Snowball ~ Germany

Defroster (1978)

Snowball were a supergroup of sorts. Formed out of the Curt Cress Clan, which featured Passport veterans Cress and Kristian Schultze, along with former Embryo (and other German fusion / rock bands) bassist Dave King. These three from CCC were joined by none other than Nektar vocalist / guitarist Roye Albrighton to try their hand at the more commercial late 70s jazz funk sound that permeated the era. Opening in dubious fashion with 'Hold On' (though there's a nice break in the middle), the album suddenly becomes a surprisingly enjoyable late 70s funky fusion album. There are plenty of good melodies coupled with a few decent breaks, and well done vocals from Albrighton that separate this one from the common KrautFunkFusion rat pack. Excellent unison playing from all involved. While a good album, one can find better examples from Germany in this style such as Embryo's Bad Heads and Bad Cats, Missus Beastly's Dr. Aftershave and the Mixed Pickles, and the Real Ax Band's sole album.

Former ownership: 2009 Sireena (CD). Digipak. Historical liner notes, lyrics, photos, and newspaper clippings. Acquired in 2012. Downsized in 2026.

1/5/12; 5/22/14 (review / new entry); 12/10/24

Igzit-Nine. 2003 Japan

On their sole album, Igzit-Nine provide us with eight solid instrumental progressive rock tracks with a strong jazz underpinning. Focus is on melody, rather than chops, so songwriting takes precedence over technical acumen. Frequent meter shifts within each track keep this in the progressive rock category versus traditional fusion / jazz-rock. All pluses as far I'm concerned. Igzit-Nine are a four piece where the guitarist and keyboardist own the compositions, the primary melody lines, and the solos. Keyboards are of the modern variety, so retro analog gearheads will need to look elsewhere. I would place Igzit-Nine on the continuum from Ain Soph to Kenso. This is a really good one.

Ownership: CD: 2003 Musea (France)

5/16/14 (new entry)

Chillum. 1971 England

Chillum is basically the third Second Hand album - and is in reality - a series of loose instrumental jams while auditioning for a new guitarist. Urged on by a French industry friend, the band was encouraged to release the tapes as a mysterious underground group. And thus the legend of Chillum began. So while conservatory compositional awards are out of the question, the album does work well within a 1971 English underground context. The epoch's instrumentation, production styles, and attitude are in abundance here. Good period piece that delivers exactly what it promises.

Ownership: CD: 2010 Sunbeam. Jewel case. Contains a fresh new set of historical liners, unique photos, and another group of bonus tracks - some overlap with the See For Miles reissue, and others are unique to this release.

My first copy was a cheap 80s bootleg LP, before upgrading to the See For Miles CD. This version contains fine liner notes and extra bonus tracks. A few years ago I decided to purge it and subsequently reacquired the album via the Sunbeam issue. 

1994 (first listen); 1996; 2008; 5/8/14 (review / new entry)

Noa - s/t.1980 France

Like Gutura, Noa features a histrionic female vocalist, piping the French language and enunciating syllables like another instrument. The music of Noa is of the jazzy Zeuhl variety, with plenty of sax (some shrieking), soaring flute, and the expected rhythms of the genre. A pretty experimental record that could have only come out in France during this era.

Personal Collection
CD: 2011 Soleil Zeuhl

The original is housed in a somewhat typical late 70s / early 80s French austere single sleeve cover. New copies of the LP were still available from a couple of US mail order houses in the late 1980s at a normal import LP price - and so I nabbed one back then. Since I've owned it for a long time, it was a regular entry on my CDRWL, until 2010 when we first announced the intention of a CD. Soleil Zeuhl came through with a fine reissue, as they always do, that features superb sound and unique historical notes. Sadly there are no bonus tracks. Interesting to note that my (old) review above was used as part of the advert to sell the CD.

2017 update: I have decided to sell the aforementioned LP and just keep the CD, which is more than sufficient in this case.

Comus - First Utterance. 1971 England

Here's an album that, in today's world, would almost have to be considered "common fare". And yet it wasn't always that way. Not by a long shot. I'm completely fascinated by the transformation that First Utterance has had in the public eye. As such, I don't need to write anything further about the music - there are hundreds of reviews out there - many of which will say what I would say. So I'm going to talk about its rise in popularity (see Notes section below). I personally think that many of these "once obscure" progressive rock albums will undergo a similar trajectory in history. We may not be alive to see it, but it's my prediction that the progressive rock movement will not be viewed with the ridicule it received in its own day, and perhaps even now as we are about three generations in. But every year, it seems more and more acceptance is being projected onto certain albums - by a younger generation. Those who would have more of an objective viewpoint of music from the past (while no doubt struggling with their own contemporary sounds, just as any generation does).

Let's talk about the popularity of the album. RYM - which has hundreds of thousands of users - ranks First Utterance as the #18 highest rated album for 1971!!! What? I don't think I have to announce to you all what a great year 1971 was for music. Many argue it was the greatest year ever for music, and I may be one of those. But there's First Utterance with an extraordinary 4.01 rating with 3,533 ratings and 202 reviews (I have 5 stars on it myself). The majority of RYM users are much younger than myself. If we go to Gnosis, which is a select group of raters with a progressive rock slant, First Utterance comes in at 8th place (stripping out the deluxe issues) (my current rating is a 13 - though sometimes I give it a 14 depending on my mood - both equate to an RYM 5 star). I find all of this utterly fascinating. In 1988, First Utterance was no different than many of the albums that I eventually collected over the years: Obscure and long forgotten except by a select few diehards like myself. And here in 2014, Comus' debut is truly a "cult classic", an album that is ranked amongst the most known and heralded albums of its time (Zeppelin, Sabbath, Stones, The Who, Doors, Pink Floyd, Yes, Tull, etc...). No doubt First Utterance is musically unique even in the context of obscure 1971 albums. One has to ask, though, how many others will rise in a similar fashion in our lifetime? I could see an album like Algarnas Tradgard taking hold in a similar fashion (though it's already at #140 for 1972 which is phenomenal in of itself).

Just like the master painters of the past - sometimes the best works weren't praised until long after their passing. Comus got a head start on that at least.

LP: 1998 Get Back (Italy)
CD: 2002 Victor (Japan)
CD: 1989 Teichiku (Japan)

The original on the high class Dawn label is housed in a fine gatefold cover, and the second photo shows the full original package with insert. Hard to imagine now, but this was a $100 record in the late 1980s (I have the catalogs to prove it), and only sold in mail order lists that you may have lucked into finding in the back pages of Goldmine. Still far beyond my budget in those days. By the time I did have some disposable scratch, this album had already gone up exponentially. And it continues to do such. The selling price of the album in the second photo? $2,700. While this was an exceptional copy, the album generally sells for well over a thousand dollars in decent shape.

---So it's always been a rare album - therefore how did it get to be so known? Your first inclination might be to think via CD reissue - but that's simply not the case either. The first legit CD (1989) was on a little known Japanese label called Teichiku. It was a straight jewel case, and didn't even have a backplate. And it was a bitch to find back then. It took me a couple years to source one, and it wasn't cheap. It wasn't until 1995 that BGO finally put out a proper reissue that was more readily accessible. But even today, the majority of the CDs on the market are high priced Asian imports.  I personally upgraded to the 2002 Victor mini-LP, which is a beautiful rendition of the cover. I would recommend, though, that you consider one of the Arcangelo mini-LPs as they feature a second disc with the Diana EP. The 2005 CD pairs First Utterance with their inferior second album To Keep From Crying, and also includes the Diana EP. This would appear to be the definitive CD reissue. As for LP reissues, the Italian label Get Back was the first to market (1998). And it was a splendid exact replication that did include the Diana EP as a separate disc (which is why I didn't upgrade the CD). I bought that copy upon release, and that along with the Victor CD is my personal collection.

Survival ~ Nigeria

Simmer Down (1977)

As is common with Sub Saharan African rock bands, the guitars contain heavy use of the fuzzbox, and the organs are from antiquity. The music is straight up harmonic rock, with a funk base - and psychedelic undertones. Well placed flute decorates the recording and adds an exotic edge.  Simmer Down is similar to an album you might hear from the 1970 era Detroit scene. I find music like this timeless, and very enjoyable.

African records are super rare and expensive for a variety of reasons including the climate and often severe weather situations, economic conditions, and political turmoil. I've previously called Strawberry Rain the Canadian Shadoks due to their ability to find rock albums from the most exotic locales around the world. And it appears Africa and Indonesia are their primary sources, especially if you can consider the vast amount of Zambian records they have on tap to reissue.

Ownership: 2014 Strawberry Rain (CD). Digipak. Booklet with historical liner notes, photos and good sound. On the latter, I suspect the masters were lost and they needed to no-noise a vinyl copy - but I think they did an excellent job (you can still hear some of the vinyl - which is fine with me). Acquired in 2014.

4/29/14 (review / new entry)

Chameleon - Rising. 1973-1978 USA (archival)

Had Houston's Chameleon hailed from two states farther north, they could have easily qualified for my 1970s / early 80s Midwest Progressive Rock list on RateYourMusic. Their musical approach is smack dab in the middle of the movement, with thoughtful radio friendly numbers juxtaposed against much more complex chart structures, and intricate songwriting. The majority of the album comes from two sessions, one from 1976 and the other 1978. There are also a couple of songs from 1973 and '74 when they were still known as Lorien. The latter track (nearly 10 minutes) opens the CD, and is one of the more overt progressive tracks found on the anthology, with some strong Hammond work in particular. I'm reminded slightly of Polyphony here but with the addition of piano. From there, the material alternates between the 1976 and 1978 recordings, before closing with the sole 1973 representative, which is a folky number and crudely recorded. Despite what might be a natural inclination, the '76 & '78 material is very similar - both are well written and the latter is no more commercial than the former. Synthesizer is now more predominant than the organ, as was the norm of the era. The band knew how to pen a composition, and it really is too bad they weren't able to secure a major label recording contract. By 1981 the band decided to call it a day, without ever releasing a proper album. Don't miss this gem if you like the American style of progressive rock mixed with hard rock and AOR material.

CD: 2013 ShroomAngel

This fine archival release is housed in a nice tri-fold digipak that contains detailed recording info, history, and photos. Excellent sound quality as well. It's great to see Houston's Shroom back in action, and I hope they unearth more archival releases such as this. They were the leaders in the 90s with discoveries like Intra, Arabesque, Aurora, Heyoka, and Hands.

Supertramp - Brother Where You Bound. 1985 England

FM radio was in a dire state in 1985. Trust me, kids, it never was worse. There was nothing on air worthy of your attention. Most markets were ignoring the rising heavy metal movement for example (Metallica were treated by the radio the same way Edgar Hoover treated the Mafia (i.e. they didn't exist)). There was no online underground with millions of choices available to you. It was just the same old songs - ALL the time. (Exactly like radio is now - except no one actually listens to the radio anymore). And anything that was new... wasn't... new. And here comes along Supertramp - one of those bands that contributed to the dire state of the radio in the first place. It's 1985. It's Supertramp. Oh good Lord, who cares what they do anyway? Then...

...then comes Brother Where You Bound. Just one of the damnedest anomalies ever released. Opener Cannonball sounds like a swinging jazz rock track from 1968, as played by Joe Jackson. It was cool in the purest sense, when everything around was cool only in the current sense (i.e. not cool). Great staccato piano and horns drive this most memorable tune. Horns? In 1985? Better Days provided another thoughtful piano driven groover with some well placed flute. But the crowning achievement had to be the 16 minute title track, with no less of a luminary than David Gilmour providing lead guitar, with a free jazz mid section, and horn charts. In 1985? What on Earth? I remember to this day the DJ's of the time expressing genuine enthusiasm about the prospect of the return of the long form track. The thought they might be able to refill their coffee, turn off the lights and chill to the music, or talk with listeners was an exciting dream. Could progressive rock really be back?

No. Not for the mainstream anyway. Supertramp were the most unlikely champion of a scene that just died in the 1980s. This album remains undiscovered even today. I really do think historians will see this one way differently than their contemporaries did. It will stick out - not like a sore thumb - but in a good way. One that can't be ignored.

Ownership: LP: 1985 A&M. Single embossed sleeve with lyric inner. Picked this one up at the Denver Record show for $1 (2021). In shrink with the original hype sticker no less. 

Former ownership: CD: A&M. Jewel case

I first bought this album when it was initially released, but it got purged in the 90s when trimming down the collection. 

1985 (first listen); 4/15/14 (review / new entry)

Deterrent - Re-Invention. 1994 Germany

I've had this album on a want list for about 14 years, ever since I heard this band compared to Watchtower, early Sieges Even, etc... And now I've finally secured a CD for myself.

And that's exactly what this is: Old School Technical Thrash Metal. Extremely dense compositions, including acoustic bits and a jazzy disposition - all within the framework of a traditional thrash metal workout. If you're a fan of bands such as Osiris (NTH), Taramis, Realm, Mekong Delta, Deathrow, and the aforementioned two bands, then be sure to hunt this obscure private press down. The vocals are more subdued than most in this genre, and there's no ball-squeezer shrieking to be found here. Which can be a good or bad thing depending on your perspective... Overall, it tracks closest to "Manic Impressions" era Anacrusis, minus the schizophrenic vocal approach. I can listen to stuff like this all day, but certainly not for everyone - even die-hard metal fans.

Ownership: CD: 1994 Pogo Pop

4/7/14 (new entry)

Iron Claw ~ Scotland

Iron Claw (1970-1974 / 2009)

Where to even start? So the deal with Iron Claw is they have four different historical Marks similar to Deep Purple in that way. The first Mark (1970) demonstrates Iron Claw emulating Black Sabbath's early style of crushing heavy blues rock, and this is the sound most associated with the band. The material - and sound - is very raw and distorted. It's good stuff, but not devastating. The first five tracks on the CD are from this era. The second Mark (1971) contains only one song and is very similar in sound and scope to Mark I. I found that the real revelation on this CD is Mark III (1971-72), which begins to add in more sophistication and introduces a broad palette of tones including woodwinds. The sound quality is excellent on these tracks, differentiating it greatly from the prior material. Fortunately this stage of the band has a strong presence on the disc - and no less than eight tracks are presented here. Mark IV (1973-74) sees Iron Claw going full throttle towards complex progressive rock territory. Unfortunately there's only two tracks from this period and the sound isn't ideal, but the music is quite brilliant and demonstrates a band that is really starting to fire on all cylinders. It's a pity they never were able to release a proper studio album. So all in all, an excellent archival collection. It's worth noting that the music is presented chronologically, so this isn't a title that works well in "random play" mode.

Ownership: 2009 Rockadrome (CD). Informative historical notes and photos. 

3/20/14 (acquired / review / new entry)

Brain Police - San Diego's Only Psychedelic Cops. 1968 USA-California

Tremendous late 60s psychedelic album from San Diego, with some bona fide monster tracks in 'I'd Rather See You Dead' (my personal fave on the album), 'Getting Too Much Higher', 'Gypsy Fast Woman', and 'I'll Find Love'. Heavy fuzz guitar, organ, snotty vocals, snakey bass, and snappy drums define the music. The CD bonus tracks of pre-Brain Police outfits such as the Man-Dells (1964-65) and Other Four (1965-1966) demonstrate a strong Beach Boys influence. This extended experience with vocal harmony shows up throughout the album, adding that extra dimension that makes it special. Listen to tracks such as 'Find Me a Moment', 'Ride My Train of Love', and 'I'll Find Love' to hear this dimension of the band, and I think this is where the Strawberry Alarm Clock references come in.

Ownership: CD: 2000 Shadoks (Germany). Excellent reissue with full historical liner notes, concert poster replications, newspaper articles, and 10 bonus tracks going back to the mid 60s!

Eloiteron. 1981 Switzerland

Eloiteron's sole album is a much better than average early 80s symphonic album. There were many of these type of private progressive rock albums released in Germany and Switzerland during this period and Eloiteron are one of the best. Trumpet adds a nice touch, and recalls the Austrian group Klockwerk Orange in a similar setting. Plenty of excellent organ, mellotron, guitar, piano, synthesizers, and flute as well. I appreciate the strong attention to melodic detail. It's primarily instrumental, though there's some sparse unobtrusive vocals that are decent. Recommended album, for certain, and holds up well after many listens. The kind of album Musea Records of France would have reissued, had they gotten to it during their prime.

Ownership: LP: 1981 private. Single sleeve. Online acquisition from 2010. The very first pressings had what is known as a "skull" cover. This skull is actually a single poster sheet that lays on top of the sunrise album cover. Most copies were released without it, including mine. For some years I also had the Belle Antique CD which does have the skull layer, but I was disappointed with the sound, and sold it off.

7/2/09 (CDRWL)

Raven - Who Do You See... 1976 USA-Indiana

Classic progressive rock from Midwest America. This time from Terre Haute, Indiana, and features none other than the same drummer from the monster psych rock band Micah (1971) - who had relocated to upstate New York from Terre Haute a few years prior. So it takes a Portuguese vinyl only label to release this wonderful archival LP - OK, works for me. Global economy indeed.

This album (recorded 1976) has all the trademarks of a band from the era and region: Straightforward radio friendly tracks are offset by highly complex compositions and serious musical chops. And loads of that wonderful Hammond organ and Moog synthesizer! Perhaps not the greatest sounding recording, but certainly excellent given the circumstances. Other Indiana bands like Yezda Urfa, Ethos, and even Vindication will point the way if needing comparisons.

Ownership: LP: 2013 Golden Pavilion. Single sleeve cover with biographical data "obi". This issue surprisingly lacks historical detail, though you can find more on the internet. The vinyl itself sounds very fine - especially for something that wasn't intended to be issued in the first place. 

As it turns out, drummer Robert Wolff is still going - participating in none other than a progressive rock band from Finland called Corvus Stone, who have a new album coming soon! So we have a drummer from Indiana, who lived in New York, who's first album (Micah) was reissued by a German company (Shadoks), whose next band was released for the first time by a label from Portugal, and who is now a virtual member of a band from Finland. Got that? Wow.

3/16/14 (first listen / review / new entry)

Polska Radio One - Cosmos Inside. 2014 Russia

Polska Radio One are a fantastic band from Yekaterinburg, in Central Russia, relatively not far from Kazakhstan. Though thousands of miles away, Polska Radio One clearly have their musical hearts tuned into the late 80s and early 90s UK scene - specifically the Festival Psych and Neo-Psych sounds of the era. More to the point where modern bands were emulating the cosmic psychedelic sounds of Pink Floyd and their 60s brethren, rather than the actual 60s sound itself. That is - the concentrate version! And perhaps we're all the better for the focus applied.

At the start I was reminded of Soma, then Sun Dial at their most psychedelic (Other Way Out), and onto the most trippy post festival sounds of the Ship of Fools. Wonderful echoplex'd guitar, ancient organ, phased vocals, and just a general otherworldly atmosphere that is at once disorienting and yet exhilarating.

Ownership: CD: 2014 Trail (USA)

3/15/14 (new entry)

Public Foot The Roman ~ England

Public Foot The Roman (1973)

When I first started collecting progressive rock albums in earnest in the 1980s, this is one of those "obscure" albums that I was told I must get. To be honest, Public Foot The Roman fell way short of my expectations, and I never understood what all the fuss was about. Some 30+ years later, I may not crown this a classic, but at least it makes more sense to me. I think the problem is the inclusion of standard boogie rock and roll songs - like the opener - which can be greatly off-putting to those of us looking for something more adventurous. And my standards in the 80s is that all "progressive rock" meant every album would be stood up against Close to the Edge or Selling England by the Pound. Well thousands of obscurities later - not much holds a candle to those albums anyway - IMHO of course.

Now in retrospect, I hear Public Foot The Roman in the way I do bands on the Neon or Dawn labels - albums that were still too far from my radar back then. And when shown in that light, Public Foot The Roman holds up pretty well. The mix of straightforward material with more ambitious jazzy progressions is fairly typical of 1973 England. Maybe not the best representative of said style, but I can now see why folks touted this one back to me then. Certainly better than the dime a dozen Hit Parade pop bands of the day. And its presence on Capitol Records, made it more known here in the US at least - especially when compared to their Dawn label brethren.

---12/13/25

I didn't mention it originally, but I'm hearing some Gentle Giant this go round. Especially at the time of Acquiring the Taste. I see many folks saying it sounds like a proggy Wishbone Ash with keyboards. Hmm, not sure about that. Maybe on the straightforward sections I could hear it.

Ownership: 1973 Capitol (LP)

No legit reissues as of 12/13/25.

1986 (first listen); 10/19/10; 3/11/14 (acquired / review / new entry); 12/13/25 (update)

Distillerie di Malto - Suono! 2013 Italy

About a dozen years ago, Distillerie di Malto released a fine classic Italian progressive album, and then disappeared without a trace. Unfortunately it was only a CD-R, and as such I never purchased it (though a friend had a copy so that's how I heard it) - and I'm still awaiting a factory pressed CD.

But the good news is Distillerie di Malto is back! And on Musea no less - a label that seems to have forgotten their past, and have among their midst a stable of mainly modern neo, alt-progressive, or prog metal acts. Distillerie di Malto is anything but - and once again have adorned us with a retro Italian progressive rock classic similar to their 2001 effort. As we look back on 2013, Suono! represents the final bookend for this most incredible year when talking Italian progressive rock.

There are a few distinct individual qualities that makes Suono! so special. 1) The stunning vocals (sung in Italian) from Fabrizio Pellicciaro; 2) The keyboards of Fabiano Cudazzo who, in addition to the usual flight of analog gear such as organ and Moog, makes great use of the good old-fashioned piano, just as his forefathers did 40 years ago; 3) the fine guitar accompaniment of Marco Angelone. He doesn't feel the need to dominate nor bludgeon the listener with metal tones. Everything is placed properly and the guitar (both acoustic and electric) is played in a soulful manner; And finally 4) the excellent flute work from Luca Latini. On the latter point, unfortunately Latini only adorns the first 3 tracks. Just at the point the flute is dropped, Cudazzo's keyboards emerge as the predominant instrument. Every song is of a high quality and, despite the constantly changing moods and tones, the consistency is astounding.

Distillerie di Malto have truly captured the spirit of the early 1970's Italian movement. The music is chock full of complex songwriting and counterpoint juxtaposed against beautiful melodies and impassioned singing. The type of music that keeps you guessing all the way through, but isn't exhausting in its attempt to impress. I found Suono! to be one of the best of all the 2013 Italian albums, which is quite an achievement given the competition.

Ownership: CD: 2013 Musea (France)

3/9/14 (new entry)

Blops - s/t (Locomotora). 1974 Chile

Blops' third self-titled album, later titled "Locomotora" (and with a different cover), is primarily an instrumental rock album with flute, piano, organ, and fuzz guitar providing the lead work. Not particularly complex, but also not as kitschy as some of the Italian instrumental psychedelic albums like Blue Phantom or Underground Set. There are some wordless voices peppered throughout that add an exotic vibe. Perhaps this is South America's equivalent to the French band Catharsis, though Blops appear to have more of a jazz background that they apply to their improvisations. Highly recommended if you enjoy the rougher analog tones of the early 70s, and for fans of flute driven rock. You can put me down as such for those categories.

LP: 2011 Acme (UK)

The top cover (single sleeve) is the original, while the second one came along later - some say it was originally a pirate edition, others say it was a legit reissue. Details are sketchy, but for certain it's not the original. Shadoks went forward with the latter cover (and secondary title of Locomotora) for its LP and CD box sets. The Acme LP reissue replicates the original cover. It's a brick, with no other information, and muddy sound. Not the best reissue, but it's the only version of the album I own at this time.

Friendsound (Friend Sound). 1969 USA-California

Great experimental psych weirdness from a group that evolved out of Paul Revere and The Raiders. Truly cutting edge for the late 1960s. The kind of album that I'm sure record executives today hold out as an example of Huge Mistakes from the Past. First 10 minutes are an awesome display of psychedelic rock, and the last 25 minutes go waaay the hell out there into druggy la-la land. I'm not sure who was more stoned: The band or the label? File alongside other late 1960s pioneers like Fifty Foot Hose and Silver Apples. Excellent.

Ownership: LP: 1969 RCA. Single sleeve with liner notes on the back. I first heard about this album via Audion magazine and then bought a mint one immediately for all of about $10 (1989). And I continue to own that copy.

CD: 2014 Real Gone w/Brotherhood (1968) and Brotherhood Brotherhood (1969). I think the main purpose of this reissue is for the two post-Paul Revere & The Raiders Brotherhood psych albums, and they threw in Friend Sound as a bonus. Works for me! The first Brotherhood album is decent psych, and the second is more commercial. I wouldn't buy them on their own, but they make a nice supplement. Regarding the band name, here's what I said in the CDRWL: "And if we look carefully at the label description, we'll notice the band is known as Friend Sound - two words. The original LP gives us a mixed message on that front. The spine is two words, but everywhere else (label, back liner notes, track titles) indicate it is one word. So it appears there will need to be some discography adjustments applied on the various sites out there." This is a fantastic reissue, BTW. Great liner notes with participation of the band, photos, and great sound. Don't miss this one.

1989; 3/7/14 (new entry)

Cybotron - Implosion. 1980 Australia

By this time, Cybotron were clearly more of an instrumental electronic rock band, similar to groups such as France's Space Art, rather than a strictly sequencer based Klaus Schulze clone (though fortunately there's still some of that here). The saxophone is retained from Colossus as well, and is put to good use. Other than the last track, which is a smooth jazz clunker (and fortunately short), fans of the band's earlier albums won't want to miss this title either. The band admits in the CD liner notes that they were seeking a more commercial based style, but they didn't want to let go of their progressive past either. Perhaps the least satisfying of the 3, but still quite good. Those who like real drums in their electronic music will be pleased here.

CD: 2005 Aztec
LP: 1980 Cleopatra

The original LP on Cleopatra comes in a nice gatefold sleeve. As for the CD, it's hard to beat Aztec's multi-fold out digipak covers, not to mention the extensive liner notes - and great sound. In addition, the CD features 6 fine bonus tracks. I have both the CD and the LP for this title, but definitely the CD is the way to go here. 2017 Update: My opinion hasn't changed here, and thus I let the LP go for sale.

Mad Curry ~ Belgium

Mad Curry (1971)

Mad Curry is a superb early jazz infused progressive rock album with organ, electric saxophone, and witchy female vocals that is distinctly European, and of that era. Earth and Fire, Sandrose, Julian's Treatment, Fusion Orchestra, and Circus 2000 are all good reference points here. Fellow Belgian band Shampoo as well, more so with the jazzy disposition. 'Music, The Reason of Our Happiness' is just flat out one of the all-time great progressive jazz rock tracks.

Ownership: 1971 Pirate's (LP). Housed in an extraordinary poster cover. 

Still no CD reissue as I update this on 2/21/25.

1996 (first listen); 7/19/09 (review); 3/4/14 (new entry)