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Marsupilami's debut album is about as ungainly as the group's name in its strident, mordant, early progressive rock. There was a very large undertow of obscure albums with morose melodies, fuzz guitars, and organ at the end of the 1960s and very beginning of the 1970s. Marsupilami falls squarely into that bag, although it's differentiated from the American records of that type by a sort of British-European seriousness and early prog rock-jazz touches, particularly in Jessica Stanley Clarke's flute. The songs are long, winding, and portentous, with touches of the gothic and the funereal, especially in the organ and Dave Laverock's bowed guitar (particularly on the closer "Facilis Descencus Averni"). They're rather samey-sounding and unmemorable, though, and not so dark as to be as truly chilling as they might have wished. If you're looking for something in the same general ballpark that's almost equally obscure, Julian's Treatment's A Time Before This album (also from 1970) is much better than this LP, which was reissued on Get Back in 1999. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide Tracks : 01-Dorian Deep02-Born To Be Free03-And The Eagle Chased The Dove To It's Ruin04-Ab Initio Ad Finem (The Opera)05-Facilis Descensus Averni
The album opens with the rocker "Down the Road", which isn't really prog, but smokes nonetheless. Then we get the title track, which is not just the best song on the album, it's probably Kansas' best song, and should by all rights be considered a prog classic. All the elements are there - overall symphonic sound, multiple sections, long instrumental breaks, heady politically/environmentally conscious lyrics and great composition. Whenever someone gratuitously bashes Kansas, I always wonder if all they've heard is "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind", and have never had the pleasure of a track like "Song For America". One of my favorite concert moments was getting to see Kansas play at a tiny bar and standing five feet away from Phil Ehart as he tore through the impressive drum parts of this song. To this day, I'm convinced that Mr. Ehart is possibly the most underrated drummer in rock.Unfortunately the best track is followed immediately by what is probably the worst. It's a melodramatic, overblown tale of a grieving widower who's wife's ghost comes back to comfort him (with suitably bombastic and emotional music to match). Even when I was a hard-core Kansas fan I never liked this song - it just seems like the blueprint for way too many bad neoprog songs."Lonely Street" is a down-and-dirty blues tune (in 11/8 if I'm counting correctly) that's about as dark lyrically as anything the band ever did. The narrator tells of how he killed a man for raping his woman. Steve Walsh goes for the gusto on this one, and those who dislike his voice would hate it. But it's another highlight in my book. The guitars smolder and smoke, and the violin adds some nice touches. I just wish the lyric "So half crazed I shot him, and I cried in the blood on that jail house floor" had been changed to "killed" instead of "shot". How would the protagonist have gotten a gun in jail? A nitpick I know, but it's always bugged me."The Devil Game" kind of foreshadows the days of the early 80s, when Kerry Livgren would take over control of the band and turn it briefly into a Christian rock group. Except that this song is a fairly good rocker (if you can overlook the "don't let the devil use you" lyrics), while most of Kansas' early 80s work is not so hot.The album ends with another lengthy track, "Incomudro". I seem to remember reading somewhere that the name came to Livgren in a dream, and doesn't really have any particular meaning. The song is another big, bombastic number with long instrumental, symphonic prog sections and occasional philosophical lyrics. Not a bad track, but in all my years as a Kansas fan I never thought "you know, I really need to hear Incomudro today". There's a big drum solo that's a bit disappointing given Ehart's skill, and finally the song and album end in grand prog fashion with the music speeding up until it finally reaches an explosion (literally).If you don't mind a bit of the "classic rock" sound with your symphonic prog, and you haven't bought this album yet, give it a try. The band's other early work would probably also appeal (everything from the self-titled first album through the live Two For the Show).review by Bob EichlerTracks : 1. Down the road (3:43)2. Song for America (9:59)3. Lamplight symphony (8:11)4. Lonely street (5:43)5. The devil game (5:03)6. Incomudro - Hymn to the Atman (12:12)
Crosby, Stills & Nash is the eponymous first album released by Crosby, Stills & Nash in 1969 on the Atlantic Records label. It spawned two Top 40 hits, "Marrakesh Express" and "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," which peaked respectively at #28 the week of August 23, 1969, and at #21 the week of October 25, 1969, on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The album itself peaked at #6 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart.The album was a very strong debut for the band, instantly lifting them to stardom. Along with the Band's Music From Big Pink of the previous year, it helped initiate a sea change in popular music away from the ruling late sixties aesthetic of bands playing blues-based rock music on loud guitars. Crosby, Stills & Nash presented a new wrinkle in building upon rock's roots, utilizing folk, blues, and even jazz without specifically sounding like mere duplication. Not only blending voices, the three meshed their differing strengths, Crosby for social commentary and atmospheric mood pieces, Stills for his diverse musical skills and for folding folk and country elements subtly into complex rock structures, and Nash for his radio-friendly pop melodies, to create an amalgam of broad appeal. Eventually going multi-platinum, in addition to the abovementioned singles, Crosby, Stills & Nash features some of their best known songs in "Wooden Ships" and "Helplessly Hoping." "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" was composed for Judy Collins, and "Long Time Gone" was a response to the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy.This album proved very influential on many levels to the dominant popular music scene in America for much of the 1970s. The success of the album generated gravitas for the group within the industry, and galvanized interest in signing like acts, many of whom came under management and representation by the CSN team of Elliot Roberts and David Geffen. Strong sales, combined with the group's emphasis on personal confession in its writing, paved the way for the success of the singer-songwriter movement of the early seventies. Their utilization of personal events in their material without resorting to subterfuge, their talents in vocal harmony, their cultivation of painstaking studio craft, as well as the Laurel Canyon ethos that surrounded the group and their associates, established an aesthetic for a number of acts that came to define the "California" sound of the ensuing decade, including The Eagles, Jackson Browne, post-1974 Fleetwood Mac, and others.In 2003, the album was ranked number 259 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.The album has been issued on compact disc three times: mastered by Barry Diament at Atlantic Studios in the mid-1980s[1]; remastered by Joe Gastwirt at Ocean View Digital and reissued on August 16, 1994; reissued again by Rhino Records as an expanded edition using the HDCD process on January 24, 2006.
The band was founded by songwriter and producer Kenny Young, who had composed the song "Under The Boardwalk" for the Drifters in 1964. Young had worked off and on with Australian singer Susan Traynor for a number of years in the United States.As an uncredited member of the Charmettes, produced by Young, Traynor had scored a minor hit single with "Please Don't Kiss Me Again" and she had later appeared on Young's album Last Stage For Silverworld, where she was listed as "Amanda". Both Traynor and Young then relocated to England in 1968, after Young had written a song for Reparata and the Delrons called "Captain of Your Ship", which had been a British hit.He then discovered Northern Irish singer Clodagh Rodgers on a television show, who had recently released a single called "Play The Drama Till The End". The partnership produced three years of hit singles, beginning with "Come Back And Shake Me". With this, Rodgers became something of a blueprint for Fox, as she recorded demos of some of the songs which would eventually surface on the first Fox album in 1975, as well as earlier Young tunes.Meanwhile, Susan Traynor was in a folk group called Wooden Horse, which released two albums before breaking up. After his success with Rogers, Young founded Fox with Irish singer Herbie Armstrong, recruiting Traynor as lead singer. She adopted the stage name Noosha, a scrambled version of her own name, and a glamorous image inspired by Marlene Dietrich, wearing elegant dresses to contrast with the scruffy looks of the rest of the group.The band's self-titled debut album was released on GTO Records in 1975 to critical acclaim. The lead single, "Only You Can", was a Top 10 UK single, the follow-up "Imagine Me Imagine You" also reached the top 30 and "He's Got Magic" was a hit in some European countries. Also the track Love Ship was played extensively on Radio Caroline, and was subsequently adopted as one of their theme tunes in the 1970's. Shortly after the release of their first album, the band made a cameo appearance in the film Side By Side.However, Noosha was relegated to backing vocals for half the songs on the late 1975 follow-up album, Tails Of Illusion, with the other songs sung by Young. The album enjoyed neither the critical nor the sales success of its predecessor; without Noosha's distinctive voice, casual listeners did not associate the songs with the band that had recorded "Only You Can". Roger Taylor of Queen added backing vocals to the song "Survival".The band returned to the charts in April 1976 when "S-S-S-Single Bed" was a surprise Top 5 UK hit and topped the Australian charts. Again, though, the band failed to capitalize upon its momentum, and the weaker accompanying album Blue Hotel, which was only released the following year, failed to yield any further singles, even though Noosha was reinstated as lead singer on all its tracks.Noosha Fox left the band after Blue Hotel. Armstrong and Young continued to work together in the band Yellow Dog, while Armstrong went on to work with Van Morrison and Solley later joined Whitesnake. Noosha launched a solo career, and her first single, "Georgina Bailey", written and produced by Young, briefly entered the Top 40 in the UK (reaching number 31) in 1977. However, its title and subject matter (about a girl whose uncle turns out to be gay) were reminiscent of Rod Stewart's then-current single "The Killing of Georgie", and the single's relatively weak chart placement meant that her planned solo album, already partly recorded, was shelved.In 1979, Noosha Fox tried again to start her solo career with a single, "The Heat Is On", on Chrysalis Records. It flopped, but a cover version by ABBA's Agnetha Fältskog was a big European hit four years later. Noosha recorded several singles in the early 1980s for the Earlobe label but none were successful, and she evidently retired from the music business, but not returning to Australia as many believe.Fox reformed briefly in 1980, releasing the New Wave-influenced "Electro People", written as the theme music for the Kenny Everett Show. The band considered a reunion in the early 1990s, but the tracks recorded at this time were unreleased until 2004, when they appeared as bonus tracks on the Tails of Illusion CD.It was reported in 2007 on BBC Radio 4's "The Music Group" that Noosha Fox is recording a solo album of electropop, and has her own website.
Produced by Gary Katz, recorded by Roger Nichols this album contains the hit single "Rikki don't lose that number" which became the band's biggest hit, reaching #4 on the charts right after the release of the album. Pretzel logic also includes a Duke Ellington's cover (East St. Louis Toodle-oo) and a tribute to saxophonist Charlie Parker (Parker's band). The album has been placed, in 2003, at #385 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.For sure, Pretzel logic was a unique beast when it hit the record stores. Back in 1974 it was impossible to listen to something similar. It was an incredibly fresh mixture of pop, jazz and rock, with lyrics so strange that it was/is sometimes hard to understand the whole meaning of the song (hence the title "Pretzel logic", I assume!!!).While their first two albums were mostly rock-oriented and -inspired, this "Pretzel logic" has a more jazzy taste. Nonetheless it lacks the somewhat cold atmosphere of the subsequent Becker & Fagen albums: perfect in every detail, food for mind more than food for soul. Don't get me wrong: I simply love all their albums but some of their juvenile freshness has started to lack after Pretzel logic was released. This might be caused by the decision to stop live performances (they stopped touring after Pretzel logic) but, in some sense, the duo started to talk more to the mind than to the heart.The reason why I've decided to include Pretzel logic into our list of audiophile recordings is simple: this album, besides being an excellent recording considering it dates back to 1974, is a good test for any system that aims to reproduce a lively swing. If your system is not adequate in the "timing" department then this album would sound boring and lifeless. Try following the simple rhythm of the title track or of "Barrytown" (my two faves): you shouldn't be able to stop your feet from stomping! These tracks are groovy to the n-th power! The bass lines of the title track - doubled by Jeff Porcaro's powerful drumming - are purely sensual, they are simple but extremely powerful and SHOULD be easy to follow, during the whole track. If they get lost among the rest of the instruments, something in your system needs a reality check.The same applies to "Barrytown", a song that possesses a joyous pace that should be naturally reproduced by your system. The song is only apparently simple: try to follow the patterns of the keywords and of the electric guitar...they are quite intricated indeed! Try to follow each one separately. Is it easy or confusing? [Answer: it should be EASY]. Another song with an urge is "Monkey in your soul": again PRaT ability of the system is under severe test here!On the other hand, the slow rhythm of the hit "Rikki don't lose that number" sounds a bit a-la Joe Jackson if I may ...only years before Joe published his first album! Its opening keyboard riff, directly taken from '64 Horace Silver's "Song for my father", is extremely catchy and involving, the system should preserve its slow and almost hypnotic cadence. Again, try to refrain your feet from stomping!This album is also a good test for vocals. You shouldn't expect the quality you can hear on modern audiophile recordings (which are more real than real, actually) but there should be NO trace of harshness or distortion, even during choirs. Voices should come out natural and easy on the ear. Actually, the whole album should sound easy, it's something you should be able to listen many times in a row (being 35 minutes long, that's not difficult!).Overall dynamics isn't anywhere near the best today's recordings so don't expect goose bumps in this specific department. This relaxed atmosphere makes the album even easier to enjoy. Finally, 3D soundstaging, being Pretzel logic a 1974 pop/rock recording, isn't impressive. Width, height and depth of the virtual are clearly limited. Not the same applies to focus and precision, which are quite good even by today's standards. ( http://www.tnt-audio.com/topics/pretzel_logic_e.html )
Pure Prairie League is an American country-rock band whose roots began between 1964 and 1969 in Waverly, Ohio with Craig Fuller, Tom McGrail, Jim Caughlan and John David Call. The band's name was chosen by McGrail after a 19th century temperance union mentioned in the 1939 film Dodge City. The band has had a long run, active from the early 1970s through to the early 1980s, and reborn in the mid 2000s.Although the band has its roots in Waverly, Ohio, it was actually formed in Columbus, Ohio, and had its first success in Cincinnati. Although Fuller, McGrail, Caughlan, and Call had played together off and on since high school, the first Pure Prairie League recording was a George Ed Powell penned composition, "Down to Pieces" with Powell (acoustic guitar and vocal), Fuller (lead guitar and vocal), McGrail (drums), Kenny May (bass) and David Workman (pedal steel guitar). The original stage band was Fuller, McGrail, Powell, Phil Stokes on bass, and Robin Suskind on guitar and mandola. Steel guitar player, John Call, joined the band in 1970. His steel guitar improved the country songs and sparked guitar duels with Fuller that contributed greatly to the rock/country, signature sound of the band. Caughlan, who had played drums and guitar with Fuller, Call and McGrail in earlier bands, took over on drums when McGrail quit the band just before their first album. Lanham replaced Stokes who left at the same time. After the eponymous first album release and a nationwide tour in 1971, the band split up with Call, Caughlan, and Lanham leaving before the second album. This left Fuller and Powell to record Bustin' Out in Toronto with Billy Hinds (drums) and Michael Connor (piano) would become regulars in the Pure Prairie League line-up for years to come. Michael Reilly, the longtime bass player and front man for the band, joined the band for the Two Lane Highway album and plays with the current band.By far Pure Prairie League’s biggest hit is Craig Fuller’s ode to an on-again/off-again relationship, "Amie", from the 1972 Bustin' Out LP. Over the years "Amie" has become part of the standard reportoire for legions of cover acts, as the singalong nature and multi-part harmony of its chorus lends itself well to audience participation. Other hits for the band include "Two Lane Highway", "I'm Almost Ready", and the musically less-representative pop song, "Let Me Love You Tonight". The latter two feature Vince Gill on vocals, who sang and played guitar with the band in the early 1980s before moving on to become one of Nashville, Tennessee’s biggest stars. Meanwhile, Craig Fuller took a stint as lead singer for the jam/funk/rock band Little Feat in the late 1980s. But after almost a twenty year gap the fourteenth Pure Prairie League album "All In Good Time" was released in 2006, composed primarily of Fuller songs, as was the very first back in 1971.
Pure Prairie League is an American country-rock band, the roots began between 1964 and 1969 in Waverly, Ohio with Craig Fuller, Tom McGrail, Jim Caughlan and John David Call. The band's name was chosen by McGrail after a 19th century temperance union mentioned in the 1939 film, Dodge City. The band has had a long run, active from the early 1970s through to the early 1980s, and reborn in the mid 2000s.Although the band has its roots in Waverly, it was actually formed in Columbus, Ohio (sixty miles north of Waverly), and had its first success in Cincinnati. Although Fuller, McGrail, Caughlan, and Call had played together off and on since high school, the first Pure Prairie League recording was a George Ed Powell penned composition, "Down to Pieces" with Powell (acoustic guitar and vocal), Fuller (lead guitar and vocal), McGrail (drums), Kenny May (bass) and David Workman (pedal steel guitar). The original stage band was Fuller, McGrail, Powell, Phil Stokes on bass, and Robin Suskind on guitar and mandola. Steel guitar player, John Call, joined the band in 1970. His steel guitar improved the country songs and sparked guitar duels with Fuller that contributed greatly to the rock/country, signature sound of the band. Caughlan, who had played drums and guitar with Fuller, Call and McGrail in earlier bands, took over on drums when McGrail quit the band just before their first album. Lanham replaced Stokes who left at the same time. After the eponymous first album release and a nationwide tour in 1971, the band split up with Call, Caughlan, and Lanham leaving before the second album. This left Fuller and Powell to record Bustin' Out in Toronto with Billy Hinds (drums) and Michael Connor (piano) would become regulars in the PPL line-up for years to come. Michael Reilly, the longtime bass player and front man for the band, joined the band for the "Two Lane Highway" album and plays with the current band.PPL’s biggest hits include Fuller’s "Amie"; "Two Lane Highway", and the musically less-representative pop song, "Let Me Love You Tonight". Vince Gill, who sang and played guitar with the band in the early 1980s and recorded an updated version of "Amie" for their greatest hits album, moved on to become one of Nashville, Tennessee’s biggest stars. A fourteenth album was released in 2006, composed primarily of Craig Fuller songs, as was the very first back in 1971. They also are known to have a Norman Rockwell cowboy named "Sad Luke" appear on most of their album covers.
Tracks 1 to 10 are their 2nd album - which as well as their 1970 debut - was simply called "CCS" on the original vinyl LP - here it's called CCS II for CD purposes. It was originally released in April 1972 on Rak Records SRAK 503 and on the strength of the March 1972 7" single "Brother" - the album charted at 23, the only one of their three LPs to break the UK Top 50. Great sleeve too. (Their first album in the USA was called "Whole Lotta Love" released in April 1971 - named after their hit cover version of the Zeppelin classic - see paragraphs below).Tracks 11 and 12 are the bonus tracks:11 is "Mister What You Can't Have" which is the non-album B-side to "Brother" on RAK 126(it's a John Cameron original - great fun track)12 is "Sixteen Tons" which is the non-album A-side of RAK 141 issued in 1972. It's B-side is the Peter Thorup original "This Is My Life" - it's Track 7 on the album. However, the single version is shorter and different. It has Thorup vocals only, while the album version includes both Thorup and Korner. If you want the single mix (unfortunately not included here), it's on the superb EMI CD "A's B's & Rarities" which also sports 2 previously unreleased CCS tracks not on any of these Repertoire issues. Well worth seeking out that. Back to the A though. I've always thought CCS's version of "Sixteen Tons" to be one of 'the' great lost Seventies gems - and for soul boys looking for a funky rock track to fill out that cool 70's CD-R, this is the place to look. It's a cover version of the Tennessee Ernie Ford 1950's classic which was followed quickly by a Platters version - this fabulous take on that famous 'shovelling coal' song borrows a bit from both of those versions and it's a song that whenever we play it in the shop, it has customers coming to the counter asking "who's this, who's this?"The huge ensemble group CCS was the brain-child of British Blues Boom Godfather ALEXIS KORNER who along with Danish singer PETER THORUP and British arranger JOHN CAMERON pulled together the cream of brass/flute-playing session-men of the time and went after the BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS market for funked-up rock. Deciding right from the start to include cover versions ala B, S & T, they did a fantastic brassed-up take on Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" that not only complimented the original, but also defined that "CCS" sound. So when the new BBC pop program "Top Of The Pops" needed a cool new theme song, they took this winner from their 1970 debut album, dropped the flute intro and the vocal middle and end - and a theme song legend was born. That mixture of cover-versions given the CCS treatment alongside JOHN CAMERON and ALEXIS KORNER originals continued on this LP. "Black Dog" is another Zeppelin cover from IV, "I Want You Back" was made famous by The Congregation and The Jackson 5 while the "Whole Lotta Rock `N' Roll" track is a 5-part medley of Chuck Berry, Little Richard and a reprise of Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love".But the best bit is the SOUND. Repertoire re-issues are always good in my book, but this licensed-from-EMI remaster is exceptional. I'd expected wads of hiss, but the transfers are very clean - and given the amount of brass coming at you, muscular to a point where you have to sometimes reach for the volume control! A really great job done.When CCS folded, both Korner and Thorup teamed up with King Crimson's BOZ BURRELL and IAN WALLACE to form SNAPE who issued some albums in Europe which were good too. But my heart is with the fab C.C.S. Highly recommended to those who love their Seventies with a bit of balls and a sense of humour. ( By Mark Barry at Revival Records, Berwick Street )Tracks :
Edgar Winter came out of the chute kicking with this remarkable record filled with jazz, blues and a little old-fashioned rock & roll. The record follows an established theme throughout its first side, stringing the songs together without breaks, highlighted by dreamy keyboard and sax work, plus Winter's smooth vocalizations. But jazz isn't the only thing Edgar brings to the party. His first recorded version of the old J.P. Loudermilk tune "Tobacco Road" has a few nice punches in it (although the live version with White Trash a few years later would prove the definitive one). "Jimmy's Gospel" plays on his early church influences, while "Jump Right Out" is the predecessor of half a dozen "jump up and dance" numbers Winter would pepper his records with in years to come. ~ Michael B. Smith, All Music Guide
Tracks :
Entrance
Where Have You Gone
Rise to Fall
Fire and Ice
Hung Up
Back in the Blues
Re-Entrance
Tobacco Road
Jump Right Out
Peace Pipe
A Different Game
Jimmy's Gospel
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Most people remember Blood Sweat & Tears as the incarnation led by the gravel-voiced white blues of David Clayton-Thomas. During his tenure as leader, the hits "Spinning Wheel," "And When I Die," and "Hi-De-Ho" helped to bring pop/rock/jazz to mainstream audiences. BS&T's debut, Child is Father to the Man, didn't feature Clayton-Thomas, nor did it spawn any hits, yet its remarkable influence—due primarily to Al Kooper—opened the door not only for the latter day BS&T but also for such '70s pop/rock/jazz mavericks as Steely Dan and early Chicago.Producer, session organist, guitar player, and Dylan bandmate Al Kooper put the band together with the idea of incorporating his love of jazz (especially Maynard Ferguson) into a working jazz-oriented rock band. Kooper originally wanted to make this happen in Britain, but after a few shows with a handful of musicians in New York, Kooper formed the original BS&T.As the group's self-appointed leader, the former Blues Project member intended to create a sound that utilized horns as much as rock guitar. Unlike R&B groups, the horns were not used to accent choruses; they played complex arrangements that flowed throughout, and Kooper and guitarist Steve Katz gave them room to solo. What is interesting about this record, unlike the more commercially successful followup, Blood Sweat and Tears II, is that it lacks the sappy commercialism that imbued tracks like "You Made Me So Very Happy."Child is Father to the Man is not only one of the finest jazz/rock hybrids, it is one of the finest records of the late '60s, standing up along side the Rolling Stones' Beggar's Banquet, the Beatles' White Album, the Velvet Underground self titled, Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks and Dylan's John Wesley Harding. It boasts many choice cuts from Kooper, as well as covers of Tim Buckley, Harry Nilsson and Gerry Goffin & Carole King. Though the album is enveloped with a great horn sound, the drops of Kooper's organ recall Jimmy Smith, while Katz plays some smokin' guitar solos that rival much of San Francisco's acid rock of the period.Interestingly enough, Kooper also wanted to bring symphonic composition into the band's sound as well. Classical styles appear in the mix, but they do not copy the chamber pop of the Beatles, the Bee Gees, or Left Banke. Kooper uses a piano based style of composition that uses elements of 18th Centaury composers rather than arranging a pop piece into a chamber composition as George Martin would do with the Beatles. Unlike the rest of the record, the opening "Overture" mixes a healthy dose classical composition with pyschedelic grooves of laughter.Then music works into Kooper's legendary blues grooves on "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know" and "I Can't Quit You." But tracks such as the Buckley cover "Morning Glory" and the Kooper-penned "My Days are Numbered" feature a blazing jazz sound that works within the pop sound. "My Days are Numbered" features a bass and horn interchange that shows off just how brilliant an arranger Kooper could be.Unlike the work of fusion giants who began to appear at this time, BS&T started from a rock environment, which formed the backbone of the group's music. Still, this record's progressive vibe and sound will be of interest to jazz fans looking for a little something out of the ordinary. Child is Father to the Man is one of the most original, eclectic, and brilliant recordings to come out of late-'60s rock and '70s fusion. By Trevor MacLaren (http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=18914)Tracks : Overture2.I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know 3.Morning Glory 4.My Days Are Numbered5.Without Her 6.Just One Smile 7.I Can't Quit Her 8.Meagan's Gypsy Eyes 9.Somethin' Goin' On 10.House in the Country11.Modern Adventures of Plato, DioGenes & Freud, The 12.So Much Love / Underture 13.Refugee From Yuhupitz - (TRUE instrumental)14.I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know - (demo) 15.Modern Adventures of Plato, DioGenes & Freud - (demo)
Marsupilami's debut album is about as ungainly as the group's name in its strident, mordant, early progressive rock. There was a very large undertow of obscure albums with morose melodies, fuzz guitars, and organ at the end of the 1960s and very beginning of the 1970s. Marsupilami falls squarely into that bag, although it's differentiated from the American records of that type by a sort of British-European seriousness and early prog rock-jazz touches, particularly in Jessica Stanley Clarke's flute. The songs are long, winding, and portentous, with touches of the gothic and the funereal, especially in the organ and Dave Laverock's bowed guitar (particularly on the closer "Facilis Descencus Averni"). They're rather samey-sounding and unmemorable, though, and not so dark as to be as truly chilling as they might have wished. If you're looking for something in the same general ballpark that's almost equally obscure, Julian's Treatment's A Time Before This album (also from 1970) is much better than this LP, which was reissued on Get Back in 1999. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide 
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