Quintessence - Dive Deep. 1971 England

It was only some 3 years ago that I wrote about Quintessence's debut, an album that I had only been introduced to in 2014. You can read my thoughts there, but it's remarkable that Quintessence possess exactly the kind of sound I enjoy, yet I was so late to the party. I knew their second and third albums were supposed to be similar, and I secretly hoped I would find them in the wilds. After all, I do recall seeing them in the record bins in the 80s and 90s. But no such luck. Since I was happy with Repertoire's CD of In Blissful Company, I decided to cut in line and grab Dive Deep. 

Dive Deep is the 3rd Quintessence album and is very similar in construct to the debut. They have a distinct psychedelic edge, which I attribute more towards their interest in Indian music. Other than the final track, all of the music is laced with psychy guitar, flute, and percussion. They're a full 6 piece, so you don't get shorted on instrumentation. I'm not quite as reminded of Marsupilami as I was for In Blissful Company, but one could see this as a direction they could have gone as well. Because the album ends with a more traditional Indian piece, it seems many have written the album off as background restaurant music, or something similar. But Dive Deep would be awfully irritating for that setting I would think. Yet another excellent album, and I look forward to hearing their second album at some point.

Ownership: CD: 2005 Repertoire. Recent online acquisition. Colorful digi-pak with excellent liner notes from Chris Welch. The notes contain a band overview, and are slightly different to Welch's notes on In Blissful Company, which he had penned 2 years earlier.

Slauter Xstroyes - Winter Kill. 1985 USA-Illinois

It's been 5 years since we last spoke of Chicago's Slauter Xstroyes. I had just purchased Free the Beast, which is an archival release including what was to be their second album + demos, etc... But what of the debut, the album that did manage to get released? Well... it was impossible to find at a decent price. All the reissues were going for serious money and, of course, the original is priced sky high. Leave it to Cult Metal Classics of Greece to come through once again. This is the same label that brought us the Legend From the Fjords CD. 

As for the music, no surprise that this is exactly the type of metal I love. It's ridiculously non-linear, make-it-up-as-you-go, small-venue heavy metal. It's progressive for sure, though not in a calculated way. These guys keep spinning in different directions. It's not particularly heavy by metal standards - at least not by 1985 - but it's certainly of the genre. This is one of those albums you could hear 10 times in a row, and have 10 different opinions of it. Certainly pioneers like Iron Maiden and Mercyful Fate provide the blueprint, and then Slauter Xstroyes runs with it from there. Just like the more known Manilla Road, the only rule applied is an endless imagination. I know there are modern metal bands out there who attempt to make music like this. I haven't heard too many, but I think it would be tough to take a 2021 brain and relive the 80s underground experience. I missed Slauter Xstroyes in their day, but I was aware of others like them. It was a magical time for music such as this.

Ownership: CD: 2021 Cult Metal Classics (Greece). Recent online acquisition. Jewel case with booklet containing a retro 1998 interview from the label owner, which is informative. Also includes 3 bonus tracks, one a newly unearthed track from 1985! Another is a live track from 2015. And the other is a studio recording from 2016. So they did get back together for a short while anyway. Would love to see new product from these guys. 

2021 X-Wave Journal Vol. 1 - Complete

***The following all came from a collection dump at a thrift shop, most in pristine condition (Jul)

Men Without Hats - Pop Goes the World. 1987 Mercury (LP). For some reason, I had Men at Work in mind when I picked this up. Different group of course. Men Without Hats are from Canada and are most famous for the song 'Safety Dance' which I remember from high school. This is a few years after that, but it's still in-the-pocket New Wave music. Pleasant enough listen, but nothing really grabbed me here. Average for the style I would submit. In reading some reviews, it seems to be a cult classic of some sort. Not sure I hear anything radical enough to warrant that, but there it is.

Blondie - Autoamerican. 1980 Chrysalis (LP). My previous rating was somewhat mediocre, and in hearing the first couple of tracks, I thought I may have been too harsh. It starts off in serious orchestral mode before going into her disco comfort zone. Then a 40's number, a reggae bit, and on and on. Yea, my rating of average is right. I'm not too fond of genre hopping anyway, but especially from a group like Blondie.

Tom Tom Club - Close to the Bone. 1983 Sire (LP). The second album from Tom Tom Club is clearly less art pop, and more geared toward the dance floor. At first, I thought this album to be lesser. But as it went on, it became more infectious. 'The Man with the 4-Way Hips" is so ridiculous, you can't help but like it. Sometimes I wish I was more silly when I was 18 - I would have liked this. But alas, I was not a silly kid. In any case - fun listen, but not something I need to own.

Roxy Music - Avalon. 1982 EG / Warner Bros. (LP). Roxy Music has always been a preferred group for "The Smart Set". But since I'm a charter member of "The Dumb Set", I haven't ever really been drawn to their sound. They're the anti-Yes, and find favor with 70s arty songwriter fans. Not surprising at all that they were able to draw a new fan base with their take on 80s New Wave / Art Pop music. This was to be their last album, though it is considered one of their best. I found it pleasant enough, not overly distinctive from their peers. But then again, "select the next pattern that best represents the sequence of abstract shapes below" was never really my thing. 

Joe Jackson - Night and Day. 1982 A&M (LP). This was a true nostalgia pickup, as I bought this album my senior year of high school, when it first came out. I was trying to "broaden my horizons" obviously lol. My social set in those days was a mix of the cool kids and the long haired freaks. The latter was my metal outlet, and early adventure into prog. The former was all about early 80s contemporary music. I thought 'Steppin' Out' was great, so why not? It's by far my favorite track on the album, and one wishes there was more of this kind of music in general. It's almost a throw back to Burt Bacharach before doing such was fashionable. But Jackson was always an odd bird. I held onto this album for some years before parting with it. In hearing it again, I have to agree with that decision, even though I'm moving the grade from good to very good. There's just not enough nostalgia pull here (I barely remember the rest), and it's not something I'm going to be excited to listen to. 

Devo - Freedom of Choice. 1980 Warner Bros. (LP). This was also in the 80s collection I picked up three years ago (2019). I did manage to hear it all the way through last time, so my grade hasn't changed on this listen. Ohio's Devo captured the spirit of the era perfectly. They're a bit silly honestly, but it's all good fun. Not something for me to keep.

The Psychedelic Furs - Mirror Moves. 1984 Columbia (LP). Like with Devo, I first heard this in the 2019 80's collection purchase. And again my rating remains the same. The band name is a misnomer of course. Nothing psych about these guys, at least at this point in their career. Mirror Moves is oh-so-British accented New Wave music. By 1984 this style was already played out, but it's still a good example of the genre. Nothing I need though.

Tom Tom Club. 1981 Sire (LP). Tom Tom Club is a new name for me, but I'm sure many of you know that they are an offshoot of The Talking Heads. The music is similar Art Pop meets New Wave. It's heavily percussive as well. An interesting listen, more involved than your usual 80s music - but again not anything that goes beyond "good" in my world.

The New American Orchestra - Blade Runner. 1982 Full Moon / Warner Bros. (LP). This is the original version. Music was composed by Vangelis, but not performed by him. It's a true soundtrack with some decent electronic pieces, but average on the whole.

Bangles - All Over the Place. 1984 Columbia (LP). In my mind the Bangles existed earlier than 1984, but obviously that was not the case. While the 80s collection mentioned above had their more famous Different Light album ('Walk Like an Egyptian'), their debut shows the group to be more of that 80s indie/garage type sound. It's all very safe of course, nothing radical here, but at least the girls prove they weren't just a gimmick act. And as is usually the case, the market rewarded them only for their most ridiculous aspects. Oh well, they cashed in anyway. Nice album, but not anything I need to keep.

2021 Fusion / Jazz Journal Vol. 2 - Complete

*** The following all came from a buy (Jun-Jul) at Independent Records, who were starting to dump LPs and 45s at deep discounts (they were to close in 2023). 

Spyro Gyra - Shaker Song / Paw Prints. 1978 Amherst promo (SP). Spyro Gyra were popular with my bandmates in high school (early 80s), and I think we even played a couple of their songs in our jazz/stage band. Very pleasant music really. They were one of the prototypes for what would become smooth jazz. Formed in Buffalo, their 1977 debut was a private press that's quite hard to score. Since they were in northwest New York, Amherst picked them up for a brief time, and that's when and where this promo came from. Eventually they were signed to MCA and were major sellers for the label. Both of these tracks are on the debut, and the Amherst and MCA LPs are very easy to score. I just bought this 45 because it was 10 cents. Good on the whole. Won't keep though. (Jul)

Shadowfax - What Goes Around / Maceo. 1986 Windham Hill (SP). I didn't even realize Windham Hill put out 45s! This was with the 10 centers, so why not try it? At this point in their career, Shadowfax is combining bad 80s new age, bad 80s smooth jazz, and bad 80s world fusion into a compendium of everything that was wrong with the 80s. A really great example of that specimen, smelly as it is. They're so far from the Watercourse Way album, they may as well be on another planet by now. Both of these tracks can also be found on their Too Far to Whisper album. (Jul)

***end of sale

Pat Metheny & Lyle Mays - As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls. 1981 ECM (LP). Thrift shop find (Jun). Pretty much what you would expect from a Metheny album on ECM in 1981. This is a very mellow, soothing, adult contemporary jazz, typical of the time and place. The side long title track has a little bit of Tangerine Dream in it, which I enjoyed. Overall it's a pretty album, and were I still in accumulation mode, I'd keep it. I consider it on par with First Circle, and since I already have that as a representative, I'll let this one go. Metheny is popular at the record shows.

*Dizzy Gillespie / Lalo Schifrin - Free Ride. 1977 Pablo (LP). From an estate sale (Jun). Put Free Ride in the same category as Donald Byrd's Street Lady. A remarkable set of tunes, it's clear Schifrin put a ton of energy into his compositions here. Yes, it does have a disco beat, but it's a full band effort, and there are no strings to get in the way. Alter that beat slightly, and you have one hell of a jazz funk classic. And Gillespie is filling in for Miles Davis here, while Davis was hiding in the basement. Same sort of random bursts of trumpet. One has to think Davis himself would have put out a record like this in 1977 had he been active. Sacrilege? No way, this is a brilliant album really. Nothing to be ashamed of. Which explains its rarity today. Lot of folks are hip to this one. No less than a baker's dozen of quality jazz musicians play on this, and there's a boatload of killer analog synthesizers too. Great electric guitar, flute, sax, percussion, etc...

Ron Carter - Yellow & Green. 1976 CTI (LP). With the Gillespie (Jun). It wasn't that long ago that I found Blues Farm at an estate sale up north. It was pleasant jazz, with a focus on Carter's bass, and not much else. And... the same can be said for Yellow & Green. In fact, this is a bit lesser honestly. Fairly dull background jazz. Average. As always with CTI, comes in a very fine gatefold. And it's now cuddled up to Blues Farm... in the sell bin.

Lee Morgan - Sonic Boom. 1979 Blue Note (LP). From RT's collection (Jun). OK yea, this is classic post bop - recorded in April of 1967. Not really my style, and had I sampled it, it probably would have gone straight to the sell list with McLean. But I was busy last night doing an administration task on my collection, so I let it play twice all the way through. I really do enjoy Morgan's trumpet playing. Honestly I wish they'd play music like this in restaurants. Pleasing for sure, but not something I need to keep.

*Miles Davis - Miles Smiles. 198? Columbia (LP) (1967). From RT (May). One of those Nice Price deals. Oddly, I have on CD (and a few on LP) just about every Miles Davis album from this period - except this one! So that really worked out nicely. From 1967, Davis is still exploring jazz in the same manner as Kind of Blue. This is one of his more respected titles, and I can see why. The ballads are noirish and the more energetic tracks have some mean rhythms and tight charts. Easy recommendation.

John Mayall - Jazz Blues Fusion. 1972 Polydor (LP). From RT (May). Well it's blues alright. It's John Mayall, so that's to be expected. Jazz? Not so much. There's some trumpet, but jazz never leapt to mind here. And the word fusion I think is literal, verse what the term came to mean a few years later. I'm not a big blues guy (as a genre, though I love the influence), so this one will go.

New York Mary - A Piece of the Apple. 1976 Arista (LP). Thrift shop find (May). Another new name for me. This one was sealed, so off to YouTube I went to hear a couple of tracks. OK good enough, I'll break the seal. A Piece of the Apple is a somewhat typical American styled instrumental fusion group, with a touch of funk. A little Average White Band, some Streetdancer, a bit of Stanley Clarke, and a host of more obscure bands. Tight charts with an in-sync saxophone and rhythm section. Some fine trumpet, electric guitar, and good songs. Not an earth shaker by any means, but a solid entry for fusion fans.

Ron Carter - Blues Farm. 1973 CTI (LP). From another estate sale (Apr). When first hearing this title, I thought it should have been part of the jazz-funk collection (two sections below) verse the soul-jazz (one section below). But it's really neither. Ron Carter is a famous bass player, and the music is geared towards his instrument. Unless you're in a Zeuhl band, rare is the bass player that will hold your attention for very long, and Blues Farm is no exception. Hubie Laws does his best to keep it interesting with his fine flute playing, but overall this falls into the pure jazz category, with bass as a feature. Pretty good, but not something I'll pull down for a listen. As always from CTI, the packaging is a fine thick gatefold.

*** - Keeping for the collection

2021 Classic Rock / AOR Journal Vol. 2 - Complete

Firefall. 1976 Atlantic (LP). From Independent (Jun). I needed to pull one album out of the 2-for-$1 bin, since it would be essentially free. So I grabbed this LP out of curiosity. Firefall are legends here in Colorado, a local band that made good. When I first moved to the state in 1993, Firefall were still playing local clubs, and many other acts covered their music in various dive bars. Their stock in trade is countrified soft rock. Similar to The Eagles, Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Atlanta Rhythm Section, later CSN, etc... I can go for some of that, if the melodies sink in. I mean 'Jackie Blue' is just one killer track IMO. But unfortunately that one song doesn't exist on Firefall's debut. As the album rolls on, it becomes a slog to get through. So I'm rating it "disappointing". But the price was right (free). 

The Flock. 1969 Columbia (LP) Scooped this one at a thrift shop sometime last summer, right before I became diligent about noting these commodities here on UMR. A real 2-eye original too. The Flock are best known as the band that violinist Jerry Goodman led prior to joining Mahavishnu Orchestra. They are basically a horn rock band with Goodman's violin wailing all over it. Coming from Chicago, they operated in the home base of the genre with CTA and Ides of March being the chart toppers. The Flock sold very well in its day as well, but once the brass rock movement came to an end, their albums - like all the others doing same - found themselves flooding the used LP market. As such, it's always been a cheap album, and it remains that way. I first saw this album languishing in the used bins way back in college during the 80s. I find it better on each listen, and most of the tracks are satisfying at a high level. Great guitar, vocals, and horn charts. The final 16 minute bluesy 'Truth' is way too long, and should been a third of the length. As the final track, it doesn't leave the best lasting impression. (Jun)

Peter Frampton - Frampton Comes Alive. 1976 A&M (2xLP). From RT (Jun). One of the record store managers in town once told me that he knew "records were back" when Frampton Comes Alive was actually selling for more than $1. My neighbor back in Texas - this would be about 7 to 8 years ago - proudly told me she found this at a thrift shop. My response was "of course you did". I didn't realize at the time, that commodity used records such as this had some value by then. Nowadays, there's plenty of demand for it. The problem for dealers is: there's an enormous amount of supply. To say this album was a top seller in its day would be to understate the matter. It was ubiquitous. Only in 1975 / '76 could something like Frampton's sprawling double album be a best seller. It boggles the mind really. I was just starting to get my feet wet with FM radio when Frampton Comes Alive came out. It dominated the charts... forever. As for the music, I was always ambivalent towards it. I didn't hate it. But I never felt compelled to get my own copy. 45 years later, and my 11 year old mind was pretty much spot on. The audience seems a bit over enthused about the talkbox. I suppose if one makes the argument that SFF and Anglagard are awesome because of the mellotron, then Frampton Comes Alive is *the* talkbox album. The conclusion? Everyone was on dope in 1975.

Le Roux - So Fired Up. 1983 RCA (LP). Thrift shop find (Jun). I remember these guys. "Louisiana's Le Roux". Well, that's all I remember actually. They say you can't judge a book by its cover, but usually you can. The six smiling guys goofing around on the back cover screams 80's AOR.  And that's just what you get with Le Roux. Hello Loverboy. But if you're going to do this style, then you might as well do it right. Le Roux is a great example of this. Great production, and plenty of muscle considering the guitars and period synthesizers. Well penned tunes, and the newly recruited ex-Trillion singer screams his way through each of them. I don't recall a single track from this album from back in the day, but I wouldn't have been looking for something like Le Roux in 1983. If I didn't have enough quality nostalgia examples in my collection already (namely those I did buy back then), and I wasn't in weed-out mode, I'd keep it. 

*ZZ Top - ZZ Top's First Album. 1978 Warner Bros. (LP) (1971). From RT (May). I don't think I've ever heard this album before, and I didn't recognize a single track. I wasn't sure what to expect, thinking it may be closer to John Mayall than The Moving Sidewalks. It's really neither, but Gibbons guitar playing is more in tune with his former psych band fortunately. It's mostly hard rock, with some excellent breaks. The songs themselves aren't really that special, and it seems every track is going to be a disappointment, until the instrumental portion comes in. I really quite like this one. 

Michael de Albuquerque - We May Be Cattle But We've All Got Names. 1973 RCA (UK). Thrift shop find (May). I had never heard of this album before, nor the artist. A quick lookup showed it to be quite collectible, so in the basket it goes. When I got home, I read that it was art / prog rock, so for certain I want to hear it. Needed a quick cleaning (though it was in NM shape for sure), and last night the long title made its debut on my stereo. Well it's definitely not prog, and art rock is a stretch. To my ears, this is 70's songwriter music. Comparisons to Steely Dan are not wrong, but it isn't at that high level. Michael de Albuquerque's claim to fame is that he was the bass player for ELO from 1972 to 1974, and that gave him the opportunity for a solo album (he had another album with someone else prior to his stint with ELO). The title track and the final 2 cuts are the highlights for me. Nothing extraordinary though. I'll take the fast cash and sell it. Speaking of names, I wonder how he ended up with his? Being the largest city of New Mexico, I just presumed it was a native term, like most here in the States. But it's actually a royal Spanish name based on a small town in Extremadura. There, as a door prize, I learned something new.

Atlantis. 1975 Polydor (LP). These are the kind of records you hope to score while thrifting (May). This one didn't require on-the-spot research - I knew who they were. And in the basket they went. Careful what you wish for. I didn't even realize until after I got home, that Atlantis released two self-titled albums. I thought I was getting the debut. Though I knew something was off by the colors. In any case, this is the US release of Ooh Baby, which had come out the year before. Well I can certainly understand why the American branch wanted to change the name... The opening track is the only difference, but the sound is similar to the rest. Musically this is another galaxy from Frumpy 2. Not that I expected it would be Krautrock, but plenty of German bands went on to make interesting music outside the experimental underground years of 1970 to 1973 (for example, Epitaph's Return to Reality that we just posted about). As the album went on, I lost faith it would be anything that would hold my interest. It's not really that much different than the Hustler album below. So now we look for any good tracks. And that never happened either. Atlantis went from average to disappointing. A waste of time, I'm afraid to say. 

Hustler - Play Loud. 1975 A&M promo (LP). Thrift shop find (May). I wasn't sure Hustler would get past the condition sample (which I do for all records that we sell), but it did catch my interest, and got fast tracked to near the beginning of the listening stack. Hustler were like many bands of the mid 70s trying to make their way. There was no place for underground music on the majors back then, so you had to choose your weapon and stick with it. Or release the album yourself with no hope of making the big time. One of the styles that was quite popular back then was boogie - or what I often call good times rock 'n' roll. Harmless rock music for a drinkin' and a dancin' at your local watering hole. It's a style that hasn't aged well, since it's relatively predictable, and its core purpose no longer holds court. The tragedy to this is that Hustler were a good hard rock band stuck with the aforementioned poor weapon. There are 3 good tracks here: 'Boogie Man' (ironically), 'Strange Love', and especially 'Night Creeper'. Had the latter been the normal, Hustler would be a sought after $50+ record today, and a cult classic. As it stands, they were merely average for the time and place. 

Jay Gruska - Gruska on Gruska. 1974 ABC Dunhill promo (LP). Thrift shop find (May). I don't know anything about Jay Gruska, but this was a clean copy, so I figured it was worth a shot. On the plus side, there's some very fine piano and organ grooves here. I had to hear this one a couple of times to absorb, and I was pretty close to keeping it. But... on the negative side is there's just too much of that (my personal image) put-your-hands-together-and-sing style that plagued the early 70s commercial airwaves. There's just something entirely annoying about that generation's way of being (a certain segment of course). Probably because I observed this phenomena as a 10 year old, and they (unknown they) were in their late teens and early 20s. I dunno - hard to explain, but it triggers a nerve that says "no". But I have to admit overall it's still good.

* - Keeping for the collection

Derek Newark ~ England

Francesca Suite (1981)

On paper, this one looks a bit dicey. The back cover proudly states that this is "the first true fusion of classical and rock music". That's quite a bold statement considering full orchestras had been playing rock music since the late 60s. And real obscuros too - like Deep Purple. Francesca Suite is essentially one track, broken into classical "like" movements such as Presto, Gravo, and Swingo. A bit of tongue in cheek there. But once the tape rolls, none of that matters, because this thing rocks. Of course it has the trappings of classical music, but mostly this is a rough edged proggy fusion - out of time for 1981 when everyone was shooting for a more mature and sterile ECM type sound. 1975 would have been my guess had the album not told me. Had Newark named the band Moravian Sunrise, and went with more standard prog titles, you wouldn't even suspect this to be a "fusion of classical and rock". Newark's guitar is the focal point throughout. In addition to the guitar trio with bass and drums, Newark added a chamber quartet. Not the usual highbrow gathering, these cats play electric violin (2), electric viola, and electric cello. I love when they plug in the stringed instruments. In the end, the music belongs more to jazz fusion than prog rock, but that's a fine line. An excellent new discovery.

Ownership: 1981 Red Dot (LP)

6/24/21 (review / new entry)

Rayuela. 1977 Argentina

Rayuela's sole album is a fine example of combining the laid back Latin / Mediterranean style of pastoral progressive rock with that of the edgier jazz fusion fad that had swept through the Southern Cone region during this era. Where there's separation, however, is the high quotient of melodic interplay, giving it that strong symphonic feel. 'Los Ultimos Grillos' is an absolute stunner, clearly operating within the Celeste / Errata Corrige school of Italian soft progressive rock. Side 2 is decidedly more jazz rock, and B2 is yet another 5 star track. On A4, Rayuela extends their stylistic brush a bit too far - an awkward singer songwriter blues number, right from the Louisiana bayou, complete with harmonica. One keeps hoping for a some gruff vocals and a blast of hard rock guitar. But no Jumbo here unfortunately. Otherwise, the instrumental tracks are well executed, and the guitar/sax playing here is superb, along with the passionate vocals. It's like stumbling over some lost Italian reels from 1975. Excellent album.

Ownership: LP: 1977 Orfeo. Gatefold. Purchased from a good friend of the UMR (2017).

This replaced the first copy I purchased from an unscrupulous dealer in Argentina who sold us a much more wrecked copy than what they had photo'd in ebay. 

Reissued on CD by Fonocal in 2024.

5/31/07 (first listen / review); 3/16/14; 6/23/21 (update / new entry) 

Aleph ~ Australia

Surface Tension (1977)

Though from Australia, Aleph in reality sound more like a band from Ohio, and would have been a perfect fit for my USA Midwest / Ontario Progressive Rock (1970's/early 80s) list. Commercial FM radio meets progressive rock, with long tracks, mellotron, extended ideas, etc... Comparisons to Sebastian Hardie are compulsory, but not really accurate. Whereas that fine band were more attuned to a certain European sophistication, Aleph are a brash unit, very much like an American group would be. Despite featuring two females (on keyboards primarily), and the vocals are in a decidedly higher range, the lead singer is definitely male - yet another Midwest-American-covering-Yes trait. While Side 1 has a slight commercial slant, the flip goes all out progressive. A very fine album for those who like that uniquely late 70's American prog sound.

Ownership: 1977 Atlantic (LP). Fold out lyric inner that also contains a band photo. Acquired in 2018.

This LP replaced the CD that I purchased from a Japanese dealer at Prog Day back in 1996. It was on the dubious Poor House label, and was their very first release. As such it was a fully pressed CD, not a cdr that they later succumbed too. All the same, it's clearly a bootleg and taken from vinyl. It's debatable if this album has ever been reissued properly. The M2U (Korea) release claims a license but questions have arisen to the contrary (Belle Alliance of Japan put their obi on this release as well). One wishes Aztec had covered this in their prime to remove all doubt. 

As of 4/16/26, the situation remains unchanged.

9//96; 6/13/16 (review / new entry); 9/25/18; 6/23/21 (update)

Id ~ USA ~ Baltimore, Maryland

Where are We Going (1977)

Id were a band from the Baltimore area who released only this one obscure album, and disappeared. For many years, it was unclear where they were even from, until recent comments on various websites pointed out Baltimore. Where are We Going is the album that Terry Brooks and Strange should have released. For those of you that have endured Raw Power, then you know what an exhausting fuzz guitar overload that album is. Id is no different really on that point, but the primary separator is the keyboard work which is all in technicolor mellotron! There's even some decent melodies, especially on the first side. Lyrically it's classic 70s cornball hippy dipster the-world-is-going-to-hell-in-a-handbasket kind of thing. There's some narration and phased semi-singing that's so bad it's bad, thus you have to love it anyway. Honestly, I like this album quite a bit. If you can handle nonstop guitar soloing in a space rock setting, then you'll enjoy this as well. And truthfully there wasn't a whole lot of this kind of music on the market in the 1970s. Where are We Going was recorded in 1975 and copyrighted in 1976. But the label is clear in appending 1977, thus it took two years to hit the market. It definitely sounds more like a 1975 album. 

Ownership: 1977 Aura (LP) 

No legit reissues exist as of 3/29/25. Apparently the bass player is working on reissuing the album.

1989 (first listen); 2/22/11 (review); 6/22/21 (update / new entry)

The Psycheground Group - Psychedelic and Underground Music. 1971 Italy

The Psycheground Group are yet another all instrumental psych rock album from Italy similar to others of its ilk like Blue Phantom, The Underground Set, and Fourth Sensation. Nuova Idea by any other name, this title is a little more developed than most in the genre, as the songs take longer to evolve (there are only 5 in total). The slower pace allows more time for quality instrumental soloing (primarily guitar who - by the way - is most known as the guitarist for Osage Tribe). Not as edgy as Braen’s Machine Underground album, but on par (maybe even better) than the bands listed above. Perhaps more akin to what Roland Kovac was doing in Germany during this time. There's a bit more of an electric blues feel here as well, which is a plus.

Ownership: LP: 2021 Vinyl Magic. Single sleeve with red vinyl. Record Store Day was launched in 2008 at a time when I wasn't buying much of anything. I never paid any attention to it until the last couple of years. Last year I bought my first RSD album, only because one of our local shops brought in the Fluence album, and I figured what the heck. This is the first year I targeted a release - and it was this one. I ended up mail ordering it as soon as I was allowed, but I was shocked to learn that same store locally brought it in. It was more expensive (including postage), but I still like to support our local b&m. This album has been reissued 3 times prior, twice on LP and once on CD. But it's been OOP forever, and the prices were way too high. So I didn't want to miss out again. It's not a great reissue honestly. One of those bricks, taken from vinyl that has been no noised to death. It's red vinyl (I mean really, who cares? I'm fine with black). No info (tell us the Nuova Idea story at least!) and no bonus. None of this came as a surprise to me though, knowing the label. I wanted to own the album, and so now I have it. Incidentally there are 43 copies for sale on Discogs as I write this. Originals are a fortune, and never offered for sale.

2007; 11/30/18

Mathematicians - Irrational Numbers. 1994 USA-Indiana

About 8 years ago or so, I had a chance to revisit both Mathematicians albums back to back. My recollection was that the sophomore effort Factor of Four was the superior work. A recent listen to that second album confirmed my appreciation for it. But what about this debut? Is it worth keeping too? And I'm happy to say an absolute yes. It's not quite as accomplished, but it grades out about the same. It's jazz fusion with a slightly rawer edge, and a progressive rock streak. Guitarist Larry McCullough is the centerpiece, but it's definitely a band effort. In its short 34 minute LP length, Mathematicians don't try to do too much. This is the kind of music you could reliably find in 1975, but had long disappeared by the 90s. Good stuff.

Ownership: CD: 1994 Aljabr. Jewel case with booklet containing recording details. Picked up sometime in the 90s. Great label name. 

6/16/21 (new entry)

Ocean - God's Clown. 1976 France

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

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

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

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

Matter - Luna Lounge. 1998 USA-Illinois

Like with Pye Fyte, Luna Lounge is another album languishing in my collection for 23 years untouched. This is the second album by Matter, a Chicago based band that almost no one seems to know about all these years later. I added both of them to Discogs many years ago, and one other person claims ownership on each. And about as many wants. Why? Because no one knows who they are. These are just as obscure as some of my SP / 45 finds of the last year.

Matter's primary focus is on space rock, but of the Sensations' Fix variety. Meaning more prog rock focused and less jamming. That is to say, my kind of space rock! Featuring mellotron (probably a patch) and Chapman stick, their sound is rooted in both the 70s and the 90s. Along with plenty of fuzz guitar of course. At times, when the music really gets going, they remind me of Mexico's Humus from the same time frame. There's a lot of diversity here and it's not monolithic as many space rock albums can be. If you can find it, grab it. Not selling mine anytime soon.

Ownership: CD: 1998 private. Purchased new upon release. Jewel case with simple booklet containing recording details and lyrics (which are sparse).

Web - I Spider. 1970 England

There's two ways to look at Web's I Spider. One is that it's the third album by a band called Web. Or -  it's the debut by another band called Samurai. I choose the latter, as that's exactly what the music sounds like. Web, at this stage, had moved on from their bluesy slightly jazzy psych period, onto the more trendy progressive rock that was infiltrating many UK bands at the time. Despite being on Polydor, it sounds like an album that would've been more at home on a label like Dawn or Neon. Highly melodic, perhaps melancholic (similar to Samurai in that way), with guitar, organ, and sax in the lead. And maybe best of all are the mournful vocals of Dave Lawson. A superb album that still remains somewhat underappreciated it would seem.

Ownership: CD: 2008 Esoteric. Jewel case with full liner notes, lyrics, memorabilia, and two live renditions from a 1971 Swedish concert. This was the first domestic reissue of the album. Purchased not long after release. And, in turn, replaced the Japan Edison CD (1990). 

3/10/10

Pye Fyte - The Gathering of the Krums. 1998 USA-Massachusetts

As stated (all too many times), Pye Fyte are like many albums in my collection. I purchased them when new - enjoyed - and then filed. Where it patiently waited 23 years for its next visit. I had no recollection of what it sounded like. Vaguely recalled it was more analog than usual for its day.

Uhh... yea, you could say that alright. Pye Fyte is not just analog, but indeed it is stuffed with Moog and mellotron. Pye Fyte are a duo of John McNamara and Mark Cella. It appears to be mostly McNamara's show, as he wrote and arranged the titles, and plays all the instruments (guitar, bass, keyboards) except one. Cella provides the drums. Of course if you name your band Pye Fyte and your album The Gathering of the Krums, you aren't looking to be taken too seriously, even if it's a play on words. No matter, it's obvious these two put everything they had into this recording. A short release for the time, Pye Fyte stuck to an average LP length, and the lion's share of the eight song CD can be found on the final 2 tracks. Most of The Gathering of the Krums is old fashioned fastball-down-the-middle early 70s prog rock, with a slight English Baroque underpinning. Great production, inventive tunes, and well played instruments. I'm not too fond of McNamara's vocals, which can be placed into the "stilted American singer" category we often hear in prog bands from these shores. A small matter, as the album is mostly instrumental. The Gathering of the Krums is an album that long ago fell off the radar. Like in 1999... If the words above enter your comfort zone, you'll want to hear this album.

Ownership: CD: 1999 M&M. Jewel case with simple booklet containing release details. I remember Mark Cella as I had purchased some CDs from him during the 90s (M&M Music, same as the label for this release). I was sad to learn of his untimely death back in 2010.

Sun Dial ~ England

Acid Yantra (1995)

Sun Dial burst onto the scene in 1990 with Other Way Out, a fantastic extraction of the best of the 60s psychedelic rock albums. After trying their hand at more trendy 90s styled rock, they reemerged back to 1969 with Acid Yantra. Very much like their debut, Sun Dial has recreated the 1960s sound that you imagine in your mind, but truly never was as focused as these albums. While it misses the surprise factor the debut inherently earned, Acid Yantra is no less satisfying. Great tunes, fuzz guitars, mellotron, phasing, the whole psychedelic experience. Easy recommendation for fans of retro psych music. It seemed this would be the end of the line for Sun Dial, who spent the next few years playing around with their Prescription Drug series, and even some fake "70s" Krautrock albums. But they reappeared for a cameo in 2003, and once again were back in 2012.

Ownership: 1995 Beggars Banquet (CD). Booklet contains lyrics and a psychedelic negative image photo. 

1998 (acquired) 3/16/15; 6/16/21 (review)

Mind Control (2012)

Two seconds into this album, I love it, and ready to crown it a masterpiece. Why you may ask? Because it reminds me of the greatest "psych prog" band of them all: Group 1850. As you have seen me write before, "psych prog" is one of those terms thrown out for just about any band from the late 60s and early 70s that were maybe one, or the other - and often neither - in order to obtain top dollar for their LP wares they are selling. Group 1850 is the pure embodiment of the term, and Paradise Now (1969) is simply one of the greatest albums of all time. If Amsterdam Coffee House means something to you, then Group 1850 provides its soundtrack. With the opening notes of 'Mountain of Fire & Miracles', Sun Dial has tapped right into that psyche. It is absolutely a phenomenal piece of music, and even if the rest of the album was gangsta rap, I'd still recommend it. Fortunately no heavy gold chains, diamond earrings, sideways caps, swinging arms, and hand signals for Gary Ramon and company, as the album continues in its neo psych glory. 'Radiation' heads east toward Germany and enters the mysterious land of early 70s Kosmische, with wonderful flute laden mellotron and trance inducing drums. And they go east from there... way east. And then back for some motorik action with sitar on the title track. Oh, you get the idea. Special mention goes to the CD bonus track 'World Within You', yet another "psych prog" monster.

Ownership: 2015 Sulatron (CD). Booklet with sparse lyrics and recording details. Two bonus tracks.

8/4/17 (acquired / review); 11/12/25 

Zen For Sale (2003)

Sun Dial's debut Other Way Out could be considered one of the greatest psych releases from the late 1960s. Except for the small fact it was released in 1990. And then inexplicably the band dismissed the genre entirely for that annoying shoegaze / indie style that was so popular in the early 90s. I'm sure from a commercial / economic standpoint, it was a prudent thing to do. Or it better have been. But bandleader Gary Ramon was always a child of the 60s, and one had to figure eventually he'd return to his favorite style. 1995's Acid Yantra held out hope, but then the group dissipated and it seemed the dream was over. Until 2003 that is. Zen For Sale is finally the album we've all been waiting for from Mr. Ramon and company. It's a fine return to form, and the first three tracks are as good as anything on Other Way Out. From there it goes from merely good to great. Sun Dial, it seems, have perfected the late 1960s UK strain of psychedelic music. They tap into the best parts - the fuzz guitar, the phased and accented vocals, the charming and naive melodies - and the absolute essence of pure psychedelia. 

Ownership: 2003 Acme (CD)

2009 (acquired); 3/19/11; 2/26/15; 2/18/17 (review)

Other albums I own and still need to review: Other Way Out; Made in the Machine

2/19/17 (new entry)

Som Imaginario - Matanca do Porco. 1973 Brazil

Matanca do Porco is Som Imaginario's 3rd and last album, and is a departure from their first 2 albums. The only remnants from their psychedelic era is the decidedly acid tone of the electric guitar. Otherwise, the music has gone from heavy psych to progressive rock, with a Brazilian jazz undertone. The all-instrumental Matanca do Porco is very well written, and has some wonderful melodies among the complex symphonic fusion. The embracement of Brazil's own Bossa Nova culture is much welcomed here. Comparisons are harder to find than previous, as Som Imaginario predicts the oncoming jazz fusion movement by about 2 to 3 years. Maybe Il Volo's second album is a guidepost? And even that came two years later than Matanca do Porco. The analog sound is still rooted in the early 70s, but it's the fusion of styles in an instrumental setting, that is forward looking. Essential for the collection.

Revisiting these Som Imaginario albums has been enlightening. I would say the debut met expectations, and the next two exceeded them, each resulting in a +1 rating.

Ownership: CD: 1997 EMI. As part of the Portfolio 3 CD box set. My thoughts about this package can be found on their debut (1970) post.

Som Imaginario. 1971 Brazil

For over 20 years, I had misinterpreted Som Imaginario's second album as the weak middle child. That awkward transition album from psychedelic to progressive rock. I was thinking of bands like The Mandrake Memorial or SRC. And, in particular, Italy's Formula 3 came to mind. But last night I heard the album completely different. I went 4 rounds with it, as I was caught off guard. Two straight hours of Som Imaginaro numero 2. It's a heavier album than their debut, and I was reminded more of Modulo 1000 - along with many Italian references, in particular Il Rovescio della Medaglia's La Bibbia and Il Balletto di Bronzo's Sirio 2222. Love the sinister Portuguese narration parts. The album closer 'A Nova Estrela' is brilliant heavy psych, exactly what you want from music of this era. Sure, there's still a bit of 60s pop left in them (especially A2), and their lame attempt at blues is best skipped over (B2). But otherwise, this album surpasses their debut in my estimation, which now puts me in the minority opinion. But I really do think their second album is more innovative and interesting on the whole.

Ownership: CD: 1997 EMI. Part of the Portfolio box set. You can find my thoughts about this package on the debut's post.

Som Imaginario. 1970 Brazil

Som Imaginario were one of the earliest psychedelic bands emerging from Brazil. For 1970, their debut has to be considered groundbreaking, even if they weren't truly first for the country. The opening half is where the meat is on this album. Very psychedelic, with studio effects, fuzz guitar, the whole shebang (been awhile since I managed to get the word shebang into a review). Side 2 drifts off into more of a 60s pop vein, similar to how the Italians would do on occasion. Really not that much different than Gruppo 2001 in that regard. Overall it works out to a grade of very good, but disappointing only in that it appeared it was going to be that much more.

Ownership: CD: 1997 EMI. Part of a 3 CD box set known as the "Portfolio" series. Purchased new not long after release (good thing, as it's become quite scarce nowadays). There are times when I think maybe I should have never gone with CD reissues, and just stuck with newer releases for the platform, while continuing to hunt down the rarest original LPs. But it's packages such as this that reminds me how wonderful the medium can be. I don't forget what Brazilian LP originals looked and sounded like, before the advent of the CD reissue. They weren't the best pressings to begin with, and many were partied out from there. Perhaps understandably so, but not the best circumstances for collecting. Each of their 3 albums are packaged in nice mini-LP covers, with replicas of the original inner sleeves. Unfortunately there's no liner notes, which probably would have been in Portuguese, but I would have enjoyed them all the same. No bonus tracks either. For me, this is the definitive way to own these albums. If originals are found in the wilds, great, but this box set is more than satisfying for what I need.

Small Wonder. 1976 Canada-Ontario

I can't remember the exact circumstances of how I learned about Toronto's Small Wonder, but I think I may have been searching for mellotron on ebay, when this album showed up. Never heard of it. I went over to the ever reliable Planet Mellotron, where Andy had four T's on it, which is a very significant amount. He wasn't fond of the music, but since the album was being offered for something like $2, I figured what the hell. This was back in 2014, long before my thriftin' days. But this isn't something you'd likely find in that scenario either (and it would probably cost more - like $3 lol). A portion of my original scratch off notes stated: "Small Wonder's debut is a straightforward mid 70s AOR album. The songwriting is pretty good, the vocal harmonies are in the higher register similar to many bands of the era (think a very poppy Yes for example), and there is some real talent displayed on the instruments. It's very much like half the albums that came out in 1976, and were played on the radio incessantly. How Small Wonder didn't catch on can only be explained by the sheer glut of albums that were similar." On reflection, that's pretty accurate. I would take it a step further and suggest that it reminds me of Starcastle's Citadel without any prog rock epics. But it sounds like a prog album. The instrumentation includes woody bass, violin, and an arsenal of analog keyboards, most notably the aforementioned Mellotron along with copious amounts of Moog. Obviously these guys were prog heads, that showed up way too late for the party, and had a go at AOR instead. The tunes are well written, and honestly they should have made a mark in their day. I find myself enjoying this one much more than on original impact.

Ownership: LP: 1976 Columbia (Canada). Single sleeve. Online acquisition (2014).

3/7/14 (first listen); 6/2/21 (review/new entry)