Issue #20 Extra!: Archives and Collections

Brand X – “The X-files”
Coyle & Sharpe – “Audio Visionaries”
Deyss – “The Dragonfly From The Sun”
Steve Howe – “Homebrew 2”
Procol Harum – “BBC Live in Concert”
Syrius – “Rock Koncertek A Magyar Radio Archivumabol”
VA – “Nordic Roots 2”
VA – “Periferic 2000 Folk-World-Ethno From Hungary”
VA – “Periferic 2000-Sympho-Rock From Hungary”
VA – "Un Voyage en Progressif Vol 1"
VA – "Un Voyage en Progressif Vol 2"
VA – "Un Voyage en Progressif Vol 3"
Robert Wyatt – “Little Red Robin Hood – A Documentary”

VA – “Un Voyage en Progressif Vol 1”

 (Musea, 1999, CD)

VA – “Un Voyage en Progressif Vol 2”

(Musea, 1999, CD)

VA – “Un Voyage en Progressif Vol 3”

(Musea, 2000, CD)

Musea is currently on a campaign to make the many artists on their label better known to the prog-buying world via these three budget-priced compilation CDs, each featuring about a dozen different artists each. The determining factors for success of collections such as these are: do they offer the consumer a representative sampling of what the label has to offer, are they priced fairly, and what is the overall level of quality. On the first mark, I’d give Musea a so-so score. For a label that handles so many different kinds of acts, these three discs lean curiously on the more traditional and symphonic prog bands. The more adventurous or challenging groups on the label are conspicuously absent. On the second criteria, it appears that Musea is selling these at about a quarter of the normal rate for CDs so they get a good score there. And the quality? As with all compilations, these three have their highs and lows, though overall the music here is very good. Musea is fortunate to have such a wealth of great music on their shelves and the casual prog fan is sure to find something they like on any one of these discs. A rundown of all three collections would be overly verbose so let me point out a few points of interest. Volume One is divided between international, ‘atmospheric,’ and live selections and there’s not a stinker in the bunch. For me, Blue Shift’s Yes-on-steroids “Rome,” Jean-Pascal Boffo’s “Adios,” and Eclat’s live “Circus” lead the way.

With Volume Two, the overall vibe is more contemplative, evidenced by some masterfully elegant work from Kenso (“Hyoto”), the ragged and intense gothic prog of Morte Macabre (“Apoteosi del Mistero”), and the solo heroics from Fonya (“Guadalupe from Sierra Diablo”). Also of note are the super-heroics of Gerard (“Into the Dark”) as well as reissued tracks from Vermillion Sands (“The Love in the Cage”) and Sebastian Hardie (“Rosanna”). Volume Three loses a bit of ground on the other two but still has plenty to offer, particularly from Kenso (“Negaikanaeru”), Anekdoten (“From Within”), XII Alfonso (“Eclipse”), and Motoi Sakuraba (“Narratage”). Musea has long been known for their breadth and depth of progressive rock, as well as for their commitment to delivering high quality to the consumer. These compilations serve only to reaffirm that reputation, especially if your taste veer more towards the middle of the road. – Paul Hightower

VA – “Periferic 2000-Sympho-Rock From Hungary”

 (Periferic BGCD 053, 2000, CD)

Lots of music to cover on this compilation, so let’s get right to it. First comes Rumblin’ Orchestra’s instrumental workouts — rich in harmony and recalling Wakeman’s early work with orchestra. Solaris is represented by a song from “Nostradamus”; bombastic and heavy, Tull influenced, with excellent bass, drums and production quality. Dobos Gyula offer(s) an instrumental number with a guitar-centered arrangement in a slightly Oldfield character. Laren D’Or we reviewed in the past: he uses keyboards and programmed instruments to simulate a big ensemble, but well done and avoiding cliches and mimicry. Next we start to get more original, with a simple, but effective and emotionally performed song by Cziglan Istvan, with a female vocal. A pop song by You and I follows, in a Rabin-era Yes mode; female singer, but this time lyrics are in English. The best entry up to here was Carpathia Project, who turn the volume down and the spirit up, for some exciting collaborative interplay between violin, flute, drums, and guitar. Torok Adam was nearly folky, with a clear nod to Jethro Tull’s first album. Vocals are Hungarian and the high point was a subtle flavor almost non-existent in the previous eight songs. Kada I raved about once before — eclectic, daring, in a spotlessly brilliant live performance! Townscream follow this, with a very impressive number that goes through numerous mood changes. No nonsense prog trio with an awesome pianist in a classical rock direction — the finest in their field. Next up, Force Majure, came across to me as a blend of Jarre and Vangelis, while Kollar Attila (flautist from Solaris) gives us a classicized instrumental progressive piece from his recent solo CD. Finishing out is the band whom most people (including Periferic I think) see as the best Hungarian group going right now: After Crying.. Three live tracks appear in their ELP-meets-Crimson style. All the music on this compilation is available on the CDs issued of each respective band. – Mike Ezzo

VA – “Periferic 2000 Folk-World-Ethno From Hungary”

 (Periferic BGCD 052, 2000, CD)

Here is another much needed compilation from Periferic. So let’s get right to the details. Lux opens the CD with a dense and rich folk sound. Few surprises, but high spirits and strong vocals abound. Karikas are represented by a track from their CD reviewed elsewhere. Kormoran are the modern contingent of this release, and probably could have been included on Periferic’s symphonic rock collection. Synths and drum kit are used here to bring out the Hungarian folk melodies in a 70s or 80s rock form. Hungarian World Music Orchestra go even further, adding a typically heavy beat, but it clashes too much with such a lovely feminine voice of their singer. I raved over Attacca in a previous issue, but their effort here emphasizes folk roots more than the other (more exploratory) material of their CD. Agoston Trio put a jazz improvisation spin on the Hungarian traditions, while Bokros Ensemble have a deeper root into the Hungarian soul — heavy on the mournful singing, embellished with bagpipes and violin. Duvo bring us way back up to tempo in a move that nearly resembles our American bluegrass music, violin providing the lead. Vasmalom take largely the same approach, but with breathy flute and a pounding drum beat. Excellent! Next up we zoom back to a late 60s folky sound by Khanci Dos, featuring acoustic instruments backing a melancholy male/female vocal duo, much like Bokros did earlier. And for something different again try Vujicsics. They sound almost Italian on their all-strings instrumental piece. Taking the same path as HWMO was Binder Karoly; he adds sax though, and a bit more drama. Om Art Formation temper their music with keyboards and Western sensibilites, lending it a discernably international character, as does Dobos Gyula, who closes out this commendable CD with an elaborate three-part work resembling Mike Oldfield. – Mike Ezzo

VA – “Nordic Roots 2”

 (NorthSide NSD6040, 1999, CD)

NorthSide’s strategy with their first Nordic Roots sampler (reviewed #16) must have paid off enough for them to do it again. Here they provide a sampling of 22 tracks from their releases of the past couple years at a price less than a fast-food combo meal. Many of the discs represented here have been reviewed individually in Exposé (Hedningarna, Garmarna, Rosenberg 7, Loituma, Sorten Muld, and more), all getting high marks. So if you’re at all curious about this Nordic explosion we’ve been covering, but hesitated to buy any of the music, here is a perfect opportunity to see what the fuss is about. I was already familiar with most of the artists here, so I’m not the target audience for this sampler, but it does make a great “mixed tape” for taking in the car, and there were a couple of pleasant surprises among the pieces I had not heard before. Foremost among these is Hoven Droven. Their track on the first sampler didn’t grab my attention, but “Brekken” on this one is a standout, an intense rock workout mixing loud guitars, monster drumming, and a killer organ solo with fiddles, a bit like a Swedish version of Scotland’s Wolfstone or America’s Boiled in Lead. The selection from Groupa (“Lavalek”) is another eye-opener, a very inventive piece that’s all over the map stylistically. All in all, a great way to hear a lot of new sounds, and for the price, even if you only like one or two cuts, still worth it. – Jon Davis
[www.noside.com]

Brand X – “The X-files”

 (Pangea Music OM1011, 1998, CD)

The first four Brand X albums set a standard for fusion that still exists more than 20 years later. Unfortunately many of the albums that followed didn’t measure up to the band’s astounding early works, and this has cheapened their name brand a bit (pun intended). The double CD, the X-files, seeks to set the record straight by showcasing their legacy. The first disc does an admirable job of this by featuring a mixture of mostly live tracks (plus two studio cuts) that display the fire and virtuosity of Brand X. The tracks include favorites such as “Nuclear Burn”, “Don’t Make Waves”, and “Disco Suicide”, and were recorded over a 20 year period. The second disc is actually not Brand X at all but rather a number of mostly rare and unreleased tracks that feature John Goodsall’s smoking fretwork and the amazingly agile bass of Percy Jones. Some of these tracks are excellent and display unusual sounds such as Goodsall’s Indian-influenced acoustic work and a bass & drums piece by Percy. Other tracks however don’t appear to be a good fit with the Brand X material such as John Goodsall’s Floor Project with vocalist Krash. Goodsall considers it to be one of his finest albums, but I doubt that many Expose readers would concur with his assessment. About 85% of the music on these two discs succeeds fully, and either way the X-files is absolutely essential for hard-core fans. – David Ashcraft

Syrius – “Rock Koncertek A Magyar Radio Archivumabol”

 (Premier Art Records PAR97105, 1997, CD)

As best I can tell (my Hungarian is a little rusty) this release is an archive recording from 1975 that was originally a Hungarian radio broadcast. The band has a “big band” line-up, complete with a 4-piece horn section, bass guitar, Fender Rhodes, drums, vocals, and congas. The music is a blend of early 70s rock, funk, TV show theme, and jazz. The vocalist is a graduate of the Tom Jones’ Vocal Institute (Hungarian Branch Campus.) And I mean that in a good way. Much of the music is instrumental, but when the vocals are present, they’re solid and fit the music perfectly. The music... well it’s remarkably good too. All the instrumentalists take plenty of solos and each player is more than competent. The Fender Rhodes keyboard player is especially impressive. He (at least I think it’s a “he”) is just super-bad! In a James Brown kind of way. The funk aspects of the music are what stand out as the highlight-reel material. The grooves are there. The solos shred. Owww!! Dude, forget watching Hawaii Five-O repeats for that radical 70s funk, break out the Syrius! This is some great stuff. – Mike Grimes

Steve Howe – “Homebrew 2”

 (Purple Pyramid CLP 0841-2, 2000, CD)

Yes guitarist Steve Howe continues to group together fully developed solo tracks used in different contexts in the second in his homebrewed series. It’s nearly impossible to fault Howe for being continually productive by composing varying styles of piece, which showcase his guitar dexterity. The focus on this disc is heavy on nineties material where the pieces show the guitarist’s ability to realize riffs and rhythms within an overall group arrangement (on his own). This is what Howe used as writing material to present to Anderson, Squire and White for the 1995 San Louis Obispo bank sessions. Probably the most beautifully arranged piece on the disk is “Together” which was eventually used for Yes studio side of “Keys to Ascension” in the heavily arranged track, “That, That Is”. The man has the ability to layer guitars and envision his lead guitar in many more contexts than any other guitarist (save for possibly Steve Hackett or Steve Morse). Plus there are some mid-seventies nuggets included as well including a version of “Beginnings” with Patrick Moraz on harpsichord from Howe’s first solo album (superior in this context than the orchestral version on the album). “The Serpentine” is an early version of the precious closing section and midsection of “Relayer’s” closing piece, “To Be Over”. I suspect there are more pieces Howe has in reserve, waiting for the appropriate moment to release. Add another notch onto an already heavy resume of quality guitar picking and songwriting. – Jeff Melton

Deyss – “The Dragonfly From The Sun”

 (Musea FGBG 4320.AR, 1979/2000, CD)

Let’s be honest. Deyss’s debut “At King” (1985) and their follow-up double concept album “Vision In The Dark” (1987) are widely considered to be among the most embarrassing and pitiful releases of all time. So what are we seriously supposed to think when this archival live recording from 1978-79 comes flying at us from Musea, complete with a preposterous 51-page booklet of Biblical proportions? In the interest of space, I will forgo any further comments about the booklet (which could easily fill a Roundtable) and simply state that “The Dragonfly” is better than you would think. The astute reader will, of course, instantly realize that’s not saying much, but it’s still true. Borrowing (or stealing) heavily from Trespass-era Genesis and French symphonic heroes Shylock, Deyss attempt to carve out their niche in the hall of legends but trip over the first step. Arguments could be made that Deyss were among the first neo-proggers also, as much of the material here sounds like stuff that IQ or Marillion wouldn’t be doing for at least two to three more years. Compositionally, there’s plenty of reason to cringe as some passages contain wildly wrong notes and chords (and I’m not talking about performance errors here). The list goes on and on, but because of their youthful inexperience and the sketchy nature of the low-quality archival live recording, it somehow becomes (dare I say it?) forgivable when viewed in contrast to what would come years later. It’s hard to recommend this disc to anyone but, thinking from a marketing perspective, a good target audience would be (1) people who have never heard of Deyss and (2) immediate family members of the band. TIP: if you and your friends are either of the above, save a tree and share a copy. – Dan Casey

Procol Harum – “BBC Live in Concert”

 (Fuel2000 302-061-055-2, 2000, CD)

1974 was probably the last year Procol Harum had any marketplace to make a noticeable inroad. The five-piece group plus one lyricist had just come from a series of two financial and artistic successes (“Live with Edmonton Symphony” and “Grand Hotel”). New guitarist, Mick Grabham was just starting to find his feet in the older Trower-based guitar arrangements and the group was promoting a new album, “Exotic Birds and Fruit” which had more of a straight ahead rock approach than any album since “Home”. The BBC found these concert tapes in their vast (albeit somewhat disorganized) archive and decided to make this show from March 23rd, 1974 at the Hippodrome in London available. Over half of the show (six of eleven tracks) is from the new album. A distinct balance is struck between upfront rockers, (“Nothing But the Truth”, “Butterfly Boys” - a clever swipe at record label reps) and more basic ballads (“As Strong as Samson” and “New Lamps for Old”). The group was clearly on a tear with more aggressive tracks such as “Bringing Home the Bacon” and “Simple Sister” filling out the show. Probably the best tracks in the band’s set list are “The Idol” and the prog rock classic, “Whaling Stories”. Although the group will always be well known for their huge hit single of 1967, “A Whiter Shade of Pale”, this live presentation to be much more a band with a wider palette due in no small part to the vision of Gary Brooker and Keith Reid. – Jeff Melton

Coyle & Sharpe – “Audio Visionaries”

 (ThirstyEar Thi 57077.2, 1999, CD)

Radical radio had its fruition in the sixties where Mal Sharpe and Jim Coyle had a format of witticism and enlightenment. The duo had worked on local KGO radio and branched out onto the street (literally) by inventing Ernie Kovacs like skits to see how the average Joe would take it. The subject matter for 1963 is very Zappa-esque circa Flow & Eddie phase or any such shtick where the absurd becomes the norm. Some of the duo’s concepts such as on “Three-ism” where three people fuse their personality on a theoretically personal basis. Or “Maniacs in Living Hell” where a bystander takes a job handling crazy people surrounded by flames and bats. He premise is completely absurd as well as amusing. It’s pretty hard to keep a straight face listening to these goofballs on “Saranac My Day” where the two shred foreign accents. At length the two can befuddle the people they interview making it seem like some warped extract from the Twilight Zone. Fans include Henry Rollins and Ken Goldsmith endorsing the project as part of the Whitney Museum’s sound works exhibit. And the there’s the fake ad for The National Pore Society which most certainly had a few eyebrows raised. “KGO Jingles” is a silly attempt singing the stations call letters while a confused interviewee has no clue about the in-joke. Overall the disc chronicles a by-gone era which previews and mirrors modern mood and thought. – Jeff Melton

Robert Wyatt – “Little Red Robin Hood – A Documentary”

 (boid v-boid 1, 1998, VHS Tape)

It’s extremely rare, in fact downright impossible to make a film regarding any prominent Canterbury music figure. That’s the prime reason this documentary on Robert Wyatt is such a precious treasure. Leave it two Italians, (Franco Di Loreto and Carlo Bevilacqua) to capture the icon at home and in the studio by presenting a bit of the man in his own environment. From Hugh Hopper’s initial recollections of the old Soft Machine days to many other luminaries waxing poetic (including Chris Cutler, Keith Tippett, Carla Bley, Elvis Costello and even Jimi Hendrix bassist Noel Redding). The life and music of the first drummer, then vocalist composer have had many peaks and valleys. Wyatt’s own testimonial to seeing Thelonius Monk live is interspersed with images of city subway. Brian Eno’s confirmation of Wyatt’s cheerful creativity is nothing short of uplifting. The only confounding information is BBC’s refusal to air film as an ode to a national hero regardless of politics. Although filmed in black and white the tone is more colorful than any label sponsored focus on VH1 that’s for certain. Nick Mason even recounts the early parallels of Pink Floyd and the early Softs (people forget he produced “Rock Bottom”). If you’re a fan, you’re entitled to search out this video to lock in on artist at work; if you’re not then welcome to the best introduction you can find. – Jeff Melton