Cosmology, USA-Virginia

Cosmology. 1977 Vanguard

Following from my comment about the Vanguard label on the Flying Island entry, I did listen to The Open Window and Cosmology. The former I put in the main list, but this one is worth a separate entry I think.

Looking at the cover, you'd think this was an album from 1970. Those sideburns alone point to another era. Maybe they were friends with the English band First Aid, another anachronistic wonder from 1977. And musically it also points to a 1970 heritage. Produced by Collin Walcott (and he guests on sitar for one track), Cosmology is primarily an old fashioned horn rock album, though rooted in jazz fusion rather than pop rock. The lovely female vocals somewhat reminded me of both Quebec's Contraction and France's Cortex. But this isn't going to be on any hipsters A-list anytime soon. These guys are squares. But I found the myriad of styles at play here entirely refreshing - and completely unique. You'll see folks trying hard to get this one lumped in with the late 70s funk crowd, but good luck with that. I don't hear it myself. If any of this sounds good to you, pick this one up.

Priority: 3

3/24/11 (new entry)