduating from college in early 1988. It's a single sleeve with the green label. I don't believe this title received a repressing like most Brain albums. Here are my notes for the CD box.

Legend - From the Fjords 40th Anniversary Edition. 1979 USA-Connecticut

Legend were a Connecticut based group whose sole album is truly a "legend" among early heavy rock collectors. You'll find scant evidence of music like this on the open market, especially from this era. What is today known as epic heavy metal, Legend were pioneers of a style that didn't find its audience until 20 years later. If you're a fan of early Manilla Road (Invasion, Metal, Crystal Logic, and especially the archival Mark of the Beast), then by all means seek this one out. Long, involved, semi-complex tracks with fantasy imagery is what you'll find here...and very heavy for 1979. 

Ownership: CD: 2019 Cult Rock Classics (Greece). Purchased at the end of 2019. 

Now this is some package and made the long wait for an official reissue worth it (originals are very pricey). Legend band leader and guitarist Kevin Nugent had passed away many years ago, and it was the other two gentlemen who stepped up to get behind this release. While bassist Fred Melilio stayed quiet, drummer Ray Frigon wrote a book for us, including quite an expose on his Christian faith and the psychology on why he couldn't continue with the group. There's also a lengthy interview with the Greek born album artist, who became somewhat famous in music circles. In addition to the extensive packaging, there are 5 relevant demo quality bonus tracks that are worth hearing. 

6/27/09; 12/11/20 (new entry)

Attempt To Restore - Alpha Collection 1. 1993 Germany

Attempt to Restore were an obscure Krautrock band, coming from the unlikely time of the early 90s. The name itself appears to indicate the band is interested in restoring Germany's early 70s psychedelic underground past. And for that purpose, Attempt to Restore very much succeeded. Perhaps the oddest aspect of this group is that they were created by former members of the glam band Tiger B Smith, not exactly one of the purveyors of the original scene. Whether they had a bottled up desire to perform music such as this going back to the mid 70s, or it was simply the case of obtaining a later appreciation of the style, is anyone's guess. But I can tell you this - few were playing long form Cosmic Jokers styled Krautrock in 1993 - especially from Germany (Electric Orange were also just starting up, and there was the fun HNAS Damenbart album). The space rock revival had been in force for some years, but as we all know, the German variation is something more atmospheric and intense. Though all things considered, Alpha Collection 1 is not a Kosmische classic, but rather a nice return to form of a much missed style. There are 3 jams here totaling close to an hour of music, generally without build and release moments. Rather the band stays in steady jam mode for the most part. Guitars and keyboards lead the way, with some interesting rhythmic work. At the time of release it was an exciting revelation, today not as much. But given the entire historical portrait, this one is well worth hanging onto. Yet another forgotten 90s classic. Too bad there was never a Beta Collection or Alpha Collection 2.

Ownership: CD: 1993 CMV. Standard jewel case release and the booklet shows a psychedelic painting/image of the band. For a longtime, this CD was surprisingly cheap and available. Not sure if that's the case now, and one would certainly think it will be more sought after in the future. Was part of a large collection buy in the late 90s.

Love Gang - Dead Man's Game. 2019 USA-Colorado

I don't even know where to begin on this one. It checks off so many boxes, it's crazy. Down the line: 1) retro hard rock - check; 2) progressive hard rock - check; 3) early metal - check;  4) organ (possibly Hammond) - check; 5) flute(!) - check; 6) local grooves - check; 7) great cover - check; 8) overall coolness - check.

No way would have I ever heard of this were it not for my friends at What's Left here in the Springs. I was looking for something to spend my trade credit on, and they mentioned this album. They know my tastes lean towards the progressive and the retro - and far away from death metal. And they're from Denver? I said why not, I've got nothing to lose. And... all to gain. As is the case here.

It would appear to me that this album may be marketed to the wrong folks. Based on whatever reviews I can find, they seem to be from the metal camp. And that's OK, but for example I saw one person comment it reminded him exactly of Motorhead. Excuse me, but can you remind me again which Motorhead album has flute, sax, and organ? No - this needs to marketed to prog, krautrock, and hard rock fans.

The person we have to circle in the band here is Leo Munoz. Take him out, and you have a cool - but somewhat standard - hard rock band, albeit an interesting one. Munoz is the one responsible for the organ, flute, and sax. You just don't see too many bands today with that kind of talent on hand. He's the X factor for sure. Kam Wentworth is the guitarist, lyricist, singer, and is clearly the front man here. His singing is the one place where Lemmy comes to mind. Though honestly, I hear just as much Paul Di'Anno and even Ron Royce (Coroner). From an overall attitude, sound, and music perspective, I'm most reminded of Fort Worth's Blood of the Sun, though again the flute creates some separation. And considering the latter instrument, the Spanish band Ñu also comes to mind here.

All the tracks are satisfying on some level, though I appreciate the ones with more instrumental breaks. Side 2 is definitely the more adventurous of the two. The closer 'Endless Road' is the best for my tastes. If you're a fan of the late 70s /early 80s hard rock/metal/prog combination - you'll want this.

Ownership: LP: 2019 Colfax. Single sleeve. Caramel (whiskey?) colored vinyl. Lyric inner with old fashioned band pic. I needed to clean up the Discogs entry, which was a complete mess (and added new photos). For anyone who has spent more than 10 minutes in Denver, you'll understand the label meaning. Thanks to What's Left Records for this rec! Along with Crypt Sermon, best new band discovery in some time for me.

Group details: Facebook; Bandcamp

12/9/20 (new entry)