Blood Ceremony – Living with the Ancients. 2011 Canada-Ontario

I personally love the combination of female vocals, flute, organ, and fuzz guitar - so Blood Ceremony can almost do no wrong as far as I'm concerned. Jethro Tull is an inevitable comparison because of the flute, but there are no similarities beyond that. Personally I think bands like Tomorrow's Gift (first album), Goliath (UK 1970), Room, and Affinity are closer to the sound here than Tull. And if you don't know these bands, and enjoy Blood Ceremony, then cool - new albums for you to discover right? (though I feel compelled to mention that none of these groups have a metal component).

Ownership: CD: 2011 Metal Blade. Digipak with booklet. 

3/14/12 (new entry); 9/11/23 

TEE - Trans-Europe Expression. 2012 Japan

So it appears TEE is going to be an acronym that remains fluid. For their debut album, they were known as The Earth Explorer. And now it is Trans-Europe Expression. Perhaps The Egg Enema won't be far behind...

Let me take you back 20 years to 1992. At that time, much was made of Änglagård bringing progressive rock back to its original splendor. Their appearance at the first Progressive Rock Festival in 1993 only solidified the legend. And I wholeheartedly agree with all the enthusiasm laid at the feet of this great Swedish band.

However, for myself and a few others, there was another album that had as much impact, but is not as well remembered. Two years prior to Änglagård, a band from Hungary released their second album: The mighty 2 LP opus 1990 by Solaris. It was a jaw dropper, a truly complex progressive rock album, with outstanding keyboards, guitars and flute. Perhaps it's only downfall for the revisionists is its lack of 1970s vintage analog equipment. And while I too would have enjoyed that, it has zero impact on my enjoyment of that amazing album.

Trans-Europe Expression is the second coming of Solaris' 1990!

This is a magnificent work, with some of the most melodic flute and guitar driven progressive rock I've heard in over 20 years. I find music like this irresistible. Love the European hill town photograph artwork as well.

Ownership: CD: 2012 Musea

3/13/12 (new entry)

Nine Invisibles ~ England

Soundbombing (2000)

About a year ago we featured an excellent space rock / festival band called Ship of Fools. Nine Invisibles is Ver 2.0 of Ship of Fools. I had picked up Nine Invisibles' debut Pureheadspace not long after it was released in 1997, but Soundbombing was an album that never made it to these shores back then. In fact, other than money maker Porcupine Tree, this album was the last hurrah for the great UK psych label.  By this time, almost all CD's on Delerium had an electronica / techno angle to their sound - and quite frankly I think they lost their core audience because of it.

So when The Laser's Edge managed to secure a copy recently, I jumped on it. What separates Nine Invisibles from your garden variety techno dance act is the synergy of having a multitude of people involved, along with the occasional use of analog instruments (guitar, bass, flute, etc...). In this way I'm reminded of another space rock band that incorporated techno into their music late in their career: Mandragora on their final release, Pollen.

2000 Delirium (CD). Multi page booklet. Acquired in 2012.

2/23/12 (review); 2/17/22

Also own: Pureheadspace

2/23/12 (new entry)

Lunar Dunes - Galaxsea. 2011 England

On their second album Galaxsea, Lunar Dunes go more in for atmosphere and less for pyrotechnics. On a first listen, I was slightly disappointed, but the album has grown on me quickly. Track 7 'Free to Do' is a perfect example of the sounds of the album. Exotic female voices, fuzzed out psychedelic guitars, tripped out effects and post-rock like jazzy rhythms. Excellent band who have managed to create something entirely new within a familiar context.

Ownership: CD: 2011 4 Zero. Digifile

2/14/12 (new entry); 5/3/18

Rob Thomsett - Yaraandoo. 1975 Australia

I'd like to type out some of the liners from the LP reissue. If this doesn't get you going, not sure anything else I say will. I wish I could write like this! "Australia's burnt landscape is sketched in hypnotic washes of Moog oscillations, Bamboo flutes and tape delay. The 40,000 year-old sound of antediluvian Aboriginal folklore is channeled through Mellotron, dilatory jazz guitar solos, and Avant cross rhythms, all symbolizing the harsh and isolated landscape of rural Australia. Yaraandoo is a bold sound exploration never attempted this adventurously again with this country." Wow!

This is one trippy album, I'll tell you that. And there's some Canterbury like grooves mixed in here too and you'll hear a couple of Nucleus / Soft Machine style runs. One thing to note - Thomsett assembles no less than 9 people to play on this album. This isn't a private bedroom affair, but a full scale psychedelic work. This is one of those six dimension type albums that I love so much. The real-deal freaky underground. You'll recognize the pioneering field tapes of Agitation Free's Malesch and the otherworldly-ness of Algarnas Tradgard. For my tastes, this album is genius.

Ownership: LP: 2011 Roundtable. Single sleeve.

CD: 2017 Now-Again w/ Hara (USA)

2/1/12 (new entry); 3/24/18

Hills - Master Sleeps. 2011 Sweden

I felt Hills on their debut showed a lot of promise and that they'd captured the spirit of the original Krautrock movement very well. Master Sleeps shows the band moving more towards the trendy, post-rock motorik side of the house with the familiar steady 4/4 Can/Neu! styled beats. The title song underscores this tactic. On other tracks you'll hear the "wall-of-sound" fuzz guitar overload ala classic Hawkwind. I'm fond of all these bands, but I was hoping Hills would explore new regions of the genre, or at least walk down the road less traveled. So for me, even though I still recommend Master Sleeps, I do think the album is a bit of a step back. I definitely miss the flute, an instrument that greatly extended their range. 

Former ownership: CD: 2011 Transubstans. Jewel case with art booklet.

2/1/12 (first listen / review / new entry); 1/25/24

La Maquina Cinematica - Musica Para Pantallas Vacias. 2010 Argentina

While La Maquina Cinematica are ostensibly categorized in the avant progressive sub-genre of "rehearsal intensive" chamber music, my first reaction to their music came from an entirely different source: Anacrusa. Especially late era Anacrusa around the time of El Sacrificio and Fuerza, when they had switched from being an entirely folk oriented band to one that embraced a certain contemporary classical sound. For the most part La Maquina Cinematica focus on melody and complex arrangements, and thus create a tapestry of beautiful music. However, they do rock out on occasion, and I was again reminded of an Argentine band: Las Orejas y la Lengua. Due to the optimistic nature of the recordings, the ghost of Art Zoyd and Univers Zero are very faint, though not completely absent. A very good album and a must for fans of contemporary chamber music.

As an aside, this is definitely the first CD I own that is sponsored by Ernst & Young. Maybe there's hope for global corporations after all.

CD: 2010 Epsa

Feb 2018: Sold the CD.

1/24/12 (new entry)

Lasting Weep - Le Spectacle de l'Albatros. 1976 Canada-Quebec (archival)

Following on from yesterday's post, here is the second archival issue of Lasting Weep from the good folks at ProgQuebec. First composed in 1972, Le Spectacle de l'Albatros was set to be an epic piece for what would be their debut album. That never happened of course, but while Maneige was on hiatus, the key members of Lasting Weep assembled a 17 piece ensemble to be performed over the course of 3 nights in the early months of 1976. Fortunately these were recorded and preserved for antiquity.

Musically, Le Spectacle de l'Albatros is a much more ambitious work compared to the hard jazz rock of the "1969-1971" album. There are some loose avant garde moments to endure, but for the most part this is a very fine work as well. If pressed to pick one album, I'd go for the 1969-1971 album, but most of my peers prefer this one.

CD: 2007 ProgQuebec

CD features unique liner notes, photos and concert posters.

Lasting Weep - 1969-1971. Canada-Quebec (archival)

A fantastic archival release from ProgQuebec. Lasting Weep, like Franck Dervieux's group, was the breeding ground for Quebec's underground scene for the next 10 years or so afterward. Lasting Weep were the precursor to most notably Maneige, but also featured members that went one to play in Conventum, Michel Madore, and L'Orchestre Sympathique.

The lion's share of the salient material is from 1969 and for the era this is an extraordinary recording, as it mirrors not only what was going on in England at the time, but it predates a lot of the early 70s Krautrock movement. Flute and guitar driven hard jazz rock and blues is the preferred style here, and a fantastic example of such.

The 1971 recordings make for excellent bonus tracks but are of lesser aural quality. Had Lasting Weep continued, would have Maneige ultimately been the same type of music? We'll never know of course, but it's certainly one path this troupe could have taken.

CD: 2007 ProgQuebec. Excellent liner notes, unique photos, and poster reprints round out this excellent document.

1/21/12 (first listen / new entry); 1/14/24

Cathedral - Stained Glass Stories. 1978 USA-New York

It's interesting for me to see how many folks today poo-poo this album and say it's overrated, hyped, plagiarist, or whatever. Perhaps it was the background that my friends and I came from that made Cathedral's album seem so extraordinary. Nowadays progressive rock fans have access to thousands of albums at their finger tips, and perhaps it does blend in with similar artists - and so maybe that's why they can't understand old-timers like us who would rave about Stained Glass Stories. I personally think it's a great example of the American underground take on progressive rock. They went all out and left absolutely nothing behind. It doesn't matter to me that it wasn't perfect from a composition/playing standpoint. It's a highly ambitious work with great melodies interspersed throughout and therein lies the charm of it all.

I guess I'm glad to have discovered the album before I read it was "one of the greatest progressive rock albums ever." We didn't have any expectations back then. We just loved it.

Ownership: LP: 1978 Delta. Single sleeve. Online acquisition (2004).

CD: 2010 Belle Antique (Japan). Papersleeve edition.

My first copy to own was the Syn-Phonic LP reissue which was housed in a unique poster cover (1989). 

I first heard this album in 1988 from Rockadelic who had stumbled onto the original. For hardcore progressive rock heads like me, Stained Glass Stories was an astounding find. It was exciting to know that there may be dozens of unknown gems yet to be discovered. Those were exhilarating times if you were a record collector. 

Interesting side story: Way back in 1990 or so, both Syn-Phonic and Rockadelic were trying to release a second unreleased album called Epilogue. I was friendly with both gentlemen so knew the details behind this as it was happening. All these years later, and it still remains in the vaults as the band couldn't agree on terms. I have a copy on CD-R and it's fantastic. Really a shame that it's not out there for public consumption.

1989; 1/11/12 (new entry)

Canarios ~ Spain

Ciclos (1974)

Canarios were a pop band prior to this album, and they could not have changed any more dramatically than on Ciclos. The album features four LP side long overblown symphonic rock numbers, loosely based on Vivaldi's Four Seasons. It's a sincere effort, extremely well thought out and complex. For some, it probably represents a parody of the entire progressive rock genre. Personally, I think it's great.

Ownership: 1980 King (2xLP). Gatefold. Acquired in 1988.

1988; 1995; 7/8/06; 12/31/11 (review) 

1/18/12 (new entry)

Haze - Hazecolor-Dia. 1971 Germany

From a musical perspective, Haze are a typical 1971 blues based hard rock band from Germany - not really progressive - but definitely fits the all-encompassing Krautrock tag, especially the era of its origin. The addition of wailing flute and pounding organ help tremendously when considering the otherwise standard g-b-d format. The vocals are all over-the-top exaggerated, loud, and... insane. Which is the pure essence of Krautrock. Since when did we have an expectation that we are to be objective in our evaluation of the genre?

Ownership: LP: 1972 Bacillus / Bellaphon. Single sleeve with transparent plastic-film die-cut and rounded corners. Picked this up at the Rocky Mountain Record Show (2022). Not cheap, but less than online prices. This version is the second press, as the original 1971 release sports a white label Bacillus imprint. 

This copy replaces the Long Hair LP that offered nothing else, not even liner notes, unusual for the label. 

My first copy was also the original LP, bought at a record store in Arlington called The Crate... in 1985! I had no idea what I had. It wasn't in the best condition, and it wasn't much to my taste so I traded it out (can't remember which original pressing). 

1985 (first listen); 1/7/12 (review / new entry); 4/20/23

Pollen. 1976 Canada-Quebec

If you're not familiar with Pollen, then consider it a must own album if you're a fan of 70s progressive rock. It's a staple of the diet.

The above represented my CliffsNotes review from a few years ago. I find Pollen one of those bands that's hard to review, mainly because they check all the requisite boxes, and it's difficult to call out anything that is distinguished. And despite that, it's incredibly enjoyable. Their sound basically is progressive rock - sung in French mind you. The usual suspects can be name checked here including Yes, Genesis, and Gentle Giant. So.... if you're a fan of the genre, as mentioned above, it's something you must hear.

Ownership: LP: 1976 Kebec Disc. Single sleeve. Online acquisition (2003).

CD: 2010 Belle Antique (Japan). Papersleeve edition.

The first LP I acquired was in 1992 via mail order. Much was made back then of the "pot leaf" back cover, and that it had to be retracted and repressed with the band photo shot (which was my first copy). And supposedly it was much rarer. I don't think that's the case though as they're both readily available.

1992; 12/30/11 (new entry); 8/31/18

Sveriges Kommuner och Landsting – Orosvisor. 2010 Sweden

Sveriges Kommuner och Landsting are a really fantastic new band from Sweden that has completely captured the mood of the anarchic 1970 Scandinavian underground. Long instrumental psychedelic journeys filled with loud acid guitar solos, droning violin and an active rhythm section. The mystical Dark Ages folk of yesteryear provide the basis for the melodies. No doubt Sveriges Kommuner och Landsting absorbed first album Flasket Brinner as a blueprint, and further added touches of the second Kebnekaise and some of the more lucid moments from Algarnas Tradgard. It's exciting to know that there are modern groups out there exploring paths that were stopped way too soon. Orosvisor could be considered a distant cousin to Dungen's debut.

Ownership: LP: 2010 Kommun 2. Single sleeve

12/16/11 (new entry)

The Norman Haines Band - Den of Iniquity. 1971 England

Post-Locomotive British rock from the accomplished keys player Norman Haines. Stylistically very diverse, and it takes awhile to get its sea legs. The title track and When I Come Down are the highlights of the first side. With side 2 we get a splendid near 10 minute jam, that truly catches a groove and allows for some excellent guitar soloing over the tranced out organ-led rhythms. Not lost is the longish electronic oriented piece with fuzz organ and electric piano that closes the album. The bonus tracks demonstrate that Haines' songwriting was to improve greatly, even if geared more towards an overt commercial direction with horns (Daffodil and Autumn Mobile were actually released in 1970). I was reminded of Dave Lawson's work with Web I Spider and Samurai in particular. This album takes a couple of spins to comprehend, but it's post British psych at its best. File next to your Nicholas Greenwood Cold Cuts album.

Ownership: CD: 2011 Esoteric. Jewel case with six bonus tracks, mostly made up of rare singles + excellent liner notes.

I had the French original on Odeon but decided to part with it (2/11/24).

2008; 12/12/11 (new entry)

Ske - 1000 Autunni. 2011 Italy

Ske is the new project from Paolo "Ske" Botta, keyboardist for avant progressive rock band Yugen. It's interesting to note that Ske's album is on AltRock's "symphonic progressive" sub-label Fading. I say interesting, because to my ears, 1000 Autunni fits the avant progressive definition better.

Like some modern groups, Ske seems to have compiled the best parts of what progressive rock has to offer, and reassembles them into a hodge podge of the entire genre. So, in effect, what you get with 1000 Autunni is Progressive Rock Extract. Especially the Canterbury scene, Anglagard influenced Nordic symphonic rock, and angular avant progressive (similar to his other group Yugen).

Is there anything wrong with that? Well no, not in my opinion. It almost guarantees a pleasant listen, though I do find myself hoping for a more individual persona and style to emerge. At the time of this writing, Ske's album is #1 on Gnosis for 2011 (and remains in that position as of Sept 2017), and it's easy to understand why. Though it's almost like a perfect reproduction, rather than an original. Perhaps more listens will reveal more of what I'm looking for and my rating will go up even more. In any case, I can only see Ske improving from here. All things considered, this is a fine debut.

Ownership: CD: 2011 Fading

12/8/11 (new entry)

Frob - s/t. 1976 Germany

High energy jazz rock with fuzz guitar, organ, electric piano, and Moog as the lead instruments. More energetic than Morpheus or Release Music Orchestra for example. A less funky Munju perhaps. Every track smokes, and there's quite a bit of variation in the jams. The guitar work is unreal and I think the raw production helps. Great atmospheric organ too. There are no weak tracks, nor is there anything that particularly stands out. It's remarkably consistent.

CD: 2004 Garden of Delights

Vos Voisins ~ Canada ~ Montreal, Quebec

Vos Voisins (1971)

Vos Voisins is a really good example of heavy organ and blues based progressive rock. This seemed to be a somewhat popular breed of music in Quebec in the early 1970s, and can also be found in other fine groups such as Champignons or Dionysos. Some wonderful fat guitar leads too. High quality French vocals as well. A couple of the tracks are piano lead introspective numbers. Best song, in my opinion, is 'Le Monstre de la Main'.

---5/28/26

Looks like I never covered off on the 45 that was appended as bonus tracks to the CD. The first side is, naturally enough, more commercially pleasing in nature. The second side, however, has some wonderful freaky psychedelic interludes. Worthy of obtaining on its own, I'd submit.

Ownership: 

1971 Polydor (LP). Acquired in 2021. 

2011 ProgQuebec (CD). Features two bonus tracks, liner notes, and photos. Acquired in 2011.

First copy: 1977 Polydor (LP). Acquired in 1994. 

It's a recent revelation that the alternate cover comes from 1977. As the story goes, the original "wanted poster" rendition had to be pulled, due to Polydor not receiving permission from the Allo Police tabloid to use their logo.

1994; 1/20/11 (review); 11/13/11 (update / new entry); 2/11/23; 5/28/26 (update)

Polyphony ~ USA ~ Virginia

Without Introduction (1972)

Polyphony were a complex and intense American progressive rock band from Virginia Beach, Virginia. Without Introduction brings forth an enormous amount of energy. Loud guitar, shredding organ, two hyperactive percussionists, and hazy psychedelic vocals is what you'll find here. ELP's Tarkus suite seems to be the main influence here, with a bit more of that American rough and tough edge, not to mentioned the heavy guitar presence. 'Juggernaut' is the pick of the litter, but the entire 37 minutes is well spent. I've always been a bit surprised this album isn't more revered, as I find it among America's finest progressive rock albums from the early 1970s along with Metaphysical Animation and Ram's Where In Conclusion.

Ownership: 1972 Eleventh Hour (LP)

1993 (first listen); 11//04; 11/12/11 (review); 10/13/16 (update)

Tonton Macoute. 1971 England

Tonton Macoute was the name of Papa Doc Duvalier's private military force in Haiti, loyal to his rule. They brought forth a reign of terror that paralyzed the island state with its systematic violence. With such a menacing moniker, one would presume Tonton Macoute to be a heavy and sinister rock band. Quite the opposite. Their sole album is a proto-progressive jazz rock affair, similar to other UK artists of the day like Raw Material and Diabolus - though more instrumental than either. The album features one brilliant flute driven composition in 'Flying South for the Winter'. Other classic tracks include 'Don't Make Me Cry' and 'Natural High' Parts I and II. Only misstep is 'You Make My Jelly Roll'. 

Ownership: LP: 1971 Neon (Germany). Gatefold. Online acquisition (2024).

CD: 2010 Air Mail (Japan). Papersleeve edition that mimics the original in miniature. 

Former ownership: LP: 2001 Akarma. Gatefold. This was my introduction to the album.

12//01 (first listen); 11/12/11 (review / new entry)