Record Reviews

TOTO BLANKE ~ ELECTRIC CIRCUS CHICKADISC 001 (Barcode: 5901549197624) ~ GERMANY ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1976 Released: 2016 This is a reissue of the second album by German Jazz-Rock Fusion guitarist / composer Toto BlankeFind albums by this artist, recorded by a superb trio, which consisted of Blanke, Dutch keyboardist / composer Jasper Van`t HofFind albums by this artist and Finnish drummer Edward VesalaFind albums by this artist. The trio later adopted the album´s title as their stage name and recorded a few albums together later on. American bassist Dave KingFind albums by this artist plays on four tracks and the album´s co-producer Ulli A. RuetzelFind albums by this artist plays piano on one track. The album presents seven original compositions, six of which were composed by Blanke and one by Van`t Hof. The music presented here is an extraordinary example of European Jazz-Rock Fusion at its best, which is characterized by complex melodies, elegance and sophistication, rather than endless instrumental doodling which dominated Fusion across the pond. The music is multi-layered, spacey, funky, and sometimes even ventures into almost Free territory; in short it bursts with ideas and eschews repeating worn-out formulas. Although Blanke was the leader and the main composer, the album in fact features the work of Van`t Hof as the primary instrumentalist, both as the soloist and the musician who provides the background layers upon which the music is glued together. Van`t Hof´s limitless imagination is at its absolute most prolific best herein. Blanke, a very original and plainly "different" guitar player also produces some amazing ventures on this album, mostly unconventional both stylistically and as far as the sounds he uses for his instrument. Vesala, one of Europe´s best and most original drummers, known mostly for his Free Jazz activities, plays some incredible drum parts on this album, proving his versatility and ability to adapt to any environment. He stays relatively in the background here, but listening to his work is very educational and of course aesthetically pleasing. Overall this is one of the great Fusion albums which are almost completely forgotten and the fact that is reissued forty years after it was recorded is a miracle in every respect. This album is a must to every true Fusion fan anywhere on this planet and hopefully it will be rediscovered, as the music deserves it in every respect. This release marks the start of a new ChickadiscFind albums on this label label, which is owned by the Polish GADFind albums on this label Records label, and promises to unearth many more amazing albums lost in the tides of time. Hats off as usual!

Updated: 21/03/2017Posted: 21/03/2017

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend

BLUES MAGOOS ~ ELECTRIC COMIC BOOK REPERTOIRE 1050 (Barcode: 4009910105023) ~ USA ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1967 Released: 2004 2nd album by great US Psychedelic group Blues MagoosFind albums by this artist, one of the most influential and most advanced outfits active in the late 1960s. They wrote incredible music, with complex melody lines, typical of the period. Ambitious arrangements and superb instrumental work was fronted by great vocals and vocal harmonies. This is a kind of music, which can be much better appreciated today, in retrospect, especially in view of the fact that it is so much better than anything made 45 years later. Musically the group could be easily considered proto-Prog, since their music travels way beyond the Pop of their era and the amount of musical ideas present here is staggering. This is a gem and a must to anybody seriously interested in Rock history.

CD 1 Digipak Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

GARY BOYLE ~ ELECTRIC GLIDE ESOTERIC 2308 (Barcode: 5013929430846) ~ UK ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1978 Released: 2012 This is the 2nd solo album by the excellent British guitarist / composer Gary BoyleFind albums by this artist, recorded after his excellent group IsotopeFind albums by this artist disbanded. A brilliant guitarist, Boyle enjoyed success as a sideman both in the Prog and Jazz circles in UK, and the work with Isotope firmly established his reputation as a formidable Jazz-Rock Fusion player. This album, recorded with an excellent team of superb players: guitarists: Robert AwhaiFind albums by this artist, Gary MooreFind albums by this artist and Kenny ShawFind albums by this artist, bassist Phil ChenFind albums by this artist, drummers Simon PhillipsFind albums by this artist and Richard BaileyFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Pete JacobsenFind albums by this artist and percussionist Simon MortonFind albums by this artist, is a classic example of the British Fusion, full of intricate melodies and virtuosic performances. There is not a dull moment here, from start to finish, and Fusion fans, who for some strange reason might have overlooked this treasure are about to discover a goldmine of pleasures. A must to any intelligent Fusion fan!

CD 1 Oversampling Remastered Recommend To A Friend

BOB DOWNES / OPEN MUSIC ~ ELECTRIC CITY ESOTERIC 2188 (Barcode: 5013929728820) ~ UK ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1970 Released: 2010 Flautist / composer Bob DownesFind albums by this artist is one of the most creative and innovative figures on the British Jazz scene, with a wide scope of cross-genre contributions from contemporary Classical Music via Jazz and Jazz-Rock to Free Jazz and Improvised Music. Downes was an integral part of the late 1960s / early 1970s revolution, that emerged in British and European Jazz, emancipating it from years of American influence and domination, and participated in numerous seminal recordings made during that period. His many activities were usually executed under the loosely defined umbrella name of Open MusicFind albums by this artist, which varied from a trio to a large ensemble and as the name suggests was completely free from any stylistic or genre restrictions. After recording several albums for mainstream record labels in his early days, Downes created his own record label, called OpenianFind albums on this label Records, on which he releases his projects, being one of the first musicians to do so. By the early 1980s Downes moved to Germany, where he lives and continues his work today. This incredible album presents Downes as a composer of Jazz-Rock oriented shorter pieces, packed with energy and intricate arrangements. The list of participating musicians is awe inspiring, with some of the most illustrious musicians on the scene at the time, like trumpeters Kenny WheelerFind albums by this artist, Ian CarrFind albums by this artist and Harry BeckettFind albums by this artist, guitarist Chris SpeddingFind albums by this artist and Ray RussellFind albums by this artist, bassist Harry MillerFind albums by this artist and many others. The music is brilliant, breathtaking and captivating. The virtuosic performances are ample expressions of the underlying musical currents and once immersed in the magic sound, the listener is completely absorbed and mesmerized. They don´t make music like this any more, that´s for sure. Brilliant stuff!

CD 1 Oversampling Remastered Recommend To A Friend

	ELECTRIC SANDWICH ~ ELECTRIC SANDWICH REPERTOIRE 7051 ~ GERMANY ~ Progressive Rock Only album from 1973 by this obscure but excellent German early jazz-rock group, with strong psychedelic and blues influences. The musicians were all studio professionals and the level of playing is very high. In spite of the high hopes raised by this release, the group fell apart soon after the album was released.
	CD 1 Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

JIMI HENDRIX ~ ELECTRIC LADY STUDIOS: A JIMI HENDRIX VISION SONY 194398908427 (Barcode: 194398908427) ~ USA ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1970 Released: 2024 This is an archival Box Set, which includes material recorded by the Jimi HendrixFind albums by this artist trio with bassist Billy CoxFind albums by this artist and drummer Mitch MitchellFind albums by this artist, captured for posterity in the newly opened Electric Lady Studios in NY between June and August 1970, just before the tragic and unexpected death of Hendrix in September of that year. All the material was recorded and mixed by the legendary studio wizard Eddie KramerFind albums by this artist. The Box Set also includes the documentary “Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision”, which tells the story of creation of the Electric Lady Studios. The Box Set includes three CDs and a BD, and a superb booklet with great photographs and detailed description of each track. It was manufactured in 2021 but the distribution was delayed until 2024 for legal reasons. The 3 CDs present thirty-nine tracks, all bar one previously unreleased. Those are alternate versions, alternate mixes, alternate takes, demos, etc., except for two spontaneous jams, which were just studio time fillers, including a twenty-six minutes long medley. The BD includes the full documentary and twenty newly remixed tracks in 5.1 Surround Sound, which are basically the “First Rays Of The New Rising SunFind albums with this title” album plus three bonus tracks. The performances are as stellar as one might expect from this unearthly trio, and these early moments are especially interesting as all three players were always testing the ground and experimenting. The brilliant virtuosity and originality was all there already, so there is nothing for us but to admire once again the best ever Rock guitar player in action, supported by an unstoppable and incredibly sophisticated rhythm section. Overall, despite the fact that there is no really new material here, as the Hendrix recorded legacy has been truly deeply explored already, this album is an absolute pure gold as far as Rock history is concerned. It does not matter how many Hendrix albums there are already in your collection, this is definitely one of the most fascinating, presenting Hendrix in the studio devoted to create the best music he was able to, a perfectionist to the max.

Updated: 17/03/2025Posted: 17/03/2025

3CD+BD 4 Box Set Remastered Recommend To A Friend

JIMI HENDRIX ~ ELECTRIC LADYLAND (EXPANDED EDITION) SONY 762164 (Barcode: 886976216429) ~ USA ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1968 Released: 2010 3rd and last album by the greatest guitar player that ever walked on the face of the earth, Jimi HendrixFind albums by this artist, which continued to revolutionize the fate of Rock music as we know it. Following the release of the two stunning albums a year earlier ("Are You ExperiencedFind albums with this title" and "Axis: Bold As LoveFind albums with this title"), Hendrix and his British partners: Noel ReddingFind albums by this artist on bass and Mitch MitchellFind albums by this artist on drums, explored the unchartered territories of Rock beyond anything tried previously, even by the boldest explorers of the genre. In the meantime Hendrix also got exposed to many other musical explorations beyond Rock, mainly to the pioneering Jazz-Rock experimentations of Miles DavisFind albums by this artist, which influenced him deeply and were supposed to culminate in actual cooperation, which sadly never materialized. In making this milestone recording, Hendrix fused together everything he knew up to this point of his musical development, the early Blues influences, the Psychedelic music of the British Underground Scene, the new Jazz feel and even Avant-Garde sound experimentation, producing what would become one of the true icons of musical achievement, a timeless tour de force, a magnum opus and a work of a genius. The album also marks the first time Hendrix involved other musicians apart from the trio, like Steve WinwoodFind albums by this artist, Al KooperFind albums by this artist and others. One could easily write a whole book just about this album, analyzing its musical values as well as its historical significance, but in all honesty listening to it is all that matters. I have been doing just that for the last 42 years since I got my sweaty hands on the shiny double LP for the first time. It´s been a faithful companion in bad times and good times, never letting me down. It still sounds prophetic, every time I listen to it. This new edition, newly remastered, adds a specially filmed DVD, which explores the process of creating this album. Need I say more?

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

CD+DVD 2 Digipak Remastered Essential Recommend To A Friend

EWA LIEBCHEN ~ ELECTRIC SHEEP BOLT 1050 ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Classical Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018 This is the fourth album by Polish flautist Ewa LiebchenFind albums by this artist and her first solo recording. The album presents six compositions. The first two compositions were written specifically for Liebchen in 2017 by two well known contemporary Polish composers, Slawomir KupczakFind albums by this artist and Artur ZagajewskiFind albums by this artist respectively. The third composition is by the celebrated Austrian composer Bernhard LangFind albums by this artist. The fourth composition is by Ralf HutterFind albums by this artist and Florian SchneiderFind albums by this artist, the founding members of the legendary German group KraftwerkFind albums by this artist, which was arranged by percussionist Hubert ZemlerFind albums by this artist, who also plays on it and the previous piece. The fifth composition is by the Hungarian composer Laszlo SaryFind albums by this artist and features also the soprano singer Joanna FreszelFind albums by this artist. The sixth and last composition is by Lithuanian composer Rytis MazulisFind albums by this artist. The music is an eclectic orgy of European contemporary Avant-Garde minimalism, which opens a window into a world of mostly completely unknown music, which is sadly privy only to tiny Cultural elite. As the album´s title hints, the music examines the human / machine relationships, this time in the music making context, i.e. machines (mechanical or electronic) performing music in a humanoid form or humans imitating machines while performing music. Of course these themes have been already explored and experimented with during the Industrial Music period in Rock history, which makes the Kraftwerk reference self-explanatory, but while Rock Music almost completely lost interest in this sub-genre by the end of the 20th Century, the contemporary Avant-Garde Classical composers still find Musique Mechanique and related fields fascinating. But of course the essence of this album, beyond the musical directives, is the phenomenal virtuosic performance by Liebchen, who seems to be a true sound conjurer. She makes the magic flute (pun intended) soar gently in the wind, howl and scream, pound like a hammer and caress like a feather, sometimes all of the above at once. With the use of looping and pre-recorded synthesized sounds the delicate flute may sound like a giant factory hall or like a tiny child´s toy. She is obviously living the music with her entire entity and takes no prisoners. As the result the music is fascinating and completely absorbing, regardless of the diverse moods and ambiences, which flow quite naturally from one piece to another. Only when the music is over, the listener is faced by the sheer potency and penetrating sound imagery left behind and now emphasized by the silence. Liebchen is amicably and ably supported by Zemler, who is one of the most prolific, versatile and interesting musicians on the Polish interdisciplinary Avant-Garde scene. Freszel´s vocal acrobatics are also a hair-rising experience adding another layer to this incredible music. The album works wonderfully in every aspect of its multilayered unity: the selection of the pieces, the sequencing, which tells a story in itself, the performances of course and even the elegant artwork, created by the wonderful Witold PopielFind albums by this artist, who is guilty of introducing me to this music and who wisely guessed that I´d probably love this music, when we met a few months ago. Thank you my friend for the gift of music and trust. Overall this is one amazing piece of Artistry of the highest dimension, enslaving in its might and filling one´s life batteries with hope that not everything is lost and creativity, although mostly in deep underground, is still around. For intelligent and emotional music connoisseurs, who are able to open their minds and hearts to a new kind of musical experience, this music is like ambrosia for the mortals. Even people, who are complete strangers to contemporary Avant-Garde / Classical music, are able to enjoy this music in full, should they choose to accept it (again pun intended). Get a copy ASAP, oh come all ye faithful!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted: 30/10/2018

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

JOHN MCLAUGHLIN ~ ELECTRIC GUITARIST COLUMBIA 46110 (Barcode: 074644611021) ~ UK ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1979 Released: 1990 Solo album by John McLaughlinFind albums by this artist. An exceptional effort summarizing not only his illustrous career in the 70`s, but in fact the entire jazz-rock fusion genre of that period. A pleiade of music stars and cohorts participate here in various ensembles (Jerry GoodmanFind albums by this artist, Carlos SantanaFind albums by this artist, Chick CoreaFind albums by this artist, Tony WilliamsFind albums by this artist, Jack BruceFind albums by this artist, a.m.o.), strating with a virtual Mahavishnu OrchestraFind albums by this artist reunion, then moving to quartet, trio, duet and finally a McLaughlin solo guitar performance, which indicates his desire to perform as a soloist, realized later in the 80`s. Absolutely brilliant!

CD 1 Remastered Essential Recommend To A Friend

JEAN-LUC PONTY ~ ELECTRIC CONNECTION / KING KONG GOTT DISCS 014 ~ FRANCE ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion 1969 & 1970 albums by the phenomenal French violin virtuoso Jean-Luc PontyFind albums by this artist. Ponty`s violin playing comes from a long and distinguished line of great jazz violinists, starting with Stephane GrappelliFind albums by this artist. After several years of playing jazz with the top players in his native France, Ponty arrived in the US first in 1967 for the Monterey Jazz Festival workshop, where his incredible talent was spotted immediately. He was invited to the US to record a series of albums with the collaboration of the (then) young pianist George DukeFind albums by this artist and arranger / bandleader Gerald WilsonFind albums by this artist. Leter he was to meet and play with Frank ZappaFind albums by this artist. Ponty`s visionary use of the electric violin, which was one of the earliest and formative factors in the development of Jazz-Rock Fusion, is beautifully documented here. The first album finds Ponty in the familiar jazz environment, where he is accompanied by a Big Band, but the fresh approach and use of electric instuments is Fusion at birth. The second album however, arranged especially for Ponty by the Master Frank Zappa himself, is revolutionary in every sense. The compositions (5 by Zappa and 1 by Ponty), the arrangements and the brilliant performances are years ahead of their time and pure musical brilliance. Absolute masterpiece!

CD 2 Remastered Essential Recommend To A Friend

PAUL RODGERS ~ ELECTRIC SPV 4001617297025 (Barcode: 4001617297025) ~ UK ~ Blues-Rock Recorded: 1999 Released: 1999 This is the fourth solo studio album by British singer / songwriter Paul RodgersFind albums by this artist, the voice of legendary groups like FreeFind albums by this artist and Bad CompanyFind albums by this artist and undoubtfuly the most impressive white Blues / Blues-Rock vocalist ever. The album presents ten original songs, all written by Rodgers (music and lyrics), recorded by a tight unit, which includes guitarist Geoff WhitehornFind albums by this artist, bassist Jaz LochrieFind albums by this artist and drummer Jim CopleyFind albums by this artist. Rodgers plays some guitar and piano, Tom KeelysideFind albums by this artist plays flute and there are also some female background vocals. The music on this album marks a return to the Blues based songwriting, which is Rodgers´ trademark, away from the MOR approach that characterized this album´s predecessor "NowFind albums with this title", recorded a couple of years earlier. The overall level of the individual songs is excellent and in retrospect they lost nothing of their quality over the years. Rodgers´ vocals are impeccable, as always, full of the soulful, bluesy charm, that knows no equal. The instrumental parts are also perfect for the job, with many good guitar solos and tight, highly professional executions from start to finish. The flute adds a beautiful touch on "Over You", creating a sort of "Celtic Blues" feel and making it the strongest song on this album by far. Overall this is a fine album by a superb Artist, who manages to stick to what he does best and tries to do his own thing despite the reality, which basically tries to rob music of all its values. Rodgers always was, and still is, a completely unique voice, a natural born Blues ambassador, who spills his emotions to share them with his listeners with total dedication. I wholeheartedly recommend getting hold of this gem, although it´s pretty tough to get hold of a copy these days. This music is absolutely timeless!

Updated: 07/02/2016Posted: 07/02/2016

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend