Spherical Objects - Further Ellipses (Great Manchester scene Post-Punk 1980)

Further Ellipses was recorded with an entirely different personnel than the first two S.O. albums. By 1980, guitarist John Bisset-Smith quit the group to concentrate on his work in Grow Up, and the rest of the band followed suit, citing various other reasons. The first lineup of Spherical Objects had performed live only a few times, including one gig opening for Magazine, during which they were booed and spat on by an impatient audience. Perhaps it is not surprising, then, that it was so easy for the band to move on to other projects. In their place, Solamar recruited guitarist Roger Blackburn (also from Grow Up), and session players drawn from the ranks of the Manchester Musicians' Collective. (It's worth noting that the MMC was an organization that Solamar actively promoted during his time in the music business, releasing a compilation LP called A Manchester Collection on Object that showcased the work of these young artists.)
Not least because of the fact that right around the time of its release, Solamar finally made the decision to become a woman, Further Ellipses has the feel of a transitional work. As an album, it is neither here nor there, and for much of the time, the session musicians seem like they are anywhere but present as they are playing. It's hard to escape the lackluster feeling of much of the record, and even virtuoso touches like the Spanish guitar on "The Final Part" or the saxophone solo on "Regular Condition" sound terribly corny with the benefit of hindsight; competent, but poorly conceived. Even Solamar's lyrics feel a bit wedged into the melodies here, unlike the first two records, where he was rarely off his game.
Even with its obvious flaws, there are some interesting moments here, mostly because Solamar's identity crisis has reached its zenith, and the tense, self-interrogating lyrics attest to this intense emotional state. On "Regular Condition," he speaks ironically about his gender dysphoria: "Don't worry, this is a regular condition/Thousands of people have to deal with this every day." On "The Root," he sounds like a man frantically searching for a solution to an unresolvable paradox: "I wish I could get to the root of the problem." On "Don't Worry About Me," Solamar sings: "Don't worry about me, I've got my therapy/The image in my mind's eye, it just frees me." Though all of these lyrics certainly could be expressing universal emotions, it seems unavoidable to relate this to Solamar's transgenderism, and this pervasive, unconscious theme succeeds in redeeming the album, which otherwise has not aged particularly well.

http://brainwashed.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7333&Itemid=64

Be a Caveman: The Best of the Voxx Garage Revival (Garage/Psych/Indie compilation)

From 1979 onward, the Voxx label has been the home of more 1960s garage revivalist bands than any other company, although the label's activities tapered off in the early '90s. This is a 27-song survey of Voxx's output (excluding the actual '60s garage bands whose material it reissued occasionally). Many of these names were among the best-known groups in this rather insular movement, such as DMZ, the Crawdaddys, the Barracudas, Plan 9, the Unclaimed, the Pandoras, the Tell Tale Hearts, the Fuzztones, the Cynics, and the Chesterfield Kings. There are a few names that might be unfamiliar to those steeped in the style, like the Time Beings, the Leopards, the Event, and the Laughing Soup Dish. But even if you're the purist who only wants to hear the original 1960s garage recordings, you'll probably recognize most of these bands, if only because so many of them advertised in (and wrote for) fanzines detailing obscure 1960s garage music. The music on this disc? It's a cliché by now to note that it's not as exciting as the obscure 1960s recordings it's modeled on, but that's no less valid a statement than it ever was. Those songs that are covers of old nuggets don't match the original versions; much of the original material sounds like form without the content. Some non-standard garage influences peek through occasionally, such as surf, punk, and polished late-'60s British psychedelia, but for the most part it's bluesy, simple 1966-style ranting. the Leopards' late-'60s Kinks-style vaudeville-mod satire "Psychedelic Boy" really stands out (refreshingly so) in this context as something a little different. Should you want just one overview sampler of the genre, though, this -- despite the absence of some of the more celebrated names, such as the Lyres -- has got to be the best one out there.  

Track List

1. Left In The Dark - Vertebrats

2. Can't Stand The Pain - DMZ

3. There She Goes Again - Crawdaddys

4. This Ain't My Time - Barracudas

5. I'm Not There - Plan 9

6. Run From Home - Unclaimed

7. Melvin - Pandoras

8. Spooky - Gravedigger V

9. It's Not Me - Tell Tale Hearts

10. One Step Closer To You - Miracle Workers

11. Why Don't You Love Me - Time Beings

12. Green Slime - Fuzztones

13. I'll Make You Sorry - Odds

14. Nothing's From Today - Vipers

15. Waste Of Time - Cynics

16. Are You Gonna Be There - Chesterfield Kings

17. Dr. Syn - Stomachmouths

18. Bye Bye Baby - Wombats

19. Teenage Lima Bean - Laughing Soup Dish

20. Midnight Hour - Hypstrz

21. Fun In The Summer - Surf Trio

22. She Only Knows - Eyes Of Mind

23. Can't Get Enough - Things

24. Psychedelic Boy - Leopards

25. Living So Dead - Steppes

26. She's Our Girl - Event

27. Be A Caveman - Dwarves

AMG Review by Richie Unterberger

Manuel Göttsching - Inventions for Electric Guitar (1975 Ash Ra Tempel frontman solo album Kraut/Space Rock)

This album is sometimes credited to Ash Ra Tempel, but the music was composed and performed by Manuel Göttsching alone. All sounds were created with guitar, but Göttsching's use of echo, delay, and assorted treatments give these pieces the flavor of sequenced synthesizer music, occasionally reminiscent of Tangerine Dream's work from the period. The opening "Echo Waves" is a trance-inducing space guitar masterpiece, with repeating rhythm figures and gradual phase shifts creating a warped sense of time. The first 14 minutes of the track consist of short, subtly changing melodic phrases, until Göttsching questionably chooses to close with a searing, acid-fried guitar solo. "Quasarsphere" is much more contemplative, with Göttsching processing his guitar to sound like a synthesizer in the vein of Robert Fripp. The closing "Pluralis" consists of endless variations constructed around a simple guitar sequence; it possesses a structure similar to "Echo Waves" (down to the late-breaking blast of psychedelic soloing) with a bit more space and a slower tempo. In some respects a precursor to the groundbreaking proto-techno of E2-E4, Inventions for Electric Guitar is an essential document for space rock enthusiasts.

AMG Review by Mark Richardson

Magma - Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh (Great Prog/Jazz/Fusion 1973)

There is definitely quite a large step from Magma's second LP, 1,001 Degrees Centigrade, to this one, their third. At the same time, MDK represents a transitional period: drummer/composer Christian Vander has definitely abandoned the jazzier leanings of the previous opuses and has now dived head first into martial hymns and a new form of progressive devotional music -- extraterrestrial gospel. But he has also chosen to retain the brass section that gave Kobaïa and 1,001 Degrees Centigrade their signature sound. Therefore, the music has yet to become the relentless rhythmic kaleidoscope that the future would promise. MDK was introduced in the LP's original liner notes (an illuminated delirium by Vander, who rechristens himself Zebëhn Straïn dë Geustaah -- his text, the essence of which is a revelation transmitted to him by the Prophet Nebëhr Gudahtt, is the key text in Magma's mythology) as the third movement of Theusz Hamttaahk, but it was the first one recorded. The previous two movements are "Theusz Hamttaahk" itself, often performed live but not recorded at the time, and Würdah Ïtah, which would become the group's next album. All three album-length pieces share elements (some lyrics, rhythmic cells, and chord sequences), but they are individual stand-alone pieces. MDK showcased for the first time the incredible range of singer Klaus Blasquiz and introduced the ground-moving work of bassist Jannick Top, with and for whom Vander will develop an increasingly rhythm-heavy style, already present here. Between the meticulous developments of "Hortz Fur Dëhn Stekëhn West," the possessed free-form screams in "Nebëhr Gudahtt," and the hymnal chorus of "Mekanïk Kommandöh," MDK is one giant creative blow to the guts, and unsuspecting listeners will be left powerless at the end of its onslaught of mutated funk, pummeling gospel rock, and incantatory vocals in a barbaric invented language. It remains one of Magma's crowning achievements (together with Kohntarkosz) and the best point of entry into Christian Vander's unparalleled musical vision. And if the literary concept bothers you, just ignore it: the music has more than enough power to do without it.

AMG Review by François Couture

The Alan Bown Set! - Outward Bown (Wonderful UK Psychedelic Pop 1967)

Everybody who's followed the convoluted career of Jess Roden, Britain's best-kept blue-eyed soul-shaped secret for more than 30 years, should close their ears right now. The man who turned "I Can't Get Next to You" into one of the most dramatically passionate rock workouts of the '70s is completely up a bubblegum tree here, running through an album of light-psych whimsy that has as much to do with his future as...name your poison: Peter Frampton and the Herd, Status Quo and "Matchstick Men," Traffic and its debut album. It's great pop, of course -- as great as any of those and many more. Blissed out mini-classics like "Magic Handkerchief," "The Violin Shop," and "My Girl the Month of May" are as delightful as only second-division British psych can be, a collection of semi-detached suburban Ray Davies observations full of vaguely Edwardian lifestyle concerns, peopled by pretty girls who wash the dishes, toys that talk, and love that flies from the rooftops with the clouds. Signs of the band's (and band members') brilliance are all over the place. "Penny for Your Thoughts" is garage land Small Faces, underpinned by freak guitar and the brilliant brass of Bown and future Supertramp mainstay John Anthony Helliwell, while a version of Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" melds Hendrix' arrangement to a Sgt. Pepper's-ish style. And it's all so impossibly sweet, so implausibly twee, and so utterly a child of its times that you can't help but wonder just how humanity survived the '60s. Let alone Roden himself!

AMG Review by Dave Thompson

Ash Ra Tempel - Schwingungen (Kraut-Rock 1972)

Ash Ra Tempel's second album featured the first of several personnel changes, Klaus Schulze having departed for other realms and replaced as a result by Wolfgang Muller. A few guest players surfaced here and there as well, with one John L. taking the lead vocals -- another difference from the self-titled debut, which was entirely instrumental. The general principle of side-long efforts continued, though the first half was split into two related songs, "Light" and "Darkness." "Light" itself sounded halfway between the zoned-out exploration of "Traummaschine" and bluesy jamming, a weird if not totally discordant combination that still manages to sound more out there than most bands of the time. Gottsching's fried solo, in particular, is great, sending the rest of the song out to silence that leads into "Darkness." Said song initially takes a far more minimal approach that bears even more resemblance to "Traummaschine," fading out almost entirely by the third minute before a full band performance (including Uli Popp on bongos and Matthais Wehler's sudden alto sax bursts) slowly builds into a frenetic jam. John L.'s vocals become echoed screams and yelps not far off from Damo Suzuki's approach in Can, and the overall performance is a perfect slice of Krautrock insanity, sudden swirls of flanging and even more on-the-edge solos from Gottsching and Wehler sending it over the top. "Suche & Liebe" takes up the entire second side, the performers this time around concentrating on the quiet but unsettling approach, Gottsching's massive soloing kept low in the mix but not so much that it doesn't freak out listeners. The song concludes on an almost conventionally pretty band jam, something that could almost be Meddle-era Pink Floyd, only with even a more haunting, alien air thanks to the wordless vocal keening.

AMG Review by Ned Raggett

Ash Ra Tempel - Ash Ra Tempel (Innovative Kraut-Rock 1971)

In light of the 1990s post-rock scene and the often clear links back to Krautrock of all stripes, Ash Ra Tempel's monster debut album stands as being both astonishingly prescient and just flat out good, a logical extension of the space-jam-freakout ethos into rarified realms. Featuring the original trio of Enke, Gottsching and Schulze, Ash Ra Tempel consists of only two side-long tracks, both of which are gripping examples of technical ability mixed with rock power. If more progressive music was like it, there wouldn't be as many continuing complaints about that genre as a whole. "Amboss" contains the more upfront explosions of sound, though it mixes in restraint as much as crunch. Starting with Gottsching's extended guitar notes and Schulze's cymbals, it begins with a slow, ominous build that is equally haunting, as mysterious as the cryptic artwork of temples and figures found on the inside. Quick, rumbling drums slowly fade up some minutes in, with more crashing guitar mixing in with the previous tones, creating a disorienting drone experience. The active jam then takes over the rest of the song at the point, the three going off just as they want to (Gottsching's soloing in particular is fantastic) before all coming back together for an explosive, shuddering series of climaxes. "Traummaschine," in marked contrast, is a quieter affair, with Gottsching's deep drones setting and continuing the tone throughout. Fading in bit by bit, the guitars are accompanied by equally mesmerizing keyboards from Schulze, creating something that calls to mind everything from Eno's ambient works to Lull's doom-laden soundscapes and, after more distinct guitar pluckings start to surface, Flying Saucer Attack's rural psychedelia. Halfway through, soft percussion blends with the music to create a gentle but persistent intensity, cue for a series of shifts between calmer and more active sections, but all kept more restrained than on "Amboss."

AMG Review by Ned Raggett

Climax Chicago Blues Band - S/T (1969 Wonderful Blues-Rock)

In the grand tradition of Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, the Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, The Keef Hartley Band, T.S. McPhee's Groundhogs, early Rod Stewart, early Led Zeppelin and a dozen others, the British blues scene of 1967-1969 was hot.
And the best of the best was the Climax Chicago Blues Band (they dropped 'Chicago' after this first album). Though rooted in the American blues tradition, they gave it their own distinctive British twist, producing some of the finest modern blues music around in their first 4 or 5 albums. After that they began to slide into a pop MOR format (as many of their contemporaries also did), making them less interesting, but oh, those first albums!!

When this lp came out in 1969 I stumbled across it and fell for their killer versions of Mean Old World and Insurance. I was completely impressed by the fact that Peter Haycock (guitarist non-pareil) was rumored to be only 13 years old (he was actually 17) when they recorded this album and he had to sneak out of the house to play. A must-have for any blues collection. [Amazon]

01. Mean Old World
02. Insurance
03. Going Down This Road
04. You've Been Drinking
05. Don't Start Me Talking
06. Wee Baby Blues
07. Twenty Past One
08. Stranger in Your Town
09. How Many More Years
10. Looking for My Baby
11. And Lonely
12. Entertainer [Bonus]

Post by CGR

Novalis - Novalis (Great German Prog-Rock 1975)

Normally, progressive rock bands that hail from Germany play an aggressive, forceful type of music, with brash keyboard and guitar interplay leading to hardened rhythms and tempos. Novalis is one of the exceptions, and on their second album they maintain an even tighter fusion of folk-rock and classical elements, topped off with lush, prolific vocals that soften the music even more. With their debut album entitled Banished Bridge in 1973, the lyrics were entirely English, but Novalis has the band switching to their native tongue, which, in turn, sounds more free-flowing and poetic. But it's the way in which the keyboards maintain a dreamy, romantic air throughout the songs that gives the album some personality, especially in the nine-minute "Wer Schmetterlinge Lachen Hort," which roughly translates into "Those Who Hear Butterflies Laugh," as the tones float and descend, with some light guitar playing dancing in the background. "Impressionen" is the track most closely related to classical music, as there is some familiar relation to Bruckner's Symphony No. 5 in the synthesizer's riffs. Even if the vocals can't be understood, they are beautifully cohered to the instruments to produce a vivid fairy-tale effect that is quite mesmerizing the whole album through, making it one of their best.

AMG Review by Mike DeGagne

Bachman-Turner Overdrive - Not Fragile (Superb Classic Rock album 1974)

After gaining some recognition from the success of the band's previous album, Bachman-Turner Overdrive got around to recording Not Fragile. Not only had one of the three Bachman brothers (Tim, the rhythm guitarist) left the band to BTO's advantage, but Randy Bachman and C.F. Turner had clearly grown musically. To the album's benefit, most of the material on Not Fragile are the band's much-liked rock anthems, ranging from the hyper-distorted title track, through the famous but far more timid song "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet." Indeed, for hard rock fanatics, it doesn't come much better than on Not Fragile. Randy's electrifying lead guitar is here more raucous than ever before, as are his rowdy vocals (particularly noticeable on the predictable, but fun "Sledgehammer"). The man steals the show on Not Fragile through his extensive and often astounding guitar solos. Generally, though, Bachman-Turner Overdrive are at their prime as a whole, both in songwriting and playing terms. As regards the mixing, it's hard to find fault with this release. The drums are clear but not so prominent that they dominate the recording, while the guitars, along with the bass, are kept rigidly in their place. Not Fragile is one of the finest arena rock albums of the era, featuring all the hallmarks of what makes a classic release in the genre. Randy's impressive guitar work and typically boisterous vocals complement the overall framework of the album superbly, as do the crunchy rhythm guitars. This release will astound fans of the genre and band, while those thoroughly against stadium rock may find something to convert their views.

AMG Review by Ben Davies

Koala - Koala (1969 Garage/Psych)

The Koala were a late 60's group from New York who released one album on Capitol Records, where some genius decided to market the group as a bunch of Aussies...without getting anyone's permission first! The group got wind of this, after the fact, and broke up soon after the album's release. guaranteeing it a life of obscurity for the next few decades. Now that the market for 1960's psych/garage obscurities is strong, Fallout Records has put the group's one album out on cd for the first time ever, and it's a surprisingly good listen.

The Koala may be a cute and fuzzy animal, but this band was the exact opposite, playing snarling and aggressive music that was influenced by Hendrix, The Who and The Small Faces. This is no run of the mill period piece though, thanks to the leering vocals of Jose Mala (who went on the front 70's glam-rockers The Magic Tramps and played in The Joe Perry Project) and the innovative psychedelic guitar playing of Joey Guido and Louis Cane. When it's all added up you get an album that predates 1970's hard-rock and punk, and The Koala serves as proof that there's still some undiscovered gems sitting in record company vaults.

01. Don't You Know What I Mean?
02. Look At The Way She Comes
03. Poor Discarded Baby
04. Nothing's Changed
05. She's A Lady
06. Colours Of Our Rainbow
07. Poppa Duke Tyler
08. Strange Feelings
09. Elizabeth
10. You Say
11. Yesterday's Rain
12. Lady Dressed In White
13. Scattered Children's Toys

Post by CGR

Albert Collins, Etta James & Joe Walsh - Jump the Blues Away (Superb Live 1989)

Nothing if not eclectic, the Jazzvisions series veers completely away from jazz on its blues installment. The idiom is blues-rock, the headliner is the once and future Eagles star Joe Walsh, and his co-partners are electric bluesman Albert Collins and the indestructible singer Etta James. Within that idiom, though, this is a strong program captained by experts in the arts of blues licks and working the crowd. Collins is terse and stinging on guitar, full of bent-note soul; James is right in her element, laying on the double entendres, whipping up the audience in her experienced manner; and Walsh, aside from the inevitable "Rocky Mountain Way," does well in the blues guitar idiom, even giving a tip of the cap to Collins, "Thanks for all the licks!" The backup band roars in the traditional journeyman electric blues-rock form, with strong piano and organ work and pumping drums. At its best, especially when Collins and James are on, this concert at the indoor Wiltern Theatre has much of the celebratory flavor of a jumping outdoor blues festival. Available on LP, CD, cassette, laserdisc and VHS video.

AMG Review by Richard S. Ginell

Big Star - #1 Record (Superb debut album 1972)

The problem with coming in late on an artwork lauded as "influential" is that you've probably encountered the work it influenced first, so its truly innovative qualities are lost. Thus, if you are hearing Big Star's debut album for the first time decades after its release (as, inevitably, most people must), you may be reminded of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers or R.E.M., who came after -- that is, if you don't think of the Byrds and the Beatles, circa 1965. What was remarkable about #1 Record in 1972 was that nobody except Big Star (and maybe Badfinger and the Raspberries) wanted to sound like this -- simple, light pop with sweet harmonies and jangly guitars. Since then, dozens of bands have rediscovered those pleasures. But in a way, that's an advantage because, whatever freshness is lost across the years, Big Star's craft is only confirmed. These are sturdy songs, feelingly performed, and once you get beyond the style to the content, you'll still be impressed.

AMG Review by William Ruhlmann

Abwärts - Der Westen Ist Einsam (Germany Punk/Post-Punk/New Wave 1982)

Early masterpiece from Germany's ABWÄRTS featuring their unique sound combining the raw energy of punk with the experimental sounds of new wave. Originally released in 1982 made available digitally for the first time through Rodrec - the label of DIE ÄRZTE bass player Rodrigo Gonzáles - and Cargo Digital.