A Story of Mysterious Forest (1980)
Ain Soph's debut is an island unto itself within the band's lengthy history. Starting as a Camel tribute band known as Tenchi Sozo, only dodgy live archival recordings exist, so it's difficult to critique their sound of the 70s.
By 1980, the newly named Ain Soph were clearly influenced by all things jazz fusion. The opener demonstrating their adeptness at blistering Mahavishnu Orchestra type jazz rock. 'Natural Selection' sees the band consolidating many of the themes from Return to Forever's Romantic Warrior, mixing progressive rock with sunnyside breezy fusion. The first side closes with a more studied Canterbury styled piece complete with mellotron. Side two is completely different, calling on their progressive rock past, not really favoring any one band, but all the usual English suspects could be called out.
It would be another six years before Ain Soph resurfaced, this time with an album titled Hat and Field, and sounding nothing at all like a Canterbury group but rather a standard 80s jazz fusion was presented (see below). This would be the sound they took forward.
Ownership: 1980 Nexus (LP). With insert
1993 (acquired); 1995; 2009; 3/4/11; 6/21/25 (review)
Hat and Field (1986)
When you boldly go forward with a name like Hat and Field, it better be meaty, complex, charming, and melodic. And you can tell that is what they’re trying to do. But it has a 1986 new agey production and period instrumentation that takes both the meaty and charming parts out. It’s mildly complex. The melodies aren’t too bad, but a tad too breezy. Bands like Machine and the Synergetic Nuts have proven the Japanese are more than capable at this type of sound. Ain Soph were a prog band at heart, but couldn’t seem to master the logos of it all.
Former ownership: 1986 King (LP)
2006 (review)
6/21/25 (new entry)
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