Pink Floyd - The Best of Tour 72 (1972 Unofficial)

Think if you marry the most beautiful girl you can imagine and get her gorgeous mum top it off. This is the Mum.

Explanation: Dark Side of The Moon was the "beautiful girl" I met in 1974. This Live album is her Mum who I never met but now giving more depth and base to understand her daughter even over 40 years later.

-----
Did you know: This bootleg was recorded almost one year before Dark Side of the Moon came out. He who did it, heard it wrong believing one the songs was "The Great Pig in the Sky", not "...Gig...". That is why he decided to take a photo of a sow with piglets and put it on the cover. He later understood his mistake but so what, the cover photo was good anyway. Roger Waters got to know this funny mistake
and when processing their album "Animals" he fooled with the idea of a big size of a Pig flying and Pigs on wings.

Is that "Did you know" -writing above:

a) just my own idea and associations?
b) written in Nicholas Schaffner's book: "Saucerful of Secrets - The Pink Floyd Odyssey"?
c) told me by Roger Waters himself?

The Aaltos - The Aaltos in Scandinavia (1972 ECR)

This rare Finnish origin family's Xian album is more organ driven Jesus music than the other one I found today. The songs written by Eva-Maria Aalto are sang in Finnish, Swedish and English. I understand and speak all those three languages but some others may be a bit confused of thinking what this is all about. The basic style in most songs is playing xian gospel music in a way we here in Finland call "humppa", a kind of folk-pop dance music. In this album there are some a bit jazzy flavoured songs too as a difference to the other album "The Aaltos" (1972). I think this is musically much better than "The Aaltos" album. Timo Aalto sings a bit in a that dramatic way Finnish gypsies use to sing. This is a real mixed bag in a very good way. No wonder some real collectors are interested in this family Aaltos music.Those songs sang in English sound better to me. May because the girls sing in those songs, not Timo. Sometimes they in the same song sing first in English and then turn to Finnish. That is funny in a good way. I'd describe this organ driven "gypsy"-jazz-xian-folk-psych-walz-humppa music. Extraordinary music anyway. Xian music book Archivist (Ken Scott) describes Aaltos's music as primitive psych garage.

Song titles on the foldout cover are both in Finnish and English but the lyrics are in Swedish. The Aalto family moved from Finland to Sweden obviously in 1960's  and to Cloquet Minnesota, US in around 1983.

If you like The Aaltos, you may like Eläkeläiset too. Or vice versa.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVvrveRLAQ8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFcv8ypg9t0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEBxqKKm6po
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZmuvVNahU4

The Aaltos - S/T (1971 ECR)

I was lucky today at a flea finding these two Finnish/Swedish Xian albums for 2 euros each. The first four songs are sang in Swedish and the rest eight songs in Finnish. In Archivist Xian records book they describe this music as "primitive psych garage".  That is not far from truth. This Finnish origin Aalto family is five sisters playing Xian gospel music in a way we here in Finland call "humppa", a kind of folk-pop dance music. The vocalist Timo Aalto sings occasionally in a dramatic style Finnish gypsies sometimes use to sing. In this xian case it sounds very funny. I don't usually listen xian but this is some interestingly odd. This is musically a kind of The Shaggs family case. The music is not like Shaggs but there are something some elements that remind me of them. Very interesting case indeed. Very rare Jesus album too.

P.S. Humppa is fast Finnish dance music in 2/2 or 4/4 time signature. Its origin is in jazz and foxtrot and was developed around year 1910 and after. It was later in 1950's influenced by a same kind of German music too. It is very common and popular music in Finnish dance halls.

Dreams - Imagine My Surprise (1971 CBS)

First time I found these Dreams about six years ago and bought it mostly because I noticed Billy Cobham was member of the band. Have to say this album was not any surprise to imagine. Same year 1971 Cobham joined Mahavisnu Orchestra and played on their jazz-rock masterpiece "Inner Mounting Flame". Later he made two excellent solo albums "Spectrum" and "Crosswinds". But back to Dreams... I don't know what happened to the other band members, but at least Cobham's dreams came true, I believe. Maybe the others calmly walked into a Pike's maw and were left there. No, not really.. They have met success too. The music on this album is standard a bit funky jazz-rock with no bigger surprises. I paid only  5 euros for this near mint copy.

Bangor Flying Circus - S/T (1969 Dunhill)

Found another near mint copy of this for a reasonable price yesterday. BFC is organ and guitar driven jazz-hard-rock.  After HP Lovercraft disbanded the drummer Mike Tegza founded BFC. Later without Tegza, they  started Madura  - a very fine group too. Both BFC and Madura are the kind of music I love to listen. The whole band plays well together. The  bird has flown (Norwegian Woods) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nNM-iejunk

Elijah - S/T (1972 UAS)

Funky horn rock. Horn rock is normally okay for me but this time the funky element makes it sound a bit odd. I picked this up at a flea today after hesitating some time. Then I decided not to have a hamburger meal instead of this. Stupid or not stupid...? I'm not a very fat guy anyway.

Isotope - Illusion (1975 Gull)

John McLaughlin meets Weather Report... Great album, great guitarist Gary Boyle, Hugh Hopper. This is music made for my ears.

Marillion - Misplaced Childhood (1985)

I earlier told i skipped the whole 80s and have not regreted that. My opinion has been there were not good music made in 80s. BUT this Marillion is a big positive surprise. With this I feel like finding a lost Genesis album after the superb Selling England, Nursery Crime and Foxtrot trinity with Gabriel singing. Funny that i don't feel at all like condemning the fact this is a Genesis clone. I like this a lot.

I have learnt now that Marillion started the second coming of prog.

Awful cover art but so what.

The Rolling Stones - Big Hits (1966 This re 1977?)

Buckinghams' The - Greatest Hits (1969 Columbia)

Hmmh... Why?  I don't know.  What is this? Sunshine maybe... half cloudy rather cause of those horns. I forced myself to listen the side B too and found it better than the A side. That is mostly because of the Foreign Policy. Susan is nice too.

4.6. I usually like brass but somehow I think The Buckinghams' use too much of it. The songs are quite nice and okay, but Chicago Transit Authority playing at the same time with them is a bit too much. If they had used that smooth organ sound that occasionally appears in "Kind of a Drag" instead of that Chicago brass, they would have made it.

Fine group anyhow and at least those two "italianos" Giammarese and Fortuna seem to be still alive and strong. That's great and take care!

Rita Jean Bodine - S/T (1974 20th Century this Philips)

I got thrilled with her unique voice on her second album "Sitting On Top Of My World" some years ago. Then I was hoping i would find this her debut album here in Finland some day and today is the day. I believe it was for both coincidence and necessity. Love to listen her and the tight band.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yC_3BcfJVEc

Jim Keltner, David Kemper, Ed Greene - Drums
Rita Jean Bodine - Piano, Vocals, Percussion
David Hungate - Bass
Dean Parks - Guitars, Bass, Drums, Horns, Background Vocals
Dan Ferguson, Larry Carlton, Jay Graydon - Guitars
Michael Omartian, Ron Fransen - Piano, ARP, Clavinet, Organ, Harpsichord
David Paich - Horns, Keyboards
George Bohanon, Chuck Findley, Paul Hubinon, Lew McCreary, Steve Leeds, Mark Hofstein, Tom Scott - Horns
Carol Carmichael - Percussion, Steel Drums, Background Vocals, Producer
Howard Steele - Percussion, Steel Drums
Kim Carnes, Maxine Willard, Julia Tillman, Vangie Carmichael - Background Vocals

George Duke - Save The Country (1971 Liberty Pacific Jazz Series)

Frank Zappa's influence really is present on this album and that is one big reason why i enjoy listening it. The other reason is the ease and fluency in the band's playing. Duke himself says this is not one of his finer moments of recording but it serves a place in his musical development.

Don't believe him.. This a great album. There is more spontaneous and authentic depth in their playing than one (and he himself) can maybe think. Lightness and easiness is not always a synonym to "not very high-class". I really enjoy this music on this album.

Georg Duke: The LP was recorded, I believe, during the Spring of 1970 while I was touring with Frank Zappa. His influence is certainly felt in this album. 

Rod St.James - Has Anybody Seen The Superstar (1972 Paula Records)

An enjoyable album! When listening this first time i got same kind surprised feeling like i had in 2009 when i after picking Rodriguez's Coming From Reality at a flea listened it first time.

Poe / Playboys Of Edinburgh (1971 Uni)

I already knew this album existing but first time i stumbled upon a copy of it at a record shop here in Finland. I did not hesitate a moment to pick it up. It is one of my best american band/album finds for a long time.

Höyry-Kone - Huono Parturi

Finally this masterpiece of Finnish barber-prog has returned and first time on vinyl.

Beau - Creation (1971 Dandelion re Sommo21)

Very nice a bit more personal English folk. If i did not know, i would say this is American west coast music or at least from somewhere around there. And finally Silence Returns... you know what mean if you listen this. Great album.

Soft Machine - S/T (1968 Probe re Sundazed)

Very good Canterbury Scene band indeed. This their first album is strongly influenced by Frank Zappa.

Charlie - Lines (1978 Janus)

Found this for me unknown band today at a flea. Among hundreds of cheap pop albums with a sexy girl cover this caught my attention over all the others. There sure were no shortage of naked legs in the bins, so was it the still life on the picture that impressed me or the girls facial expression saying: hey guys this time i'm the boss and have managed to book you some gigs, So beat it!

When back home i was a bit excited. I cleaned the album and put it on the plate. I was right! This is much above average power pop with quality sound, a bit Steely Dan hints and 4-6 minutes long slightly jazzy (funky) tracks and so on. More to come later.

Meanwhile i recommend you to those six reviews on RYM.

Still Life - S/T (1970 re Akarma)

Still Life is one of those organ driven prog bands one would think should to be more respected among the more well known albums of the prog genre. After all the main track "People in Black" is the One on the album, an excellent prog piece. Maybe the the rest of the stuff is not good enough to lift this to the first caste, but good enough for me to return to this again and again.

Help - Second Coming (1971 Decca re 2013 Soundvision)

Picked this at a record fair last weekend. Wanted to try it because i happen to own an original copy of their first album Help. Helps second coming sounds even better than their first. It sounds timeless forward going tight hard rock with some psych-maybe elements. Very nice guitar work and tight bass work. The organ sounds a bit like Blue Cheers on some their album. Amazingly modern sounding, unaffected real stuff even if not so far from being prog! I like.

Room - Pre-Flight (1970 Deram re Akarma)

They did it much better than Ikaros or Leonardos volunteer cliff jumpers. Much better. This Room is filled by interesting progressive rock with jazz and blues elements and some brass. Enjoyable! I'm obviously wrong and stupid, but i can't help me getting some same kind of feelings when listening Julian's Treatments Time before This. Or maybe it is just the female vocals on both those albums that remind a bit of each other.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_aviation

What do you have if...

... you combine Giorgio de Chirigo's typical metaphysical painting and Salvador Dali's surrealistic Burning Giraffes painting?

Hipgnosis's cover Photo to Pink Loyd's album Wish You Were Here of course.

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.