Dream - Dream Archives (1969-72)

Complete unreleased album from Holland's best kept psychedelic secret, from the late 60's. Having formed out of Mother's Love, this band went on to make this collection of tunes which would lay on the shelves for years, collecting dust. This is unheard '60's Dutch pyschedelia that will be a must for collectors. Freak Emporium

The music The Dream makes is mainly sixties psychedelic music with some blues influences, as can be heard on Can you hear me howlin' or on Sleeping rose. Sometimes they remind me of The Kinks (We'll be back yesterday morning) or The Doors (Dino, Four phonecalls). The music is mainly vocal oriented, but there is also a big part for the guitarist. The most progressive track is The diamond and the fool.
(Dutch Progressive Rock of the Seventies)

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Randy Holden - Early Works '64-'66

Randy Holden's career spans over 40 years and many different bands. The first band he played with were The Iridescence back in 1959, their material being mostly Blues.In the mid Sixties he joined The Fender IV (photo) and it was here that his guitar sound started to take shape. Then Randy joined the Sons Of Adam in 1966 and from here he formed The Other Half, a West Coast Garage Punk band who released 2 albums and 4 singles during the late 1960’s, their self titled album ending up more in psychedelic territory, but with Randy’s guitar style starting to shine through. When The Other Half split, Randy replaced Leigh Stephens in the infamous West Coast Proto Metal band Blue Cheer bringing with him his now legendary guitar style and immense amplification techniques which took Blue Cheer to levels of sound never thought possible before.
After recording one album with Blue Cheer (New Improved! 1969) Randy left to pursue his eternal quest for the ultimate in amplified guitar sound and teamed up with drummer Chris Lockheed for what became a legendary solo album, Population II (1970) and they toured America with this ‘nuclear powered’ band that featured 16 Sunn amps (this was just for Randy!!). The album never officially got released and Randy had some bad experiences with all his kit being stolen and he eventually turned his back on the music industry, unfortunately never really getting the recognition he deserved as a pioneering guitarist.In the 1990’s after many months of ‘pestering’ by an obsessive fan Randy picked up a guitar again and headed into the studio.In 1996 Randy released Guitar God, featuring former Blue Cheer drummer Paul Whaley on an unsuspecting public and it went down a storm. Recorded in 1997 and released in 2001 was the follow up, Guitar God 2001 with Randy Holden firmly back in the seat using an awesome custom ‘Glass’ guitar made for him as a present from his wife. Pooters Psychedelic Shack
Long overdue comp of pre Blue Cheer garage psych featuring Randy holden. All of the Sons Of Adam recordings including previously unheard stuff is here along with The Fender IV's entire output. Essential. Freak Emporium

Avaialble from Captain Trip

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Subway - Subway (1972)

Subway was a LP project by an American/English duo consisting of singer-songwriter Irv Mowrey, guitar, vocals and composer/violinist Malcolm Watson. They travelled from San Fransisco towards the UK, France and Germany. In France they appeared on radio and TV and played in official places, resulting in this album, from which only 200 were printed. A lack of immediate success resulted in the unsold albums being destroyed. Most of the time the duo seemed to have travelled and even busked on the streets. I guess that’s how they chose the title for their project of “Subway” to give it that underground feel and to remind them of where they were destined to disappear once more into the unknown. The songs on this album are really strong and the arrangements, which are violin picking and improvisations and orchestrations, with some vocal and some percussion effects on the first couple of tracks make them sound even better. With each track the songs get more hand percussion & drums added and some electric bass, progressing the inner evolution and energy inside them. By the fourth track, “All the good things” the music has some true acid folk psychedelic tension. The most progressive track is “Enturbulaton-free form” on side B, which uses this improvisation energy and adds even organ and mellotron, electric guitar and a couple of echo effects to this jam. This is followed by two more folk-rock singer-songwriting tracks. Worth mentioning are the fine drumming with bass and violin improvisations on "Rosanna Of The Roses". Last track, "Can I trade with you my mind" is a beautiful song with some depth in emotions in the words. Also this track builds up its own progressive arrangements, making a perfect conclusion for a classic album and unique moment of a short time to arrange well a couple of songs made on the road during their touring. PSYCHE VAN HET FOLK

Subway was a duo, consisting of an American and an UK-guy, who released their only album in France as 200 vinyls in 1972. There they lived and played both for some time as street musicians, who played their compositons even at Parisien subway, hence the bandname. Unfortunately the album fell through, so the unsold vinyls were melted, as usual in France at this time.The band presented a phantastic psych-folk music with prog-rock-elements. An absolutely top-album, which hopefully now will reach a bigger audience, as the original LP is very rare. Since the master-tapes were lost for a long time, we recorded our old original-LP and did remaster it by means of NoNoise of Cedar, so master-tape-quality is nearly reached again. This reissue was made as 180-gram quality pressing and includes an very interesting insert. Thanks to Irv Movrey and Malcolm Watson for their aid to realize this project. Amber Soundroom

Great album & one of my first uploads ;)

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EZHEVIKA ARCHIVES

Dear Friends!

Don't forget to check archive pages - at the moment more then 100 albums reviewed. Would be great if you buy some of these CDs if you like them! Support indies & artists - and the beat go on!

Don't forget about the comment lines - I need your feedback & opinion.

Good weekend!
Lisa

Stray - Mudanzas (1973)

Stray were originally formed an amazing 37 years ago at a school in West London when four 14-year-old pupils decided to form a group. Calling themselves "Stray", the band managed to get regular bookings playing mostly soul and R&B covers until guitarist Del Bromham started writing original material which was in a heavier and more psychedelic style. In 1968 they became the youngest band ever to play at the famous 'Roundhouse' and two years later, still only 17 and 18 years old, signed with 'Transatlantic Records'. The first album, Stray is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished debut albums ever, particularly from such a young band.
Primarily a live band, the group still managed to release a new album a year for the next five years, increasing their output to two albums in 1976. The first five albums catalogued a band maturing and experimenting with brass, strings and more complex arrangements with the third album, Saturday Morning Pictures, being the undoubted pinnacle of Stray releases, displaying a maturity that was far in excess of most teenagers. A line-up change in 1975 saw Pete Dyer replace original vocalist Steve Gadd and the band signing to 'Pye Records' with whom they eventually released a three further albums which, with the exception of the excellent Stand Up And Be Counted, never really captured earlier glories. However, in the late 1970s, Stray found themselves out of place amongst the up-and-coming punk and new wave scene playing their last concert in December 1977.
1973-released fourth album from London-based heavy prog/ blues/ proto-metallers, a major influence on the Stoner and Doom movements many years later. Includes the classic 'Oil And Fumes And Sea Air' and 'Hallelujah' (no relation to Deep Purple, Leonard Cohen, Can or Happy Mondays tunes of the same name). Now includes three bonus tracks.Freak Emporium

Track list:
1. Changes
2. Come On Over
3. Alright Ma!
4. Oil Fumes & Sea Air
5. Gambler
6. Hallelujah
7. I Believe It
8. Pretty Thing
9. Soon As You've Grown
10. Leave It Down To Us
plus 3 bonus tracks

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Cohen-Solal, Jean - Flutes Libres & Captain Tarthipom (1971-73)

Born in 1946, Jean Cohen-Solal studied music at the National Academy in Nimes from 1956 to 1963. Flute was his major, but he also studied the double bass. He learned counterpoint, harmony, chamber music & orchestration. From 1963 to 1966, he attended the Academy of Versailles with Cazauran Stone as his double bass teacher, and studied flute with Roger Bourdin and Gaston Crunelle and with the CNSM of Paris.
In 1965, Jean made connections with the GRM (Group of Musical Research of the ORTF). Between 1966 to 1973 he worked on the phenomenally popular French animation "The Shadoks", a series by Jacques Rouxel. He created the voice "Shadok", did the sound effects, and served as assistant and musical interpreter. In 1969, he was a prize winner at the international contest of flute of Montreux (Switzerland). He also won the prize at the International Contest of Chamber Music at Colmar. From 1970 to 1989, Cohen-Solal taught flute in the Paris area at a variety of academies and workshops. Jean's history as musician is long and fascinating, with his career as theatre and film composer.
In 1971, Jean released his first solo album Flute Libres and in 1973 Captain Tarthopom. Considered MASTERPIECES among progressive rock collectors all over the world, the first album is built around three short compositions on side A which are quite interesting and catchy. These pieces include the Indian Raga (sitar, tabla and flute), an exciting meeting between Eastern and Western cultures. Side B of this album is a 17-minutes epic, pure research of sounds, where Jean is experimenting in a way that sounds like early Tangerine Dream. Jean developed his own style with the flute -- a mix somewhere between classical and jazz to avant-garde. Many techniques were used in this recordings, consisting of (among others) of the use of multiple tracks for different flutes and added effects like distortion, wha wha, and others. He also played the double bass in a very unique way that took his music into darker atmospheres.
Captain Tarthopom, his most sought-after album, was released in 1973.This album is like a mix between Pink Floyd (Ummagumma era) , Magma, Focus, and Jethro Tull. The album is wrapped in a GREAT sense of humor and incredible production with fantastic guest musicians.
Jean Cohen-Solal is a name you'll find on the famous Nurse With Wound list and he fits there perfectly. While almost completely unknown outside of France, Jean Cohen-Solal deserves to sit with the most famous progressive rock bands. MIO Records

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Troya - Point Of Eruption (1976)

Troya play competent symphonic prog, a bit like Camel or Eloy. Great symphonic rock featuring mellotron and flute, excellent keyboard playing and a fine guitar, no weak passages. Three of the six tracks are instrumentals. In his book "Cosmic dreams at play" (Glasgow 1996), the Norwegian Dag Erik Asbjørnsen lists "Point of eruption" among the ten best Krautrock LPs of all time, and quite rightly so. The only drawback is its short playing time. Thanks to the smallness of the edition (only 200 copies), the record is now worth between 1000 DM and 2000 DM (US$500-1000) among collectors. It’s a pity that this is the only work the band from Werne an der Lippe, at the north-eastern edge of the Ruhr Area, has ever released.


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Covenant - Nature's Divine Reflection (1992)

Symphonic Prog band based in Texas, with a keyboard oriented music. Dave CRYDER is the unique actor of this instrumental music. His choice goes undoubtedly to the ancient analogical keyboards (Hammond, Mellotron, Prophet, etc..) and his style can be compared to the symphonicism of Rick WAKEMAN. Recommended to fans of long keyboard jam compositions.

Dave Clayder not only plays drums and percussion but also an impressive amount of vintage keyboards: Hammond B3 organ, Mellotron, Solina string-ensemble and the synthesizers Prophet 5, Korg CX-1 and Korg M1. On the 17-minutes opener "Nature's divine reflection" (featuring guest musician Bill Pohl on guitar and bass) it's obvious that the keyboards are omnipresent: fluent rhythms with flashy synthesizer runs and sumptuous Mellotron waves. The other two compositions "Eschatolix" (6 minutes) and "Sun-child's spiritual quest" (almost 20 minutes) also deliver very pleasant work on the keyboards so if you like the wonderful and distinctive keyboard sound of the Seventies, here's a fine one from Greg Walker's progrock label Syn-Phonic! Erik Neuteboom Prog Archives


Members:

Dave Cryder - all drums and keyboards
Bill Pohl - guitar on 1

Tracks:

1. Premise of Life:
a) Thanatopsis
b) Nature's Gift
c) Ascension
d) Spiritual Forces
e) Eternity's Call
f) Synopsis

2. Eschatolic Covenant
3. Sunchild's Spiritual Quest Through the Forest of Introspection:
a) Acquiescence
b) Catharsis
c) Assessment of Reality
d) Enter the Sacred Labyrinth
e) Metamorphosis / Transformation
f) Across the River of Souls
g) Through the Gates of Emotion
h) Storm of Centuries Past; Rebirth
i) Sunchild's Lament
j) As One with the Infinite Spirit

Available from Syn-Phonic

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Apple - An Apple A Day... (1968-69)

CD version of this album recorded in 1969, this album is one of the lost nuggets of British psychedelia. Mixing whimsical trippy fancy with heavier R 'n' B, this Caleb Quaye produced effort changes hands for silly money in its original form. Freak Emporium

This is one of the most sought-after UK psychedelic albums. It's a fine amalgam of psychedelia and heavy R&B though not all the material is good. Their first two 45s are included and these four tracks are among its finer moments. The most psychedelic being The Otherside and Buffalo Billycan. The most commercial being Doctor Rock, a straight-ahead rocker, and Let's Take A Trip Down The Rhine. There are also a couple of good Yardbirds' covers - Rock Me Baby and Psycho Daisies - and a competent effort at the Lovin' Spoonful's Sporting Life. Not as inventive as the Open Mind LP, for example, but with just a couple of throwaway tracks, it does deserve to be up there as one of the gold nuggets of British psychedelia. Tapestry Of Delights

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Banda Love & Peace - Versiones En Ingles (1971)

The LP by hippy vegetarian yoga commune from Mexico. Style: latin rock or in other words: "...la temática musical abarca desde ritmos latinos, rock, blues, psicodelia floydiana y hasta algunas aproximaciones cuasi progresivas en una veta cercana a Deep Purple." Progresiva 70's

More information welcomed.


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Magma - Rock Duo Magma (1975)

Amazing German duo that play high pomp jazzy progressive-rock similar to Hardin and York . Very rare on vinyl and only recently discovered by collectors, this is filled with rhythmic drum work (similar to the Linder And Bohn album) and percussion combined with symphonic synth fusions that achieve amazing levels of creativity and intensity. The full 1975 album plus 5 bonus track.Freak Emporium

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Graffiti - Graffiti (1968)

Produced by Bob Thiele (Ford Theatre, Eden's Children etc.), Eddie Kramer and Jay Senter, their album is a mix of light and heavy rock with some occasionally excellent guitar solos, leaning more towards progressive than acid or psych. Strunz and Benderoth, sometimes helped by St. John and Taylor, wrote all the songs, except Ugly Mascara penned by Ronald Hovanecz.
The band were based in Greenwich Village, having relocated from Washington DC when they were known as The Button, (which was the final incarnation of The Hangmen). The Button line-up included drummer Bob Berberich who returned to DC, teamed up with two other ex-Hangmen and Nils Lofgren to form Paul Dowell and The Dolphin and later Grin.
The CD reissue includes the non-LP He's Got The Knack. The track, which can also be found on Turds On A Bum Ride Vol. 3(CD) and World Of Acid(LP), is a fast 'n' fuzzy mainly instrumental post-Vanilla Fudge rocker. The 45's flip Love In Spite is also pretty good heavy stuff too.
(Vernon Joynson / Max Waller/Stephane Rebeschini/Bob Embrey) Fuzz, Acid & Flowers


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Saga De Ragnar Lodbrock - S/T (1979)

Exhumed from the depths of a long forgotten past, SAGA DE RAGNAR LODBROCK is a numerous line-up gathered around the theatrical singer-composer Franзois PROUST and guitarist Patrick ALLIARD. Their aim was to illustrate the conquest of Normandy by the feared Northern men (The Vikings), through an epic fresco, or, said differently, a saga… The music filled with traditional and medieval aspects starts off very classically and gets a little tougher as the battle looms. It will actually be told with a lot of details in a very convincing way that will certainly lead you to think about and actively participate to it in direct. Great names of Progressive rock contributed to this great project, such as the American drummer Kirt RUST (VOLKOR, WEIDORJE), Jean COHEN-SOLAL or Jean-Louis MECHALI. It has to be said that quite a few acoustic songs destined to a theatre adaptation (such as “La Ballade Des Pendus” from Franзois VILLON) of PROUST have been included here…

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Young Flowers - Blomsterpistolen/No.2 (1968/1969)

At last on CD, the fine 1968 debut from the famous Danish '60s psychedelic band. Packed full of fuzzed up guitars and with acid jams a plenty, you also get their 1969 album as well. Including an electrifying 10 minute jam session with Burning Red Ivanhoe. Superb stuff! Freak Emporium

The musicians from Young Flowers had a great influence on danish progrock in the late sixties and the beginning of the seventies:
Band: Peter Ingemann, Peer Frost (Rainbow Band, Midnight Sun, Savage Rose) Ken Gudmann (Culpepers Orchard, Defenders, Danish Sharks)

EZHEVIKA Re-uP series!

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Ocean - God's Clown (1976)

Many are fans of LED ZEPPELIN who ever regret that their favourite band was not giving all it has got in Progressive rock, even if Jimmy PAGE's bearing ant its friends frequently tended to be close, displaying too rarely ("The Battle Of Evermore", "Dazed And Confused", "Stairway To Heaven", "Kashmir", "No Quarter"...) a more than awesome potential. "God's Clown" certainly isn't an album of the mythic english Airship, although it's looking like, so much about compositions as the quality of the instrumentalists or as an outstanding production at the time. However, OCEAN is a true French quartet ! Founded in 1974 with the impetus given by the guitar and keyboard player Georges BODOSSIAN and after two years of wandering, the line-up releases this first album on major label Barclay, that is an epic portrait of 40 minutes ! Music appears to be blend with LED ZEPPELIN Progressive rock in a KING CRIMSON style. Exclusively English, Robert BELMONTE's sometimes androgynous vocal faithfully evokes Robert PLANT, as well as Andrй BALZER of ATOLL. Leader's guitars soli would be played by Jimmy PAGE having discover the Robert FRIPP style, while the rythmic section including bassist Noлl ALBELORA and drummer Bernard LEROY contributes to make this album a genuine misrecognized opus.

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Alan Jack Civilization - Bluesy Mind (1969)

Rare continental blues LP that sounds like a wilder version of Aynsley Dunbar's Retaliation, lots of guitar riffing and doomy vocals that sometimes call Jaklin to mind.


Link New Link!

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The Crushers - Glory Of The Day (2002)

These guys are something! I wish you could see them alive playing joint set with Creatures Of The Golden Dawn in Moscow. Russian feak out garage psych. One of the best bands to come from Russia ever! Highly recommended.


Part 1 Part 2

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All areas pass

Evening Everybody!

Funny thing: again many comments concerning password problems ;) For newcomers & MAC users - please read below & find (hopefully) the solution for pass problems (thanks to anonymous friends posts in comments):

It seems like the trouble is that the files dont work with the "Stuff it expander" applikation on mac os x.Instead use the applikation UnRarX (download at http://unrarx.sourceforge.net/ ) and it will work.(dont forget to first write the password before you drag n´drop the file in UnRarX window.Yes, the problem is not copying the passwords correctly (which everyone seems to be doing) but rather the various unstuffing programs incompatibility with the encrypted files - especially mac osx's apps and older versions of stuffit.

Sorry, guys, this problem was requested, discussed & solved several times here! I simply can't understand why using standard WinRar programm causes so many problems. Hopefully this post will solve the problem again.

Take care,
Lisa

P.S.: I will continue with passwords for obvious reasons ;)
P.P.S.: Thank you for all the friends posting comments here! Silent friends - don't be shy - looking forward for your feedback!

Gallery - The Wind That Shakes The Barley (1972)

Very rare UK style folk rock, and another privately pressed folk rariety from the mid seventies.( now fetching Ј400.00 on the collectors market) With fine guitar and mandolin work from Steve Morrison this is classic UK '70's hippy folk with a traditional edge. Also includes extra unreleased material from an informal rehearsal in 1969 by the band. Freak Emporium
The track " Queen of Hearts " I believe is incredibly beautiful, essential. For the rest it's a nice folk album.
Bruton Town Newsletter comments on this item :
"It is a beautiful record, released on MIDAS label in 1972. In my research I've found only one of the personnel names, the female voice, Barbara Seabourne. The record title is "The Wind That Shakes The Barley" (Kissing Spell KSCD9503-f) and some of you could instantly remember the Dead Can Dance late version of this beautiful traditional here included. On the KS version there is also a 20 minute bonus track that was recorded in 1969 (so the record notes).
Seems that this MIDAS label pressed also a record from a band named "Folkal Point" and two solo records from a certain Janet Jones.
The Gallery sound is not "acid" folk, but more traditional stuff, well clever done."
"The Gallery album is superb IMO. The label was set up by Alan Green who was also behind the Folk Heritage / Westwood labels. Gallery is phenomenally rare as an original LP (About £1000). Equally as rare is Folkal Point (Even the band only have one copy between them!!) Janet Jones did 2 for the label and both are more common, but excellent" Ian from Ammonite Records
"Actually the members of the band were
Royce Seabourne- Vocals
Barbara Seabourne- Vocals/Dulcimer
Mark Uttley- Violins
Steve Morrison- Guitar
Alan Morrison, Steve Morrison's brother played on many of their records/ performances when Steve was not available- including 'The Wind That Shakes the Barley'." (according to Ché Royce Seabourne) http://psychedelicfolk.homestead.com/


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Natural Acoustic Band - Learning To Live/Branching In (1972)

Twofer including the first two albums from acoustic folk trio, originally released on RCA in the early 1970s. Hailing, like their comtemporaries Lindisfarne and Hedgehog Pie, from the North East of England, the band were a firm favourite on the college circuit- but their albums have been obscure and difficult to find until now. From songtitles like 'Ther's Nothing Unnatural About Electricity' 'Subway Cinderella' and 'Little Leaf' they sound like they spent their entire lives busking in woods and parks: whatever, these albums conjure up the magical atmosphere of this era of hippy folk perfectly. Freak Emporium

Formed as a folk duo in Milngarie, Glasgow, Scotland, in 1969. Tom Hoy was a Glaswegian by birth and Robin Thyne a Geordie. Krysia Kocjan who had a Flemish mum and a Polish dad, joined early in 1971. She was a talented vocalist who brought them a good degree of publicity - they were often billed as The Natural Acoustic Band featuring Krysia Kocjan.
Learning To Live was a good progressive folk effort notable for Kocjan's vocals and similar to Dando Shaft. It came in a lovely gatefold sleeve. The follow-up was similar musically. Both albums were produced by Milt Okun, who had worked extensively with Peter Paul and Mary.
In September Amin Mohammed was recruited as bassist, but Krysia left the band the following January to pursue a solo career. She was replaced briefly by Joanna Carlin, though this didn't work out due to 'musical differences' and the band soon was reduced to a duo again with Thyne and Hoy. The pair as a duo until 1975 when Hoy joined Magna Carta. Thyne followed him into Magna Carta a couple of years later, though in 1979 they both left to form Nova Carta, but that's another story. Kocjan released a solo album in 1974 and has worked for Ray Davies, Mike Heron and Robin Williamson among others. She now lives in the USA. Tapestry Of Delights

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Rare Bird - Born Again (1974)

Reissue of the progressive rock act's 1974 album originally released on Polydor featuring 10 tracks.This album again displays their excellent progressive rock style with hooks and excellent vocal harmonies throughout. includes the stunning track 'Redman'.From the Caravan, Cressida, T2 school of 70's UK prog rock. Freak Emporium

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Rare Bird - Epic Forest (1972)

RARE BIRD is a quartet that relied heavily on keyboards as both Kafinetti and Field played together, the former on piano and synthesizers and the latter on organ - much like PROCOL HARUM but without the inspiration and latter on GREENSLADE. They had a good hit with “Sympathy” in the UK but especially in Continental Europe where they became quite popular, their sound often reminding BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST. This double kb attack held no place for a guitarist until Field left along with the drummer Ashton and another keyboard player Lamb. This change occurred also as they switched to Polydor label and they took on a guitar player, and played a harder rock with some funky lines. Nic Potter of VDGG played on two albums of the second line-up and John Wetton guested on one. Hugues Chantraine, BELGIUM Prog Archives

Late 60’s/ 70’s British Progressive rock band RARE BIRD released a few great albums over their career with “Epic Forest” representing one of their milestones. Although RARE BIRD are best known for their organ-driven progressive sounds, “Epic Forest” reduced the emphasis of the keys here and added a wider jazz prog feel with a slightly more contemporary 70’s soft rock vibe. The musicianship is very strong with some great vocal harmonies and instrumentation. As in all early RARE BIRD albums the songs are very well written and are very memorable with Dave Kaffinetti as the helm of the song writing department (later in his career would co-write with Big House, MARILLION). On this album we saw the departure of Graham Field and Mark Ashton who were replaced by Fred Kelly (drums) and Ced Curtis on guitar. Instrumentally these guys were excellent with very much an original develop sound and approach. loserboy Prog Archives

Thanks to Alex Giltin for the photos

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Rare Bird - As Your Mind Flies By (1970)

Rare Bird formed in London in October 1969 and began rehearsing in a room at organist's Graham Field's London apartment. Indeed Field and keyboardist Dave Kaffinetti played a key role in conceiving the group's then novel two keyboard sound. Gould (ex-Fruit Machine) proved to be a powerful vocalist and their drummer was former Turnstyle member Mark Ashton.

Within a few weeks the group was offered a residency at London's Marquee and before the end of the year they'd issued a much acclaimed debut album, which got to No 117 in the US Charts. This included the atmospheric Sympathy, which would prove to be a minor hit here in the UK, but it was very popular on the Continent too. The final cut, God Of War, was both atmospheric and innovative in its use of percussion, whilst You Went Away and Beautiful Scarlet featured powerful vocals and good keyboards.

As Your Mind Flies By was another fine album of keyboard-driven rock punctuated by Steve Gould's often melodramatic vocals. The whole of Side 2 was taken up by the ambitious four movement track, Flight, but the whole of Side 1 is recommended listening too. The group's line-up was expanded for Epic Forest (which was varied ranging from the heavy riffing of Hey Man to mellower numbers like House In The City and Fears Of The Night) but somehow they failed to maintain any sort of momentum over here, although they remained very popular on the Continent.

Their second 45 'A' side, What You Want To Know, later resurfaced on the One More Chance compilation.

Fred Kelly had earlier been involved in the Astral Navigations Thundermother project. Tapestry Of Delights

Second album for RARE BIRD marking a wonderful contribution to the progressive rock genre. Without a question fans of organ and keyboard driven prog rock will love the music of RARE BIRD. Their arrangements although centred around the keyboard work of David Kaffinetti offers some great drumming and bass interplay. Steve Gould’s melodramatic vocals are a tad bit raw but I think fit the music perfectly and give it a nice degree of grit. Prog heads will love the side long 20 min long track "Flight" an ambitious four-movement track which surprisingly does not overshadow side 1 which is littered as well with 4 fantastic tracks. For me the sound of RARE BIRD is a scientific cross of URIAH HEEP, T2 and ELP. "As You Mind Flies By" is pretty much a masterpiece and is an essential recording ! loserboy Prog Archives

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Rare Bird - 1st & Somebody's Watching (1969/73)

First and fourth albums from the UK progressive rock band. The first album, from 1969, contains their biggest hit "Sympathy", whilst both albums contain some impressive keyboard dominated jazzy progressive rock. Recommended. Freak Emporium

Great, underrated debut by this British band that featured two keyboardists, a bassist (who also handles the vocals), a drummer, but no guitarist! Instead we get two guys handling the keyboards, Graham Field on organ, and David Kaffinetti on electric piano. The rest of the band was rounded by Steve Gould on vocals and bass, and Mark Ashton on drums. This is a historic album, for it marks the very first album to ever be released on the Charisma label. The band was said to have formed in October 1969, and to have this album released at the beginning of December 1969. Anyway, the album is best known for the song "Sympathy", which became a hit for them on mainland Europe. But you'll also find the band exploring some great prog rock such as "Beautiful Scarlet", "Iceberg", and "God of War". In between are shorter songs like "You Went Away", "Nature's Fruit", "Bird on a Wing", etc. There's a couple of songs I can live without, such as "Times" which sounds like really bad '50s music, but with the organ replacing the piano (Steve Gould tries so hard to be Little Richard here, it's not even funny, that style of music just isn't Rare Bird), and "Melanie", with lyrics a little too mushy for my liking. But the rest is a demonstration of what was great in the earliest days of prog rock. Proghead72

After Graham Field (organ and assorted keys) left the band, RARE BIRD went thru a bit of a metamorphosis and released an album of “American-funk-prog rock”. Although in a new direction this album still works exceptionally well with some incredible musicianship and song writing. RARE BIRD always had a slight pop funk jazz vibe going on in their music (or I can hear this tendency anyway…) but it is clearly accentuated here. The music is rich and full of excellent musicianship with John Wetton making a guest appearance on this album sporting his bass guitar talents. Overall a solid album with some great tunes but cleary a departure from their 70's heavy organ drenched progressive rock. loserboy Prog Archives


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Think - Variety (1973)

Rare 1973 German Hung arian prog-psych record. A blend of Pink Floyd like space rock and progressive folk rock with flute, violin and keyboards this is a great album that really is filled with 'variety' from trippy muiscal voyages through folk to blues. The underlying theme is psychedelic improvistaion and the band are red hot throughout. English vocals. Far out. Freak Emporium

Garden Of Delights

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Dino - Hoy Canto (1979)

This Uruguayan artist's real name was Gastón Ciarlo. In the mid-sixties, he played guitar and sang in a band called Los Gatos who played U.K. and U.S. covers (not the Argentinian band).
After two singles for RCA, he recorded a solo album for the small Eco label. Then he joined Montevideo Blues, played on their 1972 album which mixed blues and local Uruguayan rhythms.

In 1979, Dino managed to record a third LP (Hoy canto) with some excellent rock songs despite military censorship. "Me importa", "Dбmelo todo" and "Aleluya meu pai" are great examples of a skilled musician with a strong personality.

Artwork help needed!

Link

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Alice - Alice (1970)

1970 debut from French progressive rock band Alice. Guitars, organ, flutes, saxes, violin and piano all combine to create a stunning album similar to many early UK progressive albums. One of the first wave of French groups, they have been likened to Traffic, Jethro Tull and Family.

Link

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Corporation - The Corporation (1969)

Formed in Milwaukee in 1968 at Cudahy's Galaxy Club where the Kondos brothers joined up with members of an outfit called Eastern Mean Time. Some months later they were heard by Capitol reps at another club The Bastille, which the band had bought into.

With a contract for an album the band journeyed to Detroit to record at Terra Shirma studios with producer John Rhys. Released in February 1969, the LP is notable for the side-long psychedelic rework of John Coltrane's India. All tracks on side one were group compositions. It was successful in several regions (No. 3 in Milwaukee) but only rose to No. 197 in the national charts.

The group made more recordings but a deal for a second Capitol album fell through and this material was eventually spread across two LPs released by the band on Age Of Aquarius, a Cuca custom label. Fuzz, Acid & Flowers

Link

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Tasavallan Presidentti - Tasavallan Presidentti II (1970)

The second album from 1970, long out of print and regarded by Jukka Tolonen as the bands best work. Classic progressive rock with great instrumental interplay, tight arrangements, strong melodies and extended solo performances on flute, sax and electric guitar. Flashes of psychedelic rock merge into jazzy instrumental excursions. One of the best Scandinavian albums. Freak Emporium


Part 1 Part 2

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Aera - Humanum Est (1974)

AERA is a band from Germany who performs progressive fusion in the style of NUCLEUS, EMBRYO and DZYAN. Spacey guitar passages are the strongest characteristic in their music, as well as good flute and saxophone passages. They have 6 albums, of which "Humanum Est" is considered their best effort.- Bruno Aun

Link

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Älgarnas Trädgård - Framtiden är ett svävande skepp förankrat i forntiden (1972)

ÄLGARNAS TRÄDGÅRD are a seminal, 6-piece Swedish combo who made one album in 1972, a cult classic and masterpiece of psychedelia that could have come straight out of the 'Kraut' school of Space Rock. After the release of their album, they kept on playing live for a while, even recording a full album's worth of new material in 1973-74. But it wasn't until 2001 that this material was mixed and released, on a cd entitled "Delayed".Their 1972 classic, "Framtiden ar ett Svavande Skepp, Forankrat I Forntiden", is a veritable testimony to the halcyon days of hippiedom - a time when grown men, like children playing with forbidden colours, were popping hallucinogenic bonbons and experimenting with psychedelic sounds in their quest for mind-expanding adventures and altered states of consciousness. However, ÄLGARNAS TRÄDGÅRD's music never lapses into drugged-out silliness or aimless noodling. It ranges from earnest, to Medieval, to completely creepy - a sort of 'RIO meets folk'. They concoct some earthly (and unearthly) sounds using a combination of traditional, modern rock instruments and ethnic/archaic ones, the result being a spectacular blend of slow-smoking psychedelia with a strong vernacular Swedish folk bent. Their guitar-based, trance-like music is reminiscent of ASH RA TEMPEL; it also shares GONG's organic mayhem and the hypnotic qualities of early TANGERINE DREAM. If you can imagine a Nordic version of AMON DÜÜL II or ASH RA TEMPEL, you'll have a pretty good idea of what they sound like. The 2001 cd "Delayed", which makes heavier use of drums and guitars, is yet another marvellously atmospheric and creative mixture of prog and psychedelia.Highly recommended for Krautrock aficionados as well as for fans of CAN and PINK FLOYD, circa "Ummagumma". Lise (Hibou), CANADA

Available from Silence

http://rapidshare.de/files/15973672/ATrd.rar.html

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New Brothers

Dear Friends!

Let me present for your attention cool blogs I was lucky to found recently:

Rock Progressivo Portugues

Curved Air

Midas Touch


Give them a look - & you won't be dissappointed! Nice work Guys!

Champignons - Premiere Capsule (1972)

Premiere Capsule is an excellent album featuring mostly-instrumental combination of prog and psych served up by Champignons, a tight and experimental band from Quebec. Released in 1972, Premiere Capsule, resplendent in its trippy day-glo mushroom sleeve, is a succession of seven guitar driven original compositions that manage to maintain any incredibly high standard from start to finish. All the tracks are superb, but several in particular stand out including the 11-minute experimental jam, Le Chateau Hante (The Haunted Castle) and two instrumental numbers, Folies Du Mercredi and Pop-Pino. There is extremely good fuzz guitar throughout, as well as some exceptional flute solos courtesy of flautist Emile Naud.
Unfortunately this is the only known album from Les Champignons, and to say it gives us great pleasure to have released it on Blue Orchard is an understatement. Hugely enjoyable and highly recommended.

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Earth Opera - S/T (1968)

Excellent debut album from 1968 by this Boston based US psych group who included David Grisman and combined elements of folk, country and rock music together and added a surreal psychedelic undercurrent. It's an interesting melange that at times resembles later Incredible Stringband. Well worth investigating. Freak Emporium

http://rapidshare.de/files/15980140/EO.rar.html

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Fresh Blueberry Pancake - Heavy (1970 US heavy psych fuzz)

This unknown beauty was only released as a testpressing in USA in 1970 of 52 copies. Real heavy Psychedelic like Butterfingers, Betty or Stack, fuzzguitar, soundeffects, the whole thing. Comes in great commic cover (the original had only a stamped white cover). Maybe the last-unknown-never-reissued-before-heavy-Psychmonster.
We don't know too much about this US trio other than their album was recorded in Philadelphia in 1970. It's an excellent disc with searing lead guitar and cool organ work reminsicent of early Zeppelin, Grand Funk or even MC5, whilst the vocals have a weird vibrato quality. Highly prized by lovers of late '60's US private heavy fuzz albums. Freak Emporium

Link

Byzantium - Live & Studio (1972)

Byzantium were members of the early 70s British psychedelic scene who released three albums between '72 and '73. ' Their debut "Live And Studio" is their most collectable (it was a self produced, limited release), but it is also undoubtedly their best. When trying to describe their sound, other bands of the time like "Man, Help Yourself" come to mind, due to the spacey West Coast vibe featuring long improvised guitar solos and nice vocal harmonies.Track listing Side A: 1. Flashing Silver Hope 2.Cowboy Song 3.Feel It Side B: 1.What A Coincidence 2.Something You Said 3. I Can See You Side C: 1.Morning 2.I´ll Just Take My Time 3.Surely Peace Will Come To Those Who Try Side D: 1.If You Wanna Be My Girl 2.Oh Darling 3.Move With My Time

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Grapefruit - Around Grapefruit (1969)

Their debut album from 1969, and more of a psychedelic-tinged pop affair than their later follow-up. Delightful harmony vocals and a light airy atmosphere prevail, with the baroque production being handled by Terry Melcher. This includes their two UK hits "Dear Delilah" and "C'mon Marianne" with 12 non-LP tracks as a bonus.

http://rapidshare.de/files/15708424/Grapefruit.rar.html

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Shiver - San Francisco's Shiver (1960s)

Late 60's / early 70's power trio who supported a lot of legendary SF bands but made a good living playing biker bashes. Heavy blues based amphetamine rock that takes no prisoners.

http://rapidshare.de/files/15709752/Shiver.rar.html

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Icarus - The Marvel World Of Icarus (1972)

Super rare killer early UK '70s progressive / psych album originally released on Pye based on Marvel Comic characters.Played by a bunch of session players including John Etheridge (Soft Machine) it includes 13 whacky tracks including "Thor","Hulk","Captain America" and the psychedelic "Silver Surfer" ..All are tongue in cheek and lunched out.…


http://rapidshare.de/files/15715182/Icarus.rar.html

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Underdogs Blues Band - S/T (1968)

1968 debut album from this fine New Zealand group who sound like Cream meets The Doors. The band play some excellent covers of songs like "Oh Pretty Woman", "Yonder Wall", "It Hurts Me Too" and a psych version of "Hey Gyp" as well as some good group compositions. The album features fine keyboards and guitar work throughout. Bassist Neil Edwards later joined Human Instinct.

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Link

Hax Cel - Zwai (1972)

Häx Cel from Hanover only existed between the end of 1971 and the autumn of 1972, releasing one LP and one 7"-single on Dizzy Records, both of which have so far been hardly known even among collectors. Many fans of a fusion between classical music and progressive rock will appreciate this effort. We are not dealing with a cheap Ekseption or Renaissance clone but rather with very creative music which is convincing even without the use of a guitar. "Zwai" (Dizzy LP DS 726) features a live recording of their last gig on October 29th, 1972. The two tracks of their single, "Albinoni" and "Difference", are included as bonus tracks on the CD, which therefore features Häx Cel’s complete works. Apart from two Händel tracks and one by Albinoni, all the material was written and masterly played by the band itself.

Garden Of Delights

Link

Human Beast - Volume One (1970)

Stunning and sole album from British heavy psychedelic/progressive rock band formerly known as Skin. Originally released in 1970, the album is littered with blazing acid guitar solos and strange, trippy moments. At times sounding like May Blitz meets Jefferson Airplane, this is a great reissue. Features a great heavy version of the Incredible String Band's "Maybe Someday". Shame there was no Volume Two!

http://rapidshare.de/files/15719785/Human_Beast.rar.html

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Made In Sweden -Live! At The 'Golden Circle' (1970)

Killer live album recorded live at the legendary Swedish club in 1970. Previously unreleased material with Georg Wadenius (later joined Blood Sweat & Tears) in the line up. Strong, tight jazzy hard edged progressive rock with some superb guitar, bass and drums interplay... Well worth invesigating. Freak Emporium

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Link

Mikael Ramel - Extra Vaganza (1974)

Originally released on vinyl in 1974 this is the excellent second album by Mikael, who later became a member of Flasket Brinner (70's jazz rock band). This is a move away from his Swedish folk roots turning to a more West Coast/progressive rock sound with a mellow vibe and some great guitar work, keyboards and trippy backwards effects. Guest musicians include Kenny Hakansson and Bo Hansson and the overall vibe is very much like early '70's Zappa with a West Coast edge and rural vibe. Superb jamming acid jazz rock with some beautiful melodic touches. The four bonus tracks are in English too. Freak Emporium

http://rapidshare.de/files/15724913/Mikael_Ramel.rar.html

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Camel - Underage (1969)

Very rare UK prog/psych/rock album recorded by this English band in Rome (!) in 1969. Typical late '60's rock with heavy guitar, vocal harmonies and powerful instrumentation. The band are accomplished and the recordings are well produced with superb guitar work and novel interpretations of the various cover versions including "Pinball Wizard" "Tin Soldier" "Society's Child" "Where Is My Mind?" and others. Great! THIS IS NOT THE ANDY LATIMER BAND Freak Emporium

http://rapidshare.de/files/15717852/Camel.rar.html

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One - One (1972)

Ressue of one and onyl album by USA psych-pop band 'I' (ONE) not to be mistaken with UK brass-led progband 'ONE'. This ONE was officially released on Airplane label GRUNT in '72.

Mark Baker - Drums Reality D. Blipcrotch - Percussion, Vocals Roger Crissinger - Organ, Piano, Keyboards Donald Ensslin - Banjo, Guitar, Guitar (Rhythm) Frank Trevor Fee - Bass Marv Granat Dulcimer - Guitar, Sitar Sarah Oppenheim - Autoharp, Voices Laurie Paul - Vocals, Voices, Tanpura Theodore Teipel - Flute, Harmonica, Piano, Keyboards

Tracks:
1 One of a Kind 4:29
2 Il Car Raga 8:38
3 Free Rain 5:12
4 3 Songs 10:09
5 Old Englishhh 7:56

Thank you, Csaszi for the info!

Rate Your Music

Link

Ezhevika Archives

Morning!

Due to many posts not every album is displayed on the front page - don't forget to click Archives links for more shares! Enjoy, my friends! ;)

Passwords: as some of you had bad experience with the passwords I'll try to explain once more: all passwords listed are correct. You simply need to copy them & insert in WinRar password window. You must use exactly the passwords listed (see below) with ALL characters & symbols like http, slashes etc.

e.g.:

http://ezhevika.blogspot.com/

http://www.ezhevika.blogspot.com/

Hopefully this will help. All archives are checked by me. I even did some test downloads - everything worked well when using the password listed in the appropriate post.

Good Luck,
Lisa

Wailing Wall - Wailing Wall (1970)

Excellent U.S. psychedelic rock outfits sole album recorded in 1970. They move from heavy sounds to soft and melodic vibes with long trippy passages that need liquid lights on, as you fully soak up the music. Some of the unusual rhythms in 'Scissor Tailed Swallow' and 'Country of the Goose', are really quite unique and make this a really good psych album. Freak Emporium

The latest release from the vaults of El Paso's Suemi label, this album has really been turning some heads. Very unusual sounds spearheaded by brothers Darrell and Doug Adams who later moved to the West Coast and released LP's with the middle eastern influenced band "Light Rain". The album has a spooky, late night vibe and lyrics that reveal new meaning upon every listen. Great guitar work by Mike Cancelarre and twisted vocals by drummer/ songwriter David Rutledge. Visions of late night desert peyote hallucinations on songs like "Scissor-Tail Swallow" and "Country Of The Goose" compliment a hard rock, Captain Beefhart vibe on "Mad Rapper". Unusual timing and phrasing makes this a journey into the twisted back roads of El Paso's great rock and roll heritage. Comes with 8 page booklet that has pictures of the band, the band's history in their own words and a brief background of each cut as told by Darrell Adams. This is destined to be one of our most sought after releases and has been compared to fellow Texas psych monster "Cold Sun" by some!

Link

Galliard - New Dawn (1970)

"New Dawn" is even more schizo phrenic. Hosts of wind parts over a tight rocking backdrop are estranged with naggingly dissonant sitar on the highlight, "Ask For Nothing", a strongly philosophical number.

Track list:
1. New Dawn Breaking
2. Ask For Nothing
3. Winter-Spring-Summer
4. Open Up Your Mind
5. And Smile Again
6.Somethings Going On
7. Premonition
8. In Your Minds Eye

http://rapidshare.de/files/15711856/galliardnd.rar.html

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Galliard - Strange pleasure (1969)

A jazzy progressive band with lots of brass and good vocals. First album from 1969. alliard set out as an extremely eclectic band on their debut LP, "Strange Pleasure". They juxtapose a woodwind/horn section slyly with rural compositions, creating a pastoral, even medieval atmosphere, starkly contrasting to nervously urban passages, although they borrow from Art Nova's "Wrapped Her In Ribbons" and give the credits to Geoff Brown. An interesting effort. The first album has some decidedly medieval atmospherics. Fans of Vertigo styled progressive rock should check these out pronto....Originally on Deram.


http://rapidshare.de/files/15713471/galliardsp.rar.html

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The Rainbows - The Rainbows (1967)

Reissue of this German beat-rarity originally released on CBS in 1966 and as rare as the devils toenails since then. This reissue contains all of the tracks from their singles as bonus material. Freak Emporium

Link

Odmenn - Odmenn (1970)

Odmenn's only album. Super fine trio from the early seventies. Odmenn played cool rock that recall Cream a bit, but is very and very original.

Reissue on CD of the self titled DOUBLE LP by Icelandic band from the 70's, recorded in Copenhagen, which ranks along with Junipher Green's 'Friendship' or Burning Red Ivanho's 'M144' . Music is cross between CREAM & BEATLES circa 1968. Freak Emporium

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Part 1

Part 2

The Unfolding - How To Blow Your Mind And Have A Freak-Out Party (1967)

Insane US '60s exploito psych.. deranged stuff with one side of the original album dedicated to Acid and the other Meditation.... Includes full instructions on how to have a Freakout party and blow your mind... Brilliantly mad.… Freak Emporium

http://rapidshare.de/files/15553516/The_Unfolding.rar.html

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Waterfall - The Flight Of The Day (1977)

Waterfall were an English acoustic folk duo and this album, recorded in 1977 was a perfect showcase for their talents. Traditional and original melodic folk music, played on guitars, violins and mandolins that captures that rustic atmosphere perfectly. Freak Emporium

Link

Izukaitz - Izukaitz (1978)

"What a wonderful album this is!!! The first album by Basque folk group Izukaitz, originally released on the Xoxoa label in 1978. Strongly into traditional Basque folk but adding some rock elements to it; they use traditional instruments like Txirula or Alboka, but some psychedelic backwards guitar too. Beautiful male/female vocals also, entirely sung in Basque language. This group will sure remind you on the best moments of British folk legends like Fairport Convention or Steeleye Span." Guerssen

Link

comments

Hi Everybody! While preparing new shares would be great to read your opinion on albums posted!

Good Day to You All!

Lisa

Earthquake - Earth Quake (1971) + Why Don't You Try Me (1972)

Starting out as Purple Earthquake in San Francisco, the band dropped "Purple" and signed to A&M Records in Los Angeles. Between 1971 and 1972,Berkeley, California's Earth Quake recorded 2 albums for A&M, which have been combined to form this release. www.evangeline.co.uk

The Beserkley label's token hard rock band, earthquake always had a pop sensibility underpinning their tough rocking sound. As well as fine original d=songs, they always had an ear for strong cover versions-Easy beats, Paul Revere, Velvets and Chairman of the Board.


Rate Your Music

Link

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Darxtar - Darxtar (1991)

The scene is a scrubby second hand vinyl shop in Stockholm, 1989. K.Soren Bengtsson is hoovering the shelfs as usual, in search of that missing piece in his Hawkwind collection. This particular time he is confronted with a stranger who appears to be a Hawkfan as well (used to be a rare bird in Sweden). The usual conversation is soon sidetracked into their own musical activities, and Bengtsson reveals he's a guitarist/singer and is writing material for a cassette release on Acid Tapes. The stranger turns out to be called Juba (real name Juha Nurmenniemi) and he plays the bass in a local Led Zep type band, but is keen to return to the space-rock domain. They exchange numbers, but nothing comes out of it until they run into each other in Oxford Street, London on the way to a Hawkwind concert. Bengtsson finds it exciting to meet a fellow space-rock fan that is a musician as well, and he invites Juba to join in on his cassette project that already is partially recorded. Change of scenery; Studio terra, at the time Bengtsson's hobby room. Equipped with a Tascam 246 porta studio, his trusty old Atari 1040stfm computer, some cheap synthesisers and various effects boxes. This is where he recorded a personal tribute to the late Robert Calvert of Hawkwind, a recording that lead to a request from Steve Lines' Acid Tapes in UK. Steve, a Hawkfan as well, liked the tribute tape and asked for an
album length recording to be featured on his label. Bengtsson was well prepared since plenty of material was ready to be taped and by the time Juba joined him, most of the hard work was done. That meant trying to program the computer to play drums while being a useless drummer. He actually didn't have a clue how to do it, as can be clearly heard on this release, but somehow managed to make it work anyway... Juba had a couple of songs with him that would fit in nicely, and an agreement was made that if something wasn't working after three retakes, they'd scrap it, or keep it as it was to keep the recording fresh and alive. When it eventually was ready for release, they were already deeply involved in their next project. A more carefully prepared visit to the darkest regions of space. The Acid Tape was released in January 1991 and was mainly noticed in the underground psychedelic magazines like Ptolemaic Terrascope, Unhinged, Crohinga Well etc. Above you can see the original cassette sleeve, made on that beloved Atari. During the recording of what was to become Darker in july 1991, Bengtsson received a letter from SPM/WWR in Germany, to whom he had sent one of the original Acid Tapes. SPM was into releasing lots of obscure psychedelic 70's stuff, and thought the darXtar tape was well suited to be featured on the label. And so, in december 1991, it was a fact. That simple home recording apparently had the musical strength to make it on to a CD, despite all its flaws. We also have to mention the credits in the CD sleeve. To come from nothing and suddenly be released on CD is a big step, and they both found it comfortable to hide behind an alias, hence the Commander and Captain titles. Unfortunately, SPM thought it was a brilliant idea to skip the track index and let the whole CD run as one long sequence, as it should be heard that way.

Recorded at studio terra in 1990. To say the least, a highly unexpected CD release, and a genuine ugly duckling story. Home-made cassette recording with no ambitions turns to shiny 5" plastic disc and conquers the world! Well not really, but at least it had some impact on the underground psychedelic movement that was rising in Europe at the time. This pair of Swedish freaks apparently had something going that appealed to this community; No nonsense down to earth space rock 70's style! Doesn't raise an eyebrow today, but in the wake of the 80's polished heavy metal wave, this release, and similar low budget psychedelic projects, was seen as a revelation to many a hibernated hippie. www.darxtar.com

http://rapidshare.de/files/15548438/DarXtar.rar.html

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Child - Child (1970)

The ultra rare debut album by keyboard-heavy late 60's US acid rock band child. Includes a fierce lengthy version of Isaac Hayes' "Hold On, I'm Comin". Similar to Vanilla Fudge and on the heavier side of late 60s US rock. Freak Emporium

http://rapidshare.de/files/15547690/Child.rar.html

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Ain Soph - A Story Of Mysterious Forest (1980)

Here's your chance to check out one of the most revered Japanese psychedelic rock albums. Recorded in 1980, this is an almost classical concept piece with some superb musicianship that takes in various genres along the way, and does indeed include some quite trippy intervals. Plenty of Moogs and mellotrons to give it a somewhat progressive feel and the 18 minute title track features stunning Floyd like guitar work. Highly Enjoyable. Freak Emporium

Ain Soph is surely among the most beloved Japanese prog bands, and A Story of Mysterious Forest is deservedly considered their finest album. With other albums bearing titles like Hat & Field and Ride on a Camel, it's clear where this band's influences lie. A heavy Canterbury flavor permeates the proceedings here, and along with some symphonic touches, as Ain Soph maintains a competent jazz-rock approach throughout. With all that said however, this album leaves me a little cold. The whole affair strikes me as having a sort of middle-of-the-road feel and is a little too lightweight, with few truly raging climaxes. Additionally, there seems to be little to set this band apart from the many other bands treading similar ground, among them countrymen Kenso, the Estonian Kaseke (about whom I have similar qualms), Atlas, Crucis, Finch, etc. Admittedly, Ain Soph probably loses points with me, in comparison to some of those other bands, due to a slight 80s production aesth etic, which, perhaps more than anything, lends the album a quality of fluffy, sonic wallpaper.
Granted, the musicianship here couldn't be better. The guitarist, in particular, rips, but as we all know, musicianship ain't everything. "Variations on a Theme by Brian Smith" is one of the only pieces that manages a truly engaging melodic theme, but even there the piece is padded out with some rather bland instrumental noodling. The lengthy title track manages some impressive moments in its 19 minutes, but not enough to make me want to play this album very often. This may be a stylistic thing for me more than anything, because, as I said before, A Story of Mysterious Forest is one of the most highly regarded Japanese prog albums. Jazz-rock, fusion and Canterbury diehards may get quite a bit of mileage out of this one, but it doesn't really push any of my buttons.. - Greg Northrup

http://rapidshare.de/files/15547211/Ain_Soph.rar.html

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Fragile - Fragile (1976 )

Remastered reissue on CD of the one and only album by Dutch 70's psych/rural band consisting mainly of Mollucans who play guitar like crazy, as we know. On one side long track they expose a tapestry of excellent guitar fuzzing. One of the most wanted albums from Holland, and an absolute ultra rarity, originally made as a private pressing for friends, relatives, etc. Freak Emporium



http://rapidshare.de/files/15488030/Fragile.rar.html

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Sindelfingen - Odgipig (1973)

Horribly rare British progressive offering from 1973. This album managed to mix classical, folk, progressive and mainstream rock influences to create an avant garde classic that is now thankfully available again at a fraction of the price you'd have to pay for an original. Freak Emporium

SINDELFINGEN's music is very ecclectic. Just about all progressive elements are represented: Classical, Folk, Avante-Garde and Rock prominitely. Dynamics, multi-time signatures, drawn out themes clash in epic glory. Their sole album, "Odgipig" has a nice production using a wide variety of instruments. Acoustic guitar is in the forefront of most songs. Comparable to the early likes of GENTLE GIANT, GENESIS and KING CRIMSON. Maybe even tipping a slight hat to the Canterbuy bands such as CARAVAN. Prog Archives


http://rapidshare.de/files/15485893/Sindelfingen.rar.html

password: http://ezhevika.blogspot.com/

Cathedral - Stained Glass Stories (1978)

There were several bands named Cathedral. One was a British metal band, another was a 1990's Washington, D.C.-based neo-prog rock band, and then there's this Cathedral, a 1970s prog rock band out of New York. This band only released one album, Stained Glass Stories in 1978, but it's incredible!
Usually little good can be said about America's prog rock scene. Many American bands were accused of being derivative of British bands (Starcastle, as much as I like them, were frequently criticized as little else than Yes clones), or selling out to AOR (Kansas and Styx are that example, although I think Song For America by Kansas, is great, as well as most of what they did up to Point of Know Return). But Cathedral isn't like that. You won't find any traces of AOR or anything like that (this band wasn't interested in having those huge FM hits like their AOR contemporaries like Boston, Styx, Foreigner, etc.).
The photo of the band (at least on the insert that was included on the 1989 Syn-Phonic label LP reissue) makes them look like a bunch of rednecks who should play country music at a bar, but the minute you hear this album, all your fears will simply vanish. This is straight-up classic prog rock that rivals many of the great of British prog rock. And if you're a fan of the '90s Swedish band Änglagård, you'll be completely flattered over Stained Glass Stories. Cathedral sounds very similar, except without the Scandinavian/Nordic influences, of course. Influences from Cathedral include bands like Yes, Genesis, King Crimson, and Gentle Giant.
The album is loaded with Mellotron, the band used the small white M400 model, and they tended to use a lot of that choir sound (like what you hear on Genesis' The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway). The album opens up with "Introspect", and once you hear the electric piano and the Mellotron, you know right away, you're in for a real treat. The next four songs are all in this vein, more or less. My other favorite included the instrumental "Gong", "The Crossing", and "Days and Changes".
I thought the final cut, "The Search" drags on a little too much. The only real criticism this album gets are in the vocals, but they never seem to bother me any. Stained Glass Stories was originally released on the Delta label, which was a very small label. Very few copies of the original LP were made, so it will run you in the three digit price range. Luckily it's been reissued, by Syn-Phonic. Regardless, I think this album is a real masterpiece, and perhaps the greatest prog rock album to come out of the USA. I especially recommend it to all Änglagård fans, especially because Stained Glass Stories shows where Änglagård got their sound. Incredible album that no prog rock fan should go without. Ben Miller

http://rapidshare.de/files/15479072/Cathedral.rar.html

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Ars Nova - Sunshine & Shadows (1969)

One of the best efforts of those years. Ars Nova had everything to be successful, catchy, great tunes, innovative sound, eclectic ideas. Probably they also were important laying the basis for the symphonic rock sounds that flourish in later years, as also pioneering the use of woods in a rock band format. They made use of medieval sounds, jazz, be bop, rock, jazz, and so on. In music it doesn't matter if something deals with symphonic, blues, art rock, or plain rock, the important thing is the substance and Ars Nova had it! Rafael Zamora

http://rapidshare.de/files/15642593/ANSS.rar.html

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Ars Nova - Ars Nova (1968)

Great and much underrated US '60's psych mixing atmospheric acid rock with classical and medieval music. An East Coast experimental, avant-garde band, in 1968 they made this their debut album which is now taken from the original analog Elektra stereo master tapes. The diverse epic features the heavy fuzz guitar psych masterpiece "And How am I To Know" (which sounds spookily like a track by The Third Power) and Zig-zags through an array of brass-laced avant-rock/psych originals such as 'Fields Of People' and Richard Strauss' 'Zarathustra', as well as mini-medieval psych gems such as the opening "Pavan for my lady". ars nova was anything but three chords and a cloud of dust and the brainy NYC combo scored its first gig of note in 1968, opening for the Doors at the Fillmore East. Freak Emporium

http://rapidshare.de/files/15640478/AN1.rar.html

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Moses - Changes (1971)

Hailing from Denmark, this three piece recorded this ultra rare album in 1971. An impressive rock sound, with some fiery lead guitar breaks and high levels of energy make this well worth investigating. File next to May Blitz.... Freak Emporium

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32,000 Pound Heavy Balloon (1969)

Solo album of east coast acid blues american combo. Folk, acid blues and psychedelia in 9 tracks now difficult to find like Barnayard blues or an hard surrealistic version of I Don't need no Doctor. Bobby Nothoff of Heavy Balloon also plays with Rocket & theCrazy Horse. Another member of the band C.Osborne also compared on David Peel album and Yoko Ono line-up.

Wild US bluesy acid-rock, with fuzzguitar, Highlight: Barnyard Blues


http://rapidshare.de/files/15483163/Heavy_Balloon.rar.html

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Delta Blues Band - Delta Blues Band Plus (1969-70)

A nice collection of late '60's early '70's Danish Hippie Acid Blues rock. Featuring the rare single by Hurdy Gurdy (who made a fine album for CBS) two radio recordings from Gasolin, a rare single from Gnags and an entire album from The delta blues Band this is rough edged acid rock with plenty of ripping lead guitar. Freak Emporium

http://rapidshare.de/files/15473193/Delta_Blues_Band.rar.html

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Womega - A Quick Step (1975)

Prog rock with flute, sax, organ, mellotron and a bit of craziness. Belgium



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The Collectors - S/T (1968) + Grass And Wild Strawberries (1968)

Amazing 1968 debut by the Canadian psych band who later became Chilliwack. A very psychedelic album, produced by Rolling Stones/Electric Prunes producer Dave Hassinger - the first 5 tracks are cool enough melodic psych 60's styled numbers (the highlight being Lydia Purple) whilst the 6th track "What Love" is a 19 minute trip of sax, flute, gregorian chant and psychedelic guitar that under the right circumstances fries your mind! Unmissable! Freak Emporium


http://rapidshare.de/files/15474766/Collectors_1.rar.html

http://rapidshare.de/files/15475140/Collectors_2.rar.html

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Pirana - Pirana (1971) + Pirana II (1972)

Was it observers at the time, many of whom pigeonholed Pirana as mere Santana clones, or was it the band that did itself a disservice? Its dynamic and rhythmic performance at the definitive Sunbury music festival in 1972 drew close comparisons to the latin-rock champions of Woodstock, the band even encoring at Sunbury with a rippling version of Soul Sacrifice. Yet, to this writer's ears at least, there was so much more to Pirana than that facile dismissal allows, notwithstanding their similarly-styled moniker.
Let's acknowledge, then set aside for a moment, the band's obvious debt to Santana as their early musical template. Beyond that, we can hear examples of fine, melodic songwriting - mainly from keyboardist Stan White on the first album, but consummately taken over by guitarist and vocalist Tony Hamilton on the second - that displays a diversity of influences while still keeping the band's innate individuality. It's a bit like their contemporary peers, Sebastian Hardie or Sherbet, who also had a hard time living down copious (and mostly bogus) comparisons while they tried to forge an original path.
For a start, Tony Hamilton's guitar was never less than wonderfully apeshit and awesome. He sang with soul, commandingly atop Jim Yonge's supreme and complex drum feels, all the time supported by the anchorage of Graeme Thompson's throbbing bass. Keyboards were also important to the Pirana sound, and Stan White and his successor, Keith Greig, provided rich Hammond organ reinforcement for the overall feel of the band.
In Pirana, members came and went, but it is essentially the core band comprising Duke-Yonge, Thompson, Hamilton and Greig (who replaced Stan White after the first LP), who made the records and sustained the bulk of the band's performing tenure, and must be most remembered as the definitive entity. Hamilton, Thompson and Yonge were all ex-members of Gus & The Nomads, a 60s R&B/pop band fronted by "the wild man of Sydney rock" Gus McNeil. Gus was executive producer on Pirana's debut LP and several other the legendary A Product Of A Broken Reality for Company Caine, produced Greg Quill's early solo recordings including the LP Fleetwood Plain, and set up his own publishing company Cellar, which besides Pirana, also handled publishing for Mike Rudd, Greg Quill, Ross Wilson and Gulliver Smith.
Pirana first recorded as the backing group for the 1970 solo album Fleetwood Plain by Sydney singer-songwriter Greg Quill. They signed to Harvest in 1971 and issued two singles. Here It Comes Again (May) was reputedly the first local single released in stereo, and can still be found on Raven's Golden Miles compilation CD; the same month they toured nationally as support band on the historic package tour by Deep Purple, Free and Manfred Mann's Chapter Three. Their second single was I Hope You Don't Mind (Nov.) Late in the year Stan White left to join pop band The Going Thing, and he was replaced by Keith Greig.
In concert they were always regarded as a top-drawer act; they went down a storm at the inaugural Sunbury rock festival, and their live version of Santana's Soul Sacrifice appeared on the Sunbury album. EMI issued their second LP Pirana II in November 1972, by which time Richard McEwan had replaced Hamilton on guitar. Andrew James replaced Greig in 1973 and Phil Hitchcock replaced Graeme Thompson on bass in 1974. The band continued to work on the dance and pub circuit, but they didn't record again, and they eventually broke up in late 1974. Duke-Yonge (aka Jimmy Tonge) went on to work with Corroborree, the Anne Kirkpatrick Band and Bullamakanka. Milesago

Australian psych/prog band's second album originally released on Harvest Records in 1972. With it's unforgettable artwork, this album featured some exceptionally strong Aussie prog rock, blending as it did some fine instrumentals, lots of fuzz guitars and flowing Hammond organ. pirana were always regarded as one of the top Australian live acts of the time, but the 9 tracks of this indisputably strong album prove that the band was equally at home in the studio. Freak Emporium

Part 1

Part 2

Grootna - S/T (1971)

This album is produced by Marty Balin after he left Jefferson Airplane. Soon after he joined grootna and they evolved into Bodacious. Originally released in 1971 and now on CD for the first time this is a fine slice of early 70's psychedelic rock and features "Psychedelic Legend" Greg Dewey (aka "Dewey Da Grease") plus ex Mad River and Country Joe & The Fish members. Freak Emporium



http://rapidshare.de/files/15463171/Grootna.rar.html

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Master's Apprentices - S/T (1970) + Masterpiece (1969)

The Masters' first album was assembled over a two year period and contains recordings by several different line-ups. Despite this rather hotch-potch mixture of styles, it has become a highly collectable and credible early Australian rock album.A classic debut album that pioneered the Australian rock sound.

As with the debut album, Masterpiece was assembled over almost three years and contains songs of differing styles and sounds. That's how things were done back then. Albums tended not to be recorded all at the one time. Bands toured 52 weeks of the year with only a day here and there to put down new material. However, 'Masterpiece' is still a good cross section of the band's late '60's work.


http://rapidshare.de/files/15387057/Master_Apprentices.rar.html

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Cupid's Inspiration - Yesterday Has Gone (1968)

British Beat



http://rapidshare.de/files/15385582/Cupid.rar.html

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Julie Felix - Clotho's Web (1972)

1972 album recorded for RAK records finally gets a re-issue and once again the American folk singer found a welcome among England's folk enthusiasts as guest musicians on this album included John Paul Jones, Stephan Grossman, Danny Thompson and the late Cozy Powell. Contains 6 bonus tracks. Freak Emporium

http://rapidshare.de/files/15384694/Julie_Felix.rar.html

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Tritonus - Between The Universe (1976) - Tritonus (1975)

Personnel:
PETER K. SEILER kb, synth
RONALD BRAND b, v, g
CHARLIE JEST d
GEFF HARRISON v B
ALBUMS:
(A)same (BASF 17 22384-1) 1975
(B)"Between the Universe" (BASF CC 229467) 1976

NB: Re-issue of 1 on Acanta 223841, re-issue of 2 on Acanta 229467.
Peter K. Seiler had a musical background from his university days (he studied classical music) which prompted him to form a "classical rock" trio, in the tradition of Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Their first album (1975) was quite conventional for the symphonic rock genre. However, Between the Universe (1976) was a definite improvement, benefiting from Geff Harrison's vocals (ex-2066 & Then and Kin Ping Meh), catchy tunes and great keyboard arrangements (mainly synthesizers). After this, Seiler seemed to lose the interest in Tritonus, and worked increasingly with other musicians, like Michael Bundt. Check out Bundt's solo albums if you enjoy the Tritonus-style. Cosmic Dreams At Play

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Errobi - Errobi (1977)

The debut album by Basque prog-folk heroes, released originally in 1977; a dose of refined progressive folk rock sung in Basque, known for it's twin electric guitar sound. Freak Emporium

Founded by Anje Duhalde and Mixel Ducau in 1973, Errobi was the first Basque rock band. To their blend of symphonic rock and jazz, popular at the time, they added a nationalistic touch and the language of the proletariat. The band had great success and some of thier songs, like 'Gure Lekukotasuna', 'Xilego Langileria' and 'Telebista' became classics. Having disbanded in 1979 they reformed for a short period in 1985. Both Duhalde and Ducau have since pursued solo careers.

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Gringo - Gringo (1971)

Evolving from student beat groups, Utopia / Toast, in sixties Bath, Gringo toured in Europe and even made a living with a club residency on the south coast of France. They were opening act on a UK tour featuring Barclay James Harvest and Caravan. Their recorded legacy is a quality album of pop-tinged progressive rock that still sounds fresh, with a lightness of touch and many distinctive twists. The song-within-a-song piece, Emma And Harry, is worthy of note, but all nine tracks are good. It is tempting to wonder if Land of Who Knows Where may have been inspired by a certain Caravan album released the same year!
Gringo split and John Perry joined Spreadeagle but not in time to play on their only album. The Caravan connection reappeared and he joined that band in time for the Girls Who Grow Plump album. He played later with Quantum Jump, Curved Air and Aviator and did a host of session and solo work. Henry Marsh sampled chart success with Sailor, and Simon Byrne worked with Brotherhood of Man among others. There you have Gringo, an overlooked band and album, worth discovering. The B-side of their single is a non-album track. Tapestry Of Delights

http://rapidshare.de/files/15388673/Gringo.rar.html

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Gravy Train - Second Birth (1973)

Third album, dating from 1973, from this UK heavy prog band. Inevitable Jethro Tull comparisons, due to the inclusion of flute, shouldn't detract from the fact that this is a fine example of 70s British rock. Comes with a bonus track "Goodtime Girl".


EZHEVIKA Re-uP series!

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Corpus - Creation A Child (1969)

Legendary US psych rock album, first released in 1971. Excellent vocal harmonies and ringing guitar work coupled with some heavy riffs make this a worthwhile reissue. Freak Emporium


http://rapidshare.de/files/15379687/Corpus.rar.html

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Cosmos Factory - Cosmos Factory (An Old Castle Of Transylvania) (1973)

Cosmos Factory – a progressive group formed in Nogoya, 1970. They moved to Tokyo the next year, acquired a manager [who was also a well-known rock critic] and got to work. The band are now perhaps best known for their first album, ‘Cosmos Factory’ (a.k.a. ‘An Old Castle of Transylvania’) [Columbia, 1973], which has long been the easiest to obtain on CD. In the Ultima Thule shop catalogue it’s compared to Far East Family Band; I find this very misleading, as the only similarities I can hear are in their worst moments, ie. when they get into their cod-emotive sappy balladic crooning. Other than those bits, which take up a lot of space, it’s a pretty good to great album, with heavier bits as well as spacey and slightly ominous progressive rock reminiscent of a blend of The Nice, Arzachel and early Pulsar, with cool use of the Moog. Anyway, this album brought them a lot of recognition and they began playing support for big western bands of the era such as Humble Pie and The Moody Blues, both then well past their prime and probably overshadowed by their unique support act!
The next album, ‘A Journey With The Cosmos Factory’ [Toshiba EMI/Express, 1975], reputedly enters weirder realms and was well-received. ‘Blackhole’ [Toshiba EMI/Express, 1976] is reputedly comparable to complex King Crimson in some ways. Around this time, the band also began making music for film soundtracks and TV themes. Their last album, ‘Metal Reflection’ [Toshiba EMI/Express, 1977], has a reputation for being more of a metal/hard rock thing, but it’s actually a lot more varied than that. It’s a pretty good album containing proggy hard rock, proggy metal, spacey prog, cosmic funk, a ballad, and almost omnipresent synthesisers. Some bits are reminiscent of some Magical Power Mako circa ‘Jump’ [see below]. The production is excellent. They also released a number of rare EP’s - ‘Fantastic Mirror’ [1975], ‘The Infinite Universe Of Our Mind’ (a promo release) [1975] and ‘Days In The Past’ [1975]. The first album has been reissued on CD by Coca/Nippon Columbia; the next 3 by Toshiba EMI Cosmos Factory – a progressive group formed in Nogoya, 1970. They moved to Tokyo the next year, acquired a manager [who was also a well-known rock critic] and got to work. The band are now perhaps best known for their first album, ‘Cosmos Factory’ (a.k.a. ‘An Old Castle of Transylvania’) [Columbia, 1973], which has long been the easiest to obtain on CD. In the Ultima Thule shop catalogue it’s compared to Far East Family Band; I find this very misleading, as the only similarities I can hear are in their worst moments, ie. when they get into their cod-emotive sappy balladic crooning. Other than those bits, which take up a lot of space, it’s a pretty good to great album, with heavier bits as well as spacey and slightly ominous progressive rock reminiscent of a blend of The Nice, Arzachel and early Pulsar, with cool use of the Moog. Anyway, this album brought them a lot of recognition and they began playing support for big western bands of the era such as Humble Pie and The Moody Blues, both then well past their prime and probably overshadowed by their unique support act!
The next album, ‘A Journey With The Cosmos Factory’ [Toshiba EMI/Express, 1975], reputedly enters weirder realms and was well-received. ‘Blackhole’ [Toshiba EMI/Express, 1976] is reputedly comparable to complex King Crimson in some ways. Around this time, the band also began making music for film soundtracks and TV themes. Their last album, ‘Metal Reflection’ [Toshiba EMI/Express, 1977], has a reputation for being more of a metal/hard rock thing, but it’s actually a lot more varied than that. It’s a pretty good album containing proggy hard rock, proggy metal, spacey prog, cosmic funk, a ballad, and almost omnipresent synthesisers. Some bits are reminiscent of some Magical Power Mako circa ‘Jump’ [see below]. The production is excellent. They also released a number of rare EP’s - ‘Fantastic Mirror’ [1975], ‘The Infinite Universe Of Our Mind’ (a promo release) [1975] and ‘Days In The Past’ [1975]. The first album has been reissued on CD by Coca/Nippon Columbia; the next 3 by Toshiba EMI [possibly out of print]. By Chris McLean

Debut album by this '70's Japanese heavy progressive rock band. One of the best Japanese seventies progressive rock albums we've heard with guitars, synth keyboards and violins trading licks whilst the rhythm section keeps the beat kicking in the best Zeppelin or Purple tradition. A mixture of progressive music and heavy rock that really Kicks butt.Great guitar work! Freak Emporium

http://rapidshare.de/files/15380383/Cosmos_Factory.rar.html

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Cargo - Cargo (1970-72)

This Dutch heavy rock outfit, who operated in the early '70s put out this great album with stupendous stoned guitar workouts / acid jams... Awesome stuff, but this CD also contains 8 additional tracks by the pre-cargo outfit 'September'... An essential chunk of European rock history and a blast for your ears too! Freak Emporium



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Prof. Wolfff - Prof. Wolfff (1971)

Heavy rock with plenty of trippy guitars and progressive touches from 1971 by this Berlin band with Metropolis and Ihre Kinder connections.


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passwords

Good Day, Everybody! Today been long day so some things mixed up.

ATTENTION: Only two versions of password exist:

http://www.ezhevika.blogspot.com/

or

http://ezhevika.blogspot.com/

Passwords mixed in about 12 albums posted starting from today. Will fixed this tomorrow. Sorry for this, people, I'm still novice for this blog thing! Enjoy the music!

Ache - Pictures From Cyclus 7 (1976)

3rd album by this Danish progressive rock band. Originally released on CBS in 1976 this album is full of great art-rock/prog that'll be well worth a listen for any fans of Savage Rose or Alrune Rod, or indeed On Trial, who often cite this bunch as an influence. Freak Emporium



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El Tarro De Mostaza - S/T (1974)

The fantastic '60s psych album by one of Mexico's finest '60's psych bands. The opening track is a blissed out epic with Doors like keyboards, freaky wah wah fuzz and trippy backwards effects. Psychedelic ecstasy!

An extremely rare Mexican psychedelic-progressive cross over album. On the opening track Obertura brillo de Luz there's a nice but long keyboard intro, which gradually gives way to effects and pleasant guitar but the keyboards are always around. The vocals in Spanish, sometimes a strong "SOFT MACHINE" first album influence, catchy instrumental songs, melodical numbers with woodwind...


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Three Man Army - Two (1974)

Once brothers Adrian (g, voc) and Paul Gurvitz (b) had disbanded their trio, Gun, they rushed immediately, with former Spooky Tooth drummer Mike Kellie by their side, into a new heavy rock adventure - a project, which proved to be well ahead of its time. Three Man Army made their debut in 1971 on "A Third Of A Lifetime" with Buddy Miles (dr, org, b) as a famous guest star. The "in every way easily written material made people sit up and take notice, above all, because of the excellent rhythm craft" (Sounds) and shaped the most dramatic hard rock sound of highest caliber. Three Man Army were elevated up to the level of cult stars on the British underground circuit. The well-in-demand session drummer, Tony Newman, was recruited for the recording of "Three Man Army" and "Three Man Army II" in 1973. Previously, Newman garnered experience and reputation on the rock scene with Jeff Beck, David Bowie and Chris Spedding, as well as having been a member of May Blitz.

On their second outing, this British band sounded rougher and bluesier than on their debut, which sparked frequent comparisons to Cream and Grand Funk Railroad. Centre-stage was Adrian Gurvitz, a true guitar wizard, whose intricate, hard-driving solos had gained notoriety since his days with Gun, aided and abetted by the heavy, precise rhythm section. Yet proper commercial success continued to elude them. The band was often praised for their tight and professional live performances, yet, at the end of the day, none of their records had made it into the charts. The last crack at big time was attempted in 1974, with the release of "Mahesha" - alas, it was sadly igonred by the public.

As a result, the Gurvitz brothers abandoned this project altogether, and instead embarked on yet another venture, the brand new Baker Gurvitz Army, featuring legendary Cream drummer Ginger Baker. Later, the duo also played on two records by ex-Moody Blues drummer Graeme Edge, in the mid-70s: "Paradise Ballroom" and "Kick Off Your Muddy Boots". Later still, Adrian Gurvitz released two solo albums in 1979 and 1980, "Sweet Vendetta" and "Il Assanio", and one in 1982, for Micky Most's RAK label, "Classic". "Sweet Vendetta" featured a softer side of Adrian, with the slickly produced, mellow funky soul, in the style of later Average White Band, whereas "Classic" sounded as though things had gone all wrong…

Drummer Tony Newman returned to work once again with David Bowie; he also played with Ollie Halsall's Boxer, and participated in the recording of albums by such notable pop and rock luminaries as Joan Armatrading, T.Rex, Shakin' Stevens, Kevin Ayers and Lee Clayton - all on the session basis.Taken from the CD liner notes to "Mahesha" (1990, Repertoire Records, RR4057-C)

Thanks to Alex Giltin for info, photo & cover

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Three Man Army - Mahesha (1974)

Formed immediately after Adrian and Paul Gurvitz disbanded their rock trio band Gun in 1970 and teamed up with former Spooky Tooth drummer Mike Kelly. This was Three Man's third and final album released in 1974. Heavy UK rock with a psychedelic blues edge.

The Gurvitz brothers had earlier played in Gun and Baker Gurvitz Army and Adrian Gurvitz also made solo recordings. Buddy Miles was an American artist, who made several recordings with his own band. Tony Newman also made solo recordings and Doris Troy was born in New York City as Doris Payne on 6 January 1937. Vocalist and songwriter, she made several solo albums and singles. She also sang backing vocals on Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon.
Taken from The Tapestry of Delights - The Comprehensive Guide to British Music of the Beat, R&B, Psychedelic and Progressive Eras 1963-1976, Vernon Joynson

Thanks to Alex Giltin for info & cover

Link

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Bullfrog - Bullfrog (1976)

BULLFROG were born in Munich in 1973. Their brand of krautrock, featuring mostly guitar and some mean organ play, is rather melodious and a bit reminiscent of German art rockers JANE. Their latest incarnation consisted of keyboardist Harald Kaltenecker, guitarist Sebastian Leitner, bassist Vincent Trost, drummer Ali Halmatoglu and vocalist Gerd Hoch (who committed suicide in the summer of '95).Their first (eponymous) album didn't break any grounds but their second, "High in Spirit" ('77) boasted a much better production and thus brought the band a sizeable following both in Germany and in the US. It also gathered quite a huge fan base in Portugal where the album managed to relegate both ABBA and PINK FLOYD to second and third place on the local charts. Encouraged by the warm reception, they toured a great deal and finally released a third LP in 1980, "Second Wind", their most accomplished work to date. They were gathering material for a fourth when dissension grew amongst the ranks and brought an end to their reunion. Recommended for collectors of early krautrock. Lise (Hibou), CANADA


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Aardvark - Aardvark (1970)

Stunning forgotten gem of UK rock from 1970,originally on Deram this album stands out by virtue of having no guitars except a bass. The keyboards are working overtime here, and with the inclusion of some trippy electronic effects, this is a highly exceptional reissue. Freak Emporium

A rare prog album on the failed Decca sub-label, Deram Nova, a label that featured acts that were pretty much all destined for obscurity. Even so, the music on the label was often great, as shown by the Universal 3-disc set 'Legend Of A Mind'. Aardvark made one album only, then totally vanished from the scene. However, it was a very good album with lots of heavy prog workouts that should appeal to all fans of early prog acts like The Nice, Spooky Tooth, Deep Purple, Quatermass and Egg. 'Copper Sunset' kicks off proceedings with an extremely heavy organ riff that causes the speakers to shake. This type of music should put a smile on the face of any prog fan; the whole band work well. 'Very Nice Of You To Call' is a slightly poppier tune that reminds one a little of a motif in Camel's masterpiece, 'Lady Fantasy'. 'Many Things To Do' is a great track, with some neat vocals and clever instrumental work, and a very nice, Brian Auger-ish organ solo at the end. 'Greencap' features some superb organ jamming, and the band achieve a very heavy sound that is reminiscent of the likes of The Nice at their best. 'I Can't Stop' is a neat tune with good keyboards and bass playing, with another mad jam session in the middle. 'The Outing- Yes' starts off with a jolly bit of psychedelic whimsy, but quickly enters the realms of organ driven cacophony that show a band willing to experiment. The Caravan esque tones of 'Once Upon A Hill' are very nice indeed, with vocals and organ perfect for the track. This can't prepare for the huge onslaught of the great 'Put That In Your Pipe And Smoke It'- a terrific organ driven rocker which reminds one of Egg at their heaviest.So all in all, a very strong album, and whilst not terribly innovative, is still hugely enjoyable in many respects. Well worth checking out. ProgArchives



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Blues Addicts - Blues Addicts (1970)

1970 album from Danish psychedelic blues-rockers. Similar in feel to early Blue Cheer, Hendrix or Cream this album is heavy. Killer acid guitar riffs power this beast as demonstrated on the stunning ten minute "Hailow". Psycadellic blues from the flower-power age, put together on this CD.Lead figure is vocalist and guitarist Ivan Horn. He later joined C.V. Jørgensen amongst many other "big" Danish bands. Freak Emporium & Karma

Similar to Hurdy Gurdy, Delta Blues Band, Alrune Rod



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Gabriel Bondage - Angel Dust (1975)

Pretty good laid back symphonic prog. Can be very spacey at times, especially the opening track "Babylon". Nice flute, horn, piano, acoustic guitars, soft harmonized choral vocals. "Ladies and Gentlemen" is a great laid back acoustic guitar track with nice vocal washes. The 8 minute "Bondage" has some Canterbury moments bordering on RIO, but that's not the main sense of the album. Overall, this is a really GREAT slice of sadly overlooked mid 70's US prog. By tallen14218

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4001 Record Collector Dreams - By Hans Pokora

The fourth volume in this resourceful series of books that make up a kaleidoscopic overview of the rarest records around. This edition also features an index for all four volumes in the series. Full of essential images of folk, psychedelia, garage and beat records from the '60s and '70s the book is packed with over 1000 colour photos of album covers from all over the globe - including the rarest collectables from UK, Germany, Sweden, Turkey, Italy and U.S.A etc.

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3001 Record Collector Dreams - By Hans Pokora

The third volume in this quality series of books is hardbound like the others and slightly thicker at 144 pages. Filled to bursting with photos of rare psychedelic, progressive, folk, garage, rock and beat album covers from all over the world it's an essential companion to previous volumes. Features a rarity scale, genre descriptions & release details.

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2001 Record Collectors Dreams - By Hans Pokora

Part 2 in the series of books on covers of rare records from all over the world. This time including actual and new values in euro prices. Another cream of folk, psychedelic, progressive , garage, beat records. Over 1000 professional colour photographs of the rarest 60's and 70's album covers from over 40 countries!! An indispensable book for all serious collectors and curious music lovers, with a accurate description of: Origin, Label, Value and Rarity.

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1001 Record Collector Dreams - Hans Pokora

What a great idea! Hans has collected together in a beautifully bound hard back book, full colour pictures of the covers of all those incredibly rare records you could never afford, so now you at least know what they looked like.... '60s and '70s Folk, progressive, psychedelic, rock, garage from all over the world - they're all here. If your collection looks like this I hope you've got good insurance!! Freak Emporium

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Yezda Urfa - Sacred Baboon

Unheralded in their day and basically only known now for their belated second album Sacred Baboon, Yezda Urfa were one of the finest American progressive rock groups of the 70s. Their extremely rare debut album Boris has long been an in-demand collectors item and for good reason. It shows the band in a slightly rawer early stage performing five tracks that would later be rearranged for Sacred Baboon. Sacred Baboon, of course, is a very fine album in its own right, but I prefer Boris for its more immediate intensity. Yezda Urfa's brand of dazzlingly complex, Yes-influenced symphonic rock is an exercise in mad genius and rare dexterity. Often played at frantic speeds, the quintet rips through long (except the banjo stomp "Texas Armadillo") compositions of key and time changes like they spent every minute of those years practicing them. Suffice it to say that there isn't a second of this that doesn't awe you with their prowess, as they tear mercilessly through 32nd note speed riffs, contrapuntal craziness and jagged start/stops. It all leaves one completely breathless in the end and ready for more. Although the album is a $1500 collectors item, CD-Rs are starting to become widely available which means that a legitimate reissue of this is sorely needed. One of progressive rock's last unreissued masterpieces. Gnosis 2000

This was our second album, again put together by ourselves. Since no interest had been generated by our demo album, we decided to go for a second album that would be released on our own label with the hope that after it generated enough interest, it would attract the attention of a record company,
We funded the project ourselves, and just before finishing, we almost had a deal with a small label in Chicago, but the deal fell through. After completing the recording, but short of cash, we abandoned the idea of releasing the album and shelved the master tape.
Some eight years later, we were discovered by Syn-Phonic and the album was released in 1989 (thank you Peter Stoller!).
This album was recorded in about two weeks, in two different studios. We had started using the same studio as for the Boris album, but switched to another, more modern studio shortly after we started recording. In the time that had elapsed since recording Boris, our music had progressed and improved. Some of the material that appeared on Boris was reworked for this album. By Yezda Urfa

Yezda Urfa - Boris

This was a demo album put together by ourselves. We had wanted to make a good recording, showing off our music, with the hope that someone of influence would eventually hear the album and get us a recording deal. Oh well, one can always hope...
This album was recorded in about three days, as I recall, in a professional studio in Chicago. However, this studio was normally used for commercials and other, more "normal" recording, and they were quite amazed at our music, our long hair, and our crazy antics.
Three of the five pieces on this album were reworked and appeared on our second album, Sacred Baboon. There are only a few copies of this album left. I only have one copy left and it's in poor condition. By Yezda Urfa

Yezda Urfa were an American band that recorded and performed during the 70s, but unfortunately broke up after experiencing no record label interest for their second album Sacred Baboon in the decidedly prog-unfriendly waters of the later 70s. However, Greg Walker's Syn-Phonic label managed to dig up the album and gave it proper release in 1989. The band can can actually be fairly easily described as an eccentric amalgamation of Yes and Gentle Giant. The bass player sounds like Chris Squire, the guitarist plays like Steve Howe and the singer sounds somewhat like Jon Anderson, but the song structures are much more reminiscent of the angular and overtly complex territories of Gentle Giant, including complex vocal harmonies, though perhaps approaching the fiery intensity of Relayer at times. Still, the band lacks the same kind of compositional variety of either of those two bands, instead relying on superbly intense and frenetic playing that can be utterly jaw dropping throughout the album. For the most part, the band doesn't vary from their impressive attack, but occasionally moments of traditional Yes-like beauty provide some breathing room.
"Give 'em Some Rawhide Chewies" is immediately impressive, and rocks out from the first second of the album. Songs like "Cancer of the Band" and the beginning of "Boris and His Three Verses" illustrate a more plaintive melodic side to the group, before breaking into dazzling instrumental portions. The aforementioned "Cancer..." as well as "(My Doc Told Me I Had) Doggie Head" also feature great multi-part vocal harmonies that are directly out of the Gentle Giant book. Vocals are actually the weakest link in the band. I've never been a huge fan of Jon Anderson anyway, but it seems like Rick Rodenbaugh ends up rushing a lot of phrases to keep up with the breakneck changes and playing. To me, the vocals just don't fit in a lot of points where they are used, and only rarely serve their function as an attractive centerpiece to a song, generally distracting from the great instrumental work instead. Still, this is one of the finest examples of American progressive rock from the 70s. Superb musicianship and on-the-dime, well-executed playing is the definite highlight. A fun album, if not the most original thing I've ever heard. Gnosis 2000

Wallace Collection - Laughing Cavalier (1968)

Wallace Collection was a group that was founded on the remains of the group Sylvester's Team. Three of the original member (namely Sylvain Vanholme, Freddy Nieuland and Marc Hйrouet) then went on to form the band 16th Century, together with bass-player Christian Janssens and the classical musicians Raymond Vincent and Jacques Namotte. These two were members in the Belgian National Philharmonic Orchestra, but had been flirting with popular music already in a band called Stradivarius.

The group was launched from Britain, and a new name was found in a museum next to the EMI-headquarters : The Wallace Collection. Australian David Mckay did the production of the first record of the band "Laughing cavalier"
The band and the album were an instant success due to the single "Daydream". It became a hit in over 20 countries and sold millions of copies.
Sylvain Vanholme recalls how this breakthrough was also responsible for the downfall of the band in "Wit-Lof from Belgium" : "There was chaos. One day we would be playing in the North of Holland, the next day in Spain. We didn't have time to rehearse or write new material. Between to concerts, they booked us a studio and said : quickly record a song like "Daydream". The quality of the singles that followed went steadily downward. "Love" and "Serenade" at least made it to the Belgian Top 30.


In 1971 the band decided to call it a day. Freddy Nieuland however has continued to record under the name Wallace Collection.
Raymond Vincent later on formed a band called Esperanto (with German and British strings, Italian keyboards, with singers from Hawaп, Papoea and Australia. After four records the band was dumped by record company A&M in 1975.
Marc Hйrouet, the organ-player of the band, enjoyed some success with his group Salix Alba (Hope I can add this band to the Archives shortly).
The biggest future for the ex-members of The Wallace Collection would be for Sylvain Vanholme, who has had huge hits with Two Man Sound and has produced a large number of Belgian records since (e.g. Octopus, Salix Alba, The Machines, Gorky, Jo Lemaire & Flouze, The Kids ... ).
Anno 2001, the Wallace Collection still remains "in the picture", because ""Daydream" is becoming somewhat of a "standard", covered all around the globe. In 2001 for example there was a mellow version of Paul Michiels, a cool version by I Monster and an awesome one by the Beta Band (as "squares" on their album "hot shots II").
Members :- Sylvain Vanholme (guitar)- Freddy Nieuland (drums)- Marc Hйrouet (organ, keyboards)- Raymond Vincent (violin)- Jacques Namotte (cello)- Christian Janssens

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Association P.C. - Mama Kuku (1974)

The German jazz and fusion scene often seems unfairly eclipsed by its concurrent krautrock and psychedelic scene. Association Earwax, who became Association P.C. on the band's final three albums, were a fine outfit and the original home of guitarist Toto Blanke, creating a fusion similar to several jazz threads - the early CGI albums of George Benson, the heavy fuzz organ-led jazz rock of Soft Machine, and the crazed, on-the-edge-of-free-jazz experiments of ECM artists like Wolfgang Dauner. While this six-track debut doesn't have quite the impressive moments albums like Erna Morena do, it still has plenty of fine material, ranging from mellow Benson-like guitar and rhodes jazz pieces to full throttle noisefests. Gnosis 2000

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Association P.C. - Sun Rotation (1972)

Hookfoot - Live In Memphis USA 72

Hookfoot was a quintet formed at the end of the '60s as a recording unit by a half-dozen session players associated with Dick James' publishing and later with his DJM Records label. They never made much of an impression on the charts, despite their work being licensed to A&M Records, through which they released four LPs in the U.S.A. Ian Duck (vocals, harmonica), Dave Glover (bass), Roger Pope (drums, vocals), and Caleb Quaye (guitar, vocals) were the original lineup, with Bob Kulick (guitar, vocals) coming in alongside Quaye, and Fred Gandy joining on bass later. ~ Bruce Eder

This CD is a sensation because these are the first available live recordings from the band, prepared maybe from the only tapes which have survived the time. One of the most underrated bands from the early 1970's delivers great guitar rock, played in the legendary Ardent Studios for a Radio Show. Malesch

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Secret Oyster - Secret Oyster (1973)

Secret Oyster was really a continuation of Burnin' Red Ivanhoe, who split (for the first time) in 1972 following several disputes over the future direction of the band between Karsten Vogel and the other members. With Secret Oyster's excellent musicians (including Bøhling from Hurdy Gurdy and Knudsen from Coronarias Dans), Vogel had a perfect vehicle to explore new directions in instrumental fusion, partly inspired by Weather Report, but also adding Bøhling's magnificent lead guitar!
Secret Oyster's first album became an artistic and commercial success in Denmark. It also sold well in the rest of Scandinavia and gained some recognition in Germany, Great Britain and the USA. In spite of this, Vinding and Andersen left the group. The appearance of Stæhr caused Burnin' Red Ivanhoe to rise again, now with the same line-up as Secret Oyster (but with a different musical style).

“Sea Son” consolidated their popularity, but couldn't match the first album in terms of quality (it was still quite good jazz-rock, though). In 1975, Secret Oyster went on a European tour as support act to Captain Beefheart, but later the same year CBS International opted not to continue to invest in Secret Oyster.

"Vidunderlige Kælling" (1975) was the music to a ballet by Flemming Flint. The compositions (in contrast to those on the previous albums) were more concise and almost free of any improvisation. Secret Oyster handled this task quite well. However, their last album was an ill-fated attempt to make more easily accessible music.
Secret Oyster was one of the few Danish groups mentioned here that gained healthy record sales. Their first album remains an important album in the general history of Danish rock.
Taken from Scented Gardens of the Mind - A guide to the Golden Era of Progressive Rock (1968-1980)

Paul Gaffey - Mephistopheles (1974)

Very rare LP of Australian dramatic opera progressive.

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Wizz Jones - Lazy Farmer (1975)

Wizz played and recorded mostly with a small coterie of friends or a band called Lazy Farmer that he and Sandy formed with ex-C.O.B. flautist, Joe Bidwell. Originally released in Germany in 1975 and now at last available on CD, it's a haunting collection of beautifully arranged folk standards, along with a handful of covers versions like "Standing Down In N.Y. Town
(R.McTell). Freak Emporium

Baby Whale - The Downhill Climb (1973)

Excellent and previously unknown early '70's UK folk rock band who later became the smooth retro harmony ensemble Telephone Bill. Very much in the early '70's Fairport vein with flashes of Storyteller and Tudor Lodge. Beautiful melodic male and female vocals, electric violin, guitar and steel guitar. High quality production, great original songs and original interpretations of traditional folk classics such as the Cuckoo. Freak Emporium

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Accolade - Accolade 2 (1971)

2nd album by this UK band from the early 70's. A mix up of various styles such as folk, jazz, and rock, but dominated by psych folk. Wizz Jones was featured on several tracks and the album also featured a cool version of Made In Sweden's 'Snakes In A Hole' Originally released in 1971 on Regal Zonophone. Freak Emporium

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Neon Rose - Two (1974)

EZHEVIKA Re-uP series!

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Embermen Five - Fire In Their Hearts

Another nugget unearthed! A 13 track CD by North Dakota 60's beat/garagers making it big in their home state and surrounding areas. They had the chance to make it nationally and record for Chess Records. It didnґt pan out, but in their region they are fondly remembered today. Among garage aficianados they are appreciated for their outstanding 45s, such as 'Fire In My Heart', 'That's Why I Need You' or 'Baby I`m Forgettin' You'. This package presents their complete studio recordings plus three previously unreleased live tracks including Land Of 1000 Dances, You Make Feel So Good and Iґll Go Crazy plus two more live recordings; a five minute long cookin 'Gloria' and a cover of 'Treat Her Right' Freak Emporium


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Mecki Mark Men - Running In The Summer Night (1969)

Lead by keyboardist and vocalist Mecki Bodemark, MECKI MARK MEN are considered one of the first big Swedish psychedlic acts. They released an eponymous album in 1968 but soon after, Bodemark went his own way and teemed up with a threesome called the BABY GRANDMOTHERS to form MECKI MARK MEN. In 1968, they were the supporting act for FRANK ZAPPA AND THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION at Stockholm’s Concert House, as well as for JIMI HENDRIX during his Swedish tour. In 1969, they released a second album called “Running in the Summer Night”, made TV appearances and were part of the Swedish cast of the popular musical “Hair”. The following year, they went on a U.S. tour and played at rock festivals headlining The BYRDS, SLY & THE FAMILY STONE and JETHRO TULL among others. However, the tour ended up in chaos. They had stayed there for 3 months yet their visas were only valid for 6 weeks; they were also stuck in a hotel room they couldn’t afford. So they made a deal with their manager, returned home and paid their debts by recording a third album (“Marathon”). They then broke up, with most of the cast soon resurfacing as KEBNEKAISE. They released a fourth album in 1979 under their original name, where Mecki Bodemark features as the only original member.Typical of 60’s psych and R&B, their music resembles that of JIMI HENDRIX, IRON BUTTERFLY and VANILLA FUDGE: trippy, brain melting distorted lead guitar with plenty of fuzz and wah-wah, and lots of wasted, stoned out vocals from Bodemark who, btw, does the same things with his formidable Hammond organ as Hendrix with his guitar. Their better release is perhaps “Running in the Summer Night”, an album of heavy acid space rock where everyone is at his best, particularly Bodemark and guitar wizard Kenny Häkansson. Lise (HIBOU), CANADA

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Ben - Ben (1971)

Prog monster originally on the Vertigo label. Released in 1971 the album fell on deaf ears but is in fact a classic slab of progressive jazz rock with above average instrumental ability. Long tracks with a concept based on "growing up". Ranks alongside Dr Z as a lost prog monster. Freak Emporium

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Association P.C. - Erna Morena (1973)

The P.C. in the title refers to Pierre Courbois, the drummer whose country of origin I keep forgetting - Belgium or Holland - in any event the group contained people who were known in Northern European early 70s jazz-rock circles - in particular keyboardist Jasper van't Hof and guitarist Toto Blanke, whose later 70s group Electric Circus gets mentioned in the recent Krautrock discographies. [BB]

In their classic configuration, Association P.C. were comprised of percussionist Pierre Courbois, keyboarding Jasper Van't Hoff, bassist Siggi Busch, and guitarist Toto Blanke. Earwax retains the swing of jazz rhythms, although much of it is electrified and the playing abandons structure almost as often as it embraces it. Best cut is "Round A'bout Nine" (sic), which is centred on a solo acoustic bassline, evocative of some traditional European folksong and accented with crazy percussive and electronic voicings -- eventually even the bassist dissolves into pure sound investigation. Good free playing, although not particularly kozmik. The linernotes to Earwax drop Soft Machine, MEV and er, Burnin' Red Ivanhoe as references. Sun Rotation immediately sounds heavier, tho I attribute some of this to Conny Plank's engineering role. Courbois is playing more rock-based rhythms, and even gets into some near-funk at the beginning of "Totemism." Still, don't mistake this for Miles' fusion-- this album is very progressive and European and is closer aligned to some of the early ECM black sheep. Lotsa weirdo time signatures too (11/8 on "Neuteboom" and 7/8 on "Fran Theunissen".) This is the record with the controversial slagging of free jazz on the back cover-- ironically, much of this album is without a groove. The live Erna Morena set sees them moving deeper into free rock, with a greater emphasis on textural playing. Karl Wiberny guests on reeds and contributes to the album's best moment, on "Space Erna" where Van't Hoff's dense organ washes are roughed up by Wiberny's alto clarinet squonks. By this point, the transgressions were established and although (or maybe because) Wiberny's blowing wasn't particularly virtuous, it lended itself perfectly to the group. Nice and scrappy, an aesthetic which sadly became endangered-- shunned, really-- in jazz-rock as the 70s progressed. [DW]
The liner notes to Erna Morena throw around the Soft Machine comparisons pretty liberally but think post-Robert Wyatt when most "rock" elements (aside from electric instruments) have been lost - the liner notes also consider mentioning Chicago, Colosseum, Blood Sweat and Tears, Cream and Tony Williams' Lifetime in the same breath as a thinkable proposition so the historical element is invaluable. Although the LP, in part no doubt because of it's obscurity has always been a bit of a prize of mine, I was listening to it hard recently and all the experimental parts and ring modulator squawks are cool, when it's time to actually "blow" (you know, like Coltrane or something), they don't quite stack up. With titles like "Space Erna" and "Erna in India" there's a certain drone/trance aesthetic at work that gives it some appeal and it's important to remember that some people really thought those recently reissued Miles Davis double-lives from the era were crap at the time too, so you don't want to get really bogged down in evaluating it in some kind of purist jazz terms. [BB]
Joachim Kuhn joined Association PC for their final two recordings, Rock Around The Cock and Mama Kuku, replacing Jasper Van't Hoff when the latter took leave to form the much lesser project, Pork Pie. While the playing on these lps may tend toward the complex and technical, it's employed as a vocabulary rather than as something cosmetic. Listening to it as I type, I'd haveta say this occasionally evokes the powerhouse attack of Miles' lost quintet (cf. the 1969 Antibes gig, "In A Violent Way.") Worthy. DW The Kozmigroov Konnection


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Lokomotive Kreuzberg - Mountain Town (1977)

Personnel:

ANDREAS BAUER v, kb, vln
KARL-HEINZ SCHERFLING v
(VOLKER HIEMANN v, g) A
(UWE MULLRICH g) B
BERNHARD POTSCHKA g C
(FRANZ POWALLA (v, b) A
MANFRED PRAEKER v, b B
UWE HOLZ v, d, harm
ALBUMS (up to '76):
(A)"Kollege Klatt" (Plane S99101) 1972
(B)"James Blond" (Plane S99103) 1973
(B)"Fette Jahre" (Plane S99104) 1975
Along with Ton Steine Scherben, Lokomotive Kreuzberg were the most important political rock band to emerge from Berlin. Five left-wing ex-students formed the band at the beginning of 1972. Powalla was replaced by Manfred Praeker in the Spring of 1973. Uwe Mullrich replaced Volker Hiemann for six months, then he moved on to Munich and Embryo being replaced by Bernhard Potschka in Lokomotive Kreuzberg in the Summer of 1974. Like Floh De Cologne, Lokomotive Kreuzberg had theatrical live shows, where the music only served as a texture and background for their 'cabaret performances'. Kollege Klatt (1972), and all subsequent albums, contained a full variety of musical styles. The liner notes for the album were written by none other than Floh De Cologne! In addition to their four albums, two singles were issued on Plane: "Chile '73" coupled with "Hey Mr. America" (1974) and "Arbeitslos" coupled with "Teddy Tex" (1976). Fette Jahre (1975) is usually considered to he their best achievement musically.

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P.P. Zahl - Alle Turen Offen (1978)

The sole album by this odd German/Austrian collaboration could well make my "surprises of the year" list. Adapting the name of the German poet Peter Paul Zahl (born in 1944), this mysterious ensemble used the stale device of setting the existing lyrics to a newly recorded musical background (think Novalis). Though the story behind it all is unclear to me because of my limited knowledge of the German language, I assume the lyrics might deal with political issues, and the band thus deserves the "polit-rock" labelling (yet we all know that this term is a social rather than a stylistic indicator). Besides, all members of P. P. Zahl seem to have a polit-rock background - they came partly from the German band Oktober, and partly from theatrical Austrian group Schmetterlinge. So supposedly Alle Tьren Offen has a political message in it as well.

Musically this one is all over the map. The LP has a short intro ("Meinen kultivierten Bekannten" is just about 3 minutes long), then a 22-minute long track "Ninguneo", and finally the second side consists of the five-part title-track with the total duration of over 25 minutes. Complex as hell, the short opening song gives you a clue what it's all about - starting with some weird laughs, whispers and excerpts from a studio talk, it proceeds to a Novalis-like melodic part (the German vocals can't help but draw reminiscences to "Wer Schmetterlinge Lachen Hцrt"), then comes a slightly Yes-like fragment (with the pedal steel part not unlike Steve Howe's in "Soon") only to segue into a catchy, yet accomplished piano-driven coda. Around the world in less than 3 minutes, that's how I can call it. The whole LP is like this: "Ninguneo" features a brilliant Spanish guitar intro, a solo-piano part, a full-blown symphonic mid-section (with synthesizer sounding exactly like a Mellotron!), an odd reggae part, and a folky segment with flute, acoustic guitar and handclaps. While such amazing diversity is sure to have its flaws (that reggae part sounds a bit out of place, for instance), Alle Tьren Offen is still a surprising example of the cohesive mosaic made out of the disparate pieces. And albeit one might be confused at the first listen, the album is guaranteed to reveal its beauty upon further acquaintance.
The title-track is probably P. P. Zahl's greatest success. It takes off quite unexpectedly from the heavily synthesized part, with a technoid rhythm reminding of Pink Floyd's "Welcome to the Machine". Then an excellent rocking riff is thrown in, but after a while it turns into a disharmonic jazzy part with busy drumming and inventive piano. A heavy symphonic fragment follows, bringing some bands from Sky label to my mind (most notably Octopus), while shortly thereafter it unexpectedly shifts to a weird orchestral showoff with multilayered vocals on the top (imagine Velvet Underground's "Murder Mystery" being played over an Art Zoyd tune!). Then comes a climactic piano crescendo, and finally a gorgeous reprise of the opening riff. Do you think the piece ends here? Nope! There will yet be one catchy part (let's call it a postscript), where the vocalist yells "ALLE TЬREN OFFEN" over a complex synth/guitar duel.
There are only a few prog bands who manage to combine the absolutely different musical elements with such enviable ease. I'm happy to report that P. P. Zahl sure belong to this chosen few. How such a professional, well-played, richly arranged and musically competent album could pass totally unnoticed is beyond me, as it is undoubtedly one of the Germany's strongest musical statements of the second half of the 1970s. By Lev Gankine

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United Empire Loyalists - Notes From The Underground (Canadian psych)

The United Empire Loyalists were a Vancouver B.C. band that originally consisted of Rick Enns (lead vocals, bass), Anton "Tom" Kolstee (lead guitar), Jeff Ridley (rhythm guitar), and Richard Cruickshank, later replaced by Glen Hendrickson (drums). In 1968 the band recorded the lone single "No, No, No," which was pressed in only 200 copies but sold well enough to attract a fan base and the attention of a local concert promoter who booked the band to open for the Grateful Dead. In 1968, since the UEL's were part of the Vancouver underground music scene, the release of a single was perceived as a commercial ploy by the band. Thus, they abandoned their commercialization and focused on songs consisting of long jams and experimental sounds. With a limited fan base of only a few hundred of Vancouver teens, the band started to make waves around the West Coast music scene. With some music pointers gleaned from their experience with the Dead, they managed to attract interest from Canada's National Television station the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation). In 1968, as part of the Enterprise television series, the CBC filmed an hour-long studio performance of the band. This brought even more of a cult mystique to UEL and in1990, the band was reformed to again perform for the CBC in a documentary about the Vancouver '60s music scene. During the late '60s and early '70s the band went on tour throughout British Columbia, opening for such acts as Cream, the Yardbirds, Steve Miller Band, Country Joe & the Fish, Canned Heat, and many more bands both local and international. They became one of B.C.'s hottest groups, yet they never released another single or received radio air play. Notes From the Underground is the first compilation entirely devoted to the music of the United Empire Loyalists. The CD contains 13 songs taken from a variety of sources including some "live" club recordings from 1968, unreleased studio recordings from 1970, and songs that were originally featured on both CBC Television programs from 1968 and 1990. While the sound quality on some tracks, especially those recorded privately in 1968, is not great, these are some of the only recordings that still exist of this band. Noticeably missing from this set -- without explanation -- is the band's "commercial" single "No, No, No." Nonetheless, all but two on this set are originals written by the band members. With liner notes by Anton Kolstee that detail the history of the band, this CD is a fitting tribute to one of Vancouver's best kept secrets that is, for the first time, finally available for all to hear. ~ Keith Pettipas, All Music Guide


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Hi Everybody! After about a year of web downloading I created my own blog to pay back all nice people I've been downloading from. Here I'm going to share with you some music I love - psych, prog, heavy blues, garage...

Hopefully you'll enjoy some of my shares!