All kinds of great music this week, regular old Rock and Roll, experimental, progressive rock, psychedelic rock, and krautrock!

Various Artists - Downer-Rock Genocide

"This is the ultimate and definitive anthology of ultra-heavy early 70's downer-rock, excavated from the depths of the UK Underground. What is downer-rock? Well, its later genres are better known- grunge, heavy metal, thrash, but downer stands out as the earliest incarnation of hard guitar in minor keys, the fore-runner of these latermodes. 'Downer-Rock Genocide' is a potent mix of rare, live and previously unreleased recordings assembled alongside various classic cuts culled from the archives. Amongst those featured are Vertigo riff-merchants Clear Blue Sky with 2 mega-rare tracks that pre-date their first LP. Ludicrously obscure recordings like that by one-time Black Sabbath openers Egor, who weigh in with a dark 8 minute frenzied overload, just have to be heard to be believed. Pre-Judas Priest doomsters The Flying Hat Band, get in on the action with a couple of fiercely heavy scorchers, whilst legendary outfit Writing on the Wall, Iron Maiden and Bram Stoker provide further sounds of torment and woe. Of course this collection would not be complete without a contribution from Tony Iommi's discovery Necromandus. Plus tracks by Slowbone, Red Dirt, Iron Claw, Monument & Bum. 16 menacing tracks in all."

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Ego On The Rocks - Acid In Wounderland (1980)

Early Eloy members Jurgen Rosenthal (also ex-Scorpions) and Detlev Schmidtchen combined talents in 1979 in what I consider simply to be an amazing album all the way through. Rosenthal & Schmidtchen broke ways with Frank Bornemann and Eloy after recording "Silent Cries & Mighty Echoes" and immediately began writing and recording what they considered more "creative" and "progressive" music. "Acid In Wounderland" is full of great space atmospheres combined with loads of loop and tape effects, acid like guitar solos, bass trance like grooves and loads of electronic keyboard accents. Without a question this album will take your brain into the wonderful world of deep space. The fine folks at Second Battle have found an additonal 35 minutes of unreleased EGO which includes a wickedly wonderful 20 min epic space journey called "Once In Africa". I can not say enough about this album and will recommend this to all lovers of electronic space psychedelia. (James Unger progarchives.com)

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Angus MacLise - The Invasion Of Thunderbolt Pagoda (1968-1972)

Thanks to schoub for this one!

The best available recorded documentation of MacLise's work has imperfect fidelity and sketchy details about the five tracks, recorded between 1968 and 1972. It does, however, reveal multiple facets of the percussionist's adventurous music, and firmly establishes him as a significant force in experimental sound in projects not at all related to the Velvet Underground. The most powerful and ambitious of the five cuts is the 39-minute title song, an improvised soundtrack to Ira Cohen's avant-garde film of the same name. MacLise's polyrhythmic hand drum anchors a spooky, hypnotic piece in which organ, tanpura (both played by his wife Hetty MacLise), flute, guitar, dulcimer, and disturbing vocal chants ebb and subside like a Halloween dream soundscape. Although it's not detailed in the liner notes, ghostly reverb seems to be employed on both the flute and vocals, adding to a otherworldly ambience in which psychedelia, shamanistic rhythm, avant-garde drone, and Indian music weave shifting prisms around each other. The other four selections are a real mixed bag, in the best sense of that expression. "Shortwave-India" is a one-minute blast of radio static and white noise; "Heavenly Blue Pt. 4 & 5," credited to the Universal Mutant Repertory Company, is another combination of drum and drone that puts a greater accent on Indian and Asian music influences; and "Blastitude" is a more rhythmic construction that might remind some listeners of Moroccan trance music, with periodic unascribed orgiastic yelps and sighs. The concluding "Humming in the Night Skull," featuring MacLise on song bells, Hetty MacLise on harmonium, and others on flute and guitar, is a soothing combination of tones (punctuated by a couple of baby cries), demonstrating that Angus was not entirely devoted to angst. (Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide)

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Günter Schickert - Samtvogel (1974)

A pioneer of the echo-guitar, a multi-instrumental talent and innovator of his own unique echo-rock, Günter has been long active on the Berlin scene, from the 60's in free-jazz, then fronting many bands, and also playing in concert with Klaus Schulze. He's one of the most prolific, yet least known of Krautrock musicians. His debut LP, the groundbreaking SAMTVOGEL (originally self-produced and promptly reissued on Brain) treated the guitar as a mass multi-channel sequencer, with layer upon layer of surging cycling melodies and rhythms, spiralling on in a most complex and carefully crafted manner. A kind of cosmic Krautrock with a dark otherworldly feel. (The Crack In The Cosmic Egg)

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Zarathustra - Zarathustra (1971)

Thanks to Henri for this one.

German band Zarathustra stole their name from philosopher Frederich Nietzsche but their sound came from somewhere completely else. Zarathustra were a five-piece energetic heavy progressive rock band who took the Uriah Heep - Deep Purple organ led sounds and mixed in heavy guitar drum and bass interplay. With the aggressive vocals of Ernst Herzner, this album leaves little to question and lands as a straight forward heavy krautrock album with lots of expanded instrumentation and arrangements. Overall a fine album full of nice dark and deep organ grinds and emotive vocals. (James Unger progarchives.com)

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Electric Mud - Electric Mud (1971)

A mysterious early Krautrock band, of whom we know nothing historically. And, despite a most odd name, Electric Mud were quite extraordinary, radical, dark and intensely psychedelic. Strongly Teutonic, with German lyrics, stylistically akin to Eulenspygel, Drosselbart, or early Tomorrow's Gift, with a gloomy atmosphere, lots of organ, heavy guitars and riffing. An obscure classic for fans of psychedelic Krautrock sounds. (The Crack In The Cosmic Egg)

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Staff Carpenborg And The Electric Corona - Fantastic Party (1970)

Thanks to Ryan for this rarity!

A few tracks from this have appeared on a couple well-regarded krautrock compilation albums, but most people I'm sure have never heard the entire record. This is obviously some kind of exploitation album, the cover features a group of 60's swingers and the line in German "A Dance Album For The Hot Hours" or something similar. My advice would be to not break this out at a party unless you want everyone to leave, and stay well away from anyone who is able to dance to this. Exploitation or not, the music is oddly compelling, a kind of free-form beatnik-y jazz, sometimes rhythmic, sometimes not, with spoken parts sounding a lot like a beat-era poetry reading from some 60's movie. I really would be out of my depth trying to describe this any further, and unfortunately there seems to be no information anywhere about Mr. Carpenborg, you really have to hear it for yourself! (First-rate vinyl rip bitrate 128)

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Gila - Nightworks (1972)

Although this album was never officially released at the time, this should be the second Gila album and even if only played as a radio broadcast, all of the tracks were brand new and not available on their other two albums. We can thank once again the great label Garden Of Delights for releasing officially this great album out to the public. Unfortunately this is not a studio album, so the sound is not perfect, but it is rather good given the conditions and the complicated story of the tapes.

This album is a real gem if you enjoy psych/prog rock and confirms Gila’s reputation as the German Pink Floyd (much more than Eloy will ever be), but by Floyd, one should understand the pre-DSOTM period. Yes we are dealing with mid-tempo tracks allowing for great mood swing and many semi-improvised instrumental interplay while the lyrics are generally open enough to allow flexibility. Most of the tracks have a feeling as if they were the extended versions of Floyd’s More soundtrack and you could easily glide through the skies with a doobie at your disposal.

After this record, Veit will form Popol Vuh , but will come back with Fichelscher and Florian Fricke to record the following concept album Wounded Knee about the organized massacre of Amerindians. In the mean time this posthumous release is fo be seen as a full-fledged Gila album and right on par with the historical two albums. A must for psycheads and Krautheads. (Sean Trane progarchives.com)

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Colosseum - Daughter Of Time (1970)

A concept album loosely based on man's fascination and allure for war throughout the ages, Daughter of Time contains all the elements required to create a pure progressive rock album. Joining David Greenslade and Chris Farlowe is Louis Cennamo from Renaissance, who plucks away at the bass guitar with a heavy hand. A multitude of instruments combine to create a... More brilliant melange of music on every one of the eight songs. Vibrant spurts of trombone, trumpet, and flute are driven to the height of each song, which gives way to some implements of jazz fusion. Rich organ and vibraphone can be heard in behind "Three Score and Ten Amen" and "Take Me Back to Doomsday" adding to the melancholy theme. Countering this are beautiful string arrangements made up of violin, viola, and cello used effectively to conjure up mood, and doing an excellent job. Even a flügelhorn is blared from time to time on top of the accentuated drums. A spoken word passage from Dick Heckstall-Smith creates an eerie aura, as his voice echoes on about the coming of the apocalypse. Colosseum's music works extremely well in that it builds suspense and reels the listener into the songs. As far as the lyrics go, they're stark and foreboding and have a mediaeval taste to them, coinciding with the music perfectly.

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OK that's it for this week. Think I'll do another Folk Music Week, probably next Monday. See you then.