DROIDS – STAR PEACE – 1978 (FRA) space electro

French synth-disco from the late 1970s. Most of the tracks on Star Peace sound like a more dancefloor ready version of Kraftwerk with tight 4/4 beats (though acoustic and not voltage-controlled) and juicy analogue sounds. Other tracks on the album such as "Interspace," "Tchoung Fou" and "Renaissance De L'Amour" reminisce the works of Klaus Schulze and other early analogue experimenters. A definite classic and a must-own for lovers of cosmic sounds.

Yves Hayat
Fabrice Cuitad
1 (Do You Have) The Force, Part 1 4:17
2 (Do You Have) The Force, Part 2 3:17
3 Interspace 0:49
4 Tchoung Fou 2:23
5 Be Happy 6:10
6 Shanti Dance, Part 1 3:13
7 Shanti Dance, Part 2 3:15
8 Renaissance De L'amour 8:32

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ORGANISATION (Pre KRAFTWERK) – TONE FLOAT – 1969 (GER) krautrock

Tone Float is a very unusual record for 1970. There is no blues-rock, no guitar solo, and no catchy single hit at all. Though it contains some familiar parts, it is not easy to classify. The organ suggests early Pink Floyd, perhaps from the Piper at the Gates of Dawn album. And there is some flute and violin, sometimes played in a jazzy way. But suddenly the music leads into a percussion inferno, where the drum set sounds like kettledrums, with heavy gongs echoing, bells tinkling, and instruments altered past recognition. There are no common song structures; the tracks develop slowly and this can last even 20 minutes. The music is partly free in rhythm, as a title like "Rhythm Salad" already suggests. Sometimes there is an indication of the sound that Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider would develop later on the first Kraftwerk albums, but here there was no synthesizer.

- Basil Hammoudi / percussion, bongos, conga, gong, vocals
- Butch Hauf / bass, percussion, bells
- Ralf Hütter / organ
- Fred Monicks / percussion, bongos, drums, marimba, tambourine, bells
- Florian Schneider / flute, percussion, violin, flute (Alto), tambourine, triangle, bells, violin (electric)
1. Tone Float (20:46)
2. Milk Rock (5:24)
3. Silver Forest (3:19)
4. Rhythm Salad (4:04)
5. Noitasinagro (7:46)
6. Vor Dem Blauen Rock (Beat Club 5/71)

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EULENSPYGEL – EULENSPYGEL 2 – 1971 (GER) heavy krautrock

Here is an absolutely killer 70’s German underground recording you must hear…..wow how come this album is so darn hard to hunt down? Eulenspygel were a wild bunch of music freaks who recorded a fantastic couple of albums with their second in review here. Eulenspygel carried that certain underground German 70’s vibe with homemade organ grinds, heavy bass and guitar overlays with heavier vocals, but wow is this album superb. With careful mix of jazz, fusion, prog and rock this album were pretty cleverly arranged and mixed with great imagination, color and tempo shifts. All vocals are sung in German and are done so with great conviction and I understand they are singing about anti-war themes. Fans of Krautrock will need to have this album in their collection….

- Matthias Thurow / guitars, violin
- Cornelius Hauptmann / flute
- Ronnie Libal / bass
- Detlev Nottrodt / guitars, vocals
- Günter Klinger / drums
- Rainer 'Mulo' Maulbetsch / vocals, harmonica
- Karl Heinz Grosshans / organ, vocals
1 Till 3:45
2 Son My (My Lay) 11:14
3 Konsumgewäsche 4:03
4 Staub auf Deinem Haar 7:58
5 Die Wunde bleibt 1:58
6 Das Lied vom Ende 10:15

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GURU GURU - ESSEN 1970 (GER) heavy krautrock

Outstanding live from Guru Guru's first line up. The album features three long "stoned" heavy compositions taken from their two first "UFO" and "Hinten". Mostly instrumental with incredibly great rockin sections. The guitars are really powerful, heavy, sometimes bluesy but with an emphasis on distorted, deranged textures. This rather loudy jam session is punctuated by a few "archaic" electronic treatments and a great dose of "multi-guitar effects", providing a nice "cosmic" tendence to the ensemble. The heavy psychedelic improvisations can without reserve be compared with Agitation Free's most memorable live performances; an inventive and freak'n roll electro-shock that can reaches you into an other galaxy. The set starts with the kraut-slowing heavy hymn "Stone in", carries on "Der LSD march" and the humorous, strange & delirious "Bo Diddley". A ecclectic and electrip improvised musical session! good-going to an "acid" test.

- Ax Genrich / guitar
- Mani Neumeier / vocal, drums
- Uli Trepte / bass, vocal
1 Stone In 12:00
2 Der LSD-Marsch 14:22
3 Bo Diddley 11:27

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LIENTAL – LIENTAL – 1978 (GER) krautrock

Dieter Moebius side project with the prolific Conny Plank. "Liliental" is in the progression of kraut/electronic publications from Harmonia and Cluster late 70's. Consequently the music is a delicate hybridation between pure ambient synth-scapes and post-rocking arrangements. "Stresemannstrasse" delivers a beautiful, meditative little piece for minimal piano, guitar experimentations, rhythmical electronic. With long, monotonous bass lines, guitar effects and deep synth chords, "Adel" is a charming electronic experimentation that can remind some Cluster / Eno stuffs. The last minutes of synth chorus are deeply emotional, almost angelic! "Wattwurm" is a pop orientated composition in the genre of Kraftwerk, cheesy electronic textures with a discreet "exotic" vibe. "Vielharmonie" is an atmospheric psych ambient composition with floating sax parts. "Nachsaison" is an eclectic taste of proggy synth lines mixed with fantasist, melodic pop accents. A nice album but nothing essential. Highly recommended for fans of Cluster, Brian Eno and Harmonia's family tree.

- Dieter Moebius / keyboard, guitar, percussions
- Conny Plank / keyboard, guitar, manipulated voices
- Johannes Pappert / altosaxophon, bass, flute
- Helmutt Hattler / e-bass guitar
- Okko Bekker / keyboard, musical saw, percussions
- Armus Tietchens / keyboard, drums
1 Stresemannstraße 5:12
2 Adel 5:50
3 Wattwurm 4:08
4 Vielharmonie 7:41
5 Gebremster Schaum
6 Nachsaison 3:02

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NECRONOMICON – TIPS ZUM SELBSTMORD – 1972 (GER) heavy krautrock

With a title that means "How to Commit Suicide," Necronomicon's one album, from 1972, featured bleak progressive garage rock with long instrumental passages. With wailing acid guitar solos, dark organ swirls, and angst-ridden singing in German, Necronomicon has created a dark and powerful vision that blends psychedelic and progressive music with a proto-punk garage band sensibility. They throw in some operatic vocals on several of the tracks; these are most effective in a couple places on "Requiem der Natur" to make the music sound almost like the Slovenian band Laibach. The same piece also offers an industrial droning beginning, some great walking bass soloing, bass and keyboard dueling, and a couple of melancholic folksy interludes. The title track combines proto-punk rhythmic energy with angry guitars and new wave-ish organ tones. The sound quality of this album is a bit rough, but that adds to the charm of the raw energy and despair of this underground Krautrock classic.

- Walter Sturm / Guitar, Vocals
- Norbert Breuer / Guitar, Vocals
- Harald Bernhard / Drums
- Bernhard Hocks / Bass, Vocals
- Fistus Dickmann / Organ, Synth, Vocals
1 Prolog 7:30
2 Requiem der Natur 10:49
3 Tips zum Selbstmord 4:45
4 Die Stadt 7:18
5 In Memoriam 6:56
6 Requiem vom Ende 7:47
Bonus Tracks
7 Dem Frieden und den Menschen 10:17
8 Wenn die Haifische Menschen wären 7:40
9 Haifische. Gedanken 7:31
10 Wiegenlied 8:31

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RUFUS ZUPHALL – AVALON AND ON – 1999 (GER) krautrock

The story of this posthumous album is that the high-quality demo tape did not please their new label that had started promoting the group in a different manner than the band was heading in another. So the band could not record it and broke-up. These 5- tracks demo tapes reappeared in the 94 4-record box-set and they were later released under the ten-working title Avalon. Were added three tracks from their early stages and another three from a reunion concert in 99.
These demo tapes can actually show how much a great album this would’ve been had it been allowed to be properly recorded. Actually, the demos are fine enough to be released on their own as a full-fledged album (since RZ was always proud of its rough and raw sound). The 11-min+ Avalon is a rather interestingly progressive track with a medieval-influenced guitar middle section. The next tracks are yet unfinished also, but the great Pachebel and the short Prelude (a guitar duo that has reminiscence of Hackett and Rutherford) are both a pure joy if you are not picky of sound quality. The last two demo tracks were clearly intended as part of other more intricate composition.
Where things go slightly awry is with Krause’s vocals: they were never RZ’s forte, but in this demo, they are (understandably) just acceptable. Again looking at the three potential albums, RZ had a relatively unique sound, but even these demo tapes sound so typical of them, that it remains difficult to tell quickly on which track you are listening to.
On the other “side” of this record are three tracks coming from early recordings, among which is a 12-min+ Dylan cover of Hollis Brown, which starts slowly and builds a slow crescendo, and if the track stays on the same tempo, the jam-like ramblings are quite enjoyable for non-demanding progheads. Granum Cerebri has a rather messy intro, but develops quickly into a riffy guitar and flute thing. A bit naïve, but this track was recorded prior to their debut album and is still a joy to hear. An early version of their classic reprise of Portland Town follows.
The last three tracks are taken from a re-union concert in 99 with the original line-up and doing tracks from their debut album: Of a much better quality than the bonus live tracks of their two historical albums (Cd version), all three are closely respected in spirit.
If you enjoy much the other two historical albums and like me considered RZ worthy of an obscure and tiny cult-status, this “posthumous “ release will most likely please you, and it might not be anymore essential than the other two records, but not much less either.

- Günter Krause / guitar, vocals
- Thoms Kittel / guitar, keyboards, bass
- Klaus Gülden / flute, percussion
- Manfred Spangenberg / bass
- Udo Dahmen / drums
Avalon
1 Avalon Suite 11:26
2 Pachebel 4:03
3 Prelude to: Who Will I Be Tomorrow 2:40
4 The Cold of Winter 1:48
5 A Thousand Mothers Weeping 1:49
And On
6 The Ballad of Hollis Brown 12:26
7 Granum Cerebri 4:06
8 Portland Town 4:20
Bonus Tracks
9 Knight of Third Degree 6:37
10 Spanferkel 2:34
11 Freitag 7:05

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TRIUMVIRAT - MEDITERRANEAN TALES – 1972 (GER) progressive rock

TRIUMVIRAT have always been referred to as an ELP clone band a view which I have failed personally to adopt... sure there are some strong similarities but also a number of differences... "Mediterranean Tales" is certainly one of those differences ! The opening side long title track is simply killer with heavy 70’s keyboard and German underground sensitivities. Cleverly energized epic track with some breathtaking instrumental-passages and instrumentation. "Mediterranean Tales" is a strong mix of classical and rock genres including overtures, fugues, thematic restatements and many different styled movements. Make no mistake this album is full of Jürgen Fritz’s killer keyboard work (a classically trained musician). The rest of the band include Hans Bathelt (drums, percussion) and Hans Pape (bass, vocals). Re-mastered CD edition also includes four bonus tracks previously appeared on singles.

- Hans Bathelt / drums, percussion
-Jürgen Fritz / organ, electric piano, piano, synth, percussion, vocals
- Hans Pape / lead vocals, bass
1. Across The Waters (16:31)
- a. Overture
- b. Taxident
- c. Mind Tripper
- d. 5 O'Clock Tea
- e. Satan's Breakfast
- f. Underture
2. Eleven Kids (6:00)
3. E Minor 5/9 Minor /5 (7:55)
4. Broken Mirror (7:14)
5. Be Home For Tea [Edit] (3:38)
6. Broken Mirror [Edit](3:24)
7. Ride In The Night (4:28)
8. Sing Me A Song (4:37)

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TRIUMVIRAT – OLD LOVES DIE HARD – 1976 (GER) progressive rock

Old Loves Die Hard is this German band's most structured, most entertaining, and most accessible album next to the masterpiece Illusions on a Double Dimple. The elements of progressive rock are wonderfully marbled throughout these seven tracks, highlighted by the ten plus minutes of "Panic on Fifth Avenue" and the brashness "The History of Mystery." Singer Barry Palmer's voice climbs and descends to the backdrop of such keyboard machinations as the Hammond C3 organ and Moog synthesizer. Keyboardist Jurgen Fritz implements light delicacies of piano and strings to contrast the sometimes dominating feel of the synthesizers. While anything but dark, the music on Old Loves Die Hard peaks and sometimes hovers with a colorfulness that presents each song with some musical livelihood. There's an assertiveness that's cast throughout this album thanks to the whole-hearted fusion of percussion and bass, coming to life especially on "A Day in a Life." Triumvirat's emphasis here is on their free-range use of keyboards and creative application of voice and instrumentation, much like that of 1973's Illusions or '75's Spartacus.

- Hans Bathelt / Slingerland percussion
- Dick Frangenberg / Fender bass
- Jürgen Fritz / Steinway Grand piano, Hammond C3 organ, Moog synth., Fender-Wurlitzer hohner-piano string ensemble
- Barry Palmer / lead vocals
1. I Believe (7:52)
2. A Day In A Life (8:14)
3. The History Of Mistery (Part One) (7:50)
4. The History Of Mistery (Part Two) (4:00)
5. A Cold Old Worried Lady (5:50)
6. Panic On Fifth Avenue (10:31)
7. Old Loves Die Hard (4:28)
8. Take A Break Today (3:44)

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NEUSCHWANSTEIN – BATTLEMENT – 1979 (GER) progressive/krautrock

NEUSCHWANSTEIN were a 70s German symphonic progressive rock band that released one album back in 1979. "Battlement" is a rather well-known album among prog fans due to its striking similarities with early GENESIS. Singer Frederic Joos is an absolute dead-ringer for Peter GABRIEL. In fact, most of the CD sounds like music GENESIS could have released between 1975-1980 if Peter GABRIEL and Steve HACKETT had stayed in the band. Compared to early GENESIS, NEUSCHWANSTEIN's instrumentation and recording capabilities were considerably higher, yet this German band got rather close to writing music that was equally as good as those early GENESIS classics. Even their lyric writing skills were okay (although I have to mention that some people don't care for them). The only flaw that I can point out is that once in a while certain melodies, riffs, and rhythms remind you of certain sections in classic GENESIS songs. Nothing is too blantant, but most GENESIS fans will hear the similarities. In all, ENGLAND's "Garden Shed" is still considerably better than "Battlement", yet "Battlement" will easily impress fans of GENESIS-sounding prog groups from the 70s.

- Frederic Joos / guitar
- Uli Limpert / bass
- Klaus Mayer / flute, synthesizers
- Thomas Neuroth / keyboards
- Hans-Peter Schwarz / drums
- Roger Weiler / guitar
- Reiner Zimmer / bass, vocals
1. Loafer Jack (4:42)
2. Ice with Dwale (6:21)
3. Intruders and the Punishment (7:34)
4. Beyond the Bugle (7:31)
5. Battlement (7:05)
6. Midsummer day (7:42) *
7. Zärtlicher Abschied (5:42)

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MY SOLID GROUND – SWF-Session – 1971 (2001) (GER) heavy krautrock

"Brilliant German Krautrock Underground band, famous for the collectors because of their 1971 Bacillus album. This CD contains 4 unreleased tracks from 1971 (19mins) recorded at a broadcast session for SWF radio. Those songs are in the vein of the original album -- even better -- heavy guitars cosmic organ! Bonus: A complete album recorded in 2001 by bandleader and guitar player Bernhard Rendel with a scope reaching from space rock and lyrical elements to floating psychedelic sounds.

Rendel, Bernhard(guitar, vocals)
Dцrfler, Karl-Heinrich(bass, vocals)
Wьrsching, Andreas(drums)
SWF-Session
1 Hysterical 2:48
2 BBB 6:41
3 Superconstellation 2:38
4 Short Waves 6:55
New Album 2001
5 Drive 5:25
6 Grand Nightmare 6:35
7 1-40 9:51
8 The Cruzifixion 4:11
9 Frogster 4:16
10 Moonclouds (on Earth) 4:10
11 Mystery Metal Thing 11:12

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CZAR – CZAR – 1970 (UK) heavy progressive

Only album by British group Czar, which consisted of Bob Hodges (keyboards & vocals), Mick Ware (guitar & vocals), Paul Kendrick (bass & vocals and the band’s main composer) and Derrick Gough (drums). They played great proto-Prog material, based on the extensive use of Hammond organ and mellotron and heavy lead guitar, as did many of their contemporaries. The lengthy tracks leave plenty of space for solos by the lead instruments and their 3-way vocal harmonies are pretty unique. Stylistically the group’ material is similar to early Deep Purple, Atomic Rooster and especially Nice, due to their use of adaptations of Classical Music themes, which served as a basis for long instrumental tours de force. Unfortunately their rearrangement of Manuel de Falla’s “Ritual Fire Dance”, which was their most ambitious piece, was omitted form the original LP release, only to be corrected with it being included as one of the bonus tracks on this reissue. The original LP earned a legendary status over the years and became a rare collector’s item, now back in circulation. Lovers of the late 1960s early British Prog will have a field day with this album, which lost none of its charm over the years.

Paul Kendrick (vocals, bass)
Mick Ware (guitar)
Bob Hodges (Hammond organ)
Derrick Gough (drums)
1 Tread Softly On My Dreams
2 Cecelia
3 Follow Me
4 Dawning Of A New Day
5 Beyond the Moon
6 Today
7 A Day In September

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IGRA STAKLENIH PERLI – IGRA STAKLENIH PERLI – 1979 (Yugoslavia) heavy psych/progressive

This is a very good debut of the Belgrade psyche progsters, which carries five equally interesting pieces of music. "Gusterov trg" (Lizard Square), sung in English, and "Putovanje u plavo" resembled the HAWKWIND heavy-space sound with monotonous rythms and odd time signatures. "Pecurka" (Mushroom), another English lyrics, was made under clear influence of PINK FLOYD signature psychedelia of "Set Controls for the Heart of the Sun", along with deep whisper vocals and Rick Wright-style organ. "Solarni modus" and "Majestetski kraj" are engaging instrumental pieces that nicely filled the space between the rest of the songs. However, production of this album is rather bad and it deserves thorough remastering which is yet to be issued. Another minus is extremely short running of this album or should I say "mini-album" at less than 28 minutes! Vinyl LP is highly valued as a prime collectors item and is a rarity. I have not yet encountered CD release. Anyway this is still highly recommended piece of music for all fans of psychedelic rock.

- Joshua N'Goma (Vojkan Rakic) / guitars
- Pedja Vukovic / drums, percussions
- Drakula (Drasko Nikodijevic) / bass, vocals
- Svaba the Kraut (Zoran Lakic) / keyboards, vocals
1. Gusterov trg (4:26)
2. Solarni modus (4:09)
3. Putovanje u plavo (6:52)
4. Pecurka (7:05)
5. Majestetski kraj (5:18)

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MADE IN SWEDEN – SNAKES IN A HOLE – 1969 (SWE) progressive rock

The highlights of this album would be the Wes Montgomery-like "Kristallen den Grymma" and the very atmospheric, dreamy take on Bob Dylan's "Lay Lady Lay." Everything else on this album is competent, but not particularly memorable. "Discotheque People" is an attempt at a Frank Zappa/Mothers of Invention type tune, but misses the mark a bit.

Georg Wadenius (guitar, keyboards, vocals)
Bo Häggström (bass)
Tommy ”Slim” Borgudd (drums)
1 Snakes in a Hole 4:38
2 Lay Lady Lay 4:44
3 Discotheque People 6:08
4 Give Me Whisky 4:23
5 Kristallen den grymma 4:50
6 Little Cloud 3:41
7 Big Cloud 2:59

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MADE IN SWEDEN - MADE IN ENGLAND aka MAD RIVER – 1970 (SWE) progressive rock

That's a very nice mix of jazz-rock and blues-rock with some samba added for good measure. Not all the tracks are really great but there are certainly highly impressing moments like an excellent drum solo on "Love Samba". Other highlights are Winter's A Bummer,You Can't Go Home and Little Cloud. Recommended to fans of early Prog!

Georg Wadenius (guitar, keyboards, vocals)
Bo Häggström (bass)
Tommy ”Slim” Borgudd (drums)
1 Winter's a Bummer 5:30
2 You Can't Go Home 3:39
3 Mad River 5:08
4 Roundabout 5:04
5 Chicago, Mon Amour 5:08
6 Love Samba 7:24
7 Blind Willie 3:30
8 Little Cloud 3:34

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TRUBROT – UNDIR AHRIFUMLIFUN – 1970/1971 (Iceland) progreesive rock

2 original recordings on 1 CD: - Undir Ahrifun (1970) - Lifun (1971) Re-issue 2003 Walhalla Certainly one of the greatest bands to emerge from the frozen plains of Iceland, trubrot evolved from the second greatest band to emerge from Iceland, Hljómar aka The Icelandic Beatles aka Thor's Hammer (who appeared on Diggin' For Gold & Nuggets II). Featuring the same line-up as Thor's Hammer but with a different musical direction; the group shifted its focus from their fuzz-laden Dutch beat like sound to a harder edged heavy progressive rock vibe. Music from the land where the sun rarely sets and when it does it stays down... intense! This is great music for any fan of 1970s progressive rock and should appeal to fans of King Crimson or Focus who are searching for something with big, cold, teeth.

Rúnar Júlíusson (vocals, bass)
Gunnar Þórðarson (guitar)
Gunnar Jökull Hákonarson (drums)
Karl Sighvatsson (keyboards)
Shady Owens (vocals)
Ólafur Garðarsson (drums)
Magnús Kjartansson (keyboards, vocals)
1. Going 4:47
2. Everything's Alright 4:27
3. In the Country 2:50
4. Relax 2:50
5. Sunbath 3:52
6. Tracks 3:57
7. Feed Me 10:33
8. Stjörnuryk 7:28
9. I. Forleikur 3:15
10. Hush-A-Bye 2:42
11. To Be Grateful 2:36
12. School Complex 1:45
13. Tangerine Girl 2:11
14. Am I Really Livin? 3:32
15. II. Forleikur 3:00
16. What We Believe In 3:30
17. Is There A Hope For Tomorrow 2:37
18. Just Another Face 1:54
19. Old Man 3:11
20. Death And Finale 3:10

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PARZIVAL – LEGEND – 1971 (GER) progressive folk rock

This album combines the use of plenty traditional, acoustic instruments (violin,viola, flute) in a deeply middle age atmosphere. It isn't acid /psych folk music as the compositions offered by other germans as Emtidi, Carol Of Harvest but it is very closed to Ougenweide and their Pagan, traditional folk. The result can (mentaly) lead you to have the feeling that you go back to the past. Each track of the album has its very special mood, sometimes written in a plaintive tone (the delicious Wall Bungalow accompagned fo the piano, the pastoral song Empty land), epic (Marshy legend), dark & melodic. Despite that the instrumentation is essentialy acoustic and the "roots" are in traditionnal folk music, a few rock ingredients are mixed with the ensemble, creating original musical sequences and progressive harmonies. This album is not at all basic folk music and really defines what prog folk is. Moreover it is made in a very emotional mood, the musical qualities are always present in favor of fixing the attention of the listener. A deep musical journey in the past! It can easily be conceived as the legendary adentures of Parzival put into music!

- Lothar Siems / guitar & vocals
- Walter Quintus / violin, bass, organ & piano
- Thomas Olivier / drums, vocals & percussion
- Matthias Müller-Menckens / flute & piano
- Joachim Reichhold / cello
- Hans Jaspers / viola
1. One Day (3:37) (bonus track from 72 single)
2. Marshy Legend (2:20)
3. Resignation (2:53)
4. 8 Years Later (4:40)
5. Senseless No. 6 (4:54)
6. Wall Bungalow (2:40)
7. Empty Land (5:12)
8. Groove Inside (16:00)
9. Change Your Mind (2:04) (bonus track rough demo 69)
10. Sarah Girl (1:58) ) (bonus track rough demo 69)

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PARZIVAL – BAROCK – 1973 (GER) progressive folk rock

With their second (and unfortunately last) album, Parzival is scoring a perfect pair that not even countrywoman Claudia’s would never even reach to that level. The group has expanded to a quintet and even a sextet by now and this clearly let more freedom to Walter Quintus to switch from strings to keys. Again this album is produced by professional giant Conny Plank.

- Lothar Siems / guitar & vocals
- Walter Quintus / violin, piano & organ
- Thomas Olivier / drums & vocals
- Walter von Seydlitz / cello
- Matthias Müller-Menckens / flute, piano & organ
- Harald Konietzko / bass & vocals
1. Souls Married To The Wind / Bonus Track (Single 1972) (3:37)
2. Stories (1:55)
3. Black Train (8:34)
4. Mrs. Virgin (4:28)
5. Frank Supper (2:22)
6. Scarlett Horses (6:26)
7. It´s A Pity (2:59)
8. Thought (5:58)
9. Paradise (8:26)
10. Party Bird / Bonus Track (Rough Demo, Decca Studios London 1970) (2:10)
11. Veronique / Bonus Track (Rough Demo, Lilienthal 1970) (2:42)

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SINDELFINGEN – ODGIPIG – 1973 (UK) progressive folk rock

Sindelfingen were a short-lived British quartet who played folk-leaning progressive music and who released a single studio album during their tenure. The band included a pair of young brothers who would go on to lengthy careers as professional musicians. Guitarist/bassist Mark Letley, who was only seventeen when this album was recorded, would accompany guitarist/lead vocalist Richard Manktelow to the eighties pop trio BABY GRAND and later release a minor hit single along with his younger brother Matt as THE STUDIO BAND. Matt, who was himself just twelve years old in 1973 was not a member of Sindelfingen at the time, but would replace Roger Thorn as the record was wrapping up and played as a member of the band on the lengthy bonus track “The Princess and the Predator” which accompanies most of the reissued versions of the record. In 2000 Matt became the drummer for STATUS QUO. Manktelow, Thorn and glockenspieler Roger Woods seem to have disappeared from the music business in the ensuing years since the band dissolved.
The original album is rather short, clocking in at barely thirty-six minutes but full of archetypal mid- seventies folk-inspired music. The slightly pompous arrangements on the longer tracks, as well as Manktelow’s theatrical vocal style reveal some of the records that were likely in the band’s collection at the time; Beggars Opera, possibly some Canterbury, and undoubtedly a fair amount of hippie folk. There is a predominance of acoustic guitar strumming, a solid rhythm section of drums and bass, and a mild renaissance feel thanks to the scattered glockenspiel chimes. One complaint really is the lack of fullness to the band’s sound, owing mostly to the fact that a couple guitars (one acoustic), bass, drums and the glockenspiel provide pretty much all the sound on the album.

- Richard Manktelow / vocals, guitars
- Mark Letley / bass, guitars
- Roger Thorn / drums & percussion
- Roger Woods / glockenspiel, oscillators
- Matt Letley / drums (7)
1 Song for Dawn 0:54
2 Three Ladies 8:29
3 Today & Tomorrow 9:42
4 Marks Bach 1:06
5 Perpetual Motion 12:39
6 'Odgipig 3:12
Bonus Tracks
7 Birth 11:57
8 The Undertaker 2:03
9 Death (Part 1) 11:33
10 Resurrection 15:45
11 Epiloge 2:40

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J.E.T. – FEDE, SPERANZA, CARITA – 1972 (IT) progressive rock

1. Fede, Speranza, Carita
2. Il Prete e il Peccatore
3. C'e' Chi Non Ha
4. Sinfonia per un Re
5. Sfogo
6. Gloria, Gloria
7. Guarda Coi Tuoi Occhi

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ISOPODA – ACROSICHON – 1978 (Belgium) progressive rock

This is a fantastic influenced GENESIS 76/77 era album. Refined and beautiful melodies and emotive English vocals conforming a high expression of calm symphonic rock. I think it doesn't matter the lack of originality when a band can compose excellent songs to enjoy and, in "Acrostichon" case, all tracks are superb. Perfect balance between symphonic and acoustic parts trough a really nice work on guitar, piano and flute, adding delicated details and a lot of elements considered delicious for most of prog lovers. I guess is very difficult to find any prog fan who dislike "A Trick of the Tail" or "Wind and Wuthering"; well, in my opinion, this one is at the same level of both GENESIS classic albums.

- Geert Amant / keyboards, strings, backing vocals
- Walter De Berlangeer / guitars, percussion, backing vocals
- Arnold De Schepper / lead vocals (2-6), bass, pedals, guitars, percussion, flute, backing vocals
- Dirk De Schepper / lead & backing vocals, percussion
- Guido Rubrecht / organ (2-6)
- William Souffreau / backing vocals (6)
- Marc van der Schueren / drums, percussion
1. Acrostichon (9:20)
2. The Muse (7:31)
3. Watch The Daylight Shine (5:19)
4. Don´t Do it The Easy Way (12:03)
5. Considering (7:58)
6. Male And Female (4:43)

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FANTASY – BEYOND THE BEYOND – 1973 (UK) progressive rock

"Paint a Picture" was the debut album release by England’s FANTASY and represents a lovely early work of art. This 5 piece English band play a highly symphonic styled melodic progressive rock with some lovely deep mellotron and keyboards. FANTASYy were known as a song based band and this album showcases their lyrical approach to symphonic music. Instrumentally these guys were amazing with some lovely bass, guitar and drum interplay all put to the expressive and flowing vocals. Hard to exactly peg down but one might draw some similarities to the approach of STARCASTEL, Alan PARSONS PROJECT (ie. Politely Insane) GENESIS and even BARCLAY JAMES & HARVEST. Their sound is full and rich with lots of great instrumentation.

- Paul Lawrence / 12 string guitar, vocals
- David Read / bass, vocals
- David Metcalfe / keyboards, vocals
- Peter James / lead guitar, vocals
- Jon Webster / percussion, vocals
1. Paint A Picture (5:24)
2. Circus (6:18)
3. The Award (4:52)
4. Politely Insane (3:27)
5. Widow (2:12)
6. Icy River (5:53)
7. Thank Christ (4:06)
8. Young Man's Fortune (3:41)
9. Gnome Song (4:19)
10. Silent Mine (4:39)
11. Beyond The Beyond (5:37)
12. Reality (2:58)
13. Alanderie (9:01)
14. Afterthought (5:51)
15. Worried Man (2:56)
16. Just A Dream (3:32)
17. Winter Rose (3:27)

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FANTASY – PAINT A PICTURE – 1973 (UK) progressive rock

FANTASY's second album which sadly never really saw the light of day is nothing short of a superb recording. FANTASY blend highly melodic themes with great tempo changes and superb musicianship. FANTASY play music inspired with loads of analog keyboards (aka GENESIS) and even the odd sprinkle of the ol' mellotron. Vocals are charismatic with lyrics drawing heavily on fantasy-like themes and imagery. Their music is probably best described as somewhere in the middle of the road between GENESIS and YES. It would be a mistake to also review thios album and fail to mention the superb guitar playing throughout, which is much more accentuated than on their debut album. Thanks to the fine folks at Audio Archives for not only doing an excellent job in carefully remastering and repackaging this lost gem but including the 5 bonus tracks (3 old 1970 tracks and 2 demo versions). "Beyond The Beyond Plus" is a great album and I would recommend this album to the lovers of English 70's prog.

- Paul Lawrence / 12 string guitar, lead vocals
- David Read / bass, double bass, vocals
- David Metcalfe / keyboards, clarinet, vocals
- Peter James / lead guitar, vocals
- Jon Webster / drums, vocals
1. Introduction (2:09)
2. Beyond the Beyond (5:34)
3. Reality (2:56)
4. Alanderie (8:58)
5. Afterthought (5:49)
6. Worried Man (2:53)
7. Just A Dream (3:31)
8. Winter Rose (3:24)
9. Church Clock (3:47)

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SPECTRUM - GERACAO BENDITA – 1971 (BRA) psychedelic rock

An extremely rare Brazilian psych album, this reissue is a welcome one for those who don't want
to spend collector prices. The extensive liner notes are an added bonus. In 1971 a group of
musicians and moviemakers in Nova Friburgo, Rio de Janeiro, decided to make the country's first
"hippie movie". The soundtrack was credited to Spectrum, featuring ex-members of 2000 Volts,
together with other people appearing in the movie, whose title Geracao Bendita translates to
"Blessed Generation". As an amalgam of "peace & love" harmonies, fuzz guitar, and period psych recording techniques, this
album is undeniably pretty great. "Quiabo's" and "Trilha Antiga" sport some killer fuzz guitar leads
that are reminiscent of Jefferson Airplane's best, all intensity and spring reverb cutting through
the air. "Mary You Are" on the other hand is pastoral psych with killer vocal harmonies, a la Mamas
and the Papas and even perhaps the Beach Boys, while "Concerto do Pantano" opens with crazy squawks,
echoing organ chords, and slide guitar. The weird sonics and off-kilter production remind me of the
Airplane's After Bathing at Baxter's album, quite experimental for its time.
The most searing guitar moment is the opening few seconds of "15 Years Old", with hugely distorted
guitar suddenly screaming out of the speakers. The production on this song is rather odd, with the
instruments mostly very low in the mix to make room for the vocals, though it all comes back in
after the initial verse. Caetano's lead guitar continues to win the day throughout this one, as well
as on "Thank You My God" with some great cutting leads.
The mix of English and Portuguese lyrics here is interesting, and perhaps to us English speakers,
helps make some of this more mysterious than it might be. The lyrics in English are not necessarily
anything special, primarily echoing the peace, love, and nature sentiments of the time, heavily
influenced by the Beatles and the American west coast music scene.
Musically, Geracao Bendita is quite a success, and anyone interested in psych sounds would be well
served by picking up a copy. There's plenty of intense guitar work, as well as quieter moments with
excellent vocal harmonies. If only it were longer than its 30 minutes. I'm now quite interested to
track down the movie itself.
1 Quiabo's
2 Mother Nature
3 Trilha Antiga
4 Mary You Are
5 Maria Imaculada
6 Concerto do Pântano
7 Pingo e Letra
8 15 Years Old
9 Tema de Amor
10 Thank You My God
11 On My Mind
12 A Paz, o Amor, Você

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KALEIDOSCOPE – FAINTLY BLOWING – 1969 (UK) psychedelic rock

For their second album, Kaleidoscope delivered something an awful lot like their debut, a body of pleasant, trippy, spacy raga-rock, with the main difference that they pushed the wattage a little harder on their instruments -- they'd also been performing pretty extensively by the time of their second long-player, and a lot of the music here was material that they'd worked out on-stage in very solid versions. The result is a record just as pretty as their debut but a little punchier and more exciting within each song than their first album. The title track is also one of the more beautiful psychedelic effects pieces of its period, while "A Story from Tom Bitz" is crunchy folk-rock, "(Love Song) For Annie" represents a more lyrical brand of druggy folk-rock, and "If You So Wish" shifts over to Moody Blues-style ballad territory circa late 1968 and early 1969.

Peter Daltrey (vocals, keyboards)
Eddie Pumer (guitar)
Steve Clark (bass)
Danny Bridgman (drums)
1 Faintly Blowing 4:08
2 Poem 2:53
3 Snapdragon 2:42
4 A Story From Tom Bitz 3:45
5 (Love Song) For Annie 2:33
6 If You So Wish 3:40
7 Opinion 0:18
8 Bless the Executioner 2:58
9 Black Fjord 3:13
10 The Feathered Tiger 5:09
11 I'll Kiss You Once 0:57
12 Music 6:08
Bonus Tracks
13 Do It Again for Jeffrey 3:14
14 Poem (Mono Single Version) 2:52
15 Balloon 2:18
16 If You So Wish (Mono Single Version) 3:40
17 Let the World Wash In 4:11
18 Mediaeval Masquerade 2:41

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KALEIDOSCOPE – WHITE FACED LADY – 1971 (UK) progressive folk rock

This album was in fact made by the progressive encarnation of Kaleidoscope, whose name was Fairfield Parlour, though it was shelved and released only in 90's. In fact this one was recorded in 1971. The sound is different from psychedelic beginning, more folk and symphonic, though with some psychedelic influences still evident. The songs are mostly short. The album was made to be an opera-rock, with lyrics and a history of the concept in the booklet, about the life of the White-Faced Lady, a movie star that lived trying to achieve fame and love, but failing.

Peter Daltrey (vocals, keyboards)
Eddie Pumer (guitar)
Steve Clark (bass)
Danny Bridgman (drums)
1 Overture 2:48
2 Broken Mirrors 2:50
3 Angels Song: Dear Elvis Presley 2:39
4 Nursey, Nursey 3:47
5 Small Song - Heaven in the Back Row 3:22
6 Burning Bright 2:03
7 The Matchseller 3:50
8 The Coronation of the Fledgling 0:21
9 All Hail to the Hero 5:03
10 White Faced Lady 4:41
11 Freefall 5:13
12 Standing 6:12
13 Diary Song: The Indian Head 0:54
14 Song from Jon 6:56
15 Long Way Down 4:06
16 The Locket 2:58
17 Picture With Conversation 3:38
18 Epitaph: Angel 7:48

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HARVEY MANDEL – SHANGRENADE – 1973 (US) jazzy funky rock

One of his most brilliant and most original creation since leaving Canned Heat.
There are original licks and riffs there, which were copied, immitated or inspired many other greats from Jeff Beck, to Al Di Meola, to Jan Hammer.

1 What the Funk 3:05
2 Fish Walk 4:40
3 Sugarloaf 4:15
4 Midnight Sun 3:42
5 Million Dollar Feeling 3:32
6 Green Ape Quickstep 3:06
7 Frenzy 4:32
8 Shangrenade 4:18

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COUNTRY JOE AND THE FISH – ELECTRIC MUSIC FOR MIND AND BODY – 1967 (US) psychedelic rock

Their full-length debut is their most joyous and cohesive statement and one of the most important and enduring documents of the psychedelic era, the band's swirl of distorted guitar and organ at its most inventive. In contrast to Jefferson Airplane, who were at their best working within conventional song structures, and the Grateful Dead, who hadn't quite yet figured out how to transpose their music to the recording studio, Country Joe & the Fish delivered a fully formed, uncompromising, and yet utterly accessible -- in fact, often delightfully witty -- body of psychedelic music the first time out. Ranging in mood from good-timey to downright apocalyptic, it embraced all of the facets of the band's music, which were startling in their diversity: soaring guitar and keyboard excursions ("Flying High," "Section 43," "Bass Strings," "The Masked Marauder"), the group's folk roots ("Sad and Lonely Times"), McDonald's personal ode to Grace Slick ("Grace"), and their in-your-face politics ("Superbird"). Hardly any band since the Beatles had ever come up with such a perfect and perfectly bold introduction to who and what they were, and the results -- given the prodigious talents and wide-ranging orientation of this group -- might've scared off most major record labels. Additionally, this is one of the best-performed records of its period, most of it so bracing and exciting that one gets some of the intensity of a live performance.

Country Joe McDonald (vocals, guitar)
Barry Melton (vocals, guitar)
David Bennett Cohen (guitar, organ)
Chicken Hirsh (drums)
Bruce Barthol (bass, harmonica)
1 Flying High 2:38
2 Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine 4:21
3 Death Sound Blues 4:23
4 Porpoise Mouth 2:48
5 Section 43 7:23
6 Super Bird 2:04
7 Sad and Lonely Times 2:23
8 Love 2:19
9 Bass Strings 4:58
10 The Masked Marauder 3:10
11 Grace 7:03

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COUNTRY JOE AND THE FISH – I-FEEL-LIKE-I’M-FIXING-TO-DIE – 1967 (US) psychedelic rock

The Fish's second album is quite similar to their first in its organ-heavy psychedelia with Eastern-influenced melodic lines, but markedly inferior to the debut, and much more of a period piece. There's more spaciness and less comic energy here, and while the bandmembers were undoubtedly serious in their explorations, some of these songs are simply silly in their cosmic naïveté. To be crueler, there is no other album that exemplifies so strongly the kind of San Francisco psychedelia that Frank Zappa skewered on his classic We're Only in It for the Money. The weeping, minor-key melodies, liquid guitar lines, and earnestly self-absorbed quests to explore the inner psyche -- it's almost as if they put themselves up as a dartboard for the Mothers to savage. For all that, the best songs are good; "Who Am I" and "Thursday" are touching psychedelic ballads. But more notably, the title cut -- whose brash energy is atypical of the album -- was a classic antiwar satire that became one of the decade's most famous protest songs, and the group's most famous track.

Country Joe McDonald (vocals, guitar)
Barry Melton (vocals, guitar)
David Bennett Cohen (guitar, organ)
Chicken Hirsh (drums)
Bruce Barthol (bass, harmonica)
1 The "Fish" Cheer & I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag 3:44
2 Who Am I 4:05
3 Pat's Song 5:26
4 Rock Coast Blues 3:57
5 Magoo 4:44
6 Janis 2:36
7 Thought Dream 6:39
8 Thursday 3:20
9 Eastern Jam 4:57
10 Colors for Susan 5:58

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THE GRAEME EDGE BAND – KICK OFF YOUR MUDDY BOOTS – 1975 (UK) hard rock

As for this album, Adrian Gurvitz, the lead singer and main songwriter, has a voice that might not sound out of place in 'The Band', kind of throaty and Southern. The music has an Americana flavour, reflected in songs like 'Shotgun' and the gospel flavoured 'Gew Janna Woman'. But Graeme Edge is there and the album also has a strong psychedelic flavour. There is also a fair bit of instrumental music that's very, very good. There's some pretty good guitar tones.

Adrian Gurvitz (vocals, guitars)
Paul Gurvitz (bass, vocals)
Mickey Gallagher (keyboards)
Graeme Edge (drum)
1 Bareback Rider 5:14
2 In Dreams 5:13
3 Lost in Space 4:39
4 Have You Ever Wondered 5:08
5 My Life's Not Wasted 2:59
6 The Tunnel 2:05
7 Gew Janna Woman 4:13
8 Shotgun 4:09
9 Somethin' We'd Like to Say 3:32
10 We Like to Do It (Bonus Track) 4:02

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THE GRAEME EDGE BAND - PARADISE BALLROOM – 1977 (UK) hard rock

Adrian Gurvitz (vocals, guitars)
Paul Gurvitz (bass, vocals)
Graeme Edge (drum)
1 Paradise Ballroom 7:54
2 Human 5:55
3 Everybody Needs Somebody 3:17
4 All Is Fair 4:56
5 Down, Down, Down 5:42
6 In the Light of the Light 3:01
7 Caroline 5:43

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SONICS – THE HERE ARE THE SONICS – 1965 (US) garage rock

The Sonics that Wailers bassist Buck Ormsby took into a small studio and unleashed on the world show a live band at the peak of its power, ready to mow down the competition without even blinking twice. Their debut long-player (originally issued on the Etiquette imprint) is reprised here with new liner notes by Norton prexy Miriam Linna in the original mono. The flame-throwing hits of "The Witch," "Psycho," "Boss Hoss," and "Strychnine" are aboard, along with versions of "Do You Love Me," "Dirty Robber," "Have Love Will Travel," and "Walkin' the Dog" that are no less potent. This long-play vinyl reissue also boasts the addition of four bonus tracks: "Keep a Knockin'" (the original B-side of "The Witch") and three selections from an Etiquette Christmas album, "Don't Believe in Christmas," "The Village Idiot," and "Santa Claus." Another important chunk of Seattle rock & roll history.

1 The Witch
2 Do You Love Me
3 Roll Over Beethoven
4 Boss Hoss
5 Dirty Robber
6 Have Love Will Travel
7 Psycho
8 Money
9 Walkin' the Dog
10 Night Time Is the Right Time
11 Strychnine
12 Good Golly Miss Molly
13 Keep a Knockin'
14 Don't Believe in Christmas
15 Santa Claus
16 The Village Idiot

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SHAGGS – PHILOSOPHY OF THE WORLD – 1969 (US) rock

Supplanting the Rounder single disc that combined the group's original album with later sides, this brings the package back to its original form. It features the original mixes (the Rounder reissue used remixes), sequencing, cover, and liner notes along with updated historical notes from producer Irwin Chusid. While a 12-song reissue that replaces a fuller and longer collection would seem like a beat for the money, this puts the Wiggins sisters' primitive attempt to make original rock & roll in its proper context. The guilelessness that permeates these performances is simply amazing, making a virtue out of artlessness. There's an innocence to these songs and their performances that's both charming and unsettling. Hacked-at drumbeats, whacked-around chords, songs that seem to have little or no meter to them ("My Pal Foot Foot," "Who Are Parents," "That Little Sports Car," "I'm So Happy When You're Near" are must-hears) being played on out-of-tune, pawn-shop-quality guitars all converge, creating dissonance and beauty, chaos and tranquility, causing any listener coming to this music to rearrange any pre-existing notions about the relationships between talent, originality, and ability. There is no album you might own that sounds remotely like this one.

Betty Wiggin Porter (rhythm guitar)
Dorothy Wiggin Semprini (lead guitar, vocals)
Helen Wiggin (drums)
Rachel Wiggin (bass)
1 Philosophy of the World 2:56
2 That Little Sports Car 2:06
3 Who Are Parents 2:58
4 My Pal Foot Foot 2:31
5 My Companion 2:04
6 I'm So Happy When You're Near 2:12
7 Things I Wonder 2:12
8 Sweet Thing 2:57
9 It's Halloween 2:22
10 Why Do I Feel? 3:57
11 What Should I Do? 2:18
12 We Have a Savior 3:06

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AGAMENON – TODOS RIEN DE MI – 1975 (SP) heavy psych

First time on CD for this stupidly rare Spanish psych album originally released in 1975. The
album is split between English and Spanish vocals. Emphasis on male/female vocal harmonies. Some heavy blasts of fuzz crop up and there is some organ burbling around in the background.

Edge Carlos García (bass, vocals)
Javier Moreno (guitar, vocals)
Arturo Terriza (drums, vocals)
Vicente (keyboards, vocals)
Dulce (vocals)
Carmen (vocals)
1 Todos Rien De Mi (03:44)
2 Al Salir El Sol (03:08)
3 Please Little Man (02:48)
4 Happy Marriage, Eleanor (04:08)
5 Send Me (03:23)
6 Blow Up The Candle (Apaga la vela) (03:28)
7 Cuco Go Fly (Cuco te vas) (04:48)
8 Happy Tuesday (03:55)
9 Wooden Tears (03:25)
10 I need Money (03:24)

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LITTLE FEAT – TIME LOVES A HERO – 1977 (US) southern rock

When Little Feat headed into the studio to record Time Loves a Hero, tensions between the band members -- more specifically, Lowell George and the rest of the band -- were at a peak. George had not only succumbed to various addictions, but he was growing restless with the group's fondness for extending their jams into territory strikingly reminiscent of jazz fusion. The rest of the group brought in Ted Templeman, who previously worked on their debut and produced Sailin' Shoes, to mediate the sessions. George wasn't thrilled with that, but that's probably not the only reason why his presence isn't large on this release -- all signs point to his frustration with the band, and he wasn't in great health, so he just didn't contribute to the record. He wrote one song, the pleasant but comparatively faceless "Rocket in My Pocket," and collaborated with Paul Barrere on "Keepin' Up With the Joneses." Barrere was responsible for the only bright moments on the album, the ingratiatingly silly "Old Folks' Boogie" and, along with Bill Payne and Ken Gradney, the funky singalong title track. Elsewhere, Barrere and Payne come up dry, turning out generic pieces that are well-played but not as memorable as comparable Doobie Brothers' cuts from the same time. Then there's "Day at the Dog Races," a lengthy fusion jam that Templeman and everyone in the band loved -- except for George, who, according to Bud Scoppa's liner notes in Hotcakes & Outtakes, disparagingly compared it to Weather Report. He was right -- no matter how well Feat play on this track, it comes across as self-serving indulgence, and the clearest sign on this muddled album that they had indeed lost the plot.

Lowell George (vocals, guitar, slide guitar)
Richard Hayward (drums)
Bill Payne (keyboards)
Kenny Gradney (bass)
Paul Barrere (guitar)
Sam Clayton (percussion)
1 Hi Roller 3:36
2 Time Loves a Hero 3:48
3 Rocket in My Pocket 3:24
4 Day at the Dog Races 6:30
5 Old Folks Boogie 3:32
6 Red Streamliner 4:47
7 New Delhi Freight Train 3:44
8 Keepin' Up With the Joneses 3:47
9 Missin' You 2:20

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MONTREAL – A SUMMER’S NIGHT – 1970 (CAN) psychedelic rock

The very aptly titled A Summer's Night is a lost slice of turn-of-the-seventies Quebec psychedelia. After the October Crisis (October 1970), French Canadian music will take a resolutely national turn, leading to the rise of French-singing groups like Harmonium and Beau Dommage in 1973-1974 (prog rock group Morse Code will even switch from English to French around that time). However, A Summer's Night was recorded a little prior to the terrorist events that will precipitate the Quebec sovereignty movement. As a result, the music is lighthearted and the lyrics sung in English -- the title track is the only song with French lyrics, and these are sung with a fake English accent! The lush voice of singer Fran Losier was Montreal's main asset. Comfortable in folk ("Circles and Line"), acid folk ("Infinity") and jazz settings ("Summertime," "Third Floor Walkup"), she comes off as a surprisingly strong performer with good singing technique to boot (a rarity when dealing with…psychedelic-era rarities). Guitarist Jean Cousineau and pianist/bassist Gilles Losier round up the core of the band, which has a very pleasant kind of camaraderie going on ("A Summer's Night," "Sometimes in Stillness"). Recorded in 1970, the album was produced by Richie Havens, who also contributes sitar on the eight-minute acid-laced closer "Infinity." Definitely strong enough for the mainstream, this debut and sole album by Montreal should have been a hit. History decided otherwise. A very nice album, particularly for "What About the Wind?," "A Summer's Night" and "Infinity."

1 What About the Wind? 2:28
2 A Summer's Night 3:37
3 Circles and Lines 2:45
4 Sometimes in Stillness 3:00
5 Third Floor Walk-Up 5:30
6 Every Passing Moment 2:59
7 Summertime 4:11
8 Round and Round 3:05
9 Infinity 7:58

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