News: Klockwerk Orange album reissued!

Well.... this news did not come from any of my usual sources. Just an anonymous comment on my CDRWL album entry. No links, no nuthin. Just a label I hadn't heard of before (Digatone). Many times I get notices for pirate issues that I just ignore and delete - but not this time! A little research shows we have the real deal here folks! This is exciting stuff... Dealers, start stocking up!

Here's the Facebook page where you can validate the story. Here's the official blurb: "

Klockwerk Orange
Abrakadabra
1975/2013 Reissue als 2xLP Album + CD
Digatone Records – DIG 001
Vertrieb: Trost
Veröffentlichung: 17. Mai 2013
Kontakt und weitere Infos dazu:
Albi Dornauer: fb: https://www.facebook.com/albi.albi.albi?fref=ts
mail: digatone@gmail.com

Eine der außergewöhnlichsten österreichischen LPs der 1970er Jahre mit dem wundersamen Titel “Abrakadabra” stammt von einer obskuren Teenagerband aus dem Tiroler Alpenland: Klockwerk Orange. Als das Album 1975 erscheint, sind die medialen Reaktionen verhalten, 38 Jahre später hat sich die Platte zu einer weltweit gesuchten und ultra-kostspieligen Monster-Rarität des Psychedelic Rock gemausert. Internetforen von Südkorea bis Chile, von Kanada bis Thailand diskutieren über das irgendwo zwischen Symphonic Progressive Rock à la Pink Floyd und Emerson, Lake & Palmer und epischen Klassikelementen à la Bruckner angesiedelte Werk der Band Klockwerk Orange. Der Sammlerwert kratzt an der Tausend Euro Marke, nun wird das längst vergriffene Album vom Innsbrucker Label Digatone wiederveröffentlicht. Als besonderer Bonus enthält das Reissue auch noch drei unveröffentlichte Nummern plus zwei Live Versionen, aufgenommen bei einem Konzert im Innsbrucker Stadtsaal 1975. Die Neuauflage in Doppel-Vinyl-Form plus enthaltener CD ergänzt damit das ursprüngliche Werk um verschollene Aufnahmen der Band und gibt gleichzeitig den Startschuss für das in Wien und Innsbruck beheimatete Re-Release-Label DIGATONE.
Für alle Tiroler Fans wird der „neue“ Klockwerk-Tonträger im Rahmen der beiden Konzerte: iMstrumental im Glenthof Imst am 19.5. und Maikonzert im Stadtsaal Landeck am 25.5. weiters noch am Vinyl-Day 19.5. von Tonmöbel Kafka, erhältlich sein."

This translates to (according to Google of course): "One of the most outstanding Austrian LPs of the 1970s with the wondrous title "abracadabra" comes from an obscure band of teenagers from the Tyrolean Alps Country: Klockwerk orange. When the album appears in 1975, the media are behavioral reactions, 38 years later, the board has blossomed into an internationally sought and ultra-expensive Monster rarity of psychedelic rock. Internet forums from South Korea to Chile, from Canada to Thailand discuss this somewhere between Symphonic Progressive Rock a la Pink Floyd and Emerson, Lake & Palmer and epic classical elements à la Bruckner resettled work of the band Klockwerk orange. The collector value scratches at the thousand euro mark, now long out of the album will be released by the label Digatone Innsbruck. As a special bonus, the reissue also contains three numbers plus two unreleased live tracks, recorded at a concert in Innsbruck city hall in 1975. The double vinyl edition in shape plus included CD complements the original work order-lost recordings of the band, while giving the go-ahead for the company headquartered in Vienna and Innsbruck re-release label DIGATONE.
IMstrumental Glenthof in Imst on 19.5: For all fans of the Tyrolean "new" Klockwerk-recorded music under the two concerts will. and Maikonzert city hall Landeck at 25.5. still further on vinyl Day 19.5. be available from Tonmöbel Kafka."

That's right vinyl hounds - a double LP too! Includes a full live concert from 1975 as noted above. 

Here's more data from Discogs:

A1		DuonyunohedeprincesR Music By – Hermann Delago	11:39
A2		The Key Lyrics By – Heinrich Prokopetz Music By – Hermann Delago	10:54
		Abrakadrabra (21:21)
B1.1		Abrakadrabra Music By – Hermann Delago
B1.2		Temple Sh. Thirty Five Music By – Hermann Delago
B1.3		Mercedes Benz T 146.028 Music By – Hermann Delago
		-
		Live @ Stadtsaal Innsbruck 1975
C1		Schlüsselbein Overture Music By – Hermann Delago	5:13
C2		Willoughby Music By – Hermann Delago	7:50
C3		Vlad Zeppesch Music By – Hermann Delago, Markus Weiler (2)	10:20
D1		DuonyunohedeprincesR Music By – Hermann Delago	10:13
D2		The Key Lyrics By – Heinrich Prokopetz Music By – Hermann Delago	11:04
1		DuonyunohedeprincesR Music By – Hermann Delago	11:39
2		The Key Lyrics By – Heinrich Prokopetz Music By – Hermann Delago	10:54
3		Abrakadabra - A) Abrakadraba - B) Temple Sh. Thirty Five C) Mercedes Benz T 146.028 Music By – Hermann Delago	21:21
4		Schlüsselbein Overture Music By – Hermann Delago	5:13
5		Willoughby Music By – Hermann Delago	7:50
6		Vlad Zeppesch Music By – Hermann Delago, Markus Weiler (2)	10:20

Companies etc

• Recorded At – Tonstudio Koch
• Recorded At – Stadtsaal, Innsbruck
• Remastered At – weyrerTon

Credits

• Bass, Vocals – Guntram Burtscher
• Cover, Design – Roland Böck, Wolfgang Böck
• Drums, Bells [Tubular], Timpani – Wolfgang Böck
• Engineer – Franz Koch
• Guitar, Trumpet, Organ, Synthesizer, Vocals – Hermann Delago
• Layout – David Schuller
• Liner Notes [Translated By] – Christopher Ladstätter, Justin Barwick
• Organ, Electric Piano [E-piano], Harpsichord , Synthesizer – Markus "WAK" Weiler*
• Photography By – R. Mathies
• Reissue Producer – Albrecht Dornauer*, Hermann Delago
• Research, Liner Notes – Albrecht Dornauer*
• Transferred By, Remastered By – Kenneth Winkler

Notes

Gatefold Sleeve
Liner notes in English and German
Sides A & B aufgenommen im Tonstudio Koch, Elbigenalp, März 1975
Sides C & D aufgenommen live im Stadtsaal Innsbruck 1975

----

Here's my puny entry for the title.  I'll be buying the LP (and the CD that comes with it) as soon as possible!

Klockwerk Orange ~ Austria ***REISSUED***

Abakadabra. 1975 CBS

***Reissued by Digatone May 2013

UMR review

Priority: 3

2/21/10 (new entry); 5/26/13 (complete)

News: BTF/AMS releases archival Kundalini Shakti Devi from 1974

Thanks to a observation by our good friend Spacefreak, it appears AMS/BTF have uncovered a new rarity. I know nothing about the music, sound quality, etc..., but it certainly warrants mentioning! Here's the label scoop:

"As sometimes happens, the eponymous “Kundalinî Shakti Devî” release is a mysterious album, hidden for decades - was recorded back in 1974! - on a tape stored in some drawer, that has been reopened and rediscovered only today. History repeats: the mastermind of the project, Roberto “Paramhansa” Puddu, managed to put together an ensemble of seven musicians with whom he recorded three long tracks, lasting an average of over 15 minutes each, but the genre in 1974 was already struggling to attract the interest of some music manager who could produce and distribute the LP.

The music is inspired by the classic Italian progressive rock, with lyrics about science fiction ("Sensitivity", "Galactic Museum") and criticism of the consumer society ("Flash"), while the ‘external’ influences 'external' carry the name of Van Der Graaf Generator and some German cosmic music – just listen to the long instrumental song sections to realize that yourself!

An exceptional discovery, to stay besides the minor – but not less important, of course! – classics of Italian prog."

News: Strawberry Rain to reissue super rare French album Mar-Vista "Visions of Sodal Ye"

Here's an album I've never even heard of until today. It was pressed on the do it yourself Kiosque D'Orphee, and is about as obscure as it gets. In researching, I found one previous auction, and that's the photo above. The seller described it as "cosmic prog", which sounds good to me - but who knows what it's really like. Could be one man and his synthesizer for all I know. Anyway, we'll find out soon enough as Strawberry Rain plans on reissuing this in the next couple of months!

While on the topic of Strawberry Rain, they also plan on reissuing a very rare 1973 band from Canada called Blind Owl (not to be confused with the 80s Massachusetts band). I could find nothing but an acetate cover on RYM (see below) and an Acid Archives stub calling it "obscure folk". Yet again, we'll be finding out more about this title soon.

And the previously announced Leong Lau's "Dragon Man' is on pace to be reissued between July and September this year.

News: Flight's "Incredible Journey" to be reissued on CD by Eastworld

Thanks to a comment from Laser Ken, we learned today that Eastworld intends on reissuing Flight's second album "Incredible Journey" on CD. Release date is initially set for May 13.

Eastworld is a label that is starting to sneak up on us. They reissued the first two Storm albums recently, as well as the first two Tangle Edge studio albums awhile ago. Nice to see another label tackling the immense amount of albums without a legit CD. No word yet if they plan on reissuing Flight's debut album.

We featured Flight a few years ago where I doubted they would ever be reissued on CD. Shows you what I know! I'll be an early buyer of the CD, that's for sure.

Flight ~ USA

Flight. 1975 Capitol

Excursion Beyond. 1980 Motown

***Incredible Journey reissued by Eastworld, Apr 2013

UMR reviews

I haven't heard their 3rd album to date.

Priority: 2

8/18/10 (new entry); 4/16/13 (Incredible Journey reissued)

News: Lion to reissue Congregacion from Chile

Here's one I thought I had added to the main list, but apparently did not. Our favorite US based reissue label has announced that "Viene..." will be coming out on CD shortly. It's definitely on the folk end of the progressive rock spectrum, but I know many will be pleased on hearing this announcement.

Label says: "Congregacion was the most legendary of the many excellent bands of the early 1970s Chilean music scene-one could easily say that for many people, this album has had the impact of a religious experience. There is good reason for that: Congregacion's music has a highly evocative sense of space, using natural sounds, native Andean instruments, and acoustic textures to foreground ecologist and mystic Antonio Smith's soaring melodies and deeply felt, philosophical lyrics. The results make this one of those perfect albums that works just as well on a Sunday morning as it does late at night. If things had worked out differently for Smith and Congregacion, this album might be as well-known (and well-loved) as comparable albums-comparable masterpieces-Milton Nascimento's "Clube de Esquina," and Joyce and Nelson Angelo's eponymous album. Unfortunately, Smiths lyrics earned him the enmity of the Chilean military dictatorship; he was forced to flee the country and "Viene." (IRT, 1972) proved to be the bands only release. Still, were lucky to have this album, with its perfect sequence of gentle, undulating, heavily-textured arrangements supporting Smiths plaintive, intimate and searching vocals. The result is an atmosphere of peace and enlightenment, with deep and introspective moments of great quality; incredibly beautiful. Congregacion band member Carlos Vittini gave some insight into Smith's charismatic mysticism: "I still get excited about how a musician has a great place in capturing the sensibility of the people. I knew the immense creative capacity of Antonio. From the sound of a bird, he speaks, capturing in passing the chirp of a chincol (sparrow) singing in a square, where these memories were made-from this he created a song." A highly recommended album, surely one of the pinnacles of dreamy psychedelia, despite its relative obscurity and undeniable rarity. Our deluxe, mini-LP gatefold jacket edition comes with a bi-lingual 32-page booklet, which explores the story of Congregacion in the context of the rich Chilean rock music scene."

News: Cosmic Circus to be reissued by Garden of Delights soon!

Here's some exciting news! This has been on GoD's coming soon list for awhile, and now it's coming to fruition. We featured Cosmic Circus last year thanks to the generosity of the Roots and Traces blog (and be sure to read the Lolly Pope's comment - more exciting news!). So the big question remains: How is the sound quality? We won't know until we get it of course, or at least start hearing from advance reviews. Musically, of course, it is brilliant. Label says: "Cosmic Circus Music from Göttingen in Lower Saxony played some extremely long spacey improvisations in the manner of the early Ash Ra Tempel without, however, trying to copy them. They do completely without lyrics but even so never become boring. As they didn't release any records back then - one MC on Andromeda Press had been planned for 1973 which then, however, didn't appear - they have hardly been known to the public as yet. There has only been one longer report on them, namely in "Sounds" issue 55 from September 1973. The CD at hand is full to the brim and includes a gig taking place in a Wiesbaden hall called Wartburg on July 14th, 1973. The stereo sound is not perfect but acceptable. During the second part of their gig, the band was joined by guest musician Tim Belbe from Xhol (Caravan), playing the transverse flute."

GoD also announced the CD reissue of Virus' "Revelation" will be coming shortly with two additional bonus tracks and the usual informative booklet we expect from them. Most assuredly this will be an improvement on the very basic Second Battle release from 1991 that I still own. Though I'm sure sound purists will protest that comment. I plan on upgrading myself. It should be noted that Second Battle later reissued this in 1997 with two bonus tracks in a digi-pak format, but I haven't seen that version so I can't comment much further. 

And for vinyl only buyers, look for Siddhartha and Vita Nova - both successfully reissued on CD by GoD many years ago - which are both available as we speak.

Cosmic Circus Music ~ Germany ***REISSUED***

Wiesbaden 1972. private (MC)

***Reissued by Garden of Delights Mar 2013

UMR review

Priority: 2

5/16/12 (new entry); 3/30/13 (complete)

News: Group 1850's Paradise Now to be reissued by Pseudonym

This one came across the wire today, and thought I'd share the news. It's not as exciting as it could have been, but it's still very welcome. I know many of you, including me, have been waiting for a high quality CD reissue of Paradise Now. I've featured this album on the UMR site, and it is without a doubt one of my all time favorite albums. I have the dodgy Free CD, as well as an original LP that I paid top dollar for, as it's a beautiful copy. I've been calling for a better CD for years, though I never put it in the CDRWL since I heard personally from the label owner that their CD was indeed legit. More info on the UMR site regarding this.

Pseudonym, after years of being dormant, has come back with a vengeance of late, reissuing dozens of albums on CD and LP. However, up until today, nothing had been new - or at least nothing that hadn't been reissued by them or someone else (evidenced by the fact this is the label's first entry into the CDRWL). It was just yesterday I noticed that Pseudonym was reissuing "Paradise Now" on LP. And even though I have the original, I am very tempted to buy this LP as a second copy. One reason is they are reissuing it as a gatefold (the original is a single sleeve), and secondly they are adding an historical essay and photos. What's obviously missing, of course, is any bonus tracks - something that Group 1850 had in spades with the "Agemo's Trip to Mother Earth" CD (both Pseudonym and Rotation versions). And now one day later after the LP notice comes the announcement that Pseudonym will reissue "Paradise Now" combined with all of "Agemo's" on one CD. What this obviously tells us is there is absolutely no bonus tracks to offer. No live material, no studio recordings, or no hidden singles that haven't already been issued. I'm OK with that - but there are still three Group 1850's that haven't been reissued ever (legit that is)! Namely "Polyandri" (1974), "Live" (1969) and "Live on Tour" (1976). So either those are tied up elsewhere, or Pseudonym has other plans for those albums. I'm hoping for the latter of course. They are planning to add an essay to the CD, presumably the same one as for the LP. I'll probably buy this CD anyway, even though I have Agemo's already on CD and LP - just because it is certain to be an improvement on the barebones Free label CD.

Yasuo Inada & Bemi Family ~ Japan ***REISSUED***

Yasuo Inada & Bemi Family – Kankaku Shikou. 1976 Tam

***Reissued by Bridge Mar 2013

UMR review

Priority: 3

5/11/10; 3/25/13 (complete)

News: Patrick Vian's Egg album to be reissued on CD!

Thanks to a tip from reader Achim, we learned that a label called Staubgold will be reissuing Patrick Vian's "Bruits et Temps Analogues" on CD as well as on LP. I had this title in the main list, and just never got around to featuring it. Vian's solo album is a fine 70s electronic styled album that's always been relatively easy to find on vinyl here in the States. I'll probably pick this one up, as I'm sure the CD will add much to the sound. This is our first encounter with the Staubgold label, though they've been around since the late 90's, having been based in both Koln and Berlin, Germany. Currently they've set up shop in the southern French town of Perpignan. Hopefully they'll dig around and release more French obscurities for us!

The label writes: "Staubgold is proud to reissue the one and only solo album of Patrick Vian (Red Noise), originally released in 1976 on the Egg label. The album is available on vinyl in a strictly limited edition of 500 copies and for the first time ever on CD and as a download.

A wonderful and obscure gem of electronic music certain to please the fans of Krautrock, French 70s electronic music and Kosmische Musik. Patrick Vian plays Moog 2C, ARP 2600, Moog Sequencer and piano and gets help from jazz musician Mino Cinelu (who had played with the likes of Gong, Weather Report and Miles Davis) on drums and percussion. Georges Granier adds Fender Rhodes, marimba, noise and scissors. Bernard Lavialle (Ame Son) plays guitar. Together they create a unique hybrid of experimental electronic, jazz and world music. This highly original sound made Steven Stapleton include Patrick Vian to the famous Nurse With Wound list of adventurous music."

News: Morgen coming out on CD from Sunbeam!

Thanks to a tip from reader Gal, we learned that Morgen will be coming out in the next few days from Sunbeam. We featured Morgen a couple of years ago (where I predicted Sundazed would be the ideal choice - I got the Sun part right anyway), and for my money, are in the very top tier of US psych albums. Sunbeam has released some excellent legit reissues in the last few years. Human Beast and Czar are but two great examples.

Here is the label blurb: "One of the greatest heavy psych albums ever made, this mindblower has it all - trippy songs, spacey production, ace musicianship and jaw-dropping guitar. It's presented here in its fullest ever version, with the full involvement of the band's enigmatic leader Steve Morgen. Featuring eight rare bonus tracks (including home recordings made by Morgen and guitarist Murray Shiffrin shortly after the album's December 1969 release), a packed booklet and rare photos, it's truly essential for fans of psychedelia."

Morgen ~ USA ***REISSUED***

Morgen. 1969 Probe

***Reissued by Sunbeam Mar 2013

UMR review

Priority: 2

3/4/11 (new entry); 3/14/13 (complete)

News: Luis Perez's "En El Ombligo De La Luna" reissued on CD

While reading Wayside's updates, I noticed that this very rare album from Mexico by Luis Perez (aka Mexico Magico Cosmico) has been reissued. I'm not a fan personally - but I did have it as part of the main CDRWL list, and so you can read my thoughts there. But I know plenty of folks who like this album, and this news will be most certainly welcome. It looks like they also used the wonderful gatefold cover version (there are two LP releases, with different covers).

Here's what Steve says: "In the early 1980s, there was a small explosion of interesting and very unique progressive music coming out of Mexico. One of the paths being explored at that time was music that fused progressive music and ambient music with the instruments of pre-Hispanic Mexico; the sounds BEFORE the conquerors came and changed the continent hugely. The bigger names in the field were Suso Saiz and Jorge Reyes, but one of the first people to release a record that gained attention outside of Mexico was Luis Perez, who released this album in 1981.

Never before reissued on CD, this ALREADY SOLD OUT, privately released, limited edition release is taken from the original stereo lp master tapes and comes in a really nice, embossed, mini-lp sleeve that perfectly replicates the original lp cover.

The only problem with all those fine Mexican releases was the generally poor pressing; doubly a problem with rather quiet music. This CD release is an incalculable improvement on the original, very rare album. Recommended!"

News: Gunter Schickert's "Samtvogel" to finally come out on CD!

You all might remember my announcement of this.... all the way back to 2010! Thanks to a comment from reader Eric, we learned that Important Records is still planning on reissuing the album, and they have tentatively set the date for April! (update: Released on April 29th!)

So that's two Gunter Schickert announcements in 3 days. That's a good week I think!

News: Schulze-Schickert Session to be released!

To be reissued on CD and LP from MiruMir, a new(ish) label that concentrates on the electronic pioneers of the 60s and 70s. I wasn't aware of this session, but in doing some research, it appears it's been in the CD-R market for some years now. Presumably this will be a much enhanced version. I love both Schickert and Schulze's 70s works, and I had no idea they ever played together, so this could prove to be most interesting.

Label says: "For the FIRST TIME, from the vaults of electronic music guru, KLAUS SCHULZE, comes The Schulze-Schickert Session, a RARE and PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED private session featuring echo-guitar pioneer, GÜNTER SCHICKERT. Recorded on 26 September 1975 in Klaus Schulze’s home STUDIO in Hambuehren, Germany, Schulze can be heard playing an EMS Synthi A, as well as keyboards, and a Syntanorma, while Schickert plays a 12-string Framus with metal strings and also sings on a few tracks. Although Schickert’s name is little-known outside of a very select circle of krautrock fans, he was a key member of the Berlin free jazz scene of the 1960s and a pioneer of the echo-guitar. Just prior to the recording of this informal session, Schickert’s first LP,Samtvogel, was released on the seminal Brain label. On the two bonus tracks, found only on both CD versions, Schickert’s playing ebbs, as Schulze takes on the more dominant role.

Tracklist:

Side A: 1 Die Sehnsucht des Laien 2. Hymns to the Night 3. No-Frills

Side B: 1. Heart of Darkness 2. Twilight Chill 3. Blessed Twilight"

News: Atomhenge to reissue Hawkwind's "Warrior on the Edge of Time"

Not an announcement you would typically expect from the CDRWL this late in the game, but surprisingly this particular Hawkwind has been subject to dodgy reissues in the past. Well that's all in the past now. The master tapes have been found, and Atomhenge (basically Esoteric) are here for the rescue. The official press release is below:

"Atomhenge, the Cherry Red Records label managed by Esoteric Recordings, the home of the entire HAWKWIND catalogue released between 1975 and 1997, are very pleased to announce that the classic HAWKWIND album “WARRIOR ON THE EDGE OF TIME” will be released in May 2013 as a newly remastered edition from the original stereo master tapes. Atomhenge label manager Mark Powell said: “Contrary to popular myth, the master tapes of this classic album were never lost. They remained in the United Artists vaults. The Atomhenge reissue will be the first ever CD edition to be taken from the original first generation master tapes. All previous editions have been taken from vinyl transfers or inferior copy master tapes”.

Aside from a single disc remastered edition, there will be two other expanded editions of the album. Mark Powell adds; “I’m extremely pleased to say that Steven Wilson has mixed the album into a stunning 5.1 Surround Sound mix from the original multi-track master tapes and has also undertaken a new stereo mix of the album which has an amazing depth and clarity whilst remaining faithful to the original release. “Warrior” is one of THE classic albums of the 1970s and is a land-mark album in Hawkwind’s history. The forthcoming reissues will do justice this magnificent record”.

Full details of the editions of “Warrior” will be announced in the coming weeks.
Cherry Red managing director, Adam Velasco added; “The album “Warrior on the Edge of Time” has been unavailable officially on CD for many years and it is our intention to make the forthcoming releases definitive editions in terms of audio remastering (from the original master tapes), content and packaging”.

Hawkwind will be touring in April 2013 performing WARRIOR ON THE EDGE OF TIME, with further dates planned later in the year. Confirmed dates are:

Saturday 30th March – Sunday 31st March
HawkEaster, Seaton Devon
Tuesday 2nd April -     Cardiff The Coal Exchange
Wednesday 3rd April -    Bath Komedia
Friday 5th April -        Preston 53 Degrees
Saturday 6th April -     Hawkwind headline Hard Rock Hell (HRH) Prog
Sunday 7th April -         Norwich Epic Centre
Visit www.hawkwind.com for further details"

The Search Party ~ USA ***REISSUED***

Montgomery Chapel. 1969 Century

***Reissued by Lion Productions Jan 2013

UMR review

Priority: 2

11/29/11 (new entry); 1/28/13 (complete)

News: Search Party "Montgomery Chapel" coming soon on Lion!

Here's a reissue we first announced back on December 17, 2011. And now over a year later we have confirmation that this great psych album is coming soon. Here's our feature of the album. This will likely be one of the best reissues of the year (of course Lion is also preparing the amazing Laurence Vanay (2) and Probe 10 albums, so they might even surpass their own accomplishment!) In the last few years, Lion has established themselves as the top reissue label from the USA, at least as far as the CDRWL is concerned. There is an additional CD of material coming from the St. Pius X Seminary Choir, including their 1968 album "Each One Heard About the Marvels of God In His Own Way", which appears to be groundbreaking as an avant garde styled choral project. Sounds like excellent bonus material to me!

Here's the label skinny: "Recorded at the San Francisco Theological Seminary's own Montgomery Chapel, acid-folk-rock psychedelic gem Search Party 'Montgomery Chapel' was the brainchild of (then Reverend) Nicholas Freund. Having left Wisconsin in the late 1960s to join a burgeoning West Coast religious scene, Freund spent considerable time in Sacramento before making their way to San Francisco in 1968 to lay down this one-off with some students of his. The result is a spooky, metaphysical trip that's equal parts God and acid-dripped mind expansion. Laced with haunting vocals and dreamlike passages, Montgomery Chapel is psychedelic music at its most evocative, and most spiritual. Original copies (only 600 were pressed on the custom Century label) carry substantial price tags. The recordings released by the St. Pius X Seminary Choir were made in the year or two which led up to the recording of the Search Party album. Not only did the three St. Pius X Seminary Choir records showcase the first work by Nick Freund, but they also were the first recordings of Search Party guitarist and vocalist Peter Apps. As one of the press clips regarding the Choir stated, "The choral treatment was electrified by a few phrases sung solo by Peter Apps, who is also the lead guitar. If Apps has not already formed a folk-rock group around that voice, he should. It is rich, deep, and ringing." Luckily, Freund and Apps heeded their advice, and the Search Party was the result. But nothing could have prepared listeners for the bizarre avant-garde (in the truest sense) electronic soundscapes backed by rock instruments which open "Each One Heard In His Own Language About the Marvels of God" (1968). The album settles down into a less out-there groove after the opening, but this is still adventurous stuff. During my conversations with Nick Freund, he told me that the electric sounds on the album were the work of composer Dary John Mizelle. Mizelle studied composition and participated in the New Music Ensemble at the University of California, Davis (the first free group improvisation ensemble); there he participated in a course led by Karlheinz Stockhausen. Mizelle is also a founding member of SOURCE Music of the Avant Garde magazine. Our two-disc set includes both albums, plus bonus tracks taken from ultra-rare early albums by the St. Pius X Seminary Choir. The 28-page booklet is packed with information, thanks to Freund, who was gracious enough to delve into his memory, scrapbook, and photo albums to help us flesh out the portrait of one of the most potent-and perhaps one of the most unlikely-psychedelic groups to ever record an album."

Fernand Pena et Puzzle ~ France

Fernand Pena et Puzzle. 1977 Centaur

UMR review

Priority: 3

News: Yasuo Inada & Bemi Family to be reissued in March!

Thanks to a tip from our friend and Gnosis mate Nobuhisa in Tokyo, we learned that the very obscure Japanese album "Kankaku Shikou" by Yasuo Inada & Bemi Family will be reissued on March 1. The label behind this endeavor is called Bridge, which is a new label for us, but apparently has a quite a presence in Japan. We are clearly in a Renaissance time for reissues of Japanese indigenous underground rock albums of the early 1970s!

Be sure to read our original entry, with excellent insights from Shige over at Prog Not Frog. In the comments, you'll see Nobuhisa's remarks as well.

Here's the label blurb, translated from its original Japanese by Google, and so it's a complete and total mess. But I think you can figure out most of this (it appears the title of the album means "sense"):

"Great masterpiece of progressive rock Mellotron sum is finally reissued.Reprint inlay-fidelity hand-written at the time Obi LP · Released in 1975· Dared latest interview cooperation of Mr. Yasuo Inada himselfLatest remastered sound-2013Specifications 2CD Ketteiban full songs plus seven currently difficult to obtain!In addition to thinking "sense" the only work that Yasuo Inada has left in 1974, "this morning Sunshine cw /" single was released in the same period, "cw / Little Sunshine Okichan dolphin theme song" of the International Ocean Exposition Okinawa , recording a performance of "The Sun" in the "East-West" sponsored Yamahaongakushinkokai. Ketteiban just covering the work of Yasuo Inada in the 1970s!The performer thinking "sense": (KEYBOARDS) Yasuo Inada, (DRUMS) Shoji Fujii, (E.Guitar) Shozo Shimura, ONNA (pf) Shoji Fujii on drums (Smoky Medicine, Ippudo, etc.), the guitar also recorded piano fluent Shozo Shimura, by someone in addition to it has been credited under the name of "ONNA?". And, Yasuo Inada is responsible for a variety of keyboard instrument synthesizer, Moog, Hammond organ, and Mellotron.

M-1, M-2 with the motif of a "shadow reflected in the water" original works of Debussy Suite elongated form with the motif of the "Pathetique" Beethoven. M-3 is a single piece that was previously released under the name "Family Yasuo Inada & Bae Mi".Unique melody that has been spun out by intuition, the music structure too much freedom will continue to expand the exciting and complex are thinking "sense" exactly. Work a very high degree of perfection embodied in the best possible way with the catharsis of progressive rock.In addition, aggregated into a single bonus disc together sound, which was released around the same time of the release thinking "sense" this time. Mascot was done (same song and M-3 of the Journal "thinking feeling") singles that have been released under the name "& Bae Mi family Yasuo Inada" M-1, in 1975 the "International Ocean Exposition, Okinawa" M-3 and M-4 theme song "Okichan" is also included original karaoke version was unearthed recently.M-7 are live recordings was awarded best keyboardist from the "East-West '77"

News: Necromonicon releases new album of older material

We don't normally announce albums that are re-recordings, but this is worth the exception I think. And besides look at that cover! It's a recreation of their famous 1972 album. As a collector, if that doesn't capture your imagination, I'm not sure what else would. The album is a private release and will be available in both LP and CD formats.

2/14/13 update: As you can see in the comments, Walter (Necronomicon's guitarist) has a clarification - and he's right. These are not re-recordings but rather new recordings of material composed in the early 1970s. There is a difference! My copy should be here soon - I'm quite excited about it!

Here's the official blurb: "Since 2010 NECRONOMICON started playing again with mostly the original cast of band members (Harald Bernhardt, drums; Norbert Breuer, Git.; Gerd Libber, Bass; Walter Sturm, Git.). On the keyboards now Helmut Herzog is providing our as near as original Sound. In professional studio quality songs we composed between 1972 and 1974, which never had been documented in good quality, were recorded. The new vinyl LP HAIFISCHE (Sharks) plus CD as bonus will be published on December 22nd 2012. The cover reappraises the artwork and design of our 'Tips zum Selbstmord' LP."

News: Jiro Inagaki and Big Soul Media "By the Red Stream" reissued on CD

This is a new title for us, but following on the AC's announcement of the Mannheim Rock Ensemble CD, he also recommends this new reissue from Nippon Columbia. Last year as we were deep diving into the Japanese underground, we featured Jiro Inagaki's "Dosojin" album, one of our Priority 3's. And while it doesn't appear that album has been reissued yet (and with all these sudden reissues out of Japan, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see one), in the interim it appears this is well worth seeking out. The AC says: "It's kind of an anti-war concept album with just four long instrumental pieces. It's basically what you would call electric big-band or electric modal jazz rather that straight up jazz-rock, but it does feature some nice organ work, fuzz/wah guitar and plenty of Fender Rhodes. A really well-done and atmospheric album, if you're so inclined. Needless to say, this one has been a very rare and expensive item in the Japanese jazz collector scene for many years, and has seemed to completely escape notice in the outside world."

The AC also provided a link to Amazon Japan, which features some sound samples as well.

News: Mannheim Rock Ensemble reissued on CD

We've recently heard from the AC who informs us that along with the Miyama album, Columbia also reissued The Mannheim Rock Ensemble "Rock of Joy" album. This was another AC discovery from last year that we featured. Be sure to read his thorough review! Not a high priority item by any means, but certainly worth mentioning for fans of the crazy early 70s Japanese psych culture.

Happy New Year and the CDRWL turns 10 years old!

It's hard to believe that the CDRWL is now already 10 years old. The project started in January of 2003 simply as a public place to store my personal CD reissue wishlist. It was originally a straight text list of albums with no descriptions or priority levels. It has since grown to this uncontrollable mess of obscurities. In 2009, I moved it from my personal website to Blogger, as it made more sense to report the data in this fashion.

While we no longer have daily postings of obscurities to talk about, I still have a few items I have yet to report on. Some are due to my constant laziness, while others are being held under wraps for a variety of reasons. And God knows there are plenty of albums we have yet to hear. I suspect we will continue the pace of 2012 - with more news postings and less discoveries. If interested, there's a bit more detail about the history and contents of the CDRWL in the FAQ (see link above this entry).

While 2003 may have been my first time to publish a list on a website, it wasn't the first time I had compiled a list for discussion. I have been making various lists ever since I started collecting in earnest around 1983 or so. And my first CD reissue wish lists probably go back to the early 1990s when CDs were first taking hold as the predominant medium. I recall having bands such as Algarnas Tradgard on CD reissue wish lists, and that was reissued in 1995.

So for fun, I fished out an ancient CD Reissue Wishlist I had posted in the old Usenet (remember Usenet?) group rec.music.progressive which had just recently proceeded alt.music.progressive. Unbelievably the RMP group still exists, though it seems strictly fodder for spammers anymore.

This list was published on June 18, 1996. What's most interesting to me is the kind of albums that were most important to me then, and how my tastes have changed some (though many are still favorites!). As well, many of the items I have listed in the CDRWL are albums I've owned long before 1996 - right from the top: Automatic Fine Tuning (bought in 1985), Achim Reichel and Machines (I bought "3" in 1985, and most of his remaining catalog in the late 80s), and many others I can spot immediately. Why I left albums like that off, I'm not sure. Back then I considered bootlegs as being reissued, something that is abhorrent to me now.  But even many of those titles didn't have a bootleg at the time. So it may have been a priority thing, or most likely it was never intended to be a comprehensive list. Just a quickly drawn up one for discussion. Now, to be clear, I certainly didn't know as many obscurities as I do now. The list has grown exponentially since 2006. Interestingly, this list did indeed draw quite a bit of comments (which was its purpose of course), mostly from folks I still correspond with today (yes, including you Laser Ken!). The hardcore collector guys I suppose. Also, you may be surprised by how many of these still haven't been reissued!

Here's that 1996 list with an update on each:

Ache - De Homine Urbano / Green Man (Denmark)
---Reissued together by Philips (2000). Recently reissued separately by Esoteric (2012)

Airlord - Clockwork Revenge (Australia)
---Well I figured out that they were from New Zealand. Still in the CDRWL! Priority 2

Archaia - same (France)
---Reissued by Soleil Zeuhl (1998)

Arlequin - same (aka Gerardo Batiz) (Mexico)
---Still in the CDRWL. Listed correctly here on the site as Gerardo Batiz. Priority 3

Arpa Derba - L'Aleph (Italy)
---Still in the CDRWL. Priority 3

Artcane - Odyssee (France)
---Unbelievably still in the CDRWL. Priority 1
 
Avalanche - Perserverance Kills our Game (Netherlands) PLEASE!!!!
---They ignored my plea. Still in the CDRWL. Priority 1

Azahar - Elixir (Spain)
---Reissued by Fonomusic in 1997 (not long after this list!). Also released again in 2003 on Fonomusic.

Bock, Wolfgang - Cycles (Germany)
---Still in the CDRWL. Priority 2

Brave New World - Impressions on Reading Alduos Huxley (Germany)
---Still in the CDRWL. Priority 1. I can't believe one of the great German reissue labels haven't done this one yet! Lots of pirate editions though.

Caja de Pandora - same (Mexico)
---Here's a good example of something I really don't care about anymore. However it did come out on CD shortly after this on Sol & Deneb (1997).

Cathedral - Epilog (USA) Unreleased second.
---One type of album I have yet to cover in the CDRWL is those that were never released. I don't have that many of these to report on, but Cathedral's second would be one of the first I'd publish. I transferred the cassette I had to a CD-R. It really needs to be issued at some point. Almost as good as "Stained Class Stories"!

Cohen-Solal, Jean - Captain Tarpathom (France)
---Reissued along with "Flute Libres" (an album I hadn't heard at the time or I would've asked for it!) on the much missed Israeli label Mio (2003) run by friend Meidad.

Cosmic Debris - same (USA)
---Never reissued properly, but you can get a CD-R from the band direct. Or that used to be the situation as I'm not sure anymore. So it's still in the CDRWL.

Dervieux, Franck - Dimension M (Canada)
---Wow, this just got reissued in 2012 by ProgQuebec!

Eela Craig - same (Austria)
---This was on Garden of Delights coming soon list at the time, and they did reissue it one year later (1997)

Ejwuusl Wessaqhan - same (Germany)
---Reissued by Garden of Delights (1996). This must've come out right after I published this!

Ellufant - Release Concert (Netherlands)
---Still in the CDRWL. I'm not so keen on this title anymore. Priority zero.

Emergency Exit - Sortie et Secours (France)
---Still in the CDRWL. Priority 2. I know Mio was looking at this title too! :-(

Eskaton - Ardeur / Fiction (France)
---"Ardeur" reissued by Soleil Zeuhl (2003); "Fiction" Soleil Zeuhl (2005)

Et Cetera - same (Canada)
---Reissued by Unidisc (2001). That's the date from RYM, but I thought it came out in the late 1990s? I just looked at the CD and there's no date beyond the original 1976 copyright. My database entry only shows the original purchase date which was for me the original LP in the early 90s.

Falsini, Franco - Nasso Fredda (Italy)
---Well, it's been reissued, but just barely. It's part of those 6 CD Italian box sets that are pretty crappy. This one's on Volume 6 (2010). It would be nice to get a solo CD of this out by a specialty label. For some reason, I didn't ask for the Sensations' Fix albums later on. An obvious oversight, since I've owned those albums back to the 1980s. And they suffer from the same problem as this. The exception being "Fragments of Light" which was reissued a long time ago.

Fantasia - same (Finland)
---Fantastic reissue by Rocket Records (2010). We have the translated liner notes from Finnish to English on the UMR blog for those that are interested.

Fermata - same (Czechoslovakia)
---Reissued along with their second album on Bonton (1997)

Fine, Pete - On a Day of Crystalline Thought (USA)
---Reissued by Shadoks (2000)

First Aid - Nostradamus (England)
---Still in the CDRWL. Priority 2

Flame Dream - Calatea / Elements (Switzerland)
---Might as well add Out in the Dark while we're at it. All 3 still in the CDRWL.This is a travesty that these still sit without a CD. Priority 1!!

Flamen Dialis - Symptome Dei (France)
---Reissued by Mio (2004)

Fusioon - Minorisa (Spain)
---All 3 Fusioon albums were reissued in 1997. The first 2 on Divucsa, and "Minorisa" on BMG/Ariola.

Galie - 1986 (Mexico)
---Still in the CDRWL. Priority none (lost my interest in this title)

Gemini - Counterbalance (England)
---Still in the CDRWL. Priority 3

Gloria's Children - Schutten (Germany)
---Still in the CDRWL. Priority none (another one that I eventually sold the original LP of. To no regrets...)

Gnidrolog - In Spite of Harry's Toenail (England)
---This was first reissued by Audio Archives in 1999. And has since been reissued a few times, including a Japanese mini-LP and one from Esoteric. It was slow to market, but now is relatively common. Great album. As is Lady Lake, which I think did have a reissue prior to 1996.

Golem - Sand (Germany)
---I have the title and album backwards here. It's Sand - Golem. Reissued by United Durtro as part of "Ultrasonic Seraphim" in 1996 (another one that must've been reissued right after this list).


Gorizont - Summer in Town / Portrait Boy (Russia)
---Both reissued by Boheme Music (2000)

Gunesh Ensemble - Looking at the Earth (Turkmenistan)
---Reissued along with their first album (also great) by Boheme Music (1999)

Gutura - Des Etres Au Cerveau Apparent (France)
---Still in the CDRWL. Priority 2

Haikara - same / Geafar (Finland)
---The first album was reissued by Fazer (1998) and has recently been reprinted by Warner Finland (2011). "Geafar" was reissued by Ektro (2000) and recently by Arcangelo as a Japanese mini-LP (2011).

Hero - same (Italy)
---Reissued by BTF/AMS (2006)

Het Pandora Ensemble - III (Netherlands)
---Reissued by Modulus just this past year (2012) in a fantastic mini-LP sleeve. Let's hope this initiative by Ken doesn't stop here!

Hydravion - same / Stratos Airlines (France)
---Still in the CDRWL. I love these albums, but even in 1996 some folks gave me the thumbs down on them. Oh well. Priority 2

Ilijin, Djordje - Zabranjino Prisivskivonje (Yugoslavia)
---Reissued by Mellow (2002)

Jupu Group - Ahmoo (Finland)
---Still in the CDRWL. Priority 3

Kaczynski, Charles - Lumiere da le Nuit (Canada)
---Reissued by ProgQuebec (2006)

Kaseke - Poletus (USSR)
---Reissued by Boheme Music (2000) along with the EP "Sonum"

Kebnekaise - same / Elefanten (Sweden)
---The self-titled second album came out on parent label Silence in 2001. "Elefanten" is still in the CDRWL. Priority 2

Kedama - Live at Sunrise Studios (Switzerland)
---Reissued by Black Rills  (1999)

Kracq - Circumvision (Netherlands)
---Reissued by the band (2004). At first, they did CD-R's but were talked into factory presses. And I own one so I know that's what they did!

Kvartetten Som Sprangde - Kattvalls (Sweden)
---Still in the CDRWL. Priority 2

L.S. Bearforce - same (Germany)
---Still in the CDRWL. Priority 1!!

Lady Lake - No Pictures (Netherlands)
---Reissued by Musea/Musiphyle (1997)

Laura - same (France)
---Still in the CDRWL. Priority 2

Loch Ness - same (Mexico)
---This is the 1988 album that never did get on CD. Priority 2

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

Lotus - same (Sweden)
---Reissued by DuckYourMusic (2002). The also excellent "Vero O'Flera" was reissued by DuckYourMusic (2004).

Madore, Michel - Le Komuso a Cordes (Canada)
---Still in the CDRWL. Priority 2

Magdalena - Lanean Sartzen (Spain/Basque)
---Still in the CDRWL. Priority 2

Mirror - Daybreak (Netherlands)
---Still in the CDRWL. Priority 2

Mosaic - Ultimatum (France)
---Reissued by Mio (2003)

Nathan Mahl - Parallel Eccentricities (Canada)
---Reissued by the band (1997)

Netherworld - In the Following Halflight (USA)
---Reissued by Musea (2002)

NHU - Grupo NHU (Spain)
---Reissued by Zafiro/BMG (2000)

Nishin - Dai Dai (Japan)
---Still in the CDRWL. Priority 3

Nuance - Il est une Legende (France)
---Still in the CDRWL. Priority 2

Ocarinah - Premiere Vision de L'Etrange (France)
---Still in the CDRWL. Priority 1!!

October - same / Second of (USA)
---Still in the CDRWL. Priority 2

Octopus - Thaerie Wiighen (Norway)
---Still in the CDRWL. Priority 3

Parzival - Legend (Germany)
---Reissued by EastWest (1998)

Pataphonie - Le Matin Blanc (France)
---Reissued by Gazul/Musea (1999)


Picaresque of Bremen - Tales of an Alchemist (Japan)
---Here's another title I could care a less about now. Anyway it's still in the CDRWL. Priority none.

Planet of Man - Code III (Germany)
---I got this backwards too. In case you're wondering why this happened with both this title and Sand is because the catalogs of the day listed these backwards. And it's not real easy to tell on the original vinyl. In any case, this is still in the CDRWL. Priority 2.

Polyphony - same (USA)
---After a gazillion bootlegs this was finally reissued (not very well) by GearFab (2011)

Progressiv TM - Dreptul de a Visa (Romania)
---One of the more bizarre reissues. This was released by a German beat label specialist (legit) called Rock in Beat (2002). I have no idea why they took this on, but they did a fine job here.

Ra Can Row - same (USA)
---Still in the CDRWL. Priority 2. And I have some new data to report on this title, once I finally get around to researching further.

Rainbow Theatre - The Armada (Australia)
---Reissued by Aztec (2006). The also excellent followup "Fantasy of Horses" was reissued by Aztec as well in 2006.

Ram - Where? In Conclusion (USA) there's *got* to be unreleased material.
---And I *still*  say that. There's a dubious reissue on Akarma that we've rejected (it's case by case with that label). So this is one of our Priority 1's!

Ravjunk - Uppsala Stadshotel Brinner (Sweden)
---Reissued by Transubstans (2007) with a whole album's worth of unreleased material.

Red - same (England)
---Still in the CDRWL. Priority 1!!

Rhamann - same (France)
---That should be Rahmann. Reissued by Musea (1998)

Rumpelstiltzen Commune - same (Switzerland)
---Reissued by Black Rills (2000)

Saino - same (France)
---Still in the CDRWL. Priority 2

Saisai-Koubou - same (Japan)
---Should be Saisei-Koubou. Still in the CDRWL. Priority 3

Sepi Kuu - Rannan Usvassa (Finland)
---Still in the CDRWL. Priority 1!!

Sepsis - Liturgia Bezumia (Russia)
---Reissued by Boheme Music (2000). Boy, there was a label that took care of business, right? All those Boheme reissues are great too!

Sirius - Running to Paradise (Germany)
---Still in the CDRWL. Priority 2


Stern Meissen Combo - Weisses Gold (Germany)
---First reissued by Hansa Musik in 1997 and many times since.

Surpreize - Zeer Oude Klanken... Geluiden (Netherlands)
---This is another album I've lost interest in. It's still in the CDRWL as a Priority none. There is a legit LP reissue for those interested.

Tantra - Misterios e Marahavilas / Holocausto (Portugal)
---Both of these came out from Musea (1998 and 1999 respectively)


Topos Uranos - Suite Mistica (Brazil)
---Wow, I totally forgot about this title. I sold the LP years ago. I don't think it ever did come out on CD! Well, Jeff is going to bring over his LP next time he's over to help jog my memory and I'll put up an entry then.

Tortilla Flat - Fur ein 3/4 Studchen (Germany)
---Still in the CDRWL. Priority 1!!! And the unreleased 1973 SWF Sessions is Priority PLEASE IN MY LIFETIME!

Travelling - Voici la Nuit Tombee (France)
---Reissued by Mellow (2000). Mellow also reissued the excellent Triode album which I hadn't heard by 1996.

Trikolon - Cluster (Germany)
---Funny that I requested this title. It's good, but not great. All the same, I do own the CD that Garden of Delights issued in 2003.

Vindication - same (USA)
---Still in the CDRWL. Priority 3

Vortex - Les Cycles de Thanatos (France)
---Reissued (along with the also excellent first album) by Triton (2003)

Wurtemburg - Rock Fantasia Opus 9 (France)
---Reissued by Musea (2002)

Zartong - same (Armenia)
---Still in the CDRWL. Priority 3

Zyma - Thoughts (Germany)
---Reissued by Garden of Delights (1998). Unfortunately the very good "Brave New World" remains without an issue (Priority 3) though GoD still has it on their coming soon list.

Wow! That was fun going down memory lane. I hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as I had putting it together!

News: Garden of Delights reissues the Pancake - No Illusions album!

Today we learned that Pancake's "No Illusions" has been released on CD by the great Garden of Delights label. They had announced long ago their intention to reissue this album. In typical Garden of Delights fashion, first they removed it from consideration, and as we reported earlier this year, put it back on the docket. And now it has been released - ahead of other anticipated reissues like Sunbird's "Zagara" and Missus Beastly's "Space Guerillas". A quirky label for sure, but despite these eccentricities, there still is no better reissue concern today.

We featured "No Illusions" about 3 years ago. This link includes that review plus the re-listing news earlier this year. For my money, this is the best of their 3 albums, and is a most welcome reissue.

Official blurb says this: "The group from Winnenden near Stuttgart started as Nyrvana Pancake and released a very good psychedelic 7" single in 1973. In 1974, they shortened their band name into Pancake, and instead of psychedelia they now played symphonic rock. The first Pancake LP, "Roxy elephant", was released in 1975, and the second one, "Out of the ashes", appeared in 1977. The band later veered away from their symphonic style as the people lost interest in this kind of music at the time. Their third and last LP, "No illusions" from the end of 1979, is thus somewhat coarser and tougher than its two predecessors. There was now a female singer for the first time in Pancake's history, in addition to some other changes in line-up. The CD edition on Garden of Delights includes six bonus tracks and has a booklet of 32 pages."

For LP fans, Garden of Delights continues to plunder their own back catalog, with announcements that Siddharta and Missus Beastly's debut will be coming out on vinyl shortly.

Pancake ~ Germany ***REISSUED***

No Illusions. 1979 Blubber Lips

***Reissued by Garden of Delights Jan 2013

UMR review

Priority: 3

1/19/10 (new entry); 12/17/12 (complete)

News: The Fents albums available on CD-R via the band

We recently heard from The Fents' keyboardist Adam Holzman, who informs the CDRWL that both "The Fents" rare EP and "First Offense" are available as a CD-R straight from the band. As you know, the CDRWL doesn't count CD-R's as fully realized CDs, but since they come from the band direct, we will always alert you to these opportunities. At least they're legit! And many times, such as this case, they are done with great care.

Adam says: "The CD-R's are burned directly from my master pro-tools file individually, so the audio is very clean. Folks can email me about this at adamhjaneg@aol.com." More details can be found at www.adamholzman.com

Toshiyuki Miyama & His New Herd ~ Japan ***REISSUED***

Tsuchi No Ne (Nippon Densetsu No Naka No Shijou). 1973 Columbia.

***Reissued by Columbia Dec 2012

UMR review

Priority: 3

12/14/11 (new entry); 12/5/12 (complete)

Notes from The AC:

"Nippon Columbia: NCB-7023 (Adventure In Sound series), 1973, Japan

Toshiyuki Miyama - Conductor
Yasuhiro Koyama - Composer
Kozaburo Yamaki - Electric Guitar, Composer
Masaaki Itoh - Electric Bass
Isao Yomoda - Drums
Kiyoshi Takano - Piano, Electric Piano
Kazumi Takeda - Trumpet
Shin Kazuhara - Trumpet
Yoshikazu Kishi - Trumpet
Shuji Atsuta - Trumpet
Teruhiko Kataoka - Trombone
Masamichi Uetaka - Trombone
Tokura Seiichi - Trombone
Takehide Uchida - Trombone
Kazumi Oguro - Alto Sax, Soprano Sax
Eiji Toki - Alto Sax
Mamoru Mori - Tenor Sax
Seiji Inoue - Tenor Sax
Shigeru Hirano - Baritone Sax

Side 1:

1 - Youkai Kappa Konnichi Izuko Sumi Ya
- Kappa Torai No Tsuchi
- Mokuhi No Yotabi
- Bourei No Numa
- Okugidenjushiki
- Neneko No Nakibushi
- Senshouiwaiutae Shinkokka

Side 2:

1 - Kurozuka

Band leader Toshiyuki Miyama and his New herd orchestra were a ubiquitous presence in the 70s Japanese music scene, churning out album after album of mainly straight big band jazz, along with some typical pop-covers/exploitation fare. However, during the heady days of the early 70s "New Rock" boom, they did find themselves experimenting on a few interesting LPs. There was the relatively well-known "Yamataifu", a collaboration with famous pianist Masahiko Satoh, as well as the more obscure "Eternity?/Epos", working once again with Satoh along with drummer Masahiko Togashi and a percussion ensemble. They were soon to abandon this adventurous direction (along with most of the many seasoned jazzmen, studio musicians, and bewildered major label executives who had been temporarily sucked into the psychedelic vortex of New Rock Japan), but not before leaving behind one more dark jewel in the rubble. "Tsuchi No Ne - Nippon Densetsu No Naka No Shijou", roughly translates to "Sound of the Earth - The Poetry in Japanese Legends", and like a number of other classics of the era, it attempted to draw on the essence of ancient Japanese folklore and mythology as inspiration for a new and radical kind of music. But "Tsuchi No Ne" is somewhat different from its musical peers, choosing to dwell on the dark, sinister side of these myths and legends. This is quite evident in both the striking cover art and the track titles themselves, referencing ghosts, grotesque monsters (the Kappa, a hideous river-dwelling creature thought to drag unsuspecting victims to a watery grave) and a macabre Noh drama about a vile man-eating ogress. Most importantly, this theme infuses the music, a fascinating mixture of electric big band jazz-rock and what can only be called avant-prog, despite the seeming incongruity of applying that term to an early 70s Japanese jazz album. Two mammoth side-long pieces are on offer here, the first a suite divided into six smaller sections, composed by regular New Herd guitarist Kozaburo Yamaki, the second a monolithic opus penned by film and television soundtrack composer Yasuhiro Koyama. Certain comparisons can be drawn to the more rigorous side of early British jazz-rock (Soft Machine circa 5/6 and the best of Ian Carr's Nucleus) and perhaps also to the most complex horn rock works of the era, due to the heavy brass presence of the big band. But interestingly, what I'm reminded of most is classic French avant-prog/jazz-rock of a slightly later vintage. In particular, I'm thinking of Vortex's shadowy masterpiece "Les Cycles de Thanatos", as well as some of Yochk'o Seffer's great works with Zao and Neffesh Music. The strange, dark tension and compositional complexities are very similar, and quite unmistakable to my ears. However, these comparisons can only go so far. Distinctly Japanese atmospheres are palpable, and Yamaki's wicked fuzz/wah guitar-work will not let you forget what era we are truly in here. This is a special album, in my opinion, and certainly deserving of a much wider audience. Unfortunately, as is often the case with these things, it's by far Miyama's rarest LP, until now only known and cherished by the small group of Japanese collectors aware of its quality. Miyama's back-catalogue has not seen much action in the CD reissue market, so I'm afraid this album might be doomed to spend eternity trapped in its own dusky realm. Here's to hoping that I'm wrong."

And would you believe? He was wrong! And I'm sure he's happy about it too!

Silberbart ~ Germany ***REISSUED***

4 Times Sound Razing. 1971 Philips

***Reissued by Long Hair, Dec 2012

UMR review

Priority: 2

8/1/09 (new entry); 12/3/12 (complete)

News: Silberbart to be reissued on CD by Long Hair!!

Well, I think it is anyway. Via Shiny Beast's weekly newsletter, it mentioned that an LP reissue is coming out. But when you drill down to their site, they also mention it will be reissued on CD as well (not sure why they didn't advertise it). Complicating matters further, they are reissuing two other albums on LP (Dull Knife and Midnight Circus), and those do not appear to be coming out on CD. It does make sense to me, though - as the other two albums have already come out on CD (legit)! But this will the very first legit reissue of Silberbart on CD, fortunately eradicating the need to own or buy the Germanofake reissue. And, for me personally, I'm glad to see this one come out on LP as well. I'll buy both. I did own the original once, but it had one of those annoying BB-hole cutouts. I probably should have kept it anyway. Now originals have become extremely expensive, and I've been unwilling to shell out for it. Release date has been set for December 15.

As you know, the CDRWL is a huge Long Hair label supporter, so this is great news for us. Here's the label's description: "First official reissue of this legendary collector's item,  recorded by a heavy progressive underground power trio from Hamburg. The album contained just four songs, 'Chub Chub Cherry' (a short and heavy rock song sounding like a more freaky Cream), 'Brain Brain' (16 minutes of acid drenched nightmares, continuously shifting tempo in amphetamine-driven mayhem), 'God' (a much more melodic composition with powerful guitar arrangement, sounding like Black Sabbath meets Hendrix and collectively going paranoid) and 'Head Tear Of The Drunken Sun' (the closing piece that offers 12 minutes of hazardous power trio pyrotechnics). This is an extreme album in many ways: the raw power, the cranky vocals, the restless arrangements, and of course that ugly silver gnome on the front of the sleeve. Includes many rare photos and the story of Silberbart as told by leader Hajo Teschner. Fans of '70s prog, psych and kraut rock will love this album." Though I have to disagree with them on the "ugly" comment. It's way too cool for that.

Our Silberbart feature can be found here, where I appropriately beat myself up for selling the original 17 years ago.

As for the other albums: Dull Knife was reissued by Second Battle in 1994, but has become fodder for pirates in the last decade or so. I sold the CD years ago, but I recall the album as being pretty dull blues rock. I'll probably pull out the CD-R for a fresh listen just in case my tastes have changed.

Midnight Circus is a cherished album for me - having lucked into an original LP copy in the 1980s. Musically, it's a decent folk rock album with one monster Krautrock/folk track called 'November Church'. As such, I never bothered to supplement the LP with the CD. This CD came out on CMP (City Music Productions) in 2003. CMP had rights to the Bellaphon catalog - and reissued most of the important progressive albums from the label at that time.

So if you're curious about either, you will now have a chance to buy LP reissues of both for a fraction of the price.

But for me, the gem of this announcement is the Silberbart CD/LP reissue news!

News: Alain Eckert's sole album to be reissued in 2013!

According to an interview in DPRP with Soleil Zeuhl label founder Alain Lebon, it appears The Alain Eckert Quartet album will be reissued in March of 2013. Excellent news!

We featured Alain Eckert almost exactly 3 years ago today.

Alain Eckert Quartet ~ France ***REISSUED***

Alain Eckert Quartet. 1981 L'Amanite

***Reissued by Soleil Zeuhl Sep 2013

UMR review

Priority: 3

11/22/09 (new entry); 11/23/12 (complete)

News: Toshiyuki Miyama & New Herd - Tsuchi No Ne (Nippon Densetsu No Naka No Shijou) to be released in December!

Thanks to a comment from a reader, we learned that Toshiyuki Miyama & New Herd's "Tsuchi No Ne (Nippon Densetsu No Naka No Shijou)" album will be reissued by Nippon Columbia and released on December 5th.

More info here

Here's our feature for the album. This was one of the AC's amazing finds.

News: Rockadrome to reissue Icecross in early 2013

In news that is a bit out of scope for the CDRWL, but highly interesting to me all the same, is Rockadrome's announcement that they will reissue Icecross' sole album, first issued in 1973. There are a couple of boots floating about on this title, so it's nice to see the album finally receive an authentic CD (& LP) reissue.  I first stumbled across an original of this Icelandic album way back in 1988. I had no idea what it was, but it looked cool! For me, it's one of the all-time great hard rock albums - with doomy lyrics, ominous compositions, raw electric guitar and speedy drumming. This album was at least 7 years ahead of its time - perhaps even more when considering the retro rock movement of the last 15 years. I'll be buying the CD reissue as soon as it's available.

News: Strawberry Rain to reissue Leong Lau's "Dragon Man"!

In the "oh wow!" category, comes this exciting announcement from Strawberry Rain. We have indirect (3rd party) contact with the label, but it appears to me they are quickly establishing themselves as the Canadian Shadoks - a label dedicated to reissuing the rarest albums from some of the world's most exotic locations (Zambia, Nigeria, Thailand, Iran). But today's post centers around Australian Leong Lau, one of the CDRWL's top discoveries of 2010! The label, according to their website, promises that liner notes will be from Lau himself. Outstanding news. Our review of both Lau albums here. "Dragon Man" is definitely the only one of the two that needs a reissue IMO.

In addition to this - the debut album by Rictus will be available later this month! I've updated the post with more info from the label.