The Damnation of Adam Blessing / Glory ~ USA ~ Cleveland, Ohio

Glory (1973)

Post Damnation of Adam Blessing. Here they bring in some of that same era Grand Funk Railroad sound. Good times party rock for the most part. Highlights include the thoughtful A4, the funky B2, and the two proggy closers B3 & B4. The album ends on a high note with a different approach than the rest. A good album that clearly could have been miles better. It was to be Glory's only album. A lost opportunity.

12/21/23 (review)
 

The Damnation of Adam Blessing (1970)

The Damnation of Adam Blessing were one of the powerhouse groups coming out of the Cleveland scene in the late 60s. There were a ton of groups operating in steel country back then, but most didn't get past the 45 single stage. Though unfortunately today, the band is hardly known. Which is really too bad considering the strength of the material found on their debut. Highlights include the first three tracks, 'Strings and Things', and the last three songs. In particular 'Dreams' is stellar. Only the boogie 'You Don't Love Me' and the unnecessary 'Last Train to Clarksville' (Monkees of course) can be avoided.

There aren't a ton of albums going from psychedelic to hard rock, and The Damnation of Adam Blessing is a super example of doing just that.

Ownership: 1970 United Artists (LP) 

8/26/22 (review)

8/26/22 (new entry)

If There's Hell Below… We're All Gonna Go, USA

So I went looking for my review of Function Underground and realized I had a solid group of albums in a roundup (I was really busy at that time last year). So I pulled it out and three others to feature here on UMR.

The impetus for that move was to state that If There's Hell Below… We're All Gonna Go makes a good companion piece to that album. The hype sticker says "Thirteen War-Drenched Acid-Fried Hendrix-Worshipping Blown-Out Free Love-Fueled Black Rock Jams That'll Freak Out Your Parents". Well... that's why they call them hype stickers.

So what do we have here? More super rare 45s compiled conveniently onto one album. The only disappointing aspect is there's no bio booklet to learn more about these bands. I realize that's what makes these compilations hard to do, but they're a heck of a lot more informative. And, honestly, I would have preferred a CD issue - with maybe a few more tracks to add on. But OK, I'll take what I can get. Because there's no way I'll ever get all of these 45s individually (if any...). 

Some of the compilations run into each other. I have different Stone Coal White and Creations Unlimited tracks on the aforementioned Function Underground album. My goodness that Creations Unlimited has to be about the best two sider ever made. The Iron Knowledge track has been featured multiple places, including the Brown Acid series.

I thought this would be more hard rock and heavy psych focused considering that hype sticker, but it's definitely more in the psych soul funk genre. In fact the first track is an easy listening instrumental. But have no fear, it's still a killer set of tunes, with lots of fuzz and booty shaking rhythms. And there are a few proto metal tracks on Side 2 after all.

Ownership: LP: 2023 Now-Again. Single sleeve. Red wax. Recent online acquisition.

12/20/23 (new entry)

Function Underground, USA

The hype sticker alone told me this would be the gem of the stack: "The Black and Brown American Rock Sound 1969-1974". My heart be still. How I love these comps, especially when they come with a booklet jam packed with historical information. I look for 45s such as these everywhere I go, and sometimes you get lucky. No one knows who they are, so they presume they're worthless. Discogs has kind of ruined that in some places, especially when they get compiled like this. Because now everyone wants them! Fortunately thrift shops don't usually bother to research, even some record stores don't! Still relying on their dogeared price guides where everything Elvis and Beatles is rare, along with a handful of garage and soul titles. But unknowns... were unknowns. So they're worthless. Thank you! This album actually starts off a bit conservative with 1984 and Purple Snow, each more towards psych soul than psych rock. But starting with Jimi Macon, things get progressively wilder. Note that first name spelling. All you need to know. The party really gets going with Creations Unlimited and peaks with Michael Liggins and the Super Souls, complete with flute, psych guitar and funky rhythms. Side 2 is no less stellar. Ebony Rhythm Band's 'Drugs Ain't Cool' sounds like Chicago's take on 'I'm a Man' only to be followed by Cisneros and Garza Group covering... 'I'm a Man'. This track also introduces the "brown" part of the album, which sadly only features 3 tracks. Highlight here might be L.A. Carnival, who also happens to have a full length archival album released by Now-Again. Ordered it last night (and it's great, need to get some notes up about it). Overall a brilliant collection if you're interested in the lo-fi, but heavily sincere, funk psych bands that only appeared on 45s.

Ownership: LP: 2017 Now-Again. Single sleeve with 16 page booklet. Purchased new (heavily discounted) at Independent Records here in Colorado Springs (2022). That store is now closed.

3/19/22 (LP 3.8); 12/20/23 (new entry)

Thirsty Moon - Blitz. 1976 Germany

After all these years, I'd never heard Thirsty Moon's 3rd album, despite being a huge fan of the two prior, especially the debut. I had expected a typical mid 70s fusion, of which I've warmed up to greatly in the last 20 years. But one title that didn't do much for me was their 4th album A Real Good Time, which has become somewhat collectable in recent times. Blitz not so much, so I figured not to spend much effort to find. That was my mistake. Information about this album tends to be scarce, but essentially it's an all instrumental rock album. Unusual in its simplicity for style, though musically it most certainly belongs to progressive rock. This is not the Krautrock style of its predecessor's nor is it fusion or symphonic either. More American or British sounding than German, and somewhat unique overall. I quite like it.

Ownership: LP: 1976 Brain. Single sleeve. Green label. Online acquisition (2022).

3/19/22 (LP 3.8); 12/20/23 (new entry)

Faithful Breath - Back on My Hill. 1980 Germany

Faithful Breath's reputation begins and ends with their debut. At least in the prog world. I've come to appreciate that album after all these years, but I didn't like it for the longest time. Because of this, I never made any effort to track down their second album. I well should have. This wasn't only a pleasant surprise, it surpassed my highest expectation. Side 1, generally derided as nothing more than basic hard rock, sounded excellent to me. More like prog hard rock. Which leaves us to the side long track, which is as proggy as anything else released in the 70s. Loaded with mellotron and wonderful symphonic music. I had to hear this side 3 times in a row. I don't do that much these days. Don't skip this title if you had similar concerns like me.

Ownership: LP: 1980 Sky. Single sleeve. Online acquisition (2022).

3/19/22 (LP 3.8); 12/20/23 (new entry)

Alpha Ralpha ~ France

Alpha Ralpha (1977)

---4/29/15

Alpha Ralpha's sole album is a wonderful, and perhaps pure, example of instrumental symphonic progressive rock. Given the name and cover, there's also an underlying space rock tone. The music has a warmth that was typical of the late 70s French scene, and a sound I find very appealing as I get older. In fact, it's that same type of familiarity you'll hear in newer bands such as Spain's Herba d'Hameli.

Ownership: 1977 Warner Bros. (LP) 

No reissues exist as of 3/31/25.

4/29/15 (review); 3/19/22; 12/20/23 (update / new entry)

Suzanne Ciani - The Velocity of Love. 1986 USA-Massachusetts

Here's a surprising pickup for me. I found this perfect copy in shrink the last time I was in Pueblo for a dollar. I noted to myself that while these used to be ubiquitous in the record shops, I can't recall seeing one recently. Sure enough, it does have a little value now. I never took the time to hear what she had to offer back then, so let's go for it.

Boston based Suzanne Ciani definitely taps into the moods and sounds of 1986. You might recall my super rich buddy (Al Di Meola review) and his incredible stereo. This would have been the kind of album he would have owned to show that off. Musically it borders progressive electronic and new age, and has a very feminine sweet sound. I can't say I own too much music like The Velocity of Love and it does transport me to a time and place. Those are the type of albums I keep. If looking for comparisons, I'd suggest Vangelis was in this sound area around the same time. I think it's telling that the album was issued on RCA's Red Seal label, which is solely dedicated to classical music. That was the perceived audience for the time.

In reviewing Suzanne Ciani's biography, she was already 40 when this was released (she looks much younger on the back cover), and she's still making music today at age 77. Early photos demonstrate a young lady fascinated with electronics, and it's too bad there aren't any recordings of her music from the 70s (there's something from 1970, not sure what that's about). I can imagine they'd be more Klaus Schulze like than the more refined work of The Velocity of Love. I'm definitely interested now in her 1982 debut.

Ownership: LP: 1986 RCA Red Seal. Single sleeve. Acquired as noted above. 

12/18/23 (new entry)

Warm Dust ~ England

And It Came to Pass (1970)

---10/19/09

Warm Dust released four albums worth of material in two years (first album is a double). When Warm Dust are on, they play some of the finest jazz infused prog rock one can hear. Somewhere between fellow English groups Nucleus and If, when both are at their peak. There are some really beautiful grooves to be found here. Sometimes they're a bit too diverse for their own good, especially in their feeble attempts at free jazz or straight blues rock numbers. But the good outweighs the bad - especially on the first two albums. 

---12/19/23

That review was an overview for all three of their albums, but could suffice for the debut as well. This double album does possess superb highs. Warm Dust are at their best when they lay down a sweet jazz groove followed by organ and flute. For whatever reason they occasionally throw in some atonal jazz soloing that ruins that flow, but it's fortunately scarce. There's two distinct blues rock tracks, with the second album's version being more to my taste. Overall I enjoyed a +1 listen as I was able to focus more on their positives rather than their missteps. And there's much more of the former.

Ownership: 1970 Trend UK (2xLP). Gatefold. 

No legit reissues exist as of 3/31/25.

10/19/09 (review); 12/18/23 (update / new entry)

New movie and television blog

Because obviously I don't have enough blogs. lol.

https://talkiesareafad.blogspot.com/

My excuse: https://talkiesareafad.blogspot.com/2023/12/another-blog-jeez-man.html

Starr ~ USA ~ Colorado

Memories Never Die (1981)

Starr were a band from down the road in Pueblo, who released the consummate 1981 mix of hard rock, AOR, and progressive rock. What I've come to identify with the sound of the Midwest. Pueblo is an honorary member of that region. For those that know my southern neighbor, it's nothing of what you would associate Colorado with. You're just a heck of a lot closer to the mountains, but otherwise Pueblo feels more like St. Joseph, Missouri. The steel mills are still active, and when you see the downtown, it looks like the industrial revolution is upon us. Old dilapidated homes are falling down next to beautiful renovations. Colorado is uber expensive, but Pueblo is very affordable, and slightly dangerous. Just recently I was down there (a month ago) and while walking the parking lot, a shooting occurred on the other side of it. I just kept walking. All in a typical day I suppose.

I bring all that data here, because it paints the picture of Starr and other bands from Pueblo looking to get out of their situation via the music biz. There's even more product in the 45 world, and I feature a band called Chance in my Unknown Vinyl Records blog. The music is just a bullseye for the era. There's at least four superbly crafted proggy hard rock tracks here, and even the songs that shoot for radio airplay, are very well done. Yes, Starr should have made it. Maybe just a tad too late for the limelight though. Look at that double guitar on the back cover. Reminds me of Ethos. Musically it kind of does too, though with a 1981 sensibility. I love albums like this.

Ownership: 1981 private (LP)

No reissues exist as of 3/31/25.

12/16/23 (review / new entry)

Victor Brady ~ USA ~ New York City, New York

Brown Rain (1970)

---5/5/10 (edited)

While doing music research, I sure do run across some weirdo albums, and this has to rank among the top tier for that. At its core, New York City based Brady has created a seriously heavy psych album, with non stop fuzz and plenty of ranting ala Frankie Dymon or Gil Scott-Heron. Some of the material is more pop oriented, but still maintains the heavy fuzz throughout. But we haven't got to the weird part yet. The lead instrument? Caribbean steel drums! 

Unfortunately after awhile, it begins to sound more like a gimmick rather than as accompaniment. Perhaps it's the association of the instrument with island vacations, but it's disorienting when compared with the rest of the instrumentation and atmosphere. I mean, I wouldn't want to hear someone wailing on harmonica through a similar set of tunes either. One has to take on a different mindset to appreciate this album. It's quite a find and definitely recommended. Take it in small doses though. 

Victor Brady apparently was associated with the Sound of Central Park and, according to their website: "Victor Brady went on to cut a record deal with Polydor Records and released the album Brown Rain. Victor subsequently released a classical album called Classical Soul and later appeared in Las Vegas with Charo, on PBS’s Sesame Street, wrote a book about the steel drum, and performed and lectured at the Smithsonian Institute". Sounds like a true Renaissance man!

Ownership: 1970 Polydor (LP)

No legit reissues as of 3/31/25.

5/5/10 (review); 12/16/23 (update / new entry)

Farm. 1971 USA-Illinois

About eight years ago I wrote for RYM:

I have a somewhat long history with this album. Back in the late 1980s when Genius Hans was just starting his career (such as it was), I was a computer programmer/developer for a tax software company. Yes, a tax software firm. Real cube dweller stuff. Sexy job, eh? One of the accountant's I worked with, and who I had become friendly with, was from Illinois, and he was about 15 years older than I. His wife - yes his wife - was once the main squeeze of a band member from... (oh c'mon guess?). And yes, she had the original album in her possession! And they let me borrow it. I liked it then... just as I like it now. It's a bit outside of my strike zone, but for guitar driven hard blues rock, mostly instrumental, it's quite good.

Naturally I asked if she was willing to sell it. Naw - too many memories. No telling if they still have it, but I'll guess yes. He just recently retired too (lucky bastard).

I never did buy the doggone thing. I should probably get one of the reissues just for the memories.

---

And I finally did just that - obtain a physical copy. Not much more to add from last night's listen, this is a special album for me because of the story above. Otherwise I probably wouldn't allocate precious collection space for a reissue LP such as this. In addition to what I say above, early The Allman Brothers comes to mind as a major influence, and the final track is a cover of 'Statesboro Blues', so there you have it. It's a short album, barely clearing 26 minutes.

Ownership: LP: 2022 Guerssen. Single sleeve with obi. Contains a four page insert that includes an interview from It's Psychedelic Baby. Also has some photos and other memorabilia. 

Originals haven't gotten any cheaper, but I can tell you Farm was going for a similar price in 1990. And I told my friend that back then. Some things will remain scarce. One wonders if that market ever softens.

1990; 1/18/16 (RYM); 12/15/23 (new entry)

Midwest Funk / Funk 45s from Tornado Valley ~ USA

My favorite kind of compilation these days is those that gather up a pile of rare 45s and release them in one set, compete with historical liner notes and perspectives. And that's exactly what Midwest Funk is. As I look up each 45 (Messengers Incorporated is an album cut), they're all rare as hen's teeth - many never sold once on Discogs for example. They have the wrong technical definition of the Midwest, as they nix the Dakotas and add Oklahoma, but from a practical perspective, it makes sense what they did. And besides what do the English know about the US? lol. The time frame is the late 60s to the early 70s.

There are 23 tracks here, including at least one unreleased extended piece. The music is about 65% instrumental and is nonstop toe tapping funk. Occasionally psychedelic, but mostly what is known as deep funk. Think The J.B.'s here. Brass, sax, wah-wah rhythm guitar, organ, some flute, and a killer bass and drum backbone. How fun it must've been to see bands like this live in their prime. At some small not-up-to-code club, on the other side of the tracks, the smell of whiskey, smoke - and sweat. An air of danger, but us veteran street urchins know better - it's safe as milk. Great  - I mean great - fun here.

Ownership: 2004 Jazzman / Now-Again (CD). Fat booklet with a full description of each state's funk scene followed by a dissertation on each single. Acquired in 2023

12/15/23 (review / new entry)

2023 Prog Journal Vol. 2 - Complete

Indexi - Modra Rijeka. 1978 Jugoton. I purchased the 1995 CD not long after release, but sold it some years after since it was going for good money back then (and apparently even more today). I recall being somewhat mediocre on its contents. I ran into this title recently and thought I should check it out again. There's not a whole lot of prog coming from Bosnia, and Modra Rijeka definitely fits the usual Eastern European mix. That of folk rock, crooner, and all-out symphonic progressive. Could have been from East Germany or Czechoslovakia, minus the language difference. Niemen comes to mind here too. The instrumentals work best, naturally. Well I can see why I let this go, but I do like it. Won't obtain it again though. (Dec)

Taurus - Illusions of a Night. 1981 Multi. Speaking of the old days, here was a CD I had the opportunity to buy in the earliest days of the medium (1989). I wasn't convinced it was something I would like, and money was still very scarce back then, so I chose not to get it. 35 years later, I still haven't heard it. Let's see what I missed? Well it's certainly not something I would have embraced back then. But today I have a soft spot for these "proto neo" bands. What did I just say? Well anyway, you know what I mean. Very Dutch. Like a more poppy Rousseau I suppose. Yes seems to be on their collective minds too. The English vocals are a bit strained, but I do like the guitar and organ work. The mellotron is for background rather than being a critical component. Rhythmically uninteresting as well. (Dec)

First Band from Outer Space - We're Only In It For the Space Rock. 2005 Transubstans (CD). Collection revisit (Dec). As with electronic music, I have way too much space rock. I have a strongly favorable review of their second album and there's mention of flute and even Swedish vocals. I suspect those are the magic ingredients needed to maintain interest here. This is their debut and it's pure Hawkwind worship at this point. And sure enough the last track possesses the fine counterpoint that the flute brings, and represents the album's best cut. A day late and a dollar short though. Solid album for certain, but I have enough it, so it can go.

Happy the Man - The Muse Awakens. 2004 InsideOut (CD). Collection revisit (Dec). Tri-fold digipak. One of those albums I dutifully picked up near the time of release, listened to once, thought it decent, and filed away. I had no memory whatsoever of what it sounded like. The Muse Awakens was met with initial enthusiasm from the "prog audience" (presuming one ever existed) and it's easy to see why. Essentially Happy the Man took the formula of their first two albums and brought it to 2004. On reflection, that's all this is. Nothing really groundbreaking or inspiring, just a watered down version of Crafty Hands without the goosebump inducing melodies. It's still a very good album, but not enough for me to hold onto. I have enough of the real deal. Much is made that it would have been better had the lead composer and keyboardist Kit Watkins been involved. I don't agree. It's not like Watkins was releasing prog classics in this era. Perhaps the original synergy would have been there, but we'll never know. As for reunion albums, it fits in the middle - not an uninformed try at being hip and relevant, nor a band who still had a creative fire burning that needed an outlet.

Catapilla - Embryonic Fusion. 2022 Sunbeam (1970). Fascinating archival release from the good folks at Sunbeam. Featuring Jo Meek (sister of Anna) this is a completely different version of the band than the one that debuted a year later. That album is a pretty tough listen (for me at least) given its free jazz structures and the histrionics of Anna Meek. On Embryonic Fusion (no relation to the side long track on the debut apparently), I was quickly reminded of Julian Jay Savarin, which of course makes sense given Lady Jo Meek's presence. It's all about the Meek girls apparently. Musically it ties closer to the earlier Julian's Treatment with its Jefferson Airplane psych influence. Nice saxophone as well, and mostly in control with occasional bursts of skronk. A couple of folk tunes too. Very much a worthy find, though the tapes aren't in the best shape. Not something I need for the collection but would recommend it for sound-tolerant listeners building up their prog lot. (Nov)

The Vocokesh - All This and Hieronymus Bosch. 2007 Strange Attractors (CD). Collection revisit (Nov). The Milwaukee based collective of F/i and The Vocokesh were always an extreme bunch, taking space rock to its logical conclusion. At first I thought I might keep this one, as it's relentless in its pursuit of maintaining a high degree of intensity. But over time I was worn out, as these albums often tend to do. They don't have a lot of ideas, so they make up for it with grinding through the next jam. This is a very good example of the style, but once again, I just have too much of it. 

Collegium Musicum - Continuo. 1998 Opus (CD) (1978). Collection revisit (Nov). Despite featuring three long tracks, Continuo is a much more conventional release than what the band had released prior. Take same era Emerson Lake and Palmer (side 4 of Works Volume 1), but with room to jam, especially on a new weird sounding synthesizer. The vocals are subpar but otherwise the music isn't hard to listen to, especially for organ fans. Certainly a decent work overall, but not enough to distinguish itself and maintain room on the shelf. I can let it go.

Amygdala - Complex Combat. 2008 Soleil Zeuhl (CD). Collection revisit (Nov). Bought this not long after release, and my memory had it as an aggressive type of Zeuhl, somewhat typical of the Japanese branch. On this first revisit some 15 years later, that wasn't really the correct conclusion. Amygdala play a decidedly energetic form of avant prog with Zeuhl trimmings. This is exactly the type of music I've lost complete interest in. A lot of notes, rigid structure, and edgy instrumentation. And no tunes. The music seems to be created by a computer. For the genre though it's still a fine album, so if your tastes run that way, Complex Combat comes recommended.

*Bo Hansson - Magician's Hat. 1973 Charisma. From the Denver record show (Oct). Hansson's albums used to be ubiquitous in the used bins during the 80s (not so much anymore), so I had a chance to hear all of his classic 70s works back then. My grades are useless and I plan to zero them all out until I revisit each. I had no foundation with Swedish prog, and that would apply to 99.5% of Americans I'm sure - to this day. Why Hansson's albums sold much copy in the States at all remains a mystery. Though it probably helped he played on Tolkien themes, which had a cult following even then. The original came out on Silence and sounds very much like their stable of bands at the time, notably Kebnekaise and Flasket Brinner - all contemporary cronies of Hansson. A beautiful instrumental album with tons of vintage keyboards, flute, electric guitar, and superb Swedish folkloric melodies. I had planned on buying all of Hansson's albums as I found them in the wilds, but they haven't surfaced (or they're too expensive). Eventually they will though.

Aviator. 1979 Harvest (UK). Another inexpensive Dr. Boom pickup (Oct). Nice original UK copy. I thought I might really like this title as it seemed to be another "proggy AOR" type album from the late 70s that I've been digging of late. Its reputation is pretty solid too. However, this one is a bit too radio friendly for my tastes and I'm not fond of the smooth jazz style of the saxophone. It does finish strong however. Thought about keeping it, but there's no more room anymore for albums like Aviator.

*Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Solar Fire. 1978 Bronze (Germany) (1973). How I got this far in life without hearing Solar Fire is something of a mystery. Though Mann is rarely mentioned in progressive rock circles, he most certainly should be. This is just as much of-the-genre as any obscurity coming out of Europe during this era. Mellotron, synthesizers, loud guitar, and complex compositions. The album is common as spit here in the States. Usually fairly trashed though. This beautiful gatefold import edition is the nicest I've seen. Grabbed from Dr. Boom here in town for a thrift shop price. (Oct)

Rinnesya. 1995 Double Trap. Collection revisit (May). This is from the Japanese school of all-intense, all-the-time instrumental progressive rock. Very much like Bondage Fruit, Koenji Hyakkei (though not Zeuhl), and Pou Fou. I was thinking the other day that I do like some bands in this space, especially Happy Family, so it would appear they're missing an emotional component that resonates. If the term "brutal prog" gets you excited, I would definitely recommend this album. It's very obscure but not unattainable.

2023 Hard Rock Journal Vol. 1 - Complete

Thin Lizzy - Black Rose: A Rock Legend. 1979 Warner Bros. Part of that large hard rock buy a few months ago. I still a few left, and this is the last Thin Lizzy in the bunch. Pretty standard lightweight hard rock from the Liz. Other than Johnny the Fox, none of their albums that I've heard have raised to the excellent level. I've already kept the iconic Jailbreak and the unusually heavy Thunder and Lightning, which are at the same level as Black Rose for my tastes. According to RYM, Black Rose is considered their second most popular album, and I did recognize a couple of cuts from it. I did enjoy this more than Bad Reputation, but I'm going to let it slide. (Dec)

Moloch. 1969 Enterprise. This is the kind of album I hope to find in the wilds. There are at least three pressings and these kind of obscure American blues rock albums aren't very well known to most collectors, so the possibility is very real. But they are also the kind that are whipped beyond usefulness. Well obviously I haven't found one, so let's check it out online. Moloch were from Memphis and represent their regional blues tradition well. Definitely the right sounds. Good fuzzy guitar, Hammond organ, husky/scratchy vocals, even some phasing. Of course you can count on hearing more trad blues as well, plodding rhythms, harmonica, slide guitar, etc... holding back some of my enthusiasm. Highlights include A1, A2, A5, and B3. The reissues are of the dicey variety, and one hopes for better treatment at some point. Incidentally Moloch is an ancient deity associated with child sacrifice. A moniker better suited for the death / black metal scene I would submit (and has been many times over). If I do find one, I'll probably sell it. Good but inessential for my tastes. (Nov)

Thin Lizzy - Thunder and Lightning. 1983 Warner Bros. More from that collection I bought awhile back, as I catch up on Thin Lizzy albums (Aug). This title is considerably heavier than anything else I've heard by the band, and it's clear they wanted to be relevant in the heavy metal space. Opener packs a wallop and you can hear traces of Judas Priest and Motorhead (among others) throughout the LP. But Thin Lizzy is a hard rock band at heart, and a melodic one at that, so the majority of the album still falls within that genre. This was to be the final Thin Lizzy effort, and it would have been curious to see where they would have gone next. I suspect towards more poppy roads than continuing to amp it up, but we'll never know. Personally I don't remember Thin Lizzy being a player at all in the heavy metal brackets, but I clearly missed this album altogether.

Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak. 1976 Mercury. By far and away, this is Thin Lizzy's most known album, containing their biggest hit 'The Boys are Back in Town' along with the title track. I find this to be a very good hard rock album, certainly better than the unfocused Bad Reputation, but trailing Johnny the Fox. (Aug)

*Quartz - Deleted. 1980 Jet (1977). Bizarre packaging that is nothing more than a folded paper bag and insert. This second press was meant to be sold very cheaply, and even today, the album remains reasonably affordable. For the music, this is my kind of all-over-the-place proggy hard rock. This is the kind of music that was getting onto cassettes in the early 80s. There's a lot of flute, heavy guitars, multiple theme changes, etc... Not an album with the best reputation but that's primarily due to it being tagged as NWOBHM and that Tony Iommi produced the record. It wasn't meant to be a metal album - certainly too early for the NWOBHM movement (Judas Priest's Sin After Sin was miles ahead of the pack). And we tend to forget that Iommi wasn't a metalhead either, especially in the late 70s as Sabbath was experimenting with similar sounds. So from a revisionist historical perspective, it doesn't fit the narrative. And in my world, that usually means it's great. Chalk it up to another make-it-up-as-you-go-along record. The best kind. (Jul)

*Budgie - If I Were Brittania I'd Waive the Rules. 1976 A&M. Believe it or not, after all these years, this is the first time for me to own this album in any form or fashion. It was the only album by them I never took the time to buy. But I had heard it and it didn't convince me to own. By this point in their career, Budgie was attempting relevancy and didn't bring too much of their hard rock sound with them. But there's plenty of good music to be heard. There really wasn't any band like Budgie back in the day - they were quirky, sometimes progressive, oftentimes heavy. (Jul)

*Tin House. 1971 Epic. Florida based power trio that proves the hard rock genre doesn't need to be complicated to produce a classic in the space. Lay down hard on the fuzz pedal and give me some tough love. Similar to the Road album I reported on recently, though less Cream influenced I'd submit. (Jul)

Thin Lizzy - Bad Reputation. 1977 Mercury. As I've stated before, I'm surprisingly ignorant when it comes to Thin Lizzy, a band that I never pursued real time. I always thought they were lightweight compared to their hard rock peers. When I obtained Johnny the Fox, I realized that maybe I'd made a mistake in my judgement. Well... maybe not. Bad Reputation is exactly the kind of album I was trying to avoid in my youth. There are three great hard rockers here (A2, A3, B2) and the rest is various forms of commercial radio music. In reading reviews, I remain the minority. They have a cult-like following, and there's not much point in disagreeing. (Jul)

The Michael Schenker Group - MSG. 1981 Chrysalis (Germany). In keeping my promise, I made the effort to hear another MSG beyond the debut which I recently reported on. As I was listening to their sophomore effort, I realized that I knew this album pretty well. But I'm sure I never owned it. At first I thought it might be the album cover as the German edition (this) is different than the US release. But no, I never owned that either. What gives? Ah, now I remember. I used to record whole albums onto cassette from the radio on a "new album feature night". I was tempted to buy this back then, but it just didn't have enough "something" to extract precious dollars from my wallet at the time. In retrospect, MSG sounds like a rewrite of the debut, and there are some fine compositions here. It's a point less than that debut, though nostalgia may be driving my evaluation. (Jul)

*Black Sabbath - Never Say Die! 1978 Warner Bros. From the recent large buy (Jul). Never had this on LP before, just a very nice Japanese CD that I couldn't resist the offer I received a few years back. This one is a grower though. Side 2 is about as progressive as Sabbath ever got. I can see why dedicated fans don't care for it, but from my perspective it might be better than Technical Ecstasy at the very least.

Rymdstyrelsen - Lunar Mountains. 2020 Kommun 2 (CD). I'm a sucker for bands I can't pronounce or have any clue what they mean (in this case: Ministry of Space). Two notes in and its apparent that Rymdstyrelsen come from the stoner rock school. The production speaks volumes. The volume speaks volumes. It's more space rock oriented than that may imply, but nothing here made me sit up and pay attention. There are scores of albums like this today. If you're a huge fan of the genre, and can't get enough, then Lunar Mountains comes recommended. 15 years ago, that person might have been me. But no more - have to downsize here. (Jul)

Vic Vergat - Down to the Bone. 1981 Capitol. Would you believe this is the same guitarist that was behind Toad? Hard rock and boogie are name of the game here. Straightforward and dull. That cover suggests Vergat was Down to the Last Nickel. (Jun)

Hard as Nails - Cheap as Dirt. 1987 Blackjack. With the front cover of a buxom low cut tank top and the back cover of (way) cutoff shorts, it's safe to say Hard as Nails is making a play for the white trash southern rock sound. Musically that's exactly what this is. Hard to tell if they're mocking the South or paying homage to it. The material is average though. Obscure album. (Jun)

UFO - Obsession. 1978 Chrysalis. I'm always on the lookout for UFO in bargain bins, and this title popped up in one at the last Denver record show. I keep thinking I'm going to like these hard rock UFO albums more than I actually do. Not a lot of risk taking, and it's only Schenker's guitar soloing that does much for me. I'll keep trying though, as many have stated that Obsession was a let down at the time of release. Personally I wasn't into them real time, and it's beginning to make sense as to why. (May)

Uriah Heep - Wonderwall. 2006 BMG (Japan) (CD) (1974). Collection revisit (Apr). This is a fine example of a very good but nonessential album. It's straight up hard rock with excellent guitar and organ sounds. The problem is the songwriting. There's really nothing memorable here and the instrumentals are more perfunctory than innovative. Keep in mind I didn't keep The Magician's Birthday either, as they were beginning to run out of ideas during this period. As it stands, I own nothing past Sweet Freedom (itself likely to be under scrutiny), except for a live album from 2009 (that we reported on here a couple of years ago). However they have 28 studio albums (including a new one from 2023!) and 29 live ones, so I'll keep my eye out in the thrift bins and continue to listen to anything the band put out. 

Krokus - Hardware. 1981 Ariola (Germany). From JL (Apr). As promised / warned, I noted that I acquired the four early 80s Krokus albums from JL. Kept the first one as I suspected I would. Hardware ended up being a little bit better than I recall, but not my much. The German track listing is more interesting I think. The opener is the closer on the US version. I think it makes for a thoughtful and moody opening. They should have left it. A2 ('Easy Rocker') is the album's best track calling on their Scorpions side. Then it's AC/DC hell. And it's really bad AC/DC too. The only other track I think is worthy is 'Winning Man' which seems to be their next try at 'Fire' but not as dynamic. 'She's Got Everything' is the kind of track the Scorps would use as filler, but shines OK here. Overall, I'll go with a rating of Good. 

The Illusion - If It's So. 1970 Steed. Acquired from a store from down in Pueblo (Jan). One of the first albums here in the States to go for a pure hard rock sound while leaving any psych traces on the curb. A good representation if a bit tepid. There just not enough meat on the bone for me to keep this, but like many albums, that has more to do with me already owning many great titles in this space. Another anomaly is this is the kind of album that usually sells for big bucks. Small label distributed by Paramount. But supply far outstrips demand here. It's just not dynamic enough to gain any kind of cult following.

* - Keeping for the collection

2023 Funk / Soul Journal Vol. 1

Barretto - Eye of the Beholder. 1977 Atlantic (LP). Found this for 50 cents at a thrift shop down in Pueblo about a month ago (Dec). Ray Barretto has released numerous titles (from 1961 to well into the 90s) in and around the Latin jazz genre. Eye of the Beholder is one of his best sellers, and critically one of his worst albums. If this is his worst, then I'm in for finding some great albums. I quite enjoyed this, a mellow, sunny, tropical, Latin groove album. Hints of disco and the like, but I was also reminded of Deodato in places. I think if the guitar had unleashed more I would have kept this. But not keeping the merely very good anymore. Definitely open to hearing more by Ray Barretto.

Antibalas - Talkatif. 2002 Ninja Tune (CD). Collection revisit (Nov). This was one of the first albums for me to pick up in the modern funk genre, more technically known as Afrobeat. Not long after came around Budos Band, also from Brooklyn, and I appreciated their variation of this sound at a higher level. In revisiting this title for the first time in 20 years, there's just not enough distinction for me to hold onto. A very good effort, but I have enough for the collection, so I'll let it go.

Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson - Secrets. 1978 Arista (LP). GSH takes his righteous indignation to the bank and cashes in on his name. Underneath the poetry is a relatively benign album with few hooks. It was the late 70s good-times disco era, and violent street politics were on the outs. GSH seems content to put out whatever. And boring. Average on the whole. (Oct)

Patrice Rushen - Straight from the Heart. 1982 Elektra white label promo (LP). Picked up super cheap at the Denver show (Oct). This is the third time I've been in possession of this album. It's one of those "instant seller" albums like Marty Robbins' Gunfighter Ballads and Minnie Riperton's Perfect Angel. Despite being a commodity that sold gobs of copy in its day, the demand remains very high. I decided I should hear it throughout this time just to see if it's something I want to hold onto, as this is definitely the best copy I've found to date. To my untrained ears, Disco is the genre I would tag it with. But there's a subgenre known as Boogie that it technically belongs to. This particular style is far more in demand, especially in the 45 world, and represent some of the most expensive items from the 80s (I kept a couple for myself). As for Straight from the Heart, I found it to be a pleasant listen but nothing grabbed me from an instrumentation or melodic perspective. Neat cover of the pretty Rushen with her hair made up like a chandelier.

*Bobbi Humphrey - Satin Doll. 1974 Blue Note (LP). From the garage sale below (Aug), this is likely to be my favorite discovery from that. Wonderful jazz funk with Humphrey's flute leading the way. Has a seductive groove. 1974 seemed to be the perfect year for the style. The artists of the era had buffed out the rawer jazz elements (which I also like) but they hadn't yet introduced the slick disco that marred the later 70s works. This is the third Humphrey album for me to possess (one earlier, one later), and I enjoy them all.

Mtume - Juicy Fruit. 1983 Epic (LP). Part of the same garage sale as the Faze-O (Aug). This album reminds me quite a bit of Prince without any of the psychedelic imagery or guitar. Very heavily synthesized dance tracks including reproduced handclaps. Boogie disco. Not my style of choice I'm afraid. Average for the genre I'd submit.

*Faze-O - Good Thang. 1978 She (LP). This one came from a garage sale here in the Springs (Aug). Strange sale as it was almost entirely funk, soul, and jazz. Not a common selection in this part of the country. I was about an hour late, so who knows what goodies I missed, but glad someone left this title (and a few others I picked up) behind. This is the second Faze-O for me to find here, the other being the much more in demand debut. While that album enjoys critical acclaim, I prefer this one. I just presumed by looking at the sexy cover this would have been the Dayton, Ohio band's move to disco. If anything, they became more defiant here with the funk. As in heavy funk. Like a cross between Funkadelic, The Temptations, and same era Isley Brothers. Some occasional fuzz guitar, but mostly this is bottom heavy get-on-down music. If repetition is the key to learning, then you'll know every song well by the end. That's its only flaw - a lack of ideas. No less than a typical Neu! album though. I still have room in the collection for some hard funk, so this one stays.

Rick James / Stone City Band - Come Get It! 1978 Motown (LP). Hard to believe now, but Buffalo's Rick James and Minneapolis' Prince pretty much played for the same funk / soul / psych market of the late 70s. One could argue that James was first to stardom ('Super Freak'), but later fell completely on his ass while Prince skyrocketed to fame and fortune. This isn't a bad album at all, though too tame for my ears. Not enough psych funk and too much soul crooning and disco. Nice thrift shop find. (Jul)

Matata - Wanna Do My Thing The Complete President Recordings. 2017 RPM (2xCD). Includes the Kenyan group's two full albums Matata Air Fiesta (1972) and Independence (1974) plus eight bonus tracks all the way up to 1994. The music can simply be described as JB's styled hard hitting funk meets African music. Which is fine, especially the former, but it lacks any real highs and is fairly simplistic overall. Both albums are remarkably similar. (Jun)

Bobby Caldwell. 1978 Clouds (LP). Estate sale find (Apr). This is the 3rd time for me to find this album here in the Springs within the last two years. The other two sold in less than a couple of days for really good money. Now unfortunately it appears Caldwell has passed away, adding even more to the total. I'm not an RIP seller, so this was just a timing coincidence. Rather than rush it to the sell bin I thought I should at least hear it. Has a stellar reputation in its field of music. And what is that field? They're calling it soul and yacht rock. The former yes, but I'd substitute disco over the yacht. Apparently there's a huge hit here called 'What You Won't Do For Love' which I barely recognize. Then again I didn't listen to soul or R n' B in the late 70s either. It's surprising to learn this album has the value it does, as it sold tons of copy in its day, and is a true commodity. But then again so are Led Zeppelin albums, but I just presumed Zep were far more known than Caldwell. Depends on your music circle I guess. For me I hear a typical sound of its era. I can completely understand its allure though, and if I had any foundation at all with the album, I probably would give it a huge nostalgic bump. I just don't have that. A time and placer for certain. 

Memphis Horns - Horns for Everything. 1972 Million (LP). Nice recent thrift shop find (Jan), Memphis Horns were to the Stax label what MFSB were to Philadelphia International. Essentially they *are* the Memphis sound. The two main protagonists here are Wayne Jackson on horns and Andrew Love on winds. If you've heard any Isaac Hayes' albums (as but one example), then you'll recognize the sound here. Borderline easy listening with just enough funk to separate. Has a few cool instrumental mellow pieces too. Close to a keeper, but I'm going to let it sell. I've accumulated quite a bit of stuff like this in the last four years, and it's time to pare down.

Hurdy Gurdy ~ Denmark

Hurdy Gurdy (1972)

Hurdy Gurdy is guitarist Claude Bohling's group before joining Secret Oyster. Their sole album is legendary in collecting circles, and it's easy to see why given the sheer amount of invention within the tight confines of a guitar trio. About half the album is straight up hard rock / blues, and the other half puts on their creative hat and flies to the cosmos. In this way, Hurdy Gurdy reminds me of The Human Beast or Clear Blue Sky. Some superb soloing from Bohling throughout.

The CD offers three excellent bonus tracks, very relevant to the album proper. 

Ownership: 2002 Karma (CD). Lyric booklet. Acquired in 2023.

9/26/07;12/13/23 (review / new entry)

Moose Loose ~ Norway

Live at Kongsberg Jazzfestival (1973 / 2023)

Here are some snippets of my reviews from Moose Loose's two studio albums (see below): "Moose Loose's debut Elgen Er Løs is a powerful fusion album, that mixes in funky clavinet lines with some ferocious electric guitar leads, playing in an almost psychedelic style... Here they sound like a cross between No Mystery era Return to Forever and mid 70s Jean-Luc Ponty. And despite the song title, Moose Loose have definitely downplayed the funky aspects of their sound. In fact this first track does begin to tell the story of Transition, as the title of the album is also descriptive."

This live outing predates their debut - and combines both of the above albums. There's very little of the funk element, while the band performs in a more traditional jazz rock setting. The guitar, however, remains ferocious. This is guitar, electric piano, bass, and drums playing both high energy fusion and spatial jazz rock tunes. Organ is credited, but it's not a focus area. If all that sounds good, you'll want to get this. Bread and butter early jazz rock / fusion is what this is.

Ownership: 2023 Norske Arkivklassikere (CD) 

12/14/23 (acquired / review)

Transition (1976)

Transition is the second and last album from Norway's Moose Loose. The album's opener 'Funky Hi-Way' had me thinking that I really need to stop buying albums like this. Don't get me wrong, I think it's very good, but this kind of fusion has been played many times over. Here they sound like a cross between No Mystery era Return to Forever and mid 70s Jean-Luc Ponty. And despite the song title, Moose Loose have definitely downplayed the funky aspects of their sound. In fact this first track does begin to tell the story of Transition, as the title of the album is also descriptive. Gone is heavy-on-the-Clavinet Brynjulf Blix (what a name!) and in his place is fusion keyboardist Håkon Graf, who we know best from the Blow Out album that shares his name. But more importantly, though, is the addition of violinist Trond Villa (another great name!). He adds a whole new dimension to Moose Loose. Things improve on the 10.5 minute 'Trees' where the solo instruments begin to shine (especially Jon Eberson's guitar), and the rhythms become more interesting. After two excellent interludes close side 1 and open side 2, the album really finds its groove on 'White' and 'Graf'. I first heard this album - like so many others - via a cd-r blitz a decade ago. They all started to blend together. Like with Ozric Tentacles, one must separate the listens over time to truly appreciate the contents on their own merit. So while I do miss the rawer psychedelic qualities of Elgen Er Løs, I find Transition just as compelling, even though its more restrained and, dare I say, professional.

Ownership: 2021 Norske Albumklassikere (CD). Digi-file sleeve with liner notes in Norwegian. 

8/18/10; 7/11/21 (acquired / review)

Elgen Er Løs (1974)

---8/17/10

Moose Loose's debut Elgen Er Løs is a powerful fusion album, that mixes in funky clavinet lines with some ferocious electric guitar leads, playing in an almost psychedelic style. Latter half of the album drifts towards more standard jazz / jazz-rock before closing with an acoustic guitar, piano piece.

---3/24/21

Probably sold it a bit short there. Though it does describe quite well the first track 'Ebers Funk', with its wicked fuzz and clavinet runs. The next song 'E.M.' features some killer Hammond organ in addition to the guitar. The album does move from its funky beginning to a more typical early 70s jazz rock, but not really traditional jazz. These four lengthy tracks will satisfy most fans of raw jazz rock. The final fifth track is consistent with the American jazz albums from this era, and provides a relaxing way to close out.

Ownership: 2021 Norske Albumklassikere (CD). Digi-file sleeve with liner notes in Norwegian. 

8/17/10 (review); 3/24/21 (acquired / update)

3/24/21 (new entry)

Aragorn - The Suite. 1974 Australia (archival)

As promised, here is the "debut" album by the collective of Australian musicians who were also responsible for Snakes Alive and Stepps. The Suite is not what I expected - at all. I presumed it would be a symphonic progressive work, similar to other Australasian bands of the era such as Sebastian Hardie, Dragon, Ragnarok, Aleph, Think, and the rest of them. Nope.

The liner notes indicate that ELP and Jethro Tull were an influence. And that's probably so, especially the former given the classical piano work. But what we have here is something extraordinary, a sound that has absolutely no precedent in this part of the world. That of Italy. Che? That's the big surprise here. The stop-start-fluttering-flute-hard-guitar madness of Osanna, De De Lind, and Capitolo 6. Of course it's sung in English, but the music has the same excitement of exploration as the Italians. My cynical nature comes to the fore, as in: How could something like this ever get recorded in Australia in 1973/74? As we often say about music that comes from Eastern Europe - musicians arriving at similar conclusions via different paths. How did the The Raindear Army (from Springfield, Illinois of all places) come up with Italian prog ideas - in 1967? Music is emotional sound math at its core, so formulas run into each other eventually. We see this all the time in analytics. The Suite is an energetic work, and that continues on with Snakes Alive. There are 16 tracks here, but they segue into each other as to create one suite, hence the title I suspect.

While Snakes Alive and Stepps have garnered some audience over the years, this archival release remains completely under the radar. It's only been a year since release, but it's absent from ProgArchives, has one entry in Gnosis, 18 owners on Discogs, and 20 ratings on RYM with one review. An album like this would have garnered much more attention 20 years ago. I'm going to add to those totals now (other than PA). Don't miss it.

Ownership: CD: 2022 Merry-Go-Round (Korea). Jewel case release with liner notes in English (and Korean).

12/12/23 (new entry)

Stepps - Waltz for Tiger Joe. 1976 Australia

Where to begin with Stepps? How about with my Snakes Alive entry: "Snakes Alive were a group that I discovered in my early CDRWL research days. There was much question of its authenticity at the time, especially given the obvious photoshop cover. But it was real, a demo pressing from a circle of Australian musicians who had access to a recording studio and took advantage of it."

At the time of that writing I wasn't aware that Stepps were related to Snakes Alive. In those same "early research days", I was also introduced to Stepps. In fact I think it was a couple of years beforehand. I had no context for what I was hearing - and when I started doing research, there was no data to be found. You have to remember that the internet was rife with disinformation about obscure progressive rock bands in those days. Remember Art Jackson's Atrocity? I remember one blog had dozens of unknowns, only to find out (quickly thank goodness) that the person behind it was recording obscure CDs and renaming the groups and titles, and adding unique artwork. Why? For laughs one presumes. Or he was a sociopath, who knows. And this doesn't even count the more obvious pranks from the 90s like the phony baloney Psi-Fi series of "obscure Krautrock records released only in museums" - that people believe to this day! As noted about a lot of these situations, the music tends to hold up well even if the backstory falls apart. It's in this kind of environment I hear Waltz for Tiger Joe. Is it even real? When I have doubts like that, I begin to sour on the music.

Today, the truth has come to light. Sure enough it was real, and the story is plausible. This circle of Australian musicians basically recorded three different albums under three different band monikers. Two were released as demos. Snakes Alive and Stepps achieved test pressings, and only Stepps had original artwork. Australia in the early 70s was considerably more isolated than today, so it's understandable how music like this remained unknown. Of course, one could say the same about many a group here in the States in a less isolated situation. So how did this group of musicians record anything? One of the movers and shakers of the bunch was a recording engineer at EMI Australia. So like Tom Nehls, access time in a recording studio gives one an opportunity to experiment.

Stepps were the final incarnation of the "group". The first was Aragorn, who did not release anything real time, and I'll be covering their album soon enough. At this stage, the band had moved over to a Canterbury like sound. The liner notes accurately describe the music as not only similar to Hatfield and the North, but really more like Belgium's Cos. And he rightfully uses a great word to describe their very feminine singer: Coquettish. In the couple of photos of her, you see a very beautiful young lady with long straight hair that goes down to her waist. Essentially a dream girl of the early 70s. Worth mentioning all of this because the album gives off this naive and harmless playfulness as they flirt with you, the listener. So yes, this album is all about the Canterbury scene.

The CD adds one bonus track from the same recording session, plus four tracks from an earlier instrumental incarnation of Stepps before Bernie Morgan joined them. Honestly it sounds like a later version of the band as the jazz rock is lighter and watered down, much more typical of something you might hear in the late 70s. But the data says different.

Essential for Canterbury fans.

Ownership: CD: 2022 Merry-Go-Round (Korea). Jewel case release with two sets of liners notes in English. Includes five bonus tracks in aggregate. Superb all around.

2010; 12/10/23 (new entry)