Andre Fertier / Clivage ~ France

Clivage - Regina Astris. 1977 Gratte-Ciel
Clivage - Mixtus Orbis. 1978 Gratte-Ciel

UMR reviews

Priority: 2

Wavemaker, England

Wavemaker - Where are we Captain? 1975 Polydor
Wavemaker - New Atlantis. 1977 Polydor

As I was buying a handful of LPs from a certain dealer recently, I noticed he had both albums by Wavemaker. Now most assuredly I must have run into this name numerous times in my past. But having "wave" in the name of an electronically oriented group is like putting the word "heavy" on a metal band (or "jester" in a prog band. Oh wait...). There's Wavemaker, Waveshape, Wavestar (Wave Ball, Microwave....). Well anywayve, because of this, I just flat out missed these until now. No one has ever recommended these albums to me in person or for me to cover on this site. After some careful research, it seemed "New Atlantis" was best left alone. But "Where are We Captain?" was getting high marks indeed. Well the price was right, and I asked him to throw it into the pile.

Wavemaker are an instrumental group made up of two keyboard players dedicated to synthesizers, with guests on percussion and tympani. This is definitely not a Berlin School sequencer fest ala Tangerine Dream, nor a rock based drum-fueled electronic album along the lines of Klaus Schulze's "Moondawn" or Wolfgang Bock's "Cycles". It is, in fact, a progressive rock instrumental album - but all played on big... fat... analog... synthesizers. Works for me. Some truly wonderful sound textures are created by these massive beasts of wires. And the music is most certainly composed, with care given to both melody and complexity. It's nice to find a good album amongst the more common stock every once awhile. Like Guns and Butter in that way (referencing availability not musical style).

Priority: 3 (for "Where are We Captain?")

Wild Havana, Netherlands ***REISSUED***

Wild Havana - s/t. 1977 private

*** Reissued by P-Vine (Japan) September 2018 ***

I was originally going to have a 2014 Rarities Session, similar to last year's expose. But as I look at my future work schedule for the next 6 months, I don't think that's going to be a feasible project. So rather than batch them all up for daily postings, I will just pepper them in here and there as I get to hear them. This will be in parallel to the CD-R revisit project. I'll try to remember to identify which is which. I have quite a bit of new CD-R's sitting here, and we'll see how it goes. I do have a couple entries baked and ready to go.  Both of these are albums I bought on LP in the last couple of months.

We'll start with Wild Havana. This title was originally sent in via CD-R from our good friend SF late last year. And then I saw he was selling the LP - so I bought it!

Perhaps not surprising given the band name of Wild Havana, an overt drug themed album cover photo, and coming from The Netherlands -- but this is one strange album for certain. Blindfold me, ask for time and place, absolutely I would have felt confident to claim it comes from the late 1970s French scene or maybe even Germany from the same time. But never Dutch. Though one could imagine this album as one of many possible directions Group 1850 could have taken after "Polyandri". The music is all instrumental, very psychedelic, loose, peaceful, and free. One caveat is the heavy use of 70s era electronic percussion that may turn off some potential listeners. I find them charming, given the historical context. Loads of synthesizer sounds, fuzz guitar, various flutes, electric piano, and acoustic guitar (this element in particular reminds me of the French artists of the day like Michel Moulinie or Christian Boule). Perhaps the only album where I've heard wah-wah electric mandolin(?!). There's a South American indigenous undertone throughout (perhaps giving the band an authentic double entendre to work with). Wild Havana finds itself somewhere in the same musical space as the two aforementioned artists, "East West" era Richard Pinhas, Orexis, and Ose. A good one, that is still quite unknown.

Priority: 3

News: Gregor Cürten / Anselm Rogmans (Planes) reissued on CD

As indicated in the Troc reissue blurb, here is news that is actually TWO years old, but I just now got wind of it. The Gregor Cürten / Anselm Rogmans "Planes" has been reissued by a UK label called Entr'Acte, who do not normally reissue albums. It took me a bit to obtain this CD, but after finally receiving it, I'm kind of glad they aren't in the reissue market. Their CDs come in a silver foil bag, with perfunctory information printed on the front regarding the release. I think the idea is to then go to their website and print out the front and back covers, and other relevant artwork. Hence the label name (interact - get it?). Yea, no thanks on that approach. You guys can stop reissuing albums at any time. It might be fine for new CDs, but that's not the way to do reissues. On the plus side, the sound is great and it is absolutely legit. So bravo to them for that at least.  This album was first presented to me as Planes - I'll Remember the Landscape on Your Face. I'll be featuring on the UMR soon as well.

Special thanks to reader Eric for alerting me of this reissue!

Worth mentioning that my friends Achim and Eric disagree with me regarding the packaging. So I think it's only fair to mention in the label's defense!

Euphoria, USA

Euphoria - Lost in Trance. 1973 Rainbow Records

Next one up from the CD-R revisit project. This is a title I have a long history with, but still don't own it in any form.

I'm pretty certain the band put this out on CD (or at least authorized a private press). In 2006, when I was doing my initial research for the CDRWL on the title, it seemed to be available. Now I can't even find a trace that it exists - except for one review on Amazon where he goes on to say the issue is horrible, and that the bootleg is way better. Ugh. So I think, if nothing else, we're calling for a much better reissue!

Euphoria's sole work is an excellent sophisticated hard rock album from Milwaukee (a few years ago, they resurfaced and had relocated to the state of Washington - but that seems to have fizzled). Great songwriting with solid lead guitar. A slight progressive rock undertone can be heard in their arrangements. In some ways, this album predates some of the hard, heavy, and mean private press albums of the late 70s. Has that Midwest attitude and vibe. Wonderful album for fans of the genre (like me).

I remember when Rich from Rockadelic first found this album/band in 1988. Rockadelic never reissued the album (it was actually before their label started), but it would have fit perfectly on the imprint. 

As noted above, watch out for pirate editions.

Priority: 2

News: Troc reissued on CD

Ironically the first news item for 2014 is probably old news, but I'm just now seeing it for the first time via Ken's updates. The label is a large French publishing company called Frémeaux & Associés, who we've not run into before. I never did get around to featuring this title, but it was in the main list.

Label says: "In the tradition of Miles Davis, Weather Report and others taking jazz to new shores in the early Seventies, “Troc” was a legendary yet short-lived quintet whose only album was issued in 1972 – a rough diamond from the seams of jazz/ rock and other hallucinatory experiments… Drummer André Ceccarelli recently reformed the group to record “Troc 2011” for Universal and its success leads to this Frémeaux reissue of the band’s epic first album — now available for the first time on CD — together with two bonus titles recorded at that same historic session."

I have another news item that is actually two years old, but I'm still trying to secure one ahead of the announcement. And I have a couple of CD-R revisits that I came across last night that will probably find its way on here starting tomorrow.

CD Reissue Wish List 2004

Many of you will remember that we revisited, last year at this time, an old list I had cobbled together for discussion on rec.music.progressive in the summer of 1996. Today, we're going to go through what was on my website January 24, 2004. This list is courtesy of archive.org and is a snapshot of what you would have found going to thomashayes.com and my CD Reissue Wish List. Back then, I had separate pages for News (which I have preserved and you can see via the labels on your right such as 2003-2005 News), one for the Primary List (what you see below), and one for Bootlegs. I gave up the latter for a few reasons: 1) I didn't want to get into Legal trouble. 2) I was inadvertently giving these pirates more press than they deserved. And 3) I couldn't keep up with them. Especially then, when boots were more rampant, and perhaps more accepted.

I think if anything else, the one positive aspect the CDRWL has accomplished, is to call out the importance of a high quality legitimate reissue. And I found that a lot of you agree with me that it's crucial to do reissues the right way. I've never been on a crusade and I'm not condemning anyone. I do this for selfish reasons... I don't want to buy cheap illegitimate bootlegs - and now I refuse to. I did that too willingly in the 90's only to regret it later when a high quality reissue came out forcing me to yet buy another copy, and having a worthless pirate edition on my hands to resell back into the marketplace. I still have a few of those in my collection from back then - but that number has dwindled to maybe under 20 now. It was once at least 4 times that.

OK, so let's address the list. At this point in 2004, it was still strictly a list with no info or descriptions of the recordings. In fact, I'm sure the original list that went up in 2003 would look similar, as I didn't focus too much on it back then. The CDRWL was still in its infancy, and it pretty much stayed this way until about late 2006 or so, when I was able to start fleshing out the descriptions. You'll still see on my early blog entries back in 2009 and 2010 only a skeleton of information. It's just a matter of having time to put a few quality words down for each. As well, I think it's worth stating that this was still my personal wishlist at this point, rather than a compendium of prog/psych/fusion/electronic rarities not on CD.

You'll notice all sorts of gaps below (Thirsty Moon, Satin Whale, Kraftwerk, Rainbow Theatre, etc...) and that's because I also had an "avoid bootleg" list as mentioned above. I didn't incorporate those into the below exercise, as it would have been too much work. Many of those bootlegs have since been reissued (like Thirsty Moon and Rainbow Theatre's albums), and many unfortunately have not. Maybe I'll review that list next year and see the progress.

Since I did something similar to last year, I'm not going to repeat the data on items I covered then, unless there's new info to share. So what I will do is state: See (or In) last year's list. This will give you incentive to look at that one too! :-) I'll note which ones have been reissued to save you the step.

The link to last year's list is HERE.

It's worth repeating that the 1996 list was thrown together for discussion, and wasn't really that comprehensive. In some ways, the below was also thrown together too without going through each entry thoroughly. And then of course, there were plenty of reissues between 1996 and 2004. There's quite a bit of crossover with the 1996 list, but also both of these have major gaps that I hope I've filled in the last few years.

(Just as a point of clarification, since one of my readers brought this to my attention: The list below is the 2004 list, as it was at the time, with newly added comments. It's not the updated full 2014 list. For that, you can always look at the main list, which I try to update as much as possible.)

A.R. and Machines - Echo (Germany)
A.R. and Machines - IV (Germany)
--- So we start with the complicated one! The debut "Die Grune Reise" had a very obscure reissue from Polydor at this point, that I knew about but didn't own. This was before the excellent 2007 Tangram CD that I bought immediately. By the time of this list, I had learned of another very obscure reissue on Spectrum for both AR3 and Autovision. Those things are so rare and obscure, that I now just have them in the CDRWL as entries that need reissue (but probably why they aren't listed here). Echo and IV have never been reissued, nor has Erholung. I have no idea why I left off the latter. Reichel announced a couple of years ago he was going to reissue all of these like "Die Grune Reise", but it's obviously not come to pass. I have no idea why. These are fantastic albums that would sell well. Unfortunately there are numerous boots out there - so watch out!

Abacus - s/t (Germany)
Abacus - Just a Day's Journey Away (Germany)
--- These still need legit reissues, as does Midway. The third album "Everything You Need" has been reissued. To be honest, the only one I care about is the splendid debut.

Aera - Humanum Est (Germany)
Aera - Hand und Fuss (Germany)
Aera - Akataki (Germany)
Aera - Turkis (Germany)
--- Hand und Fuss was reissued along with Humanum Est on the house label Erlkoenig in 2004 (probably right after this list). They also reissued the excellent Live along with Turkis. The lackluster Too Much and the very good Akataki remain unissued, and this is because they were on Speigelei, which is owned by a major label. I have Much Groh listed below.

AFT/Automatic Fine Tuning - s/t (England)
---Still in the CDRWL as a Priority 1! I called this album out specifically as an oversight on last year's list. I loved this album since the day I bought it in 1985. So that's how I knew the '96 list was hastily drawn up.

Airlord - Clockwork Revenge (New Zealand)
---See last year's list

Aku Aku - Humanquake (Czech Republic)
--- Turns out this album had already come out on CD on the Guerilla label. It's obscure though (I guess so is the LP which I own).

Alcatraz - Live: Trockeneis zum Frühstück (Germany)
Alcatraz - No. 4 (Germany)
---Both of these are still in the CDRWL along with the second album

Anna Sjalve Tredje - Tussilago Fanfara (Sweden)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Another Roadside Attraction - s/t (Canada)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Aquarelle - s/t (Canada)
---Both Aquarelle albums were reissued by Belle Antique in 2010, though the sound isn't very good.

Artcane - Odyssee (France)
---See last year's list

Archimedes Badkar - s/t (Sweden)
Archimedes Badkar - II (Sweden)
---Still in the CDRWL. Watch for bootlegs!

Association P.C. - Earwax (Germany)
Association P.C. - Sun Rotation (Germany)
Association P.C. - Erna Morena (Germany)
Association P.C. - Mama Kuku (Germany)
Association P.C. - Rock Around the Cock (Germany)
---Mama Kuku received a quality reissue from the Promising label in 2008. The rest are still in the CDRWL.

Astre - Foresight (USA)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Asturcon - s/t (Spain)
---Perhaps unbelievably, this one received a legit CD reissue in 2004 from Doblon, a label I never heard from again.

Atman - Duchy Przodkow Mieszkaja w Drzewach (Poland)
---This one is in the main list. I need to feature it at some point.

Autumn Beeze - Hostbris (Sweden)
---The band reissued this as a CD-R and download but nothing in a durable format. That's too bad. Still in the CDRWL.

Avalanche - Perseverance Kills Our Game (Netherlands)
---See last year's list.

Avel Nevez - Servis Compris (France)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Baba Yaga - Collage (Germany)
Baba Yaga - Cycle (Germany)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Gerardo Batiz - Harlequin (Mexico)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Berits Halsband - s/t (Sweden)
---Still in the CDRWL. Priority 1!

Between - Contemplation (Germany)
---Reissued by Intuition in 2007

Bevis Frond - Bevis Through the Looking Glass (England)
---Reissued by Rubric in 2005

Bi Kyo Ran - Fairy Tale: Live Volume 1 (Japan)
---Looks like I removed this one even though I can't find a reissue. OK - will add back soon!

Black Sun Ensemble - s/t (Restless version) (USA)
---Well... it would appear I did the same thing here. WTH? So I will add it back! Now the first album from 1985 has been reissued on CD - just not the 1988 one. I really like this album, so it's odd I would have left it out. Oversight I guess.

Toto Blanke - Spider's Dance (Germany)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Wolfgang Bock - Cycles (Germany)
--- See last year's list

Bounty - s/t (USA)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Brave New World - Impressions on Reading Aldous Huxley (Germany)
---See last year's list. Lots of bootlegs still.

Cai - Mas Alla de Nuestras Mentes Diminutas (Spain)
---This one did get self-released by the band, but has been universally panned as a crappy effort. So I've left in the CDRWL.

Cal - s/t (Spain)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Chakra - s/t (USA)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Champignons - Premiere Capsule (Canada)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Chemical - s/t (England)
---Still in the CDRWL. In the main list only.

Cherokee Mist - Anthem of the Moon (England)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Chou Parot - Live (Scotland)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Cincinnato - s/t (Italy)
---Reissued by AMS in 2006

Circus - s/t (Switzerland)
Circus - Tearless, Fearless and Evenless (Switzerland)
--- And of course most folks would like to see "Movin' On" reissued again. The Decoder CD from 1990 is legit, and I do own it myself. But I've added into the CDRWL as many people missed out on it the first time.

Coma - Financial Tycoon (Denmark)
Coma - Amoc (Denmark)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Combo FH - Veci (Czech Republic)
---Reissued by Indies Happy Trails in 2008

Robert Connolly - Plateau (Canada)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Connivence - s/t (Canada)
Connivence - II (Canada)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Contraction - s/t (Canada)
Contraction - La Bourse ou la Vie (Canada)
---Both reissued by ProgQuebec in 2005.

Crossfire - s/t (Australia)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Cultural Noise - Aphorisms Insane (Austria)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Cybotron - s/t (Australia)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Cybotron - Implosion (Australia)
---Now this title did get reissued by Aztec in 2006. And Colossus was reissued years ago by Inak.

Dakila - s/t (Philippines)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Wolfgang Dauner - Rischkas Soul (Germany)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Wolfgang Dauner + Et Cetera - Et Cetera (aka Lady Blue) (Germany)
---This title was reissued by Long Hair in 2008.

Wolfgang Dauner + Et Cetera - Knirsch (Germany)
---This title was reissued by HGBS in 2010.

Wolfgang Dauner + Et Cetera - Live (Germany)
---And this one is still in the CDRWL.

Den Za Den - s/t (Yugoslavia)
---Still in the CDRWL. I now have it listed properly as from Macedonia.

Dennis - Hyperthalamus (Germany)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Franck Dervieux - Dimension M (Canada)
---See last year's list. This is the first title we've come across now (if reading top to bottom) that was reissued after being in both lists!

Dialect - s/t (Brazil)
---Still in the CDRWL. It sits in the main list only. They re-recorded the album in 2008, but the original remains unissued.

Docmec - Objet Non Identifie (Switzerland)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Dr. Dopo Jam - Crusin' at Midnite (Denmark)
---Still in the CDRWL. I should have listed Fat Dogs and Danishmen as well, since only a boot exists. Entree was reissued years ago by Karma.

Alain Eckert Quartet - s/t (France)
---This was just reissued in 2013 by Soleil Zeuhl. And the CD is fantastic with 31 minutes of live material that absolutely blows the doors off the original studio recording. It's a must!

Eden - s/t (Canada)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Edition Speciale - Aliquante (France)
Edition Speciale - Horizon Digital (France)
---Both reissued by Musea (2004 and 2007 respectively)

Eiderstellaire - s/t (France) K001 album
---Despite what "EVERYBODY" said, this was finally reissued by Soleil Zeuhl in 2011. I never believed the naysayers. You know what's funny? The same people who stomped all over threads insisting this would never get reissued, are the SAME PEOPLE saying the SAME THING about other albums on this list. Do they ever learn anything? Just shut up would ya?

Elektrikus - Electronic Mind Waves (Italy)
---Reissued by AMS in 2007.

Ellufant - s/t (Release Concert) (Netherlands)
---See last year's list.

Emergency Exit - Sortie de Secours (France)
---See last year's list.

Emma Myldenburger - MS (Germany)
Emma Myldenburger - Tour de Trance (Germany)
---Both reissued by Garden of Delights in 2006.

Energy - s/t (Sweden)
---Still in the CDRWL.

L'Engoulevent - I'ile ou Vivent les Loups (Canada)
---Reissued by ProgQuebec in 2006.

Eskaton - Fiction (France)
---See last year's list (reissued!)

Ex Ovo Pro - European Spassvogel (Germany)
---Still in the CDRWL. Along with their second album.

Ex Vitae - Mandarine (France)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Ezra Winston - Myth of the Chrysavides (Italy)
---Still in the CDRWL. I really can't believe this album never came out on CD.

Facedancers - s/t (USA)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Franco Falsini - Cold Nose (Italy)
---See last year's list (sort of reissued)

Falstaff - Prononcez (France)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Fantasia - s/t (Finland)
---See last year's list (reissued!)

First Aid - Nostradamus (England)
---See last year's list.

Flaming Bess - Verlorene Welt (Germany)
---This had been reissued in 2003, but I had missed it at the time.

Flowers - From Pussies to Death in 10,000 Years of Freakout (Japan)
---This is a bootleg in of itself and should not have been in the list.

Flying Island - s/t (USA)
Flying Island - Another Kind of Space (USA)
---Both still in the CDRWL

Fondation - Sans Etiquette (France) cassette release
---Still in the CDRWL.

Formas - Largos Suenos (Spain)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Galie - 1986 (Mexico)
---In last year's list

Good God - s/t (USA)
---Still in the CDRWL.

The Michael Gordon Philharmonic - s/t (USA)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Muck Groh - Muckefuck (Germany)
---Reissued by Long Hair in 2011.

Le Groupe X - Frrrrrigidaire (Italy)
Le Groupe X - Out, Off (Italy)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Guns and Butter - s/t (USA)
---Still in the CDRWL. Priority 1!

Guruh Gipsy - s/t (Indonesia)
---Still in the CDRWL. Reissued on LP by Shadoks in 2006.

Gutura - Des Etres Au Cerveau Apparent (France)
---In last year's list

Jukka Hauru - Information (Finland)
Jukka Hauru - Episode (Finland)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Heaven - s/t (USA) 1970 album
---Still in the CDRWL.

Chris Hinze Combination - Stoned Flute (Netherlands)
Chris Hinze Combination - Mission Suite (Netherlands)
Chris Hinze Combination - Who Can See the Shadow of the Sun (Netherlands)
Chris Hinze Combination - Sister Slick (Netherlands)
---Still in the CDRWL.Yep, all of them.

Humanist Advent Concept - Invasion (Canada)
---Both HAC albums were reissued by Long Hair in 2008.

Humus - Whispering Galleries (Mexico)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Hunk Ai - s/t (Denmark)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Hydravion - s/t (France)
Hydravion - Stratos Airlines (France)
---In last year's list

Hydrus - Midnight in Space (Italy)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Ibis - s/t (Sweden)
---Still in the CDRWL. Priority 1!

Ibliss - Supernova (Germany)
---Reissued by Garden of Delights in 2009.

Igra Staklenih Perli - Vrt Svetlosti (Yugoslavia)
---This was reissued along with the debut (which I probably had in the "bootleg" section at the time) on PGP in 2007

Igra Staklenih Perli - Inner Flow (Yugoslavia)
Igra Staklenih Perli - Soft Explosion Live (Yugoslavia)
Igra Staklenih Perli - Drives (Yugoslavia)
---All these archival releases from Serbia are still in the CDRWL.

Images - s/t (France)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Inserts - Out of the Box (USA)
---Still in the CDRWL.

It's My Head - s/t (Sweden)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Ixt Adux - Brainstorm (USA)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Jessica - s/t (Germany)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Joy Unlimited - Schmetterling (Germany)
Joy Unlimited - Minne (Germany)
---These have been reissued by Garden of Delights in 2005 and 2008 respectively. Reflections, which I didn't have here at the time, was reissued by GoD in 2007.

Katamaran - s/t (Germany)
---Still in the CDRWL. All 3 titles.

Charles Kazcynski - Lumiere de la Nuit (Canada)
---See last year's list (reissued!)

Kebnekaise - Elefanten (Sweden)
---In last year's list.

Kennedy - Twinkling NASA (Japan)
---This just came out on CD in 2013 on King!

Klockwork Orange - s/t (Austria)
---One of the major pleasant surprises was the reissue of this title by Digatone in 2013. Belle Antique followed with a Japanese mini-LP if you weren't interested in the double LP.

Komintern - Le Bal du Rat Mort (France)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Kontrast - s/t (Germany)
---Reissued by Cosmic  Egg in 2008.
 
Anders Koppel - Aftenlandet and Regnbuefuglen (Denmark)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Kracq - Circumvision (Belgium)
---In last year's list (reissued!)

Kvartetten Som Sprangde - Kattvalls (Sweden)
---Still in the CDRWL. Received a legit LP reissue from Subliminal Sounds in 2013, but no CD yet.

L.S. Bearforce - s/t (Germany)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Pascal Languirand - Minos (Canada)
Pascal Languirand - De Harmonia Universalia (Canada)
Pascal Languirand - Vivre Ici Maintenant (Canada)
---There's a compilation of the first 2 that came out in 1993, which I don't own, but I think it's incomplete. Still in the CDRWL.

Laura - s/t (France)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Lethe - s/t (Netherlands)
---Still in the CDRWL. Priority 1!

Claude Leveillee - Black Sun (Canada)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Mingo Lewis - Flight Never Ending (USA)
---Still in the CDRWL. There were rumors it might come out, but nothing surfaced.

Loch Ness - s/t (Mexico)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Yves et Alain Lorentz - Espaces 2 (France)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Ma Banlieue Flasque - s/t (France)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Michel Madore - Le Komuso a Cordes (Canada)
Michel Madore - La Chambre Nuptiale (Canada)
---Still in the CDRWL. The first album has been thrown out there as a possibility for ProgQuebec, but they haven't executed on it yet.

Mahagon - s/t (Czech Republic)
---Reissued by Indies Happy Trails in 2008.

Maneige - s/t (Canada)
Maneige - Les Porches (Canada)
---These much requested albums finally came out on ProgQuebec in 2007

Marakesh - s/t (Netherlands)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Alain Markusfeld - Le Desert Noir (France)
Alain Markusfeld - Platock (France)
---Funny that I didn't even know about the first two, and much better, albums at the time (or maybe they were in the bootleg list? Ah yes - that's where they were!). All of the Markusfeld's are still in the CDRWL.

Memoriance - Et Apres (France)
Memoriance - L'Ecume Des Jours (France)
---Both still in the CDRWL.

Metabolisme - Tempus Fugit (France)
---Reissued by Musea in 2005

Metabolist - Hansten Klork (England)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Mirror - Daybreak (Netherlands)
---In last year's list

Missus Beastly - Dr. Aftershave and the Mixed Pickles (Germany)
Missus Beastly - Spaceguerilla (Germany)
---The first one received a reissue from Garden of Delights in 2011. "Spaceguerilla" was scheduled on GoD for last year, then for certain in 2013. Looks like 2014 now...

Moira - Crazy Countdown (Germany)
Moira - s/t (aka Reise Nach Ixtlan) (Germany)
---Both still in the CDRWL.

Moolah - Woe Ye Demons Possessed (USA)
---Tough one here. The EM label of Japan supposedly reissued this legit in 2005. In recent years, I've heard that isn't the case. I bought it at the time, and I'm clinging on the hope that it is legit. Fortunately I have the original LP just in case.

Morse Code - Procreation (Canada)
---Reissued by ProgQuebec in 2007.

Michel Moulinie - Chrysalide (France)
---Still in the CDRWL. Priority 1!

Munju - High Speed Kindergarten (Germany)
Munju - Moon You (Germany)
Munju - Le Perfectionniste (Germany)
Munju - Brot + Spiele (Germany)
---All of these remain in the CDRWL. Band says masters are lost and they proceeded to throw them up on their website for free download. Seems that is the final state. Too bad. 

Nishin - Dai Dai (Japan)
---In last year's list.

Noa - s/t (France)
---Reissued by Soleil Zeuhl in 2011.

Nova Express - Space Khmer (Germany)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Nuance - Il est une Legende (France)
---In last year's list.

Ocarinah - Premiere Vision de L'etrange (France)
---In last year's list. Priority 1!

October - s/t (USA)
October - After the Fall (USA)
---In last year's list

Octopus - The Boat of Thoughts (Germany)
---Reissued by Sireena in 2009.

Oniris - L'Homme Volier (France)
---Still in the CDRWL.

The Oroonies - Of Hoof and Horn (England)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Het Pandorra Ensemble - III (Netherlands)
---In last year's list (reissued!)

Pantha - Dowaydo Dowaydo (Australia)
---Still in the CDRWL. Priority 1!

Pinguin - Der Grosse Rote Vogel (Germany)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Plat du Jour - s/t (France)
---Still in the CDRWL. Priority 1!

Polestar - Flying Through the Universe (USA)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Prisma - s/t (Netherlands)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Project Tyme - Clockwyse (USA)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Proteus - Infinite Change (USA)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Psi - Horizonte (Germany)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Psynkopat - Har Vi Nagen Stil (Sweden)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Public Foot the Roman - s/t (England)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Pughs Place & Others - Child in Time (Netherlands)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Quad - s/t (England)
Quad - 2 (England)
---Quad 2 is still in the CDRWL but the first one did get reissued by Lion (USA) in 2005.

Quasar - Nebular Trajectory (Australia)
Quasar - Man Coda (Australia)
--- Both still in the CDRWL.

Ra Can Row - s/t (USA)
---In last year's list

Radio Noisz Ensemble - Yniverse (Germany)
---Reissued by Garden of Delights in 2009.

Radiomobel - Gudang Garam (Sweden)
---Reissued by Transubstans in 2006.

Rialzu - s/t (Corsica)
---Reissued by Musea in 2008.

Catherine Ribeiro + 2 Bis - s/t (France)
Catherine Ribeiro + Alpes - No. 2 (France)
---Technically "No. 2" has been reissued legit, but in a crappy box set. The first one has never been reissued.

Claudio Rocchi - Essenza (Italy)
---One of the very few Italian albums still in the CDRWL.

Il Rovescio Della Medaglia - ..Giudizio Avrai (Italy)
---Ha! And here's another. Though this was an archival release from 1988. Not quite the same.

Saino- s/t (France)
---In last year's list

Saisai-Koubou - s/t (Japan)
---In last year's list

Scapa Flow - Uuteen Aikaan (Finland)
---Reissued by Rocket in 2010.

Gunther Schickert - Samtvogel (Germany)
---Finally reissued by Important in 2013!

Secret Oyster - Sea Son (Denmark)
---I only listed this title, but The Laser's Edge famously reissued them all in 2006/2007.

Sensations Fix - s/t (Italy)
Sensations Fix - Portable Madness (Italy)
Sensations Fix - Finest Finger (Italy)
---All of these are available legit via box sets, but none have been done the right way.

Sepi Kuu - Rannan Usvassa (Finland)
---See last year's list. Priority 1!

Seventh Seal - s/t (Japan)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Lourivale Silvestre - Fiction Musicale (France)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Sirius - Running to Paradise (Germany)
---In last year's list. 

Skywhale - The World at Mind's End (England)
---Reissued in 2006 by the band!

Solar Plexus - s/t (Sweden)
Solar Plexus - Solar Plexus 2 (Sweden)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Strave - Vision (France)
---Reissued by Soleil Zeuhl  in 2012.

Streetdancer - Rising (USA)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Super Freego - Pourquoi es-tu si Mechant? (France)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Tabletom - Mezclalina (Spain)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Terraced Garden - Melody and Menace (Canada)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Thomas Flinter - s/t (Netherlands)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Tomorrow's Gift - Goodbye Future (Germany)
---Still in the CDRWL. Watch out for boots!

Tonic - This Way (Germany)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Tortilla Flat - Fur Ein 3/4 Stundchen (Germany)
---In last year's list. Priority 1!

Touch - Traumwerk 1 (Germany)
---Still in the CDRWL. Band technically should be listed as TOuCH.

True Myth - s/t (Canada)
---Reissued by Belle Antique in 2010. I never did hear this reissue after getting burned by the Aquarelle's. I still have the LP of course.

Tyll - Sexphonie (Germany)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Uludag - Mau Mau (Germany)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Ungava - s/t (Canada)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Daniel Vega - La Noche que Preced a la Batalla (Spain)
---Reissued by Fonomusic in 2005.

Verto - Krig Volubilis (France)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Viola Crayola - s/t (USA)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Steven Maxwell Von Braund - Monster Planet (Australia)
---Still in the CDRWL. Was announced to be reissued by Aztec before they went under. The label has since been renamed to Sandman with new owners. And to date, they seem to have little interest in Australia's progressive past. Hopefully they'll reconsider.

Von Zamla - No Make Up! (Sweden)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Vos Voisons - s/t (Canada)
---Reissued by ProgQuebec in 2011.

Yezda Urfa - Boris (USA)
---Reissued by Syn-Phonic in 2004, after a decade of waiting for the artwork ;-)

Ys - Madame la Frontiere (France)
---Still in the CDRWL.

Zartong - s/t (Armenia)
---In last year's list.

Zyma - Brave New World (Germany)
---Still in the CDRWL. Been on Garden of Delights Coming Soon list for a number of years now. I still hope they'll do it!

Whoa! That was exhausting. Well, I hope it was an entertaining retrospective. It's nice to see that many of these albums were reissued. And hopefully more to come!

Happy New Year! It's the CDRWL 11th Birthday!

Has it been that long? Well the website, in one form or another, has been alive since early 2003. I don't remember the exact date I launched it, but it was in January. So I've just kept the tradition of Happy New Year and..... Happy Anniversary, Happy Birthday for the CDRWL.

So what trends did we see in 2013? I think the continued rise of the revival of the LP is the number #1 story. We saw quite a few albums this year in the CDRWL receiving an LP reissue for the first time, but not yet a CD. These include Charlies, Kvartetten som Sprangde, Resan, and Mad Curry. And of course, some new bands are releasing LPs first, and CD second - maybe skipping them altogether. Then again, I've seen groups release albums only on cassette. Now that's just silly IMO. What's next? 8 Track tape? Reel-to-Reel? 78's? 16's? Though the calls by some folks that the CD - or any physical medium - is going to be extinct in our immediate future is nearsighted at best. As a long time collector, it's exactly these down times in an industry that creates the future rarities. Those who kept buying LPs in the 90s are doing quite well today with their investments (and that includes me). And I don't think we're even at that stage yet - say where the LP was in 1995. CDs are still the predominant format for releasing music. The commoditized popular music industry may go download only, but really who cares about them anyway? I have plenty of LPs worth about 5 cents now too - all of them items I could buy at my local K-Mart growing up in the 1970s. And owning download files is about as gratifying as owning a famous painting.... as a .jpg file. And the thought that no one will actually pay for recorded music going forward is crazy. I've heard the argument that live shows,  T-shirts, and beer mugs is where the revenue stream will come from, but that's not going to cut it. For the type of music we collect (and that's a broad base), physical assets will still be in demand. The totals may have shrunk, but they're not going away. And when the current (younger than me that is) crowd that has dumped their CDs - because they thought it was really cool they could fit 30 shelves worth onto their MP3 player - start to get nostalgic about their old CD collection - they'll be back in the market looking to repurchase. And then there will be no supply. And then what happens? Prices go up. Neat how that works. OK, Economics 101 is over...

As for the CDRWL, I expect we'll keep the pace of 2013. I'll probably have one to two Rarities Sessions, which is now almost entirely dependent on my generous donors to the site. We should have one starting pretty quickly here - and maybe we'll have another one later in the year. As well, I will be continuing the CD-R revisit project (I'm doing a lot of replacing with CDs or LPs - or deleting them altogether). This project goes beyond the CDRWL, but as albums come up that should get their own post, I will be sure to add them as I go. I expect this to be a multi-year project. And of course I'll be adding relevant News items as I have years prior. We saw a slight downturn in the number of announcements this year, but nothing overly significant in my mind.

And my next post, which I will share tomorrow, will be a similar exercise to last year's popular anniversary post: A revisit of an old CD Reissue Wish List and where are they now?

Trust, France

Trust - Le Mutant. 1970 Philips

Another one from the CD-R revisit pile...

"Le Mutant" is basically a French pop rock album, with a distinct British proto-prog feel where The Beatles have to be considered an obvious influence here, despite it all being sung in French. Similar to countrymen Iris and M.O.T.U.S. in that same way. Not as adventurous as the first two albums from Alain Markusfeld, for example. Speaking of which, it is rumored that both Markusfeld (guitar) and Jacky Chalard (bass) play on this (though uncredited). Non-essential fluff for the most part, but a good one to hear for specialists. This Trust is not related to the French hard rock group of the same name that later supplied Iron Maiden with its drummers.

Priority: none

News: Latest announcements from Lion Productions

I haven't heard any of these, but they look interesting enough to call out. And we know Lion will do a top notch job on them! Presumably, if you've been following my blog, you know the Laurence Vanay's are available now. LP's are on their way early next year as well. Don't miss those gems! As well, Probe 10 looks like a February 2014 release - can't wait for that one!

OK, onto the latest batch, with descriptions provided by the label:

The CASE "Blackwood" LP edition—catalogue number: (LION LP-119); UPC: 778578311919; CD edition—catalogue number: (LION 659); UPC: 778578065928: Blackwood. The title alone is portentous, at the very least semi-evil sounding. Fear not, there are no devils, demons, or witches lurking in these woods. Instead we have a heretofore almost completely unknown and rarely spoken of album of nine original tracks, self-released on the legendary RPC Records label by a group of self-motivated teens from Pennsylvania. Luckily for lovers of musical mayhem, the Case got access to their school music room and a four-track recorder over a Christmas break in 1971. A rock-solid, hard-driving rhythm section lays down the necessary underpinning for moody organ and beautifully-toned guitar. There is sheer joy at play here, a kind of rock 'n' roll exuberance—with ample raw talent and wicked riffing—which shines through on every cut. Terrific raw, primitive album, simultaneously loose and intense, like the Velvet Underground at their best. • American primitive album recorded in 1971 by very advanced high-schoolers during their Christmas vacation, self-released on the legendary RPC Records label • Color insert includes notes by the band + rare photos • Both formats limited to 500 copies

FUSIÓN "Top Soul" (LION 673); UPC: 778578067328: Impossible to find jazz/soul/funk monster by Fusión, issued in Chile in 1975 by ALBA (ALD-041)—a fulsome combination of funk, electric jazz, and soul, with Latin roots. Bassist Enrique Luna had lived and studied art in New York, and knew first-hand the last, avant-garde years of John Coltrane, and Miles Davis’ mutation from hard bop trendsetter into an electric jazz pioneer; Matias Pizarro had appeared on the scene in the mid-60s as a young pianist of outstanding technical ability and advanced ideas. Together they formed a band around a core of Peruvian musicians, with soloists including David Estánovich (tenor sax) and Lautaro Rosas (guitar), plus a rhythm trio of Mario Lecaros (electric piano, former Village Trio), and Orlando Avendaño (drums), with guest appearances by trumpeter Daniel Lencina, and young percussionist Santiago Salas (Santa y su gente). Censorship during the Chilean military regime meant heavy restrictions on the artists in the local jazz/soul/funk scene. Thus the Fusión album was pressed in a very limited quantity, and never legally re-issued—until now! Comes with a bi-lingual booklet which explores the story of Fusión in the context of the rich Chilean rock music scene.

SANTA Y SU GENTE (SANTA & HIS PEOPLE) (LION 674); UPC: 778578067427: In the 1970's in Chile, recording anything was complicated. The state-owned IRT label was administered by the military. Domestic releases gave way to an invasion of foreign music. Recitals or concerts were impossible—at most a group could hope for one appearance on television, or a very low-key event—this was the reality of the music world after the coup. Yet a few groups had the good fortune to overcome the prevailing censorship: this was the case with Santa y su Gente (Santa and his People). Santiago Salas was a percussionist stepped in jazz. It was he who assembled a band with musicians of the caliber of Lautaro Rosas and Mario Lecaros. The latter was a powerful musician, who would appear in other jazz fusion projects in those difficult years, and then leave Chile together to do an impressive job abroad with his group Comet. The one and only album of Santa y su Gente, “Urgente,” was released by RCA/IRT/Alba in 1974. This album is very rare, and therefore not very well known; but it contains all you can ask for: a Latin Afro-jazz fusion, half salsa and half Afro, with something powerful to say. Highly recommended. Comes with a bi-lingual booklet which explores the story of Santa y su Gente in the context of the rich Chilean rock music scene.

Montoro, Spain

Montoro - Esencia. 1991 Perfil-Divucsa.

And yet another CD-R revisit. This album would be at the tail end of the LP only era, before CDs became de rigueur. 20 years later, LP only releases are back in fashion. Who would have thunk?

Montoro's sole album is a good example of Flamenco Rock, past the 1970's glory days of course. The spiritual successor to Triana's “Sombra y Luz” as it were. Make no mistake, this album is as commercial as it is progressive. But it features fine lead guitar, excellent Arabian vocals, and thoughtful compositions. Much better than contemporary Medina Azahara, for example. Worth hearing, though not exemplary by any means.

Priority: none

Plebb ~ Sweden

Yes It Isn't It. 1979 private

UMR review

Priority: 2

***Reissued on LP by Sommor (Jun 2021).

12/17/13 (new entry)

The Bigroup ~ England

Big Hammer. 1971 Peer International

UMR review

Priority: 2

12/16/13 (new entry)

Beyond ~ USA

Music and Beyond. 1980 Tuhlottesound

The music is a mixture of classic hard edged arena rock and all-out complex progressive rock. A little heavier than the usual Midwest progressive rock sound that we've featured extensively with a small to non-existent keyboard presence, but in reality Beyond were under the same influence as other groups from the region. Converse to tradition, Side 2 is the more commercial oriented part of the album, and it leaves one with a slightly bitter taste at the end (which is why I think the album never resonated with me prior). The complex songs do recall Astre, another Tulsa based group. Some fantastic acid guitar throughout, with some fuzz bass, and even some jazzy tuned percussion. A very cool relic from America's heartland.

Generally you'll read the group is from Texas (mainly due to an error in the Acid Archives book). But actually they're from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the management of the group is from Coffeyville, Kansas (on the border with Oklahoma). Purple Peak Jeff met the drummer years ago and confirmed the data. So I suspect various members are from the NE OK, SE KS area.

---12/15/13

OK, I now have the vinyl of this. The record is officially on the Tuhlottesound label (one word) and is based in Copan, Oklahoma - which is north of Bartlesville, Oklahoma near Coffeyville, Kansas as stated above. The album was further mastered in Dallas in 1980 so that would be the final release date.

Priority: 3

7/21/11 (new entry); 12/15/13 (update)

Second Coming, USA

Second Coming - The Second Coming. 1970 Mercury

Another one from the CD-R revisit pile, though in this case, I went ahead and bought the vinyl afterward (it's not an expensive record for those of you in the market for one). The cover above is that copy, since there really wasn't good scan out there. Comes in a nice gatefold. There's also a UK press with a different cover (and considerably more expensive).

Second Coming are an old school horn rock band originally on Mercury Records (also the label behind the even better horn rock band Aura). I’m probably one of the world’s biggest horn rock fans, but it’s rare to find albums in this style with any kind of consistency. And Second Coming are no exception. They’ll mix a brilliant 7 piece instrumental with simplistic blues and pop music. Their arrangements were a little tighter than most, and they actually allowed their guitar player to go in frenzied Terry Kath mode, which is what kept the early Chicago albums interesting (and kept them rooted in the underground). Second Coming take this inconsistency even a bit further, and have brilliant moments within each track - along with the ordinary. For example, the staccato trumpet and drum corps bit on 'Requiem for a Rainy Day' is about as good as it gets. 'Landlubber' and the 11 minute progressive oriented 'Jeremiah Crane' also have much to recommend with some fiery guitar solos, and wonderful brass charts. But the boozy woozy numbers 'Take Me Home' and 'Roundhouse' are wretched in comparison, though the latter features a fine bluesy guitar solo at least. Tracks like "Requiem.." and 'It's Over' most certainly had major hit potential, but it wasn't meant to be I guess. A very talented band, that time has forgotten. Worth seeking out for fans of the style.

Priority: 3

Pulse ~ USA

Pulse. 1968 Poison Ring

Pulse are a heavy blues rock band from New Haven, Connecticut. I particularly enjoy the heavy tone coming from the guitar and the appropriate-for-the-genre gruff voice. There's quite a bit of harmonica to sit through, which is unfortunately one of my least favorite instruments. For the style, Pulse is a cut above the norm. Some of the tracks are lengthy and as such, they’ll throw in a creative idea or two with respect to composition and instrumentation. 

Priority: none

***Reissued on LP by Out-Sider 2023

12/14/13 (new entry)

Valhalla ~ USA

Valhalla. 1969 United Artists

UMR review

Priority: 2

12/13/13 (new entry)

Sapphire Thinkers, USA

Sapphire Thinkers - s/t. 1969 Hobbit.

More from the CD-R revisit project...

At its core, Sapphire Thinkers are a psych pop band. Sometimes complex, while elsewhere a naïve simplicity is brought forth. All the tracks save the close are between the 2 and 4 minute mark. Reference groups are Strawberry Alarm Clock, Crosby Stills & Nash, The Free Design, and Phluph. Very good album, though not exceptional, despite flashes of brilliance ('I Feel a Bit Strange', 'Not Another Night', and 'Doin' Alright' in particular) with some good fuzz guitar and flute. Boots exist on LP and CD.

Priority: 3

News: Steve Linnegar's Snakeshed to be reissued by Guerssen

Thanks to a note from Steve Linnegar's sister, Diane, we learned today that "Classic Epics" will be coming out on CD from Guerssen. Now of course Guerssen is more known to all of us for LP reissues (and we presume it will also come out in on vinyl as well), but they have done CD issues in the past. Definitely welcome news! Our feature for the album here.

Phluph ~ USA

Phluph. 1968 Verve

UMR review

Priority: 2

12/10/13 (new entry)

Steve Linnegar's Snakeshed ~ South Africa ***REISSUED***

Classic Epics. 1982 AD Records

***Reissued by Guerssen Jul 2014

UMR review

Priority: 3

2/2/10 (new entry); 12/10/13 (complete)

Velvert Turner Group, USA

Velvert Turner Group - s/t. 1972 Family

*** Reissued on LP in 2019 (ORG Music) ***

This is one of those albums that had two releases: a Soul and a Rock mix. Of interest to us is the latter of course. Velvert Turner is heavily, and I mean heavily, influenced by classic Jimi Hendrix, whom apparently he had a student/mentor relationship with. On this, his only album, Turner pretty much imitates the Hendrix vocal and composition style to perfection. Nice guitar work as well, but of course falls short of the master. A bit too much hero worship here for me to recommend further.

Priority: 3

Purple Image, USA

Purple Image - s/t. 1970 Map City

*** Reissued on LP in 2019 (Tidal Waves) ***

Purple Image's sole work is nominally a hard rock album with touches of Motown soul pop, which primarily surface via the harmony vocals, especially on 'We Got to Pull Together'. Some good psychedelic guitar and studio phasing are evenly spread throughout the LP. From the ghettos of Cleveland. In comparison to similar bands from that background, Purple Image are not as intense as Philadelphia's Del Jones' Positive Vibes nor Maggot Brain era Funkadelic (Detroit). All the same, a worthy listen.

Priority: 3

News: Wooden Hill reissues rare Charge demo album from the UK

Saw this one come over the wire today. This was one of many obscure Kissing Spell reissues that first popped up in the mid 1990s, which is why I never put it in the main list. According to the below, this is the first authorized version, and it appears to include significant bonus material. I wouldn't mind hearing this album again - it sort of blew by without notice nearly 20 years ago. Wooden Hill is an interesting label. They tend to come up with one intriguing reissue every year or two.

Label says: "Recorded in January 1973 as a demo-only pressing to hawk around the major record companies of the era, heavy rock trio Charge's frenzied, guitar-drenched album was counterfeited on both vinyl and CD in the 1990s, and consequently is now firmly established as one of the most legendary rarities to escape from the early Seventies British psychedelic/progressive underground scene. This first-ever authorised reissue adds a previously undocumented LP from twelve months earlier and tells the band's story for the first time. With re-mastered sound and a 12-page booklet with numerous hitherto-unpublished photos, this is the definitive issue of a definitive album!"

News: Bureau B reissues Gunter Schickert's "Kinder in Der Wildnis"!

Apparently this is the year of reissues for one Gunter Schickert! This was the last of his solo releases to not find its way onto CD prior (only on CD-R). Perhaps next will be the GAM "1976" cassette?

I just learned of this release today via the Wayside catalog updates (also reissued on vinyl). Strange I had not seen a single update regarding this, even though it's been out for close to two weeks now. I guess I'll need to start scanning the Bureau B website for updates!

Anyway, great news - and entirely unexpected!

Gunter Schickert ~ Germany ***REISSUED***

Samtvogel. 1974 private. Also 1975 Brain (green label)
Kinder in der Wildnis. 1983 YHR (cassette). 1987 Auracle (cassette and later CD-R).

***Samtvogel reissued by Important in 2013
***Kinder in der Wildnis reissued by Bureau B Nov 2013

UMR reviews

Priority: 1

8/7/09 (new entry); 12/4/13 (complete)

News: Strawberry Rain and Majemuk Records to reissue Abbhama from Indonesia

And speaking of albums I never got around to giving its own post, but have in the main list ("The Original CD Wish List"), here's one that I most assuredly would have eventually covered. And now I don't have to! Abbhama is an interesting album that mixes English Big 3 progressive rock with Asian pop music. I believe it was only issued as a cassette prior, similar to many Indonesian items from the 70s and 80s.

Here's the news announcement from Strawberry Rain: "One of the nice things about trading and collecting records is you meet people around the world.  One person I’ve dealt with for many years now, and developed a strong friendship with is AGUS from Jakarta, Indonesia.  Due to the amount of work we’ve both put in to the region, we’ve decided to combine forces to help bring the best products and licenses to both the World market, and Indonesian markets.  This will not only improve our overall output, but it will help the Indonesian market to get reissues in a more efficient manner.  Our first joint contract was finished today, and we’re proud to announce the upcoming release of the progressive rock “ABBHAMA BAND”, which we’ll release together on LP and CD for the first time ever!  This means both Strawberry Rain and Majemuk Records will be releasing “ABBHAMA BAND” on LP and CD in a joint venture, splitting the pressing across our regions respectfully.  I will also be supporting and helping to distribute all of Majemuk Records releases, and Majemuk will continue to support Strawberry Rain within the Indonesian region.  Look out for many projects from both labels, including Marcell Thee which is currently in production!"

John Bassman Group ~ Netherlands

Filthy Sky. 1970 A.S.P.

UMR review

Priority: none

***Reissued on LP in 2010 (Missing Vinyl)

11/27/13 (new entry)

News: Eloiteron's "Lost Paradise" to be reissued by Belle Antique

Well it's been a long time, if ever, that we received news on a Friday night for a new CD reissue. The always surprising Belle Antique (Marquee) of Japan have announced their intention to reissue Eloiteron's sole album on December 20th, in their usual mini-LP format. I couldn't find any supplemental reissue news around this - that is to say maybe something indigenous to Switzerland - but we know Belle Antique does things the right way, and achieves official rights upfront. Let's just hope they get a fine mastering on this like Old Man & the Sea and not like the tinny Aquarelle.

We featured Eloiteron years ago, and fortunately I own the original LP in case things go south.

As an aside, Panna Fredda's brilliant album will also be reissued in Japan for the first time by Belle Antique. I have both the original LP and the BTF CD, but might splurge for the extra Japanese copy here to see what they do with it.

And heck, while I'm at it, look for Abus Dangereux's debut and the Surya album to come out on Belle Antique as well.

Eloiteron ~ Switzerland ***REISSUED***

Lost Paradise. 1981 private

***Reissued by Belle Antique in 2013

Not a great reissue.

UMR review

Priority: 2

7/2/09 (new entry); 11/22/13 (complete)

News: Jimmy, Yoko & Shin to be reissued on Think

Here's one I was planning on featuring for a long time, and just never got around to doing it. And now I don't have to, thanks to a tip from Laser Ken! Disc Union's jazz based label Think will be reissuing this scarce album from the progressive keyboard trio of Jimmy, Yoko and Shin. Though it was originally on Three Blind Mice - a label that is becoming increasingly collectable amongst jazz collectors "in the know" - the music on "Sei Shonagon" falls squarely in the progressive rock camp. I was most reminded of the obscure archival release by Mahoujin, that we featured over on the UMR a long while back.

I'm buying!

News: Shroom Angel to issue archival album by Chameleon

Great to see fellow Texans' Shroom Angel getting back into the game. My home state was purportedly home to many progressive rock bands throughout the 70s, and yet so very few have surfaced. But Shroom certainly have done their part, as have others (Hands in particular, which was practically in my back yard growing up in NW Dallas, and yet I never knew of them!).

By description, Chameleon sound exactly like my kind of American band toiling away in the local clubs. Shroom says: "Previously unreleased vintage studio tracks spanning 1976 to 1978. Beginning in the early 1970s and continuing until 1980, this relatively unknown band from Houston managed to record a stunning collection of songs that are the musical expression of the word Chameleon. Twisting and turning, changing colors, leaping out of your speakers at times with unbridled ferocity- this band will hold your attention throughout the 70+ minutes contained on this disc. Musicians Spencer Clark (guitars, vocals), Mike Huey (drums), Craig Gysler (keys, vocals), and Rick Huey (bass) rounded out the mid-70s line-up with a key change being made later in 1978 with the addition of Marty Naul (Oz Knozz) on drums. The band's sound and style reflect the artists they listened to and loved yet at the same time they managed to craft their own unique tones. One may hear reflections of Peter Gabriel-era Genesis, Canterbury heavyweights Camel, King Crimson, Dixie Dregs, and Eloy in their music."

In addition to this title, Shroom also announced their intention to release an archival CD/LP from a Dallas rock band called Shotgun. Apparently they received area radio play on the legendary KZEW from 1976 to 1978. The summer of 1977 is when I first started tuning in attentively to "The Zoo", but I just can't remember Shotgun. But that was a looong time ago, and I was only 12 years old. It appears they were a straightforward rock band with female vocals, but the descriptions I've read aren't very telling. I may get it just because of the local connection.

Metaphysical Animation, USA

Metaphysical Animation - s/t. 1973 private.

Well, after much ado, here we are. You know, we all hear so many rarities... so many things that just don't live up to expectations, that it seems unreal something as sublime as Metaphysical Animation's sole album can actually even exist. We often see the term HOLY GRAIL used in ebay auctions. And yet, if it's available for auction, how can it be a Holy Grail? My definition of a Holy Grail is Metaphysical Animation. That is, something you're not likely to ever witness. We are talking about an album that has existed for exactly 40 years in the wilds of the record stores/flea markets/warehouses throughout the world, and it is just now being discovered for the first time. And did I actually discover it? No, I did not. But the AC did. No, he really did. As in, he invested over $150 of his own money on some demo LP listed on ebay that no one had heard of, nor ever spoke of. It wasn't listed with any key terms that we all look for. It was just a demo album thrown out there and by pure happenstance, the AC stumbled onto it. Right time, right place. Fortunately, three short samples were put up, which helped mitigate the risk somewhat, but not too many folks are going to blow a good amount of money on a few snippets of sound. So he was taking a big chance. But the payoff on this one is the equivalent of a Vegas multi-casino jackpot.

After meeting with 3 of the 4 band members, between them only one copy was saved for posterity. It has been, it appears, completely sold out at the source as they like to say in the marketplace.

Here's how the AC first introduced the album to me. And before I do that, you know him as well as I do now. He does NOT exaggerate, or foam at the mouth for the smallest of rarities. So when I saw this, I about fell off my chair: "Okay, here it is. By far the biggest discovery of my record collecting "career" (so to speak), and one that may go down as among the more significant finds in American prog history..... But, something like this really does make you wonder what could still be lurking out there, languishing undiscovered in some dusty warehouse, on the very brink of extinction..."

As it was so eloquently stated on the incredible TV show The Wire once: "Omar listenin'"

"Part 1: The band Metaphysical Animation was first formed in 1968 in Gainesville, Florida, and later ended up in the Miami area. Their sound and lineup evolved gradually over this time, eventually coalescing around the core of guitarist Alberto de Almar and keyboardist Bill Sabella. They gigged around the small clubs of the area regularly, and by 1972 were ready to record an album. By then the lineup consisted of de Almar and Sabella, along with drummer Robbie Hanson and bassist Steve Margolis (another bassist, Larry Jessup, also played with them around this time). The album was recorded that same year at a professional studio in the area, over the course of one or two sessions. They had a test pressing made of it, but were never able to secure a record deal and soon disbanded. The musicians went their own separate ways, with Alberto de Almar ending up in another local band named Faustus, who opened up for some of the larger rock acts that toured the area. By 1976 they too had called it quits, and I believe de Almar then left Florida to pursue more advanced musical education elsewhere. 

Part 2: The album: Less than 50 copies were pressed, housed in a plain white demo sleeve with the band name hand-written in pen on the cover. Now here's where we get to the most amazing part: It's a double LP set, clocking in at nearly 65 minutes in total! I'm not sure if I know of any other instance where an unreleased test press of an underground band like this was done as a double LP. Anyway it seems that they had a sort of uncompromising attitude and never really did try to market it too hard. After failing to be signed, they sold most of the few remaining copies at local gigs, which might account for why no other examples seem to have survived. A few comments on this album's actual discovery: The seller who ended up with this apparently dug it up in a warehouse find that may have been associated with the particular (long defunct) pressing plant where these LPs were actually made, which would explain how it managed to survive these 40 years at all. This lone copy was buried amongst a bunch of other test presses, all the rest of which were just various 45s of local radio jingles and other such ephemera. 

Part 3: The music I'll say right now that I think this album is fantastic, pretty much from start to finish, which is quite an accomplishment considering its unusual length. The basic style here could probably be summed up as classic 70s prog, with significant elements of fusion and psychedelic rock. But this band really had its own identifiable sound, which holds firm over the course of the entire sprawling opus, even though there's quite a bit of diversity displayed here as well. Being a bit more specific, the then-recent works of Yes and Mahavishnu Orchestra seem to be obvious building blocks for their style, as well as the more advanced forms of jamming psychedelic rock. Some of their early roots in blues-rock and jazz also peek through just a bit at times, as you might expect from an exploratory band of the era. Finally, Alberto's background as a Spanish guitar player can be heard informing some of the phrasing and rhythms on this album as well. What's really refreshing is that they seem to have come to this synthesis very naturally. As probably only an early 70s group could do, these guys were sort of making it up as they went along, using their influences as a starting point, rather than the be-all end-all. In that sense, they were following the same path of many of their own chronological peers over in continental Europe, especially in Italy and Germany. With all that in mind, let's talk about the individual instrumental performances a bit. First, there's de Almar. His guitar is phenomenal, and often loaded with cool effects, lending a very psychedelic tone. Along with the occasional hint at his Spanish guitar background, there's a sort of "Mclaughlin gone prog" feel to his playing. Then there's the rhythm section, which is very active and nimble, never allowing the music to get stuck in a rut, but also capable of locking into a steady, hypnotic pulse for the intense jamming that frequently breaks out overhead. Last but not least are the keyboards. Oh man... Anyone who's into vintage keys is just going to keel over when they hear this album. The most noticeable thing is Sabella's organ work, which is just over the top incredible. He's able to alternate between dark, spacey textures and extremely intense, choppy soloing like it's second nature to him. Then there's the mellotron. I'm only half kidding when I say that there must be more mellotron on this one album than the entire King Crimson back catalog put together. It seems to be going almost constantly in the background, and other little flourishes are added here and there to great effect. And of course there are plenty of classic synth lines as well. As for the vocals, here is where you'll see the strongest Yes influence. They're definitely Anderson-like, but not in that overly high-pitched and strained style that some Yes-influenced bands insisted on. The lyrics are also mostly in the Anderson mold, with lots of crazy made-up words and weird turns of phrase, spaced-out hippy dippy mysticism, etc. The vocals most definitely take a back seat to the instrumental work, but when they're there, they fit the mood perfectly. As for the sound quality, it's quite good, all things considered. Obviously a bit raw, but still better than many private prog albums that actually did see wide release. To use a relevant example, I'd say that this album actually has a much more pleasing, vital sound than the otherwise excellent Polyphony LP, which I've always thought suffers from a very dull, lifeless production job. 

I read all of that before actually hearing the album. He had submitted it during a particularly crazy busy period in my real life (that is, my paying job). So it took a couple of weeks for me to actually sit down and focus on a 65 minute album. And here was my initial reaction back to the AC, which I have no qualms sharing: "

Wow.

Wow.

This is an absolute jaw dropper. It's almost too good to be true. Normally I would be suspicious, except that it is so authentic in sound. So original, but totally a 1973 context is delivered. It could have only come from the USA in the early 1970s. All your observations are so spot on. I can only imagine how future listens will propel this to one of the all-time great progressive albums from the United States.

My early observations from a comparison standpoint: As you noted, I think Polyphony is about as close as anything. Polyphony itself is an anomaly, since we have so few examples of progressive rock in the US during the early 70s. That statement alone is almost mind blowing. How the US ended up missing on the entire progressive movement in the early 1970s would be a great doctoral study (not even one label like Silence, Brain, Ohr, Trident or any major stepped up). So in some ways, Polyphony was the only one that really got out there. The other album that MA could relate with is the-beyond-underrated Ram "Where in Conclusion" album. That album has the unfortunate street rock opening, but by the time of the side long suite, it features some of the intensity and creativity I hear on MA. And I'd also throw in the Baltimore group Id on "Where are We Going?" Not so much in the song craft (because there really isn't any with Id...), but in the overall guitar / mellotron aural backdrop. One aspect that links all these bands together is the awkward American vocal delivery, that was still prevalent well into the early 1980s.

And the Santana observation you made is astute, and dare I say I hear some Chango here? The organ/guitar rave-ups of Chango are unrivaled anywhere (with the exception of an occasional live Santana show), and yet I hear MA doing the same kind of thing. There are a couple of places where I catch an early Chicago Transit Authority vibe, especially in the vocal song portions. And I feel Chicago was a huge influence on American bands in the early 70s."

If you think the above is all made-up-fantasy, I've spoken with Bill Sabella myself when trying to line up a CD reissue. He informed me that de Almar "went nuts with all the effects and phasing", which he didn't personally enjoy, and he thought it ruined a perfectly good recording. I, of course, couldn't disagree more. But I love the honesty. Bill is a very level headed guy, who has done quite well for himself in "the real world" outside of music, and I found myself bonding with him on many levels beyond the album. As for Alberto de Almar, he is something of a local Miami legend. And you can read some reminiscing about him here. And listen to his current music here.

There's no doubt that the first person who hears this album will rush to chat boards and scream "It's OVERRATED!!!". Or worse it's "OVERHYPED!", as if I actually have something to gain from my personal enthusiasm. Yea, the CDRWL has been a financial boon like you have no idea. I can assure you, this is not my pension plan. To date, I've netted an entire $0 dollars for my endeavors. A lot of grief I get, but no money. And for the overrated crowd, which believe me is coming, do you really think the CDRWL is the barometer for what is worthy and what is not? So save the self-serving declarations please. Because if YOU had discovered this album, you'd be going nuts telling everyone about it. And that's exactly what I'm doing.

Both the AC and I worked behind the scenes for the last year for a CD reissue. The three band members we have spoken with have given tentative approval. The master tapes are long gone, as would be expected I suppose. The first - and only - label I contacted was very interested. We'll see if anything comes of that. If not, we'll go to the next label on the list.

Priority: 1 (ZERO really - this has to be heard by the masses)

And with this, the CDRWL plans on taking an extended break. It's tempting to call it a day right here. It's not likely to ever get better than this. But as long as I'm still buying LPs and CDs, we'll keep the flame on this blog going. I have received numerous other submissions, which I will most certainly entertain at a later date. And, as always, News items will be reported as announced. Look for new rarities in 2014!