Ayers Rock - Beyond. 1976 Australia

Ayers Rock's second album has that unique Australian progressive rock sound that mixes intense jazz fusion with AOR instincts. Windchase and Pantha are two great examples of this sound. On par with their debut, though maybe a slight downward turn. I can see why A&M signed these guys up in America, they certainly had the right 1976 sound for radio. As did Sebastian Hardie, but for whatever reason, neither caught on here. It was the boogie rock of AC/DC instead that hit home in the States.

Ownership: LP: 1976 Mushroom. Single sleeve with colorful company advert inner. Nice artwork. This was a gift from a very good friend of the UMR.

6/8/22 (new entry)

Ayers Rock - Big Red Rock. 1974 Australia

I'd read about this album for years, but never heard it until now. A&M tried hard to break them here in the States as well as England, but it was a tough sell despite positive reviews of their live outings. The music on the album is eclectic, but still belongs to the progressive rock genre. Most of the album is a mix of symphonic fusion and trippy space rock - all very good. There are 3 tracks here that are typical of Australian music from the 70s, a type of boogie/pub rock. They're not too bad on the whole, with excellent instrumental breaks, but probably didn't help their cause with the prog rock fans of the era. The bonus tracks are of a similar mix. Overall an excellent album, one of the many unappreciated secret gems from Australia.

Ownership: CD: 2016 Aztec. Recent online acquisition. Typical fantastic Aztec reissue, housed in a beautiful die cut trifold digipak. Extensive historical liner notes, photos, and 5 relevant bonus tracks, including one 45.