St. Elmo's Fire ~ USA ~ Cleveland, Ohio ~ Iowa

Artifacts of Passion (2001)

Four months ago, for Groovector's Ultramarine, I wrote: ""I have quite a few albums in the collection that I'm most excited to hear - many of them I anticipate are better than I have them rated. This is yet another album I haven't heard since it first came out. So 22 years later we have our second visit." - Part 2. In fact I think this was in the exact same CD order with the Hamadryad album that makes up the above quote."

Make that Part 3. For whatever reason there's a part of my collection from 2001 I never revisited. Artifacts of Passion represents a reunion effort, as it were, with mostly reworked versions of older compositions going back to the late 70s and early 80s. A couple of these made the Live at Cleveland Agora EP, but even those tracks are much different here. Though a modern recording in 2001, one could almost view this as an archival release. The sounds are pure analog, and it's as if the prior 20 years didn't happen. Plenty of mellotron and violin to offset the usual rock based instrumentation. Their music is very much a product of the American Midwest and overtures to King Crimson, Genesis, and Yes are apparent. The album is mostly instrumental with the exception of 'The Nemo Syndrome'. Artifacts of Passion is one of those albums that slipped through the cracks of time, but is a fine representation of the type of American progressive rock that existed in the late 70s.

Ownership: 2001 Sprawling Productions (CD). Booklet with recording details and historical references. My copy came with two postcards, one signed by band leader Paul Kollar.

2001; 3/12/24 (review)

Live at the Cleveland Agora / Splitting Ions in the Ether (1980 / 1998)

Live at the Cleveland Agora is St. Elmo's debut album from this fine progressive rock band from the namesake city. It would be their only album during their original tenure. Released privately, it was a four song instrumental EP that demonstrated a band with immense talent, captured live. Because of this, the sound quality isn't the best, and you get the feeling the band still needed a bit more time to work out the compositions. Since it's instrumental - but not a jam record - then melody and structure will need to carry the load. There are times here when one expects a vocal passage, or perhaps another theme break. It doesn't help that the tracks are fairly longish. Musically it's influenced by the usual UK suspects, just as every other progressive rock band from the Midwest were. St. Elmo's Fire incorporated a bit more King Crimson than usual, and one can also trace a bit of late 70s Rush in the grooves. Overall, Live at the Cleveland Agora is a fine EP, and worth seeking out on its own.

The band were to reform some 18 years later in Iowa (at least administratively), and rather than reissue the EP alone, they added the full concert plus three more tracks taken from two other shows in 1980. They also rechristened the album Splitting Ions in the Ether and added new artwork. The nice tracks on display here are similar to the EP, but elongated even further since the two tracks left off were also the lengthiest. The odd thing about these two is they sound better than the four tracks from the EP, which have remained somewhat distorted even into the digital age. The other three songs are musically similar and 'Gone to Ground in the Khyber Pass' (left off from the EP) might be their best composition on here. Definitely the CD is the way to go if looking for ownership.

Ownership: 1980 Corposant (LP); 1998 Sprawling Productions (CD)

1992 (acquired); 1998; 2//09; 9/18/17 (review)

9/18/17 (new entry)

Truth and Janey - No Rest for the Wicked. 1976 USA-Iowa

Truth and Janey are the quintessential Midwest USA hard rock group. But like any band from the 1970s, they add progressive trimmings, and some of the compositions throw in a few more ideas than a typical bonehead rock group. In some ways, Truth and Janey could be looked upon as the American equivalent of the Aussie band Buffalo, that we featured extensively earlier in the year - especially at the time of Only Want You For Your Body. The band Truth started in Cedar Rapids, and eventually added founding member and guitarist Billy Lee Janey to the marquee when it was discovered another Truth had claim to the name. The album was recorded in Ames (where Iowa State University is located), and was initially gobbled up only by the local faithful in Eastern Iowa. Not until the mid to late 1980s when record collecting had gone world wide, did the album gain its fame. If you're looking for a perfect example of a private press hard rock group from Middle America, I'm not sure there's a better example than Truth and Janey. And Billy Lee Janey is one heck of a guitarist!

CD: 2007 Rockadrome

The CD has a chock full of liner notes and a few bonus tracks.