Monday, February 28, 2011

Sakre, Spain-Basque


Sakre - Bizitako Gauzak. 1979 Elkar.

I remember buying this album in the early 90s. It was hailed as super-rare (like many of the Basque albums), and I thought I really scored when I scooped it up for $75 (and believe me, that was a fortune for me back then). Nearly 20 years later, it still goes for that - or maybe even a little less. Guess there was plenty of supply after all. No problem though with me. I'd never sell the LP - not with an amazing gatefold cover like that (a blind-folded naked Renaissance chick in her stocking feet, walking a pig - are you kidding me?)! Comes with a high quality insert that translates all the lyrics from Basque to Spanish. Like the Magdalena we featured not long ago, this is one of the few Basque albums not reissued by Lost Vinyl of Spain in the mid 90s.

It can be argued, like with most Basque albums, that Sakre isn't progressive rock at all. It's not terribly complex, or lyrically based in some high minded concept (well, I'm guessing on that last point - I'm hardly fluent in the Basque language). But no matter, as the music is clearly from the Basque underground, and Sakre has a sound of their own. The guitar work here is splendid, highly melodic with a cool acid tone. The rhythm section keeps everything hopping along, and there's a handful of meter changes. Though not as overtly psychedelic as fellow Basques' Lisker, there are some parallels with Sakre in the guitar work. A great album as far as I'm concerned - and one that is easy to listen to.

Priority: 2

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Ping Pong, Italy


Ping Pong - About Time. 1971 Emiliana.

While almost all of the Italian progressive rock albums have been reissued by now, the debut by Ping Pong is still mysteriously missing. Their second album, "Ping Pong" from 1973, was reissued by Mellow many years ago. I fully suspect BTF/AMS will eventually get around to it. I traded for this with an Italian dealer well over 15 years ago (he had found a stash of new, unplayed copies).

One reason why Ping Pong's debut may have been ignored in the reissue market, is that it has very little to do with what we consider Italian Progressive Rock. It's sung in English, and the sound has a light jazzy feel, very much what one could find in the UK at this time (anywhere from Tonton Macoute to Nucleus' more accessible efforts). However, I personally think it's an exceptional example of this type of music. The flute in particular seems to foreshadow a signature sound from Italy - found in groups like Osanna, PFM, Delirium, Capitolo 6, Cervello and many others. And I would argue that these flautists' are not influenced by Ian Anderson / Jethro Tull, but rather American and UK jazz. It's a good little album, with a 1960s cool (though very fragile) cover.

Priority: 2

Saturday, February 26, 2011

News: MPS reissue series starts back up



Thanks to a note from Laser Ken, the much loved German jazz label MPS is getting back to CD reissues, after a 2-3 year hiatus. Looks like Volker Kriegel's "Lift" and "Missing Link" are out and a couple of more are coming ("Octember Variations" and "Tropical Harvest").

Orkiestra Osmego Dnia (Orchestra of the 8th Day), Poland



Orkiestra Ósmego Dnia - Muzyka na Koniec. 1982 Savitor.

Released in the US as Orchestra of the 8th Day - Music For the End. 1982 Flying Fish.

Poland seems to have cornered the market on moody, organic, ethnic psychedelic music. Osjan/Ossian were the first (though even local pop star Niemen explored a bit in this area). Orchestra of the 8th Day appeared next and years later both Atman and The Magic Carpathians followed this path. Multiple reed and string instruments create an otherworldly landscape. No doubt labeled New Age music in its day, I would be hard pressed to believe that fans of the genre would walk away with anything but being mentally disturbed. This is not soft, meditational and relaxing music. This is truly psychedelic music - not via drugs or overt lyrical references, but rather a timeless ritualistic sound. A very fascinating work.

The band has at least 3 other albums that I have not heard.

Flying Fish was a very interesting label from Chicago, and I suspect they may have more intriguing (and relevant) titles for the CDRWL. I know about Other Music, which we'll cover here shortly, but that's about it. I know they have a lot of pure folk music that falls outside of our scope.

Priority: 3

Friday, February 25, 2011

Metabolist, England


Metabolist - Hansten Klork. 1982 Dromm.

I think it was Audion in the early 1990s that I first read about this album. I picked up the LP during that period, and since then it seems to have become quite the sought after item.

I can see why Audion recommended it, as it has a certain Krautrock feel to it. I always felt the UK underground favorite This Heat had a similar German vibe and there are parallels between the two groups' sound. Metabolist does possess a certain metronomic Can like undercurrent, along with chanted vocals - more Magma than Damo. Strangely enough the vocals remind me even more of a very obscure Mexican Zeuhl group called Vector Escoplo (from 1991), and one has to wonder if they were more influenced by Metabolist than Magma. As well, Metabolist seems to have a punk and industrial background. These latter two fields I'm much less familiar with, though I'm sure experts in those styles will recognize other patterns. A very intriguing album, and one that falls a bit out of my interest area. However, it's one that I feel compelled to keep and also one to recommend for a CD.

Priority: 3

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Loch Ness, Mexico


Loch Ness - s/t. 1988 Sacbe.

Loch Ness was the root group for the 1990s psychedelic explosion that suddenly appeared in Mexico - and then vanished without a trace by the end of the decade. Humus, Frolic Froth, Smoking the Century Away, Euphoric Darkness and a few others all can point to Loch Ness for paving the way. All of those groups, and the remainder of the Loch Ness catalog are on CD - only this debut remains without a CD issue.

On the debut Loch Ness lays out what the Mexican space rock scene was going to look like for the next few years. Picking up where Sensations Fix' left off on "Portable Madness", and integrating in some early Krautrock like Guru Guru and Gila, Loch Ness mix high octane guitar licks with a slight jazzy undertone in the rhythms. It's a great recipe, and one which the sister band Humus took to an even higher level about a decade later.

This Loch Ness is not to be confused with the late 80s Brazilian neo progressive rock band.

Priority: 2

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Osamu Kitajima, Japan ***REISSUED***


Osamu Kitajima - Benzaiten. 1975 Antilles

*** Reissued by PSI (Germany) 2016

Definitely one of the more recognizable albums in the CDRWL. Kitajima's album received relatively good distribution in the US due to it being on the Antilles label, benefiting no doubt from Jade Warrior's presence. I've had this album for well over 20 years, and I'm pretty sure it's still somewhat easy to find on LP. I wouldn't be entirely surprised to hear this was already pressed on CD in Japan, but I haven't found any evidence of it. I did, however, see that Amazon is selling an "on demand CD-R" for the title. Those don't count for the CDRWL.

This past December we featured extremely rare albums by Toshiaki Yokota (Primitive Community) and Rock Joint Biwa (Fulukotofumi). Kitajima's debut album fits squarely in the same mold. This is truly a world fusion - a melting pot of Western rock and Japanese indigenous music. Very few have pulled it off so well as Kitajima does here. Either they fall prey to new age sappiness, or worse, move towards amateurish exploitation. This is a serious work, and the type of rock influenced world music that still hasn't been explored much at all. I for one would like to hear more.

Priority: 2

Monday, February 21, 2011

Jean Luc Hamonet and Algue, France


Jean Luc Hamonet ~ Algue - Mélodie, Mélodie ~ Rock. 1982 Le Kiosque d'Orphée.

Man, more damn diacritics and tilde's than you can shake a stick at. Well anyway, following yesterday's post, here's yet another ebay find. I probably should have mentioned them as I went along, but most of this list was baked already (from my personal website), and I didn't add a lot of unique content until recently. So I do so now. This one I bought from an Italian gentleman who had lots of stuff like this for pretty cheap in the 2005 / 2006 time frame.

Hamonet's sole album (the only one I know of anyway) is a pleasant instrumental romp focusing on our protagonist's guitar and flute work. Some of it is light tropical and breezy as is typical of the era. However, there are some fiery moments to behold, in particular the closer 'Masques' is right out of the Heldon playbook. I sure hope there's more like this sitting in a drawer somewhere. A pretty murky recording, so a CD reissue could easily raise this a point or so. Same label as the rare debut album by Rictus.

Priority: 3

Sunday, February 20, 2011

The Michael Gordon Philharmonic, USA


The Michael Gordon Philharmonic - s/t. 1987 Neutral.

On the Nishin post, I described my catalog trading days of 1991-1997. What came after that? Well, ebay of course. At first, I primarily bought original LPs that I had as a CD or LP reissue. Prices were pretty good back then (not cheap, but reasonable especially when compared against the catalogs of the day). But as the originals starting going through the stratosphere again, I began to focus on obscurities I never heard of. A big portion of this CD Reissue Wish List came courtesy of those experiments. Most paid off - some did not of course. Information was still pretty scarce, much more so than it is today. So sometimes it was purely on the faith of the ebay description. Like this one. And this little gem has to be one of the most obscure I found. If you do a little Googling, you'll find that you can still find this LP relatively cheap. So it's another case of obscure over expensive.

Michael Gordon is a founding member of Bang on a Can, and also has a few albums under his name. This is the only LP, that I'm aware of, under the Michael Gordon Philharmonic moniker. It's also his first LP. This is the pure definition of what we now call Avant Progressive or what we used to call RIO influenced chamber rock. Gordon is the keyboardist, and you can tell his fondness / training for minimalism. The Philharmonic part is the classically oriented music, but there's a rock backbone, thus pushing the album into our scope. Recommended for fans of The Alain Eckert Quartet, Wittox O'Hara and Chris Lemon. Neat WPA era artwork.

Priority: 3

Saturday, February 19, 2011

First Aid, England


First Aid - Nostradamus. 1977 Decca.

OK, I've looked all over my LP for evidence. The label says 1976 and the gatefold cover says 1977. It just can't be. It has to be 1971 right? Even the old style Decca label seems ancient. Everything about it looks and sounds from another era. Did Decca have this one sitting in the vaults - perhaps mislabeled, and decide to release it 6 years later? Nostradamus, as you can imagine, is a high minded concept album about the supposed fortune teller. Complete with orchestrations, narration - and long guitar / organ jams. Intertwined with melodic pop songs of course. Right on Brother! If this sounds like something out of the Moody Blues or Salamander playbook, well then, you win first prize in the name-that-band sweepstakes. Of course, given this kind of anachronistic behavior, I think it's great. This one has Esoteric's name all over it.

Priority: 2

Friday, February 18, 2011

Ex Vitae, France *** REISSUED ***


Ex Vitae - s/t. 1978 private

*** Reissued by Musea, June 2018 *** No bonus tracks unfortunately :-(

At times, Ex Vitae are at the peak of the French jazzy progressive rock genre, recalling such luminaries as Moving Gelatine Plates and Ma Banlieue Flasque. The complex counterpoint rhythms, fuzz guitar, flute, violin, the "je ne sais quoi" attitude. But alas, it's not all so consistent, as there's some aimless free jazz and a couple of pointless experimental bits that show the band tried too hard to be artsy. Still, about 75% of the album is splendid, and worth a reissue for that. One can only hope for more great tracks hidden in the vaults.

Priority: 3

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Aku Aku, Czech Republic ***REISSUED***


Aku Aku - Humanquake. 1991 Pro Art

***Reissued by Guerilla in 2006 (unbeknownst to us at the time)

moved to UMR

Priority: 2

Monday, February 14, 2011

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Saisei-Koubou, Japan


Saisei-Koubou - s/t. 1987 private (LLE Distribution).

This is one I picked up from a well known Japanese dealer at the 1994 ProgFest record convention (of all places). It's a neat personal story, but I won't bore you all with it. I still have the wax paper that came with it which protected the homemade golden seal from the LP plastic sleeve.

A couple of days ago we featured an obscure Japanese group from 1987 (Nishin) who released an album heavily influenced by early 80's Belew era King Crimson. Here's another obscurity from 1987 Japan, also influenced by Crimson. This time we go back to the 1974 Starless and Bible Black era. A heavy psych guitar, woody bass, metallic percussion sound pervades, with some ominous male vocals (in Japanese) and tuneless keyboard sounds overlaid on top. It's a bit under produced and amateurish, but their hearts are in the right place, and frankly no one was doing music like this in the late 1980s. Probably the closest comparison here is the Michigan band Inserts from their first album (which was distributed in Japan, so I have to wonder if this band may have stumbled on the album) - which we featured a long while ago.

The AC adds more info: "It's actually not a private release, but on Pneuma's (Trembling Strain, Takami, etc.) LLE label, which also released the original Lacrymosa EP and a bunch of other underground stuff in the 80s, including those really cool Takami albums. In fact, the drummer in Saisei is the same guy from Lacrymosa, and I think the guitarist was in Golden Avant-Garde, so there's a definite connection with Chihiro S., even though he's not on the album himself." He also states regarding the Act Min Tanaka on the label: "Min Tanaka is a famous butoh dancer, and I remember learning that the band apparently had some kind of association with him, performing in one of his dance studios or something."

I reviewed the LP more closely and it does say LLE Distribution (etched in black on an all black cover!) - but the label appears private. BTW, that Golden Avant-Garde album is really great, and one I bought when it came out (1993/4). Maybe one day I'll start an "Obscure CD" blog (oh for crying out loud, really Tom?) - that album most certainly would be an early entry!

Priority: 3

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Friday, February 11, 2011

Claude Perraudin, France


Claude Perraudin - Mutation 24. 1977 RCA.

Film library musician Claude Perraudin released only this one fully realized instrumental electronic album. Nicely done, with atmospheric wordless voices, acoustic / electric guitars, a pile of synthesizers and real drums. This is old school electronic music, where Perraudin plays all the instruments, lays down tons of tracks and assembles them later. A very nice album that deserves a CD reissue, and is likely to raise the rating a point, as I'm sure the muffled record does not allow the music to breathe as it should.

Priority: 3

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Nishin, Japan



Nishin - Dai Dai. 1987 Panama.

There was a period from 1991-1997 (that is, pre-marriage, haha) that yours truly spent every week at the post office. I was sending records to all corners of the Earth, and thus receiving some back in turn. My wheeler-dealer days as it were. Many of the albums in this list came from back then (though just as many have since been reissued and are not featured here). I can go on and on, but examples are Mirror, Lethe, Marakesh, Avalanche, Mad Curry, Kvartteten Som Sprangde, Saisai Koubou, (everything from Canada), Picaresque of Bremen, Orpheus, Osiris (Japan), Nattura, etc, etc... and many, many more (most I kept, some I sold). I'm forever grateful to those dealers from Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, England, Canada, Sweden, Finland, Czechoslovakia, even the good ole' USA. Those dealers that allowed me to sample great music from all over the world. They didn't have to trade with me. They could have insisted on cold hard cash which I didn't really have. But they did anyway, because they too were legitimate music fans, who had an interest in what I had to offer. I only mention this, since 1) I haven't done so before and 2) This Nishin has to be one of the most obscure I ever picked up. Not rare/expensive, but obscure for certain. And from a European dealer no less, not from Japan like you would expect. I thought I'd have to pull out the digital camera, but I found an auction buried in Google with a scanned cover (which is attached). The back cover is cool too, with textured lettering (the Alaskan Connection was kind enough to send in a scan, since I'm too lazy to photo mine). Comes with a 2 page insert, and I don't think it was release with an obi. Either that, or mine is missing....

Musically there is no doubt of Nishin's influence - that of Adrian Belew-era King Crimson. Specifically the Discipline, Beat, and Three of a Perfect Pair albums. A 4 piece, with dual guitars (one known as a Carimbaguitar, which sounds somewhat like a violin), the lineup is exactly like Fripp's bunch from this time, minus the Stick bass. The production and vocal style are mid 1980s all the way. But there's no doubting the complexity and energy of the music, and the true spirit of progressive rock is alive here. A nice little album, that has few peers in terms of sound and composition.

Priority: 3

Monday, February 7, 2011

Structure, France ***REISSUED***

Structure - Pop Music. 1970 Disques AFA

*** Reissued by Guerssen in 2023

In effect, Structure is a Bernard Wystraete solo album. Lead by his various flutes, the instrumental (with some wordless female chants) jazz psych presented is somewhat typical of the film and TV library music of the era (of which Wystraete has at least two albums under his name with titles like "Hits Variety"). It just happens to be a very good representation of said style, and recalls later instrumental flute lead outfits from France like Jean Cohen-Solal's two albums or Triode (on Futura). Some fine fuzz guitar and violin work here too - not to mention a particularly fat bass sound, something the French have become known for over the years. This would be a good choice for Vadim or Finders Keepers.

Priority: 3

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Emergency Exit, France


Emergency Exit - Sortie de Secours. 1976 Pole.

Starting off with an acoustic vocal number almost identical to what is found on the Lourival Silvestre album we just spoke of yesterday, Emergency Exit then veers off into an aggressive progressive rock fusion hybrid, with compressed fuzzy guitars and wobbly bass. Like a cross between Plat du Jour and Coincidence. Overall more like the former. No doubt Mio would have done this one had they stayed around long enough. Hopefully Musea or even Soleil Zeuhl will give this one a look.

Priority: 2

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Lourival Silvestre, France


Lourival Silvestre - Fiction Musicale. 1976 Disjuncta.

A really nice hidden gem on Pinhas' Disjuncta label. And quite a bit different from anything on that label - or any label in fact. Silvestre plays guitar (primarily acoustic but some electric) and, on rare occasion, synthesizer. He also sings using a wordless method. Additional members provide flute and hand percussion. The overall result is haunting yet peaceful. A real underground vibe permeates. It fits the electronic genre, even though it's primarily all acoustic - in that way resembling Popol Vuh (though the music is quite different). A very fine album, that hopefully has more studio quality tracks sitting in the vault, as it's pretty short in length.

Priority: 2

Thursday, February 3, 2011

P. F. Flyer, USA



P. F. Flyer - Play Gianchetta Jazz. 1970 AVG.

As promised yesterday, we have a big time rarity to feature today. Heavyrock was the first to mention this title to me a couple of months ago. This then began the world wide search, and once again The Alaskan Connection comes through.

A short album, not even topping 26 minutes, P.F. Flyer produced this one instrumental psych blues LP. Loads of fuzz guitar and Hammond organ dominate. The AC says about one song: "The track "Rocks Off" in particular would probably make those hipster DJ crate-digger types' heads explode, with the heavy open drum breaks and wild Hendrix-style fuzz/wah guitar." Overall, the AC notes that the music can best be described as accidental library psych.

To explain further the accidental adjective, the AC explains: "They were apparently students at a San Francisco dance studio run by an aspiring choreographer named Anthony Gianchetta, circa '69-'70. He had some ideas about using "hip" rock music for his dance routines, so somehow a group of his pupils got a band together and took up the task. The problem is that they were stoner hippy kids and decided to basically ignore his instructions and jam out this mostly undanceable instrumental psych excursion instead! It seems that everyone was pretty upset with this, but they basically had no choice but to release it as is at that point. It must have been a tiny micro pressing, with most of them probably ending up destroyed or discarded. In any case, it apparently wasn't too big a career setback for Gianchetta, as he seems to still be quite active as a stage choreographer in California to this day, as you will see if you Google his name."

As for the rarity of the album, the AC adds: "It seems like this album has been on almost every collector's want list, but hardly anyone has heard it. Well, there's good reason for that, as there are no more than 10 or 12 copies known to exist. A handful of copies were initially discovered by a local Bay Area record dealer years back, but no others have ever turned up since then."

Priority: 3

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Nightwings, Netherlands


Nightwings - Grande Randonnee… en de Reiziger Moet Verder. 1981 Crossroad.

Another one that I'm featuring primarily due to its obscurity and scarcity of information anywhere else.

Nightwings are that very rare breed of a Netherlands group who actually sing in Dutch. While the album is clearly folk based, there are plenty of progressive rock elements especially in the keyboard department. What Nightwings are to The Netherlands is akin to what the early Anacrusa albums are to Argentina. If that makes sense. It's also one of the rare times when I see the description "folk psych", it actually lives up to the latter part of the name. And while not near enough psych for a freak like me, I think fans of the genre will indeed appreciate this effort.

Another rarity from the Midwest Mike stash!

Priority: none

NOTE: Tomorrow we'll have a $1,000+ rarity that will be featured for the first time here. The deep dive mining continues... Fun stuff!

Nova Express, Germany

Space Khmer. 1987 Syndicate Germany's Nova Express, a common band name derived from William Burroughs' novel title, are a band I fi...