Return to Forever - Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy. 1973 USA

Seems I've been on a Return to Forever kick lately, but it's just a coincidence of the random draw. I was a late comer to Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy, not having owned it for close to a decade later than the Al Di Meola albums. No great reason really other than I had tired of fusion as I left college and was looking for more underground European progressive rock. In the late 80s I had a colleague who told me he preferred Bill Connors to Di Meola pointing to a rawer approach. When I did finally secure a copy, it did seem a bit better to my ears, but I still wasn't overly enamored with fusion at that point, and let the album sit in the collection neglected for a long time. Only in the last few years have I pulled it out for relistens. If I were to rate all the RTF albums, the only one that is first division for me (Gnosis 12 +) is Where Have I Known You Before. And I attribute that to better songwriting as all their albums demonstrate impressive instrumental dexterity. But Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy and Romantic Warrior put up a good fight for certain. I would suggest this album as foundational to any heavy fusion collection.

Ownership: LP: 1973 Polydor. Single sleeve. Acquired from Half Price Books in Dallas (1993). An anomaly of my collection, by 1993 I was only buying CDs for commodities (and replacing LPs such as this) and was focusing my LP dollar on rarities and items not yet on CD. But I found a beautiful copy for cheap so I thought why not? Probably should have done more of that back then, but it was a different time and I had other priorities.

1993; 2011; 3/29/23 (new entry)

Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell. 1980 England

Back in 2005 I wrote:

Heaven and Hell is an album I bought upon release and really enjoyed due to the high energy and Dio’s always great vocal approach. Not much has changed my opinion, and the title track still rules.

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My rating hasn't changed much in those 43 years either. As I've stated recently on Technical Ecstasy this is where Black Sabbath realized they were part of the burgeoning metal movement. The prior two albums proved they weren't quite sure where they fit in the music world, even though they could be considered the inventors of the style - or least the band that popularized it. The reality is Sabbath came out of the UK blues boom (with some leftover psychedelia) and the distortion was due to Iommi's hand injury more than anything else. The best inventions are usually accidents. Buffalo Wings anyone?  Or Sticky Notes... Anyway with tracks like 'Die Young' and 'Neon Knights' it's pretty clear the Sabs were ready to amp up the speed as well as the heaviness. Arguably their last truly great album.

Ownership: LP: 1980 Warner Bros. Single sleeve with great artwork. Purchased from a local store here in the Springs (2020) for less than online rates (still not cheap though). This was the usual PPR story - dumped the LP for the CD and back again.

1980; 2005; 2006; 1/31/23 (LP 4.4); 3/29/23 (new entry)

Scarlet Thread - Psykedeelisia Joutsenlauluja. 2003 Finland

A long time ago I wrote the following about Scarlet Thread's second album: 

Another one of those great modern Scandinavian bands with an organic, rural feel – and completely psychedelic. Scarlet Thread are a Finnish 5 piece with dual electric guitar and violin as the main solo instruments. I loved the first album and Valheista Kaunein is similar. Also features two guest players on flute, adding one more fantastic dimension. File next to the Swedish groups Grovjobb and first album Gosta Berlings Saga.

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That will suffice here for their debut as well (4 piece here though). It's 34 minutes, so it's geared for the LP era, of which strangely this does not exist on that format. I find music like the kind Scarlet Thread makes timeless. I bought many albums such as this over the last 25 years. Will be interesting to see which ones have aged well. This is one of those for sure.

Ownership: CD: 2003 Mellow (Italy). Standard jewel case release. Purchased new near the time of release.

2004; 1/24/23 (CD v4.1); 3/29/23 (new entry)

Genesis - Wind & Wuthering. 1976 England

If you've ever spent any time on a progressive rock chat board, then you'll know that Genesis gets a lot of ink. I mean a lot. As if there never were any other progressive rock bands in the world except Genesis, Yes, and a handful of others. I've spent a lifetime collecting and reporting a different world than that. But Genesis remains one of my favorites as well. If you were to come along today and learn about progressive rock for the first time, Genesis would get mentioned early and one would be directed properly to their early albums. Strangely, for those of my generation, Genesis were an AOR/pop band. As if they didn't exist before 1977. And I started listening to the radio intently in... 1977! Such was the state of commercial radio back then. It wasn't until I got to college (1983) where I met more like-minded guys, that I learned Genesis were a prog band. Our resident assistant let me borrow Trespass through Foxtrot, and my education of Genesis began.

I bring all of this up in a Wind & Wuthering review, because this was their last stand for prog rock. Much debate (as noted in sentence #1) has occurred around whether or not this album was the beginning of the end or the end of the beginning (appropriate phrasing for a number of reasons...). Based on my own personal experience, I have hard data that it was the end of the beginning. I never heard this album until I started buying for myself all the "prog" Genesis albums. Even though there is the one pop number 'Your Own Special Way', its placement here is about as relevant as 'I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)'. And I never heard it on the radio either. But I sure as shite heard 'Follow You Follow Me' nine million times. And that was before 1979...

Was Steve Hackett the secret ingredient that held it all together? The superficial data says yes. The reality is probably no. He just would have been the guitarist in the pop group known as Genesis. Have you heard Cured? You'll get a funny feeling. Point made. As for W&W, I find most of the material here very strong - up there with some of their best works. It's not as consistent, and I don't consider it a first division record, but close. The Unquiet/Quiet sequence is stunning though.

Ownership: LP: 1976 ATCO. Single sleeve. My first copy was the latest in-print US commodity run that I purchased in 1986. I replaced that with a commodity CD in the mid 90s that lasted me until 2020. Now that I'm crate digging for LPs I used to own - it got a bit crazy. The first one I found was at an antique mall - an early US pressing. It wasn't perfect, but a nice VG+. Then at a subsequent record show I found a beautiful 80s press similar to what I first owned. That should be my final copy I figured. But nope, one year later (2021) I found this original US copy in a local store still in shrink with the hype sticker and in the same NM shape as the other. So now I'm done. Maybe. Wait until I find the original UK copy... Insanity I tell you.

1986; 8/13/06; 9/30/19; 3/28/23 (new entry)

Soft Machine - Volume Two. 1969 England

In a 2018 roundup I wrote the following: A very unusual album, in that there's about 16 minutes of brilliant music and a lot of downtime/incidental sounds. The fact that it ends on a high note I think leads to a higher rating / reputation, but a focused listen reveals a lot of gaps. I'm hardly trashing the album at an 11 - but I do feel I was also swayed by the strong ending as well. Side 1 in particular is pretty weak except for the monstrous 'Hibou, Anemone and Bear' which was a live staple for years. If wanting to hear this album in a more dynamic fashion, I would recommend the superb archival CD Noisette from Cuneiform.

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This listen confirms that sentiment. I think Volume Two has maxed out for me - not seeing how it goes to the first division. Too inconsistent, but the highs go way high here.

Ownership: 1969 Probe / ABC / Command. Gatefold. As noted recently, I bought this from a store (inside of a thrift shop) in Laramie, Wyoming (2022). Nicer than these stock photos, and no sticker on the back. Never owned on vinyl before. My first copy was a commodity CD that I first purchased in 1994 (yes, that late...)

1994; 12/20/18; 1/17/23 (LP 4.3); 3/28/23 (new entry)

The Spoils of War. 1968-69 USA-Illinois (archival)

The Spoils of War is an archival release that includes a reissue of their only released product - which was an extended 7 inch EP (33 RPM). Very advanced for its era (1968/69). The music falls into the Fifty Foot Hose / United States of America category of experimental psychedelic music. Lots of early electronics of the beeping variety to augment the songcraft. Doesn't gel enough to take it to the 12 level, but these cats from Illinois had something special going on.

Ownership: LP+EP: 1999 Shadoks (Germany). Thick super stiff single sleeve with additional EP record. Numbered edition. Purchased new upon release. This was the first album released by the legendary Shadoks label (sometimes infamous unfortunately - but they started great). Most of what you see on Discogs comes from my copy (and what you see here, except for the front cover).

1999; 1/17/23 (LP 4.3); 3/28/23 (new entry)

Return to Forever - No Mystery. 1975 USA

As mentioned on the Light as a Feather entry, my original foray with Return to Forever were the fusion albums of 1973 to 1976. Of those, No Mystery was definitely my least favorite. Here Return to Forever displays a much more funky variety of their typical sound. It was of-the-era, and a reasonable commercial move to make at the time. One that they were to completely reject on their next album. Hey, I love me some jazz funk, though I think these guys are way better at pure fusion. Plenty of that here to go around too. This one has settled nicely into the 11 camp. I appreciate it more now than ever.

Ownership: LP: 1975 Polydor. Single sleeve. Acquired from an estate sale (2019). I first bought this LP in 1984 while in college. Typical story - swapped it out for the commodity CD that lasted until I started going back to my vinyl roots. I'd keep both if the music rated higher.

1984; 2011; 1/17/23 (LP 4.3); 3/8/23 (new entry)

Tasavallan Presidentti - Milky Way Moses. 1974 Finland

In 1985 I went to a summer record show in Dallas. It was like many formative music related events in my late teens and early 20s. One dealer had 4 - and only 4 - prog rock related items. All for $2 each. Back then, no one was into these kind of sounds, and it was later in the day by the time I found him. He told me he hadn't sold any prior either. The 4 records were: Magma (1970 Philips), A.R. & Machines (1973 Zebra), Secret Oyster - Furtive Pearl (1974 Peters), and... Tasavallan Presidentti - Milky Way Moses (1974 Janus). On initial impact Secret Oyster was my favorite (now it would be 3rd in this batch). I had a stronger foundation with Krautrock by 1985, so the Achim Reichel album resonated next. Magma was extremely difficult for me but I was drawn to it. Today I consider it the 16th Most Important LP in my entire collection (see page strip above - subject to change). And then there was today's album - yuk, no thanks. And I traded or sold it at some point not that much longer. Probably for $2.

It was many years later that I had an opportunity to repurchase Milky Way Moses at a reasonable price. Since that time, I've given this album 4 full listens over those years (including 2 this year), and I'll be damned if I can remember much about it. But I do like it, far more than on original impact. Like with Made in England, the album is more song based than freewheeling. However, on Milky Way Moses, the music ventures more towards jazz and funk than psychedelic. And I think that's why I didn't go for it at age 20. Song based funk? Are you kidding me? Certainly the fiery fusion of Secret Oyster was to my liking, but not this. It's probably not going to transcend the Gnosis 10 level anytime soon. But given my long history with the album, I'll continue to find room for it.

Ownership: 1974 Sonet (UK). Single sleeve with no insert. Acquired online in 2014. Great eye-catching cover. See above for my full history with the album.

1985; 2014; 1/2/18; 3/27/23 (new entry)

Made in Sweden - Made in England. 1970 Sweden

Made in England is Made in Sweden's 4th album, and they continue to progress from the psychedelic era to the upcoming progressive rock movement. After a couple of intense listens, I'm considering them part of my psych collection. Primarily they are a song based band that have added some complexity to their compositions. They proved to be great songwriters, which you can really hear on tracks like A3, A4, B2, and B4. As such this is one of the rare albums that truly represent "psych prog". Great album overall.

Ownership: LP: 1970 Sonet. Thick gatefold and heavy vinyl. This is a well made product! Online acquisition from 2013. My introduction to the album came via the Universal/Mellotronen CD purchased real time in 2001. Features some fine liner notes that I've saved off, but no bonus tracks. As such I put the CD for sale.

2001; 2011; 3/27/23 (new entry)

Amenophis. 1983 Germany

Plenty more Round Ups to add back in, but let's blend in some of those revisit items I referred to.

There's a comfort level I experience with albums like Amenophis. No matter how wide my stylistic brush continues to go, I still enjoy coming back to the warm tones of European progressive rock. This is my happy place (I'm soooooo modern and sensitive lol). Amenophis were part of that large German movement of symphonic prog bands starting in the late 70s who looked towards England for their muse. Almost a rejection of the wild and wooly Krautrock that dominated the country throughout the early part of the decade. Genesis and Camel are two bands that leap right out. And Amenophis also has a strange predilection for Spanish music it would seem, noted in the rhythms. Take away the awkward English vocals, and you could convince me they're from Catalonia. 

Ownership: LP: 1983 private. Super thin oversized single cover. Like two poster cards glued together. As such the cover can be easily damaged, though my copy is fortunately pristine (better than these stock images - though my copy doesn't have the lyric inner). Purchased from a mail order dealer in 1992. For many years I also owned the Musea CD. As is usual with the label, they feature excellent historical liner notes. The bonus tracks, however, are modern and irrelevant. So I photo'd the liners and sold the CD.

1992; 3/27/23 (new entry)

Lotus - Vera O'Flera. 1976 Sweden

Looks like it's been 18 years since I last heard this album. Fine all-instrumental Swedish jazz rock with local folkloric melodies. While the first album constitutes instrumental prog, this one definitely finds itself in the fusion camp. Excellent guitar and electric piano. There are some albums in the collection where there just isn't much to say, other than I enjoy them.

Ownership: LP: 1976 SMA. Single sleeve. Online acquisition in 2001. Always loved the cover for no particular reason. It's different than the norm, especially in the 70s.  

CD: 2004 Duck Your Music. Small cardboard sleeve. These are the kind of sleeves that modern era record companies include as part of the LP package. So I'm doing the same :-) Otherwise, the CD offers little else with 2 short bonus tracks.

2001; 2004; 2005; 1/17/23 (LP 4.3); 3/26/23 (new entry)

Soft Machine - Third. 1970 England

I had a colleague once who insisted that this one album - yes this one - is the greatest album of all-time. I had been turned off by Soft Machine early, having unfortunately started with Fourth and Fifth. That wasn't my thing then... and honestly they still aren't. Way too much free jazz, which I know many of you enjoy, but we all have our filters. But he was persistent, and let me borrow his commodity CD that I took to work with me everyday for a week. Back then I was still a computer programmer (~1992), so I brought my Discman and just let 'er roll throughout the course of the day. Over time, I understood where he was coming from. It would never be a favorite for me, but at least I could appreciate the inventiveness - and yes its distinctive enough to be a favorite album for the right listener - I could see that. It was their transition from psych/prog to jazz. Because of this experience, I eventually bought the first 2 albums, ones I enjoyed immediately. But yea, for 1970 this is some extraordinary material. 

Ownership: CD: 2007 Sony (Japan). 2xCD. Before going on about the CD, I'll talk about the LP I listened to first. For whatever reason I thought I had the UK CBS original. Nope. Definitely a mid to late 70s repress. Plopped it on the stereo. Jeez, what a terrible mix. The vinyl is beautiful but the sound is awful. Of course, this album is famous for that, but I know my ears have heard it better before. So I went to my Japanese papersleeve double CD. Oh yea, this definitely sounds better. Not great - but better. And the CD also has the full Live at Proms 1970 album. 

LP: 1970 Columbia (USA). 2xLP gatefold. Acquired locally from Dr. Boom in a trade (2024). Doesn't really sound any better than the UK copy I reference above, but I think I'll keep it for now.

1992; 2013; 1/9/23 (LP 4.2); 3/26/23 (new entry)

Blue Oyster Cult - Fire of Unknown Origin. 1981 USA-New York

Another one of those albums I bought new real time, got tired of, and sold by the early 90s. From a cover perspective, it's very clear that BOC were moving as far away from Mirrors as possible. A classic of its kind. The music is easily identifiable as Blue Oyster Cult though and it's not that much of a risk taker. Much was made of the Joan Crawford song in its era, but it's not going to change your world. The whole album screams early 80s hard rock, plain and simple. There's nothing that sticks with you for days like, say, 'Subhuman'. 'Burnin' For You', which was the big hit, may also be the album's best track.

Ownership: LP: 1981 Columbia. Single sleeve. Picked this up at a local store a few months ago (2022) at a good price. This title in particular has really seen a recent price rise. Commodity CD can fly, though I credit it for reinvigorating my interest in Fire of Unknown Origin.

1981; 2013; 1/9/23 (LP 4.2); 3/26/23 (new entry)

Can - Soon Over Babaluma. 1974 Germany

This album was my introduction to Can way back in 1985. It was the Spoon LP reissue which many stores that had an import section were carrying at the time. The instrumental nature of the album appealed to me far more than the Mooney or Suzuki variations that preceded it. That said, it's never been a favorite. To this day it's only the archival Peel Sessions that has truly hit me hard from this band, though I dutifully own most of their classic albums in one format or another.

Ownership: LP: 1975 United Artists (USA). Single sleeve. As noted in a roundup at the end of last year, I bought this from our local friends at Tiger Records (2022). Fairly priced too (though not cheap). Beautiful copy still in shrink and barely played (much nicer than these Discogs' stock photos).  As such, the commodity CD is no longer needed (which replaced the aforementioned Spoon LP).

1985; 9/29/19; 1/9/23 (LP 4.1); 3/26/23

Osanna - Landscape of Life. 1974 Italy

Landscape of Life is an album I've grown to enjoy much more than on original impact (1989). The English vocal tracks just aren't what Osanna are about. They still bring some of that crazy Palepoli attitude, but as I noted there, Osanna oddly is a band that never resonated with me much to begin with. One of those "no Italian prog collection is complete without" items, but there's no urgency here either.

Ownership: LP: 1974 Fonit. Gorgeous textured gatefold. Online acquisition (2019). 

After all these years, this was the first time for me to own the original. Prior to this I possessed the Japanese LP, and my first copy was the Peters US version (1989). So it turns out I have three copies here today. Off for sale goes the Japanese LP and papersleeve CD. The original is all I need here.

1989; 2004; 8/7/13; 12/26/22; 1/9/23 (LP v4.1); 3/26/23 (new entry)

Fates Warning - Perfect Symmetry. 1989 USA-Connecticut

As noted recently, I need to do some blog maintenance. I threw many items into roundups earlier this year just to ensure I got some notes down before I forgot them. The roundups are for albums I don't keep (or notification of recent purchases and/or revisits of albums already blogged). I'll be starting from the beginning of January and move forward from there.

I bought Perfect Symmetry on LP new real time and it didn't have the same impact as its predecessors. Even No Exit didn't have the same impact on me as did Awaken the Guardian and The Spectre Within. They were beginning to perfect their prog metal formula at this stage. Not as messy as their prior albums, to its detriment. But some of these progressions are awesome - and memorable. 

Ownership: LP: 1989 Enigma. Single sleeve with lyric inner bag. Acquired from Sound Warehouse in Dallas (on Lemmon Ave. - long closed) in 1989. I can remember even buying it. Funny how memories work sometimes. I also had the commodity CD, but unlike their second and third albums, the music isn't rated high enough for me to keep.

1989; 2014; 1/29/23 (LP 4.1); 3/26/23 (new entry)

Anacrusis - Screams and Whispers. 1993 USA-Missouri

Last of the January journal entries for me to update. From here I'll revisit a few from Jan-Feb that I want one more fresh listen on before adding an entry. Then we'll tackle some new CDs followed by a nice group of LP rarities (including one amazing story) that are on the way to me now. Oh, and need to get back to the large stash of cassettes as well. 

On Pendragon's The Jewel review I mentioned that it was the second best listen of 2023. Screams and Whispers is first (so far). On this session I added a +2 taking it to the rarified echelon of a Gnosis 13. Some background of my history with Anacrusis from my review of their second album Reason two years ago:

My first encounter with the St. Louis based Anacrusis was with their 3rd album Manic Impressions, which I purchased real time. It quickly became a personal favorite, and I look forward to telling that story some day. Within the next 2 years I also picked up their 4th and final album Screams and Whispers, while also finding their debut Suffering Hour on LP at a St. Louis record store. This chronology is important, as while I loved their 3rd and 4th, I really couldn't deal with the raw and pseudo-deathy Suffering Hour (an apt title BTW)... So I never did hear the album "in between", as I was never quite sure which side of the aisle it would sit in. The scant reviews were never definitive enough for me to pursue in earnest. 28 years later, I finally gave in to that curiosity. That album, of course, is Reason... Without a doubt, Reason is a departure from the debut and lays the groundwork for their masterwork Manic Impressions.

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Screams and Whispers is Anacrusis' 4th and final album (for all intents and purposes). And as you see above, it was their 3rd album that I held in the highest esteem. And while I always enjoyed Screams and Whispers, it never transcended like its predecessor. It has now. I have them on equal footing, and it could very well be my favorite when it's all said and done (still need to revisit Manic). But why are Anacrusis resonating with me more now than ever? It's the 80s influences that I missed on initial impact. Their techy/proggy thrash approach appealed to me right from the get, but I didn't capture the influence of their love of 80's music. In particular, on what I just noted on Theatre of Hate - Post Punk. Anacrusis admits a strong affection to acts such as The Cure and New Model Army and it shows when focused on it. And true to the tech thrash genre, the music is all over the place and unpredictable. When they sing in softer tones, the 80s Music element is clear. And then Nardi starts screeching like a banshee pointing to their primary metal motif. One of the most bizarre mixes one can hear, and the music is timeless because of it. If you haven't heard these Anacrusis albums - or you did back in the day but were nonplussed - give them a shot. Your filters have probably changed. I know mine have. Brilliant really.

Ownership: CD: 1993 Metal Blade. Standard jewel case release. Purchased new upon release. Still easy to find and there's plenty of reissues including on vinyl. 

1993; 2013; 3/25/23 (new entry)