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The CD Reissue Wish List blog has been discontinued as of October 2015, as it had served its initial purpose.

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Tuesday, December 15, 2015

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!

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Minoru Muraoka & New Dimension Group, Japan

Minoru Muraoka & New Dimension Group - Lupus. 1974 Victor

Moved to UMR

Priority: 2

I think it's fitting to end the CDRWL blog 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!

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Skeptical Eye, Canada

Skeptical Eye - The Devil's Playground. 1984 Puretone

Moved to UMR

Priority: 3

Monday, November 9, 2015

Fractals, England

Fractals - s/t. 1986 Surface

Moved to UMR

Priority: none

Sunday, November 8, 2015

Early Times, Japan

Early Times - Second Album. 1976 private

Moved to UMR

Priority: 2

Saturday, November 7, 2015

Kosuke Ichihara & Love Live Life, Japan

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

*** Reissued on LP in 2017 (HMV) ***

Moved to UMR

Priority: 2

Friday, November 6, 2015

Rollsplytt, Germany

Rollsplytt - Flappergranny. 1982 private

Moved to UMR

Priority: 3

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Xebec, USA

Xebec - Seventy Five/Dissonet. 1975 Ultra Promo
Xebec - Live. unreleased tape

Moved to UMR

Priority: 2

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Zthurehz, Sweden

Zthürehz - Zthürehz. 1981 Sill Y

moved to UMR

Priority: none

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Holocausto, Puerto Rico

Holocausto - Aleluya. 1974 Discos Roka

Moved to UMR

Priority: 3

Monday, November 2, 2015

Naniwaya Tatsumaru & Warner Beatniks, Japan

Naniwaya Tatsumaru & Warner Beatniks - Keiantaiheiki (Yoshitatsu Kyounobori) Rock Roukyoku Rock. 1971 Reprise

Moved to UMR

Priority: None

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Tatsuya Takahashi & Tokyo Union Orchestra, Japan

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

Moved to UMR

Priority: None

Friday, October 23, 2015

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)"

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Shotgun LTD, USA

Shotgun LTD. - s/t. 1971 Prophesy

moved to UMR

Priority: 2

Sunday, October 18, 2015

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."

Saturday, October 17, 2015

News: Group 1850's Polyandri to be reissued on LP by Pseudonym

Yea. LP. Pseudonym continues the disturbing trend of reissuing albums on LP without the CD (grumpy morning for the CDRWL Tom?). Ugh. At least throw a factory pressed CD in there similar to Twink, Isaiah, Klockwerk Orange, etc...! So like Kvartetten Som Sprangde, Resan (both on Subliminal Sounds), and Mad Curry (Wah Wah), we have another high priority album being ignored for the CD market. That should keep the pirates active at least (GREAT!). Look, if you follow the UMR, you guys all know I love LPs. I collect them to this day, and I will likely buy this just to hear what they do with the sound, and to see the liner notes. I have the original LP as well, and at this point in my life, multiple copies of one album are OK with me. But it sure would be nice to get a legit CD too (I still have the absolutely awful Twilight Tone boot that comes from a scratchy record). Maybe they will follow through with the CD at a later date. We certainly hope so.

Label advertises: "At last reissued on LP (180-GRAM AUDIOPHILE VINYL!), it's the third and final studio album from Holland's ultimate psych legends GROUP 1850! 'Polyandri' was originally issued in 1974, when psychedelic rock had already lost its momentum. That unfortunate timing must be the only reason why this is a somewhat overlooked album, because the music itself is absolutely killer! On offer is a wild fusion of psychedelia, jazz-rock and progressive space rock, at many times dominated by band leader Peter Sjardin's home-built keyboard, The Organizer. There are guest appearances from Barry Hay (Golden Earrings) on flute and well known jazz musician Hans Dulfer on sax. The LP comes with remastered sound, a heavy gatefold sleeve boasting restored artwork, rare memorabilia, pix and liner notes by Mike Stax (Ugly Things)."

News: Krautrock box takes OAS concept to new levels of dumb

Oh for crying out loud, really? When the Original Album Series first sprang about, it seemed like a good way to buy a band's discography on the cheap. Nice little cardboard album covers, sometimes good sound, but at a handsome price. It was a great way to catch up on groups like The Who or Jefferson Airplane, that kind of thing. But then they started doing it for groups such as Catherine Ribeiro/Alpes, an artist who deserves much more care to each album. For the common bands, that's already been done, but not for the more obscure artists like Ms. Ribeiro. But if you don't care about such things, at least you are getting many releases from one artist at a cheap price. I guess it's not any crazier than those Progressive Italia boxes, which sadly remains the only way to get those splendid Sensations' Fix albums on CD.

But this Krautrock box is really ridiculous. What a great selection eh? So well thought out. So what do these albums have in common? They're from Germany. Oh, and they were originally on Telefunken. That's it. Musically they couldn't possibly be any more disparate. Everyone gets so carried away with the Krautrock term - but it should have more meaning than just rock from Germany. Well, whatever. All these have been reissued on CD before, and I think most are OOP. I just wanted to vent...

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Updated post: Wolfgang Dauner

After many years, we finally had a chance to hear Wolfgang Dauner's most elusive title, thanks to the AC!

Original entry updated with full notes from myself and the AC.

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Cosmic Debris, USA


Cosmic Debris - s/t. 1980 Non Compos Mentis
Cosmic Debris - While You're Asleep. 1983 Non Compos Mentis

Debut album moved to UMR

Meanwhile, regarding the second album While You're Asleep: I bought this album at the same time, but sold it in the mid 90s. Today I probably would not have done that, but I was in heavy acquisition mode in those days. Certainly it's a weaker effort, that I'm sure of (IMO of course), but I recall it being much more varied than the debut, and it certainly was a fine album. I'll need to hear it again at some point. It would be nice to see both of these reissued properly.

Priority: 2

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

News: Shadoks to reissue Blueset from Sweden

I ran across this bit of news while doing my monthly research. However, I wasn't familiar with this 1974 album, and waited until last night to hear it. Our trusty aid YouTube came in handy again, and I heard the album in full. I would have tagged this a Priority None (borderline 3), but it's still a fine piece, and my notes below captures (briefly) my initial experience. Shadoks has confirmed they will be reissuing it both on LP and CD, the latter not always a given with the fine label.

Blueset's album is mostly straight up blues rock, though special mention goes to 'Vibrationer I Folkton'*  which sounds like Kebnekaise on a bender. I'll drink to that! 

* - It's a 4 part, 13+ minute track, so definitely worthy of mention.

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Ariel, USA

Ariel - Perspectives. 1985 Little Misters

Moved to UMR

Priority: 1

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Man Made, Canada


Man Made - s/t. 1971 Good Noise

moved to UMR

Priority: none

Thursday, September 24, 2015

News: First 9 Catherine Ribeiro albums to be reissued in a box set

Thanks to an anonymous tip on our blog, we learned of this box set coming from Mercury. Details are scant, and it would appear the album has been announced before it was ready to be released. The above scan is the clearest one I could find, and comes from amazon.fr, but the entry has been removed (but captured on cache). The tip pointed to a blurred copy on amazon.de. I could not find any other data, beyond what is obvious on the box cover. This of course would close the book on Ribeiro in the digital world. I'm still hoping for individual releases, since I have 4 of the above on CD already (from Mantra in the 90s). Maybe I will ultimately give in. We'll see. This is the second box set from Mercury in recent years, the first one featured albums 2 through 5. Anyway, great news for Ribeiro fans, especially for those of you who do not own any of her CDs prior.

CDRWL contributor Achim informs us: "I just received the new Ribeiro + Alpes box set. This is actually quite nice. It comes in a sturdy box, with the 9 CDs in LP-like cardboard sleeves (as in the 4xCD box released in 2012) and also has a booklet with biographical notes and some photos. All in all great sound; no bonus material. I bought it from amazon.fr for 30 Euros."

Last update: October 27, 2015

Saturday, September 19, 2015

The Advancement, USA

The Advancement - s/t. 1969 Philips

Another title from the CD-R revisit project. There is a "gray area" reissue out there, but we're calling for a better one.

No question that The Advancement are a bunch of jazzers trying their hand at the hip psychedelic sounds of the day. But in the end, they come across as a bunch of clueless squares. Because if they could have let loose on the foundation laid, this would have been an album for the ages. As it stands, The Advancement remains a fine album of instrumental jazz/rock without one notable standout track, including the usual call-outs like 'Stone Folk' and 'Fall Out' which of course feature the only fuzz on the album. Potential unrealized - though worth hearing and owning for certain.

Priority: 3

Friday, September 18, 2015

La Kabala, Peru

La Kabala - s/t. 1970 RCA

This title came about from the ongoing CD-R revisit project.

La Kabala is a mix of late 1960s swinging soul jazz, cruise ship styled loungers sung in Spanish, and an occasional Santana electric guitar outburst to keep everyone on their toes. Flute and roller rink organ fill the other lead roles. Opening and closing tracks are best, with the latter featuring some cool seductive female vocals. Much debate continues to ensue on the origin of the band. Most folks point to Peru, given that the majority of the pressings have emerged from there. However Mexico stubbornly remains in the discussion, and even Americans apparently hanging down south. Perhaps it really is only an exploitation album - without the proper distribution to really call it that (economically speaking). Whatever the case, a fine album, that doesn't require much thought to get into. Very much the perfect tropical vacation album - circa 1970.

Priority: 3

Friday, August 28, 2015

Houston Fearless, USA

Houston Fearless - s/t. 1969 Imperial

Another title from the CD-R revisit project.

Houston Fearless were a standard issue late 1960s styled heavy blues psych band, with gospel, folk, and pop trimmings. There is some exceptional fuzz soloing, coupled alongside wicked Hammond licks, that makes it an overall worthwhile listen. Guideposts are the usual suspects like Cream and Iron Butterfly. The first 6 tracks are quite good, excepting the lame 'His Eye is on the Sparrow'. Then it completely implodes from there, as the band tries different musical styles, hoping something will stick. Of course, none of it does. A decent genre piece, though nothing more.

Worth noting that, despite the moniker, the band were from Los Angeles. It would appear the odd name is based on this film manufacturing company who were based in LA at the time of the album's release.

Priority: none

Sunday, August 23, 2015

News: Berits Halsband to come out on CD soon from Musicbazz!!!

Wow! Not sure we can receive better news than this. With Avalanche finally getting reissued, we are down to the very last of my Gnosis 14's not to be on CD. And Berits Halsband is one of them. One of my favorite discoveries from the early 2000's period, and still a great unknown. My full review can be found on the UMR site

Musicbazz is the Greek label responsible for the fine Pete and Royce LP and CD released a couple of years back. They are also the parent label to our good friend Spacefreak and his label Cosmic Eye. Thanks to him and reader Gal for the notification of this great news. The album will be reissued in both LP and CD formats.

One more great one reissued! YEA!

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Fragile, Germany

Fragile - Lonely Preacher / Our Song. 1974 Rittberk

Great - another band named Fragile. Like Touch, Time, and Drama, it's a moniker that has been heavily used, and hard to research.

In any case, we have another serious rarity here provided by The AC. Technically this is a 7" single, but it's 33 RPM, and the length of an EP. The AC tells us: "Extremely obscure EP (just over 15 minutes) of what I would feel comfortable labeling as "heavy prog", a genre description that I usually find to be overly vague. However, in this case it really fits. Swirling wall-of-sound organ collides with heavy, crashing guitars over a fat, thumping rhythm section. It's from that netherworld where progressive rock, psychedelia and hard-rock/proto-metal had a meeting of the minds before heading off in their own directions. The vocals are fitting and more than decent, but most of the space is given over to heavy riffing and instrumental jamming. The vast majority of new discoveries that come out of Germany are from the seemingly bottomless (some would say tiresomely so, at this point) well of the late 70s/early 80s private press boom, so it's refreshing to occasionally be reminded that the deeper waters of the original prog/krautrock scene have not yet completely run dry. This is excellent stuff that I believe would have a wide appeal, so hopefully one of the German reissue/archival labels will track these guys down and find some additional tapes of similar quality sitting quietly in one of their attics, just waiting to be dusted off."

I also found the music highly appealing. Very much the sound of Germany during 1974, but with an added complexity moving it more towards progressive rock and less the traditional hard Krautrock sound. Probably tracks closest to the obscure band Metropolis or even a bit like the archival Spektakel I suppose. This is just the type of band that Garden of Delights has been so successful in mining, and perhaps they will find a canister of great music for a full archival CD. Or at the very least, this will find its way onto one of their famous compilations. Great stuff.

Priority: 2

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

News: Finchley Boys "Everlasting Tributes" to come out on CD this year!

Recently we featured the Finchley Boys via the CD-R revisit project. A comment appeared on that post this morning from band member Garrett Oostdyck, who brought us this good news: "We really do plan on having a CD release this year (2015) There will be a few never heard tracks. I know the bootleggers don't have them yet as the tapes have been lost for 46 years." 

Great news for hard rock and heavy blues fans! I certainly will be picking one up when available.

Friday, July 24, 2015

Hobo, Croatia

Hobo - s/t. 1975 Jugoton

Another title that came up via the CD-R revisit project.

Hobo's sole work is a commercially oriented rock album that includes some fine violin, Moog, and piano giving it a progressive feel. The almost seven minute 'Srebro' is the highlight, and predates what their neighboring Igra Staklenih Perli were about to embark on, with their own take on the early Pink Floyd psychedelic/cosmic sound. Though sadly, this is the only track of this nature found on the album. The strong presence of violin, and the way the compositions are structured, recalls Kansas at the same juncture. Clearly these bands were operating on a parallel mindset as Hobo could not possibly have known of Kansas at this point in time. Good album all around, with some quality songwriting and progressions found within.

We have to suspect (or hope anyway) that Hobo has some unreleased material that is far more progressive than what is found on this LP. They are far too talented to have been satisfied with the overall commercial approach. One can only hope a CD surfaces with copious bonus material reflecting such.


Priority: 3

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Mandrill, USA



Mandrill - Mandrilland. 1974 Polydor. 2LP set
Mandrill - Solid. 1975 United Artists
Mandrill - Beast from the East. 1976 United Artists

Since we're already operating outside the margins of the CDRWL, I thought this would be a good time to sneak in one of my favorite bands: Mandrill. Their first 4 albums (all highly recommended) were reissued on CD in the late 90s by Collectables. These are their next 3 albums, which I dutifully picked up on vinyl over the years (they're relatively easy to find and inexpensive). Each one is slightly lesser than the one before. By the time of We Are One, Mandrill will have transformed into a full blown disco act. Not bad by any means, but that's too far out of bounds for our list.

It has been said that Brooklyn's Mandrill were too progressive rock to be funk and too funk to be progressive rock. And that's just about exactly right. In fact the 2LP sprawling set of Mandrillland may be their peak at the progressive rock style. And on the flip side, Beast From the East is giving off major clues the band is clearly heading for more commercial territory, though there's still some great funk/prog to be heard.

Priority: 2

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

One St. Stephen, USA

One St. Stephen - s/t. 1975 Owl

In the late 90s, I bought a large collection of CDs and LPs. One of those CDs was One St. Stephen's sole album. But it's an obvious pirate, and unfortunately that's all there is in regards to a CD. There is, however, a legitimate LP reissue. And the artist is very happy with the final product.

The gentleman behind One St. Stephen is Don Patterson, who seems like quite the Renaissance Man. There is a tremendous amount of data about him in the webosphere. I highly recommend the It's Psychedelic Baby interview as the first place to start your research.

Musically the album is influenced by Jim Morrison and The Doors, and is a very anachronistic sound for 1975. Perhaps similar to Phantom's Divine Comedy in that way. I should note that the idea that One St. Stephen sounds like The Doors is hotly contested in some quarters. OK, then...

Priority: 3

Monday, July 20, 2015

Colonna, Italy

Colonna - s/t. 1980 Harmony. Also 1980 Box (Germany)

Another album that probably sits outside the margins of our list. But what a cover, eh? I received this CD-R from Midwest Mike years ago. Worth featuring I think.

Colonna is one Maurizio Colonna, who is today recognized as one of Italy's finest Spanish guitar players. This is his debut album, which naturally enough prominently features Colonna on the acoustic Spanish guitar. His exemplary playing is augmented by vocals, Moog synths, and rock/disco beats. He has many more albums which I've not heard to date. This one sports a pretty cool cover (a flying bull and a spaceship), and I could see this falling prey to the Italian progressive rock collector, though it has no stylistic similarities whatsoever. Well done for what it is. I'll include it here for those Italian prog treasure hunters, so they know what they're getting into. Also worth noting the exceptional supporting cast: Roberto Colombo, Tullio De Piscopo, Mark Harris (Napoli Centrale), Bernardo Lanzetti (PFM, Acqua Fragile) and bassist Ares Tavolazzi (Area).

Priority: none

Sunday, July 19, 2015

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Skywhale, England

Skywhale - The World at Mind's End. 1977 private

moved to UMR

Priority: 2

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Steinzeit, Germany

Steinzeit - Geburtstag. 1982 Absurde Geburten

As General Burkhalter might say "Ve-dy IN-TER-REST-ING Klink!". The AC has a wild one for us today.

"Imagine if you took the caterwauling female vocals and general angst of Gutura, but then replaced the atonal no wave guitar scree with some fragmented, twitchy kraut jazz instead. That's about the only description I can come up with for this underground German oddity. Production wise, this sounds like it may have been recorded in the same basement/crawlspace/broom closet that Buchenfeld used. I was kind of fascinated at first, but as time wore on found it increasingly irritating. Interesting, but will most likely have a strictly niche appeal."

I didn't read The AC's notes until the day after, but I can tell you the very first band to enter my mind, and it never left, was France's Gutura, who we've featured in the past here on the CDRWL. I must have been in a good mood, because the production didn't bother me in this case (broom closet lol). Twisty kraut jazz indeed, with spastic yet enunciated yelping from our crazy gal. And some fine mid 70s Crimsonish guitar. Odd album for sure, but one I found quite arresting. I suspect I'm the niche in this case. A good one for my tastes!

Priority: 2

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

F.G. Experimental Laboratory, Switzerland

F.G. Experimental Laboratory - Hope. 1980 Studio Scafe

When Garden of Delights reissued F.G. Experimental Laboratory's debut album Journey into a Dream back in 2006, I just presumed this title would follow shortly thereafter. So I never featured it. But it doesn't appear GoD has any interest in this title. I can understand why, as it's not exemplary, but it's just as good as the debut IMO. So with that...

F.G. Experimental Laboratory is a one man electronic show from a gentleman named Frédy Guye. Good haunting electronics with some wordless voice is what you can expect to find here. Somewhat akin to Jean-Baptiste Barriere, though not quite as dire as those his two albums can be. Guye should have added more variety to his keyboard selection, to add color and tone to what ultimately sums up to be a fairly monolithic release.

Priority: none

Monday, July 6, 2015

Melofin, USA

Melofin - Ivan Tale. 1984 private

And yet another Midwest Mike submission from the past that came up during the CD-R revisit project. Definitely on the margins of what we cover here, but a good listen nonetheless. 

Melofin's sole album from 1984 is a slow moving, slice-of-life, psychedelic folk album that sounds about 15 years past its expiration date. Mostly vocal driven acoustic music, with occasional electric guitar leads, winds, and synthesizer. Melofin hail from Morgantown, West Virginia and makes one wonder if perhaps the 60s psych movement had just found its way into the Allegheny mountains. Somewhere between old-timey mountain music, Celtic jigs, and CSN&Y singalongs. Recalls some of the low budget English 99-album-count folk albums from 1969/70. About as anachronistic as they come. All the same, worth a few listens for certain. And it features an awesome album cover, which unfortunately does not represent the contents within.

Priority: none

Sunday, July 5, 2015

George Gruntz / Piano Conclave, Germany

George Gruntz / Piano Conclave - Palais Anthology. 1975 MPS/BASF.

Here's one Midwest Mike sent me years ago, and it recently popped up on the CD-R revisit project. Definitely worthy of its own post!

Hard hitting fusion from an all-star cast of Europe's finest ivory ticklers of the mid 70s. A mix of funky fusion, Canterbury rock, and straight-up piano jazz. A nice surprise, and not an album one would likely buy if they saw the cover - except noting the marquee names, which is more than impressive: Gordon Beck, Wolfgang Dauner, George Gruntz, Jasper Van't Hof, Joachim Kuhn, Martial Solal, John Lee, Alphonse Mouzon. Yep, pretty ridiculous lineup right there.

Priority: 3

Saturday, July 4, 2015

Panama Red, Germany

Panama Red - Limited. 1981 private

I had this one buried in the main list without even a small description, and I remembered little about it. But it just came up during the CD-R revisit project, and the results were favorable, so here is its debut on the CDRWL.

Panama Red were one of those compelling German bands that came around in the late 70s and early 80s. Most were privately released, and mixed straight up 70s FM rock with progressive oriented ideas/meters, and a Latin jazz fusion undertone. What strikes me most about Panama Red is 1) the exemplary guitar work and 2) the high quality of the production. This is no backyard job, that's for sure. File next to Desiree and Blister Chap, a couple of other hard-to-describe German bands of high quality, but yet do not fit easy categorization.

Priority: 3

Friday, July 3, 2015

Orpheus, Canada


Orpheus - s/t. 1979 private
Orpheus - Orpheus 2. 1981 Acapella

Orpheus (1979) moved to UMR

Hmmm... I recall this band. They weren't any good right? What say the AC?

"Deep within the bowels of the "Original CD Reissue Wish List"

Uh-oh. Be very careful when going there AC...

"this Montreal band's eponymous 1979 debut is described simply as "boring fusion" and has a pound sign next to it (better known as a "hashtag" to you young whippersnappers), which I think is CDRWL-speak for "don't bother"". 

I sense a trip to the woodshed. (Covers eyes...)..... peeks.....

"And as much as I love the whole late 70s/early 80s obscure fusion wave, I can't help but agree. Their first LP (despite having a cool cover) IS one of the more forgettable examples of the style."

Whew! He had me worried there for a minute....

"So why am I reviewing this even more obscure followup here? I mean, the generic title, glittering disco ball cover and track titles like "Funk Me Tender" certainly don't imply a significant improvement, right?. But lo and behold, for a miracle has been brought forth before us!"

Oh my, really?

"Disregard the cheesy aesthetics and forget all about their snoozer debut, because this one is nothing short of an outstanding display of instrumental progressive fusion. Tight, energetic and full of twists and turns, this pretty much nails it from start to finish. Great production, as well. Despite being distributed in Canada by Polygram, this seems to have almost totally dropped off the radar over the years. Go forth and seek it out if you're even remotely interested in the style."

LOL. How does he do it? I ask again: How does he do it? Time after time.... after time! It must be a SECRET then....

OK, a bit of fun. But what of these two albums? Well, my description of the first album was hardly fair. It was a placeholder only as a reminder to myself. But since we're here, I did pull that one down for a recent listen, and it was a bit better than I recall. I was hearing a lot of new-to-me fusion at once in the 2009 to 2011 time frame, so only the best albums were catching my ears. This one isn't really anything special, and definitely pales to the followup. But I bumped it up a Gnosis point. It's good, but not essential.

As for this second album, it is definitely a fusion lover's delight. Has that warm slap bass, and patented cheesy synthesizer sound that we know and love. All in complex time signatures, and with some fiery guitar solos thrown on top. Definitely worth a:

Priority: 3

Monday, June 22, 2015

News: Garden of Delights reissues Embryo - Live!

While we had been anticipating the Sunbirds reissue, Garden of Delights did manage to sneak this one in on us. It's been on their Coming Soon list for many years, but we had no indication of an imminent reissue. This CD is most welcome, and I believe this represents the last Embryo "proper" LP to be reissued on CD. Of course, they have tons of archived live material that remains in the vaults, and GoD has promised us at least one of those from their late 70s' jazz funk fusion heyday. Note that there's a lengthy bonus track as well!

Label says: "Neatly recorded in February 1976, it was released on LP in 1977 (April 0003), but has not yet appeared as CD. The gig had taken place in a town near Munich. The album features the jazz-rock typical of Embryo, influenced by ethnic music, with scarce vocals and some unusual instruments like marimba, dilruba, oud, and nagasuram. Christian Burchard and Roman Bunka wrote most of the songs together. Only 'The orange man' was written by Charlie Mariano. The long CD bonus track 'Just arrived' was recorded in Northern Italy on March 6th, 1976, by the very same Embryo line-up and was as yet unreleased. The cover was then designed by Roman Bunka and was used for the CD without any changes."

News: Garden of Delights reissues Sunbirds - Zagara!

We've talked about this a couple of times in the last few years, and now the CD from GoD has been officially released! Includes one bonus track as well. Great news for fans of "Kraut jazz fusion". This is a very worthy album, and I'll buy one as soon as possible. Thanks to reader Gal for the heads up!

Label says: "Fusion from Munich, some smoothly relaxed kind of music with Latin influences. After the first Sunbirds LP from 1971, with Philip Catherine on guitar, the album at hand is the band's second and last one, recorded in 1972 and released in 1973 (Finger 2396101). It is the first CD version, drawn from the master tapes, including the bonus track 'Mbira' which was then recorded during the same session. All of the musicians were masters of their trade. Drummer Klaus Weiss, keyboardist Fritz Pauer and bassists Jimmy Woode and Ron Carter were world-famous even back then, and the others were in no way inferior. The nine artists were so skilled that nearly all recordings were perfect at the first attempt. Unfortunately, the two studio albums should remain the band's only releases. There weren't any Sunbirds gigs for lack of time."