Secret Saucer ~ USA ~ Cleveland, Ohio

Element 115 (2001 / 2005)

I was reviewing the notes below while listening to the first few tunes on Element 115. This was Secret Saucer's debut and is much more geared towards pure space rock than Second Sighting. In this way, Element 115 ties closer to Tri-Angle Waves. Mostly the album is slow paced spacey blues rock with loud psychedelic lead guitar and swooshing synthesizers. Imagine mid 70s Pink Floyd as strictly an instrumental jam band. I quite like the processed organ sound on track 11. 

Secret Saucer were carved out of another space rock collective from the area known as Quarkspace, who had a similar motif. That band were more improvisational in nature, so their albums were more hit and miss. Secret Saucer, while certainly not conservatory styled composers, do seem to have a beginning, middle, and end in mind before entering the studio. Recorded in 2001, it is documented that this album was indeed purely improvised. Pretty impressive then. As a debut, I find the album refreshing as we are treated to a new set of sounds from a unique mix of musicians. 

Both ProgArchives and RYM have very few ratings for Secret Saucer's albums, but strangely PA has Second Sighting considerably lower. For my tastes, I prefer it to other two I've heard. See below as to why.

Former ownership: 2005 Dead Earnest (CD). Booklet with recording details. Acquired in 2011. Downsized in 2026.

8/27/10; 3/7/11; 9/15/25 (review)
 

Second Sighting (2007)

Second Sighting is Secret Saucer's second album (quite alliterative I'd suggest). It took me a long time to digest this one. Though I first purchased the CD seven years ago (a few years after initial release), it's not one I had absorbed at all. When I began to tackle it a few days ago, I didn't think it would take me a week to grasp it. But sometimes that's what it takes. The reward is I raised the rating, and Second Sight definitely is a cut above your garden variety modern space rock album. Though ironically it doesn't start that way. 'Lift Off' is a prototypical Ozric Tentacles styled opening with whooshing synthesizers and ripping guitar solos. After that the album shows a wide array of influences. 'All the Way to Outer Space' has a strong bluesy hard rock twist, that is unusual in this type of setting. 'D-Walker' introduces the key ingredient to the album's success: Piano. There's something magical about the sound of the grand old dame of acoustic keyboards juxtaposed against modern synthesizers and electronics. 'Tranquility Base' introduces yet another form, that of electronica, though still very much rooted in space rock principles. 'Untitled Dream' sounds like an outtake from Edgar Froese's Ages album, and is heavily drenched in discordant mellotron (sampled I'm sure, but very well done). The album peaks on the 'Disintegrator' / 'Integrator' duet where the piano is quite prominent while the intensity is raised. By now you'll find yourself fully immersed into their sound. 'Reflections' adds electric sitar to great effect. Every track is great, and most feature well written compositions and melodies. This is a far cry from your garden variety jamming space rock band. If looking for something different in the space rock field, give this one a shot.

Ownership: 2007 Dead Earnest (CD). Acquired in 2011.

3/13/11; 5/11/18 (review)

Tri-Angle Waves (2009)

Secret Saucer are an Ohio based group (not far from Cleveland), who've been around more or less for about ten years or so. Tri-Angle Waves is their 3rd album. There's little here you haven't heard before, but a good space rock jam is still exciting to hear, that moment when it all comes together, and the fiery guitar solo sends you over the edge. All the genre's norms are on display here: Swooshing synthesizers, blazing guitars with as many effects applied as possible, constant heavy bass and drums - and with very little attention paid to meter shifting or dynamics... or melody. With Secret Saucer, you're getting exactly what you came for. When you go to In-N-Out Burger, you want a good cheeseburger, not foie gras. And Secret Saucer serves up a mean cheeseburger.

Former ownership: 2009 Salad Farm Studio (CD). Acquired in 2011. Downsized in 2022.

2/8/11 (review); 7/27/22 (update)

Secret Saucer went on to release four more studio albums. I certainly would be up for hearing any and all at some point. Four on the Floor seems to be the consensus favorite to date.

2/8/11 (new entry)

Syzygy ~ USA ~ Cleveland, Ohio

The Allegory of Light (2003)

When you name your band Syzygy, you are already making the declaration that you really don't care if anyone knows who you are, or if they can even remember your name. Almost impossible to spell on recall, I've got it on ctrl-v throughout this listen. Syzygy was born out of Witsend, a Cleveland, Ohio based band who released a charming demo-like album back in 1993 called Cosmos and Chaos (that I since sold). Ten years later, and a legal ruling demanding they change their name, Syzygy debuts with The Allegory of Light. 

Considerably more professional than their first effort, the album screams the region they are from. Hello Midwest! As I've documented endlessly, the mid to late 1970s saw hundreds of bands from the area coming out of the garage closet, and make a go at the major UK progressive rock bands we all knew over here via FM radio: Yes, Genesis, ELP, and Gentle Giant prominent among them. Kansas being the grand local champion of the era, it is only natural that a modern band would mix in all of the above. Then add in other influences that showed up in the 90s like Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree, Marillion, and the rest of them. In the 2000s, it seemed a determination by many a musician that they could out-prog the most proggy among them. 

What separates Syzygy from the pack is their fine use of counterpoint, as well as attention to the song. Melody does matter, as it turns out. These latter qualities are what made 70s prog so endearing, especially the American version. The more amateur, the better. Well these guys are pro, but the music is highly listenable, and one doesn't sense we are being condescended to as mere fans. And fortunately they left the metal component at the door. There were plenty of groups on that bus already.

Syzygy are a microgenre entity. If you like the Midwest prog sound as much as I do, then this album is going to resonate more to you than others who don't have this sound burned into their DNA (yet). Otherwise, it may come across as a bit too complex. 

Ownership: 2003 private (CD). Poster booklet with lyrics and recording details.

2009 (acquired); 9/1/25 (review)

Also own and need to review Realms of Eternity.

9/1/25 (new entry)

Jacobs Dream ~ USA ~ Columbus, Ohio

Theater of War (2001)

Theater of War is the second album from Jacobs Dream and is sandwiched between the two I've documented below. Musically it is very similar to both. Next-gen early Queensryche with plenty of progressive sensibilities. I'll also add another Seattle band into the influence bucket: Sanctuary. Some bands have that right sound, and Jacobs Dream possesses it. David Taylor's vocals are incredible. He never screams, and maintains melody at the highest registers. A little bit like the operatic Messiah Marcolin of Candlemass. Much praise should go to the guitarists here as well. They not only riff (with a deliciously distorted tone) but their solos are soulful rather than gymnastic. Theater of War extends the compositions more than their debut, calling on their progressive tendencies. And an obvious admiration for Iron Maiden. 

Ownership: 2001 Metal Blade (CD). Lyric booklet. Acquired in 2018.

11/19/18; 5/15/25 (review)
 

Drama of the Ages (2005)

Until late last year, I had never even heard of the grammatically incorrect Jacobs Dream. A few years ago, I bought a pile of metal CDs (all new or barely used) for $1 to $2 each, and stuck them in a drawer. Somehow I ended up with the first three Jacobs Dream albums. After hearing and enjoying the first one, I pulled the other two out for a higher priority than "tossed in a container forever" status. Of the CDs from that pile, some were hardly worth the pennies I paid. But Jacobs Dream is exactly the gem in the rough I was looking for.

As I noted on the debut, Jacobs Dream takes the premise of the Queensryche EP and runs with it. They are much heavier than our friends from Seattle were to become, and on the first two albums, singer David Taylor did a fine job at emulating Geoff Tate - himself imitating Rob Halford to an extent. For Drama of the Ages, Taylor is gone and Chaz Bond has taken the mic (cool name, eh?). His vocals are a bit disorienting at first, lower in register than Taylor, but still the Tate-isms are in play. Musically Jacobs Dream remain similar. They are not really progressive metal, but they have progressive elements, similar to the older vintage metal bands. The music is certainly heavy, and there are twists and turns within each track - and some sparse synthesizers. Miles away from the gymnastic Dream Theater school, Jacobs Dream provides you plenty of room for good old fashioned headbanging. Lyrically the band is becoming more and more overtly Christian. You would never know it by the music though. This is not praise-be-to-the-heavens hymnal work. But rather a different subject matter than what you might initially think hearing the music only.

This ended the three album run on America's preeminent heavy label Metal Blade. The fact that you can still find sealed copies for under $5 tells me the band weren't a big seller, despite the high quality and consistently great reviews from metal critics. From here the band began to self-release and later joined the Christian metal label roster of Retroactive. If any of these albums roam past my wire for a good price, I'm buying.

Ownership: 2005 Metal Blade (CD). Lyric booklet. Acquired in 2019.

2/7/19 (review)

Jacobs Dream (2000)

The summer of 1983 was an exciting time for us young metal fans, and one of the great new hopes was a band from Seattle named Queensryche, who had just released their eponymous debut EP on their own private 206 label (area code for Seattle). It was exactly the right kind of metal I was looking for, a pre sell-out Judas Priest type album with incredible songs, heavy riffage, and a gifted high-pitched singer. Unfortunately they were never to repeat this sound again, though whatever they did decide on was immensely popular, but it wasn't for me.

Enter Jacobs Dream, a somewhat obscure band from Columbus, Ohio, who are still toiling to this day. This - their year 2000 debut - is the album I was waiting for from Queensryche - and I didn't hear it until 2018. So I'm 18 years behind the times, and Queensryche is 34 years overdue. This is just the kind of traditional heavy metal I like, with real songcraft, excellent riffs and guitar solos, a little bit of progressive, but not overtly so. And vocalist David Taylor is really quite accomplished, reminding me every bit of Geoff Tate in his prime. You'll hear snippets of other groups as well such as Number of the Beast era Iron Maiden, Fates Warning circa The Spectre Within, and even Rush (listen to 'The Gathering' to see what I mean here). The music is not pitch perfect and is rough around edges - just the way I like it. Easy recommendation for those where the above time and place resonates.

Ownership: 2000 Metal Blade (CD). Lyric booklet. One bonus track. Acquired in 2018.

9/28/18 (review)

As noted above, these are the only albums I've heard by Jacobs Dream. Hopefully I'll discover more while digging in the wilds.

9/28/18 (new entry)

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)

The Damnation of Adam Blessing / Glory ~ USA ~ Cleveland, Ohio

Glory (1973)

Post Damnation of Adam Blessing. Here they bring in some of that same era Grand Funk Railroad sound. Good times party rock for the most part. Highlights include the thoughtful A4, the funky B2, and the two proggy closers B3 & B4. The album ends on a high note with a different approach than the rest. A good album that clearly could have been miles better. It was to be Glory's only album. A lost opportunity.

12/21/23 (review)
 

The Damnation of Adam Blessing (1970)

The Damnation of Adam Blessing were one of the powerhouse groups coming out of the Cleveland scene in the late 60s. There were a ton of groups operating in steel country back then, but most didn't get past the 45 single stage. Though unfortunately today, the band is hardly known. Which is really too bad considering the strength of the material found on their debut. Highlights include the first three tracks, 'Strings and Things', and the last three songs. In particular 'Dreams' is stellar. Only the boogie 'You Don't Love Me' and the unnecessary 'Last Train to Clarksville' (Monkees of course) can be avoided.

There aren't a ton of albums going from psychedelic to hard rock, and The Damnation of Adam Blessing is a super example of doing just that.

Ownership: 1970 United Artists (LP) 

8/26/22 (review)

8/26/22 (new entry)

Archetype ~ USA ~ Cleveland, Ohio

Dawning (2002)

One of my personal axioms is that I rarely enjoy bands that look like guys I work with. lol. There's always the exception that proves the rule. Dawning is a highly rated prog / power metal band. I've read comparisons that Cleveland's Archetype sits between Iced Earth and Fates Warning. Honestly I don't hear too much Fates Warning. Iced Earth, yes for sure. Maybe Iced Earth meets Budgie? The album gets stronger - and weirder - as it goes. It's just a little off from the "metal standard", which is where the allure lies. It's proggy, it's techy, and it's most certainly metaly. I have to admit to having an affinity for private pressings from the Midwest. So this checks a lot of boxes and it's the kind of album where the relistenability factor appears to be very high.

Ownership: 2002 private (CD). Acquired in 2016. 

8/3/23 (review)

8/3/23 (new entry)

Granicus ~ USA ~ Cleveland, Ohio

---4/15/11

Granicus were a Cleveland based hard rock group. Probably the single best example from the US to attempt a Led Zeppelin like raucous electric blues sound. Has a Midwest America sensibility and directness as found in other bands from the region (Poobah for example), but otherwise Page and company is definitely the influence here. Mellotron and acoustic guitar touches combined with Robert Plant styled high pitched vocals puts this album somewhere between Zeppelin's IV and Houses of the Holy. This is essential for hard rock fans, especially those who like a little adventurous progressive compositions mixed in.

---10/13/22

Yea, I'll stand by that. In fact I enjoyed a +1 revisit last night. Like with progressive rock, the US didn't do too much to support our hard rock scene either. Every once in a while a band would pop up and receive a major label signing, only to not be promoted and dropped shortly thereafter. Most bands like Granicus just thrived in the underground and released their albums privately. Really great hard guitar and screaming vocals - it's the boilerplate for the Midwest hard rock sound.

Ownership: 1973 RCA (LP) 

4/15/11 (review); 10/13/22 (update / new entry)

Poobah - Steamroller. 1979 USA-Ohio

These notes go back to 2005 and were enhanced heavily on a listen 8 years later. Last night's revisit only underscored how great an album it is.

Not deterred after not being signed to a major label for US Rock (1976), Gustafson reformed Poobah again, and released one of the best hard rock albums for the entire 1970s in Steamroller. Not prog or psych or metal, just straight up hard rock. Power trio hard rock the way a band from Youngstown, Ohio oughta be. These guys just kick ass on the album from the beginning to the end. In reflection, there is a slight progressive rock angle added here, and tracks like 'Jump Thru the Golden Ring' recall Judas Priest's similar type efforts. Instrumental bonus track 'Atom Bomb' has piano introducing what ultimately becomes a proggy styled jam. The only track here that is superfluous is the Zep cover, otherwise it's all aces. If you at all have interest in the US Midwest private hard rock scene, this is the album to get.

Ownership: CD: 2005 Monster. Purchased new upon release. Fantastic reissue with full liner notes and 5 great bonus tracks. One is mentioned in the review above, the other 4 come from a live concert at Biggy's in Youngstown in 1979. If I could go back in time, I would love to go to a place called Biggy's and listen to Poobah. That might be a top 5 priority actually. Worth noting that the Monster CD altered the track order, much to its benefit I think, as it flows more natural than the LP proper.

11/05; 9/25/13 (new entry); 6/12/22 (update)

Ocean ~ USA ~ Cincinnati, Ohio

Sunrise (1982)

Ocean were like a lot of instrumental private jazz rock / fusion bands in America, putting together a high quality product to an audience of only a few. From Cincinnati, Ocean's primary solo instruments are the guitar and trumpet, with fine keyboard accompaniment. Excellent rhythm section as well. The six lengthy tracks allow the band to stretch, but not too much, keeping each composition in check and the soloists to a minimum. Special shout out goes to band leader Bruce Fox, who adds a deliciously psychedelic tone to his guitar. Certainly an anachronistic sound for 1982! File alongside other like-minded groups from America such as Genre, 3PM, Bellvista, and Gold. 

Ownership: 1982 Ocean Sound Recordings (LP)

Not released on CD as of 5/4/25.

1/18/10 (review); 12/30/14; 12/22/21 (update / new entry)

Noah - Brain Suck. 1972 USA-Ohio (archival)

Brain Suck is an old CDRWL entry brought back to light. Here were my notes from back then: "Archival LP release from somewhere in Ohio, unearthed by one Al Simones, who put out a couple of freaked out psych guitar albums in the 1990s. The LP has been carefully distributed, and so its scarcity has caused the value to remain high. The kind of release that used to be the sole domain of Rockadelic Records. Fuzz guitar and organ lead the psych rock parade. Very much a product of the great Midwest, and the time and place are very apparent. Compositions stray more towards the thinking man's genre, ala Cleveland's Dragonwyck. A nice discovery, and would definitely benefit from a CD reissue."

Considering the latter, that day has finally come about. See the Ownership section for more. It was presumed back then that the music was from 1969, so the sound would have to be considered advanced for the era. Ah, but now we know it's from 1972 - which is much more in line with the times. What you get with Brain Suck is a very strong hard rock album, with an enormous amount of heavy organ and - of course - loud guitar leads. There really wasn't too much of this kind of music being released here in the States real time in 1972. Bands like Sir Lord Baltimore and Bang come to mind, though Noah has a stronger organ presence. That small town in Ohio turns out to be Salem, which is pretty close to Youngstown, one of the premier steel towns in America. The birthplace of Poobah as well. 

In addition to the full release of Brain Suck, the CD contains two unreleased tracks from the band from one year earlier that are similar in construct. And then finally, there are 6 tracks from Noah's predecessor band known as The Sound Barrier. This group did manage to get out two singles in 1967 and 1969. All 4 tracks from the 45s plus two demos from 1968 are on this CD. The music here would generally be classified as heavy psych, and are not to be missed. The '69 single represents two cover tunes and features female vocals. One can tell the band is seeking for some commercial success, but did not achieve any. Thus Noah was born. An excellent archival release, essential for fans of early 70s American hard rock.

Ownership: CD: 2021 Guerssen / Galactic Archive (Spain). Recent online acquisition. Jewel case with a full booklet containing liner notes, photos, and recording details. Guerssen continues to be a gold star reissuer. For vinyl fans, they also released the album as a 2 LP set, which appears to be the exact same. Interesting to note that the original release from 1995 turned out to be unofficial (which I didn't know until Paul Hess wrote into the CDRWL a year later). While not addressed in the liner notes, it was stated as such in the press release for this reissue. As I noted above, the supply had been carefully controlled, and therefore was prohibitively expensive. Good thing I had waited for the proper release, and it is far more comprehensive. 

12/20/09 (CDRWL)

Brimstone - Paper Winged Dreams. 1973 USA-Ohio

From Canton, Ohio, Brimstone's Paper Winged Dreams is at that perfect point where psychedelic was transitioning to progressive rock - though by 1973 that would be a bit late for such a move. There wasn't a lot of this kind of music coming from the States, which makes this private press Christian album all the more curious. Concerning the latter, it's not very obvious, so you can enjoy it on a secular level as well. I found the songwriting here to be exemplary.

Ownership: CD: 199? private. Not quite sure when the CD came out (I got this copy in 1997), but it is for certain band released. They didn't even mention the bonus tracks, but the two here are from their 45 single and pretty good at that. Otherwise you get a very short history and some faded newspaper articles. Decent reissue (and the only legit one).

The Grodeck Whipperjenny. 1970 USA-Ohio

The Grodeck Whipperjenny were a Cincinnati based group, who also happened to be side project / backup band for James Brown during this period (and thus the album was released on Brown's People label). Without Brown at the microphone, the band obtained a chance to extend their composition abilities beyond purely hard funk/soul. Not surprisingly, this is a type of psychedelic funk with loads of killer fuzz guitar and bass. But here on The Grodeck Whipperjenny it's combined with that European progressive rock take on the Jefferson Airplane! So we end up with a mix of bands somewhere between Stark Reality, Sandrose, and Julian's Treatment. Side 2 is really fantastic with a funky groove that won't quit. The only unfortunate aspect is the length of the album - I want more of it!

Ownership: CD: 2019 Now Again

After many years of watching super expensive original LPs pass by - along with dubious reissues of no value - we have finally obtained a worthy reissue. Now Again does their usual fantastic job with full liner notes and photos. Unfortunately there are no bonus tracks, so it's a very short 32 minute CD. I really think they should have combined this with its brother project James Brown's Sho is Funky Down Here, especially considering it too has no bonus tracks. Actually I originally thought that was how it was being sold. I can understand trying to maximize the revenue here, but it's not ideal for consumers. Not complaining, just an observation. Glad to have it reissued properly!

8/31/09; 5/9/19 (new entry)

Lodestar ~ USA ~ Ohio

Lodestar (1979)

Springfield, Ohio's Lodestar were typical of the era and location. Badass hard rock was the order of the day, with its loud guitar and AOR styled melodic anthem mentality. That which was predominantly played on the region's FM stations of the day. I'm pretty sure I heard cowbell (try the Shakespearean 'For the Want of a Woman' if you're not paying attention). This is the music one plays at the warehouse, in the middle of summer while sweating bullets, desperately awaiting the "roach coach" to bring you the chocolate milk and Dolly Madison Zingers you so crave. All five guys on the cover look like they should be wearing Gulf Blue uniforms, oval name patches, and holding a wrench. And after recording this album... ...they probably did!

Badass, yes, badass indeed.

Turns out 3/5th's of the band formed a more commercially oriented hard rock band called Scram a year later. THEN they went to work at the gas station...

Ownership: 1979 private (LP)

Not reissued as I update this post (3/11/25)

4/13/10 (review); 4/3/19 (update / new entry)

Scram ~ USA ~ Ohio

Scram (1980)

Scram were a band from Springfield, Ohio that represented the second incarnation of Lodestar, a fine group who had put out one solid hard rock album in 1977. Leaving behind Lodestar's fraternal rhythm section - and later one of the lead guitarists - Scram were very much of their era in terms of hard rock with commercial ambition. They clearly weren't tuned into the metal underground as this was music to get a record deal and regular steady gigs at various regional clubs. Mostly held back by the tendency to fall into the AOR tropes of the day, they still had a few good hard rockers in 'Street Rat Shuffle', 'Patchwork Blue', and the opening title track. They don't really let loose until the last two minutes of 'Mirror Minds', by which time most have tuned out. Worth hearing for genre fans though.

Reissued on CD by Retrospect (2009)

11/30/18 (review)

Ra Can Row. 1982 USA-Ohio

Ra Can Row were a band from Cincinnati, lead by guitarist Don Schott. At the time of this recording - namely 1982 - almost no one was doing this kind of heavy psychedelic music. Perhaps only LS Bearforce in Germany, and even they had roots in a Guru Guru past. Ra Can Row actually predicted the UK Festival Psych scene by about 3 to 5 years, and could be considered a proto-Ozric Tentacles. This is a very well produced, yet unhinged driving instrumental psych music, with wild guitar solos, and relentless rhythms. The opening 16 minute+ 'Things Beyond Our Control' is the highlight, but all the tracks are satisfying on some level. Could of used a bit of editing and some more focus on songwriting, but for the time and place, Ra Can Row is quite extraordinary.

There are two distinct presses of the album, and the latter promises much better sound and precision. After many years, I finally compared the two copies back to back. Honestly I don't hear much difference. The second press is truly a re-mix, not anything unique. I think it's a bit more crisp overall, but not enough to warrant an upgrade or to keep both.

Ownership: LP: 1982 Eye. Single sleeve with a 4 page insert and a postcard.

My copy of the original has a red and white silk-screened Ra, but I've seen plenty that have a black and white one as well. All the second presses I've seen have the black and white paste-on.

7/24/09; 9/21/18 (new entry)

As far as reissues go, Don Schott was in touch with me in early 2014, via the CDRWL blog, to inform us that a reissue LP and CD were in the works. But obviously nothing has come of it to date.

Estes Brothers - Transitions. 1971 USA-Ohio

The Estes Brothers (and sisters - there were 12 of them in the family! though the band only featured 2) were from the shores of Lake Erie between Sandusky and Cleveland, right in the middle of steel country, and the epicenter of the gritty working class Midwest. The music fits this scene perfectly. A mix of blues rock and driving hard rock, and translates that feeling of no hope and despair - that ended up being quite accurate historically speaking. 'This Morning' absolutely jams, in the tradition of bands like Cargo (Netherlands), Wishbone Ash, and Man. 'Gary's Thought' adds a bit of Take 5 era Dave Brubeck piano for a cool jazzy vibe to end the day. This album is a good one, and the perfect representation of the blue collar ethos of the time.

Personal collection
CD: 2002 World in Sound (Germany)

Original LPs are extremely rare (4 figures). And both reissues are now long OOP and hard to find as well. I was fortunate to snap up the World in Sound CD recently at a good price. Second photo is the Rockadelic LP. The CD has the single version of Tomorrow's Sunlight as Track 7. There are also 4 live tracks and 3 "at home" recordings appended as bonus tracks.

Eye ~ USA ~ Columbus, Ohio

Vision and Ageless Light (2016)

Vision and Ageless Light is the 3rd studio album from Columbus, Ohio's Eye. The band clearly are moving into the "professional" category and leaving their amateur status behind. And in this case, that's a huge plus, even if I enjoy all their albums roughly the same. Eye seems to now be embracing their Nektar leanings, while digging deeper into a new found love for early non-sequencer Tangerine Dream. As with the latter group, mellotron is omnipresent, and it's clear the glorious sounds of the aging tapes are fascinating to the band as much as the audience. Eye is also beginning to drive harder in the Hawkwind space rock column, but with a UK festival styled edge, similar to the best groups like Omnia Opera. All of this combined with more focus paid to composition, and less on improvisation and jam. I could swear I heard a musical quote from Osanna's Palepoli as well, but don't hold me to it. This is a group that is mixing common ingredients but have a come up with an entirely new recipe. If the band continues in this manner, it's hard to imagine the next release being anything less than a masterpiece. I really like the direction Eye is heading in.

Ownership: 2016 Laser's Edge (LP). Acquired in 2020.

First copy: 2016 Laser's Edge (CD). Papersleeve. Acquired in 2016.

12/5/16 (review)

Second Sight (2013)

Second Sight is an improvement on their already very good debut album. Eye continues to be influenced by early Nektar, and peaks on the awesome proto-prog 'Cultrider'. The title track sounds as if it were lifted from Tangerine Dream's Phaedra sessions, and 'Waiting for the Tide' has the classic early 70s Pink Floyd sound. What's not to like?

Ownership: 2013 private (CD). Simple slipcover. Acquired in 2015.

12/1/15 (review)

Center of the Sun (2011)

When you name your band Eye and your first album is entitled Center of the Sun, then you are more than likely to draw comparisons to early Nektar. And indeed that is just what this Columbus based band seems to be aiming for: Journey to the Center of 1971 Nektar. Early Pink Floyd would also have to be mentioned, only in that Nektar themselves were indebted to those that set their controls for the heart of the sun. A sufficiently muddy production - complete with fuzz bass, distorted guitar, mellotron, and disembodied voices - will likely enthrall anyone who thought 1972 was way too glossy of a year. And honestly, what can one complain about? It's not exactly like the world is filled with Nektar copy bands. Sit back and enjoy a new interpretation, if "new" is a term one is allowed to utilize here. Originally there was no CD for this album. I presumed that's because one needs to leave the fuzzball on the needle to truly appreciate.

Ownership: 

2012 Kemado (LP). Purple vinyl. #383 / 500. Acquired in 2012.

2015 private (CD). Simple slip cover (stored with the LP). Acquired in 2015.

11/17/15 (review)

11/17/15 (new entry)

Dragonwyck - Fire Climbs. 1970 USA-Ohio

Tremendous heavy psych from Cleveland circa 1970. The influence of the Doors looms large here, mostly because of the vocal tenor, but far more heavy and psychedelic than that may imply on first blush. One could also see this album as a precursor to the Phantom Divine's Comedy album that was to be released 4 years later. They too (Walpurgis) were a Midwest band operating in a similar hazy and mysterious hard rocking psych territory. Essential listening for those who enjoy that unique sounding crossover from 60s psych to 70s hard rock.

 

Ownership: LP: 1992 Rockadelic. My LP copy is #308, and was a gift handed to me directly from Rockadelic label owner Rich Haupt back in 1992. Kindness like that is not forgotten, and as such the album will stay with me to the end of days.

1992; 11/26/16 (new entry)

Top Drawer ~ USA ~ Ohio

Solid Oak (1972)

Top Drawer play a straightforward blues rock, but with strong psychedelic and hard rock underpinnings. The latter is best exemplified by the guitar leads which are stronger than most from this era, especially in the Midwest private press arena - in fact, it's a sound you're most likely to encounter in the region circa 1972 or later (it turns out that the 1969 date was wrong too). So Top Drawer were definitely ahead of the pack in that regard. The organ is present only as dressing to the overall salad. The songwriting is quite good throughout, with only the 'Baker's Boogie' track being somewhat a waste of time, though I'm sure it was popular in the local clubs of the day. I can see from other reviews that folks are frothing about 'Song of a Sinner', but personally I hear it very much in league with the other tracks here, perhaps drawn out a bit more with its bluesy vibe, though arguably it's still the album's best composition - along with the hard driving closer 'Lies'. Nothing on the album is extraordinary, but a very solid release throughout, and much better than I had anticipated. A little bit of an early Dragonwyck vibe here too (from nearby Cleveland), minus the obvious Morrison-isms.

Top Drawer were not from Kentucky as is widely cited in catalogs and on the internet, but rather from Mansfield in north central Ohio.

Was reissued by Guerssen in 2022.

8/22/16 (review / new entry)

Pi Corp ~ USA ~ Cleveland, Ohio

Lost in the Cosmic Void (1973-76 / 2001)

Archival recordings uncovered by Rockadelic, encompassing the dates from 1973 to 1976, and certainly one of the label's more progressive oriented releases. Pi Corp were a space rock band from Cleveland, Ohio and contains plenty of that ancient Vox Continental organ. Honestly these recordings seem like raw rehearsals that have been heavily affected by studio trickery. The latter element most likely added (or enhanced) many years later, perhaps for this LP release specifically. Interesting album, though not necessarily compelling.

Former ownership: 2001 Rockadelic (LP) 

2001 (first listen); 8/9/16 (new entry)