Morning Sky - Sea of Dreams. 1976 USA-New Hampshire

Here's an old title from the CDRWL. My notes from 12 years ago stated:

On the surface, New Hampshire based Morning Sky are a typical mid 70s jazz flute ensemble. Then the sweet airy female vocals add some life, and the peppy rhythms recall the Lloyd McNeill Quartet. Then, out of nowhere, arrive these loud fuzz guitar solos that are truly exciting in this context. Fascinating album and very much worth seeking out! 

---

On last night's +2 listen it's apparent I way undersold this one. Heck, I almost went +3 into Self-Actualization territory. A2 and B1 do reach those heights. Perhaps only B2 is a bit wandering and experimental for an album such as this. Both the female and male vocals are soothing and well done. Flute plays a major role as does the electric guitar. The music is ensemble driven, not solo focused, and depending on one's definition could be considered progressive rock. There's more than a nod to Canterbury here, though I think it's coincidental verse a concentrated effort. A brilliant album overall.

Ownership: LP: 1976 private. Single sleeve. Recent online acquisition (2022). Looks like our CDRWL entry was the impetus for getting into Discogs. There were a few errors and it needed fresh photos, which I just fixed/added. So the images you see here are from my copy. No reissues exist which is a pity for such a great album.

8/3/10 (CDRWL); 10/31/22

Groundhogs - Hogwash. 1972 England

Groundhogs were one of the iconic groups of the British blues underground that proliferated throughout the late 60s and early 70s. Some bands - like Led Zeppelin - transcended the genre to its greatest heights. But most of the groups didn't stretch out much, and are now a footnote in history. Many also come with a healthy price tag as they didn't sell much originally given that competition was fierce. From Ashkan to Zior the number of groups operating in this space in England were extensive.

By the early 70s, Groundhogs had made the necessary changes to survive the ever changing customer base. Namely adding progressive rock elements including mellotron. They also managed to maintain their psychedelic past, noted in Tony McPhee's blistering (at times) guitar work. Hogwash is not as easy album to describe because it does possess a multitude of styles without any kind of special songwriting. There isn't anything head turning, with 'Earth Shanty' being the most overtly prog number here. This is one of those albums that probably will need more time and listens to fully penetrate. With that in mind, I'll stick it in the collection for another round in the future.

Ownership: LP: 1973 United Artists (USA). Tri-fold. Repress from one year later. Last of the JL pickups from earlier in the month. It will likely be early next year before we reconvene again.

10/30/22 (new entry)

Fragile - The Album. 1983 USA-California

Seems of late I've been going all-in for Female Fronted AOR, but it's a coincidence I assure you. With Lucksinger, Freeway, and Freeze all getting time on the turntable, it appears I have found a new genre to seek. Only problem is - I didn't keep any of those. Freeze was close, the others were not. But San Jose's Fragile takes it one step further. Their music is heavier than the other bands, and the synthesizer work is deliciously thick. There's even some Hammond here - it's a total 70s rig Hank Shaheen's got set up, and I sense he's the primary songwriter, though the band as a collective take the credit. And Dean Palmer shows up big with some great guitar solos. In this way, the band remind me of Alpha Centauri (Colorado), that I also recently crowed about. Despite the band's moniker, this isn't really prog, though elements of the genre creep in. Primarily - again - due to the 70s analog keyboard presence. Vocalist Jane Brey has a decidedly non-sweet voice recalling Pat Benatar. Definitely one of the better FFAOR albums I've heard.

Ownership: LP: 1983 Big Cheese. Single sleeve. Other than Lucksinger, all of these FFAOR albums came from JL, so I'm guessing that was/is his fetish. Surprisingly the band reissued this on CD in 2009. Though I'm sure that will prove to be harder to find than this LP. The cover as shown isn't exactly correct, as it has a white border drawn within. My copy has some substance and some writing, so I won't be able to override what's in Discogs. The date is on the label, which I could photo I suppose, perhaps one day.

10/29/22 (new entry)

Food - Forever is a Dream. 1969 USA-Illinois

Hailing from Chicago, Food's only release Forever is a Dream is a really odd little album. At times it's spaced out pop psych, at others it's heavy psychedelic, while they also seem to have just left the garage. It's orchestrated, but not saccharine. The vocals are drifty and airy. I could swear I hear mellotron too, though it could just be real strings. It's also a long album for its type. I would get up to flip the record, only to realize there were two more songs on each side to go! I'd heard this album before, but in the wrong contextual mood. This is a good one for solitude late night quiet listening. Mrs. UMR would refer to this situation as "lonelytude". With that in mind, my rating went up +2.

Ownership: LP: 1969 Capitol. Single sleeve. Recent acquisition from JL. Very rare in its original state. Forever is a Dream did get reissued (appears legit) from a label in Australia called Ascension in 2000.

10/28/22 (new entry)

The Original Rabbits - Tails from the Big Green. 1986 USA-Colorado

From the same table as the Mazarati sat this album. No clue what it was, but the insert said they were from Denver. A quick bit of research on Discogs showed that it was obscure and that it was "hard rock". I didn't believe them but for $1 (in perfect condition) who cares right? And it checked two boxes for me: 1) mostly unknown and 2) local. The cover, however, looks like an Indie or Alt Rock record. As the years go by, and my tolerance levels continue to go up for most styles - including even country (only vintage 50's/60's though) - I absolutely cannot stand Indie/Alt rock. As you can probably guess since I'm featuring this title, it was no such thing.

It's not really hard rock, but that's not entirely inaccurate either. Actually the first band that entered my mind was Saga (Canada). That unique blend of 80s music, prog, AOR, and yes, hard rock. There's also more than a nod to Belew era King Crimson. And sure, there's some straight New Wave too. The Original Rabbits were probably 3 to 4 years late to the dance, and the major labels were onto the next big thing. But this is a really cool private press. Definitely a keeper for me.

Ownership: LP: 1986 Rabbit Trax. Single sleeve with lyric/picture insert. Purchased at the Denver Record show (2022) as noted above. It looks like at one point this album had some value. And I suspect it still should, but a couple of dealers are selling them for cheap on Discogs. It's got the right type of AOR sound that people are paying good money for these days. Now I know to have my eyes out for this title (like the Altitude album), so local copies will begin to disappear...

10/26/22 (new entry)

Accept - Breaker. 1981 Germany

One of the most important European metal albums, Accept surprised everyone with their 3rd opus. After a couple of ordinary hard rock albums, Breaker turned up the amps and broke out the riffs for a head turning "did you hear that?". I bought this album real time (the US Passport version) and its impact was profound. I'm surprised I did though, as I unfortunately purchased I'm A Rebel prior, one of the worst buys of my initial forays into the underground during high school. I'll have to hear it again at some point, but it was absolutely not what I wanted at the time. I must have heard a track on the radio from Breaker to compel me to go back to Accept. Over time I lost interest in this kind of metal and sold off my copy in the early 90s - probably along with the 1980s Scorpions albums.

Some years ago I decided I wanted Breaker back. But I insisted on a German pressing on Brain. I also figured the Passport version would be easy to find once I started crate digging - but nope - this wasn't going to be something I'd find in the wilds after all. More about that in the Ownership section.

One thing to note is that the original German version has a different running order than the American press. And this is important because the opening 3 tracks here pack a wallop when thrown together. Opener 'Starlight' reminds me of Judas Priest's 'Grinder' and is a great way to open the album. But the second track - and it is the second track on the Passport version as well - is the title song. It is this song that has one of those memorable riffs that would become heavy metal's ultimate trademark. And 'Run If You Can' fulfills the great opening sequence. From here the album doesn't maintain it's blistering pace but almost all of it is very good. Only 'Midnight Highway' can be skipped - a moldy relic from their I'm a Rebel past. Naturally that was the opener on the US version. So typical... Oddly my rating for this album didn't change. I was expecting a major revelation here, but no - my memory of it from 30 years ago was pretty accurate. I just appreciate more now its historical significance.

Back to 1981: I had become an established Accept fan. Good timing, because their next album was the masterpiece - the one that blew the doors off the metal scene and created the expanding universe as we know it. That of course would be Restless and Wild, and unlike Breaker, I never got tired of that album and it remains one of the treasures of my collection. We'll cover that album on another day.

Ownership: LP: 1981 Brain. Single sleeve with lyric/picture inner bag. Recent online acquisition (2022) from a dealer here in the States at a great price. As you can see it's the black label version, which means it's the second pressing. This is the year they introduced their new design, as there does exist an "orange Brain" version. Originally I had insisted on getting that, but at some point I asked myself what difference does it make? I never owned it in the first place. Nothing beats that back cover - and their next album would show them in flames on the front (not the US/UK version of course - they had to screw it up. Fortunately I bought the German version real time and still have it).

10/25/22 (new entry)

The Police - Zenyatta Mondatta. 1980 England

This was another title that was part of the 2019 buy. As stated before I was anxious to make a profit and didn't take the time to properly absorb the album. The only other time I bought a pile of X-Wave albums was back in 1993, and this was part of that as well. So I was familiar with the contents going in. I enjoyed a +2 listen last night as this is one strange album. It's quirky as heck, with all sorts of odd touches one doesn't associate 80s music with. Of course the band themselves were already veteran proggers with an uncanny knack of predicting music's future. Somewhat like Rush in that way, and it's no surprise that the latter band ultimately ended up sounding like The Police. No doubt Zenyatta Mondatta is more commercially oriented than Rush, but there are parallels here. As a bonus, Andy Summers gets in some mean guitar licks. I can do without track B1, one of their more annoying hits (why does the radio always seem to play the worst songs?) but everything else is very enjoyable here.

Ownership: LP: 1980 A&M. Single sleeve with picture inner bag. Another good pickup at the Denver Record show (2022). Though like INXS' The Swing, this album remains easily available and inexpensive. Even more so than some of The Police's other albums.

12/25/19; 10/25/22 (new entry)

INXS - The Swing. 1984 Australia

By the time INXS really made a name for themselves in the late 80s, I was so far detached from contemporary music I barely knew who they were. The Swing is one of their earlier albums, and comes at a time when I might have heard some of this, but wouldn't recollect it - or care about it. Now is the right time for me to digest albums such as this. I enjoy INXS at this stage of their career for the same reason I like Duran Duran. It's fast paced, crisp, a touch of funk, and catchy. Best of all is that INXS brings 2 guitarists to the party so there's more than a nod to hard rock here - buried under the glossy production mind you. Not all of The Swing is convincing, and it can get way too close to ordinary pop at times. But I heard enough to give it some space for the short term anyway.

Ownership: LP: 1984 ATCO. Gatefold with printed inner bag. Not a lot of gatefolds in the 80s, so that's something different. And yes, yet another great deal at the Denver Record show, though this title surprisingly doesn't go for that much compared to other 80s albums of its ilk.

10/24/22 (new entry)

ZZ Top - Tres Hombres. 1973 USA-Texas

This is the 3rd copy I've run into since 2019. I flipped the other 2 quickly, but this time I wanted to see if my opinion had softened towards this album. And the answer is yes. The music here is exactly what most folks associate pre-80s ZZ Top with. It's crisp and punchy blues rock with excellent guitar solos. Have Mercy. Not real keen on A5 (many folks aren't) or B1 but mostly this delivers the hard rock goods. This album has a lot of familiar tunes to those who listened to FM radio growing up. It's greasy South Texas good fun - just as the inner gatefold of the Mexican dinner setup suggests. Incidentally, Mexican food was not yet a staple of the American diet in 1973. ZZ Top were trailblazers on that front too.

Ownership: LP: 1973 London. Gatefold. Another fine pickup at the Denver Record show for a fraction of going rates. Discogs shows this version as from 1977 without any data to support it's a reissue. I think they just copied the wrong entry when creating it.

1/4/20; 10/24/22 (new entry)

Duran Duran. 1981 England

Some recent UMR thoughts about Duran Duran: "(Rio) 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)... They have an edge on them, with great guitar and superb songwriting."

"Duran Duran - Seven and the Ragged Tiger. 1983. Well didn't this end up being a disappointment?... Side 1 is particularly boring. Side 2 is much more interesting but not enough to save it. I'd call it good on the whole, but that certainly isn't going to cut it. Garden variety New Wave. Misses the energy and punchiness of Rio that's for sure."

"I was never a collector of any of this real time. New Wave / Synth Pop was all the rage when I was in high school. I chose a different route: Heavy Metal... But Duran Duran? Be serious. Now I'm getting all soft in the middle, and finding these albums in thrift shops and bargain bins has been a blast. While also discovering some new cool sounds I completely missed the first go round. Nostalgia has kicked in, though it was always background radio and movie soundtracks for me. You know all those movies that portray 80's boys with poofy hair, lipstick, and eye makeup? Yea, I remember them too. That wasn't me."

And now we get to their debut. I'd been looking for this title for awhile. It's out there, but usually more than I want to pay. The Denver Record show came to the rescue again. This is very much the prototype for Rio and represents what I like from the band. Punchy, aggressive, and catchy. And what is with the finale 'Tel Aviv'? An all instrumental, almost prog rock track! This is my kind of X-Wave. I suspect this and Rio is all I'll keep from Duran Duran.

Ownership: LP: 1983 Capitol. Single sleeve, acquired as noted above (2022). This 1983 repressing came after Rio proved to be a major seller. It features a different photograph of the band, a new logo, and replaces one track with 'Is There Something I Should Know?'. I haven't heard the missing song, but I'm glad the latter made it onto here as it's the only song I recognize from the album (well maybe 'Girls on Film' too) and is very representative of their sound at this time.

10/23/22 (new entry)

Helen Merrill. 1955 USA-New York

As a hardcore crate digger this is exactly the kind of album one hopes to find in the wilds. While your average thrift shop buyer is ready to elbow you out of the way for that beat copy of Dark Side of the Moon, he/she would totally ignore a pristine LP original of Helen Merrill. A $500+ mistake that would prove to be (though I'm keeping the first one I find). I have yet to find one myself, but imagine my surprise when I did see the CD. And Japanese no less - this probably is worth a fortune too. Nada. Merrill is the bomb in Japan and there are many CD pressings, with only a couple from Europe.

Heard of Diana Krall have you? This is exactly who she aspires to be - along with Julie London. And while Ms. Krall has proven to be far more popular, Merrill's debut is the personification of that sound.  And authentic of its era, not a reproduction. Known to her parents as Jelena Ana Milcetic, she was born in New York City to Croatian immigrants. At age 92, she is still alive. Most of her career was spent in Japan thus explaining her popularity there.

What is this music? Jazz vocals. Of the most sultry kind. Breathy, dark, romantic, and atmospheric. The latter as thick as the cigarette smoke enveloping the nightclub she performs at. The very first seconds of this album will make you melt ('Don't Explain'), and if that doesn't grab you, nothing else here will. I'm more fond of the slow burners, which makes up most of the album. There are a couple more "snappy" pieces, but they're also well done. Trumpet, piano, and flute provide accompaniment. You alone tonight, sailor? Buy the 2 drink minimum, grab a seat, and proceed to cry and sweat.

Ownership: CD: 1989 EmArcy (Japan). Thrift shop find as noted above (2022). Incidentally the label is a phonetic spelling of MRC - Mercury Record Corporation. EmArcy was their jazz imprint. Looks like my copy isn't in Discogs, as it's made in West Germany (for the Japan market). The photos here are close enough. Mrs. UMR, a longtime fan of Diana Krall, has already taken it for herself...

10/23/22 (new entry)

Deep Purple - Fireball. 1971 England

While seemingly half of Europe was copying Deep Purple In Rock's innovations with hard rock, the band themselves regressed back into blues rock. At least for the first side. Though the opening title track is a burner, the rest takes us back to the late 60s pre proggy era of Purple, and is shockingly ordinary. Side 2, however, makes up for it and picks up where the last album left off. Much more interesting and creative hard rock - though not trailblazing. When it's 1971, you are Deep Purple, and your album is named Fireball, one presumes you'll get more than this. Led Zeppelin, for their part, put out 'Stairway to Heaven' among other tracks etched into our collective DNA's. You think they created some separation there in the public's mind? Oh yea. Meanwhile Black Sabbath was dominating the underground with Master of Reality. Most people here couldn't name one song on Fireball, as none of these made it out of the early 70s as far as American FM radio was concerned. They were to make up for all of this in a big way the following year with Machine Head. But they lost some ground in 1971, a most pivotal year.

Ownership: CD: 2000 Warner Bros. / Rhino. For whatever reason, I didn't buy (or hear) this album in high school or college and that status remained until 2006 when I finally picked up a commodity CD. My feelings above haven't changed one bit - the album remains to me a very good album - but disappointing. In 2017 I picked up this definitive CD version. This is exactly how I like my CDs to be. A full written history, new photos, vintage posters, old reviews, and multiple relevant bonus tracks including a 45 single. I've had a few opportunities recently to buy older US LP pressings of this at retail prices, but this CD is all I need. Even if I find a decent copy at a thrift shop, I'll probably just resell it.

2//06; 8/13/16; 3/25/17; 10/23/22 (new entry)

Talk Talk - The Colour of Spring. 1986 England

Back in the early 90s, some music associates of mine were singing the praises of Talk Talk. They had become somewhat zombie-eyed about them, and were making grand proclamations that they represented true progressive rock, and that the dinosaurs of Yes and Genesis were old hat and tiresome. Like with religion and politics, once you're dealing with someone who "has the inside skinny on the Truth", it's likely they've taken drink of the local kool-aid - and logic is out the window. My resistance meter went straight to the red zone. After hearing Spirit of Eden, I was predictably nonplussed. It's OK I guess. But it's no Close to the Edge! And that was my Talk Talk experience.

That was 30 years ago. Still rather youthful and close minded myself. In these last few years of crate digging, I've been on the lookout for any Talk Talk, but they are not to be found. Finally scored The Colour of Spring at the Denver Record show, a beautiful copy for $5 - one of the better steals of the show for me. Now I'm going in with a totally different perspective, that of the X-Wave mind. Which is - of course - exactly the roots of Talk Talk themselves. I haven't heard anything by the band - I won't even count that Spirit of Eden experience - but I understand this is their "transitional" album from the standard synthpop to a more serious outfit. With an empty slate of expectation, I let the music do the talking minus filters (as much as anyone can do that). Now I'm on board. Selling it as progressive rock is crazy, but as an established New Wave band maturing to adulthood, this is stellar stuff. And what an interesting selection of instrumentation. Can't think of too many X-Wave bands that dug back into the 70s and pulled out the trusty Hammond organ and mellotron. Overall The Colour of Spring is a somber, moody affair with a rich analog sound. I can imagine this being quite a revelation for many fans of 80s music. Just don't go comparing it to Selling England by the Pound. Different game entirely.

Ownership: LP: 1986 EMI America. Single sleeve with lyric inner bag. Acquired as noted above (2022).

10/21/22 (new entry)

2022 Electronic Journal Vol. 1 - Complete

Synergy - Electronic Realizations for Orchestra. 1975 Passport (LP). I remember hearing Synergy for the first time going back to my initial foray into electronic music in the early 80s while still in high school. Perhaps I was already gaining a bit of snootiness, but this just seemed so cheesy compared to the classy German musicians that I was into. Haha. Well... Larry Fast's debut is definitely a well put-together album, and it's his only feature of mellotron, but there is a bit of pop classical thrown in that is disturbing. If I didn't have racks of music like this already in the collection, I'd probably load up on Synergy. I'll also try his others as I find them, just for comparison. For music such as this, it's surprising how much copy was sold originally here in the States. (Dec)

Tangerine Dream - Frankfurt June 11 1983, Fassbinder Memorial Concert. 2004 Castle. This is the last CD in The Bootleg Box Vol. 2 and it's entirely superfluous. They really should have added a better show. Essentially this is the same concert as Logos with bad sound. And again, completely prescriptive and familiar. This isn't being counted as part of my collection though of course it remains inside the box. Very disappointing end to a great box set. (Oct)

Tangerine Dream - Turn of the Tides. 1994 Miramar (CD). Thrift shop find (Oct). As mentioned before, I've made the decision to pickup any and all Tangerine Dream post-Underwater Sunlight if I find them at a thrift shop. I found this along with Rockoon. I didn't write about Rockoon, but it wasn't terrible - had a few decent ideas. Turn of the Tides is similar but better. Plenty of good guitar here though the saxophone addition was never a good idea. It's too adult contemporary for a band like Tangerine Dream. 'Jungle Journey' is the highlight for me, recalling their early 80s efforts. As I will say ad infinitum, just not enough room to keep everything.

*Djam Karet - Suspension & Displacement. 1991 HC (CD). Collection revisit (Apr). Bought this when it came out, famously with its cousin CD Burning the Hard City. For most of that time since, I held the other CD as the better of the two. Now I'm not so sure. My mental image of Suspension & Displacement was that of a boring electronic / space rock album. But I had dismissed the full band effort here, and there are many organic moments, including much needed warmth instruments like acoustic guitar. A definite +2, and I have a whole new outlook on this, some 31 years after the fact.

Klaus Schulze - Beyond Recall. 1991 Venture (CD). Collection revisit (Mar). Klaus tells us this is his 23rd solo album. That would be not counting archival releases, otherwise it would be his 2,300th album. There's really nothing at all wrong with these past-his-prime Schulze releases, but they aren't particularly enlightening either. 77 minutes of Schulze at this stage is purely background music. There's a lot of what sounds like acoustic guitar here, but it's just more synths. I don't have any nostalgia towards this title, as it came along way past my initial discovery and enamoration (not a word, but it should be!) for the artist. My electronic collection grew out of control about 17 years ago, and it's time to trim some of that tree. And this is a low hanging branch.

*Robert Schroder - Harmonic Ascendant. 1984 Racket (1979) (LP). Continuing on with my irrational love affair with 80s electronic (OK, 1979...) is Robert Schroder's debut. He has a million albums, but this is the first one I've heard. One of the early Klaus Schulze disciple recordings, that Schulze released on his IC imprint. Must have been a big hit in their native Germany, as there are many re-pressings. Wonderful Berlin School, though more melodic than usual and not as sequencer based. Maybe too much vocoder on side 2, though if you've had enough drinks, it starts to morph into something more pleasurable... (Feb) 

Neuronium - Heritage. 1984 Jive Electro (LP). Bought this one when it came out, but didn't survive the 90s purge. Now that I'm reliving my 80s Euro electronic experience, I thought I'd give this one another go. Mostly satisfying though the drum machine here is superfluous, without invention. And I have to admit that A2 is pretty dull. So yea, not the pick of the litter after all. (Feb)

Neuronium - Invisible Views. 1983 Roadrunner (LP). I sense a theme. Yet another repurchase, though I originally bought this one later in the 90s. A little bit better than Heritage, and the guitar is still present. These Neuronium's were part of my long game, but they're certainly enjoyable on the whole. (Feb)]

* - Keeping for the collection

Tangerine Dream - Newcastle October 25th 1981, City Hall. Germany

By 1981 Tangerine Dream were pretty much in prescriptive mode. Strange for a band whose first decade were made up of totally improvised concerts, making each and every recording worth seeking out. Most of this CD is made up of tracks from Exit with early versions of compositions later to show up on White Eagle and Logos. With no variation whatsoever. What makes this concert interesting is that there is quite a bit of unreleased material here - at least from a studio perspective. Most of these can be found on Disc 1 with 'Thermal Inversion' being the sole rep on Disc 2. All of these tracks would have fit comfortably on Exit or White Eagle. And 'Bondy Paradise' is the one place where we do get some guitar improv from Froese, something he was to bring back (again) in the late 80s. So that's about 48 minutes of new music - well worth seeking out. The recording quality for this set is acceptable, better than the '78 and '83 shows.

Ownership: CD: 2004 Castle (UK). Part of The Bootleg Box Set Vol. 2. More details can be found on the Nottingham entry.

10/20/22 (new entry)

Sir Lord Baltimore - Kingdom Come. 1970 USA-New York

A legendary album, Sir Lord Baltimore are one of the originators of the American hard rock style. Almost every track features thunderous rhythms and grungy guitar. And screaming vocals. Like a mix of Grand Funk Railroad and Led Zeppelin. The tracks are well written too, this isn't a boneheaded exercise in masculinity. For whatever reason, this is the first time for me to own this classic in any format. Despite the name, the group's origins were in Brooklyn*. 

Ownership: LP: 1970 Mercury. Gatefold. Purchased at the Denver Record Show (2022) for a bargain price. Dealer lowered the price because it had one "loud pop". Turns out it was an embedded dust speck. I get those a lot in the thrift shops. Grabbed a sharp wood toothpick, and nudged it out. Back to normal. I'll take the discount, thank you!

*As it turns out, yours truly is a direct descendent of Sir Lord Baltimore. Apparently the presumed financial benefits of such a legacy have long drifted into the wind... Might explain why I find myself constantly working for Maryland based companies, and Baltimore in particular, even though I've never resided there. But now I'm back working for a SF Bay Area company. And would you believe my boss is based in Baltimore? It gets freaky that way sometimes.

10/20/22 (new entry)

Goliath - Hot Rock & Thunder. 1974 USA-Indiana

Like with Alpha Centauri, there's a lot of miscommunication regarding this band. If holding the album in your hands, it appears they're from Louisville, Kentucky. But it turns out they're from Indiana. Terre Haute in fact. For some reason we have some geniuses out there talking about being from the sweaty south shores of Lake Michigan, in the Chicago suburbs. They seem to be talking about Gary, not Terre Haute which sits west of Indianapolis on the Illinois border. These things matter when you realize the micro scenes of music operating in the Midwest during the 70s. One other key fact is this album was recorded in 1972, so it's pretty early in the game.

What is that game? Hard rock, that's what. Almost every review out there sings the praises of  'Dead Drunk Screamin'', and the rest isn't up to snuff. I was also familiar with this track from one of the Wayfarer Strangers comps on Numero. It's a great track, no question. But there's plenty more greatness here, most notably 'Silver Girl' which has a strong progressive rock quotient - and is my personal favorite. Both the opening 2 songs and the proggy 'The Apocalypse' are also excellent. So yes, the title track and the album closer drift towards boogie rock, so they can be skipped. They're also relatively short and nonconsequential. It appears this album was repackaged by a tax scam label in the 70s, and I'm beginning to wonder if 'Silver Girl' is even presented correctly. I see timings in the 3+ minute range, but the song on the original is easily 6 to 7 minutes. Lots of questions regarding this release. The only history of the band I know of is in the Numero booklet, but they didn't go into detail about the album. Really needs a quality reissue to set the record straight, so to speak. Don't listen to the naysayers, see if you can get a copy of the original - or at least a burn of it. Great early 70s hard rock here.

Ownership: LP: 1974 Bridges. Single sleeve. Recent buy from JL (2022). Paid more for this one (still under retail) but it was worth it. From what I'm reading all copies have a slight warp and other pressing defects. Mine is no exception though visually it's near mint.

10/19/22 (new entry)

Alpha Centauri. 1977 USA-Colorado

When holding this in your hands, you would think this is an obscure Canadian band from Winnipeg. Not a lot of bands operating out of Manitoba, and as it turns out, neither were Alpha Centauri. Apparently the group decided to expand their audience by going up to the northern prairie. An odd bit of research I would think. Not that Alpha Centauri were from the big city - coming from the northeastern town of Greeley. But Denver would have been closer... As I said about Greeley in my review for the Brutal Planet tape: This town is famous for a fine college (University of Northern Colorado) and... the smell of cow poo. Maybe that's why they left?

In any case, what do we have here musically speaking? Ah, that first track is a burner! The perfect blend of jamming hard rock and AOR sensibilities. This is exactly how it should be done. Great fat sounding synthesizers and crunching hard rock guitars. With that setup, most of the tracks deliver a similar type sound. It's more hard rock than commercial, but Alpha Centauri have a deft touch for both. A2 and B3 aren't up to snuff, but the rest more than make up for it. No wonder this title is sought after. Top tier for this kind of sound.

Ownership: LP: 1977 Salt Audio Devices (Canada). Single sleeve with insert. Recent acquisition (2022) from JL at a super price. There is a CD on Rock Candy, and I believe that's where it became known they were from Colorado. Had I not found this LP - knowing what I know after hearing this - I would certainly buy that CD, as the label is first rate. Since they are from here in Colorado, maybe I'll find another LP copy, though I have no idea if they brought many back home. I've never seen it otherwise, even in my first stint here back in the 90s.

10/19/22 (new entry)

2022 Metal Journal Vol. 1 - Complete

*Axewitch - Visions of the Past. 1984 Finger Print (LP). The 3rd and last of the Axewitch buys. This one is sandwiched in between, and had the more intriguing looking cover, especially the back. For the debut I wrote: "A bit by the numbers for 1983, and lacks the crunch necessary to have much impact. Decent set of tunes, but nothing leaps out.". And for the 3rd album, I penned: "This album catches Axewitch moving from metal to hard rock, a popular thing to do for bands looking to get more radio attention... Fairly dull album that lacks the hooks of a Def Leppard". Visions of the Past is definitely more like the debut in every way. It still needs more heft but it's a bit more quirky. I didn't pick up on it first, thinking it was a bit typical of the style. But by side 2 I was hearing a variety of interesting changes, though still subtle. Rates out the same as the debut, but on the high side of the range. This one has growth potential whereas the other did not. We'll see. Hard decisions will need to be made. Eventually. (Dec)

Anthem - No Smoke Without Fire. 1990 Music for Nations (LP). Somehow I managed to get five of the six initial Anthem albums. This one is no different than the others. Straight up riffing heavy metal from Japan without much invention. Apparently Don Airey plays the keys but it's not listed on the LP.  Not bad at all, just not that interesting either. (Dec)

Accept - Russian Roulette. 1986 Portrait (LP). I'd heard this album real time and I didn't think much of it. My rating was certainly too low, but this is a very straightforward metal album. Reminds me a lot of those Anthem (Japan) albums actually. I've been reading reviews and comments where many feel this album is highly underrated - and some say it's their best. I can't understand that sentiment myself. Guessing it's coming more from the "true metal" camp. It's definitely no fuss no muss. (Oct)

Anthem - Hunting Time. 1989 Music For Nations (LP). The addition of keyboards up front seemed to distinguish this Anthem album from the others. But they quickly muzzle him and get down to their patented straightforward heavy metal sound. These guys from Japan consistently deliver the goods, but they don't take any chances, and the music gets a bit long in the tooth by the end. Like I've said about the three prior Anthem albums - I would have kept them all just a few short years ago. But no more. (Oct)

Axewitch - Hooked on High Heels. 1985 Fingerprint (LP). This album catches Axewitch moving from metal to hard rock, a popular thing to do for bands looking to get more radio attention. And an unpopular thing to do if wanting to maintain your underground street cred. For a band with a name like Axewitch - and from Sweden - it was the wrong move at the wrong time. And this was it for the band until a recent reformation. Fairly dull album that lacks the hooks of a Def Leppard, as but one peer who knew what they were doing. Average at best. (Oct)

Blind Guardian - Somewhere Far Beyond. 2000 Century Media (CD). Picked this one out of a thrift shop in Alamosa, Colorado a few months ago. Strange the items you might find out in the middle of nowhere, though there is a university there. Unfortunately it was the only thing like it in the store. I figured I wasn't going to keep it, but for 50 cents, I thought it was worth a shot. At first I was intrigued by the Iced Earth styled power metal. But it quickly went the European route, picking up the chugga chugga pace and singing "row row row your boat!!" - or so it seems. Good stuff on the whole, but obviously as you can tell from my weed-out project, the days of these kind of CDs sticking around are over, even though the origin story makes it more memorable. (Oct)

Dark Star. 1981 Avatar (LP). Dark Star is a legendary NWOBHM album with a striking cover. In reading reviews, there's a lot of bemoaning the fact that Def Leppard made it and these guys didn't. I vote for Def Leppard. Mostly a hard rock album with metal tendencies. Still some boogie and radio friendly tunes in here, not matching the album art. Final slightly prog track 'Green Peace' is great, but not enough to save this. File next to Demon's Unexpected Guest. (Sep)

Blind Fury - Out of Reach. 1985 Roadrunner (LP). Part of the same buy as above. It's about half like the Dio album and about half classic NWOBHM of the good kind, similar to Iron Maiden. So simplicity meets complexity. Blind Fury were an English based band that were essentially the same as the unfortunately named Satan, but with a new singer. This is not brainless metal, and a lot of good ideas are put forth. 1985 is a bit late for this sound, as the metal world had evolved much further by then. I gave it three listens over two nights, but to make it into the collection, the bar continues to go higher, and Blind Fury fell a bit short. (Sep)

Cerebus - Too Late to Pray. 1986 New Renaissance (LP). Like with Blind Fury, thia album registers very good but falls just short of the line to gain (as the old timey football guys used to call a first down). Production is a little thin, something the label is known for, though this is my first encounter with Ann Boleyn's imprint (Hellion leader). Straddles the fence between speed and traditional metal. Highlights include the title track and the instrumental 'Talk is Cheap' (ha). Probably would have kept this back in the day, and would be a sentimental favorite now. But since I'm just hearing it for the first time... (Sep)

Dio - Sacred Heart. 1985 Warner Bros. (LP). I was pretty sure this one wasn't going to make the cut, and I was right. Last in Line is borderline as it is, but there's a nostalgia pull there. I have none with Sacred Heart, an album I didn't bother with real time. I'm sure I read reviews of it back then, and they said something along the lines of "more of the same". Well that certainly wasn't going to work for me in 1985. And sure enough, it's more of the same. But even less dynamic. I didn't recognize a single song here. Dio did the needful here and then hit the road to promote. Not a bad album of course, just by the numbers straight forward heavy metal. (Sep) 

various artists - Bullets Volume 1. 1986 Combat (LP). A very good comp, but nothing worth holding onto. Best tracks are from Megadeth and Helstar, both of which I already own, though apparently the former is a unique mix (found on later reissues). Agent Steel's entry comes from an EP. It's pretty raw and also can be found on later reissues. Lots of thrash and hardcore here. I picked it up since it was only $1. (Sep)

Axewitch - The Lord of Flies. 1983 Finger Print (LP). Another one from JL. Another solid metal effort, this time from Sweden. A bit by the numbers for 1983, and lacks the crunch necessary to have much impact. Decent set of tunes, but nothing leaps out. (Sep)

*Voivod - Angel Rat. 2022 Real Gone (1991) (LP). This is an RSD release. While I really enjoyed Nothingface when it came out, I never did pursue Angel Rat and rejoined Voivod on The Outer Limits. I do enjoy this period of Voivod, even though there's a certain slickness to their sound, ironic given their raw background. Angel Rat's reputation back in the day was that of "psych metal", but honestly the most psychedelic aspect of this album is the cover painting. And it's barely metal. It's a sound of the late 80s and early 90s, but definitely not alternative. The pacing is brilliant, and the tunes are immediately likeable, proving that songwriting was one of their hidden strengths. (May)

Anthem - Gypsy Ways. 1988 Music For Nations (LP). 2nd of four Anthem albums I bought at the last Denver record show. I'm probably not going to keep any of them, but don't want to prejudge the contents. This one was even more basic than Bound to Break. Like Loudness, the music is straight up heavy metal. By 1988, one would hope for more progression. Which is not to say it isn't any good, and in fact all of their albums rate highly with current metal fans. It's definitely "true" for those where that term matters. The good news is we sold the album only a few hours after listing it (beautiful copy too). They have their loyal fanbase for certain. (May)

Angelus Apatrida - Cabaret de la Guillotine. 2018 Century Media (LP). Truth be told I heard the CD that comes with it, leaving the vinyl unplayed. Good thing, as I'm going to sell it. Well done thrash from Spanish band. I believe this to be their 6th album. The music was instantly recognizable - that of Testament, Death Angel, Exodus, and other Bay Area bands from the 80s that I knew real time. And that's the problem. This field has been plowed too many times. I didn't hear anything new, just a couple of innovative riffs. Even though I'm a fan of the style, it's going to be tough to impress me at this point in this genre of music. (May)

*Apocrypha - The Forgotten Scroll. 1987 Shrapnel (LP). The first of many metal albums that I bought at the record show. Apocrypha (a perfect name for a metal band) were from Las Vegas, Nevada, and played a mix of thrash and classic metal, known more these days as US Power Metal. Nothing particularly mind blowing, but very well done and represents the metal scene of 1987 quite well. The guitarist later went on to fame and fortune with Third Eye Blind, switching out the leather garb for flannel shirts, much to the dismay of his metal fans. (May)

*Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II. 1988 RCA (LP). Found this at a shop in Albuquerque for a reasonable price, though hardly cheap (Apr). You just don't see metal LPs like this much these days. I'd never heard this title before, having been more familiar with Part 1 back in my last days of college. This one came out right after I graduated and I was mostly focused on putting my paycheck to rare and obscure prog albums. Definitely that was the right move here, as Helloween brings a relatively lightweight galloping metal album to the fore. The final 13+ minute track introduces more of a prog element, but this is a long way from what Fates Warning were already doing and miles away from Sieges Even and Watchtower. I'd submit this album is about 80% Iron Maiden and the remainder belongs to Queen and Styx. There are distinct musical references to 'Suite Madame Blue' here, which isn't a bad thing. Michael Kiske sounds a lot like Bruce Dickinson on this platter. Still, you'd have to be in a pretty grumpy mood not to enjoy this, as it's a lot of fun. Worth holding onto for sure.

*Tyton - Mind Over Metal. 1987 Medusa (LP). I find it somewhat amazing that you can still buy high quality sealed metal albums from the 80s for under $10 (part 3). I had quite a time with this title. The first copy was indeed sealed, but warped beyond recognition. Sent photos to the original seller, and he said he's "never seen it so bad". We laughed about it, and he immediately sent a refund. Nice guy. The second seller had an open copy. I got it very cheap along with another album. They were both crazy warped. Sent them back (no comment from dummy seller) - and he just relisted them! What a terrible seller. Finally an old friend of mine also had an open copy, and he confirmed it was lightly warped (though flat as a pancake compared to the other 2 - played perfectly). He was going to send it to me for free, but I bought a couple of other things to justify the postage for him. Anyway... the music. For 1987, Tyton was considerably less heavy than the competition. They referred to it as "melodic metal", which is true, but that doesn't mirror the modern connotation, which implies "commercial". Mind Over Metal is old school NWOBHM styled metal with thoughtful compositions, a few more ideas than usual, and well executed. The type of album you would think would do well on the radio even, but it came along five years too late. I like it. (Mar)

*E-X-E - Stricken By Might. 1987 Shatter (LP). I find it somewhat amazing that you can still buy high quality sealed metal albums from the 80s for under $10 (part 2). Like a lot of these dead stock seals, they feature cut corners and are likely to contain a warp. This checked both those boxes, but my tone arm rode the wave without issue on this one. Has there ever been a worse front and back cover than this album? I doubt it. I would have never considered buying this real time, and I'm sure I ran across it at some point. Take away their silly image, and focus only on the music, and what you have is a solid mix of heavy / thrash / speed metal. It's raw but sounds awesome. And they pack in a few ideas per track. Like a more advanced Exciter with elements of Slayer sprinkled throughout. The hype sticker says "thrash w/class". OK, I'll buy that - so they really should have reworked their image if they believed it. We used to call this "cartoon metal" in my day. As with Wild Dogs, time has been kind to E-X-E and this album has a solid reputation among the faithful. I have to agree with that assessment. (Feb)

*Wild Dogs - Reign of Terror. 1987 Enigma (LP). I find it somewhat amazing that you can still buy high quality sealed metal albums from the 80s for under $10. While the big names are going for ridiculous sums (considering they were mass released in the first place - thank goodness I kept most of them), there are plenty of more unknown groups that are selling for deep discounts. Portland's Wild Dogs is one of them. Really strong metal here, what would become known later as US Power Metal, though in its day it was just called heavy metal. Probably because they didn't go all-in thrash during an era when it was expected, the band languished in obscurity. But the metal community today gives this one a big thumbs up. And so do I. (Feb)

Overkill - Feel the Fire. 2021 Megaforce (1985) (LP). Green/Black vinyl. Overkill is one of the more simpler of the thrash purveyors of the 80s, but I found myself attracted to the rawness of their debut. There are elements of NWOBHM in here which I find highly appealing. Whereas I decided to move out The Grinding Wheel, given that by 2017 they should have more to offer, I'm far more forgiving of a debut album from the 80s. Probably a good thing I didn't pursue the band real time, as I was looking for more progressive oriented and thought provoking material. My days of just pure headbanging had already sailed by 1985. (Feb)

*Accept - Balls to the Wall. 1983 Portrait (LP). I don't think one can overestimate the influence that its predecessor Restless and Wild had on metal. In my mind, it was the very first thrash metal album. Sure, Metallica were to improve on the formula and become the standard bearers, but it was Accept that lit the flame. So when Balls to the Wall hit the floor, I nabbed a copy as soon as I could. It was an import and therefore not cheap (it was before they had signed to a US label). I was pretty disappointed to be honest. Accept had decided to scale back and return to their roots. The best description I've read on this album is AC/DC meets Judas Priest. Which is entirely apt, though I had forgotten how much of the latter there really was here. I'm not a fan of AC/DC (as you have read) but I love JP. This one has much more crunch and speed than I recalled, and I'm glad I reacquired it. I couldn't pull the trigger for Metal Heart though...(Feb)

Overkill - The Grinding Wheel. 2017 Nuclear Blast (CD). Collection revisit (Jan). My thoughts from 2019 were: "This is Overkill's 18th full length studio album, and they are showing no signs of slowing down. The only other album I own by Overkill is Under the Influence, and that was a relatively recent acquisition, so this is a band I missed entirely when I was really into metal back in the 80s. Solid thrash with excellent guitar work and some inventive riffs. Perhaps a bit too many vocals, but I do enjoy Ellsworth's voice and attitude. This one falls to the high side of the rating." Perhaps because I'm hearing more old school metal these days, I'm backing away from this title. It's more Exodus than Testament if that makes sense. Each track gives us two to three fairly routine riffs, and there's usually at least one zillion-notes-per-minute solo. And, in retrospect, there's way too many vocals. The ending of the album shows promise as they are more USPM than thrash. My rating remains unchanged, but now I have it on the low side of the grade. Love the tri-fold digi-pak, but mannnn do I have too much music like this already. Need to slim down, and by-the-book late era thrash is a good place to target. 

Hell's Kitchen - If You Can't Take the Heat... 1989 Boner (LP). This one sounded good on a quick sample, so what do we have? Well, just reviewing the cover of a rotisserie chicken being crucified is one clue. Then the guys on the back looking like a bunch of goofballs is another. And the label name... So they're not taking themselves seriously at all. But it's definitely metal. Reminded me instantly of Motorhead and that thought never went away. Tank is another reference. Simplistic straightforward heavy metal with silly lyrics. Really not too bad at all, but I'm going to sell it. (Jan)

Silent Memorial - Cosmic Handball. 2009 Limb (CD). Apparently this album was released in Japan in 1998, but was released later for the masses in 2009. Silent Memorial were a Swiss band who play prog metal in the Dream Theater style. Do you know how much of this kind of stuff I have sitting around here? That includes CDs I still haven't even heard from bulk buys a few years ago. I still have a soft spot for Dream Theater, and certainly will keep anything that takes the sound in new directions. Cosmic Handball doesn't really but there are some cool proggy progressions all the same. This is the classic case of "having too much of the same thing", even though I rate it very good. There will be a lot of these I have to get rid of. Not enough time. (Oct 2021)

* - Keeping for the collection

Lightshine - Feeling. 1976 Germany

Feeling is one of those albums that seems to have been made to sound rare. It's really perfect from an underground perspective. It doesn't possess the Krautrock sound as we know it, more like a late era psychedelic band who recently discovered progressive rock. The guitar is higher pitched and maintains an acidic tone. There's flute and synthesizer, but the Krautrock staple of organ is nowhere to be found. Unusual song structures and vocal styling. Lightshine's overall sound is more French than German. 

Ownership: LP: 2012 Garden of Delights. Single sleeve, numbered edition (mine is #486). Online acqusition (2016). Excellent reissue with full band and original label history. More fleshed out than the original CD, which was my introduction to the album (1994). This was one of Penner's (pre-GoD) early releases, before they became more thorough.

1994; 4/24/16; 2/19/22 (LP 3.4); 10/17/22 (new entry)

Tangerine Dream - Hamburg Feb 24th 1978, Audimax. Germany

I was most excited to hear this show. It's interesting to note that while Tangerine Dream's concerts are well documented from 1974 to 1977, the cupboard remains nearly empty for the year 1978. There are only 2 commercially available shows from the Cyclone tour. I was also curious why there is nothing from 1979's Force Majeure. Turns out that the band cancelled their prepared tour out of disgust with the music industry's move to arenas and away from the small venues. Well that would explain it then.

I'm probably the biggest fan of the Cyclone album that you will ever find. I love that Tangerine Dream went back to their rock roots while incorporating their latest progressive electronic sequencer style. Musically speaking, the Hamburg show delivers exactly what is expected - that of a rock band playing improvised experimental progressive music. Edgar Froese continues to plug in and wail, just as he had the year prior on tour. Unfortunately this is not a well recorded show. Other than Froese's guitar and some of the synthesizers, most of the instrumentation is drowned out and there's much loss in the tape. It's an audience recording, and you're more likely to hear coughing and fidgeting than the music. Most notable in its absence is Klaus Kruger's drumming, an instrument that usually rises to the foreground in recordings such as this. I can only hope the Paris show is better, as presented by Reactive/Esoteric. Otherwise it's a lost year for live shows it would appear. Froese, for his part, wasn't satisfied with this tour. Pretty grumpy guy sometimes, eh?

Ownership: CD: 2004 Castle (UK). Part of the Bootleg Box Vol. 2 as discussed in the Nottingham entry.

10/14/22 (new entry)