Friday, February 28, 2014

Claire Hamill - October (1973 Island)




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAVgGt2yV8I

Ethos - Ardour (1976 Emi/Capitol)



First i thought this is synth-prog and Bach-based four handed mellotron finger practice for Wakeman's twin brothers. But then i realized the truth. Yes, Ethos is somehow even cleverer than yes. They are not trying to be nothing more than they are and that lift them above the average and even higher. I have to confess i had a slight prejudice: Ethos may be one more a kind of a poort man's Yes, but NO! They really make it! And finally if there are some yesish moments to be heard, they cleverly overdo it to the jazz area. I now have to say this Ardour is very, very clever album. If you like Fire Ballet, no i don't mean anything from Stravinsky, you surely like this Ethos too. They sound much like King Crimson, when they ewere "Red" too on this "The Dimension Ran" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykTobW9m7bI

Bob Brown - Willoughby's Lament (1971 Stormy Forest)



Wow! The first side makes me think this is one hidden gem again. Hidden and hidden... maybe all Americans know Bob. I did not but now i do, at least a bit. The other side of his begins with a more countrish flavour than  the first but then he continues where the first side ended. Beautiful music! All compositions are his and good and there are no tracks just to fill the empty space. "For Pamela" reminds me slightly of that English guy...what was his name?...that orange bicycle man...yes...Will Malone.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhvZ3sthXtI

Jasper Wrath - S/T (1969 Sunflower/mgm)




Sounds very good., nice and softly streaming progressive psych rock. Is not at all as esoteric as the the cover art may imply. Nothing on this makes me uneasy. I have to listen this more before any  final statements.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-GCfxpynXQ

Friday, January 17, 2014

Höyry-Kone - Hyönteisiä Voi Rakastaa (1995 Ad perpetuam memoriam)



You can love insects, their second best album. J.E. Liljeström from Anekdoten (Sweden) brought H-K (Finland) and ADP (record label) together, when these two bands met in London at a pub after a David Allen concert. A short nice history behind to understand why this was recorded in Sweden, not in Finland.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ra-jJb7idVE

Friday, January 10, 2014

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Khan - Space Shanty (1972 Decca this CD Esoteric)



So big positive surprise! Key words: Great Steve Hillage, National Health, egg, Hatfiled & North, Canterbury. It is a shame this album was once ignored by those who had money enough to buy albums and still is. This is better than many of those big English prog bands albums of 70s.  Canterbury!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ_toJNTEvQ

Anekdoten - From Within (1999)


Heja Sverige! Anekdoten sounds a bit like Coldplay or Radiohead but it does not disturb me too much. I used to like Coldplay and Radiohead but have got a bit bored with them lately. Anyway Anekdoten is not just an anecdote. On the whole they are a very classy group. There may be something KC -like sound scene too but not until their "Red", which btw is the top where KC finally grew and ended. There is one excellent track over the others on the album: "Hole". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DE-ua2gwWfw

Uzva - Uoma (2006 Silenze CD)


Can't say which one is better Uoma or Niittoaika. They continue where they got it with Niittoaika and at first they sound a bit too smooth lounge music for my taste, but the two long pieces Arabian Ranta and Vesikko rise it on more interesting level and as a big Zappa fan i'm glad to hear there some sophisticated Zappa passages without sounding like aping Zappa at all. At times there are some Santana effects too.
Arabian ranta http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erNMw-xOP8A
Vesikko http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvvbFPxlP2U

Uzva - Niittoaika (2002 Silence CD)




Niittoaika=Harvest time is high quality Finnish canterbury scene music. They don't try to ape that style but make it sound fresh and modern. Along with Höyry-Kone, Uzva is one of the best jazz-folk-prog groups from Finland. In some passages Niittoaika unfortunately goes too near lounge music but even then it is very listenable lounge. People seem to hear there Mahavisnu, Zappa, KC, GG to mention some, but i hear just Uzva. Mostly fresh and clean.
Afrodite http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScWXu3Slz-E

Brainchild - Healing Of The Lunatic Owl (1970 A&M this CD Aurora)


Smooth and classy Chicago -style brass-prog for my taste. They were from Britain.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZn81lXJvz4

Höyry-Kone - Huono Parturi (1995 Ad Perpetuam Memoriam)



Höyry-Kone's Huono Parturi is no doubt one of the best Finnish progressive rock albums. Tenor Topi Lehtipuu has later gained international reputation as one of Finlands huighly individual artists in the fields of opera. On this album they do their very own music even one may hear there some King Crimson echoes too. There are no weak passages on this slightly eccentic but solid masterpiece. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHMkPsRKme8


Friday, September 27, 2013

Shadow Mann - Come Live With Me (1969 Tomorrow's Productions)




Never before heard of label "Tomorrows productions"  These kind of record albums are interesting mostly because of their "obscurity". It seems that Shadow Mann made an album a year before this in 1968 but nobody seems to know even the title title. Does it exist?  Would it be better it even didn't? Was it just a preshadow of this one? Mann, who knows? Who cares? Maybe Lotti Golden, whon The Shadow Mann thanks for the Soul. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11xvtrmRuM8

Forever More - Words On Black Plastic (1970 RCA)




This their second album sounds better that their first one, as far as i can recall.

promises of spring: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmAD48jpMVo

From RYM: Incredible, eclectic music which, like its predecessor, "Yours", is familiar yet almost otherworldly, incorporating so many existing elements that it creates a whole other universe. Both albums, which came and went to the cut-out bins, were not promoted in America by RCA, so I'm not even sure why the 2nd album was released, but in their own ways, these two records may as well have been Forever More's "Rubber Soul" and "Revolver". Musically, they used every instrument they seemed to be able to get their hands on , (even a Jews harp), and had shades of jazz, folk, country, psychedelic guitar music, and seemed like a little Beatles, a little Family, a little Traffic, a fair amount of Scotland, (where they hailed from), all mixed into something that was everything, (to me), that music should be. No one who likes music should be less than impressed with either record. (Good luck finding them!!)

Back Door - 8th Street Nites (1973 WB)




These blues and jazz-rock guys don't offer any compromises. Their music sounds quite original. Bassist Colin Hodgkinson plays his instrument personal way and i tend to hear and think the whole music on this album conforms his instrument and that is unusual. The first side is blues based rock and the flip side more fusion kind. It is not usual that the bassist is the motor of the music but i think Colin H is more than an assistant of the group. I red recently music magazine "Soundi" 1973 (a late Finnish music paper) and found that some editors back then where sure "Back Door" was to be the next next great fusion band.




Dianne Davidson - Backwoods Woman (1971 Janus)



Smoothly flowing country rock. Four of the songs by Dianne D herself. The others by Cat Stevens, Elton (Country Comfort), Harvey/Collins (Delta Dawn) and J. Drummond for example. "Recorded on one warm December late '71 and early '72". Okay,  December in America happened to appear late that year... Smiley
delta dawn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGMNsHGcqzQ

The California Earthquaqe - Reformation (1971 (UA)



A groovy cover of Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne" is somehow even more real than the original one, because of Roy Smith. And before "Susan" you can even here a "Prelude To Suzanne". Interesting Christian brass soul rock. Very listenable. Let there be light:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzLcegrbUUI

RYM:A fairly ambitious Christian progressive concept album (don't let that put you off too much!). 
Good use of brass and woodwind conjures up the feeling of a 70's action movie with a cool soundtrack and overall it has a wide scope of sounds with some rocking moments like 'Let There Be Light' . A very interesting curio indeed. Apparently this was a studio-only project made by a ensemble that included established session musicians like Jim Gordon (drums - played with Duane Allman, Jack Bruce & John Lee Hooker),  John Guerin (drums - played with Frank Zappa & The Byrds) and soul singer Roy Smith (vocals).

Flow - S/T (1969/70 CTI)




Have not  many CTI label record albums. The Flow is quite nice funky fusion stuff. Don Felder (later member of Eagles) is not invisible at all on "Mr Invisible". This is not music for masses but individuals. Laid back "Summer's Gone" is my favorite one. Daddy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPrmOkRSB_w

Friday, September 20, 2013

Jym Young's San Francisco Avantgarde - Puzzle Box 81966 International)





If music could describe eternal i think the first side is manages it well. If music ever could describe this just moment, the other sides does it well.


Sallyange - Children Of the Sun (1968 this re much later)





I purchased this by intuition for 10 euros just because i was curious. It is not bad but occasionally almost good folk music but sorry you two, i'm sure you are wonderful people but i'm not very ... with your way of using your voice and singing together. Sorry. Sorry again. Now... the further i listen to your album the nicer it becomes. And now when i realize you are Mike and Sally Oldfield... I did not know. Tubular Bells was one the first records i bought in early 70s.

The Keith Tippet Group - Dedicated To You - But You Weren't Listening (1971 Vertigo this re by Akarma)





Nice cover art. The album title itself is the best i have ever seen. The music is naturally flowing avant-garde without causing any headache. If it is right to say Zappa did some avant-garde i'd say this Tippett is occasionally close to Zappa's. Great music. One of the best albums i happily have purchased by intuition these days. I'm not any specialist of anything and not the jazz at all but i dare to say this better than any other i have heard till now. This time Vertigo hit the Bull's eye, maybe not financially but musically. Colosseum / Valentyne's Suite nad Tippet / Dedicated To You... A Perfect pair?

Sir Lord Baltimore - S/T (1971 Mercury this re)




On this their firsy album American band SLB sounds to me a bit like UK band Uriah Heep. I happen to own an original copy of their second album "Kingdom Come" too but I can't recall exactly how they sounded on that, but this their second sounds a bit like prototype of whatever hard rock and i like prototypes.

Man from manhattan:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pP3eBCBuiu4

Tonton Macoute - S/T (1971 Neon this CD)




This papa doc's band plays the kind of fusion music i like a lot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Rn8W6-1P8w