Epitaph - Stop Look and Listen. 1972 Germany

As with Abacus and Kin Ping Meh, Epitaph took more of a UK approach to prog rock on their debut. And all 3 groups switched gears on their sophomore effort and moved towards hard rock - perhaps even the rural variety of said genre. Of this sample size, Epitaph's second album is the clear winner. Guitar is the focus, but they haven't yet dropped the organ, most notably heard on the lengthy 'Fly' track, a vestige of their Krautrock past. This is the album that allowed their international breakthrough follow-up Outside the Law to happen. With only 5 tracks, there's plenty of room for guitar based jamming. An excellent entry for hard rock fans, lesser so for Krautrock and prog.

Ownership: LP: 1972 Polydor. Single sleeve. Recent online acquisition. First time for me to own this title in any format.

1/29/22 (new entry)

Lloyd McNeill - Treasures. 1976 USA-Washington D.C.

I've spoken about my admiration for Lloyd McNeill on the Asha album post, so I won't cover that here again. Five years after his 3rd (and arguably best) effort Washington Suite, McNeill returns with Treasures. Right from the opening 16 minute 'Griot' time stands still as the music sounds every bit like a 1971 McNeill effort. Along for the ride are some Brazilian musicians he befriended along the way during various travels, including most prominently pianist Dom Salvador. The middle two tracks demonstrate the South American influence, with a bit more of a rock rhythm and some happy flute from McNeill. The closer is closer to a jazz ballad, and points to an earlier period. Great album overall, and a must for McNeill fans.

Ownership: CD: 2019 Soul Jazz (UK). Purchased from an online retailer upon release. Comes with a history of McNeill, a couple of photos, and his full discography in pictures. Long overdue and much needed reissue.

1/28/22 (new entry)

Peru ~ Netherlands

Constellations (1981)

Back again with another electronic album. Peru are (still around I think) a three piece (a play on their names apparently) who play a raft full of keyboards primarily of the Korg variety. Want to take a stab at who they are trying to emulate? Yea sure, why not: Winner Winner Chicken Dinner! So yes, of course Schmoelling era Tangerine Dream lives deep in these guys. I believe this is their second album. It's more of the same, of which I'm just enjoying at the moment. As one of my organization's younger members blurted in a meeting recently (hilariously so I might add) "I'm going through some shit, don't judge me!". She was of course joking, but I could relate.

Ownership: 1981 CNR (LP) 

1/28/22 (review / new entry)

Nuova Era ~ Italy

Dopo L'Infinito (1989)

The late 80s were an exciting time for progressive rock, as all the signals were there for a renaissance. It had successfully moved to the underground, and there was still a market hungry for new talent. Italy was one country that hadn't seen much activity, and so when Ezra Winston arrived on the scene in 1988, happy days were ahead. Trouble was, they were more UK and Dutch influenced than what one would expect from Italy. Ah, but the cavalry was on the way. And leading the charge was Nuova Era. By their second album Dopo L'Infinito, the band had found their footing, and released the first bona fide Italian prog album in many years. Two side long tracks, going through a myriad of dynamic and meter changes, all sung in glorious Italian. As with any great prog band from Italy, the best parts are the breaks, the sudden change that is loudly announced via guitar or keyboards, followed by a barrage of heavy rhythm. And Nuova Era is relentless on this front, making the second side the stronger of the two. Make no mistake though, Dopo L'Infinito is definitely an early 70s styled prog album from a composition standpoint, but the instrumentation is very much that of 1989. So analog purists may still scoff, but for fans at the time, it was manna from heaven.

Ownership: 1989 Contempo (LP). Gatefold with lyrics in the centerpiece.

1990 (first listen); 1/28/22 (review)

Io e Il Tempo (1992)

Probably more than any other band, Nuova Era can be credited with bringing back the classic early 70s Italian progressive rock sound... kicking and screaming into the 90s. They started their career with the rather tepid L'Ultimo Viaggio, but by the time of Io e Il Tempo, their 3rd album, Nuova Era were firing on all cylinders. The basic foundation of the classic Italo sound are here: Classically based compositions, turn-on-a-dime rhythms, impassioned vocals (in Italian of course), and expertly played instruments. And it's the usual palette of sounds with organ / synthesizer, guitar, flute, bass and drums. Two long suites with plenty of unexpected turns; ferocious rocked out parts are offset by tranquil piano interludes which keeps this an exciting listen throughout. The vocals are similar to Sithonia - another standout early 90's Italian band. Despite all of the parallels, there's no mistaking Nuova Era as a purposefully retro band ala La Maschera di Cera. The guitarist can fall prey to "rock star" ambition on occasion, and the overly bright production screams early 90s. But the thoughtfulness and density of the compositions is what makes albums like this stand the test of time, the lack of an abundance of analog equipment notwithstanding.

Ownership: 1992 Contempo (LP)

1992 (first listen); 5/4/12 (review)

5/4/12 (new entry)

Tyndall - Sonnenlicht. 1980 Germany

My first encounter with Tyndall's albums was at a specialty import store in Dallas known as The Record Gallery. It was the summer of 1985, and I was working as an engineering intern (see Pink Floyd Meddle entry for more on that), and as such I had some money to spend on my fast growing record collection. It was like walking into a parallel universe, where all the albums were completely different than anything I'd ever seen before. This is where I loaded up on the Pop Import reissues of Ash Ra Tempel, Popol Vuh, and others while looking at dozens of other albums that looked very intriguing. I still had a limited budget so deciding what to buy was not easy. I had no guideposts, no internet links to sample. Just pure gut instinct. And despite the beautiful cover, I was thinking this was probably going to be a bit too much "80s electronic" and not enough psychedelia and rock that I was craving. Now some 36 years later, I find it again at a record store. Of course I'll buy it.

My instincts proved correct. There's no way I would have kept this past the mid 90s LP purge. It's rudimentary electronic music made by two German dudes who possess a pretty good setup for the time. It had already been done by 1980, and would be done countless more times afterward. But for whatever reason - probably nostalgia - I'm loving this sound today. Rather than go for the side longers, Tyndall offers up 7 solid compositions in the Berlin School tradition. There are no fat Modular Moog sequences, the keyboards are more common variety than that. You can probably image the sound in your head without hearing it, but if you're like me, and you can't get enough of that distinct late 70s and early 80's electronic music, then of course Tyndall's debut Sonnenlicht would be a welcome addition. Not one to start with though.

Ownership: LP: 1980 Sky. Single sleeve with an eye catching cover. This was part of the Baltimore store pickup, and priced not much more than a thrift shop (despite being nearly perfect mint), similar to the Gandalf albums. Easy to find online, and not that expensive (though more here in the States than Europe).

new entry

Osage Tribe - Arrow Head. 1972 Italy

Osage Tribe were an "early days" Italian prog band where they mixed late era psychedelia, hard rock, and progressive rock seamlessly. There was likely no attempt to be part of a scene, yet that scene existed inside Osage Tribe. Originally lead by none other than Franco Battiato, Osage Tribe were a trio at the time of recording. They're basically a hyperactive rhythm section with Nuova Idea's Marco Zoccheddu doing everything else. I really like his guitar style, which is generally fast and loose, with plenty of psychedelic soloing. He brought the same style to his next venture - the decidedly jazz influenced Duello Madre. I'm not real keen on the lengthy opener 'Hajenhanhowa'. It's a bit slow paced, and has a distinct "1960s American TV Western" variation of Native American music (see Ownership section for more). After this, the remaining 4 tracks are classic Italian prog styled numbers, and could be considered the missing link between Il Balletto di Bronzo's two albums, even if there's no relation. An excellent album overall, that gets better with each listen.

Ownership: LP: 2013 Vinyl Magic / Bla Bla. Gatefold. Acquired not long after release from an online retailer. This is the first time for me to hear it. Definitely taken from vinyl (still sounds great), but given the fact that originals are hyper rare, it's far better than nothing. The cover is stunningly beautiful even though it's completely inaccurate. The girl on the cover is - of course - no Native American. She's a sexy white girl in a skimpy costume - male fantasy overload essentially. It reminds me of the gift shops you'll see throughout the American southwest (certainly including here in Colorado) with paintings of what could be called "Caucasian Indians". I think the Cheech and Chong inspired centerpiece and back cover may offer some clues to how all this happened. There's a lyric inner sheet as well, with one side a mirror image (sort of useless). 

CD: 1994 Vinyl Magic. Standard jewel case. Features as bonus tracks their rare 1971 single. If the cover wasn't bad enough, the music here is nothing short of exploitive pop music. Apparently it was a hit in their native Italy at the time. It's not enough to keep the CD for (especially since those 2 tracks aren't very good really). Not sure why they didn't include them on the vinyl repressings, other than the quality of the music. 

BTW - if you want to hear authentic Native American music, I encourage you all to seek out the various Folkways albums dedicated to various tribes from the 1950s and 60s. These were field recordings of actual ceremonies from the time. They're extremely lo-fi, but 100% authentic.

1994; 2008; 1/26/22 (new entry)

Katamaran ~ Germany

Cafe Florian (1978)

Katamaran is another long time CDRWLister. Cafe Florian is their second album and last night's revisit resulted in a +1 after back to back listens. Primarily due to the depth of the compositions, which I didn't pick up on before. I didn't have separate notes up for this title, so starting from scratch here. A full sextet, all members get a chance to shine in an ensemble setting. Wolf Burbat is the clear leader, as not only does he write the songs, but he provides the primary lead instruments, that of flute, synthesizer, piano, and Rhodes. But the others don't just sit back and buy a ticket to watch. There's plenty of electric guitar, saxophone, bass, drums, and a dedicated percussionist as well (from Kollektiv!). A very solid album for the category.

Ownership: 1978 Plane Jazz (LP)

None of their albums have been reissued in any format as of 3/30/25.

10/08/09 (first listen); 1/25/22 (acquired / review / new entry)

Ring van Möbius ~ Norway

Past the Evening Sun (2018)

It doesn't take too long to figure out that Ring van Möbius (Ring van Mobius if searching) have Van der Graaf Generator on the mind while listening to Past the Evening Sun. The dense compositions, the broad stroke saxophone, heavy bass, and the psychotic Peter Hammill style vocals all point to Pawn Hearts. The vocals might be a bit more soft affected than Hammill's - perhaps a bit of Gabriel even, and some of the mellotron work recalls early King Crimson, so it's not all intense - all the time. Ring van Möbius were to switch gears for their second effort The 3rd Majesty (for arguably the better) which I managed to get some words down below. For another Norwegian retro prog band reference, Past the Evening Sun reminds me of Gargamel. Easy rec for fans of complex early 70s prog rock.

Ownership: 

2018 Apollon (LP) Gatefold. Gold marble vinyl.

2018 Apollon (CD). Booklet with colorful layout with lyrics, and a band photo.

1/14/19 (acquired); 1/24/22 (review)

The 3rd Majesty (2020)

Snuck one more new album in before the New Year. Ring van Mobius burst onto the scene a couple of years ago with their own brand of retro prog. To be honest I don't remember much about that debut, but I have an excellent rating for it (since rectified, see above). And perhaps no surprise since Past the Evening Sun was modeled to some extent on Van der Graaf Generator - a band I recently told you all I struggle to recollect regardless. The 3rd Majesty seems to draw from a different well of UK progressive rock. There are some VDGGisms left, but gone is the saxophone, and its place is a barrage of keyboards and fuzz bass. Whereas fellow countrymen Wobbler dabbles with both classic Scandinavian dark prog and all-time favorites Yes, Ring van Mobius borrows from that same Yes, as well as ELP, King Crimson - and the American variant of such. Scoff all you want, but one can even hear Starcastle within these grooves. As is often the case with music like this, the blend is original even if the ingredients are not.  Given that I'm an unreconstructed early 70s progger at heart, I find albums like this to be highly satisfying. Not a title for those who would like to get past 1974. For my tastes this album challenged Wobbler's latest to the finish line. Superb offering.

Ownership: 

2020 Apollon (LP) Gatefold

2020 Apollon (CD). Booklet featuring lyrics and Renaissance era-styled fonts and artwork.

12/31/20 (review)

Also own and need to review: Commissioned Works Pt II - Six Drops Of Poison

1/1/21 (new entry)

Black Sabbath - Mob Rules. 1981 England

Mob Rules is the second album from the post Ozzy Black Sabbath / pre Dio solo era. Like with Heaven and Hell, the music is more energetic than what one usually associates with the Sabs. It's borderline heavy metal, though really it's more like juiced up hard rock. For whatever reason, even though I was very familiar with Heaven and Hell real time, I never took the time to hear the follow-up. The title track and 'Turn Up the Night' received perfunctory airplay but it was hardly ubiquitous. It wasn't until about 2005, after picking up a commodity CD, that I became aware of the quality herein. Besides the more upbeat tracks, the two highlights here are the longer, more thought-out, tracks: 'The Sign of the Southern Cross' and 'Falling Off the Edge of the World', the latter featuring a particularly compelling riff about halfway through. For whatever reason, I was brought back to Dio's time with Rainbow, especially the mammoth 'Stargazer'. Mob Rules is good goods.

Ownership: LP: 2021 Rhino / Warner. 2xLP gatefold cover. Recent trade credit acquisition from a local store. A fantastic reissue, it would be hard for me to even keep an original, if I ever found one. The second disc features the single from the movie Heavy Metal with the original B-side of a live version of 'Die Young' from the previous album. Also included are extracts from 1982 concerts in Portland and London, which includes an interesting mix of the first half of Southern Cross with the blazing second half of the Heaven and Hell title track. The centerpiece has extensive historical liner notes with participation of the band and family members. There's even an interesting retrospective from the original cover artist, who was active with the Catholic church, and didn't even know who Black Sabbath were. He has since reconciled...

1/23/22 (new entry)

Pythagoras - After the Silence. 1982 Netherlands

This is the second album I've heard this year with a "For Jimi" tag. Though for Pythagoras' sophomore effort, it's far more a stretch than on Jukka Tolonen's Hysterica. This isn't a guitar centric album, but definitely belongs to electronic music forms, very prevalent in the day. Given that one member of the duo is a drummer, it definitely is more "electronic rock" in the same manner that Klaus Schulze's Moondawn is. Though one can argue that Pink Floyd is more an influence on the rockier sections. Lots of guests on this platter including Arjen Lucassen on guitar (he of Ayreon fame, who made a decent career of it 15 years later), Plackband (long before they ever saw a release), flute, violin, and a rare appearance of the Novotron. The keyboards are a mix of the latest digital synthesizer technology of the day, with copious amounts of the legacy mellotron. A different sound for the genre, and excellent on the whole.

Ownership: LP: 1982 Syntone. Single sleeve. Was part of the large haul from the Baltimore record store late last year. The photos you see are this copy as we added them to Discogs. Also changed the date to 1982, as the labels are clear about this. The back cover shows 1981, which is probably the source of the incorrect year.

new entry

Pell Mell - Marburg. 1972 Germany

Pell Mell's debut is representative of the heavy prog movement rolling through Germany during the early 70s. While many groups were exploring various realms of Krautrock, or going for the jugular with a particularly acute hard rock, there were others that incorporated progressive rock motifs. Marburg is one such album, and recalls the recently reported Sahara Sunrise, along with Eloy's Inside / Floating, and Metropolis' sole album as but a few examples. The copious use of violin adds Hoelderlin to the mix. 5 long tracks, filled to the brim with heavy guitar/organ instrumental work and strong compositions. Pretty much a can't miss item if all these ingredients sound good to you.

Ownership: LP: 1972 Bacillus. Single sleeve first pressing "unboxed Bellaphon". Acquired online in 2015, and this is the first time for me to hear this copy. The first version I bought was the purple Bellaphon label released in the late 70's likely. Bought that new from a UK mail order dealer in 1990 and was replaced by this.

1/22/22 (new entry)

Zanov - Moebius 256 301. 1977 France

I have some thoughts up on this blog already about Green Ray, Zanov's debut. His sophomore effort continues in that vein. The late 70s was filled with budding electronic musicians getting ahold of (very expensive at the time) analog synthesizers and making a go at being the next Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, Vangelis, or Jean-Michel Jarre. Most became obscurities as soon as they were released, but Pierre Zalkazanov did manage to receive 2 releases on the venerable Polydor label (even though he kept his day job - presumably to afford the equipment!) and had a great reputation in France - probably the most innovative country during that era. The album starts off with 3 vignettes, similar to Richard Pinhas' Chronolyse, before launching into lengthy excursions. The energy level is high, and this is the dynamic electronic music many of us crave. Excellent on the whole.

Ownership: LP: 1977 Polydor. Single sleeve. Was part of the Baltimore purchase late last year.

1/21/22 (new entry)

Surya. 1979 France

Surya was a fusion band lead by the Lockwood brothers, and released this one album. In the US, the album was listed under Didier Lockwood's name with the title of Surya. Strange move, as I doubt Didier Lockwood meant too much to the average American at the time. Could have been a copyright thing. In any case, Surya is a smoking hot fusion album with Didier's violin up front, supported by Francis' piano, and some fantastic synthesizer work from Luc Plouton. "In every band" drummer Jean My Truong is keeping bassist Sylvain Marc busy trying to maintain the pace. It's not all chops, as you can find some beautiful songwriting such as found on 'Aspiring Answer'. There's some funky business too, as to be expected from the era. All in all, a superb fusion album for fans of the genre.

Ownership: LP: 1979 Cornelia. Single sleeve with information inner. Was part of the large haul purchased in Baltimore. My first copy was the aforementioned Didier Lockwood on Inner City, that used to proliferate the dollar bins, but is becoming scarcer.

new entry

Gandalf - Journey to an Imaginary Land. 1980 Austria

As mentioned recently, I've been really enjoying mid 1970s to early 80s fusion of late. Perhaps even more acute is my interest in late 70s and 80's progressive electronic. Blame Tangerine Dream. For whatever reason, I just can't seem to get enough of their later sound, even though I still prefer their 70s output. Now comes Gandalf, an individual I was first introduced to by Eurock in the late 80s. I always fell for his incredible hype (oh yes, ol Arch was the king of hype - the real definition of the word, not the lazy modern reviewer take), and felt taken as I so often did back then. The album in question was Magic Theatre (1983), which I'm sure I'd probably really enjoy now lol. But his definition of the album wasn't what Gandalf is - more like what I would have expected from a Klaus Schulze or mid 70s TD album. Yea, right.

Which gets us to the first album by Heinz Strobl (yea, Gandalf...). Generally cast as a "new age" album, this really is nothing of the sort. Journey to an Imaginary Land is very much in tune with the European progressive electronic sound of the day, especially what you might hear in France. I'm a sucker for acoustic and electric guitars within the context of a synthesizer heavy album, and there's much to savor here. There are no drums, but plenty of percussion, another hallmark of a thought out electronic album. There's a little bit o' twee here and there, but mostly this is a strong work in the genre, and most certainly would appeal to vintage Mike Oldfield fans along with the aforementioned French scene. Oh cool, I also picked up the second album Visions. More to come on that soon enough.

Ownership: LP: 1980 WEA (Germany). Single sleeve. Was part of the Baltimore haul from December. This one came at a thrift shop price, so no way I leave it behind, regardless of my previously held opinion. Had it been $10, I would have moved on. So kudos to the record store! Albums like this are cheap if sitting at home mail-ordering, but no way you'd ever actually find it in the wilds.

new entry

Kornet ~ Sweden

Kornet (1975)

Here's another old CDRWL entry that I heard last night, and which resulted in a +1 listen. Probably because I'm really enjoying jazz rock / fusion at the moment. This one opens up just as the recently posted Return to Forever closed down. Wait a minute... Ah, but this has plenty of flute and light sax to differentiate, along with the usual guitars, keyboards, rhythm section. Strong melodies, some excellent hard rocking instrumentation, including good solos. It's definitely a mid 70s Euro Fusion album, taking the best of the American pioneers and mixing in their own hidden recipe. Easy rec for fans.

Ownership: 1975 Manifest (LP) 

No reissues as of 3/30/25.

12/23/09 (first listen); 1/18/22 (review / new entry)

Return to Forever - Where Have I Known You Before. 1974 USA

As mentioned recently, I've really been in the mood for jazz fusion of late, so why not hear one of the progenitors of the movement? Even though I've owned this album for ages, it continues to improve to my ears. There are 5 main tracks here, all of them ripping jazz rock/fusion tracks, and this is the one album where you'll get to hear Al Di Meola go all psychedelic, not something he's known for. The rhythm section of Stanley Clarke and Lenny White is insane, and Chick Corea embracing synthesizers at this early stage was a prescient move. The use of funk would be further explored on their next No Mystery album. There's also 3 peaceful interludes with the title structure of 'Where Have I xx [yy] You Before' (yea been dabbling in my programming roots for my new job...). Return to Forever were the band every jr/f artist wanted to be. Few could match them.

Ownership: LP: 1974 Polydor. Single sleeve. Acquired for $1 in 2019 at the "14,000 album sale" locally that I detailed previously. Perfect mint. This copy is known as the "Chuck Correa" version (see label photo) which makes me laugh every time. "Hey Chuck, crank up those synthesizers, would ya!" Got the last name wrong too. The first copy I owned was from my roommate in college (r.i.p.), who didn't want it anymore. Why he bought it in the first place is one of the world's great mysteries that he took to the grave with him. We'll tell his story someday. It wasn't in very good condition but I kept it forever anyway. 

1//14; 12//15; 1/17/22 (new entry)

Exodus - Bonded by Blood. 1985 USA-California

I discussed my background with Exodus on the Fabulous Disaster blurb found on LP Roundup 2.46. It seems that the only album by them that resonates with me is this debut, that I first heard when purchasing real time in 1985. In revisiting Bonded by Blood, the album never quite hits the expectations I set for it. As noted in the Fabulous Disaster review, Exodus are a bit too simplistic to appreciate at a multi-dimensional level. Though I have a new favorite from the album and that would be 'A Lesson in Violence' which is far more intense than I recall. The former favorite 'Deliver Us To Evil' also packs a wallop. It's too bad this album didn't come out in 1983 where it would have had immediate impact. I'm certainly open to hearing later era albums by this band, but Bonded by Blood is the only one I know I will keep. Too many great memories from that period of my life to consider otherwise.

Ownership: LP: 2009 Back on Black (UK). Recent acquisition via trade credit from a local store. The LP is a beautiful gatefold package (the original is a single sleeve), stretched to 2 discs (blue vinyl), with an additional duo of live tracks added (same ones that are on the CD). And they left the awesome cornball "evil" cartoon cover, that the CDs tried to hide. As noted I bought the original LP upon release, and sold it off because the music wasn't so much to my taste in the 90s.

10/23/21; 1/16/22 (new entry)

Aphelandra. 1976 France (archival)

Aphelandra is an archival release of Philippe Grancher's prog band recorded near the time of 3000 Miles Away. Features his friend Cyrille Verdeaux as a guest, along with Didier Lockwood, though their presence is not very apparent. There are some similarities to Clearlight, but without the space rock elements. Mostly it's a classical oriented work, with light rock elements. Reminds me most of the equally obscure Noetra, that also received an archival release. It's only on the second track 'Belladonne' that we hear the band rock out, and more of that trait would have been welcome. There are some incidental bits as well, which indicates this was an unfinished work. Very good on the whole, represents excellent history, but is debatable if it's essential.

Ownership: CD: 2001 Mellow (Italy). Acquired from an online retailer upon release. Booklet features a short history.

1/2/19; 1/16/22 (new entry); 7/4/22 (removed CD)

Fields. 1971 England

Graham Field was the keyboardist for Rare Bird, and this solo album is pretty similar to their first 2 albums, minus the guitar. At its best, Field is pounding hard on the Hammond, and grinding out a grungy sound, with a complex rhythmic background behind him. There are some regular "classic rock" styled tunes here too, which reminds me also of Rare Bird. I always want more out of this album, mainly because it's not dedicated to progressive rock, and it fumbles around too much with other disparate styles. I feel the same about Rare Bird. That said, it's still very good on the whole, and worth keeping.

Ownership: LP: 1971 CBS (UK). Beautiful unipak gatefold including the rare elusive poster! Recent online acquisition. Strangely I've never owned (but had heard) this album in the past, in any format. Might as well open up the PPR piggy bank and get the first press original with all the goodies!

new entry

Ruphus - Ranshart. 1974 Norway

Ruphus had a somewhat unfocused start of their career. Their debut was very much part of the Norwegian underground, and fit comfortably with Junipher Greene, Aunt Mary, Popol Vuh, etc.... Then they took a major diversion by attempting to emulate the UK megastars known as Yes. And finally they settled into a jazz rock groove that continued through the rest of their career, with mixed results.

That Yes album above would be Ranshart, our focus of today's post. The first side, strangely enough, predicts the American variation of copying Yes, in particular Starcastle comes to mind. It's a mix of radio friendly tunes blended with obvious progressive rock tones and meter shifts. Asle Nilsen's bass work recalls Chris Squire, and that can only be a good thing. The second side throws off the commercial ambition and goes all-in prog rock, with the lengthy instrumental 'Pictures of a Day' being a highlight. Nilsen also pulls out the flute, proving he may be the progger of the bunch. Keyboards are provided by Hakon Graf, he later to play on the jazz fusion Blow Out album. On Ranshart, he adds the requisite mellotron throughout the recording. For those that are allergic to classic 70s "UK big name prog" albums, you'll probably want to steer clear of Ranshart. Otherwise this is fastball-down-the middle proggy prog.

Ownership: LP: 1974 Polydor; LP: 1978 Brain (Germany). I couldn't quite remember when I obtained the Brain release, which remains my primary listening copy. I recall seeing it at a Dallas record store in the early 90s, but I think PPR Jeff snapped it up ahead of me (damn!). My database has the facts though - acquired from a mail order dealer in 1994. The Brain release is a reissue of course, and was released on the orange/multi-color label. The original Norwegian pressing was a gift from a great friend of UMR in 2017. It wasn't in the best shape (still worth plenty of $, so a very nice gesture). But I love the cover, so it allows me to hang it up high on my wall of albums, since I won't likely need to play it. 

I picked up the CD dutifully upon release, but it doesn't offer anything but a very short history (preserved below), so I released it.

1994; 2009; 1/15/22 (new entry)

xxx

Ada le Fol ~ France

Les Années d'Errance (1980)

Ada le Fol is another example of the groups* of the French underground that played in that unique theatrical progressive rock style made so popular by Ange and Mona Lisa. Les Années d'Errance is more underproduced and amateurish, just as like-minded bands such as Trefle and Grime are, but that's honestly where the appeal lies. It's creativity at its most raw. The vocalist here does a fine job at the Decamps style, while the keyboards and guitar keep the progressive quotient alive. 

The album starts a bit tentatively and seems to be on a hard downhill slope with a throwaway good-times rock and roller (the awful 'Les Bons Conseils'), But starting with the non-bluesy 'Breizh Blues', the album proves to be a strong example of the French vocal-prog style.

*I didn't realize until getting this on LP, that Ada le Fol is a person. As it turns out, it's a pseudonym for a one Alain Rouquette. We made the change on Discogs as well, as it's a little known fact. Despite this tidbit, it remains a full band effort.

Ownership: 1980 Disques Velia (LP). Lyric / photo insert. 

No reissues as of 3/30/25.

12/8/10 (first listen); 9/14/19; 1/15/22 (review / new entry)

Abacus. 1971 Germany

On Abacus' debut you can hear a lot of parallels to another quirky German band: Nine Days Wonder. Like NDW's debut, this album is radically progressive, covering anywhere from Frank Zappa's more complex works to any number of UK outfits. The vocalist is from England, and he writes much of the material, so this album doesn't sound much like Krautrock as we know it. After this, the band took a noticeable downturn. As such, I think this debut is overlooked. Be sure to not miss this one, as it's excellent!

Ownership: LP: 1971 Polydor (UK). Single sleeve. Recent online acquisition from our new friends down south in ABQ: SloLow, who we spent some time getting to know at the last Denver Record Show. The front and back photos are this copy as we added them to Discogs. The label shown is too dark red, but we left what was already there anyway.

5/3/10 (CDRWL)