Germinale - …e il suo Respiro Ancora Agita le Onde… 1995 Italy

At one point I owned the first three Germinale albums but sold the other two long ago. As I was digging into this release I had begun to wonder why I kept it. Somewhat typical stilted digital sound. Which is becoming a familiar theme, as I said pretty much the same thing about Malibran's third offering. Then comes the flute and vintage keyboards and away we go into proggy Italian land. Another one of those albums that asks that you withhold judgement until you've absorbed the contents in its entirety. Another fine +1 listen. I see this whole weed out thing is going to be impossible to execute on. Hmmm....

Ownership: CD: 1995 Mellow. Jewel case release with lyric booklet. Purchased new near the time of release (1996).

1996; 7/13/06; 11//09; 6/20/13; 9/25/23 (new entry)

Tiemko - Ocean. 1990 France

When Tiemko's Ocean and Minimum Vital's Sarabandes were released, I was still an LP-first buyer and the only CDs I was considering were the stray reissue of (usually) impossible to find rarities. The label (Musea) said that had no intent of issuing either on LP. So I needed to make a very important decision: Was I going to maintain that stance and miss out on the new CDs? Or get with the program and join the CD revolution? I chose the latter, a decision I do not regret for a second some 33 years later, as a good portion of my collection remains full of CD-only albums. And interestingly enough, Musea stayed true to their word. Both of these albums remain without an LP release, even though they are single album length. I believe they might be the oldest albums in my entire collection that are in that state (i.e. CD only).

Regardless of the media format, how has the music of Ocean held up? It's been forever and a day since I last heard it, certainly not in the last 20 years. Happy to say it has aged very well for me, and I recognized most of it immediately, indicating I had heard the album quite a bit when I first received it. While collectors continue to mine the 1960s, 70s, and early 80s, it appears no one cares about this era of progressive rock today. But for me and a few others it was an exciting time when bands from around the world suddenly woke up to a style that barely had a heartbeat only a few years prior. I already owned their debut Espace Fini, so I had an idea of what to expect. In those days we weren't so obsessed with hoping that bands would recreate the past with analog only instrumentation. As long as the music was of a high quality. It's not easy to maintain interest for close to 50 minutes with an all instrumental release performed by a trio. But they're a talented bunch and both the guitar and keyboards are well played. And yes, even some vintage Mini Moog can be heard. Veteran drummer Eric Delaunay keeps things hopping to ensure boredom never sits in. Strong melodies, well crafted compositions, some good jamming with undertones of fusion and electronic. A time proven recipe for a good prog album. Music like this receives mucho nostalgia points from me.

Ownership: CD: 1990 Musea. Jewel case issue with simple booklet. Purchased new upon release as discussed above. Note that the spine and disc spell the band as Tiemco.

According to Discogs this is the only pressing of the album (though my copy has Tiemco on the disc so that's at least two). I wouldn't be surprised to learn also there was a repress with IFPI codes. If not, there's still more supply than demand. Kind of sad in a way.

1990; 9/24/23 (new entry)

Fantasy - Beyond the Beyond. 1974 England (archival)

Beyond the Beyond was the proposed second album from Fantasy that didn't see a release until 18 years later.

For Paint a Picture I wrote: "In effect Paint a Picture is all about the individual songs themselves. None of them go too far astray from their original premise... Each of these songs are well written, with plenty of great guitar and keyboards, and are great for relistenability. It's the type of album one wishes had been more popular with FM radio, rather than the direction they ultimately headed in. For 1973, it's decidedly quaint and a bit out of touch. As others have mentioned, it really does sound like an album from 1970, with a more late 60s psychedelic era approach to composition, verse the full blown concepts of 1973. A very fine album once you understand what it contains."

Beyond the Beyond remains out of time one year later. More mellotron than on the predecessor and the music is a bit more progressive rock influenced. I enjoyed this album more on original impact, though I rate both the same these days. They are more subtle than the usual prog band of the era. If you are a fan of Paint a Picture then you'll also want to hear this.

Ownership: CD: 1992 Audio Archives. Jewel case issue with lyric booklet and historical liner notes. Acquired a few years after release (1995). This was to be the first release from the label that has a bit of a checkered history. I didn't buy it immediately since I was at the time dissatisfied with Paint a Picture.

This archival album was also picked up on LP by the Norwegian label Colours (rare today). Later CD issues add five more bonus tracks. Audio Archives also put the LP back in the market in 2016.

1995; 4/12/13; 12/13/14; 9/24/23 (new entry)

Culpeper's Orchard. 1971 Denmark

One of the legendary albums when I started collecting, Culpeper's Orchard's debut sits at the border of progressive rock, folk, and hard rock. Its reputation is probably better than it subjectively is, but it's still an excellent work throughout. 'Your Song and Mine' and 'Mountain Music Part 1' are superbly crafted while many of the other five minute plus tracks are quite accomplished as well. The shorter songs are mostly pure folk. It's an "early days" type of release, so its prog quotient is relatively low, and there's plenty of leftover psychedelic jamming going on here. Sometimes an album goes under the heading of simply "good music". That's Culpeper's Orchard.

Ownership: LP: 1971 Polydor. Thin gatefold. Online acquisition (2005). 

As noted, this was one of the "biggees" when I started collecting so owning an original felt like I really accomplished something lol. It wasn't inexpensive back then either, though I did get a pretty good deal on it. My first copy was a cheap single sleeve bootleg LP (1988) because that was the only option for me back then. I replaced that as soon as I could with the CD. I debated keeping that CD on this last listen, but this is the kind of album I enjoy hearing solely on the turntable. It can go.

1988; 2009; 9/22/23 (new entry)

Savatage - Sirens. 1983 USA-Florida

I've mentioned Sirens on plenty of posts in the past but have never featured or written anything about it directly. I purchased this on the same fateful January 1984 day that I acquired Manilla Road's Crystal Logic while still on winter break from college. Neither album had much initial impact on me. They were both slow growers. Today I consider Manilla Road's album close to the top tier, whereas Sirens remains merely excellent to my ears. Primarily that's because there isn't any one track that makes you sit up and proclaim "did you hear that?" That is to say, there is no 'Dreams of Eschaton' here. But what Sirens did bring was a superbly crafted traditional heavy metal album. Fantastic bass heavy production with crunchy guitars and Jon Oliva's unique snarling and yelping vocals. Not a dud track among the nine songs on display. Though the band were to later incorporate progressive rock and opera themes, I prefer this earlier incarnation of the group. I think they were to peak on The Dungeons are Calling EP before experimenting with more commercial music and then onto the aforementioned progressive rock ideas of Hall of the Mountain King. Sirens is slower and heavier than the bands it's often compared to such as late 70s Judas Priest, same era Iron Maiden, and early Queensryche. It fills a unique space inside of an obvious context.

Ownership: LP: 1983 Par. Single sleeve. Acquired at Metamorphosis Records in Dallas (1984). One of those LPs that is likely to be tossed in the grave with me. Can't imagine ever parting with it. I prefer this cover to the Combat reissues that came along a couple of years later. Today, these original pressings go for quite a bit of moolah. There are a few pressings with the original album cover and I had mine in the wrong entry on Discogs. My copy has "legal rights" on the label (see photo ->). 

CD: 2002 Metal Blade. Silver anniversary edition. Jewel case release with liner notes written by former drummer Steve Wacholz. Features three relevant bonus tracks likely taken from the same era (though not documented). Nice to have a supplement for this album.

1//84; 1/21/13; 9/28/19; 9/21/23 (new entry)

Wara - El Inca. 1973 Bolivia

Wara's debut represents a very crude early progressive rock attempt coming from a third world country. Heck, really a fourth world country during this time. The production is very rough, at least the copy I have, with muddled bass and warbly sounds. The music is a mix of hard rock and prog, not an uncommon sound for the region. Similar to groups such as Tarkus (Peru), Modulo 1000 (Brazil), and Psiglo (Uruguay). Nice organ, guitar, and high pitched vocals in Spanish. If you have a tolerance for rough demo sounding recordings, then the music of El Inca will interest you. If looking for pitch perfect and professional progressive rock, steer well clear of this title. I enjoy the pioneering spirit and creative imagination applied. It's not always a pleasant listen, but I really appreciate the effort made.

Ownership: CD: 200? Revista Arte & Rock (Brazil). Jewel case release with little info. 

My database shows I purchased this in 2002, which makes Discogs' date incorrect. I made that note on Discogs seven years ago, but no one followed my lead. Now that I look closer, my version is a bit different and not in Discogs, so their version would be a second press. Likely to be an unauthorized release in any case, and Discogs has labeled it as such. Shoot, I could have sworn I heard someone bump into the turntable during the recording lol. However I suspect that all of the reissues are similar, as none of the labels show proper provenance. 

Originals are impossibly rare and likely to be covered in mud for the few that survived. When I worked for a global higher education company, one of my project managers was originally from Bolivia. A couple of times she would go back there to visit family, and I asked her to inquire about this album. She received blank stares haha. They knew the group, not the album. Worth a try I figured...

Just getting word that Guerssen of Spain will be reissuing this album legit in Oct of 2023.

2002 (first listen); 11/15/17; 9/20/23 (review/new entry)

Aardvark. 1970 England

As mentioned recently, I could have sworn I had a UMR entry for this album. Appears I hadn't heard this record since I started this blog. huh. Over 18 years ago I wrote:

I have to admit to being surprised Aardvark's sole album isn’t more highly revered than it is. Heavy organ rock, with a really great fuzz sound (and some fuzz bass), spastic drumming, great melodies that could only come from England at this time. ‘The Outing – Yes’ goes into Ohr label Krautrock territory. And ‘Put That In Your Pipe and Smoke It’ still reigns king in the intense organ rock freakout category. It’s my own private reserve I guess.

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I almost went +1 from there last night, but held back. Still it's a 5 star / Gnosis 13 for my tastes. I highlighted the two primary underground interest pieces. But I what I didn't call out is how wonderful the other six short form tracks are. Very British sounding, a holdover from the psych era. Not that far off from Caravan's debut with less instrumentation.

Ownership: LP: 1970 Deram. Single sleeve. Stereo version. Recent online acquisition (2023). Paid quite a bit for this, but this is a title I really wanted to own. Both from a music perspective and I have history with the LP. My first copy was indeed the original purchased from a mail order dealer at the beginning of 1994. In those years between 1994 and before I got married (early 1997), I had become quite the "wheeler dealer", trading frequently with some of the heavy hitter European dealers of the day. When the Si-Wan CD hit the market, I decided to float the Aardvark out there to trade for more LP rarities. I received two inquiries immediately. One from a well-known Belgian dealer and one from a dear friend in Italy who I had recently stayed with in Rome. The deal in Belgium was awesome, but Aardvark was not the primary of the batch, so I thought maybe I could swap it out. But no such luck, it had to be part of the deal. What I received in return are rarities I still own to this day and most have never been reissued. It may have been the best trade I ever made. The sad part is I had to withdraw the offer to my friend. He was very upset and I lost the friendship. Which sucks, but it is what it is. This copy, however, will not be offered to anyone :-)

CD: 2005 Deram (Japan). Papersleeve edition. This copy replaced the Si-Wan version. From 1996 until just recently, the CD is all I owned. For music this good, I want to own on both formats.

1//94; 3//05; 9/19/23 (new entry)

Sade - Diamond Life. 1984 England

From two years ago. Continuing the blog cleanup project.

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A few stories emerge as I listen to Diamond Life for the first time. Some of these songs were ubiquitous in my early years of college. 'Smooth Operator', 'Your Love is King', and 'Hang On To Your Love' were all major hits, and that's exactly how Diamond Life opens. They had the perfect 1984 sound for smooth jazz/soul, that's for sure. It's these same three hits that appear on The Best of Sade, a CD I bought for my wife not long after we were married. So I heard these songs even more than usual, having popped the CD in the car changer for long road trips together. As mentioned before, she tired of her collection, but I stashed it away for later. Now she's asking for those CDs again (I knew she would). 

Sade - which is really a group - were at their best when they laid down a mean groove. So in addition to the above three, tracks like 'When Am I Going to Make a Living' (sounds like my Mom!) and 'I Will Be Your Friend' are other highlights. Speaking of my mum, she has the exact same name as Sade's mother! Way too funny. I'll have to tell her that. Her response will be "Who's Sade?". Well she is 82... So this was part of the 42 piece thrift find two weeks ago. Interestingly enough, I had found it at another thrift at the same time that I bought the Saracho album. There was another guy who showed up going through the records, and we got to talking. He said he was looking for Sade for his girlfriend. I showed him what I found, and it was obvious he was telling the truth. So I let him have it instead, figuring I'll probably find it again later. And fortune favors the kind, as not only did I find it again, but it's the original UK version! Yaay. 

And now for the final story. This is crazy, but many of you may have known this when I wrote what I'm about to share. But I truly did not. "Now this has to be the damnedest album I've picked up in some time. Marvin Gaye... brings along Jimmy Smith on organ... with a drum machine... and plays the music of Sade... in 1972." That would be my scratch off notes for Timmy Thomas' Why Can't We Live Together album. That same song closes Diamond Life! What I thought was a coincidence, ended up being a major influence. No doubt in my mind that primary songwriter Stuart Matthewman knew all about Timmy Thomas. Talk about the key ingredient in your secret sauce! So there it is. I'll be keeping this album, that's for sure.

Ownership: LP: 1984 Epic (UK). Gatefold. Thrift shop find (2021).

6/28/21 (LP 2.31); 9/19/23 (new entry)

Attila Kollar / Musical Witchcraft - II: Utopia. 2002 Hungary

Attila Kollar was the x-factor in Solaris, and his flute playing and melodic structure is what made that band so special. His next venture - working under the band name Musical Witchcraft - is very similar. At first the all-instrumental album sounded too familiar and a bit stilted, but as the disc goes on, Kollar manages to rise to the occasion and add interesting thematic developments, including easy listening / cocktail jazz. The music possesses an uncommon warmth. A gifted composer, Musical Witchcraft provided the audience with the next generation of Solaris as the group had splintered by then. Very much recommended to Solaris fans, or the groups that influenced them such as Camel and Rousseau.

Ownership: 2002 Periferic. Jewel case release with recording details. 

4//06 (first listen); 12/31/08; 9/18/23 (review / new entry)

Trion - Tortoise. 2003 Netherlands

About 20 years ago, I wrote the following:

I don’t tend to scour the Cyclops catalog in search of my next purchase, but Trion proves once again the label does have surprises up their sleeve (like Henry Fool for example). Basically this is a guitar, mellotron (sampled), drums trio playing symphonic instrumental progressive rock. For a unreconstructed prog head like me, this fits the bill entirely. It’s like discovering a new burger joint with a great tasting meal. Yea, it’s not new, but darn if a good double meat with cheese doesn’t hit the spot! Trion is very much of the Dutch variety of progressive rock. Generally that means the music tends to be mid-paced, highly melodic, and somewhat rhythmically uninteresting. So it always gets down to the execution of melodies and the change of tone and color (check out the obscure bands Mirror and Lethe to see what I'm referencing). And here is where Trion excels mightily. Plenty of nice electric leads are contrasted with acoustic guitar strumming. The mellotron (with many different tape samples – not just the usual suspects) provide the color and tone. The group that comes most to mind is Lady Lake. Other references are Camel (of course) and Focus 3, and maybe even the Swedish group Dice in their slower moments.

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No changes to that opinion. Trion is a made up word of Trio and Mellotron, so we're clear on where their headspace was. It's prog rock extract. ChatGPT generated progressive rock. Computer girlfriend. All ideal, none real. No 1970s group would have sounded exactly like this, and mellotron wouldn't have been specifically identified as the lead instrument. Most groups were proud of their keyboard "setup", and mellotron was a key instrument within that. Occasionally a group would show up with nothing more than a mellotron, because that's about all they owned (Quarteto 1111 comes to mind here). In the progressive electronic world, Froese of course was obsessed with the instrument. And finally the mellotron-only sampler act Celluloid took matters to its logical endpoint. All that to say, why not? Tortoise is a very easy listen for prog rock veterans. Sometimes you want to watch black and white TV shows for their comforting and uncomplicated narrative.

Ownership: CD: 2003 Cyclops (UK). Jewel case with colorful booklet containing album story and liner notes. Purchased new upon release.

1//04 (OMD vol 1); 9/15/23 (new entry)

Iron Butterfly - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. 1968 USA-California

I've written about every original-era Iron Butterfly, except for the big one. For my prelude to the Ball album, I wrote the following:

Iron Butterfly. Sigh. Was there ever a group with more commercial potential, and then just fell off the face of the Earth? Maybe, but this band has to be at least in that conversation. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida wasn't just a good seller, it was a major blockbuster - the album that put album rock on the map. And it was highly influential to boot. One can hear the early Krautrock and UK Vertigo groups taking a page directly from it. They were, in effect, crowned to be America's own Led Zeppelin - a band that opened for them, before ultimately the other way around.

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And then I went on to describe why Iron Butterfly weren't meant for the big time. So now we tackle the album that sent the group through the stratosphere. They weren't a one hit wonder in the traditional sense, which is usually saved for singles and the like. When I started hitting the used bins in early 1984, most of the record store owners had to say something about everything I bought - for some unknown and annoying reason (aged druggies in reality). Such as Focus' Moving Waves. "We used to get stoned during the yodeling parts...". In general, the reaction I received for albums I brought to the counter were "what the hell is that anyway?". Oftentimes I didn't know either - it looked cool so thought I'd try it out. Usually for less than three bucks (today some are going for $500 or more you Einsteins). But there were two bands that received outright derision from these clowns. One was Grand Funk Railroad (which I will still defend) and... Iron Butterfly. Especially this album. Constant references to what a joke it was. Not good music like - I dunno - The Band or Bruce Springsteen. Yea, OK. I'll make my own decisions, thank you. I always marched to my own drummer anyway (so to speak haha in this case), so other's opinions didn't matter much to me at age 19. Still don't nearly 40 years later.

I always liked the first side. In some ways it's similar to Brainticket's Cottonwood Hill. I love those first two tracks and would die to hear more like it. But the focus is always on the 30 minute Brainticket suite. Same for In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. All the songs are good - much better than the short form tracks on Heavy or Ball. So they improved in this way too. One wonders what would have happened had they just stuck with the single version of the title track, and added four or five more songs like it. Would have the album been more well received today? Would have it been as monumental as it was in its day? I think the answer to the first question is yes, and the second a big no.

The old-timers will tell you the truth - there just wasn't anything like this in 1968. I was all of 3 when this came out, so I cannot tell you a thing about its impact real time. But I am a student of history and it becomes clear that one must have context when listening to it. And do not kid yourself - if you don't think young Germans and Englishmen were tuned deep into this, then you're not serious. One can hear the embryonic form of Krautrock very clearly. And so did all those bands in the British underground.

About midway through the 6 minute mark comes the famous drum solo. Now if you can take anything away from my ramblings on this blog, you will have noted I hate drum solos. To me they are the biggest waste of recording space ever. I love this drum solo. It is a work of art. He's not spazzing out like an overly caffeinated zoo animal bashing on whatever he can find. Yea, I've sat through plenty of Neil Peart's drum solos at Rush concerts. Ron Bushy wins. Maybe not on technical points, but on enjoyable points. And - oh by the way - it ends at the 9 minute mark. A whopping two and a half minutes of solo time, big deal. Then comes in the haunting organ. Like early Tangerine Dream or Mythos - or Pink Floyd. Yea, your cherished gods Pink Floyd were listening too. Everyone was, that's the point of this review. Then comes the guitar. It just oozes psychedelic atmosphere. How about checking out what they're doing at the 13 minute mark. Seriously? You're going to declare this album is no big deal? 

And here we are in 2023, and people are still talking like the record store guys in 1984. No hope for mankind I guess.

Ownership: CD: 1995 Atlantic / Rhino. I like this release. The CD cover features a Lenticular image and is quite cool. This CD also features a live version of the title track performed way too fast with now the drums becoming annoying, but sure why not? It's the live experience. Also includes the single version.

MC: 1982 ATCO. Acquired at a garage sale (2024).

1984; 6/23/06; 9/15/23 (new entry)

Cincinnato. 1974 Italy

About 17 years ago I wrote the following (edited for relevancy):

Italy’s quirky PDU label released a number of albums in a variety of styles. Popular singer-songwriter Mina, who owned the label, paid the bills with her recordings, while she explored a more artistic side through others. Most known amongst the collector cognoscenti for their Italian pressings of the Krautrock Ohr and Cosmic Courier albums, PDU also released some Italian electronic and progressive minded albums of their own. Cincinnato would be the label’s only dive into the jazz rock waters (though the band apparently did not see themselves as playing this kind of music). Side 1 is all instrumental and starts with ‘Il Ribelle Ubriaco’, which has a loose and open feel that recalls the group Dedalus at the time of their debut. ‘Tramonto d’Ottobre’ is a short acoustic number, while side closer ‘Esperanto’ is truly jazz influenced rock, and might remind one of Perigeo. Side long ‘L’Ebete’ is more typical of an Italian prog rock epic, complete with subdued yet passionate vocals, driving guitar and keyboards, with multiple themes, sounds and changes – still quite a bit looser in structure than most in the genre. Shortly after the original recording of Cincinnato in 1972 (and not released until two years later), the band broke up and disappeared into the ether, until partially resurfacing for the reissue (see below)

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I hear it the same way today. Not a highly rated album apparently but I still find it very satisfying. Tough one to categorize but I think it still belongs more to prog than jazz rock.

Ownership: LP: 1974 PDU. Gatefold. Acquired online (2000). Very expensive album these days.

One of the very few Italian albums that didn't get reissued in the 80s and 90s, Cincinnato wasn’t released on CD until 2006 (on AMS). Comes in a mini-LP gatefold design. The texture is rougher and the colors are darker than the original. As well, it’s unfortunately apparent that the master tapes are lost, and that a clean LP had to be used as a master copy (but sounds fine). There are three bonus tracks included, the first two being newer jazz style recordings from keyboardist Giacomo Urbanelli and drummer Donato Scolese. They are pretty songs though not overly relevant to the recording itself. The third bonus is a live jam from the band when still known as Eros Natura (label asked for a name change). Decent sound all things considered, though the band still needed some work at this point. To the best of my knowledge, these three tracks remain exclusive to the CD. Today, this CD is no more to be found. I think I'll sell it anyway - the LP is all I really need (must continue to downsize).

2000; 10/2/06 (Gnosis); 9/14/23 (new entry)

Black Sabbath - Sabotage. 1975 England

In general, I tend to go with the flow as far as my favorite album by a favorite popular artist. Selling England by the Pound; Close to the Edge; In the Court of the Crimson King; Thick as a Brick; Wish You Were Here, etc... But with Sabbath I diverge a bit. Sabotage is my declared favorite, though I could make an argument for Master of Reality putting me back into the mainstream.

I was familiar with Black Sabbath in junior high (especially considering the delinquents I went to school with back then in the housing projects), but I didn't really hear them with any kind of scrutiny until high school. By then the Sabs were onto Heaven and Hell and fully immersed in the metal movement. As was I. I've discussed all this on prior reviews. As I think back, I believe Sabotage may have been the first vintage 70s Black Sabbath album for me to borrow/hear. A friend told me he really liked it but it wasn't necessarily their best. I wasn't quite sure what to make of it, but I liked what I heard. It wasn't until college that I finally deep dived into the Black Sabbath catalog. Today I enjoy all of their albums up through Mob Rules. After that I'm going to plead ignorance. Heard a few including the much derided Born Again which arrived in my freshman year of college. But just as Never Say Die resonates much stronger with me today, I need a new listen before passing judgment.

As for Sabotage, I think it has their most peak moments. 'Hole in the Sky' is a very good hard rock pounding opener. Not quite metal, but seriously heavy for the era. 'Don't Start (Too Late)' is a beautiful Spanish guitar piece which leads into the blistering 'Symptoms of the Universe'. Now this may very well be the beginning of 1980s styled metal. Even though they borrowed the riff from Australia's Buffalo, they took the song in another direction. Wonderful progressive breaks in the middle which leads to an unexpected hippy psychedelic ending. Also the "one soft - two heavy" punch with its predecessor is how just about every heavy metal album has opened since. 'Megalomania' was made for Ozzy. The first 3 plus minutes tend to drag but once the primary riff gets going, the song builds in intensity. I love the way that as Ozzy gets more and more animated, Iommi adds that just many more effects to his guitar. 'The Thrill of it All' is like 'Hole in the Sky' though perhaps a bit less interesting. A lot of folks don't seem to enjoy 'Supertzar' and use curious words like "cheesy". That's not my definition of cheese. To me it sounds like The Alan Parsons Project circa I Robot meets Black Sabbath. I could go for a whole album of that idea! 'Am I Going Insane' is also an ideal Ozzy number. A bit commercial in nature, but it's not offensive. All of this leads to 'The Writ' which has the perfect evil Ozzy opening. Unfortunately the track doesn't develop like 'Megalomania', but it's still nice to see the band experimenting with progressive rock forms.

I wouldn't make the claim that Sabotage is somehow underrated (I wouldn't use that word anyway), because it does have many fans like me, but most will say it's a point or two away from the first five. I think it easily surpasses Vol. 4 and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. Otherwise I'm really splitting hairs as I love those first three almost just as much, especially Master of Reality as noted above.

Ownership: LP: 1979 Warner Bros. Single sleeve. My first copy goes back to college. It was on the palm tree label. But like many used albums I bought in college, they were beat, but attractive at $1. This copy came from an old childhood neighborhood friend who I still maintain contact with. He gave me his collection in 2006. Perfect copy too. No bar code with Warner shields. I think the date is right.

CD: 199? Warner Bros. Commodity CD with a short history. For music like this, a supplemental CD is essential.

1984; 2006; 9/11/23 (new entry)

Eccentric Orbit - Creation of the Humanoids. 2014 USA-Massachusetts

10 years after their debut, Boston's Eccentric Orbit returns with another fine retro prog effort. All instrumental, the group goes through lengthy and complex tracks that never sit still too long. Great analog instrumentation such as woody bass, Mini-Moog, (faux) Mellotron, and violin make for a very pleasant listen throughout. There's no guitar but the guitar synth gives us a facsimile of the sound. About the only thing holding this back from the higher echelons is that it's not very - umm - eccentric. Rather this is a well studied release. Nothing meanders and each space has a purpose. It's not the reckless abandon of amateurs that propels the all-time greats. This is prog rock made by prog rock fans. If I were to create a progressive rock album, it would probably come out something like this (though not near as accomplished). It's difficult to be uniquely creative this far along in the process. But if you love progressive rock from the 1970s, this is an album you're going to want to hear and likely own.

Ownership: CD: 2014 private. Colorful tri-fold digi-pak with vintage images. 

11/2/14; 9/10/23 (new entry)

Tangerine Dream - Poland (The Warsaw Concert). 1984 Germany

As you may have noted, in the last couple of years I've completely immersed myself in early 1980s Tangerine Dream, largely propelled by the Pilots of Purple Twilight box set, but other sources as well ("bootleg" sets/boxes, etc...). One album from that era I haven't spoke about is Poland. As told on the other entries, by 1984 I was a complete fanatic for all things Tangerine Dream, and I purchased the LP on the spot no questions asked. Much was made at the time of Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze having the ability to perform inside the Iron Curtain. And each left us a double LP document of their adventures in Poland. My interest level in this era of T. Dream was beginning to wane though. The music was starting to run together and the improvisational aspect of the band was gone completely. So over time I eventually parted with Poland, though I did keep Schulze's output which I own to this day.

A little over 10 years ago, Cherry Red's "Krautrock" label Reactive reissued the same album with full historical documentation. It had been at least 20 years since I last heard it - or probably anything from that era of Tangerine Dream to be honest - and so it sounded fresh to my ears. Now a decade later from that incident and I'm back to my early college self in terms of having a full Tangerine Dream musical perspective. And yes, one can hear many familiar and recurring themes throughout these discs. Musically it's fairly repetitive of what they had been up to since 1981/82, and there's a bit of "going through the motions". The liner notes explain the immense difficulty in performing these concerts, so it's all understandable. From an historical perspective one has to admire the sheer will it took to pioneer a path many would take later. From a musical perspective, this album doesn't offer too much in terms of original creativity with 'Horizon' providing the most contrast. Schulze did much better on this front. No matter, given my own personal history with the era and Eastern Europe (only a few years later), this one will continue to have a space on the shelf.

Ownership: CD: 2011 Reactive. 2xCD with historical liner notes. Originally acquired the 2xLP at University Records in Lubbock while in college (1984).

1984; 5/11/12; 9/8/23 (new entry)

Sonic Tribe - Spirit Rising. 2002 USA-Washington

Spirit Rising was released at a time when the 60s hippy movement was having its last great swansong, and they were combining New Age, Tribal Electronic, Psychedelic, and lyrics about saving the planet all into one big bag of druggy goodness. Sonic Tribe is part of the Dean Evenson universe, and he was hyperactive during this era, primarily as a solo artist. It's all so very West Coast (Seattle area in this case). I like this one, brings back memories of the early to mid 90s for me, which were the most transformative years of my life. The music contains a certain something I cannot describe in words. Not a mind blowing album (could have used Ed Wynne on a few of these tracks), but I'll take what I can get.

Ownership: 2002 Soundings of the Planet. Jewel case release. Local thrift shop find (2021). Very obscure title, I had to add this to Discogs (and these photos are from my copy). Since then, three folks have claimed to possess one - and no one wants it. Still can be found sealed / new for cheap. C'est la vie. I'm keeping it anyway.

12/2/21 (CD 2.14); 9/8/23 (new entry)

Iris - Crossing the Desert. 1996 England-France

Iris' sole release is one of those albums that doesn't look good on paper. Essentially it's an instrumental one man project led by former Arrakeen guitarist Sylvain Gouvernaire bringing the rhythm section of Marillion along for the ride. And the CD makes sure you know that latter fact in the hopes it would generate more sales (and it probably worked too). I mean these guys can keep a beat but they don't shine in any other way. So the entire album falls on the shoulders of Gouvernaire. I have not heard the French group Arrakeen myself, though the name rings a bell from that era. In reading about them they sound like the kind of band I was avoiding in the late 80s and early 90s, but probably would love today. With all of that, and an overly digital production, I would predict Iris has little chance of making the grade. Shelf space comes at a premium these days.

As the music starts out, my self-fulfilling prophecy was going as expected. But you know, the guitar is very melodic, and I kind of like those Tangerine Dream middle 80s synth tones. And there's some real songwriting going on here. I had wondered why I picked this up in the first place, because by 2010 the days of trying every prog rock album under the sun were way behind me. Something had to impress me about it. It's sort of like the 3rd Malibran album that I just spoke about. You just have to let this one rip - and it grows from there. The song placement is particularly adept as the album builds quite nicely in intensity. Gouvernaire is completely embroiled into this work, and I enjoy his guitar style very much. I can see why only one album was released from this project. The idea was spent.

A pleasant surprise throughout. The CD earned its keep here at Casa UMR.

Ownership: CD: 1996 private (Germany). Jewel case with colorful booklet. Acquired much later (2010).

8/28/10; 12/6/11; 9/7/23 (new entry)

Roman Bunka - Dein Kopf ist ein Schlafendes Auto. 1980 Germany

If you've read enough of my ramblings on this blog you'll have probably noted that I'm a huge fan of guitarist Roman Bunka. He's one of those uniquely gifted artists that never disappointed, and yet is widely unknown. He recently passed away last year with barely a mention. He had found the perfect bandmate in Christian Burchard, and the two ensured Embryo would never be tempted by commercialism. Outside of Embryo he's most known in world music and film circles, as he became fascinated with, and ultimately a master of, the oud.

Dein Kopf ist ein Schlafendes Auto (Your Head is a Sleeping Car) is Bunka's only rock oriented solo album, and that's a pity as one can tell the creative juices are just beginning to flow. Bunka's background is on full display here making for a very disparate, but ultimately satisfying album. This is miles away from most progressive solo artists of the era anxious to demonstrate that they too can release pop slop like everyone else. You won't get a 'Funny Feeling' here (Steve Hackett if you must ask). I wouldn't even know how to qualify the album's opener... maybe a mutant Can updated for the 80s with a patented Embryo styled finish? This is followed by 'No More Jogging' which sounds like 'Lost Scooters' with Garden Wall's Alessandro Seravalle on vocals (deep dive reference, but if you know Garden Wall, then you know it's pretty crazy). The following two tracks demonstrate Bunka's love for Asian music and provides a nice, if somewhat jarring, contrast. This gets us to Side 2, and it's here we get the highlights of the album. Now we're in Embryo's jazzy-ethno-psych-jammy phase of the late 70s, something I'll never tire of. B1 has a killer psych sequence towards the end. Be sure to get ahold of the CD as well, as it features another great track, as Bunka covers 'On the Corner' era Miles Davis on a 10 minute excursion with his own material. Overall the album is nearly impossible to categorize. Is it world fusion, no wave, psychedelic, jazz rock? Yes. For categorization purposes, progressive rock it is. 

Ownership: CD: 1996 ATM. Jewel box release with informative liner notes and the aforementioned key bonus track. Purchased new upon release and this was my introduction to the album. I consider it the primary for the collection.

LP: 1980 private. Single sleeve. This is one of those originals I picked up "along the way" (online 2013) just because. Even today it's shockingly inexpensive and easy to get, in Europe at least. This tells us that it must have sold pretty well initially despite being a private press, demonstrating the great respect Bunka had in the music community of the era. While typically I would only keep one version of an album such as this, I feel compelled to keep both. But if push comes to shove, the LP will go.

1996; 2010; 11/29/17; 9/7/23 (new entry)