The Forum Quorum, USA-New York

The Forum Quorum. 1968 Decca

The Forum Quorum is a way cool psych album from New York City area teenagers. They exclusively used Vox Continental organs, and were in fact sponsored by the company. They also made a couple of appearances on the Mike Douglas Show. And, on top of that, they also appeared in a movie. In a lot of ways, they were the East Coast equivalent to the Strawberry Alarm Clock, especially when you consider the amount of flute they employed. They didn't quite have the songwriting skills, or the master of harmony, as did SAC but otherwise a much better than average pop psych album, with plenty of progressive touches.

---1/15/24

In hearing my LP again for the first time in over a decade, this is one of those albums where you question yourself, as each track opens, "Is it really that good?" But as the songs develop you're drawn in by the diverse instrumentation and quality songwriting. Unlike a lot of 60s pop psych, the compositions are not static and demonstrate a progressive nature. I didn't mention the electric bouzouki prior, but that's another distinguishing characteristic. The Forum Quorum definitely display a Mediterranean background, consistent with being from the borough of Queens. Very solid album that remains under the radar.

Priority: 2

12/30/10; 1/15/24

Skyeros, USA-Missouri

Skyeros. 1975 private

Skyeros (from Farmington, Missouri) reminds me a lot of another band we featured a few days ago - Luna Sea. Both are from the Midwest, and pretty much play in a straightforward rock style with a rural tinge. But whereas Luna Sea dedicated all of Side 2 to their more progressive ambitions, Skyeros waited until the final lengthy track, and even at that, it's marginally progressive. A few changes here and there, but it's pretty conservative. Some nice organ and guitar work can be found on this track. Doesn't really fit the "Midwest progressive" sound that we feature quite a bit here. This one is more rock / AOR oriented. 

This album came in courtesy of Heavyrock's collection, and from that we learn the album was recorded at Golden Voice Studios, which is in Pekin, Illinois (near Peoria). The studio is not a stranger to fans of the Midwest progressive crowd, as its where Pentwater, Starcastle's debut, and Styx's Man of Miracles laid down their recordings. Fellow St. Louis based rock group Head East also recorded there.

Priority: none

12/30/10

Cosmic Eye, England

Dream Sequence. 1972 Regal Zonophone

Cosmic Eye's sole album is a fascinating hybrid of Indo-jazz and instrumental rock. Plenty to go 'round of sitar, flute, hand percussion, electric guitar, etc... That probably reads like an exploitation album, or even a film library soundtrack, and it can fit comfortably into either of those sub-genres. However, the album works surprisingly well as a continuous whole.

Priority: 3

***Reissued by The Roundtable on LP (2018)

12/29/10

The Collective Star, USA-New York

Music of the Mantric Wave, Part II. 1974 Unaminous Anonymous
Garuda. 1975 Unaminous Anonymous

The Collective Star is keyboardist Paul Ramana Das Silbey's first foray into recorded music, while still a resident of New York City. Today, now a resident of the California Bay Area, he is known as a "romantic classical concert pianist". The Collective Star is what I'd call proto New Age music. Plenty of what we would now call "world music" presents itself, via eastern instrumentation and scales (hand percussion, sitar, etc...). Lots of period lyrics full of love and peace. Honestly music like this can be very interesting, and I think in the formative stages - as is the case here - it was. It sounds more authentic and heartfelt than the sanitized gloss we've been subjected to since the 1980s. There's quite a bit of edge in the jam sessions (acoustic guitar, flute, piano, organ), which adds points. Maybe even a little anger that hasn't quite been purged from the soul yet. Not exactly Popol Vuh when looking for "higher key" sounds, but that's not a bad benchmark either. Also fellow New Yorker's Arica may have played an influence here.

Priority: 3

12/28/10; 2/4/20

Zadri & Mo, France

Erebus. 1982 Polydor

Zadri & Mo, despite looking like the bad guys in a Luc Besson film, have created quite an exquisite analog electronic album before the market became saturated with third rate amateur done-in-the-bedroom digital variations. Not only is there a duo on keys and sequencers (and that extra person definitely adds to the creativity), they also brought along Heldon's drummer François Auger for the ride. And he adds an urgency to the proceedings, just as he did for Richard Pinhas. Erebus continually changes in a progressive rock sort of way, never settling too long on any one sequence. Real drums in an electronic setting has always been appealing to me, and there aren't that many examples. So file this along with Klaus Schulze's Moondawn, Klaus Krüger era Tangerine Dream/Edgar Froese, You's Electric Day, and Wolfgang Bock's Cycles. Or imagine Zanov with another synthesist and analog drums. Despite the listing of a guitar player, he unfortunately doesn't make his presence felt. A rave up ala Pinhas would've put me under for good I think...

Thanks again to the AC for this one (I later picked up the LP).

Priority: 2

12/27/10

Getriebe, Germany

Syncron. 1975 Pauer (EP)

Here we have about a 17 minute EP, long enough for a one sided LP. Getriebe was lead by Detlev Schmidtchen, future keyboardist for none other than Eloy starting on the Dawn album and ending with Silent Cries and Mighty Echoes (and then left to form the rather lackluster Ego on the Rocks). Ironically, Getriebe will remind listeners of Inside or Floating era Eloy (and the CDRWL's favorite period for Eloy) more so than the streamlined and sophisticated Dawn and beyond albums. In fact, Getriebe sound like many of the organ lead German bands from 1971. The same off-key blues vocals in English, heavy guitars, fat bass and thudding drums. And that one critical component: Hammond organ. The AC informs us: "Detlev Schmidtchen formed this group in 1971 in Hanover, and in 1975 they won some local band competition called "Pop '75". The prize was time in a local recording studio, where they recorded "Syncron" (so it is from '75, and not '72 as I've seen listed elsewhere). Apparently, they also won the chance to have dinner (?!) with Eloy, who were the guest headliners at this competition/festival. This led to Eloy poaching Schmidtchen for themselves, which caused Getriebe to break up on the spot." 

Priority: 2

12/25/10

Luna Sea, USA-Nebraska

Luna Sea. 1976 Luna Tunes

Well, this really is lunacy. About as dramatic a difference in A-side, B-side as the Eik - Speglun album.

This is a newly discovered rarity out of Nebraska, that's just starting to make the rounds. Interesting to note that Queen used the exact painting on their 1991 "Innuendo" album, except in color (thanks Waxidermy for that info!).

This is another rarity sent in from The AC. I thought he did a magnificent job at describing the album, so take it away AC:

"It's the lone private press LP by an almost totally unknown US band named Luna Sea. They were from Blair, Nebraska of all places, but the album was recorded in Iowa. The first side is going to really test your willpower, as it's just straight radio-rock a la the Eagles, so you'll just have to "man-up" and slog through it. There is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, though, because side 2 is totally different. Suddenly the synths appear, and things start getting a lot more interesting. It starts out in a still fairly accessible style, but things get proggier literally by the minute, until the last track "Rousing The Ghost", which is a fantastic piece of instrumental symphonic prog with great guitar, keys, and even a little flute. Oh, and be sure to stay tuned for the unlisted (and totally stupid) outro! A completely schizophrenic album, but even the band seemed to know this as they named the first side the "Light Side" and the second side the "Dark Side"! Hard to tell what they were really trying to accomplish here. But, such is the nature of the US underground. One part confusion and one part inspiration. I guess that's kind of the charm! In any case, this thing is seriously rare. It only first emerged onto the collector scene within the last year or two, and since it was first discovered only like two or three copies have popped up." 

So very true on the question "what are they trying to do here?". It was very typical for bands in the 1970's to try for a radio hit while mixing in their progressive rock ambitions. That strategy never did work.

One of those bands you just hope has more on tape somewhere, to make for a truly great album. The last track is brilliant but Side 1 is indeed dreadful...

Be sure to read insights from friends of the band in the comments section!

Priority: none (way higher if they have unreleased material like Side 2)

12/24/10

Genre, USA-New Mexico

Commercial Success. 1978 Black Gold

Now here's one that was buried deep in my LP collection. I first discovered this one while on a record buying trip in 1992 to Albuquerque with my old buddy Purple Peak Jeff. At one store there was a pile of sealed local albums, almost all of them pop or country. But this fusion album looked like it was worth taking a chance on - so we did. One reason is that we were both looking for the hard rock Message It'll Be Awhile album (also on Black Gold).

Lead by the guitarist - a slightly chunky black dude with a cool fro - named L.A. Jenkins, Genre play a fairly typical late 70's fusion with toned down guitar leads and Rhodes piano as the lead instruments. While Side 1 isn't particularly noteworthy, Side 2 opens with the excellent 'All Mixed Up' where Jenkins lets loose with a more psychedelic tone to the guitar. And this continues throughout the side, though the standard fusion motif is never strayed from too far.

---

8/22/24 - The reputation of this album has skyrocketed since I first penned these notes.

Priority: 2

Akropolis, Denmark

Half A Million Hours Symphony. 1979 Circle

What says PROG like that cover, eh? The dude in the white overalls gives me nightmares. Was he auditioning for The Village People before the photo shoot?

This is one that Midwest Mike sent in, but I put it off thinking perhaps he lost his mind. He swore it was much better than it looked. And, as usual, he was right.

In fact, while listening to it, I began to question if Denmark had cities named Toledo, Detroit, Kansas City, Columbus and Ft.Wayne. Blindfold me, tell me nothing else, and I say 1978 Midwest progressive rock. You know, it's just got that sound. The one where St. Louis college aged students, who've been drinking a case of Falstaff and listening to KSHE past midnight - decide to start a band. One of those albums that makes no sense, but it's really good for fans of American progressive rock. Seriously, file next to Albatross, Ethos and Surprise.

If someone does the reissue, one would hope for a redesigned album cover. I'm sure there is a story behind it. At least I HOPE there is a story behind it. 

Priority: 2

12/22/10

Opus III & Friends, Sweden

Opus III & Friends. 1970 Sonet

What strikes me most about Opus III & Friends is how much it reminds me of an American album circa 1970 as found on labels like Paramount, Rare Earth, and ABC. It actually sounds like a horn rock album - without the horns if that makes sense. But the compositions have that similar flavor about them. It's clearly a post psychedelic release and many elements of that genre are present, most fortuitously on a couple of the guitar solos spread throughout the eight tracks here. The instrumental songs go for a quiet introspective electric guitar trio sound. Which is a logical conclusion when you realize the band is headed up by no less a luminary than the legendary guitarist Jan Schaffer. And the Friends part of the moniker includes none other than Bjorn J-Son Lindh on piano and flute. This is definitely not the subversive underground Sweden of Parsson Sound, International Harvester, Algarnas Tradgard, and Flasket Brinner. Not much is unfortunately. 

Priority: 3

Another AC contribution. I acquired the LP reissue since.

***Reissued on LP by the parent label on RSD (4/20/13)

12/21/10

Train, Germany

Coo-Coo Out. 1977 private

German band Train puts the jazz in jazz fusion. Mostly this is sax and toned down guitar driven jazz rock. But there's also some acoustic guitar pieces, and the opener 'Solution' is pure funk. The best track is saved for last, a slow atmospheric exotic percussive Middle Eastern piece with flute as the lead, appropriately enough titled 'Arabesque'.

Recommended to fans of the jazzier side of the large German fusion scene.

Train is another rarity sent in from The AC.

Priority: 3

12/20/10

Working Progress, France

Working Progress. 1975 RCA

We have a new patron of the CDRWL - The Alaskan Connection (later known as The AC and is featured heavily from 2011-2015). And here's his first submission. I wasn't familiar with it prior, not even on one of my many esoteric want lists. And of course guess who's involved? None other than Mr. Obscuria himself - J.P. Massiera. Also the ubiquitous drummer Andre Ceccarelli.

This one starts off in the funky fusion style, but it's a head fake, something you can almost predict with Mr. Massiera. Within the album you'll find sweetly sung soft female vocals ala Cortex, indigenous islander music, a little Zeuhlish horns - flute and vocal piece, and even some straight jazz. For certain, all of that is fine and dandy, but it doesn't prepare you for the middle of the album with the lengthy West Indies tribal percussion and underground fuzz guitar soloing. This sequence elevates the album to a must listen experience, even it's not entirely consistent.

Priority: 2

12/19/10

The Albert, USA

The Albert. 1970 Perception (plp 4)
The Albert. 1970 Perception (plp 9)

And the award for most confusing discography goes to.... The Albert! Two albums, both self-titled, same year, and on the same label. Yea, that makes it easy to research.

The Albert definitely fall on the soul-jazz/pop side of the horn rock equation. But there's some really fine horn charts, hard guitar, and organ that separate this one from the pack. Also check out the well done sax and trumpet solos. So not the best the genre has to offer, but fans of same will want to investigate.

Priority: none

12/17/10

Profil, Germany

For You. 1982 Brutkasten

We've posted on the Brutkasten label before. It's the original German DIY label, like France's FLVM. So there's really no consistency to what's on it - a true grab bag of styles. After listening to Profil for the first time on Saturday, I'd say it's in the top four albums I've heard on the label to date, along with Sirius' Running to Paradise, Gebärväterli's Im Tal der Emmen and the label's most famous underground album - Carol of Harvest.

Profil can be simply described as instrumental rock driven by guitar and synthesizer. But what I found fascinating was how expressive the guitarist is, and the choice times when the synthesizer would lay down a fat solo. And the tracks seem to extend longer than usual, but with an irregular rhythm giving off a trance like effect. There's little variation of this sound, save a couple of tracks, including one funky bit. I've been trying to think of a comparison for 3 days now. About the best I can come up with is the debut of Flaming Bess (Tanz Der Gotter) minus the narration parts of course. You know how that album just keeps driving forward, with guitar solo after guitar solo. It's kind of like that. Despite the rather simplistic and generic description, Profil's album is somewhat unique in this space. 

Priority: 2

12/15/10

Gian Piero Pramaggiore, Italy

Chan. 1982 Mama Barley

Chan features primarily acoustic guitar, soprano sax, and a variety of flutes in a rock setting along with some wordless voice. Definitely a variation on the post 70s jazz fusion display. A good album, with a high energy level. It appears that Pramaggiore is currently active in conducting music workshops.

Priority: 3

12/11/10

Awake (Rino de Filippi), Italy

First Born. 1972 Smash. Reissued as Riflessi under the name Rino de Filippi (1978 Edipan).

To me this sounds like an Italian film library album, for which there are dozens. It has that cool 60's jet-set jazz funk feel - music for the martini drinking James Bond crowd. The thing is, many of these library albums went by different titles and artist names.

---

For a long while we could not find any data about this album which we thought the band name was First Born.

Augusto Croce, author of the the Italian Prog site, later discovered more info about the album. And I  was right - it sure enough is a film library album. The artist is Rino de Filippi, going by what appears to the name of Awake. I can't tell by the front cover, but Augusto tells us: "The author is Rino De Filippi, a library music composer using the nickname Awake in this case. The album was released on Smash, a minor label that also issued the rare album by I Boom."

Today (8/22/24), Discogs has complete info about the album and the artist who went on to release at least four more albums.

Priority: none

***Reissued on LP (the Riflessi issue) by Sonor Music Editions (2015).

12/10/10

Ada le Fol, France

Les Années d'Errance. 1980 Velia Disques

Ada le Fol is another example of the groups* of the French underground that played in that unique theatrical progressive rock style made so popular by Ange and Mona Lisa. Les Années d'Errance is more underproduced and amateurish, just as like-minded bands such as Trefle and Grime are, but that's honestly where the appeal lies. It's creativity at its most raw. The vocalist here does a fine job at the Decamps style, while the keyboards and guitar keep the progressive quotient alive. 

The album starts a bit tentatively and seems to be on a hard downhill slope with a throwaway good-times rock and roller (the awful 'Les Bons Conseils'), But starting with the non-bluesy 'Breizh Blues', the album proves to be a strong example of the French vocal-prog style.

*I didn't realize until getting this on LP, that Ada le Fol is a person. As it turns out, it's a pseudonym for a one Alain Rouquette. We made the change on Discogs as well, as it's a little known fact. Despite this tidbit, it remains a full band effort.

Priority: 2

12/8/10; 1/15/22

Metronic Underground, Germany

Illusion (Electronic aus Bonn). 1981 private

Produced by Conny Plank, this is an excellent entry into the large scale German electronic scene. Not really a Berlin School album, though some rhythmic sequencing is present, but still very much informed by late 70's Berlin based artists like Edgar Froese (especially Ages), Ash Ra around the time of New Age of Earth, and Klaus Schulze circa X. Haunting synthesizers with THAT vibe combined with lightly sprinkled fuzzed and acoustic guitars makes for an album the CDRWL recommends. Side 2 of the album shifts gears a bit and features some vocal numbers that are quite a bit different than the other contents but are strangely engaging all the same. 

Priority: 2

12/6/10

Mediterraneo, Spain

Estrechas Calles De Santa Cruz. 1978 Aphrodita

It's been years since I had heard this album. I had the LP in the early 90s, but didn't enjoy it much then, and promptly sold it (and it's always been a rare piece). Then totally forgot about it until recently. Musically, it's a bit of a disappointment if you're looking for Spanish regional influences. In fact, some of this reminds me of the slow moving German symphonic music of the day (Shaa Khan, Albatros, Indigo, etc...). There's also an impossibly long drum solo that ruins the flow. There are some nice guitar leads in the Camel vein, though, that makes it worth a listen or two. Starting with their second album Tabarca, the band moved into a more specific pop direction, and released five more albums. 

Priority: none

12/5/10

I.D. Company, Germany

I.D. Company. 1970 HorZu

Split album between two soon-to-be well known female vocalists. Side 1 features Frumpy's Inga Rumpf and her masculine vocal style. The music is a combination of blues, jazz, and Indian music - and sounds like some of the better moments of Krokodil's An Invisible World Revealed. Dagmar Krause's side is considerably more experimental, foreshadowing her later work with Slapp Happy, Art Bears, and Henry Cow among others. The music follows in a similar manner, and is clearly going for a free jazz sound. It's all a bit much to be honest, but fans of unhinged music + vocals will love it. 

Priority: none

12/2/10

Heavy Joker, Denmark

Heavy Joker. 1976 Polydor

Peter Klixbull and Heavy Joker - Jumbo. 1977 Polydor 
Caesar's Palace. 1978 Mercury

Earlier this year (in 2010 that is), I'd heard Caesar's Palace for the first time. I quickly dismissed it as an all too typical fusion album of the era, describing it as thus: "Warm and slick, this smooth jazz album is similar to the American group Spyro Gyra. Presumably the first album is considerably better, but I haven't heard it." 

Midwest Mike pointed out to me that the first album was indeed much better, and so he sent me a cdr to see if I agreed with him. Wow - what a difference! Opening with a Canterbury like sequence, I knew instantly he was to be right. The next couple of tracks would foreshadow the direction they would follow on Caesar's Palace, with some slick playing and somewhat trite melodic interplay. But they close side 1 similar to how it began in superb fashion. This leads to the excellent side long track broken up into 4 movements, that recalls some of the finest Kraut fusion bands (Missus Beastly, Frob, Kraan, etc..) while still maintaining the Soft Machine/Nucleus approach of quirky sophistication. Overall, a very pleasant surprise.

Priority: 2

12/1/10

Games, USA-California

Stargazer. 1977 Cascade Court

Los Angeles based group who pretty much stick to the progressive oriented AOR album formula, like their Midwest brethren to the north. The music also recalls the all female UK group Mother Superior, which was reissued on the Audio Archives label a few years back. And, on my last listen, I picked up a whiff of classic Alan Parsons Project. Overall, a mix of complex progressive and more pop oriented material

Priority: 3

11/30/10

The Facedancers, USA-Pennsylvania

The Facedancers. 1972 Paramount

There really is no album like The Facedancers, an obscure progressive rock band from the Philadelphia area (locale recently confirmed from various postings on YouTube). Typical of the Paramount aesthetic, The Facedancers were an eclectic bunch, that had no real identity, though to be sure it was probably the label's most purely progressive rock act (besting the also varied Baxter album). They use harmony vocals and have a slight folky and bluesy touch to their songwriting. But most of the songs feature long and complex instrumental breaks, that sound like they came right out of the early 1970's northern European scene with flute, electric guitar, and organ. The guitarist plays in a decidedly psychedelic manner throughout. Excellent album overall.

Priority: 2

11/29/10

Den Za Den, Macedonia

Den Za Den. 1980 RTV Ljubljana

Funny, as the data I had on this was it was released in 1977 and from Montenegro. I have no idea where I got that notion, as I cannot find any reference for either. In studying my LP copy there is no mention of the date, and the album was released by the Slovenian branch of the various state labels. But plenty of internet references clearly point Den Za Den as being from Macedonia, and many of them also call out a similar sound to that country's most known group: Leb I Sol.

Personally I don't hear it so much, as Den Za Den are way more fiery, with a stronger melodic sense. Still there's no denying the late 70's fusion sound. What separates Den Za Den from the pack is the exceptional guitarist, the distinct melodies, and perhaps best of all, the insane drumming along the lines of Arti + Mestieri. I'm a sucker for active drummers, so I naturally rate this one higher than other fusion albums of the era. Maybe Slovakia's Fermata is the closest comparison amongst the usual suspects like Mahavishnu Orchestra and Weather Report. Like most East Euro LP's, the sound quality is extremely muddy. Experience has shown the master tapes are well preserved, so a CD reissue is likely to raise the rating another point. This one desperately could use a reissue.

Priority: 1

11/27/10

Celluloid, USA-Connecticut

Neptune. 1983 Wax Museum Art Corps
Mercury. 1983 Cindicate

Celluloid is the non de plume of Chuck Minuto. Neptune is entirely performed on mellotron and thus sounds like a mellotron sampler album, especially considering the number of tapes used. Mercury is slightly more diverse, but still heavily focused on the mellotron. Unless you can't get enough of the instrument, these albums are hard to recommend. Even more strange is these were released in the early 80s, when everyone was ditching the heavy analog equipment. 

Priority: none

***There exists a cdr comp of both albums. Not sure how legit it is.

11/25/10

Bounty, USA-California

Bounty. 1977 H-Arts

Bounty's sole work is a strong all instrumental progressive rock album from southern California, with grand piano and mid 70s synthesizers as the primary leads. Some accent guitar along with a crack rhythm section round out the instrumentation. Reminds me most of the Another Roadside Attraction album from Canada, with a touch of Graced Lightning and Italy's Festa Mobile. And naturally ELP should be called out as well. According to the backside of the LP, side one's sole track is from 1977 and is only 11 minutes whereas side 2 is a more traditional 20 minutes and the two compositions date back to 1975 (but recorded in '77).

---9/7/22

In hearing the album again last night for the first time since, that pretty much sums it up and my rating remains the same. It's borderline jazz fusion, but really belongs to the category of symphonic fusion - which I consider progressive rock. The piano and synthesizer are the highlights, and the rare guitar display adds points.

Priority: 2

11/24/10; 9/7/22

After Life, France

Cauchemar. 1975 Discophon

After Life were a French group whose only album gained a release in Spain. As for the music, it’s one of those baffling albums. On the plus half, there’s a haunting progressive laced sound, with that doomy vibe only the French seem to conjure up. Recalls first album East of Eden or The Visitors, and the vocalist has that gruff voice which is very similar to the guy from Alusa Fallax. Most of these are sung, whispered, or narrated in French. The Visitors influence is not that surprising when one learns that the master of all things obscure is involved: J.P. Massiera. On the downside, and I mean really down, there’s these godawful rock-n-roll tracks, like Bad Company playing the most insipid Bachman Turner Overdrive tunes. Complete with honky-tonk piano, harmonica, and badly accented English vocals. It’s not a good A-side, bad B-side situation, but rather they are intertwined for an entirely frustrating listen.

***Reissued on LP by Wah Wah (2005)

Priority: none

11/23/10

Alpha du Centaure, France

Contact. 1979 Spirals

Imagine if Jimi Hendrix played in front of a jazz rhythm duo. Wild fuzzy wah wah guitar screaming over stand-up bass and scattered jazz drumming. If only the guitarist played that way for the entire duration - that would be some album! There's also some typical jazz guitar and on those cuts, you'll be wishing you had your Grant Green albums handy instead. 

Priority: 3

11/22/10

Brèche, Canada-Quebec

Carapace et Chair Tendre. 1979 La Tamanoir

Uplifting progressive folk rock with a multitude of acoustic instruments like guitar, flute, violin. Recalls other similarly minded Quebec groups like Connivence, Harmonium, Les Karrik, and label mates L'Engoulevant. Maybe Malicorne as well from the mother country.

Priority: 3

11/5/10

Crossfire, Australia

Crossfire. 1975 Harvest

With the soprano sax, and occasional hard guitar lead, Crossfire brings to mind the German group Aera, or maybe a slightly less rocking Secret Oyster. Fellow Australians Mackenzie Theory could almost be sited as a reference, though trading the violin in for soprano sax. All instrumental save the last track (and the vocals proved to not be a good idea). 

Crossfire went on to release at least seven (?) further albums starting in 1978, presumably even more fusion oriented than their debut. I have not heard any of these to date.

Priority: 2

11/4/10

Dizzy Bats, Switzerland

The Light and the Dark. 1974 Swiss Records

One of many records to be compared to an "x Placebo" where x = country of execution. In this case we supposedly have the Swiss Placebo (though I thought Lost Peace was closer in style). Still a pleasant bit of instrumental jazz funk with funky bass, sax, flute, etc... - speaking of which, there are a couple of flute driven numbers that do indeed recall Marc Moulin's bunch.

Priority: 3

11/3/10

Fourth Sensation, Italy

Fourth Sensation. 1970 Ricordi

Fourth Sensation were a mysterious Italian group from the late 60s (who apparently were related to The Pleasure Machine), and who released this one sole album. Overall it's a somewhat typical instrumental psych/blues/jazz rock hybrid. Roller rink organ dominates, and this sound is combined with half Les Paul era non-distorted electric leads... and half way-out psychedelic fuzz guitar. This is precisely the kind of music that would be used in those party sequence shots of an old Streets of San Francisco episode. All good fun, though nothing extraordinary like Braen's Machine Underground, or even Blue Phantom, both recording under similar auspices in Italy during this time. Ties closest musically to The Psycheground Group or The Underground Set I'd submit.

***Reissued by Cinedelic on LP (2017).

Priority: 3

11/1/10

Pulse, USA-Connecticut

Pulse. 1968 Poison Ring

Pulse are a heavy blues rock band from New Haven, Connecticut. I particularly enjoy the heavy tone coming from the guitar and the appropriate-for-the-genre gruff voice. There's quite a bit of harmonica to sit through, which is unfortunately one of my least favorite instruments. For the style, Pulse is a cut above the norm. Some of the tracks are lengthy and as such, they’ll throw in a creative idea or two with respect to composition and instrumentation. 

Priority: none

***Reissued on LP by Out-Sider 2023

12/14/13

Grim Reaper, Germany

We Were All Fools. 1979 Brutkasten

Brutkasten is sort of Germany's DIY label, similar to France's FLVM, England's multitude of 99 only releases, and America's 1970s tax dodge loophole labels (Guiness, Dellwood). There was no consistency to what was on Brutkasten, and one can find anything from acid folk rock (Carol of Harvest), Genesis inspired symphonic (Sirius), basement hard rock (Black Spirit, P205) and onto German pop and schlager music. Grim Reaper fits the mold perfectly. The music is sort of an American inspired hard rock, but with some old sounding organs recalling other German bands like Air or Erlkoenig. The production is pure amateur basement. Not a whole lot to latch onto here, except there are some nice melodic guitar leads that seem to imply that Grim Reaper did at least possess some talent, if not a lot of imagination. There's some nice Moog work here and there as well.

Priority: 3

10/31/10

Nuance, France

Il est une Legende. 1982 FLVM

Nuance's debut is one of the most interesting albums on the private do-it-yourself FLVM label. If viewing the cover for the first time, you could be forgiven for thinking it was an old NWOBHM album. And despite the fact it did indeed come out in 1982, not only is this not metal in the slightest, but the keyboards sound more like something from the mid 1960s! Overall this is a solid progressive rock album with French vocals, and one that fits squarely with others of its ilk like Synopsis, Orion, Grime, and Pentacle. The guitarist adds in a raw psychedelic edge, which I find highly appealing. Definitely an anachronistic sound for 1982. 

Nuance have three later albums that I haven't heard.

Priority: 2

10/28/10

Orange Power, Austria

Orange Power. 1977 Philips

Intriguing progressive rock album from Austria. Patterned after the early 1970s UK scene, primarily the Neon, Dawn, and Vertigo label styles, rather than the Big 3. Varied, as those British bands were, but pleasant throughout. Even the vocals in English aren't as heavily accented as usual. Not an easy one to typecast. Would make for an interesting reissue. 

Orange Power have many more albums in the sound library / incidental music area.

Priority: 3

10/27/10

Psopho, Belgium

Sheer Profundity. 1982 New Sound

Psopho were an obscure band from Belgium that were part of the first wave of neo prog bands, without probably realizing they were part of any kind of scene. One can hear similar sounds emanating from fellow countrymen such as Isopoda and Now. In addition, the same mindset Germans come to mind here like Tibet or Ivory. As is often the case, the vocals are a bit of a weak link as is the production. But in reflection, the compositions are quite adventurous and hold up well on multiple listens. This one still has room to grow in the rating column. I think fans of the early NWOBPR movement will find much of interest upon hearing Sheer Profundity.

Priority: 3

10/26/10

Super Freego, France

Pourquoi es-tu si Mechant? 1982 RCA

If you ever wondered what it would sound like if The Human League or Missing Persons were a Zeuhl influenced group, then Super Freego gives you a window into that world. Stylistically it fits in the early 80s New Wave synth pop camp. Except all these irregular rhythms combined with the familiar male/female chanting clearly point to that most unique French school of music. And it gets weirder as you go through the album, that by Side 2 it's almost purely Zeuhl. I've seen a couple of YouTube videos that demonstrate that Super Freego were a far wilder group on stage than in the studio, which gives me some hope there might be some crazy Zeuhl music sitting in a canister somewhere. The only other album that even comes close to sounding like this is Eskaton's Fiction, though that album is far closer to pure Zeuhl than Super Freego. Maybe Foehn's Faeria, though Super Freego are much more intense than that. Excellent album.

Priority: 2

10/24/10; 4/14/20

Thomas Flinter, Netherlands

Thomas Flinter. 1978 Munich
For a Fugitive. 1984 Boni

Thomas Flinter, named after a medieval troubadour, is another fine Dutch instrumental progressive rock band. There are a couple of vocals tracks that bookend this release. The opener seems to be a slight try for a radio hit, though at over seven minutes - complete with complex instrumental sections - seems like an odd choice. The vocalist sings in a heavily affected baritone style and it frankly sounds goofy. The final track is a traditional, heavily rearranged, and features chorus vocals. Musically it reminds me of early 70's Focus, though vocally it's closer to Gentle Giant. And, after the opener, I have to say I'm surprised by how good the vocals are here. Otherwise the album is a very fine instrumental rock album similar to Lady Lake or even some Finch, especially from Galleons of Passion. An excellent album. 

For a Fugitive has way too much 80s gloss and lacks teeth. But compositionally it's pretty well done for what it is.

Priority: 2 (for the debut)

10/23/10

Vega, Spain

Jara. 1979 Movieplay
Sol de Oscuridad. 1981 Movieplay

In the early 90's Fonomusic released most of the classic Movieplay progressive rock albums on CD (terrible bare bones packaging, but legit all the same). But curiously the Vega's were ignored. Then in the early 2000's, Fonomusic was back - this time with much more elaborate tri-fold digi-pak's and better sound. And they picked up Vega's debut Andaluza while they were at it. But curiously, again, these two Vega albums were left behind. 

Jara is a fine flamenco fusion album - not aggressive rock as with other Andalusian bands such as Medina Azahara, Mezquita, and Triana - more of a refined cocktail sound. Twelve string acoustic flamenco guitars and rhythms combined with Rhodes, flute, and a lightly amplified electric guitar define the sound of Vega. Both Andaluza and Jara feature remarkable paintings, two of the finest that ever have graced LPs. Oh, this is Tomas Vega, not to be confused with Daniel Vega, who also put out a nice progressive fusion album (which has been reissued).

Sol de Oscuridad is Vega's 3rd album, and is a move from Rock Andaluz over to more traditional jazz fusion. The album cover is the first giveaway, as the stunning Puebla paintings are replaced by... well what is that anyway? Side 1 also contains some vocals that add little value. Side 2 gets back to what Vega does best, and the traditional sounds of southern Spain are reintroduced, though a bit more watered down than prior. Side 2 saves the game.

Priority: 3

10/22/10; 3/26/16

Vacation, Belgium

Resurrection of Vacation. 1971 Majestic

Standard issue guitar fronted blues rock in the Cream / Blue Cheer tradition, all very typical of the day. Sound is quite raw, supposedly a live recording, though I suspect the crowd noise was added later (I'm a bit suspicious of the delirious crowd, as if Vacation were the Beatles). Guitarist is a cut above the rest. Opening track is a fast paced instrumental, and not in step with the rest of the album. Reminds me of another Belgian group called Kleptomania. Fans of American garage music may take a shine to this, like Saint Anthony's Fyre for example. Other guideposts include France's Amphyrite and Quebec's Ellison.

Priority: none

10/21/10

Ungava, Canada-Quebec

Ungava. 1977 36 Records

On the surface it would appear Ungava would be yet another power trio, given their guitar-bass-drums lineup. But the two guest musicians, one on keys and the other on sax/flute appear to have far more than cameo appearances as seemingly they are part of the band, perhaps leaving just prior to release and being relegated to "guest". This is one of Quebec's finest, recalling Opus 5 or Maneige in places, but with the added strong guitar work. Maybe not Frank Marino or Walter Rossi strong, but still some high quality six stringing going on among the complex progressive rock compositions. An exceptionally great album.

Priority: 1

Reissued on LP by Return to Analog (2020).

10/20/10

Terraced Garden, Canada-Ontario

Melody and Menace. 1982 Doggerel

Not an easy band to describe, this Terraced Garden, hailing from Toronto, Ontario. Arriving very late in the progressive rock game, it's not readily apparent where the band is coming from. Especially on Melody & Menace. King Crimson is one obvious influence, especially when considering the Fripp sustained leads and the David Cross like violin. Flute and mellotron also call out an early 70s UK progressive rock heritage. But then there's the maudlin, but weirdly accented, vocals (a bit like the Canterbury bands actually) and compact song lengths, very clearly a product of the early 1980s. The album improves as it goes, and is definitely one of the progressive rock highlights of the era.

Braille. 1984 Doggerel
Within. 1988 Doggerel

The other two titles are definitely geared more towards 80s styled commercial rock, though each have their moments. I need to revisit them both.

Priority: 2

10/10/10; 1/31/16

Sapo, USA-California

Sapo. 1974 Bell

This is another one of those fantastic Latin rock albums from the early 70s. Sapo has Malo written all over them, and if you like Malo, you're highly likely to enjoy this. The primary difference is that Sapo is not as guitar centered as the Santana influenced bands can be. Oscar Estrella (ironically not the star) is a very competent guitarist, but he gets scant chance to show off. In his place is some dynamite horn charts, some thumpin' rhythms, and Kincaid Miller's excellent electric piano and Clavinet work. All the tracks have great melodies and they usually segue into each other for one super listening session.

Chango, Dakila, Macondo, El Chicano, and the rest of them could be tossed into this stack. It's a winning formula where the percussion and bass drive each track forward, followed by the main course of organ, guitar, horns, etc... And just as the music shuts down to close off the track, the engine starts again for another drive. I, for one, would like to see a Latin Rock renaissance.

Priority: 2

There's some gray area reissues out there but nothing definitive.

10/18/10; 8/19/21; 6/11/23

Pao Com Manteiga, Brazil

Pão com Manteiga. 1976 Continental

Band name translates to "Bread and Butter" in Portuguese, so good luck in finding info on this obscure album. The most surprising aspect is the date, as it sounds more like a flower power psych album from 1968, which were pretty typical in South America back then. It's an interesting listen though. The Brazilian group Spectrum comes to mind here.

Priority: none

Reissued on LP by Polysom (2019)

10/17/10