Exposé Online » Reviews of releases for 1989

Items found : 38

Kenso - Overview of Pre-1996 Releases

If Japan has the equivalent of a Happy the Man, Kenso is it. Their sound encompasses everything, from polished symphonic prog, to fusion, Canterbury, even touches of Japanese traditional music. The music is (with a couple of exceptions) entirely instrumental, melodically rich, highly spirited, and completely energized. They've been together since the late 70s, off and on, and the lineup has changed over time, but has always centered around guitarist Yoshihisa Shimizu. In addition to guitar, the lineup typically features dual keyboards, bass, and drums — and early on included a flautist as well.  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1996-03-01)

Circles - Structures - Unreleased Material 1985-1989

At about the same time as Guerssen reissued the first two Circles albums in 2016, Bureau B issued this...

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(Posted by Henry Schneider 2017-05-27)

Michel Banabila - Early Works - Things Popping up from the Past

Dutch composer Michel Banabila has been recording and releasing music since 1983 and he has produced musical scores for films, documentaries, plays, and dance. This Early Works...

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(Posted by Henry Schneider 2017-05-20)

Various Artists - Sammlung: Elektronische Kassettenmusik Düsseldorf 1982–1989

In the early 80s, with the rise of affordable electronics and recording equipment, cassette culture took off. Anyone with a few dollars could set up a home recording studio and create music....

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(Posted by Henry Schneider 2017-04-15)

Various Artists - Magnetband: Experimenteller Elektronik-Underground DDR 1984–1989

During the five years prior to the wall coming down, East German musicians, painters, poets, filmmakers, and performers began to open up new territory, crossing genres and jumping back and forth...

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(Posted by Henry Schneider 2017-04-11)

Pulsar - Görlitz

Pulsar was perhaps the best French band in the mid-70s. In fact they were the first French band to be distributed by an English label. From 1975 to 1977 they released three albums culminating with...

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(Posted by Henry Schneider 1994-10-01)

Opus Avantra - Introspezione, Lord Cromwell & Strata

Led by composer/keyboardist Alfredo Tisocco, and fronted by vocalist Donella del Monaco, Opus Avantra – much like their name might imply, offers a music based in avant-garde classicism mixed...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1995-07-01)

Opus Avantra - Introspezione, Lord Cromwell & Strata

Led by composer/keyboardist Alfredo Tisocco, and fronted by vocalist Donella del Monaco, Opus Avantra – much like their name might imply, offers a music based in avant-garde classicism mixed...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1995-07-01)

Arti e Mestieri - Tilt - Immagini per un Orecchio

McLatchey's Second Tier

I was about to write that there aren't too many debuts as powerful as this title by Italians Arti e Mesteri but then I realized I had just written...

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(Posted by Mike McLatchey 2016-08-18)

Christian Vander Trio - Jour après Jour

Jour après Jour (Day after Day) would be Vander's first all-out pure jazz assault. The trio formation of Vander on drums, Emmanuel Borghi on piano, and Philippe Dardelle on...

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(Posted by Dan Casey 1995-11-01)

Arti e Mestieri - Tilt & Giro di Valzer per Domani

Much ink has been spilled about the drumming of Furio Chirico and for good reason: the guy is phenomenal. He is all over the place using all available musical space yet is never bombastic or...

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(Posted by Mike Taylor 1994-02-01)

Kraan - Wiederhören, Flyday, Nachtfahrt, Live 88, Dancing in the Shade & Live 2001

Recently Revisited Records, a division of InsideOut Music, has been reissuing a number of German bands from the past: Klaus Schulze, Amon Düül II, and Kraan. To date, they have released...

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(Posted by Henry Schneider 2006-05-01)

Hecenia - Légendes

Légendes is Hecenia’s first album, recorded in 1989, released in 1990, and now reissued on CD. If you’ve only heard Hecenia’s second release, La Couleur du...

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(Posted by Henry Schneider 1997-02-01)

Correnti Magnetiche - Live

Correnti Magnetiche was a multimedia improvisational group featuring Riccardo Sinigaglia on keyboards, Maurizio Dehò and Erika Hadju on violins, Gabin Dabiré playing sanza, balafon,...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2016-05-06)

Folli di Dio - Folli di Dio

It sounds like Folli di Dio just missed being on Mellow's Fruit Salad label, as it fits into that most amorphous of genres – neo-psychedelic. Neo-psych is as ambiguous as most genre names...

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(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1996-08-01)

Thinking Plague - In This Life

Here in the West Wing of Exposé Headquarters (AKA my house), Thinking Plague occupies a place of honor as the preeminent American avant-prog band, their reputation tainted only...

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2016-02-15)

David Parsons - Himalaya

McLatchey's Second Tier

I'm actually fairly impressed at the longevity of the Celestial Harmonies / Fortuna label; they seem to have been going for decades at this point...

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(Posted by Mike McLatchey 2016-03-24)

Odissea - Odissea

For 1973, Odissea's sole album was far surpassed in innovation, and the collection of shorter songs here seems fairly dated. Regardless, there are some nice moments – symphonic flights...

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(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1995-07-01)

Zauber - Il Sogno (AKA Zauber)

Here is another rarity from the vaults. Zauber was a five-piece who produced only this single album in the late seventies, until their recent reformation (see Mike's New Italian article in...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1995-07-01)

Magma - Mekanïk Kommandöh

Recorded several months before the album Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh, but not released until 1989, Mekanïk Kommandöh is an interesting early version of...

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(Posted by Rob Walker 1995-11-01)

Fred Thelonious Baker - Missing Link

For those of you wondering who in the world is Fred Baker with the familiar middle name, please allow me to provide background on the educated virtuoso. He’s a Birmingham College of Music...

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(Posted by Jeff Melton 2000-05-01)

Mr. Sirius - Dirge

When considering the finest releases of the Japanese symphonic rock scene, the first two albums by Mr. Sirius come to mind immediately, not only for their apparent absence of any immediately...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-10-01)

Tangle Edge - In Search of a New Dawn

It's great to finally see this album on CD, the vinyl debut of the underappreciated Tangle Edge. While the band's sound has changed considerably since it came out in 1989, adding sax and...

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(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1995-11-01)

Metamorfosi - ...E Fu il Sesto Giorno & Inferno

Metamorfosi 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...

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(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1995-07-01)

Garmarna & Hedningarna reissues

Over the last few years, I’ve had several occasions to gush about how wonderful Garmarna is, namely the release of each of their three American CDs (the first two on Omnium, the third on...

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2001-07-01)

Wind - Seasons

Wind were one of those early 70s German underground bands who were influenced by hard-rock bands like Deep Purple on one hand, but also have an Emersonian classically-influenced keyboard presence on...  » Read more
(Posted by Mike Ohman 1995-03-01)

Peter Blegvad - Downtime Etc.

After Peter Blegvad’s first two solo albums (The Naked Shakespeare in 1983 and Knights Like This from 1985) failed to make much money for his record label, the former Slapp Happy...  » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2002-09-01)

Kit Watkins - Azure, Sunstruck & In Time

Everyone should at least be aware of who Kit Watkins is. His first gig was keyboardist with the acclaimed Happy the Man, who released two outstanding albums in the late 70s, for which Kit penned...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-10-01)

Various Artists - A Bead to a Small Mouth

Each track on this compilation integrates spoken text and sound manipulation, with results both mysterious and captivating. On "A New Dress" Nurse with Wound layers shifting, hypnotic metallic...

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(Posted by Paul Hightower 1999-01-01)

John Cale - Words for the Dying

I have to admit an orchestral setting for a set of Dylan Thomas poems reminded me of many of the criticisms for many a 70s progressive rock concept album. John Cale's arrangement of this collection of...  » Read more
(Posted by Jeff Melton 2004-04-01)

Forrest Fang - The Wolf at the Ruins / Migration

The miniscule amount of Forrest Fang's music I heard before this reissue arrived was mostly electronic ambient stuff, which is nice enough but not something I'm going to seek out very often. I was...

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2013-10-15)

Shrimp Boat - Speckly

Chicago’s Shrimp Boat exemplified a regional lo-fi approach which was championed by late 80s bands such as Camper Van Beethoven, REM and the Replacements. Where many alternative rock acts appeared...  » Read more
(Posted by Jeff Melton 2006-05-01)

No-Man - Speak

No-Man began back in 1987 as a collaboration between Steve Wilson (pre-Porcupine Tree) and vocalist Tim Bowness. Over the years since then, the band has released a number of albums and EPs, mostly in...  » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2000-05-01)

Carmen - Fandangos in Space & Dancing on a Cold Wind

It's about time that these albums received a proper re-release after the butcher job the German Line label did with them in the late 80s (large parts of tracks missing, track indexes in the wrong...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2007-03-01)

Carmen - Fandangos in Space & Dancing on a Cold Wind

It's about time that these albums received a proper re-release after the butcher job the German Line label did with them in the late 80s (large parts of tracks missing, track indexes in the wrong...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2007-03-01)

Carmen - Fandangos in Space & Dancing on a Cold Wind

Do you like Jethro Tull? Curved Air? Flamenco dancing? Did you ever wish for a combination of the three? Your wish has come true, and its name is Carmen! And if you don't think they could pull off...  » Read more
(Posted by Mike Ohman 1994-02-01)

Carmen - Fandangos in Space & Dancing on a Cold Wind

Do you like Jethro Tull? Curved Air? Flamenco dancing? Did you ever wish for a combination of the three? Your wish has come true, and its name is Carmen! And if you don't think they could pull off...  » Read more
(Posted by Mike Ohman 1994-02-01)

Ozric Tentacles - Vitamin Enhanced

This six-CD set contains the early works of the band from the years 1984-89, heretofore only available on six cassettes that together cost more than this boxed set. For those not yet familiar with the...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-02-01)