Saturday, January 21, 2012
Horton - Dancehall for Midgets (1976)
For 1976 this was certainly an odd album - in fact I wouldn't be surprised to see it date back to 1971 or earlier. The band consists of maestro Bill Horton on guitar and a couple of his friends handling bass and drums. Being a private release (and quite a legendary album among psych collectors), "Dancehall For Midgets" has that familiar raw and unpolished sound, which is so characteristic of low-budget hard-rock obscurities - however, unlike most albums of the genre, Horton isn't too keen on simplistic three-chord riffs and 4/4 rhythms. Instead, their brand heavy rock is stuffed with weird Beefheart-ian psychedelicacy - and since the band obviously had a knack for free-form jamming, the album often sounds almost like an outsider's take on "Trout Mask Replica”. Rambling, unstructured guitar improvs is what it's all about - add a healthy dose of expressive vocals (Mr. Horton obviously wasn't afraid of singing out of tune), and you'll probably get the full picture. Sure, the 1976 album couldn't be all like this, so be prepared for a couple of fairly conventional heavy-blues-rock numbers as well - good thing is that they are very few and far between, hence they don't spoil the impression. Overall this is quite a unique and unparalleled document of America's 1970s rock underground. Was it successful or not - please decide for yourself. By Lev Gankine Gnosis2000
Le Groupe X - Frrrrrigidaire (1973)
Interesting, and very obscure, Italian band with 2 albums. Frrrrrigidaire is unique in the annals of the vast Italian progressive rock scene. Instrumental, jazzy and at times even a lounge sound pervades. The album is a fun listen and I can imagine being a minor hit with the those that engage in the Retro-club lounge scene or those that seek out albums that would make a great soundtrack to 70's films. Hardly an essential item but still worth a spin and can be considered a good nightcap type of album. By ashratom
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Boule de Son - Just'en passant... (1975)
Beautiful Cano/Troisieme Rive like private release.
Sylvie Granger / vocals
Daniel Lepage / piano, vocals
Pierre Moisan / Bass
Jean-Luc Etheier / recorder
Jean-Jacques Bourdeau / guitars
Denis Toupin / / drums
A1 Arc-en-ciel 3:00
A2 Just'en passant 0:40
A3 Voler en rond 3:10
A4 Réveil 4:00
A5 Levez les yeux 4:50
B1 Le temps est venu 4:30
B2 Galarneau 3:10
B3 Inconnue 2:50
B4 Apprendre à prendre 6:00
B5 Des choses à dire 2:00
review at ProgQuebec
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