I’ve got a little news about Outer Music which I posted over at my personal blog that might result in a change in posting activity here over the next month.

John Stevens, LIVE AT THE PLOUGH (England, 1979). I get a lot of enjoyment from listening to John Stevens play the drums, but this isn’t one of the better discs I’ve heard. Very much a jam session feel, with the highly regarded Mike Osborne (as) and Paul Rogers (b) trotting out old workhorses like “Cherokee” and “Summertime”. “Cherokee”, incidently, is approached in a “theme / modal improv / theme” format that was disappointing. There isn’t much to recommend the song’s corny melody; traditionally it’s the tricky chord changes that interest jazz players. So to retain the former and dispense with the latter seems an odd move. Many better John Stevens recordings out there, I’d say.

Robert Plant, PICTURES AT ELEVEN (1982). I suspect that this album will at some point make a comeback with zepheads and rock aficionados. It’s got definite stylistic ties to IN THROUGH THE OUT DOOR (but better) and the jaunty stop-start rock of PRESENCE, after all. Percy’s in excellent voice, delivering some excellent whoops and hollers, and eschewing the orgasmic yelping that worked in the beginning of his Zeppelin career, but never after. Not only that, but one tune builds upon the faux-eastern motifs from “Kashmir”, Robbie Blunt plays some excellent rock guitar (and more Page-like in places than I had thought when I first heard the record as a teen and thought it was disappointingly un-Zeppelin), and Phil Collins sounds great making plenty of Bonham references. Had this on a tinny-sounding LP for many years, and finally bought the CD hoping it would be an improvement. It is.

Paladin, PALADIN (England, 1971). Pretty wildly uneven album, but it straddles the different styles of the time in an interesting way. Album opener “Bad Times” is, at its core, then-new hard rock, but the organ, hand drums and rhythms have a late 60s West Coast flavor. “Carry Me Home” shows Zeppelin influence in the organ and rhythm section (with a little “Whole Lotta Love” lick thrown in), but the song’s core and piano style hew closer to Faces / Stones territory. On top of that the vocals show some American roots influence, but with the systematized regularity of delivery that’s a hard rock hallmark. Side one closes with a dud instrumental (“Dance of the Cobra”) which features a drum solo (yawn). Side 2 starts with the fascinating “Third World” – which is real early for the punk sound its got. Latin hand drums, bass and a sort of male-Blondie “Man from Mars” rap eventually give way to a jazzy piano solo… weird, and cool. “Fill Up Your Heart” has a pedestrian verse, but the funky / hard rock / latin bridges and choruses redeem it. Goes on a bit long, and then an overcooked ending. “Flying High” is an odd amalgam of hard rock ballad and sunshine pop: a stinker. At its start, album closer “The Fakir” wouldn’t sound out of place on a Turkish psych compilation, but then a fiddle makes an appearance and they sound, for a second or two, like the Dixie Dregs. These guys ranged wide. Overall, can’t see rating the album over a 10 because of the low points, but “Bad Times” and “Third World” are especially worth hearing.

The Soft Machine – s/t. 1968. Japanese mini-LP. 11+12. My memory always tells me this is their psych album with not much in common to what they became a year later. But that’s really not the case at all. While there is some 60s “Laugh In” era sound bytes, most of SM’s debut still carries the jazz leanings mixed in with the psych plus plenty of wonderful fuzz organ solos. In the end, it can only be considered a classic.

Ben – s/t. 1971. 9+11. Proving once again that the bootleg vinyl of the 1980s probably did more to harm my appreciation of the fertile British scene than anything else. Not to say that this jazzy piece would’ve been to my liking given my heavily favored diet of symphonic prog at the time. The opening pieces pack the most wallop here, with strong Soft Machine styled rock through the jazz filter. The further it goes, the more it gets lost in trying to find a groove. Still, a wonderful piece and completely out of place on the otherwise heavy rock influenced Vertigo Swirl label.

Still Life – s/t. 1971. Japanese mini-LP. D: 11. Actually I had heard this in my initial discovery (around 1994 or so) of the rare early 70s UK rock scene. This one didn’t make an impact and I had a low impression of it. Not sure how I missed the boat then, as this fits perfectly with the others on the Vertigo label, except instead of guitar being the centerpiece, it’s the Hammond organ. Even better! The pacing can be a little slow, which is about the only thing keeping this from a classic rating.

Trifle – First Meeting. 1971. Japanese mini-LP. D: 10. Gritty UK horn rocker originally on Dawn, with tight sax and brass charts, organ, rhythm guitar and the expected BS&T like vocalist. Not as polished as Brainchild or as rocking as Heaven for example, more towards the R&B sound. A couple of gospel rockers keep this from the 11 level.

Novalis – Brandung. 1977. LP. D: 9. Though I’m claiming a debut listen here, not really the case. Picked this one up in the early 90s where many albums like this tended to blur together. I can see where this song-oriented piece would be totally lost on me in those exploratory times. But the German language works well here, even if in a more traditional rock setting. Still plenty of the extended melodic guitar/keys that make Novalis so endearing. That said, this is nowhere near the high level of the first 3 albums. Beautiful gatefold cover eases any reservations of a quick sell, and as a result, probably will not see a CD upgrade anytime soon.

Pancake – No Illusions. 1979. LP. D: 11. German symphonic that at this late date would normally cause a cringe. It’s been forever since I heard the previous 2, but I’d venture to say I would still appreciate this one more. The introduction of great female vocals helps plenty (and NOT in the usual ridiculous higher ranges nor the Joplin imitation bit). Fully loaded analog keyboard kit (‘tron, Hammond, Moog). Nice guitar leads played across 6 extended tracks. A real surprise winner that I’m sure Garden of Delights will get to soon.

Missus Beastly – s/t. 1974. 15=15. The evolution to a 15 is a strange phenomena. Like many albums at first glance, Missus Beastly’s second album struck me simply as better than average. That was over 10 years ago when I first heard it. As the years went by, something about the album kept drawing me to it. Over time, the album grew from 10 to 11 to 12 to 13 to 14 and, finally last year, a 15. Not all 15 grade albums take this long of course, but this is one of those albums that gets into your skin and just won’t let go. It’s now to the point where the measuring stick for all things jazz rock must go up against it. “Cosmic Dreams At Play” says of this album “uninspired slick fusion”, which could not be further from the truth, and as a result I diss the guide as “uninformed”. The drumming on here is amazing, jet propelled, sporadic and energetic. The piano playing is divine, frequently compared to McCoy Tyner’s best work (which I still need to investigate myself). The dual sax/flute combination drives the melody and solo lines – always in control, and tunes that are memorable long after the music has stopped. And now we finally can hear the masters tape version on CD, thanks to Garden of Delights. Comes with 4 bonus tracks, which shows a much rawer and looser Missus Beastly, still very engaging. And, according to the liner notes, we can look forward to an entire live broadcast also from 1974 with Eddy Marron (Dzyan, Vita Nova) on guitar. I can barely contain myself….

Vita Nova – s/t. 1971. 11+12.  And speaking of Vita Nova, a very timely random rotation pick. An album that I have a poor musical memory of, despite having owned it since this Garden of Delights CD came out circa 1995. Vita Nova were an international trio based in Munich, who’s sole album was released in Austria. Featuring Eddy Marron on guitar, who frequently plays with a psych edge, as well as plenty of great fuzzed out Clavinet, Hammond and pipe organ by Sylvester Lavay. Truly inventive rock with no real obvious comparisons. Vita Nova could be seen as the followup to Os Mundi’s psych influenced “Latin Mass” album. A superb album that deserved its reputation even when it only existed as a major $$$ LP. Liner notes reveal the biggest surprise: That keyboardist Lavay was behind the mid 70s disco group Silver Convention (best known for their hit “Fly, Robin, Fly” amongst others).