FOLQUE - FREDLOS 1978

Folk rock in that it's both very folksy and quite rockin'. At the risk of sounding stupid I'll attempt to argue that time may have made this album better now than it ever was: A lot of things have happened in the field of crossbreeding folk music and rock styles in the almost 30 years that have passed since Fredløs was released, with bands like Ym:stammen, Gåte and Valkyrien Allstars being some of the recent examples. While little has changed in the mediævality of the songs on Fredløs, to my mind the rock element might have been dated in 1980. With the passage of time and the retro craze and all, a seventies rock sound is more palatable again. Or maybe not. The point is, the songs sound suitably mediæval (in most cases, but never less than quite old) and are perfectly matched by a modern band introducing modern instruments like accordeon and, you know, electric guitars, drums etc. Favourite track: "Reinlender fra Vingelen", which never gets old.

Info by knuten





Tracks :

1. Aleina
2. Hjuringstev
3. Reinlender Fra Vingelen
4. Juljeitsan
5. Nykkjen
6. Det E Ikkje Her Ae Hore Tel
7. Reinlender & Ril
8. Liti Kjersti Og AlvekongenTel Dae
9. Tel Dae
10. Veslejenta & Kvernjenta
11. Sidsel & Monas Vals

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Artwork Included

SPECTRUM - TERMINAL BUZZ 1971

Spectrum was an Australian progressive rock band which formed in Melbourne in 1969 and remained in existence until 1973. Its members also performed under the alter-ego Indelible Murtceps.

The central figure in the band was Mike Rudd, a New Zealand-born singer, songwriter and guitarist from Christchurch. Rudd arrived in Australia in 1966 as rhythm guitarist for the NZ group Chants R&B. That band only lasted a short time after they arrived in Australia, but he remained in Melbourne, teaming up with singer/songwriter Ross Wilson and guitarist Ross Hannaford.

Wilson and Hannaford's first band The Pink Finks (which had also just broken up) worked in a similar vein to Chants, and had already had some local chart success in Melbourne. Mike was invited to be the bass player in a later lineup of their next band, The Party Machine (1967-69).

Rudd, Wilson and Hannaford then formed the more experimentally-oriented Sons of the Vegetal Mother (1969-71), which was an occasional event-based project rather than a full-time band. When that band split, Rudd formed his own band, Spectrum. This marked the beginning of his partnership with bassist Bill Putt, formerly of Melbourne bands Gallery and The Lost Souls; they formed a lasting friendship and musical partnership, and have worked together ever since. Organist Lee Neale came from pop band Nineteen 87, and drummer Mark Kennedy had already worked with Putt in Gallery. Kennedy helped carry the band through a difficult first year.

Initially, Spectrum drew on the work of contemporary bands like Traffic, Soft Machine and Pink Floyd and played covers of music by these groups, but they soon developed their own style. Alongside Putt's bass playing and Neale's keyboard work, a key feature of Spectrum's sound was Rudd's guitar playing—he was one of the few rock guitar players at that time who eschewed the near-universal use of the guitar pick, preferring to play electric guitar with a finger-picking style. Combined with contemporary improvements in amplification and recording, his playing technique and his use of a vintage Fender Stratocaster guitar allowed Rudd to develop a highly characteristic sound.

Twelve months of performing allowed them to develop their sound and write and refine a substantial set of original material, which became the basis for their first LP. They were regulars at the concerts events held at the various "head" venues around Melbourne like the T.F. Much Ballroom, Garrison and Sebastian's, and they appeared with other leading progressive bands like Tully, Tamam Shud and Sons Of The Vegetal Mother.

Rudd had conceived Spectrum as a concert band, and they generally performed with an elaborate concert set-up that included a large PA and a full multi-media light show; at one stage the band also supplemented their act with contributions from members of the Melbourne performance troupe Tribe. They played at all the major Australian rock festivals of the period, including Wallacia, Myponga, Mulwalla, Rosebud and Sunbury. However, their national success was limited by a lack of radio airplay in other capitals, and the fact that they rarely ventured outside Victoria, visiting other cities only intermittently.

Just prior to being signed up by EMI, Spectrum cut a demo single which they hawked around to record companies as a 7" acetate. One side was an early, folky version of one of the newer songs in their set, "I'll Be Gone ; the flip was another original, "You Just Can't Win". According to rock historian Ian McFarlane, these acetates are now "impossibly rare" and only two or three copies are known to have survived.

Once signed to EMI, the band went into the studio to make their first official recordings, under producer Howard Gable, who had recently re-located from New Zealand and had established himself as one Australia's leading producers with his work for bands including The Masters Apprentices.

Despite a loyal following and much praise from the music press (notably Australia's pop 'bible' Go-Set) the band were virtually broke by mid-1970, when a measure of salvation came in the form of a contract with to the new EMI progressive imprint Harvest. They were signed to a recording contract and soon after they scored a surprise #1 Australian hit with their first single, "I'll Be Gone", which has become one of the most enduring Australian rock songs of that era.

They released their debut LP Spectrum Part One in late 1970. Drummer Mark Kennedy left just after it was recorded, and he was replaced by Ray Arnott. Kennedy later worked with a number of important Australian acts including Ayers Rock.

Spectrum's second album, released in early 1972, was an ambitious 2LP set called Milesago, notable as the first Australian rock double album, and is still regarded as a landmark of Australian progressive music; it was also the first Australian rock album to be recorded using the newly-installed 16-track recorder at Amstrong's Studios in Melbourne, the first studio in Australia to acquire one of these machines.

Unfortunately for Spectrum, the nature of the Melbourne music scene was undergoing a profound change at this time. This was partly due to legislative changes to the age of majority (which had been recently lowered in many Australian states from 21 to 18) and to the licensing laws governing entertainment in hotels in Victoria. These legislative changes coincided with demographic changes—the young audiences who had patronized the unlicensed dances and discos of the mid-to-late Sixties were now ageing into their late teens and early twenties, and could now be legally admitted into licensed premises.

Seeing the popularity of rock music and realising the financial potential, hoteliers wooed customers into the pubs by putting on popular bands, often free of charge. Consequently, while Spectrum worked to establish themselves as a concert group, the focus was beginning to shift away from the larger concert events and unlicensed city discothèques frequented by 'head' audiences—whose main drug of choice was cannabis -- and towards the burgeoning pub circuit, where alcohol was cheap, plentiful and, above all, legal. While the smaller pub venues and their rowdy, combative atmosphere suited more 'aggressive' bands like Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs, the erosion of the concert scene posed a major problem for Spectrum, whose complex music and upscale presentation demanded a sizeable venue, a large audience, and a reasonable degree of concentration from them.

Consequently, as the pub circuit began to boom, the bigger engagements that Spectrum needed to survive became fewer and less regular. Spectrum adapted to the changing situation in an unusual way—they created an alter ego for the group (Indelible Murtceps) which performed at pubs, and local dances, playing a more pop-oriented repertoire and using a smaller equipment set-up than they used when performing as Spectrum.

Their next LP, Warts Up Your Nose (1972), produced by Peter Dawkins, was released under the Indelible Murtceps banner ('murtceps' is 'spectrum' spelled backwards) and contained songs of a more humorous and scatological nature. Lee Neale suffered a breakdown and left the band soon after its release, quitting the music scene permanently; he was replaced by Canberra musician John Mills.

Spectrum's final studio LP was Testimonial (1973). Soon after its release Spectrum announced their breakup, a move prompted by the departure of drummer Ray Arnott; Rudd and Putt reportedly felt that it would be impossible to re-create the special feeling of the group and so decided to end the band. They played their farewell performance at the Dallas Brooks Hall in Melbourne on 15 April 1973, and the show was recorded and subsequently released as the live LP Terminal Buzz.

Following the demise of Spectrum, Rudd, Putt and Mills joined forces with guitarist Tim Gaze and drummer Nigel Macara, ex-members of leading Sydney 'underground' band Tamam Shud, to form the group Ariel.

In 2008, the first new Spectrum recording in 35 years was released on the band's own label Volcano Records. The EP Breathing Space also features a number of musical guests including ex-Ariel guitarist Tim Gaze. Mike Rudd has promised on his website that more EPs are planned. The band had also released other albums in more recent years under the self-explanatory moniker of Spectrum Plays The Blues.

At the same time as the release of Breathing Space, Aztec Music reissued the classic Milesago album on CD for the first time, with extra tracks. The label reissued Spectrum Part One in 2007, with its bonus tracks titled 'Spectrum Part Two'.

Spectrum still plays live in either three- or four-piece mode; more information on gigs is on Mike Rudd's website.

Tracks :

We Are Indelible (3:26)
Going Home (20:28)
Hand Jive (12:36)
Some Good Advice (12:39)
Essay in Paranoia (9:51)
Superbody (8:16)
What The World Needs is a New Pair of Socks (4:57)
Crazy Song/Goodbye (15:43)
I'll Be Gone (4:50)
I Want To Know (4:30)


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Artwork Included

RAGNAROK - NOOKS 1976

Ragnarok supposedly started out as a Pink Floyd tribute group, but by the time of this 1976 album they were very much their own band, incorporating progressive influences of the time into a big spacey symphonic style with a subtle whiff of the pagan about it.

The opening song, "Five New Years" , is one of the strongest, and sets the pattern with the mellotron and synthesizer attack and the ponderous lyrics. The melody here and elsewhere is strong, but the atmosphere is the band's real strength, and they really lay it on thick. Next is the stunning "Waterfall/Captain Fagg". The first part begins with the incredibly silly line about the waterfall being at one with the river, yet it sticks. Then more cosmic interventions and a worthy showing on vocals, guitars and bass. We think we know where it's heading, but suddenly the band veers 180 degrees into the boogie of "Capt Fagg". It's even more preposterous than the gestalt waterfall, but it works even better. The impact is all the greater because it is totally unlike anything else on the album.

From here, "Fourteenth Knock" is a workout for drums and bass until the moogs carry the day, again very melodically. To change the pace, "Paths of Reminiscence" is an acoustic affair and the first indication of any sort of a mystical folky affectation. "The Volsung" evokes druids and other mythic woodland life even more, and is another personal favourite, eerie and tuneful.

If you like graceful space rock with plenty of analog keyboards, and can find this rare recording, do not hesitate to pick it up.
Review by kenethlevine

Tracks :

1. Five New years (4:48)
2. Waterfall - Capt. Fogg (6:16)
3. Fourteenth Knock (4:53)
4. Paths of Reminiscence (4:15)
5. The Volsung (5:58)
6. Semolina (3:57)
7. Nooks (7:13)

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Artwork Included

JOE PEACE - FINDING PEACE OF MIND 1971

Light good-natured hippie folkrock LP comparable in sound to Brazda Brothers though less consistent. Obvious Neil Young influence typical for the bag, while crude guitar leads add some needed tension. Opens strongly but the last third of the LP is weak with strained vocals and a flower-embellished VW bus mood that becomes one-note. Warm and friendly in a 1960s vibe, but apart from 2-3 excellent tracks mostly for completists.

Tracks :

01 - Reflections I See - 4.08
02 - It´s Been So Long - 5.34
03 - Finding Peace Of Mind - 2.41
04 - Welcome Aboard - 4.05
05 - Sad Surprise - 3.13
06 - Hello My Lady Friend - 2.49
07 - High Time We Made Love - 4.23
08 - Stop Turn Around - 5.57
09 - Love Me Like A Stranger - 4.06
10 - Goodbye - 2.30

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Artwork Included

ASFALTO - AL OTRO LADO 1978

Asfalto was a very influenciating band with and a well reputated one, even outside Spain, mainly during the late 70's and early 80's. The band emerged in 1972, from the ashes of Tickets (were José Luis Jiménez was playing). Their first self-titled CD, edited by Chapa Records (Zafiro) contained tracks like "Rocinante" or "Capitán Trueno", songs that belong to the personal history of lots of rock fans. That record was a kind of rock occasionaly pop and other times closer to symphonic rock, like sticking around, looking an own sound. But, probably, "Capitán Trueno" is the most popular song of the band.

Another touchstone of the in the Asfalto carreer was their concert in London, in the famous Marquee Club (now closed) that had seen lost of the most famosu band in rock history, That gig was so important (even more in that time, taking into account the musical and social spanish scene) that their second LP was plenty of pictures from it!

In spite of the initial succes, a split is produced and half of the band left (José Luis Jiménez y Lene Laina), and formed Topo. Then, Jorge García Banegas and José Ramón Pérez came into the band. The first record with the new line-up was out in 1979 named "Al Otro Lado". Although is fairly irregular, it can be considered an album of progressive rock and contains some of the most powerful symphonic rock done in that time, like "No Está Solo" and "Al Otro Lado", although also tracks just looking the audience like "Mujer de Plástico".

After releasing other albums like "Ahora" and "Déjalo Así", troubles with Zafiro led then to organise their own label in 83, "Snif", releasing "Más que una intención" (83), with a new singer, Miguel Oñate. Their sound is getting away from prog and getting closeer to power rock and pop, maybe according to the market demands in the change of decade. They continued editing material and playing successfully until 85. In that year there's another singer change for Ricardo Benítez ("Richie", ex-Express). They edited "Corredor de fondo", with a lower level.

Public starts decaying and they play as Rockorquesta, they coming back like Asfalto, with a repertory from Asfalto and Topo. Barrios dies in 1992 and, after a tribute, Asfalto decided to back to the road again with Cajide again on drums. Now they are still working. (José Manuel Iñesta)

Tracks :

1. No estas solo (5:11)
2. Mujer de plastico (4:13)
3. Expectativa (6:27)
4. Donde estais? (3:27)
5. El viejo (6:02)
6. Nadie ha gritado (3:44)
7. Al otro lado (10:42)

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Artwork Included

EUPHORIA - LOST IN TRANCE 1970

Hailed in the Fuzz, Acid Flowers Book worth seeking out This Power triofrom Wisconsin 1973, showed amazing songwriting talent + musical ability Classic midwest American heavy psych with somewhat biker vibe Raging agressive Fuzz-guitar leads with great echoey-reverb effects ,true sledgehammer bass ,crunching drums ,very melodic tunefull vocals A Must for all 70 s heavy psych enthusiasts. This is a heavy rock album with lots of fine guitar work, particularly on the title track, Lost In Trance, the most psychedelic cut, and Enchanted. All the songs on the album were written by lead guitarist D. Walloch.









Tracks :

01 - Brotherhood
02 - Just for a Moment
03 - Lost in Trance
04 - Oriental News
05 - Enchanted
06 - Middle Asian Lament

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Artwork Included

EMMYLOU HARRIS - PIECES OF THE SKY 1975

Emmylou Harris' Pieces of the Sky is one of the more welcome entries in her catalog. Before the auspicious and provocative Elite Hotel, issued later in 1975, Pieces of the Sky was the kind of record that became Harris' signature style for most of her time at Warner Brothers, and is one of the most auspicious debut recordings in the history of country music. Accompanied by the Hot Band featuring James Burton, Rodney Crowell, Brian Ahern, Rick Cunha, Glen D. Hardin, Linda Ronstadt, Amos Garrett, Mike Auldridge, and a slew of others, Harris offers a palette of songs that range from traditional country music, including her understated yet deeply moving read of Billy Sherrill's "Too Far Gone," Dolly Parton's "Coat of Many Colors," Merle Haggard's "(Tonight) The Bottle Let Me Down," the Louvin Brothers' "If I Could Only Win Your Love," and the Bryants' "Sleepless Nights" (a staple of Harris when she played with the late Gram Parsons). From the then-current crop of country songwriters, she opened the album with Crowell's "Bluebird Wine" and Shel Silverstein's "Queen of the Silver Dollar." There's also another Lennon-McCartney selection included, with "For No One." But the most moving track on the set is "Boulder to Birmingham," a Harris original and her tribute to the memory of Parsons. In her voice one can hear the human heart break, shatter, and then gather itself in order to move on, forever looking back. When she sings, "Well you really got me this time/And the hardest part is knowing I'll survive/I've come to listen for the sound of the trucks as they move down out on 95/And pretending it's the ocean, comin' down to wash me clean/Baby, do you know what I mean?," the entire world opens in the grain of her voice and bathes the listener in grief, longing, and resolve. [On the 2004 remastered and expanded version of the album Rhino added a pair of Dallas Frazier tracks from the same sessions: there's the hard-singing honky tonk of "Hank and Lefty" and the standard "California Cottonfields." While nothing needed be added to this masterpiece, these cuts following Silverstein's (original) closer do not at all detract from it.] ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

Tracks :

Bluebird Wine

Too Far Gone

If I Could Only Win Your Love

Boulder to Birmingham

Before Believing

Bottle Let Me Down

Sleepless Nights

Coat of Many Colors

For No One

Queen of the Silver Dollar

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Artwork Included

BEEFEATERS 1967 / MEET YOU THERE 1969

Denmark, whilst not well known for its rock/blues groups, actually did have a number of really good bands. Alongside Midnight Sun, Gasolin', Ache, Culpeper's Orchid, Burnin' Red Ivanhoe and others, Beefeaters were one of their country's best outfits. They first started out as an early sixties beat outfit, later changing to a more bluesy/soul/psych style in 1966. Their initial line-up included Lars Kofoed and Jimmy Sardorff on guitars, Niels Mortensen on drums, Soren Seirup on bass and vocals, and Kurt Parking on on rhythm guitar. They were quite successful and were popular in the clubs, but they disbanded in 1964. Seirup and Sardoff reformed the band in 1965 with new members Erling Madsen on drums and Morten Kjaerumgard on organ Keith Volkersen on bass and Max Nhuthzhi on drums, and they released their debut album in 1966 and toured with outfits like The Kinks and the Pretty Things to support it. In November 1968, they supported bluesman Alexis Korner on a Danish tour and he contributed guitar on two tracks on their new album (our featured album). Thorup later left the band, teaming up with Korner in England to form New Church, C.C.S. and Snape. The Beefeater's albums are quite rare but now that they've been released on CD, it gives listeners outside of their home country the opportunity of finally hearing the magic of this great blues/rock outfit.

Tracks :

1. It Ain't Necessarily So

2. Crossroads

3. My Babe

4. I Want You

5. Hey Little Girl

6. Papa's Got A Brand New Bag

7. Let Me Down Easy

8. Shakin' Fingerpop

9. Night Flight

10. Summer Scene

11. I'll Meet You There

12. You Changed My Way Of Living

13. Night Train

14. Now I Know

15. Serenade To A Cuckoo

16. Stormy Monday

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Artwork Included

CROSS & ROSS - BORED CIVILIANS 1972

Keith Cross first band was called Bulldog Breed and one year later he joined T2. Keith was hailed as the new Eric Clapton when T2 released their album It'll All Work Out in Boomland. He left T2 after a few months and 2 years later Keith Cross joined a partnership with Peter Ross. They separated after their album Bored Civilians was released. Fantastic record.

Tracks :

The Last Ocean Rider

Bored Civilians

Peace In The End

Story To A friend Side

Loving You Takes So Long

Pastels

The Dead Salute

Bo Radley

Fly Home"

Can you believe it

Blind willie johnson

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Artwork Included

MICHAELANGELO - ONE VOICE MANY 1971

Michaelangelo's sole album is in most respects average, if pleasant, folk-rock-psychedelia with male-female vocal harmonies/lead trade-offs that sounds as if it might have been recorded a couple of years or so prior to its 1971 release date. There is, however, one factor that makes it distinguishable from many similar LPs of the era: the Autoharp of Angel Autoharp, as she's billed on the record, who also wrote the group's material. There's no other rock album of the period, quite possibly, that uses the Autoharp so prominently, almost as though it is, in effect, a lead guitar (or an important rhythm guitar) within the rock instrumentation. Angel also sings some of the material, which largely has a bittersweet and haunting (if basically upbeat) flavor, though male vocals also take the lead on some tracks. The vocal numbers are OK (though not special), but the real standouts are the instrumentals. In those, the harpsichord really steps forward as a featured instrument, and rock, folk, and classical melodies and dynamics are combined in a fashion that avoids the bombast and pretension afflicting many British and European attempts at a rock-classical fusion within the progressive rock format. An engagingly light if somewhat slight oddity, it's odd that a major-label album such as this had (as of 35 years after its release) escaped CD reissue, a situation that probably won't endure forever. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

Tracks :

West

Come to Me

This Bird

Son (We've Kept the Room Just the Way You Left It)

Medley

It's Crying Outside

300 Watt Music Box

Okay

Half a Top

One Voice Many

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Artwork Included