News: Shadoks latest reissues

An interesting batch this go round, with what looks like a potential monster. These albums are set to be issued in late August.

Bump 2 is the CD issue of the archival LP they released roughly a year ago. I still haven't heard it, though it does have a good reputation (though I never cared much for the actual 1970 release).

Question Mark is a pretty good psych rock band from Nigeria, circa 1974. Their sound isn't too far from other African psych outfits that you will hear from Nigeria or Zambia. Shadoks had issued this on LP back in 2007. Here's our blurb from the Original CD Reissue Wish List: "One of a handful of interesting African rock albums. This one is in the same genre as B.L.O., Witch, Chrissy Zebby Tembo, etc... Features some nice old organ sounds, a lot of scratchy fuzz and 1960s psych style melodies. Better than most Sub Saharan African albums I've heard - closest comparison would be the Nigerian band Ofege."

What really caught my eye is their LP reissue of Estrella De Marzo. I'd never heard this title from Bolivia before, but anything that compares to Wara and especially Climax is going to garner interest from me. Hopefully it's not hype, because the following description from Shadoks has my name all over it: "Most do not know much about music from Bolivia, like us. What's flashing our minds are the Andes, La Paz and flute music by Indios. But there are some great rock & underground bands such as Wara, Climax and most of all Estrella De Marzo. This album (still unknown to most collectors) is not only special because it's from an country not many listeners know much about. This album is so great, so much underground, so unique and well crafted, that it goes into a strong competition with most "classic underground releases" from South America. If you are in to wild fuzz guitar ala Zappa, and if you like Kissing Spell from Chile, beautiful vocals with strong lyrics and great beats , you will love this album. The early Pink Floyd has also influenced this album. For us it was one of the big musical discoveries for this year. Every track is great, high spirit progressive underground rock, as good as it can be. This album "A Los Ninos Con Amor" (to children with love) was recorded in 1974 with, keyboards, guitars, drums, bass & vocals."

And finally we have an archival release from the American expatriate King George Clemens. I haven't heard the 1968 album proper, though this claims to be more in line for what us underground heads prefer. We shall see. Label says: "King George Discovery - Peace Of Mind, was recorded in Sweden in 1968 with the US musician King George Clemens on guitar & vocals. A close friendship to Jimi Hendrix, who toured also Sweden in 1968, dropped many tracks from the release plan when the band was recording an album which also came out that year. All tracks who where competing with the music of Jimi Hendrix was not released, until now. A collector from England found the unknown tracks who where pressed only as a demo LP for the band. What a great find. Some tracks where placed on youtube and collectors where starting raving about this album. It is soo good, the guitar work is amazing, as psychedelic as it can get. We could release this album in cooperation with King George Clemens and we are proud to have this treasure released on vinyl and later onto CD. It's just great! One of the most important release this year for sure!"

Quasar Light, USA

Experience This. 1981 Jet Eye

UMR review

Priority: 1

7/20/11 (new entry)

News: Sireena to issue archival Mythos album and Franz K's second album

A quick trip over to Sireena shows a couple of interesting looking titles.

First we'll announce the second archival live release from the Stagge's Hotel series that started with Thirsty Moon (and I have yet to hear). This is a 1976 live recording called "SuperKraut" (I really like the Ohr album inspired cover art!). Since this is from their "Strange Guys" era, I'm more curious than excited. Musically Mythos were quite good during this period, mixing hard rock with flute and progressive structures, but they had become a vocal heavy band, and the vocals are definitely their Achilles Heel. Perhaps in a live setting, they focused more on instrumentals. We shall see.

Second we have Franz K's album "Rock in Deutsch" receiving its first CD reissue. Over 15 years ago I picked up Repertoire's reissue of their 1972 debut "Sensemann" and have always enjoyed it, despite the German political context. Over the length of two side long cuts, the band delivers on a number of fronts, especially the guitar. I have no idea why I never bothered to check out their 1973 followup (originally on Zebra), especially since it has a similar positive reputation. So that's why its absence on the Original CDRWL. Whatever the case, it will be easier for me, and everyone, to hear now!

News: RPM releases Armada

We just returned from a week long vacation without computer access, and generally when I do that, the news comes flying in. But not last week. However this one did catch my eye, while reviewing The Laser's Edge latest additions. RPM is one more wing of the Cherry Red series of labels, and our site usually features their Esoteric imprint.

I'll copy in Ken's description here. It definitely sounds interesting! "Archival collection of unreleased recordings from an unknown British prog rock band that existed in the early 70s. No one in the band that is particularly well known although the leader Sammy Rimington apparently has been active in the US jazz scene for decades now. Rimington is the band's guitarist. He also plays flute and sax. The material has a strong emphasis on flute leads but offers up some nice cutting guitar leads as well. Vocalist Terry Cooke isn't a mind blower but he's certainly up to the task and contributes flute as well. The label hype references early Genesis, Frank Zappa, Mahavishnu Orchestra, and King Crimson as influences. Frankly the only one I can say I hear is a vague comparison to Islands-era Crimson. There is a jazz influence but I wouldn't really call this "jazz rock". This is prog rock that would have easily fit on Neon or Vertigo. Sound quality varies from"yeah I guess this is OK" to "perfect". Quite a nice discovery and essential for anyone interested in early British prog."

Crow ~ England

Live at the Oyster Stores. 1992 private (MC)
Medicine Wheel. 1992 private (MC)
The Tides of Apsaroke. 1993 private (MC)

As we are in the midst of the unknown UK festival psych scene of the 1980s and early 90s, I'm happy to announce what may be the absolute best group I've heard in the entire genre: Crow. 

Holy moly! This is the good stuff right here. No pussyfooting around with electronica or reggae. Just hardcore space rock, in high flight mode most of the time, with loads of effects applied to the guitar. The guitarist plays not only fast solos, but a multitude of rhythm wah-wah that drives the music forward in an exciting way, with plenty of meter and thematic shifts to keep you guessing all the way through. There are sparse vocals, generally applied to add a trance-like effect and do not deter or become the centerpiece at any time. There are no keyboards to speak of, so the guitar and bass have the responsibility for all the tones and atmosphere - and they do a fantastic job at just that.

Medicine Wheel is the more psychedelic of the two albums, with plenty of tribal drumming and freaky guitar sequences with intense build-ups and actual climax releases. Both albums add didgeridoo to great effect. The Tides of Apsaroke ups the ante to a whole new level of intensity. Dare I say the guitar is almost heavy metal? Not a 1992 post-Metallica palm mute method, but rather a 1979 NWOBHM sound, similar to maybe early Saxon or Iron Maiden - but with the sound on sound fuzzy technique like Ed Wynne of Ozric Tentacles. I've never heard anything like it! And what an exciting path for other bands to pursue! There are a few more vocals on this album, and the material is definitely angrier, but no less satisfying for space rock heads. I haven't heard the live album, though the two live "bonus" tracks on Medicine Wheel are pretty rough in the recording department - so hopefully it's better than that would imply. Of the two albums, I prefer the purest Medicine Wheel, but Tides is the more adventurous and also just plain awesome.

So filtering the above, what do we have: Take the heavier Ozric Tentacles tracks like 'Eternal Wheel' and 'Dissolution', mix with the punk angst of Omnia Opera, toss a little pyrotechnic Mandragora jamming, throw in the progressive tendencies of 'White Rhino Tea' Ozric or the obscure band Blim, and add a dash of metal to the guitar sound. Almost sounds like the perfect formula - not sure I could have drawn that one out any better in the playbook.

Crow was awesome, and definitely the best band from the UK psych scene no one's heard of (even besting Blim). 

Priority: 1

7/5/11 (new entry)

Flaviola e o Bando Do Sol ~ Brazil ***REISSUED***

Flaviola e o Bando Do Sol. 1974 Solar

***Reissued by Mr. Bongo 2011

Flaviola (Flavio Lira) e o Bando do Sol is a Recife based group that came from the same batch of freaks who later created the Lula Cortes and Ze Remalho masterpiece (and on the same label). At this point I feel compelled to say this album isn't nowhere near as creative as that whacked and wonderful masterwork. Even though Flaviola e o Bando do Sol is mostly all acoustic, they have some of the same psychotic tendencies as we find on Paebiru - paradoxically combined with a hippy-dippy...Woodsy-The-Owl...sitting around the campfire style of feel-good folk. Fun stuff all around.

Priority: none

8/27/10 (new entry); 7/1/11 (complete)

News: Esoteric's 2011 June-Aug schedule

I'm a little late on the June announcements, but some pretty cool stuff in this batch.

Some of what caught my eye: Earth and Fire's "To the World of the Future" is a good choice and hasn't been on the market for years. This is really the first proper reissue of the album.

Socrates "Phos" is an interesting choice. Reissued a couple of times by Vertigo in Greece, I'll be curious what Esoteric will add beyond the usual excellent liner notes of course.

It's good to see Esoteric diving in the Italian reissue market a bit deeper. There's almost no classic Italian progressive album that hasn't been reissued (and our list has a few scattered about - but the great ones have already been done - in multiple formats). However, many of the Italian greats are still limping along with poor mastering. BTF has gone back and done a nice job with a lot of the old Vinyl Magic CDs - and added some liner notes as well. Acqua Fragile is a good band to tackle and I've been looking for a nice reissue of "Mass Media Stars" myself. Hopefully they don't stop at just the English language Italian groups.

Even more exciting for me is to see Aardvark's sole album get the royal treatment. There's been a "common" copy reissued many times - and I own the Japan mini that is taken from this source. I'll keep the mini for the cover, but it would be nice to know more about the band and to hear a properly done reissue. I personally love this curious organ freakout album, with quaint, almost Canterbury-ish psych tunes thrown in.

And finally the two CD set of Tangerine Dream's "Atem" looks most promising, as that second disc is: "This Esoteric reactive edition is expanded to include a bonus CD of a previously unreleased forty minute live performance given by Tangerine Dream at the Deutschlandhalle in Berlin on November 29th 1973 and features a lavishly illustrated deluxe booklet with new essay."

Here's the announcement from Vicky at Esoteric:

"June
Lol Coxhill-Ear of the Beholder-with contributions from kevin Ayers, Mike Oldfield and David Bedford
David Bedford-Nurses Song with Elephants (featuring Kevin Ayres and Mike Oldfield)
CCLR--s/t (new studio album with Bernardo Lanzetti of PFMs band with Steve Hackett as guest.)
Bill Nelson-Northern Dream (Bills 1st ever album)
Dave Brock and the Agents of Chaos-Agents of Chaos
Earth and Fire-To the World of the Future
Acqua Fragile-s/t (Italian prog with bernard Lanzetti)
Acqua Fragile-Mass media Stars

July
Aardvark--s/t Excellent Deram Nova album.
Tudor Lodge-s/t--lovely classic folk rock album with great new artwork
Richard Wahnfried and Arthur Brown-Time actor(Richard Wahnfried is Klaus Schulze)
Arthur Brown and Vincent Crane-Faster than the Speed of Light
Speedy keen-Y' Know Wot I mean (voice of Thunderclap Newman)
Soft Machine-Tales of Taliesin (lovingly packaged anthology of the Harvest Years)

August
Tangerine Dream-Atem (2Cd)
Tangerine Dream-Underwater Sunlight
Socrates-Phos
Jack Bruce-Out of the Storm
Speedy keen -Previous Convictions"

News: Achim Reichel to reissue remainder of catalog in 2012

Thanks to a ProgressiveEars note from Charles at progressiverock.com, we learned that Achim Reichel will reissue his other excellent works including Echo, 3, IV, Autovision and Erholung in 2012. This is according to a note on Reichel's Facebook page.

We'll be sure to keep an eye on this one. We still haven't seen the CD issue of Gunther Schickert's "Samtvogel" yet (though the LP did come out). Unrelated? Sure, but it reminded me of it all the same.

AMA ~ England

Not Blobs. 1988 Poultry Productions (MC)
Liveloudandlumpy. 1988 Poultry Productions (MC)
Genuflex. 1989 Poultry Productions (MC)

The date of Not Blobs is based on the catalog number. Genuflex is listed 3rd as that's how the Freeman's from Ultima Thule have it ordered. Given that Liveloudandlumpy is from November 1988, I'll surmise this one is from 1989. But it's only a guess.

AMA can quite simply be described as long and improvised, primitive sounding guitar-bass-drums psychedelic instrumental music with a muddy production. The kind of group that makes Tangle Edge sound like Conservatory students with an academic pedigree. A little of this kind of music goes a long way. Probably the Improvised Drop Outs sessions from Tangle Edge are the best reference here. It has a hypnotic effect as background music, but close inspection reveals all sorts of cracks, lines and warts. Like going to a dark restaurant and appearing on the surface to look beautiful, only later to be exposed in the bright lights to demonstrate the ugly truth. Personally I like the raw intensity of the recordings, though probably not enough to lobby for a reissue. Perhaps the cassette format is perfect for these kind of recordings in that, like the medium itself, it's old and creaky.

Start with "Not Blobs" if you're curios, as that one has an inkling of compositional acumen at least.

Priority: none

6/25/11 (new entry)

Syncope ~ Canada

Syncope. 1981 Productions Cram

A very obscure LP from Quebec. I hear a mix of way-past-its-sell-date horn rock, late 70s fusion, complex progressive rock similar to Opus 5 / Pollen, and even a little downer blues rock. The more I hear it, the better the album gets. The horn rock angle is really weird given the 1980 date, especially since it's of the 1969 Chicago / BST variety.

If you do decide to go surfing the web on this one, what you will find is fellow Gnosis colleague Sean Trane's excellent analysis of the album, which I'll quote here: "Hiding behind a poetic musical dawn artwork (see the full artwork PA's site), this septet is a very brassy affair, presenting a bit like a Quebecois version of Chicago through seven tracks ranging from four to six and a half minutes and one splendid mini-epic nearing eleven minutes.

The aptly-named septet develops some excellent syncopated prog-enhanced brass-rock, that sounds very Quebecois, not least through the relatively accent-less duo French vocals (often close to Opus-5), bar the swingy blues Bleu d'Hull track, which sticks out a bit too much from the rest of the album. Indeed the four tracks of the opening side sound like a calm and thoughtful version of Chicago or a less-kitschy Lighthouse without being derivative, the main difference being in the double vocals and an uncompromising songwriting. The flipside opens on the album's centrepiece, the instrumental self-titled mini-epic lasting almost 11 minutes, often running quite complex and even symphonic (grandiose intro on a church pipe organ), but never needlessly so. After an average mainly-sung track, the album closes on two splendid tracks, the first Cible (target) sounding like a brassy Opus-5 song, while the amazing instrumental finale of Rage features some wild Spanish-sounding horns that draws chills in the back of the neck. What an awesome way to finish an album.

If you'll make the exception of the sung-swing-song closing the A-side that ruins its cohesiveness, the album is a very impressive, filled with often-superb brass-rock that is probably more brilliant than the early Chicago classic albums."

Priority: 2

6/22/11 (new entry)

News: Vos Voisins to be reissued by Prog Quebec in November!

I've been sitting on this news for some time, having first caught wind of it in early January. And in fact, I do recall their being a premature announcement in early 2010. No matter, as we now have an announced release date from ProgQuebec of November 1, purposely after Halloween because of the track "Le Monstre de la Main".

Our feature of Vos Voisins here.

The topic came up in Progressive Ears for the announcement of the blues rock group Offenbach's double album "Tabarnac" (which you can order now).

Also noted is an October 4th release of a new album by ExCubus, a 1970's vintage group that PQ first introduced to us a few years ago.

And perhaps most exciting is that PQ is still working with Sony on reissuing Michel Madore's "Le Komuso a Cordes" and Franck Dervieux's "Dimension M".

News: Long Hair to release another Papa Zoot Band archival album

This is Long Hair's second archival release for the Papa Zoot Band. I thought the "Last Concert" from 1978 was pretty good, though this one sounds better to me honestly. We'll see! As always, Long Hair does a fantastic job on both sound and with the informative booklets.

Label says: "Great lost band from Frankfurt, Germany. In 1973/ 1974 Papa Zoot Band played all over Germany, mainly in clubs but also on festivals (German Pop Meeting) 1st and 2nd February 1974 in Essen, Grugahalle. Titles 01 - 04 were recorded live at SWF-Studio U1 in Baden Baden on April 13, 1973. The titles 05 - 10 were recorded at "Bunker", the bands rehearsal room in Frankfurt. The band played a very melodic sound but with a sense of drama comparable to Nektar, Eloy or Jane. Outstanding 20 minutes titles "Fly away" could be a long track by Pink Floyd of the Meddle/ Wish you were here/ Animals-Era. Characteristic for the bands sound are especially the swirling organ sound played by Ex-Nosferatu organ-player Tammy Grohe. These recordings show Papa Zoot Band during there best period. Hard to believe, that there was no record company to give them a contract. The sound of the CD is brilliant. All titles were remastered from the original master tapes. CD comes with comprehensive booklet and rare photos. Secret tip! A must have for all lovers of the genre."

News: Garden of Delights to reissue Sunbirds and Missus Beastly!!

What a great way to close the month. Top shelf reissue label Garden of Delights will release both the first Sunbirds album and Missus Beastly's "Dr. Aftershave and the Mixed Pickles" all with bonus tracks! These should be available very soon. And it sounds like "Space Guerilla" is right around the corner! It's not everyday we get a Priority 1 reissued (Sunbirds) and two Priority 2's (Missus Beastly). And I'm sure the second Sunbirds will follow soon as well.

It wasn't long ago that we discussed the Coming Soon list from Garden of Delights, and these were of course on there. We also have separate features for the Sunbirds and Missus Beastly.

Label says about the Sunbirds: "The fusion group Sunbirds was founded by the jazz musicians Klaus Weiss (drums) and Fritz Pauer (keyboards) in Munich in 1971, when the two of them had already made a name for themselves. They got Ferdinand Povel on flute, Jimmy Woode on bass and the world-famous guitarist Philip Catherine to join them. The band name Sunbirds was Fritz Pauer's idea, as well as the songs in E major and E minor, carrying titles including the word "sun". E is the sound representing the sun in esotericism. Due to their good connections, they could soon sign a contract with the then newly-founded BASF label. The LP was released in that same year of 1971, simply under the name of "Sunbirds" (BASF 2021110-2). The two as yet unreleased bonus tracks are from the same master tapes as the LP/CD tracks and were recorded at the same time. The second Sunbirds LP, "Zagara" is to follow on CD at a later point."

And they continue with Missus Beastly: ""Dr. Aftershave and the mixed-pickles" (April 00001) was Missus Beastly's third album, which once more presented some solid jazz rock, mostly instrumental. It was at the same time the first album to be released on April, the new self-distributing label run by Missus Beastly, Ton Steine Scherben, Embryo, and Sparifankal. The LP was recorded in the well-known Stuttgart Zuckerfabrik studio (a former sugar refinery) at the beginning of 1976. The two CD bonus tracks were recorded at the Vlotho festivals ("Umsonst und draußen" [outside and for free]) 1976 and 1977. At that time, they were presented on the annual festival LPs. "Dr. Aftershave" was actually planned to be released on CD years ago, but some unexpected obstacles caused a long delay. The fourth and last Missus Beastly LP, "Space Guerilla" from 1978, will soon be released on CD, again provided with bonus tracks." The delay is that the label Funfundvierzig was originally going to reissue these, but I don't think the label exists anymore.

I should mention that GoD's Thors Hammer label will also be issuing an archival release from the British folk band Fotheringay and the CD is entitled "Essen 1970".

News: Bureau B reissues the first two You albums

Thanks to a tip from Laser Ken, we learned that the German label Bureau B have reissued the first two You albums with bonus tracks. These have been reissued before (which is why they're not listed separately here on the CDRWL), but on the very rare and expensive 5 CD set known as "Era" that Cue put out in 1996. Naturally I just laid out $85 for that set, when my primary interest was only for these two albums. That figures! I may pick these up anyway, and move the set later on.

I've had my eye on Bureau B for awhile, as they've been putting out a lot of interesting stuff (mainly new material), especially around the Cluster / Guru Guru camp. So this is the first time I've been able to highlight one of their reissues.

If you're not familiar with You, they were one of the best groups playing in the Berlin School of electronic music from the late 1970s and early 80s. In particular, I really enjoy "Electric Day", with the addition of guitar and real drums, that gives it an added rock dimension that is most welcome in this setting.

Label says: "A hitherto less celebrated, yet outstanding exponent of the so called Berlin School of electronic music was the Krefeld combo YOU. Udo Hanten and Albin Meskes teamed up with another iconic figure of electronic music, Harald Grosskopf (drummer for Ashra, Klaus Schulze), to issue their fantastic debut album "Electric Day" 1979. Definitely worth to be rediscovered! Available on CD, 180g vinyl, and download. CD and download will include four bonus tracks!

Four years after releasing their debut YOU delivered the sophomore LP, entitled "Time Code". Reduced to a duo, YOU largely remained faithful to their style, but expanded upon it. The album perfectly illustrates the transition of electronic music from the 1970s to the 1980s. Available on CD, 180g vinyl, and download. CD and download include two bonus tracks!"

Hiromasa Suzuki [Rock Joint Biwa (Furukotofumi)] ~ Japan ***REISSUED***

Hiromasa Suzuki - Rock Joint Biwa - Kumikyoku: Furukotofumi. 1972 RCA Victor 4-Channel "QuadraDisc" (R4J-7015)

***Reissued by Sony May 2011

UMR review

Priority: 2

12/14/10 (new entry); 5/25/11 (complete)

News: Capability Brown to be reissued by Arcangelo of Japan

Happened to catch this update from Neolith this morning. Arcangelo is the house label for the Disk Union store in Tokyo. I think "Voice" received a CD reissue over 20 years ago (also in Japan) and this is the first legit release for "From Scratch", but I'm not 100% entirely sure. These will be in the mini-LP format. Since the dollar has plunged against the yen dramatically in recent months, these mini's have become prohibitively expensive. I'm not too concerned though, as currency valuations fluctuate all the time. I'm just hoping they don't go out of print before that happens! Look for a June 8th release.

The Beat of the Earth ~ USA

The Beat of the Earth. 1967 Radish.
Our Standard Three Minute Tune. 1994 Radish (recorded in 1967).

One of the most extraordinary early recordings you'll ever hear. Maybe the best aural document we have of the free wheeling Southern Californian culture of 1966 and 1967. This is one continuous track, broken up by the sides of the record. Non stop percussion, acoustic and electric guitar (a fuzzy surf sound), sitars, an ancient organ, and droning vocals. One of the most drugged out albums I've ever heard, except the bandleader (Phil Pearlman) was apparently anti-drugs! Maybe if the Velvet Underground had more of that Californian sunshine, they'd sound like this.

A legit LP was reissued by the band itself at the same time they unearthed the archival Our Standard Three Minute Tune, which is very similar in sound and structure to the album proper. Neither of these have been issued legit on CD. Watch for bootlegs.

Priority: 2

7/8/09 (new entry); 5/10/11

News: Sireena to release live Thirsty Moon concert from 1976

Happened to catch this one while reviewing what's new at Sireena. This is probably past Thirsty Moon's sell-by date, but sometimes a live concert can be a pleasant surprise, especially if it features unique material. And the 1975 concert that Long Hair released was pretty good.

I have scant details as Sireena says nothing more than the following: "With THIRSTY MOON's "Lunar Orbit" (Sireena 2085) we start a cd-series with live recordings from the legendary Stagge's Hotel in 1976. An exciting journey with amazing sound quality."

It sounds like it could be an exciting series. We'll see!

News: Polyphony to come out on Gear Fab!

Well I'll be darned. Never thought I'd see a legit reissue of this one come out. Gear Fab is a quirky US based label, who primarily focus on 60's psych and garage, but from time to time will also reissue albums in what the CDRWL features. Glenn Howard confirms this reissue on his Facebook page. I have no details of bonus tracks or if it's even from the original masters tape. We'll find out soon enough (tentative date is set for July 2011).

This one has been booted many times. Hopefully everyone will ditch their former copy and obtain this one. That's exactly what I plan to do. I also have the original LP, which I would not sell in any case.

Wow - the reissues are coming fast and furious now! What a great month it's been.

Our feature of Polyphony here.

Polyphony ~ USA ***REISSUED***

Without Introduction. 1971 Eleventh Hour

***Reissued by Gear Fab, Jul 2011

UMR review

Priority: 1

8/12/09 (new entry); 5/2/11 (complete)

News: Laurence Vanay albums to come out on Lion!!!

December 8, 2013 update: The Vanay albums have been released!

As if yesterday's news wasn't big enough, I heard from Vincent (Lion Productions' owner) last night who informed me that the first two Vanay albums are coming out on both CD and LP! The CD will be a mini-LP sleeve and will contain many bonus tracks (perhaps from the mythical last 2 albums, or from the Magic Slows album - I'm not sure yet). No date has been given for release. These are Priority 1's for me, especially Galaxies, an album of pure genius. Our feature of her albums here.

Vincent says: "I've just signed a contract with Jacqueline Thibault to reissue "Galaxies" and "Evening Colours" (at least), both (mini-LP sleeve) CD versions with plentiful bonus tracks; both LP versions as straight-up LP reissues (I think). I'm still sorting through the many CDs of music she sent to me before we determine what exactly will be included on my re-releases."

With news of Rock Joint Biwa, Het Pandorra Ensemble and Laurence Vanay, April has proven to be one of the most exciting months in years concerning reissues! Let's hope it continues.

News: Modulus to reissue Het Pandorra Ensemble!!

Wow - big news today! I've been sitting on this for awhile now, and I'm glad it's now official.

Before getting into the first release, the naming contest is officially over. The Laser's Edge new limited reissue series will be called Modulus. Congratulations to the poster that named it!

And Modulus' first reissue is a Priority 2 for us. This is a very auspicious beginning for the label, and we can only hope more will appear as time goes on. The fact the first reissue is a rare and obscure Dutch group proves that Modulus will not be a US only label. Here's our post on the album.

Ken states: "The first planned release that we have contracted for is Het Pandorra Ensemble "III". It will feature the original 1978 release plus assorted unreleased bonus tracks (still being sorted out by Dolph Planteijdt). Bob Katz will handle the mastering from the original analog tapes. It will be a strictly limited edition of 500 copies. Since this is not going through normal distribution channels. I have not established an exact release date but I hope to have it available sometime during the early part of the Summer."

Ken's shared with me some other potential reissues, and they're all exciting possibilities!

New blog: Under the Radar CDs

This is an idea I've had in the back of my mind for awhile. Basically a similar blog style to this, but featuring either obscure progressive rock CDs of the past - or - newer bands that are receiving very little press and I think deserve more notice.

For a more detailed explanation and to see the first album featured - the blog is now up and running!

And don't worry, we still have plenty more albums to add to the CDRWL!

Floyd Hunchback Group ~ Switzerland

Floyd Hunchback Group. 1978 Sunrise

Yet another obscure Swiss band to feature. My first couple of listens last summer didn't convince me to list it separately. As I hear this again after about a nine month break, I think it crosses the line into what I tend to enjoy. 

Floyd Hunchback Group is a tough album to describe. You can tell they're jazzers, and the typical late 70's fusion elements are all out in force (Rhodes, sax, funky bass). But they have this mean streak too, and some of the gymnastic rhythms, coupled with Moog and guitar solos, point to a love for complex instrumental progressive rock. The drumming is quite exceptional. Strangely I'm hearing more of a mid 70's Eastern European sound here, as found in bands like Fermata or SBB.

Priority: 3

4/23/11 (new entry)

News: Karthago Live at The Roxy reissued by Made in Germany

And a followup to the last post, Made in Germany also plans to reissue Karthago's Live at the Roxy (1976) as a 2 CD set. Just like the "Victor" album, this one did get pressed by the parent Bacillus label back in the late 1980s. Looks like MiG cut a deal to get these back into the market. I'm sure they will do a great job as always, and will be the desired end product to own. Even though Karthago are typically labeled a Krautrock band, they're in reality more a plain US styled rock n roll group. I have a couple of friends that are huge fans of the group, so I know this will be a much welcome reissue for many.

News: Rigoni / Schoenherz reissued by Made in Germany

Made in Germany appears to be the successor to the InsideOut.de reissue series that started last decade. They're slowly adding more and more interesting titles. Last year they surprised us with the 3 CD set by Niagara. Now we learn that MiG is reissuing the epic double LP by Rigoni / Schoenherz. This is not the first time for the album to find itself on CD, as it was reissued by the parent label Bacillus in the late 1980s, but it's been OOP forever. To be perfectly honest, I never cared for this Austrian album much personally. But I know many of you will be pleased to see this.

Label says: "Before Richard Schönherz became famous as creator of the "Rilke" - and "Hesse" projects, in 1975 he created - along with Manuel Rigoni - the concept work "Victor".

"Victor" is still considered a milestone of prog-rock, a concept album that creates the balance between orchestrated classic and sophisticated rock in a unique way.

With the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Vienna Academy Chamber Choir, musicians such as the recently deceased Kurt Hauenstein (Supermax), Harry Stojka, Achim Buchstab or Johan Daansers, "Victor" became a cinematic masterpiece about the power of youth and a plea for deference to authority, war and cruelty.

Partly recorded and mixed in the legendary Abbey Road Studios, "Victor" still is a timeless work that is worth exploring.

The MIG-new edition contains the complete, extensive booklet of the vinyl edition and has been lovingly remastered.

TRACKLISTING:

The Invitation
The Head Of The Circus Sings For His Beloved Audience
Who Is Victor
Victor's Song For Himself
Victor's Song For His Father
Where Is Victor
Victor's Dream
Victor's Song For The White Man
The Song Of Life

CREDITS:
Produced by Peter Hauke
All lyrics, music and arrangements by
Manuel Rigoni and Richard Schoenherz
Symphonic Orchestra composed and arranged
by Richard Schoenherz, dedicated to Sonja

Recorded at
Abbey Road Studios, Chipping Norton Studio, AIR Studios England, Europa Sound Studio, Germany Austrophon Studio, Vienna

Engineered by
Peter Bown, Barry Hammond, Fred Schreier, Hartmut Pfannmüller, Steve Nye, Gregor Hornacek, Wolfgang Engel

Remixed at
Abbey Road Studios, Advision Studios, AIR Studios
Remixing engineers
Peter Bown, Dec O'Doherty, Peter Henderson

Personel
Richard Schoenherz - keyboards, lead vocals
Manuel Rigoni - drums, percussion
Kurt Hauenstein - bass, lead vocals on "Song Of Life"
Harry Stojka - guitars
Achim Buchstab - lead vocals on "Who Is Victor" and "Where Is Victor"
Johan Daansen - guitars
Peter Wolf - ARP on "The Invitation"
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Wiener Akademie Kammerchor

Cover Art by Karl Strnad
Photographs by Kurt Waldert and Karl Strnad "

Emerald Web ~ USA

Dragon Wings And Wizard Tales. 1979 Stargate

UMR review

Priority: 3

***Reissued on LP by Sebastian Speaks (2012) and Long Hair (2017)

4/21/11 (new entry)

Dragon ~ New Zealand

Scented Gardens for the Blind. 1975 Vertigo

UMR review

Priority: 2

***Reissued on LP by Replica (2023)

Universal Radio was reissued in 2009 by Aztec, and this title was announced for the following year, but it never happened.

4/17/11 (new entry)

Earwacks ~ USA

Distances. 1981 private

We frequently speak of the late 1970s Midwest progressive rock sound on the CDRWL, and the St. Louis based Earwacks would seem an obvious candidate. But it's really not. There's no bid for AOR airplay here. This is truly private press land - an oddball album that is more 1960s in spirit and early-1970s in sound. The shelf date for this kind of music had expired a full ten years before its release. I could see this as a pointed retro album from the late 90s or 2000's, but have absolutely no idea where the inspiration came from in 1981? A scattered mixture of pop, rock (and both styles decidedly non-1980s sounding) and epic progressive rock (with mellotron, flute, sax and fuzz guitar).


Priority: none

4/14/11 (new entry)

Jenghiz Khan ~ Belgium

Well Cut. 1971 Barclay

It was in the late 1980's that I first began to trade with dealers from around the world. And Jenghiz Khan was one of the first albums I traded for, and it cost me some rare gems (at least for what I had to offer at the time). "A psychedelic progressive masterpiece from Belgium." I don't think I could have been more disappointed. In fact, I thought it was terrible and I'd just been taken to the cleaners. An early lesson for me in "dealer hype". See my definition of hype in the Passenger (UK) entry. Anyway, looking back on it, I can see where Jenghiz Khan would be popular with a certain fan base. So no way would I call it hype today. And it's aged a bit better for me, but no chance would I froth about it either. Jenghiz Khan are a fairly typical early 70s hard rock / blues rock band with organ and guitar leads, and half-way decent English vocals. Very ordinary songwriting. Somewhat like the UK blues rock scene ala Ashkan and Elias Hulk, but far more inconsistent. Last track, clocking in at 10 minutes, is the clear winner of the bunch. 

Priority: none

***Reissued on LP by PhilMarie (2011)

4/12/11 (new entry)

Trocarn ~ Switzerland

Trocarn. 1977 Studiovox

Trocarn play in that charming, but hopelessly low budget, maudlin, French progressive folk genre. Epic but somewhat confused. Towards the end of the album, we're presented with a loud burst of fuzz guitar, coupled with the freaky fast complex changes. It appears the band possessed tons of pent-up anger and went nuts at the end. More of that interspersed throughout would have made for a monster album. One has to think there is more of that sound in a canister somewhere. From the French section of Suisse. File next to Emeraude, Subversion, and Alpha Centauri.

Priority: 3

4/10/11 (new entry)

News: Shadoks reissues O Bando from Brazil

Interesting new batch of CDs and LPs from Shadoks. As usual with the deep divers at Shadoks, not all is relevant to our site, but I cherry picked a few out. Since this is the CDRWL, we'll start with the shiny thing.

I haven't heard O Bando prior, but in typical Shadoks fashion, it appears they reissued it on LP first. As you'll see below, I generally try to seek some of these vinyl albums out as well, but I just missed this title altogether. The label says:

O Bando was recorded in 1969 in São Paulo by 5 guys and a beautiful singer Marisa Fossa. The production was state of the art hosted by the 3 top producer of Brazil. For 1969 it was recorded in Scatena studios in São Paulo with 8 channels equipment which was the best you can get at this time. The music has sophisticated brass arrangements very much like the same level as US bands Chicago Transit Authority, The Flock and Blood Sweat & Tears with the charm and rhythms of Brazil Exotics. If you like the album by Liverpool this one would be for you. A real summer record, should make the stoned Psychedelic listener move his hips and dance or at least nod their feet. Great guitars, smashing vocals, Samba rhythm, horns, tons of effects, a real trip to Brazilian underground music. One of the best!

Perhaps even more interesting is their new lineup of obscure LPs. I don't usually call these out, since that's not the purpose of our list, but what the heck - I'm already here. And there's a good chance all of these will see a CD reissue from the label sometime in the future. The Eugene Carnan (band name, not person) in particular could be promising, especially if it lives up to the groups its being compared to. I also included the second Bump LP, which was part of their last batch of releases. I didn't care much for the first album by them, but this sounds more interesting - on paper at least.

Label descriptions below:



Here is a great surprise for us. An unknown UK album with such a great musical potential. Musically it is a very powerful guitar dominated underground rock such as Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer, Dark or Grannie. The rarety factor is way above all those other rare UK album, which stay in low pressings of 99 copies and 15-20 such as Dark. This one has been pressed only 4 times ever. In September 1971 Eugene Carnan entered a UK-wide competition for “Best New Band” run by the famous Melody Maker magazine, they recorded the album in 1972 and took it to London to Eden Studios for a demo pressing and cut 4 acetates. Eugene Carnan a 3 piece band are from Sheffield, UK with guitar & vocals, bass and drums. All own composition. A killer album from beginning to end.



1968 Hollywood, USA. The Churchill Downs recorded 16 great tracks at the studio from famous producer Gary S. Paxton. The band was very young at the time but the musical output was on the highest level you can imagine with a damn good production. How can a band like this not become famous is a mystery. Fantastic compositions, great multi vocal singing, strong guitars, organ, drums, bass, effects, everything you desire to get catchy Underground songs with tons of great ideas in it to make those songs unique and out of bounce and not middle of the road. It is just what we love about the productions of Phil Spector and Andrew Loog Oldham. The Churchill Downs are one of the best US unknown albums among Beauregard Ajax and Public Nuisance. With Don Adey on guitar & vocals, Gary Dalton Stovall guitar & vocals, Dirk Acree bass & vocals, Mick Newton keyboards & vocals, Al Stigler & Fred Darling on drums. If we could go back in time, lets say 40+ years and release this album in 1968 we would have been rich. Why this album was never been pressed is still a mystery. So for the first time ever those great songs made it onto vinyl. We love it.



BUMP 2 (the unreleased second album) was recoded in 1971, just a year later after the debut album, also on Pioneer Records and also produced by Gary A. Rubin. Paul Lupien - organ / George Runyan - bass, vocals / Alan Goldman - guitar / Jerome Charles Greenberg - drums recorded 8 great tracks which never came out so far. We could even use the original artwork. This is a fantastic prog / psychedelic monster LP, a mixture of dreamy organ psych with heavy fuzz bluster, very much like CA Quintet. Ghostly swirly organs, burning rough guitars, sound effects, fuzz/wahwah guitars, trippy lysergic vocals and great melodies. A killer album from start to end.

News: Sony to reissue Rock Joint Biwa and Rock Joint Sitar!!!!

In the WOW!!! category comes this amazing news out of Japan. The Alaskan Connection gave me the heads up 3 days ago (which I saw via my iPhone), and I've been bursting to share, but unfortunately couldn't get to the computer while away for business.

We featured the Rock Joint Biwa album back in December as part of our duo of very rare Japanese albums. This is the album commonly referred to as Fulukotofumi.

Interesting to note that the albums will be issued under the name Hiromasa Suzuki.

Since that post, I have heard parts of the Rock Joint Sitar album (courtesy of a YouTube video that the AC sent me - you can Google for it under the Hiromasa name). It's definitely more in the jazz realm than the Biwa album.

Here's the note the AC sent me. Thanks again for letting me know!

"It turns out that both of the Rock Joint albums are finally being reissued! They're being done by Sony Music, and are due to be released on May 25 at a price of 2100 Yen each. It should be noted that the artist name being used for these is Hiromasa Suzuki or Hiromasa Suzuki Trio. For some reason, the Sony Music Japan site still doesn't have anything up about this, but they've been listed on all the major Japanese retailers now, and I've spoken to a couple of Japanese sources who have confirmed that these are definitely coming. To say these reissues are necessary is an understatement, as the price on the originals has really gotten out of control. I just saw another copy of Rock Joint Sitar go for over $1000, and it was just the regular 2-channel version, and a rather beat-up looking example at that. As I mentioned, pretty much all of the Japanese webshops will be carrying these, but here are the Amazon Japan links just so you can see for yourself:

http://www.amazon.co.jp/ロック・ジョイント琵琶%7E組曲-ふることふみ-鈴木宏昌/dp/B004U7LJW2/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8& qid=1302052831&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.co.jp/ロック・ジョイント・シタール%7E組曲-シルクロード-鈴木宏昌トリオ/dp/B004U7LJKE/ref=sr_1_2?s=music& ie=UTF8&qid=1302052931&sr=1-2"

News: BTF reissues Robert Genco's "Beyond the Life (Oltre la Vita)"

Midwest Mike wrote in this week to let me know about this title, which I hadn't heard of prior. BTF says this about it:

"1977: was the year in which Italian Progressive Rock was closing its vital cycle, tough there were still two masterpieces of its kind to be released: one is the famous Locanda delle Fate, while the second and was left for too long in the vaults, as it has never been reissued for almost 40 years: we talk of Robert Genco’s “Beyond the life”. Given that the drummer Robert Genco must not be confused with Robert
Genco of 'Genco Puro and co, "Beyond the Life is a wonderful prog rock album, where the drummer blends Italian prog, with an ultra-sophisticated jazz-rock. The influences are kaleidoscopic, with the opening track (Angoscia) that runs through the streets of jazz prog at its best: James Senese and Napoli Centrale, Osanna, but also Perigeo. The title track " Beyond the Life” could almost be described as a tribute to the PFM, while" All recomposes "is prog rock close to Yes and Genesis. The B side is a long suite which summarizes the influences cited before, by adding flavors of Chick Corea, Dedalus, Canzoniere del Lazio, but with an extremely progressive drumming. A gem of rare beauty, finally rediscovered!

Paperlseeve package with extended liner notes. With two bonus tracks!"

Famous Actors from Out of Town ~ USA

F.A.F.O.O.T. FA3574. 1986 private (MC)

And while on the theme of 1980s era avant progressive US groups, might as well throw in Richmond, Virginia's Famous Actors from Out of Town.

Famous Actors from Out of Town is a self-described "improvo-instrumental" group. Exactly the kind of album you'd expect to find on the nearby Cuneiform label. As with any such venture, there are bits that should have been edited out, but there are also plenty of inspired moments as well. Some fine guitar work with tricky and complicated rhythms. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this album.

Description below provided by the Free Music Archive - and you can hear the album there as well.

Comprised of former members of the Orthotonics, Idio-Savant, the Tom & Marty Band, House of Freaks, Sparklehorse, Cracker and Gutterball, FAFOOT made ambitiously composed and arranged instrumental music built on two of the city's best drummers working intricately in tandem.

"FA3457" (sic) was a limited-edition, cassette-only release and in 2009 Chris Bopst of the syndicated "Bopst Show" said: "For years I have been looking to secure a digital copy of the cassette tape made by the late, great Richmond instrumental band, The Famous Actors From Out of Town (FAFOOT). I had long ago lost my tape of the group’s one and only release and wanted to get it back into my collection. I contacted one of the group’s drummers, Pippin Barnett and asked him if he had an extra copy of it lying around somewhere. Within 10 minutes of my request, the Art Blakey of Richmond percussion wrote back saying he had a burned CD copy he could give me and after a few more exchanges, he dropped off the CD at one of my places of employment. It was as good as I remembered it. The four-man group consisting of Marty McCavitt on keyboards, Paul Watson on guitar, trumpet & bass and Pippin and Johnny Hott on drums were amazing live and the recording captures their weirdo, late 70’s/early 80’s art, rock, jazz, noise sound pretty well. The 23-year old recording sounds as vibrant today as it did back then."

Priority: none

4/5/11 (new entry)

Eardance ~ USA

Seek Opposites. 1982 Touch

UMR review

Priority: 3

4/4/11 (new entry)

Newcross ~ USA

Newcross. 1986 Rain of Thought (EP) 

UMR review

Priority: 3

4/3/11 (new entry)

Regressive Aid ~ USA

Why Settle For Less When You Can Regress? 1981 Rhesus

 
Effects on Exposed People. 1983 Rhesus

UMR review

Priority: 3

4/2/11 (new entry)