News: Laser's Edge launches new reissue label!!

This is some news I've been sitting on for some time (well over a year). I think it's a fantastic idea, and I'm backing the project 100% for what Ken is doing here. And knowing Ken's tastes, you can rest assured many of the albums I have in this list will at least be considered. This is truly exciting news. The US has long been dormant for reissues, and it would be nice to have our own Garden of Delights and Long Hair. And I'm pretty sure Ken will consider albums from all over the world.

Here's the announcement from Ken plus an opportunity to name the label!

"I've had an idea in the back of my head for a number of years that I am finally bringing to fruition.

Many years ago I recognized that there are many great progressive albums that I've become familiar with that deserve attention but because they are obscure they don't stand much of a chance in the market as a full blown reissue.

So here's the deal…I am going to launch a new reissue label. The focus of the label will be on music from the 70s and 80s that has never been on CD before. The scope of the label will be anything that piques my interest that falls under the broad umbrella of progressive music. It could be symphonic rock, fusion, kosmigroov, electronic - its pretty much wide open.

The guidelines for the label will be as follows:

1. We will only work with original master tapes
2. Bob Katz will handle all mastering
3. Detailed liner notes and photos (whenever possible)
4. Packaging will feature Stoughton Printing mini-lp sleeves
5. Original artwork
6. The edition size will be limited to either 500 or 1000 copies depending on the title. We will specify the edition size at publication and not go beyond that regardless of the demand.

I have other ideas I'd like to implement if possible when we are ready to launch.

We already have settled on our first two releases (titles to be announced as soon as the ink is dry on the contracts).

Oh yeah…one other thing. They will be relatively expensive. Because of the costs involved with manufacturing such a small quantity these releases are going to be premium priced. They will only be available from select retailers and will not go through our normal distribution channels.

So here's the thing…I'm lousy at coming up with names for a label. If I had any flair for it I wouldn't have thought up "The Laser's Edge" 23 year ago.

I am launching a contest to name our new reissue label. The winner will receive gratis copies of our first four releases.

The rules are pretty simple. In the interest of transparency I would like all entries to be posted online on our forum. The winner will be notified by email on Monday, April 18th. Post as many as you like. Humorous submissions are OK but it won't bring home the bacon. Please include your email address somewhere in your post so we can contact you in the crazy chance you actually win.

I will be judge, jury, and executioner. If we don't receive any reasonable entries I reserve the right to thumb my nose at you.

Good luck!

Ken Golden

http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/lasers-edge/674611-new-lasers-edge-label-contest-launch.html "

News: Esoteric Mar-May 2011 releases

As usual, Esoteric has a fine batch of releases coming up. Most of these have been done prior, but as most of you already know, the Esoteric reissue is almost always an upgrade and is considered the definitive version. I've slowly been upgrading my own collection as needed.

The one thing that caught my eye is the unreleased Cologne concert by Tangerine Dream (on the Zeit reissue). I'm going to guess it's the 1972 concert known in the bootleg world as "Cologne WDR-Sendesaal". Does anyone know for sure? All live Tangerine Dream concerts before 1976 interest me, since they were entirely improvised and each features unique material.

Also worth noting that their version of "Poland" is the original full 2 LP set (and hopefully more), not the truncated one CD version (the Castle version chops off about 5-7 minutes from the original). I believe this is the first time it's been released as a double CD. This is the album that I began to lose interest with T Dream, but nostalgia is pulling me in, and I'll probably get this version myself. I sold the 2 LP set 20 years ago.

I'm also looking at their version of the German Armaggedon that came out on CD from Kuckuck a long time ago.

Here's the announcement in full (I did a small amount of editing):

"March:

VDGG-A grounding in Numbers(new studio album)
Tony Williams Lifetime-Emergency
Tony Williams Lifetime-Turn it Over
Crazy World of Arthur Brown - Strangelands (the lost album)
Illusion-Illusion
Illusion-Out of the Mist
Ray Thomas-Hopes and Fears (single edition)
Ray Thomas-From Mighty Oaks (single edition)
Armaggedon-s/t (Krautrock) --not to be confused with the English Armageddon which we also have on Esoteric
Tangerine Dream--Ride on the Ray 2CD slipcased (1980-1987)
Tangerine Dream-Sunrise in The Third system--2Cd slipcased (1970-1973)

April is as follows

Vangelis---L'apocalypse des Animaux (digipack , remastered by Vangelis)
Vangelis--Opera Suvage (digipack, remastered by Vangelis)
Jack Bruce-A question of Time (one of Jacks personal favourites and featuring GUEST MUSICIANS GINGER BAKER, TONY WILLIAMS, ALLAN HOLDSWORTH, BERNIE WORRELL, VERNON REID & ALBERT COLLINS
Tempest --Tempest
Tempest--Living in Fear (rather excellent quite heavy jazz rock with Jon Hiseman and crew)
Home--Home
Home-Pause for a Hoarse Horse
(I rather like the early Home albums--different from the Alchemist they are more comparable to an early Man around 1970/1971)
Dave Brock--Earthed to the Ground--1st solo album from 1984 for the HAWKs front man.

We had originally announced La Fete Sauvage alongside the other 2 Vangelis albums but this has been put on hold temporarily whilst some issues are sorted out on this particular title.

May is as follows

Tangerine Dream--Zeit, deluxe 2 CD of this classic with a bonus unreleased live concert from Cologne and restores the double album in full. (please note there will also be a huge expanded edition of this in early June with the deluxe 2CD a vinyl album with the resoted insert, postcards and a large book) This will retail around the £50 mark , so if you are a huge TD fan, you may want to wait till full details of this are announced.

Tangerine Dream-Poland, deluxe 2CD of this classic from 1984. Full unedited version.

Manticore Anthology set--Envelopes of Yesterday. 2Cd set This will include tracks from ELP and Greg Lake and other acts we have not reissued such as Thee Image and Hanson as well as PFM, Banco, pete Sinfield etc.

Hawkwind_Distant Horizons

Isotope-Isotope
Isotope-Illusion (getting confusing with all the releases we have named Illsion)
Isotope--Deep End
(again classic strong jazz rock) with Gary Boyle

Gary Brooker - Lead Me to the Water----- Fine second solo album from the Procol Harum front man , the record was a fine effort which featured a host of Brookerâs friends as guests including Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Phil Collins, Albert Lee. 2 bonus tracks. "

News: Archival release by Fox (post Day Blindness) coming soon

It's been kind of slow on the news front this year (though I'm sitting on some great news from various labels that I'm bursting to share, but have been sworn to secrecy by all parties). As an aside, the Soleil Zeuhl albums we mentioned last year just came out (though no word yet on Bringolf's "Vision").

Anyway, onto the news. I saw this in the latest Clearspot newsletter. Looks like it could be interesting. Day Blindness should have been better than it was, and this looks more jam oriented which could be excellent. I guess we'll see. It's coming out on RD Records by the end of April.

Label says: "An unreleased album from this post "DAY BLINDNESS" band, recorded in 1969/70. This album is a heavy bluesy psychedelic masterpiece of the highest order. It is virtually the second "DAY BLINDNESS" album with slight personal changes, but musically in a more heavy psychedelic direction. The lead guitarist Gary Pihl is well known today for being the guitar player of BOSTON. Here he plays an amazing psychedelic guitar and it reminds us in parts of the mighty MARIANI's "Perpetuum Mobile" album. Superb bass guitar by Johnny V. Vernazza and crazy drums by Roy Garcia, who later went to play with the legendary band GOLD (of Rockadelic Records fame!). Only one 45 single was ever released of those fantastic sessions on "Studio 10", and the single is mega rare these days. A treasure lost at the time which we are very pleased to present to you today!!! CD FEATURES 2 Long (20 Minutes!!!) Bonus Tracks" (I had no idea until now that the current Boston guitarist came from Day Blindness.)

News: Karma releases archival Mermaid

I don't know much about this one, but saw it in the Shiny Beast update this morning, and it looked like it could be cool. RYM shows that it was released in 2008, but with a more elaborate title. I don't know if it actually did come out then though. I haven't seen it anyway.

Karma Records says this about it: "History: After Burning Red Ivanhoe had stopped, Karsten Vogel (saxophone, keyboards) felt something new should happen. The first fusions bands appeared on the international scene, - inspired by this Karsten Vogel would make a band with direction towards a more modern sound. In the end this resulted in Secret Oyster, but before that Mermaid was put to sea. In many ways Mermaid was a perfect band: A mix between two famous Danish bands: Young Flowers, from where Peter Ingemann (bass, vocal) and Ken Gudmann (drms) was recruited, and Burnin Red Ivanhoe: Karsten Vogel and Ole Fick (guit, voc).

However the fortune was not in favor for the band. Their debut concert was hampered by bad acoustics, nerves and Karsten Vogel’s 40 degrees fever. Also the times had changed, not yet to fusion-power-rock but towards political correct rock.
After this start, the band took off for a longer tour in Norway. This tour was indeed very successful, and the band, now with drummer Claus Sarup, fulfilled every expectations.

Back to Denmark: Again it was difficult to maneuver through the musical landscape. The medias was prefixed on other things. After a few concerts, the band was stopped in Nov. 1974. Only one year after the start.

Now, more than 30 years later, Karsten Vogel found some tapes. Some was recorded by Denmark's Radio (in Denmark), some was private recordings (from Norway). These tapes present the first “Supergroup” in Denmark and the material is outstanding. Later followed Secret Oyster, but that’s another story."

News: Muck Grohbian's debut album to come out on Long Hair

I suppose it was inevitable, as Long Hair has already reissued many archival Aera albums, that they would also take on leader Muck Grohbian's rare debut album "Muckefuck". I learned this while inspecting the Aera Bavarian Radio CD's, also by Long Hair (they state to look for the Groh album in the Spring of 2011).

4/25/11 update: Looks like the album will be released in May of 2011. Here's what the label has to say: "Originally released in 1979, these recordings show the first solo efforts by formerly Aera leader, guitar player and composer Muck Groh. But in fact this album wasn't a solo album but could be described at the third Aera album of Aera's first decade line-up. All those great musicians like sax player Klaus Kreuzeder, drummer Wolfgang Teske, violinist Christoph Krieger and a lot of guest musicians like Alto Pappert (formerly Kraan) and Aeras second decade musicians like Matz Steinke on bass and Limbus on percussions contributed to this great album. The first 4 titles on the CD (formerly A-Side of the album) are in the tradition of the second album "Hand und Fuß". "Psychochinese im Stanzwerk" reminds to Amon Düül's Deutsch-Nepal. For the first time Muck Groh uses vocals in his compositions in a folky style and "Blinde Kuh" reminds a little bit to the early German new wave bands like Spliff or Nina Hagen Band. All in all this album shows many facets of Muck Grohs composer abilities and convinces with its clever arrangements. CD comes with comprehensive booklet with rare and unseen photos and there are 8 bonus tracks taken from a concert from 1981. "