Record Reviews

	COMUS ~ FIRST UTTERANCE SI-WAN 1026 ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock 1st album from 1970 by one of the strangest and most interesting bands in the Prog history. This album deserves a place in the absolute top albums of all times and the weird singing and playing is years ahead of anything that was recorded at that time. A mixture of folk, Avant-Garde, theatrics and pure genious.
Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:	CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

COMUS ~ SONG TO COMUS - THE COMPLETE COLLECTION CASTLE 1121 (Barcode: 5050749411211) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1970 - 1974 Released: 2005 This extraordinary album is one of the most anticipated reissues in the history of Prog. It includes all the material recorded by ComusFind albums by this artist, which includes their two albums: First UtteranceFind albums with this title (recorded 1970) and To Keep From CryingFind albums with this title (recorded 1974), two singles by the group and another single by Roger WoottonFind albums by this artist – the band’s main writer and singer. There is also one previously unreleased song recorded for the debut album. It is the debut album, which brought the band the cult status as one of the strangest and most interesting bands in the Prog history. It remains to this day a timeless masterpiece and deserves a place in the pantheon of Prog. The material, the weird vocals and superb playing is years ahead of anything that was recorded at that time. A mixture of horror, folk, Avant-Garde, theatrics and pure genus, definitely a unique musical creation, which is now available again after 35 years of dormancy. The second album is of course not nearly as good as the debut, recorded under pressures from the record label to produce “commercial” material. Nevertheless having the entire output by Comus in one beautiful release is bliss incarnate. An absolute must!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

CD 2 Remastered Bonus Tracks Essential Recommend To A Friend

G. F. FITZ-GERALD ~ MOUSEPROOF SUNBEAM 5016 (Barcode: 5051125501618) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1970 Released: 2006 Scottish guitarist / singer / songwriter G. F. Fitz-GeraldFind albums by this artist recorded his only album with a bunch of excellent musicians, including some legendary figures like singer Judy DybleFind albums by this artist (Fairport ConventionFind albums by this artist), tabla virtuoso Sam GopalFind albums by this artist, sax and flute player Geoff LeighFind albums by this artist and many others. The album was a complete commercial failure at the time of its release, disappearing entirely from the market, to be remembered only by a very few people who ever heard it as a gem of great interest. Finally after so many years the album was reissued, for all of us to enjoy. Fitz-Gerald moved on in the meantime into experimental improvised music (see his album with Lol CoxhillFind albums by this artist) and never recorded in the studio again. The album lost nothing of its original charm and magic and after all these years it’s still an absolute gem. Resembling the efforts of groups like ComusFind albums by this artist and perhaps Third Ear BandFind albums by this artist, this is a completely zany, funny, crazy, wonderful mixture of Psychedelics, Jazz, early Improvised Music and Folk. As usual with such mixtures, it is absolutely beyond any specific genre and placing it under Progressive Rock is the best I can do. I really recommend to everybody to try and get hold of a copy of this – it very well might eventually become your favorite album – you never know. Brilliant stuff!

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend

INCREDIBLE STRING BAND ~ ACROSS THE AIRWAVES HUX 087 (Barcode: 682970000879) ~ UK ~ Folk-Rock Recorded: 1969 - 1974 Released: 2007 Incredible String BandFind albums by this artist was one of the most bizarre phenomena on the UK Folk-Rock scene. Formed in 1966 by two folkies Mike HeronFind albums by this artist and Robin WilliamsonFind albums by this artist the band carried on until 1974 with ever changing lineups and kept releasing albums and building up a cult status. They were quite unique in their approach to music, expanding the basic folk roots (both UK and US) into Psychedelic and World Music areas as well as Brechtian cabaret. They always preferred experimentation and hippie attitude to music perfection. The band often included members with very limited musical abilities (girlfriends, roadies and dancers) with off-key singing and seemingly sloppy musical approach, but thanks to the extraordinary songwriting by Heron and Williamson it all worked out magically. One might put the ISB in the same camp with other weird Folk-Rock based ensembles like Third Ear BandFind albums by this artist, Tyrannosaurus RexFind albums by this artist or ComusFind albums by this artist. This album is of immense importance as it collects for the first time recordings of the ISB BBC sessions recorded between 1969 and 1974. As with all other matters, ISB approach to their BBC appearances was quite different from most bands. They used the sessions to perform new material, which was mostly not included on any of their albums, therefore making most of the music included here available for the first time. For all ISB fans this is quite a revelation of course and they’ll surely be delighted to put their hands on this album. For people not familiar with ISB output, this is a wonderful opportunity to try them out. Recommended.

CD 2 Remastered Recommend To A Friend

SHIMSHON MIEL ~ ORCHARD OF THE WHISPERING EMBERS ARS 001 ~ ISRAEL ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1977 - 2002 Released: 2007 This is undoubtedly the rarest and most esoteric Israeli Prog release ever. Shimshon MielFind albums by this artist recorded and privately released his solo album in 1977 – something that was practically almost never done at that time. The 200 copies of this legendary LP disappeared almost completely from the surface of earth over the years and the few remaining ones are listed among the rarest of Prog collector’s items, reaching astronomical prices on the market. However, the rarity of the album is not the only reason why this piece of music is so unique. Miel’s Avant-Garde and completely unique approach to music making had only a few parallels at the time (artists like ComusFind albums by this artist, Third Ear BandFind albums by this artist and especially Tyrannosaurus RexFind albums by this artist come to mind). A mixture of Folk, Prog, Psychedelics and Mysticism all combined into a strange and fascinating amalgam. Miel plays all the instruments by himself, multi-tracking acoustic and electric guitars, some percussion instruments and vocals, which are harmonized beautifully. Of course at the time of its release the album had no commercial potential whatsoever (not that anything has really changed in that department since) and was ignored completely, only to emerge 30 years later in its full glory. Kudos to Ozi Ezrati (ex-MIOFind albums on this label Records) for digging out and releasing this gem as a brave act of Prog archeology. The bonus tracks include several home recordings made by Miel over the years. An absolute must for all lovers of weird music and Israeli Prog collectors.

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

SLINA ~ 42’00” GUSSTAFF 2107 ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2020 Released: 2021 This is the second album by Polish Improvised Music quartet SlinaFind albums by this artist, which comprises of saxophonist Matylda GerberFind albums by this artist, guitarist Filip ZakrzewskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Mikolaj NowickiFind albums by this artist and drummer Stanislaw OlekFind albums by this artist. Synthesizer player Michal SkrzypczynskiFind albums by this artist appears as guest. This time the album presents three tracks, which remain uncredited and therefore assumed to be co-composed by the participating musicians. The music continues the concept introduced on the quartet’s debut from 2019, which offers a slowly developing musical continuity, building up towards a climax, which sounds like meditation music and requires complete submission and concentration in order to listen to all the detailed performances or alternatively simply ignoring the details and flowing passively on the sonic waves. Since the musical concept and overall aesthetics of the music are no longer surprising, it does not stir the same sensation the debut managed to create, but on the other hand the conceptual consistency and the attempt to expand it should be appreciated. The Rock undercurrents, created by the electric guitar, are now even more potent with the addition of the synthesizers, and the music brings fond memories of the British Prog ensembles of the late 60s / early 70s like Third Ear BandFind albums by this artist, early Soft MachineFind albums by this artist, ComusFind albums by this artist, Incredible String BandFind albums by this artist and others, which of course emphasizes the “nihil novi sub sole” principle, for those who know their music in depth. Nevertheless, this is still very exciting (despite its intrinsic sluggishness) music, different from most other stuff within the Polish Avant-Garde scene. Although the slogan of GusstaffFind albums on this label Records, the label that released this album, is “unnecessary music” (no pun intended), this music certainly is quite necessary in every sense and definitely worth being heard,

Updated: 22/05/2021Posted: 22/05/2021

CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend

TYRANNOSAURUS REX ~ PROPHETS, SEERS & SAGES THE ANGELS OF THE AGES (DELUXE EDITION) A&M 600753538234 (Barcode: 600753538234) ~ UK ~ Pop & Rock Recorded: 1968 Released: 2014 This is the second album by the British duo Tyrannosaurus RexFind albums by this artist, founded and led by singer / guitarist / songwriter / poet Marc BolanFind albums by this artist, which also included percussionist Steve Peregrin TookFind albums by this artist. Bolan was one of Britain´s most idiosyncratic and prophetic Pop stars and his short stay on this earth (he died tragically in a car accident a couple of weeks before his thirtieth birthday) was comparable to a comet passing us by. Released just a few months after the debut, this album is a natural continuation of the stylistic and aesthetic approach initiated there, but in many respects it offers a more focused, better recorded and certainly better written material. Bolan´s unique voice and the duo´s unprecedented delivery has crystallized with this second outing, eliminating the "one hit wonder" status that many music critics tried to apply to the duo with the release of their debut. Both musically and textually the duo´s material remains completely unconventional and uncompromising, as appropriate for true Avant-Garde. A mixture of Folk, Psychedelia and Bolan´s weirdness, the music is dissimilar from anything happening at the time on the British scene, and it precedes the ComusFind albums by this artist debut album, which is the closest kin of this music, by a couple of years. Bolan´s lyrics / poetry developed swiftly and his tests are definitely more complex and intricate then on the debut album, still including Fantasy references, but becoming more and more personal. Overall this album is a more solid effort than the debut, but of course it lacks the element of surprise and novelty that the debut created. In retrospect it is still a gem worthy of revisiting and an important document of the time when it was created, which was about the only time such bizarre material had a chance of acceptance and even certain commercial success. This Deluxe Edition includes a plethora of bonus material, almost quadrupling the original album´s contents, including BBC sessions, interviews and other BBC material, stereo version of the original mono album, alternate takes, etc. The accompanying booklet includes an essay by Boland´s biographer Mark PaytressFind albums by this artist, the album´s songs lyrics and a many wonderful photographs, justifying the reissue effort in full.

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

CD 2 Digipak Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

TYRANNOSAURUS REX ~ PROPHETS, SEERS & SAGES THE ANGELS OF THE AGES (EXPANDED EDITION) A&M 9822510 ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1968 Released: 2004 This is the second album by one of the most interesting UK groups Tyrannosaurus RexFind albums by this artist, sadly quite neglected as far as most Prog fans are concerned. Formed by singer / guitarist / songwriter Marc BolanFind albums by this artist after leaving his first group - John`s ChildrenFind albums by this artist, Tyrannosaurus Rex was basically a duo: Bolan and percussion player Steve Peregrin TookFind albums by this artist (a pseudonym of course and a character in J.R.R. TolkienFind albums by this artist’s novels). They played a completely unique kind of British folk heavily spiced with Psychedelic influences. Their usage of Avant-Garde techniques (loops, backward tracks, random noises, gibberish, nonsense, etc.) puts them on the forefront of the most adventurous music makes of the era. Bolan’s unusual voice and singing / phrasing remain unmatched to this very day (the closest that comes to mind is the gorgeous debut album by ComusFind albums by this artist). The lyrics, mostly based on mystery and literature (Bolan must have been the first musician to be obsessed with Tolkien’s work), are often incomprehensible, which of course makes then even more enjoyable. In short this is a lost classic, finally available again – the expanded edition more than doubles the contents of the original album. Highly recommended to the more adventurous listener.

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

CD 1 Slipcase Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend