Ragnarok. 1975 New Zealand

Here's another former CDRWL entry. My original notes from 10/25/10 were sparse: 

Ragnarok's debut is a combination of early 70s UK proto-progressive with female vocals mixed with space rock.

---6/9/23

And that's about right. The music sounds older, like something from 1971, though the synthesizers are more up to date. You can hear a band like fellow countrymates Cleves, but Ragnarok has a thinner and lesser developed sound. Plenty of mellotron too. Overall it's a pleasant excursion not unlike many Australasian bands from the middle 70s.

Ownership: LP: 1975 Revolution. Single sleeve. Recent acquisition from a collector friend (2023).

CD: 2022 Frenzy. Digifile with liner notes in the gatefold inner section. Has many bonus tracks from Ragnarok (4); Transformer (1); and Flying Wild (5). The other groups predate Ragnarok and are more pop psych in nature, though no less pleasant.

I once owned the crappy bootleg CD-R and that was my introduction to the band. I have a memory that I even owned the original once, but decided it wasn't worth keeping when I still had so much to obtain. But there's room now for Ragnarok. 

Lots of cool information about the band here, including the bizarre fact that the current reissue went to the Top 10 in New Zealand!

10/25/10 (notes); 6/6/23 (review / new entry); 3/25/24

Dragon ~ New Zealand

Scented Gardens for the Blind (1975)

One of my better scores from the "early days of ebay", when folks were still dumping vinyl but the well-heeled buyers had yet to discover the internet. The stunning cover is a fixture of my "wall of albums", though low enough so I can reach to play it on occasion. Which of course I rarely do. One of the charter members of my Yacht Prog designation, New Zealand's Dragon play a sophisticated form of melodic progressive rock with commercial sensibilities. Similar to Sebastian Hardie, later Fruupp, and Kestrel. Dragon went on to become pop stars in Australia and released many albums which I've not heard. It's easy to see the band crossing over to that realm, as there's evidence of that sound here.

Ownership: 1975 Vertigo Australia (LP).

Not reissued as of 3/31/25.

4/30/94 (first listen); 2002; 4/6/23 (review)

Universal Radio (1974)

Dragon's debut came at the twilight of the early Hammond organ fueled progressive rock of the early 1970s with the more sophisticated AOR styled album that was about to dominate the FM landscape in the mid 70s. Universal Radio is definitely more the former, and also possesses a strong Latin fusion/rock component as well as a bit of space rock. Guideposts include fellow countrymen Ragnarok and Living Force, along with bands such as Kestrel (England) and Fruupp (Northern Ireland). Only three short years from their debut, Dragon were to become pop stars in neighboring Australia, and you can hear hints of that future sound on the track 'Going Slow' (though with progressive oriented breaks still in place). The album peaks on the splendid multi-layered epic 'Patina'. Bonus track 'Black Magic Woman' demonstrates a lingering Santana influence that was to be shed on their next opus Scented Gardens For the Blind, which is arguably an even better album. As it stands though, hard to imagine fans of early 1970s progressive rock not enjoying Universal Radio. There are a lot of ideas packed into this recording, so the relistenability factor charts high. Strongly recommended.

Ownership: 2009 Aztec (CD). Triple fold-out digi-pak with an extensive history, photos, and three bonus tracks (though two are from a solo effort by band leader Marc Hunter and is a debatable addition). The release was taken from vinyl indicating the masters are lost (or in poor condition), but still sounds excellent. 

1//09 (first listen); 9/1/15 (review)

9/1/15 (new entry)

Living Force ~ New Zealand

Living Force (1977)

Living Force were formed from the ashes of another obscure New Zealand band called Spacefarm. In reviewing their sole album, 1972-1974 era Santana is the obvious blueprint here. Plenty of Sri Chinmoy spirituality references, not to mention Carlos' trademark sustain guitar style. A bit out of its era, but wonderfully so. The Santana reference also is apparent on the percussion heavy instrumentals. The songwriter tracks are more in line with other bands from Australasia during the 70s. I hear bits of Pantha in particular, and smaller doses of Dragon, Ragnarok, and Sebastian Hardie. The album's only misstep is 'Sail This Boat', an insipid pop number that wouldn’t be out of place on a time travel American Idol episode. One wishes they would have attempted an entirely instrumental album... that would’ve been a killer. 

Ownership: 1977 Atlantic (LP) 

No legit reissues have surfaced as of 3/28/25.

1998 (first listen); 11//04; 2006; 11/10/20 (review / new entry) 

Think ~ New Zealand

We'll Give You a Buzz (1976)

Think were a band from New Zealand who released only this one album, which is quite a rarity these days. What you'll find here is a mix of mid to late 1970s British pomp / prog similar to England, Kestrel, and Nostradamus, combined with some obvious pop moves and the required boogie rock number ('Rippoff') that all Australasian bands felt obligated to include back then. Of course Think were not alone in releasing music such as this from the region, as you will find other examples in Dragon (first 2 albums), Sebastian Hardie, Aleph, and Ragnarok. There's excellent songwriting and instrumental breaks throughout. Other than the one trip up as mentioned above, all the rest is excellent in my estimation.

Ownership: 1976 Atlantic (LP)

3/14/10 (review); 5/9/19 (update / new entry)

Cleves - s/t. 1971 New Zealand

From the small agricultural community Clevedon in New Zealand, arrives the Brown siblings (in Sydney, Australia) and their band Cleves (trimmed from their initial moniker of Clevedonaires). Sister Gaye provides the bluesy female vocals, making them a natural fit for the Post psychedelic, proto progressive with female vocals list. Musically, electric guitar and Hammond organ dominate, and most of the music is sublime - with an emphasis on melodic songwriting and strong psychedelic oriented jams. While big name bands are within easy reach (Jefferson Airplane et al...), I personally hear that unique European take on the sound, especially Mad Curry (Belgium) and Goliath (England). Only misstep is the album closer 'Waterfall' which is the only track that resembles their rural background. Not an album for those who like to use the word "dated" in their reviews, but for those who actually immerse themselves into the period in which it was released, there are many rewards to be found.

Personal collection

CD: 1998 Vicious Sloth (Australia)

Originals are very scarce and fairly expensive. Discogs doesn't even have it listed, as they must be presuming it is an archival release. But there's been plenty captured from ebay. The only CD is the now rare Vicious Sloth release (it's since been booted in Eastern Europe, so be careful!), which comes with some nice liner notes, a 45 single, and the near 17 minute Music from Michael EP (1970). The LP reissue has just recently surfaced. Bitch is Cleves Ver 2.0, and who only had a couple of singles to their name. It's a double album, with Bitch receiving a full LP, so guessing most of that album is archival. I haven't heard it at this point. As an aside, the original Cleves artwork does a disservice to Gaye Brown. As you can see in scan #2, and if you look for images on the Google, she's a very pretty lady - with a look similar to Katie Holmes or even Susan Dey in her prime.

Dr Tree - s/t. 1976 New Zealand

Dr Tree's sole album is one of the hottest fusion albums of the 1970s. That's a pretty bold statement given the multitude of albums in the genre, but for those that know the album, it remains true. A 6 piece, with dual percussion, fiery guitar, Fender Rhodes, bass and.... trumpet. This latter element adds a unique dimension. And while you may be thinking this will put it in the Miles Davis camp, that wouldn't be right either. This isn't the heavy deep groove of Miles (which would have been fantastic as well), but more like the high energy of prime Return to Forever with trumpet as one of the lead instruments. Obviously plenty of room is also left for the guitarist to shred and the keyboardist to fly. The two percussionist's keep the tunes hopping throughout. Considered by fusion fans as a must own. Just be sure to get the only legit version as discussed above!

As an aside, you may be asking where the period is on Dr(.)? It doesn't appear anywhere on the album, though I do think it is meant to be short for Doctor - rather than just the Dr letters. (see comments for an explanation).

CD: 2007 EMI

If you're looking to obtain this title, be very careful. Most of the versions that are available here in the US are bootlegs, in one case a pirate attempt was released after this legit version. The CD I own is printed by EMI New Zealand and is pretty much a straight reissue, with unique liner notes about the band. Almost assuredly you will need to import this directly from New Zealand.