Kaamos ~ Finland

Deeds and Talks (1977)

Deeds and Talks is an album that's been in my scope for many years, but it's not anything that ever resonated with me. Despite glowing reviews, on first impact the album fell flat to my ears. Now some 30 years have passed, and I've reacquired the LP. Let's try it one more time.

OK, yea, this is the kind of sound I embrace more now than then. It's a song based album with plenty of progressive rock interludes. My reaction back then would have been too much song and not enough prog. Though I could always go for more of the latter, I'm appreciating the former more. I had similar reactions to fellow countrymen Tasavallan Presidentti and Wigwam when I first heard them. Today I like them all. One can hear Jethro Tull, Procol Harum, Stevie Wonder, and The Beatles mixed in with the usual suspects of Genesis and ELP. English is the language of choice though one can hear parallels to the Swedish Kaipa as well. Fine 1977 styled analog instrumentation makes the music easy on the ears. Not everything here is aces, but overall the album passes the "line to gain" by a yard or so. 

Ownership: 1977 M&T (LP)

1994 (first listen); 2010; 10/8/24 (review / new entry)

Faithful Breath - Back on My Hill. 1980 Germany

Faithful Breath's reputation begins and ends with their debut. At least in the prog world. I've come to appreciate that album after all these years, but I didn't like it for the longest time. Because of this, I never made any effort to track down their second album. I well should have. This wasn't only a pleasant surprise, it surpassed my highest expectation. Side 1, generally derided as nothing more than basic hard rock, sounded excellent to me. More like prog hard rock. Which leaves us to the side long track, which is as proggy as anything else released in the 70s. Loaded with mellotron and wonderful symphonic music. I had to hear this side 3 times in a row. I don't do that much these days. Don't skip this title if you had similar concerns like me.

Ownership: LP: 1980 Sky. Single sleeve. Online acquisition (2022).

3/19/22 (LP 3.8); 12/20/23 (new entry)

Armageddon. 1975 England

One of those albums where I go through UMR saying "Didn't I write about this already"? This album was a great revelation for me when I first pulled a used copy out of a Lubbock record store, while still in college in the middle 80s. I had no idea what a great hard rocker it was. To this day, few seem to acknowledge that Armageddon was largely an extension of Steamhammer, and some of these compositions were first tried out on their final Speech album. Though for sure adding Keith Relf to the mix will change that dynamic greatly. Even though I love the hard driving rock here - and it definitely has a progressive minded component - it never seems to transcend the Gnosis 11 mark for me. I don't feel this album in the same way I do the all-time hard rock greats. Maybe it was too professional, and lacks the small club-like grit the genre calls for. Regardless, Armageddon is an album I'll keep to the end.

Ownership: LP: 1975 A&M. Single sleeve. Recent acquisition (2021) from a Denver record show. This replaced the CD that replaced the copy mention above from Ralph's Records in Lubbock (1985).

1985; 2/19/23 (LP 4.10); 4/12/23 (new entry)

Ocean - God's Clown. 1976 France

Put Ocean in the same stack as Pye Fyte and Matter - that is, albums I haven't heard in 23 years since acquisition. I was really looking forward to this one, as my recollection was positive, and my current tastes are more geared to what I had remembered it sounded like. And that self-prophesy came true. God's Clown is exactly the kind of progressive hard rock I really enjoy. If you like nonstop crunching hard rock with searing guitar leads, high pitched vocals, and compositions that don't sit still - then God's Clown is near the top of that genre. I think what might hold this album back in the public eye is that they're French. It's just not a sound one associates with the country. It's very much rooted in America's heartland - something you might hear in Ohio, Michigan, or Illinois in the mid to late 70s. Musically one could state it's a proggy Led Zeppelin, or a faster and more complex Budgie, or perhaps a less involved Yes. Incidentally, the band's name was inspired by Tales from Topographic Oceans. Even given that, the music belongs more to hard rock than prog, and I've moved God's Clown to a different space in the collection. There's almost no keyboard presence, this is a guitar album through and through. I've read from many sources that the vocals are not well done. I hear them completely different, as Robert Belmonte shrieks with the best of 'em. These kind of affected vocals appeal to me more and more as so many contemporary vocalists seem devoid of emotion.

Ownership:  LP: 1976 Crypto. Single sleeve. Recent online acquisition (2022). Probably the rarest album on the label. There's no date on the LP, though the CD is copyrighted 1976. Discogs has it as 1977. My cover doesn't have the writing on the back.

CD: 1998 Mantra. Purchased new upon release. Jewel case with a simple booklet that contains a small history of the band in French. This CD has been collectable for many years, and it remains the only reissue. 

6/11/21 (new entry); 4/26/22

Legend - From the Fjords 40th Anniversary Edition. 1979 USA-Connecticut

Legend were a Connecticut based group whose sole album is truly a "legend" among early heavy rock collectors. You'll find scant evidence of music like this on the open market, especially from this era. What is today known as epic heavy metal, Legend were pioneers of a style that didn't find its audience until 20 years later. If you're a fan of early Manilla Road (Invasion, Metal, Crystal Logic, and especially the archival Mark of the Beast), then by all means seek this one out. Long, involved, semi-complex tracks with fantasy imagery is what you'll find here...and very heavy for 1979. 

Ownership: CD: 2019 Cult Rock Classics (Greece). Purchased at the end of 2019. 

Now this is some package and made the long wait for an official reissue worth it (originals are very pricey). Legend band leader and guitarist Kevin Nugent had passed away many years ago, and it was the other two gentlemen who stepped up to get behind this release. While bassist Fred Melilio stayed quiet, drummer Ray Frigon wrote a book for us, including quite an expose on his Christian faith and the psychology on why he couldn't continue with the group. There's also a lengthy interview with the Greek born album artist, who became somewhat famous in music circles. In addition to the extensive packaging, there are 5 relevant demo quality bonus tracks that are worth hearing. 

6/27/09; 12/11/20 (new entry)

Love Gang - Dead Man's Game. 2019 USA-Colorado

I don't even know where to begin on this one. It checks off so many boxes, it's crazy. Down the line: 1) retro hard rock - check; 2) progressive hard rock - check; 3) early metal - check;  4) organ (possibly Hammond) - check; 5) flute(!) - check; 6) local grooves - check; 7) great cover - check; 8) overall coolness - check.

No way would have I ever heard of this were it not for my friends at What's Left here in the Springs. I was looking for something to spend my trade credit on, and they mentioned this album. They know my tastes lean towards the progressive and the retro - and far away from death metal. And they're from Denver? I said why not, I've got nothing to lose. And... all to gain. As is the case here.

It would appear to me that this album may be marketed to the wrong folks. Based on whatever reviews I can find, they seem to be from the metal camp. And that's OK, but for example I saw one person comment it reminded him exactly of Motorhead. Excuse me, but can you remind me again which Motorhead album has flute, sax, and organ? No - this needs to marketed to prog, krautrock, and hard rock fans.

The person we have to circle in the band here is Leo Munoz. Take him out, and you have a cool - but somewhat standard - hard rock band, albeit an interesting one. Munoz is the one responsible for the organ, flute, and sax. You just don't see too many bands today with that kind of talent on hand. He's the X factor for sure. Kam Wentworth is the guitarist, lyricist, singer, and is clearly the front man here. His singing is the one place where Lemmy comes to mind. Though honestly, I hear just as much Paul Di'Anno and even Ron Royce (Coroner). From an overall attitude, sound, and music perspective, I'm most reminded of Fort Worth's Blood of the Sun, though again the flute creates some separation. And considering the latter instrument, the Spanish band Ñu also comes to mind here.

All the tracks are satisfying on some level, though I appreciate the ones with more instrumental breaks. Side 2 is definitely the more adventurous of the two. The closer 'Endless Road' is the best for my tastes. If you're a fan of the late 70s /early 80s hard rock/metal/prog combination - you'll want this.

Ownership: LP: 2019 Colfax. Single sleeve. Caramel (whiskey?) colored vinyl. Lyric inner with old fashioned band pic. I needed to clean up the Discogs entry, which was a complete mess (and added new photos). For anyone who has spent more than 10 minutes in Denver, you'll understand the label meaning. Thanks to What's Left Records for this rec! Along with Crypt Sermon, best new band discovery in some time for me.

Group details: Facebook; Bandcamp

12/9/20 (new entry)

Seiche - Demo Press. 1981 USA-Illinois

Years ago, CD Baby featured a release by a band called "The Seiche". I never could figure out if it was a CD or a CD-R, though I'm pretty sure it was the latter. To this day, it's still not in Discogs. Whatever the case, my impression upon hearing it was very favorable. Then I forgot all about them. Until I read about this reissue from Jackpot. Given that a CD release wasn't on the horizon, I plunked down for the LP (straight from the label), and here we are.

And where are we? At the very best of the late 70s and early 80s American grassroots creative hard rock movement. Right before the NWOBHM scene hit the States, many bands were forming in the garage and making a go at a Rush like sound, with perhaps a bit of early Van Halen intensity. Other bands from my collection that we've featured on the UMR in this style would include Message (New Mexico) and UHF (Florida). Long tracks, lots of invention, and some incendiary guitar leads. It was a creative and exciting time, one that lead to an explosion of interesting underground music throughout the 80s. Unfortunately we have scant examples of music such as this. That unique strain of progressive hard rock. Not progressive rock. Not hard rock. It's something different and both styles are blended together. Other references would be fellow Chi-Town underground obscurities Proteus and Ariel.

Buy it.

Ownership: LP: 2019 Jackpot. Recent online acquisition. Single sleeve with a 4 page insert filled to the brim with information about the band. Great sound. No bonus, though I'm sure for most everyone, the album itself is a bonus. 

Uriah Heep - Demons & Wizards. 1972 England

Even though Uriah Heep are relatively obscure here in the States (in the grand scheme of things), it's interesting to note how strong of an influence they were on the musicians here back in the day. When one looks at the American grass roots hard rock movement in the mid to late 70s, many of the private presses have early Uriah Heep stamped all over it. Especially Demons & Wizards. It's an album that captured the male mindset of the day.  While not as adventurous as Salisbury, one could argue that Demons & Wizards is the personification of the Uriah Heep sound. At least in my mind it is. 

Ownership: LP: 1972 Mercury (USA). The LP is a recent pickup at a local b&m for dirt cheap. Wonderful Roger Dean multi section uni-pak gatefold with lyrics inside the cover. This replaces the commodity CD that made up this entry.

9/11/20

Oz Knozz - Ruff Mix. 1975 USA-Texas

One of the more interesting US private press rock albums from the 1970s. Coming from Houston, but having that amateurish production, vocal style (Id's Where Are We Going leaps to mind), and overall mindset of any US 1970s group from any place. Like most bands of the era, the idea was to throw out a few different styles to see if something would stick. The theory then goes that a major label talent scout would hear their private album by pure happenstance, and want to sign them up for a 5 album contract so they could open for Led Zeppelin or Foghat's next US tour. Sure. What separates Oz Knozz from the others, is a strong composition acumen, with plenty of original ideas and superb instrumentation, especially the guitar work. My favorite track, though, has to be the anomalous groovy and infectious horn rocker 'Love Poem', which could have been recorded in 1968. The 3 part 'Doodley Squat' is not only blessed with a great name, but provides plenty of instrumental highlights. A strong album that improves with time.

Ownership: LP: 2019 ShroomAngel. Decided to go forward with the LP reissue here. The LP comes with humorous liner notes about the recording and mixing process. Though it's not stated, these stories most assuredly lead to the album title.

8/1/10 (CDRWL); 4/21/20 (new entry) 

Imagine - Images, Clear Skies and Rainbows. 1980 USA-Florida

The first two tracks are well done - though not head turning - hard rockers. 'Rock & Roll Man' is the requisite boogie song, and is the low mark of the album. At this point, not much to recommend. Starting with 'Superstar', the album gets exponentially better. This track has a classic Santana vibe. Side 2 clearly moves towards progressive rock, with plenty of changes, synthesizers, flute, and creative ideas. It's these last five songs that makes this LP a keeper.

Ownership: LP: 1980 Light Horse. Recent online acquisition (2020). My copy came with a promo sticker as well, not sure if that was standard or not (Discogs doesn't mention it). The original also uses the well worn "generic rainbow" cover, which is just charming by this point.

4/20/20 (new entry)

Black Bonzo. 2004 Sweden

Black Bonzo were a Swedish retro band who distinctly went for the early 1970’s progressive hard rock sound. Think Uriah Heep mixed with some Caravan and early King Crimson. Definitely more of the former, warts and all. Opening track 'Lady of the Light' lays it out clearly: The fat Hammond organ, driving rhythms, fuzz guitar, and plenty of progressive rock styled changes. Vocalist Magnus Lindgren even manages to nail that super cool David Byron tone. Nicklas Åhlund plays an arsenal of analog keys including the aforementioned Hammond, mellotron, Moog, and various other synthesizers. 'Brave Young Soldier' sets a haunting mood, before breaking into a very cool wah-wah bass, mellotron, and Moog sequence. The vocals even have that Pye Hastings lilt, and thus the Caravan connection is solidified. On 'These Are Days of Sorrow', guitarist Joachim Karlsson obtains some great wah-wah guitar sounds. 'Sirens' opens in heavy mellotron/organ mode, and comparisons to Anglagard are inevitable. And first era King Crimson also rings a bell. 'New Day' and 'Freedom' have more of a 70’s rock-n-roll feel as does 'Jailbait' though with a heavier, almost metallic sound. Tracks like 'Fantasyworld' and 'Leave Your Burdens' strike a balance between straight ahead rock and progressive breaks, with moody acoustic guitar and the usual heavy analog ivory dose. Mellotron laced 'Where the River Meets the Sea' is an apt, if not overly melancholic, closer. Once again, the ghost of classic 70's Uriah Heep is called for one more encore. It's easy to do some band spotting throughout as each track has different influences, but the cool thing is they don’t really sound like anyone exactly - so they manage to open a new door. Certainly one of the best retro hard prog rock albums I've heard to this point (2005). Proves there’s plenty of oil left in that well. It’s not a stoner thing either, or a tribute band. Just exploring a genre they like. I’d prefer more emphasis on their progressive tendencies, where the instrumentation and creative ideas explode with reckless abandon. Still a winning album that shows even more potential. Exciting.

Ownership: CD: 2004 B&B Records. Jewel case release with lyric booklet. I first received the album from the band in 2005 and wrote the above review (since modified a bit) not long after. While Lady of the Light is the first track, there's no indication anywhere that the album is titled that. Not sure where that came from. 

2005; 7/18/06 (Gnosis); 10/15/11; 3/5/19 (new entry)

Sky Dancer ~ USA ~ Nebraska

Alive (1977)

"Deep Purple on the Prairie" I read from one online auction. That's worth quoting and repeating for posterity. Sky Dancer only released just this one album, recorded live in front of an enthusiastic audience in Lincoln, Nebraska one fine evening in 1977. The album opens inauspiciously enough with the crowd pleasing straight-up rockin' 'Rock and Roll Sweetheart'. But even here the guitarist begins to light things up. Once you hear 'Get Down' you know the band has serious chops and a lot of ideas to process. You just don't get to hear this much chunky organ and jamming guitars this late in the 70s - especially from these shores. 'Fear No Evil' has one of the most intense superb second halves of any track I've heard in ages. 'Hang on To Your Life' and 'Hot Rocks' are similar. This is the kind of hard rock you constantly look for - and rarely find. And 'Never Want to Be Tied Down' is the kind of thoughtful melancholic closer I was hoping it would be. All five of these tracks are lengthy, and feature extensive soloing on guitar and Hammond. 'Rock and Roll Circus' is also a solid hard rocker, if not a bit normal for Sky Dancer. The only throwaway here is the mercifully short boogie rock of 'Goody Two Shoes' and even it features some nice guitar work. Essential hard rock here.

This album is screaming for an archival type reissue. One hopes they may have some studio material, or even more from this live set. Sky Dancer strikes me as the type of band who were more progressive than they were allowed to be in public. The perfect setup for front loading the monster tracks, and leaving the more ordinary tracks to wallow in "bonus track" territory. 

No legit reissues exist as of 4/28/26.

Ownership: 1977 All in One (LP). Acquired in 2022.

1/4/19 (review / new entry); 4/22/22 (update)

Goodthunder. 1972 USA-California

At its core, Los Angeles based Goodthunder are a straight up hard rock band, with folk and pop trimmings. If that's all they were about, then they certainly wouldn't be reviewed by me. No, Goodthunder weren't content to settle for lowest common denominator music to strictly appeal to the masses. With a prominent keyboardist in the band, and a wide range of dynamics, time shifts, and colors - Goodthunder somehow managed to create a sophisticated hard rock album when no one was paying attention. And the guitar is pretty heavy for the era, including some nice riffing, in an almost proto-NWOBHM metal style. Not to mention the chunky Hammond organ moments (a bit like the Krautrock Message on their first 2 albums). There's even a bit of late 60s psych carrying over, as found in the vocal harmonies. The progressive breaks are - especially given the setting - quite surprising, and it's these kind of contrasts that makes this album work on a number of levels. In some ways, you could almost compare Goodthunder to what Culpeper's Orchard were doing in Denmark. They never quite reach those highs (and who does really?), but it's definitely in that ballpark. 'P.O.W.' and 'Barking at the Ants' are right near the top of the mountain. Get it.

Personal collection
LP: 1972 Elektra

Originals are housed in a single sleeve and come with a lyric insert. There is also a CD reissue on Wounded Bird (2009) that I might pick up eventually.

Originally reviewed: June 2014

Bullfrog. 1976 Germany

If there's ever an album to demonstrate to me how much my musical palate has evolved, it's Bullfrog's debut. I first found the LP on Annuit Coeptis (US press) while rummaging around the bargain bins in the mid 1980s. This wasn't an uncommon album to find in those days, usually with the promo-copy word "Free" tattooed in on the bottom. When I first saw it, and I was still new to the whole Krautrock thing, I was certain it was going to be a killer. Especially with that crazy cover and those long tracks on Side 2. Whatever the case, this is decidedly not what I wanted to hear. And I felt like I wasted $2 valuable dollars and couldn't get rid of it fast enough. Of course in those days, unloading albums was not a profitable thing to do, so I held onto it for a few more years and traded it off for something halfway decent (probably not).

Fast forward 30 years, and I now have a chance to source the Sireena CD on the cheap. Ah, why not? Let's see what I think of this album now. After hearing the first two tracks, I felt somewhat vindicated. Boring, straightforward hard blues rock, with a little bit of boogie, and really bad vocals. OH WELL, looks like it's back in the sell bin...

And then comes 'I Came from the Sky'. "Hey, wait a minute...". From here on out, we have an excellent hard rock album, with organ and synthesizer - and especially some fantastic guitar work. Those "bad vocals" start to sound good in the context in which they are delivered. By the time we get to the first lengthy number 'Get Away', I'm completely immersed into their sound. There's plenty of great melodies and theme changes throughout to keep the listener involved. Basically we have an inventive album along the lines of prime-era Jane or Birth Control, at that perfect point between hard and progressive rock, tilted more toward the former. Once you've bought into the premise, even the first two tracks no longer sound so bad.

30 years ago, I didn't have any foundation to build on. I was looking for some Kozmic Krautrock, not some "lame hard rock" that sounded weaker to my ears than the steady regimen of metal I was digesting back then. And of course I didn't have any patience, being a typical tempestuous youth. Proof positive - once again - that music appreciation can often come from experience.

Ownership: LP: 1976 Annuit Coeptis (USA). Single sleeve. Recent acquisition from the Denver Record Show (2022). My first copy goes back to 1985, as described above. Decided to not keep the Sireena CD, but preserved the liner notes.

12/31/16 (new entry); 5/4/22; 2/15/23

Gift - Blue Apple. 1974 Germany

Gift is a good example of why I'm somewhat reticent of the all-encompassing Krautrock tag. It means many things to many people. I first heard this album via the bootleg Germanofon CD near on 20 years ago, and didn't think much of the music at all. Well it certainly wasn't the Krautrock I was looking for! And I hardly was a kid back then - what? 31-32 maybe? I recently obtained the Telefunken (EastWest) CD and now I hear the album for what it is: Organ driven German hard rock, another genre I'm quite fond of. What you'll find here is a mix of Night Sun, Gomorrha, Epitaph, Birth Control, Dies Irae, and Fly to The Rainbow era Scorpions (listen to the two part 'Reflections' for the latter reference). The album starts off rather straightforward, though the title track features an abundance of flute-tape mellotron, not exactly a staple of the hard rock medium. Starting with 'Don't Waste Your Time', things become obviously more progressive... and more interesting for this listener anyway. There's even some heavy Italian prog references towards the end, especially the closer. Yea, I blew the call on this one. 

Ownership: LP: 1974 Nova. Gatefold. Recent acquisition from the Denver Record Show (2022). Let go of the 1998 Telefunken CD which made up the above review.

11/21/15; 8/28/16 (new entry); 5/4/22 (LP addition)

Cuprum - Musica Deposita. 2011 Czech Republic

With Cuprum what you get is good old fashioned hard rock meets progressive with loads of fuzzy guitar, Hammond organ and a little flute. Sure, it's retro 1971 England or Germany, and a sound you've heard from other modern bands like Wicked Minds (Italy), Seid (Norway), Siena Root (Sweden), Blood Ceremony (Canada), Hypnos 69 (Belgium) and a few others. But the Czech Republic has no such tradition, and hearing this style performed with the Czech language is quite interesting indeed. About the only band from 1970's Czechoslovakia that even came close to this sound was Flamengo and maybe Modry Efekt - both groups only at their most hard rocking selves. The songs for the most part are quite compelling, even though it does possess that been-there-done-that feeling. I think if Cuprum expands their instrumental palette, adds a few more ideas per composition, navigates the twisty road and turns on a dime capriciously and truly does "go for the gusto", then they will hit Masterpiece status. Even as it stands, I'm quite happy with what they accomplished on this most extraordinary debut.

Ownership: CD: 2011 private

6/11/12 (new entry)