Firyuza – s/t (1980 Turkmenistan). I once joked that if it was from Turkmenistan, it had to be good. Of course I was talking about the Gunesh Ensemble, and didn’t realize there was a second group from the same place and time. Three long tracks adorn this one of a kind album. Seven piece group with guitar, sax, flute, keys, violin, bass, drums and percussion. While not as hot or as entirely unique as the almighty Gunesh, this is still a fascinating fusion, one that relects the unique culture of the Turkmens. I’m constantly amazed at some of the subversive sounds coming from the old Soviet Union. I’m surprised Boheme Music of Russian didn’t reissue this with all the other great ex-Soviet albums formerly on Melodia. Cool cover featuring the band, with instruments in hand, proudly wearing their traditional telpeks (tall fur hats).

Jumbo – Bigger and Better! (197? USA) Label: Leonard Productions. Pretty cool mix of Blood Sweat and Tears inspired horn rock and a traditional college level stage band. Not a lot of this kind of stuff available on the open market, and worth a few spins. No date on the album anywhere, but hair styles and clothes point to 1970 or so. Can’t find any info on the web about them either (which is why I left the label info here). No CD obviously.

Guntram Pauli + Christian Kabitz + Klaus Haimerl – Rock Requiem: Concert For Orchestra Choir And Band (1980 Germany). One of the many Christian progressive rock albums coming out of Germany at this time (Eden, Credemus, Yavanna, Gloria’s Children, etc…). Typically varied album with uplifting tones and lyrics. Nice flute (some nice echoing towards the end of the album) and acoustic guitar. Some latin mass overtures. And some regular rock tracks with early 80s digital synths. Naturally there are some full orchestra classical bits to sit through. A hit and miss affair, but better than you might think. No CD exists.

Heaven – s/t (1969 USA). Underground horn rock / psych album with delicious fuzz leads and cool roller rink organ sounds. Nice trumpet and trombone horn charts. Also some standard blues psych tunes as well. Interesting cacophonous freak out ending. This Nebraska band is not to be confused with the brass rock group from England. No CD exists.

Round House – ‘Scuse Me (1972 Germany).
Round House – Down to Earth (1973 Germany). German group who spent a lot of time with their Chicago Transit Authority album collection obviously. And they do a pretty convincing job of their variation of the horn rock sound. Some good grooves and they veer towards the jazzy side, always a plus in this genre. Much better than the more known Brain label horn groups like Emergency and Creative Rock. I wrote those words having heard only the debut “‘Scuse Me”. Followup album “Down to Earth” is more adventurous and includes a near side long suite similar to Chicago’s ‘A Girl from Buchanon’, but less pop oriented. Both albums lack consistency, but plenty of great stuff here, especially the Terry Kath inspired wah wah guitar. The Freeman’s say the album is ‘lightweight’ and of ‘marginal interest’, but I disagree with them here (for the record, I normally agree with them). No CD for either.

First Born – s/t (1973 Italy). I can find nothing about this band. Definitely one of the many instrumental Italian film library albums out there, and some of them contain different pseudonyms, as this might. Cool 60′s jet-set jazz funk tracks for the martini drinking James Bond crowd. Presuming this is rare as hens teeth, or it may just exist as another, more common, title. I only have a CD-R, so we’ll go with what I know. No surprise here, but no CD that I know of.

Frantz – Peut Etre Aux Yeux Silence (1970 France). Interesting French pop psych album, with female vocals/narration, organ, guitar. Not a lot of albums like this coming out of France from this era. If France Gall went underground, I could see this being the result. Fans of Popera Cosmic should check it out. Pretty cool album. No CD.

Nemo – s/t (1973 France). A mix of funk, rock, jazz fusion. Mainly instrumental. Good stuff and features Francois Breant, who later had some success as a solo artist. They also have a second album, “Doin’ Nuthin’” from 1974, that I have here but haven’t heard yet. No CD exists.

Arc – Maquette (1980 France). Earnest attempt to recreate the Ange / Mona Lisa style of dramatic French language prog. Similar to other such efforts like Elohim’s “Le Mana Perdu” (1983), Trefle (1979) or Elixir’s “Sabbat” (1987). It’s a distinctly French form of rock, and for what it is, it’s pretty good. Don’t expect Ange though. Again, no legit CD exists.

Fairchild – s/t (1978 USA). Minneapolis based AOR progressive rock band. Strong overtones to the top acts of the era like Kansas, Boston, Journey and Styx – especially the latter. Though the album is private, it looks and sounds like a major label effort. For those that love the classic 70′s arena rock sound, this one is an all-timer. Never reissued on CD.

Hot Flash – First Attack! They’ll Never Take Us Alive (1977 USA). Boston area prog / AORish blend. Not that dissimilar from the Fairchild album, though this one has a bit more complexity to it. Better than other locally produced Beantown prog bands like Blind Owl and Marianus. There’s been some buzz on this album of late, but it’s strictly third tier stuff. Good, but certainly not astounding. No CD exists.

Omega – The Timekeeper (1979 USA). Not the well known Hungarian bunch, but rather a mundane US amateurish hard rock, with some odd electronic soundscapes that are more sophomoric in execution than atmospheric. Overall, a pretty aimless record. But fans of US private presses will enjoy, as this one is pretty much extinct. No CD exists.

October – s/t (1979 USA).
October – After the Fall (1980 USA). October are a Detroit, Michigan area based progressive band. Their sound is a unique combination of symphonic prog rock with a pronounced fusion flair, probably due to the abundance of electric violin. The vocals have that late 1970s “private press voice” that is found on many albums from America during this time. Strangely, the vocals remind me a bit of the guy from Babylon, though not quite as Gabriel-esque. “After the Fall” is more symphonic rock oriented, and a bit looser in structure. Long passages are reserved for jamming and other instrumental experiments. Both albums have stood the test of time well, and are certain Tier 1 CD reissue wishlisters. I’ve had the self-titled album on LP for well over 15 years. “After the Fall” remains as probably the single rarest US progressive rock album, with supposedly only 25 pressed, each with a hand painted watercolor cover. I can honestly say that in all the years I’ve been collecting, I’ve never seen one actually for sale. A good friend of mine paid dearly for one, and it’s a site to behold. Neither have been reissued legitimately on CD to date, though bootlegs abound. Syn-Phonic owns the master tapes, so I think eventually they will reissue both.

Mutha Goose – I (1975 USA). Typical Midwest prog, this time from Indiana. Recalls the southern Illinois group Thunderpussy in the compositions, though there’s a strong presence of keyboards here. Other reference points are Albatross, Ethos and Vindication. Better than most US private prog albums. No CD exists.

Sailor – s/t (1974 USA). Sometimes known as Sailor Band, though we could find no evidence of that on the LP itself. From Minnesota and surprisingly sophisticated for such a private release. Most privately released progressive albums from 1974 have a strong hard rock element, and there’s little of that here with this jazz and classically inspired album. Plenty of jazz guitar and piano. All instrumental. A nice surprise. Another one without a CD issue.

Pocket Orchestra – Knebnagauje (1984 USA). These go hand in hand with two other groups I’ve been checking out lately: Uz Jsme Doma and Begnagrad. This is “neener-neener” music to the neener-nth degree. A bit of a geek-fest, but insanely complex and the musicianship is way above standard. A walking definition of the term “avant progressive” as I know it. The 1983-4 material is much more in the avant prog zone, and you have to think they were well versed with the French AYAA label. Whatever the case, they were completely out of place in Phoenix, Arizona. The namesake title era of 1978-1979 shows their affiliation with the other famous Phoenix band, Cartoon. Both had a penchant to break out into a tuneless improve after cooking on some great grooves. Too bad they insisted on that, since some of this is outstanding material. Still I found this era to be better for the band, with a stronger rock element and more grit to the playing. Overall, not necessarily a favored style, but I can get into this with little effort.

Rebekka – Phoenix (1982 Germany). Been awhile since I heard this Musea CD, but my impressions haven’t changed a bit over the years. Part of a small cadre of German bands from the late 70s and early 80s that combined female vocal led soft rock, some folk, Eastern sounds and an occasional prog rock outburst. Werwolf, Yavanna, Credemus and Eden are a few bands that come to mind. One could throw Emma Myldenburger in here as well, but they were a bit more special. Anyway, good stuff overall, recommended to fans of Renaissance and other similar acts. Unusual as it is, but the CD bonus is the best track – a 12 minute Eastern journey “Lotus” which had to be left off the LP for time length reasons.

Melodic Energy Commission – Time… Is a Slippery Concept (2005 Canada). With these guys, time is a slippery concept. In 1979, MEC sounded like 1971. In 1980 they sounded like 1971. And 25 years later they sound like…no door prizes… 1971! When I say 1971, I don’t mean production styles and era instrumentation, but rather a certain adventurous composition style, completely non-linear and skewed, beyond the scope of rational imagination. Add to that about a baker’s dozen different instruments and a distinctive psychedelic sound, and you have one of the great modern space rock albums. Instant classic with plenty of room to grow from there. File Don Xaliman next to John L. as true modern geniuses who will be discovered long after they’re gone.

(originally posted Sep. 2005)

Quantum Fantay – Agapanthusterra (2005 Belgium).
Quantum Fantay – Ugisiunsi (2007 Belgium). Quantum Fantay are from the latest crop of new bands to play in the post “You” era Gong style. Following in the footsteps of Ozric Tentacles, Hidria Spacefolk and Korai Orom, Quantum Fantay are on the heavier side of the continuum. Like Ozric, they embrace the raucous Moog sequencing that is also prominent is some areas of electronica. But Quantum Fantay stop short of techno, and use regular rock structures and instruments, including real drums. While the debut “Agapanthusterra” could be considered another Ozric album, the sophomore effort “Ugisiunsi” utilizes to a greater extent other music vehicles like flute, violin and wordless female voice, thus adding color to the usual guitar / keyboard raveups. The guitarist adds some metalish crunch at times, recalling the 90s Dutch band Kong. And the solos are Ed Wynne-esque in their intensity. Like Hidria Spacefolk, Quantum Fantay also display a penchant for progressive rock themes and complexities – something that Ozric did more frequently in their past with songs like ‘White Rhino Tea’. Quantum Fantay look to be a major force in the space rock circuit.

Kosmos – s/t (2007 Canada). Kosmos are a new space rock band released on a most unlikely label: The End Records, known most for their avant garde-ish metal releases. But Kosmos features metal royalty, in the man of Away, the drummer of Quebec legends Voivod. What’s most fascinating about Kosmos is that they’re treading new territories over a familiar ground. Unlike most of their metal brethren, there is not a hint of the Desert Rock / Stoner movement to be found. Nor will one hear the post-Gong raveups ala Ozric Tentacles. And you won’t find the retro Krautrock of Electric Orange and The Spacious Mind. Other than some obvious nods to the Neu!/Faust wing of the motorik style, as heard on the appropriately named Faustian “Krautrock”, most of Kosmos’ debut is entirely their own sound. The punkish number with French narration absolutely kills when contrasted against the fuzz bass driven/decidely early 80s French variation of new wave space rock. You don’t know Gutura? I doubt Kosmos does either, but they conjured up the ghost somehow on a couple of tracks. Lots here to discover. I can’t think of another band in Quebec playing music anywhere close to this right now. Hopefully they’ll continue the space rock sound, and forego the temptation to add metal. That’s like adding mustard to your pasta – don’t want to do that.

Machine – s/t (1970 Netherlands). Machine were a 1970 Dutch group who played a mix of what was popular at the time: Psych, progressive, hard rock and horn rock. Nederbeat was one of the more healthy psych/garage scenes coming out of continental Europe and Machine were like the latter stages of those groups such as Q65 and Cosmic Dealer. The strong Hammond organ presence adds a proto-prog sound similar to Deep Purple and Mainhorse. Horns were frequently inserted in those days to increase the odds of a chart appearance, given the wild success of Chicago and Blood Sweat and Tears. And, as expected, there’s also a strong blues influence throughout. The album has a strong start but really crawls to the finish, as predictable 3-chord blues rock takes over the lion’s share of the proceedings. Recommended to fans for bands as diverse as Affinity, Ahora Mazda, Warhorse and Irish Coffee. No legit CD exists.

Goliath – s/t (1972 England). In the jazzy proto-prog area, with plenty of great flute, and SASSY female vocals. I’d be surprised if this chick made it to her 30th birthday, but she sure put her estrogen into this one. One band that rarely gets mentioned as a comparison, but did come to mind here is Fusion Orchestra. More gritty and less progressive perhaps, but does paint a pretty accurate picture. I also hear some melody/composition lines that recalled the great Diabolus album. Affinity is probably the most obvious comparison and when they really get into jazz mode, Catapilla came to mind. Sassy baby! No legit CD for this either.

Frank Marino – The Power of Rock and Roll (1981 Canada). Right in the breadbasket of Frank’s prime era (roughly 1979-1982). While his previous effort “What’s Next” is generally regarded as his high water mark (and I agree), I’d say “The Power of Rock and Roll” is his most consistent effort. Gone are the tedious blues numbers and its place are 100% Frank Marino patented hard rockers. Simple chord tunes with a few yelled lyrics to qualify it as a “song” and then onto some amazing guitar instrumental jam, featuring non-stop screaming guitar (with lots of effects) and through a myriad of genres like jazz, blues, prog, or whatever the hell he felt like. The Mahogany Rush rhythm section were no slouches either, adding that extra zip to propel Frank along into the stratosphere. The 3 long tracks here are incredible, while the shorter ones just have less jams, so not quite as good. Among the best albums he’s ever done. I was already into Frank’s music when this came out, and I can tell you that even then, this album was out of touch with the times. Punk, metal, new wave, arena rock or synth-pop was getting all the airplay (on both radio and MTV). But guitar fronted hard rock? Only as a private press maybe. But Columbia carried on with Frank for as long as they could. And he hasn’t changed a bit, as his last studio album “Eye of the Storm” will attest to. One of those artists I appreciate more every year.

(originally posted Sep. 2005)

Black Mountain – In the Future (2008 Canada). Many bands that have a retro bent, try hard to capture the essence of the late 60s or the early 70s. Rare is a band that understood the mindset of 1978. To me, “In the Future” is like discovering the most interesting looking album at the local Montgomery Wards, set inside some ancient mall that felt more like a DMZ than a shopping plaza. Black Mountain has captured the aura of what Arista Records originally intended to do, before giving into crass commercialism. It’s the type of album you can hear over and over, because of the many different textures, colors and styles. But not in a modern post-rock kitschy way. Rather with the perspective of the 1970′s landscape already in mind. The kind of album, in fact, you WANT to hear over and over in one sitting. Prog rock for the arena concert scene of 1978, and that’s not the same thing as arena rock. Those who were there know the difference. And if you don’t, pick up “In the Future” and compare for yourself. Recommended.

Radio Massacre International – Septentrional (2006 England). RMI have to be viewed as one of the most innovative of recent groups. Certainly within the electronic music space, a field that has the same devotion and non wavering loyalty to sub-genres as does heavy metal. You’re either “Berlin School” or “Ambient” or “Techno” or any other such labels, but you shouldn’t be all of them say many fans. RMI, who started out pretty much “Berlin School”, is now all the above and more, with recent excursions into trippy Krautrock and whatever else they feel like doing. “Septentrional” is one of their most polarizing CD albums (RMI’s privately released CD-R’s are even more off the rails). Produced by Ian Boddy and released on his DiN label, “Septentrional” is RMI at their most modern and controversial. But in a paradoxical way. See, “Septentrional” has more of that ancient mellotron than any of their other albums. Of course it’s put through the production grinder and is echoed, technoed, phased and manipulated through Boddy’s mad scientist lab. It’s all rather fascinating. Headphone music for the modern age. In fact, I now rate this amongst the top quadrant of RMI albums, and that’s quite a statement given they have such an impressive body of work. Keep it going guys!

Radio Massacre International – Rain Falls in Grey (2007 England). As stated in the “Septentrional” blurb, RMI are one of today’s most innovative groups. Case in point: “Rain Falls in Grey”. On this outing, RMI pays their respect to Syd Barrett. Musically this is RMI’s most overt space rock effort, with raging electric guitars and ferocious drumming. As well, RMI has successfully created those magical atmospheres that one would tyically find on an old German Ohr release, who themselves were enamored with late 60′s Pink Floyd. This being RMI, one is never too far from classic mid 70′s Tangerine Dream, and the combination of the early Krautrock sound with “Berlin School” electronics is highly fascinating. After a bit of a lull at the beginning of the decade, RMI has created a triumvirate of classic releases starting with “Emissaries”. Each represents an entirely different sound. Rare is this kind of innovation found, much less from a band whose recording history is almost 15 years old.

Judas Priest – Rocka Rolla (1974 England). First time to hear on CD. I remember originally buying this LP in Seattle circa 1979. I was 14 and a huge Priest fan at the time. And for some reason, this title was hard to score in chain mall-store infested Dallas. My Uncle (who could double for Archie Bunker) let me have 20 minutes in a cool record store (Peaches I think?), and I made the best of it with what I knew at the time. Naturally I was disappointed with this non aggressive, non metal album. Time and revisionist perspectives have been very good for “Rocka Rolla”. I highly encourage all Priest fans to listen to this with a fresh set of ears. Rather than expect `Genocide’ or `Exciter’, listen for good old fashioned hard rock. Admit it, had this band been called Dustwood, released a private album from 1974 and were from Pittsburgh, it would be a $400 album. Besides, there are some definite early Priest riffs here like on `Cheater’ and `Dying to Meet You’. I really dig the arty feedback laden tracks `Winter’ and `Deep Freeze’. Also the lengthy mopey guitar solo driven `Run of the Mill’. Not to mention the instrumental melancholic closer `Caviar and Meths’.

Host – Hardt mot Hardt (1976 Norway). For some reason, over the years, I have developed a strong liking for Scandinavian vocals – or at least I really enjoy the delivery of them. Host were one of the early bands to use their native Norwegian. With the heavy guitars, a strong organ presence, complex song structures, a few dashes of Yes, along with the aforementioned vocals, it’s a real mystery I don’t rate this album in the higher echelons. The early tracks are outstanding, but it loses something as it goes. There’s some almost commercial rock moves in the middle of the album that takes a little something off. Still, a no-brainer purchase for those that like the heavy end of the progressive rock spectrum. They’re just missing that extra special “something” that a band like Trettioariga Kriget had, for example, during this era.

Gemini – Counterbalance (1981 England). This is striking me better than I remember. Musically, these guys score some nice points for melody and composition. They get dinged, though, for period instrumentation. Sounds like their lead synth choice was a Moog Opus 3, or some other early polyphonic synthesizer. And the lack of other lead instrument vehicles like guitar, sax, flute, organ, etc… makes this one a bit tougher to give a higher grade, given that it’s an instrumental album and all. Rhythm section is quite good though, not crisp but precise all the same. And the final long track features guitar as well, adding exactly what they need. No CD exists.

(originally posted Nov. 2005)