October Equus / Angel Ontalva ~ Spain

Angel Ontalva - Mundo Flotante (2012)

---5/2/13

Ontalva is the guitarist for October Equus, and even though the album is under his name, it's a full band effort made up of members of... October Equus! The difference is this is complex and melodic rather than complex, cold, clinical, and dissonant like the last OE album was. They probably should have just chosen a new name for the band, but who cares really, as this is great. Highly recommended! I hope there's more from this water well to draw from.

---7/20/26

Now what could possibly make me think of Spain today? :-)

Angel Ontalva is the primary mover and shaker behind October Equus. Obviously a creative individual with energy and many ideas to burn. In addition to his primary group, Ontalva has released many solo albums, along with collaborations. Most famously with the Russian space rock collective known as Vespero. Many of his albums are on cdr or online only. His solo debut is Mundo Flotante, a fully realized work manufactured on CD. This is also the debut for the OctoberXart label, Ontalva's primary vehicle for his releases.

So what distinguishes this release from his flagship group? In researching my question, I discovered the review I wrote above (not previously in UMR though). I didn't know I did that! Haha, well the answer is there. Melodic is the keyword. There's a distinct Canterbury feel, not so much that its whimsical or filled with jams loaded with fuzz keyboards, but rather it has a similar compositional take on the jazz rock idiom. The title of the album is what one would call a clue. Reference Soft Machine archival albums at your leisure.

I can also hear parallels to what Patrick Forgas was doing with his Forgas Band Phenomena project. Funny that I just mentioned the same thing on Edition Speciale's Horizon Digitale review. Mr. Forgas is dominating my thought process of late.

Ownership: 2012 OctoberXart (CD). Booklet with artwork and recording details. Acquired in 2013.

5/2/13 (review); 7/20/26 (update)

October Equus (2006)

One never knows when a new force enters into the progressive rock landscape. Steven Wilson meekly introduced himself with his bedroom tapes for Porcupine Tree. Fabio Zuffanti was somewhat anonymous when he hit the world stage with Finisterre. And a one Angel Ontalva announced his presence with a new band called October Equus. Though in this case, Ontalva showed up with a bang, dominating the sounds around him.

When October Equus' debut arrived, I was all about the sound they were creating. Looking at some old notes, I started at a 5 star masterpiece, something I almost never do. They mixed the aggressiveness of Belgium's Present with the psychedelics of France's Nebelnest's debut to create what I considered the perfect recipe. Over time, I've dropped the album a full two points, which still keeps it in the excellent category. Music like this almost immediately finds itself out the door, as I feel I have too much of it. Generally I keep the ones of personal historical interest, that I first discovered in the 80s and early 90s. And yet, I still found myself enjoying the heck out of this one - clearly a cut way above the norm. It's more the Nebelnest influence that holds my interest here - there is a warmness to that sound that balances the cold rigid complexity that avant prog represents. I continued buying October Equus albums through 2013's Permafrost, though I'm not sure how many of those remaining three will remain, but for certain the debut will be here for the long haul.

Ownership: 2006 Ma.Ra.Cash (CD). Historical footnote in English on what October Equus means. Recording details on the back tray. Acquired in 2006.

4//06; 8/13/22 (review)

Saturnal (2011)

Saturnal is the 3rd album from arguably Spain's most complex rock band. Their first album was almost like a psychedelic Present (Belgium), a very interesting combination that I found highly appealing. With each subsequent release, October Equus ups the ante on complexity, while toning down the more jamming aspect of their sound. It's pretty clear this is a band that now must play live with scored music charts, rather than rehashing more simple material and letting loose on occasion. On Saturnal, October Equus has entered the realms of a new force of music - one that was pioneered by Thinking Plague - and now mastered by many more. Sophisticated, dense, mathematical, academic are a few adjectives that can describe the music within. It's the blueprint sound of the AltRock label. Avant progressive at its most pure. And for me, each new album becomes a little less exciting but more intelligent. The fun and creative high school kid is going to be a doctor. His mother would be proud.

Overall, I still find October Equus to be an excellent band. I just wish they'd loosen up a bit.

Former ownership: 2011 AltRock (CD). Acquired in 2012. Downsized in 2024.

3/12/12 (review); 9/20/22

Ontalva's work with Vespero can be found here.

Also own: Charybdis; Permafrost

3/12/12 (new entry)

Edition Speciale ~ France

Horizon Digital (1978)

---2008

Horizon Digital has long been considered my favorite of their three albums. The group started inauspiciously with Allee des Tilleuls, a misfired attempt at American funk (ed: want to hear this again given my later interest in funk). But the follow up Aliquante was a punch between the eyes – a fast paced, tightly interwoven instrumental fusion album, indebted to Mahavishnu Orchestra to be sure, but of the highest quality. Most folks rate Aliquante the best, and it's understandable why. Horizon Digital combines the high energy fusion of Aliquante with a much better understanding of the funk they tried on their debut. After mixing those two, they took the end product and added some Zeuhl elements, ala Zao, to create a diverse, and highly creative effort. 

The CD also includes five bonus tracks (totaling around 27 minutes) of a proposed 4th album from 1980. These tracks are fully developed and show the band incorporating the French New Wave movement. One can hear the same type of sounds as also found on Superfreego, Lievaux – Transfo, Foehn, and Odeurs.

---7/10/2026

And that's the last time I heard Horizon Digital, missing the advent of UMR by one year. Time to build out a band page for Edition Speciale. It's probably been even longer since I heard Aliquante.

Horizon Digital is one of those albums that intersects both the progressive rock and jazz fusion genres. The shifts in tone and meters, coupled with some light French vocal sections, points to the former. The overall sound recalls the late 70s fusion era. The music is highly melodic and well composed. There are traces of mid 70s Soft Machine as well. The complexity within the tight constructs of the composition would later be explored further by the Forgas Band Phenomena.

This isn't an album you hear too many folks talk about, but for my tastes it is an essential addition to any progressive rock collection. 

I also really enjoy the artwork that adorns the gatefold cover.

I'm going to dial back some of my enthusiasm for the bonus tracks. The blues number is forgettable and 'Open it Up' is sung in English - not a good plan. The new wave influences are mostly muted, only heard in the synth work. I wasn't aware of the Boogie Funk genre in 2008, but that's a more accurate reference to their overall sound. Closer to disco than rock or fusion, but with an 80s slant. Some of these tracks would command hundreds (or thousands) of dollars in the 45 market were it American and on some private label. I find them pleasurable, though not enough for me to keep. 

Ownership: 1978 RCA (LP). Gatefold with pictures of the band. Acquired in 1992.

Previously owned: 2007 Musea (CD). Booklet with history and five bonus tracks. Acquired in 2008.

1992; 2008; 7/10/26 (review)

Also own: Aliquante

7/10/26 (new entry)

Brian Auger ~ England

Streetnoise (1969)

Somehow I missed this album in my initial coverage of Brian Auger's classic jazz rock works. It was part of an LP lot I recently picked up, and I was pleasantly surprised by what what was coming back on the first track. So I decided to tackle the entire two album package. At first I thought it might be a good fit for my Post Psychedelic, Proto Progressive With Female Vocals list. But as anyone will point out, the album is too diverse for its own good. A3 is a Nina Simone gospel cover, far - far - from my interest area. There are many other cover songs, similar to the Befour album mentioned below, but not as satisfying (yet still inventive). Nonetheless, the album remains quite interesting. I can listen to Auger play the Hammond all day long. He would have been a good fit for the early incarnations of Soft Machine. Julie Driscoll lays it all out there. She's a bit much at times, but there are certainly worse and more histrionic female vocalists during this era. She's strangely absent from Side 3, and that may be my favorite side since it features all original material. C4, though, is a vocal track (Auger singing?) and not very good. But the instrumentals are great as is Dave Ambrose's composition. The 4th side is pretty forgettable. Overall, probably not good enough for me to hold onto at this stage, but I'm glad to have heard it. If I were to grab some bonus cuts from it, I'd take A1, B2, C1, C2, C3. Maybe B3 since it's so strange in the way it flows.

Source: 1969 ATCO (2xLP). Gatefold.

7/8/26 (review)   

Befour (1970)

With Julie Driscoll out of the way, Auger was able to get back on the (mostly) instrumental jazz rock train. This would be the last outing from The Trinity, but it sets the stage for his work with Oblivion Express. Six of the seven tracks here are covers, but don't let that deter you as they are highly creative interpretations. Auger's Hammond is always a joy to hear, and Gary Boyle puts in a fine performance on guitar. 15 years after first obtaining, this is only my second outing with the music. +1 listen for me. 

Ownership: 2007 Fuel 2000 (CD). Booklet with historical liner notes. Includes three excellent bonus tracks. Acquired in 2008.

2008; 11/5/23 (review)

Straight Ahead (1974)

Straight Ahead is the 5th album from Brian Auger's jazz funk fusion group Oblivion Express. It's a solid follow up to their breakout album Closer To It, and musically very similar. This was not by accident as the album was clearly patterned after it, and its primary purpose was to have an album to tour the States with. Straight Ahead catches a groove early and never quits. Auger leads the way with organ, electric piano, and vocals. The latter is not something he's known for, but I quite like his vocal style myself. Smooth and expressive. Better than some of the professional vocalists he'd used on other albums. Hard to pick a favorite here, but I'll go with Wes Montgomery's 'Bumpin on Sunset', which interestingly enough I have a promo 45 single of. Excellent album overall.

Ownership: 2006 Fuel 2000 (CD). Booklet with full historical liner notes and one bonus track. The latter is the title track recorded live up the road in Denver, appropriate since the album's existence was to play live in the US. Acquired in 2008.

2008; 7/24/13; 9/20/22 (review)

Jools & Brian (1969)

A few years before the Captain & Tennille, there was Jools and Brian. A mixture of the pop of their day, with a way too talented keyboardist who should be doing more. Fortunately for all of us, Auger did just that. This album is OK for what it is, but unless you want to hear orchestrated standards with a vintage organ and female jazz pop vocals, then you're not likely to find much here. 

Source: 1969 Capitol (LP)

8/27/21 (review)

A Better Land (1971)

Before everyone got all amped up about 180 gram vinyl, RCA went in a different direction with Dynaflex. I swear they weigh like 10 grams and you can fold them like a taco. The inner sleeve goes to great lengths to explain the benefits of Dynaflex. Pure salesmanship that's for sure. I'd heard this album almost precisely nine years ago, and managed to get some scratch off notes down. Here they are: "Regarding Brian Auger's first five Oblivion Express albums - starting with the debut and ending with Straight Ahead - four of these are considered progressive jazz rock classics. The other is a vocal heavy folk rock album, somewhat like CSN&Y meets America. See the problem? Something about tigers, leopards, spots, and stripes. If for some reason this is the only album you've heard by Auger's Oblivion Express, then the title track is the only song here that recalls the other albums, if curious." I did have a +1 listen last night, as Side 2 as a whole was better than I remembered. But that just moved it from average to good. Excellent gatefold cover. One of his rarer titles.

Source: 1971 RCA (LP)

7/8/21 (review)

Also own: Brian Auger's Oblivion Express; Second Wind; Closer To It

9/20/22 (new entry)

2026 Revisits of prior UMR entries Vol. 7

Babylon (1978)

Asia Minor - Between Flesh And Divine

Rousseau - Retreat

Devil's Kitchen (1968-69)

Invisible (1974)

Smoking the Century Away (1997)

Ibliss (1972)

Moses - Changes

Wolf People - Fain

Skeptic Sense - Presence Of Mind ++

Caldera ~ USA ~ Los Angeles, California

Time and Chance (1978)

I recently heard Caldera's second album Sky Islands, and I just couldn't get into it. I couldn't even muster up a review here for UMR. As I reflect on their quartet of albums, that was their try for commercial stardom, and is the odd one out. From the beginning of Time and Chance, Caldera are clearly going back to their Latin based jazz fusion roots. Jorge Strunz is in full powered Santana / Al Di Meola mode here. There's more than a nod to the latter's songwriting style throughout.

'Shanti' is really nice with female wordless vocals, flute, and searing guitar. And the album closes the proper way, with a smoldering fusion number where Strunz lets loose on the fretboard with plenty of additonal flute.

Three strong albums out of four is a good career I would submit.

Strangely, Time and Chance has never been reissued on CD whereas the others have (though Dreamer remains a scarce Japanese only product).

Ownership: 1978 Capitol (LP). Acquired in 2014.

4/11/14; 7/4/26 (review)  

Caldera (1976)

The CD boldly claims "Masters of Funk & Soul" and "Some of the Greatest Funk Albums Ever!". Generic hype for the series perhaps, but it doesn't really apply to Caldera's debut. Los Angeles based Caldera are in the jazz fusion strike zone. Fastball down the middle. It's a great example of the scene taking some of the more Latin influenced tracks from Return to Forever and giving that style more focus. It's complex yet highly melodic. And well composed. Caldera aren't technical in the same sense as RTF, which is a plus for me. From here they were to add more funk and soul elements similar to the better side of Earth Wind & Fire. All four albums are worth exploring.

Ownership: 2004 EMI / Capitol Europe (CD). Booklet with a short history of the band and album. Acquired in 2005.

5//05; 5/26/24 (review)

Dreamer (1979)

Most bands don't end a career with their most dynamic and progressive album especially in 1979. Caldera had dabbled with commercialism on their sophomore effort Sky Islands, but this one is primarily a fiery instrumental fusion along the lines of 1972-74 era Santana, with some nods to Return to Forever. They threw caution to the wind and just went for it. If only most bands had a similar attitude back then. Arguably - and probably - their best album.

Ownership: 1979 Capitol (LP). Textured cover. Acquired in 2022.

First copy: 2015 Capitol Japan (CD). Acquired in 2015.

7/19/15 (review); 12/18/17; 5/4/22

Previously owned: Sky Islands

7/19/15 (new entry)