Ascension ~ Canada ~ Ontario

Jazz Rock Fusion for the New Millennium (1992)

Bassist Grant Whatford had reached out some time ago and asked me to check out his band's outing from 30 years ago. I dawdled longer than intended, but I finally lent an ear. The album exists out on many platforms, and you can also buy the CD from Wayside for only ten bucks. I chose YouTube for my source as I'm in downsize mode (with exceptions of course...). From London, Ontario, Ascension offers up a fiery fusion highlighted by superb guitar solos, woody bass, and complicated rhythms. They're a trio and they create a storm of sounds! They were at the vanguard of the new wave of fusion that was to become more prominent in the 90s. Guitarist Mike Schiffman can shred with the best of them, and has no mercy for those not prepared to be pummeled. There's some nice atmospheric interludes as well recalling David Torn. I also enjoy Whatford's bass style, offering far more than keeping the pace. As you can imagine, the 12+ minute 'Rabbit Backwards Romp' closes the album with a burning jam. Some fellow era artists that leaped to mind here are Groon, Contrevent, Mathematicians, Fire Merchants, and Dark / Mark Nauseef. If you like action packed, energetic, instrumental jazz fusion, then Ascension will certainly satisfy.

Source: YouTube

2/14/24 (review / new entry)

Kashmir ~ Switzerland

Patrice Guenat / Laurent Beguelin - Les Reflets du Lac (1986)

While researching the band again, I had finally found some info about the third Kashmir album Les Reflets du Lac. Except it wasn't really a Kashmir album at all. I decided to reach out to my friend (Strawbsfan) who had provided me with the Histoire LP originally. As it turns out, he did have an online copy to share with me! So let's see what the contents contain: After the electronic rock of Kashmir's debut, and the bizarre 80s amalgamation that was Histoire Cruelle, it should come as no surprise that this third effort is different than both. The first side (I think) is made up of eight short vignettes. Starting off mostly as a pleasant new age album with the unfortunate 80's digital synth technology being pushed towards the front. It does get interesting in the middle section with the French narration and an orchestral brass movement. This leads to the 18 minute lengthy suite 'Les Oiseaux du Parc', the music does appear to be a classical oriented symphony about "birds in the park". Throughout one can hear Klaus Schulze (especially the use of digital percussion), Deuter, Jean-Michel Jarre, Jerome Froese era Tangerine Dream, and a host of others from the middle 80s. Unpredictable as ever, Guenat offers up challenging music for the discerning listener.

2/14/24 (review)

Histoire Cruelle (1982)

---6/17/11

Kashmir's debut Alarme! is similar to other electronic duos like Eden (France), Jonathan (Germany) and Space Art (France). I hear their second album Histoire Cruelle better than the debut. It is, however, not an easy album to describe. Four listens in, and I'm not sure what I can tell you here. It's a mix of Tangerine Dream styled electronic, new wave synth pop, keyboard heavy progressive rock with fat fuzzy guitar leads and early Klaus Schulze styled dirges. There's a lot here to discover, and I think it could be a grower.

---1/22/24

In hearing the album again last night for the first time since, it really doesn't fit neatly into any kind of bucket. In my overall ranking system (not music rating) I have a +1 metric for being "unique". This album gets awarded that one point and that appellation generally buys shelf space at the UMR household. When hearing it with my current perspective, I'm also moving it out of the progressive electronic collection and into the x-wave collection. 80s music as it were. And while its foundation remains steadfastly that of an electronic based musician, it's very clear band leader Patrice Guenat is striving for more variety. This is also magnified by the fact that no less than ten musical guests appear on the album.

Ownership: 1982 Kobold (LP)

6/17/11 (review); 5/10/12; 1/22/24 (update)

1/22/24 (new entry)

Trettioåriga Kriget ~ Sweden

Efter Efter (2011)

---12/20/11

I've felt that all three of the 2000+ era Trettioariga Kriget albums have been very good. These are not clueless reunions or cheap cash-ins, but rather answer the question:"What would have TK sounded like after Krigssang in today's world?" Very few bands are able to capture the original spirit of their youth, while still possessing a keen understanding of modern times. It's unfortunate that more groups from the early 70s couldn't accomplish the same feat. And now time is running out.

So bravo to Trettioariga Kriget for yet another splendid effort. For my money, Efter Efter is the finest of the latter trilogy. Even closer to their 1974-1976 work. From my perspective, their debut is a Top 10 ever album, and while they don't come close to that greatness here, it's still nice to hear an intelligent and relevant effort. 

---2/11/24

In hearing it again for the second time last night, my opinion remains similar. It's very melancholic, one of the trademarks of the Scandinavian progressive scene. This was the last album for me to hear from Trettioåriga Kriget. The band is still going with most of the original members intact. Remarkable really.

Ownership: 2011 Mellotronen (CD). Tri-fold digipak with poster booklet.

12/20/11 (acquired / review); 2/10/24 (update)

Trettioåriga Kriget (1974)

Though Sweden had a healthy psychedelic progressive movement in the early 70s, Trettioariga Kriget (or the more proper spelling Trettioåriga Kriget) added a large dose of frenetic heaviness into the mix, and arguably laid down the ultimate Swedish progressive rock blueprint. Sounding like a weird mutant of Led Zeppelin and Yes, the music starts off in a ferocious manner and never truly lets up. A quartet of two guitars, bass, and drums, Trettioariga Kriget is one of the most exciting rides at the progressive rock theme park. There are no traditional keyboards, but plenty of mellotron to add an eerie feeling to the proceedings. And that gets us to vocalist Robert Zima. He has quite the pipes and can scream with the best of them. But it's the Swedish lyrics that are front and center. When I say Swedish, I mean with a capital S. The language plays a critical key role into the overall sound of Trettioariga Kriget, which is why they were the forbearers of the Swedish retro prog movement that ultimately led to Anglagard, Landberk, and the rest of them. Zima is an unlikely hero in this case, given that he himself was from Vienna, Austria! No matter, he went to high school with most of the band, and clearly mastered the language. It's really hard to pick a favorite, as every track is a 5 star winner, but I'd go with 'Röster Från Minus Till Plus' which encapsulates their overall sound best.

Ownership: 

1974 Epic (LP)

2004 Mellotronen (CD). Tri-fold digipak. Full history written by lyricist Olle Thornvall. Three very relevant prog tracks totaling close to 20 minutes.

1//88 (acquired); 3/10/04; 8/22/21 (review)

Hej På Er (1978)

1978 was a tough year for mainstream progressive rock bands in general. And while Trettioåriga Kriget were hardly a household name here in the States, they certainly were well known back home in Sweden. To survive, the expectation was for a band to produce a hit record of some sort. It's pop, punk, and disco - and a global plague of ADD. No more long journeys into the netherworld to sit back and contemplate. And Trettioåriga Kriget's first two brilliant albums are just that, showcasing an imaginative and talented band. So what's a group like this to do? Compromise. And honestly, Trettioåriga Kriget did about as good a job as anyone in accomplishing this. Had everyone followed this blueprint, prog rock may have indeed survived longer than it did. But most were hapless at trying (and leading lights Yes, Genesis, and ELP certainly turned in their respective clunkers for the year). Hej På Er balances straightforward rock with deceptively complex progressive music in compact form. It's not perfect of course, and the first two tracks are pretty bland. As if they were trying to fool the coked out record execs, and hoping they'd leave before the good stuff began playing. It's not a monster album naturally, but it's accomplished and not something to apologize for. It's instantly recognizable as a Trettioåriga Kriget album, but a bit more diluted. Something akin to a double IPA being reduced to a lager.

Ownership: 1978 Mistlur (LP)

2008; 4/23/14 (acquired); 9/27/17 (review)

Other albums I own and need to review: Krigssang; Elden Av Ar; I Borjan och Slutet

9/27/17 (new entry)

St. John Green ~ USA ~ Los Angeles, California

St. John Green (1968)

About 32 years ago I purchased (or traded for) a sealed copy of this album. I listened to it, thought it interesting, and filed away. And here I am listening to it for only the second time. How strange. For whatever reason, I didn't even include it in the original CDRWL project, yet no legitimate reissues exist. While I have a lot of albums that I haven't heard in 20 years, there aren't too many going on 30+ years. And yep, it's interesting alright.

St. John Green is a seriously flawed album and as I was going through side 1, I began to contemplate selling it. Which is something I rarely do with obscurities such as this. But eventually I was able to grasp its contents. It does improve, and there's some interesting Doors elements that crop up and there. It's very psychedelic, more of an overall attitude than sound I'd submit. In this way, it belongs to the American freaky underground of Friendsound or Blessed End. 'Spirit of Now' is often listed as the album's best track, and it reminds me of classic Strawberry Alarm Clock, so I'm not disagreeing. File this one under "unique" while trying to accept its contents without too much critical evaluation. It's a sincere attempt at capturing the ethos of the moment. Whether it does or not is how the album should be judged.

Ownership: 1968 Flick Disc (LP). Be prepared for the right channel to go almost completely out on A1. I thought my headsets may have blown, but I did read that's how it goes. I put my stereo on mono for the remainder of the song. 

No reissues exist as of 3/31/25.

1992 (first listen); 2/7/24 (review / new entry)

The Vapors ~ England

Magnets (1981)

When I was in high school in the early 80s, one of the sax players in our school band - who was about a year older than me - had gravitated to the New Wave scene in a big way. "Jim" was one of those safety-pin-in-the-nose kind of guys. He was the "modern male" some years before it became fashionable to be so - at least back then in Texas, a cultural opposite to London. His favorite band was The Vapors. In hearing one of their albums for the first time ever, I was reminded of Jim. In fact the music sounds like he looked. How can music sound like someone's physical appearance? Meet Jim and listen to The Vapors. The Vapors are somewhat like Dead or Alive in that they represent the era well.

Also, I think the cover is fantastic, which looks different up close than from a distance. Up on the wall it goes.

Ownership: 1981 Liberty (LP)

2/25/24 (review / new entry)

Iman Califato Independiente ~ Spain

Iman Califato Independiente (1978)

For the first time since I started adding photographs of my collection onto Instagram, an album was selected that I had yet to feature here on UMR. As noted in my listening dates below, I've heard it a couple of times since the advent of the blog. So why didn't I pen anything? Beyond my usual laziness of course. Not sure. Well then, let's hear it again and get some notes down. 

Yep, there are just some albums that don't trigger a thought for any kind of review. Iman Califato Independiente's debut is one of them. I remember having that same trouble with Carpe Diem's debut as well. Which is not to say it's a mediocre album, far from it, just not very memorable. I attempted three listens last night, but nothing really stuck with me. It's a very pleasant, somewhat typical progressive rock from the region. Nominally it also falls into the Rock Andaluz category, but this isn't Mezquita, Triana, or early Medina Azahara. More symphonic than that subgenre usually implies. Words like nice, agreeable, delightful, and lovely come to mind. Which, in my world, is A-OK. My excellent rating remains the same. Still can't tell you much about it though.

Ownership: 1978 CBS (LP). Gatefold. 

1995 (acquired); 10/15/12; 3/18/13; 2/1/24 (review)

Also own and need to review Camino del Aguila.

2/1/24 (new entry)