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.

High VBR w/scans Part 1 Part 2

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.

Part 1 Part 2

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!