2021 Classic Rock / AOR Journal Vol. 2 - Complete

Firefall. 1976 Atlantic (LP). From Independent (Jun). I needed to pull one album out of the 2-for-$1 bin, since it would be essentially free. So I grabbed this LP out of curiosity. Firefall are legends here in Colorado, a local band that made good. When I first moved to the state in 1993, Firefall were still playing local clubs, and many other acts covered their music in various dive bars. Their stock in trade is countrified soft rock. Similar to The Eagles, Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Atlanta Rhythm Section, later CSN, etc... I can go for some of that, if the melodies sink in. I mean 'Jackie Blue' is just one killer track IMO. But unfortunately that one song doesn't exist on Firefall's debut. As the album rolls on, it becomes a slog to get through. So I'm rating it "disappointing". But the price was right (free). 

Spirit - Clear. 1969 Ode (LP). Picked this one up at an estate sale immediately after the first lockdowns of the pandemic. After six weeks of captivity, it was weird getting back out there. Of course we all thought it was going to be over soon (this was May of 2020). If we only knew. Oh well, I never stopped going out after this. Like The Flock, I never wrote about it. This is an interesting album. It's very song based, so it has to make it on the strength of each composition. And Randy California puts in some mean guitar. (9/17/24: Only a few months later I found a CD OAS box of Spirit, so this was released). (Jun)

*The Flock. 1969 Columbia (LP) Scooped this one at a thrift shop sometime last summer, right before I became diligent about noting these commodities here on UMR. A real 2-eye original too. The Flock are best known as the band that violinist Jerry Goodman led prior to joining Mahavishnu Orchestra. They are basically a horn rock band with Goodman's violin wailing all over it. Coming from Chicago, they operated in the home base of the genre with CTA and Ides of March being the chart toppers. The Flock sold very well in its day as well, but once the brass rock movement came to an end, their albums - like all the others doing same - found themselves flooding the used LP market. As such, it's always been a cheap album, and it remains that way. I first saw this album languishing in the used bins way back in college during the 80s. I find it better on each listen, and most of the tracks are satisfying at a high level. Great guitar, vocals, and horn charts. The final 16 minute bluesy 'Truth' is way too long, and should been a third of the length. As the final track, it doesn't leave the best lasting impression. (Jun)

Peter Frampton - Frampton Comes Alive. 1976 A&M (2xLP). From RT (Jun). One of the record store managers in town once told me that he knew "records were back" when Frampton Comes Alive was actually selling for more than $1. My neighbor back in Texas - this would be about 7 to 8 years ago - proudly told me she found this at a thrift shop. My response was "of course you did". I didn't realize at the time, that commodity used records such as this had some value by then. Nowadays, there's plenty of demand for it. The problem for dealers is: there's an enormous amount of supply. To say this album was a top seller in its day would be to understate the matter. It was ubiquitous. Only in 1975 / '76 could something like Frampton's sprawling double album be a best seller. It boggles the mind really. I was just starting to get my feet wet with FM radio when Frampton Comes Alive came out. It dominated the charts... forever. As for the music, I was always ambivalent towards it. I didn't hate it. But I never felt compelled to get my own copy. 45 years later, and my 11 year old mind was pretty much spot on. The audience seems a bit over enthused about the talkbox. I suppose if one makes the argument that SFF and Anglagard are awesome because of the mellotron, then Frampton Comes Alive is *the* talkbox album. The conclusion? Everyone was on dope in 1975.

Le Roux - So Fired Up. 1983 RCA (LP). Thrift shop find (Jun). I remember these guys. "Louisiana's Le Roux". Well, that's all I remember actually. They say you can't judge a book by its cover, but usually you can. The six smiling guys goofing around on the back cover screams 80's AOR.  And that's just what you get with Le Roux. Hello Loverboy. But if you're going to do this style, then you might as well do it right. Le Roux is a great example of this. Great production, and plenty of muscle considering the guitars and period synthesizers. Well penned tunes, and the newly recruited ex-Trillion singer screams his way through each of them. I don't recall a single track from this album from back in the day, but I wouldn't have been looking for something like Le Roux in 1983. If I didn't have enough quality nostalgia examples in my collection already (namely those I did buy back then), and I wasn't in weed-out mode, I'd keep it. 

*ZZ Top - ZZ Top's First Album. 1978 Warner Bros. (LP) (1971). From RT (May). I don't think I've ever heard this album before, and I didn't recognize a single track. I wasn't sure what to expect, thinking it may be closer to John Mayall than The Moving Sidewalks. It's really neither, but Gibbons guitar playing is more in tune with his former psych band fortunately. It's mostly hard rock, with some excellent breaks. The songs themselves aren't really that special, and it seems every track is going to be a disappointment, until the instrumental portion comes in. I really quite like this one. 

Quicksilver Messenger Service - Solid Silver. 1975 Capitol (LP). From RT (May). I've seen this in the thrifts before, but passed on it. Usually not in very good shape, and it's not exactly a top seller. And there's a reason for that. It's just not very good. Starts off decent with 'Gypsy Lights', but it's clear the band have long shed their psychedelic tendencies and are trying to make it in the mid 70s rock world. The rest of the side is made up of country and boogie rock. Which are probably my least favorite forms of the genre. Side 2 starts off similar, and then the rest is pretty good from a soft rock perspective. One can see the band interviewing for Rolling Stone stating "Yea, we're back together, and this is our best stuff yet. We're really excited." They always say that. And it's rarely true. Throw QMS in the Iron Butterfly and Rare Earth stack - bands that were poised for the big time for many years, but it never materialized.

Kayak - Starlight Dancer. 1977 Janus promo (LP). Thrift shop find (May). So the US press of Starlight Dancer is neither the album Starlight Dancer, nor does it represent the cover. This compilation pulls tracks from the namesake album along with another release entitled The Last Encore. It's the latter that provides the artwork. There's one unique track 'Ballad for a Lost Friend' that was later released as a B-side to a 45 in their home county of the Netherlands. I have no idea what the American label was thinking here. Anyone who would hear this, would want to listen to both albums in full anyway. And that would be my case. I have some thoughts about Kayak for their 1981 opus Merlin, somewhere buried in this blog. I'd always presumed Kayak to have gone completely pop rock by this era, and then resurged on Merlin. But that's not the case. Kayak were oddly progressive still, just not overtly so. Not that they ever were (so progressive). Once again, The Alan Parsons Project comes to mind when hearing this, and one begins to wonder who influenced who? Well certainly I now need to hear the two albums in full that make up this comp.

Michael de Albuquerque - We May Be Cattle But We've All Got Names. 1973 RCA (UK). Thrift shop find (May). I had never heard of this album before, nor the artist. A quick lookup showed it to be quite collectible, so in the basket it goes. When I got home, I read that it was art / prog rock, so for certain I want to hear it. Needed a quick cleaning (though it was in NM shape for sure), and last night the long title made its debut on my stereo. Well it's definitely not prog, and art rock is a stretch. To my ears, this is 70's songwriter music. Comparisons to Steely Dan are not wrong, but it isn't at that high level. Michael de Albuquerque's claim to fame is that he was the bass player for ELO from 1972 to 1974, and that gave him the opportunity for a solo album (he had another album with someone else prior to his stint with ELO). The title track and the final 2 cuts are the highlights for me. Nothing extraordinary though. I'll take the fast cash and sell it. Speaking of names, I wonder how he ended up with his? Being the largest city of New Mexico, I just presumed it was a native term, like most here in the States. But it's actually a royal Spanish name based on a small town in Extremadura. There, as a door prize, I learned something new.

*Fleetwood Mac - Bare Trees. 1975 Reprise. It appears that one of my favorite pastimes is to buy Fleetwood Mac albums at thrift shops so that I can bash them here (May). And I always seem to find the same ones, so I never get to hear anything new. Like with Supertramp, even their most commoditized albums go for 10 bucks at record shows, and even more for Rumours. In any case, this is my second go round with Bare Trees. One last try before it too finds its inevitable way to the show bin. Then a funny thing happened. I found myself actually enjoying it. Finally a Fleetwood Mac album that doesn't make me feel like a mature adult. Once it began to capture my imagination, I decided to research the history. And then it all comes together. There are three songwriters here, each very different. And that's the story of the album itself - a true transition album (originally released in 1972) going from their bluesy, but loosey goosey past, onto their MOR years that the band is most known for. One is Christine McVie, the blues gal that continued (along with her then-husband John) onto to fame and fortune with the band. Her two tracks are my least favorite here. Then there's Bob Welch, the Californian whose mature songwriting foreshadowed their later work, even though he didn't stick around long enough for the big time. 'Sentimental Lady' is a great example of this, and he was able to gain some fortune for the song - but as a solo artist five years later. His other contribution is 'The Ghost', which is about as close to prog as Fleetwood Mac ever gets, and is the highlight of the album. Some fine flute helps with that perception. The other half belongs to a one Danny Kirwan, as mercurial an individual as they come, and this would be his swan song for Fleetwood Mac. And he's all over the place when it comes to style. Unfocused and unhinged. And therein lies the allure. All of his compositions are really good, without any cohesion between them. 'Danny's Chant' is downright acid rock. What? 

Atlantis. 1975 Polydor (LP). These are the kind of records you hope to score while thrifting (May). This one didn't require on-the-spot research - I knew who they were. And in the basket they went. Careful what you wish for. I didn't even realize until after I got home, that Atlantis released two self-titled albums. I thought I was getting the debut. Though I knew something was off by the colors. In any case, this is the US release of Ooh Baby, which had come out the year before. Well I can certainly understand why the American branch wanted to change the name... The opening track is the only difference, but the sound is similar to the rest. Musically this is another galaxy from Frumpy 2. Not that I expected it would be Krautrock, but plenty of German bands went on to make interesting music outside the experimental underground years of 1970 to 1973 (for example, Epitaph's Return to Reality that we just posted about). As the album went on, I lost faith it would be anything that would hold my interest. It's not really that much different than the Hustler album below. So now we look for any good tracks. And that never happened either. Atlantis went from average to disappointing. A waste of time, I'm afraid to say. 

Hustler - Play Loud. 1975 A&M promo (LP). Thrift shop find (May). I wasn't sure Hustler would get past the condition sample (which I do for all records that we sell), but it did catch my interest, and got fast tracked to near the beginning of the listening stack. Hustler were like many bands of the mid 70s trying to make their way. There was no place for underground music on the majors back then, so you had to choose your weapon and stick with it. Or release the album yourself with no hope of making the big time. One of the styles that was quite popular back then was boogie - or what I often call good times rock 'n' roll. Harmless rock music for a drinkin' and a dancin' at your local watering hole. It's a style that hasn't aged well, since it's relatively predictable, and its core purpose no longer holds court. The tragedy to this is that Hustler were a good hard rock band stuck with the aforementioned poor weapon. There are 3 good tracks here: 'Boogie Man' (ironically), 'Strange Love', and especially 'Night Creeper'. Had the latter been the normal, Hustler would be a sought after $50+ record today, and a cult classic. As it stands, they were merely average for the time and place. 

Jay Gruska - Gruska on Gruska. 1974 ABC Dunhill promo (LP). Thrift shop find (May). I don't know anything about Jay Gruska, but this was a clean copy, so I figured it was worth a shot. On the plus side, there's some very fine piano and organ grooves here. I had to hear this one a couple of times to absorb, and I was pretty close to keeping it. But... on the negative side is there's just too much of that (my personal image) put-your-hands-together-and-sing style that plagued the early 70s commercial airwaves. There's just something entirely annoying about that generation's way of being (a certain segment of course). Probably because I observed this phenomena as a 10 year old, and they (unknown they) were in their late teens and early 20s. I dunno - hard to explain, but it triggers a nerve that says "no". But I have to admit overall it's still good.

* - Keeping for the collection

Derek Newark - Francesca Suite. 1981 England

On paper, this one looks a bit dicey. The back cover proudly states that this is "the first true fusion of classical and rock music". That's quite a bold statement considering full orchestras had been playing rock music since the late 60s. And real obscuros too - like Deep Purple. Francesca Suite is essentially one track, broken into classical "like" movements such as Presto, Gravo, and Swingo. A bit of tongue in cheek there. But once the tape rolls, none of that matters, because this thing rocks. Of course it has the trappings of classical music, but mostly this is a rough edged proggy fusion - out of time for 1981 when everyone was shooting for a more mature and sterile ECM type sound. 1975 would have been my guess had the album not told me. Had Newark named the band Moravian Sunrise, and went with more standard prog titles, you wouldn't even suspect this to be a "fusion of classical and rock". Newark's guitar is the focal point throughout. In addition to the guitar trio with bass and drums, Newark added a chamber quartet. Not the usual highbrow gathering, these cats play electric violin (2), electric viola, and electric cello. I love when they plug in the stringed instruments.  In the end, the music belongs more to jazz fusion than prog rock, but that's a fine line. An excellent new discovery.

Ownership: LP: 1981 Red Dot. Single sleeve. Acquired this from a friend in England a few months ago. Been slow in getting this post out. Word is starting to get out about this record.

Rayuela. 1977 Argentina

Rayuela's sole album is a fine example of combining the laid back Latin / Mediterranean style of pastoral progressive rock with that of the edgier jazz fusion fad that had swept through the Southern Cone region during this era. Where there's separation, however, is the high quotient of melodic interplay, giving it that strong symphonic feel. 'Los Ultimos Grillos' is an absolute stunner, clearly operating within the Celeste / Errata Corrige school of Italian soft progressive rock. Side 2 is decidedly more jazz rock, and B2 is yet another 5 star track. On A4, Rayuela extends their stylistic brush a bit too far - an awkward singer songwriter blues number, right from the Louisiana bayou, complete with harmonica. One keeps hoping for a some gruff vocals and a blast of hard rock guitar. But no Jumbo here unfortunately. Otherwise, the instrumental tracks are well executed, and the guitar/sax playing here is superb, along with the passionate vocals. It's like stumbling over some lost Italian reels from 1975. Excellent album.

Ownership: LP: 1977 Orfeo. Gatefold. Purchased from a good friend of the UMR (2017).

This replaced the first copy I purchased from an unscrupulous dealer in Argentina who sold us a much more wrecked copy than what they had photo'd in ebay. 

Reissued on CD by Fonocal in 2024.

5/31/07 (first listen / review); 3/16/14; 6/23/21 (update / new entry) 

Aleph - Surface Tension. 1977 Australia

Though from Australia, Aleph in reality sound more like a band from Ohio, and would have been a perfect fit for my USA Midwest / Ontario Progressive Rock (1970's/early 80s) list. Commercial FM radio meets progressive rock, with long tracks, mellotron, extended ideas, etc... Comparisons to Sebastian Hardie are compulsory, but not really accurate. Whereas that fine band were more attuned to a certain European sophistication, Aleph are a brash unit, very much like an American group would be. Despite featuring two females (on keyboards primarily), and the vocals are in a decidedly higher range, the lead singer is definitely male - yet another Midwest-American-covering-Yes trait. While Side 1 has a slight commercial slant, the flip goes all out progressive. A very fine album for those who like that uniquely late 70's American prog sound.

Ownership: LP: 1977 Atlantic. Single sleeve with nice fold out lyric inner that also contains a band photo. Purchased online from an Australian dealer (2018). Not a cheap album by any means, and is difficult to source. 

This LP replaced the CD that I purchased from a Japanese dealer at Prog Day back in 1996. It was on the dubious Poor House label, and was their very first release. As such it was a fully pressed CD, not a CD-R that they later succumbed too. All the same, it's clearly a bootleg and taken from vinyl. It's debatable if this album has ever been reissued properly. The M2U  (Korea) release claims a license, so we'll trust it's legit, but questions have arisen to the contrary. One wishes Aztec had covered this in their prime to remove all doubt. 

6/13/16 (RYM); 9/25/18; 6/23/21 (new entry)

Id - Where are We Going. 1977 USA-Maryland

Id were a band from the Baltimore area who released only this one obscure album, and disappeared. For many years, it was unclear where they were even from, until recent comments on various websites pointed out Baltimore. Where are We Going is the album that Terry Brooks and Strange should have released. For those of you that have endured Raw Power, then you know what an exhausting fuzz guitar overload that album is. Id is no different really on that point, but the primary separator is the keyboard work which is all in technicolor mellotron! There's even some decent melodies, especially on the first side. Lyrically it's classic 70s cornball hippy dipster the-world-is-going-to-hell-in-a-handbasket kind of thing. There's some narration and phased semi-singing that's so bad it's bad, thus you have to love it anyway. Honestly, I like this album quite a bit. If you can handle nonstop guitar soloing in a space rock setting, then you'll enjoy this as well. And truthfully there wasn't a whole lot of this kind of music on the market in the 1970s. Where are We Going was recorded in 1975 and copyrighted in 1976. But the label is clear in appending 1977, thus it took two years to hit the market. It definitely sounds more like a 1975 album. 

Ownership: LP: 1977 Aura. Single sleeve with the requisite A-bomb cover. Obtained this copy online (2015) as part of my LP repurchasing program. I originally found a copy in a Dallas area record store in the late 80s, but sadly it wasn't in very good condition. 

Once the CD hit the market, I sold it off. The problem there, of course, is that the CD is a pirate and off it goes. This LP is in beautiful condition and last night's listen confirmed it's all I need. A reissue is still much needed however. No legit reissues exist as of 11/22/24. Apparently the bass player is working on reissuing the album.

2/22/11 (review); 6/22/21 (update / new entry)

The Psycheground Group - Psychedelic and Underground Music. 1971 Italy

The Psycheground Group are yet another all instrumental psych rock album from Italy similar to others of its ilk like Blue Phantom, The Underground Set, and Fourth Sensation. Nuova Idea by any other name, this title is a little more developed than most in the genre, as the songs take longer to evolve (there are only 5 in total). The slower pace allows more time for quality instrumental soloing (primarily guitar who - by the way - is most known as the guitarist for Osage Tribe). Not as edgy as Braen’s Machine Underground album, but on par (maybe even better) than the bands listed above. Perhaps more akin to what Roland Kovac was doing in Germany during this time. There's a bit more of an electric blues feel here as well, which is a plus.

Ownership: LP: 2021 Vinyl Magic. Single sleeve with red vinyl. Record Store Day was launched in 2008 at a time when I wasn't buying much of anything. I never paid any attention to it until the last couple of years. Last year I bought my first RSD album, only because one of our local shops brought in the Fluence album, and I figured what the heck. This is the first year I targeted a release - and it was this one. I ended up mail ordering it as soon as I was allowed, but I was shocked to learn that same store locally brought it in. It was more expensive (including postage), but I still like to support our local b&m. This album has been reissued 3 times prior, twice on LP and once on CD. But it's been OOP forever, and the prices were way too high. So I didn't want to miss out again. It's not a great reissue honestly. One of those bricks, taken from vinyl that has been no noised to death. It's red vinyl (I mean really, who cares? I'm fine with black). No info (tell us the Nuova Idea story at least!) and no bonus. None of this came as a surprise to me though, knowing the label. I wanted to own the album, and so now I have it. Incidentally there are 43 copies for sale on Discogs as I write this. Originals are a fortune, and never offered for sale.

2007; 11/30/18

Release Music Orchestra - Life. 1974 Germany

I've recently written about the second and third RMO releases, but what about their debut? It's different in that it's a live effort, something the band states it wanted to do to capture their energy ("tension and electricity" as they put it). Coming fresh off their former work, under the Tomorrow's Gift moniker, Life has a similar jazz focus, but is geared more towards the upcoming fusion movement. Given the lack of any memorable melodies, I find Life harder to get into than their next two albums, which puts me in the minority camp. However, a couple of repeated listens convinced me Life is at the same level, just a less immediate sound.

Ownership: LP: 1974 Brain. Traded with a fellow collector sometime in the late 90s. Comes in a nice gatefold cover with full recording details in the center (in both German and English). Life is generally considered the first album on the green label that does not have the word Metronome underneath. However it does still have the word on the cover, and this would be the last album to feature that. As with Tomorrow's Gift's Goodbye Future and all of the RMO Brain releases, there is no CD reissue (or any legit reissue in this case).

Sun Dial - Acid Yantra. 1995 England

Sun Dial burst onto the scene in 1990 with Other Way Out, a fantastic extraction of the best of the 60s psychedelic rock albums. After trying their hand at more trendy 90s styled rock, they reemerged back to 1969 with Acid Yantra. Very much like their debut, Sun Dial has recreated the 1960s sound that you imagine in your mind, but truly never was as focused as these albums. While it misses the surprise factor the debut inherently earned, Acid Yantra is no less satisfying. Great tunes, fuzz guitars, mellotron, phasing, the whole psychedelic experience. Easy recommendation for fans of retro psych music. It seemed this would be the end of the line for Sun Dial, who spent the next few years playing around with their Prescription Drug series, and even some fake "70s" Krautrock albums. But they reappeared for a cameo in 2003, and once again were back in 2012.

Ownership: CD: 1995 Beggars Banquet. Jewel case with booklet that contains lyrics and a psychedelic negative image photo. Part of a large collection buy in the late 90s. Beggars Banquet is a major label for an album such as this. As such, the CD is pretty much a commodity. Pick it up cheap if you see it.

6/16/21 (new entry)

Mathematicians - Irrational Numbers. 1994 USA-Indiana

About 8 years ago or so, I had a chance to revisit both Mathematicians albums back to back. My recollection was that the sophomore effort Factor of Four was the superior work. A recent listen to that second album confirmed my appreciation for it. But what about this debut? Is it worth keeping too? And I'm happy to say an absolute yes. It's not quite as accomplished, but it grades out about the same. It's jazz fusion with a slightly rawer edge, and a progressive rock streak. Guitarist Larry McCullough is the centerpiece, but it's definitely a band effort. In its short 34 minute LP length, Mathematicians don't try to do too much. This is the kind of music you could reliably find in 1975, but had long disappeared by the 90s. Good stuff.

Ownership: CD: 1994 Aljabr. Jewel case with booklet containing recording details. Picked up sometime in the 90s. Great label name. 

6/16/21 (new entry)

Ocean - God's Clown. 1976 France

Put Ocean in the same stack as Pye Fyte and Matter - that is, albums I haven't heard in 23 years since acquisition. I was really looking forward to this one, as my recollection was positive, and my current tastes are more geared to what I had remembered it sounded like. And that self-prophesy came true. God's Clown is exactly the kind of progressive hard rock I really enjoy. If you like nonstop crunching hard rock with searing guitar leads, high pitched vocals, and compositions that don't sit still - then God's Clown is near the top of that genre. I think what might hold this album back in the public eye is that they're French. It's just not a sound one associates with the country. It's very much rooted in America's heartland - something you might hear in Ohio, Michigan, or Illinois in the mid to late 70s. Musically one could state it's a proggy Led Zeppelin, or a faster and more complex Budgie, or perhaps a less involved Yes. Incidentally, the band's name was inspired by Tales from Topographic Oceans. Even given that, the music belongs more to hard rock than prog, and I've moved God's Clown to a different space in the collection. There's almost no keyboard presence, this is a guitar album through and through. I've read from many sources that the vocals are not well done. I hear them completely different, as Robert Belmonte shrieks with the best of 'em. These kind of affected vocals appeal to me more and more as so many contemporary vocalists seem devoid of emotion.

Ownership:  LP: 1976 Crypto. Single sleeve. Recent online acquisition (2022). Probably the rarest album on the label. There's no date on the LP, though the CD is copyrighted 1976. Discogs has it as 1977. My cover doesn't have the writing on the back.

CD: 1998 Mantra. Purchased new upon release. Jewel case with a simple booklet that contains a small history of the band in French. This CD has been collectable for many years, and it remains the only reissue. 

6/11/21 (new entry); 4/26/22

Matter - Luna Lounge. 1998 USA-Illinois

Like with Pye Fyte, Luna Lounge is another album languishing in my collection for 23 years untouched. This is the second album by Matter, a Chicago based band that almost no one seems to know about all these years later. I added both of them to Discogs many years ago, and one other person claims ownership on each. And about as many wants. Why? Because no one knows who they are. These are just as obscure as some of my SP/45 finds of the last year.

Matter's primary focus is on space rock, but of the Sensations' Fix variety. Meaning more prog rock focused and less jamming. That is to say, my kind of space rock! Featuring mellotron (probably a patch) and Chapman stick, their sound is rooted in both the 70s and the 90s. Along with plenty of fuzz guitar of course. At times, when the music really gets going, they remind me of Mexico's Humus from the same time frame. There's a lot of diversity here and it's not monolithic as many space rock albums can be. If you can find it, grab it. Not selling mine anytime soon.

Ownership: CD: 1998 private. Purchased new upon release. Jewel case with simple booklet containing recording details and lyrics (which are sparse).

Web - I Spider. 1970 England

There's two ways to look at Web's I Spider. One is that it's the third album by a band called Web. Or -  it's the debut by another band called Samurai. I choose the latter, as that's exactly what the music sounds like. Web, at this stage, had moved on from their bluesy slightly jazzy psych period, onto the more trendy progressive rock that was infiltrating many UK bands at the time. Despite being on Polydor, it sounds like an album that would've been more at home on a label like Dawn or Neon. Highly melodic, perhaps melancholic (similar to Samurai in that way), with guitar, organ, and sax in the lead. And maybe best of all are the mournful vocals of Dave Lawson. A superb album that still remains somewhat underappreciated it would seem.

Ownership: CD: 2008 Esoteric. Jewel case with full liner notes, lyrics, memorabilia, and two live renditions from a 1971 Swedish concert. This was the first domestic reissue of the album. Purchased not long after release. And, in turn, replaced the Japan Edison CD (1990). 

3/10/10

Pye Fyte - The Gathering of the Krums. 1998 USA-Massachusetts

As stated (all too many times), Pye Fyte are like many albums in my collection. I purchased them when new - enjoyed - and then filed. Where it patiently waited 23 years for its next visit. I had no recollection of what it sounded like. Vaguely recalled it was more analog than usual for its day.

Uhh... yea, you could say that alright. Pye Fyte is not just analog, but indeed it is stuffed with Moog and mellotron. Pye Fyte are a duo of John McNamara and Mark Cella. It appears to be mostly McNamara's show, as he wrote and arranged the titles, and plays all the instruments (guitar, bass, keyboards) except one. Cella provides the drums. Of course if you name your band Pye Fyte and your album The Gathering of the Krums, you aren't looking to be taken too seriously, even if it's a play on words. No matter, it's obvious these two put everything they had into this recording. A short release for the time, Pye Fyte stuck to an average LP length, and the lion's share of the eight song CD can be found on the final 2 tracks. Most of The Gathering of the Krums is old fashioned fastball-down-the-middle early 70s prog rock, with a slight English Baroque underpinning. Great production, inventive tunes, and well played instruments. I'm not too fond of McNamara's vocals, which can be placed into the "stilted American singer" category we often hear in prog bands from these shores. A small matter, as the album is mostly instrumental. The Gathering of the Krums is an album that long ago fell off the radar. Like in 1999... If the words above enter your comfort zone, you'll want to hear this album.

Ownership: CD: 1999 M&M. Jewel case with simple booklet containing release details. I remember Mark Cella as I had purchased some CDs from him during the 90s (M&M Music, same as the label for this release). I was sad to learn of his untimely death back in 2010.

Garden Wall - Chimica. 1997 Italy

Listening to this tonight. Not much to add to the below. I wish it had more bass - it's very trebly. And Mauro Olivo's keyboard tones are pretty much the same throughout, minus the piano of course. Seems he should have taken advantage of the modern technology at his disposal. All that said, it really is an imaginative album that goes all over the place. Few bands were at this Italian band's level of creativity at the time of release.

On Chimica, Garden Wall’s 4th album, the band had really progressed to new levels of intensity and intelligence. It wouldn’t be too far out of place to state that Garden Wall are a few branches of further growth from the Semiramis tree, demonstrating their Italian progressive rock heritage. Lead vocalist/guitarist Alessandro Seravalle is truly one of the more creative minds to emerge on the progressive music scene in the last 20 years. He pretty much just marches to his own drummer and could be seen as a genius, or insane, depending on one’s perspective. His vocal style is best described as strange, somewhere between Peter Hammill and a madman (some would argue that’s the same thing). It’s a style that’s very appealing for the chaotic music he and the band create. Keyboardist Mauro Olivo plays almost entirely in counterpoint mode, giving the music a disorienting feel. While Garden Wall always had a heavy streak, Chimica is the album where they leaped whole hog into the metal camp concerning the guitar tone. Which is not to say they are a Dream Theater style prog metal group, not even close. This is real progressive music, in the true sense of the word, not just a genre tag. The 34 minute multi-part opening track ‘Chemo’ goes through many different sections while still maintaining the sense of a whole composition (something that is rare to find in modern bands). For fans of their earlier style, Chimica is seen as an album going in the wrong direction, but since there are plenty of keyboards and acoustic sections, it was passable. For folks like myself who love this kind of creativity while still rocking out, Garden Wall were continuing to progress into new exciting realms. It would be five years until their next album, and not only did they continue to polarize the progressive listening audience, they blew a hole in the universe.

Ownership: CD: 1997 WMMS / Music is Intelligence (Germany). Purchased new not long after release. Jewel case. Booklet has the English lyrics and computer artwork.

8/26/06 (Gnosis); 6/6/21 (new entry)

Som Imaginario - Matanca do Porco. 1973 Brazil

Matanca do Porco is Som Imaginario's 3rd and last album, and is a departure from their first 2 albums. The only remnants from their psychedelic era is the decidedly acid tone of the electric guitar. Otherwise, the music has gone from heavy psych to progressive rock, with a Brazilian jazz undertone. The all-instrumental Matanca do Porco is very well written, and has some wonderful melodies among the complex symphonic fusion. The embracement of Brazil's own Bossa Nova culture is much welcomed here. Comparisons are harder to find than previous, as Som Imaginario predicts the oncoming jazz fusion movement by about 2 to 3 years. Maybe Il Volo's second album is a guidepost? And even that came two years later than Matanca do Porco. The analog sound is still rooted in the early 70s, but it's the fusion of styles in an instrumental setting, that is forward looking. Essential for the collection.

Revisiting these Som Imaginario albums has been enlightening. I would say the debut met expectations, and the next two exceeded them, each resulting in a +1 rating.

Ownership: CD: 1997 EMI. As part of the Portfolio 3 CD box set. My thoughts about this package can be found on their debut (1970) post.

Som Imaginario. 1971 Brazil

For over 20 years, I had misinterpreted Som Imaginario's second album as the weak middle child. That awkward transition album from psychedelic to progressive rock. I was thinking of bands like The Mandrake Memorial or SRC. And, in particular, Italy's Formula 3 came to mind. But last night I heard the album completely different. I went 4 rounds with it, as I was caught off guard. Two straight hours of Som Imaginaro numero 2. It's a heavier album than their debut, and I was reminded more of Modulo 1000 - along with many Italian references, in particular Il Rovescio della Medaglia's La Bibbia and Il Balletto di Bronzo's Sirio 2222. Love the sinister Portuguese narration parts. The album closer 'A Nova Estrela' is brilliant heavy psych, exactly what you want from music of this era. Sure, there's still a bit of 60s pop left in them (especially A2), and their lame attempt at blues is best skipped over (B2). But otherwise, this album surpasses their debut in my estimation, which now puts me in the minority opinion. But I really do think their second album is more innovative and interesting on the whole.

Ownership: CD: 1997 EMI. Part of the Portfolio box set. You can find my thoughts about this package on the debut's post.

Strawberry Alarm Clock - Incense and Peppermints. 1967 USA-California

One looks at that outrageous front cover, crazy band moniker, and even crazier album title, and draws the conclusion that this album is nothing more than period fluff. And if one did that, they would miss out on one of the most thoughtful and brilliant releases ever made. Honestly I do believe its general popularity - especially in its day - is what holds back the appreciation. It's a forward thinking release, far beyond what almost anyone else was doing in 1967, especially coming from the sunny Southern California pop scene. For my tastes, Incense and Peppermints is the greatest pure psychedelic album ever released. The melodies are brilliant and the group truly convey the 1960's sunshine naivete better than anyone before or after. They could even match The Beach Boys in harmony, something they were trained to do, and did not come by accident. The album opens with 'The World's on Fire', which is about 3 to 4 years ahead of its time, especially considering its long Eastern influenced jam cycle - with fuzz guitar, flute, organ... it's the classic cosmic Krautrock sound years before anyone would know what that meant. 'Strawberries Mean Love' is ridiculously great, with its dual fuzz guitar melody that sticks with you for days - quite possibly my favorite psychedelic album track ever. 'Rainy Day Mushroom Pillow' is the definition of trippy mellow psych. 'Paxton's Back Street Carnival' is as off-kilter as the rollercoaster ride it depicts. Even songs that are less known like 'Hummin' Happy' pack more ideas into a 2:25 minute time frame than many bands do on a whole side of music. And then there's the famous title track that is jaw dropping in both melody and lyrical content. I joked on my Wake Up It's Tomorrow review about the alien factor, but albums like this really make you wonder sometimes. For as popular as the album was, it's amazing to me just how under the radar it remains. Not a single wasted minute on here.

Ownership: LP: 1967 Uni; CD: 1997 Universal (Japan). There was a time when obtaining Incense and Peppermints on CD was difficult. But it was a must own item for me, and I plunked down for the - at the time - hard to find Japanese CD. I have their band history via their later releases, so I'm keeping this regardless. As for the LP, it's not something you likely will find at a thrift. And a local b&m is going to way overcharge for it. Online is the way to go here, as there's plenty of supply. I bought mine at the very beginning of my ebay days in the late 90s. Back then minty ones could be found for $10-$15. For the same condition, you might pay more now, but it's still not expensive. 

6/4/21 (new entry)

Som Imaginario. 1970 Brazil

Som Imaginario were one of the earliest psychedelic bands emerging from Brazil. For 1970, their debut has to be considered groundbreaking, even if they weren't truly first for the country. The opening half is where the meat is on this album. Very psychedelic, with studio effects, fuzz guitar, the whole shebang (been awhile since I managed to get the word shebang into a review). Side 2 drifts off into more of a 60s pop vein, similar to how the Italians would do on occasion. Really not that much different than Gruppo 2001 in that regard. Overall it works out to a grade of very good, but disappointing only in that it appeared it was going to be that much more.

Ownership: CD: 1997 EMI. Part of a 3 CD box set known as the "Portfolio" series. Purchased new not long after release (good thing, as it's become quite scarce nowadays). There are times when I think maybe I should have never gone with CD reissues, and just stuck with newer releases for the platform, while continuing to hunt down the rarest original LPs. But it's packages such as this that reminds me how wonderful the medium can be. I don't forget what Brazilian LP originals looked and sounded like, before the advent of the CD reissue. They weren't the best pressings to begin with, and many were partied out from there. Perhaps understandably so, but not the best circumstances for collecting. Each of their 3 albums are packaged in nice mini-LP covers, with replicas of the original inner sleeves. Unfortunately there's no liner notes, which probably would have been in Portuguese, but I would have enjoyed them all the same. No bonus tracks either. For me, this is the definitive way to own these albums. If originals are found in the wilds, great, but this box set is more than satisfying for what I need.

Small Wonder. 1976 Canada-Ontario

I can't remember the exact circumstances of how I learned about Toronto's Small Wonder, but I think I may have been searching for mellotron on ebay, when this album showed up. Never heard of it. I went over to the ever reliable Planet Mellotron, where Andy had four T's on it, which is a very significant amount. He wasn't fond of the music, but since the album was being offered for something like $2, I figured what the hell. This was back in 2014, long before my thriftin' days. But this isn't something you'd likely find in that scenario either (and it would probably cost more - like $3 lol). A portion of my original scratch off notes stated: "Small Wonder's debut is a straightforward mid 70s AOR album. The songwriting is pretty good, the vocal harmonies are in the higher register similar to many bands of the era (think a very poppy Yes for example), and there is some real talent displayed on the instruments. It's very much like half the albums that came out in 1976, and were played on the radio incessantly. How Small Wonder didn't catch on can only be explained by the sheer glut of albums that were similar." On reflection, that's pretty accurate. I would take it a step further and suggest that it reminds me of Starcastle's Citadel without any prog rock epics. But it sounds like a prog album. The instrumentation includes woody bass, violin, and an arsenal of analog keyboards, most notably the aforementioned Mellotron along with copious amounts of Moog. Obviously these guys were prog heads, that showed up way too late for the party, and had a go at AOR instead. The tunes are well written, and honestly they should have made a mark in their day. I find myself enjoying this one much more than on original impact.

Ownership: LP: 1976 Columbia (Canada). Single sleeve. Online acquisition (2014).

3/7/14 (first listen); 6/2/21 (review/new entry)