Snakes Alive ~ Australia ***REISSUED***

Snakes Alive. 1974 private

***Reissued by Belle Antique, Nov 2017

UMR review

Priority: 3

9/13/10; 11/25/17 (complete)

A.R. & Machines ~ Achim Reichel, Germany ***REISSUED***

Echo. 1972 Polydor
A.R. 3. 1973 Zebra. Turns out there was a reissue on the Spectrum label from 1996. 
IV. 1974 Zebra
Autovision. 1974 Zebra. Exact same with A.R. 3
Erholung. 1975 Brain

***Sept 2017 update: All albums reissued in late 2017 as part of a 10xCD set on Warner/BMG

UMR review

Priority: 1

7/7/09 (new entry); 10/27/17 (complete)

White Wing ~ USA***REISSUED***

White Wing. 1976 ASI

***Reissued by Blood and Iron Sep 2017

I recently got back into the Asia (Rapid City, South Dakota) albums that were diligently reissued on CD by Michael Piper / The Wild Places back in 1995. While reading the liners, I had forgotten that the precursor to that band was White Wing, an album I heard way back when and completely forgot about (didn't even have it rated anywhere).

There's nothing really special about White Wing. It's pretty much a mix of hard rock and AOR styles with some good organ runs and mellotron strings. Recorded in the same studio (ASI) as the Minnesota group Cain, and there are some similarities regarding the hard rock aspects. Not at the same level as the successor band Asia, especially Armed to the Teeth, but an album worth hearing a couple of times for certain.

Priority: none

12/4/11 (new entry); 9/20/17 (complete)

Zanov ~ France ***REISSUED***

Green Ray. 1977 Polydor
Moebius 256 301. 1978 Polydor
In Course of Time. 1983 SFPP

***In Course of Time reissued by Groove Unlimited Apr 2015 
***Green Ray reissued by Groove Unlimited Nov 2016 
***Moebius 256 031 reissued by Groove Unlimited Sep 2017 

UMR review

Priority: 2

5/26/10; 9/3/17 (complete)

Dennis ~ Germany ***REISSUED***

Hyperthalamus. 1975 Nova

***Reissued as part of a 5xCD set called Krautrock 3. Unfortunately the rest of the set includes unrelated CDs that have already been reissued. But technically it has been reissued on CD. Sort of like those Sensations Fix albums.

UMR review

Priority: 2

1/16/11 (new entry); 8/4/17 (reissue complete)

Mingo Lewis ~ USA ***REISSUED***

Flight Never Ending. 1976 Columbia

UMR review

***Reissued by Wounded Bird Jun 2017

2/24/10 (new entry); 6/16/17 (complete)

Saluki ~ Norway ***REISSUED***

Saluki. 1977 Compendium

***Reissued on CD and LP by the Norwegian record shop Big Dipper May 2017

So.... I completely blew the call on this one. My initial review some 8 years ago tagged this as a failed funk attempt by Norwegians emulating a distinctly American style (which Norwegians are wont to do on occasion). And ya know, after hearing opener 'Come Down', few among you will disagree with said claims, though it's pretty good for the style if pressed. Then comes 'Autumn', and I could already see my story breaking apart. Some sort of Muffins confusion on whether to go Canterbury or Henry Cow-styled avant prog annoyance. I'm sure that was the internal band debate anyway... (sure). 'The Awakening' is a waste of time, I think we can all agree on this - including the band. 'Love to the Sun'. Yea, OK Mahavishnu John, where are we taking this? There apparently. With a funk angle. Hmmm. 'Uranus in Cancer' is a title already asking for trouble. It's kind of emotional proggy, a bit AORish, and pretty good actually. 'Fantasy Suns' is a waste of time, I think we can all agree on this - including the band (sound familiar?). At this point, I'm OK with my initial assessment. Then comes 'Hidden Path III'. Ah damn, this is really good. Deep jazz with a bit of funk in that Miles Davis sort of way. But more toward Kraut Fusion (1970s /early 80s) actually. And this leads us to the closer 'Take the Road Across the Bridge'. I swear I recognize this music! So time to Google for a reference per chance. I KNEW IT! It's a cover of a Junipher Greene track - in fact the opener to their landmark/brilliant 1971 'Friendship' suite. I mean, who covers Junipher Greene? In 1976? Oh yea, author Freddy Dahl was in both bands. I could not find another reference to this observation on the internet. A job well done, ashratom. And how about that naked genie-out-of-a-bottle cover? These guys had it going on, that's for sure. Problem is, I'm starting to look like the dude with the magic book. Uh-oh.

Priority: 3

5/7/12 (new entry); 5/30/17 (complete)

PSI ~ Germany ***REISSUED***

Horizonte. 1977 Bacillus

***Reissued by Chickadisc Mar 2017

UMR review

Priority: 2

6/3/10; 3/17/17 (complete)

Rob Thomsett ~ Australia ***REISSUED***

Yaraandoo. 1975 Kubernete

Hara. 1976

***Both albums reissued by Now-Again Mar 2017

UMR review

Priority: 1

2/1/12 (new entry); 3/1/17 (complete) 

The AC's original notes: "Fascinating and somewhat unique psychedelic/progressive jazz-rock artifact from down under. Originally released as a tiny run of 100 copies with handmade covers, and finally reissued last year by small Australian label The Roundtable. Unfortunately, it's an LP only reissue, and while it does include a nice insert, I'd much prefer to see a proper CD version with more extensive liner notes, photos, etc. In any case, this one is certainly deserving of wider exposure. It's a short album (barely topping 30 minutes), but the interconnected suite of tracks flow together seamlessly on both sides, being a sort of concept album based on ancient aboriginal "dreamtime" mythology. It's highly evocative and dripping with the hazy, surreal atmospheres of the Australian outback. Flutes, percussion, droning synthesizer and mellotron, and of course Thomsett's excellent guitar-work make for a very pleasing sound overall, despite the somewhat primitive nature of the recording. Thomsett actually returned to this work years later and released a new, re-recorded version of it on CD in 2004. While obviously not at the same level as the original, it's still quite good in its own right and is well worth tracking down if you enjoy this LP."

In regards to this 2004 CD, I have one on the way to me now so I can compare for myself. And, as the AC points out, the only flaw of the original is it's too short. I could have easily digested 45-60 minutes of this!

Dusty Groove writes: "A strange, cool and stylistic boundary busting set from Australian jazz rock guitar player Rob Thomsett! Yaraandoo is a 1975 set inspired by Aboriginal folklore. It has some spare, dryly wispy bits of percussion and bamboo flute that feels that gives it that feel – but Thomsett also brings in some loose, proggy and jazzy rock dynamics with heavy drums and electric guitar, some improvisational jazz inspired passages, plus some tape delay and other effects."

Sway / Sante Palumbo ~ Italy ***REISSUED***

Sway. 1973 CPT

***Reissued by Schema Nov 2016 LP/CD

UMR review

Priority: 2

7/7/10 (new entry); 12/3/16 (complete)

Iliad ~ USA

Distances. 1976 Northern Lights

UMR reviews

Sapphire House. 1978 Northern Lights

Priority: 1 (for Sapphire House)

2/22/15 (new entry); 11/8/16 (update)

Kiyoshi Tanaka and Super Session ~ Japan (aka Seiji Tanaka To Super Session) ***REISSUED***

Kiyoshi Tanaka & Super Session - British Rock Live In Japan. 1972 Teichiku

UMR review

6/19/15 (new entry); 10/15/16 (complete)

Leaving the original AC's notes here: "While drummer Tanaka is ostensibly the leader of this particular studio group, it's really just another incarnation of the Hoguchi/Mizutani gang heard on so many of these sessions. However, by this time they had lost their minds entirely and exited the studio having belched out one of the most insanely over the top instrumental psych/prog freakouts ever to defile the ears of man. This thing was touted to be a live concert of popular British/American psych/rock tunes by artists such as Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix. Except that it's absolutely none of the above. A little fake audience noise can't hide the fact that this is a (very well recorded) "live in the studio" jam session, and there's nary a hint of any cover material at all. Instead, we're assaulted with an amazingly long (almost a full hour!) instrumental blowout, divided into two continuously running side-long tracks. It all seems to be semi-improvised, driven by pummeling rhythms that sort of ebb and flow while the bass, guitar and organ converge and coalesce into one freaky jam after another. Even the most stoned-out-of-their-minds krautrockers would have been shocked by this level of depravity. This is so excessive in fact, that one might imagine modern Japanese psychonauts like Acid Mothers Temple having descended directly from this family tree. Except that they didn't, and this is about ten thousand times cooler. Needs a reissue ASAP, but I'm not sure these guys even remember recording it at this point..."

Osamu Kitajima ~ Japan ***REISSUED***

Benzaiten. 1975 Antilles

***Reissued by PSI (Germany) 2016

UMR review

Priority: 2

2/23/11 (new entry); 10/14/16 (complete)

Amos Key ~ Germany ***REISSUED***

First Key. 1973 Aamok / Spiegelei

***Reissued by Long Hair 2016

UMR review

Priority: 2

12/18/10 (new entry); 9/15/16 (complete)

Hydravion ~ France ***REISSUED***

Hydravion. 1977 Cobra
Stratos Airlines. 1979 Carrere

***Reissued by Cleopatra in 2016 as part of the Philippe Besombes Anthology

UMR review

Priority: 2

8/28/09 (new entry); 8/12/16 (complete)

Laurence Vanay ~ France ***REISSUED***

Galaxies. 1974 SFP (Societe Francaise de Productions Phonographiques)
Gateway Evening Colours. 1975 Galloway (aka "Evening Colours" 1976 CAM)

***Reissued by Lion Productions 2013; 2016

Moved to UMR

Priority: 1

6/14/09 (new entry); 9/11/13; 7/28/16 (complete)

Tyll ~ Germany ***REISSUED***

Sexphonie. 1974 Kerston

***Reissued by Mental Experience Jun 2016

UMR review

Priority: 3

10/27/09 (new entry); 6/2/16 (complete)

MacArthur ~ USA

MacArthur. 1979 private
MacArthur II. 1982 private

***Debut album reissued by Out-Sider, Apr 2016

UMR reviews

Priority: 1

7/22/10 (new entry); 4/1/16 (debut reissued)

Circles ~ Germany ***REISSUED***

Circles. 1983 Einhorn
More Circles. 1984 Einhorn
Third Cycle. 1987 Einhorn

***Mental Experience has reissued the first two (Feb 2016)

***Third Cycle reissued by Bureau B (2016)

UMR review

Priority: 2

9/27/13 (new entry); 2/17/16 (complete)

The return of the CDRWL News feature....

And with the original 2003 website "Monopoly Newsboy"!

I was somewhat heartbroken when I read how many people read my news items. Clearly that was the most popular item amongst the readership at the CDRWL. Many asked that I at least keep that portion alive.

So I have. But somewhere else from here on. I'll be keeping an RYM list, as promised from an earlier post.

The CDRWL News feature lives on!

Stud ~ USA ***REISSUED***

Stud. 1975 Baron

***Reissued by Out-Sider Dec 2015

UMR review

Priority: 3

9/14/10 (new entry) 12/15/15 (complete)

Missus Beastly ~ Germany ***REISSUED***

Dr. Aftershave and the Mixed Pickles. 1976 April
Spaceguerilla. 1978 Schneeball

*** Dr. Aftershave and the Mixed Pickles reissued by Garden of Delights, Jun 2011
*** Spaceguerilla reissued by Garden of Delights, Dec 2015

UMR review

Priority: 2

10/29/10 (new entry); 12/15/15 (complete)

Proyecto A ~ Spain ***REISSUED***

Proyecto A. 1970 RCA

***Reissued by Sommor Dec 2015

UMR review

Priority: 2

7/8/10 (new entry); 12/9/15 (complete)

White Summer ~ USA ***REISSUED***

White Summer. 1976 private

***Reissued by Out-Sider Nov 2015

Michigan based hard rock and funk. Most of the tracks are under the 3 minute mark, tritely executed, and are scarce worth mentioning. However, there are 3 long pieces (5+, 6+ and 13+) that are absolutely fantastic with great guitar soloing, changes in dynamic and rhythms - not to mention excellent songcraft. 

Priority: none

5/27/10; 11/24/15 (complete)

Minoru Muraoka & New Dimension Group ~ Japan

Lupus. 1974 Victor

Minoru Muraoka is a famous shakuhachi (a type of bamboo flute) player in his native Japan. In modern times, a couple of his 1970 albums had found fame with the DJ beatdigger crowd (Bamboo, Osorezan). I haven't heard either, but judging by what I've read, they contain the usual mix of cover tunes and originals mixed with traditional indigenous music. For Lupus, Minoru Muraoka (technically this was released with his New Dimension group) takes the entire concept to its experimental conclusion.

When hearing Lupus, the two terms that came to mind were New Age and psychedelic freakout. Now there's something you probably hadn't thought of before. Of course the former is something of a response to radicalism in music. But in its earliest days, before it had become strictly the music of bored housewives at the spa, New Age promised a cultural and generational mix of sounds. And you get that with Minoru Muraoka almost by default. But what of this freakout aspect? Well consider that most of the instruments here are wired up to some sort of wah wah pedal, and the music takes on a trance like status. There's only the electric bass that represents the West, but it's a key performer driving the music in multiple exciting ways. A very unique blend, one that I hadn't heard prior to this album.

The second side more or less drops any kind of rock elements, though still is quite fascinating. The opening track with the theatrical female voice recalls J. A. Seazer, whereas the other two settle things down with some meditative classical Japanese music.

Muraoka was already 50 years old at the time of this release, meaning he was already a suffering young man during the terrors of World War II. Clearly an enlightened soul, though it's not likely he was into rock so much as he enjoyed the sounds that were emanating from his beloved instruments of old.

So there you have it, a New Age psych freakout for side 1, and a more traditional side 2. Perhaps most interesting is that it was recorded live in front of what is likely to have been an older crowd, who responded quite enthusiastically to the entire affair. Historically speaking, Lupus was way ahead of its time. Worth checking out.

Like most Japanese music from the early 70s that mixed with rock and jazz, Lupus is painfully obscure and rare. These are albums that are still being discovered even within Japan itself. No reissues exist (as of 3/8/25). This would be one worth pursuing, as even though it's not a stone classic, it is entirely unique and satisfying.

Priority: 2

11/11/15 (new entry)

I think it's fitting to end the CDRWL blog Version 1.0 with an insanely rare Japanese album as submitted by The AC. I can assure you that I would not know any of these were it not for his incredible research!

His notes were: "Shakuhachi master and band leader Muraoka recorded scores of records over the years, covering all kinds of ground, with a focus on integrating the traditional Japanese shakuchachi flute into modern western-style music. His most interesting period (from a rock/jazz listener's perspective) unsurprisingly coincided with the experimental New Rock boom in Japan circa the early/mid 70s. His most well-known works are from earlier on in this timeframe, when he released albums like "Osorezan" and "Bamboo", which have long been popular with the rare groove/DJ crowd. But after this he developed a darker, more experimental streak, releasing a string of albums with his New Dimension Group where he started to twist and mutate traditional Japanese music to his own ends, leading to fascinating efforts such as "Jigen" (1972) and "So" (1973). However, these were still probably too traditional to catch the ear of many prog/psych listeners. This all changed in 1974, when he unleashed "Lupus", a live concert hall recording (as many of his works were) that takes his earlier concepts and finally goes off the deep end with them. The eponymous side-long first track is an immense piece of hybrid far eastern psych/prog/jazz-rock which, aside from the hypnotically pulsing electric bass, amazingly consists of nothing but traditional Japanese instruments and drums, although you'd scarcely know it. Everything is put through the fuzz/wah blender, creating sounds and textures more reminiscent of electric organ and fuzzed out guitars. It starts out tranquilly, but then builds and builds in intensity, climaxing in a totally frenzied freakout conclusion that will leave your brain in a puddle-like state. Awe inspiring. The second side is unfortunately much more traditional, consisting of three shorter pieces, although the quality is still high. But that first side... Wow. Deserves to be much more well known."

Skeptical Eye ~ Canada

The Devil's Playground. 1984 Puretone

(New data has emerged since I first published these notes. Be sure to read the bottom section as well)

We have something interesting to talk about today. I haven't heard anything this nutty from the early 80s since Quasar Light and Rantz came wafting under my nose a few years back. It's comforting to know our friends up north were harboring these kind of crazies too. Skeptical Eye is basically a duo of Angela Black and Christopher Flint. She's white, he's black - and they both look like they're from 1976, if one considers hair styles and overall look. We're talking bad hair for the former and dark sunglasses and fro for the other. Rounding out the duo is engineer Paul Croscup, trying his best to look like Baretta with a derby cap, and a two-sizes-too-small T-shirt that says "The Doctor of Engineering". Given that all the songwriting was done by Black and Flint, it remains unclear why he gets top billing here - perhaps he funded the record? Anyway, the whole back inner sleeve is Dork City.

What of the music you ask? Well, that's a toughie too. Take away the mid 70s synthesizer sound (yes, mid 1970s...), the rest sounds like one of those loopy US rock albums on Paramount or Buddha from 1970 (going back further we are). There is absolutely nothing 80s about this album, excepting the obvious copyright dates of 1984 splattered all over. There's no recording date, which leads me to believe this probably was recorded in 1976 (with period photos) and not released until 8 years later. So back to the music. There's some really fascinating sequences here. Lots of psychedelic, progressive, and hard rock can be found within these grooves. The musicians are slightly incompetent, but that just adds to the allure of something like this. The children's choir on the first track is really eerie, as if they kidnapped a school bus and forced them to sing. Not all of it works of course, including some woeful blues and singer-songwriter fluff.

The lyrics contain an underlying Christian tone, but not of the praise-thee-Jesus type, rather it's more of the we're-all-going-to-hell-in-a-hand-basket variety (hence the chorus "we're living in the Devil's Playground"). Here are the opening lines to the first track 'Universal Call - The Message': "The world is full of corruption. And headed for total destruction". Jolly stuff, eh? These guys would have been great lyricists for a death metal band.

The rip I was sent is completely distorted, which I think might actually help the music. At some point, I'd like to hear the album as originally presented. No matter, it's going to be an odd experience. Overall this is one of those albums you can't help but pay attention to. Like a highway car crash where they're starting to pull charred bodies out of the remains. You just have to look.

---5/26/19 update

We've recently heard from someone very close to these recordings, and some interesting data has emerged. As it turns out, yes, this recording was from the 1982 to 1984 time frame. Hard to imagine, but it's not the first "out of its time" album we've reported on either. We've also learned that Angela was a Catholic girl, a couple of years removed from high school, thus the Christian overtones. Also "I believe your review wondered why the sound engineer was credited so prominently...it was his house and his equipment and there was some sort of weird dynamic/power struggle going on...but mostly because it was his house, his stuff." The children's choir, that we had some fun with above, were aged 11 to 15. No prep work or rehearsals occurred. Just sing this! Really the backstory is only adding to the allure here...

Priority: 3

11/10/15 (new entry)

The AC says: "Bizarre homemade Christian prog/psych anachronism out of Belleville, Ontario. You know when a Christian-themed LP has track titles like "Tortured From Inside" that it's probably something beyond the ordinary, and that's certainly the case here. Psych guitar and organ, ineptly performed prog breaks, off key male and female vocals (including a children's choir section that seems to have been done by a group of random local school kids who couldn't sing at all) weird and disturbing sound effects, spacey Pink Floydian sections, and even a weepy ballad and terrible blues rock jam. Yet, it all flows together somehow as a cohesive concept work. I think. I don't really want to know, to be honest. A few keyboard tones aside, the whole thing sounds like it was recorded about a decade earlier. And as far as the amateurism level is concerned, I'll paraphrase myself from the Rhea review I did here a few years back: To put it in Canadian progressive terms, these guys make VIIth Temple sound like Rush in comparison. Very rare, but perhaps that's for the best? Completely demented."

Fractals ~ England

Fractals. 1986 Surface

Fractals were an obscure fusion band from the Oxford area who released this one album, and even today, almost nothing is known about them. What we do know is the rhythm section is none other than the same duo that performed on Red, one of my all-time favorite instrumental 80s prog albums. However, without the fiery guitar of Dennis Fitzgibbons or the fascinating New Wave sounding synthesizers, the rhythm section is left to support a rather mundane instrumental jazz fusion album. The sound is purely 1986 with warm bass tones and extremely lightweight amplified guitar. The album has absolutely zero edge. The compositions are a mix of the trite and the complex, and if there were some rock elements added, the album most assuredly would have been better received by the underground. But as it stands, this one is strictly for middle 80s fusion heads. File under average.

Priority: none

11/9/15 (new entry)

AC's notes: "Obscure little instrumental jazz-rock/fusion offering from the lean years of the genre. The main hook here is that the rhythm section consists of Jerry Soffe and Frank Hockney, formerly of cult favorites Red. Like other releases of its ilk from the mid 80s, there is no attempt whatsoever to hide its all-digital "modernness" (ironically now much more dated than the earlier analog tones), but if you can get past that it's actually a solid album. Sedate jazzy pieces alternate with more driving, progressive-minded tunes, which keeps things interesting. Hard to track down, as it seems this was only distributed in their local Oxford area during the band's relatively brief existence, but worth a look for hardcore genre fans."

Early Times ~ Japan

Second Album. 1976 private

Generally when a band releases a title called Second Album, one presumes a first one exists. As I write this entry, that elusive first album remains undiscovered. That can mean any number of things from a lost-in-translation scenario (i.e. first album is all in Kanji with a different meaning) to some sort of silliness conducted by the group - as evidenced by the cover perhaps. Speaking of which, doesn't the album cover look like something a modern craft brewery would release on a can?

Just as wacky as the group's own provenance is that of the music itself. That which is as eclectic as one will ever hear in the mid 1970s. Opener 'Marmalade Sky' is a cool little funky horn rock number sounding like it's 1972 all over again. And the vocals are in that mumbled unintelligible English style (or perhaps Japanese, who can really tell?) similar to maybe The Far East Family Band. 'Samui Kisetsu' follows and is also seemingly from an earlier era, but more towards the hard rocking / early progressive genre. 'The Ballad of Billy' goes for the blues, but still contains some fine soloing. 'Tabi No Fukidamari' is similar but considerably more dull, and represents the sole skip over track here. 'Time Out' is the square-on prog track here, and sounds every bit like a German symphonic band circa 1976. I'm thinking SFF here and the highlight of the album for me. The lengthy closer also has some great progressions, though it's longer than it needs to be truth be told.

In the end, Early Times is an album without obvious comparison, though it by no means goes out of bounds anywhere either. A truly intriguing piece of art. One that requires repeated listens. Worthy of reissue status for certain. And what about that first album, fellas?

Priority: 2

11/8/15 (new entry)

This was the last of The AC's submissions from early 2015. I have not heard from him since. He left as he came - shrouded in mystery. What I most appreciated about The AC was his ability to filter and discern the best of the obscurities. There's tons out there, and many aren't worthy of discussion.We didn't always agree, but we saw eye to eye on music more than most anyone else I've encountered. Thanks again my friend for all the great submissions!

His notes: "Not to be confused with the contemporaneous Early Times String Band (a Japanese 70s folk-rock ensemble that has become slightly better known due to a couple of reissue/archival releases), this incredibly obscure album was the second effort of a local Sapporo based group. Their first is so rare that, while it must exist, has apparently never been glimpsed a single time by even the most hardcore Japanese collectors after all these years. All that aside, what we have here is a very interesting anachronism that sounds more like an underground Japanese take on early 70s British proto-progressive styles than anything else. Even the Monty Python-esque cover art seems to point in that direction. It kicks off with with an extremely cool horn rock-ish affair, featuring vintage organ, electric piano, funky percussion and psych guitar backed by a female chorus to great effect. This is followed by a lengthy proto-prog style guitar/organ led jam that slowly builds in intensity, with some great soloing. The rest of the first side then kind of puts on the breaks, with a couple of slow blues rock pieces that still have a very palpable early 70s UK feel to them. The second side starts with another gradually building instrumental jam, that eventually hits an awesome groove while the soloing breaks out overhead, before slowing down again into a more pensive mood. We then reach the real climax of the album, with the nearly 13 minute long final track. Building slowly once again (a hallmark of theirs, it seems), this starts out in a jazzy/bluesy horn rock mode, then builds in intensity as the soloing picks up and the vocals join in again, ending in a long crescendo of bluesy psych guitar soloing over the horn rock/proto-prog style jamming. Great stuff, and the whole album has a very loose, underground sound and vibe that is just flat out cool."

Love Live Life (& related) ~ Japan

Kosuke Ichihara & Love Live Life - Datsu Nippon Minyou - Now Sound '75. 1975 Victor

UMR reviews

Satsujin Jissho [Ten Chapters of Murder]. 1974 CBS/Sony

I've known about Love Live Life + 1 for many years, but wasn't aware the group had a second album until recently. It's a concept album about various incidents of nefarious killings (anything from the St. Valentine's Massacre to the Holocaust). Musically the mood doesn't really fit the concept, as it's a real hodge podge of sounds. Anything from instrumental funky wah wah cop show themes, to avant garde indigenous music, to ragtime jazz is featured here. Whatever it is, it's definitely underground 1970's Japan - where anything goes! Honestly it doesn't remind me of the other LLL+1 album at all, and should be strictly considered on its own. Plenty of psychedelic guitar to keep an underground rock fan interested - but be prepared for many changes in style. 

Priority: 2

According to a comment from an anonymous reader, Satsujin Jissho has been reissued (1997 Super Fuji). 

The AC has countered the above comment: "This CD doesn't actually exist. It was supposed to come out in 2007 (not 1997), but Sony (who own the rights) killed it off at the last minute. The "Super Fuji Discs" mentioned is a subsidiary of the Japanese record store Disk Union, who sell tons of rare LPs throughout Japan. They were involved in the mastering of the CD, but the whole thing had to be shelved after a while. "

As of 3/4/25, Discogs shows no mention of a CD, so the AC was correct in his retort.

The AC's notes for Kosuke Ichihara & Love Live Life : "The common misconception of Kosuke Ichihara's group seems to be that Love Live Life were a regular, comprehensive band in the Japanese rock scene, a la Flower Travellin' Band and the like, but that's not really the case. Ichihara came from a jazz background, and even the seminal "Love Will Make A Better You" was really more along the lines of the typical "band leader and revolving cast of studio hired guns" scenario that for the most part dominated the output of Japan's New Rock explosion. So it should come as no surprise then that their trail afterwards becomes more diverse and obscure. Most well known in the west is obviously the quirky "Satsujin Jissho", but around the same time there were also entertainingly silly exploitation cash-ins like "Rock In Bacharach", "Rock In X'Mas" and other less notable studio sessions and collaborations. But perhaps the most interesting of this little known latter-day output is "Now Sound '75", an attempt to cross traditional Japanese "minyou" folk songs with the then-rising genre of jazz-rock fusion. This concept had already been done umpteen times by this point in other styles, some of which have been covered on this very blog (Toshio Tanioka, Dosojin, etc.). However, as the title indicates, the difference here is that the "sound"  was very "now", as in funky mid 70s instrumental fusion. The traditional themes are woven in smoothly to create atmosphere in a well-produced set of tunes that would have made a good soundtrack for a classic Japanese cop/detective show. Oddly enough, I'm also reminded a bit of the contemporaneous French fusion sound. Smooth and funky, but with enough atmosphere and instrumental acumen to hold your interest. Recommended to fusion fans, and I'd wager it would also go down a storm with the rare groove crowd. Unfortunately, one of their harder titles to find."

9/30/10 (new entry); 11/7/15 (update)

Rollsplytt ~ Germany

Flappergranny. 1982 private

Rollsplytt were a band from Germany that remains a complete unknown as I write this. They released this one album, with the intriguing name of Flappergranny (what can that possibly even mean?*) back in 1982. And it sounds every bit of its era. To my ears at least, Rollsplytt has their heart in the Synth Pop movement, but didn't realize that they needed a vocalist, and maybe a few catchy tunes to work with. They are rhythmically uninteresting, but the instrumentation on top is really quite accomplished. Primarily keyboards, guitars, and a smattering of reeds which conjure up some splendid melodies. In this way I was most reminded of fellow countrymen Rousseau, minus the obvious affection for progressive rock. But Rollsplytt managed to accomplish a similar sound on what seems like an accident. This is a good one that needed a few more ideas and instrumentation to flesh out these tracks a bit. Well worth your time to investigate.

*- So let's take a stab at this. My grandmother was a professional Vaudeville musician, and she was also known as a "Flapper Girl", which was a term / style for liberated women in post World War I. In looking at that cover, perhaps that's the reference - an older woman who did not let go of that era. But I don't think "Flappergranny" is the name for that...

Priority: 3

11/6/15 (new entry)

AC's original notes: "All instrumental prog/fusion with a distinctly early 80s sound, but not in the way that you might expect. It's as if a 1982 British synth-pop band decided to take a break between albums and do a prog side project or something. The copious synths, sax/flute, as well as the guitar and bass lines just have that certain sound, as do the very "bouncy" (for lack of a better word) and straight forward rhythms that propel this lengthy (almost 50 minutes) and well-produced album along. There are some definite fusion touches (mostly of the Weather Report variety), but I'd label it more as "funky synth-driven instrumental prog" than full-fledged jazz-rock, if that makes any sense. It's quite consistent, and has some real period charm, which won me over in the end."

Zthurehz ~ Sweden

Zthürehz. 1981 Sill Y

When you see an unpronounceable band name like Zthürehz, one would presume a Zeuhl masterpiece awaits. Or perhaps some all-out complex prog like Yezda Urfa. So that's what we get here right? Oh God no... Zthürehz were a duo from Sweden who released this one album and then disappeared without a trace. Given the moniker, the album found itself on many a prog want list over the years. And in these enlightened modern times, the mask has now been removed... and it's not pretty.

The album starts off pleasantly enough with a fine instrumental. I was reminded most of fellow countrymen Isildurs Bane on their own 1981 debut Sagan om Ringen, or perhaps even a non-female-vocal Autumn Breeze. Nothing complex, but straightforward rock with a nice melodic structure. We also hear this sound coming from Germany quite a bit in the early 80s. And then... it goes into indie rock mode, not atypical of the rock scene of the era. The bookends of each side provide the interest for progressive rock fans, and the remainder might appeal to the more tolerant neo psych crowd with an early 80s fetish. The blend isn't a good one, as both styles do not mesh well. Seems one or the other will disappoint their fan base. Presuming they had any to begin with... Overall, a decent / OK album from my perspective, nothing more.

Priority: none

11/4/15 (new entry)

The AC says: "Swedish prog obscurity that's somewhat marred by occasional incursions of early 80s new wave and even some reggae influences. Also perhaps a bit too vocal oriented, at least for my tastes. Unsurprisingly, they fare better on the longer pieces, where they're able to stretch out a little more musically. Some of that typical Scandinavian melancholy also helps the cause, but the general amateurism doesn't. Worth a listen for genre deep divers, but otherwise nothing too special."

Holocausto ~ USA ~ Puerto Rico

Aleluya. 1974 Discos Roka

Holocausto were an obscure Christian band from Puerto Rico who released this one very intriguing album. At times, there are bursts of complex and heavy Italian styled prog with guitars and keyboards raging over the crazy rhythms. At others, there's a bit of machismo Latin soul rock, that is obviously more song based. Overall, it reminds me somewhat of the Peruvian band Tarkus. It's a very rough recording, but the reckless abandon of youthful exuberance takes this one up a notch. Apparently the band had started to work on a remix for a possible reissue, but no recent word has surfaced that I could find anyway. I could see this easily going up a half point or more with repeated listens. 

Priority: 3

This is another late era submission from The AC.  His notes to me were: "This Christian-themed underground Latin American rarity is an interesting blend of progressive, psychedelic, hard rock/proto metal and latin rock styles.  Heavy riffing, organ/keys, flute/sax and impassioned vocals battle it out over a set of relatively concise but atmospheric and thoughtfully constructed tracks, where the undeniably cool "aura" of the whole thing helps to make up for the somewhat primitive execution. Great cover art as well (both front and back). However, the sound here could really use a good cleaning up, as it's hard to even hear some of the more interesting instrumental details at times. It seems the band themselves were working on doing just that a few years back, but I'm not sure if this is still an ongoing effort. Lets hope so, because this one is definitely worth it."

Naniwaya Tatsumaru & Warner Beatniks ~ Japan

Keiantaiheiki (Yoshitatsu Kyounobori) Rock Roukyoku Rock. 1971 Reprise

Such a catchy title, eh?

In any case, Tatsumaru is performing what is known as Roukyoku, which is a narrative type of singing accompanied by a 3 stringed lute known as the shamisen, providing an aural incense-burn like setting. For those cultural neanderthals like myself, the only way I can describe his performance here is to imagine an anguished JA Seazer (well, that's self-defining isn't it?)... on his 6th bourbon.

But of course, there's more than traditional Japanese music here. It's the early 70s, so the "Warner Beatniks" is yet another name for guitarist Kimio Mizutani (who must have played on one album a day back then) and his motley crew of studio performers. The psychedelic rock bits are exciting, but all too short, and leaves the listener wanting more. Way more.

An interesting artifact for certain, and definitely one to find if doing the deep dig in Japanese archaeological rock studies. Might require a few extra shovels to actually find however... If looking for an original, there's currently one copy available on Discogs for the low low price of $2,200. I think I'll await a reissue.

Priority: none

The AC's notes: "Another of the many "New Rock" era attempts at a cross-cultural fusion between rock and traditional Japanese music, in this case roukyoku, a type of narrative singing usually accompanied by the shamisen. Tatsumaru barks, growls and whines out the running monologue, alternating between sly humor and extreme agitation as the text calls for, accompanied by his tsugaru-shamisen strumming/thrashing and occasional heavy prog/psych outbursts, or more cinematic sounding backdrops of strings, flute, etc. The rock sections come courtesy of the Warner Beatniks, which was just another name for the "usual suspects" studio crew of Yusuke Hoguchi, Kimio Mizutani, etc. It's a fairly interesting experiment, but does have some serious drawbacks. The main problem being that the rock bits tend to kind of jump in and out rather quickly, making for a somewhat disjointed sound, and leaving the listener to sit through lengthy sections of traditional unaccompanied roukyoku narration and shamisen plucking. Which is fine if you're a dedicated fan of the style, but will probably try the patience of the more general prog/psych listener. It's an expensive item these days (more so once it gets into the hands of hyperbolic western record dealers than in its native Japan), so I feel a "buyer beware" is in order here, despite my own general amusement with it. Great sinister cover art, duplicated in even more evil looking red on the back. As a side note, the sleeve states this is the second release in the "Bikkuri Series" ("surprising series"). If memory serves correctly, the first was the thoroughly ridiculous (but entertaining) "Rock Christmas Rock", which as you might have guessed is an album of rocked-out Christmas songs performed by the Warner Beatniks and featuring one of the most hideously eye-scarring record covers in human history."

11/2/15 (new entry)

Tatsuya Takahashi & Tokyo Union Orchestra ~ Japan

Tatsuya Takahashi & Tokyo Union Orchestra - The Rock Seasons. 1972 Toshiba-Express

Lead by saxophonist Tatsuya Takahashi, The Rock Seasons is basically instrumental electric big band music. There's a minor fuzz edge here, but in principle, this is rock music for the coat and tie set. The themes are decidedly mid 60s, and one could hear this as being a soundtrack to a frivolous film of that era. Being a former stage band performer myself, music like this can be challenging to play, and the horn charts are often complicated. It's all a bit of good fun though, and truth be told, there isn't a whole a lot of this kind of music on the open market.

Like many Japanese rock albums from the early 70s, The Rock Seasons is about as common as finding government employees working on official holidays.

This was one of the last CDRWL submissions from the AC (early 2015), who has gone missing since. We definitely miss his contributions - not just to that blog, but to my overall knowledge. Come back man!

His comments are: "Late saxophonist and band leader Takahashi appeared on about a million different recordings in his heyday, but seems to be most known outside of Japan for some of his mid 70s work on the Three Blind Mice label. From my perspective however, his most interesting work might be this obscure set recorded with his Tokyo Union big band during the height of Japan's "New Rock" era of major label experimentation. There's some kind of seasonal/elemental theme going on here, but it's not too relevant honestly, as what we're presented with is a fun sequence of instrumental electric big band/jazz rock pieces that are propelled along by melodic sax/flute, tight horn charts, groovy bass lines and even the occasional fuzz/wah guitar lick. Lacks the depth and atmosphere of a contemporaneous work like Toshiyuki Miyama's "Tsuchi no Ne", but is quite an entertaining listen nonetheless."

Priority: none

11/1/15 (new entry)

News: Sfinx debut album reissued by Soft Records

Here's the other news item from Achim. This is one of those albums I thought may have been reissued in the past, but no, this is the first legit CD for the album. And it comes from the superb indigenous Soft Records label. As an aside, I have a few of their CDs here to review for Under the Radar, and we have a couple there already (Survolaj, Talitha Qumi) that we've raved about in the past.

I haven't heard this album in ages. I don't even have a copy here, so I'll need to dig around for one. I see I have a rating for it, but I've just removed those as it's been way too long to be fair.

Our RYM friend Apps79 says this about it: "Sfinx came in life in Bucharest around 1963, found by three high school students and friends, drummer Cristian Valica, bassist Corneliu "Bibi" Ionescu and singer/guitarist Octav Zemlicka.Among their early members was also organist Idu Barbu, but the crucial point comes in 1967, when violin player and student Dan Andrei Aldea joined the band, he was destined to become the band's leader and an accomplished multi-instrumentalist.Several members would come and go over the span of the next 7-8 years, Sfinx'es fame though was on the rise, writing music for the film ''Nunta de piatra'' and releasing a first single in 1972.A second EP follows in 1974 at a time, when Ionescu and Aldea were surrounded by ex-Mondial drummer Mihai Cernea and a second guitarist, Dan Badulescu.Their ex-keyboardist Idu Barbu helped them during the recording sessions of their debut ''Lume alba'', which was released in 1975 on the Electrecord label.

You shouldn't expect by a band from Romania, a country with limited tradition in Progressive Rock, to break new grounds, but Sfinx appeared to be more than just a talented band on ''Lume alba'', exploring music fields that were almost forbidden for other groups.They played a mix of straight Hard Rock with some supporting poppy tunes, but I also encounter lots of folky influences and spacey, Fusion touches in their sound.The standard-structured tracks are rather of limited interest for fans with no access to the Romanian language, containing lots of punchy guitars, catchy choruses and dynamic grooves, which are sometimes surrounded by discreet keyboard sounds.But there are also tracks in here that are surprisingly good and beyond their time regarding the Romanian Rock scene.For example ''Sinteza'' is powered by great electric solos and a marching rhythm section, accompanying some impressive Moog synth solos with a slight spacey underline or the title-track, which sounds extremely trippy with its wordless vocals, background bass lines and soaring synth lines.''Muntele'' is very interesting as well, some of the guitar parts recall KING CRIMSON at their mid-period, the Hard Rock leads are still in evidence, but the semi-symphonic synths, the powerful breaks and the changing climates add a personal aura in this piece.''Calatorul si copacul'', the opening track is a nice attempt in Folk/Pop with great violin work by Aldea, while the swansong of the album, ''Om bun'', is a beautiful piece of archaic Prog Folk with a slight Medieval atmosphere, featuring poetic voices, traditional flute lines and light bass work.

That's what should be called Art Rock.Not groundbreaking by any means, however ''Lume alba'' remains a hidden gem of versatile Eastern-European Rock music with multilpe influences, likely to satisfy all lovers of flexible listenings.Recommended."

News: Rocket Robert reissued by Got Kinda Lost

CDRWL contributor Achim turned in a couple of news items yesterday. I was not familiar with this album prior, but it looks intriguing for sure. Got Kinda Lost is yet another sub-label from the outstanding Guerssen group of Spain.

Guerssen says: "Those who’ve dirtied their fingers searching high and low for analog synth nuggets can rejoice at the arrival of under-the-radar synthesizer maverick “Rocket” Robert Moore. Less a reissue than an exhumation—what with a scant, hand-screened 142 copies produced in 1982 that circulated little outside the confines of Oregon state—Rocket Robert drifts in the backward-looking sounds of early synth innovators, while equally mining the kraut-tinged moments of punk-era instro synth explorers and the first breaths of synth-pop, rather than carrying similarities to the “New Wave” that was then talking hold of the masses. Issued by Moore’s own Salem, Oregon-based Future Records in 1982, his eponymous debut is simultaneously light-hearted and shot-though with ominous oscillations and offers up a darkly-throbbing, other-worldly vibe that is sure to ensnare synth-heads, beat-diggers and those searching the margins of the private-press alike. Got Kinda Lost Records is over the moon to allow this singular, unique album another chance to shine. RIYL: Delia Derbyshire, Fad Gadget, Mort Garson, Gershon Kingsley, Martin Rev, Morton Subotnick, etc. First time reissue of this under-the-radar synth nugget, with original master tape sound. Recorded in 1982 while having more in common with ‘60s analog synthesizer innovators or ‘70s German followers of the flame, providing the album an “out of time” quality. Includes two previously unreleased spaced-out-electro-pop songs from the album sessions. Insert features informative liner notes by Dave Segal (Staff Writer for Seattle’s alternative weekly The Stranger), culled from interviewing the artist and rare photos from Robert Moore’s archives. LP housed in an old-school-style tip-on sleeve. CD edition features a full-color insert with many images not featured in LP edition. "Unclassifiable outsider synth-damage not unlike Bite-era Bruce Haack and Damon Edge of Chrome collaborating, or weirdo proto-new wavers like Ghostwriters, Pulsar, Todd Tamanend Clark, or a non-operatic Klaus Nomi. Better yet, imagine a Grandmaster Flash-obsessed Kluster retreating into a stoney basement with Richard Pinhas—if that makes no sense, you're on the right path." - Steven “Plastic Crimewave” Krakow (Galactic Zoo Dossier)"

Shotgun LTD ~ USA

Shotgun LTD. 1971 Prophesy

UMR review

Priority: 2

10/20/15 (new entry)

News: Baumann/Koek to be reissued on Bureau B

I have to admit I'd never heard of this one before. But CDRWL contributor Eric sent it over, and it indeed does look like something we'd be very interested in. Bureau B continues to be the leading light for all things German Electronik.

Label data: "Baumann/Koek is another hitherto undiscovered treasure of German electronic music, the only album by the electronic music pairing of Wolfgang (not Peter!) Baumann and Ata Koek, both from Kempten, Bavaria. It was mixed in Conny Plank's studio and distributed, without a label, by the duo themselves in 1978. The music owes much to the Berlin School: layered sequencer patterns, swirling chord tapestries, a computer beat here and there. Oriental elements or hints thereof add a particular charm to Baumann/Koek, available now for the first time on CD (+vinyl and download)."

"Rumours persist that Peter Baumann of Tangerine Dream is behind the Baumann/Koek project. Indeed, the music might bear a certain resemblance and the song entitled “TD-Mem” might be seen as a clue. But the rumour is just that, a rumour, with no bearing on the truth. In actual fact, Baumann/Koek can unequivocally be identified as Wolfgang Baumann (no, not the MPS record cover artist), born in Kempten in 1950 and his friend Ata Koek (Köktürk, to be precise), born in Istanbul in 1956. Wolfgang Baumann was 15 years old when he learned to play the electric organ. Some ten years later, he had grown tired of the limited range of sounds the instrument offered and he sold it on the spot. Wolfgang and his friend Ata were determined to explore new tones and musical structures— with a synthesizer. Together, they made the trip from Kempten to Bonn with the singular aim of visiting the legendary Synthesizerstudio Bonn, the very same store where Kraftwerk and countless other electronic icons went shopping for their equipment. The duo purchased a secondhand ARP 2600 and immediately began experimenting with the synth. They soon realized, however, that they needed more gear to create the music they dreamed of. Before long they had added an ARP sequencer, a Solina String keyboard and an EKO Compurhythm drum computer to their arsenal. Last but not least, they acquired a four track recorder and were ready to commit their music to tape. Without a record label to back them, they pressed up 1000 copies and paid the production costs themselves. Having recorded all the music on the four track machine at home, the pair went to the expense of booking Conny Plank’s studio for the mix. The album was well received and the Swabian wholesaler Jaguar Records stepped in for worldwide distribution pressing another 5000 LPs. Japan proved to be a particularly popular territory, with radio stations picking up on the record. Sadly, Jaguar Records went bankrupt shortly afterwards. Baumann and Koek were disinclined to take on any further financial risk and decided against a follow-up record. The music clearly references the Berlin School: a hypnotic maelstrom of sequencer patterns and swirling tapestries of mostly minor chords, underpinned at times by a computer beat. What really sets the music apart from comparable productions is the subtle influence of Arabian tonality which saw Ata Koek consciously introduce just a hint of Oriental flavour. If Baumann and Koek considered their “modest” equipment to be a hindrance, their music sounded all the better for it. There is a raw, unpolished quality to the tracks, a clarity which draws the listener closer, far more so than the bombastic productions of contemporaries like Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze et al."