What - Monday already?

Can - Sacrilege: The Remixes (1997)

You might say this is a different kind of tribute album - 16 tracks on 2 discs by Germany's Can, remixed by some big remixers of the day. Honestly I don't know who most of them are, save for Sonic Youth and Brian Eno. The others were big techno dudes I imagine, maybe they still are! Anyway, opinions on this are all over the map, from "major success" to "strictly for completists". Judge for yourself I say!

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Frob - Frob (1976)

Frob was a band from Westphalia Germany that released only one album of unpretentious, almost soothing, jazz-rock. Guitarist Philippe Caillat is a top notch player, and the rest of the band (keyboards, bass, drums) help maintain a high standard of musicianship. Very nice.

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Mountain - Greatest Hits Live (1974)

Recorded on 11-3-74 at the Capitol Theater in Passaic New Jersey, USA, and broadcast on the King Biscuit Flower Hour. Not the greatest recording or performance by this group, but what the heck.

1. You Better Believe It
2. Theme For An Imaginary Western
3. Never In My Life
4. Jingle Bells
5. Get Out Of My Life Woman
6. Mississippi Queen
7. It's For You
8. Nantucket Sleighride
9. Roll Over Beethoven
10. Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On
11. Bonus Interview

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Patto - Monkey's Bum (1973)

Unreleased fourth album from Patto - maybe not their best work, but worth listening to just for Ollie Halsall, whose guitar work is outstanding!

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Sinto - Right On Brother (1972)

Only album from German band Sinto - Caution: Not Krautrock! This bunch was very Anglo-sounding, playing a song-oriented brand of progressive rock. Instrumentally rich with a lot of Latin flavoring and a lot of great violin playing. Very cool and real funky. Recommended!

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FROM THE ARCHIVES:

Felt - Felt (1971)

Superb turn of the decade rock from Alabama USA. Melodic Floyd-like progressive flourishes but with blistering acid guitar, soulful vocals and shimmering keyboards. Crashing riffs and peaceful waves abound. I was hooked from the opening bars of the beautiful "Look At The Sun" and this thing held my attention until the very end. How can somebody make an album this good and just disappear? Were they chewed up by a heartless music industry, was there a personal tragedy, or, artistic vision realized, did they just move on?

Edit: After I posted this way back in 2005, I got an e-mail from the bass player who told me that shortly after the album was recorded the guitarist and main songwriter, who was only 17 (!), was busted for pot. In early 1970's Alabama this was probably a pretty serious thing. End of the band.

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German Oak - German Oak (1972)

Recorded in a WWII Air-Raid Shelter in order to get a better feeling of what it must have been like to have been a German soldier during the European Invasion of 1944, this brilliant instrumental psychedelic recording by a five man group from Dusseldorf tries to capture in sound what it must have been like. From the liner notes: "As we played down there in the old bunker, suddenly a strange atmosphere began to work. The ghosts of the past whispered. There has been fear, desperation - but also hope. Maybe you will feel such impressions too, by listening carefully". This is truly a great album!

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Dom - Edge Of Time (1970)

Supposedly recorded after a two-day acid trip, Dom's only album is a real voyage into space. This is one of those great albums that is difficult to describe. It is a hypnotic and ecstatic blend of space rock, eccentric hippie folk and Eastern mantra, constructed of intricate suites dripping with lysergic inspiration and sublime revelation. If you are going to burn this, consider leaving off track 9. This "bonus track" is from 1998 and doesn't fit in at all with the rest of the material.

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Bang - Bang (1971)

OK here's some good old-fashioned hard rock. Bang was from Pennsylvania USA and obviously loved their Black Sabbath albums. Also their Cream, Hendrix and Zeppelin records. I don't know too much about these guys but I know one thing for sure - this album kicks ass!! If you like vintage rock you need this.

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Xhol - Hau-Ruk (1970)

A live album from this obscure German progressive rock group, consisting of three long instrumental pieces, the music is at different times cosmic, bluesy and psychedelic, and will appeal to fans of experimental spacey rock. A lack of studio effects, found on their other releases, doesn't hurt this a bit.

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Alright - comments appreciated!

Happy Monday!!

Chris Bell - I Am The Cosmos (1992)

Chris Bell was a founding member of Big Star who unfortunately died in 1978 while recording his first solo album. This album then is basically a collection of a couple single sides, demos, and whatnot. Awesome sensitive, depressed, melodic 1970's singer-songwriter stuff with a few rockers thrown in the mix.

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Klaus Schulze - Moondawn (1976)

Klaus Schulze with an array of synthesizers and a drummer, Harold Grosskopf, lay out two long tracks of spacey, cosmic, sonic soundscapes. One of Schulze's best, according to some reviewers.

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Made In Germany - Made In Germany (1971)

Made In Germany was a band with a split personality! A lot of the tracks here are very good three-minute pop songs, while there are a few longer tracks, like the nine-and-a half minutes long "Man In History" that are great early 70's progressive rock. Singer Rita Peuker had a great strong Teutonic voice. They shoulda stuck with the prog material I think!

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Moebius, Neumeier, Engler - Other Places (1996)

I just picked this up in a used CD store yesterday and haven't really checked it out, but what I've heard seems to be pretty cool. Anyway, this is Dieter Moebius (Cluster), Mani Neumeier (Guru Guru) and Jürgen Engler (Die Krupps), nine tracks improvised in the studio with no overdubbing.

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Paul Kossoff - Live At Croydon Fairfield Halls (1975)

This turned out to be the last concert for Mr. Kossoff and his band Back Street Crawler. He died the following spring of a drug overdose. Great playing from a rock legend.

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FROM THE ARCHIVES:

The Sons Of Champlin - The Sons (1969)

One of the more obscure groups of the late 60's San Francisco ballroom scene, their sound is based on the Hammond B-3 organ and a prominent horn section, making their sound distinctly different from their Bay Area cohorts. They were a "Musician's Band", meaning that their releases were well received by other musicians, but really didn't connect with too many music buyers. The shorter songs are sometimes introspective and low-key, and the longer songs have the complex structures and time signature changes that one associates with progressive rock. This is their second album and probably does suffer a bit from 'sophomore slump', as all the songs were written for the album, as opposed to their first release, where they had been playing the material for a long time live. Regardless, they knew where the groove was and had no trouble getting there.

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Electric Sandwich - Electric Sandwich (1972)

No historical information is known about Electric Sandwich, though they are reputedly ex-Vinegar. Typical of many Krautrock bands of the era, they drew on a wide range of influences: jazz, blues, psychedelia, etc., and moulded their own fusion with that typically cosmic yet powerful edge. Their sole album is oddly balanced, opening with the lengthy Xhol/Kollektiv-like instrumental "China" with excellent electric sax, and thereafter establishing a more unique brand of song fronted by a gruff vocalist, in a blues and jazz accented progressive blend. Really, every track on the album is different, though a recognisable Electric Sandwich style does ride throughout.

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Epidermis - Genius Of Original Force (1977)

The songs on this release from German band Epidermis have multipart vocals, and occasional instrumental counterpoint, so they’re often compared to Gentle Giant. But their music is a lot darker and less refined than typical Gentle Giant, and I can imagine lots of people who like Gentle Giant not liking Epidermis at all, and some people who don’t like Gentle Giant liking Epidermis.

The lyrics are about the creation of the universe by God. Though the band is German and the lyrics are all in English, they’re actually only rarely bad, and accents are barely noticeable. I really like them since they’re so unique, both in topic and style. Instrumentally, the band has a lot of interplay, but not a lot of variation in their sounds or style. The keyboardist sticks almost exclusively to clavinet, the guitarist and bassist both have their own sounds they stick to as well. There are several passages with vibes or acoustic guitar though, all of which are played pretty well. Typically the compositions are centered around riffs played on the guitars and/or keyboards, few of which are very complex, but each bandmember frequently plays their own lines, and it all seems carefully thought-out in advance even if it’s not always professionally–executed.

This was obviously a low-budget album, but it’s also an extremely distinctive one - the kind of thing that is easy to find fault with but also very endearing in a lot of ways. I really like it. (dnieper111, rateyourmusic.com)

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Haboob - Haboob (1971)

This German release is a mixture of jazz-rock, soul, blues, psychedelia, really difficult to pin down. Plus it's not really a German band, the players are Americans or maybe Brits living in Munich. Star of the show is American keyboardist Jimmy Jackson, better known for his appearances on the classic early Amon Düül II albums, and albums by Embryo and Klaus Doldinger's Passport. Jackson plays something called a "Choir Organ", which seems to have been a one of a kind instrument that only he played. Best cut, for me, is the first track "Israfil" a nine minute long affair which probably wouldn't have seemed too out of place one one of the first three Amon Düül II albums. Weirdness prevails throughout the rest of the album, there's bluesy psychedelia, keyboard freak-outs, percussion extravaganzas and an unusual version of "Soldier Boy" by the Shirelles! (Vinyl Rip)

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Minotaurus - Fly Away (1978)

Minotaurus were an obscure 70’s band from Germany, who recorded 2 albums with only one ever being released "Fly Away". Inspired by the story of the Mintaurus living in King Minos' Labyrinth on Crete this 6 piece band deliver an album full of organ roaring progressive rock. This album although essentially a symphonic mindmelt does also blend in psych and space dimensions into their sound. Their overall sound is quite rich with a good chunk of mellotron and deep bass lines. Vocals (Peter Scheu) are sung in English and fit the music quite well. Instrumentally this band were amazing with inspiring and pompous keyboard leads, mellotron atmospheres , great guitar , bass and drum interplay. Overall sound carries allusions to Novalis, Marillion and Eloy. (James Unger progarchives.com)

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OK see you later!!

Howdy!

Neil Young - Dead Man (1996)

Neil Young's soundtrack to Jim Jarmusch's classic western may be too 'avant-garde' for most, particularly if they haven't seen the film. One reviewer says that this sounds like Mr. Young was "repeatedly dropping his guitar." Great stuff but you have to be in the right mood!

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Alto Pappert - Alto (1977)

Johannes "Alto" Pappert was the sax player on the first four KRAAN albums, until he quit the band in 1976. This is his first solo album, and it's some pretty cool 1970's jazzy rock. Heavy on the saxophone of course.

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Barclay James Harvest - Barclay James Harvest + Once Again (1970-1971)

This 2-on-1 CD has Barclay James Harvest's first two albums. Great stuff, "Once Again" has always been one of my favorites.

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Cluster - 71 (1971)

Great electronica from Moebius and Roedelius. Made in 1971 (duh) this doesn't sound dated at all.

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Curly Curve - Forgotten Tapes (1974)

Man if only this unreleased material had been recorded a little better - great 1970's hard rock from this German band.

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FROM THE ARCHIVES:

Creepy John Thomas - Brother Bat Bone & Creepy John Thomas (1968-1972)

Creepy John Thomas was a British band that played a kind of progressive blues-rock that still sounds great! Their records were released only in Germany, ensuring that their music remains largely unknown everywhere else! Band leader John Thomas went on to play guitar in the Edgar Broughton Band.

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Bobby Beausoleil & The Freedom Orchestra - Lucifer Rising

Bobby Beausoleil's name will be familiar to anybody who has read about the Manson Family and the murders committed in Southern California in the late 1960's. His story and the story of this album is fascinating, and I recommend using Google to find out more. I was expecting some agressive, 'satanic' music, but instead I found this album to be one of the most beautiful psychedelic recordings ever. It's hard to believe this was made by men who were in prison. The first disc is a soundtrack to a 1970's underground film by Kenneth Anger, the second disc contains some of Mr. Beausoleil's recordings from the 1960's, the highlight being a 24 minute piece by "The Magick Powerhouse Of Oz".

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Jerusalem - Jerusalem (1972)

OK this isn't progressive rock, not even close. Oilton from Brazil asked me if I had this so I put it up. This was produced by Ian Gillan and is some great heavy, hard rock that fits in with "In Rock" or "Fireball" era Deep Purple.

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Can - Tago Mago (1971)

Krautrock!! Jason from Scotland requested this masterpiece. One thing is for sure - Jaki Leibezeit on drums and Holger Czukay on bass were the best rhythm section ever to come from Germany. Add Michael Karoli's brilliant guitar and Irmin Schmidt's amazing keyboards and "Damo" Suzuki's impassioned vocals and Can may be Germany's best band ever. Driving, funky, and experimental, Tago Mago is an enormous work, one of Can's best.

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Deuter - D (1971)

George Deuter's first album is one of the finest of the early 70's German rock scene. At times reminiscent of Amon Düül II, Tangerine Dream or Popol Vuh, this was all done by George himself with no outside help whatsoever. Spacey, atmospheric, dramatic, pastoral, percussive, this is an overlooked gem of Krautrock.

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Kalacakra - Crawling To Lhasa (1974)

The general weirdness, the trippy, stoned psychedelia of this slab of German acid-folk will appeal to a lot of people. Eastern-tinged and dreamy, eclectic and strange, this meditative and reflective combination of mantras, blues and folk music definitely is worth a listen.

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OK! I hope everyone finds something to like this week. See ya!

OK Nice to be back - I got home from a trip last week to find that I have real problems with my cable connection. My transfer rates are at times less than half of what I've had for years. Uploading is impossible except in the morning! The cable guy said my modem was alright, but I replaced it anyway, (actually I didn't realize I was renting it) and reinstalled windows, to no avail. I hope this can be sorted out, it's a pain in the patoot not knowing at any given time if I can upload or not. Well I'm sure you all really care about this. While I was at it I got the latest versions of EAC and LAME - these are my rips, except for the Os Mundi. Here we go!

Os Mundi - 43 Minuten (1972)

Os Mundi was a band from Berlin, the brainchild of one Udo Arndt, that released only two albums. I posted their first, "Latin Mass", a long time ago, it's reposted, just a couple posts down. This album, 43 Minuten, is very different from their earlier release though, being not nearly so dark and heavy. Some of the tracks sound like a kind of Teutonic melding of early King Crimson and Chicago - well maybe that's not a very good description. Overall this is great early 70's progressive rock with some jazzy touches - and some great guitar from Mr. Arndt.

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Paul Kantner, Grace Slick, & David Freiberg - Baron Von Tollbooth & The Chrome Nun (1973)

An unjustly overlooked gem, this is basically the Jefferson Airplane without Marty Balin, with help from Jerry Garcia, Micky Hart, David Crosby and others. Some great songs, and Grace Slick has hardly ever sounded better. This is an awesome album with a great lineup of musicians and great songs, what more do you want? Essential for any Jefferson Airplane fan.

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Rev. Louis Overstreet - With His Sons And The Congregation Of St. Luke's Powerhouse Church Of God In Christ

This is a good old fashioned gospel rave-up, with 16 tracks recorded during services in the early 1960's. This is intense, raw, energetic worship music that probably would terrify most fans of today's white-bread "Christian Music". Well good! The Reverend sings in a deep dark voice, playing some sparse early R & B style riffs on his guitar, accompanied by a bass drum, all in front of a wall of sound coming from the congregation - hoo boy.

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Vinegar - Vinegar (1971)

Only one album from German band Vinegar, and it's a classic of garage-y underground progressive rock. Very German-sounding, the songs sometimes bring to mind other bands like Gomorrha and Amon Düül II, even Pink Floyd! A gem of unknown innovative rock from an obscure band! That's what it's all about!

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Panzerballet - Panzerballet (2005)

I think this is the most contemporary thing I have ever posted! This is modern music with it's roots in 1970's jazz fusion. Panzerballet is a German quartet (guitar, sax, bass, drums) that plays a hard and hot fusion that mixes in a little heavy funk and some metal riffing. This will hit you right between the eyes!

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FROM THE ARCHIVES

Junco Partners - Junco Partners (1970)

This is the kind of 'find' that keeps me going. No matter how long you mine rock music from this era, there are always more great albums to be discovered. I got this rarity off the net a while ago, and it's a vinyl rip, and the LP wasn't in that great a shape. I managed to get rid of almost all the pops and clicks, but slight surface noise can still be heard on some of the quieter passages. It is very listenable though, so don't let this stop you from downloading this, as it is a thoroughly enjoyable album by an obscure four-piece band from England, soulful and bluesy. The songs are great and the band had it's own sound with a vocalist perfectly suited for the music.

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I Drive - I Drive (1972)

I Drive was one of many British groups that played the club circuit in Germany to make a living, and recorded their only album there. Though they were picked up by a former Beatles manager, the album failed due to a lack of promotion and lousy distribution, and the band broke up. Which was too bad because the music is top notch, on a par with the music of the big acts of the day like Atomic Rooster, Budgie, Deep Purple just to name a few. The album contains some brutal rock, some softer material, great production, great vocals and brilliant musicianship. Disc one is the album from 1972, disc 2 contains demos and whatnot from 1969-1972.

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Embryo - Bremen 1971

The German band Embryo performed on 9/23/1971 at the Leibnizplatz High School in Bremen and the gig was recorded by Radio Bremen and broadcast in the series “Jazz Live“. This was just after the release of their second album, "Embryo's Rache" (Embryo's Revenge). The material is experimental psych/prog rock/jazz, but not nearly as jazzy as some of their later material, which is OK by me. The album consists of four tracks, and for me the highlight is the 26 minute long "SpainYes, Franco Finished", which got the group banned from Spain! This is some real tasty stuff, which you will like a lot.

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Audience - Lunch (1972)

I love this album, but it must have been a shock to listeners back in '72, because it is completely different from it's predecessor, "The House On The Hill" that I posted a couple months ago. This is nothing but an exercise in upbeat, quirky, fun rock. Instrumentally there are no electric guitars or synthesizers, only bass, acoustic guitars, vibes, marimbas, horns and reeds...and whistling. Every time I listen to this my spirits lift and I have the whistling break from "Hula Girl" in my head for days.

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Arktis - On The Rocks (1976)

The third album from a great German band, Arktis. A pounding rhythm section, swirling keyboards, powerful, understated female vocals (in English) and some truly great electric guitar make this an album that I listen to on a regular basis. The 20 minute long "Loneliness" is a highlight. Well, maybe "Dangerous Love". Actually, the whole album is terrific.

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String Driven Thing - The Machine That Cried (1973)

OK this is an uneven album. There are some slow ballad-y numbers that seem to hamper the proceedings, but I have gotten to like them over time. Actually, maybe it's just that I don't mind them so much! This is their third album, and their first foray into progressive rock territory, thanks to the addition of Grahame Smith (later of Van Der Graaf Generator) on electric violin. The manic psychedelic tracks like "Sold Down The River", "Heartfeeder" and a few others make this worth getting.

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Alright - See ya!