Beyond-O-Matic - Relations at the Borders Between. 2013 USA-California

San Francisco based Beyond-O-Matic (though leader Fuhry now resides in Austin, Texas) were one of many US space rock bands to emerge on the scene in the 1990s, only to disappear into the ether without a trace. So I was quite surprised to see they have re-emerged, and on America's preeminent space rock label Trail Records no less. This isn't my first experience with Beyond-O-Matic, as I once did own Sonic Reclaimator, but I recall little about it sadly, and it seemed to blur with other bands from that era (ergo Farflung, F/i, Escapade, Salamander, etc...) - many of which I sold back in the 1999/2000 era.

While fully admitting that Sonic Reclaimator isn't on top of mind, I can say with some certainty that Relations at the Borders Between demonstrates growth for the band. It's clear the band is operating with album creation in mind, rather than releasing whatever-we-record, which was in vogue in the 90s (and still is in some circles). So that allows for some judicious editing, and the addition of overdubs allows for much need color. In particular, front man Peter Fuhry's flute is much welcomed. At their core, Beyond-O-Matic remains a jam band, and aren't going to win any conservatory awards for composition anytime soon. But that's not what they're about. As such, the order of the day is long, rambling space rock tracks with guitar, synthesizer, and drums carrying the instrumental load. There are vocals, performed with a hazy high pitched sound to presumably achieve a psychedelic effect.  The music moves forward with a constant slow and relaxed pace. Five of the seven tracks are between 10 and 16 minutes, so I think it's safe to assume that concise meters and sharp breaks are not in the cards. Early 70s Pink Floyd is the blueprint here, but stretched considerably beyond - perhaps to the point of endgame.

Ownership: CD: 2013 Trail

12/4/13 (new entry)

Ampledeed - A is for Ampledeed. 2013 USA-California

Ampledeed is a new group from the Los Angeles area, who clearly have an affinity for the classic early 70s Canterbury scene - unwittingly it may appear. The genre itself has always been a favorite of the UTR, due to its highly appealing combination of melody and complexity. Other characteristics include fuzzy psychedelic tones and a jazzy rhythmic base. And the well studied Ampledeed succeed on all 4 accounts. Of course, much of the "analog" keyboard tones are derived from samples, but that's a small thing. It's the sound itself that counts, right? What's interesting to me is that the band themselves do not indicate that they know Caravan, Soft Machine, National Health, but rather the usual suspects of Pink Floyd, Yes, and King Crimson. So perhaps they came to the same conclusion of Dave Stewart and company, rather than as a direct influence. Even better as far as I'm concerned. I found myself, predictably I realize, enjoying the instrumental work as some of the vocal oriented songs can drag a bit. Really curious where the band goes from here.

Ownership: CD: 2013 private

11/30/13 (new entry)

Tripwave: A Retrospective Collection of Russian Psychedelic Progressive Music. 1989-2010 Russia

Starting from the beginning, which the label conveniently placed in chronological order:

Eastern Syndrome – Celt. 1989. A mix of unhinged psychedelia and 1980s New Wave songcraft and associated production qualities. Vocalist sounds like David Byrne, while the reckless psychedelic guitar abandon could be from an old F/I album circa “Space Mantra”. Some fine spacey sax as well. A little bit like the Saqqara Dogs overall here. It appears this track comes from an unreleased album called “Studio 13”. Fascinating stuff, and perfect for a compilation.

The Moon Pierrot – Moon Dream. 1990. Thick bass, happy rhythm guitar, danceable beats, sonorous vocals. Sounds like 1985 New Wave to me! But… I thought this was a psych prog collection? No, the  Moon Pierrot belongs somewhere else, despite some fine electric guitar about half way through. I like it anyway.

Do Major – To Rake Your Fingers Through the Grass. 1992. More slap bass, canned drums, and synthesized vocals. Guess we’re still in the New Wave “neo psych” section of the album? I should state that I find music like this quite good, even if not necessarily what I associate with terms like “psychedelic progressive”.  The guitar work here, in particular, is exemplary. As are the female vocals. I should investigate this band further.

Decadence – Dream #5: Love. 1999. Seven years on, and we’re still in 1980’s territory. Hmmm.  This is from an album that was released by Musea. I can hear influences from bands such as Porcupine Tree here. Apparently the album has a prog metal slant, though this track eschews the distorted muscle. Pig squealing guitar, however, is not omitted. Not bad though.

Disen Gage – Solaris. 2004. Moving along quickly from a chronological perspective. This track comes from their debut “The Screw-Loose Entertainment”, and musically sounds like a modern interpretation of the motorik side of the Krautrock house like Harmonia with some post rock heaviness applied. Excellent stuff. Gotta love a Russian band that utilizes, as their band name, a play on words with English.

Rada & Ternovnik – Interlude. 2004. Well here’s a band with a dozen albums and a gazillion musicians. Could be a commune band, or a professional troupe? I have no idea. The music treads within the confines of the cold and clinical King Crimson cookbook, yet with some splendid acid guitar leads. And then the wordless female vocals takes this to the exotic – the sublime.  Who are these guys? Jeez…. Spent most of my life tracking interesting obscure progressive rock down, and here’s a band with a ton of albums that no one knows about. Gnosis lists ELEVEN of them with exactly zero ratings between them.  My goodness.

Krtl – Soda. 2006. First group here that it doesn’t appear released anything prior.  Also the first band here that is giving me that Gong influenced space rock sound. Danceable psychedelic guitar driven space rock with synthesizer “splooshes”…. right…. Ozric Tentacles. I thought I was getting a whole CD of it. Well… fortunately I received something else. This track is good. So is the whole CD so far. Damn….

Deti Picasso – Happy End is Inevitable. 2006. I’m beginning to wonder if I’m a Russophile? This doesn’t fit a single bucket of music that I would normally enjoy…  yet, I’m loving this track! Missing Persons singing in Russian with heavy psych guitars, via… hell I have no idea what. Need to learn more….

Vespero – Inna Burst Into Tears. 2007. Now this is one I knew of prior. And those dogs at Trail know exactly what they’re doing!  I’m pretty much a Vespero fan boy, and yet they somehow found the absolute BEST track in the entire Vespero canon (from their debut CD “Rito”). When I think of exotic space rock with female vocals, this is the track that comes to mind. OMG. Brilliant in every way.

Kafedra.org – Entrance to Invisibility. 2009. Another band that is totally unknown. Despite the captures-the-imagination track title name, this one is a rather straightforward rock tune with spacey synths and female vocals. Maybe my least favorite song from this album.

Liompa – Thee. 2010. The last track from the comp also features a band without a recording history. Yet another band that propagates the space rock instrumental (guitar-bass-drums-percussion) with soft female vocals. Would really like to hear more from these guys!

Absolutely love the industrial apartment block photo that adorns the CD package.

Overall, a CD that comes highly recommended. I certainly learned a few things here.

My good friend Lev, who is from Russia, had the following insights about two of the bands mentioned above: "Rada & Ternovnik is a cult band led by the idiosyncratic singer Rada Anchevskaya, a good acquaintance of mine and a really talented lady. Basically you can never guess what you might find on their albums - the only constants in the lineup have been Rada herself and her husband Vladimir Anchevsky, and they are known for shifting styles and musical moods effortlessly. If I were asked to describe their music in one word, I'd go with psych - purely on the basis of Rada's shamanic vocals and loose improvisational structures of many pieces. However, in fact they often merge it with many other genres, from traditional folk to so-called "dark folk" with a lot of mysticism, from postpunk to atonal avant-garde jazz. Oddly enough, their latest lineup is the proggiest, featuring keyboards for the first time (played by Fedor Amirov).

Another band which I can heartily recommend is Deti Picasso - once again, led by my old acquaintance, brilliant singer Gaya Arutyunyan (together with her brother Karen - yes, it's a male name in Armenia where they hail from!). Sadly they disbanded a couple of years ago (although Gaya and Karen are now members of the equally excellent Budapest-based Wattican Punk Ballet), but up to that point they were basically acting as two different bands within one. The first one focused on their Armenian heritage - folk songs with a unique Deti Picasso twist, as well as self-penned tracks in a similar style. "Ethnic Experiments" and "Turbo Mairik" are albums that showcase this side of the band, and I'd very much recommend them as it might be easier for a foreigner to get into their Armenian repertoire (it essentially got them famous in Europe which led to their moving to Hungary on a permanent basis). However, I like their Russian side even more - epitomized on the albums "Glubina" and "Gerda". This is a truly genre-mixing, style-bending experience, from alternative rock to prog to avant to theater music and everything in between, with great lyrics and fantastic vocal and instrumental performances... Totally unique too, I'm struggling to think of any comparisons."

Ownership: CD: 2011 Trail

11/28/13 (new entry)

Phase ~ USA ~ New Jersey

Midnight Madness (1979)

Phase is smoking fusion first, instrumental progressive rock second. A great mix of instrumental dexterity, with complex compositions and ferocious playing. Return to Forever meets Kenso. Or Iceberg meets Transit Express for a more obscure reference.

So let's get Ken's (Laser's Edge) quick summary of the background first: "Phase was keyboardist's Regan Ryzuk's band and they were based out of Montville, NJ. Two years later Regan released it under the Fusion Quartet "Comprovisations" title. It's a very good album that I think will floor a lot of people and it deserves to be more widely known."

Now let's get some impressions of the music. Midwest Mike says: "Instrumental progressive jazz rock of the highest caliber. From the very start this album explodes out and doesn't leave you with much room to catch your breath! Top notch musicianship with fiery solos of bass, piano, Moog and electric guitar. Odd and complicated time meters with killer trade-offs as well as incredible unison sections. This sometimes reminds me of Iceberg, a bit of Return to Forever and the Italian band Nova (at their peak). As mesmerizing at it is amazing! I believe once this gets known it will become a future rarity. Highly recommended to jazz rock, fusion and progressive rock fans."

The AC was brought into the action as well. He picked one up immediately and had this response: "Killer album! Really complex and edgy for a private fusion LP of this sort, almost getting avant-progish at times. I think the fact that the keys player uses a regular piano rather than a Rhodes also lends to this impression. Guitar gets quite ferocious at times, too. Love the ultra-technical music geek notes on the back of the sleeve! Wonder whatever happened to these guys? They really were top-notch players."

Phase's one album pretty much escaped everyone's radar until Midwest Mike discovered it a couple of years ago. His discovery lead directly to the CD reissue, as well as our entry into the CDRWL. The 1981 second press has a different cover, band name, and title (Fusion Quartet - Comprovisations). Ken reissued the CD with the preferable original cover, in exact detail similar to how the Japanese do it. 

Ownership: 

1979 Red Mark (LP). Acquired in 2012.

2013 Modulus (CD). Papersleeve. Booklet with full liner notes, including track by track, and recording details. Acquired in 2013.

2/6/12 (review); 11/27/13 (update / new entry); 4/2/26

Siddhartha ~ Turkey

Trip to Innerself (1998)

I've often thought that Turkey is a country that could - perhaps should - produce amazing psychedelic space rock albums. The indigenous music culture alone, outside of any rock influence, speaks to the exotic and... well... the psychedelic. But it really hasn't happened that way, even if you consider the more known stars of the 1970s like Baris Manco and Erkin Koray. Siddhartha at least made a sincere attempt at mixing the music of East and West. Though unfortunately it weighs too much towards the latter, and ultimately sounds like any number of bands from Europe emulating the various stages of instrumental Pink Floyd and the like. Still, there's much to admire here, in particular the title track, 'The Explorer', and especially 'Nervous Breakdown'.

For Middle Eastern psychedelic cosmic rock, it's hard to beat Agitation Free's Malesch (Germany 1972). And for modern bands, Astrakhan's Vespero is the gold standard for such a sound. But there's never too much of this type of music as far as I'm concerned, and I do hope Siddhartha do consider reforming in some form or fashion. Though it appears that one of the key contributors - namely Özgür Kurcan - sadly passed away in 2011.

Ownership: 2009 Trail (CD). Acquired in 2013

11/27/13 (review / new entry)

Yuji Imamura & Air ~ Japan

Yuji Imamura & Air (1977)

Air's sole album features two side long tracks clearly influenced by the deep funk groove of mid 70s Miles Davis albums like Dark Magus, Agharta, and Pangaea. No trumpet, but the saxophone is instead treated to sound similar. Much more flute and spaced out than classic Miles, but still plenty of wah wah guitar and dual percussion to get down with. A few jazzers from Japan were highly influenced by Miles Davis, and percussionist Imamura is one of the finest emulators I've heard to date. 

Former ownership: 2013 Sony / Three Blind Mice (CD). Papersleeve. Acquired in 2013. Downsized in 2026.

1//09; 11/23/13 (review); 11/20/24

Twink ~ England

Think Pink (1970)

Think Pink arrived at that most exciting time in 1970 when psychedelic bands were stretching the boundaries of their sound, tiring of the confining popular music norm, while not willing to immerse themselves into the upcoming progressive rock movement. So what you have here is a highly imaginative album, filled with true psychedelic sounds. The fuzz guitar is divine throughout. Albums like this would normally be found in Sweden or Germany at this time, rather than England, and constitutes one of my favorite styles of music. It's chaotic, but never out of control. And there are actual songs here, adding to the allure.

I inexplicably missed this album in my initial discovery phase of the 1980s and early 90s. And continued that blissful ignorance until now, with the new Sunbeam reissue. The bonus CD also has copious and relevant bonus tracks.

Ownership: 2013 Sunbeam (LP+CD). Gatefold. Thick booklet filled with a well written history and photos.

11/16/13 (acquired / review / new entry); 10/6/25

Takeshi Inomata & Sound Limited ~ Japan

Sounds of Sound L.T.D. (1970)

Nice bit of psych exploitation from Japanese jazz group. Beautiful flute / Hammond driven soundtrack styled pieces like 'Theme-Mustache', 'Monster', and 'Lullaby for Yuh' (haha, yea that's the spelling) are offset unexpectedly by the one seven minute freakout on here: 'Scotland Scene', with its massive fuzz bass and psychotic electric guitar leads. Not near as insane, or as sublime, as the 1971 follow up Innocent Canon, but this album is a heck of a lot of fun. 

---7/29/26

I didn't note this originally but the flute is provided by none other than Toshiaki Yokota.

Ownership: 2013 P-Vine (CD). Papersleeve. Acquired in 2013.

2010; 11/3/13 (review); 7/29/26

Innocent Canon (1971)

If the movie Lost in Translation had been made in 1971 instead of 2003, then Innocent Canon would most certainly have been its soundtrack. Forget the fictional Sausalito with their hipster lounge covers of forgotten Mary Butterworth tunes, and cozy-up with Sound Limited and their groovy late 60s Beat Club smackdown! This is the psychedelic soundtrack of your imagination, but never actually witnessed. One complete acid drenched freakout by a deranged Japanese jazz big band, where the action takes place in a carnival funhouse rather than the video arcade. They even lift the phased-drum-with-narration-bit from no less a luminary than Group 1850's Agemo's Trip From Mother Earth. Damn, this is awesome.

Innocent Canon is another one of those hopelessly obscure Japanese underground albums that few know about. Inomata himself is a known jazzer, but like many of his contemporaries, he went out of his mind with psychedelic music between 1970-1972.

Ownership: 2012 King (CD). The artwork throughout features some very weird erotic sketches. Acquired in 2013.

3/22/13 (review)

3/22/13 (new entry)

Il Tempio delle Clessidre - AlieNatura. 2013 Italy

Three years later, we have Il Tempio delle Clessidre's second album AlieNatura. Gone is Galifi, who left to help restart Museo Rosenbach (and what a reformation it is!), and in his place is the also talented Francesco Ciapica. It's apparent, to me anyway, that Mr. Ciapica studied Mr. Galifi pretty intently, as the delivery is very similar, though a different tone to be certain. Musically, Il Tempio delle Clessidre continue very much in the same vein as the debut. Since they had to grind through their debut to find their own style, I'd say the followup is far more consistent.  But I also found that it didn't possess the same amount of peak moments either. Not sure if the "reckless abandonment of amateurs" aspect has been dulled somewhat, and Il Tempio delle Clessidre see themselves as being more professional. It's been my experience that bands who take the approach Il Tempio delle Clessidre has, have actually garnered more support, and I tend to be in the minority regarding this phenomena. Make no mistake, composers Fabio Grema and Ms. Montaldo still know how to compose an intense (or melodic) break like the best of the early 70s Italian masters would. I felt this album was a slight step down, but nevertheless still comes highly recommended. Like any great progressive rock album, Il Tempio delle Clessidre's sophomore album will require many listens to digest. Yet another winner from the landmark 2013 year for Italy!

Ownership: CD: 2013 Black Widow

10/12/13 (new entry)

Blim - Zero + No Frills. 1992-1993 England

Outstanding festival psychedelic space rock band. Blim were an offshoot of Omnia Opera and were originally intended to be a more progressive variation of the already excellent parent band. And they achieved just that. If you ever wanted to hear Ozric Tentacles take things to a more complex level, Blim is your chance to hear it! Also reminds me some of Mandragora's earlier works, when they were  experimenting with various styles and structures. These are two of the best albums I've heard from the entire festival scene. Brilliant guitar work throughout. I would say that No Frills is the more complex, aggressive, and less spacey of the two. It also features a more professional sound, and I think it's the better of the two albums. Having said that, both albums feature a much better production than many of the cassette releases of the day.

CD: 2013 private

The originals were cassette only. I remember seeing both of these in the early 90s through the old Freak Emporium catalogs (back when they were still paper!), but never ventured to try them. Only within the last 6 years or so, did I finally hear them. They were instant hits with me, and were promptly labeled Priority 2 for my CDRWL. And now we have a wonderful 2 CD set (last photo), with additional bonus tracks on each album. Almost 2.5 hours of quality music here! About the only thing missing are historical liner notes, though as long as their website is up, you can read about Blim there.

Survivor - All Your Pretty Moves. 1979 USA-Louisiana

Not the ‘Eye of the Tiger’ bunch, but a much better than average early heavy metal group from Shreveport, Louisiana, saved from complete obscurity by the good folks at Monster Records. The vocalist is a slightly less forceful Rob Halford sound-alike, and the songwriting is up to the Sad Wings of Destiny standard of sophisticated hard rock. Even has a killer long track called ‘Deceive Me’. Hmmm.. wonder where that idea came from? Thin Lizzy and Led Zeppelin are other groups the band list as references and certainly the former makes plenty of appearances throughout.

CD: 2003 Monster

Amulet. 1980 USA-Indiana

If you’re looking for the real deal when talking the late 70s American underground hard rock guitar scene, then Indiana's Amulet is for you. You can’t fake this. There’s nothing flashy, slick, pretentious, or commercial about this release. Just a bunch of guys who gave you an honest dollar’s performance, because they knew their audience didn’t have much scratch to spare. Straight from the mines to the dimly lit tavern for some Falstaff and an evening of rockin' with Amulet. And if the groupie girls were there... well... then... the night was to be remembered forever.

CD: 2000 Monster

La Coscienza di Zeno - Sensitivita. 2013 Italy

Continuing on from their debut, La Coscienza di Zeno have made some significant improvements in many areas... and perhaps a few steps back in others. Let's focus on the positive first. The instrumental palette has been increased to include more of an analog orientation, though there is no mistaking this is a modern recording (the robust production alone is to be admired). Piano, in particular, is a dominant instrument here, and when played as expertly as it is done on Sensitivita (brilliant in fact), it certainly recalls the 1970s masters. Choral Mellotron (which may be sampled) is also used in abundance, and the entire dual keyboard format recalls classic Banco del Mutuo Soccorso. Taking the BMS metaphor just a bit further, Alessio Calandriello is proving to be possibly one of the finest vocalists in Italian progressive rock today. While not singing in the operatic style of di Giacomo, Calandriello possesses an incredible voice, that would actually be much admired in today's howling-singer styled pop culture. And perhaps now is a good time to introduce the main issue I have with the album. Sometimes the music just stops, and everyone buys a ticket to watch Calandriello belt out verses while the rhythm section keeps a steady beat.  I'm not sure if there's an Italian Idol TV show, but if there is, then Calandriello most certainly would have to be considered a finalist. He's that good of a talent. However, none of the great 70s Italian masters, who also featured singers with similar golden pipes, would exhibit the patience La Coscienza di Zeno demonstrates here. I just keep waiting for the inevitable breaks, those turn-on-a-dime rhythms with crazy solos, that make the entire Italian prog genre so special. And yes, they do eventually come through with just that, but sometimes after I find something else to do while waiting for glamor boy to close his trap. Perhaps another demerit goes to the guitarist, who adds little but cliched distorted metal chords throughout. While I'm OK with a little extra muscle, I'm not feeling the added value. And the rhythm section keeps things moving along, but they definitely take a back seat to the dual keys and precocious boy. So why the 4 stars? Well it was close to 3.5, but most of the material is very solid, if never actually excelling. The final track 'La Temperanza' (10:38) is the highlight with added flute and violin, adding much needed distractions to the singer songwriter aspirations that begin to creep in. I think La Coscienza di Zeno have left plenty of room for improvement. They have the tools, and the talent, to release a RYM 5 star / Gnosis 13+ masterpiece. Let's see if they rise to the challenge. Fans of Italian progressive rock should take my criticisms as data points, but don't let them keep you from buying this.

Ownership: CD: 2013 Fading

9/23/13 (new entry)

Space Circus - Fantastic Arrival. 1979 Japan

Whereas Space Circus' debut Funky Caravan traded in on the cliches of the late 70s era - fat funky bass lines, and overall danceable jazz rock - Fantastic Circus reaches further back into the fusion canon and emulated no less a luminary than Mahavishnu Orchestra. As the album cover demonstrates, this is one fiery affair certain to light you up. By far the better of their two albums.

LP: 1979 RCA
CD: 2008 BMG

The original LP comes in a single sleeve cover with a really cool astronauts on fire cover. Like almost all Japanese reissues, there are no liners in English available.The first CD reissue was always a bear to find. After many years of being absent from the shelves, the mini-LP from BMG filled the gap.

['ramp] / Ramp ~ Germany

Frozen Radios (2000)

Frozen Radios begins to demonstrate that ['ramp] have a penchant for the dark ambient sounds of Klaus Schulze's Cyborg or Tangerine Dream's Zeit. On the back cover, they inform us to "File Under: Electronic Industrial Ambient". And that's quite accurate, except the sequencers are still going full bore here, so you're never too far from the friendly confines of the Berlin School.

Ownership: 2000 private (CD). Booklet with recording details. Acquired in 2013.

9/20/13 (review); 8/20/26

Nodular (1998)

Regular readers of my reviews know that I'm quite fond of the Berlin School of electronic music as founded by Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze. Atmospheric keyboards that give way to blazing sequencers, choral mellotron tapes (likely sampled in Ramp's case), and melodic synthesizer lines (and even better if there's guitar which Ramp unfortunately doesn't employ) will blow me away every time. Instant mental movie soundtrack music. Ramp were part of the original renaissance of the movement that gained quite a bit of traction in the late 1990s (especially in the UK and The Netherlands) with Radio Massacre International, AirSculpture, and Redshift leading the charge. Ramp were rare in that they were from the namesake country. Certainly Germany had support of the style within, but mainly from various individual synthesists like Bernd Kistenmacher and Mario Schonwalder (and owner of the influential Manikin label). So Ramp were indeed unique given they were a group effort.

Ramp originally started as a trio, and the synchronicity of ideas is apparent. There were (and are) a ton of solo electronic musicians, but many of those sound monolithic to these ears. The best acts, like the ones I mentioned above, feature at least three performers if not more. Later, the band changed their sound to what they call "doombient" which I hope to hear one day as well, though I'm not entirely convinced it's a style I'll embrace. Hardcore EM followers no doubt are already very familiar with Ramp.

The lineup on Nodular is:
Frank Makowski: sampling, sequencing, electronics, loops
Stephen Parsick: electronics, sequencing, rhythm programming
Lambert Ringlage: electronics, micro composers, tapes
Martina Fantar: voice on 'Before the Storm'

Martina's atmospheric voice is positively enchanting in this setting.

All the tracks are good, but the 19 minute 'Phasenverzerrung' is absolutely brilliant. If it doesn't lay you out on the first try, then there's a better than average chance this style isn't for you.

Ownership: 1998 Manikin (CD). Acquired in 2011.

4/9/11 (review)

4/9/11 (new entry)

Ardo Dombec. 1971 Germany

I think the most surprising aspect of the Ardo Dombec album is just how ordinary it is. Terms like "ordinary" and "1971 album on Pilz" just do not go together. The album starts off promisingly enough with 'Spectaculum', with its driving sax melodies and fast rhythms - perhaps indicating this could be like the awesome Nosferatu album. But alas it was not to be. Subsequent tracks show no progression, and they leave behind no memorable melodies either. By Side 2, the band have completely lost their way - the Louisiana back porch harmonica taking it to new lows. Final track 'Unchangeable Things' brings it back to a respectable level. The 4 bonus tracks on the GoD CD are in a similar vein. There's nothing egregious here, more like a flat line. This is a borderline Gnosis 9 / 3 stars effort, but I'm such a fan of the genre, I hear enough to keep it at the Gnosis 10 / 3.5 level. Not a riveting recommendation, I realize.

Ownership: CD: 2002 Garden of Delights. Jewel case. Full liner notes, photos, and 4 relevant bonus tracks.

Like with most Pilz albums, Ardo Dombec's sole effort features a wonderful gatefold cover, this time showing a vanilla ice cream cone covering a cactus. This was one of the few Pilz albums not later reissued by the Pop Import label in the early 1980s. 

2003; 9/19/13 (new entry)

Clear Blue Sky ~ England

Clear Blue Sky (1970)

Clear Blue Sky represents one of a handful of highly creative, psychedelic influenced, progressive guitar power trio albums coming from England circa 1970. Their sole (original 70s) work can easily be compared with Stray's debut and The Human Beast. Perhaps it's the runt of that litter, but it's such a gorgeous family, that just being in the same house is prestigious enough. Love those higher pitched British psych-era vocals. 'The Rocket Ride' and 'You Mystify' are both exceptional, though there's not a single weak track here.

Ownership: 1970 Vertigo (LP). Roger Dean gatefold. Vertigo stock inner sleeve. One quirk of the original release is the spine says Play It Loud which has been blotted out in red ink (by the factory). Acquired in 2022. 

First copy 2001 Vertigo Japan (CD). Papersleeve edition. Acquired in 2005.

I did have a bootleg LP of this prior, but never registered it in my database.

2//05; 9/17/13 (review / new entry); 7/30/19

Taste of Blues - Schizofrenia. 1969 Sweden

One side is a cool free rock jam, like the best of the Krautrock and Swedish artists like International Harvester. No doubt this track was influenced by Paul Butterfield Blues Band's 'East West' suite from 1966. The other side is more traditional electric blues, so the album is indeed schizophrenic. But electric blues in 1969 is hardly the same thing as traditional blues, and there's plenty of psychedelic fuzz guitar and organ in the best tradition of the underground bands of the era.

CD: 2010 Transubstans
LP: 1991 Garageland

I first heard this album via the Garageland LP reissue not long after it was released (1992). Over time, I decided this is a title I didn't need, and sold it. Finally a CD reissue emerged in 2010 from the always excellent Transubstans label. The side long track alone is worthy of ownership - and now we have an excellent CD filled with informative liners.

Horrific Child - L'étrange Monsieur Whinster. 1976 France

Where would the music world be without Jean-Pierre Massiera? It certainly would be a more dull place without him, that's for sure. Everything he was involved with can only be described as obscure. And now he's the undisputed king of the 1970's Euro oddball rarities chase. And of all the albums he was involved with, Horrific Child remains his most sought after, and arguably most eccentric release ever. The musical realization of a Psychotronic B-Movie classic. If this were a movie, it would be on at 3:00 in the morning, on your cities' last remaining UHF local station. In short, L'Etrange Mr. Whinster defines J.P. Massiera's niche in life.

LP: 2010 Finders Keepers (UK)

This is one of those albums I had this album on my CD Reissue Wish List for as long as the list existed. Finally in 2010, the excellent Finders Keepers label (who also reissued the very fine Jean-Claude Vannier album) came through with both an LP and CD. With a cover like that, I went straight for the LP reissue - which is housed in a nice rough paper cover. Comes with complete liner notes as well.

Sangiuliano ~ Italy

Take Off (1978)

A very unusual electronic rock album, especially for Italy, Sangiuliano has an arsenal of keyboards at his disposal to help create his unique musical vision. He relies heavily on the mellotron (especially the choral tapes), as well as his ARP 2600, to achieve the brassy sounds he seems to espouse. Real drums add a rock flair, and in this way, recall Wolfgang Bock’s Cycles or even some of Vangelis’ mid 70s work. There’s more majesty found here in the compositions than your typical Berlin School sequencer fests, and some of Rusticelli and Bordini’s instrumental work was brought to mind as well. An excellent album.

Ownership: 1993 Si-Wan (CD)

First copy owned: 1987 RCA Japan (LP). Acquired in 1994

1994; 1//08 (review); 5/28/18

9/12/13 (new entry)