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: Esoteric's Jan and Feb 2011 schedule

The two that caught my eye here are Murphy Blend and Armaggedon, which continues Esoteric's replacements / upgrades of the Kuckuck / Ohrwaschl reissues of the early 90s. I never did upgrade my old Audio Archive reissue of the first Skin Alley, so I may also go for their new issue (they had previously done them under their old imprint of Eclectic). That's presuming the Anthology below covers that.

January

Utopia--Oblivion plus Live DVD
Utopia--Live Japan Redux 92 plus DVD
Graham Bond--Love is the Law
Graham Bond-The Mighty Graham Bond
Brainbox--Brainbox (Jan Akkermans Pre-Focus band)
Gilgamesh--Gilgamesh
Skin Alley--2 CD anthology
Skin Alley--Two Quid Deal
Various artists---Delerium Records 3Cd anthology clamshell box (I will announce what is on this in a couple of weeks )
Murphy Blend-First Loss

February
Jon Anderson-City of Angels
Baker Gurvitz Army--s/t
Baker Gurvitz Army-Elysian Encounter
Pierre Moerlens Gong--Leave it Open
Pierre Moerlens Gong--Live
Dog Soldier --Dog Soldier (keef hartley band)
Box of Frogs--s/t
Box of Frogs--Starnge Land
(basically members of the Yardbirds with varying guests Jimmy page, John Fiddler, Jeff beck, steve Hackett, Rory Gallager and Ian Dury)
Utopia---POV
Armageddon_Armageddon
(not the one we have already released but the German band on Kukuck)