Maxophone - Maxophone (1975)

One of the most prominent Italian progressive rock groups of the '70s, this album was recorded in 1973 and is an outstanding document of the era. 

Reissued here for the first time, the original has long been a sought-after album in progressive rock circles and is often name-checked alongside early Genesis, Cressida, and Area. Maxophone was inspired by classical music in their prog maneuvers, and the band featured three prominent avant-garde classical performers -- Mauruzio Banchini, Sergio Lattuada, and Leonardo Schiavone -- in their ranks. These musicians matched with the rock trio of Roberto Giuliani, Alberto Ravasini, and Sandro Lorenzetti made for a unique combination. Exploring a myriad of influences, they succeeded in creating a music of composites that was entirely unique. The group mixed classical, folk, and traditional with avant-garde, rock, and even Neapolitan traditional music. An eclectic mix that has many similarities to the more prominent Italian progressive rock group Area, with whom they often toured. Formed in Milan, the group lived a short career, producing this sole album before splitting. The album is reissued here by the archivist label Akarma in an authentic representation of the original album. A version of the album was recorded in English for the 

American market, but has fallen through the gaps, and we have this single album in Italian to ponder the heady activities of the European progressive rock scene.

Marsupilami - Marsupilami (1970)

Marsupilami were an English progressive rock band active in the early 1970s. Their name was taken from a famous Belgian comics character created by Belgian artist André Franquin.[1] In 1969, the band toured with Deep Purple, and played at the opening of the Isle of Wight Festival when King Crimson withdrew. They released two albums, Marsupilami (1970) and Arena (1971), on Transatlantic Records. The albums were reissued on Cherry Red Records in 2007. The band briefly reunited for gigs in 2011.

The Zombies - Greatest Hits (2002)

The Zombies are a British pop group, first active in the 1960s. Following The Beatles in 1964 as part of "The British Invasion" of the USA, they were the second UK group to score an American #1 hit. The Zombies were uniquely different, with a subtler style, often jazzier and more inventive chord structures, the prominent keyboards of Rod Argent, and the distinctive voice of Colin Blunstone. She's Not There and Tell Her No were quick hits, but despite continually stunning musical output that has influenced other artists ever since, another hit record was more than four years away, after they'd broken up! Only in recent years has the richness of The Zombies' entire catalog been discovered by a whole new generation of fans.

This collection, remastered for SACD, covers the Zombies' short and tasteful career, spanning their 1964-1967 years for Decca Records, and their single album, the classic Odessey & Oracle, for Epic Records in 1968. Two versions of "She's Not There" are included here, one the so-called "stereo underdub" version that lacks the snappy drum overdub that gives the superior single version its crisp, edgy feel. There are also two mixes of "Time of the Season," the familiar version and an alternate mix that features a little more organ in the verse sections.

~ Steve Leggett, All Music

East Of Eden - New Leaf (1971)

After the catastrophically unprog eponymous album on Harvest (of all labels), EOE needed to reconvene discuss their musical directions. Not sure they went ahead, though because after the Jig-A-Jig monstrous, but totally unrepresentative hit, after their semi-country rock third album, the probably were a little lost. With a very enticing sexy artwork, with a butterfly tattoo, but a relatively stable line-up (finally), this was their second album in 71, plus a bunch of singles throughout, so the least we can say was that the group was not about to profit from dole money. Amazingly enough singer David Jack is the only songwriter (even credited so on the JaJ monster instrumental hit) bar the opening track, which is rather strange since he gets sole credits on the two instrumental pieces in the bonus tracks..

Hearing the lead-off track Bradshaw the Bison Hunter, you'd swear that that EoE is back on saddle, because this track is easily much better than anything they'd done on the previous album. Alas, this wouldn't last as Bradshaw is rather unrepresentative (and the only track receiving credits other David Jack as songwriter as it boasts as a group effort) of the rest of the album. No Harm, Get Happy, Don't Be Afraid, Joe, Song For No-one, etc. are all way to close for comfort to country rock or a folky/country singer/songwriter or basic blues-rock. The rare tracks (other than Bradshaw) being worth another mention are the Man Said (strictly on private tastes), and the finale Home Blues (also on personal tastes), sounding like Free doing a good blues track, David Jack doing a credible Paul Rodgers. The least we can say is that an album such as this one have a few tracks that fit the "filler" category.

I am not aware of this album getting an EMI reissue, but there floats around a version of the semi-legit Progressive Line label, which boasts a whopping five bonus tracks, all from 71 and 72 singles. If the unmistakeable Jig-A-Jig is present (a good point, because in some ways it is prog), the remaining four tracks are A and B-sides of two singles. The first of which is Boogie Flu (a non-interesting boogie) and the much more Bach-like Last Dance Of The Clown, an excellent track that should've answered JaJ's success. The later Sin City Girls single is lesser interest (about dancing shoes, puhhhleaeaeaease) and best forgotten and its flipside not deserving such a poor spectacle. All Our Yesterday is pure rip-off to the fab four, but pleasant enough to .

Little wonder after such another mediocre album (although it was better than its predecessor), violinist Dave Arbus would leave the band. And while this album is a tad better, the group is still trying to find itself, but even with the three good bonus track, this album cannot be considered as essential.

Gäa - Alraunes Alptraum (1975)

The first three tracks from 1975 are from an aborted second album, and the last four were recorded about a decade later with some of Gaa's members and others. The first three are classic Gaa, similar to the Uranus material, though with better fidelity, less rough around the edges. The track "Morgendammerung," an instrumental, even stretches further out from Gaa's rock trappings. It starts with a ticking noise and slowly building keyboard tones, moves to a jazzier middle section, and then getts even more funky with a rolling bass riff and odd percussion noises. The newer tracks, recorded one per year between 1984 and 1987, are far more conventional rock & roll; "Tabbert" is excruciatingly mainstream, whereas "Du" and "Warum" are a little better, as the group attempts to capture the magic of earlier Gaa, and "Inspektion" even flirts with synth pop. Needless to say, these tracks pail compared to the 1975 stuff.

Try - Just A Try (1998)

This album was meant to be -- and remained -- a one-shot studio project, "just a try" between instrumental folk guitarist Amadeus Reineck, and keyboardist Michael Lapp. Each one has provided a handful of tunes, with the opening and closing selections being joint efforts. Reineck's music is a dreamy folk strongly reminiscent of Anthony Phillips and Gordon Giltrap. In some of his tracks, Lapp joins him on guitar or mandolin, on others he adds keyboard layers, which gives the music a Gandalf feel. Lapp's own tunes fall into the German tradition of '70s electronic music with more of a new age feel (as in "Monte Christo," more than a bit trite). For "Wreck on the Wire," the duo brought in bassist Dieter Bauer and singer Caroline McCombs. By far the most satisfying piece of this set, it actually develops a strong theme and it is obvious that Lapp and Reineck took more time to write the arrangements. The "Introduction," and the soft and cute "Roswithas' Baby," are also highlights. It is worth noting that these three pieces are all found in the album's first half. The second half consists of a suite of much less developed pieces. Short, they present simple acoustic guitar or keyboard themes that have been left somewhat raw (and are consistently sickening-sweet). For example, the cheerful "Move" could have been much better if it had a proper melody instead of the doodling synth line Lapp came up with. Reissued in 1998 by Garden of Delights, this album is better kept for the collector.

Supersister - Present From Nancy-To the Highest Bidder (1970-1971)

Supersister was a Dutch band from The Hague, Netherlands, active during 1970–1974, 2000–2001 and 2010–2011. They played progressive rock ranging from jazz to pop, and although Dutch, they are generally considered to be part of the Canterbury scene due to their playfulness and complicated sound.The most predominant band members were Robert Jan Stips (keyboards, vocals), Sacha van Geest (flute), Ron van Eck (bass) and Marco Vrolijk (drums).

The band started in 1967 as Sweet OK Supersister as a school band with singer and songwriter Rob Douw, who soon thereafter left. The remaining members continued as a more serious musical quartet under the name Supersister. Their style was progressive rock in which Stips' keyboards played a dominant role.

Their debut was the 1970 album, Present from Nancy, with charting singles such as "She Was Naked", "A Girl Named You", and "Radio". In that year they also played on the main stage of the famous Kralingen Music Festival, "the Dutch Woodstock". After the three albums Present from Nancy (1970), To the Highest Bidder (1971), and Pudding en Gisteren (1972), Van Geest and Vrolijk quit. The remaining crew, together with new members Charlie Mariano (wind instruments) and Herman van Boeyen (drums) released the album Iskander in 1973, which is a jazz-rock oriented concept album based upon the life of Alexander the Great.

In 1974, Stips and van Geest released a final studio album, Spiral Staircase [nl], using the band name Sweet Okay Supersister. This marked the end of the band.

The band reunited in 2000, after a request by the Progfest festival for a performance in Los Angeles. The four 1970–1973 period band members decided to accept and the result was the requested performance, as well as a short tour through the Netherlands in late 2000 and early 2001. To mark the occasion a rarities album was released, called Memories Are New - M.A.N. (2000) featuring live and studio recordings from 1969–1973. The reunion abruptly came to an end when van Geest unexpectedly died of heart failure in the summer of 2001. The reunion concert at the Paradiso in Amsterdam was recorded and later released on CD (Supersisterious, 2001) and DVD (Sweet OK Supersister, 2006), which also featured several old and new documentaries, photographs and unreleased audio tracks.

The band reunited once more, as a three piece, in 2010 for two songs in a televised celebration concert for 50 years of Dutch pop music. After this the band was scheduled to play at NEARfest 2011. Rehearsals were started, but the appearance at the festival had to be cancelled when Ron van Eck became seriously ill (he was already battling leukemia for a while) and eventually died in July 2011.

Velvett Fogg - Velvett Fogg (1969)

From the weird name, as well as song titles like "Yellow Cave Woman" and "Plastic Man," you'd expect something a little more interesting than routine late-'60s British psychedelia. However, that's what you get on this rarity, from a group which gave more prominence to heavy organ riffs than the typical outfit of the era. There's no gripping vision or focus -- "Yellow Cave Woman" is a basic riff and lyric that keeps on going for several interminable minutes without variation; "Come Away Melinda" is an odd hard rock cover of the anti-war folk tune; "Owed to the Dip" is a long formless organ instrumental; and "New York Mining Disaster 1941" a strange, pointless Bee Gees cover. The album meanders so directionlessly that it is kind of weird, but in a boring way.

Magma - Mekanïk Destruktiw Kommandoh (1973)

There is definitely quite a large step from Magma's second LP, 1,001 Degrees Centigrade, to this one, their third. At the same time, MDK represents a transitional period: drummer/composer Christian Vander has definitely abandoned the jazzier leanings of the previous opuses and has now dived head first into martial hymns and a new form of progressive devotional music -- extraterrestrial gospel. But he has also chosen to retain the brass section that gave Kobaïa and 1,001 Degrees Centigrade their signature sound. Therefore, the music has yet to become the relentless rhythmic kaleidoscope that the future would promise. MDK was introduced in the LP's original liner notes (an illuminated delirium by Vander, who rechristens himself Zebëhn Straïn dë Geustaah -- his text, the essence of which is a revelation transmitted to him by the Prophet Nebëhr Gudahtt, is the key text in Magma's mythology) as the third movement of Theusz Hamttaahk, but it was the first one recorded. The previous two movements are "Theusz Hamttaahk" itself, often performed live but not recorded at the time, and Würdah Ïtah, which would become the group's next album. All three album-length pieces share elements (some lyrics, rhythmic cells, and chord sequences), but they are individual stand-alone pieces. MDK showcased for the first time the incredible range of singer Klaus Blasquiz and introduced the ground-moving work of bassist Jannick Top, with and for whom Vander will develop an increasingly rhythm-heavy style, already present here. Between the meticulous developments of "Hortz Fur Dëhn Stekëhn West," the possessed free-form screams in "Nebëhr Gudahtt," and the hymnal chorus of "Mekanïk Kommandöh," MDK is one giant creative blow to the guts, and unsuspecting listeners will be left powerless at the end of its onslaught of mutated funk, pummeling gospel rock, and incantatory vocals in a barbaric invented language. It remains one of Magma's crowning achievements (together with Kohntarkosz) and the best point of entry into Christian Vander's unparalleled musical vision. And if the literary concept bothers you, just ignore it: the music has more than enough power to do without it.

Samuel Prody - Samuel Prody (1971)

Samuel Prody foi uma banda inglesa de Heavy Psych Blues formada por Tony Savva (voz), Derek Smallcombe (guitarra), John Boswell (bateria) e Stephen Day (baixo) em Londres, Inglaterra no ano de 1969.

Em 1970 lançaram seu primeiro e unico disco, um álbum caracterizado pela psicodelia pesada sendo comparado com as bandas Ancient Grease e Sir Lord Baltimore.

Uma das caracteristicas da banda são seus solos de blues, por mais que altere a sua sonoridade pesada com um som limpo eles mantem uma estrutura  nativa no blues.

"Excellent heavy psychedelic blues-rock in the being of the Masters Apprentices, Morly Grey, Ancient Grease and Sir Lord Baltimore. Samuel Prody is very much underrated one album miracle, which any addict of proto-metal (or classic hard'n'heavy and psychedelia) will enjoy; it will definitely please and surprise hardcore fans of Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple. The mastermind behind the band was Tony Savva, London-based bass guitarist and singer, who went through various minor bands of the 60s. After over 30 years of various 'unofficial' CD releases of the album Tony has decided to offer a limited edition CD himself and he has signed each one of the first 100 personally."

Peter Hammill - Incoherence (2004)

Unlike anything else Peter Hammill has done before, Incoherence seems to counterbalance the relative simplicity of his previous studio outing, Clutch. A multi-tracked keyboard extravaganza, Incoherence consists of a single 42-minute suite in 14 movements. There are separate songs, but they are segued in ways that make the transitions unnoticeable, especially on first listen. That alone is enough to set the album apart from its neighbors in Hammill's discography, but there is more: a renewed urge to experiment with forms and textures within the song format; a rare level of richness and complexity in the arrangements; and the overarching concept of incoherence, language, and miscommunication that ties all 14 songs into a single, highly convincing whole. Several listeners will have a harder time getting into this album, as it demands some focused listening and requires assessment as a complete work, instead of being absorbed song by song. Some of the keyboard sounds are rather trite, but Hammill's multi-keyboard arrangements are a step or two ahead of his usual self, with some sections sounding surprisingly close to some of Peter Gabriel's work. Hammill also plays acoustic and electric guitars, although keyboards remain the main focus. Stuart Gordon adds violin in several sections, and Van der Graaf Generator alumnus David Jackson contributes saxes and flutes. Highlights include "Babel," the electronic-sounding "Cretans Always Lie," and the poignant ballad "Gone Ahead," which has become a live favorite (see Veracious). Even though Incoherence is a suite, not an epic track, it still feels like Hammill's most ambitious undertaking since "Flight." It also represents a high mark in the man's artistic creativity.

Bo Hansson - Lord Of The Rings (1972)

For decades, J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy had been well loved by book readers everywhere. Now, New Zealand-born director Peter Jackson is transforming the epic on to the big screen, the first installment, The Fellowship of the Ring had already hit the theaters at the end of 2001. In 1978, there was a rather forgettable animated version of Lord of the Rings. But before Lord of the Rings ever appeared on any type of screen, musicians were recording music inspired by Lord of the Rings, and Bo Hansson from Sweden recorded such an album in 1970.

The album was originally released in Sweden on the Silence label as Sagan Om Ringen, and all the songs bore Swedish titles. Eventually in 1972, Charisma Records, the British label that gave us Genesis, Rare Bird, Van der Graaf Generator/Peter Hammill, Lindisfarne, and even Monty Python, had released the Bo Hansson album for international distribution, this time with totally different cover artwork, the better known English title, which was Lord of the Rings, and the fact the songs now all bore English titles. Don't worry, nothing was changed musically, as this is all instrumental music. Basically the music is very mystical sounding prog rock dominated by Hammond organ and Moog synthesizer.

He got some help with the likes of Gunnar Bergsten on sax, Sten Bergman on flute, and Rune Carlsson on drums. Hansson did all the keyboard work, as well as guitar and bass. Songs, as you may guess, bear titles like "Leaving Shire", "The Old Forest/Tom Bombadil", "Lothlorien", "The Ring Goes South", "Shadowfax", and many more. None of the songs are over 4 minutes long. The music is totally different from the more typical Hollywood type orchestral fare that is found on the Peter Jackson movie.

Bo Hansson's Lord of the Rings had been frequently criticized as being "cheesy organ and synthesizer music" (which I don't think so), and not fitting in with the trilogy. Usually these come from people who like to collect Lord of the Rings-related material, but don't listen to prog rock. To me, this music fits perfect to Tolkien's trilogy. You simply have to like prog rock, or understand what music was like in the early 1970s to appreciate it.

The album has a home made production. Most of this album was recorded at Bo Hansson's home on an island outside of Stockholm. Yeah, the music does get a little repetitious, but the truly mystical atmosphere makes up for the album's shortcoming. So if you're a Tolkien fan and a prog rock fan, be sure to add this album to your collection.

~ Reviewed by: Ben Miler

Agitation Free - At The Cliffs Of River Rhine (1974)

A 38-minute concert recorded for radio in Cologne, Germany, on February 2, 1974, LIVE ''74: AT THE CLIFFS OF RIVER RHINE arguably represents the apex of Agitation Free''s trademark cosmic instrumental space-improv explorations, showcasing the virtuosity of guitarists Lutz Ulbrich and Gustav Lutjens, keyboard player Michael Hoenig, drummer Burghard Rauch, and bassist Michael Gunter. Thirteen-minute opener Through the Moods is unavailable elsewhere; the remaining cuts, which sounded great on 1973 psych-rock landmark 2ND, are positively electric, making this recording an indispensible part of Agitation Free''s discography.

Review: This is a live recording of one of the great, and often overlooked krautrock bands. Entirely instrumental, their work is charachterized by long, freaky improvisations with some absolutely amazing guitar work (similar to Ash Ra Tempel''s first), some disorienting sound effects (and understated keyboards), and some great band chemistry and jamming lending to the overall tripping effect. This is just a superb jam band with uniformly inventive and evolving guitar driven psychedelia. This album has to be one of the most perfect and excellent psychedelic guitar rock albums I have heard.

Agitation Free - The Other Side Of Agitation Free (1974)

Agitation Free - The Other Side Of Agitation Free (1974)

Als 1974 Burghard Rausch und Michael Hoenig bei Agitation Free ausgestiegen waren und die Gruppe schon so gut wie scheintot war, wollten Michael Günther und Gustl Lütjens dann doch nicht so einfach aufgeben und machten im Herbst und Winter des Jahres mit neuen Leuten aus ihrem Umfeld noch ein paar Versuche im Studio. Dabei kamen, dank Manfred Opitz und Gustl Lütjens, einige recht jazzige Stücke heraus, die aber von Vertigo als "unverkäuflich" abgelehnt wurden.
Auf "The other sides" kann man sie erstmals hören, ergänzt von Auszügen aus dem Politrock-Hörspiel "Störenfried", ebenfalls von 1974. Recht ungewohnte Klänge für Agitation Free; ein paar von den Stücken sogar mit Gesang.
Das Heft von 36 Seiten geht kaum in die Schachtel hinein... When Burghard Rausch and Michael Hoenig left Agitation Free in 1974, the band was almost in a state of apparent death. Yet Michael Günther and Gustl Lütjens eventually decided not to give up and so, during the autumn and winter of that very year, joined by some new musicians from their scene, they would give it a try in the recording studio. Thanks to Manfred Opitz and Gustl Lütjens, the outcome was a set of rather jazzy tracks which were, however, rejected by Vertigo as being "unsaleable". On "The other sides" these tracks can be heard for the first time, supplemented by extracts from their political-rock radio play "Störenfried" ("trouble-maker"), it too from 1974. Those are rather unusual sounds for a band like Agitation Free, some of the tracks even featuring vocals. After that disappointment the band eventually broke up.

Agitation Free - At The Cliffs Of River Rhine (1974)