News: Belle Antique to reissue Old Man & The Sea

More exciting news out of Japan! As some of you may recall, I featured this album earlier this year, only to find out it was reissued legit - except hardly anyone knew about it. Belle Antique is the house label for Marquee, so I checked with my friend and Gnosis colleague Nobuhisa - who tell us: "We are going for the original mix + we'd have the bonus track appeared on the legit CD. According to the band, the original master is gone, so this will be from a clean copy of the original vinyl. Tommy Hansen has done the mastering." That works for me! And Old Man & the Sea is the perfect album for a mini-LP. The original LP is a typically great early 70s major label package - with a cool gatefold cover.

So unless you own the very obscure Dunk label version (which most of us never saw even when it was released), the Belle Antique version is the way to go!

News: Garden of Delights releases archival Guildenstern

Garden of Delights comes up with what looks like another archival winner! Between them and Long Hair (and others like Sireena), the pot seems endless. I hope so anyway.

Label says: "Guildenstern were founded in the Hessian town of Rüsselsheim in the spring of 1976 and played some keyboard-dominated progressive rock in the style of bands like early Genesis, early Yes, Camel, or Eloy. The band didn't release anything, but some recordings with a satisfactory sound quality have been preserved: eight tracks recorded in the rehearsal room, as well as three pieces from their rock opera "Life's a stage", recorded live in Flörsheim on September 29th, 1979. They are now to be heard on the Guildenstern CD. All tracks - most of them instrumentals - were written by the artists themselves. Some of them are played on a doubleneck 12-string guitar. Guildenstern keyboarder Bernd Scholl has meanwhile released a lot of LPs and CDs with electronic music and has become one of the leading planetarium musicians in Germany."

GoD also reissued Embryo's "Bad Heads and Bad Cats", which was previously done about 10 years ago on Disconforme. They included the same 17 minute bonus track + added an excellent track from the 1975 Vlotho festival, which we wrote about in the UMR last year. I'll definitely pick up this version eventually, though it won't be a high priority as the Disconforme version that I own is quite excellent as well.

News: Genshi-Kyodotai coming out on CD!!!!!!!

First it was the startling announcement that the Rock Joint albums were coming out (on Sony). Then came the amazing news that the Laurence Vanay albums will be on CD & LP (On Lion - early next year most likely). Then Ken Golden of The Laser's Edge starting a new label called Modulus and the first album will be none other than Het Pandorra Ensemble. Followed by Garden of Delights releasing their best reissues in years with the debut by Sunbirds and Missus Beastly's 3rd album. Then the jaw dropper that the first Eider Stellaire is finally coming out on CD.

It has been an incredible year for truly obscure albums getting the legal digital treatment.

But this has to take the cake.

Holy cow. It was only last December that this album was still shrouded in mystery, only whispered about in the dark walls of a Knights Templar monastery. Then came Heavy Rock's tape that I used for my blog entry, closely followed by Toshiaki Yokota himself uploading it (see Prog Not Frog for more details). And now it will be made available to all. Of course, Japanese presses like this are tough to get as they aren't carried by the usually progressive rock suppliers. You can usually obtain CDs such as this from HMV or Amazon Japan. And sometimes Dusty Groove can bring them over stateside. We'll see. Street date has been set for October.

Nobuhisa of Marquee tells me "It is planned to come out from THINK label. They mainly deal with reissue of Japanese Jazz obscurities, and for most case the actual pressing are done by the major labels that still own the right for them (like Wounded Bird or Esoteric) so they should be totally legit."

A wealth of riches I tell ya.

9/29/2011 update:

Nobuhisa has provided even more fantastic information. Thanks again!!

Website for the label is here.

"The Think! Label is part of the Disk Union group and they operate under their Jazz division.

Along with Genshi-Kyodotai, they would release

Tousha, Suiho : Yugen No Sekai
* a major rarity that features Noh-Kan and Shinobue (sort of Japanese traditional Flute and recorder) player Tousha collaborating with an electric Jazz / Rock band (Inomata Akira and Sound Unlimited).
Mizutani Kimio plays the guitar. An ambitious record that contains side long suite titled "Concerto For Shino Flute & Rock Band: 1st Movement - 2nd Movement - 3rd Movement" though not totally successful.

and other two titles which I haven't heard.

Sato Masahiko Trio : Transformation 69/71
Freedom Unity : Something

Sato would be Straight Jazz with Free leaning (I've heard few of his albums from the same period / similar personnel). Have no idea on how the Freedom Unity sounds like."

I've said it before and I'll say it again here - Japan is harboring the most undiscovered music from the 1970s.

News: Esoteric to reissue The Norman Haines Band Den of Iniquity in October!

This is news I've been waiting on for some time. Vicky had told me well over 3 years ago that they were waiting "for clearance" to reissue this gem. And it makes sense, of course, that Esoteric would reissue it since they had already tackled the Locomotive album, a group that Haines played in. Even though the album had been reissued legit prior, on the very obscure Shoestring label in the early 90s, I never saw a copy of it - even back then. So now we will all have a chance to own this excellent album!

Esoteric says: "Esoteric Recordings are pleased to announce a new remastered edition of the 1971 album by THE NORMAN HAINES BAND, the legendary "DEN OF INIQUITY". Soon after recording the iconic album "WE ARE EVERYTHING YOU SEE" with his band LOCOMOTIVE, Norman departed the group to found this heavier outfit. Joining the keyboard player were guitarist NEIL CLARK, bassist ANDY HUGHES and drummer JIMMY SKIDMORE. One of the most sought after releases of the Progressive Rock era, "DEN OF INIQUITY" was the only album recorded by the band and was a dark and heavy affair with superb compositions that included a reworked version of "Mr. ARMAGEDDON" (previously recorded by LOCOMOTIVE), the excellent title track and the epic thirteen minute long 'RABBITS'. Issued on EMI's Parlophone imprint in 1971, the album was available for a few short months before being deleted. An excellent keyboard dominated Progressive Rock album, this Esoteric reissue has been re-mastered from the original master tapes and includes six bonus tracks, taken from the singles issued by Parlophone and the rare track 'I REALLY NEED A FRIEND'. The reissue also includes the single version of 'RABBITS', previously unreleased on CD."

We featured this album a couple of years ago.

The Norman Haines Band ~ England ***REISSUED***

Den of Iniquity. 1971 EMI Parlophone

***Reissued by Esoteric Oct 2011

UMR review

Priority: 2

8/29/09 (new entry); 9/18/11 (complete)

Window ~ USA

The Empyreal Ballet. 1978 Cottage

UMR review

Priority: 1

9/10/11 (new entry)

Notice: Ragnarok (NZ) albums available on CD-R

As regular readers of the CDRWL know, we don't count CD-R's as completely reissued albums. However, that doesn't stop us from letting you know about them! Going forward, I will only announce CD-R's if the band themselves are releasing it in this format.

A tip from an anonymous reader earlier this week pointed me to a Youtube with an e-mail address on how to order their "CD". That lead me to a friendly discussion with Ragnarok member Andre Jayet. I made a few suggestions on having their album pressed by a quality and honest label, and so we'll see if that ever comes to fruition.

But in the meantime, if you would like to obtain legitimate homemade CD-R's, here's the instructions on how to do so:

"The CD’s are CD-R. (Ragnarok, Nooks and Ragnarok Live). There are some liner notes inside. The bonus tracks can be found on the live CD-R.

There is a Facebook page (Ragnarok New Zealand) Where you will find unpublished pics, info, comments and some video.

Orders for the CD-R’s are taken from this email site (ragnarok.nz@gmail.com).

Each CD-R is $NZ20.00 plus post’n’package."

We featured Ragnarok about a year ago.

News: Modulus to release Randy Roos "Mistral"!

While we await the first reissue on the Modulus (Laser's Edge) label - Het Pandorra Ensemble - we now have official word on the second release: Former Luna guitarist Randy Roos "Mistral" album. Regular readers of the CDRWL will note that Midwest Mike had actually sent me the LP of this excellent fusion album last winter. And here it is already on CD!

We featured the album back in February. Excellent news for American fusion fans, who like a little progressive rock thrown into the mix! Another excellent choice for a reissue from Ken.

News: Rocket Records reissues Woodoo and Lemon

As always, Rocket Records continues to reissue some of the most obscure records from Finland (I keep hoping for Nimbus and Sepi Kuu). Today's announcement are two albums that were originally on the UFO label.

For Woodoo, which we featured in December of 2009, my review stated: "Terribly rare album from Finnish rock-jazz-vocal group. Lots of hand percussion drives the rhythms while sax takes the lead lines. Vocals in Finnish dominate. This one has a nice groove to it, despite the heavy reliance on vocals. Can be trance inducing. Short album, well under 30 minutes. Worth seeking out for a few listens."

Apparently this was reissued about a week ago, so you should be able to order it direct from Finland now.

As well, Rocket also plans on reissuing the Lemon "Vanha Vakaa" record in September. Now here's a band that lives up to its name! I compared them to The Partridge Family - but that's coming from my preference for underground progressive rock music. I'm sure the album has many fans back at home.

In any case, it's just great to see Rocket Records cruising along!

Woodoo ~ Finland ***REISSUED***

Taikakulkunen. 1971 UFO

***Reissued by Rocket Records in 2011

Very rare album from Finnish rock-jazz-vocal group. Lots of hand percussion drives the rhythms while sax takes the lead lines. Vocals in Finnish dominate. This one has a nice groove to it, despite the heavy reliance on vocals. Can be trance inducing. Short album, well under 30 minutes. 

Priority: none

12/11/09 (new entry); 8/31/11 (complete)

Eider Stellaire ~ France ***REISSUED***

Eider Stellaire. 1981 K001 *** Reissued by Soleil Zeuhl, August 2011 ***

Eider Stellaire. 1986 K002

UMR review

Priority: 1 (for the debut)
Priority: none (for the second). Not calling for a reissue on this title.

5/29/09 (new entry); 8/29/11 (complete)

News: Eider Stellaire finally being reissued on CD!!!

To say it's been a slow summer on the CD reissue front would be an understatement. We wrapped up April and May with a smattering of exciting announcements. And then it pretty much died. Until this morning. It appears that Alain at Soleil Zeuhl has finally succeeded in getting this beauty out into the open market, after many years of trying. Congratulations to everyone involved! This is a BIG Priority 1 for me (and many others), and will most certainly prove to be a popular reissue.

This is a future announcement. No release date as of yet.

Here's the blurb from Shiny Beast this morning:

"EIDER STELLAIRE - EIDER STELLAIRE (CD/SOLEIL ZEUHL)Christian Vander's post-Magma band Eider Stellaire frequently functioned as the opening act for Magma's concerts in the late '70s and early '80s. This made perfect sense since both bands shared the same sources of inspiration, f.i. the European 20th century classical composers (Bartok, Stravinsky, Orff) and the energy of rock music. Also notable were the importance of the rhythm section and mysterious, wordless female vocals. Eider Stellaire's excellent self titled album from 1981 is still regarded as a masterpiece from the French progressive era and now it's reissued on CD, including a superb 10 minute alternate version of 'Nihil' as a bonus."

News: Shadoks latest reissues

An interesting batch this go round, with what looks like a potential monster. These albums are set to be issued in late August.

Bump 2 is the CD issue of the archival LP they released roughly a year ago. I still haven't heard it, though it does have a good reputation (though I never cared much for the actual 1970 release).

Question Mark is a pretty good psych rock band from Nigeria, circa 1974. Their sound isn't too far from other African psych outfits that you will hear from Nigeria or Zambia. Shadoks had issued this on LP back in 2007. Here's our blurb from the Original CD Reissue Wish List: "One of a handful of interesting African rock albums. This one is in the same genre as B.L.O., Witch, Chrissy Zebby Tembo, etc... Features some nice old organ sounds, a lot of scratchy fuzz and 1960s psych style melodies. Better than most Sub Saharan African albums I've heard - closest comparison would be the Nigerian band Ofege."

What really caught my eye is their LP reissue of Estrella De Marzo. I'd never heard this title from Bolivia before, but anything that compares to Wara and especially Climax is going to garner interest from me. Hopefully it's not hype, because the following description from Shadoks has my name all over it: "Most do not know much about music from Bolivia, like us. What's flashing our minds are the Andes, La Paz and flute music by Indios. But there are some great rock & underground bands such as Wara, Climax and most of all Estrella De Marzo. This album (still unknown to most collectors) is not only special because it's from an country not many listeners know much about. This album is so great, so much underground, so unique and well crafted, that it goes into a strong competition with most "classic underground releases" from South America. If you are in to wild fuzz guitar ala Zappa, and if you like Kissing Spell from Chile, beautiful vocals with strong lyrics and great beats , you will love this album. The early Pink Floyd has also influenced this album. For us it was one of the big musical discoveries for this year. Every track is great, high spirit progressive underground rock, as good as it can be. This album "A Los Ninos Con Amor" (to children with love) was recorded in 1974 with, keyboards, guitars, drums, bass & vocals."

And finally we have an archival release from the American expatriate King George Clemens. I haven't heard the 1968 album proper, though this claims to be more in line for what us underground heads prefer. We shall see. Label says: "King George Discovery - Peace Of Mind, was recorded in Sweden in 1968 with the US musician King George Clemens on guitar & vocals. A close friendship to Jimi Hendrix, who toured also Sweden in 1968, dropped many tracks from the release plan when the band was recording an album which also came out that year. All tracks who where competing with the music of Jimi Hendrix was not released, until now. A collector from England found the unknown tracks who where pressed only as a demo LP for the band. What a great find. Some tracks where placed on youtube and collectors where starting raving about this album. It is soo good, the guitar work is amazing, as psychedelic as it can get. We could release this album in cooperation with King George Clemens and we are proud to have this treasure released on vinyl and later onto CD. It's just great! One of the most important release this year for sure!"

Quasar Light, USA

Experience This. 1981 Jet Eye

UMR review

Priority: 1

7/20/11 (new entry)

News: Sireena to issue archival Mythos album and Franz K's second album

A quick trip over to Sireena shows a couple of interesting looking titles.

First we'll announce the second archival live release from the Stagge's Hotel series that started with Thirsty Moon (and I have yet to hear). This is a 1976 live recording called "SuperKraut" (I really like the Ohr album inspired cover art!). Since this is from their "Strange Guys" era, I'm more curious than excited. Musically Mythos were quite good during this period, mixing hard rock with flute and progressive structures, but they had become a vocal heavy band, and the vocals are definitely their Achilles Heel. Perhaps in a live setting, they focused more on instrumentals. We shall see.

Second we have Franz K's album "Rock in Deutsch" receiving its first CD reissue. Over 15 years ago I picked up Repertoire's reissue of their 1972 debut "Sensemann" and have always enjoyed it, despite the German political context. Over the length of two side long cuts, the band delivers on a number of fronts, especially the guitar. I have no idea why I never bothered to check out their 1973 followup (originally on Zebra), especially since it has a similar positive reputation. So that's why its absence on the Original CDRWL. Whatever the case, it will be easier for me, and everyone, to hear now!

News: RPM releases Armada

We just returned from a week long vacation without computer access, and generally when I do that, the news comes flying in. But not last week. However this one did catch my eye, while reviewing The Laser's Edge latest additions. RPM is one more wing of the Cherry Red series of labels, and our site usually features their Esoteric imprint.

I'll copy in Ken's description here. It definitely sounds interesting! "Archival collection of unreleased recordings from an unknown British prog rock band that existed in the early 70s. No one in the band that is particularly well known although the leader Sammy Rimington apparently has been active in the US jazz scene for decades now. Rimington is the band's guitarist. He also plays flute and sax. The material has a strong emphasis on flute leads but offers up some nice cutting guitar leads as well. Vocalist Terry Cooke isn't a mind blower but he's certainly up to the task and contributes flute as well. The label hype references early Genesis, Frank Zappa, Mahavishnu Orchestra, and King Crimson as influences. Frankly the only one I can say I hear is a vague comparison to Islands-era Crimson. There is a jazz influence but I wouldn't really call this "jazz rock". This is prog rock that would have easily fit on Neon or Vertigo. Sound quality varies from"yeah I guess this is OK" to "perfect". Quite a nice discovery and essential for anyone interested in early British prog."

Crow ~ England

Live at the Oyster Stores. 1992 private (MC)
Medicine Wheel. 1992 private (MC)
The Tides of Apsaroke. 1993 private (MC)

As we are in the midst of the unknown UK festival psych scene of the 1980s and early 90s, I'm happy to announce what may be the absolute best group I've heard in the entire genre: Crow. 

Holy moly! This is the good stuff right here. No pussyfooting around with electronica or reggae. Just hardcore space rock, in high flight mode most of the time, with loads of effects applied to the guitar. The guitarist plays not only fast solos, but a multitude of rhythm wah-wah that drives the music forward in an exciting way, with plenty of meter and thematic shifts to keep you guessing all the way through. There are sparse vocals, generally applied to add a trance-like effect and do not deter or become the centerpiece at any time. There are no keyboards to speak of, so the guitar and bass have the responsibility for all the tones and atmosphere - and they do a fantastic job at just that.

Medicine Wheel is the more psychedelic of the two albums, with plenty of tribal drumming and freaky guitar sequences with intense build-ups and actual climax releases. Both albums add didgeridoo to great effect. The Tides of Apsaroke ups the ante to a whole new level of intensity. Dare I say the guitar is almost heavy metal? Not a 1992 post-Metallica palm mute method, but rather a 1979 NWOBHM sound, similar to maybe early Saxon or Iron Maiden - but with the sound on sound fuzzy technique like Ed Wynne of Ozric Tentacles. I've never heard anything like it! And what an exciting path for other bands to pursue! There are a few more vocals on this album, and the material is definitely angrier, but no less satisfying for space rock heads. I haven't heard the live album, though the two live "bonus" tracks on Medicine Wheel are pretty rough in the recording department - so hopefully it's better than that would imply. Of the two albums, I prefer the purest Medicine Wheel, but Tides is the more adventurous and also just plain awesome.

So filtering the above, what do we have: Take the heavier Ozric Tentacles tracks like 'Eternal Wheel' and 'Dissolution', mix with the punk angst of Omnia Opera, toss a little pyrotechnic Mandragora jamming, throw in the progressive tendencies of 'White Rhino Tea' Ozric or the obscure band Blim, and add a dash of metal to the guitar sound. Almost sounds like the perfect formula - not sure I could have drawn that one out any better in the playbook.

Crow was awesome, and definitely the best band from the UK psych scene no one's heard of (even besting Blim). 

Priority: 1

7/5/11 (new entry)

Flaviola e o Bando Do Sol ~ Brazil ***REISSUED***

Flaviola e o Bando Do Sol. 1974 Solar

***Reissued by Mr. Bongo 2011

Flaviola (Flavio Lira) e o Bando do Sol is a Recife based group that came from the same batch of freaks who later created the Lula Cortes and Ze Remalho masterpiece (and on the same label). At this point I feel compelled to say this album isn't nowhere near as creative as that whacked and wonderful masterwork. Even though Flaviola e o Bando do Sol is mostly all acoustic, they have some of the same psychotic tendencies as we find on Paebiru - paradoxically combined with a hippy-dippy...Woodsy-The-Owl...sitting around the campfire style of feel-good folk. Fun stuff all around.

Priority: none

8/27/10 (new entry); 7/1/11 (complete)

News: Esoteric's 2011 June-Aug schedule

I'm a little late on the June announcements, but some pretty cool stuff in this batch.

Some of what caught my eye: Earth and Fire's "To the World of the Future" is a good choice and hasn't been on the market for years. This is really the first proper reissue of the album.

Socrates "Phos" is an interesting choice. Reissued a couple of times by Vertigo in Greece, I'll be curious what Esoteric will add beyond the usual excellent liner notes of course.

It's good to see Esoteric diving in the Italian reissue market a bit deeper. There's almost no classic Italian progressive album that hasn't been reissued (and our list has a few scattered about - but the great ones have already been done - in multiple formats). However, many of the Italian greats are still limping along with poor mastering. BTF has gone back and done a nice job with a lot of the old Vinyl Magic CDs - and added some liner notes as well. Acqua Fragile is a good band to tackle and I've been looking for a nice reissue of "Mass Media Stars" myself. Hopefully they don't stop at just the English language Italian groups.

Even more exciting for me is to see Aardvark's sole album get the royal treatment. There's been a "common" copy reissued many times - and I own the Japan mini that is taken from this source. I'll keep the mini for the cover, but it would be nice to know more about the band and to hear a properly done reissue. I personally love this curious organ freakout album, with quaint, almost Canterbury-ish psych tunes thrown in.

And finally the two CD set of Tangerine Dream's "Atem" looks most promising, as that second disc is: "This Esoteric reactive edition is expanded to include a bonus CD of a previously unreleased forty minute live performance given by Tangerine Dream at the Deutschlandhalle in Berlin on November 29th 1973 and features a lavishly illustrated deluxe booklet with new essay."

Here's the announcement from Vicky at Esoteric:

"June
Lol Coxhill-Ear of the Beholder-with contributions from kevin Ayers, Mike Oldfield and David Bedford
David Bedford-Nurses Song with Elephants (featuring Kevin Ayres and Mike Oldfield)
CCLR--s/t (new studio album with Bernardo Lanzetti of PFMs band with Steve Hackett as guest.)
Bill Nelson-Northern Dream (Bills 1st ever album)
Dave Brock and the Agents of Chaos-Agents of Chaos
Earth and Fire-To the World of the Future
Acqua Fragile-s/t (Italian prog with bernard Lanzetti)
Acqua Fragile-Mass media Stars

July
Aardvark--s/t Excellent Deram Nova album.
Tudor Lodge-s/t--lovely classic folk rock album with great new artwork
Richard Wahnfried and Arthur Brown-Time actor(Richard Wahnfried is Klaus Schulze)
Arthur Brown and Vincent Crane-Faster than the Speed of Light
Speedy keen-Y' Know Wot I mean (voice of Thunderclap Newman)
Soft Machine-Tales of Taliesin (lovingly packaged anthology of the Harvest Years)

August
Tangerine Dream-Atem (2Cd)
Tangerine Dream-Underwater Sunlight
Socrates-Phos
Jack Bruce-Out of the Storm
Speedy keen -Previous Convictions"

News: Achim Reichel to reissue remainder of catalog in 2012

Thanks to a ProgressiveEars note from Charles at progressiverock.com, we learned that Achim Reichel will reissue his other excellent works including Echo, 3, IV, Autovision and Erholung in 2012. This is according to a note on Reichel's Facebook page.

We'll be sure to keep an eye on this one. We still haven't seen the CD issue of Gunther Schickert's "Samtvogel" yet (though the LP did come out). Unrelated? Sure, but it reminded me of it all the same.

AMA ~ England

Not Blobs. 1988 Poultry Productions (MC)
Liveloudandlumpy. 1988 Poultry Productions (MC)
Genuflex. 1989 Poultry Productions (MC)

The date of Not Blobs is based on the catalog number. Genuflex is listed 3rd as that's how the Freeman's from Ultima Thule have it ordered. Given that Liveloudandlumpy is from November 1988, I'll surmise this one is from 1989. But it's only a guess.

AMA can quite simply be described as long and improvised, primitive sounding guitar-bass-drums psychedelic instrumental music with a muddy production. The kind of group that makes Tangle Edge sound like Conservatory students with an academic pedigree. A little of this kind of music goes a long way. Probably the Improvised Drop Outs sessions from Tangle Edge are the best reference here. It has a hypnotic effect as background music, but close inspection reveals all sorts of cracks, lines and warts. Like going to a dark restaurant and appearing on the surface to look beautiful, only later to be exposed in the bright lights to demonstrate the ugly truth. Personally I like the raw intensity of the recordings, though probably not enough to lobby for a reissue. Perhaps the cassette format is perfect for these kind of recordings in that, like the medium itself, it's old and creaky.

Start with "Not Blobs" if you're curios, as that one has an inkling of compositional acumen at least.

Priority: none

6/25/11 (new entry)

Syncope ~ Canada

Syncope. 1981 Productions Cram

A very obscure LP from Quebec. I hear a mix of way-past-its-sell-date horn rock, late 70s fusion, complex progressive rock similar to Opus 5 / Pollen, and even a little downer blues rock. The more I hear it, the better the album gets. The horn rock angle is really weird given the 1980 date, especially since it's of the 1969 Chicago / BST variety.

If you do decide to go surfing the web on this one, what you will find is fellow Gnosis colleague Sean Trane's excellent analysis of the album, which I'll quote here: "Hiding behind a poetic musical dawn artwork (see the full artwork PA's site), this septet is a very brassy affair, presenting a bit like a Quebecois version of Chicago through seven tracks ranging from four to six and a half minutes and one splendid mini-epic nearing eleven minutes.

The aptly-named septet develops some excellent syncopated prog-enhanced brass-rock, that sounds very Quebecois, not least through the relatively accent-less duo French vocals (often close to Opus-5), bar the swingy blues Bleu d'Hull track, which sticks out a bit too much from the rest of the album. Indeed the four tracks of the opening side sound like a calm and thoughtful version of Chicago or a less-kitschy Lighthouse without being derivative, the main difference being in the double vocals and an uncompromising songwriting. The flipside opens on the album's centrepiece, the instrumental self-titled mini-epic lasting almost 11 minutes, often running quite complex and even symphonic (grandiose intro on a church pipe organ), but never needlessly so. After an average mainly-sung track, the album closes on two splendid tracks, the first Cible (target) sounding like a brassy Opus-5 song, while the amazing instrumental finale of Rage features some wild Spanish-sounding horns that draws chills in the back of the neck. What an awesome way to finish an album.

If you'll make the exception of the sung-swing-song closing the A-side that ruins its cohesiveness, the album is a very impressive, filled with often-superb brass-rock that is probably more brilliant than the early Chicago classic albums."

Priority: 2

6/22/11 (new entry)

News: Vos Voisins to be reissued by Prog Quebec in November!

I've been sitting on this news for some time, having first caught wind of it in early January. And in fact, I do recall their being a premature announcement in early 2010. No matter, as we now have an announced release date from ProgQuebec of November 1, purposely after Halloween because of the track "Le Monstre de la Main".

Our feature of Vos Voisins here.

The topic came up in Progressive Ears for the announcement of the blues rock group Offenbach's double album "Tabarnac" (which you can order now).

Also noted is an October 4th release of a new album by ExCubus, a 1970's vintage group that PQ first introduced to us a few years ago.

And perhaps most exciting is that PQ is still working with Sony on reissuing Michel Madore's "Le Komuso a Cordes" and Franck Dervieux's "Dimension M".

News: Long Hair to release another Papa Zoot Band archival album

This is Long Hair's second archival release for the Papa Zoot Band. I thought the "Last Concert" from 1978 was pretty good, though this one sounds better to me honestly. We'll see! As always, Long Hair does a fantastic job on both sound and with the informative booklets.

Label says: "Great lost band from Frankfurt, Germany. In 1973/ 1974 Papa Zoot Band played all over Germany, mainly in clubs but also on festivals (German Pop Meeting) 1st and 2nd February 1974 in Essen, Grugahalle. Titles 01 - 04 were recorded live at SWF-Studio U1 in Baden Baden on April 13, 1973. The titles 05 - 10 were recorded at "Bunker", the bands rehearsal room in Frankfurt. The band played a very melodic sound but with a sense of drama comparable to Nektar, Eloy or Jane. Outstanding 20 minutes titles "Fly away" could be a long track by Pink Floyd of the Meddle/ Wish you were here/ Animals-Era. Characteristic for the bands sound are especially the swirling organ sound played by Ex-Nosferatu organ-player Tammy Grohe. These recordings show Papa Zoot Band during there best period. Hard to believe, that there was no record company to give them a contract. The sound of the CD is brilliant. All titles were remastered from the original master tapes. CD comes with comprehensive booklet and rare photos. Secret tip! A must have for all lovers of the genre."

News: Garden of Delights to reissue Sunbirds and Missus Beastly!!

What a great way to close the month. Top shelf reissue label Garden of Delights will release both the first Sunbirds album and Missus Beastly's "Dr. Aftershave and the Mixed Pickles" all with bonus tracks! These should be available very soon. And it sounds like "Space Guerilla" is right around the corner! It's not everyday we get a Priority 1 reissued (Sunbirds) and two Priority 2's (Missus Beastly). And I'm sure the second Sunbirds will follow soon as well.

It wasn't long ago that we discussed the Coming Soon list from Garden of Delights, and these were of course on there. We also have separate features for the Sunbirds and Missus Beastly.

Label says about the Sunbirds: "The fusion group Sunbirds was founded by the jazz musicians Klaus Weiss (drums) and Fritz Pauer (keyboards) in Munich in 1971, when the two of them had already made a name for themselves. They got Ferdinand Povel on flute, Jimmy Woode on bass and the world-famous guitarist Philip Catherine to join them. The band name Sunbirds was Fritz Pauer's idea, as well as the songs in E major and E minor, carrying titles including the word "sun". E is the sound representing the sun in esotericism. Due to their good connections, they could soon sign a contract with the then newly-founded BASF label. The LP was released in that same year of 1971, simply under the name of "Sunbirds" (BASF 2021110-2). The two as yet unreleased bonus tracks are from the same master tapes as the LP/CD tracks and were recorded at the same time. The second Sunbirds LP, "Zagara" is to follow on CD at a later point."

And they continue with Missus Beastly: ""Dr. Aftershave and the mixed-pickles" (April 00001) was Missus Beastly's third album, which once more presented some solid jazz rock, mostly instrumental. It was at the same time the first album to be released on April, the new self-distributing label run by Missus Beastly, Ton Steine Scherben, Embryo, and Sparifankal. The LP was recorded in the well-known Stuttgart Zuckerfabrik studio (a former sugar refinery) at the beginning of 1976. The two CD bonus tracks were recorded at the Vlotho festivals ("Umsonst und draußen" [outside and for free]) 1976 and 1977. At that time, they were presented on the annual festival LPs. "Dr. Aftershave" was actually planned to be released on CD years ago, but some unexpected obstacles caused a long delay. The fourth and last Missus Beastly LP, "Space Guerilla" from 1978, will soon be released on CD, again provided with bonus tracks." The delay is that the label Funfundvierzig was originally going to reissue these, but I don't think the label exists anymore.

I should mention that GoD's Thors Hammer label will also be issuing an archival release from the British folk band Fotheringay and the CD is entitled "Essen 1970".

News: Bureau B reissues the first two You albums

Thanks to a tip from Laser Ken, we learned that the German label Bureau B have reissued the first two You albums with bonus tracks. These have been reissued before (which is why they're not listed separately here on the CDRWL), but on the very rare and expensive 5 CD set known as "Era" that Cue put out in 1996. Naturally I just laid out $85 for that set, when my primary interest was only for these two albums. That figures! I may pick these up anyway, and move the set later on.

I've had my eye on Bureau B for awhile, as they've been putting out a lot of interesting stuff (mainly new material), especially around the Cluster / Guru Guru camp. So this is the first time I've been able to highlight one of their reissues.

If you're not familiar with You, they were one of the best groups playing in the Berlin School of electronic music from the late 1970s and early 80s. In particular, I really enjoy "Electric Day", with the addition of guitar and real drums, that gives it an added rock dimension that is most welcome in this setting.

Label says: "A hitherto less celebrated, yet outstanding exponent of the so called Berlin School of electronic music was the Krefeld combo YOU. Udo Hanten and Albin Meskes teamed up with another iconic figure of electronic music, Harald Grosskopf (drummer for Ashra, Klaus Schulze), to issue their fantastic debut album "Electric Day" 1979. Definitely worth to be rediscovered! Available on CD, 180g vinyl, and download. CD and download will include four bonus tracks!

Four years after releasing their debut YOU delivered the sophomore LP, entitled "Time Code". Reduced to a duo, YOU largely remained faithful to their style, but expanded upon it. The album perfectly illustrates the transition of electronic music from the 1970s to the 1980s. Available on CD, 180g vinyl, and download. CD and download include two bonus tracks!"

Hiromasa Suzuki [Rock Joint Biwa (Furukotofumi)] ~ Japan ***REISSUED***

Hiromasa Suzuki - Rock Joint Biwa - Kumikyoku: Furukotofumi. 1972 RCA Victor 4-Channel "QuadraDisc" (R4J-7015)

***Reissued by Sony May 2011

UMR review

Priority: 2

12/14/10 (new entry); 5/25/11 (complete)

News: Capability Brown to be reissued by Arcangelo of Japan

Happened to catch this update from Neolith this morning. Arcangelo is the house label for the Disk Union store in Tokyo. I think "Voice" received a CD reissue over 20 years ago (also in Japan) and this is the first legit release for "From Scratch", but I'm not 100% entirely sure. These will be in the mini-LP format. Since the dollar has plunged against the yen dramatically in recent months, these mini's have become prohibitively expensive. I'm not too concerned though, as currency valuations fluctuate all the time. I'm just hoping they don't go out of print before that happens! Look for a June 8th release.

The Beat of the Earth ~ USA

The Beat of the Earth. 1967 Radish.
Our Standard Three Minute Tune. 1994 Radish (recorded in 1967).

One of the most extraordinary early recordings you'll ever hear. Maybe the best aural document we have of the free wheeling Southern Californian culture of 1966 and 1967. This is one continuous track, broken up by the sides of the record. Non stop percussion, acoustic and electric guitar (a fuzzy surf sound), sitars, an ancient organ, and droning vocals. One of the most drugged out albums I've ever heard, except the bandleader (Phil Pearlman) was apparently anti-drugs! Maybe if the Velvet Underground had more of that Californian sunshine, they'd sound like this.

A legit LP was reissued by the band itself at the same time they unearthed the archival Our Standard Three Minute Tune, which is very similar in sound and structure to the album proper. Neither of these have been issued legit on CD. Watch for bootlegs.

Priority: 2

7/8/09 (new entry); 5/10/11

News: Sireena to release live Thirsty Moon concert from 1976

Happened to catch this one while reviewing what's new at Sireena. This is probably past Thirsty Moon's sell-by date, but sometimes a live concert can be a pleasant surprise, especially if it features unique material. And the 1975 concert that Long Hair released was pretty good.

I have scant details as Sireena says nothing more than the following: "With THIRSTY MOON's "Lunar Orbit" (Sireena 2085) we start a cd-series with live recordings from the legendary Stagge's Hotel in 1976. An exciting journey with amazing sound quality."

It sounds like it could be an exciting series. We'll see!

News: Polyphony to come out on Gear Fab!

Well I'll be darned. Never thought I'd see a legit reissue of this one come out. Gear Fab is a quirky US based label, who primarily focus on 60's psych and garage, but from time to time will also reissue albums in what the CDRWL features. Glenn Howard confirms this reissue on his Facebook page. I have no details of bonus tracks or if it's even from the original masters tape. We'll find out soon enough (tentative date is set for July 2011).

This one has been booted many times. Hopefully everyone will ditch their former copy and obtain this one. That's exactly what I plan to do. I also have the original LP, which I would not sell in any case.

Wow - the reissues are coming fast and furious now! What a great month it's been.

Our feature of Polyphony here.

Polyphony ~ USA ***REISSUED***

Without Introduction. 1971 Eleventh Hour

***Reissued by Gear Fab, Jul 2011

UMR review

Priority: 1

8/12/09 (new entry); 5/2/11 (complete)

News: Laurence Vanay albums to come out on Lion!!!

December 8, 2013 update: The Vanay albums have been released!

As if yesterday's news wasn't big enough, I heard from Vincent (Lion Productions' owner) last night who informed me that the first two Vanay albums are coming out on both CD and LP! The CD will be a mini-LP sleeve and will contain many bonus tracks (perhaps from the mythical last 2 albums, or from the Magic Slows album - I'm not sure yet). No date has been given for release. These are Priority 1's for me, especially Galaxies, an album of pure genius. Our feature of her albums here.

Vincent says: "I've just signed a contract with Jacqueline Thibault to reissue "Galaxies" and "Evening Colours" (at least), both (mini-LP sleeve) CD versions with plentiful bonus tracks; both LP versions as straight-up LP reissues (I think). I'm still sorting through the many CDs of music she sent to me before we determine what exactly will be included on my re-releases."

With news of Rock Joint Biwa, Het Pandorra Ensemble and Laurence Vanay, April has proven to be one of the most exciting months in years concerning reissues! Let's hope it continues.

News: Modulus to reissue Het Pandorra Ensemble!!

Wow - big news today! I've been sitting on this for awhile now, and I'm glad it's now official.

Before getting into the first release, the naming contest is officially over. The Laser's Edge new limited reissue series will be called Modulus. Congratulations to the poster that named it!

And Modulus' first reissue is a Priority 2 for us. This is a very auspicious beginning for the label, and we can only hope more will appear as time goes on. The fact the first reissue is a rare and obscure Dutch group proves that Modulus will not be a US only label. Here's our post on the album.

Ken states: "The first planned release that we have contracted for is Het Pandorra Ensemble "III". It will feature the original 1978 release plus assorted unreleased bonus tracks (still being sorted out by Dolph Planteijdt). Bob Katz will handle the mastering from the original analog tapes. It will be a strictly limited edition of 500 copies. Since this is not going through normal distribution channels. I have not established an exact release date but I hope to have it available sometime during the early part of the Summer."

Ken's shared with me some other potential reissues, and they're all exciting possibilities!

New blog: Under the Radar CDs

This is an idea I've had in the back of my mind for awhile. Basically a similar blog style to this, but featuring either obscure progressive rock CDs of the past - or - newer bands that are receiving very little press and I think deserve more notice.

For a more detailed explanation and to see the first album featured - the blog is now up and running!

And don't worry, we still have plenty more albums to add to the CDRWL!

Floyd Hunchback Group ~ Switzerland

Floyd Hunchback Group. 1978 Sunrise

Yet another obscure Swiss band to feature. My first couple of listens last summer didn't convince me to list it separately. As I hear this again after about a nine month break, I think it crosses the line into what I tend to enjoy. 

Floyd Hunchback Group is a tough album to describe. You can tell they're jazzers, and the typical late 70's fusion elements are all out in force (Rhodes, sax, funky bass). But they have this mean streak too, and some of the gymnastic rhythms, coupled with Moog and guitar solos, point to a love for complex instrumental progressive rock. The drumming is quite exceptional. Strangely I'm hearing more of a mid 70's Eastern European sound here, as found in bands like Fermata or SBB.

Priority: 3

4/23/11 (new entry)

News: Karthago Live at The Roxy reissued by Made in Germany

And a followup to the last post, Made in Germany also plans to reissue Karthago's Live at the Roxy (1976) as a 2 CD set. Just like the "Victor" album, this one did get pressed by the parent Bacillus label back in the late 1980s. Looks like MiG cut a deal to get these back into the market. I'm sure they will do a great job as always, and will be the desired end product to own. Even though Karthago are typically labeled a Krautrock band, they're in reality more a plain US styled rock n roll group. I have a couple of friends that are huge fans of the group, so I know this will be a much welcome reissue for many.

News: Rigoni / Schoenherz reissued by Made in Germany

Made in Germany appears to be the successor to the InsideOut.de reissue series that started last decade. They're slowly adding more and more interesting titles. Last year they surprised us with the 3 CD set by Niagara. Now we learn that MiG is reissuing the epic double LP by Rigoni / Schoenherz. This is not the first time for the album to find itself on CD, as it was reissued by the parent label Bacillus in the late 1980s, but it's been OOP forever. To be perfectly honest, I never cared for this Austrian album much personally. But I know many of you will be pleased to see this.

Label says: "Before Richard Schönherz became famous as creator of the "Rilke" - and "Hesse" projects, in 1975 he created - along with Manuel Rigoni - the concept work "Victor".

"Victor" is still considered a milestone of prog-rock, a concept album that creates the balance between orchestrated classic and sophisticated rock in a unique way.

With the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Vienna Academy Chamber Choir, musicians such as the recently deceased Kurt Hauenstein (Supermax), Harry Stojka, Achim Buchstab or Johan Daansers, "Victor" became a cinematic masterpiece about the power of youth and a plea for deference to authority, war and cruelty.

Partly recorded and mixed in the legendary Abbey Road Studios, "Victor" still is a timeless work that is worth exploring.

The MIG-new edition contains the complete, extensive booklet of the vinyl edition and has been lovingly remastered.

TRACKLISTING:

The Invitation
The Head Of The Circus Sings For His Beloved Audience
Who Is Victor
Victor's Song For Himself
Victor's Song For His Father
Where Is Victor
Victor's Dream
Victor's Song For The White Man
The Song Of Life

CREDITS:
Produced by Peter Hauke
All lyrics, music and arrangements by
Manuel Rigoni and Richard Schoenherz
Symphonic Orchestra composed and arranged
by Richard Schoenherz, dedicated to Sonja

Recorded at
Abbey Road Studios, Chipping Norton Studio, AIR Studios England, Europa Sound Studio, Germany Austrophon Studio, Vienna

Engineered by
Peter Bown, Barry Hammond, Fred Schreier, Hartmut Pfannmüller, Steve Nye, Gregor Hornacek, Wolfgang Engel

Remixed at
Abbey Road Studios, Advision Studios, AIR Studios
Remixing engineers
Peter Bown, Dec O'Doherty, Peter Henderson

Personel
Richard Schoenherz - keyboards, lead vocals
Manuel Rigoni - drums, percussion
Kurt Hauenstein - bass, lead vocals on "Song Of Life"
Harry Stojka - guitars
Achim Buchstab - lead vocals on "Who Is Victor" and "Where Is Victor"
Johan Daansen - guitars
Peter Wolf - ARP on "The Invitation"
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Wiener Akademie Kammerchor

Cover Art by Karl Strnad
Photographs by Kurt Waldert and Karl Strnad "

Emerald Web ~ USA

Dragon Wings And Wizard Tales. 1979 Stargate

UMR review

Priority: 3

***Reissued on LP by Sebastian Speaks (2012) and Long Hair (2017)

4/21/11 (new entry)

Dragon ~ New Zealand

Scented Gardens for the Blind. 1975 Vertigo

UMR review

Priority: 2

***Reissued on LP by Replica (2023)

Universal Radio was reissued in 2009 by Aztec, and this title was announced for the following year, but it never happened.

4/17/11 (new entry)