Baron - Torpor. 2015 England

Torpor starts off in a very intriguing way with trippy Hammond organ. Cool - retro prog, one of my fave subgenres. And Baron is made up of guys who also play in Diagonal, another band held in high esteem here at casa UMR. But wait. What is that vocal style that just entered in? Sounds like the more serious groups of the early 80s English post punk movement like The Cure and Theatre of Hate. Now we really have something odd going on here. And that incendiary fuzz guitar break at the end of this revelatory opener reminded me of Wolf People, probably my favorite group of the 2010s. What the heck is this?

And so it goes for 8 wonderful songs. 'Stry' has an incredible buildup that delivers some wonderful power chords and wailing solos. This is one of those albums I'm not sure I would have been attracted to upon release. But now that I've gathered some context of the x-wave movement from my own era, I have a deeper appreciation of an album such as this. In general, the ratings on Torpor are mediocre to low. I don't think the album has found the correct audience yet. A different viewpoint is needed if coming at this from a progressive rock mindset.

Ownership: CD: 2015 Svart (Finland). Recent online acquisition (2023). Digipak with booklet.

6/29/23 (new entry)

The Counts - What's Up Front That Counts. 1971 USA-Michigan

The second the music started on What's Up Front That Counts, I was enthralled. Detroit's own The Counts offer up an immediately likeable funk album, more so than any album I can think of in the genre. Not necessarily the best funk album, but rather it's funk extract - what I expect all of these albums to sound like, but rarely do. I said something similar about Morgen for the psychedelic genre. What's Up Front That Counts has a groove that just won't quit. No extraneous detours here, this just brings the goods for the grand total of 28 minutes. Yes, it's short, but not a second wasted.

Ownership: CD: 2011 Westbound (Europe). Recent online acquisition (2023). Jewel case with a short history. Also includes a very rare 1978 single. 'Motor City' is very similar to the 1971 album while the flip is more in the soul genre.

6/29/23 (new entry)

Polyfeen - Den Sidste Vilde. 2020 Denmark

Polyfeen are one of those bands from the early 70s that didn't manage to record anything in their era. Many years later a 1972 archival recording surfaced that demonstrated a group with talent but the recording quality was dodgy and not necessarily a pleasant experience. This event though lead to the band reforming with a couple of original members and they have since issued two albums. Den Sidste Vilde is their latest. We see this career trajectory quite a bit in Italy, to mixed results. Polyfeen are one of the better ones to have made a comeback such as this.

The overtly psychedelic cover indicates this will likely be a space rock or stoner metal type album. Fortunately it is not either but rather a mix of retro psych and late 70s styled progressive rock. The second track is a cool little instrumental that could have been done by a band like Saga in their heyday. Track 3 sounds like the most psychedelic aspects of the Beatles. Tracks 1 and the last 3 are their retro prog numbers. It's on these that the band shine the best, especially the closer, arguably the album's high water mark. This one took a couple of listens to soak in, as I thought it might be too similar to other modern groups. But there's some uncommon depth here in the songwriting that makes it a keeper.

Ownership: CD: 2020 Kommun 2. Digipak. Recent online acquisition (2023). Kommun 2 is one of those upstart labels that flourished in the 2010s. Nice to see they're still kicking around.

6/28/23 (new entry)

Birth Control - Increase. 1977 Germany

Way back in my earliest used record collecting days, around 1984 or so, I had the opportunity to buy an original of this for a few bucks. Instincts told me to avoid (similar to Saga - Behaviour and many others), and so I preserved that precious cash for something better. When the internet boom happened in the mid 90s, no one talked this up and it remains to this day generally considered much lesser of an album than its predecessors. So I never bothered to pursue. Now that I'm out there crate digging, I turn up this version of the album, and pulled the trigger. My interest in the hard rock element of Birth Control has gone considerably up over the years. In essence they were always this way, not really Krautrock or prog, though they possessed elements of both. After nearly 40 years since that event above, this is the first time for me to hear Increase.

In reflection, both my instincts and the general internet perception were correct for my tastes... ...at the time. As I was digging deeper into the European underground, an album as straightforward as Increase would not have made the cut. And it certainly wasn't anything I needed to pursue for mail order. 

Today I have a different perspective. First off, I really appreciate the production that brings out the fantastic bass work. Keyboards and guitar are still front and center and are well played here. The songwriting is very good, and is inclusive of various outside influences like funk and disco, while not entirely letting go of progressive rock. As noted, those funk / disco influences are "outside" not "inside". Even if they were, I probably would enjoy the album with my current mindset. I found myself enjoying Increase as much as other Birth Control albums (not the best though), and it's better than at least a couple of their earlier works for my tastes.

Ownership: LP: 1979 Brain. Single sleeve with alternate cover. From my local friends at Tiger Records. This is the Rock On Brain issue. I was first introduced to this series via the Scorpions Action LP way back in 1980. I was completely fascinated by the album itself, but I was also drawn to the other acts listed at the bottom. Who were these groups anyway? It would be a few years later that I would learn the music of Embryo, Jane, Satin Whale, and Guru Guru. For Increase, Guru Guru fell off and was replaced by Thirsty Moon (and Action replaced Increase). What a killer roster of albums the Brain label had in its heyday.

6/22/23 (first listen / review / new entry)

Ross. 1974 England

Can a Latin Rock album be made by non-Hispanics? Ross answers that question with a definitive YES! This band has a serious identity problem. The cover on first glance is completely proggy. However close inspection shows our fantasy castle as nothing more an image of a female in a bathing suit and white go-go boots. OK then. From the very first notes, the heavy wah wah guitar has one thinking this is a going to be a funk rock extravaganza similar to Funkadelic maybe? Well... no, not quite that either. A closer listen reveals Ross to be more in line with Malo, Sapo, and the rest of them. But these guys aren't from the Western Hemisphere! So what? A style is a style, and it's not like Santana only sold copy over here. OK, none of the songs are in Spanish but the genre is quite evident. Group leader Alan Ross clearly learned many of his solos from Carlos, while he lays hard on the wah wah pedals for rhythm. Oh, and look at that, they have a full-time percussionist. Keyboards are Hammond and Fender Rhodes. So it's not prog and it's not pure funk, but it's Latin rock influenced. Listen to it with a different perspective and you get a different experience. I think it's great.

Ownership: LP: 1974 RSO. Single sleeve. Acquired from Dr. Boom here in town (2023).

6/21/23 (new entry)

White Spirit. 1980 England

White Spirit is mostly known as the answer to the trivia question: Which band did Iron Maiden guitarist Janick Gers play in? White Spirit is a very interesting album in that it mostly points to a 70s heritage, but there's no questioning its metal integrity. And that's probably Gers' doing, the only bandmember to have persisted on past this album. The rest of the group sounds like mid 70's Rainbow, and Malcolm Pearson's keyboards of choice are the trusty Hammond organ and various Moog synthesizers. They have the perfect sound - for the wrong era. Musically, one could point to Rainbow's Rising as the blueprint. Mostly straight-up rockers are offset by proggy bits, especially on the 10 minute closer 'Fool for the Gods'. But while Blackmore stayed hard rock, White Spirit jumped on the NWOBHM bandwagon. The album had pretty decent distribution in its day (though not in the States), but their sound was too rooted in the past for the burgeoning metal movement. And that was the end of White Spirit, one of those bands that really should be a household name today. Beyond trivia of course.

Ownership: LP: 1980 MCA (Germany). Single sleeve with lyric inner bag. Acquired from JL before the Austin Record show (2023).

6/18/23 (new entry)

Omnibus. 1970 USA-New Jersey

Here's another old CDRWL that I just recently acquired. First the original notes (slightly updated):

Omnibus were a band from New Jersey with a strong affinity for the Doors. Perhaps given the later date, Omnibus were more aggressive than Morrison and company, and the organ of choice is the Hammond (instead of a Vox Continental). Plenty of psychedelic fuzz guitar as well. Vocalist does a nice job of emulating Jim Morrison's sonorous tone. File next to the first Dragonwyck album as a good example of post-Doors heavy rock. 

---

Yep - not much to add there. The fuzz guitar is really stinging which is probably the largest separator from the Doors. Another one of those American albums that came around in 1970, about one year too late for its audience. 

Ownership: LP: 1970 United Artists. Gatefold. Acquired at the Austin Record show (2023). This is the first pressing with the orange and red labels. There does exist an orange and black version as well. 

An elaborate 2xLP reissue was issued by Wah Wah some years ago which includes all sorts of bonus material. As of 10/6/24 this album still hasn't been issued on CD (legit), and it would be great if they added the Wah Wah bonus tracks. I'd most certainly splurge for that.

1/5/11 (first listen / review); 6/15/23 (update / new entry)

Road. 1972 USA-California

Though two-thirds English, Road were a band formed in LA by former Jimi Hendrix Experience / Fat Mattress bassist Noel Redding and Rare Earth guitarist Rod Richards. Along for the ride was English drummer Les Sampson, who was part a band from Fort Worth. In reading reviews of Road's debut, one could be forgiven to thinking this is another power trio in the grand tradition of Stray's debut or Silberbart. But it's not so jaw dropping in its intensity. In fact it reminds me most of Rare Earth in that one keeps expecting to go further than it does. Really, for 1972, this is a full year behind the pack, maybe two. Road is more old-fashioned 1970 styled hard rock, operating in post-Cream mode. Songwriting is an afterthought, mere vehicles to lay the foundation for extended jamming. Because of this, I don't think Road ever penetrated the finicky radio market of the era. While sales were pretty good, it would seem they were riding the coattails of Hendrix at that point. And one and done they go into the journal of history. Not to say the album isn't very good. Oh yes, it most certainly is. And the namesake closer finally delivers on what Redding and Richards have been teasing for years. But compared to the albums I've listed above, it could definitely use a bit more spice in the stew. An excellent entry, but not an astounding one. 

Ownership: LP: 1972 Natural Resources. Uni-pak gatefold. Acquired from JL before the last Denver record show (2023). Natural Resources was another Motown rock sublabel like Rare Earth, which Richards probably had something to do with.

6/13/23 (new entry)

Iceberg - Coses Nostres. 1976 Spain

Iceberg switched gears on their second album to create a pure play fusion album with indigenous Spanish touches, especially flamenco. Though the band is Catalan, they favor the southern sounds of Andalusia. Highlight is focused on Max Sunyer's guitar and Joseph Kitflus' keyboards. As such comparisons to Return to Forever and Al Di Meola are well placed. In hearing this album for 31 years now, it still sounds fresh.

Ownership: LP: 1976 Bocaccio. Single sleeve. Acquired via mail order (1992). Though the vinyl looks near mint, it's a noisy pressing. Given that the CDs are all messed up, it doesn't appear there to be a great sound source for this album. However I have read the Japanese papersleeve sounds excellent (ironic that). I'll stick with this. The music is loud enough to overcome most of the background noise.

A couple of Discogs quirks. The one they have as "primary" is a later press from 1977 (see back cover). This original version has what looks like a tiny sticker applied on the rim text of the label (7.770), but I don't think that's factory. My copy doesn't have it anyway.

1992; 5/24/98; 3/10/16; 6/11/23 (new entry)

Sapo. 1974 USA-California

A couple of years ago I wrote: This is another one of those fantastic Latin rock albums from the early 70s. Sapo has Malo written all over them, and if you like Malo, you're highly likely to enjoy this. The primary difference is that Sapo is not as guitar centered as the Santana influenced bands can be. Oscar Estrella (ironically not the star) is a very competent guitarist, but he gets scant chance to show off. In his place is some dynamite horn charts, some thumpin' rhythms, and Kincaid Miller's excellent electric piano and Clavinet work. All the tracks have great melodies and they usually segue into each other for one super listening session.

---

And my opinion remains the same after last night's listen. Chango, Dakila, Macondo, El Chicano, and the rest of them could be tossed into this stack. It's a winning formula where the percussion and bass drive each track forward, followed by the main course of organ, guitar, horns, etc... And just as the music shuts down to close off the track, the engine starts again for another drive. I, for one, would like to see a Latin Rock renaissance.

Ownership: LP: 1974 Bell. Single sleeve. Recent acquisition from my friends at Tiger Records (2023). This replaces the scratched G+ copy I found at a thrift store that made up the original notes above. Unfortunately, the vinyl seems to be flawed as it skips in a couple of places and pops in a few more. It's not scratched nor does it have embedded dust specks or things like that. You can't feel it. Hmmm. Not sure what to do now. For sure the cover is better though.

10/18/10 (first listen); 8/19/21 (review); 6/11/23 (update/new entry)

Omega - The Prophet. 1985 England

When hearing Omega for the first time I was debating whether or not this was NWOBHM or NWOBPR. Acronym city, but it gives you a very good idea of the type of music played here. The guitars are most certainly metal, and so it's the former categorization that wins the debate. I've said it many times, but the early days of metal were the most exciting, and even though by 1985 the rules were being drawn, Omega just went about their own business. And were forgotten for many years until the reawakening occurred.

The Prophet has elements of Legend, Sacred Blade, and Manilla Road, but easy comparisons are not to be found. Neo prog is blended seamlessly with some creative riffing to generate the kind of album you want to hear over and over. The cover of The Beatles 'Day Tripper' probably could have been replaced with something better, but when you go for broke like this, you have to accept the mistakes too. It's part of the charm.

Ownership: LP: 1985 Rock Machine. Single sleeve with lyric insert. Acquired from JL before the Austin Record show (2023). Reissues exist on both LP and CD, though they've become scarce as well.

6/10/23 (new entry)

Earthstar - Salterbarty Tales. 1978 USA-New York

Another one from the CDRWL days. Let's check in on those notes first from 11/28/10:

I didn't know what to expect on this rare debut by Earthstar. Would it be the Berlin School tour-de-force of French Skyline or more towards the classically oriented electronic sounds of Atomkraft? Nein, Danke!(?) The opening track had me drooling, with processed fuzz guitar mixed in with the electronics. A definite French vibe pervades similar to what Phillippe Besombes was doing with the Pole label. The next two tracks highlight piano and harpsichord respectively, and are definite proto new age songs. Following this, we are taken back to the otherworldly sounds of the first song, though this time there's oboe buried in the mix. Perhaps the best use of the instrument I've heard in an electronic setting. 

Side 2 opens with a lengthy near side-long composition that at times is sublime and combines the best elements of the 1st and 4th songs on Side 1, and also adds a bit of sequencing. The album closes on a quieter note, but still fits squarely in the cosmic music realm. I was more than pleasantly surprised by the quality of this album.

---6/10/23

I digested that one pretty well on initial impact. It possesses this murky and mysterious feel that only the French seemed to capture. It's all over the place like Humans Only, an album I've only discovered recently. It's not quite as focused though, and some of the new age bits drag on a bit. Long album clocking in at 57:35. In obtaining this LP, I thought it might result in being my favorite by Earthstar, but that title now goes to Humans Only, though this still finds itself in second place among a killer quartet of albums.

Ownership: LP: 1978 Moontower. Single sleeve that includes what looks like a lyric insert, though the album is entirely instrumental. Recent online acquisition (2023) that replaces the cd-r that was the source for the original notes above. 

CD: 2023 Made in Germany. 5xCD set (Collected Works) housed in a fat box jewel case. This package includes all four of their released studio albums plus one bonus album that was unreleased until now. Unfortunately they appear to be from vinyl rather than master tapes. The copy used for French Skyline wasn't the best either. Superior liner notes from band member Dennis Rea provide context to the history of Earthstar. I found myself relating to all of this as if I grew up with them in Utica, New York. I was in faraway Dallas, and arrived to the same musical conclusion a few years later, but much of their background was similar to my own (minus the psychedelics I hasten to add). 

11/28/10 (first listen / review); 6/10/23 (update / new entry); 3/11/24

Mini - Vissza a Városba. 1978 Hungary

Mini were a band from Hungary that had been kicking around for many years before finally getting an album out. Apparently their earlier recordings are more rough and ready styled hard rock and prog. Some of these archival recordings are available on a CD that I haven't heard yet, but will track down eventually. By the time they did get to the studio, fusion was all the rage in eastern Europe. Mini also throws in a couple of classic rock tracks, trying to be hip by western standards, and ends up sounding like a caricature of a bunch of nerds doing similar (the picture insert tells you all you need to know). No matter, the funky fusion makes up for the clumsiness. Well, even here, the band is awkward in their approach, but that's what makes this album so endearing. The funky flute parts are really great. The track 'Sounds and Signals from an Unidentified Flying Object' has to be heard to be believed. Wow - great stuff, so disorienting. This is one of those albums that isn't objectively very good, but subjectively it's awesome. I love off the wall albums such as this.

Ownership: LP: 1978 Pepita. Single sleeve. Recent acquisition from a fellow collector friend (2023). This is the "export" version which means it comes with a large postcard with English translations, which really comes in handy with track names like 'Hangok És Jelek Egy Nem-Azonosított Repülő Tárgyról' (see above review for a hint). Yep - Hungarian is impenetrable for us Indo-European speakers. To the best of my knowledge, Mini translates to... Mini. If you want this on CD, you'll have to buy the 4 CD set (2018) that includes their later albums. Given how goofy this album is, I might try for that someday...

6/9/23 (new entry)

Graffiti. 1968 USA-New York

When hearing Graffiti for the first time, I was most reminded of Canada's Nucleus. It has that same kind of disorienting feel, while also looking forward to the progressive rock movement. It's more friendly though, demonstrating a melodic sense that was radio ready. A slight strain of Strawberry Alarm Clock can be heard as well, especially with the fuzz guitar work. Like many of the more creative bands from the American psych landscape, Graffiti were one and done and forgotten by all but the most dedicated collectors. An excellent album that is enjoyable throughout and multiple listens will likely be rewarding.

Ownership: LP: 1968 ABC. Gatefold. Picked up from JL before the Denver show. It's nicer than these Discogs stock photos. The album has just been reissued by Sundazed in the last year if interested in obtaining the CD.

6/7/23 (new entry)

Ragnarok. 1975 New Zealand

Here's another former CDRWL entry. My original notes from 1-25/10 were sparse: 

Ragnarok's debut is a combination of early 70s UK proto-progressive with female vocals mixed with space rock.

---6/9/23

And that's about right. The music sounds older, like something from 1971, though the synthesizers are more up to date. You can hear a band like fellow countrymates Cleves, but Ragnarok has a thinner and lesser developed sound. Plenty of mellotron too. Overall it's a pleasant excursion not unlike many Australasian bands from the middle 70s.

Ownership: LP: 1975 Revolution. Single sleeve. Recent acquisition from a collector friend (2023).

CD: 2022 Frenzy. Digifile with liner notes in the gatefold inner section. Has many bonus tracks from Ragnarok (4); Transformer (1); and Flying Wild (5). The other groups predate Ragnarok and are more pop psych in nature, though no less pleasant.

I once owned the crappy bootleg CD-R and that was my introduction to the band. I have a memory that I even owned the original once, but decided it wasn't worth keeping when I still had so much to obtain. But there's room now for Ragnarok. 

Lots of cool information about the band here, including the bizarre fact that the current reissue went to the Top 10 in New Zealand!

10/25/10 (notes); 6/6/23 (review / new entry); 3/25/24

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I feel soooo 2010.

Mostly the photos there are going to be the same things I write here with a few surprises (and far less descriptive). The photos are my actual copy versus Discogs stock images. Will limit to a maximum of one post a day. 

And - eventually - I plan on selling some of my rarer pieces via the platform. Most everything we sell is via Discogs, Ebay, What's Left Records, and the Colorado Springs and Denver Record shows. Even the odd garage sale here in the Springs (for the really cheap stuff). But the expensive items ($100 or more and originals only - not including classical) - these will go to Instagram, so worth checking out if you're a collector. When does that happen? Who knows - probably not any time soon.

Throw in a few likes once in awhile just to make me feel better :-)

Lucifer's Friend. 1970 Germany

If there's an album out there that clearly designates hard rock from Germany versus Krautrock, Lucifer's Friend's debut may be just that. For 1970, Lucifer's Friend paves the way for many German hard rock bands to come like Frame, Hairy Chapter, Night Sun, Gift, etc... Heavy organ and riffing guitar along with soulful, Uriah Heep-like vocals (from Englishman John Lawton) define the music. A truly groundbreaking effort that's a year ahead of the pack.

Ownership: LP: 1970 Philips. Embossed gatefold. Gift from my friend JL. The cover is as creepy as they get, far outdoing those metal bands that try too hard for the same effect.

6/5/23 (new entry)

Mystrez - The Indictment. 1990 Netherlands

On the Savage Steel review I wrote: "Yet another late 80s technical thrash band I was unfamiliar with. I'm beginning to wonder if I was there at all, with so many of these under the radar thrash bands cropping up in my world, some 30+ years after the fact."

And here we are again with yet another tech thrash band I'd never heard of. I keep lists of groups to check out, and this wasn't one of them either. When I was offered up the album, I looked it up, and noticed comparisons to fellow countrymen Osiris, one of the (apparently) few albums I did get to know real time, and have reported here on UMR. That's a no-brainer, I must check out Mystrez then. Who knows what the band name is supposed to mean. Mistress? Mysteries? My Stress? lol.

There's essentially 10 tracks on here with an intro and outro. It's of the genre, so if you like metal that is wild, all over the place, thrashy, and technically challenging, then The Indictment should go on your want list. A couple of interesting diversions: 1) The singer doesn't scream his way through this in ball-squeazing fashion. Rather he takes the barking matter-of-fact approach (but not grunting, it's very clear what he's trying to convey). The other is the soft ballad that closes Side 1. I quite like it because of its placement. Generally these tracks are put up front to set the opposite atmosphere so that the band can pulverize you afterward. But placed here, it's quite soothing.

While researching this album, I learned about a few more bands and albums that are similar to Mystrez. Like I asked prior - was I even there? Apparently not. I find music like this timeless, and have no qualms about adding more to the collection.

Ownership: LP: 1990 Bad Taste (Germany). Single sleeve. Purchased from JL before the Denver record show about 2 months ago. Bizarre cover.

6/4/23 (new entry)