Introducing our newest blog - Unknown Vinyl Records

I inadvertently picked up a new hobby while seeking albums for our Purple Peak Records store (and my personal collection). That is - the unknown record. Or little known...

This is not another progressive rock oriented blog, but rather covers all (well, most) kinds of music. It's really for the amusement and curiosity of my fellow crate diggers. The good news for me is that while my competition are all battling at the estate sales for the same Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd albums, I'm peacefully going about looking for crazy obscurities. And sure, anything I can sell of value through our shop or at the record shows. It's been a fun year, that of course is temporarily on hold due to the virus at hand. Colorado was hit relatively hard, so I suspect our Governor is going to keep us in our houses longer than some other states will. And we will abide. With any luck at all, we'll be back out there soon enough. Let's hope for that.

The blog is here: https://unknownvinylrecords.blogspot.com/

More info about it here: https://unknownvinylrecords.blogspot.com/2020/03/now-what-are-you-doing.html

Almost done with the 45s and will be adding the LPs soon.

Enjoy and stay safe out there!

Weird - A Different Kind of Normal. 1999 England / Germany

Weird (stylized as wEirD) were the duo of Andy Blyce and Jens Peschke, under a couple of silly pseudonyms. Though it's not really meant to hide the artists, as it's pretty clear in the booklet who is doing the heavy lifting here. Both gentlemen are the founders of the Berlin School band Kubusschnitt, so if you're already familiar with their albums, then A Different Kind of Normal won't be too much of a surprise. Primarily Weird sets out to perform a homage to the early 70s Krautrock movement, that of course was also heavily engaged in electronic music. And they took a page from the Electric Orange playbook with the fun song titles 'Klaus to the Edge', 'Manuel Gearchange', etc... Just as with the Cosmic Couriers before them, there's shedloads of psychedelic guitar and mellotron (likely simulated), along with the usual sequencers. There's also some beats, so it's not entirely retro in that sense. The 90s really were the heydey of the retro Berlin School movement, and Weird also gives us some classic Krautrock to enjoy as well. An album that still needs discovery.

Ownership: CD: 1999 New Harmony. Like what seems to be half of my collection, I bought this in its day, filed it, and now have rediscovered the CD hiding in the shelves.

Amanita - L'Oblio. 1996 Italy

Amanita's sole album is one of those hidden gems buried deep in my collection. I bought this not long after it was released and always found it fascinating, though I'm not sure it struck me as anything great originally. In fact, I probably thought about selling it in the 90s. Times change, and our ears evolve. For some of my collection, the music hasn't aged well for me - usually the cold, clinical, technical side of progressive rock. Amanita is pretty much the opposite of that, and what one would normally associate with the 90s. Basically L'Oblio is old school early 70s Italian prog with a predominant flute presence - it's rough, amateurish at times, and wonderfully adventurous. But it gets better. Not only do they tap into that obscure 70s sound like Capitolo 6 and Delirium, but the guitar sound - and overall production - reminds me of the late 70s American private press hard rock culture! So imagine Legend (Connecticut) playing the music of Osanna. Singing properly in Italian. This is more in tune with what's going on today with the retro prog bands. Ironic in that they were ahead of their time. Not intentional by any means I'm sure. In fact, I doubt they were trying to emulate anyone. Even better as far as I'm concerned. Not for everyone of course, but the review above will resonate with those of us who appreciate these kind of sounds. Even the person who released it only gave it 3 stars on RYM. So there you have it.

Ownership: CD: 1996 Mellow. Standard jewel case new album with a fine booklet. Purchased new online upon release.

Tangerine Dream - The Official Bootleg Series Volume Three. 1977; 1982 Germany

These vintage Tangerine Dream live albums never fail to satisfy. The 1977 set is the Detroit live concert of which snippets were taken for the Encore album. 'Cherokee Lane' and 'Monolight' apparently were scripted for most of the concerts, so no major revelations there. But once Edgar plugs in the guitar for 'The Emerald Beyond', it becomes absolutely jaw dropping. 'Conjuration' also features some intense Froese soloing. I never knew that Tangerine Dream ever revisited their Electronic Meditation years - but the Detroit concert (and probably others from the tour) proves that they did!

The 1982 set is from Sydney, Australia. They played the entire White Eagle album, and it's verbatim to the original. So that's disappointing (the music is great, just it's the exact same). However, the live versions - and placement - of their Force Majeure, Exit, and Logos material are excellent and do vary from the original source. In addition there's about 35 minutes of unique material, at least from a studio album perspective, all of it excellent. So once again, it's a revelation. I really enjoy the early Schmoelling years of Tangerine Dream, and this live set gives me one more album to savor.

Ownership: CD: 2019 Reactive/Esoteric (UK). These Tangerine Dream box sets are Esoteric's best work in years. And the liner notes, posters, photos, etc... are entertaining and insightful. Essential for fans.

Flower Travellin' Band - Satori. 1971 Japan

When talking great hard rock albums, here's yet another brilliant example. To be honest, I'm not a huge Flower Travellin' Band fan (though revisits are certainly overdue), but Satori is everything one could want from the style. Impassioned vocals, screaming electric guitar, tribal drums, indigenous themes, and just mayhem in general. Super.

Ownership: CD: 1991 Warner Bros. Old school jewel case with liner notes in Japanese, long before the mini-LP revolution. Has one bonus track.

1997 (first listen); 7/2/15; 3/16/20 (review / new entry)

Seedog - We Hope to See You... 1974 Germany

On a label most known for two highly regarded avant Krautrock albums - Code III and Sand - Seedog couldn't be more different. This album has a poor reputation, most likely a reaction to the fact its not anywhere near the same style of the two aforementioned bands. It's not Krautrock in the traditional style, yet many of the elements are present: Soaring flute, long tracks, and loud guitar solos. It would be passable as an album on Brain, perhaps a companion piece to albums by Cornucopia, Lava, and Satin Whale. We Hope to See You is song oriented, with way too many vocals in accented English. But it's surprisingly listenable with a chugging acoustic guitar driving the generally happy tone of the album. Had Agitation Free added a multitude of vocals after their Second album, then I could imagine Seedog coming from that. And, as it turns out, a former Agitation Free member indeed is a member of Seedog. Much better than I expected.

Ownership: LP: 1974 Delta-Acustic. Recent online acquisition (2020). 

I was revisiting the cd-r and had a +2 listen, so off I went to purchase the original. After hearing the vinyl for the first time, the new rating stands. Really enjoying this one more than ever.

1/21/10 (CDRWL); 3/13/20 (new entry)

Xalph. 1975; 1980 France (archival)

Xalph were one of many French bands to take the Magma baton and run with it. From the Monster Melodies reissue, we learn that Xalph had many different group lineups throughout their history. It becomes apparent, in retrospect, that Xalph not recording an album proper was a major lost opportunity. The original mover and shaker of Xalph was guitarist and chief songwriter Jean-Pierre Daran and the lion's share of this archival release comes from what is known as the Xalph 2 lineup (1975). During this time, it would appear Zao to be more the primary influence than Magma themselves. It's all instrumental with an underground jazz rock vibe. Guitar, Rhodes, and saxophone (light) lead the solo and melodic lines. Historically speaking, this is a great find, as these recordings were not known to exist even 25 years ago (and likely more recent than that). The recording quality is very good - certainly not ready for prime time, but excellent for something like this. The last track 'Gya-Tei' is from a completely different era of Xalph (known as Xalph 7). This two part song was recorded in 1980, and was previously released by Musea for their Enneade compilation. There are no shared band members between the 2 recordings. However, keyboardist Serge Korjanevski joined the Xalph 3 group, which was formed very shortly after the recordings above. So he most certainly was well versed in the Xalph repertoire and style. Various incarnations of the group continued to form and thus the Xalph legacy was secured, despite no original members remaining. For Jean-Pierre Daran, he finally called it quits in 1978 and Korjanevski took the reins. If you're not already familiar with the track itself, it's a bit closer to the Zeuhl center with chanting vocals layered on top of the Zao styled sound the band had always pursued. For Zeuhl fans, this archival release is a must own item.

Ownership: LP: 2018 Monster Melodies. Recent online acquisition. One cannot accuse of Monster Melodies of skimping on their product. Once again we are treated to a lavish package, perhaps the only complaint being that they went forward with a single sleeve cover. Well, and the lack of historical liner notes, which seems a bit crazy at this point. On the plus side though, there's a poster, a ticket stub, a letter in French from Magma vocalist Klaus Blasquiz (a record label offer I think), and a band family tree. The poster is from a 1979 concert that also featured Univers Zero, Art Zoyd, and Vortex (wow!). And the ticket stub is from a 1978 show with Noetra, who I didn't realize went that far back. It's pressed on clear vinyl for those who care about such things (not I). If you do own the Musea Enneade comp, then you will find a brief history of Xalph, though it's not very informative to be honest.

Psychotic Waltz - The God-Shaped Void. 2020 USA-California

I should have waited and read the reviews first, as most of them are pretty accurate. I wanted more from this release - perhaps a hint of A Social Grace or Into the Everflow, but no such luck. Mostly this is grounded in the alt-metal sound of the 90s - especially the vocals, which is not in my wheelhouse. But all is not lost. There is a psychedelic quirkiness in the songwriting, and some unexpected twists - not the jarring kind, but rather something odd sounding. And the flute goes a long way to helping the sound palette. I found the second half much better than the first (though the opening track is great too). It's good enough to keep, so I'll report it here. We'll see if I still agree a few years from now when the standards will likely be even more strict. 

CD: 2020 InsideOut. Standard jewel case. The booklet has a fine layout, with lyrics, original artwork, and a current photo of the band.

3/10/20 (new entry); 6/8/22 (removed from collection)