Full Force. 1984 Ebony
Priority: 1
They have a second album (Force This) which is essentially hair metal and falls outside the scope of this list.
3/31/25 (new entry)
Showing posts with label Priority 1. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Priority 1. Show all posts
Monday, March 31, 2025
Saturday, March 29, 2025
Karl Ratzer ~ Austria
In Search of the Ghost. 1978 Vanguard
Street Talk. 1979 Vanguard
Finger Prints. 1979 Vanguard
Priority: 1 (for Street Talk)
These are his early albums. Ratzer was to release many more but I haven't heard them. Not sure they fall into the scope of this list as Finger Prints is marginal as it is.
3/29/25 (new entry)
Friday, March 28, 2025
Gary Saracho ~ USA
En Medio. 1973 Impulse / ABC
Priority: 1
3/28/25 (new entry)
***Reissued on LP by Verve (2022). One year after our feature of it.
Thursday, March 27, 2025
Saturday, March 8, 2025
Friday, March 7, 2025
Saturday, February 22, 2025
The Tangerine Zoo ~ USA
The Tangerine Zoo. 1968 Mainstream
Outside Looking In. 1968 Mainstream
***The Tangerine Zoo reissued on vinyl by Sundazed (2023)
Priority: 1 (for Outside Looking In)
2/22/25 (new entry)
Curtis Knight ~ USA
Down in the Village. 1970 Paramount
I'm sure others are worthy of consideration, but this is the only title I'm familiar with.
Priority: 1
2/22/25 (new entry)
Chasar ~ Scotland
Chasar (Gypsy Roller). 1983 MPM (MC); 1985 American Phonograph (LP)
Priority: 1
2/22/25 (new entry)
Progresiv TM ~ Romania
Dreptul de a Visa. 1976 Electrecord
Priority: 1
I never added this prior thinking the Rockin' Beat reissue was legit. But apparently not and it's never been rectified.
2/22/25 (new entry)
Friday, February 21, 2025
Chango ~ USA
Chango. 1975 ABC
For whatever reason I never added Chango to the CDRWL. The Akarma issue is considered unauthorized by the band (though Discogs hasn't mentioned it) and that still hasn't been rectified.
Priority: 1
2/21/25 (new entry)
Monday, September 23, 2024
Carpineta ~ Italy
---See below for recent news
And as promised yesterday, here is that new Italian discovery from The AC. Of all the countries that have had almost complete reissue coverage in regards to progressive music from the 70s, Italy is most certainly in the lead. Though this one does fit the profile for the few that still remain like Gramigna, Ultima Spiaggia, Arpaderba, Roberto Picchi, Orchestra Njervudarov, and others. All the same, Carpineta up until now, is a complete unknown. And it's fantastic! Much of what I just said is far more detailed in The AC's review below.
For quick reference, I'd say Carpineta tracks closest to Canzoniere del Lazio at the end of their storied career (Morra 1978, Miradas). That is - at their most progressive! Mid 70s Area also deserves a shout out, as well as artists as disparate as Gramigna, Franco Battiato, and even Aktuala. For my tastes, Carpineta surpasses all of them. Yea, it's that good.
OK, enough of my 30,000 ft view. Let's get down to The AC's much more professional reading liner notes: "There's probably no individual progressive rock scene from the classic 1970s era that has been more thoroughly excavated and cataloged than the Italian one. Massive printed tomes and comprehensive web archives are devoted to it, and a multitude of record labels have left practically no stone unturned, reissuing almost the entire back catalog of noteworthy albums, often multiple times over. A quick glance here at the CDRWL will confirm this, showing a relatively paltry selection of Italian LPs, most from the more obscure jazz/fusion oriented corner of the scene. A few well-known items (like Orchestra Njervudarov or Canzoniere Del Lazio) have somehow managed to avoid reissue, but overall it's pretty slim pickings. The continued passionate following (and incredibly high prices of many originals) have necessitated a very active reissue scene, and created a legion of dedicated collectors, both locally and abroad, who over the ensuing decades have dug to the very bottom of the well in hopes of unearthing that one last Italian gem. So it's with great surprise that I offer this particular album up for your inspection, as it does seem to be a genuine specimen of that rarest of birds - a previously undiscovered Italian progressive LP from the 1970s, not (to my knowledge) ever mentioned in any of the standard Italian prog references or encountered by collectors until just the past year or so.
Hailing from the ancient province of Cosenza in southern Italy, Carpineta seem to have been named after a type of tree, although turning the record sleeve over will reveal that each letter of the name seems to stand for something, possibly making it an acronym: "Carpini Abbandono Rabbia Pianti Incontaminazione Nord-africa Emigrazione Trasformazione Abbrazzamuni". Really rolls off the tongue, eh? With a name like that, and being from 1978, you might be able to guess that we're within the realm of that strange and uniquely Italian take on avant-prog and RIO that proliferated (on a relatively minor scale) from the mid 70s through the early 80s, in the wake of the classic early 70s prog scene's demise, rising in tandem with (and sometimes related to) the increasingly popular jazz-rock/fusion movement. But as I'm sure you know, this whole little mini-movement was quite diverse and hard to put a finger on, mixing in elements of progressive rock, jazz/fusion, Italian folk, pop, ethnic/eastern and avant-garde elements in wildly varying combinations. None of these albums really sound alike, even if you can kind of pigeonhole them due to the time, place and politics. Carpineta are no different, in being completely different. Does that even make any sense? In any case, what we have here is a mixture of elements that's not easily summed up. It opens with an abstract piece full of droning reeds (the "zampogna", a characteristic southern Italian bagpipe, is frequently used on this album, although often in a way that almost makes it sound like an eastern instrument), clattering percussion and declamatory vocals. After that we move into avant-prog territory, with varied but cohesive songs featuring elements of prog, jazz-rock, indigenous southern Italian folk and even psychedelic rock. There's a wide instrumental palette here, as aside from the standard progressive rock instrumentation and impassioned Italian vocals (which at times are sung in the local dialect, which seems to be somewhat Greek-influeced, if I'm not mistaken) they utilize various wind instruments, exotic percussion and also indigenous elements like the previously mentioned zampogna, mandolin, etc. However, the two things that really stand out are the electric guitar work and the drumming. The lead guitar is often played in an almost anachronistic psychedelic style, loaded with fuzz and distortion, while the drummer sometimes freaks out in a nervous, twitchy jazz-inflected way, unleashing rapid-fire rolls and fills like Furio Chirico after downing a few too many cappucinnos. This all really comes together on side two, in the manic and appropriately titled "Storie di cose nostre", with vicious lashings of fuzz guitar, hyper-active drumming and angry screaming vocals, creating one of the most relentless tracks you'll ever hear on a 70s prog LP. But naturally this is followed up by a mellow, sunny Italian folk-oriented song. And so it goes. A fascinating album that I've found myself returning to again and again, which certainly deserves to be reissued and discovered by the wider Italian prog fanbase. Hopefully someone in their home area can find these guys and get on the case!
By the way, the "Mu. Co." label was either their own private imprint or a tiny local interest. It has no relation to Mu, the well-known Turin prog/fusion label from the same time period (Zauber, Esagono, etc.)."
Priority: 1
And as promised yesterday, here is that new Italian discovery from The AC. Of all the countries that have had almost complete reissue coverage in regards to progressive music from the 70s, Italy is most certainly in the lead. Though this one does fit the profile for the few that still remain like Gramigna, Ultima Spiaggia, Arpaderba, Roberto Picchi, Orchestra Njervudarov, and others. All the same, Carpineta up until now, is a complete unknown. And it's fantastic! Much of what I just said is far more detailed in The AC's review below.
For quick reference, I'd say Carpineta tracks closest to Canzoniere del Lazio at the end of their storied career (Morra 1978, Miradas). That is - at their most progressive! Mid 70s Area also deserves a shout out, as well as artists as disparate as Gramigna, Franco Battiato, and even Aktuala. For my tastes, Carpineta surpasses all of them. Yea, it's that good.
OK, enough of my 30,000 ft view. Let's get down to The AC's much more professional reading liner notes: "There's probably no individual progressive rock scene from the classic 1970s era that has been more thoroughly excavated and cataloged than the Italian one. Massive printed tomes and comprehensive web archives are devoted to it, and a multitude of record labels have left practically no stone unturned, reissuing almost the entire back catalog of noteworthy albums, often multiple times over. A quick glance here at the CDRWL will confirm this, showing a relatively paltry selection of Italian LPs, most from the more obscure jazz/fusion oriented corner of the scene. A few well-known items (like Orchestra Njervudarov or Canzoniere Del Lazio) have somehow managed to avoid reissue, but overall it's pretty slim pickings. The continued passionate following (and incredibly high prices of many originals) have necessitated a very active reissue scene, and created a legion of dedicated collectors, both locally and abroad, who over the ensuing decades have dug to the very bottom of the well in hopes of unearthing that one last Italian gem. So it's with great surprise that I offer this particular album up for your inspection, as it does seem to be a genuine specimen of that rarest of birds - a previously undiscovered Italian progressive LP from the 1970s, not (to my knowledge) ever mentioned in any of the standard Italian prog references or encountered by collectors until just the past year or so.
Hailing from the ancient province of Cosenza in southern Italy, Carpineta seem to have been named after a type of tree, although turning the record sleeve over will reveal that each letter of the name seems to stand for something, possibly making it an acronym: "Carpini Abbandono Rabbia Pianti Incontaminazione Nord-africa Emigrazione Trasformazione Abbrazzamuni". Really rolls off the tongue, eh? With a name like that, and being from 1978, you might be able to guess that we're within the realm of that strange and uniquely Italian take on avant-prog and RIO that proliferated (on a relatively minor scale) from the mid 70s through the early 80s, in the wake of the classic early 70s prog scene's demise, rising in tandem with (and sometimes related to) the increasingly popular jazz-rock/fusion movement. But as I'm sure you know, this whole little mini-movement was quite diverse and hard to put a finger on, mixing in elements of progressive rock, jazz/fusion, Italian folk, pop, ethnic/eastern and avant-garde elements in wildly varying combinations. None of these albums really sound alike, even if you can kind of pigeonhole them due to the time, place and politics. Carpineta are no different, in being completely different. Does that even make any sense? In any case, what we have here is a mixture of elements that's not easily summed up. It opens with an abstract piece full of droning reeds (the "zampogna", a characteristic southern Italian bagpipe, is frequently used on this album, although often in a way that almost makes it sound like an eastern instrument), clattering percussion and declamatory vocals. After that we move into avant-prog territory, with varied but cohesive songs featuring elements of prog, jazz-rock, indigenous southern Italian folk and even psychedelic rock. There's a wide instrumental palette here, as aside from the standard progressive rock instrumentation and impassioned Italian vocals (which at times are sung in the local dialect, which seems to be somewhat Greek-influeced, if I'm not mistaken) they utilize various wind instruments, exotic percussion and also indigenous elements like the previously mentioned zampogna, mandolin, etc. However, the two things that really stand out are the electric guitar work and the drumming. The lead guitar is often played in an almost anachronistic psychedelic style, loaded with fuzz and distortion, while the drummer sometimes freaks out in a nervous, twitchy jazz-inflected way, unleashing rapid-fire rolls and fills like Furio Chirico after downing a few too many cappucinnos. This all really comes together on side two, in the manic and appropriately titled "Storie di cose nostre", with vicious lashings of fuzz guitar, hyper-active drumming and angry screaming vocals, creating one of the most relentless tracks you'll ever hear on a 70s prog LP. But naturally this is followed up by a mellow, sunny Italian folk-oriented song. And so it goes. A fascinating album that I've found myself returning to again and again, which certainly deserves to be reissued and discovered by the wider Italian prog fanbase. Hopefully someone in their home area can find these guys and get on the case!
By the way, the "Mu. Co." label was either their own private imprint or a tiny local interest. It has no relation to Mu, the well-known Turin prog/fusion label from the same time period (Zauber, Esagono, etc.)."
Priority: 1
See the comments section where I have a translated version of what's going on. But essentially the band has decided to re-record the album with one bonus track. So the album remains in this list since it hasn't been technically reissued, but the re-recording is most welcomed as well.
3/3/14 (new entry); 9/23/24 (update)
Saturday, November 19, 2022
Memoriance ~ France
L'Ecume Des Jours. 1979 Philips
***L'Ecume des Jours reissued by Musea Nov 2022
Relatively well known French progressive rock band, who are similar to other groups of the era like Atoll, Pentacle, Carpe Diem, Pulsar and even Shylock. There's a slight psychedelic air on the debut, whereas the second is a full blown concept album.
Priority: 1
8/24/09; 11/19/22
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Iliad ~ USA
Sapphire House. 1978 Northern Lights
Priority: 1 (for Sapphire House)
2/22/15 (new entry); 11/8/16 (update)
Friday, April 1, 2016
MacArthur ~ USA
MacArthur II. 1982 private
***Debut album reissued by Out-Sider, Apr 2016
UMR reviews
Priority: 1
7/22/10 (new entry); 4/1/16 (debut reissued)
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Mark Pierson Band ~ USA
Songs for the Sirens. 1976 Gothic
UMR review
Priority: 1
1/14/15 (new entry)
The AC's notes: "Unusual and extremely obscure jazz-rock effort from this Worcester, Massachusetts based ensemble. Flute and lightly amplified jazz guitar lead the way through a mostly tuneful set of tracks (no free jazz freak outs here). An introspective, almost melancholy tone defines this album, which won't knock your socks off with its energy or virtuosity, but is engaging and appealing on its own terms."
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Cathedral, USA (archival)
Cathedral - Epilogue. 1979
One type of album I haven't featured on the CDRWL in the past are archival works (studio / professional live recordings) that have yet to be issued on CD. I don't have too many of these, but the few I do have are mostly excellent. And perhaps other than Tortilla Flat's "1973 SWF Session", Cathedral's follow up to "Stained Glass Stories" is the best of the lot. The sad tale here is that the album was set for release, and then the band backed out. Both Rockadelic and Syn-Phonic had designs for a LP/CD release as far back as 1990. And this was when I was fed an advance copy on cassette (no track titles or album cover). To be clear, what I do have is definitely demo quality (including some rough live material from "Stained Glass Stories"), and maybe that was the issue from the band's perspective. Or perhaps there were higher quality tapes that I wasn't privy too. In either case, the album's release fell though, and I'm forever grateful to have received the crumbs, if that is indeed what this copy is. Musically, one can hear the band tighten the ship a bit from their debut, though it's still what one would call all-out progressive. Sort of like taking Yes' "Close to the Edge" and handing it to Gentle Giant for further arrangement. When the band reformed in 2007, I pointedly asked about this release on a public chat forum. Their response? None. They purposely ignored me. I tried again, but they had no intention of engaging on the topic, so I gave up my quest. I've heard varying accounts as to why the album never saw the light of day, but as you might suspect, it's all of a personal nature. The tragedy in all this is that the music is absolutely brilliant. One does wish they'd all have a few beers, and reconcile. It appears that won't happen though. Tragic, I think, is the appropriate word to apply here.
Priority: 1
One type of album I haven't featured on the CDRWL in the past are archival works (studio / professional live recordings) that have yet to be issued on CD. I don't have too many of these, but the few I do have are mostly excellent. And perhaps other than Tortilla Flat's "1973 SWF Session", Cathedral's follow up to "Stained Glass Stories" is the best of the lot. The sad tale here is that the album was set for release, and then the band backed out. Both Rockadelic and Syn-Phonic had designs for a LP/CD release as far back as 1990. And this was when I was fed an advance copy on cassette (no track titles or album cover). To be clear, what I do have is definitely demo quality (including some rough live material from "Stained Glass Stories"), and maybe that was the issue from the band's perspective. Or perhaps there were higher quality tapes that I wasn't privy too. In either case, the album's release fell though, and I'm forever grateful to have received the crumbs, if that is indeed what this copy is. Musically, one can hear the band tighten the ship a bit from their debut, though it's still what one would call all-out progressive. Sort of like taking Yes' "Close to the Edge" and handing it to Gentle Giant for further arrangement. When the band reformed in 2007, I pointedly asked about this release on a public chat forum. Their response? None. They purposely ignored me. I tried again, but they had no intention of engaging on the topic, so I gave up my quest. I've heard varying accounts as to why the album never saw the light of day, but as you might suspect, it's all of a personal nature. The tragedy in all this is that the music is absolutely brilliant. One does wish they'd all have a few beers, and reconcile. It appears that won't happen though. Tragic, I think, is the appropriate word to apply here.
Priority: 1
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McLuhan ~ USA ***REISSUED***
Anomaly. 1972 Brunswick ***Reissued by Think Like a Key, Jun 2025 UMR review and band history Priority: 1 5/24/09 (new entry); 6/25/25 (com...
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