Architectural Metaphor - Odysseum Galacti. 1988 / 1994 USA-Massachusetts

The early 90s were an exciting time for us fans of unhinged space rock. After years of dormancy, the style was beginning a new renaissance, and bands were coming from all corners of the Earth to display their unique talents. Enter Boston's Architectural Metaphor, a band that continues to operate today in one form or fashion.

I had purchased this CD not long after it first became available, on the promises of a modern Ash Ra Tempel and the like. As was often the case back then, disappointment ensued, as this is quite a ways from the original cosmic Krautrock sound. Dutifully I picked up their second album Creature of the Velvet Void some three years later, and filed both away. At some point not long after that, while doing some weeding out of the collection, Odysseum Galacti came up as a candidate, listened - and decided to sell. Gone. And that was my Architectural Metaphor story...

...Until three years ago when the aforementioned Creature of the Velvet Void was rediscovered hiding deep in my collection. I was mightily impressed, and grateful I'd kept it (notes under that entry). In addition I re-added the band to my ever growing want list for the off chance a bargain copy of any of their other CDs would waft under my nose. And that day has come.

So what of Odysseum Galacti and did I let a monstrously great album slip through my fingers in a fit of housekeeping? Well... no. I can understand why I let this one fly. However, my lower rating was considerably off, probably a rationalization of my actions back then. So let's get to the music here (that would be good of you, Genius Hans). The majority of the album was actually recorded in 1988. It's pretty sludgy stuff when one considers the fuzzy guitars and synthesizers and not-so-great production. Then there's the small matter that most of the percussion is of the drum-machine variety. Eck. Still, not all is lost here, and some of these tracks jam rather nicely, especially the final two 'Anu' and 'We've Come For Your Children'. If looking for comparisons here, I'd say Milwaukee's F/i would be a good starting point. The best is saved for last though, as the two live tracks are both from 1994, and the pared down trio has improved leaps and bounds, and real drums are now in play. Deb Young is gaining confidence behind the kit, and her space whisperer voice is becoming more crucial to their sound. One can easily see why their sophomore effort was so much better. 

Ownership: CD: 1994 ArcMet. Jewel case. Booklet with recording details and photos.

1994 (first listen); 2/15/19 (review / new entry); 10/21/24

November - 2:a November. 1971 Sweden

November's second album is very much a continuation of their debut. Gone is the occasional flute, and added is some sparse piano and organ provided by the producer. But otherwise this is straight-up power trio hard rock of the bluesy variety. Not as heavy as Black Sabbath nor as energetic as live Cream or Led Zeppelin, but well within those confines - with Swedish vocals. For fans of the language in song (like myself) this creates a bit of positive separation for November.

Historically, the band got caught in the web of the "Progg" movement in Sweden, who were basically far leftist, Communists in Sweden who expected blind loyalty to the cause. November wanted nothing to do with it, and were far more interested in just playing music. Especially "heavy and fast" as the band recollects. Like a lot of such movements, they ended up being more damaging than helpful, and the band were able to squeeze out one more (great) album before splintering into other excellent - and more progressive - outfits such as Saga and Energy.

Ownership: LP: 1971 Sonet. Inexplicably I didn't own this title until recently, including the relatively easy to find CD. When a NM copy was floated my way online (not cheap), I had to splurge (2019). Comes in a beautiful gatefold cover. 

2/7/19 (new entry)

Skeptic Sense ~ Germany

Presence of Mind (1994)

Skeptic Sense were a band from Ravensburg in southern Germany who released this one incredibly obscure CD and then disappeared without a trace. The story is a familiar one. The label they signed with goes into bankruptcy right at the point of release. No promotion, no wholesale, no reviews, no anything. Even for fans of the style, there would have been little chance to know about this release unless you were tied to the band in some way. It wasn't until years later, the album was rediscovered by deep divers.

Skeptic Sense is a bullseye for the technical thrash metal genre. Imagine Watchtower's Energetic Disassembly and Sieges Even's Life Cycles thrown into a blender. Mix. Pour into a baking dish and let dry. Then cut that up, toss it onto the floor, and then randomly put it back together. That's the sound of Presence of Mind. It's not easy to keep up, and for certain you will have no idea where the music is going. It's 60 minutes of music packed into 33. But the music is definitely heavy, and they do manage to hit a groove here and there, so it's not entirely disjointed liked a spliced tape or something. The tracks do seem composed, perhaps even charted, and the vocals are of the high pitched ball squeezer variety. Fair warning.

These kind of albums grow with age, and multiple listens reveal more each and every time. Well worth ownership status.

Harmony of Souls (1991) + Demonstration I (1990)

Mind Versus Soul contains the entire 1994 Presence of Mind album noted above + the Harmony of Souls (1991) and Demonstration I (1990) cassette tape releases.

The music on the earlier cassettes is, not surprisingly, very similar to the Presence of Mind album. Perhaps a bit more straightforward with less variation among the instrumentation, and a bit heavier / rawer. It's likely these earlier albums are easier to digest for more traditional heavy metal fans, but still quite challenging. Even though all the tracks save 'Last Moments' (from Demonstration) found their way onto the later CD, there's enough variation among them to appreciate each version. For example 'Norm Always Wins' is on all three, and yet it's hard to recognize. Of course music like this is hard to recognize from the get. We're miles from verse-chorus-verse-solo-chorus sequences here.

All in all a great anthology, and for fans of technical thrash, this is a must find.

Ownership: 2016 Divebomb (CD). The booklet is loaded with historical liners (extracted via interview with the band), photos, newspaper articles, and lyrics. Acquired in 2019.

2/7/19 (review / new entry); 6/24/26

Terry Masters ~ USA ~ Minneapolis, Minnesota

Thesaurus (197?)

We have quite the discovery to share today! It's been a long time, going back to the CDRWL days, that we had something this much fun to share. This one was discovered the old fashioned way - me taking a chance by buying the vinyl online. Score!

So who is Terry Masters anyway? Well if you start digging around the ole' World Wide Web, you'll discover that he had one 45 released under the avoid-at-all-costs name of Terry Masters at the Organ. You can hear one of the three tracks on YouTube (not bad really, guessing a 1970 provenance). Beyond that, what you'll find is Masters was basically a nightclub crooner. You can see and hear live clips on YouTube from 1983 of him sitting at the keyboards and singing Hall & Oates, Bob Seger, that sort of thing. Apparently he was playing Vegas shows, as well as performing lounge music in his native Minneapolis. This ties in with the narrative we then read on the back of this private press (which shows a forlorn Masters in a toga made from what looks like an old bathrobe): "Many people ask Terry to do the music he really enjoys, but limited to dance music on the job, he is not always able to play from the heart. Now, accompanied by John Calder on the drums, Terry creates the music everyone has requested and shows his great versatility on the organ, bass and mellotron. We hope this completely instrumental and spontaneous album will give you a new insight into the "other  side" of Terry Masters."

Ummm... something tells me this isn't what his fan base had in mind. When I purchased the LP, the seller fortunately photo'd the back cover so I could read the above quote. Without that I would not have taken the chance. An instrumental album with mellotron can't be that bad I figured. I actually thought this was going to be an electronic rock album with drums, similar to perhaps Klaus Schulze on Moondawn, but without synthesizers and more organ. Nope. It's an instrumental prog rock album all the way! Just two side long excursions titled rather predictably 'Thesaurus I' and 'Thesaurus II'.  The music is very free form, loose in structure, but not noisy or avant-garde in the slightest. It's very engaging I must say. And it is absolutely slathered in mellotron. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say this album has more mellotron than any 1970s era album discovered in the last 20 years. The album really has no obvious comparisons. Of course one could pull out ELP as a desperate attempt, but that's really scratching the surface. Probably the closest comparison I can come up with is Siloah on Sukram Gurk, but more professional sounding than that would imply. Perhaps also The Trip at the time of Caronte, if one considers the instrumental work, and replaces guitar for mellotron. John Calder is going nuts on the drum kit, playing in an almost jazzy manner, but clearly on amphetamines. Calder incidentally was the drummer for none other than Podipto, a relatively well known country rock band from northern Minnesota who had one major label release in 1970.

Finding info about this album is nigh impossible, though there have been a handful of sales on ebay, as archived by Popsike. Mostly not expensive either. One dealer called it "folk psych", clearly they did not take the time to hear the album, as it is of course, neither. Other auctions call it a "synth" album. None of those either (though some people do erroneously call a mellotron a "synth").

An album truly out of nowhere. Not brilliant or the greatest lost album of our time, but certainly excellent on the whole. If for nothing else, worth hearing for its unique sound crafted inside a more familiar terrain. Sadly, Terry Masters passed away in the summer of 2018. Hopefully he got to tell his story to someone, or wrote it down somewhere. I certainly would like to know more.

There is no date listed anywhere on the LP. Judging by his look, the way the album is presented, and the instrumentation, I would think 1973 is about right. Perhaps 1975 as heartland America always had these nutty outliers. But these are pure guesses on my part.

Ownership: Tektra (LP). Brown textured single sleeve with indented red lettering.

No reissues as I update this post (3/8/25).

2/2/19 ( review / new entry); 1/3/22 (update)

Walter Wegmuller ~ Germany / Switzerland

Tarot (1973)

The Kosmische label was originally intended to feature avant garde philosophers, artists, and other intellectuals musically backed by the stable of bands on Rolf-Ulrich Kaiser's Ohr label. First up was the exiled American Timothy Leary, the Harvard professor most known as a major advocate for LSD, and at that point an escaped prisoner living in Switzerland. He was then joined by Ash Ra Tempel for their infamous LSD spiked Seven Up album. After this experience, two other local Swiss underground poets and painters arrived on the scene: Sergius Golowin and, our topic at hand today, Walter Wegmuller. Both of these artists were surrounded not only by Ash Ra Tempel, but also Wallenstein, Walter Westrupp, Bernd Witthuser, and whoever else they could find hanging around. These 2 albums are arguably much better and more focused than Seven Up.

In some ways, I would submit, Tarot is the ultimate cosmic Krautrock album - the apex of the entire movement. Which is not the same thing as saying it's the greatest Krautrock album. Far from it, though still brilliant on the whole. When one reviews the entire cosmic wing of German rock to that point in history, it would seem Tarot was the realization of their mental fiction. Combine the 2 album extravaganza with the incredible original packaging (see Personal Collection section below), and the results are almost overwhelming on first exposure.

On the music front, there aren't too many surprises if you're already familiar with the Cosmic Courier clan. This is space rock of the highest order, with the high octane cosmic blues of Ash Ra Tempel combined with the symphonic progressive sounds of Wallenstein. The stars of the album are Enke on wah wah rhythm guitar, Gottsching on lead guitar, Grosskopf's energetic drum kit work, and Dollase's keyboards, most notably piano and mellotron. Throughout the album you'll hear Wegmuller droning in German, sounding as if he's reciting an incantation, giving the album an entirely eerie feeling. Overall it's a dark sounding album with occasional bursts of light generally provided by the fine piano work. This is a mandatory listen for cosmic Krautrock freaks, and likely to draw curious interest even from those who are unfamiliar with the genre.

After these three albums, the Kaiser really lost his mind in Timothy Leary fashion, and expanded his label beyond the original premise. In addition to some legitimate albums from Ash Ra Tempel, Wallenstein, Popol Vuh, Mythos, Klaus Schulze, and Witthuser/Westrupp, there were the infamous Cosmic Joker sessions, released without the musicians consent. Unfortunate for them, though it must be said a gift to music fans worldwide. Pity it wasn't handled correctly though. Edgar Froese, for his part, called the whole label movement a "Cosmic Circus" and refused to be associated with it, which is why Tangerine Dream's Atem was released on Ohr instead, even though the Kaiser had essentially shut the label down by then.

Tarot is one of only three albums on the Die Kosmischen Kuriere label, which was later changed to the more familiar Kosmische Musik.

Ownership: 

1973 Die Kosmischen Kuriere (2xLP). Tin foil box, similar to how large classical albums were released back then. Contains a sheet of Tarot cards - each painted by Wegmuller himself, and mass produced. Also there's a series of Biography cards and information regarding the release. Acquired in 2013.

1994 Spalax (2xCD). Similar to the elaborate LP. Instead of a square box, they released a rectangular box, that comes with a digipak, a booklet containing what the "cards" above had, and this time a full deck of Wegmuller's painted playing cards (verse the sheet of the original). Acquired in 1995.

First copy: 1976 PDU (2xLP). Gatefold. Acquired in 1991.

1991; 1995; 2/1/19 (review / new entry)

The Lloyd McNeill Quartet - Asha. 1969 USA-Washington D.C.

Lloyd McNeill is one of those creative geniuses that only come along once in a blue moon. He's a poet, painter, and of course a master musician, primarily on the flute. He ran with the intellectual 1960s crowd at the vanguard of the Civil Rights Movement, spent a few years in Paris, and those experiences shaped him immensely.

Asha (meaning Hope in the Hindi language) is McNeill's debut solo album and is at once intense, yet beautiful. This is far removed from your ordinary jazz flute album where one solos painfully over a few chords. There's melodies throughout, often times sublime. The rest of the band is also quite accomplished, and there's some beautiful piano to behold as well. This is not a radical album by any means, very much in line with the late 60s jazz movement. It's just exceptionally well done. Lloyd McNeill is an extraordinary individual - and all his passion comes through on this recording. Essential.

Ownership: LP: 1969 Asha. Single sleeve. Acquired online (2003).

CD: 2010 Universal Sound (UK). Comes in an oversized plastic case, similar to what houses a DVD, but smaller. The booklet is loaded with biographical details of Mr. McNeill and the recording at hand. The sound quality is awesome as well.

7/8/03 (acquired); 2010; 2/1/19 (review / new entry)

Pirana ~ Australia

Pirana (1971)

Pirana were a band from Australia who released two fine albums, that are now rare collectors items, especially given the lack of a legal reissue (not even the great and now-defunct Aztec label showed any interest here).

Essentially Pirana are Australia's answer to 1969-71 era Santana. It's especially obvious from keyboard member Stan White, who plays the organ and sings quite similarly to a one Gregg Rolie. Tony Hamilton's guitar resembles Carlos Santana in style, but the tone is decidedly different, much rawer and more in line with a typical 1971 hard rock sound. There's quite a bit of tribal percussion here - perhaps too much honestly - but it does cement the relationship with Santana.

The songwriting is a mix of heavy Latin rock with pop sensibilities (sound familiar?). 'Elation' is a get-up-on-your-seat opener only to deflate a few minutes in to allow for a lengthy drum/percussion solo, and can only be considered a slight disappointment given the premise. Probably best to "program" most of it out. 'Sermonette' is great, and more representative of the album at large, with its strong songwriting and excellent guitar/organ combo. 'The Time is Now' actually predicts Malo, and is quite a revelation from an historical perspective. 'Find Yourself a New Girl' is the most commercially oriented track here, but features fine flute and a nice melody line. The album's only true misstep (not counting the overabundance of drums on track 1) is 'The River', a sort of country/rural rocker that is out of place, and not particularly well done. Both 'Easy Ride' and 'Stand Back' reminds us of the organ/guitar heavy sounds of 'Sermonette', and the latter track features some fine extended soloing. Overall a very good to excellent album. Giving a bump to the rating as music like this tends to grow positively with age.

Ownership: 1971 Harvest (LP). Gatefold. Acquired in 2019

No legit reissues exist as of 3/8/25.

2/1/19 (review)

Also own and need to review Pirana II.

2/1/19 (new entry)

I.E.M. - IEM Have Come For Your Children. 2001 England

For an all-too-short few years, Steven Wilson took his Pink Floyd fetish to the extremes of that band's own late 60s legacy - one which lead to the most psychedelic aspects of the original Krautrock movement. IEM, or more properly the explicit Incredible Expanding Mindfuck, is a self-defining name. So if the idea of lengthy cosmic psychedelic Krautrock jams - with an enormous amount of studio gadgetry and tricks - are your bag, then boy do I have a recommendation for you. The album kicks off with a 35 minute number which defines everything IEM is about. It's not for those who suffer from ADD (illegal downloaders, YouTube scanners), that's for sure. But if in the mood, the piece does a remarkably great job of filling that time with intriguing jams and a variety of cool sounds, including way-fuzzed out psych guitar, flute, pounding drums, and mellotron. Further songs add saxophone for even more color. The 5th jam is more of an experimental noise piece that I find out of place, not so much because of its avant gardeness, but rather a different species than what IEM seem to represent - more toward the modern NWW and its progenitors for example. The final piece gets us back on track with an atmospheric dulcimer and choir mellotron number.

IEM isn't going to be for all Porcupine Tree fans, especially for ones that came later to the group when they were practically an Alt-Rock band.  But if you enjoy PTree when it was essentially a Wilson solo project, and wanted to hear the extreme possibilities of the most psychedelic aspects, then you will want to seek all 3 of the IEM full length albums soon.

Personal collection
CD: 2001 Headphone Dust

A tough one to find on CD at a reasonable price. It took me some years to do just that. It was my own fault because inexplicably I didn't purchase this one even though I did pick up the debut and Arcadia Son real time. None of these have been reissued unfortunately.

Frankie Goes to Hollywood ~ England

Welcome to the Pleasuredome (1984)

Such an interesting album really. Frankie Goes to Hollywood were signed by Trevor Horn, on the encouragement of Chris Squire, and features Steve Howe as a guest. One of the great ironies in modern music history, that the epitome band of the dinosaur prog years, was heavily involved in one of the most brazen of the cutting edge 80s UK pop scene. And this isn't the only dichotomy. Often referred to as a "gay band", the two lead singers were just that, and flamboyantly so. Yet the other three were nothing of the sort (laddish and Liam Gallagher's they would be referred to), adding an uncommon tension within the group. Like many bands that sell a gazillion copies of something, most opinions come from those not in the know, and go off on faint memories. In other words, Welcome to the Pleasuredome is a long way from Debbie Gibson and Tiffany.

1984 is the last year one would think of that a megastar pop band would release a 2xLP opus (more ironic Yes overtures no doubt). The album features no less than three #1 singles, the iconic 'Relax', the MTV generation 'Two Tribes', and the ballad 'The Power of Love'. The title track "stalled" at #2 (have to laugh at that, as in my musical world, most albums "stall" at #10,002). There are some unusual cover tracks here that I quite like such as Burt Bacharach's 'San Jose' and Edwin Starr's 'War'. The album's only misstep (IMO of course) is 'Born To Run', but then again I'd rather wait all day in line at the DMV than listen to Springsteen (his "talent" is completely lost on me). There's also some experimental interludes throughout. So yes, it's like a progressive synthpop album. Strange for certain.

From here the band devolved into the usual bickering, and I'm sure the sexual dispositions probably added a bit more drama than usual. For the band's part, most reflect on the past with no regret, stating it was a "3 year party". Good for them.

For those who don't know, the band's name comes from a tabloid newspaper headline that UK singer Frankie Vaughan (not Sinatra) was going to Hollywood. Sort of anti-climatic I guess.

Ownership: 1984 Island / ZTT (2xLP). Gatefold.

ZTT stands for Zang Tumb Tuum, a reference to the sound of a machine gun. This was Trevor Horn's own label.

1993 (first acquired); 2/1/19 (reacquired / review / new entry)

Seppo Paroni Paakkunainen – Plastic Maailma. 1971 Finland

Seppo "Paroni" Paakkunainen's debut is a somewhat typical all-over-the-map-kitchen-sink styled album from 1971. Plastic Maailma opens up wonderfully in Kraut Fusion territory with 'Beat Bolero' recalling Eiliff or Thirsty Moon. This is followed by a very good blues rock number 'Laulajan Blues' featuring tough-guy male vocals (from Apollo's former lead singer Harri Saksala). The incongruity continues with an Eastern raga 'Mango' that features sitar, flute, and hand percussion. So of course we follow that with a groovy late 60s styled hippy rock track 'Kaksi Pientä Ihmislasta' complete with cute female Finnish vocals, organ, and horns. Despite how that may read, the sensuous song breaks are worth the price of admission here. 'Panu Toivoton' borrows the horn section from the previous track while Saksala and Paakkunainen provide the blues cred. Side 2 follows with 'Kun Elämä Alkaa', an introspective female-sung folk pop number that borders religious revival music, before going "groovy pop" once again. 'Ennen Ja Nyt' brings back the soulful Saksala, and the music goes forth with a Nosferatu-like guitar + flute styled rocker. So, of course given the lack of consistency here, 'Summer Flowers' follows with a moody atmospheric jazz number containing soft flute, saxophone, lightly amplified guitar, and organ. 'Vain Kaiku Jää' is an old time blues/gospel type track with female vocals, and represents the album's weakest point. The title track closes the album with its heaviest track recalling 'Ennen Ja Nyt' in style.

The production and playing are top notch here, and one can only think that more focus would have lead to an even stronger album. But yea, it's pretty great as it is.

Personal collection
CD: 2010 Rocket

An extremely rare and expensive album in original form, my first copy was a CD-R provided by a friend long ago. The Rocket CD solves the availability problem, and is fantastic, like all of their releases. All the liner notes are in Finnish, so we'd need a translation to fully benefit. While we were very fortunate to be provided such English translations for Fantasia, Scapa Flow, and Session, I didn't push my luck on this title.

Original published September 18, 2012 and completely rewritten.

Threshold - Subsurface. 2004 England

Subsurface is the 7th studio album from the English prog metal band Threshold. This is a band I've heard about for 25+ years, but inexplicably never heard a note of their output until today. Ostensibly a Dream Theater styled prog metal, Threshold manages to separate themselves from the pack rather nicely. Instead of a million-notes-a-second, Threshold restrains the impulse to do so, and rather puts that energy into songwriting instead. There are times the band falls into all-too familiar tropes, and during the chorus sections, I find myself asking them to put a sock in it. But otherwise there's quite a bit of thought within these compositions. 'Ground Control' is the winner of the bunch, and I heard snippets ranging from Voivod to... early 80s UK synth pop! All within the familiar confines of a progressive metal song. 'Opium' has some slight Supertramp references. And so it goes. Subsurface is a fine entry into the there-are-just-too-many-prog-metal-bands genre. I found subsequent listens more enjoyable than the last, always a hallmark of an excellent album.

Ownership: CD: 2012 Nuclear Blast. Recent acquisition from an online retailer. This version contains one new bonus track and 2 live renditions.

1/18/19 (first listen / review / new entry)

Eiliff. 1971 Germany

Eiliff's debut is one of the gems of the Krautrock underground. Seems that in 1971, at least one brilliant album a week was released in Germany. Even with such competition within the country, perhaps only Ash Ra Tempel and Embryo managed to do better in this most landmark year. What separates Eiliff from most of their competition is their musical background, namely jazz rather than rock. As we talk about in the Kraut Fusion (1970s /early 80s) list, Germany had an abundance of underground rockers who turned to jazz. Eiliff was about a year ahead of the pack, and they did it the other way: Jazzers playing Krautrock. If looking for a guidepost, they were closer in spirit to Xhol Caravan than Wolfgang Dauner.

'Bird-Night of the Seventh Day' is the most traditional progressive rock oriented track here, clearly taking their cues from early King Crimson, but with the delicious atmosphere that only comes from Germany at this time, and it's delivered on the very first notes. 'Gammkelloni' is a hot fusion number, but also represents the album's sole flaw - the sax is just too skronky to appreciate. It's a pity, as the guitarist (the brilliant Persian Houschäng Nejadépour) is on fire here. 'Uzzek of Rigel IV' enters into instrumental Italian prog rock territory for its first 3 minutes, with herky jerky metrics, before it goes into slow burn mode for the remainder.

At this point, Eiliff's debut is excellent, but certainly more in line with the high expectations that are set for the time and place.

Then comes 'Suite'. I don't think it's an exaggeration for me to say that this 21 minute opus is a high water mark of my collection. If not the single best long form track, it is in the discussion. From the very first note you know you're in for something special. If you're not drawn in by the 3rd minute (and already 2 or 3 killer moments have happened), then either a) you're not paying attention or b) we probably don't have much in common musically speaking. Because this is exactly the kind of music that puts me in a trance like state, exciting my mind in multiple ways. That driving organ, and then the huge electric sax chords, just evokes images of a strobe lit club with psychedelic screens, dancing girls, and the world flashing by in snippets of images. What's absolutely phenomenal about the entire piece, is that it never stops changing. There's at least one peak moment a minute. Yea, that's right, something like 20 peak moments - in one track! Most bands are lucky to get one or 2 of those in a career, not one-a-minute. One other incredible moment: There's a sitar piece that slows things down a bit, until Nejadépour of course goes wild on the instrument, this is then followed by a few second drum beat. Then... a thunderstorm of Hammond organ. Literally. I don't think I've heard the instrument so thick and wedgy as in this moment. It's breathtaking just writing about this opus, much less when listening to it. Even Thirsty Moon's most stunning 'Yellow Sunshine' doesn't quite measure up. Masterpiece if there ever was one.

Ownership: LP: 1971 Philips. Gatefold. Acquired at the Austin Record Show (1990). This convention, one of the largest in the world, was a giant magnet for folks like me. Drawn to it like a moth to light. And the fact that Austin was only three hours drive from where I lived at the time in the Dallas area, made it a mandatory twice a year pilgrimage. The gentleman I bought it from was someone who turned me onto to a number of great albums back then. The album was expensive for its time (something like $20 - yes, true, the appreciation of value has been enormous). Back then you could still get bargains (shoot many times you could find rarities for $1 or $2). Anyway this guy - who was a spitting image of Conny Veit - always had pretty ladies hanging around him even at these shows. Who was he? Well, he later moved to Seattle and went by Dusty Lee, most famous for the Ventricle label and all the subsequent acts he created (commonly with female vocals and mellotron).

CD: 1994 World Wide. Jewel case. No extras whatsoever. However, it does sound quite good and is taken from the masters. Surprisingly, it remains the only one on the market.

1990 (first listen); 1/11/19 (review/new entry)

Rose - A Taste of Neptune. 1977 Canada

Rose were a band from Barrie, Ontario who managed a 4 album run, including the last two on major label Polydor. And it's easy to see why they were signed up, as 'Ride Away' is the perfect hook laden hard rockin' opener. 'Snakes and Ladders' begins to erode their sound though, as the late 70's styled chorus' were cliched back then, much less today. Still, one cannot ignore the fantastic instrumental work, especially between the guitar and organ. As for the next track, I'm sure the band said to the label "How about we put the lengthy title track here?". "No, no. Label rules state that a lame ballad must go in slot A3". And so it was done. Even here though, a fine guitar solo near the end saves it from the dire straits it was clearly in. And so the album goes between hard rock, AOR, and progressive styled mid sections... basically a Crystal Ball-era Styx combined with the instrumental backdrop of Boston. 'Bangin' My Head Against the Wall' performs an excellent hard rock jam towards the end of the tune. The final track promises an epic length progressive rock extravaganza, but unfortunately it's more of the same, and disappointment ensues. A good album on the whole, one that would have been for certain welcome on the radio in 1977. But it wasn't to be, and Rose was tossed into the trash heap with countless others, remembered fondly by a loyal few. At least they got a fair shot and went for it.

This one did manage one legit CD release from Si-Wan in Korea during the 90s. As you can imagine, given the scarcity of that product these days, it's become expensive.

Orchid - The Mouths of Madness. 2013 USA

There's a lot to admire about the San Francisco based group Orchid. Unlike many modern bands, Orchid took the time to absorb the influences of Black Sabbath rather than just the output, so the possibilities of sound are much greater than what we usually receive. In effect, they are more of a "70's Metal" band, bordering hard rock, prog, psych, and blues rather than generic Stoner or Doom metal. The band are clearly talented, and Theo Mindell emulates a good Ozzy, not plagiarized, but rather influenced by.

The trouble is (no pun intended) that Orchid doesn't do anything with the premise. There are no songs here, no melodies of consequence, no creative breaks, and almost nothing sticks. The long tracks could be half the length, and one would not notice the difference. Sabbath aren't legends just because they were heavy, but rather they could pen a mean tune. Who doesn't get goosebumps on the first air raid sound of 'War Pigs'? There's none of that here. 'Silent One' offers a glimpse of what that could be and 'See You on the Other Side' demonstrates a band who can play within loose jazzy structures, but that's about it. Mind you, everything here is good, no question. But there's no more room in my collection for albums like this anymore. They played it too safe. Perhaps commercially it was the wise thing to do, but creatively it falls short of the mark. And that's where the legacy comes in.

Verto ~ France

Krig / Volubilis (1976)

Verto is the one man guitar / electronic pseudonym of Jean-Pierre Grasset with multiple guests (the group Potemkine primarily, but also Dague) that seems to be modeled directly after Richard Pinhas and Heldon. 'Krig' opens up in Zeuhl territory, but it doesn't take long for it to drift more into the arena of progressive electronic. The Potemkine influence looms largest in 'Locomo'. The long track namesake 'Volubilis' sounds like Archaia emulating Gottsching's Inventions for Electric Guitar. Deep subversive underground sounds here. Krig / Volubilis could be considered Verto's very own Electronique Guerilla. It's probably still on file in Valéry Giscard d'Estaing's government watch list.

Ownership: 1978 Tapioca (LP). Acquired in 1987.

1987; 1/11/19 (review)

Reel 19 36 (1978)

If Krig/Volubilis is Verto's Electronique Guerilla, then Reel 19 36 is their Interface except far more experimental than Heldon's great work, much to its detriment. There are two monster tracks on here, and a lot of noise. Would make for great bonus tracks on a Krig/Volubilis CD reissue if such thing were ever to occur.

Former ownership: 1978 Fleau (LP). Acquired in 1994.

1994; 7/27/09 (review)

No legit CD reissues for either as of 4/7/26.

1/11/19 (new entry)

Pop Workshop ~ Sweden

Song of the Pterodactyl (1974)

Pop Workshop were an all-star fusion band that included Janne Schaffer, Mads Vinding, Tony Williams, and Polish luminaries associated with a one Michal Urbaniak (and where two of these compositions will end up on his Fusion III album a year later). Strong overtones of Mahavishnu Orchestra era fusion and Herbie Hancock's Headhunters funk - with some Coltrane-ish sax. A nice mix of fusion / jazz / funk and not too far removed from another Swedish based international jazz rock ensemble: Ablution (minus the Santana influence perhaps). For those that like the early 70s jazz fusion sound, this album will most certainly be well received.

Ownership: 1974 Midnight Sun (LP). Like their debut, this album was pressed for the domestic market and for "export". Honestly I think the only difference is the label name is in English. No legit reissues exist as of 3/6/25.

1/11/19 (review)

Vol. 1 (1973)

On the same label (Grammofonverket) as the much recommended Ibis album, Pop Workshop are clearly a band operating in the raw jazz rock category (rather than fusion). Founded by two prominent Polish jazz members on keyboards and sax, Pop Workshop - over the course of both albums - features marquee name players such as guitarist Janne Schaffer, drummer Tony Williams, and bassist Mads Vinding. This is definitely music of the underground, and fans looking for slick fusion will have to look elsewhere. I would say Ablution - another international band based in Sweden - is probably the closest comparison here. Vol. 1 finishes particularly strong with 'Equivalent in Nature' and 'Perfect Touchdown', both tracks arguably the best on the album - and certainly the most heavy and (relatively) radical.

Ownership: 1973 Midnight Sun (LP). This version was made for "export". Guessing Grammofonverket wasn't a name grabbing English buyers. But it was only a label name after all. In any case, seems to have been a short lived experiment, and entirely unnecessary. Still no reissues exist as of this update (3/6/25)

7/5/14 (review); 9/14/18 (update)

9/14/18 (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)

Avalon ~ Canada ~ Ottawa, Ontario

Voice of Life (1977)

Avalon were a band from Ottawa who managed to get out one very professional LP in 1977, and unfortunately that was to be it. 'Celebration Day' opens up in Equinox-era Styx territory and it appears we're in for that unique North American proggy AOR sound, often times pegged with the derogatory pomp tag. A fine opener that quickly gets one engaged. 'Mother Russia' is similar, but there's more of a prog edge here, and yea sure, we can point to early Starcastle if you wish. Fine with me. 'Lady of My Dreams' is the obligatory lame ballad, but at least there's a fine synthesizer solo. In fact regarding the latter, there are many great synthesizer moments to be had on Voice of Life. The title track and 'Land of Mordor' bring out the band's James Young identity, and we're on the heavy side of AOR. Great break/riffs here that require repeat-play. Then whoever was supervising the group fell asleep, because Avalon decided to just go prog rock with 'Smoke and Fire', perhaps the highlight of the album for moi. 'Shadowcaster' is not a one minute interlude, but rather a fully realized song and quite good at that! 'Maranatha' then blends all the elements of the disc so far into one delicious whole. There's a killer riff half way through that sounds so much better on albums like this - primarily because it isn't what is expected.

Avalon had the songs to be radio staples in their day but for whatever reason they were ignored by "those that controlled all". This isn't an album that's going to register with hardcore AOR, hard rock, or progressive rock fans. But if you like all 3 in one, then this album goes to the great column. And I would be one such person.

Ownership: 1995 Pacemaker (CD)

1/4/19 (acquired / review)

La Maschera di Cera - LuxAde. 2006 Italy

Hard working bassist Fabio Zuffanti has many bands (Finisterre, Hostsonaten, Aries, Zaal, etc…), and each one represents a certain sound that he likes to explore more in detail (his initial band Finisterre is the one that is truly eclectic). La Maschera di Cera is his vehicle dedicated to the early 1970s Italian progressive rock scene, with only vintage gear being deployed. Along with the usual keyboard (Hammond, Mellotron, Moog), fuzz bass and guitar sounds, there’s quite a bit of flute, an instrument that was predominantly featured in 70s Italian music. In the end, the group achieves what it sets out to do, though I’d say LMdC are not quite as complex of some of the finest bands of the 70s (Jumbo, Semiramis, Banco, RRR, etc..). LuxAde is their 3rd album, and is arguably one of their finest (as I update this in 2019). It's really hard to imagine being a fan of Italian prog and not walking away from LuxAde completely satisfied. The style has been well-studied and executed here by the band. There's a reason why I chose La Maschera di Cera as my primary group for the renaissance of Italian Progressive Rock list: Italian prog from 1987 and beyond.

Ownership: CD: 2006 Immaginifica. Acquired upon release from online retailer. The CD is stored in a fine gatefold mini-LP sleeve.

1/4/19 (new entry)

Champignons ~ Canada ~ Montreal, Quebec

Premiere Capsule (1972)

Champignons were a band from the Montreal area, and who released this one album that is now much sought after by progressive rock aficionados. The LP starts off in an almost go-go 1960s way, with an energetic keyboard lead instrumental number. This is followed by a very slow, depressing, blues song with French vocals. J'ai eu le blues, j'ai eu le blues vraiment mauvais. There is some nice electric guitar work however to keep one's interest throughout. From track 3 on the first side to the conclusion of the record, it's all aces. The music becomes primarily instrumental while taking on a darker stance. The guitar has that ominous fuzz tone, and there's an underlying jazzy structure lead by the fine flute and sax work. For these excellent tracks I'm reminded of the Eden Rose / Sandrose family out of France, and the relative progression from one to the other. If Champignons were lead by a female vocalist, that would solidify the Sandrose comparison.

Worth noting that the band is Champignons, not Les Champignons. There's one place in the liner notes that refers to Les Champignons, and that's because it begins the sentence that way! As if to say "The Mushrooms...". In another section of the same liner notes it states "...les Champignons..." which is mid-sentence this time.

Ownership: 1972 Les Jeunes Artistes Associés (LP)

No CD reissue as of 9/6/25.

1994 (acquired); 2008; 1/4/19 (review / new entry)