Falstaff - Prononcez G. 1981 France

This one comes from the CDRWL, though it's a title I've owned since the mid 90s. For my tastes, this is an album that continues to rise and I enjoyed a +1 listen earlier in the month.

Falstaff's sole album is a light, easy going, instrumental symphonic rock. A little funk, and a little jazz to spruce things up. Recalls Camel, or perhaps more to the point, Rousseau's first two albums. The usual French compressed fuzz guitar sound, and a preponderance of Fender Rhodes helps matters. For those who enjoy their progressive rock with an emphasis on melody versus showmanship.

Ownership: LP: 1981 private. Single sleeve. Acquired in a trade from a well known Belgian dealer (1994). 

No reissues exist as of 6/10/24.

1994; 6/15/07; 11/20/12; 1/5/23 (new entry)

Delired Cameleon Family - 'Musique Du Film "Visa De Censure N°X" De Pierre Clementi. 1975 France

After some 20+ years since my last listen, my opinion of this album remains unchanged. Not likely to ever go up or down at this stage. My Gnosis review below is where I still stand (slightly revised):

Around the same time of Forever Blowing Bubbles, another Cyrille Verdeaux project began. Delired Cameleon Family is basically Clearlight in disguise composing music for an obscure film called Visa de Censure Numero X. Essentially this film is a one hour dialogue-less music video. The musicians on this effort are a combination of those found on the first two Clearlight LP's and the music is an amalgam of both. The opener 'Raganesh' is an Indian percussion driven piece similar to the last moments of '1st Movement' from their debut. Meanwhile 'La Fin du Debut' recalls the female vocal-lead tracks found on Forever Blowing Bubbles. Overall the album is much more tripped out and loosely improvised than the Clearlight albums proper. In fact, I could see Delired Cameleon Family fitting comfortably on the German Kosmische Kouriers label. Throughout the album, Verdeaux's familiar nervous staccato piano remains as his signature sound.

Ownership: LP: 1975 EMI. Single sleeve. Acquired at VVV in Dallas in early 1988.

1988; 4/21/01 (Gnosis); 1/29/23 (new entry)

Stud. 1975 USA-Texas

One of the better underground hard rock albums from the mid 1970s American scene. Stud is a band from Houston, Texas and who deserve special mention given that they aren't solely dedicated to booze, broads, and rock 'n roll. There's some of that - of course there is - but there's also three lengthy pieces (including two over 12 minutes) and one impassioned folk rock number. The songwriting isn't particularly memorable, and Stud are the band you went to go see last on your pub crawl - when you wanted to vegetate to jammin' sounds. A hard rock album is usually only as good as the guitar player, and here Stud shines mightily. Sit back and enjoy the moment. A point in time to reflect upon.

Ownership: CD: 2015 Out-Sider/Guerssen. Jewel case with historical liner notes.

Originals were pressed in a run of 200, and are extinct. 

1/29/17 (first listen/review/new entry); 1/26/23 (update)

Samla Mammas Manna - Klossa Knapitatet. 1974 Sweden

I go back and forth between a Gnosis 10 and 11 on this title. I'm back to a 10. Some of the instrumental work is divine, but there's plenty of room for circus and silliness too. Those styles don't age as well. What was I saying about some albums don't inspire me to write much? Still - it's a keeper for certain.

Ownership: LP: 1974 Silence. Single sleeve but no insert. Online acquisition (2017). This replaced the garden variety Silence CD that I purchased in 1999 and was my introduction to the album.

1999 (first listen); 2/1/22; 1/17/23 (review / new entry)

Camel - Breathless. 1978 England

This one from 2+ years ago...

Continuing the transition found on Rain Dances, Breathless is even more geared toward a commercial sound. In retrospect though, there's plenty of thoughtful progressions within the tight confines of their pop songs. Vestiges of their progressive rock past can be found here as well, in particular 'The Sleeper'. 'Summer Lightning' sounds like an updated and disco'd up 'Winter Wine' from Caravan's classic In the Land of Grey and Pink. Of course, now having Richard Sinclair on board has a lot to do with that perception. 

Ownership: LP: 1978 London (Japan). Single sleeve with obi. Online acquisition (2020). I bought it because a) I didn't have a physical copy at all and b) it comes with a giant Camel poster - just the kind of thing I'm likely to hang onto no matter what. And it turns out the album is much better than I remembered. So it's a long haul keeper! 

1984; 12/10/20 (LP 1.14); 1/6/23 (new entry)

Premiata Forneria Marconi - Chocolate Kings. 1976 Italy

On Chocolate Kings, PFM were moving on from their classic romantic sound onto a more heavy and English friendly approach. Of course to do that effectively, one had to drag along Bernardo Lanzetti (Acqua Fragile), as he appeared to be the only Italian who could sing in English. Or so it seemed back then. Personally I like his affected vocals, a bit like Roger Chapman. Great album as far as I'm concerned, though I agree it doesn't match their trio of brilliance released prior.

Ownership: LP: 1975 Numero Uno. Single sleeve with the poster lyric insert. Online acquisition (2017). What an awful cover, no wonder Asylum altered it. The marketing guys must of thought PFM were nuts, given Live in U.S.A. and now this. My first copy was in fact the Asylum release, purchased at Ralph's Records in Lubbock while still in college (1986).

1986; 2005; 2015; 2/12/22 (LP 3.3); 1/6/23 (new entry)

King Crimson - Beat. 1982 England

Another cleanup item from last year.

This is an album that fell through the cracks and is the first time for me to hear. I bought Discipline a couple years after release, and as I said on that entry, it wasn't a sound I was immediately drawn too. I liked their earlier stuff better. It's only in recent years that I've come to appreciate Discipline as one of their best albums. For whatever reason I did pick up Three of a Perfect Pair pretty much the day it came out. It only underscored my feelings towards Discipline at the time. All the same I still have that copy to this day. But what of Beat? I figured why bother, since I'm sure it sounds like the other two bookends and I have gobs of music to acquire (especially back then). And in hearing Beat, that assessment was quite right. Which is why I think it's great now! Timing is everything. Definitely a step down from Discipline though, as is Three of a Perfect Pair. I also didn't realize that Beat referred to the writer movement of the 1950s, which is cool too. Glad to finally be acquainted with this album.

Ownership: LP: 1982 EG (Germany). Single sleeve. Recent online purchase (2021). I never find KC in the wilds - at least on the cheap.

6/12/22 (LP 3.12); 1/6/23 (new entry)

Yes - Close to the Edge. 1972 England

From last year, but wanted to get it featured. No need for me to go on and on about this one.

I'm going to take a wild guess and suspect you're aware of this album. One of the greatest moments in my entire collection can be heard at the 6 minute mark of the title track. I just turn into one big goose bump at that instant. There are so many albums I could point to that led the way to my eventual obsession with progressive rock, but Close to the Edge might be the most influential of them all. I was 16 when I first bought this album on LP. And I subsequently played it over and over and over... I mean entire evenings were dedicated, 3 and 4 hours straight. When I look back to 1981, that is when UMR Jr. became Mr. UMR. Everything in my life changed (not just music) - all for the better. Close to the Edge was my soundtrack. This is one of my Gnosis 15's, no way it can be less at this point. There's no chance for any kind of logical objectivity. It's pure emotion now. 

Ownership. LP: 1972 Atlantic (Germany). Gatefold. An audiophile friend swears is the best version. To be honest, every version I've heard sounds magnificent.

CD: 2001 Atlantic (Japan). Papersleeve edition that mimics the UK original to the finest detail. No way I'd consider not owning this title on both formats.

MC: 198? Atlantic. Picked this up at a garage sale for a buck (2024). Why not?

1981; 1994; 2001; 6//05; 10/9/13; 11/18/14; 3/19/22 (CD 3.2); 1/6/23 (new entry)

Black Sabbath - Technical Ecstasy. 1976 England

The album that proved Black Sabbath were no different than any other group trying to survive the late 1970s. As I often say about Hendrix or The Doors, their untimely death only prevented them from their time in the barrel of ridicule. They (and others) would have been no different. Heck, The Doors were already well on their way towards garden variety FMness (word of the day). 

Anyway, the precipitous drop-off from Sabotage to Technical Ecstasy requires a chiropractor to get you straight again. While I know I'm in the minority here, Sabotage remains my favorite Sabbath album, and I love them all to that point. Not to suggest that Technical Ecstasy is not worthy of ownership (hence I'm featuring it) but rather just how ordinary it was for its time. It's primarily a straightforward hard rock album. Now I will argue that all of the Sabbath albums up to that point were hard rock. They may be credited with inventing - or at least popularizing - heavy metal, but they really were children of the 60s still. And if anything, they were gravitating more towards prog than metal. But the late 70s required survival. FM radio ruled supreme, and it was all business. The stakes were enormous back then, and stadium sellouts were the expected norm. No home video games existed so as to be the opiate of the masses. Rock concerts provided that necessity. Sabbath were trying to play ball, and came up with a very good album despite efforts to the contrary. Tracks like 'Rock 'n' Roll Doctor' were just not designed for them. Maybe their buddies in Blue Oyster Cult, but not Black Sabbath. Well they continued the downward slope on Never Say Die, until ultimately Ozzy had to go. When a one Ronnie James Dio showed up, Black Sabbath were revived, and they knew exactly who they were by then - a metal band.

Ownership: LP: 1976 Warner Bros. Single sleeve. Weird cover. Again, not very Sabbath like. Though I do admit to liking it despite that.

1985; 2014; 1/5/23 (new entry)

Yngwie Malmsteen - Rising Force. 1984 Sweden

When Yngwie Malmsteen burst onto the scene with the California band Steeler (an album I bought real time in 1983), he clearly had established a new medium. That of the shredder. The super fast soloist. Essentially Malmsteen was to heavy metal what Al Di Meola was to jazz fusion. And God was that the most tiring and dull discussion of my college years. Who's the fastest - and the greatest - guitarist. I talk about that in detail on Di Meola's Elegant Gypsy posting. Unfortunately that aspect takes away from some actual decent songwriting from Malmsteen (as it does for Di Meola). This isn't all shred. Sure he shows off here and there, but there's some good power metal tracks present that makes it a keeper. I'm saying that having owned it for 37+ years now, thought this listen did not result in a nostalgia bump. I remain objective on this title. If you haven't heard the album, carve out the time and give it a chance. Having said all this, I never did hear anything else by him. I'll probably grab some CDs out of a thrift shop next time I see them just to satiate my curiosity.

Ownership: LP: 1984 Polydor (USA). Single sleeve. I even have the sales sticker like the Discogs' stock photo shows. Acquired from a local store (2022). My first copy was purchased new at Hastings Records in Lubbock (1985) while in college. I had the CD for many years in between, but it offers nothing else, so it can go.

1985; 1/5/23 (new entry) 

Area - Crac! 1975 Italy

Area's 3rd album and arguably their most crisp and together. It largely avoids the free noise components of their other albums. Because of that I enjoyed a +1 listen. I've never been that intimate with this album, and already the contents are disappearing in my memory. Arbeit Macht Frei is on the listening docket, not sure which of these two are my fave by Area (with special mention to 1978 gli dei se ne vanno, gli arrabbiati restano!). In comparison to my peers, I'm definitely not going be part of their cheerleading squad.

Ownership: LP: 1976 Cramps. Gatefold. Part of that Sound Garden haul from Baltimore last year (Dec 2021). Never owned this one on LP prior, only the CD, which you'll notice is now gone.

1995; 2013; 1/5/23 (new entry)

Gentle Giant - In a Glass House. 1973 England

Coming into this listen, I had all the Gentle Giant albums up to Free Hand rated as a Gnosis 11. Except this one which was at a 10. Why? Probably because it's the one I haven't heard in the longest time and had already made the proper adjustment. Analytics can be irrational like that sometimes. Anyway, this listen bumped it up by the obligatory +1. Gentle Giant has never transcended the threshold to greatness for me. They are a completely left brained listen, while my right brain takes a nap. I've never emotionally connected with this band, and that's what makes my favorite albums special. Maybe one day they will - but time is getting shorter. But all the LPs are here and accounted for, in case that ever happens. Interesting to note this is my first feature of a Gentle Giant album on any forum. Probably because I can't come up with anything to say. Still can't.

Ownership: LP: 1973 WWA. Single sleeve. Discogs says of the cover: "Album comes in a gimmix cover with the center part of the jacket front side being transparent foil with black print on it; there is a printed cardboard insert that provides the remainder of the cover image." Was never released in the US during the LP era, thus making it by far the hardest GG album to score back in the day.

1990; 1/5/23 (new entry)

Wolfgang Dauner's Et Cetera - Live. 1973 Germany

Happy New Year everyone! Probably going to cut back on some of the narrative this year. Still attempting to document the collection one way or another. I have many that I can post that are etched in memory. Lots of other things/projects going on - all for the positive!

With that - Live is Wolfgang Dauner's final album in the trilogy for his Et Cetera project. A combination of experimental jazz and tight fusion. Not unlike the prior 2 albums, but a bit more loose given the live setting. This week's listen did not change my rating.

Ownership: LP: 1973 MPS. 2xLP Gatefold. Acquired online (2001). 

Reissued on CD by Belle Antique in 2024.

2001; 1/5/23 (new entry)