Saga - Silent Knight. 1980 Canada-Ontario

Saga's third album demonstrates the gradual maturity of the band. The songwriting continues to improve and the playing is crisp and tight. The melodies tend to stick longer but they never let go of their progressive rock tendencies. 'Don't Be Late' was one of the group's signature tracks. This was to be Jim Gilmour's debut with Saga, and his keyboards were the final piece of the puzzle. Silent Knight didn't break Saga but their exposure continued to grow, playing live with other Canadian notables. Their next album World's Apart broke them out globally and they were to be one of the defining rock acts of the early 80s.

Ownership: LP: 1980 Maze. Single sleeve with lyric inner bag. Recent acquisition from Earth Pig Records here in town (2024).

This completes my quest of obtaining the first three Saga albums. It would have been easy to do in the mail order channel, but it proved difficult in the wilds. I did own this album once in the early 90s, but I was moving away from the sound Saga had brought forth. Reviving my high school years while still in my 20s was not a top priority. Many years later I would have a different perspective.

1992 (first listen); 6/28/24 (review/new entry)

Golden Dragon. 1981 USA-California

I had wondered what had happened to any of the members from the San Francisco based Filipino community band Dakila. In my mind, they were close to the top of the stack when talking Latin rock as first proposed by Santana. So I was thrilled to see the connection here, on this fine effort by the very obscure Golden Dragon.

In 1981, you still had a few artists hanging onto the original Jimi Hendrix experience as it were. Most notably Frank Marino, but even Robin Trower with his Victims of the Fury, paid homage. Of course, by 1981, this type of music was just as informed by 70s hard rock as it was late 60s heavy psych. And this is where Golden Dragon finds their sound as well. Perhaps fellow San Francisco artist Leland provides another guidepost. There was much more of this type of music to be found in the clubs of the day, but very little recorded material. A nice little LP, that could certainly use a CD reissue. The album is only 26 minutes, so hopefully there's more in the can, as they say.

Ownership: LP: 2021 Subliminal Sounds. Single sleeve. Liner notes and photos. Online acquisition (2024).

No CD as of yet (6/16/24). Given that the LP reissue does not have bonus tracks, it would seem this is all there is. That's unfortunate.

9/5/16 (first listen/review); 6/16/24 (new entry/update)

Triumph. 1976 Canada-Ontario

Triumph's debut is one of those odd albums where the beginning of each side is the dud track, and each song thereafter is better than the last. Somewhere along the line I thought I'd heard this debut back in the day but I hadn't. This album was never released in the US. Some of the songs were via the Rock & Roll Machine compilation (which I did hear), but not the album itself.

Even if I had heard it, my tastes have changed to really appreciating this type of hard rock. The inauspicious openers are party rockin' bar n' roll. No thanks. After that though, you'll hear influences such as Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix (Frank Marino probably). But perhaps most relevant is fellow Toronto heroes Rush. By the end of each side, Triumph shows a proggy heritage, with both 'Street Fighter' and 'The Blinding Light Show' being the highlights. Plenty of synthesizer on here too. It's time for me to revisit all of the Triumph works. I suspect my viewpoint will be far more favorable than it was in the 80s.

Ownership: LP: 1976 Attic. Single sleeve. A really bizarre thrift shop find. Not only is this the very first pressing, but I found two of them together! Neither were in the best of shape, but still a rarity, and the other sold quickly. There were a few folks who picked it up at the last record show saying similar "I've never seen this one before". 

The album has been repressed many times in Canada.

6/7/24 (first listen/review/new entry)

Allan Holdsworth - Velvet Darkness. 1976 England

I fully admit to not really being a "Holdsworth guy". I realize he was a good guitarist but his music usually leaves me wanting more. I get more satisfaction from Eric Johnson, at least he makes the effort to write a tune. When I found this debut album - on CTI no less - I figured it was worth a try (especially since I got a great deal on it). This is more like it. Really heavy fusion, just the way I like it. Raw and dirty, the exact opposite of how I would characterize Holdsworth. It came as no surprise to me to learn later that Holdsworth regretted the album, saying they were only rehearsals and not authorized for release. Once a tin ear always a tin ear. His next endeavor was the band UK, who released an excellent debut, and he whined incessantly about that too. The lesson? If Holdsworth was unhappy then I might like it! To be fair, I haven't heard that many of his albums, and the ones I did, go back to the 80s when I was in college. I'm up for hearing them all, though I'll keep expectations in check.

Back to Velvet Darkness. The album is only about 30 minutes long and that includes three acoustic interludes. The other five are the heavy pieces. One of them features Holdsworth on violin, and he's quite good at that too. 

Ownership: LP: 1976 CTI. Gatefold. $5 score at a local antique mall (2024).

6/7/24 (first listen/review/new entry)

Quad - 2 (Q). 1997 England

Quad 2 starts with an Indian stringed instrument that sets the tone (or drone) while tribal drums and acid guitar slowly float the listener away. Lots of mellotron and acoustic guitar. One of the most blissfully tranced out Krautrock albums since Dom's Edge of Time.

Ownership: LP: 1998 Prescription. Single sleeve. Numbered (theoretically, mine has a red mark in its place) with an insert. Online acquisition (2011).

6/10/09 (first listen/review); 3/18/11; 6/2/24 (new entry/update)

Etna. 1975 Italy

Etna is quite simply a powerful instrumental heavy fusion album with light progressive rock touches. Elements of Return to Forever, Mahavishnu Orchestra, and fellow countrymen Perigeo and Il Baricentro abound. The proggier elements cross over into Arti & Mestieri territory. In particular I'm quite fond of the inventive bass work and the busy drumming. Essential for the style I'd submit.

Ownership: CD: 1994 Mellow. Jewel case with no info.

One of those CDs I picked up real time as I was chasing every obscurity I could get my hands on. Especially from Italy. Originals remain out of range, and even this CD is now fetching large sums. Probably all I'll ever need unless an original becomes easily attainable.

1994 (first listen); 2003; 6/5/24 (review / new entry)

Recreation - Music or Not Music. 1972 Belgium

For Recreation's second album - For Music or Not Music - the music takes a decidedly creative turn while adding guitar to the mix. An all-over-the-map type release, totaling 15 tracks, that reminds me some of Aphrodite’s Child’s 666 album, minus the pop songs. The quirkiness and overall demeanor recall some of the earlier work by Supersister. Like the debut, this is entirely instrumental.

Ownership: LP: 1972 Barclay. Gatefold. Online acquisition (2010).

Musea reissued this on CD in 2022. 

2006 (first listen/review); 1/27/10; 6/5/24 (new entry/update)

Deep Purple - The House of Blue Light. 1987 England

In recent years I've inexplicably acquired a taste for later era Deep Purple. As I reflect back, The House of Blue Light would have been the first album I'd ignored entirely and that remained the case until only the last few years. My reunion with Perfect Strangers went much better than expected, and I hear this album very similar to that one. So why would that be the case? I think real time, to my ears at least, these old dinosaur rockers weren't bringing anything new. Blues based hard rock was ever pervasive on the radio and honestly a bit tired by then. Forgetting my initial deep diving into the 70s European underground for a moment, I was also tracking current metal trends, in particular on the thrash side. That was where my high energy dollars were going. Not hard rock retreads.

Today I hear a band that was embracing their past while begrudgingly giving into some 80s trends. Essentially it's retro hard rock 15 years before anyone would think of such a thing. While some of the production techniques remind us of the 80s synth pop bands, Blackmore's guitar is still rooted in the 70s past. Gillan sounds great, though less emotional than his best works. He seems to be emulating Dio oddly enough. Sure 'Call of the Wild' can be skipped (not really a bad song, just the wrong band to perform it). 'Hard Lovin' Woman' has the right title but the perkiness doesn't match. The rest of Side 2 is where the revelation is. One wonders if many fans had the patience to get that far. Every track is a winner and Blackmore lets loose more than usual. 'Dead or Alive' is a great closer where Jon Lord finally shows up with his Hammond B3 and they get into an updated 'Highway Star' solo trade off.

Certainly not suggesting that The House of Blue Light is the pick of the Deep Purple litter, and I'll probably sell it at some point. But it's much better than I expected.

Ownership: LP: 1987 Mercury. Single sleeve. Promo. Picked up from my locals What's Left (2024).

6/4/24 (first listen/new review)

Out of Focus. 1971 Germany

Out of Focus' second album is largely an extension of their debut. Politically charged lyrics provide context for the Krautrock 101 sounds the band inevitably brings. As I noted on their next opus Four Letter Monday Afternoon, one can already hear Out of Focus taking the Xhol Caravan blueprint to the next level. Flute, sax, Hammond organ, and guitar are your key ingredients, with some prophetic pleas in accented English. Musically it's the 1971 German cookbook with pages dedicated to albums by Eiliff, Sunbirds, Mythos, Virus, Vinegar, Gomorrha, etc... etc... How many of these albums you needs depends on your commitment to the cause. I want them all.

Ownership: CD: 1991 Kuckuck. Jewel case. Paper textured booklet with recording details only.

1999 (first listen); 6/2/24 (new review / update)

Galahad - In a Moment of Complete Madness. 1989;1993 England

My original scratch off notes stated nothing more than:

Script for a Jester's Permanent Moving Signal Waves. Yep, that's about right.

So let's dig a bit deeper here. Essentially this is two different releases. One is a reissue of their debut cassette known as In a Moment of Madness. The first five tracks here come from that tape. The music is spot on Grace Under Pressure era Rush. What it lacks is the spark and urgency that Rush brought to that recording. The music here is good, but nothing to grab one's attention. The last three songs were re-recorded for this CD and show a different side of the band. Clearly Marillion and their ilk have made an impression here. The last two songs are extended epics in the early Marillion / IQ style. Perhaps this was old hat by 1993, but I still find music like this charming. Maybe this doesn't make the distance but there's still room in the collection for albums such as this.

Ownership: CD: 1993 Avalon. Jewel case. Lyric booklet with a small history of the album.

11/18/17 (first listen); 6/2/24 (review / new entry)

Hard Stuff - Bulletproof. 1972 England

Hard Stuff is essentially Atomic Rooster without Vincent Crane. Though without the latter, you don't have Atomic Rooster. In any case, that band was a power trio with an organ, guitar, drums lineup. Hard Stuff is a traditional guitar-bass-drums setup. Perhaps because there is no keyboards, Hard Stuff doesn't even bother with proggy nonsense. This is straight up hard rock, no chaser. Up there with the boneheaded best like May Blitz, Elias Hulk, Pinnacle, and the rest of them. Were any of these tracks on a private 45 release from the States, you could pretty much bet that it's $500 to get in the door, and a lot more at the tables...

Ownership: LP: 1972 Purple (UK). Gatefold. Lucked into an original at my fave local shop here in town - What's Left Records (2024).

Interesting to note this album has never been issued here in the US. 

6/1/24 (first listen/new review)

Gonzalez - Our Only Weapon is Our Music. 1975 England

With a cover like that, and considering the group moniker plus the title, there's no way this album isn't going to be a winner. This will be a Latin rock extravaganza, right?

Not really. At first I was a bit disappointed, but as I played through it a couple of times, I warmed up to it quite a bit. The first name I recognized after finding the album was vocalist Lenny Zakatek. Who's that? Ah, he's one of the primary singers on some of the classic Alan Parsons Project albums, including their funk classic 'I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You'. Apparently Parsons was producing an album next door when he heard the band rehearsing. And that funk leaning is exactly where Gonzalez sits. Their music is more Latin funk meets fusion than rock oriented. Side 1 is still a bit marginal for my tastes with a couple of highlights, but Side 2 is almost all aces. Especially the last three tracks. 'Ahwai Five O' (lol, named after guitarist and composer Robert Ahwai) is a really fine instrumental fusion number. 'Crystal Blue Persuasion' reminds me of Malo when in a similar Latin pop mood. The album would have been better served had it featured some ripping guitar solos in the Santana mode, but that's not what Gonzalez were about. Naturally the band went on after this and tried to capture the disco market with limited success. I still want to hear them if afforded the chance.

Ownership: LP: 1977 EMI (USA). Single sleeve. First US pressing, released two years later. Even has the same cut out hole like Discogs' stock photo. Acquired locally at What's Left Records (2024)

6/1/24 (first listen/new review)