KATE & ANNA McGARRIGLE 1975

Debut albums simply aren't supposed to be as accomplished and beautifully crafted as Kate & Anna McGarrigle's first record, which is as lovely and superbly realized as folk-rock gets. While producers Joe Boyd and Greg Prestopino assembled an all-star crew to back up the McGarrigle sisters (including Lowell George, Tony Levin, Steve Gadd, and Bobby Keys), nothing steals the spotlight away from Kate and Anna, both of whom sing with a pure clarity that's never so pretty it fails to reflect the real world, harmonize with an uncanny grace, and write songs that are clever, witty, wise, and often deeply moving. Lots of folkies have written movingly about the troubling ties of home (as in "My Town" and "Talk to Me of Mendocino"), a good number have sung about the ache of a broken heart (like in "Heart Like a Wheel," famously covered by Linda Ronstadt), some can communicate bitter resignation or sly, sarcastic wit ("Go Leave" and "Jigsaw Puzzle of Life"), and no more than a few can express the joys of grown-up eros ("Kiss and Say Goodbye"). Kate & Anna McGarrigle is a record that manages to make all these emotions ring true, and never with one canceling out another. Quite simply a nearly perfect record, and if you're not a fan, repeated listenings to this album might make you one. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide

Tracks :

1. "Kiss and Say Goodbye" – 2:47 - Kate
2. "My Town" – 2:57 - Anna
3. "Blues in D – 2:43 - Kate
4. "Heart Like a Wheel" – 3:08 - Anna
5. "Foolish You" – 3:02 - Wade Hemsworth
6. "Talk to Me of Mendocino" – 3:08 - Kate
7. "Complainte pour Ste-Catherine" – 2:48 - Anna/Philippe Tatartcheff
8. "Tell My Sister" – 3:37 - Kate
9. "Swimming Song" – 2:26 - Loudon Wainwright III
10. "Jigsaw Puzzle of Life" – 2:29 - Anna
11. "Go Leave" – 3:19 - Kate
12. "Travellin' on for Jesus" – 2:42 - traditional, arranged by J. Spence

Link : @

Artwork Included

GORDON JACKSON - THINKING BACK 1969

Gordon Jackson's only album sounds a little like a Traffic LP with a singer who isn't in the band. The similarity is really no surprise, since Traffic men Steve Winwood, Dave Mason, Jim Capaldi, and Chris Wood all played on the record, and Mason produced. Other notables with connections to the Traffic family tree or Marmalade label also appeared, including Luther Grosvenor; Rick Grech, Jim King, and Poli Palmer of Family; and Julie Driscoll. There's a languid, minor keyed jazz-folk-psychedelic vibe to the songs, which have a meditative, spontaneously pensive air, appealingly sung by Jackson. Touches of Indian and African music are added by occasional tabla and sitar. What keeps this from being as memorable as Traffic or some of the other better late-'60s British psychedelic acts is a certain meandering looseness to the songs that, while quite pleasant, lacks concision and focus. That was a quality also heard in the album from the same era by fellow Marmalade artist Gary Farr, Take Something With You, and while Thinking Back is better and more original than Farr's effort, the songs are more interesting mood pieces with a yearning, mystic tone than they are outstanding compositions. At times this is like hearing psychedelic sea shanties (as on "My Ship, My Star"), such is the lilt of the tunes, though hints of blues and more playful pop-psych whimsy are heard in cuts like "Me and My Dog." ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

Tracks :


# 1) The Journey
# 2) My Ship, My Star
# 3) Me And My Dog
# 4) Song For Freedom
# 5) Sing To Me Woman
# 6) When You Are Small
# 7) Snakes And Ladders

Bonus Tracks:

# 8) A Day At The Cottage (non-album B-side)
# 9) My Ship, My Star (demo)
# 10) Song For Freedom (single mix)
# 11) Sing To Me Woman (single mix)
# 12) Me And My Dog (long version)

Link : @

Artwork Included

LAKE - LAKE 1977

Lake was a German rock music band that formed in the early 1970s under the name Tornados, changing their name to Lake in 1973. They mostly covered material by other bands in their early years, but released three singles, Come Down/We're Gonna Rock, King Of The Rock'n Roll Party, and Sailor. In 1975 they were joined by lead singer James Hopkins-Harrison, who gave them their signature sound for the remainder of their recording career.

They achieved modest success in much of Europe from the mid-1970s through the early 1980s, particularly in Germany where they were named artist of the year by the German Phono Academy in 1977. That same year, their self-titled debut album reached #22 in the US and the single Time Bomb reached #13, which would prove to be their greatest success in the US. They toured the US in the late 1970s as the opening act for various headline acts, including Lynyrd Skynyrd, Black Oak Arkansas, and Neil Young.

Tracks :

01 - On the Run
02 - Sorry to Say
03 - Time Bomb
04 - Chasing Colours
05 - Do I Love You
06 - Key to the Rhyme
07 - Jesus Came Down
08 - Between the Lines

Link :@

Artwork Included

THE WICKED LADY - THE AXEMAN COMETH 1968 - 1972

Wicked Lady exemplifies the "record collector" bands that gain new life through reissues: in this case, Kissing Spell's albums The Axeman Cometh and Psychotic Overkill. Their appearance marked some belated recognition for the power trio, which Northampton singer-guitarist Martin Weaver formed in 1968 with drummer "Mad" Dick Smith and bassist Bob Jeffries. However, Wicked Lady never came within a whisper of the stratospheric status attained by Cream, or the Jimi Hendrix Experience. The band's liberal use of feedback -- and large biker following -- kept them relegated to clubs, even during the twilight hours of the psychedelic era. Awash in drink and drugs, Wicked Lady split up in 1970, but Smith and Weaver soon regrouped with new bassist, Del "German Head" Morley. The new lineup duly set about documenting its existence, as captured on Psychotic Overkill -- whose feel is looser than Axeman Cometh. The effect is a shotgun marriage of Black Sabbath-style rifferama, supported by a less risk-taking rhythm section. Weaver's vocal style lacks charisma, but his wah-wah and fuzz-driven guitar style carries the day. The highlights include a bluesy cover of Hendrix's "Voodoo Child," the sex 'n' drugs snapshot of "Sin City," and the howling, 21-minute epic, "Ship Of Ghosts." But Wicked Lady's erratic ways proved too difficult for clubowners, who eventually refused to let them play. (At one gig, the band reportedly played the same song over and over until an irritated management pulled the plug on them.) Wicked Lady imploded in 1972, but Weaver rebounded that same year by joining the Dark, a more psychedelic- and progressive-outfit. Their Round The Edges album became a Holy Grail for collectors -- because only a handful of copies were made for band members and their associates. (Kissing Spell reissued the album in 1991.) Weaver next teamed with classically-trained keyboardist Dave "Doc" Wadley -- who'd worked with a pre-Sabbath Tony Iommi -- in the Mind Doctors. Kissing Spell also reissued On The Threshold Of Reality, an album of laidback instrumental "head" music.Weaver most recently surfaced on the re-formed Dark's Anonymous Days (1996), which featured material written in the 1970s and 1990s. ~ Ralph Heibutzki, All Music Guide

Tracks :

01 - Run The Night.mp3 9.55 MB
02 - War Cloud.mp3 14.04 MB
03 - The Axeman Cometh.mp3 12.68 MB
04 - Life And Death.mp3 18.41 MB
05 - Wicked Lady.mp3 11.20 MB
06 - Out Of The Dark.mp3 18.88 MB
07 - Rebel.mp3 6.60 MB
08 - Living On The Edge.mp3

Link : @

Artwork Included

MORMOS - THE MAGIC SPELL OF MOTHER'S WRATH 1972

Out of the remains of a super psychedelic rock band called SPOILS OF WAR, which develop an extra-cerebral rock containing dreamy folk rock, acid rock and electronic collages, and whose albums fetch fortunes, James Cuomo formed Mormos. The group moved to France and concentrated on the European scene playing a folk-rock that was rather complementary to the kind of the old world. Their sound on the first album can be likened to Incredible String Band, whuile their excellent second album MAGIC SPELL OF MOTHER'S WRATH... delved into a mixture of jazz and folk, somehow stepping between The Pentangle and John Martyn. Their only two albums are highly revered in folk circles but certainly deserve the proghead's attention.











Tracks :

1 Homeside
2 Walk in the light of the Lord
3 October song
4 Plastered in Paris
5 Doves are white
6 Cows in my colourbook
7 Hush
8 No 5 in the book
9 Rit yellow
10 Lady of night
11 Magic Stone
12 Hey Gilles

Link : @

Artwork Included

PENGUIN CAFE ORCHESTRA - BROADCASTING FROM HOME 1984

Broadcasting from Home is the fourth album by the Penguin Cafe Orchestra, and was released in 1984 on E.G. Records. The opening song was named after PCO leader Simon Jeffes found a discarded harmonium in an alleyway in Japan.

The original Vinyl record was pressed by EMI from a damaged master and had a distinctive click on it in track one - neither Virgin or EMI would pay to restore this, ignoring multiple requests and fans therefore had to wait until the DVD's release to hear it again.

Tracks :

Side one

1. "Music for a Found Harmonium" - 3:36
2. "Prelude & Yodel" - 3:51
3. "More Milk" (Jeffes, Geoffrey Richardson) - 3:10
4. "Sheep Dip" (Jeffes, Richardson) - 3:57
5. "White Mischief" - 5:48
6. "In the Back of a Taxi" - 3:21

Side two

1. "Music by Numbers" (Jeffes, Richardson) - 4:41
2. "Another One from the Colonies" (Jeffes, Neil Rennie) - 3:04
3. "Air" - 4:20
4. "Heartwind" (Jeffes, Ryuichi Sakamoto) - 4:11
5. "Isle of View (Music for Helicopter Pilots)" - 4:29
6. "Now Nothing" - 2:59

Link : @

Artwork Included

PENGUIN CAFE ORCHESTRA - PENGUIN CAFE ORCHESTRA 1981

Penguin Cafe Orchestra was the second album by the Penguin Cafe Orchestra, and was recorded at the Penguin Cafe between 1977 and 1980. By this time the line-up for the band had expanded greatly, with contribution including Simon Jeffes, Helen Leibmann, Steve Nye, Gavyn Wright of the original quartet, as well as Geoff Richardson, Peter Veitch, Braco, Giles Leamna, Julio Segovia and Neil Rennie. All pieces were composed by Simon Jeffes except for "Paul's Dance" (Jeffes and Nye), "Cutting Branches" (traditional), and "Walk Don't Run" (by J. Smith).

This release is widely considered as the critical best produced by the Orchestra, its whimsy and eclecticism making it inherently more approachable than the previous, more serious-minded initial album.

The cover painting is by Emily Young.

Tracks :

1. Air à Danser - 4:30
2. Yodel 1 - 4:07
3. Telephone and Rubber Band - 2:28
4. Cutting Branches for a Temporary Shelter - 3:09
5. Pythagoras's Trousers - 3:18
6. Numbers 1-4 - 6:57
7. Yodel 2 - 4:34
8. Salty Bean Fumble - 2:11
9. Paul's Dance - 1:45
10. The Ecstasy of Dancing Fleas - 4:01
11. Walk Don't Run - 3:01
12. Flux - 1:48
13. Simon's Dream - 1:48
14. Harmonic Necklace - 1:12
15. Steady State - 3:36

Link : @

Artwork Included

FIREFALL - LUNA SEA 1977

After introducing their mild, country-rock charm with 1976's Firefall, Rick Roberts and the band were right back at it a year later with Luna Sea. Following in the footsteps of their debut release, Luna Sea attached the same type of silky harmonies to light, breezy acoustics which confirmed the band's comfortable residence in their genre. Although Firefall's first album contained three hit singles (two of them making the Top 40), Luna Sea has Roberts fully revealing the influences that the Flying Burrito Brothers had on him during his stint with the group. Like their first album, Luna Sea went gold, and it netted them a number 11 hit with the glistening "Just Remember I Love You," with Timothy B. Schmit helping out on background vocals. "So Long" was also a minor hit, while the rest of the tracks are made up of typical love song material that draw more attention from their smooth AM sound than their actual lyrics. Firefall continued their success with 1978's Elan, which also sported a hit in "Strange Way," while the album itself went platinum. ~ Mike DeGagne, All Music Guide






Tracks :

1. Roberts, Rick - So Long
2. Roberts, Rick - Just Remember I Love You
3. Burnett, Larry - Sold On You
4. Roberts, Rick - Someday Soon
5. Firefall - Just Think
6. Burnett, Larry - Getaway
7. Roberts, Rick - Only A Fool
8. Burnett, Larry - Head On Home
9. Burnett, Larry - Piece Of Paper
10. Roberts, Rick/Burnett, Larry - Even Steven
11. Roberts, Rick - Tropical Night
12. Bartley, Jock - Rainforest
13. Burnett, Larry - Ya Never Know
14. Roberts, Rick - Over You

Link : @

Artwork Included

RARE AMBER 1969

Reissue of this ultra rare 1969 U.K album originally released on Polydor.Made up of progressive heavy blues rock typical of the time.This re-issue contains the non LP tracks from the band's only &" release.

Tracks:

1. Rare Amber - Malfunction Of The Engine (03:53)
2. Rare Amber - You Ain
3. Rare Amber - It Hurts Me Too (03:37)
4. Rare Amber - Paying The Cost To Be The Boss (03:38)
5. Rare Amber - Night Life (05:19)
6. Rare Amber - Custom Blues (03:14)
7. Rare Amber - Popcorn Man (02:17)
8. Rare Amber - Heartbreaker (02:52)
9. Rare Amber - Solution (07:03)
10. Rare Amber - Amber Blues (02:34)
11. Rare Amber - Blues Never Die (02:08)
12. Rare Amber - Malfunction On The Engine (Diff. Vers.) (03:27)
13. Rare Amber - Blind Love (Unreleased) (02:29)


Link : @

Artwork Included

BLOSSOM TOES - WE ARE EVER SO CLEAN 1967

Imagine the late-'60s Kinks crossed with a touch of the absurdist British wit of the Bonzo Dog Band, and you have an idea of the droll charm of Blossom Toes' debut album. Songwriters Brian Godding and Jim Cregan were the chief architects of the Toes' whimsical and melodic vision, which conjured images of a sun-drenched Summer of Love, London style. With its references to royal parks, tea time, watchmakers, intrepid balloon makers, "Mrs. Murphy's Budgerigar," and the like, it's a distinctly British brand of whimsy. It has since been revealed that sessionmen performed a lot of these orchestral arrangements, which embellished the band's sparkling harmonies and (semi-buried) guitars. But the cello, brass, flute, and tinkling piano have a delicate beauty that serves as an effective counterpoint. The group sings and plays as though they have wide grins on their faces, and the result is one of the happiest, most underappreciated relics of British psychedelia.

Tracks:

01.Look At Me I'm You (Godding, Gomelsky)
02.I'll Be Late For Tea (Godding)
03.The Remarkable Saga Of The Frozen Dog (Westlake)
04.Telegram Tuesday (Godding)
05.Love Is (Godding)
06.What's It For (Cregan)
07.People Of The Royal Parks (Westlake)
08.What On Earth (Godding)
09.Mrs Murphy's Budgerigar (Cregan, Westlake)
10.I Will Bring You This and That (Godding)
11.Mister Watchmaker (Godding)
12.When The Alarm Clock Rings (Cregan)
13.The Intrepid Balloonist's Handbook, Volume One (Cregan)
14.You (Godding)
15.Track For Speedy Freaks (or Instant LP Digest) (Godding, Gomelsky, Cregan, Westlake)

Link : @

Artwork Included

BLOODROCK - PASSAGE 1972

Passage is an album by the Texan hard rock band Bloodrock released under Capitol Records in 1972. It is the band's first album with a true progressive rock sound. On this album, the band sounds strikingly different from their earlier releases due to significant changes in their line-up.

The band was discovered in 1969 by Grand Funk Railroad record producer Terry Knight and signed to Capitol Records. Knight produced the first three Bloodrock albums. In fact, one gets the impression that Mr. Knight personally tuned the snare drum[citation needed] and decided on the stereo field and mix utilized because of the frequent similarity in sound with other bands produced by Knight, especially Grand Funk Railroad.[citation needed]

Bloodrock was best known for the song "D.O.A." (Dead On Arrival). D.O.A. was a graphic and mournful first person account of a mortally injured crash survivor and his dead girlfriend. Some think that the song refers to a car crash[who?], and others think that the song refers to a plane crash.[who?] Both meanings are possible[citation needed], because of nuances and phrasings in the lyrics, as well as the meaning of the lyrics themselves. The lyrics "we were flying along" may refer to kids joyriding because "flying low" is a metaphor for speeding.[citation needed] However given the era that the song was written in, and the popularity of drug use amongst rock musicians at that time, most people[who?] assumed the words "we were flying along and hit something in the air" refer to the car's occupants as being on drugs and barely aware of where they were and what happened to them. Another possibility is that the lyrics really mean, literally, flying in an airplane, presumably in the fog or bad weather or similar. Another lyric, "Then I looked straight at the attendant. His face is pale as it can be. He bends and whispers something softly. He says there's no chance for me." could refer to an ambulance attendant after a car crash, or a flight attendant after a plane crash. Only Bloodrock knows for sure. (Although there were very, very few male flight attendants in 1971 and they were still referred to as stewardesses at that time. The term "paramedics" was relatively unknown in 1971[dubious – discuss] and "attendant" was the most common noun applied to ambulance.)

This became their only hit single, reaching #36 on the music charts on March 6, 1971. They were only marginally popular in the United States and were essentially a cult band, but reportedly became a favorite among troops in Vietnam.

The group was noted for occasionally over-mixed, often "fuzzy" distorted bass lines, unusual in bass-deficient recordings for the time[citation needed], and a traditional and well done hard rock "B3" organ sound. The early albums featured a heavy metal sound reminiscent of a few other hard rock bands at the time, such as Grand Funk Railroad. Some of the lyrics were unusually dark for the time, exploring such themes as alienation, death, and revenge. These lyrics are similar, but darker, to some lyrics in other songs of the time such as Spoonful by Cream, many Hendrix tunes, a few Grand Funk tunes such as Sin's A Good Man's Brother and Inside Looking Out. The songs on their later albums are drastically different and seem to be from a completely different band who went from hard rock to attempts at an undefinable progressive stance.

Before the late 1972 album Passage, their original lead vocalist (Jim Rutledge) and lead guitarist (Lee Pickens) had left and were replaced by vocalist Warren Ham (a born-again Christian who would later perform with Kerry Livgren's Christian rock band A.D. in the 1980s). Bloodrock took a major turn away from hard rock on the last two albums, turning toward progressive rock, pop, and jazz, reminiscent of such artists as Jethro Tull, Todd Rundgren, and Traffic. During live performances in the Warren Ham era, the band often refused to play their earlier songs with dark themes such as "Whiskey Vengeance" and "D.O.A.". Interestingly, though, the lyrics on the later albums often had leftist or even Marxist themes on songs like "The Power".

The 2000 CD release Triptych includes their last two albums (Passage & Whirlwind Tongues) plus an additional, previously unreleased album, Unspoken Words, recorded by the band in mid 1974 before their official breakup.

A reunion concert featuring five of the six original numbers (Jim Rutledge, Lee Pickens, Ed Grundy,Nick Taylor, *Chris Taylor (*in place of original drummer Rick Cobb III) was held on March 12, 2005 in Ft. Worth, for the benefit of their keyboardist Stevie Hill.


Tracks :

1. "Help is on the Way" – 4:35
2. "Scottsman" – 3:45
3. "Juice" – 3:38
4. "The Power" – 4:23
5. "Life Blood" – 5:38
6. "Days and Nights" – 7:56
7. "Lost Fame" – 4:14
8. "Thank You Daniel Ellsberg" – 3:15
9. "Fantasy" – 5:18

Link : @

Artwork Included

BABE RUTH - FIRST BASE 1972 / AMAR CABALLERO 1973

First Base was British hard rock group Babe Ruth's biggest success, both in terms of popular and critical acclaim. This LP defined an interesting junction between hard rock and progressive rock. The two driving forces behind this album were guitarist Alan Shackloc, who wrote most of the material, and vocalist Janita Haan, who came out as the perfect balance between Janis Joplin and Robert Plant. The album contained "The Mexican," the band's classic song which also includes a theme by western soundtrack composer Ennio Morricone ("Per Qualche Dollaro in Piu"). Other highlights include the powerful rock number "Wells Fargo," the sweet-and-sour "Black Dog" (with nice piano work by Dave Punshon), and a surprising rendition of Frank Zappa's "King Kong." The strings and oboe arrangements in "The Runaways" don't work as well, but at least they don't get pompous. With its long songs (six to eight minutes) and lush arrangements, First Base seduced both the hard rock and the progressive rock crowds. The album cover was painted by Roger Dean, who illustrated many Yes albums. ~ François Couture, All Music Guide





Tracks :

1. Wells Fargo
2. Runaways
3. King Kong
4. Black Dog
5. Mexican
6. Joker


Progressive Euro-rockers Babe Ruth inhabit the same country AA bands as Renaissance and Illusion, but they tend to lean more towards R&B and less towards the classical aspects. Amar Caballero has a little of both, along with good ol' rock & roll. Here, they cover the Capitols' "Cool Jerk," and do a fine job of it, too. Other highlights include "Lady" and the lengthy title cut. If you can sink your teeth into music that has a rock edge tinged with classical leanings, all wrapped up in a thin coating of R&B, then check out Babe Ruth's Amar Caballero. It will be rewarding. ~ James Chrispell, All Music Guide

Tracks :

1. Lady
2. Broken Cloud
3. Gimme Some Leg
4. Baby Pride
5. Cool Jerk
6. We Are Holding On
7. Doctor Love
8. Amar Caballero:
- a. El Caballero De La Reina Isabella
- b. Hombre De La Guitarra
- c. El Testament De Amelia

Link : @

Artwork Included

BOB WEIR - ACE 1972

As a "bonus" for re-signing another three-album deal with Warner Brothers Records in the early '70s, members of the Grateful Dead were given the opportunity to cut solo albums. Jerry Garcia (Garcia), Mickey Hart (Rolling Thunder), and Bob Weir (Ace) took advantage of the offer -- although it could easily be argued that Weir's disc was in reality the next Grateful Dead album simply featuring the rhythm guitarist's co-compositions and lead vocals throughout. In essence, Ace became the follow-up to the double-live LP Grateful Dead [1971] (aka "Skull and Roses"), which included a live and somewhat non-descript rendition of "Playing in the Band." Ironically, on this studio release the Grateful Dead stretch out during the seven-plus-minute version -- which is considered to be one of their most inspired improvisational interactions away from the concert stage. Likewise, practically every track -- with the exception of the painfully optimistic "Walk in the Sunshine" -- became an integral component of the Grateful Dead's performance repertoire for their remaining 20-plus years as an actively touring band. Much of Ace is flavored with the same country-rock textures that informed the Dead's previous two studio recordings, American Beauty and Workingman's Dead. The addition of keyboardist Keith Godchaux -- whose style on this album rivals that of Jerry Lee Lewis -- gives songs such as "Greatest Story Ever Told" and "One More Saturday Night" an aggressive bite which is conspicuous in its absence from the Grateful Dead's previous studio outings. On the whole, Ace is thoroughly enjoyable for devout Deadheads as well as less-fanatical enthusiasts. Other standout tracks include the lilting lullaby "Cassidy," Snooky Flowers' driving horn arrangement on "One More Saturday Night," and Garcia's lazy, laid-back pedal steel guitar work on "Looks Like Rain." ~ Lindsay Planer, All Music Guide

Tracks :

Side One

1. "Greatest Story Ever Told" (Weir, Hart, Hunter) – 3:43
2. "Black-Throated Wind" (Weir, Barlow) – 5:42
3. "Walk in the Sunshine" (Weir, Barlow) – 3:05
4. "Playing in the Band" (Weir, Hart, Hunter) – 7:38

[edit] Side Two

1. "Looks Like Rain" (Weir, Barlow) – 6:12
2. "Mexicali Blues" (Weir, Barlow) – 3:28
3. "One More Saturday Night" (Weir) – 4:31
4. "Cassidy" (Weir, Barlow) – 3:41

Link : @

Artwork Included

NEUMEIER - GENRICH - SCHMIDT - PSYCHEDELIC MONSTERJAM 2004

This CD is taken from two concerts performed in 2003 with Dave Schmidt (Zone Six, Sula Bassana, Ex-Liquid Visions) on bass and original Guru Guru members, Ax Genrich on Guitar and Mani Neumeier on drums. This was the first time that Ax and Mani had played together in 30 years. Dave, who has played in bands that do a lot of improvisation, was ready to play with these guys. The set features three old Guru Guru songs and the rest is completely improvised. The CD begins with "Bong", a good old fashioned 70’s acid jam, and this leads into the really cool "(Do you want to) Boogie in Bombay". This tracks starts with a lot of spaced out sounds and mixed percussion before the real groove develops. Awesome stuff. "Stone In", an old Guru Guru number, is a heavy psychedelic acid guitar freakout! This leads into "Stone Out" and really captures that feeling of the old recordings of Guru Guru from '70-'71. "Moonlight Flight" is a total improvisation and it meanders a bit but the bass line is really cool and solid and gives the others space to go where no one has gone before. Another Guru Guru track, "Next Time, See you at the Dalai Lhama". I like the way this track develops and Ax really plays some freaky psychedelic guitar. "Rising Sun" is a mellow track with just bass and drums and Mani playing bells. "Electric Junk", the last Guru Guru number and 18 minutes long, is pretty bluesy but slowly develops into a long guitar improv, including some spoken German by Mani. The CD ends with "Mushroom Moon" a laid back space journey. In all you get 80 minutes of pretty cool music totally in the spirit of early 70’s Krautrock.

Some people will really dig this and get into while others will think that these guys are just making boring noodling. I think it is really cool stuff and we are lucky that someone recorded this so we could hear the magic when these three great musicians all met. I can’t wait for the next one. They have just done a small tour in Germany and all the gigs were recorded.

Tracks :


1. Bong 4:54
2. (Do you want to) Boogie in Bombay 10:08
3. Stone In 6:35
4. Stone Out 6:01
5. Moonlight Flight 11:43
6. Next Time See You at the Dalai Lhama 11:27
7. Rising Sun 4:16
8. Electric Junk 18:09
9. Mushroom Moon 6:40

Link : @

Artwork Included

THE MOODY BLUES - DAYS OF FUTURE PASSED 1967

Days of Future Passed, The Moody Blues' second official album (released in 1967), was their first of what would be a succession of concept albums. It was also the first to feature Justin Hayward and John Lodge, who would play a very strong role in directing the band's sound in the decades to come. Utilizing the London Festival Orchestra primarily for epic instrumental interludes between songs, Days of Future Passed moved the Birmingham band away from its early R&B roots (as displayed on its debut album with soon-departed future Wings member Denny Laine) into uncharted rock territory, making them the early pioneers of both classical and progressive rock.
Originally, the Moodies' label, Deram, had wanted them to record a rock version of Dvořák's New World Symphony in order to demonstrate their latest recording techniques. Instead, the band (initially without the label's knowledge) decided to focus on an album based on an original stage show that they'd been working on.

The concept of both the stage show and the album was very simple, tracing an "everyman's day" from dawn to night, from awakening to sleep. The seven tracks spawned two hit singles: "Tuesday Afternoon", which on the album was actually titled "The Afternoon: Forever Afternoon (Tuesday?)", and "Nights in White Satin" which hit No. 2 five years after the LP's original release. Both remain commercial radio mainstays across various formats and de rigueur performances in concert.

The project was almost doomed to failure as executives at Deram Records felt that combining rock and symphonic music would both alienate rock fans and enrage symphonic fans. The album's subsequent success led to other criticism about implied drug use, especially with such lines as "the smell of grass just makes you pass into a dream" and "those gentle voices I hear explain it all with a sigh." Despite such early criticism, Days of Future Passed paved the way for progressive offerings from other bands and remains one of the Moody Blues' most popular releases ever.

The original packaging credited the orchestral parts to "Redwave/Knight". "Knight" was conductor Peter Knight, while "Redwave" was an imaginary name representing the Moody Blues themselves. (Knight built the orchestral parts around themes written by Hayward, Thomas, Pinder & Lodge). Also, the packaging failed to give titles or credits for Graeme Edge's poems "Morning Glory" and "Late Lament".

Some 8-track tape versions of this album have the distinction of being one of the few 8-tracks that are arranged exactly like the record album. In order to make the songs fit, a portion of "Dawn Is a Feeling" is repeated, making the song longer than the album version. The same extension is applied to "Peak Hour" in order to make it longer. This was easy to do, as both of these songs have false endings in the middle of the melody.

In March 2006 the album was remastered into SACD format and repackaged as a two-CD Deluxe Edition.

Tracks :

1. The day begins (5:49)
2. Dawn: Dawn is a feeling (3:49)
3. Morning: another Morning (3:40)
4. Lunch break: peak hour (5:16)
5. Tuesday afternoon (forever afternoon) (8:48]
6. Evening: the sun set: twilight time (6:14)
7. Night: nights in white satin (7:38]


Link : @

Artwork Included

KAIPA - KAIPA 1975

In their early years, the Swedish band Kaipa were a quartet playing music in the symphonic rock vein as typified by Yes or Genesis. Vocalist/keyboardist Hans Ludin is nearly a dead ringer for a Swedish Jon Anderson, and this comparison may have affected the bands quest for international acclaim, being that their debut was released in 1975 and that progressive rock bands were not in vogue with the big labels by this time (regardless of the fact that they were on Decca in Sweden.)

Their debut is a fine album, showing Kaipa in their early stages. Guitarist Roine Stolt is an immediate standout and proves to be a unique element, his Allman Brothers/Santana influenced playing is a breath of fresh air for this type of music (in fact one wonders what happened to these influences by his transition to the Flower Kings). All of the melodies, many taken from traditional Swedish folk, seem to be worked out and many are quite excellent and accessible. A borderline classic (a little more pyrotechnics would not have hurt) and a definite winner for the 70's symphonic fan.






Tracks :
01 - musilken ar ljuset(music is light)
02 - sake har tva sidor(things have two sides
03 - ankaret(the anchor)
04 - skogspromenad
05 - allting har sin borjan
06 - se var morgon gry(see the dawn)
07 - forlorad i stanbul
08 - oceaner f der liv

Link : @

Artwork Included

HANDS - HANDS 1977

Gentle Giant, PFM, and Tull immediately came to mind on the fantastic Zombieroch that opens this too long forgotten (one more ) late 70’s album; but many other influences (like Yes , E.L&P, Camel or Gryphon) will be felt as you, track by track, discover this work; Inspired by the early 70’s British Progressive scene, giving them a very professional American treatment and a determined sound, Hands go effortlessly from medieval to full blow symphonic prog and from acoustic to electric with rocking or Funky shades in between, without blinking;
The line up didn’t seem to be very stable, and as many musicians are listed, that it’s not very easy to find out who is playing in which tracks; but that’s is a minor problem; making good use of every possible instrument, from the traditional, bass, drums , guitars and keyboards to the woodwinds, Stick, violin, viola, vitar (a bowed string instrument on “Triangle of new Flight” fits the sound of that word ;-) ) cello, tuned percussions and mandolin, they did a mainly instrumental album , with up tempo and ballad tempo tunes in similar quantities(the sparse vocals either remind me of John Wetton, or point to Ian Anderson or Lake, but the sung parts sometimes have pomposity I don’t particularly appreciate); there’s nothing particularly innovative or groundbreaking but the tracks are so well built and the playing is so flawless that this becomes a rewarding and mostly uplifting (or relaxing), listening experience;

Review by : comusduke

Tracks :

01.- Zombieroch
02.- Prelude #2
03.- Triangle of New Flight
04.- Mutineer's Panorama
05.- Worlds Apart
06.- Dreamsearch
07.- Left Behind
08.- Mindgrind
09.- Greansoap
10.- I Want One of Those
11.- Antarctica
12.- The Tiburon Treasure
13.- Dreamsearch (remix) [Bonus]

Link : @

Artwork Included

CRYSTALS - CRYSTALS 1974

Crystals is a sort of supergroup composed in the 1973 year by experienced and famous musicians, former members of name bands like PREMIATA FORNERIA MARCONI (Giorgio Piazza), BANCO DEL MUTUO SOCCORSO (Marcello Todaro), RACCOMANDATA RICEVUTA DI RITORNO and SAMADHI (Nanni Civitenga), ALPHATAURUS (Giorgio Santandrea), and under the guidance of Paolo Tofani (AREA and ELECTRIC FRANKENSTEIN) that composed all of their tracks.

They recorded an album that was intended for release on Cramps label, but for mysterious reasons, it never appeared, and has only seen the light on CD in the early 90's.
The record shows an excellent musicianship. The lyrics are sung in english and the album has long instrumental parts. A Led Zeppelin influence is evident even if two guitarists make the sound original.

There is not an official website but many info can be found here: http://www.italianprog.com/a_crystals.htm




Tracks :

Wrought Iron
Time Out
Feeling
If She's Still Mine
Sad Story
Persian Carpet
Policeman
Women Under Water

Link : @

Artwork Included

CELTIC MYSTERIES 2 - CALVERLEY 1997

Gently, so gently the fair music and sweet poetry of olden times passes away. Look westward, beloved, to a new land beyond the sea, to the land we have visioned in our dreams and longed for in the sorrows of our passing days.

ROGER CALVERLEY'S debut recording is an enchanting release designed to create the mood of an ancient Celtic past. With the deep understanding of Celtic traditions and a background in meditation, CALVERLEY has developed a New Age impressionistric approach to Celtic music. Performed on synthesizers and samples, Celtic Mysteries is both relaxing and at the same time evocative.

This album features Celtic Harp, flute, guitars, acoustic bass, Uillean pipes, whistle, oboe, English Horn, violin, cello & percussion. BRUCE MITCHELL ( CELTIC DESTINY ) provides additional keyboards as well as a number of enchanting arrangements.

Tracks :

# Crowned With Luy
# The Silver Branch
# Dreamweaver
# Gently Passing
# Incantation
# The Crimson Rose
# Kestral Song
# Hengedance
# Willow Maid
# Vespers
# Spindlestone

Link : @

Artwork Included