News: Zanov to begin reissuing back catalog!

More good news coming at the end of the year (and thanks to my readers for the heads up here). According to Zanov's Facebook page, he will begin a reissue campaign starting with his third album from 1983 called "In Course of Time". Zanov posts: "As I have many requests to release my vynils albums on CDs, I have started a project to remaster and release a limited edition of "In Course of Time", first quarter of 2015. If you are interested, please like this message. It will help me to decide how many I should manufacture.". So there you go. I've somewhat shunned Facebook over the years, so I do ask those of you who have an account, to run over there and "Like it". It's for a good cause! :-)

Of course, all of this activity is due to the return to the studio for Zanov. Today we have a dual posting with Under the Radar, to celebrate his first new album in 31 years!

Crystal Circus, USA (archival)

Crystal Circus - untitled. 1968 All-American

Here's another title that comes from the CD-R revisit project. I had started to enter this into the CDRWL about a month ago, when I began to discover that the album had never actually been released. After some research, it turns out I was correct. So like the Cathedral "Epilogue"album, this will be another archival release that we're requesting a CD for.

Ah, I can hear you already clamoring to get to your keyboard and write me a note. "No, Tom, you're wrong about this one. I've seen it and it has a title!" And indeed you have, I would respond. Which is why I hadn't even thought about the album much until last month. The working title of the album is "In Relation to Our Times", and it was released/named by Akarma.... for the first time ever in 2001. Dare I need say more? There is a demo copy that they got their hands on - and released it, without anything else other than a noisy tape and a nice cover. As far as I know this wasn't even pressed on wax initially. And if it was, no more than a handful were pressed. There's never been one for sale that I've ever seen in 25 years of pouring over rare catalogs.

Of course if the music wasn't very interesting, none of this would matter to me. But it is! Crystal Circus is one of the very rare bands from the 60's that really does remind one of Strawberry Alarm Clock (and both bands are from the Los Angeles area). As we've noted before, many dealers try in vain to make comparisons to the great SAC, only to have one scratching their head later and asking "Have you actually listened in full to"Incense and Peppermints" or "Wake Up... It's Tomorrow" before?". Crystal Circus has that same type of vibe, with wonderful harmonies, 60s sunshine naivete, and some great psych rock moments sprinkled throughout. Of course, it's not even close to the peaks of SAC, but anything within range of that great band is worthy of a proper issue.

Priority: 3

News: Avalanche coming out on CD from Guerssen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow.

It's Christmas Eve. It was already a festive evening, and I was off to bed... when I saw a little blurb come across the computer. NO WAY! Years and years and years of hoping this one would come out, but the band had always resisted. And now, it is official. I even bought an original LP at top market prices presuming it never would get a reissue. I suppose at this point, I probably never will sell that LP, but I can't wait to get this one on CD (and for vinyl heads, it is also getting pressed on wax).

Guerssen says: "Absolute masterpiece when talking about progressive / psychedelic folk-rock from Europe. Dutch band Avalanche was formed in the early 70s and recorded their only album in 1979. “Perseverance kills our game” was released as a private edition of 500 copies, which were only distributed among friends and relatives. Despite being a home-made project (the album was recorded in just one day!) the result was stunning. Totally early 70s sounding electric folk-rock with flute, piano, bass, drums, and killer fuzz guitar. Mostly instrumental with a few vocals in English. It alternates delicate acoustic passages with devastating fuzz leads, sounding like Fairport Convention jamming with early Ash Ra Tempel. The album closes with an extended 11 minute track on which guitar player Daan Slaman starts playing leads like a madman, creating layers and layers of liquid acid-fuzz guitar. It has to be heard to be believed! First ever LP / CD reissue, done in cooperation with the original band members. Insert / booklet with rare photos and liner notes by Richard Allen. Carefully remastered from original vinyl (the masters were destroyed long ago) using state-of-the-art equipment, resulting in stunning sound quality." 

This was one of our Priority 1's... Perhaps the best Christmas present for many of us, eh? :-)

Avalanche, Netherlands ***REISSUED***

Perseverance Kills Our Game. 1979 Starlet

***Reissued by Guerssen Jan 2015

Moved to UMR

Priority: 1

7/6/09 (new entry); 12/24/14 (complete)

Rudy Perrone, USA

Rudy Perrone - Oceans of Art. 1981 Heartstring Music

Here's one that goes under the heading of "oversight". I've had this on cassette, and later CD-R, for as long as I've been dubbing such things. In fact, this is on the same CD-R as the Cathedral - Epilog that I featured a few months back. That would be CDR #1 in my catalog. LOL.

In any case, I recently bought the LP (what you see above). It's a very rare album and the vinyl is near mint. And you can see the cover - a VG I would say.

Rudy Perrone was the original guitarist for Cathedral, and not surprisingly the music possesses some of the same sophisticated progressive rock you would expect. Of course, this being 1981, there are plenty of nods towards more current trends, and a bit of AOR as well. The music is lighter, with acoustic guitar playing a major role. A very good album that improves with each listen.

Priority: 2

Aurora Borealis with Mitch DeMatoff, USA

Aurora Borealis with Mitch DeMatoff - s/t. 1982 Red Hot

Here's one I've been sitting on for a looooong time. The AC sent me a CD-R all the way back in April of 2012! Once I heard it, I set about obtaining my own LP. As we learned from Landress-Hart, once an album gets into the CDRWL, the value can rise significantly. Not all albums of course, but ones like Aurora Borealis do! So I didn't want to miss out, because I quite enjoyed the music. I found one immediately, but the seller never responded. Then came the summer, and buying LPs here in Texas is extremely risky due to the oppressive heat (if the package gets any extended exposure to the sun, the vinyl will warp quickly). So I decided to wait until the Fall (still in 2012). And then.... I forgot all about it! The AC reminded me once again about it recently, and this time I did secure the album (in fact, it's the photo above). So onto the music....

The AC described it to me as: "Obscure fusion platter from this (presumably) Los Angeles based group led by keyboardist DeMatoff. Largely excellent high-flying instrumental fusion in the classic RTF mold. The last couple of tracks in particular are absolutely blazing, one of which features a guest spot by Bunny Brunel. Strongly recommended to fans of stuff like Proteus, Spaces, Apprentice, etc.". And really that's all there is to say. I could throw in perhaps Child's Play as another reference, an album we featured recently here. As well as Momentum, Genre, and others of its ilk. It's on the border of fusion and progressive rock. It starts more in a typical early 80s jazz rock mode, but as The AC notes, it really picks up from there. There's some smokin' guitar leads here!

Priority: 2

News: Materia Gris reissued on CD from Fonocal

Materia Gris - Ohperra Vida de Beto. 1972 Harvest (Argentina)

This one fell though the cracks mainly because I didn't realize it wasn't on CD already! I had the reissue LP (legit?) for many years and decided to move it out a few years back. And hadn't really thought about the album again. But now we for certain have a legit CD from the respected Fonocal label of Argentina, and they've added a few bonus tracks as well. It's a decent psych influenced / early progressive album. Certainly an album I would buy again if the right opportunity comes along.

Panko Musik, Germany ***REISSUED***

Weiles So Schon Perlt. Released on cassette in 1983 (1971 recording)

***Reissued by Garden of Delights Dec 2014

Moved to UMR

Priority: 2

6/8/09 (new entry); 12/15/14 (complete)

News: Garden of Delights to reissue Panko album soon!

Whew! A bit of relief here. It seemed Germany's best reissue label had disappeared into the ether without notice. This is the first we've heard from them since 2013. We had first announced that the Panko album had been added to their "Coming Soon" list back in Sept of 2012. So this is welcome news - and Panko is something I'm most interested in hearing what they will do with it. I just have a cassette dub (like everyone else I presume), and sonically it's pretty rough. Hopefully we'll see an improvement like we did with the Cosmic Circus tape. The music is outstanding, as would be expected from 1971 Germany. See below for label's description.

In addition to the Panko announcement, they are wrapping up their commitment to reissue Virus' "Thoughts" on CD as well. This will include the two bonus tracks that were also on the Long Hair LP reissue from last year. They're very short, so not worth getting for that alone, but I wouldn't mind upgrading my old Bernhard Mikulski CD from 23 years ago, and checking out their history section (which was also a nice addition to the LH LP).

GoD is also continuing to reissue their back catalog on LP, and they have a few titles selected. One curious one is the first Eela Craig, which they did in conjunction with Amber Soundroom about 10 years ago. I bought that one immediately, and it looked like a great investment, but it appears it may lose its value now with the new reissue (except for those that collect Amber Soundroom reissues I guess....). Oh well, I'm not selling mine in any case.

Still no word on the Missus Beastly "Space Guerillas" and Sunbirds "Zagara" reissues that were imminent two years ago. Hopefully they're still on the docket. I would love to get CDs of both of those.

Here's GoD's description of the Panko album: "Panko from West Berlin (not to be confused with the much later East-German band Pankow) musically reminds of Xhol Caravan or the early Embryo. The band mostly played long jazzy instrumental pieces, dominated by flute and alto saxophone, at times interrupted by mainly English vocals and some follies. The band existed from the late sixties 'til the end of 1972. During its active career the group didn't release any material, although they definitely had much potential. In 1983 their drummer (at last) released the cassette 'Weil Es So Schön Perlt'. This tape featured live recordings of good sound quality, dating from June 1971. Now here's a great CD-edition of that tape, enriched with two bonus tracks."

News: Guerssen to reissue MacArthur's debut album!

Really good news here. We heard from Ben MacArthur recently, via the comment section on this very blog, and he informs us that Guerssen will be reissuing their debut on both CD and LP in the coming months! For years it was presumed the album was from 1973, but about 3 years ago, we were informed it was from 1979. I'll be a first day buyer!

News: Audio Archives releases archival Wooden Lion album

Typical. Nothing interesting for weeks, and in comes at least two interesting releases on the same day (still researching here). I know nothing about this one beyond the hype sheet provided by the label. Sounds good on paper anyway! Label screams:

"One of the rarest previously unreleased heavy psych album from the early '70s UK underground by the original five-piece band. Painstakingly re-mastered from the only surviving acetate, you get long, tripped-out tracks with an early Hawkwind feel, toughened by dark vocals that combine to make this a cosmic-doom classic. Highlights include the atmospheric 'Ice Maiden', the spaced-out 'She Paints Strange Pictures' and their notorious tour de force, the lengthy three-part 'McAlistairess Phantoms'.

Plenty of rare band shots, items of memorabilia and detailed sleeve notes included in this long lost forgotten classic."

News: Pseudonym reissues 1973 Dutch folk pop psych album Mayfly

On the fringes of what the CDRWL typically covers, but I thought many of you would be interested in this announcement. Nice to see Pseudonym pressing on, and we can only hope they'll eventually tackle some of the more obscure Dutch rarities that remain without a CD reissue.

Label says: "Like the insect that gave them their name, the Dutch group Mayfly existed for just a short while before disappearing. In their brief lifespan, though, they recorded one truly magical and timeless album, along with a handful of singles, all beautifully crafted and imbued with beguiling atmospheres and melodies. Formed in the late 60s in the northern coastal town of Bergen, Mayfly recorded their self-titled album for Ariola in 1973, working with Wally Taxs producer Martin Duiser. The album now sees its first ever CD reissue, dynamically remastered from the original master tapes. The original cover artwork has been expanded into a deluxe digipak and booklet featuring rare photos and liners notes by Mike Stax with input from the original band members. The album is an enticing blend of folk-rock and psychedelic pop with shades of the Idle Race, the Kinks, Fairport Convention and the Beatles. This reissue features nine bonus tracks, two demos, the non-LP singles Orphan Girl, Skew-eyed Jimmy, Quite A Surprise & Signed By The Time plus two alternate 45 versions of the groups first single, that jaunty, Ray Davies-inspired Blue Sofa. Folk-rock, Psychedelic Pop. Exclusively restored dynamic 24 bit remastering from the original master tapes. Deluxe digipak gatefold sleeve. 16 page booklet including rare archival photos & memorabilia. Rare archival photos included. Liner Notes by Mike Stax / Ugly Things."