Blue Phantom - Distortions. 1971 Italy

Blue Phantom's sole album contains 10 heavy psych instrumentals, and is technically under the category of "incidental music for film and TV". That would be one hell of a film if anyone checked this one out of the "library". Apparently the trash master Jess Franco did in fact borrow some tracks for one of his sleaze-a-thons (of course he did). All the same, unlike most film music, these tracks are fully realized and not just sketches of songs. So not only do you get the cool period instrumentation - heavy fuzz guitar in particular - but the tracks are well written with memorable melodies. File Blue Phantom next to your Braen's Machine, Fourth Sensation, and Psycheground albums.

Ownership: LP: 1971 Kaleidoscope (UK). Recent online acquisition that replaces the AMS reissue LP that made up this original entry. Single sleeve with cool psychedelic artwork. My first copy of this album goes back to the early 90s and a white label bootleg, with the same cover as this (cheaply made, however). 

9/25/17

Braen's Machine - Underground. 1971 Italy

Underground is simply an amazing find. Take one part instrumental film/library/exploito ala Blue Phantom, The Bigroup, Psycheground, and Fourth Sensation and complete that with atmospheres that rival the earliest Krautrock scene ala early Guru Guru and Can. Absolutely phenomenal fuzz guitar jamming throughout, with loads of studio effects to upset your inner balance and ultimately turn you into a barking mad fellow. And that's what we all are, aren't we? If not, listen to this, and join us will you?

Ownership: LP+CD: 2014 Schema. Almost precisely the same scenario as yesterday's The Feed-Back album. Originals are off the charts rare, fetching in the $1K range. So Milan's Schema has come to the rescue again, and reissued the album on CD and LP (with a CD as a bonus). And once again I picked up the LP/CD package for a few dollars more. Don't miss these reissues! And the sound is fantastic (most assuredly from the masters), and the liner notes this time are in English providing much needed detail behind this extraordinary work. And via this reissue we learn none other than Rino de Filippi is responsible for the contents within (along with Alessandro Alessandroni and a full set of studio musicians at the ready). CDRWL regulars will recall De Filippi was behind one of the greatest mysteries on the site until it was cleared up by Italian Prog expert Augusto Croce. It's great to be able to unwind all of these identities some 43 years later!

5/15/07; 10/12/14 (new entry)

The Group (Gruppo d'Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza) - The Feed-Back. 1970 Italy

Famous film-scorer Ennio Morricone's jazz / rock / avant garde band. This 1970 album is very wiggy for the time and place, way beyond what one normally associates with "incidental film music". And marquee name Morricone adds trumpet here. Morricone himself was 42 when this album was released and already quite a known artist, hence the major label interest in what otherwise would be an entirely unwanted avant garde annoyance to the business. Given his formal classical musical training, the overall package reminds me of those establishment French persona's such as William Sheller (Popera Cosmic), Alain Gorageur, and Jean-Claude Vannier. You'd be hard pressed to find a more creative rock outing than The Feed-Back, even if you've heard it all on the Futura and Ohr labels from the same era. It barely cracks the 28 minute mark, but otherwise an essential album that is likely to appeal to the remains of your addled left brain.

Personal collection
LP+CD: 2014 Schema

This is an album I never heard of until I started doing serious research for the CDRWL a few years ago. Originals (like the photo above) will set you back... oh.... say $1,500+. Pocket change right? So for the rest of us, it was with great pleasure to see that the Milan based label Schema has come through with both LP and CD reissues of this extremely rare classic. Since it only costs a few extra dollars, I went for the LP that comes with the CD. Definitely score this one while it's still available.

Magical Power Mako – Music From Heaven. 1982 Japan

Solo artist Magical Power Mako provides us with fourteen musical interludes, that could be classified as incidental music for TV & film (aka Library Music). The music has a distinct psychedelic Eastern bent with sitars, fuzz guitars and indigenous scales. Mako also performs drums and percussion on occasion.

CD: 1994 Belle Antique

Music From Heaven was originally released on Tokyo's own Marquee Moon as a promo LP, and may have in fact been the first release for the label/magazine/store. Though the Belle Antique CD lists 14 tracks, everything is stuffed onto one indexed song making it a PITA to listen to one particular track. When listening to the CD carefully on headphones, you'll hear background music, as if the master tape contained other music before being overwritten with Mako's album.

2015 update: I sold the CD.