Sevil ~ Azerbaijan

Sevil. 1978 Melodia

For many years I was on the worldwide prog rock chase. But never once did I run into anything from Azerbaijan. Now Sevil isn't prog, but rather a very interesting jazz meets funk meets mugham, the latter an indigenous form of modal singing. I haven't been exposed to mugham before, so that sounds fascinating on its own - mostly handled by a female vocalist. To my untrained ears, it sounds Arabic, but of course that's not correct, it's just the similarity of scales and passion. The jazz is cool, mostly piano, bass, and drums in improv mode. The funk is the most interesting aspect to my ears. Mostly this element is brought forth by the wah wah rhythm guitar, sounding quite a bit like Isaac Hayes' 'Theme from Shaft'. You begin to wonder how that even came about - especially in the Brezhnev era of the USSR, not known for his tolerance of Western influence. 

Supposedly recorded in 1971, but I cannot find data to support this assertion. That would have been even more strange given how closed the Soviet Union was back then. Originals are a freaking fortune and mostly extinct. The album's obscurity is the same excuse that Firyuza and Gunesh's debut have - it was only released in the local region of the country itself, not throughout the Soviet empire. Perhaps even more bizarre is there does exist an "export" version with liner notes in English. I suspect that the Authorities didn't let this one get too far away. Probably the "art director" for this release suddenly disappeared without notice. No mention of the recording date either. A local Azerbaijan label (Molla Nasreddin) put this album back on the map (reading it's not from the masters). This reissue has already been scooped up from those in the know. There's also a Russian private CD release, that could be legitimate, but who knows. I probably wouldn't seek out either way, but it's fun to own something unique like this. So I might.

Priority: 3

There exists LP and CD reissues, both apparently from vinyl. In this part of the world it's difficult to know what is legit and what isn't. Creating the entry as it certainly fits the purpose of this site.

11/21/23 (review); 3/31/25 (new entry)

Theo Schumann-Formation ~ Germany (DDR)

Tanz in Theo's Beat Bar. 1977 Amiga

If I hadn't personally wandered all over Eastern Europe at various stages from 1990 to 1994, and lived the reality, I could be fooled into thinking the West got the wrong end of the stick. I mean seriously - who wouldn't want to dance at Theo's Beat Bar? I'm so there - a casual foreign observer holding up the darkened wood panel bar, plumes of smoke everywhere, while enjoying multiple steins of awesome nickel beer from a local brewery. And watching hotty frauleins dance wildly in their tight fitting state worker uniforms. Male fantasy overload I'd submit. And who is providing this fanciful soundtrack? Well... none other than Theo Schumann of course! Who is that? I have no idea. Does it matter? Digging those period analog synthesizers, organ, and smooth electric sax. And that rhythm section! Nonstop fills. Miles would approve. This is some groovy ass sh...t. There are some straighter jazz / blues numbers as well. 

The photo of the band on the back is priceless. So square, they're hip. 

Priority: 3

11/7/23 (review); 3/31/25 (new entry)

Alkana ~ USA

Welcome To My Paradise. 1978 Baby Bird

UMR review

Priority: 1

3/31/25

The Young Bros. ~ USA

High Energy Rock. 1978 GDS

UMR review

Priority: 2

3/31/25 (new entry)

Brahman ~ Canada

Brahman. 1971 Mercury

UMR review

Priority: 3

3/30/25 (new entry)

Goliath ~ USA

Hot Rock & Thunder. 1974 Bridges (recorded 1972)

UMR review

Priority: 2

3/30/25 (new entry)

Demian ~ USA (TX)

Demian. 1971 ABC

UMR review

Priority: 2

There are many iffy reissues, but nothing solid.

3/30/25 (new entry)

Euclid ~ USA

Heavy Equipment. 1970 Amsterdam

UMR review

Priority: 2

***Reissued on LP by BCP (2023)

A lot of CD pirate editions out there, but nothing legit like the LP above.

3/30/25 (new entry)

Rob Carroll Trio ~ Canada

Rob Carroll Trio. 1983 RSM

UMR review

Priority: 3

3/29/25

Lite Storm ~ USA

Warning. 1972 Beverly Hills

UMR review

Priority: 2

***Reissued on LP by Out-Sider (2019)

3/29/25 (new entry)

Derek Newark ~ England

Francesa Suite. 1981 Red Dot

UMR review

Priority: 2

3/29/25 (new entry)

Aleph ~ Australia

Surface Tension. 1977 Atlantic

UMR review

Priority: 2

This is one of those albums I left off the initial list because there was an iffy reissue. We'll leave here until a more definitive reissue arrives.

3/29/25 (new entry)

Karl Ratzer ~ Austria

In Search of the Ghost. 1978 Vanguard
Street Talk. 1979 Vanguard
Finger Prints. 1979 Vanguard

UMR reviews

Priority: 1 (for Street Talk)

These are his early albums. Ratzer was to release many more but I haven't heard them. Not sure they fall into the scope of this list as Finger Prints is marginal as it is.

3/29/25 (new entry)

Borne ~ Spain

Exprime La Naranja. 1979 Chapa Discos

UMR review

Priority: 2

3/28/25 (new entry)

Gary Saracho ~ USA

En Medio. 1973 Impulse / ABC

UMR review

Priority: 1

3/28/25 (new entry)

***Reissued on LP by Verve (2022). One year after our feature of it.

Robert Savage ~ USA

The Adventures of Robert Savage Volume 1. 1971 Paramount

UMR review

Priority: 2

3/28/25 (new entry)

Stanley Steamer ~ USA

Stanley Steamer. 1973 Jolly Rogers

UMR review

Priority: 2

3/28/25 (new entry)

Crying Wood ~ Netherlands

Forward in Time / Back to the Mountains. 1969 archival

I wasn't expecting to add a CD Reissue Wish List item today. Especially from The Netherlands. Most of the obscurities I'm digging up these days are from the US, and they're 45s at that. But Northern Europe from 1969? How can that even be possible? Not even sure how I ran into this title. I think I saw their 45 and noticed they had an album. Put it on a list, and today I ran across it. Oh cool, it's on YouTube. Let's check it out.

The music is excellent. Very much a product of the 1969 / 70 underground heavy prog scene. More like what was happening in the UK during the era, but certainly bands like Ahora Mazda could also be referenced. Mostly heavy guitar and organ, rough vocals, and well thought out tunes. This is your classic CDRWL Priority 2, and I've added it to my RYM list.

It's easy to find the history of the band on the internet. The group themselves have been out there in recent times. The Fantazio compilation I wrote about not too long ago has one track (from their 45) and has the same history you will find on the internet. Here's the source for the history - and it's from one of the band members. There's some great photos on this video too.  The music is undeniably from the era - sounds exactly like their official 45, which is also on the album. It's a master tapes recording from 1969 it would appear.

It's the LP itself that looks a bit fishy. Maybe it's not, but you guys know me by now. I've called BS on a number of releases over the years, and most times have been proven right. Would love to be proven wrong - certainly I have nothing to gain either way. So let's start peeling the onion as they say.

Besides the fact I never saw this album in a rarities catalog back in the day (and I got a bunch of them), it's also not mentioned in Jean Jobses comprehensive Private Dutch book that was released in the 90s. Jean is a dedicated collector of all things Dutch prog and psych. I think he would have at least known about it. If you go to Discogs, you will not see an album cover, but rather a poster. If you go to RYM or search the blogs, you will see another poster. That is not the cover. There is no cover apparently. So let's look at the history on Discogs. Added 3 years ago by someone who didn't own it. OK. Let's go to RYM. Added in 2012, not long after its first appearance on download blogs. OK. Where's the label then? Was not in the video above. Ah-ha I found it. It gets more interesting. The side we see says "Forward in Time", so guessing the other is "Back to the Mountains"? Yet no one mentions anything but Back in the Mountains - well except the YouTube link above. It's a plain white label with no provenance. Has the track titles, a catalog number, and simply says "Rec at GTB Studio, The Hague Holland". Nothing about Canada. Jeez - why don't I just screen print it? There - now you can see it. Also - doesn't the typeface look more like an inkjet? Can't recall anything looking like that from 1970. And the lack of a groove under the label is also suspicious.

It looks all the world like a modern pressing - perhaps from the 2000s. The music is very real, and someone clearly got a hold of a good sounding tape, maybe even the masters (remember the band has resurfaced). But the 1970 Canada release without a cover story just doesn't make ANY sense (other than it's hard to prove otherwise). Why Canada? Even Indonesia would make more sense. It doesn't look like a demo. The sold price on Discogs is suspiciously low for something so crazily obscure. All of them are NM (or close) - and about the same price. Guess no one played the heck out of it since 1970 then, huh?  I've known records like this - they sell in the $1,000's. And there might be one sale listed on Popsike from an old ebay auction - and that's it.

I dunno folks. Getting some smell on this one. Maybe I'm wrong. Just need some verifiable data to emerge. The weird part is the band member playing a track from his LP and saying it's from Canada. Maybe he was sitting on some stock? Just strange really.

But the music is excellent, undeniably authentic, and would be great to see a proper reissue!

3/28/25 update: Within the last month, users on Discogs have finally labeled this as a bootleg. So we await a proper "issue" of this album. I'm leaving the photo as that's part of my case against the authenticity.

Priority: 2

5/1/20 (review); 3/28/25 (new entry)

The Union ~ USA

Distance Traveled. 1986 Laughing Tree

UMR review

Priority: 3

3/28/25 (new entry)

Mazeville Crossing ~ USA

Mazeville Crossing. 1975 Strawberry

UMR review

Priority: none

3/28/25 (new entry)

Nova ~ USA

In the Clouds. 1976 private

Nova's sole album is a private press instrumental fusion affair from Stockton, California. Sure, it's quite typical of the era, and there's little here to distinguish it from countless others. However the album does feature some excellent guitar and synthesizer work, along with some well written compositions. In a nutshell, it's the usual sunny and tropical fusion, but with plenty of technical prowess. This one's a grower - worth pursuing for sure.

Priority: 3

3/28/25 (new entry)

Stubbs ~ Japan

The Prime Moving Lumps. 1985 private

Stubbs is a new discovery for me, though it appears to have been out in the blogosphere for some years. In any event, this is hardcore mid to late 70s Hatfield and the North / National Health worship. Which means it pushes all the right buttons for me. There's nothing here to indicate it to be a mid 80s recording. It was retro before retro was even imagined! Probably would have been tagged "dated" in its own day. If it even had its own day. More on that below. With The Prime Moving Lumps you get highly melodic and complex instrumental jazz infused progressive rock. Fuzzy keyboards, bass, and guitar lead the way. Music like this never gets tiresome. This is an album that needs to be discovered by the horde.

As far as its provenance goes, that's more of a mystery. RYM claims it to be on cassette, whereas ProgArchives had it once on CD, now they say it's an LP. Online you might find what looks like a CD, but almost assuredly it's a CD-R mockup. It's not in Discogs at all (as of 3/27/25), and Popsike says there's no history of a sale on ebay. My best guess here - and I've talked about this before - is that Stubbs were part of the tape trading culture of Japan in the 80s and early 90s. It was not uncommon for newly recorded material - live or studio - to be passed around via cassette. These were not official releases, but were meant to gain the artist exposure. For example, Happy Family was well known via this method long before their first official CD arrived on Cuneiform (and even before their one cassette). Perhaps it does exist in physical form already - but it sure is damn obscure then. Wouldn't be the first time, but for now, I think the theory above holds until proven different.

This is certainly an album worthy of a CD release - or reissue if it turns out that way. 

Priority: 1

3/27/25 (new entry)

Pole ~ France

Kotrill. 1975 Pole
Inside the Dream. 1975 Pole

Another one of those acts I had in the main list not but never featured.

Pole was both a label and a random group of musicians lead by a one Paul Putti. It wasn't a band in the traditional sense, but rather various get-together's for the purposes of releasing an album. To add to the confusion, the Rizet / Besombes album was also titled Pole, in the same stylized font. This apparently was not authorized by either gentleman. Same thing happened to Henri Roger. From here, Putti sold his label to the now infamous Tapioca imprint. Putti himself carried on to the porn industry, which might explain things from an ethics standpoint.

This history of Putti and the Pole moniker helps explain how two albums can be so entirely different. The first album from Putti, Kotrill, is an avant garde mess, favored by those who worship at the altar of the NWW list. It holds nothing back in its experimentation, but is very difficult to sit all the way through. But on the follow up Inside the Dream, we are treated to a more atmospheric and pleasant album. One that features fine synthesizer textures and excellent guitar leads. Rizet did help on this album, and he foreshadows his next move with Phillippe Besombes, a far more realized collaboration than Inside the Dream.

Priority: 2 (for Inside the Dream)

3/27/25 (new entry)

Fresh Start ~ USA

What America Needs. 1974 ABC Dunhill

UMR review

Priority: 2

3/27/25 (new entry)

Strandgut ~ Germany

Strandgut. 1979 Emscherland

Strandgut were a band from Germany who released this one obscure album and then disappeared into the wilds. Their sound is not an uncommon one from the time and place - that of a female vocal led AOR / symphonic progressive rock blend. If you're familiar with bands as diverse as Rebekka, Werwolf, Credemus, Eden, Streetmark, and Epidaurus, then you should know what to expect here. There are six tracks, the four shorter ones possess a commercial feel, though I find Heike Kensy's voice very pleasant. The melodies are well thought out, and the tracks are wonderfully arranged. There are times you hear a band and wonder why they weren't noticed when so many lesser bands did get that undeserved attention. That is Strandgut. Of the six tracks here, only one is in English (despite titling two tracks that way). I find the German lyrics welcoming in this environment. Of course the two longer tracks allow Strandgut to stretch out with some fine organ, synthesizer, and (especially) electric guitar runs. This is not a hardcore prog album by any means. This is for fans who have a tolerance of a commercialized sound, but executed in an innovative way. I think a quality reissue would be well received. Supposedly only a few hundred copies were printed. Given that I'd never even heard of this album until very recently, it would seem to be a believable total.

Priority: 2

3/25/25 (new entry)

Demian ~ USA (IL)

Rock Star Farm. 1974 Starburst

This Demian - not to be confused with the Texas band - were from Moline, Illinois, a populous area near Iowa known as the Quad Cities. Rock Star Farm is their sole album and flows similar to a rock opera, and is extremely vocal heavy. There are some nice guitar and organ passages here and there, but it's not really a prog or hard rock album as is often purported. I suppose if they weren't telling some sort of story, one could compare this to the politrock albums of Germany. More from a listening perspective verse the purpose of the album. For whatever reason I was reminded of the Capability Brown albums from England. A very interesting album from the American Heartland, and definitely outside the norm. Worth hearing for certain, though if seeking an original LP, prepare to fork over a large amount of moolah.

Priority: none

3/25/25 (new entry)

Serene ~ Germany

Serene. 1981 Lava

Serene's sole album is a type of straightforward rock with light prog embellishments. Typical of the time and place, Serene's album is littered with heavily accented English vocals, when German would have probably suited better. There's some nice Hammond organ work here that contains a wide open and spacious sound. I hear late 70s Novalis as an obvious influence with some nods to Eloy's lesser progressive efforts. A harmless 40 minutes, but not disturbing.

Priority: none

3/25/25 (new entry)

T.N.T.H. ~ France

Let's Go Children of the Country. 1971 Barclay

UMR review

Priority: 2

3/24/25 (new entry)

Asahi ~ Netherlands

The Rising Sun. 1978 Waterland

Apparently this album was sponsored by the Asahi Optical Company for a multi-vision show presented throughout The Netherlands. It's in effect a proto New Age music with flutes, piano, percussion, organ, etc... Like most 70s albums in this field, it's much rawer than the slick gloss that followed throughout the 1980s and beyond. As would be expected, the flow is very much like a soundtrack album. At its best, one can hear the pastoral folk sounds of Quebec (Connivence, Harmonium). At its worst... well it's borderline easy listening music honestly.

Priority: none

3/24/25 (new entry)

Himmelexpressen ~ Denmark ***REISSUED***

Latinamerikansk Olie. 1976 Hookfarm

***Reissued by Hookfarm in 2016

About a decade ago or so, I'd never even heard of the Hookfarm label. Over time, multiple obscure titles began to pop up on my radar. Himmelexpressen was one of those new names for me. By viewing the title of Latinamerikansk Olie, one can probably surmise this to be a Latin jazz rock album. That pretty much sums it up, though there is some really fiery electric guitar solos throughout - way more than is the norm. Also unusual is the steady use of harmonica, which doesn't fit, but it's surprisingly not as annoying as it may seem. Nice flute as well. The Latin and African rhythms along with the guitar style will recall Santana, though more for the cocktail set. A grower.

Priority: 3

3/24/25 (new entry)

St-Erhart ~ France

Paprika. 1980 Omega Studio

St Erhart, on their one released LP, play a punchy type of jazz fusion, that gets pretty free towards the end. The lead instruments here are saxophone and tuned percussion, with guest trumpet. Not a guitar or keyboard to be found. Despite that, the music still belongs to jazz fusion rather than pure jazz. A good album that will always struggle to find its audience.

Priority: 3

3/19/25 (new entry)

Solaris ~ Norway ***REISSUED***

Solaris - Misty Morning. 1977 Apollo

***Reissued by Norsk Album Classics Dec 2022

Solaris play a mix of what is commonly known as West Coast psychedelic mixed with laid back AOR music - and a bit of country rock. A very obscure album, though not necessarily expensive. Misty Morning is something of a disappointment if you're looking for underground progressive oriented sounds. There are, however, a few enjoyable tracks here from a melodic standpoint, though it's more the domain of the American radio mindset. Makes one wonder why these Norwegians were so conservative when they had the opportunity to do whatever they wanted to. As an aside, Ole G Nilssen is one of the members of Solaris, and his solo album World of Dreams is about as rare as Misty Morning.

Priority: none

3/19/25 (new entry)

As noted earlier, I will be publishing new entries of obscurities that have been reissued since 2015.

Gilles Legault ~ Canada

Chansons Secrètes. 1981 Kebec

Nice introspective progressive oriented singer-songwriter album from Quebecois musician Gilles Legault, who did a turn with the communal Connivence. French vocals, acoustic guitar, oboe, cello, and flute are the instrumental colors for the musical painting on display. Occasional rock touches add a nice flair. Easy on the ears overall and a pleasant way to spend 35 minutes or so.

Priority: 3

3/19/25 (new entry)

Abus Dangereux ~ France

Bis. 1982 Elanore
Happy French Band. 1983 Metro
Live. 1985 Metro

UMR review

Priority: none

Their debut was reissued in 2000.

3/18/25 (new entry)

Nada ~ Germany

Song For a Happy Girl. 1979 Chancellor

Nada's sole album is primarily a jazz album, but with plenty of rock fusion elements. In particular the flute driven numbers, as well as an occasional guitar rave-up, will make you turn your head up. Otherwise it's a lot of jazz tone guitar and sax solos. Nothing wrong with that of course, but considering the multitude of bands from this time and place, Nada then comes across as average.

Priority: none

3/18/25 (new entry)

MAX (Rodan) ~ USA

Rodan. 1974 Pandora

UMR review

Priority: 2

***Reissued on LP by Digital Cellars (2024)

6/22/09 (new entry); 3/17/25 (update)

Richard Sussman / Andy LaVerne / Bob Moses ~ USA

Tributaries. 1979 Inner City

UMR review

Priority: 2

3/12/25 (new entry)

Steeplechase ~ USA

Lady Bright. 1970 Polydor

UMR review

Priority: 3

3/12/25 (new entry)

Clystere ~ France

Daemoni, Etiam Vera Dicenti, Non Est Credenum. 1987 private

When one sees a name like Clystere, you might be thinking it's a transliteration of Cluster. I don't think Roedelius and Moebius would be too happy about that, no sirree. But as it turns out Clyster (presuming same word) is an archaic word for... enema. How apropos!

Clystere is the duo of Frank Fromy of Shub Niggurath with Kasper Toeplitz, later of Sleaze Art. Their sole cassette release is called Daemoni, Etiam Vera Dicenti, Non Est Credenum, which translates to Demons, Even the Truth, is Not a Believer. Okaaay. What the heck does that even mean? I think it means Noise in Latin.

If your idea of great music is immersing oneself within a skyscraper construction site without earbuds, then do I have a recommendation for you! I cannot fathom where the allure lies here. These guys are experimenting with metal instruments and it's freeform noise. Kids, you too can do this at home. You probably did already - when you were 5.

Clystere's one album is a very obscure cassette. No reissues exist as of 3/12/25.

According to Steve Freeman, Audion reviewed this album in the summer of 1987, so he concludes the cassette was released in 1986 or 1987. 

Priority: none

3/12/25 (new entry)

Olive ~ Japan

Olive First Album. 1976 Studio-3

This album goes back to my CDRWL research days, but I never wrote about it (but did rate it) since I couldn't find any background data whatsoever. There were (and are) so many fake albums out there, it sometimes is very difficult to know what is real and what is not. I preferred to wait and see if more data would emerge. That day has come, some eight years later, as the cd-r was randomly selected.

And really not much else has come to light. However, one copy did sell on Discogs (4 figures) in 2016, and excellent photos have been added. We now know the LP is titled Olive First Album and it's on Studio-3 of Yokohama. I'll discuss this in further detail below.

As for the music, it's really quite an extraordinary album for the time and place. It doesn't really sound Japanese at all, though the soprano female vocals are indeed in the local language. The music is a type of hard rock psychedelia, that at times is very progressive. The lengthy tracks (the album is a super long 55 minutes - extraordinary for the 70s) allow for many ideas to come forth. The album opens with cello mellotron, making one think they may have stumbled onto some Anekdoten archival tapes (which, truth be told, made me a bit suspicious from the off - I mean who in mid 1970s Japan would have done that? Olive apparently...). The guitarist in particular shines throughout the album. Overall Olive reminds me of one of those crazy southeastern US hard rock / progressive bands that one might find on the Nasco label for example. Take away the vocals, and it's not hard to imagine these guys being from Tennessee or South Carolina. Bands like After All, Felt, Westfauster, and J Teil Band all came to mind here. I've been told that Carmen Maki & Oz has a similar sound, though I have to plead ignorance on that front. In sum, an excellent album that truly needs to be discovered, and is in dire need of a reissue.

As noted above, Olive First Album is incredibly scarce and not much is known. One issue that remains is the date. It's generally accepted to be from 1976. But I'm not sure where that data comes from. It's not on the album itself. The label Studio-3 has a few other albums on Discogs as well, yet none claim a recording date (on the album covers or label). It's certainly believable to be from 1976, but I could also believe 1979 or 1980 as well, given the progressive rock oriented culture at the time in Japan. An internet search only propagates the 1976 date without corroborating data. Let's hope a reissue emerges in our lifetime. The album is too good to be only known to downloaders and YouTube seekers.

Priority: 2

3/12/25 (new entry)