Avel Nevez, France

Avel Nevez - Service Compris. 1979 Arfolk

Moved to UMR

Priority: 2

News: Laser's Edge launches new reissue label!!

This is some news I've been sitting on for some time (well over a year). I think it's a fantastic idea, and I'm backing the project 100% for what Ken is doing here. And knowing Ken's tastes, you can rest assured many of the albums I have in this list will at least be considered. This is truly exciting news. The US has long been dormant for reissues, and it would be nice to have our own Garden of Delights and Long Hair. And I'm pretty sure Ken will consider albums from all over the world.

Here's the announcement from Ken plus an opportunity to name the label!

"I've had an idea in the back of my head for a number of years that I am finally bringing to fruition.

Many years ago I recognized that there are many great progressive albums that I've become familiar with that deserve attention but because they are obscure they don't stand much of a chance in the market as a full blown reissue.

So here's the deal…I am going to launch a new reissue label. The focus of the label will be on music from the 70s and 80s that has never been on CD before. The scope of the label will be anything that piques my interest that falls under the broad umbrella of progressive music. It could be symphonic rock, fusion, kosmigroov, electronic - its pretty much wide open.

The guidelines for the label will be as follows:

1. We will only work with original master tapes
2. Bob Katz will handle all mastering
3. Detailed liner notes and photos (whenever possible)
4. Packaging will feature Stoughton Printing mini-lp sleeves
5. Original artwork
6. The edition size will be limited to either 500 or 1000 copies depending on the title. We will specify the edition size at publication and not go beyond that regardless of the demand.

I have other ideas I'd like to implement if possible when we are ready to launch.

We already have settled on our first two releases (titles to be announced as soon as the ink is dry on the contracts).

Oh yeah…one other thing. They will be relatively expensive. Because of the costs involved with manufacturing such a small quantity these releases are going to be premium priced. They will only be available from select retailers and will not go through our normal distribution channels.

So here's the thing…I'm lousy at coming up with names for a label. If I had any flair for it I wouldn't have thought up "The Laser's Edge" 23 year ago.

I am launching a contest to name our new reissue label. The winner will receive gratis copies of our first four releases.

The rules are pretty simple. In the interest of transparency I would like all entries to be posted online on our forum. The winner will be notified by email on Monday, April 18th. Post as many as you like. Humorous submissions are OK but it won't bring home the bacon. Please include your email address somewhere in your post so we can contact you in the crazy chance you actually win.

I will be judge, jury, and executioner. If we don't receive any reasonable entries I reserve the right to thumb my nose at you.

Good luck!

Ken Golden

http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/lasers-edge/674611-new-lasers-edge-label-contest-launch.html "

Polestar 1, USA

Polestar 1 - Flying Thru the Universe. 1980 Rascal Records

Moved to UMR

Priority: 2

Proteus, USA

Proteus - Infinite Change. 1981 Proteus International Records.

I remember when my old friend Michael Piper (RIP) first unearthed sealed copies of this album in the mid 90s. I promptly plunked down for my own copy and never regretted it.

Proteus are a Chicago based fusion group, not too far in style from another Windy City favorite that we recently featured: Streetdancer. The highlight is the constant and fiery guitar work, and the compositions are more geared towards progressive rock than slick fusion. Side 1 is flat out awesome, whereas the other side begins to add the dreaded funky chicken components that were all too common for the era. Still, we're never too far away from another blazing guitar solo, and all is right again. An excellent album that is a must for fusion and instrumental progressive rock fans.

Priority: 2

The Seventh Seal, Japan

The Seventh Seal - s/t. 1997 Acme (UK)

moved to UMR

Priority: 3

Pat Cool, Netherlands

Pat Cool - Daybreak. 1973 Delta

Moved to UMR

Priority: 3

Other Music, USA

Other Music - Prime Numbers. 1980 Nth Degree
Other Music - Incidents Out of Context. 1983 Flying Fish

Moved to UMR

Priority: 3

News: Esoteric Mar-May 2011 releases

As usual, Esoteric has a fine batch of releases coming up. Most of these have been done prior, but as most of you already know, the Esoteric reissue is almost always an upgrade and is considered the definitive version. I've slowly been upgrading my own collection as needed.

The one thing that caught my eye is the unreleased Cologne concert by Tangerine Dream (on the Zeit reissue). I'm going to guess it's the 1972 concert known in the bootleg world as "Cologne WDR-Sendesaal". Does anyone know for sure? All live Tangerine Dream concerts before 1976 interest me, since they were entirely improvised and each features unique material.

Also worth noting that their version of "Poland" is the original full 2 LP set (and hopefully more), not the truncated one CD version (the Castle version chops off about 5-7 minutes from the original). I believe this is the first time it's been released as a double CD. This is the album that I began to lose interest with T Dream, but nostalgia is pulling me in, and I'll probably get this version myself. I sold the 2 LP set 20 years ago.

I'm also looking at their version of the German Armaggedon that came out on CD from Kuckuck a long time ago.

Here's the announcement in full (I did a small amount of editing):

"March:

VDGG-A grounding in Numbers(new studio album)
Tony Williams Lifetime-Emergency
Tony Williams Lifetime-Turn it Over
Crazy World of Arthur Brown - Strangelands (the lost album)
Illusion-Illusion
Illusion-Out of the Mist
Ray Thomas-Hopes and Fears (single edition)
Ray Thomas-From Mighty Oaks (single edition)
Armaggedon-s/t (Krautrock) --not to be confused with the English Armageddon which we also have on Esoteric
Tangerine Dream--Ride on the Ray 2CD slipcased (1980-1987)
Tangerine Dream-Sunrise in The Third system--2Cd slipcased (1970-1973)

April is as follows

Vangelis---L'apocalypse des Animaux (digipack , remastered by Vangelis)
Vangelis--Opera Suvage (digipack, remastered by Vangelis)
Jack Bruce-A question of Time (one of Jacks personal favourites and featuring GUEST MUSICIANS GINGER BAKER, TONY WILLIAMS, ALLAN HOLDSWORTH, BERNIE WORRELL, VERNON REID & ALBERT COLLINS
Tempest --Tempest
Tempest--Living in Fear (rather excellent quite heavy jazz rock with Jon Hiseman and crew)
Home--Home
Home-Pause for a Hoarse Horse
(I rather like the early Home albums--different from the Alchemist they are more comparable to an early Man around 1970/1971)
Dave Brock--Earthed to the Ground--1st solo album from 1984 for the HAWKs front man.

We had originally announced La Fete Sauvage alongside the other 2 Vangelis albums but this has been put on hold temporarily whilst some issues are sorted out on this particular title.

May is as follows

Tangerine Dream--Zeit, deluxe 2 CD of this classic with a bonus unreleased live concert from Cologne and restores the double album in full. (please note there will also be a huge expanded edition of this in early June with the deluxe 2CD a vinyl album with the resoted insert, postcards and a large book) This will retail around the £50 mark , so if you are a huge TD fan, you may want to wait till full details of this are announced.

Tangerine Dream-Poland, deluxe 2CD of this classic from 1984. Full unedited version.

Manticore Anthology set--Envelopes of Yesterday. 2Cd set This will include tracks from ELP and Greg Lake and other acts we have not reissued such as Thee Image and Hanson as well as PFM, Banco, pete Sinfield etc.

Hawkwind_Distant Horizons

Isotope-Isotope
Isotope-Illusion (getting confusing with all the releases we have named Illsion)
Isotope--Deep End
(again classic strong jazz rock) with Gary Boyle

Gary Brooker - Lead Me to the Water----- Fine second solo album from the Procol Harum front man , the record was a fine effort which featured a host of Brookerâs friends as guests including Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Phil Collins, Albert Lee. 2 bonus tracks. "

Jukka Hauru, Finland ***REISSUED***

Jukka Hauru - Information. 1972 Finnlevy. 

Jukka Hauru - Episode. 1975 Love.

*** Information reissued by Lipposen Levy Ja Kasetti in 2021 ***

*** Episode reissued by Lipposen Levy Ja Kasetti in 2022 ***

I first came across Hauru's name in the early 90's in association with the first Kalevala album, still a personal favorite album of mine. So I picked up the Information LP not long after from one of my dealer friends. I didn't get Episode until the ebay years. On his debut album "Information", there's no doubt the major influence for Jukka Hauru - one of Frank Zappa, especially of the Hot Rats era. The same motif is applied: Silly bits of humor, an almost academic approach to chamber jazz, and shredding early 70s bluesy wah-wah guitar like the master himself. Hauru proves to be an exceptional student, and this album is a no-brainer for fans of the style. "Episode" is quite a bit different, and moves towards the center of the Euro fusion movement. But it's a really good example of the style, with tight playing and Hauru proves to be once again quite adept with the electric six stringer. As an aside, Jukka Linkola plays keyboards on this album, and he apparently has a fine fusion album as well which I haven't heard. Looks like the cool folks over at ProgNotFrog have a copy to check out. 

Priority: 2

Cosmology, USA

Cosmology - s/t. 1977 Vanguard.

Following from my comment about the Vanguard label on the Flying Island entry, I did listen to The Open Window and Cosmology. The former I put in the main list, but this one is worth a separate entry I think.

Looking at the cover, you'd think this was an album from 1970. Those sideburns alone point to another era. Maybe they were friends with the English band First Aid, another anachronistic wonder from 1977. And musically it also points to a 1970 heritage. Produced by Collin Walcott (and he guests on sitar for one track), Cosmology is primarily an old fashioned horn rock album, though rooted in jazz fusion rather than pop rock. The lovely female vocals somewhat reminded me of both Quebec's Contraction and France's Cortex. But this isn't going to be on any hipsters A-list anytime soon. These guys are squares. But I found the myriad of styles at play here entirely refreshing - and completely unique. You'll see folks trying hard to get this one lumped in with the late 70s funk crowd, but good luck with that. I don't hear it myself. If any of this sounds good to you, pick this one up. The LP still goes for relatively cheap. And I for one would love to see a CD of it.

Priority: 3

Flying Island, USA

Flying Island - s/t. 1975 Vanguard.
Flying Island - Another Kind of Space. 1976 Vanguard.

Like the Morgen that we posted not long ago, Flying Island has to be considered one of the more recognizable names in the list. US distribution was thorough, and it's the kind of album that I think many people consider obscure (which it is in the whole scheme of things), but is still widely known by fans of 70's underground rock.

When I think of Flying Island, I tend to categorize them as a fusion band. But this listen to both albums proved to me that's not really the case. Even though there's a little funky business (especially on the debut), I would say that Flying Island are more of an instrumental progressive rock band. The lead instruments are violin, guitar and organ, and this is definitely no chops fest. Compositions are first and foremost, while instrumental dexterity backs up the highly melodic, but complex music charts. The violin in particular will remind the listener of Curved Air and Darryl Way's Wolf. Instantly recognizable cover art, another fine trademark of the Vanguard label. I miss the days when a label could be identified in this way.

Italy's Comet Records did buy the rights to the Vanguard catalog well over a decade ago. But for some reason they left off Flying Island, a group that most assuredly would have sold well for them. So my guess is Vanguard no longer had the rights either. These are long overdue for a reissue.

Speaking of Vanguard - what a cool label right? They never were quite plugged into the various rock scenes and yet they signed plenty of interesting bands. Their psychedelic selection is well respected (and from the CDRWL perspective, none is better than the 1968 album by Listening). This post reminded me of two other albums on Vanguard from my collection that I forgot to include in the main list: The Open Window and Cosmology. I plan on listening to both tomorrow. I'll determine then on whether they get a separate blog post or just an entry in the Original Wish List.

According to Chris Fox of Helmet of Gnats - the band is from his hometown of Greenwich, Connecticut.

And another Progressive Ears insight: Violinst Faith Fraeoli later played on the "Perfect Symmetry" prog metal album by Fates Warning (also from Connecticut).

Priority: 2

Connivence, Canada

Connivence - s/t. 1977 Kebec.
Connivence - II. 1979 Kebec.
Connivence - III. 1984 Amplitude.

Connivence were a large collective from rural Quebec, who practically define the folk rock influenced progressive rock scene from this rich cultural region. The concept of Connivence is more akin to the original Amon Duul, in terms of structure - not music, in that various musicians participate on the recordings. So there isn't a lot of cohesion between the first two releases, but they still have that unique Quebecois folk rock quality like you would find on albums by L'Engoulevent, Breche, Etoifilan, and of course the forefathers of the movement: Harmonium. The female vocals occasionally call to mind the excellent Contraction. The large ensemble approach, and general uplifting tone, also remind me of Belgium's Nuit Caline A La Villa Mon Reve and France's Synthesis.

By the third album, Connivence appears to have given up their amateur status and gone pro. The album is clearly a product of the early 80s, with a slick production and more synthesized sounds now penetrate. Gone is the folky flavor of the first 2 albums. Still, the album is better than all of this may imply, and the songs are well crafted, and they haven't lost their progressive rock edge. Maybe a point down from the first two, but only slightly, and certainly a more consistent effort. It has a poor reputation, but I think that has more to do with it being so different than the first two - and the 80's gloss doesn't help.

These are still easy to find on ebay, though maybe the third one is a bit more scarce. Even that one, I bought it sealed on ebay about 6 years ago for less than $10. So if you have a turntable, be sure to pick up all 3. For CDs, I would expect that ProgQuebec will eventually put these out. It's right in their wheelhouse.

Priority: 3

News: Archival release by Fox (post Day Blindness) coming soon

It's been kind of slow on the news front this year (though I'm sitting on some great news from various labels that I'm bursting to share, but have been sworn to secrecy by all parties). As an aside, the Soleil Zeuhl albums we mentioned last year just came out (though no word yet on Bringolf's "Vision").

Anyway, onto the news. I saw this in the latest Clearspot newsletter. Looks like it could be interesting. Day Blindness should have been better than it was, and this looks more jam oriented which could be excellent. I guess we'll see. It's coming out on RD Records by the end of April.

Label says: "An unreleased album from this post "DAY BLINDNESS" band, recorded in 1969/70. This album is a heavy bluesy psychedelic masterpiece of the highest order. It is virtually the second "DAY BLINDNESS" album with slight personal changes, but musically in a more heavy psychedelic direction. The lead guitarist Gary Pihl is well known today for being the guitar player of BOSTON. Here he plays an amazing psychedelic guitar and it reminds us in parts of the mighty MARIANI's "Perpetuum Mobile" album. Superb bass guitar by Johnny V. Vernazza and crazy drums by Roy Garcia, who later went to play with the legendary band GOLD (of Rockadelic Records fame!). Only one 45 single was ever released of those fantastic sessions on "Studio 10", and the single is mega rare these days. A treasure lost at the time which we are very pleased to present to you today!!! CD FEATURES 2 Long (20 Minutes!!!) Bonus Tracks" (I had no idea until now that the current Boston guitarist came from Day Blindness.)

Another Roadside Attraction, Canada

Another Roadside Attraction - s/t. 1979 ARA.

Another Roadside Attraction are yet another late 1970's band that has that "Midwest progressive rock" sound that I'm quite fond of, and is littered throughout these pages. They feature the unusual lineup of two keyboardists, a drummer and a vocalist. The songs themselves have that slight FM radio slant that makes me a bit nostalgic. But the instrumental sections are right out of the classic ELP playbook. In fact, this album reminds me most of Morgan's "The Sleeper Awakes" and The Trip's "Time of Change". Like those albums, hyper active acoustic piano drives the compositions forward. Synthesizers tend to be the solo instrument of choice. If ProgQuebec ever becomes ProgOntario, then perhaps they'll take on this one! The LP itself has the look and feel of your typical US private press and features neat cover art.

Priority: 2

Axis, Greece

Axis - s/t. 1973 Riviera (Released in France).

Now here's one I've had forever, going back to the 1980s. I never quite understood the album, but it's one I could not let go of either. After probably a decade since my last listen, this album sounds better to me now than ever. It's aged quite well.

Axis is as eclectic an album as you'll find from the early 70s. In some ways, it mirrors Aphrodite's Child's classic "666" album, with its mix of song oriented pop psych and long complex instrumental journeys. Axis begins as a straight up hard rock album and moves over to Canterbury jazz rock and then onto free jazz. Side 2 is similar, though they add a symphonic rock angle as well. The keyboards on Axis are splendid featuring anything from fuzz overloaded organ to jazzy electric piano to layers upon layers of mellotron. The album features two bona fide monster tracks: "Materializing the Unlimited" and "The Planet Vavoura". If the whole album were like these two songs, it would probably be in my Top 10 ever.

Features an awesome psyched out gatefold cover. Axis has one earlier release that is more straightforward and is of much lesser interest (for me anyway).

Priority: 2

Cherokee Mist, England

Cherokee Mist - Gathering of the Tribes. 1994 Avalon 

Cherokee Mist - Anthem of the Moon. 1997 Euphoria 

 There were a couple of schools of psychedelic music coming out of England in the 1980s. One was the "Festival" scene, with Ozric Tentacles at its core, featuring music that blended psychedelia, space rock, electronic, techno and reggae. A mix of Gong and modern dance sensibilities. The other school was more rooted in the UK and US garage, a primitive but song oriented music, with plenty of acid guitar leads. This sound is best represented by Bevis Frond and Outskirts of Infinity. Cherokee Mist, lead by Mo and Niall Hone, are of this latter movement. Gathering of the Tribes is the more Bevis Frond influenced of the two, with a similar vocal style, and a familiar garage rock compositional style. Much room though is given for the guitar solos, and it's a fine, if unoriginal work. Better is Anthem of the Moon. Here the band drops the compositional pretense and just gets down to business with a non-stop guitar oriented attack. Like most English bands in the style, Cherokee Mist have a clear idea of style and dynamics, so it's not a blistering overload of the senses that makes one nauseous in 10 minutes. It's easy to listen to, and yet there are many fiery jams to behold. A good one. Features a nice gatefold sleeve as well.

Priority: none

6/14/21

Formas, Spain

Formas - Largos Suenos. 1981 Surcosur.

One of the many Rock Andaluz albums from Spain during the late 70s and early 80s, which Triana had popularized to great success starting in 1975. It can be argued that Formas isn't progressive rock at all, but rather straight up Flamenco rock, with short, compact tunes. The irregular rhythms, hand claps, synthesizers and Arabian voices add an exotic flair, and I personally find this style of music highly appealing. This is a second tier work for the style, but a good one all the same, and it's too bad the album missed the first wave of CD reissues coming out of Spain in the 1990s. As with most Spanish albums, it features fetching art work.

Priority: 3

Guns & Butter, USA

Guns & Butter - s/t. 1972 Cotillion.

I've had this one buried in the collection forever. It was one of those albums that in the back of my mind I knew was better than I'd ever given it credit for. If I could just get some time with my turntable.... And indeed this last listen proved my instincts were correct. Wow. Really wow.

Boston based Guns & Butter may be the best example, from the early 70s United States scene that is, of the UK progressive rock movement as headed by the Dawn, Neon and Transatlantic labels. Even the vocals have a certain English affected smoothness to them. The lead instruments are primarily guitar, violin and saxophone (with some additional flute), and the compositions are very complex yet compact. There's a distinct psychedelic aura around this, and it sounds more like a 1969/70 release than anything from 1972. I'm most reminded of the first two East of Eden albums, though I also hear bands like Diabolus and Raw Material creeping in. Side 1 is magnificent, while Side 2 is merely great (though it features the best song on the album 'Lady Grey').

Even today, this is a relatively common record and it isn't expensive. If you still have a turntable, then this is a must buy. Even though they're American, this is the perfect fit for a label like Esoteric (who have released US albums before).

Priority: 1

Hunk Ai, Denmark

Hunk Ai - s/t. 1986 Olufsen

Moved to UMR

Priority: none

Accion Rock Band, Spain

Acción Rock Band - s/t. 1981 Universitas Editorial.

Another rarity sent in by The Alaskan Collection, that I was entirely unfamiliar with prior.

One of the great benefits to collecting progressive rock albums is the album covers themselves. Italy, Germany, England, The Netherlands and the Scandinavian countries all excelled at creating imaginative cover art in the 1970s. For my money, Spain is the best of them all. My favorite covers are by an artist called Puebla, who painted the Gotic "Escenes" album and the first two Vega albums. But the list goes on for wonderful Spanish covers: Medina Azahara, Mezquita, Bloque, Iceberg, Tabletom, Ibio, Granada, Iman Califato Indipendiente, etc... Each of the prior bands have at least one amazing cover, if not more than one. Acción Rock Band is clearly in the Hall of Fame amongst those.

Oh sorry, what was that? You were asking about the music? Ah yes, the music... of course! The music... Did I mention the album cover?

The Acción Rock Band is a fairly typical early 80s album that ranges from pop rock with synthesizers to a mundane hard rock sound. There's some nice riffing which also points to a proto-metal background. Overall the album reminds me of the non-classic, latter day albums by Medina Azahara, Ñu, Mezquita or any of the albums by Baron Rojo. So definitely not typical CDRWL fare, but worthy of inclusion due to heritage and album art. The AC offers these accurate insights "Musically, nothing too special. Melodic, mostly laid-back song oriented stuff with a few minor prog moves and a bunch of period synthesizer sounds to help give it some charm. But, get a load of that cover! In my opinion, this thing's right up there Metamorfosis, Jara, etc. The other somewhat interesting thing about this band is that they hailed from the province of Extremadura, which I believe is a somewhat obscure area of interior Spain, near the Portuguese border. Pretty far removed from all of the major scene activity in Spain. Also, it is a fairly rare LP. I think only around 100 or 200 were pressed."

Priority: none

Zebulon, Germany

Zebulon - s/t. 1980 Pollux Produktion.

And yet another rarity sent in by The Alaskan Connection, that I was unaware of. Sometimes it's hard to imagine, after all these years, that something this good is still a complete unknown. With Kennlisch and Passenger, I can understand their obscurity. Zebulon I can't.

What we have here is the type of album we wish all private symphonic rock albums to be. Not long ago, we featured a band called Profil and their album "For You". Zebulon reminded me of that album, though this is much more keyboard driven than the purely guitar oriented Profil. Zebulon has a positive energy, with many hooks and changes, and plenty of fiery solos. At any one time while listening to this, I was reminded of other German bands such as Tonic, Trilogy, Rousseau, Prosper and maybe even the first Amenophis album. Probably the only weakness is the choice of keyboards / synthesizers that are employed - generally of the cheap and tinny variety. It's a small complaint with music this good. The AC comments "This one is straight-up excellent instrumental prog, with a few fusion touches thrown in for good measure. I really enjoy this album, and it seems almost totally unknown." Overall, a superb instrumental progressive rock album.

It's always exciting to learn of albums like this. This would be a PERFECT reissue for Garden of Delights.

Thanks again AC!

Priority: 2

Kennlisch, France

Kënnlisch - s/t. 1976 private.

Here's another major league rarity sent in from The Alaskan Connection. This is another one I'd never even heard of until now.

Terms like "haunting folk" and "folk psych" are two of the most overused in the music collecting business. There was a time in the early 90s that I was truly excited to hear the albums that these collectors described ("enchanting", "mystical", "from the mists of time","shrouded in mystery"). Until I did. Most of the albums in this field are purely folk, with maybe a few minutes of electric instrumentation. And much of it is drinking around the campfire music, hardly the dark / mystical imagery that they would have you believe. With that in mind...

Kënnlisch is haunting folk personified.

The group is made up of two members, the Macherey brothers, and it's Philippe who makes this album very interesting. He plays electric guitar, harmonium and Moog. The latter element in particular makes this one far more interesting to me. And the harmonium recalls Windy Corner at their best. Though the location of the recordings is in Paris, I would suspect the band is Alsatian. I say that because there is a distinct German quality at play here. There are sparse vocals in French, but they're sung more forcefully. As well, the brief narration sounded Germanic to me (though still in French). The downside of the album is a few tracks are simply Jean-Francois strumming his acoustic guitar. I could see doing that for one song tops, but with about 30-35% of the album like this, it begins to drag a bit.

If there's a hot commodity in the collector world right now, it's psychedelic folk. This one is actually close to living up to its name.

Thanks again goes to the AC for turning up such an immense rarity!

Priority: none

Lacrima, Germany

Lacrima - s/t. 1981 Tonstudio Bieber

Moved to UMR

Priority: none

Passenger, England

Passenger - Jail Notes. 1977 Mulbery.

Another of the latest batch from The Alaskan Connection. This would typically be a main list afterthought, but given the rarity and the fact that I know many of you are interested in this one - I figured it was worth an entry and some commentary.

This one has been on my curiosity list for a long time, ever since first seeing it in one of those Pokora books. After hearing it, you have to wonder why records like this get hyped. Personally, I think people all the time incorrectly use the word hype and over-hype. Generally I see folks use it when they disagree with an accepted standard viewpoint. "Anglagard's Hybris is over hyped!!" That's not hype, that's a difference of opinion. Hype is described as to intensify (advertising, promotion, or publicity) by ingenious or questionable claims, methods, etc... or a swindle, deception, or trick. When I think of hype, I think of the New York Times gushing over a new restaurant that charges $200 a plate and closes in 2 months because everyone hated it. In the music world, hype can simply be described as: Passenger.

Of course, it's easy to understand why a dealer would do this. The record is genuinely rare*. It just doesn't happen to be any good. I'm sure someone out there will say it is awesome, and maybe even mean it. But if you're a fan of progressive rock, or underground sounds, then there's a really good chance you won't like this. Especially at the prices this album is likely to fetch in the open market. Why? Because it's just plain 3 minute-a-track rock. The kind of album that was dime a dozen in the 1970's and now rightfully will cost you 25 cents at your local record fair. Which is why I say it's HYPED.

The AC, as always, nails it by stating "I had heard this was supposed to be some sort of prog album, maybe even in the Canterbury vein. But that was obviously nonsense, as this sounds more like anachronistic soft-psych and folky rural rock, as heard on many a crappy Acid Archives type of album from the US private press scene."

*- Continuing on from above, I have to admit to being a little more than suspicious about this album (though the pressed in 100 copies is probably authentic). Maybe it's a genuine 1970's article, but there are some clues here that state otherwise. The AC kindly provided detailed photos. Strictly limited to 100 copies. Why do that? From what I understand, there was a specific tax law in the UK on why you would want to press an album in only 99 copies - like the Holyground albums for example (that's based on memory, so I may be entirely wrong here about the tax thing). Then there's the 2 cover songs that struck me as odd. First is 'Elizabeth Reid', which is a cover of The Allman Brothers Band 'In Memory of Elizabeth Reed'. Awfully sloppy on the spelling and truncation don't you think? I guess I'm supposed to buy that they were so stoned, they didn't notice? Or that they didn't want to have to pay the rights to cover it? Hmmm... But the one that really caught my attention is 'Indian Summer'. This track is the cover of the namesake band's 'From the Film of the Same Name', one of my all-time favorite early 70s UK progressive rock instrumentals. That's how I noticed it. But seriously? Calling the track 'Indian Summer'? And who the heck would cover Indian Summer in the 1970s anyway? They were always obscure. I could see someone doing that in the 1990s or 2000's. And I'm starting to wonder now if this wasn't put together by some psych collectors. Some other oddities on the back cover. It says "File under Amazing". That's not a 1970's way of stating things. That's more of our own era. A wink-wink type of thing. And how about "This record is not mono; if in doubt consult your dealer". In 1977?? That was a 1960's issue. I dunno - I could be way off base here. So if anyone knows any different, for certain rather than rumor - then please comment away. It's just a bit weird that's all.

In conclusion, the Passenger album isn't terrible. Not in the same way as that awful Mongrel album that is also HYPED. The Indian Summer cover was nicely done for example. A couple of the other songs were well penned I thought, like the opener. It's a 7 on the Gnosis scale.

Thanks again goes to the The AC for helping satiate my curiosity!

Priority: none

Ptolomy Psycon, England

Ptolomy Psycon - Loose Capacitor (EP). 1971 private. (catalog number HAT 1306 A).

This one has been on my curiosity list for a very long time. At least since Amber Soundroom had announced their intention to reissue it on vinyl (guessing this was around 2003/2004?). Leave it to The Alaskan Connection to have it on hand. And this one lived up to its reputation.

Ptolomy Psycon practically defines the raw UK underground of the early 1970s. I suppose the 99 count Holyground albums, or the hyper rare Dark album* can give you an indication of the recording quality. But the music is definitely influenced by the upcoming progressive rock movement, especially Hawkwind, Steel Mill, Jethro Tull and King Crimson. The AC also offers "Ptolomy Psycon has lots of that UK psychy proto-prog flavor. This was released as a 10" EP, in an edition of only 50 copies with homemade covers. The band were from the Birmingham area, and were supposedly all students in the same school (around 16-17 years old, I think). In fact, all the "orchestral" stuff you'll hear on this was apparently done by their school band, who they hired to play on the recording!"

Hopefully they recorded more than the 22 minutes found here, as this is a really good example of the early 70s UK deep underground scene.

Priority: 2

*when I say hyper rare - I mean it! An original copy of Dark just went for near $11,000 on ebay just last week. That's right - $11K!

Steps, England

Steps - s/t. 1977 EMI C 068-60190.

Steps seems to be a popular word in the jazz fusion world. We just recently featured an album called "Steps" by Sangi. There's the Japanese fusion group Side Steps, and of course John Coltrane's jazz classic "Giant Steps". And then there's the Australian fusion group Stepps (of "Waltz for Tiger Joe" fame).

This is a big time rarity sent in by The Alaskan Connection. As with the last two entries, I had not even heard of this album until he brought it up. He states "Even though they were British, this album was only released in France... Perhaps that accounts for its near total obscurity. In fact, the only piece of info I've ever seen is actually buried way in the back of the "La Discographie du Rock Francais", in the "foreign artists released in France" section." So I pulled out my dogeared first edition copy of said book, and sure enough, there it is! Never even noticed it before. So that's why I added the catalog number (taken from the book) at the top, as I cannot find one piece of info on the Internet about this, including a cover photo or scan (the ones here are provided by the AC - as he always does).

"La Discographie du Rock Francais" describes the album as "This English trio (keyboards, sax, drums), helped along by a bassist on this album, plays a solely instrumental music in the same vein as SOFT MACHINE on "Fourth". This record reveals a brilliant, united and gifted line up, made up of individuals full of talent such as drummer Roy DODDS with his fine and nuanced style, saxophonist Steve MULLIGAN and keyboardist Steve FRANKLIN. All of them are greatly inspired during their interventions or in the construction and development of the themes. This album is essential for those who love "Fourth" and that kind of cold, and at the same time inflamed, jazz rock which was played by RATLEDGE, DEAN and others."

The AC says "One interesting thing is that Hanny Rowe of Gong plays bass on about half of the tracks. Also, it comes in a really cool gatefold sleeve with very weird artwork. Musically, I'd say they were heavily influence by mid-70s Soft Machine. The second side features some slightly more original ideas, with a couple of moody synth-driven pieces." I agree, this one had a bit of an edge, moving closer to my personal target zone. And where that angst shows up most is in the drumming, which is very active and drives the music forward in an exciting way. Make no mistake, this is late 70's fusion - the ever present lead soprano sax guarantees that. But it's a good example of the style, and I think the fusion heads out there would go nuts over this one.

Priority: none

More info from the AC:

Steve Franklin - Keyboards
Steve Mulligan - Saxophones
Roy Dodds - Drums & Percussion
Hanny Rowe (courtesy of Gong) - Bass (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 8)
John Woolard - Bass (tracks 3, 6, 7)

Side 1:

1 - Same But Different
2 - Slow Lane
3 - Wolves
4 - Thankyar

Side 2:

5 - Connundrum
6 - Swimming Pool
7 - Serpents, Coiled And Plumed
8 - Sortawater

Juma, Japan

Juma - Aqua Cosmos. 1981 D. D. Records. cassette.

Continuing through the latest Alaskan Connection offerings, we offer up Japanese synthesist (or group) Juma. This would typically be another Main list entry, but I felt it was worth promoting up to the daily blog. Why? Because Juma marries two hopelessly obscure objects for rare music collectors: 1980s do-it-yourself electronic music and the Japanese cassette underground.

On the former point, the music world was teeming with Klaus Schulze wannabees. For anyone who subscribed to Eurock back then, or even the early Audion magazine issues, you'd remember the vast amount of bedroom synthesizer masters. Drop juice on your synthesizer while the tapes are running, and you have an instant masterpiece.

On the latter point about the Japanese cassette underground - well let's just say that the UK Festival cassette culture is downright Best Buy buck bin stuff compared to this scene. It's hard enough to find major label albums out of Japan, much less the privately traded cassettes going in and out of the Tokyo record shops.

The AC describes the album as thus "They apparently released many tapes, and had some of their stuff distributed through Eurock at the time. I've heard a couple of other ones, but I thought they were kind of amateurish and meandering. This one struck me as pretty good, though. I thought you might like it since you expressed your fondness for Berlin school stuff, and this is definitely in that vein. Actually, partly due to the type of synths he was probably using (Japanese stuff like Korg MS-20s and Roland System 100s, which were cheap back then compared to the classic American gear) what it really sounds like is that Pneuma "Psychabuse" CD of archival material from the same period. Also maybe a little similar to Osiris." To the AC's latter point, the best track for me utilized quite a bit of electric guitar soloing (it rambles on, but it's still cool) which did indeed remind me of Osiris' "In the Mist of Time", an album I once owned years ago - but ultimately sold and we featured awhile back. Anyway, I definitely did appreciate this album. Anyone who really likes the first Pythagoras album from The Netherlands would do well to seek this out as well.

Priority: none

Thanks to Bob for the cover!

News: Karma releases archival Mermaid

I don't know much about this one, but saw it in the Shiny Beast update this morning, and it looked like it could be cool. RYM shows that it was released in 2008, but with a more elaborate title. I don't know if it actually did come out then though. I haven't seen it anyway.

Karma Records says this about it: "History: After Burning Red Ivanhoe had stopped, Karsten Vogel (saxophone, keyboards) felt something new should happen. The first fusions bands appeared on the international scene, - inspired by this Karsten Vogel would make a band with direction towards a more modern sound. In the end this resulted in Secret Oyster, but before that Mermaid was put to sea. In many ways Mermaid was a perfect band: A mix between two famous Danish bands: Young Flowers, from where Peter Ingemann (bass, vocal) and Ken Gudmann (drms) was recruited, and Burnin Red Ivanhoe: Karsten Vogel and Ole Fick (guit, voc).

However the fortune was not in favor for the band. Their debut concert was hampered by bad acoustics, nerves and Karsten Vogel’s 40 degrees fever. Also the times had changed, not yet to fusion-power-rock but towards political correct rock.
After this start, the band took off for a longer tour in Norway. This tour was indeed very successful, and the band, now with drummer Claus Sarup, fulfilled every expectations.

Back to Denmark: Again it was difficult to maneuver through the musical landscape. The medias was prefixed on other things. After a few concerts, the band was stopped in Nov. 1974. Only one year after the start.

Now, more than 30 years later, Karsten Vogel found some tapes. Some was recorded by Denmark's Radio (in Denmark), some was private recordings (from Norway). These tapes present the first “Supergroup” in Denmark and the material is outstanding. Later followed Secret Oyster, but that’s another story."

Sangi, Italy

Sangi - s/t. 1978 Sun Records.

We interrupt our regularly scheduled broadcast to bring you a whole new slew of rarities from The Alaskan Connection. A couple of these have been on my want list forever. So I'm very grateful to him for these great shares.

Today's entry is one I'd never heard of prior, and fits comfortably in the late 1970s fusion suitcase. Like some other recent entries, this would normally fall out the CDRWL featured entry scope and is better fitted for the Original main list. But given its rarity, and that many of my readers are dedicated fusion collectors, I think it's worth posting separately. I received a handful of positive notes for my Genre (New Mexico) entry, so that was encouraging to me as well.

The Sangi album is a very pleasant fusion album, with a noticeable late 70s cruise ship / tropical feel. Exquisitely played and produced. As the AC says "I think part of the appeal of this one is the excellent sound quality, especially for such an obscure small label release. I doubt anyone could make an album that has quite this kind of production nowadays." And it's true. For such a small label private production, the rich full sound here is amazing.

He goes on to mention "You might hear this and think "just another funky fusion album", but to me it just sounds SO good. Anyway, musically it's nothing original as I said, but I just think the execution and presentation are perfect, which really makes it for me." Haha - he knows me too well! I'm sure I'm way too dismissive of these kind of albums, especially to the fans of the style, but I don't mean to be. So forgive me on that front. I admit to loving rougher sounding music, but I really do enjoy hearing these, even if it's not my main focus.

Finally, the AC notes "The other interesting thing is that there's a cameo appearance by Lucio Fabbri of PFM."

Thanks again AC!

Priority: none

News: Muck Grohbian's debut album to come out on Long Hair

I suppose it was inevitable, as Long Hair has already reissued many archival Aera albums, that they would also take on leader Muck Grohbian's rare debut album "Muckefuck". I learned this while inspecting the Aera Bavarian Radio CD's, also by Long Hair (they state to look for the Groh album in the Spring of 2011).

4/25/11 update: Looks like the album will be released in May of 2011. Here's what the label has to say: "Originally released in 1979, these recordings show the first solo efforts by formerly Aera leader, guitar player and composer Muck Groh. But in fact this album wasn't a solo album but could be described at the third Aera album of Aera's first decade line-up. All those great musicians like sax player Klaus Kreuzeder, drummer Wolfgang Teske, violinist Christoph Krieger and a lot of guest musicians like Alto Pappert (formerly Kraan) and Aeras second decade musicians like Matz Steinke on bass and Limbus on percussions contributed to this great album. The first 4 titles on the CD (formerly A-Side of the album) are in the tradition of the second album "Hand und Fuß". "Psychochinese im Stanzwerk" reminds to Amon Düül's Deutsch-Nepal. For the first time Muck Groh uses vocals in his compositions in a folky style and "Blinde Kuh" reminds a little bit to the early German new wave bands like Spliff or Nina Hagen Band. All in all this album shows many facets of Muck Grohs composer abilities and convinces with its clever arrangements. CD comes with comprehensive booklet with rare and unseen photos and there are 8 bonus tracks taken from a concert from 1981. "

Yves et Alain Lorentz, France

Yves et Alain Lorentz - Espaces 2. 1978 Arc en Ciel

moved to UMR

Priority: 2

Morgen, USA *** REISSUED ***

Morgen - s/t. 1969 Probe

*** Reissued by Sunbeam, 2013 ***

Moved to UMR

Priority: 2

The Oroonies, England

The Oroonies - The Woods Are Alive with the Smell of His Coming. 1985 Better Days. cassette
The Oroonies - Exalt the Horn. 1986 Better Days. cassette
The Oroonies - Like Yeast We Rise. 1986 Better Days. cassette.
The Oroonies - Ee I Ee I O. 1987 cassette.
The Oroonies - The Whale and the Wind. 1988 Better Days. cassette.
The Oroonies - Of Hoof and Horn. 1991 Demi Monde.
* Cheapsuit Oroonies - Eat, Drink and Be Merry. 1992 cassette.
* Cheapsuit Oroonies - Party On Frapsos. 1994 cassette.
* Cheapsuit Oroonies - Feelin Rooti. 1995 cassette.

* - haven't heard and do not own.

We still have a long way to go on the UK Festival and space rock scene of the 1980s and 90s. And I plan on more updates as they come in. The Alaskan Connection has provided me with many burns from rare cassettes and LPs by Rancid Poultry, AMA, Crow, Omnia Opera and possibly many more. I'm looking towards the summer (possibly late spring) to tackle those.

I'm going to jump ahead a bit here with one of the many Ozric Tentacles offshoot groups: The Oroonies. I've owned the LP of "Of Hoof and Horn" almost since it was released, and within the last month picked up the original cassette of "The Woods are Alive..." from one of my Gnosis buddies. The others on the list I haven't heard yet. Information, as is usual with this particular scene, is scarce and hard to come by. So hopefully this will be a post we continue to update.

The difference between the debut cassette of The Woods and the Demi-Monde LP is striking. "The Woods Are Alive with the Smell of His Coming" is a very crude beginning for the band - a mix of heavy space rock, folk, neo-psych, hard rock, industrial and punk. The band seems to have no direction whatsoever, and the album is quite raw sounding. Still, it's not without its merits - including some pretty inspired space rock jams.

"Of Hoof and Horn" is a wonderful album, and shows that The Oroonies chose to take the path of mystical Central and Eastern European folk mixed in with Ozric Tentacles like space jams. A sound that would still be fresh today, and something the Ozrics themselves could use to balance their all too predictable formula. A super album really.

So I'm very interested in hearing the progression from the beginning to the end. I suspect some of those cassettes could be wonderful - or equally as crude. I have no idea and anxiously await any further data. My understanding is that The Cheapsuit Oroonies, which are all the albums after "Of Hoof and Horn" were more acoustic and folk oriented. (2014 update: I have now heard all of The Oroonies cassettes, and will eventually update this post)

Priority: 2 (for Of Hoof and Horn)