Monday, November 24, 2014
Led Zeppelin - III (1970 Atlantic this re 2014)
I have never been any big fan of LZ and allways passed this album mostly because everybody say it is not so good. But they were wrong. In my ears LZ III sounds mature music for adults. Immigrant Song is may be the most known song on the album, but there are such songs as "Since I've Lovin You", "Gallows Pole" and "Bron Y Aur Stomp" which are excellent. LZ's best album?
Van Der Graaf Generator - Pawn Hearts (1971 Virgin this re 2013 4 Men With Beards)
Every prog fan knows this album. I heard it first time in seventies and did not like it. I did not like Peter Hammil's vocal sound. I also found it artsy and affected. After avoiding this for decades i have recently started to inure meself with it but i have to say i still seem to have a long way to go. Pawn Hearts has its moments but there are too many moments they try too much to be so pompously mysterious.
Deja Vu - Between The Leaves (1977 this 1996 Record Heaven)
There are many bands playing on this album. No, not really but i can hear there at least Camel, Queen, Gentle Giant (maybe), Yes (synthesizers on Topographic Oceans), Pink Floyd, Wigwam, Tabula Rasa, Jukka Tolonen, Deja Vu is quite late progressive rock from Norway and fortunately not yet absorbed too much influences from that irritating AOR style of typical late 70's "prog". In fact Deja Vu is one of those hidden pearls of the prog era you may still have not yet stumbled on. It is a well played mixed bag of different styles of prog based stuff, both hard and melodic and everithg from between. The main thing why i like this more than i normally would is the feeling of jammy undertow basicly caused by the skillful bassist.
visons of nirvana: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOJxe56gMbk
John Lodge - Natural Avenue (1977 Decca)
Picked this only because of it was cheap and mint condition both cover and vinyl and of course "nice" R. Dean cover. The content is not very uplifting but quite okay elevator music anyway if i only had an elevator where to hear it.
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Marc Brierley - Welcome To The Citadel (1968 CBS this re 2014 Cherry Tree)
The first song "The Answer Is" sounds just like i remind Andy Zwerling sounding on his "Spiders in The Night" (1971) album. There is also something on this "Citadel" that puts Will Malone (1970) on my mind. Maybe they have listened to Marc? I like this kind of misleadingly "simple" sounding folk stuff. It is simple in good way and not simple at all for example in Beatles's "Yesterday" way. :-) I really said that...!!! Even when MB says his music has some West Coast effects for example from Lovin Spoonful, Jefferson Airplane, Mamas and Papas and even Mothers Of The Invention he has hided and smelted those effects quite skillfully and naturally just as some general hints somewhere in the wider and deeper background of his album. At least i can't hear many The Mothers/ FZ effects and i know their music from F to Z. Rather there are stronger elements of his own country's traditional folk music.
Now when i have heard this some more times now i think the song "Vagabond of Sleep" sounds a bit like Velvet Underground on their first album. And then one more new note: "Matchbox Men" reminds me of Sixto Rodriguez on his Coming from Reality (great album!) not necessarily much because of the music but because of the way of singing = articulation, the way of singing crystal clearly specially the ends of the words. That is something that makes the song feel even better. "Take me To a Ride On Your Aeroplane" sounds a bit like Donovan or some.
Even this reminds me of some more familiar to me folk singers "Welcome to C" is largely Marc Brierley's own music. Absolutely. Excellent album.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Out Of Focus - Wake Up (1970 This re 2009 Missing Vinyl)
Krautrock again. Maybe it is so that a bit too big part of my interest in purchasing for me unknown music is this kind of cover art. 25 or 6 to 4! Hey John sounds a bit like that. Out Of focus is a bit jazz influenced progressive rock typical Kraut organ sound.
Bröselmaschine - S/T (1971 this re 2008 OHR)
I found this today at a local vinyl shop and took a risk with this and purchased it because of the cover art which looked interesting. It is like an upper comprehensive school student art degree work. But luckily the musical content turned out to be far beyond my low expectations, in good way. Avoiding laud i just describe it progressive/psychedelic folk rock. This must be one of most interesting folk rock album that only few already know to exist.
Friday, September 26, 2014
Fargo - I See It Now (1969 RCA)
I thought this was a kind country oriented pop but is not. Maybe baroque pop? Moody Blues? Beatlesque baroque pop? Quite nice stuff anyway. Chamber orcherstra and so on. Not bad at all.
Friday, August 22, 2014
Radio Moscow - S/T (2007 Alive)
This is quite a disappointment when comparing it to their "Brain Cycles". The content of this one is like a long Hendrix sounding blues track cut in shorter pieces. I never liked Hendrix because of his too snotty guitar etc sound. Radio Moscow sounds good, suitable amount of wah-wah... but a bit like a session jam with one idea with no leading idea. A bit too rock'n roll too. Of course... there is one short Indian style sitar passage but i don't know why.
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Heaven - Brass Rock 1 (1971 CBS)
One of my best recent local record shop finds. One of those forgotten and underrated records that should deserve more respect. My two favourite tracks are "Dawning" and "Got To Get Away". Out of ordinary foldout crucifix sleeve.
Got to get away https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSre5EE2xVk
Sweet Slag - Tracking With Close-Ups (1971 this CD re 2004)
Great band and music. This is just what i like to listen and enjoy. Trippy prog rock with passages of free style jazz prog. A hidden treasure. No doubt!
Twisted Trip Woman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htUWkdqo-dU
Friday, August 8, 2014
Radio Moscow - Brain Cycles (Alive 2009)
Brain refreshing music. Sounds like from late 60s or arly 70s. and even better. Old but fresh.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSOqHrYXWSY
Monday, August 4, 2014
Nektar - Remember The Future (1973 UA)
I had allmost forgotten this one and never liked it too much. I decided to give it a spin... a new try. Hmmm... Bluebird... an ET from outer space telling a blind boy how to save the Earth or something like that. I had absolutely no diffuiculties to listen this one out now and i liked specially the first side. Unfortunately on the other side the musical ideas seem to dry up and their wishing well seems to drain. The last few minutes are just prolonging to cross the finishing line. "Remember The Future" is relaxing easy flowing easy listening listening progrock. Commercial sound maybe the right term to describe it. The musicianship is excellent and the best element on trhe music is the transitions and changes in rhythm. What botheres me is a kind of AOR sound. I give the first side 7 out of 10 and the other side 6/10. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1i24LNre4U
Saturday, August 2, 2014
Wigwam - Being (Re Svart 2014)
En aio sanoa mitään itse levystä, olenhan jo kertonut pariinkin otteeseen omistamieni kahden alkuperäisen kopion kohdalla. Paitsi että levy on edelleen numero yksi listallani, johon sen asetin vuonna 1974 paaluksi. Paalupaikka on pysynyt. Siitä se ei ole hievahtanut. MUTTA se mitä nyt sanon on jotain mitä en itse koskaan uskonut sanovani: Olen aina pitänyt sitä hieman tunkkaista alkuperäissoundia osana levyn välttämätöntä viehätystä. NYT kuitenkin on päässyt käymään niin että vuoden 2001 uudelleen miksaus, restaurointi tai jokin sellainen tekninen toimenpide on saanut ylös jotain mikä viimeistään ankkuroi levyn absolut ykköseksi. Tämä uusi soundi on hienompi kuin alkuperäinen... sainpa sanottua, vaikka tiukkaa teki. Kuka sen tekikään, niin ykkösluokan ammattitaitoa!!! Kun kuuntelin tuon uuden miksauksen/version, niin tuli melkein sama fiilis kuin silloin kun kuuntelin 1974 tätä 16-vuotiaana ekoja kertoja. Nuorenin samalla hetkeksi aika monta vuotta. Niin ja sanoituksista en niinkään välittänyt silloinkaan 1974, tuskin edes ymmärsin kuin jotain , paitsi että levyn sanoitukset jotenkin ovat kuin yksi instrumentti lisää eivät niinkään isoa sanomaa minulle, vaikka tasapuolisesti koeteaankin ehkä vitsailla jne. Planetist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxTDwr1q_Uw
Sunday, July 27, 2014
George Duke - Faces in Reflection (1974 MPS CD)
With my all respect to George Duke. When he worked with Frank Zappa, FZ created his best music and i think a big part of this merit is because of George Duke. R.I P. Capricorn https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eFXZzyEnc8
Gruppo d'Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza - Feed-Back (1970 RCA this re)
John Irwing uses in one of his novels the word "bottom suction" or something which draws you under water and you can't help drowning. This Feed-Back is such like dangerous music because of it's bottom suction. It begins with the first drum hits and does not release you before the end. Now when i know that Ennio Morricone is a member of the band i begin to see some bad guy blowing in his gun pipe and i begin to be able to breathe under water. Is that the feed back...? from a an artificial cage bird back to fish? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHpumFSr6t8
Octopus Syng - Reverberating garden Number 7 (2014 Mega Dodo)
May be the best light psych album from any band from Finland. Reviews seem to say there is a Syd Barret effect in OS:s music but i'm not quite sure of that. Ok, if there is some, anyway it does not mean they try to imitate either Barret's sounds or his meanings or his thoughts. They do their own music at the same time honouring from afar where they may gain their influences. Very nice music. Made with intelligent good taste.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvTb9ucWBzQ
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