Sorry - nothing uploaded for this week!

FROM THE ARCHIVES:

Czar - Czar (1970)

The four members of Czar began as "Tuesday's Children" in 1967. They played the well-known clubs like the Marquee, toured with The Moody Blues, Pink Floyd, The Nice, The Animals, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, King Crimson and many others. In 1970 they changed their name to "Czar", recorded an album and promptly disappeared. The album they left behind is a pretty good proto-progressive/psychedelic effort, dominated by Mellotron and Hammond organ battling against some blues-based guitar riffs and thudding drums. Britain in the late sixties and early seventies wasn't exactly undergoing a shortage of bands like Czar, bands that today are described as 'proto-prog', and Czar probably isn't the best of them, but their album is well worth having and is a real good addition to the collection of anyone interested in rock music from this era. Ripped @ 320. Artwork included.

Download

Marianne Faithfull - Greatest Hits (1987)

This is my Thrift Store find this week. This CD was released on the Abkco label in 1987, Executive Producer Andrew Loog Oldham. I wonder whatever happened to him. Wasn't he the "Sixth Rolling Stone" or something? Anyway this has 16 tracks purporting to be her greatest hits. I don't know her music at all, but I picked this up for one dollar thinking that some, at least, of the horde of readers bound to be attracted to my blog would appreciate it. LOL! Ripped @ 320. Artwork included.

Download

Gomorrha - I Turned To See Whose Voice It Was (1972)

Doomy and aggressive yet brimming with a cosmic folkiness, this near-masterpiece of psychedelic German rock was released in 1972, marking the high point and the climax of Gomorrha's short career. Dominated by a churchy Hammond organ played by Eberhard Krietsch and the spaced out acid guitars of Ali Claudi and Ad Ochel, the lyrics are suitably bizarre, concerning life, death, religion and visionary dreams with a lot of quoting from the Book of Revelation by English singer Peter Otten. Bassist Mike Eulner and drummer Helmut Pohl anchor some tasty psychedelic jams that are played in the fashion that only the best Krautrockers can pull off. This is a brilliant mix of psychedelic and progressive rock that never gets raunchy or heavy. Head-melting electric guitars, Hammond organ freakouts mingling with quiet acoustic passages and weird lyrics make this an album that should be in any Krautrock fan's collection. Artwork included.

Download

Taste - Taste (1969)

Taste - On The Boards (1970)

In the late sixties Rory Gallagher fronted a power trio with Richard 'Charlie' McCracken on bass and John Wilson on drums. This band recorded two studio albums before imploding, and these albums are as different as they could be. The first one, "Taste" is raw. Really raw. I'm no expert, but it sounds like it was recorded live to four-track in a small studio, with little if any overdubbing or post production. Rory's guitar playing could be heavy-handed, some of the leads seem to wander, there might have been some slight issues with tuning, but Taste had soul, there's no denying that, and there are moments of greatness on this first record. The second record "On The Boards" has Rory showing a little restraint, the production is slick, the songwriting is markedly improved, with a sometimes jazzy, experimental thing going on. Personally I think "On The Boards" is the best thing Rory Gallagher ever did. As different as these two albums are, if you like guitar playing you need them both.

Taste:
Download

On The Boards:
Download

Golem - Orion Awakes (1973)

Alright. Now for some Krautrock (possibly fake!). All indications are that Golem's "Orion Awakes" is considered an obscure classic of psychedelia from the German underground scene of the early seventies. Well I don't really know what to make of that. If I even had one microgram of a mind-altering substance in my body, I would be afraid to listen to this thing!. There are no long drawn-out spacy instrumental jams, no songs about love and peace, the emphasis is on trance-inducing, hammering, pulsing, pounding grooves. This is some real wild stuff and deserves a listen. Interestingly, this was produced by one Genesis P Orridge, later of Throbbing Gristle.

Download

Gäa - Alraunes Alptraum (1973)

Gäa (In English Gaia) was a suitably cosmic band of German deep-space voyagers who released one brilliant album (Auf Der Bahn Zum Uranus - On The Road To Uranus) to absolutely no acclaim, then broke up. "Alraunes Alptraum" (something about a nightmare) is a collection of unreleased material that is just as good I think as the stuff on their regular release. Gäa was the real deal, the real Krautrock deal. Enigmatic lyrics sung in German, spacy jams, quiet passages, crescendoes, climaxes, amazing instrumental interplay. If you are remotely interested in Krautrock, you should check this one out.

Download

OK see ya.

Hi gang - hey look things are going to be kind of touch-and-go for a month or so, but I'll try to post what I can when I can!!

Dennis - Hyperthalamus (1975)

I originally posted this pretty obscure classic back in January of 2006. This is a brand new rip, not seen in the sharity world before as far as I can tell, it is well worth replacing the copy you have if you already have this. Anyway, Dennis was a collection of Hamburg musicians, never a working band - everyone was already in another band, bands like Frumpy, Xhol, Thirsty Moon, Tomorrow's Gift, and others. A great collection of jams from some very good musicians, the music ranging from progressive to cosmic, very diverse.

Bitrate 320 w/covers Download

Kedama - Live At Sunrise Studios (1976)

Only release from this strictly-instrumental Swiss prog group. The original album was kinda short, but there is a bunch of bonus material, from their unreleased second album and other sources. The music bears some comparison to King Crimson I guess. The songs are complex and surprisingly powerful at times. This also (the original release, the first four tracks) has the distinction of being recorded with the Artificial Head microphone - there are notes in the file about this odd 70's invention. It would be cool to know how many albums were recorded with this. Anyway a pretty cool album.

Bitrate 192 w/artwork Download

Plainsong - In Search Of Amelia Earhart (1972)

Plainsong was a short-lived band mostly notable for it's two singers/guitarists, Ian Matthews (ex-Fairport Convention, Matthews Southern Comfort) and Andy Roberts (ex-Liverpool Scene). There's a couple tunes relating to Ms. Earhart, but I don't think this is a concept album although I could be wrong. A collection of eleven great tunes (well mostly), sometimes rollicking and fun, sometimes haunting, with a high degree of songwriting, musicianship and vocals.

High VBR w/covers Download

Kreuzweg - Kreuzweg (1982)

I got this a long time ago from one of my fellow bloggers (thanks hmemnon)who could probably post more often! Anyway I've never been able to find out anything about this appealing release. The vocals are in German, which I like, and the music is a very accessible style of progressive rock using a wide variety of instruments - almost a hybrid kind of symphonic pop/prog. Very nice.

Bitrate 192 w/artwork Download

Embryo - Embryo's Rache (1971)

Embryo's second album is a worthy follow-up to their first groundbreaking album. A brilliant fusion of prog/jazz/folk with some Eastern touches. A great album. I though about buying this because the back cover is real shaky, then I found that this thing goes for big bucks! Who needs a back cover anyway, right?

Bitrate 256 w/covers Download

FROM THE ARCHIVES:

Annexus Quam - Osmose (1970)

A hippy band called "Ambition Of Music" hooked up with members of a religious brass band to become one of the most innovative of underground Krautrock bands, Annexus Quam. These seven guys then proceeded to help lay the foundation for a new kind of music, a spacy fusion of psychedelia, avante-garde, jazz and rock. A very trippy album, the use of effects and the loose jazz drumming create a sound somewhere between 'Phallus Dei' - era Amon Düül II, Faust, and Kollectiv. The last side long piece on the album ("IV") is the standout track. With its interplay between guitar and sax, the droning vocals (Amon Duul II style!), jazz bass and piano, Annexus Quam create an unheard of music from another world. You recognize all the parts, but when they are put together they create something entirely different.

Download

Dschinn - Dschinn (1972)

The German band Dschinn put out this one album of conventional - well maybe you could call it psychedelic hard prog - hard rock and then disappeared from sight. The originality and innovation found in a lot of Krautrock from this era is lacking here, but this is nonetheless a great album, originality and innovation being casually replaced by impudent power. With a gravelly-voiced singer and a hyperactive and talented lead guitarist this is a fine example of German rock. The original album had nine tracks, this release has 12 bonus tracks which appear to be outtakes and versions, and possibly some pre-Dschinn material.

Part 1 Part 2

If - If2 (1970)

"If's second album appeared only months after the debut, and confirmed further that the band had found their musical formula. There were no songs here that could be suitable as singles, with the possible exception of "Tarmac T. Pirate and the Lonesome Nymphomaniac". The rest of the material followed the typical If-style with catchy songs built around extended and complex instrumental excursions. The opener "Your City is Falling" has one of the best melodies on the album, and is followed by another winner in "Sad Sunday". It starts with a beautiful flute that introduces the main melody of the track before Hodgkinson's vocals takes over. Terry Smiths stretches out with a long solo that leads up to the obligatory flute/sax/organ riffs and solos. "I Couldn't Write and Tell You" has a fairly similar structure, but with a happier melody. The ballad "Echoes and Shadows" features fast, jazzy solos in the middle that very efficiently breaks up the laid-back mood of the song. "Song for Elsa, Three Days Before Her 25th Birthday" closes the album with yet another intense and complex dose of jazzy progressive rock. If were at their creative peak from 1970 to 1972, and "If 2" was the second proof of that". (From the internet, and thanks to original uploader, Hasse!)

Download

Out Of Focus - Four Letter Monday Afternoon (1972)

"One of the most incredible and perhaps the most complex album of the Krautrock genre, 'Four Letter Monday Afternoon' is quite possibly the strongest of all the Krautrock double-albums.For this album, the band expanded to an 11-piece group, adding an extra guitarist as well as a brass section. This expansion in members caused the group to create some of the most incredibly complex arrangements which must have made King Crimson turn crimson with envy! For instance, during the 48-minute epic 'Huchen', there are a few parts when a trained-ear can pick out 9 or 10 of the musicians doing his own thing! The music is probably not for everybody, but adventurous listeners and thrill seekers alike are seriously encouraged to give this album a try. Trying to choose a standout track on this monster proves to be a daunting task. 'Where Have You Been' stands out as a soft guitar and flute based folk ballad, but is too simple when compared to the rest of the music on this album. 'Black Cards' on the other hand is a jazzy number which contains a plethora of multi-tracked flute and sax solos and a steady guitar, bass, and drum backbone. However, for my money, I would have to go with the 48-minute epic, Huchen. Nowhere else within the genre can you find arrangements and performances of this caliber. From the opening multi-tracked flute solo to the dueling sax jam and everything else in between, 'Huchen' is truly an awe-inspiring track and a perfect ending to a great album." (krautrockgroup.com)

Part 1 Part 2

Eela Craig - Eela Craig (1971)

"Eela Craig is probably the best known progressive rock band from Austria, and the self-titled debut is generally regarded as their best record. The style is a bit more symphonic than most of their early 70s German contemporaries, coming closest to the work of bands like Sahara, Zarathustra or Satin Whale. The band are at their best during their extended jams, with Hammond organ and blistering guitar backed by heaps of mellotron and the occasional flute motif. The vocalist sounds like a Teutonic Jimi Hendrix, which can either be really cheesy or pretty cool, depending on how you look at it. Likewise, the guitarist seems to draw ample influence from old Jimi at his fuzzed-out best." (progweed.net)

Download

Bodkin - Bodkin (1972)

"Here's another early 1970's progressive/hard rock gem from the U.K., finally seeing the light of day after almost thirty years. Bodkin were a five piece ensemble led by the formidable talents of Hammond Organ player Doug Rome, who at the age of 21 at the time of this recording, proved that he could keep up with the heavyweights of the time. Some of those names are Jon Lord, Keith Emerson, Ken Hensley, and Vincent Crane. In fact, this CD is so oozing distorted organ sounds, one might think that some long lost Uriah Heep or Atomic Rooster album was playing. Set inside a bizarre and ominous digipack sleeve design containing hellish pictures of wolves and goats is one rocking set of vintage sounding tunes. The opener is a two part suite called "Three Days After Death" that contains plenty of raging Hammond and complex and heavy guitar work. At just under seventeen minutes long, the band really gets to cook on this one. Another strong song is "Aunt Mary's Trashcan" featuring a snarling guitar riff to go along with some evil Hammond chords. While I would not call this metal, it's not quite prog either. Plenty of time changes and rampaging solos abound, and the band plays with such conviction that it's hard not to shake your head and take notice. The lead vocals of Jeke Huim are quite strong, especially on the mind numbing closer "Plastic Man." Fans of Deep Purple, Iron Butterfly, Uriah Heep, Atomic Rooster, and Collosseum would be well advised to check into this scorching set of Hammond drenched craziness!" (Pete Pardo)

Download

Morpheus - Rabenteur (1976)

The band started out in 1971 as OPOSSUM, a six-member jazz-rock outfit. With time, dissention set in as two of the members wanted to tie the band down to free jazz while the other four wanted to rock. So in 1975, the foursome walked out, regrouped as MORPHEUS* and released a self-produced album titled “Rabenteuer” – a name which combines the German words for “raven” and “adventure”, as in “Raventure”. An inventive progressive fusion band, with a notable debt to Kraan, Aera and nods to Munju, Missus Beastly and Secret Oyster. Morpheus' sole self-produced LP is an unknown gem. The music is full of warmth, strong melodies and some great riffing, with a wealth of Alto Pappert style sax soloing and Peter Wolbrandt Kraan styled guitar. Being partly improvised, the music has an almost ‘live’ feel to it. The CD version includes a bonus track, a terrific 20-minute jam session salvaged from the master tapes.

Download

Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Strictly Personal (1968)

"Considered by many to be a substandard effort due to the circumstances of its release (producer Bob Krasnow, the owner of Blue Thumb, the label which debuted with this album, remixed the album while Don Van Vliet and crew were off on a European tour, adding extraneous sound effects like heartbeats and excessive use of psychedelic-era clichés like out-of-phase stereo panning and flanging), 1968's Strictly Personal is actually a terrific album, every bit the equal of Safe As Milk and Trout Mask Replica. Opening with "Ah Feel Like Ahcid," an a cappella blues workout with its roots in Son House's "Death Letter," the brief (barely 35 minutes) album is at the same time simpler and weirder than Safe As Milk had been. Working without another songwriter or arranger for the first time, Captain Beefheart strips his idiosyncratic blues down to the bone, with several of the songs (especially "Son of Mirror Man/Mere Man") having little in the way of lyrics or chords beyond the most primeval stomp. Krasnow's unfortunate sound effects and phasing do detract from the album at points, but the strength of the performances, especially those of drummer John French, make his efforts little more than superfluous window dressing. Strictly Personal is a fascinating, underrated release." (Stewart Mason, All Music Guide)

Download

Os Mundi - Latin Mass (1971)

Like a few brave others (Electric Prunes, Spooky Tooth and Eela Craig), German underground band Os Mundi altered and recorded a lively rock version of a classical Latin mass. “Latin Mass” is a very psychedelic Krautrock album combined with Latin lyrics giving the listener something very original and progressive. The end result is a hybrid of lets say Amon Düül II, Tangerine Dream's (aka 'Electronic Meditation') and Spooky Tooth. This album was a tour de force of heavy, powerful guitars and huge vibrating garage organ grinds with an overall dark sinister atmosphere.

Part 1 Part 2

OK see you!!!

Hello, thanks for checking in this week!

Fashion Pink - ...To Brainstorm (SWF Sessions)

Fashion Pink was a German band that would later change it's name to Brainstorm - this disc contains material recorded for SWF Radio in 1970 and 1971. The tracks range from song-oriented psychedelic rock to complex progressive rock to the jazzy krautrock that Brainstorm is known for. I've posted all the Brainstorm albums I think - use the "search this blog" function at the top of the page if you're interested!

Bitrate 224 w/covers Part 1 Part 2

Stoneground - Family Album (1971)

I haven't stopped listening to this thing since it came in the mail last week! Hot dang, these guys were great. Originally released as a double album with three sides of live material and one side of studio material, this has never has a proper CD release. This CD-R has some minor flaws, hardly noticeable, but it'll have to do until this album gets a proper re-issue. After repeated listenings I have come to think that Sal Valentino (ex Beau Brummels) is the greatest unrecognized songwriter/guitarist of the hippie era! Stoneground was also blessed with some fantastic female vocalists. Like Annie Sampson - her duet with Mr. Valentino on "Precious Lord" is awesome. Their first self-titled album is also brilliant and can be found in the archives.

High VBR w/artwork Part 1 Part 2

A.R. & Machines - A.R. IV (1973)

Another vinyl rip - I'm not sure this has ever made it to CD. A.R. is of course Achim Reichel, formerly of Germany's The Rattles. Two side-long pieces of spacy cosmicness featuring Mr. Reichel's "echo guitar" aided by a host of other musicians.

High VBR w/covers Download

Thundermother - No Red Rowan (1971)

This is the same band that appears on the second half of the "Astral Navigations" CD from Holyground Records. Great material recorded in 1970 and 1971. Psychedelic freakouts with almost non-stop fuzzed out wah-wah guitar. Very appealing stuff.

Bitrate 192 w/covers Download

Coupla Prog - Edmundo Lopez (1970)

Volume 4 in the SWF Sessions series is a 'rock opera' (for lack of a better term) performed live in the studio by Coupla Prog. Great tunes, but I gotta say I don't know what the story is about, brilliant keyboard playing all the way. They never had a record contract but thanks to SWF Radio there are I think four Coupla Prog albums about nowadays. German underground rock at it's best.

Bitrate 192 w/covers Download

FROM THE ARCHIVES:

Coupla Prog - Death Is A Great Gambler (1972)

Haven't been able to find out a whole lot about this terrific German band - it seems they weren't that interested in becoming rock stars. They aren't even mentioned by the main krautrock references! Politically oriented, their energy was directed at playing rallies and benefits, there were no albums released during the band's lifetime. Rolf Peters, the guitarist and main songwriter, died of an overdose of alcohol and sleeping pills at the ripe old age of 21. These guys were good musicians, the music is rhythm and blues based, song-oriented proggy rock that can seem a little theatrical at times. All in all a great CD for krautrock fans.

Download

Ocean - God's Clown (1976)

Information on this obscure French band is hard to come by, but I did find a review of a later album on a Metal site, so I assume they changed musical direction sometime after releasing this, their first album. This is a real tasty slice of progressive rock, with English vocals, and they manage to bring to mind a more proggy Led Zeppelin, or maybe a harder rockin' King Crimson! Very nice addition to any prog collection.

Download

Noir - We Had To Let You Have It (1971)

What a sweet little album this is. The only release from England's first all-black rock band, this is a smooth, low-key, kinda funky, kinda prog record with some brilliant guitar work and some real nice percussion and soulful vocals.The first track, "Rain" reminds me a little of the Chambers Brothers, the rest of the album is smoky and inspirited, sometimes a little gospelly and tribal. Great album, undeservedly obscure. When I ripped it, it wasn't even listed in the Compact Disc Data Base!

Download

Syd Barrett - Magnesium Proverbs

Since Mr. Barrett passed away last week, I thought I would pass along this great bootleg I got from a torrent. Standard bootleg stuff, you know the drill - radio and television broadcasts, acetetes, alternate mixes, and rare live performances. Of the twenty three tracks fifteen are Syd with Pink Floyd. Four tracks are from Syd's only live solo appearance in London, 1970. Four tracks with Syd, David Gilmour and David Shirley.

Part 1 Part 2

Bwana - Bwana (1972)

Fantastic Latin funk/psych rare groove special from 1972; as Latin mavens Dusty Groove say, it's 'an insanely wonderful bit of Latin funk! The groove is super heavy, and falls somewhere in between NuYorican soul and Chicano Power rock -- with a sound that's pretty close to Black Sugar, but a little bit more psychedelic, due to the heavy guitars and keyboards in the grooves. Hard congas take the lead on most of the tracks -- especially the cut 'Chapumbambe,' which starts with a nice breakbeat.' Astral-planar Latin jams, with blazing guitar and organ laid down over hot funk/psych grooves; leads off with the eight-minute runaway train 'Tema de Bwana'; what's next, you wonder? Why it's the intricate twin-guitar progressive call and response jam of 'La Patada'; the rest gets better from there, with songs that shift and flow until they hit an acid freakout point -- check out the end of 'Chapumbambe' or the second half of the thirteen-plus minute soul/psych style rave up 'Lolita' that closes the album."

Download

OK see ya!

Well here we are starting the third year!

Wallenstein - Mother Universe (1972)

The second release from German band Wallenstein is a great album of vintage prog/space-rock. Brilliant keyboard playing by Jurgen Dollase, fantastic drumming from Harald Grosskopf, and guitarist Bill Barone contributes some solid rock playing and fiery leads. Vocalist Jerry Berkers may be a acquired taste for some. Overall a very solid album and a classic of German prog.

Bitrate 320 w/artwork Download

Paladin - Jazzattack (1996)

Paladin was an early 70's British band who released two very good albums, "Paladin" and "Charge". While preparing for the reissue of the two albums in 1996, they came across some demo tapes recorded before the debut album and other unreleased material, and released these tracks as "Jazzattack". For some reason this album was released only in Brazil! Personally I don't think the tracks are all that jazzy - they sound like real good early 70's rock to me.

High VBR w/artwork Part 1 Part 2

Neu! - Neu! (1971)

First album from German duo NEU! is a classic of krautrock, at times avante-garde, minimalist, ambient and hypnotic. Brilliant work from Michael Rother and Klaus Dinger, not to mention the producer Konrad Plank. This is a work of great originality, and sounds like it could have been recorded yesterday, not 35 years ago!

Bitrate 256 w/covers Download

Last Exit - Iron Path (1988)

Couple weeks ago a guy e-mailed me, asking if I had this. Turns out I did, but at a low bitrate with no artwork. When I double-clicked on the Mp3 files I was stunned - how could I have forgotten this awesome album? Anyway I was lucky to find a copy of this out-of-print CD. Last Exit was an avant-garde jazz supergroup made up of Sonny Sharrock on guitar, Peter Brötzmann on saxophone, Bill Laswell on bass, and Ronald Shannon Jackson on drums. Iron Path was their sole studio recording, all the others were recorded live. The music is difficult to describe - powerful, energetic...and awesome!

High VBR w/artwork Download

Between - Silence Beyond Time (1980)

I think this was the last of the Between albums from Peter Michael Hamel, if you've heard any of the others, I've posted a few, you know what to expect. Beautiful and complex, yet very peaceful, with a lot of ethnic influences.

High VBR w/artwork Part 1 Part 2

FROM THE ARCHIVES!

Missing Link - Nevergreen! (1972)

An unusual band from Munich, blending progressive rock and jazz fusion in a similar way to Pell Mell's blending of rock and classical, in fact there is much in common between these two bands, especially in the song style, though the album NEVERGREEN! is very varied, exploring a different genre with almost every track. Missing Link historically are pretty obscure, although Dieter Miekautsch did later join Missus Beastly and then go on to Embryo. These were one of the lesser known United Artists acts, based in Munich. Nevergreen! was recorded at the Dierks Studio in October 1972. On the seven tracks (plus two bonus tracks) a complex and varied musical style emerged. It included jazz sax riffing ("Sorcery"), some solo piano parts ("Song For Ann"), loud rock outbursts ("Kids Hunting") and matching acoustic guitars ("Spoiled Love"). However, the overall sound is quite jazzy, so the album will appeal most to fans of Embryo, Xhol, Ardo Dombec, Thirsty Moon, etc. Actually, Dieter Miekautsch joined Embryo (also Missus Beastley) after the group's demise in 1973. Drummer Holger Brandt later joined Sahara. The Missing Link album is quite good. (Crack In The Cosmic Egg/Cosmic Dreams At Play)

Download

Pinguin - Der Grosse Rote Vogel (1971)

Pinguin's only release, though they had previously made a record under the name of Talix. This is organ-based prog, though with enough guitar leads and saxophone jamming and flute breaks to keep everybody happy. As happy as you can be listening to this dark and sinister sounding stuff anyway. As you can tell from the title, the vocals are in German; one reviewer said the lyrics are 'crap', but since I don't understand German, this doesn't bother me! German vocals just add to the atmosphere, as far as I'm concerned. Favorite cut is the title track, with a riff that has really stuck in my head. I can't find this for sale as a CD anywhere, only as an LP, and the back cover looks homemade, so I'd guess we have a first-class vinyl rip here! All in all this is a very appealing album, highly recommended, an unheralded Krautrock classic!

Download

Temple - Temple (1976)

I like this little album from what was apparently a sub-underground band. They are featured on the "Unknown Deutchland" series, I posted "Krautrock Archive Vol. 1" a while back. Keyboard player is Zeus B. Held, who garnered more attention as a producer later, doing some re-mixes of Gary Numan. The occasional female vocals are from Pauline Fund who is on the "Cozmic Corridors" CD. The male vocals are by "Poseidon". Two pretty frantic electric guitarists are on board, and of course bass and drums. The sound can get pretty cluttered at times, but the music is well done and seems passionately performed. Layers of synthesizers, guitars, percussion solos, distorted vocals, peaceful one track frantic the next, moody and aggressive, what's not to like here?

Download

Tetragon - Nature (1971)

An obscure band, Tetragon originated from Osnabrück in Northern Germany from the Brian Auger inspired Blues Limited. Later, after discovering The Nice, they changed their style and became the organ fronted trio Trikolon, ( I posted their album "Cluster" a couple weeks ago) and upon becoming a quartet by adding a guitarist they changed name to Tetragon! After having toured with their Dutch heroes Ekseption, it's not surprising that Tetragon moved to an ever-more complex classical rock with extensive use of rearranged Bach and other classical themes. The deliberate accent on their blues and psychedelic roots guaranteed a unique twist on the genre, though on their sole album Nature one can detect much of The Nice, Egg and Dutch progressive stylisms. An unknown classic. (The Crack In The Cosmic Egg)

Part 1 Part 2

Sand - Ultrasonic Seraphim (1996)

The incredibly obscure - yet highly significant - Sand lived for a few brief years in early '70s Berlin. Ultrasonic Seraphim brings together virtually all their major work. Most importantly, it contains the entire "Golem" album from 1974, arguably the most advanced, unrecognised and seminal Krautrock album of its time (Tracks 1-5, disc 1). Recorded on eight-track for a sound system that never really took off, the Artificial Head, "Golem" will trip the living orbs out of your nuclear matter. Imagine having your head in the rotor blades of a Helicopter, being seduced by ancient ritualism and unknown magic in a pitch black Bavarian forest, tossed through a star chamber with your eyes pinned open and four dimensions whirling simultaneously in kaleidoscopic colours. That's Golem. Rediscovered by David Tibet and Steve Stapleton-Nurse With Wound, Ultrasonic Seraphim is a masterpiece of anytime, particularly as it adds unreleased tracks and variations on the "Golem" originals.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

If you just want to burn the Golem album, the first five tracks of disc 1, here are the front and back covers-

Golem Covers

Black Sabbath - War Pigs

This great sounding bootleg was recorded in Paris, 12 December 1970, and features versions of some of their best early material.

1. Paranoid
2. Hand Of Doom
3. Iron Man
4. N.I.B.
5. Behind The Wall Of Sleep
6. War Pigs
7. Fairies Wear Boots
8. Black Sabbath

Download

Antrobus / The Flying Hat Band (1972 / 1974)

Occasionally I am going to rescue a post from the early days of the blog, back when there wasn't all that much traffic, and give some great albums another shot. I think this was one of the very first albums I posted, now it is at a higher bitrate (256) than the original post

ANTROBUS / THE FLYING HAT BAND (Buried Together) Split-CD: ANTROBUS were formed in early '71 when Britain's heavy progressive rock underground scene was in full flight. The band exsisted for only one year, and they had no real rehearsal place and that's hard to believe while listening to the nine tracks that were never officially released. They are playing at an amazingly high standard and had accomplished song-writing abilities. Like some of their comrades, they are using flute and organ but the songs are more focused on heavy riffs and bluesy vocals. A hard-driving rock approach was adopted but the ability to contrast their sound with classy melodic harmonies is apparent too. And when ANTROBUS were playing hard and heavy, they were just an awesome force. Mixed up with a few sound-effects and a lot of guitarwork, this band had created an effective creepy heavy ass-kickin' sound in their short lifetime. The sound quality isn't high fidelity, but good enough for an enjoyable listening and sometimes I wonder that these recordings are dated from the early 70's, due to their refreshing energy.

The second band on this split-CD is THE FLYING HAT BAND. This was the group where Glen Tipton played, before he left to join Judas Priest. TFHB existed only for a short time and the featured four songs are dated back to '74. The songs are also released here for the very first time, so that one can listen to some ferocious guitar leads and intense riffing. But this band doesn't sound like a Priest forerunner. "Lost Time" is fine acoustic bluesy song, with a slight Latino vibe, while "Reaching for the Stars" got a groovy rhythm-line and the album closes with excessive guitars in "Coming of the Lord". This powerful outfit wasn't around long enough to gain the respect that the energy and drive of their music demanded. They'd got the chance to record an album for a proposed LP on the WWA label and had entered a London studio where they began recording songs. But due to unknown reasons, this album was never released. "Buried Together" comes with a very doomy cover-artwork (remember "Die Healing"?) and if you're discovering this disc somewhere then get it. My personal winners are the heavy ANTROBUS, but TFHB have also their highlights. This CD was released by the German re-issue label SPM International, who have also re-released such bands as Groundhogs, Janus, Bodkin, T2 and more, and the English label World Wide Records.

Part 1 Part 2

OK see you next week!