Here we have domestic releases of the consummate Krautrock band’s early albums. Though not as quotable to neo-Kraut hipsters as Can, Faust, Kraftwerk and Neu! — Ash Ra Tempel were...
» Read moreSupport for the Soft Machine catalog and its movement to the digital age has been excruciatingly slow, to put it mildly. English label Big Beat did some excellent re-work to place Volume One and...
» Read moreWhile Yes, King Crimson, ELP, and Genesis went on to considerable fame, there were a good number of English bands that didn’t fare so well as far as output goes, but were equally as...
» Read moreMcLatchey's Second Tier
It's strange when you consider it but the music Miles was putting out live around this time didn't really have that much to do with this album,...
» Read moreThe original 1972 private LP pressing of All on the First Day (only 99 copies with spray painted cover) by the psychedelic folk trio of Tony Doré, Carolyn Doré, and John...
» Read moreComedy troupes recording albums for the rock and roll audience stem from such acts as the Firesign Theater and England's Monty Python (with Eric Idle and John Cleese). Voiceprint has been keen...
» Read moreMcLatchey's Second Tier
In the early 90s when Vinyl Magic was exploding onto the reissue market, there were still a number of Italian albums that weren't in that wave and...
» Read moreThe first three Gentle Giant albums occupy a spot in the history of progressive rock that illustrates the transition from 60s psychedelic rock to full-fledged avant-prog. While the band’s...
» Read moreTheir extended version of "Eleanor Rigby" sounds uncannily like "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" with a splash of "Papa Was a Rolling Stone." Preferring jam over...
» Read moreCircus 2000 is an entirely different beast from the rest of the Vinyl Magic catalog, falling more in the psych realm than in the more classically styled progressive genre. It's not to say they...
» Read moreI spent some time last year going through The Complete Columbia Albums Collection of Herbie Hancock. I bought it hoping that there would be some gems I didn't know about after...
» Read moreProcessions are another in the tangled Italian family tree, being related to Raccomandata con Ricevuta di Ritorno and others. This album was their first and best of two (Fiaba was reissued...
» Read moreThe Heat Exchange were a band from Toronto that began to generate some interest in the late 60s. They played a number of concerts and were pursued by RCA and eventually signed with Yorkville...
» Read moreEasily the best show in the Dave's Picks series so far and a pick from the winter tour which hasn't been nearly as well documented on official releases or the trading circuit as the rest of...
» Read moreI had a tradition for a long time after clicking with the Grateful Dead of playing a show every Sunday. This created a very strong impression on me of a sort of "deep time" vibe with...
» Read moreNow if there could be any album on my third-tier list that might be there for its lifetime achievement award it would probably be Foxtrot, although maybe that would be a close second to...
» Read moreIt wasn't very long ago that the original CD release of this album was worth a little bit of money, but thankfully Rhino went ahead and got it out affordably. I was originally introduced to...
» Read moreNuova Idea are probably best known for being part of Italy's largest family tree, including the New Trolls and Osanna. Nuova Idea's Ricky Belloni (on Clowns) joined the New Trolls...
» Read moreIn the early 70s Anthony Moore was exploring different avant garde musical techniques, working in Uwe Nettlebeck’s studio in Wümme. Anthony recorded and released two experimental albums...
» Read moreKansas was pretty widely exposed back in the 70s, and while they were basically similar to other bands of the era, there was a hint of the progressive sound that appealed to many fans of more...
» Read moreTerry Dolan was an East Coast singer-songwriter who took Horace Greeley’s advice and migrated to San Francisco in the late 60s. In 1972 he recorded a full album of songs that was never...
» Read moreMcLatchey's Second Tier
So I covered live Chicago in the last post (and unfortunately not all the great live Chicago is commercially available — there's video footage...
» Read moreOne of the most alluring aspects of Italian progressive rock from 1972-1977 is the wide array of tonal coloring, particularly due to experimentation with analog synthesizers. This was a completely...
» Read moreSymphonic progressive rock bands are known for their flashy keyboard players, in fact some of the excesses of the genre tend to be symbolized by Rick Wakeman in his cape or on ice or whatever. But...
» Read moreIf anyone had any doubts that the late 60s and early 70s were a time of broad innovation and experimentation, this collection provides ample evidence that even outside the cultural centers of New...
» Read moreMcLatchey's Second Tier
When it comes to debut albums, Storia di un Minuto is one of the most well-realized out there and a great balance of young talented...
» Read moreA Bôlha (The Bubble) were one of Brazil's first progressive bands, back in a time when progressive meant something more fundamental than the keyboard drenched symphonics and complicated...
» Read moreFranco Battiato, as is well known, was an Italian pop singer who for a span in the 70s made a string of very experimental albums that fit in the vein of groups such as Opus Avantra or Pierrot...
» Read moreThe sole album from this Italian outfit dates back to 1972. The band is a four-piece consisting of guitar, keys, bass, and drums. While there are certain clearly Italian melodies and harmonic...
» Read moreThe first eponymous album Finnish band Tasavallan Presidentti recorded was a cross between folk, blues, and jazz-rock with pop influences. A really diverse album with an immaculate rendition of the...
» Read moreMcLatchey's Second Tier
I always felt this was a bit of a sister album to At Fillmore East even if its studio record was more of a follow up, but this was essentially...
» Read moreFunkadelic’s self-titled debut album from 1970 shows the band in search of a style. There are still remnants of the 60s soul of their background, essentially expanding a kind of...
» Read moreIn some ways, Mormos can be seen as an American equivalent to the Incredible String Band. They have a similarly free-wheeling take on folk music, infusing it with flower-power enthusiasm and...
» Read moreThis is a highly unusual Musea release. The bulk of the music on My Coffin’s Ready is blues rock! Even though Zabu’s band consisted of his Magma cohorts, most of the music on...
» Read moreLucien Zabuski, aka Zabu, was the original vocalist for Magma, prior to the enlistment of Klaus Blasquiz. This is his first post-Magma solo album, which showcases his unique gravelly voice in a...
» Read moreMcLatchey's Top Tier #25
I first heard this one fairly early in the CD age after having explored Tangerine Dream through what was probably Underwater Sunlight around...
» Read moreRevisited Records continues reissuing the Klaus Schulze back catalog. The past twelve months have seen seven more albums released with another batch due Fall 2006. Revisited is holding true to the...
» Read moreFrom Speyer, Germany, Tyburn Tall were together from 1969 to 1975. During that time they became a well-respected live band, acting as opening act for name European groups such as Golden Earring,...
» Read moreJ.A. Caesar – this is obviously not his real name – has been an enigmatic figure in Japanese rock and avant-garde music dating back to the early 70s. His music is impossible to...
» Read moreYs is certainly one of the more controversial progressive rock albums. Many people will tell you not only that it is a classic, but it's often quoted as being the very best of...
» Read moreYs is certainly one of the more controversial progressive rock albums. Many people will tell you not only that it is a classic, but it's often quoted as being the very best of...
» Read moreThe list above is the entire discography of Jumbo except for two rare singles, one from 1970 and one from 1975, and Vietato Ai Minori Di 18 Anni? which is
Sixty Nine were an unusual "group" being only a duo of keyboards and drums. For these limitations, Sixty Nine made a pretty big sound, a combination of influences that on the more mundane...
» Read moreIn the early seventies in Germany, there seemed to be three subsections of progressive rock: 1) the "Berlin school" of electronic space rock forming the basis for the Ohr label; 2) heavy,...
» Read moreIn many ways, Claudio Rocchi can be best described as the Italian Donovan – in music, lyrics and even artwork. His career that began with Stormy Six on L'Idee di Oggi per la Musica di...
» Read moreStormy Six are perhaps better known for their involvement with Rock In Opposition in the late 70s and early 80s. Their later output such as Al Volo were interesting pop rock albums with an...
» Read moreThe Osage Tribe were practically a super group in the annals of Italian history, fitting somewhere between I Gleemen (pre-album) and Duello Madre or Il Volo. Being on Bla Bla records naturally ties...
» Read moreThis group would have fit nicely on the Vertigo label – heavy Black Sabbath, May Blitz, and Clear Blue Sky similarities as well as Deep Purple or Uriah Heep. I Teoremi are crunchy and heavy...
» Read moreAnalogy were a band made up of both Italian and German members, yet remained far closer stylistically to the latter. Analogy's main influence was certainly Ummagumma era Pink Floyd...
» Read moreWith Octopus, Gentle Giant truly came into their own as a progressive powerhouse with a style all their own. Three Friends was great, but once its successor came out, it was clear...
» Read moreAgitation Free was a most unique German band in the early seventies, in that their sound was heavily influenced by Turkish and Arabic themes, although never more so than on this, their first, from...
» Read moreThe front of the package proclaims "Joe Strummer's favourite concert." Well, I'm sure it was great to be there. The Captain and his crackshot '72 touring lineup (Rockette...
» Read moreA Magma album in disguise, The Unnamables was designed to ease listeners into the musical world of Magma. Recorded by essentially the same lineup as on 1001 Centigrades, the album...
» Read moreProg fans have been enjoying a renaissance of vintage prog re-issues. Albums that either never made it to CD or were transferred poorly to begin with are being released for your pleasure. Premier...
» Read moreUpon the demise of Delivery (Phil Miller's quartet augmented by Janis Joplin stylized blues vocalist, Carol Grimes), Grimes moved off to join another blues-based, less improvisational group,...
» Read moreWho is Mick Greenwood, might you ask? Apparently the man is American and made a ploy to become a pop star in the UK after being discovered in a New York club in the early 70s. He issued three LPs...
» Read moreI think it was my colleague Mike McLatchey who once jokingly said that in Italy in the 70s, there were more prog bands than there were fans. As such there were plenty of fine bands who fell through...
» Read moreNiagara were an early 70s German jazz rock outfit that released three albums of heavily percussion-oriented music. In fact, on this, their second album there are often four percussionists playing...
» Read moreKraftwerk, like many of the long running German outfits, was a completely different creature at its inception then after they rose to popularity. These albums, including the pre-Kraftwerk...
» Read moreSomewhere between their debut, Seasons, and this album, Wind seem to have gone through an abrupt and drastic personality change. That album was quintessential German heavy rock with an...
» Read moreOriginally on the Bla-Bla label from 1972, the Tarzan Compilation features eleven short tracks by four bands: Capsicum Red, Wells Fargo, Black Sunday Flowers, and Osage Tribe. Two of these...
» Read more1972 was the year that Genco Puro released their one and only album, the fairly rare and fairly commercial album Area di Servizio (reissued as Artis ARCD 040 in 1992) originally on the...
» Read moreMuseo Rosenbach's Zarathustra is one of the greatest symphonic/classical rock works of all time and has yet to be surpassed in the genre. These two titles are posthumous releases of...
» Read moreMuseo Rosenbach's Zarathustra is one of the greatest symphonic/classical rock works of all time and has yet to be surpassed in the genre. These two titles are posthumous releases of...
» Read moreIt's amazing how many great albums are still being reissued from Germany from the early 70s. It seems at times that there is no end to the wealth from that period. Eiliff was another gem of a...
» Read moreThis is my first encounter with this classic German group, so knowing that the tracks are outtakes from their 1972 sessions for the album Four Letter Monday Afternoon didn’t tell me...
» Read moreAmazing Blondel existed throughout the early 70s, originally formed by John Gladwin and Terry Wincott after leaving another even more obscure band called Methuselah. This compilation is drawn from...
» Read moreMcLatchey's Second Tier
Twelve years ago, while you could still easily find a lot of the Europe 72 shows in trading circles, there were only a couple commercially available and...
» Read moreMcLatchey's Second Tier
There are few musicians who I respect and admire more than the legendary pianist McCoy Tyner, one fourth of John Coltrane's classic quartet. His...
» Read moreMcLatchey's Second Tier
I first heard PFM when I was 17 and a friend sold me a copy of The World Become the World for 50 cents. I liked it but wasn't really drawn...
» Read moreMetamorfosi were more or less a keyboard oriented trio with the addition of a lead vocalist. Their debut album was a very 60s psych/beat album with progressive touches – an overblown concept...
» Read moreYes has always been a bit behind the curve when it comes to exploiting their trove of live recordings, but with this set they are catching up. Big time. It started with the archival digging that...
» Read moreMcLatchey's Top Tier # 20
This is the fourth Italian progressive rock album in this tier and truly one of the most original albums from the decade. Like Ommadawn but...
» Read more[This was written about the original One Way edition. - ed.]
Wow! Another newly found live recording which was previously available only in bootleg format? Unfortunately, the disc is...
» Read moreMcLatchey's Top Tier #11
I didn't like the Dead that much growing up as a youngster and to this day I'm still not too fond of their 80s and 90s work. But around 2000, I thought I'd...
» Read moreOs Mundi, Latin for “origin of the world,” was a 70s Berlin-based band that released only two albums, Latin Mass and 43 Minuten. Both of these Krautrock classics have been...
» Read moreEx-Soft Machine bassist Kevin Ayers left that group after their full-on live U.S. assault with the Jim Hendrix Experience in 1969. After that time, Ayers spent the following years putting together...
» Read moreUnlike the recently released PFM shows (Read more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1995-03-01)
Before hooking up with Peter Blegvad and Dagmar Krause to form Slapp Happy, Anthony Moore was experimenting with some very innovative musical techniques. Reed, Whistle and Sticks is one of...
» Read moreThis release combines two early seventies albums from the obscure Spanish band Jarka, led by the excellent pianist Jordi Sabates. Playing with a strong jazz sensibility, Jarka also differed from...
» Read moreThis release combines two early seventies albums from the obscure Spanish band Jarka, led by the excellent pianist Jordi Sabates. Playing with a strong jazz sensibility, Jarka also differed from...
» Read moreRevisited Records is busy reissuing classic Krautrock albums by Klaus Schulze, Kraan, Guru Guru, Holger Czukay, and Amon Düül II. These latest discs are Amon Düül II’s fourth, fifth, and...
» Read moreRevisited Records is busy reissuing classic Krautrock albums by Klaus Schulze, Kraan, Guru Guru, Holger Czukay, and Amon Düül II. These latest discs are Amon Düül II’s fourth, fifth, and...
» Read moreMcLatchey's Top Tier #31
If Rock Bottom was the hipster choice, this one might be the antichoice, or it is because I don't rate Topographic Oceans at all. It's...
» Read moreMcLatchey's Top Tier #15
In some ways a bit of a predecessor to the Steve Hillage Gong albums (and especially Hillage's Fish Rising), this six song one-shot is one of the...
» Read moreThese seven titles by the legendary Ange represent part of Musea's big score from absorbing the Baillemont label late last year. Although most of these have been released on CD before — not once,...
» Read moreThose looking for a 'good ole time' need look no further — funky West Coast psychedelia flavored country-rock to be found here. Equally rooted in the blues, this stuff is steeped in the tradition...
» Read more
2018-04-05
OBEY Convention XI Set for May 24-28 in Halifax –
As the 2018 festival season rapidly approaches, we’d like you to be aware of a real treasure of diverse and creative music that’s going to take place in Halifax, Nova Scotia, next month. The OBEY Convention is on its 11th outing, and features a wide range of artists from around the world. From avant-industrial noise to experimental takes on Classical Chinese music, from chamber jazz to doom metal, from ambient soundscapes to Canadian First Nations drumming, you’d be hard pressed to find a festival with more variety in sound anywhere in the world. »
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2018-04-04
Close to the Rain Festival in Bergen Announces Lineup –
Now in its second year, the Close to the Rain Festival of progressive music is scheduled to take place in Bergen, Norway, on June 7 - 9. They've got an amazing slate of bands lined up, including such powerhouses as Anekdoten, Major Parkinson, Arabs in Aspic, Tusmørke, and many more. »
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2018-03-01
Seaprog 2018 Artist Announcements Raise Festival's Profile –
Seattle's Seaprog festival has been going since 2013, and the 2018 edition features a slate of artists that's sure to bring more attention to the event. Cheer-Accident, Bubblemath, and Free Salamander Exhibit are in the first round announcement of performers. In keeping with their tradition of focusing on regional artists, they will also present a number of artists from Washington and Oregon. [Edit: Just added: Inner Ear Brigade] »
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2018-02-26
Adelbert von Deyen RIP –
Word reaches us that German electronic musician Adelbert von Deyen has died. His recorded legacy reaches back to 1978, when Sky Records released Sternzeit. Von Deyen, who was born October 25, 1953 in Süderbrarup, was also known as a painter and graphic artist. »
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2018-02-18
Didier Lockwood RIP –
Word reaches us today of the death of one of France's great jazz musicians, violinist Didier Lockwood. His playing bridged many worlds, from traditional jazz to fusion to progressive rock, and his talent can be heard on recordings by Magma, Clearlight, Pierre Moerlen's Gong, and many more. Lockwood was 62. »
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Big Brother & the Holding Co - Hold Me - Live in Germany – For the better part of forty years the core members of Big Brother (Peter Albin, Dave Getz and Sam Andrew on bass, drums and guitar respectively) have been playing together, and by now are an... (2008) » Read more
Cédric Vuille - #804 Center Street – A founding member of the Swiss ensemble Debile Menthol, then of L’Ensemble Rayé, Cédric Vuille is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist. In the liner notes he writes about when, at age 17 and... (2008) » Read more
MK II - Burning Daylight – Remember the long protracted intro to "Shine on You Crazy Diamond"? That's a fair enough reference point for the first track on this British trio's debut. Other reference points for this album might... (1994) » Read more
Serah - Senegal Moon – Serah is an American born composer and singer who has lived in both Africa and France. Her material straddles the boundaries of new-age, world music, and pop, and this is her fourth release. The... (1999) » Read more
Magma - Mythes et Légendes Vol.1 – Released in 1985, Mythes et Légendes, Vol. 1 is essentially a condensed overview of the Kobaïan story. It features extracts from several early compositions tracing the narrative up through... (1995) » Read more