News: Serge Bringolf Strave's "Vision" to be reissued soon!

A couple of years ago we first reported this album was to reissued along with Noa. The Noa did get released, but this one was tabled. Until now. Soleil Zeuhl will once again be behind this release, as well as a simultaneous release in Japan from Belle Antique in the mini-LP format. Look for a late July release date. Good news all around.

Catch Up ~ Germany ***REISSUED***

Catch Up - Catch Up 2: Birth of the Second Life. 1976 Calig

***Reissued by Production Dessinee in Jun 2012

UMR review

Priority: 2

6/8/11 (new entry); 6/15/12 (complete)

News: Garden of Delights to release live East of Eden show

I first reported on this title back on April 14th, but we now have a cover and more info, so I'm moving it forward to today.

Continuing with their "Essen" series, Garden of Delights, on their Thors Hammer sub-label, will release a 1970 concert from East of Eden. Like the May Blitz show from this series (which I still haven't heard), I would imagine East of Eden would be a very creative band in live form. For my money, "Mercator Projected" is one of the greatest albums of the 1960's. How's that for a bold statement? But I'm serious here. And 1970's "Snafu" is also fantastic. I'm most interested in how this will turn out.

Further notes on this release: "East of Eden from Bristol in England played elaborate progressive rock with saxophone, violin, and flute. Their only hit, “Jig-a-jig”, ist not typical for their music. The band can look back on a history of eleven long-players, not counted the many compilations. On Thursday, 22nd October 1970, the group performed in the Gruga hall at the third Essen Pop & Blues Festival. The event was recorded semi-professionally by the promoters. The recordings were mastered now in a first-class sound studio with great effort and care. The sound, however, is naturally not as good as that of the studio LPs. The 32-page booklet contains a long band history in German and English, a detailed discography, numerous cover repros as well as a personal retrospective report by Dave Arbus. A must for collectors. It is the first legitimate release of an East of Eden live recording and comes both as CD and as LP."

Gnosis Mike says: "Tom, I think I have a video from East of Eden in 1970 and it's definitely third album mode. I'm not sure how much they toured on Snafu or if they just rejiggered the line up, but there's very little early East of Eden in live form. Unfortunately cuz I'm with ya on the first two."

I should also point out for you vinyl collectors out there, that GoD will also release many of their CDs on LP (Vita Nova, Tyburn Tall, Sunbirds, Sub, Siddhartha, Lightshine, Gila-Bury My Heart). None of them caught my eye personally (you can read about my criteria for buying LP reissues here), but since vinyl is all the rage at the moment, I suspect many will rejoice. I probably would have gone for the Sunbirds, but I already own the original LP of that one. I'm still hoping they'll release the CD of Sunbirds' Zagara this year!

Mandragora, England

Mandragora - Somethink Missing. 1985 private (cassette).
Mandragora - Over the Moon. 1989 private.

Here's a band I've been sitting on for some time. As some of you will recall from last year, we featured many groups from the 1980s UK festival scene. Mandragora has always been one of my favorite acts from that scene, and now I have a chance to report on one of their two releases that are not on CD (courtesy of Midwest Mike). Starting with "Head First" (1991), Mandragora's albums were initially released on CD, and I own them all.

On "Over the Moon", Mandragora display their more song-oriented roots, with vocal-laden tracks and clear nods to hard rock, progressive rock and space rock. Plenty of good riffs (yea, metal heads, riffs) encased in synthesizer waves. What any self-respecting Hawkwind fan would want to hear. Mandragora would become far more diverse after this release, focusing more on their Ozric Tentacles inspired space rock sound.

I just bought a copy of the LP for myself at a decent price. There's a few out there for sale, if you are so inclined.

As of this writing, I have yet to hear the debut cassette.

Priority: 3

News: Catch Up's second and final album to be reissued!

Good news here as this is one of our Priority 2's! We featured this album last summer, so you can read my thoughts of the musical contents there.

This reissue is coming out in Japan via mini-LP, so it is likely to be expensive. The label is Production Dessinee, which I'm not familiar with, but they apparently have quite a few other releases - all outside our scope (or I think that's the case anyway).

Thanks to Laser Ken for the tip!

Schalk Rock, Germany

Schalk Rock - s/t. 1981 private.

And here's Part 5 and the conclusion of our recent German series. Whereas you may expect to see the cliche "last but not least" phrase, I'm afraid to say this is indeed last.

I had this one on a curiosity list for many years, with not even a hint in finding references to it.  Leave it to the AC to turn this one up on our behalf. He said that this would be a good choice to put up on the CDRWL to serve as a warning. Uh-oh, that's not a good sign. LOL. Of course, the AC was right as usual. It's not terrible or anything, but certainly out of scope for what we're doing here. Schalk Rock is not to be blamed, but rather those that seek to profit from it with dubious descriptions. Though I'm loathe to accuse anyone of ill intent, I'm afraid in this case, there's no other explanation.

Described once in a rare catalog (I won't name names to protect the guilty) as "Early Guru Guru with sax", it comes as no surprise that the entry was mostly hype. Schalk Rock is primarily a straight ahead rock group that employs both guitar, sax and harmonica. Some of the guitar leads feature some cool wah-wah and are definitely the highlights of the album, few as they are. Otherwise, a fairly ordinary German language rock release.

Priority: none

Blister Chap ~ Germany

Goin' In. 1977 Help (Brutkasten)
Sweet Lilian. 1980 Brutkasten

UMR review

Priority: 2

Zarathustra (1982) ~ Germany

Also Spielt... 1982 private

UMR review

Priority: 1

5/22/12 (new entry)

Romantic Warrior, Germany

Romantic Warrior - s/t. 1985 Frog

Here's Pt. 2 of our series. This one also courtesy of MM.

Romantic Warrior are no doubt named after the famous Return to Forever album, though this German band doesn't quite possess the vibrancy of Corea's classic bunch. There's the slick-as-a-butter-dish production, with slap bass, happy rhythm guitar and digital drums. However all is not a loss, as the lead guitar work has a slight bite to it, and there's even a little sitar to break up the monotony. If the term "1985 jazz fusion" doesn't have you fleeing for the exits, then definitely give this one a spin. Otherwise run. Run faraway.

Romantic Warrior went on to release two other albums. It appears their 1986 album "Himalya" is also without a CD issue. And 1988's "Planet" was issued as a CD originally.

Priority: none

Audite, Germany

Audite - s/t. 1983 private.

Today we start a new series of obscure early 80s German progressive and fusion albums. We have 5 to report on that have arrived via various sources recently. Today's post is courtesy of Midwest Mike and is probably the rarest and most sought after of the bunch.

Audite is a vocal heavy German language album, with a clear affinity for the classic 70s progressive rock sound. Sophisticated arrangements are apparent, and the electric guitar work in particular is exemplary. Synthesizers and even a little flute propel Audite to interesting status. No getting away from the canned early 80s production though. I was most reminded of Anabis' "Wer Will?" album though Anyone's Daughter "Piktors Verwandlungen" also sprang to mind. A good one for aficionados of the 80s German symphonic sound, though a bit of a slog for those looking for more dynamic instrumental input.

Priority: none

Roberto Picchi, Italy

Roberto Picchi - Raggi di Sole. 1977 Fonit-Cetra.

Midwest Mike just sent in a bunch of goodies to consider. Before I get to that stack, here is a surprising album that fell through the cracks.

Picchi's sole work is technically listed as a singer-songwriter album, but with most of the tracks exceeding 7 minutes, you can bet that instrumental progressive rock music is also being employed. Acoustic guitar, violin, piano, sax, flute and hand percussion lead the instrumental parade. Comparisons to the best of Claudio Rocchi, Mauro Pagani and Emilio Locurcio wouldn't be out of place. A late era Fonit-Cetra release, and comes at the tail end of the original Italian progressive rock movement. One of the very few Italian progressive rock albums still not on CD. Features a wonderful gatefold cover. A natural choice for BTF.

Priority: 3

News: World in Sound releases archival Cosmic Dealer album

Here's a surprise announcement. The German label World in Sound can always be counted on to turn up some cool rarities and archival releases, and this certainly looks intriguing! I'll be the first to admit that the 1971 Cosmic Dealer album left me wanting, but I'm most curious how this one will turn out.

World in Sound states: "This is the second previously unreleased album by the Dutch psychedelic hard rock band Cosmic Dealer. Their first album "Crystallization" from 1971 is an outstanding and rare masterpiece for all psych collectors and for sure one of the best Euro-Underground rock albums of the 70s. In 1971 the band was shortly disband but found together in 1973 with a few line-up changes but kept the same musical intention: heavy psychedelic, progressive and guitar driven hard rock, with catchy song writing, a few US-Westcoast flashes but also extended instrumental jam excursions. This album contains 6 songs which were recorded in 1973, plus 3 demos from 1971 and as bonustracks there are 4 live cuts also from 1971 including the title track from their debut Crystallization. The CD with a total running time of 68 mins contains a 12 p. booklet with lots of photos and linernotes and is carefully re-mastered to catch the real spirit of the beautiful and intense music. Definitely a must-have piece for all 60s psych freaks!"

News: Wounded Bird releases second Eleventh House album!

Following on the announcement of Lighthouse, I think most of you will be even more excited that the second Eleventh House album is finally coming out on CD. This album has alluded the digital treatment so far, whereas the first album has been released at least twice.

Review added to UMR

Label advertises: "Larry Coryell is best known as one of the original jazz-fusion guitarists of the 1970s. He is still making excellent albums to this day. He has issued solo albums, along with collaborations with John McLaughlin and other fusion-jazz luminaries. He also headed up the highly praised fusion group The Eleventh House. This group featured drummer Alphonse Mouzon and keyboardist Mike Mandel. One of the most requested fusion albums for CD reissue has been Level One. This album is now making its worldwide CD debut!" 

Again we call on Dusty Groove to give their imitable review: "A really heavily-jamming album from Larry Coryell's Eleventh House group – certainly to be expected, given that the lineup includes John Lee on bass, Mike Mandel on keyboards, and Alphonse Mouzon on drums! The sound has plenty of rock-fusion touches – and Coryell's guitar is searing, but a bit more mainstream than before – certainly not slick, but just jamming like a range of other similar players from the same time. Titles include "Nyctaphobia", "That's The Joint", "Struttin With Sunshine", "The Other Side", and "Some Greasy Stuff"."

News: Wounded Bird releases first Lighthouse album

And today we have three more interesting CD announcements that warrant mention.

Wounded Bird is always a label worth watching. Even though their releases tend to be old school early 90's styled bare bones jewel cases (like One Way from the days of yore), they are at least legit and usually straight from the master tapes.

About two years ago we announced that the first 3 Lighthouse albums were coming out on a label called Bandiera. I never saw anything further on that. Not sure if they didn't get issued, or if the label wasn't legit. No matter now, as this release is for certain worth tracking down.

The label says: "Lighthouse was a rock group from Toronto, Canada that issued a number of fine albums in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The group was headed up by drummer Skip Prokop. Their music was in the style of the horn bands of that era. Their most popular album was their self-titled very first album, Lighthouse, which was issued on RCA Records in 1969. Our CD reissue features two bonus tracks." 

Dusty Groove adds: "The first record by Lighthouse – a strange band that's always incredibly hard to peg, but who have a sound that we always end up liking a lot! The group mix together folk rock styles with a touch of soul and funk – going for some nice grooves that build up from lots of drum work and airy vocal production, touched here by lots of horns, in a style that's a bit like Blood Sweat & Tears, but a lot lot cooler! This first album is something of a landmark in the jazz/rock vein – and titles include "Never Say Goodbye", "Follow The Stars", "Mountain Man", "Whatever Forever", "Marsha, Marsha", and a great cover of "Eight Miles High". This CD version from Wounded Bird has 2 bonus tracks: "If There Was A Time (Single Version)" and "Eight Miles High (Single Version)".

News: Rocket to reissue Farout "Further Out"

The always interesting Rocket Records of Finland has a new reissue that is relevant to CDRWL fans. Rocket is a Finnish-only specialist label, and progressive rock is but one of many styles they reissue. They probably reissue 20 to 25 albums a year, in a variety of different indigenous musical forms. So it's always fun when they cover off on some of the classic Finnish progressive rock scene. I keep hoping they'll take on Nimbus and Sepi Kuu one day!

I haven't heard this Farout album, though it's on the same label (Kompass) as Scapa Flow, that  Rocket incidentally reissued a couple of years back.

There's one review on RYM from Tiliar where he states: "It's a Finnish Jazz-Rock band but their sound is a bit different from the other Finnish Jazz-Rock bands which we maybe know them. this album is completely instrumental and full of Moog and Hammond playing with a hint of progressive nuances. although I'm not the great fan of Jazz-Rock but it's really great and pleasant."

Sounds good to me!

News: Lion releases archival Rotomagus from France

This weekend I did a quick scan of our favorite labels and came up with a couple of news items.

This one caught my eye from Lion Productions, a label who is quickly becoming a favorite (not to mention that they will release 2 Laurence Vanay albums and Probe 10 within the next couple of years!).

Rotomagus looks to be a bit out of scope, but anytime I see the words "Chico Magnetic Band", I must take a closer look. Even if in this case the reference is peripheral.

CD is available as of last week. LP is due in June.

Label says: "ROTOMAGUS "The Sky Turns Red: Complete Anthology" There’s no way to know why CBS Records unceremoniously dumped Rotomagus and the Chico Magnetic Band after one single apiece; suffice to say that decision was a poor one, as both bands have (quite rightly) developed a cult-like following over the years. All in all, the artistic trajectory of Rotomagus was peculiar: they started out as a harmony pop-psych band, shifted through a brief Jimi Hendrix-ian interlude (‘The Sky Turns Red’), straight into a Vanilla Fudge groove; they then went down in flames as a hair-raising monolithic heavy rock power trio. On Julian Cope’s excellent Head Heritage web-site, the Seth Man raves about Rotomagus thus: "The first time I heard this track (‘Fighting Cock’), I did not freak out. I merely walked into a nearby closet and screamed my head off for a minute solid, beat the floor and ripped my t-shirt... then I cowered when it hit me: this thing came out in 1971? Before "Raw Power"?! I just lost my mind... The only thing that predates this monster in terms of being a full-on amassing of all things heavy are all the many key points on Sir Lord Baltimore’s "Kingdom Come" LP and THAT’S it, brother." French magazine Rock & Folk was succinct: "Rotomagus create an emotional music, violent, even aggressive." Violent. Aggressive. Intense. On this disc we bring you the entire output of Rotomagus, including an album-length demo from 1971, the band’s tumultuous, thunderous swansong, recorded as a super jam (live with no overdubs). Our Lion Productions and Martyrs of Pop edition of Rotomagus comes replete with a bi-lingual 32-page booklet, with the entirety of the Seth Man’s article on the band, plus the band’s history in both English and French, printed on FSC recycled, chlorine-free, 100% post-consumer fiber paper, manufactured using biogas energy. Hard to believe this is all pre-1971, as much of the demo is not just proto punk but proto hardcore—with enough fiery attitude to make you want to scream along. The vocals are wild, while the guitar riffs and grinds and approaches a Stooges via Motorhead apocalyptic grandeur. Amazing! 

CD Track List: the unreleased demo (39:41): 1. Laureline; 2. Little Green Man; 3. Fighting Cock; 4. The Sky Turns Red; 5. Runnin’ For Life; 6. I Dig Life; 7. Shout Now; 8. Hello the Binaries; 9. The Flufluting Flatmul. the singles: 10. Le Haut du Pavé (2:48) (Polydor 66 664-A); 11. Nevada (2:40) (Polydor 66 664-B); 12. Eros (2:20) (CBS FR-4997-A); 13. Madame Wanda (3:26) (CBS FR-4997-B); 14. Fighting Cock (3:34) (Butterfly BS 007-A); 15. The Sky Turns Red (2:57) (Butterfly BS 007-B); 16. Laureline (2:22); 17. Porquoi les Hommes (2:29) 

CD edition catalogue number: LION 660 UPC: 778578066024 (CD) 2xLP edition catalogue number: LION LP-121 UPC: 778578312114 (2xLP)"

Jean-Pierre Graziani, France

Jean-Pierre Graziani - A Dumane. 1979 Disques Vendémiaire.

As mentioned a couple of days ago, I have quite a few new items for the CDRWL that I need to report on. So I'll put away the archives for awhile. This one comes courtesy of SF, one of the CDRWL's folk and electronic specialists.

Graziani sole work offers an interesting electronic oriented album with New Wave / Synth-Pop structure, piano, guitar, and male/female narration and semi-singing. Probably telling a story of some sort, but spoken all in French, it's mostly lost on me. References include Christian Boule, Hydravion, Kennlisch, La Saga de Ragnar Lodbrock, and the second album by Images. Great album cover art. Label is owned by Graziani, who managed to sign a few other artists that I'm completely unfamiliar with.

Priority: none

Claude Leveillee ~ Canada

Black Sun. 1978 Polydor
Contact. 1972 Barclay

UMR review

5/9/12 update: Thanks to SF, I also had a chance to hear his 1972 Contact album. This album contains majestic orchestral instrumental music with a few rock elements. Predates what Vangelis would ultimately accomplish in the soundtrack market. A bit out of scope for our list, but worth mentioning.

Priority: 3

1/13/10 (new entry); 5/9/12

Renia, England

Renia - First Offenders. 1973 Transatlantic.

This one is a bit out scope but given the time, place, label and collectability, it at least deserves mention. Like the last few featured items, this is from the CDRWL archives (I hope to have some new discoveries for you all soon! Still working through some stacks of CDs and LPs).

In aggregate, Renia's sole output is a pretty dull UK early 70s rock album. There is some nice organ runs to keep it from being a total yawner, but ultimately this is the kind of album that make Fantasy's "Paint a Picture" seem like speed metal by comparison. Comparisons to Humble Pie wouldn't be out of place, minus the versatility of said group. Only track to put it in high gear is called 'Slow Down' ironically enough.

Priority: none

Hammer ~ USA

Hammer. 1970 San Francisco

UMR review

Priority: 2

5/8/12 (new entry)

Jean-Claude Gaupin, France

Jean-Claude Gaupin - Anatheme. 1984 private.

Here's another one from the archives. This was sent to me by Midwest Mike a few years ago. Now that we have more of a fusion base in our audience, I'll report on some of these to a larger audience.

Jean-Claude Gaupin's debut album is a fairly typical early 1980s era light, sunny and breezy funk fusion work. The great exception being the edgy guitar work from Xavier Piton, his one and only venture into recorded music (that I could find anyway). Other than that, it's the usual sax, Caribbean drums and warm / funky bass that push these harmless cruise ship style instrumental tunes along. Gaupin has at least two other albums, his last from 2006.

Priority: none

Taurus, Switzerland

Taurus - Swiss Rock History Vol. 3. 1996 Blue Moon. Recordings from 1973.

I have lots of albums here to still report on, but due to some extreme time constraints in March and April, it will take me some time to get to them.

In the meantime let's get back to the archives - these are albums that are in the Original CDRWL, but I just haven't featured them separately yet. Most of these are of marginal interest (for me anyway), but given their rarity, I figure some of you will be interested in reading about them. We last left off with Fragua from this series, and we'll now pick back up with Taurus from Switzerland.

This is the 3rd and I believe last entry in the Swiss Rock History series which also includes albums by Lear (excellent proto progressive album and we've featured it already as a Priority want) and Exit (decent rock record and has already been reissued on CD). Taurus' sole work is clearly not ready for prime-time, and could best be described as raw demos. The songs themselves are early sketches of what was to be a full painting. Had they completed what was started here, Taurus' album would have most assuredly gone down as a masterpiece. They clearly had a lot of great ideas, along with some stellar vintage sounds (organ, guitar, etc...). So definitely worth releasing as an archival document for the curious. Perhaps the band could reunite and finish what they started?

Priority: none

Sky High, Canada

Sky High - s/t. 1979 Eagle Creek.

Here's an album that has been getting some buzz lately within the collector community, and the ebay prices have soared because of it. I received info from both The AC and Midwest Mike roughly at the same time, and both unequivocally panned it. Of course, the first two tracks are pure late 70's mirror ball disco numbers, certainly not the sounds one wants to hear when shelling out hundreds of $.

This copy comes courtesy of The AC (saving MM the trouble of having to painfully endure it one more time). After track 2, I found the music to be relatively pleasant, not too far removed from the French band Cortex. Though by no means does it exude the exoticism of their first couple of records.

The AC says: "Here we go again... Another one of those "Jekyll and Hyde" LPs that couldn't quite decide whether it wanted to aim for the charts or pursue something musically interesting. The first side is absolute dreck, a nauseous brew of cheese-tacular disco, whiter-than-white funk rock and trite AOR/pop tracks that will have you clawing your ears out. There's one sort of proggy AOR piece towards the end that's okay, but the rest is just unspeakably bad. Then we hit side two, and it's almost like an entirely different album. A frenetic instrumental fusion track leads things off, complete with some scorching lead guitar. Unfortunately, there's one more bit of pain to endure, in the form of a hilariously bad lounge-funk number, but after that they finally turn the corner for good. The remainder consists of a couple tracks of pleasant spacey fusion with female vocals, followed by another excellent instrumental jazz-rock workout. So, we end up with about an even split in the good-to-crap ratio here. The group were from Regina, Saskatchewan (where the albums was also recorded), but the label was based out of Vancouver. To be honest, this album is a very marginal entry for this list, but I think it's worth highlighting due to the fact that it's just recently emerged onto the collector scene and is already garnering some very high prices. Recommended only to obsessive genre completists (like myself), the rest should pass."

And there you have it. Yet another album that has become part of the collector hype machine. An unfortunate consequence to the hobby itself.

Priority: none

Counterpoint, USA

Counterpoint - s/t. 1982 private.

And this is the final album to report on from my last visit with Jeff. For the purposes of this site, Counterpoint would have to be considered a lesser album, but that's due to its more overt commercial nature. I suspect Counterpoint, like many bands coming of age in the late 70s and early 80s, were progressive rock enthusiasts who understood that the only way to any kind of success would require a pointed attempt at FM radio rock hits. All the usual suspects can be heard in Counterpoint's music such as Kansas, Styx, Saga (Canada), Journey, early 80's Santana, etc... There is some mighty fine organ, synth, and guitar work here, so not one to entirely overlook.

You can hear most of this album on their MySpace page.

And a full history is also provided on MySpace by the band.

There was quite a scene in Oklahoma during this period. In addition to Counterpoint, you had Cosmic Debris, Ojas, Astre and Totty to name but a few.

Priority: none

3PM ~ USA

3PM - Better Late Than Never. 1981 Ostinato

UMR review

Priority: 3

The Fents ~ USA

The Fents. 1979 private (EP)
First Offense. 1983 Not Yachting

UMR review

The first EP contains four songs, and a decidedly rougher edge - more akin to the progressive rock meets fusion bands of the late 70s. A CD that contains both of these albums would be ideal. 

The Fents finished their career with The Other Side (1987), which was pressed on CD at the time of release.

Priority: 2

Children of One, USA

Children of One - s/t. 1970 Real.

A real oversight here on my part. I just recently picked up the original LP from a good friend that some of you may remember as Mystery Poster. And as I went to update my description, I discovered it wasn't here! It's only in the main list. So with much delay, here is its debut in the CDRWL.

Children of One is not really a rock album, but as psychedelic as any album I’ve come across. Meditative, Eastern influenced acoustic jazz with flute, female voice, sitar, hand percussion, cello, piano and other instruments. Otherworldly and deeply peaceful. Has THAT vibe that reeks of the real underground, a certain something that is found more frequently in the Krautrock genre (the atmosphere of Dom’s “Edge of Time” comes to mind in parts, though musically quite different). Also hear some of Algarnas Tradgard's classic 1972 album minus the psychedelic rock jams. Children of One were from one of the many hippie communes that existed in upstate New York during that time. A wonderful album.

Worth noting that in the dead wax, a date is listed as 1-2-70, which would seem to refute the more popular assertion of 1969. Also, the original vinyl is not a good pressing as my copy is visibly mint, but still very noisy (we'll try to give it one more clean just in case...)

There is a CD on Akarma, but like many of their obscure USA based releases, it looks of dubious origin, with no details surrounding the original LP.

Priority: 2

Micah ~ USA ***REISSUED***

I'm Only One Man. 1971 Sterling Award

***Reissued by Shadoks 2013

UMR review

Priority: 1

8/22/09 (new entry); 4/17/12 (complete)

News: Micah "I'm Only One Man" to be reissued this summer!!

Thanks to a tip from Gnosis Mike (to distinguish from Midwest Mike...), we learned that Shadoks of Germany will be reissuing this most magnificent progressive hard rock album.

Only a couple of years ago, the band was completely shrouded in mystery. Now they have a Facebook page with a complete history. The page is filled with photos, band comments, etc... Hopefully most of these will find their way into the reissue.

And even more great info published here on April 25th (thanks to ProgCzar for the heads up!)

We should expect a reissue this summer. My guess is Shadoks, as is their custom, will lead with the LP and follow with a CD later, but hopefully they'll do both at the same time.

Check out the awesome promo video. For me, Micah's music is the definition of BAD ASS. They exude early 70's coolness.

Here's our original feature of the album. Another Priority 2 (borderline 1) to scratch off the list! Great news all around.

News: Catherine Ribeiro & Alpes - No. 2 to be reissued (sort of)

I say "sort of" because like the Sensations Fix albums recently, you have to buy it as part of a box set.

Looks like Mercury Records will release a CD box set of the first 4 Catherine Ribeiro & Alpes albums. It's priced at 15 Euros, so if you missed out on the Mantra (also licensed to Si-Wan) issues many years ago, this would seem to be a must pick up at a very cheap price.

http://www.amazon.fr/4-Albums-Originaux-Ribeiro-Catherine/dp/B007FHLTOW

While this is certainly going to be received as good news for many, it is completely frustrating for those of us who already have those Mantra / Si-Wan albums. Why?

Because they didn't start the series with the Catherine Ribeiro + 2 Bis album (1969), but rather the Catherine Ribeiro + Alpes - No. 2 album (1970) (which was the first Alpes album. Staying with me here?). And of course the + 2 Bis and the No. 2 album are the only ones not on CD up until this point.

So to obtain No. 2 on CD (which IMO is the best of the Ribeiro albums) - we'll have to repurchase the other 3 again. The price point is such that it's not that big a deal, but it's a shame they didn't at least put the + 2 Bis album in there as well.

Here is our Ribeiro entry

News: Arabiand Rock, a new archival label from Spain

Well, not actually new, as they launched their first title in 2010. But thanks to a tip from the AC, maybe we can shine a brighter light on this obscure initiative. Arabiand Rock seems like the kind of label I love to follow. Their focus is on the the scene commonly known as Rock Andaluz. That is, bands like Medina Azahara, Mezquita, Iman Califato Independiente, Cai, Formas, etc... I love that scene (as does the AC), and so it's exciting to know there may be plenty of studio tapes out there of unreleased bands.

To date, they've reissued CDs by Khorus, Expresion and Mantra. You can read (in Spanish) more from the label as well as hear samples of the latter two. Expresion sounds like a more raw hard rock band whereas Mantra has the classic progressive sound of the region. Khorus has taken on more of an English progressive sound ala Camel. No samples for Khorus on the label website, but the AC has provided the following link from Soundcloud. Their website is chock full of obscure and known bands from the region, so it seems there may be a new well to draw excitement from. We'll see.

News: Aztec Music goes belly-up

This is the first bit of bad news I've had to report in awhile: Aztec Music of Australia has had to call it a day (credit goes to Chris for first alerting me). That's really a shame, as they were by far the best ever CD reissue label from downunda. There's still so much great music to be reissued from there. They were currently working on 2 CD Reissue Wishlisters with Jackie Orszaczky and Steven Maxwell von Braund. They also never got around to the second Dragon (New Zealand) or second Mackenzie Theory albums. And years ago they announced the Pirana albums, but eventually removed them from consideration. It's not an easy business to be pressing CDs, especially in this digital age. All the more reason to continue supporting those that keep up the good fight.

Speaking of which, I'm going to be pretty much out of pocket all of April. I have a pretty wicked convention show/ training schedule for the entire month. Work has really picked up, which is ultimately good news even though it has a negative impact on my hobbies. Maybe when (if?) I ever retire I'll be able to focus more. That's many years away I'm afraid to say....

I'll try to keep up with news items though.

Fragua, Spain

Fragua - s/t. 1979 Hispavox.

Another one from the archives. In the early 90s, I did a deep dive on Spanish progressive rock albums. The LPs were reasonably priced, and many were just coming out on CD for the first time. Fragua never made it to CD, but the LP could be had cheap back then. I traded it years ago. I got a chance to hear Fragua's sole album again a few years back, and the below represents that listen.

There was an exciting movement from the mid to late 1970s in Spain that mixed both rock and flamenco music. Especially popular in the southern reaches of the country, the style became known as Rock Andalucia. Some of the bands, such as Mezquita and the early works of Triana and Medina Azahara added progressive and heavy rock elements for an exciting recipe. Fragua, on the other hand, were more typical of the popular music side of the movement. In effect, with Fragua you'll hear traditional flamenco music combined with Spanish pop. There are, though, a couple of truly excellent challenging cuts to absorb. A good album, though not one of the better ones for the style.

Priority: none

News: Lion to reissue Probe 10!!!!!

Lion Productions has officially announced their intention to reissue the fantastic 1975 album from Probe 10, including some bonus tracks! Label owner Vincent tells us to be patient though, and it probably won't be released until 2013 or so. Fine with me - I'd much rather it be a first class production than a rush job.

This is HUGE news for the CDRWL (and we played a small role in the events as well).

You can read my fanboyish ramblings of the album here.

Uludag ~ Germany

Mau Mau. 1988 Review

UMR review

Priority: none

Elastic Rock Band, Germany

Elastic Rock Band - Faruk's Traum. 1980 Schneeball II.

Over at Prog Not Frog, they're featuring a series of albums that we've reported on here at the CDRWL. We've had some fun with that, and I look forward to more reviews from Tristan Stefan.

To turn the tables a bit, here's one that they've featured, but I only had in the main list. And since I'm perpetually behind, I thought it would be a good one to pull from the archives.

As mentioned in the JAS thread, I had bought a variety of albums sound-unheard on ebay during a period from 1999-2006. This was one of the last ones I picked up. It's a decent record for certain, but I did decide to sell it back in an auction about a year ago.

My brief, nonchalant review stated simply "Light and breezy Kraut fusion, with some good guitar leads. Not one to completely overlook, but hardly essential." Even after listening one last time, to see if I really wanted to sell it, my opinion remained unchanged. And off it went.

The review from Tristan Stefan at Prog Not Frog is much more enthusiastic: "Though it's described as average by many in the community even an average from this period is pretty good music. And this is almost to the level of the incomparable Missus Beastly (in my opinion!). To me standouts are Glolock's Dance with its definite National Health chord changes and Hopperesque bass soloing, the ensuing title track with its very Chick Corea keyboard patterns moving to acoustic piano then again electrified, and the first 2 tracks on the second side. Notice in particular how well composed these progressions and patterns are as compared to the average fusion record.

On "Point of View" we have that heavenly breeze of space-synth sound performing arabesques above a guitar melody. Suddenly a minor chord appears, out of the blue as if a shadow. "Fur Carlos" uses the same keyboard as Carol Ann from Soft machine 7 (or is it 6), the almost pure tonal bliss of outgoing spacecrafts to Plato's world of perfection and ideal forms, for me. An interesting part of this track is the riveting chords being rapidly and gently strummed on electric guitar behind the melody. (That fast beat under slow melody combo has been overused to death in TV soundtracks to convey an aura of mysterious suspense.) Later the track moves into traditional and overdone jazz rock territory. At least the first minute of this one is worth listening to!

Hope you can enjoy this lost lost classic of the genre."

For the CDRWL, Missus Beastly (1974-) is sacred ground, and I unfortunately didn't appreciate this album at that level. But I'd rather folks see the positive side of things - and it's nice to see this well-written review offering a different perspective than mine.

Of interest to collectors, as far as I know Faruk's Traum is the only album on the Schneeball "II" label. To me, it sounds like many of the artists on the main label, so not sure why there was another designation for the label.

Priority: none

Staff ~ Denmark

Staff - Primerose. 1984 Danish Music Production

UMR review

Priority: 3

The AC's original notes: "Following on from the recent Matao entry, here's a directly related obscurity that I was quite pleased to come across. After Matao broke up, Engin himself went in a more decidedly jazzy direction (akin to Okay Temiz) with his Atilla Engin Group and the big-band Tyrkis. However, it seems that Matao's guitarist Svend Staal Larsen was still keen on pursuing the middle-eastern tinged progressive jazz-rock style they had already established, so he formed another band called Anatolia. Unfortunately, they don't seem to have actually recorded anything, but shortly after this he founded yet another group, Staff, who did manage to produce this one LP before disappearing themselves. And as indicated, this album is indeed something of a direct lineal descendant of Matao, being instrumental jazz-rock/fusion of a very high standard, still with the occasional middle-eastern influences and a slight progressive touch. Of course, this being a product of 1984 (right at the tail-end of the classic jazz-rock movement, even in the European underground), you will have to grit your teeth through the distinctly 80s production values, but if you can deal with that, it's all smooth sailing. Similar to Matao, this is a very focused and consistent effort, around 45 minutes of solid instrumental jazz-rock, with no real dips in quality or experiments gone awry, and at times Larsen really lets it rip with some fiery soloing, just like in Matao. And then Engin himself even joins in on the last track for a nice piece of moody ethnic fusion. Considering the time period, it would probably have been impossible for them to live up to the lofty standards of the original, but this is really a pretty satisfying listen in its own right, and definitely worth a shot for fusion fanatics."

Ways ~ France

Planètes. 1986 private

UMR review

Priority: 3

3/10/12 (new entry)

Francis Moze, France

Francis Moze - Naissance. 1982 Harps.

Following on from the Major Surgery post (4 days later, but such is my life), we have another fine record submitted by The AC - this time in the fusion category. Francis Moze is one of many ex-Magma alumni to have pursued a short career in the fusion field. Perhaps the most overt of these attempts was the collaboration of Lockwood, Top, Vander & Widemann, and their 1981 album so subtlety entitled "Fusion". It's not overly surprising, given that Magma were at heart a jazz group right from the beginning. However by the time of "Mekanik Destruktiw Kommandoh", the band had become so creative, it spawned an entire music movement that still survives today: Zeuhl.

Moze was a veteran of the early Magma lineups, and later turned up on a couple of the more fusion oriented Gong ensembles. Thus his one sole album flew under the radar, unlike his bass playing brethren such as Paganotti and Top.

The AC says: "Obscure fusion album by this former Magma bassist. At first glance, this would seem to be quite typical of other such early 80s French efforts from the likes of Francis Lockwood, Raymond Winter, etc. That is, light and glossy jazz fusion with not too much in the way of depth. That's not too far from the truth, but as the album goes on it reveals itself to be above average for this style, with some fairly engaging instrumental compositions and a pleasant overall atmosphere. Worth a look for genre fans."

And that's exactly right, the album really gains momentum as it goes. Personally I'm a big fan of the McCoy Tyner styled staccato piano, and Moze's band utilizes this technique to great effect, propelling the music forward at an exciting rate. I'm rather certain our fusion readers will want to hear this one. Very nice record from perhaps a surprising source.

Priority: 3

Le Match, Canada

Le Match - Légendes. 1975 SonoGram. Later pressed by Trans-Canada.

Sometime back in the late 1980s, I met a gentleman from Tokyo at a local record convention here in DFW (he was here on business). We struck up an immediate friendship, and he was kind enough to send me on occasion a progressive rock specialist magazine called Marquee (named for the record store that is still going, and is behind the excellent Belle Antique CD label). I still have all the mags he sent to me (Kaz, you still out there? Get in touch!). Each issue would focus on a particular country and expose a variety of excellent albums, many of them very obscure (especially back then). Issue 32 (dated 1989) was all about Canada.

It was through this magazine that I first heard of Le Match. From my perspective, all I could determine and see was the album cover, year, label and track titles. Everything else is in Kanji. That's right kids. Back in the old days, sometimes purchases were determined by covers, track titles and foreign languages. What a difference 25 years makes eh?

Naturally I asked my friend to help me interpret. He hadn't heard most of the albums, but gave me an idea of the descriptions. The review of Le Match was lukewarm, so I never pursued it. Years and years of seeing it catalogs, I continued to move past Le Match. And the descriptions didn't persuade me either.

Enter SF. He asks where's the Le Match entry. "Ya know, man, I just never bothered with it. You think it's good?". "Yea - see for yourself!" And voila, I had a copy to sample.

As soon as I heard it, I instantly knew the type of music. And it's a style I'm very fond of, and have spoken about it at length here on the CDRWL. That unique genre of music that mixes a commercial AOR sound, but with a distinct Gentle Giant complexity. It's short form progressive rock. The sound that represents the progressive rock landscape of the 1970s American Midwest (and Ontario by extension). The only difference here is Le Match sing in French, which makes sense since they're from Quebec. In that way, I'm reminded of that most excellent band Et Cetera, though Le Match are definitely more geared towards the commercial aspect of the sound, rather than the overtly progressive Et Cetera. So Le Match are a bit of an anomaly for the Quebec scene, and "Légendes" is miles away from the Harmonium / Connivence / Contraction / Maneige sounds that we know and love from the region. "Légendes" is vocal heavy, but features some wonderful violin, synthesizers, flute and guitar, and the compositions are thought out with plenty of complexity to keep most progressive rock fans happy. There's a folksy undercurrent here, but I wouldn't label this folk rock myself (another way of saying, I wouldn't put them in the Barde camp either).

I bought an LP immediately (it's not expensive). For myself, I did insist on buying the original on SonoGram which comes in a gatefold, whereas the second press is a single sleeve.

A current ebay auction has the following description which I concur with: "Overlooked and underrated album by this band made of ex-Nouvelle Frontiere members. This fuses the intensity of Italian prog with lashes of violin and flute to folk rock ala Gryphon, and I also hear a Gentle Giant influence here (GG was HUGE here in the seventies)."

I think this would be a great fit for the ProgQuebec label.

Priority: 3